Devious Journal Entry

*sigh*  While not the end to BrandX, it seem City of Heroes is coming to an end.

She'll likely live on in Champions Online, but just as likely with a new name.

Jessica Kaitlynn McClain aka BrandX.

The reason for the change, is because I picked the name BrandX for two reasons.

1) That was the original name for her, when I created her many years ago, before CoH, before MMOs, and back before most people knew what online meant   She was created in basically fanfic as mutant hero in the Marvel Universe.

I always thought the one problem with the X-Men is they didn't have any real dedicated superheroes.  Yes.  They saved the world from many things.  But no mutant hero on the streetlevel sense of Spider-Man (who also did some world saving adventures).

BrandX.  It's a term used for a product when compared to another named brand item.  I liked it as it had the X in it, without being something like you'd see in picking an email addy, or naming a character in a game when the name you wanted was taken.  What?  Joybuzzer is taken?  How about Joybuzzer X?  

2) So when I brought my creation into CoH, it was when I didn't think I'd ever get to make her how I originally envisioned.  But saw something close and in spirit with it, but this was down the line.  Names I wanted where taken.  So what do I name her?  How do I make her look?

Well, I always loved the X mask in CoH (though I wish they had a X Mask that didn't look like it was painted on).  So using that mask, I recalled her original hero name "BrandX" and it was available! \o/

I thought it worked in CoH as well.  BrandX: Just another hero in a city of heroes.

Now, I think I'd likely change her name to something else.  I have a few ideas on what I'd change it to, but haven't fully decided.

I am however sad to see CoH go.  I've loved this game FOREVER!  I've retconned many things on BrandX during her lifetime on CoH for various reasons (Telepathic abilities are just a pain to RP without strict guidelines in an MMO for instance), but she's always evolved.

From shy to outspoken.  From rather conservatively dressed to put put on some clothes to what we've seen now.

I actually like where her outfit is now, as I've grown tired of the "OMG WHY NO PANTS?!" remarks to some superheroes, like Wonder Woman.  I hate the changing of classic outfits for PC reasons seemed to try to lure in demographics into a genre they're never going to get into even if the changes they want are made.

Superhero Comic industry is not going to gain a massive influx of new readers by altering classic/iconic outfits.  Infact, a lot of the caving the industry does seem to do to appease vocal groups hasn't done any influx   Want to make an influx, get people to realize comics arent just for little kids (and usually aimed at boys) and get them remembering a time when comics where loved by adults just as much as they were kids.

The same goes for cartoons.

Now obviously I'm not THAT old.  I wasn't there for those times.  But they did exist in the US at one time