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The Metal Gear series has been living rent-free in my mind for two months now, and I think it's here to stay as one of my permanent interests. I've been brewing up a few fics for the series (despite not having actually broken deep into the games themselves yet), and just finished the first of them. This one's a quick-and-dirty origin story on how Psycho Mantis' iconic "mind-control music" came to be. For some reason, I don't see a lot of people in the fandom discussing it, so I've decided to break that streak. Also, Liquid/Eli's there, as well as Ocelot (although he's not identified by name in this fic).
Word count: 659
Rating: G
Warnings: mention of death by burning
He first heard that song on that fateful night, when he engulfed his village in flames. He assumed they were singing some old church hymn, a prayer that God would save them from his subconscious rage. But as long as hatred remained in his heart, there would be no salvation.
Years passed, and he had long forgotten the lyrics. But the melody remained, and every time he latched onto somebody new and absorbed their hatred, it played in his head more vividly than before, the dense harmonies and layered dynamics compelling him to follow them and drive both of them ever deeper into malevolence.
He had only ever told one person about this forgotten hymn -- Eli, the boy who he had saved from an island set ablaze. At first, Eli brushed it off as the ramblings of some disturbed soul. But when he hummed a few bars of the tune, he noticed a subtle shift in Eli's demeanor. It was as though Eli had become more susceptible to his influence, as opposed to being the one in control of both of their hatreds.
As time went on, he tested the waters, humming the tune in the presence of unwitting subjects. He channeled a new emotion every time -- not just hate, but also jubilation, agony, gloom, terror, and impending doom. In every instance, his subjects' emotions matched the mood he invoked, but only ever so subtly. Not nearly strong enough to change their behaviour.
More time passed, and he and Eli had crossed paths yet again. This time, Eli had given him an assignment -- lure a mark into a trap and psychically coerce them into ending their own life. If he were to use said mark to lure in another, that would be even better. However, he was warned that the marks in question were both highly intelligent and could be difficult to lure with ordinary psychic tricks. He would have to go deeper into their subconscious in order to get them closer.
So here he was, in a small room with only him and another man he'd met as a youth. He barely remembered the other man's name, but he did know that he held a gift for hypnotizing others via cassette tapes. So after exchanging a few words, the two had agreed to cooperate on the assignment Eli had left him. Adjusting the microphone in front of his face, he turned to the white-haired man, waiting for him to start the reel-to-reel tape recorder so he could start.
Once the machine whirred to life, he steadied himself and took a deep breath. He sang the same wordless melody that followed him through life, that altered his foes' moods, that symbolized his fiery hatred. His voice was strong. Unwavering. Resolute. And one layer of audio wasn't enough for him to fully encapsulate his intentions. With every new line of harmony he sang alongside his initial recording, he infused it with an even stronger power of suggestion, aiming to draw the listener closer to him, debasing themself in the process. As the harmonies grew denser, he even noticed his volunteer recording engineer shift uncomfortably in his seat, as if the headphones he wore were the only thing keeping him from following the hidden instructions in the music.
At last, the tape was complete. All that remained was to broadcast it. Taking the finished tape to the PA system, the two men took a moment to brace themselves before pressing play. Shivers ran up each of their spines as the eerie chorale filled the halls of the whole building. Yes... This was almost exactly what he'd heard all those years ago. And he could definitely feel the same wrath and disdain for his targets as he did back then. Making his way to the office where he was assigned, he let that hatred fill his heart, hoping it would give him some extra motivation for the battle that would later ensue.
Word count: 659
Rating: G
Warnings: mention of death by burning
He first heard that song on that fateful night, when he engulfed his village in flames. He assumed they were singing some old church hymn, a prayer that God would save them from his subconscious rage. But as long as hatred remained in his heart, there would be no salvation.
Years passed, and he had long forgotten the lyrics. But the melody remained, and every time he latched onto somebody new and absorbed their hatred, it played in his head more vividly than before, the dense harmonies and layered dynamics compelling him to follow them and drive both of them ever deeper into malevolence.
He had only ever told one person about this forgotten hymn -- Eli, the boy who he had saved from an island set ablaze. At first, Eli brushed it off as the ramblings of some disturbed soul. But when he hummed a few bars of the tune, he noticed a subtle shift in Eli's demeanor. It was as though Eli had become more susceptible to his influence, as opposed to being the one in control of both of their hatreds.
As time went on, he tested the waters, humming the tune in the presence of unwitting subjects. He channeled a new emotion every time -- not just hate, but also jubilation, agony, gloom, terror, and impending doom. In every instance, his subjects' emotions matched the mood he invoked, but only ever so subtly. Not nearly strong enough to change their behaviour.
More time passed, and he and Eli had crossed paths yet again. This time, Eli had given him an assignment -- lure a mark into a trap and psychically coerce them into ending their own life. If he were to use said mark to lure in another, that would be even better. However, he was warned that the marks in question were both highly intelligent and could be difficult to lure with ordinary psychic tricks. He would have to go deeper into their subconscious in order to get them closer.
So here he was, in a small room with only him and another man he'd met as a youth. He barely remembered the other man's name, but he did know that he held a gift for hypnotizing others via cassette tapes. So after exchanging a few words, the two had agreed to cooperate on the assignment Eli had left him. Adjusting the microphone in front of his face, he turned to the white-haired man, waiting for him to start the reel-to-reel tape recorder so he could start.
Once the machine whirred to life, he steadied himself and took a deep breath. He sang the same wordless melody that followed him through life, that altered his foes' moods, that symbolized his fiery hatred. His voice was strong. Unwavering. Resolute. And one layer of audio wasn't enough for him to fully encapsulate his intentions. With every new line of harmony he sang alongside his initial recording, he infused it with an even stronger power of suggestion, aiming to draw the listener closer to him, debasing themself in the process. As the harmonies grew denser, he even noticed his volunteer recording engineer shift uncomfortably in his seat, as if the headphones he wore were the only thing keeping him from following the hidden instructions in the music.
At last, the tape was complete. All that remained was to broadcast it. Taking the finished tape to the PA system, the two men took a moment to brace themselves before pressing play. Shivers ran up each of their spines as the eerie chorale filled the halls of the whole building. Yes... This was almost exactly what he'd heard all those years ago. And he could definitely feel the same wrath and disdain for his targets as he did back then. Making his way to the office where he was assigned, he let that hatred fill his heart, hoping it would give him some extra motivation for the battle that would later ensue.
no subject
Date: 2023-05-21 10:06 am (UTC)From:Stop me if you've heard this, but the MGS-War boys comic dips into ocelot & mantis interactions, I feel like it's up your alley.
I do love Eli and his hit request bringing Mantis and Ocelot together, hee hee. Great stuff! Would love to see more!!! :O
no subject
Date: 2023-05-23 08:59 pm (UTC)From:As for War Boys, I've heard of it, but I think I'm gonna hold off on reading it until I actually get started on the game itself. (STILL haven't cracked into it yet. Day job, massive backlog of house chores, and lingering exec dysfunction have been kicking my ass. But I swear I'll do something with it by the end of the month.) But from what you've described of it, it seems interesting, so I'll keep it on my radar.