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Yu Gi Oh is a story of grieving. Of understanding that nothing is eternal or immortal. Of accepting that a goodbye always ends up coming, but that it doesn't have to be a fatality or the end of the world, even if it hurts.

Behind it's façade of "card games manga", it dealt with themes that are often, voluntary or not, hidden in children's media, despite being realities any person can end up living.

If today, countless of people learned how to continue walking even after a loss, it's a bit thanks to you Kazuki Takahashi.

Thank you, and may you rest in peace.

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YgoPridecember2024 d5: Mystery

"Who is that Man with CEO Seto Kaiba?"

[ID: Drawing of a fake Magazine cover with Seto Kaiba and Atem walking together.

Atem and Seto are looking at each other smiling, Seto has one hand over Atem's shoulder, their hands have wedding rings.

Magazine title is on the left of the image it says "Duelist!"

below the title it reads "IS MARRIED?"

"After so long of no seeing even the shadow of the Young CEO he returns with a mysterious husband"

On an Oval on the opposite corner of the title, where there is a chibi drawing of Mokuba, nonchalant paying attention to his phone. there is a text below him that reads < We asked Mokuba about it and he said "Been for a while, work better" >

down that says "Includes 2 DM spell cards" and then there are the pngs of the spell cards "Happy Marriage" and "Devoted Love"

on the other side is a chibi drawing of Yugi in a rectangle, he is smiling nervously eyes closed and hands up. above him reads "World Champion Yugi Muto denies being the same person in the pictures"

and below everything a text that says " Duel Monster tips" "More Seto Kaiba and Mysterious husband pics" "Interview with Jonouchi Katsuya and more"

clothes are for Atem a black sleeveless shirt, gold arm bracelet,bracelet and shocker, he is wearing the millennium puzzle. Seto is wearing his clothes from battle city including the card locket.

Mokuba and Yugi are using their DSOD outfits. END ID]

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YGOPridecember D1: Egyptian

what if they went on a date to an Egypt exhibition and Atem recognized some stuff and Seto is like mhmm I'm buying this exhibit rn (Seto you can't do that... not legally)

ID [chibi drawing of Atem and Seto Kaiba in a date in a museum.

Atem is one hand extended in front of him and is looking at an exhibit that has a gold necklace and something what is supposed to be a ring but was made in the like the size of a bracelet.

Seto is lookinga bit worried at Atem, has one hand on Atem's shoulder and the other is low and has a phone where some part of what is written can be seen, which is "How 2 buy a muse'

background is just simple silhouettes of people looking at other parts of the exhibition. END ID]

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first day of pridecember~ im gonna be using pose reference for everything after this lol

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halloween costumes for yuugi’s halloween party, year SEVEN

IT'S POP STAR HALLOWEEN!! ✨

with my thanks to @yuujoh

Atem: dark-haired cheerleader Taylor, from "you belong with me"

Yuugi: blond nerd Taylor, from "you belong with me"

Ryou: he got tired of everyone poking fun at his elaborate fantasy costumes, so he decided to be a bat, and only when he got to the party did he realize that he missed the pop-star memo, so now he's the bat ozzy osborne bit the head off on stage, and everyone's like wow that's so morbid of you why didn't you just come as bowie or something? and he's like I WOULD HAVE

Jou: dug through his closet, found a stripey t-shirt, threw it on over another t-shirt. Kurt Cobain from "smells like teen spirit"

Honda: he and Jou were supposed to be matching denim Justin and Britney, but Jou didn't want to cut up any of his nice jeans, so he changed costumes without telling Honda, so Honda is just wearing a denim tuxedo.

Otogi: a cat =^.^= (specifically taylor swift's cat, olivia)

Anzu: Madonna in her cone bra, but not everyone gets the reference, so people keep asking if she's Gaga, and she's like i AM NOT, and vogues to prove that she's not, but Atem politely goes "oh, i see" (he doesn't.)

Mai: the CLASSIC red jumpsuit from "Oops! I Did It Again," because she already owned it. halfway through the party she changes to the flight attendant outfit from Toxic, because she owned that one too, and she couldn't decide.

Malik, Isis, and Rishid: all in camouflage. they are Destiny's Child in "Survivor" music video, and Isis is feeling really ;) about it because it was her idea and she's really proud of herself for discovering Destiny's Child all on her own before anyone could be like "what do you MEAN you've never listened to Destiny's Child, did you live under a rock?" because technically she kind of did, thank you for asking, and we won't talk about it.

Mokuba: Pink and white fur-trimmed robe, for "Lucky." He already had the robe. It's from Seto's closet.

Kaiba: the schoolgirl outfit from "Baby One More Time" because no one thought he'd actually be down to wear a skirt, and then he showed up with a business shirt knotted up and the clunky mary janes and everything. He refused to wear braids and pom poms in his hair, but for some fucking reason he knows ALL the words, so he's forgiven.

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Pharaoh

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It's funny that this bit got completely dropped because right after this duel Marik got too busy fist-fighting his own alter for psychological dominance to continue his evil plan

We were this close to a memory-dive via Kaiba getting rod'd. pour one out

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Like Seto tries to cover up his desperation and vulnerability and self-loathing after the castle-top duel by spitting venom at Yugi and his friends, and it's as much about covering up those pitiful feelings to them as it is about convincing himself he wasn't actually desperate or vulnerable or self-loathing but he also knows that's a lie, which is why Yugi's friends unnerve him so fast back.

But then it becomes clear he also honestly didn't want to crush Yugi's spirit, not really. And he can't apologize because he can't admit his weaknesses, and he doesn't know how to comfort and he tells himself people shouldn't need comfort, but he tells Yugi, "Yugi, I'll leave Pegasus' remains for you," as strange words of attempted comfort for Yugi anyway.

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KT didn't really put any thought or effort into kaiba bros' backstory before the orphanage in terms of details like how their mother died, how their father died (just "in an accident"), their family life, their last name, etc. i know there is some appetite for these details but i don't think these details necessarily add anything to kaiba's character (what does a last name add? nothing, it's just Lore).

instead, the lack of these details helps reinforce how little kaiba thinks or dwells on it, whether by choice or repression. his psyche is not dominated by the nuclear family structure he lost (and this is not what he wants most in life) but rather the total powerlessness to control his fate that he felt as a child, starting from the moment his relatives abandoned him all the way to the moment gozaburo jumped to his death

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Seto's been betrayed by the system and adults within the system from his childhood, and therapy for a CEO in the mid-90s and early-00s in Japan wouldn't have seemed like the solution it does now -- there was a kind of taboo to mental illness and struggles as it was expected to be kept private, within the family, and could very much be seen as a sign of poor willpower (the West absolutely has issues with the way mental illness and trauma are viewed as well, and no culture or time period is a monolith, but I feel it's worth considering for my personal view of canon and the characters).

Adult therapists are human beings too, prone to biases, flawed, with limited viewpoints like all people. And it's strange how people say we should be wary of those in authority, but suddenly when it comes to therapists we ignore how therapists can make mistakes or sometimes even abuse their power. (Absolutely not all therapists -- but this is in the context of Seto Kaiba and his life, and I do know the reality of therapists making mistakes with their clients.)

For me, the situation Seto's been placed into and the reality of it, and how turning to others seems so weak and self-defeating to him (and to many others) and how it does have a real double-edged blade, are part of having compassion for how much he mentally tears himself apart.

Having read some of KT's ideas behind how he wrote YGO, and noticing the repeated themes within it of how duty and expectation can destroy people even as it binds them to the people they love, I have to take note of how exception and duty and the "need" to be strong and self-reliant are written into Seto's character and what his story is saying to us. I think pretending the answer and road for Seto to good mental health was actually easy and right there the whole time does a disservice to his struggle, which I don't feel fans who want him in therapy believe BUT I have seen people abandon their compassion because they felt the struggle with trauma and mental health had an easy and universal solution in therapy and that, indeed, people still struggling are weak.

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Every song will hit its last chord. Every man will draw their last breath. All things end, but it's the nature of humanity to avoid thinking about it for as long as we possibly can.

Seto is in love with a dead man, but he's not used to being told he can't have something, and he's sure as hell not going to accept it now. Neither is Atem.

Heaven Can't Help Us Now (A03)

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"I can do it with a broken heart"

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Kaiba: You're adorable to think that you even have a chance.

Kaiba: Actually, you are adorable...

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Canon can be read into various ways, and people can and should play with the characters in the ways that appeal to them and make sense to them. So this is just me babbling some.

Part of the appeal of Seto Kaiba's character to me is that he does in his own way desire connection with someone else, and he does love, but he's also not in a mental and emotional place where he's capable of actually being able to connect yet, not in a stable sense. And I've been there -- many people have been there. (I was years-deep in harshly avoiding social connections at age 18 and it would be more years until I was out of that mental space, so I get it. I know others have been there too.) I think Seto does need time to work on himself. But my point here is, I admit it's difficult for me to imagine him having committed close relationships in the immediate aftermath of canon. I think he may be much more distant initially.

In canon, he could be rather demanding about getting attention, and it was good when other characters could put their foot down and tell him to hold his horses like Atem at Battle City. But Seto also didn't demand constant attention by any means -- he was pretty much entirely socially closed-off outside of business and dueling from what we saw, so it could be more about having reassurances at times and being able to approach others when he needs to, until he becomes more comfortable.

I enjoy doujinshi and fanfiction that seem to capture Seto's discomfort and fear of socializing even if he's desiring it, even if he tries to cover up that discomfort and fear with sharp words and avoidance. I guess that's my personal taste.

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happy father's day to our favorite teenage single father!

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happy pride