(no subject)

[jonathan_kent]

A young man sits on one of the many couches in the Forum, and sighs at a notebook in his hands. The page is full of scribbled-out text, pages and pages of it. The pages are dog-eared and a bit ragged, indicating he's been using this notebook for a while.

"How can it be this hard to think of a good name for a secret identity?"

Comments

[brave_heart_verity]

((Before I tag in: Ver's got a truth-sensing curse stuck in her that she can't turn off. She knows when people are lying and she can see through illusions; she doesn't know what the truth is or have psychic powers. More details here. If you'd rather not deal with it, I totes understand.))

[jonathan_kent]

((That is fine by me. Jon's mom is a telepath so he's not in the habit of lying about most things, and his dad's been connected to a multiverse for decades where everyone knew he was Superman before he ever had the idea to be a hero, so they don't keep their secrets as much unless they're at home. Thanks for the heads up though!))

[brave_heart_verity]

((They should be fine then. :D))

It's finally starting to warm up in the Nexus, and Verity is taking advantage of the sunshine by boldly going hatless. That means pink hair in epic Viking braids are on full display, as are the tips of her tattoos where they trail down onto the backs of her hands. Everything else is still covered, because she's not that crazy. She looks over from where she was reading the ads on a bulletin board when the young man speaks up, half a smile quirking up one corner of her mouth.

"Maybe you're not a liar by nature. Or maybe all the good names are taken?"

[jonathan_kent]

"Ah come on, is it really lying?" he says, but there's a smile teasing at the corners of his mouth. "All the good names are absolutely taken already, you're not wrong there. Superboy would be perfect, but my cousin already took it before I was born."

[brave_heart_verity]

"It's an attempt to obscure the truth. That's a certain kind of lying." Verity looks past him to the unoccupied portion of the couch he's on, then looks back questioningly. Is he going to be a gentleman like Grandpa Kent would want him to be? "I'm kind of an expert on the subject. And no, you don't want to be anything 'boy' because you'll be called 'boy' when you're eighty."

[jonathan_kent]

"I guess from a certain point of view, sure. But my dad is his secret identity just as much, if not more, than he is his 'public' persona. So it really all depends."

Her look at the couch is pretty unsubtle and deliberate, and he takes the hint, gesturing in an offer to have her sit down with him. "Yeah, that's another thing. Anything 'lad' is in the same boat. Heck, it already sounds ancient unless you're, I dunno, from the UK or something."

[brave_heart_verity]

"Don't get me wrong, I understand why people do it. To protect their families and have a place to get away from the constant pressure." They don't have 'Super' people where she's from, but she's hoping they're on the good side of things. Not that it wouldn't be entirely likely that some villains would love that kind of egotistical nonsense, so. She really can't be sure yet.

Either way, she's going to sit down; it's easier to have a friendly chat that way. "Yeah, you'll want to avoid those. I guess you could really confuse people by being Supergirl." What? She doesn't know that's already taken.

[mybadhabit]

This sounds like it's exactly the sort of question Sonic can should not be allowed to help with! He leans over the back of the couch, looking over Jon's shoulder to read the notebook.

"You're probably thinking about it too hard. What are you using the secret identity for?"

[jonathan_kent]

The notebook mostly just has a list of crossed-out names, most of which start with 'Super'. There are a few doodles of what looks like a capital S in a pentagon, and a few side notes that aren't in any Earth alphabet. The symbols are very geometric, so it's understandable if they're mistaken for idle sketches.

"It's kind of a family tradition," Jon answers, tilting the notebook a bit so Sonic can't get a better look at it. He has no problem with getting help on this, but personal space, dude. "And it's a good idea if you're going to be using superpowers in public to make it so it's harder to trace back to you."

[mybadhabit]

Oh great, a Hero. Sonic rolls his eyes and stands back a little, resting one hand on his hip. He knows all about heroes and he's not all that impressed.

"There's a Hero Association back home, I know about all that. That's not really what I'm asking." He points to the book. "All your ideas had "super" in them, is that also a part of your family tradition? Because otherwise, that's kind of a generic approach. If you're picking out your hero name, you need a title that describes who you are, and your modus operendi."

"I, for example, am Speed of Sound Sonic." He straightens himself up proudly, a smirk spreading across his face. He's not a Hero by anyone's definition, but Jon doesn't need to know that.

[jonathan_kent]

"It is, actually. My dad and my cousins all have 'Super' names." He's a little defensive, as he's very proud of his family ties. Sure, it's unoriginal, but it's important to him.

Jon tilts his head slightly. "Isn't that kind of long for that kind of name?"

[mybadhabit]

He shrugs, waving Jon's question off. "Most people just call me Sonic. But that doesn't make me any less proud of my name and title."

In the blink of an eye, he's moved to the front of the couch, seemingly without even changing his pose. "It suits me, after all."

But showing off doesn't really help Jon, so he circles the young man at much more normal pace, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "Having other family members with the same title means that most of the good combinations are already taken up. Do you have a skill that you excel at that makes you stand apart?"

[jonathan_kent]

Jon has superspeed too, so Sonic's speedy movement doesn't really catch him off-guard. "Well I have a lot better singing voice than my dad ever has, but that doesn't really help."

[stands_for_something]

"Well, what is it you plan to do, son? And how do you plan to do it? Sometimes that suggests a solution." It's advice from an old man in a windbreaker. He must be... the Windbreaker (master of a deadly, finger-pulling martial art)!

[jonathan_kent]

"I want to join the Justice League and help people," Jonathan answers honestly. "It's kind of the family business."

[stands_for_something]

Does the good Captain remember those canon-questionable crossovers with the Justice League? Maybe. If not, he can at least infer enough from context to answer sensibly. "Oh? Maybe something that builds on the family legacy, then."

[jonathan_kent]

"That's the plan," Jon says with a nod. "But there's only so many words that sound good when you stick 'Super' in front, I've learned."

[stands_for_something]

"Super-something, hm?" The old man grows thoughtful. "Maybe instead of following type that closely, you could follow the theme--say you're super with some other word? Excelsior, apex, zenith..."

[jonathan_kent]

Jon looks intrigued, but slightly skeptical. "Possibly, though then I've got to find two words that sound good together."

[gate_crasher]

"Please pardon my ignorance," implores the light, slightly raspy voice of a white-scaled lizard in fine blue robes, "but what is a 'secret' identity?"

[jonathan_kent]

Jon pauses for a moment when he sees the newcomer, not in disgust, just unfamiliar with this species. "It's kind of like a... stage name, of sorts," he says, not really sure how to describe it in a way that makes sense, just in case there isn't shared culture between them. "It's something you use so that people don't necessarily know who you really are, so your alter ego's enemies won't track down and hurt your family and friends."

[gate_crasher]

The lizard-man listens attentively, nodding thoughtfully to himself a couple of times as Jon explains. "Ah, I understand. Among my people, one might wear many names in the course of one's life; occasionally, for reasons such as yours. Ultimately, however, a name is a Name--it must describe that which it names, or it is an ill fit. So: what of yourself do you wish to put forward?"

[jonathan_kent]

"That's a lot of the problem," Jon admits. "I don't really know. I want to stand for justice and giving help to those in need, but that's not exactly something that stands out in the Justice League."

[gate_crasher]

He nods thoughtfully. "How?"

[jonathan_kent]

"Which part?" Jon asks, wanting to make sure he's answering the right question.