Hornet
Melissa Aurea Riker (a.k.a. Hornet)
Melissa "Liz" Riker is a controversial figure known by the name Hornet. Though she is a hero, working as vigilante for several years, her past continues to hang over her... and for good reason. After all, Hornet used to be a villain, and her turn towards the good wasn't one made in good will.
Physical Description
Body Features
Liz has a slim frame, muscular but not visibly so. While they're a powerful fighter, they rely more on their enhanced strength than pure muscle, which makes it easy for others to underestimate her. She's fairly tall, and not afraid of using this height to loom and intimidate. Liz also has extensive tattoos sprawling over their limbs and upper back.
Facial Features
Liz has North European features and what is commonly known as a "resting bitch face", leading to her looking grumpy (if not pissed off) most of the time. Admittedly she tends to be rather grumpy, but that's unrelated. She has a straight nose and thin lips, with narrowed eyes and thin brows.
Special abilities
Imbued Powers
- Wing creation: Liz can create bug-like wings out of (Imbued) energy, the exact shape and size determined by her. They’re fairly stiff, however, and are thus limited in use except for flying and intimidation.
- Flight: using their wings, Liz can fly.
- Enhanced strength: Liz has superhuman strength, despite not being (visibly) muscular.
- Healing factor: Liz has enhanced healing, and heals faster from injuries than ordinary human beings.
Apparel & Accessories
Liz' casual wear sticks close to their roots as a bad guy (or, perhaps, just a "bad boy"), preferring to wear dark colors and (black) leather jackets. Her clothes tend to be heavily studded and belted, often with gold (or at least, gold-colored).
As Hornet, Liz wears custom-made armor meant to protect both her identity and her body. The armor is light-weight and segmented, making it (relatively) easy to move in, and has a full-face helmet with big bug-like eye lenses. Also notable are is the backplate, which is uniquely modified to suit Liz' abilities. Specifically, it has two slits along the shoulders where it can open up, letting them form their wings.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Liz fell into a life of crime as a teenager, using her powers to work as a rather effective mercenary. Perhaps not the best in the business, not by a long-shot, but you sure couldn't tell from their vanity. Always reluctant to admit to faults and mistakes, Liz made it a habit to hide the evidence of imperfections, relying on her healing factor and skills to appear more perfect than she truly was.
Until, one day, her screw-up led to her accidentally taking down the wrong target. Instead of killing the major good guy she had been aiming for, her actions led to a major villain being arrested. And this time, the spotlight was sufficiently aimed at her that she couldn't deny her actions. So, instead, she acted. She pretended that this had been the plan all along, a grand show of redemption, that she was done being the villain and would be a hero from now on. And after such a show, there was of course no backing down, and definitely not for someone as stubborn to admit to faults as Liz.
Life as a vigilante was... difficult. The adjustment was difficult, making money without relying on crime was difficult, and the shift in mindset was difficult. The public—and the other heroes—were skeptical, and for good reason. But Liz has never met a problem they couldn't face head-on, and their redemption was no different. It was a long and troubled fight—still is, really—but they're determined to be a hero. Not just for themself, but also for Luna, the kid who glued herself to Hornet's side, insisting on being their sidekick.
Current Location
Species
Conditions
Ethnicity
Year of Birth
1991
29 Years old
Children
Current Residence
Pronouns
She/Her, They/Them
Gender
Agender
Eyes
Warm green, narrow
Hair
Straw-blonde, short hair no longer than shoulders, straw-like
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
White
Height
1.83m or 6"0'
Hornet costume concept
by
DarkNymfa
Colored concept art for Hornet's hero costume, drawn in 2021.
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