Who would you be?

[golentan]

Weird, WEIRD question a friend posed to me.

So, you found a genie, and you get one wish. Unfortunately, the person who found it before you was kind of a prankster. He wished that you could only wish to be a single fictional character: in their universe, with all their capabilities, with their narrative plot arc (however long or short it might be) fated to play out for you. You will keep your memories of earth as it is, but otherwise you will be subsumed into the character: If it's a world yet unwritten or with many possible paths, you can choose your own fate moving forward, but if it's a fixed plot, well, you must play it in pantomime. You cannot walk away from the wish, you must wish to be someone who was not written by you.

So... With that in mind, who would you choose to become?

[Jallorn]

Is there some time limit, or can I ask the genie to wait while I write a self-insert story that creates my ideal world to live in with a short story arc but no definite conclusion, thus permitting me to live with free will?

[Eldan]

I was about to ask the same thing, yeah. Because I am about to write Emperor [Eldan] of Mars, saviour of Mankind, Sexiest Man Alive.

Edit: how did i not manage to read that properly. Definitely someone else's Mary Sue fiction, then. Because screw drama.

[BiblioRook]

Squirrel Girl.

Superpowers?
Get to talk to animals?
Get to live in the Marvel World?
'Successful' and accomplished superhero career?
And most importantly: Little to no personal drama involving any of the above.

I would have to go on to study compute science, which I'm not expressly keen on, but that's still not that bad as it's an useful subject to learn about just one I don't really have a particular interest in.

[Some Android]

Either Saitama (One Punch Man) or Mr. Popo (Dragon Ball Z Abridged)

[JoshL]

Squirrel Girl.

Superpowers?
Get to talk to animals?
Get to live in the Marvel World?
'Successful' and accomplished superhero career?
And most importantly: Little to no personal drama involving any of the above.

I would have to go on to study compute science, which I'm not expressly keen on, but that's still not that bad as it's an useful subject to learn about just one I don't really have a particular interest in.

You aren't Achieving Consistency Across Distributed Database Systems Girl. Well, not yet.

[Traab]

So if I picked something like Dresden, I would pop up as him and live his life up to the current novel, but anything past that would be mine to control? Ugh he would suck. Way too many dark powers competing for his soul, and he is currently in a rather bad spot. Had the series ended earlier I might be willing to risk it. Hmmmm, who would I pick? Belgarion of Riva. I get to be the King of an island nation, Overlord of the western lands, Have a gorgeous smart and awesome wife, a couple kids, and at the end of the series I am victorious in saving everything, the gods love me and im an immortal wizard with an eternity of good times ahead of me. Well ok sure, my wife will only live for a few hundred years most likely, but you never know, I might be able to fix that with time. yeah, I like the sound of that life.

[DoctorFaust]

Looking at it from a standpoint of getting a balance between awesomeness of powers, personal drama, and potentially life-threatening situations they get into, I think I would go with either Amamiya Yuuhi or Kotoha Isone. Maybe Matrim Cauthon.

Or I might just say screw it and pick one of the characters from Flying Witch or K-On.

[Corlindale]

This one is interesting.

Maybe one of the minor characters in Harry Potter, who gets to learn actual magic without too much mortal peril.

Or Orlando Gardiner at the end of the Otherland series who gets to live eternally on the virtual-reality internet as a digitized version of himself - in the form of his MMO avatar as a powerful barbarian hero - after his body dies.

[themaque]

Sorry it's a boring answer but...

Ben Wyatt from Parks & Rec.

1) Get to keep my current hobbies and recreation
2) Wonderful family life
3) Rewarding career

I'm not able to fly or have super powers, but just a rewarding life and know things will work out pretty well for me in the end despite difficulties tat pop up weekly.

If I was forced to go something more Dramatic... Wesley Dodds, the Sandman. Mostly same reasons.

[Aotrs Commander]

Weird, WEIRD question a friend posed to me.

So, you found a genie, and you get one wish. Unfortunately, the person who found it before you was kind of a prankster. He wished that you could only wish to be a single fictional character: in their universe, with all their capabilities, with their narrative plot arc (however long or short it might be) fated to play out for you. You will keep your memories of earth as it is, but otherwise you will be subsumed into the character: If it's a world yet unwritten or with many possible paths, you can choose your own fate moving forward, but if it's a fixed plot, well, you must play it in pantomime. You cannot walk away from the wish, you must wish to be someone who was not written by you.

So... With that in mind, who would you choose to become?

As telling genie to stuff it is not an option; assuming genie can survive direct hit from rocket launcher, epic-level offensive magic, repeated captial-starship orbital bombarment (in that order), up to and including anti-matter warheads (yes, even with me stood next to him, it if comes to it; I'd rather die1), single most omnipotent entity I can think of. Middle-Earth's Eru would be good start, given the open-endedness of his actions. I would perform all keeping appearnces as required, then utilise my new powers of omnipotence to locate said genie, locate said former wisher and disembowel their souls with extreme prejudice. I take that sort of impingement on my very soul and self VERY personally...



1And coming from me may give you some idea of how monumental that sentiment is.

[Dienekes]

Belgarion of Riva. I get to be the King of an island nation, Overlord of the western lands, Have a gorgeous smart and awesome wife, a couple kids, and at the end of the series I am victorious in saving everything, the gods love me and im an immortal wizard with an eternity of good times ahead of me. Well ok sure, my wife will only live for a few hundred years most likely, but you never know, I might be able to fix that with time. yeah, I like the sound of that life.

Plus, you'd get to hang out with Silk and Belgarath, that's gotta be quite a benefit.


As to myself? Probably something like Indiana Jones, because I always wanted some high flying adventure in my life. Plus I like history. And, even if I would have to live through that last movie at least living it would probably be more fun.

But if I really want to be sneaky and get past the restrictions Commander Shepard. Awesome adventuring life, he's basically a choose your own adventure protagonist so you still have (mostly) free will, I know all the choice pitfalls so I can still lead the galaxy to the best ending, and at the end

I become the immortal God-Emperor of the galaxy. And nothing says what I do with that power, and I have quite a few ideas.

[comicshorse]

[QUOTE=Aotrs Commander;20882307]As telling genie to stuff it is not an option QUOTE]

Why is telling the Genie to stuff it not an option ?

P.S
For me I'll go for James Bond, the literary version not the cinema or maybe Willie Garvin from the 'Modesty Blaise' novels

[anjxed]

Maybe JC Denton from Deus Ex. I get to become a god

[Aotrs Commander]

Why is telling the Genie to stuff it not an option ?

Because of this criterion:


You cannot walk away from the wish, you must wish to be someone who was not written by you.

[comicshorse]

Because of this criterion:

Yep, utter failure on the Awareness check on my part there. Sorry :smallredface:

[Kyberwulf]

I hate to break it to you. That isn't a wish then. That would be a curse.

That is the exact same as Zuul jumping down and saying, Choose you're destruction.

I would choose to be a dude from a romance novel. You get to be Good looking, rich, smart. By the end of the book, you invariably get a perfect girl, and you get you're happily ever after. No matter what happens at the end of the book, nothing bad will ever happen to you. Because the end is happily ever after is the plot.

or

Flynn Ryder aka Eugene from Tangled.

[Mato]

The Christian God, not that I'm saying he's fictional or not so can we avoid the hate/flames?

Sure it'd suck raining fiery death upon people and flooding the Earth but you can do anything including retcon things later on anyway. Like little asterisks could appear next to heaven/hell and you get a New Game+ mode depending on your life. Want a genie to grant you superpowers? It could happen, but you could also be the only does that doesn't get superpowers :p

[Lord Raziere]

Tedd Verres from El Goonish Shive.

live a good life full of magic and tg/tf shenanigans, have a cool girlfriend, good group of friends, have transformation powers of my own, be intelligent enough to make awesome transformation things, and the worst I have to worry about most of the time is dealing with the various awkward situations that arise from my magical transformation stuff. all in all a good deal, which is more than I can say for many other options and characters that while I find awesome, I would NOT want to be in their shoes.

[Rodin]

[QUOTE=Aotrs Commander;20882307]As telling genie to stuff it is not an option QUOTE]

Why is telling the Genie to stuff it not an option ?

P.S
For me I'll go for James Bond, the literary version not the cinema or maybe Willie Garvin from the 'Modesty Blaise' novels


Didn't the literary version of James Bond die?

I mean, sure, you get to be a badass secret agent, but I think that you'd have the knowledge of your impending doom looming over you throughout.

If you pick the movie version, you get youthed back down every time they change actors. :smalltongue:

I think I'd probably be Sam, Merry, or Pippin from Lord of the Rings. Experience the adventure, get the happy ending without the nasty after-effects that Frodo and Bilbo suffered. I also considered Harry Potter, but that would probably get my parents killed, so...

[blunk]

Don Shimoda? He kinda had it goin' on.

[Traab]

[QUOTE=comicshorse;20882335]


Didn't the literary version of James Bond die?

I mean, sure, you get to be a badass secret agent, but I think that you'd have the knowledge of your impending doom looming over you throughout.

If you pick the movie version, you get youthed back down every time they change actors. :smalltongue:

I think I'd probably be Sam, Merry, or Pippin from Lord of the Rings. Experience the adventure, get the happy ending without the nasty after-effects that Frodo and Bilbo suffered. I also considered Harry Potter, but that would probably get my parents killed, so...

I suggest Sam in that case. Sam gets to marry a lovely young woman, raise a large family, and I think becomes mayor of hobbiton for a time. He lives a long life of peace and happiness with everything he ever wanted. I think he even gets to travel across the seas to meet up with frodo again eventually, doesnt he? I think they mention something about how even though it was only for a short while, he too was a ring bearer and has earned his place. As for Harry, Bleh. I think his life probably isnt very idyllic. Yeah he gets married and has kids and all, but despite the new series coming out, I just dont see him having much peace as the resident dark lord slayer.

[BeerMug Paladin]

Chief Circle's Marty Stu. Basically, I am clearly insane.

[Formless Entity]

Weird, WEIRD question a friend posed to me.

So, you found a genie, and you get one wish. Unfortunately, the person who found it before you was kind of a prankster. He wished that you could only wish to be a single fictional character: in their universe, with all their capabilities, with their narrative plot arc (however long or short it might be) fated to play out for you. You will keep your memories of earth as it is, but otherwise you will be subsumed into the character: If it's a world yet unwritten or with many possible paths, you can choose your own fate moving forward, but if it's a fixed plot, well, you must play it in pantomime. You cannot walk away from the wish, you must wish to be someone who was not written by you.

So... With that in mind, who would you choose to become?

Have a friend write the beginning of a story where I am omnipotent and have omniscience so I can control things how I will. If I do not like that, I can use my powers to come back to Earth and strip myself of those powers.

[Flickerdart]

Do you get to choose when you take over, or are you stuck doing the entire story?

[golentan]

Do you get to choose when you take over, or are you stuck doing the entire story?

Whole story.

[thorgrim29]

Yeah Belgarion of Riva seems like the way to go. I mean on top of everything else the manifest will of Destiny owes him a few favours so... Being immortal has downsides but in that case most of my family would be immortal too so... (And everyone who isn't can probably be made younger given a sufficient understanding of anatomy). Garion is sort of an idiot but what the hell...

Other than that... Maybe Gurgeh the titular "Player of Games", one of the Culture novels... He gets to live for as long as he feels like in an Utopian post-scarcity society and do something meaningful with his life on top of that.

[cobaltstarfire]

I would be a background dragonrider from some Pern Novel towards the end of the final pass, preferably one that doesn't get itself or their dragon eaten/injured by thread.

Or maybe Melony? She doesn't have a dragon, but she's an amazing harper, has impressed a bajillion firelizards (well ok more like 10...), and seems to have a pretty happy life by the end of things. Sure slicing my hand open will suck, and running my feet raw to avoid threadfall won't be fun, but eventually I'll get to be Master Harper, which is a fairly interesting and usually comfortable life.

[Flickerdart]

Other than that... Maybe Gurgeh the titular "Player of Games", one of the Culture novels... He gets to live for as long as he feels like in an Utopian post-scarcity society and do something meaningful with his life on top of that.

Despite that, Gurgeh is very unhappy. It might be better to choose a more generic Culture citizen who is perfectly happy to hang around and reap the benefits of his civilization.

It may be wiser to choose a character who isn't a primary protagonist, nor a traditional antagonist who is vanquished in the end. For example, Professor Woland in Master and Margarita has practically unlimited power, and yet no dramatic arc where he must suffer the rises and falls of fortune that make a plot interesting.

Or go with Q. All of the power, none of the responsibility. Whenever bad things happen, bother Picard until he solves your problems.

[comicshorse]

[QUOTE=comicshorse;20882335]


Didn't the literary version of James Bond die?


Nope, though he comes close in 'From Russia With Love'

[TheThan]

John Carter of Mars
Pros:
Awesome swordsman
Super powers including super strength, agility and telepathy
Mighty adventurer
Warlord of mars
Married to literally the most beautiful woman on mars
prince by way of marriage (or at least a duke, not sure how that works)
Awesomely (but ugly) faithful dog
Rich, both on earth and on mars
Small circle of trusted friends and allies
Lives on mars… most of the time
Leader of men
Very long lived
Southern gentleman

Cons
Wife gets kidnapped (err wife napped?) constantly
Occasionally gets teleported back to earth, forcing him to be gone for stretches at a time
Lots of dangerous fighting and situations
Nudity clause (well ok, that is a con about half the time)

[Themrys]

I'd ask a friend to write a Mary Sue Fic about me. Wherein I am able to kill the fairy who cursed me thus.

But if I can't do that ...

Summer Whistler from "A Brother's Price". If I have to leave all my friends and family behind, then I want to at least live in an interesting, different world.

[thorgrim29]

Despite that, Gurgeh is very unhappy. It might be better to choose a more generic Culture citizen who is perfectly happy to hang around and reap the benefits of his civilization.

Might be because I read the book quite a few years ago but I remember him being happy (or at least content) at the end of the book. About the generic Culture guy/gal (not that that's a meaningful distinction there) the problem is that they don't typically do much with their 3 to 4 centuries of life. I used to think that wasn't a big deal, but then I spent 7 months unemployed and I sort of changed my mind about that. I'm not in the "living in the Culture would be awful" camp but I am a lot less gung-ho about it than I used to. Guess I could always join Contact so the god-like AIs can humour me or dedicate my life to making the best beer evar or something


Back on subject: Staying in (more or less) the real world Alex Moran in Blue Mountain State has it pretty good (dumb as it can be, I love that show). I’d get to spend 4 years partying, having frankly ridiculous amounts of sex and presumably go on to be a NFL quarterback. Also I’d have the weird metabolism that all BMS characters have that would let me live off hot dogs, beer, liquor and drugs while maintaining six-pack abs. Now I know nothing about football IRL but I assume that comes with the “role”.

[golentan]

Me, I think I'd choose to be Ein from Exalted. Guaranteed several thousand years of high tech magical life, possibility of immortality if the oncoming crises can be fixed, beautiful snowy environs and the ability to interact with the world through a swarm of minions. Sounds good to me.

Most of this is really interesting, thanks for sharing folks! But...


John Carter of Mars
Pros:
Southern gentleman


Cons: Literally unreconstructed "Southern gentleman."

[TheThan]

Cons: Literally unreconstructed "Southern gentleman."

On the contrary, John carter shows none of the typical negative attributes associated with being a southern gentleman; at least as far as I have read into the book series. The simple fact that you are suggesting that being so its a con shows not only your ignorance but also your biased against southerners, gentlemen and possibly even white people. I suggest you educate yourself and consider your thoughts on the matter very carefully.

in fact, John Carter conducts himself as a perfect gentlemen when not in a life and death adventure (so normal life) and even when he is in a battle, conducts himself with honor.

[ScHClutter]

I feel really weird about my answer, but I just can't shake the idea of being Kirby (the video game character) from my mind. He's just always so happy. I guess he's my choice.

[Forum Explorer]

The Christian God, not that I'm saying he's fictional or not so can we avoid the hate/flames?

Sure it'd suck raining fiery death upon people and flooding the Earth but you can do anything including retcon things later on anyway. Like little asterisks could appear next to heaven/hell and you get a New Game+ mode depending on your life. Want a genie to grant you superpowers? It could happen, but you could also be the only does that doesn't get superpowers :p

I don't know, you do have to get crucified and tortured to death at some point. Yeah, you come back, but I'm pretty sure you can find a fictional god character who doesn't have to suffer as badly.


I feel really weird about my answer, but I just can't shake the idea of being Kirby (the video game character) from my mind. He's just always so happy. I guess he's my choice.

That's cause he's an eldritch abomination who devours worlds. :smalltongue:


I can't decide, so I'm going to go over some characters that I like.

Frisk from Undertale

Pros:
Have complete control over a timeloop, which may or may not be needed.

Lots of cool and interesting friends that genuinely love you.

Might legitimately be immortal after the pacifist ending, or retain the ability to LOAD anyways.

Not much dictated in who you are personality wise.

Cons:
You are a tiny child.

You might just be possessed by some sort of universe ending demon.

You'll likely die repeatedly as you learn how to dodge.


Nanoha Takamatchi

Pros:
Immense magical power and skill.

A group of loving family and friends.

Fame, fortune, and power.

A futuristic society with millions of planets to explore.

A genuinely happy ending as of ViVid.

Cons:
Some really painful ***kickings to get to said ending

Some really gutwrenching moments of watching loved ones suffer.

TSAB corruption/bureaucracy would only be more frustrating with immense personal power.

The expectation to come out of retirement and save the world if needed.

Shepard from Mass Effect

Pros:
Cool technology

Galactic hero

Can live depending on what ending you choose.

Cons
Way too many to list.


A MLP character (thinking a background pony/dragon here)
Pros:
A quasi-utopic society

a fascinating reality

you are almost guaranteed to be weirdly durable.

being friendly and cheerful is literally a source of power.

Pinkie Pie exists

Cons:
Regular monster attacks

Mind control is way too common for my comfort levels.

Some pretty dangerous stuff is out there.

Pinkie Pie exists.


Commander Kang (Dragonlance Draconian)

Pros:
You have magic

You are physically pretty durable

Gods exist and reward their faithful

You have to truly mess up on an epic level to not get a good afterlife.

You are a leader of a new and powerful nation of magical beings that all respect you immensely.


Cons:
One of your hands is mangled beyond repair of anything short of some really rare magic.

You have to fight some three wars or more.

You have to march on low rations while fending off a massive army of goblins.

You get critically wounded many times.

Your species is hated from said wars, so diplomacy will be very tricky.

Kender exist.

[Adderbane]

Top choices:
Matt Cruse, Airborn Trilogy: Rare hero without combat ability, still has cool adventures with minimal injuries. Cool job, Kate, etc.
Major Anthony Nelson, I Dream of Jeannie: Astronaut during height of US space program, nigh-omnipotent girlfriend who generally can get you out of trouble she gets you in.
Milo Amastica-Liadon, Harry Potter and the Natural 20: Getting to show Death Eaters what "munchkin" and "combat-optimized" mean. Only downside is Red Christmas.

Honorable Mentions:
Belgarion looks pretty good, but I'm currently on Book 3 so I can't really judge him.
Harry Dresden: awesome, but post-Changes...lots of bad stuff happening.

[Flickerdart]

Oh, speaking of people with easy lives - Captain Jester of Phule's Company doesn't have much going for him in the way of hardship. The heir of a mega-fortune, he solves all his problems with a quick wit and ridiculous amounts of money. If I had to choose a protagonist, it would certainly be him.

[DataNinja]

I see so many protagonists on this thread. (Yes, I know it's because not a lot of tagonists of the "an-" variety get happy endings.) Clearly someone needs to redress this balance. :smalltongue:

So, thus, I'd pick Portal's GLaDOS. Sure, I'd have to die once, and get stuffed into a potato, but then I have all of Aperture Science (and the world's knowledge) at my fingertips. Under someone actually in their right mind. And when I get bored of the AI I can develop, I can enact plans for world domination. And/or upload my brain into an actually mobile body for kicks.

(Clearly there are much better choices, but I was trying to think of villains I wouldn't mind being either. :smallbiggrin:)

[cobaltstarfire]

There are very few sapient antagonists in Pern, the stories are largely man vs nature. A lot of them focus on dealing with thread, and later making sure the red star never comes back for another pass.

All of the human antagonists on Pern are rather closed minded and bitter people too, often old. They don't die, but it seems like it'd be miserable to be one of them.


I'd have to think of an interesting antagonist that isn't already destined to die...or rot in some form of prison it could be interesting just to see things from the antagonists perspective.

[Darth Credence]

Yoda. You would get 900 years of doing pretty much whatever you want as the best Jedi in the galaxy before you had to conform to anything else. Then you'd lose one fight and go hide for 30 years. This doesn't even have to be on Dagobah, you would just have to be there before Luke shows up. Sure, you'd know you were about to die at that point, but it would be after 900 years of life and you would know that you would have an afterlife that would allow you to still interact with other Jedi.

[Kitten Champion]

Given the premise, I would choose a character with very little narrative or characterization so I can attain agency fairly quickly and retain much of my personality, and simply be a person in a setting I find preferable.

Thus - after scanning the wiki - I would pick Stephanie (http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Stephanie_(AG034)), aka nameless girl character from the 34th episode of Pokemon: Advanced Generation. A ten-year-old (I presume) who just receives her Mudkip starter by the conclusion of the episode, and is a one-off character-of-the-week.

[SuperPanda]

One of my first thoughts was Captain Kirk (TOS) because while he does die in a sad way - this is after being in a timeless paradise for an unknown duration and after having a very full and exciting life.

That said, it removes alot of agency since so much of his life is known.

Thinking about staying in the same universe I come to think about the Captain of the Enterprise B. We know that within ~ 70 years the B is decommissioned, the C is commissioned, the C is destroyed, the D is built. So the ship likely flies for ~30 years. We know that time time is peaceful, there are no major battles or conflicts. The Captain looked maybe early 30s when we first saw him, that means he's a grumpy old man in TNG time (Federation people live to be over 100 - so very long life). Live to see the creation of the holodeck, replicator, and other things making old age especially pleasant.

Get to explore space with nearly complete free will because that time period was just jumped over. Sure I'd have the weight of command, but all of the really big crisis moments are either years behind me or decades away. I can't accidentally destroy the federation because its still there later on.

Cons:
I have to look like a buffoon on Federation news networks for one day and get put in history books as the man who got James. T. Kirk killed.
I will not become as famous as Kirk or Picard no matter what I do.
I have to wear red (I don't look good in red now - but I guess I'd become him so this isn't as much of a problem).
There is a non-zero chance of getting killed the moment I beam down to an alien planet wearing red, but as the Captain this is lessened significantly.
Living in a society with an unhealthy fascination with the time period I'm actually from (so I'm reminded of what I lost)
Will probably go insane if promoted - Starfleet admirals have questionable sanity

Pros:
Captain of a star ship, not just any ship - the Enterprise (even if its the B).
Replicators (okay, not yet but there for old me).
Holodecks (again when I'm older) (allows me to relieve this life too when I become a holo-addicted grandpa).
Really great medicine.
A very reasonable expectation of living into late 90s and beyond.
Amazing medical treatment.
Explore Space!
Possible promotion later in life.

[cobaltstarfire]

You know, I think if I had to pick a villain it'd be David Xanatos or Demonia from Disneys Gargoyles...they're both pretty interesting as far as villains go.

[Traab]

You know, I think if I had to pick a villain it'd be David Xanatos or Demonia from Disneys Gargoyles...they're both pretty interesting as far as villains go.

I would say xanatos, demona suffers a LOT and is a really angry and bitter lady. For reasons both good and bad.

[lt_murgen]

Tom Bombadil.

Immortal, happy, unconcerned with the world.

[Traab]

Tom Bombadil.

Immortal, happy, unconcerned with the world.

And has a hot wife who adores him on top of it all. :p Without her I would vote against it simply for the loneliness factor.

[RossN]

Lando Calrissian.

I'm a handsome, charming, mustachioed, cape wearing intergalatic gambler/scoundrel/leader/war hero. I get to live in the incredibly exciting Star Wars universe and while I am friends with the main heroes I drop out of the main narrative early on, allowing me to go on and do my own thing.

[Aotrs Commander]

Lando Calrissian.

I'm a handsome, charming, mustachioed, cape wearing intergalatic gambler/scoundrel/leader/war hero. I get to live in the incredibly exciting Star Wars universe and while I am friends with the main heroes I drop out of the main narrative early on, allowing me to go on and do my own thing.

Depends which continuity you get, 'cos if it's the old (proper) EU, you cna look forward to such exciting jobs as running business which constantly get nicked by the Empire, not dating Mara Jade and getting stuck on a giant space-ship doohickey with Threepio, Artoo and Lobot...!

[RossN]

Depends which continuity you get, 'cos if it's the old (proper) EU, you cna look forward to such exciting jobs as running business which constantly get nicked by the Empire, not dating Mara Jade and getting stuck on a giant space-ship doohickey with Threepio, Artoo and Lobot...!

That's a very good point. I'd assumed 'current' canonicity would override that but if the genie is enough of a jackass to do this to me, he'll know I read and like the original EU (which unfortunately rules out most of Star Wars - my favourite setting but I don't want to face the Yuzhaan Vong.)

Hmm... I'll get back to you.

[Aotrs Commander]

That's a very good point. I'd assumed 'current' canonicity would override that but if the genie is enough of a jackass to do this to me, he'll know I read and like the original EU (which unfortunately rules out most of Star Wars - my favourite setting but I don't want to face the Yuzhaan Vong.)

Hmm... I'll get back to you.

Heck, with the new EU, Lando might even be dead by this point...!

[Pex]

Charlie Bucket

[blunk]

Charlie BucketI would be on Metformin by thirty.

[cobaltstarfire]

I would say xanatos, demona suffers a LOT and is a really angry and bitter lady. For reasons both good and bad.

That is true, it might be more interesting to just be able to give demonas life and thoughts a peak rather than be trapped as her forever.



If it was just anyone in gargoyles though, it'd probably be some gargoyle, but preferably one that hasn't been smashed or merged into some weird machine amalgam.

Man...it's too bad licensing costs are so expensive, it'd be nice if what's his face had been able to finish his comics and stuff for Gargoyles...

[KillingAScarab]

Depends which continuity you get, 'cos if it's the old (proper) EU, you cna look forward to such exciting jobs as running business which constantly get nicked by the Empire, not dating Mara Jade and getting stuck on a giant space-ship doohickey with Threepio, Artoo and Lobot...!I was going to pick Lobot, but then I remembered that dancing game (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_xJqkzngBI). You get to control a city with your thoughts, but if you're reduced to a DJ, no thanks.


That is true, it might be more interesting to just be able to give demonas life and thoughts a peak rather than be trapped as her forever.



If it was just anyone in gargoyles though, it'd probably be some gargoyle, but preferably one that hasn't been smashed or merged into some weird machine amalgam.

Man...it's too bad licensing costs are so expensive, it'd be nice if what's his face had been able to finish his comics and stuff for Gargoyles...Wait, there are Gargoyles comics? This is the first I have heard of them.

Gargoyles also had significant mythological ties. How bad would it be to be Puck?

[cobaltstarfire]

There are several Gargoyle comics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargoyles_(comics)), that diverge at Goliath chronicles, the comics represent what the writer actually had in mind for the story. The Goliath chronicles are generally not considered canon by fans of the show, or the creator of it.

They are incomplete as far as I'm aware because the cost of licensing things from Disney got to be too high.

[Raimun]

Probably one of the heavy hitters from Marvel or DC like Thor or Superman.

The good:
Incredible power. Virtual invincibility.
Because the superhero comics of these companies are eternally open ended, I would eventually regain free agency.
They have generally good PR because they are heroes who save the earth all the time.

The bad:
Regaining free agency would take a lot of time.

The weird:
Silver Age-superhero adventures.

Or...

Dr. Doom from Marvel would be a powerful pick as well and much more versatile than a heavy hitter. Doom's abilities would be in the long run way better than heavy hitter's and when I would regain free agency, I could actually try to make the world a better place and leave that blasted Richards alone. The only downside would be that living the life of Doom would be a very harrowing experience. Luckily, Doom's willpower knows no equal.

... Also, because of Doombots, I could in theory have a lot of free time from supervillainy to use for something more worthwhile. Some have theorized that the actual Dr. Doom has almost never appeared in the comic pages.

Edit: By the way, what happens when the arc of the character has gone through and there is no more continuity? Do you regain free agency when the credits start to roll? If so, being the protagonist from game such as Final Fantasy VIII would be a pretty sweet deal. You've defeated the ultimate villain, got the girl, peace has been restored to the lands and you have the ultimate sword, the best fighting abilities, the best gear, the best magic and summons, lots of money (in this case, infinite money), an airship and in the case of Final Fantasy VIII, your dad would be the president of the most technologically advanced nation in the world. Also, you could live the rest of your life as the legendary hero who saved the world and brought an age of peace at the age of 17.

Edit2:Protip: Whatever you choose, do not under any circumstances choose to be any of the characters from 8-Bit Theater.

[KillingAScarab]

There are several Gargoyle comics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargoyles_(comics)), that diverge at Goliath chronicles, the comics represent what the writer actually had in mind for the story. The Goliath chronicles are generally not considered canon by fans of the show, or the creator of it.

They are incomplete as far as I'm aware because the cost of licensing things from Disney got to be too high.It appears there's a new set of comics which will be released soon (http://gargwiki.net/Disney%27s_Gargoyles_Cinestory,_Volume_One).


Dr. Doom from Marvel would be a powerful pick as well and much more versatile than a heavy hitter.Would you want to be the one who becomes ruler of the remainder of reality (http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Victor_von_Doom_%28Earth-616%29#Secret_Wars) or the one who is an amnesiac time-traveling anti-hero (http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Victor_von_Doom_%28Earth-928%29)?


Edit2:Protip: Whatever you choose, do not under any circumstances choose to be any of the characters from 8-Bit Theater.Black Mage: Even fighter?
Sarda: No.
*Fighter is excited*
Sarda: He's a casualty.
*Black Mage is excited*

Actually, King Steve wouldn't be so bad (except for the part where you're a terrible person). You could invent a stube (http://8bittheater.wikia.com/wiki/Episode_1206:_The_Royal_Treatment).

[cobaltstarfire]

It appears there's a new set of comics which will be released soon (http://gargwiki.net/Disney%27s_Gargoyles_Cinestory,_Volume_One).


I don't really think screen captures of the animated series turned into comic form really qualifies as "new comics"

[GAZ]

Lotta great answers so far. Belgarion, Tom Bombadil, Lando Calrissian, and John Carter all look really good. Gotta throw in one of my own options with John Perry from John Scalzi's Old Man's War series. Successful first life with famous, well respected work, loving wife and kids. Then he gets to go space and gains that awesome CDF body for his second life fighting for the very fate of mankind, where he is also successful and becomes a war hero. Then he gets a third life with wife and kid (awesome kid) where he gets to be a farmer, a governor, and an interplanetary ambassador spreading the truth of the universe to the Earth and her peoples.

Alternatively, Franklin Richards from Marvel's Fantastic Four. All powerful reality warper, gets to hang out as a kid in one of the coolest places ever with some of the coolest people ever. Also works for Genie from Aladdin.

[khadgar567]

I will go with issei hyodou from highschool dxd with slightly fan ficed so I can keep reynare and dich xenobia for irina and koteneko for shuria and probably get two more chicks to replace gasper and kiba then enjoy my harem
pros
bunch of sexy girls want to do anything you want( any pervert fantasy of yours) as far as I count 11 chicks and still expending)
decent powerful hero
cons
need to save world lot of time

[kjelfalconer]

So, I see a couple of options here.

On the antagonist front, there's Izaya Orihara.

Pros:
Trolling abilities that would make Loki seethe with envy
Izaya enjoys pretty much everything he does
In universe control over pretty much the entire plot (except Shizuo)
Large amounts of income
Even sentient demonic swords are too scared of him to mess with him

Cons
Shizuo
Existential angst (not sure if con. I totally feel him on that one anyway)
Occasional hospital trips via Shizuo.
Possible UST with Shizuo? (Again. Not sure if con.)


On the protagonist front, from "Problem Children are coming from another world, aren't they?", we have Izayoi Sakamaki.

Pros
World breaking power
The ability to punch out gods for fun.
The ability to punch out kamehamehas of petrification
The ability to punch out all traces of common sense, apparently
He's enjoying himself at least as much as Izaya.
Is actually smart.
An ego that makes Tony stark seem humble. (This is a pro if you can back it up.)

Cons
...was very bored before the plot started? I don't know, I clutching at straws here.


And then there's option 3. The shameless fanboy option. So, for that reason, despite how much his life sucks, I present to the table Kain Highwind.

Cons
His dad died
He didn't get the girl
He get's brainwashed.
Twice.
He wanders the earth because of guilt.
His dark side takes form and tries to kill him repeatedly.
And his friends.

However, then we have the pros:
You're Kain Highwind.
You can jump mountains.
You're Kain Highwind.
You get over yourself, and get to be a paladin and a dragoon gestalt.
You're Kain Highwind.
Aside from staying out of 1 or 2 cities, that wandering the earth is unwritten.
You're Kain Highwind.
You're voiced by Liam O'brien.
You're Kain Highwind.
You have the most insanely cool armour ever.
You're Kain Highwind.
You have literally the most glorious hair.
You're Kain Highwind.
You're a badass par excellence.
Did I mention you're Kain Highwind?


So while my head screams options 1 or 2, my heart is about as opaque as air. I pick 3.

[Dacia Brabant]

If the genie caught me on a good day: Death the Endless (Sandman).

If I got caught on a bad day: Lord Entropy (Nobilis).

So pretty much the same in terms of skill set (omnipotent, omniscient, the biggest fish in their respective seas) but could not be more different in their approach to the job. I'd prefer the former, but I can't deny the latter has its appeal.

Honorable mention: The Lady of Pain (Planescape). Would be strongly tempted to go with her on a "meh" kind of day when I just can't be arsed.

[GAZ]

Isn't the Lady basically confined to Sigil though? It's a cool place and all, but it's not the whole world despite what pompous Cagers might try and tell you.

[Dacia Brabant]

Yeah, hence why I added the caveat of having a "meh" day when making the wish. Some days you just want to be a hermit and send berks to the mazes for having the temerity to bother you.

[Rater202]

There are several Gargoyle comics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargoyles_(comics)), that diverge at Goliath chronicles, the comics represent what the writer actually had in mind for the story. The Goliath chronicles are generally not considered canon by fans of the show, or the creator of it.

They are incomplete as far as I'm aware because the cost of licensing things from Disney got to be too high.

It's my understanding that some elements of the Goliath Chronicles did get incorporated into the comics, however.

[Frozen_Feet]

Genie from Aladdin. Gets a happy ending, even with sequels considered, and is implied to live to modern age and beyond. So eventually, I'd get to be me again. Just blue, awesome and with some remnants of cosmic power.

A high-level 3.5 edition D&D Wizard from one of the non-sucking settings would also be spiffy, because I'd eventually get the ability to gain more wishes to get my life back on track. Getting there would suck, with all the horror and fighting, but hey.

Naruto gets an honorable mention. Lots of suck in his life, but his main series ends happily and he gets to boink and get kids with a pretty wife. Didn't make it to the top because in the sequel series about his son, he's proven to be a crappy dad and likely gets to die horribly.

[cobaltstarfire]

It's my understanding that some elements of the Goliath Chronicles did get incorporated into the comics, however.

It's the other way around, the guy left behind notes/stories for the show before he had to leave.

[Traab]

Genie from Aladdin. Gets a happy ending, even with sequels considered, and is implied to live to modern age and beyond. So eventually, I'd get to be me again. Just blue, awesome and with some remnants of cosmic power.

A high-level 3.5 edition D&D Wizard from one of the non-sucking settings would also be spiffy, because I'd eventually get the ability to gain more wishes to get my life back on track. Getting there would suck, with all the horror and fighting, but hey.

Naruto gets an honorable mention. Lots of suck in his life, but his main series ends happily and he gets to boink and get kids with a pretty wife. Didn't make it to the top because in the sequel series about his son, he's proven to be a crappy dad and likely gets to die horribly.

Remember that the genie spends a long time in that lamp. "Ten thousand YEEEEARS will give you such a crick in the NECK!" You wanna spend at least one ten thousand year span in an itty bitty living space? I had thought about naruto but personally, I think he suffers way too much before the end of the original series and gets to have his happily ever after (until the next series got released)

Thats honestly one of the sticking points for me with a lot of characters. Yeah they get a happily ever after with all sorts of wealth fame power and love, but getting there tends to suck. Even my belgarion character will go through quite a bit of turmoil. I just judged that the canon storyline suffering isnt so bad its not easily worth the end result.

[Anteros]

Edit2:Protip: Whatever you choose, do not under any circumstances choose to be any of the characters from 8-Bit Theater.

Eh. Fighter makes out fine, and Thief basically gets to live forever as an immortal god king. You just mostly don't want to be Sarda or BM.

[Knaight]

The end has yet to be written, but Kevyn Andreyson is a tempting choice. Nigh immortal genius mad scientist? Check. Interesting life? Check. Personal comforts? Check. Highly important without being particularly famous? Check. There's still a chance of dying horribly, but them's the breaks.

Blaise Garsenc is another option, but while the ending of the books is broadly happy, knowing the author everything has a habit of turning really bad really fast, so it's entirely possible that shortly after the books he ends up dying horribly. Plus, I'm more inclined to end up in the future than in the past.

[BiblioRook]

How about Sam Vimes?
One of the most influential people on Discworld, loving family, rich as Creosote.
I guess he's another example that ends up pretty well off but had to go though a pretty crappy childhood to get there however.

[Raimun]

Eh. Fighter makes out fine, and Thief basically gets to live forever as an immortal god king. You just mostly don't want to be Sarda or BM.

Hmm, I guess Fighter has always led a happy life... though largely because of his ignorance. Two quotes from the man himself: "Powerlines and paint chips! My childhood rocks!" and "Black Mage is my friend!"

Thief... okay, he's a karma houdini and seems to be extremely well off at the end of the series... but he's also an irredeemable, horrible, arrogant jerk that no one likes but I guess that's not something a squad of law ninjas can't sort out. Still, he remembers everything of his stint as a Light Warrior and that would be something I could live without.

King Steve was also mentioned earlier... Okay. King Steve. Right. Just... wow. Well, who wouldn't want to be an endlessly stupid and thoughtlessly cruel despot with absolute power and mind that seems to exist outside of reality.

Red Mage? The dude is a mess. Moving on.

Sarda and Black Mage are, of course, right out.

So... look, the point I'm trying to make is that being a character who lives in a world of black comedy might not be that much fun. Especially with the level of slapstick humor that is both excruciating but hardly ever lethal.

[Flickerdart]

How about Sam Vimes?
One of the most influential people on Discworld, loving family, rich as Creosote.
I guess he's another example that ends up pretty well off but had to go though a pretty crappy childhood to get there however.

Sam Vimes is mortal, frequently frustrated, and largely powerless under the thumb of a "benevolent" dictator. There are much better choices.

[BiblioRook]

Most of the people mentioned so far have been mortal, seems a weird point to only dwell on now. The frustration of Vimes' job I'll grant you but I don't think it outweighs other aspect of his life as he certainly still gets a lot of enjoyment out of what he does and all things considered Vetinari is a very reasonable boss (even if he likes to pretend he isn't). I wouldn't consider Vimes powerless under Vetinari at all, just Vetinari takes effort not to left him grasp just how much control Vimes actually has (which is helped by Vime's own self-confidence issues). Certainly not the best life to live if your aspirations are to ascend to god-hood or some such, but hardly a bad life.

[BWR]

Doctor Faust's suggestion of a character from Flying Witch sounds right up my alley. I'm more than happy to have all my excitement be from games, books and movies, and a peaceful, happy existence as shown in that show is fine by me. I suppose we can assume bad stuff happens off-screen but for sake of argument we'll say it doesn't.

[Kevrandrus]

I'd want to be Jim from the Disney movie Treasure Planet - if only for the solar surfing!