I know there's a lot of heady discussion on various threads, but a couple of things have happened IRL that made me come to a realization: we need a name.
I'm not talking about the Titan Network, 'cuz that's a home more than an identity. The fans of Firefly are Browncoats. Trekkies are... Well, you know. So, when I'm describing what we're doing to a classmate who plays DCUO, I say, "I'm a part of a group of players who have banded together to --" And, by this point, I've kinda lost him.
In-game, the mobs, particularly in the lower level zones, say things like, "I smell spandex," or snide comments about capes when you "aggro" them, so I was thinking along those lines. However, we've been reasonably democratic through the course of this (and I'm terrible at naming things), so I call upon the Great Thinkers and the Unicorns.
Who are we?
Capes?
More then one group in CoX called the Superheroes/Villains as such.
Or for a pinch the 33s. >.> Be more fitting to call ourselves that we are the ones who are fighting instead of our characters in Plan Z.
What do we want to accomplish with this name? What do we want to communicate, and to whom?
I guess that I can't answer those questions is answer enough. :)
This was more borne out of emotion that logic, anyway. I was watching the "Browncoats Unite" special when it occurred to me.
I believe, and forgive me if I speak incorrectly on anybody's behalf here, that the desire is to communicate "the players of CoH are organized as fans to protect, preserve, or avenge their game as necessary" to "anybody who asks what the heck we're doing."
The use of the name is to identify that group in one or two words, so that it grabs enough interest that those who ask will listen to the longer explanation and, thereafter, know what is meant by that name so repeated explanation is not necessary.
Aren't we: the Save COH movement?
..we're not Team Rae? Screw you guys, I'm going home. :P
if we had to have a short name i would think capes would be the most fitting (ba dum tish)
I'm partial to The Thirty-Threes. It has assonance to its benefit, and it's both catchy and mysterious.
I'd have to vote Thirty-Threes, too, if for no other reason than when we're asked why that name, we can recount the story of how we filled out those 33 Atlas Parks in solidarity.
We are Those Who Don't Give Up. (not usually lovecraftian, but this time, it works)
Torchlights?
Or something like that
The red and blue?
Sunrise (as opposed to sunset)
Soldiers of Paragon
I'm pretty sure in Tony's first address he said we are all
Titans. (edit yep, he did. see below)
In City of Heroes we could be Incarnates of the Gods. Well to quote the movie Remember the Titans: "In Greek mythology, the Titans were greater even than the gods." I think that pretty much fits.
Prometheus was also a Titan who sacrficed himself so as to bring fire (knowledge, light, power) to primative man. His symbol is the Torch which is our symbol as well, especially as the dark times are about to begin.
I don't think Capes or Spandex fits because not all of us are Heroes and not all of us are comic book characters.
While I do like 33s, I think the name needs to clearly indicate who we are. AP33 is a symbol or idea that I don't think most people will understand. If you have to explain what your name means, it's not as effective.
Quote from: TonyVWe are heroes, damn it, and I don't just mean the kind that pushes pixels through a virtual landscape oohing and ahhing at flashy colors. Starting right now, we are going to pull together all of our teams and form a league the gaming world will not soon forget. We will beat this trial. We will save the day. By God, they will chant our names. Incarnates? Give me a break. We are Titans, all of us. We've shed blood, we've cried tears, we've never stopped and we're not about to quit now. We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.
While I also like "33s," I can see "Torchbearers" or "Torch-holders" fitting the perhaps most iconic image of people standing vigil.
How about "Torches"?
"Sentinels"
"Avengers" (or has that been taken? ;) )
33's or Titans are my Vote.
Both because it's what we are. We were there protesting to generate AP33. We are here in Titan Network organizing the fight.
Quote from: Rotten Luck on November 12, 2012, 09:47:56 PM
33's or Titans are my Vote.
Both because it's what we are. We were there protesting to generate AP33. We are here in Titan Network organizing the fight.
Seconded.
"Thirty-Threes" for the win! ;D
(and let's be clear, it should be spelled out when printed, has more impact that way.)
TargetOne
Y'know, the one I like is "Freedom's Phalanx" for the triple-hit of it. Obviously its inspired by the highest supergroup in the Lore of CoH - the Freedom Phalanx, but by adding the apostrophe and 's' to Freedom, we are asserting our connection to Freedom, both as a concept and as the name of the final version of the game. A phalanx is military, thus associations of fighting, and organization, and it is most often applied to defensive formations.
However, if we thought the 'phalanx' part was too much of an insider reference, then the more common term would be "Freedom's Fighters"
capes is too much like we're just coh players not saving city of heroes. 33s needs explanation but so do most names I have no idea what browncoats are :-[ .
We could be the Vee's so it's Tony and the Vees :) but that would be unfair to others who have lead events and such or put a lot of effort into helping us.. Secretly i'd love us to be Fansy's Fansies :D ... but again unfair to others So I'm with 33s or Titans
We have been evicted from our destroyed city. We are Atlas Park's Castaways. Virtue's Outcasts, Caped Refugees. We are Paragon's Orphans. NCSoft's Exiles, the Masked Exodus. We are the Evicted Guardians, the Homeless Heroes. The Lost Knights.
Quote from: Colette on November 13, 2012, 05:47:29 AM
We have been evicted from our destroyed city. We are Atlas Park's Castaways. Virtue's Outcasts, Super Refugees. We are Paragon's Orphans. Caped Exiles, the Masked Exodus. We are the Evicted Guardians, the Homeless Heroes. The Lost Knights.
As said before, not all of us are heroes.
I like Titans. Multiple meanings ftw.
Dude, brainstorming...! You threw off my groove.
I'm sorry, but you've thrown off Colette's groove. :: Flings from tall building. ::
Well, here's hoping NCSoft fails to lock the Titans in Tartarus, if we go with that name. ;)
Quote from: Graphite on November 12, 2012, 09:21:30 PMWhile I do like 33s, I think the name needs to clearly indicate who we are. AP33 is a symbol or idea that I don't think most people will understand. If you have to explain what your name means, it's not as effective.
I don't know, it did work for the Browncoats.
Quote from: Quinch on November 13, 2012, 03:05:17 PM
I don't know, it did work for the Browncoats.
The difference being that "Browncoats" is a term used in the series referring to a specific group; if you've seen the series, you get the reference and immediately make a connection to those who fought for their own freedom and independence.
"Thirty-threes," or "33s", is much more vague; even someone who plays the game may not have any idea what it is supposed to mean, and that's bad. At the very least, we want something that those familiar with our source material (the game itself, not the Save CoH movement) will instantly recognize.
And as for rejecting some of the suggested names on the grounds that "we are not all heroes," I think we need to separate in-game characters from out-of-game efforts. Hero, villain, and rogue are all united here in the efforts to save CoH, and that makes each of them heroic.
City Saviors
My 2 cents worth -
*hands you a penny* "Here's your change"
Quote from: Blackbird71 on November 13, 2012, 05:41:04 PM
if you've seen the series, you get the reference
The only objection to that is, people can go back and watch that series at any time to understand the reference in its proper context. In this case the only option we may have, at least for a while, is to explain it ourselves.
With that in mind, which experience do we want our collective name to refer to? If it's to reflect the years we spent playing the game, then we should pick a term from within the game. If it's to reflect the time we're spending trying to save the game, then we should pick a term from our efforts here. And if that's the case, I vote for "Thirty-Threes" or "Torchbearers"... that event was pretty iconic and summarizes our determination perfectly.
I like Torchbearers.
Wait a minute, what about "Menders"? They've been around for years, they don't care if you're hero or villain so long as you'll fight, and they're struggling against overwhelming odds to prevent a world-shattering catastrophe...
Titans of Paragon
In fact I would wonder if we could have a vote for a name and create a Super group to finish out the days with like minded folks.
The Murdered 33's is what we are about to be.
Like Titans.
Yes, Titans of Paragon has a good ring to it!
Citizens
Quote from: Visual Fallacy on November 13, 2012, 12:19:18 AMWe could be the Vee's so it's Tony and the Vees :) but that would be unfair to others who have lead events and such or put a lot of effort into helping us.. Secretly i'd love us to be Fansy's Fansies :D ... but again unfair to others So I'm with 33s or Titans
We could alway be
Vanguard - the super-powered alliance of heroes and villains uniting to save the world. This would then indeed let us shorten it to V, which honors Tony, VV, and a certain superhero who believed in Freedom Forever (http://www.cohtitan.com/forum/index.php/topic,4964.msg73220.html#msg73220).
Okay... the name is for our audience, not for us. Here we can call ourselves the Save CoH movement, the Torchbearers, the 33s, Titans, doesn't matter. The outside, non-CoH audience won't understand what we're referring to.
We want the name to inspire sympathy and admiration from our audience all at once, and to be as easy to understand as possible.
Villains do not evoke sympathy or admiration. Despite Aggelakis's objections, I'm sticking to heroes.
It needs to be catchy, alliteration and meter are a plus.
Again I say we are the Homeless Heroes. Two trochees, alliteration, simple and poignant.
Quote from: Triplash on November 13, 2012, 06:51:48 PM
Wait a minute, what about "Menders"? They've been around for years, they don't care if you're hero or villain so long as you'll fight, and they're struggling against overwhelming odds to prevent a world-shattering catastrophe...
+1 for Menders
I'm frankly surprised that this has gone as far as it has, but I'm in for Menders or the Thirty-Threes (evokes the nickname for Deep Space Nine fans, "The Niners," also an in-joke), in no particular order other than alphabetical.