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⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Lambency
Contact:

effervescentemperor, journal PM
Age: 28
Current Characters: n/a

⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: (Megaman) X
Age: 130+ years old (nonspecific dates in a game series, yay!), looks about 15
Canon: Megaman Zero
Canon Point: X bidding Zero to take care of their world, end of MMZ3

Background:
Pre-games: The last creation of Dr. Thomas Light, X was designed with the capability to rationalise, think, feel, form opinions, and make his own decisions based upon them. The first truly independent, sapient android. Unfortunately, Light didn't feel humanity was prepared for such an advanced android after the actions of Dr. Albert Wily, and so he sealed X within a capsule until such a time as, perhaps, they were. There was another reason to this, however: to run thorough ethics testing on X's at the time immature AI. X ran constant heuristics tests to teach him, hopefully, the differences between right and wrong, as well as how to react in myriad scenarios. Dr. Cain, an archeologist, uncovered X after 30 years of these tests, and thus began the development of Reploids: androids based upon an incomplete understanding of X's design.

X: Sigma, a Reploid Cain created to assist in the management of Reploids and mechaniloids (drones and labour-based machines with only base-level AI) who'd gone Maverick (faults in the system that lead to violent and aggressive behaviour; in the case of Reploids, this is related to their incomplete blueprint base), goes Maverick, himself. Sigma takes various other Reploids with him in his “revolt” against humanity. X and his mentor and friend, Zero, both seek to stop him. Zero rescues X from Vile, a renegade Maverick Hunter (the organisation designed to deal with Mavericks), they both continue the hunt for Sigma. Zero sacrifices himself in a later battle with Vile so that X can escape and defeat Sigma. After Sigma's defeat, X is unsure of how to feel. As a pacifist, X is loath to fight in the first place, but if it's to preserve peace...

The rest of his history, starting at X2, up through Mega Man Zero 3. As for the “Neo Arcadian era”, I… The guardians were designed based on X's DNA/designs, but they are separate entities and presumably predate his sealing, given their original purposes were in relation to repairing the damages done to the Earth between Eurasia's fall and the wars. That's an error in the wikia entry, likely related to translation errors (which are everywhere in the series from X4, onward).

Prior to that, the wiki has some information listed favouring the reboot, which I don't really use due to how it messes with a significant portion of the backstory with no explanation how it would affect later events, due to its cancellation.

Personality: X is, at heart, a gentle and compassionate individual and pacifist, given the gift of choice by his creator despite being outfitted with combat capabilities. The world he's faced with, however, requires he fight in order to achieve the peace he so desperately wishes for. He's at odds with this, questioning the need for sacrifice of lives to fight against those who would bring harm to others for their own gain (as in the ending to Xtreme), if he can continue the fight (in multiple endings of games). X even goes so far with this conflict as to completely remove himself from the battlefield and act behind the scenes (in X7), only to realise that he can't simply stand back and watch others fight while he hides (and the decision to withdraw apparently led to some tension between he and his longtime friend/partner, Zero, if the coarse manner of their interaction in the beginning of X7 says anything). He takes this duty seriously, much as it conflicts with his principles of pacifism (and he's been challenged on that very situation, before).

As he approaches infected Reploids, or those deemed, sometimes purely by other forces, to be Maverick, X offers chances at peaceful resolutions, inevitably being turned down, or questions their reasoning or motives. But he keeps trying. He's so hopeful and comes off sometimes as naive for this, at times being mocked even as he tries the diplomatic or peaceful approach to scenarios. But it's determined hopefulness, aspiring towards a more peaceful future, reaching for any opportunity for this peace between all.

But while he seeks this peaceful end, while he longs for a time where he won't need to fight—an act which drains him and weighs heavy upon his heart, and the entire need serves to frustrate him and pain him—he knows he has the capability and can accept when he needs to, and he has little tolerance for those who threaten the weak and other forms of injustice. He is a defender, through and through, seen in how time and again he returns to the battlefield. He risks his own well-being to rescue those caught up in the battles (X5-X7, there are scattered Reploids who need saving), refuses to surrender, and believes whole-heartedly in his—and his creator's—dream.

….But X, for being a highly advanced android, is remarkably like any human, and there are times when he falters, when he isn't sure. In those times of weakness, he still doesn't give up. He simply retreats a little into his own head, maybe makes a hasty decision (like leaving the field amidst a sense of personal crisis and conflict with his ideals), though sometimes he needs to be shown (such as through Axl and Zero fighting on while he's left to watch from base, or Axl and Zero pulling X out of the uncertain space Lumine puts him in, in X8) that there is more he can do.

His relationship with his peers is one that is largely professional, but X will sometimes break that and give into more personal reactions (when Zero takes the shuttle to destroy the Eurasia colony, X is understandably upset in the command centre where he and others have been discussing what to do, saying his only friend could die from this (paraphrased)). This nods to a relatively private person, even if he has no problems with expressing his more general thoughts or opinions in a way that can draw others to his “circle”, if not his cause. X treats everyone equally, offering benefit of the doubt to the point where, at times, it comes off as naive. He's trusting and thinks the best of people (an example being Spider from a later canon point, taking him at his word—he actually does this with the entire playable cast, in fact), and through this maybe sometimes a little oblivious to certain tells, but he's outwardly quick to recover when proven wrong if he lacks the time to dwell.

X's relationship with his best friend is one that runs deep. Zero is his support, and began as both a mentor and was someone X admired, and he continues to admire him even once they stand as equals. X has utmost faith in Zero, and likely would do nearly anything for him. The trust extends deep enough that X asks Zero to take him out should he ever go Maverick—not something brought up lightly. When X faces an “infected” Zero, he meets him with concern over everything else. When Zero comes back in the subsequent game after his second sacrifice, X is overjoyed (and they swear to never let anything separate them again). X stepping off the field leaves a rift between them, but it seems to mend quickly once X decides he can no longer stand by and watch others fight a battle he should be part of. It would be very easy to say that Zero is the most important person to X.

But X values all lives, is willing to give anyone a chance. He's a compassionate person, even in the face of the violence he endures and regrettably contributes to every time someone or something rises to threaten the well-being of his world, human and Reploid lives alike. Though it takes time to come to terms with it, X eventually faces any challenge for the sake of protecting others as many times as necessary, however it wears him down even after accepting it, because he wants to give the world a chance and because it is the right thing to do.

X is perhaps a dreamer more than a long-term planner, but he can certainly conceptualise advancements for the security and well-being of the population. A little over halfway into the Megaman X series, X considers the development of an “Elysium”—a city that, in the following Megaman Zero series, is known as “Neo Arcadia”, a city where humans and Reploids can find shelter from the polluted mess the Earth's become between the Virus and the constant strife. He can be given to impulse, however, as seen when he rejects Axl's presence and participation in Hunter activities. Those judgements are snap and based on immediate impressions rather than thorough consideration (likely influenced by his stress and internal struggles).

When it comes to approaching a problem, however, X is a little more tactical—as any soldier needs to be (and X most certainly is a soldier, dedicated to his duty). Whether it's discussing methods of handling a space colony sent careening towards the planet or simply navigating his way through a maze of traps, puzzles, and enemies, X is a problem-solver when a challenge is placed before him. He will stop, assess, and determine from there, with or without the assistance of Navigators.

Everything in his lifetime, though, does its best to force X to yield to cynicism, to a more jaded line of thought, but once X has a hold of himself, it just doesn't happen. He stays above it, even when he has doubts (though he might need support). He never throws away the worth of his efforts, never decides that there's no point in trying. Accepting that fighting is the best solution to a situation doesn't happen until after he's exhausted all other options—and sometimes that's just a matter of seeing if the opponent is even still sane enough to be brought back (they never are, when they're actually infected; that's not how the Virus works). Even those who stay adamant to their cause, who might not be infected, X accepts fighting only as his last resort. He's found a way to live with it out of necessity, and still aims for a brighter, better world. ...But he never forgets them.

Something to note, with regards to the world's arrangement: X is part of a military organisation. He has moved from rookie to unit commander, only losing rank when the Unit system—-and therefore the need for his rank-—was dissolved as times and organisational heads changed. X is never shown to pull rank, though given his principles and his desire to defend and protect, he very likely could if he found the need to do so. However, his opinion and objections are still at least recognised by others, including the assigned-leader for said organisation. This speaks either to X being regarded as though he never lost his rank or the system being more democratic than hierarchy. Or just the head being cool about it.

All of this lies beneath who he is as of his canon point. X has seen ceaseless war and violence finally come to an end through painful and at times questionable means. He has the peace he fought for, but there is a price: the vast majority of the population--60% of humans and 90% of Reploids--remaining after the Maverick Wars, as they're termed, has been lost. And Zero seals himself away, which tears at X as he, panic-stricken, tries to convince Zero not to leave him; Zero has been one of the people to keep him going from the very first game X appeared in, the only one who's really been there from day one, and he's suddenly gone--again. Axl's lost (for canon continuity reasons, unfortunately), and something still needs to be done to protect the Mother Elf and prevent further misuse. He's left utterly alone (he doesn't make close friends easily, especially going by how he refers to Zero in the fifth X game) for nearly a century, some of it spent fulfilling the role of leader of Neo Arcadia, and most of it spent locked away, sacrificing himself in a final bid to keep the Elf safe.

He speaks of how the cries of pain and suffering no longer reach him--whether this means he's too numb to feel for them or because he's utterly exhausted his capability for most things due to keeping the Mother Elf sealed and protected is... Both contribute, predominately the latter. He's worn down, he's tired, he's old, he's been alone for so long that empathy--still present--is difficult to handle amidst what really are his own hurts. So he's become numb, though inadvertently, with most of his power going to keeping the Elf safe. So he reaches out in order for someone more capable of handling these things to take up the mantle from where he'd set it down, so that someone who can feel those cries might answer them as they should be answered.

He knows he shouldn't be numb. He knows it, he knows he still cares, too, under it. It's why he waits for Zero. He gives everything he's able to Zero and Ciel and the Resistance as they try to face down the cruelty and violence that rises again. He despairs and rages against what's become of the city that used to offer safety and a positive connection between humans and Reploids ("Terminate that copy of me with extreme prejudice."--this coming from someone whose most central ideal is peace). He hangs on even after his physical body is destroyed, determined to offer still more. He is still a protector (keeping the base safe from the Dark Elf and Weil), still compassionate (his concern for the Mother Elf), still encouraging ("It's not the body but the soul within" is the lesson he teaches Zero upon the revelation that Zero's body is a copy of his original). The drama tracks even include X reaching out to the Guardians, encouraging them to help Zero, even if they don't like him. He cares a lot, still, even if it's neatly tucked away beneath decades. Too much to truly lose his own heart, even if he fears he has.

So much of X at this point is mired in that despair, that sense of loss and exhaustion that leave him feeling empty, but there are still those moments that shine and tell of how deeply he still carries something positive. Why do anything at all, at this point, if he didn't still have hope?

X's final moments in the physical world are full of hope in spite of the weight of everything. Trust in Zero's abilities, faith in Zero himself, knowing full well that Zero can defeat Omega, can take care of the world they've both worked so hard and suffered to save. That he leaves the world in Zero's hands, at all, is that hopefulness that it will survive, that Zero will fight for it, and that it will once more find peace.

Abilities: At this point, X is capable of moving through Cyberspace (which is never really elaborated on, and is treated as a real parallel space as well as a space used for training simulations, which does mean that, basically, there's a virtual world accessible through computers that runs alongside the physical world--it is also where Reploids go when they "die" or otherwise lose their physical bodies in special circumstances, in the form of cyber-elves), which effectively permits him to teleport, in-world; he is also capable of flight/hovering/etc.. He isn't tethered to a body, at present, and is generally intangible, though he can become tangible and solid, as is suggested by his ability to provide Zero with his sabre in the first game. Cyber-elves have the ability to empower Reploids, though X is very likely disinclined to use this if he's able to do so at all. X can infiltrate less advanced computer systems (those without Reploid-level AI, or more "standard" computer systems), like when he hacked Neo Arcadia to grant Zero access to the city. X can also shield against outside hacking, as seen when he protects the Resistance base from Weil reaching out with the Dark Elf to manipulate the Reploids inside, including an attempt to do the same to Zero. The latter is limited at the time, however, as X says he only has enough power to shield the base.

Aside from what amounts to personal manipulation of data to get computers to do the thing he wants them to do, being Mr. Firewall, manifestation in what seems to be a holographic format, and the ability to interact normally, X isn't physically capable of very much compared to others in his world and even compared to what he used to be physically capable of.

X is an experienced tactician and soldier, and knows his way around weapons data. He spent years on the battlefield, some time off as a support role, and has emulated and made use of 64 different weapon programs derived from Reploids he's defeated, along with about 14 armour programs devised by the AI of his creator: he's very good at making use of the tools he's been given according to his situation.

He also plays very well with others, which is probably an ability, at this point ~~considering a lot of characters across canons~~.

As a Cyber-elf, X can access radio frequencies to communicate over as plainly as speaking, not unlike Reploid comms.

Alignment: Peromei. X's entire existence has been surrounded by hope and despair--X's own feelings and ideals, hoping against the tide of war, and the despair of taking another life--just for starters. That despair lingers through his character in the Zero series, almost devours him, but his hope rises again in small, pinpoint ways, until at last he places all his hope, tired as he is, in his best friend and retreats to Cyberspace.

Other: n/a

⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉
Sample: TDM thread 1, TDM thread 2

Questions: n/a

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