A Holiday dedication to Ascendant

iamrune

As some of you may know, Tre Chipman passed away this year, and while he was known and loved throughout the COH community as Ascendant, the man who possessed "the Power of a Superman combined with the Luck of a Peter Parker", it was not the only character he was known to role-play.

He liked to takeother characters out for spins, particularly around the holidays, and one in particular became fairly well known at the Yuletide season.

Now, back in CoH I was as bad an altoholic as I am here, so while my main hero was most certainly the Knight of Swords, I had tons of others, and one of them was a Broadsword/Willpower scrapper designed by visual inspiration heavily off the classic Puck of Marvel's Alpha Flight, so if you just imagine Puck with a very low range personal gravity mutant power [which is how he had Super leaping, impressive strength and seemingly high amounts of metahuman toughness] along with a high tech glowing oversized broadsword. He was a mutant and a long time member of the Mutant Centric team The Next Gen, also on Virtue.

I got a tell one night from "the Big A", inviting me to come and RP for a scene... I really didn't know what was planned. He just said he'd read my bio on Dwarfstar and thought the background woud go perfectly with something he had in mind.

Tre Chipman was playing...Saint Nick Fury, Agent of S.L.E.I.G.H.!

I was Dwarfstar, and I saved this with my old chat saving techniques.

The scene is The Ski Chalet in CoH, approximately six years ago. less five days I guess.

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Originally the leader of the quasi-military, seasonally themed superspy organization, Superior Leadership Espionage Initiative, Global Headquarters (S.L.E.I.G.H.), Nick was forced underground when S.L.E.I.G.H.'s arctic command center, the Workshop, was overrun by agents from the evil terrorist group, Supreme Command of Resources Orgainzied for the Overthrow of Global Economy (Aka, S.C.R.O.O.G.E.). Now, fighting for his life and pursued at every turn, Nick has a list of people he knows have been naughty, and he's going to make them pay.

Dwarf-Star walks up to Nick. "Yo, looking good, bub!"

Saint Nick Fury looks at Dwarf-Star, then seems to consult some list only he can see.

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: Well, you're not on the list, so that means you're OK in my books.

[Local] Dwarf-Star: Want some 'Nog on me, Nick?

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: I'm good, thanks. I've got to drive that sled a long way home tonight, after all.

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: Say, kiddo, did you ever give any thought to toy design or construction? I know a slew of folks of similar.... stature... who are always looking for more help.

[Local] Dwarf-Star: Uh.. I worked construction before.. but not on toys.

[Local] Dwarf-Star: How are the benefits?

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: Well, free travel benefits, it you're willing to travel standby raindeer, and we just got a dental program thanks to a guy who used to work in toy design but found out he really
liked dentistry more.

[Local] Dwarf-Star: I think I'll stick with the hero work.. It makes me feel good to know I'm helping people.

[Local] Dwarf-Star: You know that phrase about "Rough men who stand ready in the night, to visit harm upon those who would hurt us"?

Dwarf-Star laughs and jerks a thumb at his own chest. "I'm that rough man."

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: To visit violence on those who would do us harm, I think. What do you think we do the rest of the year?

[Local] Dwarf-Star: I knew we had a lot in common!

[Local] Dwarf-Star: So... how'd you land this gig, Nick?

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: I used to be in the military, and I didn't pay all that much attention to what my contracts said, just so long as I got paid. I guess you could say I'm the victim of a ....hidden
clause.

Local] Dwarf-Star: Typical.

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: Yeah... It was the St. Anna mission where they slipped it in... Stupid St. Anna Clause....

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: Look, kiddo, I've been in the biz long enough to recognize talent when I see it. In less than 72 hours, I have to do a mission over multiple countries, and I don't have a lot of time to execute my deployment strategy.

[Local] Dwarf-Star: Huh.. that ain't a lot 'o time.

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: Besides, weather projections say that it will be one foggy night.

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: Ideally, an infrared navigational projector would work, but where whould I find one on such short notice? I've already checked out the champions of the Reindeer Games....

[Local] Dwarf-Star: I help ya out through this emergency, and you can keep an eye on me.. er, I mean make sure I'm gonna be good fer yer team.

[Local] Dwarf-Star: Sure.. But I don't take much room.. And I can fit in front or back as ya need me. I can even light the way with my blade.

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: Star-dwarf, with your sword so bright, won't you guide my sleigh... through significant air traffic across the globe at a breakneck pace?

[Local] Dwarf-Star: You got it, Nick!

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: Thanks! All the Reindeer will love you!

[Local] Dwarf-Star: I hope not literally.

[Local] Saint Nick Fury: Well... Just don't agree to join into any of their reindeer games and you'll be fine.

====================================================

Here's my personal dedication to you, Tre. I only ever knew you in-game in CoH, but you never failed to bring a smile to my lips and a laugh in my heart.

May you soar ever upward, Ascendant as always.

canadascott

Thsnks for sharing this, Rune. It's good to remember.

chaelk

ok thats crime and punishment, heavy on the pun..

generilisk

I remember at one point looking at my global friends and being shocked. I'd been RP'ing with an Ascendant alt for months and not known it. This was years back, I don't even remember who...but I remember a few RP missions later with the big A himself. I don't remember ever hearing anything negative from him in or out of character.
Statesman may have been the one the public admired...but it was Ascendant who inspired me to be truly heroic.

logandarklighter

That is awesome. I'm so glad to have this chance to laugh at something of Tre's again that I'd never even heard of before!

Thanks so very much!

And agreed. Fly high, Ascendant.

leandroarg

I was alerted of this thread by a fellow COH player. I have a few screenshots of that character, in case someone wants to see what it looks like. I've tweeted one here.

iamrune

leandroarg wrote: »

I was alerted of this thread by a fellow COH player. I have a few screenshots of that character, in case someone wants to see what it looks like. I've tweeted one here.

Thank you so much.

I have screens saved as well, but not on this PC.. my older gaming rig has them and I don't have an easy way to access it currently, as I essentially lent it to a friend on the promise that he wouldn't erase all my old stuff.

This seems to be a later screen than my RP scene with him, maybe a year later.. the bio was updated the acronym changed and the beard is new.. the version I RPed with was clean shaven and looked more like Classic Nick Fury.

masterthehero

I'm gonna miss Ascendant. I didn't even know he had passed until I stumbled onto this thread. Rather than go into a long diatribe that can span the length of the novel. I think I'll prepare a short story in his memory.

masterthehero

Here is my short story dedicated to Ascendant and the players of City of Heroes. I never got to say farewell to him in-game, so this was the only other way I could do so.

http://www.wattpad.com/33920252-in-memoriam-ascendant-city-of-heroes-tribute

rolwdog

Sadly missed but oh so fondly remembered.