i wrote this over a year ago now and itās time to add to it.Ā wow.Ā me back then really had no idea where iād end up in two years time !!!
so to cut a long story short, in this first mission into exploring danse post blind betrayal, i summarized how i felt about maxson, the BoS in general, and established that i found it very difficult to believe that danse would remain the exact same person after discovering his identity. (and also that bethesda really did me dirty on this one) so now iām back to talk about what i think would happen with danse immediately when finding out his true identity.
a lot of how danse would end up depends, first of all, on the changing variable of the person behind the sole survivor. which is obvious, since at this point you can either save him or kill him, but itās important to note how integral the SS is to danseā furtherment, and also to the brotherhoodās. in any case, without the input of the SS, danse would more than likely have been exterminated by one of the other knights or paladins on maxsonās command. (if they even get this far as to obtain this information from the institute; without the SS, danse, haylen and rhys might not have even survived their time at the cambridge police station to record the energy readings to the prydwen in the first place) so for all intents and purposes, iām going to start off with the assumption that the SS saves danse and keeps him as a companion.
danse is a very (ironically)Ā āroboticā person. heās very set on how he thinks, and struggles when his perception or grip of things is challenged. he takes most comfort in being impervious to change, i imagine, as the brotherhood, and his fight for the brotherhood, is what eclipses his entire life; a life he has BECAUSE of them. he is incredibly respectful and thankful for them, utterly devoted to their ideology and to maxson, as this is what took him from nothing and gave him a purpose.Ā
i imagine danse would go through incredible bouts of disappointment in himself and disgust of himself that he would do something to let the brotherhood down so deeply. to simply exist is everything they fight, every single day, and to have years and years of this ingrained into his brain, suddenly every comment about synths, and anyone remotely different in the commonwealth, now very suddenly applies to him. heās not used to being the outsider, and hasnāt been since his time in rivet city. this discovery isnāt in any sort a welcome one, as to him, it brings with it noĀ āsilver liningā; he is exactly what he hates. and now all his work for the brotherhood has lead to this ultimate moment of none of it mattering to him anymore, because all this time, heās been a time bomb right under their noses, to everyone that ever trusted him. his work has been completely tarnished. every moment of joy, pain, heroics, selflessness and glory, now ruined, as all those that once had the utmost respect can only feel hatred.
but not everyone ! in a delicate time like this, itās important that danse remembers the comrades he still has, regardless of what he is. his friendship with haylen and the SS is probably the only thing that keeps him fromĀ ādoing the commonwealth a favourā and either leaving forever, or doing the unthinkable. after-all, all they have done is to destroy the institute, and all he can think when he sees himself is that he is one of their unpredictable nuclear bombs. danse, underneath his guise as the paladin, something that has given him incredible comfort all this time, is stripped bare of what made him secure, but still finds himself with the luxury of people to confide in.Ā
despite this, danse would be completely exposed to his own hatred of himself. he knows nothing of himself, or what makes him who he is; he has no idea of what his personality is, or if any of it is his own making, or just something created in the institute; heāll never know of how he came into existence, or why it had to be himĀ that ended up like this. heāll become frustrated, not understanding if his actions are his own, or ever have been his own; whoās to say he isnāt being controlled right now? how far does the instituteās reach go? how much power do they truly have, and is there a risk that at any moment, his world could go black? to think of such things is enough to rip him apart, and unfortunately, cooped up in listening post bravo, he suddenly finds himself with a lot of time for thinking.
