#new link vrains

[lavenderr-starrs]

My duel links experience as memes

Also bonus cause I know you’re gonna see this I don’t even need to tag you, you know who you are

[luna-the-duel-chronologist]

Cross Duel End of Service

This just in! Good evening, Duelists, this is Luna, the Duel Reporter reporting that the mobile game, Yu-Gi-Oh Cross Duel, is terminating its service on September 4, 2023. Cross Duel players will be able to get support in Master Duel and Duel Links, via currency and icons.

I gotta say, while I didn’t play Cross Duel, I kinda expected it to live further than that. This game has been out six months, and it’s already calling it quits.

I mean, for crying out loud, Duel Links has been going strong for almost 7 years now. It has seen 2 Yu-Gi-Oh series come and go and SEVERAL new formats be either created or officially endorsed, like Rush Duel, Speed Duel, Common Charity, and Time Wizard.

So... what happened? Well, even a brief Google search will tell you that the player base for Cross Duel has been dwindling for a while now. And even then, Cross Duel doesn’t seem very Yu-Gi-Oh esque, past the art used, which can drive off people more invested in the actual card game, like myself. But, even then, I’m shocked to learn that it’s going down literally two days before it even becomes a year old.

I am going to mourn this game, however, both between being a Yu-Gi-Oh fan and not wanting to see something from one of my favorite franchises fail, but also as a fan of the new artwork the game brought. I mean, seriously, I just adore these Icons.

I mean, look at these. These have so much personality and fanservice.

Neos’ is cool and cocky, Stardust Dragon is riding Yusei’s bike, Superstar packs all of Shingo Sawatari’s fruitiness while still being an homage to the card and to Abyss Script, Borreload is doing Revolver’s JoJo pose from episode 46 of VRAINS, while also kinda looking like his redesign from Season 2.

All this to say, rest in peace Yu-Gi-Oh Cross Duel. You will be missed.

[shitpostingkats]

Sorry for sending yet another ask SNDNDK, I just enjoy your rambles

Have you hear the Duel Links themes for the Vrains gang by any chance :0? Ghost Gal recently arrived, so I thought I'd ask!

I have not! I did see Ghost Gal got added recently, and my first reaction was "Wait, she wasn't there already?" and my second reaction was "HELL YEAH!"

[dash-n-step]

Soon™

[merryfortune]

Experimental Side Effects

Written for Multiamory March 2023

Day 5: Awakening

Title: Experimental Side Effects

Ship: Rockdustshipping | Earth/Ryoken/Spectre

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains

Rating: T

Word Count: 1,840

Tags: Not Canon Compliant, Alternate Universe - Everybody Lives/Nobody Dies, Psychic Abilities, All The Lost Incident Victims Have Link Sense

   There had been unintended side effects of the Origin to Ignis bond.

   There had been all the expected side effects. Post-traumatic stress disorder, unusual food rituals associated with winning and losing, complete shutdowns of identity and self-esteem, and other such behaviour but none of the associated scientists had anticipated what would become known as the Link Sense.

   All the children of the Incident appeared to have some strain of it. Some stronger than others, like Yusaku who could perceive the internet and network with just his eyes in the world of flesh and blood. It helped to make easier work of his mission to bring back Ai, however. He had found it unwieldy to use initially but once he got the hang of it, he had become a silent master of the dark and unseen in the network, seeing that which others did not. For better and for worse.

   Others appeared to have something else.

   Jin, like Yusaku, could perceive the network from the real world however, he couldn’t see it. He could, however, hear it. Waves upon waves of crackling static, no wonder he was so overwhelmed all the time, it had only shut down after Lightning erased his memories but after recovering them, he had learned to tune to the radio and pick up specific transmissions. Albeit at a sentence at a time, if at all, sort of like what ghost hunters called a spirit box and used to try to communicate with the dead.

   Takeru had something ironic given the attribute of his Ignis. Or maybe it made perfect sense. He’d never noticed it given how technologically illiterate he was but his devices, they never overheated. He legitimately thought that devices of all kinds were meant to be noiseless, cold machines at all hours and regardless of use density. Thus, his Link Sense was that of heat transferral, and with a little refining and practice, it wasn’t just him absorbing it but he could release it too.

   Miyu had something akin to the classic idea of extra-sensory perception. She was the classic image of an ESPer at a desk, being made to guess the symbol on a card someone else was holding. She could count cards without counting them and they didn’t even have to be her own. It didn’t even end at Duel Monsters, it made for a good party trick, she thought. Any attempt she made at promising to never cheat using it fell apart as they all knew she had her fingers crossed. Though it did highlight the discrepancy between herself and the integrity that Aqua embodied.

   Hibiki, Windy’s Origin, had the ability to move things in the network. Whether it was files and data or semi-physical objects in the Link VRAINS, he had an acute affinity for telekinesis. It had its occasional use, especially on his low spoon days after the car accident. Being able to whisk off an email or place an order on a food delivery app just by using his mind, without even opening his computer or phone, had its benefits. Even if they did not extend to the real world, more often than not.

   Regardless of power, and how it was displayed or formatted, it was all under the umbrella known as Link Sense. None of these children had these abilities prior to the Incident, as far as they were aware and in the field of para-science, it was dismissed entirely outright, even by the Hanoi Lieutenants. But still. All six of them had some form of extra-cognitive ability.

   Yes, Spectre included.

   Loyal right hand man to the Leader of the Knights of Hanoi. Perhaps, with that in mind, his Link Sense did seem most fitting: he was a dog, a hound to his master and so he had the keenness for it. He could only detect Earth, though only Earth, but that was more than enough for him. He didn’t need anything more strange and unusual about him. Especially as his awakening to this latent power was when it had hurt him. 

   The only time he had become aware of his Link Sense was when Earth had been decompiled. 

   Spectre hadn’t felt each cut and strike of the laser through Earth as he was vivisected. But when it was over. When there was no life or body left of him, that was when Spectre had felt it. A gaping pain in his heart and a tear proceeded to roll down his cheek afterwards.

   He did not understand? What was that? Oh, it was… Earth, he would later come to realise.

   Well. It didn’t matter. Not anymore. It never had. That is what Spectre attempted to resolve. Whatever this ability of his was, this sense of connection that he had between himself and… his other self, as he had put it, it was severed. It had been purposefully cut to pieces. There was no coming back from that.

   But where there was a will, there was a way and there was none quite so willful as Fujiki Yusaku. Also known as Playmaker. The greatest thorn that Spectre had ever known in his side but where there were thorns, there were roses, too. Unfortunately.

   He brought them back. First his own, of course, and then together, they brought back the other Ignis, and when the Earth Ignis lived again, Spectre felt it.

   Another tear rolled down his eye and he was sick to his stomach. 

   It should have been impossible. There was no room for this connection in his life, between himself and his master. He had never once questioned his orders, even when curiosity had frayed him briefly at the edges nor when he had felt a profound grief for someone he had never technically met. 

   Or so he thought.

   Spectre objected more to the idea than Ryoken but Ryoken accepted it with a passive, even pleasant, defeat. He did not want to destroy the Ignis. He did not want the victims of the Incident to suffer more. If it did come to that, of course, he would make the tough decisions but he had faith that the Origins and the Ignis, their bond would prevail.

   Even the one between Spectre and Earth.

   With no hesitation at all, Earth allowed himself to be adopted by the Knights of Hanoi. There were mumblings of protest from the others, of course. It seemed extremely unwise… Right up until Spectre had smiled a genuine smile meeting his Ignis for the first time and the gentleness he exhibited, it did seem to convey a change of self and the turnover of a leaf.

   Thus, that was life. For a little while at least. Awkwardness in the rooms wherever Earth went, because of course, but it was palpable. They could deal with it.

   And Spectre was now aware of his own Link Sense. It went both ways. In the beginning and the end, in death and in rebirth. It did not seem like an especially powerful ability. Thank goodness. He did not need something so fanciful as to perceive the network with his eyes or ears, or any other number of ESPer like abilities. He was content with what he had.

   Until the sensations spread. It truly did work both ways.

   “Why are you blushing, Ignis?” Spectre huffed.

   All he had done was kiss Ryoken good night. It was a strange arrangement but one which filled his heart. He and his master were lovers, after all, they slept in the same bed. Himself and his Ignis, they were partners so Earth would hide in his Duel Disc wherever he set it, most typically on his bedside table. Though Earth was a rather bright creature, with his luminescent eyes, it wasn’t the cyan that had caught Spectre’s attention most foul after he rolled over from kissing Ryoken.

   It was the red in his cheeks.

   “I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching but.” Earth stammered. “I felt it.”

   “You felt it?” Spectre echoed.

   That caught Ryoken’s ear so he rolled over as well. 

   “Now that I think about it… No, I shall not say it, I don’t know how to say it without miscommunicating.” Earth rambled.

   Ryoken’s eyebrows drew in. He had his suspicions. As did Spectre.

   “Just say it.” Spectre sighed.

   “I can feel all your kisses or hand holding. However rare. How peculiar.” Earth said.

   “I doubt that.” Spectre said.

   “I… do not.” Ryoken piped up.

   “What?” Spectre did not snarl but he wanted as he turned his head to look over his shoulder.

   “I’m curious, I have a hypothesis.” Ryoken said.

   “Huh? What?” Spectre was all but trampled upon by Ryoken.

   Ryoken clambered over him without ever leaving the comfort of being under the sheets. He shoved Spectre down with his body, all so he could reach over him so he could pick up his Duel Disc off his bedside table. With Earth, flailing, inside of it.

   Ryoken kissed Earth’s cheek, making Earth blush and… Spectre felt it. He felt the red of the hypertension in Earth’s body and even the sensation of Ryoken’s lips on his cheeks, like a phantom. He would always know it.

   “I don’t think we know the full scope of how your particular Link Sense works just yet, Spectre.” Ryoken said, very smug that his first experiment appeared to be a success based on how Spectre fumed underneath him, teased.

   He was also quite chuffed that he had even gotten a pot shot in on Earth. Ryoken placed him back down and slid off Spectre. He got comfortable in bed again.

   “We should do more tests regarding your specific extra-sensory abilities, I know you're not interested but I am. It will be helpful information to have if Earth ever goes rogue and attempts armageddon of his own volition.” Ryoken said, far too blase, even sing-song, to be talking about such things.

   “I-I would! I would never!” Earth sputtered.

   “Quite frankly, I would be more surprised if the other Origins don’t have this ability in their arsenals of Link Sense.” Ryoken continued to muse. “But, if we can train yours up, it might even be possible for you to detect Ignises other than your own. Yes, that could be very helpful in the event that we do have to terminate the Ignis after all.”

   “Please shut up,” Spectre begged, he rolled over so he could bury his face in his pillow, “your not just making Earth embarrassed but myself as well.”

   Ryoken was quiet for a moment and Spectre almost thought they were over this awful pillow talk.

   “Did your Link Sense tell you that?” Ryoken asked after that beat, simply unable to help himself.

   Spectre groaned, “Good night.”

   His conviction to never be involved too deep in this unexpected side effect of the Lost Incident all the more compounded. He had done so well for so long to simply ignore everything which did not suit his narrative of what suited him. He was not going to let this peculiar depth of his and his Ignis’ bond ruin it.

   No matter what Ryoken was curious about.

[chaosmax]

Oh sweetie, you didn't bite off more than you could chew, everyone else just had plot armor and the writers cucked you and your brother : ")

[nanintell]

Manage to trigger all secret gem effects in vrains world and it was worth it!

Screens featuring blue angles and her voice ("hi~ everyone~ let's go~" something like this)

Rainbow lights turn on and decode talker slides across the screen.

Frog reporter and his pigeon camera (forgot their names) are floating along with balloons behind the shop.

Robopi jumps out of yusaku’s house then goes back (seriously, love this. Robopi is so cute ngl.)

[yoshifawful64]

…oh god damn it, i miss vrains

[cyberdragoninfinity]

I'm sorry but WHAT is happening in Duel Links??

*CRACKS KNUCKLES* ALRIGHT im certain other people could explain this better than I could (bark at me if any of this is wrong,) but, an attempt at a quick rough tl;dr of it:

so like. an important thing to note with DL is that like..... the in-universe explanation for Duel Links is that it's one of Seto Kaiba's new VR Next Evolution of Dueling Ego Projects, which like, ok sure, he Makes Those, but what's a little alarming with this one is that technically (almost) none of the characters In The Game are actually Those Characters Specifically, they're AI recreations of them with their original self's memories (that's already a lot, right out the gate.) (I say "almost" everyone because I think it's implied DSOD Kaiba and maybe Mokuba actually Are them because it's Their Game and they're always product testing it, there might be others though)

anyway another thing with this situation is that, uh, Most Characters in Duel Links Do Not Know They're AI. They just assume they're the original guy, that's just them! Hanging out in this cool new Duel VR! But then sometimes you DO get characters who actively are aware that they're just code in a video game (Yami Bakura and Bruno 5D's both comment on it), so you have this really interesting ecosystem of duelists who Are aware they don't really exist, and duelists who are None the Wiser. absolutely batshit.

and sure this is all well and fine with like, DM and maybe GX characters, ok sure it makes sense Kaiba would be recreating notable duelists of that era, but i cannot stress enough He Is Also Making AI Recreations of Dead People. DL very much takes place post-manga, post-DSOD. But Yami Yugi is There. Yami Bakura and Yami Marik are Very There. Manga Pegasus is there. Seto "I Will Never Learn to Come to Terms With Grief" Kaiba is actively raising the dead in his little VR card game simulator so they can live forever and there's a 50/50 chance they'll be FULLY AWARE that they died. JESUS.

There's also the hulking elephant in the room of Duel Links Has Been Including Characters From Series Kaiba Has Nothing to Do With For Quite Some Time Now--and a lot of those characters are like HEY. WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE. like I SWEAR someone from either Zexal or Arv-V was actively like "hi what the hell is KaibaCorp" so like...Kaiba's branding is ALL OVER THE VR WORLD EVEN IN THE WORLDS HE DIDNT EXIST IN. It's painting this absolute off the rails picture of Seto Kaiba trying to create this virtual multiverse of The Best Duelists From Every Timeline Living or Dead, and half the guys he's pulling in at this point are like *spawns into a perfect recreation of their hometown with no real idea of who did this* "what in the goddamn."

like guys from zexal/arc-v are actively IN GAME like trying to figure out why this VR world exists and who created it. It's absolutely wild and fascinating to watch. excited to see what happens when they add VRAINS world next month?!?!? idk anything about VRAINS really but it's probably going to make the DL lore even more bananas.

ANYWAY. ALL OF THAT SAID. NOW WE HAVE MAXIMILLION PEGASUS DROPPING IN-GAME OMINOUS SENTIMENTS it's kind of a culmination of all of the aforementioned shit. Duel Links Pegasus (an AI recreation of manga!Pegasus, who is fully aware A.) that's he's dead and B.) that there's multiple worlds and timelines crammed into this Virtual Reality) has a conversation with Paradox (an AI recreation of Paradox the Bonds Beyond Time Yugioh Movie Bad Guy, who, for all intents and purposes, fully believes he's the real dude and he wants to kill-die-explode-murder Pegasus SO BAD) breaking down that "hey, this place unites different histories, and if you kill me duel monsters won't cease to exist. Anyway, I'm not real! Ohoho! This world holds threads of tragedy, Paradox-boy!" <-- (not verbatim. but i wish it was.) Meanwhile Paradox is having a sputtering breakdown right next to him. This is a video game to play yugioh the trading card game.

like. it's just absolutely wild. konami could have just said "hey heres yugioh characters from every series. whatever" but no instead they threw in a bunch of mild psychological horror and inter-series friction and existentialism and it's a freemium video game that i have 600+ hours on on steam. yugioh duel links !

[marblesmind]

Badly explaining each YuGiOh series (NOTE: I have only seen most of Duel monsters, 3 seasons of Gx, vague memories of Zexal, and 2 episodes of Arc V. Everything else has been gained through vague interpretations while I scroll through tumblr)

Duel monsters:

Ancient Egyptian magic users air out their millennium old grudges by possessing Japanese teenagers and fighting to send eachothers souls to the shadow realm through card games

Gx:

Every single supernatural and otherworldly force from every dimension conspire to prevent this kid from getting an education

5Ds:

Somehow card games have caused a dystopian future where everyone is divided into the upper and lower city and the protagonists have to overthrow the oppressive system. But everyone only ever talks about how they play cardgames on motorcycles

Zexal: One boy and his friend who is an amnesiac alien living inside his dead parents necklace fight too many aliens, a time stopping bounty hunter with a nuclear reactor brother, a man with the worlds worst haircut, and his three sons named after the numbers going sequentially from three all while capturing the entire cast of numberjacks.

Arc V:

14 year old boy wants to be the worst best clown, unfortunately his evil dragon ancestry has other things to say! And his regular ancestry. Also the entire entertainment industry.

Vrains:

Worlds saddest hacker tries to bring a conspiracy that ruined his whole life to light all while trying to live a normal life. His desktop companion and roomba think he could do better with his life and cardgames now happen inside computers. What is this duel links?

Sevens: a group of anarchist 12 year olds try to make their new dueling system popular and I think the protagonist tries to blow up a building that one time

[lavenderr-starrs]

Thinking about Ai and Yusaku and how one has to lose the other eventually either way no matter what. Of course we have what happened in canon, but with Duel links we have that semi possibility the vrains world is canon to vrains story line?? In a way??

I can’t help but think about the inevitable what If moment. The moment in time when eventually Yusaku has to go, either by old age or by another means of death (you’ll never truly know when you’ll die after all) And think about Ai during it all. I mean, AI’s an A.I. Yusaku was searching for (And sorta) Found a way for him to come back, the concept of death to Ai is just that, a concept, for Yusaku-

It’s a harsh reality.

What’ll Ai do when that happens? Where does he go? These are things I’m constantly thinking about between the two, sure reincarnation is canon in the world of yugioh but it seems to take a long time for a soul to return. would Ai find him again? Would he be able to stay around and wait long enough for him to come back? Will he still function till then?

Another thing that has me thinking, what if after Yusakus passing Ai makes a new soltis body.

A Soltis body with a similar appearance to when he met Yusaku in episode one, even when he’s gone he’ll see that face looking at him, just like the first time.

[bestygogirl]

BEST YGO GIRL: REDEMPTION CUP

Round 1, Match 20

please use this as an opportunity to say why you like a character, not why you don't.

Baby. Baby girl. vs Evil

Propaganda under the cut!

Kiku Kamishirakawa

Here to provide the Kiku propaganda because we LOVE absolutely normal side characters in these whacky card game animes!

-Is a total Mom Friend to Takeru, making sure he is safe when he wanders off on his own and skips classes

-Reminds Takeru that he has people who care about him

-Shows concern for Takeru's (seemingly) irrational phobias and his major life altering decisions, but supports his choices, promising to look after his elderly grandparents when he leaves.

-Is nervous to try new hobbies going into Link VRAINS for the first time, but does so because it makes Takeru happy and she still supports her friend after months of separation.

In conclusion, Kiku isn't a walk-the-walk talk-the-talk duelist who can stand up to people who threaten to destroy the world, but she IS the person who will lift up her friends and give THEM the confidence they need to be a walk-the-walk talk-the-talk duelist who can stand up to people who threaten to destroy the world!

And that's why this side character who only appears in 3 out of 120 episodes in Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS is best girl!

Barbara

Support women's wrongs. Evil is sexy. Thank you.

[shitpostingkats]

New security for Link Vrains, hm?

Yes, that should be nice and secure. Should keep everyone out.

Except...

[lia404]

Get to know me better game—2 in 1 because I'm 6 months late

Tagged by: @baratrongirl and @missmewachu

Thanks for being so patient while I was figuring out how Tumblr works again and why I had a blue dot beside "Activity" (as in, notifications about tag games I've been sent 6 months ago. Better late than never 🤦‍♀️) Thankfully the tag games you sent my way are very similar so it won't be hard to do 2 in 1!

Last song I listened to: Chipzel - Courtesy - YouTube

The 1st track of Super Hexagon, composed by Chipzel. Chipzel's music has been a pick-me-up since 201...4 I think? And since I fell back into Super Hexagon around a week ago, the music has also found its way back into my work playlist.

Currently reading: Trick question! There is what I am MEANT to read, and what I am ACTUALLY reading.

What I am MEANT to read is To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquill Blackgoose, which has absolutely all the elements I need to love a book. The problem is that my brain absolutely refuses moving further than Chapter 1, and I've been stuck for MONTHS. The good news is that when it happens, I usually struggle until the moment my brain finally snaps and I read the whole book in an afternoon. Wait for me, Moniquill Blackgoose, I'll soon be raving about your book.

What I am ACTUALLY reading is... well, it's more re-reading, but I'm going through Happy Hour by Inkflavored and Keep the Light Shining by Clydeside, two Yu-Gi-Oh AUs that have been incredibly healing for me in the past months, for very different reasons. I wanted to re-experience them to see if I could turn them into fanbinding projects (if the authors give me the authorisation of course, but I haven't reached this level of confidence yet, let's give it time.)

Currently watching: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS.

Do you believe me if I tell you that it was an accident? It kinda was though! I wasn't the one who played the first episodes I just kept going afterwards. That said, I have fully adopted Yusaku. I kind of wish he could meet Philip from Kamen Rider W. Things would go so well.

Currently writing: this one is plain cruel, because after a drought spell of almost 2 years, I finally feel like getting back into writing (thank you, current obsession.)

I have 3 WIPs, one PWP because I like a challenge, one backstory of a character that has basically become my OC, and one AU that @wisyhana created and that I'm using as a wonderful sandbox. I am between 2k and 5k into each, nothing is complete, I'm losing my mind. But at least I'm writing again, right?

Spicy/sweet/savoury: Okay yes no it's cruel again and you will not make me pick just one.

If you've followed me these past years you know that I have completely lost my sense of taste between 2020 and 2023. I was lucky enough, and honestly even the specialised doctor said it was a miracle, to have most of it come back to me abruptly in March 2023, after 3 years unable to enjoy a bit of chocolate or a nice gratin. Some tastes are lost forever, but so few compared to what came back that I just can only be very very grateful and very confident in saying SPICY SWEET SAVOURY I'LL TAKE THEM ALL. I LOVE TASTES. ALL OF THEM.

Relationship status: I have been told polyamory looks good on me.

And I am lucky to have the most patient and tolerant lovers ever. EVER. I love them so much and I'm so bad at showing it because I am a mess. There isn't a day where my heart doesn't overflow with gratitude that they are in my life and agree to putting up with my bullshit.

Current obsession: Listen, Mew put it SO ELOQUENTLY I can help but quote:

mentally ill traumatised japanese teenagers and their ancient egyptian guys who hang out in their jewellery all playing card games.

So, yeah, current obsession is Yu-Gi-Oh!, and with it Duel Links, and everything children-card-game-adjacent. I am currently trying to figure out why everyone in this kid's show is so hot and delightfully traumatised. Characters after my own heart, all ready to be projected on and used for cathartic writing purposes. Other obsession is MEW'S FAULT TOO ACTUALLY since it's my newly founded Clan in Flight Rising. Ask me about my dragon Atem.

Favourite colour: I like my colour like my wine—burgundy. (I actually like all sort of shades of purple, violet and red, but I don't know how to list them.)

Tagging: Wow uh who do I know around here who is still active?

@twilightknight17 for sure (although I'm sure you already did it), @wingsonghalo maybe? Uuuh, I think @the-wanderer-of-thoughts and @istadris? You know, considering how inactive I am here, I think it's already a lot, but if you're not in the list and want to do it too, be my guest!

[astertiae]

I think there’s so much potential for an Arc-V and VRAINS crossover. In my mind, I’m just thinking about the yu-boys and bracelet girls 10 years into the future, and there’s this new technology called LINK VRAINS. Imagine Yuya and Yuzu putting on that headgear, making avatars for themselves, but also for their counterparts. Their counterparts being so excited they can have bodies again, their own faces so they can interact with the cyberse not as Yuya and Yuzu, but as themselves, truly. Imagine Shun, hesitant, because he’s an adult, and he’s moved on (or so he tells himself), but it’s been so, so long, and he’s already forgotten so much about Yuto and Lulu and when he hears about the vrains, he thinks it’s a little frivolous, but then he logs in for the first time, and there are his family from xyz waiting for him! I don’t know, I just think there’s potential there

[gedascrown5768]

A new fighting game in Link Vrains

Soulburner is definitely gonna be there

Blue Angel and Playmaker don't really like fighting games