Background/History: There are many superhumans who are rather close-mouthed about how they came about their powers. London Rose Dionne, however, has been anything but. The problem comes when one realizes she’s changed her origin story just about every time she’s given an interview. Her claims have ranged from ‘born this way’ (a statement no one believed,) to ‘recipient of an experimental serum’ (one that was plausible at least—if somewhat unlikely) with numerous variations in between. Curiously, the truth of the matter is a case of fact being stranger than fiction. While driving home one evening, London Rose was surprised to see a glowing blue orb drop out of the sky and smash into her brand new sports car. The orb not only shattered the engine and blew out all of the windows, but ricocheted around the interior before coming to a halt in the passenger seat. Furious that her car had gone from pristine to a total wreck in a matter of moments, London Rose snatched the orb up and went to hurl it out the (now missing) window. However, the moment her hands touched the orb she felt a rush of energy through her body and once she’d managed to blink away the floating spots in front of her eyes she found the orb was now a black crumbly mass of coal-like crystals. With a disgusted cry she hurled the crystals away and jumped up out of her seat—only to end up bursting out of her car and landing some distance down the street. Whatever the orb was, it had apparently granted her super powers.
Personality/Motivation: Unlike many people who find themselves gifted with powers and abilities far beyond those of their fellow men, London Rose didn’t hear the calling that says “with great power comes great responsibility.” Instead, she heard the ringing of a cash register. Not only had the glowing orb granted her superhuman strength and resilience, it had altered her body’s metabolism to make it far more efficient (in other words, she toned up quite nicely without really having to work at it). London Rose took one look in mirror and realized she could make a pretty penny as a swimsuit model (for starters, she’d work on the acting career later). Since then, everything she’s done (or tried to do) has had one overall aim—to bring her fame and fortune. Her photo shoots allowed her to get into reality TV, then talk shows, then celebrity appearances, and, well, the list goes on and on. Much of what she does is designed to cash in on current trends (hence her taking up Texas Hold ‘Em, since ‘everyone else was playing it’) and she’ll drop a passé trend just as quickly. As for actual ‘superheroing’ she’s done it once or twice (but only by accident) and doesn’t see the appeal of getting beaten up by some costume maniac if there’s no real reward for it. Natrually, this attitude has less than endeared her to certain segments of the superhero population.
Quote: “No, no. I keep telling you, I’m not London Rose anymore. Well, not in front of the cameras, anyway. Out in public, it’s Star Sapphire, get it?”
Powers/Tactics: Possessing an almost generic suite of superhuman powers (strength, speed, invulnerability, flight, and so on), London… err… Star Sapphire knows she doesn’t have the attention getting abilities of most superhumans (especially those with flashy energy power.) Still, she's strong enough to toss cars, tough enough to ignore bullets, can fly, and see across a wide range of the visual light spectrum. However, many of her more passive powers (such as her extended life span and regeneration) are completely unknown to Star Sapphire (or her handlers) and might come as a bit of a surprise in the future. By the same token, her dependence on direct sunlight and her Vulnerability are also currently unknown side effects of her transformation. She spends enough time in scanty bikinis for the former to not be a problem, while she has yet to encounter anyone with the latter. Oh, and as a final note, she is aware of her Optic Energy Flare power, ever since she used it in a fit of pique on an uncooperative vending machine.
Appearance: Star Sapphire stands about 5’6” with a very shapely build. Her blond hair falls down to her shoulders, carefully applied makeup accents her eyes, cheekbones, and lips, and her costume has been designed to display her generous cleavage to best effect. She usually wears a dark blue bodysuit with knee-high black boots and black gloves to the elbow. A black belt set snug around the waist completes the outfit.
Designer's Notes: If I recall correctly, the woman in the photo I’m using is an adult film star. This led me to wonder about who’d wear that sort of costume and why (never mind that the typical superheroine costume in the comics is usually just as revealing) and settled on the idea of a female take on Booster Gold (except without the heroic instincts.) So I made a self-centered super who’s looking to cash in. I realize now she makes a great counterpart to Chantico. Both are entertainers (or a sort), both are more suited to public appearances than combat, and both could be very potent superheroes if they chose to dedicate themselves to that idea. With Chantico there’s a chance that’ll be her future, with Star Sapphire? Not on your life.
To make Star Sapphire more powerful, give her more OCV, SPD, END, STUN, and some Combat Skill Levels. To make her less powerful reduce her Characteristics, defenses, and movement powers as needed.