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Eyrie Productions, Unlimited
Gryphon
Charter Member
22422 posts |
Dec-20-10, 03:47 PM (EDT) |
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"Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
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Hey, gang. BATTLE 06: INDEPENDENCE is almost ready to go, but it's hit a small delay on account of I need a signoff from a Suspect who has, we think, been eaten by an update to a massively multiplayer online game. While we wait, I was thinking of posting a third 06 teaser, a bit in which Gryphon briefly describes an incident from his formative years in order to cast some light on something that's happening in the story's "present day"... and then I decided to flesh it out into a full-on prequel/mini/extra type of thing instead, and here it is. Hopefully it'll tide you over while we wait for word from Azeroth on whether 06 passes muster (fingers crossed!). Mahalo,
--G.
NOTE: Most of the dialogue in this story is translated from the Japanese. Eyrie Productions, Unlimited
presentsStreet Fighter: Warrior Dawn
The Contract Benjamin D. Hutchins © 2010 Eyrie Productions, Unlimited
Gryphon's personal journal
Sunday, June 22, 19XX
KAGOSHIMA, Japan
Well, I seem to have been played for a sucker. And by my own Valdritkar, to boot. I thought it was a little weird when Rose insisted that we fly into Kagoshima instead of someplace a bit more obvious, like Tokyo, for our grand tour of Japan. I was expecting something strange to happen, but I figured it would be something like an introduction to some ancient master or a trip to a forbidden shrine. What I was not expecting was for her to disappear somewhere between Customs and baggage claim, leaving me to stand next to my suitcase wondering what was going on until a man dressed as an airport janitor suddenly came up to me and handed me an envelope. "What's this?" I asked, but he had already disappeared. I looked around, startled, but there was no sign of him anywhere. If not for the envelope I still held, I would have considered the possibility that I'd imagined him. Still puzzled, I opened the envelope and took out a note, which read: Benjamin - Here is where your summer's training begins. You now have 60 days to make your way to the history museum at Abashiri in Hokkaido, on the Sea of Okhotsk. What route you choose and how you traverse it are your own business, but I would encourage you to pace yourself so that you can see and experience as much of this great country as you can along the way. Your wit and skill should be sufficient to overcome any challenge you encounter on your journey, so to make things more interesting, I have arranged for a few surprises for you. You will not see me often, but I will be watching. ROSE The first thing I did, instinctively, was look at my watch and note the time. When Rose says I have a particular deadline to meet, she means it exactly, so when she said 60 days in this note, I knew she meant precisely one thousand, four hundred and forty hours. In this case that meant I had to be at that particular spot in Abashiri (and hopefully there's only one history museum in town) no later than 9:32 AM JST on Wednesday, August 21. If I showed up at mission elapsed time 1440:00:01, I might well have to walk home. I read the note over a couple of times and put it in the top pocket of my jacket, then shrugged and reported to the currency exchange. Now I knew why she had instructed me to pack light, though I could have wished she'd at least hinted more strongly that I ought to bring a backpack or something instead of an old Samsonite suitcase that didn't even have wheels. I felt little more than a strange sense of calm as I made my way through the airport and out onto the street. I had suspected Rose of being up to something, and now I knew what it was; the suspense was over. The more I considered Rose's scheme, the more I realized how elegant it was. I didn't have enough money to just buy a plane ticket to Hokkaido, probably not enough to get all the way there on trains, either. I was going to have to hoof it a good bit of the way, or get creative, or both. I wasn't really sure how far it was from Kagoshima to Abashiri, but since the one was at the far southwestern end of the Home Islands and the other at the far northeast corner, I expected it was pretty far. Probably not too far to walk in the time allotted, but far enough that I didn't care to try. What she was doing here, I realized as I walked into the city from the airport, was at least a threefold training exercise. One, I would have to work to get where I needed to be in time; two, I would have to meet people, make contacts, and speak the language to get it done; and three, I'd see the country from one end to the other, at ground level. The only restriction I had, apart from my limited resources, was the deadline. I didn't make it very far today, but that's OK. A journey of a thousand miles, and all that. [Ed. note I now know it's actually about 1600 miles - more like 1900 by the route I ended up taking. --G. 3/3/20XX] When the time came to think about stopping for the night, I was in a lightly built-up area on the outskirts of the city. I briefly considered staying at a place that looked eerily like a Motel 6 (Moteru Roku?), but decided copping out on the first night and staying in a Western-style motel wouldn't really be in the spirit of the challenge, so I'm at a sort of guest house - not quite a ryokan, though I hope to find those later on, but somewhere in between that and a Western B&B. Regardless, I think I'm the first gaijin they've had here in a while. They don't quite know what to make of the fact that I already knew I should take off my shoes. I've decided that thinking about where I'm supposed to be at the end of this trip would just be too disheartening at this stage, so I'm going to set myself one destination at a time. The first one is the Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki. And speaking of people's reactions to gaijin, I wonder how awkward that will be? But I can't be at large in this part of the world and not pay my respects. Two days after my 13th birthday, I'm at large in a strange country with an imperfect command of the language and customs, a little pocket money, and a deadline. My mother would have a seizure if she knew. And so to bed - or, well, floor. [...] Saturday, June 28
FUKUOKA, Japan Fukuoka is a very fine city. It's pretty and green, and everyone's friendly. Not that I've run into anybody who wasn't, so far on this trip - except the ninja, and even they're very polite. Oh yes, the ninja. They come out of nowhere every now and again, as ninja do, and make my day more complicated. I thought at first that I had inadvertently violated some local custom or managed to offend some powerful person, but this morning in the train station, one of them very formally handed me a piece of paper before trying to kick me in the head. Later, back at my room in the ryokan (I finally found one!), while I was icing my hand, I finally had a chance to read it. It basically says the ninja I'm seeing are members of the Ibuki-ryû Kaget ded auburn hair, and a note. Dear Caatoraito,(Did I get that right this time?) Here is a little something to remember me by. I wanted to come along with Uncle Hanzo and his team to watch over you on your journey, but Grandfather says I have to go to Nagano for I don't even know what. Something about training with the new boy who's come to study under Father. Another gaijin, apparently. That might be interesting, but I'd rather be out on the road with you. Enjoy the rest of your time in Japan. Maybe I'll get to see you again before you leave. If not, I'll find you one day. In the meantime, you'll always be my LOVE RHINO. XO,
Your Great White Hunter,
MAI I smiled, tucked the note away, and fiddled the cord into a loop around my right wrist, a task I finished just as our train arrived. As it pulled in, I caught a glimpse of a grey-clad figure clinging to the roof; he gave me a jaunty little wave before ducking down out of sight of the civilians on the platform. Logan spotted him too, and he had a little smile on his face as he caught my eye and led the way onto the train. "This is a great country," I said. "It sure is," Logan agreed. THE CONTRACT: The End |
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Droken
Member since May-6-08
417 posts |
Dec-20-10, 05:35 PM (EDT) |
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2. "RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
In response to message #0
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HA! You, sir, just made my Holiday. That was absolutely fantastic. My King of Fighters knowledge is rather more lacking than what (little) I know of the back-end for Street Fighter, but I'm assuming that other Gaijin would be our aptly named "world's worst phone conversationalist"? -Droken "If at first you don't succeed, bull-
riding is not for you." |
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Gryphon
Charter Member
22422 posts |
Dec-20-10, 06:09 PM (EDT) |
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4. "RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
In response to message #2
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>My King of Fighters knowledge is rather more lacking than what
>(little) I know of the back-end for Street Fighter, but I'm assuming
>that other Gaijin would be our aptly named "world's worst phone
>conversationalist"? Yep. Andy "The Awkward Silence" Bogard, younger brother of Terry. I think they're actually from Fatal Fury originally. I've always been more of a Capcom man myself, but the FF OVA was entertaining, and one of the principal sparks that led to the creation of the WL universe in the first place. (In WL, Terry, Andy, and Joe Higashi fight on a different, rather less organized circuit than the Street Fighter league Gryphon belongs to.) --G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam. |
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trigger
Charter Member
1500 posts |
Dec-20-10, 06:07 PM (EDT) |
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3. "RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
In response to message #0
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Awesome, now I have something other to read than "Sunshine" on the way to the SO's holiday party. thx!
t.. Trigger Argee
trigger_argee@hotmail.com
Manon, Maccadon, Orado, etc.
Denton, never leave home without it. "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me." - HST |
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Prince Charon
Member since Jan-11-09
309 posts |
Dec-20-10, 11:43 PM (EDT) |
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6. "RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
In response to message #0
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>"So we don't have to go to war, then?" said Hanzo Ibuki from the open
>side window.
>
>"No, Hanzo," said Shiranui a touch indulgently. "We do not."
>
>"Good." He tugged down his mask and gave me a smile. "On behalf of
>my two-year-old daughter, thanks for keeping her from becoming an
>orphan tonight."
>
>"Er... you're welcome," I said. He tossed me a jaunty salute and then
>disappeared from the window. For some reason, that remark makes me wonder if his daughter's name is Maya - which probably means I've been thinking about Evangelion to much. Of course, Maya as an undercover kunoichi fits quite well, given that she's very much the sort of person you wouldn't think would be a ninja. �They planned their campaigns just as you might make a splendid piece of harness. It looks very well; and answers very well; until it gets broken; and then you are done for. Now I made my campaigns of ropes. If anything went wrong, I tied a knot; and went on.�
-- Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington |
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Gryphon
Charter Member
22422 posts |
Dec-21-10, 11:35 AM (EDT) |
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8. "RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
In response to message #6
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>For some reason, that remark makes me wonder if his daughter's name is
>Maya - which probably means I've been thinking about Evangelion to
>much.I don't actually know what Hanzo's daughter's name is; she's one of those Capcom characters who seem to have only one name, like Madonna or The Artist Formerly Known. For all I know, they intended "Ibuki" to be her given name. I imagine when the time comes for her to put in an appearance, I'll have to make something up. I probably won't name her after Maya, though, since that would cause people to think they were actually supposed to be the same character. Though you're right, Maya Ibuki would be an excellent candidate for a Late-Series Ninja Revelation in a show with more of a sense of humor than Evangelion. :) --G.
"I've been waiting two years to do that," she said, stepping over Gendou's body.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam. |
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A Vile Gangster
Member since Feb-15-10
342 posts |
Dec-21-10, 00:57 AM (EDT) |
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7. "RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
In response to message #0
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It sure is great to be back in WL. Man, I need to find a gaming group that digs the world warrior RPG format! A man can dream... Great to see more of the multi-series blending in this short! SNK had some FANtastic games in their lineup; Fatal Fury/Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, and the King of Fighters games at so many of my quarters! Damn, wheres an arcade when a guy needs one! I gotta say, my favorite cultural reference in this piece was the Loudness poster. I've got almost a perfect discog of those guys. ----
Now Playing:
Loudness -- Crazy Nights (Thunder in the East, 1985) You are the HEROOOOOOO! MZA! MZA! MZA! < THIS SPACE FOR RENT > |
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s3yang
Charter Member
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Dec-21-10, 03:56 PM (EDT) |
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9. "RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
In response to message #0
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What a great little story, nice to see where the great white hunter/love Rhino joke originated from, though considering that Andy only catches it for the first time(presumably) many many years later, I have to wonder exactly how _many_ different strange nicknames they have for each other. On a more random note, is that a Strongest Disciple Kenichi reference I see? (I'm guessing that if it is, it's a throwaway one, what with Rose being the last one left and all.) |
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Gryphon
Charter Member
22422 posts |
Dec-21-10, 04:28 PM (EDT) |
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10. "RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
In response to message #9
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>What a great little story, nice to see where the great white
>hunter/love Rhino joke originated from, though considering that Andy
>only catches it for the first time(presumably) many many years later,
>I have to wonder exactly how _many_ different strange nicknames they
>have for each other. Either that, or it's far from the first time Andy has heard it, it just baffles him every time. :) >On a more random note, is that a Strongest Disciple Kenichi reference
>I see? (I'm guessing that if it is, it's a throwaway one, what with
>Rose being the last one left and all.) No, at least not directly. Ryo Zan Paku is the last bastion of the Experts of Justice in Giant Robo the Animation: The Night the Earth Stood Still, which is in turn a sort of lovingly built pastiche of a bunch of stuff Giant Robo manga creator Mitsuteru Yokoyama did - it probably comes to GRtA from one of those other sources, and then could be traced from there back to some common thread in Japanese myth that Kenichi is also referencing. In this context it's intentionally mysterious, but my conception of it is as kind of a secret otherworld/mystic temple thing, like the hidden temple in Tibet where Kent Allard learned the power to cloud the minds of men in The Shadow. And, judging by Rose's remarks and the general arc of her fate, it is no more by the time WL-G is 13 - perhaps destroyed by Bison in the early stages of his quest for absolute power. --G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam. |
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pjmoyer
Charter Member
1856 posts |
Dec-21-10, 05:02 PM (EDT) |
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13. "RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
In response to message #11
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>And
>two or three years after this (at most), neither Gryph nor Mai are
>likely to wear those T-shirts; they've probably both outgrown them. *Looks at Gryphon.* *Looks at Mai.* Yes, I'd say that's a very safe bet. --- Philip
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Philip J. Moyer
Contributing Writer, Editor and Artist (and Moderator) -- Eyrie Productions, Unlimited
CEO of MTS, High Poobah Of Artwork, and High Priest Of the Church Of Aerianne -- Magnetic Terrapin Studios
"Insert Pithy Comment Here" |  |
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Gryphon
Charter Member
22422 posts |
Dec-21-10, 05:22 PM (EDT) |
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14. "RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
In response to message #11
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>All things considered, it's possible that he's so confused by it that
>he never thinks to ask Mai why she calls Gryphon her Love Rhino.He asked once, but all G would say was, "It's the horn. Chicks dig the horn," which did not significantly enlighten him. >two or three years after this (at most), neither Gryph nor Mai are
>likely to wear those T-shirts; they've probably both outgrown them. Indeed, the next time Gryphon saw Mai (as opposed to speaking with her on the phone or corresponding in some text-based medium) was nearly four years later, at which occasion he was... surprised. In several contexts, since one of her goals for the meeting was to demonstrate for him her mastery of several kunoichi concepts she'd had only a shaky command of the last time - such as Leaping Out Of Nowhere and Wearing That Outfit. --G.
"Sweet Mother of Pearl, what do they feed you at ninja camp?"
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam. |
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cuso4
Member since Jul-17-17
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Dec-24-10, 12:27 PM (EDT) |
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16. "RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
In response to message #10
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>No, at least not directly. Ryo Zan Paku is the last bastion of the
>Experts of Justice in Giant Robo the Animation: The Night the Earth
>Stood Still, which is in turn a sort of lovingly built pastiche of
>a bunch of stuff Giant Robo manga creator Mitsuteru Yokoyama
>did - it probably comes to GRtA from one of those other sources, and
>then could be traced from there back to some common thread in Japanese
>myth that Kenichi is also referencing. Ryo Zan Paku is the Japanese translation of the Chinese Liang Shan Bo, which is the area where the 108 heroes lived in the Chinese classical novel "Shuihu Zhuan", AKA "Water Margin" or "or The Marshes of Mount Liang". Lots of characters in Giant Robo the Animation : The Night the Earth Stand Still also comes from this novel. E.g. Taisou and Shishin of the nine kings, Goyou, Youshi, Kaei, and many many more. Ref :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Margin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Liang --
CuSO4
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Gryphon
Charter Member
22422 posts |
Dec-24-10, 12:34 PM (EDT) |
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17. "RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT"
In response to message #16
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>Ryo Zan Paku is the Japanese translation of the Chinese Liang Shan Bo,
>which is the area where the 108 heroes lived in the Chinese classical
>novel "Shuihu Zhuan", AKA "Water Margin" or "or The Marshes of Mount
>Liang".
>
>Lots of characters in Giant Robo the Animation : The Night the Earth
>Stand Still also comes from this novel. E.g. Taisou and Shishin of
>the nine kings, Goyou, Youshi, Kaei, and many many more. Well, there you go. They all share that common referential root. >Ref :
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Margin
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Liang Thanks! --G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam. |
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RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT
RE: Warrior Dawn: THE CONTRACT
