A/N and Disclaimer:
Welcome back to another chapter of "From Guilt, Resolve", a darker take on a Code Geass rewind story.
Disclaimer: I own no part of Code Geass or any of the characters appearing in it.
Geass
Thoughts or occasionally for emphasis
"Preludes" followed by -Source
Chapter One: The Resurrection of A Demon
Prelude:
"The first thing that you have to understand is that we—CC and I—are time travelers. These versions of us are, at least. Two years in the future, I was killed by Suzaku as part of a plan that we called Zero Requiem, which was meant to both bring peace to the world and to give me the punishment I deserved for my crimes. Instead of dying, I woke up in Shinjuku ghetto, where it all began the first time, when I made the contract with CC."
-A recording of Lelouch vi Britannia, to be bequeathed to his sister Nunnally vi Britannia upon his death by the designated executor of his will, his eminence Jeremiah Gottwald, Duke of Virginia.
Lelouch opened his eyes to the metallic stink of blood and the sight of CC sprawled at his feet. A thin haze of dust clouded the air of a blown-out building. The corpses of murdered Japanese civilians stood out in stark contrast to the dull gray of the debris-strewn floor. A dozen guns were pointed directly at him. I'm back in Shinjuku? But why… He frowned in thought for a moment, but narrowed his eyes into a glare as the Britannian officer who shot CC spoke up.
"So, what do you think, boy?" The arrogance of ignorance dripped from every word.
Lelouch scowled in annoyance as the doomed man interrupted his thoughts. "Why should I care? I don't time for your idiotic games. I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command you: DIE!"
The prince turned dismissively from the dead men as they followed his commands. He had never forgotten the first time he did this—the thrill when he realized that he might actually be able to finally destroy Britannia. But this time… this was just another fight, another order. There was no reason to put on a show for the dead. A smile broke his mask for a moment as he considered the changes wrought on his personality since he originally received Geass. I suppose CC finally impressed the importance of practicality on me after all.
A quiet groan brought him back to the present as he moved to crouch anxiously beside the prone witch. Will she remember? If she doesn't, would she be able to experience my memories? I guess if we went to Kamine Island she might be able to see into them… I'll need to do that eventually anyway; I'll need to find out if the Collective Unconscious had anything to do with this. Probably does. But then why am I back if I succeeded… He managed to quiet his racing thoughts as CC's face momentarily twisted into a grimace of pain. Lelouch schooled his face into an impassive mask as her eyes cracked open to look up at him. She paused for a moment, considering his expression before cracking one of her trademark smirks.
"You always miss the details, Lelouch," the witch laughed as his eyebrows raised involuntarily at her reaction. "Do you remember me making any such effort to meet you in Shinjuku last time?"
"…No," he responded somewhat sheepishly.
"You always miss the details," CC repeated with a grin that quickly morphed to a frown as she noticed where she was. "You know, a true gentleman would help a woman to her feet."
The ex-emperor couldn't help but chuckle at her ever-predictable teasing. He obediently extended a hand to her with a formal bow. "As you say, my lady," he responded sarcastically, pulling her to her feet and kissing the back of her hand for good measure.
"So what now?" The witch asked as she dusted herself off and wiped the blood from her forehead with the back of her sleeve.
"I haven't had much of a chance to think about it. I don't want to make any changes without considering how it will change future permutations, so I won't change Shinjuku at all. Villetta should be here in a few minutes, and things should play out the same from there." CC shrugged and leaned against the wall of the ruined, and tossed back her head as she craned her neck to look at him in an expression he knew so well.
"You're taking this whole back in time thing better than I would have thought."
Lelouch shrugged at her comment. "I am not really thinking about it right now."
"To avoid thinking about the past?"
Lelouch grunted an affirmative. "I can't afford to be distracted when I need to keep things the same until I have a chance to think this through, but… I don't know if I can take seeing them again."
"I'll be here, no matter what," she promised, coming over to place a hand on his arm. The prince gave her a small, sad smile that CC returned. "It's part of our contract, after all."
Before the prince could reply, he was interrupted by a crash as another wall of the building was blown inwards, a Sutherland appearing out of the new cloud of dust.
"What happened here?" Villetta's voice rang out through the knightmare's PA system, tinny from the speakers but still clearly recognizable. "What are two Britannians doing in a ghetto? Answer me!" Lelouch narrowed his eyes at the Purist's interruption as a hail of fist-sized bullets punched through the wall around his head. How ironic that you and Ohgi came to love one another. I suppose people really can change…
"My name is Alan Spacer, and I am the son of a duke. I formally request secure transportation from Shinjuku. My ID card is in my breast pocket; it can confirm my identity." He allowed himself a grin as Villetta exited the knightmare as before.
"Give me your knightmare and your sidearm and stand here for fifteen minutes or until someone new enters this room." The prince felt the familiar tingling in his left eye as his Geass flared to life, but noticed that his right remained dormant. Interesting. So I don't have Geass in both eyes, suggesting that only my mind has been transferred.
"Of course. The code is XG2-D2D4." Lelouch accepted the pistol and key she presented to him.
He looked back at CC, who had moved forward to stand a few steps behind him "Are you coming, CC?"
"I don't see any particular reason to subject ourselves to being packed in like sardines. I'd only distract you and get in your way, anyway," CC replied. "I'll meet you back at Ashford. Let Sayoko know I am coming, though. I'd rather not get stabbed," she finished with grin.
"I would rather that as well, but Sayoko only kills people people I tell her to," Lelouch replied defensively. CC rolled her eyes as he turned back to knightmare. "I will call her, though. I was going to tell her I'll late anyway."
"Lelouch?" He turned again to find himself trapped in the immortal's embrace. "I'm glad you're alive. Just… be careful." His eyes widened in surprise at her sudden outburst of emotion.
The prince found himself reminded of the closeness they had shared before the Battle of Fuji, before the reality of Zero Requiem had set in. Those moments when he had considered just escaping it all with her, but couldn't because it would have condemned the world to chaos. Holding her head to his chest, he stroked her green hair and took a moment to simply revel in the comfort of human intimacy.
"Remember who you're talking to? Only my own plans can kill me." Lelouch commented ironically, yet with evident tenderness. His response drew a somewhat forced laugh from his partner's lips. "I'm sorry about Requiem. I haven't fulfilled our contract yet, let alone accomplished anything else that I need to do. I won't be going anywhere, I promise."
CC's looked down, hiding the pang of fatalistic resignation in her eyes. "Don't make a girl promises you can't keep, Lelouch. We both know that the world comes before our contract."
"That won't matter," he declared vehemently. "I know what is coming and what to plan for. I can accomplish both goals this time. I can create a better world and still grant your wish. Even though it had to be done, it isn't as if I liked Requiem either once I knew Nunnally was alive."
Finally recovering her own composure, CC pulled back from the embrace. "I know. I just…" her words trailed off. "You're not invincible, no matter how much you know of the future or how well you plan." She looked down and clenched her hands at her sides. "Anyway, you should get going. The Black Knights probably need you."
"The future Black Knights," he corrected. "Technically they don't exist yet. But I know," Lelouch nodded. "I'll see you tonight, CC."
"Remember to call Sayoko!" She called after him. He grinned back as he entered the cockpit.
It took Lelouch barely five minutes to get into position to ambush the Sutherlands on the rail line, giving him plenty of time.
"Hello, Master Lelouch. What can I do for you?"
"Hey, I just wanted to call you and let you know that I'll be too late to make it to dinner tonight, since I got caught up in something in the Shinjuku ghetto."
"Are you hurt?" Sayoko asked. "Rivalz mentioned that you had fallen into the back of a truck that he got into an accident with and then it had driven off. Nunnally has been worried sick about you ever since he got back."
The prince grunted as if he had been punched. Nunnally was… worried about me. He felt a drop of moisture slowly roll its way down his cheek. She cares. I haven't hurt her. Yet.
"Are you alright, master?" the maid repeated, worry now evident in her voice.
"I'm fine! I'm fine, Sayoko, I just got… distracted for a moment. I'm just going to be here for a while, since something happened with some terrorists or something in the ghetto. I've been detained just because they are being careful, but my ID checked out."
"Oh. Tell me," she replied, voice suddenly careful and measured, "has your asthma given you any trouble?"
Lelouch was confused for a moment, before realizing what she meant and grinning. It was an old code that he had come up with years ago for communicating whether his identity had been compromised and she should hide with Nunnally. "Don't worry; it hasn't given me any trouble in months."
"Ah, good. That's a relief. I was worried for a moment."
"Yeah. It may take a while for everything to get sorted out and for everything to get ironed out, but everything will be fine. Just… don't worry Nunnally by giving her the details. Just tell her there was traffic or something. The government probably won't publicize what's happening, and she… she doesn't need to know the details." He hesitated for a moment, gauging what else he should tell her.
"Master Lelouch?"
"I… It's nothing. I'll tell you later." When I'm not supposedly in Britannian custody. He finally remembered why he called in the first place. "Oh, and someone will be arriving at some point this evening. I'm not really sure when she'll get there, but she has long, light green hair and her name is CC. She will be staying with us for a while.
"Very well. Stay safe, Master Lelouch."
He sighed at her formality. "Lelouch is just fine, Sayoko. Goodness knows, you've been with us for long enough to be part of the family."
"If you insist, ma—Lelouch."
"Thanks. Talk to you later." He flipped the phone shut with a snap and slipped it into his pocket. It was time for the real games to begin. Lelouch cracked his knuckles and turned on his stolen resistance radio.
"The west entrance."
"Who the hell is this? How did you get this code?" Kallen's voice crackled back angrily over the radio.
"Who I am doesn't matter at all, only that I can give you and your friends a chance to win."
"To win? How—"
The prince cut her off. "We—or rather, YOU—don't have time for this argument right now."
"Why should I—" Kallen shouted before Lelouch interrupted her again.
"Get on the tracks and jump on top of the eastbound train. You will have help once you arrive." Lelouch smirked as he shut off the radio again. He wasn't sure if the sound of grinding teeth had been coming through the radio, or if it was just his own imagination.
"Hey you! On the radio!" Kallen got no response and ground her teeth so hard that her jaw hurt. She wanted to hit something. She really, really, really wanted to hit something. Ideally the owner of the voice on the radio, to start with. Even at Ashford, a school full of Britannian nobles, she had never heard a more arrogant, condescending tone. Of course, that would mean not starting with a member of the Britannian royal family. Maybe they'd line up for me? Kallen snorted at her own strangely optimistic train of thought. Unfortunately, turning around and fighting the two Sutherlands chasing her was not an option with a one armed Glasgow. Damn Britannians. I'd beat both their asses if I had one of their knightmares, two on one or not. She groaned as she looked at her energy filler again and realized that her only chance was probably listen to the arrogant bastard with the stolen radio. "Goddammit."
"Ah, you came. I was worried you wouldn't see reason," the voice crackled over the radio with a burst of stack, yet somehow managing to sound completely unsurprised. "Jump on the train, then turn and take care of the first Sutherland. I'll get rid of the second." Kallen wished she could punch whoever the arrogant bastard was, but she didn't really have a choice. At least he trusted me to take down a Sutherland in a one-armed fourth-gen, she noticed with some surprise. Shrugging off the thought, she tightened her grip on the control sticks, mentally counting down until she jumped.
Two… One… and now! Pushing off her knightmare's right land spinner, perfectly timing her slash harken to hit the first Sutherland as it came into view. "Take that, you Britannian pig!" She knew as soon as the hit connected that it would deal crippling damage and force the pilot to eject. Before the other could react, another harken shot from a hole in a building beside the rail line, disabling the other pursuer. But that looks like a… Sutherland?! Kallen did a double take before seeing the strange Sutherland spin further into the building.
"Kallen, did you get that radio message?" She noticed that Ohgi, Tamaki, and the others were all jogging toward the train.
"Did that guy—" not "the asshole", he DID save you, Kallen "—contact you guys too?"
"Yeah, he did. But I don't know who—"
All of their radios crackled at once.
"I give you the gift of the contents of that train, as tools to win this battle," the voice announced. "It can be done if you obey my orders."
"Hey boss, look!" Tamaki shouted as he pushed open the doors of one car. "There are Sutherlands in here, enough for all of us!"
Not just knightmares, but Sutherlands? To people he's never met? But—
"Woman in the Glasgow, recharge your energy filler. You'll be running decoy for the rest of the group." Kallen shrugged and started the process. She didn't like it, but he had just saved her and given them enough weapons to really fight the Britannians on even ground. Might as well give it a shot. It's not like you expected to survive today 20 minutes ago anyway.
The room slowly came into focus as Suzaku opened his eyes to see the face of a young Britannian women standing over him. "Good afternoon, Private Kururugi. I'm Cecile Croomy." Her voice was… not exactly friendly, but certainly respectful and polite. "You're lucky to be alive. This," she continued as she offered a now-dented pocket watch to him, "saved your life."
"Thank you." The Eleven hesitated for a moment. "I… was there another boy found near me? A Britannian student?"
Cecile frowned in thought for a moment. "I didn't hear of anyone like that being brought to the field hospital. Who are you looking for?"
"His... it doesn't matter. Not much I can do from here anyway."
"Cecile, is our test subject awake yet?" A voice echoed down the hallway.
"Sorry in advance about Lloyd," she apologized quietly.
"What do you—" A thin, fairly tall man in a lab coat practically danced into the room.
"Excellent, he's awake! Tell me, Suzaku Kururugi," he smirked knowingly at the injured teen, "how would you like to be the devicer for a new prototype knightmare?"
"A—a knightmare? But I'm—" He cut himself off mid-sentence. Shut up Suzaku! This is what you've wanted, right? A chance to climb the ranks? This is it. The scientist—Lloyd, Cecile had said—winked at him, as if reading his thoughts.
"Today really is your lucky day, isn't it? Welcome to the Camelot Program," Lloyd smirked again. "Hopefully you'll last longer than the other pilots."
Clovis felt his heart skip a beat as the IFF icons of the Sutherlands that had been converging on the terrorists position blinked out in an expanding ring.
"Bartley, what happened?!" The Viceroy demanded.
"It—it appears that the terrorists triggered a collapse of a network of old subway tunnels, your highness. All Knightmares in the main combat area have been lost."
Clovis felt panic rising in him. There was no way run-of-the-mill terrorists could defeat him, which meant that the JLF was probably here, which meant they had... Tohdoh?! No! And I'm out of knightmares. What now? What would Lelouch or Schneizel do? Maybe—
"Ahem," Lloyd had again appeared on the main bridge display.
The 3rd prince groaned inwardly, but there was no other option. "Lloyd, can your Lancelot stop them?"
"Of course, your highness! I've always said it could!"
"Then you have permission to deploy it. The objective is the annihilation of all resistance forces in Shinjuku.
Kallen blinked her eyes owlishly at the giant crater where several city blocks had been mere seconds ago. We… we actually did it! We did it!
"We won! We did it!" Tamaki shouted. Well, we beat their knightmares at any rate, but still…
"Not quite," the voice corrected immediately. "The Britannians are about to deploy their most advanced prototype knightmare frame to date. They call it the Lancelot. Your Sutherlands, even all together, cannot beat it, and in any case I don't want you to." There was an ominous as he let that sink in.
"Yeah we can! We just—"
"Shut up, Tamaki," Kallen responded seriously. "We only got this far because of what this guy has done for us and his leadership. Besides, I'm guessing that there is something else he needs us to do."
"Precisely, Q-1," came the quick reply, not allowing Tamaki to object further. "I need you all to run decoy against it. The pilot is actually quite honorable, and will try to land disabling blows instead of targeting the cockpits. Once you eject, find your way to one of the shelters. I have a final card to play."
"You expect us to just leave these knightmares behind? Are you crazy?" Tamaki shouted indignantly.
The response was given in the coldest tone she'd ever heard. "Tamaki, isn't it? Tell me, did you plan to smuggle all these Sutherlands through the Britannian lines? Maybe fight your way through the Lancelot and the perimeter of conventional ground forces Clovis has set up? Perhaps you hadn't realized that would leave all of the other residents of Shinjuku to die." The voice paused, and even Tamaki didn't dare respond to his icy tone. "Unlike you, I have considered the final outcomes and come up with a solution. So go and do what I tell you, unless you are not fight for the people of Shinjuku after all. "
There was a subdued atmosphere on the radio as they got into position. "Hey, what is your plan, anyway?" Kallen asked finally.
"I'm going to cut off the head of the snake." The stranger said it matter-of-factly, as if there was no risk in such a plan, no chance of failing to assassinate a Britannian royal. Damn. Points for being audacious, at least. "Don't contact me again on this channel."
"Hey, wait! What are we supposed to call you?" Kallen cursed her tone. She sounded like a teenage girl running after a stranger who'd just saved her. Which is true, I guess, but it doesn't make it sound any less stupid.
"…I have gone by several names, but you can call me Zero. I'll contact you." There was a click as Zero's radio was turned off.
"The whole mysterious stranger with many names thing? Really? Is this some kind of novel or something?" She sighed to herself. In the end, does it really matter if it works, though? And if he can kill Clovis, it'll be the biggest blow to the Britannians since the invasion. She shook her head again. "Well, best of luck to you, 'Zero.' Now it's time for us to do our part." She noticed a single red blip had appeared on the scanner, and stretched before settling back into the pilot seat.
"—All casualties are to be treated equally, and I will tolerate no more killing. I order this in the name of Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince of Britannia and Viceroy of Area 11." As the recording device shut off, Clovis returned his attention to the only other person present on the darkened bridge. "Was that satisfactory? Would you like me to sing a song, or play a game of chess with you, perhaps?"
Lelouch gave a small, tight chuckle as he walked into the dim backup lighting on the bridge and removed his helmet. "I'm afraid that you would only lose, just as you did at the Imperial Villa all those years ago… brother."
"Le—Lelouch?! You're alive? This is wonderful!" Clovis stood from his throne and began to step forward. "We all thought you were dead, but I am so happy that you are finally—"
"Sit down, you bastard." Lelouch commanded as he raised his stolen pistol. "I am not going back to Britannia; both it and you are monsters, just like father. I'm here today because you ordered the death of an entire ghetto to hide your precious human experimentation."
"Human experimentation? How do you know about that? And what does it matter? They are just Elevens, Lelouch! Besides, it isn't as if anyone cared about that green-haired bitch we—" The off-hand excuse turned into a howl of agony as a gunshot echoed in the confines of the bridge. Falling out of his throne as he hunched over, the Viceroy stared in shock at the bloody mess of his right knee.
"I care, you bastard!" Clovis raised his now-terrified gaze back to the brother that loomed over him, finally realizing his predicament even as fought against the worst pain he had ever endured. Lelouch stalked toward him, eyes narrowed as he looked upon the despicable man before him. "You say no one cares for CC, yet she is the closest friend I have. She was my anchor through years of chaos and war, through countless tragedies and atrocities. When I lost her it nearly destroyed me, and yet you…" Lelouch put his foot on Clovis' wound and leaned on it, eliciting another screech. "You dare to say that no one cares for her?!" he shouted angrily. "That she doesn't matter?!"
"Lelouch please! I didn't know!" The viceroy hissed through gritted teeth. "I'm your brother! Your own flesh and blood!" His shooter squatted down and jammed the gun barrel under his chin.
"You know, if you'd only killed a few thousand people," Lelouch replied conversationally. "I might have forgiven you. I've done far worse, after all. But you tortured one of the few people I actually have left in this world, and the only person who never betrayed me, no matter many mistakes I made." He paused briefly before continuing bitterly: "besides, my hands are already stained with the blood of my siblings. What's one more to the count?"
"What would Nunnally say?!" Clovis pleaded desperately. "If she knew that you killed me, what would she say about it?"
The exile rocked back on his heels for a moment, staring off into space for a moment before focusing on the royal at his feet. "Once, that might have saved you. But now…" Lelouch leaned closer to his brother and looked him in the eye. "In the end, what does one more sin matter when she would already hate me if she knew what I've done? I left that line behind a long time ago, 'brother.'"
He squeezed the trigger to cut off any response Clovis may have had. Taking a moment to calm his emotions, Lelouch holstered the pistol away and walked to the exit. His finger hovering above the button to open the door, he paused in turmoil for a moment, looking back the still-warm corpse of his brother. He didn't mind his rage in this case. There was no question that Clovis deserved it, after all. But the way he'd tortured him... he'd wanted to do it. To hurt his brother, not just kill him but make him suffer like he did to CC. The way he'd stepped on his wound; what kind of monster would— Stop it, Lelouch, he told himself, shaking his head clear. It was another episode, that was all and you know it. Going back in time isn't going to change what you are. Closing the door behind him, he put his helmet back on and began the long walk to the edge of the ghetto.
As she climbed the steps to the floating stone platform, she was discomforted as always by the gaps between each stone slab. Seeing as how the structure was technically not physical and could be shaped by certain individuals, she didn't understand why her husband hadn't redesigned it yet. Probably some absurd manifestation of bravery and manly virtue, I suppose, she thought with a snort. Finally reaching the top of the stairs, she made her way over to the large man silhouetted against the perpetual evening light of the Sword of Akasha.
"What's the problem, Charles?" Marianne vi Britannia demanded impatiently. "Eventually someone's going to get suspicious of Anya's absences, and—"
"Clovis is dead," her husband cut her off sharply. "Our son apparently made a contract with CC and killed him."
The ex-empress initially thought to celebrate, but quickly realized that her husband wasn't finished. "That isn't a problem in itself. What else happened?"
"I looked at Clovis' memories. Lelouch's behavior was confusing to say the least, but most worrisome was that he implied some things that make no sense given what we know of his time in Area 11." Marianne raised her eyebrows in surprise and accessed the memories through Charles' power.
"The only explanation that possibly makes sense is that CC met him during the invasion, but even that doesn't explain the rest," she remarked, eyes narrowing in thought. "He never killed any of his siblings before Clovis, we would know, but he implied that he had. It just doesn't make sense. And the way he said that he has done things that Nunnally would never forgive him for… he seemed utterly certain that she wouldn't."
"If I didn't know better, I would say that he had lived through her condemning him already," Charles replied.
"That's exactly what it sounds like!" Marianne exclaimed. "But weren't they both still living together with the Ashford's, the last we heard?" Her husband gave a somber nod as he continued to gaze out over the World of C. The former empress began pacing anxiously, as was her wont.
"I told you what I believed CC's true wish is, the one that she doesn't consciously know, or at least won't acknowledge." Charles turned to her. "She wishes for someone to love her unconditionally because of her, rather than because of her Code or Geass, even if she won't admit it to herself. Regardless of any other implications, the depth of the affection that Lelouch expressed to Clovis means that he might be able and willing to fulfill this wish. And that, my dear, puts the plan at risk."
His wife stiffened. "We're not going to kill him, Charles!"
"I never said we would," he replied, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "He was our choice to lead post-Ragnarok, remember? This still might even turn out to our advantage, but we still need to keep an eye on all this at the very least."
"You want to send someone? VV will likely want to be kept in the loop when he finds out, and even preoccupied as he is, don't think that little bastard won't for a moment."
"Not the details, if I can help it. After you leave I'll alter Clovis' memories so it doesn't seem as alarming," her husband said more calmly. "But for now, we watch and wait. If VV sends someone, then we can send a counterpart of our own choosing. Communicate with CC and try to determine if she is still committed to the plan. We'll go from there. But Marianne," he warned as she turned away, "Don't give her any hint that something is amiss with Lelouch. For all we know, she might have a role in it herself."
"Very well, Charles. But I am not letting VV harm them, no matter what you say."
Charles sighed as his wife stalked back down the stairs towards the exit of the Sword. Turning to gaze out over the clouded expanse around him, he clasped his hands behind his back. This new development was disturbing. Very disturbing.
A/N:
Hello readers. In general, I will leave the space at the beginning free of longer author's notes apart from essential content, and put the longer, less important stuff down at the end, like this is.
Unless otherwise specified, assume events are cannon unless they involve specific changes to plans mentioned in the text. The idea for the preludes came from a variety of places, but I was thinking about Mistborn when the thought of doing it for this fanfiction came up, so I'll give that series most of the credit. If you want to understand my reasoning behind some choices, such as how I portray certain characters, PM me and I'll try to get back to you efficiently. Keep in mind that any such decisions are my own, and I make them in a way that lets me tell the story I want to tell, while still being as true as possible to the original work; I'm also not going to make a huge effort to stay with the original dialogue in repeated scenes, because not only is it unoriginal but its tedious to go through and rewatch scenes that way. Most of the time, the small differences in wording will not have no real ripple effect, and if something is a ripple point I will try to make it fairly clear, like I did above, when Charles and Marianne responded differently to Lelouch's behavior when he, uh, "talked" with Clovis.
I cannot promise regular updates, since finals are coming up very soon, but I will try to get at least one more chapter out before them (i.e., before May 1st) and another before I start my summer job a week or two after that. Hope that you enjoy it so far, and as always reviews, follows, favs, etc. are much appreciated.