Name:

 

Sam Kinsley

 

Supername:

 

Rumble

 

When Sam first enrolled, he planned on naming himself Rumblefish, after his favorite movie, but the name led to uncomfortable confusion among the Thule kids, most of whom had never read nor seen Rumblefish. Given that “fish” is sometimes used as slang for a Thule and Sam’s powers were similar to Thule eyes, they wondered if “Rumblefish” wasn’t some sort of comment about Thules. They didn’t know what that comment could possibly be (in Sam’s own words “What did they think I was trying to say? That Thule should rock the greaser look? That they look good with sunglasses?) but cases like this rarely involve more reason than sensitivity. Harmony Hascoe, troublemaker that she is, didn’t help matters by spreading rumors that more Thule were bothered by the name than there really were.

 

To avoid any problems with his Thule peers, Sam changed his name to Rumble, which still plays into the SE Hinton theme. A rumble is a fight in old greaser slang. He rumbles with his rumble rings.

 

Introduction:

 

Sam is a stoic, level-headed young man, but that stoicism hides a very sensitive heart. He’s a fan of poetry, particularly the poetry of the 19th century Romantics, and the works of S.E. Hinton. He’s also a film buff, almost as big a film buff as Donald Swift. He is Izzy Skenazy’s best friend and played together with him for years on Beck Island, and his private fears mirror Izzy’s own. While Izzy is afraid that his life is defined by the powers and abilities of other people, Sam is afraid that his life is defined by his own powers and abilities. His rumble rings made picking the traditional superhero class–ERC 3 with a focus in superhuman combat–easy. But Sam fears it was too easy. He’s good at superheroics. His coach, Steel Dolly, has him on her list of potential superteam leaders. But he fears that he’s coasted on his powers. He fears that his accomplishments aren’t his own.

 

And what’s worse, he’s not sure what he wants to be besides a superhero. He’s not sure he can be anything but a superhero. He’s already worked so hard at being a superhero. People have devoted so much time and effort to making him a superhero. Can he be something other than a superhero?

Is it too late for him to change course? That’s hard to say, and ultimately, only Sam can answer that, not us.

 

Average Grade:

 

A+

ERC:

 

3

As expected of a student firmly on the superhero path.

 

Personalized Curriculum:

 

ERC 3 With A Focus In Superhuman Combat, ERC Leadership 

 

Sam is on the standard superhero path–ERC 3 with a focus in superhuman combat. It’s the “typical superhero class.” He’s also been honored with a spot in ERC Leadership, a very special course for those chosen by the coaches for demonstrating exceptional leadership ability.

 

Sam could be a great superhero one day–if his heart remains in it.

 

Contact Education:

 

Morelli Training Center, Joyous Harbor Statesmen Center

 

The MTC is always a good choice for an ERC 3 with a focus in superhuman combat kid, especially for a kid with as physical a power as Sam. There are a lot of superstrong fighters at the MTC looking for a challenge, and the rumble rings certainly provide that challenge. It’s not easy grappling with energy fields and hard, fast objects that come out of nowhere. But it’s not just about what Sam can do for the MTC, it’s about what the MTC can do for Sam as well. The superwrestlers of the MTC help train Sam in how to use his powers when someone gets in his face. Anyone fighting Sam is going to think “get in close behind the rings and get him.” That’s the go-to strategy when fighting Sam, so we need to train Sam on what to do when someone uses that strategy,

 

Sam’s getting pretty good at defending against hand-to-hand fighters. He can create rings even with just a molecule’s worth of space and create them with enough force to break the grip of even the likes of Martina Morelli.

 

The MTC covers what to do concerning Sam’s superhero education–but as previously mentioned, he’s having serious misgivings about the career. So what do about that? We send him to work in the Statesmen Center with Jigsaw Judy where he can meet a lot of different superhumans who do a lot of different jobs. Maybe one job will spark his interest. And if he still decides to be a superhero, that’s fine, the Statesmen network with superteams. He’s probably going to end up leading a superteam after he graduates, so the Statesmen Center will provide him with organizational experience. Leading a superteam isn’t just about fieldwork, it’s about big-picture thinking.

 

Hyperstasis:

 

Energy field generation

 

Sam can create and control “rumble rings,” fields of turbulent energy suspended within a thin ring of solidified energy.

 

Sam can make as many rumble rings as he wants and can make them any size he wants, from rings small enough to hang around a finger to rings big enough to hang around a planet. The ring part of a rumble ring is indestructible and can be used to hit opponents and push them back. The rumble part of a rumble ring can entrap foes, battering them around the inside of the ring as if they were trapped in a hurricane. Allies can throw projectiles (or themselves, he’s made a very interesting move with Edith called the “dragon bomb”) through a rumble ring to greatly increase their velocity and power. The rumble part of a rumble ring is trapped energy, and energy attacks fired at the rumble ring become trapped as well, adding to the power contained within it. Anything that physically touches the inside of a rumble ring from the outside is sent flying back like a pinball.

 

Behavior:

 

Good

 

Sam is cool and level-headed. Not much phases him and he never sweats the small stuff. As a result, he’s very popular with the other kids. He’s cool. Legitimately cool.

 

Steel Dolly has Sam on the “demonstrates leadership skills” list. He’s confident in his judgements, yet he knows when to defer to his peers. He understands the value of teammates–in and out of CRS. He wants to bring out the potential of others, to help others, and that’s probably the best quality a young superhero could have. He can’t stand bullies, because they’re his natural opposite. He builds people up, they tear people down.

 

The only problem we have with him is that he occasionally skips class, but this seems to be an issue that can be solved by giving him something productive to work on.

 

Appearance:

 

Sam loves the 50’s greaser look. A fan of “low key” supercostumes, he wears simple blue jeans, a simple white shirt, and his prized jacket both on and off the clock.

And yes, he did base his jacket off the ones in The Wanderers, its one of his favorite films.

 

Opinions Of Others:

 

Izzy Skenazy, Xerographer

 

–My best friend. My Pony Boy. I’m so glad he’s here. I was worried about him. In recent years, it seemed like he closed himself off from the world. It’s great that he’s finally opened up, he’s got so much to offer the world.

 

Ben Cooper, Web Head

 

–Ben’s not sure he’ on the right track, but he knows what track to get on if he wants to change. I wish I did.

 

Edith Ogden, Dragongirl

 

–Poor girl. She’s done a great job staying golden, all things considered. She pushes herself too much. Glass hurt her, and now she wants to make sure she’s never hurt again. But no one can do that. Everyone can be hurt at any time. That’s life, awful as it is.

 

Harmony Hascoe

 

–She’s going to turn BOL any day now. Maybe even call herself The Bitch.

 

Henry Dutton

 

–Honestly, I think he was a bit of a pill with how much of a big deal he made about my supername, but we’re cool now. Ultimately, he’s a good guy. Him dumping Harmony in front of the school was so, so sweet.

 

Robert Marblehead

 

–You can’t go through your life with your head down, ducking every fight. If he wants to get stronger, he can start by learning how to take a stand. Even if you get knocked on your ass, you still took a stand.