Blast-Beetle
Contents
History
Born in 1990, Richard Orrington was nothing short of a normal kid. Average build, intellect, and everything a kid should be. Happy and healthy. However, when the infamous year of 1992 came around, his life turned upside down. The vile Doctor Destroyer took it upon himself to raze the city anew, not caring for the innocent lives of thousands of people in the city of Detroit. Oswald and Courtney, his mother and father, took action as they made sure their son escaped the oncoming destruction, and the traumatic experience forever scarred the young boy. His father gave him a briskly written note for Rich to read one day when he was older of why the world was the way it was. His grandparents would come to take care of him for the rest of his young life, as he would grow up in the farmlands of Ohio. The last thing he saw of the city was through the back window of his grandpa's truck, as the massive beam engulfed the city...
Richard would learn the value of hard work and dedication to one's craft, as he tilled the fields and fed the animals on his grandparent's farm when he was eight years old. With not much else to do, Richard would put a good amount of time in studying for school, making sure he passed his classes. "Richy" as he was known to the other kids, was always the class clown, getting into trouble a fair bit, and having his share of bad jokes which translated to a lot of detention time in his grade school years. Even with that, he would graduate high school just a tad shy of being at the top in his classes.
His college years were not different as he sought a career in marketing. He graduated from Ohio State in 2010, with a business degree. Now living on his own he would move back to the new Millennium City, to be closer to his past...and parent's graves. After renting an apartment in Westside, he was quickly hired by Harmon Labs as an intern. He would learn the work ethics and work his way up eventually. One night, however would change his life forever as one of the scientists had left the door open to the power armor lab...
There it was. The prototype "Exo-Comp" armor (External-Compact). He contemplated the choice he had been given. For years he had been tormented by the memories of his childhood, and how helpless he had been ever since. He hadn't been born with powers or any special abilities; just a normal, run of the mill guy...and here was his chance to change all of that. It didn't take much else to convince him what was right and what was wrong...
Needless to say, Richard took the suit in hopes of becoming a force for good, and somebody would could stand up to the evils of the world. With a little paint, and some tweaks, "Blast-Beetle" was born! For the next two or so years, Rich would become a force to be reckoned with; patrolling the fair city, and stopping any crime that was within his sight, hearing, or smell. He found local work in being a hero, and applying for UNTIL's hero service to get pay after hero work.
Recent Events
February 2013
While flying around on his usual patrol, Richard come across a group outside of Club Caprice. This group (Tiel'rah, Brawn, (Some paper guy) he would come to know as the Liberators as he joined them in some casual sparring, proving himself to them as a capable ally. The next day they would meet again at the bar as Beetle would go to socialize with them, and giving Tiel'rah his radio frequency so that they may call him in case of an emergency. And that they did! Blast-Beetle was called the next day in order to deal with a dire situation...of collecting ingredients for a concoction of sorts. After running their errands, he met more members of the group as they gathered in the park. They were quickly beginning to grow on him as he contemplated joining them and their adventures.
Arcs
Albert-Amuck: After joining the Liberators, Richard met Albert Z., and learned of his origins. Albert was a genetic clone of Doctor Destroyer, and shared his voice and some likenesses. The more time Rich was around him, the more he came to realize the growing danger of continuing to have him throw fits, and grow violent toward his fellow team members, which could result in a bloody conflict. The only option was to have the group take a vote on the matter, after he brought it up to the attention of the group captain, Swift. After a lengthy meeting, it was decided that Albert was to be kicked out of the group, much to his own protest. Upon the reveal of Albert's orgins to a local officer, Swift was arrested for harboring a clone of Destroyer, and was taken to jail. Richard pleaded to be taken instead, fearing for his captain, his pleads were not heard as Tony was carted off. The trial was the next day, and Blast-Beetle was needed on Monster Island, so to his own shame, he had to miss the trial.
Coming back the day after the trial, Rich was met with shame, and anger. He was attacked by Albert's brother Dormamo, and Project Delta who were both other members of the Liberators. The emotional pain only increased when Tielrah Ser'ai came back as well, having missed the meeting and trial the days before. Knowing he had gone behind her back, Richard gave up, wanting to quit being a hero in fear of making the wrong choices again. Tielrah had also being dating Albert, which made things even worse for Beetle, since he brought up the issue without her vote or consent. She came to him and attempted to be sympathetic with the broken Blast-Beetle, but his mind was clogged with sadness and shame. He simply left his armor behind and took a plane to live in the Canadian wilderness, were he believed he could be a true man, living an aesetic life-style, hunting animals. After a while he was found by Tielrah Ser'ai as she tracked him down to attempt and console him again. A lengthy conversation did not do much to change Rich's mind as he figured he had to prove himself as a man first. Defeated, Tielrah walked away, and only a few moments later did Richard realize that he was already a man. He threw down his make-shift spear and ran after her to apologize and come back home to his team and family.
April 2013
Richard found himself in Brazil for most of March, tracking down the drug lords and various cartels of the region. There he was secluded from his team, and was not able to communicate with them for the time period. He was gone until he returned late in the month. When he arrived back Tielrah Ser'ai was nowhere to be found, and he was left alone. He reconnected with the team again, and became the Liberator's solitary recruiter, making sure the group is spread far and wide.
Arcs
Upon his return, Richard was reunited with Keirum, a woman whom he had met sometime in the city before, helping her in her struggle to regain her lost memories. Rich recruited her into the Liberators as she seemed to fit like a missing piece to their grand puzzle, and he slowly started to become attracted to her. Eventually they found they were fond of each other and got together, with Richard moving into her apartment.
September 2015
Two years have past after Richard hung up the Blast-Beetle mantle. His falling out with Keirum and quitting the Liberators left him to become a freelance hero for quite some time before he left that life behind. After watching Grond rampage through the city on his day out he realized the dream isn't dead as he reawakened the hero inside!
Blast-Beetle has returned!
Appearance and Personality
Richard takes pride in looking good twenty-four seven. His chisled looks are the result of a ritualistic morning and evening facial cleansing that renders his skin nearly spotless of any blemishes and abnormalities. His hair is well groomed and treated with conditioner and "Ocean Breeze" scented shampoo. His face is rather symetrical and his most outstanding feature is his cleft chin, which tends to stand out. Rich's hair is a reddish-brown color and his eyes are a chocolately type of brown. He doesn't really consider himself a redhead, but he definitely knows he isn't a ginger (hence having no freckles.)
Loud and bombastic, Richard doesn't have trouble being the center of attention. He likes to draw in a crowd and tell a good joke or two. Though when in thought his demeanor can change on a dime, as he usually quiets down when he is deep in thought or just remembering his tragic past. He likes to annoy enemies during a battle, hoping to agitate them into making a costly error or just generally piss them off.
He also has a problem with friends that engage in conflict with one another, as he will usually try to be the mediator, and see both sides of the story. He will even stand up for people he barely knows, and will easily give people a second chance.
Likes / Dislikes
Likes
- A good joke!
- Cows, sheep, goats, donkeys, pigs, etc. (Farm animals)
- Being praised by others.
- Stopping crime
- Working out in the gym, or anywhere.
- Apple Pie
- Open fields
- Being social! Going to parties!
- Giving gifts to his friends.
- Photography! (His hobby)
Dislikes
- Evil metahumans
- Crime
- Bullies
- Conflict between friends
- Eggplants
- Being, "only human"
- Not being there for his friends
- Failing to save something or someone
- The Gecko!
Friends / Enemies
Friends
The Liberators: A group devoted to keeping the world save and "liberating" it from the forces of evil! Rich enjoys spending time with his make-shift family and will always create a social gathering for all of them to come together. He joined the Liberators after meeting Tielrah Ser'ai, and some of the other members as he teamed up with them in various missions. Eventually he made his decision to join and became a "Nugget" or new recruit to the team, though he thought he was valued a bit more than that. Richard passed his training with flying colors and quickly became a team member and officially a part of the Liberators crew. He sees himself as the comic relief character and wants to be treated like the team joker, but he has trouble coping with others that try to steal his thunder. Rich likes nothing better than getting his fellow members to smile and have a good time, spending his money to buy the team mass quantities of pizza, donuts, and chinese food for gatherings, even though he doesn't get much pay in the first place. He gets distrought when he causes an issue with them, and quickly tries to fix it.
Here are some:
Enemies
Blast-Beetle hasn't made any long-term enemies...yet.
Nemesis
The Gecko: Blast-Beetle's villainous rival is a cocky, egotistical thief for hire who loves nothing more than making money and occasional chaos. Genetically modified, his strength is double that of a very fit individual, and his agility allows him to move through tight spaces with ease. He can leap from wall to wall to reach high vantage points, and he is incredibly flexible, which he uses to pull off humanly impossible athletic stuns. Gecko's fighting style is improvised, and lacks the form of an actual martial art, but that doesn't mean he can't perform the feats of a well-trained fighter.
His suit is a very flexible, elastic build that goes hand in hand with his moves. He usually carries some concussion grenades among other throwing gadgets, as a means of hitting ranged targets. His gloves are clawed for his athletic climbing stunts so that he may easily grab ledges, but mostly they're for a little flair. His mask features a compact ventilation system, making him immune to gas-weaponry and various odors.
His relationship with Blast-Beetle is nothing more than a rivalry in the shape of a "Good guy-Bad guy" scenario. They fight not only in physical ways, but also in wordplay as making fun of each other becomes priority. Gecko's usual quips towards Beetle are along the lines of not having powers, and Beetle's are more of his nemesis being a general scumbag...and being short.
Equipment
Suit: The Exo-Comp suit provides not only ample firepower, but superior protection for almost all harm. Made of Kendrium, the armor boasts incredible durability, and also practically being unbreakable. It can withstand the elements of fire, ice, water, etc. and be perfectly fine in most situations. It provides an incredible amount of resistance to the wearer, and is only vulnerable to unconventional weaponry, such as various magics, POWERFUL weapons (Nuclear blasts, large-scale explosions), and Questionite. Otherwise, Richard barely feels a thing inside his cozy shell, though getting tossed around is still a bit painful.
"Beetle" Missiles: Blast-Beetle's trademark weapon is nothing more than a simple missile with a twist. The rocket features two prongs on the end, meant to embed itself in a surface, and then explode with a prolonged detonation. The concentrated blast is meant to rupture the target by punching a hole in it with the explosion, and creating a split in armor, or object, making it easier to land critical shots with kinetic blasts, or minigun fire.
Kinetic Bracers/Generators: Rich's suit is powered by kinetic energy in his bracers. Two small generators on each side of the forearm are constantly spinning and providing energy for the suit, and the ability to use kinetic blasts from the suit's palms.
Jetpack: The pack that Blast-Beetle carries is also his form of travel, and means of removing the suit. With a few clicks, the suit retracts and stores itself in the backpack, allowing him to put it away if he needs to. The suit also feeds off of the power of the jetpack, which generates more kinetic energy for the system along with the bracers, so there is a constant cycle of self-sustaining energy.
Tactical HUD:His retractable helmet and goggles provide Richard with a variety of information ranging from temperature readings, to weather forecasts. The targeting feature allows the suit to calculate where a moving enemy will be, and aids showing the area that Rich must move his hands to be accurate.
RP Hooks
-Are you a fan of Blast-Beetle? Say something nice and make him feel good! He'll talk to you.
-Crack a good joke and make some laughs, he might just ask you to write it down for him to use later.
-Be social! Gather a crowd and make him curious!
-Be a villain...and he will never stop until you are down for the count.
Theme Music
Left Hand Free - Alt J
Comments Feed
I gotta hand it to ya, beetle. You're a good friend, an' you always seem to have some sorta charm tha' lifts the team's spirits. Keep up tha' good work, alrigh'?~ Swift
"Richard is a Human prodigy of hope and inspiration, he is the one who gives me motivation to help out everyone everyday, though he can be a bit headstrong, he's a good man, he's kind and generous, He's the light of my life." - Keirum
"Blast-Beetle of Earth is an interesting human, despite the situation he may be in, he is always able to rise to the occassion and has almost an aura, if you will, of optimism. He consistantly strives to do the right thing and for that I am happy. He is a valued asset to The Liberators and I am glad I am one of his friends" - CharmCaster
"He was a Good guy, Too bad I never really was a Good person back then." - Doctor Albert Z
