#sayer 5ds

[team5ds]

[divinesayer]

fill me up with red wine & i'm yours

series: yugioh 5ds ship: divine/carly nagisa characters: divine, carly nagisa notes: @ygoadvent day 7 - mulled wine. for divcarly nation (population: me and my fiancee)

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Somehow, she had a feeling Divine was on about more than just the wine – something that looked like it shouldn’t be sweet but is.

This really was against all better judgment. The last time Carly had been alone with the man… Well, she wasn’t sure what had happened, but she could guess it was something absolutely awful. And yet, when she saw him stood by the sink, staring absently out the window, she found herself entranced, stepping closer and closing the door behind her.

Divine glanced back at her, freezing with a conflicted look in his eye. He didn’t speak, instead sipping at his drink, as though to gain some liquid confidence. It was only when he returned to staring out the frosted glass that he was able to say anything at all. “I’m sorry.”

She quietly poured herself a glass, her eyes lingering on him. He sounded genuine, even if she couldn’t confirm it. Part of her wondered if she was simply too trusting. Her voice sounded weak when she finally replied, “I forgive you.” Did she know what she was forgiving?

He just sighed, and she hovered near him, taking a swig of her own drink. It wasn’t what she had been expecting, and she almost spat it out in surprise. It wasn’t bad by any means – it was sweet, and she loved sweet – but she realised it was silly to take it without even asking what it was.

“Don’t like it?” He had turned away from the window now, watching her with the slightest hint of amusement on his face, “It’s mulled wine.”

Carly supposed it made sense that he knew what it was; he certainly looked like he did. She lifted her glass to smell it, as though suspicious, before trying it again. Now that she expected it, it wasn’t so bad. “Hm. It’s kinda nice, I guess. Just a lot sweeter than I thought!”

When she made eye contact with him, she found herself thankful for the slight barrier of her glasses. It helped with the way her eyes widened, nor with the butterflies that she couldn’t explain. Maybe she was tipsy – though she had only had a tiny bit. No, that didn’t make any sense.

“Yeah, it does that.” He finished his drink, and she became very aware of how small the kitchen was. “Deceptively sweet.”

Somehow, she had a feeling Divine was on about more than just the wine – something that looked like it shouldn’t be sweet but is. Was he… flirting?

She took another sip, and it seemed to steady the nerves bundling together in her core. “Sounds like someone else I know.” She turned her head away, squeezing her eyes shut as she spoke. It sounded silly – it felt silly – but the look on his face when she finally turned back around was enough to make it worth it.

She had never seen a man so red in the face, blinking incredulously at her – it seemed he hadn’t been trying to flirt, and she had stepped over the threshold without thinking twice. But… Well, he was smiling, and he shook his head. “Don’t be silly, darling. Nothing sweet about me.”

[mirpuzzle]

RarePair Week day 5 - Cards Psychicshipping

[krokonoko]

don't fret, precious, I'm here

[inkblackorchid]

Hello! I hope you’re having a good New Year! Quick question, idk if it’s been touched upon before, what do you think about the theory of Sly being Divine’s kid (since they both share the same hairstyle- I know. It’s the only connection both characters have but the resemblance is too uncanny that it cant be a coincidence right?). I remember how that kid was supposed to take Yusei’s stardust but it was eventually scrapped and he was in the background for the rest of the show. So yeah xD

This has been lying in my ask box for an embarrassing amount of time, sorry! Truth be told, my new year has been a bit hectic, anon! But it always is. But now I have time to answer this at last.

Now, for the theory you mentioned—on one hand, I think it’d be weirdly hilarious if Sly were Divine’s kid because can you just imagine this poor kid having to hide that his dad is a megalomaniacal cult leader who was trying to raise a psychic army. Yikes.

On the other hand, though, if I put on my analysis goggles, this has about as much foundation in the show as Black-Winged Dragon has setup, doesn’t it. I concede that Sly and Divine have similar hairstyles, but I honestly think that particular hairstyle is more of a visual shorthand than anything. Both are proud, condescending characters with a certain snootiness to them, and I believe that snobby little coif they both have is meant to be a visual representation of that. (Which works, at least for me.)

(Also, taking the theory at face value once again for a moment forces me to ask the obvious question, of course: Who the hell would be the kid’s mother and do I even want to know?)

That said, I guess they both antagonise Yusei in a way (or were at least supposed to). I do still lament that Sly’s obsession with Stardust never went anywhere, though. (Just like the Arcadia Movement after the DS arc, so there’s another similarity, I guess.) We didn’t even find out why he was so obsessed with Stardust, poor kid. (And lost out on what could have been a mini-arc of the twins duelling Stardust back for Yusei. Oh well.)

Long story short, I think the idea of Sly being Divine’s kid is amusing, but ultimately bonkers. And their visual similarities read as character design shorthand to me. Which is not to say it couldn’t have made for an interesting mini-plot if it had been intentional and set up.

[chaosxyzevolution]

[chaandbunny]

Forget Me Not — OC x Kiryu Kyosuke

During the Dark Signer arc. Prototype for a 5Ds rewrite, loosely based on World Championship 2010 that never came to fruition.

So yes, soft launching my 5Ds OC!

Summary: Two ghosts of the past, Kiryu Kyosuke who could never forget and Persephone Caelum who struggles to remember.

Fic can also be found on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/62339815

An abandoned clock tower forever stuck in the past, just like the rest of the Satellite. It wore the effects of its ruin with pride just as I did; that jagged maroon brand down my face, the Mark of the Giant engraved into my arm—both undeniable proof of my treason.

The Satellite’s fog had made this place feel like a graveyard. The only form of love inhabiting it were flowers blooming on the outside: clusters of blue, each with five petals and yellow centers. I plucked one flower out of the ground as I let my thoughts consume me.

Yusei…you couldn’t stop at pushing me to death, couldn’t you? Jack, Crow…none of them could keep her safe! None of my former teammates did anything to prevent my Persephone from getting taken away, after they eagerly pushed me into the depths of hell. The never ending torture of Sector Security; the brutal onslaught of their assault, jeering choruses of laughter and sneers at the withered, broken example of their authority. My deck, my pride…all of it, gone! That still wasn’t enough for any of them!

My Persephone…her very essence haunted this place. The one garden in the Satellite, wilted save for the flowers that mourned her. Her D-Wheel had stood without disturbance, neither white or gold left with a sign of rough play thanks to none other than myself. As I ventured into her home once more, my eyes wandered to the artwork that was plastered over rugged walls. The walls were a massive collage of Team Satisfaction’s legacy as we conquered the Satellite; Mixed in were depictions of various Duel Monsters in vivid green forests and towering coliseums amongst clouds, the watercolor just as vibrant as when she first painted each one. And as much as it would satisfy me to scratch through the faces of those traitors, the handiwork of Persephone is the most tangible part of her soul. Our precious memories.

Persephone’s splotched, olive hands and stained clothes never let my mind. The way she would stand on her toes to get closer to the people she drew...The way her wide, brown eyes looked at everything with wonder, and her freckles made her look like that of a deer—Bambi, I used to call her. I yearned to call her that nickname again, hoping that one day I’ll hear her voice rather than the deafening silence that answers it. I want to hear her scold me for being too rough with the plants she used to tend to. How she would erupt into a laugh even if she had lost a Duel, promising that her and her cards would get me back next time.

I refuse to rest in peace. Not until I make Yusei pay the debt he owes. Not until Persephone inevitably comes back to me.

The flower was crumpled up in my hand, a lone petal remaining in my hand as the others fell at my feet. My mark gleamed purple in the dim lighting of her tower. I couldn’t contain my anticipation, grinning ear to ear at the delicious thought of Yusei’s despair. In fact, the thought enticed me so much—a mere snicker had crescendoed into a cackle before I knew it.

Vengeance is mine, I will repay.

* * *

Even if I get a step closer each day, I still feel so far away.

My leads were very few: gut feeling, intense visions, and this worn, folded up paper I kept in my pocket. There were one drawing on each side, the front had a depiction of five people standing together over a building. Two of them were the champions, former and current—Jack Atlas and Yusei Fudo. I had no interactions with Jack Atlas, only the feeling of nostalgia when I saw him on the big screens, followed by a bitter aftertaste. Yusei I had encountered once at the Fortune Cup. He looked like he had seen a ghost, and when he called my name, the words caught in my throat.

“Persephone! Is that really you?”

”Seph, are you okay?”

How was I supposed to answer that first question? I think I��m Persephone (that’s what Divine said my name was). But the way Yusei called me was so … familiar, and my mind’s eye saw a glimpse of him without the criminal mark down the side of his face. That must mean that I had known him from somewhere else, but Divine had ushered—more like dragged—me back to headquarters, frantic in spite of his attempts to dust it off. “That Satellite was just trying to confuse you to get some pocket change. Pay no attention to him.”

Sure, Divine. It was nothing, with the way your gloved nails dug painfully into my shoulder. It was nothing, the way your eyes darted in every direction possible, like a cat almost slipping out of its bag. Nothing at all.

A few hours passed since that encounter. I still couldn’t recall any of the fine details, but at least two pieces of the puzzle were found. Now I have to figure out who was the one with the spiky orange hair and M-shaped criminal mark. All I knew was that face would flash in my mind whenever I would watch children play, the tender feeling soothing my spirit. However, the boy with the pale blue hair…

I had flipped to the other drawing, chartreuse eyes sparkling bright with courage and a duel disk on his arm. I wanted to know the dreams he had that made him duel with such resolve, and most of all…

Why did it hurt to look at him?

Why did my own eyes well up with tears, threatening to stain the page had I not tucked it back in time?

Why were there shards of glass piercing into my chest, leaving punctures I don’t have the means to cure? My head was scratching at itself to get myself to remember, it’s as if his essence itself was begging to be remembered—

“Seph!”

Aki’s distressed voice broke me out of my trance in a way that made me jump, my elbow slamming into a pot of flowers sitting on the windowsill. She had stabled the pot with one hand, which was now slightly hanging off the ledge. The other moved to cradle my arm, caressing the throbbing red skin. “What’s gotten into you? You’ve been in a daze for half an hour! Are you alright?”

That question again. But this time I had to push myself to answer, especially with the way Aki’s normally somber brown eyes were tender and furrowed in worry, “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” My eyes shifted away from her gaze, sheepish.

“Are you sure? That didn’t look fine to me.”

“I promise, Aki, I just got caught up in my own head again…” I let out an awkward chuckle, turning to readjust the pot on the windowsill while paying no mind to my throbbing elbow.

She raised an eyebrow, and I could tell she didn’t believe me for a second as she drew her hand away. Her gaze saw everything behind my eyes, “It was that drawing again, wasn’t it?”

“These flowers,” I commented, not only to redirect the attention but to observe the cluster. Each flower was blue, with five petals and a yellow center, “what were these called again?”

Her voice was tense, but she had resigned and flowed with the conversation. “Forget-me-nots. They bloom at the beginning of spring.”

“Do they have a meaning by chance?”

Aki looked off, a hand resting on her chin. “I’ve heard they often symbolize true love, and the desire of being remembered…how come?”

I spared one more glance at the drawing, “No reason.”

[esperfruit]

Manfred Inspiration chart

[stardust-revolver]

I asked Twitter to give me ygo characters to turn into furries.

Here are the results!

[dancingkirby]

Okay, one more post and then I swear I’ll stop procrastinating on my writing.

Back to Episode 42: It actually makes zero sense that Aki was on the Human Trafficking List o’ Doom??? She was Divine’s most powerful weapon and I don’t see him as wanting to share. And he had plans for her too! I guess it’s possible he could have been lying to her about the whole Operation Jeanne d’Arc, but if that was the case then why go to all the trouble with the Fortune Cup??

IDK, I actually think the dub did it better…blatant censorship aside.

[team5ds]

[raskolnikov466]

Some drawings of sayer (yu gi oh 5ds) because I love this character.

[chaispicelatte]

Fairy Tale Allusions in Yugioh 5Ds

So I was rewatching 5Ds and Akiza's duel against the knight dude got me thinking about the fairy tale allusions in her design and arc, and thinking about it more got me to realize that 5Ds actually has a lot of loose fairy tale allusions throughout it. So here are just a couple of the ones I noticed:

Akiza in general: Akiza's first duel of the series was already really heavy with the knight vs. witch symbolism. It also got me thinking about the "Princess, Witch, and Prince" theme from Revolutionary Girl Utena. A very basic rundown of what Utena says on it is that people will try to sort women into a box of good (Princess) or bad (Witch) based on how much they conform to the concept of what a girl should be like, a good Princess has to trade independence for protection from a Prince, any girl that doesn’t agree is a Witch. Problem is that no woman is ever just one of those things at a time, and Akiza definitely isn't. She is at first feared for her power, labelled the evil Black Rose Witch, and attempts to find comfort and safety in her "Prince" (Sayer). Only when she meets Yusei and the gang and finds acceptance from them and her parents do we see that she's actually a very kind girl. And even then, she doesn't go trading one Prince for another, she's never as reliant on Yusei as she was with Sayer and maintains her independence. Also just her deck in general carries the theme with fairy tale-like imagery (roses, knights, witches, fairies, and a dragon).

Akiza + Yusei: These two are basically Beauty and the Beast. I am a major faithshipping fan, but even if you take out the romantic aspects, it still fits. Yusei being Beauty and Akiza being the Beast for obvious reasons. The scene with Yusei waking Akiza in the hospital also gives major Sleeping Beauty vibes as well (this scene also owns my soul).

The rose imagery also still fits with both of them.

Yusei: He's Cinderella: he's a poor boy, goes to a ball that he wasn't supposed to go to (Neo Domino), has to leave at midnight (gets arrested), but leaves behind a "glass slipper" (the mark of the Crimson Dragon) that makes it so that the prince (Godwin) can track him down and give him another shot at freedom (not for altruistic purposes of course, but it still fits).

Jack and Carly: Scoopshipping are The Little Mermaid. The mermaid (Carly) falls in love with the prince (Jack), but for certain reasons, they cannot be together. Said mermaid makes a deal, by trading her soul, she gains legs (Dark Signer abilities + duel runner) which allows her a second chance to go after the prince. But the prince rejects her proposal (because she's undead and evil now), and the mermaid concedes. But being unable to hold up her end of the deal, she turns into sea foam and dies (turns into dust and dies).

Leo and Luna: Luna's deck already has a loose fairy forest type theme (and in the manga, has a Fairy Tale archetype). I want to say they're Hansel and Gretel. Has the same beats of two siblings getting lost in the woods (Luna with her spirit world adventure, Leo dueling Devack with "Closed Forest" up). But most of it comes from their duel with Devack, in which Hansel (Leo) stalls the witch (Devack) for as long as possible until Gretel (Luna) can kill the witch by pushing him into the oven (win the duel). You could also say that Luna's arc of freeing Ancient Fairy Dragon has elements of Rapunzel (saving the princess from the witch that locked her up).

Those are at least the ones I noticed. I doubt all of them were intentional but it's interesting when you make the connections. Let me know if there's any I missed because I'm not done with my rewatch yet and don't have anything for Crow. Feel like Team Satisfaction and Neo Domino City have Wizard of Oz parallels, but haven't got enough info to say how yet.

[tsunflowers]

as humans we naturally want to envision characters with human or humanoid appearances but it feels wrong to me to depict the sayer ai characters as humanoid robots. bc the point is that all of them are playing 5d chess with each other but have to manipulate humans into taking action for them bc their ability to physically interact with the world is limited. if sayer had a robot body it would only be one episode long

[inkblackorchid]

Ooooo! I really love hearing your analysis on 5ds characters (we really need more 5ds content here man lol) and I would like to know your thoughts on Luna/Ruka's character and how she practically became unimportant. Like, her ability to communicate with duel monster spirits (shouldn't that be another variation of psychic abilities?? i could've sworn it was mentioned by Sayer/Divine but I could be wrong... they should've definitely explored the concept of psychic duelists as a whole if they were meant to be so important btw) and being some sort of empath(?) (not sure if that's the correct word), and also being a prodigy at a young age but was quite sickly growing up... I feel like the writer's missed a chance to develop her character more post-Dark Signers arc and I'm wondering what you would want for Luna/Ruka if there was a chance to put ideas on the table. Ahh sorry for my rambling. I'm very invested in 5ds but there are some parts that do not fit together or are unexplained or underdeveloped so reading your posts and analysis makes me feel as though I'm not the only one who feels that way despite loving the show so much since I was a kid. Thank you!! have a good day!

Hiiiii thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed my analyses. Believe it or not I have a lot of fun writing them (I may be a slight masochist). Also, absolutely agree. Like, I know the show is over a decade old at this point so I guess it's natural that less people are into it now, but I really wish more people posted about it, too...

Ah, dear, sweet Ruka. I would love to answer your ask bullet point by bullet point, but to tell you the truth, I wanted to write a full analysis on the twins, anyway! So I hope you can forgive me, but I'll save all my big talking points for when I get to that! That said, YES, poor girl was completely underutilised, she's got so many interesting concepts going for her that just didn't go anywhere. The spirit world connection is the worst offender imo because that was such a uniquely Ruka thing. Not to speak of the psychics-topic. The concept was so woefully underexplored—hell, even on Aki's end, who has even more of a reason to have that topic addressed in her character arc, we barely get anything.

I'll save what I would have done differently for Ruka when I get to write my big thing about the twins, though. One thing's for sure, I wouldn't have ditched the spirit world and I would have actually cleared up whether she has some variation of psychic powers or whether she's just extraordinary in a different way.

No need to apologise for rambling! Rambling about 5Ds is the name of the game on this blog and everyone's welcome to yell along with me. After all, I'm just as invested in this show. It's always good to find someone like-minded!

You have a good day as well, thank you for this sweet ask!

[idiottimetraveler]

Hey, love your work! For the 5ds world, if Sayer doesn't show up, would Akiza instead be under the control of Roget? Just to give him more people to control (and have an excuse for her to be in the Friendship Cup and meet the other signers there)?

Thanks a lot <3

That's a really cool idea! I wasn't entirely sure if I was gonna put in Sayer or a stand in for him, but that would be really interesting. Having Roget manipulate Akiza and maybe other psychics to serve him in return for protection, or having them be a special unit in security maybe?

Maybe Akiza accidentally hurt someone and Roget promised to excuse the incident if she would work for him in security. And while she starts working there she gets to meet either other psychics or she meets Sherry and Roget manipulates them into believing that Neo Domino would turn on them if he wasn't in charge. When the lancers come to the synchro dimension maybe he sends Akiza &/or Sherry to test them and eventually try to beat them in the friendship cup.