#i feel like they’d like marik though

[sesshy380-rp]

(continued from here)

By the time they’d gotten home and sat down, Kat had reached a point of feeling like an empty shell of a body that was moving on autopilot.

“So… tell me exactly what this asshole said to you.”

Her mouth seemed to answer of its own accord.

“He said I broke the conditions of my exile. That my punishment was being changed.”

She sought out comfort by pulling herself close to Bakura, holding onto their shirt as though that was all it took to keep them near.

“If it hadn’t been for Ra stating that he was to avoid making a scene…”

The thought of how easily she knew she could have been dragged back to the Duat sprang into her mind, and that was when she broke down, burying her face into Bakura as she tightened her hold on them.

“I don’t want us to be separated again!” she loudly sobbed. “I don’t want to have to wait another three-thousand years! I don’t want to lose hope in ever seeing you again! I want to stay here with you and Timoteo and Pakhet! I want to keep playing games with Ryou and Kek and even Marik! I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK!”

((@nb-lesbian-tkb))

[ectoplasmer]

ohhh my gosh amy what have you done. this is the most tags i have ever tagged-

imagine if your f/o(s), including romantic and platonic, suddenly came alive and into your life. what would be the first thing you do together? how would you go about introducing them to other people like friends and family? how do they settle in this new home of theirs? plus, if they’re from a vastly different world, how do you think they would get used to their new surroundings?

[vivinightingale]

Hey so I kinda want to see a Yami Marik x S/O x Yami Bakura because I honestly simp for those two so much…I can’t help but feel like they’d be the ultimate bad guy trio or something. It’s completely up to you (and if want to do the abridged version feel free to do so)

The abridged version is top notch, but I'll "try" to keep it "serious"

The way you got with these two was really all a blur to you. One minute your single looking for the one, and then *POOF* you have two villains attached to your waist claiming your theirs.

You shrugged and accepted cause why not?? And you probably couldn't get rid of them if you tried

A relationship with these two is full of danger, shadow realms, and adventures. Since they are both constantly chasing after Atem or the Artifacts there never is a thing called "down time"

Doesn't mean they don't make time for you. In fact somedays while is out hunting the other one is always with you. Either doing something you enjoy, or simply just just being with each other.

Though they share a common love, they still don't 100% get along. When they think you aren't looking they are shooting glares at one another, trying to send the other to the shadow realm, or throwing the occasional insult.

Though if you catch them they are quick to stop and pretend they are just the best of buddies think of Natsu and Gray before and after Erza shows up

Their other halfs are well aware of the situation, but chose not to do anything about it. You seem to keep them in check so why worry about it??

Though somedays are easier then other with these two, but they love you and would protect you with their lives. Even if that means giving up on their own ambitions.

[quantum-cube]

EXHIBIT D;;

@marik-dominant-prominent

There are a lot of museums in the area. More than he actually thought, more than the three he’d initially thought was too many. One hundred and seventy-fucking-three of them exist in and around this city. Still, the only one that would be capable of housing a large Egyptian exhibit is the Nature and Science museum. 

This city isn’t the most densely-populated with buildings that house historical artifacts - he’s pretty sure that Paris has it beat by over a full hundred - but God, you’d think they’d run out of things to show.

The entrance to the building isn’t as imposing as he’d have thought it would be. White stone leading up to a relatively compact brown brick building. For this city, it’s decently sized, but for most others, it would be on the smaller side. It’s almost cozy.

The inside feels larger, though. They’ve managed to pack a lot more than one would think possible into such a space. And they have some pretty interesting things out for show; there are plenty of skeletal replicas hanging from the ceiling as he wanders through.

While he meanders his way through and into the area that they’re housing the display of The Games of Egypt, he almost forgets why he came. It’s serene, informative. He’ll have to bring Sera some time - she would like it.

He comes back to himself when, out of the corner of his eye - he spots his quarry. One Middle-Eastern man with bleached hair and a nice outfit. Not quite as sharp as the suit he’d been wearing the first time that Diva saw him, but... damn, actually. There’s a little more skin on display in that v-neck, and it looks good.

Okay, focus.

He approaches at a pace that is neither too slow to be creepy, nor too quickly to be a surprise. A calculated speed, at an angle that puts him carefully within eyesight.

“Oh, Malik! I was worried you wouldn’t actually be here!” He smiles, and it’s actually mostly sincere. “How have you been?”

[chrichri-chan-18-love]

Love in Darkness (Yandere Yami Marik x Blind Female Reader x Yandere Yami Bakura)

“Quit pulling! I’m the one holding her.” A voice said from behind your back.

“It’s your fault for thinking you can have everything.” Another said from your front side, you could feel their arms around you, their lips on your skin... and the you could feel their auras... they were malicious and evil, just like them.

“I’m the one who met her first, you know!” The voice from behind you said, a possesive tone present, as a pair of lips landed on your neck. For once, you felt lucky that you were blind.

Ever since birth you had been forced into a world of darkness, never knowing what most of the world around you looked like. There were limitations to what smells, sounds and textures could do to ease your resentment for your condition.

Your nightmare started when you had bumped into someone, he said some nasty remarks about you and your sight only to realize that you really couldn’t see anything. Despite being born blind, you had a strong character. You had heard of people that had greater problems and yet showed their true worth. So when you actually became sassy with the guy that had insulted you... you had pretty much sealed your fate. He had spoken in an amused tone and had introduced himself as Bakura.

“Looks like I made an amusing discovery.” He said and you frowned.

“I’m not an item, I’m a person.” You said annoyed and with that left the area, not ever realizing that you had made a terrible mistake.

It had been a few days later that you had met Bakura again, this time though he seemed eager to get to know you. He walked with you, asked you about your life and about your lack of sight... he seemed pleased when he had heard that you had been born blind and had lived your life in darkness. You never told him where you lived or if you worked somewhere... but Bakura took it upon himself to discover it. He had decided that you were amusing, a being that would make a good toy. Though he never would have imagined that there was someone else after you as well.

Your meeting with Marik, took place a few weeks later, it had been similar to your meeting with Bakura. The basic difference was that Marik had seen you from afar, thought that bullying would be entertaining.... then he realized you were blind and actually took a liking to your snarky and sassy attitude. Marik wanted to learn everything about you, creating a fake story to make you like him and slowly listened to you. The more he was around you, the more he realized that he wanted to have you.

It wasn’t long before both males noticed that they had an opponent. The idea of sharing didn’t cross their minds at all as they originally decided to duel it out. However, they later decided that having you choose, would mark the victor of their little game. Which is why they both literally forced their company on you...  but the longer you refused to decide, the more obsessed they became.

“You seriously think that what you do, is called dueling?” Bakura asked mockingly as Marik glared at him. He had long since given in to his dark side, though that did little to help him get to you.

“At least I’ve won against opponents that had some sort of ability. You on the other hand, would loose to a newborn... given that there are brain cells left in your head.” He said with one of his twisted grins, you groanned and decided that you had enough of their arguement that had been going on for a total of three hours so far.

“Do you people live only to duel? There has to be something more interesting than a card game.” You replied and both stared at you shocked as you just went ahead, both smirked, seeing as you had no idea of the forces that you were hanging around with.

After two months, both males had been completely infatuated with you. Their obsession had also the bonus delusion... in their minds, you were something that they could give their dark, malicious hearts to and receive the warmth that your existence added to their darkness. By this point, they could see that fighting for you was pointless and, there was no way the could destroy each other without upsetting you... so they eventually found a nice old house, trapped the owner in the shadow realm and decided to use this place as their lovenest. And after that... you made the mistake of actually asking to see the house they said they had recently “bought”.

“ So, go ahead. Explore every room and tell us what you think.” Bakura said and you foolishly did just that. After a while you sat down and they sat next to you.

“So, what do you think?” Marik asked and you smiled.

“ It feels like a nice place to stay. I like it.”

“Good, then I’ll just bring your things over tomorrow.” Bakura replied and you frowned.

“My things? Why would you bring my things here? This is your house after all.”

“Not anymore. From this day forth this is OUR house.” Marik said as his lips landed on your neck with Bakura joining him seconds later. Both men groaned as they tasted your skin, finally able to let their desire of you to take over. Needless to say, they went all the way through with you that day, they would take turns as to who would pleasure you and who you would pleasure in return. When night fell, you were a fucked up mess that was kept by two lunatics filled with lust and a twisted sense of love. 

And now, both were once again fighting over who would hold you for the day. Whatever mission they individually had was kept outside of this house, when they were in here, the only thing that mattered was you.

“Hey (Name), who do you want to pleasure you first? Me or mister three eyes?” Bakura asked, licking the shell of your ear, Marik left a low growl as he pulled you closer, his face burried in your breasts. 

You didn’t answer, whenever you spoke and chose either of them, you’d end up in pain. Your body had been covered in bite marks and bruises, some were old and some were new. However, over the weeks you had spent trapped here, you’d get yelled at and at times they’d pull your hair or slap you if you showed preferences. Both Marik and Bakura were competitive... and so having you decide between them would unsurprisingly lead to disaster. 

“Looks like we’ll figure out by how loud she’ll get.” Marik said as he moved upwards, forcing his lips and tongue on yours. The only thing you could do was cry, even if you wanted to fight you knew it’d be pointless... escaping was nothing more than an illusion. 

As far as these two continued to “love” you, the only thing that was certain, was a world of darkness, lust and agony. A world from which you’d never escape for as long as they wanted. 

[lucky-ladybugs-lovelies]

Comfortember Fic, 29

The Big Five have repented and are trying to recover from what Yami Marik did to them.

29. Make/Build/Create Something Beautiful

Nesbitt slipped off to his home office when they arrived back. Today they were staying at Lector's house, but all of their homes were so big that they had offices for each of them in every house. When Lector checked on him after a while, he was busily sketching and then typing into his laptop.

"You've seemed very occupied today," Lector commented. "Did you get a new idea for something you could make?"

"Maybe." Nesbitt shrugged. "I'm just trying to plan for our Christmas events at Penguin World . . . and for if we have a gathering with Yugi and the others."

"I'm sure we will," Lector said. "You're making something for that?"

"I'm just considering ideas," Nesbitt said. "Serenity seemed interested in the idea of Santa Claus, so . . ."

Lector smiled more and came into the room. "I should have known. You're planning something for her?"

"Something like that," Nesbitt said awkwardly. "I just wanted to help give her a nice Christmas."

"May I see?" Lector asked.

Nesbitt hesitated, then held up the sketch. It depicted a mini remote-controlled sleigh and penguins wearing elf hats as they milled around it and rode in it.

Lector chuckled. "Miss Wheeler would love this," he said. "But can we get the penguins to wear hats?"

"I don't know," Nesbitt shrugged. "I was going to ask Crump what he thought."

"George would probably be willing," Lector mused. "Sammy might, if Crump put it on him."

"Maybe penguins could ride in the full sleigh with Santa Claus, but I wasn't sure if they'd jump out and get hurt," Nesbitt said.

"That could happen with the miniature sleigh as well," Lector said. "If you were playing St. Nicholas, I know George would just obediently sit by you. Maybe a second person could sit in the back and keep the other penguins behaving."

Nesbitt went red. "Why would I do it?" he retorted.

"To make Miss Wheeler happy," Lector pointed out.

". . . Yeah," Nesbitt conceded. "I would. . . ."

Lector smiled. "And there's no need to be embarrassed about that. You're a very kind and thoughtful person, Nesbitt."

"It just doesn't seem very logical, though," Nesbitt said.

"Being kind and thoughtful?"

"Santa Claus." Nesbitt frowned at the sketches in his book.

"It may mostly be a legend and not based in reality beyond there really having been a St. Nicholas who liked to give gifts, but the legend brings people a lot of happiness," Lector said.

"I guess," Nesbitt said doubtfully. "Although you'd think some kids would get upset to learn it's not real."

"I suppose it depends on the child," Lector said. "Some might be overly sensitive like that if they learn too soon, but if they come to figure it out on their own as they grow up, it might not be such a blow."

Nesbitt slowly nodded. "I was like that," he admitted. "Figuring it out on my own, I mean. It wasn't any surprise when I was told the truth."

"I did as well," Lector said. "But I still appreciated the magic of the legend and the season anyway."

"I would have thought you'd feel like the legend was an excuse for kids to be greedy or something," Nesbitt said.

"Unfortunately, greedy children will be like that no matter what," Lector said. "Actually, part of the legend is usually that naughty children don't get anything."

"True," Nesbitt relented. "Although then they might start acting nice just to try to get something and not really mean it."

"Which kids like that would do anyway," Lector sighed. He shook himself out of his thoughts and smiled at Nesbitt's sketches. "But I would say you must still be feeling the magic of the season, Nesbitt."

"Yeah, I guess so," Nesbitt said. He shifted. "Do you think Gansley actually wants to play Santa Claus, though?"

"I feel like he's warming up to the idea, even if he won't admit it," Lector said. "But there's no real reason why you couldn't both do it. Trade off on times and shifts. Or maybe you'd only want to do it at our Christmas party with Yugi and the others?"

"Maybe," Nesbitt said. "I haven't worked out all the details yet."

"You will," Lector said. "Talk with Gansley about it and work it out."

Nesbitt nodded. "I'll do that."

[phoenixfeatherquill]

Endgame Chapter (3/10)

Mai wished Serenity hadn’t left her alone. 

But she didn’t blame her either. The mood was tense, to say the least, and neither she nor Joey knew what to say to each other. Joey was especially nervous, flitting about the kitchen, making pancakes, checking the coffee (she knew he didn’t drink coffee), anything to distract himself. It was a comfort to know he was as anxious as she was. 

She took a sip of coffee and then added several spoonfuls of sugar. Serenity drank very strong coffee… 

“Are you back for good?” Joey had finally spoken. He leaned against the counters and crossed his arms over his chest. She was relieved he wasn’t angry—his emotions always showed on his face—but he was definitely disturbed. And hurt. 

“I think so,” She replied quietly. “At least for a while. If you’re okay with that.” 

“What does it matter what I think?” 

Mai glanced up at him. He wouldn’t meet her gaze. 

“I tried to call you, you know,” He stared at a spot over her head. “Wrote to you. Just to make sure you were okay. But...” 

“I know you did,” Her grip on the coffee mug tightened. “I just—I couldn’t face you.” 

“Couldn’t face me?” His eyes widened. “What are you talking about? After all we’ve been through?” 

“You nearly lost your soul because of me!” Mai’s eyes filled with tears. “Don’t you understand? I couldn’t—I just couldn’t bear seeing you again. I felt too guilty.” 

“I don’t care about that!” Joey exclaimed and she wanted to punch him. Of course he didn’t care. That was just Joey. His life didn’t matter, his problems didn’t matter, he only cared about others. He didn’t have an ounce of selfishness in his heart. Not like her… 

“Mai, I was worried about you,” He raked his hands through his hair. “We all were. You always had friends.” 

“But—how I acted towards you—towards all of you—” 

“Aw geez,” Joey rolled his eyes. “Do you know how many times each of us have been possessed by magical goons and evil whatchamacallits? We know you were under the influence of Orichalcos.” 

“That wasn’t all,” Mai stood. “That just influenced what I was already feeling. Anger, resentment, jealousy, hurt—and after what Marik did to me, I just…I lost control. And I took it out on you and you nearly lost your life because of it. I can’t forgive myself for it.” 

“Well, you better,” Joey said roughly. “Because I already have.” 

She stared at him. When was it she first noticed him—really noticed him? She remembered being on the boat headed towards Duelist Kingdom, scoping out the competition. She noticed Yugi straightaway—with hair like that, he was hard to miss. He’d been talking with Joey about their disadvantage; only having one star chip apiece. 

Yugi seemed embarrassed by her intimidating introduction and Joey ogled—both reactions she was used to. She was far more focused on defeating the champion who’d bested Kaiba. 

She challenged Joey to a duel a few days later, in the interest of gaining star chips quickly and efficiently. Rooting out weaker opponents was always a quick way of getting ahead fast. And her little aroma strategy—a particular bit of psychological warfare—was something she was particularly proud of. 

But it hadn’t phased Joey. Not really. He figured out her tricks, and in an amazing combination of her own foolhardy cockiness and his natural talent, he defeated her. She had been so furious. So certain it was beginner’s luck. She even accused Yugi of backseat dueling; claimed it was only because of him that Joey won. It was an unfair comment. Yugi had hardly helped, Mai just couldn’t admit to herself that she had lost fair and square. But it had deeply shaken Joey and he became even more determined to prove himself. 

And prove himself he did. Not only did he make it to the finals, he actually…introduced her to real friends. Her abrasiveness and cutting remarks hadn’t scared them off. And even when Panik attacked and terrorized her…they stood up for her. She had clear memories of Joey struggling against Bakura and Tristan, furious at how Panik had shoved her to the ground. And then Yugi fought Panik for her and got her star chips back. 

She had never had real friends before. 

Joey noticed her staring at him. “What is it?” 

“I was thinking…about when I first met you,” She replied honestly. “And Yugi and Tristan and Tea. And of course, Serenity…I was just thinking how I’d never had close friends before. I didn’t know…how to be friends.” 

She snorted. “It sounds stupid but for a while there, I thought that my Harpie Ladies were my only friends.” 

“Not stupid,” Joey glanced at his deck, which rested comfortably on the table. “Your monsters are a part of you. The best and the worst.” 

Mai averted her gaze. “I’ve never deserved it.” 

“You always deserved it,” He replied quietly. “You just didn’t believe you did.” 

There was a long silence between them as Mai reflected on his words. She wiped her eyes briskly. 

“Mai…” She looked up at him. His cheeks were red and now he was the one who couldn’t look her in the eye. “Why…why did you come here?” 

She stood up abruptly and crossed her arms. She had traveled everywhere in the last few years…dueling on the Great Wall of China, besting the most elite duelists in the European Leagues, even some strange guerilla duels in the boroughs of New York that took place on motorcycles. But no matter where she went, no matter how she tried to distract herself, chasing every high and ever piece of redemption…she couldn’t escape it. 

“I came back because I missed you.” 

Her voice broke. 

And suddenly, all at once, she was in Joey’s arms and he was holding her. 

“I missed you too,” His voice sounded just as hoarse as hers. “I was worried sick about you, Mai. We all were but…God, I missed you.” 

Violet eyes met hazel. Something settled in Mai’s stomach and her lips met his. There it was. That was what she’d been chasing and running away from, what haunted her every night she was away from him. 

XXXX 

Serenity wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened. 

One minute, she’d been playing a novice game with a ten-year-old to pass the time on a rainy day, the next she was in Seto Kaiba’s office and he’d built her a deck. And he wanted to see her again—to show her how to duel? 

Serenity’s brow furrowed and she tossed her hair over her shoulder. The rain had finally stopped and with the sunshine came her temper. Who did he think he was? He couldn’t just order her around like that. She didn’t need his silly cards. She could just ask Joey to teach her. He’d be happy to, and he’d do it without any of the arrogance or condescension she’d just experienced. 

When she reached her apartment, she paused. Why did he want to teach her how to duel anyway? Was this some sort of sick way to torment Joey? She wouldn’t put it past him. But it seemed like an awful lot of trouble for a multi-millionaire running a huge gaming company. Well, she wasn’t going to let him put one over her brother. Certainly not. 

She exhaled sharply and turned the key to her apartment. When she entered, Joey and Mai sprang apart like they’d been electrocuted. 

“Oh hey,” Joey flushed. “Where ya been?” 

Serenity suppressed a smile. If Mai’s tousled hair and Joey’s pink cheeks were any indication, she knew exactly what they’d been up to. 

“I was—” She paused and found she couldn’t think of any reason not to tell her brother the truth. “I was at Kaibaland.” 

Joey’s demeanor changed from awkwardly embarrassed to irritated. “Why?” 

“They were having a novice day. I thought it might be fun to learn about Duel Monsters, considering my best friends are all world-ranked duelists.” She smiled at Mai engagingly, who winked at her in response. 

“You don’t need to go there to learn,” Joey grumbled and handed Mai her jacket, which had slipped off. “You got two primo duelists right here. Speaking of—do you mind if Mai stays here a while?” 

Serenity had figured this might be the case. “Of course not. I’ll…go make up the futon.” 

She went to the linen closet knowing full well that Mai would not be using the futon. 

XXXX 

Joey had offered to teach her but it turned out, both he and Mai were busy for the rest of the week. Kaiba had kept his word and Joey was busy turning his newly purchased warehouse into the garage. Mai was in talks with several companies who were interested in sponsoring her—a beautiful, renowned duelist that looked good on a magazine cover could bring in a lot of revenue. When both of them weren’t working, they were often in deep talks that Serenity didn’t particularly want to interrupt. She could sense they were in the process of rebuilding a relationship and especially for Mai, it was going to take time. She still hadn’t forgiven herself. 

So when Friday came, Serenity couldn’t help but think about the appointment. 

She wasn’t going to go. She absolutely couldn’t. Joey would lose his mind if he knew Kaiba wanted to give her private lessons. He would immediately get the wrong idea—though truth be told, Serenity wasn’t sure what the right idea was exactly. Nevertheless, it wasn’t worth causing a fraternal explosion, especially since he was in the middle of working out his own relationship issues. 

But 4:00 came and went. And Serenity started to feel antsy. 

Her phone buzzed. It was a text from Joey, apologetically letting her know he’d be home late. He’d been trying to fix up Mai’s motorcycle; the throttle response was delayed, and it was taking longer than usual. He and Mai were going to go out to dinner after he got done. 

So she’d be alone for the night. Joey and Mai probably wouldn’t get back till quite late—and even then, they probably wouldn’t want to talk much to her; Serenity now had experience with how flirty Mai got with Joey after a few glasses of wine. But that meant…if she wanted to go out herself, they wouldn’t know.

She didn’t have classes on Friday, so she’d been alone most of the day. She could heat up some leftover udon. Or she could go out. Just to get dinner. 

At around six, she grabbed her jacket and her messenger bag and headed outside. She always liked autumn. And Domino City was such a nice place to have a walk before dinner. Not like the claustrophobic suburbs she’d grown up in. Classes had just started—she could treat herself and take the bus down to the beach; eat at one of the seafood shops. But then again, she was rather craving dumplings, and there was a place that made really amazing dumplings…it was about a block away from Kaibaland. 

She checked her watch. 6:10PM. Kaiba was expecting her in twenty minutes. Her lips pursed. She hadn’t even agreed to Duel Monsters lessons! He’d just ordered her like he did his underlings. That rankled her. 

But she couldn’t seem to suppress her curiosity. What exactly was he going to teach her? 

Dumplings or Kaiba? 

It was a tossup. 

Fifteen minutes later, she was standing in front of Kaibaland, eyeing the magnificent Blue Eyes White Dragon statue that flanked the entrance. She slowly chewed her dumpling (she’d hoped that perhaps ordering her dinner to go would cause her to miss 6:30PM and therefore take away the indecision, but the cooks had handed her dozen dumplings in record time) and debated on whether or not to enter. 

“Serenity! You made it!” 

The doors opened and Mokuba Kaiba stood out front grinning at her. She waved awkwardly. 

“Right on time too!” Mokuba beamed. “I wasn’t sure if you’d come.” 

“Neither was I,” Serenity admitted. “Mokuba—I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why does he want to teach me?” 

“I have no idea,” Mokuba said cheerfully, gesturing for her to come inside, “and trust me, I’ve asked. Maybe he senses talent. He’s always talked about creating a school for dueling. Maybe you’re test subject number one.” 

“How flattering,” Serenity said dryly. The younger Kaiba escorted her to the elevator and they stepped inside. Mokuba pressed the top floor button and hummed a little as the doors shut. 

Mokuba eyed her. “Are you nervous?” 

She considered the question. Nervous wasn’t quite the feeling—perhaps wary or cautious. At any rate, she harnessed the famed Wheeler bravado and crossed her arms. 

“He doesn’t scare me,” She said shortly and Mokuba smiled to himself. 

The elevator doors opened and for the second time that week, Serenity was led into Seto Kaiba’s office. 

He was sitting at his desk, typing on his computer when they entered. He glanced at the clock pointedly. 

“You’re late.” Serenity opened her mouth to snap back at him but Mokuba undercut her. 

“It’s not her fault, Seto. She was here on time. I was talking to her in the lobby; that’s why she’s late.” 

This was more or less true, but Serenity did not need Mokuba to offer up an excuse. “I wasn’t even sure if I should come. I wasn’t sure if you were joking or—” 

“Seto never jokes about Duel Monsters,” Mokuba said solemnly. The wicked glint in his eye suggested that his older brother never joked about anything, but he refrained from adding the comment.

“I suppose I’m a little confused,” Serenity crossed her arms. “Why do you want to teach me?” 

Kaiba stood. “You are excellent at chess. Anyone who is that good should be playing Duel Monsters. It requires the same level of precision and strategy.” 

He walked around his desk and stopped short. His eyes scanned her appearance and she stared back at him solidly. 

“I reviewed your last duel.” 

She stared at him in confusion. “What duel?” 

“Against Nezbitt a few years ago. With Devlin and the other. It took a little doing, but my computers kept records of the entire match.” His blue eyes bored into hers and Serenity flushed. That duel was not her finest hour. 

“That was my first duel,” She said defensively. “I wasn’t used to your technology—and seeing what happened to Tristan—” 

“I know,” He retorted. “It didn’t help that you picked the cards you found ‘cute’.” 

“I was fifteen! Maybe if you’d ever talked to a girl—” 

Mokuba cleared his throat. “Seto, why don’t you tell her what you told me just a little while ago?” 

Serenity and Kaiba looked towards Mokuba with varying levels of irritation. But Kaiba begrudgingly spoke. 

“Not all of it was your fault. The other one—who was so bent on throwing the game in order to shield you—was more to blame. You can’t learn to play properly if someone is obsessively keeping you from the match. Your strategy with St. Joan was brilliant.” 

She wasn’t sure how to respond. Kaiba’s assessment of the duel was possibly unfair to Tristan; he knew that Serenity was inexperienced and had been trying to protect her. After all, this duel had much dire consequences. But perhaps if she’d been given the chance to strategize…once she’d gotten the hang of defense/attack position, she hadn’t done too badly… 

“Did you review your deck?” Kaiba’s question startled her out of her memories. 

“Yes. I’m a little confused—there are a lot of dark and light types along with fiends and fairies. I thought those don’t go well together.” 

“You’d be surprised.” A strange expression came over him. “I’ll show you. Let’s duel.” 

Serenity raised her arms. “Hang on. I want to lay some ground rules here. For instance—I don’t want to use your crazy holographic machines. If I’m going to learn, I’m going to learn the same way I learned chess—at a table, sitting across from you like reasonable people.” 

Kaiba pursed his lips. He clearly didn’t like the stipulation but she didn’t care. The holographic monsters made her nervous and whatever rush it gave her brother and Kaiba—well, she wasn’t ready for it. She would learn in a low pressure environment or not at all. 

“Secondly…” She looked towards the floor. “I don’t want anyone to know about this.” 

There was a silence at the pronouncement but Kaiba didn’t argue. She was glad for it. She knew he didn’t give two figs about her brother, but, well…Joey wouldn’t understand. 

“Will you tell Joey eventually?” Mokuba asked. “If things progress?” 

She frowned. “Progress?” 

The younger Kaiba smiled artlessly. “You know. If you…get really good. And start wanting to compete.” 

Serenity let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Oh. Well. I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.” 

Mokuba grinned. “What did you think I meant?” 

“That’s enough, Mokuba,” Kaiba said tartly. “Take a seat, little Wheeler. Let’s begin.”

[imagitory]

For the fandom ask -- how about Yu-Gi-Oh?

Favorite character: Yugi! Hands-down. He was my very first bishie, and even now he remains one of my favorite protagonists from any series. Unlike a lot of fictional heroes, Yugi is defined as a true hero not by his determination, cleverness, courage, or even talent, but for his gentle, forgiving heart. His strength doesn’t come from punching his way through a problem or outsmarting his opponent, but most regularly in how much compassion he feels for others. It’s enough to transform a rough and tumble bully into the best friend a man could have. It’s enough to inspire friendships so strong that they can defeat ancient magics forged centuries ago. It’s enough to make a ruthless, vengeful spirit of darkness see him as his equal -- his “partner.” And yeah, coming from a world where men are usually defined by how stereotypically masculine they are -- by how stoic, cold, and physically bad-ass they are -- it was so cool to follow a male protagonist who instead embraced heroic traits like kindness and empathy that are more often associated with female characters.

Least favorite character: *sigh* Anzu. I’m sorry to those who enjoy her character, but even now that I’m older and have thankfully leapt off the “Tea-basher” bandwagon I was on as a kid, I still can’t find myself getting into her, even upon rewatching the series with a kinder eye. She just didn’t have much to do in the series except for rooting Yugi on and being one side of a love triangle between Yugi and Atem, and...I’m really, really sorry, but I just didn’t like anything about that love triangle. In my mind, it only served to make Anzu look really superficial, especially in the manga where there were plot points like Anzu trying to act like she was in danger in the hopes that Atem would take control of Yugi’s body to try to save her. Plus it got irritating whenever the series actually decided to let her duel and yet depicted her as having no clue what she was doing, even if she spent basically the entire series doing nothing but watching other people play Duel Monsters. And screentime-wise, she was the main female character of the show! I’m sorry, but as a female Yu-Gi-Oh fan, it just grated on me that for most of the show, a non-duelist who mostly just served as a love interest in a really awkward love triangle was the main source of representation for my gender. I don’t hate Anzu like I did as a kid, but I still can’t label myself a fan of her at all.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Yugi/Atem (Puzzleshipping), Jounouchi/Kaiba (Violetshipping/puppyshipping), Yugi/Jounouchi, Yugi/Kaiba (Rivalshipping), Jounouchi/Mai

Character I find most attractive: Yugi, Atem, Jounouchi, Kaiba (can I just steal ALL of his outfits? Please?)

Character I would marry: Yugi

Character I would be best friends with: Jounouchi -- he’s the best friend anyone could ever have, period!

A random thought: I really wish that Jounouchi and Kaiba had had the chance to duel alongside each other the way Kaiba and Atem or even Jounouchi and Atem did. Kaiba spent so much of the show putting Jounouchi down, and I dunno, I guess I would’ve liked it if they’d been able to develop to the point where Kaiba could’ve given Jounouchi some begrudging respect for his abilities.

An unpopular opinion: ...I guess I’ve never been into either of the Bakuras as much as everyone else -- I always thought Ryou in particular ended up super underdeveloped, compared to other members of the cast!

My Canon OTP: *frowns* There aren’t that many canon Yu-Gi-Oh ships to begin with, and the ones there are, I don’t really feel passionate love for, honestly.

My Non-canon OTP: I like the Yugi/Atem relationship in all forms: friendship, bromance, romance, whatever.

Most Badass Character: As much as I hate to say this given how overinflated his ego already is...I’m afraid I have to pick Seto Kaiba for this.

Most Epic Villain: Mm...well, memorability-wise, you can’t go wrong with Pegasus...though the villain I hated most was Dartz, largely because he stole my Yugi’s soul GODDAMNYOUDARTZI’LLKILLYOU, but overall, I think the best was Marik.

Pairing I am not a fan of: As mentioned, Yugi/Anzu/Atem

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Oh gosh, there were quite a few that got screwed over! I feel bad for all of the sidelined “cheerleader” characters like Anzu/Tea, Honda/Tristan, Otogi/Duke, and Shizuka/Serenity, as the series’ extreme focus on Duel Monsters almost doomed any non-duelists to remain forever in the background, no matter how interesting they could have been personality-wise. I also gotta put Ryou here too, for the reason I mentioned earlier -- he just gets so little screen time and is given so little agency in the plot that he’s completely overshadowed by his Thief King alter ego.

Favourite Friendship: YUGI AND JOUNOUCHI FOR ALL TIME. BEST. FRIENDSHIP. EVER.

Character I most identify with: *considers carefully* Mm...that’s tough...I guess Mai? I always liked how clever and put-together she was, even if she harbored a lot of self-doubt and loneliness inside of her heart.

Character I wish I could be: I would love being more like Jounouchi. Even though he was dealt a rotten hand in life, he’s just so honest, brave, and true to himself. He loves and fights with all of his heart, and I think that’s super admirable.

Fandom Ask!

[neioo]

Fanfic Rec! ( • ω • ) 

Rules I’m constraining myself to: I’ve either had to read the fic more than three times and/or have thought about it years in the future. (This means I’ll have to leave out some other fics I really enjoyed reading and thought were well written) 

A bunch of different fandoms will be under the cut! (as I expose what I ship across the board too lol)

We’ll Meet Again by George deValier (usuk) (complete)

This is the first fic of george’s that I read, and I’ve read it multiple times, and it’s been integral in my shaping of characterizations within my own hetalia fics. I could include all of his works, but this one stands out the most. I also listen to the vera verse songs and get extremely nostalgic, so there’s that

WW2 AU. London pub owner Arthur Kirkland is driven to distraction by loud, brash American fighter pilot Alfred Jones. Unable to stop it, Arthur finds himself falling for Alfred’s charms… just as the pilot is preparing to leave for war.

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue… by anonymous (pruaus) (unfinished)

This fic is odd in the sense that I found it while suddenly getting on a pruaus kick, during which I followed a bunch of pruaus people on tumblr. Eventually, I would find out years later that I was going to the same college as one of these people and become friends with them. So not only does this fic have a nostalgic tie to it, I find the story brilliantly written with wonderful characterization, though it is in a weird format.

Inspired by the film 500 Days of Summer, I’d really like to see a couple meet and fall in love, but eventually one (or both) ends the relationship because they realise it’s not working/they can’t imagine spending their whole life with this person/what have you. I’d really love to see how the relationship develops, with the happy times and the eventual bad times as it falls apart, and then the hope of finding love elsewhere.

Redeemer by CocoaCoveredGods (L x Light, Mello x Matt, Mello x Light) (complete)

I can’t tell you how happy I am that I found this fic after 6 or so years. I can’t tell you how nostalgic is makes me for my death note phase, remember when I would read this in my mom’s office, minimizing the fic on a laptop I hope she never checked. The writing is phenomenal. The format on this site is wonky, but doable to read. (I’m even reformatting it myself right now). It’s mostly everything I could have wanted in a death note fic; it even inspired my own very complex death note AU back in the day. In some alternate reality, I wrote that instead of AWH. I plan to maybe make a personal paper copy for myself of this fic I love it so much. It is on the level of George’s stuff on how much it means to me.

The story takes place *after* Death Note ends, although the main characters have not died. Here the Yellowbox Warehouse is essentially the pinnacle of L's 6-year long offensive against Kira, who believes L to be dead, when he really isn't. L faked his death, and proceeded with the case behind the cover of his three top heirs, Mello, Matt and Near. Kira himself doesn't succumb to his defeat, but is instead rescued at the last moment by his nemesis lover who decides that a more apropos end to the God of the New World is not death--but redemption, in the form of a new case and a 5th so-called Kira, that L and Light must bring down together... or risk losing everything. Yes, there is actually a plot LOL Buuuut, this puppy has yaoi and pairing's aplenty. LxLight and MelloxMatt are technically the mains, but when you cut straight down to it, this is a story about Light and Mello and how they go from hate to need, from enemies to lovers, and maybe even something more...

and indeed there will be time --orginally by lawlietismyfavorite, but they have since deleted their account :’( (the fic is still on AO3, though!) (L x Light) (unfinished)

I love death note, okay? After the beautiful live action series came out (the recent japanese one not that fucking netflix shit), I felt the need to read some fanfic of the series again, and I found this. HOLY SHIT. It’s a soulmate AU that goes through the plot line of the manga/show and fuck. Light is Ace?? The writing is so good?? 

L is the greatest detective of not only this century, but of six centuries. And then there’s Light.

Between the Lines by Klitch (Fushimi Saruhiko/Yata Misaki) (complete)

I’ve read this fic about 5 times and have accepted it as canon for this stupid show

The first time Yata saw him the kid was sitting in the corner of the cafeteria all alone with his bought lunch spread out before him, painstakingly picking out the vegetables and stacking them according to color and size.

Picking up the Pieces by SilverThunder (Fushimi Saruhiko/Yata Misaki) (complete)

I really like K. It’s a weird show, and it has copious faults. Maybe I just really like that the characters have so much potential, and this fic (as well as the one above) truly expands on that potential. This fic is an excellent exploration of these two character’s relationships, there���s just the right amount of angst. I’ve read it multiple times.

A whole year, gone from his head just like that - and how many memories could you fit in that time, anyway? It wasn’t a question Yata thought he’d ever have to ask, but with so many things changed between Saruhiko and himself, he wasn’t about to leave it alone.

It just sucked that the new world they’d built was still so easy to break.

to be first, to be best by kittebasu (chanyeol) (iwaoi) (complete)

haikyuu!! is odd for me because I don’t care about it anymore, but I really like this fic, and I’ve read it about 5 times. The characterization is on point, and the story is extremely well written.

Hajime is apparently something of a masochist, and as he stares down at the tie-dyed AREA51 T-shirt in his hands, he thinks“I’m totally in love with this asshole, aren’t I?”

Cat's Cradle by evocates (Fujioka Haruhi/Ootori Kyouya/Suoh Tamaki) (complete)

every new years eve, since 2011, my brother and I have watched Ouran High School Host Club. for the past 4 years, I have read and re-read this fic without fail in the days after

Kyouya had been able to see the red threads between people’s fingers since the day he was born. A song of fate, and the breaking of. Tamaki was a man who could never be predictable. Vague spoilers up to Chapter 63.

"Relationship Stuff" by arokitty, Ponderess (shinara) (complete)

This fic helped me realize I was asexual. It’s beautifully written.

"Relationship stuff" — that's what Yasutomo kept calling it on the occasions we discussed how things were going between us. He never failed to say it dismissively, as if it was an annoying plague he was forced to put up with. But even when I told him that he could opt out of it at any time, he did not pull back.

[lithromantic asexual Shinkai, aromantic asexual Arakita, quasiplatonic Shinara]

You Really Ought To Know by isengard (midotaka) (complete)

I really like this ship, and out of all the fics I’ve read of it, this is the one I adore the most (obviously enough to read it three times)

The Fates have an important message for Takao Kazunari.

A Gradual Fall by grassandcitrus (originshipping) (complete)

This maybe isn’t the best written fic, but it has a lot of heart, and for a ship that there is little content for, this fic served me well. It’s hard to write a realistic pokemon AU, but this feels grounded. For whatever reason, this ship still means a lot to me, so when I get in the mood for it, I’ll re-read this fic.

Meeting Wallace turned out to be a life changing event for Steven. He realizes that pretty early on. Other things, however, come with time.

The Punchline and the Resulting Silence by youremyqueen (thiefshipping) (complete)

from the author: “so i went ahead and wrote ygotas fic because, hell, if LK can record videos in which he vocally flirts with himself while playing video games, and then write gay porn about it, I sure as hell can write gay porn about it too.” yeah. 

In which Marik destroys many household appliances, Bakura naps doggedly, and they sometimes pretend - with very little success - not to be in love. (YGOTAS, thiefshipping. ridiculousness meets poeticism meets more ridiculousness.)

Six Days As Boyfriends by sitabethel (thiefshipping) (complete)

I just really like this ship and I have since I was a 14 don’t @me

In order to avoid talks of arranged marriage, Marik convinces Bakura to trick Ishizu into thinking that they're in love.

The Longest Job & The Smallest Favor by emanthony (hisoillu) (complete)

everyone in like march-ish of 2018: omg in the new update of hxh illumi says that he and hisoka are engaged!

me having watched 10 episodes of hxh 4 years ago and having a faint idea of the series: who?

me: *looks up fanfics of them*

me: *finds these two*

me: *proceeds to read them 15 times and gets obsessed with the ship*

Illumi is forced out of the Zoldyck estate and seeks a living arrangement with an associate. He's not altogether pleased with it.

Hisoka is a floor master at Heaven's Arena and has the unexpected pleasure of spending time with one of his oldest acquaintances. He doesn't share Illumi's frustrations.

///

A sequel to the Longest Job, another HisoIllu fanfiction.

Hisoka and Illumi have been living together for six months now without much trouble. But when Illumi's youngest brother goes missing, Hisoka manages to make the situation just a bit too complicated and much more fun.

Lessons in Etiquette by KnockKnockBadminton (promtis) (complete)

I knew nothing about this video game but for whatever reason decided to look up fanfic for it after seeing some fanart, and then because this one was so well written, I, again knowing absolutely knowing about this video game or the series it’s a part of, binged the entire 164k fic in like two days. I’ve also re-read it and convinced my brother to buy the video game as a result. He refers to them as the “leather boy band” and sends me updates about his play through lmao

Begins in high school. From Prompto's desire to befriend the sullen, bullied prince blooms a relationship even the Astrals themselves could not have foreseen. Basically fills in the gaps from Brotherhood to the fall of Insomnia. Some liberties taken.

say it like you mean it by spaceburgers (takuleo) (complete)

Ever since playing the video game, I loved the dynamic between these two characters, and this fic is a wonderfully crafted and fun to read AU staring both of them.

Wherein Leo is a transfer student, Takumi is overly competitive, and they're doing Romeo and Juliet (but not as the titular roles).

[slinkinginshadows]

A yamishipping stuffing and chub idea?

This ended up equal parts kink and... idk if I’d call it plot, exactly, but exploration, I guess? More Mariku/Atem than anything, but a bit of Mariku/Bakura too.

Wordcount: 1448 (yeah it ended kind of long for these)

Warnings: Very brief emeto warning, like half a sentence.

Having yourown body after ages of sharing one was an… interestingsensation. Atem had been overwhelmed with pain during the memory world game, andhad been too focused on the duel when he faced off against his partner. Marikuhad always had Marik’s consciousness humming at the back of his mind, even oncehe’d gained control. Bakura had… well, honestly, Ryou’s body felt like he was apuppeteer, with little more than the barest of physical sensations.

So when they’dbeen brought back, everything rushed in at once. Hunger, thirst, wind againsttheir faces and clothes against their backs.

They’d beendrawn back by Ryou. He’d been trying to summon something else, but Bakura hadbeen too closely intertwined with him for too long, and the gods had beenlooking for a chance to give Atem a few more years of the life he was denied.

Nobody wasreally sure why Mariku was there. Perhaps the dissolving of the shadow’ssentience left him nowhere to go.

The onething they shared, though, was a deep, almost painful hunger. Ryou theorizedthat these bodies had never eaten, and all three of them had the metabolism of teenage boys- not a good combination.

Ryou had saidthat he would call Yugi in the morning, but had laid out some clothes (toolarge for Atem, too small for Mariku, and even though they would have fitBakura he insisted on remaining in his robes) and ordered plenty of takeout. “Idon’t know how much you’d need, so we can just save whatever you don’t eat.”

Ryou was currentlysitting on the couch, poring over a spell book, Atem had settled down at thetable, and Bakura and Mariku were arguing over a bowl of pork noodles.

“There’senough for all of us.” Atem murmured, but both turned to glare daggers at him. “Iknow you’re hungry, I am too, but there’s no need to fight.”

“You knowwhat? You’re actually right.” Mariku moved over to a box of cupcakes, thendrizzled soy sauce over them and dropped a few noodles on.

Atem lookedlike he was about to be sick when Mariku stuffed it in his mouth in one bite.He turned to his own plate, which had a generous helping of chicken and rice, focusingon the sweet smell.

Within a fewminutes, all three of them had dropped the tension and focused on eating.Mariku made bizarre combinations, often of sweets with meat, Bakura rippedthrough everything like he was a wild dog, and Atem had eventually stoppedtrying to pick what he remembered from when he’d watched Yugi eat and hadstarted eating anything within reach. Noodles, fish, meatballs, containers ofpie and pastries… the table was roughly divided at first, but within half anhour they were all reaching for whatever they wanted most at the moment. Mariku’s face and cheekswere covered in sauce and frosting, and he often grabbed food off of Bakura’splate just to annoy him. Bakura retaliated by harshly shoving something inMariku’s mouth that puffed his cheek up like a chipmunk’s.

After an hour, the table had been cleared, and Ryou had stoppedlooking for answers and started looking at them.Right now, they weren’t a pharaoh, a thief king, and a monster of shadows, theywere three teenagers who had cleared a feast in less time than it took to watcha movie. The other two had shirts on, but Bakura’s belly bulge was easy to seewhen he stretched up his arms.

“Wow…” Ryou murmured, half in awe.

Bakura burped, thumping his chest. “Have any more?”

Ryou raised an eyebrow. “That was enough for six people.” Hesighed. “I’ll go shopping tomorrow.” He pulled from the fridge a half-strippedham, a carton of ice cream, and a few waffles he popped in the microwave.Bakura claimed the ham, and Mariku the ice cream, which left the waffles for Atem.

As he waited, he set a hand on his stomach. He knew Yugi hada bit of meat on his bones, although the thick leather usually hid it, and itmeant his new body felt unusually lean. That is, except for the small potbellythat pushed the fabric of his tunic out. Curious, he pressed his fingers down,pushing a hiccup out from his lips.

It… made sense, he supposed. If they really had never eatenin these bodies, any food would show immediately. And they’d had plenty. Bakurawas ripping the meat off the ham like he hadn’t eaten in 3,000 years, andMariku was starting to turn an odd color even as he continued to eat. Atem himselfhad cleared what felt like half a dozen kilos and then some, but his stomachstill gnawed with hunger.

When Ryou set the waffles down, he tore into them with justa fork, stuffing them into his mouth. Ryou crossed his arms.

“Guess I don’t need to get the syrup out, then.” Atem had half-finishedthe first waffle in less than fifteen seconds, even after everything he’d alreadyeaten. “Maybe your stomachs are all portals to the shadows and you’ll just eatright through all my pocket money.”

“I’d rather not intrude.” Atem set a hand on the back of hischair, standing up on wobbly legs. “You can call Yugi now, I wouldn’t want to botherhim, but I’m sure he’d-“

“Yugi can wait until the morning. For all I know you’lldisappear by then, and I’d rather not get his hopes up. Besides, Malik… he’sgotten better. I doubt he’d want to see his other half.”

“I don’t want to see him either!” Mariku shouted, beforeleaning forward and gagging into the now-empty ice cream carton.

“And I can deal with himfor now.” Ryou nodded at Bakura. “I’m sure it took a lot of energy to get full bodies,so eat as much as you need to. I’ll order more.” He headed for his bedroom,presumably to call for takeout without the noises of three arguing spirits.

Atem glanced at Ryou’s back, then the door, then finally thetable again. It seemed no matter how much he ate, he never quite got full, but he could at least finish what he started.

He ate the waffles, then walked over to the couch, collapsingon it. Mariku followed shortly, plopping down next to him. He tugged his shirtup and off, fumbling with his cape for a moment before getting it off too. Hehad a similar small belly to Atem’s- although Atem was slightly horrified tosee nearly-visible ribs above it.

“Do you still want to kill me?” The question slipped outbefore Atem could fully register it, but Mariku just laughed.

“I have no clue! When the shadows got wiped….” He set twofingers against the side of his head, then flicked them up, miming a gun goingoff. “I don’t know what of me is left. That’s mostly what I was made of, so whoknows what I am now?

That was… strangely candid. Atem turned to Bakura, still atthe table. Bloody juice had smeared his chest and swollen stomach. “What about-“

“If you finish that sentence, I might just do it, so I wouldn’t.”Bakura said sourly, and Atem looked down.

“…Fair enough.” He returned to prodding at his stomach. Hewanted to tug up the tunic, but didn’t feel any underwear beneath it and wasn’tabout to go nude in front of those two. The food inside was tightly packed, andafter poking an air pocket, a burp bubbled up. Mariku grinned, leaning forwardsto press his hands against Atem’s bloated belly, which got another belch beforeAtem slapped a hand to his mouth. Mariku laughed at that.

“You’re human. Better to accept it than pretend you’re stillgod-king.” He kept kneading at the flesh through the fabric, and even though heoccasionally dug his fingernails in, Atem found it was… almost nice. Niceenough that he didn’t mind his eyes were starting to… starting to… droop…

Ryou re-entered the room to find Bakura picking his teethlazily while Mariku and Atem were slumped over each other. “I don’t know if itwas a food coma or they’re dead.” He said, and Ryou hurried over to checkbefore he saw they were both breathing.

“…It’s probably just strain from coming back.” Ryoumurmured. He looked up when he heard a thud- Bakura’s head had hit the table aswell. He couldn’t help a soft smile as he lifted the former spirit up and droppedhim on the couch, taking several pictures.

Wouldn’t that be awakeup call to Yugi tomorrow morning.

[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

[ygofanfiction]

Prompt: Literally anything about Ryo Bakura's sister. Because I know she exists, he writes her a letter one time but she's kinda never mentioned again? Is she even still alive? Does/did she know about the spirit of the ring? What's happening with/what happened to her?

In canon, she died in a car accident. according to wikia, ryou writes her letters after her death, but stops when YamiB takes over.

(Morrow)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Bakura Amane was not entirely certain why her brother stopped writing to her, but she’d chalked it up to teenage angst and left him be. She was a good bit older than him, after all, and knew what it was like to have an “I hate my family” phase. She had the piercing holes and the poke tattoo to prove it. They’d only had each other when their parents died, but they weren’t sentimental about it, not really.

When Amane had seen her little brother’s name appear during the coverage of Duelist Kingdom, she was happy he was at least being social with other kids his age. He’d always been sort of reticent and creepy growing up, so it was nice to see his face on television, having fun playing Duel Monsters with his peers. Well, his peers and an alarming number of adults, too, which struck Amane as odd, but hey. Any port in a storm, and Bakura Ryou’s social life was normally pretty shaky.

Though her brother still never answered her letters, she became friends with Kujaku Mai. At least that way, she’d have some updates on how her little brother was doing, as Mai was one of those odd adults hanging around with him and playing card games. (Seriously, what was up with all these adults playing the card games?)

Kujaku Mai was a boisterous, flashy woman, but she always had a kind word for Amane when they would meet up to chat. She said she’d never known Ryou even had an older sister, and Amane had only shrugged. Her relationship with Ryou didn’t need to be warm and familial. Teenage boys were, developmentally speaking, like little sociopaths. It was enough to know he had friends and was getting good grades.

Battle City changed all that.

Amane watched with her hand over her mouth as her little brother convulsed and spasmed, as he opened his mouth and spoke with the voice of another, and as he collapsed onto the floor of the dueling platform. She leapt up from the couch and knelt in front of the television set, but it cut to a commercial right as a camera zoomed in on the unconscious face of Bakura Ryou. She cursed and smacked the device, but that didn’t change anything. She grabbed her cell phone to call Mai, who told her in a calm voice that, yes, Ryou was stable. Yes, the blimp had doctors on board who were doing everything they could. No, they weren’t going to land the blimp. Yes, they would still finish the tournament. Yes, Mai would wait by Ryou’s side until he woke up or at least until it was time for Jou’s duel with Marik. Amane hung up, feeling helpless.

She’d never acted like she cared before, never been there for him before, and now that she physically couldn’t, she wanted to. It was the worst feeling in the world, knowing she’d had so many chances to mend their relationship, to help her little brother, and she’d squandered them all, categorically denying even the need for them. So Bakura Amane had no choice but to watch in terror as her little brother’s friends fell, one by one, to whatever evil was manipulating the tournament. She watched, powerless, as they ultimately triumphed and defeated this Marik character. She looked on, passively, at her brother’s tired but happy face as he shook hands with the tournament’s victor, his friend Yuugi. As she had always done, Bakura Amane watched, doing nothing, as Bakura Ryou lived his life.

[chaosmarik]

bad-decision-central​:

chaosmarik​:

bad-decision-central​:

chaosmarik​:

bad-decision-central​:

“Sounds good, thanks bud,” Were they friends? Not even close, but it was nice to pretend for the moment.“

He scarfed down his food,” I, uh, guess I’ll go on and get that headstart. Thanks for sharin a meal with me.“

He headed out of the restaurant, but he didn’t really feel like running. Marik was gonna catch him either way if he really wanted to, no use giving himself a stomach ache when he’d likely get caught either way.

He let the other go. He soon grinned and went after him. It was time.

Joey was a little surprised that he’d made it home without incident, but then again they’d already been close. Maybe Marik has chosen the stalking approach. He hesitated outside his building and looked around.

Admittedly his nerves had kicked in just a little.

It looked like the other had managed to hide. But Malik knew he couldn’t have gone far so looked around carefully. “Come out wherever you are.” he said, not actually expecting an response, though.

Not seeing anyone, Joey headed inside and tip toed around his sleeping father. The fucker had passed out in the doorway. Whatever, not in his problem.

He settled in his room, wondering if Marik would find him or not.

He looked around but couldn’t find him. He frowned. So he got away this time.He opened a portal and vanished.

send me a ⚠️ with a reason my muse should be shamed

"Shit, where do I start? He's always pulling creepy faces, thinks torturing people is fun, and literally won't stay dead. You weren't even born to begin with! You're like black licorice, you shouldn't exist!"

"And I think you shouldn't exist so I'll just end your existence now."

[seokjinryou]

Opinions on ryou x tristan?

Oh I’m glad I got this ask while I’m on a break from studying because I can rant on about this for days.time is gonna pass fast.

Now let me tell you that my OTP for tristan is chaseshipping (tristan x duke) and my OTP for ryou is deathshipping (ryou x yami marik) BUT. But in the begging of the series (especially in season 1) I shipped those two so much. I still do. I feel like with ryou being through so much shit and with tristan being the collected guy he is (sometimes he’s not okay bear with me I’m getting somewhere) they would “complete” each other. When ryou would be upset over something,over anything tristan would be there for him. He’d know how to do it cause he’s been there for joey all those times his dad was an asshole to him. He’d let ryou have his alone time and his personal space cause he knows he needs it sometimes.He’d comfort him and he’d tell him that everything’s in the past and the best is ahead. He’d keep ryou’s feet in the ground like he does with everyone and he’d take him out to help him relax and he’d remind him constantly that he’s strong.Tristan would be proud to be with him cause ryou is a tough cookie and he amazes him everyday. Ryou on the other hand would have someone to love him,care for him and protect him no matter what. And that’s why ryou would feel 100% comfortable around him. Even though he wouldn’t open up to him for a long time he’d let him in eventually and he’d see that it’s not that to trust someone (as long as its Tristan lmao). He’d pick tristan up when life gets hard (I mean he knows damn well how life can get you on your knees) and he’d probably remind him what tristan himself told him a while ago about not letting obstacles get the best of you. He’d be there for Tristan when his dad gets mad at him for not working at his factory and doing what he’s always dreamed of,he might even argue with Tristan’s father about it. Cause ryou would do anything for Tristan,even put himself in any kind of danger. The care about each other and there’s evidence of that on the series. I’d also like to mention how cute they’d look getting some ice cream or taking a walk at the park.

Overall 9/10, I’d go to their wedding and cry.

[rosalind-hawkins]

*slides in* nanbaka and yu gi oh for da meme thingie please!

YOU FEED MY CRACK ADDICTION

Seriously though, it’s high time I did a Nanbaka/Yugioh crossover. *cracks knuckles* Brace yourselves, humans. It’s time to duel!

1. Ship•Because I’m the kind of person who used to study the Yugioh master shipping list looking for fanfic inspiration and who’s very open minded about ships, this answer is long and will be addressed in a separate post.

2. BFFs•Mai and Momoko are two peas in a pod: strong, respected women in the middle of a competitive sausage fest.•Yūgi and Jyūgo are both members of the Anime Protagonists Club.•Odion and Shiro—the strong, silent types.•Ryou and Houzuki•Mitsuru and Duke. Idk why, I just see it.

3. Enemies•Marik & Duke vs. Honey & Trois, all of them competing for the title of “Most Delectable Twink”•Pegasus, Alister, the Big Five, Aknadin, Siegfried, Rare Hunters, Gozaburo vs. the guards, because they all broke the law in various ways.

4. Allies•Yūgi, Joey and Jyūgo, Rock.•Ishizu and Momoko•Samon/Kenshirou and Ishizu. I feel like they’d trust her.

5. Reluctant Allies•Kaiba and Hajime, because they’re both so headstrong they’d want to do things alone.•Pegasus and Enki

6. Drive Each Other Bananas•Marik/Duke and Uno/Ruka because pretty boys vs. insecure pretty boys.•Joey and Honey, maybe

7. Most Alike•Ryou/Yūgi and Nico/Jyūgo, respectively, since they have the most bifurcated personalities.•Gozaburo Kaiba and Enki Gokuu for excessive cruelty while in positions of power•Mitsuba and Pegusas for being the most flamboyant ones in their shows•Ruka and Siegfried for being the second most flamboyant characters in their shows•Yami Marik and psycho!Nico•Yami Bakura and Elf

8. Favorites as Friends•Ryou and Seitarou would be a bucket of creampuffs topped with whipped cream and marshmallows and star-shaped sprinkles and I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. :3 I’d actually just pass out if I ever saw that.

9. Long Lost Father and Son•Yamato and Tristan

PLEASE ASK ME FOR MORE OF THESEMy other fandoms: Yuri On Ice, Mystic Messenger, Touken Ranbu, Pokemon

[thewittyphantom]

More Duel Art stuff

I was reading the Duel Art book again and noticed new, interesting stuff ^^

Takahashi created characters first by deciding their personalities--are they fundamentally good or bad? Softer, rounded lines implied gentler personalities while sharper angles were aggressive.

Similarly, lines at the top of the eyes indicated egotism while lines at the bottom indicated cooperativeness and dependence on others, which is why Yugi has lines at the bottom of his eyes.

Atem has a strong Tutankhamen motif. Tutankhamen was named in part for Amun, while his father believed in Aten, and Tutankhamen’s tomb also had Aten symbols. Takahashi speculates that due to becoming Pharaoh at such a young age, Tutankhamen’s priests and advisers defied his will, seized his power, and forced him to promote a different god rather than following in his father’s footsteps like he presumably wanted.

Since YGO was a bit dark, Takahashi decided GX would be brighter, as Jaden doesn’t have a dark side, is cheerful, hot-blooded, and easy to read.

Takahashi also felt that GX’s cheeriness meant the protagonists couldn’t grow as much and would be unable to defeat someone like Marik, so he wrote in Jaden becoming the Supreme King, but then felt it was almost too dark. But he feels Jaden became a stronger character after that.

The 5Ds Duel Runners were mainly made so characters could travel the world and assemble pretty much anywhere. Originally only Yusei and Jack Atlas were going to have them, but it turned out everyone did.

5Ds’ Dark Signer arc was partially inspired by a miniseries Takahashi had presented to Shonen Jump that got rejected, where 5 heroes with glyph birthmarks were killed by an ancient enemy, got reincarnated, and only had the glyphs to remind them of their past lives, which they’d gradually remember and join forces to take down the original enemy.

The main reason the above was rejected was because the sample oneshot ended right as they died. Aside from the geoglyphs and dragon marks, the Dark Signer arc was made by the staff, though Takhashi really enjoyed how exciting the finale was.

“Anything can become a dragon” is a central tenet of Yu-Gi-Oh, hence Stardust Dragon, Black Rose Dragon, Barrel Dragon, etc. Takahashi prefers drawing Western dragons but feels as long as it has recognizable dragon elements anything can be one.