#never mind fuck everything i just said about them not being cute. good pokémon. i'm picking turtwig in my next gen 4 playthru

[front-facing-pokemon]

[sage-nebula]

Hey, I've been offline for a while so I'm a little behind on your MM posts, but I see that you said Anime Otogi is like Zen but Manga Otogi isn't? But I'm not really sure how the two differ that much so if you could shed some light on that please? I know you're really into MM right now so I hope it's not too out of your way to answer a non-MM ask lol

Haha, well, I have also been really into Pokémon and Voltron: Legendary Defender recently, but I still answer the YGO questions that get sent my way even though I’m not super into YGO right now, so it’s fine.

There is a world of differences between manga!Otogi and anime!Otogi. Otogi is one of the three characters Studio Gallop fucked over the most when they made their anime adaptation (the other two being Jounouchi and Bakura Ryou), and so honestly it’d be easier to make a condensed list of things they have in common versus differences between them. Really, about the only similarity is their name and appearance. That’s … that’s really it. (Oh, and the fact he created Dungeon Dice Monsters in both versions. That, too.) Otherwise, it’s like manga!Otogi is a lake while anime!Otogi is a mop puddle. The differences are that stark.

But for a more in-depth explanation:

Manga Otogi:

In the manga, Otogi Ryuuji is the son of a wizened former apprentice of Sugoroku’s, back when Sugoroku was still acting as a master of games. About Years ago pre-canon, Otogi’s father (Mr Crown) challenged Sugoroku to a Shadow Game over ownership of the Millennium Puzzle. At the time, Mr Crown was still young. However, the Shadow Game he challenged Sugoroku to was a game called the Devil’s Board Game, in which players bet years of their life. At the end of the game, the loser would age according to the number of years they had bet. Mr Crown had bet fifty years, and so when he lost, he aged fifty years in a single night.

As a result of this, Mr Crown became obsessed with seeking revenge against Sugoroku. In order to accomplish this he had a son, Otogi, who would be able to carry out his revenge for him. (And yes, you read that correctly: In the manga, Otogi was born solely to seek revenge against Sugoroku; he would not have been conceived otherwise. And to be honest, I have doubts that Mr Crown is his biological father at all, but that’s just speculation.) Due to being raised for the sole purpose of revenge, Otogi was sheltered, tutored, and trained in the art of gaming, and was not allowed to socialize until he was sixteen and it was time to get revenge on Sugoroku by Otogi playing Yuugi in Dungeon Dice Monsters over ownership of the Millennium Puzzle.

As a result of this, manga!Otogi …

… is quite serious in terms of personality. Otogi is a rather sincere, but also rather serious, person. Due to the abusive environment he was raised in (and Mr Crown was quite abusive to him, even in the present day), Otogi tends to take most things in life seriously, regarding everything with a scrutinizing eye and honest judgment. While it’s not impossible for him to smile, he really doesn’t have genuine smiles very often, and he lacks the comic relief spawning flippancy the anime gave him. That said, he’s not stoic; Otogi can actually be rather emotional, and there are times when he …

… is quite tsundere. Otogi is an honest-to-god tsundere in the manga when it comes to joining the friend squad. In the manga, Otogi gets involved in the Battle City arc when he decides to tag along with Honda to go pick up Shizuka from the hospital after her eye surgery. When Honda pokes fun at the fact that Otogi made up an excuse to do this, Otogi responds in the most tsundere way possible:

“I-It’s not like I like you, or anything!!” is classic tsundere, and Otogi uses it here to mask the fact that he’s actually tagging along with Honda to the hospital because he wants to get closer to the friend squad. This is a far cry from the anime, where he just happened to stumble across Honda and Shizuka when they were fleeing from the Ghouls, and decided to tag along after that because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . In fact, to that end, manga!Otogi …

… wants to learn about the power of unity, and specifically wants to learn what it means to gain strength from bonds formed with other people. Unlike in the anime, where Otogi’s character during Battle City is entire wrapped up in a love triangle between himself, Honda, and Shizuka (which does not exist in the manga; neither Honda nor Otogi have feelings for Shizuka in the manga, as well they shouldn’t give that they are in their second year of high school and she is a junior high student, very much a kid to them), Otogi has his own character arc in the manga that focuses on his desire to find out what it’s like to have friends and companions to rely on, and what it’s like to draw strength from them, given that this was something denied to him as a result of his upbringing. In fact, this is the entire reason why he decides to join the friend squad in Battle City:

As you can see, Otogi is not only quite serious and focused on this question he wants an answer to (rather than gushing over how cute Shizuka is, like in the anime), but it actually is a question he wants an answer to, and an actual character arc in comparison to the comic relief he was reduced to in the anime. Otogi never had friends growing up, in the manga; he was never allowed to have them. Now that his father has disowned him and he fulfilled his “purpose” of revenge, he’s free to seek out friendships and learn what it truly means to gain courage and strength from the bonds he forms with others. But on that note, in the manga, Otogi …

… is not a womanizer, even a little bit. Whereas in the anime he had cheerleaders following him around and gushing over him, in the manga, Otogi doesn’t care about that at all. While the girls at school still do fawn over him for being attractive (much as they did Bakura when he transferred in), Otogi doesn’t pay them too much mind, instead focusing his attentions on Yuugi and Jounouchi. Furthermore, when he plays Dungeon Dice Monsters with Yuugi, they are alone; the only audience for this match is Mr Crown (who watches in secret for the first half), and later the Spirit of the Ring (since he senses that the Puzzle is in danger). Otogi is confident in his gaming skills, but he doesn’t have the massive narcissistic streak in the manga that he has in the anime. He certainly never spends time thinking about how suave, smooth, or good-looking he is, and it actually seems like talking himself up is very far from his mind in the manga. Additionally, while he was raised for revenge against Sugoroku (by defeating Yuugi), and while he is confident in his gaming skills, Otogi …

… does not hate Yuugi, and is actually quite kind. He really is not a jerk in the manga, at least not to an extravagant amount. He does come off as something of one when he is first introduced (and acts like a bit of one throughout the DDM match due to the pressure that is on him to win), but when Mr Crown shatters the Millennium Puzzle partway through the match, Otogi stops the match to help Yuugi pick up the pieces, apologizes to Yuugi for the fact that his father broke it, and then declares that he’s going to continue to play the game honorably. He begs Mr Crown to stop lashing out about vengeance once the match is through (even though this gets him disowned), and as I said, really wants to understand what friendship and companionship are as the manga goes on. And as far as not hating Yuugi goes, even before they became friends (and in fact, even before they had played Dungeon Dice Monsters at all!) Otogi felt positively about Yuugi, simply because of the card games they had played in the classroom:

(Note: This leads Mr Crown to demand if Otogi had lost against Yuugi, and when Otogi stammered his response (“Uh, well—”) Mr Crown realized that he had. As a result, he struck Otogi across the face with that riding crop he’s carrying and screamed at him for losing. So yeah, having a rare genuine smile and talking about how amazing Yuugi was got Otogi punished pretty harshly. I was not exaggerating when I said Mr Crown abused him.) Otogi genuinely likes Yuugi, even before they play DDM, though he tries to repress it while they play because he knows it is his duty to get revenge on his father’s behalf. So while he does have his moments of being a jerk when first introduced (particularly toward Jounouchi, given that he wanted to take Jounouchi away from Yuugi as a start on the revenge), overall Otogi is a kind person who is not full of himself in the manga, and certainly not to the playboy extent he is in the anime. And actually, at times he …

… is quite sensitive. This ties into how I mentioned that he’s emotional and kind up above, but Otogi is actually quite sensitive to the feelings of others. Part of why he’s so bent on revenge for his father’s sake is because he legitimately feels bad and uncomfortable with how disfigured Mr Crown is due to the Devil’s Board Game. Straight up, he has a difficult time even looking at Mr Crown’s true face as a result of this: 

And, as stated, felt bad when Mr Crown shattered the Puzzle and made Yuugi cry (from shock, anger, and hurt) during the DDM match:

He’s also very forgiving his father, despite how Mr Crown disowns him and tells him he no longer has reasons for living now that he failed to carry out revenge as planned. Otogi is quite emotional and sensitive, perceptive to other’s feelings. He’s quite conscious of it.

I could probably go on, but all in all, Otogi is not the selfish, borderline narcissistic twit that he is in the anime. He’s actually a serious character with depth and a true character arc in the manga, and though he only has a small role, I’d say that he’s still very good. By contrast …

Anime Otogi:

In the anime, Otogi Ryuuji appears to be the sole owner of the Black Crown game shop, given that his father, Mr Crown, apparently does not exist. Some time shortly before Duelist Kingdom, Otogi developed Dungeon Dice Monsters because he felt like it. He contacted Industrial Illusions for assistance with getting his game created, and after a meeting with Pegasus (whom Otogi idolized), it seemed as if his dream was going to come true and the partnership was going to go through successfully. However, Pegasus disappeared after the events of Duelist Kingdom (because he went into a coma in the anime, whereas he was outright murdered in the manga), and as a result the partnership between the Black Crown game shop and Industrial Illusions fell through. Enraged that he was never going to get Dungeon Dice Monsters published now, and feeling that Yuugi must have cheated somehow to defeat Pegasus, Otogi enrolled at Domino High so that he could challenge Yuugi to Dungeon Dice Monsters, a game Yuugi had never played before, because somehow beating Yuugi at Dungeon Dice Monsters would prove that Yuugi had cheated during his Duel Monsters match with Pegasus. OK.

As a result of this, in the anime, Otogi …

… is petty, selfish, and self-absorbed. Whereas he was raised as an instrument for his father’s revenge in the manga (and was therefore acting not out of his own desires, but rather for his father’s desires, and any personal feelings he had were simply feelings to make his father happy), in the anime he seeks out revenge against Yuugi because he’s mad that his partnership with Pegasus fell through as a result of Duelist Kingdom. It’s petty, because although it’s disappointing to have a business deal fall through, it’s not as if there aren’t other ways to get that game published. It’s something trivial to seek out revenge for, and makes him seem like a less dangerous Kaiba rather than his own character. He’s also rather selfish and self-absorbed, because not only is he seeking revenge over an inconvenience and injustice he feels he faced, but he feels that he faced that injustice because, in his mind, the world seems to revolve around him. It’s not that he doesn’t know how to socialize, but rather that he doesn’t care to because he’s so wrapped up in his own little world and sense of self-importance and genius. And on that note, he …

… is fully aware of how cool and good looking he is, and relishes the attention. The girls fawn over him in the anime, too, but this time he actively encourages it. He brings cheerleaders to the matches at Black Crown, and broadcasts the Dungeon Dice Monsters game on huge screens outside the game shop so that everyone can see him defeat Yuugi. During the Battle City arc, he’s constantly flaunting himself and bragging to try and impress Shizuka, and is still willing to denigrate others (namely Honda) in order to make himself look better. This behavior is not present at all in the manga, particularly because (as I said) Otogi ignores the girls in the manga and plays Dungeon Dice Monsters privately with Yuugi in a very secluded back room. And speaking of the girls, in the anime, Otogi is …

… a womanizer. The cheerleaders aside, Otogi’s entire “arc” in Battle City in the anime is the love triangle going on between himself, Honda, and Shizuka. His entire reason for being there is because he wants to get into a thirteen-year-old’s pants. He seems to have no other thoughts or concerns on his mind, aside from occasionally having commentary to add about the duels going on.

And that, honestly, is the most that can be said about him in the anime. He’s flippant and full of himself, but he has about as much depth as a mop puddle compared to his manga counterpart. He’s one of three characters the anime treated the most horribly, with Jounouchi and Bakura Ryou (so, not the spirit, but actual Bakura) being the other two. It’s sad, but it is what it is. Hopefully someday the anime can be rebooted and actually done right.

[forkanna]

[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

NOTE:  Yes this one is super short, too. Sorry! Next one will be better.

Let's skip to a couple days later. Not much else happened other than smarmy grossness. Of course, that still wouldn't be the usual level of pure, grade-A Canadian maple sap given that I was part of the relationship, but it was cute. Lots of takeout and movies, gaming, snuggling. Things that I had to get used to since none of my previous significant others had ever stuck around long enough.

Well… other than Scott.

Maybe that's why he was on my mind so much during that time. Literally the only other long-term relationship I'd had was him, and we were in high school, trying to figure ourselves out as much as we were trying to figure out each other and how to combine those two factors. Opening up those memories was like watching him drive away all over again, but I kept doing it. Had to figure out if there was some weird nugget of truth in there somewhere that could help me figure out how not to fuck everything up with Knives.

Scott and I didn't "date" much. It was definitely a benefriends situation; we were buds who started boinking in the back of my parents' car. So all of our activities were about the same as they had been before; practicing music, hanging out with Lisa Miller. We didn't do much that was coupley other than holding hands and sex. From what I heard, Scott got all those romantic experiences from Natalie after he dropped me like a bad habit.

So why did I keep thinking about him if there wasn't much wisdom to be had? Because I didn't have any other experiences to compare it with.

I'm pretty pathetic. But at least I had someone to call and ask for advice. He might not be the most monogamous person I know, but he is a flaming queer, and has had more success in the dating arena than pretty much anyone else in my extended circle. Maybe using my phone-a-friend lifeline counted as cheating, but when working with such a severe handicap, I figure it all shakes out.

                                                            ~ o ~

"Well, well, well," Wallace Wells half-purred in that voice of his. You know the one. "The redhead."

"That is the colour of my hair, yes," I grumbled.

"Didn't expect to ever hear from you again once Ess Bee Bee and that other thing broke up. See you around in that bump-into-people-you-knew-through-people-in-Honest-Ed's way, sure…"

Gripping my drumstick tighter as I sat on my drumset's seat — the seat of power, a place from which I drew comfort and ability to cope with life — I said, "Same. But I got your number from Stacey, because… I need help."

"'Fraid I'm fresh outta that stuff."

"Help? You're 'out' of help. Really?"

"Yep. The generic kind. But if you elaborate, I might have a specific flavour blend in stock…"

He was definitely going to make me work for this. So I decided to stop being shy and cut through the double-talk and uncertainty. "I'm dating Knives."

The line was quiet for a moment. "That sounds painful. My advice is to buy plenty of bandages for when things get frisky."

"No, Knives Chau. Scott's ex."

"Oh!" he said in a pleasant tone of voice. Even now, I'm not totally sure whether he was trolling me or if he really didn't think I meant her the first time. "She was cute in a Pokémon trainer kind of way. Didn't think you played in the kiddie pool."

"She's in college now, you asshat. But I could use some advice."

"Advice for dating women? Fresh out of that, too."

Gritting my teeth, I said, "Wallace…"

"Alright, alright. So you're edging onto the Rainbow Road and you're afraid of flying off the side. I gotcha. Assuming that's the reason you called me instead of someone else you know…?"

"There's nobody else. Stephen's pretty much the only other person I could call, but he gives terrible advice. Hollie is in Nowhereville with Jason, who knows? And Steph… I just don't know her very well. Or maybe too well. I'm really not sure which."

"That makes me the bartender."

"What?"

"You know, the nameless bartender you tell all your deepest, darkest secrets to in hopes he can give you guidance because you're too blasted to figure out he couldn't care less about your life."

"Fine, nevermind. God, sorry to have bothered you."

But he was chuckling. "Alright, alright. I'm half-kidding; I barely know you and don't care that much, but you're family now. That has to be taken into consideration."

"I'm… family?"

"Gay family. A budding bisexual, right?"

"Y-yeah." I cleared my throat to get rid of that uncertain quaver. "I guess."

"We all start out 'guessing'. It's okay." He let out a long sigh, and there was the sound of something being moved around; he was probably working on something in his apartment, or at his job. Whatever that was. "How long have you two been having playdates?"

"A couple weeks, or whatever," I growled, ignoring the insult.

"How far have you gone?" When I let out a strangled noise, he reassured me, "For informational purposes only. Trust me, I'm not going to get off on two girls doing anything. If there's not at least one dick involved, it's off my curiosity list."

I started to correct him that one was involved, but again I felt that instinct to protect her identity kick in. Maybe I should ask her if she minded me telling people at some point. "Dry-humping. She's kind of… never done it, and I haven't done it with a girl. I swear, if you tell anyb-"

"Lips are sealed. Do you want it to go further?"

"YES! But I mean, only if she's ready."

"Good, that's good. I've had a hesitant date or two. No still means no, and that's more important than all the prep work in the world, but I have a couple ideas that could help get her in the mood."

That one hit me hard. Luckily, I just barely listened to her "no"s when we were drunk as skunks. Nodding as I chewed on my drumstick, I then put it down and said, "That'll help, but I'm actually more worried about… other stuff. Like, how to be in a relationship with a cute, bubbly, fun girl when I'm a vortex of despair."

"Opposites attract. Chances are, she already likes you because you're a vortex of despair. Not usually something people put on their eHarmony profile, though." But apparently, I had him curious. "What other stuff?"

"Dating. I suck at it. Like…" I tried to lower my defenses. "She's so sweet to me, and I feel like I'm just there. Sucking all the fun out of the room. I want her to feel what I feel. Or I guess, to show her that. Something."

"Awww, baby lesbians are so cute. Like puppies."

"Ugh…"

Then he sighed again, a long, floaty sigh of someone toying with someone else. Which would be me. "Alright, never fear — Wallaciraptor is here. Let's help you get rolling…"

                                                            ~ o ~

When Knives walked in the door, I could tell she was caught off-guard by the way her purse fell to the floor instead of being set down. "Kim? I… what's going on?"

"Nothing," I lied as I bent over to take the casserole out of the oven, showing off my bare ass. Just below the apron strings. Yes, I really did the cliché. Yes, it was super uncomfortable for me, since I'm not exactly a flesh-flashing kinda girl. But I thought, hey, it was worth a shot. "Making dinner."

Which was also part of the plan. There were multiple parts; I didn't know which one to try, so I tried everything. One big gesture to try and prove to both Knives and myself that I could be a girlfriend, and not just some drummer chick who acts like she's on the rag all the time.

"Yeah, but you're naked! I mean… almost!"

"You like it? I thought the green apron brought out my eyes." It still came out sounding sarcastic, even though I didn't mean for it to. My voice just sounds that way unless I'm actively suppressing the biting tone, and even then sometimes it bleeds through.

"Um…" Deciding not to comment on my butt, she turned toward the stove. "Smells great! We're having casserole?"

"Yes. And garlic bread. That's not done yet, though. And, um…" I glanced at my coffee table, where there was a cabernet open and "breathing" — Wallace's suggestion. I would have just put a couple of beers down to go with dinner, or at least uncorked the wine right before drinking it.

Knives walked over and touched one of the wine glasses with a finger. I got them from a dollar store specifically for this occasion, since I didn't own any before. Then she picked up the remote for the stereo system, which was pretty conspicuous because it was the only other thing on the table. "What's this do?"

"Hit 'play'," I said as I got out plates.

She did. And quiet, soft, romantic piano music started floating out of the speakers. Also from the dollar store, but I listened to the whole CD before using it to make sure it wasn't too terrible. She laughed… but it was a very specific, actual happy laugh. Not so much at my expense as just surprised at the situation, I guess.

"What is all this?" she asked as she went back over to kick off her work shoes and leave them by the purse. "Like… I thought we were just going to have cup ramen and watch TV."

"Wanted to try something else. Um… y-you'll have to tell me if it's any good. Never tried this recipe before." Hell, I don't think I'd ever cooked anything more complex than a frozen pizza in forever.

Once she was in the kitchen, she put her hand in the small of my back. "I'm sure I'll love it." Then she shivered and smiled shyly, withdrawing from the touch. "Not used to touching your skin like that."

"I can change if it's more comfortable for you. This was kind of just… y'know. The 'naked housewife fantasy' bit as a joke. Or maybe not a joke, if you liked it."

"Trying to get me in the mood?" she guessed with a slightly wry smile. When I flushed a little darker, she stopped smiling. "Wait… oh, is this really what that is?"

"Not exactly. But… kind of. I just… wanted to be a good girlfriend, or something like that. I dunno."

The silence was kind of tense. She didn't look angry, just a little confused and contemplating the whole situation. Then she glanced at the oven and back at me.

"How much longer? For the garlic bread."

"About another five. I'll be quick." Clearly, she wanted me in real clothes, which I already had laid out on my dresser. Ready for plan B.

And I was more okay with that than I first expected. Sure, it hurt a little that she didn't know how to feel about me being naked while we ate, but at the same time, neither did I. Just seemed like a weird idea. But Wallace swore it worked like a charm on this one guy he was dating, so I figured I'd give it a shot. No real harm.

Once I was wearing a nice white blouse and a long grey skirt, we got our plates loaded down with casserole and bread and moved things to the table, where we sat cross-legged and ate and drank. She told me about her day, and I told her about mine until the point at which I started getting dinner ready, which I didn't think was interesting — until she started demanding more details with her cute, patient way of doing everything. Incredibly, stories about me buying ingredients and wine glasses was actual entertainment for her.

And somehow, she managed to out-girlfriend me again. Shut up, I know it's not a competition… I know. But even after I drove like a thousand miles outside my comfort zone, hoping to really show her how much I cared and how much she meant to me, Knives was already there and had a jetpack to fly even further. She started doing the dishes as soon as we took our plates to the kitchen, said it was her turn to cook next time when I wasn't expecting it, asked if I had a long day, offered to rub my back when I moved my neck and made the world's tiniest wince… and she gave me the rub, and it felt so good. Told me I looked really cute in the outfit before I could ask. Sweetness and sunshine.

What kind of jerk was she to be so perfect?

                                                            To Be Continued…