Eldraeic Phrase of the Day: traäzik ulalath

traäzik ulalath: literally “stony ignorance”, (or for the convenience of Tellurian readers, “stone stupid”, even though the backing metaphor is entirely different), the very special kind of stupidity self-inflicted by and on the extremely loyal, be it to contract, person, cause, or necessity, characterized by making extreme deeds and ludicrous plans appear logical, sensible, and sane.

See azkith, “loyalty”, from azik “stone” + ankithel “emotion, passion”.

(Incidentally, for the MLP:FiM watchers among my readers, Tanks for the Memories is pretty much exactly what an episode of traäzik ulalath looks like.)

Trope-a-Day: Hollywood Tactics

Hollywood Tactics: Very much averted (disclaimer: future screw-ups not covered, but I shall at least try to take proper tactical advice).  The Legions are very keen on, among other things, formations, combined arms tactics, avoiding open-field battles, flanking, suppressing and covering fire, using all the available dimensions (even if #4 is tricky), destroying the enemy from well beyond visual range, commanding the battle from well behind the lines and preferably from orbit, etc., etc.

And while their training program is, in many ways, The Spartan Way, it is tempered with very advanced medicine (the sort of thing that makes Valhalla-style deadly live-fire exercises survivable) and the expertise of a great many psychedesigners in ensuring that it goes right up to the point at which tempering stops and snapping begins, and no further.

See also: Combat Pragmatist.