Shimmer
" In the world of physics we watch a shadowgraph performance of the drama of familiar life. The shadow of my elbow rests on the shadow table as the shadow ink flows over the shadow paper. It is all symbolic, and as a symbol the physicist leaves it. ... The frank realization that physical science is concerned with a world of shadows is one of the most significant of recent advances." — Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington
Sierra Danvers was born to a lower upper class family in London, England, to world famous geneticist Scott Danvers and his wife, author Meredith Danvers. Scott Danvers is a world famous geneticist working for UNTIL who has made huge strides in the understanding of superhuman genetics, and has made many pieces of technology that are utilized by both UNTIL and superheroes around the globe. Sierra had a relatively normal childhood. She was an exceptional student and she always did her chores when asked. She didn't see her father much as he was constantly busy working. Sierra's mother was quite an astounding woman to have beem able to juggle two small children and her growing literary fan base as well. David often picked on Sierra, usually by pointing out her short stature. Despite the sibling rivalry Sierra and her brother were actually extremely close and David was fiercely protective of his little sister.
Sierra and her brother David were both born mutants. Her father having worked heavily within the superhuman community for years was no stranger to the mutant gene. When Sierra was eight and David was eleven, David started to exhibit superhuman abilities. David was then sent to an UNTIL facility where he could learn to control his abilities. Soon after she too began to exhibit strange new abilities, she realized that when ever she got upset, frightened, or felt embarrassed she would begin to turn invisible. Fearing that she too would be sent away and not wanting to leave home she hid her abilities from her parents.
In wouldn't be long until her plans of hiding her mutant nature would come crashing down around her. Just two years later, at the age of ten. During an argument with her parents, Sierra's emotions triggered her force powers and she projected a wave of energy that demolished a wall in the kitchen. This event not only blew a hole in her house but also her plan of hiding her abilities from her parents. The next day her parents drove her to the same UNTIL facility that her brother had been taken too when his mutant powers first manifested. The next few years at the UNTIL facility were not an easy transition. Sierra wasn't used to everything being so structured. Her days were only made better by the reunion with her big brother. David having had a couple of years to get used to life at the facility, quickly fell back into his old role and took Sierra under his wing to show her the ropes. The instructors worked hard to help Sierra master her abilities. This proved difficult as her powers are strongly ruled by her emotions. Meaning, whenever she gets too upset her powers become extremely unstable. Eventually she learned not only to control her powers but learned how to manipulate them in unique ways that the instructors themselves didn't even expect. She not only learned to create protective barriers of force, but she learned how to create useful shapes out of her projections. By adulthood she had gained complete control and mastery of her mutant abilities. Sierra's main teacher was Swift Swallow who is also a member of one of England's major superteams The London Watch.
After helping the team stop an attack by Dr. Destroyer. She was invited to join the team as its newest and youngest member under the name Shimmer. While helping the team whenever she was needed, Sierra also enrolled in university. Sierra having a genius-level intellect became the youngest student to earn doctorates in both physics and mechanical engineering. During her time in university, Shimmer thought long and hard about what she truly wanted to do with her life. She quickly came to the conclusion that she would follow in her fathers footsteps. Even though her father was away at work much of her childhood, Sierra has always looked up to her father. She had always thought his work with the superhero community to be honorable. Thus she applied to UNTIL's basic training program. She excelled at both the physical and mental tests required to become an agent. One of Sierra's proudest moments is graduating at the top of her class while her father looked on proudly. Despite her young age, Sierra quickly became one of UNTIL's best operatives. She is often called upon for solo missions that would normally need a full team to complete. She has (with the help of her father) constructed a base on the moon (which she named Sanctuary) that is her home away from home. The facility is equipped with a full range of technology which aids her in tracking, scanning and the manufacturing of new tools, technology and equipment. It also has several labs for different that are used for different subjects and stores dangerous alien artifacts and technology. It even has She usually uses the lab to finish projects, produce parts for projects, repair equipment, but she mostly uses it to relax when not on the clock and tinker with new inventions.
Shimmer continues to work for UNTIL as one of its top operatives, Her invisibility being perfect for reconnaissance and stealth missions, and her force powers being perfect for protection details or for when she gets into a jam. She also works closely with her brother who works closely with the Champions, the superteam in Millenium City whos main goal is the same as the people that she works for, the continued peace and prosperity of Earth and all of its inhabitants.
Sierra Danvers would be described as a beautiful young woman who often has a smile on her face, and light freckle across her nose and cheeks. Sierra has the build of someone who undergoes regular exercise. She stands at about 5'7" and weighs about 138 lbs. She has mid-length hair which she often wears up in a high ponytail. When off duty she sometimes wears her hair down to one side, however she likes to keep her hair out of her face when she is working or tinkering with one of her inventions. She has never really been one for fashion, but she tries to be current with whats in style. She is usually always in casual clothing as she prefers to be comfortable when off the clock. She can almost always be see wearing a shade of blue, as it is her favorite color.
When engaging in hero work Shimmer's costume mostly of a black suit with blue armored pieces for extra protection. She is also seen with a black and blue headpiece which contains a communicator as well as gives access to her VR Visor when she activates it. Her suit also has many pieces that give off a light blue glow.
Sierra is cheerful, eager and upbeat. She always seems to find a way to be excited about what she's doing and seems to have boundless energy. She doesn't always take things very seriously, but she can be serious when the situation calls for it. She hates when people tell her what she can and can't do, and telling her she can't do something usually ends up making her even more determined to prove them wrong. Shimmer has a very strong stubborn streak in many ways with strong determination. Rarely will she back down from things she' has said, even if she feels bad about it later. She is very protective of the superhero community and is quick to put down and belittle those that say anything against it.
In recent years Shimmer has faced serious adversity that has tested her character and shown her a darker view of the world. She still tends to see the positives in most situations but it is now tempered with a more serious view on both herself and the world. While incredibly sweet, loyal, compassionate and kind she has no problem fighting for what she believes in, and she will fight to the death to protect the people that she cares about. Shimmer can be the nicest, kind, most compassionate person you've ever met or the worst.
Despite all the pain, loss and suffering that she has endured, Sierra still remains rather strong, especially in the face of danger and adversity. She has shown that she is willing to put her own personal pain on the back burner in order to pay attention to the needs of her loved ones. It could be argued that Sierra is much too emotionally invested or involved in the lives of her friends and this is probably the reason why Shimmer never seems to find a long period of contentment or happiness. Shimmer remains the person who is deeply loyal to her friends even through all of the challenges that they have faced.
- Invisibility: By a simple act of concentration, Shimmer can cause all wavelengths of visible, infrared, and ultraviolet light to bend around her without distortion; she also somehow directs enough undistorted light to her eyes to retain her full range of vision while invisible. An observer, unaware of the peculiar path light takes around her body, would have the sensation of seeing through her. Shimmer can also mentally project the invisible energy produced within the cells of her body in order to render other people or objects invisible. The largest volume she can as of yet turn invisible at a single time is approximately 40,000 cubic feet of volume (1,133 cubic meters), equivalent to a small swimming pool. She has sufficient control over her power that she can turn parts of her body selectively invisible. She is also able to make objects that have been turned invisible by other sources visible by letting her own energy projection interfere with that other method of invisibility. Further, she can make energy that is not in the visual portion of the electromagnetic spectrum visible by a similar interaction. Sierra can also sense something made invisible by physical means (such as a machine) but not by magical or psionic means.
- Psionic Force Fields: Shimmer's more advanced ability is her power of neuropathically reducing force fields to create barriers, shields, domes, spheres, constructs and fields of force and energy. She can make these force fields appear almost anywhere or over nearby visible targets. They can be made into any shape, and with any amount of intensity and force. The complexity of the shape is limited by her ability to imagine (mentally visualize) a particular form and keep it in sharp mental focus. The size of a given psionic force projection is also limited by her ability to imagine. The smallest force projection she can visualize (and maintain the visualization) is the size of a marble. The largest solid force projection she can visualize and maintain is about 100 feet in diameter. She can project larger force-objects if they are hollow. For instance, she could visualize and project a dome 1 foot thick about a mile in diameter (5,280 feet) and a dome 1 inch in thickness she can project for about 3.2 miles. Small objects at high speeds become missiles; large objects at slow speeds become rams. She can make these objects grow or shrink as desired. She can manipulate the energy of her force fields around other objects to simulate telekinetic abilities. She is capable of generating and manipulating multiple force fields simultaneously. Shimmer is able to control the surface of the fields rigidity to a certain extent. She can cause the surface of the field to be very hard, depending on its thickness (steel-like at about 2.5 feet), or as resilient as foam rubber. By making the field more resilient she is able to absorb more of the inertia of impacts within the field without having them transmitted to her body. She is also, through training, able to alter the shapes she creates while utilizing those shapes, often to absorb or deflect the force of impacts. When she creates objects of fields that are at the limit of her ability to mentally visualize, they tend to be resilient rather than rigid.
- Defensive Force Fields: Shimmer mainly uses her force fields in the form of blue spheres of defensive energy which can absorb damage until she stops concentrating on them, causing them to dissipate. Shimmer is capable of making larger force fields for long durations of time to either contain or protect larger targets or groups of people as she has shown the ability to shield multiple people with one large semi-circular force field. She is capable of generating and concentrating on sustaining multiple force fields around targets with relative ease. Even though her suit is comprised of a durable material (of her own design), she prefers to protect herself with a powerful force field in combat to avoid direct injury. Whilst she is sustaining force fields she has considerably reduced offensive capability. If she is having difficulty in combat, she will resort to using either extremely defensive force fields or highly offensive. She prefers to take a defensive position in combat when working with other heroes allowing them to attack whilst she creates defensive force fields to absorb or redirect incoming damage.
- Offensive Force Fields: Shimmer is capable of wielding her force fields for more offensive purposes. In combat whilst she prefers to take a defensive position using force fields of varying shapes and sizes to defend allies, or repel foes, if she is in a jam she will go on the offensive. At the peak of her offensive ability she can project concussive waves of sheer force. She is also able to focus her power to shatter materials. By forming one of her force fields within an object and expanding the field, Shimmer can cause her target to explode. This extension of her powers is extremely destructive.
- Force Constructs: As an extension of her force abilities, Shimmer has the ability to turn force-fields into tools, objects, weapons and other items and create semi-living constructs. This ability is limited to her own imagination, meaning that as long as she can imagine the shape in her mind, she will be able to successfully translate it into the real world by way of her force field constructs. Shimmer readily uses this ability both for combat (projecting a giant battering ram to smash into a giant destroid) and non-combat purposes (such as creating temporary containers to hold chemicals in or slides to slide down on). Shimmer can also travel atop animated constructs such as ramps, stairs, slides, columns and stepping discs, enabling her to fly. In a similar manner to her force fields, her ability to create and sustain force constructs is limited to her ability to concentrate, either consciously or unconsciously, on them or they will simply cease to exist.
- Flight: Shimmer can use her force fields and force barriers to telekinetically fly at the speed of a missile and can form it completely over herself to be able to damage or destroy almost anything she collides with, even large masses of stone. She could move and lift herself and others through air, no matter how much the weight, inside a force field. This power however is extremely exhausting for her to use.
- Virtual Reality Visor: VR Visor for short, Shimmer uses this item to scan and make analysis of enemies and phenomena in battle, as well as make calculations.
- Force Regulator Belt: Shimmers belt controls a number of functions for her, such as helping to regulate her powers under emotional conditions.
- Holo-Tool: The Holo-Tool is a device directed from her belt and voice activated. When enabled, this device creates a holographic screen and keyboard down Shimmers arm and hand. The holo-tool has several functions, including video, audio and holographic communications, hacking, data storage and transference, flashlight, vital scanning, and accessing her computer mainframe for teleportation of herself or her equipment to and from her moon base HQ.
- Holo-Imager: The Holo-Imager is a device that can project at least 2 holograms that are identical to Shimmer. The holograms are so realistic they often confuse enemies giving her enough time to either attack or escape. Shimmer mostly uses this in dire cases where she is to exhausted or preoccupied to turn invisible.
Shimmer has a few weaknesses that can be exploited:
- Concentration: Shimmers powers require her to focus to keep them active, if she gets too distracted, her powers turn off on their own. Her force field power especially is limited by her concentration; once she stops concentrating on a field, it simply ceases to exist.
- Overexertion: Prolonged usage of her powers puts a strain on her, especially if she is putting in a large amount of force, resulting in nosebleeds and finally falling unconscious. Though through practice, the time and strength with which she can use her powers without harm can be increased.
- Inertia: Shimmer is affected by inertial forces acting upon her projections. Thus if a car traveling at 60 miles per hour hit a wall of her force that was 6 inches thick, unless she generated a bracing shape against a sufficiently sturdy object, she would be affected as though she were hit by the car directly.
- Psionic Backlash: Since her power is an extension of her mind and body, in rare cases, sufficiently powerful attacks on her psionic fields can cause her mental or physical pain. Unless she is able to properly brace herself beforehand.
- Human: While Shimmer has a tremendous amount of raw power at her fingertips, she is for all intensive purposes still human. If she is not able to shield herself fast enough against an incoming attack she can easily be defeated.
- As an UNTIL agent, Sierra gets sent on missions all around the world.
- Will sometimes begin to turn invisible if she feels embarrassed or starts blushing.
- Since Sierra has created may different kinds of technology for UNTIL, your character may have used some of her equipment before.
- If your character is UNTIL affiliated, Shimmer may have worked alongside them before.
- Her identity as Shimmer is secret, however growing up with two famous parents earned Sierra herself some notoriety. You may be familiar with her father's work or you may have read some of her mother's books.
- Obviously takes inspiration from Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman.
- Mass Effect Fem Shep inspired the costume along with Shimmer's Holo-Tool.
- Has a huge sweet tooth.
- Her favorite color is any shade of blue
- Speaks with a Yorkshire English accent.
- Likes to experiment with her force powers to see what kinds of new shapes she can create.
- Has a habit of biting her lips when stressed.
- She is multilingual and speaks the following languages: English, Spanish, Swedish, French, and German.
- Loves hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and whipped cream.
- Due much to her mother's influence, Sierra is quite the bookworm and can be found reading when not working on something.
- Dislikes the taste of coffee, but will drink it when she needs to.
- Is an avid collector of superhero action figures, but would never admit this to anyone.
- She is a huge fan of horror movies.
"Leave your comments about Shimmer down below"!!!
"Shimmer in Action"
Shimmer creating a force bubble to protect herself from harm.
Shimmer riding on a force board construct.
Shimmer talking to her commander in UNTIL.
Shimmer utilizing her new access to UNTIL's Gateway Station.
