#xcom Lost

[xcommatriarch]

Projecting more stuff onto my self-insert Commander o'clock!

I'd imagine she'd get as much into reading after her coma, as I am now, reigniting my love for books after a long hiatus in my late teen years. Considering her chaotic surroundings, it would make a nice hobby to unwind. Given, I also imagine she'd have to read them on her tablet - it's not like paper books are as easy to come by after the invasion anyway. But maybe it's for the best?

After all, the last thing she needs is her staff wondering why their Commander loves "housewife-tier-romance-books" so much.

[kerri-the-skunk]

The fact that XCOM 2 doesn't have a gore mod is frankly homophobic

[fivzen]

I got sad about ARG Preservation again today

[biggaybunny]

Games I Don't Hear Anyone Talk About, So I'm Going To Talk About Them

There's no rhyme or reason to the order here, and maybe these games do have fanbases I've just missed! But that's the premise, here we go:

The vibes to me are like, if Celeste were a metroidvania. It has exceptional platforming mechanics that are easy to learn, hard to master, and a colorful and expansive map that rewards exploration. The characters are all adorable too.

A horde survival game a la vampire survivors with a stark and effective color palette. It has tons of atmosphere and the characters offer actual differences in playstyle from one another. I admittedly haven't put too many hours into this because it's tough as nails, but I still recommend it.

A choose-your-own-adventure VN with a light card battling element, I Was A Teenage Exocolonist was both comfy and a little melancholic about finding happiness and meaning in times of change and strife. It'll take you some time to uncover the full story, and I found myself doing four or five repeat playthroughs without feeling the repetition because there are so many branching routes to take. Also, while you can opt out of the card battling to focus on the story experience, mastering it is a lot of fun!

Have you ever thought to yourself "The only thing wrong with XCOM is that I wasn't playing as a group of weird superpowered teens, also I need the plot to be more JRPG, also there weren't enough auxiliary mechanics for me to get lost in"? Have you ever wanted to see a teenage girl roundhouse kick a man so hard he catches fire?

What if SimCity was set in the future, and also made by insane people? I admit, this game has a learning curve, and is niche. But if you're as much a fan of citybuilders as I am, this is a gem. This isn't a sandbox city builder, but doesn't follow the format of traditional guided city builders. But if you do succeed, the art style and level of detail makes regarding your successful metropolis all the more rewarding

It's part battle chess and part deck builder, and all fun. Lots of combat styles to pick from as you work your way through ridiculous odds. Not much plot, but a good game for people who like games like Slay The Spire and Monster Train.

I think those are my top games I don't see talked about. Hope someone finds this interesting, but tbh, I just had fun talking about these. There's more I could add, but I could be here all day if I wanted to. There's just so much out there, I don't know why anyone's buying price-gouging triple-a games when you can get hundreds of hours out of a title asking less than twenty bucks.

[kenthedm-inspiration]

XCOM: The War You Lost

XCOM, metanarrative, and ethical choices. How far will you go to save humanity?

[raymantogether]

Rayman Together Community Spotlight #2 - Rabbid Edge!

Foreword:

If you haven't already played Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle or Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, the game was published by Ubisoft exclusively for Nintendo Switch and is an action-adventure turn-based strategy game developed by Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Paris. Prior to the Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle reveal at E3 2017, the game surfaced online and was met with criticism and skepticism from the wider gaming community. The artwork leaked online depicted Mario and friends alongside their Rabbid counterparts with large blasters. The prospect of Mario with the Rabbids was a nightmare for a lot of people. Following the success of Rayman Raving Rabbids, the Rabbids had slowly declined in popularity. The Rabbids were annoying and boring and had lost their humor. Nintendo, who have strongly held their licenses for Mario, has rarely ever collaborated with other videogame companies. Furthermore, Nintendo has always encouraged a family-friendly and positive environment. The prospect of Mario with weapons was alien to a lot of people. Ubisoft finally revealed Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle at E3 2017; the game went on to become a huge success. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was released on August 29th, 2017 and went on to sell over 10 million copies in over six years. A sequel, Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope, was revealed at E3 2021 and released on October 20th, 2022. Despite the game initially not exceeding Ubisoft sales expectations, the game went on to sell over three million as of January 2024. This was another remarkable success for the teams at Ubisoft Milan and Paris. Both games were well received and were critically acclaimed. 

If you haven't already, I implore you to pick up both games. The Mario + Rabbids series is personally one of the most refreshing titles from Ubisoft in a generation. The game oozes personality and charm thanks to its charismatic and energetic character design and animations. The soundtracks for both games are composed by the amazing Grant Kirkhope, who is responsible for some of the most creative music in the industry. Needn't I say more? The world design is intricate, creative, and a real pleasure to explore. I thoroughly enjoyed the heartfelt, exciting, and fun story, which gripped me from beginning to end in both stories. The development teams did a remarkable job of capturing both the look and personality from the worlds of both the Rabbids and Mario and bringing it to life. The game is gorgeous thanks to the Snowdrop Engine, which has been executed brilliantly on the Nintendo Switch. Ubisoft has somehow managed to compliment Mario with the Rabbids extraordinarily well. This is something I never imagined possible. Both games are very similar to those of the XCOM and Fire Emblem series. I love strategy games, and I have sunk hours into both titles. I found the gameplay rewarding, clever, and at times a real challenge for tacticians. There are plenty of creative options with gameplay thanks to various choices of weapons, skills, and characters. The gameplay possibilities are endless. My favorite game in the series is definitely Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope, as it offers so much more opportunities for world-building and exploration. The game allows for more creative gameplay choices through movement and freedom of choice, including the addition of the Sparks. However, the most important reason Sparks of Hope is my favorite game in the series is because Ubisoft Milan brought back Rayman. 

At Ubisoft Forward in 2022 Ubisoft Milan Creative Director Davide Soliani revealed to the World their plan to bring back Rayman as part of the season pass for Mario Rabbids Sparks Of Hope. The third story expansion called Rayman In The Phantom Show released on August 30th 2023. The DLC stars Rayman alongside Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Peach as they are invited to the mysterious Space Opera Network by the fan favourite villain the Phantom. The Phantom who has renounced his villainy for fame needs help from Rayman and the Rabbids to help restore the poor ratings and viewings to his TV Space Station.  Rayman, Rabbid Peach And Rabbid Mario adventure across Western, Pirate and Medieval sets as part of the Phantoms ambitious plan for revenge. The team at Ubisoft did an extraordinary job of bring back Rayman to life. Rayman has never looked and felt so alive. You get a real sense that Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Paris love Rayman from this short but jam packed adventure. Rayman In The Phantom Show pays tribute to the Rayman series through acknowledgement of his almost 30 Year history. In every stage you can find card board references from various Rayman Games. The combat fatigues  from Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc make a spectacular return with Rayman offering plenty of gameplay variety on the battlefield. Both the vortex and rocket costumes look better then ever and are brilliant both in design and how you can use them. The weapons are crafted with plenty of attention to detail with references in design to Ly The Fairy, Teensies, Rayman Raving Rabbids and more. I particularly am fond of the plum turrets. If Nintendo ever work collaborate with Ubisoft again I would love to see Rayman in Super Smash Bros with the Plum Turrets. The soundtrack for the DLC Is composed by Grant Kirkhope and Christopher Heral. The genius Christopher Heral responsible for both soundtracks for Rayman Origins and Legends returns for Rayman In The Phantom Show. If you listen closely you can hear brilliant renditions from various games. David Gasman also reprises his role in Rayman In The Phantom Show. If you have played the earlier Rayman games you will be familiar of his work. I thoroughly enjoyed this DLC and it has left me with wanting so much more. I would love to see Ubisoft Milan work on Rayman again in the future. If you're new to the series or a Rayman fan and have liked everything you have read so far I strongly encourage you to pick up Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Sparks Of Hope including the season pass. 

Interview:

To celebrate both Rayman's 29th anniversary this weekend and the anniversary of Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope DLC Rayman In The Phantom Show, I am delighted to feature Anna as part of this special community spotlight.

You may know Anna as RabbidEdge from both the Rayman and the Mario Rabbids community. Anna is an extremely passionate, kind, and caring individual with a yearning to help create a positive environment in the community. Anna is renowned for her creative cosplays of Rabbid Edge, Rayman, and more. Anna enjoys creating artwork and has a passion for telling stories. I am delighted to feature and show you more about Anna in this brilliant and really insightful spotlight.

Anna has been extremely open and honest about some very serious and sensitive subjects in this spotlight about her personal health and wellbeing. I encourage you all to be polite and respectful. 

Please introduce yourself:

"Hi everyone, My name's Anna. I am 37 years old (but I've never lost my inner child) and living with my husband, our four kids, three cats, and nine chickens in a village in Austria. I am working as a pharmacist, enjoying helping people every day. Last year I started two new hobbies: cosplaying and drawing digitally. Since that, I am also sharing my creations on social media like Instagram, X, or Tumblr."

Tell us something funny or interesting about yourself?

"I have always been a very creative, extroverted, and energetic person. Even as a child, I loved to draw, invent stories or songs, and to tape-record them together with friends or to play little theater sketches for our families. Many times we dressed up as our favorite anime- or video game characters, singers, or just some elves or Vikings. I wouldn´t call it cosplay, and most costumes were just a mix of old fancy dresses and things we found in the wardrobe of our grandparents, but we always had a lot of fun, and my heart is warming with joy when I think about these times... However, things change, life happens, and so having babies, a house, and animals had kept me quite busy (but happy!) for almost 9 years. I had lost my former self somewhere between household, work, and trying the best to be a good mom. Then came Edge.."

How do you like to spend your free time?

"Free time—what's that? Haha! I don't know this, for I always have a lot on my plate! But I think, you mean the time when I am not at work or busy with mom-duties. I am spending most of these hours crafting and sewing new cosplays or improving old ones, shooting them in various sceneries, editing the photos and videos I took for my social media, doodling and drawing Rabbids-stuff, posting my finished work and stories on Instagram, X and co, replying to dms and comments or supporting other artists.

Furthermore, I am a very active person, feeling the need to exercise every day or to at least go for a walk or ride my bike. Music is also a very important part of my life! I enjoy listening to it while I am doing a workout or working on a drawing.

Music inspires me! When I look at my art or cosplay- pictures, I immediately remember the song that brought me into the mood for its creation, that I listened to during the process, or that I used in my Instagram stories for its posting. I am also singing in a choir, by the way.

There is much more I would love to do, like playing video games or reading. The only problem is that my days only have 24 hours. I used to say that I am living two lives with the time of just one."

What made you fall in love with the Mario Rabbid Series?

"To be honest, it was my oldest daughter! She has never been interested in TV shows for kids like Paw Patrol, etc. Instead, she likes to watch game streams on YouTube, and there she discovered Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. She enjoyed watching these streams so much that she wanted to play the game herself, so she got it as a gift on St. Nicholas Day in 2022. However, it was quite challenging for her, and so my husband started to play it with our kids and me watching him. I can remember that I always did my workout on a fitness mat on the floor while he was playing, and it was quite entertaining to watch him! I was surprised by the cute designs of the characters and levels and by its unique gameplay, which is totally different from other games I had played before—and really addictive! So we often ended up playing till late at night, saying “Just one more battle!” again and again. Even if I hadn't played the game myself at the beginning, I already loved it! Oh, and then came Edge...and made my love for this game and Mario+Rabbids in general go through the roof! I couldn´t think about anything else than Edge and Rabbids the whole day long! I started to play myself, always having Edge as the leader of my team, searched for fan art and fan fiction, and slowly stumbled into the fandom. Oh, and I still play Sparks of Hope when I find time for it! I consider this game a real masterpiece! Ubisoft poured so much love into every detail! I love everything about it, from the backstory to the funny voice-lines or to the amazing soundtrack! And I enjoy the “found-family" dynamics of the hero team so much, OMG!!! With this game, Ubisoft managed to make me fall in love with Rabbids, not only with Edge but with Rabbids in general."

What is your favorite Mario Rabbids game, and who is your favorite character?

"That's quite a simple question to answer. Of course, to be honest, I haven't played Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle yet. Shame on me! I already have the game at home, but all the time I thought about starting it, I ended up playing Sparks of Hope instead. Of course I wanted to see my beloved Edge.

Furthermore, Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope will always have a special meaning for me, as it distracted me from health problems that were bothering me a lot at this time. At the beginning of December 2022, I had to wait for a medical appointment in order to check if I would suffer from cancer. I tried to not let the possibility of receiving a bad diagnosis overwhelm me—something easier said than done. So watching and playing Sparks of Hope with my family made me forget this sorrow for a moment. It cheered me up in a difficult time of my life. As I one evening found myself thinking about what I would want to do before death, if I would have just some months left to live, I realized that I wouldn't want to go on a big journey or party hard or so. Instead, I would want to spend the last moments with my family, doing what we already did every evening—sitting and playing together. This thought made me feel calm and peaceful, blessed and grateful. So Sparks of Hope became for me what its name promises: a spark of hope. With that, it will always be my favorite Mario+Rabbids game!

However, I am sure that Kingdom Battle is a great game as well! I have only heard good things about it, and I am familiar with its characters and plot. I finally need to get into it myself...

Oh, and my favorite character is- surprise, surprise—Edge! But to be honest, I like them all! No matter if it's Rabbid Peach, Bwario, Kanya, or Rayman. I couldn't pick a single character of the series that I totally couldn't stand."

What made you fall in love so much with Rabbid Edge, and what is your inspiration behind your artwork and comic series?

"I have to laugh at this question; of course I could fill a whole book with this answer! Haha! I will try to be brief. I can remember the first time I saw Edge. It was in December 2022 as I watched my husband play Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope—the well-known cutscene of her first appearance. God, just thinking about it makes me shiver in excitement! This epic scene instantly made me fall in love with her! It was as if Ubisoft had poured all the characteristics that make my heart flutter into this little rabbit! To explain this further: I am a sucker for mysterious characters, which hide a kind heart behind their badass attitude. I love mighty swords, spiky hair, sharp teeth, gothic clothes, the colors green and purple, and deep, striking voices. On top of all, give that character a dark backstory, and I am hooked! The combination of these attributes made me fall for Edge. I couldn't help it! Neither have I chosen to feel this way nor have I ever thought that it would be possible to develop true love for a fictional character! However, I thought the best thing would be to welcome these beautiful feelings and to make full use of this newfound energy. So I started to work on the art of Edge and different scenes of the game, including a comic about her tragic past and the battle against Cursa.

I also wanted to dress up as Edge for the carnival  but found out that there isn't any costume of her or Rabbids in general. This was when I decided to sew one myself. With that, my cosplay journey began. I thought that if no one has ever made a cosplay of Edge before, I had to be the one to bring her to life, even if I had no idea what I was doing. Looking at the first photos I took of her makes me smile. Some look really funny and weird, but I can remember how strong, confident, and sexy I felt in these moments. And hey, every journey has to start with a first step! Since then, I have learned a lot. I have improved my skills, bought more tools and materials, worked over my cosplay again and again, altered and exchanged parts, and developed this alter ego of Rabbid Edge for me and my social media. Still, I am quite a newbie, and there is always room for improvement!

I am so grateful that I got to know Edge; of course she made me find myself again and, at the same time, discover another me. She made me feel like more than just a mom again. She made me feel attractive and love my body again. She made me get creative and go wild and crazy. She made me play again; she made me dream again and go far beyond my imagination! And she made me get to know so many new amazing people! I owe her so much. I owe Ubisoft so much! I feel so grateful and full of love that I would want to hug everyone of my followers and of the great people that worked on Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope!

The main inspiration for my work comes from the game itself, for it provides a quite mature and exciting backstory and interesting characters but leaves room for further assumptions and interpretation. But of course official concept art, headcanons, and drawings of other fans inspire me a lot too! And sometimes a new idea comes to my mind while I am on a walk or listening to music."

If you could live in any world from the Mario Rabbids Series, where would you live?

"I would choose Melodic Gardens! I love its biome with the tropical forest, exotic flowers, and the flooded ruins. Everything looks so beautiful and mystical. Furthermore, I like the cute and peaceful Rabbids, that live here and the symphonies that fill the air of this planet. And I would love to meet Allegra! She is so cute and majestic."

Who would be at your dream Mario Rabbids Party?

"Wow, it's really hard to select three out of all the great characters, but I think I would take Edge, Rayman, and Rabbid Peach. Edge, course she's Edge, hey! Rayman, course he is my childhood hero, who—together with Super Mario—made me start to play video games, and Rabbid Peach, course she is sassy and crazy, and course I always need a healer in my party!"

What made you fall in love with the Rayman series?

"You have to know that I grew up loving Rayman! He was my childhood hero! For my ten-year-old me, Rayman was cool, Rayman was fun, and Rayman was Ubisoft.

As I was a little kid, my family had no computer or game console. My brother and I knew video games just from our cousins or neighbors. I can remember how we often bought gaming magazines and looked at them, wishing that we were able to play these games ourselves. And when there was something of Rayman in it, we went, Ah, look, Rayman, so cool!!! He somehow fascinated us. At the age of 9, we got a Game Boy for Christmas; at the age of 12, a Dreamcast. This was a dream come true for us! There was a demo disc coming with it that also had a demo of Rayman 2 on it. We immediately played and loved it! I don't know how many times we played this demo! It must have been a few hundred times or so! One day we received the full version of the game, and from this time on, Rayman accompanied us nearly every day. We played it again and again! I can remember that I even had a crush on Rayman! I loved his cool attitude, his crazy hair, and his voice. I drew him a lot, wrote songs about him, and even dressed up as him—just for fun. Later we also played the Rayman Game Boy Color Game and Rayman 3, as an adult also Rayman M, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Rayman Origins, and Rayman Legends. 

But Rayman also has a deeper meaning for my brother and me. Our childhood wasn't easy. We have experienced things that no kid, no one should ever witness. Rayman, and playing games in general, helped us to escape from reality, when there was only fear and violence waiting for us. I can remember that we had so much fun and laughed a lot despite the difficult circumstances we were raised under. Rayman and Ubisoft distracted us, were there for us, when there was no light in real life...Last year I thanked the people of Ubisoft Milan for this. I thanked them for having always been there for me for nearly all my life.

Today I am a happy and positive person. I have reached everything I ever wanted. I have learned to make the best of every situation, no matter how bad it may seem. I have learned that everything happens for a reason, even if we cannot understand it in a certain moment. This is why I am not sad or angry about the things that happened to me as a child. I am grateful; of course, all these things made me become the person I am today.

However, when I think about my tragic past, I realize that I may have more in common with Edge than I'd like. I feel connected with her. I understand her. I feel her."

What is your favorite cosplay you have designed?

"This is a difficult question. Of course, every cosplay I have made so far has aspects I like but also something I dislike, and there are various ways to rate them. I would say that the cosplays I enjoy to wear the most—or I “am feeling” the most—are definitely Edge and Kanya. When I dress up as them, I am really becoming the character! I look into the mirror and think,Yeah, baby!” But considering my craftsmanship skills, I think Barbara from Rayman Legends is my best cosplay so far. As a cosplay newbie, I am still learning and improving. Therefore, I am also working over my older cosplays again and again. I have changed Edge's wig so many times, I have stopped counting. And soon I want to do the fourth sword for her. Edge will always be my number one!

I am also happy that I managed to do a Rayman (and Ramon) cosplay! It´s for sure not perfect, and I have to work over the photos with Photoshop to remove my limbs, but dressing up as him makes my inner child scream with joy!

Furthermore, the “play" factor in “cosplay” is very important for me! I don´t just buy cosplays, put them on, take a photo, and toss them away again. I love to bring my characters to life, to think about how they would act and talk, and to cosplay them in alternative outfits and different situations, like the wedding of Edge and Midnite or my Christmas- or Easter-shooting."

What cosplays are you planning on in the future?

"I am currently working on a new project: I am creating my own protogen and therefore sewing a fursuit. It's not really cosplay; of course it won't be a certain character. I'd rather call it a fursona or OC. But I am excited to work on it; of course it is something totally different from what I have done so far, and I think it will look really cool in the end!

Despite that, I want to make a cosplay of Hiiragi Utena from the anime “Gushing over Magical Girls." I have already bought the fabric for it.

Furthermore, the idea of making a Cursa-cosplay (Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope) won't go out of my mind! I would love to create a sensual version of her true form, wearing a long cloak and her white mask, but maybe also showing some skin... Yeah, I think I will have to get this one started next...

And of course I will always work on further Edge content! I will improve parts of her cosplay, and I will think of new outfits and shootings. I already have a special scenery in mind; I want to shoot in autumn."

Tell us about your time at Ubisoft Milan.

"Last year in September I was granted to meet my beloved Edge—or better—the amazing artists and creators of Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope at Ubisoft Milan. It was a dream come true for me! After enjoying their games and admiring their work for so long, I was finally able to hug them and thank them for everything they have gifted us players so far. I still can't believe how lucky I was! My visit there was a blast in every way! I was able to take a look at the “holy halls," to shake hands with all these kind people I had known only from social media or the credits of their games, and to get to know more about Edge's creation and her backstory. Furthermore, we had lunch together, took a lot of cool and funny photos, and talked about the hard work in the gaming industry, my cosplay work, but also private things. And as if this hadn´t been enough, I received many gifts, like the art book or Spark-plushies for my kids and special drawings that were made for me during my visit.

I have to admit that before my visit I had been very excited! But everyone was so nice, polite, and cute! I felt like meeting and talking to long-known friends. The fear was gone, and laughter and joy filled the air. They welcomed me so heartily, and I immediately felt comfortable among these amazing people. I am so grateful that for this unique moment I was granted to be part of their "family." I will keep the memories of my visit as an eternal treasure in my heart."

Thank you so much, Anna, for being a part of the Rayman Together community spotlight. It was amazing to read about yourself and discover more about you. If you are interested in finding out more about Anna, I have included links to her social media account below. Please follow and support her.

[sophiebaybey]

We took some hits last stream. We nearly even lost THE SKULL. We gotta lock tf in to TAKE EARTH BACK.

IT'S ANOTHER XCOM MONDAY!!!

🟣 LIVE NOW!!!

[thetreasuregoblin]

Some random thoughts on previous eras in Numenera

First world: that's us! The cyberpunk future happens here. The end of this era brings some off-world habitation but mostly for research and mining purposes. Corporations and nations compete for stakes. Influences: Blade Runner, cyberpunk novels/movies, Infest the Rats Nest

Second World: grimy pre-FTL sci-fi. Colonies on Mars and the moons of Jupiter. Mining on Venus and the asteroid belt. Limited extra-solar travel, generation ships and cryogenics. Planetary identities start to form. Influences: The Expanse, Firefly, RimWorld.

Third World: shiny 50s-70s sci-fi. FTL invented, but it's still pretty slow. Human culture is tied heavily to planet/moon/ship of birth. Limited contact with extraterrestrials, expansive off-world colonization. Influences: Lost in Space and it's ilk, some early Star Trek, Flash Gordon

Fourth world: Alien empire invades Earth. A couple sci-fi genres happening at once. Humanity fractured between the enslaved solar system, recent Terran colonies cut off from their home system, and old Second World colonies starting to make contact with the greater universe. Influences: XCOM 2, Star Control 2, Homeworld and various other sci-fi strategy games

Fifth World: New Earth Federation. Terran colonies, with aid from alien allies and Earth rebels, overthrow the Aliens ruling Earth and establish a new federation with help from salvaged imperial tech their alien allies. FTL travel is streamlined and in frequent use. Nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence and gene-modification see their advent here. Influences: XCOM: Chimera Squad, Mass Effect, Battlefield Earth, some other stuff probably

Sixth World: Post-Human Revolution. Humanity exists in myraid forms, alongside numerous other sapient beings such as androids, designer vat-grown life, uplifted animals, mutants and aliens. Many of these peoples are afforded lesser rights than "pure" humans, and tensions worsen until they explode. Alien factions take sides, Earth is devastated and sparsely-populated on the surface. A new civilization forms, lead by AI and psionic beings. Influences: Eclipse Phase, a little 40k, any "AI Revolution" media.

Seventh World: Earth Reconstruction. Feeling either a sense of responsibility or ownership, various off-world factions collaborate to restore Earth's ecosystem. The current ruling classes of Earth splinter due to ideological differences. The surface is rendered habitable again thanks to advanced nanotechnology. This era is the source of the Iron Wind, and likely the era in which the sun was stabilized. Earth is "jointly administrated" by a coalition of sapient beings. Earth becomes a sort of trade hub but is functionally a colony. Influences: Dying Earth, Disco Elysium, some other stuff I'm sure

Eighth World: don't have a very functional idea of what this era looked like, other than "humans rule the world again and get mostly cut off from the rest of the universe." Maybe this is when the datasphere is created and a bunch of them fuck off into the Internet dimension.

[bluesod-art]

Heya fellas. Here's one of my XCOM characters adapted into my own art style. Her name is Raspberry and she's a former Templar. The disciplined and calculating daughter of an insane, all-powerful templar only known as "Bananne", she was lost through time and space after a battle with her father and was forced to fight the Elders time and time again for what felt like eternity. She eventually broke free of her timeloop, in the process gaining the power to psionically shift the temporal plane, allowing her to temporarily slow down, rewind, or even completely stop time using her Gift and Templar Focus. She now wanders time and space, in search of her father-- to make amends with him or kill him trying.

[etherealvoidechoes]

I'm feeling a bit evil.

👎for Thaddeuas.

"👎 Is there someone your OC can’t stand, despite them being on the same side or sharing basic values?"

Bradford because the damn man won't give him any peace because that darn Avatar project tracker increased again and he needs someone to look over some reports for the 15th time. Someone's just asking to get their nose broken again.

Kidding! Man, I have to think for this one. I don't think Thaddeus would have had too many issues with the canon XCOM 1 & 2 staff. I would have to think of my OCs he would clash with since I know there would probably be a few. Will just say if you're an alcoholic and not getting that treated, are a sexist, and some other things, he will dislike you strongly even if you're putting in the work for the Resistance.

Overall, he's on good terms to friendly with my other Commanders.

Of course, there would be several soldiers that were pains in the neck he could barely stand, but for most, nothing they did reached the point of him discharging them.

I know any of the Council members that were just highly unreasonable in the beginning and got worse as the war continued he come to despise.

Read more because semi-long.

Hm, back in XCOM 1, I can see him having a lower tolerance for some of Geist's psionic shenanigans(testing and other things) and (somewhat) change in personality which also made him get highly annoyed with Vahlen and the Psionics division for some time as they feed off of each other despite the good results. He's trying to run a military operation not a clown house. That lower tolerance for Geist may continue once he recalls him when they meet again.

Hm, just thinking about it, Asaru would be on his shit list for a little bit once he learns who and why he lost his pilot wings. Part of him understands and knows Asaru didn't mean too much harm from it, but the man will forever be miffed and will ignore him from time to time because of that besides also questioning if that alien was controlling him the whole time back then (though deep within himself he knows Asaru didn't.)

Oh heck, thinking about it, this would be more or so his Chosen version, but Maker would be on the barely stand. But it's very complicated since his current state of being and having that constant devil on his shoulder has him highly volatile around any Elder, including Maker though the two are working together to undermine things. His brain just keeps ticking to the "shut up before I strangle/drain you" whenever Maker is getting philosophical or talking about the hypocrisy of his brethren.

I won't really continue on with his Chosen self since for his story he doesn't get the "proper" conversion like Jynn(and maybe the other two) as he will be a double-agent since his "conversion." But him and Hunter are besties.

[s-milesart]

workin on the next B team member,,, the read more might be filled with... notes. *distant thunder sfx*

The Penitent Patrician.

"I was always the most… physical of my sisters and brothers. I would, perchance, wager I could take a punch better than them."

Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she traded it in for loose teeth and a split lip. 5th in line for a mining maganate’s empire of dirt, she knows how to navigate the cloak and dagger of the upper-class and rough and tumble of the lower blocks.

oh god

notes.

see, one little hole in lucille's plan is that they really can't deal with the nobles of the lands. not a single nun or priest living at The Abbey can tolerate em. much less postulate to em to ask pretty please "can they not be a giant fuckhead during the end of the world please thanks."

they don't know what the fuck is in that rich people water, but fuck me these people are borderline sociopathic. see, this is where our penitent patrician comes into play.

she knows these kinds of people. she was RAISED to be one. unlike em, being a more worldly person requires a bit more than buying up trinkets and baubles of dead societies and heartsink events.

you can't buy a heart, after all.

so see, this is where she comes into play. by the time she enters the story, she's actually 2nd in line for the family business. lo and behold, the other 3 siblings have perished from heartsink related fallout/monsters. {ashlung, getting your caravan destroyed, and died being a hero.]

father's not doing to hot, and so when his flake of a daughter comes rolling back with the Sisters of The End, [Lost Beacon knows about them by now. they really are the only people trying to stop the Heartsink, for good.] father's a little surprised. half expected her to be drowning her short-comings with ale.

The Abbey needs funding. the donations have been very generous, but actual funding would solve right quick the shortcomings of the Sisters.

Better training grounds, city repair work, funding for research and faster rollout time, everything. [think about why XCOM needs funding to fight the aliens! money makes shit happen.]

long and short, I have the stories set up into two parts kinda sorta. Chapters, and Encounters. chapters move the story and build character, encounters spill blood and reinforce characters and themes.

I want side-missions. rich fucks like people that can get shit done. they also like the skulls and trinkets of bad shit out there. they'll pay if The Sisters can get some shit done. something small that I can sketch out during the slow days of me writing heartsink. [btw almost done outlining part 1, part 2 and 3! i have so much written for part 1 it's almost done for the art stage!]

something that'll allow me to showcase more of the world and it's people. more monsters and how the people deal with/cope with their existence.

[v1leblood]

also XCOM 2's canon means that Zhang either didn't exist or XCOM had him and still fucking lost somehow

xcom lost cause they had to do the fucking zhang missions where 17 thin men and 6 mutons gangbang you while youre desperately trying to finish researching laser weapons

[xcommatriarch]

I was originally planning to make some headcanons about perfect gifts for the xcom characters, but brain juice is not brain juicing, so allow me to go straight to my Commander. As a treat.

What would a leader of the Resistance like? What does the person with psionic power rivaled only by one of the Elders' need?

Toys, actually. Plushies are definitely her favorite, dolls being a close second.

Wombat was the first to figure that out, actually. As the Commander's first birthday on the Avenger approached, several troops were already discussing possible gifts, like, what do we get her? A mug? Not Wombat, though, my man didn't hesitate a second and just snatched his present while on mission in the Lost territory. What's even more impressive, he managed to bring it back, clean it up and keep it hidden until the day arrived.

Bradford honestly was about to start lecturing Wombat on pulling jokes on his superiors, when the latter gave the Commander a large plush doggo - a Saint Bernard, she assumed. It was a bit worse for wear, some patches here, some stitches there... But it was clearly loved by their previous owner, and, judging by pure, unfiltered happiness on Commander's face as she hugged it, it will be loved for years to come. She even made a little collar for the doggo later.

Hopefully, Central won't ever discover she named the dog Barkford.

[avengercommander]

XCOM OCs list:

Commander Sarah Carter (She/Her): the lead lady herself! Granddaughter of William Carter (yes, *that* William Carter). Got involved with the US military to find out what happened to her grandfather when she uncovered some oddities and was the best candidate for Commander when Enemy Unknown happened as a result.

Ava Connor (They/Them): Gunslinger/Teleporter. Born in the year of the Invasion, after the world had already lost, in Utah, where an odd assortment of factors led to the closest thing to a human government in the wake of ADVENT being constructed on the bones of Utah's government and also the Mormon Church. Ava showed signs of the Gift in their youth and was brought into the government's psionics program, becoming aware of the dark sides of church and state as their own power grows, exploitation with it. Easily my most developed OC but mid-rewrite. Important to my "ADVENT is a cult" angle.

Lukas Connor (He/Him, trans): Necromancer. Ava's little brother, in the same government project. He talks to the dead more than the living, when he talks to anyone at all. Follows in the gunsmithing footsteps of his father while also maintaining an interest in all kinds of theology, hastening his apostasy. Also important to cult themes.

Orion Prescott (He/Him): Telepath. From the same place as Ava, only he was used to comb the thoughts of citizens, hunting sinners and infiltrators. Is heavily overdue a guilt breakdown. Also important to cult themes.

Aubrey Patel: Grenadier. something of an old joke character, she's a gaming YouTuber turned video essayist turned investigative journalist who had to flee an ADVENT city center on account of the investigative journalism. Important to information control themes and propaganda themes as well as explorations of what entertainment is like under ADVENT.

Cassandra (any pronouns, gender is a human thing): Sectoid who realized its observations were being sent directly to deletion in the network and was so incenced its chip gave out. Lives a solitary existence as an informant for the Skirmishers and anyone willing to pay up.

I've only recently started a playthrough of XCOM 2 so I'm sure I'll make some more as we go but this should be enough to start. Not to mention getting my Chosen characterizations down.

[brothrbear]

Lack of Focus

Behr hums to herself as she basks in the mid afternoon sunlight. She looks up at the sky digging her toes into the ground… or at least trying. She lets out a whimper as her toe beans scrape against concrete. Her attention finally snaps away from the warmth on her skin after the small bit of pain. She focuses on the thing shaking her, letting it come into focus.

“Earth to Behr, are you there, cosmonaut?” The pale human shakes her arm, it takes a few moments to fully focus on him. Soft skin, brown fu- hair. Brown hair. And the kindest eyes she could just lose herself in with the warm day and the…

She snorts and shakes herself out of her stupor. “Ah… I'm sorry Carter.” She slaps at her cheeks before stretching a bit. “I just got lost again.”

“It's ok hunny. This is the fourth time today.” He smiles, but Behr can see the way his eyes are dimming. “I'm just making sure you eat your ice cream.”

“Carter…” Behr looks down at the melting sunday under her. Her shadow looms over it and her boyfriend. “I'm really sorry. I don't know what's going on with me, but I'm really trying to stay focused on you.”

“I know you are, but it doesn't make me any less worried.” Carter grabs Behr's paw as she continues to eat her melting ice cream. He brings her paw up to his mouth and gives it a soft kiss. “Now, let's enjoy your day off.”

The two finish their ice cream in awkward silence, Carter then stands up, bringing Behr along with him. The two start to walk down the sidewalk, Carter was sure to avoid any parks on the way as the last time they entered one Behr refused to leave for almost seven hours.

“Ok, so, Slay the Princess is good, but is it better than Tactical Breech Wizards?” Carter asks the plant, distractions like this kept her on track way better than letting her go quiet.

“Mmmm, no, I don't think so.” Behr holds onto Carter’s hand as she ponders it. “I love both of them, but that's like trying to conflate fish and chips and sushi.”

“Ok, you have to explain that. Both games are right up your alley.” He beamed, getting to see Behr fully engaged in their walk.

She continues on as if nothing was different. “Well, both are up my alley. But Slay the Princess is a text adventure that makes me feel existential dread while Tactical Breach Wizards makes me feel existential dread and then has XCOM gameplay and humor straight out of a Brian Regan special.”

“Right, so they're put together well, but one's more refined?”

“Basically. Like, the way that Banks, Dall, and Rion talk about how their powers awoke is just…” Behr shifts a little to the side, pulling Carter with her. “Way better than learning about yourself or the princess.”

Carter notes the step off to the side, but continues with it as Behr didn't take them off track. “Hmmm, makes sense. I really need to play them more.”

“Yeah, you should. By the way, when we get home can I play some of the Batman games that yo-” Behr lets go of Carters hand and flops forward into a massive puddle of muddy water. She continues talking like nothing was odd about her current position.

“Behr?”

“Blub”

“Behr…?”

“Blub blubb blllluuuub”

“BEHR!”

Behr quickly stands up, wiping off her mouth. “What? I know a zombie apocalypse is far fetched but it's fun to try and th-”

“No, hunny… you flopped into mud.” Carter pulls out a rag towel from his backpack and wipes off Behr’s mud covered muzzle.

“Mmmgf… stop, stop!” Behr swats at the human's hands, the towel hooking on some spikes. Behr grabs it and carefully pulls it off of her, balling it up. “Carter! What are you doing?”

“You're covered in mud hun, just let me…”

“No. I'm fine. It makes me feel good.” She looks away from him. “I don't like the concrete…”

“Well, that's fine we can find a different spot to walk where it's smoother.” Carter takes her hand, smiling. “Or we can find a brick path… or a cobblestone one.”

“I…” Behr thinks for a moment then pins her ears back. “I wanna go to the park…”

“Well, no, you remember what happened last time.” Carter pulls Behr out of the way of a few other pedestrians. “Hun, if you're not liking the concrete we can just go find another place to sit.”

“Carter, I just…” Behr stiffens a bit, cheeks turning blue. “Can… Can we go home?”

“Behr, we're having a nice day.” Carter smiles. “It's just cloudy enough to keep you from fully losing yourself.”

“No, Carter… they're staring at us.” Behr nods towards a spot behind her, across the street from them. A small crowd had gathered. A few of the humans had phones pointed at the pair.

Carter nods, pulling Behr into a hug. He grabs onto her paw, wrapping a hand around her finger. They start to walk back to their condo, getting a few more stares and hushed comments as they conclude the journey.

Behr closes the door behind them, quickly latching it shut. She lets out a growl before coming to a seat. Her back leans against the door. “I'm sorry Carter…”

“What are you apologizing for?” Carter asks. “The fact that some jerks were filming you?”

“No. The fact that they were filming you.” Behr drops her head into her lap, holding her knees to her chest. “Because of me… because of the fact I can't control myself… because I made myself into a monster just because I thought it'd make me feel better, because I almost died on you, and beca-”

“Stop that, right now.” Carter takes Behr's right paw in his hands. “I love you, I signed onto all of this when I started dating you and that hasn't changed.”

Behr lifts her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, slowly being reabsorbed into her body. She takes a few moments to process what he's saying before pulling him into a back breaking hug.

Carter chuckles happily, kissing at Behr's sun warmed nose before pulling back and patting her twice on the side. Behr releases him, chuckling a bit.

“Look at me, I'm a blubbering mess all ‘cause of a few cameras…”

“Heh, my big scary beast shouldn't be afraid of some dumb humans.”

“Mmm, that's right my minion of darkness. Your monstrous mistress shouldn't care about mere mortals. Only the one that she holds in her heart.” Behr chuckles, kissing Carter on the forehead.

Carter chuckles and lifts Behr to her feet. “I do want to talk to you though, because it's not just the cameras that got to you.”

“Yeah…” Behr follows Carter, getting sat down on a black pleather two-seater couch. The massive therian took up almost the whole couch, leaving Carter to sit on the arm of the chair and Behr's thigh.

“Now, hunny, I love you to pieces.” Carter looks Behr in the eyes. “But I think you need to get a little more in touch with your human side.”

“Come on, I don't need to be more human. I'm fine as is.”

“You threw yourself into a mud puddle.” Carter pauses, seeing the frown on Behr's face. “Don't get me wrong. I love you, and I love how far you are in your journey, and nothing is going to change that…

“But I can't have you completely ignore me for hours at a time. You can't salivate over every piece of roadkill. And you can't fall into every body of water that you see. Remember what happened last month?”

She nods. “I understand. And I'm sorry but I just..." She sighs and chuckles a bit. "I don't know how to explain it. It's like being hungry but you can't quiet it down when you eat.

"Plants aren't supposed to have instincts or thoughts... But I do, and it's like I'm fighting with myself every time I even have a bit of sunlight on my skin.” She turns her head away from him, but he can still feel her gaze on him.

“Well then, how can I best help you?” Carter asks, pulling Behr closer again. “Because whether you like it or not I'm not letting you wallow in this alone.”

“Well…”

Hours pass, with the two laid in the readjusted couch. Sunlight streams directly onto a sleeping Carter and a zoned out Behr, idly petting the soft human. They stay like that until the sun sets and Behr finally joins her boyfriend in slumber.

[zydrateacademy]

Review - Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector

What an amazing experience this game is.

I've had it wishlisted probably since it showed up but there it fell under my radar since its release. It may or may not have caught some sales in that time but again it went unnoticed and what an absolute crime that is. Released in 2021, it recently just came out with the T'au army which put the rest of the game and its various army packs on sale to an agreeable level, and putting it back on my radar.

Many Warhammer games usually nail the aesthetic, themes, diction, and storylines but very few capture the actual feel of playing on tabletop. There was Dawn of War which depicted swaths of armies cutting across the landscape but it was all in real time, the only methodology there was making sure your travelling teams had all the right counters to vehicles and infantry and after that you basically just let it go.

What we have here is a unique XCOM-like that may very well be the closest many of us will get to playing the actual tabletop game. We have a campaign (just one; following a Blood Raven chapter of the space marines) and two extra modes. Demonic Invasion is a wave based king of the hill type thing where you hold off for as long as you can as every round will continually spit the chaos god's minions at you. There's Planetary Supremacy, which is a sort of Catan/Risk style hex board that players of Dark Crusade or Soulstorm may be familiar with. It's the mode most of my hours have been played on. My only wish is that it could go for just a bit longer, maybe a bigger map, more enemies fighting each other, better node control.

In extension, there's also custom campaigns players can build as well as skirmishes for you to play against AI or other players. As of this writing there is no Co-op and that's quite a shame.

So there's a lot to do here. Some of the more mixed reviews, especially targetting the new armies, are complaining that there's not a super special story campaign for each and every single one of them. That is frankly not so much a problem for me, as I immediately gravitated towards the hex board game mode and just enjoyed having my hands on the Necron for the first time in many years. Now in HD with reflections! My dead bois are beautiful!

There's plenty to learn as well. Even on the easiest difficulties, the AI can route you. My Necron have units called Warriors, basically the equivalent to shotgunners. They also have the slowest movement of my army so it's difficult to get them into position and keep my general army momentum going. Sometimes they fall behind and I lack the much needed damage against enemy swarm units, and I've lost some good troops because I didn't have enough people shooting back. It's how I nearly lost against the Tyranids one game despite outnumbering them by 500 army points. Tactics very much matter here.

There's also a photo mode which is a bit fickle. The camera is locked at certain height over the floor tile so it's difficult to get sweeping, heroic visions of your armies from foot-level. You're more or less stuck staring at them from head-on. It's fun to play around with, though.

So while there is a campaign (just the one), this game could be treated more like a sandbox than anything else. I'm told from the game's discord they plan on releasing free units over the coming months. This is good, because that's one of my chief complaints about the game. There's a significant lack of versatile units to play with. Each faction gets around a dozen to fifteen to allocate with your army point cap (another staple of Tabletop that most games don't quite capture), with Khorne getting the shortest end of the stick (and the cheapest DLC) whom only have eight units to choose from. There's a significant lack of Kroot and vehicles here, and foot troops seem to be a choice between three different things. There's a lot more than that on tabletop.

Not that I expect this to be the tabletop simulator but it cuts real damn close. Closer than most games in this franchise. A must have if you like turn-based XCOM-likes.