App for Deerington
IN CHARACTER
Character Name: Bucky Barnes
Canon: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Canon Point: At the very start of Captain America: Civil War, pre being found by Steve.
In-Game Tattoo Placement: Winding around his remaining flesh arm (right arm), with the antlers spreading across his collarbone and shoulder blades.
Current Health/Status: Alive and healthy.
Age: Physically in his early thirties, technically about 100
Species: Human
Content Warnings: Torture, Nazis, Body modification, mental torture (including brainwashing), PTSD, general war themes
History: Here.
Personality: At his current canon point, Bucky is caught in a transitional period. He's not the Winter Soldier any more, but neither is he the man he used to be. He's closer to Bucky than the Winter Soldier by this point, but it's by no means a cut and dry situation and to properly explain who he is now, it's necessary to talk about both of the people he has been in the past.
First, Bucky Barnes.
The core of Bucky's personality is probably his loyalty. No matter what else might be going on, no matter the overwhelming odds or the social implications, Bucky is loyal to his friends and to his ideals. He sticks with Steve Rogers even when the going is at its toughest in their youth, and that then carries forwards to being willing to follow Steve into the heat of the fiercest battles as a Howling Commando during World War II. The evidence of his unwavering loyalty is seen most clearly through something Steve says about him ('Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky'), and three instances of his behaviour in the first film. Firstly, he makes sure to be with Steve during and after his mother's funeral, refusing to take no for an answer in helping. It's then that he coins the line that will come back to haunt him later: 'I'm with you 'til the end of the line, pal. Secondly, he refuses to run and save himself when the HYDRA base is collapsing, saying he won't leave without Steve. And finally, he states that he'll follow the skinny kid from Brooklyn (Steve) into war, rather than Captain America. As proud as he is of all his friend has achieved, it's Steve Rogers that earned his loyalty, and that holds true whether he's skinny with health problems, or able to bench press three women atop a motorcycle.
He is an easy-going charmer, often preferring to focus on the fun that life has to offer rather than the grim reality facing him. While Steve was desperately trying to enlist, going so far as to lie on his forms, Bucky only wanted to go dancing and enjoy the last night he had before being shipped off overseas. He is a man who enjoys all the pleasures of being a young and athletic soldier, mostly with the women. He is a flirt and a charmer, someone with a quick wit and a ready laugh. He enjoys being the life of the party, and it even irritates him slightly when Steve becomes more popular with the ladies after his transformation.
He does, however, know when to be serious if the situation calls for it. He's a soldier, so he's used to taking orders and obeying them as well as working in a team. He will listen to Agent Carter despite her being a woman in a time when women were not seen as suited for positions in the armed forces, and he is always there to help Steve fight off the bullies - whether they come in small-minded cinema goer or Nazi form.
Above all, Bucky is a survivor. It's stated that nobody who is taken away in the HYDRA base to be experimented on returns, but Bucky is still alive when he is found by Steve. He forces himself to move, to fight, and to ultimately escape. This is, perhaps, the trait he shares most strongly with the Winter Soldier. The Winter Soldier is what happened after Bucky Barnes fell from a train and was presumed dead. He was not. He was, instead, rescued by HYDRA (an organisation that began life as a Nazi research division), and trained into the ultimate assassin.
The Winter Soldier bears little resemblance to Bucky Barnes.
In order to create the perfect soldier, someone who would be obedient, efficient, and ruthless, the scientists at HYDRA subjected Bucky to severe mental conditioning and torture. His personality, memories, and free will were constantly being erased whenever they began to surface, leaving him a blank slate to be controlled. As the Soldier, he was merely an asset, not a human being. His conditioning was so severe that he doesn't resist the mind wipes, even though he knows they will be agony for him, even placing the bit between his own teeth in preparation.
He is vicious and without conscience as the Soldier, caring little about collateral damage in pursuit of his target. It is that, combined with his single-minded focus and extensive training, that make him one of the most dangerous assassins of his time. He is a man who has been brutally tortured, conditioned, and frequently kept in storage like a tool between missions. He bears so little resemblance to Bucky Barnes, that he doesn't even recognise his name the first time he comes face to face with Steve (his target at the time).
However, Bucky was not completely gone from the Soldier. Repeated exposure to Steve Rogers allowed the programming to begin to fail and memories to resurface. This led to a conflict of interest where he initially tried to kill Steve with everything in his arsenal, and ended in saving him from drowning. By the end of the fight he isn't sure who he is, and so he takes off. He flees HYDRA, he flees from Steve Rogers, and he goes underground to try and figure out who he is.
This is where Bucky is at his current canon point. He's not the Soldier any longer, but neither is he completely Bucky Barnes. He has a lot of his old memories and he no longer wishes to be an assassin, but he is a man heavily damaged by trauma and decades of programming. He survives, but he is not trusting and his priority is not his well-being. The Soldier is still inside him, and so he is still dangerous and if attacked will likely retaliate with extreme prejudice. He is distrustful, wary, and confused. He will likely not make allies or friend easily, and he could be triggered into becoming the Soldier again under the right (or wrong) circumstances.
Bucky has been through a lot at the hands of the Soviets and it shows, he's extremely wary and constantly on the look out for threats. He has left HYDRA under his own steam after Steve triggered enough recall that he had to question everything he had been told, and he is very aware that he is hunted. Not just by HYDRA, but also by SHIELD and all the other government organisations who want to bring him to justice for the crimes the Winter Soldier committed. This makes him extremely cautious and closed off. He has disappeared in order to find himself and he is unwilling to be found by others before then. It has led to him living like a ghost, moving frequently and often taking measures such as blocking all his windows with newspapers and making sure he has a back door exit plan in case he is found.
He is a man caught in the grips of an identity crisis. He has been to the Smithsonian and seen the exhibition on Captain America, which means he has read about the Bucky Barnes he used to be and knows that HYDRA lied and Steve told him the truth. However, he still doesn't remember everything about his past, and he has been the Winter Soldier for a long time, so it is hard for him to reconcile the things he has done with the man he used to be. He knows, logically, that what HYDRA had him do is not his fault, but he still feels guilt over his actions.
The guilt over what he has done, and the trauma of the inhumane treatment at the hands of the Soviets, have left an indelible mark on him. He is terrified of becoming the Winter Soldier again and that is likely one of the reasons he has not sought out Steve again, despite now remembering a lot of what the other man means to him. He doesn't trust himself. He knows everything HYDRA put inside him is still there, it would just take the correct circumstances to have him trying to kill again. He knows who he is now, or is starting to, and he doesn't want to go back to what he was before.
However, despite all he has been through, Bucky maintains a core of determination to survive and to find his way. He has not laid down and given up, he has not shied away from trying to learn more about himself. He is capable of interacting with the world and people around him in a normal fashion, purchasing food and so forth, but he retains his distance. He has lost much of the humour, charm, and trusting nature that he possessed when he was a young man, though he is striving to get back there.
Abilities/Powers/Weaknesses & Warping: Bucky is a human enhanced with super soldier serum. This means that he's faster, stronger, and more durable than a human should be capable of. If he relies on this too much (e.g. pushing without food/sleep, going recklessly in battle), he will experience a "crash". A bit like coming down off a sugar high. So if he's pushed himself to go without sleep, he'll be extra fatigued for a few days. He also has a metal prosthetic; which is not exactly a power, but is more advanced than any real-world prosthetic and so I felt it should be mentioned.
Inventory:
1 x Makarov pistol
1 x stash of ammunition for the pistol
1 x sleeping bag
1 x outfit consisting of jeans, a hoodie, a t-shirt, combat boots, and socks
1 x swiss army knife (this can be removed if it would count as a second weapon)
1 x box of MRE ration packs
Writing Samples: Test drive top level with multiple threads and a thread from a different game
OUT OF CHARACTER
Player Name: Fossil
Player Age: 34
Player Contact:
Other Characters In Game:
In-Game Tag If Accepted: Bucky Barnes: Fossil
Permissions for Character: Here
Are you comfortable with prominent elements of fourth-walling?: Yes, I'm all good with fourth-walling!
What themes of horror/psychological thrillers do you enjoy the most?: I enjoy the psychological aspects of horror the most, things that force characters to introspect and grow. I also enjoy things that force characters to work together, getting to know others they might not normally have spent time with.
Is there anything in particular you absolutely need specific content warnings for?: Nothing I can think of.
Additional Information: