DarkGemini24601
Well-Known Member
The soldier lists for both XCOM and Legion, along with their respective memorial walls, have been put up on the 'alien character sheets and rules' thread.
X-COM RP THINK TANK (part2)
- Thread starter MarineAvenger
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DarkGemini24601
Well-Known Member
To speak of ideas that could have been better or didn't get shown at all like others have been doing, allow me to expound.
Atka - To start off, a massive callback to very early on in the story, if anyone remembers. I had Atka do a video log in the spirit of the previous seasons, and I planned on that being a recurring thing. What happened to those? Hell if I know. 
More majorly, however, and probably my biggest regret, is the lack of reference to her past and Inuit heritage. I planned on her using a lot more Inuktitut than I delivered, though I may have gotten a bit over my head with that plan. I do sincerely wish I could have done more flashbacks to her time in Nunavut. I did a poor job of displaying her interactions with family, as I wanted to make a point of how Yaralria and Nouja were typical women of the tribe that did traditional things, and Atka wanted more than just that without discarding tradition entirely. If I had to give a reason why I failed to deliver, it's probably because I had the same problem Ramma did with certain tidbits of Emily's backstory. I simply couldn't find the proper times to bring things up. At least with the nightmares I got to do what I wanted to.
If people would like to see it, I can always write some more of Atka's backstory in the short stories section or even the character catch ups unused thread. I might do that in the downtime.
Modya - I feel like I did a good job with his childhood and relationship with Galena, as well as describing his military service. What I didn't do was mention the time between his college graduation and military service very strongly. He was a history teacher, and I only made tepid references to that. He might be able to put those skills to use with the twins, though.
Thomas - This one's a more funny story. I kept writing solos involving Tom talking to his sister, Sophia, and mentioning Golin and Marabelle in them as well, or even showing them. What happened to the majority of those? I never found the right time to post, and thus they're just sitting as scattered pieces of paper. Another thing I might go back and write for posterity.
And I had planned to have the aliens attack Phoenix so I could bring those family members on base, but there was never really a good time, and I had too many minor characters to juggle anyway. (Part of the reason I had trouble getting everything I wanted to do with the main characters done, most likely)
Elene - I don't reallly have much to gripe about here. A reference to her necklace more often, small things? Maybe, but I felt that her character progression is where I wanted it to be, and the only 'undone' things are merely different paths. I originally thought she was going to be an antagonist, albeit a tragic one force to fight XCOM whether she finished off Viktor Dorian or not. When she made the alliance with XCOM things changed. Her arrogance and sometimes grating personality are antagonist holdovers as well as character flaws.
Some unused plans for her though? I entertained the idea of Legion troops lead by MEC Avanix and Elene storming Viktor's base like the mission in the game )while Emma and Vee helped defend XCOM), except not XCOM doing the raiding. I was expecting Ava to have to save Markus from captivity before Viktor could kill him. I also planned on having Lily kill Viktor, but certain people... dissuaded me from that, and its probably for the best. I'm glad Elene got the original plan of chopping him up done though. Revenge sometimes IS satisfying?
More majorly, however, and probably my biggest regret, is the lack of reference to her past and Inuit heritage. I planned on her using a lot more Inuktitut than I delivered, though I may have gotten a bit over my head with that plan. I do sincerely wish I could have done more flashbacks to her time in Nunavut. I did a poor job of displaying her interactions with family, as I wanted to make a point of how Yaralria and Nouja were typical women of the tribe that did traditional things, and Atka wanted more than just that without discarding tradition entirely. If I had to give a reason why I failed to deliver, it's probably because I had the same problem Ramma did with certain tidbits of Emily's backstory. I simply couldn't find the proper times to bring things up. At least with the nightmares I got to do what I wanted to.
If people would like to see it, I can always write some more of Atka's backstory in the short stories section or even the character catch ups unused thread. I might do that in the downtime.
Modya - I feel like I did a good job with his childhood and relationship with Galena, as well as describing his military service. What I didn't do was mention the time between his college graduation and military service very strongly. He was a history teacher, and I only made tepid references to that. He might be able to put those skills to use with the twins, though.
Thomas - This one's a more funny story. I kept writing solos involving Tom talking to his sister, Sophia, and mentioning Golin and Marabelle in them as well, or even showing them. What happened to the majority of those? I never found the right time to post, and thus they're just sitting as scattered pieces of paper. Another thing I might go back and write for posterity.
And I had planned to have the aliens attack Phoenix so I could bring those family members on base, but there was never really a good time, and I had too many minor characters to juggle anyway. (Part of the reason I had trouble getting everything I wanted to do with the main characters done, most likely)
Elene - I don't reallly have much to gripe about here. A reference to her necklace more often, small things? Maybe, but I felt that her character progression is where I wanted it to be, and the only 'undone' things are merely different paths. I originally thought she was going to be an antagonist, albeit a tragic one force to fight XCOM whether she finished off Viktor Dorian or not. When she made the alliance with XCOM things changed. Her arrogance and sometimes grating personality are antagonist holdovers as well as character flaws.
Some unused plans for her though? I entertained the idea of Legion troops lead by MEC Avanix and Elene storming Viktor's base like the mission in the game )while Emma and Vee helped defend XCOM), except not XCOM doing the raiding. I was expecting Ava to have to save Markus from captivity before Viktor could kill him. I also planned on having Lily kill Viktor, but certain people... dissuaded me from that, and its probably for the best. I'm glad Elene got the original plan of chopping him up done though. Revenge sometimes IS satisfying?
Remember how I had some information "Withheld for the Commander or to respect their privacy"? Well, here's the parts I truncated or otherwise hid from you to not reveal everything at once.
Atka's Detailed Military Service (I hinted at some of these, especially the Toronto airport event):
It was in the three non-regular military operations that she actually fought enemy combatants. The first of these was Operation Bulwark. A group of militants claiming to be loyal to ISIS seized the Toronto airport on October 23, 2014, claiming retaliation for Canada’s support of efforts to fight the group in Iraq and Syria. Atka’s unit was called in to try and deescalate the situation. Atka took front to help a negotiator try and calm the armed group of thirty down, who had a total of 57 hostages in the airport at the time. However, one of the nervous groups panicked when the leader seemed to be considered negotiating rather than outright forcing Canada to cut support. He shot the negotiator in the stomach, and everything went to hell.
The Canadian troops outside opened fire on the militants, hoping to avoid hostage deaths, and Atka demonstrated leadership skills in helping coordinate the defensive fire. Despite their best efforts, however, when the smoke cleared 22 of the militants were dead, but 12 of their captives had been shot by militants and a bit of stray fire as well. Canada did not withdraw its support, and eventually ISIS was taken down by the inevitable intervention by ground troops, mainly from the US and the UN, but also some Canadian assistance as well.
In Operation Styx she fought alongside her unit to help refugees cross the Syrian-Turkish border as things heated up, and fought several bands of militant, proving to be a capable leader. Despite this, there were heavy losses due to an attack by tanks. The battle left more than a hundred of the Operation Styx’s forces dead, including about a third of Canada’s unit (9 soldiers KIA). This sparked Canada and other nations to send ground troops to end the ISIS threat, putting an end to the war but certainly not the continuing conflicts in the area.
Later on she participated in operation Rancor, which was an attempt to ease tensions between the Koreas and hopefully defend the more democratic one, but North Koreans did not take kindly to US/Canadian troops on the borders. An attack lead to the death of a few soldiers under Atka’s command, but she managed to pull them through and hold the line, though tensions would only get worse.
Modya's Relationship with Galena (Omitted so that it would come up later, which it did):
However, things changed when he reached the age of eighteen. Modya was in love with a woman named Galena that he had met in school, and also found himself interested in the sciences. He chose, to the surprise of his family, to pursue a career in college in Moscow, focusing on military history and military sciences. After four years he graduated with his degree, but lost Galena as the two drifted apart.
Modya's Military Service (Successfully explained in the story):
Modya found himself on the frontlines in various cities, shelling Ukrainian forces with missiles, setting traps with explosives, though rarely was he shot back at. It was in November that he was spotted by a group of Ukrainian soldiers as he was about to annihilate a supply transport with a powerful rocket. They opened fire on Modya, and he panicked, his rocket going off target as he took hits in the shoulder and to his body armor. The Dragomirov did what no Dragomirov should do when faced with the enemy: he ran to safety, endangering the lives of several of his fellow soldiers in the process. Due to his fear, a few of them perished, close friends dying due to his cowardice. Although he rejoined the battle, temporarily shedding his fear from anger and frustration with himself, he would carry the guilt for a long time.
Russia lost territory in a losing battle against the Ukranians, backed by the UN that had finally made a decision on how to act, at the cost of temporarily losing trade with Russia. Dragomirov was reassigned when the Russians lost all but pockets of the Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula. He found himself aiding the local police forces to fight organized crime in one of his favorite cities: St. Petersburg, in 2018. Spurred on by his previous failure and his love of the city, Modya did his best to aid the police in tracking down the syndicate, arrogantly calling themselves “Luchshiy”, or “the best”. His carefully fired rockets and even the occasional fight alongside military forces were invaluable to the long efforts that eradicated the syndicate, and did much to redeem him in the eyes of the military and his father.
Atka's Detailed Military Service (I hinted at some of these, especially the Toronto airport event):
It was in the three non-regular military operations that she actually fought enemy combatants. The first of these was Operation Bulwark. A group of militants claiming to be loyal to ISIS seized the Toronto airport on October 23, 2014, claiming retaliation for Canada’s support of efforts to fight the group in Iraq and Syria. Atka’s unit was called in to try and deescalate the situation. Atka took front to help a negotiator try and calm the armed group of thirty down, who had a total of 57 hostages in the airport at the time. However, one of the nervous groups panicked when the leader seemed to be considered negotiating rather than outright forcing Canada to cut support. He shot the negotiator in the stomach, and everything went to hell.
The Canadian troops outside opened fire on the militants, hoping to avoid hostage deaths, and Atka demonstrated leadership skills in helping coordinate the defensive fire. Despite their best efforts, however, when the smoke cleared 22 of the militants were dead, but 12 of their captives had been shot by militants and a bit of stray fire as well. Canada did not withdraw its support, and eventually ISIS was taken down by the inevitable intervention by ground troops, mainly from the US and the UN, but also some Canadian assistance as well.
In Operation Styx she fought alongside her unit to help refugees cross the Syrian-Turkish border as things heated up, and fought several bands of militant, proving to be a capable leader. Despite this, there were heavy losses due to an attack by tanks. The battle left more than a hundred of the Operation Styx’s forces dead, including about a third of Canada’s unit (9 soldiers KIA). This sparked Canada and other nations to send ground troops to end the ISIS threat, putting an end to the war but certainly not the continuing conflicts in the area.
Later on she participated in operation Rancor, which was an attempt to ease tensions between the Koreas and hopefully defend the more democratic one, but North Koreans did not take kindly to US/Canadian troops on the borders. An attack lead to the death of a few soldiers under Atka’s command, but she managed to pull them through and hold the line, though tensions would only get worse.
Modya's Relationship with Galena (Omitted so that it would come up later, which it did):
However, things changed when he reached the age of eighteen. Modya was in love with a woman named Galena that he had met in school, and also found himself interested in the sciences. He chose, to the surprise of his family, to pursue a career in college in Moscow, focusing on military history and military sciences. After four years he graduated with his degree, but lost Galena as the two drifted apart.
Modya's Military Service (Successfully explained in the story):
Modya found himself on the frontlines in various cities, shelling Ukrainian forces with missiles, setting traps with explosives, though rarely was he shot back at. It was in November that he was spotted by a group of Ukrainian soldiers as he was about to annihilate a supply transport with a powerful rocket. They opened fire on Modya, and he panicked, his rocket going off target as he took hits in the shoulder and to his body armor. The Dragomirov did what no Dragomirov should do when faced with the enemy: he ran to safety, endangering the lives of several of his fellow soldiers in the process. Due to his fear, a few of them perished, close friends dying due to his cowardice. Although he rejoined the battle, temporarily shedding his fear from anger and frustration with himself, he would carry the guilt for a long time.
Russia lost territory in a losing battle against the Ukranians, backed by the UN that had finally made a decision on how to act, at the cost of temporarily losing trade with Russia. Dragomirov was reassigned when the Russians lost all but pockets of the Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula. He found himself aiding the local police forces to fight organized crime in one of his favorite cities: St. Petersburg, in 2018. Spurred on by his previous failure and his love of the city, Modya did his best to aid the police in tracking down the syndicate, arrogantly calling themselves “Luchshiy”, or “the best”. His carefully fired rockets and even the occasional fight alongside military forces were invaluable to the long efforts that eradicated the syndicate, and did much to redeem him in the eyes of the military and his father.
DarkGemini24601
Well-Known Member
Tripleposting, but so be it. Would anyone be opposed to starting a brainstorming thread on the story discussion forum soon? (Not quite yet since I don't want to start doing it before Zombie says he's ready, but I figure it would be nice to start now rather than after the silence period)
Hmm... Well, most of my characters were played as is on the fly, as being the GM with so many people to work with makes making plans difficult. The Overseers were not planned, nor were the four horsemen. Or Phobos, for that matter.
In early production, Morrigan's accent slipping in and out was to be a constant thing, but I... got lazy.
Brigid was never planned to be included. She came in thanks to Taxor. And her learning psionics literally came about right before I did it.
Jessica was initially going to have a plot line revolving a procedure involving memory enhancement when she was younger called Project: Daughters of Mnemosyne. Her and Alexia's code names were Thalia and Melpomine, Muses of Comedy and Tragedy (forget who would have been who). Dropped for time and pacing.
Alexia was supposed to 'die' after the base assault. Dropped for popularity sake.
Jeanne was supposed to die during the second assault. Gem convinced me not to.
Eve was supposed to either die during the base assault, or fall into a deep coma. Can't remember why that was dropped.
Considered killing Morrigan at almost every point where she could have died, including during the fight with Mr. Kitty. Was afraid of negative response if I did.
Zero, Sunny's guardian, played a much lower part then I intended. Alice's role was completely unplanned.
Ayame, Aya, and Eve were not originally part of the story. Bringing Ayame in was partially Gem's idea.
Jake was not planned either. Brought in as a call back to that short story I wrote. Also wanted to see if I could give Atka a love interest. Keiko's original name was Sora, and was changed for obvious reasons. Her focus amongst the three girls was shifted towards Rei on purpose.
Any and all romances were unplanned, even Jessica and Modya. The closest thing to a planned one was Ayame, but I initially envisioned her with Ammy. That was dropped in the belief that the two wouldn't be compatable. Then Mary came along.
I... think that is everything. If I think of anything else, I'll mention it, and I'm open for questions.
In early production, Morrigan's accent slipping in and out was to be a constant thing, but I... got lazy.
Brigid was never planned to be included. She came in thanks to Taxor. And her learning psionics literally came about right before I did it.
Jessica was initially going to have a plot line revolving a procedure involving memory enhancement when she was younger called Project: Daughters of Mnemosyne. Her and Alexia's code names were Thalia and Melpomine, Muses of Comedy and Tragedy (forget who would have been who). Dropped for time and pacing.
Alexia was supposed to 'die' after the base assault. Dropped for popularity sake.
Jeanne was supposed to die during the second assault. Gem convinced me not to.
Eve was supposed to either die during the base assault, or fall into a deep coma. Can't remember why that was dropped.
Considered killing Morrigan at almost every point where she could have died, including during the fight with Mr. Kitty. Was afraid of negative response if I did.
Zero, Sunny's guardian, played a much lower part then I intended. Alice's role was completely unplanned.
Ayame, Aya, and Eve were not originally part of the story. Bringing Ayame in was partially Gem's idea.
Jake was not planned either. Brought in as a call back to that short story I wrote. Also wanted to see if I could give Atka a love interest. Keiko's original name was Sora, and was changed for obvious reasons. Her focus amongst the three girls was shifted towards Rei on purpose.
Any and all romances were unplanned, even Jessica and Modya. The closest thing to a planned one was Ayame, but I initially envisioned her with Ammy. That was dropped in the belief that the two wouldn't be compatable. Then Mary came along.
I... think that is everything. If I think of anything else, I'll mention it, and I'm open for questions.
Dahlexpert
Well-Known Member
Just did post for Eva, and I show that Eva was in worse conditions then she thought. Also the lesson in all this, don't push your body to hard.
She should have learned that lesson a long time ago XD
Home. Will be on the main doc (for Dahl), Marines's doc, and Gem's doc.
Adrammalech
Well-Known Member
Sorry, I know I'm behind, but between the car being dead and job hunting, I'm spending far too much time outside and feeling blocked when I have time. I hope to have Emily's fate posted tonight but I might not be able to...
Frostlich1228
Well-Known Member
Ammy was supposed to get captured by the Sectoid during the base assault, then proceed to get tortured and forced to kill and eat people to break her mind. When X-Com saved her, she would have PTSD so bad she wouldn't even be able to look at psions and would completely hate them with a burning passion.
But scrapped because.... Too Dark.
Frostlich1228
Well-Known Member
Ammy was supposed to get captured by the Sectoid during the base assault, then proceed to get tortured and forced to kill and eat people to break her mind. When X-Com saved her, she would have PTSD so bad she wouldn't even be able to look at psions and would completely hate them with a burning passion.
But scrapped because.... Too Dark.
Oh, I also planned for Mary to be forced to act as an Exalt spy working for Viktor as part of the mercs. I planned for her to give up her spying when she fell in love with Ayame though, joining X-com to kill Viktor.
Adrammalech
Well-Known Member
Ammy was supposed to get captured by the Sectoid during the base assault, then proceed to get tortured and forced to kill and eat people to break her mind. When X-Com saved her, she would have PTSD so bad she wouldn't even be able to look at psions and would completely hate them with a burning passion.
But scrapped because.... Too Dark.
Maybe. Just a little dark.
Just a little...a tiny bit...miniscule amount.Ammy was supposed to get captured by the Sectoid during the base assault, then proceed to get tortured and forced to kill and eat people to break her mind. When X-Com saved her, she would have PTSD so bad she wouldn't even be able to look at psions and would completely hate them with a burning passion.
But scrapped because.... Too Dark.
Don't fret. We understand.
Hmm... might I... suggest going for a slightly... cheerier story line next RP? You know... change things up... a-a b-bit...Ammy was supposed to get captured by the Sectoid during the base assault, then proceed to get tortured and forced to kill and eat people to break her mind. When X-Com saved her, she would have PTSD so bad she wouldn't even be able to look at psions and would completely hate them with a burning passion.
But scrapped because.... Too Dark.
BMPixy
Well-Known Member
Ammy was supposed to get captured by the Sectoid during the base assault, then proceed to get tortured and forced to kill and eat people to break her mind. When X-Com saved her, she would have PTSD so bad she wouldn't even be able to look at psions and would completely hate them with a burning passion.
But scrapped because.... Too Dark.
Eh, I've seen worse. I ever tell you all about the time one of my player's characters got captured by a Slaanesh cult, tortured for several months, and then came out saner than they went in? Fun times.
DarkGemini24601
Well-Known Member
Eh. Far be from it that I become the tone police, but I don't think we need to go that far to have a good story. Dark is fine, dark is good... just a level of dark that makes sense, and isn't just shock value/beyond the capacity of people affected to comprehend.
Now this, this is good ol' psychological horror. "They came out more sane?"
Dark is fine, dark is good... just a level of dark that makes sense, and isn't just shock value/beyond the capacity of people affected to comprehend.Now this, this is good ol' psychological horror. "They came out more sane?"
Frostlich1228
Well-Known Member
What? I actually plan to go darker next rp.
Not darker than that, though. Darker than what actually happened.
Adrammalech
Well-Known Member
Another epilogue (3-for-1 ) done, and probably going to finish another in the dead of night. So something to look forward to tomorrow morning.
) done, and probably going to finish another in the dead of night. So something to look forward to tomorrow morning.
Adrammalech
Well-Known Member
Finally, an Emily post. Read it!
Emily can now be visited, or visit if necessary (but in a wheelchair/with a cane, so no roller coaster rides). I have all day, so line up now. :3
Love it. Expect a visit from Sunny, hopefully today after work.Finally, an Emily post. Read it!
Emily can now be visited, or visit if necessary (but in a wheelchair/with a cane, so no roller coaster rides). I have all day, so line up now. :3
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