Sunny Skies
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| "Reporting live for Channel 1 Paragon News Network!" | |
| Sunny Skies | |
| Player: KiraKameko/UserShadow7 | |
| Origin: | Mutation |
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| Archetype: | Defender |
| Security Level: | 30 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Rebecca Patrickson |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 21 |
| Height: | 5'7" |
| Weight: | 134 lb. |
| Eye Color: | blue |
| Hair Color: | brunette |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Reporter/Mascot |
| Place of Birth: | Paragon City (Atlas Park) |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City (Atlas Park) |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Mother and Father (living), Younger Brother (living) |
| Known Powers | |
| Weather Control/Ice Blast | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Weather and Temperature manipulation, Flight | |
| Equipment | |
| Sunny's costume is starting to show its age, with small tears and spots where its bright colors have begun to fade. The outfit is fairly slapped together, composed of a raincoat and boots, a simple t-shirt and skirt, and twin thigh-high striped socks. Her belt, being the most durable part of the outfit, manages to be the most pristine part despite being an obvious holdover from the 70s. She likes the outfit, considering it comfortable, though has also purchased a pair of rubber gloves to help insulate her hands against her own electrical powers. The collar of her raincoat carries both a microphone and a camera, both extremely resilient to damage and shocks for their size. | |
| Though her strongest powers involve throwing lightning bolts, she hasn't gotten the hang of doing so without hurting herself in the process. As a result, she favors ice-related attacks. | |
Being a reporter in Paragon City is a dangerous job. Some news stations have difficulty reporting live on conflicts between big name heroes and villains simply because there's no safe manner in which an on the scene reporter can get close. When your reporter IS a hero, however, it's not hard to become famous for your on the minute updates of whatever battle is going on.
With a cheerful on air persona and an undying desire to help people, Sunny Skies has gained a large number of fans. Admittedly, that's just as much from the sheer amount of screen time her job grants her during the news as her ability and charm, but love her or hate her, you can't say she doesn't try her hardest.
Contents |
Origin
A Legacy... of sorts.
The passing of a heroic name from one generation to the next is a momentous occasion. It's a hero choosing to step down, be it because of age or injury, and entrusting the cause they and their identity has fought in the name of for so long to a younger and less experienced protege. It's a sign of trust and maturity, and a symbol of the world's never ending need for heroes to struggle against the dark.
That is not the case for 'Sunny Skies'. In the early 70s, Channel 1 was in a ratings slump. Hurting for funding and needing a quick ratings boost, the executives came up with a long line of ideas for gimmicks and other ways to draw crowds, not the silliest of which was to create a mascot to give out the forecast during the news. The mascot was a super hero, as was fitting of Paragon's massive number of heroically inclined, named for it's famously fantastic weather. Just like many of the other ratings boosting ideas, it was quickly and quietly discarded after being a commercial flop (not to mention considered insensitive towards those who were risking their life on a regular basis for the safety of the city's citizens), but was striking enough to remain in the memories of the long time staff members as a joke.
One Stormy Summer
The joke eventually evolved into a hazing ritual for new interns. The costume was kept in surprisingly good condition over the years, and many times an intern looking for something to do would be told the network was looking to make a 'new segment' to boost ratings and asked to put the costume on in order to try out for it. The intern would be given a cheap camera and sent on a wild goose chase or other task too minor to waste anyone else's time with. After spending a tiring day doing busywork, the person who sent them out would have a good laugh over it, then treat them to something from the vending machine and recount when happened when it had been their turn to fall for the trick to show it was 'nothing personal'.
Rebecca Patrickson wasn't the first to don the costume, and as far as anyone knew at the time, she wouldn't be the last. There had been a streak of unseasonal storms and other weather unusual for the city around the time she was hired. The occasional shower wasn't too out of the ordinary, but as time went on, the storms seemed to be getting more and more severe, and the tendency of those storms to appear and disappear without warning was drawing attention. Finding it humorously fitting and not wanting to waste the time of one of their more talented reporters, the station's employees convinced Rebecca to don the costume and report on it as Sunny Skies.
What followed demonstrated the universe had a far better sense of humor than they did. Just as she stepped out the door, a large thunderstorm appeared over Atlas Park. Noticing it seemed to be centered over a skyscraper with a dome set on the top of its roof, Rebecca took a taxi to the building so she could make her report right from the center of the storm. She would later decide that using an elevator in the middle of a thunderstorm was one of the dumber things she'd done, but her haste in reaching the top of the towering building was also the only reason she saw what she did.
Inside was a man tinkering with a large machine. Black steam billowed out of the device and floated through a small vent into the storm itself. As she realized she was staring at the source of the weather patterns, the man turned to see her, and shouted he would teach her kind for interrupting his work. He charged towards her. The surprised intern tried her best to stutter out that she wasn't really a hero, only to be drowned out by his infuriated ranting. Terror gripped her as he raised the large pipe wrench to strike, and she threw her arms up in hopes of shielding her head.
To their immense shock, a bolt of lightning flew from her hand and electrocuted the both of them into unconsciousness, frying the electronics within the weather machine in the process.
A Sunny Future
The next thing she saw was the white ceiling of a hospital room. Her skin felt numb, a painful throbbing in her hands reminding her of the time she'd burned them by grabbing a hot kettle without potholders. Attempting to sit up was met by a slight pressure on her shoulder coaxing her back down and the realization she wasn't alone. The doctor who had been watching over her since the incident spoke with a polite voice, asking her if she could feel her arms and legs and checking her range of motion. It was only after these basic questions were finished that the doctor explained the situation to her.
Many of those who have powers from their genetics are either born with them or awaken to them in their teens. As an adult who had never displayed any signs of mutation and had nobody in her family history with similar powers, Rebecca was understandably surprised by the news. She learned that the scientist she'd electrocuted was a small-time villain who had stayed mostly under the radar until he started work on his machine. It was sheer luck that a hero who was looking into the strange weather had come across the scene shortly after she had destroyed the device and knocked herself unconscious.
She didn't have much time to dwell on the hows or whys of the situation before a panic-inducing realization occurred to her: the camera was on. Her abilities as well as the event that had pushed her to tap into them was broadcast on live television. The doctor quickly eased her fears, pointing out that she was reporting as 'Sunny Skies' and not 'Rebecca Patrickson', and that as far as the viewing public was concerned, she had just prevented an attack on the city.
More good news came with that revelation- her employers had caught wind of what had happened, and in addition to a hefty compensation for putting her in danger (which included covering her hospital bills), they wished to hire her as an on the scene reporter, and would support her financially in return should she wish to pursue a heroic career.
The idea hadn't occurred to her until that moment, but the more she pondered it, the more she liked the idea of becoming a hero. She had a gift she could use to protect people, and with the network covering her living expenses in exchange for covering the events as they happened, she could do it full time. After spending a week to consider it, she decided to accept, quickly registering as a hero under the title 'Sunny Skies' (the network giving her the trademark on the name as part of the deal).
Personality
While her powers are better applied to create foul weather conditions, Rebecca's hero name is a very apt description of her disposition. Sunny Skies is warm and cheerful both on and off the air. Those who have had the chance to fight alongside her also notice an ability to remain composed in the face of danger- giving the impression of unflappable optimism that looks like obliviousness to the untrained eye. Her core belief is that a person should do what they can to help others, be they a super powered champion of justice or an average joe working 9 to 5 to support his family, and shouldn't be looked down upon for mistakes or not being able to stop a mad super villain with their own two hands.
If she has a vice, it comes from her curiosity. At the best of times, Sunny's natural inquisitiveness leads her to sniff out criminals and scandals and expose them for the world to see. At the worst of times, she can be nosy and overbearing to whomever she's speaking to. She thankfully has enough tact to steer clear of touchy subjects and won't press if told directly not to ask, but it's not hard to see how reporting was such a natural fit for her. Similarly, her optimism can lead her to getting in over her head, and if something's at stake she will often risk her own health in a reckless attempt to protect that person or thing.
That said, she is surprisingly good at keeping people's personal secrets, and has learned to restrain herself when impulsive actions could harm others. Further reigning in her bad habits is the nearly worshipful respect she has for her fellow heroes, feeling that she hasn't earned the title in the same capacity others have, having more or less stumbled into it and picked up the career on a whim. This extends especially to heroes whose powers come from their own hard work, be it mundane training or home-made gadgets, though mutants or people who received their powers from a different source still receive the treatment they have earned through their heroics.
Adventures in Paragon
Relationships
Allies
Acquaintances
Enemies
Other Trivia
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