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<blockquote data-quote="The Shadow" data-source="post: 4951876" data-attributes="member: 16760">Super Slang:&nbsp; NormsNorm:&nbsp; The generally-accepted neutral term for someone without powers.&nbsp; Sometimes jokingly expanded out into &quot;Norman (or Norma) J. Citizen&quot;.Null:&nbsp; More dismissive than 'norm', this implies someone who stands no chance whatever in a super-conflict.&nbsp; There are norms who are crimefighters;&nbsp; but the idea of a null being a crimefighter is laughable.Zip:&nbsp; An openly contemptuous term for people without powers.Fan:&nbsp; A norm with an obsessive interest in supers, whether in general or in specific.&nbsp; Fans are often conversant with the Super subculture and its lingo.Bat:&nbsp; A norm who fights crime.&nbsp; From &quot;Batman&quot;.&nbsp; Bats tend to be plugged in to the Super subculture, and a very few are even fully accepted as part of it.Norms who fight crime *as equals* with supers using super-science gadgets are not generally &quot;bats&quot;, they are &quot;toyboys&quot;. (Or &quot;toy soldiers&quot; if in powered armor.)&nbsp; Norms with minor super-gadgets are more often called &quot;toy capes&quot;, see below.&nbsp; (The darker ones are instead &quot;toy masks&quot;.)&nbsp; Toyboys are basically considered honorary supers.Toy Cape:&nbsp; A versatile term, this has several meanings.&nbsp; It can mean a sidekick, or a fan with delusions of becoming a sidekick.&nbsp; Can also be a dismissive term for a bat, especially if the bat uses gadgets.&nbsp; Note: This term can also be used for supers who are sidekicks, though it's fairly insulting.Toy Mask:&nbsp; Like a toy cape, only darker and edgier - either a wanna-be villain, or a wanna-be anti-hero.My Friend Sid:&nbsp; &quot;Sid&quot; is short for &quot;Secret ID&quot;, and refers to a norm with ties to a super's hidden life.&nbsp; Can also be used in such phrases as, &quot;Sid called, I gotta go.&quot;&nbsp; This lets supers mention their secret lives without giving specifics.If it would be awkward for &quot;Sid&quot; to have a masculine name (such as, &quot;Going out on a date with Sid&quot; in the mouth of a straight male), the accepted alternative is &quot;Sal&quot;, for &quot;Secret Alternate Life&quot;.&quot;Sid&quot; is sometimes also expanded out to &quot;Sidney J. Citizen&quot;.&nbsp; (The feminine version being &quot;Sally J. Citizen&quot;, naturally.&nbsp; &quot;Sidney and Sally&quot; is yet another variation.)&nbsp; In the days since the Star Wars prequels, a friend or relative on the wrong side of the law can even be &quot;Darth Sidious&quot; - though an individual called by that name is unlikely to be a norm.&nbsp; Finally, the word &quot;insidious&quot; can be used as code to cue in another super to keep secret-ID issues in mind.-----------------In super battles:Specks:&nbsp; Short for 'spectators'.&nbsp; These are norms who watch the battle and generally get in the way.&nbsp; They differ from gawks in that they retain a certain minimal degree of self-preservation instinct.Gawks:&nbsp; Norms who watch a super battle with stupefied wonder.&nbsp; They differ from specks in that they do not have the sense to get out of the way.Rabbits:&nbsp; Norms who panic during a super-battle and flee in a disorderly fashion, often causing trouble.Citizens (1):&nbsp; When unmodified, this refers to norms with the good sense not to be specks, gawks, or rabbits.&nbsp; When a super-battle occurs, they vacate the premises in an orderly fashion, helping others as necessary.&nbsp; All capes are very grateful for citizens, and many masks are too.Citizens (2):&nbsp; When modified with a positive adjective, such as &quot;fine citizens&quot; or &quot;upstanding citizens&quot;, this refers sarcastically to norms who are in the way or causing trouble. &quot;A bunch of nice citizens crowded around asking me for autographs, and the perp got away.&quot;&nbsp; Sometimes used as a code between capes:&nbsp; &quot;Photon, let's not bother these fine citizens,&quot; as a warning to stay off a sensitive topic.'People' is often used in the same way.&nbsp; ie, &quot;Good people&quot; or &quot;fine people&quot;.&nbsp; This form is more often used when directly addressing the individuals in question.&nbsp; &quot;Good people, I would ask you to stand back from the fighting.&quot;Reptiles:&nbsp; Reporters, considered as lower life-forms.&nbsp; Reptiles are usually also specks, of course.&nbsp; The classic (if bitter) joke is that &quot;Reptiles prey upon rabbits&quot;.The term can also refer more broadly to anyone snooping around with ulterior motives.&nbsp; In particular, 'lizards' are lawyers digging up dirt on a hero, and 'snakes' have darker motives - blackmail or worse.Our Dear Friends:&nbsp; When said with heavy sarcasm, this is another term for reporters.&nbsp; The official full phrase is &quot;Our Dear Friends in the press corps&quot;, but there are all sorts of more colorful endings.&nbsp; One common one is, &quot;Our Dear Friends of the reptilian persuasion&quot;.Badges:&nbsp; Often cops, but can be anyone connected with the government who has at least minimal combat training:&nbsp; soldiers, spies, agents, what have you.&nbsp; Badges are usually armed, and aren't completely useless (or harmless) in a battle.&nbsp; On the other hand, they often have the ability to make trouble later.Our Blue Brethren:&nbsp; A cape term for the police, collectively.&nbsp; Usually said with sarcasm.Both capes and masks are apt to make use of such phrases as, 'the boys in blue' and 'the thin blue line' as well.&nbsp; Going to jail can be called going 'into the wild blue yonder'.&nbsp; &quot;Feeling blue?&quot; is a common crack from a cape to a mask. (Or more darkly, in the opposite direction.)The Loyal Opposition:&nbsp; When used by capes, this refers to minions, mooks, thugs, and any other norms generally on the side of the bad guys.&nbsp; When used by masks, it usually refers to cops.&nbsp; In either case, the full phrase is, &quot;The Loyal Opposition is prepared to Give Their All,&quot; meaning that they will go down quickly.Often abbreviated to LO, pronounced 'low'.&nbsp; The usual joke is, &quot;LO, and what before my wondering eyes should appear?&quot;, among many other variants.&nbsp; &quot;LO-down rascals&quot; and &quot;LO-er criminal element&quot; are others.&nbsp; The abbreviation also comes up as a mocking, &quot;'Ello!&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="The Shadow, post: 4951876, member: 16760"] [b]Super Slang: Norms[/b] [b]Norm: [/b]The generally-accepted neutral term for someone without powers. Sometimes jokingly expanded out into "Norman (or Norma) J. Citizen". [b]Null: [/b]More dismissive than 'norm', this implies someone who stands no chance whatever in a super-conflict. There are norms who are crimefighters; but the idea of a null being a crimefighter is laughable. [b]Zip: [/b]An openly contemptuous term for people without powers. [b]Fan: [/b]A norm with an obsessive interest in supers, whether in general or in specific. Fans are often conversant with the Super subculture and its lingo. [b]Bat: [/b]A norm who fights crime. From "Batman". Bats tend to be plugged in to the Super subculture, and a very few are even fully accepted as part of it. Norms who fight crime *as equals* with supers using super-science gadgets are not generally "bats", they are "toyboys". (Or "toy soldiers" if in powered armor.) Norms with minor super-gadgets are more often called "toy capes", see below. (The darker ones are instead "toy masks".) Toyboys are basically considered honorary supers. [b]Toy Cape: [/b]A versatile term, this has several meanings. It can mean a sidekick, or a fan with delusions of becoming a sidekick. Can also be a dismissive term for a bat, especially if the bat uses gadgets. Note: This term can also be used for supers who are sidekicks, though it's fairly insulting. [b]Toy Mask: [/b]Like a toy cape, only darker and edgier - either a wanna-be villain, or a wanna-be anti-hero. [b]My Friend Sid: [/b]"Sid" is short for "Secret ID", and refers to a norm with ties to a super's hidden life. Can also be used in such phrases as, "Sid called, I gotta go." This lets supers mention their secret lives without giving specifics. If it would be awkward for "Sid" to have a masculine name (such as, "Going out on a date with Sid" in the mouth of a straight male), the accepted alternative is "Sal", for "Secret Alternate Life". "Sid" is sometimes also expanded out to "Sidney J. Citizen". (The feminine version being "Sally J. Citizen", naturally. "Sidney and Sally" is yet another variation.) In the days since the Star Wars prequels, a friend or relative on the wrong side of the law can even be "Darth Sidious" - though an individual called by that name is unlikely to be a norm. Finally, the word "insidious" can be used as code to cue in another super to keep secret-ID issues in mind. ----------------- In super battles: [b]Specks: [/b]Short for 'spectators'. These are norms who watch the battle and generally get in the way. They differ from gawks in that they retain a certain minimal degree of self-preservation instinct. [b]Gawks: [/b]Norms who watch a super battle with stupefied wonder. They differ from specks in that they do not have the sense to get out of the way. [b]Rabbits: [/b]Norms who panic during a super-battle and flee in a disorderly fashion, often causing trouble. [b]Citizens (1): [/b]When unmodified, this refers to norms with the good sense not to be specks, gawks, or rabbits. When a super-battle occurs, they vacate the premises in an orderly fashion, helping others as necessary. All capes are very grateful for citizens, and many masks are too. [b]Citizens (2): [/b]When modified with a positive adjective, such as "fine citizens" or "upstanding citizens", this refers sarcastically to norms who are in the way or causing trouble. "A bunch of nice citizens crowded around asking me for autographs, and the perp got away." Sometimes used as a code between capes: "Photon, let's not bother these fine citizens," as a warning to stay off a sensitive topic. 'People' is often used in the same way. ie, "Good people" or "fine people". This form is more often used when directly addressing the individuals in question. "Good people, I would ask you to stand back from the fighting." [b]Reptiles: [/b]Reporters, considered as lower life-forms. Reptiles are usually also specks, of course. The classic (if bitter) joke is that "Reptiles prey upon rabbits". The term can also refer more broadly to anyone snooping around with ulterior motives. In particular, 'lizards' are lawyers digging up dirt on a hero, and 'snakes' have darker motives - blackmail or worse. [b]Our Dear Friends: [/b]When said with heavy sarcasm, this is another term for reporters. The official full phrase is "Our Dear Friends in the press corps", but there are all sorts of more colorful endings. One common one is, "Our Dear Friends of the reptilian persuasion". [b]Badges: [/b]Often cops, but can be anyone connected with the government who has at least minimal combat training: soldiers, spies, agents, what have you. Badges are usually armed, and aren't completely useless (or harmless) in a battle. On the other hand, they often have the ability to make trouble later. [b]Our Blue Brethren: [/b]A cape term for the police, collectively. Usually said with sarcasm. Both capes and masks are apt to make use of such phrases as, 'the boys in blue' and 'the thin blue line' as well. Going to jail can be called going 'into the wild blue yonder'. "Feeling blue?" is a common crack from a cape to a mask. (Or more darkly, in the opposite direction.) [b]The Loyal Opposition: [/b]When used by capes, this refers to minions, mooks, thugs, and any other norms generally on the side of the bad guys. When used by masks, it usually refers to cops. In either case, the full phrase is, "The Loyal Opposition is prepared to Give Their All," meaning that they will go down quickly. Often abbreviated to LO, pronounced 'low'. The usual joke is, "LO, and what before my wondering eyes should appear?", among many other variants. "LO-down rascals" and "LO-er criminal element" are others. The abbreviation also comes up as a mocking, "'Ello!" [/QUOTE]

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