#GX Round 1

[yugioh-rare-pair-poll]

Round 1: Poll 1

Propaganda under the cut

Pairing 1: Emasculateshipping(Professor Cronos de Medici | Dr. Vellian Crowler/Napoleon | Jean-Louis Bonaparte)

Propaganda: As the Funny European Team Rocket Men of GX, the two are almost too obvious-- not just in how much time they spend together or how much of that time seems a bit too intimate for men who are supposedly just work buddies. The ship, with its participants being based on historical figures (obviously, Napoleon Bonaparte and the Medici family respectively), the ship therefore has a real-world historical precedent of sorts (Napoleon was Italian; two Medici women married into French royalty); the two have similar and compatible priorities (Cronos being first and foremost concerned with his babies-- ahem, *students*, while Napoleon is mostly worried about his own son; the step-father potential in Cronos is Immaculate) and, of course, the ship is very funny-- not in the least because you have two men, one single in his mid-thirties while the other is divorced in his fifties, thereby trying to navigate their relationship like a pair of stupid teenagers. But of course, there is also serious potential in the ship as well. After all, Napoleon's divorce means that he's going to be extremely anxious about screwing up a good thing again, while for Cronos it's a potential red flag that their relationship will end in disaster. The plot of season 3 also gives them both immense pain to work through, after all that they've been helpless as their respective kids suffered. It's easy to overlook them both, especially Napoleon (I promise that's not a joke at the expense of his height, he's just kinda mainly remembered for how he's introduced in season 2 as French Cis Cronos and has little unique character of his own until Martin's introduction), but there's absolutely something to engage with both in the characters themselves and in the interactions between them. Also they literally went on a picnic date while watching Judai duel once they're gay your honor

Pairing 2: Thirdshipping(Saotome Rei | Blair Flannigan/Martin Kanou|Marcel Bonaparte)

Propaganda:  Sometimes love is two weird outcast kids hurting each other and finding peace anyways

Now, let’s keep things civil. This is a silly poll where we can share why we love our overlooked ships. There’s no need to be nasty to prove your point. Bashers will be consumed by Darkness.

[yu-gi-poll]

ROUND 1D, MATCH 5 OUT OF 8!

Monster Stats & Propaganda Under the Cut:

Rescue Cat is used by Momoe Hamaguichi (Mindy in the English dub). Its stats are the following:

Attribute: EARTH

Level: 4

Type: BEAST / EFFECT

Effect Type: IGNITION / CONDITION

Effect (according to the anime): “By sending this face-up card to the Graveyard, Special Summon 2 Level 3 or lower Beast-Type monsters from your Deck. The monsters Special Summoned this way are destroyed at the end of this turn.”

ATK / DEF: 300 / 100

Propaganda:

BABY MEOW MEOW!!!!

OBJECTIVELY THE BEST BECAUSE LOOK AT IT. This cat saves lives.

Outstanding Dog Marron is used by Rei Saotome (Blair Flannigan in the English dub). Its stats are the following:

Attribute: LIGHT

Level: 1

Type: BEAST / EFFECT

Effect Type: TRIGGER

Effect (according to the anime): “When this card is sent to your Graveyard, add it to your Deck and shuffle it.”

ATK / DEF: 100 / 100

Propaganda:

I mean, it's not called REGULAR dog maron, is it?

She's outstanding. She's a dog. She's Marron. Three great points right there.

[school-of-all-time]

Round Four, Bracket 1

[who-do-i-know-this-man]

⚠️Vote for whomever YOU DO NOT KNOW⚠️‼️

[sleepyhead-poll]

ROUND 1A, MATCH 12 OUT OF 16!

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Judai Yuki:

He's my blorbo. I mean! Being sleepy isn't his main character trait, but him napping in class all the time & overall is just very sleepy when he isn't dueling or saving the world. I love him so much. Best Yugioh protag (in my opinion) (though there are a lot of good ones...)

Sonic the Hedgehog:

he very often is shown relaxing (attempting) to sleep somewhere, hates being woken up/waking up in the morning

Over multiple pieces of media, Sonic is a very sleepy guy. This is mainly seen in Sonic X (where he’s often seen napping on Chris’s roof in the first two seasons), but can also be seen in other pieces of media (for example, part of his idle animation in Sonic Generations includes him falling asleep waiting for you to start playing the game again, although this is specific to Modern Sonic. Additionally, Sonic and the Secret Rings opens on a shot of Sonic asleep with a copy of the Arabian Nights on his face) and is a common part of fanfiction. He just appears to prefer to sleep if he’s not running or busy, and it’s very fitting for a hedgehog because from what I’ve seen hedgehogs sleep a lot.

[straightbaittournament]

may the best bait win! propaganda under the cut:

asuka and yuki:

The ship name (fianceshipping) comes from the episode where Judai *accidentally* duels some guy to become Asuka's fiance (said guy never asks Asuka how she feels about this, ugghhh greater Duel Academia student body be normal about ladies challenge). Turns out that he *didn't know what a fiance was* and just wanted to have a good ol' time cardgaming. I think that this says more about this ship than anything else I could tell you. During the final season, Asuka almost confesses to him but cuts herself off & they then thank each other for giving each other some clarity of mind because they're both going through pretty rough times at that point in the plot. Looks concerningly like they're about to do a whole "ohh we need to make the main girl and boy romance out of obligation" bit and then they just don't do it. It's great. I have no idea if this counts because I didn't personally feel baited but I think they're very fun as a pair and I like them 🫡. judai is the gayest guy of all time (subtext) and im like 80% sure asuka was experiencing comphet bc he's the only guy in their grade that treats her like a person. besties 4ever!!!!!!!! straightmod has been informed that judai is also textually queer because he is canonically attracted to a non-binary character.

mako and raleigh:

Literally everything about the writing of Pacific Rim make it seem like they're setting up for a romance between these two and then they just. Don't. Despite this, "drift compatable" was one of the most popular AUs for couples after the film came out for a hot minute because of how romantic they (mako and raleigh) made the concept seem.

[heterochromiasmackdown]

HETEROCHROMIA SMACKDOWN ROUND 1 MATCH 16

[tourneys-by-me]

Multiple Elements Character Tournament - Round 1 (C) 7/12

Elemental Hero Neos: Water, Fire, Wind, Earth, Light, and Darkness

Greencap: Fire, Ice, Light, and Electricity

Propaganda under the cut

Elemental Hero Neos: A hero from space who can merge with alien DNA to increase his abilities!

[bestygogirl]

BEST YGO GIRL: Round 1, Group B

Match 14

Propaganda under the cut!

Princess Rose

Wasn't submitted with any propaganda, so hopefully there's some in the notes!

Apollousa

She has a fluffy bear she's extremely beautiful and she has a special move card whose original name was "Artemate/Ultimate Slay"

[namedafterflowerstournament]

Botanic Tournament : Asters Bracket !

Round 1 Poll 2

A submitter mentioned that Aster Phoenix is named Edo Phoenix in the original work and seemed hesitant to submit them. While I appreciate informative bits -which can be useful for tags and such-, I thought I may clarify things for you all :

I'm okay with submissions for characters whose original name (no matter the language) AND/OR English name matches the description in my pinned post.

[linkspooky]

Yu-Gi-Oh GX and Alchemy: Rubedo

Yu-Gi-Oh GX is an anime that uses Alchemy symbolism to tell it's story. Specifically it follows the journey of Judai as an apprentice alchemist tasked with producing the Great Work in Alchemy and forginf of the philosopher's stop.

Each season is based off the four Stages of turning lead into gold and crafting the philosopher's tone. Season 1 is Nigredo or 'Blackening'. Season 2 is Albedo or 'Whitening', Season 3 is Citrinitas and Season 4 is Rubedo the final stage.

This analysis of Season 4 will explore Rubedo, symbolized by the color red, the element of Earth, and Judai growing into an full-fledged adult by incorporating Yubel, his other half / other self. The two of them together makes a whole person, and season 4 continues developing their relationship as they seek redemption for their actions in season 3 together.

The Philosopher's Stone as a Metaphor for Growth

I often talk about the Philosopher's Stone as the end goal of the alchemical process, but now that we've reached Rubedo where the Philosopher's stone is forged I'd like to discuss in depth what the Philosopher's stone actually represents.

Jung used alchemy as a metaphor for psyhcological development. He related each stage of alchemy to an aspect of psychoanalysis and the process as a whole to the proess of individuation.

Jung defined individuation as as the optimal path to personal development for an individual. Judai is one of the most flawed Yu-Gi-Oh protagonists and part of his journey is learning to recogize his flaws and grow up.

As Jung explains in Two Essays on Analytical Psychology:1

The aim of individuation is nothing less than to divest the self of the false wrappings of the persona on the one hand, and the suggestive power of the primordial images on the other.

Judai's growth requires two things recognizing two things about himself.

The social mask and false identity the ego created for itself in the course of early development, and

The unconscious influences of the archetypes.

That is combining both the outward mask which is used to socially interact with others the persona, and the shadow which is the hidden part of the personality made up of every personality trait we try to avoid showing to others.

The process of individuation is incorporating both of these into your personality so you can be a more well-rounded person. For Judai this means by the end of Season 4 he's aware of his outer persona, a fun-loving persona who enjoys duels, but also his suppressed personality flaws that are represented mirrored in Yubel. Judai's relationship with his Yubel is a metaphor for this, first rejecting everything about Yubel, and eventually fusing with Yubel and incorporating several of Yubel's traits into themself. Season 4 is an analysis of their post super polymerization relationship and also the changes in Judai after fusing with Yubel.

Jung defined each stage of alchemy as a metaphor for a different part of the personality as defined by psychoanalysis, in Rubedo one becomes their complete self.

In an archetypal schema, rubedo represents the Selfarchetype, and is the culmination of the four stages, the merging of ego and Self. It is also described as a stage that gives birth to a new personality. [Source.]

Judai and Yubel don't just forge a philosopher's stone together, by fusing and completing a chemical wedding / a union of opposites they quite literally become a philosopher's stone. As the philosopher's stone is symbolic of the end result of personal growth.

As stated in Get Your Gender On: Jaden Yuki and Yubel:

Conceptually Yubel also draws from the mythical Rebis, the idealized human that alchemists believed formed when creating a philosopher’s stone: “The alchemists, in their quest for philosophical gold, considered the world to be influenced and manipulated by a multitude of paired forces: wet and dry, cold and hot, sun and moon, male and female, proton and neutron, etc. When these opposing forces are harmonized and balanced through synthesis, creation is commenced. The Great Hermaphrodite is an amalgam of this union.” 

Now moving onto Judai's personal growth in Season 4 and his developing relationship with Yubel. (For those curious about Johan I already made a comprehensive post for him here, if I cover both Johan and Yubel in the same post this post will be way longer than it already is.)

The Red Phase

The last season incorporates a lot of symbolism for the final stage of alchemy. In particular, the color red, the element of air, and finally the completion of Judai's personal growth by the anime still holding Judai for his worst flaws, and showing that fusing with Yubel did not fix all of his problems and he still has a lot of growing to do.

To begin with Judai spends majority of the season isolated from his former friends, spending most of his time in the Osiris Red dorm. Judai's cutting out all his friends from his life is also a big no-no when it comes to Alchemy, because alchemy is also a metaphor for refining your relationships with people into better versions. Since the Persona, the part of yourself you present to other people is half of your identity, relationships with people is necessary for your psychological development.

One of the first things Judai is called out for this season is pushing away his friends, particularly by Asuka. This is after an incident where Judai mistreats an already hospitalized Fubuki. Remember in Season 3 one of Judai's biggest flaws was allowing his friends to come to harm because he was too focused on himself to see his suffering.

Asuka: You've changed. Judai: There are some things you can never change back.

Judai not handling his trauma from Season 4 is understandable after all, also his decision to distance himself from his friends after all he literally did watch them die. However, Judai never attempts to communicate this to his friends, instead choosing to withdraw from them completely without even an explanation.

In doing this he repeats a lot of his flaws from Season 3. After all, one of Manjoume biggest callouts from Season 3 is that Judai is the only person in his own kingdom (meaning he never tries to understand other people's points of view). So, making decisions for other people and assuming he knows best is repeating this flaw.

This is something highlighted in his decision to attempt to leave the island when he senses the oncoming threat of darkness trying to handle it on his own, which Saiou points out: 1) Won't solve the problem, and 2) he's not the only one involved because his friends are in danger too. Once again Judai only thinks of himself ad doesn't even consider his friends might be in potential danger as well, or might want to help him.

Saiou: Judai the chairman and I are vaguely aware what happened to you. Saiou: I know how you feel, but this is a new mission that only you are capable of. Saiou: You cannot abandon it, and cannot desert your friends and leave this island.

In the same episode Judai has his first duel with Trueman / Darkness in a lava field. Not only is this a reference to Season 1 his first major duel with Fubuki, but also the Nigredo stage, the first stage of alchemy, which is symbolized by the element of fire.

Why reference Nigredo in season 4 which is all about alchemy. Season 4 references Nigredo to represent Judai's risk of backsliding on his worst flaws and therefore failing his personal growth, represented by the process of reverse alchemy. This is also represented by the constant references to darkness and fire, Judai duels on a lava field, Judai duels Fubuki / Darkness again which both reference events in Season 1 the Nigredo season.

Austi who uses a fire attribute deck also has a long sequence where Trueman transforms into Austi (therefore as a metaphor for his shadow self, an "I am You" sort of thing, and then reveals Austin hidden trauma with a car accident that nearly got his mother killed and because of that he developed his indecisiveness and dependence on taking orders from other people which caused a lot of his flawed decisions in season 3) and by revealing these flaws Trueman literally causes Austi to dissolve and experience an ego death.

You chose me - the with the skills that you needed to survive. All so you would survive. That holds true now. [...] But you couldn't forgive yourself. For making a choice you couldn't possibly make. YOu should have cried. You should have chosen to die with your father and mother. You should have been true to your emotions.

This reflects a deeply repressed insecurity of Austin's (to begin with he barely remembers the car accident and needs to be reminded of it) that he's a selfish coward who makes choices for his own benefit for survival. One of Austi's flaws is cowardice but he also is someone who confronts his cowardice and shows great bravery at times.

Which is another reason why the shadow must be integrated, just like you can't exhibit bravery without first battling cowardice, you can't improve your flaws if you don't know what they are ad confront them. Austinis also a clear foil for Judai, in Season 3 Austin and Judai both get worse before they can get better. Austin is on the side of Cobra and then commits a major act of cowardice by leaving his friend Jim behind (once again acting in self preservation which he feels guilty about by doing with his mother) and he's also the one to fight and kill the supreme king who is the embodiment of Judai's worst self.

Austin's mini-arc in Domino City is also reflective of another flaw of Judai's. After being told several times this season that abandoning his friends to try to accomplish everything on his own will only make things worse this season, Judai abandons his friends to try to save Austin's when he's in trouble.

The people in Domino might be gone, for whatever frightful reason, but it’s O’Brien’s name that Judai obsessively calls out through the deserted streets. And there’s a very good reason for this. Judai is massively indebted to O’Brien for the latter’s actions in saving him fro himself in Season 3. So indebted that he likely doesn’t even know how to deal with the debt — especially not when O’Brien is being extremely helpful and useful to him, regardless of everything that happened before. So in Judai’s mind, there’s nothing but a very clear purpose, to the utter exclusion of all else, because of course he’ll rescue his own savior, the consequences be damned.

Recognize this attitude? You should — it’s the exact same that motivated him to run after his friend Johan Andersen to the other dimensions. With entirely disastrous results. Even with all that death and destruction on his conscience, our hero makes the exact same mistake and walks straight into the villain’s trap, who had known all too well that O’Brien would be the most tempting local bait for Yuki Judai.  [...] Yes, you read that right. Our hero almost handed complete victory to the villain by repeating the mistakes that put him on the road to damnation. And it is a goddamn brilliant bit of character writing, because core character flaws don’t just go away. They stay with us to the end of our days and all we can do is be conscious of their presence, their potential impact and mitigate them, to a degree [Source]

Something which has disastrous consequences, 1) nearly getting him killed in a trap with a warehouse rigged to explode, 2) he doesn't eve successfully save Austin and 3) While he's gone the darkness consumes the whole of duel academy island and Judai didn't even leave his friends with a warning that they might be in danger.

Judai is only saved from this situation because of his relationships, the same ones he's been neglecting for awhile because Johan shows up to snap Judai out of it when he's under darkness's thrall - (There's something meaningful about how Judai hallucinates Johan of all people as an enemy like, it's reflective of the unhealthy way he sees his friends). It's only at the point of Johan's appearance (alchemy requires the dissolution and reforming of bonds) that Judai begins accepting help. Johan is also the only person besides Yubel that Judai will accept help from.

Darkness as a whole is basically a metaphor for reverse alchemy, hence why there are a lot of associations with Nigredo, dueling in fire locations, parallels to season 1, all because Darkness represents the threat that Judai might reverse his character development and fall back on old habits rather than growing up and graduating.

A major theme for Season 4 too is graduation anxieties, it's something explored in Hell Kaiser Ryo's character who actually did regress because he couldn't cope with the pressures of adulthood and the fact that just because you're succesful in school doesn't translate to success in the real world. Judai is a character who's the most resistant to growing hence why one of the main themes of the whole series is Judai's journey to becoming an adult.

Judai's positive moments of development are associated with air, the elemental symbol of Rubedo. One of the biggest is his assistance of Honest, who he quite literally incorporates into his soul for awhile along Yubel, but is also the first duel spirit Judai is show helping onscreen. In Season 4 Judai is given a lot of new powers from Yubel, but Judai is not yet aware of what he can use these new powers for, and how to atone for his mass slaughter of duel spirits. He eventually ends up trying to take on Johan's dream for himself by choosing to become a mediator between Duel Spirits and people and helping Honest, and also helping Honest and Fujiwara reconcile is the first step towards that.

Judai: You're starting to break up, Mr. Darkness. The shadow that Fujiwara was caught in. It's starting to mark the end of the eclipse. You wat to come back. Fujiwara: So, you...You really didn't forget me? PLease... don't ever forget me. Honest: Of course.

Fujiwara is also a character like trueman who represents the danger of reverse alchemy. My friend @hamliet equates reverse alchemy to resisting grief and death in this post.

"Salem’s stuck in the second stage of grief (anger, denial was trying to get Oz back). Only by accepting Oz is gone and letting her tears dissolve her rage will she be refined. 

After Salem learns to grieve, I would assume she’d die and mayhaps join Oz in the afterlife while her body turns to dust (that last part is just me liking the poetry). Death is not a punishment in RWBY after all. 

Her name means “peace,” and I don’t doubt that that is exactly what her endgame will be: finding peace. I’ll leave you with a quote from Lyndy Abraham on the symbolism of peace in alchemy"

During the early, primitive stage of the opus, sulphur and mercury, body and spirit, are often referred to as the quarreling couple… the reconciliation of the couple is also known as the conversion of the four elements (see opus circulatorium). The elements with their opposing qualities are said to be warring, conflicting foes until reconciled and united in peace. 

To equate this to Yu-Gi-Oh GX (Salem is a character in RWBY another work inspired by Alchemy btw if you're curious), Fujiwara's entire motivation is that he's afraid that just like he began to forget his parents that one day he will die and be forgotten therefore it's not worth attempting to connect with friends.

This isn't true as he's shown twice, through the bond with Fubuki who still tries to save him years after Fujiwara went missing and who's greatest regret is his inability to help Fujiwara to the point where he plans to end the duel in a draw so he can disappear together with Fujiwara this time and also his bond with Honest who impersonates him and investigates where he went literally years after the fact and after Fujiwara deliberately abandoned him.

Fujiwara rejects both death and grief, his inability to properly mourn his parents makes him incredibly insecure about his relationships. By rejecting grief he also rejects the value of relationships in the first place in favor of a nihilism to comfort himself, if all relationships have to end because life is by it's nature ephemeral then relationships have no meaning in the first place.

Fujiwara's broken relationship with Honest is also a parallel to Judai's relationship with Yubel in Season 3. They both abandon their spirit partner "for their own sake", Honest because Fujiwara did not want him hurt by the darkness, and Judai because he thought space might correct Yubel's dysfunction. The partner is deeply hurt, and one person in the partnership is deeply afraid of being forgotten (Fujiwara assumes all of his friends will forget him one day, and Yubel is actually forgotten by Judai which is part of their motivation for villainry). Judai begins his character development at the end of season 3 by reconciling with his spirit partner, and Judai is able to defeat Fujiwara by summoning Honest, and shakes him loose from Darkness's control by reminding him of his relationship with Honest.

It's likely no coincidence that Yubel finally shows up to duel alongside Judai immediately after Judai has helped a spirit reconcile with their partner.

As a brief aside I do think it is a writing flaw Yubel's only at the end of Season 4. I'm not sure why the writers made this choice, but if I were to come up with an in-story explanation it would be that a big part of the mystery of season 4 is whether or not Yubel is still there, and also Judai navigating what his new identity exactly means so maybe Yubel doesn't come out as an advisor until Judai was physically ready to accept their help (after accepting Johan's as well).

Yubel's introduction also references the fact that Judai forgot they were there again, the same way that Fujiwara forgot how much Honest cared for him.

Judai: So what, even if I'm all alone. Until the very end. Yubel: Come now, I wouldn't say that you're alone. Judai you may be a meat-headed scatter brain, but it's too soon for you to die. Judai: You've still got an attitude, huh? Yubel: Only because you forgot about me. You are not alone. I am with you. Judai: That's right. Inside me is another soul who believes in me.

Once again every moment of Judai's character growth and advancement to the Rubedo phase is when he acknowledges his friends, and it's really kickstarted at the end when Johan shows up to bail Judai out, showing him physically how much he still needs his friends because everytime he attempts to do everything on his own he biffs it.

At the end of the first mini-arc too, Judai duels the five-headed dragon (five heads symbolic of the five stages of alchemy, there are four to five stages depending on whether or not you count the rainbow / peacock feather stage) and afterwards is the moment wher Judai's relationship with his friends begins to improve and he spends the next arc trying to help them from the shadows after ignoring them early season.

Judai's moments of character growth come from when he opens himself up to the people around him instead of closing himself off. The climax of this being his final chemical wedding with Yubel where he forges the philosopher's stone by literally fusing Yubel with Neos his signature monster (the same way he at the end of season 3 symbolically fused Neos and Yubel's 3rd stage on the field together with super poly in order to fuse his and Yubel's soul).

This comes after Yubel is taken away from Judai (confronted with their worst fear again separation / abandonment) but this time Judai immediately tries to get them back and Yubel believes in him.

Judai: I'll get you back. Yubel: Of course you will.

This moment combined with Johan's sacrifice in the duel against Fujiwara shows that Judai can handle a separation from Yubel / Johan without completely spiraling (Yubel can also have faith that Judai will get them back too). The other significant moment to show the progress in Judai and Yubel's relationship from season 3 is Yubel suggesting the final play of the duel, which is removing their card from play in order to summon back Neos.

It's character development for both of them, one Yubel hated when Judai used any of their other monsters and insisted that Judai did not need friends besides them, but now they're the one to suggest Judai using Neos. Number two, Judai once again accepts Yubel's sacrifice and doesn't spiral when they're left alone.

Acceptance of death is required for a rebirth in alchemy and the central tenant of dissolve et coagula. Judai has to let go of Yubel and also trust that they'll come back afterwards.

To quote Hamliet again:

So the main tenet of alchemy is solve et coagula: dissolve, and coagulate. Putrefy, and come together. Die, and be reborn. Each time the process happens the subject (in literature, the characters) become more and more refined.  Thus? Death is an integral part of alchemy, just as integral as life. The phoenix, which immolates and rises from its ashes, is a symbol of the completion of the work.

Judai's friends also putrefy and come back stronger, after dissolving into darkess quite literally, and being confronted with their worst fears, Judai's speech about all the mistakes he's made on their journey help them overcome it and return to Judai's side to watch the final move of the duel.

Nightshroud: Thou dost wield strength to fight on, but that is something that others lack. Judai: No.. you're the one who doesn't get it. I'm not strog at all. A while back my heart drowned in darkness. And I put my friends through some rough times. From that, I figured a few things out, and all I do is believe in them. As long as we believe in our cards we're not alone. The friends I've fought. The friends who've cheered me on. We're all linked by bonds that will never break.

In the GX manga it's stated the deck is a duelist's soul (the trading cards are magic and their power comes from literal sentient spirits so this connection with their cards is thematically important to the lore of the show, it's kind of like how in Pokemon you're not supposed to abuse your pokemon or only value them for their strength). Nightshroud arose from the continued abuse duelists committed of their cards in seasons 1, 2, and 3 for personal gain. Kagerou abusing cards to gain eternal life, Saiou using his duels to brainwash people, and Judai in season 3 committing a mass slaughter of card spirits.

However, Judai is able to defeat Nightshroud by accepting he's treated his friends poorly in the past, but even so that bond hasn't broken because bonds are what support people at their lowest point.

Since alchemy = bonds with people then it's Judai finally acknowledging these bonds after spending a whole season running away from people again that Judai is finally able to forge gold (after the final chemical wedding with Yubel too, allowing Yubel to go through a symbolic death dissolving so they can coagulate again after the duel is over). He forges gold by forging god Neos, who is quite literally covered in gold armor.

The forging of the philosopher's stone is also meant to radiate out to the whole world and effect the world as a whole. This is because of the concept of as above, so below, or the Microcosmos of the world of humans effecting the Macrocosmos of the world of the heavens.

This is an incredibly common theme in all four seasons of GX, Judai stopping Kagerou from using the three mythic beasts saves the card spirits who were being drained in season 1, in season 2 Judai quite literally saves the macrocosmos / the heavens / space from the light of destruction by winning a duel against Saiou, in season 3 fusing with Yubel prevents the destruction of the 12 dimmesions, and finally in season 4 Judai's win against Nightshroud not only breaks his control with his friends but also convinces card spirits around the world to give duelists a second chance and banishes away the darkness that was created by the continued abuse.

The final stage of Judai's development is also to travel out into the world to help the relationships between humans ad spirits, after finding balance between himself and Yubel.He also is planning on using his abilities as a human / fusion spirit in order to do this. In essence after Judai became the philosopher stone he's now using the power of the philosopher stone to make changes to the macrocosmos.

Judai: And there might be people in the world who'll need our help. We're going on a journey to find them.

This is also a atonement for Judai's mass slaughter of duel spirits in season 3 and Yubel being the cause of that ad nearly harming the 12 dimmensions in their desire to reunite with Judai (both of these actions caused by a combination of extreme selfishess ad extreme grief). Judai can't do anything to undo the damage he's done but he can still help people and make a positive differece i the world.

At the end of the series Judai is fully individuated, not only is he able to reclaim his enjoyment of duels but the members he sets out on the journey with are representative of each stage of individuation. Yubel pulls double duty as the Shadow in Nigredo, and also the Anima / Animus in Albedo because Yubel is very gender and represents both the feminine ad masuline. Daitokuji comes along for the journey because as Judai's mentor in alchemy he represents the integration of Sophia / Wisdom in Citrinatis. Whereas finally Judai himself, dressed in his Osiris Red, represents the completed individuated self in Rubedo.

Finally Season 4 represents the final four splendor solis plates.

Plate 19 - The Dark Sun is referenced quite literally by darkness's take over of the world. Neo Domino city turn into a dark place, Darkness not only physically blocking out the sun, but Judai referring to Darkness's control over Fujiwara as an eclipse, Darkness's causing almost the entire cast to dissolve and be transported to a dimmension where they experience their worst fears on repeat.

According to Mythcraft plate 19 reprsents:

In plate nineteen, we see a picture of a sun with a human face, but instead of shining brightly in the sky, the sun is rendered transparent within the earth, its face dejected. While its golden rays peek above the horizon, the sun itself is blackened. The sun seems sunken into the earth, the rivers and soil running through it. In the foreground we can see dead trees, their outer layers blackened and decayed. The text accompanying this chapter tells us that: “This Dissolution is nothing but a killing of the moist with the dry, in fact a PUTREFACTION, and consequently turns the MATTER black”. We can see the mixing of the dry and the moist in the plate when the rivers overlay the transparent sun. The sun is black, the blackening the first of the colored stages, the nigredo, that we see in alchemy. In spiritual alchemy, it is the self-realization, and breaking down of our own personal structures so we can rebuild ourselves again. Sometimes this includes a journey to the underworld, a sinking down into the darkness and the earth, as the sun is doing.

The entire season is a callback to the nigredo phase of alchemy, and to complete the final step on their journey the characters have to literally dissolve and putrefy, confronting their worst anxieties and fears of the future in order to overcome them and reform again.

According to mythcrafts the last four stages of the Solis Plates are a recap of the four stages of alchemy as a whole, the same way that the last season does a comprehensive recap of the four stages in order to finally move Judai onto Rubedo.

Now Solomon Trismosin gives us four stages, starting with dissolution. The goal is the same, but as we will see in the other plates of this series, we are looking through the lens of the human condition and spiritual alchemy rather than the chemical alchemy occurring in the alembic flask.

All of the characters take journeys to the underworld by being subjected to their own personal hells (in a very hell-like dimmension) only to reform themselves out of sheer will and come back on the other side stronger. I'm not sure how literally a reference for a solis plate called Black Sun by having a character called Darkness who literally blots out the sun.

Splendor Solis #20 - Children at Play

The frame of this plate is again swarming with animals of transformation. Butterflies, birds, and insects dance around the edges. We also see various earlier forms, caterpillars and larvae, and blossoms that will eventually turn into fruit.  Within the frame we see this echoed; a plate devoted to first stage of the human lifecycle, the juvenile child, who has form, yet has not yet learned wisdom and developed spiritually. In the previous plate, we saw the first operation of this four-stage series, dissolution. This plate represents coagulation, or the reforming of the solid matter. These children represent the forming of the body, before the spirit and soul are fully recognized and assimilated. Both the adults, the mother and the servant girl are clothed in ornate red gowns, the color suggesting that they have reached the final stage of their journey, the Rubido.

This one is pretty straightforward to as in the final battle all the main characters Sho, Asuka, Manjoume, Fubuki, and Fujiwara all dissolve in order to come back as stronger versions of themselves. Signalling both Dissolve et Coagula, and also the end of childhood and the end of their journey from children into adults.

The bleaching and whitening of the linen also symbolizes the movement from the black nigredo stage into the white albedo stage. In the lower right-hand corner of the plate, resting on a washing tub is a black cloth, suggesting that it too will become white after washing. The text aligns the process of sublimation to this plate, the process of distillation. Note the heavy clouds that sit above the women washing; these too are part of the process. The women boil, wash and rinse the material, and then dry them in the sun, the water is sent back into the clouds, and comes back down again to create the rivers with which the linen is washed.

Splendor Solis: Plate 21 - Women Washing Clothes

From Mythcrafts.

This being the proper philosophical sublimation, by means of which the perfect method is carried out. And this is why this Art is compared to Woman’s Work, which consists in cooking and roasting until it is done. – Solomon Trismosin Albedo, while meaning white, also literally means ablution, which means washing away impurities. Ritual cleansing is used in many religious rites to purify the body. This part of the alchemical process is the longest: the constant washing and repetition, though it is also called the lesser work. This process is readying the material (or body) to regain its purity and receptivity for the soul.

While this one is not refereced visually by the first two it still connects thematically to both the final battle and the resolution of the work, after all women's work is a metaphor for the hard work of purifying after facing your worst traits in nigredo and the final battle and graduation ends with the main characters finding the resolution to continue the struggle to become adults in the real world now that they've left childhood and the nest that was Duel Academy.

Also there is a mini-arc for Manjoume where he actually has to do women's work of being an overworked intern for Edo only to realize that Edo is also someone who overworks himself for his fans and the orphans he's supporting financially which inspires Manjoume to actually take his dream of becoming a pro duelist seriously.

Now to cap this post off. The final splendor solis which matches the final shot of the anime perfectly.

(He even has a napsack.)

Just like Judai's journey has come to an end so now must we conclude our analysis of the four stages of alchemy in the four seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh Gx! I hope you've enjoyed the ride as much as I've enjoyed writing these long, long posts.

However, just like all endings are new beginnings this isn't the last Yu Gi Oh meta post I'm planning to make so please look forward to that.

[yugioh-rare-pair-poll]

Round 1: Poll 2

Propaganda under the cut

Pairing 1: Fusionshipping (Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki)

Propaganda: i love shipping judai with anyone else, including this ship, but it was however overshadowed by gx rivalshipping which was used to be my all time favorite. looking back to the gx fandom after my main hyperfixation (which was erm… yugioh gx) was replaced by smg4 last year, i want to move on from that popular ship and become a fusionshipper instead.

Pairing 2: Tomorrowshipping(Tenjouin Asuka | Alexis Rhodes/Jim Crocodile Cook)

Propaganda: They complete each other! Jim’s focus on the past vs Asuka’s focus on the future, Jim’s nature theming vs Asuka’s technology theming, the way their attitudes complement one another. Not to mention “Tomorrow Girl,” the cutest nickname in the world.

Now, let’s keep things civil. This is a silly poll where we can share why we love our overlooked ships. There’s no need to be nasty to prove your point.  Bashers will be consumed by darkness.

[yu-gi-poll]

ROUND 1A, MATCH 1 OUT OF 8!

Monster Stats & Propaganda Under the Cut:

Yubel is used by Yubel and Judai Yuki (Jaden Yuki in the dub). Its stats are the following:

Attribute: DARK

Level: 10

Type: FIEND / EFFECT

Effect Type: CONTINUOUS / TRIGGER

Effect (according to the anime): “This card cannot be destroyed by battle. You take no Battle Damage from battles involving this card, and your opponent takes damage equal to the same amount. During your End Phase, Tribute 1 monster or destroy this card. When this card is destroyed, except by its own effect, you can Special Summon 1 "Yubel - Terror Incarnate" from your hand, Deck or Graveyard.”

ATK / DEF: 0 / 0

Propaganda:

Super powerful, great design, interesting characterization.  What's not to adore (or even love to hate)?

One of the very few duel monster cards that successfully managed to have a romantic relationship with a Yugioh protagonist

Beautiful genderfuckery powerful monster who was an entire antagonist! How many times was a monster the antagonist? The fusion with Jaden/Judai is just so cool and I love their dynamic.

Winged Kuriboh is used by Judai Yuki (Jaden Yuki in the dub). Its stats are the following:

Attribute: LIGHT

Level: 1

Type: FAIRY / EFFECT

Effect Type: TRIGGER

Effect (according to the anime): “During the turn this card is destroyed, you take no Battle Damage.”

ATK / DEF: 300 / 200

Propaganda:

bruhhh that thing is so cute

You all thought Kuriboh was great??!!? Winged Kuriboh is even better. It's got all the things you love about Kuriboh (small, fluffy, adorable). The color palette is very slightly adjusted to be Better, and he's got cute lil wings. Also the card is foil. In terms of gameplay mechanics, OG Kuriboh gets you out of damage from ONE(1) fight, and only if it's still in your hand to discard. Winged Kuriboh has to be summoned, but ends battle damage for the whole turn. Narratively, Winged Kuriboh is with Jaden more than OG was ever with the Yugis, and they have conversations and are true friends.

hes just a kuriboh with wings, but is literally jadens little buddy at the start of the series… pls vote for the cutie here

[school-of-all-time]

Round Three, Bracket 1

[bestest-dead-best-friend-bracket]

Round 1 of Block B is now over!

Progressing to the next round are

Audric (Dragalia Lost) and Brook (One Piece)

Kite (Hunter x Hunter) and Polterpup (Luigi’s Mansion)

Alear (Fire Emblem: Engage) and Lyman Banner (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)

Zera (Fairy Tail) and Acht (Splatoon 3)

The next round to be run will be Block C, Round 1, which will go up this Friday.

Please remember to reblog and come back to vote!

Full Lineup is below.

Block C Round 1, Ambiguously Dead Friend Bracket

Gugu (To Your Eternity) vs Falin Touden (Dungeon Meshi)

Mia Fey (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney) vs Natsuki Subaru (Re: Zero)

Tikal (Sonic Adventure) vs Hinazuki Kayo (Boku Dake ga Inai Machi)

Mari (OMORI) vs Sunny (Pokémon)

Sabito (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) vs Indou Hikaru (The Summer Hikaru Died)

Excellen Browning (Super Robot Wars) vs Dimple (Mob Psycho 100)

Daruk (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) vs Maria (Silent Hill 2)

Claire Foley (Professor Layton and the Unwound Future) vs Ethan Winters (Resident Evil)

[sleepyhead-poll]

BONUS! MOD'S CHOICE POLL!

Mod's Propaganda Under the Cut:

Judai:

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a Yu-Gi-Oh fan. For whatever reason, this series imprinted on me when I was a child and I just never let it go. I've watched the original series, season 0, GX, 5Ds, and Arc V, as well as read the original manga, the GX manga, and the Arc V manga, as well as watched all the movies. The point is: I like Yu-Gi-Oh. There are people who like it more than me, that have watched all the series and what not, but I think I still like it an absurd amount. And out of all the protagonists I know, Judai is my favorite. He's just so lovable, you can't help but like him! He's goofy, he's reliable, he's fun, he has a descent into madness, he's gay, what more could you want in a shounen protagonist? Though being sleepy isn't a major part of him, it's more of a gag of him slacking in class and always going to sleep, it's still super funny and I'm a little sad that he lost in Round 1, though I do like Sonic as well (who he lost to). Give the Slifer Slacker a chance!

Linhardt:

Considering Linhardt is my profile picture at the moment, I don't think I need to justify this too much. But I will anyway. Linhardt is the sleepy crest scholar. Although I will be the first to admit that I am not actually a Fire Emblem fan (and tbh I find the writing in Three Houses kind of bad) (sorry to those who enjoy it) I love Linhardt so much anyway. He's probably my favorite in that very large cost. I love that he's so unapologetically sleepy, like he doesn't care if you scold him to do work, he will do work on his own time. Not only that, but he's actually really smart and dedicated when he wants to be. Linny's friendship with Caspar is really nice, especially since I think someone needs to save Caspar from his awful dad & self-destructive tendencies. Plus, I really like his supports. Especially with Marianne, Hubert, and Edelgard. His supports with Dorothea in Three Hopes is also really nice.

Garfield:

It's Garfield. He's a classic comic. He's a classic meme. Little orange kitty. What more could you possibly want? I love Snoopy, but to be perfectly honest I think Garfield should have gotten as far as Snoopy.

Sleepytime Tea Bear:

Again. He's just a classic. What more would you want but a sleepy bear in pajamas on a chair?

Olruggio:

I'm a big Witch Hat Atelier fan and I love Olruggio. Like yes, I like Orufrey like everyone else, but I also just like Olruggio on his own. I like his scruffy little look and I love the fact that at first he is so intimating but almost immediately he's revealed to be a big softie. I love his light magic motif and I really think it's sweet that he made the thing to keep you warm when you sleep and gave it to the kids-- he's a FATHER. This man needs a nap fr though. Man I need to catch up with this manga.

Osaka:

IT'S OSAKA. Like!!! I don't even know how many clips and comics from Azumanga Daioh make the rounds around Tumblr, but specifically the ones about Osaka are amazing!!! She has the most autistic anime girl swag I love her so much. She's so sweet and earnest and silly... I always lose my mind at "OH MAH GOD!" and she has so many other classics. Like when she makes the Osaka stamp with her eraser or when she struggles to cross the street because she keeps zoning out when the light gets green or when she's distressed about Americans wearing shoes inside... I love her. And to her sleepyheadness, she's always falling asleep in class and whenever she's studying she just starts falling asleep. She's just like me fr...

Takane:

Back in the day I really liked Kagerou Project and so as tribute to my old obsession from middle/high school I have to give a spot to Takane. My favorite part of the series was when we saw flashbacks to the Yuukei quartet and Headphone Actor is still a bop.

Tanaka:

THE REASON WHY I STARTED THIS TOURNAMENT IN THE FIRST PLACE??? Last December during finals I decided to read something light and fun while working and I chose Tanaka-kun is Always Listless because I remember the title from a few years ago when the anime came out and like I loved it SOOOOOO much. He's the ultimate sleepyboy and he's just so funny and relatable. He needs to be carried around by his best friend Ohta and his ultimate goal in life is to minimize as much effort as possible and he's always nodding off and he dislikes being a main character, instead wishing he was a background character... my favorite guy for real.