#codzlore

[kino-der-joon]

💫Hi hi~!! - Lore ramble ahead!!💫

💫 So, I’ve seen something and I want to weigh in. However, I need to state something very important first:

⭐️ I’m making a new post because I’m worried that reblogging and typing all this there would make the reblog chain way too long, but please understand that this isn’t meant to be an indirect or vague post. I’m hesitant to tag people because I don’t know if they would take kindly to it, but if you see this and you know what this is about, comment by all means and I’ll link the initial post and reblog!! I have nothing but respect, I have no ill will, and simply want to offer a fresh perspective, that’s all! This is NOT an attack, I cannot stress that enough!! Without further ado:

💫 I keep seeing the take that Ultimis Richtofen is pure evil and always has been. I also keep seeing the take that Primis Richtofen is selfish and also evil. I want to discuss these takes and yap about why I don’t fully agree, even though I can see where the view point comes from. Let’s talk about Ultimis first.✨

꧁ ༺ 🌟༻ ꧂

💫 “Ultimis Richtofen was never good intentioned and the story wouldn’t have happened if he took responsibility.” 💫

✨ Yes, but also…No? Kind of. Don’t forget, Dr.Maxis is also at fault. I’d argue he kicks everything off and Richtofen’s story gets worse from there. Dr.Maxis also destroys the earth. Twice. ✨

💫 So, the first thing I want to acknowledge is that yes, Richtofen did originally join the illuminati. We don’t know why or what for, but eventually he was sent into Group 935 to act as a spy. I’m not about to defend him for joining the illuminati because we don’t have enough information to understand his motivations. Objectively though, I agree this is a bad choice of him to make. But, the first thing of note he does in lore is abandon the illuminati to work honestly for Group 935. He never explicitly tells us why he does this, but we can use his audio logs to make an educated guess. He never shows joy in experimenting on p.o.w’s or human test subjects until after the MPD incident, so I’m reluctant to say that was the reason. If we look at Group 935’s mission statement though, we can infer his motivations behind his betrayal. Group 935 was founded on the idea of “Improving the human condition.” I wholeheartedly believe that Richtofen supported that mission statement and betrayed the illuminati because of that, which would put him in a morally grey position in my eyes, and shows he may have had good intentions in the beginning. Group 935 did do human experimentation, but Richtofen’s main area of expertise was teleportation. While that did use human test subjects, I would argue that his work wasn’t heavily reliant on human lab rats seeing as he later scaled down the experiments to test on a walnut. If Richtofen truly enjoyed human experimentation so much, he would have showed resistance and reluctance to dial the teleportation experiments back, but he doesn’t. Him and Schuster both agree to dial back the experiments and use a test subject that isn’t human. After finding success, Richtofen then offers himself up as the first human test subject after that, and it resulted in no other p.o.ws or human subjects being put at risk. Because of this, I believe he had good intentions when in Group 935 to begin with. He cared about the science more than anything else, and the science was carried out with the aim of bettering humanity initially. He even wanted the science to continue after he felt Dr. maxis “lost sight” of the group’s goals, and continuing the science would result in more experiments being done to “better humanity.” Regardless of how focused he was on the science, you could argue that his passion was inspired by the group’s initial mission statement. This puts him in a morally grey position because we then have to start asking questions like: ‘Do the ends justify the means?’ And ‘How much bad can you do in the pursuit of good before you’re deemed as evil?’ But, those aren’t questions we’re tackling here because they relate to more than just Richtofen.

✨ When it comes to the Wunderwaffe, I can’t weigh in on that because I don’t know where in the timeline the gun was invented. I don’t know what the original intent behind it was, or his motivations for making it the way he did. Since I don’t know about it, I’m not going to address it. ✨

✨Now we get to the matter of accountability, free will, and the amount of control he had over his actions. After touching the MPD, he was slowly corrupted by the Dark Aether. He was hearing voices, his mind unravelling, and we know it was slow because we can hear his descent in audio logs. Richtofen isn’t the only one we see being corrupted by the Dark Aether. For instance, we see Pernell get corrupted by it, so much so that he becomes Avogadro! When the Dark Aether corrupts, it drives people to do things they wouldn’t usually do, and warps their goals and influences them to follow through with its will. What I mean by this is: I’m not entirely sure Richtofen even knows why he wants to get to Agartha. He never explains it, he never tells us what he’ll do once he’s up there. In audio logs we see his obsession with Agartha grow over time, but he never mentions Agartha before the MPD incident once. To assume that he only hears voices and goes a little stir crazy because of them alone ignores the whole point of his character. He is evil by the end because power corrupts him, not because he was pure evil from the jump. When he speaks in game, in cut scenes or in Easter Eggs like Tag, we are hearing his corrupted self, not his genuine, uncorrupted self. This is also important to note when we hear him having an absolute blast! The Dark Aether loves chaos and death, Apothicons are naturally evil, so of course he would feel enjoyment while doing what he does after the MPD incident, the Dark Aether is not only influencing him, but actively validating and praising his actions too, we can hear this in his lines on the original Der Riese. If you want more proof that his actions aren’t fully his own, The Shadowman himself even states in Revelations:

“He did everything I told him to.”

It wasn’t Richtofen’s choice to be corrupted, and it wasn’t his choice to be tormented and manipulated by horrors beyond his comprehension, and trying to state otherwise is…Disappointing. You’re missing the whole point of his character.✨

💫 So, is he inherently evil from the jump? No, I don’t think so. With the information we have, I would say he fits nicely into being morally grey/questionable, I’m not arguing that he’s a morally good person. Would the events of the story change if he took accountability? …Maybe? It’s difficult to say because of his corruption. But given the whole point of his character, I’m hesitant to say it would have made a huge difference. We also need to look at Maxis and his actions. My point is that his character has nuance, and I feel that shouldn’t be ignored.✨

꧁ ༺ 🌟 ༻ ꧂

💫 “Primis Richtofen is egotistical, selfish and just as bad as Ultimis Richtofen.” ✨

✨ Not in the slightest, and I think saying this is actually quite a big reach. For this section, I want to address the reblog that I saw from an oomf. But again, I mean no disrespect!! In the reblog I saw, there were several errors I saw, so, I also want to correct those too. Respectfully, of course.✨

💫 The main motivator for Primis Richtofen isn’t ego or selfishness, it’s actually survival for himself and survival for Maxis. Later on, that changes to survival for the rest of crew, Samantha and Eddie as well. The reason he creates the paradox that perpetuates the cycle to begin with is self preservation, he even tells us this directly:

“The others don’t understand, I’ve been doing this for a long time. I don’t want this to end, und by that I mean, I don’t want me to end.” - Richtofen, Revelations.

✨ He does have a need to be needed, but that isn’t why he takes on the leader position of the group. If anything, I think the circumstances simply feed into his complexes even more. When he first reads The Kronorium, he reads that he dies in every single universe. Understandably, that revelation frightens him. Things must happen in a certain order for the cycle to continue, and it’s that fear that drives Richtofen to secrecy- He needs to have control over what the group does, or else the cycle could change. Not only that, but, in his mind, he is protecting the others by not letting them read the book. This is shown to us directly. He tells Nikolai in BoTD this:

“If I believed for an instant that you could comprehend so much as a phrase in The Kronorium, I would hand it over! But, no. That is mein burden to bear! My way, Nikolai, is the only way.” - Richtofen, Blood of The Dead.

✨ While I can understand this being seen as selfish, let’s remind ourselves why he’s doing this. If he lets the cycle end, all of their futures aren’t secure, not his, not anyone else’s, and his soul won’t be born anew. He has been following The Kronorium to protect and preserve his and eventually everyone else’s souls, things need to happen a certain way for the cycle to remain unchanged. Knowing this, I think his protectiveness over The Kronorium and his secrecy makes perfect sense! He even calls it a ‘burden.’ You might be asking why I’m so sure about this, and that’s because Nikolai himself agrees with me:

“It is only now…Now, that I understand the path of bloodshed and sacrifice that lays ahead…And how such knowledge must have gnawed -and clawed- at the German’s mind…I pity him. From this day on, it is my burden to bear.” - Nikolai, Alpha Omega.

✨ They both become undone and are protective over The Kronorium and its knowledge because that knowledge is heavy to carry. Nikolai also says he fears it might ‘drive him insane.’ If it were so easy to simply share what The Kronorium says with the rest of the crew, there’s nothing in either of their voice lines that suggest they wouldn’t be honest. There’s also nothing in either man’s voice lines that suggests their actions have anything to do with selfishness. (And no one calls Nikolai selfish even though he does the same thing as Richtofen, I’ve always found that interesting.)

✨ Focusing back on Richtofen, his plan isn’t to do the same thing as Ultimis to save his soul and discard the rest of the crew, that wouldn’t make sense. He presumably, going by what we’re told in the Tag EE, secured his own soul in the time between Origins and The Giant. This is why we don’t see his soul get sent up to Agartha via the summoning key in Gorod Krovi. While he doesn’t initially like the crew he’s with, he was never going to abandon them. He simply didn’t care either way, until he did. He also didn’t drag the members down with him, they were spying on him and Group 935 for their respective countries until things got out of hand. Richtofen was more than willing to kill the group’s Ultimis counterparts himself until Dempsey stopped him and insisted that he kill his Ultimis counterpart instead in Der Eisendrache. We also hear voice lines that imply his willingness to see the mission through on his own while playing solo, for example, on Zetsubo no Shima:

“Assuming I succeed in neutralising the next target, we are making excellent progress! Maxis would be proud of me.” - Richtofen, Zetsubo no Shima.

✨ At the end of the cycle, the crew presumably live out the rest of their lives until they die of old age and then reincarnate and start the cycle all over again. The reason that Templar! Richtofen is in that cryochamber in Alcatraz is because when Al Arlington broke his cycle, that had a knock on effect in other time lines and the past in the Primis timeline changed. That’s also why the crew show up late and in the wrong place, their timeline changed because the cycle was broken. Templar Richtofen is NOT the same as Primis Richtofen.✨

✨ I believe that…Should?? Cover everything?? One small detail though— Primis Richtofen doesn’t hear voices. The reason he’s the way he is, is because of the constant 115 exposure and dimension hopping. He has dimension hopped more than any other Primis crew member, so the 115 exposure is affecting him more than the others. Primis Richtofen was never corrupted by the Dark Aether. ✨

✨ So, to put it simply: I do think his actions are selfish to a degree, but his main motivator is self preservation and survival. It’s why he fights so hard during BoTD! Both of these characters are nuanced, and Primis Richtofen is NO WHERE NEAR as bad as Ultimis Richtofen, not by a long shot! ✨

💫 To wrap up, I do want to reassure again that this is NOT an attack by any means. This is simply my opinion and my attempt to add some perspective to the conversation! I love these two so much, but I’ll always look to the lore solidly for any reasonings behind their actions. Of course, feel free to disagree, but I would hope I’ve given some pretty strong arguments and some food for thought! Thank you, if you read until the end of this little essay, I appreciate you so much!✨

[kino-der-joon]

💫 It's hot, we've got nothing but time, so, let's talk about another version of Richtofen, yeah? ✨ Yeah! ⭐️(Mini 'Analysing Richtofen.') ⭐️

✨ This version of Richtofen is one that we don't spend an awful lot of time with. He's known as "Templar" Richtofen, and has gone through the cycle once (or perhaps more.) He's found in Primis Richtofen's lab under Alcatraz in BotD and ends up betraying our beloved Primis Richtofen before moving on to feature in 'Alpha Omega' and the final cut scene in 'Tag Der Toten's easter egg. My obvious and strictly upheld bias aside, let's talk about him!! (please excuse any typos, it’s sweltering right now 😭)

✨ This first thing I want to clear up is that 'Templar' and 'Primis' Richtofen are not the same. I've seen people say that the "Primis Richtofen" who dies in BotD is a new version that we've never seen before, and that 'Templar' Richtofen is actually the version of Primis Richtofen that we followed through the events of Bo3. This isn't true. For starters, let's look at the voice acting for Richtofen! ✨

✨ Each time Nolan North reprises his role as Richtofen, he always gives each incarnation a specific tone. We can tell Ultimis and Primis Richtofen apart because of their personality and also how they sound! So, if 'Templar' was meant to be 'Primis,' he wouldn't sound so different in 'Alpha Omega.' 'Templar' sounds a lot more deadpan and 'down-to-earth' than any other incarnation (aside from 'Director' Richtofen, who came after.) ✨

💫 Speaking of voice lines, we can also tell 'Templar' is a version of Richtofen we've never seen before because he has lines that share a lot about his life that don't match up to anything 'Primis' has ever shared!

But my last string of evidence here is to look at the cycle and the lore once again:

✨ Origins

✨ The Giant

✨ Der Eisendrache

✨ Zetsubo No Shima

✨ (Pit stop into Alcatraz)

✨ Gorod Krovi

✨ Revelations

✨ [REPEAT.]

💫 'Mob of the Dead' is significant because it's actually Al Arlington who breaks the cycle. The paradox that Primis Richtofen creates hinges on Alcatraz running the way that it should, so when Al Arlington breaks the cycle and escapes, The Kronorium rewrites itself because the timelines have changed! There was also influence of The Shadowman and The Warden to make this happen. ⭐️

✨ The reason that 'Primis' is lured to Alcatraz is because The Shadowman needs his blood to open up a gateway into Agartha. His blood has been contaminated by all the dimension hopping he's done- Remember: Primis Richtofen has also had some solo adventures too, his time wasn't just spent with the rest of the 'Primis' crew! It's this crucial detail that separates 'Primis' from 'Templar.' A man who has been dimension hopping from one place to another is going to have more contaminated blood than a man who has been locked away in cryosleep for potentially more than a century. ✨

💫 With that out of the way, let's look into some voice lines from 'Templar' and see what we can learn about him!! You can consider this a mini 'Analysing Richtofen,' (< A link to the last entry!✨ ) while I work on the next entry !!

💫 Here is the video I am using for Reference! ⭐️ HERE! And while listening to it, feel free to skip back to the start to listen to 'Ultimis,' their voices are so distinct! "Templar"s voice lines start at 26:49 !!

💫 The one thing I notice straight away is that Templar uses more German words than Ultimis or Primis. It gives him a mysterious air, almost. It really feels like he's behind the times somehow, I can't quite put my finger on why. ✨

(28:27) (28:29) (29:19) (29:55) (30:20) (30:28) (31:47) (31:49) (34:02) (36:07) (36:56) (37:34) (41:12) (44:04) (44:16) (44:48) I think I have proven my point -

✨

"Ohh! like charging up the dragon head at Der Eisendrache!" (28:36) - A nice little reference!! But, we can also tell that this version of Richtofen has been through the cycle at least once, and was likely put into cryosleep pretty soon after the cycle came to a close if he remembers a small detail such as this. ✨

"I used to dream of doing that to frogs with my Bunsen Burner, back when I taught university." (30:39) -

✨ To my knowledge, Primis Richtofen never mentioned teaching in any capacity. Richtofen joined Heidelberg University under Dr. Maxis' tutelage on August 11th, 1906, according the wiki, but he never mentioned teaching a class specifically. This version of Richtofen also mentions wanting to teach Pathology during the 'Tag Der Toten' cut scene, and seems wistful at the notion. This Richtofen had a passion for teaching, one that all his fighting with the undead couldn't knock out of him. He also as a line about the university not teaching their students to self medicate, and this sounds like something that would be emphasised in Chemistry. Perhaps he took several science based classes! ✨

"I've always been good with knives, even before I took up surgery professionally!" (32:01) -

✨ With this line we can infer two things! Firstly, much like with Ultimis, there seems to be some kind of violence that took place before any lore events. Secondly, we can see what his education might have looked like! He studied, became a teacher, and then a surgeon. Or, perhaps, a surgeon and then a teacher. Either way, he clearly has passion for medical professional roles! He also has other lines embodying medical roles:

"Nurse! He needs sutures!" (32:20)

"Cause of death: terminal concussion!" (32:22)

"Take two aspirin, und call me in the morning." (32:28)

It makes me wonder if his interest was only in surgery, or if he perhaps wanted to be an all-around type of medical professional as well as a teacher. ✨

"This almost takes the fun out of stabbing!" (32:16) -

✨ Going back to the line about being good with knives before taking up surgery, there is a sick enjoyment from violence being shown here. Templar really seems like a middle ground between 'Ultimis' and 'Primis!'✨

"Heads are overrated anyway- Just ask Maxis!" (32:37) -

✨ I know damn well Primis would flip if he heard that. This is another reason we know that this isn't Primis: The Primis Richtofen we know would never say that! But, the lack of his title shows that this version of Richtofen was also close to Dr. Maxis too. ✨

"You didn't even see it coming! Oh! That would also be a good title for mein autobiography!" (32:52) -

MY SHAAAYYYLLLAAAAA- Sorry, sorry- Professional. AHEM.

✨ This line could also be a reference to how Primis Richtofen didn't see the betrayal coming, and that hurts my heart. Though, this isn't the first time that this Richtofen mentions an autobiography. Perhaps he did actually aim to write one before Nikolai repaid the favour from BotD...✨

"Hm. Caught short again...Who can I shake down?...Ohh, Takeeeooo!"(35:55) -

✨ I hate this version of Richtofen, let me make that ABUNDENTLY clear, (Even though I agree with his actions,) but this line is one of my favourites, it's funny, sue me. This line also tells me that, just like Primis, this version of Richtofen was probably also close with Takeo! He has another line in which he asks Takeo to carry something for him, and then he seems to reflect and think better of it. I like to think that his version of Takeo would have absolutely carried things for him when asked. More about their relationship: Richtofen refers to him as 'Tak' in one revive line, but he doesn't have nicknames for anyone else on the team. Do with this what you will. ✨

"Big, clumsy und ostentatious. Hey, Dempsey! This knife is you!" (39:52) -

✨ It seems in all universes, Richtofen and Dempsey are at odds, whether playfully or otherwise! ✨

"Diagnosis: I am fucking dying down here!" (41:05) -

✨ Another funny line, but it's also another addition to the interesting and somewhat foreign sound of Richtofen swearing! 💫

"Something is kicking up mein allergies! " (44:41) -

Not much to add really, he canonly has hay fever!✨

💫 Moving on to slightly more lore relevant information, we can see this little sneak peek into 'Templar' Richtofen's cycle! If we take this tid bit at face value.

"Uhh...There was this one time, I...Uhh...I-I, well...Shot him in the face." (1:06:17) - This Richtofen's cycle included the first of many pivotal moments, the same as Primis! Though, this might not be as trustworthy as it seems. ✨

"It's almost like there's some kind of common memory shared regardless of individual experience- A hivemind." (1:07:12) - ✨ Taking this into account, we suddenly can't trust that we know anything at all about this version of Richtofen. But, we can use this observation to make another inference! ✨

"I don't know how many Richtofen's you've met, Takeo, but let me reassure you about one thing, I am the nicest one." (1:04:56) -

Don't. Piss. Me. Off.

Sorry - 💫 To give the backstabber some credit, perhaps Primis Richtofen really did want to assure his comrades that he wasn't as evil as they thought him to be. After all, even if he did have a round about way of going about it, he really did have good intentions. This sentiment might come from Primis Richtofen himself and it has just manifested as a thought from this Richtofen. ✨

💫 Given that this was meant to be a little 'mini version' of my little self indulgent series, I will stop it here. But we've uncovered some interesting things. no? ✨

✨If you've read this far, please, PLEASE, make sure that you're taking care of yourself!! Stay hydrated in this heat!! Drink water, sit by a fan, get a vessel for Maxis, open the gateway-- ...Okay, perhaps don't do those last two- In any case, thank you for reading!! ✨

[kino-der-joon]

Hey ! I have a lore question, if i can call it like that. I was listenning to the christmas album (" A very Zombie christmas") and Ultimis Richtofen has a weird reaction when Dempsey told him he just sung Dreidel, an Hanoucca's song. Maybe his story wasn't retconned at the time the album realased (2010), so could do you think we can still use this album to analyse the ultimis's realtions ?

💫 Hi hi!! This is an interesting question!! ✨

💫 Treyarch didn’t actually support the creation of that album apparently, and actually threatened to sue the VA’s (According to Nolan North,) so the album was taken down. The characterisations of our beloved crew in that album were written by the VA’s, not the actual narrative team at Treyarch. Because of that, I don’t think it’s a good reference for analysing Richtofen’s character and such, but that isn’t to say that we can’t have fun with it !! I would say that perhaps it can be used for HC material, for example: Richtofen seems really festive and into Christmas, so every time it comes around, he tries to celebrate with the crew! ✨

✨ Thank you so much for your question, and I hope you have A Very Zombie Christmas this year !!✨

[kino-der-joon]

Hello ! I have a lore question for you ! It might dumb (pretty new to the lore) but why does Ultimis Richtofen in Blacks ops III attacks with his zombie the Victis crew when Stuhlinger is in it ? Since he needed the victis crew (at least Stuhlinger ) for his scheme, why did he sends zombie to them ?

💫 Hello hello!! Welcome to the ask box!! This is a pretty interesting question, so let’s talk about it!! ✨

✨ What you’re asking about takes place in Black Ops 2 !! ^^ There are two instances where Richtofen sends Zombies after the Victis crew, so let’s get into it!!

✨ The first instance is literally BO2 itself, since Richtofen is inside the MPD and controlling the zombies. The canon ending for Black Ops 2 is that the Victis crew help Dr. Maxis take control of The Aether and Richtofen ends up trapped inside a zombie body. So, to avoid this, during the game he’s likely sending zombies to attack Victis to put pressure on Stulinger. Richtofen needs Stulinger to convince the rest of the Victis crew to do what he’s asking of them in order for him to beat Maxis, but Stulinger isn’t exactly the most persuasive person on the team. With zombies running after them, it’s probably his hope that the rest of the crew will come around to Stulinger’s suggestions under pressure.✨

✨ The second instance of Richtofen sending Zombies after Victis is in the comics! Primis Richtofen agrees to help get a Zombified Ultimis Richtofen back into his own body in exchange for his help herding the Victis crew so that Primis Richtofen can manipulate them! ✨

💫 Thank you so much for your question and I hope this answers it well!! 😆 ✨

[kino-der-joon]

💫 HC CALL !! ✨

✨ So, I’ve had quite a few people ask me about headcanons, and I do want to give them, but I’ll need you guys to tell me specifically what you want to see !! I can only work with the characters in The Aether story (Ultimis and Primis,) because that’s my area of autism expertise!

(I can make that joke, I have AuDHD)

✨ Schustofen date hc’s? Hc’s about a particular plot point in the lore? Hc’s that take place on a particular map? A different AU hc’s? Sexuality hc’s? If you want “accurate” ones, I would maybe nudge you towards asking about Richtofen, but for this hc call, this is ‘no hold barred,’ as it were. Go absolutely crazy and specific with what you want, and I’ll do my best to fulfil them!! ✨

[kino-der-joon]

Why is primis richtofen such a dick to Samantha? He’s nowhere near as bad as Ultimis, but telling this 10 year old you want to leave her trapped in Agartha for all eternity is still kind of harsh. I get she (accidentally) drove Primis Maxis insane but still 😭😭😭 Cmon man

💫 Hello, hello!! Aaaa!! Thank you for your question, though, you did partly answer it yourself ;;; But, let’s get into it!!✨

💫 The line that you’re referring to is said in Origins, and to understand why he lashed out so harshly at a child, we first need to understand his mental state at the beginning of Origins. To do this, let’s recap the events before the accident!

“Were it up to me, I would leave you in Agartha for eternity, Samantha!” - Primis Richtofen, Origins.

💫 So, during the dig in Northern France, the zombie hoard was awoken and unleashed. Richtofen blames himself for this, we can see this in a voice line he has where he claims it as an accident, but still takes soul responsibility.

“Did I do something? I mean, apart from accidentally unleashing the zombie hoard.” - Primis Richtofen, Origins.

✨ He also lost Maxis, but it’s more than just that. Richtofen was an orphaned child, and when he was under Maxis’ tutelage, they formed a found family bond. That man is a father figure to him, and someone he cares deeply about. He follows what Maxis says blindly throughout the story because he trusts him so heavily. Their bond is near unbreakable.

✨ As you said, Samantha drove Maxis insane, a voice in his head that wouldn’t go away. While it was never intentional, what we need to remember is that Richtofen was watching Maxis go down that road of insanity. He was helpless to do nothing but watch as his father figure’s mind was spiralling out from under him.

✨ Richtofen lost Maxis, we know this, but I’d argue he actually lost him twice. Once when Maxis was in the grip of insanity with Samantha’s voice in his head, and once again when Richtofen had to lobotomise him. We can see through how he talks to Samantha that he is angry, grieving and also confused- He doesn’t know what’s happening yet. He doesn’t know the origins of the chalk drawings, he doesn’t believe Agartha exists until later on in the Origins map. He blames Samantha for everything that’s happening, and given that he has a line taking accountability for the hoard, I think the heavy blame that he shoves onto Samantha is projection and grief. He has no one else to blame aside from the one little voice that drove his father figure insane and he has no understanding of the logic defying state of what’s around him. In grief, anger and confusion, we’re all prone to saying things we don’t actually mean.

“They’re appearing all around us! ARE YOU BEHIND THIS, SAMANTHA?!” - Primis Richtofen, Origins.

“Make sure you tell Samantha that we are going to win!” - Primis Richtofen, Origins.

“You’re toying with me aren’t you, Samantha?” - Primis Richtofen, Origins.

✨ When we get to The Giant, he doesn’t accuse Samantha of causing anything. When he mentions her, his tone comes off as more inquisitive and light, sometimes even playful. If he truly meant what he said about leaving her trapped, he’d still show aggression. He might also have a crisis about what to do since helping Maxis helps Samantha in turn, but he doesn’t. When mentioning the children in the house, he doesn’t exclude Samantha from that either.

“Did you put these chalk drawing here, Samantha?” - Primis Richtofen, The Giant. (Said with less aggression than his attitude towards her in Origins.)

“Maxis, Samantha, Eddie. They are safe…” - Primis Richtofen, Zetsubo No Shima

✨ In short, I believe that line was born from grief, anger, confusion, and wasn’t actually meant at all. Now, does all of this excuse blowing up at a child? No, not really. But, I also don’t think it’s fair to hold that against him- Not saying that you are!! I’m just speaking generally.

💫 I’m always down to yap about Primis Richtofen, so thank you for the ask!! I hope I was able to give you a fresh perspective on the matter! ✨

✨ NEXT !! > ⭐️

[kino-der-joon]

💫 So, open question for SHADOWMAN enjoyers, are there any Shadowman experts willing to info dump to me about him? 👀 I would like all the context of his and Primis Richtofen’s interactions please and thank you, it would help me greatly! Give me lore, references and any insight you have!! ✨

[kino-der-joon]

🔆Hello!! Good morning/day/night/wtv,

I have a question, ((which is a little odd to ask because I've actually been a fan of the games since my early teenage years, but I've only recently started actually paying attention to the lore...))

So the primis and Ultimis teams are they the same people at different places in time or are they from different dimensions (realms, wtv??)?

Anyway, that's my lore question, continue to be amazing and have a great day 👾

💫 Hey hey!! Good morning/day/night to you too!! The lore is very confusing, but don’t worry, I’ll be your guide!! ✨

✨ Thankfully, this can be answered quite easily, and I’ll give you a tiny bit more info so that going forward, the story might make a bit more sense- But if you have any other questions at any time, you’re more than welcome back here to ask away!! ✨

💫 So, Ultimis are the original crew. They have a set timeline and their story takes place in BO1 (and kind of Bo2? But don’t worry about that for now-) You can think of their story as one timeline!✨

✨ Primis are from a different dimension. The same characters we know and love, but younger, because their story starts around WW1. ✨

✨ The reason we see the two of them mix is because Primis Richtofen is dimension hopping into Ultimis’ timeline and creating fractures. BUT, the original Ultimis timeline, the things that have already happened, remain as they are until we pick up with them again in Bo4!!✨

✨ Not to pull a Milo, there aren’t any waffles here, but I’ve drawn a diagram on my whiteboard to help explain!! ✨

⭐️ The dotted line represents a seperation between the first Ultimis timeline and the Ultimis timeline while Primis is hopping in and out !!

💫 I hope this answers your question!! May you continue to be amazing and have a great day too!! Thank you so much for your question!! ✨

[kino-der-joon]

Could you maybe write something about Richtofen and Samantha making amends during/after Tag der Toten? Given his lines about not hating her anymore, I like to think there could have been something less dark there if they all hadn’t died.

💫 Hey hey!! I’m going to be honest, I was sitting on this for so long because I was really trying, but I unfortunately have nothing. I also can’t find this voice line and I would like to!! So if anyone knows where this voice line is, please let me know!! ✨

✨ I am throwing this fanfic idea out to the masses! ✨

✨ ;; Throws the ask idea out !! ✨

✨ NEXT! > ⭐️

[kino-der-joon]

💫 Thinking about Primis Richtofen and Maxis.✨

✨ They pour their rations together to make a healthy stew of some kind. This is done so often that Maxis’ rations are delivered straight to Richtofen.

✨ At the end of each day, they eat together in Richtofen’s lab, sharing a glass of Merlot wine. It’s a ritual between them, you see. A family dinner to bring them comfort while in unfamiliar territory.

✨Richtofen finishes his work an hour early to cook and set the table, washing out Maxis’ glass twice to ensure there isn’t even a speck of dust on it.

✨ Once Maxis is seated, Richtofen pours out their wine before sitting down himself. He digs into their food first, excited to eat finally.

✨ They talk about the war effort, but focus a lot more on their discoveries and how the project for the ancient staffs is going.

✨ Richtofen shows doubt in the process, but Maxis encourages him to keep hope and keep his team digging.

✨ Maxis talks at length about the staffs and how they are sitting on such a huge development, it inspires Richtofen a lot! But then Maxis starts making a bit less sense…

✨ Samantha, that supposed ‘daughter’ of his is mentioned again. That voice that just won’t go away. As Maxis huffs, Richtofen leans back in his chair, seeming skittish. Hesitantly, he asks if that voice has gotten worse.

✨ Maxis confides in Richtofen as he rubs between his furrowed brows, losing his appetite. That voice has gotten worse. It’s more persistent, more insistent. The Doctor can’t ignore it any longer! The child’s words are a constant ringing in his ear, a winding pounding in his chest- His brilliant mind has unraveled from this disease so far that he’s starting to believe his delusion! …Richtofen’s jaw sets.

✨ Holding the man in such high regard, Richtofen goes to stand up, itching to fetch a warm cloth and suggest the old man rests while he tries to find a medic, but Maxis holds his free hand up, insisting that Richtofen sit.

✨ So, just as skittishly, he does. Richtofen just listens, nodding with an amount of sympathy in his eyes that he won’t ever show to anyone else.

✨ He stops eating, far too wrapped up in his mentor’s words. The floor caves under him with each admission of just how bad the voice has gotten, Richtofen doesn’t even notice that he can’t see the blackboard behind Maxis anymore.

✨ Richtofen finds an opening to tell a joke, some small comment that hits Maxis right in the funny bone, and so the conversation changes gears finally! The lab begins to phase back into view for Richtofen, who’d tuned out even his own surroundings to focus solely on Maxis.

✨ Maxis finishes his meal first, wiping his mouth on thin tissue that only just about passes for a napkin. He finishes his wine too, and then encourages Richtofen to finish his food too before saying goodnight and leaving.

✨ Alone, Richtofen stirs his half eaten stew, lips pursing in thought. He isn’t hungry, not anymore. His mind is far more focused on finding a cure of some kind, something to chase that damn voice out of his father figure’s head.

✨ He sighs, slugging through his now cold, half eaten meal to finish it and wash out the bowls.

✨ He isn’t able to sleep all too well. His tiny bed is about as comfortable as it’ll ever be, but he’s worried about Maxis. He’s worried about the staffs, worried about whatever ‘Samantha’ is a symptom of. He’s lying down, one arm under his head while the other lays limply over his chest, just him and the stars he can see from a near by window.

✨ He wants to shut his brain off and let it be for the night, sleep as soundly as his team. But sleep isn’t for him.

[kino-der-joon]

flutters into your inbox on my fairy wings. hello oomftual :^)

i had ein lore question…… does primis richtofen ever remember the past cycles? he has a few lines that i feel like imply he does, but..idk if that makes sense because if he remembered everything he wouldn’t be helping monty anymore, right? is he trying to break the cycle or does that only happen after revelations?

(side note, montys also kinda weird to me. is him putting the kids in the house just a way for him to continue the cycle? or is it just, a way for him to have some normalcy? enjoying a perfect world where he has a family…)

💫 A LORE QUESTION!! AAAA!! LET’S GET RIGHT INTO IT MY WINGED FRIEND, WELCOME IN, WELCOME IN!! ✨

✨So, immediately I can see the confusion and I am here to help! we first must understand the cycle, and the cycle as we know it goes something like this:

• Richtofen gets a visit from a different version of himself, who gives him two blood vials and swears that he’ll need them later.

• Richtofen and Maxis accidentally unleash the zombie hoard in Northern France. They are there in the first place because Maxis wants to recreate ancient elemental staffs for the war effort, thinking they will give Germany the edge. He appoints Richtofen as head of the operation.

• Richtofen lobotomises Maxis to stop him from turning into a zombie during the attack.

• Maxis is sent up to Dr. Monty, who gives him a body but no soul.

• The Origins EE ensues.

• Maxis directs Richtofen to get The Kronorium and The Summoning Key. ( Richtofen gets The Kronorium by using Victis in the dark horse comics run, and gets The Summoning Key by stealing it from the Shadows of Evil crew at the end of the EE!)

• Before leaving them in stasis, Richtofen collects Victis’ blood for later.

• The Primis team meet again at The Giant where Richtofen kills his alternate self, which fractures the timeline.

• Primis Dempsey and Primis Takeo kill their alternate selves, but before Primis Nikolai does, Richtofen takes them on a little diversion.

“Nein, there is something else we must do. There is a chain of events that must be set in motion.” - Richtofen, at the end of Zetsubo No Shima.

• The group quickly pop in to Alcatraz to get some more blood vials, and then quickly leave.

• Primis Nikolai kills his alternate self.

• The crew go up to Dr. Monty and Revelations happens!

• The crew drink the blood from the vials, mixing their blood with the blood in the vials. Because Dr. Monty closes off the timeline that Richtofen fractured, he expects the Primis crew to vanish, but they don’t. This is because Richtofen used the blood to create a paradox. They have empty blood vials and blood in their system from timelines that have been closed off, so they can’t exist, but they do. So, Dr. Monty throws them out of Agartha and into a timeline where The Great War is happening, and the Primis crew are made to be the ancient heroes who wielded the ancient elemental staffs.

• The crew live their lives from there and die naturally, and then they are reincarnated as themselves once more, and the cycle repeats. ✨

💫So, this is the cycle we know, it’s also the cycle Richtofen knows. In this cycle, Dr. Monty might be suspicious, but he’s not the bad guy, not to Richtofen. Richtofen perpetuates the cycle, and isn’t interested in trying to stop it because he knows that if he does, he’ll die and there’s no coming back. He’s also trying to protect Maxis and keep him alive too! This is why the BotD EE ending is so significant- Richtofen doesn’t have a soul, and can’t do the right thing, but Nikolai still can. This is why Nikolai is the one to break their cycle and put an end to everything.✨

✨ Richtofen does in fact remember the other timelines, but his memory is also being affected by 115, so it’s safe to say he likely just remembers chunks, bits and pieces, enough to know what to do next but not enough to remember things crystal clearly.✨

💫 As for Dr.Monty, I understand what you mean!! Though, I do have a theory! Dr. Monty isn’t human, he doesn’t understand the human mind and gets annoyed by free will. He has a very childish outlook on the universe, and I think the souls being reverted back to children reflects this. I also think it has something to do with children being seen as innocent! He could very well long for a family too, I think that perspective is actually quite wholesome!! But is he keeping them there so the cycle can repeat? I’m…Not sure. I wouldn’t imagine so? I think the goal for Dr. Monty is to simply erase all the corruption from the children, like he did with Samantha. I don’t think we ever really see what happens to those children (aside from Eddie and Samantha later on.) ✨

✨ Thank you so much for this question and I hope I was able to answer it well! Be safe on your next fairy flight!! ✨

[kino-der-joon]

monty is lowkey savage for just wiping ultimis maxis from existence even though he apparently has the ability to remove the aether’s corruption from people. i guess things wouldve gotten a tad confusing with two maxises (maxii?) in agartha though.

💫 Hi hi!! Welcome in, pull up a chair!! ✨

✨ You know, I was about to say: ‘well, his body was dead and his soul was merged with electricity, so perhaps that might be why,’ but then I remembered that Primis Maxis’ body was also dead, and Dr. Monty was able to give him a body but no soul, so actually you make a good point there, he COULD have done that but just chose not to omg!

✨ Two Maxis’ (what are a group of two Maxis’ called…Maxises’?) would be super confusing, I agree there too !

✨ Thank you for this- It’s these kinds of things you never think about until someone brings it up!!✨

✨ NEXT! > ⭐️