#yes its because of yugioh

[bakawitch]

OMFG MY UNCLE HAD A COPY OF ZORK AND IT MIGHT BE IN HIS ATTIC AND HE'S GONNA GIVE IT TO ME IF HE FINDS IT!!!

[shitpostingkats]

*raising my voice to be heard over the club music* Yeah, lately I've been getting really into a Yusei Adopts Rin and Yugo AU.

[hereforthefunnyguys]

Being really passionately into your own genderbend au is all fun and games until someone has a different completely harmless headcanon about something you happened to have an extremely strong-set belief in and oh no it appears i have written a small essay in my tags on marik ishtar gender identity. How did that get there

[nyupuun]

I love the Yugioh Card Game and I think there's something so special about it and I also love being super into the anime. Like. I!!!! can be Jack Atlas!!!!!! I can summon a billion big dragons out and pummel my opponent into the ground. ME!!!!!

[manchineel-mistress]

in honor of our favorite 33 to 100000+ year old unemployed terrorist’s birthday (korean time), i present to you: puzzleshipping time loop au where yami yuugi gets worse instead of better from s0.

ok so we all know that the Gang(TM) got through some shit throughout the story, where they are pretty close to dying. a lot.

how consider, instead of making it through barely, they dont. (gets shot multiple times-)

ok but more specifically yuugi dies from the strain of shadow games and stress or a mishap in those games. and yami PANICS HE PANICS SO HARD PRAYING TO EVERY GOD THAT YUUGI DIDNT DIE AND THEN THE MAGIC OF THE PUZZLE ACTIVATES AND YAMI IS BACK IN TIME AND SAVES YUUGI and everyone gets out safe and sounds and sane :)

Except It Keeps Happening. Yuugi Keeps Dying. Yami Keeps Turning Back Time.

he can get it right if he just had another chance. he wont let yuugi die again. that wont happen and they would make it to the end of their journey this time-

Yuugi Dies To A Bully. (one more chance. please. i can make this right-)

Yuugi Dies To Silfer. (no please i not like this hes my partner i cant go on without him-)

Yuugi Dies To Marik. (NO NO THIS CANNOT STAND I WONT LET IT REMAIN THIS WAY-)

yami gets more desperate, protective, and unhinged as the cast makes it through their journey. he gets jumpy, withdrawn, and snaps at anything that might seem like a threat. his already tense relationship with kaiba because more testy as he loses trust in those around him other than yuugi’s close friends. hes also more violent and harsh, not really giving up penalty games like he does in the transition to duel monsters.

yuugi is scared of yami. he never quite got over it even with his friends’ acceptance of yami. but he also knows yami is scared and he cant pinpoint why exactly other than its related to protecting him. but hes also scared to ask because what if yami snaps at him. he doesnt want yami to hurt anymore but also doesnt want him to hurt anyone else.

eventually, the continuous use of extremely taxing magic starts eroding away at both of their souls. cracks form in yami’s soul room first. stair start crumbling and doors are barely holding on. yami slowly starts losing himself and he knows it, but he also cant let yuugi die. the cracks reach yuugi’s soul room after a while. a few of the toys start showing wear, board games losing pieces, cracks in the walls. thats when yami comes clean.

its a terrifying and heartwrenching experience for both the yuugis and the rest of their friends. Yuugi has been dying. These games are dangerous and they haven’t been making it through them like they thought. the only reason why yami kept going and pursuing his memories? because yuugi keeps encouraging him to find himself and he thinks he can protect yuugi better next time. and because he thinks that once hes gone, yuugi will be safe again.

they figure it out though. they make sure yuugi stays safe. why do they keep going? because yami deserves to know who he is, and yuugi is willing to risk his life to get there. as he already had, but this time it will actually be different.

and yami learns an important lesson on friendship, learning when to ask for help, and communication. and then we have the rest of  normal canon just with yami’s major ptsd and a slower to warm yami who is still willing to burn someone to the ground in like season 4.

how does this relate to orv? idk man i just think time loop and go “omg yjh vibes fr fr” i think it would be an interesting parallel between yami and yjh, they just match in my brain for some reason. doesnt quite follow yjh’s character arc tho LOL

anyway i like angsty time loop aus as much as i like silly time loop aus. they just have so much potential. here i just wanted yami to suffer :)

anyway back to silly au ideas

[shinayashipper]

I think other Kaiba ships don't really appeal to me because they won't make /Yugi/ jealous. Maybe yes the feeling's there but I think Yugi would rather Distance himself further than making a Move. Yugi would respect Kaiba's feelings and won't pursue him further, he would swallow everything and trying to convince himself it's alright and will heal with time, and it would! Besides Yugi got many friends he can take comfort with, it hurt to let go but it will Heal.

Another Yugi ships on the other hand... Kaiba won't be taking it easy 😂😂 and that's why all x yugi is Great. (Also because Yugi is Very Shippable, and also I want EVERYONE to love him)

[ryuuseini]

God I wanna... Say Something regarding fatphobia in media and the terms ppl use in describing characters who gain weight over time ("letting go" like bro shut the fuck up???) and how like, there's also nuance to the discussion (like, a character who starts out on the heavier side choosing to lose weight shouldn't be demonized either - as PLENTY of people want to lose weight for various reasons, and while you can point to a decent amount of it stemming from our fatphobic society, a lot of it is also just personal desire at the end of the day - but I also understand that if your ONLY fat character loses weight at the end and the other characters don't change either, then that's not good) but idk, I'm a little too tired to properly articulate what's going on in my mind? But I just... wish this was more of a discussion

[nightfallsystem]

IN TEARS I FINISHED READING YUGIOH AHHFHHGHHH WAAAAHHHHHH SOB SNIFFLE CRY WAAAHHHHHHHHHHH AAHHHHHHHHHHH SOB SOB CRY SNIFFLE WAAHHHHH CRY AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH WAAAAAAHHHH AGHHHH CRY SOB SNIFFLE CRY SOB AAHHHHH

[sojourner-between-worlds]

Featuring:

Plots other than romance

But also somehow still romance too (YuseixAkiza, JackxCarly, depending on the fic CrowxOC)

English dub names (because that was all I had seen at the time)

Really Terrible Epithets (because that was the trend ten years ago and I'm not gonna fix it now lol)

[rainbowgod666]

(Remembers that he befriended @vivizn because they were the only person in an argument to say something with kind words and acknowledging me as a person instead of Unidentified Gnome Slurs For Humans) oooooooooooooooh...

Cool :) 👍

The "radical leftists" on this site who talk constantly about the importance of solidarity and kindness and compassion and then immediately tell anyone who disagrees with them to kill themselves are going to be devastated when they learn how much of actual union organizing involves talking to people whose politics you find incredibly repugnant and meeting them where they're at in order to find common ground

[gx-gameon]

As I get back into Yugioh while also watching one piece an idea won’t leave my mind.

What if after Bond Beyond Time, Yusei goes to take Jaden back to his time. They leave Yugi and head to drop Jaden off. But the Crimson Dragon doesn’t stop at Jaden’s time. Instead taking both of them to Yusei’s time.

Yusei feels awful. He was suppose to bring Jaden back to his time, but he messed up. He has no idea how the Crimson Dragon brought him back and forward in time other than it did. It called to him and he listened. He can’t do it on command. It’s not his fault but he feels like it is.

Jaden is a little freaked out. But weirder things have happened to him. So he reassures Yusei that it’s alright. Maybe he was brought here for a reason. Maybe once that reason is done he will be able to go home. He’ll figure it out.

And Yusei stops his over thinking dead in its tracks because, “what do you mean you’ll figure it out? We’re in this together. You’re not alone.” And Jaden, who is so deeply traumatized by the dark world and is still pushing everyone away, is a little overwhelmed.

His friends always leave it up to him to solve the problems. Jesse always helped, as did Jim and Axel, but for the most part Jaden is left to solve everything. Yusei barely knows him and is already offering so much. A place to stay, help getting home, it’s more than Jaden feels he deserves.

Especially when they meet up with the other Signers. Once Yusei introduces them all and explains what happened, they are all instantly on board with helping Jaden find away home. And it’s been a while since Jaden’s been surrounded with this much support.

So he stays with them for a while. After all he is there for a reason….

But he bonds with the Signers.

He helps Akiza with her powers. She already has a strong grasp on how to use them but being around Jaden makes her more comfortable using them. She’s always felt like a monster and being around the other Signers has helped a lot, but being around Jaden, who has such a good grasp on his powers that he can actually teach her things while also making her feel normal is awesome. The two become very close with Jaden taking on an older brother role for her. (At first he was ready for this to be like Cyrus and Hassleberry, but there isn’t the same level of hero worship. Yes Akiza looks up to him but she treats him as an equal. She really values her friends and being seen as normal so she doesn’t treat him like a savior and it’s really nice for Jaden. For both of them)

Luna and Jaden also have a close relationship as he is the first person she’s met who can see spirits as well. Wing Kuriboh and Kuribon are constantly playing. He’s able to teach her how to reach the spirit world safely and be more comfortable with her powers. She not only Aliza’s level of mastery but she has raw power and she’s very lucky Jaden came along when he did to help her master them.

Leo is much the same but also so different. Jaden is really confused when everyone is telling him about being Signers. He understand the idea, he can see the power. But he’s confused why everyone is acting like Leo doesn’t have powers, he can see the kids aura and it’s got the same crimson tint that every other signer has. But Leo is also bursting at the seems with power, he just can’t access it. And he tells them that. Leo is pumped. He’s a Signer to! Are you sure? This is awesome! Jaden is very clear that Leo’s powers are blocked but unblocking them at all at once could hurt the kid so they will have to do it carefully and slowly, with Jaden helping him master his new powers before they unseal anymore. It’s a slow process and exhausting for both. But Leo is pumped. Jaden is his third favorite person ever!! (1st being Luna, and 2nd going to Yusei)

Needless to say the twins adore him and look up to him as an older brother just like they do with the rest of the signers.

Crow and Jack respect him as a duelist and are glad he can help the others with their powers. Crow brings out Jaden’s goofier side as the two joke around. Jack reminds him so much of Zane and Chazz and yet at the same time he’s so different.

Jaden really admires Yusei, Jack, and Crow’s strong bond and brotherhood.

Jaden and Jack to but heads because of Carly. Jaden meets Carly and instantly recognizes her power and talent and tries to help her. At first she hesitates because she doesn’t like her powers. Plus this is Jack’s friend and Jack has been avoiding her and she just doesn’t know why. But slowly she starts coming around. Her and Jaden get along well and she starts helping out team 5D’s with the WRPG.

Jack though thinks that if Carly is around him she might remember her time as a Dark Signer and he doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want her to hurt. He also doesn’t want her in danger and the WRPG has become dangerous. He snaps at Jaden over it, as it’s easier to blame Jaden than talk to Carly about all this. Jaden doesn’t know about Carly being a Dark Signer and the two argue. He thinks Carly is a great addition to their team, and she deserves to learn how to control her powers, Jack just wants her safe.

Eventually Jack and Carly talk and he gets his head out of his butt. He and Jaden talk it out later.

Yusei and Jaden become best friends (you could see it as Starshipping if you want but I’ll probably keep it platonic) Yusei is a calm stable presence that Jaden has needed for a while. He’s a pillar of strength when everything seems to be going crazy. On the reverse Jaden is a sources of strength of Yusei. He’s so out of his depths with all the magic stuff that comes easy to Jaden. It’s nice to have an expert with them. All Yusei wants is to keep his friends safe, but he never has to worry about Jaden, he does anyway, but Jaden always comes through, he’s become a pillar for Yusei as well. Someone to lean on.

I’d probably change the villains of WRPG or maybe this takes place before the WRPG. Because I want Sayer/Divine and the Arcadia Movement to be the main problem. (I read that they were suppose to be the main villains of Yugioh 5D season 2 but because of Carly’s voice actors involvement with a real life cult the story line was scrapped and Carly’s role was reduced. I want to work with the cult so I’m working with the cult)

But anyway. Jaden is starting to feel at home here. He still needs to go back, rainbow dragon is burning in his deck box. He needs to return to his time, needs to return Jesse’s family to him (my spiritshipping heart) but he also loves his new friends.

And this is where one piece comes in because it’s time for Water 7/Enies Lobby.

Jaden is taking the twins out one day. Maybe they got out of school and they are waiting for the rest of the crew to show up. But the twins run an head and as Jaden goes to catch up, someone bumps into him and whispers in his ear. “Welcome Supreme King.”

Jaden freezes.

How could anyone here in this world, in this time, know that name. He turns on his heel and sees the stranger waiting for him. They have a cloak hood pulled over their head so he can’t see who this is. But they beckon him to follow, he’s not going to until they make a threatening gesture towards the twins, who’s excited voices are getting farther and farther from Jaden.

So Jaden follows. If they are going to have it out he doesn’t want the twins in the cross fire. But they’re not fighting. In fact Jaden is ambushed by Sayer/Divine who tells Jaden they know exactly who he is. That he’s going to help them with creating an army of Physic Duelist and help them attach the City. Jaden laughs and is ready to fight, until they threat his new friends. After all “you already murdered one friend group. Do you really want to be responsible for the death of another?”

The reminder of his friend’s deaths in the Dark World rattles Jaden. Enough that he’s willing to make a deal. He’ll help Sayer/Divine. As long as Team 5Ds is untouchable. Sayer/Divine can’t go after them.

It’s a deal.

So Jaden ‘Betrays’ Team 5Ds there are hurt feelings all around. “How could this happen? Why would Jaden betray them? It doesn’t make any sense.

So they start digging, and find out that Sayer/Divine is going to use Jaden’s power as a batter for his Physic duelist when they attack the city. But that still doesn’t explain why Jaden betrayed them.

Maybe Misty shows up and reveals Sayer/Divines plot

Maybe Carly figures it out. Maybe Sayer attacks her because ‘she’s not technically a member of 5Ds and Jaden protected her. She is present for their little back in forth argument. Because Jaden says she’s untouchable because of their deal and Sayer/Divine want to kill Carly because she knows to much now. But he has to fold because he want to keep Jaden under his thumb, so the solution was kidnap her but Jaden resist that to long enough for Jack to show up and get Carly out. (At this point he thinks Jaden is a traitor who is trying to hurt Carly so he attacks Jaden and Sayer/Divine.

Or maybe Jesse shows up in this time period. He went to the Spirit world looking for Jaden and Rainbow dragon and got dragged forward in time. He hears everything and explains Jaden’s history in the Dark world. While he wasn’t there to see it he got all the details from talking to the Gx crew and Jaden/Jaden’s spirits.

I think a combination of idea two and three are best. (I want Jesse to show up.)

Now that they know that Jaden has sacrificed himself to keep them safe, they won’t stop till he’s back safe with them. It’s a race to Jaden now. Can they get to him before Sayer/Divine’s plan is complete and he drains Jaden’s power/life.

Jaden deserves friends who would fight from him. Plus him get his own “I want to live.” Moment like Robin in Enies Lobby is very important to me.

Sorry if this sounds insane. It’s been bouncing around in my head for a week and needed out.

[deusvervewrites]

How about an AU where Izuku has the powers of Polymerization and De-Fusion from Yugioh?

Midoriya's Quirk is called Combine. He discovers it at around, say, three years old when he fuses his bed together into basically like a beanbag chair but bed sized. He was confused but excited! Especially when he discovered that he could reverse it. I'm very proud of Midoriya for making it through seeing a doctor and having his Quirk registered and I think even making it a few days longer before accidentally fusing himself with Inko.

Combine tries its best to average out every component in the fusion. Among other things, 3-year-old Izuku fusing with 31-year-old Inko averages to 17-year-old. Additionally, their minds and personalities sort of gestalt together. Both of them are present, but secondary to the combined persona, if that makes sense. And yes, this new fusion is extremely confused. Luckily, they remember that Izuku can de-fuse things so it's not a big deal. Izuku is thrilled by this and the possibilities. I should note that certain physical characteristics don't really average out but semi-combine (no pun intended), like height.

Unfortunately, Bakugou is still Bakugou and in Aldera. While he does understand why Combine is a useful Quirk for being a Hero, you could call Bakugou a film reel operator with the projection he does. As such, Bakugou breaks off the friendship like he does in canon, and does so before Midoriya can reveal to him that he can do human fusion.

Inko is happy to help Izuku practice his Quirk; not just human fusion but fusing objects together or Izuku fusing with objects to see what happens. Izuku doesn't actually get to decide the results of the fusion so it's a bit of trial-and-error.

UA Entrance Exam was a great time for Izuku with all the fusion material the robots gave him. However, it wasn't enough to stop the Zero Pointer when Uraraka was in trouble, so she became the second person Izuku fused with.

+1. As you may recall when I did some Quirk Analysis for Menagerie, but the Quirks that impose physical alterations that we see in MHA don't wear off. Combine, likewise, will not wear off on its own. Midoriya has to undo it himself.

+2. Combine's Quirk Registry wasn't updated after the discovery of human fusion because it was technically covered by the initial description.

[a-little-bit-of-ravioli]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @the-real-azalea-scroggs! Had to wait until I was of my phone because doing these is a nightmare on mobile lmao

1. How many works do you have on A03?

18 as of a few days ago!

2. What's your total A03 word count?

157,937! Which is. Only a fraction of the word count in my Docs folder. Be prepared.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I mainly write for The Legend of Zelda; specifically Linked Universe! In fact, that's all that's posted on my Ao3 currently, since my fall into that fandom began with me uploading there! Pre-Ao3 I wrote for Black Cat (Anime/Manga), Megaman NT Warrior, various Pokémon things, Assassin's Creed, Yugioh, Final Fantasy XIV and Octopath Traveler! Some of these I still write privately, but I haven't gotten around to re-posting any.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Whistling on Deaf Ears - My longest fic on Ao3, focusing on Wild and Twilight's friendship and how good intentions can lead to disaster.

Iconoclasm - Warriors deals with the room full of portraits in Cia's palace. The Chain also deals with it, but with a bit more fire.

Deserving - Twilight finally tells Rusl that he was the wolf in the village during TP, but that also means dealing with some heavier topics. Colin half overhears them and forms his own conclusions.

Something Greater - The start of the "Hyrule can see magical auras" series! In this one we deal with Legend and his many rings.

Ocean Magic - Mermaid Legend and Zora Time have a race and then fight one of the Big Octos from WW! Fun times.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Every single one!! I love comments, they give me an excuse to ramble about my fic more!! I am always down to ramble about every single insignificant detail of any line and/or section. If you ever want more background info about one of my fics, look to the comments!

So please, I adore comments, I treat them like treasures, not responding to them would be a CRIME.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

There's no contest; Inevitable, my (so far) only MCD fic.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hmmm, that's hard to quantify. I usually try to end fics on a hopeful note regardless. I'd say possibly either Deserving, where Twilight reconnects with his family, or Shimmering Blue, Striking White, where Time meets the Fierce Deity settled down on Satori Mountain and they both get closure.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully, no! I've been blessed with mostly amazing and patient readers, even when my upload schedule isn't the best.

9. Do you write smut?

No, not really. I've attempted it, but I'm too asexual for it lol

10. Do you write crossovers?

Very, very rarely. Mostly privately, and only very specific ones. Only a single one has had an actual plot, so far (more on that one in question 15!).

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Also a nope! I tend to write for smaller fandoms, where these things don't tend to happen a lot!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have! But it's been a while. Over a decade, in fact! I tried to find the fic to link it here, but it was on the German fanfic website fanfiktion.de, and my friend who posted it back then must have deactivated her account, because it's nowhere to be seen (I still have the Word file though!). It was a Multi-Crossover that started as an RP in a forum, and we took turns turning the RP into prose one chapter each. "If a Hero Turns to Dark" was its title. We were edgy teenagers.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Hissssss. Bad question. Shoo. They are all equally important!!

But it's probably TenRose from Doctor Who.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

One of the very few crossovers I've ever worked on; a crossover fic between Assassin's Creed and Doctor Who, that I have mapped out in both chronological and timeline order, and yes, those are different. I only ever wrote about a quarter of it, since my primary audience of it disappeared when we graduated. I doubt I'll ever pick it back up properly, and if I do it'll probably go through heavy rewrites first since it's so old. Finishing it is a nice thought, but realistically, after 9 years it'll never be high priority enough for it to actually happen.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, especially arguments, and emotional impact. I've been told I do really well making characters feel alive and believable! Also I like to believe I'm decent at setting a scene and giving it the vibe I want it to have!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I struggle with dialogue tags when nothing much is happening besides the talking. I always feel it's too bland, and fall back on the same phrases. My scene transitions could use some work too.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I've done this with Japanese phrases, because I was a massive weeb. Usually I followed them up with their own translations, though; I'm not the biggest fan of footnote translations, unless they are properly linked to. Simple dialogue tags are my favourite way of indicating a language switch.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Black Cat the Manga/Anime! It's a series about an assassin turned bounty hunter trying to live a life separate from his murdery past, but getting dragged back into things by still wanting to avenge his best friend's death. The series has a special place in my heart and my bookshelf, it left an imprint on 13-year-old me that will never leave.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Probably Jailbreak, uncharacteristically enough! It's one of the only fics I never got stuck in once. Writing it was a great feeling from start to finish. I love writing all of my fics, but that was a special few days.

Tagging @ahrva @nowhere-to-go-but-down @silvercaptain24 and @aeghina! And anyone who wants to do it, really, go wild

[pico-farad]

vrains season 1 reaction pt. 2 - going off about aoi

I had to give this one its own post because I had... a lot to say.

Part 1

Aoi

haha... goddamnit.....

What's frustrating is that all the pieces are there for her to be a good character. Of all the characters in S1, she's the only one who is given a dynamic internal conflict. Every duel she has is about more than just the duel, it's about her, and that's the heart of Yugioh. That's what's missing in Yusaku.

Her duel seeking out Playmaker is in direct response to her brother telling her to stop going into Link Vrains. Her duel against Baira is about reconciling being put in a coma, and developing her own resolve to fight Hanoi, to protect others from the same fate. And her duel against Spectre is about their clashing ideals, mirrored in their dueling styles (healing vs. burn). Even her throwaway duel against a literal NPC robot furthers her character, as she rebels against her brother who's forbid her from even leaving the house.

The problem with these duels... is that the writers don't actually care about her character growth. 

So, I think a lot of discussion by Yugioh fans about whether X character "deserved better" tends to centralize around "X should have gotten that duel" or "X should have won that duel," which really comes up a lot when it comes to female characters, but I think often misses the point of how duels are devices for storytelling in Yugioh.

Aoi was not shafted because she lost against Yusaku and Spectre. Yes, the virus corruption and falling on her head scenes sucked and were gratuitous. But losing duels is good for characters. Losses are where we see major turning points in their arcs. That's the basic modus operandi for a Yugioh rival, and the same logic can and should apply to the Yugioh girls.

The problem is that the reason Aoi loses those duels has nothing to do with Aoi. She is put in a coma during the Playmaker duel because the writers needed to engineer a conflict between Playmaker and Akira (in other words bring SOL Technologies into the picture). She loses to Spectre because the writers want Yusaku to go into the final battle alone.

Even if they really wanted to contrive these scenarios, they still could have given Aoi something to work with story-wise. They could dwell on her self-doubt, after her brother is proven right that Link Vrains is dangerous. They could have her question her beliefs after the duel with Spectre, perhaps a parallel with her brother, whose duel with Yusaku similarly has him extending what he thinks is compassion toward Yusaku, but which falls flat because he's failing to understand Yusaku.

Even though Aoi has a repeated story beat of trying to prove to her brother that she's autonomous and capable, the actual writing tries to stomp it out at every turn. Either she loses, which reinforces her brother's belief that fighting is too dangerous for her and she needs to be coddled. Or she wins, but her brother continues to think she's incapable, and neither of their characters develop.

Which brings me to what I think the biggest flaw in her writing is -- Akira.

The show romanticizes Aoi and her brother's relationship, but it's SO obvious the toll that Akira's overprotectiveness takes on Aoi, how it's led her to be isolated and insecure, and how the Blue Angel persona is a form of release for her.

Akira cares about Aoi, but he doesn't respect her, and it's damaging to Aoi's sense of self.

This is what aggravates me, because I think that would be a great story to tell with her character, but the writers cannot see what's right in front of them.

And this would strengthen Akira's character too. It is good that Akira is a controlling, flawed person. It is also consistent with his duel with Yusaku, where he's also very patronizing, and misguidedly believes he's doing the right thing by sheltering Yusaku from the truth about the Lost Incident. In which Yusaku rightfully tells him to fuck off, Akira has no business prying into his trauma and telling him what he should do about it.

Which would have been a great moment for Akira to connect some dots about how he thinks he knows what's best for other people and how he infantilizes his sister. But instead the duel ends with Yusaku saying some real bullshit about how Aoi and Akira deserve to stay together and protect each other.

Anyway... there are still two seasons that I'm going to watch, but I have my doubts that they'll pick these particular strings back up. I'll just have to hope that they don't fumble whatever new thing they give her... but things tend to get bleaker for female Yugioh characters as the show goes on and whatever initial involvement they had in the story fizzles out.

A few positive notes to end on...

I like both of her designs, she's the only character who takes advantage of contrasting the expressiveness of the Vrains avatars with her plain real appearance. And it's a little funny that Blue Angel is... just Hatsune Miku. 

I like her Blue Angel voice. It's still an idol girl voice, but it's very unique. The Trickstars are aesthetically kind of boring (they're too similar to Yuzu's Melodious cards imo) but seeing a burn deck is cool, since anime duels tend to distill to Attack With Big Number. Even though it's a crime that she doesn't win her duels in a 4000 LP format.

I think ultimately, I still do like Aoi even among the Yugioh girls, because of the missed potential I talked about. I've got one more planned Vrains post coming, which goes into that.

But also, at the time of writing this, I just finished the Soulburner vs. Blue Girl duel in season 2 and holy moly was that the biggest bullshit I've ever seen. So maybe the Vrains thoughts will continue.

[txttletale]

Also, as its been on my mind, can it be that the clunkiness of a game, the quirks of the game, be part of the appeal of it? I would argue this is why games like dwarf fortress, yugioh, and yes dnd, partially remain popular in spite of better and more streamlined examples. The term optimiziing the fun out comes to mind.

i kind of disagree with this. while i broadly agree that something being clunky or flawed or having rough edges can be a charm point, i don't think that's at all accurate to describing the reasons why dwarf fortress or d&d are popular (i don't know shit about yugioh). like, people like dwarf fortress because it has a depth of simulation and the 'quirks' are there either because of the depth of that simulation or as a byproduct of everything other than that simulation being as light as possible to make room for that depth. like, people don't like dwarf fortress because of immortal carp or atomic disintegration drawbridges, they like it because it is a game that is simulated in enough depth and detail for those kind of things to happen.

& dnd i think has absolutely none of that. like it's not comparable in any way. unlike DF it does not have a unique selling point and also unlike DF people who play it don't (they may have, in the age of 3.5, but they definitely don't now) see it as 'janky' or 'clunky' but instead argue contra veritatem that 5th edition is 'simple' and 'streamlined'. and also unlike dwarf fortress it has a gargantuan marketing budget and an entire media apparatus and walled garden content ecosystem, which are imo the obvious reasons for its success.

& finally i have said this before but i just don't believe in 'optimizing the fun out' of anything. a well-designed game incentivizes you to play in a way that's fun. if following the incentives a game offers to their logical conclusion leads to a less fun way of playing, the game's been badly designed (assuming that 'fun' is a driving goal of the design ofc)

[enemyoflactose]

To start this off, I want to mention the extremely weird obsession you have with watering Ryou down to this dumb Femboy for having feminine characteristics. God forbid a boy- yes, a BOY, a 16 year old, anorexic and confused guy to not be the manliest guy alive. Also all the overly sexual things directed to him or in relation to him? They are just downright revolting and can be in no way justified. You wonder why people can’t recognize your Ryou art when you dumb him down to a fucking femboy. Ryou bakura is based off many other characters and is supposed to be ANDROGYNOUS. (hence his Female VA and overall appearance.) he is NOT a girl. Also, stop making him to look really fucking dumbed down. If you even read the manga, ryou is actually really fucking smart. He isn’t a bimbo, he isn’t some kind of fucking stupid silly uwu boy. HES A TEENAGER GOD FORBID HE EVEN EXISTS

The next thing I wanted to allude on, Marik's mischaracterization, oversexualization (again) and woobification? How are you gonna dismiss one of the best written Characters in the entire show just for a few petty arguments, rude and impolite at that too. You’re also a giant hypocrite. Being as Yami Bakura (your favorite character) is a bad person AND I WOULD EVEN SAY, HES AN AWFUL PERSON. more so compared to Marik. His redemption arc i can get as to why you’re so pissy about it but you need to realize that this is also a kids show with limited writing due to 4KIDS, manga is more well constructed. Honestly i just have a giant problem with your Marik. I’m not even gonna talk about the thiefshipping, angstshipping, and opinions abt YM..why is Marik in your head like a fuckass. Like, your perception of him is so weird. Marik is equally as bad as every villain in Yugioh, you constantly make him out to be a hypersexual sex craved MANIAC. Also not to mention the blatant racism on your blog (it’s self explanatory.) I don’t understand all the hate, from his arc to the character design…pick a side, do you hate him or do you only like him because he pounds ryou in your head :T

Also the pure, unadulterated watering down of SA in your "crimes of marik/yami marik" post? I can't put into words how extremely shameful it is, to disregard such an important and scary topic and to make a joke of it honestly. IT WAS NOT SA? the scene was ryou bakura about to FALL OVER because he is INJURED. Marik isn’t trying to do anything to him. Thanks for dumbing down real life situations you’re an awesome person

Where did you get that Ryou was anorexic? Being thin and not really eating a lot doesn't make you anorexic. I would know, I was almost diagnosed with it.

I head cannon Ryou as a femboy not because I'm sexualizing him, but because I want to draw a character that I like and relate to in outfits that I just want to see him in.

Do I end up drawing Ryou in sexual outfits? Yes. I'm sorry this upsets you, but I find certain typically sexual outfits such as maid outfits and MEIKO's Blue Crystal model to be very pretty and cute. Not to mention they're just fun to draw.

I have plans to draw Ryou in other dresses and skirts that aren't sexual, I wouldn't have this head cannon if I didn't.

I'm well aware that looking androgynous doesn't automatically make someone a femboy or tomboy. I may be dumb, but I'm not an idiot.

The kind of stupid that I think Ryou is, is the kind that makes you unable to see certain social cues or just be ignorant about a lot of things. I give him the same stupid that I have because I'm projected on to a character that I like and relate to.

I'm also still new to writing, so the way I characterize Ryou hasn't been shown to its fullest. I write him and acknowledge him how he's already written, but I add things to make myself happy. That's how fanfiction works.

I never said that Ryou was a bimbo, I said that he's stupid because he makes objectively dumb choices like keeping the millennium ring and not telling his friends about it. Also, yes I do know that he's being abused. From an outsiders perspective however, his choices just come across as looking stupid.

I am making light hearted jokes about a fictional character and projecting myself on to that same fictional character, and you have a problem with that?

And to talk about your insults to my art, I know that the reason I'm scared people won't recognize Ryou is because I draw him to like this:

Instead of this:

I'm well aware of that because despite my low intelligence, I can understand that he doesn't really look like Ryou.

Also, why are you so intent on telling me that Ryou is a boy? I know he's a boy. I constantly say that he's a boy and acknowledge that he's a boy. You need to identify as a boy to be a femboy 💀.

For your Marik takes, I have no clue what woobafication is. I also don't hate Marik because he's a bad person, I "hate" him (it's fucking theatrical you dumbass) because he has a poor redemption that needed to be explored more. Marik is a character that I genuinely like and I think he's fun and hilarious, I just have problems with how he was redeemed since in my eyes, he did nothing to deserve it.

Yami Bakura is also not my favorite character. Weevil and Joey are. I just talk about Yami Bakura way more because there's more for me to say. I like Ryou more than him as well because Ryou is my projection character.

I'm well aware that Yami Bakura is a worse person than Marik, he did almost kill all of Egypt is I'm remembering things right, but that doesn't mean that Marik isn't also a bad person.

Just because someone is worse than another, doesn't mean that that person's sins are cleaned completely.

Of course you don't wanna talk about the angstshipping thiefshipping discourse you little pussy.

Marik is objectively worse than Pegasus, Noah, Gozuburo, and the Douma trio. He kidnaps, brainwashes, steals, kills, abuses his brother, and all the while he still blames Yami Yugi for how he is.

Marik being hypersexual is just a fandom trop. That's why I think he is, because a pretty big number of people also think that way.

Where is the racism? I'm genuinely concerned about this one it is not self explanatory.

I do actually like Marik as a character, it's not because he pounds Ryou in my head, it's because he's entertaining. He's fun, I like fun villains. (His purple shirt is ugly as hell tho)

Now to talk about my biggest issue with you. You think I can afford to just read the manga and watch the sub, don't you?

Well guess what chuckle nuts, I'M FUCKING POOR

I don't have the money to buy more of the Yu-Gi-Oh manga or to pay for a Crunchyroll subscription.

I'm broke, no money, poor, jobless.

You're making the assumption that I can fucking afford to buy the manga. I have to ask my family to buy it for me as gifts for birthdays and shit. I literally have no money.

So let me put everything you need to know in a little list so you, and anyone else, can understand things about me.

I project onto Ryou

I think pretty boys in pretty dresses is cool

I actually really like Marik

My favorite character is Weevil

I happen to like angstshipping

I happen to not like thiefshipping

I think certain sexualized outfits are pretty or look fun to draw

I have media literacy

Fuckass is not a word in my vocabulary and I don't know what that means

Please block me 💕