#iris odell

[kaleidoarms]

So while I’m procrastinating from drawing comic pages, I decided to revisit an old team of mine that doesn’t get much love - Team ACAI of Atlas Academy.

Some of these are quite stark redesigns, and their weapons have also changed slightly. Let’s just say Ironwood gave them upgrades after the Fall of Beacon (though they stayed in Atlas).

Alani Sinoper, Vacuo-born, rule-abiding shoe-in for military Specialist, who wields a glaive/sniper rifle and a semblance that provides innate telescopic vision.

Conway Sallow, ex-professional hockey player who was blacklisted from the league because his semblance, Slippery Customer, allows him to alter the friction of surfaces. He uses his hockey stick and skates as weapons. Alludes to the March Hare.

Aspen Alabaster, grumpy brute from the frozen wastes outside of Atlas. He uses a shotgun-greatsword alongside earth dust, and his semblance boosts his allies’ morale. Alludes to King Arthur.

Iris Odell, a daughter of wealth whose only desire is to help others. Her semblance lets her extend or retract her aura to increase her reach or focus her protection, and she wields a crossbow that extends into a dust staff. She alludes to Alice (from the Wonderland books).

Anyway you should read my Team RAIN comic, it’s very meaty three years in.

Thanks to @quasahi for helping me with these new designs!

[question-anon]

A photo of Isabelline Arc-en-Ciel, 40 years after her great adventure ended, alongside her niece Iris Odell (of @neopoliitan’s Team ACAI!)

Drawn by @neopoliitan!

[kaleidoarms]

Had to be done :D

[kaleidoarms]

Aspen and Iris (Base/reference by Kekos-lair)

[kaleidoarms]

Robin Lincoln's Weapon: WOLFSHEAD. Etymology: “Wolfshead” is English slang for an outlaw, like Robin Hood. In addition, a stuffed wolf’s head may be displayed in a hunter’s den among other prized heads, and the Lincolns are a family of hunters.

Man, I think I saw the term Wolfshead before but I didn’t realise there was so much meaning behind it. This is a really cool one, works for both a sword and arrows. Bonus points if Robin’s arrow tips come in the shape of a wolf’s head (Nyssa probably wouldn’t approve, though O_O)

Akane Aramanth's Weapon: SHISHIKIRI. Etymology: This means “Lion Cutter” in Japanese. St. George (Akane’s allusion) was famed for slaying a dragon, but it is widely assumed by the scientific and historical communities that the ‘dragon’ was actually an ancient species of lion that served as an apex predator. The "kiri" itself references the Japanese spear Tonbokiri (Dragonfly Cutter).

Man, that’s really interesting. Probably through centuries of word of mouth did it change from a lion sort of animal to a dragon, and even then we don’t even know if the guy himself existed.

I feel like Robin would constantly call Akane’s weapon ‘shish kebab’ because she can’t remember the exact name. The Tonbokiri side of things makes it feel more ceremonial as well which reflects Akane’s noble background.

Irving Hawthorne's Weapon: SIADIATHAN. Etymology: This means “Six Deities” in Scots Gaelic. This both alludes to the six wives of Henry VIII (Irving’s allusion) and the six barrels on a Gatling gun, one of the forms of Irving’s weapon.

Man, you’re really good with the double meanings - relating the six barrels back to Henry VIII’s six wives made me almost go “holy shit...” because it’s kind of obscure but a really neat comparison. Makes me think Irving might call his hammer his ‘wife’ affectionately...

Nyssa Noirette's Weapon: BARGHEST FANG. Etymology: Nyssa's sai are specifically designed to pierce flesh, not unlike a fang. “Barghest” is a legendary black dog, a member of the apparitional species that Nyssa alludes to.

This one’s pretty self explanatory, so I can’t say much other than that I like it 😀

Alani Sinoper's Weapon: KAHEKILI-LAAU. Etymology: This means “Thunder-wood” in Hawaiian. Wood is a common ingredient for the stock of a sniper rifle, like the one Alani carries. In times long past, thunder was used as a simile for the report of a gun.

Great call relating the weapon name back to Hawaiian, as that’s where ‘Alani’ comes from too (though I’m guessing it’s no coincidence XD). 

Conway Sallow's Weapon: EASTWIND CO. PRO SHOOTER. Shooting is the term for hitting a puck with a hockey stick. “Eastwind Co.” references the Easton HXP, the preferred hockey stick of renowned ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky, aka “The Great One”.(Plus, I find it amusing that in Remnant, there could possibly be mass-production models of hockey sticks that can transform into assault rifles.)

Makes sense that Conway might have a company-manufactured weapon if he was originally in the sports industry. Maybe he was sponsored by that company and they continued to do so when he turned to becoming a huntsman. Maybe it was a cover-up as he was kind of a cheater 🤔

Aspen Alabaster's Weapon: PENDRAGON. Etymology: This means “Warlord” in Welsh. It also directly references the name of the legendary sword pulled from the stone by Aspen’s allusion, King Arthur.

Another simple one, but it does the job. I didn’t even realise Pendragon meant ‘warlord’. Considering he bears something of a resemblance to the last king/emperor of Mantle, there might be a deeper meaning to that...

Iris Odell's Weapon: VORPALHEART. Etymology: Iris's big heart and her emblem of the Heart, as well as the significance of the Heart in "Alice in Wonderland", is partially reflected in the conceptual title of her weapon. “Vorpal” alludes to the vorpal sword from the Lewis Carroll poem "Jabberwocky." ...wait. What if Iris slew a Jabberwocky Grimm with this weapon?

Man, I can just imagine ACA being beaten to a pulp by this huge ass Grimm and then Iris, who’s usually their support, just finishes it off and gives the rest of her team her winning smile.

Actually that sounds a bit sociopathic.

I really like all of these, and I’m definitely going to use them! Thanks for throwing me a bone here, friend - I really appreciate it : )

[kaleidoarms]

Team ACAI profiles!

[kaleidoarms]

Team ACAI bios!

[kaleidoarms]

First, I would like to ask about her Semblance. So, does she take her aura, and use that to boost her teammates? And can she only give them up to their max aura, or can she give them an overcharge?

I think you’ve combined Iris’s semblance with her weapon. Her semblance is to increase/decrease the surface area of her aura, meaning her attacks extend can extend further.

As for her weapon, she can use her own aura to boost her teammates as she has a large amount naturally. I’d say that an overcharge is plausible, as we’ve seen Bister’s gang provide Bister herself with a supercharge. However, she can only sap her own aura, as being able to use other peoples’ would verge on OP territory.