Clan Jade Falcon III: Admittedly, We May Have Falconed a Little Too Hard

[JAMES_PRYDE]

Now that you’ve put that out in the universe, watch TPTB use Tara Campbell to merge the Black Watch Falcons and the Northwind Highlanders together, all the brainchild of Knives Chistu.

 

Would it be that bad of a thing ? As (Blackwatch) Falcons rebuilding, newer evolving culture in new Star League, integrating, mending bridges. Seems that Tara has been set up as a plot catalyst to branch new fiction. After all, (proper) Falcons have their history in the Terran Hegemony and Blackwatch, which was great buddies with Northwind Highlanders

And Campbell bloodname would be nice, showing more integration, as let's face it, the new Star League is going to be a big mixer (As soon as Alaric realizes this, and relaxes some of his attitudes, real development can begin)

[tassa_kay]

Would it be that bad of a thing?

Yes.

[JAMES_PRYDE]

Yes.

Well not merge fully, but more friendlier relations

[Church14]

Would it be that bad of a thing ? As (Blackwatch) Falcons rebuilding, newer evolving culture in new Star League, integrating, mending bridges. Seems that Tara has been set up as a plot catalyst to branch new fiction. After all, (proper) Falcons have their history in the Terran Hegemony and Blackwatch, which was great buddies with Northwind Highlanders

And Campbell bloodname would be nice, showing more integration, as let's face it, the new Star League is going to be a big mixer (As soon as Alaric realizes this, and relaxes some of his attitudes, real development can begin)

Yes. Because it would be unearned and read like Mary Sue garbage. Yes, I'm aware how much baggage the term has, but Alaric's Wolves just magically making people like them after all the damage they've done to everyone near them for the last 20 years in universe requires Mary Sue levels of crap writing. It's part of why HotW was so bad. Why we hate Tara's - I'm using the word generously here - story in HotW.

1) It would require more inner sphere groups to bafflingly just become friendly to clan oppressors who just destroyed their way of life, their dreams of a peaceful sphere. Alaric sent out a message that said "I own the universe and everything in it, it will be mine." NWH (which is all RAF at this point) would recognize the start of a Reunification war, which stands against all their beliefs.
2) In universe, the Falcons are still seen as butchers, as they should. "Hey man, we totally turned a new leaf" would sound like a crock and expecting their neighbors to believe it any time soon defies plausibility. Long term, over like... 10-20+ years, maybe Falcons could salvage their reputation. There should be bad blood, revenge killings, refusal to allow falcons to retreat unmolested or surrender, etc. for a long time.
3) This "connection" between the Falcons and NWH isn't a thing. I don't get why people think a group that has, for years, watched Falcons slaughter their fellow soldiers, murder the civilians they swore to protect, and destroy the nation they believed in would get along with the Falcons. More plausible is NWH shoots every falcon on sight, including Tara.

There are interesting paths forward for the Terran falcons. Pretending Tara could mend wounds with NWH is not one of them.

[Scotty]

The only way I'll be properly happy about Tara Campbell's current predicament is if she takes to heart the Clan concept of second in commands and is incredibly confrontational and belligerent at all times while working to actively ****** over whoever happens to be ahead of her in the standings until they die.

[tassa_kay]

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like a lot of MWDA-era characters have fared really poorly post-WizKids. Tara, Jasek Kelswa-Steiner, Jacob Bannson, Katana Tormark, Lars Magnusson... and yes, even Malvina Hazen and Cynthy, and even Alaric to a large degree. The ones that didn't end up dead or disappeared suffered some pretty jarring shifts in characterization. It's made it that much harder to invest in the post-Dark Age era, because so many characters I was invested in are gone or unrecognizable, and their replacements (looking at you, Knives Chistu) are bland and forgettable. And that's to say nothing of the Republic's fate.

The only way I'll be properly happy about Tara Campbell's current predicament is if she takes to heart the Clan concept of second in commands and is incredibly confrontational and belligerent at all times while working to actively ****** over whoever happens to be ahead of her in the standings until they die.

If she kills Stephanie Chistu with a throwing knife, I will literally buy a dozen copies of the book.

This "connection" between the Falcons and NWH isn't a thing.

The Blood Spirits had stronger ties to them (specifically to the RBW) than the Falcons ever did, anyway.

[Scotty]

There is an angle with Elizabeth Hazen but it has generally been wildly overblow (guilty as charged), so it's not as though it was invented from whole cloth at least.

Ultimately the only real thing I care about is having some kind of distinct culture from the Wolves and the rest of the "SLDF", preferably a distinction that is interesting but I'll take the presence of a distinction before I complain about its quality.

[Church14]

Agreed. There’s good opportunity for Falcons to be a vivid, if small, entity of their own in Alaric’s mob. They need to be distinct or they’re basically just a clan wolf cluster in weird paint.

[Shin_Fenris]

There might be interesting ways to recover her throughly assassinated in HotW character, but “builds a bridge between falcons and NWH” is not one of them.

At no point did I explicitly state or imply in any way "builds a bridge." I literally phrased it as an either/or situation. I neither need nor want the Highlanders to suddenly become buddy-buddy with either Wolves or Falcons; that's even less logical than anything that's happened in the recent storyline thus far. We already have a crap sandwich, the story isn't going to be retconned, y'all need to deal with that reality with the entirety of the IlClan era. My comment is the hope that we -either- get a story of what Tara Campbell does as a Jade Falcon that is interesting enough, that returns her characterization more in-line with the 20 books she was in before HotW, AND preferably ends with a Campbell bloodname if we're stuck with her continuing to exist in this "form" because that'd be the only thing that would, for me personally, be a tolerable outcome (and so my 3250 Falcons can end up with her gene-kiddos). Barring THAT, I'd prefer to see her return to the Highlanders either to face a tribunal (regardless of -why- she did what she did, I don't think anyone on Northwind is going to forgive it) and subsequent punishment/chance for some kind of redemption arc or something befitting the previous-characterization, OR conversely, she gets head-capped by an ERPPC and the charred corpse gets sent back to Northwind CoD.

Both outcomes are better than where we were left at the end of Wolf.

[Church14]

Tassa teased me - since I get into ilClan era stuff passionately and I can be easy pickings - about the Falcons and NWH highlanders reuniting. You responded with “would it be such a bad thing?”

It hasn’t been the first time I’ve seen people suggest, seriously, that Falcons recruit from NWH. So I took your question at face value.

I’m glad your follow up here explained your stance better. I don’t know what I want from Tara. I don’t think I care. BLP tried to destroy and character assassinate anyone and everything RotS related and he succeeded with the one character he tried to create an ilClan future for. That said, if people want to put effort into salvaging her as a character, the only path I see forward is a guilt-ridden Falcon leader trying to make amends for betraying the republic. Maybe she can push for Falcon efforts to sabotage the ilClan.

Her as a happy clanner is a new character with her name on it. A happy return to NWH is impossible.

[Geg]

There is an angle with Elizabeth Hazen but it has generally been wildly overblow (guilty as charged), so it's not as though it was invented from whole cloth at least.

Ray commented in (I think) a WolfNet q&a, that people were reading way to much into the Falcon-Blackwatch connection.

[JAMES_PRYDE]

But it is part of their history, quiaff. Even reading some Sarna articles about how the Falcons took the bulk of Aegis Class ships, that are TH and Elizabeth's history too, Mattlov with Caph, touching on this again in ilClan era, seems to be setting the Terran Falcons up with building blocks to rebuild their reputation, whilst having something unique

Tara has also been set up as a catalyst point, becoming a high ranking officer (mind the pun) or proper consultant to Stephanie, I can imagine many "conversations" akin to Horse and Marthe, about how to do things "properly" in the IS if you want real development. Ending an arc maybe with her getting a Bloodname ?

Just saying her character can be "salvaged" in an interesting way, given time and development with fiction that is current

[rebs]

While I also agree that there is a strong Falcon connection to the Terran Hegemony, past performance does not always indicate future behavior or results.  But being the new RBW is a fitting place for them considering their history, and it fits poetically.  And it positions them to take that step. 

BUT - good writing often involves misdirection.  So we need to wait and see.

[truetanker]

Could TPTB have plans for a Falcon mixup soon...

Like what they did for Jade Wolf?

Several trials against each other absorbing the loser as isola? Would be epic!

QuiAff or QuiNeg Warriors?

TT

[Bren]

The AML is strictly interested in finance. They make their money through interest, not moving goods around. Much easier. The Sea Foxes will sell you the goods, but the AML will lend you the money to buy.

Interesting. I wondered about this re: the likelihood of seeing Alynia-produced machines in Jiyi's forces.

[tassa_kay]

The AML is strictly interested in finance. They make their money through interest, not moving goods around.

This doesn't appear to be strictly true. Per TTS, they've set up a trading enclave on Kerensky's Vision.

Interesting. I wondered about this re: the likelihood of seeing Alynia-produced machines in Jiyi's forces.

Considering they share a RAT, I'd say they already have enough to be considered significant, but they're likely just pre-Terra leftovers.

[Bren]

The RAT is a catch-all for the AML, Jiyi's forces, and all the random Falcon holdouts in the 'Hinterlands'.

It's not going to be impossible that an Alynia machine is in Jiyi's arsenal since those mechs have been in the Falcon touman for a few years.

But, I prefer to up the nerdery and get more restrictive with my mech selections. If Marena has slammed the door on Jiyi completely -- that would lower the odds of including, say, a Hierofalcon in any Sentinel force of mine.

[tassa_kay]

The RAT is a catch-all for the AML, Jiyi's forces, and all the random Falcon holdouts in the 'Hinterlands'.

It's not going to be impossible that an Alynia machine is in Jiyi's arsenal since those mechs have been in the Falcon touman for a few years.

Yeah, I said that, LOL.

[Sartris]

Interesting. I wondered about this re: the likelihood of seeing Alynia-produced machines in Jiyi's forces.

not enough time has passed for the off-terra falcons to differentiate from each other in significant ways

[Jal Phoenix]

This doesn't appear to be strictly true. Per TTS, they've set up a trading enclave on Kerensky's Vision.

Everyone trades to some degree. They can either set up posts of their own, or rely 100% on Clan Sea Fox, which isn't a viable option. The AML is still more interested in banking than competing with Clan Sea Fox.

[tassa_kay]

Everyone trades to some degree. They can either set up posts of their own, or rely 100% on Clan Sea Fox, which isn't a viable option. The AML is still more interested in banking than competing with Clan Sea Fox.

Yes, and that was my point. You said they were strictly interested in finance and not in moving goods around, but that's not actually the case. Whether or not they're more interested in banking than competing with the Foxes (which is questionable, since they're doing exactly that on Kerensky's Vision by setting up a trading enclave) is besides the point.

[JAMES_PRYDE]

TTS ? RAT ?

[Scotty]

Touring the Stars; Random Assignment Table

[tassa_kay]

Touring the Stars; Random Assignment Table

I read that semicolon as a colon and laughed entirely too hard.

[JAMES_PRYDE]

Touring the Stars; Random Assignment Table

Thanks, so just the RAT is where we see an update on the Falcons ?

[Bren]

Everyone trades to some degree. They can either set up posts of their own, or rely 100% on Clan Sea Fox, which isn't a viable option. The AML is still more interested in banking than competing with Clan Sea Fox.

Thanks, in terms of my own personal RATs I'm generally more interested in the 'spirit' of the fluff to restrict and add more definition/character to my specific forces. I was a huge fan of the 'Objectives' series, but I understand why they're not really around anymore.

Yeah, I said that, LOL.

My response was to your original, unedited post.

[JAMES_PRYDE]

Is there an official Unit Logo for the 131st BattleMech Division ?

From which the founder of House Pryde served

Also on that note, does "Kerensky's Command Staff" as a unit, have a logo too ?

Thanks

[truetanker]

Standard SLDF Daggerstar and 131st.?

TT

[JAMES_PRYDE]

Standard SLDF Daggerstar and 131st.?

TT

I mean beyond that

[tassa_kay]

https://www.sarna.net/wiki/131st_BattleMech_Division

Doesn't appear to be besides that.