App for The Wake
Apr. 19th, 2015 10:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
puzzlemastersPersonal Information
Name: Dragon
Age: 40
Personal Journal:dragondancer5150
Email / AIM / MSN / Plurk: dragondancer5150@yahoo.com, Plurk - OldMaidDragon
Current Character(s): Drill Boy (soccersoccersoccer )
Character Information
Character Name: Mutou Yugi and "Yami" (Yami no Yugi/"Dark Yugi")
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Source: Mutou Yugi - http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Yugi_Muto (and http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Yugi_Mutou_%28manga%29 )
Yami Yugi - http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Yami_Yugi (and http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Yugi_%28manga%29 )
Character History:
Dragon STILL knows not the meaning of brief. And this history is SHORTER than the one I originally wrote. OTL
Note on Yami's "name": Technically, Yami doesn't have an identity of his own at this point in the canon. By the pull point, he's only just recently gained enough self-awareness to question if he's really an aspect of Yugi or someone altogether separate, and either way it's occurred to him that he doesn't know his own name or anything else about himself. The other characters call both Yugis "Yugi" in addressing them, and if they specifically mean Yami, he's "the other Yugi". Yugi calls him "Other-Me" (and Yami by now has taken to calling him Aibou, which means "buddy/pal/partner/best friend" in a very close sense). Once people in Wake start interacting with Yami completely separately from Yugi and the question of a name to call him comes up, he'll eventually adopt "Yami" which is Japanese for "Dark/Darkness".
Character Personality:
("Minimum of three paragraphs"...man, I could go on for three PAGES about these two, especially Yami...9,9)
Lovers often like to say “you complete me” when they speak of the fulfillment they feel they get from their romantic partners. It’s not really true – people aren’t born incomplete and then have to find some other half of their souls in another person to be whole. At least . . . not usually. Was Yugi’s spirit incomplete when he was born? Hard to say . . . but easy to believe that he and Yami together operate like two halves of a whole. They’re a study in both similarities and polar opposites. Yugi is exceedingly trusting; Yami’s trust is hard-earned. Yugi is outgoing and talkative; Yami tends to be the silent observer, only speaking when he feels the need to. Yugi makes friends easily; Yami sees potential adversaries everywhere. Yugi’s an open book with his heart on his sleeve; Yami is a closely-guarded and private sort. Both, however, are hard-working, fearless in the face of adversity, never back down from opponents, can take charge of situations when called for, and are undyingly loyal to their friends.
To Yugi, who grew up a picked-upon outcast, his friends are his world, and he secretly fears the day he might lose them. There’s nothing he won’t do for his friends or his family. At first, one might mistake him for the weak link of any given group – he’s the smallest and physically weakest, yes, plus he is endlessly kind, generous to a fault, and would truly prefer to find a peaceful resolution to any given situation. But back him into a corner, or worse, threaten his friends? Bad idea. Yugi has been known to pick up any object at hand for a makeshift weapon and throw himself at enemies three times his size in defense of another. As a child, he was a shy introvert who’d let bullies walk all over him and tell people with a small grin that it didn’t bother him when he was picked last for team sports in school (his team would "just lose anyway"), but with first Anzu’s and then Jonouchi’s and Honda’s friendship – and with the things he’s experienced both alongside Yami and as the spirit’s living vessel – he’s blossomed into a young man who seems to stand taller than he really does and can take the lead in a crisis without flinching. Yugi is the embodiment of "strength in tenderness," something Yami deeply admires in him. He’s also the kind of rare person to whom people are just naturally drawn. He makes people feel valuable and safe, makes them smile, encourages them and inspires them to be the best they can be just by loving them, without any conscious effort on his part. He simply is.
Yami is the Dark to Yugi’s Light. In fact, for the longest time, they both believed themselves two sides of the same coin, that Yami was born directly of Yugi, somehow formed from him by the power of the Millennium Puzzle. (He's not, he's a separate entity altogether, but at this point in their canon, neither of them has any clue who Yami really is or how he came to be.) He can be extremely vengeful (less so now that he’s fully awakened and been touched by Yugi like everyone else). He views everyone with initial distrust, waiting for them to prove themselves to him (intentionally or just by being themselves).
Yami shines best in crisis. When there is a situation to be handled, a battle to be fought, an enemy to overcome, Yami takes the reins without hesitation and is confident to the point of cocky, challenging and powerful. Fandom often accuses him of arrogance, but really it's a façade more than anything – Yami has no choice. He must always keep his heart strong. He has to present the strongest front to his opponents that he can, gaining and maintaining as much control of any situation as he can manage (while still maintaining his own integrity). If that means toying with his opponents to anger them enough that they start making mistakes, or being unflinchingly blunt to make a point he feels someone needs to hear, so be it. And those who lie, cheat, steal, bully and hurt others, etc, Yami has no respect for them at all, so he'll say and do whatever he has to, within the confines of the game at hand, in order to win.
Outside of crisis, however, is a much different story. On his own, Yami is quite subdued, even reserved, content to sit back and silently observe, taking in anything and everything around him. Like Yugi – and even more so – he's extremely intelligent and able to quickly discern details about people and situations (except anything of a romantic nature, to which he is utterly and almost comically blind – Yugi at least can tell when someone’s showing “that” kind of interest in him). On the other hand, unlike Yugi who is an open book, Yami is an impenetrable fortress, his mental and emotional walls high and thick. He doesn't tend to interact much with others if it's not to directly handle a situation or to discuss one. If he's not on a mission, as it were, he's withdrawn into the Puzzle, relinquishing control back to Yugi when he's "not needed." Or he might be manifested beside his partner, invisible and inaudible to anyone but Yugi but at least able to observe things on his own. Partly this is because he knows how much of an intruder and a disruption he is in his partner's life, and partly this is because . . . well, he kind of doesn't even know how to relate to others in a normal, every-day fashion. He sometimes turns into a somewhat sullen wallflower if forced to be around others too much (his flawed way of coping with uncomfortable social situations), and he's a little awkward and uncertain in everyday conversation, if he isn't too preoccupied by whatever's on his mind to the point he's only about half present at best to begin with.
(Note for Wake: That said, he won't "never" be seen by others. When Yugi's "forward" (in possession of his own body), Yami will often manifest beside him. Both boys are accustomed to only Yugi being able to see/hear him, but there are plenty in Nautilus who will be able to tell he's there face-to-face, plus video comms will pick him up – Nautilus certainly knows he's there! The purely-energetic nature of Nautilus will lend very easily to Yami being able to /make/ himself visible and audible to others with a bit of Bending, and he'll even eventually be able to Bend himself physical. So there will be plenty of opportunities for interaction with Yami.)
Another thing? Yami will not – WILL NOT – sacrifice his friends or even allow them to be harmed at all, to the point he’ll lock up with indecision if faced with a “no choice but to do so” situation. In a case like that, it usually takes someone else acting to get the ball rolling again. The ONLY reasons he was willing to attack Kaiba on the turrets of the castle, when Yugi had to stop him, were that 1) he felt it was his only chance to get into the castle at Pegasus and get Sugoroku's soul back, which he had lost to begin with, and 2) if Kaiba was willing to throw his very life away if he lost a duel, then he didn't deserve Yami's regard anyway. Yugi was still trying to befriend Kaiba, but Yami didn't yet consider him one.
Powers and Abilities:
Yugi has always had an innate knack and affinity for games and puzzles of all kinds, to a point this could almost be considered a "minor power". It doesn’t guarantee that he will win every time, but he does have the aptitude at least to pick up a game he has never tried before and play with the skill of a master within two or three rounds, if not first attempt, as his mind is just able to pick up any nuances and pattern possibilities almost subconsciously. Yami shares this affinity and natural knack for mastering pretty much any game he puts his mind to, possibly even more so than Yugi. Yugi could be considered a bit of a Shadow mage in his own right, especially after having been in such close association with Yami for so long. His level of power is decent, but mostly he operates as a support for Yami, helping to ground him and boost his success.
One "power" that Yugi has over Yami is that he can easily trap the spirit. All he has to do is take off the Millennium Puzzle and set it down. Yami can sense beyond it (limited range and very vague impression of what's going on "out there") but cannot escape the Puzzle unless Yugi is in physical possession of it, or at the very least touching it. Even holding it out by the chain and not touching the Puzzle itself, with the intention of keeping Yami from taking over Yugi’s body, can be enough to do just that. It is, however, only considered a weakness of Yami’s, including by Yami himself, if the Puzzle is actually forcibly removed from Yugi. If Yugi himself does it for whatever reason, Yami might not like it, might even argue against it initially, but will ultimately respect his aibou’s decision – it is his body, after all. It's not something that Yugi will do to the spirit and his closest friend, though, unless he feels a VERY compelling reason to.
Though he hasn't the vaguest clue of this yet, Yami was once a pharaoh of Egypt. As such, even by RL historical accounts, he would have been trained in a number of things, from strategy and warfare to Egyptian magic, which was a very real and essential part of everyday life for Egyptians. In the context of YGO, especially once his father died and he inherited the Puzzle when he took over as pharaoh, his focus was on Shadow magic, wielding the power of the Shadows. The Shadows are a semi-sentient force from another plane of existence (The Shadow Realm) – "intelligent" energies, if you will. (They are never clearly defined in the canon, reacting or being capable basically of whatever the author needed of them from story to story, so most of this is speculation on my part.) As a Shadow Master, one thing Yami can do is manifest a pair of large ankh bracers. He's not used them in a really long time (they're not seen after about halfway through Vol 2), and their purpose is never explained, but he does have them. (One fanfic had it that they're foci of sorts, protective or amplifier amulets, especially useful when/if he faces powers other than Shadow magic. This is my headcanon for them too.)
There are a few powers that probably really won't come into play or even translate well at all in Nautilus. The Unity of Friendship would work like group Bending, only it'd be subconscious, and it's not any one person's power but just what tends to happen around those close to the Millennium Puzzle. It's either people's hearts working in tandem (like when the gang helped block Yami's mind from Pegasus after Yugi fell), or it's people just happening to show up at just the right instant or do just the right thing even if they didn't know it was precisely what was needed, things like that.
The Heart of the Cards is . . . basically probability manipulation, or quantum manipulation. It'd be somewhat recreated by Bending, as it's another form of willing something to happen or to be. However, it's not a conscious MAKING it happen, as that'd be cheating. It's merely hoping hard enough and needing badly enough for something to be that it…just turns out that way, and the one hoping is relieved and grateful when it happens. There's a level of trusting that it will work out however would be best, such as drawing a card that turns the whole Duel around, but the one willing cannot actually decide what that card will be or actively make it be the one. The key is belief and trust rather knowledge and action. For example, this is seen most often in card draws during Duel Monster games. Yami knows all the monsters, spells, and traps in his Deck, he feels an intimate connection and relationship to them, he's in a Duel where he knows there's one card in his Deck somewhere that can get him out of the corner his opponent's backed him into . . . he puts his hand on the Deck to draw the next card, praying it's the one he needs…he doesn’t KNOW that it is, but…he trusts that it is…and it is! YAY!! It's . . . kind of like subconscious Bending, in a sense.
The Heart of the Cards works with anything where there is a chance of success or failure, especially in a game – or anything, really – where the stakes are high and the one willing the outcome just absolutely needs it to be, especially for someone else's sake. It works best for anything unselfish, not for ego, when something of real and high worth (esoteric rather than monetary) that's at stake. For this reason, it might actually be a fringe effect of the Shadows themselves, as those for whom the Heart of the Cards works the most powerfully are generally either directly touched by Shadows somehow or are very close emotionally with those who are.
The most obvious and observable of the powers of the Millennium Puzzle is the access it grants to the Shadows. Unfortunately, these are never really THAT well defined either in the manga or the anime, so there's a lot of speculation and headcanon trying to understand them. It is known that they know a man's heart, judge it, and that one must keep his heart strong (honesty, integrity, etc) in order to withstand and employ them. Even some of the villains in canon are able to employ the Shadows successfully for a time because they believe that strongly in what they are doing and why, trying to regain something beloved that was lost, or trying to vindicate themselves for some terrible wrong that was done to them. The Shadows are a form of mystical energy that seem to be semi-sentient, again in that they can read a man's heart.
The reading of the heart actually gives Yami a sort of temporary and very focused form of empathy/telepathy, even before he's initiated a Shadow Game on someone. He's able to sweep out with Shadows to sense the presence of others around him, either people or powers (range?...probably not overly far, within the space of a house or building, maybe?) and whether there is a threat of some kind in the immediate vicinity, either to himself or someone he cares about. It won't tell him the nature of the threat, how far away, or anything, but he is afforded an advanced warning. It has to be an active threat, though, not just a potential one. (The Shadows will ping a hunting lion but not a sleeping one, for example.) If there is a crime of some kind in progress, a "trespass on his or a friend's soul" by the time he steps forward, or that brings him forward, the Shadows are already beginning to tell him what he needs to know – he'll be able to hear any thoughts going on in the perpetrator's mind that have to do directly with the matter at hand. It'd be the same as if the perp were speaking aloud to or about the victim or the crime. (It has to be direct, though – "I'm going to cheat to win this game, and then I'll beat this little snot to a pulp" would come across. "And when I'm done, I'll go find a bar and get drunk" wouldn't.) During a Shadow Game, Yami will usually hear pertinent thoughts, but outside of an active Game, he'll only catch things if the "trespass" is in progress.
The main use for the Shadows is to instigate Shadow Games. A Shadow Game is any occurrence where there is a clear winner/loser and where the Shadows are present as witness, and there are at least 3 levels (if not more – I'd classify the Duel with Pegasus as a level 4 if not 5, but levels are only mentioned once, when an opponent with whom Yami was already angry managed to really piss him off with further cheating and abuse. He kicked things up from "Shadow Mode" Level 1 to Level 3…it went poorly for the other guy; then again, he had it coming). The occurrence could be an outright game like a round of Duel Monsters, or it could be a physical situation – an event or a series of actions – that is set up and has some clear ending. One example of this is when Yami took on an escaped convict. Yami asked him to play a game (if he utters the words "Play a game with me" or any other invitation to a game in any kind of serious tone of voice...it's already too late, that's his incantation that he's starting one). They could only use one finger apiece. Yami chose his right thumb, and the convict the finger he had on the trigger of his pistol pointed at Yami's chest. Yami went first and used his thumb to light the man's cigarette for him . . . and then place the still-lit lighter on the back of the man's other hand, which was pouring a glass of hard liquor. One wrong twitch, and the fire fell into the overflowing booze, igniting it. Another time, he was dealing with a street gang who'd chased him up on an old, rusting roof. All of them wielded yo-yo's, but while they were trying to hit him with theirs, he was just running around, seemingly randomly, punching holes in the weak metal with his . . . until he seems to corner himself at the edge only for the gang members to fall through the roof when the circle he'd perforated in the metal gave way from under them.
When he can, Yami lets the physical outcome of the situation (injuries and sometimes even death) be the punishment for his opponents' wrongdoing, but when that's not possible, that's usually when the insanities come into play. The Shadows are based on things of a psychological nature more than physical after all. When the outcome of the game is decisive but not much of an event in and of itself – a roll of dice, one person sets off a sound-activated dancing doll first, a hand-held game of punching puppets and one's knocked off its base – that's when Yami brings a Penalty Game into play. The Penalty Game is limited only by Yami's imagination and whatever is the best punishment for the situation. A terrible karaoke singer now hears nothing but the deafening rhythm of his own heartbeat. A corrupt director lives blinded with "censored" vision. Greedy Ushio is still hoarding trash as cash. If there's still hope for the opponent, however – if there's a chance of redemption – the punishment may also be help in disguise, as when Yami shattered Kaiba's heart. Also, Pegasus was able to steal people's souls through the losses of Shadow Games . . . and I suppose his mind reading wasn't considered cheating because he was using a power already inherent to the Eye? IDK
Yami has never lost a Shadow Game of his own instigation (hell, except for the first Duel against Pegasus which was impossibly stacked against him to begin with, he's never lost a Shadow Game, /period/). That, however, is not to say that he couldn't have. He was in the right, and he kept his heart strong, but any time he faltered with doubt or fear, he could have lost. The Shadows destroy those with weak or corrupted hearts, those who get too proud or use others, or any such thing. He's always only instigated Shadow Games against those he KNOWS has committed some wrong, so he's been reasonably sure of winning so he could punish the wrongdoer, but now that he's learned of Yugi's existence, he's simply not willing to risk an innocent (except when he's given no choice, when someone else instigates a Shadow Game against him – a Shadow Game cannot be refused, once started it envelopes those involved whether they want it or not, they can only be seen through and lost or won, so he makes sure he wins).
Mostly I bring up the Shadow powers for two reasons, since Yami instigating a Shadow Game in Nautilus would pretty much take a major-plot level of threat to make him do it (aka he's damned well not likely to even consider short of another Isis or Ursaems, MAYBE Hazama, or something). One, a minor power of the Puzzle related to Unity of Friendship . . . if either Yami or Yugi feels a friend may be in danger, he can ask the Puzzle to help him find that friend. It's not a radar sense, not a clear clairvoyance sort of thing. But there's a vague sense of which way to go and if Yugi, or Yami, just trusts his gut and follows that feeling, he'll eventually find himself led to whomever he's looking for, and generally just in time. Secondly, and the one I most see being useful in Nautilus, is the ability to summon Duel Monster cards, especially the monsters, in reality. In the manga, it's shown only during Shadow Game Duels, but in the anime, there are several instances of certain characters – Yami included – being able to do so when needed outside of Duels. For the most part, I'd see this being useful especially in times of unusual need or even crisis. For instance, due to sheer size and relative strength, Dark Magician or Giant Soldier of Stone could be asked to help with the (non-Bending) building of something, or clearing the streets after the recent flood, or Yami could have flown around on the back of Curse of Dragon helping with rescues and relocations. Summons would only last a short time, and only so long as Yami's concentration remained unbroken. Spells or traps used on others (if he'd even find reason to do so) would only work if they could normally be used on opponents' monsters (and, of course, with mun approval).
Speaking of the boys' Duel Deck . . . in and of themselves, there is no power whatsoever in the cards of the trading card game. However . . . Pegasus created them based on things he saw when he gained the Millennium Eye. The mass-produced cardstock has no mystical value . . . but many of the things depicted on them, especially in the original run of the game and the first sets of booster packs, are derived directly from things as old as the Millennium Items themselves and which share intimate history. For this reason, there is an unmistakable tie between the game and the Shadows, and those who are touched by Shadows (especially Item wielders and/or those who souls are reincarnations of the original wielders, even if they don't have an Item /now/) can play the game at a level non-touched can only dream of. This is a big reason why Yami can use the Shadows to temporarily summon monsters or a spell on occasion even outside of a Shadow Game. Also, especially early on (through Duelist Kingdom), the RL game and its rules had no real bearing on how the game is played in the manga and anime. The rules went and the cards affected however best fit the story and often would never be possible with the RL rules and card abilities. When/if Yami plays a Duel or otherwise uses his cards, I'll be using manga logic over official Konami rules, and as always coordinating with other players or the mods as needed.
Inventory
School clothes and backpack
Millennium Puzzle
Duel Deck – the exact contents of their current Deck can be found here.
Samples
Network:
[The feed comes on to view a very boy-ish face (he's sixteen, thank you, he only LOOKS like he's twelve). Behind him stands a figure who might be the boy's brother's ghost or something. He's visibly older but otherwise looks "just like him" . . . except that he's see-through.]
Eh . . . hello? My name is Mutou Yugi. I've been going over the posts on this network and . . . I've never heard of a city called Nautilus. What country is it in? And how did I get here? I don't remember any kind of time warp or space portal or anything. Not that any such thing even exists, that I've ever heard of.
[The spirit has been looking around as if watching the boy's back, but his gaze flicks to Yugi just then.]
{{Aibou, be sure to ask about getting back too.}}
[Only the most astute will see the faint nod and catch the "Mn" of acknowledgement. By all appearances otherwise, Yugi isn't aware of the spirit just off his right shoulder.]
Oh, and . . . how do I get back? I've kind of got some really important things to take care of.
Thank you in advance for your time!
Third Person:
Yugi crept through the decrepit ruins, the red sky above making him feel no less creeped out. Behind him, the spirit floated, guarding their backs. "I don't like this, Other-Me." Yugi's voice was hushed, as if they were passing through a graveyard. It certainly felt like one. "Where is everyone? Does anyone live here?"
{{I don't know, Aibou.}} By the deep frown on the spirit's face, he was no less disquieted by things.
"Maybe," Yugi ventured hesitantly, "maybe we should have gone the other way. I thought I saw a gate-"
{{Aibou!}}
From the sharpness of his partner's tone, Yugi knew what to do. Without a thought, much less a question, he mentally stepped back, relinquishing control of his body to the spirit –
- just in time for the spirit to dive sideways and roll, dodging the leaping attack of a spider twice the size of Kuriboh! "What the-!?" The spirit came up on a knee, pulling their Deck from the case at his hip. With practiced motions, he quickly shuffled the cards, then pulled the top one and held it out. Good, this was a good card. "Giant Soldier of Stone, Defense Mode!"
Nothing. The spirit didn't have time to wonder before he was scrambling to his feet. The spider lunged again and he kicked, planting one solid boot across most of its eyes. He retreated as it got its wits about it from the stunning blow. Sticking Giant Soldier of Stone's card into his bracer, he tried again. "Gremlin, Attack Mode!" Again, nothing, and again the spirit was forced to backpedal, this time falling to his back and launching the leaping spider over and away with both feet planted to the bottom of its abdomen. Once more, he rolled to his feet, careful to keep his cards protected against his chest as he did so.
By this time, Yugi had manifested so he could watch their back . . . and just better see for himself what was going on. His voice was tight with alarm. {{O-other-Me!}}
"I see them, Aibou!" The reply was rougher than the spirit had meant, but he could hopefully be forgiven, seeing as how they were now surrounded by giant spiders.
One last try, this time a powerful spell. The spirit held the card high, his voice ringing. "Activate spell card - Sealing Swords of Light!"
The spiders hesitated, but when nothing happened, their chittering grew louder as they started advancing again.
{{It's not working!}} Yugi's voice was on the edge of panic. Why wasn't it working!? Had the Shadows forsaken them? What had they done to warrant that!?
"I know!" the spirit shot back, his anger born more of alarm and mounting fear than anything. He shuffled all of his cards together again, shoving them back into the case before they got damaged. He braced, casting about for some way – any way – to defend himself.
Then Yugi got an idea. {{Other-Me, this way!}} There was a flank where only one spider blocked them. Yugi dove through it, hoping to stun and confuse the beast by having an astral body pass through it.
It seemed to work, the spindly legs collapsing for a moment as it let out a pained, confused whine.
That was all the opening the spirit needed. With a snarl, he dove at the fallen horror, leaping to land on and catapult over it, then was racing away as fast as this body could go.
WAKE MODS
dragondancer5150soccersoccersoccer**Additional Note: Given that from the sound of it, most abilities originate from this "Shadow Realm," this dimension is not accessible in Nautilus. As these Shadows are sentient, but don't seem to be exclusively accessed by the character, they are not something that will transfer over with him. Therefore any abilities that rely heavily on these Shadows will be nullified.
For other abilities, if Yugi/Yami wishes to make use of such, they will be entirely by his own Bending skills, potentially watered down, and also have to adhere to the Bending vs. Bending rule.
If you have any questions regarding any powers in particular, feel free to run them by us.
Name: Dragon
Age: 40
Personal Journal:
dragondancer5150Email / AIM / MSN / Plurk: dragondancer5150@yahoo.com, Plurk - OldMaidDragon
Current Character(s): Drill Boy (
soccersoccersoccer )Character Information
Character Name: Mutou Yugi and "Yami" (Yami no Yugi/"Dark Yugi")
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Source: Mutou Yugi - http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Yugi_Muto (and http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Yugi_Mutou_%28manga%29 )
Yami Yugi - http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Yami_Yugi (and http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Yugi_%28manga%29 )
Character History:
Dragon STILL knows not the meaning of brief. And this history is SHORTER than the one I originally wrote. OTL
Note on Yami's "name": Technically, Yami doesn't have an identity of his own at this point in the canon. By the pull point, he's only just recently gained enough self-awareness to question if he's really an aspect of Yugi or someone altogether separate, and either way it's occurred to him that he doesn't know his own name or anything else about himself. The other characters call both Yugis "Yugi" in addressing them, and if they specifically mean Yami, he's "the other Yugi". Yugi calls him "Other-Me" (and Yami by now has taken to calling him Aibou, which means "buddy/pal/partner/best friend" in a very close sense). Once people in Wake start interacting with Yami completely separately from Yugi and the question of a name to call him comes up, he'll eventually adopt "Yami" which is Japanese for "Dark/Darkness".
Character Personality:
("Minimum of three paragraphs"...man, I could go on for three PAGES about these two, especially Yami...9,9)
Lovers often like to say “you complete me” when they speak of the fulfillment they feel they get from their romantic partners. It’s not really true – people aren’t born incomplete and then have to find some other half of their souls in another person to be whole. At least . . . not usually. Was Yugi’s spirit incomplete when he was born? Hard to say . . . but easy to believe that he and Yami together operate like two halves of a whole. They’re a study in both similarities and polar opposites. Yugi is exceedingly trusting; Yami’s trust is hard-earned. Yugi is outgoing and talkative; Yami tends to be the silent observer, only speaking when he feels the need to. Yugi makes friends easily; Yami sees potential adversaries everywhere. Yugi’s an open book with his heart on his sleeve; Yami is a closely-guarded and private sort. Both, however, are hard-working, fearless in the face of adversity, never back down from opponents, can take charge of situations when called for, and are undyingly loyal to their friends.
To Yugi, who grew up a picked-upon outcast, his friends are his world, and he secretly fears the day he might lose them. There’s nothing he won’t do for his friends or his family. At first, one might mistake him for the weak link of any given group – he’s the smallest and physically weakest, yes, plus he is endlessly kind, generous to a fault, and would truly prefer to find a peaceful resolution to any given situation. But back him into a corner, or worse, threaten his friends? Bad idea. Yugi has been known to pick up any object at hand for a makeshift weapon and throw himself at enemies three times his size in defense of another. As a child, he was a shy introvert who’d let bullies walk all over him and tell people with a small grin that it didn’t bother him when he was picked last for team sports in school (his team would "just lose anyway"), but with first Anzu’s and then Jonouchi’s and Honda’s friendship – and with the things he’s experienced both alongside Yami and as the spirit’s living vessel – he’s blossomed into a young man who seems to stand taller than he really does and can take the lead in a crisis without flinching. Yugi is the embodiment of "strength in tenderness," something Yami deeply admires in him. He’s also the kind of rare person to whom people are just naturally drawn. He makes people feel valuable and safe, makes them smile, encourages them and inspires them to be the best they can be just by loving them, without any conscious effort on his part. He simply is.
Yami is the Dark to Yugi’s Light. In fact, for the longest time, they both believed themselves two sides of the same coin, that Yami was born directly of Yugi, somehow formed from him by the power of the Millennium Puzzle. (He's not, he's a separate entity altogether, but at this point in their canon, neither of them has any clue who Yami really is or how he came to be.) He can be extremely vengeful (less so now that he’s fully awakened and been touched by Yugi like everyone else). He views everyone with initial distrust, waiting for them to prove themselves to him (intentionally or just by being themselves).
Yami shines best in crisis. When there is a situation to be handled, a battle to be fought, an enemy to overcome, Yami takes the reins without hesitation and is confident to the point of cocky, challenging and powerful. Fandom often accuses him of arrogance, but really it's a façade more than anything – Yami has no choice. He must always keep his heart strong. He has to present the strongest front to his opponents that he can, gaining and maintaining as much control of any situation as he can manage (while still maintaining his own integrity). If that means toying with his opponents to anger them enough that they start making mistakes, or being unflinchingly blunt to make a point he feels someone needs to hear, so be it. And those who lie, cheat, steal, bully and hurt others, etc, Yami has no respect for them at all, so he'll say and do whatever he has to, within the confines of the game at hand, in order to win.
Outside of crisis, however, is a much different story. On his own, Yami is quite subdued, even reserved, content to sit back and silently observe, taking in anything and everything around him. Like Yugi – and even more so – he's extremely intelligent and able to quickly discern details about people and situations (except anything of a romantic nature, to which he is utterly and almost comically blind – Yugi at least can tell when someone’s showing “that” kind of interest in him). On the other hand, unlike Yugi who is an open book, Yami is an impenetrable fortress, his mental and emotional walls high and thick. He doesn't tend to interact much with others if it's not to directly handle a situation or to discuss one. If he's not on a mission, as it were, he's withdrawn into the Puzzle, relinquishing control back to Yugi when he's "not needed." Or he might be manifested beside his partner, invisible and inaudible to anyone but Yugi but at least able to observe things on his own. Partly this is because he knows how much of an intruder and a disruption he is in his partner's life, and partly this is because . . . well, he kind of doesn't even know how to relate to others in a normal, every-day fashion. He sometimes turns into a somewhat sullen wallflower if forced to be around others too much (his flawed way of coping with uncomfortable social situations), and he's a little awkward and uncertain in everyday conversation, if he isn't too preoccupied by whatever's on his mind to the point he's only about half present at best to begin with.
(Note for Wake: That said, he won't "never" be seen by others. When Yugi's "forward" (in possession of his own body), Yami will often manifest beside him. Both boys are accustomed to only Yugi being able to see/hear him, but there are plenty in Nautilus who will be able to tell he's there face-to-face, plus video comms will pick him up – Nautilus certainly knows he's there! The purely-energetic nature of Nautilus will lend very easily to Yami being able to /make/ himself visible and audible to others with a bit of Bending, and he'll even eventually be able to Bend himself physical. So there will be plenty of opportunities for interaction with Yami.)
Another thing? Yami will not – WILL NOT – sacrifice his friends or even allow them to be harmed at all, to the point he’ll lock up with indecision if faced with a “no choice but to do so” situation. In a case like that, it usually takes someone else acting to get the ball rolling again. The ONLY reasons he was willing to attack Kaiba on the turrets of the castle, when Yugi had to stop him, were that 1) he felt it was his only chance to get into the castle at Pegasus and get Sugoroku's soul back, which he had lost to begin with, and 2) if Kaiba was willing to throw his very life away if he lost a duel, then he didn't deserve Yami's regard anyway. Yugi was still trying to befriend Kaiba, but Yami didn't yet consider him one.
Powers and Abilities:
Yugi has always had an innate knack and affinity for games and puzzles of all kinds, to a point this could almost be considered a "minor power". It doesn’t guarantee that he will win every time, but he does have the aptitude at least to pick up a game he has never tried before and play with the skill of a master within two or three rounds, if not first attempt, as his mind is just able to pick up any nuances and pattern possibilities almost subconsciously. Yami shares this affinity and natural knack for mastering pretty much any game he puts his mind to, possibly even more so than Yugi. Yugi could be considered a bit of a Shadow mage in his own right, especially after having been in such close association with Yami for so long. His level of power is decent, but mostly he operates as a support for Yami, helping to ground him and boost his success.
One "power" that Yugi has over Yami is that he can easily trap the spirit. All he has to do is take off the Millennium Puzzle and set it down. Yami can sense beyond it (limited range and very vague impression of what's going on "out there") but cannot escape the Puzzle unless Yugi is in physical possession of it, or at the very least touching it. Even holding it out by the chain and not touching the Puzzle itself, with the intention of keeping Yami from taking over Yugi’s body, can be enough to do just that. It is, however, only considered a weakness of Yami’s, including by Yami himself, if the Puzzle is actually forcibly removed from Yugi. If Yugi himself does it for whatever reason, Yami might not like it, might even argue against it initially, but will ultimately respect his aibou’s decision – it is his body, after all. It's not something that Yugi will do to the spirit and his closest friend, though, unless he feels a VERY compelling reason to.
Though he hasn't the vaguest clue of this yet, Yami was once a pharaoh of Egypt. As such, even by RL historical accounts, he would have been trained in a number of things, from strategy and warfare to Egyptian magic, which was a very real and essential part of everyday life for Egyptians. In the context of YGO, especially once his father died and he inherited the Puzzle when he took over as pharaoh, his focus was on Shadow magic, wielding the power of the Shadows. The Shadows are a semi-sentient force from another plane of existence (The Shadow Realm) – "intelligent" energies, if you will. (They are never clearly defined in the canon, reacting or being capable basically of whatever the author needed of them from story to story, so most of this is speculation on my part.) As a Shadow Master, one thing Yami can do is manifest a pair of large ankh bracers. He's not used them in a really long time (they're not seen after about halfway through Vol 2), and their purpose is never explained, but he does have them. (One fanfic had it that they're foci of sorts, protective or amplifier amulets, especially useful when/if he faces powers other than Shadow magic. This is my headcanon for them too.)
There are a few powers that probably really won't come into play or even translate well at all in Nautilus. The Unity of Friendship would work like group Bending, only it'd be subconscious, and it's not any one person's power but just what tends to happen around those close to the Millennium Puzzle. It's either people's hearts working in tandem (like when the gang helped block Yami's mind from Pegasus after Yugi fell), or it's people just happening to show up at just the right instant or do just the right thing even if they didn't know it was precisely what was needed, things like that.
The Heart of the Cards is . . . basically probability manipulation, or quantum manipulation. It'd be somewhat recreated by Bending, as it's another form of willing something to happen or to be. However, it's not a conscious MAKING it happen, as that'd be cheating. It's merely hoping hard enough and needing badly enough for something to be that it…just turns out that way, and the one hoping is relieved and grateful when it happens. There's a level of trusting that it will work out however would be best, such as drawing a card that turns the whole Duel around, but the one willing cannot actually decide what that card will be or actively make it be the one. The key is belief and trust rather knowledge and action. For example, this is seen most often in card draws during Duel Monster games. Yami knows all the monsters, spells, and traps in his Deck, he feels an intimate connection and relationship to them, he's in a Duel where he knows there's one card in his Deck somewhere that can get him out of the corner his opponent's backed him into . . . he puts his hand on the Deck to draw the next card, praying it's the one he needs…he doesn’t KNOW that it is, but…he trusts that it is…and it is! YAY!! It's . . . kind of like subconscious Bending, in a sense.
The Heart of the Cards works with anything where there is a chance of success or failure, especially in a game – or anything, really – where the stakes are high and the one willing the outcome just absolutely needs it to be, especially for someone else's sake. It works best for anything unselfish, not for ego, when something of real and high worth (esoteric rather than monetary) that's at stake. For this reason, it might actually be a fringe effect of the Shadows themselves, as those for whom the Heart of the Cards works the most powerfully are generally either directly touched by Shadows somehow or are very close emotionally with those who are.
The most obvious and observable of the powers of the Millennium Puzzle is the access it grants to the Shadows. Unfortunately, these are never really THAT well defined either in the manga or the anime, so there's a lot of speculation and headcanon trying to understand them. It is known that they know a man's heart, judge it, and that one must keep his heart strong (honesty, integrity, etc) in order to withstand and employ them. Even some of the villains in canon are able to employ the Shadows successfully for a time because they believe that strongly in what they are doing and why, trying to regain something beloved that was lost, or trying to vindicate themselves for some terrible wrong that was done to them. The Shadows are a form of mystical energy that seem to be semi-sentient, again in that they can read a man's heart.
The reading of the heart actually gives Yami a sort of temporary and very focused form of empathy/telepathy, even before he's initiated a Shadow Game on someone. He's able to sweep out with Shadows to sense the presence of others around him, either people or powers (range?...probably not overly far, within the space of a house or building, maybe?) and whether there is a threat of some kind in the immediate vicinity, either to himself or someone he cares about. It won't tell him the nature of the threat, how far away, or anything, but he is afforded an advanced warning. It has to be an active threat, though, not just a potential one. (The Shadows will ping a hunting lion but not a sleeping one, for example.) If there is a crime of some kind in progress, a "trespass on his or a friend's soul" by the time he steps forward, or that brings him forward, the Shadows are already beginning to tell him what he needs to know – he'll be able to hear any thoughts going on in the perpetrator's mind that have to do directly with the matter at hand. It'd be the same as if the perp were speaking aloud to or about the victim or the crime. (It has to be direct, though – "I'm going to cheat to win this game, and then I'll beat this little snot to a pulp" would come across. "And when I'm done, I'll go find a bar and get drunk" wouldn't.) During a Shadow Game, Yami will usually hear pertinent thoughts, but outside of an active Game, he'll only catch things if the "trespass" is in progress.
The main use for the Shadows is to instigate Shadow Games. A Shadow Game is any occurrence where there is a clear winner/loser and where the Shadows are present as witness, and there are at least 3 levels (if not more – I'd classify the Duel with Pegasus as a level 4 if not 5, but levels are only mentioned once, when an opponent with whom Yami was already angry managed to really piss him off with further cheating and abuse. He kicked things up from "Shadow Mode" Level 1 to Level 3…it went poorly for the other guy; then again, he had it coming). The occurrence could be an outright game like a round of Duel Monsters, or it could be a physical situation – an event or a series of actions – that is set up and has some clear ending. One example of this is when Yami took on an escaped convict. Yami asked him to play a game (if he utters the words "Play a game with me" or any other invitation to a game in any kind of serious tone of voice...it's already too late, that's his incantation that he's starting one). They could only use one finger apiece. Yami chose his right thumb, and the convict the finger he had on the trigger of his pistol pointed at Yami's chest. Yami went first and used his thumb to light the man's cigarette for him . . . and then place the still-lit lighter on the back of the man's other hand, which was pouring a glass of hard liquor. One wrong twitch, and the fire fell into the overflowing booze, igniting it. Another time, he was dealing with a street gang who'd chased him up on an old, rusting roof. All of them wielded yo-yo's, but while they were trying to hit him with theirs, he was just running around, seemingly randomly, punching holes in the weak metal with his . . . until he seems to corner himself at the edge only for the gang members to fall through the roof when the circle he'd perforated in the metal gave way from under them.
When he can, Yami lets the physical outcome of the situation (injuries and sometimes even death) be the punishment for his opponents' wrongdoing, but when that's not possible, that's usually when the insanities come into play. The Shadows are based on things of a psychological nature more than physical after all. When the outcome of the game is decisive but not much of an event in and of itself – a roll of dice, one person sets off a sound-activated dancing doll first, a hand-held game of punching puppets and one's knocked off its base – that's when Yami brings a Penalty Game into play. The Penalty Game is limited only by Yami's imagination and whatever is the best punishment for the situation. A terrible karaoke singer now hears nothing but the deafening rhythm of his own heartbeat. A corrupt director lives blinded with "censored" vision. Greedy Ushio is still hoarding trash as cash. If there's still hope for the opponent, however – if there's a chance of redemption – the punishment may also be help in disguise, as when Yami shattered Kaiba's heart. Also, Pegasus was able to steal people's souls through the losses of Shadow Games . . . and I suppose his mind reading wasn't considered cheating because he was using a power already inherent to the Eye? IDK
Yami has never lost a Shadow Game of his own instigation (hell, except for the first Duel against Pegasus which was impossibly stacked against him to begin with, he's never lost a Shadow Game, /period/). That, however, is not to say that he couldn't have. He was in the right, and he kept his heart strong, but any time he faltered with doubt or fear, he could have lost. The Shadows destroy those with weak or corrupted hearts, those who get too proud or use others, or any such thing. He's always only instigated Shadow Games against those he KNOWS has committed some wrong, so he's been reasonably sure of winning so he could punish the wrongdoer, but now that he's learned of Yugi's existence, he's simply not willing to risk an innocent (except when he's given no choice, when someone else instigates a Shadow Game against him – a Shadow Game cannot be refused, once started it envelopes those involved whether they want it or not, they can only be seen through and lost or won, so he makes sure he wins).
Mostly I bring up the Shadow powers for two reasons, since Yami instigating a Shadow Game in Nautilus would pretty much take a major-plot level of threat to make him do it (aka he's damned well not likely to even consider short of another Isis or Ursaems, MAYBE Hazama, or something). One, a minor power of the Puzzle related to Unity of Friendship . . . if either Yami or Yugi feels a friend may be in danger, he can ask the Puzzle to help him find that friend. It's not a radar sense, not a clear clairvoyance sort of thing. But there's a vague sense of which way to go and if Yugi, or Yami, just trusts his gut and follows that feeling, he'll eventually find himself led to whomever he's looking for, and generally just in time. Secondly, and the one I most see being useful in Nautilus, is the ability to summon Duel Monster cards, especially the monsters, in reality. In the manga, it's shown only during Shadow Game Duels, but in the anime, there are several instances of certain characters – Yami included – being able to do so when needed outside of Duels. For the most part, I'd see this being useful especially in times of unusual need or even crisis. For instance, due to sheer size and relative strength, Dark Magician or Giant Soldier of Stone could be asked to help with the (non-Bending) building of something, or clearing the streets after the recent flood, or Yami could have flown around on the back of Curse of Dragon helping with rescues and relocations. Summons would only last a short time, and only so long as Yami's concentration remained unbroken. Spells or traps used on others (if he'd even find reason to do so) would only work if they could normally be used on opponents' monsters (and, of course, with mun approval).
Speaking of the boys' Duel Deck . . . in and of themselves, there is no power whatsoever in the cards of the trading card game. However . . . Pegasus created them based on things he saw when he gained the Millennium Eye. The mass-produced cardstock has no mystical value . . . but many of the things depicted on them, especially in the original run of the game and the first sets of booster packs, are derived directly from things as old as the Millennium Items themselves and which share intimate history. For this reason, there is an unmistakable tie between the game and the Shadows, and those who are touched by Shadows (especially Item wielders and/or those who souls are reincarnations of the original wielders, even if they don't have an Item /now/) can play the game at a level non-touched can only dream of. This is a big reason why Yami can use the Shadows to temporarily summon monsters or a spell on occasion even outside of a Shadow Game. Also, especially early on (through Duelist Kingdom), the RL game and its rules had no real bearing on how the game is played in the manga and anime. The rules went and the cards affected however best fit the story and often would never be possible with the RL rules and card abilities. When/if Yami plays a Duel or otherwise uses his cards, I'll be using manga logic over official Konami rules, and as always coordinating with other players or the mods as needed.
Inventory
School clothes and backpack
Millennium Puzzle
Duel Deck – the exact contents of their current Deck can be found here.
Samples
Network:
[The feed comes on to view a very boy-ish face (he's sixteen, thank you, he only LOOKS like he's twelve). Behind him stands a figure who might be the boy's brother's ghost or something. He's visibly older but otherwise looks "just like him" . . . except that he's see-through.]
Eh . . . hello? My name is Mutou Yugi. I've been going over the posts on this network and . . . I've never heard of a city called Nautilus. What country is it in? And how did I get here? I don't remember any kind of time warp or space portal or anything. Not that any such thing even exists, that I've ever heard of.
[The spirit has been looking around as if watching the boy's back, but his gaze flicks to Yugi just then.]
{{Aibou, be sure to ask about getting back too.}}
[Only the most astute will see the faint nod and catch the "Mn" of acknowledgement. By all appearances otherwise, Yugi isn't aware of the spirit just off his right shoulder.]
Oh, and . . . how do I get back? I've kind of got some really important things to take care of.
Thank you in advance for your time!
Third Person:
Yugi crept through the decrepit ruins, the red sky above making him feel no less creeped out. Behind him, the spirit floated, guarding their backs. "I don't like this, Other-Me." Yugi's voice was hushed, as if they were passing through a graveyard. It certainly felt like one. "Where is everyone? Does anyone live here?"
{{I don't know, Aibou.}} By the deep frown on the spirit's face, he was no less disquieted by things.
"Maybe," Yugi ventured hesitantly, "maybe we should have gone the other way. I thought I saw a gate-"
{{Aibou!}}
From the sharpness of his partner's tone, Yugi knew what to do. Without a thought, much less a question, he mentally stepped back, relinquishing control of his body to the spirit –
- just in time for the spirit to dive sideways and roll, dodging the leaping attack of a spider twice the size of Kuriboh! "What the-!?" The spirit came up on a knee, pulling their Deck from the case at his hip. With practiced motions, he quickly shuffled the cards, then pulled the top one and held it out. Good, this was a good card. "Giant Soldier of Stone, Defense Mode!"
Nothing. The spirit didn't have time to wonder before he was scrambling to his feet. The spider lunged again and he kicked, planting one solid boot across most of its eyes. He retreated as it got its wits about it from the stunning blow. Sticking Giant Soldier of Stone's card into his bracer, he tried again. "Gremlin, Attack Mode!" Again, nothing, and again the spirit was forced to backpedal, this time falling to his back and launching the leaping spider over and away with both feet planted to the bottom of its abdomen. Once more, he rolled to his feet, careful to keep his cards protected against his chest as he did so.
By this time, Yugi had manifested so he could watch their back . . . and just better see for himself what was going on. His voice was tight with alarm. {{O-other-Me!}}
"I see them, Aibou!" The reply was rougher than the spirit had meant, but he could hopefully be forgiven, seeing as how they were now surrounded by giant spiders.
One last try, this time a powerful spell. The spirit held the card high, his voice ringing. "Activate spell card - Sealing Swords of Light!"
The spiders hesitated, but when nothing happened, their chittering grew louder as they started advancing again.
{{It's not working!}} Yugi's voice was on the edge of panic. Why wasn't it working!? Had the Shadows forsaken them? What had they done to warrant that!?
"I know!" the spirit shot back, his anger born more of alarm and mounting fear than anything. He shuffled all of his cards together again, shoving them back into the case before they got damaged. He braced, casting about for some way – any way – to defend himself.
Then Yugi got an idea. {{Other-Me, this way!}} There was a flank where only one spider blocked them. Yugi dove through it, hoping to stun and confuse the beast by having an astral body pass through it.
It seemed to work, the spindly legs collapsing for a moment as it let out a pained, confused whine.
That was all the opening the spirit needed. With a snarl, he dove at the fallen horror, leaping to land on and catapult over it, then was racing away as fast as this body could go.
WAKE MODS
dragondancer5150soccersoccersoccer**Additional Note: Given that from the sound of it, most abilities originate from this "Shadow Realm," this dimension is not accessible in Nautilus. As these Shadows are sentient, but don't seem to be exclusively accessed by the character, they are not something that will transfer over with him. Therefore any abilities that rely heavily on these Shadows will be nullified. For other abilities, if Yugi/Yami wishes to make use of such, they will be entirely by his own Bending skills, potentially watered down, and also have to adhere to the Bending vs. Bending rule.
If you have any questions regarding any powers in particular, feel free to run them by us.
