VATICAN ISSUES STATEMENT ASKING FOR PRAYERS FOR ALL THOSE AFFECTED BY ATTACKS BY INVADERS, ASKS ALL CONGREGATIONS TO OPEN DOORS TO THOSE DISPLACED BY ATTACKS. “GOD JUDGES US NOT BY THE WRATH WE HAVE FOR OUR ENEMIES, BUT BY THE COMPASSION FOR OUR FELLOW MAN.”
HOMELESS MAN ARRESTED IN SAN FRANCISCO FOUND IN POSSESSION OF ALIEN ARTIFACTS SCAVENGED FROM ATTACK ON CITY DISAPPEARS FROM CUSTODY; ALL EVIDENCE GATHERED FOUND MISSING FROM EVIDENCE LOCKER; PD COMPUTER SYSTEMS WIPED CLEAN; PD STATION FOUND ABANDONED NEXT DAY BY ARRIVING OFFICERS.
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WARNING: Access to this file is RESTRICTED to personnel with TOP SECRET clearance or above. Attempts to access this file without authorization will be reviewed and be grounds for TERMINATION AND/OR PROSECUTION. Distribution of this file may only be done with authorization from Cmdr. David Bradford, failure to provide authorization will result in TERMINATION AND/OR PROSECUTION.
PROJECTID: Stardust
PROJECTDIV: Xenobiology
DIVLEAD: Dr. Joel Mills
Attached Files: Analysis reports of tissue, blood and hair samples from ‘Twilight’, Medical Imaging footage (various) of ‘Twilight’, personal notes by DIVLEAD.
Personal Notes follow:
NEW RECORD: 17:00 04/05/2015
Today we made arrangements for Twilight to be taken to Medical one floor up to use the scanning equipment there not to mention procure physical samples. Quite frankly I’ve been dying to see how her body operates as compared to the invaders or even our own physiologies. After all, there’s only so much we can tell with just the naked eye and the plethora of monitoring equipment in the lab.
From the trip to Medical we were able to determine the following:
1. Twilight is warm-blooded and mammalian in nature, with the vast majority of her physiology extremely similar to Earth organisms.
a. Side note: This was discovered earlier but also is worth mentioning; Twilight’s species are herbivores and are completely comfortable eating fruits and vegetables provided with no difficulty.
b. Side note 2: Twilight is not only able to consume and gain nutrients from our fruits and vegetables, but she recognizes them from her own homeworld. Considering the mammalian nature of Twilight and the similarity in described plant life, we may have a case of parallel evolution on a planetary scale.
c. Side note 3: Twilight has also ascribed a desire for coffee whenever any is brought into the habitat. Requests were denied and coffee in the Stardust labs has been banned until further notice.
2. The key distinguishing feature of Twilight’s skeletal structure (horn) is comprised of bone and hollow and has a significant amount of circulatory activity. It is quite apparent that this horn doesn’t serve the same function physically as the horns of earth animals; it’s not meant to withstand impacts.
3. Scans of Twilight’s brain show that its Encephalization quotient is roughly equivalent to humans.
a. Further scans of Twilight’s brain, especially during the ‘magic’ tests showed something startling. The frontal lobe (or perhaps even a new lobe entirely? Oh the possibilities) extends partially into the horn and lit up like a light on the imaging systems during the magic tests. The theory is that this section of the brain directly accesses and/or interfaces with whatever energy is used for her magic.
b. Visual footage of Twilight using her magic also confirms that her horn does give off light during magic use, and the target for her magic also receives a similar aura. Anecdotal accounts provided by Twilight seem to indicate that the color of this light depends upon the user, in Twilight’s case it is bright magenta.
c. Further notes on Twilight’s magical abilities can be described in Dr. Vahlen’s DEPTLEAD notes.
4. Analysis of Twilight’s blood indicates it is functionally identical to blood from terrestrial analogs. It’s even red. Analysis systems are still working on DNA structures to see if it bears any similarities to ours.
5. Hair samples are almost identical in makeup as human hair, being comprised of keratin.
a. The colors of her mane, coat, and flank marks are all inexplicably natural as far as the machines can tell.
6. Imaging of her muscle structure shows that she is likely capable of feats of physicality that would only be possible to only the most fit of humans. I note this specifically because Twilight describes herself as an academic and not physically oriented in her profession.
a. The ‘Earth Pony’ subspecies described in earlier notes must be significantly stronger if Twilight’s descriptions are accurate, even without any of the described magical abilities.
7. Other systems in Twilight’s body appear to have similar functions as earth equivalents. Heart, lungs, kidneys, everything.
The mountains of data used to come up with this summary are attached with the notes.
On a more personal note, today did not go quite as expected. In the previous days, Twilight has always been extremely eager for every one of our discussions. There was an equal amount of give and take as she both asked and answered questions (all answers were within the established security restrictions, and Twilight did not push any subject after she was informed of the restrictions).
Today, however, she was withdrawn and skittish. Her answers were short and clipped, and she stuck to Shen and the two volunteers more often than not. Kim noticed this behavior as well, and took this as further evidence of the herd mentality of Twilight’s culture. The only question now is what may have triggered our (Kim and I) exclusion from the ‘herd’.
Furthermore, I was in observation and was able to overhear Shen’s initial explanation of today’s plans as well as everyone in attendance and she seemed to have no adverse reaction to it until after we gathered to head to medical.
Perhaps it’s the technology angle? After all, a culture without the need for technology might be intimidated by mundane devices that can replicate their natural abilities. Twilight was extremely hesitant to participate in the medical imaging procedures until Shen volunteered to use them first. I suppose we all should be thankful for Shen’s presence, he always seems to know exactly what to say to calm any anxiety.
Perhaps it was the thought of leaving the lab? From what we know of Twilight’s arrival and time here on Earth, it has ranged from unpleasant to downright life threatening except for within the lab itself. First the Chryssalid attack, which would be enough to unhinge anyone, then ending up in Containment.
Oh, hell.
UPDATE: 08:25, 04/06/2015
I spoke with Frank and at his suggestion I reviewed all previous recorded contacts with Twilight and I think I found our answer. Kim, Vahlen and I were all present shortly before Twilight’s escape, and its likely seeing all of us together brought that memory back for Twilight. Shen obviously didn’t take part in that little fiasco, and the two volunteers had their helmets on until their official introduction, so that’s why I suspect Twilight considers them ‘safe.’
I know she is just doing her job but Vahlen’s effect on Twilight is extremely inconvenient. That ice queen is also doing nothing to adjust her attitude to accommodate Twilight. Seriously, would it kill her to crack a smile once and awhile, or maybe answer a question or two?
Looks like our job just got a little bit more complicated. At least we can count on the presence of Shen and the volunteers to placate Twilight if necessary. On that subject, Shen and Vahlen are getting increasingly terse in their exchanges. If it were anyone but Vahlen I’d say something to try and diffuse the tension but I value my life too much.
I’ll bring up that animosity during my next check-up with Frank, maybe he can suggest something to help those two resist the impulse to strangle each other. The XCOM project doesn’t exactly have an HR department for this sort of thing, so I hope it doesn’t come to that.
In light of the developing situation, Frank has also been read into the program and will be observing Twilight over the next few days. I’m hoping he will be able to give us some guidance on how to diffuse the tension with Twilight, not to mention around the lab.
END LOG
PROJECTID: Stardust
PROJECTDIV: Supplemental
DIVLEAD: Dr. Frank McKendrick
Attached Files: Personal notes by DIVLEAD.
Personal Notes follow:
NEW RECORD: 09:30, 04/06/2015
There’s times where this job erodes the soul. I get young men and women coming into my office and they tell me about how their best friend was burned alive, or they had to shoot him to pieces because one of those damned monsters got inside his head or implanted by the bugs. They come to me to relieve the burdens this damned war gives them. It’s all I can do for them, and it kills me a little every time to see them so broken in their heads and hearts.
There’s times where this job erodes the soul, and for once I’m pleasantly surprised that this isn’t one of them. This all started a couple of days ago when I was informed I would be needing to perform evaluations on Dr. Shen from engineering as well as several new people. Parameters for evaluation involved not only stress factors but also mental tampering.
I was initially intrigued since the vast majority of my visitors are soldiers returning from missions or from recurring issues, but I was also well aware that asking too many questions might put me in a terrible predicament. After discussing things with doctors Ngo, Mills, and Shen, it was felt that my assistance may be needed with the project itself and I was given permission to view the subject of the project.
Imagine my surprise when the subject of the project was a little purple unicorn with big eyes and highlighted hair. I suppose that makes sense of the concerns of the doctors. They had worried about passive mind control to induce trust, but after viewing the subject I think we can safely rule that out. After the descriptions of what the doctors were feeling combined with this appearance, I think it’s just a natural human reaction to what we see as a cute furry animal. There’s a reason why cats rule the internet.
I didn’t speak with the subject but I observed her during an animated discussion with doctor Shen. I did notice some of the signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder that Shen had hinted at. The desk supplies are all stacked and ordered in exact spacing, the bed is immaculately made and I’ve seen the pictures arranged in her room organized in a very specific pattern. Pictures lining her desk were described as her closest friends, the pictures of her rulers are above the desk, and radiating out from there are the remainders sorted by species and further sorted by color and sex if applicable.
During observation Kim and Joel also described what sounds like the onset of PTSD. Prior to her arrival on Earth it seems ‘Twilight’ lived a simple life as a librarian. Within her first six hours of arriving on our planet she was nearly killed by a chryssalid and then dissected by Vahlen. The first part alone would give any civilian a good start towards an anxiety disorder, but I suspect waking up in front of Vahlen and not being human would only make things so much worse.
As to her current behavior to the volunteers and the science team, I’m afraid I can only speculate. Based on evidence gathered so far, it is a reasonable assumption that Twilight’s species social structures are herd-based, probably a relic of their more primitive days. Herds mean safety and companionship, being cut off from the herd means isolation and danger. Her initial friendliness towards everyone is likely a subconscious attempt to establish a substitute herd for comfort and safety. I have little doubt that seeing Joel and Kim with Vahlen caused their expulsion from her little herd. The question now is how can this be rectified?
On the subject of Vahlen, I should stop by and see how she’s doing. She’s been missing her scheduled appointments for about two weeks now and I am starting to worry that the stress of her position and the attack on Cologne is effecting her judgement. Kim and Joel have both described her as increasingly… agitated.
END LOG
PROJECTID: Stardust
PROJECTDIV: Physics
DIVLEAD: Dr. Moira Vahlen
Attached Files: Visual footage of subject performing abilities, Medical Imaging footage (various) of subject, personal notes by DIVLEAD.
Personal Notes follow:
NEW RECORD: 17:00, 04/05/2015
With testing procedures limited to non-invasive methods, I made the decision to move the subject to Medical for the advanced imaging equipment present there. While it would have been plausible to have this equipment moved to the Stardust lab, it would have to be done one piece at a time as the lab simply doesn’t have the room for all the imaging equipment to be run simultaneously.
I also wanted to see how the subject reacted after being removed from its habitat for most of the day. Anxiety and hesitation were clearly present. Good. The subject needs to realize that it isn’t here for comfort or enjoyment or to make friends. The sole reason for its continued existence is to provide us with information to help us save our world.
The others who have come into contact with the subject may also need to be reminded of this fact also. The subject is not a pet, nor a friend, or a mascot, or the grandchild you never had. It is an alien from another world with capacities beyond what we can measure and motivations the human mind cannot fathom. I’ll be speaking with doctor McKendrick to watch the others for excessive attachment to the specimen. There will come a time when ‘Twilight’ is no longer useful to this project, and will be discarded just like anything else.
Medical imaging technology has revealed a great deal about the internal structure of the subject as well as confirmed one theory of mine while disproving others. I had expected to find a similar brain structure to the Sectoid specimens detailed from project [REDACTED], with enhanced synaptic activity as well as implants to further enhance this activity. What was found was a brain completely devoid of any surgical activity or alteration; instead was an entire neural section comprised of synapses even further enhanced than the Sectoid samples previously captured. This neural section also extends partially into the subject’s horn, which I now theorize works as a natural projector for these abilities in place of implants.
The implications are disturbing: The invaders have to genetically engineer troops and install implants in them to get the abnormal abilities we’ve witnessed, but we’ve now stumbled across a species that not only has these abilities naturally but with an order of magnitude greater effect and control.
On that note, the monitoring arrays continue to fail to detect anything anomalous when the subject uses its abilities. Regardless, we will begin cataloging the various abilities of the subject starting tomorrow, and the subject is going to attempt to explain the mechanics as well. I expect nothing more than a more flowery version of, “a wizard did it.”
END LOG
PROJECTID: Stardust
PROJECTDIV: Physics
DIVLEAD: Dr. Moira Vahlen
Attached Files: Footage of multiple subject abilities, transcripts translated by Dr. Mills, personal notes by DIVLEAD.
Personal Notes follow:
NEW RECORD: 17:00, 04/13/2015
Attached to this update is a list of abilities demonstrated by the subject, their effects, as well as known limitations as discovered over the past week. A brief description of global ability mechanics is summarized below. For the full (and exhaustive) explanation, please view Dr. Mills’ transcripts.
The activation and utilization of subject’s abilities is a three step process.
1. Energy gathering. The subject describes this step as gathering energy from the ‘Field’(1) to power the chosen ability. An appropriate amount must be gathered or the intended ability may not activate or may misfire.
2. Ability formulation. The subject shapes the raw energy to create the desired effect. Improper formulation may result in ability failure or misfire.
3. Ability activation. The subject chooses an object or location for the ability to target, and activates the ability. If the object or location is outside the scope of steps 2 or 1, then the intended effect may not occur or may have significantly increased effect.
(1) Attempts to detect this ‘Field’ have all failed just as all other detection equipment has failed to detect anything being amiss during ability usage.
Restrictions on ability usage appear to be divided into two categories.
1. Power capacity. The ability to access the ‘Field’ is described in similar fashion that muscles correlate to physical strength. Practicing the use of complex and varied abilities increases the amount of power the specimen can draw on, but there are high and low peaks in this capacity. The low peak is the maximum that can be drawn after lapsing in ability usage, the high peak is the maximum that can be drawn while participating in exercises. Attempts to use abilities without the minimum required power capacity may result in ability failure, misfire, or death.
2. Ability Formulae. Each ability has a corresponding formulae that must be conceptualized in the subject’s mind in order to shape the energy into its most useable and efficient form. Without the formulae, the results may vary or fail entirely.
a. Subject also noted that this does not apply in certain cases. For instance, her entire subspecies (unicorn) possesses telekinesis from a very early age and do not require study to use it, though study and practice does improve fine control and scope of use.
b. Abilities related to the ‘special talents’ (See Dr. Ngo’s notes) discovered in adolescence are also significantly easier to activate and control even if it may be beyond that specimen’s abilities comparatively.
Summary of abilities tested listed below.
1. Telekinesis (TK), the direct influence of the mind on the physical world without contacting the affected targets.
a. Line of sight is required to activate the ability but not to maintain it.
b. Activation is nearly instantaneous.
c. Subjects held with TK appear to be weightless but still retain their mass. Objects with significant mass take effort to be physically moved through the air, but the only resistance the object encounters is air resistance.
i. Inversely, if the subject specifies, an object can be held in place and resist all attempts to move it. (Video example of Cpl Matt Harris attempting to push a quarter and failing) Attempts to move objects held in this manner were restricted to what was located within the lab, more thorough testing may need to be attempted in the hangar where sufficient power can be applied without risk to personnel or the lab.
d. Subject is able to apply TK to multiple objects while still maintaining fine control. Object used in this test was a deck of bicycle playing cards shuffled and then thrown into the air. Subject was able to apply telekinesis to every card within .5 seconds, and was able to sort the deck numerically and by suit within five seconds before replacing it in its box.
e. Complex objects can be manipulated simultaneously, though the number of items that can be simultaneously manipulated drops off as the complexity of these items increases.
f. Object weight appears to have little effect on the speed at which TK is applied, though again object weights were somewhat limited due to the size constraints of the lab. Weights tested ranged from 1g to 250kg.
2. Teleportation (TP), the transfer between two points without traversing the physical space between them.
a. This ability is primarily restricted by line of sight, but vivid memories of locations can be used as target locations.
b. Activation for short-distance jumps is approximately .5 to 1 second.
c. The amount of energy required for transport is directly related to the distance travelled and the amount of matter being transported.
i. The subject used this specific justification for not simply using TP to go home. The subject was not certain of the distance between Earth and her planet and would not be able to judge the energy required.
d. TP travel is instantaneous between two points and can go through solid matter so long as line of sight is present or the requisite memory of the area is available.
e. TP may affect the subject or other items or other beings. Items teleported in experiments included the following: The subject, two pens, a chair, various fruits and vegetables, and Pvt. Jenkins.
f. There is currently no way to prevent TP, aside from restricting the subject’s movement to prevent visualization of new areas to TP to.
g. If the above information is correct, then the being that used TP on the subject to send her to earth must have three things at its disposal:
i. Knowledge of the distance between Earth and its place of origin
ii. Knowledge of Earth-specific locations to use TP
iii. Staggering amounts of energy to draw upon to complete the TP
3. Light Generation (LG), the creation of light without a detectable source.
a. Line of sight is required to activate this ability but not required to maintain it.
b. Activation is nearly instantaneous.
c. Visually the ability appears to create a ball of soft lavender light approximately the size of a baseball.
d. LG can be manipulated to create several light sources, move them at will, or attach them to surfaces where they can be moved without further input from the subject.
e. LG generates neither heat nor any other detectable effect other than the corresponding increase in candles.
f. Attempts to touch the light source result in no change or noticeable side effects on volunteers.
4. Translation (Tn), providing the ability for communication across language barriers.
a. This ability is restricted to line of sight with the subject, and may only be cast on sapient beings capable of language.
b. Activation is approximately 1 to 2 seconds. Activation time has decreased after every subsequent usage. Subject attributes this as regaining familiarity with the ability.
c. Subjects under the effect of this ability can almost flawlessly understand anything spoken by other subjects under the effect. This has been tested and confirmed with all currently affected by this ability.
d. Although appearing benign in its mechanics, caution is recommended for anyone thinking of participating with this ability, as the mechanics are unknown and may result in mental tampering.
e. There exists a variation of this ability that can be used on written works but is significantly less accurate.
5. Transformation (Trn), the ability to flawlessly change matter from one form to another.
a. This ability is restricted to line of sight with the subject.
b. Activation varies depending upon the complexity of the Trn.
c. Tests thus far have been transforming simple objects into other simple objects, and require extensive knowledge of the end result to be transformed.
d. Tests included transforming fruits and vegetables into other fruits and vegetables. Testing the results of these experiments showed them to be edible and nearly identical to earth equivalents.
i. Pvt. Jenkins consumed an apple (formerly a pear) and commented as follows, “Is this how all your apples taste like where you’re from? That’s amazing!”
ii. Pvt. Jenkins has yet to experience any ill side effects.
e. Trn appears to last as long as the spell is channeled by the subject.
f. Attempts to test on live specimens were refused by the subject.
6. Crush (Cr), the application of raw physical force against a target.
a. Demonstration of this ability was requested but the subject refused to comply. Repeated requests resulted in the subject becoming non-compliant. Testing was halted for the day as the subject retreated to her habitat after repeated requests. What information can be gained about this ability is from interviews with Cpl Matt Harris, and armor cam footage from operation Hammerhead.
b. Reasonable assumption is that it requires line of sight like previous abilities.
c. Activation time in video is nearly instantaneous, though speculation is that this may have been an accelerated activation due to the prospect of death so close at hand.
d. The degree of force projected is staggering, and is higher than the impact tolerance of any structure we can currently create.
e. We’ll come back to test this once the subject has become more compliant.
The subject has hinted at several other abilities that stretch the imagination, some of which she is capable of while others are produced by artifacts found on her world. Some are believable, wearable artifacts designed to increase abilities but others… others I refuse to believe. A pool capable of creating perfect copies of anyone who looks into it? Time travel?
The only thing that is preventing me from writing all of this off as the ravings of a lunatic is the fact that this creature so easily violates so many of the established laws of reality that we thought were set in stone. I had to take the video footage from the Trn experiments to Frank to confirm that it wasn’t some sort of mass hallucination.
And throughout all of these experiments we weren’t able to find anything as to how it’s accomplished. My eyes are witnessing these violations of science, and in the case of the Trn experiments there’s physical evidence of it happening. How? HOW?
Further experiments will commence as soon as the subject has become more compliant.
END LOG
Good morning folks! Okay, a few things about this chapter.
One, I will freely admit I am no doctor so you'll have to forgive me if any of the doctorspeech isn't quite right. I did as much research as I could so I'm hoping for the best!
Two, the tabbing. In draft mode I have this really nice tabbed and numbered lists. I save and leave edit mode, and it turns into that. Sorry folks if it's not as readable as I'd like. >_<
If Vahlen had her way with the execution of Stardust, Earth would be SO fucked later on...
Good stuff. This fic deserves way, way more upvotes and views then it has. Especially considering the horrid offal sitting the in feature box at most times.
Kepp up the excellent work!
2642335
Thanks for the recommendation, I do read SCP in my free time. My main concern was that I was getting the medical details horribly wrong when discussing the medical imaging and psychology portions. Again, I did some research on PTSD and anxiety disorders (I suffer from an anxiety disorder myself but it has more to do with leaving the house rather than organization) and I hope I got those details right.
2642310
Can neither confirm nor deny that prediction. >_>
Vahlen is a creature of habit, other alien resources were studied to unlock their secrets, then discarded as soon as they had no more value. Of course, that doesn't mean that her actions aren't motivated by more than scientific curiousity...
2642376
I applaud anyone who can make it into the feature box, its something I one day aspire to achieve!
From what I understand the feature box features what's popular with the readers. I admit that the majority of what shows up there isn't for me but SOMEONE must like it or it wouldn't make it to the feature box.
Oh also! A kind soul added Stardust to the TVtropes MLP recommended fanfiction page. I could almost hear the little XBox achievement sound once I saw that. I one day aspire to have a TVtropes page for this little fic. I love going to TVtropes to see the building blocks of the fic deconstructed and labelled.
What amuses me is the fact that they are ignoring that Twilight is, effectively, the student/protege of the leader of a race of beings that can outperform the invaders /without/ technology in many aspects... and Vahlen wants to dissect her. Yeah. A good way to NOT start another war,
Mr. BushDoctor.2642469
Vahlen did comment that from the MI info they were able to confirm that Twilight does all her tricks naturally and without any implanted aids, unlike the invaders.
The learning has only just begun...FOR SCIENCE!
2642469
Nukes.
/war
2642239
Try using spaces. It may take longer to type out, but you get some of the same effect as tabbing without the editor mucking it up because every text editor seems to understand tab in a different way, but all of them MUST treat spaces the same otherwise communication would be nearly impossible.
Like so. I used the space bar ten times to create a tab effect whereas the other parts of this comment used the plain ol' Tab key.
Anyway, this is an interesting little pseudo-chapter. I think it's fascinating how much Vahlen and Twilight are so much alike; so analytical, so relatively cold (and heck, wasn't Twilight kind of a snobby pony before she got to Ponyville and loosened up?), and so utterly frustrated that others around her don't share her particular viewpoints on certain things. And of course, both have that "this thing is not behaving according to the laws of physics and it's driving me CRAZY" thing going on. It's almost deliciously ironic how Twilight is now in Pinkie's position.
On a sillier note, I wonder if Twilight is going to get to try bacon some time?
2642645
The spacing idea is brilliant. I'll get that arranged over my next break (working at the moment). And it might not take more time if you know some tricks. For instance, if your faux tabbing is ten spaces always, just make your ten spaces, then copy+paste for every tab you need.
And on the subject of Vahlen and Twilight's interactions, that's a very perceptive evaluation. What's unfortunate is that Twilight has no idea she's having this affect on Vahlen, and Vahlen's not keen to admit her ignorance. Thus, the situation snowballs.
I found it very interesting that they tried to speculate on Discords power level... I'm sure Twilight would stress that he simply has no limits in terms of capability beyond (maybe) some strange inability to not give the good guys a fighting chance.
I'm not certain Word has it, but there is usually an option to have your tab key create a number of spaces instead of a tab (which is sometimes displayed as 4ish spaces, but not always). Check your word processor's options.
Vahlen's actions and words aren't indicating a project lead making tough decisions while affecting a professional, detached attitude. The only possible conclusion to draw from the project's work at this point would be that their subject is new and unrelated to the invasion. Her antisocial behaviours and her flat affect indicate a stereotypical high-functioning sociopath. In that case, perhaps what Discord was really up to was introduce Twilight specifically to Vahlen, not to the human species in general. The question is whether her personality disorder is medical or psychological. If it's simply genetic or developmental, there's nothing that Twilight or anybody else can do about it. (Aside from waiting patiently for her to die.) If it's psychological, then maybe she has a chance...
Either way, I'm shocked that a military organization like this would allow somebody like Vahlen to join. Maybe it's the drastic circumstances: any port in a storm? I read this wiki page: http://xcom.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Vahlen but it doesn't talk about her personality. It looks like the person that you're depicting here is just based on the game's, because there's not a lot to go on. She talks to the player a bit, and reminds you that you won't learn much if you blow'd up everything -- which is actually a pretty sound game tip.
2643108
There's an 'over 9000' joke in there somewhere, but I'm not a horrible enough person to make it. >_>
I write the 1st draft copies in Word, then back them up on Google drive, then my external hard drive, THEN on this website. I'm nothing if not thorough in my backups. >: |
2643550
A very astute observation, dmbf. The basis of the personalities of all the canon characters in XCOM is based upon my personal impressions of them from the game, their development beyond that is a result of Twilight's appearance as well as some background I'm adding to flesh them out.
You're also asking a very good question: You aren't dwelling on the fact that Vahlen is a psycho, you're asking why she is one. I'm not making people the way they are willy-nilly. Everyone has had a journey to get where they are now.
2643550
I agree... she's disturbingly scientific and unwilling to think of Twilight as a fellow rational thinking being comparable with Humans.. granted the Aliens are her only other reference point, but still... she needs to lighten up. I worry for Twilight.
I get the feeling that Dr. Vahlen is growing to out and out hate Twilight. The way she casually uses magic to fly in the face of everything Vahlen knows about how the universe works seems to be really eating away at her. She's really becoming the embodiment of paranoia that was, unfortunately, what helped XCOM beat the invaders in the first place. It's just hard for her to pivot from "extremely hostile, genetically engineered invaders" to "alien equine who's been sent on an inter-dimensional exchange student program against her will".
Well that won't make things worse then they already are for Twilight.
Incorrect. Horses are stronger than humans only because they're bigger. Twilight's small, so she's gotta be weaker than an average human. Just sayin.
2643853
You are right to be worried.
2644062
Succinctly put.
2644151
Don't know if sarcasm or sly comment... >_>
2644455
We've also seen Twilight lugging around a boulder on her back with no magical aid. I can agree 100% with you that the little technicolor ponies -shouldn't- be as strong as they are, but there's evidence to show that strength. Things could have been argued either way, so I did a coin toss. *shrugs*
Man, I love Vahlen. As a character I mean, not a person. She's a stone-cold bitch. However, given the setting she lives in she is Properly Paranoid, and her only real problem is that for this particular fic she is Wrong Genre Savvy. I mean, if something like this happened in straight X-Com (no direct MLP cross but still featuring a psionically/magically powerful alien that everyone finds to be adorable and friendly) or SCP... The "cute and friendly" alien would be a facade, and in reality it is mind-raping everyone it comes into contact with into being its meat puppet "friends". In that scenario, people like Dr. Vahlen would really be our only hope.
Of course, in a strange twist Twilight is actually 100% genuine. Who knew?
Hopefully once she realizes that 1. Twilight isn't the monster Vahlen thinks she might be 2. Twilight isn't associated with the other aliens in any way and 3. Twilight is much more useful to humanity as an ally than as a prisoner/test subject, she'll be able to interact with Twilight in a much more productive manner and hopefully start figuring out this whole magic business. After all, she figured out psionics (which is basically just another type of "magic", really) in the actual X-Com game, so I think she'd be our best bet to figuring out magic.
2644501
Because the show is an animated cartoon. Hm. How should I put it... I've studied some animation at the college, and such exaggeration of character's abilities is an animation technique, used to create a certain atmosphere, therefore Twilight wouldn't be doing stuff like that if the show was made like a live-action series (because then it'd look ridiculous). Ugh. I suck at explaining this, don't I?
Don't let them find out about "Summon Parasprite" or "Want it Need it", Twilight!
I too agree that we need to see Twilight eat Bacon. (Even in the show they are omnivores with a bias towards non meat products, and though also very disconnected from actual horses(Horses aren't ball jointed fuzzy terminators that can roar like cats), in real life ungulates can eat meat without ill effect)
Now, as mentioned before, antagonizing an otherwise friendly alien with connections to their government isn't exactly the best thing to do. This is XCOM however, they don't have the choice to be nice. Technically, in real life, if we encountered an intelligent alien who could be communicated with and reasoned with(Like Twilight), they would be treated like a impromptu ambassador. The Enders Game method I believe.
How long until Twilight suggests she could convince her government to help out if she made it back? Because that's what they would do in the show, even if it meant bad things would soon happen.
As a response to a lot of the comments here Arad isn't the only one who got the impression from Dr. Vahlen's admittedly limited portrayal in the game that if she wasn't working for X-COM or some other shady Black Ops program she'd likely be dead or in prison.
Edit: Embedding post links isn't working for me this part is a response to Sabban
Just about all the Mane Ponies in the show have a feat or two of supernatural strength, durability and endurance. In Twilight's case she carried Tom on her back for an extended period and some back of the envelope calculations figure that rock assuming its not pumice or painted styrofoam or something weighs anywhere from half a ton to five tons.
Some people interpreting it that as facet of the show's genre and can all be explained away as comedic slapstick and the ponies aren't really any stronger or more durable than say The Three Stooges.
Others take them as legitimate physical power and the ponies and their world are just that hardcore. For example one fic that was a Marvel Universe crossover (I'd link but sadly it looks like it died after two chapters) had Rainbow Dash as strong enough to buck over pick-up trucks and found pistol fire to merely sting.
As far as I'm concerned both interpretations are equally valid and its the author's choice as to which one to use in their fics.
Arad appears to have split the difference and made Twilight unnaturally strong and tough for a creature her size but not so much so that she could go hoof-to-claw with a Cryssalid. Which as I've stated he very well could have done the latter and the only reasonable objection would be to say is that you prefer things with the slapstick interpretation but can't actually say its wrong.
2644455
OTOH, she's an Element. We have no clue what kind of boost that gives. And she's also pretty fit, physically- running of the leaves?
2644501 Yes.
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2644548
She's an element of magic, so even if there was some kind of boost (which I doubt) it wouldn't have affected her physical attributes.
She didn't really win the first place in that contest, nor is she faster than AJ or RD. You remember what she did, right?
2644455 That's not the way it works when comparing TV, cartoons or books to reality (unless the writer wants to spend a very, very long time explaining things). As long as a characters feats are consistent they are considered to be fact whether in their own reality or in real reality. Rainbow Dash has been calculated by some to fly at over mach 10 during a rainboom, this is faster than any jet in reality. Therefor if she if booted into reality she is still able to fly at mach 10 because that's what she can do.
The instant that you start saying "That character shouldn't be that strong because their small or their real life version cant do that" you then have to come to the question of could Twilight even live in reality? Why does her magic work in a more real based world? To avoid these kinds of giant ten chapter long explanations we just give to the characters the abilities they've shown. In this case that means that Twilight can lug around a 2 ton boulder by brute strength alone, and she's weak compared to Applejack and Rainbow Dash. She can also use her magic to lift a bear the size of a small apartment complex off the ground and float it several miles into a forest.
Really if you take the physical feats of the ponies into account humans are somewhat squishy and weak in comparison. And in the same way humans are weak to many creatures on our planet the ponies on their world compete with predators like Timberwolves, Ursa majors, dragons, cockatrices, changelings and who the heck knows what else. The ponies have essentially evolved to be tough enough to deal with their environment, which before pony tribe unification was probably pretty dang vicious and deadly.
2644616
That's kinda the point, you see. I fucking hate it that way.
2644628 But why? I mean compared to many creatures on earth we're squishy. Heck if I remember right monkeys are stronger than humans, or was that chimpanzees? We're fairly slow though we have good stamina when in shape, on average we're weak, and our durability isn't exactly impressive either. But we make up for all of that with an impressive intelligence that allows us to actually overcompensate for those weaknesses.
And like I said you also have to take into account the environmental dangers. The ponies are dealing with creatures far more dangerous than the average human is going to run into. Timberwolves alone are able to reform after being broken, and can even create a super timberwolf if necessary. Ursa majors are the size of a freakin apartment complex and I wouldn't take one on without missiles or a tank and the tank operators better be very good shots. And then you have to throw in things like dragons which likely could, and would, eat a pony and then you're dealing with something both intelligent and durable. Heck maybe even griffons early in their history might have eaten ponies, diamond dogs as well. And those are only the creatures we see in Equestria, we have no idea of the kind of ocean monsters there are or other creatures that might exist on a different continent. Humans are adapted to our world and the dangers in it, the ponies are adapted to theirs.
In the end the ponies could be as strong as they are because they have to be, or had to be before Equestria was formed. At that time in their world you were either durable, strong and fast or you were just one more pony who went out one day and never came back. I mean you have to realize that the ponies are a prey animal, they are not predators. And yet they have a massive kingdom that protects them now. The idea that a prey animal would become one of the top species on a planet is amazing really. In fact it's likely that their strengths alone would never have been enough, magic is probably the only reason they hold the spot they do. Without it they would probably be just a small civilization struggling to survive while fending off everything trying to eat them.
Sorry this is so long.
I leave for an hour to eat and the comments just EXPLODE.
2644506
Hopefully! Vahlen has her reasons for acting the way she does, it will be interesting to see how (or if!) she overcomes them.
2644526
Okay seriously, what the heck is this obsession with bacon and the ponies? Personally I blame Rokas, his Mechwarrior crossover fic was the first place I saw it happen so clearly he's the root of all evil here.
As for your other predictions...
And to everyone else discussing the strength evaluation: Thank you all for your feedback! Voicing and discussing your concerns is exactly what I look for in my commenters.
On to the topic itself, there is plenty of evidence that could be used to support either conclusion: Strong ponies, weak ponies. I exercised author's perogative and chose strong ponies, though I am aware the argument could be made for the other option.
2644549
Curse you Trollestia!
2644768
Because I'm a human, and I don't like being called 'weak'?
You see, Every time I read a human fic, I tend to associate myself with humans, since I happen to be a human. Every time the humanity is portrayed as something evil\destructive\weak (anything negative, you get the idea) I feel insulted, since I'm a part of the human race. Humanity is powerful, otherwise we wouldn't be where we are right now. The idea of being weaker than a pastel-colored magical pony disgusts me to no end.
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2645351
Well, since there are donkeys, mules and zebras in the show, we can be 99% sure that ponies are of Equus genus (well, parallel world verison of it, anyway). Therefore she'd be as close to a real-world pony as she could get.
Some of my favorite aliens and beings in fiction leave humans in the dust. It doesn't bother me all that much.
Reploids, Moties, Sangheili, Yautja, Orks(40K), Necrons, Chryssalids, Etherials, Krogan, Silicon Life/Safeguard, Equestrian Ponies, and so on and so forth.
I like them because they are A:Awesome superhuman equivalents, B:Alien and still awesome(Go hang hutts/rubber forehead aliens/Navi) and C:Not humans. Humans are in 99% of everything in our fiction industry. It gets boring after a while. Mass Effect for instance would have been awesome without humans(and the ever annoying "Humanity fuck yeah! trope) boringifying the game. I like fiction because it's different from real life. Not because its characters are something I can look out the door and see more of.
Having a show about a bunch of pony shaped aliens who could easily survive in a superhero setting while not being a superhero setting, (because those generally suck; thank you marvel/dc ) is fun.
As to how close they are to real world ponies? Not very. Binocular vision(Doubly confirmed by forward facing flight goggles), Full sapience, ability to throw up, catlike flexibility(And roaring ability!), omnivores(Actually, several real life ungulates are as well. Look it up. They just favor vegetables. Deer can eat fish even.), the ability to use magic, haul around several tons of rock, punt each other through walls or trees, move so fast they appear to flash step, and so on. I could start posting dozens of screencaps backing these claims up if anyone wants.
Heck, something else that's immensely fun about Equestrians: Their culture is adapted around their freakish toughness. How much so? So much so that something that could seriously injure or kill a human is considered a mean spirited prank for Equestrian kids. What was that prank? The CMC rigging their float to drive off a 14 foot cliff. And that was after they shoved Babs through the inch thick wall of 2x4's to get her out.
2642395 I never said Vahlen was completely wrong in what she was doing. Hers is pretty much a case of "right piece, right board, wrong time to move". Besides, really, there's been absolutely no solid, undisputable evidence that Twilight isn't one of the Ethereals' drones engineered so as to take advantage of our protective/affective nature, and she takes her job too seriously to take chances.
If I didn't know better, I'd side with her lickety-split.
2644628 ...How to put this. Oh, I know: Too bad.
Seriously, though, you've got this fannon that they're smaller than humans. Why would that necessarily be the case? I kinda figured that they were pony-sized, which would put them in a similar weight category, perhaps a little heftier. So, I'm thinking that the mane six are between 170 kg () to about 250 kg (). If I are be the correct, then we would have to talk about physical strength next.
Your best muscle group is all about your rear end. (This goes pretty much for everyone, so don't feel singled out, bubble butt.) That's because we use those to carry ourselves around. Horses aren't so different, except that they have thick chests for their front legs. If you've been around work horses, you'll notice that they're more developed in the front than riding horses. If you don't hang around these animals, just... nod or something, because they are. That's because they have to use their front legs at lower speeds to puuuulll all the stuff we hook them up to. Their butts are really big like that because they use them when they're at higher speeds, pushing against the ground in their gallops. There's a big muscular difference between a slow trot and a gallop.
So, can Twilight out-bench you? I anno lol but you would stand a decent chance because the shape of your chest and arms is better for it than hers. In a variety of weight-tests, she would likely come out on top, though. (That being said, AJ would just destroy you and you know it, so don't bother embarrassing yourself by bringing her into this.)
Also, size and strength don't really go one-to-one. There's a lot about density, neural whatever and all that -- look, go check out the crazy stuff our primate cousins can do, and how small they are. This comment is running long enough as it is.
But really, let's get to the heart of this.
As I said before... TOO BAD! It seems to me that you've got an inferiority complex, which you need to let go of. I wouldn't go to a gym if I were you!
...Oh, also, don't forget that they're girls, too. They're pastel little horse girls and they can all kick your ass.
It's so interesting, and so telling, that the teams response to being told changelings feed on love is to assume it must be some unnecessary addiction; despite assuming telepathy is real, they simply cannot accept that there is literal, tangible power associated with love and friendship, of the "expel invading armies by magic force" variety.
2646154
No, I do not have inferiority complex. I just like to think that I'm a part of something great. Is it wrong to do so?
Nope. You know why? Because I know the magic of Adobe Flash. My powers are beyond their comprehension. Imma fucking Cthulhu, bitch. All of your arguments are invalid. I like to think of humanity from that point. Yeah.
Also, regarding size.
2645826
Good luck being left in the dust. Are you feeling comfortable being left in the dust? I'm not.
I don't see this trope often enough to be boring.
I prefer the abnormal strength ponies (such as this fic went with). They are a dominant species in a world with significantly more deadly wildlife than Earth. Vague evolutionary speculation aside, I tend to imagine their durability as being kind of superhero-styled; everyone is tough enough to have pianos dropped on them or get blasted through walls.
I think getting in a fuss over human versus pony powerlevels is silly, though. Twilight is powerful enough to put superheroes to shame, and even amongst her own people is terrifyingly powerful; part of the negative response to her is likely a very understandable fear of a species you are judging based on a member who could refer to you as "puny humans" and probably be justified. She IS stronger than them. She's stronger than anything we've seen short of gods and maybe the biggest monsters.
2646214
Uh, yeaaaaaah you do. You just said that
That's... an inferiority complex there. The idea that something could be physically stronger than you... disgusts you? Recommendation: Stay. Out. Of. Gyms.
Following that little... gem you try re-open the size debate with some detail from the show. Look, people have been having this argument for years now, and as soon as one thing totally "ends" it (candy cane now, apples before, and it'll be something else to contradict it tomorrow), I'm going to say what all the staff and Lauren Faust has said: they're about the size of a pony. I know how big those are. Besides that, my introduction to My Little Pony was called My Little Pony and had some human characters in it, and so I know how big the characters are, and that's the end of it. You're not going to be able to win this debate with me, so if you feel like wasting your time on this, go find somebody else to debate it with. You can bump your candy cane against their apples all you want.
"But they're not real!" Duuuuuuuuuuuh, el stupido. It's sad that if I have to stoop to saying this, but I was speaking hypothetically. You know, using your imagination! Like on TV, but it's in our heads. Got it? Cool, now, if they were real, and you picked a fight with them (unlikely, you'd be too nervous to actually talk to a real girl), and if it turned violent, then they could easily hospitalize you, possibly without meaning to do so.
Also, you don't "think of humanity from that point". Look up at that poster you, uh, posted. See that dude in the power armour that doesn't have a full helmet so somebody with a $200 pistol could just shoot him in the face? You see that socially inept gamernerd-porn right there? That's what you're saying makes humanity great. Ha ha ha, oh my god. Also, the text describes... cellular respiration and metabolism? Bro, that's not humanity, that's just life period.
Seriously, though, I'm taking a break from being an antagonistic trolling douche-weed for a second. Pull up a seat. You, too, Humanist 2644506 , because I see you and the HAB guys running afoul of this a lot. Here's what makes our species unique, interesting, and really wonderful in the known universe. We have History, so that we use our abilities to communicate to those that do not yet exist. Related to that, we have written and other physical non-body forms of communication, so that an ephemeral discovery can be shared with many. We have the power of imagination, to see with our mind rather than our eyes. We can use that imagination to breathe life into our arts. We can show empathy, not just for our family, friends and tribe as so compelled by our social instinct, but any other that we perceive -- something only possible because of our combined imagination, our art and our history. Finally, we have our rationality, the most fragile thing of all, to use our minds in a way that nature never intended, to understand the very principles that reality is made of just by... thinking about it, deliberately, calmly, despite the gnawing instinct biting us from our hindbrains. That's damn awesome stuff right there. Not guns, not space marines, not the ability to pace one's running, not... cellular respiration, not nuclear weapons, and not video games. Please remember that, because when I see people talking about our virtues, they mention all the latter and degrade the former, and it kills me inside each time, because I love each of those things so much.
2646214
Every generation is, with luck, better than the last due to the onward march of science, technology, medicine and education.
Those who can also help those who can't.
Why worry about being left behind or losing to someone else if I help put them there?
And if there's aliens? Well, there's always a bigger fish. Only thing to do is catch up in that case.
It's more common than one would think.
I question what mindset it takes to take pleasure in having absolute power over anyone. Fictional or otherwise.
2646372
I just wanted to say that while I acknowledge that there are a number of people in HAB that have exactly the problem that you have described, I would not consider myself one of them.
Though I have to admit that this part
seems... well, kind of stupid to me. Nature never "intended" anything, it just... is. It does not and cannot have intentions, unless you are speaking metaphorically with respect to natural selection, but in that case we use our minds EXACTLY as nature "intended".
I... don't really know what happened here in the comments or really what everyone is arguing about. I'm too tired to read through it right now but I'll take a look through it tomorrow and try to actually participate then (All I read was your post, and then only the part that mentioned me specifically.
(Actually, I think I said that same thing about some other comments recently... I need to find out what else I was supposed to look at)
I apologize, but I am just too tired right now to read through all of... whatever it is that is happening/has happened here.
2646214 You should read Xcom Second Contact then. I believe humanity as depicted as in that Xcom/ME crossover is more to your liking.
But towards this chapter, I found it just great how the therapist dismissed the "trust-me love-me aura" as just the natural reaction to a cute little unicorn
2646443
That's actually quite true. I'll admit I'm guilty of playing to the audience there because most people don't understand that, and when I said "nature never intended" I'm reminding them that they are exactly the product of natural selection and selfish genes, and then they'll semi-consciously think about how the universe produced a way to think about itself, you know, the whole Carl Sagan bit. Maybe that bit needs a bit of work. Also, if they're really indoctrinated into a religion, then all of this would be extremely confusing and upsetting. I would take a gentler, more complex track for them, but I know that the general audience here would be more receptive to this approach. I'm sure you're well aware the challenges in introducing humanistic ideas to the fundamentally religious. One little mis-step and... (please imagine an explosion here).
Cliff notes: one kid is mad about one detail from the story, and is trying to make it into some kind of weird pro-human thing, even though it's more of a maturity thing. Some people are arguing or just trying to talk to him about it. Meanwhile, I'm being an obnoxious trollwad to him because... well... come on. I'm Dark Butt. I'm either helpful and friendly to whomever needs it and an obnoxious trollwad when I feel it's the right time to be. I think it works on werewolf rules?
2646443
Someone made a statement under the false assumption that quadruped aliens were the same as terrestrial horses just because they shared a general shape. Those of us who were bored murdered the argument.
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Lets see a horse do that!
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Or that!
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Or that!
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Or that!
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Or that!
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Or that!
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Or that!
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Or that!
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Or that!
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Or that!
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Or that!
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Or that!
iambrony.jsmart.web.id/mlp/gif/friendshipnuke.gif
Or that.
FIM Ponies have less in common with horses than humans do with chimps. They are sapient tool using aliens with an advanced civilization.
To say they can't do something because a terran creature that looks similar can't also do so is like saying that since we can't make intergalactic starships in real life(yet!), that the ships in various sci fi series can't either.
Or maybe a more accurate analogy is that it's like saying since iguanas can't breathe nuclear fire in real life, neither can Godzilla.
2644878 Physically, we are weaker than pretty much every creature on our planet with similar mass, and quite a few that have less mass than us. Human skin is quite soft and easily cut and, on average, we bruise so easily it borders on the ridiculous. Our dominance comes from using our brains for more than motor control, not from being stronger, faster and more durable than our competition. After all, would you want to be locked unarmed in a room with an angry 150 lb chimp? I wouldn't, even though I outweigh that chimp by over 100 lbs and at my peak was strong enough to pick up an engine block and walk off with it. I think what is really bothering you is that these "pastel colored ponies" are not only stronger physically, but demonstrated to be just as intelligent.
Welcome to fiction, where nothing has to correlate with real life and nothing has to make sense.
If that seems harsh, look at it this way: You seem to be dead set on insisting that just because Equestrian ponies have a passing resemblance to real ponies, they must therefore have the same physical abilities. That's sloppy thinking at its finest. That's like saying because someone has two arms and stands on two legs they MUST be Olympian decathlete bodybuilders,
As far as human evil... Well we have enough monsters in our history balanced by those that fought against them. Humanity as a whole isn't evil, but there's plenty of evil to be found.
When you boil it all down it comes to this: It is fiction, the only rules are grammatical. The rest is completely up to the author. If you don't like it, fine. Just don't expect nonsensical commentary to go unchallenged.
2643550
Vahlen for all extensive purposes is a socio-path. A genius in her field but as quoted by Central Officer Bradford "an aliens worst nightmare". She was the one to suggest taking aliens in alive for experimentation and her methods are beyond inhuman. Here is a sample.
She does this with every alien, she is a rational thinker to the core and her showing empathy to Twilight in this will be extremely out of character for a women that as a job researches weapons of unprecedented power while cutting up other extraterrestrials and breaking their minds to her will. She can be many things to a writer and maybe after a lot of convincing she may be less hard on Twilight. But this is a elite paramilitary organization, they want results from the best or else all of humanity will be destroyed and enslaved to the aliens. Best way I can describe her is that she is "human" around humans.
Okay, I don't know if I have any sort of executive power for this sort of thing, and I don't think I'd want to use it even if I did so I'll just ask politely: Please don't make the discussions personal. It's really great that everyone feels strongly enough about their beliefs that they want to discuss and defend them, but I don't like seeing comments leaning towards personal nature.
As I said earlier, I made a judgement call based on the information I had available at the time of writing. I found evidence to support this decision, and mentioning it serves the purposes of the plot. Everyone is more than welcome to disagree anything I write, after all I won't know if I'm doing something wrong unless folks tell me! I'm glad that the subject came up but due to the tone the discussion has taken I am going to put my foot down.
So, starting immediately after this comment, I would -greatly- -appreciate- it if the subject would be dropped, for now at least. Wait a day and think about what you would write. If in a day's time you still feel strongly about the subject then post, but any future posts that discuss other folks here in a negative light will be looked upon harshly.
With everyone's cooperation on this, everyone can enjoy the story and share their thoughts without feeling like their comment may not be valued. Thanks!
2646923
It is a challenge to make Vahlen the right kind of paranoid without making her seem like a total monster. She is a type of monster, no doubt, but she's a monster with a cause.
2646970
You absolutely have the power for the sort of thing, and you must use it if the need arises. This is your comment section and you're the moderator here. Don't doubt yourself now, or from it'll be like YouTube down here. You're doing exactly the right thing.
This chapter really made me feel bad for Twilight, especially once it turned out she'd had a minor breakdown when asked to demonstrate that last spell...
As for Vahlen, I seem to recall her and Shen agonising about defeating the aliens without becoming as monstrous as they are. Maybe she'll need reminded of that eventually.
(edit) Just noticed “GOD JUDGES US NOT BY THE WRATH WE HAVE FOR OUR ENEMIES, BUT BY THE COMPASSION FOR OUR FELLOW MAN.” Very appropriate for Vahlen, well played.
A couple of questions Arad...
What point is XCOM at in its own technological development/progress through the game's story? I think you said they were still using ballistic weapons but also have experience with mind control, so around about the time of the underground base? Has Psi testing begun?
The translation spell - if person A has the spell on them, and person B does not, and Person B speaks in an unfamiliar language, does Person A understand them?
(rot13 for potential Stardust spoilers if I'm right) Qbrf guvf unir vzcyvpngvbaf sbe gebbcf va gur svryq bapr Uneevf naq Wraxvaf erghea gb onggyr naq cbgragvnyyl haqrefgnaq gur nyvra'f ynathntr?
2648659
Thanks for commenting!
I do recall Shen discussing the moral implications of their tests and the future of the human race. I don't recall any such hesitation with Vahlen.
The XCOM tech level currently is low. They have ARC throwers and have done autopsies/interrogations on the basic enemies. Beyond that, standard weapons and equipment apply. Projectile weapons, etc.
And regarding the translation spell, both person A and person B require the spell in order to translate. If both have the spell cast upon them they can speak any language they want and the other can understand it. Person C (with no spell cast on them) doesn't recieve the translation, and speach from C to A and B would not be translated either.
2647979
Thanks for that.
I hope I don't have to exercise that power but its good to know I can if I have to.
2646372
Yes, yes, you do that. Because if you're being an antagonistic trolling douche-weed, I doubt people will want to have any sort of discussion with you.
Well, it's time for good ol Sabban to ignore all of your trolling, be the better person, and get to the part that actually matters.
You know, you should've started there. If you started there, there would have been less of a shitstorm in comments. You know what?
Suddenly, I realized that you're me. We're so alike, it brings tears to my eyes. I'm going to follow you. And we will be friends. And you're going to like it. Because friendship is magic.
To every other person that either agreed or disagreed with me:
I suddenly realized that such an intense argument about a show is completely pointless. Everybody has their own headcanon, we can imagine shit happening in a variety of ways. This here shitstorm shows exactly that. I didn't mean to start it, but I suppose my cranial Imperium of Mankind has swollen too much. Must remember not to scratch it.
P.SThe humanity is still way better. We could easily subdue ponies with hugs, petting and belly-rubs. I know I would.