#this is why you guys need yusei

[shitpostingkats]

Elite hacking tip from Mr. Crow Hogan

[bestygogirl]

BEST YGO GIRL: SEMI FINALS

Match 2

please use this as an opportunity to say why you like a character, not why you don't.

Propaganda under the cut!

Isis Ishtar

gorgeous, very caring sister, strong duelist, and the only woman to ever make Seto Kaiba squirm

anyways. not only as mentioned above is she the first woman to make kaiba squirm, but she was by all means going to beat him if not for the millennium rod's millennium interference. yami marik admits that she's a strong duelist with a strategy that's been working for literal years-- and given that she's not like, a professional duelist, thats pretty impressive

she also recently got some really cool meta bumps and let me point out that an "ishizu deck" now includes obelisk the tormentor-- which we knew she had prior to giving it to kaiba, but i think it only solidifies my opinion that she very much could wield an Egyptian God Card, an exclusive little club for top tier duelists

as a character she presents herself with an amazing amount of poise and grace, shes compassionate and kind and stays with mai and serenity even though she only just met them. shes struggling through living the past 5 years of her life drowning in guilt for her family's tragedy just because she wanted to make her little brother happy and shadi is a fucking liar. shes foretold her own death and marches towards it grimly but with so much love in her heart. and even then shes 20 years old and holds an important position in the egyptian government that typically requires a doctorate degree AND has been dealing with mariks off-and-on bullshit entirely by her lonesome. she also likes to flex her fortunetelling a little which is awesome i think she should do that more that scene where she tells the guy exactly how the stele is being transported was so everything

speaking of shes got such an attitude. "is it your destiny to waste my time?" iconic. never seen before will never be seen again. watch the duel between her va and joeys its so fucking funny

shes excult. shes doesnt flinch in the face of god nor death. seto kaiba and yami marik respect her. shes so sad and so sweet and battle city couldnt have happened without her.

also her parallels with kaiba are what motivate kaiba to give yugi the card he needed to beat marik.

kaiba, in duelist kingdom, was ready to jump off a ledge if yugi didnt let him through to face pegasus while trying to save mokuba out of sheer desperation to save his little brother. he KNOWS what that dedication feels like and the iron kind of will you need to have to make that kind of gamble. isis is being so fucking legit with what shes saying and he respects that and her judgement enough to change his mind and not only watch the duel, but give yugi a card that eventually helps him win, even if he has no real confidence in the odds. but theres a CHANCE, which is the same thing he taught her when he beat her in a duel. the layers its her faith that moves him to act. which is so crazy

anyway vote isis shes my best friend forever and a real rep for all the 20 year olds who honest to god did not sign up for this bullshit

Aki Izayoi

An abuse victim who isn't the perfect passive figure but gets to work through her complicated feelings about power, agency, and family. Even with Yusei's help, she is the star of the show when she learns to control her powers and reconciles with her father, it is so fun that a ygo heroine gets to take such an antagonistic role bu not be shamed for her anger

please vote for my main girl, aki izayoi. aki was led to believe she was a monster from a young age by her father, who treated her powers like it made her unworthy of love. as a result, divine was able to swoop in and take advantage of aki's low self esteem. for years, aki believed herself unworthy of love and was molded into a living weapon at the hands of authority figures in her life. she was taken advantage of, and thus when she finally comes face to face with yusei, she refuses to believe he could provide her with unconditional friendship. who would want to be around a monster, after all?

aki also nearly beats yusei TWICE in a duel, bringing it down to a single turn difference. she comes toe to toe with him, and it truly is the result of who dueled better. she remains a fierce duelist, btw. the second season, aki gets her duel runner license, and immediately nearly beats the ass of a tournament winning turbo duelist - to the point where once again, a single card is the deciding factor. that's right: she nearly won. if not for a single trap card, aki izayoi would've won.

a fierce duelist who was shaped into a loving, caring woman despite years of being beaten down by the world: aki izayoi. vote for her now on your phones.

[writingpages]

this is enough

Summary: yusei had a massive problem, and he tries to enlist his friends to help.

Rating: G

Ships: Yusei Fudo/Aki Izayoi

Notes: written for @ygoadvent.

read on ao3 / support me on kofi / join my discord (18+)

What would she want for Christmas?

Yusei had little experience with buying gifts. Normally he'd make gifts - usually through welding or some delicate paper stars... perhaps even a simple game he'd programmed. This wasn't like before, though. He'd had a relationship before, sure, but it wasn't like this. This was something that filled him and made him feel oh so alive. He didn't dread coming home - he hadn't known that was possible before. So whatever he got Aki for Christmas had to be perfect, like she was. Perhaps it had been a mistake, however, to ask Jack to subtly ask for her wishlist. Really - that was on him. He'd known Jack for most of his life. "She insisted she didn't need anything," Jack had said, looking almost angry about it. "No matter what I said! I don't know why you don't just ask her directly. Why do I have to be your messenger?"

Really, he should've expected as much. Aki had said similar whenever he asked what she wanted - she didn't need anything. Sometimes it was complete with a 'I'm just happy you didn't die in the Ark Cradle; I don't need anything else' which didn't really help with his guilt about that. The look on all his friends' faces when he'd come back home alive had been enough to last him a lifetime. "Jack, what exactly did you say to her?"

"I said that people are going to want to buy her gifts for the holidays and she should just make it easier for the rest of us," Jack said, rolling his eyes as if this was the obvious thing to do. He crossed his arms, huffing. "She had the nerve to say all of us being in one place for the holidays would make her happy. Can you believe her?"

Yusei  just sighed. "Did Carly manage any better?"

"No," Jack replied, and then he smirked. "But I at least know what Carly wants for Christmas."

With that, Jack left before Yusei could show him a different kind of "deck the halls" leaving him to settle for throwing his wrench at the wall.

"I tried, man," Crow said over the phone. "All she would say is that if we're all home for the holidays, she'd be happy. How do you think I felt? I'm stuck here in Austria for this tournament. It's not enough that I hear it from the kids and Sherry, I gotta hear it from Aki too?"

Currently, Sherry was watching over the orphanage, and she was overwhelmed by it. Normally she had Crow around, but well, when Crow was offered this chance, he had to take it. At the time, Sherry had expressed her sincere support but Yusei got the feeling that sometimes she deeply regretted not taking Martha's offer to take over. Yusei decided to not mention any of this to Crow. "Sorry, she just misses you," Yusei said, glancing behind him at the door in case Aki walked in. "We all do. Are you at least winning?"

"Yeah, absolutely," Crow said with a laugh. "These Austrian Duelists don't have shit on me, you know. Tell Aki to not worry - I'll try to be home for the holidays. Hey! I guess that covers a gift for her! Ah, shit, I need to go. Later!"

The line went dead, and Yusei frowned. He wasn't sure how he felt about Crow finding a gift for Aki before he did.

"I think you're taking this too seriously, Yusei," Luka said from the bench, tilting her head and kicking her feet. She'd tossed her book bag on the floor, and was mainly just watching him fix Lua's Duel Board from  yet another wreck. No matter how many times Yusei had told Lua to be careful, he kept managing to get into some pretty bad accidents. Yusei dreaded the day that Lua was old enough for a proper Duel Runner - he could only imagine the injuries. "I'm sure Aki will like whatever you get her."

"You don't know what she wants either, do you?"

Luka let out a frustrated sigh, flopping backwards. "She said that I shouldn't worry about what to get any of you guys! What am I supposed to do with that?" She sat back up, staring intensely at Yusei. "Are you going to tell me what you want for Christmas?"

Yusei grinned, shaking his head. "I don't need you to get me anything, Luka," he said, checking the balance on the board. Was there a way he could ensure that Lua could at least get into fewer accidents? Besides just outright taking the Duel Board away from him, anyway. "All I need from the two of you is to not get hurt."

"Ugh, you're worse than Aki," she groaned, rolling her eyes. "She told me to not tell you this, but she would give me her wish list in exchange for yours." She got up, storming over to him with a glare. "So are you going to hand it over or am I just not going to be able to get you Aki's wish list?"

So she was playing the same game he was. It snapped into place - why no one else seemed to be able to get her wish list out of her. The problem with this, however, is that Yusei genuinely had nothing he wanted for Christmas besides seeing Aki happy and knowing his friends were safe and sound. He frowned at this, staring at the Duel Board but not really focused on it anymore. "I don't have anything I want," he admitted. "I just want my friends to be happy."

Luka stomped her foot. "You and Aki were made for each other," she yelled before storming off.

He supposed that was fair. That just left one problem: what was he going to get Aki for Christmas?

[blackfeatherdragon]

I'll Become Your Sword and the Shield to Protect You!: An Aztecshipping Manifesto

Happy III day! I wrote up an entire meta post explaining Aztecshipping and why it's good!

(Also available on Ao3 here)

The Basics

Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal is one of multiple spinoffs of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime series, produced by Studio Gallop from April 2011 to March 2014. The main character, one Yuma Tsukumo, is a thirteen year old boy who breaks from series tradition by starting the series with very, very little knowledge of how to play the central card game (Yugi, Yami Yugi, Judai, and Yusei all knew how at the start of their respective series), but ends up going through massive character growth to become able to more than hold his own through his interactions with the main cast and his teamwork with the amnesiac alien Astral. Basically, Yuma is a very determined guy who refuses to ever give up or admit defeat, pushes on with his special catchphrase 'kattobingu', but at the same time still misses his missing adventurer parents dearly, to the point of choosing to sleep on a hammock in the attic where the artifacts collected through their adventures are stored. His relationship with his older sister Akari is a bit rocky due to her barring Yuma from playing Duel Monsters at the start of the series, but it's clear they (and their grandmother/guardian Haru) do care about each other.

Once you get past the shock of the Zexal protagonist being a highly energetic but unskilled Duelist of a thirteen year old (especially if you choose to start Zexal right after finishing the previous spinoff Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds), he's actually a really fun protagonist to root for. You want Yuma to succeed and help Astral collect the Number cards needed to unlock Astral's missing memories. You want Yuma to find a way to save everyone in the final stretch, even characters like Vector, who tricked Yuma multiple times.

(That's a great protag right there.)

On the topic of shipping, there are many different pairings involving Yuma in some way. The two most popular by far are Sharkbaitshipping (Yuma/Ryoga 'Shark' Kamishiro) and Keyshipping (Yuma/Astral), with Sharkbaitshipping holding 274 fics on Ao3 and Keyshipping holding 239 fics at the time of writing this. Other ships command varying degrees of popularity too, including Skyshipping (Yuma/Kotori, 45 fics), Seraphshipping (Yuma/Alit, 35 fics), Negativeshipping (Yuma/Vector, 169 fics), and Dokidokishipping (Yuma/Kaito, 144 fics). But there is one that is, in my mind, criminally rare: Aztecshipping, or Yuma/Michael 'III' Arclight. At the time this was written in March 2024, Aztecshipping had a mere 29 fics posted to Ao3. (30 fics if you include this!)

You explained who Yuma is, who is III?

I mean, if you're here you probably know who III is, buuut he's my special little blorbo and I'm posting this for III Day so I get to talk about him.

III (birth name: Michael Arclight) is the fifteen year old youngest son of the Arclight family, a group of four people who acted as one of the antagonist groups of the first half of the series. (The other three members being his older brothers IV and V, and his father Tron.) III is the nicest of the family and is seen to defuse arguments between his brothers, but at the same time has his own problems stemming from his broken family situation.

III is shown to be intensely and unwaveringly loyal to his family, displaying a willingness to both kill for the sake of those he cares about and die for their sake. In fact, during his Duel against Yuma, he deliberately goes out of his way to mentally break Yuma and kill Astral out of jealousy towards Yuma's healthier family and desperation to protect his own, only backing down from his desperate rage when a card he played (Final Prophecy) tried to punch a hole in reality to open a portal to the Barian World.

Tying into this, III puts up little resistance to his father's scheme to get revenge against Dr. Faker, often going along with all but the worst of his family's actions. He delivers a dangerous Number card to Shark at Tron's request, knowing that the card would try to control Shark, but later expresses discomfort when Tron performs a ritual to steal Haruto's power, due to the ritual causing pain to Haruto.

(Remember III's loyalty, it's a surprise tool that will help us later.)

Finally, III has a strong interest in ancient civilizations (with a dash of Ancient Aliens style conspiracies about out of place artifacts coming from other dimensions mixed in), much like how his father was once invested in researching interdimensional portals. This is also a surprise tool that will help us later.

The Ship Summary

To explain Aztecshipping, we have to go back to Yuma and III's fathers: Kazuma Tsukumo and Byron Arclight.

Byron was working with Dr. Faker and the explorer Kazuma on interdimensional portal research, and the three eventually went on a trip to uncover one of these portals. Unfortunately, Dr. Faker ended up betraying both Kazuma and Byron, sacrificing them to open the portal.

While Kazuma ended up trapped in the Astral World after this, Byron ended up stuck in the Barian World, and ultimately struck a deal with the Barians where he was granted power to get revenge against Dr. Faker in exchange for gathering Number cards for the Barians, and eventually returned to Earth as Tron.

As for their families that were left behind on Earth, the Tsukumos were able to stay relatively healthy, with Haru taking over as guardian to Yuma and Akari in the absence of Kazuma and his wife, the severely plot neglected Mirai. Yuma still missed his parents dearly, but his family remained functional.

The Arclights were not so lucky.

With no parents in the picture and oldest son Christopher too young to act as a guardian to his brothers/busy investigating what happened to his father while working for Dr. Faker as an assistant, both Michael and his second brother Thomas were left to an orphanage, only returning to their family when Tron came back and Christopher realized the truth. Tron reduced his sons to mere pawns in his revenge scheme, forcibly renaming Christopher, Thomas, and Michael as V, IV, and III respectively and granting them special crests to give them power, and subsequently allowed his family to fall to dysfunction as he obsessed over revenge.

In this way, Yuma and III are mirrors of each other, both losing their fathers in the same incident but reacting in opposite ways. Yuma is connected to the Astral World from the start with his friendship with Astral and his father's fate, while III is connected with the opposing Barian World due to Tron's deal and the fallout of it.

To that end, Yuma and III initially opposed each other, their first significant interaction being a Tag Duel where Yuma (working with Kaito) Dueled III (working with IV) in a bid to rescue Kaito's younger brother Haruto after his kidnapping at the hands of the Arclights. However, it really wasn't long before III became curious about Yuma and his determination, going out of his way to break into the Tsukumo household to investigate (and was subsequently distracted by the artifacts in the attic/started infodumping about them to Yuma. Nerd.)

(This is actually likely where the ship name Aztecshipping comes from, between Yuma's idolization of his absent father and III's love for ancient civilizations/his favourite card being Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem.)

Desperate to protect his family from being potentially opposed by Yuma and jealous of the actually functional Tsukumos after meeting them, III challenged Yuma to a Duel, in which he tormented Yuma and killed Astral, before attempting to sacrifice himself in a forced tie just to stop Yuma. The turning point came when one of III's cards, Final Prophecy, started trying to forcibly open a portal to the Barian World at the cost of ending the world, forcing III to share his crest power with Yuma to try to revive Astral and stop Final Prophecy's effect.

The plan was a long shot; there was no guarantee that Yuma would be able to take that amount of power. Yuma withstood it though, and with Astral back, managed to work together to defeat III and stop Final Prophecy. This was the true turning point of their relationship, as III recognized Yuma as his first and only friend and trusted him to be able to save his broken family.

Remember III's intense loyalty? Good, we're coming back to that now.

After this, III vanished from the plot for a while, eventually returning to protect Yuma from being menaced by the Barians Mr. Heartland and Semimaru by way of throwing a sword at Mr. Heartland and outright declaring that he would act as Yuma's 'sword and shield' before teaming up with Yuma to Duel Semimaru. In turn, Yuma trusted III to have his Number cards back, after III willingly gave them up to Yuma after their Duel some time earlier.

It seems that by now III's undying loyalty fully extended to Yuma, as he went out of his way to redirect an attack that would have hit Yuma and his monster to strike him instead, once again showcasing his willingness to sacrifice himself for those he cares about. After the Duel, which ended with III and Yuma working together to combine Yuma's 'Number 39: Utopia' and III's 'Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis' to beat Semimaru, Yuma let III have the new Number card won off Semimaru: 'Number 3: Cicada King'.

III continued to stay with and protect Yuma after this, temporarily living in the Tsukumo household and sticking alongside Yuma at all times to fulfil this. To that end, III calls to mind a knight, someone willing to fight and die for the one he protects without thought for himself. III is also seen to become concerned for Yuma's mental state due to Astral seemingly dying at the hands of Black Mist several episodes prior, and after Yuma returns from a trip to the Astral World to find and bring back Astral, is relieved to see him again.

III sacrificing for Yuma came to a head when he and V went out of their way to stall several Barians to protect Yuma, Astral, and Kaito during the big Barian invasion. III knew going in that he would die doing this, but he didn't care, willingly sacrificing himself to save Yuma one more time.

Initially, III claimed to Yuma that he and V were going to confront the Barians to get revenge for IV's death earlier, saying that he'd grown sick of Yuma's optimism, but this was a lie meant to stop Yuma from following him. When it became clear that the brothers were fighting a losing match against the Barian Mizael, V opened a video link to Yuma to deliver a final message. III took the opportunity to apologize for lying, saying that Yuma was a true friend and say goodbye, before declaring that he'd be with Yuma in spirit as Mizael launched his final attack, killing both III and V.

This sacrifice caused Yuma to break down sobbing at being unable to stop it from happening due to traveling to track down the Barian leader Don Thousand.

Luckily, after the defeat of the Barians, everyone who died in the final invasion came back to life, III included. The final episode reveals that III enrolled in Yuma's middle school, somehow ending up in the same year as Yuma despite being two years older than him. III's literal final scene in the series has him declaring that he'll fight alongside Yuma anywhere, which again. Knight motifs.

Ship Dynamics

Yuma and III start off as enemies, facing off against each other as their goals and family situations clashed. However, it really isn't long before III starts viewing Yuma as a friend due to Yuma's unending determination and aid in preventing the end of the world via Final Prophecy, eventually even extending the loyalty once reserved for family out to Yuma. Once this shift happens, the dynamic changes to that of a knight protecting his charge with the power of his sword and his own life on the line, willing to die to see that charge safe.

In turn, Yuma seems rather okay with III protecting him despite their notable rough start. He allows III to live in his house for a time and even gives III's Number cards back and temporarily shares his school uniform with him just so that III isn't wearing the same clothes the whole time (this is before III joins Yuma's school, by the way). He's distraught when III (and V) sacrifices himself to hold off the Barians, breaking down in tears after watching the final blow.

It's not all III protecting and sacrificing for Yuma, either. They work together very well when Dueling Semimaru, coming up with a plan to join their monsters together via Chronomaly Atlandis's effect to stop Semimaru. Yuma also promises to help save III's family where III could not, seemingly genuinely forgiving III for his actions during their Duel against each other.

They also have a connection via their interests; Yuma idolizes his missing explorer father and has a number of ancient artifacts in his house, while III has a strong interest in ancient civilizations. It's not hard to imagine them working together on explorations and archaeology digs as they get older, helping and protecting each other as needed.

Tldr: Aztecshipping is a very cute ship with protector/protectee themes and two young nerds. They should be together.

References

-Yugipedia (Crossreferencing canon events and characters) -zexual-shippings (Various ship names) -Ao3 (Fic counts for various ships)

Specific episodes:

-Episodes 41-43: III and IV vs Yuma and Kaito. III starts to become curious about Yuma and his determination at the end of episode 43. -Episodes 46-49: III vs Yuma. III spends most of the Duel proper (47 to 49) tormenting Yuma and Astral, only coming out of his desperation and rage when he realizes what Final Prophecy is doing. III and Yuma work together to stop the effect of Final Prophecy in episode 49, followed by III admitting that Yuma is his first friend and asking him to save his family/giving up his Number cards to Yuma. Episode 46 also contains III nerding out over the artifacts in Yuma's attic. -Episodes 112-113: III and Yuma vs Semimaru. 112 has III throw a sword at Mr. Heartland to defend Yuma and state that he'll be Yuma's 'sword and shield'. Yuma also trusts III to have his Number cards back in 112, followed by trusting III to have the new Number card 'Number 3: Cicada King' in 113. -Episodes 114-116: III continues to stay with Yuma to protect and help him in Astral's absence, including staying over at Yuma's house and borrowing a school uniform from Yuma. III also becomes concerned for Yuma's mental state in the wake of Astral seemingly dying again. -Episodes 126-128: III and V vs Mizael. III claims he's sick of Yuma's optimism to stop Yuma from following him to the Duel, knowing that Yuma needed to go on while he and V stalled for time. III gets the chance to apologize for lying and say goodbye/that he'll be with Yuma in spirit right before dying to Mizael. -Episode 146: III is shown to have enrolled in Yuma's school and is in the same year as him despite being two years older. III later states that he'll fight alongside Yuma anywhere towards the end of the episode.

[moonlit-orchid]

To Jack, Yusei and Crow are 14 and 10. He actually had no idea how old they were until they were moving together into New Domino and he was like "how are we gonna do this? Me take custody of you?"

"um, no, why would you need to do that, we're just gonna be regular tenants"

"please, you guys are like 12 and 15, name a twelve and fifteen year old who can be legal tenants?"

"...Jack we're both over sixteen-"

"...shut up, no you're not."

"Jack, I'm 18 and Crow's 17."

"No you're not!"

Jack literally phoned Martha, he was in that much disbelief that his baby brothers weren't actually so little after all.

He still forgets crow isn't Leo's age

[qmakobin]

CRUSH

A/N: hi! This is Eribin. I am not a real writer,doing this as my past time. English is not my first language so bear with my English. There's a lot of grammatical and typographical errors. This is just a fiction from my delusional mind.

CAST:

Yoshiyuki Kano as Yoshi

Y/N as Ei

---

THIRD PERSON's POV

“Makoto looks so cute! OMG! My day is already complete,” Eribin, your best friend, shrieked.

“Yusei looked at me for a split second. WAAAAHHH!” your other best friend, Kimie, exclaimed.

You three are walking down the hallway to the locker area. You just make a face at them, tired of hearing them go “gaga” over their crushes.

“Here we go again,” you say while searching for a key in your bag.

“Heeey!” they say in unison. You smile and struggle to find your key. Since you aren’t paying attention, you don’t see someone else approaching. He is also looking for something in his bag and doesn’t notice you coming.

“Oh! I’m so sorry,” he says, picking up your things. You hear his friends laughing in the distance, Miku and Masa, as well as your own. You recognize him—it's Yoshi, your crush. You haven’t told anyone about it, especially your two crazy friends; they would make a big deal out of it.

“It’s okay. It’s my fault too; I wasn’t looking where I was going,” you say with an awkward laugh. He hands your bag back to you, smiling apologetically, and you give him an assuring smile, meaning it’s okay—nothing to worry about.

After long hours of classes, it’s finally the last period. You hear your friends complaining about how far your next class is. As you walk in, you notice Yoshi’s friends become silent and stare at you while Yoshi looks away. Confused, you wonder why they are behaving like this; usually, they’re loud. Especially that Miku guy. You shrug it off and choose a seat in front.

Class starts, and the professor begins discussing and interacting with the students.

“That’s right. Now, my question is: ‘Is it okay to prioritize human needs over environmental concerns?’ As our population continues to grow, we should—YOSHI! Stop staring at Ei. Pay attention, or better yet, get out of my class.” the professor exclaimed.

His friends burst out laughing, while yours are left in shock. Your eyes widen as you realize what just happened. You look at Yoshi and see him scratching the back of his head while biting his lip. You’re in awe. He catches your gaze, and your eyes lock for a moment. You feel your heart skip a beat. He hides his hands under the desk and looks away. Blushing, you turn away as well. You find that gesture cute. Well, Yoshi is a cutie. You suppressed a smile and bit your lips.

The whole class starts teasing the two of you. Suddenly the bell rings, which means break time. Your friends sit beside you, giggling and nudging you.

"you two look cute together" Kimie exclaimed

Yoshi glances your way. Shy still spreading across his face. His friends were also nudging him. You glance at him and he also glanced in your way. Your eyes met again and this time no one dared to look away.

Gathering his courage, he decided to go near you and try his luck to talk to you.

"OMG! He's going here" Eribin said as she playfully nudged you. Your heart beats fast. Eribin keeps tapping your shoulder. She looks more excited than you do.

"uhm, we'll be back at our seats Ei." Kimmie said as she dragged Eribin out of the scene.

"I'm sorry about the class, I-i just couldn't help it" Yoshi shyly said.

You look up,shocked. "no, It's cool" you smile at him and he does the same. You saw how deep his dimple is. you wondered how it feels putting your hands in his face and touching his deep dimples.

'oh no!' You erased that thought and focused on him instead.

"so you want to hang out after class? If that's okay with you.. you know, I want to know you more" He asked while nervously looking at you. He's smiling. His eyes and smile are sparkling. Your heart races at those words coming from him.

'is this really true? Am I only dreaming?' you thought to yourself.

"y-yeah. Sure. I'd love that." You reply, trying to sound casual but feeling giddy inside.

Yoshi can't hide his smile. "okay, see you after class, Ei" he said and he went to his seat.

Classes resume. Professors continue his interrupted lessons earlier. While teaching, you steal a glance at Yoshi and catch him glancing at you too. You smiled and he does the same. You realized that maybe this is the start of something special. Between you and Yoshi. You couldn't believe it at first but you feel hopeful when it totally sinks in. This is maybe the chance to explore what could be with Yoshi.

---- The end-----

[anotherblblog]

Giving flowers to Yusei Yagi

I’m still thinking of how much of a performance Yusei put on in 4 episodes. Like literally just over an hour worth of tape in the season and maybe under an hour if someone counts Kiyoi’s screentime and Yusei showed so much. 

tsundere childish Kiyoi

mature in their relationship

hi, I’m the new guy at work 

my man needs a makeover but he’s still fine

pouty pouty

BITCH GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY MAN

YOU LET HER CRAWL ALL OVER YOU

you’re so creepy and weird, fuck me (literally fuck me tonight)

why are you not getting the signs that I want to kiss/fuck you

don’t think sad stuff about me because I’m literally right here safe and sound

you don’t compete with me, Hira is mine

oh fuck maybe he does know something about Hira that I don’t

how do I cook

will Hira like this? will he like meeeeeee 

I want you to try for me

I’m so soft and cuddly. Look at me in my oversized sweater

I am your cheerleader and assistant

it’s nice when it’s just the two of us alone 

honey I’ve been waiting for youuuuu

you’re feeling for me what I’m feeling for you right?

oh, no. You’re still on your one sided shit.

wow, you really don’t give a fuck about how I feel

oh wow, you don’t even want to try

guess I have to be the bigger person.................................again.

you’re so fucking dumb but damned if I’m not still choosing you

I wanna be the very best (stage actor) like no one ever was

I’m shy

it could all be so simple but you’d rather make it hard for me

why is he not following me after I stormed out and told him to stay away

let me bury myself in his clothes and sleep on the floor away from him but fuck him though. But I miss him. 

I love him. I will try and try and try again for him. 

and so much more!

four twenty minute episodes. Well done dude. 

[inkblackorchid]

Found some energy again and now I feel a burning need to go back and talk about the Jack/Carly dark signer duel because, in all honesty, I think this may be the best of the dark signer duels, full stop. At the very least, it easily makes the top three in terms of stakes, character dynamics, and sheer drama. But what I really feel the need to talk about is what this duel does for Jack's character because I feel like there's a lot to unpack here. Long post ahead.

So, first off, I freely admit that I dunk a lot on Jack, and I can't help but feel like that's partially the point of his character during the early parts of the show. He's a standoffish, overly proud guy who comes across as kind of a dick, he betrayed Yusei and stole from him, and both our protagonist and we as the audience are being given every reason to not hate him, precisely, but to at the very least want to see him go down. His ego is so massively bloated and the way he constantly goes on about thinking he's a better duellist than Yusei makes you root for his downfall at the Fortune Cup. Considering he's the rival character, I think this is all perfect. I eagerly anticipate Jack getting his butt handed back to him on a silver platter every time, and it works great.

That said, this characterisation would get a little stale if they'd tried to run with it the whole show, I think, which is why I'm glad they didn't. However, that doesn't mean I don't have my gripes with where they went with Jack. This is obviously my personal opinion and no one's pressured to agree with me, and I speak from a standpoint of nothing but love for this show because I just adore it with all its quirks, crazy bits, and, occasionally, dropped plot threads. The only reason I even feel such an urge to post about this in the first place is because I love this show to pieces, which is why I like to turn the bits that didn't work for me over in my mind, allowing me to imagine where things could have gone instead. Jack is, for the most part, a good character who has a good spot in the narrative, but I do feel that he looses a few things from the third season onward that previously made him extra compelling in the first and second season. But I'm not here to talk about season three and cyborg shenanigans just yet.

Instead, let's talk about the dark signers arc. Because this arc gives us such an interesting perspective on Jack. He starts the whole season out by suffering his greatest defeat at the hands of Yusei, in public, before a crowd that was as good as convinced he'd win—as convinced as he himself was. And it's an intriguing spot for him because he's been standing on this pedestal the entire time, and then Yusei just comes in and knocks it right out from under his feet. Jack may not be an overly emotional character, but he is, indubitably, at his lowest point after he loses in the Fortune Cup.

Enter Carly, who couldn't be much more different from Jack if she actively tried. (Although they do share some very interesting core aspects.) She provides us with an immediate, stark contrast to Jack that shines a light on both their most prominent character traits by letting them bounce off one another. Jack's stoic and cold, Carly's bubbly and energetic. Jack's proud and self-assured, Carly's a bit awkward and stumbles occasionally. However, both of them are driven and stubborn. They both want to prove themselves, you could even argue that they share the same goal: Make more of their lives. Except, Jack technically achieved that goal and now plummeted back down, whereas Carly's still chasing it.

What interests me even more, though, is how Jack acts around Carly, because I think if you showed someone only Fortune Cup Jack and then told this person that the same character would later fall in love with an awkward reporter girl who's constantly on the brink of getting fired and uses her deck mainly for fortune-telling, they would not be very inclined to believe you. Sure, he's still standoffish and proud, but the fact alone that he immediately tolerates Carly's presence, to the point of duelling together with her without much issue? Fortune Cup Jack would never.

Carly has such a profound impact on Jack as a person, it's extremely compelling to watch every time. At this low point where he is after Yusei defeats him, she catches him and gives him a new perspective that allows him to finally see himself as something other than King of turbo duels, and not only that, she also softly takes him down a peg and gets him to see that his belief that every person has to stand for themselves, that bonds to other people are useless and only a hindrance, was wrong, that no man is an island. I really wanna highlight this because in a show where this exact message is the main philosophy of Yusei, the protagonist, one might have expected him to teach Jack that. But he doesn't. Carly does. Jack even confirms as much himself.

And what makes this hit even harder is that he doesn't simply tell this to Carly herself, he reaffirms it in the duel against Goodwin, too, knowing well that the man himself, Yusei, and Crow can hear. I have to put this exchange here because it drives me insane:

The thing is, if this were Fortune Cup Jack, Goodwin would be right on the money here. But no-longer-King Jack? Post-Carly Jack?

(Can I also say that my brain starts short-circuiting every time I hear Jack literally confirm, with his own damned words, that he loved Carly? Because he did!!! That's canon!!!!!)

People (and those people absolutely include me) often talk about how much of a disservice cutting her out of the story later did to Carly, but you know what? As far as I'm concerned, it also did a disservice to Jack. Here, at the end of the DS arc, we have Jack with a nice bit of character development, with a lesson learned, setting out for a new path in life. And then what do they do for the pre-WRGP and WRGP arc? Basically reset his arc two thirds of the way and pretend he has to learn this exact thing again. Sure, he lives together with Yusei and Crow later, meaning he at least tolerates the whole "bonds" thing, but in comparison to the Jack up here, it feels a bit... off. Not to speak of the later episodes where they act like Jack has to relearn how to do teamwork from scratch for the WRGP, even though he is shown right in this final dark signer duel, playing perfectly on the same wavelength with his foster brothers. (Though the fake Jack episode is still good on its own, don't get me wrong; it's just questionable whether they really needed to make Jack learn the same lesson twice instead of giving him a different focus later.) Not to speak of the fact that turning Carly into a glorified cardboard cutout later essentially cuts him off from any further, interesting interactions with her that could dig into the deeper aspects of the character. Because whether you ship these two or not, I don't think anyone can deny that Carly shone a light on Jack's character that no other person in canon managed to. So I will forever lament how Carly was axed post DS arc, but honestly, Jack also suffered from the sudden change in Carly's writing.

I like to imagine all the scenarios we could have gotten if they'd decided to follow through with this character development for Jack, or, hell, if they'd simply decided to properly work through everything that happened between Carly and Jack. We could have gotten Jack really coming to terms with what it means to tread the new path he chose for himself. We could have gotten him maybe not apologise (I don't think he's the kind of guy to apologise, lmao), but at the very least talk to Yusei and maybe Crow about his betrayal. And I mean, Kiryu got to remember being a dark signer later, so why didn't Carly? There was so much untapped potential for dear, sweet Carly coming to terms with her violent actions while being guided by Aslla Piscu there, and Jack could have been central to that, in a sort of returning-the-favour way. Or, if they had to push him back almost to square one, they could have made that a plot point. Have Carly remark on his strange demeanour. Have them bounce off each other again, figuring out where they stand with each other and with themselves.

It just feels like there was a lot of character writing there that could have been great but was never even considered. And in the end, this hinders both Jack's and Carly's journey.

As far as their previous dynamic and dark signer duel is concerned, though? That is Jack at his absolute best for me.

[cyberdragoninfinity]

S-so uh...does the 13 year old fucked up trauma bot also Do A Murder or is he just a shit. Ik hes a tiny shit in the route but I dont know how it ends. Do they all do a kill. Does aporia do a kill. Ur making me apeshit with these, thank you so much for posting them

YAAAYY TIME TO TALK ABOUT TAG FORCE 6 LESTER!!!!

yeah ok so he doesn't actually kill anyone in Tag Force 5, his personalized route is effectively "WOW this child needs to be medicated" and he psychologically torments Akiza at one point, but it is remarkably murder free (the same. can not be said of Jakob's route Where He Fucking Kills Lester and Primo and You Just Have to Sit There and Watch. GOD) Also sidenote Lester's endroute png is sooo so cute ;__; the text is a little harrowing but don't worry about it.

APORIA only does a kill at the very end of his TF6 route, when he INADVERTENTLY KILLS HIS FUCKIGN HUSBAND AND CRIES ABOUT IT AND I EXPLODE TEN THOUSAND TIMES!!!!!!

BUT ANYWAY. TAG FORCE 6 LESTER. AGAIN, NOT ONE OF THE MAIN TIER CHARACTERS. IN THAT GAME. so like his final heart event starts the same as Primo's, but he duels Yusei and Crow instead of Yusei and Akiza, and he doesn't actually kill anyone like Primo does (though he does threaten and taunt them as the Ark Cradle manifests)

and then when you actually go up into the Ark with him he immediately starts Saying Things That We Get a Little Scared Over

^This is why it's such a pet peeve of mine when people seem to assume the Three Emperors either A.) are humans who were turned into robots or B.) are partially human/flesh and blood cyborgs--it's a pretty fundamental part of them that theyre NOT human, or even really "alive" (in their personal views, anyway!) They're constructs built by some guy who's declared himself God out of the memories of one of his dead best friends. AND THIS ONE IS PERMANENTLY LIKE 12 ! :)

Lester also talks about the despair he personifies and somehow it's even more Oh God, Oh, God than Primo's rant on the subject is.

😀 OK COOL !!!!

like. Primo's endgame story event is horrifying because he just murders Yusei in cold blood and then tells you that youre gonna die with him for a God who doesn't care about you and a cause you will never live to see the benefit of. LESTER'S endgame is horrifying because this permanent child is genuinely so happy to hang out and 'play' with you and sees all of this as a Funny Little Game. he and Primo are both excited about it but in these two very different ways

AND. WELL. I DIDNT KNOW YOU COULD ONLY HAVE 30 IMAGES IN A POST. SO I WILL BE REBLOGGING WITH PART 2 OF THIS SOON !!! STAY TUNED!!

[ryuuseini]

yusei

OOOOH MY BOY YUSEI FUDO OMG - aight lets Do This

Why I like them/why I don’t

GOD I LOVE YUSEI - so it's really funny, because 5Ds was a series that I, at age 13, hate watched. All of it. So initially I really didn't like anyone, and that included Yusei, but i think after realizing 150 episodes in I did enjoy 5Ds, I got more curious about Yusei's character development? I remember going through the early episodes, up until his win against DS!Kiryu, and just stringing together that this is a guy who is, for the most part, a Complete Person who is riddled with guilt for not being enough for his friends. He's a martyr, but in the sense of "being a martyr just to be a martyr does far more harm than good" and I love that about characters??? It's so interesting too, because unlike, say, Yuma, Yusei understands his place in the world, how the world works, and how to take care of others. He is firm in his core beliefs, but those core beliefs also say that he's nothing more than the fixer - he has no purpose otherwise. Like... I think about how Stardust Dragon has the effect that sends itself to the graveyard to protect the monsters on your field for an attack... and just. How every time... Yusei's ready to do the same for his friends... but he comes back, no one lets him die... and it's just. God this is so unorganized but Yusei's a character i love so so much because i love his character type a LOT

What I like about their appearance

So uh. I really like his hair to the point that it made me realize black and yellow is a BANGER color combo and that i need to dye my hair as such. Yusei hair forever (oh and his jacket. I want his jacket)

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?

man... Fudo Yusei or Yusei Fudo... such a hard decision /j (it doesnt apply i just really wanted to make this joke)

OTP

It's treason (Yusei/Kiryu) AND tool (Yusei/Bruno). I just. Accidentally really fell in love with both of them.

NOTP

So kingcrab (Jack/Yusei) is one of the only two ships in total (as in, across all my fandoms) that is a NOTP. I'm not entirely sure why but like... I feel like their relationship in a romantic sense feels... wrong but i really can't put it to words because like. I support Kizuna (Yusei/Jack/Crow) in the sense that Jack/Yusei is a queer platonic relationship and Crow gets to do whatever, but man. I really don't got a reason for this, but respect to all the kingcrab shippers out there. Enjoy your food.

OT3

I don't know if Bruno/Yusei/Kiryu has a name and I'm too lazy to look it up but i think they're all dating in that weird way where Bruno and Kiryu don't even interact, they're both just dating Yusei, Bruno has no baggage and is just holding Yusei's, Kiryu's baggage is on fire alongside Yusei's, everyone's pretending this is Normal and Fine and This Is How Relationships Should Be - everyone just. At a point in their life where "I'd die for you" isn't a silly little test of how much you love someone but actual trauma that no one wants unpack and just set on fire instead.

Favourite card they use

man... honestly his OG deck before Stardust was banging. Loved me some Junk Warrior and then him using Scrap Scarecrow to avoid damage.

Favourite moment they were in

Yes (especially when he tried to sacrifice himself to save the world as per Z-One's wishes, and then Z-One pushes him aside with the last of his strength so Yusei could live. That was his last attempt at martyrdom... omg)

Least favourite moment

If Yusei is in a scene, is it really Not Peak?

Would I fuck, marry or kill them

... give me about 1000 years to get back to you on this. I'm debating between fuck and marry and i can assure you, i will not have an answer ever

[soaringonblackwings]

Title: Soaring Onto the Future

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh 5ds

External: AO3 / SquidgeWorld

Summary: Crow now has to choose a future for himself. At the end of the line, is it just the beginning?

Crow was making his deliveries when he noticed the recruiter behind him. “Are you still following me?”

“Should Crow Hogan the conquer of the WRPG waste away here? I will follow you to the depths of hell.”

Crow could feel a headache coming on dealing with this guy.

“I’ve already given my answer.” Crow said, exasperation written on his face.

That won’t stop the persistent recruiter. He threw a letter to Crow that he caught with ease and that was that.

Crow speed off to the community center. He has been thinking about his future. For now he was comfortable where he is. This league in particular was overseas. He did not want to separate from the others, not after everything they’ve been through.

After the events of the Ark Cradle, the Signers have fallen into a life of normalcy. However, lately things have gotten interesting.

He had not made it far into the community center before Ryoko rushed up to him.

“Crow!” Her hair swayed as she approached him. She grabbed his arm leading him to the office “Glassouffle-sensei! Here he is!”

Talking with Muckraker was a green haired lady in a green gown that reminds Crow of a bow-tie. She had a blue scarf around her neck. She adjusted her glasses as she turned to face the duo. An air of elegance was engraved into her every movement.

Crow recognized her from the many events the community center hosted for kids. He really enjoyed having her around. She often gave him advice on have to teach and how to handle the children. If it were not for her tips on how to plan lessons, Crow’s little dueling class would be a mess. Since there were no events, he wondered what brought her here.

“Crow, I am glad to catch you.” Her soft voice rang. “I hope this is a good time. I will not take much of it.”

Ryoko and Muckraker exited the room to give them some privacy.

“Don’t worry about it.” Crow said.

“Very well. Then to get started, Crow have you thought about a future in teaching?”

“Huh?” Crow went wide eyed. He always did enjoy sharing his knowledge. His instruction was a bit rusty, but with the help of Glassouffle he was able to refine his teaching skills. At some point she must’ve saw potential in Crow. In all honesty teaching was the last thing on his mind. He didn’t thinking schools would want someone tagged with Markers.

Glassouffle must have felt his troubled feelings. “Are you worried about your Markers? You won’t have to worry about that. With me as your reference that will not be a problem.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Crow’s voice faltered, filled with uncertainty.

“I have seen the joy you express with the children and teaching them. We need more teachers like you. So please give it some thought.” Glassouffle gives him her information. “I must be on my way now. I really do hope you consider this opportunity.”

Crow stood there in disbelief. First the duel league offer and now this. He felt like was being pulled in two different directions. He was so lost in thought that he did not notice Ryoko enter the room.

“Is everything okay?” she asks.

“Yeah… just a lot to think about…. Sorry I can’t volunteer today.”

Crow returned to his duel runner. It was late in the day, he called Yusei at his job. He wasn’t sure what to say. Backing out was not an option anymore when Yusei’s face appeared on screen. Somehow, they managed some small talk and caught up with each other on their lives.

“How are things with you?” Yusei asks.

“Blackbird Delivery service is booming in business. To think my business would be this successful.” Crow’s voice waivered at the end.

“Crow, what is it?”

“Ah! It’s nothing.”

“Didn’t you call me because you needed something?”

“Well… we haven’t met in a while, so I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“Crow why don’t we all get together? Let’s all eat together this weekend.” Yusei suggested.

“That’s a great idea! I’ll ask around. But there’s one person who’s a problem.”

It was Jack. He was always a problem that had to be solved. Sometimes Crow wondered if Jack really understood their bond.

-

The day of the party was here before anyone knew it. Everyone showed up on time and everything was great. That was until it wasn’t. The air was pretty heavy. As much as everyone wanted this to be a happy time, the jovial mood could not last. It was only a matter of time before things got sour.

It started when Crow had asked Akiza what she wanted to do after graduating. Spurned by not knowing what to do, she lashes out at Crow. The red-haired duo began yelling at each other much to everyone’s discomfort. It was when Leo shouted that he and Luna received a call from their parents. They wanted to live together, but the twins will have to leave the city. They were undecided on what to do. They didn’t want to leave the city.

Everyone was silent. The only noise filling the void was the sizzle of the grill.

“Crow and Akiza, you two are also wondering what to do?” Yusei said. “Crow you received an offer from an overseas pro league. Akiza is about studying abroad at a medical university.”

This surprised both of them.

“I also got an offer to be a teacher at Duel Academy.” Crow said. “I kind of don’t know what to pick….”

“It’s kind of hard to picture you as a teacher Crow.” This earned Leo a jab from his sister.

Yusei placed the food on the table.

“Yusei, how did you know about me.” Akiza wondered.

“Your parents asked me to discuss it with you.” Yusei replied.

Silance befell the group again. None of them wanted to discard the bond between them.

All except one person. Jack had finally arrived and told the group that he decided to leave the city to join Ride Ace duel league. An air of uncertainty hung over the group as Jack completely disregards their bond.

“Jack, duel me. Dueling has always guided us. Since we’re confused, we should find the answer by dueling.” Yusei declared.

-

As Crow watched his brothers duel it hit him. He thought back to his time at the community center. How he enjoyed teaching the kids there dueling methods and watching them beam with happiness. The knowledge he gained from Pearson; he could teach for years to come. He could help children make their own futures.

‘In that case….'

The duel between Yusei and Jack ended in Yusei’s victory. They all declared their futures. All that was left was to head towards it.

-

“I’m going to become a teacher.” Crow said aloud. He glanced at the grave that was now decorated with fresh flowers. “I got an opportunity to teach kids. I get to pass on my knowledge, the knowledge you gave me.”

It clicked. Without realizing it, Crow became exactly what Pearson set out to do. He was ashamed it took him this long to see it.

“I’ll still be in the city. This works out because I can take care of the kids and help out Martha. Just because I’m still here doesn’t mean I can’t spread my wings.”

He watched the sun dip behind the horizon.

“If I hadn’t met you, who knows where I’ll be….”

Pearson had mad a huge impact on Crow’s life. Meeting his mentor reignited his will to live on. Crow wanted nothing more than to keep Pearson’s dream alive. He faced the gravestone and said,

“Thank You.”

The words he never got to say to Pearson.

-

Everyone was lined up, ready for one last ride together.

“This is our last run!” Yusei calls out, and they all speed off.

From above the Crimson Dragon lets out a mighty roar. All the Signer marks began to glow. They detach themselves from everyone’s arm and return to the Crimson Dragon. They weren’t needed anymore. Their mission was finished.

Yusei accelerates and Crow stops just ahead of him. Both raised their hands for a high-five.

First it was Jack, the Akiza, then Luna with Leo ending it off. Their backs get further and further out of sight as they each take a different fork in the road. Then they were gone.

The duo left behind smiled at each other before driving back to the city.

“Hey Yus.”

“Hmm?”

“Did you at least give Akiza a big smooch before she left.” Crow made a kissy face. Yusei’s face turned red at Crow’s teasing. Both of them laughed. However, Crow never got an answer.

“Don’t tell anyone, but I’m glad that someone stayed behind.” Yusei admits.

“Don’t get your hopes up. I think I will leave the city one day. Now is just not that time.” Crow said. “I think you will leave one day too.”

Yusei balked at that idea. But some part of him believed it too.

“Until then, I have an entrance exam to study for.” Crow says.

Yusei held his hand up for a high-five. Crow speeds by him clapping his hand. The road came to a split and the duo each took the opposite paths.

Crow Hogan – Age 27 (8 years later)

“It’s great to have you back.” Glassouffle adjusted her glasses. “I would love to hear about your three-year tenure at Duel Academy Island.”

“It was an experience.” Crow smiled thinking back on his time. “I am happy to be back home.”

It was time to head to class. When he opened the door, he was greeted with some familiar faces.

“No way! It really is coach Crow!” Allie exclaims.

“I doubt he remembers us. It’s been too long.” Amanda says. Next to her Guu shake her head and dons a knowing smile on her face.

“He… knows exactly who we are….”

“Hey big brother!” Ginga had cheeky grin on his face. He was surrounded by Dachi, Taiga, and Hikari.

“Big- um Crow-sensei.” Kokori walks up to him. “I am your student teacher assistant. Please teach me well.”

Kokori playfully stuck out her tongue and winked at him.

“Hmm, could he be a laid-back teacher?”

“Don’t even think about it Frank. He is actually pretty strict.” Amanda warns him. Frank instantly dissolves all plans of tomfoolery.

Crow could tell this was going to be an interesting batch of students. He took a deep breath to ready himself.

“Hello everyone! Let’s get started!

I have a lot to teach you."

[dancingkirby]

Subject One excerpt: In which Aki makes a stupid-ass decision and Jack can't ignore it

This is most of the opening scene from Chapter 7, which is a slightly different take on the opening scene of Episode 45. Might be one of the last ones I can post so I don't give away too many ending spoilers!

WARNINGS: The usual inherent/implied underage. Mention of baby-killing as a hypothetical (I will spoil that this does not actually end up happening.)

@akiizayoi4869

“HOW COULD YOU HAVE BEEN SO STUPID?!”

All of the grief and anger that Jack had kept bottled within himself these past weeks exploded into that single sentence.  As dumb as telling those ridiculous stories that everyone seemed to love for some reason had been, every minute he’d been occupied with making them up had been a minute that he wasn’t remembering Carly.  Or how he’d failed her.  Or how he still didn’t know exactly what had happened to her…

Aki recoiled, holding her duffel bag (in which she’d smuggled her baby) to her chest.  At any other time, he’d have felt at least a vague sense of shame about scaring her like that, but right now his rage at her encompassed all of his other thoughts.

He hadn’t realized he’d jumped to his feet until Mikage said, “Um, Atlas-sama, you’ll need to sit down.  The conditions aren’t safe for standing.”  She had said nothing up to this point, despite the fact that Jack had been shouting at Aki over the top of her head.

“Here.  I’ll switch with you,” Yusei offered.  Jack wordlessly accepted.  He plopped down onto the other bench with a huff, while Yusei also negotiated a seat swap with Mikage so he could sit next to Aki.  Jack noted that he didn’t get scolded for standing up. 

This pause, short as it may have been, had at least made it so Jack could calm down enough to verbalize exactly why he thought Aki’s decision had been stupid.

“You have just put our entire rescue mission in danger,” he informed her, in a marginally quieter voice.  “And you’ve put Adam in danger too.  He was going to be safe with your parents. Satellite is not a good place to take a baby even under normal circumstances, and we don’t know the full extent of what will be waiting for us there.  We will all have our hands full with the Dark Signers–you included–and we can’t afford to be distracted by babysitting.  What makes you think that Misty Lola wouldn’t kill your baby with a smile on her face if she got her hands on him?  Kiryu’s good with a knife; I’m sure he taught her plenty…”

“That is enough, Jack,” Yusei practically growled.  He wrapped an arm around the silently weeping girl and her much louder offspring. “You’re scaring Aki, Adam, and the twins.”

Sure enough, when he turned to look at Rua and Ruka, he saw them both flattened against the far end of the bench, looking at him like he’d personally killed the baby instead of merely talking about the fact that it was a very real possibility.

“Sorry about that,” he said briefly. 

“I’d be glad to look after him,” Seria volunteered.  “I’m not a Signer, so they won’t care about me, plus I have some experience with taking care of him.”

Jack made a little hmph.  “Fine.  But that’s not even half the problem.  What if he also comes looking for them?  Seria’s not safe from that. What on Earth made you decide this was a good idea, Izayoi?  If you stopped to think for one second…”

Aki finally gathered the courage to speak up.  “I was scared, okay?!  He needs me.  I didn’t want to just leave him there alone…and I guess I’m so stupid that I didn’t think it through.”  She wiped the tears out of her eyes with an impatient flick of her arm. 

“Guys, would it help if I turned around?” Ushio said from the pilot’s seat.  “I was considering doing a missed approach anyway.  That doesn’t look good.”  He gestured at the black clouds and lightning outside, which they were currently in the midst of. 

Mikage snapped, “No.  We can’t retreat now!”  In spite of his growing homicidal urges, Jack was impressed.  Finally she was showing some spine.

Yusei pointed out the window.  “There.  Land there.  It’s a clear spot and where we needed to go anyway.”

Ushio did not look happy to be taking orders from his arch-nemesis, but he directed the helicopter downwards anyway. 

“Yusei, what’s that?” Aki asked, indicating the house and wooded park below them.

“It’s where Martha lives,” Yusei told her.  Then, referring to Adam, he said, “Here, give him to me, I’ll see if I can calm him down any.”

Aki took the baby out of the bag and handed him over.  She replied, “Oh, yes, Crow mentioned that once!  He said it was the only pretty place in Satellite and I can see why.  Do you think he’s there too?”

Yusei looked at her solemnly.  “I hope so.”

The aircraft hit a wind gust and made a sudden jerk downward, giving everyone a scare.  Adam, who had finally started to quiet down, picked up where he’d left off.  Yusei told him, “It’s just some turbulence.  We’re going to reach the ground in a matter of seconds, and then we’ll all be fine.  You may throw up on me if you need to.” 

This, Jack thought, was like giving a smoking volcano permission to erupt, but then again he knew nothing about babies. 

Everyone clung on to whatever they could reach as the helicopter made its final descent.  When it finally touched ground, there was another tooth-rattling jolt. 

“You all okay back there?” Ushio yelled over his shoulder. 

They were, except that Rua, Seria, and Adam had all gotten airsick and Jack had a nasty bump on his head.  (Although it wasn’t like he hadn’t been used to this happening basically any time he walked through a doorway and forgot to duck.)

As Ushio completed the landing checklist, his muttering was audible.  “Director asks me, have you ever flown a helicopter before?  I say, yes, but not since training.  He says, do it anyway.  Well, never again!”  He turned back to them.  “Okay, guys?  I’m all set.  We can leave.”

[blazingstarship]

💍Engagement Night💖

I have been waiting to post this artwork for a very long time cause I wanted it to be perfect and love the story behind our proposal.

We got to the marriage subject cause one of the guys made a joke about it. When it was just the two of us, I honestly told Yus it wasnt really something I dreamed off to do. I kinda made it clear marriage wasnt for me but didnt want to tell him my reasons. Yusei figured eventually by clicking one and one when I dont bring up my parents much. I told him the truth about why I dont like weddings. My parents had an unhappy marriage and even worst divorce. Heck I dont even know why they agreed to get married in the first place but it made me dislike the whole wedding concept.

Yusei said he never could imagine even a happy stable relationship without worrying if the other wouldnt leave him first (dead, betrayed, leaving the city forever). And marriage, the same page, didnt saw himself as marriage material too. People of Sattelite werent even allowed to marry so who wanted scum like him to love a life time.

Our relationship grow and the years passed by. It became stronger and we never felt so comfortable and save than to be with each other. After two years there was a moment in our lifes that changed us both and Yusei came suddenly with an own made ring with blue stone stickers on it and presented as a promise ring, we called a partnership. And I made one too from scraps and crafts so he knew I feel the same way about it. So we started to wear promise rings and after four years, we got our own house together.

I try not to drop spoilers but lets say Yusei felt alone and yet he got reminded someone always came home to him at the end of the day. Living together did him so well and the idea of having an own house with a backyard and garage and just a new chapter in his life thats about to start. He never could dream there was someone willing to spend the rest of their life with him and he cherish every day this someone goes to sleep and wakes byside him.

He wanted to place the bolt ring for the real thing and it was quite the time since he knew while I love the ring, it wasnt a real ring and deserved a real one. The real deal.

I was really worried about the house since I am not from Neo Domino City and what if we didnt work out at the end and I had to go back to my own country.

Yusei assured me its never gonna happen and we are not like my folks. As long as we talk to each other and give the space we need from time to time, everything will be alright.

After we got the keys, Yusei said out of the blue What if you will be named Fudo too. It shocked me how sure he said that, his face expression didnt change. He was really serious about it, like he was preparing me mentally and pulsed if he should go through with his plan.

I was really quiet about it as after a while, I only smiled at him and told him I loved him and that will never change. Then I gave a very long kiss on his cheek.

He didnt need to know more then this was a hint that I was ready. It was like he already asked the question but without the actual words. And my sensitive emotional ass (typical cancer lol) got me in tears as I assured him it was just a very sweet thing what he did.

The first night we would spend at our home was the same night he proposed. Yusei wanted to come to our home as family, as future husband and wife.

He took me for dinner and boy we didnt eat much. I may even was tired from work to notice he was nervous and couldnt think why he wanted to go out after we could have dinner at our own place for the first time.

He proposed at the Neo Domino City Point View close to his former place. It has the best view to see the whole sky and all the stars in it. Also it was the same place we catched a shooting star together and even started to feel a spark between us.

There were fairy lights around the rails and just watched the starry sky. Bringing up memories and getting deeper how much we have been through together. The deeper we got, the closer we holded each other. Suddenly there was a long silence and how I never could think I would be here and spending the rest of my life living here with him.

He whispered to me that I was his home, his future and couldnt imagine he would spend the rest of his life with someone else than me. He let me go but holded my hand as he went on one knee. After some sweet lines, he asked me. The way he asked was more like a promise than a proposal. Without knowing the real intentions, I said yes. As he wanted to put the ring on the finger, he realized he forgot to put out the box out of his jacket.

We laughed at this moment. He called out I even said yes without a ring. For me to reply confused “Saying yes without a ring?”

As he then showed the box and showed the ring inside. Saying he is asking the real deal, it is a real proposal. Causing me to been overwhelmed and crying.

He asked me again, but this time he did it in Dutch. It was so fluent, it got me so off guard. For me to answer Yes! In dutch, Japanese and English. A thousand times.

[writingpages]

sweet nothing

Summary: This set of pink lines ruined everything.

Rating: T

Ships: Yusei Fudo/Aki Izayoi

Author’s note: this was written in 2022 for a pro choice zine. this piece features abortion discussed frankly as part of that. this is also an expanded version of what appears in that zine, as part of it had to be cut for space.

read on ao3 / support me on kofi (battle city & up supporters get early access) / join my discord (18+)

Aki considered for a moment just shoving the pregnancy test in her purse and tossing it at the university. Yusei and her had talked about the possibility of having kids before. Still, she knew Yusei well enough to know that he’d immediately propose and that wasn’t how Aki imagined Yusei proposing.

This set of pink lines ruined everything. Would she have to drop out? She considered the heavy workload and the fact that Turbo Dueling was already dangerous enough. Could she continue to Turbo Duel when she knew she had a baby on the way? It seemed selfish. Could she allow herself to be selfish? In her worry, the worst possible situation flashed in her mind: that maybe Yusei would decide to abandon her because of this. It was as if a deep seated fear she dared not speak bubbled to the surface: proof she was not good enough for him. If she had to drop out, would he be disappointed in her? She shoved the pregnancy test into a plastic bag, wrapping it up twice before pushing it deep in the trash. She could deal with this later.

“You sure took your sweet time in there,” Lua whined as she finally exited the bathroom. Aki hadn’t known the twins were coming to visit. For a second, her mind flashed to the pregnancy test in the trash. “You know Yusei’s place only has one bathroom!”

She forced a smile. “Sorry, I didn’t know you two were visiting,” she said, panic twisting over all the possibilities again. Surely Lua wouldn’t see the pregnancy test. If he did, perhaps he’d keep his mouth shut for once in his life. Oh, who was she kidding? He’d absolutely blab. Would Yusei notice if she threatened Lua? Wait, no, she’s pregnant now. What sort of mother would threaten a child? A bad one, and if she was pregnant…

“Aki, you’re going to burn a hole into my carpet pacing like that, and then I’ll have to explain to Zora why I need a new carpet,” came Yusei’s voice, snapping Aki out of her panicked thoughts. He was eyeing her, and Aki was certain he had to know already. He knew her too well. That furrow appeared in his brow, the one he always had when he was trying to figure something out. Trying to puzzle her out. It was like she was sixteen again and he was on the other side of the Duel pitch, poking and prodding at her until she had no secrets left. Worst of all, when he looked at her like that, she wanted to tell him everything. “Aki, what’s wrong?”

Aki forced a smile, trying to contain her panic. “Nothing’s wrong,” she said, but her voice betrayed the worry she felt. She knew from the tilt of his head that he caught it. He didn’t push further, but she knew that she couldn’t keep anything from him. But... how to best approach the subject? Just telling him didn't seem to be an option. “Just… worried about the upcoming finals, is all. And well, you know. Halfway to graduation! Should be thinking about internships and -”

Lua cut her off midway through her ramble. “Aki!” Aki turned, and the look on Lua’s face told her everything. He knew, and he was going to ruin everything. She was rooted to her spot, unable to say or do anything before Lua continued, “Congrats! Hey, Yusei, am I going to get to be the godfather to you guys’ kid? Oh, this is so cool!”

Yusei’s eyes turned sharply to Aki, and she faltered. Of course Lua wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut. Regret at not just shoving that damn pregnancy test in her purse bubbled up to the surface. If she'd know that Lua was here, she wouldn't have been so stupid as to just leave it laying around. “Lua…” Aki said slowly, unable to meet Yusei's stare. She didn't want to know what he was thinking, and if she looked in his eyes... she could imagine the look of disappointment. What was her father going to say about all this? “I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell Yusei yet.”

“Lua, Crow’s coming home from a tournament today. Why don’t you take my bike and take Luka to the airport to see Crow?”

Lua’s eyes went wide as discs, and normally Aki would giggle over that. “Take… your bike?” Lua was always so easy to distract. Instead of focusing on the pregnancy, he was now punching the air in excitement. “Okay! I’ll go get Luka! Thanks, Yusei!”

With that, Lua was out of the room like a bullet firing from a gun, leaving nothing but catastrophe in his wake. Later was now, and Aki wasn’t sure what to say. The silence lingered in the air like the cigarettes that Yusei used to smoke when he was younger. Surely he wouldn't pick it back up again with a baby on the way, right? That thought alone made Aki's stomach churn. They weren't ready for this. It was Yusei who broke the silence - a mark of how unusual the moment was. “We’re going to have to discuss what you plan on doing next.”

Aki picked at her hands, not really wanting to meet his intense stare. “What do you want?”

“I don’t know what I want right now,” Yusei said softly, reaching to place his hands over hers. He led her to the sofa, pulling her down into the seats. He cupped her cheek, gentle this time. “What I do know is that while we discussed kids, this… wasn’t our plan. So now we need to know what we’re doing next. Do you want to keep it? Abort it?”

She shook her head. “You didn’t mention adoption.”

“Aki, we both know that if you decide to keep it, you aren’t going to want to give up our child for adoption.” He was right. Now, more than ever, Aki wished that for once he’d just tell her what to do. Divine would have already decided what they were doing, and Aki would go along with it. Yusei, meanwhile, had to shove the choice firmly into her hands. She wasn't sure how she felt about that yet. Her mind was still churning through what the options would have to be. “So what are we doing?”

“A baby would complicate things. University is hard enough, and while I don’t need a degree to be a turbo Duelist like you and your brothers… I… want that. And I don’t want to give that up,” Aki said, working through her thought process out loud. At no point did Yusei interject, and she wished he would. “But… I don’t want to be selfish.”

“It’s not selfish,” Yusei said, his arm now around her shoulders. He was trying to soothe her, and that realization hit her like a train. Did she really seem that obviously scared by this? Was every feeling she ever had etched upon her face like an open book? “But as you pointed out, a baby right now would complicate things. I doubt either of us dreamed of a shotgun wedding situation, either.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks as Yusei confirmed, once again, that she knew him better than anyone else. “No, we didn’t.” For a second, neither of them said anything, just sitting in the moment. Without saying a single word, both of them knew the conclusion Aki had come to. “So we’re in agreement?”

“Of course. We can schedule an appointment with the clinic right away.”

“I… do want kids and a future with you,” Aki said, unable to help herself from verbally assuring him. While she was certain he  knew that, she still wanted to say it anyway. “The future with you can start now but…”

“Kids can come after we’re married and you’ve graduated,” Yusei said with a grin, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Come on, let’s go get that appointment scheduled.”

Aki nodded, taking his hand and letting him lead her into the future they planned together.

[xxthefairywitchxx]

5) what’s the dumbest thing you’ve heard about your f/o, either on the internet or irl? 

Thank you for the ask ^^

I'll give you two, since one of them comes right from canon

That Jaden is somehow selfish because he likes to duel for fun and that not every duel he partakes in is for some gran machination, as though he's not out there, doing everything he can for every single person who needs help from him! Not just his friends, but anyone who comes to him needing help, but especially his friends! He'll drop whatever he's doing for them any time, and what's the thanks he gets? He gets called selfish by those very same friends because THEY followed him into the dark world of their own volition and some of them got kidnapped and killed because they can't take care of themselves! He told them it'd be dangerous and he couldn't protect them, but did they listen? No, of course not! Why did they even bother going if they weren't gonna help him find Jesse anyway? That's what they knew he was doing, so why didn't they just stay behind if they were gonna be useless and blame Jaden for every bump and bruise they get?

That he's the worst of the YGO protagonists just because he's not Yugi or Yusei. That somehow his story is less important because it's not the same as DM or 5Ds or Vrains or whatever other series the asshole neckbeards are jacking off. Because Jaden starts the series as a cheerful happy guy, but gets possessed and traumatized and is a changed guy by the end of the series, but they have none of the context for why and just assume it's lol edgey random for the sake of it, even though they praise 5Ds for being so '~dark and subversive~' I went on a rant about this just the other day, but people who act like Jaden is the worst protag are still mad from when GX came out and he wasn't a Yugi clone and I refuse to listen to them

[sojourner-between-worlds]

They had saved the day. That should have been the end of the story. (It wasn't. It never is. After all, when the tale ends, the heroes are still there.)

“Let me know if you guys need anything.”

A moment later, the door swished closed behind Ushio, leaving Crow alone with his rampaging thoughts. He wasn’t sure where to start unraveling them; so much had happened in the last sixteen or so hours. It was a lot to process.

Bruno was gone.

Jack and Rua and Ruka had come a little too close to death themselves for Crow’s comfort.

He and Aki had almost been squashed, too. Literally .

Even that much was a lot, but then everything with Aporia and Z-ONE happened… It was no wonder Yusei had collapsed the way he did. He had managed to walk into the twins’ home mostly on his own (Ushio said he’d dozed off on the drive over so that probably had something to do with it), but he was still a long way from being okay. They all were.

Crow wasn’t sure what to do with himself now. The others were attempting to sleep, but he couldn’t join them yet, the thoughts in his head far too loud and refusing to be silenced. They had been going two hundred kilometers an hour since the Ark had first appeared in the sky, it felt like, but now that it was gone, now that the fight was over, he should be able to rest. So why couldn’t he?