video; un: rita.farr — aka SUPERHERO CODENAME ASSIGNMENTS

[farr]

[ of course, rita sets up a visual because the starlet always wants to be seen (except when she doesn't). at the present time, she seems rather enthusiastic like she's fighting a proud grin, one that suggests she's ready to give herself a pat on the back at any moment. ]

Good evening, everyone! For those who don't know me, I am Rita Farr, your Team Morale Coordinator.

[ wait, who assigned her that position? ]

As you all well know, we have been joining mission after mission with the intention of collecting orbs to protect the world and save towns from devastation. In a way, you might say we're ... space-travelling superheroes!

And as any superhero would tell you, it's very important to have codenames for our mission. Obviously, we often obtain our very own undercover civilian names. But in the line of duty, when we're in the heat of the fight, we should just as well have assigned titles to continue preserving our identities.

As the Ximilia's Team Morale Coordinator — [ again, who voted her into that position? ] I took it upon myself to select carefully crafted codenames for each and every one of you.

[ she then holds up a sheet of paper, featuring a list of all of the orbers, each with another name printed beside them. ]

You will find this list posted in the Mess Hall. Please take a moment at your best convenience to study the list and memorize each of the names listed for future use. Though I worked very hard to select them — [ she clears her throat, brushing her hair back. ] I suppose that if you have any issue with the name chosen for you, we can discuss making possible changes. Though I don't see why anyone would want to.


XIMILIA'S SUPERHERO CODENAME CHECKLIST:

Clarke — VINCENT VAN GIRL Finn — BEAR BOY Kovacs — BLACK LUNG Dante — PIZZA HUT Rita — ELASTI-WOMAN Chuuta — BEATS Ziggy — STARDUST Dimitri — BREAD MAN Yuri — SIR SECRET Kazuma — SWASHBUCKLER Ryunosuke — SWORDMASTERSITTER Yujin — STACHE DADDY Alina — SUNSHINE Aleksander — SHADOW Mal — GUNSHOW Yzak — SIA Helen — BELLE Marta — LOTUS Joel — TIMESTOPPER Daisy — SHAKE SENORA Natasha — JANE FONDA Shaun — BANGLE BABE Yelena — NIGHT VISION

Gwen — DRUMSTICKS Itachi — PUZZLER DOGSHIT MCGIVENS Andy — ATHENA Joe — ADONIS Sabriel — MYSTIC MAGIC Joric — MR BEAD Newt — MONSTER MASH Felix — ARMORMAN Dr. McCoy — DR SPACE Cassian — INCOGNITO Jyn — CAUTIONETTE Steve — BOMBER KID Dean — KANSAS Lúthien — SIREN Minimus — ROBOFOX Rodimus — ROBOROD Nie Huaising — FAN MAN Wei Wuxian — MR FLUTE Rand — ROBIN HOOD Yennefer — VIOLET Zhao — CHEF BANDIT Viveca — VIXEN Degar — WONDERWALL

( please note that none of the above is to be taken seriously and is in good fun! though rita very much likes to believe she has team leader qualifications and is entirely in her right to make assignments. but she's very bad at selecting names so if some of it seems nonsensical, it's on brand. she went by what she knows or assumes or whatever she likes. )

Comments

video | un: m.cabrera

[naloxone]

I like Lotus, but I can give that up for someone else if they'd like it better.

[ not really how that works, marta— ]

audio — un: hotel.california ;

[karaoqi]

Well — hey, I'm willing to swap names ...

[ Look, it's hard to take 'Bangle Babe' seriously, okay? ]

video

[naloxone]

[ because she's on video, shang-chi will be able to see how she does initially consider it—

before she makes a bit of a face, then hastily responds instead with, ]

Maybe yours just needs some minor adjustments? Bangle... Boy? Bangle Man.




Bangle Brave?

[ look, normally she'd be more of a team player, but she doesn't think kovacs — or herself, to be honest — would appreciate everyone else just casually calling her "babe"... ]

[farr]

[ marta, honey. ]

As ... sweet as that is. [ she'll try not to be offended at people wanting a swap— ] I think the name suits you more than anyone.

[naloxone]

It is a nice name. [ marta doesn't want to swap! she was just offering... ] Can I ask what it means?

[farr]

They say that the lotus flower is a symbol of healing. Which I think, with that alone, is probably self-explantory.

[ for obvious reasons. ]

But it's also supposed to represent purity and strength. And from what many have said around here about the way you take care of everyone, it seems like you provide some of that strength for a lot of people.

private.

[kovach]

[ he can ignore 98% of this post, except— ]

Don't get involved.

[ for once, it's a reversal of who the advice is usually pointed to. ]

private.

[naloxone]

[ he'll see her wince from her chair at the infirmary's front desk, but a second later she straightens her back and tips up her chin. ]

She was only trying to do something nice.

Besides, I seem to remember hearing someone making their own suggestion earlier... What was it, again? "Fuckface?"

private.

[kovach]

[ though he could easily grunt from the call out, hearing the words "fuckface" from marta's mouth is enough to actually make him smile instead, a bit of pride in the curve of his lips as he tries to hide it with a press of his cigarette to them. ]

Hearing you say it just makes me like it more.

[ say fuck more often, will you? ]

Whatever she was trying to do, she should know better by now than to expect this crowd to hold hands and celebrate. Remember what the orbs like? Chaos. You think it's just a coincidence we're the assholes they picked for this little project?

private.

[naloxone]

[ he sees the way he tries to smother that smile, prompting one of her own. difficult to say who's the more triumphant one between them, honestly.

his next words do have a bit of a sobering effect on marta, though, but it's not a surprise to find the subject of the orbs continues to be a constant one weighing on her mind.

after a moment, she makes a faintly yielding sound. not quite acquiescing, but considerate nonetheless. ]

The orbs might have picked us, but we're still the ones who said yes. That means our wish to fix something is bigger than them. And I think for most of us, that wish is to do something good.

[ she gives him a meaningful look. ]

Wanting that, being here to work for it — I think that's enough to make a person good.

[ and then a gentle smile. ]

Even assholes who need reminding every now and then.

private.

[kovach]

[ as brief of a moment as it is, it's those moments that keep him steady each and every day, little fragments that remind him what it is he keeps going for.

because, of course, he never stops thinking of the orbs either, impossible with the heavy impact they've had on him since he's been on this station, from the loss of his memories to the creation of the monster within him. it can't be helped that he's built a bit of a biased grudge against them.

although, not entirely, since it was the orbs that brought him here. and to marta.

he isn't blind to the way she's changed too, to the way she's shifted in her perspective over their purposes here, setting aside guilt to make way for hope. she'd talked so long ago about holding that hope for him, but he knows he isn't the only one. ]

That's why I've got you.

[ his own smile is teasing, with the inevitable tone of snark he's prone to, but it's not all snide, carrying plenty of truth. ]

But not every asshole here wants to hear that. Sometimes it's easier to pretend it's purgatory.

[ he's been there, after all. ]