Heroes Past
City of Heroes was my first foray into MMOs. Seven years is a long time to participate in any endeavor, remarkably more so for a genre as transient as computer gaming. Every minute was worth it, and I have met some of the most amazing spirits this species can put forth.
I’ve been ruminating around in old files lately when I came across a compilation of character background blurbs. I’m going to share a few from time to time, both to honor them and to help show how those seven years in virtual spandex shaped the core themes of my creative engine.
Tara Volts
“I eat batteries. So what?” the woman formerly known as Tara Hodge challenged, “Don’ look at me like that. We all have our little quirks now, don’ we?”
Tara accidentally ate her first battery at the age of six. Instead of the battery passing though, the young girl -digested- it. She didn’t realize her ability to convert the stored energies into a more active form until later. As a teenager, she swallowed a triple-A battery on a dare and was surprised at the levels of increased energy she experienced afterward.
Tara’s dabbling eventually turned into a full blown diet, and she now finds herself with huge surpluses of energy which she expends to right injustices.
“I consider eatin’ them old batteries recyclin’, and I like to–” she demurred, stifling an electrically charged belch, “–do my part. Bustin’ heads is just a bonus.”
Spin
We all get our spin on the big wheel of life. Some just get to ride a little bit longer than others.
How does one define immortality? Through lineage? Corporeal existence? Maybe spiritual achievement? I guess I’m going to get to find out, one way or the other. You see, as soon as I was fused together from two existing souls, I reached a pinnacle of sorts. A static level of existence that hasn’t changed in the years since I joined.
No matter what happens, I always come back to this. And truthfully, I’m sick to death of it. I don’t know if I can stay sane forever. So in the meantime, I’m looking for a way to stop this endless merry-go-round…
Mother Slug
“I deal in truth and lead.” –Mother Slug
Mother Slug’s arrival was heralded by the screeching of metal and the echoing reports of gunfire. Careening out of an Atlas Park tunnel on a smoldering monstrocycle, one clip of a passing SUV sent rider and steed skittering across the pavement. The metallic mount exploded into glittering fragments against a nearby cement pylon, and after a few seconds of road rash, Mother Slug rolled to her knees.
Two polished hand cannons extended from her knobby hands back the way she’d come, barrels still smoking from recent discharge. The revolvers all but hummed in the brilliant daylight, but stayed level and steady for several long heartbeats. Narrow eyes scanned thoroughly before she rose, first one gun, and then the other, dancing into worn holsters on her hips.
From that day forth, Mother Slug walked Paragon City with her unique brand of metal and machinery, serving justice to the lawless wherever she saw fit.
