Bricks in the Wall, Chapter 62: Who's Who

[game_byrd]

Title: Who's Who
Characters: Peter, Sylar
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Words: 1500
Setting: The Wall
Summary: After a long time together, Sylar has figured out a lot about how Peter works. There is a very personal issue Sylar wants Peter to understand.

Comments

[means2bhuman]

I love this. I'm glad to see Sylar asking some of his very important questions. He approached it in efficient and respectful way, as much as was possible, which couldn't have been easy for him. It was fact without blame, letting Peter figure out the morals (or lack thereof).

Peter crying - immediately - really gets to me. His world is crashing down as well.

I am curious though. I know SS Peter had this issue, and I like the hang up because it makes a character and adds depth/explanation to what we already see. But Peter had a line in Fifth Stage, "I'm going to take everything that's you until Nathan is the only one left" and to me seems contradictory (to the part about Peter being innocent of evil intent at least since we saw him prepare to hunt Sylar down with drugs. I think this fic - and even MBU - can be or is a departure from canon).

[game_byrd]

I'll quote what I said below to Liasid because it's applicable here, too: "I don't know why Sylar came out so mature and reasonable for this fic, especially given how sensitive a topic this is for him. I have this vision in my head that (for this fic/verse), Sylar has figured out Peter as predictable and rational, within Peter's limits. That makes him reliable and trustworthy - again within limits, but it's still a big improvement over most people for Sylar. And since they're stuck here together, Sylar wants to get a few things settled between them, one of which is this confusion Peter seems to have about when Nathan died. I have in my mind that at some point a few days or weeks before this scene, Peter said something about how Nathan died at Mercy Heights and Sylar doing a severe mental double-take, like how could Peter even think such a thing?!?"

I am curious though. I know SS Peter had this issue, and I like the hang up because it makes a character and adds depth/explanation to what we already see. But Peter had a line in Fifth

[means2bhuman]

Yeah, I got that much about Peter's innocence. My question was more about the canon quote "take away everything that's you." Like, what did Peter think was going to happen to that Sylar part or what did he think he was doing to that Sylar part? That's the (double) contradiction. He thought he'd change Sylar into Nathan (hard to believe given the whole body issue but I don't think Peter considers that or he thinks it works itself out which still makes him innocent), but what happens to Sylar (not that he totally cares in the moment and planning of grief in Fifth Stage)? I guess the simple and obvious answer is that Peter thought the change/shift would...take care of
Sylar's, problem- and moral problem-free but that seems so...dumb or unthought-out that *I* have trouble picturing it.

[game_byrd]

Peter doesn't care what happens to Sylar; he's collateral damage in pursuit of saving Nathan. By pointing out to Peter that he wasn't saving Nathan, Sylar shows Peter that his effort was not one of heroism, but was pointless at best, depraved vengeance at worst. That's not what Peter intended. He let his desire to undo Nathan's death cloud his judgment. He wanted Nathan to be alive so badly that he convinced himself that had been 'Nathan', or Nathan's soul, alive in Sylar all along

[liasid]

I know it was necessary but that really hurt :(

Poor Peter, but at least now his eyes have been opened and he sees how he wronged Sylar by taking his memories. And now he can understand the difference between fake-Nathan and Sylar. I also like how Sylar has learned to be gentle and clear in order to get Peter to listen.

Character development, i love it.

[game_byrd]

I don't know why Sylar came out so mature and reasonable for this fic, especially given how sensitive a topic this is for him. I have this vision in my head that (for this fic/verse), Sylar has figured out Peter as predictable and rational, within Peter's limits. That makes him reliable and trustworthy - again within limits, but it's still a big improvement over most people for Sylar. And since they're stuck here together, Sylar wants to get a few things settled between them, one of which is this confusion Peter seems to have about when Nathan died. I have in my mind that at some point a few days or weeks before this scene, Peter said something about how Nathan died at Mercy Heights and Sylar doing a severe mental double-take, like how could Peter even think such a thing?!?