#Yugi WILL force positive emotional experiences on Kaiba

[for-when-i-have-an-idea]

‘Cuz I still believe in miracles

It had all started with a link. A link that came with no preview. Seto really regretted allowing for that feature in the latest update of this phone model’s inbuilt messaging app, but Mokuba had insisted that it was very important – for purposes undisclosed – so Seto hadn’t cared to protest it too strongly. Note to self, however: when Mokuba says something is important in that tone of voice, never allow for the thing to happen.

Yugi had been doing this for a while now, sending him links to things he didn’t always understand the reason behind. When prompted, the shorter man usually responded with either: 1.) it was something he had thought Seto would enjoy; or 2.) it had made him think of Seto in one capacity or another. No, the sending of the link was not so strange, in and of itself. It was the fact that, this time, Seto would have no chance to brace himself for whatever ridiculous thing Mutou had sent his way. How did he even know about the feature, the update had only just rolled out. Unruly black hair and a lopsided, too-cheeky smile flashed in front of his mind’s eye, and Seto resolved to interrogate his brother about this all later.

For now, it seemed he had a… YouTube video to watch. At least this was not one of the worst varieties of internet content Yugi could have sent his way. Not usually.

The absolutely first thing Seto noticed was that, whatever this was, lasted for nearly five and a half minutes – five minutes and twenty-two seconds exactly, but who was counting – and for a hot second he found it rather bold of Mutou to send him something so lengthy. Then again, the shrimp had always been more daring when it came to these slightly unconventional methods. Well, always and always. Certainly for as long as it had been relevant.

Next to register was the piano – well, keyboard, really – and the unmistakably cheerful tune it played. Seto purposefully vaguely remembered a music tutor saying something about major key, and he supposed that fit here. The rest of the song’s instrumentation followed soon after, keeping the same tone, though he would admit that the electric guitar surprised him to a certain extent. Alright, this was by no means the most obnoxious thing Yugi had ever sent him. Far too cheerful for Seto’s own tastes, but nobody had screamed irritating one-liners at him yet, so he would take it.

Until the singing began, at least.

I believe the morning sun always gonna shine again, and,

Well, that sounded very much like Yugi, he supposed. Eternal optimist.

I believe a pot of gold waits at every rainbow’s end, oh.

He would, wouldn’t he? Bastard was lucky enough that if he went looking for one he’d probably find it, too.

I believe in roses kissed with dew,

Why was that a thing to believe in? That was real enough, or was this something to do with a romanticised image of something? Seto didn’t bother to think about that any further.

Why shouldn’t I believe the same in you?

Finally, the pin dropped and so did Seto’s head onto the surface of his desk. He should have seen this coming, why hadn’t he? Of course that was what this was! Yugi had been doing this same sort of thing for months, if not a whole year, now. Why was he like this? Just why? And why was he receiving help now? Seto felt twice as old as he was right in this moment and he couldn’t stop the sigh that forced itself out of his system.

You may say I’m a fool, feeling this way about you.

Yes, Seto would say that. Why did this actually feel like he was having a one-sided conversation with Mutou, it made no sense! How could Yugi seem to stuff his entire being into a single song?

There’s not much I can do,

I’m gonna be this way my life through!

This, Seto was slowly coming to terms with, however reluctantly. He was stuck here now, it seemed. Mutou would never leave him alone, not after… everything. Yugi had all but said so himself.

And so Seto swore at both himself and Yugi internally, face buried in both of his hands in some mixture of mortification and exasperation. But did he stop the song as it neared what the little red bar would have told him was the end, and the young women began to sing once more? Well…

‘Cuz I still believe in miracles, I swear I’ve seen a few,

And the time will surely come when you can see my point of view.

I believe in second chances, and that’s why I believe in you!

No.

When, later that evening, Mokuba took himself a remote gander at the browser history on his brother’s phone – hey, Seto wasn’t the only one good with tech! – he found something… unexpected. A five-minute, twenty-two-second long video, watched all the way through. A lopsided, far too-cheeky grin slowly spread across the 16-year-old’s face as he sank further into the couch cushions.

Yep, Yugi Mutou was definitely the best partner-in-crime that a concerned little brother could ask for.

[asagimeta]

In Defense Of Seto Kaiba..... From Someone Who Used To Hate Seto Kaiba

@youfancymemaddearie said she'd hear me out on why Kaiba isn't The Actual Worst, so for this I'm mostly only going to be using the material I'm personally familiar with because things like context and translations and stuff could get warped otherwise, wich means roughly the first half of the dubbed anime, but I might pull other things here and there that I feel like I know well enough to have a grasp on via things like wikipedia and other meta (it's a long story as to why I never finished the anime so I won't bother getting into it here)

The manga, being a separate canon, is going to be pretty much ignored for this, except for one breif instance where I feel it's necessary to compare something from it to how the anime did it

So, the thing is, for most of my life as a YGO fan (15+ years as of 2018), I bordered between a really weird love and hate of Seto Kaiba, I loved him the way that I love a good villain, the way I love Hannibal Lecter let's say, he's entertaining and I always liked having him on the screen but as a person I really hated him, because.. why wouldn't I? He's an absolute dick to everyone around him with the exception of Mokuba, and even Mokuba doesn't exactly get the cuddly treatment most of the time, he spends the beginning of the series toeing the line between outright villain and anti-hero, and the amount of low-blows he hits and lack of care he has for people who are trying to help him- or people in general- is pretty terrible, atleast... that's how he's presented on the surface and that's how I felt for close to fifteen years

And then I started writing him and the little bastard forced me to change my opinion

Firstly, it's established from the beginning that Seto's actions in stealing Grandpa Muto's card and tearing it up (not to mention giving him a heartattack) aren't entirely his own, Seto had an evil possessing him at the time that, wile manifested from his own feelings, was no less a different entity, it took him over, just like Marik's dark self took him over, it's well-established in YGO that you can be so overcome with pain and anger and negativity that an entirely different spirit manifests and takes over your mind, a process that- wile reversible if caught early enough- is really something that can only be reversed by magic, like a shadow game or a mind crush

Since this is the thing that Atem removed from Seto's mind in episode one....

The actions he took prior to being mind-wiped can't be held entirely against him, as he was not consciously in control of what he was doing at the time, much like the actions of Yami Marik can't be held entirely against Hikari Marik, you can sure as hell blame Marik himself for alot of the things he did during Battle City, but things like the duels against Mai, Joey, and Atem, wherein it was blatantly clear that it was his evil half in control and his good half didn't have access to the controls (made even more obvious by the Yami Duel wherein both spirits had to sacrifice parts of their lighter selves/hosts for losing life points) are impossible to hold entirely against him

We also see that everything is Not Ok after the mind-crush, given that Seto passes up the chance to do his all-time favorite things (dueling, winning, and showing off) on the grandest scale yet when he decides to skip Duelist Kingdom, he claims it's because he doesn't know how to handle being defeated, and wile that may be partly true, it's pretty canonical that it was because of the mind crush (why else would they bring that hideous glob of evil around to duel Yugi/Atem once more?)

And, here's where the manga reference comes in, when you take into account that in the manga, he was in a six-month long coma after the mind-crush- and, mind you (ha), Duelist Kingdom is the turning point where the manga's canon starts to get closer to the anime's- it's really hard to believe that Seto's existential crisis is based on losing and not based on having evil forcefully removed from his soul by an ancient Egyptian spirit who's out to have a good time and was really feeling attacked at the moment

There's really no convenient place to inject backstory, so I'll do it here in the hopes of flowing more easily into the rest of Duelist Kingdom

Seto has been taking care of Mokuba since they were extremely young, he's essentially more like a father to him than a brother, and he had to learn early on to defend him - and that meant getting rougher, getting tougher, getting meaner, and when it came to Gozaburo- who's just about as abusive as one can get and really puts the word "pressure" to good use- that meanness has to amplify, it's made clear that Gozaburo wouldn't tolerate anything less than perfection and ruthlessness and if that was how Seto had to survive, that was how he had to survive, he spent most of his formative years under that kind of hand so naturally he was forced to form that way....

But as someone pointed out in another post somewhere, we can see by how well adapted Mokuba is just how much Seto has taken on in protecting him from that kind of corruption and evil, Gozaburo never really wanted Mokuba around so the pressure he put on him compared to Seto was definitely minimal... but that doesn't mean he wasn't just as abusive, and the fact that Mokuba spent the majority of his life with no parents of any kind and has relied pretty much solely on Seto as a parental figure- both in the way of necessities like food and shelter, as well as for emotional health- and yet has come out of it as a generally upbeat, positive, gentle person, really shows that Seto has to be doing something right, otherwise, it doesn't make alot of sense for Mokuba to have no shreds of bitterness, resentment, or negativity in him (again, going by the anime only) And further, to show the outstandingly deep devotion he does for Seto- utterly unwavering and full of not only loyalty, but genuine love and affection- proves that Seto has done something right somewhere, Mokuba never shows a single ounce of fear or hesitation towards him and never gives a second thought to hugging him, following him around, or getting involved in his personal affairs, if Seto had ever given him reason to be afraid of him (IE: abusing him or simply not stepping up to protect him when Gozaburo was abusing him) I find it really hard to believe that Mokuba would act so completely care-free with doing things that Seto may find unpleasant

Mokuba is Seto's entire world, he flat out tells Yugi that Mokuba is "everything to him", not money or power or success- Mokuba, wich is already something that speaks volumes about who he is as a person, and the extremes he goes to in order to protect Mokuba are .... pretty fucking extreme

When I was a kid, I thought that the "attack my Blue Eyes and you might just kill me" stunt he pulls on the rooftop at Pegasus' castle was a really filthy trick and was probably my primary reason for hating him as much as I did- and let's be honest, it IS a filthy option to resort to.... but as an adult, I understand it now, and can't place blame on him for feeling so completely backed into a corner, he wasn't trying to trick Atem, he was being sincere, I mean.... filthy and sincere... but still sincere

He would rather die than lose his brother, he was so desperate that he was ready to let someone kill him/commit suicide because he was out of options, and in that perspective, it's alot easier to understand why he did what he did, I don't excuse it, but I do understand it, and really, when it really boils down to things, can anyone say that they'd sooner let the only person in the entire world that they love die, for someone who they don't even like? The true crime of this entire thing isn't really that Seto was desperate enough to resort to suicide and emotional manipulation to win.... it's that he and Atem were both so stubborn and downright stupid that neither of them thought to actually communicate about why Seto needed to win in the first place, despite him saying repeatedly that he needed to save his brother and Atem saying repeatedly that he needed to save "his" grandfather, neither of them paused long enough to say "... We have a common goal, let's work together, or at the very least, come to a compromise" before resorting to such desperation, no one on this planet can seriously tell me that Atem wouldn't have jumped at the offer to save Mokuba if Seto had presented it to him, though, to be fair, I'll never understand why he didn't just offer to save Mokuba along with Grandpa in the first place (plot convenience really)

Although communication is an enormous problem with Seto and is one of the main reasons why he's always such a complete prick, he has a tendency to talk in code and to cover up what he means with what words he chooses to use, most likely because he A. Wasn't exposed to other children between the ages of 8-14 and before that most of his exposure was negative, and B. Was taught brutally that even the tiniest sign of compassion or understanding is weakness, and even the tiniest weakness is going to get you severely punished, he was already closed off to people during his stay at the orphanage, this just cemented that experience further

(And as a quick note, he acquired a company at 14-years-old, he was still a baby and running this God foresaken thing by himself, had no parental figure, still raising his brother ALONE, and let's also talk about how this 14-year-old BABY turned a weapons manufacturing company into a gaming company in less than two years, as he was sixteen during episode one of Duel Monsters)

To mention also: When faced with the fact that his company, that he had worked so extremely hard for, and that means so much to him, was being sold to Pegasus and he was being kicked out, where was his focus? Still on Mokuba, his brother was ALWAYS the absolute forefront of his focus during the entire Duelist Kingdom arc and his company played a very small second fiddle in comparison, I'm not sure if he even brought up the company more than once or twice during the entire arc, that's ... a little shocking all things considered

Additionally, despite how cold, untrusting, egotistical, and downright mean he can be, he outright thanks Yugi for rescuing Mokuba- twice- within the first season, once after Duelist Kingdom and once after Legendary Heros, that's kind of an enormous thing as Seto doesn't hand out gratitude easily.... though, speaking of gratitude we definitely have to confront the Joey-shaped elephant in the room

The way he treats Joey early on IS deplorable, he doesn't exactly treat any member of the Nerd Herd well, but things are especially prickly with Joey, and I'm unclear of the reasons for that- I don't think canon ever gives one- but I think of all of Seto Kaiba's ill moments, the way he treats Joey all the way up to late Battle City is without a doubt what I cringe at the most, he early on drives Joey so low into the ground that it gives him NIGHTMARES and is so ruthlessly horrible to him during that first encounter at Duelist Kingdom that I think, to date, it's the Kaiba thing I cringe at the most, I definitely don't excuse that behavior, and it burns me up like a firey demon when he refuses to thank Joey for being the one who ACTUALLY saved Mokuba, yet turns around and thanks Yugi instead, I'm also not exactly pleased with the fact that he tried to keep Joey out of his tournament but I really chalk that up mostly to Joey not having anything Seto wants and not being a duelist he respects vs outright cruelty, remember that for Seto, Battle City is ALL about getting the god cards and drawing out rare hunters, Red Eyes is Joey's rarest card but Seto never seems particularly impressed by it, and that coupled with him not respecting Joey's skills- as he believes he rode Yugi's coat tails through Duelist Kingdom- makes some sense as to why he wouldn't want him participating (outside of just disliking him) it would be counterproductive

The thing is, Seto DOES slowly shift out of "I legitimately hate your guts and am going to make sure you know it" and into "I'm going to pick on you because it's fun when you fight back and it's just how we communicate now", Battle City is a big turning point in my personal opinion, the second time Joey and Seto duel is still full of terribly mean words but the vibe is very different, from where I'm sitting, it feels alot more like an "I'm pulling your hair because I like you" type of thing and alot less like outright bullying for the sake of bullying, the fact that Joey doesn't take any of it to heart and just fights mean quip with mean quip the entire time is solid proof to me that the relationship is just mutual antagonism now and not so much outright bullying

Speaking of Battle City... there's alot of growth for Seto there, he works with Yugi and Atem frequently, at times by force (to save Mokuba) but at times because he wants to, he agreed to help Atem find the rest of the nerd herd before getting any word that Mokuba was taken because he wanted a duel for Atem's Slyfer card... even though all logic dictates that they probably would have faced eachother during the finals anyway and there is was literally no reason for Seto to follow him around begging for a duel like a five-year-old except for A. Impatience (not untrue) and/or B. Just .... wanting to, he could have so easily said "Find your own freinds, I'll get that Slyfer in the finals either from you or whoever beats you" but instead he spends his valuable time and energy tracking down Joey via his duel disk, and after all is said and done and Mokuba is safe...... he still helps Atem, he claims it's because he doesn't like owing people but that's never prompted him to go out of his way for Yugi and the others before (post Duelist Kingdom and Legendary Heros, Mokuba is the one who lets Yugi use the arena at Kaiba Land for his duel with Rebecca, here Seto has built up two favors that he owes and yet never says a word or makes an attempt to return them, so why does "owing" someone push him to keep helping Atem in Battle City when it didn't before? Either his "I don't like owing people" philosophy is new- wich is still charector growth- or he just wanted a reasonable excuse to keep helping Atem because he knew it was the right thing to do) Speaking of the right thing to do, when they DO track down Joey and Tea`, Seto is... surprisingly inactive during the duel, he has plenty of perfect opportunities to stop the duel somehow, and, if he was REALLY feeling cruel, to just outright steal Slyfer (wich Atem tossed aside when he started the duel) and get rid of both Atem and Joey by interrupting and making the anchor sink, yet he carefully keeps his distance until the timing is right for him to save Tea` because he doesn't want ANY of them to get hurt, not the rival he can't defeat, not the "third rate duelist" he supposedly hates, and not even someone (Tea`) who he barely knows

This is the same guy who gave an old man a heart-attack and used it as blackmail in episode one

Additionally, Seto immediately leaves after saving the day, that all-important duel that Atem owed him that he had FINALLY won? It didn't happen, Seto was still nagging him about it even after saving Mokuba, yet when it came time for Atem to FINALLY pay up he just..... walked off and said "nah see ya' in the finals", maybe he knew how exhausted Atem was and didn't want to duel him at half-power, maybe he was personally too tired to bother with it (although dueling to Seto seems to work the same way twenty-five cups of coffee does to a normal person so I doubt this) or maybe he just didn't feel like making Atem come through on his deal anymore, it doesn't really matter, it's all growth

And let me also point out that Atem wouldn't even have Slyfer if Seto hadn't given him a freaking pep talk in order to win it, Seto could have just as easily waited for Atem to lose and then dueled the mime for Slyfer- and that probably would have been smarter honestly, since Atem is the only one who has a history of defeating him- and yet.... he chooses to put energy into helping Atem instead

I feel like it's kind of understated that in the Battle City finals, Seto actually has a doctor and an infirmary on board the blimp, he claims that anyone who can't handle dueling at high altitudes and with raging winds isn't worth his time so what is the doctor and full medical bay doing there then? If he was that worried about Mokuba alone he would have had a much easier time just telling him not to go above deck, and if it was about law suits I tend to believe he wouldn't have people dueling on top of a freaking blimp in the first place, so he either anticipated Marik's shadowy shenanigans coming up (wich is a POOL of charector development on alot of different levels) or he anticipated accidents, people getting air sick, issues with the high altitude and what not, and figured that he'd better be completely prepared even for things like that wich are relatively small and not really needing of the tricked out medical bay (he had atleast one LIFE SUPPORT machine in there so obviously it went above and beyond just a first aid kit) Also, I know I said I was using the dub for this, but it's come to my attention that in the sub Seto is alot less of a jerk than he is in the dub about landing the blimp- originally, the ONLY problem is that the controls are screwy from the Noah incident (wich, by the way, is an enormous Thing all on it's own about Seto all on it's own, it's basically a showcase of Wow Was His Childhood Fucked Up, Let's Rub It In, and it's made clear just how impacted he was by his father and his father's company throughout, from the importance of his duel with Lecter being weapons-themed to his final duel with Guzaburo and saying "I won't be burried by you Guzaburo", giving up his chance to defeat Noah because he refused to hurt Mokuba, and the gem of telling Mokuba that everything he's done has been for him and a better future for them) and speaking of moments where the dub fucked up, I find another important gem during mid-Battle City when Tea` mentions that Seto actually lowered the price of duel disks "so everyone can play", that sounds alot less like a strict businessman and alot more like someone who just wants to offer kids the same escapism that he had when he was their age to me, a similar motivation I'm sure to why he opens up Kaiba Land

This is sadly where my "I'm greatly familiar with this material" knowledge comes to an end, as I only saw roughly half of the Orichalicos arc and that was too long ago for me to remember most of the small details in (plus I tend to kind of ... try to wipe that arc off the books considering that I find it to be a butchery of.. alot of things..)

Seto Kaiba is a complicated charector, he's very prickly and definitely an asshole- that's not in question- but I think he's really a very soft person when you peel back the initial layer, he's very good-hearted at his core, he just has an incredibly hard time expressing that- and for VERY understandable reasons, for all of his selfishness and egotism, he pours absolutely everything about himself into protecting his brother and gives alot of himself to trying to make things better for people (turning a weapons company into a gaming company may have been his dream but it was also an outlandishly hard task to accomplish and one that ultimately was better for the world, for example) there are moments where this all shines through but he tapes masks of coldness and insults and dueling metaphors over top of it because he just sincerely doesn't know how else to handle things, he IS, after all, still a 16-year-old child when the series begins, and I think he's only 18-19 at most when it ends, in the grand scheme of life, he's still practically a baby and has been thrust into so much adulthood that most 40-year-olds would have jumped ship already, he takes on the responsibility of his brother and his company and being a half-ass decent person (in so far as, you know, not blowing up the world or anything) without ever once complaining about it or trying to shrug it off or giving it ANYTHING but his all, and when you earn his trust and respect (as Atem and Yugi do) you get alot of loyalty and trust back- the shenanigans he goes through that he doesn't explicitly have to are good showings of this, and all of the ruthlessness his shows are purely survival instincts at their highest, he's had his company nearly taken away from him FOUR. TIMES. between Duelist Kingdom and the Orichalicos arc, FOUR. SEPERATE. TIMES. and I have an outstandingly difficult time believing that those were the first or last times that some crusty old men thought that a teenage C.E.O. would be easy prey to steal a multi-billion dollar company from, he's probably been white-knuckling that company since the day he took it over and I don't see that ending any time in the near future

[cartoonus-maximus]

Okay, here’s the skinny on my puzzleshipping/tendershipping/other shipping alpha/omega AU.

. .

Yugi: omega

Yugi struggles from being picked on and bullied by alphas at school, as well as being attracted to his alpha friend Anzu, who isn't interested in him. To make matters worse, Ushio, the alpha who owns the apartment block Yugi and his grandfather live in, has been raising their rent and threatening to kick them out if they can't pay in some way.

Needing the money, Yugi turns to Kisara, the older omega sister of Bakura, who teaches him how to strip and pole dance. She helps him get hired at the club she works at, entertaining alphas and making money off it. After a week, Yugi is able to pay off Ushio for the month. He continues to work at the club, dividing his time between working in the evening, doing his homework at night, going to school during the day, and making time to cheer Jou and Bakura on at the arena.

Yugi eventually meets his alpha, a wealthy young man named Atem. The two don't move in together immediately, instead settling into a routine of meeting each other after they've each finished their respective jobs, often working on their homework together.

. .

Atem: alpha

Atem comes from a wealthy family, and lives with his alpha father Aknamkanon, his omega sister Mana, his alpha brother-in-law (Mana's husband) Mahad, his alpha uncle Aknadin, his alpha cousin Seth, and Seth's omega wife Isis. All very wealthy and from good breeding. Seth and Isis are not natural mates but are married for money, but Mana and Mahad actually are natural mates.

Atem is engaged to Ryou, an omega from another high ranking family. While he likes the omega and can find nothing wrong with Ryou, he still wishes he could find his natural mate instead.

Atem is fascinated by how different the upper and lower classes live and sometimes dresses as a lower class alpha and mingles with the people of the lower class. Sometimes, he even enters the fighting arena, where he gets pitted against scrappers like Bakura or Jou or Malik or Marik. He always loses the fights (and the winning coins), but the adrenaline and the feeling of being in a physical fight are addictive.

He meets Yugi by chance at the arena one evening and is surprised to realize that this lower class omega really in his natural mate.

Atem is attending classes on history and politics at the local university.

. .

Anzu: “alpha”

Anzu is an omega with old-fashioned parents. Her father is an alpha who goes to work and her mother is an omega who stays home and takes care of the house. But Anzu wants to be more than what an omega can be, so she starts spraying herself to make herself smell like an alpha. Her parents don't know about the scenting, the jobs she takes, or her career plans, while no one outside the family knows her true alignment.

Anzu's facade falls apart when she meets her alpha, Seto Kaiba. She and Seto fight about how she should live her life. Anzu wants nothing more than to be independent and hates the idea of depending on her alpha for everything, while Seto is baffled and doesn't understand why an omega would want to handle herself so completely; despite her behavior, Anzu is still an omega and she still needs emotional support and affection, but those are things that Seto has no idea how to give; Seto wishes his omega could just be satisfied with good food and fancy gifts, since those are things he knows how to give, but that's the opposite of what Anzu wants from him.

. .

Seto Kaiba: alpha

Seto comes from an upper class family, along with his alpha brothers Noa and Mokuba, and has inherited the family business after their father's “unfortunate and unexpected” death. Seto is engaged to Vivian Wong, the omega daughter of a business associate; Seto doesn't personally one way or the other for his fiance, but agrees to the marriage because that means the Wong's family business will become his someday.

Before he can get married though, he has a chance encounter with Anzu Mazaki, a lower class alpha who he quickly realizes is both an omega and his natural mate. He backs out of the marriage to Vivian (and Noa is more than eager to fill in his place), and begins communicating with Mazaki.

Anzu continues to live with her family, refusing to drop her entire life and move in with Seto just because he's her alpha, and also ignores him whenever the two meet in public. Seto doesn't go out of his way for her, preferring to call her on the phone once every few weeks, coldly and impassionately inquiring about her health and such.

Eventually, Seto decides to make Anzu come work for him, arranging for her to get into a fairly high paid position in his company. This escalates to making Anzu move in with him, leading to a lot of loud arguments and frequent, angry bouts of sex.

. .

Jounouchi: alpha

Jou's parents split up when his omega mother got caught sleeping around with other alphas, and he misses his little omega sister.

Jou's father died awhile back, forcing Jou to drop out of school and look for work. He performs in the fighting arena as a brawler three evenings a week, and also works loading goods in a warehouse during weekday afternoons.

Jou meets his mate in the fighting arena, a woman named Mai “the Peacock,” who is his opponent. She is an omega who doesn't trust alphas, much in the same vein that he doesn't trust most omegas. His relationship with Mai is rocky, but they make it work, becoming tag team brawlers in the arena.

. .

Honda: alpha

Honda hasn't found his omega yet, despite being in his twenties, years after most alphas and omegas pair off. He takes care of his omega friend, Miho, who can't seem to find her alpha, helping her handle her loneliness and heat. Their relationship becomes physical, as they both need to ease how lonely they feel.

Things get complicated when they meet a young man named Otogi, who is both Honda's omega and Miho's alpha, to whom Honda feels no mental attraction. Honda has the natural desire to have sex with Otogi and get him pregnant, but, as far as attractions and personal preferences, Honda is drawn to Miho and isn't interested in Otogi at all.

. .

Otogi: omega/alpha (“zeta”)

Ryuji was born with both the equipment of an alpha and an omega and can easily fill both roles. He has the ability to bear children and experiences periods, like an omega, but he experiences ruts instead of heats, like an alpha. He experiences attraction to both alphas and omegas, but in different ways. He worries about what sort of mate he has and what his mate would think of him.

Otogi goes through life self-sufficient, but eventually meets his alpha … and his omega. Who are already together. Over time, he, Honda, and Miho develop a strange sort of three way relationship.

. .

Ryou: omega

Outfits while living with his father -

Black and blue yukata with images of water, clouds, rabbits, and moons, with a yellow and silver waist band. One of his cheeks has a rabbit painted on it, while the other has the phases of the moon. Silver eyeliner, thick black mascara, cotton candy blue eyeshadow, glittery blue lip gloss.

Teal kimono with white and silver and pink flowers clustered at the bottom, with a pink waist sash. Pink and white and silver flowers are painted along one side of his face, spreading from his cheek up to circle his eye, matching the pattern of his kimono. Pink lip gloss that forms a heart on his lips, and matching flowers in his hair, a lacy veil covering the top half of his head.

Outfit when living with Bakura and Kisara -

Soft flannel pants, fuzzy bunny slippers, an oversized sweater borrowed from Kisara, a T-shirt stolen from Bakura.

Ryou has a chance meeting with his alpha as a child and doesn't recognize or understand the sensations. When he meets Bakura again in years later, he can barely contain his glee and launches himself at the alpha scrapper.

Ryou is from an upper class family and is engaged to Atem. He meekly agrees to the arrangement, but meets Bakura again by chance and dumb luck, recognizing Bakura immediately as his natural mate. He breaks off the engagement with Atem, angering his father, and instead moves in with Bakura and Kisara. His father is outraged that Ryou would throw away a good marriage simply because he's met his mate, and disowns him, leaving Ryou with no money and no inheritance.

Anzu helps Ryou get a job as a secretary at Kaiba's company, which doesn't pay as much as Bakura can win as a scrapper but supplies a much more reliable income as well as health benefits.

. .

Bakura: alpha

Bakura is a lower class alpha who dropped out of school awhile ago, choosing instead to hone his fighting prowess and becoming a professional scrapper at the fighting arena (winners get paid). He fights with and against other alphas, like Jou or Malik, and even omegas, like Mai or Marik, and they're all paid to put on a show for the audience.

Bakura met his natural mate by accident as a child and can't wait to meet him again. He meets Ryou by chance again and all but carries the omega off then and there.

When not sparring or scrapping, Bakura enjoys playing video games (sometimes against Jou or Yugi) and eating steamed dumplings. He lives with his sister, Kisara, in the same apartment block as Yugi and his grandfather, and often butts heads with the landlord Ushio.

. .

Kisara: omega

Kisara is Bakura's older sister, and she has practically raised him for the past several years. She doesn't expect to meet her natural mate at this point in her life, and is surprised when she sees Seth for the first time and her heart jumps.

Kisara works in a strip club as a pole dancer. She meets Seth when he takes Atem there to celebrate Atem's engagement to Ryou. Seth is already married, but, since his wife is already cheating on him with her mate, he doesn't see why he can't pursue his own.

. .

Malik: alpha

Malik is an alpha who fights at the arena. He often tag team fights with his omega mate, Marik. Malik is a brawler, while Marik is a scrapper. He and Marik perform under their “Evil Twin” personas.

. .

Marik: omega

Marik is an omega who fights at the arena. He often tag team fights alongside his alpha mate, Malik. The two share a few physical similarities, enough that people sometimes mistake them for brothers instead of mates, so they like to wear matching clothing and dye their hair similar colors, playing up the image and making a stage gimmick of it.

. .

. .

. .

Society -

The society is somewhat reminiscent of many modern countries. Buildings and architecture are very modern, with built in electricity and indoor plumbing. Vehicles and other technological devices are common, such as computers, televisions, and cell phones.

It isn't quite a first world experience, as there is less of a focus on luxury and more on necessity. Office jobs are considered cushy and are reserved for the upper class alphas, while lower level alphas do more physical sorts of jobs. Upper class omegas are allowed to get simple jobs or engage in activities that put them in the public eye, while lower class omegas are encouraged to stay home and raise children. Many workplaces won't even hire an omega, regardless of physical or academic qualifications.

Children of the upper class tend to be fairly well educated, and can choose to attend college or university from their teens and well into their thirties, where they can take classes about art, literature, history, politics, or anything else they desire. Lower class children are generally taught how to read and write and perform basic math by their parents at a young age, but may attend public school through their teens and into adulthood, where they are given crash courses in art, literature, history, etc., but are generally focused toward some sort of trade job or skill. Alphas who do not make it through high school often end up in the fighting arenas or in areas of unskilled labor.

Alphas and omegas are born with a natural mate, someone to whom they are bound at the soul. This doesn't make for perfect relationships necessarily, as mates can die before or after meeting each other, cheat on each other, or even grow to hate each other. They can also fall in love with another person to whom they are not mated. Most alphas and omegas meet their natural mate somewhere in their teens, leading to their marriage/mating and having children.

The people are split into four different types, split between two sexes (alpha and omega) and two genders (males and female).

Male alphas are generally tall and physically strong, their bodies producing large amounts of testosterone. Their bodies are built for physical combat and for spreading their seed. Male alphas are easily prone to anger but tend to be defensive and very protective of their omega mate and their children. Male alphas experience rut, a special hormonal cycle that can be triggered by their omega mate, during which time they are filled with the constant need for sex.

Female alphas, like their male counterparts, tend to be tall and strong and prone to aggression. While they still have wombs and a reasonable amount of estrogen, female alphas are capable both of getting pregnant and impregnating their omega mate. Female alphas will usually not choose to get pregnant, as their bodies are built more for combat and impregnating others, but they do possess the physical capability. A female alphas rut cycle is more closely tied to her period, but can also be triggered by their mate; because of the dual trigger, female alphas have the stereotype of being significantly more sexually active than their male counterparts.

Female omegas tend to be small, their bodies built with soft curves. They produce large amounts of estrogen, and are almost always ready and willing to be impregnated. Female omegas are generally fairly quiet and docile and motherly, their bodies built to bear children and their minds structured to rear children.

Male omegas are very much like their female counterparts, small and soft and round and filled with estrogen. Aside from a womb with which to bear children, male omegas also possess the physical ability to impregnate others, but usually don't get as much physical pleasure out of it as they get from being on the receiving end.

. .

Lower class -

Alphas experience rut and bouts of aggression, and tend to wear their hair short and their clothing loose and revealing. Ripped jeans, tank tops, tube tops, sports bras, wind breakers, boxers, and running pants are all common clothing choices among lower class alphas, both male and female. Alphas tend to be muscular, taking jobs with large amounts of physical labor. They tend to have strong, sharp teeth, and can grow their fingernails into claws if they choose. They often walk around barefoot if given the option. Alphas also tend to alter their bodies, getting tattoos and piercings and even filing their teeth, and are able to tolerate a great deal of pain.

Omegas experience both periods, during which they may avoid contact with their alpha mate, and heat, during which they are filled with the need and desire to get pregnant. Omegas often stay home, cooking, cleaning, and raising the children. Omegas usually prefer soft or warm clothing, such as sweaters, knee socks, cotton skirts, yoga pants, sweat pants, long sleeve T-shirts, vests, lingerie, bathrobes, fuzzy slippers, and anything else that provides physical comfort. Many omegas will also steal one or two of their alpha's shirts or jackets to wear, especially if the alpha's scent is on it. Omegas usually wear their hair long, and will also wear hats and makeup and jewelry.

Lower class alphas and omegas tend to marry their natural mate. Not always, but that is the general preference.

. .

Fighting arenas are places where lower class people go to watch and bet on alphas who fight each other for show. Think TV wrestling or non-fatal gladiator combat. The fighters mostly consist of alphas, but may also include omegas, all of whom tend to have a certain fighting style and stage persona. (Bakura is “the Demon,” Mai is “the Dancing Peacock,” etc.) During a fight, any non-fatal injury is allowed – the fighters are allowed to hit, punch, kick, knee, scratch, or even bite each other, so long as no one dies. The winners are paid a healthy amount of coin, but losers go home empty handed.

The two types of fighters are 'brawlers' and 'scrappers.' Brawlers tend to have a more specific style they use and may even use weapons in a match, such as bo staffs or wooden swords. Scrappers usually don't have specific styles, instead attacking with whatever strength and adrenaline their body possesses.

Jou, Mai, and Malik are all brawlers, while Bakura and Marik are scrappers.

. .

Upper class -

Wealthy alphas still tend to keep their hair cut short, but tend to wear expensive suits instead of active wear. They are generally quite lazy and overweight, but still strong enough to hold their own in a physical confrontation. Expensive suits, gowns, and pointy shoes are the customary uniform for alphas who come from money. Wealthy alphas usually work in business and politics, sitting at computers and desks in their office jobs, but some will opt for other jobs, such as teaching at universities (which pays exceptionally well) or even going into showbusiness with writing stories and acting in movies.

Wealthy omegas are similar to their alpha counterparts, often lazy and overweight, and generally wear elegant dresses, silk saris, and kimonos. Most wealthy omegas like to keep their long hair up in expensive pins, covered with silk head scarves and lacy veils, their faces painted with intricate images of flowers and butterflies. Wealthy omegas don't usually work, generally employing lower class omegas to raise their children for them while they sit around watching television or playing on their phone. Wealthy omegas may also opt to go into showbusiness, frequently starring as the beautiful love interest in movies. Essentially, wealthy omegas live a life of a trophy spouse.

Wealthy alphas and omegas are more likely to marry each other for wealth and power, whether they are mates or not. If one spouse leaves an unmated marriage for their mate, they won't be judged if the mate turns out to also be wealthy, but they will be sorely judged if the mate turns out to be from the lower class.

[ask-thebrothers-kaiba]

-- Help Them. --

{No, seriously. @ayayalahale This is essentially my retelling of the beginning of the series, incorporating Season 0′s aspects and… Yeah just, uhmm. Enjoy, I guess. I’m just gonna.. lie down now-}

It was all over the city. Every paper, every radio station, every news outlet; everywhere was buzzing with word that Seto Kaiba had ascended to his late step-father’s throne. In only a matter of months the thirteen-year-old magnate had torn down every weapons factory and testing facility the company previously owned, and upon their ashes new factories were built in order to mass-produce games, toys, and electronics for children and adults alike; leaving his peers, employees, and associates as a loss for words. Though they knew the boy was ambitious, no one was aware of just how seriously he would take his position. Just like his step-father before him, he ruled that company with an iron fist - like a King, with little tolerance for slowness and lazy work.

     Rumor quickly spread that Seto had become exactly what his father was. Media articles were shared on a number of social media sites, though the subject itself was never up for debate – Seto wouldn’t allow it. Every public event, every interview, designed to make him look exactly the way he wanted the public to see him. The cool tone of his voice and practiced smile were enough to fool most, but to Kaiba Corp.’s employees - and especially Mokuba - this serene facade was far from the truth. Some employees had taken to calling him “The little dictator” behind his back, though strangely enough, after a few familiar faces ended up on MISSING posters, the name-calling ceased, and production within the main KC branch had never been better. It became clear to anyone who knew or dealt with Seto on a regular basis that he had become, for lack of a better term, a tyrant, resorting even to using his little brother of only eight years to do his bidding.

     Mokuba noticed soon after Gozaburo’s death that something within Seto was very wrong. He soon came to fear his brother so much, however, that he was at first forced to pretend nothing had changed.

     He’s still my brother. He’s just a little different now, that’s all. Maybe he’s just stressed out, tired…

     And he “needed” as much of Mokuba’s help as he could get!

     Little did Mokuba realize, though, that he, too, was changing for the worse.

     As time went on, a year had finally passed. The brothers came to be known as the King and Prince of Domino City – they had already owned a fourth of the city, and staying true to the Kaiba Way, Seto sought to conquer it all. However, he could not do it alone. This meant conscripting Mokuba to the task of locating something for him; something very important. Mokuba, seeking only to please the King, his nii-sama, and gain even an ounce of his approval, was more than happy to oblige.

     “ — I’ll come back with it this afternoon, nii-sama. Just you watch!”

     “Don’t disappoint me, Mokuba. You would do well to remember what happens when I’m disappointed.”

     The boy’s head dropped respectfully. Seto had never been “disappointed” with Mokuba - not to the full extent. But Mokuba had seen the full extent.

    “Yes, nii-sama. I promise I won’t let you down.”

     A sentence he struggled not to stutter.

     He always left his brother looking over his shoulder, wishing he might say goodbye – but it never did happen. Not anymore.

    Though mokuba hadn’t lived up to his “this afternoon!” pledge - which Seto expected anyway - it was a week later the boy finally came back with results, although completely empty-handed, meaning his hands were completely devoid of the object he was looking for.

    “ — Nii-sama!” Mokuba cried excitedly, bounding toward him with his backpack strung around his right arm.

    “Nii-sama, be proud of me! I found it. I found the Blue-Eyes, just like you said!”

    Without a moment’s hesitation Seto stood from his desk, taking a good hard look at his brother below him.

    “And? Where is it?”

    Anger was apparent in the way his tone shifted. Mokuka gulped, continuing with a stammer he knew Seto couldn’t stand.

    “D-don’t be mad, n-nii-sama,” the boy pleaded.

    “I don’t have it with me, but I know who does..!”

    His confidence picked back up as he began rummaging through his backpack, pulling out a sheet of paper he had tucked away. It was a small file, briefing the identity of a high school student named Yugi Motou. After taking the page from Mokuba, Seto quickly studied the details, a small smirk creeping onto his face.

    “Well done, little brother. This may be the best thing you’ve ever done.”

    With his statement came a smile from the younger brother; a genuine smile with tears to match. If he hadn’t been so mindful respectful of Seto’s personal space, he would have hugged him and not let go. Now was not the time, however – Seto had a plan brewing in that head of his, and if Mokuba were to interrupt the flow of ideas, he would have hell to pay.  

    The very next day – on a Monday, no less – at the Domino City high school, none other than Seto Kaiba himself had arrived, limousine and all, clad in the school’s very blue uniform. Truthfully, Seto had tested out of a prestigious university two years before, but as he informed the school (and, naturally, the media), he “Wanted a real high school experience” to “help him connect with Domino’s youth”, as if he himself weren’t fourteen years old at the time. Regardless, this fact excited both the school’s faculty and its students – mostly the female students. But this wasn’t what he was there for. At 8 o’clock sharp, class began. The teacher introduced Seto to his small portion of the student body, Seto himself stating additionally that he was ecstatic to be there, claiming he hoped to make friends during the time he stayed. With a curt bow he left the front of the class, taking an available seat – one he reserved for himself – in a middle row to the back of the classroom, coincidentally near his target. 

           Class came to a close an hour and a half later, leaving students yawning and stretching before making their way to the next period. Seto fully intended on confronting Yugi before he left the room, but he had missed his chance by only a few seconds. It seemed the boy had friends.

    “This may prove troublesome – No matter. I will find a way around it.”

    Rest assured, he would. Seto was adamant about having Yugi’s exact schedule, so there was physically no way he could miss another opportunity. One way or another he would speak with him; even if it took following him all day long. Luckily enough for Seto, this did not come to pass. It was at noon, lunchtime, that he finally got his next chance. Yugi and one other blond were playing a mock-game of Duel Monsters in the back of the lunchroom. Taking no time at all to seize this opportunity, Seto calmly walked over, and interrupted the flow of gameplay.

    “—Duel Monsters, eh? I play, you know. World Champion.” He stated, his tone coolly upbeat. The taller blond was the one to respond first, much to Seto’s annoyance.

    “Hey, wait a minute – is that seriously you? The Seto Kaiba? I mean, I thought you looked like him, but yaknow, I just-“

    “Fantastic,” Seto replied all-too quickly, if only to get him to shut up for a few seconds. The blond was suddenly offended, and easily ignored.

    He inquired to Yugi once more.

    “I see you’re about to win.”

    Seto had looked down at Yugi’s hand after scanning the duel field. The blond’s emotions quickly switched again, now looking to Kaiba with complete disdain. So, what? Was his conversation not good enough or somethin’? And just how was he so sure Yugi was about to win? It was in that instant that he began to wonder what made Seto feel so off, but the game caught more of his interest than that did. Insistent on proving Kaiba wrong, he played a card he was sure would grant him victory – but luck was not on his side that day.

    “Ah, Jonouchi,” Yugi responded, feeling guilty about leading his friend on, “He wasn’t wrong.”

    He proceeded to play the one card in his hand that sealed his victory, and while Jonouchi steamed over another agonizing defeat, Yugi continued on with Seto.

    “So, you’re him then? I’ve seen you in all of my classes today. Pretty cool we got the same schedule, huh?”

    “In the flesh,” he shrugged, ignoring the other half of his inquiry, “but I’m more interested in you. I’ve heard you’re the best player in this school, Yugi Motou. Your reputation precedes you.”

    A lie.

    “I’m not here to play, however.”

    With one swift movement, Seto swung his briefcase up and over, setting it down on top of a nearby table, proceeding to open the case, showcasing its contents to a growing crowd.

    “I’m looking for something very specific, Yugi. It’s an extremely valuable, rare card, and as trade, I will give you the contents of this case for it, no questions asked.”

    The boy’s eyes had never widened so much. In fact, the whole crowd’s eyes never had. Seto’s vast collection had everyone pushing and shoving to see it, though they dared not get too close. Some students did speak up instead, insisting Yugi take them already. As great an offer that sounded, though…

    “—This is more than generous of you, Kaiba, but it really depends on the card. I can’t just give my possessions away like that. They mean something to me.”

    The crowd groaned, Jonouchi had asked if Kaiba wouldn’t mind giving it to him instead, and Seto’s eye twitched, his plastic smile and nice-guy façade ready to crumble. If this had been anyone else – anyone at all – Seto would have had them beaten. There was too much at stake here, however. The beating would have to come later.

    He kept his cool.

    “I understand,” he eventually said in a sigh, closing the briefcase gingerly.

    “In that case, would you mind simply showing it to me after school? I’m looking for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon; I hear it’s one of the most powerful cards in the game. I’m… Simply curious to see what it looks like up close.”

    Yugi blinked, pondered, and then nodded.

    “I’ll… See what I can do.”

    “Perfect.”

    Seto left that day feeling quite confident, though he hadn’t expected what might happen next. As soon as he was out of earshot, Jonouchi finally let Yugi in on his suspicions. He would have done so earlier, but with that guy’s reputation, he didn’t want to take any chances.

    “Yug. You know I trust ya – and I hope you trust me, too, because there’s somethin’ off about that Kaiba, and I don’t think showin’ him that card is a good idea. He’s a World Champion, remember? What would he even need a card like that for?”

    Yugi thought for a moment, his brows furrowed.

    “Well, he seemed to have quite the collection. Maybe he was looking to complete it.”

    “Tch – Yugi. I might not be the best at this game, but I’m not an idiot. I keep up with the circuits. He already has three of the four that exist. Yug, if you have it, buddy, I would keep that thing locked up tight.”

    Exactly a week passed before Seto heard word from Yugi. During that time Seto’s patience had worn thin. He had backed off quite a bit in school, only staying for half a day due to “urgent business”, and hadn’t shared a word with him since Monday. Needless to say, he was not happy, as evidenced by his treatment of Mokuba. During aggravating periods such as these, he tended to succumb to a deeply-rooted anger he’d never been able to let go of, and always took it out on the nearest thing – that thing, nine times out of ten, being his brother.

    “Don’t tell me you were wrong about this.” He stated, his arms crossed as he glanced at Mokuba from across the room. The boy’s posture tensed, his arms and legs close together submissively.

    “N-no, n-n-n-nii-sama!” He stuttered.

    “Spit. It. Out.”

    “I swear, that’s what I heard! My friends—“

    “Your friends are nothing but a group of little thugs who have no idea what they’re doing! Who did they hear this from, anyway, huh? Some squirrel on the street? Please.”

    Mokuba bit his lip, clasping his hands together in an attempt not to cry.

    “Here come the tears,” Seto mocked, his expression becoming more and more disgusted.

    “If you’re going to cry, then do it somewhere else. It’s annoying, and I don’t want to hear it.”

    Dutifully Mokuba nodded, silently, wiping his eyes before turning to leave the room. He debated for what felt like forever whether or not he should try to apologize, but he never got the chance. The phone rang, and as always, Seto was quick to answer.

    “What?”

    “There’s a… Miss Hale on line two. She’s been calling all day on and off. We’ve blocked one of her numbers already, but she keeps calling back. I’ve told her I can’t put it through without your say-so, but she insists she knows you. She threatened to come here herself if I didn’t put her through.”

     Damn, damn, damn. She must have heard the news.

    Mokuba, from a few feet away, only barely overheard the voice on the other end.

    Hale. Miss Hale. Where did he remember that name..?

    Seto knew. He knew full well.  He was tempted to tell his receptionist to keep blocking her calls, but with one extremely brave movement, Mokuba ran over and swiped the phone from his brother.

    “Skyler! Put her through!”

{Proceeds to sing “fuck this shit i’m out” while squiggling away into the dark recesses of my mind}