MARI.

  • Full Name: Marina Leilani Hoku'ana

  • Species: Human (Dragonslayer Bloodline)

  • Age: 16-19

  • Gender: Cis Female

  • Height: 5'1"

  • Place of Birth: Mahana Village,
    Hakolo Island

  • Birthdate: April 19th

  • Place of Birth: Mahana Village,
    Hakolo Island

  • Birthdate: April 19th

  • Voiceclaim: Jessie Mueller
    (Rider, Centaurworld)

  • Fandom: Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

Hailing from the sleepy island village of Mahana, Mari already had big shoes to fill as the grandchild of the famous rider, Red. When a new and mysterious force sends monsters rampaging and the island guardian rathalos away from his lair, Mari becomes swept up in a massive journey to find the cause while raising the infamously known “Razewing Rathalos” from an egg. This great quest would put her bonds with her companions to the test, and forever engrave their names as legends.

— art by @photogenicfirecracker on tumblr.

PERSONALITY.

The last created of nine homunculi, 9 is the very embodiment of curiosity, light and initiative. His insatiable desire to learn and gather new information has sometimes driven him and others into trouble. Luckily, rather than be one to avoid his problems, 9 does what he can to make up for them.He's shown to be somewhat courageous and valiant, volunteering himself to rescue others of his kind even on his lonesome. He puts others before himself, and is willing to pay the ultimate price if it means making things right. His eagerness to face conflict rather than avoid it eventually gains the favor of the other stitchpunks, who eventually regard him as a leader.Abrasive, athletic and tough, Mari beholds a strong enthusiasm and determinedness for the things that she tackles, even against her logic and better judgement. She’s the hands-on kind of girl, the type who likes to try things for herself and who runs blindly into situations and sort them out that way. She’s a bit brash on her exterior — a jock. But don’t let that fool you; Mari is still loyal, sensitive and caring to her friends and monsties. Despite her loud and extroverted nature, she’s surprisingly talented with creatures and handles them with gentle care and kindness.Unfortunately, Mari’s hands on, determined nature often causes her to be reckless and impulsive on decisions. She will willingly throw herself into danger, sometimes against the will of others, though in delicate situations she might feel poised to strategize first. Mari does not typically hide her feelings towards others,but deep down, she’ll hide her feelings and thoughts about herself. Mari is sometimes self-sabotaging as the result of self-doubt, implanted in her for standing in the shadow of her grandfather and being tasked with a responsibility that many do not trust her to carry rightly, including herself. She has a weird way of trying to cope; by throwing herself into her work or her fears in hopes of proving herself wrong, for better or for worse.Toward her enemies, Mari is known to hold strong grudges. She can be particularly violent, bitter and cold, and loves to throw punches just as much as she throws insults. She is incredibly protective of her companions and unwaveringly fierce. Mari has not once backed down from a fight out of terror.Other quirks include a general slight lack of personal space (typical of Mahanians, who sometimes greet each other by holding each others’ faces.) Her rough playfulness that includes light punches, an enjoyment of all things cute (provided they aren’t annoying,) and her trademark cool smirk.

ABILITIES AND SKILLS.

  • MONSTER RIDING AND HANDLING: An almost natural talent for the people of her region, Mari has proven to be a talented monster rider and handler. She treats her companions as family and ensures they are in good care, and over the course of her journey, both her kinship and her ability to understand their emotions (especially with her rathalos,) only strengthens. Mari has inherited her grandfather’s talent and it shows.

  • MONSTER TELEPATHY: It is said that Mari’s grandfather, Red, possessed the ability to hear the voices of monsters. This is a talent that Mari did not inherit, but rather, began to develop over the course of her journey as a rider, especially with the Razewing Rathalos. While she cannot hear ‘voices’ the way that Red supposedly could, she is very in tune with their emotions and grasps a decent understanding of the meanings behind them.

  • BASIC SURVIVAL SKILLS: Mari possesses basic survival skills, the things needed for long nights spent outside of settlements, situations for when rations are low and when rest needs to be taken. This includes making campfires, hunting, cooking, boiling water, and making basic tools and weapons. Although, having her monsties around certainly makes these things easier.

  • WEAPON HANDLING: Mari is comfortable brandishing large weapons to defend herself and others from large monsters. She is particularly skilled with a hammer and favors a greatsword, but will use a bow and arrow if necessary. She’s not very good with a gunlance or a horn.

  • ENHANCED STRENGTH AND DURABILITY: A trait shared by all riders and hunters of her race, Mari is stronger and more durable than the average human. She’s nowhere near befitting of ‘superhuman,’ but as a result of being descended from ancient dragonslayers, she is physically more capable than a regular human being. Mari can take a lot more hits and survive more intense conditions as a result of this.

  • ATHLETICISM: Mari is physically fit and well-built. She might not be very flexible, but her fitness has allowed her to do some pretty crazy stunts, such as leaping off of a tower jump on a departing airship (with a little help from Navirou.) She can throw a pretty good punch and knows basic martial fighting. Kyle has a mark on his nose to prove it.

  • OTHER TALENTS: Has a good singing voice, picked up some basic tracking skills from Reverto, likes to make little accessories. Cannot draw or dance to save her life.

HISTORY.

Her birth signified a new chapter in the legacy of the legendary monster rider, Red. Mari was born in Red’s childhood village of Mahana, on Hakolo Island. Though her parents loved her dearly, they would not live long enough to see her grow, as they both died tragically when Mari was too young to remember. Hence, she was raised by her grandfather for her first few years of life. Then, that too changed. Mari’s memory is hazy, but she recalls her grandfather departing on his beloved Rathalos when she was only four years old. Weeks later, word carried that Red had passed. From then on, Mari was taken in by Chief Gara and raised by him and the rest of her village.Mari never got to know how her grandfather died, but she heard tales of his achievements for all of her childhood. Like most other Mahana children, she was swept into the tradition of monster riding and began her training at a young age. It was a duty that she aspired to take up, after her beloved grandfather who she continued to look up to and who she dearly missed.Gradually, the wounds from a lack of closure over Red’s death healed. At the age of fourteen, Mari took the next step in her training and found a Pukei-Pukei egg that she would hatch as a Rite of Passage for Mahana monster riders. This Pukei-Pukei, she named Chama, and they spent the next three years together strengthening their bond while Mari continued her training. It was also during those first three years that Mari eventually hatched her second monstie egg, another Pukei-Pukei called Chunma.Mari became a fully-fledged rookie rider at seventeen, and as a result, began proper fieldwork with her mentor, long-time friend Kayna. It was at this time, however, that strange events began to occur; on the night of the annual Rathalos Festival, the sky and the sea turned red, and all of the island’s Rathalos, including the guardian that once belonged to Mari’s grandfather, fled. Tension began to rise between local riders and visiting hunters from the mainland, who reportedly entered the Island Guardian's sacred lair without permission.Mari began fieldwork training the next day, at the behest of Chief Gara. The following days would be filled with a series of strange events, like an odd felyne named Navirou, violent monsters, and a raging Anjanath with glowing eyes. As the strange occurrences grew, Mari soon encountered a young wyverian girl who bestowed upon her Red’s kinship stone, and a blood red Rathalos egg.Believing that the egg would be safe in her hands, Mari set out with Navirou and the wyverian, called Ena. The trio would begin a quest that would change their lives forever…

VERSES.

  • POST GAME. The defeat of the apocalyptic beast Oltura marks a new age for riders and monsters alike, thanks to the heroic efforts of Mari and her legendary Rathalos. Their destinies fulfilled, they are crowned the new Champions of Mahana. Mari’s adventures are not over just yet though, and life is busy on Hakolo Island in the wake of the chaos caused by the Wings of Ruin.

  • MID-GAME. What once began as her first day as a fully fledged rider, ends up with her becoming swept in a great mission to save the world. Joined by a strange feline named Navirou and a kind wyverian called Ena, Mari becomes burdened with the responsibility of raising the infamous “Razewing Ratha” from an egg while investigating a strange anomaly that has monsters rampaging all across the world. As she unwinds the legend of the young Rathalos, so too does Mari meet new friends and enemies along the way.

  • POKEMON. In which Mari has found herself stranded in a new world, complete with a host of brand new wildlife. Determined to return to her home and reunite with her monsties, Mari must learn to brave and survive this new land, while stopping a calamity that might soon befall it. SEE HERE FOR IN-DEPTH LORE.

  • PRE-GAME. Mari is a young rider-in-training, following in the footsteps of her famous grandfather while growing up in the sleepy seaside village of Mahana. As she grows as a novice rider, expectations of her future are placed on her shoulders by her fellow villagers. Mari certainly has big shoes to fill.

  • MHS3. Set in a timeline where the events of MHS2 occur shortly before the Rift War, Mari and Ratha inexplicably disappear from the world right around the time of the beginning of the Encroachment. Two hundred years later, a strange girl and her even stranger rathalos is found and resuscitated from the confines of an egg quartz. With little memory as to how she had gotten trapped in the first place, Mari struggles to find her bearings in a vastly changed world, and cope with many of her friends and loved ones long gone.

  • HONKAI STAR RAIL. Months after defeating Oltura, Mari is inexplicably separated from her beloved monsties and finds herself injured and weak on the decks of the Xianzhou Loufu. Taken in by General Jing Yuan, she grapples with her shortcomings and seeks to become stronger in an effort to find and protect her Ratha. SEE HERE FOR IN-DEPTH LORE.