EL NYSA APP

[beatupgrass]

OOC

Handle: Chris
Contact: tricksterwind @ Plurk
Over 18? Yes.
Characters Played: N/A

THE CHARACTER

Character Name: Rocket
Series: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Canon Point: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, during the fight with Ego.
Character Age: An exact age can’t really be pinpointed, because… raccoonoid aging is way different. He should probably be around 30-ish in human years.
Background: WIKI LINK.

Personality: Rocket began life as a laboratory experiment, one who was tortured extensively ("ripped apart and put back together over and over again," by his own words) to become what he is currently. As such, he's extremely sensitive about being seen as nothing more than a thing, because he "grew up" for lack of a better term believing that was all he was. Anyone attempting to belittle him by calling him a vermin or a rodent will incur his temper and he has a huge one. He won't take any insult lying down, even a vaguely perceived one, and will lash out violently if he thinks you've given him a reason to act aggressively, whether it's hitting one of his buttons or- god forbid- touching him. (Or touching his things- people, included.) Anyone who enjoys explosions and causing other people pain as much as he does isn't really the kind of person you want to be pissing off, anyway.

At this heart, Rocket wants desperately to be treated like a person and, as such, behaves in an aggressive, dominant manner to get people to take him seriously, and to hide his fear that it will never be enough. It's not just his overblown theatrics with his unfeasibly large weapons or his big mouth, it's his attitude. For someone so burdened with anguish and self-doubt related to his own origins and where he stands because of it, Rocket exudes confidence. He knows he's smart, he knows he's talented, and he knows he's capable. When he threatens you, it isn't an act or a show- it's because he means it. And sure those words usually work better when there's a giant tree behind him ready and willing to smash some faces in at a word, but it doesn't change the fact that Rocket Gets Shit Done and he doesn't let anyone push him around. He's been to prison. He has no problems going back. And he has no problems getting out once he does go back.

He's a selfish, entitled little brat, generally concerned with what he will get out of something or, otherwise, believing himself to be entitled to a thing if he wants it more. The universe hasn't done right by him, so he doesn't really feel that compelled to do right by the universe, which gives him all the reason to do whatever he pleases as his own personal brand of "payback" for the world being horrific to him. He even goes as far as picking on people with similar misfortunes to his own as his way of compensating for his own shortcomings- likely why he has such a grand obsession with stealing cybernetic parts. Rocket can martyr himself like a pro and pretty much lives up on a cross when it comes to believing anything he does can be rationalized, and if you don’t agree, well… you’re a jerk.

The problem with being a lab-created experiment is the general existential why of it all. Rocket has deep-rooted issues that tend to only come out when he's drunk (or likely when he's triggered by something) and they all stem from the same horrific fear- he's a thing. He didn't ask to get made, he didn't ask to exist, and he probably doesn't even know why- if there was ever a reason- that happened to him. Regardless of what he does or how he acts, he's well aware he will never ever shake the stigma of being a freak and the only choice he has in the matter is how he takes the treatment (not well, as previously stated). That doesn't make it easier on him, of course. If anything, it leaves him with the constant, horrific burden of self-consciousness that he has to overcompensate for every day of his life. He's a monster and whatever niche he carves for himself won't change that. To that end, he even considers himself to be unlovable, due to being unloved for most of his life, and people getting close to him reminds him that it’s never going to be enough, causing him to freak out and lash out very strongly. He can deal with people hating him, because he can control that easily. But people loving him and caring for him? He can’t handle that. He can’t trust that. Better to be a misanthrope with no friends then somebody who can be tossed aside. You have to be willing to push back when he pushes or able to tolerate his behavior if you want to be considered a friend.

Despite having them and feeling them strongly, Rocket has a better handle on most of his emotions than most would give him credit for. Sure, he's angry and volatile and will throw a temper tantrum at the slightest insult, but anger is useful for cultivating his aforementioned tough guy image. Impractical emotions like fear and sadness and god forbid love, he tries not to waste any time on. He's emotionally selfish as well as physically- people exhibiting emotions that inconvenience or annoy him in any way are belittled or insulted, which may well be him overcompensating for his own feelings. He doesn't go around feeling his feelings and leading with anything other than his brain (and his temper) and getting other people killed or making himself look like a fool, so why would anyone else? That's just stupid. That said, moments of utter despair (and also alcohol) can push him to actual breakdowns and when he's pushed that far, he generally doesn't give a shit if the whole world sees him cry. He'll probably threaten you later if you ever bring it up again (or seconds after, he's feeling particularly spunky), but in the moment, he'll allow himself the weakness. It takes a lot to push him that far.

He's practical, not gifted with an overabundance of altruism or any real need to be heroic and of all the Guardians, he protests the hero thing the most, only giving in to Quill's plan, because he believes he won't live much longer anyway. Once in the field, however, he displays true compassion for the civilians of Xandar and grieves the causalities of the battle- he's especially shown to be affected by Denarian Saal's death. This (along with his relationship with Groot, which is one of the few scraps of proof we're given that he's not a total dick) proves that Rocket does have a lot of compassion in him when given a reason to be compassionate. He still wouldn’t consider himself “heroic” or even a “hero.” He just doesn’t believe in being the kind of dick who lets innocent people get murdered if he’s in the general area. He’s not going to go out of his way or anything though, unless he’s forced to.

Because Rocket keeps such a tight lid on his affectionate emotions, he tends to display them in ways that are more insulting and demeaning than actually loving- if you know him, then you probably know that he cares about you, because he's more "show" and "not tell" about things like that. It doesn't really change the fact that he will call you an idiot constantly and half the time when he says it, it means "you made me worry about you and I hate it" and the other half of the time, he just... thinks you're stupid. There's a hard line between Rocket being genuinely insulting and trying to cover up that a person made him feel things that can be tough to discern. He's an extremely difficult person to care about, which means when people do care about him, he tends to be possessive and protective of them in his own way, because these are his people. To get there, however, you have to deal with his habit of pushing people away to overcompensate for his own issues with being unloved, though as of his canon point, he is working towards getting better at not being so mean to the people he cares about, because he doesn’t want to be abandoned.

Powers/Abilities:

Enhanced Intelligence: Rocket has an augmented cerebral cortex, giving him the cognitive and intellectual abilities of an extremely intelligent human, allowing him to speak and problem solve with the best of them. He is a self-proclaimed genius, though his skills back him up on that.


Enhanced Strength: Due to augmentations to his skeleton, he is about as strong as an average-sized human male, capable of lifting weapons that weigh more than he does (sometimes one-handed). These augmentations also allow him to actually fight hand-to-hand with normal-sized combatants- he knocks a Ravager unconscious by standing on his shoulders and punching him repeatedly.

Enhanced Agility: Since his entire skeletal structure is cybernetic, it allows him to move more like a human on two legs, and still be as agile as a raccoon on all fours. He is extremely fast, able to dodge bullets with ease. His climbing and jumping ability also seems to surpass that of an average raccoon.

Enhanced Durability: Rocket is capable of surviving damage that would normally be sufficient to kill an animal of his size. He has been attacked with enough force to knock him back several feet (with an infinity stone-infused superweapon, for that matter) and only suffered minimal injury, as well as survived crashing his ship into the Dark Aster and was only knocked unconscious for a brief time.

Enhanced Senses: Due to his (apparent) species, Rocket can see, smell, hear, and feel better than humanly possible.

Expert Tactician: Rocket is a brilliant strategist. He is able to formulate strategies in advanced combat and escape artistry, even with minimal resources (think Hannibal Smith, not MacGyver), and can change them according to the needs of the situation. Rocket admits early when we meet him that he’s already fled from 22 prisons, and, while in the Kyln, he quickly devised a plan to escape using only a power source and security band in under 24 hours.

Master Marksman: Rocket can handle just about any firearm he picks up, ranging from large machine guns to smaller pistols, though he prefers his weapons to be unfeasibly large. Despite being shown to be thrilled to death by shooting at his foes randomly, he can be very precise when he wants to be.

Master Engineer: Rocket is a genuine mastercrafter when it comes to technology, able to hack an entire prison using only an armband and a powersource. He builds a planet-destroying super weapon using only scrap he found around Peter’s ship, and built an atomic bomb with things he found in his pockets. He is also extremely well-versed in ship maintenance and seems to be acting as the Milano’s primary technician now.

He is also capable of recognizing make and model of ships and weaponry on sight.

Expert Pilot: The self-proclaimed “best pilot in the galaxy,” Rocket has been shown to pretty much fly anything he puts his little paws on with ease. On Knowhere, he was able to mow down Necropods by utilizing the durability of a mining pod in lieu of weapons to his advantage. He led the attack in the Battle of Xandar and provided support to the Nova Corps while flying a Ravager fighter, using his tactical skill to protect civilians.

He can fly effortlessly through massive space battles and asteroid fields. And he will let you know it too.


Power Nerfs (if applicable): N/A

Inventory:

-Blue jumpsuit w/ body armor (this thing on his back that his gun hooks to)

-An aero-rig (a jetpack-like contraption that can materialize and dematerialize with a press of a button and has some very minimal shielding capabilities.) When "dematerialized," it's about the size of a palm.

-Belt with pouches, containing:

• a few small tools (think like a space age swiss army knife, a lockpicking kit, etc.)
• some miscellaneous screws and plugs that don’t go to anything
• a remote detonator
• a handful of small pebble-shaped explosives linked to said detonator (like remote detonating cherry bombs the size of gravel)
• a spare aero-rig 
• an emergency spacesuit (it kinda works like a gel that encases your entire body and protects you from the elements of space for a short time- it’s definitely not for long term use).

-This gun. (it’s like a collapsible laser rifle).


Incentives: Assurance that Groot will be safe and well-protected and [whispers] money. I MEAN THAT THE GALAXY AND ALL THE BUILDINGS AND ANIMALS AND PLANETS WILL BE SAFE.

SAMPLES

Thread #1
Thread #2 (this one fairly canon point compliant)