Guidelines to Naming Superheroes
So, hiya. This was just an idea moving around in my head for a while, and so I finally decided to just write down.
If you're expecting a story where a new girl joins the team – yeah, no. Sorry. I think the team's getting enough new characters in canon, thankyouverymuch. This is just a girl who the team meets, talks to for a bit, and then she goes off again. She doesn't have much of a backstory (actually, she's got a fairly detailed one, it's just not on here) and she's barely got a recognisable personality (again, not one in the fic…).
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. I also do not own this OC – Vixen48 does. Well, I think by now I own at least 25% of her… but I know that Vixen48 doesn't care about me stealing her character (I'm sure she doesn't mind). I can't be sure about the writers of YJ having the same opinion, but they have yet to object.
Robin neatly hand-springed backwards as the bullets shot the ground near him.
"Nice try." He threw three batarangs, knocking the guns out of the three men's hands.
Kid Flash ran in a quick circle, grabbing every gun he could reach. He threw them all to the side and smirked.
Artemis shot five quick arrows towards the ringleader. They all bounced off the invisible wall/force-field he had constructed around himself.
Superboy threw a punch, which not only broke the robot but hurled it into three other robots and two henchmen.
Aqualad spun around in a quick circle, his whip of water knocking a good ten of his attackers down.
Miss Martian's eyes were glowing as she tried to hold the door closed telekinetically. All four of her arms were straining as she glared at the gateway.
"You mere children have no chance to win!" The man cackled. "The portal shall be opened, and my army shall rule the world!"
"Oh, please, not another monologue…" Wally groaned, kicking out hard. His foot hit a henchwoman in the head, knocking her out.
The villain glowered. "You cannot hope for victory! The door shall only be shut by the key, and I – where did it go?" He blinked, looking at his empty hand.
"Um…" Robin paused from his battle, confusion written over his face. "I think that shadow stole it." He pointed.
Sure enough, the shadow of a girl was moving quickly towards the door. In it/her hand was the silhouette of a key.
"What?!" The villain demanded.
The shadow reached the door that M'gann was struggling to keep closed. A second later, a teenage girl had risen up from the floor, holding the key. She slipped it into the lock and a satisfying click noise was heard.
"NO! This cannot be!" The villain screamed. "I am invincible!"
"Oh, give me a break." Artemis groaned, taking aim.
Artemis's arrow hit the roof and ricocheted back down, over the force-field and landing next to the villain. Gas began to pour out.
A second later the villain collapsed, unconscious. With him, the remaining robots and force-field all broke down.
Robin gave a grin to the remaining henchmen and women. "You ready to surrender?"
With yelps of surprise, they dropped their weapons, turned around and ran.
"We'll chase them down later." Wally said dismissively. He turned to the girl. "Thanks for the save."
"Not a problem." The girl shrugged, fingering her clothes self-consciously. She looked a little awed at seeing so many heroes in front of her.
Kaldur gave her a reassuring smile and stepped forwards. "What is your name?"
"I haven't got one yet." The girl admitted.
The Team exchanged confused looks.
"What do you mean, you haven't got one yet?" Artemis asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Give me a break! I only just got my powers, like, a month ago." The girl said defensively.
"Oh. Okay." Robin nodded. "Got any ideas for a name?"
"Not really." The girl shrugged. "I'm not even a hundred per cent sure I want to go into the whole 'hero' thing."
"It's better than the 'villain' thing." M'gann pointed out.
"Oh, I get that. No way do I want to be a bad guy. I just don't see why I can't be a regular girl anymore." The girl shrugged. "Okay, a regular girl who can turn into a shadow, but still…"
"Well, you might want to make up your mind soon." Robin said. "I mean, if you keep doing things like this, people are going to expect you to be a hero."
"They can't force me to do anything, though." The girl pointed out. "If I change my mind, I just don't go out any more."
"She's got a point." Artemis shrugged.
"Got any ideas for what your name will be if you do decide to be a hero?" Kid Flash asked.
"No." The girl admitted.
"Well, what are your powers?" Conner asked.
"Uh… shadow manipulation, basically." The girl shrugged. "I can control the shadows and turn into a shadow and that sort of stuff."
"So what's wrong with just the name 'Shadow'?" M'gann asked.
"That's not already taken?" The girl asked, confused.
"Probably is." Wally admitted. "If not by a hero then probably by some villain or another."
"Besides, it's kind of clichéd." Conner pointed out.
"This from Superboy?" Artemis asked.
"What's wrong with 'Superboy'?"
"Plus, there is the whole 'League of Shadows' thing." Robin nodded.
"The League of Shadows?" The girl blinked.
"Bad guys." Wally summed up.
"Okay. Do you plan on being solo or have you got a partner?" Artemis asked.
"I – why?"
"Well, if you have a partner, you might want to choose names that relate to each other. It's not necessary but it's something to think about."
"I – um… I don't have anyone in mind."
"Well, maybe your name could have something to do with your species." M'gann offered. "Like, I'm Miss Martian."
"Um… I'm human." The girl said cautiously.
"Well," Kid Flash frowned. "You could do something along the lines of 'The Human Shadow', but that just sounds pretty… pathetic, really."
"Descriptive, but." Robin pointed out.
"Like that's a priority?" Kid Flash shrugged.
Kaldur looked at the girl. "How did you come by your gifts? That might play a part in the name you wish to select."
"How?"
"Well, say it had to do with radioactivity, that might come into your name." Wally shrugged.
"Well… I was stuck in a science lab. I'd been locked in, and then a fire started. Some sort of insurance scam, probably." The girl shrugged. "I was really terrified and trying to get out… and I just sorta phased through. When I woke up, my hair had turned blonde and I could turn into a shadow."
"Okay, I'm not sure how you can put that into a name…" M'gann frowned thoughtfully. "Pretty much anything you come up with is either lame or gives the impression you have different powers then you really do… like Chemical Reaction or something."
The girl nodded. "So what would you suggest?"
"You got a costume yet?" Robin asked, looking at the girl.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" The girl tugged at her t-shirt, looking down at her jeans and sneakers.
"Nothing." Robin shrugged. "For a civilian. But you might want a mask or something if you want a decent secret identity. Plus, it can be easier to move in a proper hero costume."
"I'm not so sure I want a secret identity…" The girl thought. "Can't I just let everyone know who I am and what I can do?"
Artemis crinkled her nose. "Bad idea. You'd make a lot of enemies, who'd go after your friends. Plus, heroes break a lot of stuff. You'd be chased down by people wanting you to pay for it."
"Not to mention you might be insulted or called a freak." Conner nodded. "If you're saving lives or fighting crime with your abilities, you're a hero. If you're trying to be a normal girl with everyone knowing who you are, you're a mutant."
"Like the X-Men?" The girl asked.
"The X-Men?" M'gann asked in confusion.
"Fictional characters." Robin explained. "We can show you the movie if you want."
"Yeah, like the X-Men." Wally nodded to the girl. "Secret identities might be pains, but they're better than the alternative. Besides, if it gets too annoying, you can always reveal yourself after you've been established as a hero if you're sure it won't hurt anyone else."
"Okay." The girl admitted. "I see your point there. So keep the whole 'Shadow' or whatever name for a bit."
"Your name doesn't have to have anything to do with your abilities, by the way." Artemis shrugged. "It could have to do with something special to you."
The girl nodded. "Okay… like what?"
"Anything." Robin shrugged. "Like a nick-name you used to be called when you were little… the ideals you're fighting for… your favourite animal… anything."
"What do you mean, the ideals I'm fighting for?"
"Like Wonder Woman." Artemis shrugged. "Or… Captain America."
"Captain America's a comic book character." Kid Flash pointed out.
"As opposed to the X-Men? Besides, he's an example of what I mean."
"Do you have an idea of what you want to fight for?" M'gann asked.
"I suppose… I guess I just want to help people. To do what's right. All that sort of stuff." The girl shrugged.
"Justice Girl?" Wally suggested.
The girl blinked. "Um…"
"Yeah, no." Robin hit Wally on the back of his head. "So, nothing particular that's prompting you to do good?"
"It's better than doing bad?" It was more of a question then a statement.
"Excellent philosophy." The Boy Wonder agreed. "Just not helpful picking a name."
"Another thing is, you'll want to stay away from 'girl'." Artemis said.
"So… I should go with 'boy' instead?" The girl raised an eyebrow.
"No. The whole names that point out your gender are way overused." Artemis shook her head. "I mean, if they can't see if you're female from looking at you – well, that would actually be a pretty good disguise, to be honest. Might want to consider that. But the whole 'boy, girl, man, woman' thing is really overdone."
"Hey!" Superboy protested.
"You're named after Superman, who picked his name when they weren't quite overused yet." Robin told him. "Sidekicks have different rules. 'Sides, you didn't pick 'Superboy'. Cadmus did."
Artemis shrugged at the girl. "Beyond that, most of the good ones are taken. You'd be left with something like 'Shadow Girl' which, let's be honest, sucks."
"Not to mention, what happens when you're older?" Kaldur pointed out. "Would you still want to be 'Shadow Girl' when you're twenty? Thirty? You wish to pick a name that would still suit you in the future."
"And 'Shadow Woman' just sounds even worse." Robin rolled his eyes behind the mask.
"But you'll also want to pick a name soon." M'gann said.
"Otherwise you'll be given one." Robin added. "Either by what the villains call you or what the press calls you."
"Learn from what happened to Speedy." Wally advised her. "He had a major block on his name, but went out to fight crime anyway. Green Arrow called him Speedy once or twice, because he was so fast at shooting arrows, and the name stuck."
"Yep. Now he's managed to change his name to Red Arrow, but he had to put up with years of being 'Speedy'." Artemis nodded.
"So you can change your name?" The girl asked.
"Sure. It's not impossible." Wally said. "Just really, really hard. Most of the time they either keep forgetting, or people think you're a totally different person."
"To be honest, Kid Flash here has about ten different names." Artemis shrugged.
"Really?" The girl looked at him curiously.
"No, I don't." Wally glared at Artemis.
"People get his name wrong a lot." Robin explained. "Half the time he's 'Flash Kid' or 'Flash Boy' or 'Flash Junior' or something like that."
"Or Speedy." Wally muttered. "Here's another tip. Your name doesn't have to have anything to do with your powers, but make sure it's not recommending any other powers. Not only is it annoying to you, it would be annoying to anyone who actually has those powers."
The girl nodded.
"And keep in mind, you're going to need a costume." Robin added. "It can help if the costume has something to do with your name."
"So should you be wearing feathers?" Artemis drawled.
"Only if you should be wearing a long Greek dress." Robin retorted.
Artemis shrugged acknowledgement.
"What about symbols?" The girl asked.
"You don't need one." Robin shook his head. "Truthfully, they barely ever come in handy. All it does is make it easier for people to walk around wearing your symbol."
"Is that annoying?" The girl asked, looking at Conner. "Because he seems to be wearing one of those shirts now."
Conner shrugged. "Trust me, it's annoying when someone who hasn't earned it is wearing your symbol."
Robin nodded. "Bats has used the little bat as a signature once or twice when he needs to write a note, but nothing that can't be done just by writing your name."
"Unless she wants a giant spotlight in the sky with her symbol on it." Wally teased him.
"We've got that under copyright." Robin grinned.
"You can have a symbol if you want to," Artemis shrugged. "There's just no need to. It's optional."
"And we're still working on giving her a name." M'gann pointed out with a shrug.
"You would probably best to go with something simple." Kaldur cut in. "Something relating to your powers would not only be memorable, but it would also not give away anything relating to your secret identity."
"'Shadow' would work, but chances are someone already has it." Robin nodded. "You don't want to go ripping off someone else's name."
"Can you get sued for that?" Wally wondered.
Robin laughed. "That would be an interesting trial. But yeah, plagiarism aside, they've got that name. You want your own. So just do a quick little internet search and find out if anyone else has whatever name you're thinking of before making it official."
"Yeah, Artemis." Wally snorted.
"Unless you're going with the theory the Greek gods are real, then I don't think anyone else has the name 'Artemis'." Artemis glowered.
The girl nodded, thinking. A slight frown creased her forehead.
"You could always pick a name similar to Shadow. Or maybe add something on." M'gann offered. "Like… Shadowstorm. Or Shadowbolt. Or Shadowlight. Dark Light, even?"
"Shadowbolt…" The girl said slowly, as if testing the name. "Shadowbolt. As in a 'lightning bolt' but without light. Replacing light with shadow."
"Shadowbolt, huh?" Robin grinned. "That what you're thinking of going with?"
"I… yeah." The girl nodded, smiling. "Shadowbolt. I am Shadowbolt."
"Well it's nice to meet you Shadowbolt." Wally smiled, extending his hand. "I'm Kid Flash."
"Nice to meet you, Kid Flash." Shadowbolt shook his hand, smiling.
"Well, I guess we'll see you around, Shadowbolt." M'gann smiled. "But for now, we probably need to get these guys to prison."
"Oh, right." Shadowbolt seemed to remember that they still had two dozen henchmen, many broken robots and one villainous mastermind all dotted around unconscious. "Do you guys need any help?"
"Nah." Robin somersaulted over to the main villain. "We got this." He began to tie him up. "Sides, we'll probably be gone by the time the police get here."
"Okay." Shadowbolt nodded. "I guess I should go then?"
"Sure thing." Conner shrugged. "I guess we might see you around."
"Maybe." The girl smiled. "I'll be sure to say hi. Thanks, by the way."
"Not a problem." M'gann smiled warmly at her.
Shadowbolt phased into the ground, turning back into a shadow.
She waved at the team, and then darted out of the room quickly.
Wally glanced at her as she went. "You know," He mused. "We should start our own advice column."
The rest of the team exchanged glances.
"No, seriously. Advice for heroes-to-be. We could give them tips for picking their uniforms, tips for names, teamwork ideas, how to keep a secret-identity, how often to go on patrol, all that sort of stuff. I'm sure there are lots of newspapers that would publish it…"
"No." The entire team said in unison.
"But we give such good advice!"
"No."
"Aaaw."
You know, I actually had a few more points I wanted to put in, but I didn't in order to keep it concise and to the point – whatever that point was. See? I'm learning.
Review so I can learn some more! Or just to feed my ego. Either works.