#((AND I PLAYED THROUGH SOME ARCS OF 5DS))

[antihibikase-archive]

Arc V manga plot what the fuck is going ONNNNNNN

[kaiowut99]

Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V Episode 1 "Dub-Uncut" (ENG Dub w/ JP OST) WIP #1 | Ladies & Gentlemen!

Soooo, after plugging away at this little project for more than a year, I'm pretty sure, I think I'm just about done with it--a "dub-uncut" take on ARC-V episode 1's dub! Like when I worked on those 5D's "dub-uncut" episodes, I find that there's some potential in the 4K/KCM dubs, but overall it's hampered by the dub's music [which especially hurts for ARC-V given the awesome score by Kotaro Nakagawa], some writing choices, and other little oddities/cuts. (I also did plan on trying to sub ARC-V up until Crunchyroll took the wheel on that, and I did want to do something with the work I'd put into prepping the OP/EN for that, lol; I think I actually started this a little in early 2022 at some point, but due to my SSD dying on me in October of that year, I pretty much lost everything and had to dig through what little backups I did to not start from scratch (I had to restart this though). This has also been an ongoing idea, since I did do a dub-with-JP-OST take on episode 10's first 10-or-so minutes years back.

Of course, since working on that version of episode 10, we now have things like UltimateVocalRemover out there to help with things like this, as well as Duel Links or Cross Duel (RIP) for better/more accurate takes on different lines. So, after using UVR to isolate episode 1's audio in both versions, I got to work piecing the dub back together with the JP OST/SFX, using lines from later episodes and Duel Links as helpful to make the dialogue more in line with the original; I'd been chipping away at it mostly for the past year, but worked a bit more on finalizing it and leveling the audio over the past few months to get it off the backburner, lol, along with revamping my subs for BelieveXBelieve and One Step (which I'll be showing off separately).

For this clip, I made Gongenzaka properly say his Monsters' names while tributing them by pulling audio from 138's dub (and one other); Yuya's "Ladies & Gentlemen!" and "Quick-Play Hippo Carnival" lines are from DL, and I found an AI-voice-generating site that had the voice of the Narrator from Pokemon's dub, which I thought would fit for the Action Duel narration before the OP. [Also, yes, I will be correcting every instance of "Zuzu" to "Yuzu" using lines with "you" in them because why.]

Lemme know what you think! I'll likely post another couple progress videos while I apply some finishing touches, and I should probably be posting about the full thing in the next week or two.

[mirpuzzle]

I've been really curious about this, who are your top ten Yu-Gi-Oh characters?

Hello! 🌷 Usually, I only have a few favorites. So, aside from the first three, the rest is constantly changing. I'll try to put them in order (all under the cut).

♡. 10 ── Carly Nagisa (5Ds)

What's not to love about her? She's funny, pretty, and a complete mess of a person. She gets in all sorts of trouble, all because she's trying to make a living. I like it when she gets screen time.

♡. 9 ── Noa Kaiba (DM)

He was my favorite as a kid, so I still have a special place in my heart for him. His story made me cry. He did not deserve that. He only wanted others to understand him. You're valid, Noa.

♡. 8 ── Yusei Fudo (5Ds)

It's rare for me to favor a protagonist. That's how you know he's good. This man is a blessing to Yugioh. He has a natural charisma that's impossible to ignore. He's perfect.

♡. 7 ── Bandit Keith (DM)

...I think. I have mixed feelings toward him. I don't even know why he's on this list. I keep going to him in games where Kotsuzuka is not there. So, that must mean I like him, right? I'm confused.

Cross Duel showed me he can be really nice to you if you help him win. I appreciate how he helps other duelists fortify their decks, using the themes they originally had instead of giving them a completely new deck. He cares.

While there's no excuse for what he did to Kotsuzuka and the boys, the fact that, behind that 'bad guy' front, there's a sad, broken man makes me feel bad for him. He deserves to heal.

♡. 6 ── Ryou Bakura (DM)

The anime doesn't do him justice. The more I learn about him through other fans and Duel Links, the more I like him. He's a precious cream puff who likes spooky stuff and is treated terribly by almost everyone. He deserves better (friends).

♡. 5 ── Divine (5Ds)

This man is terrible in every way, and that's the point. I hate that his character was designed to be hated. He gets no backstory, no redemption arc, no nothing. He's just there to be blamed for every bad thing that's ever happened. I pity him. He's the worst. I love this guy.

♡. 4 ── Thief King Bakura (DM)

PLEASE give this guy a break. He has gone through enough. The way he pulled himself back up after all that tragedy is impressive. Imagine how one skillful Thief became a Pharaoh's major threat. A Thief who brings up important moral questions that society seems to ignore (deliberately). He deserves to be heard.

♡. 3 ── Kiyoshi Takaido & Satake (DM)

They share third place because I can't have one without the other. I automatically started loving them because they're close friends with Kotsuzuka. I like that they care about him. These guys have so much potential to explore, and it's a shame we see so little of them.

They're not 'Keith's lackeys'. They're duelists in their own right. They have ambitions and aspirations. They just didn't get to be in the spotlight.

♡. 2 ── Yami Bakura (DM)

Sometimes switches places with Takaido and Satake but usually stays in second place. He's wickedly perfect. From his gorgeous design to how he pretends everything is part of his plan, even though he's literally dissipating into nothingness. He has the nerve to make empty threats that he never carries out. And I love him for that. No one can deny that he looks cool when he shows how evil™️ he is.

There's something beautiful about this ancient evil spirit dedicating his existence to fulfill his objective - all while showing us that he can enjoy normal human activities, like playing games. The complexity of his character captivates me. You can study him for hours, and it will still take you a while to figure him out due to his confusing lore. I like reading what other fans have to say about him.

The way he makes others suffer causes me to have mixed feelings. Sure, I love angst. I just wish there were some feelings involved.

Seeing him make enemies with almost everyone he crosses paths with makes me think he wants to keep everyone away, and that's sad. I want him to care about someone other than himself. I want someone to care about him.

♡. 1 ── Ghost Kotsuzuka (DM)

Yes, that one guy who's known for using Zombie-Type monsters. That short, spooky 15-year-old who walks around hunched over pretending to be a ghost, not realizing he's too cute to be scary. That naive boy who trusted the wrong person and then was unlucky enough to cross paths with the main antagonist. He's my favorite.

I love him. The way his eyes light up when he talks about the things he likes is adorable. I could listen to him gush about ghosts for hours.

His character tends to be frustratingly misinterpreted and overlooked. It's sad that some people think of him as nothing more than collateral damage to Yami Bakura's 'mischief'. He deserves better than that.

When you see past his 'side antagonist' role, you realize he's a precious little guy who's trying his best. Behind that ghostly, mischievous smile, there's a lost youth looking for guidance from a 'big bro' figure he can look up to, whether he realizes this or not.

Despite the differences in his characterization between the manga, anime, and games, one thing remains consistent. He grows into someone who wants to prove he can duel by himself.

But what does he get? Nothing but pain. Betrayed, deceived, ending up dead or lost in the darkness, condemned in almost every canon, with only his sentient Duel Links data to remember him by.

He only wanted to duel.

---------------------ꕥ

I'll stop here. Otherwise, I'll be talking about Kotsuzuka for hours. Thank you so much for the ask! ♡ Sorry that it took a while. I was struggling to organize what I wanted to say for some of the characters, and I wanted to add some art :3

Keep in mind that I've only seen Duel Monsters and the first half of 5Ds, so there are many characters I don't know yet.

[paddysol]

I’m very intrigued by the lifesteal stuff on my dash courtesy of you but I have no idea where to start with it. any chance you could share some recommendations for getting into lifesteal?

I've actually had this question answered before and I'm still just as unsure if I'm the best person to consult (I am going to just copy most of what I said with minor changes bc Ive learned more ✨)

Ok so disclaimer time! I pick favorites and stick with them and have accepted the consequences of not knowing anything outside their povs (also I'm a yt girlie at heart so i lowkey rely on videos than livestreams)

So Lifesteal is still very much a half foot in, half foot out deal due to most of the events usually happening on livestreams so I’m always a bit late on the current happenings.

If you dont mind just throwing yourself into the lore without knowing jackshit, I'd recommend watching PrinceZam, Kaboodle, Pangi, or Derapchu (for livestreams specifically) - I'm sure there's other folks, but I do know that they tend to stream fairly often.

In terms of youtube videos (and slightly being able to catch up on lore) I'd recommend Squiddo (who is a personal favorite of mine, most of her videos tend to be within the half hour mark and are incredibly entertaining the whole way through) as well as Rekrap, JumperWho, Roshambo (though not much for s6), Spokeishere, and Flamefrags. (There are others, as well I'm just listing who come sto mind that)

If you want to get into older seasons I'd recommend watching Branzycraft as he had a fairly regular upload schedule. A lot of lifesteal folks also tend to post longass videos detailing their server journey - though this is often towards the end of seasons or even a bit after. I also recently discovered that saints exist within the fandom and some important events of arcs (such as the eclipse fed/wormhole from s4 have been clipped together into one video).

I have realized (and this may be my own doing) that there’s usually gonna be unexplained gaps in knowledge which is something I’ve just kinda accepted tbh. (Like in general, especially considering the nature of the server and everyone playing 5D chess)

I also tend to doomscroll through character specific tags on tumblr and usually people can be found rambling about events/characterization which is a bit like putting together a puzzle but it slowly comes together (which a piece or two missing)

Again, I hope this was helpful and if anyone has any additional info please feel free to add on!

[gearsofmetal]

@sabellabella I dont mind at all!! I hope u dont mind me answering in a post becuz im gonna YAP agdsjagd

to be honest I don't.,, know yet? im only about 46 episodes into 5ds so a lil ways into the dark signers arc, so im hesitant to make up a particular meeting scenario if I haven't watched like MOST of 5ds :''3

which might seem silly!! and I know I don't have to make my characters 100% follow the in show arcs but a nagging voice in my brain says I do-

TL;DR Im not sure yet! I don't think sticking her in the dark signers arc would be my favourite but that might change! ((i do have a dark signers design of her just for funsies tho teehee))

DAMN im talkin a LOT. I have some other thoughts under cut!

I do however think she'd have ties with Carly!! Bluejay is an upcoming turbo dueler trying to climb her way to the top, in my head she does a lot of street racing duels and smaller circuit races and probably got interviewed by Carly a couple times, so they'd've interacted so through Carly -> Bluejay -> Jack. Bluejay acts very big on camera so she'd probably have said she wants to go beyond Jacks "King" title. Jack n Bluejay would butt heads they both think the other is insufferable but thats what makes it FUN

off-topic but I'm ranting anyways, Carly/Bluejay can also be a thing bc I love Carly SM shes bisexual failgirl to me and she deserves a gf too :]c

TLDR AGAIN, I need to keep watching and digging in wikis until i come out covered in blood and gripping a cohesive timeline for Jay! ((I have a bunch of individual ideas bouncing in my head AND another 5d's OC I need to flesh out too!)) For now I just play with her like a doll hejkhskjhs

[femmeroi]

You SHOULD talk about Manjoume Jun's queerness, he's an icon and that's an essay I'd love to read

I SHOULD !!! Jun is my (4th) favourite nasty dude hes so hes so hes o so so so. His gender game is so immaculate and he is only maybe a he/they on a good day. He’s playing 5d gender chess in a uno world. He has so many layers even he isn’t ready to pull them all back yet. His he/him pronouns are an unanswered prayer. He pays child support for masculine terms, they're all he has left after the divorce. I think he always has one foot in the closet, I don’t think he ever really got over his brother's abuse, and if he didn't have friends like Fubuki he’d never accept himself. Even when he accepts himself it's in a very limited way. He's flamboyant, he's unapologetic, he's afraid. To ME he is a nonbinary trans woman gay man, he's a faggot woman, and I think that's beautiful. 

GX as a whole can be read in a very queer way when you consider the ties between familial relationships, duel spirit relationships, and personal acceptance. This tie is most obvious in Jun, who has a solid and obvious arc centering these three aspects. Even then, I feel like people often misinterpret or waterdown his. Everything.

Under the read more is a very long breakdown of my thoughts. If something doesn't make sense, sorry, I have divine madness and a fever.

I’m going to start off with his family, everyone knows them, everyone hates them, and everyone misunderstands them. People often fall into the belief that after his duel with Chosaku, Jun obtained some kind of absolute freedom from his family, often even saying he cut them off. I don’t believe this is entirely correct or incorrect, it’s a belief that's in the right direction while missing the nuance of his situation. Jun’s familial arc isn't about severing ties or escaping abusive structures, it’s about easing the pain by gaining respect. Jun still has a role within the Manjoume Group after his duel with Chosaku, the difference is that after their duel he got their trust. It’s with that trust he got a semblance of freedom, and I believe people often conflate that freedom with absolute liberation.

Jun still works for his family, he is still under their influence, they are just more hands off about it now than before. I say this because his role in the Manjoume Group clearly means a lot to Jun, this is seen through his displays of wealth and his insistence to be called “Manjoume” long after everyone is on a first name basis. He's even seen using the Manjoume Groups money and name to renovate facilities within the school, and if you think that's something an estranged family would allow I have. Serious questions. Like what's your estranged parents credit card number. His connection to the Manjoume Group is only reinforced in season four, where his intention isn’t to get away from his family rather it is to prove himself worthy to his family. His role in the Manjoume Group is also recognized by other characters, which shows that even publicly he is affiliated with them.

All that said, Jun’s brothers are still extremely controlling and abusive people. My dearest mutual (also the very person to send the ask. Hi friend <3) Ren Krakenshaped said one of the minor themes of GX is, “[The] negative influences in your childhood [and how they] can affect you liberating yourself from those negative influences.” I absolutely love the way they worded it and I can’t agree more. I’m putting this here not just to hype her up but also to expand on it in relation to Jun. While I believe Jun's familial arc isn't about absolute liberation, he still gets a semblance of freedom as I mentioned before. He's able to use the cards he wants and he has less pressure to be absolutely perfect, but he still acts as a representative for his family.

The pressure he's under is still present, showing itself in a lesser way through his self-deprecating comments, inferiority complex, and his fear of failure. I think it's important for people to recognize the presence and control that the Manjoume Group still has on him even after his moment of “liberation” against Chosaku. Not everyone can and not everyone will escape the negative influences in their life. There's a lot that can be done with the balance Jun has achieved with his family, but he still does have to play by their rules. 

Now that I got the familial situation outlined, it’s time to talk about his duel spirits ! And I promise I WILL bring this all around to his queerness. I prommy. Hold on with me for another couple hundred words. Unlike Johan, Yusuke, and Judai, Jun didn't have some innate connection to duel spirits. His ability to see and interact with the spirits appeared later in life, more specifically during the worst part of his life up to that point. Jun was under pressure to be the perfect child, and then he got demoted from the Obelisk Blue dorms, and then he got stranded at sea, and then his deck got stolen. And at some point in all of that, he started seeing duel spirits.

I think two things were integral to his awakening, the first was his need to grow as a duelist, and the second was isolation. His need for growth comes from him failing to live up to his family's name, but the growth itself happens when his family is absent. After getting stranded at sea, Jun had no line of communication with his brothers, and he didn’t regain communication with them until he went back to the Central Duel Academia campus. On top of that the people in North Academy seem not to know- or care in case of the headmaster- about Jun’s family name. With this Jun is temporarily freed from the expectations his family and peers place onto him- and instead he is able to focus on growing in his own way. It’s at the North Academy Jun is able to solidify his persona, and it’s at the North Academy he is able to start building his own deck instead of using whatever his family provides.

His individualism and desperation leads him to Ojama Yellow, his need to keep his family life and dueling life separate leads him to the other two Ojama brothers, and his first steps in the professional field created the card Pride Shout. His growth as a duelist, and his relationship with his spirit partners, is linked to the distance he has from his family. His communication with duel spirits, while a physical reality in the show, also functions as a device to show Juns road to self actualization as he comes to terms with his own identity.

And then we get to the actual treatment of his duel spirits. It's made clear through the anime that he does like his duel spirits, and that they know it. He has several decks, not because he's some great duelist like Daichi, but because he cares for the spirits attached to them. And if a card has no purpose he will make them one- either through strategy or by making a whole new card out of pure will.

Despite all this, hes a fucking asshole to his duel spirits. He writes on their cards, he yells at them, he hits them, he throws them in the dirt. While a lot of this behavior is easy to write off as “typical tsundere Jun” or as a gag, I can't help but wonder what's so different between Fubuki, for example, and Ojama Yellow. They're both flamboyant, loud, and annoying. Maybe it's because Ojama Yellow is pathetic. Then what's the difference between Fubuki and the Dark Scorpions ? As a duelist, the decks function as an extension of his character, and his fate more often than not relies on their performance. All things considered, he should be treating them with respect.

I think, specifically for his deck, his distaste comes from the fact that they are an extension of him. Not because he has a horrifying inferiority complex, but because the spirits then function as a part of his identity that he can not control. He can choose the cards in his deck, for the most part, but he can not make the cards act in any specific way. And I don't necessarily think he wants to control how the spirits act, instead he happened to meet them during a time he had no semblance of control after spending years of his life curating a very specific image for himself and he had a hard time coping with the fact that everything he worked for may very well disappear soon if he doesnt start acting in a specific way once again. This is also why he starts being nicer to his cards in season four, the moment he gets his identity back, the moment he has a direction in life, he calls Ojama Yellow his ace. Love !

So like. Why did I say all of that ? Well, I feel like outlining how his familial relationship actually works and how he manages things like duel spirits is really important to understanding how he’d approach a queer identity- and thanks to bandit Keith homophobia is ambiguously cannon and I’m going to accept all the baggage that comes with. I see a lot of queer readings of Jun’s journey begin and end with Chosaku’s duel, or be reduced to “well the card's name is Pride Shout.” And that’s. Not it. To me, Jun’s queer journey never did begin. Not on the outside at least. The duality between his flashy attire and self image issues, the contrast between his free going deck and his need to uphold the family name, the lingering control that the Manjoume group has on him through Chosaku and through public perception, it all just feels so closeted to me. I love that Jun was able to find a part of himself, but he was never able to fully embrace it out of shame until the very last duel of his. I love how he holds onto fear even after that moment. I love how much Jun does without actually doing, I love how he found a way to be himself despite living under his family's expectations, I love how genuinely stifling it is for him, I love how he never stops trying anyway. I think his character is best served in the closet, I think he needs to leave his family, but I dont think it's that easy for him. It's really hard to grow past the negative influences in your life when you set them as your goal.

Anyway nonbinary trans woman gay man Manjoume Jun realness !

[sandwormrp]

We recently did a movie night and watched Dune: Part 2 together!

Here's all the most notable out-of-context commentary from it:

When my corgi is hungry she channels Rabban

Stilgar: "Up for a skinny dip?"

STOP IT JAVIER

No Javi go right ahead XD

Is it dangerous? Boy, she just said it was years or pain and sorrow. . .

Hey, he's the Lisan al Gaib, not the LISTEN al Gaib

the gen-z fremen: skibidi

& the older fremen are all, "Empire style toilets waste so much water!" & the kids are like its just a jooooke

Jessica: Convulsing on the floor Paul: But is it dangerous?

I do love that, for all their power and ways… no one thought to ask if she was pregnant?

when you still look like a bean but have the secrets to all the universe

I can only imagine what that feels like. Does pre-born Alia even know Language? If she does, is she sending psychic vibes through the umbilical cord?

I love how Chani and her friend are always perched somewhere and judging during these scenes

"He's not like other strangers" - I wonder if thats a callback to smugglers they don't instantly kill

chani's arc in this one is so brutal. I love it more than the one from the books bc it's more real. she wants so badly for Paul to be different from the other Empire people but he's just better at diplomacy and biding his time

I do love book Chani, all vibes and not giving a fuck about the horrors

she has a very clear line, he crosses that line, she holds her line. FAFO. it's very powerful even though she 'loses' on its face

Weird marriages are what this site's all about Sandworm Unusual Matrimony, The Site

I saw a fan theory about that actually Logjam! Essentially saying that Feyd has trained and fought on sand, like we see later in the movie, and that's what he's used to, while Paul trained on hard ground. And then when they fight, Feyd is on hard ground and out of his element! I thought it was an interesting take

Paul sitting between the girls, he's one of them

He's part of the pink pony club now?

Paul could fart and Stilgar would find a prophecy in it

woober (worm uber)

the dark shapes of their armor against that super burnt orange tone of the sand in the eclipse at the very start was a very pretty and striking visual

crocs best shoes for worm-riding

chani: will you always be with me paul: "well about that"

"Define 'with'…"

Chani: Your mom's talking shit

watching fremen tv (the sand and the sky)

Basically planting variations of myths that say "Hey if some powerful smart women show up, they're super cool and you should help them" as I understand it

Put Rabban on a motivational "Hang In There!" poster like the orange kitten

plankton meme didn't think i'd get this far etc

Irulan playing 5d chess. lowkey loves a good shit stirring

gonna hack into the department store intercom and play Harkonnen speech next time I go shopping

Big hand to hold up a big booty

"Look at all these other hot people we've been keeping from you"

This is the scene that fan theory mentioned; you noticed as he was walking that he sank into the sand, kicked it up with every stride, he's used to fighting hard, in rough terrain, not smooth palace floors

the irony; that disadvantage on a planet of sand

happeh birdeh, dear nephew

It's almost like they're acting like matadors, corralling bulls, using hooks to control them, another mocking of the atreides maybe?

Rubba dub dub, two harkonnens in the tub

High fat high salt and will eventually kill you

The air's like the vapors coming off a deep fryer

bust a nut doing that

FEYD you don't have to one up at ALL TIMES

The party bard hard at work

Gurney not concerned with that one bit

Gurney: Fuck dem kids my son is back

Girls gossiping about pauls new friends xD

Paul: sees friend Chani: walking juice box

Hearing him talk like this is a punch in the gut. Paul became the thing he feared, the thing he hated.

Is now about the time when Paul could've decided to go and become a worm

Stilgar being so unimpressed with Gurney

paul, thinking: adulthood is more about putting your hand in boxes than I imagined as a kid

I love the difference in their 'Voices'. Jessica is rough, aggressive. Where as when we heard Margot's it was softer, more seductive, and the Reverend Mother's was controlled, power in and off itself.

it's… not really that impressive of a 'tactic' "Shoot it until it falls apart" Ah yes, strategic brilliance

apple doesn't fall far

I have beef with that visual display tbh. the worldbuilding says that there are no computers & I feel like the impulse is more often to figure out how to get away with computers than to seriously ask the question of how the world is different under that condition

"Protect my mother" He does a little more than that Paul

mentat cpu

Watches her back … and her front …

Feyd putting on his cape that morning all 💅

How tall is chalameet? Does anyone know?

He's about 5'10

The hair adds about another two inches

Gurney just like, I'm not kneeling, I'm too old, my knees hurt, no xD

she seems like the kind of person who isn't going to "fall for a boy" lightly, like she's committing to Paul because he's Paul not bc she was single and looking

It's so sad for paul he's having to navigate through this alone without any help. What an isolating experience for him

"no one here would stand against me!" chani: you dont know me as well as i thought you did…

Chani: Alright make an orderly line after me, I stab first

pop a squat!!

Him calling out everyones deep dark secrets is so funny

imagine your darkest secret not even being that good don't know what's more embarrassing

I'd get down simply to not be called out

the real reason everyone is on the floor "don't want him to know about my twinkie stash”

Jessica wanted to give Leto a son bc she loved him & this lady's like ok prophecy boy is here lets kill Leto

Add a lil spice Still loves him

Chainmail Princess

She knows shes making a statement on the day of her engagement

Aww, his poor balloon got cut free

no one can convince me that feyd did not just find that look on irulan's face hot

I wish it spluttered off making noises like a balloon

"Vibrators make the worms come." <- normal sentence

The worms aren't the only ones but that's another discussion

theres something really truthy about how becoming really oppressive and scary to other people can be born out of being sure you're the underdog and you won't have anything at all if you don't fight for it (and that's "all" you were doing)

But no, the scene where Paul's setting up the thumper, the way he ever so carefully inserts it into the sand …

Frank would 100% be down with metaphorical sexual interpretations of thumper use

That staredown was so charged

Can see her reconsidering Feyd for a sec there

& yooo culturally the nobles are squeamish about getting too direct with attacks against nobility. Paul walking in there & killing a Baron is like knocking over the chess board & making eye contact and eating the enemy king

like an incredibly bad cat

mess w the gurn?? feel the burn

Feyd: +1 like

Feyd getting a little more turned on every time he sees Paul do something xD

Leia encourages paul to skip slapping, and to get to stabbing the emperor for that insult to their father >_>

I watched an interview with Denis Villeneuve talking about this fight. Saying Paul started in an atreides style in the beginning, but as it goes on you see more of Jamis and his fremen come out

when I saw this in theaters I felt like you really see Paul as a tired and hardened warrior from the desert who is something very alien to the Empire at this point

may thy clothes rip and scatter

feyd: a friend!!

The lack of music here is so spectacular. You can here everything in the right, the raw emotions, the anger, the pain.

genderbend piter and he stays exactly the same

Iruman

hhh feyd is so used to ending fights with 'you've fought well' that its all he can think to say

It's what he said to Margot after their naughty time, too

Jessica went full smug goat

Irulan probably thinking Chani is an enemy, but she's really doing that bc she's someone who loves him

Stilgar steps forward and the Fremen pop up like prairie dogs

Chani is a long way from girl gossip and boy crushes

break up with the guy you thought you knew and take a sad woober home

[zxal]

hey im interested in getting into ygo do u have any recs or recommended orders of reading/watching theres a lot from the looks of it on anilist so i was wondering about your preferences o:

ANON I ABSOLUTELY DOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I'm only about halfway through the sequels (i just started arc-v) so I'm not like the most knowledgable person in the world but I can give you my personal recs. COME CLOSER!!!!!

First of all, every yugioh series is totally independent from each other (sort of - gx is set directly after dm and leans on its worldbuilding quite a bit, and 5ds takes place in the same universe as well though a bit further in the future, but you can watch them on their own with no problem) so if there's one in particular that grabs you there's nothing stopping you from jumping straight to it - that being said I've been watching all of the anime in release order (ygo dm -> gx -> 5ds -> zexal -> arc-v (i am here) -> vrains -> sevens -> go rush) and I've been enjoying it a lot. I also wouldn't recommend watching arc-v in particular without having watched the ones before it as it probably won't really have any impact for you. Now for specific recommendations (in order) !!!! SORRY THIS GOT REALLY LONG.

yugioh manga - START HERE !!!!! the original story by kazuki takahashi. high school boy inherits an ancient magical artifact containing a spirit that's really, really good at playing games (and inflicting psychological torment on bullies). I have to give it a warning for some shonen-typical creepiness towards female characters in the early chapters, but it's REALLY worth reading and it's a story that's so near and dear to my heart. this is the fastest and easiest way to start loving yugioh. Its worth noting that the original ygo manga is the ONLY manga (afaik) that tells the same story as its anime + i haven't read any of the others aside from a little bit of the gx manga, so the rest of my recs are anime-only

(optional) yugioh season 0 / 1998 / toei - a one-season anime based on the early manga chapters. if you like the horror vibes of the manga you'll enjoy this a lot. really fun 90s animation with a killer soundtrack, but generally not considered """canon"""

yugioh duel monsters - this is the one most people watched as a kid. it's an adaptation of the manga, but with most of the early chapters cut out so as to get straight to the card games + some extra arcs added in. this is most people's favorites and the most popular! you can also watch this in lieu of the manga, but you will be missing a LOT of the early story or experiencing it in condensed form (and the plot of ygo dm is already patchy At Best).

yugioh gx - direct anime sequel to ygo dm. boy goes to gamer school to become the next king of games + high school shenanigans ensue. gx is a really charming, goofy romp with a super lighthearted s1, an interesting s2 and a shockingly engrossing s3. s4 (the last 25 episodes or so) never got dubbed in english so if you're a dub enjoyer like me you'll have to switch to subs to get the full story

yugioh 5ds - direct sequel to gx, though further in the future than gx was to dm. card games on motorcycles are real and so is class warfare and the surveillance state. iirc this is the only yugioh anime that was rated 4+ - it has a slightly more mature tone but there's still plenty of lighthearted fun to be had. Really strong s1 with a second season that falls off a little bit, at least to me, but is still absolutely worth watching. s2 is missing a number of episodes in the english dub, so again if you're a dub enjoyer you will find yourself quite confused by the end. its probably worth watching s2 entirely sub-only (something i still need to do)

yugioh zexal - the first of the sequels that is possibly set in a different universe entirely (or just the really distant future). middle school boy gets a magic necklace from his dad that has an alien inside. zexal is a lot of peoples favorites and now that I've watched it I GET IT. Really strong story + pacing from beginning to end and a really endearing cast of characters. It's silly and goofy and fun but DAMN DOES IT COHERE.

yugioh arc-v - the first of the sequels that is DEFINITELY set in a different universe entirely. this is the one I'm watching currently so i don't have much to say about it yet GET BACK TO ME ON THIS ONE. this one boy's dream is to become the greatest clown who ever lived (tragic) (inspiring)

INHALES LOUDLY. that was probably more info than you wanted BUT I HOPE THAT HELPED AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT? again I recommend reading the original ygo manga first and i think that will give you a good idea of whether you are down with the yugioh silliness or not. It's important to remember that this is a very silly anime series about card games but like. As long as you can buy into the worldbuilding and accept that this is just How Things Are in the world of ygo, it's suuuuuuuch a fun world to sink your teeth into.

[mixed-up-metaphors]

I think the people should know. What are the Top Five Cool Things about each of your hyperfixations, and why should we play them?

*cracks knuckles* Metaphor: ReFantazio (i haven't actually finished this one so consider this an incomplete list)

FOUND FAMILY ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!

YOU CAN COOK WITH YOUR FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!

heismay is the sad old man adopts lost children trope and i will die on this hill

medieval rapping (see Pringus McDingus' video)

highly breakable. imagine giving the iron wall of your team healing skills

Why You Should Play It: can't speak for the plot as i haven't finished it but overall very enjoyable experience thus far. i like almost all the characters a lot, which is rare for me. several of them have surprised me. also fun gameplay!!

Persona Five (Royal)

ASETHETIC. SLAPS

MUSIC. SLAPS (beneath the mask and the songs for the spoiler royal dungeon live rent free in my mind, among others)

yusuke.

i want to hug. All of them (ryuji :( )

FOUND FAMILY!!!

Why You Should Play It:

found family team of traumatized misfits go on adventures and also stop some corrupt people along the way. i especially love the base final boss (yabbadabbadoo?), the preceding cutscenes, and its trope inversion. there are also...certain plot twists, especially in Royal's DLC that were a fantastic gut punch.

Persona Four (Golden)

some of the story's later arcs took a steel chair to my emotions and went ham. (the seventh dungeon especially)

a seven year old somehow manages to found family someone who is already biologically related to her as a cousin into being her older brother. How. What is this power.

i love some of the more ominous, melancholy or somber tracks in this game (favorite examples include this one, this one, and ESPECIALLY this one)

the whole ost slaps for that matter, heartbeat heartbreak hhnNghhHG

this one's found family to me too and i will also die on this hill (excepting maybe Kanji and Naoto my beloved, i do ship them a little)

Why You Should Play It: same reasons as P5(R) but murder mystery this time. characters feel a bit more interconnected than P5's, and i found the plot and storyline very impactful and meaningful. also, you can fight people with household items such as a guitar, a steel chair, fish, corn on the cob, a tambourine, roller skates. by contrast, there is exactly one character who uses almost exclusively actual weapons and placing said character amidst the household item wielding ones makes for some very funny disparity.

(i have yet to play persona 3 reload but it is next on my list and i predict it is going to be my favorite of the persona games. stay tuned lol)

FE:3H

i think all of the story's paths have a unique perspective and i enjoyed all of them (though i can't speak for SS, never played it). i admit readily though that AM will forever be my favorite as i find it deals most directly with themes like loss, regret/shame/guilt, forgiveness and facing the past, which are all favorite themes of mine.

i want to protect and adopt every character in this game forever

all of the games i've listed thus far have fantastic voice acting but 3H especially stands out to me in this department. i could go on for a while on this one.

YOU CAN COOK MEALS WITH YOUR STUDENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BONDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

INTER-CHARACTER SUPPORTS!!!!!!!!!! I CAN WATCH MY BELOVED GOOFY GOOBERS DO SILLY THINGS WITH EACH OTHER!!! or watch them cry with each other but hey i mean tomato tomahto

Why You Should Play It: admittedly, i don't think this is really the reason most people enjoy the game, but i personally loved going through the game like it was my solemn duty to protect and care for every student i was teaching. recruiting them read as a matter of life and death to me so i approached it with a certain ferocity. 3H is sort of an RPG/5D-Rock-Paper-Scissors-Chess/Optional Dating Sim(??) so there's probably something for everyone. i ESPECIALLY love relationships between all the characters, Caspar/Linhardt, Raphael/Ignatz and Dimitri/Dedue/Ashe are easily my favorites but there are so so many others to enjoy here too. also you can class characters as something that is wildly unfitting for them. SHOULD Hubert be a brawler? probably not, given that the man has the physical strength of a soggy napkin, but you can train him to do so!!

i think that about sums it up!! thank u maude for the question!!

[shitpostingkats]

Yu-Gi-Oh Review Roundup: 5Ds!

Favorite main character: Yusei Fudo

My favorite protagonist of the main three, by a country mile. Even with Jaden’s surprising season 3 growth and complexity, Yusei just. Hits different.

I attempted to put my finger on why for the majority of the series. Perhaps it’s the fact that for once, all of yugioh traditional protag tropes are finally in a character that harmonizes with them. Redeeming minor antagonists feels important, because it’s about the bigger picture dystopia, and the powerful elite at the very top who are the real enemy. And Yusei sees that. It’s less about him just being a swell guy who forgives easily, and more that he refuses to fight his fellow man. He’s kind, not in the vaguely heroic tell-don’t-show kind of way, but in the fact that he knows the trash collector by name. He genuinely believes in the good of humanity, and you sees that in how he just talks to people.

He also has the benefit of a stellar supporting cast that feels the most tight-knit of the first three shows. DM and GX had friend groups. 5Ds is about a family. One that cohabitates together, and works together, and banters with some of the most realistic sibling dialogue of the franchise. And, as the series takes pains to point out, Yusei is the one at the center of it, that he is the gear that makes this complex web all fit together. The found family vibes are excellent, in the same way a scrappy spaceship crew of morally dubious crooks is a family.

His deck archetype reflects this aspect; taking small and disparate monsters and bringing them together to make something truly menacing. Scrap and outcasts, Yusei collects them all. Every aspect of his character eventually boils down to a selfless desire to help people, from the traits that make him a protagonist, to his personality, to even what kind of cards he plays. But it’s a simple, believable kindness, one that grounds him and makes him feel real.

He is my autistic son and I love him so much.

Favorite antagonist: Kalin Kessler

An antagonist I seriously debated including in my reviews, even shied away from discussing as I watched through the series. Not because he is poorly written, in fact, far from it, but because his inclusion and character arc in this kids show I was watching for fun felt... well, a little uncomfortable, for me personally.

Suicide is a very serious topic, after all. What had me taken aback was two things: The very existence of a blatantly depressed and suicidal character in a childrens’ cartoon, and the unsettling realism of it. It is shocking. It is upsetting. Most surprisingly of all, it is so effective as a piece of storytelling, that I had to include it, despite the severity of the subject.

Still, allow me to give warning I would have appreciated in regards to Kalin Kessler: tw for discussions of suicide, depression, and self harm. If you want to skip that, scroll past this section. Kalin discussion ends at ‘Favorite side character’

Kalin, more than any other character in the show, is a living showcase of the severe damage caused by New Domino to the residents of Satellite. Disenfranchised since birth, constantly assaulted and belittled by those in power, before trying to take back some sliver of control and lashing out at the very world that oppressed him. Whereas Yusei builds his revolution through recruitment of the fellow man, Kalin’s degrading mental state does not afford him the luxury of allies. Instead, he seeks to topple the society through high grade explosives.

And that’s just the start of Kalin’s story.

His actual screentime is taken up by what occurs after his death. After dying in prison, he is recruited into a crew of undead cultists, all similarly wronged by society. Each of the dark signers correlates to each of the signers pasts, a sin they must grapple with and accept. And Kalin’s is by far the most personal. After getting not one, but two whole turbo duels against Yusei, Kalin is defeated. Yusei comes to grips with their complicated pasts, the dark signers are destroyed, and the world is saved.

These shows tend to feature a lot of antagonists getting redeemed and giving up their evil ways. Kalin’s arc in Crash Town goes the extra mile and shows what happens in between steps A and B.

Though no longer an explicit enemy by the time he makes his reappearance, Crashtown Kalin is still grappling with the things he did while operating under that label. In a way that’d kinda hard to argue with. I mean, that did happen. People were killed.

This is what gives Kalin’s depression and self-destruction such a painfully realistic despair. In media, it is often hard to portray the real helplessness of depression. Since we, as the audience, have a near omnipotent perspective and are usually a step removed from the actual situation, answers to existential questions seem obvious. You can’t really see what has the character so down in the dumps, because, to you, the answer of ‘just get over it’ seems so obvious.

“Was it really okay for us to take the life of THOMAS PUPPYKILLER, the inventor of KILLING PUPPIES?”

The audience isn’t likely to sympathize when your protagonist spends an episode angsting about that, even if coldhearted murder is a thing that most of us would legitimately have a hard time grappling with.

Real mental illness isn’t like that. It’s complex, stubborn, and makes choices feel nonexistent. Sometimes, it doesn’t even matter if an situation has an objectively correct answer, the mind will spin its tightening circles regardless. Which just feeds into itself, as one feels ever increasing panic at being unable to handle choices. It is a self consuming ouroboros, one that can make you feel isolated, numb, and powerless.

Kalin’s situation doesn’t have an objectively correct answer. He has committed several wrongdoings that hurt innocent people, for genuinely evil purposes. It’s not something that can just be made all better with a slap on the wrist and a positive mental attitude.

As someone with depression, the Crashtown arc was almost painful for me to watch. Like I’ve said, I usually love a good fictional character with fictional depression, but Kalin was just. One too few layers of abstraction for me. He felt almost too real, standing on the edge of his self inflicted punishment, Yusei screaming at him to just want to live, goddamn it, and staring out at a field of reminders for why he thinks he doesn’t deserve to.

But again, just as gut achingly realistic his descent into suicidal ideation was, so too is his stubborn climb out of it. As he spends more time with the kids of a fellow Crashtown miner, they come to rely on him for protection. So he lives to protect them. And then, shockingly (to him), they actually come to care for him. Kalin may not be able to live for himself, but he gradually comes to terms with the idea that that’s okay. That he can live for this person the kids see in him, because despite what his worst impulses tell him, he is still capable of being loved, even after all he’s done.

Sometimes, when you can’t even fathom the idea of loving yourself, in your darkest hours, it takes an equal amount of strength to accept being loved. And that, in itself, is a reason to keep on living.

Favorite side character: Martha

How many times in an action show is the main character grievously injured, down for the count with a sense of finality, when we cut to them, swathed in bandages, lying in a hospital bed. The doctor or nurse sternly tells them to get bedrest, and a parental character nags them with all sorts of “You could have died! You are grounded!” that our main character rolls their eyes through. Then, next scene, they’re sneaking out the window, right back off to saving the world, fractured wrist be damned?

When Yusei Fudo gets into a motorcycle crash and ends up with internal bleeding, but stubbornly tries to jump back into the action, his mom says “No.”

And this works.

This proves that Martha is singlehandedly the most powerful anime mother in all of yugioh, possibly in all of shonen television.

Her other feats of strength include being the backbone of her community, whacking police officers with wooden spoons, and being the mother of Jack Atlas. 

What works about Martha is the same thing that works about the rest of 5Ds Neo Domino citizens: their recurrence. Martha shows up again and again as the series progresses. She’s not some throwaway absent mother, the boys regularly visit her, there’s an entire sidestory in the finale surrounding her and the orphanage kids. She’s one of the characters that gives a face to Domino City, someone to remind the viewer that this city is made up of real people. 

With Yusei and Martha side-by-side, it’s easy to see where he gets his compulsive need to rehabilitate strays from. Like her son, Martha is consistently the one to reach out her hand to those in need, which gives us a strong sense of the legacy that Satellite has given him. There’s a very sweet subplot early in the Dark Signer arc where Trudge has to stay the night at Martha’s orphanage. Rather than being the uncivilized street rats he expected, he finds that Satellite is populated by a very protective community, and Martha leads him around, showing him the damage done to them by New Domino and how, despite all that, the majority of people living there just choose to be kind. It's one of the humanizing touches showing the breaking down of prejudices that makes early 5Ds feel very revolutionary. 

Also, there’s something very funny to me about the 2-4 episode lull where the plot is raging on in the background but Yusei’s just hanging out at home because his mom grounded him.

Favorite duel: Yusei vs Kalin, Jack vs Carly, Akiza vs Misty

Yup!!!! I’m copping out!

Let me explain why.

Each of these favorite duels of mine has been increasing progress on the part of the writing. The Yami vs. Yugi fight first proved that it can make real story out of big main character fights. The Yubel vs. Zane fight proved the same principles could be applied to secondary characters. Their next milestone?

Proving that you can have multiple compelling fights, back-to-back-to-back.

The tournament structure is one yugioh is going to return to for the rest of its life. And, while the Dark Signers arc is not a tournament, per se, it functions like one: sequential fights against an ensemble cast of opponents versus an extended array of protagonists, each quirky and personal, each with advancement into the “finals” on the line, and, most importantly, each taking place one after the other.

And, what surprised me is that I was on the edge of my seat for damn near all of them.

There’s never a release of tension, between duels, but neither is there an escalation. The energy of the show is allowed to ramp up to darn near its maximum, and then just. Stay there. For episodes on end. That is one heck of a feat, and one that will be vital for yugioh continuing to improve in later series.

It’s also wonderful that every one of the three duels is truly excellent, each wrapping up some character arc in both actionable and thematic ways. Yusei finally puts his oldest ghost to rest. Jack has a genuine human connection for the first time in years, and then owns up to the consequences of not being there for them, in much the same way he had to reconcile with Yusei, taking responsibility and turning down ego inflating power. And the Misty fight might be the least personal, but its still a thing to behold, Akiza coming to terms with the harm Arcadia caused and overcoming the trauma of her unwitting participation in it.

(Also, Sayer gets punched in the face.)

I just feel such a pride for this franchise, watching the writing grow with every installment. The shows on their own may be a bit of a mixed bag, but taken as a whole, there is some concrete, real improvements in its execution.

And that deserves to be celebrated.

Favorite arc: The Fortune Cup

Is The Dark Signers the single greatest arc in 5Ds? Probably. It is not my favorite, though. My favorite is the very first of the series. The introduction to this world.

And it is for that very reason that I adore the Fortune Cup arc so much. The world it paints in just a handful of episodes is truly stunning. The backgrounds are hazy and painterly, the satire the thickest it will ever be, and everything just has the right amount of grit to make it feel proper old school cyberpunk, instead of totally sleek and with LEDs every two square inches. The premise is equally well crafted. The conflict between New Domino and Satellite in stark relief, and we truly get a sense for how tough Yusei and his friends have it. While it’s certainly a choice to drop the themes of classism and xenophobia in the later seasons, and one I can easily see why it was made, I still have to admire the sheer depth added to the world by its inclusion.

The Fortune Cup also introduces us the idea of Yusei Fudo. Some of my favorite moments of his character happen in this part: His duel with a decried artifact deck to prove there’s no such thing as a useless card, his fight against the warden using a deck pieced together by all his fellow inmates, the spectacularly moving first match against Akiza. All bangers. All show off so perfectly what Yusei stands for. In fact, it’s so quintessential that, for the final fight of the series, the writing returns to its roots, and has Yusei end the series with the exact same thrown-away monsters he started it with.

It’s fucking perfect.

Greatest strengths of the series:

Themes. Hands down, themes.

I made a whole post about the omnipresent themes of past, present, and future here. I won’t rehash it all here, so instead I’ll just gush about how wonderfully those motifs resonate with the message of the show.

While not as blatant as its predecessor, 5Ds wrestles with, and subverts, its very tropes for the sake of telling an impactful story.

From the audiences’ perspective, everything about 5Ds, from the world, to the characters, to the villains, smacks of a classic doomed story. There are literal prophecies in play telling of mass destruction and death. The very last survivors of humanity time travel back just to tell our heroes “The future is dark.” Every qualified being with magical omnipotence speaks of a cycle, of inevitability. Yusei will die. The world will be cruel. The battle between light and darkness will continue ad infinitum.

5Ds blends two genres: dystopic cyberpunk and prophesied heroics. Two genres where it is very easy to tell the story of a tragedy, because things are predestined; things are unchangeable. Most of the time, when there’s a tragic bend to these, the story instead becomes about what our characters can do with their limited narrative. Short, brilliant, and kind lives that burn out, yet nonetheless, make a bright spot on their history: the heroes forestall the cycle for one more millennia. The revolutionary goes down in a blaze of glory that will inspire others.

And, with the magic elements of 5Ds representing the past, while the more sci-fi parts represent the future, the theme of time is as present as ever.

A more realistic, unwilling to break the tropes kind of story might choose to focus on the present. That yeah, things may have sucked and the future may be uncertain, but at least we have the now. And while 5Ds certainly has its fair share of celebrating the moment, it is not content to merely linger in it.

Yusei and New Domino are not bound by the narrative to be tragedies. Despite everything, despite literal travelers from the future showing up and saying “This will end in tears.” Despite being doomed by the narrative two times over, bound by the past, condemned by the present, and damned by the future:

Choose optimism.

The idea that you're insufficient, that it’s not enough, having clear and direct confirmation that you are going to fail. Keep moving forward anyway because. The hope that the world can change enough through just your own refusal to despair. The idea that tomorrow will suck, 100%, but you keep going because, what if it doesn't?

Betting on a loaded dice because it doesn't matter the odds, because the number you call out defines who you are. The choice to be alive, to be human, to feel joy, is the tiniest, most laughably naive decision you can make in a doomed world.

But, by choosing it, you refuse to die. And the world might change with you.

Weakest points:

When I first made a template for these reviews, I expected each of them to contain unique entries for almost every category; after all, each of these shows is so different, such wonderfully different flavors, that surely I could say something different about every one and still have room to spare.

Right?

If there’s one section I worry I’m repeating myself, it’s this one. While each of the ygo shows so far have given a plethora of characters and plots to praise, different strengths and visuals to unpack, in one place, it’s stayed frustratingly uniform: Its flaws.

Yes, there’s the tragic case of localization, as you inevitably always hear when it comes to the first three shows. I’m one of the staunchest dub defenders of them all. I love these shows to death, if that isn’t already obvious for the fact that I’ve spent literal pages discussing them in my imaginary lecture hall called the internet. If anything, I’m thrilled that so much of this show is available to me in the way that it is. While you might not expect it of me, I actually struggle quite a bit with reading and processing words. Until I started on my current adhd medication, watching anime subtitled wasn’t just a chore to me: it was straight up impossible.

The uncompleted dubs of GX and 5Ds are a bummer. The tone of the narrative sometimes grappling with itself is a bummer. The unaired final season of 5Ds that I was happily watching on Crunchyroll until someone decided to put a decade old show behind a paywall when I had nine freaking episodes left- sorry, still a little salty.

I find the discussion around the localized yugioh a tired caveat, but a frustratingly endemic one. What better way to summarize the arc of the first trilogy, than a compelling story, left unfinished, by the sheer damning fact that, simply put, the industry was still figuring itself out?

The most true criticism one can level against yugioh, at least of the shows I have seen so far, is that everything it does, other shows have done better. Each show in unique, bringing something fresh and exciting to the formula, yet never quite innovating enough to be something great.

Supernatural partnership, deconstruction of shonen tropes, bleak and fantastical worlds taken to illogical extremes; all of these are things that exist in other anime that focuses on them more directly. Usually with tighter writing. I found the shared duality of Yugi and Yami to be the most intriguing part of DM, yet it got frustratingly little time in the spotlight. Why not just watch one of the thousand and one ghostly mystery anime featuring a dynamic duo at its center? GX asks what we do when handed ultimate power and rulership over reality, but does it manage to say anything more profound on the human consciousness than say, Madoka Magica?

What mark does 5Ds have to leave on the worn road of cyberpunk, that staples like Ghost in the Shell and Akira haven’t already long cemented in place?

Why watch Yu-gi-oh?

I would argue, there’s one thing yugioh does better than almost any tv show I’ve seen.

Sincerity.

Watch yugioh for its earnestness. Its sheer commitment to its ideas, even if some of them never land. Because in this day and age, its hard to find any story as genuine, as packed full of obvious love, as this silly card game show.

Watch yugioh for its sincerity.

And because of the super cool dragons.

Most yugioh moment:

Crow letting everyone search for a missing Yusei for half an hour before thinking to mention he was kidnapped for ransom, because, in his words: “He didn’t want anyone to worry!”

[inkblackorchid]

5, 13, 15, and 24 for ask meme?

5. Favorite opening/ending

Favourite opening: 5Ds dark signers arc (LAST TRAIN by knotlamp, the visuals plus the music here are chef’s kiss) Favourite ending: 5Ds pre-WRGP/WRGP arc (-OZONE- by Vistlip, I admit I like this one mostly based on the music!)

13. Favorite deck archetype

This one’s also challenging. Among the ones used by canon characters I know, I think I actually like Carly’s Fortune Ladies the best. Otherwise? I think Darklords are really cool. Back when I gave a shoutout for people to help me with deck archetypes for characters for a future fic, someone also introduced me to P.U.N.Ks and yep. Just yep. That slaps.

15. How did you get into YGO?

Through kindergarden via the TCG, technically. You know, back when mainstream people actually played it casually (it was later pretty much usurped by Magic the Gathering in our schoolyard). I think I was three, there were some boys who acted like they knew how the game worked (I’m 99% sure they knew absolutely nothing about the actual rules and were just imitating anime duels) and I remember finding Dark Magician really cool. I later got introduced to the anime (DM at the time) when I was nine, maybe, on the one, lonely channel that played the yugioh anime in my country. I really got into it with 5Ds a couple of years later, though. Good times.

24. Unpopular opinion?

Idk if this is still an unpopular opinion (I’m hoping the fandom might have grown out of it), but Aki and Crow both deserved their spots in the narrative and were actually both mishandled to a degree. Maybe some parts of Aki’s writing seem more egregiously bizarre, but Crow’s “arc” is also all over the place. Still, they’re both great characters and both deserve to be part of the main cast imo. No “Crow stole Aki’s spot” in my house. They’re both lovely. No more fighting.

[blueeyeswhitegarden]

Day 28: Hey, Who Hired This One? @arcvmonth

I don't have my OC exactly, but to kind of tie in with this prompt, I always desperately wanted Konami to make an Arc V video game where you basically play as your own OC through evens of the anime. They did that for some of the DS games for both GX and 5D's. I played Spirit Caller so much back in the day and Reverse of Arcadia where you basically became the fifth Signer was so fun too. Getting something like that for Arc V would have been so wonderful. The main downside to those kind of games is that they might not have an actual ending, especially if they're only based around season one of a series. It makes sense when these DS games were released while GX and 5D's were still airing, but I do remember feeling like the games just stopped a couple of times. But getting to explore Maiami City as a fellow You Show student and dueling against characters from Arc V would have been so great.

A similar kind of idea I had would be something along the lines of the Tag Force series where you get to tag with different characters with your own OC. You could choose to be one of the Lancers, join the Resistance, take part in the Friendship Cup in the City or join Academia. These would be more mini storylines for each character you could tag with instead of an adaptation of the anime. I've never actually played any of the Tag Force games, so I don't know if that's accurate exactly to how those games work. Still it would be such a cool idea that I wish they had made it. Getting more artwork for the characters as we finish their storylines in particular would be so great.

Ideally, they'd have character customization, so that people could play as either a boy or girl, have different outfits and have more accessories. Getting to play as a girl with long blue hair and glasses would be a lot of fun for me. Since I had my trainers in Pokemon Scarlet/Violett wear glasses, now I want to play as an OC duelist who is near sighted as heck just like me. You would also have different outfits for your OC in the Tag Force game depending on which character you teamed up. You'd have a regular school uniform as a You Show student, a coat with a red scarf for the Resistance, a Riding Duel outfit for the City and one of the school uniforms for Academia.

[borreloadsavagedragon]

Give Kaito essay (for the character meme)

Oh god, I’ll read more this because it’s gonna be a journey and that's also why it took so long gjdaslgk-

And the standard zexal and arc v spoilers warning message-

1. how long have i known about them A LONG time though it didn’t get to like he’s my whole world status until pandemic era-- MalindaChan did her cosplay for him back when I was still a certified Yugiboomer who entertained GX and 5DS because "lol abridged series jokes" and that’s when I first remember seeing his design? I tried watching Zexal briefly when it was actively airing but just couldn’t get far bc Boomer Brain ™, but I remember him being cool but the "Kaiba-likeness but not being Kaiba" Yugiboomer wall couldn't be overcome right away, I had to train my skills Then 2020 happened, I watched Vrains to understand Link Summoning, got SUCKED into it, and was like wow past me was dumb, ALL of the spinoffs are GREAT Zexal reached a hand back out to me when I was kinda struggling with the Vrains community and I'd decided to start writing more spinoff muses with some mutual friends and that's also when I realized I’d be subconsciously collecting Galaxy and Photon monsters since they’re pretty + space themed but also because they were inside of ALL of the Kaiba support sets(because DUH) so it was like,,, well, let’s try that again

Now I’m In Hell And It’s All His Fault Do you think I ENJOY playing Photon competitively? Well yes, but also NO. It means learning new decks is HARD because I can't look at dragons and knights in SPACE.

2. whether or not they’ve ever made me cry Moon duel? W,, what Moon duel,,, I don’t,,, remember any space dueling, ahaha, isn’t that another yugioh, the rush of the go,,,,,,, In all serious though, yes lmao The duel against Zexal when he tells you his reasoning for why he’s the Number Hunter and he looks so broken, that got a solid few tears The flashback of him trying to break Haruto out of the city got some tears  The duel with Chris is also really good show of his character at the root, the thing that gets him back to his feet is the moment Chris even considers Haruto as part of his suffering, g o d The moon duel of course. That’s. That one was brutal. Yeah. 

3. whether or not i have any merchandise/objects with them uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

There’s a wall scroll behind my work desk that sneaks into my Zoom calls, there’s a canvas print he’s on that sits at my work desk, my ita bag has a handful of charms, pins, and buttons for him(still hunting for artists who draw him with merch wink wink)

I guess my Photon tcg deck counts? The tcg is just one big merch machine if you squint enough-

My Book of Moon themed binder is literally just all of my collector Photon and Galaxy/references to Kaito cards + a small page for Miza since Tachyon is a Galaxy Eyes

Do cosplays count? Because I’ve got all but his space suit basically done + his duel disk 

4. what about their personality i like How seriously he takes himself despite literally everything else about his character 

He’s often off to the side with his arms crossed, pouting or frowning, having the cool guy edge lord behavior But also he’s screaming in the rain, jumping through a window on a kite glider he made himself that also doubles as his robo-butler, flying to the whole ass moon because a rock told him to, and beefing 14 yr olds, he’s just a legend 

I also love that he's like... very clear about himself and on how you should treat him. He straight up says he's going to hell for what he's done and just continues to be there because that's how he'll atone because atonement isn't forgiveness, like he's not ours to forgive. Love him so much.

5. what about their backstory makes me emotional Honestly, most of it

Watching Kaito slowly lose his autonomy (his brother whose been his responsibility for what could be read as since birth, his father just becoming a figure head in his life versus an actual parent, Chris walking out on him with no closure until they duel, being watched by and trained under brutal conditions by the government, failed escape attempts, getting lied to and used, etc) and then knowing one of the people who he attributes half of that loss and suffering to is someone he never gets closure against is very hard to watch

Even in Arc V, he loses his entire family in a way that makes him cut ties with every single person left in a desolate city and hunt his enemies down one by one to pay them back for his suffering, and it happened before we finally actually get to see him or hear of him for the first time so god knows the details

He really just gets put through it time and time again, yugioh be nice to that onion challenge

6. the moment of theirs that made me the saddest there was no duel on the moon in yugioh zexal

But actually, Kaito dying is tragic for a few reasons

THEY JUST LET HIS BROTHER WATCH IT HAPPEN? FAKER??? HELLO?

He was... ok with it happening-

He was killed off before the final duel and before he could reunite with Yuma and Ryouga again, and even though he came back as a spirit, it felt like a such a cop out

7. the moment of theirs that made me the happiest The pure look of joy on his face reuniting with his brother after they defeat Vector the first time, it’s so good The first time Prime Photon is summoned, goated, perfect, all boss monsters should be willed into existence like that But also Arc V, Kaito watching Dennis duel Yuya after everything with Zarc and clapping for him is so sweet omg

8. something about them that made me laugh HIS ONE LINERS, yugioh really gives the rivals the best solo lines I swear to god

Ok listen, dub and sun debate aside, I watched both because I’m a mess and need as much Kaito as I can get, but the dub has some heaters and Kaito’s got a few good ones, ESPECIALLY when he's talking to Mizael

The one to Shark, “You’re quite the romanticist”, who the fuck says that out loud to another person Kaito talking to Dennis is also a fever dream, the dub especially is so jarring, I love them

9. my favorite canon outfit of theirs White coat with the gazer tattoo, you can never go wrong with the Photon coat Numeral Hunter is also based, I know that's not like HIS look in any show, but... I HC that would be his Vrains Avatar, he could go to Vrains very easily, Solflare is an exploitable card in his deck

10. my favorite moment with them in canon UUUUGGHHHH CHOOSING ONE IS HARD

Uhhh, episode wise Shark Hunter is prooobably my favorite(for obvious reason but besides those LOL) because it’s such a tone setter for who Kaito is and also I could listen to these two bicker all day long, we really didn’t get nearly enough of their side rivalry as opposed to like Kaiba and Joey or Takeru and Ryoken

And then the Moon Duel is like my second favorite duel in the whole franchise, only outclassed by Soba and Revo in Vrains, you really get to see just how strong he is because he's half blind, still actively dying by dueling, and gets his helmet cracked in the vacuum of space, and he's still able to win

Character moment, the duel against Chris comes to mind again because it shows a lot of Kaito to his core, but also Kaito hauling ASS to get Yuma to Astral world to reunite with Astral is iconic, Kaito's always ready to take the plunge when everyone else says not to because he just KNOWS he's right

11. my favorite relationship they have with another character sweats profusely, I said it above somewhere I think- removing shipping from the equation entirely, I REALLY like all of the bff / rival dynamics across all of the shows, I love how well done they are and I fully find them more interesting than the standard protag/rival ones, even with KaiRyo having like the least amount of time dedicated to theirs comparatively. Ryouga and Kaito being treated so similarly by the hands dealt to them to where they'd understand the other one like looking in a mirror and yet they cannot stand each other, I eat that shit up. But also knowing the other person so well that they don't even have to talk and also realizing that person is their one of their only option to success? Give me MORE of that I also really love the foil between Mizael and Kaito a lot, I REALLY wish it got the time it was rumored to get, guess I gotta do everything myself In Arc V, Kaito and Shun's dynamic is really good for the little bit we're allowed the time to see it, Shun being one of the only characters who actually goes back for him after leaving so abruptly between Arc V and Zexal... tugs on the heart strings I also love that Kaito took ONE look at Edo in the safe house and decided to speed run the enemies part of the enemies to lovers arc they were going to have, I wish they could have spoken in canon more, hell GX Edo and Zexal Kaito would also be such an interesting dymamic

12. what i like about the way the fandom portrays them Everyone drawing him like >:D all of the time, keep doing that The white lab coat look too? Like not the Photon one, like a standard white lab coat? Perfect, DO NOT change that

nsfw next but also just how everyone knows he's a bottom no matter which ship it is lmao

13. what i dont like about the way the fandom portrays them that no one talks about him except in “WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE RIVAL” polls fndhxjshxbs

I’m going insane in my thoughts alone over here, I need to convert everyone to watch Zexal

14. what i liked about the way canon portrayed them Ok here we can get heated for a bit because I’ve seen an argument somewhere that Kaito didn’t develop at all from season 1 to 2 of Zexal but he 100000% did and I honestly like how it's done

Season 1 Kaito was purposefully talking to the air Astral could be in to avoid even looking at Yuma because he thought so little of him despite how much clawing to get on the same level as him Yuma did

Season 2 Kaito is jumping in to keep Mizael from killing Yuma without a second thought, he's going to the arctic despite ALL of the protests to build the bridge to Astral

His development is subtle, but it's very there, not to mention he can now stomach being in the same room as Faker, gave Chris a second chance, his dying words to Yuma are all the more apparent how important Yuma became to him Like the ONLY person we should have seen an actual conversation touching on Kaito's actions with WAS Ryouga but... be honest, Ryouga's not accepting that from Kaito, they're both very much people of action and they established their bond through the snark and bickering, that's how they communicate Plus Kaito's also outward about not being a good person, telling Yuma he sold his soul to the devil, telling the gang in the first episodes of Zexal II he's already going to hell because that's what his guilty soul deserves Ryoken and Kaito would be SUCH an interesting duo, I'm just saying

15. what i dont like about the way canon portrayed them Oh boy now here we go LOL

The duel against Mr Heartland. - This one's unbelievably bad for so many reasons, mostly because there’s no universe where Kaito struggles against Heartland of all people in a duel, but also this is the person who’s been THE symbol for most of his trauma and trials up until that point. There is no chance in hell he struggles, gets crippled by him, and has to have Yuma take over. That was and always should have been his duel to win, but Yugioh has the unfortunate "this is a story through the protag's eyes" shonen protag bug at its core (Yuma sweetie you’re lovely and wonderful, it’s literally not your fault) 

Arc V giving him literally no time for their version of Kaito to have a more satisfactory character arc because of how long and bad the Synchro Dimension/Friendship Cup arc was. Just another victim of the Synchro Arc, sighs. The dub also puts this weird and bad attempted joking line about how Kaito doesn't do family and like have you literally watched any of Zexal, you're the whole ass studio Kaito just doesn't feel very Kaito the same way in Arc V, it's very sad, lots of shit you know og Kaito wouldn't let fly that just goes by in Arc V, but different versions, dimensions, stories, etc etc, it's just such a whiplash coming from Zexal where he's just so much more

OCG Structures was a coward and didn’t want to play with dimensional physics because Kaito 110% could find a way into that timeline I haven't read the Zexal manga in full just yet because I wanna collect them all physically so that'll be later- And a little bit for the games since Konami wanted at least one of those to be canon thanks to Vrains world-

Cross Duel literally had you consider killing kids for him but honestly this one is more funny than infuriating, everyone's a worst version of themselves in Cross Duel agjdaslkgj Duel Links is usually pretty good, but since Kaito’s first launch event where he's hunting you down, he’s been very much more like an NPC for the Zexal world events, just seems weird to me, I'm sure that'll get thrown out once Chris' unlock event actually happens coming up here and when Miza gets added... then that digital world won't know WHAT to do

[gothfield-official]

I would like the incomprehensible 5Ds.

Ask and ye shall recieve

I wasn't kidding when I said it was incomprehensible. The sticker on the last page was a freebie I got with something so I'm sorry but I have no idea who the artist is for that. Minor explanations for some things: I fucked up writing scrappy doo in pen and I have to live with that burden even though I could've corrected it with like white out or something. I'm lazy. I have a Pavlovian reaction to hearing jason griffith in English dubs where I point at the screen wojack style and say out loud "omg it's sonic the hedgehog??? in yugioh?!?!" Bruno just always looked a lil high to me idk. I'm a fake fan who doesn't play yugioh and I don't know what a field spell deck would be I just like the idea of it pls don't bully me.

I'm probably gonna release all my sketches up to this point (minus the arc v ones bc I'm still getting through that series... it's been over a year and I'm only 25 episodes in...)

[saint-bestial]

Who's the best character in yugioh 5d's and why is it kiryu?

because of course it's kiryu. man whose deranged behavior infested me from behind the screen. my beloved domestic terrorist wife.

something about a guy who could think himself fucking invincible one week and then the lowest scum the next. the type of dude who plays chicken with death partly because he loves the thrill and partly because he hopes he'll stop getting lucky. he gives me the thoughts that i can't articulate very well rn.

anon i wish i could explain to you in a way that made it seem like i have a brain. there's a lot of other people on here who've discussed this and analyzed him way better than i ever could. but i'll try. and i'll mostly attempt to keep out of headcanon territory but sorry if it leaks i think about him almost constantly he got a little mutated from being microwaved in my brain.

like. when i watched through 5d's, his story was genuinely shocking for ygo. literally shown covered in blood and committing domestic terrorism on screen. a (likely mentally ill) man driven off the deep end by the awful system he lives under. it feels realistic. he's part of why the first half of 5d's is so good.

and then he's just absolutely unhinged as a dark signer and whoever designed his outfit deserves to be sucked silly until the end of their days. no further notes he fucks hard here.

i do love his crash town arc but i'm not crazy about how it was concluded. but i understand the writers needed to wrap up his character within the few episodes they had. i think his recovery would take a very, very long time and he would drag his feet through it the entire time. and i think dropping two kids and a leadership position on him would NOT HELP that AT ALL. considering what happened last time he was in a position of power. idk i feel a lot of people like the single cowboy dad thing but uhh i dont think that'd go so well.

if you want a shorter answer? he's the right amount of unhinged, attractive, and a pinch of just like me fr to make me froth. i want to give him a hug and a warm bath and brush his hair. i also want to subject him to the horrors. he sucks in some of the ways i do so i connect with him in a way that i just don't with the rest of the cast. and sometimes that's all you really need.

idk if you wanted this much but. you got it. you sent an ask about kiryu to the kiryu blog so. lol.

[i-revolve-around-you]

I think it's about time I wrote a proper introduction post

Hey y'all, welcome to my blog! I'm a tumblr veteran but decided to start over on a new account recently. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.

🎵 the basics 🎵

nick ~ 28 ~ he/him ~ bi ~ white author ~ musician ~ gamer ~ nerd multi-fandom/shitposting this blog will be (mostly) SFW, but i still would rather not have minors following me. i just prefer interacting with adults, sorry. it's not personal. my likes, however, will be N/SFW, so be warned

my messages and ask box are always open! feel free to hit me up!

more info (including other links, and a list of fandoms/things i like) under the cut

tags: my ramblings | my face

🤩 a bit more about me 🤩

heya! the name's nick. i've been on tumblr since like...2011 or so? i was really big into it in my college years (2012-2017) but after The Great Tumblr Porn Ban of 2017 I've sorta been drifting in an out. When The Great Twitter Debacle of 2022 happened, I decided to migrate back on a new account so I could start fresh.

this account was immediately suspended because of my side-blog. which was a bit too unsafe for work for tumblr's guidelines ig 🙄 not mentioning that they had just recently updated their policy and everything i was posting was PERFECTLY FINE under them but w/e

so i started another one lmao and that's the one that you're looking at right now! my other account has since been restored but at that point I was already situated over here so like. whatever i guess. lol

i'm currently 28, and bisexual. semi-recently out of the closed as bi, actually. for years i identified as gay, but over time i started realizing "actually...i do kinda like girls?" i still identified as "gay" cuz it was easier than saying "so like i'm bi-sexual but mostly homo-romantic but also maybe potentially demi-sexual but only when it comes to real people?" then around 2020 it just kinda clicked with me, and the label of "bisexual" just felt right

anywho you didn't come here for my full life story. here's just a little bit more about me:

i'm a total nerd. i love video games, playing Yugioh, DND (just starting to get into that one), etc. i'm a writer. i've written several fanfics (some of which i'm really proud of, some of which i'm...less), and have a goal of one day publishing a novel (my main genre is YA contemporary with queer themes and characters). i'm a musician. i actually got my bachelor's degree in music (BA in Music). my main instrument is drums/percussion, but i'm learning a bit of guitar and can play a little bit of piano. i'm also a composer/songwriter, though haven't been writing as much these days. if i write anything cool i'll be sure to post it here!

🎭 the artist formerly known as 🎭

previous account: @excuuuseme-princess other previous urls: musicdork, sincerely-whelmed, futuremehatesme, @nickplayswhat, @spearfeld, among others, probably

🔍 other places to find me 🔎

tumblr sideblog (N/SFW, seriously be warned): @fadingfast1 twitter: @libromancerfire n/sfw twitter (again...be warned): @whatifitspriv tiktok: @libromancer_fireburst ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkjaden825698

⚔ fandoms/things i like ⚔

Books 📚

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz

Darius the Great is Not Okay / Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram

TV shows 📺

Arrowverse (especially Legend of Tomorrow [r.i.p. 😢])

Doctor Who

Travelers

Manifest

Movies 📽

Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse

Love, Simon

Cartoons/Anime 🍞

Yu-Gi-Oh! (DM, GX, 5Ds, ZeXal, Arc-V, currently watching VRAINS and Sevens, have yet to start Go-Rush)

Code Lyoko*

Video Games 🎮

Resident Evil (played all mainline games, some spinoffs, faves are RE2make, Village, and Revelations 2, Ethan Winters is my husband)

Horizon (Zero Dawn, Forbidden West)

Persona (mostly 3 and 5, still need to finish 4, but Kanji is bae)

Fire Emblem (have played all except FE1, 2, 3, and about halfway through 5 but keep losing interest, Engage was FANTASTIC, but Ike is my favorite character)

Zero Escape (999, VLR, ZTD, Sigma Klim is my husband)

Life is Strange (particularly LiS2, but I love them all)

The Legend of Zelda

Golden Sun*

Music Artists 🎼

Paramore

Neck Deep

The Wonder Years*

Other

Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG

*fandoms/media I was once very involved in, but not as much anymore, still enjoy though fandoms/media i consider to be some of my faves/am very active in will (try and remember to) update as new things become relevant to me lmfaoo