So, I haven't read everything here yet . . . I'm still kind of reeling from the news in general, but . . .
Yeah, I really like the idea of sort of everyone just agreeing to view their various private servers (assuming we get to that point) as just "Shards" and the stories that evolve from them are just alternate dimensions branching off from the original core lore. Seems really appropriate for the on-going story of Paragon City and the Rogue Isles.
Hell, maybe some day we can basically implement features that give individual server operators the power to plug content in with ease. Create a whole community of plug-and-play missions, entities, and even feature upgrades! One can dream.
You know . . . if NCSoft doesn't nuke everything from orbit, heh. It's been a crazy time to be a City of Heroes fan, this week.