#xcom brainspew

[etherealvoidechoes]

Commander Base Locations for My AUs

Just a little thing that’s popped into my head again concerning my(and friendo that helps) Commanders.

A little, “I’m pulling stuff from the og X-COM: UFO Defense” for my fics of having multiple bases across the world as the Invasion went on. Each one started a little smaller than the Main HQ, but in due time would match its size and power. The default for me across all Commanders (unless stated otherwise) is that the Main HQ will be in the United States.

Main AUverse:

Main HQ - United States//Colorado(ish) -  Commander Jynn Gresham Reeves

Base 2 - China//Hunan - Sub-Commander Kamon Áki Anker

Base 3 - Africa//Nigeria - Sub-Commander Thaddeus Seaver

Base 4 - South Australia//The Outback - Old Opal Mines - Sub-Commander Elli Shadiin Amano Antonov-Ferro

—

AU 1:

Main HQ - United States//Colorado(ish) - Commander Thaddeus Seaver

Base 2 - China//Hunan - Sub-Commander Elli Shadiin Amano Antonov-Ferro

Base 3 - Africa//Nigeria - Sub-Commander Jynn Gresham Reeves 

Base 4 - South Australia//The Outback - Old Opal Mines -  Sub-Commander Kamon Áki Anker

—

AU 2:

Main HQ - United States//Colorado(ish) - Commander Kamon Áki Anker

Base 2 - China//Hunan - Sub-Commander Jynn Gresham Reeves 

Base 3 - Africa//Nigeria - Sub-Commander Elli Shadiin Amano Antonov-Ferro 

Base 4 - South Australia//The Outback - Old Opal Mines - Sub-Commander Thaddeus Seaver

—

AU 3:

Main HQ - United States//Colorado(ish) - Commander Elli Shadiin Amano Antonov-Ferro

Base 2 - China//Hunan - Sub-Commander Thaddeus Seaver

Base 3 - Africa//Nigeria - Sub-Commander Kamon Áki Anker

Base 4 - South Australia//The Outback - Old Opal Mines - Sub-Commander Jynn Gresham Reeves 

[etherealvoidechoes]

Think I'm going to make a prosthesis branch for the MEC program. Makes sense that would be an option for my AUverse.

Save the "total conversion" for mech bodies for the most critically injured (and agreed beforehand) or disabled soldiers XCOM started pulling for the invasion who are happy to defend the world and get a second chance at life.

[etherealvoidechoes]

Akemi and co having to ambush Zhang with a camera to take a group photo otherwise they’re only getting his backside or nothing at all.

Geist joining in didn’t help. Eventually the old man became less hostile to the photos

[etherealvoidechoes]

Me: Hm I wonder if we got translators going or are all the Chosen just speaking English(or a major language of your choice)to Resistance or XCOM specifically.

Brain: The Chosen are speaking English/language of your choice, all three for different reasons.

Assassin: “Professionals have standards. How else are they to know their crimes against the Elders? And for those that are “allowed” to live, they may spread the impending judgement upon the others unless they turn to our Masters for forgiveness.”

Hunter: “The human tongue just has something to it that’s neat. Maybe it’s a touch of nostalgia for the human I once was. Who ever that unlucky bastard was. Also, I do love how it freaks out the humans. Hearing my voice speak their language flawlessly inflicts a special kind of terror in their minds. Intoxicating really. And, ticks off the Elders when I solely use it to communicate with Them… some of the time.”

Warlock: “Regretfully, it is needed to communicate with those lowly cretins, but it is the only way for them to understand the Elders’ will and righteous judgment to oblivion. Then those wretched ears are not fit to hear the blessed tongue of my Masters.”

[etherealvoidechoes]

Imagining ADVENT hybrids having accents. Just the standard one that has slight variations depending on the population of the region they are stationed in.

Ones that take on slight accents of the aliens that closely work with.

Ones that take on more of the Elders accent if they are chosen to work closely with them.

And then the freed ones fully embracing letting the regional accent(s) overwrite the ADVENT one.

[etherealvoidechoes]

XCOM Worldbuilding - ADVENT and Languages

Otto here~ Postn' some of Linx's notes per her permission.

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Some fun worldbuilding thoughts.

What ADVENT uses is that alien language the Elders teach all the races they conquer and then the Elders’ own language. It is the main one with a few variations, mainly used by the peacekeepers and aliens for more confidential things. I also like to imagine the main ADVENT one is partially split off from the Elders’ and then has bits and pieces from other alien languages that they liked and carefully weaved everything together. They don’t teach their personal language to anyone unless you are worthy in their eyes.

Concerning the somewhat surviving languages of the world before and after the invasion, I’d like to think the Elders did a lot of work to log every single last one down for future translation work for all the “Outreach” programs to better integrate humans into the cities. And then it’s good to know for ADVENT and the aliens when it comes to combat and interrogation. Don’t want your enemies holding secrets you can’t decipher. All major languages are apart of the ADVENT upload training and then information can be streamed to the brain chips when needed.

Though minor and more obscure languages have been a problem as it isn’t something that’s implanted into ADVENT hybrids minds by default as it would be a waste of space. Instead, when needed they call upon the Tactical Network and additional side Networks to decipher the language if they have it in the saved data banks or just decipher it if they don’t.

My poor Commander Reeves(and my other Commanders) got a near-permanent brain upload of various Earth and alien languages. Thankfully, her mind is able to section that off so she’s not thinking in multiple languages. Already has enough stuff going in her brain.

[etherealvoidechoes]

Random facts about my(our) Commanders. This time dealing with foods and cooking.

Jynn - Great cook, learned from both parents and sides. Pretty flexible. Could be a chef if she wants to. Fairly open to most dishes but has a hard "no" certain meats, meals, etc.

Thaddeus - Decent, but mainly good at cooking Greek, Iranian, and Turkish dishes. A little too spoiled by family gets him picky at times but mostly grew out of that in the military. Cousins love to bring that up whenever they crossed paths due to joint training.

Kamon - Learned from his mom and family like a sponge so pretty good... when he's in the mood to do it. Otherwise hits that enough to survive with whatever he has available courtesy of the time he lived with his not-so-great dad and step-mom. Got very used to eating terrible to burnt food and relearned food has taste when he finally managed to move out. Constantly surprised fellow engineers and motorpool crew when he was able to combine random food into something that was edible and pretty tasty.

Elli - Okay to enough to survive because of a messed up palette courtesy of her terrible mother. Though great at making breakfast-related dishes(for nicer siblings) and is a favorite of hers. Especially Belgian style-waffles with lots of fresh fruit. Actually one of the few sweet-ish dishes can stomach, otherwise can't stomach sweet dishes. Also hates Italian dishes with a burning passion to spite her mother.

[etherealvoidechoes]

Thinking of Jy-sol and chatting with friends on the most likely relations between the other Commander-turned-Chosen and their lovely siblings.

Chosen Thaddeus would get along with the Hunter a bit too well. Dangerously well. Respectful relations with Assassin, if not concerned on her end with his bouts of rage, suicidal engagement tactics, strange psionic aura, questionable chumminess with dear ol' Hunter, and him being a unique kind of aloof like the Hunter. As usual, clashes to hell and back with Warlock and constantly antagonizes him by intruding on his territory. Especially when the Warlock is having an engagement with the Templars. Crashes those constantly.

Chosen Elli would absolutely be at odds with the Hunter constantly with him killing her animal companions though he gives her a lot of respect for taming the more "beastly/mindless" ones; just likes to annoy her and poke his nose into her business. Mostly amicable with the Assassin though Assassin disproves of interrogation tactics with her beasts that sometimes allow targets to escape. Warlock has a begrudging respect for her taming the untamable beasts, especially the psi-resistant ones, but they still give each other a wide berth unless they must work together as she doesn't hesitate to sick her psi-resistant beasts on him if he pushes her buttons.

Chosen Kamon would actually get along with the Warlock a fair bit though he's more on the tech side of things than psi, but has figured out a way of infusing his tech and mechanical fiends with his psionic power. The two have lots of philosophical debates/arguments that somehow don't end badly compared to the other Commanders. More successful at chipping away at that blind loyalty too without violence. Questionable to tolerable relations with the Hunter when the jerk doesn't EMP his robots and gear. Decent to annoyed relations with the Assassin. Sometimes chastizing him for relying on his machines too much and needs to use his other abilities more.

[etherealvoidechoes]

Hm, after reading that interpretation for when one of the siblings is defeated, think I’m gonna slightly change somethings for Jax-Rai. (Still gonna keep that longing for a proper family aspect that buried deep down)

Changed my view of the scene but like the idea emptiness is she just isn’t feeling anything for when one of the brothers fall. Knows she should feel some sort of sorrow(hanging head in shame for the part when the Elder says emptiness), but there’s just nothing.

Elders got the mostly unfeeling cold blooded assassin they wanted, but then get all pissy when she doesn’t “feel” when they want her two. Tch, you’re to blame for pretty much making the siblings hate each other in the first place

[etherealvoidechoes]

Seeing one of the initial designs to the pylons makes me wonder if they had a more alien design in mind for the Chosen or something else. But also would have been neat if those pylons were decorative and not so plain.