Sparklite
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| The Great Blue Streak | |
| Sparklite | |
| Player: @Razor Husher | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Blaster |
| Security Level: | 30 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Dr. Jack Bennett |
| Known Aliases: | The Blue Streak Sparky Professor Bennett "Doc" |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 43 |
| Height: | 6'2 |
| Weight: | 165 |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | Blond |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Undaunted Member/Professor of Biochemistry at Steel Canyon University |
| Place of Birth: | Rockville, Maryland |
| Base of Operations: | Undaunted Guild Hall |
| Marital Status: | Divorced |
| Known Relatives: | Roxanne Tate (ex-wife) James Bennett (son) Olivia Bennett (daughter) Gary Bennett (son) |
| Known Powers | |
| Super speed, Electric Blast | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Can knock out a werewolf with a single punch to the jaw. | |
| Equipment | |
| High-density Nylarium-Weave Aerodynamics Suit, Fanny-Pack | |
| NOTE: Not the Flash. | |
Contents |
Personality
Sparklite is a witty and sharp man, despite his age and his career. Being a professor keeps him hip and with it, being able to stay with the slang of the times and really match wits when it comes to trash-talking. Sparky is normally very friendly, and is beloved by fellow heroes and university students alike. A father of three, he is always a great reservoir for advice when times are tough, but also knows when to be tough and not take any lip from these young whippersnappers.
Character History
Jack Bennett first became a teacher of science at the young age of 24 in 1989, in a High School in his home state of Maryland. Starting out as a student teacher, budget cuts in the municipal area quickly drove many of the teachers away, until Jack was given his own biology class to lead, free of a supervisor instructor. Jack jumped at the chance to succeed and spent many hours a night coming up with innovative class plans to keep the young high school students focused and interested in biology. Within two semesters, the school administration saw enough success in Jack that they decided to keep him on as a full time teacher, and removed him from his probationary period. After teaching at the school for two years, Jack married one of his fellow teachers, Roxanne Tate, whom he had courted almost since he arrived. The two were immensely happy with one another, and within a few months of their marriage, were already expecting their first child. They named their first son James when he was born in late 1991, and the three moved to a larger house in the Maryland suburbs. With five years of teaching under his belt, and two more children--a girl named Olivia and a boy named Gary, Jack switched his course to teaching Chemistry, another love of his since he was a boy. It was an important move which would shape the rest of his career, and ultimately his life.
Steel Canyon University
While teaching at SCU, Jack met an interesting and unforgettable group of young men who would eventually be his fellow superheroes in The Undaunted, including Earth Protector, Pink Awesome, and Lash Back. He befriended the whole group, and acted as a mentor and father figure for them, despite only being about ten years older than all of them. Jack continued to teach at SCU for years, while in the background he worked on a project which had captured his imagination since he was a teenager.
The Accident
Jack had long researched and thought about the bio-electric traits of the nervous system, and how they could be manipulated through bioengineering to become more effective. So when he finally had a laboratory at SCU, he quickly started experiments on it, getting his students to help him in the studies. He spent seven long years researching and developing new methods of mutation on the project, until finally in 2008 he reached a shocking threshold: he discovered a sequence of specific radiations which could transform an organism's nerve cells into superconductors, and its heart into an electric generator. Suddenly realizing the potentially catastrophic uses which could come from this discovery, Jack panicked. In a rush to destroy his work, he quickly deleted all his records, all his files, all his years of work. But when he ran into his laboratory to dismantle his irradiation equipment, he forgot to enact proper safety measures, and didn't put on his insulation suit. As he was shutting down the emitters, suddenly the school experienced a short black out, and the resulting surge spike caused every emitter in the laboratory to suddenly turn on, exposing Jack to the very experiment he had tried to destroy. Hospitalized for two weeks afterward, when Jack awoke, he found that the experiment had been a success, if it could be called that. His nervous system had been turned into a circuit, and his heart into a generator core. He spent many days testing out his new abilities, seeing what he could do with them, and then finally revealed his new powers to his wife. His family reacted predictably, with Roxanne being immediately angry at Jack's meddling with the forces of nature, and repulsed by his new status as a "super". Unfortunately, she divorced Jack, and took their children with her back to Maryland, leaving Jack with little left but his job and his powers. Seeking asylum after this crushing blow to his heart, Jack sought out his old pupils, The Undaunted, and they helped him make the transition from civilian to superhero. He fashioned himself a suit made of an experimental material, and took on the name Sparklite, for his ability to superheat objects and cause arcs to form in the air.
Current Events
Currently, Sparklite fights with the Undaunted as a valued member of the crime-fighting team, using his powers of electricity and super speed to support the team and bring strikes against villains, the Rikti, and anyone else who stands in the way of freedom and law.
Abilities/Powers
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| Speed |
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| Blasts |
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| Support |
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| Control |
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- Electric Blast The most evident result of Sparklite's mutation is the ability to generate electric current with his heart, and conduct the current into other objects which are conductors, i.e., enemies. With enough voltage, Spark can even project the current across the air, reaching foes with his electricity from many yards off.
- Super Speed Sparklite quickly realized that he could use his own electric generation abilities to supercharge his own motor functions, making any motion impossibly fast. Using this, he learned to run at incredible speeds, over 80 miles per hour! However, this ability is a large drain on his body, and he gets quickly tired from doing it.
- The Ability to Knock Out a Werewolf With a Single Punch to the Jaw There was once a legendary time where Sparklite found a weak spot, right under the jaw of a werewolf, and despite his non-legendary strength, knocked out said werewolf in one blow! It has been a bragging right of Sparky's ever since.
Vulnerabilities/Weaknesses
Sparklite is not invulnerable in any sense, and none of his abilities lend to self protection, except the ability to electrify himself, and thus cause a shock to those who touch him. Otherwise, he is easily killable by gunfire, explosion, poison, large monster, or any other normal sort of ways for one to die.
Friends and Foes
Friends
Sparklite is easily likeable, and has made many friends in the hero world since his debut last year, and even one among villains!.
- Earth Protector
- Pink Awesome
- Canadian Loonie
- Hammerstorm
- Lash Back
- Netherwolf
- Dr. Skullbender (villain)
Foes
- Spec Ops Bear There is no Undaunted who dares live that does not call this fiend his enemy.
Costume and Attire
Being a new superhero, Sparklite does not have much in the way of costumes yet. His two costumes are both variations on the same nylarium-weave aerodynamic suit, of a cobalt blue color with lightning-shaped accents on it. His full mask sports a pair of golden wings, and he wears a pair of flight goggles to keep his eyes clear while he is running at his super speeds. His gloves and boots have fins on them, to aid in his turning abilities while he moves at such high speeds.
Contact Creator
- In-game: @Razor Husher
- User:Razor
- CoH official forums: N/A
Trivia
- Sparklite was originally inspired not by the Flash, as is common conception, but by another speeder hero the Creator saw on CoH who had flight goggles. Seriously, the entire idea for this character was spawned by seeing a guy wearing flight goggles with super speed.
- At least 55 possible names were attempted before this character was finally named, each one of them being already taken by existing characters! Four days time was spent on the Name Check function in the Character Select Screen.
- Sparklite's three children originally began as a joke to emphasize that he is a middle-aged hero, but eventually grew into a serious part of his character history, including his ex-wife Roxanne.
- Sparklite's creator is an avid fan of Marvel TV shows and movies, but almost never reads the comics, even though all his friends do.
