branding lady, meet meek little lamb

[mxglam]

Glam isn't allowed to actually patrol the following day (it's a Sunday), so they mostly browse the 'net and read books. Echo's busy with her family (and she is allowed to go out patrolling), and Lorica's... doing something.

They're slightly worried about the fact that Yates hasn't replied to their email, but it's the weekend, so maybe that's why.

Has she replied to the email by Monday?

Comments

[thinkering]

"Ready to head down?"

[mxglam]

Copy suddenly had never been there. "Yeah."

[thinkering]

Lorica leads the way. They arrive slightly early and she takes up a position that is vaguely like standing at attention, near Yates's door.

[mxglam]

Glam lands. No reason to flaunt the fact that they can fly.

[thinkering]

"Come in," says Yates's voice, eventually.

Lorica steps in. "Good evening, Ms. Yates, how are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you for asking, Lorica. And hello again, Glam, I hope you're in a better mood today."

[mxglam]

"I am," they say somewhat meekly. "I am truly sorry about the other day. I really didn't mean to threaten or disrespect you."

[thinkering]

"Have you come to a decision about what gender you're going to be for marketing purposes?" Yates asks.

"We were actually wondering if it's possible to play up the secret identity aspect," Lorica says. "Maybe have Glam not speak in public, be even vaguer about their age than usual -"

"It won't fly," Yates says. "Maybe in another decade, but not now."

[mxglam]

...well that's that, then. They think about mentioning Myrddin but it's probably a lost battle.

"What if I was two people?" they ask tentatively.

[thinkering]

Lorica steps in before Ms. Yates can say anything. "Their power set can stretch to cover two different, less versatile capes. One identity could have one gender and continuity with the rogue version - shaker/blaster inanimate object conjuration - and the other could do, say, animal control, with some obfuscated source of animals. For patrols the two identities would need to be together or out only one at a time, but they could appear together at fundraisers and similar; they can make a duplicate of themself which has its own senses and onboard memory. An increased schedule to help hide this is to be expected. I think it'd have the obvious effect on merchandise."

Yates frowns thoughtfully.

"My recommendation is Glam as the female persona and the second one as the male - you're more than welcome to name him."

[mxglam]

"Cool, and I don't have a name in mind for the male one, but can come up with one if you prefer me to. If I may ask, why do you think Glam's better as female?"

[thinkering]

"The name, mostly, and the sillhouette," says Lorica. "But it could go either way if Ms. Yates has another idea."

"No, Lorica's right," nods Yates. "I'll need to think for a while about appropriate names for the second persona, and a costume unless you already have one in mind, but the option is viable if you can cope with the schedule. I'd want to have Glam patrolling at least a few weeks before the second persona."

[mxglam]

That... went better than expected.

Glam revises their opinion about their own sense even further down. It does not feel good.

"Should I change my silhouette and stuff? Make it maybe more obviously female? Should the, uh, non-cape identities also be distinct, or is it mostly okay if the other Wards know?"

Making Glam more obviously female: also does not feel good.

[alicornucopia]

"Subtle changes only, but it wouldn't hurt, a little more hip and less shoulder. It's all right for people to know internally. We know how to keep things buttoned up."

[mxglam]

"Color scheme or, uh, absence thereof, remain same? Mask as well?"

[alicornucopia]

"Glam's costume can stay as-is. For the second persona I'm leaning blue - more saturated than Lorica's - and gold."

[mxglam]

They- she nods. And does subtle alterations to her costume, following her suggestions. It feels ugly and wrong, Glam is not a girl, but-

Hm. "I'm gonna make other-me appear and maybe we can use them- him to do work on his costume as well?"

[thinkering]

"I was going to just send you a sketch, but I suppose a live model will do too. It would be ideal to design with a name in mind, though..."

"Phylum," says Lorica.

"Not bad. I'll see if it's taken," says Ms. Yates, tapping at her computer.

[mxglam]

Copy looks at original, and while th- she knows he doesn't really feel a whole lot, there's still a sort of, of kindred emotion there. As if he's thinking, 'yeah, sucks, I know.'

...Boots is gonna have a field day isn't he. Sigh.

"Genus, in the same line, if Phylum's taken," copy suggests, as his body's proportions change a bit as well.

[alicornucopia]

"Phylum was taken by a minor villain in Italy," reports Yates. "Some heroes consider it bad luck to take a dead cape's name but it isn't a branding problem; some don't like to take villains' names but the cape in question was never significant outside his hometown."

[mxglam]

"What about Genus? Or any other ideas? I never did think of my power as relating to animals."

[thinkering]

"Genus is taken," says Yates.

"Leash. Menagerie. Claw. Flock," says Lorica.

"Taken... taken... taken... taken..."

[mxglam]

"Eh. Guess Phylum's good, then," shrugs copy, and original agrees.

[thinkering]

"Phylum it is, at least as a working title - to obscure the connection I want Glam to be the only one going out for the next few weeks so there's time to think of more posibilities. And a sufficiently obfuscated way to produce the animals will need to be devised. Ideally it won't look very much like the objects Glam produces."

"I can help them work on something to handle that," says Lorica.

"We can talk costume now or another time. No rush on getting Phylum street-ready under the circumstances," says Yates.

[mxglam]

Both of them nod. "I think I'd prefer doing it now," says Glam.

"Mostly to get used to it," explains Phylum.

[alicornucopia]

"Of course. Blue-and-gold is only one color option; do you like it or do you want more choices?"