Rick O'Shay

[Rick O'Shay]

Richard O'Shay


Gender: Male
Age: 37
Birthday: Maius 1st
Call sign: Spender
Nickname(s): Rick
Birthplace: Hades, Canceron
Occupation: Raptor Pilot, former Spacer
Current Affiliation: Hyperion
Rank/Title: Lieutenant

Height: 6’3”
Weight: 158 lbs.
Build: Lanky, less-developed muscle mass from time in Zero-G
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Marks: None worth mentioning.
Visual: www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsJ/20270-28507.jpg

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Play- By: Thomas Jane

Mother: Wilhelmina O'Shay (Deceased)
Father: Prosper O'Shay (Deceased)
Siblings: Maggie O'Shay
Significant Other: N/A
Children: N/A
Other Notable Persons: Gavin O'Shay (Nephew), Grace O'Shay (Niece)


Personality: Spender’s an example of the maxim, “humans are never happy unless they have something to complain about.” Though he’s long since become disillusioned with the Colonial government, he still holds himself to a personal code, and can be stubbornly judgmental of those without their own discipline. He firmly believes in order, if not the letter of the law, and that the fleet is civilization’s last chance, though he remains cynical about their odds of survival.
The only sentimentality Spender seems to have left is for his sister and her children, his last remaining family being carried aboard the Aerilon Star. He cares more for their survival than for a crumbling fleet, and if push were ever to come to shove, he might abandon his military duty in order to protect them.
Likes: His Raptor, Old Starships, Fantasy Novels, History, Sleeping
Dislikes: Drinking, Music, Pettiness, Corruption, Military Food
Fears: Losing his sister and her family
Aspirations: See the fleet settle down safely and start again, without the struggles for power.
Equipment: Fatigues, Flight Suit, Dress Uniform, Sidearm, various paperback fiction novels
Anything Else?: Not particularly.
History: Rick was born to one of the many poor families on Canceron, growing up in the slums of its aptly-named capital, Hades. His father was constantly under pressure to provide local gangs with protection money, and it took a toll on their quality of living, his mother taking to drinking while his father inevitably joined the very gangs he owed to make ends meet. To escape that environment, Rick would spend most days in his school's extensive library, reading to pass the time and became enamored with stories about ancient Kobol and legends of Earth. During one particularly hard time, he was known to spend nights locked in until his father learned of it and knew to look for him there.

When Rick was nineteen, his father was killed in a shootout by Hades' Police Department following an attempted robbery. With his mother showing no signs of improving for her childrens' sakes, Rick left his sister behind with her and took a job as a deckhand aboard a civilian freighter to get out of Hades' slums and off of Canceron. For the next eight years, he learned from his crewmates and worked his way up to being the ship's co-pilot, proving a very adept pilot for the slow, heavy vessel. It was at this time he met Simon Dunn, a small-time smuggler running arms to Tom Zarek's revolutionary cell on Sagittaron. Offered a much better job as Dunn's pilot, Rick accepted without qualms as to who was receiving the weapons.

At the end of a run four years later, however, Zarek's men refused to pay their agreed-upon amount, and when Dunn threatened to take the weapons back, the supposed freedom fighters shot him. Witnessing the killing, Rick managed to get back to the ship and take off before they could stop him, escaping to Aerilon where he immediately sold the freighter. Because it was in the same system and he wanted to get as far from any way for the rebels to trace him, Rick took a passenger ship back to his home on Canceron.

He learned upon returning his mother had died in his absence, and found his sister angry for abandoning them. Understanding what Maggie had had to endure, Rick gave her the money he'd made by selling Dunn's freighter and promised to find a respectable line of work where he could help support her and her two young children, their father having run out on her. Rick tried several jobs before joining the military and applying to an Officer Candidates School on Caprica. At 32, Rick was accepted, and in a year and a half had gone through OCS and flight school, finding himself naturally suited to piloting the heavy craft known as the Raptor.

Again working through ranks, Rick made Lieutenant within four years of active duty and upon completion of the new Battlestar Hyperion, was transferred to help fill out its complement. He was aboard when the Cylon attack was initiated, and after a lull in the action was responsible for ferrying teams of technicians to help conduct repairs. Though worried about his sister, he was relieved to find out they'd been aboard the Aerilon Star for the attack and had survived.

During the sudden coup of Admiral Castle's martial law, Rick had planned to stay loyal to him in the belief that order was their only chance, but was taken prisoner early in the boarding of the Hyperion. He's more than a little concerned for the fleet's re-shift in power, and worries more than ever about the well-being of his family, to the point where some in his squadron might attest to it distracting him.


Alias: TheFifthChance (RookieTech)
Experience: Spent 4+ years on Halo Fanon developing character and writing skills.
How you found us: Recommended by players on another site.
Other characters: N/A
How we should contact you: [e-mail]
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[Roger Davis]

Sorry, I had a big long thing written up that was probably more helpful and friendly than this, but it all got lost right before I was about to post. Sorry if I come across harsh but I'm a little upset and tired. I did very much enjoy the rest of your character app, but there are these following issues:

1) His Age
He was 16 when he left home, came back 6 years later (22), went to OCS and flight school (23 or 24 upon completion) and now he's 37. Where are those 13 missing years? If he has been in the service for so long why is he only a LT JG?

2) Hyperion is a new ship
Hyperion was set to launch on the day of the Cylon attack. No one even arrived aboard more than two months before then. Therefore there is no way he spent 13 years aboard it, let alone the time it would take to even reach LT JG. If you need inspiration for building military history try [url=Sorry, I had a big long thing written up that was probably more helpful than this, but it all got lost right before I was about to post.

1) His Age
He was 16 when he left home, came back 6 years later (22), went to OCS and flight school (23 or 24 upon completion) and now he's 37. Where are those 13 missing years? If he has been in the service for so long why is he only a LT JG?

2) Hyperion is a new ship
Hyperion was set to launch on the day of the Cylon attack. No one even arrived aboard more than two months before then. Therefore there is no way he spent 13 years aboard it, let alone the time it would take to even reach LT JG. If you need inspiration ]this thread[/url] for ideas.

3) History since the fall
Of course you're new and don't know our 1000+ thread past, but it's difficult to say that your character has been here from the start if we don't know what he's been doing this whole time. For some idea State of the Fleet overviews past plot lines and this thread details newer ones (although we actually just finished the Caprica Battle mentioned in that thread so it is out of date).

It's important of course for you to have context there as to what you're stepping into. As a Raptor pilot, there are fewer plots to slip you into (e.g. no Raptor pilots were stranded on Aquaria), but there is of course the big one. What was Richard's role in the Mutiny? Anything else you can put together about what he's been doing in the Fleet is great, but I need an answer to that one.

[Rick O'Shay]

No apologies necessary, I've experienced the tragedy of data loss, and you have my sympathies. Besides, I'm from a website where bullet points saying only what's wrong and not offering any suggestions is common, and you've got them beat pretty easily.

I can extend his years as a freighter hand pretty simply, but I think I've got an idea to extend it a little so it's more than just a number as filler. Anyway, to remain at LTJG, I'll have to have him graduate only a few years before the Cylon attack, then be transferred to the Hyperion as part of its original complement. Maybe I'll bump him up to Lieutenant to push his entrance into the military back earlier.

The history since might prove a challenge to track everything down, but any specific questions I'm sure can be answered by yourself or other users in the Chat. Also, I just realized I posted directly in an "Accepted Characters" thread. Thanks for having patience.

[Roger Davis]

Approved



Welcome to Battlestar Hyperion. If you’re completely lost and missed it, please read the Introduction Thread which gives a quick rundown of the site if you feel you need it.

Now that you’re ready to start posting, check out the Current Sitewide Plot Thread which will hopefully give you an idea of what’s currently going on in the Roleplay.

If you’re still interested in information on the site, the Fleet, BSG, etc. and don’t mind reading volumes then head to the Fleet Command section of the forum and browse the guides and lists there for information.


Now that you know what you’re doing, feel free to head down to the roleplay boards and jump right in. Start a thread of your own, jump into an open thread, or try to talk up a thread with someone else and get it started.


If you have any questions then feel free to PM me or any other member of the staff. If no staff is available then you should be able to find help from the regular membership in the chat box.