Xenoblade X is one of my favourite playgrounds for this stuff

The fanfic words are Not Going lately so in the meanwhile I've been doing other fandoms -- mostly older stuff, because I realised that despite it being A Bad Time, a lot of the paramilitary stuff I did for Xenoblade X probably translates really well to TF content once tweaked a bit.

I had three big projects for that fandom -- two fairly extensive battle plans and a whole field manual that never materialised despite me having a bunch of materials for it. A bunch of the field guides material does already show up in my headcanons for Wrecker field ops, and I also had a brainwave about how the battle plans could probably be repurposed for TF things, especially the Operation: Death or Glory plan with its map that I fabricated out of whole cloth.

( Elaborate paramilinonsense startegy analysis underneath )

The other battle plan is much less convoluted b/c most units involved are mixed in some way -- infantry alongside light Skells, forming a "light" company, and a mixed mechanised unit with mid and heavy Skells forming a "heavy" company -- against almost uniformly heavy armoured enemy units with their own infantry support, so the relative firepower between the combatants is much easier to work out. The siege of NLA, however, is so closely tied to the environment it was fought in that you can't just look at which troops were more "effective" in a vacuum. That makes it more interesting, definitely -- but less broadly applicable.

Wow.

I'm catching up on videos I've missed b/c of work and this one is... hm.

Watch on YouTube

I mean, it's very good, but tbh I think considering that this year is mostly characterised by my inability to do the exact thing it's discussing, and being reminded of that is just. Hm.

Ok

( Cut for TROS spoilers )

FUCKBOY ACQUIRED!!!! OH NO!!!

I finally have Adventurer Cookie.

I choose to interprete him as a chickpea cookie -- he's the right colour and I enjoy the idea that he's squishy, actually, because that explains why Blackberry gotta be saving his dumb arse all the time -- and I really like the idea that Blackberry Cookie is a spirit he actually awakened during one of his travels and now cannot get rid of.

(He has nothing against her! She's just sort of. Overprotective.)

Also now I can see why Blackberry goes to the lengths to get him back, he's like some sort of a runaway Posh Cookie who refuses to perform his social function and would rather go around! Having adventures! I bet he and Sparkling have some interesting history between them also.

(I may have just been writing this)

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )