[OOC] Another World's War

[Silverwind Blade]

All done here, just need to proofread and I'll post it tomorrow.

@Pilatus

All good - jist waiting for everyone to get their characters up so we can begin.

[Foster]

@Silverwind Blade
So I can haz mine put into tabby?

Not sure if you saw the serious bio, or the pre-emptive april-fools "Everything is Yuri" bio.

I hadn't heard of the specific MLD variant of the MiG-23 before, it sounds like a good one.

@Silverwind Blade

MiG-23MLGD was an upgrade-program meant for allied states that was canned for not being economical.
(MiG-29 was just that easy to build, and that much more capable. Although in terms of maint-costs they were same. A second engine is harder to keep running than a set of properly built swing-wings)

Its limitations aside, the MiG-23MLD served quite well as dissimilar aggressor aircraft (which were the ones with the sharks-teeth), not quite as-manuverable, but like most third-gen fighters, has brute power, rate of climb, and acceleration.

[Silverwind Blade]

So I can haz mine put into tabby?

@Foster

Sorry, I didn't see it had changed from WIP to finished. Yuri is fine, sure - he can go into the characters tab

[Pilatus]

Character Name: Lonnie Fall

Nickname/callsign: “Argo”

Age: 31

Nationality: British South African

Gender: Male

Bio: Lonnie was born the only child of British missionaries working in South Africa. His father was a pilot who flew small turbo-props for a larger international, Christian relief organization while his mother worked as a nurse and aid. However the increasing violence of the area caused them to flee while Lonnie was still at a very young age. They transferred to another charter working in New Dehli, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India.

Lonnie’s father eventually gave up the mission work as more steady income was available from the various Himalayan tourist charter and cargo companies. It was in this atmosphere that he gained his first fascination and experience with flying as he rode the jumpseat in turbo DC-3’s and Twin Otters as his father navigated mountain passes and the rapidly changing conditions of mountain flying.

In this isolated world, Lonnie learned to fly young under his father’s tutelage and began making his own passenger and cargo runs daily after homeschooling sessions from his mother. The Dehavilland Beaver was his first steady mount and he regularly looked forward to the dirt strips and crosswind landings. He found that strangely he personally cared little for the cargo or even the passengers from time to time. It was a fault in himself that he kept isolated. Only the sound of engine and the challenge of the flight was what kept him rapt though his Christian upbringing taught him better.

Continued experience brought him up to true mountain flying and the turbo PC-6. He became a master of the passes as a teenager, but though he enjoyed the flying he continued to feel less satisfied with the work and went on through the few channels available to get into jets. The training took him away from home, but he found the complex systems more to his liking and enjoyed the added challenge of true instrument flying.

During the early outbreak of the Yerril war, Lonnie was flying a regular business charter across China and Southeast Asia ferrying businessmen and dignitaries in a Gulfstream G5. He was forced to evade a group of Yerril attackers and using every ounce of maneuverability the business jet could muster, sheer luck and heavy cloud cover, managed to land the over-stressed frame in Paro, Bhutan. One of the shaken, but grateful dignitaries on board insisted that his abilities were being wasted in private aviation and made the appropriate connections to have him absorbed into a Russian training squadron flying the Mig-29.

Lonnie was apprehensive at first. He had no experience in pure, high-performance aircraft, but the early war effort had claimed many of the Asian world’s most skilled pilots. He was neither intimidated nor afraid of the Yerril, but more concerned that he alone would not be the “best”. For the first time in his flying career he would encounter those that were just as good, if not better than he was at flying a plane.

Training was hasty and brutal at the hands of Russian instructors and he questioned whether or not he had made the right decision, but the flying was incredible. The Mig-29 was not nearly as sophisticated as the Gulfstream, but the speeds were blinding. It was a simple machine and they emphasized hit and run tactics using ambush and surprise. The Dicta Boelke was strictly enforced and they flew in flights of four.

The rugged cynicism of the commanders and his growing distance from home life had taken him far from his Christian roots as a missionary kid flying cargo runs after classes for extra spending money. His demeanor became grim and shaped by pulling the nose on Yerril at every opportunity. He came to enjoy slaughtering them and his squadron nicknamed the the Bratva or "Brotherhood" became increasingly notorious known primarily for their fast angular attacks and high ambushes out of the sunlight. In the last year of fighting before the Yerril were forced back through the portal, the squadron was consolidated and upgraded to Mig-31s to match their tactics.

In the formation of the Expeditionary units, Lonnie was selected to be pulled for various reasons both professional and political. As a quasi-mercenary his continued employment by the Russian and Chinese governments was considered a small blemish in need of remedy to Western selectors. He initially rejected the posting and threatened to return to the bush. The compromise was that he keep the Mig-31 and continue on through the portal, which was precisely what he wanted- to be the fastest man on the other side of the gate.

Personality: Lonnie's excitement for the military has faded and after years in the coalition forces he has become jaded. Not to be considered a stick in the mud by any means, he enjoys the same pursuits as most males of his age: women, alcohol, competition, but he has come to love war better. In short, the continuing conflict on the other side of the portal was the best thing that could have happened for him.

His humor is often dark and sarcastic and will play a large role in his seemingly terminal rank as merely a group CO when others of his age, qualifications and seat-time have moved on to division commander or higher. New pilot recruits often find him and his methods unusual, but his piloting experience invaluable. A senior officer once described him as, "a thoroughly unscrupulous young thug... he would be just as happy fighting for the Yerril against the Expeditionary."

Appearance: Lonnie stands about 5’11” and is of a well-built body type. He tries to work out fairly regularly and most people would comment that he takes decent care of himself. He has some visible muscle definition around his arms and midsection. Forearms are very taught from handling control surfaces for years. Women tend to notice that he has one green and one brown eye that are sullen from years of scanning horizons and squinting against the sun. There are already visible lines showing around the edges. Facial features are proportionally framed, but he has a slight hereditary crook in his nose. There’s often a layer of stubble every other day as daily shaving aggravates his nickel allergy. Hair is unkempt dirty-blonde and often tousled to one side or the other from a slight widow’s peak He only gets a haircut about every two to three months.

Personal Gear: Wears an old, very worn dark blue Dehavilland Canada baseball cap when he’s out of flying kit. One of the few things he holds on to religiously. Flight suit is the standard Russian grey/green g-suit and a powder blue helmet with the same artwork on the back as carried on the side of the plane along with various other decals from his travels.

Aircraft: MiG-31BSM

Aircraft Colours: Standard Russian Ghost-Grey with matte black around the cockpit and vertical stabilizers, dark grey nose cone. Number “85” in red on the side of the nose, heat baked paint from high-speed operations, faded Russian red star on the tail and Expeditionary markings, a grey/weathered image of the Norse god, Surtr, sitting on the sun holding a sword on the portside intake.

Character Theme: R.E.M. – The One I Love

[Pilatus]

BTW, I know it's a two seater. I'll make an addendum for the WSO.

[Silverwind Blade]

BTW, I know it's a two seater. I'll make an addendum for the WSO.

@Pilatus

He looks great otherwise though, and I'm eager to RP with your character too. We have a good spread of personalities and genders so far too, as well as an interesting mix of aircraft to boot.

[Pilatus]

I would prefer to just keep my WSO as an NPC. Is a whole additional bio required for that? I really don't have any plans for him other than riding in the back and maybe some other antics in the briefing room. If someone likes the character they would be welcome to pick him up.

[Slypheed]

Figured I'd put my character up. Mainly for some needed peer-review.
But gonna say it now. Bio and personality are most likely not final. They are, more or less, placeholders while I either flesh them out further, or completely change them.

---

Character Name: Cecilia Skarsgard
Nickname/callsign: Icicle
Age: 31
Nationality: Swedish
Gender: Female

Bio: Born and raised in Uppsala, Sweden. Cecilia's childhood was relatively calm. Not much drama outside of friendships ending over small, simple, and stupid things. Once such example being an argument over which rock looked cooler. She lived a life that most would call basic and boring. And until she was a teenager, that was very true.

Once she was a teenager and going through highschool. She really started to look into what she wanted to do as an adult. And after a visit to an aviation museum, she liked the idea of being a pilot. After the museum, she decided to start learning as much as she could about aviation history in her spare time. And while she wasn't top of her class in highschool, she was a well performing student. Cecilia was never focused on anything more than friends when it came to relationships during highschool. Feeling that a boyfriend or girlfriend would be a distraction from her studies. She'd retain this mentality for the early months of her university life.

While Cecilia was attending Uppsala University, she also started taking flight lessons. Thinking that should she not make it as a military pilot, she'd still be a civilian pilot. She had to have her head in or above the clouds. Or else she wouldn't feel truly happy. During this time, she delved into the dating scene for a bit before returning to the single life.

Once she had finished Uppsala University with the degree she wanted, Cecilia turned her attention to the Airforce. Going through the process to begin pilot training, and then going through the process of becoming a pilot. And once she was a pilot, she was sent off to work in Afghanistan. Specifically working with ISAF, and flying for them during the War in Afghanistan. During her time serving with the ISAF she realized how much she loved colder weather. And as such would more often than not, complain about the heat, granting her the nickname "Icicle," though the heat didn't seem to hinder her ability to fly by much. She flew air superiority in Afghanistan for approximately three years before the Tokyo Jupiter portal opened. When that event happened, she was pulled back to Sweden as part of a mobilization effort from Sweden to help defend and hopefully repel the invaders.

Once the invaders were pushed back through the portal and defenses established around it. She was chosen alongside a few other pilots to join the UN Expeditionary Force. Though she was sent with a Draken instead of the Viggens she had grown used to flying. Causing for a fair few hours spent training and participating in exercises to familiarize herself with the craft. At the same time complaining about how cramped she feels in the cockpit.

Personality: Cecilia enjoys company and conversation, but will typically state her own opinion on a subject. Even if that opinion will rub a few people the wrong way, but by all means will understand if someone has an opposite opinion to her own opinion, never wanting to silence an opinion. Cecilia does hate it when someone states an opinion but won't take other peoples opinions, or even try to silence the opinions of others. Cecilia does also have a good sense of humor. And is equally willing to have a good laugh or two.

Though Cecilia is a speed-demon, and has gotten in trouble for it more often than she can count. This grafted her a secondary, lesser used nickname. Blazer.

Appearance

Personal Gear:
- Always has a pack of cigarettes and a lighter or box of matches.
- Multi-tool pliers

Aircraft: J 35 Draken, J variant
Aircraft Colours: Swedish M90/Splinter pattern with white belly.
Character Theme: Don't know how to stop.

[Foster]

@Pilatus
"Russian G-Suit"

....

You mean a pressure-suit, right?
-Even until the late 1990's, the Russian Air Force has yet to field G-suits in significant quantity (or quality), and their pilots have been reluctant to wear them.

It's a mind-bogly thing, but yeah. The VKK-6 is still not very popular. Even if it was kinda essential for MiG-25/31 missions.

For those who didn't need plan to hit the edge of space on a mission (or flying anything built after the MiG-21), things were a bit different. Normal uniform, a pair of compression-leggings, and an elastic cumberbund.

*shrugs*

I think we'll just assume that means the VK-3M "Ventilation Suit" (temprature-regulating jumpsuit). Since the pressure-suit (if worn) is essentially an undergarment, and the G-suit is a package of accessories.

List of kit

[Silverwind Blade]

@Pilatus If you want your WSO to be an NPC that's fine, you can always keep most control over them and sketch out their personality, appearance, etc through RP as we go along. They don't necessarily need to be as fully fleshed out as a full character if you don't want. I might take control of them once in a while just to help move things along or point something out, just as the GM - and that might come in handy.

@Slypheed Cecilia looks fine; her personality and bio look great to me so far, but fair enough if you want to change them later too. Please feel free to add her to the characters tab. Since that's everyone who was interested with a character posted, I'll get to work on the introductory IC post to get us moving - hopefully up within a few hours, end of the day at the latest.

[Pilatus]

@Foster

I don't why I put that instead of "flight suit". But I actually did not know that about the Russian pilots. Pretty cool.

[Massasauga]

You lean something new everyday.

[Pundii]

This looks super neat, I'll be working on a CS to get up soon. Though I have to ask.

*if your character has a desert eagle or some other stupid handcannon as a sidearm, I will mock you forever.

@Silverwind Blade

So an Obrez is off the table?

I'm kidding. Mostly.

[Silverwind Blade]

This looks super neat, I'll be working on a CS to get up soon. Though I have to ask.

<Snipped quote by Silverwind Blade>

So an Obrez is off the table?

I'm kidding. Mostly.

@Pundii

Cool, it'll be good to have another player. Look forward to seeing your sheet!

And the character sheet will answer your question - it says standard-issue sidearms only.
TBH, you won't be using it enough for it to be an issue. It's mainly a hold-over from earlier RP's I've run where I had to deal with players that made me head-desk with the ludicrous amounts of/types of personal ordnance their fighter pilots were toting around, despite the fact the game had little-to-no ground-based combat whatsoever.

[Silverwind Blade]

Hokay, the IC is active with the intro and the brief for the first mission. It's a (seemingly) straight-forward small one to begin with, just to ease us into things - but you know how it is, from small things...

Also, no, it might not be 1000% super-realistic from a military POV or whatever, but this is what we're doing, and what kind of thing you're getting - here's where you jump off if that's not your bag.

Feel free to intro your characters how you wish; I've begun with Ryan assuming everyone is in the room, and feel free to have your characters there already, or turn up late - though, please don't everyone do that, as it'll be pretty stupid if he's addressing an empty room :P
Also feel free to do much as I did with my post, and introduce what they were doing before, and any NPC's they are friends with, etc.

There is no post order, btw - any of you who have played anything I've run before will know that I am viciously opposed to post orders.
Once I have a reply from all the active players, or a week passes - whichever comes first - I'll get another IC post up moving us on, and so on and so on. If you want to do collab posts as well, please go head. However, do make sure that you're talking to other people as well as just each other, and that your collab is at least relevant to the plot and moves things on.

Other than that, eager to get moving!

[Slypheed]

though, please don't everyone do that, as it'll be pretty stupid if he's addressing an empty room :P

@Silverwind Blade

Awww...
But that'd be funny :P

[Pilatus]

Glad it's moving forward, I'll move over Lonnie's profile and get a post up.

[Foster]

I suspect Ryan ran into Mako in the intro-post.
-So that probably went well... @Massasauga

That or Icicle.

Yuril will probably just click his heels together and shout "CLEM!" as an introduction and let things go from there.
-Sense of humor, that one.

[Silverwind Blade]

Glad it's moving forward, I'll move over Lonnie's profile and get a post up.

@Pilatus

Great, no rush though!

I suspect Ryan ran into Mako in the intro-post.
-So that probably went well... @Massasauga

That or Icicle.

@Foster

It could well be! I did just intend it to be some rando, but if someone wants to pick up on it then that's fine too.

[Massasauga]

Can't run into Mako, you run her over. Ah, short jokes.