LucasLaughing Posted October 2, 2014 (edited) Part 1 of the story: Flight of the Birdman Sarge: Hawkbat, this is Acklay; what is your ETA? Pilot: Acklay, Hawk Bat will be on station in 5 minutes. Sarge: Hawk Bat, copy. Be advised, the LZ is hot. I say again, the LZ is hot. Pilot: Roger Acklay. Hot LZ’s are our specialty. I had no problems linking up with Sarge and the ISB agent, but things went south from there. We'd been told to expect little to no resistance on the ground, but apparently the rebels didn't get the memo. We’d spent the last hour in a running lightfight,moving through the lower part of the city. It was the weekend, so we didn't need to worry about civilians being caught in the crossfire, but that also made it much easier for the rebs to find us on their scanners. We were currently holed up in a broadcasting building. We were hoping the signals from the antenna would interfere with the rebs' sensors. Sarge covered the courtyard, while I handled over-watch. We instructed the agent to stay inside; whether she'd listen or not was another matter. The agent in question was not what we were expecting. One hour earlier, at the rendezvous point... Stranger: Over here, boys. Recognition code zulu eight four kilo whisky. I'm Grace. Sarge: I'm Sergeant Ryan Brintt, that's Corporal Lucas Kirana. Can you take us to the ISB agent? Is he close? Grace: I am the agent. Sarge: You're the agent? Grace: Affirmative. Are we going to stand here chatting until we get captured, or did you have some sort of extraction plan? Now: The last 10 minutes had been quiet. With any luck, the rebs wouldn't find us in the next 5 minutes and we'd have a smooth extraction. Damn. The rebel blasters wouldn't damage the drop ship, but the heavy cannon might. We'd have to take them out. Sarge popped up as the rebs were dismounting and hit the nearest two. He dove for cover as the turret gunner opened up. I hit the driver, but my shot at the gunner deflected off his helmet. I was ready to target the gunner again, once he started shooting at Sarge, but I didn't get a chance... Grace walked out the front door and slotted the gunner with two clean shots. Birdman: Dammit, you're supposed to keep your head down! Grace: If you weren't such a lousy shot, I wouldn't have to -- Sarge: TANK! To be concluded... Update: the final part has finally been posted: Bothawui Battle Blues (part 2) Mods, could you please treat parts 1 and 2 as a single build, and just award me the points for one? Part 2 is largely a continuation of Part 1. Edited October 10, 2014 by LucasLaughing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiefPie Posted October 2, 2014 I love the the building and the action! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goatman461 Posted October 2, 2014 You do a great job posing all of the figs for the action shots, but some more overall shots showing your entire build would be nice so that it would be easier to track the action. Way to stick it to those Rebels Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chills Posted October 2, 2014 Blaster bolts, holes in the wall, jumping figures, awesome MOC! Wouldn't it be cool if the Imperials also had rockets? That would knock out the transport quickly. +1 to goatman's comment; let's see a wide shot of the building. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nom Carver Posted October 2, 2014 Absolutely amazing, I will be looking forward for the conclusion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LucasLaughing Posted October 3, 2014 I love the the building and the action! Thanks! You do a great job posing all of the figs for the action shots, but some more overall shots showing your entire build would be nice so that it would be easier to track the action. Way to stick it to those Rebels Thank you, and thanks for the constructive feedback. This one was tricky to photograph; I think the kitchen table wasn't quite big enough, so when I tried to get the whole scene there was too much background ... I'll have to come up with a different photo set-up for my larger builds. Blaster bolts, holes in the wall, jumping figures, awesome MOC! Wouldn't it be cool if the Imperials also had rockets? That would knock out the transport quickly. +1 to goatman's comment; let's see a wide shot of the building. Thanks! Rockets would be good, but I figured if they had too much equipment it would be hard to believe that they could land with the wingsuits. Absolutely amazing, I will be looking forward for the conclusion. Thank you! Conclusion will be posted either tomorrow or Monday, depending on how crazy life gets... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Manx Posted October 3, 2014 It's nice to see your great scene from Episode expanded. Fantastic work on buildings and A+ for action. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LucasLaughing Posted October 10, 2014 It's nice to see your great scene from Episode expanded. Fantastic work on buildings and A+ for action. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BEAVeR Posted October 14, 2014 Another stunning creation and story, LucasLaughing! Not only on its own, but also in connection to everything you've done so far. But let's stick to this one first. That building is awesome. It's so clean, with all kinds of subtle detailing like those slits. It's amazing to see how much thought you put into that scheme of smooth surfaces and strong lines. This is illustrated by your choice for vertical lines here, and by the care you take not to create accidental lines. Seeing that you used panels on the front instead of tan bricks, really blew my mind. Same with all of the different lines on the ground: two kinds of tiling inside, and a fancy pattern outside. I don't think there's anyone that thinks like you, paying attention to all of those details. My one point of critique on the building, is that it might be a bit too clean. Somehow, my eye glides from it, there's not much to catch it. That doesn't mean it isn't beautiful, but that it could use something 'more'. Now it is hard to believe people are living there. Anyway, that black horizontal line is a careful solution. But more color certainly wouldn't do it bad to stand out from your other buildings: some plants on the balcony wouldn't be out of place, and you could even go for some small control panels (that would explain how people get on and off the balcony). In your previous build, you used the generator thingy to introduce orange, so something similar could be done here: use your limitless creativity! All in all, things don't look bad. They just look a bit too structured for my taste. The rather uniform buildings, the neatly arranged plants (which are all good in their own right, but are a bit monotonous when looked at together)... very neat but also a bit boring. But maybe I just don't like the Bothawuian style, as even the best can't totally convince me, no matter how awesome your build! Still, you totally rule in making it look everyday. With the border in the sidewalk, the neatly arranged stuff, the details at the interior (with the nice electricity closet!) and even pedestrian crossing zones... When I look at it like that, this really is a top notch recreation of every day life in the Star Wars universe! And what's best maybe, is that this very ordinary looking scene is the backdrop for such action. Yes, you remain the master in telling those military stories, and this setting in the middle of a way to quiet city really is menacing and just like in those movies I never watch. You translated it perfectly to SW. The mission, everything is quiet, the bickering, the sudden intrusion of the enemy, the casualties... You portray it masterfully both in story as in build. You really are the guru of minifig posing, with such a wide range of catapulted, glancing and dead (that one dead Reb is possibly the best part of the build, because of the exquisite pose and because: dead Rebel!) figures. And the laser beams whizzing around are the elements that disturb the quiet scene, leaving holes in their wake. They make those action shots really full of action. The tank is ominous as well, quietly hovering (great not to just put in on the ground), and with the devastating but beautiful explosion at the end. Really, no one can teach you a thing about story telling, because you are the master! Except for this one thing maybe... We’d spent the last hour in a running lightfight,moving through the lower part of the city. I don't buy it. Unless they've been running in circles, or are moving very slowly, because that building at the corner is the very same building they landed on . But really, I actually like such references to previous builds. The fact that it forms one big story is great, and also rather unique in this type of military stories. I can't believe how you plan all of this. I know I would just improvise, but reading things in your previous builds like Captain Parth: Negative, but I’ve uploaded a list of possible rendezvous points into your datapads. Once you’re on the ground, the agent will let you know where to meet. He, or she, will also use one of several code phrases, depending on the situation. blow my mind once again. I want to read all of it again, just to appreciate your mastery, not only of individual stories, but of the big links as well. And it makes me wonder: do you have a really big story going on, or do you just take every mission as it is. Anyway, I like how you're very slowly evolving through these missions and learning, becoming part of the team. Your story isn't one that needs big turns, but that won't take my amazement and enjoyment away when they do come... I don't want to take you from any of your brilliant plans, but maybe it would be nice if one day, you would do a story that is a bit out of your comfort zone... who knows what brilliant things might come then. And even more if everything is watched as a whole. You really are a unique person here, LucasLaughing. A great builder and a master storyteller, not hopping form one thing to the next to get as many 'awesome' comments as possible, but trying to give us a real, unique epic. I hope you have as much fun creating it as I have enjoying it. Never stop being awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LucasLaughing Posted October 15, 2014 Another stunning creation and story, LucasLaughing! Not only on its own, but also in connection to everything you've done so far. Thank you for your thoughtful and very helpful feedback - you obviously put a lot of time and thought into your comments, and I really appreciate it! My one point of critique on the building, is that it might be a bit too clean. Somehow, my eye glides from it, there's not much to catch it. That's a very fair critique; I spent a lot of time getting all of the lines to line up, and when I was done I realized the building was a little monochrome. I added the black highlights at that point, but that's a good idea about introducing more color with props / other scene elements. You really are the guru of minifig posing, with such a wide range of catapulted, glancing and dead (that one dead Reb is possibly the best part of the build, because of the exquisite pose and because: dead Rebel!) figures. And the laser beams whizzing around are the elements that disturb the quiet scene, leaving holes in their wake. They make those action shots really full of action. Thanks! I always try to be very intentional about posing my minifigs; I figure there's no point in telling a good story if none of the characters look lifelike I don't buy it. Unless they've been running in circles, or are moving very slowly, because that building at the corner is the very same building they landed on . Oh man, I thought I'd be able to sneak that past you guys by turning it sideways . My builds / photography always end up taking far longer than anticipated, so in this case I knew I wouldn't have time to build a new building, but I can see now that I should have at least modded it a little. I want to read all of it again, just to appreciate your mastery, not only of individual stories, but of the big links as well. And it makes me wonder: do you have a really big story going on, or do you just take every mission as it is. Thanks I have some general ideas about my character and his goals, and I have a few text documents filled up with possible story arcs. Then, I tend to adapt the story to whatever the mission ends up being. I always have more stories in my head than I have time to build... I don't want to take you from any of your brilliant plans, but maybe it would be nice if one day, you would do a story that is a bit out of your comfort zone... who knows what brilliant things might come then. This might be a dumb question, but could you give me an example of what you mean by "out of your comfort zone." Do you mean a non-military mission, or just looking at things in a different way? I'd definitely like to hear more of your thoughts in that regard. And even more if everything is watched as a whole. You really are a unique person here, LucasLaughing. A great builder and a master storyteller, not hopping form one thing to the next to get as many 'awesome' comments as possible, but trying to give us a real, unique epic. I hope you have as much fun creating it as I have enjoying it. Never stop being awesome! Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BEAVeR Posted October 16, 2014 Thanks for your response, LucasLaughing: very entertaining and very informative! With "building out of your comfort zone", I try to say that no matter how diverse your individual stories are, they almost always have the same tone and theme. You've mastered it very well to do these purely business-like military stories, with a lot of suspense, humorous lines between the men... Great! But never there is some real personal involvement (exception: SoNE Ep. II, which probably is one of my favorite SoNE stories ever), so that it feels like you're trying to tell the story of the Empire rather than the way you relate to it. So it might become more personal. What if one of your men died because of what you did? What if you see one of your men slowly becoming a traitor ? What if you killed innocent civilians? Then you would stay with the military tone, but you would get some more depth to it. I'm very concious that these actually sound like ideas for my kind of stories, and I certainly don't want to make you a clone of me... that would be a terrible waste. It's probably about personal preference from my side, but maybe you find this feedback useful. That was actually on the deeper levels of your stories. There are some less heavy things that you could do too: I imagine that you have a leave from time to time in the Empire. And don't you have a family that you could visit? Or maybe we get to know you even better because it turns out you have some kind of hobby? There could even be an occasion for you to go to some kind of memorial of a fallen friend (e.g. died in the DS). And you could get hurt and end up in the hospital... There are a lot of interesting situations that would be quite a challenge for your character. I'm very curious to see how you'd deal with it. It would make us care for your character even more. Maybe the best way to do something different, is to do something where you're completely alone, without any colleagues or friends (maybe you got captured by the Rebels?), and you could get very personal for a moment, so that we get to see a second you. Once again, don't feel obliged to anything. In fact I hope some of these things can get your thoughts going and lead you to some incredible stories and builds. As long as you stay yourself, I'm sure nothing can go wrong! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
markus1984 Posted October 21, 2014 Ah, ok. The same MOC but an other story. Clever and looks also good. markus Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LucasLaughing Posted October 22, 2014 It's probably about personal preference from my side, but maybe you find this feedback useful. Thanks for the additional input - I really like your ideas! I'd been toying with the idea of injury or capture, and some of your other suggestions also got my creative gears turning. I've copied your comment into the document where I keep possible ideas and story arcs Ah, ok. The same MOC but an other story. Clever and looks also good. markus Thanks! Yeah, this is part 1. I was worried that the post was going to be too long, so I decided to split it into 2. I figured that would give me more space to show off my gunship as well Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VK-318 Posted October 23, 2014 Looks like I'm a little late to the party; all the important stuff has already been said. I really like the way you did the heavy weapons fire. The trans light blue for turret and that explosion for the tank are quite creative, and the little blue bits on the wall - bits of Chima crystals, I think - really make the scene look more like a still from an action movie than a static build. By the way, I had never found your Episode II build before, and I just looked it up now. I have to say, your character and mine seem to think in very similar ways, except one. "The Thin White Line" gave me a bit of a shock. Maybe I'll explore that later ... H'm. I'd better start collecting parts for your sigfig quick! (Who does your head come from?) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LucasLaughing Posted October 25, 2014 Looks like I'm a little late to the party; all the important stuff has already been said. I really like the way you did the heavy weapons fire. The trans light blue for turret and that explosion for the tank are quite creative, and the little blue bits on the wall - bits of Chima crystals, I think - really make the scene look more like a still from an action movie than a static build. No worries - I'm horrible at commenting in any kind of timely manner I'm glad you liked the action shots - I was happy with them, but I was a little worried they would look weird or corny, so thanks for the feedback (and yep, those are Chima crystals - good eye). By the way, I had never found your Episode II build before, and I just looked it up now. I have to say, your character and mine seem to think in very similar ways, except one. "The Thin White Line" gave me a bit of a shock. Maybe I'll explore that later ... H'm. I'd better start collecting parts for your sigfig quick! (Who does your head come from?) Yeah, the story took a bit of a dark turn there; I think my character is still figuring out how to deal with it, and I hope to explore that more in some freebuilds. I might need to schedule an appointment on your therapist couch My sigfig came in a weird assortment of sets, most recently in the hotdog cart polybag. If it's hard to get, you could always use my character on a day he hasn't shaved in a while... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VK-318 Posted October 26, 2014 Actually, somebody at my house has that hot dog cart, and I know we have the hair around here somewhere. It may take me a while to work you into my current storyline, but I look forward to trying. I don't know about others, but I for one enjoy most the builds that feature more than one SoNE character. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shadows of Nar Eurbrikka Posted October 31, 2014 Judges have awarded you XP, but you'll have to go to your second entry to see it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
