#mmx;; vile before vile

[machinesandman]

So that was the way of it then... This other version had finally encountered another, more common, of their number. Maverick. That explained a lot of the reactions now going on, those prepped tensions Vile could note in every motion. He damn well knew what to look for in various opponents, recognized the bubbling anger ready to lash out, rip apart the nearest target until the threat was neutralized. It's what their build was always meant for, down to every last nut and bolt, bits and bytes.

Combat to the core.

Vile shifted his stance slowly then, keeping both hands in open view as he was trained to do so long ago when facing a potential threat that had yet to escalate into a full fight. Try and neutralize the potential fight before taking shots... It had never been his strongest point, but the attempt was there none the less.

"Alright, fine. Don't say I didn't give you a chance... Though I can't help but ask... Did you kill him? The other us. Because if even a single scrap is left, I'll finish the job. Sigma has a way of not letting us stay fucking dead." The sheer cold bitterness that laced his tone was nothing short of venom on every consonant. Barely containing his rage. Because now was a time for answers and not war.

He was so bad at this shit. "Honest answer? I'm clean now. Forcefully I'll admit. Was taken down, but then taken in somewhere to be cured. Fucking cured, and my glitch repaired, the same god damn one Sigma used to get me to follow him in the first place." He was making direct eye contact, or, well, as best as either of them could do being fully obscured by those helmets.

To further try and show he was not a threat, it was with but a thought that the ammo chain to his shoulder cannon... Detached. It unhooked, leaving him at a rather large disadvantage. A show he was not hostile maybe. He hoped it'd be taken as such. "When you first met me, I was already clean then too...."

"When the first waves hit, and the commander went Maverick, I had a broken glitch in my electronic brain. Sigma kept covering it up, erasing it from the books or repair over views. Not even I fucking knew, and he made sure of that. Used me like a fucking tool! Bastard wanted me to be his scape goat and war dog! Eventually he had a hard time even controlling that as he infected me slowly, bit by bit... And every time I was killed, I had peace- until the fucker rebuilt me with every part he could reclaim, again and again."

He hated this. Hated it so fucking much., But once the gates opened to talk about it, he couldn't stop- because this was another version of himself he trusted to the core. A better version, the one who got the better out come none of the rest did. And he would damn well keep it that way, even if it made Vi hate him. At least Vile could be a cautionary tale. "The last time I was rebuilt, I nearly did the unthinkable... But the Black Armor Cryptid hunted me down. We fought through the streets, one on one. And she won, if you can believe it. Because I didn't expect the fucking psychopath to come at me through my hail of bullets, taking them like rubber, and overloading us both... Took me somewhere after, repaired me, and gave me a proto type cure. It worked. And I finally could think clearly for the first time in... Forever."

"That a good enough god damn history lesson for you?"

"Most," Vi echoes in agreement, but there is something uneasy behind his own tone, it lacks that same tinge of pride. A normal point of bonding for them that, all at once, feels hollow. "I can tell you from first hand experience, we're fucking hard to kill." A fist at his side, tensing at the memory of a different battle.

"Funny. I can't imagine retiring. Being built for this, for nothing else." A statement that carries with it no moral judgement. No bitterness. Just a truth. Always a tin solider, never meant for more. "Must be a nice future to live in, if the world doesn't need Maverick Hunters anymore." It's a dry sarcasm, borderline malicious. You said you weren't decommissioned. He isn't buying it, not a single damn thing.

"You're goddamn fucking right I want to go down this path." Vi has straightened out, though his weapons aren't drawn yet. The tension is there, coiled in his frame, waiting to strike at the first sign. "Either you can tell me the truth, or I can start asking around. I bet it won't be too fucking pretty from someone else."

Every part of him wants to lash out, wants to crack the identical visor staring him down.

"Had a run in the other week with one of us. Do you know what it feels like, having to put a version of yourself down?" Unpleasant, is the implication. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had to. So you'd better give me a real good reason to trust you."

[no1ryomafan]

now it’s time for no reason at 2 fucking am for me to give my opinions about every mega man series ✨ (again this is my opinion and also my time to expose how much of a fake fucking fan I am in some regards) imma go in chronological release order to my memory.

Classic: I don’t hate it but I’m the only person who doesn’t feel strongly about it. I just can’t get invested into not only the gameplay but any of the robot masters besides a select few-I’m sorry I just don’t see the appeal-I do like the significant characters like rock, roll, blues and bass obviously, and learning about what influenced mega man as a whole made me appreciate it a little more but I don’t advise it as the series people should get into or like they don’t need to play every single game cause it suffers the most from being samey. (Really just play 11, but I also say this as the only classic game I actually finished 💀) Liked the Archie comics though and wish it continued… Tempo was neat.

X: Mixed feelings galore oh booooy. X and Zero shaped me to be the person who I was for ALL the wrong reasons- I still ship XZero I’ll just never admit to it cause if it’s a overrated pair and the fans can be bad, I just love the most basic fucking yaoi pairs. I like a lot of the other characters like Vile, Axl, Iris-for little she gets-etc. Besides that the X series has been tainted for me cause MAN it has the worst fandom out of the series. I’m sorry X fans are so fucking vicious and I don’t know why, I sometimes wonder if you guys like your own series even if I get it’s super flawed. X discussion can get so annoyed at points especially with the crowd of “oh the games after X5 suck so I don’t count them as canon” (yes people like that fucking exist. Ignoring how X6 CHANGE THE SCOPE OF HOW MMZ1 CAME TO BE) X is definitely that series of “interesting ideas but bad execution” wish MHX got to continue cause the first game had potential to fix the story. Also I never beat a single game but I keep telling myself I’ll beat X1 or X4…

Legends: The only series I haven’t played whatsoever BUT I did watch the cutscenes so I’m up to speed on the lore. Really find the lore cool and the characters are charming, it’s just a series that’s hard to talk about cause it’s all “WHERES MEGA MAN LEGENDS 3” and man I get being salty about that sequel being canned and I wish it happened too but can we talk about the actual series… Also Roll Caskett best Roll don’t @ me.

Battle Network: Okay controversial time this is the Mega Man series I give the least fucks about and it’s gonna shock you when you guys see how I feel about Star Force. Idk why but this series just- doesn’t appeal to me. I want to give it a chance, before the LC even came out I got BN5DS but I didn’t like liberation missions so never got passed the first one, and I still never got the LC and heck is the only LC I didn’t get because I’m sorry no matter HOW much you tell me BN good the pricing is not worth it. I couldn’t be bothered to get into the anime or manga too. Idk just mega man but ai seems like a cool idea and I don’t mind it being a rpg it’s cool mega man changed what it was yet still retained its appeal but BN doesn’t do it for me. It might just be because of the designs and characterization honestly.

Zero: Another mixed bag but NOWHERE near as bad as MMX, and this one I did finish! I like a lot aspects of Zero the story telling and the refinements to the gameplay but the reason I can’t be super invested is when people consider it the best part of the franchise when all of the games have a glaring flaw. I love Z1, it’s unironically my favorite but it’s also the most flawed entry, Z2 is overhated but you can also tell this game was rushed, which it was, Z3 is considered the best and it’s good but I think it’s overhyped to shit-X4 has the same issue tbh-it makes good changes but it’s level design threw me off even if it’s more fixed than Z2 and *sigh* Z4 was a necessary ending narratively but I FUCKING HATE EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT IT. (Don’t make me talk about Z4, very few things make me mad like that game- it only gets some points for making me cry at the ending even when I knew what was going to happen though) Also the fandom opinions about the story aspect of this game makes me not trust anyone LOL. Zero is better written here then mmx and Ciel doesn’t deserve hate don’t @ me! Anyways my favorite asshole here is Harpiua. Basic pick but I just wanna put him in a jar and shake him.

ZX: YIPPPPPIE- Sorry that was the sound of me getting excited about my favorite entry of the series. I love this game- so much it’s unreal. Everything about it I fucking adore. Art style, characters, music, gameplay, THE LORE even if it’s something they didn’t expand on enough I still love the setting of ZX. Biometals are such a cool concept that I can’t be mad at the idea of X and Zero being rocks unlike other people, there’s so much potential with them. I will always be sad ZXC never happened but the games we got are so replayable to me and I go on a monthly replay- yes I have a problem LOL. I don’t really have a favorite between them- I def get why people prefer the first game but advent isn’t that bad you guys just suck. Favorite character is hard I love everyone. (I’m kidding, it’s Prometheus. But I do like everyone)

Star Force: So remember how I said my opinions on this would confuse you about why I don’t care for BN? Yeah it’s because I’m the one mega man fan who isn’t a coward and also fucking ADORES this series LOL. I understand it’s a huge diversion from mega man and BN at least still uses some characters but I think star force not having AU characters is why I like it more- and also I’m biased for aliens LOL. Omega-Xis one of the best characters in this series and you guys fucking sleep on him, love the general cast too though. Star Force 1 is also a game that means a lot to me, the story touch me and made me cry like Z4. Honestly I’d like it more then ZX if it weren’t for the fact I don’t fuck with the gameplay too hard cause I never replayed it and story wise it really peaked at 1. I don’t think star force 2 is as bad as everyone saids but I get why people don’t like it, star force 3 has the X4/Z3 problem: good but still has plenty of flaws. There’s a lot of changes 3 made I didn’t like and while the story was decent there was some missed potential. The ending was really nice though but after how some aspects of 3 turned out I couldn’t give a shit if star force 4 happens, if I’m being honest it’s the one canceled game I’m glad didn’t happen cause I think it could’ve actually ruined the series. (Sorry I don’t fuck with the geo being bad plot, it sounded like ass) Also yes if you ask I DO own all the games physically cause I’m fucking insane lol.

So given like- 3 of series I really finished I can’t really rank them but I just wanted to yap and give my opinion. Maybe one day I’ll try battle network or beat a x game…

[shreedle]

So...AU Svarga Vile Mode Canon? :D

:DDD

This one is mostly still in the planning stages and doesn't have a whole lot written or finalized, but can you blame me for writing AUs of my AUs?

-Vile Mode ramifications qualify here though it's not identical to the Maverick Hunter X game canon.

-This means that yes, Zero and X did get beat up by Vile at the end of the game before X shot Vile ala MHX canon, but this is not a dark AU like Haustorium was, and so X and Zero got away in the end.

-Except, the problem with this, is that Sigma/the Virus ran unchecked for a whole lot longer than in MMX canon - long enough for Sigma to destroy the current Federation.

-I must emphasize that X did not become famous for stopping Sigma. That honor ended up going to Zero and the Federation was basically replaced by a Reploid military government.

-X kinda faded into the background more like he wanted to, he was still famous for being "The First" but he didn't have the fame of being "Maverick Hunter X", he just kinda vanishes from the public eye after all of that.

-He still becomes a Hunter though, just not the leader of the 17th Unit. Zero likes to send him on covert missions where someone very human-like is needed, and less to combat situations.

-Certain characters I introduced in Svarga still exist - like Octave and Raziel.

-Octave just straight up becomes a bounty hunter and is quietly having a panic attack over Zero being charge of the world despite evidence suggesting Zero is not insane.

-X somehow still ends up in Giga City and befriends Spider and Marino but for a completely different reason.

Other things I'm still working out exactly how it would have worked lol (like wtf would've happened in X2 and on, what happened to Vile, the Virus, etc), but it doesn't end up as bad as canon or main Svarga did.

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

For Zain! What is his relationship like with some of the maverick hunters now vs his old world? Are there a lot of old faces? What about new ones?

((To... keep it easy to differentiate the two worlds (and to keep from constantly saying Zain's Old World and Xanti's New World, etc), I'm going to call the world where MZ, Zain, Zain's Vile, Mave, and Psi World Z, and the setting where Xanti, Vi, the 0th Unit, and the majority of the plot takes place World X.

I'll also specify that if we're talking about the Vile from Zain's world, I'll be calling him simply Vile. The Vile that is written by @overx is better known as Vi, will be referred to as such.))

Before MZ destroyed the planet, World Z was following a near 1:1 timeline as the original MMX games, and ended at the 5th game's Bad End, or as Zain and Psi know it as, the 5th Maverick Uprising or the 5th War. The difference here is that for extra flavor to the world, I have OCs and side characters (like the 0th Unit) that never existed in the games alongside canon MMX characters like Alia, Douglas and Signas (yes that means Iris and Colonel and Vile and eeeeveryone else). Equally, when the planet was broken, no one survived excluding Psi, Zain, and MZ (Mave wasn't a person yet/still in development).

Between World Z and World X, there's more than a few repeating characters, the OG canon characters being not the only ones. The truth is: everyone feels the same. Sigma, all the Mavericks up until X5 and Repliforce, even the Navigators and Cain. It goes deeper than that too. Even the unnamed side characters, the 0th Unit, the reploids and rookies that Zain trains alongside the other Hunters-- they're all the same too.

...Can you begin to understand why Psi, the X who had been with Zain until he'd gone to World X, calls Zain crazy?

They both saw all of these people die. Their friends, strangers, students and enemies. Zain and Psi can look at individuals in World X, the same whose timeline is further behind, and know who will go into a fight and live, and who will leave on a mission never to return. Who will go Maverick, who will be crushed under a mechaniloid, who will be betrayed and who will do the betraying, and it's pretty accurate knowledge, now that Sigma and the original eight have once again defected. The timeline in World X is different, but all the faces are the same.

....Except Xanti, and now... Vi.

There's a reason for that, but it's not going to be elaborated on at this moment.

In World Z, the original eight Mavericks (specifically and ESPECIALLY Storm Eagle), Sigma, Alia, Douglas and Signas, the 0th Unit, Psi, and Vile were all people that were once a part of Zain's social/inner circle. All of those people were ones he considered friends. Before the First Uprising, they were all ones he confided in too.

He, equally, was far more outgoing back then as well. They'd all have drinks, hangout, play games and train together. They shared everything; stories, space and camaraderie, really and truly were friends. Until many of them were infected, they were all Zain had. Vile, in particular, was Zain's best friend until Psi, and until Vile eventually succumbed to the virus.

...It hurts, to go to World X, and see them all. There is a sort of displacement for Zain in World X. These people all share the same memories, the same feelings as those from World Z, but he is not in them. He's not their friend here. The individual known as Zero did not even exist until he showed up, and there had been no virus outbreak because of it; just the usual political Mavericks who attack because of mistreatment.

For that, Zain kept his distance in hopes to prevent further hurt for himself, and the people that never knew him, but...

Time has a funny way of correcting itself.

Vi is the only one left.

He's doing everything he can to make sure lightning doesn't strike twice again.

[cozy2000]

mmx main cast sexualities and identities. i write the canon now

x: absolutely pansexual. like hes primarily male-attracted but i can just hear him saying he loves everybody. uses he/him pronouns until x6 then starts using he/they. this robot 100% has a vagina

zero: bisexual, he/it. he's like a ken doll down there

axl: gay gay gay transmasc he/her. girlypop. sorry he falls into every trans gay stereotype. he'd wear one of those awful hot pink mesh shirts

alia: that is a lesbian if ive ever seen one. she/her. also catastrophically autistic.

palette: asexual lesbian. she/they. absolutely the type to be super into animal crossing and cottagecore and make that their whole identity

sigma: before going maverick he's definitely one of those leather daddy type old bears that dresses up like a cop. you know the type. but now hes like a corporate gay. he supports keeping it behind closed doors. he/him

vile: i know that man is gay but you have to be insane for him to even consider you as a candidate. gender is "robot that you call he for convenience." he/it. i think he has robot OCD

[ao3feed-xzero]

The Question and Answer: Part 1

by dplusjluv21

After years of hunting and taking down Mavericks, X and Zero are inseparable friends, especially after Zero's death while protecting X from Vile and Sigma. However, when X finds himself in that same situation like so many years before, Zero decides he has a new trick up his sleeve, something not even X has ever heard of before: fusion

Words: 4111, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Rockman X | Mega Man X, Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: M/M

Characters: X (Rockman Classic Universe), Zero (Rockman Classic Universe), Dr. Cain (Rockman X), Alia (Rockman X), Signas (Rockman X), Lifesaver (Rockman X)

Relationships: X/Zero (Rockman Classic Universe)

Additional Tags: this is sort of a fusion of SU and MMX?, haha get it...fusion? because it's a fusion AU? LAUGH, fusion au, why has no one ever thought about it when gems and reploids both have...gems?, this took way too long man, like im glad i finished pt 1 but goddamn

from AO3 works tagged 'X/Zero (Rockman Classic Universe)' https://ift.tt/kpwGJ97

[being-so-normal-about-reploids]

How about 5 to 10 :0

5 to 10! Sure, why not. Screenshot for reference (mostly my own, because I'm on mobile)...

5. Nah. Nobody can stop me from liking what I like. Even if someone else absolutely botches the characterization (in my opinion, anyway, obviously they're into whatever they're doing) or talks shit or whatever, that doesn't change what's in my own head.

6. I can honestly say I don't hate any pairing? So kind of no on that technicality, but I've definitely seen some that I wouldn't have thought about on my own and thought, okay, yeah, I can get behind that actually. (I guess I'd be called a multishipper but I don't even see the point in the title. It's my imagination. I can slap the dolls together in as many combinations as I feel like and they're not mutually exclusive.)

7. The list of things I like is ever-expanding. I can't think of anything that's actually left the list. I just build my pile of happy-making ideas higher and higher.

8. Haven't got any, haven't sent any. Doesn't really happen to me for some reason. I'm good with that.

9. This is hard because I don't really dislike any character that much? Like, at all? So I guess with that caveat out of the way I could pick a character that I am neutral about...and that's gonna be Auto. He's just. There. And kind of hideous. And kind of weird. He just appeared with no explanation given and I kind of don't like that. It's not even clear who made him and nobody's questioning that? Like, what is happening there? I don't hate him, but I don't like him.

If I have to pick someone from MMX and not reach back to classic MM, uhh...man, this is hard. I'm gonna goo with Dr. Doppler for reasons that I'm about to get into in the next answer.

10. Thinkyface...like, honestly none of the writing in my main thing (MMX) is actually that good. I tend to think of the actual games more in terms of gameplay because the plot is usually so goddamn thin. I think though that the one that feels the most like a huge nothingburger to me plotwise is X3. It's just...there. I do not care about Dr. Doppler or whatever he was doing. It's so blatantly just Sigma fucking around again, oh nooo. His self-sacrifice at the end feels like nothing because it's not like you know this guy at all anyway, and also he didn't even have to do it. It legit feels like they're just exploding him to avoid having to manage a recurring character. I do kinda appreciate the implications of Vile's little secret stage and the changes based around whether you for real killed him or not before you get there, but the main plot arc is just...yawn. Nothing is happening there that I care about.

[wave-man]

[model-a]

i think Ashe should be the canon Mega Man Model A for a lot of reasons but mainly because her first meeting with Prometheus almost exactly parallels Axl meeting Vile in x8

at this point in their respective stories, Vile and Prometheus:

are one of, if not THE, most well known criminals of their time

were publicly known as the right-hand man to a guy who nearly succeeded in destroying the world

have incredibly distinctive armor that is immediately recognizable

have spent most of their time terrorizing the Hunter organization that the protagonists are a part of and thus would be known within that organization

and yet both Axl and Ashe look at these guys and go “Who are you??“

[thecreatorofworlds]

A certain someone was lamenting over the fact that there's very little fanart of Volnutt, and since I've pretty much resolved to draw fanart of every single Megaman series (regardless if I've actually played them), I figured I'd tackle the Legends series. Volnutt’s got a wacky design, but he and his friends were fun to draw! Legend's low-poly game models are cute. I have no idea what these characters are actually like in the game, but I love every single one of the Legends girls. 

A few people said I should post stuff more frequently instead of shoving everything into a sketchdump and running, so I might start doing that. Maybe. (I remember why I’m so fond of sketchdumps now- backgrounds suck!) Click for captions.

[lunar-ribbon-mmx]

Please read my first ever Zerox fanfic~

Over the edge

This started as a simple headcannon and then the damn story just wrote itself. The first draft of a possible fanfic I want to write, I’d like your feedback!!!! Maybe I’ll publish on Archive of Our Own? OwO

Summary: Zero enters a Dr. Light capsule during X5 and has a special request for Dr. Light.

Prompt: Zero being emotionally vulnerable      # Hurt and comfort      # It hurts so GOOD      # Contemplating my life and crying over gay robots      # Everyday

Headcannons to keep in mind • In X5 while you play as Zero collecting the armor parts from Dr. Light’s capsule in Slash Grizzly’s stage: Zero was asking Dr. Light “I keep having strange dreams about an old scientist, do you know him?” And looking apprehensive, Dr. Light told Zero “sorry, I don’t…..” • Dr. Light doesn’t want Zero knowing who Dr. Wily was (would bring up bad memories and give Zero knowledge about his original programming, which was really destructive). Plus, X would be absolutely devastated to find this out. Dr. Light wants his son to live in peace, so he lies to Zero. • Dr. Light trusts Zero to give the armor parts to X, he knows it’s a very secure process. The fact that Zero even asks Dr. Light about his dreams shows that he trusts him • Dr. Light is a cyber ELF. I mean think about it; he is able to create an android with the ability to think, worry, and have free will and even have a Turing test inside a capsule for 100 years. Don’tcha think a man like that could also upload his consciousness into a hard-drive before he died to interact and help his creation navigate the world? How else do you think he knows X’s location EVERYWHERE and knows about Zero and Alia?          o MMX 4 wiki: “In some games like Mega Man X7, Dr. Light's messages appear to be recorded reproductions, while in Mega Man X5 and Mega Man X6 it appears he is sentient and aware of his surroundings, interacting with the person that found the capsule and talking about recent events.” • X’s room is well-organized and only Zero is allowed in there • X and Zero sleep together to stop Zero’s nightmares • X never getting to process what’s actually happening. No wonder he behaves the way he does in X7. Zero feels bad for the way he’s been treating X….

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

Scene 1: The fated meeting

-At Grizzly Slash’s stage in X5; Zero arrived at a Light capsule and entered. He seemed so confused and eyes heavy with questioning. Dr. Light’s hologram illuminated the inside of the capsule, atoms integrating.-

Zero: “I keep having strange dreams about an old scientist, do you know him?”

-Dr. Light knew EXACTLY who Zero was talking about, his old colleague; Dr. Wily, who reprogrammed all the original robot masters into doing his evil bidding. This ruined the integration of robots into human society and made humanity even more afraid of technology. That was never what Dr. Light wanted. Dr. Light hated lying but decided this would be for the best. He had no idea how to answer that question without hurting Zero and possibly helping Zero remember about his original destructive nature.

Dr. Light: “It pains me to see you suffer….but I’m sorry, I don’t know who that is.”

Zero: “It’s ok, I wasn’t expecting an answer…..I’ll give X the armor program then….”

–Zero looks over dejectedly and his frown grew deeper but he hid it or at least he thought he did but Dr. Light caught on. If anyone knew the answer, it should have been Dr. Light. Zero’s past was shrouded in so much pain and mystery, he wishes he could find out who his creator was and what his purpose is.

-He also wishes deep within his core for the ability to understand something deep inside of himself and that he can’t put into words, but that he feels only around X.-

-Maybe, just maybe X’s creator would know….- -Zero glances around hopefully before leaving the capsule.-

Zero: “Dr. Light; I understand that you don’t have the answers I’m looking for and you can’t give me any armor upgrades because you don’t know my internal schematics and construction. And that’s ok, I’ll keep downloading the armor parts for X because I care about him. But I have one specific request.”

–He looked over at the hologram of Dr. Light tentatively. The red ripper’s thoughts swirled in his head, words leaving his mouth before he could stop them.-

Zero: “Can you program me with the ability to feel deeply and cry? I want to be able to f...feel the same way X does so I can understand him better.”

-Zero looks away hesitantly, feeling vulnerable and wondering if he should dash out of the capsule. Is this what humans call embarrassment? The crimson hunter felt his face heat up, but he wasn’t even sure if he had the ability to blush. But all the embarrassment in the world was worth it if he had the opportunity to understand the sweet azure hunter that always fought alongside him.-

-Dr. Light looks surprised and contemplates; then he smiles brightly at Zero, a secret only the 2 of them share.-

Dr. Light: “I’m glad both you and X found each-other, it truly is miraculous. Of course I can fulfill your request Zero, I am honored! This is the very reason I entrust you with X, I know you’ll take great care of him. I know you understand that downloading the armor parts and then uploading it into X is a very secure process and not everyone can be trusted to do it. As we both know, X is very innocent and naïve and I’m glad he found someone like you to guide him.”

Zero: “T…thank you Dr. Light…X means the world to me and I would do anything to keep him safe, including sharing his sorrow.”

Dr. Light: “It is safe to step into the capsule. Zero, just close your eyes, relax, and let the data flow through you.”

–Zero felt his core thrumming, filled with energy and warmth. He felt safe being bathed in the light of X’s creator. Dr. Light’s cybernetic hands reached into the deepest parts of his mind, new lines of code being etched and woven into his very existence. His body felt like he was floating into a different dimension, ethereal and at the same time, very comforting. As soon as the process finished, Zero stepped out of the Light capsule with a subtle smile on his face.-

Zero: “I’ll make sure to deliver the armor parts to X, and thanks for everything.”

Dr. Light: “I wish for your journey to be in peace, farewell Zero.”

-The mere bonds of these 2 reploids were iron-clad, the biggest irony was that his rival’s masterpiece ended up being the best friend of his creation, Megaman X.

“That’s the biggest fuck you to Dr. Wily if I’ve ever seen one!” Dr. Light chuckled to himself.

With these 2 together side by side, nothing could stop them and the world could finally achieve peace by having reploids and humans being together in harmony.

–And with that, the molecules of data that made up Dr. Light’s body dissipated back into cyberspace.-

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

Scene 2: Sync and share

-Zero and X go back to Hunter HQ after a long mission, into X’s room to rest and recharge. It’s more spacious and comfy and feels more like a home than Zero’s room. X is into human culture; so his room is well-organized with furniture, books, and a bed. It’s their own private space, and Zero is the only one allowed into X’s room.-

Zero: -lightly jabbing X’s side- “So X, I found your dad on my mission. He gave me some more armor parts for ya.”

X: -giggled as he was ticklish- Thanks Zero, you’re the best! –his bright emerald eyes and shy laughter made Zero’s pulse quicken. The crimson hunter lived for moments of peace like this, seeing X smiling and relaxed. They both sat on X’s bed, removing other parts of their armor, but leaving their helmets on. Their intricate circuitry was filled with tactile sensors, muscles taut from all the battles they’ve endured together.-

-They both leaned into each-other, receptors coming alive; hands melding into each other for warmth and closeness-

-As X and Zero’s forehead gems pressed together, deep pools of azure blue gazed into verdant emerald green. This was an intimate way that reploids connected. It was a trusting gesture used to interface thoughts, memories, data, and share ideas.

-They both felt their cores thrum gently; a pleasant pulse of heat enveloping both of them. Usually, this was their ritual almost every night to either help X download his armor parts or help Zero fall asleep because of his constant nightmares, but today felt different.-

-An intense wave of emotions suddenly washed over Zero’s body, making him dizzy. He was swept into X’s unconscious mind, which was usually blocked off. All the memories that replayed flowed deeply within X and himself; he felt them at every atom of his being, ingrained into soul. Guilt, sadness, pain, anguish, regret, memories of Zero smiling, laughing, dying, all the Maverick wars, Sigma, Vile, broken reploid bodies, the virus, all of X’s friends that he used to work with turning into Mavericks and him having to retire them, everything.-

-Zero was shocked, beneath the kind-hearted smile of X was…..all of this darkness. The crimson hunter felt absolutely overwhelmed; he felt so much concern for X, that this was the true extent and nature of X’s emotions and suffering. He felt ashamed for getting mad at X for not wanting to battle anymore, he wished he could be more supportive.-

-X was exhausted, he didn’t realize the mindlink they were establishing was letting Zero into the innermost parts of him, parts that he buried and repressed, as he knew no one else would understand. He trusted Zero so much that he subconsciously let his guard down around him.-

-That was the difficult part about being the father of all reploids…he had no one to talk to about his feelings or else he would get ridiculed. He had to be strong for everyone, fighting in so much wars he never got a chance to process his feelings, as well as losing Zero multiple times. That would break any human, but it was considered normal for reploids…..A sad but true fact X had to accept in order to keep fighting for the utopia he wanted.-

-The most painful of X’s memories were of Zero’s death; he saw X fighting tirelessly to reclaim his body parts from the X-hunters who tried to defile Zero’s body and revive him as a Maverick. And after the Eurasia incident, he saw X clenching on to his z-saber every night, crying himself to sleep until his tear ducts ran completely dry and his voice synthesizer was hoarse from screaming. He refused to be near anyone. He lay in his room as a lifeless shell of his former being.-

-And coming to a huge realization, Zero thought to himself “is this what Dr. Light enabled me to feel?” The revelation came to him with such shock that his breath hitched in his throat. He clenched at his chest, never realizing how much of an impact his absence had on X. He always thought the world would be better without him, since he was the original carrier of the Maverick virus and he hated himself for that. All the bloodshed, wars, engaging in pointless conflict; for what? He just wanted all of it to be over, by sacrificing himself for the greater good of the planet.-

-X could feel all of that in his soul as well.-

-Zero gasped and pulled apart.-

“…X, I h….had no idea…that you’ve been going through all of this. I’m s..sorry for e…everything. I’m s..so sorry.”

X: -getting closer to Zero- “It’s ok Z, I’ll be alright~” –The gentle azure android looked up at Zero with a pain filled smile; his emerald eyes glistening with torment.-

- And in that moment, Zero lost his composure. Something inside of him broke.-

- He felt something raw and foreign overtake him, a sudden wave of sadness that threatened to spill over and consume his very being. He felt powerless and didn’t know how to stop it.-

-Zero panicked when he felt something warm and wet at the corner of his eyes. Small tears pricked at his eyes and he couldn’t even react in time to hide from X.-

-Zero started sobbing.-

- X’s emerald green eyes opened wide; he never in a million years would have imagined this was possible for the crimson warbot. What X saw broke his heart and amazed him at the same time.-

-X immediately wrapped his strong arms around Zero, trying to calm him down. Zero struggled in his grasp, trying to break free at first and then relaxing in X’s hold. He slumped against him and buried his face into X’s neck, holding on to him for dear life. X tried his best to comfort his friend by rubbing circles against his back. He gently held the sides of Zero’s helmet so that Zero could look up at him, wiping away the tears from his sapphire eyes with his thumb. X was surprised at how soft Zero’s synth skin was.-

X: “Z…Zero, I’ve always wanted you to know, it’s not your fault, you’re not that same person, so please don’t hate yourself. You’re worth it. You’ve always been worth it to me. You’ve always done your best to protect me and everyone else on this Earth. And for that, I truly appreciate everything you’ve done.”

-Zero continued to cry, his voice slightly quivering.-

X: “Together, we can do anything. Just stay by my side, p..please don’t go again, I missed you so much. Everyday, I thought of you and wanted you back more than anything else in this world. I don't want to be alone Zero….I don’t want to be in a world without you. I’d do anything, even go to the depths of hell itself to find you and I mean that.”

-X cradled Zero’s body closer to himself, trying to absorb as much of the crimson hunter’s existence as he could. His emerald green eyes were dull. His voice cracked and he started crying as well. He couldn’t even process how Zero came back and that he was alive and in his arms at this very moment.-

Zero: “X….X, I didn’t know you felt that way about me; I also care about you too. I’ll do anything it takes to keep you smiling. I’ll fight by your side to make that utopia a reality.”

-They both held on to each-other through the stormy ocean of turbulent emotions, feeling all the grief they’ve held on to for too long, all the unspoken words, all the trauma, all the anger. Everything just came out into a spiraling whirlpool. But they had each-other, so they wouldn’t get lost at sea.-

-Even though they were both crying, Zero wholeheartedly felt happy. Truly, genuinely happy for the first time in his life since he was created. He didn't even know it was possible for a warbot like him to have these types of feelings. The whole world could have ended today, but that was all right as long as he had X by his side. Smiling, laughing, holding him softly, comforting him, willing to fight through anything.-

-Zero pulled X into his lap without a second thought; gaining a startled response from him. X’s face was flushed; shimmering, expressive green eyes trickling with tears and mouth slightly open. He gently wiped away X’s tears, smiling at him; face leaning in closer, breath making their synth skin tingle. All their circuitry was tuned in to each-other, their cores synching, warmth filling every mechanical fiber of their being. Eyes half-lidded, Zero tilted X’s chin up, rubbing the bottom of his lip with his finger, tracing how supple it was. 

-Their lips met in a soft, tender kiss; a moment feeling more right than anything else in their existence.-

[machinesandman]

@overx​ continued from: here

There was a hum of understandable respect given. Can’t blame him for having that kind of thought process, it was pretty straight forward. After all, she’d been working on mastering things as well, albeit in unorthadox ways. “Can’t even argue with you on that one, pretty wise. Been working on more ranged my self.” May as well admit that much. She was good at some forms of it, but a canon? That was taking work to do.

And then, she gave a laugh, removing a bottle from sub space. Well if Vi wanted to play this back and forth game, then sure, why not. At least he was nicer about the questions. “Nope. Gotta say though, that’s a new one! You’re the first to think of that, and it amuses me.” The bottom of her helmet flickered open, briefly, to let her drink from the bottles neck. And then it was right back into place to hide her features.

“Back at you, ever consider any other armor colors? Or have you ever had to chance color for a mission? That purple is pretty iconic.”

[shikai-the-storyteller]

boatsalad replied to your post “Every once in a while I remember X was originally going to be the...”

FOR REAL like while I can totally understand *why* X would change like that, I feel like it's better and more in character for him to catch himself and do something to stop it than to just give in, ESPECIALLY after Zero did the same dang thing lmao

Yeah no, I can totally see how it’d happen. The kid’s been through hell practically since he woke up for crying out loud! And even when the Mother Elf program seemed to fix everything, someone took advantage of it and there was another war. When it comes down to it, I think for X to become a “villain” he’d need to lose his hope completely, and be consumed by bitterness. But that isn’t something he’d let happen. Sure we see him get depressed in X7 and he quits being a Hunter for a bit, but he’s never so far gone that he won’t come back (granted, he did have Axl and Zero to help remind him of why he fought). Even though he’s been in so many fights and so many wars, X always believes in people and in the future. 

One aspect of his character that I always thought was interesting was how in (nearly) every battle from the earlier MMX games, X tries to talk his opponent out of fighting. He always gives them a chance, even though it’s pretty clear where they stand. He still has hope for people, even his enemies, and he’s willing to give them a second chance (though I think Sigma and Vile are the exceptions, but that’s completely understandable). 

As for the “catching himself and stopping it before he gives in” I COMPLETELY AGREE. We already see him doing that at the end of X4, asking Zero to stop him if he ever becomes a Maverick (to which Zero responds “don’t be stupid”). I know I’ve talked about this before, but I love how much the creators drove home the idea that X and Zero really rely on each other. I honestly feel like their belief in one another helps keep them going and believing in the world (we know for a fact this is true for Zero based on the Retrospect Audio drama that BREAKS MY HEART WHENEVER I REMEMBER IT). Knowing that Zero believes in him so much he won’t even consider the possibility of X going Maverick is probably really reassuring. Besides that, X went through 100 years of morality tests and he’s a smart guy, so I feel like if he ever did seriously start to think “Maybe it would be better for me to control everything and everyone so nothing like this would happen again” he’d give it due thought and decide that no, that wouldn’t solve anything. So TLDR I don’t think ~evil X~ would’ve been very in-character. 

PLUS one of the last things Zero said to X was “I believe in you as a friend” and “The rest is up to you”. I don’t think he’d want to let Zero down.

[machinesandman]

"Gotta admit though, most of us all have the same taste in weaponry and armor. Can never go wrong with a high offense and heavy defense. A one man arsenal." Vile spoke with an edge of pride in his voice, shoulders back in his usual confidence. If there was one thing that would always be consistent, it was their shared handling of heavy artillery.

The note of them all looking different certainly sounded about right, the Ex-Hunter had yet to encounter anyone with his distinct style really. Maybe a few similar features, but over all, not a single identical one among them-

Oh.

Oh that tone gave way that Vi was still as sharp as he was long ago. Vile shouldn't be surprised by this turn out, the asking of certain questions. Despite this, the way the older of the two of them continued to carry himself was with an ease, as if worry wasn't there. Just that present mild uncomfortable shift.

He could try and soften the blow? Maybe some damage control? Work up to things really. That seemed the best route. "I'm more Retired Hunter type." Which was not a lie merely on a technicality. "But I'm not decommissioned." Also, technically, not a lie... "Wouldn't exactly say Mercenary, but free lance hits the nail on the head. That stubborn woman earned a lot of my respect in combat. So we have a professional relationship." Which was the easiest way to put things without digging in too deeply yet.

"You sure this something you wanna go down?"

"Not like they'd ever guess what's under the helmet anyways," Vi replies with some amusement. At least, all the random rumors and speculation had never come close on his end. "Perk of the job I guess, being pretty much anonymous out of armor."

...and he'd prefer to keep it that way after some recent events. "Plus, I have it on good authority most of us look different anyways," he offers with an easy shrug.

"You... do work for her? Uh... huh." That's the first thing in this conversation that's caught him by surprise. He'd simply assumed until now that his alternate was older and wiser, but something about this sat... strange, in his gut. "Some... work here, and there?" Not exactly forth coming all of the sudden. Why start being vague now? It's making his trigger finger itch.

"You know, that makes it sound like you're more of a freelancer these days. A real mercenary type." Every word is weighty, spoken slow. Although he thought they'd cleared that initial hurdle of mistrust a while back, it appears he'd been too quick to get comfortable.

[machinesandman]

"Hah! Distraction? I'd rather not have others talking about my own chest armor and blast padding like they do yours, let alone the debates of whats under my helmet." Vile couldn't help but let out his loud amused laughter. "Been there, done that already. Complete with debates of how many eyes I have."

However, despite his jovial tone and free speech with his alternate, there was still that tension that had shot through his limbs. Oh so conveniently ignoring the comment of 'what kind of hunter are you'. That was both easy to answer, and yet not at all. Best not to raise alarms for this alternate who was seemingly living the life.

"Ah, a few things really. Running favors for a mutual interest of mine, some work here and there. My side of things can be very colorful to say the least. You met the Black Armor Cryptid, yeah? Glitched voice, stealthy design? I do favors for her."

"Damn, no compassion at all for a comrade in need. What kind of hunter are you?" Vi is more than happy to have the banter himself. "The least you could do is try to run distraction for me."

That's a lie, he's in better spirits already. "So what's kept you too busy to get in on the nonsense lately?"