Jerry Emberton (Cataclysmic Gerosha)

Jerry Emberton is a major character in the 2022 version of Corando's "Don't Lose Hope". He is the founder and lead singer of a post-grunge rock band named "Corando."

Character bio
Jerry was born on June 7th of 1982, to Hal and Angie Emberton of Hampden, Maine. His sister, Jen, was born two years later, on August 15th of 1984. The siblings grew up with a strong passion for studying not only music in general, but especially grunge from the 1990s. Jerry first learned how to use a guitar in the summer of 1996, with Jen learning how to play drums in the fall of 1997. While their parents wished the two would develop more of a passion for organ and church music, the two couldn't shake their love for grunge and post-grunge. However, they were also concerned about social causes, such as Voice of the Martyrs.

Jerry and Jen's futures were seemingly solidified at the high school prom in 2000, when the two of them performed a "Christian music" song set to the tune of "Lithium" by Nirvana, and performed it well enough to make many of their classmates barely notice that they'd changed the lyrics and message. Other post-grunge groups inspired them in this time, such as Breaking Benjamin, Creed, and Puddle of Mudd.

While the two of them were attending the University of Maine for music degrees in 2003, Jerry was introduced by Jen to a new friend she'd made, who had similar passions to theirs. A bass guitarist himself, Spike Monide quickly became good friends with Jerry as well. It was not long after that in which Jerry and his friends got a chance to visit some of Spike's old friends. They attended the reception to a wedding held in Coranado, California. By shortening "Coranado" to "Corando," Jerry decided that he and his sister and new best friend should officially form a band. They quickly turned what would have otherwise been a typical reception into almost a full-on rock concert, with many arguing they should go full-on professional.

After receiving their diplomas in January of 2006, Corando became an official band, and began touring. Their debut album, released in 2007, was only a moderate success, with their sophomore album in 2009 faring much better. Corando was able to return in 2014, hitting gold with songs that commented on everything happening from the attack on Miami by Chillingworth to Extirpon saving Madeline Casey's life after a senator from Nevada tried to have her assassinated. The latter song led to Corando being investigated, as DC politicians were offended to no end that the band would portray Extirpon as a folk hero after what happened.

This wouldn't be the only time that the band would find themselves facing controversy, as they had opinions to share on more events in the upcoming years that embarrassed so-called "world leaders" - including the railroading of Ciem, Trudeau capitulating to the demands of Rappaccini after Anarteq saves Sault Ste Marie, Korsicht's destruction of Louisville and Cincinnati, Cherinob destroying Arcturus to save South Dakota, and the saving of Des Moines by Pilltar and Strawberry. The band received cease and desist orders several times to not discuss these events in their songs; but refused to back down and be intimidated by unlawful orders. As Halal Affadidah slowly eroded and destroyed the United States, many of Corando's other enemies began to disappear, rendering their threats to the band idle.

Jerry in 2017 was hearing numerous stories from others about "losing hope" in the wake of the devastation around them. He initially wrote "Don't Lose Hope" in a rough draft to describe a spirit of determination to overcome feelings of hopelessness and loneliness, of the sort that would later be expressed via the "Doomer" meme a year later. He was also troubled by the instability of politics around the world, and to stories of relationships torn apart by it. What cemented him to write "Don't Lose Hope" in its ultimate form, however, was learning about what happened to Darshan and Mahima in the wake of the destruction of Porbandar by Filforth.

As Affadidah made life in Maine increasingly difficult for Corando, Jerry made plans to relocate the band to Texas. They recorded some basic footage for a music video for "Don't Lose Hope, in a rough draft edit that would have only included the band's performance and nothing else. They were then able to relocate to Arcola in early 2018, fleeing "Ameristan" around the same time as the Baret family - and the band Turkeybreath Skyline.  Right before leaving, Jerry was able to rescue a stray black cat and adopt it, naming it "Ruby."  Using connections made in Texas, Jerry was then able to secure his band a deal with Stefflin Records - which was run by one Aaron Stefflin, whose top performer was his wife Meredith.

Aaron was able to help Jerry get in touch with Darshan, who agreed to come to the US along with Mahima and Ketan. From there, Stefflin Records allowed for a production team to authorize a reshoot of "Don't Lose Hope," turning the music video into a much bigger production in which Darshan, Ketan, and Mahima got to re-enact their struggles in Porbandar. Actors were hired to portray the various Hindi nationalists that threatened the couple. A consultant from SCALLOP with a history of tracking Apthalan activity was even able to assist the studio with making a costume for Filforth, so an actor could convincingly portray him in the video as well. Jerry found it quite amusing that the main producer on set was actually a robot, developed by Lambrelli Labs, and given the alias of "Martin Zorge."

While trying to stay out of trouble in the wake of continued unrest in 2018, Jerry did visit Arizona during a tour, and shot some album art with other band members for a compilation on the making of "Don't Lose Hope." He and the rest of Corando continued to work together, and remained in touch with Darshan and his family, throughout the many more struggles that life in Toklisana would bring. Stefflin Records allowed for a stable business model for the band for the remainder of its life as a band.

Personality
Jerry is highly introspective, and often aloof to social dynamics in his surroundings. He often appears to have his mind "somewhere else," nearly always thinking not about what is, but what could be. He seeks out song inspiration wherever he can. While pretty sociable when forced to be, his eccentricities are notable.

He loves to help out with charities, especially Open Doors USA. He is especially touched by the plight of Indian Christians, such as Darshan and Mahima. The destruction of Porbandar in his world quickly filled him with inspiration, so that his song "Don't Lose Hope" became a testament to Darshan and Mahima's refusal to give up on each other in the face of multiple adversities. Jerry also likes cats, enough to enjoy rescuing strays and helping them find homes. On top of that, Jerry relishes the fact that he is originally from Maine, even if Halal Affadidah compels him to flee to Texas to start life over.

In The Sims 4, Jerry has the "Nerd Brain" aspiration, which grants him the "Quick Learner" trait automatically. His other assigned traits are "Bro," "Creative," and "Music Lover."

Trivia

 * Jerry is intended to be a (more likeable) parody of Chad Kroeger, of Nickelback infamy.
 * Jerry in this version differs from his Earth-G3.1 counterpart to a fair extent, given that he is now a fully-sober, yet eccentric musician who gets involved in a number of social causes. The original "suffered hallucinations," and made music based off these.
 * The original Jerry also seemed obsessed with relationships in the sense of discussing a man's yearning to be in one. The newer Jerry's song seems to be about the need for preexisting couples to persevere amidst hardship.  The original was preoccupied with internal struggles of sadness, while the new version cares more about addressing external struggles.
 * Jerry's original song line of "but like liquor it can ease the pain" is removed entirely in the new version. While the original used it as a reference to how many turn to drinking to cope with problems, though not referencing it in a positive way, critics of the original song often misconstrued it to be an endorsement of alcoholism.
 * The new Jerry is made entirely sober, and can have "visions" without "suffering hallucinations." This is because the new Jerry is about delivering a message, without the distraction of the original having attributes that could be misconstrued as involvement with any form of substance abuse.
 * Jerry's new dreadlocks are done to make him appear slightly less like the "Hippie Jesus" look of his original version.