I have always been a storm

Mera Xebella Challa

[dcmultiverse]

MERA: QUEEN OF ATLANTIS #1

[meraxxebella]

 PASSED DOWN FROM FATHER TO SON ; A SNEER, one marked with contempt and cruelty. her words had struck a chord. like a backhand, he answers the sting as he normally would - all bravado and mockery. “ your words carry no weight, xebel witch. you made your allegiance clear from the start. “ beside his half-breed brother and the dry mouths. “ i seek what i ALWAYS have. what is best for atlantis. come now, mera, we needn’t involve ourselves in a petty surface squabble. “ natural selection for the self-proclaimed “apex predators”. the prince lowers his weapon a touch, “ i need answers. i need to know what has become of my home. i have been away far too long. “

“Then we have the same priorities in mind.” She may have followed Arthur here, but she was more alien than he. These were his people, him being half human himself- but Mera was atlantean, and nothing else. Was Orm truly so delusional that he thought her loyal to the surface dwellers above her own people?

“That makes, two of us.” It had been far too long since she’d seen home, herself. “Why....are you here, Orm?” Mera took a step towards him. “As always, you are doing things....the hard way. I am not your enemy.” If anything he understood her better than anyone. They had been raised the same. No one here, no matter how sympathetic to her cause could truly know.

“Put down your weapon. We can help each other.”

[meraxxebella]

009 & 039 & 013

009. Do they believe in happy endings?

Mara wasn’t raised to fantasize about such things, but she’s learning to

039. What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person?

Losing their family, and their home

013. Have they ever been bullied or teased?

People keep calling her a mermaid here on land, and she H A T E S  I T

[meraxxebella]

097. How well do they adapt to change?

Mera doesn’t appreciate change very much, unless she is the one who initiated it. 

[meraxxebella]

‘ the … yeah — the emergency room? ’ claire elaborated, trying to mask her surprise and sudden wariness. the woman was likely from somewhere else, figuratively and literally. which was soon confirmed when she introduced herself as a PRINCESS.

‘ … princess of … ’ claire blinked, ‘ … atlantis. like the underwater city. ’ she couldn’t contain her attitude at this point, as she raised her brows and held up a hand to point downward, emphasizing underwater. there was a short pause. the muscles laxed and she threw her arms up and letting them fall to her thighs in a helpless gesture of resignation. ‘ well, who am i to judge. i guess if kunlun and evil ninjas are real … ’

she looked at mera half curiously, ‘ so what is an atlantic princess doing in the big apple — you got a new york embassy or something? ’

“You are a referring to a kind of....healing space.” It wasn’t a question. Mara now understood perfectly. “You are a healer. Where I come from, people like you are treated with the utmost respect.”

“Yes, my...land, is underwater. It is so different from here.” She sighed, once again her opinion far from concealed. 

“Do you mean to suggest...” Mera narrowed her eyes “There are those who don’t believe in Atlantis?”

Her memory called her back to the story she’d read about the small mergirl with hair as red as her own. “I assure you, we are no fairytale. No, no embassy. Though I hope one will be created, soon.”

[dianapforlunch]

Mera breaking a man’s arm for touching her without her consent.

[meraxxebella]

Bruce took another bite of the sandwich Alfred had brought down moments before while looking over the blueprints, making small notes with a pencil on the sides as he tried to figure out the best way to assemble the gadget. He held the food between his lips and picked up various parts of the object to inspect them, his eyebrows knitting together. For some reason, the actual product wasn’t coming together in the way he wanted or had planned, the billionaire trying to figure out if it was due to a problem with the manufacturing or because he missed something when making the outline. His concentration was interrupted when the computer alerted him of an incoming video call, the detective pressing one of the keys to answer it without looking away from his work.

“Sir, we have company.”

“I’m busy.”

“She has made it clear she won’t take no for an answer.”

Bruce looked at the screen, checking the surveillance feed Alfred had sent him, brown eyes narrowing slightly. “I’ll meet her in the study.”

“Very well, sir.”

Though their past encounters had been brief, Bruce recognized Mera instantly, unsure how exactly he should feel about her visiting the manor. He respected her, considered her a formidable fighter and ally, appreciating her diplomacy and ability to remain level headed in stressful situations. But he also knew Atlanteans had little love for the surface world, the princess never hesitant to make it clear where her priorities laid.

Bruce was already settled in his study when Alfred opened the door, stepping aside to allow their guest to enter. “Princess Y’Mera,” he greeted, a polite smile curling his lips. “I apologize for the delay. My schedule hasn’t allowed for many surprise visits these past weeks.” He gestured towards the sofa, offering her to take a seat. “Would you like anything to drink?”

Mera was not at all concerned about disturbing Bruce or interrupting his work. This was far more important than whatever tinkering he had been up to. Though she was a visitor here, she was no stranger to the whispers about Bruce Wayne and his....inventions? 

Something like that. 

He had many shiny gadgets. She wondered how many of them were contributing to the constant pollution of the planet that they shared. Mara frowned briefly at the thought.

“You may call me Mera.” The breathy inflection she chose seemed to suggest she wasn’t altogether thrilled at the idea. It’s not that she disliked him, it’s simply that she was yet to be impressed.

“Water would be appreciated.” Was there a hidden meaning behind her words? Quite possibly. Sh definitely stared at Bruce as though she expected him to retrieve it for her, and not the Butler. Ot, manservant, or whatever his slave preferred to be called. Poor man.

“I’ve come on official business, not leisure.” Her ‘surprise visit’ as he insinuated was not to be made trivial. “I have...a series of questions for you.” And Mera made herself comfortable on he couch.

[meraxxebella]

‘ speci- what? ’ claire winced back at the direct gaze of the strange ( in every meaning of the word ) woman, ‘ no, i’m … i don’t have special powers or mutations. i’m … ’ she paused. what was she? ‘ i’m claire. i’m a nurse. you learn something working the night shifts down at the ER — i’m sorry, what’s your name? ’

“speci-MEN” Mera merely repeated her earlier words as though Claire may have truly misunderstood what the atlantean had meant. Mera, probably was not so ignorant- but one could hardly be sure. She IS a foreigner, after all.

“The...E....are?” The alphabet, she wasn’t so fluent in. Or abbreviations. “It sounds.....unpleasant.” Perhaps it had been a battle of some kind. The lithe woman before her did not have the build of a warrior, though it was evident that she had seen her share of violence.

“I am Princess Yemera Xebella Challa of Atlantis.” It was clear she was more than familiar with introducing herself this way. “You may call me Mera.”

[meraxxebella]

Although he didn’t play well with others, Arthur’s reasons for remaining attached to the surface were obvious, and his embittered scowl warned Mera not to keep talking. She would, of course. She was as stubborn as he was disagreeable and explosively angry; however, she has yet to see him so intensely choleric. He knows that she is just doing her royal duties, after all.

“I am home,” he grumbles, briefly turning to square his shoulders with hers, only to subtly relax his taut muscles a moment later. “My Pops lives here, you think I’m just gonna abandon him for some throne?” Truthfully, it was Bruce Wayne who called him to the surface this time, but he wasn’t even going to use Wayne as a scapegoat. He should be able to move about land and sea freely, without being tailed like some irresponsible child. “And I have other shit going on. You realize I was born on land and that I want to be here, too, right?”

Mera was not accustomed to being spoken to in such harsh tones.

“For one who denounces his heritage, you certainly think yourself a loftier station than I.” it was subtle, but she raised her chin just a smidge higher as she carefully and quite matter of factly, stated her opinion.

“Atlantis is just as much a part of you as the surface. What would your mother say?” Perhaps she was overstepping  by bringing Queen Atlanna into this mess of an argument, but Arthur had made it abundantly clear that playing fair wasn’t on the agenda. If he wanted a brawl, he got himself one.

“Would you leave her beloved kingdom, to the likes of your insolent brother?”

Mera hated the way he barked at her. Why was he so cold, when her only desire was peace amongst their different worlds? A peace only reachable by Arthur’s claiming of his birthright. Why wouldn’t he see?

[kingwept]

「 CLOSED EVENT STARTER 」——– @meraxxebella

IT’S A SURFACE PROBLEM — but given his current expulsion from atlantis, it was made a shared problem. bullets and whatnots whistling through the air. it’s been many years that he cursed his father but in this very moment orvax’s warnings rang true. in time humans would tear themselves apart. all those years of having thought them atlantis’s greatest threat, it seemed that humans were the greatest threat only to themselves. regardless, death lingered but it would not come for him. 

HE PICKS A WEAK LINK and strikes. one could not afford second thoughts in battle. despite lacking his atlantean physiology it was not a difficult task to strike down a land dweller. they were unprepared, driven by hatred, and orm has him on the ground in an instant. fingers coiled tightly around his throat until he moved no more. he dies for nothing, there is no honor here. orm strips him of his weapon and moves forth. 

RED LOCKS. he is all too familiar. he grew up beside her afterall. his mother - her keeper. atlanna’s heart would shatter should she see him now - raising his weapon on MERA. he despises surface weaponry. it is awkward and he’d always favored wielding a trident. it’s his bluff — he sees how the gun inspires FEAR. he will not shoot mera, but he can’t be too sure she won’t strike him down once she realizes he is here. “ MERA OF XEBEL “ his finger is not on the trigger but he keeps careful aim on her, “ NO ATLANTEAN NEEDS TO DIE HERE. NOT TODAY. “ it’s as much a peace offering as he can muster. 

[meraxxebella]

Orm. Why hadn’t she considered that he might show up here? Did he not have more audacity than any other she’d met? 

For an Atlantean, he was still a fool. 

“Orm.” Mera adressed him with no emotion, if not leaning towards disdainful. “You make a fool of not just yourself, but of all of Atlantis.” She cared very little whether he meant what he said. If he truly meant to harm her, or not.

“What is it you seek to gain from this?” She considered him reckless for his actions, and was overall- unimpressed.

[meraxxebella]

‘ why? because it wouldn’t matter if there were powers or not if there was no earth to begin with? ’ she crossed her arms in front of her chest, rubbing her own shoulder unconsciously. ‘ i don’t know. it just seems to me … there are always people doing it. helping each other, helping ourselves when nobody else did. clínica … neighborhood networks … small, informal groups that come together when needed, for those with powers or not — before the wakanda king or stark industry philanthropy ever came to places like this. why not — … would this give resources to that? or replace it with something else that needs so much public and financial support to tackle the big issues, it pushes out the small … ? ’

Mera, was visibly impressed by the stranger whom she’d for some reason or another, struck up a conversation with. Pulling the shades from her eyes, she took a better look at Claire.

“What....are you?” She knew that some of these land dwellers had special abilities. Well, not nearly as many- now. “You’re clearly superior to the average speciman.” 

[nghtnvrsc]

the streets was where they belonged, where they felt at home — matt, luke. jessica … the defenders lot. even danny. if there was anywhere she could find them, it’d be in the streets. claire turned up at the festival with that sliver of hope in mind, but now she stood awkwardly in the crowd. she remembered she never truly knew how to behave herself at these type of functions, despite feeling that she should — being an immigrant and a black woman — be empowered by marginalized people banding together and celebrating their experience. yet sometimes it felt like even a hardhead like luke understood the whole idea of identity better than she did. but she strayed. her own mixed feelings aside, claire wasn’t about to ruin this for other people.

‘ so, ’ she turned only slightly to the person next to her, eyes on a nearby poster, ‘ this metaction. what’s their objective? are they petitioning government funding for a mutant clinic for the depowered? ’

[meraxxebella]

“Doesn’t that just....sound exactly what they’d waste citizen tax dollars on?”

The disdain in Mera’s voice was palpable. Breathy. Sarcastic. 

“I could name ten thousand different ways they could be spending it that would benefit the environment and it’s....” She chose her words a little more carefully, looking Claire over. Mera was sharp of tongue, but not without tact altogether. “....people.”

The redhead was garbed head to toe in green, large angular sunglasses hid her hazel eyes from the harsh, false lighting of the festival.

“I take it this isn’t your scene either?” 

[meraxxebella]

@protectsoceans​

Why the hell was Arthur wasting so much time on land, when he had only just begun to appreciate Atlantis for the superior world that it was?

Sure, Mera had learned to see the beauty and the unique atmosphere that the land dwellers had created- but that was when she thought she was merely visiting. It had been eons since she’d been home- and she was tired of waiting.

“Arthur, what keeps you here? Have you not done enough for these people?” There was so much that she wanted to show him. Her people needed him. His people. The dry place had claimed him long enough.

“Let me take you home....” Her voice became a little softer.

[meraxxebella]

@wllacewst​

Mera sat at the coffee shop, her abandoned cup sitting in front of her- losing more and more of it’s heat by the moment. The few sips she’d taken had left much to be desired by the atlanean. 

There was nothing sweet about it, in fact it was bitter and unpleasant altogether. She understood very little about humans and their tastes. Coffee was almost as confusing to her as beer. With wine so easily accessible, why would they violate themselves with such...swill?

Suddenly, Mera was brought out of her brooding when someone bumped into her- and rather hard. 

She did not speak right away, but stared her assailant right in the eyes. Brows raised expectantly, as she awaited the apology she deserved. 

“What is so important, that it takes precedence over common courtesy? Or....is it not that common here, hmm?”

[meraxxebella]

@realwhenitsuseful​

Land. It was such a strange place. So dry, in more ways then one.

Mera had been open minded about making this her new home, temporarily. There was plenty of work to be done here, and she knew that if not she, then who would step up?

This place needed healing. The absentmindedness and apathy of the surface dwellers had not caused not only the pollution of their own home, but hers as well. Mera had to go straight to the source.

The only thing that seemed to influence these people, was currency. Mera happend to know someone, albeit distantly, who had plenty to spare- and it was time to put it where it counted.

“Y’Mera Xebella Challa for Mr. Wayne, please” Mera stood outside the gates of Wayne Manor, announcing herself through the strange communication device that had just asked her for her name. She was dressed in regular surface attire, a long forest green coat, oversized cat eye sunglasses. You’d think she blended right in, if it weren’t for her flame red hair. 

“I am not expected, but he will see me.” The girl was on a mission.

[sixofgambits]

“So those mutants huh?” Remy asked as he slipped into the occupied booth. The news was blaring in the background, it was the perfect time to get his information. “I’m not sure what to think of them in all honesty.” He smirked. “But I’m sure someone as sexy as you have a lot to say.”

[meraxxebella]

Mera was in the middle of eating what was supposed to be fish tacos, but whoever had prepared this these things wouldn’t know a fish if they had slapped them in the face with their fin.

Remy’s words put her off her appetite altogether. “Hm.” Mera shoved the plate away from her before rolling her gaze towards her unwanted companion.

“I know you. You’re the one with the cards.” She wasn’t sure what game he was playing at, but she wasn’t amused.

[comic-book-ladies]

Mera by Datrinti