Roleplay > Vignettes

Lifetimes of Change (Historical Vignettes set from 1891 - 2011)

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Daitō:
Lifetimes of Change
"Lifetimes of Change" is a project which seeks to cast a light on the period of Mundus's History from 1891 to 2011, not from the perspective of great men and of nations as a whole, but of the common man. Of their struggles, of how technology, politics, and socio-economic forces shaped their lives in this era. It seeks not to generalize, but to offer a window into the lives of what is, by many of us, a forgotten era. Here, anyone can write their own stories following the lives of the humble farmer all the way to the highest noble in their marble palace and everything between. What it is not, however, is a story of right or wrong. Not usually, anyways.

For those who may struggle to make a post, I would perhaps recommend that you start your character's posts with a point early in their life, whether that be as early as the 1890s or as late the 2000s and anywhere in between before moving along the timeline. For the sake of those making these posts, I will periodically update this page with categories for their characters written up for this wit the hope of making it easier to follow. As a side note, while it is not a requirement, it would always be neat to see photos from this time period, perhaps as a way of capturing a specific feeling for that post.

With that being said, let us take a step back and remember the past.Vignette Index
Haruto Kimura
   • Standing in Line — 08-20-1914
   • First Contact — 09-19-1914
   • Watching the Mountain of Souls — 11-27-1914
   • The Battle of Kon'noyama — 12-11-1914
   • Home again — 12-29-1914
   • The Letter — 01-04-1915
   • Farewell — 04-13-1916
   • Under Ashen Skies — 04-20-1916 - 09-21-1916
   • Over the Top — 09-21-1916
   • At Every Turn — 10-21-1916
   • Homeward-bound — 11-06-1916
   • Changes — 11-10-1916
   • The Parade — 04-17-1918 - 04-17-1931
   • The New Era — 11-20-1932
Yuna Umeki
   • Delivery Service — 12-06-1934
   • Kunan Ishin — 01-22-1937
   • Daitō Seisen — 06-24-1939
   • Chopsticks and Arrangements — 12-16-1943
   • Underway — 02-02-1944
   • Shinzen kekkon — 02-02-1944
   • Reasons — 02-02-1944
   • Guests — 03-16-1944
   • The Castle of Hatsukaichi — 03-28-1944
   • Sayonara, Hatsukaichi — 03-29-1944
   • Belonging — 04-03-1944
   • Lectures for Survival — 05-06-1944
   • The First Raid — 06-14-1944
   • Port of Call — 06-24-1944
   • Reunion — 06-25-1944
   • Black Market Blues — 08-04-1944
   • The Palace of the Dragon God — 08-04-1944
   • The Unending Dream — 09-15-1944
   • Ride Through the Dark — 11-19-1944
   • The Canvas of Smoke and Flame — 03-16-1945
   • Far Above — 04-08-1945
   • Sacrifice — 04-14-1945
   • Calling — 05-05-1945
   • The Farewell — 05-15-1945
   • Survivors — 06-24-1945
   • Delayed — 06-25-1945
   • Murderer — 06-28-1945
   • Fire on the Mountain, Part One — 07-01-1945
   • Fire on the Mountain, Part Two — 07-02-1945
   • "I'm Glad." — 07-19-1945
   • The Coward — 07-28-1945
   • Dawn of a New Age — 08-05-1945
   • Glow of the Fireflies — 08-09-1945
   • Yamazakura — 08-14-1945
   • The Flight of Justice — 08-29-1945
   • The Final Day — 08-29-1945
   • The Last Duty — 09-24-1945
   • The New Dawn — 11-11-1945
   • Shadows of the Past, Part One: The Old World — 12-06-1945
   • — |
   • — |
Other Characters
   • Isao Kimura — The Pilot's Request — 11-11-1944
   • Character — — |
   • Character — — |
   • Character — — |

Daitō:
Standing in LineIsahaya Ward, Shinkyō
UTC 0900
August 20, 1914

The station was rather crowded, more than normal, actually. What was less normal than even that, however, was the large volume of soldiers there. Of course, that was no surprise, after all, war had been declared upon the Ardian Empire just nineteen days prior. Something about an ally getting attacked, Haruto thought, even as he stepped forwards in the line to the train. He still remembered the day the mobilization order was issued as though it were yesterday, especially the way he felt. While now, he felt apprehensive of what lay ahead, he also felt a certain... joy, in a way. He'd grown up hearing tales of samurai and of great battles, of the conquests of the Tōitsu Emperor, and of glory earned on the field of battle. Now, he too would get the chance to take part in glory.

Another step forwards, another soldier aboard the train. Of course, those boarding were already trained; Even he had undergone it as part of his mandatory service upon turning eighteen. 'Course, this was something that would undoubtedly change, after all, more men would likely be needed before the end. He almost distracted himself wondering where he might one day end up. Maybe the shores of Floodwater, or perhaps some far-flung island in the Alucard?
   "Next!" a man in uniform said, the insignia on his collar and shoulders indicating that he was a Gunsō— a Sergeant— while his face, weathered as it was, clearly communicated that he was at least thirty-five but no older than forty. So, Haruto would step forwards. "Name?" He would be asked by the older sergeant.
   "Haruto Kimura." He reported as the sergeant wrote something in a ledger.
   "Date of birth?" The sergeant asked with a sigh as he looked at the line behind Haruto.
   "April 4th, 2552."[1] Haruto responded.
   "Place of Birth and current residence?"
   "Born here in Isahaya. I live at 102 Kashiwa-Dōri... Well, before the mobilization order, anyways."
   "Not asking for your life story. Okay, Division, regiment, and battalion?"
   "2nd Infantry, 4th Regiment, 1st Battalion."
   "Huh... Interesting. One last question: Next of kin?"
   "Why are you asking?" Haruto said, confused for a moment by the question.
   "In case you die, go missing, or are wounded. That way, at least someone knows." The sergeant asked with a sigh; it was clear he had been asked this many times before.
   "My parents, Daisuke and Etsuko. Got a sister... Her name is Ayuka. Also a-"
   "That's all I needed to know. Not interested in who you may be sweet on. Take this." The sergeant said, handing him a ticket. "Hold onto that until you reach the front." He said as he ushered Haruto aboard the train before shouting "Next!" once more.

And so, Haruto boarded the train, next stop... Well, actually, there'd be multiple stops before they reached their destination. But eventually, he would be going to the front, and likewise, farther from home than he ever imagined. As he watched the station fall behind him from a small window in the car, he wondered where this journey would lead. 1. This date would be April 4th, 1892 on the Gregorian Calendar

Daitō:
First ContactWarning: This post contains: violence. If this bothers you, turn away now.Tanzawa Mountains, Southwest Daitō
UTC 1133
September 19, 1914

The sun bore down on the men of the second infantry, who found themselves marching through the northern tip of the Tanzawa mountains, not far from the Ardian border. At nearly a month into his service, Haruto found himself further from the sea than he had ever been before; his father was a fisherman, as had his father before him, and his father before him, and so on and so forth for generations. Suffice to say, for a boy who had grown up on the water, this was quite different from anything he had experienced before. He had heard tales of the Ardians, of their brutality during the last war back in the 1850s, and yet, they said that all they would need was a kick in the pants and they would be running back to Cescedia before the new year. Their commanding officer, a Rikugun-Shōi[1] by the name of Eisaku Tachikawa, had taken up the lead thus far.

For his part, Haruto found himself conversing with another recruit, a man by the name of Hajime. From what he knew, Hajime, whose family was of some importance back home, hailed from the east of the country, from around Awara. Probably some sort of retainers to the Taira, if he were to guess, but after the restoration they had lost what status they had. Still, it was clear to him that, while Hajime was hoping to earn glory on the battlefield so as to restore his family's status to some degree, he was in it more for the Empire itself.
   "...I dunno, Haruto, I mean I'd love nothing more than to give Gripus[2] a thrashing, I'd rather do it when we aren't on a tight schedule." Hajime said in a semi-serious manner, his eyes scanning the ridges of the valley for movement.
   "Sure, not like we have much of a choice though. Would be nice if Tachikawa-Shōi would give us a break, but you know how he is." Replied Haruto, shifting his rifle on his shoulder as the bolt had begun to dig into his skin a tad.
   "Mhm... Sure beats being out here exposed to the elements, I guess." Hajime stated in agreement before adding "Come to think of it, it is rather odd that we haven't seen them yet."
   "Maybe they fled when they received word we were coming?" Haruto noted with a chuckle before their commander raised his hand, motioning for them to stop in their tracks. The platoon went silent at that moment as Tachikawa slowly crept forwards. Was he just being paranoid, or perhaps he had actually seen something?

*CRACK*

A bullet whizzed by, striking one of Haruto's brothers-in-arms in, as it happened, the arm.
   "AMBUSH!" Eisaku shouted as Haruto raised his rifle, a Type 34 and gunfire erupted along the mountainside. Someone shouted that they should retreat, another that they had the Ardians on the run. Simply put, it was chaos. Though in later days he wouldn't admit it, Haruto's nerves had failed him completely. He had been scared pale and senseless, almost frozen in place until Hajime pulled him to the ground, only to be shot dead mere moments later. After coming to his senses, all he heard was gunfire and the screams of the dying on the mountainside. Not just Daitōjin, but Ardian too. He leveled his gun, spotting an Ardian gunner just ahead, up on the ridge.

*BANG*

He fired his rifle, aiming for the man's chest. He fell, tumbling down the mountainside before finally coming to a stop, his skin bruised, his body mangled by the fall. Not long after, the tide had begun to shift. He saw two men fleeing from them. Two shots. One in the gut, the other in the leg. The two Ardians met with a similar fate, their screams echoing throughout the valley as they plummeted to their deaths. It was truly dreadful, he would admit that much later on, but he had no choice. It was either he kill, or he would be killed. With the skirmish at a close, they took stock of their losses. Eight dead, five wounded, and three missing out of fifty men. Having survived his first contact with the foe, Haruto, alongside the men of the second infantry platoon, continued on their way, unable to even bury their dead.

If this were to be his first taste of combat, Haruto felt nothing but dread for what was to come.
 1. Rikugun-Shōi: "Rikugun-Shōi", a title within the Imperial Daitōjin Army, translates roughly as Sub-Lieutenant, alternatively as Second Lieutenant. An officer of this rank is referred to as -Name--Shōi 2. "Gripus" was a nickname for the Ardians in those days among the Daitōjin, much as "Ivan" is for the Russians in reality.

Daitō:
Watching the Mountain of SoulsTanzawa Mountains, Southwest Daitō
UTC 1700
November 27, 1914

Ice cold wind battered Haruto's position, cut into rock and ice upon the summit of Mount Suiken, one hundred or so kilometers from the old capital in Tenkyō. As the snow had ceased momentarily, he had a momentary reprieve, able to see their next objective, Mount Ushiro, just across the ways. In fighting like this, elevation was everything, and Ushiro had it, standing nearly seventy meters higher than their current position, which was, if Haruto had to guess, around four and a half kilometers from sea level. He wasn't entirely sure why it was so important of course; he had heard talk that it could be used as a position for their artillery, able to rain down fire into the nearby Yamanori valley, but that was just one guess of many. In all likelihood, it was just a matter of pushing the front forwards more than anything, something that would become far easier once they were past the alps.

He remained silent, his eyes trained on the mountain. Other than the wind, it was quiet. Not a surprise, a blizzard had ripped through the area mere hours before after all. Soon, the fighting would likely resume. As he kept watch, another soldier walked up and tried to strike a conversation.
   "Y'know, weren't we supposed to be in Saito by now?" The private asked, to which Haruto sighed, his breath turning to mist in the cold air.
   "...Yes, Yasuki. Yes we were." Haruto replied, eyes remaining on the mountain.
   "I bet that mountain's why we haven't moved on." The private, Yasuki Okada, said, which everyone knew of course. "You know what the locals say about it, Haruto?"
   "What?" Haruto asked, briefly humoring him.
   "Well, they say that anyone who tries to climb it never comes back." Yasuki noted as he too looked over to the mountain. "They call it Kon'noyama[1]."
   "How nice, the folks around here have their own name for it. How quaint."
Yasuki nodded in agreement before finally reporting "In any case, I suppose I'm here to relieve you."
   "I stand relieved." Haruto said before heading back inside the dugout. In just a few weeks, they would be seizing the mountain. After that, it was anyone's guess where they would be going. 1. "Kon'noyama" translates as "Mountain of Souls"

Daitō:
The Battle of Kon'noyamaWarning: This post contains: violence. If this bothers you, turn away now.Tanzawa Mountains, Southwest Daitō
UTC 0800
December 11, 1914

The whistles blared as Haruto and his compatriots, his countrymen, clambered up the mountainside, the way made for them by the boys in His Majesty's Tozan-ka[1], first regiment, if he remembered correctly. Whether or not they took the mountain, this was going to be the last major operation until spring, as the winter weather simply wouldn't allow them to advance. Instead, it would be a battle with the elements, fending off frostbite and hypothermia rather than bullet and shell. He glanced down over the cliff, watching as something odd flew past. It appeared like a bird, its wings grand, yet it was no bird. Its wings did not flap, it made a most dreadful buzzing noise, and painted upon its wings was the Hinomaru, the circle of the sun. Finally, he realized what it was. At long last, he was getting to see an airplane in person.

In spite of this miraculous sight, Haruto, now a corporal owing to a field promotion, pushed forwards, rifle in hand, bayonet affixed. A loud boom sounded throughout the area as a shell landed nearby, shaking the earth as though it were a table in an earthquake. Debris fell all around, and yet, they still marched on into what would undoubtedly be their deaths. Bodies lay along the trail, their eyes glazed like glass, blood staining the snow and ice. The fighting was already so horrible, and they were going straight into it. Seeing this sight—realizing this was quite possibly the end—he would briefly recite the nenbutsu as he stepped forwards, prepared for what was to come.

A few minutes passed before they reached the enemy position, quickly coming under a hail of fire from one of many bunkers carved into the heights. Someone tossed a grenade, little more than some picric acid and iron attached to a stick, towards the Ardian bunker, yet for a moment it seemed like it may not make it through. These weapons had numerous issues, after all, but it was what they had. Thankfully, this time it succeeded, and a loud thud could be heard as the guns went silent. In the time between contact and the bunker being neutralized, a great many men including Sub-Lieutenant Tachikawa had fallen to machinegun fire. This loss troubled many of the men, but not Haruto. Rather, he took his CO's sword, not really intending to keep it but rather so that it wouldn't fall into the hands of the enemy. Such weapons were, after all, said to be quite valuable among the Ardian ranks. That and he hoped that it would be returned to Tachikawa's family, owing to the blade being something of an heirloom, or so he'd been told.
   "Forwards!" He cried, waving his hand, motioning for them to advance. The whistle of mortar shells foretold their impact, falling short of their intended target and taking two of Haruto's men. They were now close enough to the enemy lines that they could hear them speak in their alien tongue, indecipherable to all but a trained listener. With a great shout, he and his men fell upon the Ardians, bayonets glinting in the morning sun. A great many men were slain that day, yet the day would not be theirs.

Haruto nearly froze up when he saw the Ardian rifle leveled towards him. His eyes widened as he glimpsed the flash, he knew it was for him. He ducked behind cover, his head barely poking out over the rock, but it would not be enough. Though he would not be directly hit, the bullet fragmented upon contact with the ground, a shard striking him near his left eye and leaving him blinded by blood in said eye. The pain was terrible, he could not deny it, but if he didn't act now, there was no way that anyone would be getting home today. Thus, biting back the pain, he raised his rifle and returned fire, calling for a retreat as he did so. He heard another shell fall, striking not far from him and knocking him off his feet. He saw, by his side, what looked like a hand, though mangled beyond any recognition. It wasn't his, thankfully, but that was enough of a "kick in the pants", as it were, to tell him that they needed to get out of there, and fast. The volume of artillery fire had begun to increase, and many shells had begun to hit the snow above. If Daitō couldn't have the mountain, as was clear to Corporal Kimura at this point, then it seemed likely that they would deny it to the Ardians as well. And so, they ran. Daitō's finest fled, doing what the locals had thought inconceivable. Kon'noyama would not claim them, not today.

Thus, having gotten clear of the peak to some degree, Haruto saw a great white cloud of snow envelop the site they had fought so desperately to claim. He was, from that point onwards, sent home as he had leave for a time coming up.
 1. "Tozan-ka", an Onishi term, translates as "Mountaineers"

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