History YMMV / CodeGeassMaoOfTheDeliverance

* DracoInLeatherPants:
** Averted - though Mao is the protagonist of the story, and it's told from his point of view, his actions, good or bad, demonstrate his [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope descent into villainy]]. He's actually played more as a [[TragicHero Tragic]] JerkassWoobie than [[DracoInLeatherPants a whitewashed bad guy]].
** Interestingly, in the story itself, Mao gives C.C. this treatment, refusing to believe that she did anything wrong, even by [[BlessedWithSuck giving him]] his {{Telepathy}} in the first place , making him completely dependent on her (though this wasn't entirely her fault, she certainly didn't help by promising to be with him forever or having sex with him at such an early age, which the work [[strike: implies]] [[SexyDiscretionShot features]] ([[spoiler: though when C.C. admits that she really does love Mao near the end, it makes more sense]]), selfishly asking [[spoiler:that he kill her, despite knowing how much she means to him and trying to [[UnwittingPawn manipulate him into doing so]], cruelly abandoning him for refusing]] and ''almost'' attempting to kill him when it becomes apparent he poses a serious threat to her plan to [[spoiler: use Lelouch to kill her instead]]. [[spoiler: [[PowerOfLove Pays off in the end]] though when C.C. finally admits that she loves him too and pledges to keep her promise to stay with him forever through the medium of [[SpiritWorld C's World]]]]. Mao does slowly come to think of her as a BrokenBird though as he contemplates her [[DeathSeeker Death Wish]] and even double-subverts this trope when he admits that though she lied to him, [[LoveMartyr he doesn't care]].

* RonTheDeathEater: As the story is told from Mao's perspective, Zero/Lelouch comes across this way, [[spoiler: at least until Mao himself [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope loses it]] ''even more'']].

* AntiHero: Mao qualifies. His stated goal sounds noble, but to accomplish it, however, he employs [[MoralEventHorizon increasingly]] violent and twisted methods.

** The author also indulges fan theories such sd dropping hints about Mao's noble or royal origins, revealing that Lelouch and his sister Nunally are literally in love with each other and explicitly going with the interpretation that Nunally has a supernatural ability see into a person's memories by touching them.

* {{Fanon}}: While the work borrowed some novel ideas concerning its titulary character from older fics about Mao, it applies them in original ways and introduces even more new material, which has started to appear in later related stories.

** Also several flashbacks of him as a little boy, playing with C.C., as contrasted with his present circumstances.

** And the time in the airport when he and C.C. embrace after [[spoiler: he's asked her to help him commit suicide!]].

** And with Nunnally, it [[spoiler: only ''seems'' that way at first, until it's revealed it was all part of a larger {{plan}}and the bomb ''was a fake!'']]

** Special mention goes to the bit in [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Chapter 20]] when the Black Knights show up and [[ShoutOut start singing a variation on]] the [[{{Anime/Pokemon}} Team Rocket]] theme song for [[LargeHam no apparent reason]]!

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Subverted in that its portrayal isn't ''so'' different from the show, but merely elaborated upon. Seems to take the position that Mao is a [[TragicHero Tragic]] [[TheWoobie Woobie]] AntiHero with a JerkassFacade.

* FreudWasRight: Mao has SingleTargetSexuality for C.C., whom he met when he was six and who [[WifeHusbandry practically raised him]]. It's also implied that she had sex with him when he got [[SheIsAllGrownUp a little older]]. Yeah...

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: Mao trying to steer an airplane for the first time, screaming at the top of his lungs as he attempts to fly through a ''frickin hurricane!''

* [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming Crowning Moment Of Heartbreaking]]: ''Chapter 1'', when C.C. abandons Mao whilst he calls out to her, culminating in his collapse at the side of the road because it's just [[HearingVoices too damn loud.]]
** Also several flashbacks of him as a little boy, playing with C.C., as contrasted with his present circumstances.
** [[spoiler: Then there's the time he gets shot by a firing squad while C.C. screams his name]]
** And the time in the airport when he and C.C. embrace after [[spoiler: he's asked her to help him commit suicide!]].
* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: A Refrain induced flashback where Mao and C.C. happily cover each other in newborn butterflies.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: Mao kicking everyone's ass at his first game of poker while the ''Rolling Stone's'' [[RuleOfSymbolism "Sympathy For The Devil"]] plays in the background. Hell yeah!
* DracoInLeatherPants: Actually averted - though Mao is the protagonist of the story, and it's told from his point of view, his actions, good or bad, demonstrate his [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope descent into villainy]]. He's actually played more as a [[TragicHero Tragic]] JerkassWoobie than [[DracoInLeatherPants a whitewashed bad guy]].
** Interestingly, in the story itself, Mao gives C.C. this treatment, refusing to believe that she did anything wrong, even by [[BlessedWithSuck giving him]] his {{Telepathy}} in the first place , making him completely dependent on her (though this wasn't entirely her fault, she certainly didn't help by promising to be with him forever or having sex with him at such an early age, which the work [[strike: implies]] [[SexyDiscretionShot features]] ([[spoiler: though when C.C. admits that she really does love Mao near the end, it makes more sense]]), selfishly asking [[spoiler:that he kill her, despite knowing how much she means to him and trying to [[UnwittingPawn manipulate him into doing so]], cruelly abandoning him for refusing]] and ''almost'' attempting to kill him when it becomes apparent he poses a serious threat to her plan to [[spoiler: use Lelouch to kill her instead]]. [[spoiler: [[PowerOfLove Pays off in the end]] though when C.C. finally admits that she loves him too and pledges to keep her promise to stay with him forever through the medium of [[SpiritWorld C's World]]]]. Mao does slowly come to think of her as a BrokenBird though as he contemplates her [[DeathSeeker Death Wish]] and even double-subverts this trope when he admits that though she lied to him, [[LoveMartyr he doesn't care]].
* {{Fanon}}: While the work borrowed some novel ideas concerning its titulary character from older fics about Mao, it applies them in original ways and introduces even more new material, which has started to appear in later related stories.
* FreudWasRight: Mao has SingleTargetSexuality for C.C., whom he met when he was six and who [[WifeHusbandry practically raised him]]. It's also implied that she had sex with him when he got [[SheIsAllGrownUp a little older]]. Yeah...

*** Although, his treatment of Shirley is undone when [[spoiler: Lelouch makes Shirley forget all of it afterwords.]] As cruel as it was, the damage wasn't permanent.
*** And with Nunnally, it [[spoiler: only ''seems'' that way at first, until it's revealed it was all part of a larger {{plan}}and the bomb ''was a fake!'']]

* TearJerker: C.C.'s abandonment of Mao.

* {{Anvilicious}}: When Mao is forced into a Refrain addiction, he spends two days going through severe withdrawals before he [[ItGotBetter gets better]], culminating in a line that reads like a drug rehab success story advertisement.