Post by shaxper on Sept 12, 2015 23:05:03 GMT -5
Remember back in the '90s when every publisher was launching their own comic book universe? Well I had an idea too. I came up with at least half a dozen characters and concepts that could inhabit this universe, but, looking back all these years later, the universe concept itself has always been my favorite part. It's got to be the only superhero universe concept that ever came close to actually making any damned sense. I could probably sell this thing to Jim Shooter...
I wrote out this narrative explaining the universe a very very long time ago.
______________________________________________________________
In the beginning, there was Thought, pure and unmitigated; a single mental presence. Nothing more.
And Thought was lonely.
Not that there were words, ideas, or even examples from which to understand loneliness, but Thought was a single creative entity, and it had grown tired of itself.
Eventually (though time worked in a more limited way then), Thought used its all encompassing mental energy to consider something that had never occurred to it before: Is this all that there is?
And then, by the power of Thought, something happened that had never happened before. Thought divided itself, creating two Thoughts, equally sharing the Thought Space.
But they scared each other. Where one Thought had previously held supreme and unlimited control over its own existence, there were now two equally present Thoughts, equally occupying the Thought Space.
Immediately (again, Time was not the same as it is now), both Thoughts attempted to reshape each other; to remove much of the other's Thought power. But in an all-encompassing space shaped only by Thought, Thought cannot simply be eliminated. Instead, both Thoughts were weakened, as much of their Thought energy was converted into new by-products: space, mass, energy.
A Universe was formed as the end result of their war, with excess converted Thought energy spewed throughout it. In time (which was now taking a more formative presence), much of this converted Thought energy converged, creating hot gasses that would form Stars, and those Stars, in turn, would form planets.
Still, some of this converted Thought energy remained; stray bits wandering the young cosmos. In at least one instance, this remaining Thought energy simply thought itself into living, and life was born on a fertile planet. This life reproduced, and created more life, further tapping the Thought energy. And then, after a time, this life collectively and primitively Thought itself into evolving. It tapped the Thought energy, once more.
Yet much of this converted Thought energy still remained around the planet, unseen but present.
As evolution continued to leap forward at the speed of primitive Thought, this life began more advanced means of thinking. And after much time, this life became a people. As evolution slowed to a near stop for these thinking people, able to protect themselves from harsh surroundings; the pinnacle of need-based evolution, their more primitive instincts stopped tapping the Thought energy in order to evolve.
At least for the most part.
These people began to notice that, on occasion, an individual in a psychologically traumatic situation would suddenly manifest "abilities" appropriate to their condition. A woman chased by a tiger would suddenly be able to overtake it with four times its speed. A boy trapped by a fallen tree would find the strength to not only lift it, but hurl it many feet away. Even more strange, these newfound "abilities" didn't go away once the threat had passed.
The people grew fascinated by these special individuals, initially fearing them, but soon revering them as demi-gods. Gradually, a science was produced which explored the nature of these abilities; the nature of Thought Power manipulation.
Several hundred generations later, these people grew to the height of human civilization, manipulating Thought Power in all aspects of life in order to create a perfect Utopian society.
It is said that this was when one of the two Thought Entities visited this planet in the shape of a man.
Soon afterward, though imperceptible at first, mankind began to lose control of the Thought Energy. Technologies that once worked at peak efficiency, now manipulated roughly half of the Thought energy they previously controlled. Individuals found themselves less able to manipulate the energies in their own lives.
By the time of the present day, all memory of this age and its discoveries had long been wiped away by the passage of time. Special individuals still arose, from time to time, but most were ignored or managed to keep their abilities secret, not understanding their abilities, themselves.
The time is present day. For most intents and purposes, this world looks and feels like modern day Earth. The technological levels are the same, the cultures are similar. Only the names (cities, countries, popular historical and entertainment figures) are different. Oh, and there are special individuals amongst us, but most of us don't know that yet...
I wrote out this narrative explaining the universe a very very long time ago.
______________________________________________________________
In the beginning, there was Thought, pure and unmitigated; a single mental presence. Nothing more.
And Thought was lonely.
Not that there were words, ideas, or even examples from which to understand loneliness, but Thought was a single creative entity, and it had grown tired of itself.
Eventually (though time worked in a more limited way then), Thought used its all encompassing mental energy to consider something that had never occurred to it before: Is this all that there is?
And then, by the power of Thought, something happened that had never happened before. Thought divided itself, creating two Thoughts, equally sharing the Thought Space.
But they scared each other. Where one Thought had previously held supreme and unlimited control over its own existence, there were now two equally present Thoughts, equally occupying the Thought Space.
Immediately (again, Time was not the same as it is now), both Thoughts attempted to reshape each other; to remove much of the other's Thought power. But in an all-encompassing space shaped only by Thought, Thought cannot simply be eliminated. Instead, both Thoughts were weakened, as much of their Thought energy was converted into new by-products: space, mass, energy.
A Universe was formed as the end result of their war, with excess converted Thought energy spewed throughout it. In time (which was now taking a more formative presence), much of this converted Thought energy converged, creating hot gasses that would form Stars, and those Stars, in turn, would form planets.
Still, some of this converted Thought energy remained; stray bits wandering the young cosmos. In at least one instance, this remaining Thought energy simply thought itself into living, and life was born on a fertile planet. This life reproduced, and created more life, further tapping the Thought energy. And then, after a time, this life collectively and primitively Thought itself into evolving. It tapped the Thought energy, once more.
Yet much of this converted Thought energy still remained around the planet, unseen but present.
As evolution continued to leap forward at the speed of primitive Thought, this life began more advanced means of thinking. And after much time, this life became a people. As evolution slowed to a near stop for these thinking people, able to protect themselves from harsh surroundings; the pinnacle of need-based evolution, their more primitive instincts stopped tapping the Thought energy in order to evolve.
At least for the most part.
These people began to notice that, on occasion, an individual in a psychologically traumatic situation would suddenly manifest "abilities" appropriate to their condition. A woman chased by a tiger would suddenly be able to overtake it with four times its speed. A boy trapped by a fallen tree would find the strength to not only lift it, but hurl it many feet away. Even more strange, these newfound "abilities" didn't go away once the threat had passed.
The people grew fascinated by these special individuals, initially fearing them, but soon revering them as demi-gods. Gradually, a science was produced which explored the nature of these abilities; the nature of Thought Power manipulation.
Several hundred generations later, these people grew to the height of human civilization, manipulating Thought Power in all aspects of life in order to create a perfect Utopian society.
It is said that this was when one of the two Thought Entities visited this planet in the shape of a man.
Soon afterward, though imperceptible at first, mankind began to lose control of the Thought Energy. Technologies that once worked at peak efficiency, now manipulated roughly half of the Thought energy they previously controlled. Individuals found themselves less able to manipulate the energies in their own lives.
By the time of the present day, all memory of this age and its discoveries had long been wiped away by the passage of time. Special individuals still arose, from time to time, but most were ignored or managed to keep their abilities secret, not understanding their abilities, themselves.
The time is present day. For most intents and purposes, this world looks and feels like modern day Earth. The technological levels are the same, the cultures are similar. Only the names (cities, countries, popular historical and entertainment figures) are different. Oh, and there are special individuals amongst us, but most of us don't know that yet...
