[FST] neither sink nor swim.

[runawayballista]

neither sink nor swim.
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[ 8tracks ]
art by Zeus [ queen-of-france/zeusarts, source ]

front breaking // megumi hayashibara [lyrics & tl] tooi mirai he no mayoi yori mo ima me no mae ni aru genjitsu hitotsu hitotsu kudaita nara tada no suna ni kawaru kamaiccha irarenai shoumen toppa de ikou instead of having doubts about the far-off future if i smash through the reality right before my eyes, little by little, it turns to nothing more than sand i don't need to care how it looks let's go breaking through the facade There's a reason Carolina is number one. She might have things in the past that weigh her down, that occupy her mind, but she's focused, determined, and she recognizes the potential in herself and her team. And every action hero needs an action theme, after all.

gunmetal tiara // torley wong [ instrumental ] Carolina is the one who gets things done. She's not just a leader, she's a model soldier, and in a time of war and desperate conflict, that focus is valuable. But there's a danger to that kind of single-minded determination.

girl with one eye // florence and the machine [lyrics] i said, hey, girl with one eye get your filthy fingers out of my pie i said, hey, girl with one eye i'll cut your little heart out 'cause you made me cry Enter the usurper. When Tex steps onto the scene, she steals the spotlight and the success, and Carolina will be damned if she lets anyone outdo her. She's the leader of this team.

baby just wants // information society [lyrics] living in a powderkeg and giving off sparks baby thinks that too might light is a lot like dark With Tex on the scene, an ever-looming threat, all Carolina can think about is the next fight, the next opportunity to prove herself. It becomes everything she stands for, more than herself or her team. And now she knows what she has to do.

one more time with feeling // regina spektor [lyrics] you thought by now you'd be so much better than you are you thought by now they'd see that you had come so far and the pride inside their eyes would synchronize into a love you've never known so much more than you've been shown That's when she goes for the AI implantation. Two AI will most certainly give her an edge over Tex, and she'll come out on top this time. She'll make everybody proud, this time.

oh no! // marina and the diamonds [lyrics] i know exactly what i want and who i want to be i know exactly why i walk and talk like a machine i'm now becoming my own self-fulflled prophecy oh, oh no, oh no, oh no no Carolina's sinking quickly. She can't afford to lose now, not when she'd been so focused, her goals so clear, but now, all of her worst fears are being realized. She can't stop -- she has to keep moving, and just hope she can keep her head above water.

accidntel deth // rilo kiley [lyrics] and it's neither sink nor swim at least the water's beneath your chin there's blood spilled on the floor everyone's staring at you, what for? till you realize the blood is probably yours It sneaks up on her, the way it all falls apart so quickly. It seems like everyone's realized it before her. Before she knows it, she's trying desperately to get away, but Maine's hand around her throat is far too strong.

help i'm alive // metric [lyrics] help i'm alive my heart keeps beating like a hammer hard to be soft tough to be tender come take my pulse the pace is on a runaway train She survived, because that's what she does. And now she's got Wash and Epsilon and a bunch of sim soldiers to help her out, to do what needs to be done, and this time, she won't show any weakness.

"m" is for morphine // world/inferno friendship society [lyrics] i believe the unthinkable will come true and i'm watching you every man for himself all against you and god against Carolina only has one goal now: kill the Director, whatever it takes. He'll pay for everything he's done -- to her, to Wash, to Epsilon, all of them. But for her, it's more personal than anyone could imagine.

drove through ghosts to get here // 65daysofstatic [ instrumental ] It's been a long and arduous road -- she's had to acknowledge some difficult truths, had to dredge up painful old memories, and by the time she gets to her father, she can see that he's already paid for his crimes. All she can do now is grant him this last mercy.

gone daddy gone // gnarls barkley [lyrics] beautiful girl, lovely dress fifteen smiles, oh yes beautiful girl, lovely dress where she is now i can only guess It's time for her to move on, her and Epsilon both. There's nothing left for them here. So she leaves Blood Gulch and Freelancer behind, going out into the world in the hopes of doing some good for once, like she'd always meant to.