Lumenon
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| "Fear the glowy!" | |
| Lumenon | |
| Player: Lumenon | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Blaster |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | McKellen, James |
| Known Aliases: | Lightbulb |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 37 |
| Height: | 5' 8'' |
| Weight: | Varied, up to 190 lbs. |
| Eye Color: | White |
| Hair Color: | Brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | U.S.A., Scottish/Welsh descent |
| Occupation: | Professor of Astronomy |
| Place of Birth: | Duluth, MN |
| Base of Operations: | Burnsville, MN |
| Marital Status: | Single (divorced) |
| Known Relatives: | Diana (Mother, retired), Richard (Father, deceased) |
| Known Powers | |
| Harnessing bolts of raw photonic energy, channeling energy into a physical form, permanent luminescence, superhuman speed, flight | |
| Known Abilities | |
| PhD, ability to sleep standing up, encyclopedic knowledge of obscure science fiction TV shows and movies | |
| Equipment | |
| Tech suit designed to contain the energy he emits, nanotech regenerator, blast goggles worn for no other reason than to look silly | |
| ' | |
Contents |
Overview
James McKellen, professor of astronomy at University of Minnesota, was always fascinated with the idea that light, photonic energy, might actually have a consciousness. What he didn't count on, however, was that he was right..and that it was more than willing to make contact with him.
Origin
Formerly an astronomer from Burnsville, Minnesota, James had taught and explored a theory that light itself might be a conscious, thinking being. That there might be a universal "sight" that all photons share, and a mind to go along with it. After years of developing the theory and failing to find ways to test it, he finally stumbled upon a muse in the simplest of places: his bathroom.
Looking in his mirror on a humid Saturday morning, James came to a realization, an idea of how he could make contact with light itself. He realized that reflective surfaces aimed at each other would intensify any illumination they caught, and thought that if he could align enough mirrors in just the right positions, he could create a light brighter than any star...the perfect way to make contact with the purest, most intense photonic energy.
After 3 months of planning and hasty construction, James built a device that would capture light in a room-sized chamber of mirrors, causing the interior to be filled with a light more intense than any sun. Fitting solid, blinding goggles over his eyes, he stepped into the chamber, switched on the light source above...and met a dramatic surprise.
Photons bombarded his body, their consciousness meeting his in the only way they knew how - fusion. Within nanoseconds, every single atom in James' body was infused with pure light, and he felt himself lifting up, becoming weightless. His eyes took on a bright white glow that remains to this day, and his body began to radiate a fainter light. For a few seconds, he ceased being one...and became many.
Moments later, the light within him realized that it would destroy James' frail human body if it continued its expansion, and hastily stopped. James regained his own consciousness, but felt the touch and sight of the photons within him as well...a second sight that still stays with him. He realized that he had been right all along, and that there was no going back. He was a being of carbon and light now, and he would have to change his entire life accordingly.
Powers
James, taking the name Lumenon, has trained himself to channel the photonic energy all around him into bolts of destructive power, hyper-accelerating them and launching them towards his enemies. Most would assume he would posess the ability to travel at lightspeed, however such a focused use of his energy is still beyond his ability. It would require him to temporarily become even less human than he already is, but in time he may learn to do so. Instead, James has the ability to render himself weightless, allowing the photons in his body to carry him up and ride the wind.
Another side effect of his infusion is the ability to wrap his hands with waves of raw, harnessed photonic energy and imbue his strikes with surprising power for someone with seemingly average physical strength. He can knock an enemy back several feet without any effort, but prefers to use this as a last resort if a foe gets too close.
While the light within him gives him offensive strength, it does little in the way of passive defense. Enter his armor. The light, durable CreyTech polymer armor he wears seems to be made of plated leather, and affords him a level of protection on par and easily above that of kevlar. In addition, the custom-made gauntlets he wears are able to store the energy generated by his body, allowing for a greater array of photon-charged melee abilities. The entire suit seems to have been custom-made to augment and accomodate James' powers, and while not vital to his job, is certainly a noticable help.
The consciousness of the light within James allows him to connect to photon particles across the universe, each one sending a tiny bit of information to his mind. Unfortunately, this overload of information often results in a near-catatonic state lasting anywhere from a few minutes to several days, but in exchange, he is able to achieve a kind of celestial clairvoyance when called upon to do so. An undercurrent of this clairvoyance runs constantly, giving him occasional insights and glimpses into what others may not be able to see.
James' light also has the effect of causing his eyes to glow a bright, textureless white, and his body to radiate a constant, faint glow. It is almost impossible to surround him with darkness, earning him the nickname of "Lightbulb" in some circles for his latent ability to light up a dark area. He doesn't seem to take offense to this.
Weaknesses
Ironically enough, James is afraid of the dark. His powers usually prevent this phobia from taking hold, given the fact that he lights up just about any dark room he enters...and should he ever be surrounded by darkness and unable to illuminate it, he will probably have very good reason to be afraid.
James' powers begin to fade as he goes underground, for reasons yet unconfirmed. One popular idea is that as he goes underground, he goes further away from natural or artificial light, weakening his connections to the universal forces that power him. In an underground base with plenty of artificial lighting, his powers are not noticably diminished, but he begins to show symptoms of heavy claustrophobia, constantly asking when he can leave the area and go back to the surface.
Aside from his phobias, Lumen has few known weaknesses. However, as he's joked when faced with the question, he's sure that he has some kind of allergy to gigantic, mutant creatures from beyond the stars, which "Could be a real problem in *this* city."
Personality
Lumenon (Lumen, for short) is mostly very laid-back and down to earth, as he was before his infusion. He is friendly to the point of being naive at times, and it becomes fairly obvious from talking to him that he is still getting used to the responsibility of super-powers. He has a strong conscience and believes in helping others above himself, but the responsibility of doing such deeds for an entire city, let alone the world, still troubles him somewhat.
In conversation, he is often a humble, quiet type, more a listener than a speaker. As he sees it, "Back home, I do nothing but talk, talk, tell my students to take notes, and talk even more. Over here, I want to just listen for a while." When he does speak, however, it is with a slight tint of the Norwegian drawl made famous by certain movies regarding towns in North Dakota, and he rarely resorts to foul language. Not for a prudish nature, but simply because he doesn't often see the need to.
Affiliations
Currently, Lumen has few alliances with any organizations outside of Freedom Corps, in which he serves as a scout and freelance crimefighter. He was a contractor for the Hyperion Force recently, but left the organization due to internal conflicts. He holds no grudge against the Force or any of its members, and has kept in contact with a few of them. More recently, he has been contracted by the USAF as a high-speed aerial scout and human support for a patrol squadron of F-22 fighters.
