#like the who show lelouch keeps saying hes doing everything for her

[oifaaa]

Suzaku should of stayed lost in the soup aisle fr

The reason why it took them two months between winning the war and suzaku actually killing lelouch is bc suzaku was lost looking for clothes in the soup store

[postbadbadassqueen]

Kallen's second Character song "One More Chance" Analysis

Kallen's second character song went out with the R2 sound drama 4 and brought some great information for all Kallen and/or Kallen/Lelouch fans, so I had to make a post about this song.

First off you have to know that while the beat of the song is very cheerful, the song in itself is rather depressing as it is basically Kallen singing about the new life someone she can't reach anymore gave her; And while she tried to enjoy and adore it, she can't help but feel his absence and long for his presence. As usual, as it was the case with every Kallen side material, this song caused flame wars on the internet, on the english and japanese side of the fandom because of Kallen's words (her song was released right after the ending of the show so those were her first words after the ambiguous Geass ending, and what words they were.)

Let's see the lyrics ~

The city will now awaken and I sense a new wind blowing While I shut a number of lost dreams deep in my breast

This one is pretty easy to decipher, as she talks about a new day/a new world, so that's actually pretty hopeful but then she has to talk about lost dreams she had (sadness is never far with Kallen post R2 material) and that she keeps quiet; You can try and guess about those lost dreams; Lelouch made her brother's dream come true, what are/were her dreams actually ?

Thank you for your love, for how you supported me All you people whom I've met up 'til today Thank you for your love, for I can't forget The person with a strong and beautiful heart

And there it is, at the very beginning the verse which caused torrent of R A G E and talks over the internet lol;

Kallen basically thanks those who supported her and that she met till this very day, so we can guess it's the resistance folks, the black knights, her friends in ashford, basically everyone who cared, loved and supported her;

And then she single out a person with a strong and beautiful heart she can't forget, and she also thanks him for his love; Honestly I've seen people try and try to debate about this verse, ultimately those who denied the possibility of Kallen thanking Lelouch for loving her had two arguments : 1/ He loved her like Jesus loved everyone (Yeah Lelouch became Jesus Christ superstar apparently) 2/ Kallen is delusional (don't laugh because most of the deniers of her side material went this way with everything that came out about her; the whole point of Kallen's side material would be to show how delusional she is.) Now of course, I think noone of those argument make sense, Lelouch loved his friends in various ways, but he wasn't some sort of demi god, for Kallen to single him out and thank him for his love, she just...thank him for his love. And while some will always deny he felt some romantic feelings toward Kallen, i'd say the point where I'd agree with them is actually that the nature of this love is still up in the air; Love doesn't mean romance after all (but that's when other Kallen's side material come into light and give more and more weight to the idea that Lelouch and Kallen definitely shared something more ambiguous than some would like to admit.)

We ended the battle but I still can't shed tears Not until that day when I've climbed our promised staircases

This one is a bit tricky; first off we have as usual Kallen trying to be strong and hold back her pain, because that's who she is, she is selfless and tried her best, all the time and...she talks about reaching a promise staircase; Now as far as we know, Kallen never made any promise to anyone...or did she ? We know two things came from Lelouch ; he wanted her to live on, and he had a personal little wish for her, to live her own dreams. (You can find the post about this on this link) ; So one could think she turned that into a promise, that she would indeed go on and do as he wanted for her. Just a thought.

I will try again, even when I stumble Push on my back so that I walk forward I will try again, and once day I'll catch up with you Encourage me by telling me I'm not alone, okay?

Just like most of Kallen's side material, this song is quite centered about her and Lelouch so there is next to no doubt she is asking for his support, even when she stumbles through life, as most people who lost dear ones hope they'll watch over them in the afterlife; The second part of the verse is quite sad as she talks about reuniting with him someday (so at the time of her death since in the anime canon, he is fully dead.) and ask for him to tell her he is still by her side. ...I don't get how anyone would actually try and pretend Gino/Kallen was a believable ship after R2. If anything Kallen seems even more in love with Lelouch after he died than she was during R2.

One more chance The dawn will come To the stars I want to wave to Yes, one more chance Shine again okay? Under the sky

So it's Kallen once again singing about this new chance at life she has (she got given) one can certainly overanalyze that and put more Lelouch in there but he is all over this song so no need for me.

Honestly, I want to see you And weep into your chest...

This part is pretty sad since she eventally let out her truth; while the whole song is about her being grateful for this life, asking him for his support and thanking him for his love she eventually gives up the pretense and just admits she wants to see him and cry in his chest. Kallen being honest there. To think some argues she only liked Zero.

One more chance Gaze at me So I can advance on the path I believe in Yes, one more chance Just once more I'll try living your share of life, too

Once again she talks about her new life, she asks Lelouch to watch over her, to give her the strenght she needs and she concludes by the fact she'll try to live for him as well. Urgh. That's pretty heartbreaking but that also means living to the fullest so while it's sad, it's also full of hope for Kallen's future.

One more chance The dawn will come To the stars I want to wave to Yes, one more chance Shine again okay? Under the sky

And that's the conclusion of the song with this repetition. That's about it for Kallen's second character song; While her first character song, platinium end, was about her being dere dere and full of admiration for her masked commander, her second character song is more mature and sad, with a Kallen trying desperately to be hopeful and glad about what she got, while still missing her special someone.

Kallen really ends up being a tragic character eventually, and her side material only intensify that.

[fireember345]

Blighted Hearts Prompt

A Code Geass Prompt

Do not own Code Geass

Anyone can use it

Suzalulu

Different events during the meeting between Zero and Euphemia

Instead of Lelouch Geassing her like they planned, VV and Charles had a backup plan of a gangrene virus mutated by C World

They activated the bomb which poisons the Japanese there and Euphemia, Lelouch was lucky since his helmet protected him from the virus

Those who breathed in the gangrene would rot from the inside out, dying in the slowest and most painful way

Lelouch brought Euphemia back to the base in hopes to cure her as he broadcast that the Holy Empire is truly evil, showing the effects of the gangrene virus

The Black Knights did everything they could to save the people, but the virus was proven fatal

CC presented Refrain as the only cure, but they needed enough to make a complete cure, where she only had so few

Zero calls out to the king to bring the cure for his daughter, but the empire rejects it, VV and the king need her to die

Suzaku and Cornelia demanded Zero release the princess, but he informs them that she was too weak and any attempt to move her will kill her

He offered to bring them to her under the condition of a truce, saying this was not about their war but granting Euphemia comfort while he tries to cure her before it was too late

Suzaku was shocked to see how the virus was destroying the princess while he overhears Zero and CC trying to gather enough Refrain to cure her but knew they would never get it, they only had enough to give her one more month

Cornelia asked why they were trying to save her sister and Kallen answered that despite their differences, they wouldn’t wish this on anyone and can see that Britannia would destroy their own just to stomp out those who oppose them

She doesn’t believe them at first but then shows the recording between Zero and the King, the king openly denying the cure to save his own daughter

Lelouch was going to give Euphemy the last of the Refrain but refuses it, not wanting time but for Suzaku and Lelouch to stay with her until she passes, they granted her final wish

They then cremated her and the other Japanese who were killed by the gangrene virus to prevent the infection from spreading

Cornelia brought the urn with her sister’s ashes back home with her and Suzaku, upholding their deal so they wouldn’t dishonor her memory

The media called this tragic event the Blight Incident and titled the princess the Wilted Rose, mourning for her and those lost

Suzaku sees Zero in a new light, still a terrorist but one with a heart as he did everything to try and save them

Everyone at the academy grieved for her, leaving a hundred of roses for the princess

Lelouch and Suzaku talked as they recounted their memories with Euphemy

Nunnally makes paper roses for her departed sister as Lelouch arranges for them to be sent to her grave

Charles and VV then inform Suzaku that they know where the lost princess and prince are, and threatened to inject the gangrene virus in them, turning them into infectious bombs unless he brings them Zero

When Nunally was kidnapped and Suzaku catches Lelouch as Zero, he tells them the situation, and Lelouch gave up without a fight, knowing not to risk his sister not being injected with the same virus that killed Euphemy

Suzaku promised to protect them both, destroy the virus, and save the two, Lelouch complied throughout his capture, knowing this was the only way to keep his sister safe

Charles agrees to spare Lelouch, making Suzaku a Knight of the Round but under the condition that his memory is erased

Rollo became Lelouch’s handler as he keeps a syringe of the virus just in case

Suzaku secretly helps the Black Knights but only when they are looking for a cure or eradication of the virus

Tokyo is still bombed as Lelouch believed his sister died

When the Black Knights turned on Zero, Rollo threatened to release the virus if they didn’t free him and Lelouch but still dies in canon

In C World before Lelouch destroys his parents, Charles infects Lelouch before passing the Code to him unknowingly with the Gangrene Virus

Suzaku struggles to find Refrain to keep Lelouch alive

Schneizel, Cornelia, and Nunally soon learn that Lelouch now emperor was dying and came right away with the Black Knights

After nearly dying five times, and almost dead for the sixth, he was finally cured but Lelouch’s body was beyond destroyed, unable to move his limbs properly as his motor skills were almost nonexistent, even with the code

Suzaku was given the Code through CC with a contract to forever care for Lelouch after receiving a Geass to detect other Geass users and devour their Geasses

Suzaku marries Lelouch and after five years of his rule, turns his crown to Nunally, retiring to the Orange Farm

[0aurelion-sol0]

SNK 135: THE SYNOPSIS AND RANT

So...

It's not the review, I just wanted to say some few words.

First of all, let's just acknowledge that this is a synopsis. It's not the chapter.

Second of all, don't use some spoilers without any context to make a theory. Especially when it's just the synopsis and there aren't any meaningful spoilers.

So let's cut it short, the synopsis is this: The battle engages on the back of the Founding Titan, but Eren is nowhere to be found and Armin and his troop quickly find themselves in trouble.

So people immediatly thought that meant Eren was still in Shiganshina using the Warhammer's ability.

There's just a few nitpicks I have about this theory... Just a few:

First, someone would have noticed. Judging where Eren's position is located before he transforms, someone in Shiganshina at some point would have noticed a big crystal or something titan like with something connected to it. It doesn't make sense. And Eren was not in a place where he could hide himself under something as the land was flat.

Second of all:

HAVE YOU...

SEEN THE SIZE...

OF THAT THING ?!!!

Eren could literally be located ANYWHERE on that thing. But no people need to think he is in control when...

Third of all, he isn't. The guy lost his head, keeps seeing traumatic flashbacks, teleports in paths, is a kid while having a semi-real dream of "That Sight" and apparently can watch through birds. Every character asks him, if he is really free ? And we are still begging for the guy to be in total control of all of this ? What for some kind of proto, mumbo jumbo Lelouch type of plan ? Please, every one in the fandom is bragging about this plan that he has when they are multiple elements that shows us, he is not in control of himself whatsoever ? And frankly, the manga which is an anti-war, anti-violence, anti-imperialism, anti-genocide will give a Lelouch ending (which is so predictable and only the typical shonen " I have your shonen protagonist n°3456 as a profile pic " would put out there) and A SECRET PLAN TO A GUY WHO IS DESTROYING THE WORLD, huh ?!?

That doesn't make any sense, Reiner, Annie and Bertolt didn't have one and fucked up on so many aspects when they tried to "sAvE tHe wOrLd". Why would he have such an advantage ? Because he is the main protagonist ? Give me a break.

Fourth of all, if something like this was to happen, the only thing that would make some little sense was either if Eren was being dragged by this huge titan but like why would he put so much effort in being in that state when it makes him so vulnerable, not only to others but to the colossal titans who burns everything. AND AGAIN someone would have noticed.

In the ocean ? What ? How will he come back up when he finished killing all babies ?

No that doesn't make sense. Forget it.

Eren got shot in the head, the only thing that makes sense is if all of his titan is made of hardening. And that his head is seperated which is clearly shown :

And the rest of his body is somewhere else on his Titan.

For example, he won't be in his nape (obviously, it's the weak spot.) but on his spine shown by the strings of flesh coming from it's spine.

It also reinforces the image that he is a puppet which is fitting since nothing he does makes any sense whatsoever especially like:

Lead two parties at war while none of them wanted to, siding with the guy you didn't want at first to save your lives but wants to eradicate those very same lives, attacking and hurting the friends who you want to have " long happy lives ", creating a civil war in your own country, a racist supremacist group that almost kills your friends, using yourself as bait when you are the Founder in a country that uses titans against you, not giving any information about your whereabouts, not giving any information via memories about EREN KRUGER THE GUY WHO WAS A SPY IN THE MARLEYAN MILITARY, also siding with a guy who wants to push the world against you and did so by suggesting to go to paradise to retrieve the Founder while I repeat... THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DO, doing an attack that will lead the world against you. Choosing to ignore every peaceful outcome even the people who are doing takes you with them to do it and than asking sympathy points for another way when he literally destroyed every option to do. Using the Rumbling which will kill also people that were living next to the walls, the titans in the walls will probably also stomp on villages that were located inside the walls as the titans were placed in a circular shape and ALSO...

Could... I don't know... KILL HISTORIA WHO IS LOCATED IN A ISOLATED FARM INSIDE THE WALLS, "PREGNANT" AND CANNOT RUN FAST IF COLOSSAL TITANS COMES AND WALK OVER HER.

*sigh*

Narratively this will also be stupid, like we did all of this just to find out he's not here ? A whole party died, Hange died for people to use the plane and he's not here ? And what we watch Humanity get killed ? We go back home, depressed ? Everyone is like " we love and understand Eren ? He goes back to Hisu, I am the dad, we feed the heteronormatives while the manga destroyed every cliche of that ? He gets a baby while he killed every babies " You are free." He wins, while he manipulated the whole thing ? Oh no he gets killed, secret plan, Eren is Lelouch, satisfying ending, his only fate is to die as a stupid symbol...

...God...

I don't even have the strenght to write. Why do people think like this ? Why do people feel the need to put the Alliance down with every chance they get and elevate Eren as this shonen protagonist freedom seeker demi god waifu meat beater ?

People are weird.

The guy has a change that happens off screen, he manipulates pretty much everything since the timeskip and he acts completely different from what we know of him and we're supposed to take it that way and consider it genius writing.

Really ?!

We need to move plot points, we need to move forward, we cannot keep dragging the story with endless unneeded double pages of violence and empty discussions for character who haven't expressed any feelings toward each other ever since the start outside of the anime who changed the story and added these pointless scenes to please those who masturbate to the three female characters of those ships. Like I don't know ( Eremika, Erehisu, Aruani...)

This is just the synopsis, wait for the review.

I really hope this chapter is good and not another 133 OR fucking 134.

[rolotouto]

Banjou no Geass Gekijou

Before I post a list with all the games Rolo’s been featured in, here's more about my favorite one: the Nintendo DS board game, Banjou no Geass Gekijou. These are some of the lines you get when you land on Rolo’s squares.

へぇ、すごいですね、ライさんって。　何人もの人の声を、同時に聞き分けられるなんて…僕が必ず分かるのは兄さんの声くらいですよ… Wow, you are amazing, Rai-san. To be able to recognize the voices of multiple people simultaneously... The only one that I recognize without fail is Brother's...

すごいですね、ライさん。人を簡単に笑わせるなんて…僕にはできそうにありません。 You are amazing, Rai-san. Being able to make people laugh so easily... I don’t think I could do it.

ライさんはどうして、そんなに簡単に人を笑わせることができるんですか？ あ、いえ…　別にうらやましいとかそういうことではないですけど…　ただ、すごいなって… Rai-san, why are you able to make people laugh so easily? Ah, no... It's not that I am jealous or anything like that... It's just, that it’s so amazing...

I think lines like this show how strong Rolo’s true self is despite being trained as an “emotionless” assassin. The sight of someone making another person happy makes him feel admiration. He had the potential to be a really good kid...

やった！僕の勝ちですね！あ、ごめんなさい…　僕ばかりが楽しんでしまったみたいで…　あ、あの…　また遊んでください！ Yes! I won! Ah, I'm sorry... It seems I ended up being the only one who had fun... U-um... Let's play again next time, please!

And he isn’t just in touch with his own feelings, but also those of the individual he’s interacting with. I wish these pretty scenes with Rai could lead to a Good End where, having gained another person he can trust, Rolo actually started believing in his right to be loved simply by being Rolo, instead of assuming his value is tied to his usefulness as an assassin. But yeah, the Good Ends have him killing Rai, so I guess deep-rooted beliefs take long to change...

えっ！事故に遭ったんですか！…兄さんはッ！にィ~さ~んッ！！ Eh! You had an accident?! ...Brother is...! Bro~ther!!

There’s a driving minigame where you play as Rivalz and Lelouch, and this is Rolo’s reaction if you crash Rivalz’s motorbike. Before playing the minigame, Rolo had asked you to please accompany Rivalz-san and Niisan because he(Rolo) doesn’t trust Rivalz-san’s driving skills. I find it amusing that Rolo actually went through the process of learning how to drive a bike and that he probably understands about vehicles (and mechas), while Lelouch likely has no interest or knowledge whatsoever. His fakememory!self was probably initially totally confused by his little sibling’s ability to drive, and it’s things like these that make the time he spent with Rolo be memories with Rolo rather than “with a Nunnally replacement”. Anyway, if you play the driving minigame when Rolo has come to like Rai as well, he will be calmer and say something like “I’m glad Niisan and you are safe”. Rivalz doesn’t even exist for Rolo.

あれ、失敗ですか。もしかしてオモチャのハンマーじゃ本気になれないですか？僕のナイフ…　貸しましょうか？フフフ… Oh, you lost? Maybe it's that you couldn't take it seriously using a toy hammer? Should I lend you... my knife? Fufufu...

This is what you get when you lose on the whac-a-character minigame. Sadly for Rolo, one of the rules in that minigame is not to hit Nunnally.

あ、ライさん。ほら、見てください！兄さんからもらったんです、この回転パズル！ねえ、ライさん。一緒に組み立ててみませんか？ Ah, Rai-san. Look, look at this! I received it from Brother, this rotation puzzle! Hey, Rai-san, why don't we assemble it together?

思ったより簡単にできましたね、ライさん。でも、せっかく兄さんがくれたものなんですから今度はひとりでやってみます。じゃあ… You were able to do it more easily than I thought, Rai-san. But since it's something that Brother gave me, next time I'll try to do it on my own. Well then...

Rolo allowing others to play with something given to him by Niisan? And poor Victor from the OSI had to get killed after touching his locket...

The next part needs some context first. This is from when you overhear his conversation with Villetta and Lelouch at the basement. Once he notices you there, he'll normally just kill you instantly, but if you visit them after he's already grown to like you, he hesitates and, seeing how neither Villetta nor Lelouch noticed you, offers to spare your life with the condition that you don't tell anyone what you heard. You can answer "yes" or "no". As one can guess, saying that you won't keep the secret leads to a game over.

First, "yes": じゃあ、これは…　僕らだけの秘密です…　そう…　兄さんにも内緒の…

Then, this is... a secret that is only ours... That's right... a secret even to Brother...

And "no":

なるほど…　僕がバカでした…　やっぱり信じられるのは…　兄さんだけ…　他のヤツなんて… …ライさん。　あなたならわかってくれると思ったのに…　残念です… I see... I was stupid... Indeed, the one that can be trusted... is only Brother... Of course there would be no one else... ...Rai-san. I thought that you would understand, and yet... It's a shame...

It might be because it’s a game and he’s merely letting the player know what’s going to happen, but still, I like that Rolo doesn’t kill Rai right away and instead expresses his emotions to him/her first. Like Rolo barely talks to people he doesn’t feel a connection with, but once he does feel it, the love he has for that person is really important to him. Enough that he’d die mainly to honor those feelings that made him feel human. Lastly, there’s a conversation between Rolo and Lelouch that you get right before Rolo’s route is completed. (Lulu)やあ、ライ。 Hi there, Rai. (Rolo)あ、ライさん。 Ah, Rai-san. ほらな、ロロ。やっぱりライはここに来ただろ？ See, Rolo, Rai did come here after all, didn’t (s)he? う、うん… Y-yeah... 今、ロロと賭けをしてたんだ。ライが15分以内にここに来るかどうかをね。 結果は、俺の勝ち。　ロロ、今日の洗濯当番は代わってもらうぞ。 I just made a bet with Rolo on whether you'd arrive here within 15 minutes. The result is I won. Rolo, today you do the laundry instead. う、うん…　あ、で、でも！夕食当番は兄さんだからね！ Y-yes... Ah, b-but! Don’t forget that Brother is in charge of dinner! む、そうだったか…　じゃあ、こうしよう。俺が今からライと何かのミニゲームで対戦する。俺が勝ったら、ロロ。オマエが夕食当番だ。 Hm, was it so?... Well then, let's do this. I'm going to compete with Rai in some minigame now. If I win, Rolo, you take care of dinner. え、また賭け事？ Eh, betting again? そうさ、わかりやすいだろ？ライ、何て対戦する？オセロか？パズルか？何でもいいぞ。 That's right, isn't it simple? Rai, what will we compete in? Othello? Puzzle? Anything will do. 兄さん、水泳はどう？ Brother, what about swimming? なに！？なぜ体力勝負を…！ What!? Why a trial of strength...! 何でもいいって言ったじゃない？ Didn't you say that anything would do? クッ！いいだろう！速く泳ぐ理論はわかっている！負けるわけがない！ライ！水泳で勝負だ！ロロ！オマエは夕食の献立でも考えておくんだな！ Tch! Fine! I know the theory for swimming fast! There's no way I'll lose! Rai! It's a swimming match! Rolo! Start thinking about what to cook for dinner! It’s adorable how Rolo is so comfortable with Lelouch that he isn’t afraid to show him that he wants him to lose. Lelouch is hilariously slow at the swimming minigame despite “knowing the theory” (lol), so usually you’ll win without trying: やった！これで兄さんの手料理が食べられるよ! ありがとう、ライさん！ Yes! Now I can eat Brother's home cooking! Thank you, Rai-san!

チッ…　しかたないな…　晩御飯はビーフストロガノフだ！いいな！ Tch... There's no helping it... Dinner will be beef stroganoff, okay?!

うん！ Yes!

I’m laughing at how in-character it is for Lelouch to loose his cool when he doesn’t win. And notice how Rolo didn’t actually mind cooking dinner himself, he just wanted Lelouch to do it so he could eat his home cooking ♥ You can also just do nothing at all during the minigame so Lelouch can beat you, in which case the conversation goes like: 水泳で兄さんに負けるなんて…ライさん、遅い… To lose against Brother at swimming... Rai-san, you're slow... ロロ、夕食は何か凝ったものが食べたいな…そうだな…流しそうめんなんてどうだ？ Rolo, for dinner I want to eat something elaborate... Let me see... What about flowing noodles? 兄さん…たしかに凝ってるけど…それじゃ昼食みたいだよ…大丈夫、もっと栄養のあるものを作ってあげるから。 Brother... That's certainly elaborate but... then it would be like lunch... It's alright, I'll make you something more nutritious.

頼むぞ、ロロ。 I leave it in your hands, Rolo.

A Japanese person will probably find this funnier and be able to explain it better, but I think the joke is that flowing noodles are really plain in terms of what the food itself is, and that what is elaborate is the process to prepare them (you have to make noodles slide down a structure of bamboo pipes). So Lelouch seems to be deliberately choosing something Rolo can’t possibly prepare just to feel a bit evil? On the other hand, it’s really cute that he will eat Rolo’s cooking. He isn’t disgusted by it or anything, as much as he’d want to convince himself that he hates Rolo… And that’s it. Afterwards you get the endings, in which he kills you. Yeah, he spared your life at the basement, but now he stabs you out of respect, because he wants your ghost to protect Niisan. And he smiles and laughs when saying so too!? Well, to be precise, that’s the ending if you are playing as male!Rai. As female!Rai he seems more pained and doesn’t want you to leave, and it’s not so clear whether he kills you or not. Maybe he kidnaps you, since you simply disappear after Rolo took you to the airport. Creepy stuff... Someone uploaded a video of Rolo’s route, where you can see everything we’ve been talking about. ---- By the way, the official blog for this game was run by staff members who seemed to like Rolo a lot. The blog isn’t available anymore, but you can find the original texts in Japanese through Wayback Machine: part 1, part 2, part 3.

For example:

“I’m now playing through the previous game LOST COLORS and I was chased and killed by Rolo!”

“By the way, I wear Rolo on my employee badge.

It’s cute how Rolo’s charm is shaped like a heart!”

“So, since the anime’s last episode aired, there’s a new DS ‘Banjou no Geass Gekijou’ advertisement. We tried changing Lelouch and Rolo’s lines! Rolo 'Niisan... is cute' You are the one who’s cute-!”

“Good... mor   ning. It’s No... zawa... First, um, yeah, I haven’t posted updates. U.... Usui san is the only one who... was... writing... If you’re... wondering... why, on 17th August’s broadcast... Rolo  Rolo d... died”

“You can see Rolo in the advertisement... (tear)”

“Lelouch’s emperor outfit... I wanted Rolo to see it”  ----- It’s nice to know the staff was allowed to openly fangirl about their favorite characters. Although we already knew that from Sakou-san...

[naruwitch]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I promise, mom. I swear on my life…"

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

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

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

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

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

"Dad… I… I'm sorry, I just-"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ruben huffed out a laugh and shook his head tiredly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"...Cera…"

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

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

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

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

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

"Maybe. But…"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ohgi remained silent and continued to listen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I'd appreciate that."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Cornelia…?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Without another word, the Black Paladin entered his quarters.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I love you, Cornelia…" Lelouch whispered.

"I love you too, Lelouch…"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"...Cera," Rai murmured.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"...Really incredibly strong."

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

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

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

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

[extraordinarilyextreme]

finally watched Guardian (2018) and i need to talk

Warning: contains MASSIVE SPOILERS, probably too much music/song analysis, my poor translations from Chinese to English, and some references to the original novel (disclaimer: my novel-reading was mostly jumping around because i have a problem where I’m not fluent enough to read the original Chinese novel and I don’t usually like English translations)

1. the freakin opening theme: We Won’t Be Falling by Chen Xueran... (also I see you Tina Guo on the cello thank you queen)

the amount of chills i get every time an episode starts,,, fantastic! marvelous! the lyrics are very VERY apt to the story of Guardian, esp this drama adaptation

(“We are the one/We will be holding on/For the promise we held for life/For the people we love are leaving” ... “And the story will keep on going”)

1.1. the promise? may i direct you to novel chapter 75? 

Shen Wei: “Sometimes I think if one day you can remember everything, then I will be able to say to you: look, I did it, I did all that I had promised you; not one bit did I miss, not one word did I go back on.”

they promise to keep the peace, to protect both Haixing and Dixing; and in the show, it’s a promise they keep with their lives

2. Zhu Yilong plays THREE characters and is able to differentiate them perfectly with particular microexpressions

-Ye Zun (literally, “Respect the Night”; “Lord/Master of the Night” would be a better title) sets off my fight-or-flight instincts even though i think his name tries a little too hard to be edgy; the way he sneers, the smiles that don’t reach his eyes, also that infamous tongue flick when Zhao Yunlan sees through the act... i think it’s both great and sad that Yunlan could differentiate the twins because, why, Shen Wei would never be so openly flirtatious (and wear a deep-cut shirt like that lol)... the delivery of “Xiao Yunlan” disturbed me so much—wonderful, stellar acting

-Black Cloaked Envoy: does his best to bend the rules where he can for the Dixingren because he’s just so fundamentally GOOD; he’s empathetic despite how stern and strict he seems to be, and how much he claims to enforce the clearly-cut laws... he’s an absolute babie ten thousand years ago (Yunlan, doesn’t it hurt your conscience to flirt with such a babie?)

-Shen Wei: in the novel, his name (both surname and first name) are given to him by Kun Lun’s incarnations—there’s a lot of power in naming something, in naming someone; he’s good-natured and gentle, always polite... he pushes up the glasses [that he doesn’t need] a lot, perhaps because he’s used to pushing up his mask as the Envoy

2.1. i find it very striking that Shen Wei dies without his glasses; he doesn’t die as the Envoy, he doesn’t die as the Professor; he dies as a person, as the person who loves Yunlan the most and has loved Yunlan for ten thousand years

2.2. the other notable moments we see Shen Wei without his glasses are where he apologizes to Yunlan [and Yunlan apologizes at the same time because they’re pining idiots] for not noticing the camera in his office, where he sets aside all his pride as Envoy and Professor and kneels in the rain for the man he loves (lwj kneeling after visiting the Burial Mounds, yea?), and of course after he slices up an orange [cuz food = love] only to find Yunlan asleep and drapes his jacket over the silly silly man... anyway, Yunlan is indeed the only person Shen Wei is comfortable enough to reveal everything to, all defenses and masks (literal and figurative) lowered

2.3. that last instance (ep 26) is when Shen Wei pulls out his necklace and reminisces as he gazes fondly at Yunlan; the song that plays during this is 《乱心曲》or “Chaotic Heart Song”... may I direct you to novel chapter 65 where Yunlan finds all the paintings and pictures his Xiao Wei has kept from the centuries?

“邓林之阴初见昆仑君，惊鸿一瞥，乱我心曲。” which translates to “In the shade of the woods I first saw Kunlun-jun; a glimpse of his grace wrought chaos in my heart’s song”

2.4. but also let’s not forget the [in]famous cut wrist scene of ep 23, where our dear Shen Wei, without glasses, as a person who loves Yunlan—not the aloof Envoy or the well-spoken Professor—is reduced to two words: “Worth it.” Yunlan is worth everything to him; this goes without question, without a second thought. Kun Lun (Yunlan) told him not to regret whatever decisions he’ll make, and Ye Zun scolds and laughs at his brother for giving up his life for a human/Haixingren, but of course Shen Wei doesn’t regret dying to protect Yunlan, dying to protect Haixing. (also, peep the behind-the-scenes where Shen Wei grabs Yunlan’s hand for a moment as he blocks the attack from Ye Zun)

2.5. on this same train of thought, Da Qing brings up a line from ten thousand years ago where Shen Wei claimed he would never kill unless it was for the world... and, well, he kills for Yunlan doesn’t he?

3. Bai Yu plays our charismatic Chief Zhao Yunlan/Kun Lun and hoo boy does he do an excellent job; the found family vibes of the SIU are spectacular and the way he flirts with tries to recruit Professor Shen is endearing and touching

3.1. there’s another piece from the OST called 《一点真心》, translated to “A Little Sincerity” though I would use “A Bit of a Sincere Heart” because it too references the novel

Kun Lun’s confession to Xiao Wei: “我富有天下名山大川，想起来也没什么稀奇的，不过就是一堆烂石头野河水，浑身上下，大概也就只有这几分真心能上秤卖上两斤，你要？拿去。” [I’m rich with famed mountains and endless rivers under heaven, but none of it feels rare when I think about it. It’s all just a pile of broken stones and uncultivated streams. From head to toe, there is probably only this bit of my sincere heart that is worth anything weighed on a scale. You want it? Take it.]

Zhao Yunlan’s confession to Shen Wei: “我别的东西也有，只是你可能大多都看不上，只有这一点真心……你要是不接着，那就算了吧。” [I have other things, only you probably would not think much of them. There’s only this bit of my sincere heart... If you don’t want to catch it, then forget it.)

And Shen Wei’s reply to Yunlan’s confession is of course “我接住了。” [I’ve caught it.]

3.2. the novel is a happy ending because Xiao Guo’s important role actually plays a part (i literally don’t understand why the show couldn’t do that after they built up so many expectations about his good character/merit/inability to be corrupted but ANYWAY)... Shen Wei, Xiao Wei, the little Ghost King has a soul and wow isn’t that just beautiful after everything he did to become worthy/deserving of Kun Lun’s attention and love

4. the Zhang Ruonnan and Wang Yike (death-touch Dixingren) case in ep 3 is an obvious parallel to the “brotherly” relationship of WeiLan... Shen Wei’s line of “Many tragedies were destined from the start” references the show of course but also the paradoxical precognition that marks the drama version of WeiLan; in both of their “first meetings”, one of them was always already in love with the other—Yunlan, as Kun Lun, knew he would have to return to his own time at some point and thus doom this impressionable young Envoy to ten thousand years of waiting and Shen Wei (honestly in a Code Geass Lelouch kinda style) knew he would have to die to defeat his brother

4.1. the importance of “touch” in this case alludes to novel WeiLan, where of course Shen Wei watched over all of Kun Lun’s incarnations but wasn’t allowed to get close to him because hungry ghosts would inevitably devour the essence of the people around them; similarly Yike was terrified of touching Ruonnan all this time... but Ruonnan accepted her (just like how novel Kun Lun lets this intriguing little Ghost King trail after him)

4.2. speaking of Shen Wei’s grand plans and the idea of “knowing”, Yunlan reminds him that “You are not a weapon/blade, you are a person.” and wow once again, only Yunlan can pull the humanity from Shen Wei, who has carefully crafted his disguise and personality to fit what people expect of the Envoy and the Professor... but alas, Shen Wei fulfills his promise by in fact making himself a weapon; he poisons himself to become a bomb that will take down his brother

4.3. as many qualms and complaints as I have with Chinese censorship, much in the case of WangXian, i think i prefer the drama version of WeiLan to the novel version; the plot of the Guardian novel is a lot better in my opinion (with references to mythology and legends, as opposed to, what, aliens?? mutants from X-Men? quirks in My Hero Academia??) and yea the relationship of Kun Lun with Xiao Wei is built up a lot better and makes more sense than the time-travel of Yunlan masquerading as Kun Lun with Shen Wei... but there’s an unadulterated, unconditional kind of love that runs through the drama, whereas the novel had some darker (though probably more realistic) vibes of near-possessiveness and ulterior motives... Kun Lun/Yunlan in the novel can be, well, cruel, which is not necessarily out of character; it’s just seems a little wrong to me that you could threaten your partner in a relationship (if you keep things from me again, i really will turn against you + had i known xyz would happen, i really should have killed you)... plus i’m always a sucker for love without an “i love you”, a love that’s conveyed entirely through actions and gazes

5. Yunlan asks Zhou Weiwei (the mirror case) where her jacket was bought because he ���wants to get one for [his] girlfriend” and lo and behold, what similarly-styled and colored coat does our Shen Wei show up in a few episodes later? (also the fact that Shen Wei dies wearing this jade-ish-blue-ish coat)

6. boyfriend jacket during the Moutain-River Awl case... boyfriend jacket!!!! Shen Wei claims he doesn’t need it and well he still wears it anyway because Yunlan’s love is unstoppable

6.1. the way Shen Wei grabs Yunlan’s elbow before running down the hill

6.2. Shen Wei being so freaking fine-tuned to Yunlan’s discomfort/pain as always that he drinks wine for him (and passes out immediately—heroics/bde of yllz! wwx and the alcohol tolerance of our dear lwj)

6.2.1. when Minister Gao brings up Yunlan’s dad and the Chief’s hands tighten... and of course nothing can go by Shen Wei, so he changes the topic of the conversation; also the way he leans forward as if to shield Yunlan

6.2.2. Yunlan is similarly Aware of his boyfriend’s boundaries; cue him politely excusing themselves from the dinner with Vice-Minister Guo when Shen Wei (of all people!) fumbles with his chopsticks

6.2.3. Yunlan also blocks Shen Wei from Minister Gao’s sight (subconsciously?) after that wedding showdown... even though he’s unhappy that Shen Wei has kept the identity of the Envoy from him, he trusts the other man enough to recognize there must be a reason; thus he doesn’t want other people to pry into the possibility that Shen Wei is a Dixingren

6.3. also, also that Shen Wei lets Yunlan have his way and use him as a pillow in the car once again (he also adjusts the actual pillow beneath Yunlan’s head to make it more comfortable)

6.3.1 the other Shen-Wei-is-Yunlan’s-pillow scene is when the professor picks up the poor hurting Chief off the road and in the taxi ride home... apparently this was an improvised scene from Bai Yu who just wanted to mess with Long-ge and our great Zhu Yilong just stayed in character and ran with it

6.3.2. the other notable improvised scene is the cute “Black Cloaked gege~ please be careful~ there’s someone is waiting for you at home~” [sorry that i don’t remember the exact line] but once again our great leading actors just stay perfectly in character

6.4. after Shen Wei wakes up from a night of being drunk (lol) Yunlan has left a note for him “I’ve gone back first, stay in touch. -Zhao” and what’s that on the corner of the note? why it’s a winky face

7. when Yunlan grabs the fake Zhang Danni’s wrist to confirm his suspicions, Shen Wei narrows his eyes... (lol is our Black Cloaked gege jealous)

8. when Yunlan claims he can swallow the painkillers dry, Shen Wei clenches his jaw in his anger at this idiot of a man for not taking better care of himself... you’ll find that a lot of Shen Wei’s anger is directed toward his husband being a self-sacrificial fool

8.1. after Yunlan uses the Hallows again and his nose begins to bleed, Zhu Yilong in all his acting glory has Shen Wei furious to the point that his lips tremble (cue Shen Wei angrily shoving a handkerchief into his husband’s face) [i really want to know if they ever broke character during this scene due to their proximity lol]

8.1.1. Shen Wei all but invades Yunlan’s personal space (he really does stand there between Yunlan’s legs guys) and he’s so careful even though he’s angry as he tries to stop the nosebleed; he’s aware the force might tip Yunlan backwards, so he immediately rests his hands on Yunlan’s thighs/knees to steady him

9. Yunlan has claimed that he doesn’t do things for the sake of gaining anything in return and yet every time he’s wanted things from dear Shen Wei... “take off your mask and smile for me”, “join the SID”... the sexual tension is Unreal during these scenes lol, you can see Shen Wei swallow visibly in anticipation + babie Shen Wei of ten thousand years prior all but chokes on his words when he promises to do ANYTHING Kun Lun wants him to do (honey where is your mind GOING???)

9.1. Bai Yu does have a bruise on his knee after the scene where Yunlan asks Shen Wei for something... dunno if it’s the actor’s bruise or the character’s bruise, but if it’s the character’s bruise—how did he get it? what exactly did WeiLan do that evening lol

9.2. also peep the fact that Yunlan almost always has a lollipop in his mouth when talking to Shen Wei... oral fixation much? (also the whole sequence where he tries to explain how to eat a lollipop to babie Shen Wei, wow the amount of homoerotic tension)

9.3. babie Shen Wei’s ears and cheeks are SO RED when Yunlan snatches the mask off his face

10. Yunlan’s hairstyle changes after Shen Wei joins the SIU (joins his family), much like how a bride would change her hairstyle after marriage in China ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (random note but CQL WangXian does this too when lwj puts his hair down/styled over the front of his shoulders when wwx wakes up 16 years later)

11. the first time we see Shen Wei spit up blood, there’s an echo of “Xiao Wei” faintly and Shen Wei mutters to himself “Xiao Lan” before looking up and saying louder “Zhao Yunlan” (nicknames/pet names/names only your family or lover can call you... this trope is good)

11.1. i also think a lot about how in the novel Kun Lun muses before he dies that it’s a shame he won’t see this Little Beauty [Xiao Wei] grow up to be a Great Beauty 

12. Shen Wei’s funny little eyebrow raise when Yunlan accidentally reveals he broke into the professor’s apartment once ( “riiiiiiiiight i definitely believe you”)

12.1. though the ep 23 scene is angsty, the fact Yunlan says “It’s the middle of the night, were you hungry?” seems to imply their relationship is a lot closer than just neighbors... they’re probably used to sharing an apartment/room at this point :)

13. when Yunlan is hurt, Zhu Hong looks to him but he only has eyes for Shen Wei

13.1. after Yunlan is blinded, Zhu Hong is the one cradling him but he calls for Shen Wei first and reaches for his hand; Shen Wei of course responds immediately “it’s me”

13.1.1. both times after Yunlan gets his eyesight back, the first thing he sees is the person who loves him the most

14. Shen Wei warms up the congee in the morning with his magic after he watches over Yunlan when his stomach pain acts up (domestic use of magic? yes please)

15. the bomb defusing scene in the hospital (video game -> reality case) really is framed like a wedding proposal... also the way that Shen Wei smirks lol he’s so proud of his husband

16. after his Envoy identity is revealed, Shen Wei all but abuses his Black Cloaked Envoy voice to stop his stupid husband from doing stupid things that will hurt himself and every time Yunlan is properly sh00k by it

16.1. we really go from Chief Zhao remarking in the Mountain-River Awl case that he’s used to ordering people around, not receiving orders to married bickering with Shen Wei to then agreeing to everything Shen Wei tells him to do

17. the fact that “Shen Wei, ah, Shen Wei... You are such a good person, how could I bear to let you go?” is an actual line from the censored DRAMA astounds me, nevermind that Shen Wei just made breakfast for his man and Yunlan is basically pouting up at him from the bed

17.1. the way Yunlan’s dad warns him to stay away from Shen Wei and Yunlan responds with something like “he’s sincerely good to me, I want to be with him”... “be with him”???? [inhales deeply] yea this is definitely a “brotherly relationship”

18. Yunlan’s “WOW” after the Envoy kills the monsters in the cave of the Mountain-River Awl case is hilarious and i dont understand how such a noise is physically possible,,, it sounds like a growl?????

18.1. Zhu Yilong was asked to mimic it during an interview (which he did not do and only half-heartedly gave a “wow”) and then Bai Yu did it again

19. also i inevitably got attached to the side ship of Lao Chu and Xiao Guo... they have so much skinship for a censored “brotherly relationship” lmao

the amount of face-touching and hand-holding that they do is unreal... they’re more canon than WeiLan in the drama adaptation methinks 

20. 《时间飞行》or “Flying Across Time” sounds like Yunlan’s reply to Shen Wei’s《只是太在意》or “Just Cared Too Much”

20.1. the lyrics of both these songs really cements this idea that both of WeiLan believe the other to be too good... Kun Lun was a god in the novel, and Xiao Wei was just a soulless little Ghost King... and then we have the incorrigible Chief Zhao pining after the beautiful and kind Professor Shen... i just have a lot of feelings about them becoming better people for each other, that their love really does make each other stronger

21. my favorite two pieces from the OST are Shen Wei’s theme (arranged by Kun Luo) and Kun Lun’s theme (arranged by Chen Xueran)

head’s up: it’s been like four years since i last even glanced at music theory so a lot of this might just make no sense to an actual professional

-Shen Wei: written in 4/4 time, Ab Major, melody is primarily carried by piano + strings; the piano almost sticks exclusively to triplets whereas the strings are in steady whole, quarter, and eighth notes—which creates in interesting impressionistic effect, kind of like hazy smoke or the ripples across the surface of a lake; every single measure uses decrescendo, so the first triplet is always the loudest and the three that follow get progressively softer (mimicking an echo)... the piece ends on the seventh note of the scale, which is usually a pretty awkward place to end and yet it doesn’t feel wrong it all; the piece uses a ritardando in the last three measures, and we simply drift off with that last G... i think it’s a beautifully written piece that perfectly portrays such a complex character as Shen Wei, someone who loved with everything he had, and was just so overwhelmingly good... and then he simply disappears as if the dream has ended. it makes me think of how he guarded over Kun Lun/Zhao Yunlan for thousands of years in the novel, never ever ever daring to meet him... and yet the other man always felt like he was waiting for someone

-Kun Lun: written in 3/4 time, a minor, there’s no real complex shift in the melody although there’s brief modulation into E major (dominant/fifth note); it’s a fairly somber piece, especially when the strings join in... it’s a steady waltz, and it finishes with the scale (second to last major is g, last major is a), like a circle coming back around [like their love story perhaps?]... there’s a finality to it, a completeness, a wholeness, which makes sense in the drama-verse because the moment Yunlan takes up the name of Kun Lun is when his love story with Shen Wei all fits together. the piece feels a little lonely in its minor key and all, a little sad, indeed as if you were standing at the top of a mountain surrounded by clouds and mist... the constant meter also reminds me of like the steady drip of water, the perpetual and inevitable passage of the days and time

-i don’t really understand how because the keys of the two pieces don’t fit together easily, but somehow it doesn’t feel wrong to play the pieces back to back; the melodies of both seem to call upon each other despite the differences in key and time signature, so it actually feels right. a circle without a beginning or an ending, wouldn’t you want your love to be so infinite?

-when yunlan finds shen wei in their bubble outside of time, when shen wei is about to leave him, shen wei is wearing the outfit of their first meeting. and the lyrics go “Across time, I am in the same place”... surely, they will find each other again.

[cynthiaandsamus]

Custom Toonami Block Week 69 (Nice) Rundown

Code Geass: So this episode is kind of a ride, like fuck. We kinda yadda yadda how Lelouch fucking escaped from Nunally’s sinking airship and just have Rolo sitting over him in bed kind of conflicted that he’s still stuck on his old little sister, so therefore he programs the tvs in Lelouch’s train to blast Nunally’s appointment but it’s funny because he probably didn’t even have to do that because directly after that Lelouch runs into the station and Nunally shit is just everywhere, like I get it’s a metaphor but it’s just funny that Rolo had to plan for him to run into something Nunally-related only for him to run out of the plan and run into ten times more Nunally shit. Then we get Kaguya claiming herself, Kallen and CC as Zero’s harem directly followed by a depressed Lelouch hypnotizing a bunch of street punks to exercise, about to do drugs and asking to fuck Kallen, like this episode is fucking ridiculous and parts are hilariously contrived, thankfully Kallen slaps the shit out of him and Rolo’s like “yo bro we don’t need that bitch, come on and live it up in this ridiculously racist system and the one place where it’s slightly less racist with me” and then they go back to school and have the “Happiness is Like Glass” scene which is genuinely amazing and moving, like for all the weird zany stuff that happens in the first part of this episode, this is a little oasis of pure sincerity and quality where Lelouch makes a promise he knows he won’t be able to keep. Inspired by this amazing moment, Lelouch returns to the Black Knights with the thought of “Maybe there are other reasons to destroy an oppressive dictatorship aside from my one ridiculously crippled sister” which he probably should’ve thought of before. And then he defeats Suzaku’s navy with the power of FUCKING BUBBLES, like yeah, this episode is right back to being crazy ridiculous but Lelouch is back and wants in on Nunally’s special zones… okay, phrasing.

Inuyasha: So we open with a scene of Kagome playing cards with Miroku which is genuinely adorable if pointless, but it just makes me laugh that Miroku and Sango seem to know all the rules of the game but are still stumped when Kagome tells them they’re Playing Cards, probably a culture thing. Anyway, Inuyasha has to kill a Barrier Demon to get the power to break barriers, which is a bit of a conundrum because Barrier Demons have, you know, barriers, which Inuyasha currently cannot break. Worse still said demon is a little girl and a half-demon like Inuyasha which understandably puts him in quite a quandary. Inuyasha does his usual thing of “Let’s just go in swinging and figure out the rest later but Shiori’s grandfather deflects the admittedly cool-looking Water Wind Scar Inuyasha throws at them with Shiori’s barrier. Shiori’s mom is all “Gimme back my daughter you said you’d stop attacking us if I let you have her” and he’s all like “Well make me, I have a fucking barrier and can hold you hostage” so everyone’s generally pissed off about the situation and Shiori’s granddad with the long name sends all the bat demons to go destroy the village which makes no fucking sense because the only reason she’s still cooperating is so they won’t hurt her mom, without her she has no reason to keep doing it but I guess he’s hoping having nothing to live for will make her do what he says out of nihilism or some shit.

Yu Yu Hakusho: Yusuke gets to face off against Suzaku, the final boss of the Saint Beasts and the gang get to demonstrate the teamwork lessons from this arc by doing a reenactment of the jumping Bahamut scene from Advent Children so Yusuke can get up the tower to fight him. It’s really pretty cool how they splice in Keiko’s Day of the Dead montage with Yusuke fighting Suzaku, tying things together thematically and culiminating in Yusuke and Keiko both fucking decking their opponents. I also really like how Yusuke’s so confident Keiko won’t go down to a zombie hoard so easily, like she’s not a fighter but she’s smart and has got guts so he’s pretty sure she can last a while while he pretends to punch Suzaku with his shoes. Overall a really good start to the fight that means Yusuke still has to wiggle his way out after using his Spirit Gun already and Suzaku still has a lot of shit to pull.

Fate Zero: So Saber and Lancer do their fight and there’s a bunch of fightnobabble talk that someone who’s actually held a weapon in their life would probably enjoy but to me is just “Oooh cool jabbies, flashing lights” which is still fun. Basically everyone’s watching though, Kirei has his ninja squad on the job, Kiritsugu’s Black Ops is monitoring things and Iskander is watching from the Radical Highway Bridge from Sonic Adventure 2. Eventually Iskander is like “Well damn they might kill each other if this keeps up” and Waver’s like “yeah duh.” And Iskander shows who wears the booty shorts in this relationship by storming into the fight against Waver’s wishes cause he wants to fight everyone anyway. So yeah, giant lightning chariot in the middle of this First Boss battle.

Konosuba: Now that the party’s all formed the group settle into a daily routine of Kazuma being Megumin’s wheels for her Explosion training, Aqua being a waitress and Darkness doing… probably better not to think about what Darkness is doing. Anyway, Megumin bombs the shit out of a Dullahan’s castle and before the Dullahan can call his friend Celty to come kick her ass, Darkness gets hit with a death spell and he issues a challenge to Megumin to come to the tower of the Four Saint Beasts and (wait wrong anime again) but Aqua just breaks the curse on her own and they just don’t bother showing up. In the manga this is really funny because Aqua’s in a maid outfit from her waitress job and just does it like it’s nothing and then they show a panel later of the Dullahan waiting for them like “The fuck when are they getting here…”.

Sailor Moon Crystal: So for some reason even though we only have three of the five Sailor Guardians, Luna decides this is the time to give a recap and reintroduce our protagonists for the first part of this episode. Anyway there’s a big party to celebrate a dated princess Di reference that’s kind of in poor taste at this point and Usagi and friends get in based solely on having fancy dresses and being hot, man I had no idea getting in with rich people was that easy. Anyway, Usagi gets a new tiara because of love and shit and gets an upgraded Ancient Egyptian Laser Beam from the moon. The Four Kings show up to be all “Ha-ha! You defeated my demon but now there’s all four of us and even though we still think you have the crystal and outnumber you and there will never be a moment when you’re weaker than this we will now… LEAVE FOR NO REASON!” like the logic of people in this show oh my fucking god. But of course the dated princess reference’s treasure isn’t the crystal they’re looking for and Tuxedo Mask kisses Sailor Moon while she’s asleep which is definitely sexual assault there was no fucking consent there, I don’t care if they’re moon soul mates or whatever she barely knows who he is and wasn’t conscious. But yeah Luna calls him out on his shit and despite clearly being an ally he has to be all edgy and be like “Well maybe I’m a friend, maybe I’ an enemy, who knows~” because I think he gets his power from how mysterious he is, like he’s going to be utterly useless if anyone figures out who he is, not to mention Luna already knows his identity but for some reason doesn’t tell Usagi. Idk man I just have a hard time following the logic of this fucking show…

Durarara!!: So yeah, this is the “The Yagiri Family is fucked” episode Namie has a weird fucked up brocon yandere thing going on, Seiji’s an asshole that because of having two stalker yanderes going after him has become a fractured manchild that thinks love is everything and pretends he knows shit but knows less shit than pretty much everyone around him and has his sister do all the shit for him. But yeah, Celty sees Seiji with the girl with her head and freaks out, and Shinra A DOCTOR if you remember says “Hey maybe your head just attached itself to a corpse Parasyte style” like either he’s a terrible doctor and really thinks that or this is a smokescreen to make Celty think her head has moved on and she should too which is a fucked up level of gaslighting. But yeah, Mikado takes Head Girl, Seiji keeps stabbing people with pens for some reason, luckily it’s mostly Shizuo so it doesn’t do anything, and Izaya’s just like “oh shit, chaos, I’m down”. Basically everyone is awful in this episode except for Mikado who just wants to help and doesn’t know shit, Celty who’s doing her best, and Shizuo who’s just awesome as usual.

[hollowandmerciless]

Defending Eren

Thoughts after chapter 126

The thing that has been bugging me since chapter 100 hasn’t gone away since, and is still bugging me. It still makes no sense to me for Eren to accept the role of the the devil and take the blame for everything going wrong in the world, unless he has a reason to do so. 

I think, despite not being given Eren’s POV in years, Isayama did leave us hints to what is driving him:

He’s seen something in the future that’s all worth it.

However, no matter what he’s planning, this leaves us with the role of the other characters we’re so fond of: The Survey Corps, the Warriors. I feel like chapter 126 is finally giving us a hint of where the story might be going. 

I have been struggling with a couple of fragmented theories in my mind since months, and was unable to connect them or provide enough evidence to make them sound credible, until someone on Reddit came up with this brilliant theory, which provided me with the glue to combine those shards of theories.

It’s still not coherent and might be incomplete since I feel there’s a whole lot of development ahead of us (instead of closure, as would be expected in a story that’s about to end within a year).

Let me start with summing up my incomplete theories:

         Eren does not intend to destroy the entire world.

I say this because everything we’ve seen in this story so far, has told us how Eren is learning that people are basically the same. It’s their history, wars and propaganda that makes them feel different. But his talk with Reiner in chapter 99

 or his meeting with the Middle Eastern people in chapter 123

showed us he’s very aware that there’s no true difference between Eldians and other races. They’re all people.

All of them were born into this world. 

 And we all know that means a lot to Eren.

Another thing speaking in favour of this theory is his depressed speech during the ocean scene:

  Although it’s a rhetorical question, many readers seemed to have interpreted this as one where the answer should be “Yes!” and thus evidence for Eren to want to destroy the entire world.

However, what if the answer is that Eren at this point in the story realises that killing everyone else has no use, and will not set them free? He realises something else has to be done, and by touching Historia and receiving some unexpected memories, he’s been shown what to do and why only he can do it.

While in chapter 123 we are being shown his Eldian Broadcast... 

...we have to go back to chapter 122 to see what he’s really up to. He doesn’t tell Ymir he wants to destroy THE world, he tells her he wants to destroy THIS world and that, to me, makes all the difference. 

He means to end this world, where people’s freedom is taken away by wars, racism, greed, and such, either by Eldians (during their 1700-year reign) or Marleyans (currently). He wants to END THIS and that’s why I simply don’t believe he’s going to commit genocide, and let his colossals trample over the entire world, leaving it flattened with only the Paradisians alive.

          Eren will not be stopped  

It simply makes no sense for Eren to be stopped.

First of all; what’s the entire value of this Chekhov’s Gun, basically starting at the Stohess events, when we’re showed the walls are made of colossal titans? What’s the value of the entire timeskip-Eren storyline, if he’s going to be stopped anyway?

Why go through all this trouble to collect Zeke from Liberio, narratively speaking, when the results of all this are to be stopped anyway?

And how, most of all, is stopping Eren going to solve anything? The colossal titans might either stop or keep walking, with no one to control them. There is no reason for world peace to suddenly occur when Eren is stopped. (Indeed, I’m no fan of the Lelouch ending).

Just imagine Eren being stopped. Someone (preferably Mikasa, Reiner or Levi, according to general consensus) kills him. Then what? All those colossals still flattening the earth. Eldians still able to turn into titans. The Attack, Founding and Warhammer titan likely to be reborn in random children among Eldians all over the world. And the rest of the world suddenly praising Paradisians for killing the monster that threatened them all, and leaving the island alone? Will the Eldians suddenly be seen as normal people and no longer discriminated? More importantly: will the cycle of hate end with Eren killed?

While I won’t be surprised (just utterly sad) if Eren doesn’t survive the end of the story, I don’t see any advantages of him dying at this point of the story. “He cannot be stopped” doesn’t necessarily mean “But wait, the other characters in the story will figure something out to stop him anyway”, because it’s useless to stop him – at this point in the story, anyway.

I’ve had these theories in my mind for a while but hesitated to share them here because they were too random, too little backed up with valid arguments, and too generic.

Then, last week, briefly after chapter 126 came out, I read that sharp observation about Hanji on Reddit, and I figured we’re finally shown what the course of the rest of the story might be.

I think – and this is all still very generic, lacks detail and might be busted within a chapter or two – that the goal of chapter 126 was creating the alliance between Marley and Paradis, because Eren has asked these people (or, more specifically, the Survey Corps) to cooperate with him, in order to fulfil his plan. 

Hanji seems to have received a message from Eren during the night, Levi woke up directly after,

Jean came to his opinion about what to do during the night,

 we saw Mikasa suddenly startled awake during the night.

(Why else did she suddenly want her scarf back? If not from sudden regained trust in Eren again?)

The man behind the window

is most likely Keith Shadis (what’s in a name), who is also informed of the plan, he’s is likely to have had contact with Jean overnight (look at the shadow on the ground and in the window behind Jean on the image above).

Unless it’s a continuity mistake from Isayama, it’s plausible that Eren sent the members of the Survey Corps a different message.

 Why then send the rest of the Eldians the other message, about destroying the world? The scene with Mr. Leonhard in chapter 125 showed us why: rebellion among the ghettoed Eldians.

He needs chaos in order to fulfil his plan.

What that plan exactly is, is still unclear but I feel I sort of know where it’s going. A huge threat to the world (the colossals), Eldians rising up everywhere, and Marley left with no choice but to take the Eldians (including Paradisians) serious as people. This display of power, of course, is far from the best way to achieve world peace, though, and this is where I think Armin comes in. Armin, who, according to Eren  is going to be the one who saves the world.

Armin, our pacifist, who keeps insisting “negotiating” is the best way to achieve peace.

I think Eren is currently placing the pieces on the chessboard so, that Armin can negotiate his way to peace.

And why shouldn’t he succeed? It’s happened before, this miracle.

Only after achieving peace (I believe the threat of the colossal should remain until Armin has achieved this goal) I expect Eren/the Founding Titan to change the structure of the bodies of the subjects of Ymir, so that they cannot become titans anymore (and maybe even turn all the existing titans back into humans) finally putting an end to 2000 years of Titan rule. 

He might die in the process, since he seems to be fused with his dinosaur, but this is mere speculation.

I don’t expect Eren to live to the end of the story, but I do think the baby we see on the final panel, is the Paths-girl Ymir reborn in a free world.

[kuroopaisen]

@kacchand (i couldn't tag your main but i wanted to make sure you saw this fdlkjfdlkj) 

hello dear! i’m sorry it took me so long to respond to this dflskjfdlkfdj i decided to answer your ask in a text post so i can link my thoughts to yours more easily! also, i know i'm going to Ramble, so i wanted to be able to keep it under a cut sdlkfjd

Hi rowan!! I've just finished the final chapter of aot and I just wanted to ask your opinion on it!

(SPOILERS THAT DEPICT MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE STORY'S MEANING AHEAD. READ ONLY IF YOU'VE FINISHED THE CHAPTER)

(FR )

(THERE'S STILL TIME TO BACK OUT)

(DO IT NOW. SPOILER ALERT)

I'd also like to ask a follow up question about it, because it seems that I've come to a different concl. from many of my friends and I'm feeling dumb abt how i feel w it.

first of all (and i say this as sincerely as possible, and if i'm coming off as condesending please let me know hh), please don't feel dumb because you've come to a different conclusion :(

we all read media at different levels (i’ve been told it’s ‘not that deep’ before fdljkfsdlkj) and identify different aspects in it, so the fact that you've had a different experience to some of your friends is absolutely not a reflection on your intelligence. and if anyone's making you feel that way, drop their @. i just want to talk :) furthermore, you’re not wrong for responding to something emotionally, especially if it really... makes you uncomfortable, you know? 

i'm from the PH & I've put off determining whether i'm comfy w the manga til the last chap,,,, but is it wrong that I can't shake the feeling that it's a justification of japanese expansionism and genocide? ik this manga has always been in the grey area, and that's what I love abt it! It often shows that no choice they make is absolutely good or bad, and does such a good job at showing you how each complex character came to that understanding (role of environment, etc...) but this last chapter felt too positive abt the rumbling? Like it was justified because paradis was able to advance and there wasn't much choice? idk.

that's totally valid! some of the best think pieces on the show i read mentioned that the concern with the narrative is less "is isayama a nazi sympathiser?" (he most likely isn't), but if he's a imperial japan apologist. and...

well, let's just say that my father is british, and when i was trying to say that colonisation was bad, using british india as an example, he said "well, we gave them railroads." it's... it's uncomfortable and gross and i think it encapsulates how countries with imperial pasts tend to talk about them; even if they don't officially endorse it, there's often a lot of talk about how "well colonialism was good for this country, actually--"

and if the manga felt like it was justifying japanese expansionism, then chances are it had elements that very much did point towards that. i've had a lot of trouble grappling with reiner, annie and bertolt, because they've existed in this grey area of 'victim of oppression' and 'war criminal'; and their existence raises the question of "do people who commit war crimes simply do what needs to be done?" and by victimising them it... it plays into the whole nuremberg defense of "i was just following orders". it's making you feel bad for the people committing said war crimes (and similarly with eren, and all the awful things he's done). but i'll get more into this point later dsfkjfd

i haven't read the last chapter yet (and don't worry about spoilers! i've been approaching aot from a very... specific perspective anyway, so i actually don't mind spoilers -- i read a bunch of analyses of the series before i'd even watched it hh), but... i think if it came off as too positive about, you know... an awful thing that happened, then it absolutely makes sense that you'd feel uncomfortable?

the modernisation narrative in general is one that always skeeves me out. it's one japanese imperialists use to justify the invasion of korea (and even those infamous tweets from the one account purported to be isayama talk about how the population of korea boomed under japanese imperial occupation, which... stop.)

it's also commonly invoked in cases of development. certain members of society (usually the poor), just 'had' to die for the good of the future. who gives a damn if they consent to that? they have to.

similarly, the 'we had no choice' narrative. that's... a concerning one that crops up time and again with history apologists, the argument that "oh if x country hadn't done y, then someone else would've!" or that acts of aggression were done as pre-emptive self-defence, which is so... ugh. i just. i just hate it.

It also feels really weird w the ymir and the whole loving fritz thing. i wish we got to see more of her thought process and what conclusion she came to that led her to destroying the power of the titans.

i... hate this so much. i get that abuse is complicated and victims often have multifaceted feelings towards their abusers, but... most people would focus on that in their story? the story would be about that? but instead, it's just... a thing in the history of the world and that's... icky.

also having the genesis of the titans come from a slave girl in love with her captor... there's many levels of ick to it and i highly doubt it was handled with the appropriate level of grace and sensitivity.

honestly, this might be one of the things that pissed me off the most because of how... contradictory her backstory was with That One Chapter (you know, instead of ymir crying because she wants to be free or because she’s been trapped she........ wants to see mikasa kiss eren’s decapitated head? i guess? what the fuck?) 

idk...I just think that context is sometimes everything. and i understand that media can portray incorrect things,,,, and that isayama likely didn't intend for it to become a global sensation, but i guess i'm just uncomfortable w the right wing nazis getting a comfort book ahaha.

i totally get that! even if attack on titan is meant to be anti-fascists, the fact of the matter is... a lot of fascists love it. and relate to it. which is... alarming. especially given just how popular aot is worldwide.

it’s hard because before the ending, attack on titan did feel like it was more grey; i remember saying that i wouldn’t know how to feel about it until the ending because the story was either saying “the military is corrupt and war is hell”, or it was saying “the military is corrupt and war is hell, but it is necessary.” 

still sorting out my thoughts, but yeah. I think i'm having a hard time understanding what they really accomplished with the rumbling and how they gave eren a sudden lelouch role and a lot of how they made it out to be a happy thing? perhaps I'm too biased to see it fully but to me it gives a "woah. eren was a hero. he saved us from destruction. those people needed to die for us to achieve this temporary peace and new start". i suppose the rumbling gave them a levelled playing ground?

OH MY GOOOOOD okay. i haven't finished code geass. but i really don't like lelouch. i mean... i think i just don't like characters that sacrifice other people for a purported 'greater good' (i could write an Essay about how much i hate erwin smith looking at him is enough to send me into an unhinged rage), but where i'm up to in the anime, i don't like the direction they're going with eren? i mean, i've never liked eren, but... that whole "martyr for the eldians" is just. ew. especially when you see several eldian characters disagree and resist him. 

why does this one guy get to make choices for everyone else? because he’s sPeCiAL? fuck off 

sorry for not being coherent. maybe i'm basing this too much on feelings ahaha. trust aot to finish it's scandalous run with a scandalous end.

no omg you're being perfectly coherent :( also, if anyone's making you feel bad or stupid for how you experience media, they’re... definitely not as smart as they think they are fdslskjfdlk. 

i'm of that mind that, while media consumption is in part an intellectual exercise, it is inherently very emotional; narrative media tries to make us feel as much as it makes us think. that’s what stories are for, you know? intellectual analysis is well and good but what’s the point of a story if it doesn’t make you feel anything?

that's to say, i don't believe there's such thing as basing your opinion too much on feelings :') especially since it's your personal experience with a piece of media; you don't owe anyone 'objectivity' (which is always a farce when it comes to this sort of thing) or 'logical analysis', because nobody's got any right to criticise you for engaging with media the 'wrong way'.

tl;dr I feel like the mood was too celebratory abt the rumbling, and didn't entail enough on the tragedy so much that it felt like a justification for genocide and expansionism. how do you feel abt it's ending and the message it leaves? is isayama responsible to give a morally correct answer to the cycle of hatred? you're not obligated to answer! and sorry for the rambling.

hhh yeah i guess that’s the thing at the end of the day... is isayama responsible for giving a “morally correct” answer? no, but the way the ending plays out is very telling. 

like armin thanking eren? mikasa’s e n t i r e character boiling down to being in love with a mass murderer no matter how poorly he’s treated her? and one could argue that kind of ending is supposed to be unsettling, supposed to hint that the cycle will just continue, but...

framing is everything. and it’s framed like a Good, Emotional Thing, Aren’t We So Grateful Eren Did All Those Awful Things 

YI think I would've been fine if we got to see more of Eren's or Yif you have a different perspective on how eren is being portrayed please do share! I just felt really yucky watching armin say "thanks for murdering all those people for us" with love,,, I suppose he was trying to make eren feel better. ach maybe I'm just overreacting. idk. im dumb ahaha . i'll send this in anyway cuz I'd love to hear your take!

HHHHHHH i just hate eren and i never got him. i felt bad for him in the beginning, but he's always been too... violent for me. there was a very short period of time in season 2 where i felt bad for him, but otherwise it’s just been... ugh. the main three have always been the weakest part of the series imo, so it’s really not surprising they’re part of the reason the ending was so. bad. 

and... well, that one infamous quote pretty much sums up my issue with armin. he's supposed to be the 'intelligent' one, but he's hopelessly devoted to a homicidal maniac with whom he has a very artificial, unbelievable bond with.

at the end of the day, the "thank you for becoming our monster" thing just makes it seem like attack on titan's core message is "war is horrible, but it is necessary." it feels like it's justifying massacre. and while fiction is fiction, and sometimes it's as simple as that, i think something as politically loaded as attack on titan needs to be looked at with a critical lens when discussing what it’s trying to say or what it means. 

do i think it makes someone a Bad Person for liking aot or being attached to it in some way? no, because that’s dumb, and what media someone likes =/= their Moral Goodness TM. ofc trends are a thing and certain pieces of media appeal to certain types of people, but it’s a false equivalency that misses the point. 

but by that same breath, nobody is wrong or stupid or has Less Valid Opinions just because what they took away from it makes them uncomfortable. 

i’m sorry this is So Long i have so many thoughts about this dskljfslkj 

but at the end of the day, 

levi sexy

[theraikouhotel]

Massive Headcanon Post

ALRIGHT I HAVE IDEAS!!! I think.... Headcanons below the damn cut because they’ll be separated into different series! God I hope this becomes a thing I do...

Please enjoy!! 

Fate

Raikou’s favourite time of day is dawn. She likes to see the sun coming up and the hope of a new day washes over her, making her look forward to another day of her being not insane as she believes she is. 

Shikibu secretly collects figures of the other Casters and sometimes makes them move with her magic, re-enacting something she sees in her head. She then writes out in her little diary, as if it was the most interesting thing ever when really...she made them kiss with her own figure she had gotten made.

Arturia also does baking on the side whenever she’s alone and she’s made sure that the cafeteria is empty. She’s been caught several times but they let her do her thing as she looked determined to get the recipes down. This is usually to thank everyone who has helped her, especially her master.

Tiamat likes to decorate mindlessly when she’s stressed. She’ll do it usually with Christmas decorations she has in her room, because she likes how fun they look. Sometimes it might be with Halloween ones. The Primordial Mother just likes decorating so much.

Europa sometimes might summon Talos and pet him to calm herself down. Having her bull close to her soothes her, especially when she sees things aren’t going as well. If she doesn’t have her bull, she’ll curl up and try to breathe but it doesn’t work sometimes.

Irisviel isn’t too fond of people badmouthing her children. Especially those she considers her own. She’ll kick the crap out of you so hard that you won’t even get up for the next week.

Black Clover

Asta hates it when people ask about his parents or drill into him that he should have died way too long ago. He’s never had any proper blood parents so he’ll say the Father at the church he was raised at is his dad. But when people say that doesn’t count, he won’t like it. He’ll also say that the belief in his comrades helped him live.

Noelle isn’t actually too close to the Mama Squad. She feels awkward around them. Or any sort of mother figure as she has no idea what to say. She’s also afraid of breaking down in front of them as it’s not becoming of a royal as she has drilled into her head. 

Vanessa only drinks to make sure the lonely thoughts don’t invade her mind. She hates feeling lonely and drinking helps alleviate it. But when she doesn’t, her mind starts playing on the fact that she’ll be alone forever and she just heads to bed, crying.

Bleach

Ichigo has nightmares about Yhwach from time to time. He always thinks about how he could have ended it a lot more quicker so that everyone could have lived. He always imagines several outcomes. But whenever he opens his eyes, he remembers those who have died in the War and it hurts him so much.

Orihime wishes she was as strong as Yoruichi. She has one of the strongest abilities yet she hates how indecisive she can be. She has kept to herself that her kind heart has hindered her so much, even with the amount of people telling her it’s her best trait and one that should be kept as there was enough hate in the world.

Yoruichi often feels like a failure. She has strongly felt this ever since Aizen and it continues to eat away at her even after the Thousand Year Blood War. 

Highschool DxD

Issei often feels like the girls that love him aren’t real. That he’s not really deserving of their love. He has these thoughts that plague his mind every other day that tell him that Rias is lying or that Raynare is actually still alive and is playing tricks on him.

Rias does her best to be there for everyone. But hates how her own duties stops her from doing that which instead makes her rely on Issei to see how everyone is. It’s not just as the alpha female in the harem, it’s as a friend to everyone.

Sona secretly enjoys dressing up with her sister, Serafall, as it reminds her that one day she may not be able to spend much time with her. So she never tells her to go away whenever Serafall is with her, rather she’ll just bear it and blush in embarrassment.

Date A Live

Kotori still enjoys the kids meals at the nearest restaurants as she loves how cute they are always made. She’ll always add it in with another order so she gets to indulge in how cute it is before devouring it.

Kurumi isn’t a big fan crowds. Whilst it does help her with her concealment, she feels her heart race whilst being within them. She has to take a moment in the shadows to get her heart to a more normal rate before going back in there again.

Love Live!

Umi is always the strict one. However, she almost always feels bad when she has to berate someone because in her own home, she has been treated a lot more harshly as the next head of the Sonoda household. But she keeps this fact closely guarded.

Kotori is always thinking about something. Usually about how to get Honoka to be hers only but she never acts upon it. She’d hate that she’d feel horrible if she did make Honoka only hers and “took out” the other competition that is her idol group. So instead, she gets out of this habit through fashion designing.

Mari isn’t actually a big fan of showing her wealth off to other people, only her friends. Sometimes she accidentally does it and then they try and cosy up to her. She hates that. She can see right through them and immediately denies them.

Chika doesn’t actually have many passions except idols. If it weren’t for idols, she would most likely stare blankly into the ceiling of her home as she would take over the Ryokan Inn that her mother owns. She’d just wonder what she was doing, whether or not if existing was right or not.

Karin has been offered various modelling gigs, which is of no surprise. However, there have been times when she has considered going 18+ modelling but refused in the end. She was curious yes but will never do it.  Of course, she’s just about getting by.

Emma has always been Karin’s best friend. They always look out for each other. However, Emma can see whether or not something is bothering Karin but doesn’t ever bring it up. Instead, she just wants to see her happy.

Bang Dream!

Sayo is a girl of many secrets. She only ever tells them to her twin sister, Hina as of late. Before, she’d never tell anyone about herself and if she did, it was only the bare minimum. She’s still closed off as she refuses to get hurt by anyone.

Tomoe is always overworking herself. She has lots of volunteering and things she does, which always leaves her knackered (tired as fuck) at the end of the day and all she wants to do is sleep. Even on days when she looks like she’s okay, she isn’t. She wants to rest.

Aya is clumsy and will get lost, just not as often as Kanon, her friend. However, she feels inadequate as an idol. She has trained for this but it always bothers her, as it goes into late night practices and early dawn nap times. She has considered giving up so many times, because of all the hate she has seen, even with her idol group, she’s usually the one with the most hate as she is at the centre most of the time.

Arisa is just gay as fuck. But she isn’t sure if it’s right to feel that way or not about certain people (KASUMI TOYAMA)

My Hero Academia

Kyouka has an innate talent of analysing quirks as well, she has never realised it. She has an analytical brain that can probably compete with Midoriya’s if she applied what she knew about music into hero work. 

Momo hasn’t been the biggest fan of being raised rich. She always wondered what it’d be like to live a normal life, without all the privilege and weight of a legacy she has  on top of her.

Danganronpa

Tenko has always been confused about what to feel about the ‘degenerate males’ she has met. Especially the likes of Shuichi and Makoto. She has wondered if her view of them being horrible is skewed as she seems Shuichi as one of her closest friends. But she won’t ever admit that, ever. 

Kaede really wants to know if she can stop with the piano puns. She likes to make them too much.

Makoto hasn’t exactly had the easiest time mentally. The death of his friends always haunts him even in his sleep. The screams, lights, flames, everything. He remembers all the details vividly and when he tries to reach out for them, their dead bodies are there on the floor.

Komaru has a hard time of knowing if she fits in or not as she had been taken from school and is now older than what she believes she is. She sits there wondering if it’s right to be this way now or not.

Other Muses

Jotaro is very cautious of everyone he meets. He doesn’t want a repeat of what happened in Egypt if he gets too close to anyone he likes. Even if DIO is gone, he’s never gotten rid of the feeling that someone will die in his presence or in his name.

Levi has a soft spot for his brats. He basically sees them as his children as this point and he may have been called dad once or twice by a few them. He enjoyed that but only gave them a glare.

Weiss is a soft gay for Ruby. But apart from that, she’s fine with both guys and girls. 

Mami always has the feeling of her wish being selfish at the back of her mind. It’s there nagging away at her as if it would come back to bite her in the ass so she’s always out there doing her best for her juniors and always on the look our for Kyoko Sakura.

Natsu hates how his former guild had treated him. He isn’t a dumbass who can’t do anything right, rather he’s someone who was the most attuned to his emotions as his flames prove. If he meets anyone from there, he won’t hesitate to take them out with one punch.

Lelouch actually had a crush on Cornelia for a brief moment before knowing of his relation to her. He decided to drop it and add her to the list of “Siblings I absolutely adore” but from time to time he does wonder if they weren’t related, would they take over the world together?

Haru has pictures of her friends in a small box. She also has one thing they owned within it too. She’s unaware of how strange this is.

[medea10]

My Review of Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan

A random guy being struck in the head with a spiked-bat and having his entire skull swiped away in a bloody mess. You’d think I would have picked this up in 2007 when I picked up a punch of other absurd animes like Super Milk Chan. But time does make fools out of all of us. And because the randomizer is being a dick to me currently, I’m now stuck with this ridiculous mess. A student who disappears and no one noticed a thing. The class rep randomly turns into a monkey. Another boy randomly turns into a Shiba Inu. The male protagonist gets half of his skull sliced off and is magically better five seconds later (and the last one happens numerous times throughout the series).

That my friends, is the magic of Dokuro-Chan! Dokuro Mitsukai is an angel sent to the past to take care of a problem that will shape the very future. She was sent to kill a high school boy named Sakura Kusakabe. And before I continue the synopsis, I think this is the first time I’ve ever heard of a boy with the name “Sakura”. Amazing! Anyways, the reason why Sakura has a hit by angels in the future is because in the future, Sakura will come up with a way to stop females from developing at the age of 12 and these women stay like that forever. So imagine if a 67 year old girl looks like a 10 year old! Wow, that’s…oh so illegal! That is just raising the Lolita-fetish by 3000%! Well, Dokuro has taken a liking to Sakura and thinks she can find a way around this without killing him. However, other angels like Sabato Mihashigo and Dokuro’s sister Zakuro think he needs to be destroyed. And every episode we watch as this boy gets whacked eight ways from Sunday! Yeah, this anime is balls-to-the-wall out there, filled with poop jokes, panty-shots, crude humor, and absurdity on Pop Team Epic levels. BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: So back in the day, this anime was carried by Media Blasters and given an English dub. Now Media Blasters is still around! It’s just that a lot of their older animes have died off and it’s up to other companies to give it a good home. So now Discotek licensed it. The dub has many recognizable voices who thankfully went on to do better things like Wendee Lee, Mela Lee, Laura Bailey, and Johnny Yong Bosch. But again, you have to start somewhere in this business!

And I do find it funny that voice actress Mela Lee makes a call back to this particular anime. When Lee was in Durarara, she said the signature line Dokuro says and hearing her in this makes me giggle. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from. JAPANESE CAST: *Dokuro is played by Saeko Chiba (known for Nagihiko on Shugo Chara, Nina on Code Geass, Miu on NANA, Azmaria on Chrono Crusade, Ruby on Rosario to Vampire, and Neko Musume on xxxHOLiC Kei) *Sakura is played by Reiko Takagi (known for Tadase on Shugo Chara, Holly on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 2, Su on Love Hina, and Young Bon on Blue Exorcist) ENGLISH CAST: *Dokuro is played by Wendee Lee (known for Faye on Cowboy Bebop, Konata on Lucky Star, Kirigakure on Blue Exorcist, Yoruichi on Bleach, Yui on Fushigi Yugi, Moegi on Naruto, and Haruhi Suzumiya) *Sakura is played by Johnny Yong Bosch (known for Ichigo on Bleach, Lelouch on Code Geass, Makoto on Free!, Izaya on Durarara, Artemis on Sailor Moon redub, Koizumi on Haruhi Suzumiya, and Yukio on Blue Exorcist) SHIPPING: So it’s obvious that Sakura has eyes for Shizuki, a random girl in his class. But she’ll never express her feelings. At the end of several episodes, she has this face of disappointment given towards Sakura. Probably because the mood is always broken by one Dokuro-chan!

Dokuro seems to like Sakura as she hasn’t tried to kill him and made it stick. Every time she would destroy his body, she would always repair it. Any other angel with the mission of killing Sakura would have laid waste to this kid by the end of episode one. But Dokuro doesn’t want to do so as she likes Sakura. Hell, she defied orders from her superiors, including her younger sister to be with this guy. However, she wouldn’t hesitate killing him for accidentally copping a feel! GUILTY PLEASURE: Pipiru piru piru pipiru pi

…I like the OP theme… I’m officially going to Hell for saying that. ENDING: Well this series is only 4 episodes (or eight 13-minute episodes). Each episode is filled with angel-laced crack and several times an episode we watch as Sakura is disembodied by a spiked-bat. You know, usual shit for an anime like this! So the final episode has Dokuro wanting to start her own club at the school. And hearing Wendee Lee as Dokuro, I am immediately having vivid nightmares of the S.O.S. brigade when she’s talking about joining a club. Much to my dismay, it’s so much worse…for Sakura! Well all that fun and frivolity comes to a sudden stop when the school is visited by Dokuro’s baby sister, Zaruko.

WHO IS NINE YEARS OLD?! DA FUCK, JAPAN?! Because Dokuro broke protocol by not doing away with Sakura like her original mission indicated, she was to immediately go back with her sister and receive a penalty for her crimes. Meanwhile, everything on earth will go back to normal and no one will remember any of this mess. But Dokuro doesn’t want to leave because she loves living with Sakura. Now Sakura has a decision to make. He can either have Dokuro leave and never come back or continue having a loli angel live in his closet and decapitate him every other day. Sakura chooses the latter. But Zaruko ends up taking her away…only for Dokuro to escape. She ends up returning back to Sakura’s room and when he came back thinking things were going to go back to boring life as normal, he’s decapitated. Aw, so abnormality wins in the end!

SEASON TWO: Why is Dokuro’s hair teal-colored now? Oh who the fuck cares? It’s only two episodes! It’s just more random shenanigans. Only now, you’ve got both Dokuro and Zakuro living with Sakura. What else do I have to say, the final two episodes were just more of the same with Sakura being impaled every couple of minutes or so, Sakura striking out with Shizuki, and getting in all sorts of trouble caused by Dokuro. We even get a meaningless cameo from Sabato’s mother who tries to take her daughter back to their time but gives up by the end of the episode. And then mentions something about Dokuro being related to…oh who the fuck cares?! Finally we end up with a bizarre Valentine’s episode. And the series really doesn’t end on any kind of note. It’s just the final episode with no real conclusion and ended like any other regular episode. It’s been 12 years since this anime ever saw the light of day and let’s keep it that way. What the hell did I just watch?

Seriously, this show is just balls-to-the-wall insane. And this is the same person who found some sort of sense and sanity in watching something like Excel Saga. This is like if Super Milk Chan and Puni Puni Poemi had sex and this show was the product of that mess. And then you just fill it with the most absurd things in the world like people being decapitated, panty shots, side-boobs, nip-slips, poop jokes, diarrhea jokes, crude jokes, random cameos from Kim Jong Il and George W. Bush, and random students turning into real life animals (including a baboon, giraffe, and shiba inu). It was all quite insane. Only, AND ONLY IF you are feeling extra curious that I would recommend stumbling upon and watch this. If you’re not a fan of blood, I wouldn’t recommend it. I know the blood-shed that’s used is mostly supposed to be funny (I guess?), but there’s a lot of it. The animation is nothing too special. The comedy is kinda hit-and-miss with me. Then again, there are only 6 episodes and if you’re bored, go ahead and watch this. Okay, now that this nightmare is over, what’s the next anime I’m watching in this category? Nozomi Entertainment/Discotek/Shit made before Fall 1986, and go!

Marmalade Boy! Oh good, I’m always in the mood for a cute shoujo anime. Medea, it’s also surprise incest! Wait, WHAT?! DAMMIT 2019!

[plagueamon]

Code Geass MBTI Challenge Turn 10: Diethard Ried - ENTP

Turn 10 marks the first time a type is repeated in Code Geass. The first of quite a few in fact, as our list contains almost twice as many characters as there are MBTI types (not to say that every type will be represented by the same number of people). What this means, however, is that I now have the opportunity to show you just how varying people can be even when they are typed as the same. This mainly depends on such things as ho well developed/healthy the person in question is as well as factors that have subjective importance to their personality and upbringing. Diethard Ried is a very good example of this principle, specifically in contrast to our previous ENTP representative - Milly Ashford. Before I start explaining this character’s functions, please keep in mind, that this post will contain heavy Code Geass spoilers, so consider yourself warned. With that out of the way, let us analyse why Diethard Ried is an ENTP.

Dominant Extroverted Intuition/Ne

Appropriately to his dominant function being extroverted and perceiving, Diethard himself sees his single purpose in life as that of an observer, being motivated by a strong desire to personally witness the most amazing and historically impactful events he can get to. For this very reason he joined Lelouch and later Schneizel, both of whom allowed him to be a part of plans that severely changed the world. On the surface Diethard’s obsession with being where the action’s at may appear as dominant Se, however there are some key differences to consider here. Unlike for a Se-dom, his excitement comes not from the experiences themselves, but rather from how the people he follows actually accomplish things that seem nearly impossible to him. For a person with a dominant intuitive function nothing seems quite as interesting as basically seeing literal fantasies and thought experiments being put into reality. This is why Diethard doesn’t mind getting involved in the wars he wants to record: when what you care the most about is creating a great story, objectivity truly may be a myth for some.

The extroverted component of Diethard’s dominant function can be seen in how the plans he wants to see carried out have no personal significance to him. There is no benefit to be gained for him, no need to reflect on the his or Lelouch’s reason for doing what they’re doing, hell, he doesn’t even come up with the plans and does whatever work he is assigned, no matter how amoral. The sole impressiveness of Lelouch’s and Schneizel’s plans are enough to keep him motivated. Notably, Diethard’s admiration for both of his leaders comes from what they can do, not just how smart they are. Clovis was smart too and  very skilled at manipulating Japan’s population to maintain a status quo. What he was not is a genius who had both the will and ability to change the world into something never before seen, and that is why Diethard was bored serving under him.

Because Ne is a function based on associative thinking and connections, Ne-doms more often rely on their thinking skills rather than their knowledge of any particular subject, and recognising Diethard’s intellect, Lelouch made him a high ranking officer, despite him being a Britannian who is generally disliked by the rest of the Black Knights. Lelouch was later proven right in his assessment of the journalist, as Diethard has shown a gret ability to think for himself when unable to turn to his leader for guidance. As a result he is one of the few Black Knights to avoid imprisonment at the start of R2 and eventually ends up betraying his master, making Lelouch’s path to victory that much more difficult.

Auxiliary Introverted Thinking/Ti

Diethard’s Ti is expressed in several ways. For one, it makes him a skilled journalist, who is not only good at his job, but also has a deep enough understanding of his skills to be able to use them for his new position as an intelligence officer. Even more interesting is the fact that journalism was basically the only thing Diethard was passionate about before he joined the Black Knights, so it is only fitting that he adapted some of the job’s principles as a kind of personal philosophy: all is well that makes for a good story, consequences be damned. The reason for why Diethard’s Ti is not dominant, however, is that his passion for journalism is not his core motivation throughout the series, but a way for him to support his Ne ambitions. In fact, he has no second thoughts about abandoning some essential journalistic standards when he views them as an obstacle, his belief that objectivity is a myth is a perfect example of that. This also shows that Diethard’s views regarding journalism are affected by Britannian society, which also doesn’t shy away from fabricating stories in media. Knowing that, we can conclude that this is an example of Diethard’s Fe affecting his Ti judgements, which also shows that his Fe is tertiary and his Ti - auxiliary.

 Much like with Milly, Diethard’s Ti gives him an experimental side, and this is seen in how he likes to challenge the beliefs of fellow Black Knights and question the validity of their views. Ti’s situational/subjective logic is a double-edged sword when it comes to these arguments: Diethard notably tends to debate against morally driven characters, specifically Tohdoh and Ohgi (it’s no coincidence that an ENTP and an ISFJ have so much trouble cooperating), showing the ability to deconstruct their arguments by selecting relevant facts. However, this also shows a level of bias, as we can see when the team loses Zero and needs to decide what to do. While Diethard makes some reasonable arguments in favour of looking for Zero, he ignores the dozens of lives at stake, because they don’t matter to him personally. He knows that without Zero he would have no interest in helping the Black Knights, so he skews the argument to make himself appear more right than he actually is.

Tertiary Extroverted Feeling/Fe

Diethard is a classic example of how ENTPs (specifically in fiction) tend to handle tertiary Fe. While he has a good understanding of social rules and obligations and and the ability to often use them to his advantage, he lacks any kind of personal investment in such things and usually sees them as a means to an end. We can see evidence of this at the start of the series, when Diethard was still working for Clovis: his ability to manipulate media in a way that made Area 11 appear like peaceful utopia and pacified its citizens gave him a high position and a considerable amount of influence in Britannian society, yet he found himself bored and ditched his privileges as soon as he found something more interesting to do. This is even communicated in his character design: despite spending a lot of time in the company of the highest members of Britannian society, Diethard prefers an attire that can be describe as plain at practical at best - fully committing to his social circle is something he considers a waste of his time.

Tertiary Fe happens to be the first major point of difference between Diethard and Milly Ashford. Milly is a healthier ENTP, who, while independent, was still influenced by her upbringing and social environment enough to develop a healthy level of compassion, morality and genuine investment in the lives of her friends - it’s what helps her listen to them and eventually see her own flaws. And then there is Diethard. While we don’t know anything about his life prior to the events of R1, he certainly also seems to be a product of his society, but in a completely different way. In a political system that promotes amoral and manipulative methods, Diethard too has absorbed these values when it comes to achieving his goals, even if he has no interest in the system itself. This makes him only use his Fe to satisfy the urges of his dominant Ne (loop) instead of using it to learn from others or make meaningful connections with them. In this sense, Diethard can be considered a foil to Milly, having many similarities, but some crucial differences from one another..

Inferior Introverted Sensing/Si

As the embodiment of any person’s main flaws and weaknesses, the inferior function is often used to give characters an arc, something they would need to overcome. Both Diethard and Milly possess the same inferior function and hence their inherent flaws are similar, but only Milly learns to be a better person in the end.

Ne is a function that is concerned with theoretical connections between facts. It is therefore directly opposed to Si - a function that focuses on the facts themselves and how they are relevant to the function’s user. For characters with inferior Si, such as Diethard, this means that they focus too much on the external and end up lacking substance or a clear identity as people. This isn’t immediately obvious for Diethard, because he is neither aware, nor cares much about his flaws, but it becomes much more apparent as time goes on. Note that throughout the whole series Diethard has not made any meaningful connections with anyone or anything; he is so obsessed with what he wants to see Lelouch do that he is not even remotely concerned with making others trust him or developing any attachment to even his work, making him the amoral cynic that we all know. And while Milly’s more healthy use of her functions allowed her to find herself and lead a much happier life, Diethard only realised what he was lacking in his final moments.

While he did everything to satisfy his Ne desires and was effective in his service, he failed to earn anyone’s trust or respect as a human being, so when it came to his death, even Lelouch did not see it as worth his effort to show Diethard a last act of kindness.

However, please keep in mind that this is only my opinion on the matter and I will welcome any criticisms or alternative opinions to discuss them. If this article was interesting for you, stay prepared for next time, when I shall discuss the MBTI type of Jeremiah Gottwald.

[thisvaryingexistence]

My thoughts on Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection

So I finally saw the Code Geass movie last night and OH MAN DO I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS.

First of all I think I should start this out by saying this series came into my life at a very weird time I’d say. I first watched the show when I was in 7th grade (13 years old) and I don’t know why but it stuck with me. As soon as the last episode finished I immediately hit start on episode 1 (ah the good old days when Bandai had all the episodes on Youtube) to see what I was missing my first viewing. Since then I have easily watched the series over 10 times over both in English and Japanese. The show (and the fanfiction let’s be real here) got me through a lot of tough times. In my freshmen year of high school, I really took a turn for the worst and seriously thought I would die before I turned 15. That was when I met @projectcluclu and she (along with the show) became a really key part of my life. Her fics really made me fall in love with the pairing Lelouch and CC even more than I already had been with before. The pairing itself became a real comfort for me and just. TLDR: Code Geass is really important to me.

Writing now as a junior in college (20 years old), I could still say this series has my heart. Have I grown older now and seen many other things (mostly not anime related things)? Yes. Do I notice the endless plotholes in the story and how certain characters I once hated are actually okay and the characters I thought were flawless could actually be rather despicable? Yes again. But this story as a whole still makes my heart go BOOM. 

NOW TO THE MOVIE!

So when I first heard they were making a movie I rolled my eyes. I get it was an anniversary and the show had had many other specials before such as Lelouch’s Birthday, Nunnally in Wonderland, etc. However, this one was going to make or break this show. The creators seemed to know this and pulled something I laugh so hard at but at the same time THEY KNOW THEY GET TO MAKE THE CAKE AND EAT IT TOO. After realizing that “oh shit. We really did have the perfect ending. Legit half the viewers are going to be upset no matter what we do” they decided. “YOU ALL CAN THINK WHATEVER YOU WANT. This is an alternate reality.” Now, to me this was a cop out for sure. They knew no matter what they did, someone would be upset. Even I joked around with my sister and said if Lelouch got with anyone else but CC in the movie I would burn all my Code Geass merch. Still, the war still goes on from the original show whether he is dead or not. The creators wanted the ending to be ambiguous, but couldn’t even handle the inner-fandom war when the ending first happened over 10 years ago that they were like HE IS DEAD STOP FIGHTING. 

All that being said, I obviously knew I had to see this movie. I’ll admit the spoilers that it was a CluClu ending did give me a slight push to hit buy tickets on my online order, but I knew it was important to my sister and I. We drove an hour away to go see it and the theater was actually pretty damn packed. We anticipated being 2 of like 7 people there but it was FILLED. It was pretty cool to here people talking about the timeline under their breath and getting excited about the movie. So the movie. My God I laughed so hard. Like tears were streaming from my face. First, I saw it in English. I love my Johnny Young Lelouch so much and Kate Higgins as CC is great. Everyone else had the same voices as well but. It literally appeared everyone but CC forgot how to say Suzaku’s name and called him “Sooz-a-koo.” Legit sounded like fucking Shinjuki. The first time LELOUCH said it I was like who he is talking ab- OMFG ARE YOU KIDDING ME. My sister and I were in tears and I was shaking so bad. The new characters got me confused. Where the fuck was this big ass nation in the show? (Obviously non-existent as this is an alternate universe”) But I was like what is geass did anyone at the studio actually figure it out? In the show they got nowhere close to explaining it, but we got a very good understanding on what it does, it’s limitations, who had it and why, etc. This movie was like oh you have geass?! CHECK MINE OUT! The princess (at least I think she was a princess) was weird? That scene with her and her brother in the bath after she saw her prophecy was fucked. I laughed so hard again as everyone around me was saying WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT? With these new characters, why is Cornelia now the head of them? 

My brain did not take it seriously and just laughed at how crack-fic this movie was. They showed almost every character and it was beautiful and almost bought me to actually cry no matter how weirdly they were placed and who they were placed with. Like why was Schneizel with Rakshata?? In a daycare place?? Why?? Ohgi and Viletta’s wedding though. My heart exploded Lloyd and Rakshata dancing? I approve. THE BABY? I approve. 

The main characters. I know it has been ten years and it could be seen, and there were definitely moments where they were, out of character. One thing I saw a lot of before I saw it was that CC was out of character because she cared so much for Lelouch but to me? I think she was pretty in character. It had been a long time for her and Lelouch. As soon as Lelouch died, Shirley bought his body to CC and she had to take care of him as they looked for his lost consciousness. I imagine she was a bitch in the beginning to him but quickly realized she did this. 

She did this.

She is the reason Lelouch is alive at all.

This is why I believe she was in character. It shows how she is not a stagnant character from the beginning of the story. When first knowing about her in episode five of the series, it was clear she was a stone cold bitch who made her own rules for her life (which makes her CC my favorite character so I’m not saying this as a bad thing). As the show moved forward, we saw her at her most vulnerable and how as a child she was desperate for someone to love her. After her own geass story and her immortality, she saw quickly it must have not been in the cards for her and how she was “utterly alone.” Even as she and Lelouch started to become closer to each other, she was rather distant. I don’t think she really let it show how important he had become to her until her backstory episode 15 of R2 when she would not let him take her immortality. Even when she was dying, mind you the only reason she went after Lelouch in the first place, she was crying at the thought of leaving. In the penultimate episode of the series, she and Lelouch had a very touching scene that Kallen had to ruin, but she voiced her care for him. Therefore, in the movie when it shows her caring so much for him, I do not find it out of character for her. It was already shown in the show and sound episodes that she was not sure what she thought her feelings for Lelouch were and she was confused and frightened by them. She was afraid she ruined his life by giving him the power in the first place, and she was selfish enough to do it again by reviving him knowing full well he intended to die for all the things he did in the rebellion. 

I teared up at the trailer watching CC cry trying to find Lelouch in C’s world. You could tell that man is her new “meaning for living” so to say and she realized how close she was to losing him again. I teared up when they were in the knightmare and Lelouch was about to issue a surrender. She pulled her gun on him similar to episode 7 of the show and told him this was not the Lelouch she knew and bought back. That moment of shaky tears and words made Lelouch into his self again. They are the missing pieces the other has always lacked. They are better off together and they know it. Another reason why the scene at the end hit so strong when he told her he would follow LL and abandon the name Lelouch. He was stating how he was ready to let go of his past and begin a new life with her. Her face welling up and crying. Those scenes of them together were my favorite parts of the movie for the obvious ship reason but also for the fact that I felt more connections to the original story and the characters seemed to be staying true to their old selves. 

Lelouch. He was pretty much in character. I do believe leaving Nunnally to make her own choices and let her grow up is something he would do. After all the lessons CC told him about keeping people you love at a distance. He was a little more flirty than usual but again? The scenes that mattered the most, he was Lelouch. 

Suzaku. Excuse me Soozakoo was a pretty much his character from R2. Kind of a douchebag with a heart of gold. His scenes with Lelouch were very very in character and really touching.

Kallen was a little out of character. The one scene that touched my heart is when she cried (which by the way was fucking hilarious because the English cry was so bad) when Lelouch kept staring at her with his dead eyes. That was a really beautiful scene and I could admit that even though I despise the two of them together.

Everyone else was pretty much thrown in with no explanation. Ohgi apologizing to Lelouch made 0, no pun intended, sense. Cornelia leading this new nation? This new nation of a whole? How did Lelouch know where everything was and how to work this foreign computer network and equipment? Why was mostly everyone else not phased by the fact that Lelouch was alive? So many things were not explained in this movie.

THE ANIMATION. The characters were beautiful as ever but damn. Sometimes they left blobs and mouths moving and it was so funny. The close up shot of the camels had me laughing in my seat.

THE ENDING. And I mean the post-credit ending. I feel like the creators found this famous fanart of Lelouch and CC:

And were like LET’S GO WITH THAT! They were pretty much dressed like this and looked like they were having a wedding type thing? But they gave a weird vampire feel which was hm. Okay? 

Overall, this movie was what it was. An anniversary movie to give the fans and give some more spotlight on Lelouch and CC’s relationship. In the moments it had its key characters, it was beautiful. Hell, it was all beautiful. However, it really did feel I was watching a crack-fic fanfiction in HD. That being said, I would not change anything about this movie. My heart is so full and I was smiling the entire time. So glad I got to go see it! 

[naruwitch]

Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron Chapter 40: Brawl on the Astral Plane

Lelouch looked solemnly up at Zenobia’s resting form, her eyes dark, and form hunched in her seated position. He wasn’t lying to the others when he said he didn’t have a plan going forward. As a matter of fact, he barely knew where to even start. But he also knew that if he did nothing, Zarkon could still take Zen away, and that was something none of them wanted to happen.

So, he would trust that his Lion would know what to do.

“We have some work to do, Zen,” Lelouch muttered softly.

Approaching closer, Zen instinctively lowered down and let Lelouch inside, though she was still not responsive.

As Lelouch was pulled forward in his seat to the front of the cockpit, he took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, closing his eyes as he set his hands on top of the main levers.

"Look, I know you don't want Zarkon taking control again any more than I do,” he said after a moment, “We can't let that happen, so work with me. What do I have to do to strengthen our bond? Whatever it is, I'll do it. I'll listen.”

Instead of speaking back like she had last time, Zen’s eyes flashed open and got to her feet, purring aggressively.

This action made Lelouch jump in alarm as Zen suddenly turned around, facing the hangar opening.

“Whoa, hey! What are you doing?!” Lelouch exclaimed before Zen rocketed out of the hangar and into the red cloud of Jupiter’s red spot. Zen quickly shot out of the hurricane’s eye and into open space before blazing off, away from the planet.

“Stop! Zen, stop!” Lelouch shouted, pulling on the levers, trying to at least deter her course, “Zen! We can’t just go flying off on our own right now!”

Despite Lelouch’s protests, the Lion didn’t so much as slow down and Lelouch barely noticed the other outer planets flying past them in the blink of an eye.

Lelouch growled. Yes, he knew he said that he would listen to Zen and try to strengthen their bond however they could, but this was no time for a random flight in unknown space, especially without telling anyone, and with Zarkon not too far away on Earth.

Finally having enough, Lelouch glared up from his seat, "Look, can you at least tell me where we're going?!"

Almost like magic, Zen actually did slow down. Seeing this, Lelouch let out a sigh of relief. “...Thank you…”

He glanced around, trying to see if he recognized anything, whether it be a planet, constellation, or something that the castle had flown past or he had come across browsing a random holopad in the ship’s library.

He gasped when he finally processed what he was looking at.

Gliding at a much slower pace, Zen brought them slowly to the ruins of a planet. That had to be what it was. This was far too large and clustered together to be an asteroid, or a group of asteroids even. The brown rocky structure in front of them was definitely a planet, or what was left of one.

“Zen, where are we?” Lelouch asked cautiously, “Why did you bring me out here?”

Lelouch gasped again when Zen’s familiar purr seemed to vibrate through his soul, her intentions and request clear.

“So you want me to use your eyes… very well,” Lelouch consented, closing his own eyes.

Zen’s eyes flashed with a growl and the landscape around them shifted. Suddenly, the planet was no longer ruins, but a rich red, wispy purple clouds gliding in the atmosphere, and large, metal structures rising above the ground. In the blink of an eye, Lelouch was suddenly on the planet’s surface, and looking up, he beheld the silhouette of Zen standing alongside two figures overlooking the city.

Lelouch’s eyes snapped open with a gasp, realization creeping in.

"This was your home... Zarkon's home... Daibazaal..."

Once he said it out loud, Lelouch couldn’t help but feel strange. He honestly wasn’t expecting Zen to take them all the way back to a home that was long destroyed. The home of a being she would call a friend and a comrade. A comrade and friend that would betray her.

But at the same time, this was also the birthplace of Voltron. Or well, where the comet that Voltron was made from had landed. Like Coran had said, Daibazaal was quite literally where it all began.

"...Okay.. alright,” Lelouch eventually says in a ‘please help me understand’ tone, “You brought me here for a reason. Please, show me."

Closing his eyes once more, Lelouch found himself submerged in his Lion’s memories once more. Again, he was looking at Daibazaal, a healthy, thriving Daibazaal, from a sky view. Suddenly a flash of light raced past him before impacting the planet below, the fiery landing he could see even from his position.

The scene faded and he was again on Daibazaal’s surface, around a crash site and crater, where at the center was a gigantic meteor, glowing with blue energy from within its ore. He saw several Galran sentries jogging towards the center, followed by, at a slower pace, by two caped figures.

"King Alfor... and Zarkon..." Lelouch said softly, recognizing the Altean king despite his younger appearance.

"That's the Quintessence comet…” Lelouch said as he saw images of a younger Alfor taking and shaping pieces of the comet in what he assumed was his Altean lab, “...the one you and the other Lions were built from… and you fought beside them all for years..."

The dark and familiar sensation came out of nowhere and Lelouch gasped as his eyes snapped open again. His heart was racing like he had just awoken from a nightmare. He knew that aura. One that he’d felt too many times already.

“...You…” Zarkon growled from where his main base was still positioned above planet Earth, the power of Haggar and her druids coursing through his being.

Lelouch swallowed, taking a breath to calm his beating heart. He knew that this was likely inevitable. He knew that Zarkon was still hunting for his Lion, despite still being in the same solar system. But this had to be done if they wanted to keep going.

“...It’s too late to turn back now,” Lelouch eventually said, to both himself and his Lion. He felt Zenobia purr in agreement, though her tone was one of tense anticipation. “Show me more, Zen.”

Lelouch once more closed his eyes and Zen dragged him once more into her memories. When his vision cleared, he was no longer above Daibazaal, but in the middle of a battle, far out in open space, just above the atmosphere of a planet. Lasers were blasted from all sides, both from the Lions and the enemy ships surrounding them.

What amazed him the most though, was when he caught sight of Zen.

"Are those... wings?!” Lelouch exclaimed, incredulously, “You... you have powers I haven't unlocked...!"

Zen, or at least the memory of Zen, was facing an enemy battleship head on. She then swiftly, faster than Lelouch ahd ever seen her move, shot forward, phased through the ship, spun around, and with a single blast from her mouth, blew up the ship, along with two others by its side.

"Amazing... You're amazing!" Lelouch nearly laughed as the memory Lion turned toward him, almost like she was preening from the praise.

"I've got you now, boy." A dreadingly familiar voice broke through the memory and Zen suddenly shot a blast of energy directly at him.

Lelouch barely had time to gasp in shock before he felt himself flung out of Zen’s cockpit, and free-falling until he landed with a pained grunt on a hard surface below.

Wincing, Lelouch sat up, panting, taking in as much of his surroundings as possible. He saw almost nothing but an endless expanse of stars or all sizes and colors in all directions. One thing he did notice though, was that not only was he clad in his Paladin Zero uniform, cape and all, but everything, himself included, was tinted in a purple indigo.

He didn’t have time to observe further as his eyes fell on a familiar, hulking figure not far off in front of him.

“You were a fool to face me here,” Zarkon stated, his dark cape flapping behind him as Lelouch struggled to his feet, “When you die in this realm, your body dies as well. And I will take control of Voltron.”

Faster than Lelouch could blink, the Galran leader was suddenly in front of him, and delivered a powerful punch to Lelouch’s torso. The ex-prince gasped as he was thrown far backwards off his feet, feeling the wind knock out of him. He then felt a painful blow from behind and he was thrown away again, flipping several times in the air before crashing to the ground, rolling several times before eventually coming to a stop.

Lelouch gritting his teeth against the pain, Lelouch pushed himself up, head still lowered.

Zarkon tisked, disappointment and disgust clear on his face. “How disappointing, I would have thought my successor would have offered more resistance, but I should expect nothing less from a child. No matter, this means the Lion will be mine sooner than expected.”

“...You think so, huh?” Head still bowed, Lelouch felt a small smirk stretch across his face as he finally got to his feet. One hand brushing over his face, his eyes flashed as his Geass blinked to life in both of his eyes, “I am Zero, the man who makes miracles!”

Holding his hand out to his side, Lelouch felt the weight of his mother’s knife appear in his hands. He knew that if he was here in full uniform, this weapon would also be by his side. In a flash of light, the knife extended, forming the sword that had briefly appeared at their battle on Earth, the blade flickering and surging with red electric energy that quickly spread across the rest of the rebel leader’s body.

Invigorated, Lelouch leaped forward, practically flying across the battlefield, striking a stunned Zarkon hard with his blade with a roaring battle cry. The Galran leader barely managed to block the attack as he and Lelouch flew backward from the force.

Pushing Lelouch off, the prince followed up with a kick, blocked once more before ducking under Zarkon’s punch before using that momentum to leap up and swing the sword downward, a swipe that Zarkon dodged before jumping away.

Lelouch leaped at the Galra once more, sword swinging with an arch, only for Lelouch to gasp in surprise when Zarkon vanished. He soon learned that he didn’t disappear when he felt a hard elbow plow into his back. Lelouch was shocked that that didn’t break it as he was thrown forward, hitting the ground hard enough to bounce up, flipping rapidly before feeling a fist to his face from Zarkon’s teleport again, sending careening back to the ground below.

Lelouch was so glad he put himself through those late night training sessions, whether with Sayoko present or not, because he was positive that it was thanks to those, and the endurance and slight muscle he had finally started to develop, that he was still alive. He was certain if his pre-Voltron self was in his shoes currently, he would have been a bloody splat on the floor of this… place upon Zarkon’s first punch.

That didn’t help that Zarkon’s attacks still hurt like hell though as he coughed and got to his feet again.

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting that, boy. However…” Zarkon’s own eyes flashed before the familiar, ominous symbol that Lelouch’s eyes also bore, this time in black, appeared in the Galra’s glowing orbs. A shockwave of energy burst from the Galra and Lelouch would have been thrown back again if he had not dug his sword into the ground to anchor him.

Something appeared in Zarkon’s hands, and Lelouch’s heart sank just a little when the Black Bayard’s form morphed into a simiter’s shape.

Zarkon charged once again.

Shortly after Lelouch had left the room, mostly everyone, save for Allura, Nunnally, C.C. and the other Paladins had left the bridge themselves, to either attend to other duties or get some sleep. Coran was one of them, saying in an apologetic tone that he needed to check on the cryopods, which only grimly reminded everyone of Lelouch’s statement that the war was far from over. The Paladins knew that they should probably be doing something too, whether resting, training, or whatever besides just waiting. And waiting for what exactly? Wait for Lelouch to come back? Wait for Coran or someone else to call for them over the intercom? What?

“So… did anyone happen to snatch a card deck while on Earth?” Rivalz asked after an awkward silence.

“A card deck?!” Kallen said, looking at the Blue Paladin incredulously.

“What?!” Rivalz said in defense, “We’re all sitting here doing nothing while Lelouch is off doing his thing with the Black Lion and… and…”

“We’re still worried something bad will happen,” Shirley said quietly.

“We get it, guys,” Suzaku said, “We all feel the same. But worrying about what’s going on isn’t going to change anything.”

Before anyone could say anything else, C.C. suddenly went rigid. Her eyes widened and her Geass symbol flared to life. She then fell back and screamed, clutching her head in pain.

“C.C.?!” Milly exclaimed as she and the others rushed over.

"ZARKON!" she screamed, nearly pulling her hair out of her scalp.

“What?!” Kallen gasped, “What do you mean, what’s happening?!”

“I…” C.C. gritted her teeth, “I don’t know! But, I can feel Lelouch, feel his mind.”

“Well, what’s happening?!” Shirley exclaimed in near panic.

“He’s… he’s in the Black Lion’s mind… or his consciousness is…”

“You… you can do that?” Nunnally asked, anxiously.

“We’ve talked mentally or psychically to the Lions before, but actually going in?!” Rivalz exclaimed.

“And Zarkon’s there too!” C.C. continued before any other speculations could happen, “They’re fighting for control of the Black Lion… and Zarkon’s winning.”

“No!” Allura gasped, “Zarkon will kill him and take the Lion if he’s victorious!”

“Th-there’s got to be something we can do-”

Suzaku was cut off by the sound of someone falling to the ground. Turning, the group hadn’t even noticed that Nunnally had rushed to the bridge’s entrance, only to trip over her feet.

“Nunnally!” Shirley gasped as she and Suzaku ran over and helped her up, the others trailing behind them.

“We… we have to help him!” the princess gasped, tears in her eyes, still trying to reach the doors.

“Allura! Come on, you must know some way we can help Lelouch!” Kallen shouted, her eyes shaking and heart pounding.

“I-I don’t know!” Allura exclaimed frantically, “The Paladins have only ever connected with their own Lions! The only time I’ve heard where they connect with the others is when Voltron is formed!”

Suzaku bit his lip and looked around, and finally his eyes landed on C.C. An idea, a crazy idea, formed in his head and he had no idea if it would even work, but they had to try!

“Well… we do have her,” Suzaku said, pointing to C.C. Everyone looked at the Purple Paladin dubiously, including C.C. herself, “This may sound crazy, but maybe there is a way to get to Lelouch, through C.C.!”

“What do you mean?” Rai asked, not quite following Suzaku’s reasoning.

“Well, we’re all connected to the Lions in some way, yes, but almost all of us are connected to C.C. too. Except for Rai, we’ve all gotten a Geass from her. And if she can feel Lelouch right now, she’s probably connected to the rest of us as well. Meaning we’re connected to Lelouch too!” Suzaku emphasized.

“And since Rai is connected to us through Voltron, we can still connect to him too!” Milly realized, “Suzaku, you’re a genius!”

“It’s worth a shot,” Shirley agreed.

“What are we waiting for then, let’s go!” Rivalz shouted, jumping up.

“C.C., you think you can do it?” Kallen asked, turning to her.

“I… I’ll admit, I’ve never done something like this before,” she hesitated, “There’s no telling what this could result in.”

“Even so, we have to try something,” Rai spoke up, “and besides, I think there’s a way you can connect to me besides Voltron. When you were still out, I was able to use my Geass to pull you out. That has to mean that I’m connected in some way, right?”

C.C.’s eyes widened and Rai could have swore a small flicker of fear crossed her face, but it disappeared a moment later, “I suppose so.”

“Perhaps I can help as well,” Allura said, stepping forward, “I may not be in possession of this Geass, but I’m not going to simply sit by while my family risks their lives like this.”

“I’m going too!”

The second that proclamation left Nunnally’s mouth, everyone was up in arms to stop her.

“No way, Nunna!”

“It’s too dangerous!”

“It’s not safe!”

“Lelouch will kill us if you get hurt.”

“I think it would be best if you stayed here, Nunnally.”

“Nunnally, you’ve haven’t even seen Zarkon before,” Kallen spoke, “Much less know what he’s capable of-

“I DON’T CARE!!”

Nunnally’s outburst silenced the entire bridge as everyone stared in shock. Breathing hard, frustrated tears in her eyes, Nunnally glared at the Paladins with such intensity that they were immediately reminded that Nunnally and Lelouch were actually related.

“Do you have any idea... how hard this is...?” Nunnally finally said, fists clenched and shaking, “After so long... I'm able to see again... I'm able to walk again... But, despite that... I'm still helpless! I can't do anything while my brother... my friends... My family is risking everything! The thought alone is killing me!”

As Nunnally spoke, the Paladins’ faces all shifted from surprised astonishment to shock and sympathy. They were so used to interacting with the Nunnally who was confined to a wheelchair, the Nunnally whom Lelouch fought tooth and nail to shield from the cruelties of the world. But that Nunnally was long forgotten in the past now, and continuing to treat her as such wasn’t fair. Now putting themselves in her position, they only imagine how scared and powerless she felt now, despite being physically better. Only now did they realize that they hadn’t really taken the time to really think about how Nunnally was feeling about this. About everything.

Allura could certainly relate. All of those times she had asked her mother and father if she could join them on a mission with Voltron, but they turned her down almost every time. She knew deep down that it wasn’t out of malice, but the hurt was still there. She could remember how useless she felt as she witnessed her planet being destroyed and torn apart by the Galran fleet, even the feeling of betrayal as she watched her father’s face fade from her vision as he put her to sleep, promising to see her again soon, only to wake up 10,000 years later and learn even that reassurance had been a lie.

Yes, she knew exactly how Nunnally felt.

“I'm not a Paladin... I don't have a Geass or any kind of special power…” Nunnally went on, “But I know I can do something other than just sit and be safe! Please! You have to let me help! Not just for my brother's sake, but all of yours! I want to be a part of this just as much as everyone else on this ship! I want to help defend the universe too! Please!”

Everyone kind of shifted and looked at one another, not quite sure what to say.

The silence was only broken when C.C. finally nodded, “Alright.”

Various exclamations of surprise, even from Nunnally followed. The younger girl looked a little shell shocked that her desperate plea had actually worked.

“While it’s true you’re not a Paladin, nor possess a Geass, Nunnally still important to the team. She remains the center of Lelouch’s world, even if that has grown to truly include more people now. If Lelouch can at least feel her, it might be the fighting chance Lelouch needs.”

“That’s true,” Milly pointed out, “The team doesn’t just include the seven Paladins. It’s everyone on this ship. And we made a vow to stand beside each other no matter what, remember?”

“Yeah… no Paladin or friend gets left behind,” Rai nodded in agreement.

“Right…” Suzaku said, Shirley nodding as well.

“...Okay, but if Lelouch tries to skewer one of us for putting his sister in direct danger, we’re passing the blame onto you, seeing that the rest of us only have one life. Got it?” Kallen asked the immortal, making direct eye contact.

“Noted…” C.C. deadpanned despite the situation.

“Okay, enough chit-chat!” Rivalz exclaimed, face grim and tone rushed, “In case anyone forgot, we’re in a bit of a hurry here?!”

“Right! Everyone follow me!” Allura ordered, swiftly leaving the bridge, “I know a shorter way to the Black Lion’s bay!”

Lelouch panted as he charged at Zarkon again, swinging his sword-knife in a wide arc that Zarkon easily evaded. Another quick swipe followed before he followed it up with a punch, but Zarkon caught the fist easily.

"A weak child such as yourself could never take my place as the head of Voltron!"

Lelouch cried out as Zarkon crushed his fist then kicked him back hard. But Zarkon wasn’t finished, as he summoned the Black Bayard in whip form. With a lash, the whip caught Lelouch’s ankle, yanking the youth back and hurtling him into the air before Zarkon jerked it down and Lelouch slammed hard into the ground below.

The younger Paladin was honestly shocked that he didn’t break his back (again) from the impact as he gasped for breath, the air knocked from his lungs.

“You…” he coughed, struggling to his knees, “You think you… can call yourself that… after what you did to them?”

The human lifted his head and glared darkly at the Galra, but it was what he said that made the emperor pause if only in curiosity. Them?

"Alfor... Melenor... Blaytz... Trigel... Gyrgan... Iris... I know about all of them. What you've done, with them and against them,” Lelouch spat out venomously.

“What of it?” Zarkon said dismissively.

“They were your friends! Your family! You were their leader!” Lelouch shouted desperately, though he knew in reality this would fall on deaf ears, “You ate with them, laughed with them, bled with them! They trusted you! And you threw all that away just to gain more power! You destroyed everything they worked so hard to protect! Everything you worked so hard to protect! You had a team and a family that trusted and respected you! And you threw it all away like garbage! You have no right to call yourself the Head of Voltron after all that! You are no longer the Black Paladin... just an empty shell of the man who was.”

Zarkon growled, something inside him roaring in fury as he charged the young Paladin again. This boy… he reminded him too much of another that he would want nothing more than to be rid of forever.

Lelouch was barely able to lift his arms to block once again as he was sent flying across the starry plane.

The sound of Lelouch hacking up blood was what greeted the group as they sprinted into the Black Lion. The Black Paladin was trembling in his seat, his eyes squeezed shut, and eye flickering rapidly under his eyelids.

“Jesus... he's killing him!” Kallen exclaimed as the blood dribbled down Lelouch’s chin.

“What do we do?!” Shirley asked hysterically, her heart rate rising in panic.

C.C. swiftly positioned herself directly behind Lelouch’s seat. “All of you, make physical contact with me or someone who is. If this is going to work we’ll need direct contact with him!”

Everyone quickly scrambled to obey as Kallen and Suzaku each placed a hand on one of her shoulders, followed by Shirley touching Suzaku, and Milly touching Shirley. Rai grasped Kallen’s shoulder, with Rivalz touching him. Nunnally and Allura both came around the sides and grabbed C.C.’s arms.

Seeing that everyone was in position, C.C. placed her hands on either side of Lelouch’s head.

“Remember, this has never happened before. So I have no idea what's about to happen. Brace yourselves,” she warned before closing her eyes.

Everyone closed their eyes and C.C. reached out like she had done numerous times before, trying to reach Lelouch’s mind. The Geass symbol on her forehead manifested and began to glow a bright red. At the same time, she reached out separately to the two hands fastened to her shoulders, Kallen and Suzaku, before snaking out further, threads thinning but not breaking as she connected with the other four too, even Rai despite no prior connection being established.

Meanwhile, as the Paladins felt the admittingly bizarre presence course through them, another presence was also felt, one that they were each much more familiar with. The strong purrs and growls from their Lions broke through, intertwining and strengthening the bonds further.

At the same time, Allura’s own body began to glow as well, but with a bright blue, similar to that of the Balmera that she helped heal what felt like a lifetime ago. Whatever C.C. was doing was drawing this power to the surface, and she simply couldn’t hold it back and allowed it to spread further, faster. The blue glow jumped onto Nunnally, engulfing the girl in its aura before quickly spreading to the rest of the group. Finally C.C. was also covered in it, the Geass on her forehead shifting in color from a blood red to a healing blue.

Lelouch struggled for breath as he braced himself on his hands and knees. The sword in his hands feeling like heavy lead as he struggled to lift it up. Whatever he had said triggered the Galran leader heavily, and Lelouch was beat down harder than ever. He wasn’t sure how, though he suspected the landscape played some role, but he was still alive, or at least breathing, even if his body felt like it was one massive bruise all over.

He struggled not to flinch back as the dark Galran stood over him ominously.

“If you admire Alfor and the others so much, I'll introduce you to them now,” Zarkon said, Lelouch barely catching the glow of the Bayard shifting in the corner of his vision.

He had to move. He knew. He knew if he got hit by this strike, he was dead. He’d fail. He’d leave everyone to Zarkon’s mercy. Zen, Allura, Coran, C.C., Suzaku, Kallen, Shirley, Millly, Rivalz…

...Nunnally.

No sooner had her name graced his mind that Zarkon let out a guttural roar of surprise as something bright and blue suddenly slammed into the Galra, sending him flying backward.

It takes Lelouch another couple of seconds to realize that the light is also hitting him. But unlike Zarkon, it was completely encompassing him, and he found he finally had the strength to lift himself to his knees. He felt his wounds healing, his vigor restoring itself. No longer was the violet blade in his hand a burden weighing him down.

Just as suddenly as it appeared, the light faded and Lelouch gawked in surprise at who appeared at his side.

C.C. and Nunnally both had hoisted him to his feet from the side. Meanwhile, Allura, now clad in a pink-colored Paladin armor herself, and other Paladins all appeared before him, all of them dressed for battle in their armor, their own auras glowing with the color of their Lion.

They all stood steadfastly between him and the monster in front of them.

“Get the hell away from him, you damn monster!” Kallen snarled sharply.

“Impossible…” Zarkon muttered, unable to hide the surprise on his own face.

“How... How are you...?” Lelouch gasped, looking around in shock.

“We learned we connected not only through the Lions but through Geass. We used that connection to follow you here,” C.C. explained briefly.

Lelouch nodded before he finally registered who else was there besides C.C., Allura, and the other Paladins as his face soon morphed into fearful horror when his eyes landed on Nunnally.

“Before you say anything brother, I'm going to tell you right now that I'm not going to leave you to face this monster alone!” Nunnally exclaimed before Lelouch could say anything in protest, “None of us are!”

“You might be the only one who can pilot the Black Lion, Lelouch,” Rai spoke, “but you don't have to bear this burden alone.”

“We've got your back buddy,” Rivalz grinned at Lelouch, “either in the real world, or in this freaky place!”

“We're your friends Lelouch, no matter what.” Shirley said, hands gripping her Bayard so tight her arms shook, “We will never leave you.”

“Whether it's up against Britannia, the Galra, or even those dark creatures Alfor and the others fought before,” Milly proclaimed, though her eyes did flicker slightly in Zarkon’s direction, a drop of sweat running down her face.

“I was unable to help my family before,” Allura said, her eyes disdainfully glaring at Zarkon, “I have no intention of letting this one down too!”

“Whatever happens... whatever darkness we face... we'll face it together,” Suzaku said resolutely.

“Because we're all part of Voltron. Right, Zero?” Kallen said with a smirk, winking back at Lelouch.

Lelouch blinked again in surprise, but the expression soon morphed into a smile. Not a sneer or a devious smirk, but a genuine curve of his lips as he straightened, his sword held low, but firmly at his side. He couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped when we saw the still shocked expression on Zarkon’s face.

“So that's what you look like when you're shocked?” Lelouch laughed before a solemn expression replaced it. “Look familiar, Zarkon? This is what it means to be a Paladin. Even when one is stronger than the others, we're strongest together.”

Almost on cue, everyone raised their weapons, Bayards morphing into their respective weapons. A large broadsword appeared in Allura’s hands as well. Lelouch brandished his own sword as he stepped forward, Nunnally and C.C. staying back as neither one had weapons.

As they all turned to face Zarkon, his face morphed into a furious glare.

“Stand together…” he sneered, materializing his own Bayard, “Then die together!”

Zarkon charged straight ahead, heading straight for Rivalz, but Suzaku managed to jump in the way and block Zarkon’s strike with his own katana.

Rivalz jumped back and shot several times at the Galra with Shirley shooting arrows at him as much as she could. Throwing Suzaku’s strike off the Galra was suddenly in front of Shirley and she barely raised her shield in time to meet Zarkon’s fist. Even with the barrier, the Orange Paladin went flying backward with a yelp. In retaliation, Milly managed to wrap her kusarigama around Zarkon’s extended arm, except the Galran then yanked the chain and with a gasp, the Yellow Paladin went flying across the field. Allura quickly leaped over and caught Milly before brandishing her sword and charging at the Galra with a roar.

Swords clashed with a deafening clang, the two royals glaring at the other, all the hateful emotions spilling over into the strikes. For several minutes, the Paladins were frozen as they watched the duo dancing this deadly waltz between swords.

Finally, at last, Zarkon managed to twist the Altean’s sword out of her grasp, and Allura was forced to dodge to avoid being cut in two from the swipe that followed after.

Rai was next to rush forward, swiping furiously at Zarkon. While he only recently remembered his time in the arena, the muscle memory was still very much still there. And he especially remembered this very monster’s throne positioned at the very middle of the audience, with a perfect view of every single bloodbath that took place there. He remembered every alien, old, young, strong, weak, adult… and child that he forced Rai to kill for his own amusement.

“Every time you threw me into that pit... and I saw your face…” Rai gritted out as he pressed his katar to Zarkon’s blade, “I wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of you myself!” His mouth morphed into a smirk, “Guess I got my wish, huh?”

Zarkon sneered in reply, but before he could retort he bellowed in pain and jerked back, batting something away from his face, stumbling a few steps back. Rai blinked in surprise before he finally registered that Kallen had managed to move up next to the Green Paladin and slammed her gauntlet into Zarkon’s face with the surge function fully active.

“Consider this payback for Galra Central Command!” Kallen shouted, grinning vengefully.

Zarkon snarled before the Black Bayard shifted into a cannon and fired at the duo. Eyes widening, the two of them leaped out of the way as the shot zoomed past them, disappearing in the distance before exploding farther away.

“Holy quiznack…” Milly muttered, seeing the explosion from her position.

Zarkon narrowed his eyes. From this short battle so far, he could tell that these young Paladins were skilled, he would not deny that. Still leagues below his level, but he would admit, they didn’t work too badly as a team along with the princess.

Then he spotted the two other women that had accompanied the Paladins into this place. He recognized the taller one from when Princess Allura had been taken captive at his base. Haggar had developed a keen interest in her, though she was retrieved before any further experiments could be performed.

The other he’d never seen before. She was clearly much younger than the Paladins and he wondered why she had decided to come here knowing there would be danger.

However, he did see how close Zero was standing next to both of them. Quite close in fact.

Reforming the whip in his hand, he threw it directly toward the two girls.

“NO!!” Lelouch shouted, turning and running, hoping to intercept.

That would not be necessary however.

To everyone’s initial horror, Nunnally stepped forward then held her hands out.

With a resounding clang the whip bounced off and away from Nunnally, like it had collided with a metal wall rather than a person.

“What…?” Rivalz gasped as everyone stared, gobsmacked as they noticed the translucent barrier in front of Nunnally.

“Nunnally, how did you…?” Lelouch muttered in equal shock.

Zarkon sneered in fury.

“A child... an insect... no Paladin... no warrior...!” he raged.

Nunnally just smirked, an expression quite similar to her brother’s, “I'm the sister of Zero, what did you expect?”

“Wow… Lelouch, watch out, your sister could give you a run for your money on surprises!” Milly called out.

“So it seems…” Lelouch murmured, still partially processing what he was seeing. When did Nunnally figure out how to do that?! They were going to have to have a conversation later.

Zarkon growled again but before he could attempt to charge at any of the Paladins again, a beam of white energy suddenly hit him dead center of his chest. Tumbling backward, his glowing eyes widened as he spotted residual energy coming from the other female standing near the young girl.

As he got back to his feet, Zarkon actually paused in surprise when he saw a trio of glowing white claw marks on his chest, in the same place the energy had hit as well.

He narrowed his eyes. Haggar also had a similar ability to this. He was beginning to understand why the witch was so intrigued by this Earthling.

This distraction cost Zarkon, as he felt one arm being jerked back. Looking up, the Green Paladin had thrown the katar, wrapping it around the Galra’s arm and yanking it back as hard as he could.

Just before Zarkon could jerk his arm back, he felt his other arm jerk back as well. Looking to the right, the Yellow Paladin’s Bayard had captured his other arm and was restraining it with the two hooked ends of her weapon.

“Hit him!” Rai shouted, “Him now!”

Not wasting this chance, the Paladins all charged at Zarkon. Shirley, Rivalz, and even C.C. repeatedly shot at him from behind, while Lelouch, Kallen, Suzaku, and Allura all slashed and cut into him with their own bladed weapons.

Zarkon could only roar in pain and rage as he took the entire barrage of attacks that rained down on top of him.

Haggar’s eyes widened, as Zarkon’s prone form jerked. Waves of pain flew up through her energy waves. Throughout the connection, she had caught faint glances of the battle happening deep within the Black Lion’s psyche. It couldn’t be possible! Was her Lord actually losing?!

‘Impossible... All the Paladins... and even those who aren't... are in the mindscape together!? How?!’ she screamed mentally as her eyes widened. There, off in the corner, she spotted the girl. The Earthling with the marks on her skin. The one with the unusual energy emitting from her form. She scowled. ‘I underestimated that child. It will not happen again!’

With a shriek, Haggar lifted her hands and pushed as much energy as she could muster toward her emperor. Following the head Druid’s lead, the others also propelled more energy into Zarkon, his form practically glowing as bright as a star from the amount of energy coursing through his body.

Zarkon grunted again as another arrow pierced into his shoulder when he felt a surge of energy from within. A thin black aura enveloped his skin.

“ENOUGH!!!” he bellowed as the power burst out, blasting all of the attackers back.

As the Paladins tumbled backward, Zarkon didn’t waste another second and with a burst of speed, charged straight toward C.C.

The immortal’s balance was thrown off from the outburst of malicious energy, and she had no way to dodge. All she could do was try to block the Galran with her arms held up defensively.

This small barrier proved futile, the Galran thrust his Bayard, now formed into a battle dagger, deep into C.C.’s stomach.

With a single gasp, and horror in her eyes, C.C. slumped and her form flickered from existence.

Followed shortly by everyone else but Lelouch.

With a zap of blue electric light, everyone in Zenobia’s cockpit collapsed to the floor. Lingering energy still sparked along their skin as they struggled to regain control of their surroundings.

“What the…” Rivalz muttered, shaking his head.

“What the hell just happened?!” Kallen exclaimed, getting to her feet quickly.

A terrified shriek from Nunnally had everyone turning their heads. To their horror, they saw C.C., eyes wide and staring into nothing, lying dead on the ground, blood pooling around her prone form from a stab wound on her chest.

“C.C.!” Shirley shouted, kneeling next to her.

“Calm down, she’ll be fine!” Milly reminded them, “She can heal herself, it’ll just take a few minutes.”

“Yeah, but…” the Orange Paladin stuttered, heart still pounding.

“Did you all feel that? Right before we woke back up here?” Suzaku asked. “It was similar to when…”

“When Voltron was torn apart,” Rai finished, “It had to have been Haggar. She must have been helping Zarkon from the start. That damn witch!”

“But… but if Zarkon has help we have to get back in there!” Rivalz shouted.

“I don’t believe we can…” Allura whispered in despair, “C.C. was the link we needed to reach him. With her unable to respond now…”

“Brother’s on his own…” Nunnally gasped, tears gathering in her eyes.

Kallen clenched her fists, blinking back hot, stubborn tears of her own, “Come on Lelouch... don't you dare die on us…”

Lelouch stared in shock at the spot where Nunnally once stood. The moment Zarkon had struck C.C. down, she had vanished as well. Everyone had.

He turned back to his enemy with a feral growl.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" he shouted, running up to Zarkon, his sword dragging behind him. Swinging widely, he clashed his sword as hard as he could against the Bayard. But with the additional strength from Haggar, it wasn’t long before Lelouch was overwhelmed once more, his blade flying out of his grip and several yards away. A single punch to the face sent Lelouch flying backward, landing hard on his back, the wind knocked from his lungs.

The Black Paladin struggled to regain his breath as he felt an iron grip wrap around his throat, lifting him off the ground.

“Pathetic,” Zarkon mocked. Lelouch struggled to pry the hand off his neck as the Galra held him high in the air, “This is why Alfor and the others fell. They may have stood stronger together, but they weren't strong enough. Now you will die as Alfor did... alone.”

Lelouch, through gritted teeth, lungs still burning, glared down, “I'm not alone... there's one other still here.... And she doesn't belong to you... or anyone else... not even me. I trust Zenobia... I trust her with my life!”

On another further plane of existence, Zenobia’s eyes lit up.

“Only a child relies on trust,” Zarkon declared darkly, “The Lion is mine. Forever.”

Lelouch cried out as Zarkon’s grip tightened further. His vision just began to fade when the ground suddenly thundered below them.

The Black Lion had leaped down from above, yellow eyes shining in the darkness.

Zarkon gasped in shock, dropping Lelouch in the process. The last thing he saw was a stream of blue light erupting from the Lion’s mouth, and blasting him out of the astral plane.

“NO!!” Zarkon exclaimed as the power that had previously clung to his form blasted out, sparking dangerously in all directions. He collapsed to his knees.

“Sire! What is it?!” Haggar gasped at the state her emperor was in.

“My connection grows weaker,” Zarkon stated, tone full of disbelief, “We must hurry if ever wish to reclaim Voltron!”

Lelouch’s eyes snapped open and he gasped for breath. Blinking a few times he finally registered that he was no longer on that strange starry plane, but back in Zen’s cockpit.

He just barely processed his surroundings when a significant weight leaped on top of him, nearly knocking the air out of him a second time.

“Brother!” Nunnally shouted, hugging him tightly. Lelouch’s arms automatically wrapped around his sister as she buried her face against his chest.

“Lelouch!” Suzaku exclaimed in relief, coming up from behind along with the other Paladins as well.

“Buddy!” Rivalz shouted afterward.

“Hey, welcome back, Lelouch!” Rai said warmly as everyone embraced Lelouch any way that they could reach him.

“We are relieved to see that you’re alright,” Allura said, her body visibly slumping in relief.

“That means it worked right?” Shirley asked anxiously, “You won?”

“He had to have!” Milly exclaimed, “Otherwise he wouldn’t…”

Milly didn’t bother to finish her sentence. It was clear what Zarkon’s intentions were in there.

“Don’t scare us like that again, got it?!” Kallen exclaimed, glaring down at Lelouch, hands on her hips.

Lelouch let out a tired chuckle as Nunnally reluctantly pulled away from him, “I’ll do my best… Now then, would you please explain to me how in the hell you all ended up here at Daibazaal?”

There was a long confused pause.

“Daibazaal? Lelouch, we’re still in the castle,” Kalllen informed him, quirking an eyebrow.

Lelouch blinked, taken aback, “What? But we're…” Looking back out the window of Zen’s cockpit, he gasped as the illusion faded, revealing that they were indeed still seated in the Black Lion’s bay. After another moment, he smirked, “Are you sure you're a lion, because you seem more like a troll.”

Lelouch was certain that if Zen had been a real person, she would have been laughing out loud, if he was reading the emotions correctly from the bond.

Shaking his head, Lelouch turned back to the others, smiling despite his exhaustion. “Apparently Zen has a flair for the theatrics.”

“Can't imagine where she gets it from,” Milly smirked knowingly.

C.C. had just begun to regain consciousness as everyone departed from the Black Lion.

“What…?”

“C.C.! Shirley exclaimed, causing everyone to turn around, “You’re awake! Thank god!”

“What happened?” the immortal muttered before spotting Lelouch. Despite looking a little worse for wearing, specs of blood still on his uniform, he was clearly alive. “Lelouch, what happened? Did you succeed?”

“Yes, I did… somehow,” Lelouch muttered, shoulders sagging in both exhaustion and shocked bewilderment that he actually went up against Zarkon and lived to tell the tale.

“So that means your bond is strengthened, right?” Suzaku asked, “And Zarkon’s is… gone?”

“No,” Lelouch shook his head, “I honestly don’t think it’s possible to completely destroy the bond, but I did weaken it enough that it’s no longer the dominant bond between us. It will have to do.”

“I guess that’s better than nothing…” Kallen reluctantly agreed as everyone nodded.

“At the very least, you will not have to worry about Voltron falling apart in battle anymore,” Allura added.

“Yeah…” Lelouch nodded.

“What’s wrong, Lelouch?” Nunnally asked, noticing that despite the fatigue, his mind seemed to be somewhere else.

Lelouch smiled at his sister’s concern before sighing again, “There’s… Actually, it’s something that’s been on my mind for a while. Ever since we met Ulaz, actually.”

“Ulaz?” Rai asked, surprised. A cold silence fell over the group as they remembered the tragedy that had happened when they had first met the rogue Galran. That felt like it happened such a long time ago.

Lelouch grimaced. It honestly wasn’t sure now was a good time to even bring this up. But like with knowing he was Zero, or that Zarkon was his predecessor he knew this shouldn’t be something that they found out on their own.

Seeing that he now had everyone’s full attention, Lelouch sighed again before slowly removing his mother’s knife from a sheath he attached to his back.

“...Wait, isn’t that…?” Rivalz said softly as everyone stared at the knife Lelouch was holding out. A faint memory from a few years prior, of a well dressed Britannian noble down on his knees in front of Lelouch, begging for a compromise to the winnings as giving the full sum would leave him bankrupt. After a few minutes of some gabbling, one of his aides rushed out of the building, returning about twenty minutes later with a small chest. Opening it in front of the boys, and looking over Lelouch’s shoulder to see, Rivalz could make out a wicked looking purple knife resting in the velvet casing. The noble insisted the knife was worth far more than the winnings, claiming that all the blacksmiths and metallurgists he brought it to couldn’t identify the material it was made from. He hadn’t thought much of it since, as Lelouch never brought it up again after agreeing to the deal.

“Where did you get that, Lulu?” Milly asked.

“That looks like the knife Ulaz had,” Kallen said.

“Lelouch…?” Suzaku asked slowly.

“But it’s not Ulaz’s knife, right?” Shirley asked, “It looked... different.”

“It was different,” Rai said, “This is a knife. His was more like a dagger.”

“It’s not Ulaz’s,” Lelouch shook his head, “I’m not a hundred percent sure where it came from, but I do know that my mother owned it at one point in her life.”

“Mother’s?” Nunnally asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah,” Lelouch nodded, “She got it from her father, our grandfather. He was a firefighter. Other than that, I don’t know anything about it otherwise.”

“Lelouch,” Suzaku said carefully, “I don’t want to accuse you of anything, but why haven’t you brought this up before?”

Lelouch shrugged, “It didn’t seem significant at the time. All I knew about it was that it belonged to our mother, and it still remains one of the few things that still exists that she owned. Just having it with me was enough at the time. But… with everything that’s happened, I have been developing a theory.”

Everyone waited, seeing if Lelouch would continue, but when he didn’t everyone turned to one another awkwardly. Allura especially looked alarmed.

C.C. was the one that said it out loud, “You're suspecting that you yourself might be part-Galra.”

Lelouch grimaced again, “There’s no proof, but yes…”

“Lulu…” Shirley murmured.

“...Before all of this began, my biggest fear besides losing Nunnally was becoming like my father. But since learning the truth about Zarkon, and even just toying with this possibility of my heritage, now I fear becoming like him. And after hearing the story of how Zarkon became what he is…” Lelouch paused, “...I can’t help but think that if I had been in his shoes 10,000 years that I would have the done the same things he did, before his corruption.”

“You’re not like Zarkon, Lelouch!” Rai protested fervently, “There’s no way you would have done what he did!

Lelouch looked at the Green Paladin, “How can you be so sure?”

Rai went to answer before stopping. Biting his lip, he found he didn’t have an answer, despite wanting to reassure Lelouch that that wasn’t the case. The other Paladins in the room shared similar expressions.

“I will confess, Lelouch,” Allura finally spoke up, “For a long time, I have noticed the similarities that you and Zarkon both share. But when I say Zarkon, I don’t mean the tyrant we face now. The Black Paladin Zarkon was once a courageous hero, whom I did admire alongside my father.”

Allura walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, “You do have your flaws, Lelouch, but at your core, I see a person who wants nothing more than to protect what he loves, and bring peace to the world, to the entire universe… just like my father.”

Allura paused again, an uneasy crease forming on her brow, “I’ll also say, I’ve had my own fears of becoming a monster like Zarkon as well. After the Galra not only destroyed Altea, but most of the universe for the past 10,000 years, I harbored nothing but hatred for the Galra. I’ve even wished to completely wipe them out,” Allura stopped, restraining a shiver, recalling Mao saying this exact same thing to her in their encounter. “But… being reminded of my past history with the Galra before the war, the good history, and hearing about Ulaz and this Blade of Mamora, if it were not for his actions in freeing Rai… when I took the time to put aside my prejudices, we have him to thank for bringing this team together. And that doesn’t begin to describe all you’ve done as well, Lelouch. If it’s true that you’re part Galra, in my eyes, you’re every bit of the hero that Zarkon once was, and are a worthy successor to Voltron’s legacy that my father and mother, and all the Paladins of old would be proud of.”

Lelouch felt something grasp his hand and he looked over to Nunnally, who was smiling up at him.

“Lelouch, if it’s true you’re part-Galra, then I’m part-Galra too. And I’m fine with that. We can be part-Galra together!”

“Lelouch, honestly, I don’t care if you’re part rabbit,” Kallen said, “You’re still our leader, and… and you’ve taught me that we shouldn’t judge just because of ethnicity, it’s about character and skill, and I’m not making that mistake again.”

“I’ve said it before, Lelouch, you have my support to the end,” Suzaku reminded him.

“Same here,” Rai agreed.

“Yeah, same!” Shirley nodded.

“If this does change anything, it just makes you more awesome, Lelouch!” Rivalz exclaimed.

“Yeah, let’s show Zarkon what a real Galra Paladin can do!” Milly cheered.

“If you were expecting different results, Lelouch,” C.C. said, “You’ll find you’re sadly mistaken. Thought…” C.C. turned to smirk at Kallen, “A rabbit-human hybrid would be quite the sight to see.

Kallen flushed red as everyone giggled a little at the silly comment.

After everyone had calmed down, Lelouch looked down at the blade, smiling, “Thank you… I know. It doesn't matter where I come from... Whether I'm Britannian royalty or even part-Galra... I already know who I am. I am Zero... Paladin of the Black Lion of Voltron. And that's enough for me.”

The second the words left his mouth, the knife in Lelouch’s grip suddenly glowed brightly. Alarmed, the Black Paladin held it out and away from him as the light temporarily blinded him and everyone else in the room.

“Whoa! What’s happening?!” Suzaku gasped, shielding his eyes.

He got his answer as the light faded and in the place of the knife stood a large, curved saber form of the weapon.

“Okay, so that just happened,” Kallen commented.

“...How did you do that, Brother?” Nunnally asked in wonder.

“...I don’t know,” Lelouch admitted, similar awe in his tone.

“Wait, I thought it could only do that with your Geass on, Lulu,” Shirley said in surprise.

“Well, I mean… it did glow, so…” Milly pointed out.

“Okay, you know what? Zarkon can keep the Bayard. That thing is way cooler if you ask me,” Rivalz said, a sparkle in his eye.

“No kidding! That thing looks awesome!” Rai nodded.

“I’ve heard of ores that can do similar things,” Allura observed, “the immediate one that comes to mind is luxite. But according to the castle archives, the planet that mineral is mined from hasn’t existed in decaphebes.”

“Perhaps there is a way we can get some answers,” C.C. suggested, “From a place that likely has more of these blades, maybe?”

Lelouch couldn’t help the small smirk on his lips as he heard C.C.’s suggestion. But he quickly hid it and addressed the group once more.

"Let's get some rest for now. Once we're all fully-rested, we can start finding a way to take back Earth. But even with Voltron and the Black Knights working together, it might not be enough. We need to expand our coalition."

He gazed down at the blade beside him, "And I know just who to start with..."

“We’ve just received reports of System X-Y-9 being absorbed into the empire’s territory.”

The figure at the head of the bridge spun around to the radio upon hearing this news.

“Replay that!”

The general to his immediate right blinked, stunned at his reaction. “Sir, what’s-”

“Do it now!” he barked again, suddenly sounding frantic.

Alarmed the generals scrambled to rewind the broadcast, turning it up a couple of notched as well.

“...reports of System X-Y-9 being absorbed into the empire’s…”

He didn’t wait for the broadcast to finish as he suddenly slammed the radio off, hand trembling against the controls.

“Sir…?”

“...Set a course for System X-Y-9,” he finally ordered.

“...But sir, that system is in the exact opposite-”

“Do not make me repeat myself! Do it!”

Stunned once more, the crew proceeded to do as he commanded, though a couple couldn’t help but glance back at their leader. It had been decaphebes since they’d seen that look in his eyes.

It was a look of sheer horror.

As his generals plotted their course, the commander of the vessel sank into his seat with a wavering sigh, his heart hammering in his ears. This was his worst nightmare. He had to get back as soon as he could. He couldn’t let them find it.

Find her…

‘Cera…’

[arsenicpanda]

Opinions on your top 5 Riverdale ships and/or characters

Oh man, this has been in my ask box for like…two months?  And I haven’t answered because I just haven’t been up to it, but I am now!  So let’s go!

Favorite Ships

1. Betty/Jughead:  There’s really no contest here.  The rest of these don’t really have an order, but bughead is 100% on top.  The thing about bughead is that it has so many fun tropes wrapped up in it: childhood friends, one-sided pining (if you subscribe to the theory that Jughead has had a thing for Betty for years), investigative duo, poor boy/rich(er) girl, bad boy/good girl, brooding boy/gentle girl, gang member/cheerleader (which might happen enough to be a trope only on Riverdale, but whatever), dark power couple, etc.  Now, I love all those tropes, but here’s the thing: it’s so much more than that. These are each facets of bughead, yes, but they’re still greater than the sum of their parts. They both have a darkness in them that I absolutely love and want more of, but they also have a devotion to the people they care about that is quite admirable. They just fit together, and they’re such equals and so devoted to each other, and it’s just maximum levels of charming.  Bughead ticks a lot of boxes for me, and the only ships that outrank them (shirlulu and izanamie) do some of those tropes but to a greater degree.

- FP/Gladys:  Yeah, I don’t know what it is about this exactly, but I find them really endearing?  Like, they’re both such disasters and masters of neglecting their children, but I really like them together?  I mean, they used to commit armed robbery together, maybe, and that is just excellent. Also, I think I just want the Jones family to reunite for Jughead’s sake, and supporting this ship is part of it.

- Kevin/Joaquin:  God, I miss them.  The original Southside/Northside ship, with its mixture of bad boy/good boy and poor boy/rich(er) boy, and they were just precious.  Joaquin was proud to be with Kevin, and Kevin deserves that, damnit. Also! The way Joaquin just stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted Kevin even though he probably needed to escape as fast as possible and the way Kevin was like “I have to go after Joaquin” in the middle of the heist were just so cute.  And omg, the way Joaquin would just fold when Kevin asked him for information was a delight. I needed more of them; they were precious.

- Archie/Josie:  Short-lived though it was, I found them really cute.  There was an innocence to Archie and Josie, and it was nice to see Archie pulled out of Riverdale darkness (which, as much as I love it, has always been a genre he doesn’t quite belong in) and to see Josie connect with someone and be open to something beyond just music, but without losing focus on her music.  Also, they could sing together, and it was adorable. Like, their musical number was just the cutest. Honestly, if this had continued, it could have pulled Archie out of the main plot even more or it could have finally dragged Josie into the main plot and give her the screentime she deserved.  I feel like this ship could have really stolen my heart.

- Cheryl/Veronica:  You know, I like choni and varchie, I really do, but something about these two charms me.  It’s maximum levels of rich bitch, and I love that. Cheryl and Veronica had some nice bonding back in season 1, and the way Veronica used to be the kind of mean girl that Cheryl is now is so interesting to me.  Veronica would drag Cheryl into be slightly nicer in a cute but also potentially comical way. They’re two smart ladies who could combine their fortunes of shady origins and become this terrifying power couple that crushes their enemies under their stiletto heels.  And it would be so funny to watch Cheryl interact with Veronica’s friends, like oh my god, Veronica dragging Cheryl, Betty, and Jughead onto double dates with just the highest potential for disaster would be amazing.  I also would enjoy adding Toni to this to make a ship with maximum scary lady, I must admit.

Favorite Characters

1. Jughead Jones:  Was there ever any doubt?  Jughead is best boy and my second all-time favorite male character, right behind the passive-aggressive legend known as Koizumi Itsuki.  He’s got layers, man. He’s a decent guy, but he has a darkness in him that I love. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Jughead’s cut from the same cloth as Lelouch Lamperouge, and I find that fascinating.  Jughead is willing to do a lot to protect the people he cares about, but he has a few moral lines (although I wonder how unmoving those are). He’s got a prickly, brooding exterior that conceals a gooey inside full of love and sadness and abandonment issues (seriously, Jughead’s abandonment issues and desire for family/people that won’t leave him drive and explain a lot of his actions).  And watching him interact with the people he cares about is just a delight.  He and Betty are adorable at their softest and their darkest, and he’s just the sweetest to JB, and watching him investigate with FP is just the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.  Also! His willingness to believe crazy conspiracy theories that turn Riverdale into an eldritch nightmare amuses me to no end. I love this grumpy, loving, varying levels of crazy, weirdly smooth dweebazoid of a gang leader.

2. Betty Cooper:  Oh man, do I love Betty Cooper; she is so much more than meets the eye.  She looks like a sweetheart, and even is to a certain extent, but underneath lies a certain ruthlessness, as well as a darkness and a complete disregard for the law when it suits her.  She’s so determined and so smart, and she doesn’t give up on the people she loves, even when maybe she should. And you just don’t fuck with Betty Cooper or the people she loves if you know what’s good for you.  Like a dog with a bone, that girl, she doesn’t let up on a mystery until the end, especially if her loved ones are involved. Betty Cooper is silk, or maybe something soft and fluffy, hiding steel in the best way, and I love her for it.  Watching her as she relentlessly pursues leads and does morally, ethically, and/or legally dubious things like blackmail people and bribe people is such a delight, as are her gentle and vulnerable moments when she’s not in tough investigator mode.  She’s just this badass sweetheart who will hunt her enemies to the ends of the earth, drag them back, and then, after turning them in, do something wholesome like go out for burgers and milkshakes with her friends or cuddle with Jughead, and I love that to no end.  For me, Betty Cooper is a very unique character, and oh, how I love unique.

- FP Jones:  God, this walking disaster.  FP is terrible at literally everything he does, and, for some reason, I really love that.  I mean, FP is Problematic, yeah, and my enjoyment of FP is partially rooted in some personal stuff, but I also just find him really amusing.  And watching him try to be an effective gang leader or a good father or a competent sheriff is just hilarious because he is so bad at all of those.  I especially love watching him investigate with Jughead, by which I mean watching him stand there all “yeah, this is official police business, you have to answer my questions” while Jughead does all the talking.  Also! The extent to which he is proud of his son is both hilarious and endearing, and the way he wants Jughead to keep writing and get out of Riverdale warms my heart. Look at this disaster man and his tragic backstory and his timeline that doesn’t make any sense and has always been too busy (He was in the army AND he has a chunk of priors that he must have committed as an adult because juvenile records are sealed AND he became the leader of the Serpents AND he started a business with Fred Andrews, at which point he must have no longer been in the Serpents.  Where did he find the time?). I love him.

- Penny Peabody:  Penny is, hands down, Riverdale’s best villain, probably at least partially because she’s used sparingly.  But I just love how mean and ruthless and cunning she is. Also, the way she condescended to Jughead all “Is that what mommy told you?” about her not-death was goddamn amazing.  Every moment Penny is on my screen is gold. Also, she’s largely competent. Yeah, the Joneses keep taking her down, but she always comes back as a legitimate threat. Penny Peabody adapts to whatever life throws at her, and I can respect that.

- Archie Andrews:  Weren’t expecting this, were you?  Honestly, Gladys could have also gone here (or in Penny’s spot), but I decided to talk about Archie today.  Archie is human golden retriever, and I love him for it. He’s a sweet kid, and he means well, but by god is he a dumbass.  He doesn’t quite belong in this show, y’know? Like, Jughead belongs in a crime movie/gang movie/Very Special Episode, and Betty belongs in a crime/horror movie, and Veronica belongs in a mafia movie, while Archie is just this regular kid from a nice family who should probably be in some wholesome coming of age movie or a dog movie or something.  But he still really wants to help! Normally I don’t like dumb characters very much, but for some reason I find Archie really endearing. Maybe it’s his devotion to people he cares about? And, man, Archie cares pretty easily. Yeah, he’s gullible and he was a fascist for a little bit there, but he’s mostly a good kid, something season 3’s juvie arc showed off really well.  He just instantly bonded with these other kids, and he kept that bond even after he left juvie. And he just took a random kid he just met into his home, and it was precious (even though it ended in him getting sliced). He’s got a big heart and an empty head, and I just love him.

And that’s it.  I’ve probably repeated myself a bit, but what’re you gonna do, y’know?