I am Kris, hear me ramble
This is mostly pertaining to Marvel and DC (but I guess soap operas, too, but do we have any of those characters? Er...) But I was wondering if anyone was interested in discussing sliding timescales.
I know, I know, massive headache to even think about BUT it's important to our playing, right? Right.
This thread in particular was really fun and brain breaking, but it made me wonder if everyone was on the same page about the way sliding timescales work. I know they're confusing (and some characters are exceptions to them-- ie Cap America, Magneto and some other age retarded/immortal heroes), but maybe it might be easier for everyone's playing if we took a look at it.
/Dork.
So as an example, I found a copy of what Marvel's current historical timeline looks like approximately written by Troy D. Smith for wizarduniverse.com:
YEAR 1: (1961-1962 our time) The FF appear; Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man.
YEAR 2: (1963-1964) Peter Parker’s Junior year of high school. Most major heroes appear, including the original X-Men.
YEAR 3: (1965-1966) FF wedding; Peter Parker graduates h.s., starts college
YEAR 4: (1967-1969) Franklin Richards born
YEAR 5: (1970-1972) The Defenders begin; Luke Cage appears.
YEAR 6: (1973-1975) Death of Gwen Stacy. First clone saga. Champions. Claremont's first X-Men team appears.
YEAR 7: (1976-1978) Pete graduates college (late, due to no phy.ed credits- Oct. 78)
YEAR 8: (1979-1983) Peter Parker’s one year of grad school. New Mutants appear. New Defenders.
YEAR 9: (1984-1987) Peter Parker/ Mary Jane Watson wedding. Outback X-Men era; original X-Factor appears.
YEAR 10: (1988-1991) Parker’s life gets Venom-ous; Kraven’s Last Hunt. Blue & Gold X-Men debut.
YEAR 11: (1992-1996)Second clone saga. Onslaught.
YEAR 12: (1997-2001) Operation: Zero Tolerance. Genosha destroyed. Morrison's New X-Men begins.
YEAR 13: (2002-2006) Academy X. Avengers Disassembled, House of M, Civil War. A bad year.
YEAR 14: (2007-) End of Civil War. Messiah Complex/War/Second Coming saga. Secret Invasion.
I also found this wiki article on Floating Time.
And here's another article that focuses on the cons of Marvel!Time.
AND HERE IS SOME DC (batman-centric) CHRONOLOGY
It's all very confusing and a lot of people criticize the application of these time laws since it condenses story lines and potentially changes characterizations and the way characters function with everything going on around them. That being said...DISCUSSION:
How do YOU (personally) apply cultural references in terms of your character's pull point? Do you prefer to use the timescale and adjust your character accordingly? Or do you prefer to keep your character stuck in the 70s, 80s etc? Some characters like Dazzler and Ben Grimm have been shown in canon to denounce old references (ie her now being a pop/dance star instead of ever having been disco, and his stating that him fighting in WWII is impossible when that was how he originally debuted).
For me personally, I like to use the timescale--at least for RPing. My character is 28(ish) years old but debuted in 1963 and therefore it would just sound ridiculous for me to have him say "Way back in the 60's..."
What are you saying C&C?
...besides shut up Kris and stop thinking so much. 8|
I know, I know, massive headache to even think about BUT it's important to our playing, right? Right.
This thread in particular was really fun and brain breaking, but it made me wonder if everyone was on the same page about the way sliding timescales work. I know they're confusing (and some characters are exceptions to them-- ie Cap America, Magneto and some other age retarded/immortal heroes), but maybe it might be easier for everyone's playing if we took a look at it.
/Dork.
So as an example, I found a copy of what Marvel's current historical timeline looks like approximately written by Troy D. Smith for wizarduniverse.com:
YEAR 1: (1961-1962 our time) The FF appear; Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man.
YEAR 2: (1963-1964) Peter Parker’s Junior year of high school. Most major heroes appear, including the original X-Men.
YEAR 3: (1965-1966) FF wedding; Peter Parker graduates h.s., starts college
YEAR 4: (1967-1969) Franklin Richards born
YEAR 5: (1970-1972) The Defenders begin; Luke Cage appears.
YEAR 6: (1973-1975) Death of Gwen Stacy. First clone saga. Champions. Claremont's first X-Men team appears.
YEAR 7: (1976-1978) Pete graduates college (late, due to no phy.ed credits- Oct. 78)
YEAR 8: (1979-1983) Peter Parker’s one year of grad school. New Mutants appear. New Defenders.
YEAR 9: (1984-1987) Peter Parker/ Mary Jane Watson wedding. Outback X-Men era; original X-Factor appears.
YEAR 10: (1988-1991) Parker’s life gets Venom-ous; Kraven’s Last Hunt. Blue & Gold X-Men debut.
YEAR 11: (1992-1996)Second clone saga. Onslaught.
YEAR 12: (1997-2001) Operation: Zero Tolerance. Genosha destroyed. Morrison's New X-Men begins.
YEAR 13: (2002-2006) Academy X. Avengers Disassembled, House of M, Civil War. A bad year.
YEAR 14: (2007-) End of Civil War. Messiah Complex/War/Second Coming saga. Secret Invasion.
I also found this wiki article on Floating Time.
And here's another article that focuses on the cons of Marvel!Time.
AND HERE IS SOME DC (batman-centric) CHRONOLOGY
It's all very confusing and a lot of people criticize the application of these time laws since it condenses story lines and potentially changes characterizations and the way characters function with everything going on around them. That being said...DISCUSSION:
How do YOU (personally) apply cultural references in terms of your character's pull point? Do you prefer to use the timescale and adjust your character accordingly? Or do you prefer to keep your character stuck in the 70s, 80s etc? Some characters like Dazzler and Ben Grimm have been shown in canon to denounce old references (ie her now being a pop/dance star instead of ever having been disco, and his stating that him fighting in WWII is impossible when that was how he originally debuted).
For me personally, I like to use the timescale--at least for RPing. My character is 28(ish) years old but debuted in 1963 and therefore it would just sound ridiculous for me to have him say "Way back in the 60's..."
What are you saying C&C?
...besides shut up Kris and stop thinking so much. 8|