Throwing my hat in the ring for Grimmy! Sorry, MSB! Good luck to you!
I did make a very minor update to Grimlock’s profile since we are well past the Dinobots’ rescue from Area 51. The change in question is in bold print down in the profile section.
Name: Grimlock
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Dinobot Commander
Alt. mode: Tyrannosaurus Rex
Weapons: Energo sword, self loading rocket launcher
Height: 38ft / 11.59m
Quote: “Among the winners, there is no room for the weak."
Strength: 10
Intelligence: 08
Dexterity: 06
Speed: 03
Endurance: 10
Courage: 10
Firepower: 08
Accuracy: 08
Melee: 10
Tech Skill: 05
Charisma: 09
Rank: 09
Profile: Grimlock’s origins are shrouded in some mystery. His heavy and bulky form tends to indicate he was involved with security or manual labor at some point. Grimlock himself has never been forthcoming on the details.
What is known is that Grimlock made a name for himself in the same underground gladiatorial matches where Megatron rose to power. He quickly became one of the more popular combatants due to his brutal style and showmanship. He maintained a perfect record in matches, his number of victories second only to that of Megatron himself. He was present at Megatron’s final rally before the war broke out.
The warrior surprised many on both sides when he quickly signed up for service in the Autobot military. With his dislike of authority and attitude of the strongest should rule most expected him to join the Decepticons. Perhaps it is due to the challenge of fighting for the underdogs, or finally being pitted against the other great gladiator in Megatron. Maybe deep down Grimlock sees the abject cruelty and mercilessness of Megatron’s way and finds his own beliefs more in line with those of the Autobots. No one but Grimlock knows for sure.
Grimlock proved himself to be a powerful warrior for the Autobots, his strength and skill in battle matched by few. Unfortunately for his superiors he did not take well to any form of authority. He regularly disobeyed or outright ignored any orders he disagreed with up to the point of assaulting his superiors on more than one occasion. He found himself going in and out of the brig depending on his infractions and the need for him on the frontlines.
It was during this time that he would hit upon the idea of creating his own specialized unit. They would operate outside the traditional Autobot hierarchy and rules. Not having to follow the standard Autobot rules would allow them to be a more brutal, savage and effective unit, at least that was his thinking. He recruited four like minded Autobots into a team that would eventually be known as the Dinobots.
The Dinobots proved a highly effective team, scoring victories against the Decepticons on a regular basis. Their unbeaten record was broken when Shockwave destroyed a cache of energon the Dinobots had been hoarding, causing them severe energon burns and equally severe humiliation. They swore revenge on the Decepticon. So, against orders from Optimus Prime, they followed Shockwave when he left Cybertron to conduct experiments on other worlds. When Shockwave reached his first destination—Earth, at the end of the last Ice Age—the Dinobots destroyed his ship.
Unfortunately the group had not come prepared for the high levels of raw energon on the planet’s surface as Shockwave had with personal shielding. They came up with the idea of using the local lifeforms as templates for new alternate modes and covering themselves with synthetic flesh to protect themselves from the high levels of energon radiation. After searching through the fossil record of the planet Grimlock found an acceptable alternate mode in the form of a tyrannosaurus rex. The other Dinobots followed suit with other dinosaur alternate modes.
On teleporting down to the planet's surface to confront Shockwave, they gained an initial advantage, as Shockwave's logic was unable to comprehend the effort and risks they had taken for their revenge. The Decepticon was quick to take advantage of their lack of shielding to the energon radiation and successfully burnt off their organic protective layers, forcing them into stasis lock. Unable to accept another defeat, Grimlock transformed to robot mode and fought against his imminent stasis lock to no avail.
However, before leaving the Dinobots' ship, he had enabled a "dead man's switch" designed to take Shockwave with them if they were defeated. When he entered stasis lock, this failsafe activated, firing on a nearby dormant volcano and causing an eruption which buried Shockwave and the Dinobots under ash and lava.
Thousands of years later the Dinobots and Shockwave were dug up by an archeological team. The dig was quickly seized by the American Government. The Transformers were then transported to Area 51
where they were experimented on by human scientists. Eventually, the Dinobots and Shockwave were awakened and finally freed from their captivity, after which they returned to service with their respective factions.Grimlock is a frighteningly effective warrior and an efficient commander who is utterly dedicated to those under his command. He has considerable battlefield experience and is more than willing to make difficult and ruthless military decisions. Grimlock constantly flouts any authority, and that attitude is reflected in his troops, who act more like a gang than a military unit.
Some Autobots wonder why Grimlock is even on their side. His disposition is much more suited to the Decepticons. After all, he values power and strength over wisdom and compassion, and furthermore, he doesn't really get along with most Autobots. When faced with a problem, his usual responses are to slice it with his energo-sword or tear it to pieces with his bare hands. These things, coupled with his dislike of Optimus Prime, have led to a defection or two on Grimlock's part. He'd have no problem offing the Autobot leader if he thought he could get away with it, though.
What the Autobots don't realize is that the only thing he hates more than weakness is those who abuse their strength, meaning when push comes to shove, Grimlock will always fall in on the right side of the fence.
Abilities: Grimlock is an intelligent and skilled military commander; his courage is second to none. He is the most powerful of all the Dinobots, each of whom is a powerhouse. Some say Grimlock is as strong as Optimus Prime or Megatron. In dinosaur mode, Grimlock’s teeth are capable of cutting an armored Transformer completely in two in one swipe. In robot mode, he remorselessly wields an energo-sword and a self-loading rocket launcher that fires both explosive plasma and shrapnel rounds.
Weaknesses: Grimlock’s arrogance sometimes affects his judgment, putting him in over his head. Aside from a lack of speed in dinosaur mode, Grimlock has no physical weaknesses. A recurring viral glitch in Grimlock’s vocal processors often gives him a characteristic speech impediment; this may actually be a benefit as this and his impulsive nature make opponents underestimate his intelligence.
Sample Post:
The mighty Dinobot Commander strode across the battlefield of a nondescript planet somewhere in the far reaches of the galaxy. It did not really matter where he was exactly, only that war had finally found Grimlock once again. For too long, the former gladiator and his elite squad of Dinobots had been cooped up on either a space station or on a warship. All of that cloak and dagger stuff had been necessary, of course, but it had taken a toll on them. While it was all worth doing in order to commandeer the
Trion, the best the Autobot fleet had to offer, it was boring when compared to one on one combat that Grimlock and his unit craved so much. Now, he was at long last back in his element, and it felt so good.
The rocks of the desert-like terrain crunched underneath the Dinobot Commander’s feet as he walked towards the approaching enemy - an army of vehicon drones hellbent on his ultimate destruction. That concept was laughable at best. These were mere vehicons, after all. What could they possibly do to a warrior the likes of Grimlock? Still, at first glance, these vehicons appeared to be larger and more sturdy than the usual kind. Perhaps the Decepticons had finally decided to upgrade their drone army to something more akin to real warriors. The former gladiator would soon find out if his assumption was correct.
Grimlock drew out his energo sword as the first wave of vehicons made their attack. One by one they were sliced in half, decapitated and impaled by the Dinobot leader. Mechanical limbs went flying in all directions as the vehicons attempted to bring down their huge quarry. It was of no use, of course. While these particular vehicons were, in fact, bigger than what Grimlock had encountered before, they were still no match for his power and strength. The first wave fell almost as quickly as they had begun their assault on the Dinobot warrior. Grimlock slammed his robot foot down onto the cranial unit of the final drone, smashing it into a sticky paste of metal and purple fluid.
“Is this all you fraggers got?!?!” Grimlock shouted as the second wave of vehicons stopped in their tracks, hesitant to suffer the same fate as the first wave. “Me, Grimlock no care if you bigger vehicons than the rest. Me will still destroy you all because me stronger!!
Arrrggghhhh!!!!” With a deafening battle cry that echoed across the field of battle, the Dinobot Commander put away his energo sword and quickly transformed into his Tyrannosaurus Rex alternate form. This beast mode was something his had picked up millions of years ago on the planet Earth when he and the rest of the Dinobots had followed Shockwave there to seek vengeance on him. That had not gone so well, leaving Grimlock and his team in stasis for countless vorns. It was a situation the Dinobot leader regretted in retrospect, but what he did not regret was the need for revenge, a need that had yet to be satisfied.
One day the cycloptic mech will pay, Grimlock thought as he let out another roar towards the second wave of vehicons, who appeared frightened of the giant monster before them. Fear was a laughable concept to Grimlock, especially for a soldier in war. Fear and weakness were not options when fighting. The strongest would survive. The strongest and bravest would lead. The rest would either follow or die as feeble cowards. That was the way of things in the former gladiator’s mind. But having power did not mean you abused it. Megatron was guilty of just that and so much more. Peace through tyranny? Nonsense! The slagmaker was nothing more than a bully and that was the reason Grimlock could never side with him. The Autobots may be weak in comparison to Grimlock and his Dinobots, but at least they did not prey on and enslave the innocent.
Rushing forward into the second wave of vehicons, the mechanical tyrannosaurus plowed into the first line of drones, sending them flying in every direction. Using his powerful jaws and serrated teeth, Grimlock bit several in half with ease while chewing off the legs and arms of others before spitting them back out again. The Dinobot Commander swung his huge tail around, smashing into several vehicons and knocking others to the ground where he then trampled them to death underneath his dinosaur feet. Grimlock stopped for a moment to survey the sheer carnage that had now become the second wave. Like the gladiatorial pits of old, all had once again fallen to his lone might. Of course, Megatron had been the only exception back then. Perhaps, some day, Grimlock would get a rematch.
Turning his attention to the third and final wave of vehicons, the Dinobot leader transformed back into robot mode and brought his self-loading rocket launcher to bare. Saying nothing, nor giving any warning, Grimlock unleashed a torrent of hellfire at the last of the drone warriors, if they could even be called that. Explosions erupted everywhere as the vehicons were either destroyed in a blaze of glory or fled with their tail pipes tucked firmly between their aft plates. Both sights made the Dinobot Commander smile underneath his face shield.
>>”Commander Grimlock, this is Snarl. Sorry to interrupt, but we are approaching Sol-3. We should arrive in approximately three breems. Thought you might want to know.”<<And that was that. It had been fun while it lasted, but now reality had taken hold once more. Grimlock stopped firing at the faux vehicons and placed his weapon away before opening a comm line back to the Desert Warrior on the bridge of the
Trion:
>>”Understood, Snarl.”<<“End simulation,” Grimlock ordered aloud as the images slowly faded away, leaving only blackness all around him. Before he knew it, the Dinobot Commander found himself sitting alone in the Captain’s quarters located just off the main bridge. Looking down, Grimlock withdrew his hands from the interface slots of the access terminal in front of him. His mind had been inside a virtual reality training session, a simulation unlike anything that could be found in a standard practice facility. It had felt so real to him, but yet wasn’t real at all. Without a doubt, the
Trion was the most technologically advanced warship Grimlock had ever seen. Still, regardless of these incredible advancements, the former gladiator preferred fighting the real thing and not a mere figment of the ship’s computer playing around with his processor. Hell, even a holomatter simulation would be more preferable and far less invasive, but at least it had kept him from being bored for a time.
Standing from his seat, Grimlock turned and made his way to the door that would lead him back onto the main bridge. Soon, he and the Dinobots would be back at the planet called Earth where they would likely face Prowl’s wrath for the theft of the
Ark-19 not to mention the commandeering of the
Trion from Cas Coller. The Dinobot Commander was not afraid of Prowl or Ultra Magnus for that matter. The black and white had seen fit not to chase after them when the Ark had initially been taken. Therefore, it must not have been that big of a deal to begin with. Besides, once Autobot Command saw the magnificence of the
Trion and how it could help turn the tide of the war, all would be forgiven.
Hopefully.
