Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - Run from Paradise

Title: Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - Run from Paradise
Series: Battletech/Mechwarrior
Originally Published: April 2014, Classic Battletech Forums

Run From Paradise represents a major turning point in the Mimetic Badarses series, both from a writing perspective and an in-world one. From the latter, there's a definite shift to being on the offensive, fighting back and turning the conflict around to being on our heroes' terms for once. From a writing perspective, it's a major story arc change, moving in a new direction with an expanded and new supporting cast.

...naturally, this means there are a lot of character introductions, because it's me and it's what I do. Fortunately, the bulk of this chapter is action, something that has been in short supply of late, especially of the BattleMech variety. Plus some really lovely scenery and a massive technological construct who's fate may yet surprise you.

Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - Must Go Home

Title: Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - Must Go Home
Series: Battletech/Mechwarrior
Originally Published: January 2014, Classic Battletech Forums

Picking up almost directly after Fallout, Must Go Home originally grew out of that fic. Much of its first half had been intended as a second half for the rapidly-ballooning Fallout, only to be spun off into its own fic as things changed. The net result is that this chapter becomes one where a lot happens in big chunks. We move into a new story arc, we develop new goals, and character relationships and roles dramatically change, which in turn results in a very big fic.

So the chapter that grew out of a fic ballooning did, itself, balloon. Ironic.

However, for all that, the chapter covers a lot of important ground, both in terms of introducing content as well as moving the story further towards its eventual goal. It also serves as a way to show the changing fortunes of war, by returning to a location that had been featured earlier in the series, albeit under very different circumstances.

Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - Fallout

Title: Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - Fallout
Series: Battletech/Mechwarrior
Originally Published: December 2013, Classic Battletech Forums

Intended to be the end of one story arc and the beginning of the next, Fallout wound up being more of the former then the latter. Picking up directly after On The Edge Of The World, it served to wrap up that arc, as well as to develop the new shape of the characters and their relationships after the last few chapters. Finally, the chapter serves to also re-introduce a character who had been intended for a bigger part all along, but had wound up being squeezed out along the way. This happens a lot.

Following on the trend of the last few chapters, there is an acute lack of BattleMech action. Clearly I need to make up for this shortfall, and hope to do such in coming chapters. It does, however, provide a nicely circular route back to the situation at the start of Chasing Shadows, so that must count for something.

Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - On the Edge of the World

Title: Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - On the Edge of the World
Series: Battletech/Mechwarrior
Originally Published: September 2013, Classic Battletech Forums

Picking up from the cliffhanger at the end of Chasing Shadows, On the Edge of the World marks a major turning point in the series' overall story line. Characters change, characters die, secrets are revealed and relationships are irrecoverably altered as ugly truths emerge. Of course, with anything in this series there's the inevitable issue of how much of what's said can be believed and how much more there is hiding under the surface.

Not only is this chapter a long one, by the way, but it also has no BattleMech combat in it at all. Instead it's all abut daring do, escape plans, gun violence, revelations, experimental surgery and people doing horrible things to one another. In short, the usual.

Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - Dark History

Title: Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - Dark History
Series: Battletech/Mechwarrior
Originally Published: September 2013, Classic Battletech Forums

Like Chasing Shadows, this chapter was a long time in coming. Unlike Chasing Shadows, which sprang pretty much fully-formed into the world, Dark History went through a long and complicated gestation period in which the basic ideas were written and re-written numerous times. By the time it was done, it had been built up and then stripped back several times.

As a story, Dark History sis obviously out of the regular schedule, but none the less is intended to go straight after Chasing Shadows. It both ends the current story arc and sets up the next one, but at the same time takes a rather unusual approach to doing such.

Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - Chasting Shadows

Title: Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - Chasing Shadows
Series: Battletech/Mechwarrior
Originally Published: June 2013, Classic Battletech Forums

The last fic in this arc of Mimetic Badarses, Chasing Shadows was a long time coming. Planned at a very early stage, it relied upon a number of other significant plot milestones to have been reached before it could be written. As a result, this fic calls on every prior chapter to build to a point. Even Ascendance Road, originally written as a one-off side-story contributes in a way. It was only after the completion of Data Mine that everything I had was in place.

As a result, this is a very important chapter, one that not only concludes the story arc started in Deviants but marks a turning point for the series as a whole. It also serves to bring both our protagonists and their enemies into direct conflict while revealing a lot more about both. Finally, it's a chance to write some rather exotic ideas that I've never tried before, and finally name a character who's been hanging around for quite some time.

(Once you're done, go back to the prior chapters and see if you can spot them)

Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - Data Mine

Title: Tales of the Mimetic Badarses - Data Mine
Series: Battletech/Mechwarrior
Originally Published: May 2013, Classic Battletech Forums

Following on from Deviants, the next part of the Mimetic Badarses series continues the investigation into the secrets hidden behind the main storyline and those involved. Following on from leads they picked up in prior chapters, our alleged heroes go searching for the truth behind what's been going on since day one. And along the way, there's the inevitable giant robot violence.

Hmm, I seem to have run out of things to say. Huh.