Re-Al application

[megaton]

Player Information
*Name/Alias: Saeru
*Your Journal: saeru
*Age: 28
*Contact Information: Saeru
*Characters already in the game: McCrane, Skids

Character Information
*Character Name: Megatron
*Character Canon: IDW's Transformers Comics
*Age: Adult
*Race: Cybertronian
*Timeline/Pull Point: Just after the end of Megatron: Origin, plus CRAU, PLUS Glyphless Event

~

*History: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Megatron_%28G1%29#IDW_comics_continuity

*Personality:

Megatron at the beginning of the war is still young, fresh from the gladiator pits and eager to begin conquering Cybertron for the greater good of all. The idea of 'the Decepticons' is new to him, the millions of stellar cycles of war that make him famous have not yet occurred, and he is still inexperienced in commanding the armies that his future self will one day drive across his galaxy.

Despite that, his life up until this point has not been an easy one. He's endured prison, hard labor, and riots. He's survived both the large-scale massacre of miners at mining outpost 12, and the much-smaller-scale massacres that happen every day in the Arena. Death is a constant companion for him, and gone are the days when he was hesitant to kill.

Instead, he has molded himself into something that he believes is stronger: A by-product of the very systems that he once censured. He has developed his own skewed opinion on the value of life and death, and places a price on both to use in his bid for Cybertron.

There is nothing he wants more than Cybertron.

It is his ultimate goal, and it is the desire to take control of it which drives him. Because of the horrors he's seen and experienced, he's determined to create a better world...one where the strong, the smart, the swift, and the powerful are at the forefront, supplanting the ignorant bureaucrats who once stood in their place. At current, he does not believe this needs to exclude anyone--he'd prefer to give all individuals an even playing ground to start with, and then let the best of the best claw their way up to the top as he has done.

He's not alone in this feeling. Living with fellow miners, disheartened workers, beaten-down laborers, and surviving gladiators, Megatron has always had access to a large audience with receptive processors. His words ring true with the underclass--sometimes loud enough to get him noticed by the types who've wanted those words silenced. It can be hard to ignore Megatron when he speaks, however: He is confident, fearless, and intelligent. He can accurately judge the character of most mechs, and can quickly learn the buttons that he needs to press to use them as his pawns. He is also cunning, and can manipulate the truth into lies, or use lies to reveal the truth...which he does, frequently, prompting the populace into action against the senate or simply prompting more Decepticon warriors to join his cause.

His far-reaching plans allow him to set up situations that benefit him long after they are seeded, showing an intelligence that will come to carry him through four million years of war. It's backed by his incredible skill in combat, something he's gained through surviving life-threatening peril day after day until it's second nature. The peril itself may even have become a sort of addiction for him, as there is no doubt he loves a good fight.

There are a number of things Megatron is still warring about internally, however. He will sacrifice nearly anything if he thinks it will get him nearer to his goals, but he's not yet hardened enough to sacrifice everything. Though he's fast to anger and faster to take action, the opportunities lost to him due to his brashness during his time in Axiom have given him pause to think. Also, while he hates being blamed for 'his' future mistakes, a large part of him is still impressed by how far reaching the war later became, and he aspires to that very greatness which Megatrons are known for. He's still in the habit of recruiting, and still very much used to the hard and brutish ways of the Arena, but he's trying to consider that there could be more to his future than war and destruction if he plays his cards right.

All in all, Megatron is a young warlord still experiencing a great deal of inner turmoil, and he is unpredictable at best.

Thankfully, he's also intelligent and resourceful, and keeps most of his problems private so that he can focus on the bigger picture: He's going to get his war back on track, he's going to unite Cybertron, and he's going to prove once and for all that one's destiny is not determined by one's shape or one's origins...but by what they can earn.

*Powers/Abilities:

Megatron's greatest assets are his leadership skills. In getting others to ally with him, he is capable of getting vast amounts of work done in very small amounts of time, leaving him a formidable opponent with an army at his beck and call.

Of course, it helps that he's a walking arsenal, himself.

Boasting his most obvious silhouette-defining weapon, The Fusion Cannon, Megatron can level several city blocks in a matter of minutes. A handy upgrade provided by Swindle allows him to fine-tune the beam control: everything from a tight, narrow beam of intensity, to a broad, expanding heat wave. In close combat he has preference for the energy mace, especially since it hides so neatly behind his left hand to make for easy storage, but he also has extensive combat training with swords and, of course, with fists. His time in Axiom provided him with small projectile darts built under parts of his plating that eject non-lethal acid or glue, courtesy of Kino, but most of those are last-lines of defense--activated only when no other option presents itself.

Megatron's appearance would suggest a certain sluggishness, especially since he tends to move in a relaxed manner when he's being casual. However, he has unexpected reaction times, leading to many an angrily thwarted Starscream plot.

He is capable of flight thanks to an upgrade from Black Arachnia and SG!Starscream, but does not often exercise the capacity since he is most comfortable in underground settings and feels he's never entirely gotten the hang of taking to the air. Still, he enjoys leaving his options open, and refuses to be left out of a skill that other Megatrons possess. His main alt mode is that of a mining tank, with a secondary, similar alt-mode giving the tank 'wings' thanks to his upgrade. (Like this derp here.)

*Inventory:

Most of these were given out to various characters at the end of the Glyphless event, but I'm leaving them here for reference. A * has been placed next to items he still retains.

-*Integrated weaponry as described in 'powers' above.
-Leftover holographic 'mask' from Pixel festival. (It makes him look like this: Moth mech. However, it was 'deactivated' after the event, so it would take tampering to work once more.)
-*Dog leash for a giant, three-headed canine.
-Old Axiom communicator with special correspondences recorded. (It would not function here, but he can look at old texts on it. This includes copies of his original poetry and diatribes.)
-*Schematic for an inter-dimensional portal (that doesn't work. At all. He doesn't know this, but he suspects. Copies have been given out, but he retains the first.)
-Original Decepticon pendant, on chain.
-*Detonator switch. (He originally arrived holding this in his hand, as his last 'act' in Axiom was to blow up the underground facility he'd been occupying, taking as many Transtech Security officers with him as he could.)

~

If AU, how does your character differ from canon?:

A comprehensive list of Megatron's actions in Axiom Nexus can be found here:
And I do mean 'comprehensive.'

However, a general idea of the changes he went through can be summarized as below:

Megatron spent two years in a city known as Axiom Nexus, on an advanced Cybertron that had never known war and was used to interdimensional beings showing up on a regular basis. Being dropped there immediately following his first major victory in Kaon as a Decepticon was infuriating for the young warlord, who immediately set upon finding ways to rectify the situation.

Along the way, he learned about other versions of himself and other versions of the Autobot/Decepticon war, which changed his outlook for better and for worse. In some ways, the treatment he endured in Axiom strengthened his resolve and increased his brutality, and in other ways it caused him to learn patience and to consider the consequences of his actions. Now, more than ever, he desires to create the Cybertron that he envisioned in his youth, free of the stagnation and corruption that plagued the Cybertron he knew.

However, now, he's also prone to tread more carefully, wanting to ensure that there will be a Cybertron left standing when the war is done.

The result is a Megatron who has polarized: He's more willing to indulge in friendships and grant mercy, but he's also more likely to act swiftly and ruthlessly when challenged or when he senses a threat.

He also answers to the designation 'Magnum.'

Glyphless Event

Megatron has spent a bit of time in Re-Aligned previously, during the Glyphless event.

After he finds himself stuck on an entirely different Cybertron, he is quick to begin forming new alliances and getting up to his old tricks. He divulges plans to a theoretical 'interdimensional space-bridge' to more than one Shockwave, and uses the plans as collateral to convince a few others to his 'side.' Most of his time is spent being suspicious of the Firstforged--finding them altogether too much like the 'Transtechs' of Axiom, who used the citizens as their pawns. Because of this, he also tries to sow distrust of the Firstforged to anyone he talks to, and uses their supposed mistreatment of the Glyphless as proof of their duplicitous nature.

He also spends his time playing. Finally free of Axiom Nexus, he relishes the opportunity to fight without penalty, and makes sure to test out the mettle of a few Decepticons and Autobots who are willing to go tread-to-tread with him. In a way, this is a cover for him while he secretly has the beginnings of a new portal built in the mountains. In another way, he needs the fighting to work off his pent-up anger over being trapped on yet another Cybertron.

His play isn't confined to merely the physical, however. He takes particular delight in toying with Drift and Wing, two characters that he remembers from his time in Axiom. Another spectre from his past, Barricade, is present, and Megatron is quick to renew his friendship with the mech, finding comfort in the fact that he's not the only dimensional traveler stuck here. He takes the opportunity to try and get revenge on SG!Soundwave, whom he had a rivalry with in Axiom--but the two end up resolving their conflict unexpectedly, and part under almost amicable terms. Dirge is there, as well, to which Megatron stops being surprised about and accepts, finding the jet mostly unchanged (and thankfully not remembering the time he ripped his spark-shard out.) He also makes new friends in a pair of Shockwaves (one which he fights in the arena, the other which he discusses his space bridge with), Dead End (who leaves him confused), Blurr (who he is surprised to find advocates tolerance and equality for Decepticons), Misfire (the first real fanboy he's met), Fulcrum (who shows him some of the horror that Decepticons perpetrate later in the war), Ventus (who offers friendship, intelligence, and a willing ear, which stuns Megatron enough that he accepts), DW!Starscream (who he swears he recognizes and promises to not go crazy on--oops), his OWN Starscream (with a surprising twist of them managing to get along and work on a compromise), Ambulon (who very reasonably gives some suggestions on how NOT to be a megalomaniac), Frenzy (who he missed. He can't say he didn't miss the little rascally miners who'd stuck by him), Captain Marvelous (who used his ship to help defend the space bridge and earned Megatron's respect), Overlord (who intrigued and terrified him), Tarn (someone that he found himself feeling very mirrored by), and oh god there are still more I can't keep up with these.

When Megatron finally realizes that the Firstforged are RIGHT and he's going to go insane, he spends his last few days desperately trying to complete the portal that will release him from that horrible fate. It...almost...works, but he's too hopelessly far from completing it, and while out searching for parts ends up going on a rampage and attacking nearly everyone he comes agross. SG!Soundwave manages to both make it worse and also cull it somewhat, and Ventus gets the word of his insanity out, but its too late.

He knows he's going to lose himself, and he calls for one final arena battle to be his way out. Optimus arrives, and as Megatron would prefer, his old foe is the one to strike the final blow--but not, of course, without giving him a serious run for his money.

The end.

~

Writing Samples
*First Person Sample:

Listen closely, and listen well.

[The feed opens with a closeup on Megatron's face, optics blazing red, the scant remnants of gladiator paint still burned onto the metal.]

This is not where we belong.

I am done with this. I am done with waking up to see an unfamiliar sun obscuring all-too-familiar stars. I am done with strangers being cast from their rightful worlds. I am done with mechs-who-would-be-gods so graciously patronizing us by allowing us to work in aiding to the grandeur of their home, and I am done, finally, with the unethical thwarting of the destiny that I and my Decepticons and my allies have slaved and toiled and died to create.

You can listen to the Firstforged, if you desire to. I have heard a song like theirs, before.

Or.

[He flashes, briefly, a datapad that seems to have some sort of schematic on it.]

If you are 'done,' as I am, you can help me.

I will return you to your homes.

[A single, pointed tooth is visible in the smirk that finally dawns on his face.] I guarantee it.


Third Person Sample:

"You ask what next?
"I can think of a few ideas."

Thinking of a number of ideas was not turning out to be the problem, however. Thinking of one, single idea, was.

As Soundwave left to retrieve the tactical statistics of their current status in Kaon, Megatron sank back into a pile of rubble to consider the question that the other Decepticon had asked.

For starters, there was an un-tamed planet in front of him, and a new day was dawning. However, un-tamed was probably not the best choice of words for a fully civilized world, and the beginning of today day meant the beginning of everything after a night of hard battle and no rest. Kaon was destroyed. His men were in need of repairs, and fuel. He was in need of repairs and fuel. Scavenger crews would need to be sent out, a new base would need to be scouted and fortified, plans would need to be made for both defense and offense against a world that knew where he was and what sort of a threat he posed.

Despite the setbacks, Megatron paused on that thought to smirk.

...a world that knew what sort of a threat he posed.

A few days ago, no 'legitimate' bot on Cybertron not connected with security forces or the underground (thus canceling out 'legitimate') would have considered him a threat, and now he had raised an army out of the forgotten, defeated the corrupt, and claimed a city on the homeworld. Although Kaon had been filthy to start with...now it was merely filth.

Honestly, he thought it looked much better this way.

Past the torn buildings and burning streets, after all, the senate hall was empty, and HE stood on the wreckage. In his world, there was not corruption...there was advancement. In his world, there was a place for the strong who would fight beside him. In his world, all Cybertronians would be united, and working for one cause.

One cause.

Slowly, his frown returned, and he leaned forward to rest his chin upon his fist in thought. There were so many, many things to consider, now.

If the Decepticons were going to advance upon the world beneath his banner....then he he would have to have a cause. A good cause. A strong cause. More than just an excuse to get revenge....

He would have to find a cause they'd find worth dying for.

His cause.

Final Notes:

Havoc will come.