#reborn ramble

[bluerosefox]

Got a new idea cooking in my head.

Another DPxDC idea.

A reborn into DCverse Toddler!Danny but also Dad!Dick and Talons.

Danny is reborn into the DCverse (either he's a clone of Dick, a created test tube baby, OR a kid Dick unknowingly had during his amnesia year) and wakes up in the Court of Owls who finally have their Gray Son and will turn him into the greatest Talon ever.

Thing is, Danny still has his ghost powers (King Danny? Idk leaving it open, either that or just able to control clean ectoplasm) and knows whatever fruitloops have him, this will not be fun. So, when none of the Owls are watching him, he uses his abilities to influence a few Talons and they all book it out of the place.

Danny later finds himself walking the dirty Gotham streets with a few Talons, one holding his hand while the others hide in the shadows in case they need to protect the baby Talon they all care for.

Of course, the sighting of a Talon holding a toddler's hand catches the camera's and Oracles attention very very fast.

One of the Batboys is sent out, not Dick he's on a space mission right now, and whoever it is, is shocked to see a toddler that has a LOT of similarities to Dick.

[cheecats]

Even less serious than before

Moonpaw = One-Eye reincarnation so that we can have OneRipple Yaoi AND Yuri

I have been eyeing this ask for weeks with the clearest illustration in my head... here it is

[rebo-chan]

Something I was thinking about lately is Tsuna's daddy issues. Specifically this frame.

Like that's such a loaded thing to think about. He's got so much resentment built up. Obviously, there's no direct connection to any of Tsuna's issues made but I think a few fun things can be said from this. In general, Tsuna clearly didn't have a father figure in his life which sorta results in him leaning on Reborn pretty often. Tsuna doesn't have a very stable self-esteem with him going from confident to "Aah, Gokuderas going to become disillusioned with me now that all my flaws have been pointed out." GOKUDERA. His FIRST SUBORDINATE. The guy who literally has been LOYAL FROM DAY ONE. Not that we consider them canon, but this happens also during the filler arcs where Daemon points out that Tsuna's not worth following to Gokudera and it seems to make Tsuna a little antsy. He DOES NOT THINK THE PEOPLE HE LOVES ARE GOING TO STAY WITH HIM, THIS IS LITERALLY RUINING MY LIFE. What Daddy Issues DO TO A MF. But that's a post for another day. But okay, back to Reborn, Reborn proves himself to be immovable from Tsuna's life. The story points out that Tsuna very much has two fathers. The one who won't leave and the one who is always gone. Tsuna really leans on Reborn throughout the series. "Reborn, what do I do?" Is a common thing he says, until Reborn is literally swept away from him against his will in Future arc where he's forced to think that he's half a person in Reborns absence. Meanwhile, we have Iemitsu who Tsuna has resentment built up towards, does not respect, and is forced to acknowledge in order to win his fight. Throughout the rainbow arc battle, they try to point out that Iemitsu is trying to teach Tsuna something here and unless I'm confused (someone feel free to tell me?) it's not really clear WHAT that is. And I've always thought that was neat, because it's obviously coming from Tsuna's inability to respect Iemitsu enough to want to learn anything from him. Yet when Reborn comes in, hell he doesn't even recognize him in his Adult form, but he politely listens and takes his advice seriously. In the grand scheme of the series, Reborn is a good teacher and father figure in his life. When Tsuna is made to feel like that he can't do anything in Reborn's absence during Future, Reborn takes a step back in that arc and lets him learn to survive without his guidance. (Notice how the training almost entirely disappears after Future.) He lets him learn how to be a person without him, only stepping in to help when Tsuna really needs it. When he's unable to light his flame, with Spanner, or when he's freaking out about the Irie reveal, the list really goes on. There's a scene I recall I believe when Yuni asks to join their group, Tsuna still turns to ask Reborn what to do, and Reborn redirects him by asking him what he wants to do. That it was his call as a boss. And Tsuna ends up making the decision to help her off his own accord.

It's with Reborn's guidance that Tsuna ends up learning to be his own person, it's this guidance that allows him to make the decision and gather everyone on his own accord when it was Reborn's turn to be shaky and give up. Where Tsuna tells him that he's got this under control, without his guidance. To just watch him. "you've always knew I could win before." It's this arc where Reborn's pride in Tsuna shines. Multiple times. "Surprise me again, Tsuna." And he does. It's in Reborn's second absence where Tsuna feels himself get shaky again, feels the old feelings of poor self image crop up, that Reborn comes back. Because Reborn is not Iemitsu, and he wasn't someone who left him in that house alone forever. Because he's still young and has much to learn before he's ready to do this on his own. It's at this he feels a little embarrassed about how glad he is that Reborn came back, but then recalls the "mean words" that Reborn said before leaving. It's here that Reborn tells him it's a good thing he hasn't changed much. Another sliver of guidance that Tsuna takes in from the figure in his life that won't leave him alone in that house.

[batbabydamian]

woke up and immediately fell to the floor

[alienssstufff]

Your gegg is soooo cuteee 💘💘 I don't know how you do it but you draw this specimen perfectly

ty! the secret is egg :]

[istharoth]

Lingering Presence

wc: 1.6k | fem-reader | not proof-read

Inspired by Haku's warding card!

She stares at the crane machine in distaste. She's all for having vending machines at Onsens but a crane machine too!? That's evil and smart. She's definitely going to play until she goes broke. 

"…I lost again." She falls to her knees, weakly holding the last token while Zenji assures her she wasn't bad at the game but the machine was stingy. 

"How many have you gone for?" Subaru tilts his head in pure curiosity. The Inspector had been at it for the past fifteen minutes so it likely wasn't that much money. 

"Fifteen tries," She mumbles, looking away, unwilling to meet his surprised gaze. "But the maiden lost all of it, alas!" Zenji sighed, resting his hand on his chest, much saddened by her loss. 

"Want to play a round?" She asks, offering him the token as she stands up. "Is it okay?" He asks, staring at the token as if it were an uncommon object. 

"Yup, it's fun once you get the hang of it." She grins, moving away from the stage. She watches with a smile on her face as Zenji teaches Subaru the controls, the duo trying their best to get a plushie. Well, since she's available, she might as well get some drinks.

Carefully sliding the door open, she walks down the halls. It was mostly empty, granted it was a family-owned onsen by none other than the Kusanagi Clan. Seriously, she knew he was rich but if he were on the same level as Jin, she'd have to wonder if Darkwick only allowed rich people to enter the school. 

She lightly jumps from the veranda to the grassy field. In the night sky stars glitter across the vast galaxy. 

The full moon glowed down at her. He leans against the wooden pillar, gazing at her in fondness. "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" Walking slowly, he appears behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. 

"Wha-!?" She clenches her fist, twisting her body to land a punch on the perpetrator, only stopping when she figures it is Haku. "Violent, aren't we?" He grins, and retraces his arms, raising them in the air as if to signify defeat. 

"You could've announced your presence?" She questions back and he chuckles, "Guilty." Though he doesn't look guilty in the slightest. 

"Can Your Majesty please forgive this soldier who didn't know any better?" He does a curtsy and she tries hiding her bubbling giggles. "If the soldier vows to protect me, yes." He looks up at her, extending his hand towards her. She places her hand on top of his and he plants a kiss on it. 

"Now," He smiles at her radiantly, cheeks a bit flushed, "The vow can't be broken." She's done for. She's absolutely done for. She's not sure how much longer she can hide what she feels for him. 

He intertwines their hands, asking if they should head back in. She still needs to buy the drinks but she doesn't want to let go of him. She doesn't know if she'll get the chance again. "Let's go. I want to see if Subaru-Senpai got a plushie yet," She chuckles, ignoring the thumping of her chest. For now, forever she'll pretend as if it does not exist. 

When they enter the room, Zenji immediately takes Haku's attention and he lets go of her hand. She looks down at her hand, a tingly warmth felt from it. "Y/N-San, I finally got it!" Subaru appears in front of her, proudly displaying the plushie to her. 

"Woah! Congrats, Subaru-Senpai! It's so cute!!" She gushes before glaring daggers at the crane machine. "I think I might get one for Lyca," Subaru smiles, looking at the plushie and then walks back to the crane machine. 

"Heyy, don't spend too much." Haku sighs putting his hand on his hip as he watches Zenji and Subaru shoot for another plushie. "Once you start, you can't stop." She points, mirroring his actions. 

"That so?" He chuckles, taking out a small box from within his sleeves. "For you." He holds a small box towards her. In the transparent box, she could see earrings similar to his own. 

"Don't they look similar?" He points at his ear, giving her a huge grin. "When did you buy it…?" She asks, thanking him for the gift(?). 

"A while before we ate at the dango stand." He answers, asking if he could help her put them on. Nodding slowly, still a bit in shock he brought her something, she handed him the box. Opening it, he unclasped the earring and tugged at her earlobe gently. She could feel the warmth radiating from his body, she hoped he couldn't hear her heart. The ghoul senses weren't that good, were they?

It felt like minutes had passed, but it's likely only a few seconds passed since he clasped the earrings on her ears. He takes out his phone, handing it to her to look at her reflection. 

She can't take this anymore. She wants him to love her as she does. Desperately. 

Glancing at his earrings, she touches the tassel of the earring. It's as if they had bound the red string of fate themselves. Fate need not care for who they're supposed to love. Fate has no business in her love life, since she's locked hands with him, she's been his. 

"Thank you," She whispers and he hums, "Anything for you." 

It's been nearly a year since she was found in a train station. She doesn't remember what happened, except she was at a concert. However, she received news that the group had disbanded a year ago. In the year when she didn't remember anything, she returned home with only red tassel earrings. 

Just like clockwork, she reaches for the earrings. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she watches as the triple-knotted red earring dangles. She does not recall when she brought it or why she brought it- if she did, that is. 

It appeared from nowhere and every day she had to put it on. Her entire self feels unfamiliar if she doesn't. It's reminiscent of something too, something or someone she can't recall no matter how hard she thinks. 

She lets out a shaky sigh, walking back to her bed and falling backwards. She stares at the ceiling, the fan from above showering her with cold air. She remembers nothing from the past year, but somehow there's always a dull ache when she tries to recall. Something happened, something she wished she wouldn't forget. 

"Let's get to work," She gets up from her bed, continuing her morning routine. 

Despite getting lost at a train station for a year, according to the police, she uses it anyway. There's something about the specific station in Harajuku she can't wrap her head around. It's not just in Harajuku but also on the train heading to Tokyo Bay. 

She passes through the crowd, eyes on her phone as she changes the song playing from her playlist. It's from the band she liked but they disbanded. The world feels a bit unfamiliar as if she'd seen something that wasn't accessible to the rest of the world. 

A figure bumps into her and she looks up. He looks familiar, moreover, his earrings are similar to her own. "Oh, I'm sorry." He nods as if to apologize. Before he can get lost in the crowd, she grabs onto his sleeve. He turns around, eyes widening slightly and she stares up at him. She knows him. She's well aware of his presence, but she can't figure out who he is. 

"Have we met before…?" She asks, eyes stuck on his dangling earrings. It's the same as hers. It's pure coincidence. She should accept that but for some reason, she doesn't want it to be just a coincidence. 

He smiles at her, it's familiar. It's as if he were the very thing she couldn't remember. "I'm sorry, but maybe you have the wrong person?" His guilty tone doesn't match the light-hearted expression on his face. She immediately lets go of his sleeve, apologizing profusely. Somehow though, she doesn't think she can forget this strange encounter. 

"I couldn't say it last time but," She looked up and he was already staring at her. "They look good on you." She feels her face flush up and rubs her neck in embarrassment. 

"Thank you," She should ask what he meant by the first statement but looking at the complete look of fondness in his eyes, she doesn't think she should. 

"Then, I hope we'll see each other again, Your Majesty." He turns around, mixing in with the crowd. She can feel her chest bubble in excitement. She sprints forward, attempting to find him again but to no avail. He's someone she doesn't want to let go of, someone she definitely doesn't want to forget. 

"Met up with her?" A certain grim-reper asks, leaning against the station walls. "She still wears them," Haku mumbles, hiding his face with his arm and Rui chuckles. It's hard to see Haku lovesick again. Not that he doesn't understand. The Inspector's appearance was abrupt, she left a long-lasting impression but left just as abruptly. 

Haku Kusanagi had once sworn he wouldn't fall for her again. He'd only watch from afar as she lived her life without anomalies, without ghouls. He'd be content with just that. Had he known all of this would happen, he would've confessed before it was too late. He would've had her in his arms for just longer, he should've held her hand for longer. If he did all that, then maybe they wouldn't be strangers again.

[mixelation]

i have been debating on and off for a while what itachi's relationship with kushina is like in reborn au pre-team 4. and i just found this post (and read the linked fic at the bottom semi-recently) and actually the idea that kushina saw itachi-- the weirdest kid on the planet-- and went "i want my own baby!!!" is so fucking funny.

anyway imagine a time travel itachi torn between dodging kushina's babysitting attempts versus the fear that if he's not cute enough, naruto will never be born

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

it's always so funny to me when people are like "how can you ship griffguts after all that griffith has done to guts???" like idk man, take it up with canon. ask guts why he keeps salivating over griffith's bare ass after all that griffith has done to him

[in-asterism]

always one step ahead of you- or watching from behindA

[gremoria411]

Zeon Remnants: Why so many?

*Spoilers for most of the Universal Century Below*

So a common criticism of Universal Century I see is that it’s essentially all Zeon Remnants, all the time. That it every antagonist to the Earth Federation is either a Zeon remnant or related to such and it makes the universal century feel smaller.

That is 100% a valid criticism.

However, it’s not something I particularly notice as a problem, so I figured I’d make a post delving into my reasons why. I’ll be talking about each of the “main” Zeon groups (The Principality of Zeon, The Delaz Fleet, Axis Zeon, Char’s Neo Zeon and The Sleeves) and I’ll talk about why Zeon are so frequently the antagonist. Alright, enough preamble, let’s get on with it.

Why don’t I have a problem with Zeon always showing up, all the time?

Because I usually consider each Zeon group its own thing. Like, yeah the aesthetics and some mobile suits tend to match up but they typically have…. If not different goals, then different cultures. It’s not just the same thing all the time.

I’ll be dividing them by roughly four factors:

Motivations - *Why* are they fighting, how unified are they?

Size - big force or little force, since it affects how they fight.

Newtypes - Oh hey, it’s just possibly one of their more important contributions to the setting in general. Kinda important. Focusing more on how they’re used and how they’re seen.

Mechanics - Mobile suits and overall tech level for the time.

The Principality of Zeon

First up, the good ol’ Principality of Zeon. The P of Z, if you will. Founded by Degwin Sodo Zabi in the aftermath of Zeon Zum Deikun’s death in U.C. 0068. Rapid Militarisation of Side 3 (Munzo), the colonies composing Zeon followed, with what would become the One Year War being declared in UC 0079. It’s sometimes known as “The Duchy of Zion” in older translations.

It’s a little unclear *why* war was declared, but the official line and the view of the average citizen would be that it was a war of Independence from the Earth Federation. Zeon Zum Deikun (who Zeon was named after) was the father of Contolism, a philosophy that combines two major elements:

Elseim - The Earth is Sacred, and must be protected (The Earth is Humanity’s Cradle, but man cannot live in the cradle forever-type stuff, with a big focus on environmentalism).

Sideism - All Space Colonies should be independent from the Earth Federation (This is where all the “Those whose souls are still bound by gravity”-type stuff comes from).

And nestled riiight in the middle of those two is the Newtype Theory, which postulates that ascending into space is the next stage of mankind’s evolution, giving rise to a “new type” of individual, with the ability to communicate over great distances and divides.

Due to Class divides and economic disparity between the Earth Federation “elite” and the Space Colonists (particularly those in Side 3), Contolism was massively popular, with Zeon Zum Deikun being raised to leader of Side 3. However, he died suddenly and (apparently) appointed Degwin Zabi as his successor. Degwin would instigate a purge of Zeon’s most loyal followers, and place his children in high ranking political positions, ruling the Principality of Zeon as absolute dictator. It’s unclear if Degwin declared war as the logical conclusion of the Contolism Philosophy to wrest Earth from the Federation, if he viewed it as a way to secure greater power or if he genuinely wanted to rule the entire earth sphere.

What I’m getting at here is that your average Zeon soldier believes he is fighting for the Independence of the Space Colonies and the safeguarding of Earth against the Federation Elites who seek to exploit it. The higher command however, is incredibly fractious, since each one is operating under a different member of the Zabi Family, and so there tends to be a lot of friction. Even if Zeon had won the OYW, it’s likely it would’ve had to deal with a Civil War at some point or another (dependant on which members of the Zabi family survived).

Zeon is also notable in that it’s the single largest organisation here, and since mobile suit combat was relatively new, it fought with a lot more variety than any of its successors, such as tanks and mobile armours. It also had the advantage of, with the notable exception of the RX-78 and its derivatives, being far better off than the Earth Federation technologically, possessing advanced mobile suits and actual Newtype research (important note; With one singular exception, it is never suggested that Zeon’s Newtype laboratories are anything less than above-board. Are they under immense pressure to succeed? Absolutely. But crucially, they aren’t inhuman). It had a large variety of mobile suits - usually a few good “workhorse” units (Zaku’s and Dom’s) with a bunch of oddities on the side (like Gyan’s and Zakarello’s).

Lastly, the One Year War itself. This is a point I’ll be coming back to frequently throughout this, but; The Federation possessed a major population and material advantage over the Principality of Zeon for the entire war, and was able to deploy a staggering amount of enlisted soldiers into the war. Zeon possessed the advantage of mobile suits early on, but they were also forced to mobilise a great many soldiers. Both Sides of the One Year War lost half of their respective populations in the early stages of the war (The One Week Battle) and Side 4 Moore was utterly devastated. What I’m getting at is that there would be an awful lot of individuals with millitary training and/or technological know-how running around after the war, as occurred in the real-world World War II and Cold War (strictly speaking I’m looking at them being an easy source of millitary experience in genre fiction, but you get the idea). So you have a lot of Ex-Soldiers and remaining military equipment hanging around, and a lot of people with “legitimate grievances” to hate the other side (Warcrimes on both sides, The Earth Federation essentially doesn’t change, Zeon Remnants remain an active problem with several becoming pirates and there’s a lot of Federation “mop-up” teams going around, the precursors to the Titans).

So, The Principality of Zeon in a nutshell; Principled reasoning (i.e. Contolism), massive force, Newtypes rare and incredibly valued (since they’re essentially a living reminder of why they’re fighting and a massive force multiplier), mobile suits essentially brand new and largely experimental.

The Delaz Fleet (and Zeon Remnants in general)

The Delaz Fleet was formally created in U.C. 0081, being primarily composed of former Gihren Zabi Loyalists from the Principality of Zeon, led by Aigulle Delaz (above, left). They were most famous for Operation Stardust in U.C. 0083. I’m also going to be discussing Zeon Remnant groups in general here, since the Delaz Fleet is essentially just a very large and successful Zeon remnant group. Delaz’ goal is relatively simple - vengeance. Delaz wishes to deal a hefty blow to the federation, largely to avenge the Principality’s loss at a Baoa Qu, with much of his forces feeling similarly (note: it’s possible that, had their been less withdrawals of Gihren Faction Loyalists like Delaz, A Baoa Qu may have gone differently). The forces under his command is relatively small, to the point where he is forced to seek aid from both the Axis Advance Fleet (though this is largely in materials and recovery) and the Cima Fleet, which costs him dearly.

Delaz specifically embellishes the “cause” of Zeon, focusing less on the Principality’s totally necessary warcrimes and more on Zeon’s fight for Independence against the Earth Federation. This is relevant because Delaz reaches a wide audience, espousing his own Zeonic ideals, largely divorced from the original Contolism basis. He also blames the weakened political leadership of the time (read: that nasty Kycilia murdering his precious Gihren Zabi). Delaz is specifically the most successful of the Zeon remnants in his era, directly to the space colonies detriment, since his actions directly lead to the founding of the Titans, who brutally crack down on the Colonies.

Equipment-wise, Zeon remnant groups are a varied bunch, but typically fight using older or ad-hoc equipment - The Delaz Fleet primarily utilises upgraded machines from the One Year War - Zaku FII’s, Rick Dom’s and, most notably, Dra-C’s - mobile suits cobbled together from spare Zaku and Gattle fighter-bomber parts. Any other materials they use are either stolen from the Earth Federation or are acquired through other means.

Newtypes are kinda weird here, since there just aren’t any in 0083, and the general theme with Newtypes in other remnant groups around this time is typically that they’re either propaganda or just not very good. It’s possible that the Newtype philosophy was largely dormant for a while immediately following Zeon’s defeat - either viewed as propaganda or directly suppressed by the Earth Federation themselves (like Amuro). The Newtype philosophy likely experienced as resurgence with the emergence of the Titans, since it would have been a rallying cry for spacenoid independence once more. As such, Newtypes just aren’t a big thing in Zeon remnant groups around this era, at least as near as I can tell (Delaz is the only animated force we see, and I try not to rely too much on manga, at least for Universal Century).

So, Delaz Fleet (and immediate postwar Zeon remnants) in a nutshell; Varied Motivations (though typically vengeance or survival), Small Guerilla Force, Newtypes near non-existent, mobile suits either OYW cast-offs or stolen.

Axis Zeon

Which I admit I’m using because it’s more easily distinguished than Neo Zeon, Neo Zeon and Neo Zeon. Anyway, Axis Zeon is made up of the various Zeon remnants that fled to the Asteroid Axis after the One Year War, this includes several pilots, scientists and engineers, which ensures that Axis enjoys a massive technological edge for most of its existence. Axis, in contrast to Zeons prior, is primarily concerned with “The Restoration of the Zabi Family” since one of the people that ended up there is Mineva Zabi, daughter of Dozle and the Zabi family’s only living heir. Except Glemy maybe.

Since Mineva was of the Zabi family lineage, of course she’d want to resume their conquest of the Earth Sphere, and so Axis was reconstructed into a fortress for her to rule when she came of age, with a regent being appointed to rule in her stead, which eventually fell to Haman Karn. Haman was essentially able to use Mineva as a figurehead in order to mount an invasion of Earth, and struck at the end of the Gryps War, when both the Titans and AEUG were reeling from that conflict. It’s also notable that a lot of the Axis members we see are very young, so were raised on “The Glories of Zeon” without actually seeing the realities of the One Year War with their own eyes.

Neo Zeon also was able to develop and field newtype weaponry, with newtypes being a potent threat against the AEUG. However, they still weren’t common, and so Cyber Newtypes were fielded. In contrast to “true newtypes” who have naturally awakened to their powers, cyber-newtypes are those with Newtype potential who have been forcibly conditioned with drugs and implants in order to function for combat. Though deadly threats, they are very unstable. You may notice that this seems anathema to the Contolism Philosophy espoused by Zeon Zum Deikun, and is incredibly dehumanising to boot, signifying that Axis is barely even paying lip service to its ideals of spacenoid independence. Axis Zeon is also notable for utilising clones to supplement its Newtype forces, which…. I don’t think is strictly counter to Contolism? But it feels like it’s against it in spirit, if not in letter.

It’s especially notable that a great many members of Axis Zeon espouse things like “For the Glory of Neo Zeon” and “For the Restoration of the Zabi Family” without really understanding what they mean. It’s also notable that, barring links with surviving Zeon Remnant groups, Axis isn’t noted as being very popular with the colonial population, likely because they don’t really understand what the “Ideals of Zeon” mean, and the civilians recognise them as merely parroting Zabi rhetoric.

Axis Zeon would eventually be undone by a Civil War within the organisation led by Glemy Toto, coupled with the AEUG’s offensives. Unlike the political manoeuvring of the One Year War, the Glemy Faction coup occurs very suddenly and results in massive casualties in the organisation due to his command of the Newtype corps.

Technologically, Axis is absolutely cutting-edge. They really don’t cheap out on mobile suit development and are able to design and field a variety of units comparable to the Principality in its heyday. Axis forces are essentially the best-armed Zeon will ever be, helped massively by the sheer amount of Newtype weaponry they can deploy (they have three mainline mobile suits in the Neo Zeon War, all three seeing good amounts of production at various stages and they’re typically first pick for Zeon Remnant Groups in the U.C. 0090’s). They also have the facilities for Newtype cloning, as mentioned above.

Axis Zeon in a nutshell; Hollow Motivations (Restoration of the Zabi Family and Conquest of the Earth Sphere), large force, newtypes and cyber-newtypes prevalent, mobile suits many, varied and cutting-edge.

(I haven’t quite finished all of ZZ, so forgive me if this one’s a bit rough)

Char’s Neo Zeon/Newborn Neo Zeon

Sometimes also known as Char’s Rebellion. It was basically founded in order to accelerate space migration….. by plunging the Earth into nuclear winter and making it near-uninhabitable. Founded by our good buddy Char Aznable in U.C. 0093, there’s less to go on for this particular iteration of Zeon, basically just a movie and supplemental information. It is composed of various Zeon remnants and political factions under Char Aznable with the express purpose of instigating the Axis Drop in order to make the earth uninhabitable and stop humanity from damaging it. Which is a terrible plan, barely paying lip service to the Contolist ideals Zeon was founded upon.

That’s because it’s a lie.

Char is in fact mounting a suicide run on the entire Earth. Creating a threat so massive that Amuro will be forced to kill him to stop it. Which is rather informative. Char is essentially using his influence to hold the entire operation together, and it’s notable that a good chunk of his own forces actively move to counter his goal when the option presents itself. Consequently, there isn’t much in the way of ideals on display here - Char is famous both for being the son of Zeon Zum Deikun and for his Dakar Address when he was a member of the AEUG. It kinda seems like a lot of his support is coming from people who know him from that, as opposed to what he’s actually doing. Newborn Neo Zeon is basically headlined and held together by Char, and has the vibe of a desperate last gasp for Zeon. It’s also notable that the only time we see Char actually lead Zeon is when he’s using its name for his own ends.

Newborn Neo Zeon also has a great more political pull than many of the other groups - Char Succeeds in a lot of his goals because he’s essentially able to play the Earth Federation like a fiddle, while remnant groups happily provide him aid. Technologically he has the backing of both Anaheim and Newtype Labs. Char’s mobile suits are, while not cutting-edge as such, very well rounded. The Geara Doga and Jagd Doga both share components and a general body structure, and the only reason the Sazabi is unique is because they couldn’t make the frame suit Char’s abilities (there’s a bunch of prototype units that pave the way to the Sazabi). Newborn Neo Zeon also retains a number of Axis Zeon Remnants, which bring their mobile suits and technical skill as well. Newtypes, while not exactly common, are considerably more stable than their Axis predecessors, and are given Jagd Doga’s, which are probably the closest a Newtype machine has ever come to reliability and ease of use. There’s also the Alpha Azieru…. which is also there (I don’t really have a lot to say on it honestly, it’s just kind of another “big newtype weapon”). Unfortunately, I really don’t have much to go on here regarding how the force views its newtypes - they’re essentially just treated as a special branch of the forces, no contolist ethics here, which is genuinely pretty sad. Because it illustrates just how far Char’s fallen from the ideals he espoused at the end of Zeta, especially considering he’s the son of Zeon Zum Deikun.

Char’s Neo Zeon in a nutshell: Motivations lean Char-centric, middling force with a lot of soft power, Newtypes present and mostly stable, small mobile suit variety but what’s there is very good.

(The Geara Doga’s one of my favourite grunt suits, so I’m probably quite biased here)

The Sleeves

Last of the “main” Neo Zeon Organisations. The Sleeves is a melting pot of every Zeon remnant group going. Founded around U.C. 0096, they were led by the man called Full Frontal, known as the “ghost of char”. Due to their disparate status, they aren’t recognised as a legitimate organisation by the Federstion, instead being branded a terrorist group - which they essentially are, being an aggregation of a bunch of other informal Zeon remnant groups. This mixed nature leads to a similar diversity in views and equipment - you have die-hard contolists, Glemy faction remnants, newborn Neo Zeon cast-offs and everything in-between.

They are essentially a return to form for Zeon Remnant groups, but are able effectively leverage their limited assets to fight quite effectively, though again, they’re heavily reliant on soft power, such as their relationship with Anaheim and political connections. They don’t have the forces to steamroll through the Earth Federation, so they’re forced to adopt an almost cell-based approach (at least that’s my read on Full Frontal and Suberoa Zinnerman’s relationship). It’s an odd mix of the realities of a Guerilla war against the federation and hearkening back to Neo-Zeon groups past (who were themselves hearkening back to the days of the old Principality). I should also note that The Sleeves maintain links with several other Zeon Remnant groups, such as some of the forces that attack Torrington in Unicorn. This is interesting not just because it shows a greater deal of collaboration between these groups than seen prior (Delaz and Cima were not exactly trusting of each other), it also shows a different mechanical composition to pre-U.C. 0090 remnant groups.

They’re kind of all over the place. Which I love because it’s 1:1 with their philosophical composition - they’re remnants from a bunch of different forces and groups, so of course it makes sense that their mobile suits would reflect that. The Sleeves do possess the…. Not-quite-cutting-edge-but-at-least-new Geara Zulus and the absolutely fabulous Sinanju (s), Kyshatriya and Rebawoo, but that’s kind of all they’re at. Everything else is from at least Char’s Rebellion or earlier - there’s one-of-a-kind custom units, old axis castoffs, even some stuff from the One Year War and immediate postwar period (like that poor regelgu). A varied armament for a varied force.

However, it is notable that The Sleeves don’t really have much of an identity of their own, largely due to their patchwork composition. They’re the scattered remnants of previous causes, and this is both called out and used against them in-universe. It feels like an examination of Char’s actions during CCA - Full Frontal certainly has Char’s charisma, but he doesn’t have his drive as evidenced by his eventual goal, which isn’t necessarily a *bad* aim, it’s just not Char.

Following on from this they share Newborn Neo Zeon’s just general…. disinterest in newtypes. They’re like any other pilot, they can just use different equipment. All the Sleeves Newtypes we see are very well-equipped though, so how they precisely look at them is unclear. This could be viewed as another extension of Char’s attitudes in CCA.

The Sleeves in a nutshell: Motivations are kind of all over the place, middling-to-low-sized force, newtypes uncommon but mostly-stable (one exception) and very effective, massive mobile suit variety but quality’s also all over the place.

Conclusion

So yeah, I find each revival of Zeon different enough that I can consider them separately to each other - yeah, there’s crossover, but their attitudes change each time - the only thing that stays the same is the aesthetic and who they’re fighting against.

But why are Zeon so often the antagonist?

Out-of-universe, because they sell. But you already knew that so let’s talk about possible In-universe reasons:

Old Equipment - The Principality was *huge*. Masses of equipment, enlisted men and yes, mobile suits. We see several individuals that are able to survive on the Scrap alone - Kelly Layzner, Judau Ashta, even the AEUG utilize a Gelgoog at one point. There’s a lot of material out there, and its a hot commodity post war and the Earth Federation will be in a hurry to rebuild - they don’t have the resources to track down every case of assault rifles or damaged-but-not-irreparable mobile suit. The South Seas alliance in Gundam Thunderbolt is one such organisation, but there will be a lot of Zeon Remnants who are still functional.

Loss of Leadership, not force - Aguille Delaz personally blames the “weak political leadership” (IE Kycillia) for the loss in the One Year War, but we can extrapolate that further. The Battle for A Baoa Qu saw pretty much all the remaining Zabi High Command due within hours of each other - Gihren kills Degwin, Kycillia kills Gihren, Char kills Kycillia. These are three massive losses to the war effort in very short spaces of time. Gihren’s betrayal of Degwin would’ve been very costly for him even if Kycillia hadn’t taken revenge there and then. He deprived himself of both the Solar Ray and the Fleet that Degwin was part of. The fact he took out Revil as well merely would’ve made it an even loss - if it wasn’t for the Solar Ray being rendered unusable into the bargain. Kycilia’s revenge killing of Gihren deprives A Baoa Qu of forces as the commanders loyal to Gihren flee the scene - Delaz among them - weakening the defence overall. Finally, Kycilia is killed as she is attempting to flee to Granada, where she planned to continue the war. This leaves a great many well-armed forces at large, since their strength wasn’t spent at A Baoa Qu - forces that Axis Zeon will draw on. All it really takes to galvanise these remnants is a charismatic individual, something which isn’t exactly in sort supply in the Universal Century.

Corollary to the above - Unclear loss - A Baoa Qu was absolute chaos, so the precise mechanics of “why Zeon lost” might be difficult for the average soldier to grasp - particularly one lacking in reliable non-federation communication sources. It would be easy to look at the mess of A Baoa Qu, then look at the equipment beside you and think “Yeah, we could’ve won. Yeah, we might still win”.

Unchanged Status Quo - Zeon launched the One Year War, at least officially, in the name of Independence. The Earth Federation was governing the colonies poorly, and class inequality was high. This does not change, if anything, it gets worse, as groups like the Titans see the OYW and Operation Stardust as Carte Blanche to utterly suppress the space colonies, and carry out War Crimes at least equal to Zeon’s. A failed war might at least spark some change to prevent another one, but if anything conditions for spacenoids only get worse, so resistance groups would see an upturn in numbers.

Corollary to the Above - Spacenoid Independence doesn’t stop with the war - The Independence of the Space Colonies is still a hot-button issue which the Federation has reason to suppress. So any ex-Zeon soldiers that folded back into civilian life may get involved with Colonial Independence movements. Or, any colonial independence movement that finds the Federation isn’t listening to them might seek a way to *make* them listen - and might find Zeon Remnant Groups sympathetic to their cause.

Little oversight - Before the formation of the Titans, the Earth Federation government believed Zeon to be removed as a threat - small pirate groups, but nothing major. Operation Stardust changed all this, yes, but before that Zeon remnant groups could operate largely unopposed, especially in areas with lower federation presence.

Total Societal Upheavel - Half of the population of the Universal Century died in the One Week Battle. Side 4 Moore was completely destroyed. There’s going to be some serious societal reconstruction after that no matter how you look at it. (Sidebar - Polygamy is mentioned as being a lot more common in Gundam Thunderbolt after the OYW, due to the massive gender disparity - you could also read this as Universal Century also being supportive of Lesbians). It’s not necessarily a driving force behind Zeon Remnant groups, but it’s worth remembering.

Military Experience - The big one, in my opinion. You have a lot of individuals with military experience after the war, including Guerilla warfare. This includes all the forces that had to adapt to new environments, like fighting in space, in colonies or on earth. There’s also a massive postwar economic depression. That’s not going to breed contentment towards a weak government, especially one that wasn’t doing a good job before the war.

In a nutshell, Zeon has the experience, materials and drive necessary to continue being a problem after the One Year War, and the Earth Federation Government doesn’t have the institutional will to stop them until Operation Stardust, which leads to the creation of the Titans, which really don’t help the situation.

Feel free to mention anything I’ve missed!

[cute-sweet-corgo]

SHE'S CRAZYYYYY CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZY

Explodes

[bluerosefox]

...........

So.

Ghost King Danny (and or) Ancient of Space.

Basically POWERFUL Danny gets summoned to the DC world.

How?

Because his reborn lover/partner/wife(or husband) was being used as a 'sacrifice' to summon him. (Danny and his partner (not picky who, could be a DP character or a made up one) sometimes they relive lives together, but Danny due to King duties can't always join his 'other' (or Forevermores as I like to coin them as) into new worlds for a few years.

Who is partner was reborn as, I leave up to you all!~

[myrmyrtheorca]

Happy thoughts that keep me going:

- Squalo being genuinely happy and relaxed, smiling from his heart (not his usual smirk of superiority, a sincere beaming expression);

- Xanxus looking out from his office windows to watch the fireflies down in the Varia gardens before going to bed;

- Yamamoto and Tsuna having videogame nights where Tsuna tries to teach Yams a new fighting game and Yams wins by the rule of "beginner's luck" despite Tsuna knowing all his main's combos;

- Bianchi crocheting mittens for Chrome because after noticing she gets her hands cold easily;

- Chrome being too scared of using said mittens because she doesn't want to ruin them;

-Kikyo checking up on Daisy, Bluebell and Zakuro's health because none of them trust medical doctors enough and he has to go with each of them whenever there's blood work to do.

[metacrisisdoctor]

it makes me crazy to think about the christmas invasion but specifically the christmas invasion in 2 specific contexts:

1. the ninerose kiss, for the doctor, literally just happened. but he knows she doesn't remember it, so it's insane in multiple ways. the kiss he died for, the kiss he was reborn out of, and she doesn't remember. but also it just happened!

2. born again. there are a shitton of painful moments for the doctor and rose, but ten asking rose if she wants him to change back and her saying yes absolutely rips my heart to shreds. not that rose's reaction is wrong, but that ten is born so happy, so hopeful and like actually vibrating with love for rose and now not only does she not remember their kiss, but she also wants him to change back despite the fact that ten is a phsyical representation of him making peace with the timewar because that is what that kiss is about. and despite him obviously not wanting to regenerate to a degree, it's something he knew would happen by kissing her and absorbing the time vortex and it's why his regeneration is so meaningful. he chose to die for her, he is proud of himself, he feels so deeply changed and therefore at peace with this regeneration that happened because of and for her, and her reaction just physically hurts to watch with that in mind.

the context of born again adds to their dynamic in the christmas invasion is so insanity inducing because rose has just told him she wants him to change back, he thinks she wants to leave and yet he wakes up immediately when she asks. he still chooses to spend christmas with her and her family despite thinking she doesn't want him anymore ‼️‼️‼️ because he wants to do it, because he loves her because he has been born out of love for her and there is nothing he wouldn't do for her, even if he was expecting her to leave because he changed which HE DID FOR HER.

[multi-fandomdisaster]

Good news! Siren's Curse is a woman! Feminism win!!!

[gelataisa]

Forever obsessed with a 10 years bazooka mishap that bring a tyl xanxus into the present during a party at villa vongola. he is clearly about to have sex (fortunately he only has his shirt open) and has what clearly is a wedding ring on his finger.

everyone is disbelieved and squalo looks like hes about to explode

xanxus is clearly annoyed yet somewhat amused. he probably revels in seeing his father embarassed by his everything. to everyone's surprises he scolds, in this order, the entire tenth gen for not teaching the fucking child anything apparently, and lambo himself for not being more responsible and behaving during an event like that

squalo once again freaks out (VOI!! WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED THAT TURNED YOU LIKE THIS) and the look xanxus gives him is so amused- yet poignant. the most attentive observers could be led to believe that there is also some fondness, yet they disergard the thought immediately

you know fish, theres this thing called 'being almost 40 years old', you might get to hear it some day

squalo's answer is lost in the smoke that appears right after

present xanxus is far less amused and calm upon his return