Bobby Samson

Robert, called Bobby by pretty much everyone from the get go, Theodore Samson was born to a loving, middle class mother and father. Third in a litter of four, Bobby wasn't the runt or the oldest or the biggest or the smallest or the youngest or the smartest. Bobby was 'the fun one.' Always ready with a joke or to suggest a dangerous adventure into the woods behind their parents Illinois home, there was no trouble too big and no smile too small for Bobby. Clearly the instigator of the brothers, at least Bobby was always willing to accept responsibility for his actions. Well, he was after seeing his younger brother get punished for something that was clearly his fault. That just didn't sit well with him and though it may not have dampened his enthusiasm for excitement and danger, he never again let someone else take the fall for his choices.

The same cannot be said of the eldest of their litter. Bobby is more than happy to tell anyone and everyone who will listen just how much of a dick his older brother George is and has always been. It's thanks to this brother, in fact, that Bobby now sports those awesome looking glowing blue scars across his upper torso and shoulders. Despite how sick they look and the fact that he walked out of that situation with some cool new teleportation powers, that doesn't negate the fact that his brother betrayed him to a witch in exchange for a highly illegal and morally dubious love potion.

Bobby doesn't know what happened to his brother or the hapless woman he'd planned to use that potion to woo. But what happened to Bobby? Well, he doesn't really talk about the three months between when the witch captured him and he managed to escape. He will point out though that it's probably a bad idea to give your unwilling prisoner teleportation powers, even if they're distance is extremely limited.

In any case he's free now and living a new life on the California coast. The climate and the vibe suit him better anyways. Maybe one day he'll even get discovered and make it big as a hot shot Hollywood stunt man. But of course, what he really wants to do is direct.*

*Bobby doesn't really want to direct. He just knows that's what everyone in Hollywood says and he thinks it sounds hilariously pretentious.

Canine Shifter - At his core, Bobby is a basic shifter with basic shifter abilities. He's a little bit faster, a little bit stronger and a little bit hardier than the average human. He can 'shift' (wink wink nudge nudge) from a human form into his canine form at will without any real trouble. He is able to take on two other forms as well. What he calls 'the anime' form in which he is human with his puppy ears and tail and a 'werewolf' form that is big, hairy and clumsy. Both these forms require him to expend a lot more effort and concentration to hold though so he rarely if ever bothers.

Run in with a Witch - One thing that causes Bobby to stand out among his fellow shifters is the scars he carries on his torso and shoulders. Bright neon blue and glowing slightly, these are marks left over when a 'wicked witch' as he dubbed her used Bobby as her guinea pig for some dangerous magical experimentation. From what he understands, she was using him as a test subject to make her magic work before applying the formula to herself. He, after all, was expendable. Apparently the experiment was a success as Bobby is now capable of instantaneously teleporting through space at will. He can't go very far. Only about 8-10 ft in a go. He also can't do it continuously. The magic is powered by whatever is in his scars and when they stop glowing, that means he's out of juice. Trial and error has taught him that he can get in about 5 jumps, one right after the other, before he runs out of power and has to 'recharge.' This process involves lots of sleep and greasy food and generally lasts anywhere from 18 to 24 hours. Sometimes longer if he's not doing well physically. How does the magic work? Bobby has no freaking idea.

Non-Supernatural Abilities - Bobby is extremely physically fit as his chosen profession requires him to be on top of his game at all times. That means he's a lean, mean, jumping, flipping, tight rope walking machine. While the muscles he's worked hard on could do some damage if he were inclined to be offensive, he's much more likely to duck, dive and dodge his way out of a fight. Agile is the word. At least in human form. In dog form he unusually relies on his big adorable puppy eyes to get him out of trouble. Has been known to use that tactic in human form too honestly.

Disadvantages - Bobby is dyslexic, meaning that things like reading and math are much harder for him in general. Never the type to work hard at anything that doesn't come easily, Bobby eventually gave up and dropped out of school junior year. The boy isn't illiterate. Reading just takes more work than he's generally interested in putting into it. He's got a lot of respect for those with this learning disability that stick it out though. More power to them! The whole school thing was just never Bobby's scene to begin with anyways. His mother still occasionally refers to him as 'a few cards short of a full deck.' But in an affectionate way. Mostly because of his determination to believe the best of people and forgive way too easily. Bobby just sees himself as a laid back dude looking to have a good time, but there is such a thing as too laid back and he skirts along that edge remarkably often.