I haven't given more than my first “I shall know all manga” skim and I'm avoiding giving too close a look so it's a sliver-fresh when I get to it, but yes. =3 There is something so twisted “good mini-me” about the whole thing that makes me crack up thinking if there was anyone YnB could be tweaked into fanon-liking it would be sort-of-not himself! And even if you don't push it, the “my favorite puppet” edge.
No wait, puppet's too marlick. “My favorite doll--”
…............Zexal sounds absolutely cracktastic. X-x Do we have any over the top villains to match this brain-blower of a main character?
But yes, I've got a million YGO related list/meme ideas I should never throw up here. One being shipping opinion analysis, the other a half-fav. character analysis, half-self-playing-analysis. x-x Sum up? Jounouchi got gumption, YnY got Fate, YnB got evil, Kaiba got money brains.
Review o' the obvious.
Hur, angst-interaction is certainly worth a look in any capacity. x3 At the least as a friendship, to, you know, give Marik-boy a friend that's not related or under his command. And Ryou looks like one of the few I can name that would survive the trial without wanting to slug him or getting under his thumb. Actually, only three over all come to mind. Maybe.
...is it weird I kind of meant that in a complimentary way?
It is not! =O You get a shot from behind and his back lacks a Rod!
The amazing missing Item. Easier to hide than a ring.
Yessss, I love the idea of YnB really being shippable with - himself. Though the more I read the manga the more I think there isn't that much TK in there after all - I have thoughts on Zorc and personality assimilation etc but I am in no mental condition to extrapolate at the moment.
WELL. When Zexal's "villain" shows up - he's really more of a "tragic antihero working for the villains" - he does so by crashing through a glass ceiling on a hang glider that turns into a talking robot sidekick. He whistles as he walks up to his targets and proceeds to literally stop time to duel them. During the duel his trenchcoat changes from black to white, giving him a transformation sequence for dueling. His ace monster is called "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon", and a zoom in reveals said dragon does, in fact, have galaxies in its eyes. Upon defeating people, he robs them of their best cards - and their souls. And we find out he's doing all this to hopefully find a cure that will fix his "ill"/crazy little brother, who enjoys hearing the screams as trash is dumped into a parallel dimension whence comes srs-ghost!Yami Yuugi.
It's kind of cute and weird at the same time how buddy-buddy everyone is with Malik when they meet again in the last volume (he gets his dorky little boy grin back despite not actually being that delightful a little boy). I'm more amused, however, by the warm reaction Jounouchi gets from Rishid. Glad to see they followed up on that CR, even if Rishid smiling is really kind of frightening.
Brunch practices hiding the Rod in his sleeves and dropping it down into his hand. For like minutes at a time. Because when he gets it just right it's going to be SO COOL.
Oh god I have the exact same thoughts all the time on Atem & TKB both. Granted anime made me blind for a while with the added TKB footage before his big scene and the Atem flashbacks, but they're actually living replica toys and you don't get none of that in the manga, huh? :x Which is why playing or writing the AE arc peeps is always a little. Off with me.
Apparently I have issues with flexibility. x3
............I was joking about the "crack" of the tastic. I'm not sure anymore. o.o /wants to yet scared to watch.
But, yes.
That CR alone makes me wish we popularized friendship lists along with ships. =) Because it's not often you see those side cr developments explored beyond an arc in manga. Even people that stick around, like Otogi, they kind of just "appear for a cameo/to cheer on current limelight stealer" without exploring more cr with mains. Except Mai. ...maybe Ryou, but my brain wants to pull up solely puff- I mean ryou/jou growth.
Or maybe I'm just ranting on hot air.
But really, that 2-page scene. (My lack of source version.) Yuu: Marik! Mar: Yuugi! Ris: Jounouchi! Jou: Rishid! Bak/Sugo: Museum! Anzu: Get back here!
Is it silly, no matter who ships with who and yadda yadda, I picture real post-series annual get togethers? Of the Yuugi & Marik & Jounouchi proclaim it and Anzu & Isis actually plan it with Bakura & Rishid make the food & etc. and Kaiba always skips variety?
.....oh brunch. <3 how one wants more catching-you-at-that-stuff action but you've been battered enough lately, huh. one upping tots aside.
Yeah, there's things for me (mostly plot points) in AE that I'm going to have to fiddle with for my AU - what did happen without Yuugi & co there, etc. (I certainly won't be having my heroine collapsing into sand. That happened because TK was a game piece. She's just gonna die.)
Zexal it's like the writers all sat around at a table and went "what was ridiculously entertaining and cracktastic about our past series? Because clearly if we shove all of that into a single show it will create our best work yet." I'm almost tempted to create Zexal Bingo using plot points or character elements from past series, though it does manage to stand on its own as well - to its credit, as I actually am leery of always seeing shows in franchises or from popular directors just through the lens of what came before. I do honestly enjoy it but I had all of 5D's to get used to the full glory that is The Yugioh Anime Writers.
Yeah, especially in the manga Otogi just hung around, huh? One thing I do like about the anime, and the Noa arc in particular, is the way Honda and Otogi were set up as foils for each other, with Honda being the "chivalrous" one and Otogi being the "logical" one. I don't recall the kind of commentary Otogi gives during duels, but considering the usual Sidelines Smart Person spends the blimp part of the arc either possessed, unconscious, or nonexistent.....maybe Otogi is there to fill that gap. XD
That is a wonderful summary of those pages and you should feel proud of it. The only thing one could potentially add is that Honda is lying there sick to his stomach, his head propped up on his bag.
Now, does Kaiba always skip, or does he come but remain at a distance, not actually there, looking out over them in a very BEHOLD THOSE FOOLS, MOKUBA fashion? ~_^ I love that he's just in the dunes in the final 2-page spread of the manga. Paying his respects from afar.
We shall see what life has in store for Brunch, indeed. The Issues. XD
Well, if you're looking for votes of what happened. My thought of the split second is zorc waking up just offs whoever woke him up. But, more likely perhaps, Akunadin kills her him. He does turn into Zorc N. and battle Atem, after all. So killing TKB somewhere along the lines of that makes some... vague sense, in my not-so-certain eyes.
And just makes TKB focusing on Atem in place of Akunadin all the more. Curious. Have I just missed that in my skimming?
x3 Speaking of, I saw a little more of 5Ds this morning. Curious. And confusing. But then I tuned in just as Aporia comes up mid-battle. And really, I dunno why I'm so iffy on watching the sequel series. Feels something like "But I can't start the 201 course when I'm still working on 101! D=" -headshake-
F'awh, it's been so long. Some of Noa's arc was up today, too, but then Otogi didn't have many lines. Guess we're getting into too important scenes. >P But, from what I recall he certainly seems the levelheaded one. Which kind of, is off, from manga?? I mean yeah he was like the most levelheaded one in the room in his arc, but the other options were his dad, a desperate Yuugi, and YnB. Nuff said.
I KNEW I FORGOT SOMETHING! I walked around making a snack trying to figure out why I remembered no Honda lines. He was sick! Amusing, from one of the DM bike riders.
xD That, does sound like Kaiba. I pictured something similar from a video call mid-party, but crashing and showing up whatever yuugi-tachi came up with sounds much better.
Now, on the manga ending and my questioning of showing regard for ynyuugi leaving vs wanting to see which side of his rival comes out on the other hand... x3
Have you started making a list of The Issues yet? For him and his active troubles have me losing track. I've just been hitting back his topics ic as they come up! What've we got, pharaoh hunting, iris praise seeking, linner get off my backing, who killed me searching, deck building-- Active, active kid.
TK knows Akhenaden's behind it, all right, or at least that Akhenaden was there. He goes after the Pharaoh as the symbol of Order who was allowed to still look like "Justice" even after slaughtering his family - the representation of Good and Truth in their super-orderly world willingly sacrificed his village and then covered it up, after all. So for that the Pharaoh must die horribly to upset the balance of ma'at. But Akhenaden....he has the chance to kill him in the Wedju tomb and he doesn't because "it wouldn't make up for Kul Elna." At least according to TK's logic, Akhenaden goes "bad" (i.e., turns explicit traitor) because turning evil and destroying the Pharaoh's side inside out is a more fitting punishment for what he wreaked - TK seals "his own evil" inside the Eye, unleashing everything Akhenaden's been repressing, far as I can tell. This does also seem to be what Zorc was working towards, but how much of that was his direct interference and how much was everyone just falling into place in his schemes because of their natural personalities (which is really how YnB rolls - he creates situations where people naturally follow his plans) is up for debate.
Aww, I get you re: the sequels. They all have different strengths and weaknesses and focii and themes - I could extrapolate what all of those are in my opinion but then this comment'd get even longer. I am slowly working my way through the end of GX, which I adore, but am loath to finish because then I won't have any YGO in reserve anymore. (Unless I decide to finish R or something.)
I haven't gone through the manga, like I said, and focused just on what Otogi was saying, but he does seem that way. He's certainly bright: the guy's introduced as a con man, he kind of has to be. XD
Yeah, Honda drank some bad water and lay around in horrible straits. IIRC his bag looked an awful lot like Mai's, too, but I'm pretty sure they give her her bag back at some point in DK. Perhaps he liked it so much he bought one of his own, or else I'm misremembering. Why do I always have canon conversations when I lack access to canon?
All of Brunch's Issues stem from Who I Think I Should Be vs. Who I Am Now. Really it's an identity crisis which manifests in the things you mention - he thought he knew what he wanted to be and was just failing at it, but then Linner showed up and was a total dissatisfied jerk who on top of all that stole his best friend, so yeah, let's not be like Linner. But if we're not going to be like Linner, who are we going to be like? And while he's trying to figure that out he's also doing things like dying and failing in every scheme, which indicates whatever he's doing clearly isn't working, and he's terrified of death and very deep down he knows the evidence is stacked towards him being his father's murderer but he just can't bring himself to admit it so hating the Pharaoh is a defense mechanism because it's just so comfortable. It's familiar and it's nice. As long as he hates the Pharaoh he knows where he stands, but that doesn't make him any closer to defeating said Pharaoh, so should he just give up until he Knows For Sure and actually enjoy life - but if he stops his revenge/actually was the guilty party, does he even deserve to enjoy life...?
I started writing a "Friday" parody for Brunch once. It involved the words "Iris to my left side, Seiran to my right side. Gotta make my mind up: Which side do I faaaaake?". Nuff said.
Sooooo either TK's not aware how much the massacre was Akhenaden's plan that Akhnamkanon didn't get the details of 'til later and regretted when he did, or does know but thinks (or would think if he found out) the pharaoh's failure to prevent it and the benefits he's gotten from the deaths at Kul Elna means he still deserves.
Of course, that's leaving out all the fun Egyptian philosophy and Zorc association points you made that make TK's vengeance kick of an epic level.
...it might be completely wrong but I just had the thought maybe TK was to some point or another aware of Zorc and getting killed by the association/the Items, AND thought "I'm going to drag Akhenaden down with me". Probably not canon on the last part, but it's a fun what if thought.
...you know, it's interesting how both Marik & TK blame Atem for actions someone else "representing" him seemingly did, but in actuality they didn't do it either, and it's some unknown/lesser person who committed the crime. But yes.
For the record. I don't care if it breaks anime continuity (such as it is). YGO!R would make an actually fantastic movie plot & new characters wise. xP Not that I don't have some fondness for our current movies, but their plot arcs??? Though, it is so long, maybe it'd need an OAV or something.
Yep, in some ways, Otogi actually IS the most buyable character in the series, persona wise. >.> If he reacted a little stronger to the magical points about him, I'd put money on it.
Kya, I don't have the DK arc mangas to check! ;-; But, I will say I looked ahead a little more, and I laughed. xD On the boat after, when we have the typical four main character friend shots, Otogi is standing in for Honda. Seriously, between that and Ryou of Noa's arc, as you said, zwe should just call him the Yuugi Group Alternate.
...the levels, oh the levels. x-x Suddenly it strikes me how the young teen deserves a pat on the back for not just imploding from the levels of trouble! So -back-pat for brunch, pass it on.-
But yes, while Seiran's still got it in her head to help with some of that so the dr can add fresh burdens hur hur the "enjoy life" part is lining up so well with her own current goals, how to not focus on that? x3 In some ways, personal 'philosophical' issues and fear of losing the friendship makes me think Piston's actually better equipped to help out on the identity help. But then, we don't want easy answers either, do we.
...and I don't know the Friday reference but still. xD
TK knows the Items are going to affect him. He points out both before and after he obtains the Ring that the Items draw out the evil in a person, even calling his bloodlust the will of the Millennium Items. What's less clear is if said effect is because the Items are evil in and of themselves, or whether it's because unwilling victims were sacrificed and its their wills clamoring for blood - TK does say that the thieves of Kul Elna call out to him from inside the Ring. But the Items also absorb the evil of their wearers....
As for how much TK thinks Akhenamkanon knows/knew - beats me, though I also wonder how much he'd care. It's a failure as a Pharaoh either way, all the more if said Pharaoh still gets to be the living embodiment of "justice". (I switched the timeline of my journeystory - it's now baby!Papyrus, who freaks the heck out when she visits a village and sees some of those men carrying the scary spears being lauded as heroes. Then a magician shows up and. Um. Let's just say when Papyrus and Black Lotus flee the village, there's blood everywhere.)
The moral of Yugioh just might be "It sucks to be King."
Poor Otogi. I like him, really I do. I should write him more often, but everyone else has similar traits in more EXTREME WAAAAAYS.
*passes*
Brunch will be focusing on the game since that's a concrete thing he can improve on, and it's another way of putting off his decision: if he gets better at Duel Monsters he can be ready to face the Pharaoh, just in case, and either way the Ghouls still need to be able to respect their leader's skills. If he's going after God Cards there's no getting around being able to duel. So it may be just him putting off some issues, Seiran, but it gives him the illusion of progress and isn't exclusively an act of sheer evil! <3
I'd love to expand on the CR with Piston. All Marlicks need an adult who's not afraid to kick them in the pants when they're making things too complicated or illogical. Be that as literal as it may.
Friday is a song that went viral this spring - a 13 year old girl made it for fun (her parents paid for a special "star in your own music video" thing) and it became a hit for all the wrong reasons. They auto-tuned her too much and the song's lyrics were banal to say the least.
Hrm, I think I might need to properly reread that arc before I give any more deep claims on TK. x3 Otherwise I'm doing "this could be it if I'm remembering right!" a lot more.
Either way, I follow. And am quite curious to see young!TK development of any kind you write, even if it is a little like watching a train wreck. x-x They call that hard to look away from for a reason!
But god yes. And the irony is Atem (more or less depending on how realistic on funerary rites Takahashi meant to get and if I know what I'm talking about) didn't sit on his throne for more than like a second! xP All of the responsibility and sacrifices, none of the power.
Except Duel Monsters. But what else do ya need?
Well, she's perfectly fine in helping with goals like that. <3 Granted, that might come back to indirectly bite in some way... but then I have no problem with it!
Though I am currently I admit brainstorming overarching "goals" to give her & certain other more, er, reactionary muses o' mine. Just to give them activities to do in the DR. Other than games & marlicks.
But yes, if you think Piston is a satisfactory adult role model (er) then I'm all for throwing them into further interactions. It'll be good to give Piston somebody to squabble duel with and push along. You know, give him a few more lessons in fatherhood as Maakheru joked ic. xP
OHGOD that song. Yes, I know it, and I think I just wiped it from memory because it's bad to be caught singing those lyrics out loud. If only in my own opinion.
See, the funny thing is, I have my notes on MW with me but no actual manga volumes. Isn't that sad. I have my notes on MW, a fantastic primer on Ancient Egypt, and four mystery novels set in AE. But not the actual manga. Argh.
Poor Atem, indeed. Given the timing he really did only have time to sit down and then all of a sudden some idiot's dragging his dad's body back through the gates. But given how eventful what little a reign he had was....XD It sounded like his father was only recently deceased indeed - though to perform a feat like Thief King apparently managed (completely emptying the tomb) TK would have needed several days, if the scope of the tomb was anything like historical tombs from that period. And that's with a helper with enormous muscular arms that can glide through walls.
WHICH BRINGS ME SOMEHOW TO MY NEW FAVORITE THING ABOUT MILLENNIUM WORLD that I might have talked about somewhere else. But think about it: Akhenaden wished upon the Millennium Eye, when he accepted it, "Make my son the Pharaoh". He reiterated that wish when he contracted with Zorc. It's his dying thoughts.
And what happens shortly after Akhenaden dies? Either Atem seals himself in the Puzzle (original) or Atem is handing Set the puzzle and going KAY GOTTA RUN LOOK AFTER THE PEOPLES FOR ME, WOULD YA (Dark RPG).
Akhenaden gets his wish.
Goals sound fun! I need to think of what my folks are up to, as well. Small Isis in particular needs to get more play, she's a lot of fun. :3
Oh my god, Piston and Maakheru talking about Brunch. I confess I don't think I read the entire thread but I was so amused (as I always am by their interactions, regardless of subject matter). Brunch never had a daddy worth the name so if Piston thinks he's up for whipping a Marlick into shape...Plus I love Piston and want to thread with him more.
Yes, that song, I'm so sorry. One of my requirements for the Brunch FST is "must not actually be good music, just catchy and appropriate music".
.....wow. =3 That's like a package deal of knowledge right there. I've got my copies of MW soooooooooooooooooo if you want to like photocopy your notes and send them my way I can- /can't come up with excuse why and drops ploy.
Ha ha, what little I know on AE burial says the mummification process takes at least a couple months to get finished and then yes there's putting him in the tomb and then TK having time to remove things from the tomb. And the other thing is when the new pharaoh takes the throne during the long burying process, so-
But yes, uncertainty. But another historical hint is Siamun just starting construction on Atem's tomb. That sounds like a 'just ascended' project of the times, right?
Ah well.
The fact Akhenaden gets his wish... If not for him getting kill by his son's dragon girlfriend I could picture him up there somewhere going "HA! You see?? I did do the right thing! I got my wish!" Okay, maybe only in parody, but... Maybe. Though thinking on that always has me wondering what happened in Seto's rule, like when and if no more slab sealing/tomb keepers clan were established in his life or not, or if the shot of him with his priests and items says he might have kept on as before.
...which makes me feel kind of bad for TK, because you still got Items being used by totem head of Justice. And Justice is now Seto, not Atem. ...even with some redemption, step back maybe yes???
I know! Now if only I could come up with something. x3 I had thoughts like Lego commandeering the Game Store to practice running a shop, but that's a little too controlling on the DR set. Then there's silly mini-arc ideas like Pac-Man discovering he can possess NPC bodies, wondering if that's okay, etc. Or JigSaw getting into enough trouble from kidlet shenanigans or getting pharaoh hunted that they need Official Adult Guardian Now Please. And I'm still kind of lost Seiran but I had a thought of her organizing a Camping Trip into a created world Pegasus's Island? no wait. Generally CR keeps her nicely busy.
...right, sorry, done brainstorming swear.
But I'm all for more young Isis interactions or Piston/Brunch cr or.... pretty much anything, it's always fun. xD
And what else is a Jounouchi & past self-marlick to do than talk about their mutual run-in with an interesting ickle marlick?? Grant it, right now Piston's kind of untrusting Brunch on principle (yes yes he can be friendly with his Marik and lovers with Maakheru but still be irksome with a Marlick that might pull another pier stunt) but then maybe that's best for the goals in mind. Can't make any headway if he gets Rodded or easily lied to.
Also no. I'm not sure he's up to fathering a Marlick. But that don't mean I won't love trying.
I'm heading home tomorrow so I hope I can remember everything I want to check. <3 I'll likely end up calculating the approximate time Atem held power too, since that seems like a useful number to know.
Come to think of it, Set's reign would make for a freaking awesome story in and of itself. He's haunted by the deaths of his King, his father-mentor-who-went-mad, and the woman he'd only just met but who really connected with him deeply, AND all of a sudden he himself is King and has to put the country back together.
How does he manage it? Do people accept him as the Pharaoh? Will they believe he's Akhenaden's son and has a bloodright to the throne? Does he start to question those matters of "justice", having seen everything he's seen? Isis has nothing but good things to say about the priest who inherited the Pharaoh's throne...heck, is even that a sure thing post-canon? Atem hands him the completed Puzzle, but is it ever explicitly stated that the first time around "the young priest who was the Pharaoh's friend" inherited the throne?
And at what point is the magic sealed away? Post-Atem, Atem was erased from history. Was that Set's work or a subsequent Pharaoh who decided to lock everything away? It seems the Tombkeepers would have to date from a time when the Priests weren't using those Items, since pre-split they guarded all the Items. And put that way it sounds like the Tombkeepers are directly descended, ideologically at least, from the institution of Item Priests.
I love seeing brainstorming, no worries! I fret that I talk too much about my group of folks so it's always wonderful to hear what may be in store for others.
Fun in a created world sounds good! I'm also going to see if anyone'd be up for an event involving a created world in the next HMD since I would like to do something "big" in the DR, but I want it to be something the people interested all are into.
When I get back home I'll be probably putting something up in the next few days, though looking at that front page a horribly disproportionate number of posts are me. -_-;;; But yes. This week, at some point, there will be teen Ishtars.
But yes if I had to make a guestimate mangaverse wise, I'll put money on the 1-3 months range on Atem's range. =3 No, I'm not making it more specific than that.
Really, if you had a villain or battle to throw at Set to coincide with the inner struggles - maybe someone else claiming for the throne as you say - it'd make a freaking show! Story. A plot. So on.
I will say it is pretty likely Set always really inherited throne, given YnYuugi has a flash at the end of the MW arc of him as pharaoh, with his own priests. Including Mana. x3 Which really, you are awful for pointing out she (& Mahaado) have the Ishtar kohl lines. And it made me look up and realize she has white blond hair a la manga. And I think you can see where I'm going with this.
But when things shift is a lot harder to say. But even if they're averaging up the Ishtars claim somewhere to be guarding the Items for 3,000 years, right? So that's a good sign the magic was sealed pretty soon after Atem. Unless it's true they descend from some priests (hur) and are counting the time before going underground?
Ah, filling in that gap.
Phew. My backburned ideas already on the shelf make me feel a little eh on throwing out more. ^-^;;
And no worries, I love hearing about what you're up to muse-wise too. Partly because of the opportunity to say "yes, do THAT!" at certain points. x3
Whooooo, big plot! =D I'm all for it!! Have you got some ideas to throw out on the HMD to vote from, or is it a full group collab?? Ah, I shouldn't push for previews!
And no worries, I think you deserve a good bit of credit for helping to Monster Reborn YGODR this summer. And I shall biasedly suggest activity always.
My trip was massively improved by the amount of it I spent trying to piece out what the plot of a Pharaoh Set multichapter story would be. XD That is indeed a very good point you raise about Mana's hair in the manga, and, well - suffice to say I think I shall be extending the scope of Papyrus and Black's AU. BECAUSE I CAN. I do have those two other ka-pairs to take into account, after all. <3 Even if one of them would be dead by this point. But Set is still alive, and according to how I have ka working, Kisara would come back to life! (TINY BABY BLUE EYES. I swear there is a logical explanation. Also, awwww.)
My only wonder re: the things that happen at the end of the MW manga all have to do with how much it sounds like what happens in MW differs from what happens the first time around. There's allusions to what happened the first time around which sound like, kell surprise, Takahashi's original plan for the arc, with a war between possessed!Set and Akhenaden-Zorc v. Atem and his followers, involving a giant army of ka and so forth instead of the giant monster we all know and, um, love, as Zorc. I'll get back to you on my opinions of "what really happened" when I've had a chance to review everything Set-centric. ~_^ But yes, if those visions are to be believed...
I put up a few before that no one responded to so I might reiterate or put out a call for ideas. We'll see come Wednesday. I think HMD is this Wednesday, anyway.
I don't care if it makes sense, I want baby blue eyes!! ;-; Or would it be blue eyes white chick?
Er, I mean, the vision was YnYuugi's conviction from outside the game rather than anything of YnBakura's creation, so I think it's pretty trustworthy. But yes, the lead up to the Atem's sealing in reality is a very iffy topic. Only thing we have for sure is both Atem & Akhenaden left behind a mummy (former seen in Shadi arc, the later a lovely centerpiece of the MW game), so their bodies were intact afterwords.
Which is curious, now that I consider it. After all, they wouldn't likely give a formal burial to a traitor like that no matter his relation to royals, right?? Huh, I wonder if Set kept his role a secret or something for some reason... OR, if they went through the burial but with curses or seals on the corpse.
...and now I'm thinking of The Mummy.
Wait, during this summer? oxo I didn't notice any of your muses missed... But, even if so, we all get a muse skipped once in a while. It's likely just bad timing on the IRL level for taggers than disinterest!
Or, maybe I'm just in denial. ^o^;;
But yes, a quick check of the page says it'll be the two week mark for HMD.
I really am overthinking things re: what happened the first time, huh. XD Nonetheless I shall check, because if there's interesting diversions I can explore that might be fun! (Good point about YnY's outside-of-game feelings, too.)
Your mention of Akhenaden's mummy is indeed interesting. It brings to mind a Chronicles of Prydain quote I adore - if you don't know the series, let's just say there's one book where Person A, a generally unpleasant sort, sacrifices himself to save everyone from the machinations of Person B, who had been a loyal supporter of the King until he went bad. And they both are honored in death: "[Person B] for what he was, and [Person A] for what he became." Loses its majesty with the substitutions, but in any case. You would really like this series, I think. <3
Though how well that jibes with Egyptian mindsets I can't say. I can think of a host of reasons to do the politically correct thing and cover up that Akhenaden went mad, though. The beloved Pharaoh of the past can't be seen to have had a brother like that.
....and then Set has more issues on his plate with "hiding the truth again". Covering up for Akhenaden, again. While he's still coming to terms himself with everything his "mentor" turned out to be.
Oh, sorry, I worded that poorly. In my first HMD post I offered some overarching plot suggestions and didn't get concrete feedback, though I do know you're interested. <3 Also, sorry I didn't thank you for your kindness re: me and the DR this summer in my last response. I meant to and then hit "Reply" too soon.
But really, it's the game that I measure all other games to. Some have come close, but none have reached it. So anything I can do to help other people enjoy it as much as I do, or help them find it if they're looking for a place, I want to try!
No wait, puppet's too marlick. “My favorite doll--”
…............Zexal sounds absolutely cracktastic. X-x Do we have any over the top villains to match this brain-blower of a main character?
But yes, I've got a million YGO related list/meme ideas I should never throw up here. One being shipping opinion analysis, the other a half-fav. character analysis, half-self-playing-analysis. x-x Sum up? Jounouchi got gumption, YnY got Fate, YnB got evil, Kaiba got money brains.
Review o' the obvious.
Hur, angst-interaction is certainly worth a look in any capacity. x3 At the least as a friendship, to, you know, give Marik-boy a friend that's not related or under his command. And Ryou looks like one of the few I can name that would survive the trial without wanting to slug him or getting under his thumb. Actually, only three over all come to mind. Maybe.
...is it weird I kind of meant that in a complimentary way?
It is not! =O You get a shot from behind and his back lacks a Rod!
The amazing missing Item. Easier to hide than a ring.
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WELL. When Zexal's "villain" shows up - he's really more of a "tragic antihero working for the villains" - he does so by crashing through a glass ceiling on a hang glider that turns into a talking robot sidekick. He whistles as he walks up to his targets and proceeds to literally stop time to duel them. During the duel his trenchcoat changes from black to white, giving him a transformation sequence for dueling. His ace monster is called "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon", and a zoom in reveals said dragon does, in fact, have galaxies in its eyes. Upon defeating people, he robs them of their best cards - and their souls. And we find out he's doing all this to hopefully find a cure that will fix his "ill"/crazy little brother, who enjoys hearing the screams as trash is dumped into a parallel dimension whence comes srs-ghost!Yami Yuugi.
It's kind of cute and weird at the same time how buddy-buddy everyone is with Malik when they meet again in the last volume (he gets his dorky little boy grin back despite not actually being that delightful a little boy). I'm more amused, however, by the warm reaction Jounouchi gets from Rishid. Glad to see they followed up on that CR, even if Rishid smiling is really kind of frightening.
Brunch practices hiding the Rod in his sleeves and dropping it down into his hand. For like minutes at a time. Because when he gets it just right it's going to be SO COOL.
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Apparently I have issues with flexibility. x3
............I was joking about the "crack" of the tastic. I'm not sure anymore. o.o /wants to yet scared to watch.
But, yes.
That CR alone makes me wish we popularized friendship lists along with ships. =) Because it's not often you see those side cr developments explored beyond an arc in manga. Even people that stick around, like Otogi, they kind of just "appear for a cameo/to cheer on current limelight stealer" without exploring more cr with mains. Except Mai. ...maybe Ryou, but my brain wants to pull up solely puff- I mean ryou/jou growth.
Or maybe I'm just ranting on hot air.
But really, that 2-page scene. (My lack of source version.)
Yuu: Marik!
Mar: Yuugi!
Ris: Jounouchi!
Jou: Rishid!
Bak/Sugo: Museum!
Anzu: Get back here!
Is it silly, no matter who ships with who and yadda yadda, I picture real post-series annual get togethers? Of the Yuugi & Marik & Jounouchi proclaim it and Anzu & Isis actually plan it with Bakura & Rishid make the food & etc. and Kaiba always skips variety?
.....oh brunch. <3 how one wants more catching-you-at-that-stuff action but you've been battered enough lately, huh. one upping tots aside.
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Zexal it's like the writers all sat around at a table and went "what was ridiculously entertaining and cracktastic about our past series? Because clearly if we shove all of that into a single show it will create our best work yet." I'm almost tempted to create Zexal Bingo using plot points or character elements from past series, though it does manage to stand on its own as well - to its credit, as I actually am leery of always seeing shows in franchises or from popular directors just through the lens of what came before. I do honestly enjoy it but I had all of 5D's to get used to the full glory that is The Yugioh Anime Writers.
Yeah, especially in the manga Otogi just hung around, huh? One thing I do like about the anime, and the Noa arc in particular, is the way Honda and Otogi were set up as foils for each other, with Honda being the "chivalrous" one and Otogi being the "logical" one. I don't recall the kind of commentary Otogi gives during duels, but considering the usual Sidelines Smart Person spends the blimp part of the arc either possessed, unconscious, or nonexistent.....maybe Otogi is there to fill that gap. XD
That is a wonderful summary of those pages and you should feel proud of it. The only thing one could potentially add is that Honda is lying there sick to his stomach, his head propped up on his bag.
Now, does Kaiba always skip, or does he come but remain at a distance, not actually there, looking out over them in a very BEHOLD THOSE FOOLS, MOKUBA fashion? ~_^ I love that he's just in the dunes in the final 2-page spread of the manga. Paying his respects from afar.
We shall see what life has in store for Brunch, indeed. The Issues. XD
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And just makes TKB focusing on Atem in place of Akunadin all the more. Curious. Have I just missed that in my skimming?
x3 Speaking of, I saw a little more of 5Ds this morning. Curious. And confusing. But then I tuned in just as Aporia comes up mid-battle. And really, I dunno why I'm so iffy on watching the sequel series. Feels something like "But I can't start the 201 course when I'm still working on 101! D=" -headshake-
F'awh, it's been so long. Some of Noa's arc was up today, too, but then Otogi didn't have many lines. Guess we're getting into too important scenes. >P But, from what I recall he certainly seems the levelheaded one. Which kind of, is off, from manga?? I mean yeah he was like the most levelheaded one in the room in his arc, but the other options were his dad, a desperate Yuugi, and YnB. Nuff said.
I KNEW I FORGOT SOMETHING! I walked around making a snack trying to figure out why I remembered no Honda lines. He was sick! Amusing, from one of the DM bike riders.
xD That, does sound like Kaiba. I pictured something similar from a video call mid-party, but crashing and showing up whatever yuugi-tachi came up with sounds much better.
Now, on the manga ending and my questioning of showing regard for ynyuugi leaving vs wanting to see which side of his rival comes out on the other hand... x3
Have you started making a list of The Issues yet? For him and his active troubles have me losing track. I've just been hitting back his topics ic as they come up! What've we got, pharaoh hunting, iris praise seeking, linner get off my backing, who killed me searching, deck building-- Active, active kid.
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Aww, I get you re: the sequels. They all have different strengths and weaknesses and focii and themes - I could extrapolate what all of those are in my opinion but then this comment'd get even longer. I am slowly working my way through the end of GX, which I adore, but am loath to finish because then I won't have any YGO in reserve anymore. (Unless I decide to finish R or something.)
I haven't gone through the manga, like I said, and focused just on what Otogi was saying, but he does seem that way. He's certainly bright: the guy's introduced as a con man, he kind of has to be. XD
Yeah, Honda drank some bad water and lay around in horrible straits. IIRC his bag looked an awful lot like Mai's, too, but I'm pretty sure they give her her bag back at some point in DK. Perhaps he liked it so much he bought one of his own, or else I'm misremembering. Why do I always have canon conversations when I lack access to canon?
All of Brunch's Issues stem from Who I Think I Should Be vs. Who I Am Now. Really it's an identity crisis which manifests in the things you mention - he thought he knew what he wanted to be and was just failing at it, but then Linner showed up and was a total dissatisfied jerk who on top of all that stole his best friend, so yeah, let's not be like Linner. But if we're not going to be like Linner, who are we going to be like? And while he's trying to figure that out he's also doing things like dying and failing in every scheme, which indicates whatever he's doing clearly isn't working, and he's terrified of death and very deep down he knows the evidence is stacked towards him being his father's murderer but he just can't bring himself to admit it so hating the Pharaoh is a defense mechanism because it's just so comfortable. It's familiar and it's nice. As long as he hates the Pharaoh he knows where he stands, but that doesn't make him any closer to defeating said Pharaoh, so should he just give up until he Knows For Sure and actually enjoy life - but if he stops his revenge/actually was the guilty party, does he even deserve to enjoy life...?
I started writing a "Friday" parody for Brunch once. It involved the words "Iris to my left side, Seiran to my right side. Gotta make my mind up: Which side do I faaaaake?". Nuff said.
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Of course, that's leaving out all the fun Egyptian philosophy and Zorc association points you made that make TK's vengeance kick of an epic level.
...it might be completely wrong but I just had the thought maybe TK was to some point or another aware of Zorc and getting killed by the association/the Items, AND thought "I'm going to drag Akhenaden down with me". Probably not canon on the last part, but it's a fun what if thought.
...you know, it's interesting how both Marik & TK blame Atem for actions someone else "representing" him seemingly did, but in actuality they didn't do it either, and it's some unknown/lesser person who committed the crime. But yes.
For the record. I don't care if it breaks anime continuity (such as it is). YGO!R would make an actually fantastic movie plot & new characters wise. xP Not that I don't have some fondness for our current movies, but their plot arcs??? Though, it is so long, maybe it'd need an OAV or something.
Yep, in some ways, Otogi actually IS the most buyable character in the series, persona wise. >.> If he reacted a little stronger to the magical points about him, I'd put money on it.
Kya, I don't have the DK arc mangas to check! ;-; But, I will say I looked ahead a little more, and I laughed. xD On the boat after, when we have the typical four main character friend shots, Otogi is standing in for Honda. Seriously, between that and Ryou of Noa's arc, as you said, zwe should just call him the Yuugi Group Alternate.
...the levels, oh the levels. x-x Suddenly it strikes me how the young teen deserves a pat on the back for not just imploding from the levels of trouble! So -back-pat for brunch, pass it on.-
But yes, while Seiran's still got it in her head to help with some of that so the dr can add fresh burdens hur hur the "enjoy life" part is lining up so well with her own current goals, how to not focus on that? x3 In some ways, personal 'philosophical' issues and fear of losing the friendship makes me think Piston's actually better equipped to help out on the identity help. But then, we don't want easy answers either, do we.
...and I don't know the Friday reference but still. xD
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As for how much TK thinks Akhenamkanon knows/knew - beats me, though I also wonder how much he'd care. It's a failure as a Pharaoh either way, all the more if said Pharaoh still gets to be the living embodiment of "justice". (I switched the timeline of my journeystory - it's now baby!Papyrus, who freaks the heck out when she visits a village and sees some of those men carrying the scary spears being lauded as heroes. Then a magician shows up and. Um. Let's just say when Papyrus and Black Lotus flee the village, there's blood everywhere.)
The moral of Yugioh just might be "It sucks to be King."
Poor Otogi. I like him, really I do. I should write him more often, but everyone else has similar traits in more EXTREME WAAAAAYS.
*passes*
Brunch will be focusing on the game since that's a concrete thing he can improve on, and it's another way of putting off his decision: if he gets better at Duel Monsters he can be ready to face the Pharaoh, just in case, and either way the Ghouls still need to be able to respect their leader's skills. If he's going after God Cards there's no getting around being able to duel. So it may be just him putting off some issues, Seiran, but it gives him the illusion of progress and isn't exclusively an act of sheer evil! <3
I'd love to expand on the CR with Piston. All Marlicks need an adult who's not afraid to kick them in the pants when they're making things too complicated or illogical. Be that as literal as it may.
Friday is a song that went viral this spring - a 13 year old girl made it for fun (her parents paid for a special "star in your own music video" thing) and it became a hit for all the wrong reasons. They auto-tuned her too much and the song's lyrics were banal to say the least.
The issue is that it's really, really catchy.
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Either way, I follow. And am quite curious to see young!TK development of any kind you write, even if it is a little like watching a train wreck. x-x They call that hard to look away from for a reason!
But god yes. And the irony is Atem (more or less depending on how realistic on funerary rites Takahashi meant to get and if I know what I'm talking about) didn't sit on his throne for more than like a second! xP All of the responsibility and sacrifices, none of the power.
Except Duel Monsters. But what else do ya need?
Well, she's perfectly fine in helping with goals like that. <3 Granted, that might come back to indirectly bite in some way... but then I have no problem with it!
Though I am currently I admit brainstorming overarching "goals" to give her & certain other more, er, reactionary muses o' mine. Just to give them activities to do in the DR. Other than games & marlicks.
But yes, if you think Piston is a satisfactory adult role model (er) then I'm all for throwing them into further interactions. It'll be good to give Piston somebody to squabble duel with and push along. You know, give him a few more lessons in fatherhood as Maakheru joked ic. xP
OHGOD that song. Yes, I know it, and I think I just wiped it from memory because it's bad to be caught singing those lyrics out loud. If only in my own opinion.
.....karaoke.
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Poor Atem, indeed. Given the timing he really did only have time to sit down and then all of a sudden some idiot's dragging his dad's body back through the gates. But given how eventful what little a reign he had was....XD It sounded like his father was only recently deceased indeed - though to perform a feat like Thief King apparently managed (completely emptying the tomb) TK would have needed several days, if the scope of the tomb was anything like historical tombs from that period. And that's with a helper with enormous muscular arms that can glide through walls.
WHICH BRINGS ME SOMEHOW TO MY NEW FAVORITE THING ABOUT MILLENNIUM WORLD that I might have talked about somewhere else. But think about it: Akhenaden wished upon the Millennium Eye, when he accepted it, "Make my son the Pharaoh". He reiterated that wish when he contracted with Zorc. It's his dying thoughts.
And what happens shortly after Akhenaden dies? Either Atem seals himself in the Puzzle (original) or Atem is handing Set the puzzle and going KAY GOTTA RUN LOOK AFTER THE PEOPLES FOR ME, WOULD YA (Dark RPG).
Akhenaden gets his wish.
Goals sound fun! I need to think of what my folks are up to, as well. Small Isis in particular needs to get more play, she's a lot of fun. :3
Oh my god, Piston and Maakheru talking about Brunch. I confess I don't think I read the entire thread but I was so amused (as I always am by their interactions, regardless of subject matter). Brunch never had a daddy worth the name so if Piston thinks he's up for whipping a Marlick into shape...Plus I love Piston and want to thread with him more.
Yes, that song, I'm so sorry. One of my requirements for the Brunch FST is "must not actually be good music, just catchy and appropriate music".
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Ha ha, what little I know on AE burial says the mummification process takes at least a couple months to get finished and then yes there's putting him in the tomb and then TK having time to remove things from the tomb. And the other thing is when the new pharaoh takes the throne during the long burying process, so-
But yes, uncertainty. But another historical hint is Siamun just starting construction on Atem's tomb. That sounds like a 'just ascended' project of the times, right?
Ah well.
The fact Akhenaden gets his wish... If not for him getting kill by his son's dragon girlfriend I could picture him up there somewhere going "HA! You see?? I did do the right thing! I got my wish!" Okay, maybe only in parody, but... Maybe. Though thinking on that always has me wondering what happened in Seto's rule, like when and if no more slab sealing/tomb keepers clan were established in his life or not, or if the shot of him with his priests and items says he might have kept on as before.
...which makes me feel kind of bad for TK, because you still got Items being used by totem head of Justice. And Justice is now Seto, not Atem. ...even with some redemption, step back maybe yes???
I know! Now if only I could come up with something. x3 I had thoughts like Lego commandeering the Game Store to practice running a shop, but that's a little too controlling on the DR set. Then there's silly mini-arc ideas like Pac-Man discovering he can possess NPC bodies, wondering if that's okay, etc. Or JigSaw getting into enough trouble from kidlet shenanigans or getting pharaoh hunted that they need Official Adult Guardian Now Please. And I'm still kind of lost Seiran but I had a thought of her organizing a Camping Trip into a created world Pegasus's Island? no wait. Generally CR keeps her nicely busy.
...right, sorry, done brainstorming swear.
But I'm all for more young Isis interactions or Piston/Brunch cr or.... pretty much anything, it's always fun. xD
And what else is a Jounouchi & past self-marlick to do than talk about their mutual run-in with an interesting ickle marlick?? Grant it, right now Piston's kind of untrusting Brunch on principle (yes yes he can be friendly with his Marik and lovers with Maakheru but still be irksome with a Marlick that might pull another pier stunt) but then maybe that's best for the goals in mind. Can't make any headway if he gets Rodded or easily lied to.
Also no. I'm not sure he's up to fathering a Marlick. But that don't mean I won't love trying.
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Come to think of it, Set's reign would make for a freaking awesome story in and of itself. He's haunted by the deaths of his King, his father-mentor-who-went-mad, and the woman he'd only just met but who really connected with him deeply, AND all of a sudden he himself is King and has to put the country back together.
How does he manage it? Do people accept him as the Pharaoh? Will they believe he's Akhenaden's son and has a bloodright to the throne? Does he start to question those matters of "justice", having seen everything he's seen? Isis has nothing but good things to say about the priest who inherited the Pharaoh's throne...heck, is even that a sure thing post-canon? Atem hands him the completed Puzzle, but is it ever explicitly stated that the first time around "the young priest who was the Pharaoh's friend" inherited the throne?
And at what point is the magic sealed away? Post-Atem, Atem was erased from history. Was that Set's work or a subsequent Pharaoh who decided to lock everything away? It seems the Tombkeepers would have to date from a time when the Priests weren't using those Items, since pre-split they guarded all the Items. And put that way it sounds like the Tombkeepers are directly descended, ideologically at least, from the institution of Item Priests.
I love seeing brainstorming, no worries! I fret that I talk too much about my group of folks so it's always wonderful to hear what may be in store for others.
Fun in a created world sounds good! I'm also going to see if anyone'd be up for an event involving a created world in the next HMD since I would like to do something "big" in the DR, but I want it to be something the people interested all are into.
When I get back home I'll be probably putting something up in the next few days, though looking at that front page a horribly disproportionate number of posts are me. -_-;;; But yes. This week, at some point, there will be teen Ishtars.
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But yes if I had to make a guestimate mangaverse wise, I'll put money on the 1-3 months range on Atem's range. =3 No, I'm not making it more specific than that.
Really, if you had a villain or battle to throw at Set to coincide with the inner struggles - maybe someone else claiming for the throne as you say - it'd make a freaking show! Story. A plot. So on.
I will say it is pretty likely Set always really inherited throne, given YnYuugi has a flash at the end of the MW arc of him as pharaoh, with his own priests. Including Mana. x3 Which really, you are awful for pointing out she (& Mahaado) have the Ishtar kohl lines. And it made me look up and realize she has white blond hair a la manga. And I think you can see where I'm going with this.
But when things shift is a lot harder to say. But even if they're averaging up the Ishtars claim somewhere to be guarding the Items for 3,000 years, right? So that's a good sign the magic was sealed pretty soon after Atem. Unless it's true they descend from some priests (hur) and are counting the time before going underground?
Ah, filling in that gap.
Phew. My backburned ideas already on the shelf make me feel a little eh on throwing out more. ^-^;;
And no worries, I love hearing about what you're up to muse-wise too. Partly because of the opportunity to say "yes, do THAT!" at certain points. x3
Whooooo, big plot! =D I'm all for it!! Have you got some ideas to throw out on the HMD to vote from, or is it a full group collab?? Ah, I shouldn't push for previews!
And no worries, I think you deserve a good bit of credit for helping to Monster Reborn YGODR this summer. And I shall biasedly suggest activity always.
/thumbs up
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My only wonder re: the things that happen at the end of the MW manga all have to do with how much it sounds like what happens in MW differs from what happens the first time around. There's allusions to what happened the first time around which sound like, kell surprise, Takahashi's original plan for the arc, with a war between possessed!Set and Akhenaden-Zorc v. Atem and his followers, involving a giant army of ka and so forth instead of the giant monster we all know and, um, love, as Zorc. I'll get back to you on my opinions of "what really happened" when I've had a chance to review everything Set-centric. ~_^ But yes, if those visions are to be believed...
I put up a few before that no one responded to so I might reiterate or put out a call for ideas. We'll see come Wednesday. I think HMD is this Wednesday, anyway.
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Er, I mean, the vision was YnYuugi's conviction from outside the game rather than anything of YnBakura's creation, so I think it's pretty trustworthy. But yes, the lead up to the Atem's sealing in reality is a very iffy topic. Only thing we have for sure is both Atem & Akhenaden left behind a mummy (former seen in Shadi arc, the later a lovely centerpiece of the MW game), so their bodies were intact afterwords.
Which is curious, now that I consider it. After all, they wouldn't likely give a formal burial to a traitor like that no matter his relation to royals, right?? Huh, I wonder if Set kept his role a secret or something for some reason... OR, if they went through the burial but with curses or seals on the corpse.
...and now I'm thinking of The Mummy.
Wait, during this summer? oxo I didn't notice any of your muses missed... But, even if so, we all get a muse skipped once in a while. It's likely just bad timing on the IRL level for taggers than disinterest!
Or, maybe I'm just in denial. ^o^;;
But yes, a quick check of the page says it'll be the two week mark for HMD.
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Your mention of Akhenaden's mummy is indeed interesting. It brings to mind a Chronicles of Prydain quote I adore - if you don't know the series, let's just say there's one book where Person A, a generally unpleasant sort, sacrifices himself to save everyone from the machinations of Person B, who had been a loyal supporter of the King until he went bad. And they both are honored in death: "[Person B] for what he was, and [Person A] for what he became." Loses its majesty with the substitutions, but in any case. You would really like this series, I think. <3
Though how well that jibes with Egyptian mindsets I can't say. I can think of a host of reasons to do the politically correct thing and cover up that Akhenaden went mad, though. The beloved Pharaoh of the past can't be seen to have had a brother like that.
....and then Set has more issues on his plate with "hiding the truth again". Covering up for Akhenaden, again. While he's still coming to terms himself with everything his "mentor" turned out to be.
Oh, sorry, I worded that poorly. In my first HMD post I offered some overarching plot suggestions and didn't get concrete feedback, though I do know you're interested. <3 Also, sorry I didn't thank you for your kindness re: me and the DR this summer in my last response. I meant to and then hit "Reply" too soon.
But really, it's the game that I measure all other games to. Some have come close, but none have reached it. So anything I can do to help other people enjoy it as much as I do, or help them find it if they're looking for a place, I want to try!
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