Why can't I make characters in this universe?

I know this should probably be in Roleplaying, but it isn't so much about a story or roleplaying, but more of a general question for all of you at large. I can't seem to make characters originating from THIS universe. Can you? Why and why not?

Let me give this a little meat. I've been creating characters for this game for five years, and I made a few even before I started playing. For no real reason, I looked back at their stories AND at the stories of characters I am considering creating now, and it occurs to me that many, in fact most, don't seem to originate from anything I could describe as "this universe." I don't even mean the universe that has Paragon City and Lord Recluse and the Hamidon in it, I mean a general "this universe" that is essentially our world in contemporary political state. And I don't know why that is.

Looking back on some of the ideas that stuck with me, I seem to be a fan of what I suppose you could call the "non-Fantasy Fantasy," which is essentially a genre of stories that does NOT take place in ye olde generic medieval forest with elves and dwarves and ancient gods... But works on the same principles in the end. I like a technological world first and foremost, though I guess technomagic works just as well, but it's more the composition and structure of the world that seems interesting to me, which isn't present in a civilised modern society.

What Fantasy that isn't Fantasy actually is is a world either not ruled by anything, which essentially makes it a pseudo-feudal wilderness, or ruled by one or a few all-powerful emperors, oftentimes hinging on the existence and use of incredibly powerful machines or technologies, which could actually be replaced with ancient artefacts of power without much loss of context. In fact, in a few of those supposedly technological world (and technological to such an extent that technology may as well BE magic), I still like to invent gods and omnipotent beings... Largely just because I like them as a plot element.

And here is sort of where the problem is. Paragon City (and the Rogue Isles, but let's keep to an easier terminology) is NOT a lawless wasteland controlled by an autocratic emperor. It is a law-driven democracy where peace is, at least ideally, the status quo and large swaths of unexplored lands replete with mortal dangers and ancient treasures aren't really all that common. In essence, the reason I like City of Heroes over all those other medieval MMOs - its contemporary setting - is, in a sense, a part of what's also holding me back, because the in-control modern setting actually removes a lot of the out-of-control potential that... Well, out-of-control wilderness tends to have. Hence, no real potential for massive warfare over open ground with forts to take and battles to fight, no wide-spanning empires bent on ruling the world because all the OTHER countries in the world are allies... No nothing! It's so complicated that any stupidly outlandish idea I tend to have runs into complications of the order of "Well, yeah, but the military would just move in and crush them." or "Won't police know about this?"

For some reason, I keep getting drawn to these "other worlds" where I'm not constrained by the comfort and safety of a modern society and get to re-enact eerily fantasy-like scenarios as backstories, ending up into contorted reasons why these characters left their worlds and came HERE where the actual game is taking place. Believe me, if I could take a spaceship and travel to somewhere in Alpha Centaury to a barren planet populated by mind worms... I just might, at least temporarily. Which leads me to having characters from other planets, characters from other dimensions, characters from other plains of existence, characters from other points in time, or even just characters who live in a desert and fight giant mutated scorpions for a living because they hate civilization.

But... Why? Wasn't what brought me here the contemporary setting of a modern city? Well... Yeah. And there are actually a lot of cool stories to be told about the wilderness in our own cities, in the places we never think to look as we pass by, like the alleys, old buildings and even the very sidewalks where everyone pretends other people don't exist. And it's not like I don't have a bunch of characters who COULD and DO hail from this particular universe, but, again thinking back on them, few are actually so specific to this univers that I COULDN'T shift them to an entirely different, more non-Fantasy-Fantasy one, without them still making just as much sense. The only few I can think of are the ones that require a modern society to even BE, meaning they were somehow created by interaction with such society, but I can think of surprisingly few of those. Hmm...

At the end, though, it's odd to me how we have this huge, expansive, interesting world, and yet I keep looking outwards and creating my own, other worlds to draw characters from. In a sense, ANY setting is limited in what it can produce (produce, not support) and a contemporary city, however bizarre, has its own limitations, but for me, at least, there just seems to be something more that is constantly drawing me off-world. I suppose my love for non-human characters with weird skin colours may have a lot to do with it, come to think of it.

In any event, all of the above jabber can be summed up in the title. I can't make characters in this universe. Can you?

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Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

Alternative dimensions are for all out warfare There's loads of scope for wildness and wackiness in other dimensions nad with time travelling too - there's sort of an all out war in Cimerora, and we even get to storm the fort their.
The RWZ and Siren's Call also have big battles, and there's no telling what we might get in Praetoria.

Yup, because our dimension is the focal point of all dimensions. For some reason there is something in our world that draws the superpowered towards us, now if you cant make a story out of that . . . . .

Yep.

I don't usually have this problem... if anything, I try too hard to tie my characters to the lore in some way. Of course, I also enjoy telling the story of the hero emerging, so many, if not most, of my "serious" characters start with rather mundane backgrounds that easily slip into the world provided. I've been playing for 5 years and have only 3 level 50's because once the heroes get to "cosmic powers" level... I lose interest.

Other people, though, often have concepts where their character had "cosmic-level" powers from the start (and they often feel they need to powerlevel up to where the game adequately represents that). They do often, as you suggest, use "out of universe" backstory elements to adjust the story. They're supreme-powered beings from the moment they arrive in-game, so they have a little bit more explaining to do.

...Some other people just have a need to be the outsider. Uninterested in playing whatever's mundane, they have to create something- ANYTHING the game doesn't support. They're not Bothans in SWG, they're a similar looking race from another area with an entirely different backstory. Everyone will mistake them for Bothans, of course, and everyone will be told the tale of who they are, what their people really are, and why they're special. When they try Age of Conan and see the 3 playable races... they feel compelled to pick something else. it's in their nature. Maybe they celebrate being the nonconformist.

( I do this at a subtle level, too. I hate the idea of an all-evil city, but I LOVE the idea of GOOD PEOPLE struggling to survive in an EVIL-DOMINANT city. Many of my "villains" are rather good but flawed. )

Of course others don't even care. I met a dragon in SWG. No, wasn't a trandoshan... wasn't a Krayt dragon. Just a human character that expected other roleplayers to accept the emote-transformations that she was a magical dragon visiting from another realm through magical portal-bending. It was about the time I met Jedi in Everquest 2, ironically. I occasionally wonder if Eve Online is plagued by vampiric Elves.... They seem more determined to bend the world to what they want it to be, rather than making any effort to fold their creations into the world.

Me? I'll keep coming up with tales of mundanes becoming heroes... well, apart from the occasional goofball idea. The latest: a Villian "Minions of the Nekonomicon" undead catgirl/guy group, has NO tie-in with ANY reality, for example. (I'm its "Hai Preest").

Pretty much every single character I've made, aside from gimmicks (like a pizza delivery man turned into living pizza toppings because of a nearby chemical explosion), are tied directly to the world somehow. A lot of them are from other regions of the country or even the world, though. There's more to heroes than what is in PCity, or even the US, and the possibilities you can derive from the vague or even undefined area of the world are almost limitless.

A good number of my alts originate in *this* world.

The League of Everyday Heroes are heroes with sponsorship from corporations operating in Paragon City.

The Allies United and the Axis Korps are WWII heroes and villains.

And of three generations of Zodiac Guardsmen, only the first are from the Heavens (but, even then, they were normal humans before being selected as Guardsmen).

I guess, I'm the reverse of the OP. I have difficulty creating characters who are *not* from this universe.

I definitely love creating Paragon-specific characters. While plenty of my existing toons are based on other characters from long before this game ever came out, since I play rpgs and such, or wanted to see them in motion, my more favorite characters are ones which are created right here.

Winter's True Spirit, Trickster's Jackalope and several other of their ilk are all paragon-specific, and I love em. The world is rich with backstory hooks, origin-specific things, and has had the time to settle into my mind AS a city.

On the other hand, I almost always "bring my others in" to the city, if there's a character with an existing backstory which doesn't normally include Paragon, I *make them visit*. Much of my writing involves different dimensions and genres, so I've got a Matrix- and a GLaDOS- based character or two, and at least one based on myself, who would just be having a ball here.

Samuel, it sounds like part of your issue may be that you are drawn to the powers of the character first (perhaps in an abstract way), rather than the 'character' of the character.

Nothing wrong with that; I do it too for a lot of my characters: I may start with the fact that the character can channel tachyons, and then see where that goes, and end up with an alien from a distant planet rather than a housewif that wandered into her son's science project.

If you are truly concerned, you might start with the question: "Why would a normal person from this world be motivated to fight crime(but perhaps refrain due to not having powers), then give them powers?

For instance:

- A seasoned, weary, cynical war vet who is tired of injustice but cannot fight due to injuries volunteers to test an experimental drug...
- A young teen, full of optimism and overconfidence, who stalks a popular superhero until he finds them dying on the field of battle and literally takes up their mantle...
- A popular socialite with a plethora of suitors, who is opens one of many anonymous gifts she receives in the mail, only to find a piece of jewelry that brings with it both power and a curse...

...you know, that kind of thing.

Every superhero has two origins: one gives them their powers/skills, and the other gives them a motivation to don the cowl. Maybe you often start with the first one?

Another thought: what if you personally received powers? What could possibly then motivate you to actually use them as a hero?

I have characters from both this universe and "other universes". Some are regular people who discovered a latent mutant ability during a moment of extreme stress, others come form a pocket of Quasi-space to assist humans in their quest for truth justice and the morally upstanding way. Still others were animatronic characters at an amusement park that were "brought to life" by a freak magical thingamajig.

I even have a character that's from another universe and is hunting Nemesis. At least I think it was Nemesis, I'll have to go check his bio again.

Many of the characters I have, haven't told me anything about themselves yet. Yes, I'm looking at you Miss Serenity Dark.

I, too, am the exact opposite of the topic-starter. For me, one important aspect in character creation when coming up with their raison d'etre isn't just why they wanna fight crime or do evil, but why they wanna do so in Paragon City/the Rogue Isles, and as a consequence, most of my toons come from Paragon City, and all come from 'this universe'.

Though I do willingly shackle myself to the game's lore in a desire to be part of said lore, I also love that the game actually gives you a canon justification for all kinds of out-there characters, what with the prevalent role of dimension and time travel. In any game, I would just casually dismiss self-proclaimed night elves in Sci-Fi Town and cyborg ninjas in Fantasy Ville, but the beauty of CoX that every toon just feels right at place, no matter how different they are from the norm.

I don't find the CoH universe to be all that compelling so most of my characters are either from another universe/planet or just unconnected to anything going on in the universe.

I tend to take what the lore gives me and build on it. Most of my characters tend to be American (even though I am not) or of mixed nationalities. I take what the law give us and then work with it, sometimes hitting it with a chair, and hope to come up with interesting characters. Some draw inspiration or homage certain real life characters, and I tend to assume that Paragon is pretty much like the real world, with all the various IPs and products in, but with the added twist of it being a magical, technological and not at all normal setting.

Why aren't there any McDonalds in Paragon? Maybe the creators of Up-n-Away (Don't eat the Spring Chicken Salad, it induces Rikti mutation) signed a Circle pact to keep them out of the city. Why is there no pancake houses to be found? Because there is one, called Captain Jack's Pancakes, but the store shifts about the city, appearing close by whenever someone is in need of aid and pancakes.

Shows such as Capewatch, America's Dumbest Supervillain, Queer Eye for the Caped Guy, CSI Paragon, Teammates ("Could I -be- any more of a superhero?"), How Clean is your Base? and other hero influenced shows broadcast alongside local produce like Paragon High, Talos Beach, Good Morning Paragon, The Judge and the Jury/The Gary Judge Show/Sunday Judge (Hosted by ultra-conservative Televangelist Gary Judge, friend of hero-hating-hack lawyer Chris Jenkins) and other types of show.

Building on this, the characters then come from Paragon, other states and elsewhere, drawing their powers, strengths and weaknesses from living in a comic book universe.

Azure Arrow is from L.A, a second generation hero who wound up with 'Arrow Azure' on his license due to the name not belonging to him in this state. He's got a proper secret identity, lives with his maid Lien and assistant Martha. Following in his father's footsteps, he deals with street level crime, but also street level problems. Patrols for him consist of going out and ensuring that people get home safely, trains are free of trouble in the carrages, and that homeless people have a place to go, something to eat and drink, and a blanket if needed. He puts money towards affordable housing projects, allotments to bring gardens and vegetables to the city and other such things. Leveling is usually out of character, unless in an RP team. Jumping about Kings or Skyway, saving people? That's the most fun part.

Rushmore on the other hand is a teenager given the power of America by its spirit, while on a trip to the mountain of the same name. He moved to Paragon to learn more with the New Vigilants Supergroup, finding himself a small fish compared to back home in South Dakota, where Rushmore is a big name. His struggles include getting comfortable ith that, learning how to be part of a team and dealing with his Warshade girlfriend's joking threats to send him TO THE MOON! if he's bad. His villains are campy sorts including Captain Apathy ("PROCRASTINATE UNDER THE POWER OF APATHY! WHY BOTHER? WHY BOTHER WITH FIGHTING ME?!"), Ad Liberace ("I get so blank when I do this. I do love blanking when I visit the blank. Can you guess what I'm up to?"), Confederate Caroline ("The South shall rise again!") and The Red Glare and the Communist Manyfisto.

Zortel is the scientist in powered armour, dedicated towards her goal of changing the world, one heart and mind at a time. Leading a group of heroes, with a tower in Skyway City and her own tropical island retreat, she spends a lot of time now doing administrative work, and spending time with her wife and children.

Cindersnap is the gay, liberal Christian firestarter. He rose up from a troubled past of gang crime, losing his parents and faith, to winding up in Juvvie and being rehabilitated under the Metahuman Youth Reforment Scheme, and now leads the New Vigilants. He also just happens to be dating the son of Gary Judge. Life's never easy for a super hero.

Dipping into those from another dimension, that would be Steel Skye, the Thanagarian homage character. Found on Earth when she was just a few years old, along with a strange suit of silvery armour that was rather lightweight, she moved from Atlanta to Paragon after all the good heroing spots and positions were taken, looking to try and make her mark in the Birthplace of Tomorrow. Just don't call her Birdy. Those claws are sharp.

Other characters involve a group of teenagers who stuck together after the Hollowing, most of which mutants. From three eyed psychic psychology students and business studying BDSM/Alternative club owners, to pyrophilic pyromanic pryokinetic reporters and radioactive perky goth fashion designers. They're an odd bunch. A Transgendered Peacebringer who used to be a weathergirl, a man stuck in a power suit powered by the flammable sweat he secretes who just wants to be famous and known for the only thing he can do now, a sultry hero counseller with command over the plant symbiont in her body. There's Nachtbrecher, former Thule Society mystic who after a plot to destroy America, has found work with the CIA's Omega Watch in later years thanks to Operation Paperclip, a MAGI Spellbreaker back from a tour of MAGI sites across the country (Do not mix Unquenchable Fire and Nevermelting Ice. It makes bad stuff hapen.)

While I'm not a villainside player, my main three are Jan Boa, a half snake woman who runs a service selling manpower, womanpower and information (plus running the import food Euromart in Port Oakes. $1 for a pack of pan au chocolait?), Fist of Faust, a demon blooded dockworker in Cap au Diable who wrestles for the MetaWrestling Federation, and Professor Prion. He's serving time after stopping too long while breaking in at Benedict Tech to rant at the scientists over differences in design aesthetics.

I love the game lore, and just love adding to it.

I almost forgot Jessica Kade. She doesn't get played due to being waaay too poweful IC. Instead, she cooks things, grows vegetables and fruit, and hugs her kitchen utensils to transfer the love into her food. If asked why she doesn't help out and save the world, she laughs and says if she did that, no one else would have anything to do and would be all sad and bored and then they wouldn't have jobs and the people in Icon and other places who tailor to the heroes would loose their customers and be in trouble and those who they give money to would be in trouble and it all goes on from there so no she won't because she doesn't want to cause financial difficulties or upset people.

Without taking a break in speaking.

((Queer Eye for the Caped Guy and How Clean is your Base/Lair? are not my creations, but they are damn awesome.)

As long as an MMO has a strong foundation of lore then I have no trouble creating characters in their world. Consequently I have no trouble in CoH/V and most of my characters are grounded to canonical in-game characters or events in their bios.

And I don't even RP!

I will actually posit that a character like the Orc that you mentioned doesn't even have to be from an alternate universe. Considering the fact that we fight demons, zombies, both frankensteinian and honest to god resurrected corpses, ghosts, and even Cyclopes and Minotaurs on a daily basis, an Orc could easily be displaced in time or from a "lost tribe" of Orcs living in some foreign location.

That's the wonderful thing about a superhero universe. Absolutely anything goes. A Conan-esque barbarian from the past or from an alternate universe (or even a distant possible future) who has been displaced from his normal surroundings and now finds himself in a strange civilized world with bizarre technology he doesn't understand fits in perfectly. There are numerous examples of such characters in comic books.

For instance, my main villain is an ancient draconian sorcerer, the last of his species who plots to destroy all of mankind as revenge for hunting his kind to near extinction. He's been around for millennia. Since the game lore doesn't specifically say that such a thing didn't happen, I can say that it did in his backstory, and be completely correct.

P.S.: I freaking hate that slicking the hair back pop-up too. LIZARDS DON'T HAVE HAIR.

Well, if your characters start up as vague stories and those stories are unerringly set in an environment that can not be anywhere in this world it is only natural that all your characters end up being not of this world either.
So, it is not that you can not make characters in this universe, it is that you choose not to, even if that choice is at least partly subconscious. As you realize, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
I bet that, if you really wanted to, you could adapt at least some of your background stories in a way that the events happen on our world. It might not sound as fancy when your character, instead of being a former officer of the mighty imperial Gorconian warhost, grew up in the middle of constant tribal warfare somewhere in Arfrica, but it is nevertheless possible to create a character with the same, well, character without necessarily leaving this world.
Once that is done finding a fitting power origin is quite easy with a bit of fantasy. You just have to suspend your disbelief that "something like that" would happen in the real world. There are superheroes and supervillains in the world of CoX after all.

Here are some thoughts, if you want to give people who originate from 'here' a try.

Why not back up a bit and start a bit earlier in the story?

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Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow You'd think that with something as easy to depict as FIRE I'd have an easy time making a character, but since her concept evolved out of her being an incredibly powerful Empress of Flame, that didn't really give me a good enough AT to jump to.

For instance, this Empress of Flame may not have been born an empress. Maybe she will carve an empire out of the ruins of some disaster that will come upon our world in the future, but for now, she is a woman with fire powers who beleives she can do a better job running things than the government and is in the process of acting to gain followers and political power (and growing in flame power)?

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I won't retell it, but it basically starts with a bad guy walking in on a good ruler, killing her, stealing her source of power and using it to plunge the world into a PPG-speed-demons-inspired apocalypse and WOAH! Yeah, with that kind of beginning, how CAN I make that originate in Paragon City or anywhere on this Earth in this point in time?

Again, starting a bit earlier in the story...why did this bad guy think that he could kill this woman and steal her source of power if that power source was enough to doom the world? Why does he want to plunge the world into an apocalypse? These are interesting questions (to me) that could create an interesting character: what was this guy doing 5 years before he strode into this ruler's throne room? To tie it more closely to this world, maybe this ruler hasn't even taken rulership over a country yet, but she and this guy already have a history...

Just in these two examples you started with rulership over a country...which is not out of line in this universe anyway, it's not hard to see someone with powers, intelligence and savvy ruling a South American country post Rikti War...so it suggests to me that a feeling of history and 'establishment' may be an element that attracts you and which you see as separating things from this world.

Just some thoughts.

As to your question... "Why can't I..." I'm sure you can; you just haven't really wanted to yet.