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- “We've earned the right to be happy now, Ethan. All three of us.”
- — Madison, Epilogue - A New Life
Maige is the het ship between Ethan Mars and Madison Paige from the Heavy Rain fandom.
Canon[]
Heavy Rain is a game based on choices. The following canon is one line of choices made.
In the nineteenth chapter of the game, "First Encounter," Madison, suffering from insomnia, checks into the Cross Road Motel in an attempt to get some sleep. While walking to her room, she finds an injured Ethan leaning against the railing. She attempts to call an ambulance, but he stops her and asks her to lead him to his room, informing her that it is on the same floor and only a few doors down from hers. Madison obliges, and decides to stay and treat Ethan's wounds instead of leaving him as she planned to. Despite her telling him not to move around for a while due to his injuries, Ethan maintains that he doesn't have time to wait and tries to get up to take a shower, leading Madison to assist him. While he is in the shower, the two discuss their lives and why they are in the motel. Shortly after, Ethan exits the bathroom and thanks Madison for staying. Madison takes this as her cue to leave and asks Ethan for his name. Afterwards, she asks him to be careful before leaving the room.
The pair meet up again after Ethan has completed the second of the Origami Killer's trials, leaving him injured once again; Madison finds him barely conscious on the floor of his room and treats his wounds again. Once awake, Ethan asks Madison why she is helping him; Madison responds by either telling Ethan he didn't leave her much of a choice or that she supposes she likes to play the "guardian angel." Madison tries to ask Ethan why he keeps returning to the motel with various injuries, but his answers are vague. When she attempts to convince him to let her help him, Ethan tells her that no one can help him and that she's done enough for him already. Seeing that there is no convincing him, Madison drops the argument and leaves.
In "Fugitive," Madison arrives to the apartment Ethan was sent to for the third trial, finding police waiting outside to capture him. Entering the apartment under the guise of a resident, she attempts to warn Ethan; depending on whether he completed the trial or not, he is either in severe pain and unable to respond to her or angry that she followed him after he told her that she couldn't help him. Regardless, Madison begins to look for a way to sneak out of the building; if Ethan is not hurt, he assists her. The two either make their escape after entering a subway station and getting onto a train, or Ethan is caught and Madison hides, crying as Ethan is led away.
After either outcome, Ethan later watches a news report in the motel stating that he is now the prime suspect in the Origami Killer case. Upset, he shuts the TV off, with Madison entering with a bag of groceries shortly after. As she sifts through the bag, she asks Ethan if the news reports are true. If Ethan chooses to break or evade the question, Madison retorts with a reminder that the police have seen her and will be after her as well or that she is the one who decides if she can ask questions. Ethan, seeing no other option, tells Madison the truth: for some time, he has been experiencing strange blackouts where he sees bodies drowning in water. Because of this, he believes that he has developed an alter ego - that of the Origami Killer. Madison attempts to convince him to inform the police and stop doing the trials as he is harming himself, but he refuses and tells her that he'll turn himself in only after Shaun is safe, and that finding his son is all that matters. This revelation spurs Madison to begin her own investigation to prove Ethan's innocence to both himself and the police. As time goes on, she also begins to develop feelings for him.
In "On the Loose," if she is still alive, Madison returns to the motel after interrogating Paco Mendez, a sleazy nightclub owner who is believed to have had contact with the killer. She finds Ethan despondent over the outcome of the fourth trial, and attempts to comfort him by telling him he isn't responsible for the killer's actions. She gently wipes away his tears, causing him to look at her; they stare into each other's eyes for a moment, and Ethan has the choice of kissing her or refusing. If he chooses not to kiss her, Madison apologizes and leaves. If he chooses to kiss her instead, it leads into a scene where the two make love to each other before falling asleep. Ethan awakens later and prepares to leave without Madison so that she won't be in any more danger because of him. However, he accidentally discovers her notes on the case and becomes furious, believing she was only using him to write a story. Madison tries to calm him down, and at the end of his outburst he is given the choice of forgiving or rejecting her. If he rejects her, he coldly tells her he will never be able to trust her again after she used him, ending their relationship. If he forgives her, they hug, and Madison asks Ethan to wait for her while she leaves to get some food. After Madison exits the room, either out of shame if Ethan didn't kiss her or rejected her, or to get food if Ethan forgave her, she notices that the police have arrived again to raid the motel in search of Ethan. She either calls his room to warn him and flees, or leaves on her own without warning him.
In "The Old Warehouse," the game's final chapter, if Madison and Norman Jayden arrive alongside Ethan, Madison attempts to enter the warehouse to warn Ethan of the police force gathered outside with their weapons drawn. Should she succeed, Ethan believes her warning and exits the warehouse with her. The police choose not to open fire and Ethan's life is spared. The two lock eyes for a moment before walking outside. Alternatively, if only Ethan and Madison make it to the warehouse, Ethan is either relieved to see her (if she gave him the address to the warehouse and he didn't complete enough trials to guess it or obtain the address himself) or mistrusting of her (if he rejected her or chose not to kiss her.) Ethan is shot by the Origami Killer during their confrontation, but recovers in time to save Madison when she is cornered by the killer.
In the good ending "A New Life," achieved if Ethan, Shaun, and a forgiven Madison all survive, the two are seen together moving into a new apartment. It is subtly implied they are either dating or married, but neither is seen wearing a ring so it is assumed to be the former. Ethan takes Madison's hands as they gaze out of the window at the clear sky, and Madison states that the three of them have earned their happiness. Shaun playfully pushes the two of them apart, and Madison watches with a smile as Ethan chases his son around the apartment.
In the bad ending "Tears in the Rain," achieved if Ethan and a forgiven Madison survive, but Shaun does not, the two are seen mourning at Shaun's grave. Madison attempts to convince Ethan to move on and start a new life with her, telling him they will leave the city and go "somewhere where it never rains." She then asks him to give her a child, and tells him that she loves him. Ethan asks her to give him a few more minutes to grieve, and she obliges, turning away to wait in the car for him. However, as her back is turned, Ethan takes out the pistol given to him by the killer to complete the fourth trial. Madison, realizing what he plans to do, cries out and tries to run back to him, but she is too late; Ethan shoots himself in the head and collapses. Madison falls to her knees at his side and begins to cry, mourning the loss of her lover.
Fanon[]
According to AO3, Maige is the third most popular ship and most popular het ship in the Heavy Rain fandom. It is the most written ship for Madison and the second most written ship for Ethan.
This ship is not widely supported by fans due to criticisms of its poor writing, the inappropriately placed sex scene, the mechanics of said scene, and the fact that the two characters involved appear to lack chemistry before and after it. Madison's dialogue in the "Tears in the Rain" ending also caused distaste for the ship due to her insensitivity and disregard of Ethan's clearly depressed state.
Fandom[]
FAN FICTION
- Ethan/Madison tag on AO3
- Ethan/Madison tag on Fanfiction.net
Gallery[]
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| SHIPS | het | Maige • Shelter |
| slash | Northan | |