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shelbyroundthemountain · 1 year

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Hollow Resonance

Yugi still wasn’t used to navigating the Kaiba Mansion, but Kaiba had said to let himself in whenever he stopped by. More accurately, he told Yugi not to pester him with things like doorbells, but that was as close as Kaiba could get to extending an open invitation. Kaiba’s office was the only place he could be trusted to find on his own, but that was where Kaiba always was anyway.

Through the ornate doorway of the office, Yugi could see Kaiba standing in the middle of the room. He was inspecting an object a bit smaller than a basketball that gleamed a sickly yellow-gray. Kaiba turned it over in his hands and Yugi could make out a joyfully raised trunk and gaudy painted eyes.

“Is that an elephant?” Yugi asked.

Kaiba’s gaze flicked to him briefly.

“An elephant vase, yes.”

“Oh. Not sure it matches the decor here. Thinking of redecorating?”

“Not quite. It’s for Mokuba.” then, too late to be casual, he added, “It belonged to our parents.”

“Your birth parents?” Yugi asked, suddenly feeling like he intruded on a private moment, “I thought you didn’t have anything left from them?”

“We didn’t. This elephant is the result of considerable man hours of investigating dusty bins of auction records and pawn tickets.” Kaiba explained.

“And you did that all for Mokuba’s birthday?”

“He doesn’t remember our parents. It may not look like much, but Mokuba deserves to have something from them. Even if it's just a ceramic elephant” Kaiba stated.

“Still, he’ll appreciate it.” Yugi replied, “That’s a lot to go through for a birthday present.”

“I have a lot to make up for.” Kaiba had a distant gleam in his eye. “I wasn’t around like I should’ve been for a long time.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t hold that against you.” Yugi assured him.

“He doesn’t. He’s forgiven me for a lot that he shouldn’t have.” he passed the elephant from one hand to the other, “he even forgave me for Death-T.”

Yugi’s palms started to sweat. They never talked about Death-T and he’s feeling woefully unprepared to start now.

“You remember Death-T?” He asked.

“Tch. How could I forget something like that?” Kaiba responded. His knuckles white where they gripped the elephant. Yugi could almost hear it creak in protest.

“It's just that-” Yugi swallowed, “I thought Atem erased your memory.”

The elephant shattered.

Ceramic shards littered the ground. A few pieces skittered across the hardwood floor.

“Shit.” Kaiba cursed. He clenched his now empty hands into fists and kneeled down, facing away from Yugi. He began collecting a few of the broken pieces.

“Fuck. Kaiba, I’m so sorry.” Yugi really wished he could see his face, gauge how bad this was about to get. “I didn’t mean to- I’ll just leave, I'm so sorry.”

“Stop.” Kaiba waved off Yugi’s apologies,”Stay. If you want. Just… give me a second.”

Yugi froze in place, unsure if Kaiba wanted his help. For a minute, the only sound in the room was the soft clinking of ceramic as Kaiba methodically collected them.

“I didn’t forget…” Kaiba broke the silence without warning, “He didn’t erase my memory. I remember everything. The Pharaoh broke me apart, but I had to put myself back together. I relived everything in that coma. Every day I’ve ever lived was projected endlessly while I sorted through all the pieces. ”

It was strange to see Kaiba like this. Whether he was jumping from helicopters or sneering down from billboards, he always managed to make himself larger than life. He mirrored his dragons: proud, tall, and untouchable. Now he was hunched in the shadows, hiding his face. He looked small. Vulnerable.

“Not all of me got put back.” Kaiba continued, “Some parts were too corrupted and had to be cut out. Ever since then it’s felt like something is missing.”

Kaiba rubbed absently at his chest.

“Do you think that’s what he wanted? Is my penalty to live feeling incomplete for the rest of my life?”

It was a challenge. It was always these games with Kaiba.

“He isn’t punishing you, Kaiba. You were hurting a lot of people and you needed to be stopped.” Yugi took an unconscious step forward, wincing when he heard the crunch of ceramic underneath his boot “He was trying to show you mercy.”

“Mercy?” Kaiba let out a cruel laugh, “Was that his idea of mercy?”

Shit. Not ceramic, an eggshell.

“Reliving my entire childhood of neglect and torment could be a mercy,” he mocked, “only if you compare it to being devoured by monsters for 8 hours. Though, you’re right. I did hurt a lot of people. Is that your point? That I doled out worse than I got so I should stop whining-”

“Don’t put words in my mouth. I never said-”

“If he was interested in showing real mercy he would’ve ended me there and then!”

Yugi was tired of this. If Kaiba wanted to have this fight then he was going to have to look him in the face goddamnit. He was sick of staring at the man’s back. He was sick of Kaiba’s constant hiding.

Yugi circled around him, careful to avoid the bits of ceramic littering the floor. He half expected to see Kaiba smiling, his eyes overtaken with the same madness that had gripped him at Death-T.

Instead, he saw a young man on his knees with red rimmed eyes and a blotchy pink nose. His lips were upturned in a halfhearted grimace. Kaiba whipped his head up to meet Yugi’s eyes defiantly.

“Why are you even here, Muto?”

“You said I could stay.”

“Don’t play stupid,” he tsked “It doesn’t suit you. What’s the real reason? Were you hoping I’d bare my soul to you? Did you want this to be the day you finally tore down my walls like He did? I didn’t want to get ripped open, you know. Before that, everything was fine. For the first time in my life I was numb. Truly numb. After a decade of enduring Gozaboro he finally couldn’t hurt me. I could actually be free.”

“Then you and your little Pharaoh had to fuck it up” Kaiba accused breathlessly. “His mercy only left defenseless. It felt like being vivisected and left open. Every missing piece turned into a bitter memory.”

Yugi just watched. He knew what Kaiba meant about the missing pieces. About the constant ache they cause. He knew from experience there wasn’t much he could say to make it better. Some pain can’t be soothed, only endured. Kaiba took a few steadying breaths.

“He was supposed to fix me.” Kaiba sounded like he was pleading with some absent god “he left before I was done.”

Listening to Kaiba sent a chill through Yugi. It whistled over the holes in his heart, like breath over an empty glass bottle. A hollow resonance hummed through a space that once housed a feeling of comfort, companionship,and love. A space once filled to the brim by Atem, now left empty, open, and stinging like an exposed nerve.

The sensation made him want to shudder, cry, scream, do anything that might release the dull anguish that has been gnawing at him this last year. None of those options could properly communicate what it felt like to lose half your soul, nor did they seem particularly helpful with this situation. So Yugi settled on crouching down and retrieving the rest of the pieces of Kaiba’s last family heirloom. He set them carefully in Kaiba’s lap, and plopped down next to him.

“Yeah,” Yugi drew his knees under his chin. “Me too.”

Kaiba watched him closely for a moment. He hummed in acknowledgement.

Winning the ceremonial duel was supposed to prove that Yugi was ready to stand on his own.It was meant to prove he could thrive without Atem. It must have been some mistranslation though, because Yugi’s been finding it difficult just to function as a normal highschooler, forget thriving.

Tea, Joey, and Tristan were all doing so well. They all loved Atem. They all grieved, but they also seemed to be able to get back up and continue on with their lives. Seeing them succeed despite their grief should have been inspirational, but all it seemed to do was remind Yugi that he wasn’t capable of that. It’s been getting to the point that it’s hard to even talk to them. They’ve all been making so much progress on their post-highschool plans. For them, everyday was filled with more progress and new developments as they inch their way towards their respective goals. For Yugi, every day was a boring blend of sadness and pain. He’s gone days without calling just so he doesn’t have to lie when they ask how he’s been.

But Kaiba, even in all his sarcasm and vitriol, he understood. Or at least Yugi thought he did. They’re both struggling with the holes Atem left behind. He doesn’t feel like he has to be ok around Kaiba, because Kaiba is the biggest emotional wreck he knows. If Kaiba’s worried that Yugi just wants to fix him, then he’s dead wrong. These days he’s barely interested in talking to anyone who has their shit together, and knowing that Kaiba is as much of a mess as him is… comforting. There’s a comranderie to it.

“Hey” Yugi said softly, “Do you have any super glue? I think this is still salvageable.”

#yugioh dm #seto kaiba #yugi moto #yugioh #yugioh fanfiction #rivalshipping #pre ship I should add #post DSoD #yugioh spoilers #fanfiction #Kaiba/Yugi #Yugi/Kaiba #depressed!yugi

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saiikavon · 2 years

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“just take my wallet” jack stauber

(We got another melancholy one, kiddos! Thanks for the prompt!)

It was more than a little strange, how the world just kept turning without Kaiba Seto. Probably shouldn't have been, considering all the world-ending disasters that tended to pass overhead, but it seemed different to Jounouchi. A lot of those things had happened in the shadows, in between realms they could barely comprehend.

Kaiba liked to be a spectacle, all eyes on him, face on every billboard and name in lights. He was everywhere. And now, suddenly, he was nowhere.

Jounouchi didn't know how people just moved on from that. From Kaiba.

He guessed it was partly because Mokuba still had the company running, using all his brother's plans laid out for at least a decade. If there was one other thing Kaiba could be counted on for, it was to have his brother set up for life, no matter what happened to him. Or what he did. Or where he went.

But still.

Once, he caught himself staring into the clouds, almost convinced he could see a window to that afterlife, could see Kaiba facing Atem as he'd always wanted. For however long he felt like. Eternity, maybe.

He startled when Yuugi caught him at it, looked at him with a world-weary smile and said, "You miss him."

Jounouchi ducked his head. "It's not the same for us."

"No. But you still miss him."

Jounouchi hated the way his heart felt like a lead weight. "Yeah. Yeah, I really do."

He supposed the world just had to keep turning anyway.

(Send me a song and I'll write a drabble or ficlet for Kai/Jou.)

#yugioh #ygo dsod spoilers #puppyshipping #violetshipping #so I've never actually seen dsod but I know things #it's fine kaiba comes back and they kiss and make up it's totally canon

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enneadau · 2 years

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Ennead: Eternity Fragment

Spoilers for Ennead's DSoD arc...

“So… yeah. That’s everything.” Yugi smiled softly as she kicked her feet, watching the river far below her flow past rapidly, “I’m sorry for venting and you probably didn’t actually hear any of it, but I figure… all rivers meet somewhere, right? So, this river meets with the Nile and…”

The teen swallowed hard, and she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to cut off the tears before they could fall.

“I miss you, but I’m doing okay, really. Today was just a bad day, but I promised you I’d do my best to not spiral like I used to, and I’m managing… I just…. Wanted to talk. Sorry if you had to listen…”

The lack of response drove Yugi to get to her feet and she let out a sigh as she tried to make sure her footing was secure on the thick stone guard rails.

She knew she was being stupid. That no one was listening. But she had hoped…

“Yugi?”

The yelp she let out in her surprise at having her name called swiftly turned into a cry of fear as she wheeled around quickly to see who was calling, only to lose her footing and tumble. She reached for the railing to try and stop her decent, but her hand slipped off the slick stone, grazing the skin as it went.

Yugi flinched, anticipating hitting the ice-cold water.

Only to find her fall arrested as a hand wrapped around her wrist.

Her heart pounded and her breath came in rapid bursts as she looked up at her rescuer, adrenaline and fear causing her to tremble. Her eyes widened as she beheld the scared, brunette male who was half sprawled over the ledge above, and realised who had helped her.

“K…Kaiba?!”

“Stop being useless and grab my hand.” The fear that had she had beheld disappeared as the CEO hissed out his order. She did not need to be told a second time and got a good enough grip on him with her other hand that he was able to pull her up.

Once she was back on solid ground, her heart rate eased and she gave the other teen a relieved grin only to find that Kaiba was staring at her with a look she could not quite comprehend.

“Thank you…”

The snort the CEO let out was hard to read as he gestured to the limo that was parked just a little ways away, the passenger door open like someone had flung it open in a hurry and forgotten to close it. Yugi took the hint for what it was and slid into the comfortable interior. As Kaiba followed, shutting the door behind him, Yugi did up her seat belt and relaxed into the soft leather seating.

“Kaiba I…”

“You’re breaking contract, Mutou.” The fact that he used her surname rather than her first name told Yugi that he was uncomfortable, though she was not entirely sure why. Bringing up her sponsorship contract was his way of bringing the conversation onto something he was comfortable with. “You’re not available to duel.”

Yugi grimaced. Her deck had been confiscated by her home room teacher earlier today, but Kaiba, had, for a change, been in class when it had happened. He knew as well as she did that it was not her fault.

“I can get a deck ready, from my spares.” She offered, “But you saw…”

“I don’t just mean today.” His words confused her into silence, “You’ve been unavailable for eighteen months, three weeks and two days.”

“Eighteen…” Yugi closed her eyes tightly and her heart sunk as she realised what he meant. That she had not been a worthy challenger for him since Egypt when she had…

“If you’re not capable of Dueling, you risk losing your sponsorship.” Kaiba continued, causing her to stare at him, “And I know you need it for university.”

“I’ve maintained my position in the standings.” She countered, the bite in her tone causing a flicker of relief on the CEO’s face that only confused Yugi further. “I’m still number one, even without…”

When her voice caught in her throat and she trailed off, Kaiba’s expression hardened again.

“You’re not available to duel me.” Steel-blue stared deep into amethyst. “You’re only a worthy opponent when you’re at the top of your game and you haven’t been there for nearly two years.”

“I could take you even at my worst.” His words piqued what little of a proud streak she had, and her response elicited a small, amused smirk and the raising of an eyebrow. Then she paused, “Okay maybe not my worst, but I’m certainly capable right now… If I had my deck of course.”

The amused noise that escaped her travel companion caused Yugi to let out a huff and lean back into the seat.

“Your… friends. Did they know where you were?” The word friends came out of Kaiba like he was contemplating manure. Yugi failed to be surprised at that, though his question was surprising enough.

“Why does it matter?” She asked, allowing her confusion to be seen. She had nothing to hide from him after all. She had always tried to be honest with Kaiba, even when he had sought nothing but her destruction. That was not about to change now.

“Considering you did something stupid, I assumed your band of merry idiots were on their way to your rescue, as per normal. Or that you had at least had the decency to let them know you were leaving.”

“Leaving?”

He just stared at her, waiting for her response.

It took a moment for Yugi to process what he meant, but her jaw dropped as it hit her.

That was why he had been relieved to see her bite back and not surrender. Why he had looked scared when he had caught her. Probably why her defiance had amused him too…

He thought she had jumped.

“I wasn’t going to jump!” Her protest was much louder than she intended but for once she did not flinch at her own volume.

The disbelief on Kaiba’s face spoke volumes and the acid in his tone said much more, “That’s why you were sat there forever and why you were crying. I thought you stronger than that, Yugi.”

“You scared me and I fell. I was NOT going to jump.” She could hear Meisa in her tone as she glowered back at him, and his pause was satisfying. She might have lost her sister, but her twin was not gone, not fully. She never would be. Not while Yugi lived. “I had no intention of joining Anesan. Not today, not for a long time hopefully.”

He stared at her a little longer, then he sat back and nodded.

“How long were you watching me?” Yugi could not help but ask, her face reddening with embarrassment at being spotted while she had been talking to the air.

“Long enough.” Kaiba let out a snort, turning away from her to watch out the window, clearly no longer wanting to even look at her, now he knew she was not going anywhere. “Am I to assume you don’t want your fools to know about this?”

“Please?” Yugi asked, though she was not entirely sure she could hide everything. Not when moving the scraped palm off her dress, left blood behind. “And don’t call my friends fools.”

“Fine. You can do something for me in exchange.” Kaiba turned to look at her, something unreadable in his expression as he pulled a briefcase out from underneath his seat. “I need someone to test a new piece of equipment. Since you owe Kaiba Corp for paying your stipend despite you being in breach of contract, it shouldn’t be a hardship for you to wear it.”

“What does it do?” Yugi asked, trying not to point out that he could have Duelled against her at any time and it had been his choice not to. Instead, she turned to look out her own window and noted that the shops that they were passing were the ones on the way to Kaiba Corp, rather than the Kame Game Shop, suggesting that he had been planning this anyway and coming to her assistance had been a side quest.

“Give me your right wrist.”

Yugi pursed her lips. It was not that she did not trust Kaiba. After he had helped her up off the bridge, she kind of owed him that much. There was just something about his behaviour and attitude that was setting her on edge. “Why?”

“Do you want me to claim back what we’ve paid you for the last year?”

Yugi gulped. She could not afford to repay the nearly eighteen thousand yen. Not when she needed every last drop of it for her further education. Still, it grated that he had her over a barrel as she held out her right arm.

Before she could say another word, a metal band was clamped around her right wrist. One that beeped the moment it touched her skin and locked into place with a solid sounding click. Yugi swooned as strips of the band started to glow a vibrant purple and the world around her spun as it suddenly dropped in volume and brightness. Slumping slightly, she brought her free hand to her chest, trying to work out why her chest suddenly hurt.

“Yugi?” Kaiba asked as the girl gasped for breath, trying to work out what had gone wrong.

“I…” As Yugi raised her head to look at him, she suddenly got why she felt awful.

Even without the Puzzle boosting her powers, she was still able to sense the magic in the world around her and summon her personal Ka Beast. The Shadows were weaved into her very soul, and she had thought they would never entirely be gone.

Now she had been cut off from that power. Or rather she still had HER natural magics, but it was like she had been rendered blind and deaf to the magic in the world around her. She tried to call out her Ka Beast, needing to see if it was possible to summon it, only to find that it was like trying to push past a brick wall.

Her world settled, the tightness of her chest slowly loosened, and her breathing evened out as her body adjusted to the new normal, allowing her to focus enough to pull her right hand back so she could examine the band. Now it was locked, it could easily be mistaken for one solid band of metal, one that was just big enough to encircle her wrist and slide a little way up her arm, but nowhere near big enough to pass over her hand.

And with no keyhole that she could find to unlock it.

“Take it off.” Yugi demanded of Kaiba, thrusting her wrist back at the CEO, only to be ignored.

Apparently satisfied he was not killing her, Kaiba opened a holographic computer screen that was full of information. Yugi could not read them from behind, but she at least recognised one image on it. A moving line that waved up and down and was slowly increasing in pace as she got more annoyed. “Kaiba!”

Clearly the band was monitoring her heart rate and as Kaiba continued to ignore her, Yugi could not help but wonder what else it would report to him.

“Kaiba Seto, what the hell?” His eyes flickered to her for a moment as she not only full named him but cursed too.

“You’ll thank me later.” His response was not reassuring as they pulled up outside the Kame Game Shop. “You can go.”

“Kaiba!” Yugi snapped out, angry, as she unbuckled herself and moved so she was in the way of his screen, “Take this off me.”

“You owe me eighteen thousand yen. You can deal with wearing that for a few weeks. Now out.”

Yugi stared at him, trying to work out if he was seriously going to leave her like this.

“I’ll take it off once you’re able to fulfil your contract. Understand?” Kaiba asked, his voice ice cold and his eyes narrowed as he gestured to the driver, “But somehow, by then, I don’t think you’ll want me to.”

“What…?”

Yugi did not get to finish her question before she was viciously yanked from the vehicle by the driver and left sprawled on the sidewalk as the car drove away.

#ennead #yugioh #fanfiction #spoilers #dsod #long way in the future #just needed to get it on paper #thought i'd share #fem!yugi #yugi #kaiba

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metatemu · 4 months

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Who Am I? An Introduction: Setting the Game Board.

“You are the only Yuugi Mutou in the whole world.”

This is, perhaps, the most important line in the series. A penultimate affirmation, a triumphant declaration. There is, in this line, the knowledge of standing across from someone, and being able to see them as themselves. To be able to know the answer to “who are you?” To look at someone, and be able to answer that question.

“Who am I?”

“I am the only Yuugi Mutou in the whole world.”

This is the axis in which this world turns, to answer the questions “who are you,” and “who am I?” Taking a lens to this question--that is, the question of “who am I?” and how it is explored through the series Yu-Gi-Oh!--lands on the walking metaphor of identity, memory, history, and personhood that is the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, and how this character is used as a lens of identity--particularly in contrast to the main character himself, Yuugi Mutou.

This essay series itself will seek the answer that question for the Spirit of the Puzzle, not in a literal sense (for his birth name, Pharaoh Atem, is well-known enough of a spoiler that Duel Links features his name in the DSOD map, spoken by Yuugi) but in a sense of identity exploration, relationship exploration, thematic exploration, as well as a literal history and personality exploration that the series keeps purposefully vague, in the name of presenting the character the same way he is experienced by the characters in the story--as a person whom is gradually uncovered. As the heart of a mystery, as the unanswered riddle of the majority of the story.

(“Something you can see, but you can’t see.”)

This is the riddle at the heart of the story, answered in different ways and by different characters,

and one of the ways this riddle is answered is by the name Atem.

But first, every game has rules.

First and foremost, this world is simply not the same as our own. Nightmare Masterclass put it better in his video on “This House Has People In It,” (which I advise for understanding the lens of magical realism, and how it is used in the genre of fiction) but I will be working in the genre of magical realism as a way to analyze this story. I simply have no interest in doing a CinemaSins style ding! for every time the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! does not match with the understanding of our own world. Going into this story, you simply have to accept that Seto Kaiba has the influence and money and resources to buy out an entire city for two days, build a space station with a space elevator, and hold a death tournament on live broadcast and walk away without a care in the world. You have to accept that Destiny Draw is a duelist skill in this world, and that it is a recognized thing within the setting. You have to accept that every game is an expression of a battle between wizards over destiny, and that there is no such thing as a casual game between friends as long as magic exists in this world. You have to accept the roving Yo-Yo! gangs, children getting their hands on guns and holding people at knife point over toys, and the fact that the systems we know about (mental health, law enforcement, government, etc.) simply do not come into the picture at any point in this story. There will be no speculation on why this is, or why the characters did not act on these systems. Any discussion will be a pre-emptive argument on why these systems were not used or acted upon in the minds of characters or the powers in place that would, in our own world, step in. The world, as it is set in Yu-Gi-Oh!, is a world where games decide the outcome of the fate of countries, governments, and the fate of humanity itself. It was laid out on page one. This world runs off of games, all other systems of power come secondary to the mystical and magical nature of this world system.

Following that, the story will also be analyzed with an understanding of the logic of the world and characters determined by their own thoughts, feelings, and actions, as well as the system that the story decides to judge characters on, and why it is done that way. It will be up to the reader to decide why and how a character should be judged. For example, a reader might find Sozoji (the bully from the karaoke chapter) much more sympathetic than Pegasus, because Sozoji objectively did less damaging things than Pegasus. However, that is purely up to the reader to decide. This series of essays will not be written to lecture a person on characters, whom a person should like, whom a person should dislike, or, following that, any judgment on a person based on that. A person’s own values are determined by their own life circumstances, by their own truth, and by their own heart. A person’s past and future are things that are only held inside themselves. That is what I wish to uncover and explore. Through understanding someone in their totality, you tend to understand yourself better. That is the thing I find most interesting, and what I want to explore--the difficult process of understanding yourself through understanding someone else. Yuugi came to understand himself better by helping Atem recover his identity. This is the thing I wish to present to you, any thoughts and opinions or feedback is very welcome. I am not seeking to convince you of anything--only seeking to tell you and share with you the love I have for this series, and how much it has given me.

I will be engaging with this series through both the Watsonian perspective, and the Doylian perspective, and I will try to make it clear when and where I am using both lenses to engage with the story. For example, I take into account what Takahashi says often, which puts a lot of commentary on the series into the “Doylian” perspective. I also, naturally, try to engage with the world in the view in which the characters see it, which is the “Watsonian” perspective. The author’s views are invaluable as a look into the story. I will be taking interviews, Takahashi’s comments on the new releases, and Takahashi’s comments on the original volume releases into account. I will also be pulling from as many sources as possible to be sure on the proper translations. Quite a lot of fan translations exist online, and I’ve used quite a lot as well, but the only objective source I can use would be the Viz Media release for the original run in Shonen Jump!, since I have no access to any more sources that are not unofficial or fan released. I love reading commentary on fan translations, but I cannot fully rely on them, so the best I can do is use the official release. Another important thing to note is that I, of course, am not an expert. I have never met Takahashi, never worked for Konami, and the most I can do is read the intentions of the author, and interpret them. I am not an official source for canon, and I will not be speaking as an official source. All I can do is present my findings, and trust that someone will find them worthwhile.

I will be exclusively using the manga as a source for all of this work. The anime has some great supplements (I am a particularly huge fan of the additions given to Mana and Mahad in the world of memories, as well as the Capsule Monsters spinoff) but I will not be using any other source for any official writings. I do have my preferences to some changs (putting Mana, Mahad, and Atem in the same age group, as well as the theme of making Dark Yuugi into Yuugi’s literal shadow in the Toei adaptation) but those are adaptations based on the original source material. The source material, and the source material alone will be the basis of this writing. I may look at the second anime adaptation later, but for this essay series, I will not be looking any further than the manga.

All of that being said, I will be releasing the parts slowly over time. I am doing a final reread of the series, and I have compiled my topics together. After this final reread, I will be releasing the first topic: Atem’s relationships with the core friend group (Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda, Otogi, and Ryou) followed by an analysis on the truth behind Memory World.

I hope you enjoy it!

#yugioh meta #yugio meta #yu gi oh #yugioh dm #yugioh duel monsters #ygo dm #ygo #ygo duel monsters #meta #pharaoh atem #yami #yami no yuugi #yami yuugi #yami yugi #yami no yugi #dark yuugi #dark yugi

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darkhourdread · 9 months

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the thing i made at 2am but got stuck on becayse of YUGI IN PARTICULAR

i thought it might b funny....

if any yugi stans show up on this post and shit talk me just know i havent watched dsod and honestly i was really not sure where the hell he goes, infact im STILL not sure hes like????? and im more insane about the spin offs than the original b/c im cringe so...

also no xexal spoilers on my post or i will shit YOUR pants im only on episode like 80 something

+ i know my opinons are shit feel free to tell me they suck but dont roast me into the floor pretty please <3

#yu gi oh #yugioharcv #yu gi oh arc v #yuya sakaki #yugioh yuya #yugiohprotagonists #yugiohanime #yugioh anime #yugioh meme #yugioh yami #yugioh yugi #yugioh Judai #Yugioh Jaden #Yugioh Yusei #Yugioh playmaker #yugioh yusaku #yugioh!

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offlineblues · 8 months

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When did you first get into yugioh? I hope you're having a nice day! <3

thank you for your well wishes! i too hope you had a pleasant day!

let's see... to answer your question... it's a little bit of a long story, so i'll make a read more! (there is a TLDR at the bottom if you want)

in late 2017, twitch was broadcasting a marathon of Duel Monsters. at that time, my partner, Jamie, was getting really invested into it, since he had mentioned how he liked it when he was younger. for me, i had heard of YGO on TV when i was younger too, but i felt like i couldn't get invested in it, so i never kept track of it. i was vaguely aware of YGO's continued spin-offs, but i never gave it a chance.

so, after a few weeks, his passion about the show and how much he loved Atem made me want to try giving it a shot, too. because of Megumi Ogata's Yugi Mutou, i was interested in starting from the Very Beginning with the Toei season (season 0). i was curious how subbed YGO might be.

so, we watched all of the Toei season together. i came to really love Yugi the most, as he is a very kindhearted protag (my favorite type of protag) as well as Jounouchi and Kaiba. i was surprised at how the story was about our connections with others. i really loved how different it was compared to what i expected or remembered about the series from the past. the focus on games in general as a medium for the story was really good.

i was hooked on it and respected it. i finally understood the appeal. i wanted to jump into Duel Monsters (sub) right away. and we did! we watched it all together, starting in early 2018.

it took several months to watch, and i enjoyed it! i remember feeling shocked and kinda sad that "the shadow realm" wasn't real, lol. i didn't realize it had been a show that was censored like that. we even watched the DSOD movie after. it was really cool... Yugi really is a character i adore!

for about about a year or so after, i was really invested into puzzleshipping. i didn't draw very much at the time because of my severe untreated carpal tunnel though, so there aren't much past works from me, nor did i ever make any ship art.

Jamie got invested into the spin-off YGO and started watching VRAINS while it was airing after seeing a post about Yusaku/Playmaker on here. i gave it a few episodes, and immediately gravitated to liking Ai. but, i was going through a tough time personally and felt a little fatigued (in general) and of YGO because it was such a long series. i didn't think i could do another 150+ anime. so, i dropped it after 3 episodes and did other things for a few years.

he would talk to me about how much he loved how VRAINS was going and about datastormshipping, and i happily listened even though i didn't understand. it was nice to be a support at the time when i felt too tired and stressed to participate. this went on into 2019 as it finished, and well after into 2020. though, it shifted into aiballshipping, but he kept me safe from spoilers.

on a whim, in the middle of 2022, i suggested we watch VRAINS together because i felt up for it again, and i wanted to watch an anime together. i was excited to learn about Ai more, as i saw some vague spoilers here and there about him. i immediately grew to love Yusaku and Ai a whole lot! i was excited every weekend we could watch together. it only took 3 months to watch all 120 episodes because i was that invested. i again felt like a fool for not continuing in the past...

...and you know the rest. it's impacted me a lot. i haven't stopped thinking or talking about them for nearly a year now. i'm even more impacted by their story than the Toei season or DM. i like the characters and story a lot more for VRAINS, so it's my favorite. i even picked up Duel Links because i wanted to learn how to play (i'm kind of bad at it). i'm currently in the middle of ZEXAL now, but i want to check out all the others eventually, too. exciting!

TLDR:

i got into it in 2017 because of my partner's influence. watched season 0, DM, and DSOD and loved it. fell off for personal difficulties in real life and fatigue with long series. picked up VRAINS again in 2022 after dropping it in 2018 after 3 episodes. am now insane (positive) and invested in YGO because it's so fun and good. i'm happy to be here and hope i can be for a long time

#everybody say “thank you Jamie” for me being here right now #caroblogging

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olivieraa · 1 month

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In my attempt to do a spoiler-free review...

If I'm being honest... If I could go back in time... I'd tell myself not to watch this anime, which looks crazy since I was freaking out through most of it

Now it ticked lots of boxes before I went into it, but for it to tick even more when the anime already seemed perfect was incredible. So it ticked an extra three boxes. One of the before I watched it moments being that, I literally had only just made a rant about BL and how that label should be removed from animes and like, y'know, let us be surprised if the main character ends up in a same-sex relationship. Don't spoil it with the BL tag. But I'd made the Banana Fish post a month before that rant. I'd listed the Banana Fish genres, already hyped at it being a shoujo, made by a woman, with the delinquent/crime/psychological genres.

1. And so therefore, I did not go into this knowing that... it would end up being a BL. And anyone that tries to deny it was a BL is actually insane. The author could try and tell me this gay as fuck anime wasn't a BL and I wouldn't believe it (whether she has or not idk). Fucking heart emojis coming outta these fuckers eyes whenever they're in the vicinity of each other. I didn't screenshot the majority of it bc I'd too many screenshots. So yeah, this anime basically... did the exact thing I wanted in my rant. It's honestly the weirdest and most perfect timing. Legit shocked at the gay that happened in an anime not labelled as BL. I'm still not over it

Takahiro Kagami was the key animator. The animation director most known for YGO's signature style. YGO at its most beautiful. The guy who created Joey's chin. The animator they called back to animate DSOD and gave Joey his most perfect look

So I learn just before watching this anime that made me think of Joey in the first place, that Joey's key animator was working on this show? Incredible.

Joey's S!0 VA comes in as our main dudes trainer/mentor, who taught him how to fight and shoot. Like, I been comparing him to Joey the whole time and Joey appears?? What sorcery is this??????

So with the boxes out of the way, I'll list the positives outside of that:

Voice acting was fine, but the MC has risen up the ranks for me and this is my second time hearing him as a main character. Before that he was a side character in animes I barely remember. Actually I just finished Starmyu again and I think he was one of the less memorable characters (ok just checked and yes, also he was a little gay in that, he's always gay that's crazy). But he was fantastic, a scene stealer.

The animation was stunning (as expected). And it being set in New York added so much to that appeal. The action scenes... yes.

And for 24 eps it had a decent pace, I had a few days off so just binged it but took a lot of breaks (even tho it may not look like it lmao).

I had some good ass laughs.

Onto the negatives...

Now... this anime is rated an 8.5 and its very popular.

I rated it a 7.

So I decided on the 8 rating about a third of the way into the anime. It had the potential to be higher but... the anime got sloppy and repetitive. Super repetitive. And it drags, quite a bit. But bc of all the positives, I was like "ah... its going downhill a little but I'll still give it an 8."

Then something happened. And I... just couldn't give it that 8 anymore. What happened infuriated me. There's animes that can do what happened well, and I'll be upset but like, get it. Not in this one. I had to pause and breathe for about 3 mins before pressing play again.

Others may rate this anime low due to how triggering it can get. It didn't trigger me in any way but I can see how it could. The MC goes through a lot. I just wanted to protect him.

But uh, yeah. Due to the thing that happened I'd honestly rather have not watched this show. It kinda erased all the joyous, positive things that happened throughout, in a way. Idk. I need more time to sit on it.

Yeah... idk what else to say. I'm in limbo right now

#/currently/ I wish I'd never seen it #niece watches banana fish #niece watches anime

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overobsessedfanboy23 · 1 year

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Yugioh Main Protagonists Ranked

(No Yuudias because Go Rush isn’t complete at the time of writing this and I’m not even caught up on what is out.)

You get a veteran's pass to this blog if you know who I put at number 1 before I even start this list. Because spoilers it hasn't changed at all. And it probably never will. The rest of this list though? It was tight. The middle three are so interchangeable for me I just had to just go with my gut without overthinking it. This first one however was not difficult:

7 Yusei Fudo

While the dub did make me like him more, I'm still not that big on Yusei. His dub added sassiness is entertaining and I even relate to his habit of pushing people away and wanting to do everything on his own. But as a protagonist, he's really plain. He wins every time (outside of a flashback) so his duelling isn't interesting to watch and he just doesn't have any substantial character growth. He’s a completely static character which might be okay for a side character but not for the main character.

6 Yugi Moto

/Atem I guess? Atem gets more screen time and is the one who's duelling 90% of the time, let's be real. That's a problem and all but honestly the switching between and dynamic of Yugi and Atem is enough to put them above Yusei. They lose a lot more than him, making their duelling more interesting and both of them grow over the course of the series. It's fairly basic but still nice, nothing wrong with simple sweet development. Also Yugi himself made a pretty decent protagonist in DSOD, I like how his grief over Atem is explored.

5 Yuma Tsukumo

…yeah this was a really tight list. I love these top five so much that Yuma just ended up here due to stiff competition. Yuma took what Yugi and Atem did and perfected it with his bond with Astral that's more focused on and more well developed as we see exactly how they met and every step in their journey as they become closer and help each other grow as people. It's sweet as hell. Also yes Yuma could be annoying towards the beginning of the show but most of his "stupidity" was coming out of wanting to help his friends so he came off as more of a “caring dumb” most of the time. Plus first impressions, while important, shouldn't define a character (or a person for that matter) and he becomes a much better character and duellist overtime.

4 Yuga Ohdo

I think Yuga is the most unique take on a YGO protagonist. He's not the greatest duellist, he actually loses quite a lot and that majorly raises the stakes of the duels (a point that also applies to Yuma, though I feel they stopped letting him lose after part one ended but it’s still good). Because it's made clear he can lose at any point and there are consequences for those losses. Not life threatening consequences but still. Consequences that can hurt him, rush duels, and/or his friends and that made the show so unpredictable and interesting to watch for the very first time. But Yuga's not a pushover either. He's still a strong duellist who gets up after each loss and for gosh sake he invented Rush Duels. I like having a protagonist who's special not because of his duelling or friendships for once, I think that's really neat.

3 Yuya Sakaki

Fun fact: Yuya was the main thing that pushed me to watch Arc V before 5Ds and man did he not disappoint. He is an endearing silly bean who just wants to make everyone around him smile with his entertainment duelling and it was so very sweet and wholesome- OH GOD WHY IS HE A DEMON?! Yeah, Yuya's an interesting protagonist. He's the main hero but also simultaneously the main villain, or at least one fourth of a villain and man was that interesting as hell. Yuya himself is also the perfect summation of Arc V's main themes if that makes sense, since the show is all about how stopping to be kind/share a smile can go a long way and Yuya’s whole goal is to spread smiles.

2 Yusaku Fujiki

I’ll admit, these top two are really personal characters for me. (Yusaku was straight up a part of my wake up call to getting a handle on my mental health.) I relate to Yusaku immensely, even though, to my knowledge, I don’t have PTSD. His more serious stern attitude also fits the more dark serious feel of VRAINS and most importantly, he isn’t completely without personality or character development. From almost the very beginning, he has Ai, an upbeat little bean who is completely opposite to him in personality, to play off of and over the course of the show, Yusaku gradually learns to open up to others easily but his flaws of secretiveness and distancing himself from others remain. And that just felt very real to me. I like how he isn’t just all better one day, it’s a process and the bad things that happened to him shaped him when he was young, but that pain doesn’t have to define him and by the end, it doesn’t. He lets go of his desire for revenge and more easily expresses his emotions/attachments and it’s nice goddammit.

1 Judai Yuki

Yeah, I’ll never change. Take everything I said about Yusaku having a realistic/relatable reaction to a traumatic event, add multiple traumatic events and an adorably sweet personality and you have Judai. I love his upbeat personality at the beginning of the series, he’s arrogant and a bit air-headed but in a way I found really charming. Then the show started hurting him… and hurting him more… and while he mostly retained his cheerfulness and seemingly came back swinging in seasons 1 and 2, there was a gradual shift in his personality which took centre stage in season 3. His determination to save Johan becomes his downfall and after seemingly losing the rest of his friends, it completely destroys him. He endures constant traumatic events and pressure from everyone around him and it changes him and breaks him like it would a real person. Makes me so glad that Judai was able to come back from it. During the highly underwatched and underrated season four, he gets space from all the pressure that was put on him and is able to regain his love of duelling and in a way, his childhood. Not so much childhood innocence, but he’s able to have the heart of a child while still being an adult mentally. I just, oh my gosh I love Judai so much.

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birdhouseblog23 · 1 year

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Here's a random thought I had rewatching Yu-Gi-Oh DM in the English dub and Japanese Dub. What if Yugi Muto was summoned as a Pretender class servant in FGO? I mean it makes sense and fits SUPER well within the context of his character in the anime/manga and the DSOD movie.

Small spoiler for the Dark Side of Dimension Movie. Won't spoil Yami Yugi's true name.

Yugi most of the time in the anime was helping Yami Yugi behind the scenes to help find Yami Yugi's lost memories and teaching him how to get around rival duelists with strategies. Most people would mistake Yami Yugi for Yugi only because Yami Yugi takes a turn in control in most of the duels which leads us into number 2.

2. Yugi switches out with Yami Yugi because Yugi at the beginning of the show was not confident in himself deep down. Yami Yugi is the opposite, he's confident, something that Yugi has a hard time reaching out of his comfort zone but despite all that he proves time and time again that he jumps great leaps to help his friends. Yugi just needed to believe in himself.

3. In the DSOD movie, Kaiba only saw Yugi as a vessel for Yami Yugi and NOT a true king of games. Keep in mind this movie takes place in the manga's canon, not the anime's canon. HOWEVER- I could see this conflict fit both cannons- because Kaiba in the anime canon comments on Yugi's abilities in the final duel, which leads to Kaiba acknowledging Yugi as the true King of Games so it can apply to the movie story as well but in reverse.

4. Finally, the description of a Pretender class servant is a heroic spirit who misleads and deceives those around them with a false identity to achieve strength and power from the original person. Now, Yugi is a kind person, dang near humble and supportive, and does not deceive anyone in life. He may not fit the description of a pretender class, but when you think about it, the title of king of games would go to him originally and not yami yugi. Although both characters are titled King of Games Yami Yugi was identified as Yugi in the public and duelist circles.

(I would also like to add that Yami Yugi would have the potential to be an Alter Ego servant too.)

Anyways that's the end of my ted talk. My head hurts now from thinking so much. There is more I want to talk about this topic but.. again.. my head hurts. Let me know your thoughts.

#fate series #fate grand order #yu gi oh #duel monsters #Imagine a holy grail war in domino city the possibilities are endless #yugi mutou #yami yugi

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