“To the rest of the world, you might be the son of Byron Quill. To me, and I’m sure to Leo, you are Jason. You’ll always be Jason, first and best. Your opinion, and your dignity, is important.”
She glances briefly back to her phone. “Otto and I also brainstormed. A lot of team names are either generic, like Halcyon Heroes, or sound distressingly like a street gang, like the Marauders or the Brawlers. The actual word ‘family’ might suggest to the public that we’re related by blood. ‘Brotherhood’ or ‘fraternity’ seem to strike the right balance of tone, but aren’t gender-neutral, and in light of recent hazing incidents might send the wrong message.”
So now we know who’s helping Leo research college.
As to the suggestions, he nods. “I agree that we don’t want to be frat boys. Or girls.” Jason nibbles his lower lip. “Association? Sounds like a company. Partnership? Make me think of a bank. Consortium? That’s kind of silly. Clan? Yeah, what could go wrong with that? Ménage?” He snorts, maybe coloring slightly. “Yeah, that would make some headlines.”
He starts to go on, then pauses, looking away in thought. “Hmm.” He raises his head to look at the ceiling. “QAI – definition of ‘menagerie.’”
After a moment, Byron Quill’s voice comes back from no particular source. “That word has two definitions. First, a collection of live wild animals on exhibition, or the enclosure where they are kept. Second, a diverse or miscellaneous group.” A momentary pause. “You did test through on that word in vocabulary lesson 139A, taken …”
“Thank you!” Jason rolls his eyes, then glances at Pneuma. “I should have asked you. So – the Menagerie? We’re diverse, miscellaneous, kind of on exhibition. And the word --” He raises is voice, looking again at the ceiling, “–comes from the French, _ménager, _‘to keep house,’ a household.” He looks back to Pneuma. “So that kind of has the family thing, without sounding sappy.”
“We’ll all get laughed at if we name ourselves after a zoo,” remarks Leo, joining in at last. Pneuma sends a disapproving squint his way, but doesn’t actually contradict him.
“I mean I’ll take it over Icons, if that’s what you want. I don’t want the Internet thinking they can name us. They’ll start making other ‘suggestions’, and that will never stop.”
“Just gonna say, though. ‘Band’ something could also work. Not saying you all have to start an actual musical band with me, unless y’all changed your mind since last time.”
“We’ll all get laughed at if we name ourselves after a zoo,” remarks Leo, joining in at last. Pneuma sends a disapproving squint his way, but doesn’t actually contradict him.
Jason shrugs more elaborately, but doesn’t say anything.
“I mean I’ll take it over Icons, if that’s what you want. I don’t want the Internet thinking they can name us. They’ll start making other ‘suggestions’, and that will never stop.”
Jason snorts. “Yeah. That part I’m worried about. If we become a hashtag, we’re through.”
“Just gonna say, though. ‘Band’ something could also work. Not saying you all have to start an actual musical band with me, unless y’all changed your mind since last time.”
“Yyyeah, no. Did you look up that YouTube of that cartoon movie where ‘I’ had a band? No way I want that stuff remembered by anyone again.”
“You know what? I’m down. The Menagerie has my vote. I don’t give a shit if people laugh. Nobody else can say they gave us that name. Nobody else would take that name, I mean, but I don’t care. It’s us, it’s ours.”
Pneuma doesn’t have to say anything. She’s content to smile proudly.
[[Pretty much every adult in the game will hate the name, or it will confuse them, or both. Makes it a good choice for that reason, if nothing else. ]]
[[Pretty much every adult in the game will hate the name, or it will confuse them, or both. Makes it a good choice for that reason, if nothing else. ]]
OOC: Leo still wants to get into a band. It’s on his bucket list, before he ages to 21 and his life is over.
[[Pretty much every adult in the game will hate the name, or it will confuse them, or both. Makes it a good choice for that reason, if nothing else. ]]
((That thought had, in fact, occurred to me. “Kids these days.” It has a very 60s band feel to it. And I swear to God I didn’t think about it until I was noodling around with synonyms for “groups” above.))
((I was envisioning bad 80s-style animation style abortive reboot of the JQ cartoon, only the kids are in a band, a la Josie & the Pussycats. Or, better yet, Josie & the Pussy Cats in Outer Space, complete with a stupid space alien side kick to torment Brigand the Dog.))
“You know what? I’m down. The Menagerie has my vote. I don’t give a shit if people laugh. Nobody else can say they gave us that name. Nobody else would take that name, I mean, but I don’t care. It’s us, it’s ours.”
Pneuma doesn’t have to say anything. She’s content to smile proudly.
Jason stares at Leo for a moment, then he allows another smile to creep out. “Well, I don’t want people to laugh. But – well, I’ve had people laugh before.” Something fierce flickers across his face. “Screw 'em.”
OOC: sung to the tune of Josie & the Pussycats
“Jason and the Porcupines
Long quills and dressed to the nines
Music and stopping crimes
Hot, fun, super-cool
Don’t you know
These heroes rule?
Hurry, hurry”
While she won’t say it very loudly (she is the only dead girl in a bunch of boys) she opines that Menagerie needs a modifier. New, Young, Lost, Magnificent, or something.
“Menagerie? I don’t know, that always makes me remember that play about the girl who stays at home by herself because unicorns without horns are just horses and she’s want to get hurt.” “The drama club went to a lot of plays at the Halcyon Amphitheater to chose one to put on this year… they’re doing Treasure Island. I wanted to do the Secret Garden…” <Nervousness intensifies as Adam realized he’s still talking, begins speaking rapidly.> “But Menagerie is fine. I’m sure no one else will make that connection. It’s good. Name.”
]]
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