#ended up in duel academy as a result

[sylviareviar]

Duel Academy - @tophatz

Just as she was about to simply pass the student by, of course she had to be stopped in the hallway for the fifth time that day. Are you Sylvia Reviar? The one with Synchro Monsters? Are you the delinquent girl with pink hair and rainbow monsters? Are you the girl who talks to herself and rides on a motorcycle with glass ornaments attached to it?

For the record, those were approved by the Security Bureau in her time. It wasn't her fault she accidentally jumped into an old era. She knew Yusei had done it before, but getting back was in itself a difficult affair. How did he manage to do it? All her attempts to call for the Crimson Dragon fell on deaf ears so far.

She'd never gone to a school before. She saw movies and shows, and heard rumors about what schools were like. But when KaibaCorp sponsored her enrollment in Duel Academy, she hadn't expected their prestigious school to be built right next to an active volcano, for one thing, and for another, to be surrounded by dangerous uninhabited forests. Not to mention the dorm system was broken as hell, and the uniforms were absolute garbage. Not the Ra or Slifer ones, though-- those blazers seemed at least somewhat normal. No, what irked her the most was Obelisk, as well as the blatant hierarchy in what should've been an all-inclusive school. All in all, the whole island was atrocious, and she was getting sick of running laps around it and its students.

She took a deep breath and did her best to remain patient and amiable. Chances like this didn't come often, after all. Who knew the times of Old Domino City would have so much information to offer her? Egyptian Gods, Kings of Games, the history of Duel Monsters itself... The development of Synchro Monsters seemed to be a relatively new thing, since Zero Reverse must've occurred fifty years later at the very least, if the technological advances were anything to go by.

She'd garnered enough attention as it was. She ought to sate the student's curiosity and leave as quickly as she could. She was starting to get tired.

"...who's asking?"

Dammit. That's not the right response. Had Yusei rubbed off on her?

[adelarsims]

Embers Academy Spellcasting Tournament: list of participants and tournament bracket

✨ First of all, the best news and a very welcome change of plans!

32 participants that we ended up having is the perfect number of people to fill the 1/16 bracket, and so we won't be knocking out anyone based on the score of individual challenges as i previously said in the rules. Instead, everyone will have their chance in dueling, and we also will be separately naming the best potion makers, best flyers and best spell learners! After all, every spellcaster has their strongest suit, and it's okay to excel in one chosen discipline. I'm rooting for everyone and i'm happy that now everyone will have their shot at everything!

✨ Now, to the list of our amazing, talented challengers:

Rhiannon Grim-Jeong by @x-digitaldollhouse-x

Raelyn Luna by @simsinfinitylt

Nadith Wolfsbane by @bloomingkyras

Tiger Rain by @rainmustfallts4

Minerva Mystic by @lessathxhi

Belial Rose by @honeysylvan

Zinnia Rosier by @vampirictrait

Capri Seguin by @llamatail

Daliah Noir by @jaigny

Natalia Keraloms by @piupiowa

Phoenix Black by @aliengirl

Estelle Glynnan by @hashimasims

Walpurgis Valborg by @igotsnothing

Alessio Skint by @ethicaltreatmentofcowplants

Aurora Mugwort by @witchywhims

Junis Hadyn by @royal-teabag

Marnix Thornwood by @nova-kim

Constance Gravemore by @eldritch-simmer

Neven Grant by @partheniasimblr

Lyle Dubois by @smilingmoon

Mindy Carol by @applesaucesims

Gemma Charm & Glenn O'Malley by @knightofwounds

Alexandria Pearce by @adoringsentiment

Dax Sommer by @agena87

Rochelle Weaver by @merofthefae

Renata Morales by @invisiblequeen

Cassie Bautista by @thebramblewood

Clotho Moirai by @riverofjazzsims

Maxwell Kilgore by @syntacticerrortxt

Yasu Bando by @lupinkforreal

Aurelius Borealis by @kari-sims

Yolanda Bazin by @mokoszkokosz

13 of these beautiful spellcasters are available for public download! But i won't say who, so you would go and look at everyone :3

✨ And, last but not least, behold our beautiful dueling bracket!

Take a good look at your opponent, get nervous, or maybe confident, or maybe even a little flirty if you're good at multitasking :3

(pairs of participants were drawn randomly with the help of this tool, here's the screenshot of results)

I hope that this tournament will help each spellcaster find a discipline they're especially talented at. Best of luck to everyone!

[theladyfirelord]

For lark and sel at the Merlin academy

Oooh! I'll do my best! I really hope you enjoy it! Thanks for requesting!

Scenario: A longtime rivalry between the two young boys at the Merlin Academy comes to an end with Selwyn Kane being named Nicholas Davis' Kingsmage.

Merlin Academy- Lark and Sel

Lark irritated Sel. Plain and simple. 

To be fair, most people irritated Sel, but Lark just really knew how to push his buttons. 

Maybe the animosity stemmed from the fact that they’ve been pinned against each other since the day Sel arrived at the academy.

~~~

Selwyn Kane was a prodigy. The best of his generation. Just like his mother, Natasia.

None of the other Merlins could even dream of matching his skill level…except Lark.

Larkin Douglas was the only Merlin who could hold his own against Selwyn. But even though this fact remained true, Sel still managed to beat him in every battle. 

No matter the challenge, Sel won. Not to be unexpected considering he was trained by one of the most powerful Merlins of the previous generation, Issac Sorensen.

Which is why today’s duel for a place at the side of the Order’s future king would be no different. Sel would be Nick Davis’ Kingsmage. 

~~~

“In this closing battle, Selwyn Kane and Larkin Douglas will compete to be named Kingsmage.” Gillian announces, while walking to the middle of the arena, where Lark stands in the right corner with Selwyn opposite him in the left corner.

Gillian continues, “Throughout this tournament, our two candidates have been observed based on their capabilities in mesmerization, casting, and aether manipulation.”

“Today, the top two ranked Merlins will duel it out in this arena to assess strength." Gillian looks intensely at the crowd before shifting her gaze to the table of the Regents, "Their individual performances in the other three categories alongside this one will be considered to determine the final result."

At that, Gillian looks to both Sel and Lark purposefully, "Without further ado, let the battle begin."

~~~

The fight was most definitely entertaining to watch. Mostly because of Sel.

Lark barely managed to land a hit on him throughout the entire battle. Each time he would lunge, Selwyn had already moved out of reach. He was agile and limber, something Lark had learned but not yet mastered.

Sel utilized aether with precision and intent. If he wanted to land a hit, then he did, with zero difficulty at that. Lark's defenses were useless against Selwyn.

Lark spent more time on the ground from Sel's attacks than he did actually fighting.

Lark was an excellent fighter. In training, he defeated nearly all of his opponents...that weren't Sel.

And one thing was evident in the fight- Selwyn had a mission that he intended to fulfill.

No one, not even Larkin Douglas, would stop him from satisfying what he set out to do.

~~~

It wasn't unsurprising when Sel won the tournament.

Not only did he excel in the other categories, but he completely annihilated Larkin in the final battle.

After quieting down the anxiously awaiting crowd, Martin Davis speaks, "After careful consideration, a decision has been made." He stops to hold up Selwyn's hand, "Selwyn Emrys Kane has been selected to be the Kingsmage of my son, Nicholas Martin Davis, Scion of King Arthur Pendragon, first-ranked. He will be oathed immediately following the end of this ceremony.”

Sel did it. The very role he worked himself strenuously to achieve was his. He felt...

"Ye complete and utter disappointment, Larkin! All this training and for what? Ye to end up in second place? Because of a Kane at that?" Calum Douglas shouts, clearly angered by his son's loss. He stomps over to Lark and practically drags him off stage.

Before he disappears completely from sight, Lark spares a glance at Selwyn, who was already staring intently at him.

For the first time since the two met, Sel felt empathy towards Lark.

The two were no longer rivals. One had won and the other had loss, but even still, they both were the two greatest Merlins of their respective generation.

Only Larkin's father didn't see it that way.

[thedragonagelesbian]

Hey…can you talk more about Cyrus not being able to die? How does that happen? When does the realization happen? How does that affect his views on his body and death?

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii yes i can always say more about the headcanon plot armor/corporeal angst i made up for the specialist boy in thedas

cyrus not being able to die is an outgrowth of the innate healing he develops over the course of da2, which is the result of (a) longterm overexposure to anders' healing magic, such that it just kind of never goes away and lingers inside of him and (b) metaphysical kirkwall's possessiveness of him as its champion and unwillingness to see him fall. i often conceptualize it like how cole describes templars' ability to block magic: their bodies always want to connect to... something older. Bigger than they are. That's why they block magic. They reach for that other thing, and magic has no room to come in. cyrus' constant harm -> heal -> harm cycle creates more gaps in his body, but what he's connecting to instead isn't the titans but kirkwall itself.

subsequently, the innate healing (and the resistance to other forms of healing) begins to develop with the arishok fight: cyrus very nearly dies, and as he's bleeding out onto the floor of the keep, the twisted and lingering ancient tevinter magic at kirkwall's core accepts this as sacrifice and in exchange gives him the strength to finish the duel... at the cost of his body no longer being his own.

it's not something cyrus discovers until post-game, though. there's simply. too fucking much going on already. with the reaverisms and the heavy armor and the constant fight-or-fight instinct and the classic minimization/denial, it's just very hard to tell when or how badly cyrus is hurt, especially with his body healing minor injuries near instantaneously.

i'm not totally committed to the timeline of when cyrus realizes it, but the idea i've tossed around the most is that it happens after he, varric, and merrill have relocated to val royeaux, during the chevalier academy graduation ceremony of. slaughtering city elves. cyrus is in the val royeaux alieange trying to protect folks--no weapons or armor just his body--he isnt fast enough, a chevalier strikes him down......... and then he gets back up again.

and ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm it sure Does Not Help. cyrus is already so alienated from his body, already has episodes where it does not feel like it's real or his, already has periods where he can't tell where he begins and ends, and realizing this intensifies all of those feelings. he doesn't/can't fight much in the time between da2 and inq without drawing undue attention (which doesn't help the listlessness & depression of those years either), but when he does, he's even more reckless with himself, much to varric's chagrin. there's also a general loss of sensitivity to both pain and pleasure, which means cyrus becomes very prone to accidentally hurting himself...... and, on the absolute worst days, intentionally hurting himself just to try to feel something.

over the three years between da2 & inq, it's something cyrus learns to be more at peace with/careful about, seeking out less harmful forms of physical stimulation if not for his own sake then certainly for varric's. at the same time, it's also something he never expected could be or necessarily wanted to have fixed? because that would mean even more magic, even more tampering, even more alienation from his body. he lets merrill investigate it to a certain extent, but he prefers to try to live with it. some days, that feels like an agential choice he gets to make. some days, it feels like something fate forced upon him. but he keeps going anyway (and praying to the creators helps a lot too!)

it's also part of why his recovery from the fade takes so long-- breaking kirkwall's hold on him once and for all breaks this magic too, restoring him to mortality & fragility but also softness & vulnerability & gentleness.

[fiction-box]

I love the work you've written! If it's not too much trouble, I would like to make a request.

The two characters I choose are Felix and Dimitri. The reader (Gender Neutral) was a close friend in their academy days. Five years later, they end up on opposing sides of the war. In the heat of battle, the reader faces their former friend in a duel. The result of that duel is, whether through words or combat, the reader agrees to lay down their arms, is spared, and is recruited to fight on the Kingdom's side.

In Dimitri's case, the encounter would take place after the Battle of the Eagle and Lion.

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Hello, my lovely! These two came out a bit long, so I will be posting them separately at the same time. This was such a well thought-out prompt and I felt so much excitement upon receiving it. Feel free to come back with more ideas! I'll be happy to respond (hopefully much faster). Have a wonderful summer!

Requests are open. The story will be continued under the cut.

Felix:

Enbarr. The last defense before the Imperial castle walls could be breached. The city often filled with bustling citizens. The proud capital of the Empire.

The battlegrounds for the beginning of a last stand against the Kingdom.

You couldn’t bring yourself to scan their ranks, knowing well enough that you’d only be able to make out the faces of those you had once called your allies.

The ones you would never again have the privilege of calling your friends.

I recommend you not even consider wavering in your resolve, a voice within your mind called out, or have you forgotten our deal?

Hubert. You turned your head to look back at the man, for good measure. He had taken your family in the midst of the war, bargaining their life for your cooperation. Naturally, you had accepted his terms. They meant the world to you, and they had done nothing wrong.

Such a decision meant turning your back on your king. Treason, was it? That was putting it simply, but the whole matter felt so complicated.

It looked pretty simple to your old companions, you were certain.

Do not think that my death will save them, either. I have given orders that any misstep of yours is to be responded to with the death of at least one of your family members. Choose which side to play at your own discretion.

Your face remained unreadable, but on the inside you were furious. This foolish charade had been going on for too long, and you had a terrible feeling you were going to regret everything you did today no matter what the outcome of the battle-

Someone was staring at you. You could practically feel their eyes boring into the back of your head.

Compelled, you kept your expression stoic as you turned at last to take in your adversaries. Dimitri would be leading the charge, the professor you once thought dead standing at his side.

Dedue, Annette, Ingrid, Sylvain, Mercedes, Ashe…all of them alive and determined. They were only awaiting their leader’s word to attack.

It was Felix who kept his eyes trained on you.

Only for a moment, you held his gaze. You didn’t allow yourself any more time than that. No matter what you felt was wrong or right, you had a family to protect. Never would they suffer from your negligence; you would keep them safe or die trying.

Pulling out two of the daggers from your belt, you awaited your own orders. A few words were exchanged between sides, and then the Kingdom Army attacked.

You held your position as they approached, seemingly faceless warriors falling on both sides. It almost seemed systematic, and the fight could have been described as evenly slated. Surprising, seeing how the Empire had far more soldiers on the field.

What further surprised you was how quickly Felix had encroached upon your position. His sword was in his hand, unmoving as he sprinted toward you, but he never started to prepare a swing. Even so, you held your own daggers up in preparation. You would dodge backwards and then propel yourself forth. 

It would be as clean a kill as you could muster. The two of you used to get along so well, didn’t you? You never could have predicted this. In truth, you hated this.

“Why?” Felix demanded. The question caught you off guard, and his arm swung out to knock you to the ground.

You fell backwards, Felix pinning you down with a hand at your collarbone and a knee at your stomach.

“What are you fighting for?” he shouted, his sword at your throat.

Your breaths came out in pants as you were pushed farther into the ground, “You wouldn’t understand…”

“Maybe I could if you’d just tell me!”

“I can’t tell you! I’m not prepared for you to tell me it’s not a good enough excuse! You’re going to kill me anyway, so just do it now!” such a bold request, but you qualified it by pressing your neck into his blade.

Whatever you were expecting, it wasn’t Felix looking at you in pity of all things.

“It looks to me as though you’ve already come to terms with it. Maybe whatever it is really isn’t worth all thi-”

The second he dared to voice such a thought, you shoved on his wrist to push his sword away and launched yourself forward. There was a short tussle, but at the end of it, you were the one pinning him down. Just to ensure he didn’t escape, you stuck some of the daggers you carried on you through his mortal savant coat and into the ground, effectively keeping him prone.

It was more effective than you first believed it would be, actually. The bluenette could hardly move from how you pinned down his coat. He didn’t have the room to take it off, and he couldn’t build enough momentum to dislodge the daggers.

He was trapped.

“I don’t…” he released a grunt as he attempted to struggle against his coat, “...understand. What’s so important that you would leave me behind? That you would leave your friends…” another struggle, “...and your family behind?”

What? Your family was the whole reason you were in this mess. Wouldn’t he have noticed their absence alongside yours?

“My family?”

Felix made another failed attempt at leaving the confines of his coat, “We found them when we reconquered Arianrhod. They asked where you were, but none of us knew. Nice to know that all this time, you were getting friendly with the Empire. If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed that you sold them out to the Emperor to get on her good side when things started getting tough for the Kingdom.”

“There’s no way you gained Arianrhod back without me noticing! I don’t believe you!” you exclaimed. As though saying he was wrong would make things right. As though you weren’t fighting all this time for nothing.

“Me? I can’t believe you. I never saw you as a fair weather person.” his condescending tone intensified. “How can you live with yourself? It’s pathetic.”

“I could live with myself because I wasn’t the one who sent them there! I didn’t have a choice! Quite honestly, the Empire could have done whatever with my life, but then they brought my family into it…”

Maybe he wasn’t lying. It seemed he had stopped trying to persuade you and began berating you. If he were trying to trick you, he would have been more persistent.

After all, how could he have known your family was at Arianrhod unless he was telling the truth? If the Kingdom had failed to capture it, they would not be here with bolstered numbers aiming for the Emperor’s head.

Besides, you hadn’t told him your family was your motive, and Felix was never the type to figure it out on his own. He wasn’t one to lie in order to get what he wanted, either. With all that in mind, he had no reason to say any of that unless it was true.

Oh, how the truth made your blood boil.

“That lying snake,” you spat, releasing Felix from the hold of your daggers, “I’ll kill him for this!”

Felix looked confused at your sudden change in demeanor, but he chose to back away to a safer distance before opening his mouth to question you. He didn’t have to ask anything for you to answer his unspoken inquiry, though.

“Hubert told me he seized the iron maiden and that my family was being kept inside. They’ve been held over my head for…Goddess, it must have been three years, now. Tell me, how long ago did you manage to take back the fortress?”

“Two moons ago? Maybe three; it was sometime during the Garland Moon.”

Maybe three months? “The Garland. Moon.”

You were so angry you couldn’t even find the words to express it. Yet what were you meant to expect from Hubert? For him to inform you that his only leverage over you had been taken away and that you were free to do as you pleased?

“I…” I’m sorry, you wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come.

What have I done?

How many Kingdom soldiers fell at your hands these past few months?

Such was the cost of being an elite soldier of the officers academy. You remembered your mother telling you as much. Your allegiance could turn the tide of a war.

Well if that was the case, you sure as hell weren’t about to let the waves crash on your family. Or your friends, for that matter.

“Whatever it is you have to say, it can wait. As long as you’re coming back to us, that is,” Felix looked to you as if unsure.

“You can count on me,” you affirmed. “I’m done being the Empire’s tool. Just tell me what you’re trying to do, and I’m right there with you.”

He made a sound of understanding, then explained the strategy for securing the castle’s perimeter and marching on the palace.

“...Once the time comes to storm the castle, the professor promised her plan would become more specific. It all depends on…”

He didn’t have to finish his statement for you to know what he meant.

It all depends on how many survive stage one.

[l0vefreak]

Adolescence of Utena as antithesis to Revolutionary Girl Utena

I want to preface this by saying in an introductory English course my freshman year of college a classmate gave me the feedback “maybe you’re reading too deeply into fairytales”

I’ve struggled with the meaning of the Utena movie and how it connects to the series ever since my first watch through. My personal understanding, as of now, positions the series and the movie as different perspectives of the abusive environment of otori academy, Utena and Anthy respectively. Although to clarify I’m not trying to claim that AOU and RGU are literally happening simultaneously. Instead im arguing that AOU engages the viewer through anthy’s perspective where the series engages the viewer through Utena’s. This lense made my personal viewing more enjoyable and causes a lot of things that previously irked me to fall into place. (Although obviously I am not arguing this is the only valid reading).

Firstly, AOU introduces Utena as completely new student to Otori, while in the series Utenas entry into the rose duels mirrors her moving into the next grade of Otori’s Middle School. The audience follows Utena into a new but notably universal position of growing up. In the movie Utena is a transgressor into the preexisting Otori Biosphere.

Another point of disharmony between the movie and anime is, that in AOU, Anthy is shown acting in a more proactive villainous role. By interpreting AOU as Anthy’s perspective, this discontinuity becomes reflective of anthy’s self-blame, notably counter to RGU, which can be read as following Utena’s point of view. There is also the element of the audiences assumed foreknowledge of Anthy’s involvement in the machinations of Otoris duel system and her abuse at its hands that is present in AOU as a result of it following RGU in production that allows the viewer more insight into Anthy’s motivations from the beginning.

I am using this perspective in large part because of a personal desire to read into the car transformation at the end of AOU as a meaningful and consistent scene within the world of Utena. It is probably the most infamously difficult to engage with on a metatexual level. The sublimation of emotional honesty is often absurdity, especially with the precedent of boxing kangaroo and egg laying girls.

By taking absurdity completely seriously, I have come to the conclusion that within my reading of the events of Adolescence, the car transformation happens out of a necessity for narrative simplicity. Utena disappears from this part of the narrative because it requires Anthy to make her choice alone.

Once she is able to stand up to the specter of the prince alone, Anthy can escape to the real world and be reunited with Utena, where they slide around naked on some sort of skateboard through an empty highway (Certainly, this too must mean something, but after an Utena marathon I was, at this point, a bit metaphored out.)

Also another aspect of the climactic car sequence that sticks out to me is that the time Anthy spends driving an inanimate Car-tena through the tunnel matches up with the immediate aftermath of Utena taking the swords of hatred from Anthy. The car Utena is the memory of Utena’s act of love that Anthy carries or… something.

The movie makes me uncomfortable. It’s too close to how I felt about myself at the onset of my own personal traumatic experiences. I love the series because it’s a refutation, the movie is a look from the inside. Anthy is mean, overtly sexual, and carries pain and anger she can’t put down. During periods of trauma, reprieve from it feels otherworldly, and even undeserved, the subversion of this is to position the self as villian (as witch). Adolescence is an exploration of the actions of the witch.

[stormcr0w]

Cain - my Yu-Gi-Oh! GX OC! Cain Grayson is a fun-loving new Slifer Red student at Duel Academy who harbors a dark secret. When dueling, he seems to black out, taking on a dark persona which leaves his defeated opponents comatose. This strange shift in personality could be tied to the mysterious deck of cards his father gave him or, possibly, his Ace Monster, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon.

Seemingly afraid of dueling, Cain avoids it whenever possible, earning him a less-than-stellar reputation among other students. Due to the awful things that seem to happen when using his father's Deck, Cain often attempts using decks of haphazardlythrown-together cards, frequently resulting in his defeat. He later discovers that his father's deck - the Dark World Deck - is possessed by Grapha, the Dragon Lord of Dark World. Grapha has been taking over Cain's body during duels and harvesting souls to feed the power of the Dark World. Eventually picking up on Cain's dilemma, Jaden challenges Grapha to a duel to stop his reign of terror on the Academy. Jaden manages to gain the advantage during their duel, but is hesitant to strike the finishing blow for fear of what will happen to Cain, whose body and spirit Grapha still holds hostage. Wrestling for a brief moment of control, Cain sabotages Grapha's strategy and urges Jaden to deal the finishing blow. Jaden attacks and ends the duel, but Cain's soul is lost in the process as he sacrifices himself to save his friends. Trapped in the Dark world, Cain's Spirit is eventually greeted by the silhouette of a person who offers him a new deck of cards - the Gem-Knights. Using this newfound power, Cain challenges his captor to a final showdown. With the Gem-Knights' help, Cain is victorious in destroying Grapha and earning his escape from the Dark World. He awakens to find himself in the hospital wing of the Academy, still clutching the Deck of Gem-Knight Cards. Thank you for reading! This is a highly abridged description of Cain's Character arc. If you'd like to know more feel free to ask or leave a comment!

[team5ds]

ALSO ALSO what do u think lua and luka fr do in postcanon?

lua becoming a pro duelist was like. fine. i think i would've rather seen something that reinforces the fact that he was a caretaker to his sister. to me, i think lua makes more sense to have the arc to becoming a doctor. i would've loved to show lua's growth into a more serious, mature person reinforced by giving him something more academic. but like. him becoming a pro duelist was at least set up and a solid pay off considering how he's first introduced: admiring jack's king status, demanding to duel yusei, wanting to become stronger at every turn. would've loved to see more wins from lua as a result, but the final pay off is fine enough even if i'd rather his character be done differently.

luka fr doesn't have a canonical post canon ending. straight up. they just show her in england, and she's just telling lua to be careful apparently? (thanks @inkblackorchid for that info because i still have yet to actually sit down and watch anything that happens after the z-one duel bar the yuaki scene lmao) so like. there's a couple of roads she can go. she can be a researcher into psychic powers & connections to the spirit plane of duel monsters. she could have become a garden shop owner, further reinforcing her nature connections. the problem with luka is that she's constantly reinforced as just being a sick kid & she's also treated as if she's also failing duel academy in that episode that yusei duels the principal in. we aren't given much info about luka to begin with beyond her having a kind of dry sense of humor, being a little proper, and shy. so luka's genuinely free estate to justify almost anything you wanted. it's very unfortunate the one born with the signer powers isn't given that much beyond her ties to her brother, and i do wish we'd gotten to see her grow beyond her attachment to lua.

[eleanorose123]

older gx fankiddos lol Expanded bios for what they're like under cut since they get a little rambly-

Keisuke Yuki - Growing up, he enjoyed dueling a lot but didn't care about things like winning or losing. However, due to his connection to his deck being so strong and giving him lucky draws, by the time he attended middle school, his winning streak grew to record levels. The unintended pressure he felt from his peers, teachers, and even his parents ended up escalating to his graduation duel in which he gets an unlucky draw in a pinch and loses. He snaps, claiming his deck had "given up" on him and refusing to use it until he was a stronger duelist. He enrolled in Duel Academy as a Ra Yellow (due to his grades being below average and his breakdown at the graduation duel), but set up a tent in the forest and dyed a Slifer Red uniform to be purple instead, claiming himself to be "purple" to avoid any sort of expectation or legacy from the other dorms. He's quite rude and awkward with his fellow students, but he does still love dueling a lot and puts his all into his current deck so he can one day return to his original deck. Judai ends up taking him out of school for a bit during his third year so they could travel the Spirit world together as a trip, helping his son reconnect with Duel Spirits as a result.

Maddie Phoenix - Maddie did everything she could growing up to better her dueling skills, despite her setbacks from other kids refusing to duel "a Phoenix" and having to go by a stage name in secret. She was extremely annoyed when she arrived to Duel Academy when she learned all the girls shared one dorm together rather than being grouped by skillsets like the boys. Maddie said as much, making a lot of the other girls stay away from her, thinking she was looking down on the weaker girl duelists. In truth, she is perfectly content with training and helping any other female student that wants to improve, and manages to make a few friends that way. She was Keisuke's opponent for their graduation duel, and was upset by her rival's behavior and change of personality. She keeps an eye on him while they attend Duel Academy together and makes sure he gets to class. She remains extremely protective of her brother once he enrolls. Her coat came from an upperclassman she respected that gave it to her as a parting gift.

Julian Phoenix - Still rather soft spoken and meek, Julian isn't a confident duelist and duels casually, instead pursuing game design related goals at the academy rather than "the next king of games" sort of thing. He has a constellation themed phoenix Duel Spirit companion he nicknamed Stella and treats it as his best friend, despite most people being unable to see it. Ended up taking after his parent immensely when it came to other people finding him to be "a complete weirdo", but Julian is either oblivious to this or simply doesn't care. Despite his scaredy cat personality, he is a very skilled and confident skateboarder and will sneak around the island to do reckless boarding in the middle of the night just for the thrill of it all. He tries to reconnect with Keisuke, since they had always been close with their ability to see Duel Spirits, but Keisuke pushes him away and hurts his feelings for a while until Julian learns more about his situation. Some other upperclassman in Red do harass Julian into believing he is a disappointment for his pro duelist father, much to his own sorrow for never thinking about that.

[chronurgy]

Orin and Vesper's relationship

Early - This covers the period between Vesper's arrival at the temple until roughly their ascension as High Primate and Bhaal's chosen which lasts roughly 1-2 years.

Vesper: They had big plans and big dreams. Had being the key word here. From a young age Vesper had demonstrated a great deal of talent for magic, along with the ambition and intelligence to go far with it. As they came of age there were almost certainly plans for them to attend some sort of magical academy (maybe even blackstaff) or to be apprenticed to an archwizard. They and everyone around them knew that they had a bright future ahead of them. And then they came into their birthright, slaughtered their family, and lost everything. There would be no school, no apprenticeship, no more papers published, no more bright future.

They don't cope well. How could they? Before they make it to the temple, they spend most of their time in a half-feral haze. And even once they make it to the temple, they're still just…disengaged. They feel like they're living life from behind a sheet of glass and no one can reach through it. They try, sometimes, but it's hard. Even as they see Orin as some of the last family they have left, and try to connect with her over that, they also remember very vividly what happens to the last people they called family. They hear the whispers and know they'll likely be called to duel Orin over Bhaal's altar. So every time they start to get close, they immediately flinch back which results in them blowing pretty hot and cold.

Orin: Orin is also watching her dreams and plans evaporate. After she killed her mother, she grew up under the assumption that some day she would become High Primistress and Bhaal's Chosen. After all, Bhaal himself had said he had big plans for her. But now with the arrival of a pure Bhaalspawn, it's very clear that everyone now believes nothing of the sort. Orin resents them for that, for showing up and stealing her rightful position, especially because it might mean that her mother didn't try to kill her because she was just so special but because she was horrible. What if her killing her mother wasn't this grand triumph? What if it meant nothing? Orin is not emotionally equipped to deal with that. She's also struggling because she subconsciously understands that Sarevok's love for her is very conditional and based in this idea that she is special to Bhaal, so Vesper's arrival is very threatening to her and Orin hates them for it. She also finds Vesper's hot and cold behavior towards her very confusing and can't understand why they seem to get closer to her and then push her away.

This is further complicated by the way Orin was treated by the rest of the temple. As this special precocious favorite of Bhaal's, she was simultaneously coddled and indulged even as she was also expected to act mature beyond her years. Now that she's no longer seen as the future head of the temple specially selected by Bhaal himself, the coddling ends even as the extra expectations remain. The other members of the temple become less indulgent of her flights of fancy and tantrums and therefore more demanding of her once Vesper arrives, and so she blames Vesper for it even though they have nothing to do with it.

Mid - This covers the period from after Vesper's ascension as High Primate until they establish a permanent working relationship with Gortash.

Vesper: Ascending as High Primate is in some ways stabilizing for them, since it gives them more regimented ways to interact with Orin. This makes it easier for them to have a more consistent relationship with her, even as it remains distant and very stuck in the leader/initiate dynamic. This is not a relationship of equals, and Vesper does expect to be obeyed and can treat them somewhat condescendingly, but they do mostly treat Orin as a competent lieutenant. Because of that, because there is some distant and polite respect there, even some kindness (the sort of the kindness one shows a subordinate), there is some easing in their relationship.

Emotionally, as they commit and condone more and more heinous acts they slide further and further into this endless cold detachment and apathy. They are so very alone among the Bhaalists - who're generally not big on intellectual conversation. With no one they feel they can connect to, and with their new position as leader which isolates they even further, they are so alone that they almost lean into it. They start to hate the world for being so boring, for everything it can't and won't give them. So they live there willingly, in that cold detachment, with their magic and their books and the murders and the games.

They and Orin sometimes commiserate about things and it's fun and they think about working for something more but they just find it so exhausting to be on. To be a person. They claim to spend part of their day cloistered in solitary prayer and contemplation because it lets them be alone to work on their magic which the only time they really feel like themself anymore. It's the only time they don't need to be the perfect cult leader and daddy's perfect killing machine. It's the only time that they feel like they aren't behind that piece of glass. And even then, they only feel like they can have this because magic is what they use to kill. It's the only thing they have, and they hate the world and everyone in it for that. For everything it can't and won't give them.

If Orin had been able to reach out first, to start something and let it slowly grow, then they would have been able to adapt. Making moves to become closer with Orin seems too exhausting, but reciprocating is always easier than initiating. They can't reach out first, because they can't overcome the detachment to do it.

Orin: Over time, her resentment calms though it does not fade. She is still treated as special within the temple and there is discussion that one day she may be given authority to start her own temple in another city, which helps soothe her ego. She is still treated as subordinate though, which does help keep that resentment alive.

Vesper stops the with the emotional whiplash, which helps them get a little closer. This more stable, distantly kind relationship is pretty good for Orin as Vesper is less critical of her than many of the other high level Bhaalists. Orin also does see that she is obviously favored by Vesper and does feel that she is getting some level of approval from them that she isn't getting elsewhere. However even as she sees them as this source of some small amount of familial care and approval she still resents that they have the position that should be hers and that bitterness clouds their interactions and stops her from wanting to push for anything more. She could accept it if they made the first move, because that would be showing her this respect she feels she deserves, but she can't initiate a closer relationship.

Commentary: This era is the real tragedy. If either of them had been able to reach out to the other, then they could have had something possibly resembling a warm relationship. But the claws of resentment are still sunk too deep into Orin and Vesper is too mired in apathy for either of them to make the first move. So it just never happens, even as they spend time together in this leader/initiate dynamic, even as they do achieve something like respect for one another. Vesper can manage this politely distant relationship and Orin comes to believe this is simply all anyone can expect from them. They are genuinely closer to each other than to anyone else during this period, even though their relationship isn't particularly close. I also think that Vesper does have a cruel and condescending streak that occasionally makes itself known, but Orin thinks that's just what love is.

Late - This covers the time from the establishment of Vesper and Gortash's working relationship to Orin's attack on Vesper

Vesper: They have been so alone. And now they aren't. Here is someone who can match wits with them, who wants them as a planner and a strategist and not a knife, who kissed their bloody hands and called them brilliant. Here is someone who can step through to their side of the glass.

They don't think about Orin at all.

Orin: Seeing this destroys Orin. She's furious. She had resigned herself to scraps of affection and learned to live on crumbs because she believed that was all Vesper was capable of giving but this makes it clear that it isn't. Vesper can pay attention, they can have close relationships, they can put in the effort, they just didn't do it for her. She is their family and he is some fucking banite and they are just handing him every piece of love and attention that they could never be bothered to give to her because they never thought she was good enough. She hates them for this. She sees it as a betrayal and a declaration that Vesper never cared for her at all. That they simply didn't consider her to be worth their time.

The incident with Sarevok doesn't help either (long story short, he pushes Vesper on having children publicly and they respond very harshly). Orin sees that as further disrespect to her and her beloved grandfather and more evidence that Vesper is both not a good Bhaalist (which she will use to help justify deposing them) and only cares about their new partner.

The hate and the rage and the resentment and her feeling of never being good enough come together into her plan to depose and tadpole Vesper. She needs them alive because she needs them to see and acknowledge that she is good enough, she does deserve to lead the cult and to be Bhaal's chosen, and that they were wrong not to love her. She feels like they've been looking past her all this time, but now she can make them see her.

Final - This covers the period of time after Orin deposes Vesper until Orin's death at Vesper's hands

Orin: She deposed and replaced Vesper. But it seems like the most important word in that sentence is still Vesper. She took their room, their position, their netherstone but all that means is that they're still there. The specter of their decisions, of what they would have done, of how much better everyone seems to think they would have handled things, of how much they all liked them is always standing just behind her shoulder. Orin is living in a ghost story.

Except her ghost isn't even dead. And when they come back, Orin has to know if it worked. Can they see her now? Can they see now how special she is? Do they love her now? Will they choose her over him? Everything she does is one long wordless cry, choose me, choose me, choose me, to Vesper and to Bhaal and to the world. But no one does.

Vesper: They blow into the temple with cruelty in their mouth and violence in their heart and put Orin in her place. They torment her with the truth and remind her that their Father loves such viciousness. They prove that they understand him better than she ever could. They cast a single spell, then turn their back on her to address the rest of the Bhaalists as she dies screaming. She is not able to lay so much as a finger on them. It is a display of dominance and a humiliation. It is a warning for anyone else who would challenge them. They find it sweeter than honey to stop fighting their nature and just give in. And then they walk away, because she was leashed and they will not be.

[thewittyphantom]

Here's Dennis's conversations with Yugo and Zuzu. I had no idea what Dennis did during Arc-V so seeing the different reactions has been very enlightening XD

Yugo: If it isn't Dennis! Dennis: Yugo...I heard you and Yuya were able to split back into two. Congratulati-- Yugo: Don't try to butter me up with your greasy words! I haven't forgotten what you did to Rin! Dennis: I can't change what I've done, but I am sorry. Yugo: ...Humph! If you wanna apologize, apologize to Rin and Lulu! Dennis: I promise I will. When they get here. Yugo: ...You really think Rin and Lulu are coming back? Dennis: Of course! You, Yuto, Celina - you all came back. So Rin and Lulu will too! Yugo: Yeah...Yeah! Maybe I had the wrong idea about you! Maybe you're not the worst guy in the universe! Dennis: That's right! I'm not! Yugo: Though you were dirty and shady and evil when I met you at Duel Academy. Dennis: Uh yeah...Sorry... Yugo: Whatever! Just make sure you don't forget about Rin or Lulu! Cuz it seems that remembering them plays a key role in getting 'em back! Dennis: Memories huh...This truly is an amazing and wondrous place! Yugo: Speaking of memories...When I met you in the Fusion Dimension, I remember you said something to me. Dennis: H-Huh? Did I? Yugo: Something about how as an entertainer, I'm no match for you? Dennis: Umm...Well...You know... I say a lot of things...Sorry... Yugo: A lot of people say a lot of stuff about me, but they should never talk bad about my Dueling! Me and you! One-on-one! I'll show ya how entertaining I can be! Dennis: I said sorryyyyyyy!!!

Zuzu: Is that you, Dennis? Dennis: It sure is! Hi, Zuzu! Zuzu: Umm... Dennis: Huh...? Why are you looking at me like that...? Oh yeah...You don't know what happened after I Dueled against Yusho. [flashback] Yusho: I'll talk with Leo Akaba personally and settle this. Dennis: Oh no you won't. To speak to the Professor, you must meet him first. And the only way to meet him is through me. Zuzu: It's you! Dennis!? Dennis: Hi there, Zuzu. Long time, no see. I've been looking for you. Zuzu: ...... [end flashback] Dennis: I'm really sorry for what I did that day, Zuzu. Zuzu: Yuya filled me in on what happened afterwards. But in the moment, you really scared me. Dennis: I won't make any excuses. I can't take back what I did at Duel Academy. Zuzu: I'm sorry. I really should cut you some slack. Especially since I heard you're working hard to make everyone in the Xyz Dimension smile again. Dennis: It's fine. Change takes time - you can't expect results in a day. ...Umm, Zuzu. There's something I want to test, but I need your help. Zuzu: Sure, what is it? Dennis: I heard that Celina is back, but Lulu and Rin are still inside you? Zuzu: Yeah. But don't ask me to explain how or why. Dennis: I won't. But...I want to reunite Lulu and Rin with Shay, Yuto, and Yugo. That's the least I can do for them. Zuzu: I want to reunite them too. Dennis: If you think of any way I can help - big or small - please don't hesitate to ask! Zuzu: Okay! But I really don't know how I can help... Dennis: We'll figure it out - as long as we don't give up! Which I promise I won't do!

[universestreasures]

Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters Verse Info For Akatsuki.

(Note: This verse is written in the context of the events of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Manga by Kazuki Takahashi, and do connect directly to the canon of my Mokuba, and the DM verses for Gao, Tasuku, and Suzuha specifically. However, it can be easily adapted or written to not include connections to Mokuba or my other muses and or adapted to fit the Anime's story. In addition, the inclusion of this character in the storyline of my Mokuba does not have to be present in any interactions had with Mokuba either. This are meant to be a basis/starting point for interactions not a end-all be-all. I am flexible and this can all be discussed at the individual level.)

Akatsuki Kisaragi (Ninja Arts Apprentice & Zanya Kisaragi's #1 Fan)

Bio

Name: Akatasuki Kisaragi

Age: 10 (So 1 year younger than Mokuba is)

Family: Zanya Kisaragi (Elder Brother, also called 'Big Z' by Akatasuki), Police Commissioner Kisaragi (Father), Mrs. Kisaragi (Mother, Divorced From Father)

Residence: Cho-Tokyo, Japan.

Friends: Mokuba Kaiba, Nanomachine Ninja Tsukikage, Baku Omori, Kuguru Uki, Kiri Hyoryu, Gao Mikado. Tetsuya Kurodake, Paruko Nanana, Kazane Fujimiya,Suzuha Amanosuzu, Noboru Kodo, Tasuku Ryuenji.

Games Played: Buddyfight (Main Game), Capsule Monsters Chess, Duel Monsters, and various arcade games.

Ace Card: Nanomachine Ninja Byakuya (Katana World, Buddyfight)

Skills: Various Ninja Arts, Kendo, Swordplay, Buddyfighting.

Story Description

Akatasuki is the youngest son of Police Commissioner Kisaragi of Cho-Tokyo's police force and the younger brother to Zanya Kisaragi, a prodigy of Kendo and Buddyfighting. Ever since he was young, he's looked up to his brother and admired him and his skills. As such, he's dedicated himself to being his brother's number one supporter, including being his practice partner / tuner for Buddyfight, kendo, swordplay, and for learning ninja arts. Though, compared to 'Big Z', his skills in these areas are rather lacking (he is the most NON-SNEAKY ninja ever LOL). He also is not the best student in school, but he tries his best in all areas so he can be 'useful' to his brother and even goes out of his way to look out for him and his best interests. He does not, however, share his brother's 'uncomfortableness' / phobia of girls.

Both he and his brother attend school in the nearby city of Domino, for their father thought it be best for them to attend school in a city they would not be treated differently for being the Commissioner's children. Akatsuki does NOT attend Aibo Academy like his older brother, however. He attends Domino Elementary, the same school as Mokuba Kaiba. Though, he is in the grade below the young Kaiba.

Akatsuki and Mokuba, while not being classmates, do often run into each other on and off campus. However, their relationship had...a rocky start. Prior to the events of Death-T, Akatsuki was bullied by Mokuba and his gang of little thugs, often being the victim of various pranks and was made fun of constantly (usually over his ninja arts or his lack of skill in games). He was usually the person Mokuba would beat in Capsule Monsters Chess for fun as well.

As a result of this, Akatsuki hated going to school. He would meet his brother, who picks him up after school, either in tears and or covered in the aftermath of whatever prank he was subjected to. It got so bad to the point he started faking sick just to not go.

However, following the events of Death-T, things changed. Mokuba, feeling remorse for his past actions and wanting to go back to his true nature, approached Akatsuki one day and apologized for his actions. He explained the complexities of his situation to the young ninja (as best he could without getting too personal), and upon hearing he was acting this way to get his brother's attention / approval, Akatsuki immediately emphasized with the young Kaiba, realizing that if the situation was different, he could have ended up like him. And so, he gave Mokuba another chance, despite his father and brother telling him he shouldn't, and the two young boys had been great friends ever since. However, Akatsuki is intimidated by Mokuba's older brother, not only due to just the kind of person Seto is but also from what private info Mokuba has shared about his brother from his past. This would change slowly over time, I imagine.

Mokuba did all he could to make it up to Akatsuki, including inviting him over for sleepovers, helping him with homework, and even being his teacher in learning both Capsule Monsters better and taught him Duel Monsters. In return, Akatsuki teaches Mokuba the ways of the ninja and kendo as best he could, mainly focusing on stealth tactics. The two are usually the person the other can vent to about their older brothers, in addition to the person they talk to when they just wanna fanboy over how amazing their big brothers are. Akatsuki, with Zanya in toe, sometimes also walks Mokuba home.

When it is time to enter high school, Akatsuki and Mokuba switch to Aibo Academy. By this point, Akatsuki has met his buddy, Nanomachine Ninja Byakuya, and has become a strong Buddyfighter, ninja, and kendo master in his own right. He and Mokuba continue to be close throughout the years, often being called 'partners in crime'. Akatsuki, his Buddy, and or his brother and his buddy Tsukikage will also serve as bodyguards for Mokuba for some professional events. I can see Akatasuki even pursuing a position similar to Isano but for Mokuba, being Mokuba's right-hand man but also his bodyguard (or even becoming head of security).

[binarystargames]

Narrat Jam VN progress

I have no idea if this is gonna turn out good but I love making Mermaid diagrams.

Basically all of this is written and, polish aside, runs fine. This includes the duel tutorials (which are two mock fights: either in a Light or in a Heavy, depending on whether you're in the arena or academy). In addition to those mock fights, I just straight wrote the whole combat engine: All of that (outlined here) is up and running and fully functional with a test duel script for setting player/enemy/extra moves.

Further breakdown under the fold if you want to see the sausage's innards laid out completely.

How the flow of this works is: An omniscient narrator describes that things went down at Amirus, and asks you, the player, to describe the kind of person that took place during the incident.

The scion is a non-blood-relative in House Alzur: noble, but not in line to rule, and since the House cares about bloodline deeply, you're not in favor in the lineage. You're culturally expected to be a decent pilot and practically expected to be a decent administrator, so you're sent to House Alzur's piloting academy (where you meet a noble of the planet you'll go to later, but also grow more acquainted with House Alzur's heir. Your first duel with a teacher is your tutorial) and then finishing school to both learn more about the House but also network (where you meet two other nobles of different Houses who will become important later).

The knight is someone whose family swore allegiance to House Alzur: not noble, but firmly born and raised within noble constraints with the expectation of joining their service. Much like the scion, you're sent to piloting academy; but unlike the scion, you're sent to go help with the occupation of Nilara, a planet that requested help with uprisings. (It doesn't go well, but you meet a knight of one House and a local guard who will get poached by another. (It's not entirely foreshadowing for how Amirus is going to go down but it's definitely supposed to rhyme.))

The captain isn't born within the House; they're born on the streets of a House Alzur planet, and eventually get duped into being fresh meat in a gladiatorial arena. (Your first duel in the arena is your tutorial.) But they unexpectedly persist, meeting two other future-mercs. The three of you form a team and persist until a match where one of your Frames breaks down unexpectedly: the match is stopped, and it's revealed that three House recruiters (Alzur and the two others mentioned) bought out your respective contracts mid-match. (The breakdown is revealed to be the result of sabotage, though it's left unclear who the exact culprit is.) After your recruitment, you're sent to Nilara like the Knight is.

At the end of this, you'll have:

A tiny little lifepath where you have two very formative experiences, and three levels of status (firmly noble, sub-noble, firmly non-noble). At least one of them is designed to impress upon you that this isn't a universe where "fairness" exists.

2/8 of those characters (who will all be at Amirus) at 2 Bonds. (These are the VN "skills".)

2/8 of those characters at 1 Bond

A Frame: Heavy for scion (someone in the nobility, even not technically in line to rule, is usually expected to be support rather than in the mix), Medium for knight (frontline support is expected of your station), Light for captain (you've been enlisted, basically, so you're more expendable).

An extra Maneuver to add to the default 3 your Frame comes with for a little customization. (Basically an extra kind of Rock, Paper, or Scissors. You'll get more as time goes on/as you gain Bonds with characters.)

Mapping out Act 1 now! We'll see how it goes, but so far so good.

[anawkwardgalnamedtarazan]

Inkwell Angels Pt. I👼🐏☁️

Sathanel "Lucifer" Morningstar (aka, the Devil) 🌞

One of the youngest angels to attend the Archangel Academy.

Was very fascinated with Heaven's animals, such as Behemoths and Constellations. His sister, Ariel, has power over plants and loved to show off her tricks to him. He tried to emulate her tricks, but he couldn't seem to grow flowers without burning them to a crisp.

Louie was born with extraordinary powers over fire. Since his powers were still developing and sorta unstable, it was hard for Louie to make friends. So, he decided to sign up for the Archangel Academy's gifted program to prove he was not a screw-up (with some help from the Throne Abaddon). And sure enough, it worked. He ended up excelling as he got older and eventually rose to the rank of Archangel. This impressed many of Heaven's residents (including God/North Wind and the Thrones) and worried others (like Michael/Big Mike).

His role as Archangel was to keep track of lost souls & guide them to Heaven with his brilliant aura.

During his time as an Archangel, Louie discovered that the Thrones were planning to set strict rules for the next generation of Angels as well as those already in training, such as constant supervision on or off duty or putting regulators on halos to prevent more magic incidents. This was the last straw for Louie, so he rounded up other angels who were outcasted like him and rebelled against his masters. At first, it was to demand equal rights for his fellow outcasts, but he soon believed things would be better if he ran Heaven. So, he decided to stage an all-out coup, along with handfuls of Angels that wanted revenge as much as he did. This newfound vengefulness proved to be his downfall. It all ended with him dueling it out with Archangel Mchael and getting thrown out for good, burning away his wings in the process.

Haniel "Honey" Dewdrop 🎶

Archangel of joy.

One of the more popular students at Louie's angel school and Jophiel's bestie.

Has mastery over mortal pleasure and making connections through music. She can awaken anyone's most precious childhood memories by kissing their foreheads, resulting in bringing out the purest in mortals and other creatures.

During her time in the Archangel Academy, Honey was paired up with Louie for a nature project. At first, she only joined him to get her grades higher, but soon came to appreciate his optimism.

She was secretly an avid musician as a child. She usually preferred the piano, sitar, harp, xylophone, and especially the violin. Her favorite musical genres include classical and relaxing lo-fi (exactly as it sounds). When Louie found out, he loved her tunes and was shocked that she would hide her passion. After the war in Heaven, she and Gabe bonded over their musical passions and eventually started going steady.

Feeling guilty about the whole "using Louie for her own benefit" deal, Honey decided to start a program for new angels to handle their developing powers, and even use their quirks to their advantage. Because she believed that's what Louie would've wanted. 💔

Michael "Big Mike" Morningstar 🌟

Tulip and Louie/Devil's older brother. He's usually one to try to keep his siblings out of trouble.

An overachiever and literal golden child, Mike was one of the highest-achieving students in angel school. This created some friction between him and his brother when Louie started the Archangel program.

Has the power to create light structures and make copies of himself and his weapons.

Has inspired the spreader powers used by the Cup Bros and their Flask ancestors.

As an angel of strength, he sometimes embeds fellow warriors (angel or mortal) with some of his strength and power.

Mike was tutored personally by the Throne of War, Gadreel. He was taught everything from swordsmanship to hand-to-hand combat. He was made captain of the Angelic Army as thanks for his help in the War of Heaven.

While Mike truly wants to do what's best for Heaven and the Astral Plane, he often lets his position get to his head and uses it to make other angels fall into line. He doesn't often take kindly to his subordinates questioning his authority...

Has a cherub named Charlie as his personal assistant. Kinda like how Henchman is to the Devil, but a bit more.... intense (more on that later).

Jophiel "Phia" Silkheart 💋

Archangel of beauty and positive transformation.

Your typical Queen Bee type of girl. Tended to look down on classmates she thought of as "odd", especially ones like Louie or Levi.

Honey's childhood bestie. More often than not, Phia expected Honey to be into the same things she was; because to her, friends need to have lots of things in common to get along. She eventually got over this when they started drifting apart growing up (having different interests and all).

Phiq began to take up painting when she began to realize the burdens of being an Archangel and decided she needed an outlet for her stress.

Is a sucker for pretty and flowing clothes.

Oversees creation of Angelic weapons, gardens, and artwork. She also helps designs outfits for choirs and Heaven officials. Basically, Heaven's no. 1 designer.

Raphael "Ralph" Chamomílo⚕️

Archangel of healing and medicine.

Was in the same potions class as Leviathan in school.

A major wallflower and pretty clumsy.

Like Loue, Ralph couldn't seem to make many friends. His classmates would often tease him for not getting his potion mixtures right or falling flat on his face during Weatherball. This soon changed after a freak accident in the potion's lab forced him to come up with something to heal his fellow students, including Levi. He was soon praised for his initiative and eventually started excelling in medicine making. Sadly, this made Levi feel worse about his slowly developing powers.

Has the power to create heating elixirs, and bending water along with other liquids.

Often acts as the mediator (along with Honey) when things in Heaven get tense.

He is in charge of Heaven's medical facilities (ex. infirmaries, spas, gymnasiums).

Gabriel "Gabe" Goldenrod🎺

Messenger archangel.

While he's as strong as Mike, Gabe doesn't let his achievements go to his head. And he genuinely believes all angels have their rights, even fallen ones. When the next generation of angels came, he acted as a big brother to them during their times of need.

Has the power of speed, bugle playing, and can communicate with any animal of the Astral and Mortal Planes.

He's one of Big Mike's closest friends and was his lieutenant during the War.

Gabe has quite the knack for playing his horn; not only to alert Heaven but also to create sweet-sounding tunes.

Probably is the most associated with the Mortal Plane, encouraging creations for good and guiding humans into pursuing their goals to benefit their home. He especially loves helping children; because to him, they represent the future of humanity and want them to flourish.

Was his idea to create the stone lions at Rugged Ridge.

🌟BONUS🌟

Background:

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

FELIX THE CAT: THE MOVIE's Release Date

Did you know that I am unusually very fascinated by the wack-ass film that is FELIX THE CAT: THE MOVIE?

I remember seeing at least one commercial for this movie back in the late '90s/early '00s on Toon Disney, but never actually saw the film. I just remember seeing a cartoony cat running around a jungle or something, presumably this was one of the scenes from the early act of the film where the magical teardrop finds Felix on Earth.

Weirdly, Disney at the time had the distribution rights to the film in the US. They gave it a video release under the Buena Vista Home Video label in August 1991, and aired it on The Disney Channel and Toon Disney for a good while before the rights eventually went to someone else. The film hasn't seen a second US video release in any form - be it DVD, Blu-ray, digital, etc., but...

It was recently uploaded in its entirety to YouTube by the official Felix the Cat YT channel... as the character/franchise have been owned by Universal for a while. DreamWorks Animation had bought Felix's previous owners, Classic Media, and then Comcast bought DreamWorks. The film is shown in a weird matted form, presumably what it would've looked like in theaters. It was standard practice back then to take a film animated and shot at 1.33:1 - the Academy aspect ratio, and then stretch it so it fit cinema screens in a post-CinemaScope world. As a result, stuff is chopped off of the top and bottom of the picture. Track down that VHS or a foreign DVD, and you get the full ratio.

But also, curiously, the film is presented in the correct speed. Most YouTube uploads of FELIX THE CAT: THE MOVIE, or scenes from it, are sourced from a PAL release. And most of the time, a weird sound mix of the movie where you can't always hear the dialogue and the 'Who Is The Boss' song drowned out by the audience of scrunkly bunko creatures.

Yeah, I lowkey kinda LIKE this movie. Even if it is *legendary* for its... Well... Unusual qualities. So much so that I kinda know some of the release history of it...

Well... Almost?

When was this movie first released?

The first concrete date that I know of was its presentation at the 3rd Los Angeles Animation Celebration: January 26, 1989.

The film was completed in around early 1987. It was to be distributed by New World Pictures, as their logo does appear on some prints of the film. Thanksgiving 1988 was thought to be a release frame for it in the US, which curiously would've put it up against an animation duel that was already set to unfold - OLIVER & COMPANY vs. THE LAND BEFORE TIME. Supposedly, a release some time in 1990 was also considered.

A US theatrical release never materialized. The first wide release of it in America was Disney/Buena Vista's VHS release of it on - again - August 23, 1991.

Various European territories got it in theaters around that time. It received a theatrical release in the UK in mid-to-late 1990, per the BBFC's classification for it issued on July 5th of that year, implying a late summer/fall release took place. There is a theatrical poster for the UK release, too.

But the earliest confirmed date appears to be that LA Animation Celebration date. Right at the beginning of 1989...

However, it is often suggested that the movie appeared *somewhere* to the public or an audience in late 1988. An October 1988 frame has been floated around for years, supposedly this thing debuted at a film festival called MIFED in Italy around that time... But I've found little to no evidence of that. IMDb, which anyone can edit, claims this along with 1988 release dates elsewhere.

The film is copyrighted 1988, but that doesn't mean much considering that a copyright date can differ from a release date. Especially back then, but even recently as well. (Pixar's ONWARD - for example - was a March 2020 release, but the copyright date in the end credits is 2019.)

So... Did FELIX THE CAT: THE MOVIE show up somewhere in fall 1988? 35 years ago? Or was the official debut of this picture on January 26, 1989?

Is this like the SUPER MARIO BROS. US release date of animated movies or something?

[r0yalgrimmartz]

✨️CHAZZ & KORE: HEADCANONS🥀

Chazz and Kore headcanons because I'm exploring more of their dynamic and I just love the two dumbasses being together they have held a place in my heart back when I was like fucking nine but I am gonna projectile vomit headcanons I have for them here. ((Enjoy these pics I just found that perfectly describe Chazz and Kore's ✨️energy✨️))

Back then, when I first made her yes I did ship her with Chazz, but I made it so that they're like besties, or Chazz begrudgingly having been stuck with her friendship wise, and allow the build up so basically a massive slow slow SLOW BURN. But they don't confess till like a few years AFTER SEASON 4 OF YUGIOH GX.

I'm just gonna bullet point because I'm too lazy:

• Kore and Chazz started out as distant due to Chazz originally being in obelisk blue and how he acted. However, Kore massively admired him as a duelist and respected him as such.

• Somehow (I'm still trying to work out how) they end up slowly bonding over little things which oddly brings them closer and ultimately and begrudgingly cause Chazz to talking to her as they bond and get to know one another. But it wasn't until literally after Chazz got beaten during the school duel where Kore got to learn more about Chazz as they both started from there to somewhat become friends. Before that, they were actually mere acquaintances and on civil terms.

• Chazz absolutely most definitely acts like he doesn't care much about Kore. But in reality he will absolutely go through hell and back to defend her if anyone dared of accusing her for something he knows she would never do or belittle her, he is the first to dive at their throat.

• Kore can surprisingly tolerate his behaviour. That's not saying Chazz can treat Kore however he wants, in this Chazz does try to be a bit better and understanding of Kore, since Kore can admittedly get a bit frustrating at times. But, Chazz slowly learns why Kore acts in a certain way, why she does some things either differently, etc.

• Kore doesn't help taking care of herself that well as often. Kore tends to admittedly neglect basic human things like eating, having proper sleep, drinking plenty water or making sure she's in fit enough health - that's when Chazz steps in and gently reminds her (forcefully) that she needs to take better care of herself. He even one point came to her dorm and practically pried his ass in to give her food and drink because she said she hadn't ate all day. There's a dent outside her dorm room door where Chazz kicked the door open through sheer force because Kore locked herself in her dorm for three days and spoke to no one, all because Kore ended up getting herself physically sick accidentally and basically slept through most of those days.

• (I have mentioned this one previously so apologies for the repeat) Kore may seem like the less confrontational person, but Kore is a MASSIVELY loyal person and will have anyone's back that she cares for till the end. That's also including Chazz. She will defend Chazz fiercely and will throw hands and/or a chair. Would resolve with a Duel but hands are less time consuming.

• As previously mentioned, it took Chazz quite a while to deal with Kore's behaviour, always getting frustrated with her when she does certain things. Once he learns why she does certain things, he may be more lenient with her. He found out somehow before she came to Duel Academy that Kore had literally zero friends, so Kore naturally doesn't have that great of people skills. Chazz tries to be more patient as a result of this. Kore is trying her best to read people's emotions or social cues.

• (TW for this one idk??) Kore has old scars on her wrists and some on her hands. Not from self harm, but usually due to how she manages to get herself injured. Kore does have a very bad habit of picking at the old scabs, mindlessly doing it without even realising, and it takes Chazz to notice and gently grab her hand to hold it to stop her. Example: Both were watching a movie once when Chazz first noticed this habit, so proceeded to gently hold her hand to stop her. He didn't voice it, nor surprisingly make a big deal, just held her hand as they watched the movie.

• Will give each other certain foods they may not like. For example, if Kore has food that she hates, but Chazz loves that kind of food, she'll give it to him and vice versa.

• Kore is oblivious to flirty remarks. Chazz painfully picks them up quick while he watches Kore in amusement as Kore assumes that some guy was just being nice to her. Chazz pisses himself laughing at this shit.

• Chazz found out about Kore's sea glass collection, where he discovered in her desk drawers being filled to the brim with sea glass. He'll never admit it, but he did get Kore a custom designed sea glass bracelet as a surprise birthday gift for her. His words were along the lines of "ik you collect those dumb rocks or whatever it is so here I got you this stupid dumb thing". Yes he went out of his way to pay high money for a nicely custom designed sea glass bracelet specifically for Kore. Yes he also did steal his brothers credit card info to pay for said highly paid customed bracelet. Is his brothers aware? I don't know.

• With that being said - following on from the last point - Chazz is responsible for getting Kore things she's into or replacing anything that he thinks Kore really needs. Example - A very old, cracked and out of date phone that Kore has? Chazz purposely breaks it and got her a new one. Kore still doesn't know that Chazz broke her old phone. Nor does she know that Chazz got her that new phone she found outside her dorm room one day. Chazz will never admit it (its very fucking obvious to everyone else). The latest thing that Kore has been into but she can't get it? Someone mysteriously sends a package to her containing said thing she wanted.

• Chazz massively judges Kore for the guys (and gals) she's into. He'll always make jokes about it, however, in reality he's just worried about Kore's safety and doesn't want Kore being harmed by anyone. Anyone that has expressed interest in Kore - Chazz has threatened them and basically has admitted they'll never be good enough for Kore.

• Always picks at Kore for how she sits. Kore will usually slouch a lot so as a result Chazz does scold her for slouching and makes her sit up straight each time before she ends up "looking like a shrimp". ((Funny enough in the future this has massively helped Kore improve her posture from Chazz's constant nagging and his scolding))

• Chazz's feelings for Alexis...Kore has teased Chazz about it, however she knows when to not go far. Kore has tried helping Chazz to move on, and has comforted him in regards to it. Doesn't mean she hasn't scolded Chazz for his weird behaviour towards Alexis though.

• Kore rarely cries. She's not one to show tears in front of anyone unless it's very close friends. The first time Chazz saw Kore cry was when she had a massive emotional break down (won't say why due to plot reasons but he doesn't see her this badly upset till like season 3 and 4). Kore has never once expressed vulnerable emotions like crying in front of Chazz, so when he does catch her, Kore feels like an idiot. Chazz wouldn't exactly know how to comfort her but I'd imagine they'd hug it out together with words not necessarily being needed.

• Kore has worn Chazz's jacket once. ONCE. She wore it mainly because it was cold and Chazz offered her his jacket to keep warm. Upon wearing said jacket...Kore found out that fateful day just how bad it stunk. She definitely deep fucking cleaned that jacket when Chazz was busy or asleep. She was absolutely mortified just finding out someone like Chazz never cleans his jacket (or his laundry in general JUDGING FROM THAT ONE EPISODE THAT DIRTY GOBLIN OF A MAN).

• During the Society Of Light arc, Kore actually tried to be the first to snap Chazz out of being part of the weird cult, until Alexis caught her and ended up dueling each other. When Kore was close to victory, Alexis last minute took a one up on Kore and defeated her. This however, instead of brainwashing Kore, ended up putting Kore in a coma. Once Chazz is finally snapped out of being brainwashed, he of course finds out and feels such immense guilt and pressure, feeling himself being responsible(his mindset: caused Alexis to turn to the society of light, in turn Alexis defeated Kore and put her in a coma, therefore Chazz feels at fault for everything). Of course once everything settles and Sartorius is defeated, Kore gets out of her coma and is greeted by Jaden and the gang. Chazz is the first to greet Kore and worry over her, but once he realises Kore is fine enough, immediately in his usual fashion claims victory for taking down the whole Society of Light and boasts to Kore (claiming all the credit as usual). However, Kore immediately hugs Chazz and they both share a big sentimental hug and they just let Chazz have this one. (Kore's big bro Riley still holding the whole cult thing over Chazz, Alexis and Bastion's heads mainly because...Well his little sis was in a coma and ofc he was fucking fuming the entire season and legit throws jabs at them at any opportunity over it. Kore might be forgiving but Riley isn't so forgiving.)

• During season 4, Chazz is the one who's more so present to Kore's now poor mental state meanwhile Kore continues to isolate herself and tries to get through to Jaden at the start of the season. Chazz tries to talk with Kore about her isolating herself just like Jaden, and refusing any sort of help. Chazz unfortunately does end up pushing her boundaries for once, which leads them to having a massive argument/screaming match with Kore slowly distrusting Chazz. (They do eventually make up and slowly rekindle their friendship half way through season 4 but it takes a bit and Chazz making it painfully obvious how he just wants their friendship to be how it once was. So, basically it's switching from their dynamic compared to season 1 where Kore was the one wanting to be Chazz's friend and finding him cool while Chazz found her a bit annoying and pushing her off, to now where Kore is the one shoving him away and Chazz trying desperately to get closer to her.)

• Kore HATES the feeling of polyester fabric. Chazz found out about this one day when Kore was constantly uncomfortable from the feeling of a polyester cloth that she was using the clean. Chazz has since disposed of anything polyester or unless if its clothing wise, he tries to be careful around her.

• Kore of course is aware of Chazz' relationship with his brothers. I'd imagine during the holidays Kore would always offer Chazz to stay with her and her family to avoid any conflict with his brothers. Chazz had refused, but one summer decided to agree and her family immediately brought Chazz in with open arms and treated him as part of their own.

This is all I got. I didn't anticipate for this to being super duper long but IT'S DONE. I'm going for a nanna nap.