40 Fandoms: The Incredibles
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40fandoms
Title: What's in a Name?
Fandom: The Incredibles
Word Count: 510
Rating: G
Timeline: Between Syndrome's defeat and Dash's track meet at the end of the movie.
Summary: Violet and Dash need to come up with codenames.
---
Violet Parr sat on the edge of her bed, eyes distant, left hand held up. She had three small, softball-sized force fields in her palm, rotating them around in a circle.
"How about," she said, her voice slow, "Ultraviolet? That's kind of fitting. It's the color of my force fields and it's a kind of light you can't see normally. My powers in a nutshell."
"It's a great name, sweety, but too close to your real one." Helen Parr--Voilet's mom, who went by the codename Elastigirl--stood at the dresser of the hotel room she shared with Violet's father. She was folding laundry and storing it in open, waiting drawers. Auburn hair framed her face and her voice carried a slight lisp. "You'll need something that won't be so easy to figure out. Remember, your identity is the most precious thing you have now."
"Well, it's better than what Dash wanted to call himself." Violet mumbled.
"Oh?"
"'The Dash.'"
This drew a chuckle from Helen, who shook her head. She reached out for a pile of shirts stacked up across the room, spreading her fingers like a mesh cage and picking them up in one hand. "Just remember that whatever you pick is going to have to stay with you for a while. You can't just go change your name in the middle of your heroing carreer."
"Hmm." Violet tilted her head, black hair skewing. "What did you look for when you chose Elastigirl, mom?"
"Well..." Helen put on a thoughtful frown. "I wanted something clever, first of all, and something that described my powers. I also wanted something that was easy to say and spell--I've met my fair share of Supers who had chosen complex names and met no end of frustration with the press and fans. In these aspects, Ultraviolet's a good name, but I also wanted something that didn't hint at my identity. People hear your name and see you--your hair, your body, your eyes--even under the mask, and someone will be able to piece it together." She gave her daughter a motherly smile.
"I see..." Violet's eyes narrowed as she examined a brown spot on the otherwise beige ceiling. "I've got it so far. Was there anything else?"
"Yeah--pick something that's heroically ambiguous, at best. Definitely avoid anything that sounds villainous, because that just leads to misunderstanding and idle speculation you're too young to worry about."
"Like Syndrome."
"Exactly like Syndrome." Helen shook her head and grinned. "He tried to pass himself off as a hero; if he'd succeeded in defeating that killer robot and maintained his charade, the press would start wondering why he chose such an evil-sounding name."
"That's kinda stupid," Violet admitted.
"The press isn't known for being smart, only for stirring up drama." A moment passed before Helen set aside the clothes and walked over to the bed, wrapping her arms around Violet. "Honey, I know you'll find the perfect name. Inspiration'll strike when you least expect it; the heroing game is funny like that."
"Hah...thanks, mom."
40fandoms
Title: What's in a Name?
Fandom: The Incredibles
Word Count: 510
Rating: G
Timeline: Between Syndrome's defeat and Dash's track meet at the end of the movie.
Summary: Violet and Dash need to come up with codenames.
---
Violet Parr sat on the edge of her bed, eyes distant, left hand held up. She had three small, softball-sized force fields in her palm, rotating them around in a circle.
"How about," she said, her voice slow, "Ultraviolet? That's kind of fitting. It's the color of my force fields and it's a kind of light you can't see normally. My powers in a nutshell."
"It's a great name, sweety, but too close to your real one." Helen Parr--Voilet's mom, who went by the codename Elastigirl--stood at the dresser of the hotel room she shared with Violet's father. She was folding laundry and storing it in open, waiting drawers. Auburn hair framed her face and her voice carried a slight lisp. "You'll need something that won't be so easy to figure out. Remember, your identity is the most precious thing you have now."
"Well, it's better than what Dash wanted to call himself." Violet mumbled.
"Oh?"
"'The Dash.'"
This drew a chuckle from Helen, who shook her head. She reached out for a pile of shirts stacked up across the room, spreading her fingers like a mesh cage and picking them up in one hand. "Just remember that whatever you pick is going to have to stay with you for a while. You can't just go change your name in the middle of your heroing carreer."
"Hmm." Violet tilted her head, black hair skewing. "What did you look for when you chose Elastigirl, mom?"
"Well..." Helen put on a thoughtful frown. "I wanted something clever, first of all, and something that described my powers. I also wanted something that was easy to say and spell--I've met my fair share of Supers who had chosen complex names and met no end of frustration with the press and fans. In these aspects, Ultraviolet's a good name, but I also wanted something that didn't hint at my identity. People hear your name and see you--your hair, your body, your eyes--even under the mask, and someone will be able to piece it together." She gave her daughter a motherly smile.
"I see..." Violet's eyes narrowed as she examined a brown spot on the otherwise beige ceiling. "I've got it so far. Was there anything else?"
"Yeah--pick something that's heroically ambiguous, at best. Definitely avoid anything that sounds villainous, because that just leads to misunderstanding and idle speculation you're too young to worry about."
"Like Syndrome."
"Exactly like Syndrome." Helen shook her head and grinned. "He tried to pass himself off as a hero; if he'd succeeded in defeating that killer robot and maintained his charade, the press would start wondering why he chose such an evil-sounding name."
"That's kinda stupid," Violet admitted.
"The press isn't known for being smart, only for stirring up drama." A moment passed before Helen set aside the clothes and walked over to the bed, wrapping her arms around Violet. "Honey, I know you'll find the perfect name. Inspiration'll strike when you least expect it; the heroing game is funny like that."
"Hah...thanks, mom."