#quatre vs heero

[ikuzeminna]

Just now I was skipping through the series, trying to place a cel, and I happened upon Noin talking to Zechs in Antarctica prior to his duel with Heero. It’s the conversation where he talks about the Gundam pilots being true soldiers and how he is just a stepping stone to them and Noin interjects that they’re so gung-ho about everything because they’re fighting for the freedom of the colonies.

And it hit me there. After having seen this scene about a hundred times, my brain finally decided to go "Wufei is not fighting for the freedom of the colonies. He’s not protecting something since he already lost her. ...WAIT-"

I went on and on about Trowa and Noin being foils in the next episode because of the whole "needing something to protect" vs "needing only an enemy" definition of a soldier they both had and this, which explains all the friction between Noin and Wufei, went right over my head for years. -_-

Once again I have to give massive props to the writers. It's a rare thing to have a series where a secondary character gets unique dynamics with almost the entire cast. Noin and Heero, Noin and Wufei, Noin and Quatre, Noin and Trowa, Noin and Relena, Noin and Zechs, Noin and Une, Noin and Sally, heck, even Noin and Treize! Noin gets unique dynamics with all of them, and they even evolve over the course of the series.

Whoever loved Noin on that team, thank you. She's wonderfully fleshed out. And badass.

[fallenwingzero]

Remember in episode 47, when Duo is looking for Heero and Relena, and walks into a room where it looks like two people are having sex. He's shocked at what he found but it turns out the reason he is shocked is not that he walked in on Heero and Relena but because he found the scientists, case solved right?

Well, this is official art for episode 47.

This artwork is from the "Gundam Wing Encyclopedia" which is also where "Chronicle of the After Colony Era" comes from, so it's very official. It has a summary of every episode and an official art piece to reflect what happens. This is the artwork for Episode 47.

There's a scene afterwards where Heero is redressing and it's even framed in a way that makes it seem they're both putting clothes back on. It turns out they're changing into astro suits but the way it's done right after the "Duo walking in on them jumpscare" makes it imply something really did happen, or at least the writers want us to think something did. Even if it wasn't what Duo walked in on, there was something going on elsewhere on Libra.

Duo and Quatre even joke before this episode, that there's no point going with Heero to rescue Relena because "they'd only get in the way".

The lyrics to Just Communication even have the theme of spending the night together in a true moment of peace amongst the chaos of war.

The song literally describes the picture above with them "gazing painfully, intensely"

"Rythym Emotion", the second opening song, also has "Lithely accepting the moment with my bare skin, I want to find more gentleness".

"White Reflection" is the theme song for the "Endless Waltz" OVAs, but still has the subject matter.

Hikaru Midorikawa (voice of Heero) even did a cover of this song 💖.

There's also a scene in the Preventers 5 radio drama where the other pilots are asking Heero just how far he's gotten with Relena to which Heero uses spy vs spy tactics to avoid the question, even getting flustered when asked XD. It's crack and definitely not a real scenario for the boys lol but it's still considered canon character interpretations as it was written by the anime writers, includes the voice actors and is included in the Japanese Blu-ray Collection.

So, I'm not saying something definately happened between Heero and Relena in episode 47, but something went down and it wasn't Libra.

[lessyandmina]

I was tagged by the lovely @nsfwitchy (Thank you! Love you, dear. 🥰😘)

Your name: Lessy is the name. Aka light sage, black widow, the Sparda family therapist 😘.

Your Age: 36 (37 in six months) Damn, I'm old, lol

Your First Fandom(s): Oh gosh. That's a lot to think of 🤔 The first animes are Sailor Moon, DBZ, Yu yu Hakusho, and Yu-Gi-Oh (to this day) and the games are Bloody Roar, mortal kombat, Marvel vs. Capcom, along with Mario and Donkey Kong.

Your Current Fandom(s): Legend of Zelda (since 98), Devil May Cry (since 01), Gotham (started in 2014, but stopped due to work and now rewatched 4 months ago and loved it ever since), and Gundam Wing (since 00)along with DC and Marvel comics.

How Did You First Get Into Fandom?: 😳 Oh wow. Ever since I was in elementary school. I guess it was my destiny to be an autistic nerd 🤓 🤪.

How Long Have You Been Engaging With Fandom Spaces?: 🤔 30 long years. 22 when you go down the rabbit hole. *hint hint*

How Often Do You Read Fanfics?: When I was 15 years old in Germany, my old friends introduced me to fanfics of my favorite series. Most of them are raunchy af. I've been reading them ever since.

Top 3 Characters From Your Current Fandom(s):

Gotham:

Jerome

Jeremiah

Bruce

Let me add one more: 514a

Gundam Wing:

Heero Yuy

Chang Wufei (I'm giving him my last name because he's my older brother)

Quatre R. Winner

Devil May Cry:

Vergil

V (Vergil's counterpart)

Lady

Legend of Zelda:

Princess Zelda

Queen Urbosa

Princess Midna

Have You Ever Written A Fic For A Fandom? if so, shout it out!:

Why yes. Yes, I have. For those who don't know, I am a huge cross-world fanatic. Plus, I added my oc characters to the mix. The one I continue to write is called Gundam May Cry: Breath of the Wild. But right now, I am doing my rough draft of my Gotham fanfic that is based on Devil May Cry references. That is coming soon.

Have You Ever Drawn Fanart For A Fandom?:

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I couldn't even draw a stick finger to save my life!!

Share A Personal Headcanon That You Feel Very Strongly About:

My goodness. I'm just gonna go ahead and say it : Deep down inside, Bruce Wayne has some strong feelings about Jeremiah Valeska. He's lying to himself and Jeremiah when he said "you mean nothing to me." Like Bruce!! Why are you lying?

you're trying to convince a friend to get into your current fandom(s) with you. What Episode, Clip, Or Scene Are You Showing Them?: Jerome and Jeremiah double insanity on YouTube.

and finally, What Does Fandom Mean To You?:

It means everything to me. I get to share them with my friends here and on all the other social media(except for Facebook because fuck them, that's why.). That's the perks of being a nerd and a cute one to be in fact.

Now I'm tagging @apologies-from-jerome-valeska @lifeaftermeteor @dmbakura @jeremiah-va1eska @irisbleufic

By the way, if you guys have already been tagged, I apologize!! You don't have to respond to it again.

[meggie-stardust]

GUNDAM WING - REWATCH - 25 - 26

25. Quatre vs Heero

The music during this fight is A+. They are telling us this isn’t a cool battle. We should be sad they are fighting each other. It’s amazing. 

Hey Heero, maybe don’t have Quatre aim at you, with the colony right behind you, yeah? 

What?? We can’t communicate with the lunar base? How odd??

Duo’s oxygen deprived thoughts: maybe I’ll just kiss Wufei and see if he wakes up

Quatre: TROWA what are doing??? Why are you trying to save Heero and the colony??? Trowa you are supposed to side with meeeeeeee

Trowa is the only one who can break through the zero system, and talk directory to Quatre, apparently.

Trowa: I hope something calms you down, like my death

Trowa seems very relaxed as he embarks on his aimless float through space

The Romefeller foundation seems very… white.

Treize picks his moments to wax philosophical

These are some weird flashbacks cut into Treize’s speech

Duke Dermail: What the fuck are you saying Treize?

Dermail puts the Supernatural Colt down and this is where Gundam Wing cuts to the 10 Duel Commandments (the crossover feature no one asked for)

Treize fell in love with people and with people’s death

Une: I’m going to release the Gundam Pilots. It’s exactly the type of chaos Mr Treize and I want

Tuberov thinks Une was too lenient??? Was Colonel Une too lenient??

Deathsythe Hell is so badass. Double scythe, bat wings. BRILLAINT

Shenlong with double dragon arms??? AMAZING

26. The Eternal Flame of the Shooting Stars

That Treize faction guy has the same improbably too deep voice that skinny Steve Rogers has

“The outer space has a bad habit of sending menacing objects to earth” what a badass line.

Flash back to Treize just posing on a mobile suit. Fucking A+

The Treize factions burned their Oz uniform to wear a blue version instead?? Or did Oz burn their uniforms to have a different one? This is confusing later in the episode. 

These OZ guys testing Wing Zero were awfully quick to give themselves up to the Treize Faction

Absolutely NO ONE listens to Tuberov.  

The Treize Faction just knows where the scientists are, even tho OZ says they are missing somewhere in the base? Sure, Jan.

Doctor J: Physically you pilots are A+, mentally you are babies

Once they hook Heero up to the zero system, this is just Ender’s Game right?

And then that’s some Eva shit when Wing Zero decides to activate 

Quatre, I’m pretty sure you’re paraphrasing Trowa, saying “run amuck in a mobile suit”

Um, actually Quatre, Trowa had the self destruct button on the Vayeate so great bluff

Oh, just incase the audience forgot about Relena, let’s add her in in a really weird way

This isn’t an Eva Quatre, you don’t feel the pain in your own arm when your mobile suit is hit.

Wait, did Vayeate not have Mercurius’ self destruct button? How did Quatre detonate Mercurius?? Was Trowa bluffing when he said that to Une?? I have questions? 

The Scientists: We survived, and so did Wing Zero. I WILL SURIVE HEY HEY

Thoughts:

This is such a great end to the space/Wing Zero arc. I had forgotten so much. I didn’t remember Une saved the pilots and the scientists. I forgot that Quatre finished building Wing Zero (I guess I thought they upgraded Wing??) I remembered the Treize Faction, but I was confusing it with the Specials from earlier... And I love that they had bascially all the pilots together for like a second, and then they are off again. 

What I think I remember for the next episode(s):

Somehow @mpanighetti and I have set ourselves up to having to do the two flashback/clips how episodes back to back. Unfortunately, this will lead to us going kinda insane, and the review will be very, very niche. BUT keep following along for the madness. I’ll give you a clue: there will be excessive references to the best clip show episode of all time.

[incorrectgundamwingquotes]

Heero: Quatre, I'm not really sure how to tell you this without both confusing you and breaking your disturbingly fragile heart

Zero!Quatre: I AM AN EMOTIONAL TIME BOMB

Heero: Jesus Christ…

[gwlemonyshenanigans]

Spotlight Friday

Very soon the event will kick off! We can’t wait to see what everyone one has been working on! It’s Friday again, so time to put two more of our creators in the spotlight!

AngelSelene

Where can we find you? (Ao3, FFN, Tumblr, etc?)

AO3 and Tumblr.

Who is your favorite character?

Duo Maxwell

Which is your favorite Gundam?

Deathscythe Hell

What is your favorite episode or scene from Gundam Wing? (Show, movie, or manga)

Ep. 19 - Assault on Baruji - it's the ep where Heero should kill Duo and instead saves him. One of my favorites in the show.

What got you into the Gundam Wing fandom?

I was just starting to get into BL and yaoi, and stumbled across the fanfiction for Gundam Wing (waay back in say 2000-2001). It was still a favorite among my subtitling group (who were doing Gundam X at the time), so I started watching. I'm stupid weak for long-haired pretty boys, so Duo stole my damn heart. Far too long later, still an all-time favorite.

Which type of fandom media do you prefer to contribute? And to consume? (art, fics, metas, etc.)

Contribute - Writing. Consume - fic first, but art and meta are also welcome!

What is your favorite trope?

I'm a damned sucker for soulmate AUs. I swear, I *will* be writing... *checks list* a bunch. Sooner or later. I'm probably best known for crossovers though (which I also love dearly).

Shamelessly plug the work you are most proud of and the reason why!

Tornadoes and Constellations

Because when I came back to posting in early 2020, the thing I promised myself is that anything I started to post, I had to finish. T&C is the first longfic I finished since I was 13, the one I proved to myself that I *could* finish long works. It'd be a point of incredible pride for that alone, but I'm also extremely proud of the plots that play out in the chapters (chapter 4 in particular), and also where I first really started digging into my Spacer culture. It holds an incredibly special place in my heart, and I think it always will.

Alphaikaros

Where can we find you? (Ao3, FFN, Tumblr, etc?)

You can find me mostly in Twitter(@Cheesetenie) and in Tumblr(alphaikaros), I do also have my Pixiv (alpha-ikaros). I do have an AO3 account, but I rarely visit it.

Who is your favorite character?

I'm going to be a little biased on this lol sorry! ... My favorite ones are mostly the GW ladies, but I guess its Relena, because she's the easiest one for me to draw.

Which is your favorite Gundam?

Wing Zero EW version, and Tallgeese III. Those wings are just *chef's kiss*

What is your favorite episode or scene from Gundam Wing? (Show, movie, or manga)

I guess Heero's flashback in EW, Heero and Relena close-up talk before the final battle, and of course Heero landing on Relena's breasts towards EW's ending

What got you into the Gundam Wing fandom?

I had a huge crush on Heero, Quatre and Zechs

Which type of fandom media do you prefer to contribute? And to consume? (art, fics, metas, etc.)

Since I mostly draw, I prefer to contribute fanarts. I do like to read fics whenever possible, or when I found some of my favorite genre/AUs

What is your favorite trope?

Arrgh this is hard... I usually go by those typical "Shoujo" tropes like Cool, Mysterious character vs. Bubbly, cheerful character, Highschool AUs, Beach scenarios, Festival scenarios.

Shamelessly plug the work you are most proud of and the reason why!

Oh gosh... My most proud works are my Halloween 2021 fanarts!

[noirangetrois]

The Gundam Wing Diaries

My teenage obsession collides with a certain teenage delusion. New feelings about GW ensue. Previous entries can be found with the “gundam wing diaries” tag.

April 25, 2000 (Tuesday)

Episode 37 - "Zero VS Epyon"

Duo is now officially my favorite character. I had a dream last night, but I don’t remember much of what happened. There was a battle, and Heero lived but Duo died. They weren’t using gundams, it was hand to hand combat. Heero had the power of fire and Duo had the power or rock. Duo died, and Heero released his spirit. Somehow it inhabited some things that became evil, but I don’t think it had anything to do with Duo’s spirit, in real life. That’s why he’s my favorite, he’s got the same power as I do***, even if he doesn’t use it in the show. I think Quatre is water, Wufei is forest, and Trowa is sky, but I don’t know for certain. I’m supposed to be sure this week. Oh well, maybe another dream will reveal it to me.

Heero fought against Zechs today, and their Gundams kind of died. Releena is going to be some high and mighty of Romafeller. The only thing I saw of Duo was when he was watching an announcement of how the Tray’s faction captured Tuberoff and the moon base. He says it’s just gonna make the war more chaotic. Kathryn, that’s the circus girl’s name. Unfortunately I didn’t see any of Trowa today. Wufei was at the moon base fighting the mobile dolls and the Tray’s faction, though. Didn’t see Quatre or Noin either.

***Long story short, 13 year old me was convinced by a friend that I and a few other friends had elemental superpowers. Yes, really.

[lemontrash]

Epithets; the Pros and Pitfalls

Ok gang, so recently the topic of epithets in fanfic has come up and this is a topic I have been thinking about a LOT for A LONG TIME so I figured maybe now is the time to share my thoughts on phrases like ‘the braided baka’ and ‘the ebony-eyed Chinese pilot’ and what some of the pitfalls are in using epithets to enrich your writing. 

NOTE: I am not slamming the use of epithets! I am not coming into your fic from 25 years ago saying ‘shame!’. I am only maintaining that these are tricky to get right, and to raise awareness of how epithets can be a really useful, powerful tool of description but also a double-edged blade. 

What is an Epithet Anyway?

An epithet is a word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality, in addition to or instead of their name, and which are used to identify. 

On one side of tradition, they are poetic. Homer, writer of the Odyssey, was a big fan of these. ‘The wine dark sea’, ‘rosy fingered Dawn’, and ‘Nausicaa of the long white arms’ are some of his most famous, never mind ‘Apollo, destroyer of mice!’. In his works they were generally descriptive, or talked directly to the schemata (the perceptions and understanding) of his audience. 

Everyone knows Achaeans are super hairy, right? You know that. 

On another side of tradition, they are identifiers. If you have a populace named virtually nothing but John, Richard and Henry and you’re not used to using family names, then calling this John ‘Long John’ and that John ‘Little John’ helps direct attention to the right person. Or to acknowledge their good or bad deeds/attributes (Peter the Brave vs Stinky Pete, for example) or their lineage (Aragorn son of Arathorn/ John of Gaunt). They can be used for comedic purposes as a device to make purposefully similar characters more amusing (Wee Jock, Big Jock and Smaller-than-Big-Jock-but-Bigger-than-Wee-Jock Jock all agreed to steal the sheep. The Pirate with the Peg Leg and the Pirate with the Clothes Peg boarded the ship.)

But notice that many of these epithets still use people’s names or are direct substitutions for when a name isn’t known. And they are largely subjective - epithets carry not only description but opinion - the opinion of society at large or the opinion of the individual speaker - and pinpoint value - what it IS about this person we should pay attention to. 

And that means epithets can be used to praise, (Richard the Lionheart), to criticise (Bad King John), and to stereotype (those hairy Achaeans). 

Oh and these are just epithets used for people. Epithets come in other forms, for example:

“The earth is crying-sweet, And scattering-bright the air, Eddying, dizzying, closing round, With soft and drunken laughter…”

The highlighted parts of Beauty and Beauty by Rupert Brooke are also epithets. But i’m going to focus on those used to describe people in this discussion.

In short, epithets always carry meaning in two ways - they focus on what the user feels is perceptively important about the subject of the epithet, and as a result, when we look through the lens of an epithet, our view of a character narrows.  

Why are they Great? 

Because they’re poetic by nature; they add interest and often eloquence. And because they tell us so much about the point of view of the user. They can add new facets to characters and give writers a secondary means of identifying characters to reduce name fatigue, or differentiate between otherwise similar characters. They can be comedic or evocative. They can show the changeability of characters as they develop or when circumstances change. Clever Odysseus, Lord of Men can become Pitiable Odysseus, hated by the sea.  

But because they are poetic, because they carry opinion and because they are inherently narrow in their focus, there’s a whole bunch of pitfalls to be aware of when using epithets. Getting this wrong, well, maybe you just make your story harder to follow. Get it very wrong, and at worst you could genuinely offend someone. 

What’s the Problem with Poetry?

The first basic issue you may encounter is that your epithets are too vague or are being overused.

‘My better half’ is an epithet. But if he (she? they?) has not been introduced in any capacity and you also alternate referring to him (her? them?) as ‘the hardened police officer’ and ‘the sloe-eyed beauty’ I might be forgiven for losing track of how many people are in the scene, how they’re related and how I should be thinking of them. Especially early in a story where i’m still getting up to speed with the setting. Here your epithets are muddying the story and it’s a situation where you should be using names. Even for fanfic where we’re assuming that the characters are familiar to everyone, you should be clearly introducing your version of the characters, because generally readers like to know they’re on the same page from the start rather than get thrown for a loop later on. And also you can’t be sure what your reader is thinking, so tell them. 

Don’t forget that a NAME captures the whole of a person. Epithets only capture a slice.

You may also make your epithets too purple. ‘The azure-orbed golden-haired CEO’ is a mouthful, and may be adding detail that is irrelevant to the scene; imaging encountering that in a scene where Quatre is busy slashing through Leos in a desert battle. Who is stopping to think about that? Why does it deserve a spotlight right here, right now?

The other type of overuse is to pick one epithet that is your favourite and use it for every other mention of that character. Because epithets carry more meaning than names this is a little like shouting that character’s name through a bullhorn. It’s great the first couple of times - Wow! Exciting! Memorable! - but it fatigues faster than using their name would have. The epithet can then become annoying (’I know he’s got long hair, stop saying it!’) or at very very worst it can become othering. You will alienate your reader from the character, and at the absolute worst, this may mean your reader either comes out with expressions of an attitude to that character that you had no intention of courting or encouraging, or they think YOU have those attitudes and go away from your story thinking ‘wow, that was a well-written story but OOF. that guy’s got some uncomfortable feelings about stuff’.

Whose Line is it Anyway?

Epithets can be factual. They can be based on things you know, I know, and (most importantly) everyone in the story knows. For example, ‘The Wing Gundam Pilot’ is a factual epithet for Heero and is based on knowledge accessible and agreed by 99% of people. 

It would still not work if the narrative POV is a character who doesn’t know Heero or doesn’t recognise him as a Gundam Pilot at all. E.G. He’s in disguise and questioning Abdul, who has never met him before.  

And this is because epithets are still directional. They convey an understanding or a focus from the user to the reader, regardless of if the user is a character within the story, or the voice of the author themselves. And that’s where it can get weird. 

Let’s say I’m writing a story from Rashid’s POV. As a person, he is unlikely to be fussed about the colour of Heero’s eyes, or the fact that Trowa is tall because Rashid is too pragmatic to give a hoot if your eyes are blue or not, and literally everyone is a shrimp compared to Rashid. So in that story, epithets like ‘The azure-eyed pilot’ or ‘the tall pilot’ would be strange if not meaningless coming from that character, and in fact would break the 4th wall by forcing the author’s voice into the foreground. 

Effective epithets are either universal and readily accepted (and therefore often neutral/factual, even if they are poetic - rosey-fingered Dawn) or they are naturally biased towards the perspective of the user. Which means characterisation of an epithet used by a person in a story to describe another person in the story goes both ways: When a story in Heero’s POV describes Duo as a ‘violet-eyed beauty’ I may think ‘Duo, purple eyes, pretty boy, yes. check!’ but I will probably also think, ‘wow, Heero’s a massive closet romantic and he has some serious pants-feels for Duo’. 

Or if that doesn’t match my view of Heero as a character, I may well think that this author has missed the point of Heero Yuy: Perfect Soldier and it’s THEM who has the serious pants-feels for Duo. If it’s the middle of a gritty battle scene, I may also think ‘Wow, is this really the time, author? Put it back in your pants’. 

Or maybe in the above example, it’s a 1x2 but this is jumping the gun. Heero isn’t aware of his own feelings yet so this kind of epithet is premature in Chapter 1. Bring it in down the line when Heero’s acknowledging to himself that Duo makes him go all weird and sweaty. 

So use epithets knowing that they will describe the target but also the user, and if those things don’t accord, can jar your reader quickly out of the headspace you were trying to achieve or shout your own voice over that of your characters. 

Distilling or Reducing?

If I take a mint plant and distill it, I will end up with a bottle of menthol oil which I could shove under your nose and declare ‘this is perfume!’ and you, eyes streaming, would have to stand there and generally agree. 

But if i take a mint plant, rip off a leaf and push it in your face and declare ‘this is perfume!’ you’re less likely to agree with me. Because in this case, I am not distilling, i am reducing. 

Epithets can work the same way. At their best, they take everything you want to convey about a character and their situation/personality and condense it into one potent phrase that socks your reader in the face. 

But all too often, they are used reductively and then you actually lose a great deal of what’s important about a character for the sake of showmanship and/or lazy writer’s short-hand. 

Let’s go back to the Odyssey. Odysseus has just washed up after being shipwrecked; he’s naked, salt encrusted, beardy and beasty and savage. Whilst stumbling around on the shore he is met by a princess, Nausicaa. Nausicaa of the long, white arms. That’s her epithet. From a modern feminist perspective, it seems a little reductive, but in the context of the story, it’s a distillation. She plays an opposite to Odysseus in this scene as he struggles to come back to civilisation after his hardships. She is washing rich clothes; he’s dressed in rags. She’s feminine and cultured and graceful; he’s acting like a wild lion. She represents civilisation and ideals with her fragility and her skin that’s been protected from the sun. He’s burnt and has forgotten how to act like a man. 

So whilst the epithet is focussed it tells me a lot of what i need to know and expect of Nausicaa in terms of her role in the story, and the fact that she will compel Odysseus to come back to himself as King of Ithaca. 

However, epithets are commonly based on appearance, status or origin, and can very easily fall into stereotype and tropes. Remember Homer’s hairy Achaeans? Was that a flattering description? Would Achaeans bang their chest and cheer proudly to be described as hairy, or would they be put out? If Achaeans are hairy, then what are Trojans? 

Let’s bring this to a modern context. If I use ‘the American pilot’ as short hand to convey that Duo is brash and loud and reckless...can I guarantee that my reader will agree with that assumption? Personally I know a lot of Americans, many of whom are not brash or loud or reckless. And if Americans in my fic are de facto brash and loud and reckless... what are Chinese people like? Humourless and ill-tempered? Or is that just Wufei? As a British person, I can find it more than tiresome to see myself represented as old-fashioned and endlessly polite; particularly when it gets obvious that the writer hasn’t the first clue about the UK or British culture. I can only imagine what it’s like for minority groups. 

If you start short-handing in this way, it’s the top of a potentially slippery slope into unintentional racial or cultural profiling. This is where epithets can start to raise eyebrows or make readers reach for the back-button. You need to ask yourself - is this lazy description or is this meaningful? Is this from a ‘generic’ POV (IE, mine as the author) or is it quantified by the POV of a character in the story who may carry those biases? Should those biases be acknowledged or explored by the story? Should those biases be carried in character speech only, then, or is it ok to put them into the prose? 

Is there a way I can characterise that without short-handing with a basic epithet? If I’m already saying that Duo flipped the table and threw his hands up in impatience, does tagging on this epithet strengthen the meaning of those actions, or are his actions defining the epithet? 

Did you know that the alternative meaning of ‘epithet’ is ‘a disparaging or abusive word or phrase’? This is loaded description. 

And finally, sometimes the epithet is just plain boring. If the epithet is a universal fact, then it is also a static snapshot of the character we’ve seen before;  and it’s often not even individual. Heero has blue eyes... but so does Quatre, and so do Relena, Zechs, Mariemaia, Treize, Sally Po, Sylvia Noventa and that guy over there. It tells me nothing about Heero as a person and even if we argue ‘but it’s a specific shade of blue!’ Well...sure. It’s still not that unique and you shouldn’t have to dig that deep into the epithet to make the trait stand out. It’s the literary version of a newspaper headline yelling ‘WOMAN WEARS CLOTHES’. 

For example, compare: 

‘The blue-eyed Vice Foreign Minister entered the meeting room’ 

Cool beans. So what? Relena’s arrived but my attention is already distracted away from her looking for something more plot-related. Especially if this is chapter 3 and her appearance has already been described to me 6 or 7 times. 

‘The false queen, Relena Peacecraft entered the meeting room’. 

J u i c y! Sounds like tea is going to be spilled. Who’s still holding this grudge against her? Is she the villain here? I’m gonna keep reading. 

TL;DR

In summary,  epithets carry a lot of personal perspective and can be powerful devices in writing. Used well, they will lift up your writing and make it memorable, vivid and engaging. Used thoughtlessly, you can stumble into a number of pitfalls, some which will make your writing harder to read or unintentionally comedic, and others that could make you look like an asshole. 

[ikuzeminna]

Sub vs Dub - Quatre is actually religious

Pictured above is the scene from the Endless Waltz movie edition where Quatre and his men are about to go after the disposal block with the Gundams.

And all the dub (and subsequently the subs) offer is this single line of him saying “It all depends on us.”

Except, that’s totally not what he says.

His actual line goes more like “May God help us. We need to retrieve the Gundams at all costs.”

And this is where it gets interesting. Was this laziness on the translator’s part or a deliberate omission because the dubbers didn’t want the Arab Gundam pilot to reveal himself to be religious? Because Quatre would most likely be Muslim and since the Gundam pilots are basically terrorists, I’m sure that wouldn’t go over that well with American audiences.

This is doubly interesting because religion was not “censored” for others. Noin and Relena are both revealed to believe in God, whereas Duo, Heero and Treize out themselves as non-believers.

How come the Arab is the only one out?

[terrablaze514]

Oneshots/HCs PSA... December + January

Feeling a little bummed, but I'll be fine. Here's a few oneshots underway:

These Streets [Teenage!Erik Stevens] - for @uzumaki-rebellion

Maintain the Lie (oneshot) [T'Challa's POV] - for @bribrisback - Lost series

Angel In Disguise (oneshot) = Erik x Reader, M'Baku x Reader (unrelated to CIYS storyline)

The Meet and Greet (oneshot) = M'Baku x Muse - for @muse-of-mbaku - CIYS!verse

Keys To Home (oneshot) - Lost series

Team Up! (Shuri + Spider-Man) - WBTC!verse

Mystery Shopper? ((Erik-centric)) - for @wakanda-inspired - WBTC!verse

Fight, Flight or Freeze? (Implied T'Challa x Nakia & past Erik x Linda) - WBTC!verse

Handcuffs 'n' Chaos! (Duo VS the others) - for @bluesquishylemon

Sweet Little Kitten (3x4)

You Got Me Open (1x2+5, 3x4+5, 1x2x3x4x5)

Let Down Your Hair (2x5) - for @noirangetrois & @chronicwhimsy

Heart To Soul (3x4)

I Do (1x2x3x4x5, Dorothy x Relena)

Bent (1x3) - for @seitou

This Meeting Is In Progress (Ladies of GW)

How the group met - FF!verse

An Unhealthy Father-Son Relationship (Heero and Odin, Quatre and Zayeed) - FF!verse

Multiple Intelligences - FF!verse

Duo's Pet Rat - for @gundayum & @lemontrash - FF!verse

Chibi Pilots, Go To Sleep! - for @lessy86

Fear Is Not a Factor (oneshot) - FF!verse

Duo’s Musical Inspirations - SM!verse

Secret Magic, Trowa Barton*

Domon versus Treize: Management Styles - SM!verse

Quatre’s Musical Inspirations - SM!verse

Grooming tactics, Sexual assault and Substance abuse: The DMV Side of Secret Magic

Wufei’s Musical Inspirations - SM!verse

Secret Magic, Quatre Raberba Winner

Growing Up Lady Une - Broken Home - SM!verse

Producer Zechs, big brother figure - SM!verse

Secret Magic, Wufei Chang

Heero’s Musical Inspirations - SM!verse

Free Kitten (3×4) - for @blacknekojess @softnocturne @gundayo & @janaverse

Trowa’s Musical Inspirations - SM!verse

Sinking Ship (5x4) - SM!verse

Gone (2+4)

Boys Night Out (2x1, 3+1, 5+4) - SM!verse

Thirsty For Change (4+1) - SM!verse

Museum Trip (6×9, 1x2x5, 3xH, 4xR)

Touched By An Angel (1x2, 3x4, 5+S) - SM!verse

Beauty Is Her Name (Everett x OC, T'Challa x Nakia, M'Baku x OC, OC x Okoye) - WBTC!verse - for @uzumaki-rebellion & @maddiestundentwritergaines

Trapped In Frigidaire

Iron Sharpens Iron? (oneshot) - WBTC!verse

Love Letters - CIYS!verse

Good Night (BJH!Headcanon)

Waking Up In September* - Lost series

Betrayal - Lost series

Familial Murmurs - Lost series

“I will always find you!” - Lost series

Erik Stevens as a High-school Teacher (parts 2 & 3)

Growing Up T’Challa (HC)*

Growing Up M’Baku (HC)

Growing Up Okoye (HC)

Growing Up Shuri (HC)

Growing Up W’Kabi (HC)

Growing Up Ayo (HC)

Ladies Night Out (Ladies of BP, including Storm) (oneshot)

Warriors? Impossible! - for @softnocturne (The Avengers/Gundam Wing X-over)

Gundam Wingo prompts

Did you count? I hope you did, 'cause that's a whole lot! Now you know how many WIPs have been hiding.

All titles are written/produced by me. I make no profit, nor know any entities presented in the fanworks above. These are my ideas done for fun. All characters and worlds belong to their respective creators. Stealing/plagiarism is strictly prohibited. ~ AngelT

Princess Shuri & Foreign Minister Relena approve this post.

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing, March 13-26, 2022

Hey Gundam Wing fam!  You get a two-fer this week - check below the cut for the latest roll-up, and be sure to show your fellow fans some love!

--Mod LAM

Fanfiction

I Reincarnated as a Minor Villainess... (CH.43) by @thaiteaaddict

Characters: Full Cast

Pairings:  Heero x Duo, Trowa x Quatre, Wufei x Meilan, Dorothy x Relena

Rating: Teen and Up

Tags / Warnings:  AU - Fantasy, AU - Isekai, POV First Person, Unreliable Narrator

Summary:  After being killed in a traffic accident, Duo wakes up in a medieval fantasy novel - except he's woken up as one of the novel's minor villains who was supposed to have died in a main character's backstory. Intent on righting the wrongs of his novel counterpart, Duo sets out to change his fate and just maybe improve the relationship between himself and his estranged husband, Duke Heero Yuy. (Duo is isekai'd into the body of a novel's villainess character and runs with it.)

Teaser: Ouroboros (rewrite) by @the-reanimated-bhg (follow @gw-ouroboros​ for updates)

Cabbapple Sunset by @lemontrash

Characters: The pineapple, the cabbage, and Heero Yuy

Pairings: Cabbage x Pineapple

Rating: General

Tags / Warnings: Crack, pure crack

Summary:  A Cabbage/Pineapple fanfic because certain people on Tumblr are horrible enablers and I have zero self control. If any of my fics deserves a read and review, it's this one. I sold my soul to be able to write this kind of crap.

Fanart

Heero Yuy by @meat-dream

Wufei and Sally by @darksharinganz

Some awesome mixed media pieces by @miyurinq​

Meet Me, The Sun, Music, Kind Eyes, and Pain​ (3x4)

Prince of the Desert (Quatre)

Duo Maxwell by @ghost-proof​

Valentine’s Day Comic (Trowa & Quatre) by @theboringbluecrayon​

Heero Yuy by @ghost-proof​

Heero Yuy by @vivi-mire​

Heero Yuy by @alphaikaros​

Tallgeese Sketch by @cromwell300​

Leo Sketch by @cromwell300​

Deathscythe Hell by @naaaaaaaaaash

Heero and Duo by @ghost-proof, inspired by @doctormegalomania‘s “Dirty C​omputer”

Other Fanwork

Gunpla and Cosplay

Heavyarms Igel by @christianmswanson

Some Gunpla Memes featuring Wufei by @seikunsbuilds

Wing Gundam by @erika-mr

Wing Proto Zero by @bellasar 

Some Cosplay pics by @reiayanamismom

Lowkey Quatre

Patterning, sizing, & Zechs coat beginnings

Mecha Make-Up (Epyon)

Mecha Make-Up Series: Wing Gundam, Deathscythe Hell, Heavyarms, Sandrock, Altron, 

Headcanon and Discussions

@a-river-of-stars​ shared some analysis of Episodes 35-38

Other Fun Stuff

@incorrectgundamwingquotes​ continues to make us laugh (Exhibit A)

@gundayum shared this little video of their Duo itabag

Some doujinshi scans courtesy @perfect-justice

@the-reanimated-bhg has shared some official art from the Gundam Perfect Files and other sources of Epyon, Tallgeese, Heavyarms, Wing Zero, Shenlong (again), Sandrock, Zero vs Serpent, and Endless Waltz group shots

Some excellent meme-age by @the-reanimated-bhg

Zechs and Noin are in love

Quatre is Heero’s Emotional Support Blonde

Colonel Une was Made for Politics

Forging Report Cards

Treat Yo Self

Your Move Bane by @onihcinimkcin

Part 2 of the Gundam moving shared by @not-so-dead-fandoms

Self Destructing with the Boys by @jadesdumbstuff

Calendar Events

@gwcocktailfriday's latest prompt is here.  Be sure to post your response by this Friday (April 1) between 3-5PM.

@gwlemonyshenanigans has returned for 2022!  Be sure to follow for regular creator spotlights.  Posting will happen daily May 1-31.

It’s almost time for @weedgrandpacookbook release (April 20).  In addition to the zine, the creative team is also hosting weekly “Half-Baked” prompts throughout the month of April for those who missed sign-ups.

@gundam-wing-pride is looking for some ideas about this year’s pride event and other LGBTQ content.

Help us fill up the 2022 GW Event Calendar!  If you are hosting an event currently, or are planning on one, hit us up with links and dates!  We’ll add them to the calendar and reblog your notices to help spread the good GW word.

[fenrhi]

“Next episode! Quatre VS Heero!”

me:

[meggie-stardust]

GUNDAM WING - REWATCH - 41 - 42

41. Crossfire at Barge

RHYTHM EMOTION FINALLY

What’s Zechs doing in a mobile suit, they ask. It’s like he likes to fight and they have no idea what his military history is....

Duo to Trowa: Hey lets all subtly pretend we aren’t here and then join the conversation and the battle in a really natural way.

Wing Zero just magically knows that that’s Sally Po

Sally the Gundam Finder. We don’t know where Trowa left it, right? Just she found it. Like a person who finds water in the desert.

Cool shot of Wing Zero’s eye

Now that Duke Dermail is dead, Relena is the only one who can control Romefeller. IS she tho??

TREIZE RETURNS

A red dawn rises, blood has spilled last night

Ooh evil face Relena for a moment

I’ve seen Frozen, I know that she is supposed to wear a dress and crown at all time, even when brooding and locked in a room.

Treize just strolling in and laying down the law. Such a BAMF.

Relena wants to stop Zechs. She thinks she’s the one who has influence over him??? Have they even met face to face since they were children???

Treize: You are free. Leave the gowns, we’ll use them later.

Dorothy is ready to stalk Relena to the ends of earth and even space

This White Fang guy who doesn’t want Zechs to use his mobile suit changed his mind quickly

Trowa just doing own thing, even with amnesia

Oh, I forgot that Heero would have brought Epoyn to Sanc so that’s why Noin knows and Quatre thinks it might be Heero

I love how Trowa has no memory but his instincts are pushing through

Well, Zechs, that’s one way to take care of barge, just cut it in half

Everyone is pretty sad that Barge is gone even tho it was trying to take them out…? Do we even know who we are fighting any more???

42. Battleship Libra

Lieutenant Nichol? He’s still around? I for got about that guy.

Lady Une in a magic case. Like Sleeping Beauty.

Treize stays on brand by bringing Une a $200 bouquet of roses

Treize just subtly dropping some large scale secret plans to comatose Une

That Romefeller stained glass is amazing

This Romefeller parliament is a brodeo. 

Treize’s machinations are amazing. I love him. 

Who is Relena traveling with? Is that Oz? The Treize faction? Why do they just let some rando 15 year old go into space? The Sanc Kingdom doesn’t exist, Romefeller kicked her out... she’s no one.

The voice acting is getting a little sloppy. That was basically just Duo and Zechs chatting there.

Gundam 05?!

“If you guys are justified, then you’ll defeat me” Wufei that really isn’t how battles work.

Is Wufei saying, “if you can’t beat me, you can’t beat Treize?” Or “I’m protecting Treize?” I am confused. I think he’s confused, too.

Who was this random who just killed himself but sounded just like Zechs? 

Too many fools in outer space. Amiright?

OK, everyone loves Treize again. Gotcha. (One of us)

Wufei has no time for anyone floating around space near him. Space is infinite why are you flying near me

This is such a crazy buddy cop spin off: Sally, Wufei, and Heero

It’s Wufei’s turn in the Zero system

“The road I’m taking is the correct choice” famous last words, Wufei. 

Wufei is like “If I’m wrong the world will end. Oh, it didn’t end, I must be right. Obvi”

Heero saw Relena. Wufei sees Treize and Zechs… I’m just saying. Wink Wink

Hey you guys remember the alliance, right? No, god, it’s been like 40 episode, thanks for reminding us. 

Wufei: The Zero system says I have to have a weird sewer orgy with the other Gundam Pilots…. Well, if you say so. 

“Treize and Zechs are my enemies” Really Wufei, I thought it was telling you you needed to become a trouple with them… but ok. You do you. 

Zechs will just fire on Dorothy, and she’s like, whatever. I’ll just monologue through my arousal. 

“I’m the only one who can stop my brother” Again. Are you tho???

Thoughts:

Just Communication vs Rhythm Emotion: So whenever I think about Gundam Wing, Rhythm Emotion is the song that pops into my head. When I made a post about doing this rewatch, I added Rhythm Emotion... But it’s crazy, we get it start at episode 41 of a 49 episode show! Granted, they teased it for the last few episodes, but still. The Rhythm Emotion opening gives us new poses, the upgraded Gundams (including Epyon), some weird royal garb for Heero and Relena, but Treize is conspicuously absent (oh and no whip sound effext so minus points for those). It’s a great up beat song, that jumps us right into the action and sets the pace for where we are in the story... That being said, Just Communication is objectively a better opening. We se so much more of the cast, and it takes it time and has a very satisfying end before the show starts. Rhythm Emotion feels rushed and the end of the opening feels so abrupt. I mean whatever, I still love both songs, but do you guys remember the remix version???

OK, in regards to the actual episodes... I hate to say this but I feel like things are getting a little sloppy. We spent like 20 episode setting up these complex relationships, and then like 20 more building up conflict, and then oh shit we have to wrap this up in less than 10 episodes. We’re doing a lot of info dumping so we can remember what organization is what, and so we know the motivations of the characters. I mean, look, it’s not like it’s the final episodes of Evangelion or anything, and I remember the last two episodes being amazing, it’s just it’s not as tight as it was during the first 3/4 of the show.

What I think I remember for the next episode(s):

Does Trowa finally get to be the final pilot to go for a spin in Wing Zero now that the band is basically back together? Relena has to go stick her foot in it at some point as well.

[incorrectgundamwingquotes]

Bullying Zechs

Zechs: Would you guys be there for me if I was going through something?

Heero: No

Duo: Nope

Trowa: Absolutely not

Duo: 😂

Wufei: I hope it sucks whatever you’re going through

Quatre: “I hope it sucks”?! 😂

Noin: What the fuck

Heero: I hope it emotionally scars you for the rest of your life

Trowa: I hope you reach out to me so I can ignore you

Relena: I can’t wait to go to your funeral knowing that I could have changed that outcome

the Gundam pilots: 😂🤣😂🤣😂

[gwlemonyshenanigans]

Spotlight Friday

Three weeks left till Lemony Shenanigans starts!! And now, featuring two more of our amazing creators, I present to you..... 

2pcb

Where can we find you? (Ao3, FFN, Tumblr, etc?)

2pcbart.tumblr.com, mrsatterthwaite on AO3, @2pcbart on Twitter

How long have you been in the fandom?

Returned in March 2020, but I was in it around 2000-2003 or so the first go?

Who is your favorite character?

Trowa and/or Zechs... secret hot mess expresses.. though I’ve recently grown fond of the scientists 😁

Favorite Gundam?

Sandrock Custom!!

Which character do you relate to the most and why?

WOW what a loaded question! Probably Quatre because I just want people to get along!!!

What is your favorite scene (or quote) in Gundam Wing?

AND I WILL BECOME EVIL ITSELF TO FIND OUT! (From Heero vs Wufei in Endless Waltz - that scene still slaps!)

What fanwork, that you've created, are you most proud of and why? (Ex: story, artwork, craft, etc...)

I wrote a story for GW Pride 2020 that I will not link because while I enjoyed the process and what it allowed me to explore, I think it’s not really technically sound and it’s probably a very crunchy read. But I did it, and I think it had been a long time since I felt so compelled to put words down.

What would you tell your younger self about Gundam Wing and why?

You still won’t get it after ??? years, just stick to Endless Waltz.

Mumuinc

Where can we find you? (Ao3, FFN, Tumblr, etc?)

AO3, Tumblr

How long have you been in the fandom?

About a year when I first saw the anime in '97, and then 2 seconds since returning to it now.

Who is your favorite character?

Duo Maxwell

Favorite Gundam?

Deathscythe Hell

Which character do you relate to the most and why?

Relena now. I used to not like her very much when I first watched the show because I couldn't get over what a stalker she was at the start. I have 23 years behind me since I was fifteen myself, and you know, come to think of it, had I been in her position, I probably would have stalked a cute, mysterious boy who didn't worship the ground I walked on myself at fifteen too.

What is your favorite scene (or quote) in Gundam Wing?

That scene in Episode Zero manga when Duo told Father Maxwell "I've never seen any miracles, but I've sure seen lots of dead people!"

What fanwork, that you've created, are you most proud of and why? (Ex: story, artwork, craft, etc...)

I don't have any in GW fandom right now, since I've only just come back to it, and much of the stuff I've written as a teenager have been lost to the ether (thank god, they were cringey enough I might actually die from shame rereading them). I'm writing one now, though, called The Telltale Heart, and I think it's shaping up to be pretty good.

What would you tell your younger self about Gundam Wing and why?

Stop ragging on Relena, you little shit. You're just as whiny, annoying, and besotted as her, and at least she grew up hella fast. You're still a whiny, annoying little shit at 40.

[sol1056]

three contagonists in one

another two-parter anon:

...while many people [note] Lotor's lack of a relationship with Keith, I find infinite wasted potential in what could've been an interesting arc with Shiro. Both leaders, explorers, abused by the empire, and --- this was stressed for some reason in the Kral Zera episode --- both being a special object of Sendak's hatred.

You just knocked right on one of the few truly fascinating aspects of S3-S6, and one VLD seems to have completely overlooked: Lotor’s positioning as a mirror contagonist.

There’s something you’ll find in a lot of the Gundam series that I haven’t seen too many other series do, and it’s become my favorite way to flesh out a cast. Although most Gundam series have a nominal protagonist, there’s usually a core group of pilots. Each will step into the main spot for a few episodes, and each has a secondary character who acts as their foil. This is their mirror contagonist. 

I first noticed the pattern in Gundam Wing, where it was most stark. Heero had Relena, whose innocence balanced his brutal backstory yet whose political savvy balanced his ignorance of the bigger picture. Duo had Hilde, who’d become a traditional soldier while Duo acted alone. Trowa had Cathy, whose compassion and extroversion matched his detachment and isolation; Quatre had Dorothy, whose ruthlessness and game-playing echoed Quatre’s darker side. And Wufei had Sally, who refused to mope, but grabbed the bull by the horns. Even the antagonists had mirror characters.

A mirror contagonist is also an impact character: they’re the only one the protagonist can’t ignore, even when no one else can get through. Done right, it’s an intriguing way to highlight a character’s internal conflict. But boy, do mirror contagonists take a lot of planning. 

First, they must have a goal of their own, or they’re just a plot device to artificially force the protagonist into plot-movement. Some walk-on just happens to say the right thing to make the hard-headed protagonist think twice? Gee, how convenient. Nope, the mirror character must have their own trajectory, or it won’t be believable that their words/actions could shove the protagonist’s trajectory onto a new course. 

Second, as a contagonist, their trajectory may run parallel to the protagonist’s, but it must differ in the details, whether means or ends. The contagonist is a makeshift ally (as much as they align with the protagonist), but there must also be conflict, and that’s where the quasi-antagonist role comes into play.  

Third, the contagonist personifies either the lie the protagonist believes, or the truth they must accept. Since that points back to the protagonist, you really have to nail down exactly what wound lives in the protagonist’s backstory, what their self-protective lie is, and what truth they need to recognize. Otherwise you end up with a mirror character who’s more like a broken funhouse than a solid reflection. 

Really, you’re creating a secondary character who is tailored to be the only one who can force the protagonist to face the truth. If a secondary character works as a mirror/impact for multiple protagonists in your story... your protagonists need some serious switching-up in their lies, their truths, or their goals. Or all three. 

And that brings me to Lotor. 

He’s a match with Allura, by virtue of his Altean obsession, and their respective parents. He’s also clearly set up as an impact character, with his words changing Allura’s trajectory like no other character manages. He also seeks peace, with similar means (a sentient mecha) but differing goals (taking over the empire rather than dismantling it). 

Although Keith and Lotor never actually meet except for two short scenes, Lotor’s also rife with parallels to Keith. Their respective backstories are shot through with implied neglect, abandonment, distrust, and isolation; Keith’s near-obsession with Lotor underscores that parallel, of like calling to like. 

And yeah, you’re right: there’s a third set of parallels with Shiro. In terms of leadership styles, they’re both inclusive of their teams, fond to a point but always with an edge of distance. They’re strategic thinkers, rather than tactical, and they tend to take the long-range view over short-term gains. And yes, it is rather odd that Sendak seems to have especial contempt for both of them.

This is actually where my original thesis -- that Lotor would make a great mirror contagonist -- falls apart. Because it makes no sense for him to be the mirror for three separate characters. As a contagonist, yes, but to mirror each of these? I mean, we’re supposed to see Allura, Keith, and Shiro as separate entities, so creating someone so well-rounded they can mirror all three...

Lotor is actually a protagonist. 

I’ve alluded to this before, and others have come right out and said it, but this also presents somewhat of a problem. First is that this is too late in the game to be introducing major repeating characters (let alone a seventh protagonist). He should’ve been introduced --- even in passing --- no later than S2. And he should’ve at least been mentioned in S1, so we were aware of the chance he’d enter the fray. 

The second (and larger) problem is that despite being characterized as fully as a protagonist, he swings in and out of being a plot device. Frankly, it’s like the story has no idea what to do with him; he takes up too much room. (Honestly, he would’ve been an amazing protagonist by himself, but I guess that’s too much of a complete reboot to flip the tables like that.)

In S3, Lotor isn’t aligned as a true antagonist; the resulting interactions end up more like protagonists from overlapping stories. Lotor needs a goal that either opposes the team (ie, attack vs defend the empire) or competes with it (both racing to capture the same comet). 

Instead, the team is focused on defeating the empire and Lotor is like, well, whatever. The entire reason they meet is because Lotor manipulates them for his own ends, but these aren’t ends that (at that point) seem to impact the team beyond annoying them. Putting Lotor front-and-center thereby shifts the story to him, which makes the sudden swerve away from him around S4 just as jarring as the original shift to him. 

By S5, Lotor hasn’t lost that layered characterization... and the story still isn’t sure how to balance him with the paladins. He shows flashes of being a true contagonist, in that his objectives are loosely parallel to the team’s, but their ends (overthrow Zarkon) are his means, not his ends (take command of the empire). 

This is where Lotor’s positioning as a quasi-protagonist reveals some major story problems: mainly, that the core team has never expressed what will happen after. The entire coalition storyline --- from the end of S2 to the end of S4 --- drops out of sight, and in the gap, Lotor’s goals become the team’s goals. That’s not a mirror contagonist; that’s a protagonist taking over the story. 

Only one scene ever veers close to doing what it should with a contagonist, or even a mirror: have a discussion. Instead, we get Lotor saying, “this is what we need to do,” the team argues yes or no (but not why), Shiro snaps at Lance, and the debate is over. 

That closed the door on Lotor ever being more than an exposition fairy and plot device. The purpose of a contagonist is to poke holes in the heroes’ plans. Shiro and Lotor (or, in the non-clone version, Keith and Lotor) should’ve gone head-to-head over the (expected) divergence in their respective goals. 

When the story doesn’t go there, it’s a sign the team has no end-goal. There’s nothing, at that point in S5, to indicate what any of the paladins consider criteria for success. What must happen, or be in place, for the team to say the war has ended and been won? Who knows; it’s never discussed or even implied.

Without a goal on the paladins’ part, Lotor has to be stepped back: no meeting with Keith, no exploration of the parallels with Shiro. He’s limited to a plot device that enables Allura’s power-up, provokes conflict for Lance, and provides a ready-made Next Step for the paladins. That is, ‘support Lotor in reforming the empire.’ Which actually just boils down to ‘become the empire’s lackey,’ including vrepit-sa’ing people. (Ugh.) 

This, I suspect, is also the reason Lotor had to be stripped of his generals before the story let him meet the paladins; the generals would’ve been four more contagonists (one for each paladin) and the story could barely handle Lotor. It wasn’t up to interrogating each paladin’s individual reasons for being in the story, especially when 3/5ths didn’t seem to have explicit goals. 

There’s no doubt Lotor was a compelling character, with damn good personal reasons for wanting his parents overthrown. He was far more interesting, too, when he had little inclination to rule, as this implied some larger scheme separate from simply gaining power. But that also made him an awkward character for contagonist or mirror purposes. Compared to his strong motivations, the paladins became cardboard in their own story: no goals, no tensions pulling at them (other than Lance’s jealousy), no outside pressures forcing them to act, no internal needs pushing them to choose.  

The very nature of Lotor’s personal vendetta revealed, in comparison, the paladins’ complete lack of personal motivation. For that reason, he had to be reduced first to an exposition fairy, then to a plot device, and then to a pawn tossed one way then the other and finally to a villain shrieking madly. Letting him retain the strength and depth of a protagonist only made clear how little the true protagonists filled that same role. 

I should add: Shiro is the one exception to this, as anon points out. Of the team, barring possibly Allura, Shiro is the only one with a personal connection to all three major antagonists (Sendak, Zarkon, Haggar), and the only one with a personal reason to make the empire pay. Contrasting Lotor and Shiro would’ve made sense, as respective leaders, and would’ve been a strong argument with no right answer and serious emotional beats.

The story veered away, I think, because that would’ve returned Shiro’s motivations to the forefront. By S5, I suspect the EPs were already trying to downgrade Shiro and minimize his personal stakes. With Lotor’s parallels to Shiro, the easiest way for the story to dismiss Shiro’s unanswered questions was to diminish the one character whose presence could raise those questions again.