WWYCD: We hope you're feeling better now

[Hermit]

Your character awakens in a padded cell out of costume, no mask, wearing the outfit of a mental patient. If you have powers, they don't appear to be working. If you didn't appear to be human before, you do now (Thing would now be looking like his old self Ben Grimm, for example). A nurse hears you stirring, and calls for the Doctor. You appear to be in a strait jacket

Dr. Anna Kincaid comes forward to explain to you that you seem to have come out of your last psychotic episode. For sometime, she claims, you've been under the delusion that you are a superhero. Your loved ones (some of whom maybe alive again but will of course, assert they never died) put you in here for your own good and are hoping you are 'well' again. The staff still has the costume you were found in , which looks a bit substandard compared to the 'real' one you remember wearing all these years, but if you say that the Doc will indicate it is part of your delusion, and the fact this looks inferior to your eyes is "a good sign"

If you ask about your heroic identity, Dr. Kincaid will assure you that hero is real, out and about, fighting crime, they just aren't you. If you are a public Identity hero, it seems someone else bears that mantle. If you are a secret Identity hero, even the few you trusted with your secret ID deny you ever were a crime fighter.

It seems as if either you are/were crazy, or the entire world is...
Since you're the hero of this story, you may think the latter is more likely.

WWYCD?


(Oddly, your knowledge gained remains accurate. If your character knew of Arcadia, he still does. He/she may know the secret IDs of other crime fighters (Though they will wonder who you are and how you found out) and so on)

[Derek Hiemforth]

Seeker (my long-running Green Lantern type, who predates the famous Australian martial artist ;)) would initially try and see if he was under some kind of mental domination. That's not likely, since he has a high EGO, Mental Defense, and Mental Damage Reduction specifically against Mind Control and Mental Illusions. So if he couldn't shake the "illusion" fairly quickly, he'd dismiss that idea and move on to alternatives.

The first alternative would be that he has somehow been transported to an alternate Earth, where he never took on the Seeker mantle. He'd play along with the hospital staff for a while, trying to get them to consider him "cured" and release him. In the meantime, he would work on an escape plan in case that didn't work (he's a skilled street-level private detective even without his power ring).

Once out of the hospital, he would contact the "real" Seeker and try to explain what he thinks happened, in hopes of getting his or her assistance in getting back to his own world.

At no point would he even momentarily entertain the idea that he actually is crazy. :)

[Plex]

Plex: Would automatically believe that someone was playing a joke on him. (Trying to out joke the jokester.) The most likely culprit in his mind being the AI computer, FRED, for the group base. He would also ask to see his twin brother, with whom he shares power, and his wife. If the belief that he was not the hero still held sway after talking to his brother, his wife- whom he turned from a life of villainy, and confronting FRED, he would start to believe that this was all in his head; that one of his archnemesis was trying to pull something over on him and begin fighting the illusion. He would have no doubt in his mind that it is an illusion, this timeline or whatever it is was false. He is, and shall ever be, one half of the hero known as Multiplex.

[Enforcer84]

Enforcer would be amused. As a vat grown bioconstuct he'd have precious little family. But, if everything were as convicing as you say. He'd assume dimensional travel; he's quite experienced with that. He'd try to get aid from his former employer as she too comes from another dimension and would (presumeably) be able to confirm his story and theories.

[TheRealVector]

I'd find this even more amusing if the doctor instead insisted that there are no such things as superpowers or super heroes and the whole world appeared to be exactly like the "real" world.

I just might have to pull that on my group. Thanks for the idea.

[Hermit]

I'd find this even more amusing if the doctor instead insisted that there are no such things as superpowers or super heroes and the whole world appeared to be exactly like the "real" world.

I just might have to pull that on my group. Thanks for the idea.

Welcome, though both Batman:tAS and Buffy have had episodes similar to it so I can't say this is anything original on my part :)

[TheRealVector]

Welcome, though both Batman:tAS and Buffy have had episodes similar to it so I can't say this is anything original on my part :)

The whole thing has a very "Twilight Zone" feel to it, so I'm sure a variation of the theme has been done many times before Batman and that other show ever did. Still I hadn't really thought of it so I thank you for the inspiration. Gotta tread carefully though, my players (and I admit myself) aren't too fond of "lets all lose our powers" storylines.

[Stormraven]

Checkmate is a toughie. As with another, he's very difficult to affect with Mental powers, and his intelligence is not defined as a superpower - it's just him, at 38 Int. It would be very difficult to explain that away.

If that were a non-issue - they grant his intelligence, for instance, just indicating that it unhinged him, or some such, he would assume - as many others would - extra-dimensional situations, use his intelligence to convince them he was cured, leave, and build a machine to send him home.

[McCoy]

I'd find this even more amusing if the doctor instead insisted that there are no such things as superpowers or super heroes and the whole world appeared to be exactly like the "real" world.

I just might have to pull that on my group. Thanks for the idea.
I think I did that one as a WWYCD.

Thought so. Now let's see if I can make the link work.

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35321

[Kevin Schultz]

Shinji Miromoto - his actual power is that of a limiter: it's more difficult for him to channel Dark Force energies than the average person, and he is not as powerful as the average person when doing so. The benefit of this is that he does not suffer the long-term, insanity-causing effects of having Dark Energy channel through his brain. Thus, this would likely turn him into the most powerful sorcerer in the world, as it would combine his hard-earned experience in wielding Dark Energy with the unlimited potential of an unfettered user.

To be honest, he'd be scared silly. He's probably contact the Dark Congress, the mercenary/scientific/villian group that studies Dark Energy, and explain the situation; he is a member in good standing, or if he was not he would simply join up again and become one. They'd likely get him home.

EDIT - or they'd be scared silly as well - this essentially means that someone out there has the ability to unfetter a dark magus: the whole Dark Congress is made up of wizards who are fettered, and as such study those who are not: their power comes from the fact that they don't go insane, while their test subjects do. Such a power would be the ruin of them.

Jake the Troll - He's never not been a troll. Thus, there is no default for him to fall back on. He'd assume it was a dream, and wait to wake up, or else assume someone was playing a trick on him.

Icon - Emma would likely be the most effected; her STR, CON, and BODY are all completely defined as super-powers. Thus, loosing them would put her in a coma. Assuming she was just given default values (8 or 10), she'd wonder why the information she has is still accurate, and would contact her teammates and have them help her.

Of course, it was the manifestation of her powers that caused her mother to be put in a wheelchair, her parents to get a divorce, and her father to gain sole custody. Going back to the hell that was her life before would suck.

If she were never to gain her powers again? Eh, no biggie; they were only 150 points of a 350 point character; that still leaves a 200-point hero in the process of training to be a federal agent.

[Amber Nytstar]

Luna Moth: First thing Diana would do is ask about her mother's pendant and a fractured crystal that she was carrying, acting very worried about either item being stolen (granted, the 'real' Luna Moth would probably have the fractured crystal.) Then, she call up her family and ask some very pointed questions about Luna, i.e. Gramps about how his protege was doing, Dad about whether she would be charged for any of the Luna Moth's crimes, and Victoria about the events shortly after their mother's death. Her last calls would be to her apartment for a bit more information on her last 'episode' from her roommates, and to set of triplets that she occaisionally babysat, and taught the ins and outs of cape gliding to. What she would do next would depend on what she learned, but it would involve playing along and learning as much as she can.

The Flying Kittens: (If all three were being told they were deluded.) Play along. Call their 'sometimes' babysitter, Diana, and ask how the Kittens were handling the local villains. Talk to their parents about why neither of them attended the recital before the kids 'lost' touch with reality and if the parents being supervillains were part of the delusion. Finally, hope like h*ll they really were deluded, especially if they don't each have an unluck-creating aura here and their parents weren't villains, but try to disbelieve the illusion in case they're not.
If only one Kitten was affected: Something stinks, and it's not the tuna sandwiches from lunch. More likely it's some villain trying to break his/her will for brainwashing.
First off, the Kitten starts trying to disbelieve the 'illusion', and would ask if the family can visit. His/her first questions his/her siblings (if the triplets were unsupervised) would be: Are they two of the Flying Kittens? And if so, then who's the third Kitten and why wasn't the patient involved?

[BcAugust]

Hmm, surprisingly, two of my characters could have this happen.

Nox: This one would be terrifying to her, not because she's not a hero... but because she would lose all of her friends. Then again, once she got out she'd look up Peregrine and Diomedes. We've had experience with time travel and alt worlds, and if Sherry can convince them.... plus, someone else getting Shadowstrike is bad.

Artemis: While in ancient times, Artemis is a peasant girl who suddenly knows Chinese, the Americas, how space is, and the inner workings of both Thera, oracles and time travel...

worst scenario, her parents fled with her into Herculiade lands, she got picked up by her father, who... well, if he believes she's touched by the gods, would likely imprison her up north in the Black Forest. And without her powers, she can't get out, though she likely could convince someone that she does remember this other "life"... which would likely end with her mindwhacked into following Grendel(enemy general, and all around evil guy) and telling him everything she knows, which would be bad.

Somewhat scenario, her parents fled with her into Fianna lands, they investigate when the "other" Artemis becomes big, Artemis gets sent to the Western Fianna who have people who know her and can vouch her memories are real, especially since they have mind healers and oracles who can tell. Artemis is then, depending on what's going on, either sent back to her proper place in time, held hostage until the shapeshifter taking her place is through, or is seconded to one of her friends in the Fianna when her powers reawaken.

Best scenario She was taken into Theran lands, she uses her knowledge to go and talk to Hermes and Quetz, who can verify her story(Quetz has telepathy. Even if it was "crazy", I shouldn't have any of that information or memories). Then, we'd figure out what was going on, likely time travelness, then try and fix it.

Then again, Artemis has a lot of people to turn to. It's just going to be damn hard without her powers, and she'd likely hurt herself a fair bit trying to get to those people. (Had her powers since she was thirteen, and has an amnesia about her life before that. It's a story point.)

[Fireleaper]

Avatar of the sun: Go comletely bonkers because the only people he really knows is his team mates, will worry about the other him and how the hell he became something he wasn't, blast his doppleganger with several questions just out of curiosity. Has no family to turn to, might realize that he was in a different dimension and try to fix it.

Orca: Finds where VITAS is fuming and slap him silly for touching that keystone (or whatever it is called), then maybe work out how to get out of this god damned alternate universe thing.

[Badger]

Badger- "oh well, this dream again, I'm sure I'll wake up soon"

[TheQuestionMan]

Sunburst - Acknowledge what they are saying is true and cooperates with everyone. He tries to convince everyone he has regained his senses and wants to move on and become a productive member of society. Once outside he begins to investigate what happened and even tries to meet with the Superhero who has taken his name. He will try to keep deceiving everyone into believing he is cured while trying to become the Here he was.

Cougar - Deceive the staff and effect his release. Then hunt down the thief and regain his identity.

Cougar (II), Rogue Trooper (II), and Guardian (II) - Wakened from a nightmare he accepts it and tries to move on with his life.



More later

QM

[TheRealVector]

I think I did that one as a WWYCD.

Thought so. Now let's see if I can make the link work.

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35321

Thanks for the link. Interesting...:eg:

[wylodmayer]

Alas, this thread nicely illustrates the conceptual problems with my characters. To wit,

Ace would probably just hit on the nurses and kick back for a while until he figured out a way to get out. He might assume he's in a simulation designed to get information from him, especially if the doctors start asking him to describe his delusions - in which case he would start feeding them loads of disinformation calculated to wreak havoc in the "real" world, just to send up a red flag out there.

Cat has severe psychological problems - she'd probably buy the story, and unless her teammates rescued her, would likely live out her days as a mental patient. In fact, she might resent finding out it was all a hoax (assuming it is); she'd be much happier to believe that it was all a delusional fantasy and that she might someday have a "normal" life.

Likewise, Holocaust is a paranoid schizophrenic who takes heavy doses of medication to subdue the voices in her head. She's also a supergenius. If there are any inconsistencies in the doctors' behaviors, she'd notice. Beyond that, she probably wouldn't buy it - she already knows what it's like to be psychotic, and this doesn't sound like what she's familiar with.

Terminaxx would probably wind up in the restraint cells, because he's an obnoxious jerk with a violent temper and a compulsive need for confrontation.

Come to think of it, I'm realizing I don't play very many "heroic" heroes.

[nexus]

Most of my PCs would immediately suspect some form trickery, Shidoku specfically, drugs and government "spooks". She'd act complicent and start asking questions about her "family" referring to think only she knows or that just never happened, trying trip up her captors while casing for a means of escape. It would really rattle her if she had two normal eyes, since she lost one due to her violent background and only got a cybernetic replacement due to becoming a "superhero" (More Dark Champions) so that wuld require some explaining

Eve, being childlike would be most baffled . Would she have a body appropriate for her girl her menal "age" or teenaged body similar to her robotic one? She'd probably take some time to get herself orientated and spend allot of time asking to her see father and get him to explain what happening and why there was another "her" She's modelled on his flesh and blood daughter that was killed.

One characater, Ivy might even more releif than anything if her "real" life was in order as she remembered it: happily married, two children, etc She might even try to buy into the story for awhile but the existience of another "Ivy" would nag at her since it would have to be pretty much indentical to her "psychosis".

Harmony would probablyt suspect Redwood's resident illusionist Jonathan was pulling the mother of all pranks and plot a terrifying revenge...

[Sundog]

Terminus is more than a little secure in his identity (part of being creche-raised as a super-soldier). He'd assume he was either being manipulated by someone, or, had been thrown into yet a third universe.

However, unless someone has tampered with his memories, it wouldn't be hard to show his real ID. Just give him a few days in a high-tech lab and he'd have his railguns back...since all Terminus Soldiers are taught how to make and maintain their own weapons.

[Trebuchet]

Zl'f has two civilian identities: The famous Olympic gymnast/superheroine, Elena Alekseyeva; and the alternate one of a severe executive assistant to a billionaire philanthropist which she regards as her "real" Secret ID, Pavla Sergetov. Which one is she incarcerated as?

Since her boss and several of her coworkers are also MidGuard teammates, how are they acting in this scenario?

[Lord Mhoram]

Blackcat would play along, and pretend to be normal. Then try and kick something to see how much damage she did (if the situation demanded that her Martial arts were of a more normal level), she would try and contact the Pentarchy. Failing that, she would work on meditation to readjust her ch'i to re-access her abilities. Because hers were trained, day by day, she would never accept that they were lost, but would play "normal" while she figured out if she has been bodyswitched, altered, or moved in dimension.

Angelfire would freak out - her powers are all reflections of her nature - being a half angel half demon. Although if she were normal, but still a huge rock star, she might just go with it. :)

Meeb - not really applicable

Ballistic would track down the major mages of the world, figuring someone did a number on him, and drained his magic powers, and hid his supersuit. He's a detective - he'd figure it out; whatever it was.

Sift would likely think like Ballistic, figuring she is either under some huge mental illusions, been drained, or been transported. She's work on fiding what was up.

Terminal Velocity would completely freak out, and not recover well.

Smokeater would figure it was some sort of mind game from the aliens.

[saiyanslayer]

Ashley ( a TK martial artist with Regeneration w/ ressurection) would most likely kill himself trying to see if he really didn't have his powers, since his reg only works to bring him from the brink of death. Otherwise, he'd think it was some kind of mental brainwashing (yet again) and train himself to the human limit to find who did it and make them regret it.

[Blue]

Anthem would be calm until discharged. I could see the doctor saying that her fantasies that her mother is long dead is symptomatic of her dementia, feeling completely withdrawn from the world. Her father's turn toward villainy was likely some hidden resentment of him.

Anthem would request that she be tested for a certain chemical imbalance, like the one her father had in her "delusion", because maybe the shoe is on the wrong foot.

Once released, she'd enjoy that she has a family.. a real family. But there would come a day when she would have to test to see if she still has powers, probably cutting herself to see if her inulnerability was a fantasy.

If she didn't have powers, she'd grow up normal as she could manage, finish school, and likely become a cop or other law enforcement. If it turned out she had powers, she'd create her own costume and take up her old activities behind her parents back.

[Powerhouse]

Great scenario, I need to rep.

(edit: darn, I need to spread more rep around. Sorry!)

Based on this:

(Oddly, your knowledge gained remains accurate. If your character knew of Arcadia, he still does. He/she may know the secret IDs of other crime fighters (Though they will wonder who you are and how you found out) and so on)

It looks like the whole world has changed... assuming that my characters really WERE supers at one point!

Lady Silver: would be very convinced that it was some type of trick. When she couldn't use her magic though, something that comes almost as second nature as breathing, she would be in real shock. There probably isn't too much that could stop her from casting that she wouldn't be aware of or be able to detect. Yet *something* is stopping her because she does have her powers... right?

This could definitely be fun as family (either dead or in another dimension) come to visit her as normal. "Amanda, we love you so much and we just want you to be better." "But somethings not right! They took my powers!" "*sigh* I knew that occult phase would have terrible consequences." Heck, it would be positively heartwrenching as if her first fiancee showed up alive- she would WANT to believe in it.

She'd be caught up between believing her memories and lure of her family. She'd tried meditating as much as possible to see if she could figure out what was blocking her spellcasting but try to hide it so that the staff didn't see it. Eventually, I think that she would decided that either the world has been changed by some powerful magic and she needs to figure out what it is and how to confront it (and gain her powers back to do so) or she really is crazy. With those two scenarios, it's better to assume the former rather than ignore the threat to the world. If she's really IS crazy, well then the only person who gets hurt is herself. Better that than the whole world and the people she loves.

Question: would she be able to leave the hospital at all? If so, it would be interesting to see what happens if she tries to visit various mystics who should know her yet don't. Or is this more localized to the hospital and visitors?

Starknight: no way, no sir, no ****ing how! She's a superhero, case closed. This is a trick and once she figures it out, she's going to bust some heads! Definitely interesting since the onset of her powers was a real emotional liberation that helped her shed her repressed nature and instead started living life! She'll crawl, bite, and scratch her way to where she's spposed to be.

Possible scenario: try to seduce some guard to undo her straightjacket in return for some "favors" only to knock him out and escape. Works better of course if she remembers and is able to execute her combat training. Then it's escape to the outside world and start figuring out what happened.

Nova: another interesting case since she's an alien. I suppose in this case, she would appear human and her family (originally killed when her planet was obliterated) are alive and human. Her alien memories become nothing more than childhood fantasies that she developed after reading too much sci-fi. The kicker is that Doctor Ann Kincaid looks just like Lady Silver (Nova's best friend and someone who Nova is in love with). All of these together I think would lead her to accept this new life and actually be relieved that it was her tragic past was just a delusion.

[Hermit]

Zl'f has two civilian identities: The famous Olympic gymnast/superheroine, Elena Alekseyeva; and the alternate one of a severe executive assistant to a billionaire philanthropist which she regards as her "real" Secret ID, Pavla Sergetov. Which one is she incarcerated as?

Darned if I know, more likely Pavla, but which ever is a more fun scenerio for you :)



Since her boss and several of her coworkers are also MidGuard teammates, how are they acting in this scenario?

As they are protecting their own secret IDs from outsiders, she'd be one of those outsiders... so they might be shocked when she revealed she knew their heroic identities assuming she did.

[David Johnston]

Well Poet would point out that he isn't seeing or hearing weird things any more and he'd like to get out now. Unless they let him out fairly quickly though, he'll escape because he didn't like being incarcercerated in a place like this before, and he doesn't like it now.

Hellfire will assume that what she is now seeing is real, but she'll be upset her husband never happened and she'll miss being a superhero. She'll try to get them to release her so she can train to become one again.

Wizard had no powers. He was just a precociously good engineer. Either his technology still works or it doesn't.

[Zed-F]

Soulbarb has good reason to know that she is/was a super: she remembers information she could not have acquired as a normal. A normal doesn't have Soulsight, for starters. An unpowered normal wouldn't be able to find out precisely where Lord Sin is buried, for seconds. And so on. So, there's something funny going on; either dimensional travel (not again!), or mental tampering, or something of the sort. Soulbarb will play along until she can figure out what's going on; as a competent detective, she should be able to pick up on some clues that lead in the right direction in fairly short order.

Sylph is partly relieved and partly disappointed. She will be glad not to have to concern herself with the existence of her maenad side any longer, but will be disappointed that she can no longer help people as she once thought she did. That disappointment will be somewhat salved once she finds out that there is another heroine by the name of Sylph who has similar abilties as she once thought she did. She will ultimately suppose that Dionysius has picked someone else to be his Champion, and accept her status as a normal with relatively good grace. Her only concerns will be to see if (a) this other Sylph helps out with more than just typical superheroing (Sylph regularly visits the hospital, healing the injured), and (b) this other Sylph has similar problems with occasional memory loss and transformations to a maenad personality. If so, she'll offer what limited advice she can -- she was still coming to terms with those issues herself before she 'woke up' from it all.

[Drhoz]

Your character awakens in a padded cell out of costume, no mask, wearing the outfit of a mental patient. If you have powers, they don't appear to be working. If you didn't appear to be human before, you do now (Thing would now be looking like his old self Ben Grimm, for example).

Dr. Anna Kincaid comes forward to explain to you that you seem to have come out of your last psychotic episode.

Really? Waking up human would be a good way to drive Vitus right back psychotic again


For sometime, she claims, you've been under the delusion that you are a superhero. Your loved ones (some of whom maybe alive again but will of course, assert they never died) put you in here for your own good and are hoping you are 'well' again.

Since that would include an entire universe (albeit a small one) I hope that Dr Kincaid has a big visitor's longue


If you ask about your heroic identity, Dr. Kincaid will assure you that hero is real, out and about, fighting crime, they just aren't you.

Hmm. There are certainly ways that this could happen. Vitus may well suspect the involvement of the Apparatus ( a hideously versatile 'machine' that can create evil duplicates, merge souls, etc, but only has part of it's own lifecycle of rupturing realities to copy itself across the multiverse )

On the other hand... after a few surruptitious tests of his less well-known spells, and abilities, he would write a letter to the 'real' Vitus D'rhazz ul Kasrak ur R'raschd, in Samurian - a language that only he and Vitus would be able to speak and read on this planet.

it would read "It may well be that I am merely delusional, but I would suggest to meet me here to test this - or I will tell everybody I meet what you did to the sprites"

If he shows up, a quick ESP spell on his behalf should go a long way to determining the truth of the matter, and whether Dr Kincaid is going to get her arse kicked from here to the Infernal City of Dis


Truman, on the other hand, would breath a sigh of relief and try to get back to a 'normal' life, without the stresses of telepathy, going against the wishes of his insane and possibly dead mother, and being shot or used as bait on a regular basis.

[cutsleeve]

Brain Eater Lad would jump up and dance a jig while singing a very bad tune about him not being a zombie, not being dead, and not wanting to eat brains. He would then ask when he can get out of the looney bin and get a double whopper.

However knowing this is a superhero universe something will happen that will show him that things aren't kosher. When this happens there will be much complaining and gnashing of teeth, between the cussing, screaming, and rude gestures.

[psychonaut_raz]

Yoshi would confront the person she's being told is her heroic persona Icestar (which, assuming this world is generally like the one she remembers should be easily done, because her father works for the same organisation that sponsors her hero team)....see, everyone thinks she's a mutant but she secretly gets her powers from a magical doohickey called the Heart of Winter - if this Icestar really is a mutant, then Yoshi knows something's up because there are things about her that just wouldn't make sense without the Heart's involvement. If this Icestar gets her power from the Heart as well, then Yoshi knows something's up because she's never told anybody the source of her power so there's no other way she could have known it unless she actually is somehow Icestar...

[OctoberRaven]

Mister Nonsense: "The only problem with myself, you see, is that I'm not myself. YOGURT AWAY! ...I said.... YOGURT AWAY! ... This isn't funny Stan...." Assuming his insanity (where his powers come from) is still intact, he says that. If not, he actually agrees that has was very very delusional.

Shift: Would probably be admitted as his alias, Steven S. Swansong. After all, if he wasn't the crimefighter Shift, what were the odds that he was actually named Shift? He'd insist that he's himself, saying that there's no way he just imagined the things he's seen.

Emerald Dragon: "Oh, please. That guy is NOT me. Come on, Electron, you don't remember in that dream world when we did that movie together? There's no way he knows about that, does he? He does? Well does he have scars from the times I've been stabbed, sliced, or set on fire? He does? Does he still have nightmares over it? He does?

Okay, then think about it for a second kid, because I KNOW you're not that dense. How would I know about all that if I wasn't Emerald Dragon?"

October Raven: Being a magic-user, none of his powers are actually innate, and he also has a tattoo on his face. So, all he has to do is convince the doctors to let him out of the straightjacket so he can use his powers. "Now, Doctor, either this reality isn't real, or that man is an imposter and this is all an elaborate setup. I can't figure out what's true, but I'm sure someone can... perhaps Drifter."

[Kirby]

I think I'd go crazy.

[Kirby]

Juggernaut: Would probably think she's in another dimension, again. She's got a knack for that.

Duo: If he couldn't produce his twin, he'd probably freak out. He's not too stable.

Foxbatboy: Might snap, or might truly think Foxbat is in a comic book.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Didn't see this the first time around, so...

When Dr. Solomon Kinkaid wakes up and is told by Dr. Kincaid (funny name coincidence there) the story, the first thing he's going to feel is an absolute gut-watering shock of fear, as it will in some ways be very similar to a... shall we say highly unpleasant sojourn in an alternate world he experienced at one point.

The second thought will be... "Maybe this is true." After all, the person that he's cultivated as Dr. Kinkaid is that of a wealthy but rather New Age flaky genius who bankrolls the Millennium Knights because Dr. Anomaly is the techno-mage that he (Dr. Kinkaid) would really WANT to be, if he could, had he any powers... so this means that it would cross his mind that perhaps that's the way things ARE, and that he had just crossed the line in his 'hero worship' into the delusion of thinking he WAS Dr. Anomaly. And trying a small spell of some kind and finding his magic not responding would tend to strengthen that worry.

But after he'd had a bit of time to think about it (and talk his way out of the hospital... something I'm quite confident he could do, given that his intellect was very high even before The Event [and I'm not sure from Hermit's description if he'd still have his boosted intellect or not, as it's not up in the official 'superhuman' range of 50+, believe it or not... it's in the 40s]) he'd come to the conclusion that SOMETHING was up. Step one would be to contact the Millennium Knights... not difficult, considering that Dr. Kinkaid's offices are in the same indestructible building that houses the Knights.

Given his knowledge of things... a LOT of things, including the secret society of supposedly good-guy mages that Dr. Anomaly is sometimes overseen by, and the problems they had a while back, as well as details of some distant-past and sideways-dimensional jaunts the team has been on, as well as certain very... ah... PERSONAL details from inside his wife's mind, he should be able to make a very good job of convincing THEM that something is up. From there, it's a question of figuring out the situation or solving the problem, whatever it is. If it's some kind of mental trap, he'll probably figure his way out eventually, most likely by noticing and then capitalizing on small inconsistencies and such. Otherwise... we'll just have to see. But I'm confident that he'd find a solution, sooner or later, one way or another.

(And one other thing that would help prove his case... his sister Rebecca is a telepath operating as a super-hero with a group in Scotland, and could certainly verify that he is who he thinks he is.)

On the other hand... one thing that has haunted him for years, even before The Event that gave him actual powers, was his parents' disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle. I think it's the lack of closure as much as anything that has caused the problems, he he's made periodic trips down there for years, trying (and failing) to find any evidence of what really happened to them, even if it's finally finding a sunken boat with some human remains on board. If THEY were 'alive' again... that could well prevent him from TRYING to solve the 'problem' about believing he's a de-powered Dr. Anomaly. At least for a while. And if it did turn out to be some kind of trap or other such figment, finding out they weren't really alive again could seriously screw him up.

...

You know, an odd thought just occurred to me...

On more than one occasion, Dr. Anomaly has created a simulacrum of himself that is basically him with all his memories and skills, but no powers, so that Dr. Anomaly and the team's sponsor, Dr. Kinkaid, could appear at the same function in public at the same time. (This 'powerless' version of himself is done with a very carefully constructed Summon, and part of the reason that version of himself is powerless is that he can't make a Summon large enough via his Magic Pool to be able to create/summon an actual, full, powered duplicate of himself.)

So... I wonder... what if the 'Dr. Kinkaid' that woke up in the hospital is a simulacrum that, for whatever reason, didn't just go 'poof' when the power of the spell and alchemical solutions used to create it ran out...?

Now THAT would be an interesting quandary for Dr. Anomaly, his team, his wife, AND 'Dr. Kinkaid'...! :eek:


Eeesh. I think I just scared myself with that thought...

[Hermit]

Eeesh. I think I just scared myself with that thought...

Glad to have helped ;)

[Tech]

This scenario doesn't work for at least two of my characters:

a) my heroine codenamed Angel - well, this just would never happen for a great many reasons. The scenario doesn't apply.

b) my toon character would have the entire hospital either telling him what's really going on or more likely, have the doctor think he's the one who needs help and my character would get out anyways.

[input.jack]

Revenant would pretend to be a recovering mental patient, long enough to get out of the hospital. Then he would recreate his costume (the REAL costume) and then establish a new identity. Then he would disappear as his "mundane" self, and reappear as the Revenant. Although he has the power to come back to life if killed, Revenant is very careful, and hasnt actually -been- killed in about fifteen years. Besides, unless theres a Grimaldi here, its not likely anyone else can kill him, anyway.

Spirit Eagle would be confused and bewildered, but return to her normal life as a singer and actress. She would want to go visit her grandfather and ask him about Spirit Warriors. If he said "those are just legends" shed accept it, but be on the look out for anything out of place or that doesnt fit....because she cant really accept not being the Spirit Warrior of Eagle anymore. She might not wear a costume, but she would certainly help people who needed it, and might actually start patrolling.

Feline Fury would have just gone back to her normal life without a second thought, six months ago. But since then shes come to realize that as a superheroine she does a lot of good for a lot of people, and she wouldnt want to give that up. Shed do wahtever she could in a "mundane" world to help people, including building homes with President Carter and doing volunteer work. (Which is kind of ironic, as she doesnt do anything like that in her real life; she has powers and fights crime, and figures thats enough) ;)

[The Weapon]

Version One would assume the "hospital" and it's "staff" are some sort of bad guys trying to get information from him. However he would NOT assume that he's actually Version One or that the guy running around as Version One is not. Most of his memories are implanted anyway so it's reasonable to assume that they could be taken out of him and put into someone else. After talking his way out of the hospital (god knows how given how little "real" memories he has to rely on) he'd do some basic tests to determine if he's really V1. A simple X-ray or even going through a metal detector should do it. If it comes up negative his priority is to warn the "real" Version One that someone copied his memories into this body. He doesn't know how much information he gave these people (presumably he was drugged at least some of the time). The chief suspect is the evil genius (name unknown) who created V1 in the first place. God knows how you track him down. Oh and BTW would V1 or some of his friends kindly track down his real identity if any? He'd like to have a life.

[Amused]

Vera would wonder how the Inquisition got a hold of her... Oops wrong time period. :p Either way, she would distrust every doctor and the person imitating her. She would be quietly, but intensely angry at her companions for not realizing that the 'impostor' wasn't her. though, she would also feel great confusion as to why someone would want to be her, unless it was to infiltrate the group or get close to her sister.

Lauren would first be in a state of shock, then into the "if I'm me then who's out there playing me and meeting my friends?" stage and finally into anger "So brat stole my identity and is spending my money! Those are my Prada shoes!" The last part would come around, after she faked sanity and had gotten out of the Asylum. (And about the time she realized that her friends weren't her friends and her aggravation presented itself in the only way she knows how to deal, which is having/spending money.)

Gwendolyn would probably would have been into even more therapy once they realized that she doesn't even think that the 'real' world' is real. It's all one big game. Some of her friends would have to bust her out (or they could wait/hope for the counseling to work), but mostly I'm thinking bust out. :p

[Psylint]

Revenant: "Yeah? So?" Being entirely self-conscious and accepting of the fact that he is thoroughly bonkers helps. I suppose. Then he'd walk out the front door quoting Heraclitus (breaking as few bones as possible; they're only doing their jobs).

Psilint: would probably have an "archetypal emergence" and one of his over developed archetypal personalities would arise and get him out. Whether it's the Wanderer by stealth, the Warrior by brute force, or the Innocent by playing along. Just hoping it isn't Corax that arises, the body count would be staggering.

Reverb: "Cool, pass the Haldol."


Peace

[Arac-4105]

Mythic would be highly curious why he wasn't in a wheelchair as well as a straightjacket, since his spine was damaged when he was just four years old. If the legs work, something's screwey and he'd have to talk to his former teammates. If the legs don't work, he'd have to talk to his parents.

Arac-4105 would have to adjust to being in this 'new' body, especially coping with the loss of half his arms. Unfortunately, being human would ultimately be better for him (no hunteds, wouldn't stick out so much, better chance at making a life for himself) so he'd probably stick with the 'cure' and give up the superhero thing altogether.

[Dr Archeville]

Dr. Archeville -- who comes from a long line of crazy people, so his "mad scientist" act isn't entirely an act -- would initially fear that he had indeed gone completely mad, or may have even been mad for some time, something he is very concerned about. So, at first, he would actually & sincerely go along with the staff.

However, he would eventually -- with his INT of 35 and numerous Knowledge skills -- realize things don't quite add up. First, he'd wonder if it was all a dream/nightmare. Then, he'd wonder if it was some elaborate "gas lamping," someone trying to brainwash him for some reason. Next, he'd try and see if he's in some sort of parallel reality, and if so, how he got there and how he can get back.


Dead Head -- who'd been in and out of numerous clinics for treatments for his persistent headaches before he died & was resurrected by Lovecraftian Entities -- would also fear that "it was all a delusion," and what they say is true. He'd then try to channel a spirit (and hope that he doesn't get the spirit of a crazy person), and/or injure himself (to see if there's any blood or pain or if the wound regenerates). If either or both of those work, he'd know something's not quite right and work to get out; if neither works, he'd go along with the docs.

[DrunkonDUty]

Knight Rider is all power armour girl so having her powers 'go away' wouldn't be hard for her to accept. She would assume that she was imprisoned by VIPER and that they were trying to get information out of her through some elaborate interrogation scheme. She'd resist with everything she had and try to find a way out. She has some skill as an actor and might be able to bluff her way out.

If she was eventually let out of the hospital and found the world out there was real (and not just images on a TV) she'd freak out for a while. Eventually it might occur to her that the whole scenario was the creation of some sort of "holo-deck" built with the alien technology and go back to assuming VIPER have her.

Alternate reality just wouldn't occur to her. Nor could she accept it if it were suggested.

[Wormhole]

Your character awakens in a padded cell out of costume, no mask, wearing the outfit of a mental patient. If you have powers, they don't appear to be working. If you didn't appear to be human before, you do now (Thing would now be looking like his old self Ben Grimm, for example). A nurse hears you stirring, and calls for the Doctor. You appear to be in a strait jacket

Dr. Anna Kincaid comes forward to explain to you that you seem to have come out of your last psychotic episode. For sometime, she claims, you've been under the delusion that you are a superhero. Your loved ones (some of whom maybe alive again but will of course, assert they never died) put you in here for your own good and are hoping you are 'well' again. The staff still has the costume you were found in , which looks a bit substandard compared to the 'real' one you remember wearing all these years, but if you say that the Doc will indicate it is part of your delusion, and the fact this looks inferior to your eyes is "a good sign"

If you ask about your heroic identity, Dr. Kincaid will assure you that hero is real, out and about, fighting crime, they just aren't you. If you are a public Identity hero, it seems someone else bears that mantle. If you are a secret Identity hero, even the few you trusted with your secret ID deny you ever were a crime fighter.

It seems as if either you are/were crazy, or the entire world is...
Since you're the hero of this story, you may think the latter is more likely.

WWYCD?


(Oddly, your knowledge gained remains accurate. If your character knew of Arcadia, he still does. He/she may know the secret IDs of other crime fighters (Though they will wonder who you are and how you found out) and so on)

Tiger Shark: Lt. Briggs would be hoping and praying that Dr. Kincaid was telling him the honest-to-God truth, and would be overjoyed to see his former handsome (14 COM) human face in the mirror again. Contrary to what one might think, there are some aspects of being an 8' tall sharkman mutate that aren't all that much fun. If his buddies that went with him on that fateful raid on Teleios's island lab are alive and well again, words could not discribe how relieved he'd be to see them again. And after Briggs starts acting like his old lecherous self and starts hitting on some of the nurses (and Dr. Kincaid, if she's reasonably attractive), The good doctor will probably declare him cured and sign his release papers post-hast.

["V"]

Jack-A-Dandy would assume he was somehow back in the clutches of the elves of Avalon and they were torturing him with false memories and illusory worlds as is their wont. He'll respond as he did last time by hitting them with so many mind games of their own that he may provoke one or more of them into becoming paranoid and letting their guard down.

Conversely, once he realises that Dr Anna Kincaid is an anagram of "drank in an acid" (about 2.7 seconds) he will assume that his subconscious mind is warning him that someone has spiked his champagne with LSD and this whole thing is a paranoid fantasy. He will then determine to enjoy the experience and try to seduce Kincaid (about 3.8 seconds).

[Pulsar]

:eg:
Well for Pulsar there would be a few issues, first he was a Nano tech enhanced super soldier before he was was vaped in a nova bomb explosion and a Zero point reactor exp;losion that gave him his powers in another reality where his 'Earth' is about 150 years more advanced than this one. So IF he was normal again he would be a serious threat due to the nano tech. If somehow he had no Nano tech or the powers he has had for a couple of decades he just might be relieved, but by having his memories intact would raise a big question mark. He would either cut himself or ask for a blood test, either there would be a major radiation burst or real blood. the doctor could not have his uniform since it is solidified energy that is part and parcel of his powers.

[Wanderer]

Nova: what, the Matrix trick again ? Will assume that as in the past, sone enemy of him has trapped him in virtual reality or psionic illusion, and try to find any useful clue to help him wake up.

[quozaxx]

Cornerstone would be very disturbed by the fact that he may have been hero worshipping all this time. Confess his sins, and repent. He would be happy to see his family alive, and probably have to decide what he would do with his life.

Silver Speedster would just say "Quick give me a mirror! I still look like me right? Right????? "

Mark IV would be human. He would have memories (hopefully) of his "real" life, and go from there.

Super! Absorbant! Sponge!!!!! - well, let's just say I'm not sure if he was ever sane. So he would probably still see if he could quote a certain sponge based cartoon word for word still.

[Pensativa]

It depends. If Pensativa could walk (again?), she'd seriously consider what the doctors were telling her. If her legs were still paralyzed, she'd think they were full of crap, because the incident that crippled her would have turned a normal into a very messy smear.

[Kal'El Wayne]

Sir Johnstone would respond based on two things.

If they try to convince him that he's not British, then he'll 'know' that they are imposters trying to make him think that he's insane. Then he would become very peeved.

If they don't try telling him that he's not British, then he'd likely be in a British mental institution. But does he still have his incredible skills? They aren't powers, just Batman style training.

If he still has his training and skills, then he'd fake being 'cured' to get out of the hospital. Then he'd go to his employer, and attempt to get his old job back, continuing as he did before any of this happened.

If he doesn't have those skills, and his 'training' and 'butling' was just another illusion, he'd stay in the asylum quite happily, all the while training himself in all the skills he thought that he had. When he was back up to speed, he'd fake being 'cured' and go start the life that he had spent so long thinking about.

If he doesn't have those skills but does have friends/family of a 'normal' life, he'd ask that they please accept him for who he is now. Then he'd train back up to speed and get himself released.