WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

[SKJAM!]

Piggybacking on the other thread, wherein the PCs are dimension-hopping.

 

After narrowly escaping Marvelmutantparanoia!Earth, our heroes find themselves on another parallel world. But in this one, early on, there was a powerful and good-natured metahuman who declared himself effectively a god. A personality cult grew up around him and his followers, which has become a new religion. Essentially, metahumans are worshipped by this cult as gods on Earth. Since the objects of worship are physically real, and can actually grant petitioners' requests if they want to, this religion has quite a few adherents, and is especially strong in the PCs' home area.

 

While most monotheistic religions have denounced meta-worship, the powerful meta leader of the new religion has ordered that no action be taken against its detractors, on pain of being beaten up really badly. The new religion has in fact done some things that seem like a good idea, getting rid of Dr. Destroyer and Takofanes, feeding the hungry and clothing the poor, but has stayed away from trying to interfere in politics--so far.

 

The religion's local representative team is comprised of counterparts of several of the PCs, their allies and a couple of people who were bad guys on Campaign Earth. Their outfits are altered to fit their new "holy" status, and their headquarters resembles a temple more than anything else.

 

How do your characters respond to near- or actual worship by the normals? To their counterpart's new position?

 

And then the PCs learn that the leader's closest advisers are planning to martyr him so that they can use the religion to gain secular power as well. What to do?

[Sundog]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

Terminus, although basically irreligious, adheres as best he can to the ideals of his home dimension's world government - which include freedom of speech and worship. He also believes in freedom of individual choice and conscience - so ultimately, he'd probably leave the cult alone. If asked, he'd just say "I don't agree with (MetaMessiah), but I'm not here to tell people what to believe."

 

As for the martyrdom thing - he'd probably go straight to the MM and lay out his evidence, then maybe help foil the plan if the MM asks him to. Murder isn't something he condones.

[McCoy]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

All characters: As the status quo seems not too opressive, will probably leave well enough alone. Certainly will do everything possible to prevent assassination of the leader.

[assault]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

Assault: exposes the plot to assassinate the leader. Uses the opportunity to point out what a bad idea the whole meta-worship thing is.

[David Johnston]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

Hellfire is going to be extremely angry at her counterpart and will probably brawl with her. If she somehow stumbles on the plot to assassinate the god, she'll both stop it and reveal all the details to the media. She doesn't approve of people who set themselves up as false gods.

 

Riptide on the other hand would just be amused by the whole business and would approach his counterpart to announce that he was "your long lost secret twin brother". The two of them would probably agree to keep it secret, with both of them pretending to be the same guy in different places. Then of course the murder plot would ruin his fun. He'd tell the boss, and after the resulting gigantic brawl, he'd let the real members of the cult decide how to handle it.

 

T.N. Lung would spend his time placidly discussing with his brother whether worshiping more powerful entities is an hindrance or a help to the pursuit of enlightenment. He would not allow anyone to die if he could help it.

 

Since the Wizard of Oz Incorporated has no superpowers his counterpart wouldn't be part of such a thing.

[Zed-F]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

I already made a different part 2... guess I will have to make a separate thread for that one.

Don't have time to answer this now, will come back later.

[Metaphysician]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

Hermes: this is especially fun for this character and his party, because back home, this *is* how things are. His first thought would probably be something like "Thera reborn! Ha, eat that, cynics who declared the Theran dream could only vanish!"

 

The planned betrayal would disturb him a bit, but main thought would be that MetaMessiah needs to clean house and take more care in who he accepts advice from, as not everyone will mean well, and some liars can be very persuasive and deceptive.

[Zed-F]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

Soulbarb would find the idea that her counterpart would worship someone like MetaMessiah to be very strange, and the idea that people would accept her as a public figure in such a religion to be even more strange. She's much more used to people running and screaming at the very sight of her. She would expose the assassination plot, but let MetaMessiah take care of his own housecleaning, unless he specifically asked for help (and thus more-or-less abandoned his pose of divinity.)

 

Sylph would have an interesing conundrum as the most likely being she would encounter in this position is none other than Dionysus. Since her own powers are directly attributable to Dionysus's power, she's hardly in a position to gainsay Dionysus's divinity. In fact, she'd probably find the experience of being worshipped as one of Dionysus's maenads to be disturbingly and seductively natural. It may be difficult for her to tear herself away from remaining in this dimension indefinitely. At first she'd be horrified at the potential for an assassination, but she would quickly come to realize that this is part of a natural death/rebirth cycle for her god, and that he would soon return to set things aright.

[Kirby]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

How do your characters respond to near- or actual worship by the normals?

Probably something like being a rock star or Hollywood celebrity.

[Tim]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

Psilancer (a clone of Lancer): As she has much of her 'sister's' distrust of authority (just not as bad) and a dislike of the limelight, would hate what her (her 'sister's'?) counterpart had become.

 

If she found out about the assassination, she would do everything she could to stop it then present the evidence as what happens when you set yourself over others.

 

Ionic: "Cool! Hero worship again. And I'm bigger than a high school football hero!" (he's still a teen)

 

As for the assassination, he probly would not find out about it, or realize the significance of the evidence. He'd be too busy partying with his alt.

[Vestnik]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

You know, it seems logical that superheroes would have groupies. Why aren't autograph hounds and star-f*ckers lining up oustde the Avengers Mansion? They'll do it for Mick jagger, but not the Mighty Thor?

[McCoy]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

You know' date=' it seems logical that superheroes would have groupies. Why aren't autograph hounds and star-f*ckers lining up oustde the Avengers Mansion? They'll do it for Mick jagger, but not the Mighty Thor?[/quote']

IIRC they use to show up at every public appearance of the Fantastic Four. Especally the Human Torch fan club. But somehow over the decades they went away.

[Vestnik]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

IIRC they use to show up at every public appearance of the Fantastic Four. Especally the Human Torch fan club. But somehow over the decades they went away.

 

Unsuccessful paternity suits in Johnny Storm's case, no doubt.

 

Must get mind out of gutter!

[Metaphysician]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

My guess is, Mutant Paranoia Chic got too popular.

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

Jake the Troll - while (#1) Catholic, is (#2) technically an elder god, and as such is unique across the multiverse. He'd get a mite peeved both for #1 and #2. "You're not a god! (Trust me, I have experience with these things.) And even if you are, so what! Get to church!" People worshiping him is one of his nightmares from early childhood made manifest. He'd probably start to get snippy about the whole assassination thing, as well. "If you're a god, what are you worried about? Can't you just bring yourself back to life? What, can't do that? Hm...not very GODLIKE, are you?"

 

If people started praying to him, he'd start answering their prayers, directly, with things like "Go to Church!" and "Say Your Prayers!" and "Tithe, Tithe!" (One of Jake's powers is, in fact, the ability to hear and diretly respond to prayers. He sometimes accidentally intercepts prayers from people, just by being in the area.)

 

Icon - is apathetic/agnostic, so would probably find the whole thing vaugely uncomfortable, and would use it as justification for thinking that people with religous beliefs are idiots. She'd tell the meta about the assasination, but probably try to stay as far away from him and his cult(s) as possible. Assuming she'd have a dimensional clone, she'd wonder how the heck her clone could justify being worshiped, as that isn't something Superman would do.

 

Shinji Miromoto - is Buddhist, and would consider accepting or rejecting the worship based on how it would affect his walk along the Eightfold Path. As his dimensional clone has obviously chosen one way, he would probably choose the other, just to see how it turns out.

[SKJAM!]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

Hal Jordan was also like this very early on. Not just a respected hero, but the person everyone in California wanted to invite to their parties.

[Badger]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

Badger's mother was Christian. Although, he isnt exactly "righteous", he does generally agree with a lot of the ideals. So, this would be a bit appalling to him, especially considering his doppleganger is a member of this religion. But, he doesnt believe in or care to interfere with religious matters. What he does probably depends on his team leader. If his doppleganger is involved in the plot he would get involved probably. Badger would never set himself up as a god, thinking on it he might be offended that even a parrallel universe version would either.

 

Frosty Bob- I always knew I was a god (to doppleganger) What you aint the main one yet? C'mon, get going.

[Black Rose]

Re: WWYCD? Culture Shock 2

 

Penumbra would wonder at a religious movement that would have a lecherous shadow-wielding grandson-of-an-Axis-SS-meta as anything other than a walking example of "don't be like this" - but then again, that may well be what he does. His usual MO of hanging out in strip clubs until the wierdness comes to him would probably not work here - his informers might even be acolytes. I wonder how such a thing would affect crime levels; "Boss, the Great Lord of Lightning and His Consort, the Sublime Mistress of Chaos, are trashing our smuggling operation! Whadda we do?!"

 

As for the assassination attempt, if Pen found out about it, he'd try to stop it, if only because there's a good chance innocents would get caught up in the post-martyrdom turmoil and there'd be death and pain. Last he checked, those were bad.

 

Kodachi, OTOH, would love such a situation, at least a little. Finding new girls for her coterie would no longer be a problem; winnowing through the applications, now.... She has a (slow but effective) power that will let her turn even the ugliest duckling into a beautiful swan... her swan. It helps to start with some decent raw materials, but it's not entirely necessary*. There would be loooong conversations with her alternate, covering everything from power tricks the other didn't have to organization and management of a cult this size.

 

Skimming the OP again, made me think of a truly twisted thing; what if the "powerful and good-natured metahuman who declared himself effectively a god" had been... Happosai? He's got power, and aside from the panties and groping thing, he's only mean to his students - and that's just a martial arts master's perogative.

 

Re: the assassination; Kodachi would have to give that some thought. If it were the situation mentioned above, she does have some fondness for Happi - he helped make her what she is today, or so she thinks - but at the same time, she knows he's survived things that "should've killed him"; if it were a sham martyrdom, she'd probably back the play. Otherwise, she'd feel pretty strongly about stopping it.

 

 

 

* It occurs to me that, if you had demonstrated the ability to make someone over into a "superior" form - admittedly of a rather specific type - in the manner similar to a vampire, there would be a small but strong cult following just for that alone. Maybe the size of "fans of [specific major supporting actor]" or something. If Kodachi could figure out how to give others the ability to convert girls like she does, she might even take on a much more dangerous aspect to the fundies: "She's a succubus! She remakes these poor girls into her image, perverts them into lesbians (fundies don't "get" bisexuality), and lets them loose to find more victims. She must be stopped!" The fact that Kodachi is influenced by "Eastern" holy symbols would only hammer the point home.