[Discerptor]

Originally Posted by KrimzonStriker

Same group, same slogan. A bunch of relics with only a glorified name without so much as managing to distinguish amongst the people and their enemies without even really accomplishing anything, thus losing any meaning to their cause. Terrorism at its finest. I don't see why Lelouch would have a different impression of them then he did in their first meeting.

Clearly, Toudou felt differently. And I'd trust his assessment over yours.

Originally Posted by KrimzonStriker

You know that's not an actual answer within the realm of the story. Lelouch must have had a reason for holding back before now, perhaps because at some point he actually came to care about his subordinates, as hard as that may be for you to accept.

Alright, you want a likely Lelouch reason? He had two identities back then. He couldn't risk a link existing between the two of them, like a slave that might follow him in either persona. Now that he's shed his mask, he has no need to worry about such things. He doesn't need to be careful in that regard anymore.

Originally Posted by KrimzonStriker

The hell you come up with the audacity for a counter explanation that wasn't even backed in the series, versus the actual explanation Lelouch himself gives... and he uses his cellphone all the freaking time to talk to them afterward BTW so that rather lame excuse just fails on so many levels. Yeah, and they proved to be nothing but a bunch of gutless and unorgainized cowards in the end, hence why Lelouch recontacts Ougi to form the Order thanks to their attachment to him.

The same place you come up with the audacity to pretend there was a line anywhere in that episode that said anything about Lelouch having an emotional attachment to the Black Knights. Except mine has more basis since in the end, as you admit, Lelouch only cares about results he gets from the group.

KrimzonStriker]The hell he did, he's shown plenty of examples for caring for his subordinates, take Urabe in Turn 2, Kallen in Turn 10 and Turn 19, hell he saved their bacon in Turn 4 as well so that should even out the shit from the Black Rebellion. Hell, throw in the second time Nunally shows up, and he ends up choosing them over her in Turn 7 to continue the rebellion. Lelouch is far from perfect, but he's also far from hopeless as he's demonstrated an ability to learn from his mistakes. Maybe he did create the situation at times, but I only go so far as to blame him for his inability to open up to his group on that score, which I can understand his reasons for doing so at the same time as well. Lelouch has been far from being a saint, but he's also been far from being unreliable or unappreciative of them when the chips are down, and in this case I point the Order for being even worse then he was at times, unless Ougi suddenly harboring Villeta all the way back in Season 1 doesn't ring any bells. Had they not bought Schneizel's ploy, I see no reason why Lelouch would not have continued to work with and commit to their joint goals. So now the lines are drawn and the battle is on, its time to witness which one of the scorned and apparently scorned sides emerges victorious.

None of the examples with Kallen count because he cares about her from school and such as a deep friend. She is not just one of the Black Knights to Lelouch. And he left Japan so that he wouldn't have to fight Nunnally, not for the Black Knights. So that leaves Urabe, who he didn't want to sacrifice himself because he already had the explosives plan in play, and saving his army from being executed so that he wouldn't have to start all over from scratch and make a new one. Yeah. Great amounts of emotional care there. And in case you missed it, Lelouch, as he always does with the Black Knights, failed them when the chips were down and was more concerned with finding Nunnally after FLEIJA utterly destroyed them rather than actually making reasonable calls in Turn 19. Not to mention he didn't tell them about FLEIJA in the first place when he was warned, and he secretly ordered them to massacre a colony of pacifist researchers so he could make Rolo and V.V. atone for their sins in some Light Yagami-esque moment of feeling like all sinners except him should have righteous judgment passed on them. At that moment, he WAS acting irrationally and couldn;t even attend the meeting. They had every reason to think he was unstable. And quite to the contrary of what you think, Lelouch has actually failed them EXACTLY when the chips were down (both decisive battles of Tokyo). They forgave him the first time, but as they say, "Fool me once..."

Originally Posted by KrimzonStriker

Like Schneizel is really the god he claims he is and what he says will somehow bend the entire battle to his whims because of his charming voice.... Right, and I could say the same for Lelouch at the same time since Schneizel is merely one of the final hurdles to overcome in order to accomplish Zero Requiem.

The difference is Lelouch has always and still has this obsession with defeating Schneizel, whereas Schneizel bears no such feelings toward Lelouch. I was simply correcting him on that.