Ohhh man where do I start??? I am so overtired holy shit I'm sorry if this is disjointed and doesn't make sense.
At the start of the VLR anime Sigma's meeting with Phi is narrated with a dramatic "And that... was how we met." As if it were a meeting of absolute historic significance. And while the anime isn't canon and it pretty bad in general, it pretty much sums it up. Sigma meeting Phi changed his life and even if they technically only knew eachother for a grand total of like, eight days at the absolute most counting the mars mission and not counting re-dos, Phi is his best friend.
Based on no canon evidence whatsoever, I have the impression that pre-Game Sigma didn't have a lot of close friendships in his life. His pre-Game long-term girlfriend is so intimidated by Akane's lies about him (or something) that she won't even give him the decency of a face-to-face break up. When Sigma mentions the word friend, while it may mean a lot to him, it's not what the reader would typically consider a friendship. He calls Alice, who humiliated and tried to kill him, a friend. He's only known Luna for several hours at most and has reason to suspect that she's a killer, but in the middle of Luna's ending, he mentions how it feels to see a friend dead. He is constantly desperate for affection. I think he's just too good and gets used more often than someone gives back to him in a relationship, and I think Phi is one of the first people who saw his goodness and didn't think 'what a tool' but 'you're a good person.' He has probably never heard that from someone before and probably never will again.
Akane is different - Akane is a million year old goddess of space time who doesn't care who lives and who dies as long as she gets her perfect quantum universe. Despite being a baby space time god, Sigma can't morally agree with that, even if he has a job to do. Phi understands. Phi knows that every universe counts and that their actions in other universes matter, especially if they were unethical. Phi knows that he's in the last position he ever wanted to be in and knows that he can't get out. Even Diana and Luna will abandon him, even espers like Clover and Tenmyouji who have the capacity to understand don't. Phi is the only one who understands him. Phi is the only person who calls him "Sigma" in his old age and considers them the same person.
As much as he ribs her and picks on her, he adores her. We already know that is prepared to die for her, and when he stepped in front of Akane's knife for her, he thought he did. Now that she's in Panem, he wants to keep her safe. Their powers are locked. There's no do-overs anymore. Sure, he may have been paranoid when he showed up at the D4 house to make sure she didn't drink herself to death, but as far as he was concerned that was the least he could do.
He's so pissed that this father-daughter rumour shit has ruined her opinion of him, but not at her. He's pissed at the Capitol machine for hurting her feelings over such a sensitive subject and he's ever more determined to fuck it over, now. While he's considered the possibility, not once has he looked at Phi and thought of her as a daughter. Even if she's done some things he considers cold, she's a lot stronger than him, and she's his hero. One can't look up to their child the same way one looks up to their hero, that's not how it works. The only way he'd consider changing his mind is if she asked him to - and if that were the case, he'd be the first to apologize for everything. In the end, it doesn't matter what the truth is - he'll look out for her like he always does.
Them's a lot of words to say redundant shit you already knew! :D
no subject
At the start of the VLR anime Sigma's meeting with Phi is narrated with a dramatic "And that... was how we met." As if it were a meeting of absolute historic significance. And while the anime isn't canon and it pretty bad in general, it pretty much sums it up. Sigma meeting Phi changed his life and even if they technically only knew eachother for a grand total of like, eight days at the absolute most counting the mars mission and not counting re-dos, Phi is his best friend.
Based on no canon evidence whatsoever, I have the impression that pre-Game Sigma didn't have a lot of close friendships in his life. His pre-Game long-term girlfriend is so intimidated by Akane's lies about him (or something) that she won't even give him the decency of a face-to-face break up. When Sigma mentions the word friend, while it may mean a lot to him, it's not what the reader would typically consider a friendship. He calls Alice, who humiliated and tried to kill him, a friend. He's only known Luna for several hours at most and has reason to suspect that she's a killer, but in the middle of Luna's ending, he mentions how it feels to see a friend dead. He is constantly desperate for affection. I think he's just too good and gets used more often than someone gives back to him in a relationship, and I think Phi is one of the first people who saw his goodness and didn't think 'what a tool' but 'you're a good person.' He has probably never heard that from someone before and probably never will again.
Akane is different - Akane is a million year old goddess of space time who doesn't care who lives and who dies as long as she gets her perfect quantum universe. Despite being a baby space time god, Sigma can't morally agree with that, even if he has a job to do. Phi understands. Phi knows that every universe counts and that their actions in other universes matter, especially if they were unethical. Phi knows that he's in the last position he ever wanted to be in and knows that he can't get out. Even Diana and Luna will abandon him, even espers like Clover and Tenmyouji who have the capacity to understand don't. Phi is the only one who understands him. Phi is the only person who calls him "Sigma" in his old age and considers them the same person.
As much as he ribs her and picks on her, he adores her. We already know that is prepared to die for her, and when he stepped in front of Akane's knife for her, he thought he did. Now that she's in Panem, he wants to keep her safe. Their powers are locked. There's no do-overs anymore. Sure, he may have been paranoid when he showed up at the D4 house to make sure she didn't drink herself to death, but as far as he was concerned that was the least he could do.
He's so pissed that this father-daughter rumour shit has ruined her opinion of him, but not at her. He's pissed at the Capitol machine for hurting her feelings over such a sensitive subject and he's ever more determined to fuck it over, now. While he's considered the possibility, not once has he looked at Phi and thought of her as a daughter. Even if she's done some things he considers cold, she's a lot stronger than him, and she's his hero. One can't look up to their child the same way one looks up to their hero, that's not how it works. The only way he'd consider changing his mind is if she asked him to - and if that were the case, he'd be the first to apologize for everything. In the end, it doesn't matter what the truth is - he'll look out for her like he always does.
Them's a lot of words to say redundant shit you already knew! :D