Post by JESSIE SANTANGELO on Jul 16, 2011 12:06:36 GMT -8
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♦ Thunderstruck: Named after the AC/DC song, Thunderstruck is Jessie’s first close-range technique, and is specifically designed to ‘reset space’ between himself and his opponent while inflicting a modicum of damage – including a touch of concussive force on his own form. This trade off is something of a necessary evil, as his ‘Peacemaker’ requires at least a touch of space between himself and the target to be at its peak effectiveness as a weapon. Thunderstruck can be initiated once an opponent slips into Jessie’s ‘grab’ range. All Jessie has to do to catch Thunderstruck is to grab a hold of his opponent – be it their clothing, hair, arm, or leg, anything connected to the opponent will do. Once this is accomplished, both Jessie and the target are struck by an epic, purple-white blast of lightning. A split-second pause occurs, where both Jessie and the target appear to be trapped in the lightning column, and then the thunder comes. The resounding ‘boom’ and subsequent shockwave splits Jessie from his target, and throws both individuals backward (in a straight line) about 25 yards. The damage done by Thunderstruck is nowhere near the damage caused by Ride the Lightning. It is truly a resetting of positions, allowing for a momentary break in combat action, a reassessment of the fight as a whole, and a re-initiation of Jessie’s more preferred ‘mid-range’ Dead-eye gunplay.[/ul][/size]
SUMMARY: A rock ’n ’roll cowboy drifting through the digital space with a six-gun on his hip and six-string on his back.
RELATIONSHIPS:
[/ul][/size]HISTORY: The son of an oil tycoon, Jessie James Santangelo was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and a heap of future responsibility on his proverbial plate – or so it should have been. He was an only child that spent his childhood in relative solitude on his father’s San Antonio ranch. As luck or fate might have it, financial resources could be used as a crutch to be thrust into society… or as a cage to be largely kept from society. Raised primarily by a cadre of ranch hands (his parents were far too busy with business, living up the city life, to be bothered with raising a child), Jessie was ‘home-schooled’ and spent his days essentially role-playing the famous outlaw he was named after – minus the ‘outlaw’ part, anyway. The arid southwest, the plains, the stables, makeshift gun ranges, and dusty roads were his classrooms and his ‘books’ consisted of firearms, horses (and everything that went along with them), lassos, and farm tools. His actual schooling was ‘well-enough’, though nothing academically impressive. His knowledge base was land-based and physical; a far cry away from the paper pushing, account-balancing his parents engaged in.
It wasn’t until he was sixteen that he was allowed to venture from the relative solitude of the family ranch into society, but once he had a taste of social attention, there was no turning back. Although his name initially caused him some problems, the rough-and-tumble ‘commoner’ lifestyle and his personality smoothed much of the ‘rich boy’ stereotype issues over – whether with words or knockdown-drag out brawls – and Jessie ultimately managed to integrate himself, via skills and a rolling bank account, into the south/southwestern rodeo scene. What followed was a kind of ‘scorched earth’, gypsy lifestyle in various ‘cowboy carnivals’ showcasing ‘old west’ skills, which sent him across the southern country – as far west as California and as far east as the panhandle of Florida, north as far as the Mason-Dixon line, and even a few trips into Mexico. It was over the course of his travels that Jessie picked up his musical preferences, and the ultimate result of that was a combination collection of firearms and guitars. He gained the nickname ‘White Lightning’ due to a preference for over-indulging in spirits (moonshine, specifically, since that was ‘old school’) and a lightning fast quick draw with a revolver… oftentimes in dangerous combination. Never during this time did his parents bother to contact him, nor he to contact them. The only connection they had was monetary… and that was fine with him.
Then, in his twenty-second year, things fell apart. Bad business decisions destroyed the ‘free’ money. The degradation started out slowly and, unfortunately for Jessie, he was unable to adapt. He might have been a ‘cowboy’, but his ‘rock star’ lifestyle proved too much for meager finances. By his twenty-third year, he was forced to sell his collections simply to pay off debts and, were it not for an off-chance meeting with a woman by the name of Julia Karstens, he would have gone destitute. Karstens, Jessie’s senior by a few years and a blossoming CIA agent, proved – when off-duty – to be a wild woman with penchant and a flair for the kind of lifestyle Jessie was used to; despite the somewhat black reputation it painted her in the eyes of her superiors. It wasn’t love – more like Jessie had found a ‘sugar mama’ – but the relationship appeared to save Jessie, if only for a year or two. Though he continued to moonlight in the ‘western carnival’, Jessie became a ‘tag along’ on Karstens’ missions – again, against protocol – and, had he bothered to pay attention, might have noticed that he was becoming embroiled in things he would ultimately find he wanted no part of. His sharpshooting skills had, over time, been well documented by Julia’s superiors and, sometime during the twilight of his twenty-fourth year, he was abruptly dropped into a terrible endgame.
Essentially kidnapped by his lover’s superiors, a cascade of political intrigue and backdoor dealing was dropped upon his head. Karstens was a double-agent, they claimed. She’d sold herself to, ironically, the other side of the oil industry – the Middle East – and with Jessie a ne’re-do-well with no significance and a potential accomplice to Julia’s alleged back-stabbing, he was in a position of no compromise. Forced into captivity for almost a year, Jessie was made to play, initially, as a setup man; communicating to Karstens via phone, e-mail, and text a load of misinformation. The lack of physical presence was easy – he was ‘on circuit’ with the rodeo and, since Karstens had no reason to suspect him of being ‘intelligent enough’ to be the spy in her back pocket, he was able to pull the multiple ruses off without a hitch. Of course, an ever present gun to the side of one’s head can spur on miraculously believable performances, and with the threat of infinite incarceration hanging over his head, Jessie had no choice but to comply. Comply he did – all the way to the very end, where his supposed ‘final’ role was that of the end game sniper. As protocol dictates (or, at least, as far as his captors told him), sniper teams exist to ensure that no individual knows, for sure, which person made the killing shot – but Jessie, himself, is quite sure. He made the sure shot. He ended the one he had become attached to. He did it… because he had to. The latter bit did not offer any solace, and the fact that, despite the supposed agreement, he was not released from captivity following the shot made it all the worse.
‘Freedom’ was something that was never to be had again. Never, that is, until the digital conversion. The transformation to digital was a reset – a chance to start over again – and Jessie took full advantage, returning to his ‘roots’, so to speak, and becoming a ‘western wanderer’ (a cowboy bard or a one-man sideshow, if you will) in the digital space. Drifting from place to place, Jessie hadn’t bothered with discovering much of a ‘purpose’ in the ten years since the conversion… until he was unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time of the Virus swarm. Initially acting simply on his own accord, Jessie made a point of assisting with keeping people out of harm’s way and playing crowd control in moments of ‘public hysteria.’ Unintentionally, he ended up working alongside some (non-important, NPC) members of the Virus Defense Force and, having no good reason not to join, now finds himself as a VDF ‘new recruit.’ - - - At first appearance, he has not met any of the PC members of the VDF.
SEE THE LIGHT:
- Laid-back – never seems to get shaken or rattled
- Rather jovial, with a fairly good sense of humor
- Dead-eye – extremely accurate with any kind of firearm (including explosive ordinance), and capable of making ridiculous ‘trick’ shots
- White Knight syndrome – just has to protect those ‘damsels in distress’ – even if they don’t want to be protected
- ’Southern Gentleman’ – somewhat connected to the above, he can be rather well-mannered…
- Hot Shot – cocky, loves the spotlight and ‘looking cool’; the ‘too much confidence at the wrong time’ can lead to trouble, and Jessie is prone to taking unnecessary risks, especially when attempting to impress the fairer sex.
- Lackadaisical – doesn’t take things seriously most of the time. This contributes to recklessness and also can be a royal pain in the ass to anyone he might be working with, especially in high pressure situations.
- Reckless
- Hard-headed – not to be confused with ‘general stubbornness’, Jessie simply has issues with properly taking orders. If it’s a discussion amongst equals, he can be amiable and be persuaded, but if it’s a ‘command from up top’ and he thinks his way is better…
- â€One o’ the boys†or “Cowboy vernacular†– words and phrases sometimes come out wrong, resulting in insults or simply failed humor
- Audience participation (whether it be trick shot-related or knowing the lyrics and singing along with songs)
- People that can carry a tune
- Moonshine/whiskey/gin/ect., ect., ect. (See Goals.)
- Firearms – he had quite the collection in the real world
- Guitars – just like firearms
- â€Preachy†people
- Scorpions (the arachnid, not the band) – damn hiding-in-your-boots morning surprise…
- Ornery horses – he’s been bucked off a few too many times for his liking
- Cold weather – after all, he’s quite used to the scorching south and southwest, even ten years after the conversion
- Spandex on a male – Jessie might like glam metal, but spandex? Seriously? Put it on a ‘fine honey’ and it’s all good, but when the guys start rocking that skin tight nonsense…
- Accidentally killing or being forced to kill someone important to him
- Becoming blind
- Becoming mute
- Being trapped in a ‘water world’ – like the one depicted in that Kevin Costner movie of the same name; this was a reoccurring nightmare in his childhood, prior to his learning how to swim. Even after learning how to swim, the residual fear remained.
- Discovering a way to make a ‘digital still’ that produces this world’s version of actually consumable, intoxicating alcohol (Wish him luck!)
- To own and operate an old-style saloon (preferably with the above mentioned still in it)
- To re-create the kind of firearm and guitar collection he had in the real world (and have them showcased in the above mentioned saloon)
OOC NAME: Ky – like the Guilty Gear character
AGE: -_-; eh. I have 2 degrees and am about to be a doctor of pharmacy, so…
GENDER: Male.
HOW YOU FOUND US: Was here before, came back with the revamp e-mail. I think I originally found the site via an ad on some other site I was on.
OTHER CHARACTERS: Marion(ette)
ANYTHING ELSE: As mentioned, his self-chosen theme song is “Country Song†by Seether.
Jessie’s outfit is a combination off-the-clock city slicker and old west desert wanderer – a long-sleeved white dress shirt, sleeves half-rolled up, collar unbuttoned, and a loosely tied red tie combined with black, slightly loose riding pants tucked into black, more-substance-than-style cowboy-ish boots. Although not very special in terms of design, he also sports the cliché oversized cowboy belt buckle. Occasionally, he will add on a ‘ten-gallon’ (read: stereotypical) black cowboy hat, but this is a rarity, as sunburn isn’t an issue in the digital world. Jessie also sports a mid-shin length, long-sleeved duster coat, whose color varies depending on the environment he assumes he will be traversing. There are multiple dusters; it is not a single coat that changes colors – he chooses his color when he leaves his base (which is to be determined, I guess?) and cannot ‘change skins on the fly.’ The dusters are single colors, typically varying between a white one, a black one, a brown one, a tan one, and, when he’s feeling festive and not worried about blending in to the environment, a bright red one.
FACE CLAIM:
♦ [size=1]sharnid elipton, CHROME-SHELLED REGIOS - [color=00B2B8]Jessie Santangelo[/color][/size][/blockquote][/font][/size][/color][/td][/tr][/table][/center]
