#AND SUZAKU JUST STARTS CRYING

[revasserium]

can i rq kags trying to plan how to propose to you,,

bullets cause im lazy today u__u

kageyama proposing to u at the tokyo olympics lets gO:

physically going to bookstores/libraries to do research bc once he heard a story from one of his senpai that a guy ruined his own proposal bc his s/o looked at his internet search history -- so suddenly, you're wondering why he's spending all this time "going to the library" and for a hot sec you wonder if he's cheating but after one (1) quick chat with suga and daichi, they shut that thought down with that promise that it is so, so not that

spends weeks, nay months, pausing at every single jewelry store he passes by; he's late to practice (only by a few minutes!!!) enough times that his coach starts asking questions; his answers are always vague and blushy, that is until hoshiumi lets it slip that he's probably planning on proposing; after which coach suzaku starts to loudly discuss with his assistant coach the various jewelers that he'd used when he'd proposed to his own wife

actually makes a pinterest account bc yachi said that a lot of ppl put their "dream wedding" inspo boards on there, but he was so overwhelmed by the interface and navigation that he immediately deleted his account afterwards

almost has a heart attack when he looks up how much traditional wedding dresses costs and this, everyone, is how he ends up agreeing to being spokesperson for power curry (bc endorsements are so damn lucrative)

gives oikawa a straight up heart attack when he gets a text at ass oclock in the morning of tobio asking him how (HYPOTHETICALLY SPEAKING) if he were to propose (again, HYPOTHETICALLY), how he'd do it bc... well, oikawa's always been good at flirting and stuff right? right.

let it never be said that kageyama tobio doesn't at least try to do his research

ofc hinata is his sounding board; it's a terrible idea but at least hinata is super! fucking! supportive! and! excited! and sure, kageyama has threatened him within LITERALLY an inch of his life if hinata let it slip and ruined the surprise bc okay, it'd be pretty cool to propose to you the at the fucking tokyo olympics. but what if he japan doesn't win?

and sure he has to call kuroo to pull way too many strings to set it up but... that's what people like right? big sweeping gestures? and if he has to suffer through half an hour of kuroo's teasing, then so be it. he's suffered worse.

but when the time comes, just before he gets up onto the podium (and sure, 2nd place isn't 1st place, but getting a silver medal at the olympics his 2nd year running is still pretty damn amazing!!!), he finds himself strangely breathless -- and he knows that it's just nerves and that somehow it feels bigger than setting up for a service ace against france, bigger than even getting up on that podium to begin with --

he can see you standing courtside, tears already in your eyes, and he hopes that you have no idea (you have no idea, truly); when he looks at you with the barest inkling of a smile, you blink, you pause, your whole body going still. the area around him quiets, the cheers and screaming of the crowd droning out to barely a buzz in the background. the confused faces of the argentinian team nothing more than a blur as kuroo hands him the microphone with a wink

"uhm -- sorry everyone, but uh -- there's just something i'd like to say before i accept my medal... uhm..." he turns to you and you've already got your hands over your mouth, looking bewildered; he chuckles, digging in his pocket and nearly dropping the mic -- scattered laughter, some of the closest fans are already cheering some of his personal fans are crying but who can blame them rly --

"i know it's not the gold medal i promised you but..." he pulls out the ring and gets down on one knee "this is gold, i made sure, and... i was wondering if you'd accept it anyway," and he sounds so sincere, his voice a little stiff but so, so soft, and you're vaulting over the barricades, almost tripping on your mad sprint towards him, nodding and crying and tipping into his arms even before he can stand up properly

"yes, yes, yes -- oh my god, how long were you planning for this?!" and he's laughing and kissing you and shakily slipping the ring onto your finger and kissing you again and the entire stadium is screaming, his teammates are all clapping, the french team is a little miffed at having their moment stolen, but most of them are smiling anyways; he clears his throat and bows to the different representatives all waiting for him to finish before dropping another kiss onto your cheek, "i'll tell you about it later, okay? i've got a medal ceremony to finish."

[shukufuyu]

[Card Backstage Translation] Itaru Chigasaki SSR - Great Suzaku's Luck (1/3)

Itaru: I see… I’m really desperate for some luck right now, I feel a bit jealous.

thank you anon for the raws! read below for more.

next

Itaru: I’m home…

Izumi: Itaru-san, welcome back!

You seem bummed out, what happened?

Itaru: My favorite anime is having a collab raffle that started today, but no matter which convenience store I went to, all of them were sold out.

Well, the raffle this time is quite popular, I should’ve seen it coming.

Izumi: It’s that popular of a raffle huh.

Itaru: Right. The anime itself is already popular, the prize this time is super fancy, especially one of them being prize figures is just insane.

It was basically a popular scene that a fan couldn’t help but cry just by talking about it and it’s coming to life. As a fan myself I made an oath to obtain it… 

Chikage: Go ahead, as long as you clean up, you can add more new merch into our room.

Itaru: Senpai…

Since when did you arrive?

Izumi: Welcome back, Chikage-san.

Chikage: I’m home.

Izumi: The thing you were talking about cleaning up, are you guys’ room really that messy?

Chikage: Yeah. Don’t think this guy is willing to at least tidy up, his merch collection is just racking up every now and then.

Itaru: I’ll do it once I calm down. Anyways, once I get the prize figure set…

Chikage: For what it’s worth, you lack the virtue, hence not even being able to find any store that actually sells them.

Itaru: Gh, I have no retorts…

Homare: I have arrived.

Izumi: Welcome back.

Hm? Homare-san, what’s with that large box?

Homare: I’d be very glad to answer that! Inside this box includes a vermillion ornament I received from an owner of an antique shop I’m familiar with.

Izumi: Wow, you’re right! This Suzaku looks amazing…!

Homare: Hm. Such a dignified expression, the feathers are molded exquisitely. I’m sure you understood how I’ve been enticed to this particular ornament.

Itaru: …Hm, It does look cool.

Homare: Oho! It appears Itaru-kun also acknowledges the magnificence of this Suzaku! As expected from someone who has taken the role of Suzaku.

Itaru: Yeah, Suzaku’s already cool. But if anything I think Suzaku’s cool because it’s simply Suzaku.

It looks like my luck might increase if I put it in my room…

Homare: Indeed. It is said that Suzaku’s powerful wings are able to ward off evil spirits, including granting luck and power to overcome hardships.

Itaru: I see… I’m really desperate for some luck right now, I feel a bit jealous.

Homare: …I understand.

Then, I shall lend this Suzaku to Itaru-kun. It surely will bestow plenty of strength upon you.

Though of course. It’s due to your understanding of Suzaku’s charm. Do decorate your room with it.

Itaru: Thank you very much. Then, I will take your word for it.

With the power of this Suzaku I have borrowed. I believe I will acquire the A-prize figure.

Izumi: You really do want that figure huh.

Chikage: So he’s putting that in the room…

Itaru: Alright. Now I’ll display it around here…

(Glad that I could borrow it even though it was on a whim, but it’s really big and pressuring. But now that it’s in my hands, I’ll keep it close just to be safe…)

O Great Suzaku, I implore you to bless me with luck. I will be in your care.

…I feel bad for Homare-san, but if the prize figure is that easy to get I wouldn’t go through such lengths.

(Anyways, while I go gather info on the internet, I’ll go look for convenience stores to go draw the raffle.)

next

t/n: Raffle/くじ prizes range from C-prizes (C賞) to A-prizes (A賞), and the ラスワン aka "last prize" are obtained from the last remaining ticket.

[smthfunnyhappenedonthewaytor3]

Having just been rescued after two days and a hundred miles of uncomfortable captivity Euphemia: I want... a piece of bread and a bedroll. Suzaku: This rough camp is no place for your repose— Eupehmia: Any bread. Any bedroll. Suzaku: There may be some women I can find for your attendants, but they are not what you are used to— Euphemia: Your bedroll would do. Suzaku: Your highness, I— Euphemia: If you do not give me a bedroll at once, I am going to sit down on the ground right here and start to cry. Now.

[kankuroplease]

what was the reaction of the husbands of your Ocs grils when they learned that they were pregnant (Au founders)don't forget Sho and Manda pls they are so cute 🥰

Pregnancy mentions under the cut 🤰

Butsuma (Asako’s husband)

He’s not overly excited about it, but he’s concerned. He’ll be stern about what she can and can’t do now that she’s carrying his child like she’ll listen

Tajima (Sumi’s husband)

He’s so ready for this, don’t play with his emotions, Sumi. A shaky “are you certain?” and he’s got the goofiest smile spreading across his face before he embraces her and tells her he can’t wait to meet their child

Kawarama (Okami’s husband)

Overjoyed! He’s peppering her with kisses and can’t even hide his excitement! Everyone is going to know he’s going to a father by the end of the week because he finds ways to just bring it up

Tobirama (Aori’s husband)

It’s a logical consequence of not exercising self restraint. He wasn’t jumping up and down, but he felt accomplished on the inside giving his wife something she’s always wanted. He’s adding food from his plate to hers from then onwards to keep her and the baby well fed

Itama (Gou’s Husband)

He’s relieved. Gou’s been sick, and now this all makes sense. They’re going to have a baby! He is happy and a little nervous about it, but he knows he can ask his brothers about what to do next.

Madara (Katsura’s husband)

“I suspected as much” he’s smug about it because he knew she was pregnant before she did. He’s getting an heir, so he’s satisfied

Kagami (miu’s husband)

He’s confused. He thought pregnancy was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but Miu is crying and blaming him for impregnating her? It takes a few days for the news to truly settle in, but he’s excited for this new adventure and will talk Miu down from her dramatic edge she’s not her grandmother, he’s not letting her go on missions pregnant. Sorry, dear

Rei (Sora’s Husband)

Scared and guilty feeling. Sora’s the one good thing that’s happened to him and if he lost her he’d be a wreck. It’s his fault not really, she wanted to start a family and he’s going to make sure she stays happy and healthy

Sakumo (Kōmori’s husband)

He’s caught off guard by her stating she has been sensing a a faint chakra growing in her over dinner. It takes a second to realize what she meant, but he’s happy. Happy enough to cry and kisses her sweetly

Suzaku (Erika and Aja’s husband)

He’s happy at first! Erika was the first to announce her pregnancy, which made Aja a bit sad as they’d planned to be pregnant together. Then he’s stressing. It wouldn’t matter to him if Aja was unable to carry children, but it mattered to her. So the relief he (and Erika) felt when it actually happened a few months later for Aja was enough for him to laugh. Two pregnant wives under one roof is stress he welcomes if they’re happy.

Orochimaru (Tora’s situationship)

Didn’t find out he was father until the child was a toddler. He found it to be an interesting development coming from Tora

Manda (Sho’s husband)

He’s a little embarrassed. It means everyone knows they’ve been having unprotected sex 💀 But he’s really happy! Building a family with Sho is beyond his wildest dreams.

[yurisorcerer]

pbptptpbptptptpbpbpbptptptptptpppppbpbpbhph.

Okay.

So! Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection, huh? Took me five years to get to it. I do not know what I expected. This was not nearly as bad as I feared but also not as good as I hoped. I guess I'd say it's good as a movie for huge Code Geass fans, but it also kind of walks back some of the core ideas of Code Geass as a series, so Hm.

Like, ok, let's just start with the premise. The very idea of Lelouch coming back to life after the end of the series (or rather the alternate continuity to the series as presented by the Lelouch of the Rebellion compilation movies), is already a bit wonky. If Code Geass works on any level *thematically,* it's because Lelouch, as the 99th Emperor Britannia, dies. He dies not because it's necessarily the right thing to happen to him *morally,* but because he knows he has so much blood on his hands that he can't live with himself. It's suicide-by-Suzaku. That's how the original series ends.

Here, of course, he is just back. In of itself, that would be fine, but everyone is SO accepting of it SO quickly. There's a couple quick scenes of Kallen crying over him and Suzaku beating the ever-loving shit out of him (he deserves worse honestly), but for the most part everyone is completely happy to start taking orders from History's Greatest Monster again. With some of these people, like Cornelia and even his own sister Nunally, this kind of strains credulity. Especially with how the latter goes out of her way to exonerate Lelouch of any wrongdoing and blames herself for not truly understanding her brother's motives. I'm sorry, like, I've seen the show. That's just kind of bullshit. Lelouch's motives were *extremely* selfish and the fact that he never told Nunnally what he was up to was kind of the whole point, he didn't respect her as an equal, and just thought of her as someone he needed to protect. Due to, you know, pick one; misogyny, a generally privileged upbringing that may have rubbed some concept of noblesse oblige into him, ableism, the fact that he's a smug bastard who assumes he knows better than everyone, etc.

The unfortunate thing about the movie, though, is that Lelouch Lamperouge is cool as shit and it's really fun to watch him do anything.

Where it gets brought back, at least for me, in spite of all these flaws, is that I do just pop when Lelouch is on-screen Doing His Thing. C.C. has a fantastic little exchange with him when he gets discouraged late in the film where she talks about how she wants to see the arrogant, unwavering Lelouch. That's a good moment and it's pretty in keeping with their relationship, but it's also a sly nod toward the fourth wall I'm pretty sure. Unfortunately, to some extent, I will just watch this fucking bastard with his fucking hair and his fucking cloak and mask and his fucking violet shoujo manga-ass eyes and his fucking fruity little hand gestures whenever he talks, play everyone like a fiddle yet again while making grand pronouncements and saying "checkmate" unironically when he's got someone cornered even though no one has ever played a game of chess on-screen in Code Geass that made a lick of sense.

There are certain characters that just have such unreal amounts of charisma that watching them do basically anything is fun. (The voice acting in this thing is magnificent, of course, and helps sell that. I'd listen to Fukuyama Jun read a phone book.) Lelouch is one of those. If I'm any Code Geass character in spirit, it's Tamaki. Any time Lelouch puts on the Zero mask I scream and point at the screen and go "that's my man right there!!" like we're close personal friends or something. It's a disease, and I have to live with it. God forbid I ever get super into UC Gundam, I don't know WHAT I'd do if I ended up being like this about Char.

Everyone else returning from Code Geass proper has at least one really good moment, too. Kallen, Suzaku, and C.C. predictably get the best of them and the new characters that are introduced as their antagonists are, at least, very strong. The way the middle east is portrayed in this movie is WILD problematic, but a side effect of how Code Geass tends to write its antagonists is that at the very least the antagonist characters here have actual, like, human motives, and Lelouch's opposite number Shamna is a worthy foe; he does of course beat her but it's really down to the wire. Lot of good mecha fights in here, too, with Kallen and Suzaku both getting a lot of good screentime doing what they do best. There's more CGI than I'd like (CGI can work very well in a mecha anime IF the mecha are designed for it, but Code Geass' largely were not and you can tell), but not enough that it saps the movie of its dynamism, so, full marks there.

And then there's the ending of the movie which, hmmm. Basically, indirectly, the film makes C.C. x Lelouch canon, and in the postscript they seem to have formed a Geass Master power couple (complete with a very sharp gothic lolita look for C.C. that is absolutely fabulous. Lelouch's new outfit in that sequence is pretty snazzy too). I know Suzululu was always the more popular pairing (at least I've always gotten that impression), but I think this actually mostly makes sense, and I think they look good together. OTOH, Lelouch---sorry, he's going by L.L. now---seems like the sort of person who has a lot of different people in his life without necessarily being *totally* bound to any one of them. Maybe that's my own polyamory coloring the text, but it didn't feel exclusionary to me.

Anyway, yeah. Kind of betrays the spirit of the original a little bit but as far as being essentially a fun fanservice movie it was pretty good. They're making more, I'll probably watch those, too, especially if Lelouch continues to be cunty in them.

[jophiares]

So I found this around, can I ask for Suzaku/ Lelouch?

♥ Send a ship and I'll give you who:

- Gives nose/forehead kisses

- Gets jealous the most

- Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive

- Takes care of on sick days

- Drags the other person out into the water on beach day

- Gives unprompted massages

- Drives/rides shotgun

- Brings the other lunch at work

- Has the better parental relationship

- Tries to start role-playing in bed

- Embarrassingly drunk dancer

- Still cries watching Titanic

- Firmly believes in couples costumes

- Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas

- Makes the other eat breakfast

- Remembers anniversaries

- Brings up having kids

you know i initially read this and was like 'im not doing that.' but then i looked over the prompts and ill give it a short go. speedrun.

*to everyone reading this. do Not expect to be able to get me to write smth just by sending an ask

- Gives nose/forehead kisses

definitely suzaku. however, lelouch especially loves goodbye and goodnight kisses.

- Gets jealous the most

lelouch LMAO my evidence is: code geass episodes 1-50

- Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive

i dont see lelouch being much of a bar person, but he def has a lower tolerance than suzaku. he'll see suzaku and start crying or smth. suzaku does the same thing to lelouch when he's drunk tho haha.

- Takes care of on sick days

lelouch is the caretaker ever. he's incredibly doting. suzaku is good too but no one is lelouch's level.

- Drags the other person out into the water on beach day

suzaku would want lelouch to get some exercise in and get some sun. lelouch ends up just short of drowning (horrible stamina to swim) and with a sunburn. suzaku apologizes by rubbing aloe vera on him

- Gives unprompted massages

suzaku strikes me as the more physically affectionate of the two, esp when it comes to his hands. lelouch is usually sitting at a desk doing fuck all anyway, so suzaku's strongest adversaries are the knots in lelouch's shoulders.

- Drives/rides shotgun

they can both drive, but suzaku likes it more than lelouch does so he tends to drive more. suzaku sometimes jokes abt being his chauffeur

- Brings the other lunch at work

lelouch would not let suzaku leave the house w/o his lunch. sometimes suzaku takes his lunch break to get smth lelouch asked him to get for dinner later.

- Has the better parental relationship

girl lmfao

- Tries to start role-playing in bed

i think they're both pretty good at it/into it. not an every night thing. lelouch is the better actor by far, but suzaku is nothing if not determined.

- Embarrassingly drunk dancer

suzaku would do the robot except hed call it the lancelot or something. might even try to get lelouch to join him to do a move he calls the shinkiro. (lelouch only joins when theyre at home alone. otherwise he just watches him w the most gooey romantic look anyone has ever seen.)

- Still cries watching Titanic

lelouch, easy. he's full on sobbing while suzaku laughs at him a bit. suzaku tears up a little too tho.

- Firmly believes in couples costumes

suzaku. he pesters lelouch into making an updated version of the cat outfits they had. lelouch grumbles and complains but he has a lot of fun regardless.

- Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas

lelouch doesnt believe that this rule should apply to himself because he loves shelling out for those he loves, but hes always incredulous when suzaku shells out. long story short, they both break the rule.

- Makes the other eat breakfast

lelouch will force suzaku to be late to make sure he has his most important meal of the day

- Remembers anniversaries

they both do! anniversaries are very important to the two of them

- Brings up having kids

suzaku would. lelouch had been thinking abt it for the same amount of time as suzaku has, but hes kind of shy abt it lol. theyd def have to talk a lot about breaking cycles!

[magz]

Comtinuing liveblog code geass

Episode 7-8 (edit)

The show try frame (ep 7) thing where that sect of JP resistance group not listen to him, n all dying except him, as them all "being stupid" for not listen to lelouch

But thing is: he not try get allies beyond the like. Maybe 7 people from same resistance group he got in episode 2.

The reason the other sect all died was because they not trust him, n Lelouch was too prideful n confident in his intelligence as if actual political conflict n militia work would be like playing chess.

As soon as 1 thing went different from Lelouch's predictions, resulting in a member's death, they all started not believe him. Because they not *trust* him, they have no reason to. He only won 1 battle before.

N Lelouch had opportunity to make the other sects trust him ! He had time, especially when he was informed the other sects were being killed off by cornelia before ! He was told it was happening n asked for what to do by his group members. He could have done allying with other resistance groups, n his little scheming, n prepared if he cared - but he brush it off. Until a diff related sect was already under siege.

This immaturity in thinking his goal of destroy Britannian legacy n revenge his father will be easy, was reflected in ep3 when he did his first kill with own hands - killing his half-brother. N became nauseous n distressed (rightfully so), but he somehow thought that wouldn't happen n he presumed he was weaker than he thought n brushed it off.

Imo The problem wasn't that he got nauseous or that he was "weaker" - it was that he knows little of actual reality of conflict n oppression n killing. with actual people. Knows little the human side of things. the psychology of death + suffering + distress as actual thing that affects. N not just as plans, n chess.

If not for C.C. saving him with a diversion, he would have died in ep7 when his plan failed. As he not take into account that each battlefield will be different, n that people aren't chess pawns - they have feelings n suspicions.

With that in mind... his win in ep8, in the hostage situation was "genius" in realm of propaganda.

Using princess cornelia's fondness of her little sistern n wanting her safety.

Making one the Japanese Liberation Front commanders kill themself when they not concede to him, n make it seem like JLF knew they were on the wrong in strategy so the other JLF members back down.

Saving the Britannian hostages, when he was also consider killing euphy.

He made situation where he only needed leverage the very basics of emotions but no deaper than that. would not have matter whether Japanese liberation front became ally or not, whether enemies n allies acted certain way, he would have adapted the narrative to it.

All so he and his "knights" can look like saviors of the people for the people, regardless of if they Britannian or Japanese.

Yes, is "genius" propaganda leverage.

But it's bad logic for liberation of colonies to focus on dividing the conflict as "unarmed people" and "people with weapons".

Liberation isn't his main goal anyways. It's revenge against his father, as an exiled royalty.

So it won't matter, suppose.

Anyways - nenenenenenen's crush on euphemy was established in this episode w euphie save her. n nenenenenenen hatred of Japanese has been cemented further thru being made hostage when she is just rich white girl who hates poor people n has never experienced that type trauma before.

Suzaku doing whatever, suppose. He was ready to feel incompetent n cry about being unable to save people with his flawed follow-the-law morals n trust in britannia+justice, but this development was cut short by lelouch (zero) saving them.

Lelouch inadvertently just delaying the inevitable here (suffering) n keeping his rival suzaku going without have to self-examine his own goals/views.

[rolotouto]

About the new Student Council drama CDs

Before focusing on the topic of this post’s title, I said I’d translate the only two lines Rolo had in GeaGene’s Lelouch birthday event:

Rolo “There’s a giant Brother looking for Brother and going on a rampage!”

Lelouch “Huh?”

Orpheus “You probably don’t understand what he’s talking about, but Rolo is just telling the truth” I initially skipped the dialogues assuming there’d be no Rolo in the event, so I’m not sure whether the mecha-Lelouch you’ll soon see below was made by Lloyd or Nina nor what its purpose is or what, but anyway, to Lelouch’s dismay, everyone says it(he? I’m using “it” to differentiate the robot from Lelouch) has the same personality as Lelouch:

Kallen: “You know, I’ve been noticing for a while, but the way it talks is...”

Suzaku “Yeah, I thought the same”

Suzaku/Kallen “Similar to Lelouch”

Lelouch “Eh?”

Akito “Particularly like when he acts as Zero”

Orpheus “The way they ham it up too”

Oldrin “That haughty aura...”

Rolo “I think it’s wonderful, Brother” Looks like Rolo is satisfied with how accurately pompous this Lelouch imposter is, unlike Sayoko’s non-arrogant version. But then, Nunnally appears:

Robot-Lelouch: “Nu-Nunnally...? Ooh! Sister of mine... My reason to live, my reason to fight. Ooh, Nunnally...” How much do I have to pay to see memoryless!Lelouch talking about Rolo like this? Mm, maybe there’s more info after I finish translating this event... *foreshadowing*

Robot: “Watch me, Nunnally. I will defeat the Original, and turn into your brother...” This yandere robot's way of thinking seems familiar.

Nunnally:  “I’m telling you to please wait, robot version of Brother. I do not wish for conflict. Please, with a conversation...”

But the robot refuses to be stopped, so Nunnally ends up crying the words:

Nunnally “Such a Brother is not my Brother!” Causing the robot to explode. According to the real Lelouch, being rejected by Nunnally, it had an identity crisis and couldn’t retain its sense of self.  ---- So that’s the story. But this is a Rolo blog, and here we want Lelouch to care about Rolo too, not just Nunnally. And again, in this event Rolo is the one talking to Lelouch, with Lelouch barely reacting to Rolo. It’s been too long... Will we ever see Lelouch worrying about Rolo again? Well, in fact!! The time has finally come!! New drama CDs will be released starting April 2023, called “Drama CDs with the book <Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion Student Council Radio Station Wave!> included”! Right now, I don’t think the list of voice actors has been released for each of the 6 volumes, so it might be that instead of the characters interacting with each other, we only get Milly or Lelouch narrating different stories. No matter how it is, some track summaries already mention Rolo! Vol. 1: 〇ルルーシュの日常 vol.1「保健室とお迎え」 ある日、弟のロロがケガをして保健室にやってきたという一報を聞きつけ、慌てて保健室へと駆け込むルルーシュ。 息も絶え絶えに到着するや否や、ルルーシュは保健室の先生に問いただすのであった。 Lelouch’s day-to-day vol. 1 “The school infirmary and welcoming someone” One day, Lelouch rushes to the infirmary when he hears that his younger brother Rolo is there with an injury. Gasping for breath as he arrived, Lelouch immediately interrogated the infirmary teacher. Vol. 4 〇実録！アッシュフォードスクールライフメモリー「ナイトオブラウンズが学生に!?　波乱の体験入学」 ある日、生徒会の元に理事長からとあるお知らせが飛び込んでくる。 それは、ナイトオブスリー、ジノ・ヴァインベルグ卿が学園への編入を前提に1日体験入学に訪れるというものだった。 ルルーシュとロロが不在の中、生徒会ラジオの放送も差し迫り準備に大忙しの生徒会メンバーは大慌てでジノの体験入学に臨むのであった。 Real story! Ashford School Life Memory "Knights of the Round become students!? A turbulent open campus program" One day, the student council suddenly receive some news from the chairman: The Knight of Three, Lord Gino Weinberg, will visit them during a one-day open campus program on the premise of transferring to the academy. With Lelouch and Rolo absent, the student council members are very busy preparing the imminent student council radio broadcast, and have to deal with Gino’s open campus program in a panic. April 24th 2023 for the first one! I marked my calendar!

[softfuzzyships]

1-5 from the s/i game!!! (kittyandco)

@kittyandco THANK U ok sorry for being cringe on main but i miss lelouch so im stuck in his realm

1. what are the basics of your self insert? name, date of birth, height, etc.?

zacharie shirogane chevalier, january 30th, 5'1, black hair/black eyes, resides in former japan, rebel and zero enjoyer

2. when in canon does your self insert come in? do you have a scene in mind for your entrance?

some time after tbk have taken off and they start taking in new recruits (zero hired me cause im gay and i hate the government). i dont have an entrance in mind here either lol cause i kinda figure i just merge into ogi's group as they follow him around. he found me on the street like a stray dog and just went with it

3. how do the other characters generally feel about your self insert?

lelouch loves me and is one of the few characters who does lmao.... suzaku is my friend but he thinks im kinda. stupid. but he has to bear witness to my bad decisions so im not mad at him. cc is like my roommate who has to deal w me crying cause i miss my boyfriend whenever hes out of my sight for longer than 5 minutes and she does not enjoy this relationship. i think lelouchs school friends and most of tbk are neutral to me, prob find me kind of annoying cause im the teachers pet. kallen doesnt like me for that reason

4. would you be considered a main character, side character, villain, or something else?

side character cause at least i get to say words on screen instead of being strictly a bg character lmao. tbh theres not really any winning going on in cg so good/bad guy doesnt mean a whole lot to me. im just the boyfriend character

5. does your self insert have any special powers or abilities?

no but sometimes i think it would be dope to have a geass. not that i know what it would do but i think it would be very epic of me

[privatekururugi]

@touchreceptors although I am ABSOLUTELY SCREAMING BECAUSE CONFIRMATION THAT THEY FUCKING TALKED IS SO GOOD, I’m also even more livid because THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT, PLOT MOVING EVENT AND INSTEAD OF SHOWING US THEY JUST STUCK A LINE IN THERE. IN THE PREVIEW, NO LESS. I swear on everything if the unaired scenes don’t involve the time skip and the suzalulu that came with it I’m going to rage quit sO HaRd.

[caretaker-of-spacetime]

Canon Code Geass is cancelled, I repeat, Canon Code Geass is now cancelled, only happy AUs exist anymore

[suzaeuphysolos]

Thinking about what Suzaku and Euphemia could have had. They were so close to happiness. Being able to just have each other without worrying about being a princess or a knight. Being free to do what they wanted. Being able to make change happen together. You'd think their love couldn't grow any stronger than it already was but it could. More in love by the day. Being able to wake up next to each other every day. Morning kisses. Or late night conversations. Or other late night stuff... Doing dumb shit like playing tag or hide and seek because their childhoods were less than normal and that doesn't matter anymore. Going back to school and finishing, spending every day goofing off with the student council. Healing together. Learning to love themselves through one another. Supporting each other when times get tough. Going on dates. Cuddling at home with Arthur while they watched TV. Getting married. Euphemia walking down the aisle practically glowing and Suzaku starts crying because he didn't think it was possible for a person like him to be as happy as he was at that moment. Having kids. That absolute moment of shock and joy and Suzaku's face whenever Euphy tells him. Learning how to be parents and how to adjust together. Seeing the world change through many peoples', including their, long efforts as they grow older. Growing older but still being just as in love. Slow dancing in the living room. Cooking together. Doing housework together. Literally just so overjoyed to be with each other every second. Facing life's trials hand in hand, not ever alone. Maybe even becoming grandparents. Supporting each other as their bodies start to succumb to old age. An elderly couple, but still, just as in love as before. Until death do them part. Then they're reunited once more after a long, long life lived. I'm forever heart broken. It was right within their grasp... and then everything went to hell. I'm so sad and I don't think I'll ever be able to stop crying at the tragedy of it.

[strokes-of-everything]

I’m still working on C.C. and Lelouch’s International Pizza Adventures (working title, please forgive my exhausted brain,) but hear me out on this AU fic idea slightly in Lelouch the Tutor world.

Everyone in the student council is up to their eyeballs in stress—aside from Euphy, who takes things in stride always, and Rivalz, who doesn’t realize there’s things to be stressed about—so Milly makes everyone attend a mandatory restorative yoga class. Ya know, the kind where you have to stay in ~restorative~ poses for five to ten minutes straight while the instructor says nice things to you? Still trying to decide if Milly should lead the class herself or not…

Picture it:

Villeta drags Jeremiah to it with her because she has to chaperone any physical activities done by the students, and if she has to suffer through what amounts to group meditation with teenagers, Jeremiah’s coming, too. He loudly complains at multiple points throughout class about them using lavender oil instead of orange oil for shavasana, and refuses to receive some for said resting pose for integrity’s sake. Jeremiah and Rivalz both pass tf out at the end of class, and Villeta is stuck sandwiched between their snoring selves with no escape until class is over.

C.C is really, really good at doing the poses and relaxing her mind, which drives Lelouch bananas because his mind never 👏 shuts 👏 up👏. She uses Cheese-Kun as her bolster instead of the provided pillow and taunts the hell out of Lelouch for being unable to just relax and focus on his breathing. They share a cute moment when he refuses to relax for their final resting pose because she notices and tries to get him to calm down.

Rivalz does all of the poses incorrectly, and Nina attempts to help him but eventually gives up, leaving him stuck in an incomplete Bird of Paradise.

Euphy is just vibing with the class the whole time, taking the instructor’s lead in saying nice things to everyone, which gets her shushed—in a kind way—during shavasana. She gets some poses wrong and chuckles quietly to herself each time before correcting. She says something to Suzaku in the middle of half pigeon or their yogi squat that makes him blush, and winds up comforting him when he randomly starts crying in the middle of the class. (This has happened to someone in almost every restorative class I’ve taken; people will straight up start bawling out of the blue.)

Lelouch struggles miserably through the whole thing because he can’t stop analyzing if he’s doing the poses correctly and thinking about everything else he should be doing if Milly hadn’t been such a dictator and forced them all to do this freaking class, but he learns to appreciate the practice and the clarity it gives by the end of the session. Also incredibly inflexible, so C.C. teases him when his half pigeon and cobblers poses don’t exactly work out, lol.

Rolo attempts to copy Lelouch for every pose instead of listening to the cues of the instructor.

I haven’t forgotten Nunnally/Shirley/etc., but I have a meeting, so this is it for now.

[naruwitch]

Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron Chapter 38: Jupiter's Sanctuary

Red. That was the color that surrounded the Castle of Lions from all sides. No, not the bleeding red of blood, or the orange flames of fire, but bright red clouds of dust and gas as Jupiter's Red Spot swirled in all directions outside.

Upon making it back to the castle, barely so much as touching down in Zen's hanger, Lelouch ordered for Allura to guide the Castle of Lions to their Solar System's largest gas giant, where in its lower hemisphere, they'd spot a hurricane that had been blowing and surging practically since the planet formed.

"Take us into the eye of that storm. It should provide enough interference and temporary shelter until we can regroup. Quickly!"

Despite the nearly mesmerizing display of the storm outside, no one was in the mood for exploring or observing it.

Yes, they got away. Yes, they'd managed to shake the Galra for now. But they all knew it wouldn't last long, and that didn't even take into account the losses suffered. Dozens who managed to make it back to the castle were left heavily wounded. Several hallways had to be boarded off and converted into makeshift extensions of the infirmary to treat all of the wounded. Only those with absolutely life-threatening wounds were allowed into the pods first. The rest had to wait and suffer the pain until one opened.

Lelouch and Nunnally both gazed anxiously into the pod that currently held Sayoko inside, the nearly mortal wound to her abdomen dying her cryosuit a rosy red as the machine worked to knit her skin back together, face still pale and slight shadows under her eyes from the blood loss.

Lelouch swallowed, fighting back bile as images of his maid-turned-surrogate-mother bleeding out on Zenobia's floor flashed back to his mind. Despite Lord Guilford's efforts to stop the bleeding on both Sayoko and his sister, they almost didn't make it.

'How many times have I been down here?' Lelouch wondered bitterly, 'Only watching as someone close to me nearly died in these things?'

Nunnally didn't say anything either, only glancing at her brother apprehensively, trying to read his face to offer words of comfort or encouragement, to tell him that Sayoko, and everyone else who made it would be fine. But so far, she had come up empty.

Lelouch didn't bother to turn around as the faint hiss of the infirmary doors opened behind him and the clear clacking of footsteps echoed through the room.

"...What are our losses?" Lelouch asked bluntly, nearly devoid of emotion as Allura approached the pair.

"...Civilian casualties remain zero for our side," Allura said briskly, "But as for our fighting force…? I'm afraid more than half have fallen."

"...I see…" Lelouch said so quietly Allura nearly doesn't hear.

"Lelouch, it's…" Nunnally started but stopped at the look on her brother's face. At that point, she knew that words wouldn't be enough to convince her brother otherwise right now. That he had done the best he could to save as many lives as possible. That this wasn't his fault.

"Where's everyone else?" Lelouch asked, still not turning around.

"Kallen, Rivalz, Shirley, and Milly are with their families. Helping them get settled," Allura said, "Coran is with the rest of the engineers repairing the damaged Knightmares. I believe Suzaku is with his cousin and Tohdoh's squad, and Rai and Nonette are looking over C.C. right now."

"She hasn't woken up yet?" Lelouch asked.

"No…" Allura shook her head, "She's still unresponsive, but clearly alive."

"...And our 'guest'?" Lelouch asked tersely, nearly spitting out the word like venom.

Allura scowled as well, "Currently contained in a cryopod. He won't be able to do anything for now, but we're not taking chances. We're having guards posted to him at all hours, and they have orders to take him out again if he somehow escapes."

"Good," Lelouch nodded slightly before turning out of the room, "If you'll excuse me, I have something else to attend to."

The two princesses watched him go with looks of concern. Yes, Lelouch looked like he was being strong, but they, Nunnally especially, knew better. Lelouch was barely holding it together, focusing on the tasks at hand just to keep from breaking down himself. While Lelouch had gotten better at showing his vulnerable side when around the Paladins, he still had much to work on. It was even rare for Nunnally to see (or hear at the time) her brother cry about anything, but the sobs she used to hear coming from his room during their earlier days at Ashford didn't fool her. Nunnally had no doubt that only after Lelouch was in the quiet of their bedroom would he finally let it out, and it would be painful for him, but she was determined to still be there for him no matter what.

"He'll be alright, Nunnally," Allura said softly, as if reading her mind, "He may be leading this fight, but he's not doing it alone."

"Yes…" Nunnally nodded solemnly before looking more directly at the Altean, "By the way, I never got to thank you for earlier… Thank you for saving me and Euphie. And thanks for looking out for Lelouch and the other Paladins."

Allura smiled sadly, "Ever since I learned of Altea's destruction, I've grown to consider the new Paladins as my family. And that does include you as well." Allura placed a hand on Nunnally's shoulder, "I told Lelouch long ago that I'd be there for him, no matter what. And I want to make that promise to you too, Nunnally, if you'll let me."

Nunnally smiled and wrapped her arms around Allura's waist, feeling the Altean do the same to her.

They'd be there for Lelouch. Both of them.

Kallen fidgetted, her mind flashing back to the day in the hospital when she last saw her mom face to face. She was still clad in her Paladin armor, her helmet resting next to her on her bed. If finding out aliens were real was overwhelming enough, finding out your own child was a pilot of one of the greatest weapons in the universe, and one of the only people that could stop said alien race was likely even more shocking. Kallen knew her mom deserved to know where she'd been these last months, and she was grateful to be given the chance to do so.

"Mom, you still with me?" she asked after a short silence.

"Um, yes…" Mrs. Kozuki nodded, "It's just a lot to take in… I know how much you hate Britannia, so it doesn't surprise me as much as it should that you'd fight against them, but you're even fighting an entire alien race as well…?" She glanced up at her daughter with an anxious expression, "I know I can't stop you Kallen… but this is how I lost your brother as well. I know our life was far from perfect, but I never wanted…"

"I know mom, and… I'm sorry for dragging you into this, but I couldn't just sit back and do nothing anymore, especially after Naoto…" Kallen felt her throat squeeze as tears pricked her eyes, "...At first, it was about revenge, I won't deny that. But ever since this, finding the Lions, fighting with the other Paladins. Even before this with the Black Knights… It's more than that now. We're fighting to actually help people now, to actually save lives. And I don't regret it, not for a second."

Kallen felt a soft hand on top of her own and she looked up at her mom again.

"I think I understand," Mrs. Kozuki said softly, "I know how much you care about your friends and what you believe in. Your brother was the same way, but… but I want you to know… I'm proud of you, Kallen. Just promise me that you'll stay safe. I don't want to lose you too."

Kallen didn't waste another second as she engulfed her mom in a hug.

"I promise, mom. I swear on my life…"

Shirley bit her lip, trying to gauge her parents' reactions. Just like Kallen, and after helping them get settled in, Shirley told her mom and dad everything that had been happening, including the things that she had come to realize about Britannia. About the disturbing parallels she saw between the Galra and the Britannian government's policies. She honestly wasn't sure what her parents would say. Her father was a scientist in the Britannian army, a position she knew he held with great pride. And even after they moved to Japan, Shirley couldn't recall if her mother ever really interacted with the Japanese (their manor being fairly deep into the settlement), honorary citizens or otherwise. Or at least, she never saw such interactions during the few times she was home during the school year. She didn't want to think her parents were bad people, but finding out your child was one of your nation's greatest enemies was likely not a pleasant surprise.

"...Look," Shirley said, the silence finally getting to her, "Whether you agree with me or not, you're still my mom and dad, so we're not going to kick you out or anything, but… you can't change my mind either. I'm too deep into this, I can't just turn my-"

Aurora Fenette suddenly stood up and shakily walked to the door.

"I...I need a moment," she muttered when the doors slid open for her and she retreated down the hallway.

Shirley's eyes shimmered as she watched her go before reluctantly turning back to her father, his expression still unreadable.

"Dad… I… I'm sorry, I just-"

"Shirley," Joseph said calmly, meeting his daughter's eye, "I want you to be honest with me. Does all of this…" he gestured around the room, "...Does this really mean that much to you?"

Shirley was silent, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't sure why her father was asking her that question. And the way he was… it sounded almost like coming to a crossroads, though she wasn't sure for whom. But no matter what he meant, Shirley shut her eyes and vigorously nodded her head.

Joseph didn't say anything for a moment, then he sighed and stood up.

"...Where are you going?" she asked nervously as the doors slid open again.

"There's something I need to do," he said vaguely, "and I'll talk to your mother too, Shirley. Just give her some time."

With those last words, the doors hissed shut, leaving Shirley still staring at the door, unsure what to feel at that moment.

"...And that's pretty much all that's happened until now," Rivalz finished after settling down to talk to his mother and siblings about the adventures they had gone on so far. Amelia, Isla, Ava, and his baby brother Joshua remained mostly silent throughout the story and still were as if most were still trying to digest what they had heard. (Though with Joshua being only three, he seemed more interested in 'inspecting' one of the pill bug aliens that joined them in the lounge. It had a surprising amount of patience for having its hair and fur pulled on by the toddler).

Amelia opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but seemed to think better of it and just ducked her head back down to her lap.

The twins, Isla and Ava, both looked at each other, though didn't say anything either.

Rivalz cringed, "I know it's a lot to process so if you need some time I totally get it…"

"Girls," Topaz Cardemonde said finally, "will you take Joshua outside for a moment? I want to talk to Rivalz alone."

The girls didn't question her as Amelia swiftly scooped the boy up, ignoring the whine that followed as he was pulled away from his new 'pet plushy' and quickly hurried out.

An awkward silence followed as mother and son faced each other on the couch. It put Rivalz on edge.

Normally his mother was a very outspoken woman. She supported any passion her children wished to pursue, from Amelia's paintings and art to the twins' love of sports and cooking. He remembered in his earlier years how his mom used to be much more reserved when their dad still lived with them. Lord Corbin Yates from the moment he married Topaz had life all planned out for her and their children. They'd have a son who they'd raise to lead the family one day, then the rest of their children would be daughters they could wed off to well-off or even noble families so they could 'spend the rest of their lives in comfort.'

That changed when Joshua was born. Lord Yates hadn't wanted another son. 'Too much hassle trying to divide up the inheritance' had been his excuse. Topaz knew that if Corbin found out it was a boy, he'd likely demand it be aborted. But if there was one thing that his mother and her family had been solely against even by Britannian standards, it was abortion. They told their daughter that if she ever so much as thought about killing an innocent baby even before its birth, they'd disown her.

So, Topaz went through with the pregnancy, keeping the gender secret from Corbin as she did. Though Rivalz was only fourteen at the time, he remembered the look of sheer disgust on his father's face when Joshua turned out to be a boy. Despite this, Topaz loved and raised Josh just as much as Rivalz and his sisters.

Then one night, one of the family's head maids came to his room, her face pale and with a packed bag, telling him to quietly meet his mother by the horse stables. All three of his sisters were there, and his mother was carrying Joshua in a baby sling. They had escaped back to his mother's family that same night.

Rivalz didn't find out until several months later, when her mom finally filed for divorce, the real reason for their flight.

Apparently one of the maids, the same maid that helped them escape, had overheard a plot that Corbin was discussing through his slightly open office door. He was apparently planning to get rid of Joshua ("Sell him on the market, ship him to the EU, make it work!") and have it disguised as a kidnapping. There would be a bribed investigation where the cops 'gave up' after a few months of 'searching' and Joshua was long gone. Where? Not even Corbin would know… or even care.

Upon hearing this, the maid immediately alerted Topaz. It took several attempts to finally convince her of her husband's treachery, but after noticing some unusual activity in their bank account, she made arrangements with her father and mother to come live with them until this was sorted out.

It didn't take much convincing after that for Rivalz to turn against his dad and take his mother's surname, Cardemonde, instead. He hadn't seen that man since.

"Mom…" Rivalz started, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I dragged you and everyone into this. But please-"

"Rivalz…" Topaz raised a hand to silence him, "When I left your father, taking all of you with me, that was likely the hardest decision I ever made. To this day I still ask myself if I did the right thing."

Rivalz blinked, confused. Where was his mom going with this?

"I did my best to raise you into a good man, and I like to think that I've done so, even if the ultimate result is… not what I expected."

"Mom…" Rivalz murmured, unsure what to say.

"Son, in that message, you said you believed you were doing the right thing. And sometimes the right thing isn't always the most popular thing, especially in our society… I'll admit, I'm not sure how I feel about this arrangement, but… above all else, Rivalz, know that I'll always love you."

Rivalz felt his shoulders sag slightly. It may not have been the answer he wanted, but hearing that last part gave him hope that he could have his family see things from his view. For now, though, he could settle for this.

"Just…" his mother spoke again, "Just don't get yourself killed, please?"

Despite himself, Rivalz laughed softly, "Got it, Mum."

"...Milly, when I joked to my colleagues that one of your ideas or schemes would one day bring about the end of the world, I meant it as just that. A joke…"

Milly laughed nervously from next to her grandfather as they strolled down one of the Castleship's halls, giving him a tour before officially settling him in.

"Um, well in my defense, the Galra were technically already on their way here, so it wouldn't have really mattered if we had found the Blue Lion at the time or not, so…" Milly argued back a little uneasily.

Ruben huffed out a laugh and shook his head tiredly.

"For what it's worth, Milly," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I'm proud of what you've accomplished so far. It may have taken being abducted by aliens to do so, but you've grown into a fine young woman that I'm honored to be the grandfather of."

Milly smiled and leaned into her grandfather's side, "Thanks, Papa. Though… in all honesty, I doubt Mum and Dad will agree."

Ruben grimaced, "Leave your mother and father to me. There's a reason I asked you to move with me to Japan after the war, and I haven't regretted that decision, especially not now. I don't want you to make the same mistakes they did."

"I won't, Grandpa," Milly exclaimed, "I'm old enough to think for myself on the important things in my life."

"I hope so, and I believe you are…" Ruben said gently, "Just don't ever lose sight of that, Milly. At least promise me that."

Milly smiled, "You have my word, Papa…"

"Well… that was a shitstorm…" Nonette muttered from her position against the wall. Her left arm was in a sling and had several small, attachable Altean cold packs that Rai couldn't bother to remember the name of on her face and attached to the areas of her chest and back from the Gawain's hadron cannons. It was a miracle that she survived with mostly second-degree burns, much less that her Knightmare hadn't blown up with the Siegfried machine they'd faced. Though, the fact that she wasn't in the direct line of fire may have helped a little.

"Yeah…" Rai grimaced in agreement, "But… it could have been worse… So much worse."

The Paladins, upon arriving back, had been horror-struck when they learned about V.V.'s attempted assassination. While Allura had managed to hold him off briefly, the results likely would have been worse had Chigusa (or Viletta Nu as they learned she'd finally regained her memories) not intervened as well.

What truly baffled them though was the state that C.C. was in even now. The immortal still hadn't regained full consciousness, and their medical scans couldn't find the cause for her comatose state.

"Is it true what I've heard about her?" Nonette asked, "That she's immortal?"

"Yeah, it is true. We're still not sure how, but she is…" Rai nodded before chuckling humorlessly, "With Suzaku, that means that all of us have a Geass now, yet I'm the only one that didn't get it from her."

Rai's thoughts grew dark as he thought back to the one who did. He felt his stomach churn when he recalled how that witch had cut him open and sewed him back up again, more often than not wide awake as she did so. Plus, if she was the one behind Mao's robeast…

He looked at C.C. again, eyes narrowing, "Haggar likely did something. It looked a lot like her power from what Nunnally described."

"Is there anything we can do to help her?" Nonette asked.

"I don't know…" Rai admitted. He looked down at his hand in thought. Magic, now that it was confirmed to be real, was clearly a tricky area. One thing Rai did know though was that the Geass held some sort of mystic element, but C.C. had said that Geasses don't work on her… but his Geass wasn't from a human... "I guess… There's something I can try but I'm not sure if it will work."

Nonette didn't say anything but watched warily as Rai approached the sleeping immortal. Hesitating for a moment longer, he placed a hand on C.C.'s forehead, activating his Geass as he did so.

He gasped as images flashed through his mind. "What…?" Rai felt himself flung into a colorful void before landing in the middle of a battlefield. Barricades were dug around him and explosions were going off everywhere. A squad of tanks came rolling over a hill and…

"C.C.?!" Rai gasped as he spotted the immortal sprinting across no-man's land before she ducked down into the barricade.

"Hold it right there!" a man barked before a bullet fired. Rai watched in horror as the shot penetrated C.C.'s skull.

C.C. screamed as the landscape changed again. This time it was even older times, stones being thrown at a cathedral and...

"Oh god…" Rai gasped as he stared at the blazing stake, C.C. tied to the center of it, screaming in agony.

Rai was shaken from his stupor as another scream hit his ears. But this one was not one of pain, but of pure, blood-thirsty rage.

He barely caught a glimpse of a white-haired being streaking through the crowd of people, sword cutting down any in his path when he was yanked away.

"Rai!" Nonette shouted, pulling him away. The Green Paladin blinked and shook his head, barely catching the layer of dark… something faded from his arm.

"What…?" he whispered, looking up at C.C., only to see the same dark aura disappear from her entire body.

"Rai, are you alright?" Nonette asked in concern, "You're crying."

"I am?" Rai asked, hand reaching up to his cheek and feeling the dampness there. He glanced back at C.C. If that was what he thought it was then… no wonder she acted the way she did. So numb. So… unfeeling.

"...Cera…"

Rai blinked up in alarm. That was C.C.'s voice. Was she waking up?

"You finally called me... by my real name..."

"...Okay, you creeped out at all, Ohgi?" Tamaki asked, eying their prisoner in the stasis pod, "I know he looks like a kid but…"

"Well, according to Lelouch he's not," Ohgi said, looking just as uneasy, "He's actually the Emperor's brother. His and Nunnally's uncle."

Tamaki scowled and glanced at V.V. again, "Looks more like his grandkid to me."

"Maybe. But…"

"Yeah, yeah," Tamaki waved Ohgi off, "Magic and all that spiel, I get it."

The hiss of the pod chamber doors caught their attention and Tamaki tensed when Viletta entered.

"Oh, Chi… Sorry, Viletta, right?" Ohgi asked, surprised to see her.

The woman didn't answer right away, as if debating something in her head, then said, "I would like to speak Ohgi. Alone."

Tamaki narrowed his eyes. Most of the crew had been told that Viletta finally regained her memories, and if that was true, he didn't want to leave Ohgi even three feet away from her. "If you think I'm going to just-"

"Shinichiro," Ohgi interrupted, causing his friend to stop, "It's fine. I'll be fine."

"What?! You can't be serious! She's no ordinary Britannian you know, she's one of those Pureblood psychos!"

"Yes, she was," Ohgi confirmed firmly even as Viletta flinched slightly, "but she has nothing to gain by trying anything right now. Just leave us be for a minute, okay?"

Tamaki still stubbornly glanced between the two before sighing harshly and leaving, but not before shooting Viletta an 'I'm watching you' gesture.

With Tamaki gone, Ohgi suddenly felt awkward. While he may have been confident talking to his friend, he couldn't help but feel his guard raise slightly when facing Viletta. It hurt him to do it too. The two of them had gotten close over the past couple of weeks, and the thought of facing her as an enemy now felt surreal.

"I…" he finally started when Viletta stayed silent, "I'll be honest, I'm surprised you're choosing to stay with Voltron, with us, instead of going back to Britannia. I know others would have… and already have…"

...Considering you're a Pureblood went unsaid, but the message was clear.

Viletta frowned slightly, "I'll admit, the thought did cross my mind too. But I'm also not really a fan of having my entire race being sold off by the person we're supposed to be serving. Not only has he kept secrets, but is endangering everyone, including his people."

"I'm guessing by 'secrets' you mean V.V. here," Ohgi asked, gesturing to the immortal in question.

Viletta grimaced again, "That… and what I heard happened to Lord Jeremiah. Though, we're still unsure if Britannia had a hand in that or not yet."

"Jeremiah…" Ohgi muttered, furrowing his brows for a second. Then they raised in recognition, "He was the one that set up Suzaku, right? For killing Prince Clovis. If I recall, you were also a part of that at the time."

Viletta sighed but didn't deny it. "Not one of my finer moments, I'll admit… When I ran into Miss Fenette on the Avalon, one of the things she told me was that Britannia was evil and at that time, I couldn't understand why she would think that. I thought Zero had brainwashed her or something of that nature. But now that I look at things from her perspective, and with everything that has happened, I understand a little more."

Ohgi remained silent and continued to listen.

"Not only that, but she still saved me, an enemy soldier, pointing a gun at her. She could have just as easily left me for dead. I know it was likely to interrogate me and even without memories they still could have tried something. But they did the opposite. I was treated kindly, as another member of the group, even by you… If our roles were reversed, I can tell you right now that they wouldn't have gotten the same treatment. We would have used them to our advantage. As a pawn or a decoy."

Ohgi grimaced but didn't argue as he agreed. He had no doubt that that would have been the case.

"But… I'll admit, I'm still curious to know more. You all have lost so much, but you keep getting back up and pushing back. How do you do it?"

Ohgi shrugged, "I honestly don't know. I guess… if you really care about something, those things are just worth fighting for. And that makes them all the more precious to you."

Viletta blinked and looked down, "I never thought about it like that…"

Ohgi smiled, "If you want help understanding, I'm more than willing to be there for it."

At those words, for the first time in their conversation, Viletta smiled.

"I'd appreciate that."

"...Well, thank goodness they're all salvageable," Lloyd said as he lowered down from the damaged Lancelot, "the crystal isn't damaged, but the big problem will be getting a hold of replacement parts considering… Well, we can't exactly waltz back to our planet right now. What with it being occupied by aliens and whatnot."

"Lelouch explained to us briefly about the various governments of your planet. We may need to cautiously retrieve our resources from the other sovereign nations," Coran said with a grim frown, "but who knows how quickly the Galra will expand to the rest of the planet, especially with Zarkon himself there. I also have no doubt that they'll try and use some of your world's technology, regardless of how primitive, to their advantage."

"If you ask me, we should start searching for allies off-planet as well. Preferably ones with more advanced technology as well," Rakshata suggested.

"Oh, I agree," Coran nodded, "the princess and I have discussed several possibilities as of late. The more systems that we free from Galra rule, the better."

While the three continued to discuss such options, Cecile observed the footage from Lancelot and Gawain. Particularly, of Zarkon himself. Even just seeing him on recorded footage sent shivers down her spine.

'It doesn't seem possible…' she thought, 'How can one creature single-handedly stand up to a whole squad of Knightmares. None of the pilots made so much as a scratch on him. If they were normal Knightmare frames I could understand, but these were all upgraded from the castle, and even with that…'

Swallowing, she rewound the footage again, this time zeroing in on the weapon Zarkon was using. While she had never seen the Paladins fight in melee combat, she had heard from some of the Black Knights how these weapons, Bayards they were called, worked. How they could morph and shape into any tool that the Paladin needed or was suited for, from guns to swords.

So… did the Galra come up with a similar weapon, because from the description, whatever Zarkon was using acted a lot like the Bayards...

Cornelia blinked her eyes open, her vision slowly clearing as she looked around in confusion. The last thing she had remembered was passing out on the Black Lion's floor. She vaguely recalled Lelouch barking an order and Guilford leaning over her with some goopy orange substance on his hands. Otherwise, her memory was blank.

"Cornelia…?"

Whatever thoughts of returning to sleep Cornelia had gone flying out the window and bolted upright in the bed. Which was a bad idea as she felt a jolt of agony shoot up her right shoulder.

"Cornelia!" Euphemia yelped as she shot up in fright, Arthur yowling in annoyance as he was launched off her lap. "Wait, don't do that! It's not done yet!"

"Wha…" Cornelia gasped, blinking spots out of her eyes as they trailed down to her arm… or what was left of it.

'Oh that's right...' she remembered. Her arm was gone now, and whatever strange device that was attached to her shoulder, humming softly must have been repairing the damage.

"Sister, please, lie back down. It won't heal properly otherwise," Euphemia pleaded again before helping her sister back down on the cushion.

Any pain that Cornelia had felt previously, though, was wiped away as tears formed in her eyes. Her throat closed up in sheer relief at seeing her little sister alive and well.

"Euphie…" she breathed, sniffling as a tear trailed down her cheek, "You're okay…"

"Cornelia, don't worry about me," Euphemia responded, "you need to rest still!"

"I'll be fine, Euphie," Cornelia reassured as Arthur reclaimed his position on Euphemia's lap, "...I'm just glad that I didn't lose you down there."

Euphemia gasped softly before looking down ashamed. "I'm sorry, sister. This is my fault. I thought… I really thought with the SAZ that I could make a difference. Instead, I just made everything worse, like I always do!"

Cornelia frowned as her sister began to cry softly. "Euphemia, you were not the one who gave that order to shoot. You did not hold a gun in your hand and fire. Lelouch wanted to find a way to unite Earth for when the Galra came. We were offering the olive branch to our father, and he threw it away without even looking at it. He was the one stupid enough to form an alliance and sell out the planet to aliens, to monster even worse than he is..."

Cornelia couldn't hold back the shudder when she thought back to Zarkon. She had fought him face-to-face and he had bested her. Badly. And looking up at him from the ruined earth beneath her, she saw nothing in those glowing violet eyes of his.

"...Schneizel always used to tell us that a person's eyes are like windows to the soul," Cornelia said and Euphemia looked up at the mention of their older brother, "But when I saw Zarkon's eyes, there was none. There was nothing there. Just an abyss. A void that could never be filled or sated…"

Euphemia felt the color drain from her face. While it was true that she hadn't seen Zarkon herself, the stories she heard from Lelouch and the other Paladins were enough to scare her, but with her own sister adding onto it with such dread in her tone only made this nightmare more realistic than ever before.

What was even more heartbreaking, was that Lelouch had had to face a monster like that on his own.

Guilford looked up as he heard footsteps approaching the door he was guarding. He relaxed when he saw who it was, though.

"Guilford," Lelouch acknowledged as he came up to his room of the castle. Considering the infirmary was still flooded with patients, Lelouch inclined to let Cornelia recover in his room. Besides, there were a few things he needed to discuss with her and Euphemia in private, and it would be too much of a hassle to either move her or move everyone else in the area away.

Once his own head wound was addressed, Guilford insisted on standing guard. While he knew it would be foolish for someone to try and attack the princesses during this time, he didn't want to take chances, especially since Cornelia was still once the Viceroy, and many Japanese citizens were still less than pleased to even be in the same proximity as her.

"Lelouch," the knight acknowledged as he stepped aside.

Without another word, the Black Paladin entered his quarters.

"Lelouch!" Euphemia exclaimed happily when the doors opened.

Lelouch immediately smiled and embraced Euphie in a hug, "I'm glad you're alright, Euphie. I apologize for not seeing you sooner."

"It's alright," Euphemia shook her head, "I know you were… busy."

Lelouch smiled bitterly. 'Busy' was one way of putting it he supposed. But a neutral expression soon replaced it.

"I'm sorry to ask this, Euphemia, but there are some things I need to discuss with Cornelia in private. I'll come find you again later, okay?"

Euphemia nodded, though a little reluctant, but she ultimately stood up, Arthur in her arms, and exited the room, leaving her two older siblings behind.

With a hiss of the door closing behind them, Lelouch suddenly found himself silenced, unsure of what to say first. Though it seemed Cornelia was in a similar boat.

"I…" Lelouch rasped, his tongue feeling like lead. Licking his lips, he started again, "I'm sorry for the loss of your men."

Cornelia nodded, "I appreciate it. They fought bravely to the very end…"

Lelouch nodded jerkily, trying desperately to hold back a sudden wave of hot, bitter tears.

"How…?" Lelouch whispered, "How are you so calm about this?! You men died! Sayoko almost died! And you…! You lost your arm! Trying to protect me!"

Cornelia felt her heart squeeze as she watched Lelouch struggle to keep himself together. While on the surface it may not seem like it, Cornelia valued every soldier and knight that served under her. Losing even one of them was difficult enough and she suspected that with how small of a group they started out as, he brother and the other Paladins simply weren't used to watching other people die for them. In their eyes, the roles should be reversed. They were supposed to be the defenders, not the defended.

"This isn't your fault Lelouch, no matter if you believe me or not. All of my men, myself included, made the choice to protect you. And I don't regret it. Yes, it cost me an arm, but I'd gladly lose both if it means you stay alive… I just barely got you and Nunnally back, and I'll be damned before I lose you again."

Lelouch grit his teeth, "But I don't want to lose you either!"

This exclamation startled Cornelia as he sat down on the other side of the bed.

"I… I know I've been avoiding you since you came here, and I'm sorry for that. I guess… despite my Geass telling me otherwise, I couldn't see you as the sister I knew back at Aries Villa, or didn't want to… But when I saw you, with Zarkon on top of you, I…" Lelouch furiously wiped his tears away, "...I'm so sorry…"

Cornelia could only stare in surprise as her brother tried to pull himself together. She wanted nothing more than to hug him but honestly wasn't sure if that was something Lelouch wanted right now.

"Can we…" he took a breath, "Can we just talk? Just you and me? Please?"

"...Of course," Cornelia said softly after a moment.

"Thank you…" he exhaled in relief. Now the next conflict. Where did he even start?

Well… the beginning is usually a safe place, wasn't it?

"...When you heard that Nunnally and I had been killed, how did you handle it?"

Cornelia frowned and looked down, her own eyes misting with tears.

"When I wasn't comforting Euphie, I would cry myself to sleep every night. I kept telling myself that it wasn't true, that there had to have been a mistake. I don't think it was until about a month later where it finally sunk in for me that you were gone… or so we were told."

Lelouch couldn't help but scowl at that last part. "And yet no one seemed to remember that it was Britannia that initiated that attack in the first place. They blamed the Japanese for our deaths, but Britannia started the war. After they won, they just found that blaming the conquered nation was easier than taking responsibility themselves. A world, an empire, like that is one I never want to live in."

"Yes…" Cornelia nodded in agreement, "After the grief finally passed, I wanted to confront the emperor myself. Demand to know why he didn't keep you and Nunnally safe during the fighting. But I feared what he would do to Euphie if I did so. I was a coward…"

"No…" Lelouch shook his head, "Had I thought it through before confronting him, I likely would have done the same for Nunnally. Though I truly didn't expect him to banish her along with me."

Cornelia nodded, "I know this isn't an excuse, but being unable to blame the one who truly did it, I turned my anger onto the next best thing in my eyes. The Japanese. If the empire was blaming them, I might as well play along. I suppose I just kept telling myself that again and again until I actually believed my own lie… Or maybe I should have confronted him anyway, whether with you there or after the war. Hell… when we were watching you go I could have stepped forward and gone with you two. And Euphie as well. I… I should have tried harder to protect you like I promised I would. Like… like I promised to protect Lady Marianne before…"

Now Cornelia was crying and Lelouch sat silently, looking at her, patiently waiting for her to go on.

"...I completely understand if you hate me for everything, Lelouch. I couldn't protect your mother, and I failed as a sister as well. Terribly."

"...I did feel that way for a while. When no one came for us during the war, it was the final nail in the coffin for me so to speak. That us being sent to Japan was the final part of a plot to destroy our family. I closed myself off after that. I was afraid to form attachments with anyone, whether afraid they'd betray me or I'd get hurt if I lost them. And I know feeling hurt when losing someone is proof of caring for them, I just didn't want to feel that again." Lelouch paused before smiling a little, "However, joining Voltron, becoming a Paladin, not only did I forge attachments again, I felt something I never had before. Through everything, the Paladins and the Alteans aren't just my teammates or even friends anymore. I think of them as part of my family. When I told them who I really was, both as Zero and a prince, they were shocked, yes, but they also didn't judge me. I was fully prepared to step down as leader from the mistrust, but the opposite happened instead. They were willing to help me, to support me."

Cornelia smiled again, "I'm happy to hear that you have the support you need, Lelouch. After everything, you deserve to be happy, with a family you can trust."

"Thank you… if you would be willing, I'd love for you to be a part of that too."

This statement surprised Cornelia again. While it was clear that Lelouch no longer saw her as his enemy, the fact that he wanted her in his life like that was not what she expected.

As if reading her mind, Lelouch continued, "True, you may have been my enemy, but once you understood the entire situation and knew the truth, you didn't hesitate to help. I'm grateful to Nunnally for doing that. It showed me that even you were capable of changing. So… if you're willing, I'd very much like to have my older sister back. I'm sure Nunnally and Euphemia would like it that way as well."

Cornelia didn't notice the tears running down her face until they fell in droplets on her remaining hand. Now she was the one crying in front of her brother. "Do you mean that?"

"Yes… well actually, I do have one condition. Please don't sacrifice yourself again. Not like that." Lelouch amended, gesturing to Cornelia's arm, "I… I already thought lost you once. I don't want to feel that way again. I don't… I don't want to watch anyone else I love die."

Cornelia found herself nodding, wiping at her eyes, "Deal."

Lelouch then smiled and in a move that even surprised himself, he pulled his arms around Cornelia's shoulders, burying his face in her shoulder. She hesitated for a moment before doing the same with her remaining arm.

"I love you, Cornelia…" Lelouch whispered.

"I love you too, Lelouch…"

Contrary to everyone's fears, Tohdoh's eye itself wasn't as damaged as they originally thought. It was still functional and the only damage he'd have would be a grisly looking battle-scar on his face over it. Coran had offered to use one of the medical devices to heal it faster, but Tohdoh insisted that it be used on the other soldiers first before him. If worse came to worse, losing an eye wasn't really as big of a loss as some make it out to be. For now it was bandaged, gauze and a medical pad wrapped around his head.

"No word from Kyoto, Kaguya?" Suzaku hesitantly asked his cousin from their position on one of the star decks, the reed hurricane illuminating the room in a rusty red.

Kaguya shook her head sadly. "No. They all stayed behind. I doubt any of them survived, and if they did, they won't for very long considering their age…"

Suzaku grimaced, gritting his teeth. While he hadn't been as close with the rest of Kyoto since Japan's fall, that didn't change the fact that they were still kin of his. Kin who had been lost or slaughtered in the battle varga prior.

"This is a nightmare…" Chiba muttered a hand pressed to her forehead, "I knew they would come eventually, but to see them, and just be told…"

"It kind of makes you wonder how long it would have taken for them to get here if Voltron hadn't shown up," Asahina added.

Senba and Tohdoh shot the bespectacled member a hard glare. "Now hold on, it's not fair to blame this on Voltron…"

"I'm not!" Asahina insisted, raising his hands in surrender, "I agree with you. At least we were warned and able to prepare but…"

"...I guess it doesn't change the fact that we still led them here, is that it?" Suzaku asked, head looking down in shame, "Maybe if we had stayed away, it could have bought Earth more time. Maybe some people could have lived a little longer..."

"...I disagree," Tohdoh said gravely, drawing everyone's attention, "I still think Voltron coming now rather than later was the best call. Had they chosen to stay away from the planet, the war Britannia was waging would have continued. And without Zero, without Lelouch's, leadership, the rebellion he was organizing would have fallen apart quite quickly. That's not taking into account how many more innocent lives would have been lost because of it. Ironically, it was the threat of the Galra coming, and the knowledge we received beforehand of it that was able to bring most of the Earth together when it was so divided. Yes, it was a gamble, one that Lelouch himself admitted to, but a gamble that had to be taken and was well worth it in my eyes."

"...Yes," Chiba nodded finally, "You're right."

"Apologies, Colonel," Asahina bowed his head, "I didn't think about that…"

"We may have lost the battle for now, but the war is far from over," Senba added, "Urabe's death, and everyone else's, will not be in vain."

Suzaku thought back to the very thing Lelouch has said back on Arus. About the possible scenarios that could happen when they returned and thinking about what his sensei just said as well, he even back then, Lelouch was taking all strategies into consideration, accounting for all possible outcomes on a military and civilian level. And unfortunately, especially in war, there were times when there wasn't a 'good' option at all, but a choice between two evils instead and trying to judge which one was worse, and which one would ultimately bring victory with the best outcome. And he also found himself agreeing with his sensei.

Considering all of the factors, all the ways this could have gone terribly wrong much earlier, it really could have been much worse. They could still fix this, right? They had to fix this. For Urabe. For all of the people who died trying to defend their home, their world from monsters.

'And if they have the will to not give up… perhaps I can find that will too…

It wasn't long after that Suzaku started the trek back to his room. He had no doubt that Lelouch and Allura would be calling them all for a team meeting soon to discuss their next move and he hoped to take a few minutes to meditate and clear his mind before that.

"Oh…!" a small gasp caught his attention as he rounded the corner and came face-to-face with a pair of familiar lavender eyes.

"Euphie!" he exclaimed in relief, just barely lifting his hands in time to catch her when she ran into his arms.

"Suzaku! I'm so glad you're okay!" she cried, leaning into Suzaku's chest as they both lowered to the ground.

"You're glad I'm okay?!" the Purple Paladin almost laughed in disbelief, "I'm glad you're alright!"

Euphie let out a wet chuckle, feeling tears trickle down her face, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry for everything..."

Suzaku paused and pulled back to look at the princess, "What are you talking about?"

Euphemia looked down, not willing to meet Suzaku's eye, "Sister told me already, but… and I'm not trying to blame myself for what happened… but it feels like anything I'm actually good for, it's worthless when everyone else is fighting."

Suzaku frowned in concern when the message became clear. Euphemia may say that she wasn't blaming herself, but Suzaku didn't believe her from the tone of her voice.

"Euphemia, your idea for the zone… there was nothing wrong with that! I personally loved the idea. And it would have worked! It would have worked if…" Suzaku didn't finish his sentence. Not that he needed to.

Euphemia didn't say anything, only sighing and placing her head against Suzaku's chest. It clear that she still didn't believe that.

Suzaku bit his lip. He hated seeing Euphemia like this, but if there was one thing he noticed that many of the Britannian royalty seemed to have in common, it was that they tended to blame themselves for things they either didn't have control over or weren't even involved with in the first place. Such mental gymnastics always shocked him.

"...Euphie, I never told you the truth about why I became a soldier, did I?" Suzaku asked suddenly.

Euphemia blinked and looked, confused about the sudden change in topic.

"Euphie… I killed my own father. And I joined the Britannian military because I thought that was the best way to atone for what I'd done." Euphie was now looking at Suzaku in shock, "I used to believe that if I went by the system, I could find a way to change things for the better, even if I died in the process. But… that was just an excuse I kept telling myself. I understand that now. I was trying to avert the blame, to lessen the guilt I've been carrying for so long… but then I realized, my friends helped me realize, that dying wouldn't let me atone for anything. I was just running away from my problems. If I'm serious about wanting redemption, the best thing I can do for that is live. To live for a cause I believe in.

"So that's why, no matter what," Suzaku said softly, smiling gently at Euphemia, "I'll be there to help you every step of the way as well. You have my word on that."

Euphemia didn't know when the tears began to fall again, but she did know when she once more threw her arms around Suzaku, feeling warm, happy, and relieved as Suzaku embraced her back, holding her as she cried with tears of joy.

"Suzaku?" Rai's abrupt voice rudely interrupted the moment and Suzaku couldn't stop the slightly irritated sigh that escaped.

"What's going on, Rai?" he responded as he pulled away slightly to answer.

"The Paladins need to meet in my room. C.C.'s awake."

All of the Paladins made it to Rai's room almost as one and nearly ripped the doors apart to get inside. They were all relieved to see the immortal awake again. Nonette politely left the room to give them space.

"Well, it's not like whatever was done to me would have killed me…" C.C. attempted to say nonchalantly.

"So?" Shirley gasped, "That doesn't change the fact that it still happened! What if you do die some time and actually stay dead?!"

"You're a part of this ragtag crew as much as the rest of us, C.C.," Kallen smiled, "You ain't going to get rid of us that easily."

C.C. actually looked startled before huffing out a laugh, "You've all become so clingy…"

"But you love us for that, don't you?" Milly winked with a smirk.

The door to the room opened again and this time Allura entered. She also looked relieved to see C.C. awake as well.

"I'm glad to see that you are alright, C.C." Allura said in relief, "And I must apologize for not getting there to assist you sooner. If I had, I could have prevented whatever knocked you out."

C.C. shook her head, "I doubt that would have mattered… Whatever attack that was that V.V. used, it wasn't one he originally had."

"What did happen anyway?" Rivalz said, voicing the question everyone wanted answered at the moment.

"I am not sure how he got on the ship," Allura confessed, "Whatever means he used, it bypassed most of the castle's security. We're just lucky that the internal security caught him before he could cause any damage."

"Yes. He was targetting Nunnally and Euphemia," C.C. confirmed. Lelouch stiffened, body rigid with sudden rage. Suzaku's face also contorted but managed to keep his expression somewhat calm. "I tried to stop him, but… he threw something at me. It looked like a small black marble. But when it hit me…" C.C. shivered, suddenly looking ill.

Lelouch scowled, looking down in thought, all of this new information swirling in his head. V.V. snuck onto the castle, undetected, and then displays a power that not even C.C. was aware of? And the fact that C.C. seemed scared of it?

"...It was Haggar," Lelouch finally stated gravely, "It had to have been. It's the only thing that makes sense."

"So… Charles really did form an alliance with the Galra. Or with Haggar at least," Suzaku said.

"Meaning… they did all of this of their own free will," Kallen frowned angrily, seething. While she may not have liked Britannia from the beginning, but this was a new low and she felt even more betrayed. From the looks on the rest of them Paladins' faces, they were feeling similarly. Even C.C. looked disturbed.

"...Cera," Rai murmured.

C.C. blinked and gasped in surprise. Everyone else also looked at the Green Paladin in confusion.

"That's your real name, right? Cera?" Rai asked.

C.C. suddenly frowned, "It seems you have a habit of eavesdropping… and sharing secrets."

"Cera? I like that name," Shirley said, honestly.

"Same," Rivalz agreed, "It's way better than calling you C.C. all the time at least."

"It's at least a lot more human calling you that," Kallen said.

C.C. scoffed, "That's a joke! As if I want to be 'more human.' After all, I…"

Everyone stared as C.C. started to tear up, clutching the sheets of Rai's bedding like a security blanket.

"I've forgotten how… How to be human. I can't age. I can't connect with anyone without them passing by me. They move on, while I remain the same. I can't find love, or have a family, or watch them grow old and mature," C.C. was practically sobbing now, "And I can't die peacefully with them. I… I can't die period…"

Unable to stand it any longer, Shirley sat on the bed next to her and pulled C.C. into a hug. She didn't resist only crying harder as the Orange Paladin rubbed her back gently.

"It's okay… shh, shh, it's okay," Shirley soothed to the best of her abilities.

"C.C… We're here for you now," Milly reminded her, "You don't have to deal with all of this alone."

"We know that we still don't know much about you, but…" Suzaku hesitated, "but you're still our friend and ally."

"Yeah, and you've helped us so much since this whole adventure began," Rivalz added.

"You've been playing a part in this just as much as the rest of us," Kallen said, "We likely wouldn't be here now without you."

"Plus, didn't we say that we'd find a way to make you mortal again?" Rai asked, remembering the conversation they had after facing Mao, "You haven't forgotten that, right?"

"Rai's correct. We haven't forgotten that promise," Allura agreed, "Every being deserves to live life fully, and if this immortality, this curse, is standing between you and that, then we will help you break it."

"And once it's done… You can have a family of your own," Lelouch said in finality, "You can do all of those things you wish for. So please, C.C., or whatever you'd like us to call you, let us help you do that."

C.C. gasped out a wail before reaching out blindly, grabbing Milly's arm, being the closest, and pulling her roughly. With a yelp Milly collapsed onto the bed, dragging Rivalz with her. It wasn't long after that the rest of the Paladins and Allura joined C.C. in a group hug. She still continued to sob, but instead of sorrow, it was tears of joy that she shed.

"Thank you all for coming…" Allura addressed everyone present. After a couple more hours of resting, Lelouch and Allura requested for a number of people to meet them and the other Paladins on the bridge. These people consisted of Nunnally, Ohgi, Tohdoh, Cornelia (being transported in a hoverchair with Guilford behind her), Nonette, Villetta, Euphemia, Lloyd, Rakshata, Cecile, and Kaguya. C.C. and Coran were also there, standing with the other Paladins.

"Firstly, I wish to apologize for the defeat we've suffered. Your planet may be held hostage for the time being, but the war is far from over. There is still hope to counteract this."

"We're planning a counterattack already?" Ohgi asked in surprise, "But… we don't have the resources or people for that yet!"

"This meeting isn't to plan the counteract for Earth," Lelouch informed everyone solemnly, "Several more preparations and precautions must be taken before we can even think about trying to take Earth back. No, we called each of you here to inform you of something. Something about Voltron."

"Or, more specifically, why Voltron broke apart when Zarkon showed up," Coran added, face grim.

"Voltron… fell apart?!" Nunnally gasped, eyes wide.

"I wondered about that myself when I saw that…" Tohdoh muttered, his good eye narrowing.

"So I wasn't imagining that…" Nonette muttered.

"Did it happen right as Zarkon came?" Villetta asked.

"No, it was right before. I remember seeing Voltron freeze up right before that mothership appeared in the sky. Then it broke apart," Cornelia reiterated. Guilford nodded in confirmation.

"Considering, from what we understand, it requires the Lion pilots to think and act as one to form Voltron," Rakshata said, "I highly doubt that it was due to mechanical failure."

"Highly unlikely," Lloyd agreed, "None of the Lions suffered too much damage after they returned to the castle."

"Then… Why did it happen?" Kaguya asked.

The Paladins all glanced at one another with uncertainty, as if asking the others if this was really a good idea… whatever it was they were about to reveal.

Finally, Suzaku let out a sigh, "As most of you have probably guessed, the seven of us aren't the first Paladins to use Voltron."

"Well, you did mention that Voltron was an ancient weapon. Nearly as old as this castle," Cecile reminded, "So that does make sense."

"Right…" Kallen nodded, "Anyway, we're apparently only the second set of Paladins to use the Lions, and that was only after we found them after 10,000 years of hiding."

"Yes," Allura confirmed, "My mother and father were two of the original Paladins in fact. The Paladins of the Purple and Red Lions respectively."

"Oh… cool," Ohgi couldn't help but say.

"Anyway, for someone to be a Paladin. Their energy kind of has to match that of the Lion," Rivalz went on, "Kind of like putting the red balls in the red box and blue balls in the blue box so to speak."

"Basically, the seven of us have a quintessence that mirrors that of the Lion we pilot. We did mention when we first got back that the Lion chooses the pilot, not the other way around, right?" Rai asked.

"So theoretically, not just anyone can fly a Voltron Lion," Guilford stated, "You have to be bred for them."

The Paladins winced at the wording. "I guess that's one way of putting it…?" Shirley cringed.

"Anyway, just like us, the Paladins before us shared the same quintessence with their Lions as well," Milly went on, "And a bond between a Lion and its Paladin is strong. Like, really, really, really, really, really-"

"I believe they get it, Milly," C.C. interrupted.

"...Really incredibly strong."

"But… What does this have to do with Voltron breaking apart?" Euphemia asked hesitantly, voicing what everyone was thinking.

"...Because the Black Lion still shares a connection to its previous Paladin. A Paladin that is still very much alive," Allura spoke gravely.

"...'Still shares'...?" Ohgi asked, face suddenly growing pale as realization slowly dawned on him. Similar expressions were mirrored on most of the other occupants.

"The original Black Paladin…" Lelouch spoke up, the air now heavy with trepidation, "...My predecessor was... or rather, is... Zarkon."

[peebleswrites]

I've watched Re; several times now. The first time I watched it, I loved it. The second time, I hated it. The third time, I grew to really understand what the overall message was in conjunction with the recap movies. And it was hard because I had to separate my feelings with the original series from my feelings with the movie because the timelines are different.

That said, when I see complaints about C.C. and how her character revolves around Lelouch in the movie I can't help but wonder if people really understand why. If we look back to the attack on the Geass order when Lelouch enters C's world and is trapped in C.C's memories, he learns of her geass and how it manifested out of a deep desire to be loved. And it was a love she was never able to obtain. Not from her admirers and not from the nun. Having eternal life, she was still never able to find a love that lasted. She even said herself everyone who hated me or showed me kindness has vanished into the flow of time. They're gone and she can hardly remember them. She says she wants to die because that's what will make her life feel complete. But, in reality, she wants to be loved and wants that love to last, to be meaningful. We see hints of this in the cave at Narita, when she asks Lelouch to say her name with tenderness, like he really cherishes it in his heart. And finally when he says he'll take the name L.L. It brings everything full circle for her. She finally found a purpose for going on. Lelouch became her reason for existing, to stop accumulating experiences and to start living. So yeah, it made perfect sense for her character to revolve around him while she tried to find her reason for existing outside of him. He's been right here all along.

This coming from someone who isn't a big fan of the pairing. It's cute, don't get me wrong. But also quite problematic. Her involvement with him stems far beyond Shinjuku and the poison gas incident. She was more than likely present when he was born. She knew his parents, knew his father had geass, that his mother was 'alive', knew who killed his mother, and never breathed a word. Now, I understand why she didn't to an extent, but it just seems like her decision to keep him in the dark concerning vital information that could've protected him from a lot of heart ache is a real hard pill to swallow. Remember he goes through most of his strategizing in R1 to get Cornelia alone so he can find out who killed his mother. But C.C. knew the entire time who it was. And the same one who killed Marianne took Nunnally and her kidnapping was an indirect cause of Lelouch's demise, the failure of the black rebellion, the black knights being arrested, Suzaku's betrayal, and so much more. Yeah, I like C.C. but the secrets she kept did a lot of damage that is surprisingly not talked about enough. I imagine if she had told him, Marianne would've found out somehow then shared this information with Charles. It's a guess though as I don't know the full extent of how Marianna communicates with C.C. or how she is able to see the world from her vantage point. Even so, it's still pretty shitty. Almost like the writers gave her a pass for being secretive and disguised it as her protecting him.

And then there's the controversy of her stalking him since he was 10 years old. Remember at the beginning of the series, there's that short clip of him and Suzaku playing together and we catch a cameo of her watching them? As if that's not weird enough, they end up falling in love? And he's a minor for the better part of the series? But somehow it's fine because she's like 800 years old or something and looks young? And her defective body parts get replaced in C's world? That's...kind of gross.

So yeah, not my preferred pairing. Still cute, though. :)

Now as far as Kallen's role in the movie is concerned, her tears for Lelouch didn't seem genuine. It was comedy at best and cringe at worse. Each time she cried for Lelouch in the series, the tears are hard, they're passionate, they show real pained emotions. Her tears in Re; are dramatic and painful to watch because it's just so...ugh...the only time her tears or emotions at seeing Lelouch seem real is the first time she sees him and when she yells at C.C. for bringing him back to life like this.

And I'm angry that they didn't get a decent reunion. Because the last time they saw each other like genuinely was when the black knights betrayed him. I don't count the return to Ashford because he put up a front.

I had no hope for a ship because it was clear even in the main series that Lelouch and C.C. was endgame. But I at least wanted Kallen to get closure. I mean, why end the series with her basically talking to him, telling him about the world he sacrificed himself for and barely have them interact? Hell, he had more interactions with Ohgi, Cornelia, and Suzaku. It's bullshit. We even saw Shirley get more closure than Kallen and that was from a damn picture of her crying but we all knew she was on the phone with Lelouch.

Yeah, I'm pissed.

[cynthiaandsamus]

Custom Toonami Block Week 70 Rundown

Code Geass: So Lelouch is gonna go join Nunally’s ‘let’s all hold hands and get along’ area but literally no one wants to go after Euphy murdered everyone last time. You’d think there’d be at least one dumbass like “Maybe it won’t be a massacre.” But yeah Zero’s like “Oh well I just happen to have a million people I can give to the zone if you exile me and let me go scott free” and everyone’s like “that’s a super shitty thing to do but okay” so then Zero tells Suzaku that culture is stored in the titty and all the one million people do their I am Spartacus thing and wear Zero’s costume which had to be a logistical nightmare, like Zero’s outfit already is pretty expensive with the fancy clothes and the helmet and shit and some of them are randomly customized even though that defeats the purpose like how do you do this on a terrorist budget in a few days without anyone in the government finding out. Like “we received an order for a million pounds of the thing used in Zero’s helmet on the black market” seems like it’d stand out. But yeah, the million Zeros get away, partially because of the “dogs playing basketball” rule that they’re all Zero because their culture of being Zero is stored in their titty which wouldn’t hold up in court but also because if they just kill a million people who’re just trying to leave that’d be bad for the government, not that they’re not used to genocide and being hated as Imperialists but Suzaku specifically doesn’t want that on his and Nunally’s hands while they’re trying to actually do shit for Japan for once. Feel like there’s probably a good cause for peaceful detainment and not letting them just walk out but it’s not like they’d find Lelouch or whoever the supposed second Zero was anyway even if they strip-searched everyone since he was never there and if it isn’t Lelouch the only thing that makes him Zero sight-wise is the mask.

Inuyasha: So yeah we get the conclusion of Shiori’s story for Inuyasha and I just can’t help thinking about how nice it is that she went on to help a lot of other half-demons in Yashahime because of an act of kindness that Inuyasha showed her right here, really good ripple effect shit. But yeah Shiori gets pissed that her grandpa killed her dad and Kekkaishi YEETs him and his followers out of the barrier so Inuyasha can backlash wave the lot of them. We still got fifteen minutes left though so even after Inuyasha says he’s not going to murder a little girl for a powerup that’ll get power crept in a few seasons, Shiori offers him the blood coral crystal to break to give him the powerup instead as thanks for not fucking murdering her. We can’t have the climax of the episode just be Inuyasha smacking a crystal ball though so Taigokumaru’s spirit yeets itself out of the crystal and fights with Inuyasha and attacks Shiori but her dad makes a barrier to bounce him off of so Inuyasha can kill him a second time and get the Red Tessaiga. There’s some navelgazing about how life as a half demon is rough but how Inuyasha thinks that hardship will be good for Shiori and he’s rooting for her in his own way and in Yashahime we see he’s right and all in all that’s pretty nice. Anyway next time we have the Panther Demon filler arc which is honestly probably one of my favorite filler arcs in Inuyasha so that’ll be fun.

Yu Yu Hakusho: Yusuke continues his fight with Suzaku and Suzaku splits himself into seven, which this doesn’t seem to be the Multi-Form or Shadow Clones deal where it divides his energy, each one seems as strong as the original so that’s just kind of broken. Keiko pulls a bait and switch on the zombies which neither Suzaku nor Yusuke see coming despite watching the whole thing on Spirit TV, guess Suzaku had the camera point at the door instead of on Keiko for some reason even though the point is to make Yusuke watch her die. Anyway Yusuke flashes back to Genkai telling him he’s a little bitch that always doubts himself and splits his energy across multiple plans instead of having the confidence to go for something with everything he has and make it work instead of holding back in case it doesn’t. This and remembering his mom crying over his death and all the relationships he’s formed makes him go Super Saiyan in what I can only describe as a Fully Body Shotgun which I don’t think ever comes up again. He knocks down all the Suzakus but it’s just time to start the real fight since Yusuke’s lifted his limiter again like he does in every fight.

Fate Zero: So the clusterfuck in the middle of Saber and Lancer’s battle continues to grow as Iskandar just fucking dares everyone to come at him and five of the seven servants actually do. Gilgamesh is all like “Ugh, why do I have to do this shit, breathing sucks, I’m a king, someone breathe for me.” And tries to murder everyone with spears and shit but turns out Berserker is Darth Vader this time around and uses the force to steal his stolen weapons until Rin’s dad is all like “Dude you’re showing the whole world our fucking moveset, get the fuck out of there. Which given that Gilgamesh is an archer which are supposed to be independent and he’s a fucking snobby asshole, even with a Command Seal I’m surprised that worked. Also Waver’s racist teacher is all “hah wow, I was supposed to have Rider and the token teenager character stole it from me” and Iskandar’s like “I like this kid that’s ride or die with me even though he cries all the time way more than someone who doesn’t even step onto the battlefield you stuck up prick” and then Lancer and Berserker double-team Saber (giggity) and Lancer’s not happy about it because he was fighting Saber first and doesn’t wanna just jump her with Darth Vader but more Command Seals are thrown around until Iskander runs over Darth Vader with his fucking Lightning Chariot and that’s kind of shitty because Racist Teacher man wasted a Command Seal to have Lancer attack Saber for like five seconds before making him retreat. Bug Dude is also kinda freaked out that Berserker just kinda went for Saber meaning she must be pretty pissed at Saber about something anyway so basically everyone runs away and nothing is really accomplished, we didn’t even really need Kiritsugu’s sniper shit or Assassins’s Ninja Bullshit for this everyone’s just had enough and goes home. Also Caster is a creepy yandere simp for Saber but really who isn’t in this series.

Konosuba: So Aqua’s ready to sit in a lake for a few hours to make some money but for the first time in her live her divine booty is not enough to solve this problem. She gets traumatized by getting attacked by demon alligators and Kazuma and co. are honestly uncharacteristically worried about her and ready to try and help her. Meanwhile generic isekai protagonist has a crush on Aqua despite already having his own harem of bland girls and wants to steal Aqua back but basically the whole group is so totally anti-White Knight they can see right through his shit and turn him down. Kazuma beats him up in the most Kazuma way possible and steals his magic sword, proving that not only is he not doing anything to defeat the devil king but he’s actively sabotaging those that are. Aqua fucking decks the guy and blackmails him so she’s rich now and Kazuma’s rich from selling his OP Isekai Cheat Sword. Also the Dullahan dude is back for revenge about bombing his castle and Kazuma’s like “Wait were we still doing that? Thought we stopped, oh well everyone in this world’s problems are our fault somehow so it sounds about right.”

Sailor Moon Crystal: So this time we get Makoto’s story who’s probably my favorite thus far because her job is punching shit and making sure Usagi doesn’t die from the hundreds of things ready to hit her on a daily basis. I have sort of found a redeeming trait for Usaig in that she’s willing to reach out to anyone and everyone, like she’s not what I would call traditionally ‘nice’ but she is friendly and that ability to pull disparate people together does kind of make more sense for why she’d be the leader rather than the other girls who have useful but more specific talents. But yeah continuing with the trend of things teen girls like trying to destroy the world, haunted bridal shop that also reveals Makoto’s tragic backstory of being a more believable version of Tall Girl. Makoto transforms and beats up the Bride lady with a combination of Zenbonzakura Kageyoshi and Azula’s lightning bending, no fair that she gets two powers but I guess she is the tough one so it make sense. Now we’ve basically got the whole crew except for the one that we already know is active but hasn’t joined the group yet so we’ll see how this goes.

Durarara!!: So Mikado’s in deep shit after stealing the girl away that half the town is looking for, all because he has it hammered into his head that whenever a girl asks for his help he has to give it. There’s a bit of discussion about the nature of the Dollars that I’m sure won’t be important later but both Izaya and Celty show up outside Mikado’s school and he’s kind of in an awkward position since there’s nowhere he can really go but home and lead them to the girl. So he decides to find out about them, or at least Celty, Izaya’s just kinda along for the ride. He gets Celty’s backstory and agrees to take her to the other girl only to get jumped by Yagiri thugs and pull out some Death Note animation internet shit that has even Izaya stunned, Mikado about to actually become the main character of this anime for a bit.