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naruwitch · 3 years ago

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Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron Chapter 34: The Royal Declaration

"Incoming!" Kallen's voice warned just as the Black and Green Lions exited Earth's atmosphere. Blurs colored in yellow, red, purple, orange, and blue met them halfway.

"Hey, hey! You're alive after all!" Rivalz greeted from Polaris.

"Yeah, we are," Lelouch nodded, "Are the rest of you all right?"

"Yeah… I can't believe three more Knights of the Round showed up!" Shirley exclaimed.

"I know," Lelouch acknowledged, "Head back to the castle and meet in Zen's hanger. We have some things to discuss."

"Roger!" Suzaku said before the other Lions whipped back towards the castle.

"Wait! Was that-"

"You'll see in a minute, Euphie," Lelouch smiled and winked.

Smoothly but quickly, Lelouch glided Zen back into her bay with Zerith right behind them.

"Stay here until I call for you, okay?" Lelouch told Euphie. He knew the other Paladins would have questions once they saw her, but he had to make a few things clear first.

Euphemia nodded, anxiously glancing out Zen's eyes as her brother disappeared outside.

Stepping out into the bay, another surprise met Lelouch as he saw Rai lead none other than Nonette Enneagram out of Zerith. His stunned look was shared by several of the other Paladins and crew too. Zerith must have scooped her up with Rai by accident.

The Knight of the Round had her hands raised and was glancing around at the other people present. Lelouch was sure she was shocked to see that the enemy she was fighting was a ragtag group of Japanese and Britannian rebels, plus aliens.

Kallen looked like she was about to say something when Rai stopped her.

"It's fine. She…" he stopped trying to find the right words, "She's coming quietly."

This statement caused several reactions from surprise to skepticism, especially from Kallen and Allura.

"Um… okay then," Suzaku eventually said.

This snapped Lelouch back to attention, and he gestured for Sugiyama and Sayoko. Coran fumbled for a pair of Altean cuffs before tossing them to the ninja maid, who caught them quickly. No one else spoke as the two handcuffed the knight.

"Looks like you'll be seeing Cornelia a little earlier than you thought," Lelouch quipped, though there was little malice in his tone.

"I'll tell her you said hi!" Nonette shot back. The knight nearly stopped in her tracks when she spotted Nunnally, though, standing with the help of some advanced crutches. She huffed out a laugh as she was led out of the room. If her hunch about Zero's identity was right, his request to tweak her terms made sense.

Well played. Well played indeed.

"Um… Lelouch, do you still have...?" Rai asked, glancing anxiously at the Black Paladin.

"Yes, she's inside," he answered, taking his helmet off.

"Who?" Shirley asked.

"Before you see, I need to make something clear," Lelouch said authoritatively, "I expect our other… stowaway to be treated as a guest. If I hear that anyone has done less than that, they'll answer to me. Am I clear?"

There was silence for a good three ticks before everyone murmured their consent and understanding.

"Good," Lelouch's tone turned pleasant again. He then turned to Suzaku, "Would you mind going to grab them, Suzaku?"

"Huh? Why me?" he asked, blinking dubiously.

"Trust me; you'll understand when you see who it is," Lelouch said, barely hiding a grin.

Suzaku's expression didn't change, but he calmly strode towards Zen's open mouth, his footsteps echoing in the chamber. It was silent for a beat, only to be followed by a delighted squeal and squawk of surprise and laughter. Several seconds of babble followed before everyone finally spotted Suzaku's faint shadow reappear in Zen's jaws, along with someone else's.

Once the unknown passenger appeared, another round of gasps filled the room, and Princess Euphemia raised her free hand, the other Suzaku was firmly grasping, giving a small wave in greeting.

"EUPHIE!" Nunnally shrieked, her crutches clattering to the floor as she bolted towards her sister. In response, Euphemia gasped and rushed to meet her, catching Nunnally before she could trip on her still slightly unsteady legs. Her arms wrapped around her sister whipcord tight, tears forming as they both embraced.

"Aw!" Shirley cooed, feeling her own eyes getting wet as she watched the princess' reunion. Rivalz struggled to hide a sniffle next to her and failing miserably.

"Nunnally, it's-" Euphemia gasped, stepping back slightly to fully take her sister in, "-and you're walking...running! And you can see…!"

"I know!" Nunnally exclaimed, hugging Euphemia again.

Euphemia gladly returned the embrace as she looked in her brother's direction, "Why didn't you…?"

Lelouch just shrugged, his lips curved upwards, "It was a surprise."

While mostly everyone else enjoyed watching the reunion, Milly's eyes lingered on Lelouch. That smile… It was one that she hadn't seen on the Black Paladin's face for years. Sure, Lelouch smiled, especially around Nunnally, but she could tell it was almost always just a front. A model smile to hide the intense pain and anguish that he felt nearly every day since Lady Marianne's death.

Now though, she observed with a little beam of her own, that smile wasn't fake at all.

"Lelouch, why is she here?" Allura asked, eyeing Euphemia suspiciously. From her appearance, the Altean guessed that this was Cornelia's sister, and while Lelouch had only said good things about Euphemia, the princess couldn't help but be cautious.

Lelouch's smile soon turned into a grimace, "I didn't have a choice."

"What do you mean?" Suzaku asked, glancing at the team leader. Sure, he was glad to see Euphemia again, but he wouldn't deny that this seemed relatively sudden too, as he waited patiently for his friend to answer.

The answer was not one he was expecting, nor wanted.

"Haggar's on Earth."

"WHAT?!" Kallen exclaimed, voicing everyone's thoughts as they all stared at Lelouch in horror, faces begging him to deny or start laughing because it was his twisted version of a joke.

Noticing the sudden change in the room, Nunnally and Euphemia glanced up and looked around in concern. Euphemia was especially worried when she saw the terror-struck expression Suzaku wore.

"You're absolutely certain, Number One?" Coran asked urgently.

"Yeah, L-Lelouch, are you sure?" Shirley stuttered, looking nearly panicked. Shirley still remained the only paladin besides Lelouch to actually see the frightening witch. The image of her bearing down on Lelouch still haunted her.

"Yes," the Black Paladin confirmed, "Both Rai and I saw her."

Rai bobbed his head, skin an unusual puce color.

"Hold on," Suzaku said, shaking out of his stupor, "If you saw Haggar, and she's Zarkon's right hand, how come a whole Galra fleet isn't raining down on Earth right now?"

"Yeah… yeah, I mean, wouldn't we know if the Galra were on Earth already?" Kallen asked, "And if not, why did she come by herself?"

"I don't know," Lelouch shook his head, but his frown remained, "But when we saw her, she was disguised as a Britannian soldier. At least until I attacked her. If she's really the only one from Zarkon's forces on Earth, there must be a reason for that."

"Come to think of it, Lelouch," Rivalz said, a sheen of sweat on his forehead, "Didn't Ulaz say that we were being tracked? That's why it was such a huge risk coming to Earth in the first place."

"Yeah, if that's true, about the tracking part, wouldn't Zarkon have found by now?" Shirley asked.

"...Maybe that's why Haggar here," C.C. mumbled. All heads immediately snapped in her direction.

"What do you mean, C.C.?" Allura asked sternly.

"I'm not a hundred percent certain myself, and there's no way to test my hypothesis, but there could be something here on Earth that's blocking whatever Zarkon's using to track us. Perhaps that witch came here to investigate it before bringing any other forces."

"And that would be?" Suzaku asked, pressing further.

"As I said, it's only a theory, and since we have no way to prove it, we shouldn't dwell on it," the immortal said in finality, "All we do know is that that witch is on Earth, and if she is, then Zarkon is likely not far behind, especially now that she's aware that we're aware of her. Preparing for their arrival should be our top priority right now."

Lelouch's gaze lingered on C.C. for a few more ticks. He also had a theory he knew what Haggar was investigating, but the immortal was right. Haggar had lost the element of surprise, and that could cause her to call for reinforcements (and Lelouch had a feeling that Zarkon himself would be among them) sooner than she originally planned.

"Coran," he addressed authoritatively, "What's the research team's status on our space Knightmares?"

Straightening, Coran responded, "Structural, weapon, and mobility-wise, they're good to go. But we're still running into one small snag that's keeping us from announcing their completion."

"And that would be?" Lelouch pressed.

"Fuel supplies," Coran answered.

"Fuel supplies? What do you mean? I thought Kyoto was smuggling us more than enough Sakuradite?" Kallen asked.

"And we do have vast stores of them," Coran assured, "The problem is, a single energy filler of this material simply burns through the Knightmares too quickly. Not to say we can't use the Knightmares in battle, but using them for long, drawn-out ones would be rather foolish unless we had a way to either replenish the fuel quickly or make it last longer."

Suzaku's face looked thoughtful, "That… makes some sense. I remember hearing Lloyd talking about a similar problem with the airborne Knightmares on Earth. During the Kyushu mission, he warned me that my fuel would burn out quickly during flight, so I wouldn't have much power to fight with melee weapons. It's why I was only the starting attack. They knew I would run out before I could retake the base."

Coran nodded in understanding, "Yes. I believe the reason for that is due to gravity. Because both ours and Britannia's Knightmares are airborne, they're expelling extra energy just to stay in the air and maneuver. Space further increases the amount of fuel they need to use since there's no gravity in open space. The Knightmares have to produce their own inertia just to maneuver properly. Nothing's stopping the machines from going in one direction forever unless an opposite pressure is applied."

"Right, right, Newton's First Law and all that jazz," Rai muttered, his scientific brain spitting out the info as he listened to Coran's report.

Lelouch grasped his chin, eyebrows furrowing, "So we either need to find a way to make the Knightmares more efficient with their fuel usage, somehow figure how to make the Knightmares store more or extra fuel on them, or we can only use them for guerrilla warfare tactics or quick hit-and-run attacks."

"Or we find another fuel source either on Earth or elsewhere that can work better than the Sakuradite," Milly added.

"Milly, as tempting as that option sounds, we don't have time for that," Lelouch said, "Developing another power source that's better than Sakuradite can take months or years on Earth, and we simply don't have enough technologically advanced races as allies yet. We'll just have to deal with what we have and pray that Rakshata's team eventually comes up with a solution."

At the mention of allies, something tickled in the back of Rivalz's mind, his memory strangely flashing back to when Sendak ambushed the castle back on Arus. Sure, he had been unconscious for most of it, but he could still pick up flashes of colors and whispers of voices.

"Without a crystal, the castle has no power…"

"...get a new crystal to get the castle working again…"

"...Why don't we just use the same thing that's powering the castle?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Any further conversation abruptly halted as all eyes shifted to the Blue Paladin.

Squirming a little under everyone's gazes he continued, not sounding so sure anymore. "Well, I mean, the Balmera crystals, we're already using one huge one to power this entire Castleship, plus the old one before it blew up was being used for 10,000 years just to keep these two," he gestured to Allura and Coran, "alive. So if a giant one can power a spaceship like this, even dormant, for that long, there shouldn't be any problem using it for smaller stuff. Right? Right?"

There was silence for about a dobash as everyone thought over Rivalz's reasoning, Coran stroking his bushy mustache thoughtfully.

"...I think you might just be onto something there, Number Seven!" Coran exclaimed.

"It's at least worth a shot," Rai said, nodding in agreement.

"Rivalz! You little genius, you!" Milly grinned, giving him a good-natured noogie in the process.

"How long will it take to get those crystals?" Lelouch asked seriously, but no one missed the layer of eagerness in his tone.

"Not long," Coran answered confidently.

"All right, then take Rakshata and her team and head to the Balmera we liberated. Get those crystals."

"Righty-o!" Coran jovially exclaimed.

"Can I go too, Lelouch?" Shirley asked, "I can take them in Zinnia, plus if there's an emergency, we can get back to the castle faster and have a way to defend ourselves if something attacks us out there."

"You just want to see you BAFF Shay again!" Milly teased.

"BAFF?" Kallen asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"'Best Alien Friend Forever' duh!" Milly translated.

"Well, that too," Shirley admitted, rubbing her elbow with a blush.

"I'll allow it," Lelouch says. It made sense on a tactical level as well. Zinnia being the most heavily armored meant that if they were attacked, they had the best chance of defending their prize until they returned to the Castleship. Plus, considering the Orange Lion's close relationship with land and earth made it the most suitable for a place like a Balmera.

Then the Black Paladin's eyes wandered to his sisters, who had been standing near the center of the room listening to the conversation, eyes flickering back and forth between speakers like a tennis match.

"...Take Nunnally with you too."

"Wha?!" Rivalz squawked, looking at Lelouch like he had just opened a third eye on his forehead. Most of the other Paladins shared similar expressions.

"Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Lelouch Lamperouge?" Milly accused, pointing at their leader.

"You mean it, big brother?" Nunnally asked, sounding a little shocked herself.

"This'll let you get out of the castle for a while," Lelouch smiled, "Plus, I think you'll enjoy the scenery… as long as Sayoko goes with you as well."

"False alarm, he's back," Kallen quipped, causing the occupants to both sigh and groan at the familiar condition.

"Well, if that's settled, I'm going to head for the lab and let Rakshata know our plan," Coran said, "Shirley, why don't you and Nunnally look for Sayoko so that you three can prep for the trip?"

"Sure thing," Shirley nodded before picking up Nunnally's crutches and passing them over to the young princess, "Come on, Nunna!"

"Okay!" she nodded before following after the Orange Paladin. She waved over her shoulder towards Euphie one more time, "I'm glad you're here, Euphie! I'll see you later!"

"Have fun, Nunnally!" Euphemia waved back with a bright smile.

"Okay, so that's done," Kallen said, "What now? I mean, we can't do much until they get back with the crystals."

"There are still some things we need to discuss," C.C. said, "And now that the immediate problem's out of the way, this may be our best chance to do so."

"Is this about that theory you mentioned about Haggar?" Allura asked.

"Partially," C.C. replied, "but now that certain factors have come into play, I feel there are a few more things you must be aware of."

Back on Earth in the Viceroy's Palace, Schneizel was having a discussion with the present Knights of the Round along with Darlton and Guilford. With the loss of Nonette and the destruction of the Thought Elevator device, as well as the appearance of that strange individual, there was much to talk about.

"Thank you again for your assistance on Shikine Island, Lord Bismark. Yours as well, Anya and Gino. I'm impressed how quickly you were able to get over here on such short notice."

"You flatter us, but just be grateful that the Emperor answered your summons. It's thanks to his orders that made our arrival so prompt," Bismarck said dismissively.

"Speaking of orders, you still never answered my question. We were told to help capture that lion, but nowhere in our orders did it say that we'd be throwing Nonette to the wolves in the process!" Gino exclaimed in frustration.

"Weinburg, silence yourself!" Bismarck barked.

Gino scowled but shut his mouth, knowing that anything he said would be meaningless.

"Nothing can be done about it now," Anya said in her usual monotonous voice, "However, the fact that Voltron now has three members of royalty in custody is concerning."

"Yes," Schneizel bowed his head, "It's unfortunate that Euphemia got caught in the middle of all of this, but understand, I had no way of predicting that she would attempt something so rash."

"So then, now what?" Darlton asked, "If this was a plan to get Princess Cornelia and Nunnally back, it's failed! Surely you've thought of another way to retrieve them!"

"Unfortunately, until further data is gathered on this enemy, I'm afraid it may be too risky to attempt another operation like this."

Guilford gasped, "What are you saying?! You're not just giving up on them, are you?"

"How dare you-"

Schneizel held his hand up before Bismark could chastise the knight, "I understand your feelings, Guilford, but even with the information we have, Voltron remains a major wildcard. It would be best to withdraw and observe for now instead of wasting resources on attacks that will likely fail."

"But the Knights of the Round are with us now!" Darlton protested, "Back on the island, they fought those lions to a near standstill!"

"Yes, but only to a standstill. Am I correct?" Schneizel glanced at the knights.

"Indeed," Anya frowned, "From the data that we gathered, despite the lions' size and armor, most of the attacks weren't nearly as refined."

"You telling me the pilots of those lions are rookies?" Gino asked.

"No, but it seems most haven't been in as many battles and lack experience," Anya amended, "if that black lion had managed to enter the fray, however, they likely would have been the victors of that fight, not us."

"Then… how exactly are you planning to retrieve data to analyze then?" Darlton asked after absorbing this information.

"We already have a small piece of alien equipment in custody. Bartley's group has been observing and studying its properties since we managed to retrieve it. It's thanks to that research that we were able to find a way to disable the Black Lion."

"Yeah, by once again putting Nonette in direct danger!" Gino said again.

"Weinburg! One more word from and I will be forced to-"

"No, Bismark," Schneizel said, "Lord Weinburg has every right to be upset. Believe when I say that sacrificing comrades is not something I wish to resort to often, but I wouldn't have put her in that situation if there had not been a chance for us to save her. It was a gamble, one that cost us, but it had to be done."

Gino still frowned but accepted the explanation with a frown.

"In any case, while Voltron still remains a threat to our people, we still have other affairs that must be dealt with on our planet as well. We're still working through negotiations with the Chinese Federation. We'll have to play our cards carefully, or we may risk further conflict both on and off our world."

A light flickered in the atmosphere above the Balmera as the wormhole closed behind the Orange Lion. Even from high above the creature's surface, the sparkle of its crystals twinkled almost majestically.

"There it is, Nunna!" Shirley exclaimed, pointing out the window with a grin.

Nunnally gasped in wonder as she looked at the beautiful pla-no, not planet she reminded herself. This was a giant animal! And it was still alive too!

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"Indeed!" Coran smiled, "In my opinion, the sparkling surface of a Balmera is one of the greatest sights one can see."

"And you mentioned that this one used to be under Galra control?" Rakshata asked.

"Yes," Coran grimaced for a moment, "Oh, when Shirley and I first saw it in the state the Galra had left it in, I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to save it. However, as you can see that while it still has a ways to go in recovery, the fact that we can see the crystals so far out is a good sign that it's at least healthy."

"I'm glad it's feeling better now," Nunnally said sincerely.

"Yeah, so am I," Shirley said with a smile, one that matched Sayoko's.

"So, may I ask how exactly these crystals work?" Rakshata inquired as they slowly descended into the atmosphere.

"Well, you see, the crystals themselves aren't ordinary minerals. They're petrified pieces of the Balmera's quintessence. Quintessence itself is considered the purest form of energy in the universe, holding the highest known energy per unit volume. Not only that, but it's also a self-generating one, which would answer your question earlier about how the castle lived off of a single crystal for 10,000 years."

"So, unlike other energy sources, this quintessence can recharge and reproduce naturally, all on its own?" Sayoko asked.

"Exactly, but the keyword being 'natually' there," Coran explained, "When we first came across this Balmera, the Galra had practically stripped the beast dry of all of its crystals, not giving it enough time to recover and rejuvenate its energy. Without either sufficient time to build up its stores again or a rejuvenation ceremony, the Galra were slowly killing it."

"Speaking of which, considering Allura's the only one that can perform that ceremony, is it even safe for us to be doing this?" Shirley asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"No, this one shouldn't cause much damage. The size of the crystals for the Knightmares are nothing compared to a battle-class crystal like the one for the castle. Of course, I'm not just going to wrench it out of the beast, either. You should understand what I'm talking about, right Shirley?"

Shirley thought for a moment, then remembered, "Oh yeah. You didn't perform the ceremony, but you still… talked to it, right? Using your own quintessence?"

"Correct," Coran nodded, "Plus, we'll have the other Balmerans there to help as well. Since they're born and raised here, they can naturally communicate with the creature, and I'm sure they'll be more than happy to assist us."

Shirley landed the Orange Lion lightly on the Balmera's firm surface, and before exiting, she could already see several Balmerans rushing to greet them, spotting several familiar faces already.

"Shirley!" Shay exclaimed in excitement as she and her family greeted the group as they exited the lion.

"Shay, it's good to see you again!" Shirley waved back happily.

Shay returned the smile before looking at the new faces, "Who's this?"

"Allow us to introduce Rakshata, Sayoko, and Lelouch's sister, Nunnally," Coran said, gesturing to each human in question.

"Pleasure," Rakshata nodded, and Sayoko gave a short bow in greeting.

"Nice to meet you!" Nunnally said, her eyes lingering on Shay's ear hoops, "I like your earrings."

"Oh, thank you," Shay said, her hand swiping over one.

"We welcome all of you to the Balmera," Shay's grandmother stated, "what brings you here?"

As Coran and Rakshata began discussing the crystals they needed, Nunnally's eyes wandered across the Balmera's surface. The crystals looked even more pretty up close and-

Nunnally gasped softly as her eyes landed on a large crystallized structure in the distance. Unlike the other crystals, though, she could see something was inside of it.

"Um, Shirley," Nunnally asked nervousness, "What's that over there?"

Shirley blinked before following Nunnally's line of sight and gasping herself. She quickly regained her composure, though, "Oh, that's a monster, we called them Ro-Beasts, that the Galra sent to fight us when we first liberated this place. The Balmera was the one that trapped it in the crystals like that. From the looks of it, it hasn't moved since, which is a relief."

Despite the insistence that it couldn't hurt them, Nunnally couldn't shake the small pit forming in her stomach. Even stuck frozen like that, the Ro-Beast looked scary.

"Are you all right, Nunnally?" Sayoko asked, noticing the princess's expression.

"I'm fine," Nunnally reassured her, "I guess seeing that thing is making me nervous."

"Well, there's nothing that you need to worry about Nunnally," Coran said confidently, "When the Balmera trapped that ro-beast in the crystals, it was crystallized both inside and out. There's very little chance that it's still alive at all."

"You said that the Galra created that?" Rakshata asked, eyeing the beast with a calculating expression. "I certainly wouldn't mind taking a peek inside of it if they're capable of making readily made Voltron-sized roots like that. Perhaps we can create a countermeasure for them other than Voltron itself."

"Yes, that would be a wise decision, but I believe we discuss it in length later back at the castle," Coran said before leading everyone towards the tunnel ladders.

Just before Nunnally was helped down the first ladder, she took one last look at the frozen monster. The pit in her stomach didn't fade.

After a brief tour of the ship, courtesy of Suzaku, Euphemia anxiously waited for the elevator to reach the floor that was currently holder both Nonette and her sister as captives. Of course, Euphie had no way, nor intention of releasing them. And even if she wanted to, she didn't know the code to open the cell. Plus, based on the suspicious glances she had seen the female Altean (Allura her brain supplied) shooting her as Suzaku lead her around, she had a feeling the only reason they were trusting her was on her brother's word alone.

She understood. According to Suzaku, Allura and Cornelia didn't exactly have the most cordial of introductions, so it was natural for one to assume that any immediate family would act similarly. She hoped she'd be able to change Allura's mind eventually.

According to the castle's time, which was set to Earth hours for the Paladins' benefit, it was around dinner time, and someone would typically be taking food to Cornelia's cell. Since she was heading down there herself, Euphemia volunteered to take it. She smiled in pity when she saw that the food was the same strange green goo that she and Lelouch had eaten on the island. She had been able to stomach it by eating it along with the berries she found, but her sister had likely been eating it with nothing else. This was probably torture all on its own in Cornelia's eyes. After all, unless she wanted to starve to death, she'd have to eat it eventually. Even Lelouch admitted that it still wasn't his most favorite thing to eat, and he and the other castle occupants had been living off of it for the past few months!

Finally, the elevator slowed to a stop and opened with a slight hiss. Her heart picked up when she spotted her sister and Nonette in the cell at the end of the runway. Lelouch had assured her that Cornelia was fine, but she wanted to see for herself to reassure herself as well.

The sound of her steps must have alerted the two women as they looked up from their conversation.

"Euphie!" Cornelia exclaimed, both in alarm and relief leaping to her feet.

Seeing that Cornelia was all right, Euphemia picked up speed, "Cornelia! I'm so glad you're okay!"

The sheet of glass kept them apart, but their hands easier aligned from both sides. Euphie was quite shocked to see tears in Cornelia's eyes.

"Nonette told me what happened… Schneizel…" her tone soon turned dangerous, "...I will never forgive him for this! You could've been killed!"

"But I'm not, sister!" Euphie assured her, "I'm fine. Lelouch kept me safe while we were on that island."

Cornelia could only nod; her emotions still jumbled between relief and fury.

Her thoughts were interrupted at the untimely sound of her stomach growling.

Euphemia giggled as her sister blushed and scowled in disgust when she saw the goo on the plate she had.

"You… have been eating, right, Nelly?" Nonette suddenly asked carefully. Cornelia had been held captive for about three weeks, so she certainly hoped so. Then again, if these Alteans were advanced enough to cure Nunnally of her blindness and paralysis, she wouldn't be surprised if they had a unique way of keeping prisoners healthy without food as well.

"...Only when I had to," Cornelia admitted. Truthfully, the viceroy managed to refuse about twelve meal offerings of that goop (deciding to count the days that passed based on the number of meals), but by the time the fifth day started, she forced herself to eat a little of it, if only to ease her stomach from ripping itself apart. It was only through sheer willpower that she didn't barf it back up. The only bright side was that the water she was given was completely normal (demonstrated when the Black Knight who brought it to her took a sip of it), so it quelled the feeling of hunger just slightly. No water, no life after all.

Euphemia smiled sympathetically before finding the button to open the meal slot. "It's not that bad, Cornelia," she said in a tone that she hoped sounded encouraging, "and if Lelouch was able to stomach it the past few months, I'm sure you can tolerate it a little longer."

Cornelia seemed to pout as she eyed the goo like it was cow droppings before she finally picked up the spork and scooped up a small amount, her revolted grimace still plastered on her face.

Still not used to the slimy texture, Cornelia almost immediately upchucked it but stubbornly kept her mouth closed and forcing it back down. She felt Nonette patting her back behind her.

From outside, Euphemia winced in sympathy. She wished she could get her sister something else, but the plants in the greenhouse weren't ready to be harvested yet, and the indoor rice field still had about three months to go before it was ready. According to what Suzaku told her, the green onions and radishes were getting close since they grew the quickest, but there weren't many dishes that could be made with those alone. They had about a couple dozen chickens now, so the crew had started throwing eggs into their diets, and they were in the process of trying to smuggle a couple of cows and some goats up the ship. There was also talk of possible plans for some fish farms.

"All Milly's idea," Suzaku had informed her.

"I'm sorry, sister," was all Euphie could say, "Hopefully, this won't last too much longer…"

She hoped so anyway. The information that Lelouch shared with her on the island, about Voltron, the Galra, what they'd been up to the last few months.

"Sister, how much has Lelouch told you about what's going on?" she asked after Cornelia managed to choke down another couple of bites, "About the Galra, I mean?"

Pushing the goo away, looking relieved for a change in subject, Cornelia admitted, "Lelouch hasn't told me much. Nunnally was the one that filled me in on the situation."

This caught Euphemia by surprise. Did Lelouch still not fully trust Cornelia, even after learning that the two of them had nothing to do with his mother's death? It wasn't too surprising… all of that distrust and suspicion wasn't going to fade after one conversation, and he was likely remaining cautious because up until now, Cornelia had technically been his enemy. Either way, she was glad that Nunnally was at least willing to trust her, and as she listened to her sister summarize what she was told, she realized it was about the same amount of information that Lelouch had told her.

Everything except…

"Did Nunnally mention anything about a witch when she came to see you?" Euphemia asked.

Cornelia blinked dubiously, "A witch? What do you mean?"

"I suppose that's a 'no' then," Euphie sighed.

"Wait, are you talking about that cloaked woman that Ze-I mean, Lelouch attacked?" Nonette asked.

As Euphemia nodded, Cornelia raised a skeptical eyebrow. Aliens? Okay, maybe she'd believe that. A literal witch, though? She wasn't so sure about that.

"After you were led out of the room, Nonette, Lelouch talked about her, and Suzaku mentioned that she's Zarkon's right hand. I don't know much else besides that, but… even just talking about her, Lelouch and Rai, they were terrified."

"If that's true with them just talking about her, she must be a big threat considering their reactions to physically seeing her on the island," Nonette observed.

Cornelia sat in shocked silence. Even as a young boy, not many things scared Lelouch, the sole exception being their father. So the fact that both her friend and sister were insisting that her brother was terrified of this witch person was deeply troubling.

"Lelouch… just who exactly have you been fighting?" she wondered softly, aloud.

C.C. frowned in concern as her hands lifted from Lelouch and Rai's heads. Once again gathered in the lounge, the two Paladins gave a quick summary of the events that transpired on the island to Allura and the other Paladins (though Shirley was absent). The moment they mentioned that the island's structure had done something to their Geasses, C.C. insisted on checking them.

"So?" Lelouch asked expectantly.

"Both your Geass have grown significantly, but not by natural means," she explained, "V.V. likely had a hand in this."

This caught everyone's attention.

"That other Code-bearer you mentioned?" Kallen asked.

"The same," she confirmed, "He likely triggered the Thought Elevator in an attempt to make one of your Geass go out of control."

"Thought Elevator?" Lelouch asked, "Is that what that structure is called?"

"Yes. Those structures have captured your father's interest in for a while now." If C.C. didn't have Lelouch's full attention before, she did now. "I don't know much about its origin, though. No one really does."

"Wait, 'structures'? So there are more of these things?" Rai asked urgently.

C.C. nodded, "Not counting the one that was destroyed on the island, there seven others all over the world. I don't know the exact locations of them, but I do believe they are connected to Geass somehow."

"So, even you do not know how this power came to be?" Allura asked.

"Well, I wasn't always immortal," C.C. reminded them, "I used to be a normal human too until a Code-bearer granted me my own Geass. But it happened so long ago that's lost count of how many years it's been."

"Oh… sorry," Rivalz said sympathetically. It was hard to imagine the pain C.C. had to go through, watching people that she had come to care for other the years grow old and die without her.

C.C. sighed before continuing, "As I said, Charles and V.V. have been studying these structures for years. Decades even. I don't know much about what they're planning with them, but it seems their knowledge has grown since I left. V.V. likely used them to transport Lelouch, Rai, Nonette, Euphemia, and the Black and Green Lions to that island to spring his trap."

"And yet Zen destroyed it, and she did it all on her own," Lelouch noted, "It wasn't via my orders."

"So basically, V.V. brought Lelouch and Rai to that island specifically to trap them?" Suzaku asked.

"It was likely an attempt to increase their Geass power to a point where they couldn't control it anymore," C.C. added.

"Like with Mao?" Milly asked. C.C. nodded in confirmation.

"Do you believe he acted alone on this plan?" Allura questioned, "It's clear from how you've talked about them that this V.V. and the emperor are close. And if that's the case, they're likely aware that Lelouch has this Geass… but why bring Rai to the island as well? Was it coincidental because he landed in the area first, or was Lelouch his only target?"

"I think I know…" Rai said, shoulders sagging and gazing at the ground.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Rivalz asked, leaning towards him.

Rai knew that his team wouldn't leave him alone until they found out what was wrong, so he spoke, "My memories. I got them back… all of them."

Everyone at first was taken by surprise, but then Milly smiled, "Well, that's great, Rai! Congratulations!"

"Yeah! Totally!" Rivalz nodded and gave a thumbs up.

However, Rai seemed to curl in on himself slightly, "Now that I have them back though… I wish I didn't."

This extinguished any further praises as everyone stared at him, stunned.

"What do you mean?" Milly asked, "Ever since we found you, getting your memories back was your top priority! Now you don't want them? Why?"

"If you really remembered everything… that means your time as a prisoner too, huh?" Kallen asked.

"Oh…" Rivalz grimaced, realizing how messed up this was becoming.

Allura looked down before approaching the Green Paladin and placing a hand on his shoulder, "I know this may sound hypocritical of me, Rai, but if you're willing to tell us what you remembered, we can help you get through it. But you can only do it if you let us."

Rai bit his lip, not sure where to start, so he just started talking.

"Well, first of all, my name isn't Rai. It is Zephyr. Zephyr zar Britannia."

Though Lelouch had been suspicious ever since Nonette said it, he couldn't help the shock he felt at what it being confirmed. Before Lelouch could say anything, though, his half-brother continued.

"And my mom… her name was Erina Kururgui."

Suzaku choked and had to take a step back to steady himself, "...Aunt Erina?"

"Do you know her Suzaku?" Milly asked.

"Only by name, I never met her directly," Suzaku explained, "She was my father's little sister, but he never liked to talk about her, and I think now I understand why."

"Yeah… you can probably guess who my dad is," Rai said sarcastically.

"Charles zi Britannia…" Kallen scowled, though her ire wasn't aimed at the Green Paladin.

He nodded, "He and my mom never got married. They had a secret affair, but her brother, Suzaku's dad, eventually found out. When the rest of the family learned what she did, they disowned her and threw her out of the Kururugui clan."

"Makes sense," Suzaku nodded, his expression pained, "people that have been disowned from families like mine usually aren't spoken very highly of after."

"That's so cruel!" Allura exclaimed, horrified.

Kallen shrugged helplessly, "That's just how some families work, unfortunately. Reputation is everything in their eyes. Why do you think Kyoto covered up the fact that Genbu Kururugui was killed by his own son?"

Suzuku covered his face with his hands before glaring at Kallen, "You had to bring that up?"

Kallen cringed a little, blushing in embarrassment, "Sorry…"

"Considering I never knew about you, I'm guessing the emperor kept you and your family a secret from the Royal Family too?" Lelouch queried.

"Yeah," Rai confirmed, "It was just me, my mom, and Sophronia. She gave my sister and me non-Japanese names if Charles ever decided to take us to the homeland. She probably thought other members wouldn't target us as much."

Lelouch hummed thoughtfully. He wasn't sure if that would have worked, but he could understand Erina's line of reasoning.

"So, not only are you half-Japanese and half-Britannian, but you're Lelouch's half-brother and Suzaku's cousin?" Rivalz summed up. He leaned back from his position on the lounge's sofa, whistling low, "Talk about a bombshell."

"Rivalz," Milly elbowed the Blue Paladin, "be more sensitive!"

Rivalz muttered an apology, rubbing the area the elbow hit.

"So… wait, if your family was supposed to be a secret, where did you live? And how does Nonette know you?"

"Nonette was my personal knight, assigned to keep an eye on us," Rai answered, "We were moved to an island called Fiji. Well enough out of Britannian territory so no one would know about us, but not a part of any of the other major superpowers to look suspicious."

"That makes sense," Lelouch nodded, "Even now, Fiji is still seen as an independent nation and has remained fairly neutral from other countries' squabbles."

"Okay… so you lived on an island, and nobody knew about you, neither from Japan nor Britannia… So how did the Galra capture you?" Kallen asked.

"I was getting to that," Rai said, "Nonette had been called away to deal with some uprisings in the Philippines. One of Sophie's favorite things to do was climb up to the roof of our home and stargaze. She loved looking for constellations because of how clear the sky was. I would join her from time to time. Nonette would too. Whenever Sophie would show us a constellation, she'd tell us why it was called what it was. Her favorite constellation story was about Orion the Hunter."

Rai was rambling, but no one interrupted him. It was nice to hear him talk about his sister. They could all tell they had been close.

"Anyway, one night while we were stargazing, we saw what looked like a falling star, but it passed right over our house and landed further into the island. Sophie thought it was a meteorite and wanted to go see," Rai chuckled ruefully, "She's super stubborn at times. Once she decides to do something, nothing will stop her, so I went with her."

"Five guesses on what that 'shooting star' was," Kallen muttered, "and the first four don't count."

Everyone chuckled slightly at the joke but quickly sobered up when Rai continued.

"It was about a half-hour hike up the forest when we finally found what it was. Now I know it was a Galra ship."

"Knew it," Suzaku muttered, confirming everyone's suspicions.

"At that point, I wanted to get out of there, but Sophie wanted to check it out. Before we could move, though, our mom came up behind us. She must have seen us leaving and followed us… and a Galra had her at gunpoint."

Everyone gasped, horrified.

Rai bit his lip, hands clasped on his knees, shaking, "Sophie screamed when she saw him… and he laughed. Said how we were naughty kids in a place we shouldn't be. I think that's when the second one turned up. He covered our mouths… asked if we should be shot. The first one said that they didn't have… specimens from our planet yet."

"Oh, quiznack…" Milly muttered, looking horror-struck.

"Mom was begging them to let us go and just to take her, but they said the younger ones had more potential than older ones…"

"They took you," Lelouch stated.

Rai nodded, some tears escaping his eyes, "Cuffed us and shoved us into the back of the ship. Sophie wouldn't stop crying. She kept saying it was all her fault, even though mom and I insisted that it wasn't. And then…"

Rai tried to say more, but his tongue felt like lead, and his breathing became heavy.

"He's having a panic attack," C.C. said calmly but urgently.

"Rai! Calm down! You're safe!" Milly exclaimed, shifting to lay a hand lightly on his knee.

"Deep breaths, in," Suzaku inhaled loudly, "and out," he exhaled just as loudly. The entire group joined in until the Green Paladin calmed again.

"Sorry… I can't share anymore… not now," he stuttered out.

"That is fine," Allura said gently, "You can tell us more when you're ready to… I'm so sorry that this happened to you and your family."

Rai took another breath in, "Thank you. I just wish I knew if they were alive now or not. I need to know to find out. I have to find them."

"And you will!" Kallen declared, "We already said we'd help you look, and that promise still stands!"

"Totally!" Rivalz agreed.

"All the way!" Milly confidently clenched her fist.

"...Thanks," Rai gave a small smile before frowning again, "...oh, and Haggar…" he winced, as if in pain, "It's still a little fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure she gave me my Geass. We didn't form a contract, though."

"Was it through an experiment?" Lelouch guessed.

"I think so…" Rai looked nauseous for a moment, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his wrist, a puncture scar from where an IV (or the Galra equivalent of one) had pierced his skin so many times, "...they did so many things to me."

"When you're ready," Allura reminded him.

"Yeah…" he nodded.

"Speaking of Haggar," Kallen said, changing the subject once Rai had regained his composure, "What exactly are we going to do about her? She's been on earth for who-knows-how-long, and if she was disguised as a Britannian soldier, she was likely interested in that Thought Elevator thing too. And if there's more of them..."

"She clearly seems to know something about Geass. The fact that Zarkon has some twisted version of it is proof enough of that," Lelouch said.

"She must have been here long enough for Mao to have gotten that black Geass," Suzaku concluded, "she must have evolved it or twisted it somehow."

"Okay, but why that psycho?" Milly asked, "Doesn't exactly seem like a guy to follow orders."

"Great," Rivalz threw his hands in the air, "Once again, we got more questions without than answers."

C.C. had been quiet for a while, her eyes closed, as if calculating a decision she was about to make before she opened them, answer clear.

"Well, with the information we now have, especially about Rai," she said, drawing everyone's attention again, "I think there's something else I must inform you of."

"And that would be…?" Kallen asked fiercely. She was starting to get really tired of all of C.C.'s secrets.

"V.V.'s real name… is Victor zi Britannia, brother of Charles zi Britannia."

And there it was. Both Lelouch and Rai looked stupified while Milly and Rivalz shouted in shock. Suzaku's face was hard to read, and Allura looked horrified.

"Must I ask why you decided to wait until now to tell that?" Kallen exclaimed, just looking completely fed up.

"Because it didn't seem necessary," C.C. insisted, "Once I realized who Rai really was, however, I believed it would be best to inform you now."

"Okay, but how does this change anything besides knowing his full name?" Rivalz asked, "I mean… I guess this makes it more personal for Lelouch and Rai, but…"

"Officially, Victor zi Britannia is deceased. No one within the Royal Family knows of his existence. At a young age, Victor received a Geass of his own and eventually a Code as well."

"I'm guessing you knew him?" Lelouch asked.

"I worked alongside Charles and V.V. for many years, but I left when they asked me to do something I wanted no part in," C.C. said, though she didn't divulge what this request was.

"You mentioned that V.V. gave the emperor his Geass power. Is he the only one that he granted this power to?" Allura asked.

"No," C.C. answered, "V.V. is the head of an organization called 'The Geass Order'. It's an organization that not even the Empire is aware of. Almost everyone in it holds a Geass."

"Great! Now we got an army of freaky eye-power power people!" Rivalz groaned again.

"Was Mao a member of this order?" Lelouch asked.

"No, he wasn't. I made a contract with him after I left the order-and before you ask why I didn't mention this before," C.C. stressed, seeing the expression on Kallen's face, "is because when I left, the order only consisted of myself, Charles, V.V. and a handful of other people. I don't know how big it's grown since I've left. But considering how obsessedV.V. and Charles are with Geass already…"

Only then did it sink how much more dire this situation was becoming.

"Is that the last one?" Shirley asked as the final extendable bag was hoisted into Zinnia's mouth.

"I believe so," Coran chirped, "These bags have enough mini-crystals to power an entire army of Knightmares from the looks of it."

Rakshata'seyes sparkled as she had just opened a chest full of gold and treasure, "I am going to have a lot of fun trying these out on my children!"

"Awesome," Shirley said with a smile before rejoining the crowd of Balmeras outside the Lion.

"Thank you for your help again, Shay," Shirley said to her friend, "We owe you one."

"There's no need for thanks," Shay insisted, "we're just glad we were able to help."

"You were all amazing!" Nunnally praised. It was so incredible to watch the Balmerians communicate with their home, the small crystals falling like raindrops from the tunnel walls and ceiling.

"We are grateful for all your help," Sayoko said.

A shift at the corner of Nunnally's drew her attention. It was Balmeran that had stuck close to Shay for the whole time. Rex or something? It reminded her of her brother.

"Are you all right?" Nunnally asked him in concern.

The Balmeran jumped, looking a little embarrassed.

"Rax?" Shay asked, looking at her brother.

Rax frowned, before sighing, "It is just, I've never reconciled my folly to you when you first came here. My actions put my family and you in danger. And for that, I am sorry. But I understand if you can't forgive me."

Shirley was stunned for a moment. She honestly never expected an apology because she could understand why he did it. He was trying to protect the family he still had. It reminded her of how Lelouch had been before they found the Blue Lion.

"Rax, it's okay," Shirley assured him, "I never blamed you for that. It was a bad situation, and you were just trying to Shay and your family safe. I get it."

"But-"

"I get it too," Nunnally said before Rax could protest, "My brother, Lelouch, he's the same way. He's overprotective and has taken it to the extreme before, but I know he's only doing it to protect me and because he loves me. And sometimes he makes mistakes too, but our mistakes aren't what define us if we're willing to fix them."

Rax was silent, but he finally nodded, "I understand, and thank you. I will not doubt Voltron again."

With a smile, Shirley held her hand out to Rax, hoping that he understood what the gesture meant. Fortunately, she was proven correct when the young Balmeran grasped it firmly.

"Well, we got to get moving! Everyone's expecting back at the Castleship soon!" Shirley said, pulling away and going to hug Shay once more, "I'm glad I got to see you again, Shay!"

"You as well, Shirley," the Balmeran smiled.

With one final wave to the cheering Balmerans, everyone boarded onto the Orange Lion and flew off, soon disappearing into the sky.

Three varga later, Zinnia returned to her bay, carrying her Paladin, crew, and precious cargo back at the castle. Rakshata immediately ordered the scientists under her to take the crystal bags down to the lab and begin testing them on the Knightmares immediately. She informed Lelouch, who had been waiting in the Orange Lion's bay with the rest of the Paladins, that he'd be notified the moment they had a successful test. They would need to begin human test runs immediately afterward, now that the urgency of an attack had heightened significantly.

"Actually, Rakshata, if all of you could follow us to the bridge, we must discuss our next move immediately."

Rakshata whined a little, a little peeved that she'd have to wait even longer to see the results of those crystal tests, but eventually nodded, "Fine? Can we try to make it quick, though?"

Lelouch shook his head lightly, "We will dismiss you the moment we can afford to."

"Fair enough," the scientist consented as they were all led out of the room.

"What's going on, Lelouch?" Nunnally asked anxiously, Sayoko helping her catch up with her brother.

"Nothing yet, Nunnally," he told her calmly, "We just need to discuss some things with all core members. You can tell me all about your trip afterward, okay?"

"Okay," Nunnally gave a small smile, accepting the answer.

"Did something happen while we were gone?" Shirley asked, her question directed at all the Paladins, not just Lelouch.

"You can say that," Milly said, passing the Orange Paladin a tablet. All of the details of the conversation they had while she was gone jotted down.

Milly then quickly pulled it away for a second, whispering in Shirley's ear, "Please don't ask questions now. If you want to talk to Rai about it, save it for after this."

"Okay…?" Shirley asked, the confusion only adding to her growing concern as Milly gave her the tablet. What did Rai have to do with anything?

Even if the information was in summary, Shirley couldn't help but gasp and glance in the Green Paladin's direction. She couldn't believe that this was what happened; what had been buried in his memories.

"Shirley?" Nunnally asked, noticing the Orange Paladin's face.

"Um…" the Orange Paladin gulped, whether this was appropriate to share with the younger girl. Noticing the ninja maid walking right next to them, she passed the tablet to Sayoko instead.

Sayoko's face remained stoic as her eyes swept over the points. Her expression grew pained, turning the tablet off.

"Your brother will talk to you about it later, Nunnally," Sayoko said softly.

Many questions formed in Nunnally's head, but she just nodded, understanding that this wasn't the time for this.

The doors to the bridge hissed open. Inside, Allura stood on the teludav. Surrounding her, waiting for the Paladins' arrival was C.C., Kaguya, Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords, Ohgi, Tamaki, the rest of Naoto's old team, and Euphemia.

"How was the retrieval from the Balmera? Successful I hope?" Allura questioned.

"Extremely princess," Coran reported, "the scientists under Rakshata are taking the crystals down the lab for testing as we speak."

"Excellent," the princess nodded with a pleased smile before becoming solemn again, "Now… onto the more pressing issues now that everyone's assembled. Does everyone here know what happened while Lelouch and Rai were stranded on Kamine Island?"

"I thought that was what we were here to talk about?" Tamaki asked, quirking an eyebrow, hands on his hips.

"That's a 'no' then," Lelouch himself spoke, "Then for the benefit for all who aren't aware, I will summarize," Lelouch explained how he, Rai, Princess Euphemia, and Nonette Enneagram, along with the Black and Green Lion had been transported to the island when Schneizel attacked with his new airship. Both Lions had lost power, which prevented the Paladins from leaving. All four of the stranded met up the next day, and a structure called a Thought Elevator activated in an attempt to affect their Geass. He reassured everyone that at the moment, neither Paladin was feeling ill-effects of the attempt, but shortly after, the Britannian military nearly cornered them. It was only due to the timely rescue of Zen and Zerith that they managed to escape while accidentally kidnapping Nonette and Euphemia in the process.

"Which brings me to the reason for this emergency meeting," Lelouch explained, "While we were facing the Britannian military, someone else was spotted among their numbers. Princess?"

With a nod, Allura pressed some buttons on the holopad, and a familiar figure appeared on the screens of the bridge.

"This is Haggar," Allura informed calmly, but if one listened closely, they could hear the thin veil of hatred in her tone, "From what Lelouch and Rai have informed us, they spotted her in disguise among the Britannian ranks."

"Wait, is this that witch you were telling us about when we first came here?" Ohgi asked, remembering asking Coran about her during a session with the gladiator.

"The very same," Coran confirmed, picking up where Allura left off, "And as I'm sure we've mentioned before, we don't know much about her personal history, but these things we do know. She's a powerful foe, as well as the leader of the druids, and personal adviser and second in command to Zarkon himself, despite not being Galran herself."

"We also believe that she gave Zarkon a Geass of his own. We confirmed that he has one during Voltron's brief attack on the Galra's Central Command," C.C. added, "We still aren't aware of what exactly his Geass does, or if it holds any other powers."

"Wait, wait, the leader of the Galra has one of those too?!" Minami exclaimed.

"Yes, but as C.C. said, we don't know what power he has specifically. We do know that she has given Geass to other people as well. One of them being our own Green Paladin through personal experimentation she performed on his person while he was in their captivity."

Lelouch felt it was a bit cruel to reveal this, but Rai had consented to it should it be necessary. He spotted several people shoot Rai sympathetic looks, especially Shirley and Nunnally.

"Lelouch, can I assume the reason you called this meeting to inform us of this is that you believe the Galra may be arriving even sooner now?" Tohdoh questioned.

This elicited gasps from most Black Knights present before turning to their leader for an answer.

"You caught on, I see, Colonel," Lelouch said, practically confirming this theory, "but yes. It's a high possibility. We don't know how long Haggar has been on Earth or what she's been doing coming alone. But up until this point, she's kept her activity completely undetected until she blew her cover on that island. That means she can likely call for Galran forces at any time. For all we know, she's doing it now."

"By now, we've informed and educated all of you on the Galra's strategies and weaponry," Allura spoke again, "and while improvements have been made to your Knightmare devices, that doesn't change the fact that we are still heavily outnumbered and outgunned. The fight we have ahead, which will likely happen soon, will not be easy."

There was a strained silence as everyone let the information sink in.

"Are you saying that we need more help, Lelouch?" Euphemia piped up, all attention now on the princess, "Because if that is the case, I may have an idea if you're willing to listen?"

"Lelouch," Chiba spoke, "I'm not a racist, but may I ask why a member of the Britannian royalty is a part of this meeting?"

"And must I remind you, Nagisa Chiba, that both myself and Nunnally are still officially members of that same royalty that you speak of?" He glanced around at everyone else, still noticing a few distrustful expressions, and had he turned around, he would have seen a similar face on Allura as well. "Must I also remind all that one of our ultimate goals is for Britannia to join us in this fight? We can not afford to exercise prejudice or mistrust among our ranks if we have any hope of successfully cooperating with Britannia when the time comes to do so."

"We should at least hear her out," Suzaku added, "I can vouch for Euphemia myself."

A couple of people still looked uncertain, but when no one else spoke up to object, Lelouch nodded towards his half-sister.

Euphemia took a breath, gathering her thoughts before she spoke.

"Well… this is an idea I planned to present to our brother Schneizel, to try and stop the fighting and to try and bring a peaceful solution between Britannia and Voltron."

"And that would be?" Kallen asked impatiently.

"It was called the Special Administrative Zone of Japan," Euphemia explained.

"A 'Special Administrative Zone'? What's that?" Rivalz asked.

"Well, within the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan, it would permit Elevens to call themselves Japanese. Any restrictions against Elevens and special rights for Britannians wouldn't be permitted within the zone. Basically, it's a place where anyone, whether a number or Britannian, could live side-by-side as equals."

There was a stunned silence for several seconds before Rai was the first to speak, "Euphemia, I don't mean to sound offensive here, but you don't seriously think that that would work, do you? Even if Schneizel cleared it, there would be no way that the Emperor would permit something like this!"

"I agree as well," Allura said, "Considering that man banished two of his children just because one of them spoke up against him and forced another to live in exile despite it being a neutral territory, I highly doubt he would have allowed you to enact this plan. Especially since it involves needed to recognize a land that he has already conquered as a part of his empire."

"Yeah… it's not that we don't think it was a nice idea, Princess, but considering how much the empire has done to our land already, I don't think he would have let this slide," Ohgi agreed, many of the other Black Knights sharing similar opinions.

Euphemia was about to say more when Lelouch himself spoke, "Ohgi's right, Euphie. I understand your heart was in the right place when you thought of this, but I've run through this scenario in my head too, and a man like the Emperor wouldn't take something like that lying down. He would retaliate in one way or another, whether by attacking you, Cornelia, or even launching another attack on Japan again."

"I know that!" Euphemia protested, "But, I also wanted to use it to try and bring the world together, and that's something you need more than ever now, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Inoue questioned.

"Well, Lelouch told me about the Galra while we were on that island, and I think it's only fair if the rest of the world was aware of them as well! If they knew there was a larger threat, bigger than even Britannia, it could at least force the other world leaders to listen to you! Isn't that what you said you're trying to achieve? You want the other nations to stand with Voltron? Well, this could give them a reason to do so. The rest of the Royal Family won't be able to turn a blind eye. It could bring more people to your side, like Marrybell or Odysseus!"

"It could work!" Nunnally exclaimed, "Plus if we can prove that Voltron isn't hostile, that could help too! I can show them how the Alteans healed me. We just have to show them that working with Voltron was much more beneficial than working against it!"

"Display the pros and cons," Suzaku said with, "I'm sure once all the facts are laid out, they'll at least hear us out!"

"And so far, there are way more pros to working with us than cons. And vice versa for working against us," Rivalz pointed out.

"Well, not many people can say that they miraculous healed a crippled and blind little girl in such a short amount of time," Milly pointed out.

"Yeah, the medical advances would be a huge advantage on its own!" Shirley agreed.

A murmur of positive agreement seemed to shift in the group before Lelouch cleared his throat, expression still grave.

"As optimistic as that sounds, we already discussed this very situation when we were first departing Arus. Even if Earth and Voltron manage to repel the Galra, and it is possible if plan strategically and carefully, it isn't what happens during the alliance that matters the most. It what will happen after."

"Yeah," Kallen nodded, eyeing her fellow Paladins, especially, "Don't you remember what Lelouch said? Sure, say we succeed, and we repel the Galra? Whoo-hoo yea for us! But what's to stop any of the superpowers, especially Britannia, from simply back-stabbing us and going right back to square-one after it's all over?"

"Yes, I agree," Tohdoh spoke matter-of-factly, "once the overall threat has been dealt with, there would be no reason to keep an already shaky alliance together. It would take one misstep for it to all fall apart again."

"I understand, and… I know what kind of man the Britannian Emperor is," Euphemia acknowledged, "but think about what else we'd be doing besides fighting together? Voltron could also work to change the system from the inside. I'm not naive enough to think it can be changed overnight, but the more Voltron and the Black Knights push the Galra back, that will garner more support for change from both the other nations and Britannia."

"Lelouch, I told you I spoke with Cornelia shortly after what happened with Mao," Nunnally said, "She told me that she would be willing to fight with us too if we gave her a chance! She even said she knew people in the military that would join us too if she asked them to."

"What about Nonette?" Rai exclaimed, "She's a Knight of the Round, and on Kamine Island, she told me point blank that if she had to choose between my family or Britannia, she'd side with me. Us. She's bound to have a lot of influence in the military too, maybe even with her colleagues. If we can convince some of the other knights, that would greatly increase our battle prowess."

"Yeah, sure, say that your dickwad dad does try to backstab us when the Galra leave," Rivalz said, "but if we have most of the rest of the world, and even the Britannian people on our side, we'd be at a huge advantage, wouldn't we? I mean, even he can't fight the entire world and Voltron and hope to win! Right?"

"It's a lot of moving pieces," Coran stroked his chin, "but I can see this result coming to fruition if all goes accordingly."

"Yes, it would be strategically sound," Lelouch admitted, "but as you said, Coran, there are a lot of unknowns and what-ifs that can still go wrong."

"Lelouch," Suzaku cried, "I know you're the kind of guy that wants to make sure that everything is planned out the way you want it, but we… we don't have time for that! You yourself said that if Haggar's on Earth, Zarkon's not far behind. He's probably on his way here now with dozens of fleets at his beck and call!"

Silence once again filled the bridge, a silent debate communicating with everyone in the room before they all looked back at Lelouch and the two Alteans at the center.

Allura breathed out, "I am reluctant to move forward, but Suzaku is right. As of now, with the little time we have, this may be our only option. At the very least, we can warn Earth as a whole about the Galra and the threat that they pose. Let's just pray that this brings your planet together instead of tear it apart further."

Lelouch let out a breath, "...Let's go."

"Viceroy!" a guard nearly tripped over his feet as he sprang into Schneizel el Britannia's office.

"What is it?" he asked calmly, but he could see the evident distress on the soldier's face.

"It-it's Princess Euphemia!"

"What?!" Bartley exclaimed, having been in the office to discuss something with the prince when the guard entered, "Did you find her?"

"No! Well… I mean… not exactly…"

Schneizel frowned, "What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

"The princess, she… She's on international television right now," Schneizel's eyes widened, "You have see this!"

Schneizel cleared whatever had been on his screen previous and pulled up the news app. Just as the guard said, there was Euphemia. He couldn't make out where she was from the background, but it was clear it wasn't on Earth.

"This is live?" Bartley asked.

"Yes, and it's being broadcast world-wide, not just Britannia!"

Schniezel's frown deepened as he turned up the volume.

"I am Euphemia, sub-viceroy of Area Eleven of the Holy Britannian Empire. There is something of great consequence that I wish to tell you all today! I, Euphemia li Britannia, hereby declare an immediate ceasefire between Britannia and Voltron!"

"WHAT?!" Bartley gasped, mouth gaping in horror.

"I also order for the immediate halt of all Britannia expansion. Not just in Area Eleven, but all other occupied areas as well."

"Sh-she can't do that! She doesn't have the-the authority to order that! What on Earth is that girl thinking?!" Bartley protested further.

Schneizel didn't respond; his focus solely on his sister on the screen.

"Um… is that something she can do?" Gino asked, glancing at Bismark and Anya.

"She does have some control over Area Eleven's activities due to her status as sub-viceroy," Bismark acknowledged, "but ordering it in other areas is completely out of her jurisdiction."

"And yet she's ordering it anyway… this may become troublesome," Anya observed.

"I, Euphemia li Britannia, also hereby declare the formation of the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan in the area surrounding Mt. Fuji!"

"What?! Britannia has-?!"

"They're recognizing… Japan?!"

Her audience had several mixed reactions from all over Area Eleven. Several Japanese citizens and even Britannians looked in surprise in amazement. Nina especially, from within her dorm at Ashford, looked terrified and even repulsed at such a thought.

"Hear me, people of the world! Britannia and beyond!" Euphemia continued to announce, "Voltron is not a threat! They are not the true enemy we face! So please, join me in not only protecting this world but ensuring where it has a peaceful future! Not under Britannian subjugation, but a place where freedom is the right for all people!"

"LONG LIVE PRINCESS EUPHEMIA!" a loud cry could be heard even from outside the Viceroy's palace. People from not just the ghetto but even within the settlement rejoiced for the princess.

"..."

"...You know we can't just let this slide Victor," Charles argued, glaring at his older twin.

"Watch your tone with me, Charles!" Victor practically thundered, "This SAZ is the least of our problems! One of the Thought Elevators was destroyed!"

"And whose fault is that?" Charles hissed. V.V. stepped back, eyes bulging, "If you hadn't sent my sons to that island with their Lions, that likely wouldn't have happened!"

"I only intended to send those two sons of yours there," he spat the word out like poison, "But somehow the Lions went with them! Even when I tried to separate them! It was like… like an unbreakable cord was connecting them together!"

Charles frowned, thinking over this information, before shaking his head, "Regardless, there was no need to send them to that island in the first place! Now that they've seen the Thought Elevator, there's no stopping C.C. from telling them about the rest!"

V.V. reeled back, "She wouldn't!"

"Considering my… source," Charles had to stop himself from saying her name for her safety, "has been unable to contact her, nor have you, for the last several months, nothing stopping her from doing so! If that Black Lion was strong enough to destroy a Thought Elevator with one blast, the other Lions could easily demolish the others!"

"H-Hold on!" V.V. gasped, "Yes, perhaps C.C. will tell them, but she still doesn't know where they're located! That will take time! We still have a chance to recapture her before that happens!"

"And how to plan to find her. It's clear she's with Voltron, but now of our forces have been a match for them!" Charles argued, "Even sending three Knights of the Round to battle them it resulted in a draw at best!"

There was silence between the quarreling brothers as Charles clenched his fists. Lelouch, his son, had changed. He had no clue what sort of ideas this Voltron had been feeding him, but it was clearly rubbing off on him. Forgetting his roots, forgetting who his true father was! And now, even if it was ignorantly, he was destroying the very dream they had vowed to make come true.

"Destroying the dream me, you, and Marianne all shared," Charles muttered softly. Back turned to the code-bearer, Charles failed to notice the brief scowl on his brother's face at the mention of Marianne.

"So, this is the source of this world's power…"

This new voice made the two brothers jump. Twisting around, the pair spotted a hunched cloaked figure, female from the sound of its voice, slowly advancing towards them.

"Interesting."

"Who are you?" Charles shouted, "How did you get in?!"

'Guards! I request you-' suddenly, V.V. gasped as he felt something not only block his telepathic link but grasp his entire body as if in the hold of a giant's hand. Off to the side, Charles gapped in horror as a violet aura surrounded his brother before being thrown to the other end of the platform with a sickening thud.

"Now, now, there's no need for rudeness," the woman sneered, hand still raised, "Although, I will say, I'm surprised to find another like that female Earthling so soon."

"Are you talking about C.C.?!" Charles demanded before he could stop himself, "How do you know her."

The figure cackled, "Let's just say we've met once. Though I wished it had been under more… appropriate circumstances."

Charles seemed to freeze in a shocked stupor as the woman looked him up and down curiously.

"So, you are Charles Zi Britannia... the father of Zero."

This seemed to snap the Emperor out of it as he growled, "I don't know who you are... but you've made a terrible mistake!" he declared, his eyes flashing red.

To his shock, though, the woman just laughed, "Don't waste your time. Geass does not affect me whatsoever."

Despite the warning, Charles attempted to use it anyway, but to his growing horror, it had no effect. The woman's smile seemed to grow larger as the realization slowly made itself clear on the Emperor's face.

"Are you… are you like C.C.? And my brother?" he stuttered out.

She hummed thoughtfully before shrugging aloofly, "Who can say? But, if you're so eager to compare our power… let me give you a taste of mine."

The woman lifted her hand, and a globe of dark, twisting energy formed from it.

Suddenly, Charles and V.V.-who had finally started to regain consciousness- felt themselves being thrown forwards into a familiar place.

"Wha-" a shrill scream interrupted Charles, followed by a crash. Whipping around, the twins stood in horror at the sight that began their crusade so long ago. The corpse of their freshly murdered mother laying nearly decapitated under a carriage.

"No!" V.V. gasped, "This is… This is just a memory!"

Soon more scenes followed, of the hell the two boys faced in childhood, but it soon shifted to more recent events.

Another crash sounded behind them, and Charles gasped when he saw a bloodied corpse of his son, Lelouch, impaled through the stomach on a mounted pike. All around him were the dead bodies of the rest of the royal family. Nunnally, Euphemia, Clovis, Cornelia, Marrybell, Schneizel, even siblings he wasn't as close to, like Carine and Guinevere.

"Y-You," Lelouch gagged on his own blood, but his eyes glared at his father with hatred, "You… did this!"

"NO!" Charles bellowed as Lelouch finally slumped on the pike, eyes forever staring into nothingness.

"Enough!" Charles cried before suddenly snapping back to reality. He realized he was on his knees, clutching his head, and V.V. was in the same position not too far away.

"I will admit," the woman said callously, pacing around the two brothers like a snake stalking prey, "I am impressed with how far you've come with such limited power, but you are barely even penetrating the surface. To compare what you call 'Geass' to what I have experienced is the equivalent of comparing a single raindrop to a vast ocean. But still... there is great power and potential in this primitive world…"

Though physically exhausted, both brothers glared up at the witch (because what else could she possibly be?) though neither made a move against her.

"What do you want?" Charles said through gritted teeth.

The witch scoffed, "If I intended to kill you, I already would have," she turned a looked directly at V.V., "And don't think your so-called immortality can save you. I'm quite certain I can find a chink in that supposedly impenetrable armor of yours. Nothing is ever truly invincible."

V.V. growled, "You still didn't answer... what do you want from my brother and I?"

To their surprise, the witch smiled, "I have an offer for the both of you."

#fanfic #code Geass #voltron

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useyernamesteven · 5 years ago

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Princess and the Paw-per

What a terrible title. So... another short blurb? Well, since it was requested I just couldn't stop myself (again again). For the ever talented @frankielucky who is the fuel for this amazing AU. Please, a big round of applause for them, ladies and gents and everyone but the condiments! Inspired by this piece. Hope I’ve done it justice!

*🐝*

Feet pounding against the concrete, Yang took a sharp left and ducked into a deserted alley. She paused to catch her breath and regretted it instantly since the air smelled like yesterday’s garbage had been left to simmer overnight.

But beggars can’t be choosers.

Yang wanted to kick herself for stupidly leaving Tikki in her gym bag instead of in her coat pocket like she normally did. But her poor kwami had been getting too cooped up in such a small space while they were at school day after day. And since things had been relatively quiet on Hawk Moth’s end, Yang felt relatively safe leaving Tikki the extra room her gym bag offered.

Only now Yang was running for her life from Knightmare, Jaune's grimmed persona.

Well actually she was running for other people’s lives since Jaune (a.k.a Knightmare) seemed soley bent on... protecting her? Yang wasn’t entirely certain on the details of how he'd been grimmed but she was pretty sure it had something to do with her spat with Mercury from earlier that day. After she “allegedly” shoved Mercury in the courtyard (she barely bumped into him) and the jerk had the audacity to claim she’d assaulted him, Jaune had tried to stick up for her but to no avail. Goodwitch had seemed dead set on giving her detention.

Or perhaps it had something to do with the taunts Emerald made to Jaune for "failing to protect his friends".

Ugh. Those two needed a serious reality check.

Yang was pretty sure that the Grimm was hiding in Knightmare’s shield which he wielded to make walls around people and trap them inside miniature castles. If only she could lure Knightmare away from the school she could circle back around, grab Tikki, contact Ladynoir, and take this Grimm down. She needed a plan though and while she was amazing at thinking on the fly, thinking on the run was proving a tad more challenging. What she needed was a distraction…

A sudden thump behind her made Yang tense up, hands bunching automatically even though she didn’t have her gauntlets in hand. But she’d needn’t have prepared for a fight because as she turned around she was greeted by a familiar leather-clad hero sporting a sly grin that would’ve put the Cheshire Cat to shame.

One hand on her hip as the other casually twirled her “tail” in a lazy loop, Ladynoir leaned back against the lamp post just outside the alley with a relaxed ease that spoke well of her cat-like nature. She looked like she hadn’t the slightest care in the world, much less for the Grimm that was currently wreaking havoc not too far from them. No, instead she cocked her head to the side and gave Yang a sharp smile.

“Heey, Princess…” she purred with a wink.

Yang scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Oh please. Raven’s the Mayor, not the Queen.”

Ladynoir chuckled, tossing her chin-length hair over her shoulder in a move that would’ve probably been unnecessary if she didn’t look good while doing it. “And here I was thinking this damsel in distress needed a knight in shining leather.”

Yang bit down a snort. Damn. Why wasn't Ladynoir this playful with Ladybug? Instead she hid her amusement beneath a grimace. She stepped out from her hideaway when there was no sign of Knightmare and began walking back in the direction of the school. The gentle clack of Ladynoir’s heeled boots told Yang her partner was following close behind. “Yeah, no. I’ve got one too many knights at the moment.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to be your hero, baby.”

Yang spun around, armed with a retort, only to realize a little too late that Ladynoir had been right behind her. They were now nose to nose, lavender gaze on gold, but whereas Yang grew incredibly flustered Ladynoir seemed to get a kick out of it.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t even introduced myself; where are my manners? I’m Ladynoir and you seem to be in a bit of trouble.”

“Well Ladynoir, I’m Yang-”

“Oh I know who you are.”

It was said with a teasing note but Yang couldn’t help glancing up at the two swiveling cat ears resting atop her partner’s head. She frowned, suddenly despondent. “Oh… right. Of course."

Ladynoir’s smile dropped almost instantly and they spent an extra second too close before she took a step back, rubbing her forearm sheepishly. “I’m… sorry. I hadn’t meant it like that.”

“No, no, I get it. Most people really only know me as the Evil Mayor Branwen’s daughter so I’m used to it. Um…”

Ladynoir bit her lip before hanging her head with a sigh. “Look, I don’t know you. Knowing of you and actually knowing you are two different things, whether people acknowledge that or not. Maybe you’re more than just the daughter to an unfair mayor, maybe you’re not. The thing is I have no right to judge you without knowing… who you are on the inside. I’ve been told that’s what matters the most.”

Yang had to look away to hide the huge grin that was threatening to break out across her face. She didn’t remember verbatim what she’d told Ladynoir the first time they’d teamed up to take on a Grimm but it had certainly been along those lines. She’d also told something similar to Blake not too long ago but she’d spent most of her impromptu night on Blake’s balcony trying not to seem like a huge gay mess and couldn’t recall exactly what she’d said to her then. If only Ladynoir knew who she was talking to, who's words she was echoing.

A thunderous crash caught both their attention, reminding them of the Grimm that was still running amuck through the streets of Paris. The incredibly populated and easily defenseless streets of Paris.

Ladynoir turned away from Yang and in the direction her ears were flicking, drawing her weapon. “You get somewhere safe and stay hidden. Ladybug and I will save your friend.”

“Got it.” They took off running in opposite directions but Yang suddenly stopped, whirling back around. “Ladynoir wait!”

Ladynoir slammed to a stop and crouched in a defensive stance, ready to spring into action. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing just… be safe.”

She gave Yang an incredulous, bewildered look that had heat scalding her cheeks until a Cheshire Cat grin curled her lips and she sent Yang a wink over her shoulder. “Of course… princess.” And then she was gone in a blink.

Yang heaved a heavy sigh that broke into a laugh halfway through. First she’d fine Tikki and transform, then she’d find her partner and make her regret being a coy little kitten.

Boom!

…after taking care of the Grimm.

🐝

#rwby #miraculous ladybug #miraculous bees #bumbleby #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #writing

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altissiavibritannia · 5 years ago

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Birth of a NEW AU and Ask Blog!!

I know he’s not completely done, as you can notice, I just started to shade my baby in. But I’ve decided to give y’all a sneak peek of his cuteness! I know that Lelouch is already hawt as hell but I find this one just as cute. I’ve made an ask blog for this au alone for now. The au is going to be called Moolouch. As you can tell I’ve already started on a fanfic about this au awhile back ago. I’m still am working on the third chapter to it. So I figured that this au deserved more love and so here I am, drawing this cuteness. Also the knightmare frames in this au are run by milk power, make them more unique and green than ever! Save the world of pollution of gas and save fossil fuels too! If you’d like to draw fanart of this au or wish to ask Moolouch and the gang in this au, go for it! I’ll go back to work on him now. So enjoy his cuteness and fill up the inbox for https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ask-moolouch! Ask him or them as many questions as possible please! In these tough times, I’m sooooooooooo bored that I’m going INSANE to the point I’m screaming at my pc or thinking that the images of Lelouch and such can hear me and such!!! Help me gain some sanity by asking questions to my baby and such!!! I know this is begging and such, since I’m new to making an ask blog and such, so ya. Some doodle replies might be a bit slow, since my pc is a ass at times. Oh before I forget! @julius-vi-britannia this is the cute unfinished drawing I wanted to show ya, since I couldn’t show it to ya through DMs...which sucks.

#lelouch lamperouge #new wip #cow lelouch #moolouch au #my art #code geass #knightmare frame #ask blog coming soon

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nothingofnotereally · 5 years ago

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Unpacking Rebirth!Talia’s Upbringing

Okay so…. Can we talk about Rebirth Talia al Ghul? People who aren’t familiar with her history, her almost 50 year history at this point, and more importantly aren’t familiar with it in depth often have no idea why it is that Talia fans think that her treatment post Morrison, but even moreso post-Rebirth, is a radical rebranding of the character they’ve known for so long. And I could talk about that, and maybe one day I will, but today I’m going to talk about something different, but related.

I’m going to talk about Talia’s background in Rebirth, how it accounts for her being a dramatically different character than she was in her classic form and whether she’s still salvageable as anything other than a mustache-twirler.

I. The Demon’s Daughter

Let’s be clear: the little we know of Talia’s rebirth childhood is absolutely horrific. Pure nightmare fuel. While their traditional dynamic was troubling and problematic, it was also loving in its way, and Ra’s was controlling of her, while also protective of her. Now, instead, we have this:

This issue has been out for a while, but I haven’t seen anyone really unpack what it is Talia is saying here, because we’re all focused on the stupid swordfight with Selina. But look at what it is Talia is saying and what it means about her upbringing.

Talia is saying that, basically since she was a toddler, she has been physically abused, and forced to fight, by her centuries old swordmaster father. In fact, her very first memory is bleeding from wounds caused by her father. From then on, her life is a fight to survive against her own father, which I’m guessing was pretty damn difficult especially when she was an actual child. And often, when she loses?

She dies. Or rather, she is murdered. Repeatedly. By her father.

And then he resurrects her and starts over.

And about those resurrections? It’s not like he just picks her newly killed body and immediately brings her back - check out that first panel on the second row. Not only is she killed and revived countless times, he lets her corpse at least partially rot before resurrecting her, so that when she returns to life, she is treated to the sight of her skin regrowing over her rotted flesh. And as soon as Ra’s notices she’s alive again… they start again.

How long did that go on? Unclear, but she’s still fighting him as a grown woman in the equivalent of this time period in The Gift...

...so I’m guessing the answer is “it didn’t stop until she left him.”

To be honest, I’m not really sure what the Rebirth version of Ra’s and Talia’s dynamic even was. The classic relationship doesn’t work at all with this backstory, and we’ve never really seen a lot of what the new paradigm might be since they’ve been out of contact since well before Rebirth. But what we do know is, she was an active assassin from a young age.

Unlike Classic Talia who was actually never an active assassin at all:

We can also glean bits and pieces of information regarding her Rebirth upbringing from other appearances. Over in Silencer, we find out that despite her brilliance, the fact that she was carrying out assassinations for him, and the fact that she could defeat her ancient swordmaster father even as a child, she was never good enough for him:

He was dissatisfied with her, and so he created metahumans using his genes to replace her. Ultimately, this drives her to plot against Ra’s because... who wouldn’t?

It’s not entirely clear what her ambitions were, specifically but judging from this bit of Batman and Robin (New52, but seemingly still canon for Damian’s backstory):

It involved winning Batman over to her side and ruling the world through Damian. This is further confirmed by her comment to Honor in Silencer Annual #1 here:

Where she indicates that Bruce is family to her, and still features in her future plans. What’s strange here is that she also says later that she intends to kill him personally, which is. Weird and out of nowhere, but what else is new. As a sidenote, Silencer is just strange because it ignores everything about Talia’s history not just in terms of changing her personality but in terms of ignoring the timeline of events, but... moving along...

Talia intends to form Leviathan to break free of him and pursue her own agenda. But, while apparently finding her insufficient, Ra’s cannot let her go. Not only that, he actively works to destroy everything she is trying to accomplish, including trying to kill Batman just because she desires him. In fact, he also tries to have Talia herself assassinated:

Another thing is, Rebirth Talia is rather older than she looks, as evidenced by her having been an adult when she met Honor.

Which means, in the end, we have a woman who was abused and repeatedly killed by her father, then thrown in a Lazarus Pit (but only after her body has lain around long enough to partially decompose!) and forced to repeat the cycle for who knows how long, but apparently quite a long time - decades, maybe centuries. Who even knows. She’s been working as an assassin since her teens. Despite her excelling and even surpassing him in various ways, he considers her inferior, and begins seeking to replace her with artificially created metahuman heirs. Eventually, Talia decides she wants to break with him, and he responds by first trying to destroy everything she cares about and then trying to have her killed.

OKAY, SO. Nightmare fuel. I genuinely can’t begin to imagine what it would be like growing up in that environment, and under the circumstances it’s certainly no shock that Rebirth Talia is warped.

Even so, what stands out to me in the B&R issue is that, initially, even her wildest ambitions required her to exercise power through a man – it’s just her son instead of her father or her potential husband. This says a good deal about how her upbringing, as well as her father’s fixation on marrying her off, has affected her self-image. And for those who say Talia evidences arrogance and self-importance… yes she does. Which is often a symptom of low self-esteem. In fact even Narcissistic Personality Disorder typically stems from overcompensation for a feeling of worthlessness.

The traditional/original Ra’s/Talia dynamic had some elements of this story, but not all and not nearly to the same extent. Furthermore, Classic Talia had something else - someone else - to love and look to for hope. Rebirth Talia does not. Because as far as I can tell, in Rebirth, Talia and Batman’s relationship has very little in common with the conflicted romance they shared in their original stories. And that’s how we transition to...

II. Beloved of the Bat?

So, Bruce Wayne.

Again, the extent of their relationship in Rebirth is unclear, but it definitely isn’t what it was pre-Rebirth.

The original Bruce/Talia story is basically as such: Talia meets him when she’s kidnapped by Dr. Daark, and falls in love with him. Bruce is also drawn and attracted to her. This results in Ra’s deciding to test Bruce for suitability as Talia’s husband and his own heir. Bruce passes, but unsurprisingly has no interest in running a criminal empire, though he does fall in love with Talia. This leads to a rather intense on/off romance that ultimately results in Damian Wayne, and continues until Tower of Babylon when Talia finally tires of being stuck between her father and her lover and breaks away from both of them. With Bruce and Talia’s relationship having been called to an end (by her, mind you – one day I may do a writeup on Bruce/Talia and how often what happened between them is misremembered by writers and readers alike), Bruce becomes involved with Catwoman in Hush. Even so, we see in Death and the Maidens that Bruce does still love Talia.

Meanwhile, Talia’s previously unknown sister Nyssa kidnaps and repeatedly murders and resurrects her (sound familiar?) until she more or less goes mad. By the end of the ordeal, she can barely speak, and she willing to do anything for Nyssa to avoid being killed again. This results in Talia disavowing her love for Bruce, which seems to be the catalyst for him to finally move on from her, though not without considerable pain.

Okay this is important to run down, because the Rebirth story has changed everything about their relationship.

Gotta love those evil expressions. It helps us remember that she’s a heartless monster.

Anyway so, In Silencer Annual #1, Silencer does note that Talia had previously said she was in love with Batman, so we know that she loved him, okay. But what does love mean to Rebirth Talia? We can find the answer to that if we go back to Roles of Engagement:

She “loved” him because she considered him a potential equal. That’s not really a bad basis for loving someone initially – and even Classic Talia’s love for Bruce was initially sparked from a place of admiration. But while Classic Talia eventually grew into a more complete love for him, it seems like Rebirth Talia is still stuck on objective: seek worthy mate. In fact, once it’s clear that she and Bruce are not coming back together, she just goes ahead and propositions Slade Wilson because she figures he can give her strong children, too:

Notably, this obsession with strong offspring sort of comes out of nowhere when Morrison takes over, but anyway, from that perspective it’s not hard to understand why Bruce’s feelings for her would also be somewhat muted in Rebirth:

Because while Classic Bruce/Talia was a love story that stretched for over 30 years in our time, and most of their adult lives in canon… Rebirth Bruce/Talia is repeatedly presented as a short infatuation on his end, and a dangerous obsession with genetics on hers. The above panel is from Batman #66, and is part of the Knightmares arc, which is important because while it appears to be Selina saying it… it’s actually Bruce’s thoughts about the women in his life coming out through his imagined version of Selina. And to him, those women amount to nothing much – none of them even warrant a direct callout. Everyone besides Selina is a “whoever.”

Interlude and Sum I

So... Classic Ra’s was controlling, possessive and dismissive of her at times, but he was also devoted, protective and genuinely loving. The relationship was complicated and problematic but affectionate.

Rebirth Ra’s is an abusive tyrant who repeatedly murders and belittles his daughter and, when she decides to break from him, attempts to systematically destroy everything she cares about and then have her killed.

Classic Bruce/Talia was a complicated romance between two people who genuinely loved each other, but were always separated by circumstances. He loved her for years, and she loved him unconditionally, and they struggled over that from the day they met until they permanently separated as a result of her being brainwashed.

Rebirth!Talia went in search of someone she considered worthy of her so they could have a genetically perfect child to conquer the world with. Bruce briefly had feelings for her in a moment between romantic rounds with Catwoman.

My point is this: Rebirth Talia has never experienced genuine love or support from anyone in her life, or for anyone in her life. Her relationship with the two men she traditionally loved, and whose love for her has imprisoned, empowered and defined her for much of her existence as a character, was utterly gutted in Rebirth, leaving Rebirth Talia’s life as a prolonged emotional void. Which makes what comes next remarkable in some ways… and predictable in others.

Because this is where we talk about Damian.

III. Olympias to his Alexander

Now, I’m not going to get into the circumstances behind Damian’s conception because what the whole hell, there is absolutely no consistency there. Various people are very invested in one or another of the myriad versions of his conception that DC has repeatedly retconned and revised, generally leaning to whichever one fits their preferred personal narrative, and that’s fine but objectively? Absolutely no consistency, situation unclear. So let’s just go with “Damian resulted from this mess.”

In Batman and Robin #0 we see that Talia basically raised him the way Ra’s raised her… with some major deviations. She used his desire to know his heritage and know his father’s name as the carrot to motivate him to succeed, rather than the fear of death and pain as a stick to punish him for failure.

Talia does not kill her son, whom she duels with wooden blades rather than steel. And she is not shown to physically abuse him… aside from the swordfights, which of course is already bad.

Mind you, I’m not denying that his upbringing is still brutal. What I’m saying is, placed in the context of her own upbringing we can see that she was trying to raise him with more kindness and greater love than her father had her – an improved parental style, but still reflective of the only style she, herself, has ever known.

So it’s predictable that he’s essentially mistreated… because she literally has never encountered an emotionally healthy relationship and wouldn’t know how to raise him any differently even if she wanted to.

But it’s also remarkable because despite that, you can see she is trying to be a better mother than Ra’s was a father, and not let Damian grow up feeling unwanted and unworthy the way she did, herself.

Unlike Ra’s, she never tells Damian he is insufficient – on the contrary, she holds him up as the chosen, a conqueror, and dreams of a future when he will lead with both parents at his back. Remember, this is a woman who was never seen as worthy of inheriting Ra’s al Ghul’s organization, and she wants to make sure Damian knows the world is his to hold. The bit about having both parents is important, too, because per Batman Inc, Talia felt deprived of her mother, whom Ra’s had discarded as soon as she was no longer useful to him.

In short, she does for Damian everything she wished Ra’s had done for her.

But, in so doing, she falls into many of the same traps that Ra’s had fallen into: she doesn’t provide what Damian wants, or even what he actually needs. Instead, she gives him what he asks for, and what she thinks he needs. But for someone who grew up without love, trying to understand how to provide it is complicated, and difficult.

Anyway, when Damian finally defeats her, she fulfills her promise and brings him to meet Bruce. This involves a last ditch effort to unite their family: she offers to reform.

But not only does Bruce reject her, ultimately Damian does, as well. This is, from Damian’s perspective, completely understandable. Who wants to live that kind of life? But from Talia’s perspective she has now been rejected by her own child, in addition to her father and the man she hoped to spend her life with. You can see the raw hurt this causes her clearly, as a woman who had always yearned for family starts having exchanges like this:

And while we’re at it, count Honor as another person who left her.

And to be clear here, I’m not saying they were wrong to leave her. Rebirth Talia is not a good person, not a kind person, not really anyone I’d want to willingly hang around. And yes, she’s clearly manipulating Honor with her affectionate words, although I’d argue this is largely because manipulation is all she's ever experienced and all she knows how to do.

So, what am I saying?

Interlude and Sum II - Why Is She Like That?

Just to catch it all up, we have a woman who was abused by her father, including being repeatedly murdered and resurrected, treated as inferior and insufficient despite being Ra’s’ equal or superior in many ways, who spent her young life performing assassinations and otherwise conforming her behavior to her father’s demands only to discover he was creating alternate heirs because she’s somehow still not enough for him. She has never experienced love, seemingly has no real understanding of what it is.

When she settles on someone she believes that she loves, she is ultimately nothing to him but a “whoever” - a temporary respite from the yo-yo relationship he has with another woman.

Then Damian happens and, from her perspective, she raises him with all the love, pride and approval that she herself never had. In an effort to unite the family, she also attempts to do what would please Ra’s - conform her behavior to Bruce’s preferences - but he still rejects her.

Meanwhile, she has “adopted” Honor Guest, whom she also shows favor to, but who also wants to leave her, and ultimately does just that, without even saying goodbye.

And then we have some. Quirks in her story - some specifics that really bear looking at in greater detail.

Repeated murder and resurrection: So how bad is that? It’s bad. The first time Talia experiences this kind of thing is in Death and the Maidens, which is probably no longer canon. But okay this was Classic Talia and for comparison, this breaks Talia’s spirit so completely that she essentially becomes Nyssa’s puppet.

She is literally never the same again, even after Nyssa is killed. In fact, it’s this that turned her into the monstrous Talia that we meet in Morrison’s run to begin with, so we already know she can be broken by this kind of treatment… but let’s use another example.

Let’s use… Batman.

He’s got one of the strongest wills in DC, right? Well, lets rewind to a story called Emperor Joker, where the Joker attained Mr. Mxyzpltck’s omnipotent powers which he uses to repeatedly torture and murder Batman and resurrect him every day.

This completely destroys Bruce to the point where the Spectre has to erase his memory of it in order to make Bruce functional as a person again.

So imagine that happening to Talia, as a child, at her own father’s hands. And not for days, for years. And that’s without even considering the method of resurrection, which brings us to…

Lazarus Madness: Let’s talk about the Lazarus Pit. It’s a magical mystical ley line-powered bath that resurrects and heals. We all know that. But the thing is, that’s not all it does: it also drives the one bathed or healed mad. For a short time, they become superhumanly strong, and also overtaken with violent bloodlust. The first Lazarus pit was used to resurrect a sultan’s son, who promptly murdered Ra’s al Ghul’s wife Sora. Since then, Ra’s himself has been the primary beneficiary of its benefits, with interesting results… namely that Ra’s has been slowly going mad for centuries.

Because even though the intensity of the bloodlust and madness fades, it never completely disappears, and cumulative effect eventually twists a person’s nature beyond recognition. In his first life, Ra’s was a good-natured doctor, but over the many exposures he has found himself becoming progressively worse.

A quote from Denny O’Neil, Ra’s’s creator:

“...we gave Ra’s a benevolent motivation. You can certainly quarrel with his methods ... But Ra's is a loony bird. He’s been alive for 400 years and he’s become a maniacal sociopath.”

Dick Grayson concurs, and acknowledges its cause:

Even Ra’s himself is aware of it – this is why he didn’t want Jason bathed in the Lazarus Pit, because he is all too aware of the demons it stirs in a person.

So, what is the impact on Talia, who is quickly and repeatedly tortured and killed, and then resurrected using a method that is known to drive people insane? I’m going with “not the best.” It’s frankly astounding that she still resembles a human, psychologically.

Assassin work at a young age: While there has been a long-standing debate about the effects of exposure to violence on all people and children in particular, in general the consensus is, yes, exposure does cause desensitization. Obviously this doesn’t mean people are going to generally become serial killers because they played a violent video game, but it does have a numbing effect – just think about how people who watch enough horror films are harder to scare with horror films.

Now imagine that, instead of watching people murder and commit violent acts on television or on film, a child is instead expected to perform said acts themselves. How desensitizing would that be?

Frankly, to see all we need to do is look at Damian, who grew up under similar circumstances and, as a result, initially exhibits what I can only call red flag behavior.

The thing is, Damian isn’t so dissimilar from his mother in this regard. Like Talia, he becomes morally twisted, emotionally empty and ultimately tethered not to his own sense of morality or self but to other people’s perceptions and demands of him and who he should be. Before he meets Bruce, he adheres to the League’s expectations, and when he meets Bruce, he instead aligns himself with Bruce’s code of behavior, even though he does not actually believe in it. It takes a good deal of time and work for him to begin developing his own beliefs and boundaries. The difference between Damian and Talia is that he had Bruce and Bruce, despite his flaws, loved Damian enough to try for his sake.

Arguably, this is a defining difference between Classic and Rebirth Talia, as well. Classic Talia also viewed Bruce as her beacon and her path to salvation and hope.

But if, in Rebirth, Bruce never really loved her, and in fact she barely loved him, then there is no catalyst for her to begin seeking another path. Rebirth Talia didn’t have anything but the League, and even Ra’s barely cared for her. As a result, she was boxed into her role by fate, which she acknowledges in Teen Titans, as she wishes better for her son than she had herself.

Anyway, obviously, there are no studies on the effect of taking assassin work as a child, but my general guess here is that she has a twisted understanding of the value of life and the significance of death. Which brings me to another massive issue that permeates the character and may even help explain her choice to put a hit on Damian at one point.

Death as Optional: Death is an inevitability, right? Like taxes. Nothing you do can prevent it, or reverse it, so all you can do is live with it, and make the most of what you have. It’s said that the existence of death is what lends meaning to life, and while I’m not sure I’m quite on board with that, the fact that death is permanent certainly does lend a certain gravitas to it. It’s also the reason we fear death and what lies beyond it.

Unless you’re an al Ghul.

For an al Ghul, death is opt in. Because Ra’s is essentially immortal (which is also a new thing, by the way) and because Talia herself has been repeatedly resurrected, as has her brother Dusan (assuming he’s still in continuity post-Rebirth), to Talia death has no weight to it. No gravitas. It is easily doled out, and just as easily forced into retreat.

Given that, it becomes exceptionally easy to threaten death, even to those she loves, because there’s nothing to say she can’t change her mind and take it back.

Now to be clear, my argument is not that she had the intention of taking it back – she didn’t really intend for Damian to die to begin with for one thing. It’s just that, because of who she is and what she has experienced, Talia would always act with the knowledge that she can choose to endanger someone’s life and think about whether she’s comfortable with the result (their being dead) later.

This is evident in both Ra’s and Talia, each of whom are willing to use death and resurrection as a tool to restructure people they don’t even want dead, as Ra’s attempts to do with Damian and Talia, and as Talia does with Honor Guest.

…as a sidenote can I just say that the Lazarus Pit’s effects are so weird. In some stories it can’t resurrect at all, and in others it can resurrect after decades without a problem. In some it just reduces age, and in some it also heals memories. Here it’s being used to erase memories, which makes no sense since a Pit his how Jason Todd got his memories back. Also, this is the first I’ve ever heard of al Ghuls having especially strong resistance to the Pit’s corrosive effects on personality. Considering it’s just a bunch of chemicals on a ley line, I’m not sure how that would work, but now I’m just imagining Ra’s with a book of Lazarus recipes like, Well, I’m needing one that restores memories today so Ima add an extra pinch of ginko.

ANYWAY.

V. “R” Stands for Redemption

There was a time, a few years back, when Damian had his own series, Robin: Son of Batman. And therein, you see one of the few efforts to explain and redeem Talia’s character. There, while she was still presented as colder and more aggressive than her Classic counterpart, she was still capable of compassion, protectiveness and love.

It was essentially explained as a result of her being cleansed of the toxin that was Ra’s al Ghul’s influence, via having darkness physically removed from her body.

Now, to be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about that particular route – I feel like it would have been more honest to have her resurrection heal the Lazarus damage, for example, but it’s a start. And, in the end, Damian left her with the chance to redeem herself and earn back his and Bruce’s trust.

Aaaand she has failed. Or more precisely, writers have failed to follow up on this thread, and have instead doubled down on her as the evil Dragon Mother. I’ll be honest, I’m not really sure what’s going on with DC’s fixation on evil Asian ninja moms but I’m just going to… pretend that isn’t a thing in order to suggest some paths that could salvage her character.

I’ve seen it said that she’s been too evil for too long to be redeemed, but honestly that’s pretty silly. First of all these are comic books, anyone can be redeemed. The same writer who wreaked havoc on Talia also had Magneto, a Holocaust survivor, going full Nazi on humans, which was incredibly out of character, and Marvel basically fixed it by saying “guess who that wasn’t? Magneto. It wasn’t Magneto.” Technically DC could just Hal Jordan her, or let the rumored upcoming continuity shuffle bring her previous history back. As for the “been this way too long” argument, I mean she was Original Flavor Talia for more than twice as long and that wasn’t too long for DC to flip her entire motivation and personality. Catwoman was a villain for decades, and yet here she is, protecting people, making out with Batman on rooftops and leaving him at the alter for altruistic reasons. Same with Ivy, except for the parts about Batman, soooo… you know….

Anyway. I’m going to work with the assumption that we have to use what we have, and that we’re trying to get her to something like her pre-Morrison personality.

The first thing she would need is the experience of love. Someone to anchor her, who won’t judge her or abandon her even when she’s in a dark mood. Even when she’s showing her pain and her anger. Someone who recognizes how broken she is, but decides to try to help her rather than rejecting her. Someone who, in essence, will do for her what Bruce did for Classic Talia, and what he does for Damian in his flawed way.

Now, I’m a massive Bruce/Talia shipper, no lie. However, I do not think Rebirth Bruce and Talia have the kind of connection that could provide her this essential first need. Someone like Superman or Wonder Woman would probably be a better choice, simply because they have greater warmth of character and a drive toward helping lost souls.

After that, she would need some good old fashioned redemption time. Maybe a miniseries where she goes Xena on the world: a redemption quest. Maybe joining a team like the Outsiders or the Suicide Squad where she can earn her way back from the brink. The Outsiders would be cool, especially, because it would allow Bruce and Damian to monitor her and judge her as she progresses.

…and I mean, from a character perspective that’s all she really needs. From a writing perspective, she needs a writer who will nail down things like where Damian came from without going back to the drug-and-rape well, which was a retcon to begin with and has been retconned out and then back in over and over again. And most importantly, she needs a writer who has the interest in exploring her internal world to the point where they can actually draw these things out of her instead of just ignoring the fridge-horror implications of things like… the way she was raised.

If we could get these things to coincide, then Talia, too, can be saved!

Or we could just reboot the timeline again, whatever.

Anyway, that’s all folks, thanks for reading this far, I have no idea how you did. If you’re interested in this kind of thing, feel free to drop me a line and ask me… whatever, because God knows I have plenty to say about Talia and about comics in general.

In closing, something to remind us of the character we’ve lost.

Until next time!

#talia al ghul #meta #dc comics #dc rebirth #batman #damian wayne

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phantomphangphucker · 5 years ago

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A King For Tonight’s Fentertainment - Chap. 3: The Fright To Defend His Might

Summary: Danny's just done with all of this shit, seeing as Knights, apparently, don't understand secrets

Quite a few people glare, mostly looking pissed off at the agent. That is until the shot gets batted away by a sword as the Fright Knight lands his steed, Nightmare. Agent G falls to the ground as Nightmare bucks and neighs loudly, Fright Knight bellowing, “YOU DARE TO LAY ARMS AGAINST HIS MAJESTY WHILE GIVEN REFUGE WITHIN HIS LANDS. YOUR KIND HARDLY HAVE PLACE AMONGST HIS DEATHLY SUBJECTS AND ARE BEHOLDEN TO EVEN LESS RIGHTS TO REST WITHIN HIS CLOSER DOMINION. I COMMAND YOU, IN NAME OF THE HIGH GHOST KING, TO REMAIN ROOTED AS YOU ARE, UNTIL SUCH A TIME THAT HIS GRACIOUSNESS RETURNS YOU TO YOUR KEEP”.

Nearly everyone gapes at the large ghosts sudden appearance and booming voice. Those who actually took in what he said are confused and only grow more confused as Danny smiles loosely and straight-up punches the ghost in the arm like he’s some old friend.

“Pfft, ones like them don’t have keeps, you stupid old school knight. Would it kill ya to say “home” or “house” or even just “town”?”, Danny pats imaginary dust off his pants before putting a hand on his hip, pointing at the Fright Knight, “and ‘beholden’? are you even using that right? I mean I guess, sorta. Whatever. Anyway, don’t stab him. Traumatising the bastard ain’t gonna do much. Their nightmare fuel faces and nightmare inducingly incapable ghost hunting abilities will not improve by giving them literal nightmares. I think all this already counts as a frightfully bad time anyway. Add in fearsome in shining armour...wait”, Danny snorts and falls on his ass laughing, “oh my Ancients! You literally just played my knight in shining armour! My prince on his steed! Oh man, that is frighteningly cliche!”.

Danny has a feeling the Fright Knight’s face looks equal parts disgusted and judgemental, with twinklings of amusement, “I do not serve you like that, my highness”. That only serves to make Danny lay on his back laughing, while everyone else watches on utterly slack-jawed, “and here I thought I was granted your servitude to its fullest extent”. The Fright Knight lowers his sword and turns sideways to glance at Danny, “my liege, I’m beginning to be of the mind that you ought grant your kin access to your mind”.

Danny springs up from the ground and makes a show of mock offence, hands on his hips, “ouch, now that was a low blow Frightmare. Very ghostly, I approve”. While the Fright Knight grumbles about how his highness never calls anyone by their actual names, Agent L goes to shoot at him but gets kicked in the face by Nightmare. Which seems to be enough to shake the crowd out of their stupor.

Maddie goes up and yanks on Danny’s sleeve, trying to pull him away from the ghosts, “young man what are you doing? That is a ghost”. Maddie puts herself between Danny and the Fright Knight, glaring at the Fright Knight, “and how dare you address my son, ghost!”.

Danny groans, at this point he might as well just say fuck it. Sighing, “yeah fuck it”. Danny forms a ghost portal behind himself, the shock of it opening up is enough for Maddie to loosen her grip; easily allowing for Danny to slip inside it. Popping out a second portal right behind the two GIW agents. Danny punches the bent over agent L in the face, smirking devilishly all the while, “heeeeeere’s Danny!”, before twisting to punch agent G in the face; knocking both fully to the ground, again. Danny flips to land in front of them and bends down, perching on his toes, to look down at the two groaning men, “now see, the point of that was to point out that Amity’s getting its ghostly lair of an ass back to the Human Realm via one motherfucking big portal. Like Ancients, this fucker’s gonna be massive. Oh, and getting to punch you white suit scum”.

“The only scum is ectoentities!”.

“Daniel James Fenton!”.

“What the fuck Danny...”.

“Oh my god, Fenturd has ghost powers!”.

“That’s likely the only option, your excellency”.

Danny chuckles as he straightens up, “indeed, this excellencies idea is most excellent”, then rolling his eyes at everyone else, “it’s just manipulation of the Ghost Zones free-floating ectoplasm, don’t get your knickers in a knot. Anyone with my positio-”. Danny gets cut off by Red, wearing her visor again, shouting and pointing aggressively at the air above his head, “GHOST KING!!!”.

Danny sighs as Red comes stomping over to him, though chuckles as she blatantly intentionally steps on one of the downed agents. Danny rubs his neck, “uh yeah, Mr. Unliving Knightmare over here has pointed that out, like, five times”.

“Six, now seven, my Lord”.

The two agents struggle to get up and scoot away from Danny, while Red comes to stand in his face a bit, “WHAT THE HELL! HOW COULD YOU BE A GHOST KING! YOU'RE NOT EVEN DEAD!”. Danny has to bite his tongue to keep from muttering about being halfway there; the chances of Red overhearing him are too great.

Dash crosses his arms and sneers, “Fentoad couldn’t be a king anyway, he’s too scrawny and pathetic”, earning glares from most of the crowd, no one else even willing to entertain the idea that someone who walks up to guns without a care, was pathetic.

The Fright Knight goes to speak but Danny raises a hand to quiet him, “you don’t need to speak, or more likely bellow, for me. Especially at some Highschool bully who’s bark and bite is closer to puppies than to a Rottweiler”, turning to Dash while Red sputters about him commanding a ghost. Danny sticks out his tongue and pulls down one lower eyelid, “you’ve got too small a brain to lead half a pencil stick, lack the courage to take charge of my dad’s fudge supplies, and have the political capabilities of a squirrel that’s been half-drowned in knock-off cheese whiz”, smirking, “you’re hardly the judge of kings. And you’ve hardly got the place to judge one”.

Danny easily hears someone mutter about how Dash is the most dangerous kid at school, not a freaking Chihuahua. Now Danny’s firmly captured everyone’s attention, based on the disbelieving stares he's getting. Though Danny’s pretty sure the Fright Knight is over the moon over Danny’s little verbal display; a full blood red All Hallows’ eve moon but still.

The Fright Knight nods strongly as he pats Nightmare’s flaming mane, “indeed, I agree with his highnesses judge of character”, the Fright Knight turns to Red, “and you, skilled huntress. Of course, I follow my lieges desires, such is the place of any Dread Knight; and infallibly that of the High Dread Knight. Further, I said The High Ghost King, and while his grand eminence may take preference to referring to himself as simply The Ghost King; “High” is part of the title. To show rank beyond all others, the King of Kings”.

Danny sighs, “add there you go, laying it on thick”, Danny walks back over and leans against the Fright Night, who’s crossed his arms and stands stiff. Danny speaks to Red calmly, “regardless, Mr. Walking suit of armour and a creepy level of insight into everyone’s darkest fears, is right. “a” and “the” have two very different meanings”, glancing up at the Fright Knight, “and “High” is just embellishment. Fucking fanciful, unnecessary, extravagant, arguably pretentious; yada yada”.

Maddie shakes herself off and storms up, yanking Danny away from the Fright Knight yet again, “Daniel! What are you doing! You don’t even have on protective gear and-”.

Danny’s loud groan cuts her off and he can tell the Fright Knight is restraining an exasperated sigh, “mom, holy guacamole, dear gods, sweet Ancients. I’m fine, this is fine, everybody here is fine...well except those two idiot agents”, glaring at the agents, who’ve got their guns out again and stand on shaky legs, “who are about thirteen seconds away from me just straight up jacking their guns. And they will certainly not be getting them back without Jack Fenton’s face on them”. Both men cringe and instantly drop their guns, while Danny turns back to Maddie. Sighing at her, “I’m doing something to deal with the twats who caused this bullshit. And-”.

Danny gets cut off by Mr. Lancer, who’s more interested in the art of words than teenage and family bickering, “you keep mentioning ‘Ancients’, you've said it plenty over the years. Where’d that come from? And king, Daniel? I would expect a king to be far more bold and with vaster knowledge...though you’ve shown to be more bold than previously thought”.

The Fright Knight can’t restrain a scoff, one part annoyed, one part amused, and one part impressed, at how little these humans understood his king; which was largely due to his majesty’s skilful secretiveness. Danny smiles fondly, “dear Ancients, sweet Ancients, oh my Ancients, Ancient blessed, etcetera. They’re Ghost Zone terms, similar to ‘oh my god’ and ‘dear god’”. The Fright Knight nods, “quite so. I, however, am not one for such colloquialisms myself. Though many also make such terms of his most high royalties title and name. For, after all, Realms blessed be those under The High Ghost Kings joyous resplendency”.

“Oh come on! Who did Fentoast pay to pull this crap?!?”, Dash cries out and gestures at Danny.

The Fright Knight speaks at Danny, “I’m starting to see where and how you acquired your eccentric naming of everyone by names not of their own”. Danny coughs and gapes, “okay, that is a genuine insult, I’m nothing like that bleach brain fried twat. I’d get more outta eating sporks and footballs than talking to that”.

Dash doesn’t even get a chance to snap back as Red beats him to it, “first off, ew. Second, there’s no way you’re any kind of ghost royalty. I mean Danny, you’re well, you. You’re Danny. Danny Fenton. Ghost hunter protege”.

Maddie nods, grabbing Danny’s shoulder, “yeah sweetie, Fenton’s hunt ghosts. Not lead, that makes no sense”.

“Oh for the love of- goddamnit”, Danny shakes his head, slightly annoyed, “Hunt? No. Fight? Sure. Insult? Definitely. Lead? Yes. Guide? Yup. Aid? Okay. You get the point, maybe”. Danny tilts his head up at the sky, muttering to himself, “how is any of this solving our green goo sky...”.

Maddie puts her hands on her hips, “you being friendly, none the less aiding, a ghost is more of an issue. We’re protected by the shield so it-”. Danny butts in, “my shield”. Maddie nods, “yes sweetie, which while thanks, it is hard to get. But if it takes longer to get home, to Earth, because we’re sorting out this, then so be it”.

Danny chuckles, science and family did always come before safety with his parents. But there was no problem to be sorted out, and she was still too anti-ghost to really accepted this. However, Danny flicks his gaze between his mom and the Fright Knight, muttering, “though if she’s tolerating my second in command, I guess that’s something”.

Maddie and Red both blink at him, Maddie opening her mouth to speak while glaring at the Fright Knight but gets cut off by agent L. “Ok that’s enough of this crap. You’re either playing some strange joke, kid. Or you’re a damn ghost that looks human”.

Danny facepalms, “oh for fucks sake, Ancients give me strength, Realms power cometh, Zone grant deathly lease. Neither”, Danny smirks and digs into his pocket. Pulling out an 'I can’t believe it’s not a ghost' meme sticker and slaps it on his forehead, “you literally said I can’t be a ghost. Literally impossible. Ghosts need to be in the Ghost Zone. I live in Amity, in the Human Realm. Ghosties can’t do that. And also, fuck y’all”. Danny does a dramatic finger snap, allowing his cape, ring, and crown to blink into visibility.

Unsurprisingly the only human who doesn’t jump is Star, who’s wearing the visor. Star blinks, “why’d everyone jump or whatever?”.

Danny chuckles, “take off the visor”.

“Oh”.

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burade · 4 years ago

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okay so in all seriousness the reasons why i’m kind of :/ about meta knightmare theory is because:

nightmare is portrayed as some kind of hyperabusive dad figure in almost every instance. nine times out of ten this is approached with a “dick out no pants” level of care or respect for the subject at hand. it’s mostly just exploited for cheap edgy Angst Fuel if anything, and as an abusive survivor i find that kind of gross and trashy and i simply do not care for it overall.

nightmare is a much larger-scale threat in the anime compared to the games. he’s straight up an intergalactic capitalist war criminal bbeg as opposed to a cartoonishly evil viddygaem boss, in addition to all the other big differences between them. shoehorning it into game canon without huge adjustments is,,, ill-fitting and kind of goofy.

it’s oversaturated despite a lot of the evidence for it being kind of a stretch,,? like. they certainly have vaguely similar names in english and also uh. wear cloaks i guess.

“but dameta serves dark mind who may or may not be the mirror version of nightmare so therefore-“ yeah because he’s a SAMURAI you EGG

yeah mk does have wild reckless impulses he keeps under wraps and is constantly Down To Fight (which is discussed in ksa) but the extent of “meta knight has a magic dark evil violent side he has to repress and struggles with internal conflict over his innate villainous monstrous nature!!!” is to put it bluntly kind of dumb and pointlessly edgy

have you considered that puffballs are allowed to just be Weird And Fucked Up And Eldritch on their lonesome. kirby is literally a benevolent death god incarnation. not everything cool that puffs do needs some “a spooky wizard did it” excuse that’s boring

how is that supposed to work???? like did nightmare create mk in a test tube in his nonexistent fountain jail basement??? is meta one of them weird starry ball things given sentience???? does nightmare fuck????

#a lot of folks already know my distaste for it so i may as well explain Why that is akjdk #lorena.txt #ask to tag #abuse ment ///

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bcywonder-a · 8 years ago

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🐤

#any hc about dick being like a minor celebrity in gotham bc he's hot + the ward of bruce fuels me #ie this tweet + dick promising wayne manor fireworks #knightmared

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ofthemuses · 6 years ago

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Area 11 Sentence Meme; from all their released albums

All the Lights In The Sky (2013)

i. vectors

One day I will find you I saw that you were lonely too You reached out and you took me I repressed that time Everything that I forgot, I see it clearly can’t you see that you’re losing your mind A shot to the head leaves it all behind I’ll tear you apart Reach out your hands to catch me reach out your hands and you tear me apart But we are simply killing time I wish I’d see inside your mind I wish I’d seen inside you Almost the same, but not enough Never forgiven, but still in love

ii. euhpemia

Memories of fallen dreams and all those that have died. Demons are possessing me. I feel my hate take flight. I'm choking on my own words and I'm scared of backing down the hope within us all is up in flames Twisted by my warring conscience. The situation's pushing onwards. This can't be, was this me? I think I've lost control. I caused this, I forced this, Can I continue on? I caused this, I forced this, I caused this! Betrayed by trust, forever left to scream. Oh hold me closely and die in my arms, then take this secret with you. I became your puppet master This could fuel The Revolution! This could be my last solution! And all good victories come with a price. Just take my secret with you.

iii. knightmare / frame

What is life but a burden for me? All this anger, burning inside but buried deep One step forward and two to the side, every single time I fall asleep and I feel I'm falling Nightmare comes without warning I can't seem to sleep In my dreams I feel I'm running towards her/his shining light She/he shines for me Just like glass I saw right through Something I couldn't see until I changed my point of view I cannot let you go inside of me, the will to change the world Can a mask be the face of reason? You will answer, to the pieces left behind Well I watched her/him die in your arms Freed but they'll never understand

iv. tokyo house party

I know that this will never work out So it shouldn't even start Cause I'm just a kid at heart And you know that it's such a waste Cause I hate that bitter taste and your bittersweet embrace I feel this has gone to my head I'll never drink again But fuck it, I don't care I don't know what you came here for This is where we are from (The town where nothing goes on) Waiting for our own special moment to die I got lost to find myself I wanna be with you tonight Cause everything's gone; it's been wiped out I feel a change in the pace I know I should run and I should fight But the look in your eyes: I could die here tonight Fear of failure, we're moving so slow

v. shi no barado

I saw your face in the LED's It's something that I can never repay, but I will try anyway. I sent a message I know you'd see Now fate led you down a path to me You're all I ever wanted you can use me, you can kill me My body will be a fortress I will keep you safe from pain My losses are your gains Together we can burn this to the ground, rebuild it into something right I'm not afraid and I'm not alone because you're with me in my dreams I won't give up on this perfect love

vi. cassandra pt. 2

Although it doesn't really matter now You use me, and I use you I'm your savior, you're my muse The best friend that you been to me but I wanna be your enemy You want a reaction You wear a red dress when you're in a bullfight You're drawing attention to your double life In dreams, I'm coming to find you and when I wake I want anyone else. 'Cause I don't love you, It's what I'm telling myself I’m hiding from you, ‘cause we are the same Wait, just wait for me and I'll come around My best friend that I've never seen That's turned you into my enemy No, it's all in my mind I feel I should save myself before this gets too real

vii. the strays

I'd still cheer for you ten years down the line Time stepped away from me Stray from this boring dream What must it be like with your world alight? How could I stay here and rust when I'm set to explode? You can outrun everything but the debts that you owe I'm numb from the distance If it's just the bored asking this kind of thing, where do we fit in? Take what you want from it We're the last ones left Get the others and cut to the next Scene To be truly free Freedom comes not from, but through me Do you remember when the stars were much higher? You would try to count them all But you grew tired - tired - tired

viii. dreams & reality

Dreams... are realities. You mean so much to me I can't forget the way, the choice that we made that day. Is it worth the risk that we take? Waiting and hoping from the side-lines But this is our moment, it's our chance to shine. 'Cause this feels better than the best thing 'Cause we are stronger than anything We've grown from all the things we've been through, And they couldn't break us if they wanted to. Your smile is brighter than the lights in the skies wont you tell me what is real? Lets write our names in history, Let's make these dreams reality,

ix. heaven-piercing giga drill

you came and dug me up into a world full of violence. So many faces, so many trials. They won't stop our evolution. Who do you think we are? Fight against your execution. Trust me and we'll fly, not fall. Tip the balance to risk it all. Together we can go so far. All the lights in the sky are stars. It follows everywhere I go. It carries the hope of humanity, and everything we know. Believe in me, who believes in you.

x. bōsōzoku symphonic

There's three parts to love, or so I believe. There's a part of you you lose, and another you receive. Here I break with the concept, though it's central to the piece. Leave my mark on the canvas, that only you can see. I deferred my happiness, for loneliness and time. But once I'm where I wanna be, you'll be far behind. And the chains that pull me down, slacken off when you're around. And it's comforting to know I'll rip out all the hooks from my skin so I can grow. Sometimes I disagreed, just to hear you scream. You were right, but I needed you to give emotion back to me. I'm not leaving you, I'm not leaving you!

Underline (2014)

i. are you listening?

All aboard this sinking ship No business here it's just relationships Should this mean more to me? Just join the tribe and feel accepted But cool don't come for free The rope that pulled me from the pit now hangs around my neck Is this the clue you wanted? Too cryptic for the rest Play the part of the victim if it puts your mind at ease Put all the blame on me So what you feel, is it nostalgia or love? Tell me now, are you really listening? When everybody tells you to stop, and that you’re never good enough; tell me now, are you really listening? Reach out for help, and she lets you down So gild your pockets, we'll watch you drown Cause this means more to me It's hard when all I see Now we take control We fade into hindsight Can this be realized?

ii. in the blind

I redesign, I realign. I redefine, and yet resign. My only hope: to feel. And when I phased out the "privileged" and the "purpose" I realized that art can never true be separated That should define who I will never be. Sorry. Cause this is the new way Still spinning cycles in my mind Hold me back and keep me down! Drop the weights, accept my fate, and trigger the explosion. Now keep the faith as illusions break and we'll show you something real. And when I reach out into event horizons will there be light and sound, or will it be just me?

iii. override (a)

Willing and wishing to break This won't be over so soon You'll claw yourself out of the womb Are you willing to die? To be born in the spotlight? I won't let you drown Are you willing to die? To be something? We patiently wait your return Rejecting your pitiful life You'll crawl on your hands and your knees You'll feast on the fear you receive And here in the alter you'll give your life for a reason to live Are you ready to die? Are you ready to die? To be more than they say you are? You'll be a mistake The child of the void and the ghost in the tape Can the ego you've sculpted endure the escape? I am willing tonight. I am willing to die to be something; trigger the override

Modern Synthesis (2016)

i. override [C]

Lay the new foundations; reprise Strange are the things that will come around Return to the question, I'm willing to die If this is real and this is anticipation Know it in your mind, hear it once and now you bear the load Are you ready for life? Make a stand in afterglow

ii. the contract

You’ve spent a lifetime locked in the same mindset You break the contract, and smile away your debt I play for closure, through the fear and the thrill of the fight Move a little bit closer, ‘cause you’re in for a jagged night I close my eyes; a toxic calling Just let it resonate, we call it suffering We know just who to trust this time I want you to give me what I need Lay waste to your beliefs, rebuild yourself for me I want you to come alive again I feign obsession, and abbreviate my views You're my possession, until I'm done with you I want you to feel as I feel I want you; submit yourself to me Your body and your mind; give it willingly Just sign the contract

iii. watchmaker

Serve or break the patterns that would be Middle child of eternity The creeping vines of anomie I never wanted to believe I never asked if I could stay Switch the pressures you relieve Sketching parallels to understand why I can't share your love I’m only building what I meant to do so many lives ago

iv. versus

I dream of it; am I a psycho? Watching you burn nothing else feels this perfect to me “Hands in the air”; salute or surrender? We adapt, mutilate, replicate and survive But choose a side The truth, the war; the rise, the fall The virus in our heads that infects us all Do you need it once more? Can you remember what it is we’re dying for? (Fighting for?) Little soldier, little girl/boy who used to love this fucking world To love, to despise: such a fine line The hardest strikes always land when hands are tied The virus in our heads infects, manipulates our thoughts

v. processor

I took a chance to fly I want no role in your altercation I feel panic arise as rhetoric voices are feeding back again Blocking out vitriolic accusations: Was I listening? Because I want to be better on the inside I want to be better on the outside I fall asleep in the vestige I once called my home I pray for you, abide with the hopeless Regretting the choice but I can't turn away The modern synthesis compels me to start again I will have my way, I told you, I told you, I told you As I dispersonalise I taste a real life far from the pacifist you believe I exemplify I am the fury, I am hypocrisy The day I take control. The day you'll believe in me The path back home, the path I'll show you The path back home, where you'll wait for me, wait for me

vi. red queen

I said I don't mind, but you've touched a nerve The way you frame it, well, I got all I deserved Breathe deep and comfort the disturbed In the cave you fear what would you find? We played our hands together You lose me in your blood chemistry So we'd better try to match her/his speed Toast to the red queen/king and all she has seen Is it time to drink at your table? We can only wait and watch for so long Where you fall is not where you belong Unify behind false enemies Down other lines we would have been the same Beauty fades but still my charm deceives This night is shared and so we use each other ‘cause misery loves company And so it goes again A wasted day to vie for my affection Soon you'll come undone Can't fake a smile so they draw it on

vii. angel lust

how far did you deviate? The bridge collapsed but you took the stone From the ash an altar raised, you rebuilt your home And cynics they will try to tempt and change our minds We'll keep our faith alive, we'll raise our voices And scream it from our hearts: God loves her/his children we wait to receive a sign and the scraps of truth of what we believe The passion, the pain, our bodies ache, we cry your name

viii. the life of a ghost

Living the life of a ghost, there is no comfort for the mind Some sights we've tried to leave behind Always looking backwards down the road I will retain composure Lost in thoughts of where I am Stay 'til dawn, begin anew? With all honesty I want to be selfless To be human, but I'm beat and I'm worn-though I'm lost tonight I'm an ember, will you take my story? Pull back the curtain and walk towards the truth There is no comfort for the mind

ix. after the flags

Come on son do your country proud! Lead us down to the ocean and wash our hands of campaigns for the self-assured now Fading white in surrender and weary from the beating sun that blinds you Take a hit for catharsis Take a hit for them all After the flags they're selling off the wall I wanna die for a reason I wanna kill for a cause The fall won't kill but it's gonna hurt do you watch just to wince at this? we have been misled Straighten out your fiction As means to ends and ends to meaning guide you After the flags I'm nobody at all If I could reach you with reason You set us up for a fall After the flags you're nobody at all

x. nebula

This is my suffering, stuttering the words As all I can see is you Hey there you lost boy/girl, just look at what they've done to you They've poisoned the well of your mind but you'll make it through I'm falling to the call of you To love just an action, we overplay and overdo But now, there's no one beside me They've fallen behind

xi. panacea and the prelogue

Wait inside we'll talk a while I didn't mean to let the years go by Have we come to terms with the lesson that our fathers learned? Everything goes away I'd follow you, but not this time I'm sorry that I let you down, let you down, a lifetime ago I wanna say to all I leave behind, and to those I'll never find. That I need you to understand, understand, you're not on your own. What you value, is it worth the time? The only melodies that I could ever call mine were friendship and lust Will I feel absolved at the moment when we have it solved? Still it's never enough Lines fade out, but you illuminate the path back home, the path you've shown me

all your friends / new magiks / everybody gets a piece (2018)

i. all your friends

Habits tend to crystallize Did you waste it in the dark? Why were you sure it was real? you let all your friends tell you how to feel The archetypes; the ideal will soon embrace you when you let yourself heal Who are we to cauterise bleeding hearts that synchronise? Did he/she waste you in the dark? Choose your friends just to canonize you, as you let them fantasize

ii. new magiks

I'm watching the mirror crack to face my addiction This all feels a little strange, (A life fearing fiction) I better step outside It's all fine, from the shoreline The weight crushing down my heart, you don't want it, you don't wanna know A head full of dying stars, the shoulders that bear the load The wave crashes down on my heart You don't wanna know My mind's a rogue nation Just look how we weaponise carnal accusation It's all fine, a drop in the skyline Make it hurt Percolate emotion Boys/Girls lost to the ocean drown You were the bright newcomer I fucked you up that summer I didn't know, you let me know my mind is loaded

iii. everybody gets a piece

In time you'll grow, I fucking hope I'm outside looking in at all the time we're putting in Think I know what it means I won't say the right things just to open doors Don't waste your time in the studio I've been told to beg, steal and borrow I'm told it's not the way to go Nobody listens to the radio Everybody gets a piece Did you honestly say it might have been me? But all this while did you think of me, you know All this while, we were pure potential energy, dreaming Don't ask, you'll never get You never asked so you never got nothing Did you get all you wanted from me? You don't ask so you'll never receive Can't lose when you're playing for free

#sentence meme #long post #area 11 #inbox meme #roleplay meme #ask meme #askbox meme

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