Fading Memory

The Wild Beyond Witchlight

Zavakri prays this is so.

The Wild Beyond Witchlight

Life be wild sometimes, but Wild Beyond Witchlight is always here to remind us that it could be worse. We could be at a carnival. And for that I am thankful.

The Wild Beyond Witchlight

@Guardian Angel Haruki

It's all good, I know how that is. I don't think anyone here will begrudge you taking care of real life first.

@Lurking Krog

Assuming what I will and will not Grudge gets you put right in the book of grudges.

BattleTech: A Band of Misfits

Ronin

Name: Hirata Katsuro
Nickname/Callsign: Ronin (Former DEST Callsign: 'Tengu')
Age: Thirty Two
Gender: Male

Crew Position: Mechwarrior - Former DEST Commando

Nationality:Draconis Combine National

Personality: Ronin is a man waiting to die.

His internal struggle against an upbringing he's come to no longer believe in against a grim galaxy of endless warfare makes him an introspective and quiet person; philosophy and cultural comprehension are things that are significant to him, making him polite and formal- if distant and cold. Having 'fallen' from the higher echelons of Draconis Military Society to the 'dishonored existence of a Mercenary', Ronin struggles to reconcile the concepts of Honor, Loyalty, and Glory within himself as he dedicates himself to Marley and the rest of the mercenary company.

Despite these struggles and brooding atmosphere, his loyalty to his chosen commander and designated allies is unswerving. His reckless style of combat is tempered by an overbearing conviction to leave no ally behind, rendering him a zealous martyr of a Mechwarrior whose concept of self preservation seems nonexistent compared to the preservation of his allies and the completion of the mission itself.

Images I Used For Inspiration

This one just held the right kind of vibe for me and I liked it, it cemented itself as the general demeanor and vibe of the character for me.


This last one came up while I was looking up modern/futuristic samurai to conceptualize what the Draconis Elite Strike Teams might look like beyond their oldschool game art. My research showed they mostly utilized infiltration/stealth suits, but that they also were the designated heavy jump troops of the faction in other war games; I felt that this image suited the idea of the Draconis Commandos.

An Interview with Ronin

Honor. Loyalty. Glory.

"I was raised to cherish these ideas. I was taught that the galaxy relied upon them. That the foundation of our collective world was staged upon them and that they were the basis of mutual understanding. My life has been a violent one, but also one of immense education and expression. I was entitled to forms of identity that most were not; I was taught to paint, to write poetry, to use the longbow, to dance in the old ways, while others were taught that their only path to fulfilment was their toil. I will admit, for a time it worked. For a time, I thought myself superior to others.

I was permitted to think in ways that seemed impossible to the farmer. I was encouraged to take actions that seemed impossible to the factory worker. I was instilled with a sense of pride that made me blind to my own shackles, while I trod upon those beneath me. I was permitted, at last, to the Academies. This was the place of the first Great Lesson. This was the place I learned to question Honor.

I excelled in my academics. My art thrived, my mathematics and literature studies were advanced due to my station, and I received much favor from my instructors. My family name, the Hirata, carried weight. I did not learn until much later that my path had been chosen for me, that my actions were not truly my own but instead those of my Mother; I was guaranteed my rankings in the First Academy, and Her sway even carried me through the Second- but it was while I attended the Third that I learned my first Great Lesson- and first met Inari*.

Inari taught me to cheat. I struggled in the third academy- my privilege could only carry me thus far. My teachers were unkind. My art was dismissed. My calculations were criticized. My combat techniques were hard pressed- each of my classmates a whispered rival, each colleague also shadowed by the possibility of danger, each day a dance of intrigues within the halls of learning...

Until I met Inari. I will admit that at the time my first impressions of him were poor; He was the son of a mere farmer who had somehow made his way through the Academies, defied the Order of Things, and been given permissions to attend beyond his means. It angered me. It went against all I was taught-

But so did his kindness. My frustrations must have been apparent during one testing period, for he reached out to me in subtle and quiet ways- ways that I later learned the teachers were well aware of, but permitted to happen. Secret messages, subtle communications, a friendship was offered. We made a code, a system, and from there our companionship was secured in a mutual bond; if we were discovered, it would mean doom for us both.

It was through this illicit means that we succeeded. I assisted him with his combat training and gave him tips on how to conquer our classmates in battle, and he slipped me answers and calculations to mathematics and histories. We rarely spoke outside class. We barely even looked at each other, so great was our fear at being found out- but our success and failure hinged so greatly upon one another that as soon as we had graduated he spent the entirety of his savings on taking me out to drink.

After that, we were nearly inseparable. Advancing into the ISF was the next step on my ladder, I had thought it was my idea- but looking back it was just yet another step in my Mother's great plan. Inari did not have a plan- just a powerful ambition to rise above his station, an ambition and drive that was infectious. And so it was that I learned to question Honor, to wonder if it was truly what it was taught to be- to wonder if I had done something wrong by befriending this man whose existence was anathema to my teachings.

The second Great Lesson was that of Glory. I can thank Noble* for this one. The training to join the DEST is brutal. It wears you down. It erodes you away, until all that is left is pure spirit, then the ISF sharpen you into their blades. Noble was, as strange as it may sound, my rival. Circumstance and intrigue put us against each other from the start- which only served to temper us into the warriors we became. For every step I took, Noble took two. Everything I sought to master, he was my better. When I was put into a Battlemech and raised to the status of Mechwarrior I was exultant, but in our first sparring match Noble crippled my mech's legs and all I managed to do was damage his armor.

It was humbling. I stopped chasing the Glory, and started chasing personal mastery. Noble's Rivalry turned into a slow friendship, and Inari's ceaseless cleverness and ambition soon made us a trio who excelled in our training. We were, somehow, assigned to a group together upon graduation. DEST Commandos. The elite of the elite. The Combine's Blades. There was no greater distinction for those of our stature- Mechwarrior and elite soldier combined into one body.

Our Lance was formed. We were dubbed Draconis Minor, partially following in Noble's reputation from training. This was when we were grouped with Trust*. It is from her that I learned what true Loyalty means.

Our Lance was often utilized as the heavy firepower of a greater DEST task group, though we were situationally required to engage in stealth operations and reconnaissance tasks. Noble was a natural leader, and Inari was a natural glue that kept us together- though, and I admit this freely, I fear that without Trust to keep us grounded we may have been too hot blooded and have all died too soon to have been any use to the Combine. For all Noble's Skill, for all Inari's wiles, and for all my learning, we were nothing compared to her Common Sense and Situational Awareness. The ISF did well pairing us together.

There came a time, however, where things could not continue as they had. Inari's Ambition was too great; the Combine's need to feed upon itself too total; our blindness to idealism too all-consuming. I will be brief; We had a secret mission, a dark task, for the Combine. The task required us to go to a site of some infamy now; Lyceum*.

Lyceum was a disaster. We were told we would be liberating oppressed peoples from Federated Suns tyranny. We were told we'd be welcomed with open arms as saviors and that we must silently exfiltrate with as many people as possible. The first shot of that conflict was fired by none other than Inari himself, straight into the cockpit of Noble's Dragon. I watched in horror as our leader's mech toppled to the ground, and our forces began to open fire on our own people. The only reason I still live today is because of Trust. She was loyal to me- to our team- more than she was to the Combine. That struck a chord within me.

Kiku saved my life, dragged me out of a firefight, and into the shadows. We abandoned our Mechs. We scrounged in the wilderness for weeks. We had to hide from Combine and Federated Suns forces alike. It wasn't until you showed up, drawn in by the prospect of coin and battle, that we had any hope of escaping that planet. Kiku still listens for word of Inari, still wonders what our betrayal meant beyond a False Flag operation, but I have since abandoned my concerns over that.

You picked us up and put me in a Mech. That's all that matters, Marley."

_{*Inari = See also; The Great Betrayer.
*Noble = See also; The Young Dragon
*Trust = See also; Savior
*Lyceum = A System contested by the Federated Suns and the Draconis Combine, in proximity to the shared border of the Commonwealth, Federated Suns, and Draconis Combine. Also, the site of the Lyceum Massacre*
*Lyceum Massacre = an event fabricated for this backstory, whereupon Ronin was betrayed by Inari, who was acting on orders from the ISF to spark war with the Federated Suns again.}

Asset:The Hun

Asset Name: Hatchetman [HCT-3F]
Asset Nickname: Hun

Asset Type: BattleMech
Asset Tonnage:45 Tons [Medium Mech]

Asset Crew/Staff:
Primary Technician: Takara Kiku (Former DEST Callsign: 'Trust')
A companion of Ronin's, a fellow survivor of their rogue unit. Her relationship with Ronin is complicated in a mundane manner; she is just as subtle and distant emotionally as he is to the rest of the company, but there is a tension between the duo that is difficult to place. Compared to Ronin's deeply rooted formality, however, she can almost appear sociable at times- especially when working with or discussing things with other mechanics or the grunts of the Fusiliers. Her opinion on Mechwarriors is strong and confrontational; she finds them to be fools whose power goes to their heads, and prefers the grounded reality of a rifle in her hand- this opinion is no different for Ronin, but she can often be found working late hours ensuring the Hun is in tip top shape. His martyrdom complex appears to disturb her greatly, and maintaining the Hun seems to have become her obsession; instead of broaching the topic with him, she works to ensure the mech will never fail him.

Asset Weaponry:1x Autocannon/10, 2x Medium Lasers, 1x Hatchet.

The autocannon is a Defiance Killer AC/10, mounted on the right torso. The Mech carries two tons of ammunition in the center torso, organized into ten round clips. The two medium lasers, Defiance B3M Medium Lasers, are mounted symmetrically on the underside of the Mech's arms. The Hatchetman further carries an exceptionally large, Mech-sized, hatchet; this happens to be its namesake and iconic weapon. Besides these specific armaments, the Hatchetman possesses a control scheme and design that allows the operation of each arm independently of the other, allowing it to more fully embrace the role of a brawler mech.

Asset Equipment:
Full-Head Ejection System; Rather than the pilot ejecting from the 'Mech on their own, rocket motors mounted beneath the head force the entire assembly to disengage from the rest of the chassis. Total flight time is only thirty seconds, and although it can be manually controlled by the pilot most allow the battle computer to direct the flight path of the head...Mech must be in some form of upright position for this system to work. (Sarna)

6.5 Tons of Durallex Medium armor; the Legs are thin and particularly susceptible to damage, however.
11 Heat Sinks, which are able to keep the Mech cool while firing its weaponry.
Ares-8 Battle Computer; uniquely excels at tracking and designating aircraft targets.
Four Luxor 2/Q Jump Jets, capable of propelling the Hatchetman 120 meters in a single leap.
GM180 Engine: Top Speed? 64.8 KM/H. This is an Urban and Guerilla Mech. Speed is not its forte.

The Wild Beyond Witchlight

Please. Do not put such a curse upon me. She might actually snap.

The Yurazen Prince - A Tale of Redwall

Howdy! Just wanting to test the waters and see if this has fallen into the black hole of Guild Death or if folks are still clinging on.

BattleTech: A Band of Misfits

... An aerospace fighter jockey? Consider it done.... I'm even on board if you wanna play a marine/security commander and lead the poor bloody infantry. Biggest thing for technology is that anything that was available in 3025, and not strictly limited or controlled by one Great House or other faction, is allowed in its standard configuration. If you wanna rip something out to make a more customized mech, there'll need to be some tradeoffs.

@ReedeThe23rd

*= Emphasis mine.

You just had to go and bloody say those two. Oh dear lord being an infantry commander in a reality of battlemech operators sounds so amazingly desperate and dangerous that I can't help but have it stuck in my head now. Oh sweet lord the tragedy you have wrought upon my mind.

Pokémon: Feudal Legends

The warrior knelt beside Ajairu, delicately examining the pokemon's favored leg. Her eyes were soft, but narrowed in concentration as she slowly lifted and manipulated the horse's leg, working it upwards, then back, then bending it slo-

Ajairu hopped softly, even in its injured state he was deft enough to lift himself out of Hanabi's hands and to the other end of the stall. He landed hard, his hooves imprinting deeply upon the dirt of the stable floor, and its mane flared brightly for a moment only to fade back to calmness. He whinnied and lowered his head, taking another limping step. Hanabi offered a smile and outstretched her hands, wiggling her fingers in a placating manner as if showing the Pokemon she was, in fact, unarmeed. Then she rushed forward at the ponyta, suddenly lunging upwards and hugging it around the neck- her arms passing harmlessly through the fire of its mane- as she laughed...grunted...and lifted the ponyta up onto its hind legs, taking the weight of its body off the injured foreleg.

"Attaboy..." She urged gently, dancing in a slow circle with the creature. "Let me take a look at it now, yeah? This is just like we practiced. Dance with me." And so they did, dancing in a slow circle; Hanabi upon her knees, bracing the Ponyta upwards, and Ajairu prancing lightly on his rear hooves to keep his balance as Hanabi studied the deep wound trailing along the Pokemon's flank. Her eyes narrowed again, memory flashing through her mind...

The beam slicing through earth and air, raking across Ajairu. The flash of worry- no, the flash of anger! How it flared in her mind! How it broiled from within, bubbling like a- The Volcano! Home! Memories so far away and so long ago! How the smoke rose! How the heat seared her flesh as she gazed down! Her father! Her brother! Ajairu- The Persian, malice and cruelty radiating from its eyes. Blood soaking its fur. The anger held in check. The Volcano could not erupt. Could never erupt. Could never be unsealed. Her body went cold. When her blade moved, it was not driven by emotion. When the Persian's head fell, she could not even let emotion in then; the deed had been done with simple purpose. It was the Samurai way. The Volcano remained sealed. As it must. As it always must.

"A potion will suffice for that- or, perhaps, a bit of rest and some apples-" she laughed as Ajairu's excitement grew and she was forced to rise up and release the pokemon from their embrace. She produced one of the favored treats from her saddlebag nearby and idly dusted it off in her hands. "We're running low, before long I'll need to place an order for more."

Ajairu snorted as Hanabi tossed the apple back and forth in her hands, teasing him with its distance from his mouth. Finally he stamped- then whinnied in pain- only for Hanabi to finally close the distance and softly cup Ajairu's head beneath the chin with one hand, her other holding the apple above the Ponyta's mane.

"Patience." She said softly. "Temperance, too. You showed much Courage today; and I'll never question your Loyalty. Never." She whispered the final word as the apple warmed in her hand. This always amazed her; the Ponyta's flames had never burned her, never so much as rendered her uncomfortable, but it could bake this apple even as she held it. Soon she had to toss it again to cool her palm, the apple smoking in the air lightly, and finally she released Ajairu's head and allowed the pokemon to snatch the baked apple in its mouth. Two loud crunches later, and the ponyta was chewing away happily as it relaxed in place.

"Rest well, friend."

---

The day had passed...uneventfully. The morning's climax had burned into a quiet denouement and eventual calmness. Lady Hanabi's day had progressed as they often did. Patrol. Training. Sparring. Archery. Archery was always the highlight of her day; a time where she could practice the ancient Hanabi clan art of the bow in peace and without shame. Archery practice was a time when she felt closer to her ancestors, but it always ended with a deep meditation; closer to her ancestors meant closer to the Volcano. Closer to the spark of Rebellion she felt from the shadow'd memory of her Father. From the dishonored scar that is her Brother. From the omnipresent image of the Shogun. It was a time of reflection and for the endless test of the Samurai Way.

As she rose from her meditations on this day, an origami Hoothoot stood watching her from the door to her chambers. Had her meditation been so deep she hadn't heard the disturbance, or was this something else? The thought calmed her wandering thoughts with the chill certainty of the present as she picked up the excellent work of craftsmanship. Lettering along the owl's cheeks caught her eye, and thus she unravelled the creature. The words within further cemented that Certainty of Now. The words within instilled within her the Certainty of Purpose.

---

Sunset was a sacred time to the Hanabi. Fire kissing the earth, the ending of a day, the coolness of night, the certainty that the sun will rise again tomorrow. Today, with how her thoughts had wandered and introspection had haunted her, the sunset was significant to Yasashi. She had doffed her armor, and though she still carried her Daisho and Longbow on her, her attire was lighter and more comfortable; her Hakama, once again a subdued attire bearing the colors of the Shogunate, of archery practice. It was a formal attire, but comfortable and meant for ritual and activity. Clothing meant for function and form alike. Her hair, however, bears that subtle Hanabi Clan influence; it was tied in a loose braid that kept the wildness of her hair tamed- but the hairpin that tied it together was the orange flower of Clan Hanabi. As with her armor, she kept her family close but quiet while wearing the Shogun's colors proudly and openly.

She clasped her hands together and bowed towards the sunset, her eyes closing in quiet prayer. Thusly she awaited those she suspected would be arriving soon.

BattleTech: A Band of Misfits

Howdy. I have an interest in this as well- at least, I think I do! I've only really experienced the setting through Mechwarrior Online and briefly playing the XCOM style Battletech game- but I enjoyed my experience with Mechwarrior immensely and this has definitely caught my eye for now. The only reason I'm tentative rather than whole-hog in my interest is due to a strain of time I'm in lately.

The Wild Beyond Witchlight

Sorry for the silence and wait everyone. I'm going to be moving things along today. ^^"

@Guardian Angel Haruki

First off, you good.

Second off, I didn't notice your absence with the NEW AD BANNERS. It was like all the GMs were here all along.