AU APP | FadeRift

[redshitlord]

PLAYER

Name: Red
Age: 28
Contact: redfirelight @ plurk
Other Characters: none
Interests: Anything that causes significant character development. Good or bad. Mystery and drama, and silliness. Really, I'm into a little bit of everything that doesn't lean heavily toward horror on a consistent basis.

CHARACTER

Name: Sideswipe
Canon/OC: Transformers: Robots In Disguise
Journal: redshitlord
Race:
Originally: Cybertronian | AU'd: human
Nationality:
Originally: Autobot | AU'd: Ferelden
Occupation:
Originally: common troublemaker | AU'd: common sword for hire
Age:
Originally: unknown | AU'd: 20

History

Wiki Link!

AU HISTORY:
In all honestly, “Sideswipe” doesn't remember most of his childhood. The clearest memory he has is the knowledge his father is/was a GIANT man – and that he adored him. But that's all. His original name was something much more normal, like Simon or Steve.

He knows something BAD happened, and some relative of his sent the kid to the Chantry, because what else are you going to do with an excitable little boy you never wanted? His earliest memories are of being bored out of his mind and failing any kind of test or training to be in the priesthood. Some kind soul took pity on this (fairly well-meaning) troublemaker, and talked him into applying himself – if only for the sake of Templar training. Being that the kid thought the big, armored guys were “awesome” (like kids do), he did apply himself more.

He seemed on track for it, too. Up until the final testing. He never finished his vigil, never took his oaths. He made friends with one too many mages, then up and ran when he fully realized what he'd have to do to those friends. He never went so far as to let any mages escape, but smaller transgressions were right up his alley. Sneaking them food late at night, mostly. Sometimes gifts from people outside, or running messages. Part of him regrets it. But that's generally only when he has trouble finding food or work. Speaking of which...

For a while afterward, he took to petty theft – hiking to Denerim and all but disappearing. Sometimes, he'd con people on the street – simple gambling. He really tried to make sure no one got hurt, even though he ended up stealing from them – not physically hurt, anyway.

After a while, someone in the guard got wise, and he had to book it out of town, deciding to style himself as a tough mercenary in the process. Which, when you're still lanky limbs and lacking armor, is a hard thing to do. He scavenged armor and weapons off battle sites he found, or traded manual labor for supplies. At one point, he knocked himself in the side of the head with a spade, giving himself a nasty cut – one he let scar over, in order to “look tougher”. He gave himself a new name then, calling himself after the scar. Because that's what mercenaries do, right?

Once out in the Hinterlands, his lack of reputation bought him small jobs only. Little things like hunting a deer for someone, or finding a lost horse for another. At least, until he heard there might be an opening for a sword or two in Skyhold, and headed out that way.

Personality

Sideswipe is basically that guy. The confident, daredevil athlete kind of guy. Old enough to know better, young enough to be overly eager to impress. And completely convinced he's pretty darn awesome – mostly. He isn't 100% blind to his faults, but it takes a sudden, dramatic event for him to actually realize they exist. This has a tendency to make him come across as a careless, self-absorbed jerk. He plays up the confidence as much as possible, and, truly, there are things he is very good at – and he knows it, too. So it isn't hard for him to pretend he's The Best Around.

Which is partially due to his immaturity, and lack of real-world experience. He'd really only been out on his own for about a year before things went crazy and he had to leave the city for the wilds. That whole experience really contributed to his overall disdain for authority figures – that, and his childhood-slash-adolescence being berated by Chantry authorities. Often, he tries to compensate for this lack of experience by acting tougher, more confident, than he actually is.

He has a big heart, despite the cocky exterior – never afraid to make friends with anyone who gives him a chance. As long as someone shows more signs of leniency than they do antagonism or authority with him, he'll probably want to hang around them more often – and probably remain fiercely loyal to those friends for as long as possible. This... “nougat center” is probably the largest contributing factor to his lack of experience. He doesn't really want to hurt anyone unless absolutely necessary, which runs directly counter to his “tough hooligan” exterior.

A large, driving force behind everything he does is the desire to Be Good at something. Possibly due to a desire to make the memory of his father proud, even though it's about as hazy as can be. He tried to succeed with the Templars, then moved on to trying to make it on his own. It's a very desperate need of his, one he wants to reconcile, though it usually hangs around subconsciously.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Sideswipe's strengths include the things you'd expect of an almost-Templar. Things like swordplay, wearing armor, and a limited knowledge of Templar skills. He never learned any in-depth due to the fact he never actually finished his training. He probably can recall them conceptually, but when it comes to actual practice, he's much better using just a blade. He's also quick on his feet – built more like a runner than a warrior. He'd probably win in a footrace more often than he would a sword fight.

Additionally, he has The Power Of Friendship on his side. Sort of. Once his loyalty is gained, it's really difficult to lose. Making that a strength for anyone who does so.

… It's also a drawback, too. In the instance he makes friends with the wrong person, it takes a lot to convince him he's actually done so. Whoops.

It's a huge weakness of his, along with his being young, inexperienced, and entirely too trusting of most people. It's what got him into trouble back in Templar School(C), and will probably continue to get him into trouble. He just doesn't have the life experience yet to warn him off certain types of people or situations.

… Also, he can't swim well. At all, really.

Inventory

His current inventory is very limited. He doesn't have much in the way of items with emotional or personal meaning. He only has space for the practical stuff, which includes:

+ 1 sword (a broadsword, not fancy, but not badly made, either.)
+ leather armor (picked up from what smiths and armorers would throw out)
+ generic traveling gear – camping supplies, food, some first aid supplies, extra clothes.

Motivation

More than anything, he wants to sign on in favor of having direction. Having something he can really succeed at. He figures this has to be the big break he's been waiting for. Why else would he be in the same area as the Inquisition? (Spoilers: he wasn't, really. He just likes to pretend he was.) This is his chance to prove he's not all talk. Plus, if all else fails, he figures, they'll always need another guy with a sword to swing around. And he is good at swinging the sword around.

SAMPLES

TEST DRIVE MEME | in-game-setting

SECOND LOG LINK | out-of-game setting