#the duel disks come out on day 3

[fluffalpenguin]

@ygoc-week Day 1: Introductions

I couldn't think about what and how much to write about them, so I'm letting them speak for themselves (literally)

Image heavy post, so the rest is under the cut!

Toyhouse link! (with mostly empty bios and two of them aren't even on it yet but at least most of their galleries are updated)

Also, Noelle isn't actually mine (she belongs to @shshshotsz) but her gallery on TH is all me anyway 👍 just kidding i was forced at gunpoint to include her

➞[Next] Day 2: Family

[mandalhoerian]

(3) 🦭 signed, sealed, delivery pending...

The seal you rescued coming back to the same cove might be momentary serendipity meant to be wow-ed at from afar like one does a documentary, but you're determined to take it as an opportunity of a lifetime to gain his trust and prove yourself as a Disney princess. He's going to become your friend. Period.

genre: fluff, comedy | word count: 6K | read on ao3

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note: i need you guys to see this to visualize what the reader does when the grinch gets mentioned. i almost burst my appendix laughing at it idc if its not funny. please enjoy!!!!

You almost get grounded. For till college.

But being the center of attention in your friend group and the story of a wound that will leave the coolest scar are totally worth the perma ticket booth sentence (jail).

It's not all that bad. It's just that, instead of loading cargo or directing people or helping out the passengers, you got sentenced to boredom, stuck behind a window, taking payment and handing out change and never allowed to leave. Plus, everyone knows you. Which means that no, the ticket master metaphorically posing with a Yu-Gi-Oh duel disk can't give discounts to the old lady who brings you a crocheted hat, or to the fisherman who promises to bring a fresh catch of mackerel to your family's kitchen, or to the little girl who wants to go see the seals, has no cash and can only pay with a bag of homemade cookies...

Speaking of seals, you go back to that beach, a week after the incident when your grounding is more flexible.

But of course, there's no trace of that adorable rascal. You feel a little sad, a little disappointed, a little under the influence of the magical encounter that had you daydreaming you could be Snow White. Then again, you wouldn't want him to hang around in fishing areas. You hope he's doing alright, somewhere, hopefully, not getting caught in nets anymore.

Elias tells you that the seal colony on the islet has forms during breeding and pupping season each year during late spring and early summer, and when he hears you recounting the event and describing the seal, you find out that the one you saved is not one of them.

Apparently, pups are tiny. The one you rescued was either a juvenile or a sub-adult, though the gender is still unclear. You're a little stunned, having expected to have rescued a baby, not an adolescent. Elias explains how the rookery is a nursery area, and females tend to congregate there to give birth. Male seals are territorial and competitive, and often live in the surrounding waters. So maybe that seal was a male weaned off of the same rookery. If you had saved a female, the chances of ever seeing her again would have been higher, since they return to the same rookeries and stay there for a couple months. Males, on the other hand...

Well, at the end of the day, he's probably long gone.

Wrong.

You eventually encounter him on the same small cove the following week. In broad daylight this time.

Dad has hired a couple of staff members to help out, so you have a lot more free time to enjoy your friends and explore the archipelago. Despite the time restrictions. So, even though going back to where you met the seal for the first time was born out of hope to see him again at first, it's also about conveniennce with how close it is to home unironically, and therefore, not violating curfew rules.

So, it's just another day with your picnic basket and beach towel, heading out to the shore in your shorty wetsuit. You have a novel to finish, some music to listen to, snacks to munch on, and the promise of long-awaited solitude to savor.

You've just set up your blanket and opened the book when a loud bark scares the shit out of you.

Startled, you whip around to find the source of the sound — and gasp as a large, gray shape emerges from the water, lumbering towards you with clumsy bounces that echo with the 'boing, boing, boing' sound effect in your head, dragging its blubbery body across the sand and stopping at the edge of your blanket.

You can't quite comprehend what's happening right now, transfixed by the cute, pink tongue peeking out of its mouth as it tries to catch its breath.

It's the exact same seal from before, his familiar markings and the faint scars of the netting you untangled him from unmistakable.

The same seal that was supposed to have swam away to freedom. The same seal that's supposed to be a wild, feral, unpredictable animal is here, looking at you, waiting for something, making an occasional huff and snuffle the more you stay unresponsive.

You're frozen in place, unable to react, mind racing, trying to make sense of the situation. A part of you wonders if this is a dream, but the gritty sensation of the sand in your flippers that reminds you of your discomfort and the warm rays of the sun on your skin assure you otherwise.

Finally, the seal seems to grow impatient and shuffles closer, nuzzling his whiskered nose against your knee, the gesture somehow both gentle and insistent, coaxing you to react. His fur is damp and cool, and you swear his dark, round, limpid black eyes are staring straight into your soul, a knowing intelligence lurking within his soft, expressive depths.

"There's no way," you gawk, not knowing where to put your hands and they flail for a couple seconds in excitement.

He's approached you willingly, showing no signs of distress or aggression, and in fact, he seems oddly not on guard. He's not a pup, and yet he's displaying behavior that's more suited to domesticated dogs, not a marine mammal that's supposed to avoid humans. Seals are curious creatures by nature, and encounters with people aren't unheard of, but this level of familiarity is unusual considering the traumatic circumstances under which the two of you initially met.

"Hello, hi, oh my god, hi, hello???" You try cautiously, not daring to reach out and touch him, but keeping your tone soothing and welcoming. You're actually going to scare him off if you let out the squeals roaring inside. "How are you doing, buddy? Is that really you?"

The seal's whiskers twitch in response to the sound of your words, his head cocked to one side in a manner that suggests attentive listening. It's almost as if he recognizes your presence, and that thought sends a shivery thrill through you.

"You remember me?" you ask, a tentative smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. Your heart leaps as his head waves up and down. You choose to take that gesture as a yes instead of the air sniffing to vibe-check you that it actually is. "That's so sweet of you!"

A low, rumbling noise reverberates from deep within the seal's nose, and you can't help the giggle that escapes you. It sounds like a cross between a snort and a grumble, a strangely endearing combination that's distinctly his own.

"I'm not sure what to make of this," you continue, feeling more at ease in his company, despite the absurdity of the situation. "What are you doing here? Saw me and wanted to hang out?"

His only answer is a single, melodious yowl, followed by a series of chirps that resemble the playful squeaks of a dolphin. You can't help the warmth that spreads through you at the sound, a sudden fondness for the strange, gentle creature washing over you as he flops closer to lie just beside your blanket like you two are friends sitting next to each other, rolling onto his belly and stretching his front flippers in a leisurely, cat-like stretch. You're not a trained zoologist, but his behavior is clearly indicative of trust, and that's enough to convince you that the connection you feel isn't imagined. This is the most peculiar, wonderful surprise you've ever had. And the best part is that, in the middle of a summer vacation that had been filled with ups and downs, you have made an unlikely friend...

Oh, he's actually sunbathing. With you.

And his coat looks healthy. That's good.

The way his head looks when he closes his eyes... Like a content bean, a happy, satisfied little guy. So cute.

God, you can't pet him.

The seal expert in the island is Elias, who works with the conservation team on the rookery islet. Maybe someday, if things come to that, he could guide you, but for now, you're not risking harming him in any way. Especially not after rescuing him from a near-death experience.

He opens his eyes when he hears scratching. Particularly, you scratching along the seams of the bandages on your forearm. You haven't realized you had been unconsciously picking on them because of the itch till the moment the seal's penetrating stare burns on the area. How peculiar. He seems to possess object permanence regarding the injury and understand the concept of wounds, or at least the effects of them. Or are you delusional?

"Curious, huh," you say, pulling your hand back and flexing the muscles in the arm to relieve some of the irritation. "You remember this as well? It's your love bite, bud."

The seal makes a soft, inquisitive grunt, and then begins to inch his way across the sand to make it back to the sea, and a disappointment that makes your face fall down settles upon you at the prospect of him leaving already.

"Oh..." you mumble. "Leaving so soon?"

But the seal doesn't seem to be departing. Instead, he dives gracefully beneath the surface of the water, disappearing from view. Confused but intrigued, you remain seated, watching the rippling waves with bated breath. After several long, anxious moments, a silvery fish bursts forth from the depths, thrashing wildly in the seal's jaws. He bites down fiercely, severing the life of the fish in an instant and sending a spurt of blood into the salty brine. Then, he swims back to shore and boing-boing-boings over to deposit the lifeless prey at your feet, his tail slapping eagerly against the wet ground, dark, round, expressive wet eyes shining bright with pride and excitement.

It's a gift. You're certain of that. A token of gratitude, perhaps, or a symbol of camaraderie.

"Oh, thank you," you say, genuinely touched by the gesture. "You're such a gentleman. But I'm not hungry, so... Actually, do you want to share it together? Would that be okay?" You pause, studying the seal's reactions carefully. "Yeah, that's what we're doing."

With that, you reach for the fish, its cold, slippery scales slick against your palm, and break it in half with a fruit knife you brought along in your picnic basket, setting one portion aside and offering the other to the seal. He sniffs at the proffered meal, whiskers quivering, before opening his mouth to accept it. You watch in fascination as his powerful teeth tear into the flesh, marveling at the delicate balance of predator and companion that exists between the two of you. There's something about sharing a meal with a wild animal who caught it for you in the first place, that feels sacred. Ancient, and special.

"You know what, you can have my half, I’m really full," you concede, not being able to resist his eager gluttony. You decide to share with him since he shared with you, as well. "Sorry if I'm not much of a huntress, but here's a little treat that'll blow your mind. Hopefully." You start rummaging through your belongings, searching the contents of the basket. "Let's see, let's see... Aha! Here it is!"

When you turn around, you nearly jump out of your skin to find the seal right there behind you, looking at the basket curiously. He seems very interested in the container. Maybe he's figured out it contains food, somehow. Could seals smell through a plastic lid?

"Woah, woah, hey, easy," you murmur softly, reaching up to gently boop him on the nose and watch in fascination as his entire head disappears by sinking into his body at the contact.

Oh!

Oh no.

You're going to die. Cuteness overload. Right here, in front of him, and on this day. It's like his skull has disappeared and his blubbery neck absorbed his face into his torso. If the purpose is to protect himself from predators, that's not the vibe the gesture is giving. At all.

Holding the container of sashimi, you let him take a peek at the contents. When his nose starts wiggling and his tail starts flapping, you can't help the grin that breaks out. He seems to have understood that whatever is inside is edible, and his eagerness is infectious, sending a jolt of glee and satisfaction coursing through you at the thought of providing him with a new experience.

"Look, look, this is called sashimi," you explain, selecting a small piece of raw salmon and holding it out on your palm. The seal sniffs at the morsel tentatively, his nostrils flaring, before he darts his tongue out and wraps it around the slice of fish, pulling it into his mouth.

He's so gentle with it too, not even nipping at the flesh of the hand that's feeding him. Just a soft, light brush of his tongue, and a content, satisfied swallow, and the taste must have been to his liking, because he emits a low, throaty squeak of pleasure, a sound that sends a warm, fuzzy feeling fluttering through your chest. Has he been socialized at some point in the past to know how to take food from humans, maybe by fishermen or tourists? Is he simply a naturally affectionate creature? You fully expected him to be more cautious around humans given his recent trauma, and yet, here he is, demonstrating an openness that defies all expectations and assumptions.

"Well, you've got good taste," you remark with a chuckle, watching as his tail thumps excitedly on the sand, signaling for another serving. The sight of him making a 'begging' pose in the most literal sense melting your heart. "Fine, you can have it all. But only because you're so charming."

One by one, you feed the remaining pieces of sashimi to him, fascinated by the feel of his smooth, pink velvety tongue against your fingertips each time he accepts a bite one would being licked by a cat or a dog. His enthusiasm is contagious, and you can't help the laughter that bubbles up in your own throat, a bright, sparkling sound that rings across the deserted stretch of coastline and makes him perk up and look up at you, head tilted in curiosity, a sort of startled, wide-eyed, puppy-dog stare.

"Aw, sorry," you apologize, realizing that the volume of your laughter might have overwhelmed him. "I'm just happy. Happy to be here, with you. This is the best beach date I've ever had."

You watch, in real time, as the seal sputters from his nose, the recoil of his jiggling body rocking him backward and to the side as he avoids eye contact in a manner that parallels dogs when they’re being recorded, and finally decides to completely flee back to the sea.

You blink, speechless, trying to figure out what you did wrong.

"...Was my laugh that ugly?"

You are convinced this is a good idea.

You’ve seen the TikToks. You know the method. You’ve watched professionals do this with thousand-pound animals that could kick them into the next dimension, and it works.

And sure, your friend is technically a seal and not a horse, but the principle is the same. Desensitization. You introduce scary things in a safe, controlled way, and boom — no more spooky, jumpy reactions.

It’s foolproof.

If it has to be something like doing crazy dances with a plastic bag or throwing a duvet over their heads to trigger less anxiety, then so be it. There is logic and science behind this method, even though it requires you to humiliate yourself in front of a wild animal and hope that there isn't a secret camera hidden somewhere recording you acting like a clown and saving the clip online to become meme fuel.

"Alright, bud," you announce, stretching your arms like a coach psyching up a particularly useless team. "Today's the day."

If you expect anything resembling acknowledgment, the seal gives none; instead, he seems content to continue nibbling delicately at a lump of kelp, ignoring you completely while reclining on his side like a Victorian noblewoman on a fainting couch atop a sun-baked rock. His sleek gray coat glistens brightly as he sprawls across the stone, flippers twitching lazily as his attention wanders in search of tasty tidbits amongst the fronds of green algae still trailing from his mouth.

Seeing him this relaxed sends a wave of relief through you. Your relationship has improved exponentially since that first day the two of you officially met. He's grown noticeably more accustomed to interacting with you without showing any signs of fear or discomfort. You're no longer regarded with suspicion or alarm whenever you approach — instead, he welcomes you, greeting your presence with cheerful squeaks and soft snorts that always send warm fuzzies flying all across your cheeks. Not that you keep score, but lately, he's been initiating more interactions than before, nudging you with his nose, pawing gently at your leg to draw your attention, even resting beside you whenever he gets the chance, seeking comfort in your closeness in ways that leave you giddy with happiness.

"AAAA!" you shout, stretching your arms in a T-pose to make yourself look bigger.

The seal violently flops to the side, rolling down the small incline of the surrounding rocks like a giant, damp potato.

"Oh my god!" You rush to help him with choked laughter, kneeling at his side while he struggles to get his balance and reclines up on his flippers.

He shoots you the ugliest death glare.

"I'm sorry," you say, forcing your lips into a thin line to hold back your smile. "Was I too scary?"

The seal huffs sharply in response, causing a few loose strands of hair to fall over your face from the wind. Then he reaches his head forward, and slowly, deliberately, rubs his cheek against your bandaged forearm before flopping back down. It takes you several seconds to recover from the attack of cuteness, by which time the seal has rolled around again in the direction opposite of you so that only his round, puffy butt faces toward where you kneel in the sand.

Pouting. Definitely pouting. It's so adorable, did he get embarrassed? Ahhhhh!

You spend the next few minutes running around the seal and making unexpected movements like a drunk ostrich on sugar rush just to see how he'd react, following that up with a sorcerer in the middle of a magic attack combo with flicking jazz hands right to his face, then re-enacting that one scene from How the Grinch Stole Christmas in which the titular character tries to scare of Cindy Lou by barking at her face acting crazy in a little step forward-and-back dance with claw-hands, looking like you were about to attack him but faking him out at the last second.

Needless to say, you get nothing other than keen interest like you were a jester and he was the king sitting in the audience taking great pleasure in your performance, full-on radiating medieval royalty urge to always have entertainment while eating.

You decide to change tactics. Step one: Introduce the Object.

From your backpack, you pull out a bright blue towel and give it a dramatic shake.

“See this?” You wave it like a deranged matador. ��It’s just a towel. Harmless. Normal. Not scary.”

His whiskers twitch. His head tilts slightly, like you’ve just shown him a complex tax form.

You wave it again, closer this time. “Ooooooo, look, it moooves. It flaps. It’s just fabric.”

Still no reaction.

Encouraged, you take a step closer, still waving the towel like you’re trying to summon a demon. “See? It’s fine. Totally normal. You don’t have to be scared.”

The seal makes a noise — something between a huff and a chirp.

Then he snorts.

You freeze.

Did… did this seal just laugh at you?

No. That’s ridiculous. Animals don’t laugh. You’re being paranoid.

Step Two: Make Contact.

“I’m just gonna touch you with it a little, okay?” you say in your best soothing horse-trainer voice.

He does not, in fact, agree to this.

But he also doesn’t move away as you gently drape the towel over his back.

Success!

Or at least, it is success, right up until you start rubbing the towel over him like you’ve seen in the videos, mimicking the slow, rhythmic motions that are supposed to be calming.

“Good boy,” you murmur, nodding approvingly. “See? Nothing to be scared of. Just a towel. A friendly, normal—”

The seal erupts.

One second, he’s still. The next, his entire body vibrates like a malfunctioning washing machine.

Then — he flops.

Not just any flop. A dramatic, full-body collapse into the sand, legs flailing, his head rolling back in what you can only describe as unhinged, wheezing laughter.

You just stand there, gripping the towel, watching this damn seal lose his mind.

He keeps snorting. His non-existent shoulders shake. He slaps the sand with one flipper, no different than an old man gasping for air between belly laughs.

You recoil. “Am I being fucking laughed at by a seal right now? Nah. Naaaah, that can't be.”

He lets out an actual honking noise.

Your face burns. “I am trying to help you, you little sea rat!”

A loud, loud crying. More slapping.

He is mocking you. This has to be mocking. Or is it that your own self-consciousness has finally manifested in the world and acquired a shape? Maybe that's why this feels like teasing; maybe you're projecting.

With a defeated sigh, you plop onto the sand beside him, still gripping the towel like it holds the last shreds of your dignity.

Well, at least you found out he is desensitized, alright. A win is a win.

The following weeks, the island's weather grows warmer. And, with the rising temperature, the seal's visits become more and more frequent, almost daily, until his company becomes a constant fixture of your free time.

It's a bizarre, inexplicable relationship that defies all reason and logic — that a seal would hop on land to come visit instead of being encountered while swimming. A wild marine mammal that should fear and distrust humans has decided to form a bond with you, seeking your presence out of his own accord, and showing an intelligence that goes beyond instinctual behavior.

At least, that's what you're inclined to believe. You're no expert. Just an observer of this delightful, unexpected friendship that has bloomed between the two of you.

You're not sure what draws him to the tiny, secluded cove where you've been meeting him, nor do you understand why he chooses to stay on the shore with you, sunbathing on the warm sands and indulging in the snacks and treats you bring him, rather than returning to the open ocean. But every time you arrive, he's there, waiting, a large, lumbering shape that barks and squeaks upon seeing you, waddling over to greet you as though you're an old friend.

His trust is a precious thing, a fragile, irreplaceable treasure that you cherish dearly. And, in return, he shows a level of affection that would put many a domestic animal to shame.

He nuzzles against your legs, rolls over to reveal his belly, and even allows you to touch and stroke the soft, supple fur on his head sometimes if he feels like it that day. It's a privilege, a gift, and you're acutely aware of the responsibility that comes with such intimacy. You handle him gently, cautiously, mindful of his comfort and well-being, and never pushing past the limits of his tolerance or patience.

You learn to read his cues, to recognize the signs of contentment and discomfort in his posture and vocalizations. When he's relaxed, his body language is loose, his limbs splayed out on the ground in a lazy, sprawling manner that suggests a deep, boneless ease. He grunts and chirps in a low, rhythmic cadence that seems to express his pleasure and satisfaction, and the sound is oddly soothing, a gentle, melodic counterpoint to the steady, pulsing rush of the waves crashing nearby. Snorts and snuffles are indicators of inquisitiveness and curiosity, while a high-pitched whistle signals excitement and happiness, often accompanied by an enthusiastic wagging of his tail that resembles the motion of a dog's. When he's upset or nervous, his entire body stiffens and he pulls away from your touch, a clear signal to give him space and respect his boundaries.

You're proud to say you haven't discovered his anger yet, but the day you walk in on a tourist group in your cove becomes the answer to your question.

This isn't the rookery. There are no guides or rangers to keep everyone in check. These tourists are on their own, exploring, and they have stumbled upon the wrong spot. They're being stupid, and the worst part is that they're not even breaking the law. The fact that the seal is in the water is enough not to be trespassing, and therefore, not punishable.

As you approach the crowd gathering around a particular spot, your heart clenches at the sight of your friend cornered into a small cave, no — more like a fissure in the rock formations that surround the cove, that reaches just ten meters from the shore.

These guys want a picture with the seal, which has gone hostile obvious from his jaw making snapping motions and is trying to dive back into the sea as far from them as possible.

It's all because he was waiting for you here.

There's nothing you can do other than run towards them. And maybe distract them by waving your arms frantically and screaming, "What the hell are you doing?! Didn't you see the sign that says this area is private?!"

You know lecturing them about how they're causing distress to the animal is futile, so, Karen-mode it is.

Surprisingly, it works, and they run off. But not before complaining and whining about how "there's no fucking harm in this".

Sure, asshole. There’s no harm in distressing the poor seal that shows obvious signs of wanting to be left alone.

After taking care of them (read: screaming at them) and calling Elias to come get rid of them, you rush back to the beach to make sure your seal is okay.

He won't look at you.

If there's anything you learned the hard way is that a wild animal never acts erratically without reason, whether it be a bird pecking insistently at a window or a rabbit darting across the road when you least expect it. So it stands to reason that if your companion completely ignores you as he makes it out of the cave and makes a beeline towards the sea, he must have a valid cause for doing so.

Maybe you were too close to these strangers, maybe your intimidation and aggression were too much for him.

You hope he knows you'd never put him in danger willingly.

"Wait," you call out after him, raising your hand above your head to attract his attention and willing your frantic heartbeat to settle back down into a normal rhythm. You don't want to frighten him further by shouting or running up behind him, chasing him down — the last thing you need is to scare him off altogether after working so hard to gain his trust.

To your amazement, he actually pauses, hovering midway between the cave and the water, hesitating, glancing warily back at you over his shoulder. It's eerie sometimes that he reacts how a human would, but also quite remarkable. You're positive it means he understands you, that your interactions carry meaning for him.

But now that he's stopped, you don't know what to say. Hey, sorry some jerks scared the shit out of you. I don't know them. Please don't think I lured them here to you.

Why would you have this conversation with a seal?

So, you walk up slowly to the spot where he still stands, and then sit down crosslegged next to him on the sandy rocks that divide land from sea, trying to appear nonthreatening and reassuring in equal measure. For several long, excruciating moments, the only sounds are the distant cries of seagulls overhead, the restless rustle of the surf rushing back and forth against the shore, and your own breathing growing faster the longer the silence stretches on.

He allows you to remain there, and doesn't delve back into the waters either, so that's something. You still have his trust. You could also cry about still having his trust. What a wonderful being.

"I'm sorry," you offer tentatively, hoping that the note of sorrow ringing through your words will convey the depth of regret behind those two simple syllables. "They weren't supposed to come here."

His round, wet nose twitches rapidly, whiskers bobbing with every flicker and flutter, his sleek, blubbery body shifting subtly from side to side. His tail slaps the sand in a frenzy, kicking up sprays of loose soil and scattering fragments of seashells in all directions. "Gegh!" he screams all of a sudden, making you jump. "Ggighphh!"

"Okay, I hear you," you reassure him hastily. "Next time I'll yell at them harder."

"Gyeeaaagh..."

"Uh huh, that's better. I hear you."

"Greph, l'egg!"

"Do you forgive me?"

"Miphhh."

"Oh, you’re so sweet…”

A week passes before you try to meet him again, giving him ample time to recover.

He never reappeared when you came by alone to the cove after your usual duties ended — you began wondering if maybe the incident left him traumatized, too sensitive to want to risk further confrontation — but there's a sense of relief in knowing that he hasn't abandoned you entirely.

When you step onto the beach one morning, bright and early before the sun has fully risen above the horizon, his dark shape emerges from the waves to greet you once more, shambling awkwardly across the pebbles as though eager to confirm your presence, and your heart absolutely leaps at seeing him back.

Something about this meeting feels different than before, there's a rush in his mannerisms that wasn't there previously, and as he approaches, you notice his head is uncharacteristically held low. It reminds you of a child who has something important to say but doesn't know how, or dare, to begin talking.

He stops just a few feet away from where you're standing, staring resolutely at the ground instead of maintaining direct visual contact, and remains completely silent save for an occasional chirrup that seems directed inward more than toward you.

"Hey, buddy," you begin softly, afraid to disturb the quiet. "How've you been? Long time no see. Missed ya, little rascal."

He explodes with an accusing, "Ya!" and smacks his front flipper on the sand as punctuation. The sneeze that follows is rough. "Hphaaa — mmphm..."

"Ohhkay, wow, someone sure is pissed today," you raise a brow.

He doesn't like that.

And for the first time, you witness a temper tantrum from him.

He barks loudly, tail flapping and nostrils flaring in frustration as he tosses himself back and forth across the sands, flopping wildly, kicking his finned tail and letting out shrill cries of outrage whenever you start approaching closer. Even as you stand a safe distance away, he continues to glare balefully up at you, snuffling and squealing disapprovingly as though offended that you're even present during such an intense bout of sulking.

Witnessing the rare display of bad humor has your shoulders shaking uncontrollably in fits of giggles despite the fact that he's acting irrationally, which is kind of rude from your end because obviously it can't be funny from his. But when you manage to contain yourself and regain some semblance of composure, you notice that his dramatic display has evolved into something more reminiscent of theatrics of an overgrown puppy trying its hardest to prove its ferociously cute point, and not the primordial rage fit that you thought initially. His face is scrunched up as if stuck halfway between a yawn and a grimace; his eyelids squeezed tightly shut while his mouth gapes wide open, showing off rows of sharp, deadly teeth and pink gums.

It's such a hilarious sight, such a ridiculous pose, that before you know what you're doing, you're reaching down to tickle under his chin lightly — unable to quench down your need to pet and coo at him despite his obvious agitation — and surprise surprise, instead of biting off your entire arm clean off, he goes still beneath your fingers for a moment.

"Oh you're such a cute baby boy. Cute, silly baby. You've got anger issues, mister, huh? Yes, yes, yes, who's the toughest seal ever, huh? Who's the cutest, most adorable seal in the whole wide world?"

To your amazement, he lets you do it, humming softly in response to the gentle rubs and pats, his body relaxing under your ministrations until eventually he closes his eyelids altogether and allows you to continue petting him without interruption or complaint, emitting low growls of contentment in place of displeasure.

"Aw... You missed me that much? Don't worry, I'm not gonna leave ever again unless you ask." Getting to pet him — ever, for the matter — wasn't exactly something planned, so you were bending at the waist, but the way this is going smoothly, you end up sitting down to keep doing it. You smile fondly at the way his gray, dry fur (which indicates he's been on land for a good while) bristles outward beneath your fingertips. "Beautiful, beautiful baby boy. So handsome! Yup, yup, yup..."

Suddenly, his whole body goes rigid.

Then, abruptly, without warning, he moves like a missle, rolling himself onto his side so that he's facing you directly, twisting his torso toward you with unexpected agility, and rests the topmost part of his torso against yours, nuzzling his head along your neck gently. With a start, you realize what he's attempting to do: hug you.

As soon as you comprehend the significance of what is happening, you throw your arms around his broad, muscular form in return and lean forward instinctively, returning the embrace eagerly despite the awkwardness of the angle due to his size relative to your own physique.

"Ghiilaghiiii," he drawls out, the vibrations rumbling deeply inside of him resonating throughout your body in waves until they reach every corner of your being and gets you almost dizzy with elation. "Phyaaaaaaggghhieeeeeehgllll..."

Is it normal to be in tears after such an action? Because here you go. This seal has missed you, wanted a hug and made sure to deliver. How wonderful life is.

"I missed you more, you lovely angel. Thank you for wanting my company still," you sniffle happily into his fluffy coat, inhaling the musky scent of saltwater mixed with fresh sea spray that surrounds him like an invisible cloud. He should smell like fish or algae, but weirdly, he smells nice. And clean. How does a mammal even manage to get this fragrant when living in water? It shouldn't make any sense whatsoever, especially considering how much time he spends in the surf each day yet manages not to get sticky or covered in crusty buildups of dried plankton like most seals tend to develop after spending prolonged periods submerged undersea. "I'm so happy you don't hate me and decided to stay. I thought I had scared you away forever..."

He makes a sound like blowing raspberry at you, whacking his nose against your collarbone roughly enough that you wince inwardly but refrain from complaining aloud, not wishing to discourage him from enjoying the contact.

"Can I stroke you right here as well?"

You know he knows what's going on because he gives an approving hoot at your inquiry, tilting his head upwards against yours momentarily before resting it back atop your collarbones, letting loose a series of joyful chittering noises that sound distinctly like laughter. If nothing else convinces you of his intelligence then this certainly does the trick. An ordinary wild animal wouldn't react in such an interactive way nor would it care enough about interacting with another species unless desperate or curious, yet he has chosen to engage with you consistently since the two of you met all those weeks ago.

"Who is a good little cutie pie? Who is my gorgeous little sweetheart?"

This is probably getting overboard, but he clearly enjoys it based upon how excitedly he flops about while getting fussed over, his long tail beating happily against the sand each time you speak praise unto him in the rythym of your pets. Clearly delighted by this sudden affectionate assault, he bounces and chirrups playfully whenever you pause between complimenting him, eager to receive attention regardless if he comprehends fully the meaning behind it.

Eventually, though, things become less amusing for you due to the amount of strength needed for you to maintain both the position as well as support his huge head (noticing it was very dense and surprisingly heavier than it looked), forcing you to eventually call timeout.

However, before letting him free completely from the hug, you decide to give him a kiss on the nose that instantly turns your insides into mush as you see him close his giant, round, glistening black eyes for a fraction of second like a cat would before blinking them open again, gazing deeply straight into yours and holding your stare.

And proceeds to sneeze directly into your face.

"Thanks. Now we're officially best friends," you proclaim solemnly while wiping spit off your face.

You name him Raf.

You're not entirely sure how you came up with the name, to be honest. Maybe you overheard a tourist saying a variation of 'Raf' or 'Rat' or something similar and subconsciously picked it up from there? Who knows? The only thing you remember is that one moment you were teasing him about naming him 'Crybaby' -- 'BB' for short, and the next you hear yourself muttering 'Raf' out loud like something within your brain clicked. Like it was whispered right into your ear.

When you said it aloud for the first time, Raf perked up so intensely that you realized instantly the name was perfect for him. There was no doubt whatsoever — this was his name. A fitting, powerful one for such a gentle spirit that just happens to sound like a person's name.

But of course, when asked, you say it's short for riff-raff.

[robin-evry]

Hello is it possible to ask for a manananggal Yuu being isekaied to twisted wonderland, I just thought it would be funny for the NRC cast

OMG, I've been wanting to write more folklore from other parts of the world and I was hoping for one. Thanks for requesting, anyway ask and you shall receive.

𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐔𝐔 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐆𝐀𝐋 🌝👻

The manananggal (lit. 'remover') is a mythical creature in the Philippines that is able to separate its upper torso from the lower part of its body. Their fangs and wings give them a vampire-like appearance.

( English is not my first language )

Day 3 : manananngal!yuu

So basically the entrance of the ceremony goes to the same as the game or manga. Crowley allowed the magic less student to stay at the ramshackle dorm. At night something flies through the school... Some students reported that there was a creature with bat-like wings, it looks human but it's missing their lower parts flying around the school at night, these rumors cause the students to be afraid of the point they are not brave enough to go outside at night.

Crowley sent the ghost to patrol the school at night to see what and where the creature came from, and during the night after the dwarf mine incident, the ghost managed to track down what was the creature. The ghost followed the creature to do a ramshackle dorm and turns out the creature was the... new students

The new student was a manananggal, you can call them manananggal!yuu / nickname. They have a problem of sleep walking or sleep flying at night before they get teleported to twisted wonderland and they've been trying to find a solution to this problem, but on the good side the problem is solved and everything goes back to normal.

Also during the first years visit savanaclaw and was challenged to a magift duel. The disk accidentally hit manganggal!yuu in the chest causing them to be knocked off from their bottom half, imagine the heart attacks they gave towards those who saw that, but manananggal!yuu is pretty chill about it. But it did manage to scare the students in savanaclaw, Leona is unable to sleep for a few days.

Manananggal!yuu appearance during the day, is of a regular person plus pointy ears and a large tongue. many students point out about manananggal being very beautiful and some started to have a crush on them, they also detach themselves from their bottom part with their will as letting their wings out of their body.

But during the night, manganggal!yuu has a habit of sleep flying and detached itself from the bottom part of the body. Manananggal yuu have bar-like wings that are incredible to pierce and even spells are unable to pierce through. They also have extremely long nails or claws if you guys like to call them, their wingspan appears to be around 14 to 16 feet (4 to 5 meters) when fully extended. They also can use their wings to blow out the fire that grim was causing.

Sometime manananggal!yuu bottom parts go to auto pilot and move on their own, this caused them to chase their bottom part around the school at night or daylight.

Idia literally had a heart attack when he was watching the security, imagine he saw manananggal bottom part of their body run past the security camera and manananggal literally is chasing after it with their full form out. He literally fell to the ground due to shock.

When meeting manananggal!yuu, malleus thought manananggal!yuu was a gargoyle much to his disappointment they weren't but on the bright he finally got a friend who treats him normally.

Manananggal would love to bake and cook something from their homeland, the first years started to come over ramshackle for dinner because of how delicious their food is.

Btw free flight rides for grim from manananggal!yuu, grim tends to be on their back using them as a flight transportation. They also cover grim or the first years from rain using their wings as an umbrella. Manananggal!yuu once gave trey a jump scare or riddle because they were delivering the Adeuce notebooks that they accidentally left at the ramshackle dorm.

[soaringonblackwings]

Title: You Could go Anywhere, Yet You choose to Stay Here

Fandom: Yugioh 5ds

Chapter(s): 3/? (Day 3 of Duel Camp)

External: N/A

Summary: Crow meets his soon to be mentor for his student teacher hours. Who puts him on the spot almost immediately giving him a full workload. Crow is at the end of journey to a new beginning. His teaching days begin now.

Crow stood at the board writing down the rules of a turbo duel, the topic of today’s camp. This was definitely Crow’s element.

Before camp formally began, He was approached by Guu. She showed him the duel disk they worked on together. She managed to get it lit up. Though she couldn’t actually use it in a proper duel. He congratulated her for her hard work.

“Mr. Hogan?” One of the children called out.

“Yes, Kanda.”

“You have a duel runner?” Kanda asks. Crow nods. “Can we see it?”

Crow had no idea what possessed the class, but all of them were suddenly interested. Even Guu eyes were shining with interest.

From the corner of his eye he could see the parents murmuring in the stands. Glassouffle was no doubt hearing a stream of complaints. He looked to Xitto for help. The man was clearly enjoying Crow’s misery.

“Sorry, but we are not taking a trip to my duel runner.” Crow says. Much to the dismay of the class.

“If we are learning about turbo duels we should see a real duel runner up close.” Kanda says.

Truthfully, Crow did not mind showing the kids Blackbird however…. It is illegally modified so that would further put him on the parent’s shit list.

“Our lesson is going to firmly be here. No field trips!” Crow tells the class to sit in their seats as he gets started explaining the rules of todays game.

The kids will be put in teams of three. They will decide an order and each will have individual life points. When the current player loses all of their life points, they have to switch to the next person in the lineup. The team with the most wins is the victor.

“When you switch players you can pass along monsters. Other than that the field is reset when the player loses. Also, you do not share a graveyard nor can you pass along the cards in your hands or your deck.” Crow explains. “Oh! Um, any questions?”

“What the point of this?” Nishiki whines. “It sounds like we are dueling alone.”

“You are not dueling alone. There are ways you can help your teammates. Not just during the heat of the battle. Make your teams and prepare yourselves.” Crow says.

The day was spent with the kids finding and building teams with each until lunch time. After break the duels will commence.

“How am I doing?” Crow asks Xitto.

“I’ll let you know at the end of camp.” He said dismissively. Crow did not know why he expected help from him.

“I have noticed that you tend to let the kids handle themselves until they come to you for help. It’s one of the interesting aspects about you.” Glassouffle says.

“I’ve been modeling my style from someone I admire.” Crow says.

“I see.” Glassouffle nods.

Xitto made a look as if everything got pieced together and started making sense. “That explains everything. When I watch you teach, I see someone overlapping with you. You are not just taking inspiration from them, you are trying to become them.”

Crow was surprised by this. Sure he wanted to embody Pearson’s ideals, but he did not want to become him. Just how much of his mannerisms imitated Pearson’s? Crow had no idea he was even doing so it would be hard to pinpoint where his mannerisms started.

“Do you want to be a teacher because you like it or are you trying to chase a phantom that’s no longer here?” Xitto spoke without emotion.

“I have to get some air. Excuse me!” Crow rushes outside to his duel runner.

The sun high in the sky. It was a bit windy, so the coolness on Crow’s face helped him calm down.

He thought back to his days with Pearson and the lessons he taught. When he learned from him it felt new avenues opened up for him. He wanted the kids to have skills so they could be self sufficient. It was something that Crow had also wanted. It was one of things that made Crow want to follow Pearson.

“…Ah.”

But that was what Pearson wanted. Crow wanted that too, which is why he was working hard to become a teacher. Was there another angle he wasn’t seeing?

“Mr. Hogan?” Glassouffle’s gentle voice had pulled him out of his thoughts. “You’ve been gone for a while so I came to check on you.”

“I am sorry. I didn’t realize how much time passed.”

“Pay no mind.” She smiles.

“Needed to think about what it means for me to teach.” Crow says. “I feel like I am missing a perspective.”

“If I may say. I do have to agree with Mr. Xitto. Crow no matter how much you may admire or miss someone, you are still you.”

It was at that moment it clicked for Crow. The other perspective. “I am still me…. Teaching is also not just about my knowledge, but also about imparting a bit of myself to the students. I want them to learn from me, as I want to learn from too.”

Glassouffle smiled as Crow came to that conclusion.

For some reason the sky seemed clearer somehow.

[rosalind-hawkins]

Hihi!! Seto Kaiba for the character ask 3 and 7?

Thank you for asking! Answers for this post and still taking asks if anyone else is interested!

3. What was their best canon look?

I'm actually quite tied between his Duelist Kingdom outfit (I love it so much I have my own version of it for myself, as just regular clothes) and his white suit from season five (is just so slick and professional). Obviously his upgraded dueling outfit in DSOD was awesome and extra, but I like to think more about what Kaiba wears day to day. The Duelist Kingdom outfit is the closest we see him get to being casual ever, and unless I'm mistaken, the first scene we see that outfit is when he's working on the Duel Disk prototype. It's the outfit he picked for fiddling with his tech in his own home, and that makes it feel more personal, in a sense. This is what he wore when he was alone and not necessarily trying to impress anybody, and we don't get to see that part of Kaiba too often. (And in my Rock Bottom series, this is the outfit I have him in from halfway in Season Zero up through the end of Season Two, so this one is almost def my fave based on that.)

7. What do you think they would appreciate as a gift?

I had to triple check this one because I kept getting it mixed up with 5 and I was like, "wait, I already have something written for this, don't I?" and the answer is true for both, actually.

The thing about Kaiba is, he can already have whatever he wants. That's the worst kind of person to buy a present for, because you think, "Well if he wanted this, he would have gotten it for himself already, yeah?" And that's not necessarily true with Kaiba. He doesn't make time to take care of himself or enjoy himself, so a gift geared toward that would be very appreciated from a loved one. So I think secretly planning a vacation for him (Mokuba or Ishizu) or custom handmade BEWD art of some kind (Ryou) would be really nice for him. In the past I've usually written Joey as giving him *ahem* certain sexual experiences *ahem* as a present because Joey doesn't pretend he can give Kaiba a good gift, but he does know that he can show him a good time.

Another thing that would be sweet and specifically thoughtful imo (and this feels like something Duke would do) would be to look at the years that he was either in the orphanage or with Gozaburo, track down the systems and game copies for the best games that came out during those years, and spend a few weekends with him playing the games he missed out on during the time that he most needed them. Make sure that time is blocked out on his schedule and just have fun.

In Power of Three, well before Ryou and Seto get together, Ryou gives him a Christmas card with a single serving of tea inside, and at the time he's Kaiba's first actual real authentic genuine sees-him-as-a-real-human-being, talks-literature-and-philosphy-with-him-over-coffee FRIEND, so he's just touched way more by it than Ryou realizes. The gift is part of Kaiba's new experience with genuine friendship. It's just a little thing, but coming from Ryou, it meant something.

I have actually spent a lot of time on this question before and written a few of those scenes. And that was a really long answer to two simple questions, sorry about that! ��

For fun, I'm including a snippet from my old Euroshipping fic Tainted Love below, where Ryou gives Kaiba a handmade BEWD sculpture for Christmas, it elaborates on it being a good gift for him (besides the obvious reason).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Go ahead, open it. But be careful: it's fragile."

Intrigued, Seto tugged away the ribbon, peeled back the wrapping paper, and removed the lid of the box. He lifted away the flat piece of styrofoam and lifted away a few layers of tissue paper—then stopped, eyes wide in genuine surprise. As carefully as he was capable of doing so, Seto extracted his gift from its nest of protective wrapping.

"Did you make this?" he asked, voice so quiet that Ryou could hardly hear him above the sound of the fire.

"Yes." Ryou swallowed nervously, then continued, because Seto's silence unnerved him, "I started working on it a while ago, and the first few attempts kinda sucked because I was out of practice. I got some higher quality paints to use on it too, and because I know an art major who owed me a favor, I was able to bake it in a proper kiln. I was afraid that it might not be ready in time—"

"It's beautiful."

"Thank you." Ryou'd never heard Seto so soft-spoken before. He'd heard him whisper, but that was different from this. Even after all the time they'd spent together, the brunette's current expression was one that Ryou'd never seen and he didn't know how to interpret it.

"It reminds me," Seto said slowly after a brief pause, "Of when Mokuba made the Blue-Eyes card for me when I was a kid."

Ryou perked up a little. He'd never heard this story before.

"We'd been here for less than a month, and I already hated it." He traced his index finger over the delicate details of glossy porcelain wings. "He made that card to encourage me, because we weren't allowed to see each other. That's how he saved me, and that was also the day I swore I would own a real Blue-Eyes White Dragon card, since that was my first one. I'm not the type to accumulate objects because of the sentimentality attributed to them, but... I still have it."

"It brings back good memories, I hope," Ryou murmured, tucking one arm under Kaiba's and giving it an affectionate squeeze.

"Indeed it does."

When Kaiba began to set aside the wrappings, Ryou released him and let Kaiba stand, standing up with him. Kaiba carefully set the hand-made, ten-inch painted sculpture of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the center of the inset shelf above the fireplace that served as a mantelpiece. It's mouth was open, each of the teeth pointed as it screeched at them, its wings spread behind it as it gripped the rocky crag that formed the base of the statuette. It's eyes caught the light with a brilliant sparkle.

"Are those... real sapphires?"

"I couldn't find or make a shade of blue that could do its eyes justice." Ryou ducked his head bashfully.

"You really shouldn't have—"

"Don't worry about how I got them," Ryou interrupted, trying to put Seto's mind at ease. "The only hard part was setting them in his eyes so that they didn't look out of place."

[eobardthawneallen]

hii quick question what was your reaction when you saw dosd ?:))

Oh, that's a quick question to make not to answer because you have activated my trap card >:3 Favorite movie question, where I answer all the ways that I can to that question and I choose to not notice if I'm being annoying while explaining my love (*lying*, that's why I made a short version to answer this, to avoid annoying).

Short version:

Amazed to find out its existence, still amazed from start to finish.

Got obsessed with Seto Kaiba's obsession to get his bf back to life and marrying him💕

All this time yu gi oh! was teaching us, about heart, about dedication, and about how gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day. (I thought this twice in the movie)

for some unknown reason to me some people think or thought at the moment that at the end Kaiba time traveled, but I'm on team dimension traveled (come on, it's on the name of the movie)

And I've analyzed this movie so many times and I'll keep doing it, I love DSOD so much, fav movie, my shipper heart can't and won't let it go💕

Long Version:

warning I can and will explain why I loved this movie divided on scenes (mostly in order) on this version and feel free to picture me like the image below

So I was away of the fandom, then re entered around when the movie came out, I didn't re join for the movie, I had just rejoined and was searching the tags when found out a screenshot or gifset from the hologram duel in the movie, and I was like "this is so beautiful! where is this from?!" then found the movie.

The reaction to the actual movie was me squeeing, loving the style, I found my love for Takahiro Kagami way to draw the characters and love that Kazuki Takahashi himself had worked on the movie directly, also love the palette colors, the plot. everything in that movie is a work of art and I've and will continue analyzing it forever.

replaced the bbt movie as the best ygo movie, and also replaced whichever I had on 1st place in general as my favorite movie (still is)

I love so much the plot and how they took it as continuation for the manga, because it was so unfair for Seto to be negated the last moments of seeing Atem on earth then.

and as I said in my short answer, I got obsessed with Seto's steps of grief.

how the duel with the I.A Atem was in a church scenery, he is so in love with him and wanted to marry him the faster he could.

I know now that it can also be read as in "Is in a church so it can also be the part of him giving a funeral to Atem" but fuck it, this is about my 1st reaction and also I can prove that can also means what I 1st thought and was that Kaiba was practicing for his wedding duel.

we'll go back to this a bit later.

squeed again when Seto talked about how much he worked on the I.A to be a good copy.

loved that the I.A got gold arm bracelets, so lovely, and oh boy (gn), when the scene of Jonouchi is saved by Atem I was like "!!!! ATEM HAS THE GOLD ARM BRACELETS! HE'S BEEN WATCHING SETO AND APPROVES THE CLOTHES!!!" (or maybe he was just using the I.A to save Jonouchi or was the I.A itself? however my first thought and the one I keep thinking is the real answer is the one on Caps)

now let's talk about finding the puzzle pieces scene and Diva using his dimension powers to banish people and how Seto avoided it with tech, I went 🥰 "yeah! boy you got this!" and also yelled because that moment pointed Seto's plan to bring back Atem.

the miracle! oh god, I cried, the battle city tournament memories of their souls crossing, oh boi (gn), their souls crossed again 😭💕 they were so connected.

"Gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day." (ghost facers, supernatural 03x13)

let's continue, loved the tournament to get the puzzle complete again, I was alone watching this but I pointed to the duel disks and I was like holy shit is a wedding ring! is a ring for Atem!

allow me to explain myself, he made just 2 duel disks and they're themed with their colors combined (the black of Atem and the blue of Kaiba for his own disk, the white of Kaiba and the pink of Atem for the other), he gives it to Yugi because that's the vessel, but the disks as shown in the getting the puzzle pieces scene has the power to stabilize the person to the dimension that currently is. Seto planed to bring Atem with the puzzle but keep him on earth with the duel disk! the guy is so in love and I love him for it.

in love with self sacrifice Seto for Atem to be back again in the duel vs Diva, I cried there too, and specially because he was right.

again we're reminded that "Gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day." (ghost facers, supernatural 03x13)

and the end using the dimension canon and arriving to his bf resting place was *chef kiss* 🥰💕✨ go for him and bring his ass back!

later found transcend game manga and just made me love the movie even more 😭💕

I have seen this movie in 3 languages:

1st on Eng dub, didn't grow with it but they did a good job, I loved it :)

2ndly on Jap with subs, loved it more, Atem's voice in the "will see about that" phrase 🥰💕💕💕💕💕💕💕, Seto's voice in the is not a monster is a God , uff hot.

3rdly in Lat. Spanish, sadly not with all the original voice actors, since the ones that were in charge to dub it didn't ask correctly the voice actors for their help 😭, still did a good job to dub

now I wait for a possibly 30 year anniversary movie and see how they talk about Yugi's or Atem's hair, haha 2 years to see if it happens (bbt is for the 10, dsod for 20... is too delusional to hope for a 30 anniversary movie? imo it's fine)

and that's all, in conclusion:

I love this movie so much and I won't stop loving it. 100/10! 💕💕💕💕💕💕✨✨✨✨✨

[antihibikase-archive]

Numeron Code AU - Plot Summary

We've temporarily named the arcs after the opening of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal since Zexal is the main series that inspired this AU- its also why they use D - Gazers, which were introduced in Zexal.

Additionally, for reference for our mutuals; the D Gazer is the thing on their eyes (Piper's tattoo, Slater's heart-scale thing) while the duel disk is the thing attached to their arm! The D Gazer enables them to see the field (Zexal is focused on the whole hyperrealistic AR thing for the duels), while the duel disk is where they play their cards.

Keeping YGO terms and reference to a minimum here in this post for easier understanding but, here's the plot so far;

Cheren Piper is an up and coming duelist from Nuvema Town, hoping to make it big in the center of Unova, Nimbasa City- that is, if his attitude wasn't holding him back.

Those in Nimbasa's dueling scene know of Piper as a temperamental brat, and while they couldn't deny he had the skill to make it to the stars, he wasn't deserving of such blessings until he fixed his personality, one that is so unbearable that it turned all of his previous friends away from him.

Despite this, Piper aims to be the best of the best, viewing his lack of connections and support as something temporary- something that will be worth it once people realize his greatness.

However, his life changes after he meets his first and only genuine fan, and is later approached by a man in strange garbs.

Arc 1 (Masterpiece) - Piper meets Cheren Slater, a boy from Hoenn who shares his name. Despite initially keeping him around to stroke his ego, Piper finds himself growing to care for him, as Slater confides to Piper about his lack of dueling skill and the reasoning for his presence in Unova- loneliness.

Piper is later approached by a man named Ghetsis, who offers him pure strength in exchange for his cooperation in Team Plasma, having grown interested in Piper's performances in Nimbasa's dueling scene.

Piper chooses to chase his ideal, and becomes a number hunter for Team Plasma; someone that hunts rare cards known as numbers, which are said to bring out a duelist's deepest, darkest desires, and grant their wishes. In addition, to reap a number from a duelist, he has to steal their soul.

Arc 2 (Braving) - As Piper grows busier with his number hunting, he disappears from Nimbasa's tournament scene, sparking rumors. Meanwhile, he tries to keep in touch with Slater, who is convinced Piper was simply scouted by a professional dueling circuit, and supports Piper's dream by promising to wait for him always. Growing slightly jaded by the number hunting, Piper wishes to see his friend again- but is unable to come to their meeting following an emergency with Ghetsis.

Meanwhile, Slater waits at their usual meeting spot, believing that Piper will show up no matter what- he's eventually abducted by Team Plasma's sage Zinzolin, who claims he is similar to The Diviner of The Herald card, and sees him worthy to be the object of worship of the cult, The Herald's Guidance.

As Piper starts to rebel against Team Plasma, Ghetsis dangles his captured friend in front of him, and feeds Piper a lie- if he wishes to save his friend's life from the clutches of the Heralds, he must continue to seek out the numbers.

Arc 3 (Soul Driver) - Rumors about a ghost spreads online, attracting the attention of Unova's best dueling league, The Elite Four- particularly, it attracts the attention of Pro Duelist Grimsley Slater, who has been working night and day, seeking out his missing brother.

Having found escape impossible, Piper finds himself selling his soul away to Team Plasma in an attempt to collect all the numbers and to save his friend, who grows weaker with each day under the influence of the Heralds.

During one of his hunts, he encounters Grimsley, who reveals he has a number card of his own; however, Piper is unwilling to hunt him, knowing that doing so might lead to his only friend hating him. Spotting this weakness, Ghetsis attempts to exploit his attachment to Slater, dangling freedom and the illusion of control in front of him.

Not wanting to hurt anymore people and unwilling to leave his friend in the mercy of the cult, Piper starts plotting of another escape attempt.

Arc 4 (Unbreakable Heart) - A month after Piper manages to escape with Slater, he moves in with Slater at his condo in Castelia City, despite Grimsley's mixed feelings towards him. Sharing the same trauma, the two of them try to recover from what has happened to them, seeking out to enjoy dueling once more.

Piper's reappearance makes him realize that, despite his unlikable personality, those in the dueling scene were troubled by his disappearance, and he finds himself mellowing out and enjoying the feeling of being loved.

However, just as both he and Slater are starting to feel comfortable, scattered members of The Herald's Guidance emerge, claiming that Team Plasma will rise again- and they will take their Diviner once more.

Arc 5 (Dualism of Mirrors) - on edge after weeks of harassment and stalking, Piper is approached by a man named Colress, who offers him the choice of training him under his wing to become stronger. When Piper refuses, Colress mentions that in his current state, he will be unable to protect what is most important to him.

Piper slowly starts to spiral back into old habits, keeping Slater in the dark about his meetings with Colress, and once again focusing on solely strength instead of the joy of dueling. This culminates in him attempting to hunt Grimsley for his number card, which in turn, leads Grimsley to believe Piper will never change from the brat he was at the start, and kicks him out of their home.

That night, however, as he wanders through the streets of Nimbasa City, Grimsley calls Piper in a panic, claiming Slater is missing.

Arc 6 (Wonder Wings) - Piper is summoned by Colress to the Plasma Frigate. Along the way, he duels members of The Herald's Guidance as they repeat Colress' words to him- that Piper is not strong enough to protect what is most important to him. By the time he reaches the Frigate, Piper has grown colder, more unhinged, and demands to never forgive Colress- or anyone that stands beyond him, his quest for strength, and his dream.

In the midst of the duel, however, Piper realizes that Colress' deck is not only Slater's old Herald deck, but that Slater has been trapped inside The Herald of Ultimateness' armor, where he's barely conscious enough to feel what's happening to him.

Piper is initially unwilling to hurt his friend, nearing death as Colress pushes him to his limits; but upon hearing Slater's voice from resonating within the armor, Piper expresses his desire to return to their simpler days back to their first meeting.

Trusting his own instincts, Piper manages to attack Colress- and by extension, Slater.

Epilogue:

Post-Colress duel, Piper is in a slump, having his passion for dueling ripped away from him; not wanting to be in the public eye any longer, especially after he's held his friend's body in his arms, Piper attempts to run away; from both his partner and the rest of the world.

However, months after Slater's recovery, Piper hears that Grimsley is forcing him to go back to Hoenn- Piper shows himself to Grimsley to fight for Slater's right to choose, but Slater takes his challenge instead, prompting a ceremonial duel at the very place where they first met.

As they duel and attract an audience, Piper remembers the promise he made with Slater months ago, where they would protect each other and be each other's biggest supporters in a world that they felt had left them alone. Realizing Slater wants to share his burden and not to worry about him anymore, Piper manages to overcome his fear of hurting his friend, and give him a good and fair duel.

After winning the duel, Piper demands for Grimsley to listen to Slater's choice- in which Slater reveals he himself wishes to go back to Hoenn for the time being, and only pretended that Grimsley was forcing him, knowing Piper would not show up otherwise. Though Unova is his home now, Slater understands that he must learn to find his own strength just as Piper learns to open his heart to the region he once turned his back to. With a promise of reunion, Piper and Grimsley send off Slater to Hoenn.

Timeskip:

A year later, Piper is seen reconnecting with old friends and winning his first ever tournament- he had moved into the Slaters' condo awhile back, and intends on chasing his dream while he waits for Slater to return.

Numeron Code ends with Piper receiving a call from Slater, telling him he's waiting at their usual spot in Nimbasa City.

[z-iridest]

Yu-Gi-Oh: Renegade

Chapter 5:

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh: Renegade:

' "In 3 months, I will be holding a Derby Duel Tournament. It is open to all who wish to compete." Leon Dracnus announced on live TV.

"Look, everyone deserves to play the game they love without facing prejudice, without consequences… This baby," Yuko gently patted the broken down Phoenix Whirlwind, "is the key to jump starting that change. But, I'm gonna need you guys behind me on this."

"There'll never be a time you can't count on me." Adom replied.

"Good luck, Yuko, my girl." Pops told her before Yuko raced out of the garage and away from her chosen family.

"Remove your helmet and deactivate the gear, reject. I know you're a duelist, and one from the Jade Phoenix Duel Gang judging by the symbol on your back."  

"You have Derby Duel gear yourself, right, Takano? Duel me. If I win, I go about my business and you act like nothing happened." 

"And why should I listen to what a reject like you asks of me?"

"Winning against me means you could get redemption from the big man topside. See, you're right in assuming I'm a duelist, I'm the leader of the Jade Phoenix gang, their best duelist."

"You're on, Birdie. You're in for one heck of a match, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, kid! Wait, that Duel Disk... Where did that come from?!" Yuko felt a smirk cross her face at the Chaser's shock of the tech she'd built herself.

"I built it into my gear!"

What have I gotten myself into? She thought nervously as a countdown began to the beginning of the duel.'

With the Duel World spell activated, the world around them had changed giving it a bluish hue. "Ready... Set... Duel!" The computer counted down. Both duelists took off, their Life Point counters set to 4000 Life Points. Wait, are my eyes playing tricks on me? Why are my Life Points only at 4000? Yuko thought, her brow furrowing.

"In case you aren't familiar with Derby Duel combat, allow me to explain the rules. In Derby Duels, our decks are cut down to 40 cards each and our Life Points are only set to 4000 points. Unlike Turbo Duels back in the old days, we're allowed to use normal spells, but we do have hurdles that make things harder. For one thing, in the actual arena, if you knock your opponent out of bounds, they automatically lose. The first two to take that first turn are the first duelists to begin dueling. If one of the duelists in focus gets knocked out, either by a duelist or an obstacle, either the duelist that butted them out or the duelist closest to the remaining duelist takes over the duel. Much like Turbo Duels, though, if you hit zero while Derby Dueling, your wheels will lock up and you'll be forced to wipe out." Takano explained.

"In other words, you wanna be the last duelist standing." Yuko summed up.

"Too bad it won't be you, Birdie." Takano smirked. 

"We'll see about that, Takano." Yuko glared.

"Ready... Set... Duel!" The computer counted off, the two taking off as soon as the countdown hit the go mark.

Yuko- 4000                                           Takano- 4000

"Ladies first, reject." Takano smirked. Yuko rolled her eyes as she drew. A frown crossed her face. Mystical Space Typhoon, Spell Shattering Arrow, Shield Crush, Blast Magician, Monster Reborn and Unexpected Dai... Not too much to work with defense wise, but one monster's better than nothing but spells the first draw... Yuko thought. "What's the matter, giving up already?" Yuko scoffed at Takano's taunt.

"You wish! I'll kick this off by activating Unexpected Dai from my hand! Since I have no monsters on the field, I'm allowed to Special Summon a Level Four or below Monster from my deck, as long as it doesn't have any effects... So, Flamvell Guard, take to the field in defense mode!" The metallic dragon roared to life, flames coming off its body as it curled up in defense mode (ATK/ 100 DEF/ 2000). "Next, I summon Blast Magician in attack mode!" Blast Magician spun his staff, taking his place next to Flamvell Guard and standing at the ready, his eyes trained on the enemy (ATK/ 1400 DEF/1700). I'll end my turn there for now. Your move, Takano." 

​​​Yuko- 4000                                           Takano- 4000

"My turn! I draw!" Takano observed the cards in his hand before smirking a bit. "First, I'll summon Honest in attack mode!" An angel looking monster took to the field on Takano's side of the field, his wings unfurled and his eyes glaring fiercely (ATK/ 1100 DEF/ 1900). "Now, since I'm not dumb enough to attack you with a monster that has less attack power than Blast Magician, I'll end my turn with a facedown." 

"Wow, who knew you guys were actually smart? It's my turn now!" Yuko remarked, but before she could take her turn, she noticed something hurtling her way. She moved to the side, dodging it by a hair. Takano laughed at her. 

"I told you there were hurtles... From here on out on every other turn, the Duel World field spell automatically throws obstacles our way. In an arena, it would have obstacles set up, but this isn't your typical arena." Takano revealed.

"You were hoping I'd get knocked down by one of those, didn't you?!" Yuko accused.

"Don't accuse me of such a ridiculous thing, girl, now take your turn or I'll take it as a surrender!" Takano threatened.

Yuko- 4000                                           Takano- 4000

"I draw!" Yuko kept a steady pace as she looked at the cards in her hand. While she'd gotten one spell card out of the way, she still had her original four, plus her trap card: Trap Jammer. Least he won't be able to do anything to me with a Trap Card this upcoming turn... Yuko thought. "Blast Magician, let's leave a scorch mark! Attack Honest!" 

"You won't be able to touch him, Birdie! I activate the trap card, Compulsory Evacuation Device! This card allows me to target one monster and return it to the owner's hand, and I choose my Honest!" Takano smirked.

"I guess your dueling skills are rustier than you thought, because all that does is switch Blast Magician's target from your monster to you directly!" Yuko called out his mistake as his monster returned to his hand and Blast Magician turned his attention on Takano. His eyes grew wide.

"Wait, wait, wait!" He shouted but it was too late, Blast Magician closed in on Takano and sliced through the Ex Chaser with his scepter. Takano stumbled due to the damage he took, but managed to get his footing back. Yuko smirked.

"I'll end my turn by throwing down a facedown. Your move, Takano." Yuko smirked.

Yuko- 4000                                           Takano- 2600

"You snot-nosed, insignificant little- AH!" Distracted by his need to insult Yuko, he was tripped up by an obstacle thrown his way, the teenager snickering as he barely managed to stay on his feet. "What?! You cheater! You did that on purpose!"

"You forgot one of the rules: Since it's just the two of us dueling and we're outside the normal arena, any time one of us takes direct damage, we have to avoid an obstacle at the end of the turn." Yuko reminded him, smirking. Takano growled in response. 

"I draw!" Takano drew a card, but the look he gained on his face made Yuko uneasy. What is he planning? She thought as she kept pace with the ex Chaser. "I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level Four! (Atk/1600 Def/1000)" Yuko's face paled as she came face to face with her own brother's dragon. There were 3 dragons with the same name: Level Four, Level Six and Level 8. Liam's entire deck had gone missing, and it chilled Yuko's blood to know that the dragons that her brother had once held dear were now on the hands of someone like Takano. Takano, meanwhile, smirked. "What's the matter, little duelist?! Dragon got your tongue?!" Takano cackled. Yuko glared.

"Take your turn, snake!" Yuko yelled. 

"As you wish! Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level Four, destroy her Blast Magician!" Takano announced the attack. The dragon roared and did as it was told, making Yuko cry out in pain as 400 life points were taken from her, her magician destroyed. "Now, his special effect activates! When I destroy a monster this turn, I'm allowed to send him to the graveyard and Special Summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6 from my hand or deck!" He laughed as the level four dragon disappeared, it's Level 6 version taking its place. It roared, Yuko recognizing the pain it was in. Don't worry, I'll find a way to get you guys away from him... I promise! She thought, hoping the dragon could hear her. "I end my turn due to Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level Four's effect!"

Yuko- 3600                                               Takano- 2600

"Then, it's my move now!" Yuko shouted before she dodged the hurtle coming her way and drawing her next card. Keeper of Dragon Magic! Yuko thought, smiling a bit before schooling her features. "I summon Keeper of Dragon Magic in attack mode! (Atk/1800 Def/1300)" She watched as the dragon armored magician burst to life, facing Takano and the level 6 dragon. 

"What is it with you and Spellcasters! You know that magician's far too weak to beat my dragon!" Takano called out.

"I know, I'm not attacking with him!" Yuko called out. "I activate his effect! By discarding Spell Shattering Arrow, I can draw Polymerization from my deck to my hand. But, that's not all! By revealing a fusion monster from my deck, I can special summon one of the materials needed to summon it in defense position! So, Luster Dragon, join us on the battlefield as I reveal First of Dragons!" She showed the fusion card as she summoned Luster Dragon (Atk/1900 Def/1600) in defense position. "Now that the effect is complete, I activate Polymerization from my hand, fusing my Flamvell Dragon and Luster Dragon together to Fusion Summon First of Dragons in attack mode! (Atk/2700 Def/2000)". First of Dragons roared to life, his grey scales glistening in the street lamp light and his tail hitting the ground as he roared. Yuko smirked. "Now, First of Dragons, attack Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6!" Yuko ordered the attack, and watched as a black lightning ball left her dragon and hit her brother's dragon, destroying it and knocking Takano's life points down another 400 life points. Takano cried out in pain and once again struggled to maintain his balance as Yuko took the lead, easily turning around to face Takano and skate backwards. The ex Chaser growled and the smirk on her face. "Now, Keeper of Dragon Magic, it's your turn, attack Takano directly!" She extended her hand, making Takano's eyes widen as the Spellcaster attacked, knocking his Life Points down another 1800 points and causing Takano to falter once more." I set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Yuko- 3600                                                 Takano-800

"You no good reject! You'll be locked up for sure! I draw!" Takano barely avoided another obstacle before drawing his next card, and a flash of red caught Yuko's attention. The Dragon Kings were nearby...

"Says the guy about to lose this duel! Make your last turn count, Takano!" Yuko fired back. Takano suddenly started laughing.

"I plan to! I use the effect of Monster Reborn to bring my Black Flame Dragon Level 6 back from the Graveyard! Next, I summon my Honest back to the field! But, instead of attacking, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!" Wait, why isn't he attacking? Yuko thought. It didn't make any sense...

Yuko- 3600                                               Takano-800

"I draw!" Yuko announced her turn as she drew a card. "I summon Dark Blade in attack mode! (Atk/ 1800 Def/1500)" She smirked behind her helmet. "Dark Blade, attack and destroy his Honest!"

"Not so fast, I activate the trap card Rising Energy! By discarding my Two Headed Dragon, I can give my Honest an additional 1500 attack points! (Atk 1100+ 1500= 2600)."

"Nice try, but you forget about my facedown! Trap Jammer! Using this trap, I can negate and destroy Rising Energy!" 

"WHAT?!" Takano exclaimed in horror as he watched his trap crumble and shatter.

"And that means Dark Blade is clear to keep his attack going!" Yuko exclaimed. Dark Blade's sword slashes through the angel, making it give a cry as it shattered and Takano yell in pain as he took the 700 point damage. He stumbled, barely managing to catch his balance for the final time. "First of Dragons, let's finish him off once and for all! Attack his Black Flame Dragon and end this duel! Black Lightning Attack!" She yelled out, the dragon roaring as it fired off another ball of black lightning, once again destroying the Black Flame Dragon. Takano cried out as the last damage of the Derby Duel rendered him down to zero, taking his last 100 Life Points and making him finally fall as Yuko came to a stop, standing tall.

Yuko- 3600                                         Takano- 0

"Should have attacked while you had the chance." Yuko snarled. "Now, you're going to give me my brother's dragons back right now. All three of them. It's the rules of a Derby Duel. Any rare cards the losing duelist has go to the winner." Takano growled, the snarl eventually growing so loud it eventually became a roar of rage!

"NEVER, I'M TAKING YOU IN!" Takano yelled in anger, but before he could lay a hand on Yuko, a punch came from over the female's left shoulder. When Yuko turned her head, she had to admit that she was surprised to see Kai Cunningham behind her, along with the other members of the Dragon Kings.

"Not in our turf. She beat you fair and square, and you had some of the rarest dragons in the game since the creation of the Blue Eyes. You don't deserve to be a duelist." Kai threatened, scooping up the cards Yuko had requested from the deck and glaring at him. Yuko tensed, ready for a fight if that's what it came down to. "Relax, Adonis, and take off your helmet already, Yang wants to see you." Yuko hesitated for a minute. "Look, idiot, you want your brother's dragons back or not?" He questioned. Yuko pressed a button on the side of her helmet that made the skates and her helmet collapse, allowing her to walk freely. Kai placed the dragons in her hand before leading the way toward the Dragon Kings' hideout. Yuko placed the dragons in her deck, smiling when she heard their spirits purring on happiness. Once inside the hideout, Yuko saw that it was a den, filled with members of the Dragon Kings either training or cooking a hearty meal, the smell of which made Yuko's stomach rumble. "Being this close to an entrance of Cypher City has its perks." Kai told her as he held her to the center of the den. "We also have informants all over Cypher City, they keep us updated if anyone even murmurs about an attack on the Underground." The closer they got to the center of the den, the warmer it became. Yuko noticed many of the members of the rival duel gang stopping to stare at her. Kai glared at them once they reached a door, making all of them head back to their stations. "Yang's through here." Kai opened the door for her, letting her go through.

"Thanks." Yuko spoke. "For the backup back there and bringing me here." 

"Just following Boss's orders." Kai replied before closing the door behind her. When Yuko turned her back to the now closed door, she found a haven of an office. Books of Duel Monsters history lines the shelves, titles listing the pat Kings of Games, their rivals and the history of the fame itself. A picture frame sat center stage in the middle of it all, a picture of a young girl with snow white hair and sapphire blue eyes next to a younger and much happier Yang.

"My younger sister." Yang clarified from the desk in the center of the room before Yuko could ask, not glancing up from whatever he was working on. "The last time Cypher City tried a raid, my sister was coming up the stairs and was killed. We were able to fortify the passageway to not allow anyone but residents of the Underground in, but the update came too late to save her. Her name was Kisa, and no, I don't want to talk about her other than to make you understand why I don't mention her." Upon closer inspection, Yuko noticed a locket around both siblings neck in the picture, a locket that still hung around Yang's neck now despite the pain it must have brought him to remember his sister.

"We're similar that way, I guess." Yuko responded, remembering her own grief as Liam's face flashed in her mind. She heard Yang's chair scrape against the floor before the sound of his boots marked him drawing closer to her.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're just as crazy as your brother. Risking your neck to go up top, all to take part in some tournament that'll just be another blip in the history of Duel Monsters and end with your death." Yang told her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I have to. Especially considering I have the chance to kickstart the chance for people to be able to duel freely." Yuko replied, facing her rival. He easily towered over her, his ruby red streaked, jet black hair hung in his face, his hazel eyes regarding her.

"You know they'll be able to keep track of you with your prosthetic, Yuko. You're not an idiot, don't do this over one stupid tournament."

"The gang and I thought of that, Raven was able to hack the systems so my ID shows as someone else rather than who I am, and it's also why my hair and eyes are a different color. I'm two steps ahead of you, as usual." Yuko turned to leave but found her arm in Yang's grasp.

"Yuko, please. One leader to another, don't go up there. You'll get caught, tortured and killed and your friends will be left down here alone." Yang reminded her of the punishments that waited for her if she were caught.

"And you know why I have to do this. Any day now, a piece of vital information could slip past your informants, Dracnus could lead an army down here and then Duel Monsters would be destroyed forever. That risk is why I have to fight back for us, because no one else will." She argued. Yang stared at her.

"I still think it's a stupid idea... But, nothing I say or do is going to change your mind, I've seen that look enough times to know. You die up there, I'll kill you." Yang let go, leading her to a bookcase that swung open when he pulled on a book titled An Incomplete History of Underground City and other Adrenaline Junkies. Yuko gave Yang a deadpan look.

"Cliche much?" She asked.

"Hey, it hides it better than an out of place stone tablet that's impossible to move." Yang replied. Yuko passed him to climb up the steps when a thought crossed her mind and she stopped, facing Yang.

"If something happens to me up there, will you make sure my gang stays safe?" She asked. Yang nodded.

"You have my word." He swore.

"Thanks... For everything." A smile crossed her face before she ascended the steps without looking back, the secret door swinging closed behind her. Her boots smacked against the cement stairs as she climbed higher and higher until she reached a heavy metal door. She touched the center of it, causing it to slide upward. Once she exited the staircase, the door slammed shut behind her. She was in someplace that looked like a normal apartment. It was abandoned, covered in dust and most of the furniture covered with a white cloth. Where she had just come from was behind a dusty old bookcase. Really? Just when I thought that guy couldn't be more cliche? She thought, shaking her head as she looked around. Since the applications didn't open back up again until the morning, Yuko set to work sorting out the apartment, dusting and cleaning until it looked almost like a new apartment. Once she finished, she looked out the window she had just finished dusting watching the stars glimmer in the sky above her. She gave a small smile, taking the stars as a sign of what she hoped would be a bright and peaceful future to come

But only time would tell for sure.

(Taglist: @kitsunephantom09 @iheartbarbie)

[pbear]

Yugioh OC Week Day 3: Deck - Part 2

“What’s in this for you?” Alice asked. One of the UTS siblings—Yuamu was her name if she remembered correctly—had just waltzed up to her and requested a duel. She was bold to present herself in front of a lieutenant like that. Of course, Phaser had told her to be on the lookout for the twins or any of their friends who were trying to ruin their plans, but this was far too easy.

“If I win, you have to give me information.” Alice saw the gleam in her eye, confident she’d get what she wanted. “If I lose, then you can lock me up. I bet that was already your plan anyway.”

“Information about what?” Alice pushed back.

“About your Commander and his brother. What are their plans? Why are they doing this? What are their secrets?” Alice’s jaw tightened at that last word. Her teal eyes narrowed, weighing the pros and cons of taking up this deal. Phaser had given her a job to bring in the twins though, so that’s what she’d do.

“Okay, I agree to your terms.” Alice activated her duel disk, as did Yuamu.

“Rush Duel!”

"I'll take the first turn," Yuamu said, "I summon Alpha Burn Drake, Dragosite, and Applizard. I use Alpha Burn Drake and Dragosite for a tribute summon! Blue Tooth Burst Dragon!" A blue and white dragon roared onto the field.

"I set a card and end my turn."

"My turn. I draw!" Alice began, "I summon Starry Prophet, Fortune Stellar, and Horoscope Seer. I'll tribute Starry Prophet and Fortune Stellar to tribute summon! A melody floods through the galaxy. Can you hear it? Can you sing it? Come out, Starsinger Aquarius!" A girl with hair and elaborate dress flowing like water appeared on the field, a microphone gripped in one of her hands.

"Horoscope Seer's effect activates when I only have Water monsters on my field. I sent it to the Graveyard in order to destroy your facedown. Next, I use Aquarius' effect. By sending the top two cards of my deck to the Graveyard, I destroy your Applizard. Melodic Wave!" Alice's monster sang a note that tore right through Yuamu's dragon.

"Then, I use the spell Twelfth Star," Alice continued, "It gives Starsinger Aquarius 500 ATK until the end of the turn. Now, attack Blue Tooth Burst Dragon! Torrential Note!"

Yuamu: 3700

"I end my turn."

"I draw!" Yuamu started, "I summon Lightwave Dragon and Beta Burn Dragon. Beta Burn Dragon's effect activates when I summon it while there's another Dragon on my field. You take 100 damage for each of your monsters."

Alice: 3900

"Then, I tribute both of my dragons! Emerge, Red Boot Boost Dragon! I use Red Boot Boost Dragon's effect to return the six Dragons in my Graveyard back into my deck. 600 damage is inflicted to you and Red Boot gains 600 ATK." Alice winced at the damage.

Alice: 3300

"I'll also equip Red Boot Boost Dragon with the spell QWERTY Keyblade. It gains 200 ATK for every spell on my field. I set one card facedown. Now, attack Starsinger Aquarius!"

Alice: 2400

"I end my turn." Alice couldn't help but notice the smile on the girl's face. She bet her opponent was getting a kick out of being ahead in the game. It was time to turn this around.

"My turn! I draw! First, I summon Zodiac Keeper. Its effect sends the top card of my deck to the Graveyard. Then, I draw one card and discard one card to the Graveyard." Alice's eyes flickered to the card she just drew before making her next move.

"I send Zodiac Keeper to the Graveyard in order to," She revealed three cards in her hand, "Maximum Summon." Yuamu swore the ground shook as Alice's duel disk shifted to accommodate her monster.

"Ruler of the stars, shake the very galaxy with your presence! Celestial King Leo!" A giant warrior donning the head of a lion on his own and wielding a greatsword stormed onto the field.

"I use one of Leo's effects to shuffle 5 Water monsters in my Graveyard back into the deck. That lets me return your Red Boot Boost Dragon back to your hand, also destroying your equip spell." Alice saw that same smile cross her opponent's face. Was there some trick she had up her sleeve?

"I set one card facedown. Celestial King Leo, attack directly! Resounding Roar!"

Yuamu: 500

"This is getting really fun, isn't it?" Yuamu drew. Alice's eyes widened. Was that why she'd been smiling this whole time? Despite the stakes of this duel, she'd been having fun? Yuamu didn't fail to notice the lieutenant's reaction.

"Don't tell me you're not having fun," She laughed. Then, the same strange sadness Yudias had picked up on fell across Alice's expression. "Have you ever had fun during a duel?"

Their eyes met. "No." Alice's duel disk dropped to her side like her body had realized just how tired it was. Dueling had always been part of her job. That's what Phaser told her to do. If she didn't do it and do it well, how could she stay by his side?

"Well, there's still time to change your mind because the duel's not over yet!" Yuamu began her turn, "I summon DBF Rebuildra. Its effect lets me reveal Red Boot Boost Dragon in my hand to set Dragon's Boost Fusion onto my field from the Graveyard. I also summon Striping Wyvern and Booster Wyvern. By tributing DBF Rebuildra and Striping Wyvern, I'll bring back Red Boot Boost Dragon!" The gigantic red and black creature soared onto the field once more.

"I activate the spell Dragon's Boost Fusion! I'll use Red Boot and Booster Wyvern as materials for a Fusion summon. Red Boot Enhanced Boost Dragon!"

"Not so fast!" Alice interrupted, "I use the trap Fate from the Heavens. When I have a Level 7 or higher Water monster, all your monsters lose 1000 ATK."

"I knew you wouldn't make it easy! Dragon Boost Fusion has another effect since I used Red Boot as Fusion material. Both of us send the top seven cards of our deck to the Graveyard. Next, I use Red Boot Enhanced Boost Dragon's ability! I can return up to nine monsters to the deck from either of our Graveyards." Yuamu shuffled back five monsters while Alice shuffled back four.

"My dragon then deals you 200 damage for each card and gains the same amount of ATK!" Even with her Maximum monster, Yuamu's dragon had Alice beat.

Alice: 600

"Red Boot Enhanced Boost Dragon, attack Celestial King Leo!"

Alice: 0

The blue haired girl was thrown back by the final attack, landing on her back in the grass. She wasn't looking forward to telling the Ryugu brothers what had happened. Tremolo was already looking for ways to kick her out and Phaser....she sighed.

A hand extended towards the lieutenant, Yuamu looking down at her. Alice hadn't been beaten in a long time. A faint smile crossed her face as she took the girl's hand.

"You were right. That was fun." She brushed off her skirt. "And I believe I owe you some information." The girl was clearly eager to get her hands on it.

"The Ryugu brothers are trying to eliminate all aliens on Earth. Most of their plan is already in motion. You and your friends are the only thing really standing in the way."

"I already know a lot of that. Do you know how we can stop them? Anything they've been keeping secret?" Alice pursed her lips.

"I'm sorry but they don't tell me anything. I wish I could have given you something more useful." Yuamu sighed.

"But what I can do is try to convince them otherwise." The brown haired girl perked up at this. "I don't know if they'll listen to me, but I hope they will."

"Thanks, Alice." Yuamu extended her hand which the other girl shook.

Alice walked back to MIK headquarters as the sun set. She was going to have to request a meeting with their Commander.

@ygoc-week

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

All information on the cards I have for Alice's deck will be under the cut. There's a lot.

Monsters

Zodiac Keeper: Level 3/ATK 1200/DEF 1000/Fairy/WATER Requirement: Send the top card of your deck to the Graveyard Effect: Draw 1 card and then discard 1 card in your hand to the Graveyard

Horoscope Seer: Level 3/ATK 1300/DEF 800/Fairy/WATER Requirement: Send this card from the field to the Graveyard Effect: Destroy 1 Spell/Trap on your opponent’s field

Starry Prophet: Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1100/Fairy/WATER

Fortune Stellar: Level 4/ATK 1300/DEF 1000/Fairy/WATER Requirement: If all monsters on your field are WATER Attribute Effect: Send up to three cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard and inflict 100 damage to your opponent for each one

Sharpstinger Scorpio: Level 6/ATK 1800/DEF 1500/Fairy/WATER

Starsinger Aquarius: Level 7/ATK 2300/DEF 2000/Fairy/WATER Requirement: Send the top 2 cards of your deck to the Graveyard Effect: Destroy 1 Level 6 or lower monster on the field

Lightbringer Virgo: Level 8/ATK 2500/DEF 1900/Fairy/WATER Requirement: Shuffle 2 monsters in your Graveyard into the deck Effect: All WATER monsters on your field gain 500 ATK. Then, if you control another Level 7 or higher monster, you can destroy 1 Spell/Trap on the field.

Maximum monster: Celestial King Leo: Level 10/ATK 3500/DEF 0/Fairy/WATER

(L): Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 0/Warrior/WATER Requirement: Shuffle 5 WATER monsters in your Graveyard into your deck Effect: Return 1 Level 8 or lower monster on your opponent’s field to the hand

(R): Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 0/Warrior/WATER Requirement: Send the top 2 cards of your deck to the Graveyard Effect: Change the battle position of 1 monster on your opponent’s field

Center: Level 10/ATK 2500/DEF 0/Warrior/WATER Requirement: Send 2 cards from your hand to the Graveyard Effect: All monsters on your opponent’s field lose 500 ATK. Also, if this card is in Maximum Mode, it cannot be destroyed by Trap cards.

Fusion monster: Harmonizing Libra “Starsinger Aquarius” + “Lightbringer Virgo” Level 9/ATK 3000/DEF 2500/Fairy/WATER Requirement: Shuffle 5 WATER monsters in your Graveyard into your deck Effect: If your opponent controls more monsters than you, Special Summon WATER monsters from your Graveyard so you control the same number of monsters as your opponent. Then, this card gains ATK equal to the summoned monsters’ levels x 300.

Spells

Staff of the Twelve Stars (Equip) Requirement: Equip this card to 1 face-up WATER Attribute Fairy Type monster on your field Effect: The equipped monster cannot be destroyed by Trap effects. If you control 3 WATER monsters on your field, the equipped monster inflicts piercing battle damage if it attacks a defense position monster

Twelfth Star Requirement: None 1 face-up WATER Attribute Fairy-Type monster on your field gains 500 ATK until the end of the turn. Then, you can shuffle up to three monsters in your Graveyard into the deck.

Traps

Flood of Stars Requirement: You have 3 or more cards in your hand Effect: Send all cards in your hand to the Graveyard. Then, destroy all monsters on your opponent’s field

Constellation Matrix Requirement: Send the top card of your deck to the Graveyard Effect: Level 7 or higher monsters on your opponent’s field cannot attack this turn

Fate from the Heavens Requirement: You control a Level 7 or higher face-up WATER Attribute monster Effect: All monsters on your opponent’s field lose 1000 ATK until the end of the turn

[pinkprimrose05]

Aaaaanyway, one-piece review under the cut!

Ep33 had few little highlights; the Mokeida Mbembe is actually a solidly chill guy, Manya's a wet blanket again, and they're not even bothering to hide That Guy anymore. Poor Kaizo tho; legends say he's still getting modified to this day....

Ep34 had me kinda speechless- but that's on me, because I pointedly skip episode previews. Should've figured that girl was Nyandestar from the kitty pawprints on the cushion here-

-but that said, while I'm not particularly fond of her real form's design, I am impressed and a little sad (given how the Duel pans out) that she's so in sync with Manabu they're the only ones to end up saying their names at the same time before Dueling. They're pawrtners, your honor.

Ep35 gives more context to 34, but from London's pov- which is great because we finally get to see what that little scoundrel's been doing all that for this whole time...

...and, wow, he really is reverse Roa. Most of his good impact on the plot is driven out of the selfish want for validation, seeing as all he's got going for him is his affability, while those close to him get recognized for their talents- but where Roa's willing to sacrifice others for his goals and it just happens that those help our protagonists, London's willing to "sacrifice" himself to help Nyandestar and uncover the secret in the box instead- it doesn't matter what he's doing, so long as it's "something only I, Kirishima-chan, can do". I'm gonna have to mull this over a little more, but it's definitely a bit interesting to think about!

(And on a sidenote: I know this arc is just situational cards galore, but holy shit- this is starting to reach Gate of Fire levels of "did you handwrite that one card for this one Duel??")

Moving on, Ep36 is just comedy gold, but 90% of that is owed to the last 3 minutes. The Boring Manga schtick was already quite amusing, but then you get this-

-and things just start flying off the rails. Huge fan of Zwijo's tendecy to stir shit up just for the heck of it (read: his new goal of the month) btw. It's sold even better this time because just like Yuamu, I also thought he was hunkered down in the bakery, committed to the bit (and discussing shit for the Earthdamar plan, but she wouldn't know that). Brilliant.

....wait, what happened to the Earthdamar plan, anyway?

This man's hiding something. I just know he's hiding something. He even fizzled out like this as if the coincidence of the Pauli effect-esque shock will cover his escape!

....unless Velgearians are affected by it too...? The ship-disk looks fine, Yuudias looks fine, but maybe Zwijo's been tampering with something that classes him as an interesting something rather than an interesting someone. What did that purple bastard do this time? Well, that's something for Arc 4 I guess. For now we wind back a little because it's Yuuna's time to shine!

...or not.

Listen, it was long coming with all the hints we have by now, but I still think they could've handled Yuuga's introduction better. Like, I dunno, have him shoot a modified Kaizo at her to act as support, or throw Fusion into her Deck like that meteor crash from the same SEVENS Duel this references (provided that the card wasn't complete yet and she had to go without)- Yuuga's key charm is that he's a good backstage presence; someone that ties everything together when you least expect it to help everyone up from their troubles, and while it's fair enough that he's there for the combo with his own ace, I still imagine it'd have been cooler to also pay off Yuuna's efforts by having her still in the Duel. I'd have liked to see more of her and Yuudi's teamwork after Ep29 essentially counts as a tacit truce between the two. Alas.... at least he pulled the sword out again- that's always a fun move!

(Transamuroad Rainac is also a neat card overall. Big fan of the combination effect it has with helping vanilla beatdown and doing the attribute-based boost).

Aaaand there's that! The Luge's chill again, curry buns save the day (???) and there's the obligatory ominous frame of the Earthdamar swirling about, and a few mysteries left for the next arc. Things might've hit a snag here and there, but I'm still excited to keep going!

....Maybe watching Episodes 33-39 back-to-back-to-back was not my brightest idea.

[stellocchia]

Since people often seem to think that Tommy’s and Dream’s dynamic is something that was established in season 2 and sorta came out of nowhere before that, I thought I’d finally take a look at the evolution of it throughout season 1. 

From here on out, of course, I’ll be talking exclusively about the characters. It is also to be kept in mind that season 1 was a LOT less scripted, so there may be streams and moments that I leave out as they don’t seem to be too impactful or they lack canonicity. So sadly the whole stream where they build Church Prime that has Dream comparing himself to God for 2 hours has to go...

 This will undoubtedly be an EXTREMELY long one, so be prepared for it...

Let’s go step by step in chronological order, shall we? 

THE DISCS WAR PREQUEL

By now a lot of people know that the Disc Saga wasn’t actually started by Tommy, but here’s a refresher anyway: Ponk started it off by pranking Sapnap’s base, in retaliation Sapnap burned down Ponk’s lemon tree. With this Ponk allied himself with Alyssa and the two started a war against Sapnap. 

Later Tommy joins the server. Tommy obtains the first netherite cheestplate in the server and it’s promptly stolen by Sapnap. Later again Sapnap uses the netherite chestplate to blackmail Tommy into joining his fight against Ponk and Alyssa. Tommy just refuses ang gets his armour back, but he considers Sapnap’s offer because of: Alyssa setting him on fire and Tubbo (who was mostly neutral but leaning towards Ponk and Alyssa) had made him loose his stuff the day before.

Dream arrived then to stop the fighting, but Sapnap and Tommy decided to kill him instead (non-canonically of course). Sapnap killed him twice and Tommy once. In retaliation Dream stole Cat and Mellohi. Sapnap stole one of the disks back and then they retrived the other one and Tommy hid them near his base.

So what does this tell us? Tommy most definitely wasn’t the one who instigated the conflict, nor the one who escalated it. YET, he was the only one Dream focused on. And remember, while a proper coherent storyline didn’t exist back then we know that the wars were at least somewhat scripted (thanks to cc!Dream telling us so on the Eboys Podcast). They also kept their characters characterization pretty consistent throughtout, which means we had the first hints of their dynamic all the way back here.

ESCALATION OF THE DISC WAR

(From Tommy’s main channel it’s: “Dream is a Psychopath.”)

Everything could have been over then, but Dream was still pissed he lost, so he removed all the floring of Tommy’s base (escavating all the dirt from in front of it) in order to find the disks and take them back. At this point, after once again stealing the disks, Dream asked Tommy for his netherite chestplate (again, only one on the server at the time) in exchange for them. Also, an actual conversation they had: 

Tommy: “Dream! Was this you that destroyed my entire base and re-named the sign to ‘BitchBoy enterprise?!” 

Dream: “I didn’t touch the sign. I didn’t destroy your base either it’s just the f- the dirt” (note: as I said before, all the dirt was removed, but, hey, he didn’t touch the chickens and the carrot farm!)

Also:

Tommy:“Dream, you removed the ENTIRE floor of my base” 

Dream: “It’s YOUR fault. It’s your fault...” 

T: “How is it MY fault?!” 

D: “‘Cause you hid the disks!” 

T: “Yeah, because they’re MY disks!” 

D: “You hid the disks and I’ve taken them back, okay?”

If this doesn’t sound like the beginning of the Obsession Arc, I don’t know what does! 

But, in all seriousness, even back then for c!Dream the key of everything in the server was Tommy, though at the time he was just “the reason for conflict”. Still it’s pretty obvious that the disk conflict could have ended before it started if Dream didn’t decide to escalate things (though, as it’s obvious by the conversation, he blames his own actions on Tommy as we see him do in later seasons).

Anyone wondering about the gravity of Tommy killing Dream once non-canonically before this: In this video Dream kills both Tommy and Tubbo twice in the first 10 minutes. Yeah, he’s not any better. Btw, this is the video with the fight they then mimicked in the finale and they actually loose this one as well. 

Tommy: “What is your obsession with this disks? Why don’t you just give them back?” 

Dream: “No because I can get something in return for them, I don’t care about the disks”

Oh what simpler times when blackmail was just simple old blackmail to obtain material possessions... 

Btw, this one ended with basically a double scam where Dream gave them fake disks and they logged off with both the fake disks and the netherite chestplate.

(Main channel: “mission: kill dream (FINALE)”)

Tubbo: “Please do not tell me you have sentimental attachment to the bullshit disks...”

Early theme of attachment back in season 1. Either way Tommy has been portrayed as an extremely sentimental character that develops attachments scarily fast from all the way back in season 1. C!Dream’s idea of him he expresses in the finale isn’t born from nothing.

Anyway, Tubbo and Tommy use the composter glitch to find Dream’s base to try and get back the disks, but they aren’t there, so they end up going for the original exchange, this time with no scamming included. Tommy get’s his disks back, while Dream gets Tommy’s netherite chestplate. Just to point out: at this point Dream was the one completely at fault. Tommy was dragged into a war he wasn’t involved in and yet was the sole one to be punished for it and Dream couldn’t just accept a defeat so heavily griefed Tommy’s base and stole back HIS posssession. Dream is the main instigator here, yet he blames it ENTIRELY on Tommy from the start. Literally their dynamic started off pretty f*cked. 

Still, since Tommy didn’t want to keep risking loosing stuff to Dream for the disks he decided to make an ender chest for himself. He gets some blaze powder and ender pearls from Punz in exchange from an apple (that was too sweet not to include) and then, when it comes to getting the obsidian is when Dream realizes what he’s been doing. You’d think he’d be fine with it considering they already had a “fair” exchange (aka Dream’s blackmailing had been succesful), but nope. He hunts down both Tommy and Tubbo, but fails in killing them and they manage to put the disks away safely.

L’MANBURG BEGINNING

As we know Wilbur founded L’Manburg and Dream did not like that, so he declared war on them. Here’s the speach: 

“Tommy! (pause) And Wilbur and the rest of L’ManChildburg, we are at war. There is no mercy. We’ve burnt down Tubbo’s house. We’ve planted tnt cannons around your land. We have cobblestone walled the outside and we shot ONE warning shot inside your walls ans an explosion and we have NO MERCY! NO MERCY FOR YOU! Do you understand? We will come! We’ll burn down your houses, we will kill anything inside your walls and we’ll take back the land that is rightfully ours if you do not surrender. I want to see WHITE FLAGS! WHITE FLAGS OUTSIDE YOUR BASE BY TOMORROW, AT DAWN, OR YOU’RE DEAD!”

So, a couple of things to unpack here:

1) Dream first and foremost singles out Tommy who, if you all remember, was NOT the leader of L’Manburg. He was barely Wilbur’s right hand man and had only been confirmed as such recently at that point. He is not the leader and YET, in how the speach is enunciated it’s obvious that it’s directed at him specifically.

2) For anyone wondering if Dream could be considered a villain back in season one: so far the people from L’Manburg had done nothing but frolic in the flowers. They were a group of pacifists that refused to use any armour and Dream’s reaction to them is to kill them all and burn anything they built. And he’s doing all this because he thinks he’s entitled to all of the land in the smp and even something as small as og L’Manburg had no right to exist free of his rule.

(Always from the main channel: “Doomsday.”)

Two important things for their relationship happen here: Dream deciding, out of everyone, to kill Tommy specifically in the final control room and the duel (or more so the result of the duel). 

It is something back then no-one wondered about, but why would Dream, the leader of the Greater Dream SMP, go after the second in command instead of the leader? Possibly for the same reason he singled out Tommy in the declaration of war? Possible foreshadowing of their future dynamic?

Also, may I mention that Dream was the one to add the condition that, on top of not getting independence for L’Manburg, Tommy had to give up one of the disks (mellohi) if he lost? And Dream being the one to mention it is the reason why Tommy knew they were valuable to him in the first place. It’s the reason why Tommy proposed the deal of his disks for L’Manburg independence (which worked, which tells us a whole lot about when Dream’s obsession withe the disks started. Man was willing to take an L to have THAT sort of control over Tommy already in season one)

POGTOPIA

Jump to when Tommy and Wilbur get exiled. A lot happens here, but, for the function of this analysis, I’ll only be talking about what pertains to Dream’s and Tommy’s relationship. 

So, at the beginning of exile Dream offers his support for Pogtopia leaving a chest specifically for Tommy (once again, not Wilbur, the leader, but Tommy. He also gives Tommy a lot more stuff then Techno who was arguably a much more valuable asset). In the chest there was: a full set of netherite armour, 3 stacks of ender pearls, an enchanment table, a netherite sword, Dream’s crossbow (”Definitely not penis”), a stack of golde apples, 1 enchanted golden apple, 1 stack of diamonds, 17 obsidian, 3 potions of strenght, a stack of steak and a book written by Dream called “Tyrant” which, again, is addressed soley to Tommy. (In the book he basically says that he doesn’t like Schlatt and that he’s only going to help from the shadows because he can’t directly involve himself). 

Now, for the standards of the time, that was A LOT of stuff. Dream clearly wasn’t half-assing his support to Tommy there (I’d say to “Pogtopia” but, again, it was all specifically for Tommy). He keeps up his help when he intervenes in favour of Tommy in the Battle of the Lake (from the vods channel: “TommyInnit, Dream & Technoblade TEAM UP (dream smp war)”). Before that however he also helps Tommy to lava cast (or attempt to) the Eiffel Tower (built for Karl’s and Sapnap’s honeymoon). For this battle Dream also gives Mars (Sapnap’s and George’s fish) to Tommy (together with quite a few more ender pearls). Their relationship up until this point seems to have improved quite a bit with Tommy immediately trusting Dream again (he seems to be always inclined to trust Dream much in the same way he’s always inclined to trust Wilbur) and Dream seemingly being supportive (although that was actually because he needed both Manburg and Pogtopia to disappear as we discovered later on). 

Fast forward again we have the moment when their relationship sours again: Dream provides Wilbur with the tnt. With this momement we have the confirmation that Dream truly was only siding with them for his own self-interest (as he always considered L’Manburg as his own propriety, independence or not, and he wasn’t happy with Schlatt wanting to expand and being morw ambitious then Wilbur ever was) and Tommy also looses part of his trust in him, though not completely. 

You see, their relationship is a bit more complex then that. In season 1 even when Tommy and Dream were enemies there was never really much bad blood between them. And when I say this I mean that Dream in particular didn’t let there be much bad blood between them, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

After Quackity joins Pogtopia they try to make a plan to get L’Manburg back that would not include blowing it up. After that fails (from the vods channel: “Dream BETRAYS TommyInnit during the Dream SMP Meeting...”) and Fundy joins Pogtopia as well Dream announces that Schlatt gave him something “more valuable then frienship” and he’s now siding with him and leaves the Pogtopians announcing that there is a traitor among them. 

Wilbur: “Dream just wants to be on the side of the rebellion and now that we are the dominant force technically... isn’t that right Dream? Would you say you just want to be on the other side? You just want to be on the other team?” 

Dream: “No I- I don’t think so...” 

Tommy: “Dream’s the good guy Wilbur” 

D: “I think I’d say that my interest is in myself”

So, despite everything, Up to this point Tommy still trusted Dream. Fully trusted him. But now, soon after this conversation, Dream explicitely tells them that he never considered them “friends” they were “convenient allies” for him (a mindset that he carries on later on and brings to an extreme). 

Now you’d think that was the breaking point right? I mean the whole vod was also titled “Dream betrays Tommy” and Dream just left them telling Tommy specifically that no, they were not friends (though Tommy didn’t agree on that point, much like with Techno later on). But that’s not were Dream leaves it. 

First he allows Tommy back in his old base to get some stuff once they’re alone (despite having just said in front of Wilbur, Quackity and Fundy that he’d stab him if he tried going back)

Tommy: “I just don’t understand, why would you team with Schlatt?”

Dream: “Tommy... I’m a business man, you know what that’s like”

T: “No I don’t”

D: “Well you do, of course you do”

God since exile that damn soft condescending tone he does hits me so different... anyway. As you see as soon as he’s alone with Tommy he starts being more friendly, less formal. He also takes on a more menacing persona (I really don’t know how he manages to do both at the same time... no wait, exile. He acts more like how he did in exile). Anyway the switch is actually pretty interesting to see. 

Tommy: “Why would you not team with us?”

Dream: “Tommy... I’ve never been on your team. I have never been on your team, ever!” 

T: “Well I’ve been in your team...”

D: “Wel I- I’m not saying you have. I’ve never been on your team. I’ve never been on anyone’s team” 

And with this we are done with their important interactions for this stream, but wait! They have a war in a few days, right? Well, Dream makes sure to spend that time with Tommy. Like, a lot of it. 

All of “Dream bullies TommyInnit for having low viewers.” Is Dream following Tommy ominously around while mildly inconveniencing and somewhat helping when they’re supposed to be enemies (it’s literally one of my favourite vods, it’s great! It was also the one vod that sparked the “Dream is obsessed with Tommy” theory in me. Yes I’ve had it from all the way back then, but I also was right, so...). 

Tommy: “Okay, so you know how we’re going to war in 7 days time?”

Dream: “Yes”

T: “like, ME and YOU are going to war...”

D: “Yes”

T: “Yes, yeah so I need to- I- it feels very strange to be- I need to prepare for THAT”

D: “Well, what do you need?”

Dream then proceeds to half-help him half-stop him from getting gold in the nether. The whole vod is like this. It definitely has a very weird atmosphere as it’s clear that both of them are fully aware of their respective roles in their upcoming war, but Tommy doesn’t know what to do and Dream is clearly willingly ignoring it all. It’s pretty jarring to watch tbh (together with being a hilarious vod to watch) and it helps starting to paint the picture of Dream having the level of dependence on Tommy that we know he has now.

Then there is “TommyInnit, Dream & Sapnap's PET WAR FINALE” which is LITERALLY THE DAY BEFORE THE WAR. Here Dream, once again, decides to spend the whole time with Tommy. He helps him against Sapnap (who is Dream’s ally) and even decides to lead Tommy to Sapnap’s and Punz’s secret base where they keep their animals and starts encoraging him to kill them. Tommy, of course, refuses and the whole pet war finishes with Sapnap and Tommy releasing Mars and promising to be friends once the war was over. 

Like, honestly, if anyone in Pogtopia had known about this interactions maybe they could have suspected Tommy of being the traitor for legitimate reasons instead of misinterpreting him entirely as a person and thinking he just wanted to be president... and you’d think that, maybe, THAT was Dream’s goal, but... not really? He always made sure to spend time with Tommy when there was no-one from Pogtopia around. In all 3 of this vods he is drastically different when they’re alone and, I mean, he stopped hidining how he is with Tommy only during Doomsday (when he gave his speach on the obsidian grid to Tommy, not caring that Tubbo and Quackity were both there).

To finish it off, we know that season 1 ends with Dream fighting alongside Technoblade and nothing else of significant happens for their relationship. Still, I hope this was comprehensive enough to show that, most definitely, his obsession with Tommy and the having power over Tommy is not a new concept for Dream. It’s something that got worse with time, but it’s most definitely not something new. The main thing that changed throughout season 1 and 2 was Tommy’s perception of Dream (which went from easy trust and friendship to hatred and fear), not vice versa.

Also may I add that Dream's constantly acting friendly when they most definitely aren't is probably one of the reasons why Tommy was so predisposed to accepting Dream as his friend in exile? Just a thought...

@ladycatland

[sketchyonlooker]

< Opinion Piece - Duelist’s Digest :: Kaiba Cheating in His Own Tournament? > - recovered document and comment section

“Come to the place where the ancient duelists and their cards slumber in the stones.”

A mysterious message found in card magazines and online forums all over the world. Little did anyone know that this was the prelude to the biggest Duel Monsters tournament since Maximillion Pegasus’s Duelist Kingdom.

Battle City, the tournament hosted by Kaiba Corporation and more importantly Seto Kaiba personally.

A new dueling ruleset, the unveiling of the Duel Disk – latest in holotechnology, the need to collect six puzzle cards to find the finals, and finally the ante rule.

It is clear that Kaiba had pulled out all the stops in his efforts to regain the title of Duel King.

But has anyone ever considered that Kaiba could actually be cheating his own tournament?

1.       All the technology has been designed by him. Who knows what sort of data is being fed back to Kaiba Corporation and in turn Kaiba? He could have his company feed him information on everyone’s hand and face-down cards, and one would not know it at all.

2.       Kaiba was also the one who drafted a brand new ruleset for this tourney, only unveiling it within a few days prior. As someone who knew about the rules the longest, doesn’t that mean he would have an unfair advantage?  

3.       The controversial ante rule where players must give up their rarest card to the winner. What is the point of this rule to a man who is considered one of the richest in the world? Is it designed to weaken people’s decks prior to facing him? Or is it related to the rumors of the 4 invincible god cards?  

4.       Finally, the need to gather certain cards to locate the finals. As the host of the tournament, doesn’t that mean Kaiba would already know? And the prelims aren’t televised at all, so who knows if Kaiba actually dueled others to reach the finals? Is that fair?

There’s just too many issues with Kaiba hosting and being a participant of his own tournament. He should’ve never participated in the first place due to the multiple inherent advantages of being the host. The fact Kaiba has still done so shows that things might not be on the up-and-up for this Battle City Tournament, and the duelists participating should be wary.

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3 Likes, 14024 Dislikes

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↳ UrDeckSucks: first

↳ UrDeckSucks: what kind of shitty article is this? lol everyone knows that if Kaiba cheated, his ego would make his body implode on itself.

↳ I’mYourDaddy: Lol. Who wrote this article? I was watching a stream where Kaiba had to tag team with Yugi and ended up finding his sixth puzzle card to locate the finals. ↳➾ DestinedCard: link to stream? ↳➾ RoundRobins: did anyone ever tell you you have a very hateful username? ↳➾ whitemagicatk: lol r u high? kaiba would never team up with yugi ↳➾ I’mYourDaddy: Won’t let me post it. But the finals is at Domino Stadium if you’re wondering. Also, lol.

↳ pokemoncards: lol using the new rule set to attack Kaiba’s reputation? You must not play Duel Monsters. Kaiba literally is the sole owner of the three most powerful monsters that could be summoned naturally in the Traditional Rules. These new rules hurt him the most.

↳ lolcatsho: Did Kaiba piss in this guy’s ramen cup or something? Why shouldn’t Kaiba enjoy his own tournament? It’s his money lol.

↳ Pimphaga: downvoted. everyone knows duel monsters is kaiba’s religion. like he made a whole branch of technology just for the sake of DM. you really think he’ll cheat? roflsauce ↳➾ KillPornBot: upstairs thank you. +1

↳ yourbabyisugly: The ante rule is obviously to make things exciting. Everyone wants to see kaiba lose one of his blue eyes white dragons. Besides Kaiba is one of the top 100 richest bachelors. What kind of card can he not buy?

↳ kuriboom: If Kaiba cheats, his ego won’t survive it. Therefore Kaiba won’t cheat lol

↳ DOGEDUELIST: if kaiba cheated, yugi would look down on him. And kaiba’s ego definitely won’t survive that lol. ↳➾ harpeeladee: well said ^

↳ duelmonsterNFTs: How much do you hate Kaiba to put up such a stupid article??? ↳➾ RobotGodzilla: wtf is up with your name ↳➾ maxibillionpeg: this article has been brought to you in part by industrial illusions lol ↳➾ umiUmiumi: this article has been brought to you in part by the fired 5 ↳➾ yuthegreat: this article has been brought to you in part by the mutt …(please click to see reply chain (25)

↳ fusionHAHA: Everyone knows that kaiba doesn’t want to just simply beat yugi. He has to beat yugi in the most spectacular and flamboyant fashion to satisfy his ego.

↳ notamagicalgirl: i like the fact not one person mentions morals when it comes to kaiba not cheating. Just his ego. ↳➾ imKaibaMokuba: old kaiba once said at breakfast “leggo my ego” ↳➾ murderfairy21: old kaiba once said “i discovered a way to harness my ego to solve the energy crisis!” ↳➾ OCCULTface: old kaiba once said “I cannot date you for I am already married to my own ego.” ↳➾ boredAlready: old kaiba once said “my duel disks are powered by my ego!” ↳➾ ramenmaster: old kaiba once said “EGO! UNLIMITED EGOOO!!”

…(please click to see reply chain (12))

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This article has been deleted by the website for “quality issues”.

[chubbyreaderchan]

Review | Seto Kaiba x youtuber!Reader

Warning: Female Reader

Kaiba bit his lip, watching the fairly popular video. A young woman was reviewing quite a few different tech products. One of them happened to be his newest duel disk.

He was pissed.

He wasn't sure if it was her she was pissed at or the production company he employed but this video was tarnishing his reputation. Seto thought about forcing her to take it down but that would only make people think he did it. It would also hurt his sales.

It wasn't as if it was her fault that upon opening the box it fell apart and wouldn't even turn on. He picked up his phone, calling to see if the manufacturer had found out anything about that particular batch.

It was why it went viral. People where saying Kaiba was cheapening his products.

Scamming people.

"Well?" he said roughly into the blue Kaiba brand cell phone.

"S-Sir! It does look as if that batch was dropped off of the pallet before shipping." A nervous voice said.

Kaiba huffed. "Did they get fired?!"

"Y-yes sir,"

"Good. Also, I need a new duel disk sent to my office in the colors of that woman's channel colors..." Kaiba responded coolly.

He had a plan.

"Sir?"

"You heard me. It better be on my desk by tomorrow,"

Seto pressed the end button aggressively. The next step he took was began an email to the young woman. Hopefully this would be good press.

--

"Hey, guys!" (Y/n) said into a camera as she walked. "You won't believe where I am! I am in Domino City! This is like a gamer's Disney!"

She spun happily to show the city. "I have a big surprise as to why I'm here too!" She continued her introduction, filming her day up until she was standing in front of the original Kaiba Corp building.

"Here we are! The big surprise! The real Seto Kaiba saw my video on the duel disk. He wanted to be able to explain the whole situation! I even got a special key badge for today," She grinned and pushed through the crystal glass doors.

Putting the camera at her hip, she stopped at the security desk explaining why she was there. They were pointed to a special blueish chrome elevator. She walked over, scanning her badge. It pinged. The doors opened smoothly, she stepped in carefully. It made her feel a bit claustrophobic for a moment that was until she turned around to see how beautiful the lobby was. The shaft of the elevator was all glass inside, encased by a clear waterfall. The building had cubicles and workers but large statues of different duel monsters filled the center. They were disturbingly realistic. As if that giant blue eyes white dragon could fly off any second. She couldn't resist filming her trip up.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the elevator opened to his floor. Three doors, a desk with a secretary... Or was he security? Both? He looked up at her with a grumpy look, noticing the camera.

"So you must be her." He crossed his large arms. "Mr. Kaiba is waiting."

(Y/n) swallowed hard, nervous suddenly. It wasn't her first celebrity she's met. At least gamer celebs. She even met Yugi Moto once at a convention they were both guests at. But they had all been good.

Seto Kaiba's reputation really wasn't the best.

She stepped forward, knocking on the large doors at the end of the short hallway. The way it looked, his office must take 1/3 of the floor.

They opened automatically, there sat the handsome young CEO. A big box with blue wrapping paper and a silver ribbon sat on the desk.

"Sit." He nodded towards a blue chair across from him, sewn in a blue velvet.

He really knew themeing.

"Where do you want to set up the camera?" He asked coolly, looking her over.

He could admit she was... Cute.

She had appeal. Maybe he could use her as a face for Kaiba tech? Interesting.

"Oh! Uh." She had been wearing a large bag all day filled with equipment, she almost forgot she had it.

She placed said bag down and glanced around. There was a nice white leather couch with blue pillows and nodded. "That looks comfortable."

Then she moved to grab her bag only for that large security man from before to grab it politely.

She frowned but let it slide, Kaiba stood up.

"Wow, you are tall."

Did she just say that out loud?

Kaiba raised a neatly manicured eye brow at her. It was always interesting how he made people feel. Nervousness reflected so differently on different people.

"I mean I've only seen you on tv," She was so embarrassed.

He smirked but didn't say anything as he sat down. The man grabbed the wrapped present and (Y/n) began to set up her video equipment. Maybe she should hire a producer?

It took a bit of time but she finally sat down next to Seto. He was so tall that when sat at an angle his knee gently bumped hers. This made her face feel warm. Why was he so handsome?!

The camera was rolling but Kaiba barely changed his personality. "I noticed your duel disk didn't meet Kaiba Corp standard." He explain. "It seems there was an incident in shipping that I wasn't informed of. We recalled all of the duel disks from that shipment."

He picked up the gift making it obvious for the camera. "I want you to be the first to get your replacement."

Her heart fluttered when her eyes met his, what she didn't know that his did the same thing.

"Oh! I see! I'm so glad that you are accepting responsibility! So many companies just brush it away!" She was actually shocked that this was what it was about but yet had a feeling.

Her hands shakily opened the wrapping paper showing the custom machine. It was her favorite colors and matched her channel asthetic so well. Internally she was squealing.

"Oh wow!" She moved and began to open it on camera showing a beautiful working piece of machinery. "I'm very impressed." They talked a little longer. Kaiba using it as an advertisement moment and they finished it quickly. That was when a young man with black hair walked in. Probably only nineteen. He must be the now older Mokuba. His eyes widened.

"Woah! Seto. I didn't know she was coming today!" He was excited it seemed. "I loved the videos where you just unbox capsule monsters. Even though I have most of them it's so satisfying!"

She was in shock he even knew her.

"Thank you! I'm so glad." She glances at time. She needed to be at her hotel soon to call her friends back home.

"I'm sorry" she bowed. "I have to go soon. Morning back home is happening and everyone wants to see me safe!"

Mokuba watched her leave with a frown then looked at his older brother.

"If you don't ask her out... I will,"

[steve0discusses]

S5 Ep 14: So If You Put a Fraction Into a Duel Disk, the Card Explodes

We left on quite the cliffhanger last episode, so I’ll fill you in:

I did not get the haircut.

Like I seriously considered getting a Zigfried for a cool 3 or 4 minutes there, but then I decided to wait a couple of days and I basically forgot.

But, back to the arc finale, Seto has decided to walk, not run, to the Kaiba lab in order to fix the virus rapidly eating his entire company.

I just want to point out that Zigfried went through a LOT of work to get Seto Kiaba to go “uggggh” turn around, and pretend to calmly walk away. I’m used to Seto losing his nut kind of a lot and blowing things up but this season he’s like “be chill be chill be chill” so that the entire world doesn’t think he’s a spaz on TV.

And little aside about Seto’s design choices here, I fell down a hole of interior design videos, and can I just say: apparently these wood frame things on the wall are back in style? Good on you, 2002(3?) Seto Kaiba. Don’t think that current designers are painting them purple but...we’re halfway there to Yugioh fashion.

Meanwhile, Pharaoh decides to remind everyone that these stakes are hella low. The worst that happens is that Zigfried deletes the plane that Yugi needs to fly home...which would be an impressive virus.

Like it’s hard to tell if Yami even has a solid concept of “capitalism” and whether or not he cares about or understands the makeup of Seto’s company (which up till now has operated like a small country and not a business...which is a little more Pharaoh’s understanding. Either way...hard to tell if Yami would shed two tears for the loss of Kaiba corp.)

And, despite what I say in the caps, I feel like Leon and Zigfried are the first villains we’ve ever had that Yugi and Pharaoh didn’t unintentionally disclose that they are 2 people to. Zigfried and Leon are just...completely oblivious to how effed up Yugi’s bean is. They think that’s just a normal kid and lol no dudes...y’all got distracted by Seto Kabia but you have a literal Egyptian God just hovering around in the background and dating 3 people by accident.

Like when the show shelves the main storyline, it is very funny how it’s all “And we’re gonna put the Pharaoh crisis on hold--just put a pin in it. No one will notice this child is two nervous wrecks stitched together” and then Yugi and Yami just kinda hold it in and watch all patiently until it’s their turn to get off the bench.

(read more under the cut)

In the giant computer tower, Seto Kaiba shouts out a string of orders and numbers, admired the many sonar detector looking windows open on every monitor, and then sat down at his desk to like...check the firewall, I guess?

The virus is past the firewall. It’s um...it’s inside the firewall, pretty sure that was the point, but youknow, it’s a kid’s show so they’re just throwing out computer stuff that has no meaning to the writers of this show.

Mokuba thinks fondly of how Seto Kaiba has never screwed him over (which I mean...maybe not on purpose, ((except for that one time he did screw him over on purpose to get Gozaburo Kaiba to accidentally give Seto Kaiba the company, but you could say that was a grander scheme that he knew Mokuba would see through, which...)) but Seto certainly has screwed Mokuba over accidentally. At least once.)

And meanwhile, Yami fixes everything through card shenanigans.

So here’s the shenanigan this episode: I don’t go over cards here but this one requires a limited amount of explanation.

So every round the golden castle deletes half of Yugi’s cards. So he was like...I’ll just draw down to one card. They can’t delete half a card...so that means the card must delete one of the two cards on the field which means it must delete itself.

...which is like the closest Yugioh will probably ever get to abusing a glitch to do a speedrunning tactic like GDQ.

Anyway, like I stated in the title: there are no fractions allowed in Yugioh. If you do that to your priceless one-of-a-kind card you got from winning one of Pegasus’ murder tournies, it will irreparably bust the card.

I’m sure at least one of you will correct me with the proper way to insert a fraction into your duel disk. Cuz like...as I say multiple times so we never forget, I barely pay attention to this card game and I’m just flying by the seat of my pants.

I want to say Seto and Mokuba were in the hacker chairs for like...3 minutes maybe before they realized “oh...Yugi fixed it...” and walked the half a mile back to the duel arena.

and also, as I’m looking at Seto’s glasses here, I just realized...all of Kaiba’s team wears sunglasses all the time. Inside, outside, night, or day...

They haven’t outright said this...but what if those aren’t sunglasses?

Is Roland and that other Roland wearing fancy cyber glasses? They are, right? Because they wear them indoors?

Damn, they can’t take a piss without being on call with Kaiba Corp, can they?

Now the problem is...Yugi played all of his cards (he has two in front of him face down, but none in his deck) and after milling himself, this means he’s now basically a sitting duck for Leon to take the title of “King of Games.”

Leon insists that he defend whatever scraps are left of his card honor and not duel a person who is carrying no cards and Yugi was like “COME AT ME BRO THIS IS THE ONLY WAY I KNOW I’M ALIVE.”

He didn’t even have to do a horror on Leon, he just...played cards good? I skipped it, I’ll be honest, but overall Leon’s card honor was...saved? Maybe? I mean he also go destroyed when his competitor had not a single card in his duel disk so...

...Leon will have to work on his card honor off screen because he’s pretty well humiliated at this point.

But stumbling onto the playing field like he’s half dazed/daydrunk, Zigfried is like “You forgot I already won, bastards!”

Which is when we find out that Zigfried’s “delete all” virus failed to press “enter” and deleted basically nothing. Just like when my Mom attempts to send something in Gmail but doesn’t press “Send” and tells me that Google is down and broken.

Sorry my bro has informed me that he ALSO has had to help my Mother locate the “Send” button and I just...I know she absolutely did that but I’m in denial that this Riddle of the Sphinx has happened to her multiple times.

Honestly, the pep talk we get from Leon at the end to cheer up his bro was a whole lot of “we will pick ourselves up and we’ll do better next time. Together.” and sure you can translate that as “we’ll be honest next time” or you can translate that as “next time we will be not nearly as obvious about inserting a virus into their computer until it is done doing the job, bro.”

Just like Dartz, we didn’t really get a whole lot of retribution or closure when it comes to Zigfried. But, unlike Dartz, Zigfried didn’t do too much murder, so I guess this is fine. He tried to cheat in a card game...

...and I guess tried to delete Kaiba Corp but youknow...

...people let him have that. The police saw the ticket of “this man tried to delete Kaiba Corp” and they just...didn’t arrest him. The judge saw that ticket and didn’t put out a warrant. They just let Zigfried have this, almost like “better luck next time, ya?”

And then Roland clocked out for the day and went home, thus ending this arc.

Look at all these characters, most of which we never saw duel even one card.

We also got one shot of Mai for some reason although she was not in this arc.

AAAHHHH. Every time I’m like “the show is done screwing geography” we get another freakin geography spook!

But we went back to California in order to get a scene of these guys in an airport to get a flight to Japan...

which means Rex and Weevil just...were they shipped home by the Kaibas? Because way to ditch getting arrested by the American Government, hot damn. They are...literally terrorists who destroyed a Caltrain in a plot to kill everyone in the world so like...really surprised Rex and Weevil are in public...but maybe all the FBI were dead at the time so they just didn’t know?

Meanwhile, Duke has to go back to Death Valley and call a tow truck for his car, RIP.

I sure hope he got PTO during this stunt and isn’t going home to a pink slip.

I’m not sure of Dukes life or anything going on with Duke. I’m sure the thing about Serenity is him joking because we have all forgotten about that girl by this point...but also...is Duke...still living in the Tenderloin? The crime rate is very, very high and the ground isn’t solid, so it will liquefy if there’s an Earthquake, but it is one of the few places in the Bay Area that doesn’t light on fire every year. He has that going for him.

I just really hope Duke moves out of the Tenderloin one of these days, he needs a better life.

Meanwhile, Rebecca does one last crime.

This is like a post-epidemic reaction to a hug, but in 2002(3?).

I don’t think I’ll miss Rebecca too much. Wanted to like her more, but she was under-utilized, like most of the characters on Yugioh. Not even just talking girl characters here--most characters on Yugioh are super under-utilized, just Tristan Wallflowers doing nothing, but also being selectively OP as hell about very specific things they never, ever need to do.

Speaking of the devil:

Yugi...just saved his entire company...

But Mokuba is just has to make sure to make it seem like they owed Mokuba and not the other way around. Just in case.

So off they go on this massive plane. It’s probably more to do with the length of the trip as to why the plane is so big but also...

This plane is overcompensating.

But before we analyze that, lets close the book on Seto Kaiba’s very short therapy arc. Overall, it was a nice distraction, but I can see why people call it a filler arc, as it really doesn’t affect...anything going on in the major plotlines, which makes me think it could have been a movie or a game or something. But overall, it’s not bad, it’s just not what you’d expect if you were a Western audience.

Like I’m preaching to the choir, but typically, Western stories are entirely plot focused, and so our arcs always give or take away from that plot. But in a Eastern story arc, it may instead be character focused, where the climax is a character evolving or coming to some sort of cathartic realization, which this arc was, in a big way. We still had some plot, because this is a Shonen, but overall it was about characters, and specifically whether or not Leon and his bro would reconcile or change--which they did.

We did get to see a little more growth on Seto in that he...didn’t go bonkers and hallucinate during a card game. It’s been a while since we’ve had him not do that. Seto was very chill this arc, which makes sense, it was a very chill slice of life arc for everyone involved.

So, next we move on to the next one, which bro has informed me...is

still not Bakura.

According to Bro, the next arc didn’t even air in the Japanese version of the show? Like he’s got a lot of spicy Yugioh headcanons so he could be wrong (He did tell me that he thought that Zigfried was Seto Kaiba’s ex boyfriend when he saw this as a kid which...that sure is a way to interpret this arc, and it probably wasn’t just my little brother who went down that thought tube there...)

(Bro Note: To be fair, I didn’t watch much of this arc as a kid.)

But he says the next arc was originally a movie. But they released it in the States as episodes to be part of S5, just to put more episodes in there. Which, if he’s correct, makes it seem like we’re getting like the Mulan 2 experience kind of shoved in between this arc and the next

But um..

according to bro it has virtually no card games.

.......

I’m so used to only capping 10 minutes an episode, what?

Anyway, until then, here’s the link to read the rest of these from the start in chrono order:

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

I’m kinda itching to do a Season Zero, it’s been a hot minute--so those take a little longer to do, especially since I need to go to a different site I haven’t...checked out yet...I’ll be back...eventually? I just know that at some point in Season Zero they fight it out with yo-yo’s and I want to see it.

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] Desire of Darkness

Dreams were for the weak. For those too foolish and too useless to have goals, to have plans, to work towards those goals and plans.

Haou wasn't like that anymore. He'd made his mind up in Brron's arena and nothing whatsoever would stop him. His goals were twofold.

First, to conquer this world, bringing it all under his control, and therefore ensure that no death would happen without his permission. He did not think often about the screams of those he'd called friends, but he swore those would never happen again. If there was death, it would be because he willed it and not because someone else thought it might be fun.

Second, he would create Super Fusion. That went hand in glove with conquering the world. There wasn't any other way that he knew of to bring the card into existence. He'd spoken extensively with as many duel spirits as he could who might know something about this and they all said the same thing - that it required souls. So he would give it souls, and when he had it, his conquest would be that much easier.

Not that he expected it to ever be easy. There were other beings in this world who were as strong as he was - perhaps even stronger in some fashion. Some cunning, some ruthless. They would have to be dealt with when he had the power and the opportunity. Exactly when that might be he wasn't entirely certain. But he would do it.

He had a mental checklist of what he wanted to do, sorted out into different levels. Overall remained those two goals, world conquest and Super Fusion. Underneath those came gathering the strength and the power to defeat Belial - Marquis of Darkness, Curse of Vampire, and Fallen Angel Lucifer. They would all kneel to him - or they would be no more. Surely beings that strong would be powerful enough to boost Super Fusion towards completion.

He suspected that all three of the others had spies inside of his own fortress. He would need to recruit someone who could do the same - perhaps more than one someone. But that would have to come later.

Is this what it is like to study? It wasn't the same thing, but it wasn't too far from it, he thought. Instead of the goal being to pass a test, it was to achieve conquest and victory.

It wasn't a smile but he could feel his lips twitching ever so lightly. What would Chronos-sensei or Principal Samejima think if they could see him now? They would not approve. He knew that very well indeed. But that wouldn't change his goals in the slightest. He'd already had to deal with the people he'd thought he could trust turning on him.

That inexorably led his thoughts to Shou. He refused to acknowledge the pain in his heart, his armored fingers tightening into a cold fist. He pressed his lips together behind his helmet, thinking. Part of him wanted to ignore the fact Marufuji Shou, Jim Cook, and Austin O'Brien even existed. He hardly knew the last two anyway, cold logic informed him, and Shou had clearly chosen to cut every tie possible.

He knew that he should simply carry on. His goals didn't need any of them. But he considered one thing - that if they found out what he was doing, then they would no doubt make the effort to stop him. Not for his sake, of course. If they wanted to help him, then they would help him, join his side, and aid him in conquering this world. He knew they'd never do that.

But there the tiniest of voices, the thinnest of thoughts, that whispered he should find them, convince them in any way that he could to join him. They might not be his friends anymore - Shou had made that abundantly clear - but they were strong duelists. They would be of more use to him than they were wandering around scrabbling for food. They would be safe with him - they would only die if they weren't strong enough or if they angered him too much.

He considered his options. If they weren't on his side, then they were his enemies. He didn't want them to be his enemies. He would far rather they served him. He knew that Shou hadn't been happy about dueling in this world. That was fine; he could find other uses for him.

Assuming that something hadn't happened and Shou wasn't dead already. If he was, then it wasn't by the hand of any of his servants. They all had orders to bring any duel disks and decks that their foes left behind, so he could continue the search for Johan. If anyone had ever brought in the Gem Beast deck, then he would have them summarily executed. He'd decided that on his second day as ruler here.

He wouldn't know how useful they could be unless he made the effort. He pulled a scrap of paper towards him - he wondered vaguely where paper like this came from in this world - and wrote a few notes, listing what sorts of decks that the three used and what they looked like, before he summoned in one of his lesser servants. This wasn't important enough for him to call the Death Duelists.

The one he called was Fallen Angel of Pleasure - she'd defected from the Fallen Angels and told him of their goals in defeating him at some nebulous point in the future. Fallen Angel Lucifer hadn't yet decided when. That didn't make him a high target on Haou's own to-do list.

"If you find them, bring them to me," he ordered. "But be careful. Any of them could prove far more dangerous than expected."

"Of course, my lord," Fallen Angel of Pleasure purred, voice low and husky as usual. Haou nodded, dismissing her with a flick of one hand, then turned his attention back to deciding where he'd next send his army.

He had no more dreams, no real hopes, nothing except the burning need to create Super Fusion, to make all of those deaths - Fubuki, Kenzan, Asuka, Manjoume - worth something. So that it hadn't all been in vain.

He had no more dreams, but he could be everyone else's nightmare. And maybe then, his own would cease.

The End

Notes: I had to think a while before I decided on what I wanted to write for this prompt but then it hit me. And I rather like it, because I like writing Haou.

[vivinightingale]

Sorry to bug you with this request... But, I was rewatching an anime called Yuri On Ice (love that anime btw! :3 ) and, I was wondering.... What do you think Yami, Joey, and Seto's reactions would be upon finding out that their s/o is a figure skater? UwU I mean, there are ice themed Duel Monsters...

You are gonna make History

Yami Yugi:

He knew of the hobby, but you insisted he didn’t come to your practice. Until he came to check on you one day since he hadn’t heard from you yet.

He knew it was far fetched to think something happened to you, but he wanted to be sure so he went to the ice rink in search of you.

When he walked in and saw you gracefully dancing across the ice he was in awe stricken. You looked beautiful and otherworldly.

He watched you with a love struck expression, until you finished and turned to him. Your face went beet red and you began stuttering.

“H-how long have you been there??”

“Long enough to fall harder for you.”

Joey Wheeler:

Everyday after work you always seemed to disappear. At first he thought nothing of it, you were free to do as you pleased.

He however couldn’t keep the negative thoughts away so one day he decided to follow you.

He was surprised to find that you disappear to a skating ring. At first he questioned if he should go. In the end he ended up going in and what he saw had him breathless.

There you were skating across the ice the small skirt of your leotard flowing behind you. He swear he was watching an angel.

When you turned and saw him you misstepped and ended up falling. Joey noticed and slid his way (ever so gracefully) to you. To help you up.

“Got ya falling for me huh angel”

Seto Kaiba:

He found out when you decided to try and combine your two favorite things Ice skating, and duel monsters.

You asked to borrow two of his duel disks and A LOT of projectors for the monsters. He wanted to question it but at the time he couldn’t so he gave you what you requested and continued with his work.

After work he may or may not have traced the duel disk signal to the skating ring. When he walked in you summoned ICE MASTER.

The combination of the sparking ice falling around you, and you blue and white leotard had him frozen.

You skated around the ring ICE MASTER setting up little ramps for you to jump from and when you landed in front of Seto you were surprised and nearly fell.

“I will fund this project of yours if I get to see you like that again.”