[LNH][blather] Mutants mutants everywhere...

[Tom Russell]

Saxon Brenton wrote:
> On Tues 8 Nov 2005 Tom Russell <milos_parker at yahoo.com> replied:

> Here is where I'll have to disagree.  I tend to think of origins like being
> a
> mutant, or a mutate ("bitten by a radioactive Origin"), empowered by
> gods (or being a god), being an alien, or a robot, or a magic-user as
> being independent of power level or inherent ludicrousness of concept.

Sorry-- I wasn't trying to imply that they *were* related to one
another.  Just that a power is a power, and without an origin, one can
assume that so-and-so was born with it-- and thus a mutant.  Not that
this goes across the board-- just that it's a fair assumption.  Nor was
I trying to suggest that a lot of LNHers should lose their powers;
something that far-reaching definitely should be the choice of the
primary author or, in the case of public domain characters, the
consesus of the group.

> And some of those powers are so slight that while they may be powers,
> they could also be well-honed skills.

This is true, on the one hand; on the other, I'd rather call them
powers because it is ridiculous to do so.  It was one of the things
that first attracted me to the LNH.  Not so much the really silly
powers, but more the really, really useless ones.  And the fact that
the Legion is, not only, full of these sort of characters, but that
they accept them.

Cheesecake Eater Lad is, for me, a vital member of the team.
Flatulence Lad, oh how we mourn you, was part and parcel of the glory
of the LNH.  Where would we be without Domestic Lad?  Or Captain Clean
Up, or CAPTAIN CAPITALIZE, or Kid Recap?  Hell, put these six together
in a sub-group, and you have a team that the Great Lakes Avengers could
pummel resoundly.  But.  But.  But!

They are all members of the Legion, and what's more, they're all
*accepted*.  No other team would open its arms to so many "losers", so
many second-stringers and incompetents.  But the LNH damn near
encourages them!

A couple years back, there was a post about a slew of new Legionnaires
that said, basically, how'd all these guys get in here?
(Sleeps-With-Anything-Alive-Girl/Lass was singled out as being
particulary unnoteworthy.)  But that kind of misses the point, I think,
of the Legion, the LNH imprint, and RACC in general: there's room for
everybody, come on in, the water's fine.

The LNH is by far the most prolific of all the imprints, and that's
because it's a very flexible universe; just about anything can be
written, from crazy kooky stuff to injokey stuff to serious drama and
melodrama-- sometimes all of this, with the same inherently ridiculous
characters.  And it still works!  Amazing.

Other universes are a bit more narrow.  Even 8FOLD, the lovechild of
myself and the Joltin' One, which we started as a "room for everything"
universe has, so far, anyway, gravitated towards only a couple
different types of stories (which is because there's only myself and
the Joltin' One, and he's busy with Real Life Stuff at the moment).
Even if we were to get a sudden influx, it wouldn't be nearly as free
as the LNH.  (Of course, 8FOLD is a "closed" universe instead of a
public sandbox.)

But that's what makes the LNH great, you know?  It opens it arms to
anyone in shouting distance and gives 'em a big ol' hug.

**Awww...**

>
> All that said, in retrospect I think I was fishing to ask any other Writers
> if their newer characters had origns as mutants.  But since then I've
> found that Pulls-Paper-Out-Of-Hats Lad fits my intentions pretty well.

"Pulls-Paper-Out-Of-Hats Lad... what is it?  What's wrong?  Why do you
have that terrible look on your face?"

Pulls-Paper-Out-Of-Hats Lad had reached into his hat, expecting to pull
out a piece of paper.  Instead, there was a rabbit.

"Great," said the Ninja.  "Now we have to cancel the cakewalk."

>
> ---
> Saxon Brenton
>
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Tom Russell