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Many years ago, I was fairly into Team Fortress 2. (I still check back every now and then.) At one point, I started to experiment with Source Filmmaker. And somehow (perhaps from a dream?) the idea appeared in my head to try something Xenoblade-related. So I got the tools, did a lot of effort, and ended up with a Melia model and an earth elemental particle system in the first attackers' spawn of cp_dustbowl.

While doing the technical stuff, a plot for a short had formed in my mind. But it was clear from the start that actually carrying it out in SFM was beyond my n00bing - I'd have to git gud first. Not that I was opposed to doing that, but the fact was, I'd have to learn the whole shebang for a narrow-bandwidth crossover. Since I knew from the beginning there wouldn't be much audience, I might as well return back to the media I can already tell a story with.

Read elsewhere

• FanFiction.net
• Archive of Our Own

Read here

Mann In The Machine

The idea for a sequel to this fic has been in my mind for a while, but I don't really care for writing it, so it's not very well-developed. So, I have no problem spilling it out here, for any who may be interested.

The premise is that RED team has done some research into the memories they got when duplicating Melia. Not much is available, since memories are naturally complex and Melia's mind is not fully human. But they do come upon one of the stronger engrams: Metal Face. They use the idea of Face Mechon to build their own (how many other TF2 mech stories are out there), and start to hand BLU way too many losses. BLU team somehow figures out what's happened and realises the best way to fight back is to contact Melia. So, they teleport into the XC1 postgame world, tell them of the situation, and ask for help. The party agrees on the condition that both sides come to an agreement to stop meddling with their world, which RED agrees to given how bad a shape they end up in afterward.

Notes & Trivia

• The key to writing a fic that's a crossover between America and Bionis is to try very hard to ensure that humans say "color" while Homs say "colour". There will inevitably be some oopsies, but it's the ideal.
• You can tell this has its roots in a SFM script with how many of the characters only have lines cut directly from TF2.
• Unlike my other multi-chapter fics, I completed and posted all three chapters at once. Mostly this was because I already had the full script in mind, so there was no needing to release things in stages while writing the next part.

Ch.01

• The Soldier says "Any objections, lady?", like Adam of the Metroid series.
• Originally the mentioned CTF map was going to be 2Fort, mostly for sharing the same "age" as Dustbowl. But the name "Teufort" never sat right with me, and something told me that mixing in a newer map would be better, so it got changed to Doublecross.
• All the math checks out. With 125 HP and two earth elementals, Melia only needs 12 points of subtractive defence to live a 195 Market Gardener, which the Reliability branch easily covers.
• The RED team apparently accidentally knows some Xenoblade quotes, if they're saying "no joker" and "even the odds a bit".

Ch.02

• Like a bunch of my fics, this once as written pre-FC, but happened to feature Ponspectors anyway. The name was changed once we were given it.

Ch.03

• It was fun figuring out ways for the team to communicate in secret on the battlefield without omnipresent earpieces.
• Yes, Melia can drag Smash Bros. physics into other worlds, despite not even being a Smasher herself. It's easier when you're already in the wrong universe.
• The cover art represents the arts used in the chain attack. Melia's is mirrored to align with the direction of TF2 kill icons.