Ellen Gartner
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Ellen Gartner | |
| Player: @Ab Irata | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Confidential |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Confidential |
| Known Aliases: | Lil' Red Rocketboots, Rouge Rocketboots |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 24 |
| Height: | 4' 1" |
| Weight: | Confidential |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | Red |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Confidential |
| Occupation: | Confidential |
| Place of Birth: | Earth 44-682-N |
| Base of Operations: | Topeka, KS |
| Marital Status: | Confidential |
| Known Relatives: | Confidential |
| Known Powers | |
| Superhuman Strength, Agility, and Constitution. Magical cantrips and storage-space. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Hand-to-Hand and Melee Combat Mastery | |
| Equipment | |
| Can access most personal posessions of nominal size via magical storage, including weapons, clothing/disguises, snacks, etc. | |
| No additional information available. | |
"... It had been about an hour and a half by this point, and she hadn't shown up. I told the camera guy to start packing up, mentally cursing myself for ever thinking I could trust a word that came out of her agent's slimy mouth, when it happened. There was a growing shadow on the ground that quickly grew in size, and a horrible wrenching noise from overhead - we all dove for cover as the object approached, slamming into the ground with an ear-splitting crunch of grass and earth. After the dust settled, my team and I poked our heads out from behind cover, to see Ellen seating herself on a director's chair perched on top of this crumpled armor car, applying makeup. From inside the truck, you could hear the panicked cries of a couple unfortunate bank robbers. She called back over her shoulder, with an irritated edge in her voice, 'You boys gonna interview me or just stand around letting flies in your mouth? These guys aren't going to keep for too much longer, I think,' gesturing to the cab of the armored truck. We did the interview right there, as she sat on top of the broken truck, kicking it every once in a while to quiet the robbers down..." - From the memoirs of Dane Hopper, metahuman activities correspondent for WRIQ-TV.
Contents |
Origin and History
Ellen Gartner originated in Earth 44-682-N, an aspect of the multiverse where individuals with powers were more of the norm, rather than the exception. A full thirty percent of all individuals had some fashion of magical, technological, or spiritual power that manifested in their youth or young adulthood. Perhaps even more curiously, Earth 44-682-N was inhabited by humans with a mutation that manifested cat-like features on all of its inhabitants, such as their ears and facial features; tails and fur were also highly common, as was a slight stature.
Earth 44-682-N
Born in Topeka, KS, Ellen was a bright and charming child. She had a creative streak, and was highly fascinated by design and fashion; her early childhood role models included Madonna and the Municipal Defence Force of Paris, France (a color-themed supergroup with brilliantly coordinated costumes and maneuvers; their battles against Neko-Hitler in WW2 through uproarious cabaret numbers were widely credited for the eventual defeat of the Axis powers. Their popularity never waned in the following years, and they often toured the world to display their acrobatic talents). After an awkward high school experience, she eventually attended university in Rhode Island, at a small liberal arts school, studying graphic and fashion design. To make ends meet, she worked part-time as a waitress at a local costume cafe. Her life, to that point, had been fairly summary and unremarkable. All of that, however, would change during one fateful day at the cafe. A bright red pair of fanciful overshoes had been left by a passing magical girl, and after a week or so, Ellen decided that the girl was unlikely to come back for them. She put the boots on and scrambled out of work, attempting to avoid the thunderstorm that was brewing overhead. Unbeknownst to her, the storm had a magical cause - several blocks off, a powerful nature spirit was engaged in combat with the local Municipal Defence Force. A freak accident on the part of the MDF members caused a magical shockwave to ripple through the city, which reacted to the amplification magic woven into the boots. Ellen's latent connection to magic was opened, and the sudden onrush of power caused a dimensional event to occur, shunting her and her newly-found power to the nearest stable universe that could contain the overload. Moments later, Ellen was deposited at the foot of a stable long-range portal in the Portal Corp. facility on Peregrine Island in Primal Earth.
Primal Earth
After her arrival, Ellen was quickly shifted into the care of MAGI, who briefed her on the situation and her options. Portal scientists were unable to accurately track her entry path to Primal Earth, and could not offer the possibility of a return trip. Moreover, at some point during the transit, she had lost the racial mutation that was common on Earth 44-682-N, and appeared for all intents and purposes to be a average 21 year old human... albeit one who was four feet tall. Her appearance had created some manner of public interest, and she quickly realized that the temporary fame she had garnered on her appearance would be spent quickly in an environment with so many other remarkable people. To her good fortune, she soon realized that her powers would develop quickly as she applied them, due to the larger untapped magic resonance in Primal Earth, and a plan came quickly to mind. Taking the alias of "Lil' Red Rocketboots" she rocketed to prominence, being awarded the title of 'Hero of the City' nearly a month to the day she arrived in Paragon City. Capitalizing on this success, she began to retain a retinue of publicists, agents, ghostwriters, and marketing specialists to turn her alias into a household name. Within six months of arrival, she was kicking off her book tour, and beginning work on a television program. By the end of her first year in Paragon, she was one of the hottest entertainment commodities in town - her face had adorned a Wheaties box, she had a popular line of action figures, and was being seen on television around the world as a guest host or celebrity appearance on foreign-language programs. Eventually, she funded the production of a line of fashion wear for women of slight stature, finally returning to one of her original interests. Life, as it were, was good.
Fall from Favor
Behind the scenes, Ellen was a ticking time bomb. The stresses of her new life, along with the sacrifices she had made to get there, weighed heavily upon her. Her instant celebrity began to evaporate, as new heroes and heroines pulled the spotlight away from her. Responding to this by diving into excess, she partied and whiled away her newly minted wealth, sinking further into a depression. Even the best work of her media consultants couldn't keep the worst of these excesses out of the tabloids, and pictures began to surface of questionable activities and practices. Her infrequent attempts to fight crime were also similarly poor, as she would often display excessive bouts of violence in apprehending suspects, or simply level a suspected hideout with little regard for collateral damage. The final straw to her investors came when one night, in a drunken stupor, she demolished an orphanage on the way to a 7-11. Police reports from the event noted that she was hovering through the debris in a nightgown, obviously drunk, with a slurpee in one hand and a crying child in the other. The public reaction to this latest event was, briefly, highly negative. The ensuring torrent of activity was breathless; In the face of angry investors who were threatening to pull out of her merchandising line, she devised a plan.
Rogue
Within days, Ellen had left Paragon City, and settled herself in St. Martial, on the Rogue Isles. A week or so later, the first reports began to leak to the press - "Good Girl Gone Bad!" the reports stated, including pictures of her committing various crimes. The plan, as it were, was simple - flee to the Isles, let the heat die down, commit a few innocuous crimes, then bust a big-name criminal and say the whole series of events was a cover to allow her to round up the kingpins of some middling criminal organizations. She went dark, withdrawing from her prior associations, and threw herself into her newly found work with abandon. To the dismay of nearly everyone, however, her original goals had become somewhat muddled - indeed, the ability to fight for herself, with no other overriding goal, consumed her. For nearly a full year she pursued a nihilistic path of destruction with little attention paid to the results of her rampages; it was during this time that she became officially classified as a "force of nature" to the poor fortune of small businesses everywhere. Back in Paragon, the sporadic nature of her crimes and their general focus on individuals living in the Etoile Islands had caused her to drop off the face of the map - except to her investors and business associates. Her offices were shut down after the checks stopped coming, and the production lines for her clothing and action figures were unceremoniously halted. Reruns of her TV show were pulled off the air, except on the most desperate of small-time cable operators looking for something to stick in the middle of the night or on sunday mornings, and her staff mostly went to their own devices. The world turned, and forgot about her.
Rouge
In late 2009, a heroine answering Ellen's description appeared in Paragon City - but that was where the similarities seemed to end. The magical 'signature' of her powers was unique, enough for MAGI to certify this individual as unique. She went by the alias of Rouge Rocketboots, and was noted as suffering from amnesia. Fighting with a magical sword and shield, she worked tirelessly to uphold law and order, and was generally an upstanding citizen. Uncannily, she acquainted herself with Ellen Gartner's friends and connections, explaining that she must be some sort of alternate-Earth Ellen. Most of them seemed to believe this, or at least accept it, or perhaps it's that they realized the truth about the whole thing and didn't want to spoil her fun. As might be expected, Ellen had reimagined herself for a reentrance to 'polite' society, after having realized that her actions in the Rogue Isles were ultimately unfulfilling. Committing herself to a more relaxed lifestyle, she has rededicated herself to protect the city that took her in and made her a star, even if her star isn't the one that shines brightest any more.
Powers
Ellen's magical power has primarily manifested itself in physical enhancements in Primal Earth, with several 'quality of life' powers she has refined control over.
Superhuman Physical Attributes
Over the years in Paragon City and environs, Ellen has subconsciously tapped her vast magical powers to improve her strength, agility, and constitution to far beyond human norms. Her ability to avoid incoming attacks is nearly flawless, and she can dish out a handy beatdown using fist and foot. More recently, as part of her time spent as Rouge Rocketboots, she has adapted her abilities somewhat to wield a sword and shield.
Magical Powers
Recently, Ellen has begun to exhibit some more refined control over the innate magical powers that drive her primary abilities. For the most part, she uses this to 'create' items from the ether, or to store and then later retrieve items from a magical 'pocket dimension'. Her most frequent use of this is to change her wardrobe at a moment's notice, depending on the situation. Ellen has also experimented with changing her physical appearance using similar methods, such as adjusting her height.
Affiliations
League of Misfits
During the latter part of her original time spent as a hero, Ellen joined the Misfits for some reason she can't really recall, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Since then, she has enjoyed a friendship with several members, and a mildly antagonistic relationship with others. If nothing else, they haven't kicked her out, which must be worth something.
((Postscript and Notes))
Ellen is a great example of what happens when you let yourself get too attached to an idea. She was the first character I rolled, and while I had initially thought out the whole 'superstar heroine' thing as a neat little gimmick, I never really could have forseen that I'd take it as far as I have in the years I've been playing. She was my first 50, and now I'm coming up on her 3rd incarnation hitting 50 as well. I keep coming back to her, though, because I like the arc of her story. I can't say that any of my other characters are really so well-developed, instead, they're fairly static. Ellen, though, keeps growing and changing as time goes by. We'll see what happens in the future, I guess!
