#arc5dxal

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(Possibly the only normalish ask you'll get tonight) tell me something you like about each Yugioh protagonist?

QUARKIE.... YOU’RE A GIFT TO THIS WORLD....

Yugi: Never stopped being kind despite being constantly bullied. And also he’s the protag we got to see grow the most because of DSOD and being the pilot character and all. And I really like that his cards reflect that (with silent magicians and cute cards you shouldn't underestimate like marshmellon)

Judai: ...Actually we got to see him grow up a lot too within one series. He’s always been especially charming to me. I saw the dub first and I think he’s the only protagonist that I was immediately sold on (I love the others but it took me a few minutes to be like “okay I’m on board.” With Judai, it was within like two lines. Literally at the “Oh well! [...]” and we saw his face for the first time. There’s a lot of other things but I’m gonna try not going into depth for now

Yusei: He’s really cool. I don’t mean just in the cool silent type thing because that was a little boring for me in the first episode before they really got his underlying personality going. I hold all the yugioh mottos close to my heart but I really really loved his philosophy that no card is ever useless, especially with the introduction of synchros and tiny tuners and stuff. He’s just a really cool guy.

Yuma: He’s the first protag that literally made me burst into tears because he was too pure for me. Not going into spoilers but it was a moment I thought he was going to be really upbeat and optimistic but instead he was sort of quiet and still hopeful and crying and accepting, and I absolutely broke at that one scene. And I already loved his kattobingu from the get go but that was the moment I decided I wanted to protect him forever

Yuya: Despite not getting the best writing, he’s the protag I did relate to the most so far... I actually loved how sensitive he was (to the point where it held him back) to the point that in the first few episodes he couldn’t fathom why someone would steal someone’s cards just because they could. That sort of cruelty was beyond him at that point. He gets lost in his own head a lot and I could relate to that.

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Something you like about each YGO antagonist whose first name begins in the last quarter of the alphabet?

I hate you (I know you mean villains too so I can include zarc)

Also uh, spoilers

Pegasus: Magnificent. He just sort of became a friend later on, which was interesting, but he just sort of an enjoyable villain with the BEST voice in both the sub and the dub. The voice sort of is my favorite thing about him so I’ll leave it there.

Sartorius?? I guess??: I don’t really…remember a lot about him… I will give props to him for looking like a vampire and not immediately being suspected as a villain. (I think?? It’s been so many years since I’ve watched GX :C)

Yubel: Sick character design. I thought they were super interesting in general and I kind of wish we got to know more about their past life a little more. To be honest it made me uncomfortable when I was younger that a major villain was suddenly a good guy and literally connected with the protag, but they’ve always been really cool anyways and I like that they’ve sort of been a presence since the beginning without us really knowing.

Rex Godwin: I think a lot of people think he’s a shitty villain, but I thought he was fine honestly? I thought he was sort of generic but he was also sort of… unsettling? Which is a good thing in a villain. He doesn’t even look very threatening but he didn’t look like someone I would trust.

Z-ONE: Super creepy to me. (which again these negative traits are all good things about villains to me) His cards were so unsettling and so was the fact that he modified himself to look just like our protagonist?? I thought maybe he just was Yusei with all the clues leading up to the reveal but somehow it was worse that he was just another guy who tried to become him. His goals were still a little confusing but again, his whole motivation and design were interesting to me.

Vector: One of my top villains of all time. He was Plot Twist: the villain, and he was enjoyable the whole time through Zexal. The thing I love most though is that he is fundamentally what an antagonist should be, antagonizing everything the protagonist stands for. He does everything out of hate and fuels off of despair. He dangles hope in front of the protagonist’s face and snatches it away like it’s the funniest thing in the world. I could talk forever about him honestly. A fantastic villain.

Zarc: ruined my life, 0/10

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Oh, man! I really wanted to ask all of the zexal ones but it looks like they've already been answer! So how about numbers one and eight for the meme?

No worries, I pretty much answered everything as Zexal anyway haha :’)

No. 1  - Favorite Yu-Gi-Oh season

...Okay the default really is the whole Barian arc in Zexal... I just can’t not say that... BUT, I also love the Dark Signers arc in 5ds just as much. I think that was when I realized that the yugioh spinoffs were getting better and better (after having watched Gx). They obviously still have weak points but 5ds was the first one I saw that had an overarching theme and villain right off the bat and I was thrilled. 

And people make lots of cool AUs and angsty things based off of both the Dark Signers and the Barian arcs and I absolutely love them

No. 8  - That character(s) that you just can’t hate no matter how much you try

YUURI... He has done nothing redeemable... but he just has so much fun with his job... He lives for this stuff. It’s so hard to hate the guy it’s the worst

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Numbers for the YuGiOh ask meme ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ: 20,26,28,29

No.20 - Favorite Zexal battle

The healing duel on top of the hospital between Shark and Yuma (I’m very predictable.) I think tied for second would be either the unfinished duel between Shark and Yuma during the Duel Carnival (only because Shark makes the best expressions and I have to thank the animators for that) and the first duel between Yuma and Alit. Their duels before things went to shit were just SO MUCH FUN.

No.26 - Favorite Yu-Gi-Oh villain face

I mean that’s not pleasant to look at but fuck me if he doesn’t have the best villain faces. I would pick several examples but this is already going to get long so

No.28 - Favorite went bad character

...NASCH  okay if I’m banning myself from zexal, I have to say Judai. I watched GX before I got into any fandom so the whole Haou thing was a COMPLETE surprise to me and I’m so glad it was. I had never even seen fanart before I watched those episodes. And I still see a lot of talk and headcanons about him post-canon and during season 4, and it’s some of the most intriguing stuff I’ve read in yugioh meta.

No.29 - Your favorite  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) moment/scene

(I don’t really ship this but I laugh every time I see this. Like chill man.) (also it took be FOREVER to find this)

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7, 9, 30, 32!

No. 7  - Favorite hairstyle?

Answered this one! (it was Mizael for his wing hair hehe)

No. 9  - Favorite relationship/friendship (in general)

...Yuma and Shark....Yes the start of their friendship is forced due solely by Yuma’s really bright insistent nature, but they just support each other all the time. They always go out of their way to make sure the other one is doing okay (even if Shark would never admit it). 

Yuma and Astral also have a really good relationship though.. There was one duel that was super serious and Astral got super serious but then Yuma just all of sudden breaks in the middle of that to go “...man you’re really taking after me, aren’t you?” and they just have a mini bicker. And I just love little things like that. They’re great partners but also tease each other

No.30 - any of your OTP headcanons

(I’m making this whole thing sharkbait I’m so sorry)

I’m pretty bad at otp headcanons but I do like to imagine that they’ve had “dates” so to speak. During the series and after the series, I like the idea of them just having a normal day. Going to get food, looking at new cards, maybe even having a sleepover. Oh man Shark meeting Yuma’s family would just be the cutest thing too, because Granny Haru would cook for them and everything and Shark would just not be used to a family setting. And he can’t act like a delinquent around his best friend’s whole family. (Yeah there’s the matter of it reminding him of his own family but I’d rather not get angsty.) Basically they’re friends, and I expect them to hang out like normal teenagers goddammit. 

(My headcanons are very plain when I don’t have a prompt to go off of haha)

No.32 - Favorite phrase

Kattobingu! It’s been a lifesaver for me, honestly. Just for in show purposes (and this applies to all series honestly) is that one line “SOREWA DOU KANA?” (or “we’ll see about that” though I’m not sure how to translate that exactly. I forget what the subs say) Like I love when everything stops and the protag drops that line, and everyone knows shit’s going to go down.

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If you don't mind: Numbers 7, 19, and 22 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! ask meme.

I absolutely don’t mind haha

No. 7  - Favorite hairstyle?

Mizael! He has WING HAIR yo

No.19 - Favorite Zexal character

Oh man... don’t do this to me... I mean... it’s between Shark and Yuma. I really can’t choose between them I’m sorry

No.22 - Favorite Arc V character

D: Maybe I do mind you asking me actually... (I’m kidding. Mostly.)Umm... Yuya for sure. Tied for a VERY close second though are Shun and Serena. All of the Arc-V characters are so likeable though :’) (All of the Yuus man all of the Yuuuus)

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6, 14, 24, & 31 (for the YGO ask meme!)

6. Favorite characterOh nooooo how could you do this to me… Yuma, Yuya… basically all the protagonists really… But also Shark, Shun, Crow, and Serena (I have too many faves I’m sorry)

14. How long have you been in the fandom?I actually got into the fandom pretty recently. I don’t think it’s even been a year? I’ve loved yugioh for years and grew up with it as a kid, but I didn’t discover the tumblr fandom until almost a year ago. And since then I’ve sort of wiggled my way in with text posts and fanart haha…

24. Unpopular opinion?UMM, hmm… I guess I don’t hate a lot of the arcs that a lot of people do? Like the DOMA arc in DM or WRGP in 5ds. They have valid arguments but I always sort of watch the pointless tournaments as if I’m there and just watching duels for pure entertainment. I don’t know I like to make sideline comments to those sort of things. Are they still pointless? Absolutely. (Except for DOMA, which was filler but still had character development? so I’m not sure what’s the beef with that)

31. Favorite duel (because they are often a series of episodes)Any duel with Yuma and Shark (in zexal)… The last one is probably the fave fave but all of those just make me feel so much…

[umbrellanest]

You know as much as people can complain about how the card game is played in the show I will forever be impressed by how they can utilize it to invoke foreshadowing and metaphors for darker elements