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Six-going-on-seven years later and it's still impossible to forget the first impression I had of Rednal. When I considered joining the old Bleach:Elites Roleplay after Ryo had done months before me, I was warned and told stories over and over about one RP'er in particular that I should always avoid...he was like the 'Bleach: Elites Boogeyman'...powerful, insufferable characters with an even more insufferable player. That player, of course, was Rednal. And the character was...the eponymous Rednal, Vizard holed up in his own Sanctuary in Hueco Mundo. Rednal the character was neither the strongest (Tin) nor was Rednal the player the most disliked (that was Umikage...yes, Rednal was stealing his thunder far before I made it a meme), but the other two could be tolerated in their own measure. Rednal, however, I was warned to just stay away from unless I wanted to be frustrated to Hell and back.

...This turned out to be mostly true. His custom skills were legendarily overpowered, his requests once I became a moderator continuously pushed the boundaries, and when I started Bleach:Vendetta after our split from Elites, he was one of the toughest members to police in terms of character balancing and in-character unpredictability. He had a tendency to be overly showy, and never missed the chance to show up the likes of the moderator staff whenever he could...to my enduring frustration, as it felt at times like I was more the enemy than a fellow roleplayer to him.

...

But a funny thing began to happen around the time Kaoru and Rednal had their first (and only) in-character battle (a one-move affair I won...after about a month-long deliberation and negotiation, which was standard if you ever intended to convince Rednal that he had lost in anything)...I started to get a better understanding of my longtime 'adversary'. And in small ways...like the way his outlandish custom skills helped to push and further establish boundaries for such skills...his contributions became almost invaluable. His characters were always available, his experience made him an excellent mentor to talk to new members, and his willingness to compromise and talk about the troublesome things...if you treated him like a human being, granted...were all qualities valuable to me as the Captain and as an RP'er.

Eventually, though a lot of people might have had their doubts, I felt like I could actually co-exist with the 'Bleach:Elites Boogeyman'. But it wasn't until a certain pairing of master and pupil that I began to truly consider him to be my friend.

...

That's right, while you all know Kyouji Kuzunoha X as a mentor here in P4:FES - The Golden, back in the day...it was Rednal who taught her, then 'Gord', another Vizard in Hueco Mundo. Notorious as the strongest and most independent Vizard in the Guild for a long time, Rednal was a mentor that I had to seek out once Gord came onto the scene...someone she had to respect, to learn from. Gord...same image, same general personality as our Kyouji...made quick friends with Rednal through her admiration of him and unwillingness to kiss his a** at the same time. He didn't coddle her, nor did he treat her like a child...merely as a student at the least, a friend at the best.

RP'ing with the Boogeyman turned out to be a blast (when we weren't trying to use our Bankai to blast one another out of existence)...so much that the character eventually had to return to this Guild (even if she no longer knows Rednal)...only with a little added personality for her new role. In fact, it might not be a stretch to say that a lot of the 'mentor' aspect of Kyouji's personality was...in part...inspired by her mentor in the days of 'Bleach:Vendetta'.

...

In the years that have passed since that rough first impression, the dynamic of my relationship with Rednal has changed dramatically...from avoidance to acceptance to annoyance to admiration. But even as things change, there's one adjective pertaining to him and this Guild which cannot be disputed...invaluable.

And more than that, beyond the roleplay, beyond the characters...there is only one word which comes to mind to accurately describe the person behind the RP as well...in spite of all the debates, the disagreements, the lolicon memes and so on...seven years on since that strange first impression.

And that word is this...

Friend.


HAPPY REDNAL APPRECIATION DAY!

Memory of Rednal

I remember the early days, and I also remember my first impression of Rednal, it was a mixture of uncertainty and mild dislike. In a few cases that dislike came from his attempts to exploit loopholes in the system (Which he still tries to do to this day, I might add. XD ) and his constant aloofness about it. This feeling would ease over time, but remain non the less.

That was until Summoners were introduced to the guild and I expressed an interest in playing one of the Kuzunoha, only to find out that all of the titles were already taken, at that point Rednal and myself talked at length about my options, and in the end he helped me build one of my most loved characters in the guild, Asuka.

Before very long at all, Asuka became involved with Rednal the character, and things snowballed from there. My apprehensiveness about Rednal quickly vanished over the next few weeks after Asuka's introduction. The two of us began to chat about anything and everything, and over time, built a very strong friendship.
In the years since then, he's helped me out more times than I can remember, and has brought me no end of entertainment, both in-guild and out.
And today, he's one of the best friends I have ever had, and I truly hope that our friendship continues, even years after our roleplay is finally finished.

I love you, man. You're my buddy no matter what. XD