Illuminator

Pre-Entropy History
None of note

Post -Entropy History
Dennis growing up, knew there was something different about him. Sure he figured out he was gay early on, even figured out how to articulate it to his parents at a young age. That was not is issue. Dennis was a writer. He could not stop the chatter of character voices, plots, and scene descriptions. It used to drive him crazy until he found his voice. By then he had read every book he could get his hands on. His mother, a book collector and avid reader of romance and mystery novels, let him borrow anything of hers he liked. He ignored the romance after book five. He devoured the mysteries.

Soon he was in the library finding more and more books. He read everything and tried to formulate stories. He wrote several dozen novels all of which he calls "lousy." He needed an angle. What he got was a touch of Unicorn Blight. (Technically it was pre-Unicorn Blight.) Of all the stories of he heard of manifestations, his was the most innocuous, or at least in the top ten. He was reading alone in the library when the power went out right in the middle of an Agatha Christie mystery. He figured out the killer pages ago but he wanted to see how all the evidence would stack up. With the power on, he shouted for light. Light came. He was so wrapped up in the story, he completely missed that his hands and face glowed with enough light to read by.

Once he realised what was happening, it had been hours. He reasoned that it did not kill him by now, he was probably fine. It did not take long for him to figure out how to adjust his powers. However, he had met plenty of bullying just by being small for his age and this was before he came out to his best friend by asking him to the prom. (Friend said no, but got him a nice date.) He knew he had to keep his abilities a secret, and so he told no one. Not even his parents.

He kept the secret past his college years, though by then he had come out of the gay closet. He had a number of boyfriends and lovers, though none ever matched his love of writing. He majored in English and Criminology, eventually earning a double masters. His classmate, Derek Masters, came out to him and the two started a relationship that continued. Derek is one of a handful of people Dennis has ever showed his powers too. Derek also agreed that Dennis' stories were missing something, something neither of them could define. It was Derek who came up with the idea.

If all those guys in tights running around were the new center of crimefighting, that element needed to be added to Dennis' work. Without telling his beloved, Derek created a lightup suit that looked like a science fiction powered suit. He told Dennis to "try it out." They had different ideas of what that meant.

Dennis added a long coat to the outside and refused to wear a mask. Instead he opted for a pair of concealing sunglasses. Everything in place, Dennis tried to fight crime. Instead he stumbled on a murder crime scene with an inept detective, Warren Briggs. Dennis, not knowing what else to do, strolled in and told Detective Briggs that he was the "superhero on call for these sorts of things." He used his powers to act as flashlight and immediately started looking around the room. When Briggs asked who he thought he was, Dennis responded, "I am the Illuminator," without giving a thought to what he said. The name stuck.

Illuminator proved valuable to the Namican City police department. He helped Briggs solve the murder and gave him all the credit. At home he wrote down his adventure and suddenly the words poured out of him. Before he knew it, he had a series, some real some fictional, based on his adventures and daydreams.

Sales of the "Illuminator" series skyrocketed. Soon, he was a known name in mystery fiction. Dennis couldn't be happier. He devoted himself to both sides of his being, the hero and the writer. Briggs always hates how he is portrayed but likes the assistance and the collars provided.

Then came the story he could not write down. He felt the call to a far place, Princess City, OH. There he met with Columbia, Cheetah, Doctor Auric, the Indigo Fox (a criminal he had almost caught twice but never managed to get enough evidence) who all had been summoned as well. A great plant like man called the Green Man introduced them to young galaxy in the shape of a woman, Galactica, who had to be protected. Thus the illuminator joined what would be called Flight of Champions.

In the Flight, Illuminator is the "undisputed" detective and riddle solver. He knows he cannot protect Galactica physically much, but he can decipher clues, discover evidence, and get into the minds of the Secret Society of Mu and others whom the Flight has dealt with over the years.

His father died recently and his mother is dying from a Dragonesti based disease. This is disheartening (as the Dragonesti have a cure but will not deliver it to earth) and strange as Dragonesti are not mammals and should not be able to transmit diseases like this. Illuminator is starting to suspect something strange.

Powers
Illuminator is a light manipulator. He can generate intense luminosity and glows in a variety of colors. He has also learned how to absorb the light in a local area. While he cannot generate illusions or lasers, he can blind, shine, and glow. he has produced beams to look like blasts, though they can only produce heat after a time.

Abilities
Illuminator is a top notch detective, with a background of criminal psychology and forensics. Thanks to his background as well as a good fiction writer, he is also a talented liar.

Strength level
Illuminator has the average strength for a man his size who engages in moderate regular exercise.

Weaknesses
Physically he is one of the weaker heroes of Flight of Champions and he knows it. He is also one of the most visible. While much of his strategy is based on lies and deception, he dread the truth coming out. While metahumans and gay men are more accepted than ever, he still fears being discovered as a meta.

Equipment:
To keep the illusion that he is not a meta, he has build a suit that looks like it is generating powers. It has lights, "generators," and the trappings of a super suit, but it does nothing. However, he always carries smart phones (mulitple) and note pads and pens.

Transportation:
None of note

Weapons:
He actually carries a small pistol for emergencies. It's a .22 derringer style. He has a licence.

Common Enemies

 * Secret Society of Mu 
 * Terraq
 * Lord Quantum
 * Halo
 * Homunculus

Common Allies

 * Flight of Champions
 * Dr. Auric
 * Galactica
 * Green Man
 * Glory
 * El Magnifico

Trivia

 * Has been with his boyfriend for several years but has not set a date yet.
 * Is Canadian by birth, but naturalized to US to continue his studies.
 * Can't stand coffee. Drinks tea.
 * Distrusts Indigo Fox but respects her. The two had been "worthy adversaries" for so long it is hard to rely on each other truly.
 * Finds he has to write every day or he starts biting pens and overeating.
 * dream birthday (besides the private stuff) is to have tea with Sister Aether, Truman Korvacs, and El Magnifico. His dream list grows regularly.