Jaime Reyes

Issue #19

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:38:25 GMT

The Reyes family comes from a small, dirt-poor village in Mexico. Seriously, there's nothing there but shacks and some chickens. My father Alberto was a baby when he immigrated to the US--and yeah, legally. My grandfather joined the military and became a mechanic. My dad followed in his footsteps and fought in the Dominion War. And believe me, having a father with alien-fighting experience has come in very handy during the craziness that is my life as the Blue Beetle.

Growing up, I always wanted to work in the garage to help him, but he always made me focus on school work. He also wanted to give me a chance to be a kid. The day he said I could start working with him part time was the day I disappeared for a year. I came back and he needed a cane to walk. He'd also lost the garage. At first no one would tell me what happened--but anyway, that's another story.

My mother's side are the Leals. Grandma Leal is the wise matriarch of our clan, and she lives in Mexico City. Like my parents, she knows I'm the Blue Beetle and is behind me all the way. I took her flying once, and she loved it.

My mother, Bianca, is a paramedic and she kind of freaked out when she first found out about the Scarab and made me get a bunch of x-rays and stuff--which it didn't show up on--but eventually she calmed down. My dad helped with that I think. Mom is smart and snarky and doesn't take nonsense from anyone. Ever. Only Kara will have any idea what this means but she told off Guy Gardner this one time and it was epic. Both my parents keep me grounded, keep me honest, and keep me sane. I don't know how I'd ever be able to handle my life without them.

My sister, Milagro, is an obnoxious brat with way more attitude than should be able to fit inside a small girl. I love her very dearly. One of the things that worries me most about being the Blue Beetle is that it might put her in danger. I mean, it has put her in danger. At the same time, I have a sneaking suspicion she's going to grow up to be a Green Lantern or something.

So, long story short, my family is amazing and I know exactly how lucky I am.

Issue #18

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:43:56 GMT

Hey you guys, guess who's not in the hospital? Yes, in a surprising twist that would be me! The Scarab healed most of my bones, which is why I got released. The fact that it can still do stuff is encouraging. I feel like I should do something celebratory, but I'm not sure what. Just standing is pretty exciting.

Oh, right. Maybe I should back up a bit since I was out of the City a while and I don't think I gave a very clear story of what happened to anyone I've talked to since. Piece of alien technology in my spine called the Scarab, talks to me inside my head, gives me superpowers, etc., or at least it used to. It was made by aliens called the Reach who weren't nice guys and when I fought them I--or actually my Scarab--told the other Scarabs to rebel.

So then it turns out they did, only they decided to rebel against all authority and wanted me to lead some sort of attack against the earth's governments. They crashed a school dance, I fought them in space, my Scarab managed to shut theirs down but had to shut itself down too. So there was lots of falling and I'm lucky I'm alive. Right now it's rebooting and the cycle isn't done yet, ~~and I don't actually know if it'll ever come back~~ so at the moment I am significantly less super.

I guess I get to enjoy being a regular teenager now. ~~I'm not sure I remember how to do that.~~

Issue #17

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:25:00 GMT

[Voice]

Guys? I kind of need someone to come get me and take me to the hospital. I think I'm near the fountain but I'm not really sure because I can't look around that easily. Don't freak out, I mean, I'm not dying or anything but I was just in the hospital and now I'm lying on the ground and it's cold and also I'm in a fully body cast. Okay, maybe you can freak out if that means you get here faster.

Issue #17

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:59:52 GMT

So the haunted house was full of creepy dolls, and then I couldn't get out.

Today's one of those days, isn't it? I kind of hope I run into somebody I know as long as it isn't, like, Dr. Polaris or something.

[ooc: Anything goes!]

Issue #16

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:30:39 GMT

[Voice]

...Aaaand now I'm completely covered in pumpkin guts. Still, Jaime: 27, killer attack pumpkins: 0.

[Thump! Bang! Splat!]

Make that 28. Was that a zombie? Please don't tell me that was a--nope. Mummies.

Issue #15

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:13:56 GMT

Who's been to see the clock? And who wants to see it? I can't believe I've been here this long and haven't gone. It'll be an exciting adventure with lots of fighting monsters underground!

Um, yeah. Way to make that sound attractive, Jaime.

[ooc: If anyone happens to still be looking at this, organizational post is here.]

Issue #14

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:36:24 GMT

One of the things I like about this place is that everyone's an immigrant. We're all kind of on equal footing.

Yeah, I've been thinking about home.

Issue #13

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:08:15 GMT

Yeah, the mountain totally has a blue flag on it right now. But I swear I'm doing productive things with my life--I've got a new job as a bouncer at Fangtasia.

Yeah, I know. But extra money is cool and I could be good at this, except I have a very important survey for you all:

View Poll: #1451073

[ooc: Replies tomorrow, sorry guys. Also I missed HMD but all my boys have crit posts.]

Issue #13

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:11:23 GMT

[Accidental Video/Action]

[Jaime is lying face down on the ground outside, in his armor. He's not moving. At all. After a rather long moment he jerks, gasps, and sits up. The armor isn’t covering his face and he looks a bit worse for wear.]

Owww. What happened?

[He holds his hand to his head.]

You killed me?!!

[He listens for a while to a voice that no one else can hear.]

Oh. Okay. But next time you have a brilliant plan like that could I maybe have a little warning? Actually, no. Let's not have a next time that involves me dying.

[He gets wearily to his feet.]

Yeah, yeah. I get it. At least I don't have to fight Dr. Polaris for a while. Where's the--I see it.

[Video ends as he picks up the device.]

Issue #12

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:37:01 GMT

Being stuck in a dimensional nexus is no excuse for neglecting proper dental care. Well, for those of you that actually have teeth, at least. If it's been over six months since your last cleaning, I expect to see you in my office today.

Issue #11

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:55:45 GMT

[Voice/accidental]

I don't care about your truce with nature--I don't like what these plants are doing to me. Do you remember what happened with the Ents? This is like that. We have to fight them because they started it. So make them stop.

Yes, because I say so.

Issue #11

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:52:17 GMT

Today is going to be fun. I demand it be fun, because it is dodgeball and not even the city is not allowed to mess that up. This almost makes up for the sad lack of lucha libre. And maybe I have an unfair advantage--okay, I totally have an unfair advantage--but I don't care.

Anyone up for a midair game?

Issue #10

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:51:46 GMT

I'm sorry I had to cancel my shift at the library this morning.

The Scarab apparently crawled out of my back and went into hibernation mode during the night. I grabbed it and and ran out of the room, a bit panicked, and it suddenly reactivated. Had been shut down since midnight, so I knew it was a curse, and checked the Network. Thought it might have been my room deactivating my powers (the Scarab's powers?). But once I got to work, it happened again (good thing I'd decided to opt for actual clothes today). After testing, realized that the problem was being in a room with books. Which was awkward, and led to the me not working today thing. I mean, I guess I could have worked but it didn't seem fair on the Scarab, and it just feels weird without him.

Embarrassingly enough, it took my about five minutes to realize why I was hearing ticking. Is it that loud for everyone all the time?

BTW, did anyone see Batman? I thought I saw Batman the other night.

~~Why wouldn't he call me?~~

[In Case of Evil filter]

Today's curse got me thinking--normally people can't throw books at me, but these curses make people do such crazy things that somebody might need to know how to stop me at some point.

ICoE Plan A: If Scarab realizes something is wrong, he will deactivate powers, eliminating most of the possible threat, most of my friends capable of taking care of things after that.

Plan B: If I can somehow keep Scarab working through sheer force of will, but he knows something is wrong, he will try to mess with my powers long enough for Kara (& anyone interested in helping) to take me down.

Plan C: If the above problem occurs and the Scarab can't do anything, Rachel messes with my mind enough that the Scarab can get control. (Rachel can you do that?)

Plan D: If I have full control of the Scarab/the Scarab is also evil, everyone run Rachel can probably still do something, but be careful of the Scarab attacking your mind in return. Maybe someone can protect Kara from the kryptonite radiation I will probably try to use against her, allowing her to take me down.

Plan E: If Kara and Rachel aren't available, someone with electromagnetic powers? Oh, but not someone with just electric powers, I would probably try to drain them. Magnets might work?

Plan F: If enough people fight me, I'll tire out eventually. Anyone without really strong powers should stay clear. (Kate, I'm looking at you. No, seriously.)

Plan G: Cut the Scarab out of me. This can be done if I've been overpowered to the point where the armor shuts down. However, if the armor is activated

Plan H: [Redacted]

Plan I: If the armor is not activated, I'm relatively defenseless. I can't imagine why the armor wouldn't be activated, though.

Plan J: Magic. Especially if it's someone not from my world. Whoever it is with magical powers should act quick, before the Scarab figures out how to fight back.

Plan K: Trickery? Might be safer for everyone than a straight up fight, but for obvious reasons I can't make any suggestions.

Ugh. This is like trying to play chess against myself. It's like...there are probably people here (besides the deities) who are more powerful than me, but how would I know? And can I trust all of them? And what if everyone is evil at the same time? Though, maybe all the damage would just be undone at midnight. I don't even know how powerful I am because there are so many things I won't let the Scarab do.

Anyway, if I ever do get out of control, protect the civilians and do whatever you have to do to stop me from hurting anyone. But if I'm doing something that won't hurt anyone but me (or maybe inanimate objects), DON'T INTERFERE. It's not worth it.

[ooc: Right now the ICoE filter is viewable to Kara, Kate, Rachel and Billy--anyone he comes to trust in the future can view previous entries with this filter. Also, Jaime may know Batman personally but he does not know Batman=Bruce Wayne. I think both remaining in ignorance and suddenly getting clued in are equally funny--Kara (or others) may choose to clue him in or not as they wish. Last post before his hiatus, see you in a bit. Once I'm back, I'd like a plot involving Jaime going evil (or just a bit out of control) to happen.]

Issue #9

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:19:33 GMT

[Video]

[Based on the camera angle, it must be stuck up a tree or something. Into the frame rides a handsome young man, wearing blue armor that looks something like this. Unfortunately, the effect of his dashing handsomeness is somewhat undermined by the fact that his noble "steed" is a gigantic blue scarab.]

Greetings citizens! I am el Príncipe Azul. I have already spent the day doing great works of courage and boldness, rescuing fair maidens, fighting foul beasts, and defeating all manner of evil. For my greatest exploit, I think I will fight a dragon. And perhaps I will find myself rescuing a fair maiden again, because that seems to be happening quite a lot today, which is odd because I seem to remember mostly rescuing hairy firemen and pregnant ladies in the past.

Not that pregnant ladies can't be fair, but you know what I mean.

Actually, I'm not entirely sure I know what I mean.

[Listening to his mount]

Very well, noble Khaji Da, we shall ride onward to the dragon's lair!

[ooc: That picture is Blue Beetle I. Príncipe Azul literally translates to Blue Prince but is basically just the Spanish equivalent of Prince Charming. So pretty much this was the perfect curse. Action for primrosella and not_so_smooth if that works for you guys. Assume he's right outside the deity office. Backdated to whenever makes sense considering Rosella's other adventures.]

Issue #8

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:39:17 GMT

[Video]

[Jaime is basically using the camera as a mirror.]

I think my eyebrows are growing back in a little strangely, even though I had the Scarab speed the process up. Do they look weird to you?

[pause, listening to something no one else can hear. His eyebrows pretty much just look like eyebrows.]

Yeah, I know I should have been more specific about what constituted "facial hair." I'm not blaming you.

[pause]

Oh, right.

[Reaches over and turns the camera off.]

[ooc: Kara had a scuff fetish the other day, I'm going with the assumption that things ended with Jaime having the Scarab remove his facial hair before anything got really extremely awkward. It went a little overboard.]

Issue #7

Sat, 23 May 2009 16:00:22 GMT

I just woke up. I'm in a cage. I seem to be stuck mid-transformation.

It's going to be one of those days, isn't it?

[ooc: The sign says "See the Blue Freak! An ordinary teenage boy turned into a monstrosity by an Evil Alien Space-Bug! Please do not tap on the electric field." Action for those who would like to visit. He'll escape...eventually.]

Issue #6

Sun, 03 May 2009 17:47:54 GMT

[Video]

[Jaime is clearly at the end of his rope here.]

If anyone was wondering, yes it is possible for just one of us to be affected by a curse (and today it is not me). That said, it will make today run a lot more smoothly if you all talk about how cute the Scarab's "baby" is.

[Pause]

Sorry, our baby. No, I didn't mean anything by those air quotes.

[Camera zooms in on a green June bug]

[Sigh]

I do admit there's a family resemblance.

Issue #5

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:24:08 GMT

I'm back. I'm also suddenly very wet. How are all of you?

Issue #4

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:20:38 GMT

I haven't seen anyone I know out there today, but just in case I figured I'd stick up a post.

~~Mom? Dad? Milagro? Paco? Brenda? Traci? Peacekeeper? Hector? Nadia? Anyone?~~

Issue #3

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:52:04 GMT

Hey, Kara, look what I found!

[ooc: Jaime will be at the Range for self-defense lessons this morning, and working at the Library later in the day. Anyone at either of those places--or just out in the City--is welcome to find a few of the following. Oh, scans_daily, I miss you. Images with even this much resolution were hard to find. And yes, 'is that Batman' reactions are always welcome. Please ignore the speech bubbles.]

Issue #2

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:45:09 GMT

Let's try this again.

Hi, my name's Jaime. I'm also known as Blue Beetle III. Here, I don't see the point of a secret identity. So yes, I'm a superhero. And I'm willing to help anyone that needs it--I guess there's not much I can do against the curses, but I'll do whatever I can.

For the record, flying, swimming, tunneling, dimensional shifting are all useless as a means of leaving. I mean, I figured that, but doesn't hurt to try. Well, actually it does literally sort of hurt, but...never mind.

Anyway, I know Kara from back in my usual dimension and I'm her roommate now--it's nice to have a familiar face, I was worried for a bit that there wasn't going to be anyone here I knew. So I'm not too lonely--never actually being alone has something to do with that--but I'm a little bored. Anyone have ideas for a part-time job?

Oh, and in case you were wondering, there is a piece of alien technology called the Scarab living in my spine, which is where my powers are from, and why I often appear to be talking to myself.

[Private to Kara//Unhackable]

The Scarab's still not functioning as well as usual, but it's sure that there's something wrong and it's related to Kryptonite...unfortunately it doesn't have any idea what to do about that. But...it's a start, right? (BTW, still sorry about the whole not seeing the red "S" thing that one time.)

Also, that murder curse got me thinking--if one of the curses affected my personality, that could get really bad for everyone. I need to come up with some kind of...plan.

Issue #1

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:31:16 GMT

[Video]

[The device is pointing upwards towards the sky, out of which someone in a blue suit is falling. The suit is honestly a bit scary looking, but the wings are rather pretty, like they belong to a large blue dragonfly.]

Aughhhhh!

[The figure comes to a hover above the device. Its eyes are glowing orange.]

What happened? Where are we?

What do you mean you don't know? Are we in space again? What did you do?

[It's a teenager's voice. He appears to be talking to himself.]

And this really isn't your fault. Okay. Yes, I believe you. Now can you tell me where we are? "Not Earth." "Wrong dimension." Great, just great. And you can't reach anyone.

[He touches down and sits slumped over on the edge of the fountain.]

Wait, you did find someone to contact? What? Where? And you didn't tell me earlier that this was being broadcast. It is not like that! Besides, I don't even like being on the news. No, I do not want you to zap the cameras in the future.

[He turns toward the device.]

Um, hi there everyone. I'm the Blue Beetle. I...come in peace.

[In an undertone.]

Shut up, I couldn't think of anything better. I wish you'd never learned sarcasm.

[ooc: And you has a Jaime, City. Open for comments and action--he'll figure out how to use the device pretty quickly.]