#atlas the ex chaos god

[creature-premium]

x/love slowly kills, Adrian Borda/ Renee ahdieh, the wrath and the dawn/x/The well, the crane wives/x/Against the kitchen floor, will wood/x/x/x

#web weaving #web weave #god i habe no idea how to tag these things #ocs #wild winds #zephyr zoufall #atlas the ex chaos god #they have tags lol #this is for me i dont need to properly tag this tbh #for alex

[scumbag-the-hedgehog]

@secr3trings asked: ❛ in my zone, we exchange a pleasant 'hello' before asking questions. ❜ // okay one more — bc I think they deserve a thread , EXE for Fini

ATLA Sentence Starters

"It was not a question, spirit, it was a command." The doctor has dropped all the politnesse, with the high tech summoning circle separating him from the self-proclaimed god - old school occultism meets Prime Echidna technology, down to the carefully arranged chaos drives.

"The servants are the seven Chaos… Chaos is power, controlled by my will… The controller exists to enslave the Chaos."

Ink-black energy within the summoning circle crackles and lashes at Exe, like switches whipping a horse, thorns of pure power digging in with each strike from the lashing tendrils. The echdina's eyes drill holes into the spirit's head.

"Now. If you wish to return to your realm with your soul intact... reveal your true name, demon."

#secr3trings #{ask answered}「we’re conducting business here」 #{FINITEVUS; IC}「Made In Heaven」 #and on the other end of the spectrum of “dealing with demons”

[csb-writes]

Writeblr Intro

Welcome to all the bastard children of the Gods, princesses, psychonauts, and modern cryptids.

This chaos is something you'll get used to if you stick around.

I go by Cam, Cameron, or hey you over there because I was never given nicknames. My pronouns are they/he and I'm a disabled queer writer, poet, witch, college student, and small business owner.

About Me

I came out when I was 18 as genderfluid and oriented aroace (sex-repulsed, romance neutral).

I started taking writing seriously during the whole 2020 situation when I needed an escape to deal with some ~spicy feelings~.

My favorite genres to read are YA and NA fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and dystopian.

Anything that serves "call of the void" vibes, features 9000 shades of grey morals, or has characters actually face repercussions for decisions, I'm interested in.

My current book fandoms are Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and The Hunger Games. Some books that don't have official fandoms but I love anyway are Mr. 60%, Follow Me Back, and Here Lies Daniel Tate.

Other fandoms I'm a card carrying member of are Taylor Swift, Chloe Ament, Addison Grace, HTTYD, Criminal Minds, ATLA, TLOK, The Dragon Prince, and SPOP.

I'm currently reading Six of Crows for the first time, and I'm always down to make friends even if I am terrible about replying to messages.

About My Writing and WIPs

I've got 10 WIPs that are in various stages of production, nine of which belong to a collection, and one that was a fanfic that became original when I accidentally changed too much.

So I'll start with the only book that is not a part of that collection-- aka the ex-fanfic: SFRP. A multimedia queer tragedy told through letters, short stories, paintings, and prose. In comparison to some of my other stories, this one is light but I made myself cry for the first time in about two years while writing the plot, so do with that information what you wish. Trigger warnings include death, medical trauma, discussion of past abuse, substance abuse, and grief.

Fates Intertwined

This one's the collection, with two trilogies as bookends and three stand-alones in the middle. It's a NA generational fantasy featuring your traditional supernatural races that I've tweaked with my own ideas to give them some originality.

EIT. Featuring two rival Werewolf Packs and their respective heirs, dealing with where we draw the line between murder and self-defense. A mystery, corruption, destroyed found family, and fake marriage all come into play for Marcus and Faeth when they decide to dig deeper. Trigger Warnings: on-page DV, talk of CSA, grief, substance abuse, and murder.

GEA. Deep into their investigation of the death, Mark and Faeth are running out of time. The mismatching answers to their questions need to start lining up, or they risk losing all the progress they've made-- in the case, and with each other. Trigger Warnings: on-page DV, talk of CSA, grief, substance abuse, discussion of SH behaviors, and homophobia.

EAE. Eight years have passed, and too much has changed. But new information coming to light means they might finally have the chance they just barely missed. With old feelings bubbling up, Mark and Faeth have to keep it together one more time. Trigger Warnings: discussion of past murders, discussion of SH behaviors, grief, and homophobia.

IWWC. Begins the new generation and the three stand-alone books of the collection. Thomas didn't think that coming out would cause so many problems, but all it takes is one picture going viral. Trigger Warnings: homophobia, near-death experiences.

LAM. The darkest of the stand-alone books, and possibly of the whole collection. When Zach's fucks up bigger than ever, his punishment becomes a mission. Trigger Warnings: parentification of a child, abandonment, neglect, the mistreatment of patients in psychiatric facilities, gaslighting.

TBG. The last of the stand-alones, and while much lighter than LAM, TBG is not a light story. Grace knows her place and her future, or so she thought... until she meets Jess, and stumbles into a world of corruption. Trigger Warnings: homophobia, imprisonment, physical abuse and SA, medical trauma.

AHL. Begins the second trilogy and winds down the end of the collection as I currently have it planned. Being raised to hunt Supernaturals, Blair is hellbent on revenge, and she'll do just about anything to get it. So what happens when she realizes her worldview has been twisted into something that's not accurate? Trigger Warnings: cult membership, murder, kidnapping, medical experimentation.

AHS. Tyler never thought that he'd even be working with a Hunter, much less living with one. It doesn't help that said Hunter is not making things easy.

ATB. I may or may not have started planning this one... but it's here.

Eventually I'll post individual introductions for all of these, but for now, that's all I have!

#writeblr #creative writing #writeblr intro #writeblr introduction #writeblr community #queer writers #disabled writer #author intro

[yushox]

Hero / Vigilante / Villain pseudonym ideas!

Tommy - Apollo, Icarus, Theseus, Static, Red Chaos, Patient Zero, Byzantine, Phoenix

Tubbo - Beelzebub, Nuke, Ground Zero, Wipeout, Annihilation

Ranboo - Minuteman, ~ATH, Absolute Zero, Splitface, Allium

Philza - Omen, Nightwings, Doom, Ebony, Raven, Crow

Wilbur - Siren, Banshee, Chiropractor, Virtuoso

Techno - Ares, Blood God, Anarchist, Massacre, Inescapable

Dream - Smile, Puppeteer, Necromancer, Webstrings, Glitch, Greenscreen, Flash

George - Somnus, Mushroom, Goggles, 404.EXE

Sapnap - Blaze, Fireborn, Hothead, Demonspawn

Quackity - Melpomene (villain), Thalia (hero), Dealer (Las Nevadas)

Slimecicle - Slime, Patient One, Deja Vu, Duplicate, Doppelganger

Punz - Blizzard, Frostbite, Whiteout, Freeze

Purpled - Wisteria, Mercenary, Lavander

Foolish - Goldhands, Giant, Healer, Foolish, Atlas, Cyclone

Nihachu - SweetnSalty, Punch, Ombré, Candy

Captain Puffy - Captain, Her / She, The Woman, Mother, Pirate

Hannahxxrose - Rose, Thorn, Quietus Kiss, Poison

Fundy - Fox, Oracle, Hacker

Skeppy - Glimmer, Shiny, Silly, Precious, Diamond, Graphite, Allotrope, Jewel

Badboyhalo - Nephalem, Obsidium, Banisher, Endbringer, Shadow

Schlatt - Horns, Rum, Ram, Smoke, Stal, (insert any variation of "Schlatt" here), Decay, Ash

So... who else should I make names for? 🤔

#dsmp au #dsmp #bnha inspired #name ideas #YushoxStuff

[fox-screams-official]

Atlas:

Tag: atlas the ex chaos god

Pintrest board

Playlist

Character sheet yet to be made

Design:

[thelordofdarkreunion]

Power Dynamics Between Governments of Magnificent Scoundrels

The question is, what governments are better at what, and precisely how powerful is each one.  I have decided to list all of their advantages and disadvantages here.  

The Galactic Assembly:  One of the weaker governments, they will likely not win any major wars, but their strength lies in not getting into such wars in the first place.

Advantages- 

Peace and Prosperity- While not quite a utopia, some of the governments that make up the Assembly are.  There have also been few wars in this galaxy, largely due to the Assembly’s help.

Advanced Biology and Cybernetics- Scientists of the Assembly (or illegal scientists working outside of its authority) are able to perform experiments making an individual more power.  (ex. Steel Eye Soldiers)

Celzex Weaponry- The Celzex have starships and weapons powerful enough to destroy entire solar systems.

Disadvantages-

Eternal Peace- If there are no wars, people forget how to wage them effectively.

Humans are Space Orcs- Humanity is by far the most powerful species here.  Considering the aliens in some of the other galaxies, the GA is in for a nasty suprise.

Disunited Armies- There is no large standing GA army or navy, and each of the member races is largely responsible for their protection.  Only the humans, Drev, and Celzex have powerful soldiery in any compacity.  

The Imperium of Man:  The largest and most powerful government in the universe, the Imperium is plagued by powerful enemies, but woe to any that get in their way.  

Advantages-

Eternal War- If you fight all the time, you get really, really at it.  No one else can compete with the horrors of the ten thousand year Long War between the Imperium and all comers.  

Super Soldiers- The Space Marines, Custodes, and Assassins are the most powerful super soldiers in the universe.

Empire of a Million Worlds- The Imperium is by far the biggest government in the universe.

Uncaring- The most expendable resource in the Imperium is human soldiers.  In major wars, they will most likely have more Guardsmen than you have ammunition.

Powerful Relics- Among the horrors of their home galaxy lies some of the most powerful and terrifying technology in the universe.

Powerful Navy- Just one of the Segmentum Majoris Battlefleets probably outclasses the navies of any other government in existence.  

Exterminatus- The Imperium owns WMD’s on a terrifying scale, and isn’t afraid to destroy entire planets if they want to.

Disadvantages-

Eternal War- The Imperium is besieged from all sides by extremely powerful enemies, and is fighting for its very survival at all times.

Low Quality of Life- Imperial citizens have lowest standards of life compared to every other government in the universe.

Too Big- The Imperium is very hard to govern, and planets come and go with alarming frequency.  

Powerful Aliens- The galaxy is home to the most powerful and terrifying of alien races, all hell-bent on ruling the galaxy for themselves.  Any one of these races would be considered a galactic level extinction event in any other galaxy.  

The Necrons- The Necrons are one of the alien races, and deserve special mention since they are the singularly most powerful race in existence, even more powerful than the Protheans or Forerunners.  The only reason they have conquered the galaxy yet is due to the unending wars there and the fact they haven’t fully woken from hibernation.   

Chaos- The Dark Gods of Chaos represent the singular largest threat to the universe.

Additional Advantage and Disadvantage- 

Pyskers- Pyskers can manipulate reality, and are the most powerful breed of ‘space magician’ in the galaxy.  However, they get their powers from the Warp, the realm of unreality ruled by the Chaos Gods, and thus if they give in to Chaos or can’t control their powers, the results are catastrophic.  

The Citadel Council:  A medium class government in terms of power, the Citadel Council is many things all at once, and shares the problems and prosperities of many different governments.

Advantages-

Utopia- The central Council Races and many of their subjects live in utopias, where the quality of life is extremely high.

Militaristic Race- The Turians provide security and military forces of the Citadel Council, and they are definitely a force to be reckoned with.  

Biotics- Biotics are a form of ‘space magicians’ and can manipulate energy to perform powerful feats.  

Powerful Navy- While not among the most powerful, the navies of the Citadel races are not to be trifled with.  

Disadvantages-

Bureaucratic Red Tape- The Citadel Council and most of the Council races ruling governments are petty and take a long time to get things done.  

The Reapers- The Reapers are an ancient race of machine bent on destroying all sentient life in the galaxy.  

Mass Relays- Ships in this universe must FTL travel by a system of relays.  (Other than the Normandy, which can FTL travel under its own power because otherwise it would be really annoying to write.  I’m the author and what I say goes.)

The Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation: The IMC, while among one of the least powerful governments, has many a nasty trick up their sleeve.  

Advantages-

Titans- Titans are the most powerful versatile combat mechs in the universe.  While not as easily produced as AT-STs or ATLAS mechs, and not nearly as powerful as Imperial Knights, they are the perfect medium, and a force to be reckoned with.  

Mechanized Legions- The IMC has the most powerful robotic army in the galaxy, made up of Spectre and Reaper mechs.  

Hard to Get To- The IMC is located in a region of space that is very hard for the other governments to travel to.

The Fold Weapon- Capable of folding space and time on a planetary scale, the Weapon was destroyed, but ARES Division still has the specifications.  

Disadvantages-

Few Planets- The IMC only has a small string of planets, the Core Worlds around Earth.

Slow FTL Travel- It takes a long time for IMC ships to get anywhere.  

Low Combat Standards- IMC infantrymen are not trained well.  

The Frontier Militia: The IMC’s rival, the Militia shares many of the traits of its counterpart.  

Advantages-

Titans- (See Above)

United We Stand- The Militia recently won its war of independence against the IMC, and so its citizens are very united and patriotic.  

Nice Place- While not a utopia, the Militia allows a great deal of individual freedom, and so might appeal to a lot of people.  

Disadvantages-

Few Planets- The Militia only owns the Frontier section of space.

Slow FTL Travel-  (See above)

Legitimacy in Question- The IMC believes they rightly own the Frontier, and might be able to convince other governments, seeing as they control Earth, humanity’s original homeworld.  

The United Federation of Planets: The most utopian, and perhaps most advanced government (from a certain point of view), the Federation is very powerful, but sometimes too quick to negotiate when it should be fighting.  

Advantages:

Utopia- Out of all the galaxies, the Federation is the most utopian.

Science is Power- The Federation has powerful technology, and, perhaps most importantly, knows how to create and use it.

Galactic Federation- The Federation stands together against all outside threats.

Powerful Navy- The Starfleet, while not the biggest and most brutally powerful, has a high technological level and is nothing to scoff at.  

Time Machines- The Federation is one of the few groups in existence that can manipulate time under their own terms.  

Disadvantages- 

Peace is a Lie- The views of the Federation are extremely peaceful, so much so that they might get caught unawares by the more militaristic of enemy governments.

Powerful Aliens- From the Romulan Empire to the Borg, their are a great many powerful alien enemies of the Federation.

The United Earth Governments/United Nations Space Command:  The UNSC is fighting a losing war against the alien empire know as the Covenant.

Advantages-

Super Soldiers- The Spartans are very powerful super soldiers.

Bred for War- If you’re always fighting, you get really good at it.  

Fighting for Survival- The UNSC is on its last legs, which makes it fight all the harder.

The Halo Rings- One of the most powerful weapons in existence, if the UNSC ever manages to control the Rings, it has both serious leverage and firepower.  

Disadvantages-

Last Legs- The Covenant knows where Earth is, and should it fall, the UNSC will fall with it.  

Powerful Aliens- The Covenant is obviously more powerful than the UNSC, and both sides know it.

The Flood- An ancient race that consumes all sentient life in the galaxy, the Flood is a very powerful and terrifying enemy.  

The Galactic Empire:

Advantages-

Streamlined War Machine- The Galactic Empire has the most efficient and powerful war machine in the universe.  While not as overwhelmingly powerful as the Imperium of Man, or as streamlined as the Romulans or Turians, the Empire maintains a powerful balance between power and efficiency.  

Heavy Armor- AT-class walkers are some of the most powerful in existence.

Powerful Navy- The Imperial Navy is the second most powerful in existence, and is commanded by some of the greatest admirals in the universe.  

Disadvantages-

Fractured- Ever since the death of Emperor Palpatine, there is no centralized ruling government.  

We Don’t Rule- They only rule fractured chunks of the galaxy, and the New Republic is the centralized ruling government.  

Lower Quality of Life- Compared to the utopias and New Republic, Imperial citizens have a lower quality of life.  

The New Republic:

Advantages-

Galactic Republic- They are a republic, which looks much better and treats its people much better compared to the Galactic Empire.  

The Jedi- A powerful form of ‘space magician’ the Jedi, led by Luke Skywalker, are the keepers of the peace in the New Republic.

Disadvantages-

Peace is a Lie- The Old Republics of the past have been proven to be broken up very easily but powerful outside foes, so the New Republic shouldn’t be that much different.  

Sitting There, Doing Nothing- After it won the Galactic Civil War, the New Republic hasn’t done much.  

There we have it.  Not include (but I might make another one later): the various enemy and lesser governments and factions of the universe.

#sci-fi #sci-fi governments #star wars #halo #star trek #warhammer 40k #titanfall 2 #empyrean iris

[rwby-sk]

My ship thoughts

This will be a long post, so I’m putting it under a ‘keep reading”

Bumbleby  - Until Vol.4 I wasn’t sure if the Bees liked each other. Like yeah, we’ve had solid evidence since, like, their Vol.1 trailers. But still. I wasn’t sure CRWBY would do it. But wow was I impressed.  - Probably my favorite well-known ship - Their EYES are the colors of each others SOULS what more do you want??? - I wish my gf would throw a motorcycle at my abusive ex...

Nuts and Dolts  - I tried pushing this ship out of my mind for so long. I did. I wasn’t ready for it  - I appreciated the things people made for the ship. I knew it had potential  - But wow. Vol.8 really said “Nuts and Dolts rights” and I respect that - They’re so cute together. It’s like if Pyrrha came back to life and could be with Jaune again.  - But healthier this way (see Arkos)

Renora  - Wholesome - Cute - ‘Boop’ is one of my favorite songs - We all saw it coming. But how we got there was the fun part  - That Vol. 4 finale though...

Arkos  - First off, Arkos is my favorite ship from Vol.1-3 - Himbo is taught how to drink his respect women juice by an Amazon? Sign me up  - The character development, the mutual respect, the CARE - ForeverFall still fucks me up. I cry when I listen to it - I love Pyrrha, she’s my girl, but... She really betrayed Jaune’s trust at the very end. He told her specifically he never wanted to be helpless and watch his friends fight for their lives again. And she did exactly that to him. Making him wonder if he could have made a difference had he been able to fight by her side with her in the end.  - But it’s not really even Pyrrha’s fault. Ozpin’s expectations and Cinder’s plan are more to blame - Still high tier - It’s just so tragic

WhiteKnight  - Cute in theory  - But it’d have to be done so carefully to be a good romantic pairing  - As friends? I LOVE IT. Make these two best friends right now! - But Jaune moved past his feelings for Weiss in Vol.2 when he finally realized she meant it when she told him she didn’t like him  - I’m shocked though that so few people pick up on Ep.3 Vol.1 when Weiss is making fun of Jaune and mockingly calls him a “cute boy”. I think Jaune just thought Weiss liked him already, and went from there. He hits on Pyrrha pretty quick in Ep.4 too - I think it could work with who they are now, but I think they’re better as friends 

WhiteRose  - The sole reason I didn’t ship Nuts and Dolts sooner  - Vol. 6 messed me up okay? That red scarf really threw me for a loop - Chasing each other in the Argus Limited?  - Weiss sassing Ruby non-stop Vol.1-3?  - It also completes the RW BY JP NR pairings. I like to joke that the Emerald forest is actually “true love” forest. And whoever you lock eyes with first you fall in love with them. But that only works sometimes  - Also that part where they call out each others names when Jinn shows them Ozpin’s past 

Ladybug  - Cute and interesting  - I’m not against it. I would just need more of it to ship it myself - They just have such solid connections with other characters  - I do love Blake’s introduction to the main cast though, and how much Blake looks up to Ruby 

Freezerburn  - Similar to LadyBug  - Cute, but I just ship them more with other people  - That hug in Vol.5 was a bit sus though - Yang does seem to open up the most with Weiss - And Weiss defended Yang so quickly after the Mercury fight  - It’s not unfounded, I’ll say that  - Analyzing it has opened my eyes 

Crosshares  - Yes  - Just  - Yes  - High femme fashion ICON Coco Adel  - With fan-fave Velvet Scarlatina - WLW powercouple  - I wish I was Coco and Velvet is cute, not much to understand here, keep scrolling 

RoseGarden  - I have my concerns  - Oscar is a wonderful kid  - He probably has a crush on Ruby  - And he is a wholesome boy who deserves all the happiness  - But he also has a manipulative immortal Wizard in his head  - So - You know

Lancaster  - I never saw Lancaster. Jaune is the first boy Ruby meets. And Jaune calls her cute and quirky once, but... - I love Ruby’s talk with Jaune about failure in Vol. 1, then his return to that speech in Vol. 4 in return.  - I think they lean on each other as leaders - But I don’t see it going further - Cute though. I’ve seen nice fanart 

BlackSun  - I read an analysis a long time ago that really sat with me  - Blake asked for space (not out loud, but in action) when she ran away - Yang gave her what she wanted. She didn’t like it. But she gave Blake what she asked for.  - Sun on the other hand, didn’t. He followed and helped her anyway. (Believe me, Blake could have used all the help she could get in Vol. 4-5) But in doing so, he kinda took himself out of the running as love interest.  - He’s and excellent Foil for Blake though, so I love him

SeaMonkies  - Two bros, chilling in a hot tub... - Is it gay to become junior detectives with your best friend and only hang out with him for like 3 seasons?  - These two are just  - So fucking stupid  - Apart, they are fine. Very competent.  - Together though - They are just so dumb I think its cute as hell 

JNR  - Wholesome  - I could see it in Argus. In front of Pyrrha’s statue - They love each other  - Maybe its not 100% romantic  - But they love each other  - I could be happy here

JNR+Neo  - CRIME + Ren  - The pure chaos of Nora and Neo  - The exhausted mom-friend energy from Ren and Jaune - The power polycule that could take on Salem alone and maybe win? - I think it’d be cute, but I personally ship them in the two pairs a bit more. 

Bees Schnees  - We add Blake and Yang’s angst, Yang and Weiss’ trust, and Weiss and Blake’s mutual understanding and growth  - Wow okay  - I have to give it to you, I kinda like it

Neo x Jaune x Ruby  - Based on my response to Lancaster, you might be able to guess my answer here - I think a lot of the ship’s points lie in “What’s better than one short girl dating the tallest guy in the cast? Two short girls dating the tallest guy in the cast!” - Cute though, I think it’d be chaotic and wholesome  - But poor Jaune would be exhausted trying to make sure the house doesn;t burn down every five minutes 

May x Winter  - Look - If I hadn’t made a Neo x Jaune side blog  - I would have made a May x Winter side blog  - The comparisons  - The family legacies  - The pure amount of how attracted I am to both characters  - What happens when two tops date each other?  - What if they were partners in Atlas?  - What if May was Winter’s first crush. And after May came out, Winter was like “Oh thank the gods, I was worried I liked all women and only one guy for some reason. Cool, crisis adverted. So anyway, Marigold, here’s how you do your makeup” - I could go on - Haha don’t tempt me - I’m serious  - Please let them sass each other at some point

GuardDogs  - Marrow = Just doing his best  - Jaune = Just doing his best  - Marrow and Jaune = two himbos just vibing in this world  - If we don’t get Silentknight, I’d be proud to get GuardDogs - Marrow sure has been worried about “Juan” this whole time, huh?

Emercury  - The sass - The pure sass  - Mercury’s unearned confidence paired with Emerald’s quick temper  - Wow, I hope Em can turn him away from murdering people.  - If Em gets 1 friend, I hope its Mercury and not Cinder  - At least Mercury cares about her (But he’s too cool to admit that outright) - Mercury is going to see Em on RWBY’s team and just immediately walk over and join up. No questions asked. “I guess we’re good now. Sorry Tyrian, its been cool, not really”

Happy Huntresses - Yes - Look at that HUG - Ladies, is it gay to go off into the tundra and form a rebellion against the fascist government with three of your hottest gal pals? 

#Rwby #ships #im not tagging them all

[gelatomesomeironqrow]

It's a day late but then again, I'm a busy girl. But. Here are my thoughts on RWBY V8 Episode 13.

Where do I even begin? So much happened in like 18 minutes, I must admit, my brain is a little scrambled.

Anyways.

I knew my girl, if she fought for real, could do major damage. To her surprise, her damage was to the wrong girl. So it will definitely be interesting to see where Yang ends up, I can't imagine she'll be feeling 100% after that K.O. and neck breaking landing she did.

Do I think she's dead? No. Do I think her mother will save her. Also no. Because Raven told Qrow to tell Yang that she will not step in again to save her. She'll have to save herself. She'll probably find herself along the way. Which is fine. But damn. That was a brutal way to go.

God I love Neopolitan.

Watts letting out his unstable ex was a genius move to create more chaos before Atlas falls. I've wanted Jacques to die for awhile now, but getting blown up is not what I was expecting. But then again, I feel like it was a bit of an oversight on Winter's part to just leave his weapons like a foot away from his cell.

It seems to be a theme this season for oversights and forgetting certain people are out and about. She knew the hacker was still out there some where. Really. She should have thought about that.

Speaking of Watts, I love how Neo decided to use a briefcase (like Watts carries around) as part of her disguise.

Cinder using Djinn like that. I feel like that was a bit of a waste of her last remaining question, but then again, how was she supposed to know only one question remained. I wonder what she really thought when she saw Emerald there. Betrayal? Sadness? Honestly, she doesn't really deserve to feel anything because all she has done, is use Emerald for her gains.

Cinder monologuing once again during a battle. It's interesting that Weiss (our resident "holds the most losses, even more than Cinder, Ice Princess) teamed up with newly human Penny to fight Cinder while Ruby and Blake are fighting Neo.

I don't get Neo death flags, but I can see her possibly either falling into the abyss (which would be ironic) or going to Vacuo and disappearing for awhile only to come back and hopefully take on Cinder. Or, she gets beat and has to listen to Ruby explain why it wasn't her fault that Torchwick died and hopefully team up to take Cinder out.

LOOK. I just want Neo to be the one to take out Cinder. It's one of my only wishes remaining from this show.

Penny has new (old?) Weapons and I love it. I just wish she could get an outfit change.

Vacuo seems like a fun place. Hooray for sandstorms and all I can think about is this.

Which, in all honesty I shouldn't be thinking of another animated show but here we are.

Going back to James. My man definitely has had some kind of mental breakdown. That single tear, upon knowing he will have to fight the person he trusted the most. Now, we haven't seen Winter fight much so I'm sure their fight is going to be amazing. I don't know who will win, I honestly don't even want to think about the possibilities. I just hope he isn't killed before Qrow gets there. Qrow deserves to be there, for whatever happens. Hoping it's for a talk but... we won't find out until next week.

Qrow and Robyn fighting the Ace Ops, who has fractured even more. Who knows where Marrow and Elm are, Harriet and Vine discussing Clover (finally! I swear this show sucks at communication.) But Watts taking control of the ship a second after Harriet activated the bomb. Next episode is going to be intense and I don't know what to make of it all. I just want Qrow to be where James is but him flying into the window was funny.

Okay... did I miss anything...? Oh!

Four more oversights on Team RWBY's part.

They really did forget Cinder was there. They really should have expected her to attack. I can't believe they thought it would go smoothly when history has proven that nothing ever goes smoothly.

Did they just forget that someone made it off Salem's space whale...? The answer is yes. Yes they did. Oscar, Yang and Emerald knew why Salem was after them. Emerald knew Neo was "working with them", but did anyone think to mention it to the rest of them? Again, the communication is lacking.

Ambrosius. Oh Ambrosius. They really didn't think through the details that well. They really should have expected him to find loopholes. Oz told them to be specific. Why or why did they say "one way ticket to Vacuo?" They really just screwed Atlesians and Mantle peoples. They also don't have backup. Also, none of them thought to include a floor or railings with this path to Vacuo? To, I don't know, prevent people from falling? Also Nora flying around like a witch does on a broom, is hilarious to me, she really just bypassed the whole "Do not fall" thing.

I think they may have pissed Ambrosius off by having him create two things.

My predictions/hopes for the final episode of the volume.

Someone else is going to fall, my guess is Weiss since she is legit just hanging off the edge right now and looking kind of tired. It would be funny if Neo or Cinder fell too though. But, considering how persistently annoying Cinder is, she'll most likely follow them into Vacuo. But seeing as they told Watts they would be back. My guess is one or both of them won't return.

Watts choosing to stay in Atlas, even after knowing that Atlas is going to fall. Means that he is collectively making that decision to end his partnership with Salem, since all he wanted was to watch Atlas and Mantle to burn. He got what he wanted, so he'll stay there until the end. Which means, Tyrian will most likely never see him again.

James and Winter are still there two. James, with his stubborn semblance, will probably be fine but Winter might not be. So hopefully they get into the portal or Qrow and Robyn come to their aid.

LISTEN, I just want Qrow and James to talk and/or fight it out.

I think that is everything. Til next week.

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby spoiler tag #rwby v8 #rwby v8 spoilers #rt first #first spoilers #Gelato blogs

[theonceoverthinker]

Why Clover Isn’t Going to be a Traitor

So, @fairgame-is-endgame made a great post this last night debunking some of the more ludicrous pieces of evidence as to why Clover’s is not a traitor. It’s an awesome post and if you’re a Clover or Fair Game fan, you’re gonna want to check it out.

This is a continuation of sorts because as opposed to taking down the minute details being honed in on as evidence of why Clover might be a traitor, I want to compile the evidence presented by the show and secondary material (Ex. Amity Arena) that show strong signs that whatever Clover’s character direction will ultimately be, it won’t be as a traitor to the larger group fighting against Salem (And possibly not even against Ironwood).

So, what is my goal here? To reassure my fellow Fair Game friends that we’re not headed straight for a pitfall? To give the haters a piece of my mind? To speak into the bottomless chasm that is the Internet as a means of dealing with my fandom-based RWBY loneliness? ...A little bit of all of that, if I’m being honest. In any event, I don’t post a ton of analysis pieces, but this is something I feel strongly enough about to give voice to, so let’s see how it goes!

Everything’s under the cut because this is fairly long!

1. The Clover/Robyn scene from 7X5

If Clover was ever going to be set up as a surprise antagonist, it was going to start to show itself in this scene -- a scene that pits Clover against a character he views in an antagonistic light that didn’t end up being a misunderstanding -- more than any place else. 

And it did the exact opposite.

I mean...it did a little, even with the context of Clover and Ironwood’s true goals. Clover is pretty cold to her under his veneer of carefreeness and stops Ruby as she even tries to relate to Robyn (Perhaps that’s out of a fear of Ruby telling her too much, or perhaps it’s just a sense of distrust, but that will probably be revealed soon enough). I’ll walk with you that far and admit to some slight shadiness. But I’m going to argue that that only goes to a certain point, and a small point at that by highlighting the biggest takeaways of that scene. 

The scene between Clover and Robyn tells us a few things.

-Clover and Robyn’s opening dialogue, tone, and animation make it very clear that they’ve met before, but are not on good terms with each other. This is further communicated by Clover’s adamant refusal to disclose information to Robyn about the supplies. Now, I’m going to argue that in Clover’s defense, it just makes sense that when faced with a frenemy (That’s being kind) who is looking for information he has no desire or order to give to her (As we’ll learn later, Clover is a by-the-book guy), that he be in no hurry to tell her what’s going on. Additionally, while he lies to her face about his intentions, he’s very clearly speaking in a way that communicates that something IS going on that he cant speak of (His vocal inflections show that he clearly doesn’t expect Robyn to believe that the tower is getting a checkup, but hopes that it will be enough to shut her down for a bit), giving her that much information to work with at least until she gets elected. 

-Clover’s not especially excited about the prospect of Robyn being elected onto the council, but he still wishes Robyn good luck in the election. Not only that, but the facial expressions he gives her, the tone in which his words are said, and the fact that he delayed his return to the van just to do so heavily imply that it’s a genuine wish. Granted, we later learn that this may only be for reasons amounting to the fact that she’s not Jacques Schnee, but still, he knows she wants to help, and while they don’t get along, he’s receptive to that desire.

-Robyn trusts Clover enough that she reasons that asking for him to disclose information is a worthy pursuit (She does so twice) before attempting to attack the group. Otherwise, she’d have gone after them the moment they stepped out of the van. Since Robyn’s a character we’re supposed to end the scene having trust in, the fact that she does have lingering trust in Clover leaves the impression that we should as well.

All in all, while we don’t know a lot of tangible information pertaining to what they are to each other at this point in the story, we do get a surprisingly large emotional understanding here of their complicated dynamic. We know Robyn is correct in how the people of Mantle deserve to be informed of these goings on, but also why Clover is right to keep his mouth shut until the time comes to reveal all, and I think the attention to this dynamic paid here shows that both of these characters have their hearts in the right place.

2. Amity Arena Card (And Its Follow Up Twitter Post/Introductory Loot Drop)

There are two things I want to point out about this description that I want to touch upon here.

First, “there’s nothing subtle about what the Ace Ops leader Clover is about.” Now, that’s not to say he has no hidden depths to his character (It would really suck if there wasn’t any more to him), but I feel like these few words communicate a lack of secrecy as to his values, personality, and alignments. Can having all three of these things be positive still amount to a villain? Sure -- you can kind of say that makes him like Hazel in that regard -- but I think my next point will solidify that’s not the case.

Second, I’m gonna make this one short and sweet. There is no way to basically say that ‘this new character (Clover) is going to kick a beloved protagonist’s butt (Qrow’s butt) and that will be a good thing for said protagonist,’ and then have that new character end up being a baddie. While my knowledge of the game is a limited since I don’t actually play it, I did do some research today, looking at various cards for both protagonists and antagonists, and they overwhelmingly geared the framing of these card descriptions towards a more hero-focused outlook on the characters. Basically, this game is not about to cheer for a hero like Qrow to be defeated by someone who will turn out to be a villain, if for no other reason than it’s a poor choice for the game’s long term posterity.

But just in case that card’s second-to-last line left anyone with lingering doubts about its intentions, the RWBY Amity Arena Twitter page was kind enough to elaborate on it!

 I feel like that wink emoji should be doing my work for me here. If there was ever a doubt as to the intention of the wording, this tweet should clear it up. Clover is so clearly being shown by the Amity Arena card as a positive influence on Qrow’s life, and in a way that implies that that’s not about to change anytime soon. 

Like, if they wanted to convey ambiguity as to Clover’s moral alignment, they could’ve just said something along the lines of “Who knows,” or “Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” In the world of Remnant, ambiguity is a force more powerful than the Light and Dark Gods combined, and one that knows no shortage of uses! But no, they literally spelled out that line’s intended meaning, with inflections and a winky face to boot!

I’m not going to try to go into detail about all of the little intricacies of this reward card, because someone already did it for me! I direct you to this AMAZING analysis by @scathing-eyes​ where she highlights both what this single message has to say about Clover and Fair Game at large.

3. Introductory Card on Twitter

Thank you so much to @homokinetic for linking me to this card!

If you’re trying to depict a shady character or even one who you have twisted intentions for, this is not the description you use for them. Here, we’re not given soft and vague allusions to Clover’s allegiances that could imply sinister motives. We’re told flat out that Clover acts in the best interests of Atlas and does things by the book. I mean honestly, that second point should de-trigger any alarm bells because Salem...doesn’t really have a book. I mean, she has goals, but as to how they get done? She doesn’t care! But Clover and Ironwood care about doing things by the book because they feel like those rules, for as flawed as they are, are what will keep the world from succumbing to chaos (Whether they’re right or wrong...look, I love these two, but they are flawed -- not evil, but flawed). Salem, on the other hand, worships the idea of chaos since it makes her goals that much easier to fulfill.

I think the line “tries to bring out the best in people” is also important. Salem’s forces gain strength by exploiting the worst qualities in people, and Clover stands in stark contrast to that philosophy by focusing on nurturing their best qualities. This is well communicated in the series with his actions towards Qrow and the introduction to the routines and options that the new Huntsmen now have access to. Not only that, but those means of nurturing come down to themes of unity and order (Showing Qrow the benefits of working with others and taking pride in his accomplishments, showing the new Huntsmen the positive ways they can impact Atlas, encouraging them to take a night to refresh their spirits), literally the very outlooks on life that Salem seeks to obliterate in order to ensure that humanity will be destroyed again. Just in terms of philosophies, Salem’s team and Clover are so fundamentally different in ways that just aren’t compatible. It’s not like Clover and Qrow where their differences complement each other and can mutually benefit the other. There is no way that Salem can benefit from posing a figure that inspires the endurance of the better qualities of the human spirit in a position of power.

4. The Overall Lack of Narrative Sense in Making Clover a Baddie

Clover is a character meant to foil and relate to Qrow. That’s not even an opinion. Everything from their contrasting semblances to their scenes together cement that as an absolute fact, and whether you ship it or not, their connection just can’t be ignored. 

All that said, while Clover is an important part of this duo (Duh), it’s Qrow who is the focal point. Qrow is the character we’ve spent four seasons with and watched him struggle and develop through his journeys. So it’s fair to say that the impact of Clover and Fair Game on his character (Again, whether romantic or platonic) will be something that will significantly impact the direction of Qrow’s character going forward.

The next logical question, of course, is as follows: What’s the narrative point of Clover being a baddie for Qrow’s character? @skybird13​ wrote a fantastic post about the overwhelming benefits of a genuine Clover as opposed to the redundancy of a Hans-esque traitor Clover storyline. You should absolutely read this post, but I’m going to quote the segment that spoke to me the most.

“I think the most surprising thing RT could do with Clover’s character at this point is to let him be exactly who he seems to be. Should he have his backstory and his secrets and his own demons to deal with? Absolutely. I would love to see that. But when it comes to Qrow’s trust in others, I think that has been pulverized enough throughout the series. Putting him through it again serves no narrative purpose except to send him right back into the tailspin that he’s currently digging himself out of which, in all honesty, isn’t great writing.“

And yeah, I have to ask: What point would another stab at Qrow’s trust do? If Qrow was meant to be a character who would face a tragic end, then why didn’t he back in Volume 6, when it would’ve been infinitely more appropriate? He literally lost faith in the person he dedicated his very life to. Why show Qrow recovering from his low point and building him up in Volume 7 just to tear him down? Unlike a character like Ruby, someone young and idealistic who watches the conventions of trust and goodness in her life crumble before her eyes over and over again and grows from it as she discovers new things about herself and others, Qrow has already had a lifetime’s worth of those ideals crashing and burning, and we’ve already seen the results of that growth, both on the high and low ends of his viewpoints on life, but especially the low points. What is the point of returning him there that couldn’t have been more naturally done but one volume earlier?  

The Conclusion

...I’m bad at ending things. But I know I’ve made my case, and I’ve made it about as well as a case like this can be made.

Rooster Teeth, through both its primary and secondary means of storytelling, have made a strong case for a Clover who will remain loyal to the betterment of Remnant, regardless of the path he personally chooses to get there (Joining Robyn vs. Staying with Ironwood). For them to change gears after all this setup and make Clover an ally of Salem would be frankly nonsensical after all of this careful buildup.

Could it turn out that I’m wrong? Of course, but despite the suspense in my heart, I can’t help but trust RT here. Maybe that’t the result of that bop of an intro. Maybe it’s the prospect of my new ship becoming canon. But I don’t think that trust -- while based in emotion -- is baseless, and if RWBY has a theme, isn’t it to have a perspective like that?

So here’s hoping the Clover is just another instance of the payoff of trusting love! 

#clover ebi #rwby #fair game #qrow branwen #fair game hcs

[creature-premium]

#digital art #my art #art #oc art #oc artist #artist #digital sketch #sketches #eros esposito #atlas the ex chaos god #zephyr zoufall #cw blood #only minor

[loopy777]

Is Deus Ex Machina always a bad thing? People who didn't like the finale of Avatar are always quick to point out the lion turtle, but I think we both agree the ending was both emotionally and thematically satisfying, and to me that's the most important thing. But my question is: if it IS satisfying, is it still a DEM? After all, DEM usually carries this idea that the ending is ruined and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, which the Avatar finale doesn't.

Coincidentally, I was thinking about this just the other day, although I wasn’t considering making a post on it.

I think what makes this discussion troublesome is that there are two very different operating definitions for “deus ex machina.” I tend to think of it in terms of the classical definition, so I don’t personally have any problem with it when it’s done well, but most people seem to be operating with something like the same kind of shorthand that has turned “Mary Sue” into a meaningless complaint.

The term translates to ‘god from the machine.’ Wikipedia can give a functional summary of how it was originally employed and the criticisms that arose about it even amongst those old-timey Greeks. My own take is informed by those origins and the Greek myths that I’ve loved since I first learned about them in grade school. In a setting where gods and magic are in play, I don’t see a problem with a god being so moved by the events of the story or the character of the protagonist(s) that they intervene in otherwise impossible scenarios. The key here is that the story needs to justify why the god/power is intervening here and not in all kinds of other situations; if a god comes along and raises someone from the dead, or hands over a magic sword, or whatever, then it needs to be clear why people still die and magic swords aren’t sold at every corner market.

The Lionturtle is indeed a deus ex machina in that it is a god-like power suddenly entering the story to hand Aang knowledge that he would not otherwise have been able to attain. However, AtLA firmly establishes that there are spirits in the world with god-like power. Hei Bai is the first at a relatively small scale (and was another spirit moved by Aang’s steadfast purity to enact a happy ending, hmmm…), but we also see Koh having knowledge that predates the existence of the moon and the ocean, Koizilla being able to smash a whole fleet with the help of the Avatar State, Wan Shi Tong being able to move an infinitely-large library between the spirit and material worlds, and an eclipse of the sun shutting down all Firebending. These are all powers that the normal humans of the setting do not have, but they are all exercised as a result of the intervention of the protagonists, so I think they’re perfectly fine elements to have in the story.

Just about the only thing that might separate the Lionturtle from these other examples is that it seeks Aang out, rather than the other way around. However, I think that’s an oversimplification of the situation, in which we had just gotten an full episode of Aang holding fast to his belief in the sacredness of all life, despite disagreement and harassment from his friends. He meditates in search of an answer, and it’s then that the Lionturtle reaches out. So I think Aang ‘earns’ its attention by his unique beliefs, his steadfastness in the face of painful opposition, and his action in seeking a solution via meditation.

Why does the Lionturtle not reach out to other people? Well, the only pacifists in the franchise are Air Nomads like Aang, and there’s possible evidence that they weren’t all as steadfast when push came to shove. However, I don’t think the fate of the world hinged on whether Gyatso or some other random Air Nomad killed an enemy while fighting; Aang is in a fairly unique situation in that regard. Theoretically, a previous Avatar might have faced the same dilemma that could have been resolved with Energybending, but as we saw of Yanchen, perhaps those Avatars didn’t really seek out another solution besides violence. The Kyoshi novel does a great job handling this, showing Kyoshi struggling with similar questions but finding her own answers that do not match Aang’s. Perhaps Aang really is the first person in an Age who merited the Lionturtle’s intervention. It helps that the intention at the time of writing was for it to be a technique only available to the Avatar, so that definitely limits the potential situations where it might have been relevant.

So we’re left with the question of whether Energybending itself conforms to the established rules of the setting. I personally think it does, quite handily. We saw examples of bending being taken away before, at least on a temporary basis. The death of the Moon Spirit takes away all Waterbending. The eclipse on the Day of Black Sun takes away Firebending for its duration. Ty Lee pokes Qi-points to disable bending even while leaving limbs otherwise functional (sometimes). Those all help clearly establish that bending is tied to the physical body, and specifically the Qi energies flowing through it. We see esoteric manipulation of those energies by way of Waterhealing, Lightningbending, and the time Aang’s spirit is knocked out of his body by physically crashing into a bear-shaped shrine/idol.

So yes, the Lionturtle is a newly-arrived god who imparts special magic to solve a problem that couldn’t otherwise have worked out so neatly, but all the elements are there to make it a workable plot element. If the Day of Black Sun had worked out, would people be complaining about how Deus Ex Machina it is for the gAang to stumble across information on an eclipse coming before the return of Sozin’s Comet that will take away Firebending and allow Aang to confront Ozai without training up to the a higher fighting level?

Well, not if Aang kills Ozai in that scenario, I expect.

The root of the way most people use ‘deus ex machina’ in modern times, I think, links to what Aristotle is said to have been alluding to in that Wikipedia article, and what Nietzsche also seems to be getting at. Specifically, they seem to think it’s better when a tragic story is allowed to end in tragedy, rather than an audience-pleasing happy ending getting tacked on in an act of weakness and cowardice. It’s fair to criticize this (I enjoy tragedy as well as happy endings, when it’s done right), but I think it can be taken too far into a desire for bleak endings in general. It would be more ‘mature,’ the thinking goes, for Aang to have to kill Ozai, be tainted, scream his angst to the sky, and show the audience that Life Is Dark even though it’s a trite message that doesn’t really follow from anything that came before. The thing about Tragedy that a lot of people forget is that it needs to be set up with as much care and earnestness as Deus Ex Machina, or else it’s just as hackneyed and immature.

AtLA is not a tragedy. It is not about the mistakes and flaws of the protagonists piling up into chaos. So the complaint about ‘deus ex machina’ doesn’t even really apply, according to the original controversy about it. Aang is not freed from the consequences of a flaw, because his desire for peace and life is something that’s consistently portrayed as good throughout the rest of the series. It’s built up in his culture, the appreciation for the Air Nomads that’s conveyed despite their flaws, the focus on his being the last survivor of a genocide, and even the subtitle of the series (providing you don’t live somewhere that got the much more generic “Legend of..” title that fits Korra’s more generic legend so much better). It’s not a tragedy if everything is working out until a last minute swerve when all the good things suddenly become bad.

That’s a Comedy, according to certain modern definitions. ;)

The only story that could end with Aang giving up his ideals to kill Ozai using the philosophy and ways of the Fire Nation is a story about how the Fire Nation is right- that morality is secondary to strength and necessity. And if that’s the story being told, wouldn’t it have been easier to just make the Fire Nation the heroes in the first place, slaughtering corrupt pacifist hippies who would rather we all die than fight to improve the world?

No matter how you look at it, people who criticize AtLA’s ending by calling it a ‘deux ex machina’ aren’t doing so by using the text of the story at all. They’re either glossing over how the setup for all the plot elements is all right there in the story, or else they’re doing exactly what the ancient Greeks criticize bad deus ex machina for in the first place by putting the wrong ending on a story. So most who use ‘deux ex machina’ as a criticism aren’t thinking about the nature of Story at all, I think. They’ve heard the term, mistake it for general criticism of ‘unearned’ plot points, and/or use it as justification for their own pretentious fascination with bleak endings.

So, to summarize my answer- yes, DEM can be a criticism in and of itself, depending on the definition in play. It can apply to AtLA, also depending on the definition in play.

But applying DEM to AtLA as a criticism just doesn’t add up.

#deus ex machina #story #tragedy #literary criticism #Anonymous

[ofvagabxnds]

( DEWANDA WISE. THIRTY FOUR. FEMALE. SHE/HER. ) in texas, SELENA MARTEL is known to most as LENA. they’ve been living in stratford for 6 YEARS and currently CON ARTIST/GYM OWNER (ATLAS). some say they are EXTRAVAGANT & VINDICTIVE but i’m more inclined to believe those that say they’re LOQUACIOUS & INSIGHTFUL. if you walk by their house, you can sometimes hear TEAR YOU APART by SHE WANTS REVENGE playing from their window. ( haphazardly strewn passports lining the bottoms of drawers, the telling clicks of a stubborn safe lock, half signed adoption records, broken compasses. )

basics

Full Name: Selena Martel

Nickname(s): Lena

Age: 34

Date of Birth: November 10

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Place of Birth: Dallas, Texas

Nationality: American

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual with a preference for women

Romantic Orientation: Homoromantic

Religion: Practicing Bhuddist, but no formal religion

Occupation: Gym Owner; Atlas

Language(s) Spoken: English, Spanish, French, Romanian, Porteguese 

physical appearance

Face Claim: DeWanda Wise 

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Brown

Height: 5’6 or 167 cm

Weight: 128 lbs or 56 kg

personality

Positive Traits: Loquacious, Insightful, Determined, Crafty

Negative Traits: Extravagant, Vindictive, Dishonest, Self Serving

Goals/Desires: Selena is trying to raise her daughter away from all of the chaos she left in her wake. Having conned many influential and dangerous people, she knows their lives are always in danger.

Fears: Someone getting the best of her, losing her daughter, Grasshoppers

Hobbies: Yoga, Kickboxing, Martial Arts

Quirks: Never, ever remembers to throw the milk carton away when it’s empty

Biography

Winifred Banks was born to a relatively normal family on the outskirts of Dallas. She had two sisters and two parents who seemingly adored each other, and from the outside looking in, the public was able to see a family living the American Dream in vivid color. That, of course, wasn't’ the whole truth, so help anyone’s god. Winnie’s mother, Yara, only married her father because she thought she was hitting the jackpot. Ricky Banks was a popular investor, a result from a fluke of a windfall, and Yara was just tenacious enough to make him fall for her so she could pull herself from the gutters. Things were good for a while. The couple married, had their three girls, and they lived in a nice suburban home in the nice part of the city. Yara participated in PTA meetings and gushed over her perfect life right up until federal agents showed up at her door with a warrant to search the entire house. As it turned out, Ricky had been dabbling in touching things that did not belong to him, and after an intensive trial, he ended up spending a little less than five years in a federal lock up. 

Yara and the girls had to move in with her sister’s family a few hours away, and though Winnie and her sisters were relatively taken care of, their mother didn’t leave bed for months. They pieced together enough of what had happened through news outlets and overheard conversations, and though her sister’s were scared, Winnie decided then and there she would never be desperate enough to ruin her family like her father had. In fact, Winnie decided that she would only be taking care of herself from that point on. Her father was released around the time she was starting high school, which meant moving again. As if nothing had happened, the family fell right back into the pattern of keeping up with the Jones’. Yara was back to being the stepford mother and her sisters seemed content to have their lives back. It was only Winnie who questioned it all, and when the cops came knocking again, this time months later, she realized her parents would always be so reckless and desperate in their lives. 

Ricky was in prison again when she graduated, and though she told her mother she was leaving for college, Winnie had other plans. Freshly eighteen and full of a hunger to do more than what she’d been exposed to, she drove west, hitting the highlights and lowlights of each state she passed through, and as the days wound on, she realized her parents hadn’t left her with nothing to go on. The gift of playing a persona to cover her own ass was as easy and natural as breathing, and so in each new place she became a new version of herself. Every lie was gobbled up thanks to her infectious smiles and absolute conviction, and with each story she told, the rewards of her actions grew tenfold, until finally she hit the big jackpot. In a bar fifty miles from the coast the persona that was Winifred Banks officially died to give way to the first opportunity to be someone completely different. She managed to swipe not only his cash and cards, she also managed to pilfer the keys and title to a very sleek sports car that she sold for ten grand less than two hours later. 

And that was how the lies began. 

She began playing on the gullibility each human owned, crafting entire lives catered to a certain job in order to deliver the most damage when she struck. A web of contacts, invaluable wit, and a tenacity hardly matched allowed the nameless woman to get close to people in order to take the very things they valued most. All she had to do was drop the dead weight of a family who did nothing but disappoint her, and with each passing year her abilities grew exponentially. Eventually she grew adept enough to go international, hitting various countries for long enough to do small jobs before she returned home on her falsified documents. She began to think she was unstoppable, an unmovable force to be reckoned with, but as with all things, life had a curveball that stopped her dead in her tracks. Vacationing in the middle americas, she met what she would later refer to as her kryptonite. Though the stakes were higher than they had ever been, it began as any other job. She collected information and crafted the persona of Selena Martel, and with that persona, she seduced her way into the inner folds of a cartel family. 

Though this job started off as any other, one thing was instantly and very obviously different. Selena found herself attracted to the target in more ways than just how big her bank account was, and without even noticing, she found herself growing comfortable in the life she was pretending to built there. Months in she realized she was in over her head, but it was already too late. She loved the other, and the plans they had made became more important than nearly anything else, so when she heard herself suggest they adopt, suggest they start a family, there wasn’t any shock to be had. Only unbridled happiness. 

That, of course, came to a screeching halt months before the adoption was to be finalized. An atrocious act hit too close to home, killing many and injuring even more, and in that moment Selena felt a pang of fear for the family she was building. Just like her parents, her own desperation was putting a child in the way of her own dreams, and though it killed her to leave, leaving was the only option she could think of. So Selena bribed the courts to push the adoption through without the other mother’s signature, and when the baby was placed in her arms, she cleaned out her mark (as was always the plan) and left without looking back. Selena moved back to Texas, finding a small, out of the way town, and with the money she stole, she opened her own business. Though she was smart enough not to put the gym in her current alias, she kept Selena as a name because it was what she signed the adoption papers as and she didn’t want to slip up and lose her daughter. For the most part she’d finished with her con life for now because she’s trying to be a good enough mom to make up for her past, but she can’t help herself from slipping into routine every now and then. 

Tidbits

Selena has been in Newton for 7 years with her daughter.  Her daughter’s name is Mireya (which means miricle), but Selena calls her Mimi Is stinking wealthy bc she stole it all from her ex/last mark She teaches various classes at her gym (yoga, kickboxing, martial arts). Told her daughter and the general public that her partner died.  Loves collecting art. When stressed she eats sweets like crazy.

#rideintros. #selena; bio

[arkadialatreia]

The Greek Pantheon

Aceso- Healing, Curing Achelois- a Moon goddess Achelous- Shark spirit Acheron- Woe Achilles- a Deified mortal Achlys- Posion, Misery Achos- Trouble Acratopotes- Unmixed wine Adathodaemon- Luck Adephagia- Gluttony Adikia- Wrongdoing Adonis- the Circle of life Adrastea- a goddess Aegaeon- Violent sea storms Aegle- Radiant health Aeolus- Ruler of the winds Aergia- Sloth Aether- Light, Atmosphere Aetna- Mt. Etna Agon- Contest Aiakos- a Judge in the underworld(europe) Aidos- Modesty

Aike- Prowess Aion- Eternity, Time Aisa- Fate Alabandus- a Deified mortal Alala- the Warcry Alastor- Blood feuds Alecto- a Fury Alectrona- the Morning Aletheia- Truth Alexiares- Fortifies towns Amechania- Helplessness Amphiaraus- Chthonic oracle Amphictyonis- Wine Amphilogiai- Debates Amphitrite- the Sea Anaideia- Ruthelessness Ananke- Inevitability Androktasiai- Slaughter Anetheusa- Fountains Angelia- Messages Angelos- Chthonic Ania- Ache Anicetus- Fortified towns Anteros- Requited love Aparctias- the North Wind Aphaea- Agriculture Apheleia- Simplicity Aphrodite- Love, Beauty, Desire Aphroditus- a deity Apollon- Music, Art, Healing Aporia- Difficulty Arae- Curses Ares- War, Violence Arete- Virtue Argestes- the West/Northwest Wind Ariadne- Mazes Aristaeus- Bee-keeping Arke- a Messenger Artemis- Hunting, Archery Ascelpius- Medicine Askalaphos- Tends orchards in the underworld Asteria- Stars Astraea- Justice Astraeus- Celstial bodies, Astrology Athena- Wisdom, Strategy Atlas- Endurance, Astronomy Atropos- Fate Attis- Vegetation Atë- Delusion Aura- Breeze, Fresh air Auxesia- Fertility Auxo- Spring growth Benthesikyme- the Sea Bia- Violence Bolina- a Deified mortal Boreas- the North Wind, Winter Britomartis- Nets Brizo- Sailors Caerus- Oppurtunity Caicias- the Northeast Wind Carme- Harvestt Castor- Boxing, St. Elmo’s Fire Ceraon- the meal, specifically, the making of the wine Cerberus- Guard dog of the underworld Ceto- Dangers of the ocean Chaos- Nothingness Charites(p)- Charm, Creativity Charon- Ferryman of the underworld Charybdis- Whirlpools Chione- Snow Chiron- a Centaur Chloris- Flowers Chronos- Empirical time Chrysothemis- Harvest Circe- a goddess, a Witch Clotho- Fate Clymene- Renown, Fame Coeus- Intellect Comus- Revelry Corus- Surfeit Corymbus- Fruit of the ivy Cricios- the North/Northwest Wind Crius- Constellations Cronus- Destructive time (king of the Titans) Cyamites- Beans Cybele- Mountains Cymopoleia- the Sea Damia- Fertility Deimos- Fear Deino- Graeae Deipnus- the meal, specifically, the making of the bread Delphin- Dolphins Demeter- Grain, Harvest Despoina- Mysteries Dikaiosyne- Justice Dike- Justice Dione- Oracle of Dodona Dionysus- Wine, Madness Dolos- Trickery Dynamene- Ocean swells Dysnomia- Lawlessness Dyssebeia- Impiety Eidothea- sea nymph Eileithyia- Childbirth Eirene- Peace Eiresione- the Olive branch Ekecheiria- Truce Eleos- Mercy, Pity Elpi- Hope Endymion- a Deified mortal Enyalius- War Enyo- Destructive war Enyo- Graeae Eos- Dawn Eosphorus- the morning star, Venus Epidotes- a deity Epimetheus- afterthought Epione- Soothing pain Epiphron- Prudence Erebus- Darkness Eris- Strife Eros- Love, Attraction, Intercourse Ersa- Morning dew Eucleia- Good repute Eulabeia- Discretion Eunomia- Good order Eunostus- the Flour mill Eupheme- Good omens Euporie- Horae Eupraxia- Well being Euronotus- the Southeast Wind Eurus- the East/Southeast Wind Euryale- Goron Eurybia- Mastery of the sea Eurynome- Wateer, Meadows (ex-queen of the Titans) Eusebia- Piety Euthenia- Prosperity Gaia- Earth Galene- Calm seas Ganymede- a Deified mortal Geeras- Old age Gelos- Laughter Glaucus- Fishermen Glycon- a snake god Hades- Wealth (lord of the underworld) Harmonia- Harmony Harpocrates- Silencee Hebe- Youth Hecate- Magic Hecaterus- Hekateris Hedone- Pleasure Hedylogos- Sweet talk Heemphroditus- Andrgony Heimarmene- Sharing Helios- the Sun, Oaths Hemera- Day Hemithea- a Deified mortal Hepheastus- Fire, Crafts Hera- Marriage, Women (queen of the gods) Heracles- Strength Hermes- Travel, Messages Hesperus- the evening star, Venus Hestia- Hearth, Home Hilaera- a Deified mortal Himeros- Sexual Desire Homados- Battle Homonia- Concord Horkos- Oaths Horme- Impulse Hybris- Outrageous behavior Hygeia- Hygeine Hymenaios- Marriage Hyperion- Light Hypnos- Sleep Hysminai- Fighting Iapetus- Mortality Iaso- Cures Ichnaea- Tracking Ino- a Deified mortal Ioke- Pursuit Iris- Rainbows Iynx- the Love charm Kakia- Vice Kalokagathia- Nobility Karpo- Fruits Keres- Violent Deaths Keuthonymos- Chthonic Koalemos- Stupidity Kokytos- Wailing Kratos- Strength Lachesis- Fate Lampsao- a Deified mortal Lelantos- Air, the Unseen Lethe- Forgetfulness Leto- Motherhood Leucothea- the Sea Limos- Hunger Lips- the Southwest Wind Litae- Prayer Lupe- Pain Lyssa- Rage Ma- a goddess Macaria- Blessed deaths Machai- Fighting Mania- Madness Matton- the meal, specifically, the kneading of the dough Medusa- Gorgon Megaera- a Fury Melinoe- Offerings to the dead Men- Lunar god Mene- the Months Menoetes- Herded cattle in the underworld Menoetius- Anger Methe- the state of being Drunk Metis- Good council Minos- Judge (final votee) Mnemosyne- Memory Momus- Mockery Mormo- Chthonic Moros- Doom Neikea- Quarrels Nemesis- Retribution, Revenge Nereus- Old man of the sea Nesoi(p)- Islands, Seas Nike- Victory Nomos- Law Notus- the South Wind Nyx- Night Oceanus- the All-encircling river Oizys- Woe, Misery Oneiroi(p)- Dreams Ophion- Ruler of the Titans (overthrown by Cronus) Orithyia- Mountain winds Orthosie- one of the Horae Ourae(p)- Mountains Paean- Physician Palaemon- the Sea Palaestra- Wrestling Palioxis- Flight, Retreat Pallas- Warcraft Pan- Shepherds Panacea- Healing Pandia- sky deity Parthenos- a Deified mortal Peitharchia- Discipline Peitho- Persuasion Pemphredo- Graeae Penia- Poverty Penthus- Grief Pepromene- Share Phaenon- Saturn Phaethon- Jupiter Phanes- Procreation Pheme- Rumour Pherousa- one of the Horae Philomelus- the Wagon, the Plow Philophrosyne- Kindness Philotes- Friendship Phlegethon- Fire Phobos- Fear Phoebe(1)- Prophecy Phoebe(2)- a Deified mortal Phonoi- Murder Phorcys- Hidden dangers of the sea Phrike- Horror Phthonus- Envy Phylonoe- a Deified mortal Pistis- Trust Plutus- Wealth Poine- Retribution Polemos- War Pollux- Boxing, St. Elmo’s Fire Ponos- Hard labour Pontus- the Sea, Sea creatures Poros- Expediency Poseidon- Earthquakes, the Ocean (lord of the sea) Pothos- Yearning Praxidike- Exacting justice Priapus- Fertility Proioxis- Onrush Promtheus- Forethought Prophasis- Excuses Proteus- Herdsman of Poseidon Psamathe- Sand beaches Psyche- the Soul Ptocheia- Beggary Pyroeis- Mars Rhadamanthys- Judge (asia) Rhapso- Sewing Rhea- Fertility (queen of the Titans) Roma- Rome Saloazios- sky deity Sangarius- a River Scylla- the Sea Selene- the Moon Semele- a Deified mortal Silenus- Wine press Skeiron- the Northwest Wind Sophrosynee- Moderation Soteria- Safety Soter- Safety Stheno- a Gorgon Stilbon- Mercury Styx- Hatred, Oaths Taraxippus- a Ghost Tartarus- Tartarean Pit Techne- Art, Skill Telesphoruus- Convalescence Telete- Initiaion into the Bacchic cult Tenes- a Deified mortal Tethys- Fresh water Thalassa- the Sea Thallo- Buds Thanatos- Death Thaumus- the Wonders of the sea Theia- Sight Themis- Devine law Thetis- Marine life Thoosa- Sea currents Tisiphone- a Fury Triptolemus- Farming Triteia- the Sea Triton- the Sea Tthrasos- Boldness Tyche- Fortune Uranus- the Sky Zagreus- first incarnation of Dionysus Zelos- Rivalry Zephyrus- the West Wind Zeus- Weather, Lightning (lord of the sky, king of the gods)

#hellenic polytheism #hellenism #greek pantheon #greek deities

[fox-screams-official]

These are the tags I will use for post with these characters! These tags are relatively specific on purpose so I can use them across both my art blog and oc blog

Cottagecore gods universe:

Zephyr - Zephyr zoufall

Atlas - atlas the ex chaos god

Eros - eros esposito

Azalea- azalea god of life and nature

Meadow - meadow the new god

The all knowing - the all knowing

More to be added!

[lightdancer1]

It has just occurred to me:

Given Hoelun's 'bloodiest part of the bloodiest edge of the war' experience in an AU where the war is officially all but over, and with Iroh's low opinion of Admiral Zhao he'd send only one reliably quality force to the North to ensure that regardless of what the idiot admiral does he's not setting up an avoidable defeat. So Hoelun's unit would be in the AU version of the Siege of the North, meaning that it'd be entirely probable that AU Hoelun and Azula could meet at the Siege.

Which would be a completely different dynamic, a thoroughly indoctrinated child soldier facing a revolutionary ex-princess who escaped from a re-education camp and in the Fire Nation view went native.

In the Fire and Water and Earth and Air verse Iroh, Bumi, and Ursa keeping the kids *away* from the bloodiest sections of the AU war like responsible adults means that they'd never have any realistic chances to meet though Hoelun is far too badass a soldier even for a Warhammer-ish ATLA with its invasion by extradimensional Chaos Gods to kill.

But.....under the same rules of 'always there at the nastiest parts of the nastiest fights' Hoelun's unit would be the one A-tier force sent in with the third-stringers to ensure whatever Zhao does or doesn't do that the Fire Nation takes out the Northern Water Tribe by going through them like shit through a goose.

#atla aus #should have seen this coming but didn't #iroh expects zhao to die but he still wants the battle won #so he sends the meanest and bloodiest-minded A-tier unit to ensure no matter what happens the Fire Nation wins #the dragon of the west au

[lentils-writes]

Day 5: Pacific Rim AU

(well, this isn’t short at ALL, I’m sorry)

The LA Shatterdome is pretty new - it’s only been there for about a year, but so far it has two Jaegers (Sigma Hyperion and Corsair Atlas) and there’s talk of adding a third soon. It’s not Kara’s first choice of assignment, but apparently they need a physical trainer with Marines-level experience to work with the Rangers. So she takes the job and shows up at the Shatterdome on her first day, ready to go.

One of the LOCCENT controllers, Bobbi Morse, greets her. “Sergeant Palamas, good to see you,” she says, offering her hand. “I hope the trip here was satisfactory.”

“Fine,” says Kara. “Where to first?”

“This way. We’ll take you through the Shatterdome proper and show you the training room.” Morse leads her through the giant warehouse-style part of the building that houses the enormous Jaegers. They’re so big that Kara has to crane her neck and she still can’t see their heads. “That’s Sigma,” says Morse, pointing at a matte black Jaeger with a sleek design and an eagle-shaped decal on it, “and that’s Corsair.” Corsair is a deep shade of purple and looks like a linebacker.

Kara blinks up at them. “They’re...impressive,” she says. It’s an understatement, but anything would be.

Morse grins at her. “Would you believe me if I said you get used to it? Or at least, I do. We’ve only had a few missions so far, but it’s way better watching them in action. ‘Course, you’ll be working more closely with their pilots.” She gestures for Kara to follow her into the hallway at the other end of the room.

The training room is nice, with plenty of space for a couple dozen people to train comfortably. Kara glances around and nods approvingly. “What style are they used to?”

“I know Ranger May and Ranger Hartley were in the program together, they’re well-versed in kempo. Ranger Coulson I’m not sure of, he might have a mix of styles, and Hunter…” Morse pauses and shakes her head. “Full disclosure, Sergeant, Ranger Hunter is brilliant in a Jaeger, but he’s also lazy as hell.”

Kara snorts. “Sounds like the two of you have a history.”

“Ex-husband,” clarifies Morse, rolling her eyes. “If you hear him mentioning a demon or a she-beast, he probably means me. I’m perfectly capable of professional cordiality, but he on the other hand…”

“Noted,” says Kara, grinning. “I’ll push him. Anything else I should know about any of them?”

“May does yoga every morning at some ridiculous hour, so she’ll take pretty much anything you throw at her. They might have you work with the Strike Troopers too, they handle a lot of the on-the-ground stuff when Kaijus show up. Triplett and Johnson are the squad leaders, and they’ll have the best intel on what works for their squads.”

Kara nods. “Alright.”

She doesn’t actually meet the Rangers until lunchtime, when Morse herds her toward a table where four people are chatting amongst themselves. “Hey,” says Morse, “this is your new trainer, Sergeant Kara Palamas. Be nice.” Then she turns to go.

Kara glances after her, then sits down and gives the group a shaky smile. “Hi.”

“Hi,” says the white middle-aged balding man who offers a hand. “I’m Phil Coulson. Nice to meet you, Sergeant. Mel and I pilot Sigma Hyperion.”

One of the women, white with a bob cut, nods at her. “Isabelle Hartley.”

The other man, slightly younger than Coulson and with a neatly trimmed goatee, smirks. “Lance Hunter, at your service.”

The last woman, Asian with long dark hair, rolls her eyes at Hunter and then says “Melinda May.”

Kara nods, taking note of all the names. “So,” she says, feeling a little awkward. “Morse said we would probably be starting your training regiment tomorrow morning. You should know a little about me in the meantime. I grew up in the Chicago area, four point oh, all that jazz. I’ve been in the Marines for three years, stationed at Quantico before I was transferred here. I’ve trained in mixed martial arts and a variety of self-defense styles. Any questions?”

“Yeah, just one. Are you seeing anyone?” Hunter asks.

Isabelle elbows him roughly enough that he drops his forkful of potatoes. “Do you think you could keep your stupid questions to yourself for five minutes?”

Hunter pouts, but Kara just snorts and rolls her eyes. “I’m not, but you’re not my type.”

“You sure?”

“Presuming you’re a guy, yes,” replies Kara, enjoying the look of shock that flashes across his face. “I guarantee you are not the magical dude that will turn my lesbian self straight.”

She takes a sip of her water. The smirk on Melinda’s face is somehow the most satisfying part of the moment.

---

Kara gets used to her new routine. Every morning she’s up with just enough time to grab a bagel or some toast on the way out the door, arriving at the Shatterdome in time for an eight AM training session with the Rangers. Then she has another, less intensive training session in the afternoon with the Strike Troopers. May, Hartley, and Coulson work hard every morning, and Hunter...well, Kara nudges him and he eventually cooperates. He’s physically adept, but seems to prefer not doing work when possible. Kara’s working on it.

May’s great to spar with, though. She’s a little older than Kara and was in the Navy for a decade before starting the Jaeger program in its earliest years. This is her second Jaeger, after her first partner was killed during a mission in Hong Kong. Kara pieces these bits of information together through idle things that Melinda says, and then through some casual questions she asks Hartley.

“Her husband Andrew was her first partner,” Hartley tells Kara in the locker room one day after training. “She took it pretty hard. But she and Phil are incredible together. Hunter and I are pretty good, but they’re like next level.”

Kara wrinkles her nose. “So...are they…?” She can’t quite bring herself to finish the sentence.

Hartley laughs. “Fucking? No. I think sometimes Phil would like that, but I haven’t seen Mel date anyone since we all got here. She is into girls though, if you’re interested.” Hartley winks. “I am too, but I think my wife would have something to say about it if I said any more.”

Kara colors slightly. “I wasn’t- I-” She coughs. “I have to go report to Morse, excuse me.” Hartley’s laugh follows her out of the room.

Melinda doesn’t talk often, but she seems not to mind Kara’s company. Sometimes she’ll even opt to sit next to Kara in the mess hall. Kara doesn’t want to push anything, but she smiles at Melinda when she gets the chance. Once she gets daring and swipes an extra beer for Melinda, who smiles and says “Thanks.”

(As they’re all leaving the mess hall afterwards, Isabelle nudges Kara. “Nice one,” she mutters into her ear, grinning. “You’re really on her good side now.)

Kara almost forgets why they’re all there. Kaiju don’t seem like such a big concern when Melinda has such a nice smile.

Which means it’s all the more jarring when she’s awoken by a kaiju alert on her phone at four AM.

The alert directs all civilians to the nearest shelters, and all PPDC affiliates to the Shatterdome immediately. Kara throws on clothes in a heartbeat and, luckily, manages to snag a taxi and arrive within half an hour.

The Shatterdome is chaos. People are running everywhere and the alarm is going off nonstop. Kara’s unsure what to do, but then Morse dashes by her and says “C’mon, into the control room with me, you’ll be out of the way” and Kara follows.

Morse takes her place and immediately goes into work mode, ignoring Kara. That’s fine, Kara expected that. She just watches and listens - the Kaiju is a Category III and, since it looks vaguely serpentine, Morse christens it Hydra. Both Sigma and Corsair are being sent out to deal with it. The Strike Troopers have already been deployed, and the Jumphawk pilots are getting ready to take off with the two Jaegers. Kara scarcely knows where to look. She focuses on breathing.

She can barely see the four Rangers entering the Jaegers, tiny shiny figures in their drivesuits. Her heart’s beating fast enough that she can hear it - maybe everyone else in the room can too. She got four hours of sleep, but she’s so wired she feels like she might never sleep again.

Sigma and Corsair get dropped in the middle of the Pacific, a mile or so from Hydra. It feels like the entire room holds its breath as the Jaegers walk toward the kaiju. This is their third outing together, and by this point the teams work almost seamlessly together. Corsair, as the bulkier Jaeger, goes first to basically act as the battering ram. Sigma is smaller, lighter, and a little faster, so she hangs back to act as reserves.

Isabelle was right. Phil and Melinda’s Jaeger moves effortlessly, despite the waves pushing back against it and the inherent clunkiness of a giant metal mecha. Kara’s seen tapes of other Jaegers, of course (who hasn’t) but she’s captivated.

Then they reach the monster.

Its long neck strikes out, aiming for Corsair’s head, but the Jaeger intercepts it with an enormous fist that sends the kaiju reeling. Enraged, it opens its mouth to roar and lunges - which is when Sigma comes in from the side. The kaiju has the advantage of limberness, but the Jaegers outnumber it. Sigma’s palm, equipped with gamma blasts, fires at Hydra, mostly missing it but leaving parts of its skin scorched.

For awhile it seems like the Jaegers have it under control. Then, suddenly, Hydra whips its head around and smacks directly into Corsair, which slowly, horribly tips backwards into the ocean.

“Fuck!” hisses Morse. “Rescue boats, get out there! Get them out! Now!”

She keeps shouting orders to Sigma, since Hydra is still fighting, but Kara barely hears her over the roaring in her ears. She’s terrified equally for Melinda and Phil and Isabelle and Hunter. But Melinda...oh god, Melinda…

She could turn and walk out of the control room, hide somewhere until all this was over, but she forces herself to stay and watch. Hydra is trying to get behind Sigma and knock it over the way it knocked over Corsair, and none of the screens show what’s happening with the rescue teams. Morse calls, “Chain! Use the chain!”

Kara has no idea what she’s talking about, but then a giant chain slips from somewhere under the mecha’s exoskeleton and Sigma’s using it to wrap around Hydra’s throat and choke it out. Then it’s all over.

There’s a cheer in the control room, but it’s subdued. Morse gets on the radio to contact the rescue boats. They managed to retrieve both Hunter and Hartley, who are still alive, but Hartley’s arm was crushed and Hunter’s barely breathing. Meanwhile, Phil and Melinda check in, exhausted but okay. Morse deploys another Jumphawk team to retrieve them.

Technically, everyone can leave once the kaiju threat’s been dealt with, but no one wants to until they hear for sure about Hartley and Hunter. It’s a tense couple of hours until they know anything, during which Phil and Melinda return to the Shatterdome and are greeted with half-hearted high fives rather than the typical jubilation. They don’t seem to mind, though - they both look haunted.

Kara pushes through the crowd to get to them (just to check in physically, she tells herself). She’s prepared to say something professional - “good work,” maybe, or “are either of you hurt?” Instead, she starts to say something, chokes, and sort of falls against Melinda in the world’s most unplanned embrace.

After half a second to absorb how nice Melinda feels against her, she freezes. “Shit,” she mutters, quickly letting go. “I’m, I’m so sorry, May, I-”

She’s unprepared for the feeling of Melinda throwing her arms around her. “Don’t apologize,” murmurs Melinda. “Don’t you dare apologize, Kara.”

Kara swallows what’s suddenly a huge lump in her throat and clings just as tightly to Melinda as Melinda’s clinging to her.

---

The doctors have to amputate Hartley’s arm, which she’s remarkably relaxed about. Kara and the others are able to see her relatively soon after her surgery, once she’s conscious. “At least it was the left one,” Hartley says with a lopsided shrug. “I need the other one for...important things.” She smirks at her wife, Victoria, who rushed over as soon as the shelters were opened.

“You’ll be too busy resting to do any of those things,” scolds Victoria. “I’m not letting you out of bed for weeks.”

“Ooh, sounds hot,” teases Hartley.

Melinda rolls her eyes. “Well, I see you didn’t lose your sense of innuendo.”

“Oh, you like it when she does it,” grunts Hunter. He’s still laid up too, since quite a bit of water got into his lungs and they want to be sure his breathing stays consistent.

Melinda ignores him. “You both scared us.”

“Yeah, we had no idea you went down at first,” Phil says. “We just focused on beating the bastard as quickly as we could.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Hunter says, but he’s smiling. “Taking all the credit when we’re the true heroes here. Izzy left a piece of herself in the ocean, for Christ’s sake!”

“How about all of you are heroes,” Kara says with a snort.

“Agreed,” says Melinda, giving her a smile, which makes Kara’s chest do something funny.

“Anyway,” Phil says, “we should probably let the two of you rest, huh?”

“I’m fine,” Isabelle says, but her eyelids are drooping.

“Go on,” says Victoria, resting her hand on Isabelle’s shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye on them. You three have been here since the attack, you should go eat.”

Suddenly, Kara’s stomach reminds her that she hasn’t eaten in hours. “Oh,” she says, almost absently. “We should eat, yeah.”

“C’mon,” says Phil. “I hear they’re keeping the mess hall open longer to celebrate. I mean, it’ll be the same slop it always is, but maybe they’ll give us an extra helping.”

He walks ahead of them, and once he’s not looking, Melinda brushes her hand gently against Kara’s before grabbing it. Kara feels her face get hot, which is ridiculous - what is she, a teenager? But she turns to smile at Melinda all the same, and Melinda smiles back.

#karamel #Kara Lynn Palamas #melinda may #Bobbi Morse #Phil Coulson #isabelle hartley #Lance Hunter #victoria hand #fandom: agents of shield #fandom: pacific rim