#Watch that Code Geass thing I heard there was a king in that

[mawofthemagnetar]

The most confusing fandom on this webbed site has got to be the British royal family simps. Guys… please. Find an SMP. a band. Watch some doctor who if you really gotta get your anglophile fix. Get really into F1. Watch an anime. Fucking anything else.

Love yourselves, please, just stop simping for these miserable fucking parasites, please, I am begging-

[hampink]

so kaku twitter space Q&A highlights (5/14/2023)

was casually listening to so kaku’s (kaguragi) twitter space while i was drawing, so here's some fun kingohger related + personal questions he answered that i noted down and translated!

(unfortunately i didn't record the stream though so you’ll just have to believe me)

 (source: bro just trust me)

Q: who’s your favorite king in kingohger?

probably yanma. he’s very cool and manly, and i like how high energy he gets

Q: do you guys come up with the kingohger tiktoks yourselves?

we have a social media manager who suggests which audio to do, and we (the actors) decide how we'll act it out together

Q: anyone from the cast you talk to/hang out with the most?

all of them, but maybe because we’re shooting a lot of scenes with jeremy right now recently i talk to masashi ikeda a lot

Q: does kaguragi know what kuroda looks like?

oh but of course he does~!

Q: what's your favorite sentai?

dairanger! it's such a cool show

Q: a question from my 5 yr old son: does kaguragi like flowers? he says he wants to go flower picking with kaguragi

ahh, flower picking, how nice! yes, kaguragi likes flowers!

Q: does kaguragi have a favorite place?

he does, but i can't say what it is yet. there’s a really good scene (about it) so look forward to that

Q: how much of kaguragi’s hair is a wig? also how long does the hair and makeup take?

the entire thing is a wig. it used to take a lot longer to get into hair and makeup, but the makeup artists have gotten used to it/have gotten better at it so the process is a lot faster now, which i’m really grateful for

Q: i heard shiokara's actor does a lot of adlibs. do you do that a lot as kaguragi too?

“sukonbu piiman” (”sour konbu peppers”, kaguragi mishearing “sukopi”) was an adlib

Q: are kaguragi's geta (wooden sandals) hard to walk in?

it was at first, but i've gotten used to it now

Q: what’s your favorite anime?

code geass, gurren lagann, higurashi no naku koro ni. i like intense anime

Q: favorite musician?

BUMP OF CHICKEN

Q: favorite flower?

pansies

Q: favorite food?

curry, sushi, and yakiniku

Q: i love how hachi ohger incorporates kabuki movements in his fighting style. what's your relationship with kabuki?

i really like kabuki. it wasn’t a traditional kabuki production but when i was younger i saw a performance of “super kabuki” and thought it was really cool. as for kaguragi/hachi ohger, the suit actors and i would watch videos of kabuki actors and try to mimic their movements.

Q: we want to see the fruits of your (muscle) training!! please let kaguragi wear a tank top!!

hopefully we get to do a scene like that hahaha

Q: do you look up your name online?

i do... so please don’t say mean things about me ;w;

Q: what's kaguragi's favorite vegetable? my nephew who’s growing vegetables at home would like to know!

wow! kaguragi would love anything homegrown. but maybe in particular he likes tomatoes, or eggplants

Q: what’s your favorite thing about kaguragi’s outfit?

the haori (coat), definitely. it’s when i put it on that i really feel like i’ve transformed into kaguragi. but the outfit weighs 5 kilos... so heavy...

Q: tell us about the "H" incident

the what....? *suddenly remembers* OHHHH HAHAHA

so during the roll call scene in episode 10 where aoto (yanma) said "eichi no ou, yanma gasuto! (king of wisdom, yanma gast!)" i thought he said "eichi" as in the latin letter “H” (in japanese, H = hentai/ecchi, in other words he thought yanma said he was “the king of perverts/sex” LOL)

Q: what's kaguragi's color? (asking for light stick reasons since there’s no black color setting on a light stick)

it's orange, i'm pretty sure!

END

i joined in kinda late so there’s probably some questions i missed (and sorry if i remembered some details wrong, i was multitasking and not fully focused, but i did take simple notes) he also talked abt things like how he plays valorant and how great his muscle training is going etc (he lamented that kaguragi wears so much clothing and he doesn’t get to show off his muscles lol). i think i remember he also teased something about kaguragi and rita as a duo and something ~maybe~ happening with them in the plot

it was his first time hosting a twitter space and he gave off very boomer energy because he had No idea what he was doing. people kept trying to help him understand how to let in other speakers but he gave up lol xD he was kind of nervous but it was still a lot of fun! himeno and shiokara’s actors were there too, and he might do a twt space with the both of them next time ^^

[system-of-a-feather]

k project and/or tokyo ghoul? (elysium)

I FUCKING LOVE K PROJECT. It's actually one of the first anime to actually make me realize there are more quality anime out there other than Bleach (which is funny cause Bleach is a shit anime, I love it, but it is shit). Admittedly, I only watched it cause I saw Kuroh in the corner of like gogoanime or whatever I was streaming Bleach or Code Geass or something on and went "wow hes kinda hot and also total gender I need to find out where hes from" and gave it a go.

I've read the manga like 50 times over and I don't know if they released english versions officially of K Project (specifically Lost Small World and Memory of Red) but they are on the top tier of manga I wanna own.

I actually haven't read or watched it in a while and a curse / benefit of DID and my chronically piss poor memory is I can't remember even shows I love for more than like 2 weeks after finishing them so I can't recall too much.

I love Homra and really want to think I'd be part of their squad but I'm definitely Scepter 4. I simp for literally everyone in that anime. Munakata is my king. If I had a kin list I would kin Fushimi Saruhiko.

I am actually casually obsessed with Fushimi Saruhiko, he is actually probably still on my art blog's webpage cause I put him there ages ago and forgot and never went to edit it. He is definitely in like, probably my top 10-15 anime characters and I wanna hold him. He is such a mood and I relate to him and I hope he gets a good life. Sarumi is best ship (not actually but kinda) and I honestly need to get back into looking at art of those two cause it warms my heart.

Amazing anime, amazing characters, even better manga.

Also it has a good soundtrack and AMAZING art style. I don't know how I would compare it now and would have to rewatch it, but especially for it's time, the beautiful art and animation that they had when animating motion and the auras was 10/10 and actually the thing I loved the most when I watched it for the first time back when I was like 12 or some shit XD

One of the core "favorite anime" that I've loved and stayed regularly as one of my top tier obsessions that cycles in and out.

As for Tokyo Ghoul, I've never actually watched it. I always consider taking a look over at it and either watching or reading it but for one reason or the next I never do. I heard its really good, I just like... never get around to it XD

I'mma quickly skim the characters and take a guess on who would be my favorite just off of appearances. Probably Kaneki or Shuu, maybbbeee Uta.

-Riku (Host)

[ramblingguy54]

26, 29, 30, 36?

*cracks knuckles*Alright, let’s do this.

26: The late Robin Williams & Hayao Miyazaki are two particular people in my life I’ve idolized for what happiness/imagination they’ve brought into others lives. Robin Williams untimely passing still hurts for me to look back on because this man made it his mission to bring so much joy into other peoples lives through his acting on the big screen, whether it was dramatic or comedic. That’s what I found the most impressive about Robin’s range in acting. He could be an over the top funny individual, but Robin’s acting chops were in a league of their own. Whether he was behind the microphone having the time of his life as Genie on Aladdin or giving a powerful dramatic performance on Good Will Hunting as Will’s therapist, I could feel the unconditional kindness. There was something about Robin’s acting power that would usually manage to reel me in. Even if I never knew him in real life, obviously, this man just radiated with so much kindness that I felt from his entire presence on screen. It’s seriously unfortunate what became of Robin Williams in the end with his unexpected death, but his legacy has inspired me to be kinder to others in real life. As for Hayao Miyazaki, this guy is a huge factor in why I got into loving anime related stuff all the more, as his creations in storytelling and the art itself for the movies were beyond unlike anything I still have yet to seen be topped quite frankly. It’s so easy for me to get emotionally lost in his films like My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Castle In The Sky, and Spirited Away. This man never ceases to amaze me with how usually impactful and in depth his films are. They’re so full life that it’s easy to lose sight of whats happening in the actual story at times. Mayazaki understood how to breathe a ton of humanity into creating such resonating works of fiction. Have a much greater appreciation for them in my adult years. There’s a reason why they inspired companies, like Pixar, to create immersive stories of their own.

29: Favorite films range from Zootopia, Wreck It Ralph, M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable, Aladdin (1992), The Secret Of NIMH, The Lion King (1994), The Incredibles, UP, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Finding Nemo, Inside Out, Kung Fu Panda 1 & 2, How To Train Your Dragon Trilogy, Toy Story 1-4, The Great Mouse Detective, Lilo & Stitch, The Emperors New Groove, A Goofy Movie, Good Will Hunting, The Fox And The Hound, The Land Before Time, The Brave Little Toaster, Frozen, Shrek 1 & 2, Coraline, Paranorman, Kubo And The Two Strings, The Muppets (2011), Princess Mononoke, Castle In The Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away, Porco Rosso, Summer Wars, Beauty and the Beast (1991), Winnie The Pooh (1977 & 2011 iterations.), The Peanuts Movie, The Princess And The Frog, The Jungle Book (2016), Scooby Doo On Zombie Island, Harry Potters’ 1-7, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy, Wonder Woman, Sam Raimi’s Spiderman 1 & 2, The Black Panther, Thor & Thor Ragnorok, The Avengers, Avengers Infinity War & Endgame, Spiderman Into the Spiderverse, Captain America Trilogy, Iron Man Trilogy, Star Wars Episodes 4-8, and The Breakfast Club to stop this list from getting any longer. =P

30: Favorite TV shows range from Cowboy Bebop, Avatar The Last Airbender, Yu Yu Hakusho, Digimon Adventure 01 & Tamers, Teen Titans (2003), Batman The Animated Series, Ed, Edd,& Eddy, Samurai Jack, Courage The Cowardly Dog, The Powerpuff Girls (Screw that garbage reboot.), Chowder, Bojack Horseman, DuckTales (1987), DuckTales (2017), Gravity Falls, Code Geass (This series has shaky writing in a number of areas, but that ending was beautiful.), Amphibia, Steven Universe, Oban Star Racers, Made In Abyss, Stranger Things, Gargoyles, My Hero Academia, Naruto (I’ve got a soft spot for this series despite my MANY problems with its story later on.), Pokemon (Serious nostalgia overload!), Dragonball Z (My very first anime series I got into through the Toonami block. A real shocker I know. LOL!), Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, The Promised Neverland, Death Note, Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers, Sonic SatAM, Talespin, Darkwing Duck, The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy, Robot Chicken, A Pup Named Scooby Doo, Kim Possible, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and Fullmetal Alchemist (2003).

36: My three dream scenarios I’d like to fulfill? 

1: Become A Voice Actor

Been interested in voice acting since I was a young teen, but have been in a conflicted state over these recent passing years in my life on whether or not I’d like to approach that route. There’s a lot of commitment I’d have to put into auditioning my butt off for roles I may or not get. Then comes the consistent practicing to keep my vocal chords in shape, so I don’t get rusty whatsoever. The industry for this kind of job can be hard to get recognized in too by how many other notable well known VA’s there are already. Not to mention, from what I’ve researched up on being a voice actor doesn’t bring in the money naturally, as it’s more of a passion job which that’s terrific and all, but if I want to partake in this profession I’ll have to juggle a job along with that which putting all those factors in my head honestly makes me intimidated. Ahhh well, it’s just something I’ll have to wait and see on if I can make that idea into a reality or not. No need to rush myself, of course.

2: Taking Up The Mantle Of Reviewing Shows & Films For A Living

Fiction, just like for many people, has been a great deal of helping me in my life moments of stress, solitude, depression, and anger. I’d love nothing more than to further express that to anyone out there in reviewing in great detail certain films or shows that I’ve come to love over these years in my life so far. Mostly for animation though, as its been a gateway for finding many gems of quality films or series. It never ceases to surprise me on how creative and powerful animation can be with its inventive ways of getting me to become an emotional mess. While I do enjoy live action series and films they pale in comparison to the beauty animation has brought into my life, since my early childhood of watching shows on Cartoon Network, Toon Disney, and Nickelodeon to a smaller degree. I’d like to think I’m good enough with how I present my reasons on why I feel so strongly connected to these stories showcasing characters trying to find hope in their own hard times. I try my hardest to take moments of my own life and find ways to connect it with whatever story I’m getting into next, so it can be all the more a special experience for myself. It’s important to put whatever character resonates with you most in their shoes for why you feel their emotional journey connecting with your own life on every conceivable level possible. That will make it when you write these kinds of reviews a very empowering read for others to feel either heard in their own feelings or simply giving others a new perspective to consider on this piece of fiction you’re discussing. Seeing some of my own particular analytical posts in the past here on Tumblr garner some attention from people gives me a boost of feeling better about potentially making this choice.

3: Starting A Family Of My Own…?

I can’t begin to tell ya how many times I’ve gone back and forth for getting married in the distant future to become a father has sped through my mind. On one hand, it scares the crap out of me to be taking up that big of a responsibility. However, on the other hand its deeply fascinated me emotionally of creating life through love for your significant other in starting your own family tree. I’d love to be able to raise kids of my own to pass on the lessons I’ve learned in life to make them become better people in the distant future, while showering them with unconditional love and affection. That would fill me up with such an indescribable joyous feeling to hear their own dreams and desires on what they want to accomplish in life. While I’d be a strict parent, I wouldn’t be a hard headed one quick to dismiss their own complaints if they had problems with how I handled things, once they start to get older. The kind of parent I’d want to be is an understanding open minded one who doesn’t judge their son or daughter for when they have an issue with me. Just because I’m a parent in that scenario doesn’t put me on a pedestal of immunity from criticism. Granted, I certainly don’t want to be a doormat for them to try taking advantage of either, but it’s also important to not let your parental role go to your head, too.

Although, I don’t plan on even trying to make this last dream of mine happen anytime soon. This is something that is MUCH later down the road that I wish to have happen. However, I won’t lie and say that I haven’t considered just staying content as a single guy for the rest of my life relying on close friends to bring me joy equivalent to this dream. While I adore the concept of creating life through love and being a father, there’s a shit ton of responsibility that comes with it. The life of a parent is not just putting your all into it. You gotta give more than just 100% when wanting to be a parent. It’s a serious test of your spiritual endurance, which I’m not sure is something I’ll ever have the courage to do, but then again things can change in life on the flip of a dime, so I’ll see how this all plays out for myself. Maybe I’ll stay happily single or I’ll happily be raising kids.

Gee, I wonder why this dream of being a parent resurfaced in my head recently this year? Oh yeah, it was thanks to this character here.

Seriously, Della Duck holds a real special place in my heart for making me feel these kind of feelings yet again. Darn you space mom! LOL.

Thanks for the ask, man.

[naruwitch]

Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron Chapter 18: Collection and Extraction

Rai's fingers flew across the keyboard in a blur. His eyes were focused solely on the computer's screen. He barely even noticed that everyone else had crowded behind him to look as well. It had been three days (quintants according to the Alteans) since the massive fiasco with King Alfor's A.I. and Princess Allura had finally recovered from the Rejuvenation Ceremony on the Balmera. Now Rai was tapping into the memory data that they had managed to extract from Sendak before Lelouch had sent him off into space.

"Somewhere inside Sendak's memories, we should be able to find the inside information that gives us the key to take down Zarkon," Allura said confidently.

"I don't think your father would approve of searching through an enemy's memories," Coran said with a slight frown.

"Yeah, I hate to admit it," Suzaku added, "but I'm not super comfortable with this either."

"I understand," Allura said before standing up straighter, "but we have to do everything we can to defeat Zarkon."

"Once we learn all his weaknesses, we can drive up to his front door and challenge him to a fight. Winner gets the universe," Rivalz grinned, already daydreaming of the battle to come.

"Anything good yet, Rai?" Lelouch asked.

Rai only sighed in frustration, "We were only able to salvage bits and pieces."

"Okay, but we need something to work with," Shirley said, sharing similar feelings of frustration, "right now, we don't even have a decent map of the Empire."

"Do we even need a map?" Kallen asked with a frown, "After ten thousand years of conquering, I could probably fire Aka's laser at like any random point in space and hit a Galra ship somewhere."

"Well, if we could just find troop locations or supply routes, small targets we could hit-and-run, then we could start to free planets one by one," Milly suggested.

"Hey Lelouch," Rivalz said, looking at the Black Paladin, "you have experience kicking Britannia's butt as Zero. Why can't you just do the exact same thing here? Just 'Zero up' and challenge Zarkon to a fight."

"It's not that simple, Rivalz," Lelouch said with a frown, folding his arms. "The only reason I've had so much success on Earth is because I already know the enemy so well. Most of my opponents are my own half-siblings, people I've grown up with and know on a personal level. Because of that, it's much easier to predict their movements and actions. On the other hand, we, including me, know little to nothing about Zarkon. He's been building this universal-sized empire for ten thousand years. That's longer than humanity has even been alive. We're not going to tear it down overnight with seven inexperienced-" Kallen cleared her throat loudly, and Suzaku crossed his arms with a slight frown as well, "-mostly inexperienced pilots and one support ship. The last thing we want to do right now is hit him where he lives, it'd be a huge mistake."

"Why not use your Geass on him and force him to stop?" Shirley suggested.

"I could try that," Lelouch agreed, "but there are some problems there too. I need to make direct eye-contact for Geass to have any effect, so doing that alone will be difficult enough. Also, there are too many unknowns about this situation. When I tried to use it on Sendak, he was able to counter it. Not to mention that something he said worries me."

"And that would be…?" Suzaku asked.

"When Kallen and I confronted Sendak, and I attempted Geass on him. After he countered it, he mentioned people called the Druids, saying I 'paid a visit' to them."

"Hey, now that I think about it," Rai said, turning his head back to them, "he said the same thing to me when I fought him."

"Do you know anything about this, C.C.?" Lelouch looked up at the green-haired woman.

Surprisingly, she shook her head, "This is the first time I've heard of them as well."

"So instead of getting answers, all we have are more questions," Rivalz sighed. This was starting to get frustrating for all of them.

"Okay, anyway, I've cross-referenced Sendak's memories with the info I got from the downed ship back on Arus," Rai announced, turning back to the screen, Altean and Galran symbols started to appear in front of him, "Most of it was a garbled mess, but one thing kept repeating, something called a 'Universal Station.'"

"Universal Station? Like, the kind of station that controls the entire universe?" Shirley asked, leaning over.

"Well, we are translating it from Galra, so it could also be 'Galactic Hub,'" Rai countered.

"Or 'Space Base,'" Suzaku suggested. Everyone turned to look at him questioningly, "What?" he asked, looking confused.

"I'm pulling up the location of your Universal Hub Station Base on our screens now," Coran said as he walked over towards the primary monitor. As he pulled up the coordinates, two giant planets and a small moon appeared on the screen, but as far as they could tell, there was no sign of a Galra base anywhere.

"So... where is it?" Rivalz asked, looking confused.

"I don't know," Coran said, looking bemused. He rechecked the screens in case he put the wrong coordinates. They were correct, though. "Our long-range sensors are unable to find anything at those coordinates."

"Maybe he remembered it wrong?" Kallen suggested.

"Or maybe we just stumbled across a top-secret base in Sendak's memories," Rai said as he clasped his hands together seriously.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," C.C. said.

"I agree, let's go take a look," Allura said with a determined frown.

o~o

They decided not to wormhole to the coordinates as the team had no real idea of what would be waiting for them on the other side. If they were lucky, there would be no enemy ships ready to shoot them down upon exiting a wormhole. But, they learned early on that the team was rarely that lucky, so they choose to manually fly there instead. It took several hours for the Castle to finally get within range of the coordinates that they picked up from Sendak's memories. Rivalz, Milly, and Shirley had ended up falling asleep halfway through.

"We should be close enough to get a good scan," Allura announced, shaking the trio from their slumber, "but far enough away to avoid being noticed."

The Castleship slowly crept around the first planet that oddly looked like a smaller version of their Solar System's Jupiter. As they did so, their target slowly came into focus. Located in the middle of the two planets and the moon, was a small base that seemed to be carved out of a meteorite. A couple of Galra cruisers were already lodging there, and another was slowly coming into port.

"There it is," Rai said gravely. It was a lot smaller than they thought it would be. However, considering how hard it was to locate, they couldn't dismiss the station due to size alone. There had to be something the Galra wanted to hide to have so much security around it.

"It appears the gravitation between the two planets warps the electron emission spectrum enough to keep the planet off the deep space scanners," Coran explained as wave patterns and other information appeared on the screen before them.

"So you can only see it if you really know where to look," C.C. observed. She chuckled slightly, "Clever."

"Huh, it's almost like a space version of the Bermuda Triangle," Kallen compared.

"From the looks of it, this place must handle shipments from all over the Galra Empire," Suzaku added.

"Wait, I'm confused," Shirley said, "if this place is basically just a glorified airport, why did they need to hide it?"

"There's probably more to this than what we're seeing," Milly offered.

"I agree," Lelouch nodded, "there's no reason that the Galra would go through all the trouble to hide this place if it was simply another outpost or port. Something else is happening here."

"Then, we'd better go down to take a look," Allura said as she tapped on the hologram screen. She pulled up the base closer to her. A small area around the middle of the base lit up and expanded, "We'll need to enter here: the central control building."

Suzaku blinked, before looking at Allura incredulously, "I'm sorry, Princess, did you say 'we'?"

"I'm going with you," Allura said with a determined frown, "I've traveled through the Galra transportation hubs many times with my father before the war began. I know more about them than any of you."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Suzaku asked nervously.

"I agree with Number Two, Princess, I'd rather you stay here," Coran said.

"I'm a part of this fight against Zarkon as much as anyone. I'm going. Does anyone have a problem with that?" Allura glanced around as if daring one of them to protest. Most of the Paladins looked away, not wanting to catch Allura's eye.

"I'm going as well," C.C. said, "both Lelouch and Shirley are contracted with me, and I'd rather be there to make sure they survive than watch them die."

Shirley turned a small tinge of green. Despite it being quite generous of C.C. to accompany them, she still wasn't used to some of her antics, most of which were quite morbid.

"...Fine. Suit Up," Lelouch relented with a sigh.

"What?! Lelouch, you can't be serious!" Suzaku exclaimed as everyone else in the looked up at the Black Paladin in shock.

"I understand the concern Suzaku," Lelouch said calmly, "but the Princess brings up a good point. With her experience at these ports, we can find what we're looking for faster. Besides, she's not going to be alone, we'll all be there as well."

Suzaku still looked uncomfortable, and Coran looked downright horrified, but the plan was in place. And now it was time to implement it.

o~o

"We'll go in low, fast, and hopefully undetected. Coming around the dark side of the nearest planet should keep them from getting a visual on us. Thanks to Rai's modifications to Zerith, we'll have thirty seconds of cloaking," Lelouch had explained before they departed.

Zerith zoomed around the side of the planet, cloaking activating like a blanket being thrown over her. In a wide arc, she carefully landed near the rocky top of the base.

"I can flood their short-range sensors with a radiation burst," Coran offered. "That should buy you a minute or so, while they assume it's cosmic interference. But, after that, it's up to you to be out of sight."

Looking down from the rocky outcropping, the base looked much bigger up close. Their destination, the central control building, as Allura called it, was right in the middle of it.

o~o

"Interference clear in three, two, one," an automated male voice ran through the control center. A single Galra soldier stood guard on top of the central platform, and down below were two sentries handling the other controls.

The Galra was bored. Nothing exciting ever happened at this base. Why was he the one stuck here handling cargo deliveries? He yawned as if to prove his point.

He then heard the entrance behind him open. He blinked and looked back, only to find that there was no one there.

"Huh?" was the only thing that came out of his mouth before something suddenly hit him in an uppercut. He went flying backward over the railing and landed unconscious down below. The two sentries immediately raised their guns, only to look around in confusion to find no assailants. They never got the chance to sound the alarm either as two blaster flashes later, they were lying crumpled on the floor as well.

Shirley sighed in slight exhaustion as her Geass turned off. Before the group had entered the control station, Shirley had used her Geass to make them all invisible, at least to the enemy's eyes. It was the most amount of people she'd had to use it on so far, and she didn't expect it to be so draining.

"Great job, Shirley!" Rai praised with a smile, "Just sit and rest for now, okay?"

Shirley smiled gratefully at the Green Paladin before doing just that, practically falling on the bottom step of the stairs and leaned against the wall.

"It seems your limit of how many you can turn invisible is higher than nine so far," C.C. observed, as that was the number of people there, including Shirley herself. "You could easily smuggle an entire strike team into any situation without detection."

"And it's a skill we will likely be using in the future," Lelouch finished, giving Shirley a nod and a smile. The Orange Paladin blushed at Lelouch's praise. It felt good to be noticed by her crush.

The group wasted no time tying the Galran up and hiding him in the upper corner, as well as move the two sentries out of the way. Rai was in the process of connecting his laptop to Rover, who was in the process of scanning the Galran station's network. Kallen and Suzaku glanced out the large windows to the center to make sure that no one spotted or noticed the assault.

"How's it look out there?" Lelouch asked.

"All clear. For now anyway," Suzaku confirmed as Kallen nodded.

"This shouldn't take too long," Rivalz said, as he helped connect the last wire to the little drone.

Rai's computer blinked to life as he started to type furiously on it, "We'll have all the information we need in a few minutes." In front of him, the screen beeped as numerous algorithms and data began swarming onto the screen. Despite the chaos, though, Rai's face didn't change. He seemed to know what he was looking for as a pixelated face of himself appeared on the screen and seemed to start laughing as data was transferred. "I made some improvements since the last time I tried to download Galra info. We should get a nice, clean translation immediately. Milly actually gave me the idea on how to do it."

"Well actually, it was more or less Nina's idea," the Yellow Paladin confessed, "but do you guys remember when we studied algorithms back at Ashford? And then Nina told us that joke about the ghost learning symbolic logic and innumerably infinite sets or something like that?"

"Your point?" Kallen asked before Milly could get too carried away.

"Yeah, right, anyway, she said-"

"Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt," Suzaku said before Milly could finish, "but I think we got company." A giant shadow of another Galra ship passed overhead, likely here for a delivery or pickup. It slowly lowered itself until it landed in the middle of the port.

"We should get out of here!" Kallen exclaimed as she and the other Paladins, plus Allura, Rover, and C.C. crowded around Rai and his laptop.

"Just need a few more seconds," Rai said, his typing seeming to speed up.

"Stay low. We need this intel," Lelouch ordered quietly.

The control board in front of them suddenly blinked to life as the group gasped.

"Get down!" Suzaku hissed as everyone scrambled out of the way as a screen appeared before them. Another Galra, likely the commander of that ship, was staring back through the screen. He grunted in surprise and confusion when no sentries or fellow Galra greeted him.

"What do we do?" Shirley whispered urgently. The Galra hadn't turned the transmission off. If he got too suspicious that something had happened, he could sound an alarm, and that was the last thing they needed right now.

"I think he's waiting for a signal or something," Rivalz guessed.

"Leave it to me," C.C. hissed as she stealthy dragged herself and one of the downed sentries towards the control panel. With barely a grunt, she hefted the robot to its feet and moved its elbow around as if it were pressing buttons. Due to how close the sentry was to the screen, the commander didn't see C.C.'s hand controlling it. She then somehow got to not only wave at the Galra, but also give a thumbs up. How she did that they had no idea. The Galra on the other end still looked a little confused but waved back slightly in acknowledgment before closing the transmission. The immortal sighed in relief that that had worked. She'd had to do a lot of unorthodox things on this adventure so far. Well, unorthodox, even for her anyway.

"Thanks, C.C.," Lelouch said graciously.

"Don't mention it," she shrugged. So long as everyone was still alive, she didn't really care what happened. Though, not getting captured would be a bonus as well.

"Okay, download complete," Rai announced as Rover disconnected from the control board, having gotten what they needed.

"Okay, what's it say?" Kallen asked a little impatiently.

"Nothing!" Rai exclaimed in frustration and continued to type. "This place doesn't have any useful information. Just a schedule of the ships coming in and out."

"So we basically just wasted our time," Kallen deduced with a scowl, voicing everyone's current thoughts.

"Welp, can't win them all," Milly said, "a few busts were bound to happen."

"Let's return to the Castle before we're spotted," Lelouch decided as they all got up to leave. Rivalz helped Shirley to her feet as she still was recovering from her Geass usage.

To their surprise, though, Allura spoke up, saying something for the first time since they had gotten in, "Hold on. Rai, do you know where that ship is headed?" the Princess gestured the one that literally just docked.

Though confused by the sudden request, the Green Paladin answered, "Um, it's scheduled to be here for about a half an hour, then head off to Central Command."

Allura stood up straight, "That's where they have the information we need, and I'm going to sneak aboard that ship and get it for us."

"What?!" Suzaku gasped as he and the others stood up, "No, absolutely not!"

"How are you even going to get in?" Shirley asked curiously.

"I'm going to walk right through the front," Allura smiled confidently as she takes off her helmet.

Then right before their eyes, the Princess started to change. Her dark skin became a purple color, and she grew in height by about another foot or so. Everyone stared, mouths open at what just happened.

"H-how did you do that?!" Shirley gasped, voicing everyone's question.

"The Alteans are a chameleon-like people who can blend in with the local populations," Allura explained with a proud smile. "It's the ability that's made us great explorers and diplomats throughout our history."

"So, can you turn into, like, a balloon?" Milly asked, leaning in closer.

"How many different colors can you be at once?" Rai asked next, turning his attention away from his laptop for a moment.

"Aren't you afraid you'll rip your pants?" Rivalz asked, all three leaning in, waiting for their answers.

Allura blinked a couple of times, not expecting such questions, but fortunately had answers for all of them, addressing one by one. "No, just one at a time, and I will need a change of costume. I can use his uniform as a disguise." Allura said, turning to the still unconscious Galra officer.

"You're not going in there alone," Lelouch said authoritatively.

"Excuse me? I do not need your permission," Allura fired back.

"It's too dangerous. I'm going in with you," the Black Paladin decided.

"You will stick out like a Choferiak's nose," Allura countered.

"You're going to need that nose, Princess," Rai interrupted before they could argue further. "We're still not sure how, but somehow Lelouch's Geass can interact with Galra tech," Rai then reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a flash drive. "He can interface with their systems and use this drive to gather intel. I can monitor the download remotely from here."

"If Lelouch is going, then so am I," C.C. said and continued before Allura could protest. "Lelouch is one of my contractors and will be in a dangerous situation. At least Shirley will be safe here with the others."

"...Fine, you can come," Allura finally relented.

"Uh, you guys better hurry up if you want to get on and off before the ship leaves for Zarkon central," Shirley said, looking out the command center's window.

"Hold on!" Suzaku exclaimed, "How exactly are you going to get Lelouch and C.C. aboard?"

Allura, C.C., and Lelouch looked at each. That may be a problem. They needed to come up with something fast.

o~o

Lelouch honestly felt somewhat ridiculous and also embarrassed. Mainly because of how close C.C.'s… assets were to his face. A little too close for comfort. He had a feeling C.C. wasn't too happy about this arrangement either, but this was the most comfortable way that they could fit into the small cart that Allura, now disguised in the Galra's uniform, was currently carting towards the ship. Despite this, though, it seemed this plan was working as the only stop they made was, Lelouch assumed as he couldn't look up, in front of the ship.

"Move along," the muffled voice of a sentry gave before they started moving again.

Allura blew out a breath of relief as she and her cargo walked right past the guards and into the ship. The hard part (they hoped) was done.

o~o

"They're in," Suzaku announced, breathing out in relief himself as he Kallen, Milly, Rivalz, and Shirley watched the disguised trio enter. Despite that success, though, Suzaku couldn't let go of the tingling feeling on the back of his neck that this was still going to go horribly wrong.

"Hey," Kallen said, catching everyone's attention, "what do you think is in those giant containers?"

Before Allura was allowed to enter the ship, two sentries came marching down the ramp, carrying two large capsules. They couldn't tell what they were from their position, but they looked yellow and were glowing.

"Maybe… Fuel?" Shirley guessed. It seemed like the most logical answer.

"Makes sense," Milly agreed, "A base like this likely has tons of spare fuel and supplies when ships need to make an emergency landing of some sort."

"Maybe this guy will tell us," Rai said as he and Rover sat, or hovered in front of one of the sentries they disarmed and knocked out earlier, "What is coming in and out of this station?"

The sentry's front light suddenly started flashing yellow, like a warning light. "Interrogation detected. Initiating lockdown," the automated voice announced as the robot then slumped forward.

Rover bleeped, sounding like he was both frustrated but also slightly mocking his fellow robot.

"I couldn't agree more Rover," Rai smirked before turning his attention back to the sentry, and typing on his computer again. "So you're not talking, huh? We'll see about that."

"Whoa, check out that guy!" Kallen suddenly said as the others, except Rai, looked back out the window. In front of both of the canisters now was a creepy-looking robed figure.

Rivalz blinked before a thoughtful frown crossed his face, "Hey, uh, this is going to sound pretty random, but… what exactly is a druid?"

"Well, if you're looking for the Earth definition, they're supposed to be priests, magicians, or even soothsayers in some ancient religions. I don't think we really use that term on Earth anymore, though," Suzaku said.

"Wait… so the Galra have a religion?" Rivalz asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Technically, any cultural way of thinking could be considered part of a religion," Milly pointed out.

"Does conquering the entire universe count?" Kallen asked sarcastically. That quickly shut that conversation right up.

Curious about the person they were making a fuss over, Rai briefly glanced out the window. When he saw the figure, he gasped. Soft yet malicious laughter rang in his ears, and several figures, all with white bird-like masks, were leaning over him. He was strapped to a table and couldn't move-

"Rai! Rai, snap out of it!" a voice brought him back to reality. He blinked as Milly's concerned blue eyes swirled into view.

"Are you okay, dude?" Rivalz asked, hovering behind the class president.

"Yeah… that guy down there, he's definitely familiar," Rai confirmed shakily.

"So… this guy is a druid then?" Shirley asked, looking out the window again.

"I don't know, but whatever's happening here that requires the base to be kept a secret must have something to do with him," Kallen said, "I'm going to go check it out."

"I'm coming with you," Suzaku said, walking up behind her as she turned to leave.

The Red Paladin looked back with a scowl, "Suzaku, I'm not the sickly, frail girl you know from school. I can handle myself."

"I don't doubt that," Suzaku said, but continued on, "but if this is one of those druid people, we don't know what he's capable of. It's best to have a back-up just in case."

Kallen continued to scowl before finally letting out a forceful sigh, "Fine. Just don't get in my way."

As the two walked out of the door, Shirley looked nervously at the remaining Paladins, "They can handle themselves, right?"

"They'll be fine, don't worry," Milly said with a reassuring grin.

o~o

Meanwhile, onboard the Galra cruiser, Lelouch, C.C., and Allura glanced out from one of the hallways just as a pair of sentries walked past. From where they were, they could see the corridors crawling with robots. It was going to be challenging to get past them all.

As another sentry walked past, Allura then heard a tapping sound. Looking to the source, she saw that Lelouch's hand was pressed up against one of the walls, and his finger was tapping in a slow rhythm.

"What are you doing, Lelouch?" Allura whispered.

"I'm timing the sentries," Lelouch answered back in a low voice.

"So, you noticed as well?" C.C. asked with a small grin.

"Noticed what?" Allura asked, not quite following.

"The way the sentries walk," Lelouch explained. "Every time we've been on a Galra ship or base, I noticed that the sentries walk in a distinct pattern. Since then, I've been timing them. We should be able to sneak past them easily if it works."

"Will it?" Allura asked.

"Well, one way to find out," C.C. said as the trio turned around and scrambled down the hall just as another patrol came around the corner. They hid behind one of the outcroppings until they passed. Lelouch then led them around another corner, right before another patrol from the other side came up. The plan seemed to work as each time they heard a sentry patrol, Lelouch tapped the rhythm of their walk. Once they were gone, they would dash around another corner. No one, Galra or sentry, saw them.

o~o

Kallen's eyes narrowed as she watched the druid person lead the two sentries with the capsules down a small metal chasm. It looked like they were heading deeper inside the base. Now that Kallen got a better look at it from her and Suzaku's perch, it looked similar to a warehouse.

It didn't take long for the warehouse doors to open, and the Druid lead the sentries inside with their cargo.

As Kallen and Suzaku sprinted to keep up with them, the Purple Paladin was still shocked at how well Kallen matched his speed.

As the doors began to close, the duo leaped down after them with their jetpacks, making it in just as the doors closed behind them.

o~o

Rivalz had taken two of the wires that Rai had attached to the sentry's head and began pushing the two open ends together. This resulted in the sentry's arm wobbly being raised up and landing clumsily on its head.

He laughed as he continued to press the wires together, "Why are you hitting yourself? Stop hitting yourself! Quit hitting yourself!"

"Stop torturing it, Rivalz," Rai scolded, but he couldn't help but chuckle along with Shirley.

"I'm sorry. I just…" Rivalz said before putting the wires down, "I've had a lot on my mind lately. Like, I guess I still haven't gotten over the fact that not only is Lelouch a member of the Royal Family, but he's Zero too? I mean, who would've guessed that, right?"

"He's a valiant superhero sporting, not one, but two secret identities!" Milly dramatically proclaimed. This caused everyone to laugh again.

"Okay, I think I can teach this hunk of junk to help us," Rai said as he looked up at the robot, "Would you like to help us, Mr. Robot?"

The sentry's head mechanically swiveled in Rai's direction before it started rapidly shaking its head, making a rattling sound.

"Whoops…" he muttered, turning back to the laptop. Rover let out a few beeps, sounding like laughter.

Despite the silliness happening around her, Shirley suddenly frowned sadly.

"You okay, Shirley?" Milly asked.

"Yeah, I just… I keep thinking about what Lelouch told us. About what happened to his mom and Nunnally. And their dad just threw them away like they were trash! What kind of a father does that to his own kids, Emperor or not?!"

"Yeah. I regret to admit this, but up until Lelouch told us about what he's really like, I actually kind of admired the Emperor," Rivalz admitted with a disgusted frown.

"If I ever see that son-of-a-bitch face to face, the first thing he'll get from me is a slice to the neck," Rai growled.

No one protested the action, all of them thinking about similar things. To believe that the most powerful man in their nation was capable of such cruelty towards his own family!

Speaking of family... "...You know, we've been away from Earth for a while now," Milly said. "Has anyone been keeping track of how long we've been gone?" Everyone shook their heads, they hadn't. Milly sighed, "Fair enough. I'm guessing it's at least been long enough for people to notice that we're missing. I wouldn't be surprised if our school pictures are all over the news."

"Wait, if that happens-" Rivalz started before Milly interrupted.

"Yeah, even with the little my grandpa can do to stop it, Lelouch and Nunnally's cover has probably been blown sky-high by now," Milly admitted. "Once someone from the Royal Family sees Lelouch's photo, I doubt it'll take long for them to connect the dots. Both Britannians and Japanese."

"Would the Japanese recognize Lelouch and Nunna?" Shirley asked.

"I'd be surprised if they didn't," Milly continued. "Their 'deaths' are the whole reason that Britannia suppresses Japan so severely, they think the people there killed two members of the Royal Family. If a Japanese faction got a hold of Nunnally, I wouldn't be surprised if they try to use her as a bargaining chip. Heck, Britannia itself could do it too, just like they did the first time."

There was a heavy silence for about five seconds as they all absorbed this information. Shirley, with clenched fists and a determined look on her face, then stood up. "Well then, once we're done here, I say the first thing we do is swing back to Earth and get Nunnally ourselves, quiznack to the Galra tracking us! She doesn't deserve to live a life like that! She deserves to be with Lelouch, and no one else!"

A chorus of agreement echoed Shirley's statement. Rai then thought of something else, "Hey, speaking of deserves better, we may be able to do more than just reunite them! The cryo-pods! Maybe they can heal her blindness and legs! Lelouch said her blindness was from trauma, so that means her vision should still be fixable since there's no physical damage. And if those don't work, I'm sure there's some alien species out there that have the ability or technology to help!"

"It would be wonderful for Nunnally to walk again. For her to have a normal life! Then Lelouch won't have to worry about her twenty-four-seven!" Shirley nodded immediately after.

"Haha! I'm sure he'd worry about her regardless. Still, either way, I'm sticking by Lelouch," Rivalz declared, "even if it means standing against Britannia."

Milly then pulled out her Bayard, it flashing into its kusarigama form, "For Lelouch and Nunnally!" she exclaimed, holding her weapon in front of her.

The other three quickly caught on to what she was doing and stood up with their own Bayards activated. The weapons joined Milly's as the wielder's held them up in the center of their circle.

"For Lelouch and Nunnally!"

o~o

The remains of sentries filled the hallway as the two Paladins stalked cautiously into this next room. They crouched down low to prevent the druid person from noticing them. In the room up ahead, the walls were stacked with layers of more canisters, all filled with the same liquid, yellow substance.

"What the heck?" Kallen whispered, "How many of these things do they need?"

Suzaku frowned. Something about this room sent shivers down his spine. He couldn't tell what was going on, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

Then one of the capsules was brought towards the center of the room, where several outcroppings met in the middle. At the center was a giant ball of energy, trapped within a glass ball. The capsule slid into place over the top of the ball, and the yellow substance slowly started leaking out the bottom and hitting the ball. But unlike spreading out like water normally would do, it was more like one of those penny donation boxes, as the substance started swirling around and around inside of the glass. Once it hit the bottom of the orb, it began to build up, slowly filling it.

Then the Druid, standing on one of the platforms, started to move. He lifted his dark grey hands up in front of him, and then in the blink of an eye, volts of violet energy shot out from his palms and hit the orb, causing the liquid inside to turn a bright purple. The pair watched it get absorbed into the energy ball in the center of the glass as the lightning ringed about it. Finally, slowly from the bottom of the orb, heavy-looking purple liquid dripped from what almost looked like a claw. It emptied into a much smaller container waiting at the bottom and started filling up slowly.

Both Suzaku and Kallen could only watch wide-eyed at what they just witnessed.

o~o

Allura, C.C., and Lelouch finally managed to evade the sentries long enough to find what they believed to be a control panel. The only person there was a single flesh and blood Galra. And he wasn't wearing a helmet either, as it was placed to the side of him.

Lelouch smirked and just walked right in, removing his own helmet. This was too perfect! When he was right behind the Galra, he cleared his throat.

The Galra promptly turned around to see Lelouch. Before he could shout for help though, Lelouch's Geass flared to life.

"Stand guard outside this room and don't let anyone in until we're finished here," he ordered as the Geass flew into the Galra's eyes.

As the telltale red ring encircled them, the Galra relaxed and saluted to Lelouch. "Vrepit sa, sir," he replied before replacing his helmet, picking up his gun, and moving to the room entrance to stand guard, just as Lelouch ordered.

Allura watched slightly uncomfortable as the Galra seemed to mindlessly do as Lelouch commanded. She understood that was how Lelouch's power worked, but to see it in action was still unsettling.

"That should delay any more patrols that come by," C.C. said, "but we should still hurry."

"Right," Lelouch nodded as he approached the main control panel. He quickly inserted the flash drive the Rai had given him into the board, then he activated his Geass once more, but this time for a different purpose. The familiar flicker of electricity traveled down the Black Paladin's hand and into his fingers as the control panel flashed to life.

"Rai, I'm in," he said through his helmet, "start the download."

"Generating access code," Rai confirmed from back at the central command deck. His familiar pixelated face appeared on the scene in blue, and soon, several bars appeared before Lelouch. "We're in."

Before Rai could get too far into the download, though, a Galra insignia appeared on the scene and started buzzing.

"Rai, there's a problem!" Lelouch warned, a small bead of sweat trickling down his face.

o~o

"Sit tight. I'm trying to work around this," the Green Paladin reassured as he typed madly on his computer, Galra text spiraling through it.

"Rai!" Lelouch urged impatiently.

"I'm on it! I'm on it!" he replied back desperately, biting his lip in the process.

o~o

"What's going on here?" another Galra asked, walking up to the Geassed Galra. He tried to step inside, but the guard blocked him.

"No one is to enter this room until the business inside is resolved," he said monotonously.

"What? What's going on in there?" the soldier asked.

"I'm under orders not to let anyone in until the business inside is done," he repeated in the same tone. He then pointed his gun at the Galra. "If you continue to persist, I will be forced to take extreme action."

The Galra backed off, looking somewhat alarmed before he finally relented, "Fine!" he then stalked off.

Allura out a breath of relief when the soldier left. She was worried that she may have had to step in for a moment. However, it seemed Lelouch's plan was working, for now.

"Rai, hurry up," Lelouch hissed, "we nearly had our cover blown!"

"Almost done," Rai answered through gritted teeth.

o~o

Kallen's visor morphed into a built-in video camera as she began to look around the room, or facility would be a better term for it.

"Coran, you need to see this."

o~o

Kallen's video feed connected to the main bridge of the Castle. Coran gasped.

"I've never seen anything like it," he breathed.

o~o

"What is that?" Milly asked as the video was also shown to the other four Paladins still in the command center.

Suddenly, from behind the quartet, the Galra sentry finally blinked to life and answered them.

"The material is quintessence, the substance with the highest known energy per unit volume in the universe."

"Hey, what do you know, he does work for us," Rivalz grinned at Rai. Though the Green Paladin wasn't listening to his comrade. Quintessence? Why did that sound familiar?

"What?" Coran asked from the Castle, "Impossible!"

"Raw quintessence material is transported here from throughout the galaxy and refined into standardized Galra fuel requirements." the sentry continued.

o~o

"Hey, did you all catch that?" Shirley asked through the commlink.

"I can't believe it! They've found a new way to acquire quintessence!" Coran exclaimed.

o~o

"Okay, guys, we're going to steal some of this quint-whatever," Kallen said.

"What? We are?" Suzaku asked, looking at Kallen like she was nuts.

"We need to know more about this stuff," Kallen replied back with a hiss, "and what better way than to get it right from the source?"

Suzaku looked like he wanted to protest. This was way too risky, they could get caught! But, seeing that Kallen also did have a point, he relented.

o~o

"Hey, look," the same Galra from earlier approached the Geassed Galra again, "I really need to get in there. Can you just step aside?"

"I'm under orders not to-"

"I get that you have orders, this will only take a tick!"

Before the Galra could shove through, the Geassed one, pointed his gun at the officer and fired.

The Galra froze in shock before his hand instinctively reached for his belt, his finger pressing down on the button just as before he collapsed.

Alarms started blaring from all over the ship. The button the Galran had pressed had set them all off!

"Security alert! Security alert!" an automated female voice rang through the halls.

Lelouch ripped his hand away from the control panel and tore the flash drive from the port. He turned, and with a small pistol, he had brought with him, shot the Geassed Galra in the skull. He collapsed to the ground in a heap by his comrade. Allura ran up and pressed the door lock as they heard multiple footsteps heading their way.

"I think we're in trouble," C.C. said surprisingly calmly.

"You think?!" Allura demanded as the door started to develop dents from the multiple assailants on the other side.

Another Galra officer that heard the gunshots was attempting to break in. Before he could fire his gun again, Allura burst through the door, slamming the officer against the other wall. She then swiped the Galra's weapon away from him, arming herself with it.

Lelouch and even C.C. froze in the doorway for a moment, looking at Allura in shock. They had no idea she was really that strong!

"What?" Allura asked, confused by their faces.

They didn't have time to ask more questions, though, as a horde of sentries started shooting at them from the other end of the hall.

"This way!" C.C. shouted, dragging the Princess and Paladin down the hall.

o~o

The quintessence had just finished filling into the small container. The platform it was on slowly started moving in Kallen and Suzaku's direction. It was the perfect opportunity to take it.

Kallen leaped from her side of the wall and snatched the container off the rack, barely making a sound. Suzaku caught her before he body could slam against the wall.

"Okay, we got it, let's get out of here," he muttered.

Kallen nodded in agreement, though she did take a moment to examine the canister more closely. She had a suspicion that this stuff wasn't just used for fuel. Why else would it have to be so well hidden? There had to be another purpose behind this stuff.

"Come on-" Suzaku halted his words when he looked back into the room. The druid was gone, "Uh oh!"

"What?" Kallen asked. She got her answer as the druid appeared right behind the pair and zapped them straight across the room, Kallen lost her grip on the canister in the process. The druid promptly transported over to it and picked up the quintessence carefully as if it were a precious artifact.

"Okay! Plan B!" she exclaimed, pulling out her cestus and charging at the druid. Suzaku wasn't too far behind her with his katana at the ready.

The druid calmly set the quintessence down on another platform before vanishing into the air again when Kallen swiped at him, only to appear a couple feet away. This time Suzaku attempted to strike at it, katana swiping the air as the druid vanished again, this time behind Kallen, who tried to swipe at him back, only for him to disappear. Again.

"Quick running and fight, you coward!" She screamed as she looked around.

"Kallen, above you!" Suzaku shouted as he spotted the druid on the platform again.

The Red Paladin just barely managed to spot the druid before has was forced to dodge out of the way as a purple bolt of lightning hit where she had been just a moment ago.

Suzaku's brain momentarily screeched to a halt when he saw that. "That's just like… Lelouch!" he whispered before he was forced to dodge the lightning attack as well. Other than the coloring, the attack seemed almost identical to the attacks that Lelouch used thanks to his Geass.

The two Paladins dodged around the lightning before the two bolts collided, causing an explosion. As the smoke cleared, the Druid paused, wondering if he had disposed of them.

He got his answer as Suzaku suddenly leaped up in his jet pack from behind and attempted to kick the druid as he spun rapidly. The druid once again vanished to another platform, but Kallen had been waiting for him. With a battle cry, she swung her Bayard on what she thought was the druid's arm, only for him to block it with a flash of purple energy that seemed to grind against Kallen's weapon.

The Red Paladin gasped as the energy became too strong, and she was shot backward with a scream, agony racing up her right arm. She hit a canister of yellow quintessence hard when she landed.

"Kallen!" Suzaku shouted in alarm as Kallen curled in around her injury. She looked down at her hand, blistering and charred from the attack. A trip to the cryopod was definitely in store for her after this.

Suzaku leaped backward himself as the druid tried to fire at him again. Fresh adrenaline running through his veins as his jetpack activated and propelled him to Kallen's location.

"Rai! We need an extraction now! Hurry!" he shouted into the comm as he landed on the shelf close to Kallen.

o~o

"Rai, fire up, Zerith! We're coming in hot!" Lelouch ordered as he, Allura, and C.C. continued to run down the hall. Lelouch was quite shocked that he was keeping up with the two women, but assumed his fight-or-flight instincts had kicked in and were helping him out with that, so he didn't question it too much.

The group then screeched to a halt as two more sentries appeared in front of them, guns raised.

Allura, the only one suitably armed, lifted the gun to try and fire… only for the shot to blast in the entirely opposite direction. The blast hit one of the sentries that were pursuing them from behind.

"Wha-" Allura asked as they turned to look. Lelouch growled and turned his Geass on once more, having tossed C.C. his pistol, and zapped one of the sentries while C.C. shot the other one. After they collapsed, Allura took the fallen sentry by C.C. and flung it at the incoming robots. It collided with them, causing them to fall, but that wouldn't stop them forever.

"I thought you said you'd traveled around the galaxy. I mean, you fly a spaceship. How could you possibly not know how to hold this correctly?" Lelouch demanded as he swiped the rifle from Allura's hands and turned it around and handed it back to the Princess.

Hearing more steps behind, Allura yanked the two of them down the hall, holding the rifle right this time.

"I'm tense. This is a tense situation!" Allura explained, but before Allura could say anything else, the intercom came to life once again.

"Secure hatches. All personnel take positions for departure."

"Not good," C.C. said as they picked up the pace further.

o~o

From inside the command deck, Rai promptly unplugged the wires. He scooped up his laptop, leading the other four Paladins back towards Zerith.

o~o

Kallen and Suzaku were jumping and leaping from wall to platform as they barely dodged attack after attack from the Druid behind them. Strangely, the druid didn't seem too concerned with the fact that while he was trying to shoot the Paladins, he was partially destroying some of the quintessence that was being stored on the base also.

Suzaku, at one point, managed to leap in front of Kallen, with his shield up, to take one of the blasts. The shield absorbed the attack, but the force of it sent him flying backward and hitting Kallen. Fortunately, they managed to land on one of the shelves of quintessence. They then slid down a conveyor belt that was transporting another quintessence canister towards the center of the room.

Believing they could possibly use it as a partial shield, Suzaku stood up in front of Kallen to protect her, as he was currently the uninjured one. The druid soon appeared above them on the conveyor belt as well, hands shimmering with purple sparks of electricity.

As the canister stopped at the center of the room and the druid approached ever closer, Suzaku readied himself for what would probably be his final stand.

That turned out not to be the day he died though, as the building suddenly shook violently, causing the druid to lose balance and his attack fire just above Kallen and Suzaku's heads. It cracked open the canister instead and spilling the thick yellow quintessence all over them. However, Kallen got the brunt of it being closer to it.

From above, the ceiling exploded, forcing the druid to vanish in a retreat. Zerith's lithe form then landed right in the center of the facility, and she opened her mouth to let the two Paladins in.

"Get in!" Rai shouted from inside, "We've got to get Lelouch, C.C., and Allura!"

The two didn't hesitate as they sprinted into the mouth. As Suzaku made it in, Kallen took a moment to look back at where the druid had been standing. She growled in fury when she saw that he was gone. She finally stepped inside, and as Zerith's mouth closed, Kallen felt a tingling in her right hand, the one that had been badly burned earlier. She looked down at it, only to gasp in shock, as the yellow quintessence seemed to close in on the injury, and fresh new skin grew in its place.

"Quintessence… what the heck is this stuff?"

o~o

"This way!" C.C. shouted as they made a sharp turn down another hall dodging laser blasts from behind still.

"Formulating navigation. All crew, assume secure hyper-speed positions."

"Hurry! We can't leave once the ship goes into hyper-speed!" Allura shouted as they felt the ship vibrate as it began to lift off the ground. She had also ripped off the Galra helmet she had been wearing.

From outside, Zerith leaped onto the top of the central command tower, and the six Paladins inside watched in horror as the ship prepared to jump.

As alarms continued to blare, the trio raced into the room, C.C. slamming her hand on the door panel before sprinting to a pod. Sentries continued to fire at them as the door closed. Before they could get one of the escape pods to work, the sentries started jamming themselves into the door, trying to force their way in.

Allura rushed forward and attempted to force the doors closed, but even her strength wasn't enough for the outpouring of robots trying to bust in. C.C. and Lelouch attempted to help her as much as they could, pushing against the door with her.

Behind them though, a pod was preparing for launch, once it did, and no one was in, they'd be trapped for good and heading straight for Zarkon!

"It's taking off! Get in the pod!" Allura ordered the two humans trying to help her.

"No! We're not leaving you behind!" Lelouch shouted in protest.

The Black Paladin then yelped as he felt hands grab him by the collar of his uniform and fling him backward. He landed hard inside the pod, to see C.C. relaxing from throwing him.

"Lelouch, you can't die here!" she shouted, "Not before you prevail! Over the past and over the outcome of your own actions!"

Lelouch could only watch in horror as the pod doors closed, and the entry doors were wrenched open, and sentries swarmed to two women on the other side. Allura sighed in relief as C.C. sent Lelouch a reassuring smile before the pod took off away from the ship, its single passenger trapped inside.

Just as Lelouch's pod exited the battlecruiser, it jumped into hyperspace, taking Allura and C.C. with it.

"No… NO!" he shouted, slamming his fist against the floor of the pod as it glided smoothly towards Zerith, who floated close by, waiting to retrieve him.

After Zerith collected the pod and Lelouch exited it, he solemnly walked up to the cockpit, the other six Paladins waiting patiently for him. Upon seeing that Lelouch is the only one to enter, though, they immediately can tell something is wrong.

"Lelouch, where's Allura?" Suzaku asked, ice flowing through his veins.

"And C.C.?" Shirley added.

Lelouch had yet to raise his head as the others crowded around him in concern.

"Lelouch?" Rivalz asked anxiously. He had never seen Lelouch look so… shattered.

"They sacrificed themselves to save me," he finally whispered, barely holding back tears.

"Wait-So, they're still on that ship?!" Rai exclaimed in alarm, similar expressions on the others' faces too.

"The ship that's headed to Zarkon's Central Command?" Milly asked.

"The place you specifically said is way too dangerous for us to attack?" Suzaku asked, feeling like an ice cube had just been dropped down his back.

"It doesn't matter how dangerous it is. We can't let Zarkon get Allura," Lelouch said, a determined and angered frown on his face, "Or C.C. for that matter."

"But, Lelouch, you said going there would be a huge mistake. You said for us to attack that place head-on would be the dumbest possible thing we could ever do!" Kallen reminded him, eyes wide.

"I know what I said. But now we don't have a choice," Lelouch glared back through the window into the abyss the ship disappeared into. They were correct, this would likely be the most stupid move they could ever make. But if Zarkon got Allura and C.C., it was over.

And no matter what, that could not happen.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Morose Mononokean II 1 | Mob Psycho 100 II 1 | Meiji Tokyo Renka 1 | My Roommate is a Cat 1 | Promised Neverland 1

I think I’ve got too many cute fluffy creatures this season...

Mononokean II 1

For some reason, before I started watching this I kept reminding myself of Tomodachi Metre and fearing the new OP (because there’s almost always a new OP when dealing with a second season) would be faster-paced…the song is faster-paced, but not in the way I thought it would be (I thought it was going to be hard rock kind of pace, but it’s at least a tad slower than that).

Utakuni is such a fluffy kitty!

Ah, Moja Moja is best moja, indeed. Gossamers from As Miss Beelzebub Likes just don’t compare, y’know?

The Legislator is practically the king of “You mad, bro?”. (LOL)

Okay-dokay, lemme explain. There are 3 arms of government (known as the separation of powers, in order to have a series of checks and balances) – the Legislative, Executive and the Judiciary, meaning we’re missing that final one at the moment…

I never knew Morose Mononokean was so obsessed with comedy…or maybe I’m just noticing it now that I have experience with comedy I get bored at…

Abeno’s face of disgust really sold that moment with Moja, LOL.

Well, by virtue of being a sequel to something I watched previously, it’s more likely to get coverage, but you can never say for certain until the first episodes are over and done. On to the next thing – Mob Psycho!

Mob Psycho 100 II 1

Alright, all these “II 1”s are going to make me confused someday, aren’t they…?

I think the dude’s Suisho simply means “water crystal”. But I’m only guessing as to what kanji are being used here, so I could be wrong.

The pixel art bit was good. More like that, please!

“Your life is your own” – is that Mob Psycho’s slogan, in the same way Symphogear has that thing about “holding courage to fist” and whatnot?

Unlike Mononokean, which you only need to know the very basics (which are in turn explained in the episode itself), it seems Mob Psycho is playing hardball in that department – if you don’t remember that time Kamuro started kicking his lackeys around, you’re going to have to watch it again. (Either that, or you watch the Reigen recap.)

Hmm…”[something to help Mob] grow” sounds a bit odd, but that’s a correct translation. That’s what seichou suru means.

Oh great…you know how I said I was cleaning out the house lately? Someone found an old copy of this book called Inventing Elliot, which I despised studying about (because it got me some of the lowest grades in my school life, aside from outright failures and close scrapes with failure). The problem is, I’m getting Inventing Elliot vibes from this particular plotline…and since that’s Mean Girls in a boys’ private school + Mob Psycho is all about the abuse of power, that’s completely a storyline the show would go with. *gulp*

Hey, they have actual eyecatches now! Hooray!

A certain kanji for “Emi” (with a mi in hiragana, IIRC) is “smile” in English, so I find it interesting they paired Mob up with a girl like her. (Then again, if it were a hiragana/kanji mix, that’s not a name.)

Oh yeah, the hitode (starfish) shirt.

Rinshi! Ekoda-chan 1

Why am I covering an R18+ series? It’s a long story…

The jokes are, as of this segment with the old lady, only about 50% hits. That seems to be a pretty bad track record. The thing about Ekoda being identified as 3 years older than what she really is is also relatable, since I don’t think I’ve grown much past a certain age.

Note there’s a Japanese store called JUSCO. There was one in Hong Kong, which was full of cool stationery.

Wait…that’s it? So why’s it 26 minutes??? Documentary…okay, I’m getting the heck out of here.

Meiji Tokyo Renka 1

I heard Ume was here…? More bishies and more Ume for me!

What’s up with the Haikara-san ga Tooru outfit, anyway?

Who dis boy? He kinda looks like Mikoshiba from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun…Update: That’s Ougai.

At least the jazz music is cool. Also, the episode title should be “Suddenly, under a Strawberry Moon…” or something, since it went totsuzen ni.

*Mei checks her phone* - This is why you don’t text and walk across the road, kids!

Ougai…y’mean, Mori Ougai? The loli dude from Bungou Stray Dogs is this redhead?! EHHHHHHHHHHHH?

Oh great. Amnesia plotline…

Hishida Shunso…a painter.

Okay…that’s a really obvious point where you’d be able to insert your own name if you were a gal (or if you wante to play as a gal).

The age of the Rokumeikan seems to pin the timeline down to “after 1883”. For some reason, it sounded familiar, but I wasn’t familiar with why - so maybe I’ll learn about it someday.

“Little Squirrel”?(!) (lowkey laughs for all the wrong reasons) And here I thought “Little Flower” (from Magic-kyun’s Louis and Dame x Pri’s Vino) was awkward-sounding but still endearing.

Okay, second redhead. When I saw him in the OP, I swore he was Ancient Magus’ Bride’s Chise…

So the germophobe redhead is Izumi Kyoka…but I’m not sure who this Kawakami is…

I don’t know how anyone could make a germophobe endearing, much less make him romanceable…

Otojiro Kawakami. Comedian and actor.

Lafcadio…wuh? Update: (Patrick) Lafcadio Hearn, Greek dude with a Japanese penname. He seems to have written stuff on Japan as well as other places.

“…that collection of ghost stories…”

Everyone seems to have forgotten about the roast beef but the animators…LOL…oh, spoke too soon. Kawakami just walked it back to the table.

Wowwwwwwwwwwww, Mei is so easily distracted by roast beef and pretty boys who, to be honest, aren’t that pretty…I’m just waiting for the long-haired dude and/or Ume and I’ll kick my butt out of here.

I thought Fujita was voiced by a familiar voice and turns out I was right – it’s Fukuyama Jun.

Well, that was mildly unsatisfying. I think I spent more time watching Mei getting blushy at dudes and not feeling an attraction myself. Fujita was the only one I wanted and he didn’t even do much but swing a sword. Seriously, though, what the heck was Charlie doing turning off the lights all of a sudden?

My Roommate is a Cat 1

Well, it’s either that title or Dokyounin wa Hiza, Tokidoki Atame no Ue. …which is a lot to write in one shot.

Why’s the cat on Subaru’s…junk?

The cat appears to be typing out the Dancing Men from Sherlock Holmes…except they’re cats. The Dancing Men are basically what made me think I had a career in computer security in the first place, come to think of it…but I’ve abandoned that kind of thinking now. Modulos are way too hard for me.

Them spoilers! I know that feel.

Koguma = small bear, in a story about a small cat. LOL.

Hiroto…I thought about this during the funeral scene, but…why does he look like Suzaku from Code Geass???

Hmm, yeah. I can see why Hiroto isn’t all that convinced – I’m a similar kind of person, with only a small pool of pursuits that keep me going for a long, long time. *looks at rabbit outside and remembers when I saw it in the darkness about 3 years ago*

Oh, so Subaru was so absorbed in his manuscript he forgot to eat, huh?

Kitty show too cute! Ehehehee… <- (ecstatic about having a new weekly dose of cuteness)

Promised Neverland 1

I’ve read the first volume of this. I’m not 100% in love with it, but if I can have bragging rights over finding the next big hit, why not?

Noitamina…now that’s a name I haven’t seen in a few years…*grumbles at Amazon*

For some reason Norman (white-haired boy) has this “betrayer” vibe written all over him. It’s because I know in BnHA and Ao no Exorcist, there are betrayals by certain people.

The aesthetic of this thing is like a fairytale and not like a typical anime. That’s probably one thing that convinced people to give it a shot.

LOL, there’s a Detective Conan door..well, it kind of looks like one.

The word for “tag” in Japanese is onigokko and “It” is an oni. That gives a whole new meaning to “playing tag with monsters”, doesn’t it?

Update: I can sort of feel my “this is popular, so I won’t like it” radar going off...so I’ll put it on hold until I get over that feeling.

[sanjuno]

It’s too late for a GoT/Code Geiss isn’t it? Not sure if Britanian Royalty as Targaryens is awesome or terrifying. Lelouch as Viserys and Nunnally as Daenerys would be, interesting. So would Lelouch as Aegon.

Technically, yes, but what the hell. One more for the Old Gods!

8/7 GoT Crossover Fix-its: A Code of Fire and Ice

So I know it’s kinda becoming a theme with these fix-its, but one of the best ways to fix GoT is to give Robert a legitimate heir that Tywin Lannister and the rest of the Baratheon Loyalists will support on the Iron Throne, so I’m going to sling Lelouch in here as a replacement for Cersei’s first canon pregnancy. (Also it’s hilarious to me how many of the Britannian names from CG sound like they belong in Westros.)

So Lelouch Baratheon is born within a year of Robert and Cerise’s marriage. The gods make it very obvious that they approve of the Baratheon rule in the form of the new Crown Prince. Lelouch is black of hair and violet of eye and the red shadow of a dragon spreads its wings over his heart. The Targaryen loyalists grumble, but the common folk chatter about the Crown Prince being chosen by the gods themselves to inherit the Dragon Throne.

Lelouch Lamperouge vi Britannia is kicked out of the World of C by the Dimensional Supervisor and told to go make miracles again in a new world. He’s born prince (again), then son of a warmonger (again), and the empire that he will someday rule was created through violent subjugation of indepentandt countries by refugees who just happened to have superior force multipliers (again). At least Dorne and the North manages to keep some of their cultural individualism. The world is primitive and the politics even mores, but it’s not until Lelouch look at his new baby brother and realizes that there’s no way Joffrey is Robert’s son that Lelouch realizes how hilariously outmatched the other players in the Game of Thrones are. Especially when compared the the Demon Emperor. The first thing Lelouch does is Geass Cersei into skipping her Moon Tea because Joffrey reminds him of Victor and that’s not on.

The twins are born with dark silver hair the colour of rainclouds, their eyes lightning bright Baratheon blue. Nunnery and Rolo Baratheon are doted on by Lelouch, and it’s agreed on by most of the servants that the twins learn to walk as fast as they do just so that they can follow their eldest brother more closely.

Lelouch is 100% involved in everything that happens in the Red Keep and realizes with some hilarity that his parents have switched roles. Cersei’s the one who reminds him of Charles, obsessed with eugenics and her brother and gaining power so she can rule. Robert is the one who reminds him of Marianne, having won a crown through War and rising above his birth station by killing off all his rivals.

Lelouch starts undermining his parents in every way he can as soon as he’s capable of coherent sentences. When Nunnally and Rolo are born Lelouch adjusts some Baratheon names to suit them and is delighted when they start helping him torment Robert and Cersei.

Arms training is hilarious to watch because Lelouch is still lazy as fuck but he’s also aware that people are going to try and kill him with pointy metal at some point. As the children grow it’s pretty obvious that Joffrey is Cersei’s favourite and the brat only gets more spoiled because Joffrey doesn’t even have to pretend to be a decent person because he’s the spare and not the Heir to the Iron Throne. So Joffrey’s still convinced that he’s hot shit with swords because of his “bloodlines” and Lelouch can smell the crazy from across the courtyard. So Lelouch takes his arms training seriously because Joffrey is all but rabid.

Lelouch is used to the idea of half-siblings, so the “stain” of bastard birth doesn’t really concern him, but Joffrey is the kind of cruel and delusional person that would try to kill off his litigate siblings to become the heir and causes bad reputations for all the other illegitimate children. One of Lelouch’s best jokes on his mother is that he’s collecting Robert’s bastards and setting them up to be the core of his household, because familial relations are a surefire way of ensuring loyalty when you leverage it the right way. Especially since there are already rumours about the Queen killing the Kings bastards if she gets her hands on them. Which means that Lelouch’s many half-siblings are well aware that he saved them from being killed or forced to live in exile. So Cersei is all but frothing at the mouth over the sight of so many Baratheon-coloured children. Plus the Baratheon Herd have all fallen prey to Lelouch’s cult of personality, and their loyalty to their Royal sibling makes Joffrey look bad in comparison.

Now once they get old enough Rolo and Nunnally are also going to train hard. Lelouch manages to arrange things so that Nunnally (and Robert’s other daughters) also get arms training. Nunnally is Whitecloak Legend level of good with a rapier. Lelouch and Rolo are shameless about letting their sister fight their battles for them. Rolo is primarily an assassin and Lelouch is a strategist, neither of which really lend to Robert’s “bash it with a hammer” approach to combat. Lelouch avoids tourneys by expressing admiration for Northern Values and Robert lets it go without argument.

Robert is painfully easy to manipulate even without Geass and Lelouch almost feels bad about it. Not bad enough to stop, but it’s still sad that Robert tore apart a Kingdom or Seven for love of a woman who died before he was ever crowned. Lelouch straight up delights int tormenting Cersei because she’s like the worst parts of Victor and Charles combined into one bitchy, petty, brother-fucking package. Irony is that Cersei does love her children while also hating that three of said children are obviously Robert’s while also loving the Targaryen features that they got from Robert while also loving Jaime’s children the most.

Lelouch corresponds with Tywin on the regular, and asks for Joffrey to be named Tyrion’s heir, as Tyrion is Jaime’s heir, as both lack offspring of their own. The logic progression of inheritance is enough to soothe Tywin’s long-stung pride and he agrees. Cersei is now kept busy fighting to keep Joffrey from being fostered with Tywin and is too distracted to scheme much. Lelouch is giving Joffrey until he’s fifteen to stop being a monster otherwise Joffrey will never see his sixteenth birthday. Lelouch has trimmed his family tree before, so become a “kinslayer” again doesn’t bother him.

Lelouch, Nunnally, and Rolo throw off the legitimacy questions, because of Valyrian and First Men blood magic nonsense, and so Jon Arryn is pretty obviously poisoned be another set of players in the Game. Instead of the Lannisters falling under suspicion, Cersei is being her usually overdramatic self about getting tasters for her children’s food. Super paranoid Queen is super paranoid. Lelouch has Lysa confined to the Tower of the Hand when she tries to run off with Robin. He calls is “giving her time to recover her spirits” and he makes sure that Robin is handed over to Stannis for proper fostering because Robin will be “safe” on Dragonstone and that way no one can accuse Tywin of anything underhanded.

Irony is that Lelouch is called the Black Prince because he’s the only one of his “trueborn” siblings with actually black hair. He thinks this is hilarious since he’s already collected something like five or six of Robert’s bastards for training in various fields by the time the epithet starts being used. Lelouch is heard to publicly say that “they are not any less my siblings for being my father’s natural children” when he hears the reasoning behind the nickname, and that pretty much means he’s got their loyalty for life.

Robert will want to go North when Jon Arryn dies, of course. Lysa is going to be dropped off at Riverrun on the way up. Lelouch is aware that Robert wants a Stark/Baratheon marriage and starts scheming. Tommen is betrothed to Shireen so the Baratheon name will stay on Dragonstone, and because Tommen isn’t forceful enough to displace Shireen’s authority as the Lady of Dragonstone. Rolo has been made Renly’s Heir “until Renly marries and has a son of his own”. Lelouch offhand mentions that the Targaryen’s denied the Starks a Royal Princess as a bride, and Robert stops looking at Lelouch as is now giving Nunally some consideration.

Lelouch wants Nunnally to be happy with her husband, and he knows that he can’t avoid her marrying forever, not in their current world, so the Starks sound like the best of a bad lot. For now Robert is torn between having Lelouch marry one of the Stark daughters, and having Nunnally marry the Stark Heir, so Lelouch can keep that indecision up until he’s satisfied with the choices for the matches that need to be made for the siblings that Lelouch likes. That’s why Tommen was matched with Shireen. Tommen is a bit like how Clovis was before he got into politics and he needs a smart wife who won’t be mean to him. That the match was politically expedient was just gravy.

Lelouch lays eyes on the eldest Stark daughter with her red hair and dreams in her eyes and nopes the seven hells out of that. Sansa is far too similar to Shirley for Lelouch’s comfort. Of course, then he gets ambused by Jon and Arya Stark and immediately recognizes Suzaku and Kaguya.

/…/

Jon Snow has eyes like glacier ice, sometimes Stark grey, sometimes dark as pine needles. Shifting and mercurial as the bastard’s moods, shadowed by the tangle of his dark brown hair. Catelyn Stark doesn’t know how to react to the boy who Ned has claimed is his blood, but she looks at Jon Snow and it’s not Ned she sees. (No, who she sees is Brandon with his wild energy and vibrant ferocity. There is some of Ned’s solemnness in the boy, but…) 

When the fever takes him Catelyn Stark prays for Jon Snow’s recovery, she prays and she begs and she offers the gods all she can. Catelyn makes a vow to do better by him, to be better, and when Jon Snow wakes up the first thing he does is apologize. Jon tells the Lady Stark that he’s sorry for hurting her by being alive and that he’ll try not to bother her any further. Catelyn, who has all those Southron prejudices against bastards softens towards the boy. This is her son’s brother, and that angle of thought is enough for her to start healing from the hurt she felt.

So there Starks are far more peaceful this time around, with less buried resentment lurking in their interactions. Suzaku has years of dealing with Nunnally and Cornelia and their anger at him over the slights done to their respective favourite siblings to help him get on Catelyn Stark’s good side. Of course, Suzaku also sulks a lot over being alone in the new world. At least until Arya is born and Suzaku realizes that she’s Kaguya and then he regrets ever voicing the complaint. Old gods please, he doesn’t need the chaos gremlin take it back.

Kaguya has a much easier time of it than canon!Arya because she knows the importance of appearances, and so she does the bare minimum of training in Westrosi “ladylike” pursuits so that she can fit in with the new world setting, but other than that she starts looking into training with the unfamiliar weapons. This time “Needle” is a set of hair sticks and Mikken is tasked with learning how to craft tessen. Arya is still the “wild” Stark daughter, but this time she’s canny enough to get what she wants without getting in trouble for it. Arya and Jon bond during hunting trips and long horseback rides.

Robb, Theon, and Jon are the terror of the keep and Suzaku is glad to have friends. Kaguya is delighted by the idea of her large family and refuses to let anyone push Jon aside. She saw where isolating Suzaku from his family led last time and she’s not going to let it happen again. So things are better for Jon, and he’s not planning on going to the Wall. Not much else changes with the Starks until the Royal Party shows up. At which point Suzaku and Kaguya nearly lose their shit because Lelouch is there.

/…/

Across the Narrow Sea, Viserys Targaryen sells his sister to a Dothraki Horse Lord and goes to bed dreaming of conquest.

Daenerys Targeryen rolls her eyes, steals everything she can carry including the three dragon eggs that she can feel the life stirring in, dyes her hair green, and takes off into the night. CC is done with this bbullshit, she’s going to go find her accomplice.

/…/

Then there are politics and plotting and ice zombies. Jon becomes Lelouch’s sworn sword, Lelouch is betrothed to Arya, the War of Five Kings never happens, and people are very confused by how well the Black Prince’s betrothed gets along with his mistress.

The dire wolves are still a thing, and at some point Lelouch, Suzaku, and CC all end up riding dragons. Then it’s all over but for the fire and the screaming.

[aros001]

Read through light novel vol. 12. Random thoughts.

A while back there was a cartoon called Superman The Animated Series and there were a lot of fans who thought their version of Lex Luthor was black because his skin was darker than what most other incarnations had been. Later on in the series, there was an episode with a one-off character whom had the exact same character model as Lex except he actually was black. The common fan theory for that episode was that the showrunners did that so people could see through a direct comparison what Lex would look like if he was black and they'd stop getting asked about it.

I bring this up because Alta reminds me a little bit of that, like she was created by the author in response to misconceptions too many people have about Raphtalia. That she worships Naofumi, that she loves him to the point of obsession after he saved her life and cured her illness, that she agrees with everything he says and would let him do anything to her if he wanted, etc. None of this is a criticism of Alta, since she's still a fun character (if a bit of a creepy stalker sometimes), but there are times when I'm reading where she feels like she's the author's way of showing what Raphtalia would be like if she actually was any of those things.

Overlord was my gateway series into both Isekai anime and light novel books, so naturally I tend to compare things a lot to Overlord. Alta reminds me a LOT of Ainz's minions in regards to her relationship with Naofumi. "You're great! You're amazing! You're perfect! Anyone who even minorly inconveniences you must DIE." That girl is thirsty in every sense of the word. Obviously I'm hoping her infatuation isn't due to the elixir. It's still creepy to have a child fawning that much over a grown adult (though not as much as it'd be the other way around) but it'd be far worse if that's the result of brain altering chemicals or the like over her own natural feelings. Like I said with Motoyasu's Temptation ability, stuff like that always makes me feel really uncomfortable.

Wyndia?! Dragons?! F**k yeah, I love Breath of fire!

The Demon Dragon Emperor was a great boss monster. It kind of took the best parts of the previous big boss battles and rolled them into one. He was an overwhelmingly powerful force like the Spirit Tortoise but still had an actual personality like Glass, not being just another monster like the Soul Eater. Using the Shield of Wrath to power up and wanting to absorb Naofumi because of his anger even gave an interesting dynamic, like with L'Arc and Therese being Naofumi's allies for a time and fighting to save their world. There was even the outright ego and lust for power that Kyo had but the Demon Dragon never threw a tantrum when things didn't go his way. He either got angry and fought harder or tried to run when he was in over his head. It never seemed like he was so weak mentality that he had to actively protect his ego. He was as good and powerful as he claimed and let his actions speak for themselves. When that didn't work he didn't start whining, just promised that he would return. I love forward to him being Naofumi's Nine Tailed Fox.

“It seems like you’re just going out in search of unjustified resentment based on misunderstandings, and then using that to condemn me as evil. Instead of wasting your time doing that, why don’t you just fix all of those problems yourself? You’re a hero too, right?”

“No, Princess Malty told me that these were special powers that only your shield possesses!”

What the f**k is with this bitch?!

Also, got to love how the three guys who prided themselves on "clearly" knowing everything about this world because they've played games similar to it believe every single thing they're told about Naofumi's shield, even if they've never heard about shielders having such abilities. Especially hearing such info from a person who has no reason to know anything about what the Legendary Shield can do. Malty is the ex-princess of a country that worships every hero EXCEPT for the shield. First the ability to brainwash, then that he was controlling the Spirit Tortoise, and now the ability to bring the dead back to life.

[Five seconds later]

A BRAINWASHING BOW?! ARE YOU F**KING KIDDING ME?!

Between that and Motoyasu's Temptation ability, now I'm going to be paranoid that Naofumi does actually has some kind of mind altering power he can unlock (closest right now is just Hate Reaction, which just makes monsters focus on him during battle). Malty is going to have a field day with that if it ever happens.

I'm kind of split on how I feel about the situation with Itsuki. Obviously I'm glad he apologized to Rishia and is on Naofumi's side, as well as his actions being the result of his background and issues as opposed to him just being a jerk. But it's kind of like with Trash, where the sympathetic backstory doesn't feel like it excuses or makes up for what he's been doing. All the heroes, including Naofumi, have serious flaws and reasons for those flaws, but Itsuki throughout has kind of felt like the most hypocritical and sometimes nefarious of the four. Treating Rishia so badly and then getting rid of her, not just because she upstaged him during a wave, but because she reminded him of when he was bullied back in his old life make him feel like an even worse person. Maybe I have a bias because I am a huge fan of superheroes, which was a comparison drawn a few times in this book, and there are certainly fans, including myself probably, who would probably act just like Itsuki has been for the same reasons, but it still doesn't endear me much to his character. Instead of using his backstory as a reason to be better, he chose to be just as bad as what he's dealt with, justifying it only with his own desire to want to be the hero; to want to be the main character. He's a little like Light from Death Note in a way. "I am justice and those who disagree with me are against justice.", while any fan of modern superheroes could tell you it's not that simple (like Rishia did). Obviously, I'm probably being way too harsh. I feel like I'd maybe be less split and more forgiving if we'd gotten to see Itsuki interact with his former party after they abandoned him to the Spirit Tortoise, not just Rishia, like we did with Motoyasu. See more how he treated the people who didn't remind him of himself and how it felt when they stopped feeding his ego and hero complex.

I'm really enjoying the different drawbacks each of the different curse series have. It'd be really easy to have just a loss in stats or a risk of death like Naofumi's Shield of Wrath but I like that each has its own unique consequence that relates to the power that was being used. Ren used the sin of greed to gain temporary power and now the quality of whatever he touches lowers, as well as his own exp. It's like a reverse Midas touch. Then we have Itsuki, whom after spending so long demanding everyone conform to his ideal, now becoming completely passive and obedient. Of course, now I'm concerned about what the drawback to Motoyasu's curse is, since it seems to be based in lust.

Am I the only one who thinks the ninjas attacked not because of the Miko outfit but because they were bored? They've been watching Raphtalia's family since before she was born and have done nothing other than that. Now they're attacking over the smallest excuse, because they should know the context of why she was wearing that outfit since they've been constantly watching; not as a sign she wants the throne but because, well, that sh*t gets Naofumi going. I think they were just bored and jumped at the chance to finally fight something.

But back to seriousness, Naofumi's reaction at the end was my absolute favorite of his yet. Just that realization that these people watched Raphtalia's village get attacked several times, watched her family die, watched her get sold into slavery, and did NOTHING to stop any of it, only to finally reveal themselves now trying to kill her over a misunderstanding. I'm completely on his side. F**k these people! I'm glad they're going to go take over their country and crush it! (I'm vindictive today, jeez...). I took a peek at the art for vol. 13 and it has Naofumi sitting on a throne like freaking Lelouch from Code Geass and I'm just sitting here going "Ohboyohboyohboyohboyohboy!" I love a bad guy I can root for.

I'm just imagining that Lilo and Stitch meme, where Raphtalia is at her bedside praying to Heaven to send her a friend; the nicest angel they have.

Cut to Naofumi, laughing maniacally and surrounded by fire.

If Naofumi and Raphtalia ever have a daughter, he is going to forbid that child from leveling up until she's 18 if there is ANY chance she'll grow like a typical Demi-Human. Naofumi will want her to stay as cute, little, and innocent for as long as possible after all the other things like Filo he's helped raise. 50/50 he'll do the same if they have a son.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/shieldbro/comments/fi2imi/read_through_light_novel_vol_12_random_thoughts/

[weebrecs]

Fujoshi Handbook:  Just two dudes being dudes anime recommednations

This will be a post containing those anime that you can nonchalantly watch with others that have a super strong bromance or just two dudes being dudes *cough cough* no homo (or when you run out of yaoi). This list will not include any yaoi or shounen ai labeled anime or sports anime (because let’s be serious all sports anime are kind of gay). 

B Project (9/10): When this show starts off you might be thinking “Oh no it’s going to be some reverse harem anime” however you couldn’t be more wrong. The female lead is basically there to escort the audience through the love lives of the different male performers. From rivals to childhood friends to bad boys who are actually endearing there’s something for everyone. Idol boys, Slice of Life, Comedy, Entertainment Industry

Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE! (7/10): Now these boys didn’t earn a spot on our list because they’re actually magical boys that have super powers and a transformation sequence. Besides their flowery appearance and adorable companion they’re very hands on with each other. They need to prove to the world that LOVE is still important. It’s always best to lead by example right? This show has two seasons of LOVE! Magical boys, fantasy, comedy, school life, adventure

Black Butler (8.5/10): A young orphan master, Ceil, has returned from the brink of death with the aid of the demon, Sebastian, in order to gain his revenge. Follow their adventure through two series and several movies as they struggle to keep the streets of England safe from serial killers like Jack the Ripper and magical beings that seek to challenge them. Together they must protect their secret contract that states that once Ceil’s vengeance is complete Sebastian will consume his soul. With this contract the relationship between master and servant is something questionable for all outsiders. Supernatural, Adventure, Comedy, Action

Code Geass (9/10): Ah, childhood best friends. They know everything about you and will do anything for you. However, when war consumes their world they find themselves on opposite sides of the battle field.  Lelouch, the former prince is gifted with a magical ability to control people’s wills and plots his revenge. Meanwhile, Suzaku is left out of the loop and ends up fighting for the opposite side. This series has two seasons, several spin offs, and summary seasons. Action, Politics, Mystery, War

Fukigen na Mononokean (10/10): Hanae is just your regular high schooler that is hoping for greatness and a girlfriend. Unfortunately his reputation proceeds him. He spent the first week in the infirmary and suffering form weird accidents. Believing that he was cursed he takes extreme measures and calls an exorcist to help him. However, the exorcist he stumbles into is actually the bridge between the spirit world and the human world. Though a series of events Hanae becomes indebted to Abeno and they slowly grow closer together through both school and their magical adventure into the spirit world. Comedy, Slice of Life, Adventure, supernatural, spirits, underworld

K (Kings) (6/10): Yashiro is suddenly accused of murdering a clansman of the Red King’s group thanks to a video that suddenly went viral. Kings are people that have been granted incredible supernatural powers and abilities and set out to gather a clan. Now that one of the Red King’s clansman is dead Yashiro is being hunted by everyone which bring him in contact with Kurou, who’s a skilled swordsman. Yashiro slowly discovers that his past is being forgotten by those he shared it with and instead he is remembering new memories. Throughout all of this confusion Kurou is always by Yashiro’s side to protect him and aid him. Mystery, Supernatural, Magic powers

Makai Ouji Devils and Realist (9/10): When William’s greedy uncle suddenly steal all of his money he can’t afford his schooling. He believes he might have to drop out until he accidentally summons a demon, Dantalion. Dantalion sticks close to the young human as he tries to convince him that he’s the best candidate to rule Hell in Lucifer’s place. It’s a romance of a devil and a realist (a man of science) that will keep you laughing and on the edge of your seat with the action. Magical creatures, Supernatural, School, Adventure, Mystery

Naruto/Naruto Shippuden (8/10): One of the longest running shows in anime that takes our heroes from when they were children to their teenage years to their children. However, for the purpose of this list we’re going to focus on the pairing of Naruto and Sasuke. It’s no lie that Naruto might be a little obsessed with his once enemy turned teammate turned enemy turned ally turned (you know what I mean). If not long story short, Naruto and Sasuke got off to a bumpy start but once they became friends Sasuke decided to leave the team and the hidden leaf village and naruto. Thus triggers Naruto’s training to be better than Sasuke so he can bring him back to the village. Action, Adventure, Supernatural, Magical Powers

One Punch Man (7/10): After training for three years Saitama has become a hero, but he lost all his hair in the process. No one can defeat him in battle and thus everything has lost the thrill. However, he’s not recognized by people or registered with the Hero Association. Until Genos, a cyborg, who has heard of his accomplishments comes to investigate him and ask to become his apprentice. Saitama has no idea what to do with an apprentice, but now Genos won’t stop following him around. Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Superpower, Supernatural

Orenchi no Furo Jijou (8/10): Collection of shorts that tell the tale of Tatsumi who finds a merman that desperately needs his help since the merman, Wakasa’s, home has become too polluted to live in. Tatsumi offers Wakasa his bathtub to live in and thus begins their life as roommates. Comedy, Supernatural, Merman

Owari No Seraph (10/10): Mika and Yuu were both orphans and childhood best friends. However, in the war between vampires and humans they end up on different sides. This doesn’t stop them from wanting to see each other constantly. They challenge difficult foes, battle demons and vampires, deceive their allies, and do just about anything to get to each other. They are not the only “dudes just being dudes” in this series either. This show is almost as bad as a sports anime. Action, Vampire, Triller, Violence, Revenge, Mystery

Shisha no Teikoku (7/10): People are now coming back to life as reanimated corpses however they lack souls. That is until Dr. Frankenstein was able to successfully accomplish putting the soul in the reanimated corpse. John Watson hopes to fulfill his promise to his late partner, Friday, and decides to reanimate his corpse. Together they hunt for Dr. Frankenstein’s notes so they can return Friday’s soul to his body. Psychological, Sci-Fi, Zombies, War

Shounen Maid (9/10): Chihiro’s mother suddenly dies and he’s left with nothing, but his extravagant uncle, Madoka, who comes out of the blue to help him. Madoka is a famous fashion designer, but it seems like he’s the one that will need Chihiro to take care of him. Chihiro attempts to maintain control of the house hold, but Madoka enjoys dressing Chihiro in a frilly maid uniform and a cat costume. Madoka tries to make Chihiro feel welcome after suffering such a loss and together they grow closer. Slice of Life, Romance, Comedy

Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge (9/10): All Tanaka-kun wants to do is nothing: all day, everyday. However, things get in his way such as school and walking. Thankfully he has his best friend Oota to help him achieve his goal of being as listless as possible. Oota aids Tanaka in everything from walking to the next class to sleeping through class. They say they relate to an old married couple which might be why this show is so heartwarming and an instant mood booster. Plus it also has “some girls just being girls”. Comedy, Slice of Life, School Life

Trickster: Edogawa Ranpo “Shounen Tanteidan” yori (7/10): The Boys Detectives’ Club is the perfect place for blooming love. Hanasaki is the son of a wealthy public figure, but he striped himself of his family in order to join the club and one day he discovers a boy named Kobayashi who can’t die no matter what he does. In order to gain Kobayshi’s trust Hanasaki promises that he’ll kill him. Kobayashi slowly becomes more human and learns how to interact with people instead of living isolated from the world. Mystery, Detectives, Supernatural Powers, Comedy

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Evangelion: Some people watch this whole series for their romance only to find that it only spans a few episodes. 

Mirai Nikki: There are hints throughout the series that it’s coming, but for some it’s not too obvious since Yuno is such a Yandere.

Tales of Zestiria: Childhood friends are the perfect chemical for romance. The movie set them up for success. I never watched the series, but I heard it was good for all those “Dudes just being dudes” feels. 

Tokyo Ghoul: There was so much potential for these too, but Kaneki was too absorbed in himself and the ghoul situation for this to develop into anything or to be interesting.

[safestsephiroth]

When people recommend me media, and I’m into it, I tell them “I’ll add it to the list”. It’s a very long list. This is the list from july of 2014, with recent additions. There is not an order of priority.

strikethrough titles  are things I’ve already seen or no longer want to see.

Television:

Hannibal

Sons of Anarchy (season 1 down)

Kill La Kill

Gurren Lagaan

Hajime No Ippo

Season 5 of Justified (all of justified down)

Vikings (have only seen the first four or five episodes)

House of Cards

Ghost in the Shell: Arise (if that’s even a thing in English? I saw a post about it a year ago and then heard it was finished so maybe?)

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (practically current!)

The Americans

American Horror Story

Soul Eater (no thank you)

Black Butler

Baccano (SO FUCKING AWESOME)

Movies:

The Shining

Con Air

Four Rooms

Mean Girls

Sucker Punch

Alfred Hitchcock’s filmography

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (not the hobbit)

The first two rambo movies (or first blood or w/e it’s called)

Rocky 1, 2, and 4

Taxi Driver (wasn’t into it)

Killer Joe

The Devil’s Rejects

Dark City (seen it! It’s AWESOME!)

Terminator 1 and 2

Top Gun

Prince of Darkness

Fight Club

Halloween

Nightmare on Elm Street

Friday the 13th

Skyfall

Avengers

Ghost in the Shell (the films, not the series)

Books:

The Ultimate Guide to Guys (it’s a Dave Barry book) (finished on the plane for fanfest!)

The Wheel of Time Series

Find a biography of Tycho Brahe

Every Ciaphas Cain novel past the third one.

The rest of Lovecraft’s bibliography (I’ve ready a few stories.)

The King In Yellow

Heroes of Lankhmar

The rest of the Discworld novels I have yet to read (about 2/3 of them remaining)

Most of the Shadowrun supplements

The Vampire Chronicles

The Vampire: The Masquerade novels

The Murders of the Rue Morgue

Dracula

These sherlock holmes collections I got years ago.

House of Leaves (I am not allowing myself to continue this book for my own health.)

Touched With Fire and An Unquiet Mind, both by Kay Redfield Jamison

Video Games:

Silent Hill 3 (done)

Papers Please

Dear Esther

Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions

Mass Effect 3

Xenogears

Metal Gear Ac!d

Shadowrun Returns (did it)

Yakuza 2

MUSIC:

The Sword, album: Warp riders

2017 ADDITIONS:

TELEVISION: 

the remainder of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure pt. 4

Black Lagoon (at the final episode of season 1)

Ruroni Kenshin

Read or Die The TV (at episode 16ish out of 24)

Band of Brothers

Black Mirror

Neon Genesis Evangelion (or watch the movies?)

Black Sails (Season 3!)

Brooklyn Nine Nine

Parks and Rec

40 Rock

Deadwood

Walker Texas Ranger

Haibane Renmei

The Rest Of Inuyasha (it hurts)

All of Monty Python

Madoka Magica

get caught up on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Code Geass

Tales of Zestiria The X

Battlestar Galactica

serial experiments lain

Gabriel Dropout

MOVIES: 

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

A Few Good Men

Airplane! / Airplane 2: The Sequel

American Gangster

American Hustle

Animal Kingdom

Apocalypse Now

Armageddon

Assault On Precinct 13

Bad Boys

Black Hawk Down

Blade Runner

Born On The Fourth Of July

Boyz N The Hood

Bridge of Spies

Bronson

Carlito’s Way

Casino

Casualties of War

Catch Me If You Can

Collateral

Dances with Wolves

Death Warrant

Domino

Donnie Brasco

Donnie Darko

Eastern Promises

Enemy At The Gates

Fast and the Furious (etc. etc.)

Flags of our Fathers

Full Metal Jacket

Fury

Gangs of New York

Gattaca

Ghandi

Glory

Gone With The Wind

Good Morning Vietnam

Goodfellas

Green Street Hooligans

Hackney’s Finest

Hamburger Hill

The Big Sleep

Ichi The Killer

Ill Manors

Jarhead

John Wick

Jupiter Ascending

Kickboxer

Lady Snowblood

Legends of the Fall

Letters From Iwo Jima

Lincoln

Luther

Mad Max 2 and 3

Matchstick Men

Mission Impossible -> entire series

Literally Every Monty Python Movie

My Brother The Devil

Once Upon A Time In America

Platoon

Rollerball (the 1975 one, specifically)

the ruroni kenshin live action movies

Scarface

Schindler’s List

Sexy Beast

Speed

Starred Up

Suicide Club

Taps

The Color of Money

The Conspirator

The Deer Hunter

The Hurt Locker

The Hustler

The Jerk

The Krays

The Last of the Mohicans

The Lavendar Hill Mob

Summer Wars

The Naked Gun (the whole trilogy)

The Rock

The Score

The Thin Red Line

The Girl Who Lept Through Time

Wolf Children

The Boy and the Beast

Tokyo Godfathers

The Untouchables

The Dirty Dozen

The Sting

The Wolf of Wall Street

Top Gun

Tremors - 1-5

Unforgiven

Wall Street

War Horse

We Still Kill The Old Way

We Were Soldiers

Young Guns / 2

Zatoichi

Zero Dark Thirty

Gettysburg

The Raid 2

Patton

White Men Can’t Jump

The VVitch

Crimson Peak

Cloverfield / 10 Cloverfield Lane

BOOKS: 

A Court of Thorns and Roses

all of the Gentleman Bastard series

allllllllllllll of the mage rulebooks

Declare (by Tim Powers)

there’s so many I’m fucking forgetting but my library website is down atm

VIDEO GAMES:

Shadowrun: Hong Kong

Tales of Symphonia

Tales of Berseria (top priority?)

The Banner Saga (the second half.)

The Banner Saga 2

Bleed

Borderlands 2

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Breath of Death VII

The Bridge

Child of Light

Chroma Squad

Cthulhu Saves the World

Darkest Dungeon

Dead by Daylight

Deadlight

Dear Esther

Dishonored / Dishonored 2

DOOM

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

Dust: An Elysian Tail

Dying Light (half done)

Final Fantasy IV

Final Fantasy V

Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy X (game design commentary playthrough)

Freedom Planet (finish the second half)

Gone Home

Homeworld Remastered Collection (got to the Ship Graveyard years ago. Let’s beat them both!)

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

Honey Rose: Underdog Fighter Extraordinaire

ICEY

Killer is Dead (1/2 done!)

The Last Remnant (1/4 done!)

Mark of the Ninja (3/4 done?)

The Masterplan

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight

Nihilumbra

One Way Heroics

Party Hard (the DLC) (looooooow priority)

Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds

Punch Club

Rogue Legacy

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell

Shank

Shank 2

Shovel Knight (1/4 done!)

The Stanley Parable

Sunless Sea (one run down!)

This War of Mine

Thomas Was Alone

Undertale

VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

Valkyria Chronicles (reached the final boss fight on PS3 and gave up. Now I have pc!)

Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War: Soulstorm

Wolfenstein: The New Order (half done)

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

Ys: The Oath in Felghana

MUSIC:

alexisonfire

billy talent

blessthefall

from first to last

the red jumpsuit apparatus

the used

underoath

versaemerge

real friends

benny benassi

daft punk

fireworks