PLAYER INFORMATION
NAME: Cody
CONTACT: PM or AIM; CodyRylan02
HOW YOU FOUND US: Conner convinced me to join a long time ago.
OTHER CHARACTERS ON THE SITE Cypher
RULES CODE: Xavier
CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannonball_%28comics%29Previous Cannonball App
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Ryan Kwanten
BASIC INFORMATIONCANON OR ORIGINAL: Canon
AFFILIATION: X-Men
FULL NAME: Samuel Zachariah Guthrie
CODENAME: Cannonball
NICKNAMES: Sam, Sammy, Samson
CURRENT AGE: 24
DATE OF BIRTH: September 27
MARITAL STATUS: Single
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Heterosexual
BASE OF OPERATIONS: Xavier Institute For the Gifted
TIME AT INSTITUTE: 7 years
REGISTERED WITH SHIELD? Yes
HOMETOWN: Cumberland County, Kentucky USA
KNOWN RELATIVES: Oh Jesus this could take a bit… The Guthrie's read like Smiths in a phonebook) Thomas Guthrie (father deceased*), Lucinda Guthrie (mother), Paige Guthrie (sister), Joshua "Jay" Guthrie (brother), Melody Guthrie (sister), Jeb Guthrie (brother), Lewis Guthrie (brother), Joelle Guthrie (sister), Elizabeth Guthrie (sister), Ray Jr (adopted brother), and two Unnamed twin sisters who for the dexterity of this application shall be named Elly May and Jethrine Guthrie
PHYSICAL APPEARANCEHEIGHT: 6'0'
BUILD: A lanky frame composed of toned muscle made hard from heavy work and heavy lifting. It's the type of sculpting real men get not just prissy queens who live outta lycra shorts and fancy bags.
EYES: Blue
HAIR: Sandy blond, the boy usually keeps it kinda free with a shaggy look to it, but he's not above getting a crew cut if it starts getting in his eye
DISTINGUISHING MARKS: Nothing out of the ordinary. Sam bears the markings of a kid whose worked his whole life in the fields of intense manual labor (coal mining aint easy), callused hands and the like. He has always been a bit rough and tumble so he has the markings to prove it, but not great battle scars or tattoos.
CLOTHING STYLE: A country boy through and through, Sam never has been one to understand the metrosexual movement. As such, he's never overtly put together, relying instead on jeans, T shirts, baseball caps, etc. Because of his years both in the coal mines and working on various farms, his hands are rough and his features lack the sheen that a more pampered man's might have.
UNIFORM: Sam wears the traditional X uniform, that old stand by of yellow and black. The outfit is composed of special flame retardant and highly tolerant material to allow for the heat of his thermo-chem blast and to take a licking in fight and battle
POWERSGENERAL DESCRIPTION:Thermo-Chemical Energy Field Propulsion: Sam possess the mutated ability to generate thermo-chemical energy and release it from his person. This energy is used in thrust (from his feet) similar to how a rocket launches and thus affords him the ability of flight at intense speeds and great heights. Speed and direction are controlled through sheer propulsion of will and he is becoming quickly more adapt at advanced maneuvering and speed regulation. In flight he is virtually unstoppable (and nigh on invulnerable) unless willing his own self to. the speed at which Sam is able to travel is registered as Mach 2, though if carrying someone he would dramatically reduce this as to not injure them in travel.
Blast Field: Sam is also able to channel this energy into an impenetrable and seemingly indestructible blast field about a half an inch in thickness. This field is a result of the energy released in via propulsion and works to protect his body from the effects of the energy and the duress of damage at traveling at a such high speeds. As such it works to cushion his body via impact induced trauma, meaning if he hits you in "Cannonball" mode you sure are gonna feel it a lot harder then he is. Sam is also able to extend this blast field to any person or object he comes in contact with and if he concentrates hard enough he can channel this same dynamic from his person into protective shield even when immobile, though it is far weaker then if he was in movement. Sam is also adapt at absorbing kinetic energy through said field and channeling it into himself to increase the durability of his shield or force it back out in the form of concussive force blast.
Propulsion enhanced strength and durability: The force propulsion released during his blast also increases his strength enabling him to carry near on a ton of weight in addition to his own. However this is only a side effect of the geo-thermal propulsion and only capable in said flight therefore not used or experimented a lot with. As for strength in flight this is increased due to the propulsion so theoretically it seems he could only have more force meaning he could push and move an object or lift it at increased endurance, but to be able to steadily carry would be impossible.
WEAKNESS:Sam has to focus to turn his blast field on and such concentration can take a few seconds (no more then 20) to get going. Also while in propulsion movement he may possess near invulnerability upon stopping or slowing down this effect is negated. In non-Cannonball mode he's very much mortal, stab him, shoot him, punch him, he'd feel it all and be a boy worse for the wear of it. at increasingly high altitudes Sam is limited by his need to breathe. If he is cut off from this he may die so he's not going to push it.
Plus there's no such thing as a unending ride. When he hits something, varied by his speed, he hits hard and well there is little experience quite like a fast ride and a quick stop. Also and this is just a small point, but in flight he often wears protective goggles. This isn't a necessity but he is encouraged to wear them
PERSONALITYSam Guthrie is a naturally born leader, with all the good and bad that entails. The Kentuckian is something of an old soul, a person uncorrupted by the desires of financial success or power. He was schooled early on by his mother's devotion of the value of ethics and respect. You treat people as you wanna be treated, love momma and country, and always do the right thing in spite of whether it's the popular thing.
That's not to say Sam doesn't have something of a temper. He may be a Christian but he's not a saint, and he's not above letting loose every once in a while if he gets too wound up. There's a part of him, though he'd never want to admit it, that actually enjoys the fight. Fighting is clean and freeing, it burns away all the other stuff till its just you and your opponent and that kind of clarity is something all together not easily given in the busy high tech real world.
Confident and proper Sam can feel like a fish out of water in the world of as he would say "Rich high fancy folk" None of that being who he is. He's a beer and blue jeans kinda guy, hard working, occasionally hard partying but always honest. He see's nothing in shades of gray, some people might say that makes him small minded but that really couldn't be farther from the truth. He just has no tolerance for the corrupt, for people who try and step over others to benefit themselves. He's in touch with his emotions, but damned if he's gonna let you see him cry. His role as man of the house also made of him something of a private person, his deepest thoughts and feelings are not something he is easily going to hand over. Trust is important to him as is loyalty. He likes to know people have his back if he has theirs.
In Cumberland County KY the saying is "You either coal mine, moonshine, or move it on down the line" But there is little reason to think Sam would claim any of those skills as traits or advances. If he had a great talent outside of his mutation it would be his determination. No matter what he's doing whether it was working in the mines to put food on the Guthrie table or out with the X-men saving the world he is going to give it all he's got and not complain.
More then anything Sam is grounded in his belief of Xaviers, in his belief of a better world. He wants a place for his brothers and sisters that was better then the one he has had for himself. He would love for that to come peacefully, but he's a realist, wanting better doesn't guarantee squat and a person is only a strong as what they are willing to stand up for. Fiercely loyal to his friends and family he'd lay down his life in a second if he had to for any of them. peace loving does not always mean peaceful so don't think you can get anything over on him. As Sam himself might say just because he talks slow don't mean he's stupid. Damn straight
HISTORY: PRE-APOCALYPSE Samuel Zachary Guthrie was born the eldest sibling of the extensive Guthrie clan in Cumberland County, KY. The Guthries were strictly working class, a large family that while very loving were by no means well off and lived by paycheck to paycheck. In spite of this financial hardships the Guthrie clan were all still very tight knit and close, having been taught early on that money in no way guaranteed happiness and that the love of family was priceless. As big brother to several siblings Sam relished and cherished his role, as both adviser and protector. He believed early on there was nothing wrong with coming from humble roots, and safely secured in small town USA, with several families just like his, he believed himself content enough to do like his daddy did and create a life there.
However Sam's life would be changed forever by two different yet equally monumental things that would happen. At the age of sixteen his father, Thomas Guthrie, passed away and the mantle of manhood and family provider fell on Sam's shoulders. Though his mother was against it Sam took a job at the coal mine that his father had also worked at, and never resenting or feeling put out by this twist of fate he endeavored to be the best at what he could do and earn a living for his mother and younger siblings. He prided himself that he was doing what his father would have wanted, and though dreams of a free and wild youth were passing him by, the sandy haired kid knew that to be a man he needed to man up and take responsibility for himself and his loved ones. One thing about those Guthrie's they may not have money in the bank, but when it come sot pride they have it in spades.
The second event that would change Sam's life and that of his families as well happened soon not long after he began his job at the coal mine. A cave in trapped both Sam and a friend and co-worker of his father inside a lower region of the the mountain they were working in. Destined to most likely die as the air in the pocket they were trapped in was dwindling Sam Guthrie, the levelest of level heads began to panic. Instinct kicking in his till then dormant mutant ability sprung into action and Sam Guthrie was able to blast both himself and Lewis to safety.
News of Sam's miraculous rescue led to wide spread attention and critique. Some praised him, others considered him and his kind (mutants) a blight on humanity. And Sam Guthrie with his "aww shucks" persona and aversion to the spotlight found himself thrust into a media blitz that he was none to happy to be in. He understood little of what he could do, and even less about what a mutant was. All he knew was it had just happened and while now grateful he was also terrified. Sam and his fallibly were soon approached by a man named David Carter, a "smooth talking devil", as Sam's mother would later describe him, who convinced Sam that the world needed his abilities to stop various threats, and in helping him, Sam would be able to not just help his family but also the world Convinced he was doing the right thing Sam joined Carter in his quest and soon found himself embroiled in a battle with a group of individuals, mutants, like himself. They were called the X-men, under the leadership and guidance of a man called Charles Xavier. Realizing that Carter had been using him, and that he was not on the side of good as he had been convinced he was, Sam turned on Carter and helped the X-men take the villain down.
Charles Xavier realizing the good in the boy and also the potential persuaded Sam to join his team of New Mutants, and to come to his school in Westchester County, New York. There Sam could not only get the training and education he needed but also the guidance and structure that would help make him the leader he was destined to be. His mother Lucinda Guthrie also soon became enamored with Xavier's dream, and encouraged her son to take up the mantle and be the man that both she and his father would have wanted him to be. Sam received the code name Cannonball, and fell into ranks amongst his team mates.
Sam had a amiable if not outright overtly friendly relationship with his teammates. Having grown up surrounded by people Sam knew how to handle himself amongst varying personalities, though his "Big Brother" nature did often kick in and he felt himself to be a positioned leader. With his momma's blessing, Xavier's tutelage, and his friends and teammates by his side Sam seemed destined for great things.
DURING APOCALYPSE The merits of a man are often shown when he is tested by fate and the world. Sam saw his day of reckoning as the day Apocalypse and his horseman reigned down death, disease and destruction on the world. He found himself in a strange position of being torn by loyalties to two families; the X-men determined to stop the devastation and destruction and his family back home in Kentucky so open and vulnerable against so many dangers. Whomever he decided to protect he felt as though he was letting the other down and never before had he felt himself in such a dreadful place where no answer was the correct one. In the end he choose to go on the offensive rather than the defensive and offered the safety of his family up to God Almighty. This would be unlike any battle he had ever trained for and the course of it would fundamentally alter him. Sam Guthrie saw now first hand the might of absolute corrupt power and how the depths of evil worked, but he also saw the valor of people of all shapes, races, contrition, alliances and even genetic make up.
A man of strong faith Sam saw his beliefs tested to the extreme as alongside X-men and ally he saw firsthand the power of Apocalypse's angel of Death, the X-men's very own Warren Worthington. He had always imagined Paris, France a city of lights and beauty and now the jewel city of the country was turned into something directed by George Romero. Innocent people turned into zombie like hosts bent of destruction and Paris was not the only city seated in their path as Death set forth to London. Aided by Deadpool and his teleportation device those assembled to fight the Warren that wasn't Warren and the converts created by Apocalypses nanites moved to London. The city was a smoldering ruin, ravaged and burned, reeking of death and despair and yet not everything was lost. Through the combined efforts of all Death was taken and though casualties were suffered the assembled allies were able to claim some small victory and move on to varying locales for the next round of battles.
There was no such thing as bravery without fear and Sam faced down first hand his fear alongside the active team in Japan. Zombies, mayhem, tsunamis and Kim Parker, if the the pain he felt hadn't reminded him he was still alive Sam might just have convinced himself he was in hell. Luck or fate smiled down on him that day as he was able to use the force of his self propelltion and assistance from Kim Parker's own water related mutation to stave off much of the giant's waves most horrendous effect. Time seemed to halt as across the globe the team in Egypt battled out the evil that sought to break the world. In the end the X-men and their allies had proved triumphant, Apocalypse was taken down and the world spun and the sun shone on another day. In the land of the rising sun Sam Guthrie emerged a man a bit bruised, a bit bloody, but unbroken and unbent. He had seen the end of the world, and he had survived it.
POST-APOCALYPSE Funny thing about helping to save the world it doesn't exactly entitle you from having to wash your clothes the next morning. Life after Apocalypse was strange to Sam for about a week and then the realities of every day set back in and once again the Kentuckian found his routine. He began to take collegiate courses at Xaviers, discussed ideas on just what he might do once he had a degree in something outside of hard knocks, and in the mean time assisted the school as both a success story on their higher education and as a gym coach. Time and space carried him away from Japan and back to everyday and along with the trappings of normal life came the occasional interruption in the world that called for the assistance of the X-men and by proxy Sam.
He journeyed to the moon and back to help save one of their own from a race of aliens that weren't exactly aliens. Fought again with X-man, Brotherhooder, and Hellfire Club member when Onslaught sought to change the world into a reality of his own making. He saw madness in people, learned of other realities and the differences in those with the same faces and names but different attitudes and the dangers of those trying to mold the world into what they perceived as the 'right' image, but again Sam saw party lines crossed over, alliances made when the chips were down and how, with nothing in common but survival you're worst enemy could end up being the person to save your life. Very strange stuff indeed.
Like the Apocalypse before Sam felt shook up by Onslaught but as time had a way of healing all wound physical and mental he soon grew past it choosing to focus on the future and not the past. More and more of his sibling were discovering they were mutants as well and being sent off to Xaviers as well to follow in Sam and his sister Paige's footsteps.
When a cycle of bad storms tore through the Guthrie homestead Sam headed back for home to help rebuild and replant. Eased that his mother and younger siblings were all well and that nothing that had fell to wind and storm couldn't be rebuilt Sam stayed to help with the repairs and only after being assured repeatedly by his mother that they were all well and fine did Sam agree to return back to Westchester and the life he had carved for himself there.
SAMPLE RP POST:Cumberland, Ky
It was often said a person could never go home again, such poetic logic did not hold true for Samuel Guthrie. Sam knew no matter how far he went, how many roads he traveled down or to how many elegant or industrial metropolises he found himself a part of, his heart, his spirit would always be here. You could take the boy out of the country, but not the country out of the boy and such homecomings though they were getting fewer and fewer it seemed between longer spaces of times meant the world to him. The kids were growing up fast, springing up like corn his momma said same as he had. For all her sweet natured charm Sam worried over his mother Lucinda. There seemed an aura of sadness that stayed over her now, though you would never be able to tell it by her smile and friendly countenance, but no matter how hard he tried to believe her when she told him she was fine Sam was worried. Her hair seemed a bit more gray then it had over Christmas, the lines around her face a little deeper and more care worn. Raising a family of as many kids as Lucinda Guthrie did had a way of aging anyone beyond their years, add into that fact that from Samuel down ever kid had been a mutant as well and you had a recipe for outright congestive heart failure due to lack of sleep and worry. But like the the strength and faith she had instilled in him Lucinda was made of some pretty tough stuff and not one to let her burdens take her down. Her family needed her strength, Sam needed it. as much as he depended on his team, on Xavier, on the X-men., it was his momma that was his biggest champion and to him the true hero of the Guthrie clan.
"Don't let the music fool ya, this here is the best bar in all of Kentucky. Heck its the only bar within 30 miles, it's gotta be the best by default."
Sam laughed a little at the silliness of his own joke. In truth Roy's Tavern was the only bar within thirty miles of the Guthrie homestead, a well traversed sawdust on the floor honky tonk and bar, that catered to more rough necks then high tops. It was the sort of place that catered exclusively to wrangler jeans and coal dust streaked faces. Roy's was the type of place that never checked id's, being of the mindset that if you were old enough to work in the mines, you were old enough to have a beer if you wanted one. The place was classless though quaint, far from a hole in the wall, but not something he'd see the likes of in the Salem Center or Manhattan. No, Roy's was a place that was Kentucky bred and born like himself. It was the chance for them all to blow off some steam, have a few beers, and see some of the sights and stops that had made Cannonball who he was.
"So what's everyone gonna have?" He asked them, after they had rounded up one of the best (by Roy's standards of course) tables. "So long as it's beer yer gonna be in luck."
Getting their orders Sam headed to the bar. He wondered what his friends were making of this place, of this entire trip. He had never brought anyone home before, not in this kinda fashion, and in some ways he felt as if he was being tested. Were they judging him? He may have been proud of his rural upbringing but that didn't necessarily mean everyone else saw things through his eyes. He knew such thoughts were crazy. These guys were his family now even more so then friends. When you risked your life beside someone you endured a count of camaraderie that was indescribable. It made you blood, by the sheer fact that you bled along side of each other.
Sam was in the midst of grabbing the drinks and returning to his friends and table when he saw a large beefy hand slam down on the counter beside where he was leaning. "Well lookin at this I thought the trash was done taken out during the day. Thought you knew better then to show your freak face back around here Guthrie. You know we don't like your kind."
Sam didn't need to cut his eyes up to see the man's face. He knew the voice, it had changed little over the years. Earl Cabot, like much of the Cabot family and relations, held an undeniable hatred for Sam and his kin, claimed to be under the banner flag of hating mutants, but Sam knew the feud ran deeper and longer then that. Some hatreds were impossible to remember why they had started and for as long as he could remember the Cabot's had taken a hatred to himself and all his relations.
"Ah aint lookin for no trouble Earl. I'm here visiting my folks so I suggest you go on back to whatever it was you were doin' and leave well enough alone."
"And what say I don't? What if I kick your sorry mutant freak ass right here, right now?"
Sam could feel his blood begin to rise. He didn't want to cause a scene, but it was starting to look like a scene had found him.
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