Code Geass: Reverse
by Kyogre is a Role Swap AU one shot of Code Geass, showing snippets of different characters as they pushed through the different world.
This fanfic contains examples of the following:
- Archenemy: While Carline Hates Everyone Equally, she has particular hatred towards her half-sister Euphemia for her pacifistic belief and towards the freedom fighter Suzaku and his cell for how they preach about justice and honor. During the battle at Shinjuku, she steals the Lancelot so she can head out and kill the rebels, specifically chasing down a Glagsow in hopes that its pilot is Suzaku and she can kill him personally.
- Age Lift: Part of the AU is the characters also swap their age. For example, Euphie is now 27 years old while Cornelia is 16. The largest is with C.C. and V.V., the former going from a few centuries old to around Marianne’s and the latter as old as Britannia itself.
- The Atoner:
- Much of Nunnally’s Big Sister Instinct stem from wanting to make up for putting Lelouch through so much torment before their mother’s death.
- The author notes describes Guilford as wanting to make up his disgrace serving under Carnine by working under Cornelia.
- Big Brother Instinct:
- The now-older sister Nunnally is the gender-inverted trope for her younger brother Lelouch. Not just because he is blind and crippled, but also because she wants to atone for being a Big Sister Bully prior to their mother's death.
- Cornelia is the age-inverted example to her now older sister Euphemia. Cornelia fears Euphie's compassionate nature, especially to Numbers, would make her vulnerable to assassination or even disinheritance. It is why she became a ruthless embodiment of Britannian's conqueror policy, and why she followed Euphie to Area 11.
- The Chooser of the One: The Code Bearer VV is an ancient former king of the Holy Britannian Empire, who left Brittiania out of disgust from his successors and seeks to find a worthy new ruler. A commoner descendant named Charles and a Chinese man implied to be Xing Ke were each chosen, but VV found Charles to be just as unworthy as the original royals while Xing Ke was deemed not worthy enough. However, he manages to find potential success with the vi Britannian siblings in Tokyo and gives the eldest, Nunnally, her own Geass.
- Family Honor: Kallen Stadtfeld’s goal in joining the military is to restore her family’s name after her father ruined their reputation.
- Father, I Want to Marry My Brother: Since they were closer in age than in canon, Cornelia fell in love with her half-brother Lelouch, and was devastated after his and Nunnally’s “death.” Years later, she still thinks of him as her First Love.
- Hates Everyone Equally: Carline la Britannia looks down on everyone, seeing her homeland as a stagnant empire full of weaklings and Area Eleven, which she now runs, full of scum and terrorist insects. She especially harbors hatred towards her family, particularly for her pacifistic older sister Euphemia. During one of her “cleansing” of Shinjuku, when the rebels fight back, she steals the Lancelot Knightmare frame to personally kill them as well as hunt down and personally execute their leader.
- I Hate Past Me: Nunnally harbors a lot of regret for how she was a Big Sister Bully towards her brother out of jealousy.
- Immortality Seeker: The author notes describe Xing Ke as wanting to acquire V.V.'s code (and thus his immortality) to overcome his illness.
- Infant Sibling Jealousy: In the backstory, Nunnally once harbored this to her brother Lelouch for how he took up their mother’s attention along with Euphie’s and Cornelia’s. This led her to become a Big Sister Bully to him until their mother's death and his crippling injuries, at which she devoted herself to becoming a protective big sister.
- In Spite of a Nail: Even though they’ve always been commoners, Milly’s parents still pressure her into marrying nobility so they can raise their status.
- King Incognito:
- Like in canon, Nunnally and Lelouch are hiding their true identities as royal and pretending to be Britanian commoners.
- A more downplayed version with Kallen, who pretends to be a commoner rather than use the Stadfelt openly when she joins the military.
- Race Lift: Suzaku is half-Japanese and half-Britannian, while Kallen is a pure-blooded Britannian.
- Rags to Riches: Charles was originally a commoner chosen by his ancestor V.V., rising up to kill most of the royal family and taking the throne. This ties in with his belief of survival of the fittest
- Really 700 Years Old: Despite his youthful appearance, V.V. is ancient and was the original king of Britannia.
- Role Swap AU:
- Nunnally is the physically active older sibling with Geass, while her brother Lelouch is paraplegic and blind, albeit more active in the rebellion than canon Nunnally.
- Suzaku is the half-Japanese freedom fighter, while Kallen is the Britannian pilot of the Lancelot.
- Euphemia is the older sister who becomes Area 11’s Viceroy, while Cornelia is her younger sister who tags along to keep her safe.
- Carnine takes Clovis’s place as the previous Area 11 Viceroy and as the vi Britannia siblings’ Starter Villain. Clovis, now 14 years old, is still in Britannia.
- Charles is the commoner who rose up the ranks, while Marianne is from a high noble family that left Britannia generations ago.
- V.V. is the one to give Nunnally a Geass, while C.C. still works with her childhood friend Marianne and her husband Charles on the Ragnarok Connection.
- Xing Ke takes Mao’s place as a previous Chinese candidate of V.V., and Mao is a devoted researcher/follower of C.C. in the Geass order.
- Nina Einstein’s family were Marianne’s allies until her death and they fell from grace. Milly Ashford’s family.
- Shirley is Nunnally’s Muggle Best Friend, while Rivalz is the one crushing on her.
- Jeremiah is a butler of the vi Britannia family, while Sayako is a major fighter in the Japanese rebellion.
- Villetta serves as Euphemia’s Knight of Honor, while Guilford used to serve under Carline.
- From the Knights of the Round, Anya and Monica also have their ages swapped.
- Token Good Teammate: Cornelia’s segment Deconstructed this with Euphie. Her talks about equal rights for Numbers and stopping Britannia’s wave of conquest are viewed as dangerous, and Cornelia believes the reason she hasn’t been disinherited or assassinated is that Euphie is both unimportant in Britannian politics and under Schniezel’s minor protection. When Euphie heads to Area 11 to enact her policies, Cornelia rushes after her to make sure no one can kill her.
