#ʟᴇᴛ's sᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ ɪɴ ʜɪs ғᴀᴄᴇ ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ. [ MUSE ]

[primenova]

blue blazes!

basic info —  

FULL NAME: Richard Rider NICKNAMES: Rich, Richie, Ricky ALIAS: Nova / Nova Prime AFFILIATIONS: Nova Corps, Guardians of the Galaxy, New Warriors (formerly) AGE: 43 MBTI TYPE: ISFP OCCUPATIONS: Police Officer for SCPD! He will also continue to be a Space Cop. FAMILY: Charles Rider (father, deceased), Gloria Rider (mother), Ralph Rider (uncle, deceased), Ellen Rider (aunt), Robbie Rider (younger brother), Peter Quill (best friend) SEXUALITY: Pansexual SPECIES: Human HEIGHT: 6’1” HAIR COLOR: Brown EYE COLOR: Brown

powers/special abilities —

HOST OF THE NOVA FORCE.

SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH: He’s able to change the Nova Force to increase his physical strength to vast levels. The full extent of this is unknown but with his best show can destroy everything within three miles. The Nova Force grants Rider sufficient strength and power to engage and even stalemate the likes of the Silver Surfer in combat.

SUPERHUMAN SPEED: If Richard channels the Nova Force properly, he can grant himself the ability to run or move at speeds beyond the physical limits of Human athletes. The limit of his speed isn’t known but he can run several hundred miles an hour or move faster than light.

SUPERHUMAN STAMINA: Due to the Nova Force's augmentation of his musculature, Rider's muscles produce considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of a normal human. While the full limits of his stamina are unknown, he is able to exert himself physically for at least 24 hours before fatigue toxins impair him.

SUPERHUMAN DURABILITY: Richard’s body is highly resistant to all forms of conventional physical injury. He can withstand high caliber bullets, falls from tremendous heights, exposure to extremes in both temperature and pressure, powerful energy blasts, acidic corrosives, and tremendous impact forces without sustaining injury. While employing the Nova Force, Rider can easily withstand the rigors of deep space indefinitely.

SUPERHUMAN ACCURACY: He can shoot beams of energy with an accuracy of millimeters.

SUPERHUMAN AGILITY.

SUPERHUMAN REFLEXES.

REGENERATIVE HEALING FACTOR: Richard can use the Nova Force to heal any injuries or bodily tissues. This wont work on regenerating lost limbs.

FLIGHT: He can use the Nova Force to propel himself through the air at tremendous speeds. Rich is fully capable of achieving faster than light velocities and can enter and traverse hyperspace, which he often does while traveling through space. However, moving as such speeds while in the atmosphere of a planet would cause devastation to the planet itself, so he travels much slower while within a planetary atmosphere.

ENERGY GENERATION: He can channel the Nova Force and expel the energy in the form of extremely powerful concussive blasts that he often uses in combat situations. A few of the abilities he has shown are:

the ability to manipulate the Nova Force to create hyperspace portals in space such as Space Gates.

the ability to release extremely powerful gravimetric pulses and beams, either from specific parts of his body or from his whole body surface.

the ability to emit powerful electromagnetic discharges that can nullify gravity.

XANDARIAN WORLDMIND: Aside from housing the Nova Force, Rider is also one of the hosts of the Xandarian Worldmind along with Sam being the other who can use it. The Worldmind is a sentient collective created to govern and maintain all forms of Xandarian culture. The Worldmind contains all knowledge collected by the Xandarian people including art, science, history, and philosophy. Richard can access any aspect of this technology by communicating with the Worldmind verbally or mentally. As a result, The Worldmind often contacts Rider unbidden and usually offers advice, instructions, insights, recommendations, and even criticisms. His bond with the Worldmind is highly useful, however, also in the fact that the Worldmind is crucial in helping Rider maintain self control, mood, and his mental stability. 

Other capabilities demonstrated by the Worldmind:

Helps Rich contain the Nova Force while keeping his mind and sanity intact.

Downloads profiles of opponents directly into Rider's mind.

Detects nearby energy surges, including those used in teleportation.

Can assume control of Rider's body as he sleeps.

Access other computer systems, including heavily-protected terrestrial computer networks.

Analyze attackers, including detecting adrenaline surges in their bodies.

Detects approaching super-humans with energy-based powers.

Enables Rider to hack into satellite TV broadcasts, and transmit his voice and image to individual TV sets.

Can protect Rider from psionic manipulation using Psi-shields.

SKILLED COMBATANT.

equipment —

NOVA UNIFORM: To further stabilize Rich during his manipulation of the Nova Force, the Worldmind has specifically modified Rider's Nova uniform. The material of the uniform helps to contain and regulate some of Rider's powers by siphoning some of the energies of the Nova Force. The uniform also contains inhibitors that can manipulate various hormones in Richard’s brain for the purpose of moderating his moods as needed. The uniform also has self-repairing capabilities, allowing it to seal rips and tears on its own.

The helmet contains radio circuitry enabling Nova to pick up radio transmissions, monitor transmissions, telescopic sights, night vision sensors, and heat imaging sensors, as well as overlay a visual heads-up display for tracking energy signatures. Nova's helmet has a rigid construction and shape when worn, but becomes as malleable as cloth when it is not, allowing him to hide it in his civilian clothes when desired.

three headcanons —

Both of the Rider children are living in space for their own separate reasons. His little brother, is on a dark path that he feels comfortable sticking with. Richard and their mother have tried to bring him back from the Raptors but that choice is cemented after a life has been built. Richard lives a life that’s the complete opposite, a war hero who feels comfort in living among the stars. Their mother, Gloria sets aside some money for their rare trips back to Earth. The currency in the galaxy is different and their credits are useless down on their home planet. When Rich came back seven years after the ban started his mother gave him some of that money that was set aside so he could get by until finding a proper job.

Richard has lost count of how many wars he has taken part in but the galaxy recognizes him as a veteran for it. His name is well known for his service. He qualifies for a free therapist as a result of this and has started regularly going to see her in Halfworld. His sanity is hanging by a very thin thread at all times. Rich can’t drink away his mental illness and trauma no matter how much he tries to. He struggles with depression, some post-traumatic stress disorder, and the rest of his problems is a long list. The therapy is genuinely helping and he makes a point to go every week. It’s important to him!

Peter Quill is his best friend but they met when they were fairly young — way before Guardians of the Galaxy were formed. Richard was new to being in space and Peter was still traveling around with Yondu and the other Ravagers. They quickly bonded over their love for music, since Rich has a library downloaded into his helmet after all. They became very close as they would go on many adventures together. The two of them are fairly reckless and sometimes Yondu  would show up to bail them out of trouble. Who was cautious about Richard at first since he’s a Nova but would soon welcome the boy to stop by whenever he would like. Maybe it was nice to see Peter getting to interact with someone his own age for once. They continued to remain best friends over the course of their lives and still are to this day. The two of them have been through a lot together and even when Richard says he can handle doing something on his own, Peter is right behind him refusing to let him do it alone. (This was all discussed with Amanda!)

personality traits —

+ HUMORISTIC. Richard surprisingly has an excellent sense of humor despite all of the tragedy he has experienced. He tries to make light of a situation if he can to disguise what he might be really feeling deep inside. It doesn’t always work but if Rich can make himself laugh then that seems to be worth it. If someone else ends up laughing with him? Even better and keeps the dark thoughts away.

+ DEDICATED. Once Richard places his mind on something he intends to go through with it until getting the outcome he desires. No matter how tired the man might get there is always energy left to keep fighting. He’s also a loyal friend to have on your side because of it!

- CYNICAL. Maybe Richard struggles to believe anything good can come out of stressful situations. This doesn’t mean he won’t press forward anyway because even when times get tough Rich does absolutely everything in his power to do what’s right. His depression tends to impact his outlook but tries being optimistic  despite being a cynic about his current  situation. Rich doesn’t think that someone like him deserves a happily ever after and always prepares for the worst. Maybe he has just seen too much.

- UNSTABLE. If it weren’t for his connection to the Nova Force he would have gone insane and the thread holding his sanity together would have snapped a long time ago. Which is a reason for going to therapy to strengthen that strand holding his mind together.

character bio —

ORIGIN: Richard Rider was born in Hempstead, New York to Charles and Gloria Rider. He would become the oldest of their two children after his parents have another son. He always appeared to be insecure about how his younger brother is smarter than him and thought that he was the favorite. Robert always looked up to Rich though and supported his older brother’s role as a hero. Their mother worked as a 911 dispatch operator and their father was the principle of their local high school. Charles was a good father but quite strict. He never approved of his children getting in fights and more than once sent Richard to his room without getting to eat dinner. They tried being supportive of their son but his father would end up supporting the mindset that heroes should be registering — putting a strain on the relationship with his son. Richard would stay close with his mother since Gloria is always more gentle and loving between his two parents.

He wasn’t the class clown or the wallflower or the cool kid. Richard was just an average teenager growing up, having girl troubles as anyone else his age. Everything appeared to be normal until coming into contact with the Nova Corps shortly after his seventeenth birthday. The Nova are a peace-keeping force based off the planet Xandar which was destroyed by a space pirate. When Rhomann Dey, the Nova Prime was dying and fleeing through the cosmos toward Earth is when a decision was made. Richard Rider received his powers and granted the Nova Force — becoming the host for the energy source.

The sudden infusion of power hospitalized him, comatose as Rhomann telepathically explained to him everything that was happening and what his mission would be. He hoped that this Human would use these abilities for good. Rich would recover suddenly and be discharged by the doctor so he could return to his normal routines. The next day when alone in his room Rhomann transmitted one last gift — his Centurion uniform. Richard soon discovered all the different powers he now possesses but didn’t have any instruction on how they worked. He would become Nova Prime, proudly taking up the mantle.  

START OF THE BAN: Richard spends more time out in space than home on Earth. He goes years at a time before returning to visit his mother. His childhood friends all moved on with their lives without him in it so that doesn’t leave him with many reasons to come back. Usually when Rich does make a visit it leaves him confused by everything that had happened since he has been gone. There were wars to fight in and distress calls to take care of — feeling like that is more important than anything Earth has to offer. This has consequences though, never getting closure with his father since he passed away during one of the times Rich was gone.

When the ban was put into place, Richard didn’t know about it until Sam told him. He couldn’t believe that much had changed. Worldmind always there reminding him that there’s forever more work to be done through the galaxy if it brings some kind of reassurance to the two Novas.  There would always be somewhere they were needed and this is where their journey would go. Maybe Richard just adapted too much to living in space that being on a Earth makes him ache for returning to the stars again. He has learned to appreciate the little time there is with the connections he has left in his old age.

PRESENT: Seven years go by in the blink of an eye. Which also means seven years since stepping foot on Terran soil. His reasons for returning are a mixed bag. One of them connected to realizing how much he misses his mother during one of his therapy sessions. She was one of the few good things left since his younger brother is on a path of villainy with the Fraternity of Raptors. Richard spent some time with her after coming back to Earth since this was important to him. He couldn’t stay though, no matter how much she wanted him to. He comes to Star City seeking out a reunion with his best friend Peter but also new opportunities. Rich has never been good at holding a job, not when being Nova Prime will always come first, but decides to give it a try. Besides it doesn’t sit right with him knowing an organization is staining the Nova name. While trips back to space will still be frequent because he has his therapy sessions and also can’t refuse a distress call — Rich is going to try sticking around a bit more this time around. Maybe after all these years he deserves to build an actual life for once.