For the original Rockstar submission, see Rockstar/old
Rockstar hails from Los Angeles, California. She was originally a member of the Wards team there following her incredibly public trigger event. She’s released most of her music during her time in Los Angeles. After a few years she was quietly transferred to Devilfish’s Wards program with a goal of “bringing more life into a quiet PRT branch.” Rumors of her engaging in manipulative behavior of other PRT parahumans and civilians is completely unfounded, and slander. Following a period of time where she lived and worked in Devilfish, MN, Emmaline was involved in a tinkertech-related accident that saw her disappearing from the public eye in order to recuperate from injuries that she had sustained. Any rumors of a mental breakdown are also completely unfounded, and simply tabloid-talk. After a few quiet months where Emmaline stayed out of the limelight, she turned 18, joined the Protectorate outright, and went on a World Tour for her latest album, Rosegold. Following her World Tour, Emma returned to Devilfish. Rockstar belongs to Masquerade Entertainment Group, a label that has worked with her, the PRT, and other parahumans in the past. Quite a lot of Emmaline’s public life is known due to tabloids, reporters, and interviews that she’s done. Emmaline has toured most of Europe and North America, and has very publicly met many of the high-ranking capes in the Protectorate as well as their foreign counterparts. She’s been one of the PRT’s media darlings since her debut, and has had the blessing of both the PRT media team, and from her agency. It’s incredibly easy to find photography, tabloids, magazines, interviews, fanfiction, conspiracy videos, and all sorts of media relating both to Rockstar and Emmaline Trenton. For an intermediate period of time she dated Isaac Romero- another singer/songwriter- who passed away due to a likely self-inflicted drug overdose. Rumors surrounding this are all over the place, with some suggesting that she had a part to play in his death. Regardless of what one is looking for, nearly all of her private life is public and there’s very little that isn’t known about her. (Excepting some of the more nebulous details, specifications about her power, and PRT coverups.) Rockstar/Emmaline’s personal life is, as such, constantly mired in rumors, tabloid assumptions, online chat threads, and much, much more.
Emmaline has changed and grown since her time in the Wards and the Protectorate, and her style has changed to match. She stands at 5’5” and is typically seen in either ostentatious outfits, haute couture, or expensive streetwear. Her hair is nearly always dyed in bright colors (typically light purples), her makeup is always immaculate, and she often preens. As you’d expect, Emmaline is pretty enough to star on the cover of magazines, fashion shoots, and other things that commodify her image. When trying to go low-profile or otherwise not draw as much attention to herself, she typically wears baggy pants, hoodies, and the like. Yet, Emmaline is a prima-donna popstar with an aesthetic to maintain. Interrupt her routine at your own risk.
Equipment and Resources
Tinkertech gear that she takes into the field, in addition to the standard slew of equipment that the PRT outfits the heroes with. Handcuffs, zipties, pepperspray, SWORDFISH-approved communications relay, and the like. The only time when she is not wearing some sort of tinkertech protection is when she is ordered to go without, and she becomes skittish and standoffish without some sort of Master/Stranger protection on her. As she’s employed Master/Stranger gear in the past, she understands how subtle and ruthless it can be.
Small little floating drones that project light onto an area in front of them, as well as around them. They're mostly spherical, with the exception of where the lights are mounted. Each one is slightly larger than a tennis ball.
Abilities
The Sonospheres operate off of sonoluminescence- meaning they create light through sound. The louder that the sound is around them, the brighter they can become. At the maximum, the entire array can create enough light that each one is as bright as a floodlight. In addition to being able to produce light from them, the Sonospheres are also capable of recording the area around them- approximately 30 feet.
One of the staples of Rockstar's arsenal, it allows her to turn any patrol she's apart of into an impromptu concert if she so chose.
Relatively easy to make, it's more worth her time to build a new one and scrap a damaged one for parts than it is to repair said damaged one. The Sonospheres serve as a baseline platform for potential upgrades in the future.
A flashy, gaudy suit that Rockstar wears into the field. It has the trappings of something that Lady Gaga would wear to the VMA's. It's skintight, pink and cyan, and covered in sound equipment. It has a small case on the back of it for the Sonospheres to deploy out of, as well as a mounted rig that carries speakers along her body. LED's run up and down the length of it.
Abilities
The Sonosuit turns Rockstar into a one-woman show. She's able to amplify her voice to incredible lengths- approximately up to 150 decibels, which is louder than listening to a live rock band in the front row in front of the speakers. It's armored enough to deflect knives and small caliber pistol ammunition, but only knives reliably. The suit allows her to manipulate sound in a variety of ways. She can increase or decrease sounds in an area around her, approximately 75 feet. She can launch a bass-noise-rumble out of her feet, which allows her to 'fly' (More like jumping really well.) The equipment gives her a HUD with pertinent information. Decibel level and sounds from around her. The pitches created from her speakers are able to amplify or detract from emotions- but not as strong as an outright emotion hijack. Her sound is bone-conducted, meaning that you hear it even if you cover your ears or use earplugs.
A tinkertech guitar that hooks into the overall sound system of the Sonosuit. It's rigid enough to be used as a baton in either its collapsed or extended form. It's very minimalistic, more like a MIDI controller than an actual guitar.
Abilities
Stratos is the means by which Rockstar accompanies herself. She can launch visible soundwaves out of her speaker system by using it, as well as use it to beat the fuck out of villains when they think they can flee arrest. Mostly, it's just a means by which she can make a show. The main effect of the guitar is that it's an infrasonic psychological weapon. Those that hear it's tune find themselves experiencing awe or unease at the frequencies it operates at. The soundwaves she launches from the device can be focused or omni-directional. She can adjust the performance, volume, and traits of the device through VenueControl.
The Stratos is entirely white, an homage to The Artist Formerly Known as Prince's guitar Cloud
N/A. Built into her suit and nearly entirely software.
Abilities
VenueControl is the general term for the controller portion of her helmet and equipment. It's designed to increase her sounds, and decrease the sounds that she doesn't like or want someone else to hear. It makes sure she's autotuned and always on pitch, as well as keeping her equipment running smoothly. It also operates the microphone panopticon that's on the Sonosuit. through this, Rockstar is able to capture voice prints and analyze them through their patterns of speech. It pings back to her computer back at base, and is engineered into a voice profile which can then be used to text-to-speech a voice that's been analyzed. The microphones are very sensitive, even able to pick up someone's hearbeat if they're close enough.
If you're within a 50 foot range of Rockstar and you're having a hushed conversation- not only can she hear you, but you're also being recorded. The extent of the sensitivity is not publicly known, and she's nearly always recording at all times. Regardless if you're hero, villain, or civilian- if Rockstar gets ahold of your voice she's making a copy of it.
About the size of a volleyball, the Concert-Grade Sonospheres are oddly-shaped. They vibrate and shift like they're alive, shifting through several different spherical shapes as they pulse and hum through the air. While they don't look as if they're capable of doing much- the Sonospheres can direct focused or omni-directional light, in addition to changing shapes and reallocating mass.
Abilities
Similar to the normal Sonospheres, the Concert version is capable of the same feats. They can create dazzling light shows, holograms, and even simulate fireworks and lasers. In addition to that, each one of the Sonospheres is capable of acting as both a subwoofer and a surround sound system, pumping out whatever Rockstar wants up to 150db. The Sonospheres are also two-way devices, recording sound in addition to broadcast. They can record any sound within a 50 foot radius, and are sensitive enough to pick up someone's heartbeat. The sounds they make are bone conductive, meaning that you don't need your ears to hear the music. These Sonospheres are also capable of broadcasting Rockstar's master effect, though it's off by default and needs to be toggled on. The official reasoning for this is: Crowd Control during EB or Class A/S events. The 'Infrasonic Psychological Weapon' setting is also toggled off, but can be toggled on. She will have ten of these for the show.
Some of them are painted when in storage. Little hearts and pink skulls.
A software plugin to VenueControl, this allows Rockstar to use her Sonospheres to silence or deafen an area within the Sonosphere's range. She can pinpoint certain sounds and cause them to become dramatically amplified, or silenced. The same applies for the overall area as a whole- allowing her to deafen and entire area completely, or turn every sound within it up to 175db. This is only included with the Concert Grade Sonospheres, but will be added at some point. Duration: Until upgraded. Can be destroyed, but it's a software program that Rockstar keeps under lock and key.
A subwoofer array that's modular, allowing her to scale the amount of bass needed for a show. The entire array consists of a literal wall of subwoofers, with each of them being varying size. The front of them are slick like metal or glass, making it almost like a mirrored finish.
Abilities
Originally designed for concerts, this array has been upgraded over time. It allows for a massive increase in bass, allowing an entire stadium to vibrate to the point of shaking itself apart. The mirrored surface projects lasers, lightshows, and holograms. At maximum, this array is capable of creating a physical wall of sound similar to a forcefield. It's entirely meant to amplify shows/concerts, or be used for crowd control in Class A/S events. Capable of being used as an Infrasonic Psychological Weapon, but this effect has been turned off and needs to be toggled on. The entire array is about the size of the back stage wall- so about 50'x20'. She can remove parts of the array for individual use. The smallest one she would be able to carry on her back. The smaller it goes, the more diminished the effects.
The voice is a combination of the several voices that Abacus requested, in addition to a little bit extra thrown into it. It sounds nearly-human, but is purposely designed to be firmly in that uncanny valley niche. Rockstar based it off of the vocal mannerisms of several real people that she'd stolen from, in addition of scraping audio files of the insane AI's that Abacus seemed to romanticize so much. The program is running on Rockstar's servers, but she would give Abacus the source information so she can run it on her own.
A pair of all black tinted sunglasses. They're aviators, but Rockstar can port them into any suitable glasses.
Abilities
The glasses are capable of running VenueControl while Rockstar is out and about in her 'civilian' persona. They are capable of doing everything that VenueControl normally does, hooked up to Rockstar so she can control them with the same amount of ease. The downside is that she needs to be wearing them, though they do have a limited amount of voice control.
An upgrade on the Sonospheres before them, these drones are much more elegant to look at. It's impossible to tell where the LED's are mounted on the device, yet it's able to produce omni-directional light within all portions of the visible spectrum. The drones themselves are roughly between the size of a tennis ball and a grapefruit, and are completely spherical. When activated, they shift into odd geometric shapes as the metal moves and shifts like water.
Abilities
An upgrade to the previous Sonospheres, Rockstar has gone for redundancy. The upgraded Sonospheres are capable of producing light and sound, in addition to recording sound. The sound they produce isn't nearly as loud as her suit, and it's moreso designed to be surround sound than anything else. They're designed to record at an incredible intensity. If you're within 50 feet of one of her Sonospheres- she not only can hear your heartbeat, but is recording it too.
A program currently being tested. Through the use of low-level hums and pitch-shifts, Rockstar is currently trying to map out terrain. It doesn't work very well as it's in pre-production, but the program does give her enough information to determine that something is somewhere. Due to how the pulse works, there's a latency. It cannot track people just yet- only stationary objects. If you're standing or sitting still, though, she can get you.
In addition to the mapping portion, the module allows for the Sonospheres to mitigate damage. Setting them up in a perimeter around herself, this program will stop Rockstar from unintentionally shattering windows or causing general damage. She can still do it intentionally, though.
A set of earrings, a necklace, a choker, two rings (one for either hand) and a torso-mounted bodysuit rig.
Abilities
Worn together, this allows Emma a measure of protection when she's in her civilian comings and goings. It allows her to turn her voice into an infrasonic psychological weapon. Following in the stead of the rest of her tech, it allows her to get extremely loud, or extremely quiet. Her voice becomes bone conductive. She can force someone to experience awe, fear, psychosomatic pain, happiness, forgetfulness, sadness, and anger. Though, it's within the bounds of the individual person. She can't force someone to become more angry or happy than they can get on their own. This module also makes her practically immune to audio-based Master/Stranger effects. This portion of the module carries on to her regular patrol costume. (I just forgot to put it in the original post oopsies.)
The databank that Rockstar uses to store her voice modules. Currently she has a rudimentary voice module for everyone in the PRTHQ. Rudimentary meaning, short sentences that sound fairly realistic. She has an advanced module for the following individuals: Zipdash, Mantle, Zeitgeist, Phalanx, Abacus, and Celestial Wind. Advanced profiles allow Rockstar to create a perfect copy of that voice, completely indistinguishable from the original. It will fool any and all voice recognition tests, in addition to fooling any sound-based M/S protocols.
A squat building on the crossroads of Utah and Ramsey, parallel to Arena Drive. The building itself is covered in graffiti, wires of several powerpoles and telephone wires all leading to it. While the building itself looks messy- nothing looks particularly out of place. It just looks forgotten, lost to time. The upstairs of the building has been boarded up and stuffed with Rockstar's tinkertech. The interior is clean, with a few salvaged chairs and tables scattered around. Tinkertech is carefully catalogued and kept cleanly organized.
Abilities
The building itself has been stuffed with Rockstar's tinkertech. She's been slowly accumulating tinkertech over the last several months. She's built a second lab inside of the building, using her knowledge of general electrics to wire herself into the city's powergrid in a way that looks like acceptable bleedage. Noise Control is the brain of her operations, and from here she makes changes to her software or hardware that the PRT otherwise wouldn't allow. Here's, she's amassed enough v2.0 Sonospheres to give herself fantastic situational awareness of the surrounding streets, in addition to mapping the area out over time and creating perfect 3D models of the terrain. The building consists of a backup for nearly everything she's ever made, encrypted with M/S Protocols that she's devised herself.
A small tube-like device, about a foot long with an odd set of angled octagons at one end.
Abilities
The Sonic Screamer is a prototype device. It's designed to emit incredibly powerful acoustic energy in a general direction, either targeted or untargeted. It's designed to lock onto a chosen object and release short bursts of frequency designed to break, shatter, or otherwise render the target unusable or destroyed. This is not finished tech, Rockstar's just laying groundwork for something brutal.
Skills and Specializations
Rockstar's power gives her an innate understanding of all musical instruments, musical composition, music theory, and vocal ability. She intuitively understands anything to assist her in these goals. Furthermore, she’s a skilled programmer and computer expert, as a vast amount of her tinkertech requires incredibly complex code. Rockstar does take physical combative lessons in order to not always rely on her tech and to protect herself, but that’s a last resort due to her stature and her inexperience. Some of her hobbies include fashion design, modeling, interior decorating, and trying to improve her brand. Due to having been basically raised by PR agents and media departments, she’s good with people- even if it’s all superficial. Emmaline can manage herself and her business quite well, as long as it’s some way related to her stardom.
Mentality
To put it simply, Emmaline is a psychologically troubled individual. Her power and shard have influenced her over the years as she’s tapped into her power, and her mental state has changed to reflect that. Emmaline is paranoid, insecure, manic, and hyper-narcissistic. She desperately seeks attention, validation, affection, and love, but immediately disdains those who give her the attention she’s looking for. Inversely, she actively dislikes those who don’t pay attention to her, or otherwise don’t act like an adoring fan should. Emmaline is incredibly used to getting whatever she wants, being pampered, and generally being regarded as the center of attention. When this is not true, she’ll quietly instigate drama, or otherwise create a situation where she’s back in the starlight. As a result of being both a self-claimed popstar and a cape without a secret identity, Emmaline typically doesn’t allow people to get too close to the “real” her. However, even she doesn’t quite understand what the “real” her is. Emmaline doesn’t fully understand her own personhood at times, and often just sees herself as the media that she’s featured in. She’s trying her best to work on some of these issues- if only out of fear that SWORDFISH will disappear her if she gets too unstable. Due to her breakdown following a piece of prototype tinkertech literally exploding in her face, Emmaline was ordered to attend mandatory therapy and take several medications to manage her mental issues. She attends her therapy sessions with disgust, and only half the time ‘forgets’ to take her medicine. Yet, she is still attempting to “be a better person,” if only for the fear that SWORDFISH, her label, or the PRT will drop her completely if she fails to comply. Additionally, she is incredibly paranoid of data breaches, Master/Stranger effects, and surveillance. As a surveillance-related cape herself, she fully knows what these powers are capable of due to utilizing some of their ill effects herself in the past. Due to additional side-effects of her powers, Emmaline wants to know and understand everything about everybody. She yearns to know rumors, gossip, personal information, and every other shred of data she can get about people. Unfortunately, she’s unable to bring herself to just ask for this information or go through small talk or the typical normal human social cues. As such, she employs roundabout means to get this info.
Power
Trigger Type: Natural Single.
Rockstar is a sound-specialty tinker with a subdiscipline/parallel focus in Master/Stranger effects. Her power actively wants her to create surveillance-related technology, Master people, create Stranger effects, and store that data in massive repositories for further use and exploitation. While she is able to create technology that doesn’t require Master/Stranger effects or a surveillance aspect due to how wide and general her tinker specialty is, the more she leans into Master/Stranger effects, surveillance, or both- the stronger, more capable, and just plain better the resulting piece of equipment will be. Through the technology that Rockstar creates, she’s able to manipulate sound, wavelengths, acoustic effects, and a startling amount of esoteric examples.
Backstory
Emmaline has had a troubled past, and her experiences have not helped her to become more of a stable person. She has a horrible relationship with her parents and has completely blocked them out of her life, placing all of the blame of her trigger event on them. Due to her public trigger event and the damage that she caused due to malfunctioning tinkertech, Emma was more or less forced into the Wards program, something that she’s still resentful of to this day. Her trigger event, explained more [here], warped her, and was compounded on by how commercialized her adolescent period was. While a Ward in Los Angeles, Emma experimented with tinkertech that startled, scared, or otherwise discomforted those around her. After an unspecified incident that was handled internally and subsequently redacted, Emma was transferred to a smaller PRT branch with the hope that she would “cool off” and have less access to some of the vices that big city life offered her at the time. There was the hope that another Los Angeles incident wouldn’t occur again. Unfortunately, events during her tenure as a Devilfish ward did indeed see another incident happening, and Emmaline stayed several months in a psychiatric care facility. Following these months, Emma was unceremoniously sent on her world tour- both to get her away from Devilfish and additionally to give her some sort of outlet to force her efforts into. While she was away, she was completely cut off from the Devilfish PRT proper, reporting to the PRT HQ and the PRT media department in lieu of the Devilfish chain of command or another authority structure. During her World Tour, she met up with or visited numerous PRT and non-PRT capes throughout her tour destinations, rapidly boosting her already-substantial fame. Briefly detained in Germany due to a riot at one of her shows, she paid her bail and spent the rest of her tour on her best behavior. It’s theorized that her stint with The Law was a PR media stunt to draw even more eyes towards her. When back in the United States, she additionally performed a pop-up show in Los Vegas between scheduled tour dates. Once all of her tour had been completed, she returned to Devilfish. While away, she made no particular effort to keep in touch with anyone, nor did she keep a finger on the pulse of what’s going on in Devilfish. Emmaline had made great strides to work with her handlers, debrief properly, and be in no way obstinate or a hindrance to the program. She’s back now, and ready to get things back to how they were- or better.
