This is a retelling, for the first time, of how the MBL was formed. It is based on a 1999 thread in the JLA forum of the old DC Comics Message Boards. It was called, "WHICH 7 USERS WOULD BE IN YOUR MESSAGE BOARD LEAGUE AND WHAT WOULD THEIR POWERS BE?" Begun by a DCMB member named Mad67, over fifty members contributed to the thread with their ideas for answering the question. Soon, in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, members began writing biographies and back stories based on other members' usernames and posting habits. From there, something akin to roleplaying began to develop as these members interacted with each other, creating a kind of loose narrative structure.
By the end of the eight-page thread, a team had been formed called the Message Board League. It was led by a member named Rypta Gud'n and had several members. More importantly, the following threads featuring the Message Board League, unlike the first one, were expressly written as stories. In the years that followed, these stories became increasingly sophisticated and complex.
As a member of the Message Board League since early 2000, I've always wanted to shape that crazy, confusing original MBL thread into a story structure that was at least as sophisticated, if not more, than any that followed. After doing several close readings of that thread, and making many notes, this is my attempt to (re)write the origin story of the MBL.
Also included in this story are "times past" stories written by Gooz, Chewy Walrus and Kristogar Velo, which take place during this story. For the most part, I'll keep the texts as they wrote it intact, with a few alterations to make it fit smoothly in the larger story. In each case I'll give credit where credit is due.
Please note that I've altered most of the names from the original thread for several reasons. First, many of the names are simply silly and meant for comedy, not drama. Second, most of the names are the usernames of DCMB members and simply don't fit as metahero (superhero) names. Third, some of the names are variations on copyrighted characters that have no relation to the MBL in any way. Finally, I've also made changes to make the story and the world it creates more believable and aesthetically pleasing. I hope that you will find this story enjoyable on its own merit.
The Time Trust,
September 24, 2008
Birth of the Meta Board League is divided into seven parts, with a few chapters per part. They will be posted here as they are written:
Book 1: NOMINATION
Book 2: OPPOSITION
Book 3: PREMONITION
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Book 4: DISORGANIZATION
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Book 5: REVELATION
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Book 6: TRANSFIGURATION
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Book 7: REACTIVATION
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
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