MEGA MAN X: FROM THE SIDELINES
A Collaborative Collection
A Call To Arms
By Eric "Erico" Lawson
Sixteen years after Mega Man X first appeared for the Super Nintendo, we stand at a remarkable moment in the history of the Blue Bomber's fandom. For years, since the earliest days of the world wide web, there have been those who have put mind to word processor, pen to paper, ink to canvas, to show their appreciation for the legacy left behind by Keiji Inafune. Through art, through poetry, and through fanfiction, a generation of video game enthusiasts have remembered the Men in Blue.
Many have contributed. A few have received critical acclaim. The names of Red Draco, Jetmode, and Maelgrim (Who I use "Treeborgs" in honor of) still command instant weight and respect from the storied archivists. The "Greats", as they might be called, passed the torch on, and a second wave came. Now the second wave begins to trudge on, and their strength has gone to a third cadre. This is nothing unusual, given the ebb and flow of the unpredictable internet, the demands of real life, and change and fleeting interest. All the individual legacies out there, however, all stand the same risk; that one day, their efforts will be lost and forgotten. Some of the most brilliant creative minds have never reached their full potential, because they were never brought together.
From The Sidelines is an attempt to change that.
"From The Sidelines" began as just a small part of the overarcing Legacy of Metal, the name I've assigned all my works from Guiding Rainbow's Light to the penultimate, but now aged, Demons of The Past. FTS, like Whispers In Time, was developed as a short story collection with a twist. Instead of focusing on one event, FTS would shed light onto lives yet unexplored, times untouched and left open to interpretation, themes never honestly faced down.
And there was the beauty of it. From The Sidelines is no longer my project. It is the project, a grand collection where the best of the best in the world of Mega Man X Fanfiction writers might leave a bit of something. In a sense, FTS is a time capsule and a gift.
We were given the world of Mega Man X in the 22nd Century.
From The Sidelines, it is my hope, will become our gift back. Whatever changes may come, whatever other games may follow, here at this point the old and the new can come together and definitively say, "This is who we are."
Mega Man X's setting is remarkable in its simplicity and paradoxical complexity. On the surface, it is a world of cops and robbers…Maverick Hunters stopping Mavericks to keep the peace. Beneath it, it is the century of chaos as humanity tries to develop an understanding and balance with a species of its own making that is better in so many ways. The dark themes of forced labor, subclasses, and brutal systems of law are met with the best our kind has to offer; Love, hope, tolerance and freedom. Mega Man X's world has been the playground for countless tales, and will continue to be so. It is through his eyes we see the best and worst of ourselves.
It is through our eyes and words that we can offer visions of all that might be, and will hopefully never be.
With all of that said, a project of this magnitude requires a precious resource; good writers with good ideas. And I know you're out there. Maybe you're an experienced Fanfiction writer with countless tales under your belt. Maybe you've never written a short story for Mega Man X in your life, but have the talent and gumption to try. Maybe you're a published author who wishes to dabble in something simpler, something pure…for this project, at its heart, is being done purely to write a story. But if you're out there, and you have a glimmer of an idea for a short story between 20-50 pages, then I want you to reach me.
A world cannot be built through the vision of a single mind alone, not if it is to be any good.
So here's the ground rules.
Purpose and Guidelines
1) The stories should focus on people with lesser importance; those caught in the crossfire, or characters who serve lesser roles. In other words, coming up with original characters who can provide glimpses into the mindset of Mega Man X's world as you see it, or others. The series is called "From The Sidelines" for a reason, after all.
2) Writing accounts of OCs being caught in major events is perfectly acceptable. Two chapters I'm writing detail protagonists who have to survive the beginnings of different Maverick Uprisings.
3) That doesn't mean your story HAS to be about their experiences in a major event. Hell, you could write a story about a reploid who runs a laundromat, if you knew what you were doing. Above all else, write what interests you, and what makes the muse speak to you.
4) It should be between 20-50 pages. Be sure to list "Mega Man X: From The Sidelines" at the top, and under your story title, place the name you wish to be acknowledged as. Don't think of the page guideline as a limitation; that much space will give you plenty of room to play around with and make a good yarn.
5) Don't go out of your way to avoid strong language and concepts, but don't make them the basis for the work. I'll be rating this compilation R just to be on the safe side.
6) Once you have an idea, you can apply at (visionarykasei AT gmail dot com) with your premise and a short snippet of your work in progress.
7) A project of this magnitude will require editors as well…lord knows I could use one to catch my silly little typos. If you're interested in being an editor for FTS, you can apply to the same address; (visionarykasei AT gmail dot com)
8) All applications will be considered, but not all are guaranteed to make it in. If two entries have similar themes or placement and setting, the better work will be chosen. If both are exceptional, however…
9) To place all the stories into some semblance of order and to provide a sense of continuity (Also so we don't go crazy), I will be using the Timeline I've established in my previous works. If you're worried that events will crimp your style, ignore them. I'm more concerned with years, to provide a good chronological progression. A short summary of my Timeline will follow for reference. Further questions can be directed to my above E-Mail address.
The Timeline
2039: Thomas X. Light graduates with his doctorate and moves to work at the Institute. Here, he meets his future best friend and partner (But rival to begin with), Dr. Wily.
-Also this year: The Contest is held. As Wily wins it, rather than Light and his "Networks", we are led down the path to the Age of Robots.
2040: Global tensions over resources, overpopulation, and radical sects boils over with a nuclear device being detonated in Jerusalem. World War III, or "The Wars of 2040" begin.
2047: The Wars of 2040 conclude, and the "Canberra Treaty World Reclamation Consortium", a coalition of scientists, physicists, engineers, and other great minds are formed to help put a wartorn world back together. Dr. Light and Wily are a part of this group, which is eventually renamed to "The Second Rainbow."
2048: Nuclear radiation has eroded the earth's atmosphere to dangerously low levels. Ultraviolet radiation leads to failures in crop generation and countless cases of death in an already devastated population. Dr. Hyrmue, working with Light and Wily, begins the "Treeborg" project, an artificial construct which can photosynthesize in the harsh UV environment.
2050: The Treeborg project cleaves CO2 levels to a pre-1990 amount. Treeborgs litter every continent, including Antarctica. The Second Rainbow "Reboots" the earth's ozone with a high powered, stratospheric electrical discharge. The Earth is, for the moment, saved.
2052: Dr. Light and Wily, the heads of LightTech Industries, announce the Metool series robot and the latest advancement; positronic brains equipped with Asimovian heuristics in the "Core Law Module". After a scuffle and a retreat from the United States, they make Metools public domain and take up residency in Japan. Core Module run robots become the standard for decades to come.
2055: A "World-killer" comet is located soaring in from the outer fringe of the solar system, on a collision course with Earth in the year 2060. This heavenly body is named "Epoch", and the Second Rainbow dedicates the bulk of its resources into the thing's destruction. Construction is begun on a massive space station to be named SKYLIGHT, for the purpose of Earth defense from extraterrestrial objects.
2060: After several harrowing incidents, SKYLIGHT works as promised. Powered by fusion reactors and armed with a plasma "Buster Cannon" developed by Dr. Light and Wily, the last shreds of Epoch are disintegrated. The Second Rainbow is at its peak, having saved the earth countless times over.
2067: The robots vs. humans debate comes to a head, with the Second Rainbow's membership divided between those that are "Tech" (Those who support continuing technological developments) and "Anti-Tech" (Those who see technology's growth as a threat, and the reason the Wars of 2040 took place to begin with). The schism of the two factions leads to the Second Rainbow's collapse.
-ALSO: Dr. Light and Dr. Wily succeed in creating their very first prototype "Robot Master"...An Advanced robot named Blues.
2069: During a failed experiment in matter teleportation (Warp experiments), Blues is lost and Dr. Wily is rendered unconscious. It is several years before the danger of warp technology to the human psyche is fully understood, but the damage is done.
2070: Mega Man and Roll are created.
Original Mega Man
2070: Mega Man 1 and 2
2072: Mega Man 3
2075: Mega Man 4
2076-2079: Mega Man 5 (???)
2079-2080: Mega Man 6
2080: Mega Man 7
2081: Mega Man 8
2082-2085 (???): Rockman and Forte
2085: Using plans stolen from Dr. Light's lab during the events of Mega Man 7, Wily succeeds in creating his own "Next-generation" robot, Zero. Operating as programmed, Zero destroys Wily and everyone in his lab, then travels to hunt down and destroy the yet unactivated Mega Man X. A last desperate coalition of Mega Man, Blues, Roll, Bass, Treble, Rush, Eddie, Beat, Auto, and Duo succeeds in putting Zero down, but not in destroying him. Only Treble (MIA), Auto, and Duo survive. Duo leaves for points unknown in the Universe.
October 15th, 2087: Mount Fuji erupts, destroying Tokyo and burying Light's lab, as well as Mega Man X. New Tokyo will be rebuilt closer to Fuji, strangely enough.
2090: The threat of Wily gone, an agitated world turns on itself one more time. This shorter war is less destructive than the Wars of 2040, but does cause the loss of a great amount of historical records, including the location of Light's lab. The United Nations crumbles, and in its place, the GDC (Global Defense Council) is created, having greater military powers and oversight than its predecessor. (Here is something you can ignore if you like: The GDC is purely fanon.)
The Mega Man X timeline
April 2117: On an archaeological dig, Dr. James T. Cain discovers the laboratory of the long dead Dr. Light, as well as Mega Man X's capsule. Briefly reading the warning, and noting the completion of the diagnostic scans, Cain activates X.
November 2117: The world is introduced to Mega Man X at a press conference.
December 2117: The first "Reploid" is built using X as a template. Mass production follows shortly thereafter.
Early 2118: Following early incidents of reploids going "Irregular" or "Maverick" and revolting against humans, Dr. Cain establishes the "Maverick Hunters" to deal with the threat. His most powerful reploid creation, Sigma, heads the force, and is only damaged after dealing with a "Crazy Red Maverick" in the southeastern United States. Shortly thereafter, Zero joins the Hunters.
June 4th, 2118: Reploid Independence Day, The First Maverick Uprising. Sigma launches all out war against humanity, and succeeds in wiping out most of the Maverick Hunter establishment. Mega Man X and Zero manage to stop his coup, but at the cost of Zero's life. (Mega Man X1)
December 2118: January 1st, 2119: Mega Man X2
2121: The Shadow Hunters Incident.
2124: The World Trial. Mega Man X defends the entire reploid race against charges in the World Court that they are a threat to humanity, given the constant Maverick presence and attacks. It is only the announcement from a Dr. Doppler, a reploid scientist about the presence of a "Maverick Virus" that leads to the case being dismissed.
2125: Dr. Doppler releases a vaccine for the "Maverick Virus", and it is administered on a wide scale. A settlement is established around his laboratory, Dopplertown, and humans and reploids begin coexisting peacefully.
2127: The Maverick Virus vaccine proves to be a placebo; Reploids in Dopplertown begin going Maverick, with Doppler leading the charge. Mega Man X and Zero succeed in putting down the third, and perhaps most sobering, Maverick Uprising. (Mega Man X3)
2128: The Laguz Island Incident
2129: The Repliforce War (Mega Man X4) highlights the continued importance and need for the Maverick Hunters' presence.
Over the next six years there are a few events that occur within my own stories, but I am omitting them as they're CLEARLY not canon, and thus, not important. If you wish to play off of them, E-Mail me and I'll get specific for you.
2155: The Eurasia Colony Disaster (Mega Man X5)
-The Nightmare Virus/Gate Conflict (Mega Man X6)
I realize that this date's tenuous, but I had to put it somewhere...And making it 30 years after the last big thing made sense, considering the disrepair of the MHHQ's equipment.
2156-21XX: Here, you've got a bit of leeway. Does Mega Man X7 and X8 happen? are they important? Depending on your outlook, they screw up the Timeline or enhance it. Not my place to decide.
2199: After finally ending the Maverick Wars, Mega Man X establishes the utopian civilization of Neo Arcadia, ending the 22nd Century with triumph and hope. (As short-lived as it may be.)
I have faith that this will be a grand endeavor that the entire Mega Man X Community will be excited about. So please. Get involved. Get creative.
And do what you love to do.
Write.
Life is a story. You are a chapter. Fill in the pages.
-Eric "Erico" Lawson