crystal.

[cozen]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Bastien
RECIPIENT: Everyone
WHAT: Fursona meme?
WHEN: Nowish
NOTES: Nah

Hello, my friends. And my total strangers.

[ Those are the only two options. Enemies are for other people. Unless someone considers anyone with an Orlesian accent—and not even a particularly noble one, from the vowels—to be an enemy. Or maybe anyone who sounds too pleasant on a Sunday morning. In that case: swords at dawn. ]

I was thinking about how many popular heroes have a sobriquet. The Black Fox, now the Black Hart. The Nightingale.

Now that I am saying them aloud, they are mostly animals.

Setting aside how arrogant it would be to give one to yourself. If you could choose a pretentious epithet for the history books, or one for your friends—

It does not have to be an animal.

[ Yes it does. ]

Comments

[champions]

Someone should be The Feisty Toad. It's simply too good to not be used.

[cozen]

Are you volunteering?

[champions]

Absolutely not. I am far too svelte, and never feisty.

[rathercommon]

What on earth's a - so-bee-kett?

[cozen]

[ His wince is silent, as winces usually are, but there is a pause while he gathers the strength to leave that pronunciation alone. ]

Something like a pet name, save that strangers may use it, crossed with a title, save that you have to do something to deserve it.

[rathercommon]

[ She wrinkles her nose. Probably could have guessed that one from context. Oh, well. ]

Or at least you have to have manufactured stories that give you a reputation for having deserved it.

[shri]

My enemies liked to call me 'that wretched bitch', if that counts.

[ She's got a few, the playwrites, they got creative. ]

[cozen]

Well. At least it follows the form. But surely it isn’t what you would choose.

[shri]

I was always fond of 'the Lion of Jhansi'.

[ That one at least, made her feel like the mighty beast Goddess Durga rode. ]

[swordproof]

A friend of mine enjoyed ravens. I'm not sure that he would have chosen to be named for them, however.

[cozen]

Why not? Ravens are wonderful.

[swordproof]

He was pale and gaunt. I think he preferred other comparisons.

[bouchonne]

For you, I think - 'the fuzzy caterpillar.'

[cozen]

And my sidekick, the Stringy Worm.

[writteninblood]

There's a few old stories about ravens and twins. I wouldn't mind something like that.

[cozen]

The Raven Twins. The Twin Ravens.

[ Testing. Twin Ravens is definitely better. ]

—what sort of stories?

[triamour]

Always with black, it is so dreary!

[cozen]

[ Without a face, the voice only tickles his sense of recognition. A minor itch. Possibly nothing. ]

I think it's dashing. And so many of them have these names because their proper names are unknown, because they are secretive and working in the shadows. Some drear is appropriate.

[coquettish_trees]

I shall be... [ with proper gravity: ] the Crystal Merlin.

[ You know. Hunts in a ladylike fashion, murderous, temperamental, scintillates in the light, makes a nice sound when you run a wet finger over it.

...eminently shatterable if one knows where to hit it. ]

[cozen]

I think I saw one of those in a market stall once. I should have bought it.

[thorndergod]

You have not said what you would give yourself. But I would choose the Golden Hammer.

[hwaaaitsme]

An ornamental tool with no agency of its own?

[So much judgment.]

Such a bold choice, brother. Any lesser intellect might assume you had missed the point of this exercise.

[cozen]

[ The best part of asking questions is not having to answer any, dude. ]

Strong. Regal. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise, Golden Hammer.

[chainlightning]

A friend of mine calls me 'Daisy'. Does that count?

[cozen]

It would need a definitive article. The Daisy.

[ Trying it out for sound. ]

I think it needs an adjective, too. You could be the Black Daisy.