Drunkard's Walk Forums

Y'know... one of the things that most BUGGED me about transferring any of our characters to Champions? 

Why would any of us leave without trying to save people other than ourselves? If we couldn't, what would be the point? That's not very heroic. Wouldn't we stay and be heroes and inspirations and comfort to the people of the Paragon universe in the face of the Coming Storm? Even if it meant our death or being frozen in whatever limbo or stasis lock (to use a Doctor Who term) the Paragon Universe was going to suffer on November 30th?

This is a question that was seriously on the minds of some of the RP people in SD Paragon recently. And it bugged me too when it was pointed out. 

One basic problem as I see it is that this is not just a simple jaunt or day trip to a different part of the same world. The Champions Universe is too different and distinct. It has it's own lore. Much of which would directly contradict that of Paragon. 

So this is not simply a physical relocation. This is another Universe entirely. With it's own rules. 

Case in point -  Some characters tend to translate well and others are changed. 

In my case - Cyberman 8 and Lily the Diamond transfer to Millenium City almost seamlessly in terms of theme and niche. Melee is melee. And it is indeed possible to be distinct. C8 still plays like a speedster/scrapper in MC. And Lily is still a non-subtle smasher. (and with the FreeForm powers available she can even have Mu-Style Lightning just as in COH.)

But Kara... Oh boy. Kara... is a problem. There is no direct analogue to the Controller Archetype in Champions (something I'm very much going to miss). I only recently with help made a build that even approaches the right "feel". And it's still more of a DPS build than a lock-down build. (She can do heals pretty nicely though)

So some characters come through changed. They're not the same as they were.

So taking all this into consideration, The question arises for me - are these the same people? Or just alternate universe versions? I was trying to think for awhile of an RP/Story "hook". A reason why we're all over in Millennium City. But I couldn't think of anything. So I put it on the back burner.

Until tonight/this morning, when out of the blue - I wasn't even thinking about this problem - my subconscious finally woke up and the light bulb went *DING*. 

We're all inter-dimensional scouts. The whole lot of us. (Those of our characters that COULD make the transition that is - Lora'Lai and other Kheldians for example are too tied to the Paragon Universe to make the transition.) 

But whether we transferred directly to a Universe where we keep most of our "selves" and our memories and powers intact (Champions). Or whether we are sent to another plane where we are but vague analogues of who we were (DCUO)  and maybe not even superheroes (RIFT, The Secret World or some other game) - whether we remember directly who we are or not, we're all looking for a way to save the Universe of Paragon City. In particular - Incarnates are best suited for this transition (though are not the only ones). Incarnates are most likely to be keep themselves and their memories of who they are and what their purpose is intact. Others might not wholly remember consciously. But are still seeking the answers, whether they realize it or not. Your character might've been a Troll from the Hollows who winds up as an Orion in Star Trek. Or you might be a gadgeteer who winds up as an Engineer in Guild Wars 2. 

Paragon City and its Universe have NOT died outright. It's like Galifrey in Doctor Who. It's stasis locked in an eternal moment. It's an entire Universe that's suspended in time and potential like Shroedinger's Cat on November 30th. Whether we can unlock it and get back to it or not... well. That's up to us. Both in character and in a meta sense. 

But I propose that as a semi-universal "Hook" for RP for any refugees from Paragon stranded in Champions or any other universe - That's why we finally choose to make that transition. It's why some of us wind up changed a little bit in translation. Or to quote K from MIB. "We are who we are... even if we sometimes forget it."

We aren't abandoning Paragon. We're out there looking for a way to save it and everyone there. And we'll keep looking until we find it. No matter how long it takes, no matter how many incarnations and re-incarnations and lifetimes we live.

Because that's what heroes do. 

Speaking as someone who's had to live through DC comics murdering their entire setting multiple times over, the idea, while not horrible, is one that simply wouldn't work for me. Me, I'm more likely to go with my default explanation for Champions (It's simply another city on the same planet), or even take the solution that, while it wouldn't work for a lot of people, does work for me.

'And they all lived happily ever after'

Logan Darklighter Wrote:(Those of our characters that COULD make the transition that is - Lora'Lai and other Kheldians for example are too tied to the Paragon Universe to make the transition.) 

Um, not all that much.
I present my Warshade, ala Champions....
Arctouros.

Unfortunately, one cannot make a Nova Form.  But this seems to be a fairly satisfactory Dwarf Form.  Also, the build I have for him feels, for the most part, warshade like, sans a few different powers that feel like his Nova Form merged with the other two.

*looks at the pile of CoX fic he's working on regardless of the game shut down* I'll pass on your idea Atl, I got about 5 or so fics underway and more planed.

So yeah, no time lock for me.