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makeste · 3 years

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BnHA Chapter 302: As the Todoroki Turns

Previously on BnHA:

Today on BnHA: We have a very fun chapter in which (1) Shouto grows up lonely on account of his parents being worried that his siblings will literally try to kill him, (2) Natsu and Fuyu grow up neglected on account of not being special and/or self-destructive enough to attract attention, (3) we get to revisit all of that exciting spousal abuse from chapter 39, and (4) Touya burns to death right on cue, pretty much exactly like we expected it to happen. Thankfully since this is a shounen manga, Horikoshi finds some hope in all this misery as the Todoroki family rallies together, with Shouto getting his long-overdue credit for being a perfect sweet angel who put up with all of this shit for sixteen years and somehow came out of it strong and kind and empathetic and determined. Anyway, so that flashback was a barrel of laughs. But now that it’s over, we can put all of that angst behind us, and move on to... well I guess, probably, more angst. Look, we’re short on variety at the moment. Bear with it.

ouch. we knew this was coming, but still

A+ parenting move there. “ho boy, our eldest just tried to murder our youngest, now what? hmm how about we isolate our youngest from all human contact”

though in their defense, we probably shouldn’t have expected this rabidly strength-obsessed fire man and his wife who was groomed since childhood to obey her family’s whims to have any idea of how to raise stable, well-adjusted offspring

SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS

this is a perfect example of Enji’s tragically self-revolving viewpoint right here. just because being a hero is your entire world doesn’t mean you can just excuse yourself from anything outside of that and act like it’s out of your control. “alas, all I care about is hero stuff and my son can’t be a hero, we are doomed to inhabit two different worlds” no you jackass, it’s called having more than one hobby?? figuring out how to spend some time with your son that doesn’t involve training?? the same exact thing you were telling him to do last week, while ignoring that you’ve never done that yourself in your life??

that said, yet again we have that complexity though because it’s obvious that Enji at least on some level is aware of his own flaws, even though he seems unwilling or unable to confront them. honestly, from what we’ve seen so far, Enji’s obsession with surpassing All Might might be more accurately called an addiction. he literally can’t let go of it even though he’s fully aware of how it’s slowly destroying his life. and so in the same way that a lifelong smoker or alcoholic might tell their child to stay away from cigarettes and booze, Enji tells Touya not to follow down the same path as him, even though he himself doesn’t know how to leave that path. so yes, it’s hypocritical as fuck, but there’s also an element of helplessness there as well because Enji literally doesn’t know how not to be like this

though all the same he sure could stand to put in more than just a token effort. but it is what it is, and we already know how much he’ll come to regret it

and meanwhile Baby Shouto has frozen his sleep bubble with his quirk lmao. so I guess his quirk did come in early. that’s a recipe for chaos right there

once again Shouto is ruining every single dramatic panel in this flashback

this was so dark and intense... and then I spotted the lil bubs in the corner. Horikoshi please control yourself

“some hero you are, running away” and then all of a sudden, “FIVE YEARS LATER” lol what. OKAY THEN

(ETA: love the confirmation that eight-year-old Natsu comes from the Iida school of puberty and is basically a fully grown man, and meanwhile Touya comes from the hobbit school of puberty and has been perpetually eight for the past five years.)

“HEY BIG BRO WANNA COME RECREATE AN ICONIC FLASHBACK SCENE WITH US. WE’VE GOT THE SOCCER BALL RIGHT HERE, BUT HURRY UP OR WE’LL BE TOO LATE FOR SHOUTO TO WALK ON BY AND STOP TO LOOK”

lol and that’s literally the next three panels. but Horikoshi did add this extra bit after Endeavor starts to drag Shouto away

seriously Enji what the hell did you expect was going to happen here. “Touya went nuts and tried to kill his little brother out of jealousy, so let’s make it clearer than ever that Shouto is the important child and all the other children are just rejects. this will definitely not make the problem 100x worse, and will surely lead to Touya giving up and living a happy life, having been emotionally abandoned by the person he admired more than anyone.” good for you pal you figured it all out. no need for that plan b, “we all just go to therapy”

anyway so he’s telling Shouto he can’t play because he needs more endurance training. and meanwhile Touya’s patented Todoroki Drama Genes are going through puberty as well

definitely the face of a happy, emotionally stable child who’s not still plotting to murder his younger brother in his sleep

“WELL ACTUALLY MAKESTE” lol I stand corrected??

apparently during the five year interim Touya actually stopped blaming Shouto and realized Enji was the one at fault. good for him! a bit inconsistent, given what we know happens later, but I assume we’ll get to that in good time

anyway. “yeah man I agree that dad sucks, but it’s the middle of the night and I’m only eight and you’ve been monologuing for the past two hours bro”

LMAO

the manga is making my jokes for me, only better. fine then

looks like someone’s still miffed about that disagreement he had with his baby sister back when she was like four

“Fuyu doesn’t get properly riled up like I want her to so ranting to her is annoying.” okay but having been in Fuyu’s shoes, it really is just a different way of coping, and I can guarantee she’s not as fine with the whole situation as Touya might think. but making your peace with something is often a decision that’s made for emotional self-preservation reasons. and I sure as hell don’t fault her for trying to shut out a situation that she had no control over, and trying to make the best of it, and scrape together as normal a childhood as she could manage

and now in Touya’s defense as well, that is of course easier said than done, and I’m sure if there was a “push this button and instantly get over all of the trauma in your life” switch readily available for Touya then he would have pushed it too. unfortunately it’s not always that simple

so now Rei is pleading with Touya not to go train up on his little emo hill again, but it doesn’t seem like much has changed since he was eight

I don’t think he gives two figs about being a hero; he just wants his father to look at him again with pride. fucking hell, stop doing this to me you damn Todorokis

guh, they keep telling him the same thing over and over again

even if we hadn’t already known he was gonna go melt his jawbone off soon, I wouldn’t have expected a line like that to go over well

yep. fuck

that Todoroki puberty angst, though. nothing else quite like it

“you have a part in this too, Mom” ooooooh man

okay but look, he’s not entirely wrong. like, I’m not saying any of this is Rei’s fault at all! she’s in an impossible situation where she’s afraid to stand up to Enji (who by this point has shown that he’s willing to physically attack her if things get too heated, which is terrifying), and doesn’t really have anywhere to turn for support. her parents aren’t helping much if at all, and Japan in general is just a terrible country to be in when you’re in a domestic abuse situation. everyone’s expected to put on a brave face and deal with their problems all on their own in private. Rei is basically completely isolated at this point, and she doesn’t know what else to do, and so she’s just trying to keep the situation as stable as possible for the kids

but on the other hand, “for the kids” is also where that argument starts to break down a bit, because at this point Shouto is also being physically abused by his father, and the other kids are continuing to be neglected (emotionally if not physically), as they have been for years. so the situation really isn’t stable at all for them. and as a kid, what you end up learning in that type of situation is that you can’t rely on either parent. not the abusive one, certainly, but also not the other one who can’t protect you from any of it. even if they love you and they’re trying, they’re just as helpless as you. Rei is struggling to deal with all of this with one hand tied behind her back, and I get it, and I’m not blaming her at all. but all the same, particularly given that she’s (understandably) putting almost all her focus on Shouto, the end result is that the other kids have basically been left to fend for themselves

so yeah! a shitty situation all around. and one of those cases where it’s not really anyone’s fault (aside from Enji’s), but I can understand the resentment Touya is feeling all the same. and I’m so glad Horikoshi is acknowledging this, because it’s something I probably would have been too uncomfortable to bring up otherwise. as it is it’s still an incredibly heavy subject, and one that I probably have too many personal feelings about

anyway, so once again the whole “we’ll try talking to him and then just shrug our shoulders when it doesn’t work” parenting strategy doesn’t really pan out for the Todoroki fam

sob this boy is Anakin Skywalkering before our very eyes. all that’s missing is AFO to come and start whispering in his ear. any minute now...

“anyway so then he got taller and his fire changed from red to blue”

guess we’re getting pretty close then huh. this is the part of the flashback that I really don’t want to see, but also unfortunately the part that I’m most curious about :/

oh for fuck’s --

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN IGNORING HIM FOR FIVE YEARS DIDN’T ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM” sob. back to the drawing board I guess

I thought he got taller, why is he still only like a third of Enji’s height here

oh fuck me these are armor-piercing feels. this is the heavy artillery right here

ENJI I’M BEGGING YOU PLEASE STOP AND THINK FOR ONE MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE BEFORE DOING SOMETHING YOU’LL REGRET FOR THE REST OF ALL TIME. your child just told you that he still thinks beating All Might is the only thing you care about, and that he believes his existence is a mistake unless he finds some way of doing that for you. please stop for a moment to contemplate that and choose your next words with care and grace and oh who the hell am I kidding

-- OR WE COULD JUST BLAME REI

go on and blame everyone but yourself then!! that’s a great solution!! jesus christ man I know this is Endeavor at his literal worst but still this is fucking hard to watch

POOR BABY SHOUTO IS YELLING AT HIS DAD NOT TO HIT HIS MOMMY THIS LITTLE BRAVE BOY NEEDS SO MANY HUGS OH MY GOD

AND MEANWHILE THE OTHERS ARE HUDDLED IN THE NEXT ROOM TRYING NOT TO CRY AH FUCK

(ETA: Fuyu covering Natsu’s ears cuts RIGHT TO THE CORE OF ME. Horikoshi if you’re really not gonna get these kids some therapy then at least consider giving your readers some. what is this.)

you know it’s bad when you’re starting to think the part where the kid burns to death might actually be a less traumatic thing to cut to right now

holy shit, actual Rei thoughts

“I was the one who ultimately made that choice” well there we go, wonder if that’ll put that whole argument to bed at last. I doubt it, but you never know. actually who am I kidding it’s not gonna settle jack shit lol

oh thank god, they decided it was getting too intense and cut away back to the present to narrate this next (final?) part

get ready to cue up that Alicia Keys. THIS BOY IS ON FIREEEEEEE

yeah I think that’s one thing we can mostly all agree on. neither of them had any clue what the fuck they were doing pretty much at any point. though I will say that the hypocrisy of him being all “WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP HIM” followed by him IMMEDIATELY DOING THE EXACT SAME THING is a bit rich

(ETA: and he still has this problem, doesn’t he? he froze up when Ending snatched Natsuo, and again when Dabi was attacking Shouto. he’s so afraid of doing the wrong thing that he ends up not doing anything, which of course is exactly what led to Touya’s death. damn Enji I guess you’ve still got some additional character development to unlock.)

and of course neither of them could possibly have known how badly it was going to turn out. like, the consequences here were WAY disproportionate even for the shittiest of parenting. no one expects “I didn’t know how to talk to my son” to snowball into “my son burned to death and then somehow came back as a villain and murdered thirty people”

ohhhhhhhh fuck me

LITERALLY INCINERATED THE ENTIRE HILLSIDE. fuck. and I am so not ready for the scene of Enji finding the remains of his jawbone afterwards. at least we were spared anything super-graphic (for now at least)

I feel like the timeline here is off, btw?? wasn’t Touya’s death supposed to happen after Rei got hospitalized? this might be the first actual retcon of the entire flashback. although I think it makes more sense this way tbh

I do appreciate that ten years later Enji is finally reflecting on the fact that if he’d just given up his stupid obsession he could have stopped his family from crumbling apart. that probably sounds sarcastic as fuck, but it’s not. there are countless jerks out there who would have still managed to find a way to blame literally everyone and everything under the sun except for themselves. at least he finally figured out how to take responsibility, even if it came too late to stop his son from dying and being radicalized into a villain terrorist organization

and speaking of, it seems to me we’re missing a third and final part to this little tale of woe, and one which only Touya himself will be able to shed any light on. so we’ll see how that goes

oh man seeing the other kids blaming themselves even though none of it was their fault hits hard af. Rei wasn’t kidding when she said they’d been bearing that burden of guilt far longer than Enji

SHOUTO I SWEAR TO GOD IF THE NEXT PANEL IS YOU APOLOGIZING FOR BEING BORN, I WILL... WELL I’LL BE VERY SAD, I GUESS. SO DON’T DO IT

oh good he’s just being quiet. good. it absolutely is not your fault lil bean. it’s not theirs either, but feeling guilty about things that aren’t your fault is a time-honored shounen tradition

goddammit I braced myself for the angsty Shouto panel a page too early. gotta do it all over again now lol. okay here goes

;_;

well well well would you look at that

imagine that. talking things out with your child before they make a rash decision. looks like the Todorokis’ parenting skills are finally leveling up

OH MY GOD

holy shit. this is the most quintessential moment of father/son Todoroki bonding in the entire series. for me it even tops the “nice scar” scene lol. Enji sobbing at the fact that he still has a chance to set things right. and Shouto offering his hand in what is actually the most mature and selfless gesture I’ve ever seen, and being all “we’ll stop him together” to his dad who he hates, but also doesn’t really entirely hate anymore. and all of that is incredibly moving... BUT ALSO HE STILL REFUSES TO MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH HIM AND HE WOULD LIKE HIM TO STOP BEING SO FUCKING DRAMATIC ALREADY IF YOU DON’T MIND. “WHEN YOU’RE DONE CRYING...” fkjldsk

OH MY FUCKING LORD

(ETA: wouldn’t be a Todoroki drama fest if there wasn’t somebody listening in on the whole thing in secret just around the corner lmao.)

“you think we should have waited somewhere else?” “yeah, probably.” “are you feeling a lot of secondhand embarrassment too?” “god, you have no idea.” STFU HAWKS IT’S NOT EMBARASSING TO BE MOVED TO TEARS BY YOUR FAMILY ALL COMING TOGETHER IN YOUR DARKEST HOUR TO GIVE YOU HOPE THAT YOU PROBABLY DON’T DESERVE BUT ARE NONETHELESS INDESCRIBABLY GRATEFUL FOR

and anyway you chose these guys as your found family, bucko. too late to back out now. next time go get yourself adopted by the Iidas then

AND MEANWHILE NO WORD ON THE WHOLE “HOW DID A THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD SURVIVE A FIRE THAT COVERED HIS BODY WITH HORRIFIC SCARS AND MELTED HIS JAW OFF, AND HOW DID HE SOMEHOW THEN MANAGE TO GO INTO HIDING FOR TEN WHOLE YEARS, AND WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT INTERIM TO CHANGE HIS GOAL FROM ‘SURPASS ALL MIGHT TO IMPRESS MY DAD’ TO ‘KILL ALL HEROES TO MAKE MY DAD SUFFER’.” as if we don’t know the answer to that. but still, would it kill Horikoshi to just confirm AFO’s involvement in all of this already. at this point it’s basically just a formality

so here’s hoping next week we’ll either get that, or more Hawks action, or (DARE I EVEN SUGGEST, I’M AFRAID TO JINX IT) finally cut back to Bakugou and Deku and All Might omg. either way I’m hyped

#bnha 302 #todoroki touya #dabi #todoroki enji #endeavor #todoroki rei #todoroki shouto #todoroki natsuo #todoroki fuyumi #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #my sincerest apologies for this absurdly long recap which is barely funny at all!#THERE WAS VERY LITTLE HUMOROUS CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER #congratulations horikoshi you win this round

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5lazarus · 3 years

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To the Victor the Spoils

In the Skyhold gardens, in Adamant's wake, Solas meets Loghain.

A character study of two trickster-kings, speaking a little too honestly.

As Loghain himself says, "The past is always with us. It’s in our bones and our blood and we wear it on our skin. You can think otherwise, but you’ll never get far without it." Read on Archive of Our Own here.

The Inquisitor’s hand aches, and Solas is responsible, so he rouses himself from the Fade and dresses quietly. His erstwhile roommates, Varric and Dorian, snore away soundly. They came back late last night and may still wake up drunk. If this were not the third night in the row they had done this, he would be more sympathetic and leave a tincture for their headache. Alas, they must learn soon, or he will simply make a lot of noise waking up. There are healthier ways to cope with bad battles and beloveds’ deaths by drinking, however Varric wants to honor Hawke. Adamant has left them all aching. He would still like to sleep.

Outside Blackwall is running the new recruits through their basic drills. He is yelling at them about honor—another Adaman casualty. The children look like badly-plucked chickens in their ill-worn armor, shambling in the gray morning light. Solas would tell them to stand up straight and widen their stances, but here he does not need to play the drill sergeant. He leave Blackwall to his work and retreats into the main keep.

Morning prayer has just released and Leliana is wistful, her hood down. She pauses by Varric’s table and looks unseeingly at the stack of books. Then she sees him, and her face grows as porcelain-clear as a doll’s.

“Good morning, Solas,” she says. “You’re up early.”

The easiest way to answer is to obfuscate, and the best way to obfuscate is simply to say the truth. Solas says, “I enjoy the quiet, before Skyhold’s residents slip back into their daily routines.”

Leliana chuckles, and the porcelain visage warms into flesh. “Surely the Fade reflects routine too? The Hero of Ferelden told me she found me at my prayers, when we were trapped by a Sloth demon.”

You people dream such dull lives, Solas thinks but does not say, but of course I took the dreams away. He says, “There is disruption to be found on both sides of the Veil.” She watches him as he walks towards the cloister. He resists the urge to strut. Apostates, particularly those claiming to be hermits, do not walk with pride in their power and accomplishments. Many of the mages he has observed scuttle rather than stride. Solas has never tried to draw attention to himself; he cannot help being six feet tall and occasionally a redhead. Still, he tempers his walk.

In the cloister Elan’Vemal is buzzing around the felandaris like an angry wasp. Solas ignores her and walks towards the royal elfroot, pulling out his knife.

“Absolutely not,” she says.

Solas crouches down next to the bush. “I beg your pardon?” he says to the branches. The tips of its leaves are an electric violent. He can grind the stalks into a salve that will soothe the spasms in the Inquisitor’s hand and temporarily numb the spread of the Anchor. The leaves he will keep for himself.

“Inquisitor’s only,” Elan’Vemal says. “Unless you have a requisition form.” She looms over him, arms crossed. She’s a nasty little creature. The Inquisitor had not been pleased at her barefaced attempt at manipulation. Solas touches his own cheek, sans vallaslin, and does not even allow the thought to fully form.

He says, “I am making a salve for the Inquisitor.”

“A likely story.” Elan’Vemal is unimpressed.

Irritated, Solas says, “The stalk of this plant, ground into a salve with arbor blessing harvested wild and the stamen of the amrita vein, releases a numbing agent useful for treating Fade-inflicted wounds.” This is accurate enough, for her purposes. “We will be marching on Adamant in two weeks, and best be prepared.” He takes his knife and cuts only two branches from the stalk, when initially he had hoped to take three. Elan’Vemal watches him work. He is careful not to wound the plant. Grudgingly she remains silent as Solas ties the branches into a small bundle.

As he pushes himself to his feet, brushing the dirt from his knees, she says, “And the leaves? What will you use that for?”

Solas says, “Getting high, of course. What else?”

Shocked, Elan’Vemal laughs. He smiles slightly and makes his escape, dodging Mother Giselle with a polite “good morning.” The salve will not take much time to prepare, but the day is barely long for all he wants to do. There is the basic sketch for his fresco of Adamant. He already has a sense of what the colors need to be, and so he need to requisition more cinnabar for the corrupted lyrium holding the City enchained. There are calculations to be run, as well, regarding the latest of his Veil accelerometers. They have reactivated enough for him to use the lodestone at Skyhold as a base and predict where the Veil is weakest. The Inquisitor ought to plan her next foray where the Veil needs the most attention; but first, he must soothe her hand, and let her know she is cared for. He cares for her. She knows that; but after Adamant, the reminder will help.

A man is staring at him, not unkindly, so Solas turns with a practiced mild expression.

“May I help you?” he asks. It has not been easy to fall back into the habits he developed as Mythal’s thrall, but he has never been one for ease.

Loghain says, “You fought valiantly at Adamant.”

The almost-king of Ferelden: even now he cannot help but trip into exalted circles. Solas takes him in quickly before responding. He has heard the Inquisitor complain about Loghain’s betrayal of the Night-Elves, the resistance force both the Dalish and the urban elves of Ferelden launched against the Orlesian occupation. Solas separates the personal dislike from the political necessity. Of course the Teryn could not keep the elves of Ferelden armed; he could not risked an armed and organized minority clamoring for land just after they had waged and won one foreign war. Factionalism is so easy to fall into; Solas knows this from experience. That does not excuse it, but one does what must be done. He has done similar and worse. He would have left Cailan to die at Ostagar, and the Wardens too—but he would not have been so obvious about it.

Loghain himself looks like a tired but brawny old man, much like himself nowadays. Blue rings his eyes, but he is clean-shaved and his armor is polished. If the darkspawn in his blood keeps him up at night, he does not let it taint his day. He still survives.

Why does he notice him? Why did he notice him on the battlefield? Solas is too old for flattery. What does he want from him?

Solas says, “Thank you. You as well.” Inveterate loser, he thinks. He does not know if he is insulting him or Loghain: both, this is your human kin, the Fade will press him into your archetype.

Loghain says, “I’ve fought with apostates before, when we faced down the Archdemon—Dalish and human too. But I’d never seen any mage move that quickly, or so competently bark orders at frozen soldier in the field. Have you served before? Ferelden, Tevinter, or Orlais?”

Solas, as practiced, recites, “I’ve journeyed deep into the Fade, in ancient ruins and battlefields, where I’ve watched as hosts of spirits clash to reenact the bloody past in ancient wars both famous and forgotten.” He smiles thinly. “One learns from their mistakes.” Yours and mine, he thinks and cannot say: I would have done what you did at Ostagar, but I would have made sure I was not blamed. So quickly one’s allies misunderstand the good one attempts to have wrought; so quickly it spirals out of one’s own control.

Loghain stares at him. “You dream on battlefields? And can see what had happened there?”

“I can watch spirits copy the strongest emotions felt there,” Solas corrects. “There is truth but she wears many faces.” Obfuscation via weak poeticism works so very well, though it marks him as more polished than most elves. “In the same blood-drenched patch of dirty a spirit acts and reenacts a soldier throwing himself to the ground in anguish as he sees his king overpowered. And then, in the same blink, another plays the role of the relieved foot soldier, glad to be spared a fatal charge in a battle of fools.” Perhaps bringing up Ostagar is not the most tactful, but he struggles to know the average quickling’s reference-point. His knowledge of history is vast, and time has slowed to a crawl. He does not know what else to reference.

Loghain presses his thin lips into an even thinner line. “Ostagar,” he says. “And before I’ve had my breakfast. Did you go there deliberately, or just…fall asleep?”

“I was in the neighborhood,” Solas says simply. It is not an untruth. He had found Flemeth’s cottage first. The dreams came easy. “Battles that change the tide of history mark the Fade as much they do the waking world. It is difficult to dream anything else, north of the Korcari Wilds.”

Loghain stares into his eyes. Solas, of course, peers back. The man’s eyes are a clear, cold blue, more brilliant for the bruises under them. The former regent of Ferelden says levelly, “When I dream, all I remember is a fool’s death and a hard choice. And I’d make the same again.”

“As you should,” Solas says. “There is no time for regret. You have lived your life according to the demands of your honor: for your countrymen, and now, your fellow Wardens. If you regretted that choice—if you sought to deny it, to fruitlessly work against the tide of the history you have made, that would be dishonorable. But you are an honorable man, are you not?” He realizes he is perhaps speaking more passionately than he ought. This is not Blackwall, an easy mirror to his own sins. He must remember what he is in the world: an elf, an apostate, a dirty outsider—no matter that he keeps himself cleaner than Cassandra. Repressively, he says, “Forgive me. Adamant stirs up old memories in us all. I am marked by what I witnessed as well.”

Loghain says, “You know war. Of course, most of your people do. The Warden has told me what the elves face in Orlais and Tevinter. It’s not much better in Ferelden.” Solas stirs, irritated, wanting to deny—but he is an elf, he is stuck in these circumstances, and he does know war intimately. He could not help but speak first. He cannot snap back. Loghain may be held in dishonor; that does not mean an elf can talk back. “Your friends have spent the past two nights in the tavern, drinking, and when that lugubrious warden isn’t weeping into his ale, he’s drilling the recruits to exhaustion. At least that will make them sleep at night. But that won’t do away with the dreams.” He smiles thinly. “I find your description of the Fade comforting. It means no one can lie about the past. Whatever it is. It’s always with us. It’s in our bones and our blood and sinks into our dreams. We wear it on our skin, and even the heavens are scarred with it. However history writes us.”

“To the victor the spoils,” Solas says.

Loghain burbles a laugh. It’s a pleasant sound, unexpected and a little hoarse. “Ha! And it’s my daughter who won. And right now—the Inquisition. The Wardens. Us. It’s easy to die for your cause. I could have claimed my redemption, if I need one, at Adamant. But it’s much harder to live for it, bearing the weight of the dead.”

Solas, surprised, says, “Yes.” He thinks, this is a lonely man, opening his deepest thoughts to a stranger, but aren’t I the same? Haven’t I been doing the same, with him, with Blackwall, with the Iron Bull and Varric and Cassandra and them all? He did not need the death of Wisdom as an excuse. He has found comradeship enough where he goes. He clears his throat, suddenly overcome. He thinks it through: I am upset, why? What has disturbed me? That this man carries his sins on his skin, and rejects the need for redemption. History has painted him the villain; I, also. Dread Wolf take you: what will they say about Loghain?

Loghain says, “It’s early in the day for this talk. I must be keeping you from your work.” The moment has passed; now they are awkward with each other, and not two soldiers who are harrowing a war. The man’s drawing into himself, embarrassed at the truth he told. Disappointed, Solas draws up to his full height and remembers: don’t hold yourself too tall.

He says, “Quite,” and holds up the pouch of royal elfroot. “Duty calls.” The Inquisitor’s hand is hurting and needs a salve. The quartermaster needs to order him cinnabar. Then there is the composition of the fresco to calculate and then sketch with charcoal, and more calculations, and sidestepping Leliana and Vivienne as to how he made those calculations. He saw it in the Fade. When he saw it, the Fade was everything, and there was no bleary waking. He leaves the courtyard and the almost-king, remembering and forgetting his words.

#dragon age #dragon age fanfiction #dragon age fanfic #dai #solas #loghain #character study #solas & loghain #elan ve'mal #leliana #adamant #ptsd #survivor's guilt

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notthatiwilleverwriteit · 5 years

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I don’t usually give these kinds of deeper analyses on the chapters because people who are way better at deciphering how I feel but just can’t put into words usually beat me to it (@casually-inlove and @call-me-ala to name a couple). Writing analyses can also be exhausting, and I tip my hat to those people who take the time and energy to answer all the asks and whatnot. But ch 297 just wouldn’t let my brain rest, so I decided to gird my loins and give you my thoughts.

Yesterday I answered an ask by @i-got-these-words about what was my favorite 19 Days quote, and even though I will stick to my answer, a very strong contender might have come to challenge my original pick. What He Tian said about Mo Guan Shan - and essentially about himself - just keeps on giving the deeper I dig into between the lines. It felt like HT and Tianshan have somewhat come a full circle.

“I chose you because there’s something I admire about you.”

What a nice callback to ch 138 and the origin of Tianshan in general:

HT “picking” MGS is an interesting aspect of their relationship. After the fight with ZZX, MGS’s palpable disdain of HT is surprisingly enough met with HT saying he admires MGS for that exact reason. Imagine finding someone respectable because they look down on your character. And not only that, you choose to pursue that person. I think that says a lot about HT’s struggle to distance himself from his “destiny” and the heritage of his family.

For that, we have to go even further back, all the way to when we just started to see other sides to HT. Why HT is living by himself in his uncle’s empty apartment isn’t fully clear to us. He said it’s more convenient because of school but judging by how tense his relationship with his father is, I bet there’s more to the housing situation. My headcanon is he’s living alone as a truce to ease the atmosphere at home. I also suspect He Cheng had something to do with it. Maybe it had gotten so bad he suggested HT lived by himself and used the school as an excuse to persuade their father.

Be that as it may, the obvious bottom line is, HT doesn’t agree with his father and the world his family is involved with. He’s been raised according to certain principles, but the older he grew the more they sickened him and the more stubbornly he wanted to defy them.

Before HT got involved with the fight between MGS and ZZX, he seemed to be somewhat of a lone wolf. Sure, he had his horde of fangirls but no one knew the real him. This, I think, is especially apparent in ch 115:

It’s as if he’s living a double life. His destined place in the world is in the shadows. The shady underworld he despises so much. But at the same time, the shadows seem to serve as a refuge of sorts. It’s a familiar place. From there he can observe people, deep in thought, and be himself. Out in the open, we rarely see him that serious but rather he often plasters a fake, outgoing smile that doesn’t scare off his classmates.

He doesn’t seem to have any real friends. JY and ZZX appear to be more of acquaintances, maybe something more, but they don’t know much about HT either. The way HT is with JY and ZZX makes me feel like he’s “above” them. He knows more about the world and life in general, he’s not a teenage boy they are despite often acting like they do. The difference becomes clear when JY bumps into MGS and HT steps in to effectively put an end to it. He has the confidence to take on delinquents without hesitation, even openly look down on them.

But he’s not doing that just out of the goodness of his heart. It’s true he wants to help his friend but he’s also on a mission to become something better than his father and brother. He Cheng told him to grow strong, but HT wants to use his strength for good instead to exploit and submit others. The more he will not become like his brother the better he will feel about himself and like he’s not a part of that shady world. His goal is both admirable and selfish.

MGS becomes a project of sorts for HT. Someone for whom he can be the hero he so desperately wants to. But also a living, breathing beacon of light to remind him to not give in to the darkness and use his strength for good. And no one is allowed to corrupt or snuff it out.

But that kind of relationship is quite one-sided. To be a hero and constantly strive to better oneself is exhausting, and in time, HT’s armor appears to have more and more cracks for MGS to see. He can’t just power through of it all by himself and see MGS, who is a person with his own will, that passively. Without necessarily even realizing it, MGS is forcing HT to admit certain things to himself and acknowledge them.

“You are not fake or sneaky, and you don’t cheat.”

For this analysis, I’ve used the translation by @yaoi-blcd and it seems they’ve used the word “fake”. I’ve seen a couple of others which had translated it as “hypocritical” (I don’t speak Mandarin, so I can’t say which is more accurate). I suppose there isn’t a big difference between the two but I find “hypocritical” quite interesting.

It reminds me of She Li in ch 294:

SL isn’t wrong in saying that HT and MGS are from different worlds. Or rather, they’re from the opposite sides of the same world; the villains and the victims. MGS’s family has suffered greatly by the hands of people like HT’s family. The connections between those two families aren’t clear but I don’t believe it’s far fetched to think MGS’s father might have been mixed with some shady people. For example, maybe he had had to borrow money from them and then had trouble paying back. And it’s from this injustice and the hardships that followed that MGS’s disdain of HT and people like him ultimately stems.

SL obviously doesn’t recognize HT’s efforts to befriend MGS because he doesn’t believe in that kind of approach (but that’s a whole other story). So, to take out his frustration on something, he goes with the truth even HT can’t deny and reminds HT of his “destiny” and place in the world.

HT might see himself as a hypocrite for trying to play a hero for MGS when he’s in fact meant to be the villain. Does he have the right put himself into the victims’ lives when his side of the world is the problem? This becomes even more of an issue if HT’s family was directly involved with what happened to MGS’s father.

Either way, words like “fake, “sneaky”, and “cheat” yet again speak loudly about the kind of world HT lives in and the kind of people he’s surrounded by. The opposite of those words is what he admires in MGS but is he also admitting those words describe him? Does he already see himself in them?

Which leads me to “You aren’t afraid ‘darkness’.“

This was probably my favorite part of the quote. Obviously, HT isn’t just talking about plain darkness although it’s another nice callback to HT being afraid of the dark.

One of the many things I love about Tianshan is that the power dynamic is actually more balanced than meets the eye. HT might be physically stronger and often push MGS’s buttons but MGS is in no way weak. HT can be quite forceful in his affections, so he needs to be paired up with someone who can push back and hold his own. In MGS’s case, all of that comes down to his pride and not wanting to depend on anyone (which is also mentioned in some of the translations instead of “cheating”).

“Darkness” can refer to the violent criminal world in which HT grew up. Interestingly enough it’s the common denominator in both of their lives. They might be from different sides of the darkness, but it’s still the same darkness they’re both familiar with. And MGS won’t back down when it comes to holding his ground, so he’s tough enough to survive in that darkness.

Also, HT needs someone strong enough to handle him at his worst. The latest case in point, ch 295:

It took me a while see behind that behavior. My initial reaction was to be disappointed because I thought we had gotten past HT being like this already. I didn’t like the way he barked orders and was physical without the usual mischevious undertone. Then I realized that despite being mature for his age, HT isn’t really good at using words. Instead, he often chooses action. It was obvious SL’s threat had upset and unsettled him. And it made him even more uneasy when MGS seemed oblivious to the danger. But he wasn’t being forceful and possessive but in need of reassurance.

He literally went from “bad mood” to promising to kill anyone who gives MGS trouble before we finally got to the root of the problem: he’s worried about losing MGS.

Now, he can’t be that way with the girls or his classmates. With them, he couldn’t act out every time he’s upset about something. Ideally, he will grow out of it or at least work on it, but in the meantime, he needs someone who can handle him at his worst.

It’s also obvious HT carries a lot of darkness in a form of trauma, as in his inner darkness. MGS isn’t a stranger to that either given that he’s also been through traumatic experiences at a young age. HT’s nightmares might scare him but he didn’t run away. Instead, he offered what clumsy comfort he could. This is connected to my earlier point of HT not just seeing MGS as someone who needs protection but also as someone he can rely on when it becomes too much. In the process, HT is “forced” to deal with his problems when he can show them to someone.

As an interesting side note, HT is kind of looking down when he talks about the “darkness”. Is he ashamed of being afraid of the “dark”? It’s a weakness, and I’m sure something that wouldn’t be accepted by his father.

“Don’t abandon me.”

HT finally ends his confession of sorts with the kind of plea we’ve never heard out of his mouth. It’s his greatest fear that’s always been in the background and the motivation to his actions but something he’s never said out loud. Not to mention while openly facing MGS like that.

Obviously, that line is heartbreakingly sad in and of itself but take a moment to really think about it. Imagine if the worst happened and MGS wasn’t in HT’s life for some reason anymore. What would he have left at that point? To go back to lurking in the shadows and fake smiling through his days? His goal of a better person would become that much abstract again, and he’d lose the one thing that grounds him in this side of the darkness.

It’s a very thin thread for HT to cling onto. I think @mestizo-efp had a good point in their answer about HT looking defeated. He’s used to being ready for anything and everything and is also asking for MGS to keep his guard up. In that light, HT’s plea is almost unfair. Anything could happen, and realistically speaking neither HT nor MGS could do anything about most of those scenarios.

Also, given HT’s somewhat difficult personality and shortcomings, it can also be read as a plea for MGS to put up with him. As in “I know I can be an ass but don’t give up on me”. It’s the fear of MGS losing hope in HT which could be even a worse punch than losing MGS some other way.

So, yeah. This might, in fact, be my new favorite quote.

#19 days #He Tian #mo guan shan #tianshan #my 19 days post #loooong post #sorry about that #took me hours to put this together #jc #i'm spent

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megamanxfanfics · 5 years

Text

S.V - Ep.17: Dreams of Elysium

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INT. MHHQ BUNKER – Underground Shelter – DAY

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Alia and Signas stand by the main monitor, anxiously and curiously waiting for an update. All they can do for now is view the impact sight of the Colony from the map until X turns on his coms.

ALIA: It’s been almost an hour since X broke contact and there’s still no signal from his coms. I’m really worried about him.

SIGNAS: Zero’s coms are off too, and the amount of Zero Space in the area has significantly diminished. Keep the faith… X is our only hope.

She winces and gasps at her monitor.

ALIA: I'm getting a stronger energy reaction from point 11F5646! The energy is too strong to get an accurate data sample. I must be reading Sigma... I can't think of anyone but him! Sigma is behind all of this...

Signas calmly nods at the update.

SIGNAS: Very well. It seems that X has overcome his ordeal. But now he must face the real enemy…

Alia looks at her monitor with a fixed gaze.

ALIA: X… I won't intervene in your fight anymore... I leave everything in your hands...

[Insert Title Card – Dreams of Elysium]

-cut to-

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INT. FALLEN COLONY – Sigma’s Lair – DAY

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A damaged X and a broken Zero lie comatose in their Host Pods. The wall behind them is lit up with giant black and green schematics of X and Zero’s internal body structures. The back wall displays that of a giant Computer Chip – the power source of the entire Colony.

Sigma looks at them and grins as he summons two Virus Spectres from his hands. They float over to X and Zero’s host pods.

SIGMA: Hee hee hee hee… Alright, boys. It’s time for the healing to begin.

A virus spectre seeps right into Zero’s pores, which jolts his body and makes him gasp for air. The tired Zero, turns his head and winces in pain as he continues to sleep.

SIGMA: (grinning) Good… Now, for you.

He watches the other virus spectre enter X’s pores, until it is suddenly zapped away.

SIGMA: What!? …How…?

A thin barrier of light blue power protects X’s body while he rests, unaware of the danger around him.

Sigma tries again with a more forceful throw of his virus ghost, but it too gets disintegrated upon touching X’s barrier.

SIGMA: Urgh.. That’s not.. fair… I have you!! This was supposed to be it!! ..H-how!???

Sigma loses his composure, as it seems that his plan is falling apart.

He looks up at the blue reploid with disdain.

SIGMA: How do I make you iX…?

With that, X’s eyes open. He wakes up, perplexed by his new surroundings as his vision is still quite blurry.

X: (weak, soft) e-eh… Where.. am I???

SIGMA: Hee hee hee hee. Impressive... The number one Reploid, you are... You came to, much earlier than I expected.

He looks around as his vision becomes clearer and notices that Zero is in his old Host Pod. He is in one as well. He shakes his head, growing more awake and upset by the second.

X: …Why? Why did you do this?!

SIGMA: Because of Zero... I wanted to awaken him from his false self.

X: What?!

SIGMA: I've conducted thorough research, and produced a tremendous result. I wanted to find out what Zero truly is... and scatter the Virus all over the Earth to purify his body... But the amount of the virus was insufficient. So I used the rundown colony...... making it a virus colony and let it land on the Earth. You know the outcome of that, don't you?

X: You almost annihilated the Earth for that?! You're sick!

SIGMA: Fortunately there are those handy guys called Maverick Hunters, ever ready and able to come to the rescue, and I knew the Earth would be safe and sound. But alas, most of the Hunters have also become Mavericks... Hee hee hee hee. Oops. That was a close one...ha ha ha ha!

X scowls and furrows his brow. He steps out of his pod panting, exhausted.

X: (enraged) You...! How many Hunters have died because of you...?! I'll never forgive you for this! You're going to pay for what you've done!

X runs after Sigma in his Base Form only to get blasted by a shocking orb from his hand.

SIGMA: Sit down.

Sigma pulls off his top armor and throws it away. The purple shoulder pads and winged cape fall to the side of Zero’s pod as Sigma reveals his new chiseled frame.

SIGMA: I’m not done with you yet, boy…

X: What were you trying to do with me!?

SIGMA: Bring that wonderful iX out of your DNA!!

X: What!?

SIGMA: That was the next part of the plan – you, Zero and I, all working together again for one cause! To benefit all Maverick-Kind. If only I could turn you…

X’s eyes widen, as he struggles to get up.

X: Y..you’re crazy!!! A world of full of Mavericks would never work!! Everything would fall into Chaos.

SIGMA: Hee hee hee… Ahhh, yes. There it is! You’re still too stubborn to listen to reason… That’s why this could never work. You’ve ruined everything! You’re Useless to me!!!

X puts his guard up and smirks.

X: I’d rather be useless to you than used by you... I’m sorry, but iX is long gone!

An irate Sigma dashes toward X.

SIGMA: Huuuuurrrgh!

X runs out of the way and charges up as Sigma smashes against the wall and kick-jumps off of it. He lands near X, who jumps away and shoots an X-Buster at him.

Sigma takes the blast and puffs out his chest.

SIGMA: Come Oooon!!!!!

X: (v.o, thinking) He took out my chip enhancements… Gotta play this, smart.

Sigma dashes toward X, who suddenly powers up into his Gaea Armor in a flash of light. The light blinds Sigma for a second and stops him mid-dash.

X retaliates with a short Gaea dash of his own, followed up with a quick charged Gaea shot.

SIGMA: (hurt) Ouuugh!!!!

Sigma falls to the ground, holding his chest. He grins as he gets up.

SIGMA: I must say, you have certainly become a lot stronger since our last encounter. It’s a pity we don’t see eye to eye.

He phase-teleports to the shutter by X’s pod and summons a massive power wave from the ground. It crawls after X, who dashes away and clings to a nearby wall.

X charges up again and dash-kicks off of the wall, toward Sigma. He strikes with another close Gaea Shot at Sigma.

Sigma is struck by the blast, but teleports behind him. He chops X in the back of the neck, forcing him down on his knees. Then, he kicks him in the rear, forcing him down to the ground.

X: (hurt) Aggh….

SIGMA: Hahahahaha! How humiliating. Your new power is impressive, but it’s still not enough to defeat me.

X narrows his eyes, grits his teeth and with all his might he gets back up.

When he turns around, Sigma can see that X is weak at the knees, struggling to stand.

SIGMA: Just look at you! You can barely stand…

X: Don’t… Count me out… yet… S-s.. Sigma…

X puts up his dukes as Sigma shrugs his shoulders.

SIGMA: (amused) Very well…

He takes simple shock shots at X, which X stubbornly dashes around or powers through while firing level-2 shots at him.

When X draws closer, he fires a charged Gaea shot again, only to get grabbed by the collar. Sigma pulls him in close.

SIGMA: You’re too predictable…! Now you’re mine!!

X: Predict this…

At close range, X performs his Giga Attack, the Ultimate Gaea shot. He pulls in his hands to perform a Hadouken, but spreads them apart once he pushes out a large green orb of power. The blast engulfs Sigma’s torso and pushes him back, against the far wall with scuffs all across his chest.

Completely spent, X collapses to the ground and powers down into his Base Armor.

Sigma pants and laughs at X, who just wasted his trump card.

SIGMA: Aaaahahahahah… I know.. you can do better than that… Hee hee hee…

He coughs up a little blood as he watches X slowly place a Sub-tank into his chest.

In an instant, X gets up, rejuvenated and points his buster at him.

X: I will!

Frustrated, Sigma gets back up, but X gets three Charge Shots in, which cause Sigma to stumble with a clumsy set of attacks.

SIGMA: DAMN YOU!!!!!

He throws giant blue waves of power at X as he levitates, once again.

X dashes around and away, using the wall to help him bounce over one. Then Sigma uses a split blast, to crawl along the floor and the ceiling.

X transforms into his Force Armor and uses an air-dash to narrowly dodge the large attacks, which cause sparks to fly around the room. The attacks destroy X’s host pod, which bashes into Zero’s host pod.

X: Calm down, Sigma! You’re going to kill us all!!

SIGMA: That’s kind of the point!

He shoots rapid-fire shock blasts at X, who carefully dodges them and fires level 1 and 2 shots in between attacks.

Sigma stops his attack, which allows X to fully charge up and fire a Plasma Shot.

The blast hits Sigma, who dashes directly into X.

X quickly air-dashes to the wall, but Sigma chases him.

SIGMA: Oh no ya don’t.

He catches up to X and shoves his face into the wall.

X: Aghh.

Sigma grabs X by the back of the neck and throws him down to the floor.

X: Ackk..

X tries to dash upon hitting the floor.

Sigma dashes right after him again and doesn’t allow him to get up.

SIGMA: You /stupid, /little, /insignificant, /fool.

Sigma /continues to /fire /shock /blasts at X every time he tries to get up.

X: HHHRRAAAGGHHH!!!!!

X uses a Nova Strike, which tackles Sigma directly, in the stomach.

X is back up on his feet, but again his stamina is down. He pants, exhausted while Sigma falls to his knees, in pain.

X switches to C-Shot as his armor shifts into brown and orange. He shoots a lot of scattered crescents at Sigma, but they all bounce off of his armor, completely ineffective.

SIGMA: Hah…

X narrows his eyes and switches to Tri-Thunder; his armor turning black and yellow. He shoots a Tri-Thunder beam, which catches him in the chest and overtakes his body in a corrosive shock.

SIGMA: AAAGGHHH!!!!

X: (smirking) Gotcha…

Sigma tries to power through the pain and get up, but X fires five more Tri-Thunders, rapidly. They each knock Sigma back, so he summons three Virus Spectres to protect him as a defensive shield.

SIGMA: Huurgh.. Damn you…

He teleports behind him in mid-air, while X charges up.

Sigma tries to summon a huge wave attack against X, but X lets out a Super Charged Tri-Thunder Beam, which strikes through his chest directly.

X: I don’t think so!!!!!

SIGMA: Guuuuaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Explosions erupt from his body and Sigma's first form is destroyed in a flash of light. Upon his destruction, the power to his lair goes out, but X knows this all too well. This is not the end. It is merely, his last attempt at striking fear into X before their final battle.

SIGMA: Hee hee hee. The number one Hunter, you are, X...

X: ...

SIGMA: The stronger you are, the more I want to destroy you... It was pointless to have Zero fight you, after all you ARE the number one Hunter. You show no mercy for your enemies or your comrades.

X: (annoyed) Shut up! Where are you?!

The lights in the room slowly fade back on as Sigma reappears in a massive battle body; larger than he’s ever been before. He was more gigantic than the Battle Body Doppler created, and twice as large as the Sigma Bodies he faced in Repliforce’s Final Weapon Space Station. With a massive head taking up most of the room, a large, unfinished bust of blue shoulder pads and a hint of yellow arms and pectorals can be seen until his frame blends into the floor.

Their Host pods have been completely crushed by this point, and their schematics have been shut off. The room is now a grim, black and gray as Sigma glares at X in his Giant Battle Body.

SIGMA: (taunting, boasting) Here I am… Please. Challenge me at anytime...

X twitches as he looks up at him in disgust and takes a deep breath.

SIGMA: The truth is, lately I've had an excellent partner.... who’s provided me support in many ways. In the past, it seems he's created countless robots... And he's bestowed upon me the strongest body ever seen... Of course, you had to wake up a little earlier than expected, so it isn't quite complete... but, it should be enough. He's been such a devoted partner, nay, a comrade in my battle against you... His persistence has been very helpful to me.... like an obsession, he has been devoted indeed... Hee Hee Hee… You see X, there is someone other than me… who hates you. Now, get ready to feel our combined hatred and Die, X!

Suddenly, two large fists with spiked knuckles threaten to crush X.

X quickly jumps as high as he can and air-dashes towards the fist on his left.

Using it as a platform, X aims at Sigma’s face and blasts him right in the gem with a Plasma Shot.

SIGMA: Agh!

His whole body flashes white from the shot, while the rocket-powered fist throws X to the wall. X jumps off and uses his thrusters to hold him back from crashing into the wall. Meanwhile, the other fist tries to punch him, raising itself to his position.

X: Ahh!

He drops down to the fist when his thrusters need to recharge, then he fires a Tri-Thunder at Sigma’s head. It has no effect, and instead ricochets off of his head with a pathetic pinging sound.

SIGMA: Hahahah. Nope…

Sigma’s giant body, becomes grid-like, which X has seen before. The fists cease their attack and Sigma’s immobile body reemerges with a glowing head gem.

SIGMA: Your turn!!!

He shoots four electric orbs down at X, who dodges them all, but they remain grounded. X attempts to shoot him with an F-Laser as his armor shifts into orange and blue, but the guided laser missile splashes off of Sigma’s face, not affecting him at all. Then, the grounded electric orbs all ram into X at once, causing him to fall down.

SIGMA: HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

X: (muttering, hurt) Damn it… Aiming Laser, help me out here…

He uses his Internal Tracer, while he has his Force Armor handy and tries to analyze Sigma’s weakness.

[RADAR]: This Form is only susceptible to X-Buster, Spike Ball and Nova Strike.

X gasps.

X: (v.o, thinking) Nova Strike! …Damn it… That move kills my stamina. I don’t think I have the endurance to… transform…

X gets up, panting and crouched down, lost in his thoughts as he tries to gather his energy.

SIGMA: Aw, X… Is the weight bearing down on you? It’s okay. I understand…

X: Hm?

He looks up at Sigma’s massive form, irritated.

SIGMA: We all have to Die Sometime!!

X grits his teeth and charges up as his armor shifts into green and beige.

X: Shut up!!!

He shoots a Super Spike Ball, which bounces around the room and eventually catches Sigma in the forehead.

SIGMA: Aghhahaha!!

He brings the fists back into the room, and opens up their palms. Both fists shoot purple charge shots from their palms at X, who immediately jumps and air dashes toward Sigma’s neckline.

SIGMA: I’m going to eat you!!!!

X: No!

Sigma tries to move his neck and bite X, but he dash-jumps over to his shoulder.

X: Take this!!!

From a closer angle, X shoots 5 Spike Balls one after another, as swiftly as possible.

SIGMA: Ghaaagh, Blast you…!!!!

He summons a fist to knock X off of his shoulder, then he summons more electric orbs while he retreats into a grid pattern.

X quickly rolls over and dashes out of the way of the orbs. Anticipating their next attack, he kick-jumps up the walls, while a fist shoots a Charge Shot at him.

X: Aaaahhhh!!!!!!

X air-dashes out of the way of the charge shot, while the electric orbs fly after him, one by one. X misses the first one and is able to dodge the second one when he lands, but the other two catch him at his ribs.

X: Nooo!!!!

Hurt, he favors both of his sides and stumbles.

SIGMA: Hahahahaha!!!!! What’s wrong X? Do you feel the end coming???

X scrunches his face.

X: Never!!!!

He charges up and shoots Plasma Shots out of frustration.

SIGMA: Aagghhh, out of options, huh???

X uses a fist to kick-jump up the wall and fires another Charge Shot, quickly followed up by an air-dash with a Spike Ball, directly against his gem.

X: No… just improvising.

SIGMA: Ogh..

Sigma’s gem emits purple sparks upon getting hit. X can tell that he is doing some form of damage.

X: (v.o, thinking) This better not be like last time… Where he unleashes even more of the Virus after exploding.

Sigma raises a hand, which shoots down electrical currents around X.

SIGMA: DIE!!!!

X dashes away, but Sigma’s hand simply follows his every move, until X is cornered at the wall and there’s nowhere else to go.

X: DAMN IT, SIIGMAAAA!!!!!

X kick-jumps up the wall and takes the hits as his back gets scorched by the electrical currents.

SIGMA: Haa haa haaaaa!!!!! I’m gonna tear you to pieces, then rebuild you as a Slave!!!!

X: (enraged) HUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

X smashes into Sigma’s face with a Nova Strike. The whole room shakes as they collide. When X moves past him to the other wall, the Giga Attack fades and he is prominently draped in black and silver.

SIGMA: NNNNNNOOOOOO, Damn Yoooouuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!

Sigma forms blocks of the Virus all across the room.

Ultimate X swiftly drops to the floor, dashes across the room and instinctively kick-jumps up the next wall, as the blocks keep forming.

SIGMA: How did you get all that Energy Baaaaack!!!!!!!

X: I just hate you enough. That’s all…

X rams into him with another Nova Strike. At the next wall, he sees an opening and uses another Nova Strike smashing against him at the other side.

SIGMA: OUUUURGGHHHH. KKHHAAAAWWWW!!!!!!!!!

Just above the shutter, X slides down, sweating and panting, still in his Ultimate Form.

X: Even if it kills me… I’m gonna make sure that this ends, Here and NOW!!!!!

SIGMA: YOU BASTARD!!!!! NNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Sigma desperately fills the room with more Virus Blocks at X’s position, but he Nova Strikes against Sigma’s head three more times, diagonally in an ‘X’ pattern and with a final one directly from below.

When the Nova Strike fades, X hovers in mid-air with his thrusters. He looks at Sigma’s cracked face. He barely resembles himself anymore.

Out of nowhere, he is struck by a Charge Shot from below.

Surprised, X looks down to see a remorseful Zero, who is only a torso with one arm, and a buster formed in his right hand.

SIGMA: AAAGHH. Noo, Zero!!!!! You were supposed to follow me!!!

ZERO: Heh.. Not, this time… Some things.. go beyond our programming…

Zero winces in pain and smiles at X.

X nods down at him and looks back at Sigma.

X: It’s over, Sigma…

X clenches a blue fist as his eyes glow green. With one final push, X forms a fiery, golden aura around his body and thrusts toward sigma with a fist out as his Nova Strike breaks Sigma’s gem and melts off his face entirely.

SIGMA: Gwaaaaaaaa!

X’s thrusters give out and he falls to the ground. Upon landing, he powers down into his base form as he looks up at Sigma’s horrific Skull. A swarm of explosions emit across his face, neck and body. His gigantic armored plating falls apart and parts of his skeleton can be seen as the explosions grow more and more.

SIGMA: Damn... But I'll never...die alone! I'll take...Zero...down with me!

X: No! Stop using Zero as a shield!

SIGMA: The three of us can die together!!!

ZERO: No.. Leave X out of this!

SIGMA: Gha ha ha ha ha...! Isn't it painful to have to watch while others suffer? You can put up with your own pain......but can't bear to see each other harmed, especially Zero, right X…?

X: (weak, exhausted) Kk.. DAMN YOU, SIGMA!!!!!

SIGMA: (dying, taunting) I'm taking Zero, the one most important to you... to the underworld! Goodbye, X... Gha ha ha ha!

X and Zero widen their eyes as the whole room erupts into an explosion.

The blast knocks both of them away from each other.

After a few quiet moments, X stirs and crawls back up to his feet.

X: ………………Zero?

X barely walks over to his broken body.

X: Zerooo! Zerooo!

He collapses on top of him and holds his torso close to his chest. Zero’s body is limp.

X: Zero! Zero! NO! Don’t die…again!

Tears start to form. He shakes his head.

X: Do you hear me? Zeroo! Zeroo!

His voice starts to change as he cannot contain the pain. X lightly sobs, as he rests his forehead against Zero’s.

-pan slowly to the right, behind X-

We see a husk of Sigma’s skull on the ground, with a short mound of wires from his neck, barely holding him up. His left eye slowly activates, and he manages to open his mouth.

SIGMA: .........Dro… Drop Dead…!

A power ball forms from his mouth.

Caught off guard and still holding Zero close, X is startled.

X: ………Uh? O-oh, NO!

In the next second, X is blasted from behind while holding onto Zero. The beam penetrates through X’s back and Zero’s chest. X slowly lets go of Zero as he takes the blast.

X: …Gu, ghaaa…

Zero’s eyes open with a livid glare as he pulls up his buster and smirks.

ZERO: …How persistent… …you are… …Die… …Sigma…

Zero narrows his focus and unleashes the last of his power into his Z-Buster.

A large, white-spiraled blast emits from his cannon and enters into Sigma’s mouth.

Sigma’s remnants instantly explode, as Zero lands on the ground, glad that it’s over.

He weakly smiles and calls out to his partner.

ZERO: …X, X… …Do… you… hear… me?

There is no response.

ZERO: Damn… Your… optimism led… …to your own… …demise… … You… should… li… li… live.

He closes his eyes and recalls the first time he fought Sigma in that abandoned warehouse.

ZERO: (v.o, thinking) ………. …Hah! Die, Sigma! ………Hmm? It’s strange… I’ve defeated the Sigma Virus. Why did I fight against him again?

Static overrides his once-clear memories.

ZERO: (v.o, thinking) Aghk.. I…I feel…pain…

Static and white noise cover up his memory of their battle.

ZERO: (v.o, thinking) Oh, I see… My energy is running out… and my memory device is… malfunctioning… So this is it… I’m finally… going to die…

The static of his hazy memory shifts into an old vision of his creator. The old doctor is draped in silhouette with a prominent display of the World Map which lights the dark room in hues of blue.

ZERO: (v.o, thinking) …Who is this…? Even now, I have no recollection… What did I tell, X…???

He frowns, recalling the pain he’s inflicted on X.

ZERO: (v.o, thinking) I’ve had a recurring nightmare…

Static shifts his memory to his old nightmare. He can see the exoskeleton of himself as a work in progress. Most of his frame is wires and gears, where the only finished part of his body is his left boot.

ZERO: (v.o, thinking) …This time… It’s my figure that appears…

He thinks about it; the old doctor and his former frame.

ZERO: (v.o, thinking) I see… I finally got the meaning of the dream…

Static hazes his memory a little.

ZERO: …What? …What are you making? It’s… the one that destroys Reploids… …I… understand… …everything now…

The white noise in his mind turns to red and smoothens out into an image of a beloved figure.

ZERO: …I…Iris… …I’m sorry…

A rose-tinted ghost of Iris simply smiles at him from a pink sunset sky. Everything turns to red as he tries to open his eyes again.

Zero is back in the crumpling lair. The ceiling opens up as Zero can see the sky, far above them.

ZERO: …I’m sorry, X… But… I think… …I have to die… to restore the peace… in this World… But now… Everything… will come to an end… …Good bye… X…

He closes his eyes and exhales his last breath.

The room continues to crumple on top of X, Zero and Sigma’s remains until the whole place turns to dust.

-Fade to White-

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

EXT. ANTARCTICA – Barren Wasteland - DAY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Fade in-

A light blue aura mysteriously hovers just outside of the destroyed colony and drops a torso of X on the ground. With a hole blasted through his chest and torn arm ligiments, he is near-dead.

X: ………

The protective aura forms into a blue ghost of Dr. Light. He stands over X with a clenched fist.

DR. LIGHT: ……… …Not yet… Actually, I want you to rest and relax, for now… Hold on, X… …Just for a few more moments. …Forget all the painful memories…

Dr. Light powers up his entire body and surrounds the whole area in a brilliant blue light.

-Fade to light blue-

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

EXT. HEXAGON BAY – Damaged MHHQ – DAY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Fade in-

Caption: 1 week from then…

A fully healed X stands tall as he directs two of his new Maverick Hunters, Hanse and Hal, at their build site. Hanse is hoisting a beam over his left shoulder and holding a generator in his other hand. Hal is holding an additional generator as he follows X’s orders. They are rebuilding the infrastructure of their Headquarters with the hope that no one will attack them any time soon.

HANSE: …Captain X… …Don’t you remember anything about what happened?

X: … You’re still on about that? The answer is No. I don’t remember how I got back…

HAL: …You see? I told you to leave it alone.

He slaps Hanse on the shoulder.

HAL: (explaining) Captain Zero and Captain X were both special A Level Hunters for all to see. You worked together and solved a lot of problems, but this last mission... was complicated…

X: I remember that last battle with Sigma… I don’t remember how we got there.. But that fight doesn’t leave me. …I don’t have any memory of fighting Zero, though. Maybe whoever repaired me deleted the data by mistake.

HAL: Did… did he really delete your memory?

HANSE: Hey, stop it now. We’d better think it’s a miracle that Captain X came back safely.

-cut to-

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. MHHQ BUNKER – Underground Shelter – DAY --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Signas, Alia and Douglas carefully watch X, Hanse and Hal on the monitor.

SIGNAS: It truly is a miracle… Not only did he come back… but without so much as even a scratch!

ALIA: Not a physical one, anyway…

SIGNAS: Hm?

DOUGLAS: (perturbed) It’s hard to repair the bodies of X and Zero because they’re still a mystery…

ALIA: (frowning) It’s not a miracle, I bet…

SIGNAS: You never believe it’s a “miracle”…

ALIA: I’m not interested in miracles… I don’t think Reploids should dream of miracles, either…

DOUGLAS: But… why was only Zero’s fight data deleted from X?

SIGNAS: I have no idea… Maybe it disappeared by itself? Otherwise, it was deleted on purpose…

ALIA: Well, there’s a protection, now. He won’t even accept data related to the Colony… As far as he knows, Zero flew into the Colony and then they both fought Sigma together…

SIGNAS: Maybe it’s best that way…

ALIA: I couldn’t program such a protection… Nor would I! …We’ve got another mystery about X… and his Creator…

They all look at each other with pensive faces of indifference.

-cut to-

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXT. HEXAGON BAY – Damaged MHHQ - DAY --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two Hunters put together the beam generator as X moves other equipment to a new pile for building.

HANSE: Captain X. Although it will take time, I think this battle will lead to Peace.

X: It will. We need to work harder for that… For Peace…

The three continue to build another beam, together.

HAL: Hey, Captain X, what is your ideal dream?

X: Huh…?

HAL: Ya know.. What’s your end-goal? If you don’t mind me asking…

They finish setting up the beam as X puts some materials down.

X: I’ve never thought about it… Well…

He strokes his chin and looks up to the sky. Once he comes up with an idea, his eyes brighten.

X: I’ve got it! I want to create “Elysium”.

HANSE & HAL: Elysium…?

X: Yes! It’s a paradise where the human race will coexist with Reploids… Peacefully…

They both widen their eyes at X’s steadfast gaze.

X: Yes… that is my dream… I’d like to create “Elysium”… Someday in the near future… when we reshape this World.

HAL: I wish Captain Zero were here…

X pauses with sharp eyes and simply smirks.

X: Heh… Ya know what? He already is. Right here.

He puts his hand on his chest and pats it twice.

As X walks away, Hal leans in to Hanse and whispers into his ear.

HAL: (aside) That last battle knocked a few screws loose, if you ask me…

X: What’s that?

HAL: No, nothing…

Hanse gives him a disapproving look.

X: (passionate) “Elysium”… Oh, yes… I’ll do it. Someday…

-fade to-

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. MHHQ – Control Room – DAY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caption: 2 weeks later…

In their newly refurbished Control Room, a siren blares calling the Maverick Hunters into action.

X stands before 3 more of his new Maverick Hunters – Iso, Cody and Tekk.

ALIA: A large Maverick has broken out in HORIE 2146 block! Go into action immediately! Data and Batsu are in trouble…

X: (ready) Let’s go! Now!! Get a move on…

His Maverick Hunters salute him.

HUNTERS: Yes sir!

X: We’ve rested long enough…

Without waiting for them, X runs out of the room, eager to handle their next challenge.

-cut to-

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXT. MHHQ – Hexagon Bay – DAY --------------------------------------------------------------------------

X runs into action with a determined glare in his eyes and smirks as he tightly grips the handle of a familiar saber.

ISO: (o.s, narrating) Since he came back, Captain X’s eyes have changed… …and sharpened…

X: (v.o, thinking) I can face any enemy now… I will feel this way… as long as I have this Saber… I’ll do it today, Zero… with you!

He runs on and takes a test slash of the mighty Z-Saber.

X: (v.o, thinking) We’ll be together, forever… Zero…

Amidst the sunset sky, a silhouette of Zero’s ghost can be seen standing with his back to X and his long blonde hair waving in the wind. With a slightly turned head, Zero smiles at X. And X knowingly smiles back at him.

-Fade to black-

#MMX Fanfics #Season V #Ep. 17 #Dreams of Elysium #Sigma #X #Zero #X vs Zero #X5 Ending #Combined Scenario

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