Fanfic / Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R-eset

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R-eset is a fanfic by SkyRig. formerly Starlight's Poet and Demons Anarchy of Pride.

The story is, for the most part, a Code Geass Peggy Sue.

After the events of Zero Requiem, Lelouch, now dead, is offered the chance to return to the day he received his Geass and try to Set Right What Once Went Wrong. After a moment of thought, he accepts.

Yet while things initially play out as they do in canon, it doesn't take long for quite a few curve balls to pile up.

After the author views the results of a poll asking if people liked his content (with only one person being in the middle ground and not one person hating what he wrote), he's decided to finish R-eset after it had been on hiatus for a very long time. That being said, on part of re-reading the story and feeling it could have been done better, the author has promised a definite experience in the form of a Soft Reboot.

On January 25, 2021, the author informed readers that he would be rewrite the entirety of R-eset, and as such, the current story would be discontinued. SkyRig has stated he is unsure when the new version of the story will be released due to focusing on real life obligations, but told his readers that it would be posted both on Fanfiction Dot Net and Sufficient Velocity.

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Lelouch of the Rebellion R-eset provides examples of:

• Ace Custom: Several, from multiple parts of the original canon:
  • From the Anime there is Suzaku's Lancelot, Kallen's Guren, Gino's Tristan, and Anya's Mordred. The latter two are still in the Prototype phase though, leaving them weaker than in canon.
  • The Gawain was intended to be this for Lelouch until the Shinkiro is remade, but due to Schneizel not bringing it with him to Kamine Island, Lelouch is unable to steal it again.
  • From Lost Colors Rai has the Pre-Production Gekka, and Alice has the Lancelot Club.
  • Original to the fanfic, The Shakaho, which will go to Rai when it's finished.
• Adaptational Backstory Change: Renya from Renya of the Darkness. Rather than a shinobi, he is the illegitimate son of the late Emperor Akihito and brother to Naruhito, both of whom died in the invasion of Japan seven years ago. This makes him very valuable in the eyes of Peace Mark, and his existence could help upset the balance of power in Area 11. For this reason, Pluton is hunting him down.
• A Day in the Limelight: Chapters 37-39, aptly titled "Knight of Zero," are focused entirely on Suzaku as he combats Sawasaki's invasion.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: With the new timeline, Charles zi Britannia, Schneizel el Britannia, and V.V. are all back as enemies for Lelouch and the others. They are however joined by a fourth Big Bad. One of the first two Geass users and the identity of the Skull in Akito the Exiled, Beleth. And unlike the other three, his actions threaten not just this timeline, but the entire multiverse.
• Chekhov's Gunman: A mysterious character named C, who first appears in the early chapter of the fic, finally comes into the spotlight during Chapter 29, where it's revealed he's C the Demon King from Nightmare of Nunnally.
• The Chess Master: Lelouch. Some things never change. When Mao tries to trick Lelouch into putting himself in a postion where he can be easily killed, Lelouch plays him like a fiddle before having Sayoko kill in a matter of seconds.
• Cosmic Plaything: Lelouch has apparently become this on account of him destroying the Sword of Akasha via his Geass requesting the Collective Subconscious to not stop time, which led to an irregularity occurring. In the hopes of finding the irregularity and correcting it, the Collective Subconscious created different timelines, or simulations, following different, but with "similar stories involving an exiled prince." In other words, since Lelouch caused the irregularity, they believed he could correct it.
• Cliffhanger: Chapter 31 ends with Lelouch losing consciousness as he nears the thought elevator, while two unknown beings discuss his actions. Made even worse by the fact that this was the last chapter released before the series went on an unexpected hiatus that lasted several years.
• Clone Angst: Averted! Upon learning that he was sent to a newly created timeline, rather than sent back to the past, Lelouch fears that he's just a copy of the original Lelouch vi Britannia. The Director of Geass assures him that he is the real Lelouch, as the White Zero transferred his consciousness into this timeline.
• The Dreaded: Pluton is possibly this to Lelouch when he learns of its existence from Wizard. Originally a black-ops organization that did the Royal Family's dirty work, it was taken over by V.V. and merged with the Geass Order, which led to its ranks being filled by Geass-users including Rolo. Since Lelouch knows nothing about their abilities, he's hesitant to fight them.
• Decomposite Character: Julius Kingsley and Lelouch. This is because the story was written before the later parts of Akito the Exiled confirmed they were the same person. This is later justified as being an irregularity in the new timeline, in that whereas Kingsley was simply a brainwashed Lelouch originally, he's now his own entity.
• Defector from Decadence: Orpheus left Pluton, and by extension the Geass Order, and was nearly killed for his troubles, having lost someone he loved in the process. He now works with Peace Mark, who stands in opposition against Britannia and is willing to help the Black Knights.
• Expy: In-Universe, Marybell mel Britannia is this to Lelouch. Both had lost their mothers in "terrorist attacks," but unlike Lelouch, Marybell never suspected that Britannia may had been involved in her mother's death. Like Lelouch, she too confronted the Emperor about the matter and was disowned on the spot. Also unlike Lelouch, however, who is currently instigating a Rebellion, Marybell remained loyal to Britannia and she eventually regained her status as a member of the Royal Family.
• Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Downplayed. While characters may have better introspection behind the actions of others in the original timeline and are willing to look past it for a second chance, not all wounds have closed, leaving some hints of resentment.
  • While Cornelia does understand what happened to Euphemia was an accident and wants to help Lelouch this time around, she still resents him for killing her to an extent. Even though she wants to forgive him, her heart won't let her.
  • Lelouch does see Rolo as his little brother and cares for him, but he can't forgive Rolo for killing Shirley, even noting his hatred for Rolo exceeds his love for him. Its why he wants to find Rolo so he can try and help him before he's too far gone, and if that can't be fixed or Rolo refuses to join him, wants to put Rolo down himself.
• For Want Of A Nail: Lelouch's actions based on his prior knowledge of how things went down in the canon timeline end up having quite a few consequences:
  • Since he got Jeremiah on his side ahead of schedule, Kewell is the one who suffers during Zero's debut. Lelouch changed the name of the "project" to Damson, as Jeremiah wanted to keep the title "Knight of Orange".
  • Mao dies earlier than in canon.
  • Instead of Rolo being sent after Lelouch, it's Alice that's sent. Rolo meanwhile is made into one of Schneizel's officials.
  • The member of the Britannian Royal family that Kusakabe plans to use for bargaining with Cornelia isn't Euphemia, but Nunnally.
  • Marianne and Charles send Gino and Anya to Ashford in order to keep an eye on Lelouch. Lelouch ends up regretting the fact that Jeremiah doesn't have his Geass canceller, as then he would have a way to kill off his mother before she could become a real problem for his plans.
  • General Katase and the rest of the JLF leaders fake their deaths by destroying the ship they were on and secretly join the Black Knights.
  • With the recent reveal, a lot of things in the story change drastically. Namely, the inclusion of experimental technology on loan to Sawasaki by an unknown benefactor who is aware that Suzaku is the "Knight of Zero" — a title he gained in the original timeline and is working with V.V.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Beleth, one of the original Geass-users, is this as his existence is a far worse threat than Charles or V.V. While Lelouch has a better fighting chance against the latter since he knows a lot about them by virtue of his previous experiences, Beleth is a complete unknown to him and is the closest thing Code Geass has to a ghost.
• Intercontinuity Crossover: For the anime, Lost Colors, Nightmare of Nunnally, Akito the Exiled, Oz of the Reflection and Renya of the Darkness. With the exception of comedic spin-offs, Light Novels, and Tales of an Alternate Shogunate, all major spin-offs are featured to some capacity in the fanfic.
  • Lost Colors: Rai shows up early on in the story and ends up joining the Black Knights.
  • Nightmare of Nunnally: Alice is sent to try and take down Zero, as well as monitor the vi Britannia siblings. She also becomes The Rival to Rai, and, as Rai is in the Black Knights, is this universe's pilot of the Lancelot Club. C the Demon King also appears, being a dimension jumping version of Lelouch.
  • Akito the Exiled: Akito, Leila, and the rest of their team show up in a chapter meant as a sneak peek that the author wrote while working on some other stories. The Director of Geass returns as one half of the Collective Subconscious, Shin later appears in a flashback, and the Skull that gave him Geass returns, as one of the Big Bad of the story, Beleth.
  • Oz of the Reflection: Orpheus Zevon shows up in one of the more recent chapters, as part of Peacemark reacting to the success of the Black Knights. He later returns as one of the liaison for Peace Mark, the other being Wizard. Oldrin and the Glinda Knights are also revealed to appear as well, heading to Area 11 when the Emperor feels that Cornelia, even with the aid of two Knights of the Round, hasn't defeated Zero.
  • Renya of the Darkness: Renya is mentioned in Stage 33 and is being hunted by Pluton due to his heritage. Peace Mark wants to find and protect him and requests the Black Knights' help in the matter.
• It's Personal: Killing Kusakabe is this for Lelouch when he finds out that Kusakabe was going to use Nunnally as a bargaining tool.
• I Want Them Alive!: When Charles sends Marybell and the Glinda Knights to Area 11, he orders her to crush the Black Knights and bring Zero to him. This confuses Marybell and Oldrin, but they comply with his wishes.
• Literal Split Personality: The Collective Subconscious manifests in two different forms, each one indicative of a different facet of its personality.
  • The first form is the "White Zero", a pure white version of Zero, representing its humanity and hope. This facet is responsible for allowing Lelouch's return to the past.
  • The second form is the "Director of Geass", the entity that appeared before Leila in Akito the Exiled, representing its logic and pragmatism. It still doesn't believe humans should have the power of Geass but is willing to entertain the "White Zero" for the sake of stopping Beleth.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Collective Subconscious!: As the Director of Geass reveals, It's other half, the White Zero, created a new timeline - or simulation as she calls it - and transferred the consciousness of the original Lelouch vi Britannia there. This, unfortunately, also led to Beleth, the Skull from Akito the Exiled who gave Shin Hyuga Shang Geass, being able to traverse into the new timeline, which also leads to the simulations starting to become destabilized and threaten to collapse, including the original timeline.
• Not So Above It All: Lelouch ends up joining in on Milly complimenting/perving on Shirley, who promptly faints from getting acknowledged as attractive by her Love Interest. He notes that he now understands why C.C. enjoys doing it so much, and that he's spent too much time with her.
• Official Couple: Lelouch and Kallen finally get together in Stage 18, culminating in Lelouch proposing to her (though we didn't know for sure until Stage 21). C.C. meanwhile appears to be gathering a small harem for him involving herself and Shirley.
• Peggy Sue: Lelouch, but he's not the only one: the Collective Consciousness of mankind gave him the ability to use his Geass to reawaken the memories of anyone he desired, allowing him to bring them back into the past, as it were. So far, he's used it on C.C., Jeremiah, Kallen, Suzaku, Tohdoh, Sayoko, Nunnally (after being prodded into doing so by C.C. and Sayoko), Cornelia, Mao (just prior to killing him), Villetta, and Rivalz (the latter entirely by accident, but he rolls with it). Though this gets heavily played with later. None of the characters outside of Lelouch are their original selves, and even Lelouch is only on a technicality. They are all parallel versions of themselves granted the memories of the original timeline due to Lelouch's Geass, Lelouch himself being the mind of the original Lelouch in this timelines body.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Lelouch delivers one to Mao, noting that, despite having known C.C. for twelve years, all that he knows about her is her name, while Lelouch, who has known her for far less time, knows 'way more than that about her. He follows this by using his Geass to restore Mao's memories of the previously timeline, then has Sayoko kill him.
• Remember the New Guy?: Rai. Justified, though: C.C. indicates that, in the original timeline, Rai ended up erasing himself from existence, ala the Geass route from Lost Colors. As such, only C.C. remembers him.
• The Reveal: Chapter 34: Schneizel has figured out Zero is a member of the royal family (though he hasn't figured out Zero is Lelouch specifically) and was informed by a third party about Lelouch's geass... and he also has Rolo under his control, meaning he's allied himself or is possibly affiliated with V.V.
• Secret Test of Character: The Director of Geass reveals that Geass was apparently this, in order to determine who was worthy of a Code. Since the Geass' powers were determined by the user who gained them, they needed to overcome the obstacles that stemmed from the reason why the Geass gained the powers it did. The ones Beleth delivers however subvert this, being rampant powers incapable of being controlled.
• Shout-Out:
  • Lelouch is able to create a mask similar to Miya's from Sekirei. Just like Miya, he has no idea that he's doing this. C expresses confusion as to how Lelouch accomplishes this, and later tries to recreate it himself, traumatizing Rai in the process.
  • The Cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 29 bears quite a heavy resemblance to the one at the end of Volume 3 of RWBY. Given that the author has written other stories about RWBY, this is likely intentional.
• The Stations of the Canon: Downplayed. While many of the common stations done by Code Geass Peggy Sue fics do happen here, other things begin to happen that quickly take the fic off the rails.
  • Rai showing up results in the Black Knights having two aces instead of one. This is balanced out, though, by Britannia getting another ace (see below).
  • Unlike in canon, it's Alice whose sent after Lelouch, instead of Rolo. She's also the one who wields the Lancelot Club.
  • Gino and Anya's presence is entirely due to Lelouch exploiting his knowledge of how things originally went to win the Black Knights several additional victories.
• Soft Reboot: While initially a fairly standard Peggy Sue story where Lelouch tries to Set Right What Once Went Wrong, after it returned from its hiatus, the story has shifted into an Alternate Universe that tries to explore the origins of Geass, the ramifications of Lelouch destroying the Sword of Akasha, and the struggle to combat a new enemy while simultaneously dealing with the foes of old.
• Title Drop: Not the fic itself, but one of it's components — Rai refers to his time prior to going to Ashford as being 'As if the world had lost its colors'.
• Truth in Television: In Stage 33, it's revealed that Emperor Akihito and his son Naruhito were killed during the Invasion, which drastically dropped Japan's moral and leaving Genbu as the sole person keeping Japan's fighting spirit intact. When it's revealed that Renya is Emperor Akihito's illegitimate heir, their existence alone would prove to be the tipping point in the war against Britannia in Area 11. If Japan learned that there was a sole living heir, questionable his claim to the throne may be, Japan would still rally to this person's side. This is true even in real life, as it especially references the aftermath of the Atomic Bomb dropping of World War II. Japan requested that the Emperor remained as an authority figure as, since the narration put it best, his word was the word of God in their eyes.
• Undying Loyalty: The Black Knights, toward Zero. This is especially of note because all of them know that Zero is a Britannian Prince in this timeline, yet they still follow him willingly.
• Wham Episode: The "Knight of Zero" three-parter. It's not very obvious at first until Sawasaki reveals he has another backer besides the Chinese Federation, who he met through V.V., and was given experimental tech. There's also the fact that the backer is also aware of the events of the original timeline, referring to Suzaku as the "Knight of Zero."
• Worthy Opponent: Marybell considers Zero to be this, noting that he's the greatest foe Britannia has ever faced in recent memory. She also notes how disappointing it is that someone who was capable of garnering respect from Schneizel and fight Cornelia to a stand-still, in spite of the presence of two members of Knights of the Round, turned to terrorism.