Areion Acclaim [READY]

[Dio]

Acclaim

The high altitude drops, the frigid air, the sparkling starscape above. THIS is why I enlisted!

RP Type: Canterlot Chronicles

Name: Sergeant Acclaim

Sex: Female

Age: Mare

Species: Areion

Portrait

Coat Color: Citrine yellow (#E4D00A). Same citrine color in the "fingers" of her bat wings. Webbing in her wings is a dark umber (#635147) color. The tufts of her ears have graphite feathering.

Mane/Tail Color & Style: Black mane with streaks of graphite, kept trimmed to regulation. Average-length tail is also black with a single streak of graphite, usually kept tied at the root.

Eye Color: Blue

Cutie Mark: A silhouette of a black queen (the chess piece) with two crossed lightning bolt silhouettes (also black) underneath it. Signifies both her tactical and physical prowess and her uncanny ability to think on her hooves.

Physique: Limber but tough as is typical of REA airborne troopers.

Residence: Born in Trottingham. Moved to Canterlot as part of her assignment to the newly reformed Lunar Guard.

Occupation: REA Lunar Guard, stationed in Canterlot. Preparing for Special Forces selections.

Unique Traits

Acclaim is a dangerous combination of agility, strength, and intelligence, having been a star athlete in school and consummate overachiever in REA training. She is an adept flier and close quarters combatant, using her entire body as a weapon, though like other REA regulars, she is proficient in lances, combat shoes, and other standard issue infantry weapons. She has a penchant for short blades such as daggers, kards, and katar. Both her body and mind are capable of moving lightning fast, allowing her to always stay two steps ahead of her opponents be they on the hoofball pitch or the field of battle.

Despite her generally upfront nature, Acclaim inherits the areion affinity for darkness and predilection for stealth. She is capable of silent flight and her training underscores the importance of misdirection and economy of action during combat encounters. Her other skills learned in the Army include orienteering, pathfinding, and cartography.

Character History

Acclaim has been many places and done many things. Born in Trottingham, she was raised in and around the highly competitive environment of flight academy, being exposed to both the Wonderbolts and the REA airborne unit that trained in the twin cities nearby. Almost every day she would find herself watching the Wonderbolts in conditioning and choreography or REA soldiers on maneuvers.

Her deep appreciation for the hard work and physical prowess that was required of both soldiers and athletes led her to join a local hoofball league when she was old enough to do so. Playing both around Cloudsdale and Trottingham on earth and sky, Acclaim soon proved herself a capable striker. Hoofball quickly taught her the value of teamwork, as a lone, unsupported forward would quickly fall victim to the superior numbers and stamina of the other team’s defenders.

Acclaim received her cutie mark during one of these hoofball games. With the score dead even at the start of the second half, Acclaim quickly realized that they did not have the stamina to match up against their opponent’s larger and stronger players. Calling a timeout, she quickly rewrote her team’s plan of attack, allowing them to break the tie without breaking their own defense. Suddenly, everything seemed to click. Acclaim didn’t just see her opponents, she knew them.

Acclaim continued calling the shots. Each time the opponent made a play, she had a counter-play to stop it. Each time her team possessed the ball, Acclaim found a weakness in their defense that left the enemy scrambling to keep up. Her team ended up going on to win the match, and as she reveled in her victory, she noticed a tingle on her flank. One glance down was all it took for her to jump for joy, as she finally had her cutie mark: a queen with two crossed lightning bolts underneath, representing her tactical prowess and her ability to think on her hooves under pressure.

Though she would continue to play hoofball well into her education, Acclaim would forever be enamored with the the ponies who ruled the air. She enlisted shortly after graduation, securing a spot in an airborne unit shortly thereafter. With the return of Princess Luna, volunteers were called to reform the Lunar Guard. Acclaim quickly jumped at the opportunity. Her faithful service has since netted her the rank of sergeant and gave her in-roads to the Royal Equestrian Special Forces. She currently is preparing for selections while on garrison rotation in Canterlot.

Personality

While she enjoys the spirit of competition, Acclaim is still a team player. If she is in charge, she pushes her team to its limits in the interest of maximizing their performance. If she is a subordinate, she gives it her all. Working alone (especially on duty) is alien to Acclaim, though she is perfectly content to go for flights or do physical conditioning by herself-- things that allow her to improve herself without burdening others.

Acclaim excels at thinking on her feet, leveraging all of her experiences, senses, and knowledge of her allies and opponents to defeat any problem that is thrown her way. Her tactics are often unconventional and unorthodox, but she thoroughly enjoys successes that hinge on thinking out of the box and turning weakness into strength. This of course, is a double-edged sword at times.

While she is capable of great things when pushed to the limit, Acclaim has a tendency to rely too much on quick thinking and snap decisions. Even for things that require careful deliberation such as finances and education, she liberally applies the “do or die” mentality, sometimes with less than stellar results. She is passionate about what she does and may come off as a bit too intense for some ponies, especially when it comes to her physical prowess, the most recent rounds of REA wargames, or discussing the latest plays of the local hoofball team.

Because of her strategic talents and knack for pulling wins out of her flank, Acclaim does not take losses well. At the same time, her desire to be a strong leader and the expectations placed upon her by her parents and peers leads her to bottle up her feelings about it, only presenting the friendly, humble, and cheerful face to her platoon- and teammates; even more so for strangers. It is something of a constant existential debate for her. If her destiny is turning defeat into victory, then what is she to do when failure is inevitable?

Miscellaneous

• Her excellent singing voice and her areion heritage got Acclaim a job as the vocalist for a symphonic power metal band out of Cloudsdale, Wing Power. From this, she proudly retains piercings in her right ear and a small stud in her nose. These are of course removed for duty.
  
• Acclaim has a soft spot for dogs. To her, every dog is a puppy. She would like to raise one some day, but is afraid that she has no time to do so because of her REA commitments. Her favorite breed is the akita.
  
• Acclaim is claustrophobic, in spite of her affinity for dark places. Her home is the open night sky with clear air and a full star field, reveling in Luna’s night.
  
• Snakes, lizards, and other reptiles creep her out.
  
• Acclaim makes knives in her spare time, milling the blades using hoof-driven grinding wheels she keeps off base. Though most of her home made blades are very spartan and practical, she is beginning to experiment with more artistic pursuits like acid etching and engraving.
  

[Armony]

This one coming along okay?

[Dio]

I'll polish her up this weekend.

[Dio]

Batpony is ready!

[Armony]