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Jun. 29th, 2016 07:29 pmPlayer Name: Miko
Player Age: Significantly over 18
Character Name: James “Bucky” Buchanan Barnes
Character Canon: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Character Age: Technically Bucky is 99 years old, in that he was born 99 years before the canon moment I’m taking him from. However, he has spent much of that time frozen in cryostasis. Physically he is approximately thirty years old. Mentally he is roughly the same, however he’s missing many early memories of his life. He thinks and acts as an adult but doesn’t have the full range of societal acclimation and socialization he should.
Inventory: Black boots (probably Army surplus or similar), socks, blue jeans, briefs, dark grey t-shirt, red long-sleeved Henley shirt. There may be some Romanian currency in his pockets. He has a metal full prosthetic arm which can certainly be considered a weapon. Since he's likely to panic when waking in the rather lab-like environment of Sick Bay, if the NPCs choose to remove it that's fine, as long as he can get it back at some point. I don't want him armless forever, heh.
History: http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Winter_Soldier
Canon Point: I’m pulling him from halfway through Captain America: Civil War, at the point in Berlin where he’d broken free (on the orders and under the control of Zemo) and crashed the helicopter into the river. Instead of waking up in the warehouse with Steve & Sam, he’ll wake up on the ship.
Personality:
It’s impossible to talk about Bucky’s current personality without first addressing the one he had before he was captured and tortured by HYDRA. For the first 28 years or so of his life, he was a confident, charming, very social person. He had no trouble finding dates – we see him bringing two girls for a double date with Steve to the Stark Expo, and from comments later made by Steve like ‘maybe she’s got a friend’, it’s implied Bucky has gotten them both dates before. There’s no evidence he’s had much in the way of steady, committed romantic relationships, though it’s possible it’s happened off screen in the past.
He strikes me as the type of person to have many acquaintances he calls ‘friends’, but few who are very close. I believe that’s because he cares SO deeply for those he’s close to that he simply doesn’t have the resources to be that close to many. He and Steve have the kind of friendship where they can give each other shit and know it’s meant in the most loving way. Most importantly, they know they can count on each other no matter what the circumstance.
He can be quite protective of Steve, though he’s not smothering or pitying about it. When Steve’s mother dies, he tries to convince his friend to rely on him for support. He refuses to leave Steve behind in the exploding HYDRA facility, and on their triumphant return to camp he makes a point of calling for everyone to acknowledge what Steve has accomplished. He willingly follows Steve as one of the Howling Commandos, and is shown watching out for Steve, sniping an enemy Steve didn’t notice.
I think there is an element of jealousy in his reactions to Steve after the serum transformation. He’s only human, and while he’s very happy that Steve is healthy and strong, he’d have to be a saint to feel no envy at all. His comment when he realizes Peggy has eyes only for Steve – ‘I’m turning into you, this is a horrible feeling’ - shows that he’s used to being the more attractive of the two of them and isn’t sure he likes the reversal. However he clearly doesn’t allow it to affect his friendship or sour him at all, and he remains staunchly loyal to Steve.
After being captured by HYDRA a second time, he was tortured and brainwashed for an unknown length of time before finally breaking and becoming HYDRA’s greatest weapon. He spent 70 years as HYDRA’s captive, most of that time with no memory of who he was or his existence prior to being the Winter Soldier. As of the time I’m taking him from, he’s been free of HYDRA and in hiding for two years.
We know from his journals that he was actively seeking memories and writing them down – actor Sebastian Stan said in an interview that Bucky’s backpack was filled with journals like the one Steve glances at in the movie, and that they’re filled with EVERY memory, bad and good. Bucky also makes the comment to Tony that he ‘remembers all of them (the kills he’s made)’.
Being in hiding, and possibly the lack of social memories, has made him very reclusive. He interacts with people around him, such as farmers at the market, but seems to keep himself isolated for the most part. He is fearful and wary, quite possibly paranoid (is it still paranoia when they really are out to get you?); when he hears a siren down the road he goes tense and is visibly nervous until it passes, and when he realizes the newspaper vendor is staring at him, he has the same reaction again.
It appears that he believes all he wants is to be left alone by everyone to live out the rest of his life in peace. However, the speed at which he returns to working with and trusting Steve suggests that he was lonely and hungry for human contact. He tries to deny his bond with Steve at first, but later admits to remembering some intimate details of Steve’s life and their friendship.
He’s unaggressive unless provoked (which is NOT the same as being passive). He’s trying his best to avoid drawing notice of any kind, but when cornered he will fight for his freedom. He states that he doesn’t kill anymore, but isn’t entirely careful of how much force he uses when fighting his way through the police, which shows how much he values that freedom. Once captured, however, he appears resigned to his fate, and doesn't attempt to free himself until Zemo begins the process of triggering him into becoming the Winter Soldier once more.
It’s clear that his greatest fear is returning to that state of absolute obedience and the life of a controlled killer. The realization that what HYDRA put in his head is still there, waiting to be triggered again by anyone who knows the right words, later drives him to go back into cryostasis as the only way he can be certain he won’t cause any further harm to anyone. It will be a great relief to him to be on the ship where it’s even more unlikely anyone would ever know the right words to use.
He expresses doubts that he’s worth the sacrifices Steve and his friends are making to try to keep Bucky free and alive. He acknowledges that what he did as the Winter Soldier wasn’t his fault, but says that he ‘still did it’. It’s unclear exactly why he spent the two years avoiding Steve when he surely realized that Steve would help him. Likely there was an element of guilt for everything he’d done, including nearly killing Steve himself, and fear that Steve wouldn’t forgive him for becoming HYDRA’s weapon.
He may also have feared disappointing Steve – knowing that, having lost everything else he ever cared about, Steve would be hoping to get his best friend back, and Bucky simply isn’t that person anymore and never truly will be again. Personally I suspect there was also a factor of wanting to figure out for himself who he was, before becoming attached to someone who would have expectations of who he should be.
Despite everything, he hasn’t entirely lost his sense of humour. He teases Sam several times in Civil War, and accepts the return teasing. He smirks and nods at Steve when he sees his friend kiss Sharon Carter, and laughs with him over a fond memory of their childhood.
tl;dr: Bucky is reclusive and extremely wary of others, especially of being forced or controlled in any way. However, since this isn’t his natural personality, he longs for human contact and, with the right person who earns his trust and respect, he has the potential to become an incredibly loyal friend. He won’t start fights, but he will finish fights other people start with him, and is extremely dangerous when cornered.
Skills:
Bucky has years of experience in the 1940s American Army, and was a sergeant before his capture. He was trained as a sniper even before becoming the Winter Soldier, and is now considered one of the most dangerous assassins in the world. He is an expert marksman and has canonly used many types of weapons, including pistols, fully automatic assault weapons, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, bombs, knives, and hand-to-hand combat.
He’s repeatedly shown vanishing in a blink, or appearing in places that were clearly empty a moment before. He can operate a motorcycle with high skill, can fly a helicopter, and almost certainly can operate any basic land vehicle and likely boats and planes as well. It seems likely he has the ability to get past security systems, as shown when he appeared in Pierce’s apartment. Yes, he was expected, but it’s unlikely Pierce would have told his security that.
Supernatural Abilities: It’s unclear exactly how Bucky became Enhanced, or to what level he is compared to Steve, since HYDRA didn’t have access to the full serum. Marvel has stated that he does have some form of the supersoldier serum, and in fact had already begun the Enhancement process after the first time he was captured, allowing him to survive what should have been a fatal fall. His capabilities as the Winter Soldier seem on par with or a bit less than Captain America in most areas.
His muscle is denser than a normal human, allowing him to take more damage and increasing his strength. He is capable of running faster than a car travelling at moderate speeds, and in fact appears to be slightly faster than Steve, as Steve has been unable to catch up to him multiple times in canon. He’s not as agile – he lands somewhat badly when he leaps from one building to another in Civil War, but Steve takes the same jump and lands easily. Likely he isn’t as strong either, given that Steve does eventually overpower him while grappling in the helicarrier, but he’s agile and strong enough to be able to hold his own in several extended hand-to-hand fights with Steve. He almost certainly has a similarly enhanced metabolism.
His metal arm is far stronger than the rest of him, and extremely durable. He’s damaged by Captain America's vibranium shield and briefly short-circuited by Black Widow’s stun disc, but bullets don’t even leave a scratch. He uses it to catch himself when thrown from a fast moving car, and when he leaps off a high stairwell. He must have some tactile feedback at least in the palm and fingers, or he’d be unable to adeptly hold weapons like guns and knives, but I doubt they bothered to include any pain sensors.
Samples: The following are links to two private sandbox RPs I’ve played through with friends of mine. Both are extensive, though both are set shortly after Captain America: Winter Soldier (and were mostly written before Civil War came out, so don’t incorporate the new information from that movie), so Bucky has far fewer memories back than he will at the point I’m taking him from. If you’d like to see a solo sample, I can point you at my fanfiction for him, or write a new short ficlet.
http://coldlenny.dreamwidth.org/352.html#comments
http://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/2664694.html?thread=1350724854#cmt1350724854
Aspirations: I think the scenario of this game provides a setting Bucky could ultimately be very happy in. Away from any HYDRA influences – unless someone apps a HYDRA member, of course – and in a place where nobody is hunting him and he’s not a wanted man, he may finally be able to relax and come out of his shell a bit. The quasi-military nature of Starfleet will make him nervous at first, but if he’s able to bond with a leader he can trust it may eventually provide the comfort of familiarity and structure.
I’m going to be apping with a friend who will hopefully be approved as Peggy Carter. That gives him someone who will reach out to him and get him out of his reclusive ways a bit, helping him to interact with the rest of the players in the game. He’s wary, but very lonely, so he won’t be a total hermit.
Player Age: Significantly over 18
Character Name: James “Bucky” Buchanan Barnes
Character Canon: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Character Age: Technically Bucky is 99 years old, in that he was born 99 years before the canon moment I’m taking him from. However, he has spent much of that time frozen in cryostasis. Physically he is approximately thirty years old. Mentally he is roughly the same, however he’s missing many early memories of his life. He thinks and acts as an adult but doesn’t have the full range of societal acclimation and socialization he should.
Inventory: Black boots (probably Army surplus or similar), socks, blue jeans, briefs, dark grey t-shirt, red long-sleeved Henley shirt. There may be some Romanian currency in his pockets. He has a metal full prosthetic arm which can certainly be considered a weapon. Since he's likely to panic when waking in the rather lab-like environment of Sick Bay, if the NPCs choose to remove it that's fine, as long as he can get it back at some point. I don't want him armless forever, heh.
History: http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Winter_Soldier
Canon Point: I’m pulling him from halfway through Captain America: Civil War, at the point in Berlin where he’d broken free (on the orders and under the control of Zemo) and crashed the helicopter into the river. Instead of waking up in the warehouse with Steve & Sam, he’ll wake up on the ship.
Personality:
It’s impossible to talk about Bucky’s current personality without first addressing the one he had before he was captured and tortured by HYDRA. For the first 28 years or so of his life, he was a confident, charming, very social person. He had no trouble finding dates – we see him bringing two girls for a double date with Steve to the Stark Expo, and from comments later made by Steve like ‘maybe she’s got a friend’, it’s implied Bucky has gotten them both dates before. There’s no evidence he’s had much in the way of steady, committed romantic relationships, though it’s possible it’s happened off screen in the past.
He strikes me as the type of person to have many acquaintances he calls ‘friends’, but few who are very close. I believe that’s because he cares SO deeply for those he’s close to that he simply doesn’t have the resources to be that close to many. He and Steve have the kind of friendship where they can give each other shit and know it’s meant in the most loving way. Most importantly, they know they can count on each other no matter what the circumstance.
He can be quite protective of Steve, though he’s not smothering or pitying about it. When Steve’s mother dies, he tries to convince his friend to rely on him for support. He refuses to leave Steve behind in the exploding HYDRA facility, and on their triumphant return to camp he makes a point of calling for everyone to acknowledge what Steve has accomplished. He willingly follows Steve as one of the Howling Commandos, and is shown watching out for Steve, sniping an enemy Steve didn’t notice.
I think there is an element of jealousy in his reactions to Steve after the serum transformation. He’s only human, and while he’s very happy that Steve is healthy and strong, he’d have to be a saint to feel no envy at all. His comment when he realizes Peggy has eyes only for Steve – ‘I’m turning into you, this is a horrible feeling’ - shows that he’s used to being the more attractive of the two of them and isn’t sure he likes the reversal. However he clearly doesn’t allow it to affect his friendship or sour him at all, and he remains staunchly loyal to Steve.
After being captured by HYDRA a second time, he was tortured and brainwashed for an unknown length of time before finally breaking and becoming HYDRA’s greatest weapon. He spent 70 years as HYDRA’s captive, most of that time with no memory of who he was or his existence prior to being the Winter Soldier. As of the time I’m taking him from, he’s been free of HYDRA and in hiding for two years.
We know from his journals that he was actively seeking memories and writing them down – actor Sebastian Stan said in an interview that Bucky’s backpack was filled with journals like the one Steve glances at in the movie, and that they’re filled with EVERY memory, bad and good. Bucky also makes the comment to Tony that he ‘remembers all of them (the kills he’s made)’.
Being in hiding, and possibly the lack of social memories, has made him very reclusive. He interacts with people around him, such as farmers at the market, but seems to keep himself isolated for the most part. He is fearful and wary, quite possibly paranoid (is it still paranoia when they really are out to get you?); when he hears a siren down the road he goes tense and is visibly nervous until it passes, and when he realizes the newspaper vendor is staring at him, he has the same reaction again.
It appears that he believes all he wants is to be left alone by everyone to live out the rest of his life in peace. However, the speed at which he returns to working with and trusting Steve suggests that he was lonely and hungry for human contact. He tries to deny his bond with Steve at first, but later admits to remembering some intimate details of Steve’s life and their friendship.
He’s unaggressive unless provoked (which is NOT the same as being passive). He’s trying his best to avoid drawing notice of any kind, but when cornered he will fight for his freedom. He states that he doesn’t kill anymore, but isn’t entirely careful of how much force he uses when fighting his way through the police, which shows how much he values that freedom. Once captured, however, he appears resigned to his fate, and doesn't attempt to free himself until Zemo begins the process of triggering him into becoming the Winter Soldier once more.
It’s clear that his greatest fear is returning to that state of absolute obedience and the life of a controlled killer. The realization that what HYDRA put in his head is still there, waiting to be triggered again by anyone who knows the right words, later drives him to go back into cryostasis as the only way he can be certain he won’t cause any further harm to anyone. It will be a great relief to him to be on the ship where it’s even more unlikely anyone would ever know the right words to use.
He expresses doubts that he’s worth the sacrifices Steve and his friends are making to try to keep Bucky free and alive. He acknowledges that what he did as the Winter Soldier wasn’t his fault, but says that he ‘still did it’. It’s unclear exactly why he spent the two years avoiding Steve when he surely realized that Steve would help him. Likely there was an element of guilt for everything he’d done, including nearly killing Steve himself, and fear that Steve wouldn’t forgive him for becoming HYDRA’s weapon.
He may also have feared disappointing Steve – knowing that, having lost everything else he ever cared about, Steve would be hoping to get his best friend back, and Bucky simply isn’t that person anymore and never truly will be again. Personally I suspect there was also a factor of wanting to figure out for himself who he was, before becoming attached to someone who would have expectations of who he should be.
Despite everything, he hasn’t entirely lost his sense of humour. He teases Sam several times in Civil War, and accepts the return teasing. He smirks and nods at Steve when he sees his friend kiss Sharon Carter, and laughs with him over a fond memory of their childhood.
tl;dr: Bucky is reclusive and extremely wary of others, especially of being forced or controlled in any way. However, since this isn’t his natural personality, he longs for human contact and, with the right person who earns his trust and respect, he has the potential to become an incredibly loyal friend. He won’t start fights, but he will finish fights other people start with him, and is extremely dangerous when cornered.
Skills:
Bucky has years of experience in the 1940s American Army, and was a sergeant before his capture. He was trained as a sniper even before becoming the Winter Soldier, and is now considered one of the most dangerous assassins in the world. He is an expert marksman and has canonly used many types of weapons, including pistols, fully automatic assault weapons, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, bombs, knives, and hand-to-hand combat.
He’s repeatedly shown vanishing in a blink, or appearing in places that were clearly empty a moment before. He can operate a motorcycle with high skill, can fly a helicopter, and almost certainly can operate any basic land vehicle and likely boats and planes as well. It seems likely he has the ability to get past security systems, as shown when he appeared in Pierce’s apartment. Yes, he was expected, but it’s unlikely Pierce would have told his security that.
Supernatural Abilities: It’s unclear exactly how Bucky became Enhanced, or to what level he is compared to Steve, since HYDRA didn’t have access to the full serum. Marvel has stated that he does have some form of the supersoldier serum, and in fact had already begun the Enhancement process after the first time he was captured, allowing him to survive what should have been a fatal fall. His capabilities as the Winter Soldier seem on par with or a bit less than Captain America in most areas.
His muscle is denser than a normal human, allowing him to take more damage and increasing his strength. He is capable of running faster than a car travelling at moderate speeds, and in fact appears to be slightly faster than Steve, as Steve has been unable to catch up to him multiple times in canon. He’s not as agile – he lands somewhat badly when he leaps from one building to another in Civil War, but Steve takes the same jump and lands easily. Likely he isn’t as strong either, given that Steve does eventually overpower him while grappling in the helicarrier, but he’s agile and strong enough to be able to hold his own in several extended hand-to-hand fights with Steve. He almost certainly has a similarly enhanced metabolism.
His metal arm is far stronger than the rest of him, and extremely durable. He’s damaged by Captain America's vibranium shield and briefly short-circuited by Black Widow’s stun disc, but bullets don’t even leave a scratch. He uses it to catch himself when thrown from a fast moving car, and when he leaps off a high stairwell. He must have some tactile feedback at least in the palm and fingers, or he’d be unable to adeptly hold weapons like guns and knives, but I doubt they bothered to include any pain sensors.
Samples: The following are links to two private sandbox RPs I’ve played through with friends of mine. Both are extensive, though both are set shortly after Captain America: Winter Soldier (and were mostly written before Civil War came out, so don’t incorporate the new information from that movie), so Bucky has far fewer memories back than he will at the point I’m taking him from. If you’d like to see a solo sample, I can point you at my fanfiction for him, or write a new short ficlet.
http://coldlenny.dreamwidth.org/352.html#comments
http://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/2664694.html?thread=1350724854#cmt1350724854
Aspirations: I think the scenario of this game provides a setting Bucky could ultimately be very happy in. Away from any HYDRA influences – unless someone apps a HYDRA member, of course – and in a place where nobody is hunting him and he’s not a wanted man, he may finally be able to relax and come out of his shell a bit. The quasi-military nature of Starfleet will make him nervous at first, but if he’s able to bond with a leader he can trust it may eventually provide the comfort of familiarity and structure.
I’m going to be apping with a friend who will hopefully be approved as Peggy Carter. That gives him someone who will reach out to him and get him out of his reclusive ways a bit, helping him to interact with the rest of the players in the game. He’s wary, but very lonely, so he won’t be a total hermit.
