Month: August 2017

XCOM 2 WotC Countdown Calendar: Citlalmina “Azteca” de Goya (Week 9/12 Part 2)

Seeing as the Countdown Calendar for XCOM 2 was such a massive success, I decided to use some discarded character concepts and a couple new ones for what is essentially season 2 of the project. For those of you who don’t know: Every Tuesday until the day WotC is released, I will reveal a new soldier on the Avenger, so you can get a small dose of XCOM to bridge the gap.

Quick reminder: I am in no way affiliated with Firaxis, and all this content is fanfiction/headcanon/whatever term you prefer.

An encounter with:

Citlalmina “Azteca” de Goya, from Mexico:

De Goya is sitting at the common shrine, which contains idols from all religions represented on the Avenger. She’s using a laser shaper to etch the likeness of one of her gods from a block of wood.

“The God of the Abrahamic religions has failed us. He said he would protect his children, but he either failed or did not stay true to his word. Either way, he is not an ally we can count on. He became a non-interventionist, really, after his son was killed. Maybe our actions put him off humanity, who can really tell? His rise in popularity is the product of our preachers, not his own pursuit of worshippers. Humans were the ones who replaced the old gods, the true gods, the gods that would have protected us. The Roman pantheon, the Germanic idols, the Canaanite faith, the spirits worshipped by the many tribes native to my continent. The Buddhists didn’t help, either. Their gods are nothing but men, and what, if not man, makes for a flimsy deity?”

Her look is very serious as she gives the little golden Buddha a glare. She gives the stainless steel winged snake standing next to it a kiss of the forehead.

“We must return to our old guardians. The Conquistadores may have defeated them, but they were not slain. Wherever you are in the world, find the gods that were forbidden by the colonisers, and worship them. Give them the strength to make a return to our world, invoke them to save it from the alien threat. For what can defeat gods from another world, but gods from this world? And if this isn’t clear enough, I speak to everyone. I do not just mean African animists and Aboriginal diviners when I implore them to return to their old ways. This goes out to the Norse and the Celts as well. I care not about the colour of your skin, I care only about the faith that is in your heart.”

Satisfied with her work, she gives the carving its finishing touches and begins murmuring incantations in Quechua. When she is done, she douses it in alcohol and sets it ablaze in a brass bowl.

“What we do here is not fight. What we do here is sacrifice. This is a war we cannot hope to win on our own. We pay with our sweat, blood, and glory, so that we may show the gods of old that we are still here, we need their help, and we will do anything to get it. Only when Quetzalcoatl rises into the heavens once more, this time to destroy UFOs, will we be saved. That will be the day when Ares will battle the hordes of ADVENT, when the Kami swallow alien structures whole, and Papa Legba takes the Ethereals into the afterlife. I may never get to see it, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make. I fight for XCOM, because we need a beacon the old Gods can find to return to our aid.”

XCOM 2 WotC Countdown Calendar: Cyril “Blood Sport” Kosta (Week 9/12 Part 1)

Seeing as the Countdown Calendar for XCOM 2 was such a massive success, I decided to use some discarded character concepts and a couple new ones for what is essentially season 2 of the project. For those of you who don’t know: Every Tuesday until the day WotC is released, I will reveal a new soldier on the Avenger, so you can get a small dose of XCOM to bridge the gap.

Quick reminder: I am in no way affiliated with Firaxis, and all this content is fanfiction/headcanon/whatever term you prefer.

An encounter with:

Cyril “Blood Sport” Kosta, from Greece:

 

In the sickbay, Kosta is patching up the superficial injuries he sustained from wrestling with some ungodly creature in the laboratory. Any challenge the scientists propose, he will accept. It has gotten to the point where everything has to be run by Dr. Tygan to make sure Kosta does not kill himself.

“There’s nothing quite like Deathmatch, but these experiments come close. The thrill of hunting somebody down and the ripping their insides out with a sickle is better than any orgasm I’ve ever had. Before you freak out, that’s one of the major misconceptions about Deathmatch. Yes, we do give people substandard weapons, let them run free, and chase them, but we only do it to ADVENT collaborators. Don’t think for a second those mutons don’t do the same thing with their prisoners.”

A maniacal grin on his face, Kosta shows off the eight muton heads tattooed on his left shoulder.

“That’s only the ones I killed in melee. It’s a great feeling, pulling your axe out of a skull that big. I wish I could do it more often, but alas I am not allowed. I hear the commander wants to keep me around for a while, though I suspect it’s Tygan making sure his guys are the ones who end up being my undoing. I really help out their research by wrestling with those beasts, and I’m glad to do it. There’s no entertainment on this ship. I’m not allowed to drink, because I end up punching people. I’m not allowed to participate in competitive fighting either, because they’re afraid my instincts will take over, and I think that’s a justified fear. I don’t want to kick off anybody’s head in a sparring match. XCOM needs soldiers more than I need gratification, I get it.”

He lets out a grunt while disinfecting a wound to avoid staph.

“I used to do more than one game back before they shut down the Corfu Arena for good. I was an actual gladiator, fighting against all kinds of abominations. I remember after the shutdown, when they locked me up, I ended up killing seven prison guards because I hadn’t split any skulls in a month. That’s something I actually feel bad about. But it helped me break out, and nowadays I get to go on some tense adventures. I said there’s nothing quite like Deathmatch, and I stand by that, because going on missions is better. The stakes are higher, the game is more tactical, the opponents are stronger, and I actually get to accomplish something. Not to mention there’s fewer rules. Going up against ADVENT is a beautiful thing, I tell you. I fight for XCOM, because I just love killing, aliens most of all.”