#harpero

[sun-citadel]

Gentle adoration.

[acvinur]

[sun-citadel]

Fallen AU | I am doomed to become worse.

[acvinur]

i did not draw anything for valentine's

[sun-citadel]

You're beautiful.

[sun-citadel]

PLEASE PLEASEEEE

Do you believe that X put Zero's DNA in the Guardians while making them? Or anything else at all?

Honestly I just want to hear your HC about how X got along with his Guardians or if you had a specific theory

Omg, I've actually never heard of that headcanon, but given my love of Zeropuia, there is some conflicts that could be a bit awkward if that was the case — but I do have my own personal view of the Guardians in a way that portrays them older than both X and Zero realize.

This is gonna get long btw. I think about the Guardians A Lot.

Though, that's more to give context on my own perspective on these relations ; I'll get to your point on how Zero's influences did impact the Guardians, because it afflicted X in general. But to give context for one part, I actually headcanon the Four Guardians are essentially a combination of X, and the living embodiments of his different armors / sense of self and consciousness ( paired with the aspect of being made of his DNA ) . Yet, I do like to take it a step further and actually reference Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs ( albeit, they're more minor in presentation, but establish a sense of their driving force ) , but regardless, X himself is in a state of Self - Actualization upon his disappearance in the Zero series ( I refuse to touch ZX, it does not exist to me bc I frankly dislike Ciel and the concept of ZX ) . Thoughts aside,

Harpuia : Falcon Armor | He embodies justice, valor, compassion, and heroism — yet, also reflecting a deep self loathing and lack of solidified identity ( which he substitutes by being a soldier ) .

Fefnir : Gaia Armor | X's fighting spirit, aggressiveness, assertiveness, determination, while also expressing deep grief felt from the turbulence of war ( albeit, unlike Harpuia, he expresses it vocally in wrath ) .

Phantom : Shadow Armor | Loyalty, dedication, and blunt in a way he's got constant blinders on, but also inheriting a sense of suicidal ideations. Which — given the events of Z1, is very apparent ( a habit X learned from Zero, but hesitated to ever do for selfish reasons, up until he sacrificed his body in the Elf Wars ) .

Leviathan : Surprisingly ? Base - X***, with minor aspects of the Blade Armor | What she makes up for in lack of strong armor presentations, she tends to make up for emotionally. She is second to Harpuia when being most X - like, albeit, she tends to veer more towards his negative aspects. While Harpuia is internal in his tendencies to keep up his shallow sense of self, Levi expresses it more openly and strongly — her adoration of Zero being a twisted version of X's care and resentment, for example. Her openly commenting on Zero not finishing her off is an expression of that resentment.

As for hierarchy of needs :

C.E. X : Self - Actualization

Harpuia : Esteem

Leviathan : Love / Belonging

Phantom : Safety

Fefnir : Physiology

Together prior to the events of the Zero series, it made X a genuine trainwreck in the sense that all his needs were neglected upon Zero sealing himself. Yet, even split apart, due to their admittedly quarrelsome tendencies ( as reflected in the audio dramas, albeit in a far more playful tone ) . While they worked together — they didn't work entirely as a unit much later. If they view themselves as siblings, though ? Mixed feelings on that headcanon for reasons I can't seem to pin down ( likely because I started Mega Man as Zero → X → Classic → back to Zero → ZX ( genuinely miserable for me ), so I didn't have full context until much later ) . Personally, they read more akin to : blood brothers ( and sister ) in terms of circumstances alone, related vaguely as, but are considered distinctive clones ( probably on par with half - siblings ) , and found family eventually. Though, even before their eventual closeness, Harpuia did take a major brunt of any abuse thrown at the other Guardian's way by Copy X ( though, that touches upon Copy's own resentment of Harpuia being so similar to X, he's jealous in my views. This post is already so long lmao ) .

So, with that context established, what Zero left behind was not DNA — but, more - so trauma stored in the DNA ( epigenetics, it's a real thing ! ) . It reflects in their mannerisms and general behaviors, with each aspect being an amplified emotion X kept locked up ; what they take as excitement in fighting Zero is a combination of :

You're alive, I missed you.

And

I resent that you left me alone.

I do write X personally with some level of hate and anger towards Zero — not enough to ever say out loud, but it's more like a love - hate where his morality tendencies became fully fledged Moral Scrupulosity ( Moral OCD ), and telling OCD to stop thinking or feeling something ? Too bad bucko, it'll haunt you even more.

With the Guardians masochist tendencies in the English release ( I'm aware it is a mistranslation but let me have this ) , it's a weird combination of resentment, joy, anguish, and the wish to be punished for these complex feelings ( which, I personally headcanon Harpuia engaging with some level of self - harming behaviors, leaning more towards purposefully neglecting repair / care until it's severe enough to need help ) . On a scale of self - hating resentment to adrenal fueled longing to hide queer yearning, it goes :

Phantom ⇆ Harpuia ⇆ Leviathan ⇆Fefnir

As for their creation ? X's body was quite literally split into five Cyber Elves, but given the extensive capabilities of Cyber Elves based on not only his own power, but that of Mother Elf, they were essentially formed on the spot from his shattered body. It was violent, an act of creation not in love, but in pure, exhausted, grief. They screamed in the moment, senses shot, body in genuine agony — but, not only in the pain of physical harm, but also in the grief of a life once lived, and ultimately lost.

X's relationship with the Guardians was a complicated mess initially, as they are quite literally aspects of his trauma as a soldier brought to life, his worst tendencies, paired with the damage Zero had caused already. So, after sealing the elves, the violent creation based off the DNA of the armors programmed into him, along with various other factors, X hadn't made himself entirely present — say, for minor influences under the guise of divine inspiration, and later more clear presentations upon the death of Phantom.

They hold various aspects of X's memories, yet Harpuia being most similar to X ? He wears his heart on his sleeve and is very much so traumatized in that aspect — yet, that heart is hidden away to lead where X once did, until Copy came forth and essentially drove away X into further hiding. ( TLDR ; When your card declines at exposure therapy so they bring out your sins embodies as warped, physical aspects of you in a way that's also disconnected from your entire identity as both punishment. )

Given Harpuia is second in command, and leader of Neo Arcadia upon Copy's death, there had to be some semblance of guidance for a reploid who feels most stable as a follower, rather than an outright leader ( though, he does not hesitate to call out injustice as he sees it, given Zero 3 and his response to Weil ) .

There's also a parallel I could discuss about the Baby Elves under Weil's control essentially amplifying existing trauma and more, but frankly, that's a heavy allegory I'd need to approach with an air of genuine care — and mentally, I don't have the energy to open that can of worms at this time. I'll link it here, and leave this tag that blatantly spells it out :

Overall ? Happiest ending for X and Zero, and the cluster of messed up reploids created in their wake would be something along the lines of the end of Bojack :

But they're so intertwined, so wrapped up in one another, it's a mess of " I know who you are " on both X and Harpuia's perspectives in extremely polarizing ways, but Zero being unable to remember who X is, and the bastardization of the Guardian's existence further fueling the flames of conflicted feelings and heart ache. It's a mix of estrangement and the inability to move on. They're so unhealthy, so enmeshed with one another, that the death of one causes so much heartache, while the memories of the other aggravates that trauma further. In the end, they won't ever let go of each other, no matter the forms taken, as their grief is too deeply inwoven to ever function seperately in their shared goal for peace.

But anyways, drama and trauma aside :

*** Fun fact, but in X2 - 3, X could skip over bodies of water without upgrades.

[sun-citadel]

hellooo this is long overdue but !! i remember first finding your blog through ao3 because "who the hell posted zeropuia in the almighty year of 2024" (positive) so uh ! thank you again for holding the fort these days, would you mind sharing more of your ideas/visions for the ship ?

LMAO This was actually an incredible thing to wake up to, thank you. I want to mention, I like,, specifically hit up my wife ( who I'm matching Zeropuia with ) , and asked them this because they 100% aided in developing my headcanons 😭 ( wife is they / he / fae ! )

This is gonna get long, I've shipped these 2 on first sight since 2017. Everything is below the cut as it got long !

If you want more / or just some context, here's a breakdown on Harpuia's mental health, why he stun locks in MMZ1 with the ice chip, as well as just misc. headcanons ! I don't write Zero as much — so that's why I asked the wife !! They love, love, love Zero.

As for fanfics, I would love to continue and create more, esp for Zeropuia ! :) I'm just an overworked uni student at the moment. 💔

Initial reations:

Harpuia ? There is no denying he has an ego ; strong, mighty, an individual with blinders towards the concept of justice — failing to realize how the extents of his ideology is hurting others. It's where Zero initially beginning to change these behaviors, much to the dismay of an extremely angered Harpuia.

He got defeated. Yes, he is a reploid of honor, yes, he knows when he's defeated, but it's such a shock to his senses at first ; pride and ego bruised to such extremes, he hadn't known defeat in so long — so it's humiliating, yet at the same time, it's a rush because he's finally getting a challenge. Like how all birds are neurotic toddlers who need constant stimulation, he's on par due to the fact he is bored and engages heavily with self destructive behaviors to cope with the stress. All the Guardians are neurotic — Levi, obsessive and sadistic tendencies, Fefnir, anger issues and leaning more rough sadist / the energy of an excited pitbull, Phantom is Phantom, but Harpuia is less extreme than Phantom ( but not by much ) . Though, what he lacks in literally undying loyalty, he knows when to stop — all so he can be hurt ; it's self - harm without the risk of seeming unstable doing it himself, albeit, with the extents he goes without repairs, it's evident things are wrong.

He hates himself. He thinks he's untouchable. A cycle of back and forth that he leaves himself injured to cope with — physical pain is easier to understand for an attack dog who can't show much emotion ; it's unbecoming for someone of his rank.

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Zero ? There's an immediate familiarity that clicks ; Harpuia is viewed as a rival, yes, it's basically encoded in his system that X ( and even aspects of him ) are to be viewed as an enemy, albeit, he'd long gotten control over these matters in the X series. It's not bad, it isn't hate, but he particularly enjoys these battles — especially as Harpuia is the most competent of the Guardians by miles. There is a familiarity he can't quite pinpoint, but it's clear he enjoys seeing Harpuia ( even if he acts in his typically blunt autistic manner. )

General feelings:

Joke response : Harpuia is a tsundere, who genuinely still pretends to hate(s) Zero.

Real answer : the emotions are insanely complicated to Harpuia.

At first, he did hate Zero — but it was a combination of that rush, that thrill that drove him mad upon the first defeat ; he kept his cool, he kept a level head, yet there's that immediate excitement. Injured in ways he hadn't thought possible, the internal turmoil of finding a challenge, a release, paired with the fear that Neo Arcadia would be risked by this Maverick. There's a weird nostalgia, a familiarity that gnaws at Harpuia, a discomfort pushed down ; he doesn't enjoy repairs already, now all he can think of when performing repairs is : why do I think of Zero constantly ?

Being most like X, having fragments of memories leads to a déjà vu that he keeps burried. Self - conscious, feeling as if he's never live up to X's capabilities, it's complicated and it makes him want to tear out his heart core. Despite as stoic as he is, he is of X, thus wears his heart on his sleeve more than he cared to admit.

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Joke : " It’s not that he’s evil. He lacks empathy and he goes into a dissociative state and commits atrocities. " , Zero when asked about Harpuia.

Real answer : it can be a love - hate between both of them, granted, Zero is less on hate. He tends to balance out Harpuia during his more emotional moments, which Harpuia will be frustrated with ( through body cues typically ) , but, Zero is the most autistic reploid to exist, so he had to learn how to pick these up. He reads Harpuia better than Harpuia reads himself at times, especially given how hypervigilant he is in general ( like I said prior, neurotic ).

While between the two, Harpuia is more of an open leader, the second he's met with some level of defiance from someone deemed as a surperior in rank ( Copy X, and Zero to some extent given early X/Zero X1 interactions ) , he can be fairly quick to shut down and get defensive. While he's less likely to follow Zero's orders, he has his moments when Zero confronts him on discomfort ( which Harpuia loathes ) . In terms of emotional intelligence, Zero is technically* above Harpuia after all ( *albeit, his social awareness is more stunted ) , while Harpuia attempts to pass off as a stable second in command who lacks internal structure.

Zero knows his behaviors by now ; helm wings pinned back expresses a lot ( piqued interest when slightly raised, pinned back when extremely unhappy and isn't attempting to hide it, neutral being normal position, disappointed and shocked by it is a sharp fall halfway point between pinned back and neutral, etc. ) . Still, he knows when Harpuia's sudden stiffness, tension, etc. is related to stress, or how he gets when he's silent.

While usually an inside joke between the wife and I, Zero also has some cuteness aggression towards Harpuia, albeit, with how blunt he is, it's primarily taken as aggression. With what Zero lacks in reach with flight, the chain rod is an excellent means of grounding this bird when they need to talk, or Harpuia is running from his gay thoughts.

Secret meetings:

Harpuia does meet up with Zero in secret, primarily after they both repaired one another. It's where they get to know one another, with Harpuia bluntly stating this is nothing more than a shaky truce. It's in the far outskirts of all territories, amidst the ruins of old machinery. It's away from Neo Arcadia, and allows the duo to discuss matters, as well as for Harpuia to scold Zero about his lack of repairs ( albeit, he is a hypocrite in those regards ) . Minor repairs are done, primarily when Zero doesn't care to return to the Resistance ( given wife headcanons him as frustrated with the fact Ciel hid the fact she's a catalyst to this mess ) .

Misc.

Harpuia ? He's an aerial reploid with highly specific modifications that make him a threat in the skies. His eyes are modified to be on par with an eagle's ; 2 - 3 miles / ~3 - 5 km in terms of visual acuity, compared to Zero's 20 feet / 6 meters. Yet, this leads to some funny interactions, as Harpuia's sight is so keen, that he's even specifically modified to see in the UV light spectrum ( if he so choses to turn on this ability, he can see the visual light spectrum by will ) , as that is primarily how Eagles hunt. Given this fact, it's led to some fairly funny interactions :

Harpuia : we need to change trajectory, there are Neo Arcadian foot soldiers in the northern horizon ( neglecting to mention they are 1.2 miles away )

Zero, eyes squinting, trying to see what this bird is talking about and thinking he's full of shit :

Given Harpuia tends to stick primarily to UV light spectrum ( due to hypervigilance and the desire to always be aware ) , they have bickered over colours. Zero thinks Harpuia is colour blind initially ( a highly unusual trait for reploids ) , while Harpuia thinks Zero is an idiot ( failing to realize only he really has these specific modifications ) . He has described colours Zero is literally incapable of comprehending, or deciphering any meaning to. Zero thinks he's insane.

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Harpuia is very insecure being most like X, to the point he feels trapped in this destiny he never wanted a part of. He's emotional, yet hides it under so much anger and learned helplessness that he simply goes with the flow, and follows orders like a dog of war. Zero manages to get some parts of himself to surface ; albeit, it's in pieces that makes Harpuia lash out like an abused animal — but the hand that reaches, despite being so bit, still caresses the head of the dog that doesn't know better. Touch is sacred, it is as much intimating as it is as it is intimate. Zero is more likely to reach out, as Harpuia, when confronted at the end of the day, is so, so scared.

He doesn't want to be let go, but he's never tell Zero that.

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Given the fact Harpuia is most X - like, Copy X is resentful of that fact. There are instances of anger being taken out of Harpuia because of this petty jealousy and spite ; why could Harpuia be most like the reploid he wears the face of ? Why couldn't it be him ? Thus, even when the other Guardians get in trouble, Harpuia takes the brunt of things.

In the position of a golden child, but with the trauma of a black sheep.

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Copied from my wife but !

Zero doesn't make the conscience decision to kill Harpuia in something like a simple confrontation if he overpowers Zero for another part being : in MMX, he wanted to see X get stronger like him, wanting to know he's capable of anything.

He knows Harpuia is practically his match in combat but had recognized what Harpuia truly stood for.

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We like to headcanon them as sapphic transmasc lesbians. In short :

[sun-citadel]

I love this ship

Blanks !