Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Add Reply
Setting; People, Places, and Events
Topic Started: Jul 12 2015, 10:53 PM (11 Views)
TempestAtiri
Judge
Important people, places, and events.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Darquarius
Judge
Heya folks! Your friendly neighborhood Darquarius here with a public service announcement! Okay, maybe not in the strictest of senses, but technically, you're the public, and this is a service, sooo... I'll take it. Digressing!

The first thing you absolutely MUST know about the setting on this board? Is that whatever comics you've read, whatever movies you've seen, whatever games you've played, as it pertains to the Marvel and DC universes? Scrap it. In order to properly enjoy your valuable time spent on this board? You'll need to approach this board's canon continuity as a completely separate and individual beast with little to no relation to any outside sources. Some of the events of those mediums may have occurred here, but even then, there's likely to be little differences speckled throughout. The primary reason for this, is in the distinction between how Marvel treats supers, and how DC treats them. For those who may have very little contact with either universe before this board? I'll explain.

In the Marvel Comics universe? Life is hard for a super. Magic and super science excluded, both universes tend to at least try to maintain some semblance of realism, that's why their so awesome, but they both choose to 'err' on different sides of the line. In Marvel, they chose to err on the side of gritty, down and dirty, almost cruel realism. Mutants, Aliens, Genetic experiments, Cyborgs, they're all generally treated like second rate citizens, albeit, with a few notable exceptions (IE Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, T'challa, etc). But for the most part? If you're a super in the Marvel universe? You can safely assume that normal humanity is out to get you, and you're probably right. They're known for such enormous acts of oppression such as The Mutant Registration Act, The Sentinels, The legislation leading to the events of Captain America's 'Civil War' arc, etc. In short? Humans are utterly terrified of supers in this 'verse, and generally go to outrageous lengths to try and control their population.

Now, in contrast to this, we have DC's universe, where supers are, for the most part, celebrated and idolized. Can anyone name one time that Superman struck his infamous pose in front of the American flag and it inspired anger or hatred? (Jealousy because you can't fly or shoot lasers from your eyes doesn't count, btw) Of course not! In fact, the world's governments are SO in love with supers and what they do, that they have, in numerous editions, actually -sanctioned- the Justice League itself! Sure, there are your dark spots here too, but on the whole? It's a much better place to live for a super.

So, what do you get when you combine the two? A whole lot of change, that's what. What if Magneto decided to assault the Amazons of Themyscira, for instance? With their primitive technology, and heavy dependance upon metal weapons and armor? It doesn't take a whole lot of imagination to figure out how well that'd go for them. Sure, they have magic, but then, Magneto never really travels -alone-, now, does he? The Sentinels, were, of course, constructed by a private institution for use by the government, so those could still happen. But what if Brainiac had that idea before Trask did? We'd be looking at a very different breed of sentinels, worthy of Superman's attention, wouldn't we? Of course, none of these above mentioned things are actually canon here, but they do represent valid possibilities of what could happen in a setting like this.

So, if you're ready? Take the old rule books and toss them over your shoulder. Unless they're limited collector's editions, of course, in which case, you can just put them away, safely, in an airtight lockbox so that you can still fawn over them later. I have an old RoboCop adaptation comic that I do the same with on occasion. There's no shame in it! STOP JUDGING ME!

Eh hem

In the following posts I will outline more specific details of the setting. Worth noting is the fact that I will only posting publicly available knowledge in this thread. More specific information can be found in various places around the board, from canon character profiles, to specific place descriptions, and even in Articles posted in The Daily Planet. I hope you find the information interesting, and I hope that your time spent here is every bit as much fun as it has been crafting this place!
Edited by Darquarius, Jul 13 2015, 10:27 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Darquarius
Judge
The Law of The Land

One of the biggest issues that comes to mind for me, when it comes to the plausibility of superheroes, is legislation made against vigilantism. People want to be saved when the boogeyman comes knocking, but the also want their hero to be held accountable for his or her own missteps and wrong doings as well. After all, no one's perfect, not even superheroes. While there is a definitive need for supers in the DC/Marvel setting, there's also an inherent fear of what might happen when those heroes decide to, at best, throw in the towel, and at worst, go dark themselves. It was with this in mind that The United Nations held a special meeting in 1985, four years after Superman's first appearance. Superman had saved the world twice by that point, and The United States itself once more than that, and the world leaders all began to feel that perhaps it was time for a change.

So, over the course of one month, legislators and world leaders interviewed the most prominent of the known superheroes of the day. Superman, Tony Stark, The Flash, and Batman, among others. At the summit's end, a piece of legislation that would forever change the world came into existence. The International Costumed Vigilante Act. The ICVA laid the foundation for world leaders to legislate in their own countries, more specifically, how to go about allowing these vigilantes to operate within the legal system, if, indeed, they wanted them to operate at all. America was among the fore runners, establishing their own Costumed Vigilante Act which laid down specific guidelines for Superheroes to become acknowledged and supported by the federal government. Without going into all of the legal jargon, the original CVA outlined the following basic provisions for vigilantes operating on, over, or beneath American soil.


  • Costumed Vigilantes may not be forcefully unmasked by any American law enforcement officer, agent, or other personnel.
  • Costumed Vigilantes are authorized to detain suspects and law breakers and deliver them to local law enforcement facilities for legal processing
  • Costumed Vigilantes must register all operating aliases with the federal government, failure to do so, or operating under an unregistered alias, will result in exclusion from the provisions of the CVA.
  • Costumed Vigilantes must operate in accordance with the best, legal, interests of the legal jurisdiction within which they are operating
  • Costumed Vigilantes must act in accordance with all laws and mandates expected of law enforcement personnel, excluding anti-vigilante legislation drafted prior to 1985, of the legal jurisdiction within which they are operating.
  • If, at any point, a Costumed Vigilante begins to act in direct opposition to the interests and legal structure of the jurisdiction in which they are operating, they are subject to trial by jury as any other citizen. Failure to comply will result in the use of necessary force to apprehend said Costumed Vigilante.
  • Costumed Vigilantes must have documentation filed within the appropriate jurisdiction, indemnifying said jurisdiction of any liability for the safety of The Costumed Vigilante


There are other little things pepper throughout the legislation as well. The American CVA quickly became the model for similar CVAs launched around the world. Of the more than 200 sovereign states in the world, more than 175 adopted virtually identical copies of America's CVA, making small adjustments here and there to suit their nation's specific needs and legal structures. For instance, in America, a Super may detain a suspect and hold them for questioning for 24 hours before turning them over to the authorities, who may then hold them and question them for another 24 hours. In other nations, this time from might be extended to seven days, provided that the suspect is not taken outside of the government's borders, or the hero might be required to turn the suspect over immediately after capture. The basic premise of the act remains in tact, while individual governments make allowances as they deem necessary.

China was an example of another kind of country, where the CVA only applies to government officials, supers being allowed free reign to do as they please with visitors and citizens holding no political status. And opposite them on the spectrum, while the Netherlands, as a country, adopted an identical copy of The American CVA, the capital city of Amsterdam voted, almost unanimously, to forbid any sort costumed vigilantism within the borders of the city. As a result, Amsterdam has become something of a vacation spot for many of the world's costumed vigilantes over the years since then.

<to be continued>
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Rules and Information · Next Topic »
Add Reply