So, been a while, hasn't it? Haha. I'm sorry about the last attempt at this, guys- I wasn't in a good place mentally and it showed. I'm better now- not in a good place regarding employment or financials, but good enough for the time being. Got a couple months I can last in the bank, anyway. Owing to how poorly I was handling the last go round, I've decided restarting from fresh is prolly the best option. Some of the characters will be reappearing, never fear, but we're starting from 0- again, I think I did a garbage job last go round and figure it's better to start over than try to salvage the mess I already had. Past that, we'll be looking at once a week runs, for now. That may go up or down, depending on work if and when I get any, but I'll keep on the twitter for that. Anyway, Y'all have been patient enough with me, let's do this!===========================It’s a bright, sunny day here in southern California, warm enough that you’re regretting the requirement for you to wear your service dress uniform. Still, it’s a welcome change from the hospital clothing and the pair of academy sweatpants that have been your wardrobe for the couple months. Careful what you wish for, you remind yourself, thinking of all the times you wanted something more comfortable to wear. “Not much to look at, is it sir?” Your driver- you’re still confined to base, and not yet allowed to operate a normal motor vehicle- asks. “Beats it being back east though. Used to be at Annapolis, can you imagine? Fly out there for one day then back here for all the mess. Fuck that.” He chuckles, then shakes his head. “I’ll be out here, sir.”You nod, walking the short distance from the parking lot on legs that still don’t feel quite right. It’s been six weeks since the operation- and you’ve been out of the wheelchair for a full month, and have even been able to start your morning runs again, but there’s still a lingering numbness there. It doesn’t bother you, and, as you open the doors and step inside the building, you've already put it out of your mind again.Instead you follow directions to the board room, the open wooden doors revealing an almost disappointingly simple room with an admiral and a general from the marine corps and a pair of witch matrons seated behind a table. Almost no other furniture is in the room other than a flagpole behind the table. A service uniform-clad marine flanks the door, saluting as you enter and closing it behind you. 1/2
“Lieutenant.” One of the men greets. “At ease. How do you feel? The docs said you gave them a bit of a scare.” “Fit for duty, sir.” you respond, shifting to parade rest and he nods. “Glad to hear it. I’m Admiral Marshal. You know what this is?” You nod. “Yessir.”“Excellent.” One of the witch matrons says. “As you were briefed, being part of a wyvern team is a major commitment. We only want to ask a few questions of you before we get to the selection process. You are aware that there is a very good possibility that you will find yourself mentally and emotionally dependent on your witch?” You nod- you’ve seen the effects of long-term VDNI partnership in a crew firsthand. “What she means, Lieutenant, is that because of the nature of the link, and how critical it is to get right on the first try, we’re going to have the final say on your selection, and the psychologists are going to sit on it while you’re taking your test and familiarization flights. They don’t always agree with pilot’s choices. You OK with that?” The marine corps general supplies. You nod again. “Outstanding. So we’re going to ask a few questions, then we’ll go over the board’s recommendations.”“Your school record is outstanding. Top of your class. What made you pick your branch, though?” The other matron, the darker-haired of the two, asks. [] Family tradition, didn’t have much choice ( You fly as a USN Pilot predominately off of aircraft carriers)[] Wanted to prove I could make my own path (You're a USMC Pilot- You fly off of whatever surface the corps tells you to)
>>3220757] Family tradition, didn’t have much choice ( You fly as a USN Pilot predominately off of aircraft carriers)
[] Family tradition, didn’t have much choice ( You fly as a USN Pilot predominately off of aircraft carriers)
>>3220757>[x] Wanted to prove I could make my own path (You're a USMC Pilot- You fly off of whatever surface the corps tells you to)Good to see you back Ghost. Best night of the week!
>>3220757>[x] Family tradition, didn’t have much choice ( You fly as a USN Pilot predominately off of aircraft carriers)Glad your back, I've been looking forward to this
As an aside, yes, I know AC7 just dropped on steam today, and it'll be slow.
>>3220757>[x] Family tradition, didn’t have much choice ( You fly as a USN Pilot predominately off of aircraft carriers)
I made a bingo card last time, I wonder if it's still good
>>3220749>[x] Family tradition, didn’t have much choice ( You fly as a USN Pilot predominately off of aircraft carriers)Welcome back, ghost.
>>3220757>[x] Wanted to prove I could make my own path (You're a USMC Pilot- You fly off of whatever surface the corps tells you to)
>>3220822is it cheating if I play?haha! So I'mma run this a little slower than usual, so I'll leave the votes up for 30 minutes or so before calling them. So I'll call this one in about 5-6 minutes.
>>3220757[x] Family tradition, didn’t have much choice ( You fly as a USN Pilot predominately off of aircraft carriers)It's good to see this back. I'm looking forward to this!
ok, calling the votes here guys!
>>3220822"Lil Stalinka" I both do and don't want this. I do cause it sounds adorable but also no because "Oh god they're multiplying."
I like Ice!
[x] Family tradition, didn’t have much choice ( You fly as a USN Pilot predominately off of aircraft carriers)“Family tradition, ma’am.” You say, earning a nod from the admiral. “I didn’t have much of a choice.” “Mmm.” She responds, thoughtfully. “Your Mother and Father both do have quite a name in the Navy- though not everyone approves of their post-war behavior.” “But this interview isn’t about Bishop or Nix” the Marine corps general points out. “How does that tradition make you feel, Lieutenant?” [] It’s comforting, sir. I knew I had a place from when I was old enough to understand it. [] It’s confining sir. I’d have liked to have had options. [] I don’t worry too much about it, it just is what it is.
>>3220911>[x] I don’t worry too much about it, it just is what it is.
>>3220911>[] It’s comforting, sir. I knew I had a place from when I was old enough to understand it.Welcome back.
[] It’s comforting, sir. I knew I had a place from when I was old enough to understand it.
>>3220896That would imply she figured out things past "cooties"Note for those that stumble across this thread/ archive: This is a sequel to Strike Witches 1989 Quest, which is something fo a spin-off of Planefag's Strike Witches Quest.Now we just need to get PF running again.
Welcome back, you giant nerd.You know what I want.>>3220911[x] I don’t worry too much about it, it just is what it is.
>>3220911>[] I don’t worry too much about it, it just is what it is.
>>3220911>[x] I don’t worry too much about it, it just is what it is.I got worse problems to worry about than family traditions.
ok, calling votes here! I need to get some new art comissioned, too, haha. Well, when I have money anyway.
[x] I don’t worry too much about it, it just is what it is. You resist the brief urge to shrug- as informal as they may be acting, you are painfully aware that’s still two flag rank officers and a pair of highly placed military matrons. “I don’t worry about about it too much sir. It just is what it is.” He nods, apparently having expected an answer along those lines. “What made you go for the Wyvern program, Lieutenant?” The admiral asks. “It’s prestigious sure, but I know the advance and lead in trainers spell out the health risks pretty plainly. What made you want to accept that risk?” [] Felt like I had to, sir, what with my Father and all. [] My mother would have never let me get away with settling for anything better than the best, sir. [] My Aunt, sir. She sold me on wyverns before I could ride a bike.
>>3221061>[] Felt like I had to, sir, what with my Father and all.
>>3221061[x] My Aunt, sir. She sold me on wyverns before I could ride a bike.
>>3221061>[x] My Aunt, sir. She sold me on wyverns before I could ride a bike.
>>3221061>[] My mother would have never let me get away with settling for anything other than the best, sir.
>>3221061[] Felt like I had to, sir, what with my Father and all.
>>3221061>[x] My mother would have never let me get away with settling for anything less than the best, sir.Has dear mother not-yshtola been giving any third degree sunburns lately?
>>3221061[] My mother would have never let me get away with settling for anything better than the best, sir. [] My Aunt, sir. She sold me on wyverns before I could ride a bike.A bit of a and b makes sense
>>3221061>[x] My mother would have never let me get away with settling for anything better than the best, sir.
Steam sales are taking a dump on AC7 because its a lazy PC port
>>3221154I'm super glad I got it on console cause I didn't want to wait if that's the case.
Ok, votes called!
[x] My Aunt, sir. She sold me on wyverns before I could ride a bike.You can feel a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth, though, again, you force it down, keeping your face impassive. “My aunt, sir. She sold me on wyverns before I could even ride a bike.” “Your aunt?” He asks, frowning and looking down at his paperwork. “You mean...?” “Samantha Wells, sir.” “Ah. The navy has a lot to thank her for, then. You were close?” “Yes, sir. I spent a lot of time at the vought plant as a kid, then in the Boeing plant later. She liked showing me things and I liked learning.” That earns a smile. “That sounds like Merlin.” the admiral says, nodding. “So she got you interested in the program?” “the aircraft more than the program, sir.” You state. “How close are you with the rest of your father’s old squadron?” One of the matrons asks. [] They’re family friends, but I’m not close with them. [] Other than my father’s wives, I’ve never really talked to them too much. [] They’re an extended family to me, sir.
>>3221326[] They’re an extended family to me, sir
>>3221326>[x] They’re an extended family to me, sir.
>>3221326>[x] They’re an extended family to me, sir.WE EVEN PLAYED MARIO PARTY AND DID NOT KILL EACHOTHER OUR LOVE IS THAT STRONG!
>>3221326>[x] They’re an extended family to me, sir.A family is a good thing to have.
>>3221326>[X] They’re an extended family to me, sir.I like to think at least one of them was a terrible influence on us.
>>3221349Alright let's not get to crazy here.
>>3221326>[x] They’re an extended family to me, sir.Bit more than tradition pushing towards the navy, also the fear of intense teasing from all of the navy aunties if there was even a hint of marine
>>3221326They’re an extended family to me, sir.
Ok, votes called! writing.
Hey ghost, I just wanted to say thanks for doing this. This is truly a great birthday gift.
Oh hey, this is a thingWelcome back Ghost
who here ace combat 7?
>>3221542Sol squadron a shit brownie never 4get
Are we story locked on the Wyvern this time?
[x] They’re an extended family to me, sir. “They’re like an extended family, sir.” You say. “They were around a lot when I was out west or up north with my dad’s family.” “What about when you were with your mother?” “I saw Contre-Amiral Clostermann some, she and her husband liked visiting New Orleans. Other than that, Commander Bradshaw was around. The rest of them I didn’t see nearly as much when I was on the property.” “Being that she’s your mother’s chosen protege, that’s not surprising.” One of the Matrons supplies, and you nod. “One more question, Lieutenant.” The admiral asks. “There are several witches that have expressed a desire to fly with you, explicitly in some cases because of your father’s wartime record.” He looks over at the marine general before continuing. “In the interest of fairness, we’ve decided to ask you if you would want to be crewed with any of them. Some of them are very highly recommended by the matron council, and tested very highly out of the academy at Annapolis or the citadel.[] I don’t think flying with someone like that would be a good idea, no sir. [] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir.
>>3221583>[] I don’t think flying with someone like that would be a good idea, no sir.Stay as far away from Witch politics as possible.
[X] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir.We could at least hear the names, I guess
>>3221583>[x] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir.I think we should at least give them a chance before we run screaming from the politics. It might not be a terrible idea at least.
>>3221583>[] I don’t think flying with someone like that would be a good idea, no sir.No politics please.
>>3221583>[x] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir.Welp. This is gonna be something.
>>3221583>>[] I don’t think flying with someone like that would be a good idea, no sir. not worth the effort
>>3221583>[X] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir.aside from Morgan (we are still Morgan, right?) absolutely hating anything related to witch politics, it could be worth to see how detached are they from it.Say Ghost, are there any changes in the Bishop family in this reboot?
>>3221621>(we are still Morgan, right?)Presumably, though we have been pointedly unnamed so far. Could be one of the legit children I guess. Or a different name?
>>3221583>[x] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir.We dont have to say yes to any of them and more info is always good
>>3221583[] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir.Reluctantly look at it
>>3221583[] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir.As they said earlier, what we want doesn’t matter as much as neural compatibility with the witch.
>>3221583>[x] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir.May as well keep our options open
>>3221583>[] I don’t think flying with someone like that would be a good idea, no sir.NOPE.jpg.avi.mp4
>>3221583[] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir. But only the ones not interested in me for my father's record. As nope-y as witch politics are, it'd also be rude to just snub them just for possibly having politically fueled motives. However, we are not Frank, and while we follow in his footsteps, we can't let him define us!
>>3221583>[] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir.
>>3221583>[X] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir.Taking a look won't hurt.
>>3221645>>3221646>>3221632>>3221621I remember what happened when the Matrons were able to get their grubby paws into our unit in 89. NOPE.
>>3221661It wasn't that bad, honestly.
>>3221661Anons have short memories, apparently. It's foolish to even tempt fate like this, but hopefully we'll have enough sense to not pick anyone from the list.
>>3221661I don't plan on actually picking someone from the list but knowing who is on it will be helpful for us so we know whos who
>>3221661>implying they will be able to do anything with maman' only sonpfffffft But yes, I agree, but then again we will have to face the matrons sooner or later, might as well get them fuck off early on. [/spoiker]
>>3221683They got us benched for 6 weeks during the after Berlin, tried to have Merlin reassigned, took emotional cheap shots at Ice and Merlin, manipulated us into sabotaging our own services coven, walked all over Wendy, etc etc. Yeah. No. Also doesn't help that some of the more recent matrons will be proteges of Longstreet.
>>3221661At least we'll be able to see who to steer clear of if they show up later.>>3221701This. They are concentrations of political power, don't touch them if you don't want to deal with them.
short break for a second guys- cooking up some dinner real fast.
>>3221701We got benched for 6 weeks because we basically performed a literal fucking miracle (at almost the cost of our lives) and they wanted to know what.Merlin was a valuable asset and shouldn't have even been on the front lines when it started becoming known that she was far more than what things seemed.Ice was a bad commanding officer and not in the emotional state of mind to send anyone off to fight in a war.Wendy was all BritBong bullshit, and that sucked, but you probably should never join the military if petty hatreds of the odd guy/gal out bother you this much, lol.Longstreet was a patriot and was ultimately right.
>>3221707Yeah exactly, we can avoid politics but not if we just ignore that it exists
>>3221661We're going to have to deal with them at some point and like >>3221645 pointed out, compatibility's more important then either our or the Matrons feelings.
>>3221711Wendy’s entire situation was a result of Young’s petty feuds. Her family was destroyed because of the players from a previous quest.
Question for aces: Favorite Plane/Weapon combo so far?I'm fairly partial to the F-15C + Pulse Laser myself
>>3221717No, Wendy's great granpappy legitimately made some very shitty calls that got a lot of people dead. He did it with the best of intentions, but so did the admiral who led Task Force Z into being the first fleet to be completely destroyed by airpower, without any air power of its own to fight back with, so.Honestly, I want to pick one of the witches for a backseater, because I don't want a literal fucking child-in-back.
>[x] I don’t think flying with someone like that would be a good idea, no sir. I don't think it's a good idea to have someone all over our dick while we're trying to fly a plane.
>>3221717Young was stupid, but Maloney(?) was trying to politick in the middle of an "end of mankind" senario. He got what he deserved.But that doesn't matter. What matters is that the Brits tore his family to ribbons over some dumb choices on his part, and 2 generations down were still tearing to them. If anyone is at fault here, it was the people that kept the hate going, not the starters of the conflict.
>>3221583>[x] I don’t think flying with someone like that would be a good idea, no sir. Please. if they're here for our dad, they aren't flying with us. Besides, bonds forged in blood out of nothing can be far stronger than bonds forged of starstruck desire.
>>3221735lmao you do realize with posting IDs we can see you voted twice
>>3221744same house, same router. two voters. Working on fixing it.
>>3221583Oh yeah, I guess I should vote>[x]It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir.We don't have to commit to anything, but these witches will be in the quest one way or another.
>>3221744Funny thing about that. Two people in one household using the same internet apparently have the same ID. I'm trying to convince the other guy to use their phone to vote.
>>3221748If one of you has mobile data, jump onto it instead.
>>3221758ID check with mobile.
>>3221766It's different, you're good to vote.
>>3221758>>3221766Worth noting it has to be mobile data, not wifi on a phone.
>>3221772>>3221776ID check Sat, will be following with dogged interest. Curious about this wheelchair injury that didn’t NPQ him from flight, but I loved the original ‘89 and really wanna see what Ghost has to offer.
Ok calling the votes here!
>>3221783I suspect it was the surgery for the neural jack so we can fly with our mind.Still not a fan of it, even after all this time. I prefer the physicality of manual controls. Feels more... real, I guess.
>>3221783probably the surgery for the implant to fly the Wyvern in the first place.
>>3221798>>3221809Well that would make too much sense to occur to me, wouldn’t it?
[x] It’s worth at least a look, I think, sir. You think about it some- you’re not exactly a newcomer to the concept, but it’s never sat all that well with you. Still, your mother made sure you weren’t quite as ill-prepared as your father was when he stepped headlong into the world of witch politics. “It’s at least worth a look, sir.” You allow. He nods, and you see satisfied smiles tug at the corners of the matron’s mouths. “Very well. I’ll point out again that even if any of them make your short list for crew, the board may not approve them.” “Understood, sir.”“And even if they do, we may not.” One of the matrons adds. “I’m sure you’re aware there was more than a little interest in the coven when your name came up on the Wyvern pilot list.” You nod- again, you were warned well in advance by your parents. “Very well.” The general says, reaching down next to him and producing a small binder. “Lieutenant, this is for you. It’s the basic information you’ll need on your potential crewmates.” He sets the binder on the table and motions for you to take it. “The information in the binder is very basic, just enough to let you know what a witch can do and her name.” He says, explaining as you open it up. “all of them have tested with VX-4 or VX-1 and will have completed SIO school.” “Tell us, Lieutenant. What do you think you’re after in a backseater?” The dark haired matron asks. [] “Someone who can keep us flying, no matter what” [] “Someone who can adapt to changing circumstances without a hitch” [] “Someone who I can lean on for support if I need it.” [] “Someone who’ll make us the most dangerous thing in the sky.”
>>3221883>[] “Someone who can keep us flying, no matter what”Punching out is a deeply unpleasant experience.
>>3221883>[x] “Someone who can adapt to changing circumstances without a hitch”Adapt and overcome
>>3221883>[X] “Someone who can keep us flying, no matter what” I would argue that the most important thing we want in a partner is the ability to take a hit. We can work on the rest ourselves but unless there's something I'm unaware of the witch is the only person who can generate a shield, so let's make sure it's a good one.
>[x] “Someone who can keep us flying, no matter what” Remember Tanana? While I have pretty good faith that Ghost won't give us a GG game over, I"m certain that we will be pilot enough to take down our enemies. What we need is someone who can give us a damn good leg to stand on if we end up walking into fight we can't win.
>>3221883>[] “Someone who can adapt to changing circumstances without a hitch”
>>3221883>[] “Someone who can keep us flying, no matter what”>you see satisfied smiles tug at the corners of the matron’s mouths.Wow, they don't know how to not be infuriating, do they? That should tell you everything we need to know about their picks.
>>3221883>[X] “Someone who can adapt to changing circumstances without a hitch” Being able to adapt to anything will make us a monster on the field.
>>3221883>[X] “Someone who can adapt to changing circumstances without a hitch” Seems like the most balanced approach. Shit happens and it needs to be dealt with.
>>3221883[] “Someone who can keep us flying, no matter what” You can't be the most dangerous thing in the sky if you're going down in a ball of fire.
>>3221883>[x] “Someone who can keep us flying, no matter what”
>>3221883>[x] “Someone who can keep us flying, no matter what” There’s no glory in never coming home.
>>3221883I see what people are saying about needing an awfully beefy shield, but I have to go with>[x] “Someone who can adapt to changing circumstances without a hitch” because it's won't be just the two of us on the field most of the time, and seconds matter.
>>3221883>[x] “Someone who can adapt to changing circumstances without a hitch” Air combat moves way too fast for this not to be our priority
My main issue with the adaptability thing is that it's something we can handle ourselves as the voters.(Unless ghost is making a stats system)
>>3221940I'd hazard it would be a jack-of-all-trades, instead of a specialist, powers-wise.
>>3221940No stats, but it's something that's gonna be taken into account. I'm taking *far* better notes this time round guys!
>>3221940I find it highly unlikely that our choices now will not open and close certain possibilities.
>>3221883>[] “Someone who can keep us flying, no matter what”
>>3221883[x] “Someone who’ll make us the most dangerous thing in the sky.”A danger alright, a danger to ourselves :v
>>3221883>[x] “Someone who I can lean on for support if I need it.”This is someone that we will be sharing a very intimate link with. We might as well get someone who we won't have to babysit.
Ok! calling votes here.
[x] “Someone who can keep us flying, no matter what” “Someone who can keep us flying, no matter what.” You say, after a moment of thinking. Your father, of course, has told you some of the stories about the war- Tanana, Berlin. You know how much he credits aunt Samantha for his still being alive- of course, she thinks the opposite is true, and it was all his doing. Still, everything they’ve told you has put a healthy respect for being able to survive and keep fighting in your head. Adaptability and lethality are both great, but ultimately it comes down to who makes a controlled landing and who doesn’t. She nods, and motions to the binder. “The first section has information on the more defensively-talented witches who’ve volunteered to fly as part of a wyvern crew.” She says. “We can allow up to three selections for test flights, but that’s the effective limit.” “Unless, of course, the board DQes all of the selections.” The general says. “The three best selections out of the first section are going to be Danielle Peterson, she’s got some flight time with a dedicated SEAD unit. She specializes in electronic warfare and SEAD work, with a strong focus on sensor spoofing and destruction.” The matron says, narrating as you flip through the pages. “The next girl on the list is one you may have met. Wendy Maloney.” “Aunt wendy?” You ask, confused- the first time anyone’s manged to get any kind of response like that out of you in a while. “Her machine talent is considered defensive, she can push equipment far past it’s rated fail point, and keep damaged equipment flying longer than it has any right to. But given her age, she’s got a good possibility of being turned down by the boards.” “Potentially.” The admiral says. “The other problem would be if your prior history is considered a problem.” “Third is a liaison. The imperial princess Kyou. She’s IJN, but they’ve agreed to allow her to fly with a wyvern crew if she qualifies. She’s currently with 7th fleet, but would transfer as needed. Her talent is her shield- it’s nondirectional and incredibly powerful.” “While you’ll have time to fly with any three witches over the NTTR, Are there any of these three you’d like to fly with first? We can get you rolling sooner if you have a decision now.” The admiral offers. [] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Danielle first. [] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Wendy[] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Kyou. [] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the information.
>>3222156>[x] Yessir, I’d like to fly with WendyW E N D YAIFU
>>3222156>[] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the information.We don't need anyone the Matrons have suggested.
>>3222156>[x] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Danielle first.
>>3222156>[x] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Wendy
>>3222156>take some more time to read over the information.These are the ones the matrons want us with, so by default we don't want them. Clean and simple.
>>3222156>[x] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the information.
>>3222156>[x] Yessir, I’d like to fly with WendyWendy is a good girl.
>>3222156>[x] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Danielle first. While wendy is nice, I don't want her age to become an issue, and it's nice to have new faces rather than failed daughterus.God knows the publicity we're already rated for. We don't need another imperial princess on the fucking list.So I vote the one who will be immensely useful at keeping our antics and flying under the radar, as it were. Let's test fly Danielle.
>>3222156[X] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Kyou
>>3222156>[x] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Danielle first. We don’t want to risk partner getting NPQ’d, and imperial princess is a list of fucknosBonus points is that SEAD will give us the advantage of never being hit in the first place, and will support our allies instead of just protecting our own plane.
>>3222156>[] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the information.Wendy would mean a short career for us, with her being older. A cross-military partner is risky by nature, and the sensor witch is very untrustworthy.
Guys, I'm getting pretty beat, so I'll leave this vote up here overnight. It's a... major? choice, so it's worth some thinking about. Also yes, there's matrons- but keep in mind the USN and USMC have more than a little say too. It's not all witch politics here.
>>3222156>[x] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the information.I'd like to stop things before they hit us so I guess Danielle or Kyou would probably be the best for that, still it would be good to look over the file before we make that decision
>>3222175>>3222170>>3222162You guys really want to try the complete unknown, handpicked by the matrons? Do you want to be spied on and manipulated?
>>3222156>[X] Yessir, I’d like to fly with KyouPrincess time?
>>3222179>Also yes, there's matrons- but keep in mind the USN and USMC have more than a little say too. It's not all witch politics here.Unless their more than a little say is exactly to directly tell the Matrons to fuck off with their horse shit and get away with it, then I ain't even gonna trust them as far as I can throw them.
>>3222181All of these are tests. We can fly with up to three (3) witches. I’m not saying we’ll ever use this opportunity, but it doesn’t appear this choice will be our final stop. there’s only so much info a paper can give you before you have to meet someone. I say judge who she is, because the unknown seems like the best of all worlds. besides, the fact that she’s unknown draws curiosity, and could end up being more beneficial than either of the ones we already know have major flaws that come with.
[] Yessir, I’d like to fly with WendyAt least we know we can trust Wendy since she's a friend of Frank, so there's that!
>>3222156>[] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the informationFlying with foreign royalty is going to be a headache and a half, Wendy would mean a shorter career (surprised she qualifies at all), and Danielle screams manipulator.
So how old is Wendy now?Late 30s?
>>3222179Cheers ghost, see you tommorow
>>3222192They are tests, but let's be real, unless the first one really screws up somehow, she's a shoe-in.>>3222196In '89 she was 18(?), so 27 (I think).
>>3222196probably early 40s. because it's been 27 years since '89, and Wendy was in her mid-teens I think back then?
>>3222181It's not the unknown, handpicked by the matrons. These are three equal options, (and all of their backgrounds are narrated by the matrons.)But let me explain. I choose her as the best of 3 options.Wendy was a great character in strikers '89, but she was 16? then. Fast forward 27 years and she's 43?. That's well out of the usual application range for any sort of frontline duty, and for witches, it's pretty canon that their magic falls away at a pretty steep gradient after 20. She's cute, but liable to be an issue, someone we'll have to do more than a little picking up the slack for.The imperial princess is tempting, but we're the child of bridgette and FRANK FUCKING BISHOP. We're front-page news when we take a shit, we don't need to be the entire rest of the paper when a VIP wipes our ass.Furthermore, the two of their powers rely on survival After we've been hit by enemy fire. That's the kind of power you really don't want to have to use, and what if the hit is critical, like on the cockpit? It becomes a serious issue.Danielle on the other hand, is a trained SEAD witch. For those of you too lazy to go on wikipedia, SEAD is Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses. SEAD is what stops missiles from hitting not just us, but our beloved allies. SEAD prevents anyone we care about, including us, from taking a hit in the first place. Also, she's basically anti-radar, and is probably our best bet for staying completely out of the Matrons' line of sight. Vote safety. Vote Danielle.
>>3222205Witches don't lose power with age in this setting.
>>3222205>it's pretty canon that their magic falls away at a pretty steep gradient after 20.That's show canon, not SWQverse canon.
>>3222208I'd still wager creaky joints are a problem for someone who intends to do 12G turns.
>>3222205IIRC, that losing power with age was dropped in this because it served no purpose in the anime other than giving a reason for all the girls to be like mid-teens or otherwise jailbait.
>>3222211I do believe it's been mentioned that due a lot to magic, witches age very well in this setting so that won't be a big issue.
>>3222202Well, that’s why we fly with them, right? why can’t we just fly like a madman and see if they’re actually up to being in our cockpit? If they mess up under the stress of their front seat trying to break his plane, then they’re gone. If they lose morale from it, they’re gone. if they break from Gs, they’re gone.I’m sure we’ve flopped on decisions in the past when it went a little south. Anon is notoriously fickle.
>>3222215>>3222212>>3222210>>3222208I'll concede that while that might somehow magically not be a problem, it still doesn't address the issue that her power is by far the one we least want to have to use. The princess's power at least stops the hit from damaging us. Danielle's power stops us or any of our allies from getting hit at all.Wendy's power allows us to *maybe* fly half a plane home, if wendy is still part of the half of a plane we have left.
>>3222202>>3222204oh opps, it's 27 years difference, not total. >mid-teensI think she was legal, which is why she was a valid option, though a latecomer, for the Frank Bowl.>>3222205I'm not fully brushed up on SEAD, but as I understand, that won't be useful in a air-superiority fighter. They're mudslingers. The benefits of her working with them would be her experience with radar. In her case, running quiet. Maybe useful for us, but nothing to do with " but our beloved allies. SEAD prevents anyone we care about".>is probably our best bet for staying completely out of the Matrons' line of sight. The Matrons are offering her to us. You think they would be doing that with anyone they wouldn't trust to do as they wanted? She'd be the one keeping us in their sight, not hiding us from them.>>3222208They do, but the drop off is much less steep. That's only part of the issue though. Fighter pilots are young for many reasons, a major one being they can withstand the stress combat puts on them physically.Also, If Wendy is strong enough to co-pilot, shouldn't she still be in strikers? Wasn't a big point of the whole "witch copilot" thing that lower powered (non-striker capable) witches could be used instead?
Now that I think about it, the Matrons actually trust Wendy now?
you all realize we don't have to pick one of these witches? These are only the ones that asked to fly with us. We can look at other options, ones that weren't overseen by the matrons.
>>3222225Acceptance can be a powerful emotion, especially if you've been denied it your whole life.
>>3222222>>3222223I mean, there's no harm in doing a test flight with Wendy, it's not like this right now is the selection for our witch. right now we're just choosing who we test fly with first.>>3222227This^
>>3222227>>3222225>>3222223Y'all do realize these are in fact not options picked by the matrons to spy on us, and that if they are in any way associated closely with the covens in a more than normal manner, they'll be nixed by the military itself, right? All three options are clear of Matron interference.
>>3222225Probably had something to do with the fact that Wendy had connections to Frank Bishop.
>>3222156[] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Wendy
>>3222229I do actually think that's fair. But we should be fair to all. We are allowed to give all three a test flight, and from that we should pick the one that suits us best. While I'd like my initial decision to be gratified, as I'm sure most of the voters would, I think there's no harm in giving each a test flight, If I understand how ghost has put the vote correctly.On the off chance that I didn't understand correctly and whomever we pick here is our final choice, I would still like to have voted for the option I see fit, and to that end I will continue to vote for Danielle.
>>3222223good SEAD is an everybird mission. Part of enemy air defenses is enemy fighters, not to mention the fact that suppressing radars of any kind does in fact support our allies simply by making them harder to track. “she specializes in electronic warfare and SEAD work, with a strong focus on sensor spoofing and destruction.” It’s not just about keeping our own plane off radar or improving our own radar capabilities. Her specialty is wiping out any chance of the enemy getting a bead on our plane or squadron at all.
>>3222225this>>3222228or something similar. Wendy is pretty naive and friendly, despite the abuse she suffered. An enterprising Matron could offer her all sort of things to get her on side.>>3222229see>>3222202>>3222230The matrons, and covens as a whole, could collectively be considered a major world power. They have enormous bargaining power, controlling access to serious military assets (and limited direct control of those assets). They've been around for a very long time, and have accrued considerable political over that time. Look at how much trouble Frank had with them, as a high-profile war hero, in the middle of a war, for instance.>>3222243>from that we should pick the one that suits us best. see>>3222227
>>3222156>[X] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Kyou.WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? For real though, okay with Danielle too, hard pass on Wendy. Nothing against Christmas Cakes, but her shield's probably weak by this point. An actual working shield would probably be preferable when the Ace Combat levels of fun begin again. >>3222192Also, this. These aren't our only choices if they don't work out.
>>3222244I'd personally prefer a more direct defense, but I could live with her if she didn't have that background. And her loyalty to the matrons and general trustworthiness isn't something we can determine from a single test flight.The princess is an objectively poor choice though. Letting foreign royalty fly shotgun, competent or not, is a massive can of worms, and will guaranteed get us wrapped up in japanese politics and likely also witch politics.
>>3222254What background? her only listed background is that she has actual experience with a SEAD Unit. Her background is that she knows what the fuck she’s doing. There’s nothing in Ghost’s post that says she’s in the matron’s pocket, and Ghost himself nixed that too. Honestly, I’d want her on my team in a heartbeat if I flew with the USN. that experience is valuable.
>>3222254>If she didn't have that background.What background? The only actual incidence of background we get says that she's got actual experience, putting her even higher on the trustworthy ally spectrum.
>>3222156>>[] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the informationAnyone want to take a stab at how the inevitable war is going to unfold?
>>3222261Personally, I was thinking of what sort of customization we should go with in terms of emblems, paint jobs, or something.
>>3222257>>3222259Background maybe wasn't the right word, I meant it more as the background behind why she wound up on the list.Looking at the politics here, while this isn't entirely the Matrons' show, we're high profile enough for them to have burned some favors here. The matrons aren't backing wendy, and unlikely the princess (I suspect japanese pressure here), which leaves SEAD. Thus, she isn't trustworthy until proven otherwise, and that can't be determined in a single test flight.>>3222265Don't we need to blood ourselves first, so we have something to work off of?
I'm not really a fan of going with Wendy for a couple reasons. For one, even tho she's a witch, she's also 40(ish) and we'd be putting her in a frontline combat role, which is something that reputable militaries generally tend to avoid for a variety of good reasons.Also, it pretty much guarantees that we're going to have to change partners at some point because at some point she's going to leave the service and that point is approaching quickly.
>>3222281Adding to that, it's entirely possible this will be our only copilot for the rest of our career (as a result of the mind meld thing). By chaining ourselves to someone in their 40's, we drastically shorten how long we could potentially stay in the air.
>>3222280Well on the note of witches pockets, who’s more likely to be in them? the budding young Witch who’s got a starry military career to keep intact, or the elder who’s had years to interact with the matrons and who they know well? Hell, at least one of the matrons probably served with Wendy, and she’s close to being one herself. Besides, >>3222228 has a point. acceptance can be a powerful emotion......
This’ll be good.
>>3222156>[] Yessir, I’d like to fly with WendyIf we fly our birds anywhere close to as hard as Frank did being able to keep things together would be quite helpful.
>>3222223Uhh. No. It's just that older witches are either too valuable to waste on frontline duty or retired.It's canon that Wendy has/had a huge crush on Frank, but didn't act on it because of Ice. We are her second chance at a Bishop.
>>3222289the budding young witch would be fresh out of the academy, just having been directly under the matrons for years. I believe wendy didn't want anything to do with any of the covens after the way they abused her, so age wouldn't make her more likely. Frankly, I'm surprised she came back at all. She's got to be active duty to even be eligible for this, right? I thought she retired after the war? A Matron could worm her way in easier once past the initial contact, but Occam's razor says the newbie is more likely. Far from guaranteed though.>>3222295What are you disagreeing with? The striker thing? I figured she might also have a crush on us, but that's not how the military works. If you have 2 witches, 1 than can run strikers or planes, and 1 that can only do planes, you stick the first in strikers and the second in planes. Witches are too valuable on the frontline to do otherwise.
So here's a question, were you to be guaranteed a 100% chance that none of them were ever going to be in the pocket of the matrons...Who would you pick? Because that seems to be the only sticking point for the non-wendy choice. It's a little silly that everyone is so damn paranoid about something that we've gotten a guarantee is not going to happen.
>>3222300Yes. The strikers thing.By the way, there is this thing called: "No.", that Wendy could've used to not be assigned strikers.Assuming of course that she came back from retirement. If she stayed in this point is moot.
>>3222156>[] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Kyou.
>>3222302Actually this.Note: >>3222179“Also yes, there's matrons- but keep in mind the USN and USMC have more than a little say too. It's not all witch politics here.”
>>3222261Probably similar to the quest before the reboot. China, North Korea, maybe Iran. Always a war in the Middle East, after all... Small chance with Russia. Putin probably rode a wave of good PR by denouncing Robo-Stalin and making his own faction, probably kept good relations to rebuild the country (mass exodus of witches not withstanding).Hmm... Battlefields straight out of left field might be in South America and possibly Africa. Maybe a good warm-up war for the quest would be interventions in a hypothetical Venezuelan revolution. In Africa? Maybe China's sending weapons to countries that joined up with them or supported them, some sort alliance. Get 'em at a discount. Drones (ala before the reboot), planes, strikers, and the usual armor and weapons to supplement forces as a force multiplier for countries China invested in in Africa. Would probably lead to increased tensions in the region, as warlords gain a bunch of top of the line Chinese military equipment and are just waiting for an excuse to use it....And now I have the sudden desire to see the J-20 as a striker unit.
>>3222302>something that we've gotten a guarantee is not going to happen.All that was confirmed was that the matrons weren't the only ones with influence here, not that they didn't have any at all.Without political/health concerns? The princess, I think. Omni shield sounds incredibly useful; being able to ignore shots instead of having to dodge would allow for great maneuvering. Second is Wendy, Merlin kept us aloft after critical damage enough times to prove that sort of worth. Mostly though, I'd rather see who else is an option; I'm not super happy about any of them.
>>3222156>[x] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Kyou
>>3222156>[] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the information
>>3222322But would you rather 1) have to burn your RIO’s energy on her shield taking hits, 2) try to fly back half a plane after eating 2 missiles, or 3) never have to worry about being shot at at all? SEAD keeps the sky safe>>3222319Honestly for political climate and wars? I’d wager china. There’s a lot of good evidence that something hot could break out, considering that militarily, they’re both stronger than russia, and making more aggressive moves. especially in the southwest pacific..
The major choice shitstorm, been a while since we had that.I do somewhat hope this choice won't hinder us in the future, but eh, wishful thinking.
>>3222261>>3222319>>3222339Im suprised noone said martians considering how common that guess was at the beginning of 89
>>3222339Bad comparison. That's be more like blow energy on 1 tanking shots and coming out unharmed, 2 tanking shots and continuing despite damage, or 3 avoiding guided-only shots and taking damage from unguided rounds.
>Quest reboot> chance for some delicious family conflict> boring happy option is chosenDisappointing but not unexpected.>>3222156[X] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Kyou. The inevitable shitstorm over this choice is going to be great.
>>3222361Not really. Don't forget that every witch has directional shields.
>>3222156>[] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the information>>3222364Turns out, we'd rather fly planes over deal with drama in this plane flying quest.This is why I wanted to avoid us choosing at all.
>>3222369>plane flying questThis is a plane flying quest in the same way Princess Guard Quest was about guarding a princess
>>3222365For the others, the shield would be emergency defense, and iirc it's pretty taxing. Someone specialized in shields could be relied on to tank shots for longer, more thoroughly, and not faint after.
>>3222339Looking forward to a climactic dogfight in the Himalayas then.>>3222357It was the unspoken rule!
>>3222357But anon, the martians are practically extinct!>>3222364>delicious fanily conflictEh, why bother when we can be awesome and combat like a True Ace(TM) unhindered by unnecessary family drama?Plus, don't think Frank of all people would let those linger for long.Side note, and I am not sure if I should bring this up again, but I really wish we get to know the reason of Ken (it's Ken, right?) suddenly leave.
>>3222382> Eh, why bother when we can be awesome and combat like a True Ace(TM) unhindered by unnecessary family drama?But that's like, the most boring part of the Quest.Which is why Frank was one of the worst elements of the previous Quest. There was nothing to him except being Anon's puppet - and of course Anon wanted to be a boring invincible hero.I hope Not!Morgan will have a much more colorful personality, at least.
>>3222392>But that's like, the most boring part of the Quest.That's the best part of the quest. We're here to be a fighter pilot, not bicker and backstab. That's setting independent; why drag down awesome air combat with dull in-fighting when you can get that anywhere?
>>3222402I will agree a stronger personality would be a good thing. It would hopefully keep us from being too bipolar as voting anons come and go.
>>3222392>more colorful personalityI agree, also more character developments would be nice. I do hope that Not/Maybe!Morgan will still be stoicy though but gets annoyingly smug everytime he starts talking/being serious, but a kind man at best. Also maybe wanting to be really different compared to Frank, which was somewhat a thing with Old!Morgan, but sadly not explored more due to hiatus.
>>3222409If Ghost doesn't have any particular personality in mind, we could go for a Trait/Flaw system to build him one, though I'd rather he build a proper personality over us hacking one together.
>>3222402Personally the biggest attractive of a Quest like this lies in character interactions, not combat. If that is what I was looking for, I could easily play Ace Combat instead.And for good character intearaction, you need good conflict. Now, we can discuss what is considered good and what is considered bad conflict, but a scenario where 'cute girls do cute things' is to be avoided because it gest boring really fast.Just my two cents anyway.
>>3222156[x] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Danielle first.We spent much of the last quest being a badass dogfighter. I'd like to have something different to build our reputation from, and a SEAD witch sounds like an interesting backseater to have.I'm over Wendy. I really, really don't want to drag family issues into piloting. No kidlets, no family. That rules out Kyou, since she's prolly related to whatsherfugly and her marine carpet muncher.
>>3222156>[] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the information.
>>3222156[x] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the information.
Also tally for now:[] Danielle - 4[] Wendy - 6[] Kyou.- 5[] take some more time - 12Looks like it's WORLD BUILDING time.
[x] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Danielle first.
What is this waifu faggot quest
>>3222156>[X] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Danielle first.Let's give the actually new character a chance, rather than retreading old paths.
>>3222156>[X] Yessir, I’d like to fly with WendyFinally the time has come again.
>>3222156>[X] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Danielle first.I'm up for some electronic warfare shit.
>>3222431Pretty much this.
>>3222549>post showing [x] is behind>surge of 1 post IDs voting for [x]Pretty transparent, don't you think?
>>3222856For my part, I'm at work and hadn't had a chance to catch up until then. My last vote was at home.
>>3222856Considering some of us have jobs, and weren't UP at 1 in the fuckin' morning?Maybe cool it with the kneejerk "everyone who disagrees with me is a samefag" shit?
>>3222856I'd only just caught up on the thready myself.
>>3222156>>[] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the informationnot a fan of any of these.
>>3222856Jokes on you nigga this ain't Sworn to Valour.
>>3222856>>3222867Let's cool it now, let's not assume it's samefagging on the first major vote of the quest. At the same time, if you are samefagging, please kindly stop.
[x] Yessir, I’d like to fly with Danielle first.Let's try something new.
alright gents, it's about 1800, so let's get this started again, yeah? Vote called here!
>>3223626IT BEGINS
[x] No, sir. I’d like to take some more time to read over the information. You flip back and forth between the pages some before you shake your head. “No, sir, I’d like to take some time to read over the information before I make a decision.” He nods. “That’s fine, but your short list needs to be on the adjutant’s desk no later than oh-eight tomorrow morning.” he says. “Onlining a wyvern crew takes time, and the fleet is already asking after you.”“Yes, sir.” You say. “I think that’s it, lieutenant.” the general says. “As Admiral Marshal said, you need to have that list on the adjutant’s desk tomorrow morning. The information in that binder is confidential, so it cannot leave this base.”“one last thing before we adjourn for the night, lieutenant. Your wyvern isn’t on the base yet, but it’s due to arrive later this evening. We can arrange to have the flight line call you when it gets in, if you’d like.”[] Yes, sir, I’d like that.[] I’d rather focus on my crew selection, sir.
>>3223756>[X] I’d rather focus on my crew selection, sir.Since this is urgent, might as well get it out of the way.
>>3223756>[X] I’d rather focus on my crew selection, sir.Not much point in flying without a crew.
>>3223756>[x] I’d rather focus on my crew selection, sir.
>>3223756>[x] I’d rather focus on my crew selection, sir.As much as I'd like to see the new -02 we need to get this done first.
>>3223756>[] Yes sir, I'd like that.We don't have to go check it out, but it'd be nice to know when our trusty steed is in. Then we can get right back to making our selection and check it out whenever convenient.
>>3223756>[x] I’d rather focus on my crew selection, sir.We should spend time meeting the girls to know more about them before we commit to a career with one of them.
>>3223756[x] I’d rather focus on my crew selection, sir.Add in an "As much as I'd like to," because heaven knows he'd like to.
>>3223756>[x] I’d rather focus on my crew selection, sir.We can masturbate to our plane later.
>>3223756>[x] I’d rather focus on my crew selection, sir.the plane will be there in the morning, but we only have so much time to pick a partner.That said, it’s a short list so...do we only have to pick one potential?
>>3223800>>3223756Also supporting the add in as well
>>3223756>[] Yes, sir, I’d like that.this is always a cool moment
I do hope it won't be that long till the major plot arc starts, I was kinda bummed out on how long it took for Old!16 to get really started.
>>3223895eeeeehh, it depends.I liked the whole 'Top Gun' segment from 89', so I wouldn't be too unhappy if we did something along those lines first.
>>3223756>>3223800This
Oop, sorry guys. votes called here!
[x] I’d rather focus on my crew selection, sir.“I’d like that, sir, but I think I need to focus on crew selection.” You respond, closing the binder and tucking it under your arm. He nods. “Very well. You’re expected to remain on base at least until you start flying, and given the scare you gave the docs, probably past then. Almost dying seemed to be your father’s best trick, but if you could, please don’t think you need to repeat it.” It’s intended as a joke, but it comes across a bit flat to you. Either way, you smile like you’re supposed to- your mother did always tell you when it came to the brass, better to make friends than show your ass like your father did. “Gentlemen and ladies, I think that’s all. Lieutenant, you’re dismissed.” The admiral says, after another moment. “Sir.” You salute, pivoting in place and stepping through the open door again. You head back through the building and out into the parking lot, setting your cap on your head with one hand. Your driver is sitting in the car, playing on his cell phone. He looks up to see you and nods, stepping out to get the door. “Ready to go, eltee?” He asks. “Where to?” [] The O club. It’s early enough it’ll be quiet there and I can study this thing.[] Back to the TOQ. I’d rather sit down in my quarters to do this. [] Someplace I can see the flight line. I can study this and watch the jets.
>>3224037[] The O club. It’s early enough it’ll be quiet there and I can study this thing.
>>3224037>[X] Someplace I can see the flight line. I can study this and watch the jets.Allows us to potentially see our bird get delivered anyway.
>>3224037>[x] Someplace I can see the flight line. I can study this and watch the jets.
>>3224037>[x] Back to the TOQ. I’d rather sit down in my quarters to do this. it's impossible to study when jets are in your eyes and ears. Even more impossible when witches are. Let's be anti-social.
>>3224037>[] Someplace I can see the flight line. I can study this and watch the jets.the subtle similarities between Frank and Morgan is something I cant ignore
>>3224037>[x] Back to the TOQ. I’d rather sit down in my quarters to do this.
>>3224037>[X] Someplace I can see the flight line. I can study this and watch the jets.BIRBSthis time we must truly waifu the Wyvern
>[X] Someplace I can see the flight line. I can study this and watch the jets.
>>3224037>[x] The O club. It’s early enough it’ll be quiet there and I can study this thing.
so ghost have you played AC7 yet if so what do you think of the plane selection
>>3224037>[X] Back to the TOQ. I’d rather sit down in my quarters to do this.
>>3224037>[x] Back to the TOQ. I’d rather sit down in my quarters to do this.An excuse to be an anti-social productive lump? Yes please.
>>3224037>[x] The O club. It’s early enough it’ll be quiet there and I can study this thing.It's the first quest and we've already died once. This doesn't bode well.
>>3224037[] Someplace I can see the flight line. I can study this and watch the jets.
>>3224037[x] Someplace I can see the flight line. I can study this and watch the jets.
>>3224057I find that kinda cute, to be honest.>>3224110Dying once is a requirement to be a man in the Frank Bishop generation and beyond.
>>3224152We're meant to die in combat though. Not in either a training mission or randomly on the ground.
>>3224037>[] Back to the TOQ. I’d rather sit down in my quarters to do this.Heh. Nice dig at Frank for being an ass.
>>3224037[x] Someplace I can see the flight line. I can study this and watch the jets.C'mon, we gotta.
and calling the vote here! also, I'm not ignoring you guys asking questions, I'll get them there at the end.
[x] Someplace I can see the flight line. I can study this and watch the jets. “Some place I can see the flight line, so I can study this and watch the jets.” He smirks, putting the car into reverse and backing out of the parking spot. “Ya know, sir, I’ve done this twice before, and the other guys both said the same thing. I guess it’s a pilot thing, hey? I know a good spot though, no sweat.” The drive isn’t too long, even with the base’s traffic, and your driver seems pretty experienced. Still, you do kind of wonder where he’s going when the road turns off and the pavement ends. A few twists later, he pulls up to a small, covered picnic area on top of a very small hill. The end of the runway is maybe a quarter mile off to the south, but the view is still probably one of the best you could have realistically hoped for. “Cell signal isn’t too good out here, sir.” He says, looking at his phone. “but this about the best spot I know of for watching the birds.” You nod, stepping out of the car. “I’ll prolly stay in the car, sir.” He says, after you close the door. “I have some of my own reading I want to do, but you need me for anything, I’ll be right here.” “Thanks.” You say, nodding again before making your way over to the tables and sitting down, opening up the binder. It’s organized in three sections. The first contains the profiles on a few witches who’s talents, it’s felt, are more generalized, while the second lists defensively oriented witches. The last is offensively oriented witches. Flipping through, there’s not a lot of options you see- there’s only one other defensively oriented witch, and only two in the first section. all told there’s less than a dozen candidate witches in here. The information is a bit more comprehensive than the short rundown you got from the matron in the hearing, though. Your practiced eye also notes the tell-tale signs of coven politics- certain witches, the favorites, you assume, have extremely glowing personal reports, though all of them appear to have graduated within the top 10% of their SIO classes, which is impressive given the relatively small pool of wyvern crews and spots in that school. Still, you feel you’re good enough to get through this pretty easily- but where to start?[] Start with the generalists. Better to have the flexibility- you never know what’s going to happen. [] Let’s read more on the Defensively talented witches. they couldn’t have told us everything. [] Maybe the offensively oriented witches are a better bet afterall.
>>3224372>[x] Let’s read more on the Defensively talented witches. they couldn’t have told us everything. If we can finish it off then we can have more time to look into the other files.
>>3224372>[X] Let’s read more on the Defensively talented witches. they couldn’t have told us everything.Let's see who they're trying to push or bury.
>>3224372[x] Let’s read more on the Defensively talented witches. they couldn’t have told us everything.
>>3224372>[x] Let’s read more on the Defensively talented witches. they couldn’t have told us everything. Let's start with what we were looking for in the first place.
>>3224372>[x] Let’s read more on the Defensively talented witches. they couldn’t have told us everything.
>>3224372>[x] Let’s read more on the Defensively talented witches. they couldn’t have told us everything. If you’re gonna stick to a gun, may as well glue it to your hand.
>>3224372>[x] Let’s read more on the Defensively talented witches. they couldn’t have told us everything. Time for reading
>>3224372>[] Let’s read more on the Defensively talented witches. they couldn’t have told us everything.
>>3224372>[X] Let’s read more on the Defensively talented witches. they couldn’t have told us everything.
Ok, vote called! As an aside, what do you guys think about this slower burn, two day thread kinda thing? I can't remember if we tried this last time or not.
>>3224501I'm fine with it if that's what works for you.
>>3224501It’s nice so long as we don’t get too popular. too many voices choke up a long thread real fast.
>>3224501Last time we were doing 1-3 posts every night and I think it contributed to what happened a little bit, but I definitely think these 2-day threads can work, especially since /qst/ is a slow board.
>>3224501Slower runs are fine, especially as we are getting started.
>>3224501Slow is nice.
>>3224501I'm cool with it, though I think I'll miss parts of the run on Fridays. Whatever's more convenient for ya, though. Glad it's back.
>>3224501I've found that with regular bumping--and you're getting regular bumping--a thread can easily last two weeks without needing a new one. Just need to let the readerbase know it's there once it starts slowly falling off /qst/.
[x] Let’s read more on the Defensively talented witches. they couldn’t have told us everything. You decide to start with the defensively oriented witches, flipping past the first section. there’s not too much on any given witch- nothing technical, just a general description of what they’re capable of. You suspect that’s standard, given that not many people outside the covens could actually understand the ways the witches rate power strength. You could have, thanks to your mother’s insistence that you learn, but it doesn’t really matter. Wendy’s the first entry- listed as being one of the witches explicitly interested in flying with you specifically. You’ve always known that she’s incredibly adaptable- acclimation sickness isn’t really a thing for her, and she can swap strikers and machine integrated focuses without any kind of problem. Her time in the air racing circuit seems to have helped her develop a talent for keeping equipment flying far beyond it’s fail limit- but once it’s shut down, she can’t get it started again. Still, on more than one occasion, she’s flown her modified spitfire through catastrophic failures, and after some testing at the Annapolis academy, she’s proven capable of doing the same with modern fighters. While her talent with weapons isn’t considered anything other than average, she’s considered a capable armorer as well. A postscript note does indicate the board isn’t sure about her fitness for line service again in a wyvern crew, but that she’s said she’s willing to meet any demand to fly as part of a crew. The next is the SEAD witch, Danielle. She’s a general candidate, having put her name in after a tour over Iraq in 2012, just before the pull out. She specialized in SEAD work, often in right behind the cruise missiles. She’s not currently in squadron service, instead sitting in the replacement pool. She’s incredibly good at finding and killing sensors- radar, laser, infrared- and even better at spoofing them. Surprisingly she’s not specifically listed as being outstanding in a lot of regards, he academy showing only just barely good enough to qualify for the wyvern program, and her fleet career pretty average. 1/2
Third is a German witch- A Young. The name causes you to do a double take, but there it is, plain as day. She’s german coven, but USAF service, having flown Eagle and Raptor strikers. She’s been shown to consistently get additional performance out of her sensor systems, and her academy and service record is technically flawless, but her outspoken nature has apparently made her more than a few enemies. Last is the imperial princess Kyou. She’s your aunt’s niece on the other side, the daughter of one of the Japanese Princes, and is listed as the IJN liasion, a position that’s been around since the war. Technically she’d still be IJN, but she’d operate under the USN chain of command in effectively all circumstances. While unusual, it’s not entirely without precedent. She’s probably the strongest of the three witches in terms of raw power, with a shield that’s noted as being the strongest ever seen, bar none. Even the soviet communal shield equipment couldn’t match it. She’s also shown outstanding performance in every school she’s been through, graduating, without fail, at the top of her class. [] Let’s keep looking[] I’ll list one of them first. (Pick any of the witches above, in order of first you’d like to fly with to last.)
>>3224755Wendy
>>3224752>[] Let’s keep looking>he academy showing only just barely good enough to qualify for the wyvern program, and her fleet career pretty average.Ha, I figured there was more going on with her listed so prominently.The Kraut is interesting, but we don't need the enemies she'll bring.
>>3224755>[x] I’ll list one of them first. (Danielle, Young, Kyou, Wendy)
>>3224755>[x] I’ll list Danielle first, then Wendy, then continue.
>>3224755>[x] I'll list danielle first.
>>3224755>[X] I’ll list one of them first. (Kyou, Danielle, Young, Wendy)
>>3224755>[] Let’s keep lookingDaniel barely qualifies. If you want a sensor witch, go for the Young.
>>3224755>[X] I’ll list one of them first. (Kyou, Danielle, Young, Wendy) I prefer messing with sensors as far as style goes, but literal air jousting would be sweet and Danielle's record is a little iffy.
>>3224767I should specify, if her name is on the list despite average showing, it's not necessarily matron influence. It's ok to be paranoid, a bit, but keep in mind the navy isn't going to put half-baked crews in their most expensive, premier air superiority fighter at the matron's insistence. They do exercise a fair amount of control over selection.
>>3224755>[x] Let’s keep looking>But keep Wendy and Danielle at the forefrontIf we have time we could definitely get through this binder. Wendy would be fantastic for for having the connection needed to make this work, while Danielle is either brilliant but lazy or a result of witch politics. Having put her among others that are specifically mentioned as "outstanding" is strange if her fleet career is supposedly "pretty average."
>>3224767Honestly, she sounds like a good all-rounder. "Just barely qualifies for the Wyvern" is still in the top echelons, isn't it?[x] I’ll list one of them first. (Danielle, Young, Wendy, Kyou)Almost picked Wendy but I feel like Morgan might be trying to get out of his family's shadow, and both Wendy and Kyou are strong connections.
>>3224789>“The three best selections out of the first section are going to be Danielle Peterson,>academy showing only just barely good enough to qualify for the wyvern program, and her fleet career pretty average. I mean, I'm not sure how else to take that. She did qualify, sure, but only barely, so why was she the literal first option?
>>3224755[] I’ll list one of them first. (Young, Wendy, Kyou.)
>>3224755[] Let’s keep looking>>3224792Why settle for someone that barely qualifies though? There are plenty of other options.
>>3224796because ghost knows if we see Wendy and Young before anything else there’s no comeback. If we see Danielle first, curiosity takes hold and we contemplate. Which is good, because so far she actually seems like a really good option and it’s nice to see a fresh face.
>>3224803She's still got her SEAD specialty. And like I voted, she's not tied to Morgan's family history.
>>3224796Academy performance may not be considered indicative of her actual ability- and her fleet career not being outstanding may be because she's not playing politics. You can bet, though, that if she made the cut, she's still very, very good at what she does.
>>3224755>Let's keep looking. No sense in locking ourselves into an option before reviewing everything available. Methodical, savvy?
>>3224755>[x] I’ll list one of them first. (Wendy, Danielle, Kyou, Young)Went ahead and flipped Danielle and Kyou. My previous vote should be deleted.
>>3224755>Let's keep looking.
>>3224833which one was your previous vote?
>>3224840You can click Poster ID to highlight them. It was >>3224799
>>3224755>[x] I’ll list one of them first. (Kyou, Danielle, Young, Wendy)>Kyou>Strongest shield ever seen>Implying we wouldn't want to run down enemy aircraft and run them over with a flaming shieldWelp, I'm sold. Guess we'll be running as Phoenix.Also, should be most interesting plotwise, considering we'll (probably) be fighting China. Safest in the eye of the storm, right? Also bare in mind she may have been pressured into the exact same role as us with high expectations based on her ability and family history. There's also the possibility of the Japanese royal family wanting an actual heir with the Bishops, considering Kasumi got married to Frank's sis... Wonder if we know her IC.>DanielleWhy do I feel Danielle's done black ops or something? Actually, for that matter, didn't Frank's bro get hitched with the spec ops witch Ghost? Did they have kids?>Young>Last one was seen dating PattyI'm not sure how I feel about these implications. Unless this is one of her sisters IIRC. Would of thought Minna would keep 'em all Luftwaffe, heh.>Wendy>the board isn’t sure about her fitness for line service againI'd rather we keep her safe....
>>3224852>Unless this is one of her sisters IIRC. Would of thought Minna would keep 'em all Luftwaffe, heh.Might be a grandkid
>>3224755>[x] Let’s keep lookingLet's see what else there is.
>>3224852>Unless this is one of her sisters IIRC.Minna seemed rather hungry to stop after 1 kid. I wonder if they managed another male...
>>3224755>[x] I’ll list one of them first. (Danielle, Kyou, Wendy, Young)I'm a proponent that they can't hit what they can't see. But as a follow-up if they can't destroy what they can see, that's pretty good too.
>>3224755>[x] Let’s keep lookingWe can get a better list together once we know what all the options are.
>>3222265SOON
Ok guys, votes called! What I'll do here is count each witch individually and count the keep looking votes separate. if we get more votes for a witch first, we'll list her, then keep working down the list till the keep looking votes win, if that makes sense. it may not, it does in my head though!
>>3224917>, if that makes sense. it may not, it does in my head though!You're the one counting, so as long as it makes sense to you it'll be fine.
>>3224755>Wendy: Last stand/adaptability/stamina>Kyou: Shields>Young: Sensors>Danielle: ECMI find Wendy's bonus to be the most interesting and probably the most useful in the long run. Assuming we are anything at all like Fronk the pilot genes are what do the heavy lifting and all of his keystone victories came at the cost of working himself to death, sometimes literally. So if push comes to shove, having better ECM, Sensors or Shields isn't going to tip the balance, it's being able to tell death to fuck off for a few minutes that lets us get the job done.Adaptability also helps because if our witch is plug and play we don't have to waste time on the initial shakedown as events will likely escalate quickly. This also makes future equipment upgrades a breeze, or lets us widen our selection of loadouts because we could swap in advanced equipment that would take other witches time to adapt to.Also WENDY WAIFU.Other than that I would rate Kyou second because gigashields are almost as hax as Last Stand, but she comes with political baggage. Young is third because seeing your enemy before he sees you lets you dictate the terms of any engagement, but also comes with baggage. Danielle comes in last because her abilities only really benefit us if hostile radars or missile seekers are blasting us in the face, I don't think command will be wasting us much on SEAD work but she could be handy against a missile heavy enemy.
>>3224755>[] I’ll list one of them first. I'd like to see Danielle or Young
Ok, to confirm after my count. You guys want to keep looking, but your tentative list so far is Danielle, Kyou, Young, Wendy?
>>3225017Yes.
>>3225017Looks right.
>>3225017I'm fine with that. I have a very slight preference for Kyou over Danielle, but both sound cool. Wendy is Wendy, but I'd rather meet someone new. Young is just fine.
>>3225017tentative, but looks right as long as we keep looking.
>>3225017Sure
>>3225017seems fineI just want danielle though
>>3225017Looks fine except for Danielle in the front but sure.
[x] Let’s keep looking (6 votes for keep looking) You pull out a notepad and tentatively list Danielle, with Kyou second, Wendy third and Young forth- though you fully expect to change it after continuing to look. You’re interrupted by the sound of high bypass turbofans- the kind of jets they tend to use on heavy lift aircraft. looking up, you see the distinctive deep navy blue of the vought factory heavy lifter- the only MD-12 flying. It’s escorted by a similarly painted Wyvern, though the high visibility orange on the tails gives it away as the vought factory test plane. Your Father’s plane. You watch the two of them land, able to hear the wail as the heavy lift jumbo’s tires kiss the pavement. You’re hardly surprised, though it does mean, probably pretty soon, you’ll be summoned to see him and Aunt Merlin- the two of them never, ever fly apart from each other. It’s almost annoying, though- you do have work to do. Instead of sighing, you look down at the binder.[] Check out the witches with the balanced talents first. [] We’ve seen defense, let’s look at offense now.
>>3225091>[] We’ve seen defense, let’s look at offense now.
>>3225091>[x] Check out the witches with the balanced talents first. Bedtime now! Try not to win the whole waifu war without me.
>>3225091>[] Check out the witches with the balanced talents first.
>>3225091>[x] Check out the witches with the balanced talents first.
>>3225091[x] Check out the witches with the balanced talents first. >>3225094It's funny, we haven't even seen the rest of the squadron we're gonna be assigned to.
>>3225091>[x] Check out the witches with the balanced talents first. Let’s see what’s behind door number 2
>>3225091>[X] We’ve seen defense, let’s look at offense now.
>>3225091>>[x] Check out the witches with the balanced talents first.
Ok, votes called here!
[x] Check out the witches with the balanced talents first. Flipping to the front of the book, you check out the two ‘balanced’ witches. You’ve always felt the broad classifications of talents are kind of funny. There’s so many talents, not to mention the skills a witch develops, that it’s almost a waste of time to try and classify them all. Still, you have to admit it does sort of make sense- while outlying cases like aunt Merlin exist, most witches are good at one specific kind of thing. It’s almost a surprise to see one of her daughters- Even the oldest isn’t through her academy time yet. Still, here she is- Kelsey Wells. She’s tested very high in all regards, of course- top of the charts in every area related to technology, just like her mother. She’s also a certifiable genius- while she’s not technically through her academy time yet, she’s already pushing a doctorate in aerospace engineering. You suspect that her age would be a major sticking point, though- she’s barely thirteen, almost as young as the youngest martian war witches. You can only assume that she’s there as a matron pick- an attempt to recreate the bond your father had with aunt merlin- she’s far, far too young to be a navy selection. The second witch is almost as much a surprise- Lotus Earhart. Granddaughter of the legendary Amelia, she’s notable in that she’s currently a civilian- flying as one of Lockheed’s test witches. She’s not quite as good as Wendy at keeping aircraft flying beyond their tolerances, but at the same time, she’s able to handle weapons systems and sensors at the very limit of their theoretical capabilities, making them perform well beyond their listed specifications. She’s a naval reserve officer, so selection would mean she’d be activated- though, again, there’s a note that specifies that she’s repeatedly stated she has no issue being activated as part of a Wyvern crew. [] No, neither of them sounds like anyone I’d want to fly with[] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Pick either or both, in order of preference)
>>3225223>[x] No, neither of them sounds like anyone I’d want to fly with.
>>3225223>[x] No, neither of them sounds like anyone I’d want to fly with
Ah crap, it ate the picture. Sorry, this should have been with it
>>3225223>[x] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Lotus)Seems like a solid RIO.
>>3225223>[] No, neither of them sounds like anyone I’d want to fly with
>>3225223>[x] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Lotus Earhart)She sounds fairly well rounded.
>>3225236Wait, dunno how well she'd react to actual combat... May as well give her a go anyways, seems like she's got a similar talent set to Merlin minus the whole 'talk to machines' thing she had going on. If she really does wanna sign on with us, best emphasize what she'd be getting into.Pass on Kelsey, too young IMO to see combat.
>>3225223>[] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Pick either or both, in order of preference)LotusSounds like an excellent pick. Well rounded, no glaring weaknesses, no political nonsense.
>>3225223>[] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Lotus)Decent power set, no politics, matrons, or health issues.
>>3225223>[] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Pick either or both, in order of preference)Lotus.Another new character.
>>3225223>[x] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Lotus)
>>3225223>[X] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Lotus)Doesn't seem so bad.Also it looks like Merlin's daughters are entirely new, looks like they are not the clingy type anymore, which is good.
>>3225266No guarantee. This is an official report; personalities don't seem to be mentioned at all. Still, here's hoping.
>>3225223>[X] No, neither of them sounds like anyone I’d want to fly with
>[X] No, neither of them sounds like anyone I’d want to fly withA teen and a civvie? Might be cool given their abilities but probably just problematic.
>>3225223[X] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Pick either or both, in order of preference)Lotus. As for me, my preference for who we fest flight with is:Imperial Princess,Lotus,Danielle,Wendy,A. Young. Merlin's daughter is too damn young.
>>3225223>[] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Lotus)
Ok guys, gonna leave this vote up overnight again, maybe give the morning crew a chance to get in. We'll wrap the thread up I think tomorrow (Saturday, 2feb) and then work out something for a more normal run. Might do like wed-fri or something? Not sure. anyway, this vote will stay open till tomorrow!
>>3225336Night ghost. Figure we'll resume around the same time tomorrow?
>>3225339Yeah, that's the plan. I'm probably gonna run a couple errands, but I'm we should be starting at about 18 again.
>>3225223>[] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Pick either or both, in order of preference)Lotus
>>3225223>[] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Lotus)Seems like a more well-rounded Wendy, and hopefully her being a reserve means she'll be less entwined in Witch shenanigans. Then again her name probably carries some weight, but I'm willing to risk it.Welcome back Ghost btw
>>3225223[x] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Pick either or both, in order of preference)Lotus.Now my question is, does she tap for 3 mana of any color?
> Youngspawn> good sensor so fuck you alpha strikesIf Kyou wasn't that good, I'd already know my pick.>>3225223[] No, neither of them sounds like anyone I’d want to fly withNone of the current choices sound much better than what we've already seen so far to be honest.Also Ghost, you might want to cut down on this kind of votes - like, we could have had all the intel from the start and choose one Witch per category. I know it was done to highlight Witches sponsored by covens, but filler-y votes tend to slow things a lot.Feel free to disregard this of course.
>>3225223>[x] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Earhart)Navy reserve sounds good.also Strikers 2016 is back wooooooooactually made it for once
>>3225223>[] maybe I should fly with one of them...(Lotus Earhart)
>>3225223>[x] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Lotus)Seems like a sensible option.Danielle as the top pick for a test flight seems good too.
>>3225223>[] No, neither of them sounds like anyone I’d want to fly withEarhart was a hack.
Well it looks like Lotus is in just glancing at the votes. So to recap:Wendy+ Endurance hax+ Adaptable, can quickly swap back to strikers in an emergency+ The only witch we know for absolute certain isn't a matron plant given all the bullshit that happened in SWQ69+ - Age, she has the most experience by far of all the candidates but she will have to ace the test flight to prove that she can hack it in the eyes of the board.Danielle+ ECM hax- Almost certainly a matron plant if she is offered up front- Unproven, if her record is only average she must be hiding her powerlevelKyou+ Shield hax+ Strongest witch overall- POLITICS- Almost certainly a matron plant and/or after our geneseedYoung:+ Sensor hax+ Proven service record+ Youngspawn- Youngspawn- She evidently has some enemies among the matrons and noticeably wasn't even mentioned up front.Kelsey:+ Merlinspawn- Waaaaaay too young for duty, would not consider.Lotus:+ Weapon and Sensor hax+ Test pilot- No visible downsides so far, seems like a solid RIO in the non magical senseIf we can only pick three then I'm currently tending towards Wendy, Danielle and Lotus as the seemingly safer options. But if you guys want to live in interesting times then I'd pick Kyou, Young and Wendy instead.We should definitely glance through the offensive witches before we make a final decision, the categories are somewhat arbitrary and I'm curious to see what the matrons consider to be "offensive" magic powers. I'm guessing Clostermann lighting bolts and the like.
>>3225223>[x] No, neither of them sounds like anyone I’d want to fly withKelsey's tempting, but if I'm gonna argue for a fresh start to Morgan's career, I'll stick to it.
>>3225836To be fair, didn't Wendy require a lot of emotional input on Anon's part to sort of function (it's been a while so I might misremember)? One would hope that at 40 she got over her problems, but if she didn't then she's going to be a pain - and the whole neural link and the 'start depending on your partner' deal won't help. Also boring af, but that's subjective :V
>>3225223>[X] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Lotus)She sounds like Witch Batman. Not superhuman, but well-rounded and able to work at peak human capability.
>>3225836Looks about right. I'll die on that hill for interesting times but I'll support Danielle as second choice and Lotus as third, at least until we see the offense list. You know, I wonder what made them decide to take up the Wyvern instead of Strikers...Anyways, eager to see what Ghost comes up with for the offense based witches. Off the top of my head I can only think of 4 or 5 magic abilities from canon SW that help 'em kill things.
>>3225223>[x] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Lotus)Being Well rounded is nice. Also being able to see all of the things forever is also nice.
>>3225223>[x] maybe I should fly with one of themKelsey WellsI liked the problems she brought.
When do we upgrade to the Fenrir?
>>3226343After we get shot down.
>>3226343>not the Strike WyvernDo you even have three strikes, anon?
>>3226343Ideally, after fighting aces who are worthy of Ace Combat music.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN74PMk4IBQ
>>3225836Honestly I'm leaning towards Kyou, Young, and Wendy. At this point, I think I need to know more about Kyou's technical capabilities and her abilities with sensors and radar. Having the STRONKIEST SHIELD is all well and good but when someone can put like 50x more dakka into it because we can't spoof them, that's kinda irrelevant. I'm also concerned about going for the defensive because a lot what made Merlin so good was because she could also push missiles far beyond what they were normally capable of doing and drastically increased their homing. Now the question is, if someone is capable of that with the stuff that was in play in fleet service in the late 80s, what could they do with the stuff that they have now that can get a 90degree off bore shot. A 180 degree off bore shot? 120? THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.
>>3225836Pretty good recap but for 2 things: Wendy:- May age out at some point during career, risk of having to find new RIO/SIODanielle:>see>>3224810>>3224789Literally word of god implying that we’re overthinking this and she’s probably not a matron pick. I’d turn - Almost certainly a matron plant if she is offered up front- Unproven, if her record is only average she must be hiding her powerlevelinto+Probably not a matron plant+-Probably hiding powerlevel, low initial review but high chance to impress in person+prior combat experience
>>3225223>[] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Pick either or both, in order of preference)Lotus Also, fucking good to see you writing again Ghost.
Ok guys, by the looks of it, you're good with adding Lotus to the list, but you're going to pass on Kelsey? Also, sorry for the later start, had to take care of a few things
>>3227179I'm fine with that.
>>3225223>[x] maybe I should fly with one of themLotus
>>3227179I think that's about where we're at.
>>3227179yeah, she's too young, otherwise we'd likely want to try both.
>>3227179Vote count looks correct.
Oh so since I can't get an answer on /v/, if anyone here has been playing AC7, do you know how to lock vision onto a target while using a flightstick? I cannot seem to figure it out.
>>3227249If you're on console, you'll need to hold down the whatever your target button is to keep vision locked on. Assuming you're on PC, it's probably the same there. Dunno if there's a toggle on it, though. Never really needed it with a controlIer. Maybe in some extra option menu in the controls? I heard the PC version was having some issues with flightsticks...
[x] maybe I should fly with one of them... (Pick either or both, in order of preference) You’ll have to be sure to never mention it to her, you think, as you pass over Kelsey’s name and put Lotus on your tentative list. You’ll have to make some cuts, now, you know- You’ll still list a top three, with two alternates, but barring bad luck, you’ll never fly with the alternates. It’s unusual to see an Earhart on the list- they’ve traditionally avoided direct military service. Even Amilia, the most famous of them, kept herself away from the front lines during the martian war, instead preferring to lead flights of aircraft from the US to Britain via Iceland with her unerring direction finding talent. The last section, likewise, only contains information on two witches. The first is also foreign-born- In the USSR, no less. Her name is only given as Sigrun- indicating either she’s a coven adoptee or her mother brought her over when Putin signed the deal that allowed his ‘Valkyrie battalion’ witches to repatriate freely. Despite her place of birth, she’s been cleared into the Wyvern program, and her service record is impeccable, with two deployments already, with one over Iraq in 2014 and one last year over Afghanistan. She’s noted as being incredibly fast and agile, even for a witch. It’s also noted that she has some limited ability with cold- similar to Tabitha. While it’s not especially noteworthy, and is fairly weak, there’s some speculation that in a Wyvern it could be a viable power in and of it’s own right. The second witch is a Sakamoto- another IJN liaison. Graduating with marks almost as good as those of the imperial Princess, she’s a year older than the other Japanese girl and considered marginally weaker in terms of her magical ability. Still, she’s a Sakamoto, through and through, noted for both her aggressive nature and her almost unerring marksmanship. Her weapons reach farther, shoot better, and do far more damage than one could reasonably expect from them- a 20mm shell, fired by her, was noted as leaving an impact crater more befitting a mk.83 strike. However, she’s also fairly young, with only a year active, and no time aboard ship yet. Still, these are the last two you’d have to pick from, which, you suspect, is good- if your father is here, he’s going to start asking after you as soon as he’s had a chance to talk to the brass. [Make a final list of choices in order of preference. Right now, you’ve tentatively got Danielle, Kyou, Wendy, Young, and Lotus penned in, in that order.]
>>3227352>Lotus, Young, Wendy, Danielle, Kyou
>>3227352KyouWendyYoungSakamotoLotusDanielle
>>3227352Danielle, Kyou, Wendy, Young
>>3227352>Kyou, Sigrun, Lotus, Danielle, SakamotoIn that order.
>>3227352LotusYoungWendyDanielleKyou
>>3227352>Lotus, Young, Sakamoto, Danielle, Wendy
>>3227352>Danielle, Lotus, Sakamoto
>>3227352Kyou, Young, Wendy, Lotus, Sakamoto
>>3227352Danielle, Lotus, Kyou, Young, Sigrun
>>3227352>Danielle, Kyou, Wendy, Lotus, Sigrun
>>3227352> Kyou, Lotus, Danielle, Young, Sigrun
>>3227352> Young, Kyou, Danielle, Sigrun (from top to bottom)
>>3227352>Lotus, Wendy, Danielle, Sakamoto, Kyou
>>3227352Lotus, Young, Danielle, Sigrun, Sakamoto, Wendy, Kyou.
>>3227352>Danielle, Kyou, Sakamoto, Wendy, Lotus
>>3227352>>3227352>Kyou, Danielle, Lotus, Young, SakamotoHmm, seems Sakamoto has a similar ability to Angela's from the 504th. Pass on Sigurn, I don't think she'll be that helpful in the Wyvern.
>>3227352>Lotus>Young>Wendy>Kyou>Danielle
>>3227352>Danielle, Lotus, Kyou, Young, Wendy
>>3227352>>3227360Supporting this since I’m on phone
>>3227393Eh... I guess I should have added Sakamoto and Sigrun in there, but I'm not really interested in either of them.
>>3227352>Danielle, Kyou, Young, Sakamoto and LotusThis is going to be a difficult vote to work out the results of
>>3227401There's only ~3 votes for Sigrun at the bottom of the list, and none for Sakamoto, I don't think anyone else is either.It's interesting how distributed the votes is. This is going to be a pain to count.
>>3227352>Danielle, Lotus, Sigrun, Young, Kyou, Wendy
>>3227352Lotus, Young, Sigurn, Wendy, Danielle
>>3227415There's about 7 for Sakamoto.
>>3227352DanielleLotusKyouYoungSigrun
>>3227427Wow, you're right. Still, none that I see have her above 3rd.
>>3227415I'll prolly average it all out and then post what I"m seeing to confirm. So far though, I'm seeing the same five or six names pretty consistently.
>>3227436true.
>>3227412Yeah. Can't even use a point system, as everyone is listing different amounts of choices.
>>3227352>Danielle, Lotus, Wendy, Young, Sakamoto. In that order.Why yes, I would take a Young or Sakamoto over Royalty.
>>3227436She's not very practical as it seems like her specialization is in guns. I'd rather have her around in a Striker instead of the Wyvern. Besides, the mental image of sticking 4 gunpods onto the Wyvern firing shells from each that hit possibly harder than an A-10's GAU is glorious.
Ok guys, going to call the vote here. It'll take a minute to figure this vote out, though, so feel free to continue to discuss it.
>>3227470This is what I've got so far:Danielle-23Lotus-22Kyou-20Young-19Wendy-16Sakamoto-12Sigurn-9
So here's how it breaks down (Feel free to correct me if I counted wrong!) Danielle 1st- 23 total votes, with 10 wanting her first and one wanting her second. Lotus 2nd- 22 total votes with 7 wanting her first and 7 wanting her second. Kyou 3rd- 21 total votes with 6 wanting her first and 5 wanting her secondYoung 4th- 19 total, 8 for second placeWendy 5th- 16 total votes, 7 for 3rd. What I tried to do was arrange them by total and then look at where they each fell on everybody's list. So while Danielle and Kyou are tied by pure vote, Danielle had 10 people wanting to fly with her first, which was more than anyone else. Does that look about right?
>>3227519Looks good to me
>>3227519Looks right to me.
>>3227519Yep.
>>3227519sure thing boss
>>3227519Works for me.
>>3227519Looks like it
>>3227519Looks about right cap'n
>>3227519Looks good, Ghost!
>>3227519Sure
>>3227519Hooray!
>>3227519Yea, looks ok. Pretty even spread, considering the amount of votes
>>3227519Looks fine to me.
Ok. I'll start writing!
and after all this we're still not done. We still have to fly with all of the top three, then vote again.Not that I mind, but it is kinda funny.
>>3227519Wishes Wendy was a bit more up there but it’s fine
>>3227616This is a pretty important decision that will effect the rest of our career and, meta-wise, the quest. Personally I'm not clicking on anyone until we fly with them. Kyou might be interesting, and Young will probably be hilarious if she's anything like either of the other two Youngs who have shown up in this questiverse. Of course who can forget:W E N D YAIFUBUT. The aging out problem is a serious concern, and will almost inevitably lead to us having to get another SIO about halfway through our career.
>>3227669With any luck, this young will have the looks of the first and the sass of the second.
>>3227686>The looks of the firstCompletely faceless?
>>3227686Oh that's right there was the matron Young who showed up in 89 in addition to Kathrine. So THREE Youngs in this Questiverse. Personally I'm hoping so acts more like her....either father or grandfather, I guess. Idk.
>>3227702HehI am so glad we are somewhat out of RIO choosing hell, damn that was longer than Old!16.
>>3227709Young was great fun to play as, but he kinda sucked to work with (as seen by the rare alt perspective threads). I hope this youngspawn doesn't emulate her namesake for that reason.
>>3227720Oh no, Young was fantastic to work with...provided you were willing to wade deep into that treacherous darkness called "Bouncing and shenanigans" with him. If not, well, he was a crazy loon. He was also fantastic crew when he was actually in the plane.
>>3227720I'd honestly be down to play straight man to a Youngspawn that's as crazy as the OG himself was.
>>3227731>He was also fantastic crew when he was actually in the plane.>"What's next, man? We're fighting little green men?" >>3227734So Ian Quest? Could be interesting.
>>3227734Everyone says this until they actually have "that guy" they're supposed to work with.
>>3227758Dude, the crazy loons are always the most fun to work with. Shit's never boring. And boring day to day is the mortal enemy of the Give-A-Fuck.
>>3227758It reminds me of Diogenes.It's hilarious to read about his antics today, but he would be insufferable to actually be around.
>>3227734>>3227763I fully expect if we meet this Youngspawn she'll snark about how Frank killed off any chance the Black Widow II had.
You sit there thinking for more than a few minutes, once interrupted as you watch a top gun flight take off- six echocats and a trio of Tigershark trainers, along with a single witch in what look like raptor strikers. The DACT program here operates more than a dozen airframes- they don’t keep a wyvern here, but that’s about it. You end up writing more than one tentative list out before coming up with something you think works best- Danielle’s SEAD talents and her time with the fleet are too valuable to pass up at least trying to work with, and Lotus looks like she’d make for a solid teammate herself. Kyou’s just too strong to not fly with- if her profile is correct, she’s quite possibly stronger, even if only just, than Natalya. You’re familiar with the Youngs, enough so that you know that, while she’s no Wells, she’ll have plenty of other strengths to make up for it. She goes on the list at #4- technically, the first alternate, but you’re sure that if you want, you can still get flight time with her. Finally, after some thought, you list Wendy as your second alternate selection- she’s getting old enough that you can’t see them leaving her flying that much longer, but at the same time, she’s got actual combat experience against other aircraft and witches, and her time on the air racing circuit, according to the profile, has given her more than a few useful tricks. Still, the sun’s edging more notably towards the horizon by the time you look up from the binder, the official part of the paperwork in the back filled out. It seems you finished just in time, too- your driver’s boots are crunching across the gravel as he heads towards you, nodding as you look up. “Sorry to interrupt, sir, but Admiral Marshal’s office just called. Your Father’s on post, and was asking after you.” “I’d just finished.” You say, standing up and closing the binder- using the motion to hide the split second of light headedness that passes through you. You’d been warned about that- and assured the condition is entirely temporary and expected. He nods. “Well, your old man wanted to see you. The Admiral made it clear it’s optional, but- ya know.” “He’s Frank Bishop.” You state, kind of flatly. The marine nods. “Yes, sir. You don’t sound like ya want to see him, if you don’t mind me pointing it out.” [] Just tired, nothing like that. Let’s go[] You’re not entirely wrong.
>>3227806>[x] Just tired, nothing like that. Let’s go
>>3227806>[] Just tired, nothing like that. Let’s go
>>3227806>[x] Just tired, nothing like that. Let’s goTension? In this family? I think not.>>3227702Nah, good looking redhead
>>3227806>[x]Just tired, nothing like that. Let’s go
>>3227806>[x] You’re not entirely wrong.
>>3227806>[] Just tired, nothing like that. Let’s goThere's no such thing as tension in this family, and even if there was, NO ONE MUST EVER BE ALLOWED TO KNOW.
>>3227806>[X] Just tired, nothing like that. Let’s goIt is inconsiderate of Frank to show up while we're busy sorting out our career, but it's not that big a deal.
>>3227806>[X] Just tired, nothing like that. Let’s goDrama time?
>>3227806>[x] Just tired, nothing like that. Let’s goFrank seems like the type of guy who would have been good to most of his kids.He was probably a little distant with *this* particularly kid though, by necessity rather than choice.Given how clingy Ice was, I gotta wonder how she took the news about Brigitte behind closed doors.
>>3227806>[x] Just tired, nothing like that. Let’s go.
>>3227806......Wait a goddamn minute. I just realized what Ghost wrote.>Kyou’s just too strong to not fly with- if her profile is correct, she’s quite possibly stronger, even if only just, than Natalya.>she’s quite possibly stronger, even if only just, than Natalya.>stronger, even if only just, than Natalya.>Stronker than second generation Russian Superwitch, who was capable of breaking the laws of physics over her knee.Oh man. That's....really tempting actually.
>>3227905It confuses me, actually. An IJN witch possibly stronger than any other witch previously, and they're ok with her sitting shotgun in an american plane instead of in strikers under her own military? Unless striker-witches are being replaced with steelwings, she'd be much more useful in strikers.
>>3227944Seems like politicking to me.
>>3227806>[x] Just tired, nothing like that. Let’s go.While they may not be quite familial, I can't imagine it's outright animosity.
>>3227905If she was American, or even French or English or something I'd be all for her, but as Japanese royalty she will simply by existing drag us into the quagmire of Japanese politics.
>>3227965Assuming nothing too drastic has changed from Old!16, we're already tangentially involved in Japanese politics by dint of being related by marriage to the royal family.
>>3227965>>3227983Yeah, Kyou is kind of our cousin or something like that.
>>3227944>>3227953Still don't know if she was dragged into it or not, which is why I'm looking forward to the character interviews. Why did they decide to fly a Wyvern instead of a striker? Also, I wonder if Danielle's ECM means she has the equivalent of Phantom Mech or something....Unless that'd ability would be more in sync with a night witch. Come to think of it, I'm surprised we didn't get a night witch offered by the matrons.
Honestly, Frank's a busy man, we should make sure to cut him some slack. Three wives, a kid for every day of the week, both his blood siblings and all the brothers and sisters in arms we made, and he's a goddamn war hero. And most of it is our fault
>>3227983>>3228000Hopefully we can stay on the fringes then. Japanese politics are endlessly complicated.>>3228002Didn't night witch as a concept die out around the same time as night fighters? Wouldn't the concept of a sensor witch be the evolution of a night witch?
>>3228000See the more we talk about it, the more and more I like the Kyou option.
>>3228009Being Frank is suffering.
>>3228009Well the commies weren't gonna kill themselves!
>>3228009Sisters no brothers.And I regret nothing of our choices as far as waifus are concerned.and depending and a BIG if, might go through that he’ll again if the waifus are worth jt
>>3228030I mean in the sense of '89, they were spotty on radar. Like pic related I mentioned earlier in the thread. Presumably due to their floating glowing antenna things...Speaking of, there's STILL a few of Ogitsune's witches that haven't been used by Ghost or any of the other writers that wrote for 89.>>3228031The possibility of a Phoenix painted Wyvern aside, the PLOT with her calls to me.
>>3228091>The possibility of a Phoenix painted Wyvern aside, the PLOT with her calls to me.YES GOOD. MAKE IT SO #1~
>>3228091>The possibility of a Phoenix painted Wyvern aside, the PLOT with her calls to me.I need this
>>3228091Ghost must be lewded.
[x] Just tired, nothing like that. Let’s goYou shake your head. “Nothing like that, just tired. Let’s go.” He looks at you for a second before nodding. “Yes, sir. The Admiral said your old man wanted to take you out to eat, and that you’d be given a pass for that. He’ll meet you at the O club, so we’ll head over there.” You nod, climbing into the passenger seat of the car, leaning back and closing your eyes for a second. “You Ok over there, sir?” “Yeah.” You say- you are, but, like you said, you’re pretty tired. Your sleep schedule has been pretty poor lately- again, a side effect of having your ports installed. You’ve been managing ok, having had worse in the past, but it’s still starting to wear on you. Again, the drive to the O club passes quickly. The club itself, like a lot of it’s kind in the states, is getting kind of run down- they’re simply not that popular anymore, and they’re not making enough money to stay open. The one here is almost an exception, though- with so many transient officers passing through, it makes enough to keep the doors open at least. Outside, your dad stands next to a sedan, Aunt merlin leaning against the hood as the two of them chat. He’s still in his green flight suit, though your aunt’s changed into civilian clothes. Her head swivels to track your car as you pull in, Frank’s moving shortly after. They both smile when you step out, though your aunt is moving slightly before your dad. “Morgan!” She exclaims, wrapping you in a hug as best she can- she’s shorter than you by about a head. “Oh my gosh it’s been too long! how are you?” [] Doing good Aunt Merlin. [] Been better- surgery was kind of rough.
>>3228091Wasn't ghost in Parawitches '89?
>>3228229[x] Been better- surgery was kind of rough.Making her worry is bad, but bullshitting her is worse.
>>3228229>[] Been better- surgery was kind of rough.
>>3228229>[Z] Been better- surgery was kind of rough.SYMPATHY POINTS
>>3228229>[x] Been better- surgery was kind of rough.
>>3228229[x] Been better- surgery was kind of rough.Heard about the soreness after surgeries...>>3228230Yep.
>>3228229Let’s not lie to auntie.>[x] Been better- surgery was kind of rough.
>>3228229>[X] Been better- surgery was kind of rough.
>>3228229>[x] Been better- surgery was kind of rough.Is almost dying something that is meant to happen?
>>3228229[x] Been better- surgery was kind of rough.No lies to this Auntie M. Possibly the other one, though, for the fun of it.
>>3227669I'm hoping that we can at least get to see Wendy. Or maybe even pull enough flight time to fly with all 5 witches at least once.I'm okay with Danielle and Lotus (pending testing), but I think for maximum FUN I think we should play the long game and see if Bishop and Young genetics mix together like antimatter, or go full PHOENIX FORCE.
OK, votes called!
>>3228392Maximum Fun or Phoenix Force is kinda where I'm leaning towards.
>>3228396You've got a perfect opportunity to add a "to be frank" pun in here ghost
>>3228411Do it Ghost, for the puns! Puns for the Pun God, Jokes for the Joke Throne!
>>3228411I imagine Frank has heard them all.
Puns can easily go MAD here, guys. We shouldn't be the first to sling them.
>>3228460If we get through this thread without Frank making at least one dad joke or making one pun. I will be disappointed.
[x] Been better- surgery was kind of rough. “I’ve been better” you admit, unwilling to lie to your aunt- who’d probably find out anyway. “Surgery was kind of rough.” She pulls back, still holding you by your biceps. “That’s right! you had your ports installed! Let me see them!” You turn dutifully around, squatting down so she can see the hexagonal port covers at the back of your neck. You can feel her reach out to brush her fingers across the covers, though you can’t actually feel her touching them- the polymer covers are flesh-colored, but they’re not skin. “Six ports?” She murmurs as you stand back up. “That must be the new mark fours. I haven’t seen those yet.” “After crawling all over his wyvern?” Your dad asks, walking up, offering a handshake that quickly turns into a back slapping hug. Merlin pushes her glasses up and shakes her head. “I wasn’t sure if it had threes or fours in it. And the new AIs don’t like to talk without the plugs in.” “And you’re talking work again. What did we agree on?” She sighs. “Right, sorry. So other than the implants, how are you, Morgan? Have you met your witch?” “Not yet. Just got done with selection.” You respond, and she nods. “I’d wondered. The crew is going to be unloading your wyvern and getting it spun up all night.” She says, looking over at your dad. “And I’ll be helping.”“Anyway, where do you want to go eat?” Frank asks. “I’m getting pretty hungry.” [] I haven’t been in town long, you pick. [] Someplace easy, a chain or something. [] What about just eating here at the O club?
>>3228519>[X] I haven’t been in town long, you pick. no strong feelings here
>>3228519>[x] I haven’t been in town long, you pick. Remember to drop the binder off
>>3228519[] I haven’t been in town long, you pick
>>3228519>[] I haven’t been in town long, you pick.
>>3228519>[x] I haven’t been in town long, you pick.
>>3228519[] I haven’t been in town long, you pick.
>>3228519>[x] What about just eating here at the O club?No way I'm gonna pass up a chance to accidentally bump into our future witch partner with daddy there to awkwardly say "Go get her, sport!"
>>3228519>[X] I haven't been in town long, you pick.Also can we drop our BINDER OF WOMEN off in our quarters real fast?
>>3228519>[X] Where can we get the best cake?Priorities.
>>3228519>[X] I haven’t been in town long, you pick.
>>3228519>[x] I haven’t been in town long, you pick.Are we anywhere near santa’s place?
>>3228519>[x] What about just eating here at the O club?They need the business!>>3228544Nah, this is the point where we meet the SECRET OPTION!Konstantina's daughter.
>>3228546>BINDER OF WOMEN
>>3228519>[] I haven’t been in town long, you pick.It's gonna be at Santa's old joint, isn't it?Assuming we're at the Naval Station base, there's also quite the selection downtown and on the water, including Coronado.You know, even though it's based here, I still haven't even seen the Zumwalt...
Ok guys, gonna try to find a good place to call it for the night here, so I'm gonna call the vote and get writing.
>>3228579Google maps showed a couple Perries among the various ships when I looked at it, but that could just as easily be outdated imagery.>Absolute madman review of an armory at Pendleton by some salty marine not related
[x] I haven’t been in town long, you pick. “I haven’t been in town long, you pick.” You say, nodding to your marine driver as he heads off. “There’s Santa’s place, down in Coronado.” Your dad says, climbing into the driver’s seat as you take open the back door- only to have your aunt Merlin slip past and occupy the seat. “Sit up front, Morgan.” She says, smiling. “You’re taller, you’ll want the leg room.” “So how’s your mother?” Frank asks as you pull onto the highway. “Not bad, last we talked. She’s been busy with coven work since Matron Bordeaux died. Elizabeth is giving her fits.” Frank snorts. “I bet. She could always call Rachel for pointers.” “She might.” “Speaking of, we’ll be meeting a couple of your sisters for dinner.” He says, with a sudden grin. “Which ones?” “Cassie and Ana.” You sigh. Anastasia is alright, but Cassie... Cassie worries you.
>>3228849>Cassie worries youI don't like where this is going.
>>3228849Sneks.
Sorry that last update ended up taking so long, got sidetracked by a friend. sorted now though. Anyway, guys, just to prove I wasn't ignoring you, >>3220766>>3220792>>3220916>>3220947>>3221531It's good to be back guys, even if it does feel a bit strange trying to get back into the saddle again. The last... attempt kinda screwed me up pretty bad, along with a bunch of other things. >>3221480Anytime man! I just hope it didn't end up disappointing. First run back feels kinda rough. I feel like a shitstabber for taking this long to get back to it guys, and I'm sorry if I missed anyone specifically there. I probably did, just holler and I'll respond. I do hope to do better here, like I said, I think I'm in a better headspace than I was previously, so that's gotta help. I'll be AFK some, then I'll take a stab at answering questions if anyone has any.
>>3228849>filename>"Cassie, on the other hand... cassie's clingy"Secret option SPOTTED
>>3228871No worries Ghost. Apart from the Fenrir, anything in setting that we need to worry about that changed from last time?
>>3228871Thanks for running again Ghost, I've been so giddy ever since you announced you're back to writing.First Question, how many changes did you do to the Bishop and Wells family?Other important changes from the Old!16, like the deities?Other spinoffs and if Merc is planning for a Pararescue 2016 ?And lastly, can we finally lewd Merlin? Ghost Diva writefags when.
>>3228849Ah sweet, I can get started on my bingo card! >>3220822Right in the corner, too.
>>3228889The whole last run was a mess, no lie. The F-14 is still in squadron service with the USN- the Wyvern takes the place of the Fenrir. The F-18 (ew) is still in service as the 'low' end of the high-low mix. Most (read: all) of the plotlines from the previous attempt can be forgotten. There will be no garcia bullshit this time around. Don't know why I thought that would be a good idea. Some of the witches will show up again, some probably won't.
>>3228894Merlin's already had a kid. Someone lewded her at least once.
>>3228849>Image name>Cassie worries you.>Pic related.>>3228871Is the Strike Wyvern going to be our semi-upgrade?
>>3228894Yeah... probably dropping the deities. that was a half-thought out thread and it showed, in my opinion. I won't confirm that for sure, but I think the supernatural is going to probably be far less pronounced. never much cared for that kinda thing anyway. except in Ghostbusters. No idea about any other spinoffs, No, merlin is still not for lewd, and never. at least not by me.
>>3228907Not gonna lie, at least one anon at the time thought it made Fronk's efforts less meaningful.Anywho, I just realized that you basically started the two-seat Wyvern thing AFAIK, which renders my Strike Wyvern question redundant, and then Project Aces went and made it canon, how does this make you feel?
>>3228907>at least not by meso which means, we totally can.
>>3228918Yeah, and in retrospect, I kind of agree. To be honest, it felt out of place to me anyway. also I suspect it's a case of convergent evolution, lol. The Wyvern is just better as a two seater plane- split the workload up, let the pilot worry about fighting .
>>3228871No problem, really boss. Glad you're back to running. I'd ask what the general state of the world is, but I'm guessing that'll be answered more thoroughly later... Did any other nations begin publicly developing other AC planes in setting? I'm gonna guess that China's done their usual 'I made this' copy of the Soviet Vampire... Assuming literally everyone took note of the success of the Wyvern (read, Frank's), I'm guessing forward-swept wings were much more heavily researched? It'd lead into things like the Morgan, and MAYBE the Falken with VDNI. Though, it'd be a bit awkward having a plane named after Morgan...
>>3229003I would love it if we managed to have baby of the Morgan and the Wyvern.
>>3229003Mave when?
>>3228871What's happened to the Fenrir? We flew one during the last mission of SW89, so I assume that didn't get lost in the restart. Is it still around as a UN superfighter, a flying testbed, or did it suffer an unfortunate accident?
>>3229025It's probably still in the testing phase knowing Ghost.
>>3229034>In the testing phase for 27 yearsSomehow I don't think the Air force is THAT incompetent.
>>3229034Or it's just languishing in some warehouse, just waiting to be stolen by [insert enemy faction] as a plot device.
>>3229051Could just be an Air-Force only plane, they might have never figured out how to properly navalize it. If I remember correctly, there's a good chunk of work that needs to go into making sure planes can land properly on carriers. The Fenrir is a BIG plane, so they might have never properly figured out how to make it capable of landing on a carrier.
>>3228907Also when are you thinking of doing runs? Just making it a Wen-Fri thing?
>>3229068Yeah, I'm considering that, or Tues-Fri. I'd initially planned to run on Tuesday this week, but various things prevented that. Wed-Fri seems about right though- gives me time to plan and get everything situated, without making it something were everyone feels like they'll miss all the important votes because of other things. >>3228979Ghostdiva is not for lewds. >>3229003Yes and no. The Wyvern is horrifically expensive, and superfighter development was effectively limited to the world's superpowers. The Japanese operate the Shinden II, and the Russians (and Chinese) have the Fandance. The European's project is still in development, though it's slated to begin coming online now. >>3229025It's still around. Of course, the Fenrir you flew and the Fenrir at Groom lake aren't quite the same monster...
>>3229105Given the cost of the wyvern, was the XFA-27 (the planes that fronk's adopted kids flew) canceled, or is that also still kicking in limited numbers?Also, speaking of wyverns, how many are in the ARMAG boneyard? I can't imagine that all of the wyverns produced in the war are still in active service.
>>3229051>>3229058So according to word of god, it's been co-opted for R&D black project purposes. Not surprising.
>>3228897>Most (read: all) of the plotlines from the previous attempt can be forgotten. There will be no garcia bullshit this time around. Don't know why I thought that would be a good idea. Some of the witches will show up again, some probably won't.just curious, what was that actually supposed to lead to? some sort of conspiracy? cause garcia was suspicious no doubti already suspect what you were planning, but who knows maybe i am wrong
>>3229250From what Ghost is saying, it seems like it's not really leading up to something aside from Garcia planning to have a witch harem or something, but more perveted compared to Frank.Could also be the martians.
>>3229267>it seems like it's not really leading up to something aside from Garcia planning to have a witch harem or something, but more perveted compared to Frankbut it cant be just that right? dude was smuggling his laptop in his fighter and he had an encrypted flash disk. sounds like something bigger than that to me
>>3229303He was a JAM clone the entire time.
>>3229303Or he was just keeping the laptop and flash disk on him because he didn't want some witch to grab it while he's on a flight and toss it overboard. Or worse, take it to the captain as evidence.Though you could be right and it was meant to be a conspiracy about Garcia selling fenrir flight data to the Chinese or some other faction.
>>3228907>>3228979>No, merlin is still not for lewd, and never. at least not by me.> “Sit up front, Morgan.” She says, smiling. “You’re taller, you’ll want the leg room.”>I think I would prefer being behind you, Aunt Merlin.>"What?"
>>3228897If it makes you feel better Ghost, I appreciated Garcia theoretically, even if the situation itself wasn't handled well. I totally can see some scummy pilots trying to emulate Frank for all the wrong reasons.
>no Garcia>no overt supernaturalLife is good.
>>3229753Now all we need are FFR-31's
I liked the supernatural elements the first time around, but I also considered them more like the kind of religious experience people in real life often have rather than literal divine intervention. It seemed fitting for Morgan, given the way he grew up with his mother.
>>3229766Sylphid best production superplane.
>>3230263Idk, I like the idea of the ADFX-01. Makes more sense as a progression of the Wyvern.
>>3229121Shelved. It was too expensive to continue working on, especially given the (relative) collapse of the USSR. It's more or less like the setting's version of the post-collapse drawdowns- the exception being the witching world is more predisposed towards large standing military forces. And not many- there's several in non flight status in museums, but AMARG doesn't see them for more than a few months to yank the classified stuff out. They're popular exhibits, afterall. >>3229250DESU? I'm not sure. The notes I do have aren't real helpful, and I was flying largely by the seat of my pants there. It shows, I'm sure. Most likley I'd have gone down the espionage route, but there's no telling. >>3229828>>3229753My biggest problem there was it never really felt like it belonged, at least not in the way I'd presented it. I'm sure, had I been in a better place, It'd have worked out fine, but... well.
>>3231479I'll say, I'm not opposed to "Detective Morgan" if such an opportunity comes up again but this time fits the general direction you're going with it. There's no problem with the concept, just you were freeballing the creative process a little and didn't have any place for that to go set out.
>>3231693One of the serious issues with the Garcia thing was that he had been a well respected guy with lots of witch friends in our squad who had recently died in a tragic accident, and here we were, the new guy, his replacement, going around trying to dig up dirt on him based on the word of someone that didn't like him in the first place. And one of the only other male pilots at that. To the witches of the squad and to an outside observer, it would have positively reeked us trying to slander the previous guy out of jealousy or hopes of getting the witches to like us more. Even if he had been up to something, we would have made enemies.
>>3231842We were literally only sleuthing around on that because Cunningham asked us to.
>>3231842Those are small concerns before the needs of JUSTICE
>>3230796The issue with the ADFX-01 comes down to cost, the Morgan and FALKEN would certainly be impressive aircraft, but producing them would be cost-prohibitive since they're technically 6th Gen aircraft compared to such things as the Raptor, Su-57, J-20, and Lightning II lineup.The Sylphid, though watered down by comparison, would be cheaper and easier for most pilots to handle given how many the FAF uses in Yukikaze.Also the Morgan might be the Euro superplane so there's that.
>>3232816It'd be perfectly in character to know that the falken program is the EU's answer to the various superplanes. So far the program has been going a lot like the eurofighter typhoon though. That is, in about 25 years, it's produced a couple of prototypes, and a lot of cost overruns and controversy.
So any real big developments for those sexy formfitting flightsuits?
>>3232961Wyvern Witches- Systems Information Officers. Still wear them. Pilots still wear traditional fire retardant flight suits.
>>3232847So all maintenance is handled by the production company, which leads to frustrated EU maintainers and the whole boondoggle in total causing the French to basically say 'fuck it, we're doing our own thing' and making something that works better on their own.
>>3221558Oh come on, Mihaly was a worthy adversary and fellow flight obsessed fool.Plus considering how many Sols I downed in my playthrough we were more than even by the end.Also, Cossette is a shit waifu, Avril is best girl.
>>3232847Yesssss...One more question, was anything else built to replace the Aigaion's role after its destruction, or did everyone decide the flying carrier was a bad idea?>>3233067As funny as that thought is, I think they'd stay on board. The Soviet Belkan option probably convinced the EU that they needed something great at interception. The TLS onboard the Falken should fit that role perfectly.
>>3233590Nah, just like the Eurofighter and the Rafale, the French plane is literally a Falken but better.
>>3233849So the Morgan or the Cariburn then...
Just to provide a bit of clarification, the ADFX-01 already exists in setting as the XF-19. Naturally, as the Navy was the primary backer of the Wyvern, the Air Force naturally had to make their own superplane to match but development branched off into two paths:One branch was the "King Raptor", which is heavily upgraded version of the standard F-22. It's the equivalent of the Super Hornet to legacy Hornets. It was the safe bet that leveraged already existing and mature technologies that puts them above most conventional planes, but lags behind the superplanes. The second branch was the XF-19, where engineers put the most experimental and cutting edge technologies they had at the time and bolted them all together on a single airframe. While it made for a a highly effective fighter on par with the Wyvern and Vampire, it proved to be damn near impossible to fly unless you had a VDNI implant or were supremely talented. Naturally, the King Raptors were chosen to eventually phase out the existing the Raptor fleet while the XF-19 was relegated to a couple "experimental" squadrons (of which practically nothing is heard about).
>>3233590Post war, the 'giant flying warship' concept was pretty conclusively decided to be obsolete- the modern fighter can carry too much stuff to kill one too easily, Especially given the resources required to build and maintain them. the UNEDF still operates a couple, but they're the only ones currently flying.
>>3233918>(of which practically nothing is heard about).So they'll be showing up later then. Good to know.
>>3233919>the UNEDF still operates a couple, but they're the only ones currently flying.Has there been any word from the undersea Martian Colonies about what their estranged homeland is doing? I assume that the UNEDF is still investing in observation and detection satellites; have they seen any developments from the Martian Homeland or their Venusian colonies? Is anyone taking the possibility of a Martian colony in the seas of Europa seriously?
>>3233943What Venusian colonies?
>>3233943As far as anyone knows in setting, mars is a dead world. And I'm sorry, but I honestly can't remember anything about colonies- martian or otherwise- on Venus or in the outer solar system. Where was that from?
>>3233918Is it just me or does that sound familiar?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPnWdR6Q_g0
>>3234054I remembered that ships were observed being launched from Mars to Venus when the Martian invasion of Earth failed. Also that the seas of Europa would be a safe haven for Martian life well beyond the reach of human technology.
>>3234801Still not ringing a bell. Do you remember where you saw that being discussed?
>>3233918The XF-19 better have a silhouette reminiscent of the F-19 Specter.
>>3234921Not really. Maybe it was in Pararescue Witches?
>>3235215Nah, Sturmvogel II.
>>3235254Nope. I never mentioned anything like that.>>3235215>>3235493Er...
>>3227806>Air racing mentioned twice in a row with regards to WendyEven Ghost has noticed you dipshits are way too fixated on the zombie mode she can pull that you're overlooking her main gimmick is enhanced mobility and maneuverability. Which aren't strictly defensive perks, I can't believe you guys are skipping over making your super plane more super (in a fucking MagiXenotech Ace Combat quest no less) just because you don't like Cakes. Yall gay AND boring.
>>3236153Cakes are fine, but stale cake with baggage is a bit more trouble.Love her to death, but we have to live or die our own life.
>>3236269Also the whole bit about having to find a replacement because she ages out is bullshit, read that second post about the link again, they bugged us about her age not because we would have to replace her but because we'd be stuck with her, you nigs are past "conservative and cautious" and straight into "skittish"
>>3236278> you nigs are past "conservative and cautious" Because we're picking new characters?Sorry m8, you're the ones fixated on the past and not trying different things.
>>3236329>Sorry m8, you're the ones fixated on the past and not trying different things.>Top pick is the SEAD witchRemind me what Merlin's main gimmick back in 89 was before she went full fucking ArchMagos on us later on?If I had my way we'd be rolling with the slav or the samurai but I've already given up hope on you guys choosing the more fun removing-danger-with-extreme-prejudice way of survival.>Sneaky SEAD witchBoring.>Counter-sneaky YoungAs fun as mucking about with her would be, we're here to be a demon of the round table>Moon PrincessDon't even get me started on this shit, OMNIDIRECTIONAL is always the fucking biggest angriest red flag for defensive abilities, sounds cool as fuck to stare death in the face and not blink until you realize your MP is gone because you wasted half of it protecting your asschecks from nothing.
>>3236421I'm not gonna comment of the rest, but he was talking about character selection, not power selection.
>>3236485Well I hate to break it to the guy, but my gut tells me there's going to be a lot of familiar faces, one more seems like a weird hill to die on during chargen
>>3236421I can't believe you are this mad about Wendy
>>3236650Did my aggressive language bruise your sensibilities? I just want magic thrust vectoring and VTEC and having actually played some AC games now unlike when 98 was around the same pussyfooting we did back then seems even more of a waste now.
>>3236696I still can't believe you're this mad about Wendy lmao
>>3236696Like why don't you write fanfics to try to steer the quest the way you want it already. You know who you are.
>>3236722Wait who am I?
I'm kinda upset that it seems like all the family drama and Morgan being the odd one out is being tossed aside. Unless the votes are more about not speaking to our boss's boss or strangers about our family issues. Family drama is fun and Morgan favoring his mothers side was interesting.
>>3237150>Family drama is funLiterally the worst.
>>3237150>Family drama is fun
>>3237150There's no reason there can't be drama, and there probably will be. But family drama isn't fun, and I bet it got ugly between the kids at times, because kids say and do shit without thinking or understanding things like consequences.
So has a Wyvern Squadron ever been attempted, or are they still being used as a force multiplier for standard witches?
>>3237537It was mentioned there's only 40 or so Wyverns. Are there enough witch squads to spread that many Wyverns over?
>>3237897>Ace Squadron of WyvernsHow horrifying.
Ok guys, since we still have a thread, I'll go ahead and start this week's three days here! Sorry for the later start- I had to organize notes a bit, since I'm trying a new system- and I ran across a nostalgia bomb on my games shelf looking for a spare binder. Ah, planes and mercs. What fun you were. Anyway!I'm leaning towards wed-fri runs with the slower 30 min voting period and an open overnight vote prolly starting around... midnight, EST or so. If I can run two weeks a thread, I will, but that's obviously gonna vary depending on how busy we get. Was a day we needed 2-3 threads to get through a night, haha. I think that's all the news for now, so let's get rolling again!=========You guessed your destination long before you arrived- In the San Diego area, there’s really only one place you’re likely to eat. The burger joint, located next door to the USS Midway museum, moved here in the mid 90s after the original owner- A man your dad will only ever refer to as “Santa” died. His son sold it in the early aughts too a local group which was intent on ‘preserving the atmosphere of the original’. According to your dad, they’ve got too much military memorabilia on the walls, but otherwise they’ve done a reasonable job. Aunt Merlin, meanwhile, laments the loss of their chocolate cake, and says they just aren’t as good as the originals.Still, the food is excellent and plentiful, so you never complain. Your mother may turn up her nose occasionally at the place, even she admits that, for the west coast, it’s good. You’re seated quickly on the patio, looking the hundred fifty yards or so up at the USS Midway. The table’s a bit big- eight places instead of the three you’d need, but it gives you a chance to sit across from Aunt Merlin, while your dad leaves a place between the two of them. “Your advanced flight scores were amazing, Morgan.” She says, looking over her menu, like she’s not sure what she’s going to order- you’ve never seen her get anything other than her favorite burger ever. “You could have had any airframe in inventory. What made you pick Wyverns?” It’s not quite as simple a question, from her, as it sounds. While the expectation was you’d go into fighters, the wyvern program only very rarely accepts out of flight school- typically, they prefer pilots who’ve been in other fighters for a few years. While you’re not unique, it’s still rare. That said, no one- especially not your aunt- seemed surprised at all when you made your choice. [] “Not sure.” [] “Because of you”[] “Tradition, I guess.”
>>3238460>[x] “Because of you”
>>3238460[] “Because of you”
>>3238460>[] “Because of you”
>>3238460>[] “Not sure.”
>>3238460>[x] “Because of you”We grew up with the Wyvern basically.
Ok, gonna close voting here!
[x] “Because of you”“Because of you.” you respond. “I grew up around the Wyvern, thanks to you. How could I not?” You see her pause a second at that- and your dad flicks his eyes over to her, but doesn’t say anything. You’re never really sure of him- you grew up predominantly with your mother, and while there was never any hint that you were anything less to him than any of your sisters, he never really seemed sure of you, either. He was supportive enough, though, and your mother always cautioned you against holding him responsible for any of it. These days you don’t have anything bad to say about him, other than perhaps he still acts like he’s your age instead of pushing fifty. “W-well I mean... I didn’t- I didn’t ever want you t-to feel like you had to fly them.” Your ‘aunt’- stutters. [] Laugh it off- you never felt pressured by it at all. You just love the program and all it represents. [] Tell her it’s fine- there’s no way she could have known. [] Write in.
>>3238604>[x] Laugh it off- you never felt pressured by it at all. You just love the program and all it represents.
>>3238604>[X] Tell her it’s fine- there’s no way she could have known.
>>3238604>[] Laugh it off- you never felt pressured by it at all. You just love the program and all it represents.
>>3238604[x] Tell her it’s fine- there’s no way she could have known.
>>3238604[x] Laugh it off- you never felt pressured by it at all. You just love the program and all it represents. [x] Write in."My dad's the Bishop. You get a pass there, Aunt Merlin."
>>3238604>[X] Write in.>[X] It's the Wyvern. Every pilot feels like they have to fly one.
Ok, voting called!
>>3238604[] Laugh it off- you never felt pressured by it at all. You just love the program and all it represents.and this>>3238687
>>3238639>“That sounds like Merlin.” the admiral says, nodding. “So she got you interested in the program?” >“the aircraft more than the program, sir.” You state.I can see it now...>Be kid Morgan at a family gathering>Aunt Merlin always excitedly explains whatever improvement was made to the Wyvern to us since no one else will pay attention (for long, they start smiling and nodding at about the five minute mark)>Acquire HYPE for WYVERNIt's totally her fault.
[x] Laugh it off- you never felt pressured by it at all. You just love the program and all it represents. You laugh- which is rare enough your aunt starts when she hears it. “Aunt M, I’ve never felt pressured at all. I just love the program, and everything it represents. Being on the bleeding edge is a dream for me.” You say, looking past her, up at the Midway. “Besides, who could see that and not want to fly it?” She twists in her seat to look up at the distinctive tailfins of a wyvern on the Midway’s deck, as does your father. When they turn around again, she’s smiling. “W-well I’m glad. I was worried for a minute...” “Besides,” A new voice adds as your world goes dark when a pair of hands clap over your eyes. “It’s not like anyone could make this rockhead do anything he didn’t want to do.” That’d be Anastasia talking, which means... “Guess Who!” A second voice adds, entirely too cheerfully. [] Cassie, Please. [] Satan? Is that you?
>>3238742>[x] Stay behind me 'o child of Satan!
>>3238742>[X] Satan? Is that you?The answer is yes.
>>3238742>[] Satan? Is that you?
>>3238742>>[x] Stay behind me 'o child of Satan!
>>3238742>EVASIVE MANOEUVRES
>>3238742>[x] Satan? Is that you?
>>3238742>[x] Satan? Is that you?WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A SNEK OF THE SLOIDAH SPECIES, DANGEROUS AMBUSH PREDATAS
>>3238742>[x] Cassie, Please.haha, time for plons and tiddy!
>>3238742>[Z] Satan? Is that you?
>>3238742>[X] Satan? Is that you?
