#and even in a place like this that's more negative at YGO and finds it too kiddy

[seekerbr]

As kind of a companion piece to my other post where i found some ultra early YGO fanfics and fansites, here are some reaction posts to the premiere of the first dubbed episode of Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters I found on rec.arts.anime.misc, a anime-related newsletter messageboard (i cut the part with the dates, but most are from either 29 or 30 of September, 2001):

[newspropaganda]

Despite not being that much into ygo anymore, I was shown your posts and damn, what is wrong with you? Haven't seen a "ygo fan" being that much of a jerk towards other fans in a long time. If you don't even like most ygo anime then why do you still feel the need to talk about them in a negative way and spamming the tags with non-related topics? And stop shittalking Kazuki Takahashi. You don't have to worship him or be his fan but this man is dead because he tried to help people who were in danger. Have some respect towards him at least.

I was going to rant at you at first, but I took the time to read your message properly. I noticed your Pokémon avatar and what you said about not being involved in the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom as much anymore. I didn’t really understand at first, since Tumblr’s ask and share systems have never worked well for me. I’m more of a Facebook guy than a Tumblr or Twitter user. Tumblr is just the place where I vent my anger about Yu-Gi-Oh! since Dark Side of Dimensions (DSOD) came out. That movie ruined me even more when I was already poor and sad.

I know it’s cliché, but I’m more open to talking negatively about Takahashi—not because he means anything to me, but because I hated how his fans disrespected 5D's and didn’t care about the personal crises I was going through. I may disappear someday and never return—I promise you that, friend. I feel like I’m never coming back because I’m still in shock and need time to heal. I haven’t had the chance to relax because I’ve been broke. I don’t see this “off-topic” issue as a problem. My only purpose is to not be on the good side of things.

For me, the whole topic or off-topic discussions in the Yu-Gi-Oh! community are irrelevant. I just spam posts to get attention because I don’t find anything interesting on Tumblr, and I don’t use it much or care about it.

The reason I don’t see most of the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom being nice to me is because life became so hard. I used to think it would be all rainbows and sunshine, but when I entered high school, everything changed. That was just a year after 5D’s ended.

When I heard the Yu-Gi-Oh! community was going insane during Zexal’s run (2011-2014), I wanted to see for myself, but the following year, I was completely turned off. I still can’t understand why people became so toxic in 2015 or why they refuse to read properly. My whole purpose now is to criticize the fandom because they only focus on relevant topics, and I can’t relate since I don’t have a fandom or followers. I don’t understand why, even today, people won’t call out the nonsense in the anime community because they’re too sensitive.

I’m struggling in real life and trying to fix my online presence, but being unemployed since December 2022 has made me hate the fandom even more. A lot of what they say isn’t even true about Yu-Gi-Oh!.

I have several reasons to believe the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom is lying about Zexal’s reception in Japan, Konami going bankrupt because of false rumors, and Takahashi being responsible for why ARC-V failed in its original broadcast version. 4Kids gets blamed too much for adapting the show for American audiences, but they didn’t ruin the original Japanese version like people claim. I don’t believe GX was the peak of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. It was made by people who weren’t 100% good—Junki Tategami was one of them, and he was responsible for a lot of its problems. I also don’t think 5D’s had production issues in Season 3. When Tomoika left during that season, the production issues started. The fandom sugarcoats Zexal over its ratings and animation, but they forget that Yu-Gi-Oh! was about exposing errors in writing—something GX and 5D’s did better. I have massive hate toward Kamishiro Tsunomi, who ruined ARC-V, and I hate people who refuse to admit that VRAINS’ biggest issue was its writing, not its production quality. I also loathe Dark Side of Dimensions because it focused on nonsense that didn’t give Yu-Gi-Oh! the impact it deserved. It spammed multiverse theories just for clout. I can’t agree with most fans that Battle City was the best arc—it was poorly adapted. 5D’s only had one bad arc: the Fortune Cup. Zexal II was just “meh” because it changed tones. GX Season 3 and 4 weren’t its peak; they were just poorly written arcs. I can’t stand Sevens or Go Rush either. The list is why I am having a hard time finding good people to chat with.

I hate most of the fandom for showing me just how pathetic it really is. I tried to stay calm but I guess i can't even respect that. The fact I haven't joy in my life for once is why I can't respect even myself let alone others.

The biggest complaint I have with the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom on Twitter and Tumblr is how they accuse me of going off-topic just because I can't handle criticism—when in reality, everyone is doing cringe reviews just to push nonsense. I wasn't going to go down this path, but after losing my job and dignity, my patience finally ran out. I can't even respect anyone in real life anymore.

I wasn't born rich and can’t afford to buy tons of Yu-Gi-Oh! card boxes, yet I have to listen to Pokémon fans who spend all their time watching furry content instead of appreciating a real, macho card game anime like Yu-Gi-Oh!.

[shitpostingkats]

Hi! I recently found your blog, and I just wanted to say that I adore your commentary on all things Yu-Gi-Oh. So much. Words cannot express it. Partly because your insights and takes are just so good and also partly because it’s so incredibly refreshing to see someone who has good things to say in this fandom instead of focusing only on negatives and/or fighting about so many simplistic things.

(It’s also great to see that I’m not the only one borderline obsessed with/constantly analyzing these card game shows and their characters, but that’s an entirely different subject…)

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for all the wonderful commentary, and keep up the great work! You’re legit the only reason I even came back to this hellsite after over almost two years away from it, after accidentally stumbling across one of your posts through Google. Seriously. I can’t stand Tumblr, but I might just start a YGO blog here for the sole sake of spam-hearting/reblogging your posts.

PS: And also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how fricking refreshing it is to find someone who actually gets the characters. So thank you so much for that, too. Like, I mean, specifically Jaden/Judai and Yusei. Seriously, the amount of time I’ve gone on and on about how both these boys are actually great and valid and not at all like what some parts of this fandom would have you think only to try to be shut down with a dime-a-dozen, repetitive excuse that I’ve outargued countless times and yet — sorry, it’s just… it’s great to see that someone actually more or less see where I’m coming from. I’ll stop there, because if I start on a rant about how and why both Judai/Jaden and Yusei are surprisingly really deep characters I’ll be here forever. I would very, very much love to read more of your essays on these blorbos, but, of course, no rush.

Oh my gosh thank you so much for the kind words! ❤️

It legitimately means to world to me to see people enjoy and resonate with my funny little musings. While I started this blog as a place to just record/organize my hyperfixation essay nonsense, a nonzero part of it was to put my thoughts out there and hope it reached an audience other than my non-yugioh obsessed friends who lovingly put up with me spamming our discord with no context analysis.

One of my fondest loves of the internet is picking apart and examining stories that maybe weren't intended to looked with such scrutiny. Especially ones that get a bed rap for being "bad writing" or "dumb". Flawless cut diamonds, while pretty, aren't the only gemstones with facets.

I also made this blog as a place where I can wax poetic bullshit to my hearts content.

But yeah, the internet can be a pretty rancid place, and I really get bummed out seeing such a strong focus on beating down stories rather than lifting them up. I wanted my blog to be a safe place to just discuss anything and apply depth and positivity to whatever took my fancy. And what is absolutely rotting my brain right now is these silly card game boys. Hearing that other people not only read, but enjoy my bizarre combo of pretentious lit. student, heart-of-gold dumb-of-ass, and astonishingly attention-deficient, makes me know I'm doing the right thing, and that other people need that kind of space too.

(I swear, I didn't mean to write this entire response without mentioning the blorbos of the hour themselves. Rest assured, I will be posting a ton more thoughts on them, and your ask has only bolstered my resolve to do so. They are. So good. Always feel free to barge into my house and just start infodumping about the yugioh kiddos. I care them. And I care that other people care them. <3)

[tarashima]

Dear Vrains Fandom, I’m tired

I want to start somewhat positive and say that this fandom is great in so many ways. Following people’s thoughts and headcanons and speculations, reading fanfics and indulging in fanart, reacting over the weekly episodes together, is such a nice thing to do and be a part of. 

We also seem to be having a sort of fissure when it comes to two things: 

Datastormshipping/the relationship between Yuusaku and Ryouken

Ryouken/Revolver himself. 

I can’t say that this has been going on ever since the series began but it has been happening ever since season 2 started, and gotten worse for every episode. Every time Ryouken has made an appearance, no matter how brief, there has always been posts where the op has stated just how unexcited they are about it, that the fandom is annoying and obnoxious for being happy about “literally anything”, and that datastormshipping is a terribly unhealthy pairing that no one should ship, etc. More than once has the question “am I the only one who doesn’t like datastormshipping/Revolver?” been posted in the tags, causing reactions from shippers as well as non-shippers and arguments between those groups, especially when the negative posts end up in the shipping tag. 

And this constantly reoccurring drama is pointless in every single way and I’m getting tired of seeing it happen over and over and over again. 

I see people being frustrated with all the datastorm/Ryouken-content that erupts after an episode where there’s been a “moment”, and that’s totally reasonable. If your interest is in something completely different then why wouldn’t you be annoyed when all you see is content you don’t want? It’s understandable and nothing surprising. 

But, under no circumstances, does that give anyone the right to let that frustration turn into salty passive-aggressive venting posts. 

“Am I not allowed to voice my opinions anymore?”

Of course you’re allowed to voice your opinions and no one should try and tell you otherwise! But what people haven’t seemed to realize in these specific cases is that there are times, places and words for everything, and depending on the purpose of the posts, they have different consequences. 

Letting frustrated thoughts like “gaah does these datastormshippers/Ryouken-fans have to be everywhere? I’m tired of seeing this content all the time, do they even care about anything else?” turn into venting posts with little to no difference in wording might be an outlet for you and people who feel the same way. But the feelings you inject in datastormshippers/Ryouken-fans will not be pleasant ones. The only thing you do is make them feel ashamed for upsetting people with something they love and are excited about, being ashamed of talking about it too much (and every amount feels to be too much), and ashamed for existing overall. 

Making vent posts about how obnoxious the fanbase is for just having fun is not sharing an opinion, it’s bullying. When it has come so far that we have datastormshippers being ashamed of voicing their love, or even admit that they ship Yuusaku and Ryouken, we have a serious problem. And vent posts are not the same thing as criticism. 

“I’m not trying to make people stop shipping it, that’s not my purpose! I don’t hate the ship/character, I’m just tired of seeing content with it!”

A valid feeling, especially if there’s little to no content for the things you love, and you get little to no response for your own content featuring the things you love. 

You all have to realize though that when this is worded poorly, the shippers/fans will feel attacked because they will never be able to do this right. It’ll only turn into a sad circle where shippers/fans feel restricted and hesitate to share their love, which in many cases will turn into frustration over not being allowed to express their love together. 

Sit down and think for a moment, what is it that you want? More content about everything else that doesn’t circulate around datastormshipping and Ryouken? That’s understandable. Do you want datastormshippers/Ryouken-fans to produce less content? Do you perhaps want fewer shippers/fans? Do you want the shippers/fans to stop loving datastorm and/or Ryouken altogether? No?

Then why are you voicing your “opinion” if it’s only gonna come out as bullying and rudeness? 

“I’m not bullying anyone!”

Yes, you are if you keep on making people feel bad and upset when they do absolutely nothing but being happy and produce content from that happiness. If you don’t want to be a bully, then think another time about how you say something, or if you should say something at all. And if you get called out, be responsible and apologise. Passive-aggressiveness is bullying when it’s aimed towards people. 

There are lots of easy ways to get along in the fandom without this drama happening over and over. 

For all datastormshippers, tag your content. I haven’t really seen any misses in that regard but be aware of it. Blacklisting is there for a reason and it’s a wonderful feature for everyone when tagging is used correctly. “Agree to disagree” is great when people have their own happy corners to stay, so don’t invade others’ with content they don’t want to take part in.

Speaking of that, and one would think that it should be common knowledge but I’ll say it anyway: hate/vent posts where the op states how they don’t like datastormshipping/Ryouken do not belong in the datastormshipping tag. It’s a tag specifically for datastormshippers and non-shippers have no business in it. In fact, those posts don’t belong in the main tags either. Why? Because negativity does nothing but ruins the mood completely. The mindset “if I’m not happy then no one else should be either” is harmful to everyone and is not how fandom works, or should work.

This is also very specific, but if you’ve made yourself known for being a disliker of datastormshipping, the most popular ship in Vrains, or a disliker of Ryouken, one of the most popular characters, or even worse; a disliker of the shippers and/or fans, everyone but people sharing your mindset will hesitate to some level to interact with you. The “agree to disagree” mindset will then fall flat completely since it doesn’t seem to be about the ship or character, but rather the shippers or fans. And you’ll feel even more alone.

It’s not rude to not like datastormshipping and/or Ryouken, and there are very few people who think that. It is rude, however, to try and change people’s opinions when they’ve very deliberately (and politely) explained why they like something. And being called out for that is not hate-attacks. Be responsible and think about how you say things, or if you should say things and where those words belong, and if you hurt people, apologise.

In all honesty, is getting upset about how popular a ship/character is really worth the time and energy? I know the frustration when content barely exists (I do love less popular characters myself and I have rarepairs as well), but I rather spend the energy producing and trying to find content for what I love than being upset with things I don’t like. Life gets funnier that way, and isn’t that something we all want? Fun?

This is getting long enough, so I’m adding a few last things: 

- Datastormshipping does not, and has never, qualified for being a case of Stockholm Syndrome, and it’s a term that shouldn’t be thrown around lightly. Stop people. 

- Every character in Vrains, or the whole YGO-franchise, can be as deep or as shallow as you want them to be, it all depends on your own attitude. 

- A bad attitude doesn’t belong in any of the tags, and if you still put it there, you have to realize that there will be a backlash for spreading that bad attitude around when people just want to have fun. 

And with this wall of text, I’m letting Yuusaku end the post: 

[theconfusedartist]

Characters of Color: In Fandom and Media

Media Pet Peeves

So, I’m gonna be really honest with y’all here. I’ve been noticing a trend, and while I’ve seen it happen over and over again in fandom as well as the larger portion of fans that aren’t as far into the medium, but still care about it. What’s really taken me off guard however, is the fact that the people creating media as well as getting to put it out on a larger scale seem to following this same pattern. 

I, along with a bunch of other friends in college, noticed this but it seems that every time a character of color with dark brown/brown skin seems to have screen time, many negative tropes tend to surround them, and not always just in their writing as well as their portrayals. Black and brown characters in media, seem to always be categorized as; mean, slutty, angry, power hungry, and often seen as horrible people even in when in comparison they’re closer to saints than any villian that’s being majorly shown or interacted with in fandom.

It’s really frustrating that when you have black and brown characters, you have to worry about that character in particular always getting either; killed, suffering, losing happiness, getting pushed to the side or no development, or demonized by fandom and the show runners. And every time I’ve seen a big name show come out that had a prominent black or brown character in the spotlight or even in the main cast, it’s never ended well for those characters, sometimes even death would’ve been better than some of the endings they come out with.

Since this is something that’s been bothering me for a while, I’m not going to pretend like this is going to be my only reblog with this or my only post about the subject, as I have far more that I’d like to address than I’d want to put on one single post. So, for the sake of longevity and ease of reading, I’m going to make this one about something I’m sure we’ve all seen at one point: a character of color being lightwashed or whitewashed by the show or fandom, to the point that it’s more commonly associated with their character rather than their actually personalities. 

The first time I could ever really go and point out that this was happening came from an unexpected place, as I had long since given up on Berserk and Casca getting her happy ending, as it’s been a long time that it’s had any real updates. As of the time I’m writing this post (1/24/2019) Berserk has gotten a bit popular, but it’s certainly not a big thing, it has a smaller fandom, as it’s been going on for years and never seemed to pick up strides up until recently the author has started to put out more chapters, every once in a blue moon. But, I digress, Casca is the reason I was able to really put this into words and sadly proved the things I’d been saying before but had felt like I was just being too sensitive about. 

In media, I’ve seen that has brown characters they keep making their skin lighter or getting rid of any ethnic features into a cooky cutter shape. Casca had the worst of this, the 2016 reboot starting her out as a ghost until people made enough noise that they got the studio to change her skin tone back to it’s normal shade. But this was a problem long before the 2016 adaptation, as even in the movies, Casca’s skin tone was noticeably lighter than her manga or her original palette from the old anime and when I saw people bring it up, they were ridiculed, mocked, and had their judgement cast into question. Then the fanart came and while it wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the others I’ve seen, Casca started appearing lighter and lighter in fanart. Mind you, this was cut off with a quickness, as people started to flood her tag with pictures, gifsets, and other fan content with her skin the correct tone, they went in and fixed it and drove out the people who were trying to buy into the new wave of light Casca.

Like, for all the fandom posts I’ve seen, this little subject gets left out the most and it irks me. Like, it’s damn near impossible to find good fanfiction with your favorite non-white character, because no matter how dark their skin is, the best you’re usually gonna get is ‘dark tan’ or ‘peach’ as skin tone descriptions, and this isn’t even talking about the people that go out of their way to erase the canon skin tone. Like, is brown so hard to say? Is brown that hard to use as a skin palette? 

Like, another example, Atem from Yu-Gi-Oh! Atem is and was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh that ruled shortly during a time of chaos. He’s been brown, he’s always been brown, but when that fact came to light, suddenly Atem wasn’t the fan-favorite anymore, no it was yami-yuugi that became the fan fave, even though they’re supposed to be the same person, only Atem doesn’t have brown skin since he is in Yuugi’s body, Yuugi who has a different skin tone. But go into the fucking fanart or the tags and it’s not Atem who’s been marked up and made, it’s usually yami-yuugi but with the Atem tag on it. It’s so fucking insidious, so fucking insidous. Like, I promise you the people who tag it like that, know that anyone who’s searching is looking for Atem, not yami-yuugi, but the tags get flooded with this character that people used as a stand-in because they just couldn’t fucking stomach the fact that their fave wasn’t white anymore (not to mention, none of the ygo cast is white in the original, they’re japanese, but that’s a commonly ignored fact too. wonder why)

Another example: Clementine from the walking Dead Series. People brought up that she got lighter and the response was instead, ‘stop complaining about it!!’ but I mean I have to wade through 5k words on dick headcanons for fucking Kylo bitch-ass Ren, but god forbid someone notices some harmful shit pointing it out. That’s just crossing the fucking line I guess. I had a long drawn out essay that I was going to write out for this, but at the end of the day, if I keep going, I’m going to get pissed off and start ranting and losing focus for what I was getting at here. 

Consistently, fandom and media makers have placed more value on the lighter the skin tone of the character and will go out of their way to lighten or whitewash characters with darker skin because they absolutely refuse to see them as people so they just enable and restart the cycle of the same fucking shit I’ve been seeing the last seven years, so at this point, I’m fucking tired ok?

[asagimeta]

In Defense Of Seto Kaiba..... From Someone Who Used To Hate Seto Kaiba

@youfancymemaddearie said she'd hear me out on why Kaiba isn't The Actual Worst, so for this I'm mostly only going to be using the material I'm personally familiar with because things like context and translations and stuff could get warped otherwise, wich means roughly the first half of the dubbed anime, but I might pull other things here and there that I feel like I know well enough to have a grasp on via things like wikipedia and other meta (it's a long story as to why I never finished the anime so I won't bother getting into it here)

The manga, being a separate canon, is going to be pretty much ignored for this, except for one breif instance where I feel it's necessary to compare something from it to how the anime did it

So, the thing is, for most of my life as a YGO fan (15+ years as of 2018), I bordered between a really weird love and hate of Seto Kaiba, I loved him the way that I love a good villain, the way I love Hannibal Lecter let's say, he's entertaining and I always liked having him on the screen but as a person I really hated him, because.. why wouldn't I? He's an absolute dick to everyone around him with the exception of Mokuba, and even Mokuba doesn't exactly get the cuddly treatment most of the time, he spends the beginning of the series toeing the line between outright villain and anti-hero, and the amount of low-blows he hits and lack of care he has for people who are trying to help him- or people in general- is pretty terrible, atleast... that's how he's presented on the surface and that's how I felt for close to fifteen years

And then I started writing him and the little bastard forced me to change my opinion

Firstly, it's established from the beginning that Seto's actions in stealing Grandpa Muto's card and tearing it up (not to mention giving him a heartattack) aren't entirely his own, Seto had an evil possessing him at the time that, wile manifested from his own feelings, was no less a different entity, it took him over, just like Marik's dark self took him over, it's well-established in YGO that you can be so overcome with pain and anger and negativity that an entirely different spirit manifests and takes over your mind, a process that- wile reversible if caught early enough- is really something that can only be reversed by magic, like a shadow game or a mind crush

Since this is the thing that Atem removed from Seto's mind in episode one....

The actions he took prior to being mind-wiped can't be held entirely against him, as he was not consciously in control of what he was doing at the time, much like the actions of Yami Marik can't be held entirely against Hikari Marik, you can sure as hell blame Marik himself for alot of the things he did during Battle City, but things like the duels against Mai, Joey, and Atem, wherein it was blatantly clear that it was his evil half in control and his good half didn't have access to the controls (made even more obvious by the Yami Duel wherein both spirits had to sacrifice parts of their lighter selves/hosts for losing life points) are impossible to hold entirely against him

We also see that everything is Not Ok after the mind-crush, given that Seto passes up the chance to do his all-time favorite things (dueling, winning, and showing off) on the grandest scale yet when he decides to skip Duelist Kingdom, he claims it's because he doesn't know how to handle being defeated, and wile that may be partly true, it's pretty canonical that it was because of the mind crush (why else would they bring that hideous glob of evil around to duel Yugi/Atem once more?)

And, here's where the manga reference comes in, when you take into account that in the manga, he was in a six-month long coma after the mind-crush- and, mind you (ha), Duelist Kingdom is the turning point where the manga's canon starts to get closer to the anime's- it's really hard to believe that Seto's existential crisis is based on losing and not based on having evil forcefully removed from his soul by an ancient Egyptian spirit who's out to have a good time and was really feeling attacked at the moment

There's really no convenient place to inject backstory, so I'll do it here in the hopes of flowing more easily into the rest of Duelist Kingdom

Seto has been taking care of Mokuba since they were extremely young, he's essentially more like a father to him than a brother, and he had to learn early on to defend him - and that meant getting rougher, getting tougher, getting meaner, and when it came to Gozaburo- who's just about as abusive as one can get and really puts the word "pressure" to good use- that meanness has to amplify, it's made clear that Gozaburo wouldn't tolerate anything less than perfection and ruthlessness and if that was how Seto had to survive, that was how he had to survive, he spent most of his formative years under that kind of hand so naturally he was forced to form that way....

But as someone pointed out in another post somewhere, we can see by how well adapted Mokuba is just how much Seto has taken on in protecting him from that kind of corruption and evil, Gozaburo never really wanted Mokuba around so the pressure he put on him compared to Seto was definitely minimal... but that doesn't mean he wasn't just as abusive, and the fact that Mokuba spent the majority of his life with no parents of any kind and has relied pretty much solely on Seto as a parental figure- both in the way of necessities like food and shelter, as well as for emotional health- and yet has come out of it as a generally upbeat, positive, gentle person, really shows that Seto has to be doing something right, otherwise, it doesn't make alot of sense for Mokuba to have no shreds of bitterness, resentment, or negativity in him (again, going by the anime only) And further, to show the outstandingly deep devotion he does for Seto- utterly unwavering and full of not only loyalty, but genuine love and affection- proves that Seto has done something right somewhere, Mokuba never shows a single ounce of fear or hesitation towards him and never gives a second thought to hugging him, following him around, or getting involved in his personal affairs, if Seto had ever given him reason to be afraid of him (IE: abusing him or simply not stepping up to protect him when Gozaburo was abusing him) I find it really hard to believe that Mokuba would act so completely care-free with doing things that Seto may find unpleasant

Mokuba is Seto's entire world, he flat out tells Yugi that Mokuba is "everything to him", not money or power or success- Mokuba, wich is already something that speaks volumes about who he is as a person, and the extremes he goes to in order to protect Mokuba are .... pretty fucking extreme

When I was a kid, I thought that the "attack my Blue Eyes and you might just kill me" stunt he pulls on the rooftop at Pegasus' castle was a really filthy trick and was probably my primary reason for hating him as much as I did- and let's be honest, it IS a filthy option to resort to.... but as an adult, I understand it now, and can't place blame on him for feeling so completely backed into a corner, he wasn't trying to trick Atem, he was being sincere, I mean.... filthy and sincere... but still sincere

He would rather die than lose his brother, he was so desperate that he was ready to let someone kill him/commit suicide because he was out of options, and in that perspective, it's alot easier to understand why he did what he did, I don't excuse it, but I do understand it, and really, when it really boils down to things, can anyone say that they'd sooner let the only person in the entire world that they love die, for someone who they don't even like? The true crime of this entire thing isn't really that Seto was desperate enough to resort to suicide and emotional manipulation to win.... it's that he and Atem were both so stubborn and downright stupid that neither of them thought to actually communicate about why Seto needed to win in the first place, despite him saying repeatedly that he needed to save his brother and Atem saying repeatedly that he needed to save "his" grandfather, neither of them paused long enough to say "... We have a common goal, let's work together, or at the very least, come to a compromise" before resorting to such desperation, no one on this planet can seriously tell me that Atem wouldn't have jumped at the offer to save Mokuba if Seto had presented it to him, though, to be fair, I'll never understand why he didn't just offer to save Mokuba along with Grandpa in the first place (plot convenience really)

Although communication is an enormous problem with Seto and is one of the main reasons why he's always such a complete prick, he has a tendency to talk in code and to cover up what he means with what words he chooses to use, most likely because he A. Wasn't exposed to other children between the ages of 8-14 and before that most of his exposure was negative, and B. Was taught brutally that even the tiniest sign of compassion or understanding is weakness, and even the tiniest weakness is going to get you severely punished, he was already closed off to people during his stay at the orphanage, this just cemented that experience further

(And as a quick note, he acquired a company at 14-years-old, he was still a baby and running this God foresaken thing by himself, had no parental figure, still raising his brother ALONE, and let's also talk about how this 14-year-old BABY turned a weapons manufacturing company into a gaming company in less than two years, as he was sixteen during episode one of Duel Monsters)

To mention also: When faced with the fact that his company, that he had worked so extremely hard for, and that means so much to him, was being sold to Pegasus and he was being kicked out, where was his focus? Still on Mokuba, his brother was ALWAYS the absolute forefront of his focus during the entire Duelist Kingdom arc and his company played a very small second fiddle in comparison, I'm not sure if he even brought up the company more than once or twice during the entire arc, that's ... a little shocking all things considered

Additionally, despite how cold, untrusting, egotistical, and downright mean he can be, he outright thanks Yugi for rescuing Mokuba- twice- within the first season, once after Duelist Kingdom and once after Legendary Heros, that's kind of an enormous thing as Seto doesn't hand out gratitude easily.... though, speaking of gratitude we definitely have to confront the Joey-shaped elephant in the room

The way he treats Joey early on IS deplorable, he doesn't exactly treat any member of the Nerd Herd well, but things are especially prickly with Joey, and I'm unclear of the reasons for that- I don't think canon ever gives one- but I think of all of Seto Kaiba's ill moments, the way he treats Joey all the way up to late Battle City is without a doubt what I cringe at the most, he early on drives Joey so low into the ground that it gives him NIGHTMARES and is so ruthlessly horrible to him during that first encounter at Duelist Kingdom that I think, to date, it's the Kaiba thing I cringe at the most, I definitely don't excuse that behavior, and it burns me up like a firey demon when he refuses to thank Joey for being the one who ACTUALLY saved Mokuba, yet turns around and thanks Yugi instead, I'm also not exactly pleased with the fact that he tried to keep Joey out of his tournament but I really chalk that up mostly to Joey not having anything Seto wants and not being a duelist he respects vs outright cruelty, remember that for Seto, Battle City is ALL about getting the god cards and drawing out rare hunters, Red Eyes is Joey's rarest card but Seto never seems particularly impressed by it, and that coupled with him not respecting Joey's skills- as he believes he rode Yugi's coat tails through Duelist Kingdom- makes some sense as to why he wouldn't want him participating (outside of just disliking him) it would be counterproductive

The thing is, Seto DOES slowly shift out of "I legitimately hate your guts and am going to make sure you know it" and into "I'm going to pick on you because it's fun when you fight back and it's just how we communicate now", Battle City is a big turning point in my personal opinion, the second time Joey and Seto duel is still full of terribly mean words but the vibe is very different, from where I'm sitting, it feels alot more like an "I'm pulling your hair because I like you" type of thing and alot less like outright bullying for the sake of bullying, the fact that Joey doesn't take any of it to heart and just fights mean quip with mean quip the entire time is solid proof to me that the relationship is just mutual antagonism now and not so much outright bullying

Speaking of Battle City... there's alot of growth for Seto there, he works with Yugi and Atem frequently, at times by force (to save Mokuba) but at times because he wants to, he agreed to help Atem find the rest of the nerd herd before getting any word that Mokuba was taken because he wanted a duel for Atem's Slyfer card... even though all logic dictates that they probably would have faced eachother during the finals anyway and there is was literally no reason for Seto to follow him around begging for a duel like a five-year-old except for A. Impatience (not untrue) and/or B. Just .... wanting to, he could have so easily said "Find your own freinds, I'll get that Slyfer in the finals either from you or whoever beats you" but instead he spends his valuable time and energy tracking down Joey via his duel disk, and after all is said and done and Mokuba is safe...... he still helps Atem, he claims it's because he doesn't like owing people but that's never prompted him to go out of his way for Yugi and the others before (post Duelist Kingdom and Legendary Heros, Mokuba is the one who lets Yugi use the arena at Kaiba Land for his duel with Rebecca, here Seto has built up two favors that he owes and yet never says a word or makes an attempt to return them, so why does "owing" someone push him to keep helping Atem in Battle City when it didn't before? Either his "I don't like owing people" philosophy is new- wich is still charector growth- or he just wanted a reasonable excuse to keep helping Atem because he knew it was the right thing to do) Speaking of the right thing to do, when they DO track down Joey and Tea`, Seto is... surprisingly inactive during the duel, he has plenty of perfect opportunities to stop the duel somehow, and, if he was REALLY feeling cruel, to just outright steal Slyfer (wich Atem tossed aside when he started the duel) and get rid of both Atem and Joey by interrupting and making the anchor sink, yet he carefully keeps his distance until the timing is right for him to save Tea` because he doesn't want ANY of them to get hurt, not the rival he can't defeat, not the "third rate duelist" he supposedly hates, and not even someone (Tea`) who he barely knows

This is the same guy who gave an old man a heart-attack and used it as blackmail in episode one

Additionally, Seto immediately leaves after saving the day, that all-important duel that Atem owed him that he had FINALLY won? It didn't happen, Seto was still nagging him about it even after saving Mokuba, yet when it came time for Atem to FINALLY pay up he just..... walked off and said "nah see ya' in the finals", maybe he knew how exhausted Atem was and didn't want to duel him at half-power, maybe he was personally too tired to bother with it (although dueling to Seto seems to work the same way twenty-five cups of coffee does to a normal person so I doubt this) or maybe he just didn't feel like making Atem come through on his deal anymore, it doesn't really matter, it's all growth

And let me also point out that Atem wouldn't even have Slyfer if Seto hadn't given him a freaking pep talk in order to win it, Seto could have just as easily waited for Atem to lose and then dueled the mime for Slyfer- and that probably would have been smarter honestly, since Atem is the only one who has a history of defeating him- and yet.... he chooses to put energy into helping Atem instead

I feel like it's kind of understated that in the Battle City finals, Seto actually has a doctor and an infirmary on board the blimp, he claims that anyone who can't handle dueling at high altitudes and with raging winds isn't worth his time so what is the doctor and full medical bay doing there then? If he was that worried about Mokuba alone he would have had a much easier time just telling him not to go above deck, and if it was about law suits I tend to believe he wouldn't have people dueling on top of a freaking blimp in the first place, so he either anticipated Marik's shadowy shenanigans coming up (wich is a POOL of charector development on alot of different levels) or he anticipated accidents, people getting air sick, issues with the high altitude and what not, and figured that he'd better be completely prepared even for things like that wich are relatively small and not really needing of the tricked out medical bay (he had atleast one LIFE SUPPORT machine in there so obviously it went above and beyond just a first aid kit) Also, I know I said I was using the dub for this, but it's come to my attention that in the sub Seto is alot less of a jerk than he is in the dub about landing the blimp- originally, the ONLY problem is that the controls are screwy from the Noah incident (wich, by the way, is an enormous Thing all on it's own about Seto all on it's own, it's basically a showcase of Wow Was His Childhood Fucked Up, Let's Rub It In, and it's made clear just how impacted he was by his father and his father's company throughout, from the importance of his duel with Lecter being weapons-themed to his final duel with Guzaburo and saying "I won't be burried by you Guzaburo", giving up his chance to defeat Noah because he refused to hurt Mokuba, and the gem of telling Mokuba that everything he's done has been for him and a better future for them) and speaking of moments where the dub fucked up, I find another important gem during mid-Battle City when Tea` mentions that Seto actually lowered the price of duel disks "so everyone can play", that sounds alot less like a strict businessman and alot more like someone who just wants to offer kids the same escapism that he had when he was their age to me, a similar motivation I'm sure to why he opens up Kaiba Land

This is sadly where my "I'm greatly familiar with this material" knowledge comes to an end, as I only saw roughly half of the Orichalicos arc and that was too long ago for me to remember most of the small details in (plus I tend to kind of ... try to wipe that arc off the books considering that I find it to be a butchery of.. alot of things..)

Seto Kaiba is a complicated charector, he's very prickly and definitely an asshole- that's not in question- but I think he's really a very soft person when you peel back the initial layer, he's very good-hearted at his core, he just has an incredibly hard time expressing that- and for VERY understandable reasons, for all of his selfishness and egotism, he pours absolutely everything about himself into protecting his brother and gives alot of himself to trying to make things better for people (turning a weapons company into a gaming company may have been his dream but it was also an outlandishly hard task to accomplish and one that ultimately was better for the world, for example) there are moments where this all shines through but he tapes masks of coldness and insults and dueling metaphors over top of it because he just sincerely doesn't know how else to handle things, he IS, after all, still a 16-year-old child when the series begins, and I think he's only 18-19 at most when it ends, in the grand scheme of life, he's still practically a baby and has been thrust into so much adulthood that most 40-year-olds would have jumped ship already, he takes on the responsibility of his brother and his company and being a half-ass decent person (in so far as, you know, not blowing up the world or anything) without ever once complaining about it or trying to shrug it off or giving it ANYTHING but his all, and when you earn his trust and respect (as Atem and Yugi do) you get alot of loyalty and trust back- the shenanigans he goes through that he doesn't explicitly have to are good showings of this, and all of the ruthlessness his shows are purely survival instincts at their highest, he's had his company nearly taken away from him FOUR. TIMES. between Duelist Kingdom and the Orichalicos arc, FOUR. SEPERATE. TIMES. and I have an outstandingly difficult time believing that those were the first or last times that some crusty old men thought that a teenage C.E.O. would be easy prey to steal a multi-billion dollar company from, he's probably been white-knuckling that company since the day he took it over and I don't see that ending any time in the near future

[whiteclericmaris]

☕️ while the arc v manga has some undignified, sexist writing, it's not the "worst piece of manga in existence" and is just actually a very typical shounen manga following the trend of other shounen manga (that also include undignified, sexist writing), and while it's important to challenge these narrative choices, it's also not like this is only a ygo problem and more likely a larger industry issue

I agree with this. I have not read a lot of manga lately but I do know that when it comes to marketing people know what ideas sell and what doesn't. I know that even the writers and artists have this head that determines whether what was presented is good or not to publish (which if they had to redo something is a damn shame that we might never know of the routes the stories could have taken).This problem isn't limited to just the Arc-V Manga but I think the reason it's the most noticeable is because given how the previous Yu-Gi-Oh! Spin-off mangas have a different story yet hold some of their anime counterparts traits or at least a similar place then there wouldn't be much of a problem. (GX still has Duel Academy, 5d's has that riding duel arena, Zexal has Heartland)The thing with Arc-V however is that it's anime setting is complex with the different dimensions along with the yu counterparts. That originally these worlds were one along with the counterparts and what gave birth to the setting was the use of the En Cards and the seperation of Supreme King Zarc with his dragons.Usually the Manga's add a new villain to differentiate from the anime and well... that means Zarc has to go. Without Zarc the yu counterparts not being the same person but different individuals is possible. You also lose the entire setting, if not most, of the anime because it was technically Zarc along with Ray who made that setting possible.I do not know how much planning went over the setting we are getting along with the plot of the manga but I do know that the head probably did not want to incorporate too much anime setting because of the removal of Zarc. Yes there is still You Show Duel School in the manga and that place Yuya dueled with Yoko in 52-53 (although changed to an underground setting) but notice how most of the settings in the manga are not even similar to their anime counterparts. I mean Antartica? Why there? A highway in Yuya's head? The Future of destroyed buildings when World Illusion takes place? Barely anything is similar.What is also disappointing is that some of the characters don't maintain some of their anime counterpart quirks (but of course different setting not the same personalities *cough* writer*cough*). Some could just be seen as completely different people in this new setting.I also strongly believe the reason they had all 4 yu counterparts in the manga instead of just have Yuya is because they are considered Konami's strongest selling point (with their Dragons). Or alternatively they were afraid of coming up with a way to put the counterparts in the story yet not make them filler characters for just some chapter and find a way to still have them be relevant or at least have a close connection like the anime (and by that I mean common link [Zarc]). But that's just my take on the manga. I do believe it's a large scale problem outside of Yu-Gi-Oh! But I'm not going to play pain olympics and ranting salt on other things I have read when the purpose is to have fun in the end. I'll just jot that negativity down in my Freewriting homework.Thanks for the ask!

[littlebrittykittycat]

Buckle up, this is a long one. I know I don’t write personal stuff on here, especially not diary entries, but I needed to get this off of my chest after a particularly rough day. Feel free to skip and proceed with your usually scheduled YGO programming which is to be expected on this blog! ^_^

Reading through and working on my fan fic made me realize how far along I’ve come since first starting it. 

When I first uploaded this fic I was still in college, working crazy hours to pay for my books, lab fees and transportation. I commuted and my schedule was all over the place, not just for my classes but for work as well. Not to mention I ended up changing my major since I found out that my first pick just wasn’t my jam. This caused a lot of stress as it looked like majority of my existing credit hours were wasted. I ended up biting more than I could chew, but nevertheless I pushed through it and graduated on time with my degree. Receiving that diploma was the highlight of my life.

I remember having a little composition notebook where I wrote down where my fic was going to go. I had character bios, major plot points fleshed out, even crappy sketches so I wouldn’t forget what something looked like. The only problem was I didn’t have the time to really give my story the attention it deserved. I could always jot down a note or sketch something, but really going in and drafting a story was a struggle. In the end I’m realizing that the chapters I produced just weren’t great. The story was amazing in my head, but I just couldn’t put it to paper.

As I now read through the word docs on my computer from all those years ago I find myself stripping them almost entirely and rewriting the whole thing. In these documents the dialogue is rushed, sentences don’t make sense, and continuity... we don’t know her. Gosh back in the day when I was uploading this thing on FF I thought this was the best story I had ever written. It wasn’t until now that I realized why. It was because I made it during a time of my life where I had no control over anything. My schedule sucked, school sucked, worked sucked, living with my parents sucked because they didn’t understand what I was going through. Everything was spiraling and I was getting caught up in the waves, letting them take me where ever. I felt like I was literally drowning.

This story was something I was able to make on my own, shape it and change it into anything I wanted to. Yeah it had dark themes, but I was going through a dark time. To me the symbolism was everywhere. The loss of control, the need to live up to the expectations of those in charge in my life to feel validated, being forced into servitude to a capitalist society that thrives while benefitting the fat cats of the world. I was straight up not having a good time. 

This story was started 8 years ago. I can’t even believe it’s been that long... I’m a full on adult now and I can’t believe that I’m falling down the same rabbit hole, except now I have other expectations I need to live up to now. I have a career, I’m married, but now I’m being asked about the next step at every. damn. family. function... The thought terrifies me and I honestly don’t think I’m mentally prepared for that yet. 

So here I sit in the midst of a pandemic sprinkled with political unrest, and all I can think of is, ‘You want me to bring a kid into this? Seriously? This is your top priority?’ I just cant fathom it. I think that is why I’m going back into this story and rebuilding it from the ground up. At first I was inspired by all of the wonderful authors and artists I see on this site. They have created such beautiful things that helped get me through this past year by transporting me into a familiar world with familiar faces. I wanted to do that same thing. I remember the feeling of fulfillment when I posted a chapter, and I wanted to feel that again. However as I dig into the story I find myself being thrown into the same mental state I was in all those years ago. 

I have time now to really go in and make this fic worth reading. I am optimistic that things will get better in the world, that it’s just a rough patch and we’ll be all fine soon. I think that’s why I want to finish this story so bad. This was started through a rough time in my life, and it’s being picked up during a rough time in my life. Maybe if I finish it I can put all of these negative feelings behind me and move on. It wont change the current situation of the world, but it will help me cope better. 

Anyway, sorry for being an edge-lord but I was having a moment(TM). I actually feel better typing this out into the void, it put me in a better mental place. Thank you for letting me feel comfortable enough to do so. <3 

[south-park-meta]

Yeah Stan being a (and arguably 'the') main character is definitely a big part of it. The other part of it is that his problems and his reactions to those problems are the most frequently grounded in reality when they're the focal point of episodes. I mean, look, he goes through the same shit the other kids go through in ways that get a big shoulder shrug too. He's been shot twice. He's been shot at multiple times. The kids have been chased around a hotel by pedophiles-- Stan himself has been stripped at tied up as bait for pedophiles even if nothing 'happened'. Even the 'being held down and forced to drink' thing of YGO I mentioned yesterday is pretty extremist. These sorts of traumas for Stan and all of the other kids get handwaved both in the show and in fandom. Point blank period, you're not going to find tons and tons of 10,000 word fics about how Stan's parents didn't care about him getting shot either time he did because 1. the narrative framed it as unimportant in the show/it was extremist and kind of a joke to the end his parents usually DO care if things that extremely bad happen to him and 2. Frankly you aren't going to have that many people who relate to getting shot twice as kid and having their parents shrug their shoulders about it lol

The traumas you're going to see focused on by and large are going to be the depression. The drinking. The alcoholic dad. The living in a remote place away from your friends. The familial mental health problems that lead to a deterioration of relationships-- Randy used to be quite a bit nicer to Stan and has been increasingly mean to him as his own mental health has gone down. THOSE kind of experiences are more easily transferrable, more easily relatable. Those sorts of experiences aren't uniquely Stan's in the show. Other kids do go through the more 'relatable' negative experiences, too. But they really haven't been the focus nearly as much as Stan's, and they're more likely to be more tied up in the extreme experiences no one relates to. Stan gets more of the 'grounded' portions of episodes (like just more family time) even when nothing bad is happening. And a lot of SP fadom is pretty young, like high school age, so the 'family' and 'depression' and 'drinking' stuff is the part they're going to be gravitating to. And in that vein, they are naturally going to amp up the sympathy for the character they're relating to.

There's a lot of the portrayals of Stan that annoy me. I disagree with a lot of them, including the ways he's portrayed as depressed and whatever. Fandom's made me hate goth Stan and Raisins is one of my favorite episodes lmao-- I feel by and large it's leaned into in a way that misses Stan's entire character and instead just one or two cheap traits that he wasn't even ACTUALLY into in the episode. I'm pretty critical of how people portray Stan both in a 'dude that's OOC' way and 'This is a problematic view of depression/alcoholism/etc'.

And there are reasons I think other characters need more sympathy-- like I said in another post, a lot of the hate for some characters is rooted in things like racism or sexism, and for that reason I think more care needs to be taken in portraying them well and fairly. So there are reasons I think it also needs to be addressed when other characters are being beat tf down in fics that are highly sympathetic to characters like Stan whose hate isn't going to be tied up in any kind of bigotry.

But there is a lot to it that's difficult for me to criticize when it comes to just the base idea of a main character that far, far more writers are relating to is going to have more OTT-sympathetic indulgent fics about them. Particularly when it comes to characters that don't get much screen time. There's a lot of it that I feel is a numbers game (more people writing about character X than character Y as the POV character) rather than proportionally 'Fans of Character X write more sympathetically about them than Fans of Character Y', and I see that argument more than the huge criticisms I have with the same core issue.

I decided to make an original post kind-of-sort-of about the discourse I saw yesterday since I was mentioned in part of it.

I'm pretty eh to people being annoyed by Stan being babied in fandom. There are elements of that that annoy me personally. I complained to my friend last night that a lot of fans are saying Stan's their fav Post Covid because they love him specifically as a 'loser', and getting in on this weird pathetic middle-aged man trope when, aside from being an alcoholic, he's basically in the exact same boat as Kyle (having a job and a place to live with no marital family; in that vein I also think it's notable that Kyle's living in South Park and his family home specifically, and arguably less independent on this front). There is a weird tendency in fandom to make mental health and addiction issues into something that's SOMEHOW a sign of incompetency, a sign of needing pity, and something cute and charming. Fandom does, on a whole, get pretty patronizing when it comes to addiction and depression. And as a result of that I do think that some fans baby Stan or act like he has it worst. I'm not sure if this is something I feel the need to call out. But it is pretty prevalent and I do think it's annoying.

There are also elements of it where I'm like 'every main character will have people being overly sympathetic and that will be countered by people being annoyed by that character being babied' and it's just something that happens when you have a bunch of fans of different characters talking both to fans of every character AND talking AROUND fans of other characters to just talk to the fans that also like their fav the best. Tumblr (and fandom as a whole) is something that's kind of insulated in niche groups, but it also has a tendency to leak those views out into the open waters of the rest of fandom. So there are some views that are extremist but are kind of meant to be kept to fans of that same thing in the way people are a bit more OTT talking to friends than they are stranger. But it's impossible for that to be actually true in the medium being used. To some extent the 'my fav has it worse' is just a part of it for every fav and is just more obvious when you see it about a character that's not your fav. So my own feelings on all of it is kind of a mix of there are valid criticisms that get muddied up with biases when it comes to pm every character.

Like if you read romantic Style you're going to run into many fics of Stan being a depressed alcoholic who needs all the TLC in the world and Kyle is just so mean and doesn't understand the depths of his pain.

If you read romantic Kyman, you're going to run into many fics of Cartman was a misunderstood baby who harassed Kyle out of misguided love but he's grown up now and so nice and handsome...and he needs to protect Kyle from big mean alcoholic Stan who verbally abuses his SBF.

If you read Bunny or Crenny, you're likely to run into 'all of the other 3 in Stan's gang are so mean and ignore Kenny all the time, he only has one true connection and it's Butters or Craig'.

The eye-rolling sympathy, and the matching eye-roling villainization, is something that is going to change depending on what circle of fandom you like to frequent.

Addressing it as an issue of characterization when Stan tends to be fairly good at handling himself despite being depressed or drinking, or from an angle of 'it's pretty gross to be so patronizing to people who have mental illnesses or substance abuse disorders in acting like they either 1. Are SO incompetent they can't do shit or 2. just can't help themselves in being mean to those they love and have no accountability for their actions' is different than the way I see it addressed a lot of the time.

Most of the time I've seen it addressed it's really more 'babying stan is unfair to my fav' which is like...true I guess, sure, but I feel misses the crux of why it's an actual problem outside of 'everyone's fav is going to be babied depending on what part of fandom you're in' and often does include comments like, "I get so irritated when people say that Stan has "daddy issues". One of the Marsh kids DOES have daddy issues but it isn't him" and delegitimizes the problems Stan does have instead of making a case for why he should be a full functional person despite having problems.

[aquaburst3]

And because I’m bored and to organise my own headcanons for my Reverse Voltron fic…especially for the villains, these are what I imagine the mirrored versions of the Paladins and Lotor’s team to be like. (As a side note, I might do another post like this for some of the side characters like Shay, Merla, Cossack, Hazar, Romelle, Avok etc in this fic if anyone wants me to do it)

If you don’t want to be spoiled to my Reverse Voltron fic, don’t read this!

(Keep in mind, the Paladins and Team Sincline are reversed so the former is more morally grey like canon Team Sincline…if that makes sense.)

The Villains

Alfor: He was once a just, kind man, being exactly like his canon counterpart. Once he was in severely injured during battle with one of the monsters from the rift and was on Death’s Door Step, Haggar decided to test out a new substance on him that she was starting to do experiments on–Quintessence. Despite knowing he would object to being a lab rat and already was wary of the stuff, she did it anyways to save his life and collect some data on the substance that she could never properly test out before. Once he woke up, and also thanks to a serve blow to his prefrontal cortex in that same battle, Alfor begins to change, becoming more brash, quick-tempered, violent towards his enemies (not his family, especially Allura), callous, and arrogant, who thinks he’s automatically morally righteous.  As he takes more and more Quintessence and the death of his wife (she died from natural causes), these negative traits only amplify and he becomes corrupt and misguided. His goal is to spread justice and peace throughout the universe, transforming it into an utopia, but at any cost, including blowing up Diabazaal to close to the rift while everyone was on it, turning people into non-cogs along with much more. He also thinks in order to complete his goals, he needs to get the lions back along with his old bond with Red which he thinks he’s still ought to after everything. The closet comparison I can come up with is Dartz from YGO and Kuvira from Korra.

The Canon Paladins

Them as a group: As a group, like the canon paladins, they are very tight and  like a family. They are all working for Allura at the Castle of Lions, which in this AU basically the entry level fighters of the Altean Empire and are fresh out of training except for Shiro, for some reason or another. They are bound by one goal–to spread peace throughout the empire. Over the course of the story, the characters’ eyes open to what is truly happening and while they still believe in peace, they disagree with how Alfor is going about it, deciding to side with the rebels cause of stopping Alfor. Also, they are all Altean in this version and resemble their canon selves if they grew up in different circumstances (or I hope the latter is the case).

Shiro: Since he was born Altean in this AU, he wasn’t tossed into the arena to live out the alien version of the movie Gladiator or kidnapped by aliens. Instead, he’s a young promising commander in the military, however due to one of his first missions gone wrong, which also resulted in Matt and Sam Holt going missing, he is under close watch by Alfor, being forced to bow his head down, keep his trap shut and play nice out of fear of become a non-cog along with being haunted by said mistake. He’s also the first one to have his eyes completely open to what Alfor is really doing and rebel against the empire, telling these thoughts to Keith first. Also, thanks to his military background, he had his arm amputated after said mission failure, being replaced by his robotic arm from the canon, along with getting his scar as well. Personality wise, he’s like his canon self on the surface, however, the best way to describe him is he’s like if Shiro had Kuron’s personality with some slight hints of when Haggar made herself look like Shiro during s1. He’s a knight in black armour.  He has a sense of honour and loyalty, caring about his teammates, especially for Keith and Pidge, but can get hostile, calculating, prideful and arrogant. He can also do a fantastic evil laugh...even if that’s something he’d hardly ever do. (As a side note, am I the only one that loves Shiro’s evil laugh during his first fight with Haggar?)

Keith: He’s pure chaotic neutral vs canon!Keith’s chaotic good. He was orphaned as a baby, being given to Kolivan, who is a part of the Mamora (basically this AU’s version of Pollox from DOTU/Go Lion) royal family, because of Keith’s mother’s last wish. Despite Kolivan’s efforts to control and discipline Keith to be a proper prince throughout most of his life and because he didn’t have a Shiro to ground him most of his life, he’s an uncontrollable ball of angst and fury, who makes very brash decisions for his plans, even at his own expense. He also enrolled in an Altean academy as another one of Kolivan’s schemes to discipline him, but he ended up being an amazing pilot and excelling at it, befriending Shiro and then his placed under his commanding squad after graduation. He is also half Galra and is unsure of what his other half is, but gets a good hunch when he sees Lotor’s group.  Over the course of the story, thanks to the influence of his teammates and especially Shiro along with the eventual realisation of what he’s actually doing, he slowly begins to resemble canon!Keith more and more.  

Pidge: She’s like pre-redemption Peridot from SU.  She uses technology, especially her robots, which she uses to send out to fight people, and computer hacking, as weapons. She’s more sarcastic then she is now, and more then likely taunt the hell out of Lotor and the Generals.  On a different note, since she grew up on Altea, she has longer hair along with working with Shiro to find her brother and father again.

Lance: The best way to describe him is that he’s like DOTU Lotor with a stronger/ well developed personality (without being as creepy towards women) and FMAB Greed.  He starts off as a brat, being vain, both egotistical and insecure and selfish, but does have a strange sense of honour to him and cares tremendously about his bio family and his friends. Like Sincline, he can be charismatic and is a flirt, even flirting with Lotor’s canon generals and Allura, much to their dismay. However, like FMAB Greed, he does transform over the course of the series to become less selfish and egotistical along with stopping flirting with Team Sincline. He is still an amazing sharp shooter.

Hunk: He’s a larger guy, so you don’t think much of him, until he outright destroys you. Like his canon self, he’s a mechanical genius as well, being able to tinker with machines to do his bidding. Outside of these traits, he’s like his canon self, but a bit more confident at the start. Also, Hunk and Shay are dating, thanks to Lance and Pidge, who was roped into his scheme, who hatched a plan to make them admit that they have feelings for the other.  (As a side note, since Alfor doesn’t destroy planets for Quintessence like Zarkon does in the canon, so the Balmerians and Alteans have a mutual relationship, working along side each other more.)

Allura: She’s akin to VLD!Lotor in some ways or like a more intense version of Mai from YGO. Like canon Allura, she is a very just person with a kindness and warmth to her, but still has her haughtiness and her black and white thinking along with being spoiled. She believes in her father’s goal to spread peace, without being truly aware of the lengths her father is going to, and prove herself to her father that she is a strong warrior and leader. She thinks she’s doing right by all of this, but really isn’t. She’s a strong leader, but also someone who’s gone mad with the idea of everything being perfect. Thanks to her just awaking up out of cyrosleep and her father going great lengths to keep Allura sheltered, she’s also extremely naive to what lengths her father truly is going to reach his goals, thinking he is just being diplomatic like in the past instead of…all the shit he’s doing in the present. Also like canon Allura, as she sees more and more what is truly happening around her and what monster her father transformed into, she turns against her father and tries to take him down.

Coran: He’s like his canon self. However, out of fear and loyalty to his life-long friend along with many attempts to curb some of Alfor’s plans, he bows his head down and stays quiet to what he’s doing.

Team Sincline

As a team: The girls are very much like their canon selves, with some key differences due to their different upbringings and are less sadistic. The dynamic between Lotor and the girls is very similar to the show, but has a shaky start since Lotor doesn’t know any of them outside of Acxa and visa versa, but do bond with time as they try to get to know each other more and learn how to work together. They are more willing to do a lot more morally questionable/dubious methods to try to meet their goals then the paladins in the canon like tricking them with a distress signal and snagging the Black Lion from the Castle of Lions.  So they’re more moral grey, but lean towards the good side of it instead of the darker side like their canon selves. Unlike the canon, they are human outside of Lotor and Acxa, who is half Galra or Altean (still hoping around about that one).

Lotor: He’s much like his canon counterpart, being a cunning, intelligent plotter and a strategic smooth talker, but is less manipulative and ruthless in his calculations (so no flinging random grunts at anomalies to see what happens or sending people he finds annoying to The Planet of Sandworms from Dune). He has more slip-ups compared to his canon counterpart due to both not having as many resources as his canon counterpart (since Lotor doesn’t exactly have an army or robots at his disposal) and just not being as experienced.  Zeth, Nasrin and Azora (especially the latter of the three) think he’s very stuck up and snotty at first before they see his more casual side. Lotor keeps at a distance at first because of circumstance before he loosens up around them.  Unlike Allura, he’s trying to do anything in his power to avoid being like his father, who he didn’t get along with when he was alive, due to Zarkon still be a classiest, ridged man in this AU, and wants to break free of his father’s shadow, proving to himself that he can be a strong man in his own right. Also, once he woke up from forced cyrosleep few years prior, he’s a highly wanted fugitive of the Altean Empire with a bounty on his head, trying to hop around the empire in order to avoid Alfor’s gaze…kinda like what happens in S4 of the canon, but before the start of the story.

Acxa/Asha: She is pretty much exactly like her canon self, but more inexperienced and can be more brash in her decisions due to not having her temper be as controlled throughout her life. Due to her father dying a couple years ago, she bounced around the foster system, struggling a lot in the wake of his death.  She’s also curious about her alien half of her heritage and learn more about her mother. She tries to be the big sister/ “Team Mom” of the group, despite being the same age as them, trying to keep her teammates in line and helping them out when they are in trouble, even to the point of neglecting her own issues at times.

Narti/Nasrin: She’s like a mixture between Toph along with canon Pidge and Hunk. Nasrin is the biggest question mark to the rest of the group, due to her keeping her distance from them before she begins to grow close to them. Thanks to being blind and mute, she was sheltered by her parents, who treated her like a fragile doll that can shatter at any moment and she grew to resent their treatment of her. Despite being blind and mute, a curiosity grew in her to learn more about the world around her and rebelled against her parents. After pestering her parents for a long time to enrol at the Garrisons out of life long interest, they let her go and they fix her eyesight as part of enrolment.  While she’s there, she becomes suspicious of the school and finds out about what happened on the Kuriboros Mission, seeking out to find out more and more about it until she stumbles across alien signals. Personality wise, she is stubborn, curious, confrontational, sarcastic,  and steadfast. She is also eager to prove herself and gets defensive when others doubt her.  Once she does warm up to her fellow paladins, she does see them as family and is always there for them. She’s also Muslim as well.

Zethrid/Zeth: She’s a mixture between canon Keith and Hunk or like DOTU Hunk with a more well developed personality. She’s always like, “Let’s go! We need to fix things and save people.” more then anything else. She does love a good fight, but more on the sparing side for the fun of it to test how strong she’s gotten. She’s also the most straight-forward thinker of the group outside of Azora, which helps things out a lot. Like Hunk, she cares about her friends and tries to support them. She has a dry wit to her as well. Due to her military parents, she tries to live up to their expectations, but sometimes feels like she fails to do so along with feeling like she’s living their shadow.

Ezor/Azora: She is like a mixture between canon!Lance and Ty Lee with some hints of Charlotte from Princess and the Frog. She’s a genuinely optimistic, energetic and cheerful person, instead of using a Costumer Service persona as a mask against her enemies like in the show. She cares tremendously for her friends and wants the best for them, willing to take a bullet for them if they are in danger.  Like Ty Lee, she came from a very wealthy household, having a wealthy Guatemalan business man  as a father and a Japanese mother. Because of this, she can be vain and selfish along with being repulsed by things and situations she dubs “gross”, but she slowly out grows this and trudges her way through it (for example, she would be grossed out by food that looks unappetising or moving through a smelly air vent, but tries to get through the situation). Due to growing up with many siblings and being the middle child, she sometimes acts eccentrically in order to stand out at times. She has a dry sarcastic wit to her at times as well. Fighting wise, she is very acrobatic like in the canon from years of marshal arts and cheer-leading. (As a side note, since her and Narti are human in this and humans don’t seem to have special powers in the Voltron universe, they don’t have their mind reading and cloaking abilities.)

Honerva: She’s the “Coran” of the group, but her personality resembles the more serious and intelligent nature of Go Lion/DOTU! Coran…if he was more 3d of a character (no really, I still swear he was just there to spout out exposition and complain about how Allura shouldn’t be getting into trouble and pilot Blue along to protect Allura a little bit). After  waking up and hearing about the death of her husband, she wants to do anything to make Alfor pay for what he did. She is haunted by her past choice of injecting Alfor with Quintessence, since she feels personally responsible for what he became afterwards. Personality wise, she’s like her canon self at the very start of the flashback before Quintessence began to corrupt her. Honevera’s less cruel and manipulative… not having her darker powers thanks to not beefing up on Quintessence for millennia. She’s still pretty ambitious about her work, getting easily caught up in it, having Helicopter Mom tendencies that pissed Lotor off when he was younger… and in the present. She can get rather controlling of aspects of Lotor’s life, slowly learning that Lotor is 18, went through a lot and capable of making his own decisions.  Despite this, Lotor loves her to death and they get along a lot vastly better than him and Zarkon, but they still have a rocky relationship.

[chromsai]

Thank you for answering my mini rant. (The one about Yuuya). Idk, is just pisses me off when ppl say x character is badass or is a Dork/adorable ignoring their faults then when it comes to Yuuya its instantly bashing him straight away I mean, where's the justice? Like you said ignore the haters but idk it just gets to me sometimes.

lmao such is consumer culture. people love their exaggerated character tropes.

example (sticking with/picking on arc v here since if i mention any of the other spinoffs, someone will literally come at me all offended & what not): when you said “badass” i immediately thought of Shun. he’s just the very definition of badass, ya know? and it’s because of him acting so badass that made him one of the most popular characters. being badass & stoic is a character trait that, especially in shounen, is so beloved, you can’t have a series without a “badass, stoic” character otherwise the fans won’t deem the story to be “deep”. however, the moment that Shun showed some humility and worry for his comrades or started acting “soft”, the fandom started to claim that he was being written completely out of character.

and i don’t understand that? sure, i’m picking on Shun here as an example because, despite the fact that he’s one of my absolute faves from the show, i will admit that his character development was handled a bit wonky, but not entirely terribly. mostly, i felt it was somewhat rushed, but not too much tbh. but i wouldn’t call it out of character at all. he’s a traumatized character, and he copes with his trauma by being ruthless, reckless, and distrusting of others, which is what leads many to see him as “badass”. but people forget that there’s ways for characters- for people- to break away from that trauma and just want to try to heal and be normal as they used to be. sure, things won’t ever be the same for him again and he’ll always have to cope with his pain, but him showing signs of being “soft”, of wanting to move on, of smiling despite his pain- there’s nothing “out of character” about that.

people just liked him a lot more when he was “badass” and angsting all the time. because him being JUST “badass” all the time was HIS THING. no one ever expected him to move on beyond that.

returning to criticism of yuya, well that’s just the thing... i don’t think people can deny how much he grows over the course of the show. hell, it’s extremely hard to deny that he grew a lot by the end of the show. and i think that’s what trips people up about yuya specifically. he’s so damn dynamic as a character that people don’t exactly know where to place him under in a list of tropes; he doesn’t fit just one trope specifically. he may exaggerate on some parts of his character, but then again he always tends to show us the other side of the coin: he can be extremely happy at times, but breakdown completely the very next second; he can show when he doesn’t care about something yet the very next scene he’s up in a fiery rage; he’s a complete noob at times but the very next moment he’s shown thinking thoroughly and logically and surprising his opponents and audience, etc. some characters treat him like a complete joke, while others have the utmost respect for him.

he’s done some really “badass” things, but he’s also done some really “dumbass” things too. 

in fiction, people don’t usually expect a character to be as dynamic as yuya, they usually expect characters to represent one or two traits as best.

now logically the argument to this is “well yeah duh if a character shows off more than these one or two traits about them then they’re not going to be as memorable in the end.”

and the way you combat that problem is pretty simple: you make your character relatable while still giving them a unique quirk or power only they possess.

all those things i described yuya as make him relatable. just like us, he’s not always right but sometimes he is, and when he is, he shows it in a grandiose way. that’s his entertainer personality. THAT’S what makes him unique and memorable. not his pendulum, not his monsters (you could hand these things to any character and call them the protag). it’s how he uses them in his own way to create a style all his own that will become memorable to us. 

and this is, ironically, also a part of his character development: learning to break away from his dad’s entertainment style and developing one of his own that will push him to become even better.

anyway, as i said, people like breaking down characters into tropes that are easily recognizable since it’s easier to find individual things they admire in characters- in people- that they can label easily. our brains kinda just work that way on auto-pilot. but taking the time to dig deeper into things, the more facets of a person you see, the less you tend to become fascinated with them unless it turns out that you like everything about that person, which, in real life, isn’t always gonna be the case. like i said last time, not everyone’s gonna like a certain person or character and of course some are gonna be criticized harsher than others, but that all depends on how real they feel to you.

lastly, to answer your question “where’s the justice?” with regards to bashing yuya over other characters, well... that’s subjective. the answer to that, tho, will always rely on the tropes you like (and which you like) and whether or not you like tropeyer characters or prefer more dynamic characters, or both.

personally, i like both, but i prefer more dynamic characters since i just find them way more interesting than their tropey counterparts, but a lot of people find dynamic characters to be... too much? or... too realistic for their tastes? idk... i don’t think like most people, apparently...

to give you a more concrete answer tho: (imo) there is no justice. the standard of fiction that people are used to is to have a cast of characters where each character represents a different individual character trait or trope (which is so cliche and formulaic, especially in anime, and also unrealistic) and have them all interact and call it a “diverse” cast. this is bad enough as it is in shounen, but in ygo, in particular, we don’t see characters like yuya very often so they’re kinda breaking the mold in a well established formula-based franchise that whenever they come along, they’re treated as “over the top”, when in reality... they’re just... not limited to the formula we’re so used to seeing. in truth, if yuya was a character in a different anime, especially a different genre, i have no doubt that he’d be hailed as a franchise fan favorite and bashing or negative criticism of him would be kinda... (i don’t wanna say “nonexistent”) not as common as it is in the ygo fandom.

at least, that’s what i’d like to believe.

[pendulumprince]

And on the new protag: let’s give speculation a try!

I’m super late to the party, but I’ve just been thinking about him. If any this turns out to be true, chalk it up to dumb luck.

From what we know:

Yusaku already looks like he’s going to be a joy forever. Aesthetically, I like him quite a lot—the smart bluish-black blazer, his bright green eyes, his quasi-aggressive stance, his furrowed brow. His hair is insane by most standards, but for a YGO protag it feels almost lowkey.

We only have one picture of him, but in it he gives off a very no-nonsense vibe, like he’ll fight you in the desert using nothing but a spoon and still win five times out of five. Okay, okay—he’s probably not that tough. I see the general consensus is that he’s either stoic and dismissive, or super timid. If he does turn out to be standoffish, then it’s definitely a mask. If you don’t want to be noticed, being perceived as mean is a good way to get people to steer clear of you. And if he’s just timid? That would be great, too. Given the confidence of the first three, and the (at times, false) bravado of the most recent two, to have a protag start off lacking in self assurance would be such a refreshing take.

But you know what really throws me about this kid? First episode, he “decides to give dueling a try”. Good lord, he isn’t a duelist! In a world that revolves around dueling… how?!

Well, there have obviously been non-duelists in previous installments. But never a protag. This is a first—even Yuma, despite his lack of skill, was a duelist in that first episode. And yet, our cotton candy dream boy may not be. I’m very interested to see where that goes, and what pushes Yusaku to finally start dueling.

Story takes place in a high school setting, and along with what he looks like, he has to be in the 15-17 age range—so for sure older than our previous two. Given all the setting hopping we did in Arc V, I think the setting in this new story will remain relatively consistent: school, the VR world (whatever that may be), the city he’s in, home. But if the VR world is anything like action fields are, then it really won’t feel like we have a consistent setting—which I would count as a good thing. ‘High school setting’ reminds me of GX, and if there’s one thing that fatigued me about that spinoff, it was it’s static setting (at least during seasons one and two).

Now, moving on to light speculation: 

I don’t think Yusaku is going to start out with any friends. Just like with dueling, I feel that the writers are going to have him start from zero and work his way up. In this scenario, his first friend will likely be the person who challenges him to a duel in episode 1. This duel will be 100% inconsequential and fun. Fair chance that this person will also become his ‘friendly’ rival, someone who will encourage him to keep at dueling because they recognize his talent for it, and he inspires them to do their best in turn.

Under no circumstance will this person be his ‘antagonistic’ rival. Given the nature of YGO I don’t think they’d give a friendless protag an adversary right off the bat. It also wouldn’t make much sense to expect a shy person to try something new because someone is antagonizing them for no other reason than to stoke their own ego. Bullies only inspire people to retreat further into their shells.

Now, if he does have friends? Only one. This’ll be a childhood friend, possibly with their families having ties to one another (think Yuya and Yuzu). This person will be his foil: outgoing to his shy, aggressive to his passive, ambitious to his laid-back (at least as far as dueling goes). If he already has such a friend, it’ll take something besides encouragement to finally get him to try dueling. No one changes unless they have to. In this case, he’ll likely be faced with some sort of conflict on episode 1—and whoever presents him with that conflict has a good chance of becoming his ‘antagonistic’ rival.

And speaking of that duel? Yusaku likely isn’t a duelist, but I fully believe he will have a deck on episode 1—and I think he will have had it for a while, to the point that he’ll have all of his trap/spell/monster effects memorized (so no Yuri versus Asuka hijinks). He just will have never played against anyone. Him having a deck and knowing it well will put him in a better position to win his first duel, which I think for someone as reserved as him is an absolute must.

Moving on to broader topics, this post does a better job at explaining the meanings behind Yusaku’s name than I could in a thousand years. But in short: his given name is made up of the kanji for “game” and “work”, while his last name is made of the kanji for “wisteria tree”

“Game” obviously refers to dueling, as it has for all the previous protags. “Work” is a big vague—but hell, so was “arrow” for Yuya, and in hindsight that can definitely be tied to him. The only thing I can think of with the present information available is that it’s meant to symbolize the effort he’ll put in to overcome his more conservative nature. Maybe putting himself out there—or rather, being dragged out of his comfort zone—will be a major stressor for him. Maybe social tasks that were a breeze for the previous five will be so strenuous that it will be equal to work in his eyes.

As for his last name? Wisteria trees have multiple symbolic meanings, many of which are rather positive. Some, not so much. But even given it’s most negative meanings—uncontrollable greed (voraciousness) and an inability to let go—it still isn’t quite as ominous as ‘sakaki’ was. We can talk about the negative meanings attached to wisteria if and when Yusaku begins to display them; but for now, I’d rather focus on the positive (a new one for me, right?)

Wisteria trees are associated with the celebration of youth, devotion, new beginnings, remembrance, and—this is the one I find the most interesting—longevity (wisteria trees can have unusually long lifespans; the oldest known wisteria tree is apparently around 1,200 years old). So make of that what you will. 

Now, moving on to full-blown, balls-to-the-walls speculation:

Given all that’s gone down with Yuya, it is very, very unlikely that Yusaku’s power (and you just know he’s going to have some power) is going to be tied to anything malicious. Power born of destruction and chaos can be revisited with protags seven and beyond (if we’re so fortunate) but not with number six. Not with Yusaku. It would just come off as repetitive and unoriginal.

Whatever power he has may be neutral, which would be an interesting concept to explore because it’s manifestation would rely solely on his moral alignment. But I’m going to go a step further and say that I think it’ll be benevolent in nature. And Yusaku’s power is tied to benevolence—as opposed to Yuya’s, whose power is malicious and destructive—then the writers could go one of two ways with it: either his mission to aide a larger benevolent force, or he is that benevolent force. 

Personally I favor the latter option, just because it hasn’t been done by the series yet. Of the previous five, we had three who worked with a ‘good’ entity (Yugi, Yusei, and Yuma), and two who possessed dark, god-like powers (Judai and Yuya). Just as we’ve never had a protag that’s worked to aide a malicious force (which would be so cray), we’ve also never had a protag who’s been the physical incarnation of a totally good entity. Yusaku is as good a character as any to have this sort of story told through.

“But PP!” you may say. “That’s boring! A protag with saintly powers would have arrested character development from the start!”

Yeah… not if he’s an asshole.

Well, maybe ‘asshole’ is too strong of a word. We don’t know much of anything about Yusaku outside of his reserved nature (and yet, look at the length of this post…!) But the point is, he may end up being a deeply flawed character, and part of his journey may be reconciling that with the nature of his existence.

How would he do that? This is YGO: he’d do it through his friends, and through communicating with people via dueling. (And other plot-specific ways, but I’ll need at least another sentence of series info before I can stretch that into an essay.)

And now that sure-to-be-incorrect theory is out there, on to my hopes and dreams for the sixth series:

May our young Yusaku be queer as hell. May he have a romantic two-boy friendship. Hell, let’s shoot for the moon—may he even have a canonical boyfriend.

Shit, give us queer characters in general. As much as I love Arc V, it had too much hetero ship teasing for my taste—and idk about y’all, but I’m ready to Make YuGiOh Gay Again. 

Also! Well written female characters! Who maintain their agency from beginning to end and aren’t revealed to be pawns of the Big Bad’s designs! 8)

And speaking of women: A FEMALE BIG BAD. A FEMALE SUPERVILLAIN. PLEASE. MY BODY IS READY.

A big bad directly tied to Yusaku would be hella rad (*looks pointedly at Yusho*)

Oh, and parents? Boy, do I love the Arc V parents! Let’s have some more parents this sixth installment! Good ones! Bad ones! Strict ones! Odd ones! Abusive ones! Adopted ones! ALL CANON YGO PARENTS COUNT AS LEGAL TENDER ON THIS BLOG, SO LONG AS THEY ARE NOT ABSENT OR DEAD.

Mmm, I always thought it would be interesting to have another protag with a brother or sister. Yuma had a big sister; maybe Yusaku could have a younger sibling? Or older—it doesn’t really matter to me, so long as they’re plot relevant.

A return to the previous summoning methods? Like, the plot doesn’t have to revolve around them like they did in Arc V, but to have them occasionally show up alongside the potential new summoning method would be A+.

Solid and consistent pacing. if Arc V has one major flaw, it is pacing. Hoping to see the new series succeed where Arc V fucked up.

And that’s it! Now, back to that other show. 

[quarkie-blog1]

Reading YGO Zexal Critics

So I’ve been reading reviews and critics about Yugioh! Zexal after finishing watching it. And it seems like there’s a clear division of the YGO fandom, for the majority it’s either you love or hate it. There are a few recurring/interesting negative criticsms that I do want to comment on as someone who enjoyed most of Zexal. These are just my opinions and you’re welcome to point out any disagreements.

1. Yuma is annoying and is one of the major problems of the series. He fails at many things in duels and refuses to listen to other people’s advice. He can’t do anything without Astral.

(First off, not to offend anyone, but 13-year-olds can be like that. The writers were designing the youngest Yugioh MC after all… and they had to find something to balance him out…)

Some may have told you that he starts off as a noob but gets a rather steady progression in having one of the deadliest decks in the series. Given how consistent it was, the development of Yuma and Astral’s relationship was well-thought out. However, Yuma’s unlikable qualities are undeniable, I guess that’s just preference of what you can or can’t tolerate in a show. For you it might be “goofy, immature and stubborn” kids. But does that make Yuma a bad character? 

If we’re going by that, then I should confess: I’m not a fan of Seto Kaiba. His actions are heavily driven by his power-hungry goals. After what he did to Yugi’s grandfather, I just couldn’t like him even after notable changes. For me, disrespecting and taking something important from others (especially the elderly) is very unethical. But does that make him a bad character? Not at all. The series wouldn’t be the same without him and they gave depth to his character. He is one of the best duelists in the series but I can’t root for him nor do I have the love for him as a good villain. (This doesn’t mean I refuse to be friends with any Kaiba fans though, and blue eyes white dragon decks are very meta). 

In regards to Yuma losing more times than other Yugioh main characters, I actually find that makes me more focused on the anime. Everytime he’s dueling I feel like asking, “Is he gonna win? Is he gonna win?” and get more happy when he does. (And side note, Yuma actually has a good attitude when he loses. It’s a good lesson for everyone, “don’t be afraid of losing and keep persisting”). 

2. Yuma’s friends are annoying. They’re just cheerleaders but don’t really add anything to the plot. 

This is mostly referring to the general friends from Yuma’s school, including Kotori, Kathy, Tetsuo, etc. If you notice, Zexal spends a lot of time building up scenes towards their villains. I think this is why Yuma’s supporting friends, Akari, etc had the short end of the stick. I personally would have liked to see more of how Akari and Yuma got along, since the series does portray quite a lot of different family relationships..

I can understand why they did this. Relationships with siblings and friends are something even kids can understand. Making Yuma a relatable character, one can easily identify “Yuma cares about Akari but they often bicker.” from just a few scenes. But for the stories revolving the villains are more complex, and they decided to spend more focuses on that.

3.  It’s such a disappointment, after 5D’s female lead Akiza… that Kotori does practically nothing but stand and say “Yuma” all the time. 

Touche. Please see part 2. You’re right, though poor female lead character isn’t new in Yugioh series. Anzu and Asuka never won against main characters. Maybe if Konami sees how there’s a fair portion of female fans they might consider having a proper female main character. (Yeah, keep dreaming Quarkie >_>). 

This is why I like Hiragi Yuzu a lot. (I had high hopes for her development when she became the first female lead to beat the main character in episode 2).  

Though at the end of the day, this wasn’t something I was too bothered by, not when Zexal was placing so much complicated story plots in front of me. 

4. The sound and animation is weird. 

For sound, I meant voice acting. If you didn’t like the music that’s just your preference. (Haruto’s theme and Kaito’s theme were my favourite.) If you didn’t like Yuma’s voice in the dub then watch the sub. If you still don’t like it, then I guess it’s just a question of what you can and can’t tolerate, no one’s going to be angry at you for not liking a series. 

The animation is actually done better compared to other series. Even arc v, which I suspect was made while they were also doing the Yugioh movie. The summoning sequences are repetitive, but that’s the same for every digimon, shugo chara, magical girl series. 

Everything looks brighter and also clearer, which fits more for the audience (younger boys). I mean, after three series of rather dramatic Yugioh, isn’t it great that the younger kids can have one made for them?

5. Unlike the first three, it’s not connected chronologically. And the whole Zexal change thing… it’s like copying super saiyan mode from Dragonball Z. 

Sorry to hear that you don’t like it as much since it’s a little different. (No sarcasm intended). 

I actually didn’t realise about the similarities until someone mentioned on a critic. Fair enough, it is really different and it’s not as original. Keep in mind that it is not a major plot-driving device. It is focused at times, but I think relationships and revelation of memories were the most important driving force in the series. 

Also I liked DBZ, so if Zexal change is like a fan confession then I love it even more. 

6. The series has way too many fillers. The story doesn’t pick up until like Zexal II starts. 

Or when Tron family appears. Or whenever the series gets interesting for you. Kids are more easily entertained, and a duel with a less important character can probably be just as entertaining. Gauche, Esper Robin, Droite, Anna, etc. They don’t appear often, but anyone who has watched would probably be able to tell you one distinctive thing about that character and what Yuma experienced from there. 

While yes, worlds are in danger because of villains, but there is also the story of Yuma’s growth as a duelist. One thing that I am amazed by is how the story starts off with a “collect the numbers quest” and it continues to spiral downwards to something complicated, conflicting and dark. I feel like it starts already when we meet Kaito (not specifying due to spoilers), but a lot of the disturbing parts sprinkled throughout from the first half are hidden by the generally lighthearted tone of the series. And really, it’s hard to identify it until there is a turning point for Yuma and Astral. (I want to elaborate… but more spoilers. )

As for lots of fillers, I direct you to Yugioh GX. (Shout out to Yuki Judai fans xD). People have said the first half wasn’t that interesting with so many forgettable duels, but you don’t hear a lot of complaints about that. It’s just a matter of what keeps you entertained. 

Overall thoughts: 

Zexal does have flaws, and the different style might not be everyone’s cup to tea. It is made for the younger audience, and the most reliable way of measuring success is how they receive it. Just because it’s not our preference doesn’t mean it’s bad. I can understand that if you don’t want to spend the time watching it, there are plenty of “anime in the sea”. But it’s not really doing justice to other yugioh fans nor the producers if you are going to tell everyone it’s not worth watching. It's not really something we can decide for all fans out there.

If you actually read all that, thanks, and errr… sorry about some parts being so redundant.

[blindchandelure]

Never Crystal Clear: An Omenshipping Oneshot

Written for Day 3 of @yu-ri-oh‘s YGO Femslash Week. The prompt was “crystal.”

The shop smelled like incense and tea and marijuana. Carly found that she didn’t mind. It was a calming place, quiet and uncrowded, the complete opposite of the hustle and bustle of the newsroom she’d left behind. She didn’t have long – her lunchbreak was nearly over. But, as a person interested in fortune telling, she’d been meaning to look into crystals (and their mystical applications) for some time now. Her coworkers would surely deride it as hippie mumbo jumbo if they knew, but, screw it, Carly wanted to believe that magick was possible for anyone, even a nerdy screwup like herself.

A bell chimed near the front door as another patron entered the crystal shop. Carly didn’t look up at first, but then she heard the owner whispering to the cashier: “That’s her, isn’t it?”

“Oh my gosh! A famous supermodel is in our store!”

The stunned whispers peaked Carly’s interest, and she looked and saw Misty Lola right in front of her, browsing the aisles. She immediately remembered the bizarre interaction she’d had with the starlet two nights prior. Misty had grabbed her by the face, pulling her close. At first, Carly had thought the entrancing celebrity was going to kiss her. (As a bisexual woman, she might not have minded). Instead, Misty had admitted she practiced psychometry, the art of fortune telling through faces.

And then Misty had told her that she was going to die.

This was a horrifying thing to hear, and most likely untrue. Why would she say that? Carly shivered. The strangest part had been what Misty said after: After that, you and I can get to know each other better.

How would Carly get to know Misty if she were dead? It didn’t even make sense.

You know what? Carly decided. Since Lola-san is here, I’m going to confront her about this right now.

“Um, hello?” she greeted the other woman awkwardly.

“Hello, Nagisa-san,” Misty smiled, recognizing the shorter woman instantly.

“Hey, I wanted to ask you about what you said the other night,” Carly said bluntly. “Um…..you were just joking, or trying to scare me or something, right?”

“No,” Misty said calmly, her eyes a mystery. “I was not.”

“So, what, you really think I’m fated to die?” Carly gaped. “What is it you think is going to happen to me? Am I gonna crash the news van? Spazz out while taking photos and fall off the pier and drown? I mean, to be honest, that does sound like something clumsy me would do, but…..”

Carly’s rambling was interrupted by Misty’s soft chuckling. Carly blushed. The woman had a cute laugh.

“You are looking to buy a crystal, yes?” Misty smiled enigmatically, changing the subject. “As a fellow fortune teller, I’m not surprised to see you here. May I make a few suggestions?”

“Uh…..sure, I guess?” Carly shrugged. Misty was like a bad interview subject. She clearly wasn’t going to answer any of Carly’s questions.

“Black tourmaline, for protection from negative energies,” Misty suggested, placing a dark stone in Carly’s palm. “You can also try jade, for repelling evil spirits.” She pointed at a green stone on the shelf beside her.

“Why can’t you hand me that one like you did the other one?” Carly wondered, looking down at the tourmaline with a confused expression.

“Reasons,” Misty winked. Her wink was attractive, and it was distracting Carly even more.

What if Misty couldn’t touch the jade because she was an evil spirit? Carly considered. If she were a ghost, it would make sense why she said me dying would help us ‘get to know each other’.

No, Carly shook her head. That wouldn’t even make sense. People already laughed at her for believing she could use her Fortune Ladies to see the future. Saying she believed in ghosts would just make her look even stupider.

Besides, ghosts weren’t corporeal, right? When Misty’s hand had cupped her chin two nights ago, it had felt solid, and warm, and very much alive. It had made her own face just a little warmer, too.

Of course Misty isn’t undead, Carly told herself. You’re being completely ridiculous.

“If you said me dying would help us become close,” Carly asked, “then why are you helping me find crystals that will protect me, and keep me alive?”

It was Misty’s turn to look puzzled.

“I…..don’t know,” she confessed with a sad look. “The Master wants you to become one of us. It’s your destiny, after all. And we’ll get to spend so much more time together when you do. And yet…..”

“What are you talking about?” Carly demanded. “Who’s ‘us’? And why are you so sure I’m going to die? Is there a hit out on me, or something? Are you in some kind of gang?”

“Gangs were Kiryu-san’s preoccupation,” Misty frowned. “Not mine.”

“Who is Kiryu-san?” Carly asked. She felt more confused than ever.

“All will be revealed in due time,” Misty smiled, and began to walk back towards the door. “When the time comes……I hope you and I can have some fun.” She blew a kiss, and turned and exited the shop.

Carly was mystified, frightened, , and also, if she were being honest, kind of turned on.

Her phone rang. It was her editor.

“Where are you, Nagisa-san?!” her boss demanded. “You were supposed to be back at the office twenty minutes ago!”

“Aah, I’m sorry!” Carly cried. “I’ll be right there!”

She didn’t have time for death prophecies and confusingly hot women, she decided. She had way too damn much work to do. But, as she hurried out of the shop, she asked the cashier to hold the black tourmaline and jade for her.

Just in case.

[aquaburst3]

And because I’m bored and to organise my own headcanons for my Reverse Voltron fic...especially for the villains, these are what I imagine the mirrored versions of the Paladins and Lotor’s team to be like. (As a side note, I might do another post like this for some of the side characters like Shay, Merla, Cossack, Hazar, Romelle, Avok etc in this fic if anyone wants me to do it)

If you don’t want to be spoiled to my Reverse Voltron fic, don’t read this! 

(Keep in mind, the Paladins and Team Sincline are reversed so the former is more morally grey like canon Team Sincline...if that makes sense.) 

The Villains 

Alfor: He was once a just, kind man, being exactly like his canon counterpart. Once he was in severely injured during battle with one of the monsters from the rift and was on Death’s Door Step, Haggar decided to test out a new substance on him that she was starting to do experiments on--Quintessence. Despite knowing he would object to being a lab rat, she did it anyways to save his life and collect some data on the substance that she could never properly test out before. Once he woke up, and also thanks to a serve blow to his prefrontal cortex in that same battle, Alfor is a changed man. He is more brash, quick-tempered, violent towards his enemies (not his family, especially Allura), callous, and arrogant, who thinks he’s automatically morally righteous.  As he takes more and more Quintessence and the death of his wife (she died from natural causes), these negative traits only amplify and he becomes corrupt and misguided. His goal is to spread justice and peace throughout the universe, transforming it into an utopia, but at any cost, including blowing up Diabazaal to close to the rift while everyone was on it, turning people into non-cogs along with much more. He also thinks in order to complete his goals, he needs to get the lions back along with his old bond with Red which he thinks he’s still ought to after everything. The closet comparison I can come up with is Dartz from YGO. 

The Canon Paladins

Them as a group: As a group, like the canon paladins, they are very tight and  like a family. They are all working for Allura at the Castle of Lions, which in this AU basically the entry level fighters of the Altean Empire and are fresh out of training except for Shiro, for some reason or another. They are bound by one goal--to spread peace throughout the empire. Over the course of the story, the characters’ eyes open to what is truly happening and while they still believe in peace, they disagree with how Alfor is going about it, deciding to side with the rebels cause of stopping Alfor. Also, they are all Altean in this version and resemble their canon selves if they grew up in different circumstances (or I hope the latter is the case). 

Shiro: Since he was born Altean in this AU, he wasn’t tossed into the arena to live out the alien version of the movie Gladiator or kidnapped by aliens. Instead, he’s a young promising commander in the military, however due to one of his first missions gone wrong, which also resulted in Matt and Sam Holt going missing, he is under close watch by Alfor, being forced to bow his head down, keep his trap shut and play nice out of fear of become a non-cog along with being haunted by said mistake. He’s also the first one to have his eyes completely open to what Alfor is really doing and rebel against the empire, telling these thoughts to Keith first. Also, thanks to his military background, he had his arm amputated after said mission failure, being replaced by his robotic arm from the canon, along with getting his scar as well. Personality wise, he’s like his canon self on the surface, however, the best way to describe him is he’s like if Shiro had Kuron’s personality with some slight hints of when Haggar made herself look like Shiro during s1. He’s a knight in black armour.  He has a sense of honour and loyalty to the empire, caring about his teammates, especially for Keith and Pidge, but can get hostile, calculating, prideful and arrogant. He can also do a fantastic evil laugh. (As a side note, am I the only one that loves Shiro’s evil laugh during his first fight with Haggar?)

Keith: He’s pure chaotic neutral vs canon!Keith’s chaotic good. He was orphaned as a baby, being given to Kolivan, who is a part of the Mamora (basically this AU’s version of Pollox from DOTU/Go Lion) royal family, because of Keith’s mother’s last wish. Despite Kolivan’s efforts to control and discipline Keith to be a proper prince throughout most of his life and because he didn’t have a Shiro to ground him most of his life, he is still an uncontrollable ball of angst and fury, who makes very brash decisions for his plans, even at his own expense. He also enrolled in an Altean academy as another one of Kolivan’s schemes to discipline him, but he ended up being an amazing pilot and excelling at it, befriending Shiro and then his placed under his commanding squad after graduation. He is also half Galra and is unsure of what his other half is, but gets a good hunch when he sees Lotor’s group.  Over the course of the story, thanks to the influence of his teammates and especially Shiro along with the eventual realisation of what he’s actually doing, he slowly begins to resemble canon!Keith more and more.  

Pidge: She’s like pre-redemption Peridot from SU.  She uses technology, especially her robots, which she uses to send out to fight people, and computer hacking as weapons. She’s more sarcastic sarcastic then she is now, and more then likely taunt the hell out of Lotor and the Generals. She also slowly changes to resemble her canon self with time. On a different note, since she grew up on Altea, she has long hair along with working with Shiro to find her brother and father again. 

Lance: The best way to describe him is that he’s like DOTU Lotor with a stronger/ well developed personality along without being super creepy towards women and FMAB Greed.  He starts off as a brat, being vain, both egotistical and insecure and selfish, but does have a strange sense of honour to him and cares tremendously about his bio family and his friends. Like Sincline, he can be charismatic and is a flirt, even flirting with Lotor’s canon generals and Allura, much to their dismay. However, like FMAB Greed, he does transform over the course of the series to become less selfish and egotistical, also stopping flirt Team Sincline and Allura. He is still an amazing sharp shooter. 

Hunk: He’s a larger guy, so you don’t think much of him, until he outright destroys you. Like his canon self, he’s a mechanical genius as well, being able to tinker with machines to do his bidding. Outside of these traits, he’s like his canon self. Also, Hunk and Shay are dating, thanks to Lance and Pidge, who was roped into his scheme, who hatched a plan to make them admit that they have feelings for the other.  (As a side note, the Alteans work long side the Balmerians, since Alfor doesn’t destroy planets for Quintessence like Zarkon does in the canon, having a mutual relationship.) 

Allura: She’s akin to VLD!Lotor in some ways or like a more intense version of Mai from YGO. Like canon Allura, she is a very just person with a kindness and warmth to her, but still has her haughtiness and her black and white thinking along with being spoiled. She believes in her father’s goal to spread peace, without being truly aware of the lengths her father is going to, and prove herself to her father that she is a strong warrior and leader. She thinks she’s doing right by all of this, but really isn’t. She’s a strong leader, but also someone who’s gone mad with the idea of everything being perfect. Thanks to her just awaking up out of cyrosleep and her father going great lengths to keep Allura sheltered, she’s also extremely naive to what lengths her father truly is going to reach his goals, thinking he is just being diplomatic like in the past instead of...all the shit he’s doing in the present. Also like canon Allura, as she sees more and more what is truly happening around her and what monster her father transformed into, she turns against her father and tries to take him down. 

Coran:  You saw how he was during The Voltron Show? Yeah...he’s like that and his canon self. However, out of fear and loyalty to his life-long friend along with many attempts to curb some of Alfor’s plans, he bows his head down and stays quiet to what he’s doing.

Team Sincline

As a team: The girls are very much like their canon selves, with some key differences due to their different upbringings and are less sadistic. The dynamic between Lotor and the girls is very similar to the show, but has a shaky start since Lotor doesn’t know any of them outside of Acxa and visa versa, but do bond with time. They are more willing to do morally questionable/dubious methods to meet their goals then the paladins in the show.  So they would be moral grey, but lean towards the good side of it instead of the darker side. Unlike the canon, they are human outside of Lotor and Acxa, who is half Galra or Altean (still hoping around about that one). 

Lotor: He’s much like his canon counterpart, being a cunning, intelligent plotter and a strategic smooth talker, but is less less manipulative and ruthless in his calculations (so no flinging random grunts at anomalies to see what happens or sending people he finds annoying to The Planet of Sandworms from Dune). He has more slip-ups compared to his canon counterpart due to both not having as many resources as his canon counterpart (since Lotor doesn’t exactly have an army or robots at his disposal) and just not being as experienced.  Zeth, Nasrin and Azora think he is very stuck up and snotty at first before they see his more casual side. Lotor keeps at a distance at first because of circumstance before he loosens up around them.  Unlike Allura, he’s trying to do anything in his power to avoid being like his father, who he didn’t get along with when he was alive, due to Zarkon still be a classiest, ridge man, and wants to break free of his father’s shadow, proving to himself that he can be a strong man in his own right. Also, once he woke up from forced cyrosleep few years prior, he’s a highly wanted fugitive of the Altean Empire with a bounty on his head, trying to avoid Alfor’s gaze...kinda like what happens in S4 of the canon, but before the start of the story. 

Acxa/Asha: She is pretty much exactly like her canon self, but more inexperienced and can be more brash in some of her decisions due to not having her temper be as controlled throughout her life. Due to her father dying a couple years ago, she bounced around the foster system and has depression, struggling a lot in the wake of his death.  She is also curious about her alien half of her heritage and learn more about her mother. She tries to be the big sister of the group, despite being the same age as them, trying to keep her teammates in line and helping them out when they are in trouble, even to the point of neglecting her own issues at times. 

Narti/Nasrin: She’s like a mixture between Toph along with canon! Pidge and Hunk. Nasrin is the biggest question mark to the rest of the group, keeping her distance from them be fore she begins to grow close to them. Thanks to being blind and mute, she was sheltered by her parents, who treated her like a fragile doll that can shatter at any moment and grew to resent her treatment of her. Despite being blind and mute, a curiosity grew in her to learn more about the world around her and rebelled against her parents. After pestering her parents for a long time to enrol at the Garrisons out of life long interest, they let her go and they fix her eyesight as part of enrolment.  While she’s there, she becomes suspicious of the school and finds out about what happened on the Kuriboros Mission, seeking out to find out more and more about it until she stumbles across alien signals. She’s also the one to try to find out what happened to the ones that went missing on said mission the most. Personality wise, she is stubborn, curious, confrontational, sarcastic,  and steadfast. She is also eager to prove herself and gets defensive when others doubt her.  Once she does warm up to her fellow paladins, she does see them as family and is always there for them. She’s also Muslim as well. 

Zethrid/Zeth: She’s a mixture between canon Keith and Hunk or like DOTU Hunk with a more well developed personality. She’s always like, “Let’s go! We need to fix things and save people.” more then anything else. She does love a good fight, but more on the sparing side for the fun of it to test how strong she’s gotten. Like Hunk, she cares about her friends and tries to support them. Due to her military parents, she tries to live up to their expectations, but sometimes feels like she fails to do so along with feeling like she’s living their shadow. 

Azora/Azora: She is like a mixture between canon!Lance and Ty Lee with some hints of Charlotte from Princess and the Frog. She’s the  Optimistic Genki Girl of the group, being genuinely optimistic and cheerful person, instead of using a Costumer Service persona as a mask against her enemies like in the show. She cares tremendously for her friends and wants the best for them, willing to take a bullet for them if they are in danger.  Like Ty Lee, she came from a very wealthy household, having a wealthy Guatemalan business man (who is also Black) as a father and a Japanese mother. Because of this, she can be vain and selfish along with being repulsed by things and situations she dubs “icky”, but she slowly out grows this and trudges her way through it (for example, she would be grossed out by food that looks unappetising or moving through a smelly air vent, but tries to get through the situation). Due to growing up with many siblings, she sometimes act eccentrically in order to stand out at times. She has a dry sarcastic wit to her at times as well. Fighting wise, she is very acrobatic like in the canon from years of marshal arts and cheer-leading. (As a side note, since her and Narti are human in this and humans don’t seem to have special powers in the Voltron universe, they don’t have their mind reading and cloaking abilities.) 

Honerva: She’s the “Coran” of the group, but her personality resembles the more serious and intelligent nature of Go Lion/DOTU! Coran...if he was more 3d of a character (no really, I still swear he was just there to spout out exposition and complain about how Allura shouldn’t be getting into trouble and pilot Blue). She’s like her canon self, but less cruel and manipulative... not having her darker powers thanks to not beefing up on Quintessence for millennia. After  waking up and hearing about the death of her husband, she wants to do anything to make Alfor pay for what he did. She is haunted by her past choice of injecting Coran with Quintessence, since she feels personally responsible for what he became afterwards. Personality wise, Honerva is still pretty ambitious about her work, getting easily caught up in it, having Helicopter Mom tendencies that pissed Lotor off when he was younger… and in the present. She can get rather controlling of aspects of Lotor’s life, slowly learning that Lotor is 18, went through a lot and capable of making his own decisions. Despite this, Lotor loves her to death and they get along a lot vastly better than him and Zarkon, but they still have a rocky relationship.