on playing the Phantom Pain

[liquid_serpent]

I find it rather infantile and totally irrelevant that you're so pumped up to play Big Boss; my father. Our father. You writers can be so immature at times it makes me sick. Glorifying him doesn't make the game any better than it already is. [Stop moaning, Liquid. You get your chance at Shadow Moses.]

Master Miller is alive and you find that a good thing? What? The sunglasses act fooled you too, so don't give me that. I played a good Miller and fooled Snake so there.

I don't have time for your petty admiration over my father and his comrades, as I have plans to think about. World annihilation, perhaps? I could always get someone to build me another Metal Gear. [He's going to hunt down a Hal. Watch out.]

Comments

Same mun as Gematria btw

[qabbalah]

I know the feeling. My mun wants to play my father as well. Says he's a better subject for her to make suffer, since "he deserves it" [glassespush] but she's out of luck - No way to play the new game on the near future.

As for "getting someone to build you another Metal Gear"... please don't. [He offers you a smile that's a little bit terse on the corners.] I spent the last ten years trying to stop the already existing ones. I'd rather not start again, you know?

[liquid_serpent]

[Have a slow smirk on that one, Hal. Liquid finds it rather amusing that your mun wants to play your father.]

I knew you'd say no. What a pity. You have so much potential, Dr. Emmerich, yet you choose to waste it on trivial matters. Why worry about what your mundane is going to do? Worry about yourself and your future. Why stop something that can become beauty in itself?

[qabbalah]

[Mun says Hal's dad is a disgusting human, and that makes him interesting af. Hal is not sure he remotely agrees.]

I guess I can't help but care. And, as for the future... Hm. You know, I was going to suggest you looking for another way to use your time, I think there are things you'd enjoy besides world domination. But that'd be quite hypocritical from me, considering my mission is over... and I still don't know what to make of it.

Have you considered taking a vacation?

[liquid_serpent]

[Did he just ask if Liquid wanted a vacation? He studied Hal for a moment before laughing out loud at the idea.]

Where would I go? Shadow Moses has it's charms but it is rather cold outside of the stone walls.

[qabbalah]

Can't disagree with that.

[He sighs.] I don't know. But, there must be a place in the world you have good memories of, right?

[liquid_serpent]

If anywhere, I'd chose the United Kingdom for a holiday. Perhaps. [Why not? He had the accent, decent manners and loved the weather there.]

There or perhaps Siberia in the summer time.

[qabbalah]

So you like the cold. Oddly fitting [He will never forget how you were shirtless in Alaska, he was freezing to death even with the parka] but I would've pegged you for someone who would enjoy a warmer place.

You should try, you know, to go on that vacation. If you ever get the chance to do something, anything besides war, you should really take it. [He smiles at you, wistful. No way for him to change Liquid's future, but...]

[liquid_serpent]

[Liquid just put it down to having warm blood. That of Big Boss's genes. Recessive but at least they kept him from being cold it seemed.]

War enlightens me, Dr. Emmerich. It's what drives me. I'm not sure a quite life would suit me.

[qabbalah]

[At this point of his life, he doesn't fear Liquid. He just (foolishly, indeed) hoped he could-- maybe reach out, change the life of any of them, heirs of their parents, in some alternative universe.] I used to think my drive, my passion, was in robotics. Never thought I could possibly want anything else.

But I am not my father. And I probably learnt that in the hardest way, but... it was a welcome lesson. [He looks at Liquid, staring straight into his eyes.] And you aren't yours, either.

Sometimes, "surpassing one's father" lies, precisely... into doing the opposite thing they would have.

[liquid_serpent]

That's because you're good at what you do; building and designing Metal Gears. Why waste such a talent? It makes no sense. [If you're born with something, use it. That's his motto.]

If your father were still alive I'd been keen to meet such a man. Was he alike you in many ways?

[qabbalah]

I wasted it because I chose to. Everything was posed to make me be like my father, you know, just like you. Maybe even surpass him, as well. [He knows "responsibility" is not going to be a good argument with Liquid. But maybe--] But, where was the freedom in that?

[His face darkens.] I'd like to think I'm not like him, but-- there are some similitudes. More than I'm comfortable with, at least. Breaking apart from genes and memes is hard work, Liquid. And I'd like to think you wouldn't have liked him either. But he would have served you. [As long as it suited him.]

[liquid_serpent]

Of course he would have served me. It's in your genes. [He figured that Hal's father would have just been like him. Wanting to serve, so that he could stay alive and use his engineering knowledge at the same time.]

Tell me what you're doing with your time these days, doctor? If not building Metal Gears.

[qabbalah]

[He snorts.] Were I a lesser man, Liquid, I might have been offended by how you say so easily it's in my genes to serve. [But you're not mistaken about his father, at least. And now the mun is thinking of throwing Huey at you.]

[In a lighter tone, obviously proud of this:] Believe it or not, I'm starting the draft of my memoirs. Going to write a book about the last ten years.

I'm also raising a daughter with Snake. We recently moved in into a house, and I've been applying to a teaching position at MIT. Life finally looks like it could be good. So I'd say, changing my destiny is a thing that paid off in the end.

[liquid_serpent]

[He couldn't help but smirk at Hal's remarks about raising a child together.]

You and my brother are raising a child? I didn't think that Snake was the family man type. [Because Liquid isn't. Or, he thinks he isn't. Look past the terrorist side and perhaps you'll uncover a softer, more human person beneath the ego.]

[qabbalah]

In all honestly? I don't think either of us thought we were. And then--[And he shrugs, smiling despite himself at the memory of the three of them. But oh, his eyes are trained on you, Liquid. Hal is not actually talented at reading people, but maybe--] Hm. What about you, though?

Do you like children, Liquid?

[qlippoth]

[Today is Time Paradox Time, it seems.] ... Huh? Is that you, Eli?

You have grown.

[liquid_serpent]

[Liquid rounded on the man who dared to speak his real name. No one was supposed to know that, especially some scientist who dared to speak to him. Was that Dr. Emmerich being so brave? But why?]

You have no right to call me that. What I am surprised about is where you learnt that name. [He growled the words and narrowed his eyes at the man. No, it wasn't the Dr. Emmerich he knew but he looked so much like the man working for him. Yet, this man looked older.]

[qlippoth]

[... Oh. So that's the way we're doing this, Huey thinks. It's alright. He won't insist, he will adapt. He raises both hands in a pacifying gesture.] My apologies. I won't ever say that name again, alright?

But I did heard what you said, about Metal Gears. It seems you appreciate their workings.

[liquid_serpent]

Good. If you do, I may have to do something rather unpleasant to you. [Just don't mention the name, ok?]

Why would you be interested in Metal Gear?

[liquid_serpent]

I haven't given that any thought at all. Children are noisy, unproductive and foolish. [You were one too, you know.]

I am a child of Big Boss, along with my other brothers. [He was proud of that fact but very bitter that he turned out to be the one carrying the recessive genes.]

Shadow Moses Island is no place to bring up any child.

[qlippoth]

[He won't. He'd rather avoid any disagreement.]

Why indeed. [Huey pushes his glasses, looking satisfied. He offers you a hand to shake:] They're my lifework. I build them, y'know. I'm Doctor Emmerich, pleased to meet you.

[qabbalah]

Heh. That last part, oh, I agree with you all the way. [Shadow Moses was such an inhospitable place, and he had to endure the weather there three entire years after the construction started. Wouldn't wish that on anyone.]

Though, I would have thought that, invested as you are in genes and legacy... [He shrugs again.] Maybe you could have wanted them. How could I know?

[He knew Les Enfants Terribles had been engineered to be sterile, but.]

[liquid_serpent]

[Ah, so you must be Hal Emmerich's father. Well, don't you too look alike?]

You must be Hal Emmerich's father. How interesting. [A slow smile spread over his face at having both Emmerich engineers within his grasp. How many metal gears could he make now?]

I'm Liquid Snake, you may address me as Liquid. Welcome to Shadow Moses, Dr. Emmerich.

[liquid_serpent]

[Liquid wasn't opposed to the cold at all, in fact, he rather liked it. Revenge was a dish best served cold, yes?]

This is a military base which has dangerous equipment, something a child could find hazardous anyway. [Yes, he thought about that. Liquid did have a heart in there somewhere. A heart shrouded by hatred, jealousy and pain.]

I cannot have children. The project made sure of that.

[qlippoth]

[And, do you think it's strange?]

[Slowly, analyzing your words for a second or two:] Huh. So you have met my son. How come? Wouldn't have thought-- [He shakes his head] Hn. Nevermind.

Thank you for your welcome, Liquid. Though, may I ask-- what is this place? [He may be shivering a little bit, because Alaska, and he's definitively underdressed. But he's smiling. Looking interested]