#Bubblemans world

[moonstonecanyon]

(06/29/2024.)

I can finally make digital art again... I might have gotten carried away,

zoom in's below the cut

:)

[juno-spaceshaft]

more haskins. they kinda remind me of the animal crossing dodos

[linkspooky]

Yu-Gi-Oh GX and Alchemy: The Nigredo

So Yu-Gi-Oh GX is the first successful Yu-Gi-Oh spinoff after the original manga and anime ended, and it began two trends, one a long line of anime spinoffs that would continue to make anime original stories revolving around the trading card game and two that each new anime would focus on a new method of special summoning.

When creating an all new Yu-Gi-Oh story with only some input from the original mangaka, Hikokubo Masashiro stated GX focusing on fusion summons was an idea the staff came up with. Hikokubo felt that polymerization and fusion summoning were rarely used during the duel monsters era, and felt that it was a very underutilized but incredibly interesting mechanic that was unique to Yu-Gi-Oh! When he proposed the idea to have the new summoning be fusion focused, Takahashi loved the idea and was extremely enthused by it.

Now the question before we even begin is why am I analyzing Yu-Gi-Oh? It's because it's a shonen anime and this is the blog where we overanalyze shonen.

Yu-Gi-Oh is literally no different from any anime with a power system, it's like Hunter x Hunter except instead of using an ovceromplicated nen system with a lot of rules, the characters instead play an overcomplicated card game with a lot of rules. The same way a character's nen is thematic and telling of their character in Hunter x Hunter, their cards and dueling style is thematic to them in Yu-Gi-Oh! If you can just get over the fact that it's kind of silly everyone's using cards to fight, it's the same as any other shonen anime. They're all using magic cards to fight each other with magic, the cards are a power system, and the power system means something in regards to the characters in a shonen anime.

By Yu-Gi-Oh GX using fusion as its focus summoning method (combining two or more monsters to summon one) it's also thematically about alchemy - specifically physical alchemy solve et Cogaula. Latin for dissolve and coagulate, the process in which through four elemental stage silver is refined into gold and a philosopher stone is created.

The main character of Yu-Gi-Oh GX is also on a journey to become an alchemist, and create the philosopher's stone / the elixirof life. He is also a duelist who uses an archetype known as the "elemental heroes" that fuses heroes based off the four elements (fire, earth, water, air) and also yin and yang (light and darkness) into different combinations to create stronger monster. A character who's strongest card at the end of the first season is called "Elemental HERO Elixir" and requires featherman (wind), burst lady (fire), clayman (earth), and bubbleman (water) to fuse together in order to summon. A character who's art depicts a man wearing gold armor surrounded by the four elements of the Yu-Gi-Oh cardgame in the background.

However, that's only in season 1 and Judai's journey stretches for four seasons. I only used elixir as an example to show that fusion and the elemental hero archetypes are both things that connect Judai to alchemy, and why his journey is to complete the four stages of alchemy and the creation of the philosopher's stone.

I'm also making this post for Kate who is the only person that will read it that Yu Gi Oh GX incorporates Alchemy research as well as A Song of Ice and Fire and RWBY. Because just as with those shows the formula of "Solve et coagula" is stuck to, though Yu Gi Oh GX uses "Fusion" as its main metaphor for dissolve et coagula.

Anyway, Yu Gi Oh GX has four seasons, with four main story arcs which follow the four stages of Alchemy to a T.

The Seven Star Saga: Nigredo

Society of Light Saga: Albedo

Dimmension World Saga (Citrinitas)

Darkness Saga: Rubedo (Red)

These four stages also proceed in order of four elements, which as I said is the same as the four elements of monster cards in Yu Gi Oh.

Fire

Water

Earth

Air

They also all correspond to four colors as long as we're getting the basics out of the way, because color symbolism is important to aclhemy too. These are:

Nigredo / Black

Abledo / White

Cintrinitas / Yellow

Rubedo / Red

For more proof that Alchemy is baked into the DNA of this show, here's a group shot of what are basically the main characters for opening two, and look what colors they are wearing.

Judai - Red / Black

Fubuki Tenjoin and Asuka Tenjoin - White

Manjoume - Black

Sho, Misawa, Kenzan - Yellow

There's also three main dorms Osiris red, Ra Yellow, Obelisk Blue and yes Obelisk Blue is Blue but the uniforms are Blue and White and they're even replaced by the white dorm in the second season. Characters even change what colors they are wearing to indicate progression in their arc, Fubuki is introduced to us as Darkness possessed by his inner darkness and then switches to an all-white uniform by season 2 nigredo -> albedo. Manjoume sheds his blue uniform for Black and stays in the Osiris Red dorm for three seasons after losing his elitism -> entering the nigerdo stage.

Most importanly though Judai our alchemist is the only character to wear red and black, as Red is the color of the philosopher's stone which is Judai's main goal but Judai like Manjoume also wears black underneath to signifiy he too is going through the nigredo stage. Judai is an alchemist attempting the great work of self, and he must start at stage one - Nigredo.

So, to begin with what is Nigredo?

The Alchemy of Darkness - Nigredo

In alchemy, nigredo, or blackness means putrefacation or decomposition. Many alchemist believe that as a first step in the pathway to the philosopher's stone all alehmical ingredients need to be cleansed and cooked into a uniform black mater. This is sometimes called "blacker than the blackest black>" Nigredo means putrefecation and decomposition.

It's ruled by the planet Saturn and connected to lead, which is ocnsidered to be the basest and most impure metal. Metaphysically, it is tied to the dragon and the destruction of the dragon, symbolized by decapitation and the skull of the raven.

This is an unpleasant and often violent process, because one must face one's darkest flaws. Because one 'reaps what ones sows" and noen gains likel only to what one loses accoring to the Laws of Isis spoken by the Angel Amnael, to change into a final nature one must destroy its flaws - and thus its whole property - so that it might be remade again. In a lab one must cook all components down to a uniform black matter, which takes no less than fourty days - or one year of high school.

Judai begins his journey wearing inverted colors, black school uniform on the outside and red on the inside. He also is marked in the first episode and season 2 as the Fool. Saio a character with the ability to see the future who plays a tarot themed deck, sees Judai as the fool, the wildcard in which fate can change.

The fool's journey, and the process of alchemy are similiar, they're both things Jung references for the development of the self. Tarot is season 2 territory so all you need to know right now is Judai is the fool in both senses of the word, he is at once innocent and ignorant. His innocence inspires people, and his ignorance causes problems, though that won't be highlighted until season 3. The fool is on a journey to gain wisdom, which is why Judai's first action in the anime is meeting up with a magician (Yugi, who's ace card is the black magician) who gives him guidance by giving him winged kuriboh.

The story of the Tarot is actually a paralel to the alchemist's journey, and the Fool--who begins his trek untouched by the world around him because he sees and understands nothing--is the fledgling alchemist, with his powers and potentials all untapped and unknown. This is a childlike figure in many ways, and the symbolism here is capable of being both that of innocent oblivion and the callous disregard that children (and Judai) are also so capable of. In fact Judai's entire character revolves around the dual faces of the fool, that innocence and ignorance can be the same thing, and that jUdai may not mean harm in his ignorance but that doesn't mean it's not harmful and his ignorance is why he needs to go on a quest for knowledge in the first place.

And Yu-Gi-Oh GX is primarily about Judai's journey. There are other characters who grow up besides Judai, but it is primarily about Judai going on a journey from childhood into adulthood. I will be mentioning other characters here, but when they change it's usually meant to reflect Judai in a way too.

Either way, Judai's role as the alchemist is indicated right away in his first duel, as he uses flame wingman - his favorite card a fusion monster that is specifically a fusion between man (featherman) and woman (burst lady) in order to cook crowler's antique gear soldier which is made of metal. This not only sets up the formula for how he'll win every major duel in the show, fuse weaker monsters into stronger mosnters. It also serves as some early, early foreshadowing for the appearance of the Rebis the fusion of man and woman that happens in the final stage of alchemy. The Rebis in this case being Yubel but that's season 3 territory.

Flame Wingmna's appearance is foreshadowing for Yubel, it's also pretty clearly a Rebis, it's a fusion of a featherman and burst lady, and it also has a dragon head appearaing on one of its arms. It's also the first succesful fusion / attempt at alchemy we see Judai perform in the show and it's what lets him win his first duel. It even appears in front of the moon because Judai played Skyscraper, switching the time in the duel from night to day.

However, alchemy doesn't just happen once. It's a process of continual refinement where the alchemist dissolves and coagulates over and over again in order to purify himself, the same way that Judai's entire sidedeck is countless different attempted fusions of his elemental hero monsters, each fusion serving a purpose in a different situation.

Chemical weddings, the union of opposite elements don't happen once in this show but over and over again. This is important to point out for all three seasons to show how much alchemy symbolism happens in this show and how much alchemy is a continual process.

The Stages of Alchemy

However, before continuing forward I need to say Yu Gi Oh GX is a pretty weirdly paced show, the first 100 episodes or so are setup for a dark deconstruction that happens in the next 90 after that. So Season 1 and Season 2 are both a lot of set up for both changes and alchemical processes that will happen mainly in Seasons 3 and 4. Which as I said, chemical weddings happen multiple times not just once and alchemy may have stages but it's not necessarily a strictly linear process. The series however does still follow the 4-part structure of alchemy and even makes specific references to medieval paintings which describe the alchemical processes.

There are also several allusions to the Splendor Solis - 22 illustrated plates which describe the alchemical process [source]

Which are divided into 4 groups like this:

4 introductory plates - they present the protagonists of the alchemical journey.

7 Parables - they describe the alchemical death and rebirth

7 flaks plates - they describe the alchemical process from a practical point of view

4 final plates - they describe the alchemical process from a spiritual point of view.

Seasons 1 and 2 being one long introduction for the second half of the anime, both include references to the four introductory plates. We'll be covering references to those two as we continue our journey into season 1.

I bring this up now because in episode 3 we are already at our first reference to Splendor Solis, Plate 4 the meeting of the king and the queen, the male and female, the yin and yang, the sun and the moon. The opposition of two equally matched forces, what most call the chemical wedding.

Judai and Asuka in the third episode duel each other over water with both of thme standing on boats. Asuka is the queen of the obelisk blues called that by several characters, and Judai not only quickly becomes the best male duelist in the school he's also on his journey to being a king in season 3. Judai's flame wingman (fire) actually clashes with her Cyber Blader (ice) during the duel atop the water.

Asuka primarily wears white, which is associated with Abledo. She is also associated with water and ice (she uses an ice deck when brainwashed by sartorius in season 2). In Jungian symbolism, the Albedo stage of alchemy is also tied to the union of anima and animus. There will be more time to cover this in my season 2 meta, but just as a starter Asuka in this episode is basically set up to be a female Judai, something compounded upon later in the season.

The basic premise of this episode is that Cronos puts a fake love note from Asuka to Judai in order to try luring Judai into a trap to visit the girl's dorm at night. When Sho gets lured by the trap, Asuka thinking very much like Judai does, doesn't see a potential romantic partner but a potential duel rival.

Asuka's true love isn't boys, but dueling itself much like Judai who for the first two seasons seems either oblivious or weirded out by women showing affection for him and who's primary method of making friends and connecting to people is by dueling others.

Judai and Asuka's first meeting isn't necessarily a romantic chemical wedding, because one happens in season 3 and it's with someone who's not Asuka - but it is still a union of opposites. Anima and Animus is something I plan to cover more in season 2 but basically Jung divides the psyche into two part, the feminine aspects of personality and the masculine aspects and makes the observation that most men aren't accustomed to their feminine side and vice versa. Men must therefore come into touch with their feminine side and integrate their feminine traits into their everyday life in order to become fully realized people.

Judai is basically dueling with the female version of himself, another person who loves dueling above everything else and uses it as a way of conencting with other,s and Asuka even pulls a Judai-like move, she threatens to get Judai and Sho expelled to extort a duel out of Judai because she wanted to size him up as a potential dueling rival.

Asuka also plays the role of the high priestess in the fool's journey, to Yugi's magician. As it's through his encounter with Asuka that Judai gains passive guidance for what his role will be in season 1 - as she's the one actively looking for her brother Fubuki which will lead Judai to the seven stars plotline. In fact, while Judai came to the anbadoned dorm because him and Sho were sharing scary stories, he sticks around and explores it deeper specifically because he heard Asuka make a mention that her brother went missing there.

This leads to the introduction of shadow duels - duels where characters bet their souls on the line and the consequence for losing is being consumed by darkness, otherwords a failure in alchemy.

The entirety of season one is basically one long pattern of Judai who only duels for fun and to connect to other people learning that there are darker sides to dueling (shadow games) and going through one long process of realizing that not everything is for fun and there are times you duel with your life on the line. Or at least, that's what he should be doing but a lot of Judai's development is stalled until season 3. However, that stage is still set up here.

Judai does not really grow a lot in season one, but we have other characters going through their own mini-alchemeical journeys in order to reflect Judai. For instance, each season Judai has a rival / foil that contests with him for the hero role. In season 1 it's Manjoume who thinks he's the one more set up to inherit the next king of games.

Manjoume goes through a pretty common arc for shonen characters. He's suddenly defeated by the appearance of a new rival, he loses all confidence in himself, he goes off somewhere else to train and then returns to defeat the rival that knocked him off his pedestal.

However, that usually happens to protagonists. Manjoume, a rival character, goes through more of a journey than the main character of his own show at least in season 1. Manjoume follows the nigredo formula pretty much to a T.

We see Manjoume break down completely. He loses to Judai even after getting cards from Crowler (his Dragon card is even killed by Judai) he then has a mental breakdown and tries to cheat against Misawa only to lose again and leave the school entirely. Even his deck goes through the process of dissolve and coagulate, as he has to get rid of his old deck and then find 40 new cards in the northern tundra and put together a new deck from scratch. He even returns to Duel Academy wearing black and purple after having gone through the process of breaking down entirely and reforming to signify his change in the nigredo stage.

This is the kind of arc and internal struggles you give your main character so we find their growth and journey compelling, but Judai's basically already a dueling prodigy he doesn't need to become stronger as a duelist. In fact Manojoume's internal insecurities are more at focus in this arc than the main character's too.

Judai is usually the character who duels the main boss, but in season 1 and 2 he rarely if ever feels the pressure to win the same way that Manjoume does in just this one duel with relatively little stakes. In fact if alchemy especially nigredo requires boiling and pressure in order to change the chemical composition of the metal that they're currently boiling, Manjoume is more emblematic of that chemical change -> heat and pressure allowing him to metamorphosize into a new person.

In fact Judai purposefully doesn't talk to Manjoume during this scene because he doesn't feel like there's anything he could say on an emotional level that would help him b/c Judai isn't really mature enough to understand that feeling of responsibility and pressure Manjoume is struggling under - he just tries to work it out in a duel instead.

Season 1 is all about Nigredo, about plunging into darkness but Manjoume who plunges into darkness to find himself and to an extent Asuka who journeys into the darkness to find her brother are the oens who actually experience a change while Judai remains a mostly static character. He is the impetus of change for both of these characters, but he doesn't really change himself just yet.

So Asuka has an exernal objective -> find Fubuki, and Manjoume has an internal flaw -> His insecurity and inferiority complex and both of them need to plunge into darkness in order to remedy these things. Judai doesn't have any objective at all, but because he comes into contact with Asuka and Manjoume he helps Asuka with her quest and Manjoume with his internal insecurity.

From early on Judai despite literaly fighting with a deck called the "Elemental Heroes" is more of a designated hero, then an actual hero. As I pointed out above other characters struggle with the kind of insecurities that protagonists usually struggle with. Judai doesn't need to learn to believe in himself or be a better duelist, he's already a dueling prodigy, that's Sho, and Manjoume's struggles. Asuka is the one who has a personal motivation to save someone because she wants to save her brother, Judai only helps because he wants to help Asuka. Judai is picked to fight once the seven stars start appearing not because he is the most heroic character, but because he is the best duelist.

It's not that Judai doesn't help when someone asks him for a helping hand. He always gives his help when asked for it, but otherwise he's an incredibly passive character who continually "only duels for fun" even when the stakes get higher. He only feels the pressure to win that Manjoume did for one episode after the gauntlet of Darkness Camula and even then it's immediately resolved with a duel against Kaibaman.

However, despite not having the things usual main character have, an outward objective, or an obvious internal flaw that he needs to fix or boil away in the alchemy sense he's still the central character of the show. Fubuki is Asuka's brother, and yet when he appears again it's Judai who duels him.

Yami no Game - Versus Darkness

The first instance of actual plot in this show happens in episode 29 (Yu Gi Oh is a well paced show / sarcasm) when Fubuki / Darkness appears as a member of the seven stars, to challenge Judai for his key, kidnapping his friends and holding them hostage in a volcano for an ante. This entire duel is steeped with alchemy symbolism and is to be honest one of my favorite in the series. It's also Judai's first real "yami no game" if one counts the duel at the dorm and the duel against Jinzo as warmups.

To recap from above, Nigredo is the first step of alchemy, it's usually associated with fire, the color black, and the death of a dragon. This duel takes place in a volcano. A volcano where dragons made of flame rise up from the lava, and Judai's opponent Darkness walks right out of the fire to face him.

Darkness not only hits all the symbols for the first stage of alchemy, his deck also corresponds to this stage. He's running a red eyes black dragon deck, a deck who's ace monster "Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon" gets stronger for every single monster in your graveyard. If Nigredo is initiated by the death of a dragon. They fight on what is basically a graveyard of dragons with dragon spirits constantly jumping out of the lava, the dead spirits empowering Red Eyes Darkness Dragon even further.

Red Eyes Darkness Dragon - Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by Tributing 1 "Red-Eyes Black Dragon". Gains 300 ATK for each Dragon monster in your GY.

Fubuki arrives in practically a storm of fire, promising to melt everything away if Judai doesn't take things seriously. He even calls Judai half-hearted for not realizing what is at stake here. Once again he's applying heat and pressure to try to force a transformation inside of Judai.

It is the first and last time for awhile someone challenges Judai seriously on this level (as most of the seven star matches bar Camula get kind of silly after this) but it also incorporates the Nigredo and the Work of Self, 'if you cannot overcome the blackness and despair of your own self, you will be burned away'. The volcano, the dragon graveyard, red eyes darkness dragon all incorporate the image of the skull, the dragon and the fire which reduces one to black matter.

In a normal narrative this is where Judai would succumb to the pressure like Manjoume did and start to take things seriously, but once again Yu Gi Oh Gx is building up a three season long-con. The one who changes isn't Judai, but rather Fubuki who's internal darkness is purified by the end and we see him return to his usual self, though he'll call upon the darkness again in season 2 and then season 4 because purification isn't' a one and done process.

We're shown other characters around Judai changing, and Judai often being the impetus for that change, but we're not shown exactly why until all the way in episode 45 when Amnael decides to play his hand, because Yu-Gi-Oh Gx is a well paced show (sarcasm).

If we focus on the duels that develop Judai as a character it goes a little something like:

1st duel against crowler establishes his use of fusion

1st duel against asuka - chemical wedding / anima + animus

1st duel against zane - establishes relationship with sho

3 duels against Manjoume - Manjoume's arc

Judai vs Misawa - More for Misawa's arc because it teaches him that isntinct can win against obsessive thinking over strategy.

Judai's 3 shadow duels (vs Titan, vs. Jinzo, vs. the Gravekeepers)

Finally, vs. Darkness / Fubuki

The only duels that really are about Judai as a character are Yami no Games, the ones where Judai is forced to bet his life on the line in a duel because those are the duels that challenge his philosophy that dueling is just for fun and his desire to duel purely for his own entertainment. Basically every other duel that Judai gets into up until this point is for other characters not him, only the Yami no Games int true Nigredo fashion push Judai's arc along as he slowly realizes there are times where he needs to carry responsibility and weight on his shoulders and keep going.

When the pressure of dueling becomes too much for him after Darkness and Camula he does receive an alchemcial bath, in the form of a hotsprings episode where he gets to fight Kaibaman in a low stakes duel which relieves him of the pressure temporarily. Kaibaman is also dressed in white, and plays the blue eyes white dargon the counterpart to the red eyes black dragon.

The impetus for this episode is a dream where Judai sees himself losing against an unknown shadowy dragon, which causes both of his friends to burn away in fire while he's consumed by the darkness as a price for losing the yami no game.

In those last minutes too Judai's more concerned with his friends who are crying out for his help then he is for the fact that he himself is being consumed by the darkness. Something which will come back in season 3, because Seasons 1 and 2 are excellent at setup and foreshadowing if nothing else.

Foreshadowing because there is a scene where Judai's friends do burn away and he does sink into darkness, his nigrido and all his anxieties reflected in this dream here prove true but once again it happens in season 3.

Things that seem like they are neatly resolved in seasons 1 and 2 will always be called back to in Season 3. Judai goes through several mini arcs of "I need to take dueling more seriously" only to revert back to his usual carefree irresponsible attitude, because in seasons 1 and 2 the consequences for Judai not taking thing seriously and messing up aren't as severe as they'll eventually be.

Judai is called to in his Yami no Games plunge the depths of his own personal darkness, Daitokuji leads him to three shadow games to make him realize there are games where real life people can get hurt - Fubuki yells at the top of his lungs not to half-ass this duel or his friends will burn away into nothing. Judai is called to explore those depths of darkness... he just doesn't. Manjoume does, Fubuki does, Asuka does, even Sho and Ryo have an honest conversation about their relationship as brothers when Camula holds Sho hostage so Ryo will lose the duel.

I'd argue there are hints that Judai does have an inner darkness that he's refusing to examine all the way back in season 1 too, because the foreshadowing in this show is excellent. In episode 5 when they're all sharing ghost stories, Judai shares a story about how he thought he could hear the voices of his duel monsters when he was asleep.

Only for Judai to jokingly end the horror story by declaring that he didn't see a thing.

Those who have watched season 3 know that this is a bald-faced lie, because it was right around that age that Judai was given a haunted card by his father that put all of his friends into comas and made it so no one wanted to duel with him let alone be around him. Judai used to be able to see card spirits, until the traumatic incident of one dark card spirit made him cut off his ability to see them entirely. Judai tells Sho half the story, and then blows the rest off as a joke.

This scene is pretty clear season 3 foreshadowing, but also in a sense of alchemy, Judai is failing to confront the darkness here because he remains ignorant of his repressed childhood memory. He muses for a second on the fact that he can remember hearing card spirits when he was younger, but doesn't reflect on why he stopped hearing them because he's coping poorly with that traumatic childhood incident still. Which is why he is so stagnant because even when he's given opportunities too - he doesn't reflect on his past, or even reflect on who he is whatsoever.

This small detail of his backstory doesn't come until season 3 so technically I'm spoiling you, we're given no information at all in season 1 why Judai loves dueling so much and why it seems to be the only thing he cares about not because the writing is bad but because Judai himself never reflects on those things.

As Judai plunged into the world of Yami no Games, he could have reflected more seriously on these things, but he didn't because Judai is also more concerned with other people, and forced to duel to save other people first before himself.

Judai fails to commit nigredo, and this normally would result in reverse alchemy or even character stagnation but that doesn't happen until season 3 - mainly because in season 1 Judai has a mentor to sweep in and kind of fix his mistakes for him.

There's a whole bunch of duels in between this, but really Judai's next plot relevant duel is episode 44 the Seventh Shadow. When Daitokuji goes missing the gang goes out searching for him, only to find that he's facing Daitokuji as the alchemist Amnael and the sevenths star.

There's a billion alchemy references in this duel, because as I said Judai has only three really plot important alchemy duels this season the first being darkness, the second amnael, and the third Kagemaru and so all the symbolism is frontloaded into this one.

First off, Daitokuji carries around an emerald tablet for a millenium item gifted to him by Kagemaru and he also uses this symbol - which resembles the alchemy symbol for the sun, but also a traditional depiction of an ouroboros a snake eating itself.

The ouroboros a symbol that appeared in alcehmy in Graeco-roman egypt, the same era that the Amneal Story appears from. A symbol which ties to the sun, mercurius (hermes) and his caducous staff which contained a male and female snake interlaced.

In Egypt the sun went on a journey to the underworld every night, only to come back to the world of the living every morning. In the duel itself, Daitokuji is long dead, and Judai must in a way kill his mentor as apprentice in order to replace him as alchemist. Daitokuji also comes right back immediately as a ghost, because life and death are an eternal cycle like the ouroboros itself.

Daitokuji goes by the name of Amnael an angel who appeared before Isis to reveal the great mystery to her. Amnael becomes a lover to Isis and reveals the secret to her, but first makes her swear a mighty oath by "fire and water, like and darkness, by fire, water, air, and earth" and a variety of Greek and Egyptian Deities.

The great secret in question:

“So go then, my child, to a certain laborer named Achaab, and ask him what he has sown and what he has harvested, and you will learn from him that the man who sows wheat also harvests wheat, and the man who sows barley also harvests barley. For a nature rejoices another nature, and a nature conquers another nature.”

In other words the great secret of alchemy is that you reap what you sew. In other words alchemy, like chemical reactions is all about actions and consequences.

This also ties to the phrase "as above, so below" which is chanted constantly in the two episode duel against Daitokuji. A phrase which is on the emerald tablet, (borrowing this from Kate). The emerald tablet is also wielded by hermes, so once again, greco-roman / egyptian alchemy lore.

"That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above."

Things in the macrocrosm are mirrored in the microcosm, or in other words BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO BE IN THE WORLD. You have to change yourself before you can change others. The personal change that an alchemist goes through in acquiring the philosopher's stone and finishing a chemical wedding will radiate out to the rest of the world.

This is the role that the master alchemist gives to his apprentice.

Amnael and Judai's duel is basically a crash course of alchemy for dummies. Amnael's card archetype the Alchemy Beasts uses a distillation to summon seven different alchemy beasts which resembles the seven step process of alchemy.

Aretos the time

Ekanos the Mercury

Leon the Lead

Moonface the Silver

Ouoroboros the Bronze

Salamandra the Steel

Golden Homonculus

Coincidentally the number seven shows up a lot this season. The seven stars are the duelists that the main characters have to face in yami no games, probably a reference to the fact that there are seven heavenly bodies in the ancient medieval world, saturn, jupite,r mars, venus, mercury, moon, and sun which also correspond with the seven steps of refining metal into gold listed above. Sun being gold, and again sun being associated with Judai.

While also using support spell cards that reference the nigrido, albedo and rubedo. Before finally using the Macro-cosmos card... which is again covered above changes on the microscale effect the macroscale.

All in the world originates from a single substance altered in various ways to form heaven and earth. Even the world of man known as the microcosmos and the world of the heavens known as the macrocosmos. So, humans and outerspace are connected?

Amnael then procees to push the sun through three phases, helios - the primordial sun, Helios - Duo Megistus, and Helios - tris magestius. The second stage being a reference to this.

Outside the building where this standard is housed are two men. Their body postures might suggest they are teacher and initiate. The master points to the standard, separated from them by swirling and overflowing waters. There is also a three-step platform leading up to the standard, possibly reflective of the tria prima which all alchemical substances are made from; Paracelsus defined these as Mercury (Spirit), Salt (Body), and Sulfur (Soul)

The master is teaching the student - there are two men, two suns, ad even two babboons in this piece. Sharing and art. Giving and taking. The teacher shares, and the student takes, indicative of the fact this is Daitokuji's final lesson.

In alchemy three suns also appear to show the three stages of aclehmy, the blakckun, white, sun and red sun. The black sun is considered important for the dissolution stage of alchemy. The man holding the flask contianing the golden liquid, made from the four elementsor rather Plate 2 is also referenced in this duel.

Daitokuji is the old man with the flask, the duel also concludes with an elixir created from the four elements of nature. Judai creates elemetal hero elixir by fusing four elemental heroes of different elements in his graveyard. After her reflects upon what he's gained in the past year at Duel Acamdey compared to what he didn't have before - friends.

At which finally Daitokuji elucidates why he chose Judai of all people as his chosen pupil.

"Alchemy 's ability to change all into gold is merely a superficial phenomenon. It's true aim is to change the hearts of people into purer, nobler things."

Judai as we'll find out in season 3 started out the story as a friendless loser, and his desire to connect to others through dueling, causes him to purify the people around him by enduring many trials and tribulations for their sakes.

Amnael is also the first to notice the potential of Judai, and that this potential lies within Judai's darkness. Though, even though Judai is pushed to do a little self reflection in this duel (admitting to himself that he was lonely before he came to duel academy and this is the first time in his life he's had friends) he doesn't actually look inside that darkness towards those repressed childhood memories we were looking at earlier.

If anything while Daitokuji's lesson is a short-term fix, like a bandage over Judai, it doesn't actually help him in the long-run. This is because the reason why Judai is succesful in this season is not really anything of Judai's doing, but because Daitokuji the master rigs it for him. Daitokuji is the one who prepares challenges to increase Judai's strength at dueling, Daitokuji is the one who hands Judai the emerald tablet that lets him make a philosopher's stone during his duel with Kagemaru, Daitokuji is the architect of most of the plot in season 1 and Judai just kind of passively follow his script. Judai is not the alchemist in the first season, he's the apprentice and basically he only makes his first step in his journey by consuming his master and that's in episode 45, when the season is 4/5ths of the way over.

Judai is the alchemist, he's supposed to change others by forming relationships with them the same way that he can fuse two monsters together to form a stronger monster. However, he also has to change himself in order for that to happen and Judai doesn't change through seasons 1 and 2 - he gets by in the short term but it costs him long term development.

Because the duels Judai gets into are always about other people and not about himself. Even the climactic duel of the season against Kagemaru, Judai barely knows who this guy is. Judai's not there by choice, Judai is there because Daitokuji set things up so that his student Judai would defeat Kagemaru the main villain.

Judai's not dueling for himself so we barely learn anything from these duels, and Judai still doesn't really take this duel seriously. The one small thing we get from him is this:

"I feel sorry for you, you can control all the powerful monsters you want, but if you're the one wiping out duel monsters... no one is going to see you as a friend. And that'd make you lonely right? Live as long as you want, but without friends around, it'd just be boring right?"

Which sounds like a pretty shallow statement, but is telling of Judai. Judai had no friends before coming to Duel Academy. Judai gained friends because he was a strong duelist, Sho looks up to him because he's a dueling prodigy like Ryo, Asuka befriended him as a duel rival first, Manjoume only views him as a rival, Ryo sees Judai as someone who's potential for growth surpasses him because Ryo being a perfectionist feels like his perfectionism is stagnant. Judai's only way to connect with people is through duel monsters, and the reason most of these people have an interest in him is because he's a dueling prodigy. Thus, Judai equates dueling with making friends, and believes he has to keep getting into duels like this for the sake of his friends rather than himself.

Judai only wants to duel for fun, but is put into situations where he has to duel with high stakes, because everyone relies on him as the best duelist around, and because he thinks the only reason he made friends in the first place is his skill as a duelist.

Thus, Judai even when forced into these stressful duels, will fall back on his whole "I'm just trying to have fun" thing in order to cope because he's not really here because he wants to but because other people have put him into this situation. Therefore, he doubles down on his own personal enjoyment to convince himself he's here because he wants to and so the pressure doesn't get to him the way he's seen it get to other people like Manjoume.

Judai goes through several trials that seem like Nigredo in season 1. He goes through yami no duels where his life are on the line, challenging his philosophy of only dueling thrilling opponents for fun. He's put through literal trial by fire twice, first by Darkness, then by Daitokuji, situations where he will literally burn away into ash if he doesn't perform. He even duels a Yami no Game with Kagemaru where he forges a philoopsher's stone to create 3 custom cards to win the duel - but once again that's not really Judai who forged it because Daitokuji did it for him.

Daitokuji argues that the true alchemy changes the hearts of other people into nobler, purer things which Judai has arguably done for his friends - but what about his own heart?

Other people around Judai change, and are changed by Judai, but Judai himself for the first two seasons does not change. Even in incredibly plot important duels, and I'm including season 2 as well, because in both cases Kagemaru and Saio Judai wasn't really facing himslf or even a reflection of himself. Kagemaru is Daitokuji's enemy and mess to clean up he passed onto Judai, and Saio is Edo's chilhood best friend who became a victim to the light of destruciton. In both cases Judai swept in to fix things because that's what Judai does, he fights others battles for them because he himself lacks either an internal or external reason to duel - and he doubts his abiltiy to make friends if he didn't go around fixing everyone's problems.

As Above, So Below

It is other characters who go through a Nigrido phase in Season 1. However - their Nigrido phases will be reflected in Season 3. These characters experiencing their own inner turmoils mirror the obstacles that Judai has to face ahead of him.

Asuka

Season 1: Judai helps Asuka searching for her brother who's disappeared into the darkness.

vs. Season 3: Judai travels into another dimmension to find Johan after he disappears from this world, only to find he's possessed the same way Fubuki is. Judai also blames himself for Johan's disappearance and takes on the burden to save him entrely by himself, like how Asuka leads the search for her brother.

Manjoume

Season 1: Manjoume is completely crushed by his responsibility to always win that his brother's force onto his shoulders.

vs.

Season 3: Judai being told to his face he wont' be able to win because he doesn't carry any burdens or serious responsibilities, because that's what drives people to try hard when they're pushed into a corner. Only for Johan to tell Judai that much like Manjoume is being pressured by both of his brothers, Judai has always had to carry everyone's hopes on his shoulders. When he cant carry them anymore, he has a breakdown that pretty much mirrors Manjoume's season one breakdown word for word.

But, even then I won. The others hope their hopes on me, and I won! But still...!! They're all gone. There really was something missing within me. But what is it? What was missing?

Sho

In season one: Judai basically becomes the replacement for Sho's brother, who he has a poor relationship with and Sho has to face his inferiority complex towards his brother head on.

vs.

In season three: Shoe becomes the trigger for Judai's growth when he rejects Judai entirely and stops calling him "aniki" being the last one to abandon him in the dark world when just about everything goes wrong.

But, I guess I thought wrong. Big bro you've just been dueling to satisfiy yourself. You're not my big bro (aniki). You're not my big bro (aniki).

Fubuki

Judai even becomes lost and faces his inner darkness like Fubuki does, the first person to appear before Judai and challenge him to a Yami no Game. Fubuki who was possessed by a dark version of himself who valued power above everything else and then got lost in that darkness.

Judai has no arc in season one, and instead helps other characters along in their arcs. However, Judai's inability to change himself or confront his own inner darkness bites him when two seasons later.

Judai's arc then reflects aspects of all of their arcs. Sho's afraid that his brother doesn't love or respect him because he's an inferior duelist to Ryo. Judai loses Sho's love and respect. Asuka has to go on a journey into a darkness to find her loved one and fears Fubuki may never return. Judai repeats that same journey for Johan. Manjoume's cracks under the pressure his brothers put onto him to always win because his family's love is very conditional. Judai finally cracks when he realizes a lot of his friendship was built on the very conditional fact that he had to always win duels for them and fight for other people's hopes and dreams and not his own. In season one Judai cleanses Fubuki's inner darkness, in season 3 Judai sinks into his own inner darkness that's been there and ignored all along, and so on.

The nigredo phase is about cleansing your own impurities, and Judai is presented to us like a pure shonen hero who doesn't need to be cleansed so he spends his entire time cleansing other people - only for it to turn out his heart turned out to be darker and more selfish than anyone expected.

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

DOGTRIBE • SEIZE THE TIME • MERA MAZAB • PRESIDENT PROPAGANDA • NO MORE FEAR • DOLLARS OR SENSE • MOTHER INDIA • MR BUBBLEMAN • ENGLISH BREAKFAST • BULLET SOLUTION • FARTHERLAND • NEW WORLD ORDER • WHITE GOLD BURGER • BACK TO BASICS

This album's primary themes are anti-bigotry (predominantly, but not exclusively, fighting against bigotry directed at South Asian individuals and Muslims within the UK), but it tackles this issue in a head on fashion; this include samples of racists saying dreadful things, for the express purpose of showing how deplorable that behaviour is and countering it with the lyrics. Listener discretion is heavily advised.

Spotify ♪ Bandcamp ♪ Youtube

[thehyperrequiem]

Tangled (Thehypercutter Style) cast

“Handsome prince Spike Rosered has been locked away in a tower since he was captured as a mechanical rose seedling by an old evil doctor. His magical rose vines has the power to provide eternal youth, and the evil Wily uses this power to keep him young. At the age of 18, Spike Rosered becomes curious about the outside world, and when a hornet uses his tower as a refuge, he asks him to help him escape.”

Spike Rosered as Rapunzel (Megaman X5)

Blast Hornet as Flynn Rider/Eugene Fitzherbert (Megaman X3)

Fireman as Maximus (Megaman 1/PU)

King as Pascal (The Owl House)

Burn Dinorex and Wheel Gator as The Stabbington Brothers (Megaman X2 and Megaman X5)

Dr. Wily as Mother Gothel (Megaman)

Plantman as King Frederick (Megaman 6)

Woodman as Queen Arianna (Megaman 2)

Forknights as The Royal Guards (Pizza Tower)

The Vigilante as The Captain of The Guards (Pizza Tower)

The Noise as Shorty (Pizza Tower)

Knightman as Attila (Megaman 6)

Chargeman as Vladmir (Megaman 5)

Bubbleman as Big Nose (Megaman 2)

Captain Caviar Cookie (Cookie Run) as Hook Hand

Various Robot Masters/Reploids (Megaman Classic and X) as The Pub Thugs

Bonus!

Zero (Megaman X) as Cassandra

[kaiowut99]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX Episodes 102-104 Subbed (Finalized) - Fixes/Edits Breakdown (Part 1)

Since it’s 2023 and Tumblr still has a dumb link limit in posts, I’ve made this separate post supplementing my 102-104 Release Post with my usual animation fix/edit breakdown for the interested, since I did still want to give folks a more visual idea as I’d been doing--except I had to split it into two parts to cover everything thanks to said link limit. 🙃 Details below the cut! (Part 2 with 104 here.)

*Side-Note: 103's footage seems to be slightly cropped overall compared to the footage used in 102's preview for it and the preview clip in 103's OP as The World takes out Air Hummingbird (the recap of 102 is also slightly cropped compared to 102's own footage). Just thought it kind of interesting.

Fixes/Edits! (102)

(Hardsub-only) As Manjoume and his group approach the remaining Society of Light members, he's holding a Gunbai baton (the Gunbai being "a type of signal baton and Japanese war fan," per Wikipedia) with the Japanese text 一意専心 on it, translating to "with heart and soul." I translated it, as covered here, by applying the English text over the Japanese text in Photoshop--similar to the edit worked on by Kay for episode 9's "Fighting Spirit" banner--though I did slightly adjust the 一 kanji so that it and the English text would be correctly aligned. Applying it to one frame as he holds it still and then a couple more as he moves it, I then threw the translated frames into Sony Vegas, where I worked them into the footage.

(Hardsub-only) After Manjoume's Thunder chant and the White students getting taken aback, Manjoume nods in satisfaction, before telling his group that they're dueling, lifting the staff up and in front of him while doing so. To translate it here and keep it consistent, I isolated the translated staff from the first clip and used AfterEffects to pin each side into place in a few key frames, getting the kanji roughly aligned, and then took them into Vegas where I applied a little blurring and keyframed the zoomout that happens as the clip ends.

After Saiou summons The Chariot and notes that Judai can no longer stop its rotation, Judai slides in for a split-screen in surprise before Saiou then joins him and says it'll stop upright--but he's incompletely drawn, with part of the right side to him missing. I fixed this by filling him in using Photoshop, copy/pasting the top part of the little strap thing on his collar and flipping it to add on the bottom and touching up a bit; once that was done, I took it into Vegas and redid his split's slide-in.

Saiou then has The Chariot attack Bubbleman, but the Bubble Shot equipped to him takes the hit, causing Bubbleman's ATK to drop back to 800--but a SFX error happens as his ATK counter settles at 800, using the SFX used when the LP counter hits zero and not when a stat settles on a non-zero amount. I fixed this using a combination of UltimateVocalRemover and Cool Edit Pro, using them to isolate the correct SFX from the earlier clip of Bubble Shot being equipped without background music playing and also remove the SFX/vocals from the clip in question (using the raw AC3 audio from the DVDRip for all this for the best quality); I used Vegas to then combine the results to blend the correct SFX in with the vocal-removed BGM sample and make the fix fit into place with the full episode's audio.

A bit later, as Judai activates Double Fusion, Saiou laughs and notes that a card having him pay LP to Fusion Summon is very much like him; Judai slides in on a split-screen, telling the Light to shut up, but he actually more slides in for three frames before the entire screen then just moves for the remaining few frames as their splits' position is finalized, versus Judai sliding in for the full 11 frames here like in a usual split-screen slide-in. I fixed this by redoing Judai's slide-in so he slides in as normal, with Saiou moving under him, accounting for his lip-flaps as he does so.

A few second later in the above shot, Judai and Saiou's split-screen ends as Judai then fuses Featherman with Burstlady for Flame Wingman, but a couple things happen: 1) a green screen appears behind Judai and Saiou before then showing the next scene being transitioned to for the fusion, and 2) a classic Burstlady-missing-her-shoulder-strap error as she slides into position to fuse with Featherman. I fixed both by first masking in the fusion background over the green screen in Vegas, redoing the borders on Judai and Saiou's splits on top of it (also fixing some coloring errors on Judai in the process), then using Photoshop to draw in Burstlady's shoulder strap in the last frame before she shrinks a little and then starts to swirl and fuse, working backwards into the other frames to reposition the edit and light it up accordingly before then working the fixed frames into the footage in Vegas.

[continued below, just split thanks to stupid text-block character limits]

(7) A bit later, as Judai summons Shining Flare Wingman, he slides into an expanding split-screen to explain his ATK-boost effect, but a few things happen: 1) for a quick two frames, Judai's split-screen starts to expand, but the split line hasn't expanded into split borders with him, causing him to overflow slightly, and 2) Burstlady's missing her shoulder strap again. Fixed both by first re-expanding Judai in those two frames in Vegas, using a frame of him being fully expanded and masking the Shining Flare background in as needed to shrink it while adding new split borders on both sides, and then using Photoshop to draw Burstlady's shoulder strap in for one of the frames where her shoulder's more visible, then working backwards and forwards to copy/paste the edit and enlarge it slightly while she's closer to the screen and shrink it as she gets further away, fading it out into the background and masking Sparkman on top as she does as I worked it into the footage in Vegas.

(8) After that, Judai has Shining Flare Wingman successfully destroy The Chariot, but as it's destroyed, Judai's missing Bubbleman on his field--he was still there having survived The Chariot's attack thanks to Bubble Shot, and we see him again a bit after. To fix this, since this was a recycled shot using the earlier shot as Saiou ended his turn after The Chariot's attack but just slightly cropped in, I repositioned it and shook it along with the screen before then masking Bubbleman out and into this current shot. (There is another error as the smoke rises from The Chariot being destroyed, where it taps out at a certain height instead of continuing to rise, but it was hard to try and fix; I imagine the layer with Neos probably had to do with that on the animators' end.)

(9) A bit later, after Shou cheers and tells Judai not to listen to Saiou, Saiou looks over and smiles before positioning himself to draw for his turn--but we briefly see The Lovers on his Disk in Attack Mode despite being in Defense Mode. An easy fix by applying a proxy correctly in Defense Mode using AfterEffects.

(10) After Saiou activates Light Barrier and it settles upright, the barrier starts to envelop them, but as the screen zooms out as it takes hold, we see Bubbleman's Defense-Mode card under him facing with its name box to the left and not its effect box. Fixed by first applying a correctly facing proxy in AfterEffects for an early frame once the card's in full view, then used Vegas to redo the zoomout, adding a little light as the Light Barrier flickers around it for a few frames.

(11) In the preview, we see The World attacking and destroying Air Hummingbird, but Bubbleman's and Aqua Dolphin's Defense-Mode cards under them are facing with their name boxes to the left and not their effect boxes. I actually fixed this error first in 103 and then applied this fix to the preview, but because the footage in 103 is slightly cropped compared to the preview, I masked out the Japanese preview text and put it above the fixed footage from 103.

Fixes/Edits! (103)

In the 102 recap, I re-applied the fix applied to Bubbleman's Defense-Mode card as Light Barrier expands around Judai and Saiou.

In the new bit after the recap and before the OP (cut from the dub for some reason), Saiou orders The World to attack Shining Flare Wingman, but for a few frames as he moves to do so, he's drawn incompletely so that parts of his hair and right shoulder are missing. Fixed this as covered here, filling in the blanks accordingly with this keyframe as reference.

During the OP, the preview clip into the episode uses the shot of The World destroying Air Hummingbird that has Bubbleman's and Aqua Dolphin's Defense-Mode cards under them facing incorrectly. As with the 102 preview clip, I applied my fix from later into the OP clip, masking in the lyrics I isolated over the fixed clip.

A bit later, we cut to the start of Manjoume's duel with Rei, but their split-screen takes an extra frame to start splitting apart, as Rei moves a frame before it does so. Fixed this by redoing Manjoume's slide-out to start as Rei moves and ending it as she stops moving.

A bit later, Manjoume has summoned out his three Beetrons, and we have a quick shot of the field before he has them attack Rei and her Mystic Egg, but the Mystic Egg on Rei's Disk is in Attack Mode despite it actually being in Defense Mode. Fixed this by applying a Defense-Mode proxy in one frame using AfterEffects, which I then used to redo the panning on the shot in Vegas.

We eventually cut to Kenzan and Lind trying to stop Ojin from activating the SOLA satellite, but they're too late; we see see it firing at the Earth, a beam hitting a river before we transition back to the Judai/Saiou duel via split-screen, but a couple things happen: 1) Saiou's split slides in unevenly compared to Judai's for a few frames, and 2) Judai's mouth is oddly drawn in a few frames, first with some error pixels on his upper lip, then with residual skin behind his open mouth, and then lastly both occurring on his closed-mouth lip-flap. Fixed these by first redoing Saiou's split in Vegas so he slides in evenly with Judai for those first few frames before joining the original footage, then using Photoshop to touch up Judai's lip to remove the error pixels and add in the background over the residual skin.

A bit later, Saiou starts his next turn and gets to keep Light Barrier in effect as it lands upright; Judai groans at its staying put, and Saiou slides in on a split-screen to summon The Emperor, but a couple things happen: 1) The screen zooms out as Saiou slides in so it zooms out on both of them, rather than Saiou sliding in and Judai zooming out, and 2) a black screen appears between them as they slide out into The Emperor being summoned. Fixed these in Vegas by first redoing Saiou's slide-in so he slides in from his final split position while Judai still zooms out, then by masking in the background from the Emperor-summon scene over the black screen behind their sliding-out splits.

[continued below, just split thanks to stupid text-block character limits]

(8) A bit after that, Saiou has The World attack Air Hummingbird, and as he's destroyed, we see Bubbleman's and Aqua Dolphin's Defense-Mode cards under then facing incorrectly, with their name boxes facing left and not right. As mentioned before, I fixed this error here first before applying to the earlier instances, first applying the correctly facing proxies in AfterEffects on the frame where they're most clearly visible, then used Vegas to add them back into the footage, where I applied motion blurs to both the new proxies and Judai's legs behind Aqua Dolphin to blend the fix into the footage, shaking them accordingly with the screen as well.

(9) A bit later, Saiou uses The Emperor to destroy Bubbleman, and as Judai reels from the impact, we see the just-destroyed Air Hummingbird on his Disk's second Monster Zone where Aqua Dolphin should be. Fixed in AfterEffects by applying an Aqua Dolphin proxy, then using Vegas to mask in the little scattering bits of Bubbleman over it as needed.

(10) A bit after the eyecatch, Saiou starts his next turn with one card currently in his left hand, playing Cup of Ace to draw two cards, but a few things happen here: 1) he's shown drawing Arcanatic Deathscythe along with The Material Road, the former of which he proceeds to activate from his hand in the next shot, and 2) said next shot shows the single card he had at the start of his turn now in his right hand, and the two cards he just drew with his right hand are now in his left hand. I fixed these as detailed here, first making it so that it's Reversal of Fate he draws here for later use and not Arcanatic Deathscythe using AfterEffects, and then using Photoshop to add the second card to his right hand and remove one from his left hand by drawing more of Saiou's uniform over it. Probably the more complex fix among these that I worked on, but it came out looking pretty nicely, I'd say!

(11) After Judai gets hit with his foreshadowing vision and later summons Neos through Hero Counterattack, the Light, through Saiou, insists that it's too late to stop SOLA, but Judai counters that he won't let him get his way, drawing for his turn. As he does so, two things happen: 1) for 2-3 frames, we briefly see a blank spot on his Disk where an Attack-Mode Neos should be, and 2) in a quick two frames, we see that he... draws Neos instead of the Glow Moss he then plays? Fixed these in AfterEffects, first applying a Neos proxy onto the blank spot on his Disk, then a Glow Moss proxy over the Neos in his hand, masking in his face and thumb over it.

(12) In the preview for 104, as Glow Neos turns away from Judai to then fly up, Judai turns up his head to look after him a frame before Glow Neos actually leaves the ground. I fixed this by just holding his head in place for that frame, so that he looks up just as Glow Neos has left the ground.

Fixes/Edits! (104)

[continued here, due to aforementioned link limit...]

[yugiohcardsdaily]

Posted Cards Master Post - 18

July 2018

Destiny HERO - Dystopia

Destiny HERO - Fear Monger

Destiny HERO - Malicious

Destiny HERO - Plasma

Destiny Mirage

Destiny Signal

H - Heated Heart

E - Emergency Call

R - Righteous Justice

O - Oversoul

Hero Flash!!

E☆HERO Pit Boss

Xtra HERO Wonder Driver (Japanese)

Wroughtweiler

Get Your Game On!

Elemental HERO Absolute Zero

Elemental HERO Air Neos

Elemental HERO Aqua Neos

Elemental HERO Avian

Elemental HERO Bladedge

Elemental HERO Blazeman

Elemental HERO Bubbleman

Elemental HERO Burstinatrix

Elemental HERO Captain Gold

Elemental HERO Chaos Neos

Elemental HERO Clayman

Elemental HERO Core

Elemental HERO Dark Neos

Elemental HERO Darkbright

Elemental HERO Divine Neos

Elemental HERO Electrum

Elemental HERO Escuridao

Elemental HERO Flame Wingman

Elemental HERO Flare Neos

Elemental HERO Flash

Elemental HERO Gaia

Elemental HERO Glow Neos

Elemental HERO Grand Neos

Elemental HERO Great Tornado

Elemental HERO Heat

Elemental HERO Honest Neos

Elemental HERO Ice Edge

Elemental HERO Inferno

Elemental HERO Knospe

Elemental HERO Lady Heat

Elemental HERO Magma Neos

Elemental HERO Marine Neos

Elemental HERO Mariner

Elemental HERO Mudballman

Elemental HERO Necroid Shaman

Elemental HERO Necroshade

Elemental HERO Neo Bubbleman

Elemental HERO Neos Alius

Elemental HERO Neos Knight

Elemental HERO Neos

Elemental HERO Plasma Vice

Elemental HERO Poison Rose

Rose Bud

Elemental HERO Prisma

Elemental HERO Rampart Blaster

Elemental HERO Shadow Mist

Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman

Elemental HERO Shining Phoenix Enforcer

Elemental HERO Solidman

Elemental HERO Sparkman

Elemental HERO Steam Healer

Elemental HERO Storm Neos

Elemental HERO Stratos

Elemental HERO Tempest

Elemental HERO Terra Firma

Elemental HERO The Shining

Elemental HERO Thunder Giant

Elemental HERO Voltic

Elemental HERO Wild Wingman

Elemental HERO Wildedge

Elemental HERO Wildheart

Elemental HERO Woodsman

Elemental Recharge

Evil HERO Dark Gaia

Dark Fusion

Evil HERO Infernal Gainer

Evil HERO Infernal Prodigy

Evil HERO Infernal Sniper

Evil HERO Inferno Wing

Evil HERO Lightning Golem

Evil HERO Malicious Edge

Evil HERO Malicious Fiend

Evil HERO Wild Cyclone

Fake Hero

Fifth Hope

Form Change

HERO's Bond

Hero Barrier

Hero Blast

Hero Counterattack

Hero Heart

Hero Kid

Hero Mask

Hero Signal

Hero Spirit

Kid Guard

Legacy of a HERO

Mask Change

Mask Change II

Mask Charge

Masked HERO Acid

Masked HERO Anki

Masked HERO Blast

Masked HERO Dark Law

Masked HERO Dian

Masked HERO Divine Wind

Masked HERO Goka

Masked HERO Koga

Masked HERO Vapor

Miracle Contact

Miracle Fusion

Miracle Kids

Mirror Gate

Over Destiny

Parallel World Fusion

Phantom Magician

Rainbow Neos

Skydive Scorcher

Vision HERO Adoration

Vision HERO Trinity

Vision HERO Vyon

Vision HERO Witch Raider

Chrysalis Chicky

Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird

Chrysalis Dolphin

Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin

Chrysalis Larva

Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab

Chrysalis Mole

Neo-Spacian Grand Mole

Chrysalis Pantail

Neo-Spacian Dark Panther

Chrysalis Pinny

Neo-Spacian Glow Moss

Neo-Spacian Marine Dolphin

Neo-Spacian Twinkle Moss

Cross Porter

Cocoon Party

Cocoon Rebirth

Cocoon Veil

Common Soul

Contact

Convert Contact

NEX

Space Gift

Crystal Abundance

Crystal Beacon

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] Wedding Grotto

Juudai slipped his hand into Yubel’s, squeezing a little as he did, and together the two of them entered the dark, quiet grotto. He hadn’t ever been here before, but with every step he took, he felt as if he were returning home.

He knew why, but tonight it didn’t feel as if it mattered. Tonight, all he really cared about was Yubel and what they were about to do.

Yubel stayed in step with him as they walked down the pathway. The corridor here had been crafted long ago to be large enough to accommodate those of any size. In a realm where people from as small as his ankle to twice as tall as he was could come for their vows, it only made sense that everyone could be accommodated.

Soft carpet lay underneath their feet. Juudai loved how it felt, wriggling his toes a little. He’d removed his shoes before they entered this place – that was tradition. No one ever acme shod into this place. He probably could have gotten away with it, but he didn’t want to try.

Underneath the carpet rested wood and stone intermixed. The walls arched up over them to the ceiling, mirroring the wood and stone. Gemstones rested every ten paces or so, each glowing a soft, gentle color to light the way – red, yellow, orange, green, blue, indigo, and violet, then the cycle repeated itself with the next set of stones.

Neither spoke as they approached the end. That too was tradition – that no one said a word once they passed the entrance and before they reached the main grotto. Here was a time and a space of utter silence, meant for those who walked it to contemplate themselves and those they came here with, to ensure that they’d made the right decision.

Juudai knew very well that he’d made the right choice when it came to Yubel. Yubel chose to be his guardian forevermore, no matter what happened. He knew that they loved him; that they’d loved him since before the transformation. He’d never questioned their choice of never being exactly male or female, even before the change into a dragon. It hadn’t ever made a difference to him.

Again he squeezed Yubel’s hand, enjoying how it felt in his, so much larger and stronger. Yubel smiled down at him. If they could have reached, Juudai suspected they would have ruffled his hair. Yubel liked to touch him. He certainly had no qualms about being touched.

But their free arm remained on the other side and neither really wanted to let go. That wasn’t tradition but he wasn’t going to release Yubel until they emerged from here.

At the end of the corridor there hung a curtain of deep green vines and leaves woven together. As they approached, the curtain pulled back. No one could see who did it. Juudai could feel that no one was there to do it. The curtain moved because they were there and it was time for it to move.

Without a breath of hesitation they passed where the curtain hung and into the true grotto beyond. The ceiling rose high overhead; even Yubel wouldn’t be able to touch it unless they flew to the top. The walls encircled them, wide as well, with the implication that this was both the entire world and a grotto just big enough for the two of them.

A small stream flowed to one side. Light softly pulsed from a source no one could see, giving just enough so they could see one another. Underneath their feet the ground was now dotted with soft moss and flowers that sent up a glorious aroma that filled the air.

There was a sense that something watched them here. There was no judgment – the awareness only watched. Juudai knew if he tried he could feel it both ways. He would be the watched and the watcher. But he didn’t try doing that, not right now.

Together they moved forward, then turned to face one another and taking their free hands, holding them at shoulder-height. A slender flame burst into existence between them, one that held itself there without any visible means of support. It cast no shadows – not that it needed to. The grotto held all the shadows that were necessary.

Juudai took three long, deep breaths. Then he began.

“I will love only you, Yubel. I swore that one already but I do it again, here and now, forever. You are mine and I am yours, and there is nothing that will ever change that. There is no one that I will ever want the way that I want you and no one else that I will love as I love you. We are one, and if ever I can make that more than mere words, I will do so. It doesn’t matter how long I live or how many lives we live. I love you.” He’d worked hard on crafting his wedding vows since he’d asked if Yubel wanted to do this.

Yubel’s eyes shone, reflected in the dancing flames and the surrounding shadows, and he wondered if there were tears there. But Yubel spoke and their voice was as strong as ever.

“I love you, Juudai. I loved you before this happened and I will love you forever after. I protect you because I love you. No one will ever harm you while I exist and should anyone try, I will ensure they regret the attempt. You are the savior of all that is and I will protect you from the Light of Ruin, the Darkness of Nihility, and whatever else might attempt to harm the life you have brought into being. For all time, for all lives, for now, and forever, until the very end of the universe and beyond, I love you.”

Juudai released one of Yubel’s hands and put his down. There he found a crystal goblet of some of the finest wine, which he raised first to Yubel’s lip. Yubel sipped the traditional three sips, then with their free hand, took the goblet and held it to his own lips. Juudai sipped, and Yubel set the wine goblet down. If they’d looked, it wouldn’t have been there anymore. In accordance with its nature, it existed only for those moments it was needed.

Now Juudai wrapped his fingers once more around Yubel’s and leaned in to rest his wine-touched lips to theirs. Yubel returned the kiss, pulling him closer, releasing his hands and wrapping arms and wings around him. Juudai leaned in, breathing deeply, hardly believing this happened, and yet so pleased that they were there, that they were together, that this had happened.

Together they headed back down the corridor. Save for the sound of their own voices when they spoke their vows and the faint trickle of the stream, there hadn’t been any other sounds in the grotto. One could fail to realize at all that it rested in the heart of the royal city. It wasn’t the only one of its kind; there were plenty of marriage grottoes all throughout the realm, and probably beyond. But this was the one for the members of the royal family, and so there Juudai chose to pledge his vows.

Only a few waited for them outside – King Aodh and Queen Kaien, a few of his royal bodyguard. Aodh smiled at the sight of them.

“My dear son,” he declared, as proud as he must have been when he and Juudai’s mother did the same thing in their youth, “you’ve completed your vows?”

Juudai’s grin lit his face, bright as the stars in the sky. “Yeah!” The two of them held their arms up and around their wrists were the slim silver and black bands that indicated a successful bonding. Neither had noticed the bands coming into existence – because they didn’t until those who’d pledged their vows stepped out of the grotto.

Cheers broke out from the viewers – Elemental Hero Bubbleman and Featherman most of all. Burst Lady and Lady Heat merely both nodded, while the others murmured in approval.

“We have the feast waiting for you,” Queen Kaien told them, her smile of greeting as pleased as her husband’s. “Are you ready for it?”

Juudai’s stomach roared in agreement at the mere mention of food. Yubel snorted softly.

“Your Majesty, when have you ever known Juudai to not be ready to eat?”

Everyone there knew that Juudai’s constant appetite came from the fact every aspect of his life force drew on the Gentle Darkness. He channeled a lot of power just by existing and he needed to replace it somehow. That in no way meant Yubel wouldn’t tease him about it.

Together they started up towards the castle, Yubel and Juudai still hand in hand, ready to start on a life together – an infinite amount of lives, in point of fact.

Lives involving promises both broken and kept, in ways that neither of them could imagine.

The End

Notes: They’ve been married a long, long time. No “til death do us part” here. Their love is not severed by death.

[astermacguffin]

Ok literally none of you cares but i just started thinking again about my favorite game in the Gameboy Advance so scroll past if you're not interested lol

Anyway, I still can't believe that Megaman Battle Network 3 is a game that exists. Like, it's SO FUCKING GOOD. And this isn't just nostalgia talking because I played it again and it's still one of the best gaming experiences I ever had.

The replayability value of this game is so high because there's so much to do even post-game. The post-story challenges and collectibles are so fun to do (ok maybe except the chip library completion task, but it's only one boring thing amidst plenty of other interesting tasks so I'll let it slide).

The world design is SO GOOD as well! Like, spatially speaking, the stages are small but they FEEL big, y'know? Also, I love how even the most minor decor can have important plot roles in the future. It's so full. There's so much to explore and uncover. The secret areas Fuck Very Hard and i love them.

And of course, the gameplay is incredibly sexy. The element + style changes from 1 and 2 are highly improved, and the CustNav mechanic also fucks. Each boss battle is fun, too! (Except maybe Drillman and Bubbleman, fuck those two. Sandman is my fave boss bc i love wiping the floor with him.)

Ok that's it. I just wanna get it out of my system.

[honeycombbong]

Hash Church XL - http://cannabizz.co/hash-church-xl/

[asdamagicbiscuits]

Ed Fringe 2019 - #MakeYourFringe

Hey all

It’s been a hot second hasn’t it! So I saw some great stuff at Fringe this year which would have made my end of year Theatre blog post insanely long so I’m treating you to a cheeky post exclusively about Fringe shows! This is what I saw! Who knows maybe one of the shows I’ve mentioned here will #MakeYourFringe...

Showstoppers

This was my first show of my visit to Fringe this year and I wasn’t sure what to expect to be honest. I really enjoyed it, it was set in an Owlery (what a blooming great location) and the talent on that stage was dripping off it!! The skills required to do what they do blew my mind!! Hats off to them and the songs were fantastic!!

I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical

I ADORED THIS SO MUCH!! Me and girls loved it so much that we went again the next night and I think that in itself is a testament of how good it was. Funny, witty, with a gorgeous score sung by four fantastic people!! I need an album of it, the finale is stunning!!

They are selling out night after night so make sure to prebook your tickets for this one! I can’t recommend this enough!!

Hot Flush

This was a show we booked last minute. We met two lovely girls leafleting it and they very kindly gave us two free tickets so we only had to buy one to see their first show. Set in a bathroom during a hen night with an all female cast. I was sold instantly! It was a great show and I really enjoyed it, a fab way to end our first day on Fringe! The Cast were fantastic and hats off to the two girls for staying in character when part of the backdrop fell down and the entire room burst out into laughter. It was the most serious part of the play and to have that happen but to keep focused and in the story. Great job.

Bodily Functions and Where To Find Them

Now I can’t take credit for this show. Sarah gets all the credit for finding this one. Now anyone who knows me knows I’m not afraid to talk about gross stuff like the three Ps. Poop. Piss. Periods. So Sarah sends me a link going ‘Anne I’ve found your perfect show’. The emoji they used had me sold from the get go. 💩 I was so keen to see it, didn’t know what to expect but it was hilarious, the writing was completely brilliant. Some of the stuff they said we have all thought! It had a serious issue at the root of the play and at the end it was hard hitting when it got dropped. A fantastic piece of theatre and I so wish I could have seen it again. One of the promo lines was ‘breaking down stigmas one flush at a time’ which I’m all for. More so about periods that the other two Ps but that’s another story for another time. I will end this bit about the show with the question - When was the last time you talked about poo?

The Amazing Bubbleman

I saw this on Fringe last year, loved it so much that I had to go again this year! Bubbles are one of the best things in the world, an ace show perfect for kids and adults alike. The stuff which is achievable with bubbles is mind blowing and I 100% recommend this show but prebooking is essential as it does always sell out!!

Voldemort and the Teenage Hogwarts Musical Parody

This is another show I saw on Fringe last year. I saw it twice last year and twice this year. A must see for any Potter fan!! Especially if you want to know THE REAL reason behind Tom Riddle’s ascension to the Dark Lord we all know today. Hilarious, moving and you will leave with the biggest smile on your face, I’ve cried every time I’ve seen it! The score is beautiful and the cast are all so lovely!

If you can’t get up to Edinburgh to see it on Fringe they are doing a run down in London at the Kings Head Theatre!! Everyone must see this show!!!

Friendsical

Apologies for the shock but I hadn’t actually seen Friends until a couple of years ago. So I was extremely late to the party but I fell instantly in love with all the characters (Joey and Chandler being my favourites) so a musical about Friends. Completely down for this! WHY HAS IT NOT BEEN DONE BEFORE?

I adored it so much. Every actor on that stage had captured the essence of the characters they were playing so well. Sarah and Thomas as Monica and Chandler blew my socks off so much I’m still looking for them!! The songs are so infectious and I need a cast album. Like NOW!!! Also did you know Joey is a strong dancer? As after seeing Jordan Fox shine in the show it’s officially canon that Joey is a dancer!!

They are on at the Fringe until the end of the month and have a few more venues on their tour so definitely check it out!!

Shitfaced Showtime - Alice Through The Cocktail Glass and Shitfaced Shakespeare - Macbeth

I don’t think these shows need much explanation!

Two of the great Fringe staples for me, I have so much love and time for all those Musical and Shakespeare booze loving beans! A trip to Fringe wouldn’t be complete without seeing those guys up on stage!!

If you haven’t seen them I have one question for you - WHY? What have you been doing? GO. GO IMMEDIATELY. Like stop reading this and go book tickets. I’ll wait.

Yous all good? Grand!! It’ll be the best hour of your life, I guarantee it.

Echoes of Villers-Bretonneux

Okay. Bit of story context first before I talk about the play.

So leafleting is a big, like MASSIVE, part of the Fringe. Now there technically isn’t a right or wrong way to leaflet. But don’t be like the twat at Fringe last year who made me nearly shit myself as he made me jump when trying to give a leaflet. He saw me coming and I knew he was gonna do something. I walked away from him without taking a leaflet.

Now what catches my attention and will make me go and grab a leaflet is if they make it a bit different with what they are saying like ‘have some colourful tree’ or are just standing and quietly leafleting. Now I was walking down the mile with a friend on my way to our next show and I saw Shane standing on the corner at the bottom of the Mile, in his costume, quietly and politely leafleting. I felt so bad that I couldn’t stop and chat but I took a leaflet and after reading it I really liked the look of his show. I’m so thrilled I was able to get in and see it. Absolutely one of the Fringe Highlights for me! It was about an Australian solder in World War One. It starts in modern times but it seamlessly switches to the past really easily and I thought Shane did an absolutely fantastic job!! Brilliant play and I can’t urge you all enough to go give it a watch.

Thunderstruck

I’ve written this part last as I can’t quite work out how to explain it. I don’t think I know enough words to express how phenomenal this is. Like it’s a stunning piece of theatre, truly breathtaking. It’s funny, moving and so emotional. I cried every time David Colvin played the bagpipes; even playing badly it was beautiful in its own way. Also he has a gorgeous singing voice, lovely tone to it!!

I can’t recommend this highly enough. I left the theatre after seeing it the first time and I knew once wasn’t enough for me. I had to see it again. I took a friend who loves the bagpipes with me the second time and she loved it just as much as I did.

The finale gave me chills and what a way to end the show. David gave his all on that stage and in that finale it all came to a magnificent conclusion.

Go. Go book a ticket as it’s the best 75 minutes you’ll have!!

Rage But Hope

This show closed my Fringe trip and I couldn’t ask for a better way to end it. Powerful, hard hitting, tackling a subject which is so important we address the issue now whilst we have time. The writing is just phenomenal, Steph Martin did a fantastic job and such a diverse cast of talented actors. Each monologue sparked a new wave of thoughts and I left Edinburgh with so much to think about.

So that was what made my Fringe this year. I hope this has helped if anyone is looking for stuff to see. I didn’t want to give too much away as I take spoilers very serious!

If you are up at Fringe or are heading up, I hope you have a fantastic time!

Thanks for reading, until next time, cheerio!

[rockmiyabideusexmachina]

2019 Megaman Valentine’s Day (Humor) Contest Results!

Apologize for the delay on this once again. Didn’t expect to be posting these results nearly a month after Valentine’s Day, but the extended deadline did help make sure we got a healthy competition this year. Thank you to all for your patience!

I’m going to start out this year’s results thread with a totally appropriate callout 4-Koma that is not technically an official humor entry from SubzeroIceSkater, even though it fit the rules. But it’s worth posting, to publicly humiliate myself anyways:

I'll take my token Akane-in-an-entry bribery any way I can get it, since nobody felt inclined to draw Mrs. Stelar’s fresh, piping hot, iced cinnabuns for their talent entry this year...Did I just type that? I mean, um...

Play me off, Johnny!

I kid, I kid! After all, these contests aren’t about me, it’s about the characters you love and want to draw. And that’s what makes everyone’s entries unique and helps motivate you to create time after time. And I am grateful for it, whether you are a long-time participant, or the yearly new contestant.

I’ll be doing things a little different this year, because the post would be way too long if I kept everything in one. So this first post will just contain the Humor category, and I will have a second, separate post for the Talent category. Raffle prize winners will be contained in both posts, so keep an eye out after my commentary on your art, for some possible winners here. The rest will follow soon. I’ll be contacting all winners soon enough, so sit tight!

Here are your humor winners and full gallery of entries, after the break!

Category 2 (Humor) -  Princess Sigmia Returns

A much smaller group of entries for this category, but the zany mergers were great, all the same. I thank you all for getting as creative as you could with this concept, as it was a little more than just a mere gender swap you had to consider, when designing your combined character. Whether you won or not, know I truly enjoyed seeing all of these pics. 

I know imgbox gallery gave people some issues before, so as always, let me know if images or links appear broken. Crossing my fingers this works smoothly this year! XD

After each entrant’s name, there will be a link in the character description to the entry, too, just in case the inserted external images don’t load for you. 

[Full humor gallery]

1.) SubzeroIceSkater - Arc Weldy Falls In Love (featuring Tundroll.EXE the Arc Weldy, plus ‘Master Albert’)

[Page 1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

Comics with length and substance always seem to steal the show, and this year was no different. Joining the ranks of fenril-huayra, wintesm and so many others in recent years, I believe SubzeroIceSkater’s wonderful tale will stick with many of you, as much as it did me. As a humor piece, sure there are great sight gags and comedic lines all around, but it also has a lot of heart. You feel really bad for Arc Weldy to start out, but also feel so many emotions of compassion, friendship and love throughout. Wonderful work, and thank you for all the effort you put into this massive entry!

Also, are 21 pages not enough for you all? Well, SubzeroIceSkater also had ANOTHER 15 pages worth of ideas, alternates, and outtakes to go with this comic. And, while I won’t upload each link or image here, because this one entry is long enough, you can see them in THIS GALLERY LINK. They are also really great.

*For coming in 1st, SubzeroIceSkater has won $100 via Paypal, or a prize of their choice up to that value.*

2.) @drewblossom​ - Geminette 

Nearly equally deserving in length, Drew’s comic more closely followed the Bowsette-style transformation gimmick to give Snake Man his comeuppance. The classic bait-and-switch kiss, turned on it’s head with a ‘lil Search Snake rather than a gross Toad Man, was a funny end. 

Design-wise, I really liked what you did to create Geminette’s look. Splitting his helmet crystals to the side as like dual hair broaches, and keeping the motif with the choker, armband, garter straps and chestplate, worked out nice. I can see why Snake was so easily charmed. 

*For coming in 2nd, Drew has won $50 via Paypal, or a prize of their choice up to that value.*

3.) @wimzik​ - Rollbble.EXE

If dominatrix Devil Roll wasn’t enough of a pain in Rockman’s side, I shudder to think how bad a Bubble Roll would be, puku! Or, would her devotion to him be as great (or clingy) as Bubs was with Shademan-sama? 

Taking Bubbleman’s yellow flipper feet motif, and turning it into a fish fin design, both on her feet, legs, and hair ribbon, turned out pretty neat. If anything, I’m sure this transformation gives her very kissable lips, though! XD I have to wonder what her plan is with that Roll Navi Data chip, now that the chocolate is all gone, and what it will do to Rockman?

*For coming in 3rd, wimzik has won $25 via Paypal, or a prize of their choice up to that value.*

And the remaining wonderful entries, in alphabetical order by alias:

@3-oclock-blues​ - Dr. Willis 

What you talkin’ ‘bout, Wil-lis? Or Dr. WHY?!-ris, if you prefer. With that absolutely awesome wide-eyed grin, she’s hellbent on living together with Zero in a world where only Reploids exist. Being that they both have spent time piloting flying machine bodies, and have sorta possessed some form of an evil energy, it’s a rather fitting combo. Unless you are Zero, and it’s your dad and girlfriend merged into one being. Awk~waaaarrrd. 

The skull motif and spikes are subtle on Iris’ design, but fit in really well. Her bangs are just wild enough on both sides now, that it gives that Wily hair vibe, without having to give her a horrible, bushy mustache. XD

*3-OClock-Blues is the winner of Raffle Prize #2 - The X OCW artbook and Zero keychain*

@bracedshark​ - Mettayer

This might be a terrible concept, but I’m going to type it. When a Met pops out from under it’s helmet, especially in sprite form, usually all you can see is the whites of it’s dark, beady eyes under that helmet, on it’s dark grey/black blobby round body form. With Layer, you don’t get to see her eyes under her bangs, hardly ever. So staring at Mettayer’s underboob for too long, due to her chest armor mimicking a Met helmet, all I see is a Met’s pair of closed bottom eyelids, and I’m seriously waiting for those eyes to open up and start staring back at me. Would that not be the most wrong way for Mettayer’s eyes to work?! But I can’t unsee it! Her belly button even feels like a snoring, sleeping Met’s mouth. I’ll spare everyone of me editing this art to make my point. But it’s in your head now, isn’t it?

OK, despite that awful paragraph, this is one hot Metall Mommy. Sorry, I’m starting this paragraph off pretty badly, too, I guess. ^^; Despite my interpretation of the combination, the design elements do stand out in a unique way. The fiery reddish-pink hair seems like a different choice considering the characters merged, but it plays off the red of a Met’s mouth and earpiece, and, well, fitting for Valentine’s, too! And instead, you get the Layer color scheme in the pickaxe, so it still connects visually.

@drewblossom​’s 2nd entry - Roll n’ Rock

This bonus entry from Drew flips the genders of both DLN-001 and 002. I liked Roll’s hair bow converting into more of a bow tie, and Rock getting her version of Roll’s hoodie, in a Blue Bomber color scheme. The V-Day card concept, complete with crayon-ish name writing, made for a cute entry. Hearts all around!

@supernovabee​ - Bayer

No, there won’t be any paragraph about underboob eyes for this version of a Layer transformation, as supernovabee has merged her with Bass. Bayer loves belting out her hard and heavy siren song to woo prospective love interests during karaoke night. 

Keeping Layer’s purple hair here actually kinda still keeps a Treble Boost feel, that the color scheme fits seamlessly, to go along with the more obvious Layer armor design pieces.

[thehyperrequiem]

The Angry Robots movie Duology (Angry Birds Movie Parody) cast

The Angry Robots Movie 1: "When an island populated by happy, robots is visited by mysterious techno-organics, it's up to three unlikely outcasts - Ratchet, Aviator and Fireman - to figure out what the techno-organics are up to."

The Angry Robots Movie 2: "After saving Robot Island from an all-out techno-organic invasion, the isle's always cranky local hero, Ratchet, still finds himself doing battle with Predacon Island. As the prank war between techno-organics and robots is raging, massive plant projectiles coming from the Scarlet Witchcraft tyrant Spike Rosered's overgrown Maverick Island threaten the security of both havens, unless Ratchet and Cyborg Cookie agree to form a difficult but honest truce. Now, Ratchet, Fireman, Blast Hornet, Aviator, and his brilliant sister, Arcee, have to join forces with Cyborg Cookie's mighty techno-organic team to thwart the megalomaniac Spike Rosered's bold schemes for world domination. However, is Ratchet capable of change?"

Ratchet (Transformers Animated) as Red

Aviator (Mighty No. 9) as Chuck

Fireman (Megaman 1) as Bomb

Blast Hornet (Megaman X3) as Mighty Eagle

Cyborg Cookie (Cookie Run) as King Leonard

Waspinator (Beast Wars) as Ross

Aquaman (Megaman 8) as Matilda

Neptune (Megaman V) as Terence

Splashwoman (Megaman 9) as Stella

Knightman (Megaman 6) as Judge Peckinpah

Bubbleman (Megaman 2) as Cyrus

Scrapper (Transformers animated) as Hal

Mixmaster (Transformers animated) as Bubbles

Sheepman (Megaman 10) as Old Lady Bird

Clownman (Megaman 8) as Mime Bird

Various Robots as Various Birds

Woodman (Megaman 2) as the Hug Trader

Predacons (Beast Wars) as The Pigs

Quickstrike (Beast Wars) as Earl

Wheelie (Transformers), Kikmee and Burgertron (Transformers Botbots) as Jay, Jake, and Jim

Arcee (Transformers Animated) as Silver

Spike Rosered (Megaman X5) as Zeta

Lilybell Cookie (Cookie Run) as Debbie

Blackarachnia (Transformers Animated) as Courtney

Dinobot (Beast Wars) as Garry

Flame Stag (Megaman X2) and Blaze Heatnix (Megaman X6) as Jerry and Carl

Infinity Mijinion (Megaman X6) as Glenn

Overdrive Ostrich (Megaman X2) as Axel

Cryosphere (Mighty No. 9), Ion Cookie Robot (Cookie Run), and Iceman (Megaman 1) as The Hatchlings

Strongarm (Transformers Robots in Disguise) as Pinky

Windblade (Transformers Cyberverse) as Ella

Mavericks (Megaman X series) as Eagles

[ghostsandskulls68]

Deck Profiles #4- Carl

If you’ve been keeping up and paying attention it’s because you’re a nerd with nothing better to do! Just kidding. Thank you :3

Deck Type- Elemental HERO & Masked HERO

Now I’m sure Rick would have bought Carl cards so they could fight together or against each other. And, like most boys his age, Carl would like reading about Superheroes hoping to have his own superpowers. In Duel Monsters, the Elemental HERO archetype allows just that. With a mixture of Nature Based Elemental HERO monsters to comic book-like HERO monsters, when combined they provide great power. Most of the HERO monsters are Level 4 and lower (with a few exceptions such as Elemental HERO Bladedge and the extraterrestrial Elemental HERO Neos) but the key to a powerful HERO deck is fusion. Using spells like “Polymerization”, “Fusion Gate”, or even “Super Polymerization” High Level HERO monsters can be created. As strong as his willpower and ever growing bravery, HERO monsters have endless potential just as Carl does, even going into the mysterious Masked HEROs. Summoned Using “Mask Change”, Masked HEROs can be used to help cripple the opponent’s use of Spells and Traps and even aid by using other monster to power themselves up. Even after they are gone Masked HEROs can provide the proper reinforcements to keep fighting until victory is achieved. Much like how Carl refuses to let any of his loved ones die or get hurt, the HEROs can provide proper support to ensure victory or at the very least, the potential for it.

Monsters

-Elemental HERO Avian (2x)

-Elemental HERO Bladedge

-Elemental HERO Blazeman (2x)

-Elemental HERO Bubbleman

-Elemental HERO Burstinatrix (2x)

-Elemental HERO Clayman

-Elemental HERO Flash

-Elemental HERO Heat (2x)

-Elemental HERO Ice Edge

-Elemental HERO Knospe

-Elemental HERO Lady Heat (2x)

-Elemental HERO Necroshade

-Elemental HERO Neos

-Elemental HERO Ocean

-Elemental HERO Poison Rose

-Elemental HERO Shadow Mist

-Elemental HERO Sparkman

-Elemental HERO Voltic

-Elemental HERO Wildedge

-Elemental HERO Woodsman

Fusion Monsters

-Elemental HERO Absolute Zero

-Elemental HERO Escuridao

-Elemental HERO Flame Wingman

-Elemental HERO Gaia

-Elemental HERO Great Tornado

-Elemental HERO Inferno

-Elemental HERO Mariner

-Elemental HERO Mudballman

-Elemental HERO Necroid Shaman

-Elemental HERO Nova Master

-Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman

-Elemental HERO Steam Healer

-Elemental HERO Tempest

-Elemental HERO Terra Firma

-Elemental HERO The Shining

-Masked HERO Acid

-Masked HERO Aniki

-Masked HERO Blast

-Masked HERO Dark Law

-Masked HERO Dian

-Masked HERO Divine Wind

-Masked HERO Goka

-Masked HERO Vapor

Spells

-H (Heated Heart)

-E (Emergency Call)

-R (Righteous Justice)

-O (Oversoul)

-Fifth Hope

-Form Change (2x)

-Fusion Gate

-Fusion Recovery (2x)

-HERO’s Bond

-Hero Flash!!

-Mask Change (3x)

-Mask Change II (2x)

-Mask Charge (2x)

-Miracle Fusion (3x)

-Mystical Space Typhoon (2x)

-Parallel World Fusion (2x)

-Polymerization (3x)

Traps

-A Hero Emerges

-Draining Shield

-Hero Barrier (2x)

-Hero Signal (2x)

-Mirror Force

-Mirror Gate

-Negate Attack

-Radiant Mirror Force

-Sakeretsu Armor

@jessegoesrawr1000times @prettyepiic @i-am-negan-trash

[kaiowut99]

The Gang Freaks Out Over a Cell Phone

Judai and the others are now in their second year when a quiet freshman comes to duel Judai.  While the freshman’s deck wasn’t all too powerful, it was also an improvised 40-card deck hastily made beforehand out of eight packs in the store.  But even then, Archangel Zerato gets Judai’s LP down to 1200.  Mid-duel, he speaks with a mysterious man on his cell phone, feeling a lack of interest in this duel due to his prediction.  Shou and the others realize this is the well-known Star Duelist Ed Phoenix...

And after a bit too long, here’s finalized!53! It’s fun to finally be getting back into Season 2, since, later plot pacing issues and... questionable moments aside, there’s quite a bit to like about it.  One such thing being the dynamic between Ed and Saiou that we’re introduced to here (one of my favorites), as the concept of fate/destiny starts to become an ever-present theme.  Also, hearing Takehito Koyasu again for a while will be great now that I’ve actually seen JJBA and heard him as DIO. 😂 The animation/artstyle in this episode is also a nice touch-up from what we’ve been used to, and there were some great shots of Judai and Ed there.

So, part of the delay in getting this going since finishing 52 was getting my usual bells and whistles worked on for the translated hardsub; you’ll notice that the OP is fully translated, and not just with the credits--I wanted to do a thing I originally wanted to do way back when my first go-around but lacked the skills for and translate the character names that slide in! If you check out my “subbing-rambling” tag, you can see some of the work-in-progress posts I made showing it off as I worked on it.  As part of this, I also prepared textless versions of the OP’s V2 shots of Chronos and Ed, as well as made Shou in his Red jacket textless for use here; I’ll be sharing these new textless openings as I go through the season over on NAC. (It’s really a shame that we never got those versions officially released...) The ED credits were pretty much copy/paste from Season 1, with a change in karaoke coloring, since thankfully that stays the same, and I’ll also be translating the “Best Card” shots at the end of each episode (which for some reason I noticed Crunchyroll doesn’t include, despite them being on the DVDs?), though on a static screen with the card spinning into view since that moving background’s hard to get blank, lol.

But once those were all done, there were some 53-specific edits and fixes to work on! For the hardsub, I translated the article we see about Ed so that we can read what was visible in Japanese (ie, Ed making waves in August just before Season 2 at an event Kaiba Corp. sponsored!), while I also made a few card fixes.  Breakdown below the cut, as usual.

(UPDATE [7/9/20]: I reuploaded the episode because I realized I didn’t account for the different cards Shou has in his deck shot in the Opening in 53-56 vs 57-104; Gyroid, Cyclone, and Trap Hole in the former become Submarineroid, Vehicroid Connection Zone, and No Entry in the latter (all used in 56), which is what was used in the textless video I was working with while working on translating his name there.  That’s been corrected, and will be accounted for as I share the textless OPs on NAC.  I’m nothing if not consistency-minded. 💁🏽‍♂️)

Enjoy, folks! With 53 finalized, I’ll be giving my 5D’s Dub-Uncut Ep. 26 a quick lookover to see if I have to tweak anything before I work on making the Dark Signer arc episodes’ dubs more bearable, and then I’ll start working on 54.  It’s been a bit since Manjoume last dueled, and him dueling his mini-me in Gokaido should be fun, haha.

Fixes/Edits!

For the hardsub, as Chronos pulls out his issue of Monthly Duel!, I translated 月編 on it to “October” in Photoshop and spliced it in; this was an edit I’d already done for 52′s hardsub since it shows up in the preview for 53.

For the hardsub, the page Chronos has Napoleon stare at has been translated! The original text was vertical but I thought it’d make more sense to translate it horizontally for us; as such, I moved the text on the right about the “Exclusive” on the “Young Duelist Prodigy” to be above Ed’s photo, which I moved a bit more to the right to compensate.  I also added a little “journalistic” fluff to the translation I’d whipped up to make it fit well both on and off-screen, since I wasn’t going to be filling the whole thing with just “On August 7th, KaibaCorp sponsored a Dueling World League” lol.  But definitely made sure to keep the spirit and keep visible those little tidbits like the KaibaCorp nod and the date telling us when Ed started making waves that were visible in the Japanese text.  I did that editing in Photoshop for both this shot and the later shot with Shou’s copy of the magazine, but I warped the text in this one a little to match the slight page warp that Ed’s photo had going.  After that, I redid the zoom in Sony Vegas.  The text is also slightly blurred here since it was like that for the Japanese text.

Later in the episode, after the commercial break, we come back to a pan/zoom-out from Sanctuary in the Sky to Judai’s field, where we see Clay Guardman has his card facing the wrong way compared to where we see it in every other shot after.  I made a proxy for it, though it was a bit tough since we never get a good look at its card (thankfully, the card artwork was put up on the YGO site).  Though the dubified card confirmed for the Wikia that he has zero ATK and, like with Neo Bubbleman, shared the same Level as Clayman.  So, as I made a proxy, I recreated the Japanese effect text mirroring what Neo Bubbleman’s was and mentioning the burn effect as close to the game terms as possible--getting this in the end! Once I did that, I took a frame and placed it in in AfterEffects, masking in Clay Guardman’s feet over it, then took it into Sony Vegas, where I redid the zoom-out as it came into view.

Later on, after Judai explains Tempester’s effect, his face-down card goes away to activate it, but in that shot, Tempester’s not on Judai’s Disk! I made a new Tempester proxy (since here Tempester’s officially using the OCG art/text at the time), then slapped it on in AfterEffects (taking a cue from the dub about where to place it on his Disk).  Thankfully, since Judai stood still here, that’s all it took, lol.

After the duel, Shou realizes who Ed was all along! He rummages through his bag and pulls out his copy of Monthly Duel! and opens it up; like with Chronos’s, for the hardsub, I took it into Photoshop and recreated the color scheme to blot out 月編 and put “October” over it for the nine frames it moves in, then I just put each frame into the video in Sony Vegas.

As with earlier, for the hardsub, the article Shou shows everyone about Ed is translated, only with no text warp and slightly different rotation, so a little more of the text is visible on the left and bottom.  Recreated the less-rotation/more-zoom zoom-in on Ed’s photo in Sony Vegas.

As Judai thinks that Ed could use some more deck-building skills, Shou’s still holding up the magazine; “October” is there to translate 10月編 again, but because the “Monthly” in that shot of the magazine is inconsistent with its other appearances in the episode (we’ve seen it in black with white bordering, but here it’s just white text, along with the black 10月編  also being in white), I redid that as well in Photoshop so it matched.  I’ll be including just the “Monthly” fix in the Japanese DVDRip I’ll release on NAC.

[thedogeveryonehates]

Even when the world turned its back on me

I knew you would be there

My Love

My Everything

My Bubbleman