app for lastvoyages

[imfollowinghim]

these are the times that try men's souls. the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country;
BUT HE THAT STANDS IT NOW DESERVES THE LOVE AND THANKS OF MAN AND WOMAN.

User Name/Nick: Gwen
User LJ: betterdeadthanred
AIM/IM: girlwonder004 @ AIM
E-mail: isthereair@gmail.com
Other Characters: Dick Grayson, Trip Tucker, Dr. Leonard McCoy, Charles Xavier, Luther Scott.

Character Name: James "Bucky" Buchanan Barnes
Series: Captain America: The First Avenger
Age: 21.
From When?: After he falls off the train.

Inmate/Warden: Warden.
Item: His dog tags.

Abilities/Powers: As a member of the Howling Commandos and basically the sidekick to Captain America, Bucky is extremely physically capable and is used to doing demanding work. While definitely not as physically apt as Steve, he can more or less keep up with him and can definitely hold his own in a fight, although isn't formally trained in any martial arts, so he's more likely to go in throwing punches like a normal fighter would versus, say, Batman. He was trained by the US Army and has plenty of actual combat experience, and as such is very comfortable handling most firearms, including sniper rifles. He also doesn't crack under pressure, even while being tortured, and is generally an extremely talented and capable soldier.

There are some fan theories that while being held by HYDRA, Bucky was experimented on (to potentially start setting up background for a brainwashed Winter Soldier plot and potentially giving him a way to survive the fall to explain future appearances in the film franchise), but as there's no actual canon information to back this up or give examples as to what they might have done to him, any abilities he might have are dormant and won't be touched on until we have canon basis for what they actually are.

Personality: Really, Bucky's a pretty normal guy. He comes off, in most casual settings, as a cocky, kind of sarcastic young man who likes to flirt with pretty women and poke fun at his friends. Even after several months in intense combat and being tortured by HYDRA agents, Bucky still maintains his flirty attitude towards Peggy and his teasing with Steve, and while he seems a little more serious in the second half of the film, when in casual settings, he can still put all the angst and duty aside to be a decent person to hang out or grab a beer with. He kind of thinks of himself as a hot item with the ladies, although this attitude has kind of taken a few blows in recent months because of Steve's whole Captain America shtick, but still remains a part of his day to day civilian/causal attitude, and probably isn't going anywhere for a while.

Despite being serious and having a pretty professional attitude on the job, Bucky still maintains his sarcastic, sometimes dry sense of humor, often providing witty commentary on all the crazy things happening around him, or trying to cut the tension when faced with difficult situations. This ranges from actually poking fun at people or just sort of dryly commenting on whatever nightmare fuel he's been presented with. It's a coping mechanism, and while he's not necessarily trying to be a comedian or get people to laugh, it helps him feel better and also kind adds to the general I think I'm pretty cool attitude he occasionally exudes.

Although appearing like a relatively normal, shallow guy, Bucky is a lot more than a flirty, sometimes funny guy, and the trait that probably best identifies him is his extreme loyalty to the people he cares about, and especially Steve. As the two basically grew up together, Bucky considers Steve to be his best friend and for all intents and purposes, the closest thing he's got to family. He's spent a large part of his life trying to help Steve out and protect him from bullies, and despite being younger than him, did kind of feel like Steve's big brother. While that's changed a bit in recent months, what with Steve being now totally capable of getting the interest of women and defending himself from people without him, Bucky is still very protective of him, and while he'd lay down his life for anyone in his unit, Steve is the person he'd follow blindly into the heart of darkness without a moment's hesitation. His last act before falling to his apparent death was drawing fire away from Steve, and its an action he doesn't regret, nor does he really hold resentment towards Steve for not being able to grab him before he fell. He died fighting the good fight, and while he doesn't want to be dead, and that will be something to adjust to upon arriving in game, there were a lot worse ways he could have gone.

This is really generally how he shows he really cares about a person. Although he might not be super comfortable showing affection for other people by saying things like I love you or hugging them or anything, he will be there for you when you need it, just expect a relatively emotionally stiff guy from the Forties rather than a hug monster who’s going to be super forthcoming with how much you mean to him. Bucky is a fan of doing stuff rather than getting caught up in emotional discussions, and will be generally awkward if you try to get him talking about it for more than a few minutes. He’s very supportive, but in his own way.

Still, adjusting to the whole Captain America/Bucky dynamic was kind of difficult, and Bucky still sometimes has issues with the idea that he's the number two. It's weird to go from being the protector to be the one needing protecting, and while Bucky can still clearly carry his own weight in combat and definitely keep up with Steve in most ways, Steve is a super soldier and Bucky is a normal human being. He's kind of developed a not quite rivalry with him, in that while he might playfully try to one up him, he knows Steve is more capable than him, and he's Steve, so he's not really someone he necessarily wants to be seriously competing with. He's too nice, he's Steve and just generally, any resentment or frustration he feels about the role reversal is generally kept to himself, especially while on the job. Steve is still his best friend, so he can get over feeling jealous or frustrated to focus on watching his back, because Steve's enough of a dummy to need someone to watch his back even with his cool new powers, and Bucky's happy to be that person, even if that means trying to one up him from time to time. Friendly competition can be fun, and a legit kid sidekick Bucky is not. If Steve actively tried to put him in that role, there would be a lot more resistance, back talk and general frustration, but as Steve respects him as a friend and teammate, things are generally shiny.

This loyalty and sense of duty extends to his other comrades and the job as a whole as well. Bucky is very, very good at what he does, and is extremely brave in the face of whatever horrific scenario he finds himself in next. There is minimal to no hesitation before leaping into the fight and doing what has to be done, without complaint or questioning, and while he isn't necessarily extremely reckless or impulsive, he is good at knowing what needs to be done and doing it quickly, instead of hesitating and fretting over what course of action to take. He’s calm, cool and collected in just about any crisis situation, and doesn’t break even under extreme pressure, including being tortured and potentially experimented on by HYDRA.

Bucky's a scrappy guy, and doesn't back down from a fight, nor is he afraid to speak his mind and stand up for what he believes in. While he doesn't necessarily go looking for trouble, he definitely can run to meet it head on when approached with it. It would be a stretch to say he's truly fearless, but he's simply good at pushing back panic and being in control of himself and he takes his job seriously. Bucky didn't enlist because he wanted to impress the ladies or because he got super drunk one night and did it by accident. While he doesn't quite match Steve's extreme level of dedication, he comes damn close, and he enlisted because he wanted to do his duty. In fact, he seems to think he has a more realistic idea of what life in the army is going to be like compared to Steve, as he points out to him that it's not some back alley fight and doesn't really believe him that Steve isn't doing this because he wants to prove something to the rest of the world. Bucky knew what he was getting into and enlisted anyway, and isn’t doing it because he’s trying to prove something to anyone. He wants to do his duty and do it well, and that’s really good enough for him. So really, even if there are moments where he’s a little jealous of Steve, he’s not really an ambitious guy, and is more or less pretty satisfied with the way things have generally worked out.

This more realistic view of combat and what it means to be at war means that Bucky's sort of more willing to do the dirty work that needs to get done. While he doesn't enjoy killing people or anything, he's better at sort of shutting down and doing the job he's been assigned. He's particularly good at being a sniper, keeping off to the side and taking out targets efficiently and quickly, and while there are times where he'd like to be team leader, he works well as a second.

He also respects people who are able to exhibit similar characteristics. A good way to get into Bucky's good books is to be a good person who's not afraid to stand up for themselves or what they believe in. He respects people who fit this bill and when making friends, these are important factors.

The Barge will be a bit of an adjustment for Bucky. While he'll probably adapt pretty quickly to some of the technological advancements, in that he's obviously familiar with televisions and radios and things like that, a lot of the more supernatural elements will be pretty mind boggling, since as far as he knows, his universe is pretty normal, plus or minus some crazy HYDRA weapons and the odd super soldier or two. Still, he's an adaptable guy, and will roll with whatever the Barge throws at him after a moment or so of OH GOD, WHAT IS HAPPENING. He's relatively tolerant, but he is a guy from the 40's, so there's likely to be some cultural misunderstandings at least initially that he'll learn from and continue to adapt to.

As a warden, Bucky will probably take a more protective, older brother approach to a younger inmate, while an older one will probably get more of the hard working soldier. He'll have a hard time being a legitimate therapist with someone, in that talking about "how does that make you feel" is kind of out of his area of expertise, but he'll be far from an inattentive warden. He'll want to work out and go on runs together, and emphasize having a schedule and something to do to keep busy. He's definitely more of a gruff, lead by example person most of the time, isn't one for giving up, and he'll have his inmate's back unless they really cross a line with him.

Path to Redemption: ----

History: This is his pretty sparse Marvel Movie Wikia entry, but to add to that a little, Bucky was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His parents died when he was young, and he was sent to live in an orphanage. When he was six, Bucky rescued another kid from a bully, and afterwards, the two quickly became best friends. Even though Steve Rogers was four years older than him, he was sickly and basically constantly a target for the older, meaner kids, so Bucky often found himself in the position of being Steve's protector.

When America declared war on Japan and the Axis Powers in 1941, Bucky wanted to enlist, but waited after being convinced to help Steve train for a few months in hopes of passing the physical. They both tried to enlist a few months later, but while Bucky was accepted pretty easily, Steve was rejected. He kept trying, lying about where he was from and going to different recruiting stations in hope of getting a different answer, but was always turned away, which Bucky was secretly pretty grateful for. Steve didn't stand a chance against thugs in New York, let alone people with guns trying to kill him, and while he admired his unwillingness to give up, at the same time, he didn't want him to get himself killed.

Bucky finally got his marching orders in March of 1943, and he shipped out with the 107th infantry to England after having one last night in New York. He worked with them for about a year, and was eventually one of the soldiers captured by Schmidt and his HYDRA Agents after the battle of Azzaro went horribly wrong for both sides. Bucky was tortured, experimented on (although in what capacity, neither the audience or Bucky is really aware of at this point) and eventually rescued by Steve, narrowly escaping the base as Schmidt destroyed it. He then joined Steve's elite unit of soldiers called the Howling Commandos to help destroy HYDRA's bases as Captain America's second in command. While on a mission raiding a train, Bucky drew a HYDRA agent's fire to protect Steve, but was blasted out of a hole in the side of the train. Unable to hold on as the railing began to pull away from the train, and with Steve unable to pull him back on board in time, he fell to his apparent death.

Sample Journal Entry:
[Despite still thinking this communication device is one heck of a weird radio, Bucky's been able to more or less figure out how to make it work. He wouldn't be posting with it, otherwise, and he clicks on the audio function, talking into it like it was a normal walkie talkie.]

You know, this might come as a shock- [Lol, sarcasm. :|] But months of living on army rations? Kind of makes you appreciate all the little things you've got to choose from back home. [Really, this goes for everything, but Bucky's hungry, so right now, we're going to be talking about food.]

So as long as I'm stuck here, I figure I might as well take advantage of having a couple more options. Which means I've got to know. Where can a guy get a decent hotdog around here?

Sample RP:
He couldn't tell what time it was, or how long he'd been stuck there, but the windows were dark and the agents had left, so apparently, the scientists or soldiers or whoever they were were done with him for now.

... Or maybe they were just going to leave him here to die, and honestly, at this point, he wasn't sure which one he'd prefer.

They'd asked some questions, but they didn't really seem interested in the information he had so much as using him as a lab rat, for god only knows what. All he could tell was that his throat was hoarse from screaming, it was dark now and kind of cold, and he couldn't really feel his legs or arms anymore thanks to the restraints. Still, it could be worse. They hadn't broken anything. They hadn't really caused him physical harm in a typical we're going to hit you until you talk way, so that was something. Or it might be, had anyone ever came back alive from whatever the hell they were doing to him.

Not there was any real hope that any of them would be getting out of here in one piece, regardless of what happened to him right now.

So basically, things looked pretty hopeless. But even though he might feel like absolute horseshit and was stuck somewhere between consciousness and passing out and had been for an indeterminate amount of time - he could have been here for weeks and he wouldn't have known - they weren't going to break him. He'd stuck to his training, done his duty, like a good soldier, and just gave them the information he was supposed to. Name, rank, serial number, name, rank, serial number. Over and over and over again.

It had become a mantra. James Barnes, Sergeant, United States Army, serial number fuck you fuck you, and now he couldn't get the pattern out of his head. He wasn't even sure he was actually saying anything at this point, the words just tumbling along through whatever was left of his brain, staring blankly up at the ceiling without really seeing anything, mumbling to captors who weren't there.

They could poke and prod him as much as they wanted, but that was all they were getting out of him. Even in complete mental shutdown, he wasn't giving them the satisfaction of seeing him break.

Special Notes: The first person sample's from another game, and here's some extra stuff: One, two, three, four, five, six and seven.