Fanfic / Between My Brother and Me: Ab Initio

Between My Brother and Me: Ab Initio is a fanfic set in the same universe as Between My Brother and Me and written by the same author of the latter, Green_Phantom_Queen. Although both are crossovers that take place after the end of the Hoenn Battle Frontier (and thus the beginning of the Waking the Dragons arc too), there are two things that make the story stand out.

The first is that the story is based off of Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction, and the second is that it involves a certain hat-wearing trainer and his Pikachu.

Before he was supposed to head for the Sinnoh Region, Ash Ketchum is somehow hurled into an alternate world where various characters from the Pokémon anime live, except Pokémon don't exist there. Instead, people who are supposed to be trainers in his world are now duelists, he doesn't exist in that world and they all go by their Japanese names. Seeing as Ash has nowhere to go at this point, he finds himself celebrating Duel Monsters Spirit Day and quickly winds up being The Chosen One to stop the threat of the one known as Reshef of Destruction. Through Duel Monsters, of course.

Ash, no stranger to prophecy or adventure, is off to stop Reshef once and for all. Except, he has one small problem—he doesn't know how to duel.

But luckily for him, Domino City has a prestigious Duel Academy that Ash can enroll in order to hone his skills until he sets off to find whoever has unleashed Reshef. But there are mysterious groups watching him from the shadows, trying to see the potential that he holds within.

The author is currently working on other stories that take place a year before Ash would set foot in the new world: Ab Aeterno which references to .hack//IMOQ and will have characters from Pokémon Sun and Moon playing important roles . Ab Antiquo will be based off of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light that explains how the Yugi Muto in that world freed the Pharaoh from the Millennium Puzzle, In Somnis Veritas which tells of Noah ruling Wonderland before he became part of the Dark Signers, Lux ex Tenebris which explains how Shooti ends up as a Dark Signer Acilyte, Alea Iacta Est which is a collection of duels revolving around these characters,Nobis Vivus Manes which brings the ARC-V cast into the fold and Do ut Des which talks about how Wes and Rui work for the Dark Signers.

The characters from this universe cross over with one of the author's other works, Legend of the Three Caballeros: Dark Signs of the Sun and an Elseworld version of this world exists in Mors Omnibus.

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Between My Brother and Me: Ab Initio provides examples of:

Tropes found in Multiple Stories

• Adaptational Nice Guy:
  • Millefeui was originally shown to be more of a rival to Serena in the anime, while here she's Serena's girlfriend
  • Rebecca was a bit of a brat back in her home series but she's much friendlier in this version.
  • Raphael, Amelda and Varon were more AntiVillains than anything but here they're Rebecca's older brothers who truly care for her.
• Adaptational Personality Change: A lot of this happens.
  • Serena was more of a girly-girl in the anime, but she's more of a Tomboy here.
  • Rebecca doesn't seem to have a crush on Yugi, and instead is more into weapons and a fujoshi at heart.
  • Ryou was more shy and withdrawn in the anime and manga, while here he's more mysterious and also a Perpetual Smiler.
• Alternate Universe: The stories take place in a world where Pokémon doesn't exist. Instead, characters from said world are duelists and there are lots of supernatural elements to compensate.
• Battle Cry: Each duelist has one which are actually Shout Outs to various things like:
  Seto: Let's make this showy, shall we?
  Rebecca Let's hit the climax!
  Serena: Duelists beware, you're in for a scare!
  Masato: Let the storm rage on!
  Mokuba: This party's gonna get crazy! Let's rock!
  Haruka: The wheels of Fate are turning.
  Ash: You're time is up, my time is now!
  Miruko: Beware, take care...because the freaks come out at night!
  Varon: Let's fight thus man-to-man!
  Shooti: Roll of thunder, hear my cry!
  Wes: Let's go for a ride!
  Kanata: Gong Yi Tampai!
  Millefeui: Woman up!
  * Cosplay Café: The Café in Wonderland, a restaurant based off of the titular Alice in Wonderland run by Hanako.
• Crossover: Just like Between My Brother And Me, this one is about Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!
• Dark Is Not Evil:
  • Serena's deck utilizes Ghostrick Monsters but she herself is a friendly Tomboy.
  • Mokuba uses Burning Abyss monsters but is otherwise the same character from the anime (barring a few Hidden Depths of course).
  • Raphael's costume is of Ebon Illusion Magician, but he's actually a Gentle Giant.
  • The Dark Signers are much nicer than they were in the anime, but whether or not they're really good is up for debate.
• Fantasy Kitchen Sink: Dark Signers and Crimson Signers live in unity, witches exist, youkai can be contracted, ghosts can possess animatronics like Freddy Fazbear, vampires walk amongst us and much much more.
• Theme Naming: Most stories are titled by a Latin Phrase
  • Ab Initio means "From the beginning".
  • Ab Aeterno means "From eternity".
  • Ab Antiquo means "From the ancient."
  • In Somnis Veritas means "In dreams is truth".
  • Alea Iacta Est means "The dice has been cast".
  • Lux ex Tenebris means "Light from darkness".
  • Nobis Vivus Manes means "Ghosts within us."
  • Do ut Des means "I give so you will give" under the pretense of a deity and worshipper.
• Related in the Adaptation:
  • In the anime, the only interaction Rebecca had with the Swordsmen of Paradius was her duel against Varon. In this world, they (and Miruko) are her brothers.
  • Shooti is the younger brother of Shuta Hayami as revealed in Lux ex Tenebris.
  • Millefeui and Kanata are sisters with Hanako as their mother. This is odd in the latter's case since her mother is shown on-screen once.
• Show Within a Show: The Chasing Shadows website is a very popular go-to site for anything and everything supernatural. Word of God is that it's named after the Shadowchasers Series
• Ultimate Universe: The setting has Domino City into Neo Domino and Satellite/Domino like 5D's, Kaiba Corp. is run by Seto Kaiba himself, GX and ZeXal characters go to school together (and one Arc-V one in the case of Lux ex Tenebris). It has all the duel monster types up to Arc-V (Word of God states that it's as far as it goes), and that's small compared to the various Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! characters that mingle about.
• Worldbuilding: And plenty of it. In Somnis Veritas alone depicts the Nightmare Realm, the idea of Dark Signers as agents of control, Duel Monsters and Duel Spirits can easily be summoned, Domino Below/Satellite being a haven of monsters and much much more.

Tropes found in Ab Initio

• Accidental Innuendoinvoked: Due to the fact that characters have a distinct Battle Cry, Masato notes that he's glad Kaiba got his from Gokaiger than Kyoryuger,
  Masato: It’s a good thing he wasn’t going something like, ‘It’s about to get wild! Try and stop us!’ because that would’ve sounded different if placed out of context.
  (cue Rebecca and Serena bursting into laughter)
• Adaptational Jerkass: Downplayed. Hikari, who was nice through and through in the Diamond and Pearl anime teases Serena about someone "pulling a Marcus"in regards to a card left by someone in a haunted house and doesn't find anything nice to say at all about Ash's Pikachu.
• Adaptation Name Change: Ryou Bakura is now Ryou Watanabe to differentiate between him and the Thief Lord.
• Bait-and-Switch: The Lady of Faith fortune-teller being sweet and cheerful...until Haruka asks Ryou to drop the act and asks what's really going on.
• Big "NO!": Ash unleashes two of them during Seto and Jounochi's duel because he's seeing strange visions of them fighting.
• Catapult Nightmare: Haruka is introduced waking up from one.
• Cosplay: Many characters are dressed as Duel Monsters for the Spirit Festival; even Pikachu gets on it!
• Cute Witch: Serena's Spirit Festival outfit has her dressed as Ghostrick Witch.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing: During Mokuba and Masato's duel, Haruka notes that Mokuba is about to summon something big. Cue Mokuba summoning Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss.
  Serena: Oh yeah...big.
• Foreshadowing: The costumes worn by Ash, Serena, Haruka, Masato and Mokuba relate to them in some way. For Serena, Masato and Mokuba, their costumes are from the deck archetypes they use while Haruka's relate to her being a fortune-teller and her Prophecy deck.
• Fortune Teller: Ryou, dressed as Lady of Faith, is one as revealed in Chapter 3. Haruka is implied to be this as well (and she's dressed as Crystal Seer too).
• Gentle Giant: Raphael, who hands Eureka a string of shells after she helps direct him to Rebecca and is shown to be very caring to his little sister, Rebecca.
• Gratuitous Latin: Every story is added with a Latin phrase.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Raphael and Rebecca (in a sibling sense).
• Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Each chapter is called "Duel" and are named after Pokémon abilities.
• The Kid with the Remote Control: Mokuba to the Burning Abyss monsters; apparently the demons want him to control them for one reason or another.
• Mythology Gag:
  • As Ash is getting dressed as Breaker of the Magical Warrior, the narration notes how it reminded him of what happened in Cameran Palace. Bonus points, Pikachu's outfit in this one is of Peten the Dark Clown, and he got stuck in an adorable jester in the movie! When Ash pulls the Bound Scepter of Destiny out, it also references how the scenario reminds Ash if releasing Lucario.
  • Ryou dressed as Lady of Faith is a reference to the Duelist Kingdom episode where he (as Change of Heart) possesses the Lady of Faith to stop his dark side.
• Non-Indicative Name: Mokuba notes this on Brionic, Dragon of the Ice Barrier considering that she's actually a Sea-Serpent.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Rebecca apparently has a bad habit of constantly rushing off with someone else's deck.
  • Whatever Mokuba asked the Burning Abyss monsters to do to prove that they would do as he commands. Although considering that this was around the time he and Seto were staying with Gozaburo...
  • Jounochi tells Kanata and Millefeui that the thing with Seth is connected with the "Pyramid of Light" incident.
• Official Couple: Seto and Jounochi (As revealed in the first chapter) and Amelda and Varon (in the second one).
• Only the Chosen May Wield: The Bound Scepter of Destiny is said to be this; winners of duels who duel in front of it have the right to pull it out, but so far no one has been successful. Not even Yugi has been able to pull it out! Ash is able to pull it out without problem, even though he lost his duel to Haruka.
• Shout-Out: During their duel, Kaiba tells Jounochi to "Show me your moves".
• Sickeningly Sweethearts: Seto Kaiba and Katsuya Jounochi apparently can't have a duel without going through some flirty comments to one another. Ash is absolutely confused with it all until Serena has to spell it out for him.
• Trapped in Another World: Ash's predicament, where he finds himself into a world where Pokémon don't exist and his friends play Duel Monsters instead.
• Wham Episode: The fourth chapter has Ash successfully pull out the Bound Scepter of Destiny. While he is the hero in the story, the twist is that he lost his duel to Haruka (the winner of a duel in front of it is permitted to pull it out) and she gave him that chance as a show of sportsmanship. And then it's revealed that Seth is inside it and things start to get into motion.
• Yaoi Fangirl: Serena, Haruka and Rebecca are known to be these as shown in the first chapter: they absolutely love Kaiba and Jounochi's romantic banter in their duel. Kanata and Millefeui also share this trait.

Tropes found in Ab Aeterno

• Adaptational Nice Guy: Siegfried doesn't have that big of an animosity toward Kaiba (as Leon and Mokuba note that they have worked together to create the Domino City Duel Academy) and the two are working together to uncover the secrets of the Aether Foundation.
• Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Titles are named after Pokémon moves.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: The Author Notes even state for readers to not read the story until after they played Pokémon Sun/Moon to ensure they aren't spoiled.
• Mysterious Waif: Lillie, who is taking the place of Aura in the story.
• Prequel: Set one year before Ab Initio.

Tropes found in Ab Antiquo

• Alice Allusion: When Molly is described in the first chapter she's given an analogy to Alice Liddell herself. She herself loves Alice in Wonderland and bonds with Rebecca (who is also a fan of it herself) during their deal.
  • Noah plays a Wonderland deck and states quotes from said book.
• Big Brother Instinct: Raphael's narration in the second chapter states that he doesn't care what happens to himself. But if anyone tries to hurt Rebecca? Then they mess with him.
• Bizarre Taste in Food: Amelda is shown in the first chapter dunking french fries in a vanilla milkshake before eating them.
• Berserk Button: Noah dislikes mentioning his past or asked why he uses a Wonderland deck for some odd reason and detests Miruko riling him on bringing them up.
• Bound and Gagged: Poor Yugi gets this treatment via the use of shadows. When someone tries to remove them, the shadows either retaliate or start squeezing the kid.
• Character Tics: Molly has a tendency to look at her shoes when nervous.
• Creepy Doll: Molly's deck is a Doll Part deck and her death was caused by one of these. Amelda duels with Gimmick Puppets, which are nothing but a collection of Creepy Dolls.
• Designated Girl Fight: The Dark Signer Acolytes and Hopkins have one girl each, so both Rebecca and Molly duke it out. Rebecca lampshades this by noting about how it's tradition for "ladies to go first".
• Fear of Thunder: Raphael is noted to have this, as it relates to him losing his (original) family.
• Girls Love Stuffed Animals: Rebecca sleeps with plushies of Guardian Eatos and Vampire Lord.
• The Ghost: Upon finding out that Amelda plays a Gimmick Puppet deck, Jun notes that he dueled someone with that deck (presumably IV/Quatro) just last week.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Miruko, Amelda and Varon are half-vampire.
• Happily Adopted: Raphael, Amelda, Varon and Miruko are now official members of the Hopkins family.
• Kill the Cutie: Molly's backstory and the stories of the other Dark Signer Acolytes most likely.
• Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Each chapter is called "Move" and are named after Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.
• Morton's Fork:
  • Rebecca states the Trope Namer when she notes the situation in her duel.^Explanation She has Tiras, Keeper of Genesis on the field against Molly's Alice the Wandering Doll and Doll Chimera. If she attacks Alice, then she loses 500 lifepoints and Alice moves to her side of the field where Doll Chimera can damage her lifepoints (and thus activating Tiras's ability to destroy Doll Chimera but risking Doll Chimera growing stronger). If she attacked Doll Chimera but uses the effect to destroy Alice, it still leaves Doll Chimera stronger when Special Summoned. And attacking Doll Chimera then trying to destroy it via Tiras's effect is practically suicidal. Not attacking with Tiras is essentially her best choice.
  • Varon also states this during his duel too.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Molly's backstory had her befriend (then later be killed by) a doll named Alice and fans of the first anime series will recall the old man that Molly calls "Ridley Something" as Ridley Sheldon.
  • Rebecca states that she still sleeps with a Guardian Eatos plushie Raphael gave her for her 6th birthday—Eatos was Raphael's signature card in the anime.
• Pass the Popcorn: The audience during Noah vs Miruko dine on tarts and tea manifested from Noah's Wonderland Field Spell.
• Prequel: Takes place around the same time frame as Ab Aeterno.
• Running Gag: Noah vs Miruko constantly mentions how Miruko's Everliving Underworld Cannon keeps getting set off with the descriptions getting shorter and shorter.
• Simultaneous Arcs: Ab Aeterno and Ab Antiquo take place around the same time since Shooti mentions something about a vision Bel had in the former story and confirmed when he's about to note that it was Kaiba who asked them to scout the Kame Game Shop.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Ridley Sheldon gave Molly the doll that would eventually become both her companion and murderer. Whether or not he knew that the doll was cursed is up in the air.
• Team Dad: Reiji (for the Acolytes) and Raphael (For the Hopkins).
• Winged Humanoid: Atem has a pair of black metallic wings.

Tropes found in In Somnis Veritas

• Adaptation Name Change: The Kageyama sisters are now know as Risa, Rise and Ritsu.
• Added Alliterative Appeal: Kanata and Haruka like to use alliteration for their attacks. Wheel of Prophecy lampshades Haruka's use of it.
• Agitated Item Stomping: After Noah quotes "How Doth the Little Crocodile?" Mokuba snaps and starts kicking a nearby rosebush as he's entirely sick of listening to stuff from Alice in Wonderland while stuck in said place and dressed as Alice.
• Alice Allusion: Where do we begin? Word of God notes that the 1999 film was the biggest inspiration of this story.
• Berserk Button: Serena treasures her jacket very much and is pissed to find it in the Black Forest Magic Shop (as she previously gave it to Mokuba to cover him up).
• Brick Joke: During Haruka's duel with Crow, Serena texts to Hikari that Haruka would need a nuclear bomb in order to defeat Crow. Once Haruka summons World of Prophecy onto the field she mutters, "There's that nuclear bomb in her deck."
• Cute Witch:
  • Lily, who the narration notes likes to make herself look like a child because it makes her more approachable. The Kageyama triplets are witches in training under Lily.
  • Haruka and Masato are also witches on their mother's side.
• Double Take: Kanata does one after she hears her monster talk back to her.
• Dub Name Change: An interesting take on this trope; those who have fallen into Wonderland go by their dub names and take up some of the mannerisms/personalities from the dub. Example: Hayato Maeda becomes Chumley Huffington who is known for his love of grilled cheese sandwiches.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing: The beginning of the third chapter has Millefeui list titles of The Haunting Hour episodes before Serena snaps and tells her to choose an episode before something ruins it. Three seconds later, Seto has called Serena's cellphone and their role in the story begins.
• How We Got Here: The story starts with Kaibaman objecting to a wedding between Noah and Alice, revealing that Alice is actually Mokuba Kaiba before Alice telekinetically hurls a knife to slice Kaibaman's throat. The scene then shifts to the afternoon of May 3rd in Domino City.
• Internal Reveal: Chapter 6 is when Shinji learns of his brother's death.
• Let Me Get This Straight...: Siegfried to Seto in chapter 7:
  Siegfried: “So Seto, let me get this straight. Instead of finding someone with experience in the Nightmare Realm, your great idea to free our brothers and everyone else who has fallen is to send five children to Wonderland as a backup plan?! What type of credentials do they have for a mission such as this?”
• Mood Whiplash: Chapter 6 starts with Shinji learning his brother was dead, then it goes to Haruka fangirling over Crow, to Shinji and Hikari learning that Team Satisfaction is dead and the mood feels absolutely unsettling from then on.
• Mythpunk: Traces of this are abound. Not only do we have an interpretation of Wonderland where Duel Monsters talk and Caucus Races are performed as Turbo Duels, we also have Mako Tsunami (Ryoji Kajijki) using his duel to bring about the legend of The Sunken Cathedral.
• The Nicknamer: After learning that her Duel Monsters start talking, Kanata decides to name them. Haruka and Millefeui also do this.
• Noodle Incident: Apparently, Kaiba once ate at the Café in Wonderland and there was something involving mushroom soup since, when he calls Serena's cellphone, Millefeui notes that her mother changed the recipe.
• Off with His Head!: Alice (Mokuba?) shouts this before she's about to slit Kaibaman's throat in the prologue.
• Once an Episode: Nearly every chapter has someone singing or reciting poetry with another character telling them to shut up.
• Pass the Popcorn: While Kanata duels Chumley, the audience dines on sandwiches.
• Prequel: Another one, this one taking three months before Ab Antiquo and Ab Aeterno.
• Rule of Three: In order to free a "Faller" from Wonderland, you need their real name, have the Faller reveal their key card and uncover a memory that relates to the person.
• Saved by Canon: All of the major characters show up in future stories so they will survive Wonderland.
• Shout-Out:
  • When Lily sees Ghostrick Mummy, she comments that it reminds her of the one made by General Stonesteel. General Stonesteel is a character from one of Ray Bradbury's short stories "General Stonesteel's Genuine Egyptian Mummy".
  • The nicknames Kanata, Haruka, Millefeui give their monsters are full of this.
  • Zoodiac Thoroughblade only talks by saying "Eeyup". Bonus points, he's wearing red armor just like Big Macintosh is bright red!
  • Chapter 7: Jun suggests to "Ninja kick the damn rabbit!" in order to wake Wenet up. In the same chapter, Millefeui calls Asuka Tenjoin the "Empress of Tomorrow".
• Sneeze Cut: When Mokuba begins to explain his and Seto's past to Noah in the first chapter, it cuts to Seto sneezing in his office.
• Something about a Rose: Noah gives one to Mokuba to cheer him up and then to knock Mokuba out with sleeping gas.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: In the fifth chapter, Ryoji Kajiki somehow manages to make him and his ship vanish in the time it takes Serena to turn her head.
• Tempting Fate: In her duel against Crow, Haruka makes the note that Desert Sunlight is absolutely useless in her duel. It turns out to save her when she uses its effect to activate Apprentice Piper's effect and bring out World of Prophecy. And earlier, she thinks that having to be attacked by Crow's monsters for around 4000 points of damage was bad. Cue Blackfeather Darkrage Dragon...
  Haruka: (thinks) Okay, I take that back. Things have definitely gotten worse.
• Titled After the Song: Chapters are named after songs by The Birthday Massacre.
• Waxing Lyrical: Wenet notes about Crow's new undead status by stating a line from "The Dream" by The Birthday Massacre.
• Wham Episode: Chapter 6, in which Shinji reunites with his (dead) brother, our heroes learn that Team Satisfaction is dead (and Hikari and Shinji learn about Shooti, Bel and Jun being Dark Signers) and the chapter ends with Haruka captured and thrown into a dark forest and Mokuba starting to remember his past.
• Wham Line: Akari Tsukumo opens up her scene with one in chapter 4.
  Akari: You're (Kaiba) joking. You're telling me my brother is the one sending people into Wonderland?!
  • And then she adds another.
  Akari: My brother's been in a coma since Valentine's day.
• Wholesome Crossdresser: Mokuba dressed as Alice Liddell. Justified that he is wearing a costume of a school production and that his normal clothes are wet and were sent to be washed.
• The Wonderland: The focus of the story as various people have been sent here for some odd reason.
• The World's Expert (on Getting Killed): Downplayed as no one is killed, but despite Leon supposedly helping other people who have fallen into dream worlds, he gets beaten by Noah and brainwashed to believe he is the Red King.

Tropes found in Lux ex Tenebris

• Arc Number: 25. Shooti notes that this is his older brother's significant number.
• Bait-and-Switch:
  • The end of the prologue has Shooti state he's going to make his 4th mistake. Said mistake is making fun of the name of Bel's favorite author.
  • Chapter 2, Part 3: After he and Yusei have sex, Kiryu is about to bring a knife down on Yusei to kill him. Just as he's about to do it, he stabs the side of the bed in disgust before explaining everything to Yusei. Then, Yusei nods his head in understanding and promises Kiryu to fix this...by grabbing the knife and slicing his throat.
• Boy Meets Girl: Shooti meeting with Bel in the first chapter, the girl in question also a Dark Signer.
• Brain Bleach: Shooti's reaction upon seeing Kiryu and Yusei having sex or anything in regards to that. Multiple times.
• The Cameo:
  • Sayaka Sasayama is the class representitive who consoles Shooti over Jun's death in chapter 3.
  • An unnamed Wes and Rui are seen in chapter 4 to tie into Do ut Des, which is confirmed in Chapter 5. In the same chapter, Rua and Ruka appear with Jin Himuro as their caretaker.
• Darker and Edgier: This story talks about suicides, has plenty of death going about it and Shooti essentially gets broken throughout the entire thing. Hell, the story even begins with his narrations after Shooti bit the dust.
• Dead All Along: The prologue has Kiryu going insane as he keeps seeing the Dark Signers chase after him. Why? He's dead and was revived by them and must return since he is now tied to them.
• Delayed Reaction: In Chapter 2, Part 3, Shooti stares awkwardly at Kiryu picking up a towel Bel to wipe himself up...and just realizes that Kiryu's stomach is covered in semen after everything else that happened^note which is Kiryu explaining that he has to kill Yusei, Yusei dying and then resurrecting before he blushes and steps back.
• Double-Meaning Title: Died in Your Arms Tonight references Yusei in two ways: he dies in Kiryu's arms, but since the trope is named after a song inspired by a French phrase for "orgasm", it also references how he has had sex with Kiryu before he kills himself.
• Doomed by Canon:
  • This is the story as to how Shooti becomes part of the Dark Signers so it will end with him dead.
  • Team Satisfaction is dead, as confirmed in In Somnis Veritas, so this story details how they died. Also Shinji won't learn of his brother's whereabouts until then.
• Early-Bird Cameo: Bel used her illusion powers to take the guise of Atem, but he won't appear until less than a year later in Ab Antiquo.
• Everyone Has Standards: Primo is a cold and aloof cyborg who watches over the time stream, but even he shows concern when Shooti asks that Primo take him to the night when Jun jumped in front of a train.
• Fatal Flaw: Shooti is very critical to himself and notes his curiosity for some things, and ignorance for others, is what leads to his death.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In the prologue, the narration describes Jun like a monkey. He's the Dark Signer Acolyte to Korni, whose Earthbound Immortal is the Monkey.
  • In the first chapter, Shooti notes how Jun doesn't have a lunch but can run despite running on empty. He's dead, and the dead don't need to eat.
  • Haruka's tarot reading for Shooti has his future card be Reaper of Prophecy (Death).
• I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder: In the third chapter, Haruka tells Shooti that she's a fortune-teller, not a mind reader.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Kaibaman pours himself ingredients for a Shirley Temple and raises it after Kiryu gets captured by the Dark Signers.
• Literary Allusion Title: Each chapter is named after a different work.
  • Prologue: What We Do in the Shadows
  • Chapter 1: Stranger Things
  • Chapter 2: We Are the Strange
  • Chapter 2 (Part 2): Five Characters in Seach of an Exit
  • Chapter 2 (Part 3): "(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight" by Cutting Crew
  • Chapter 3: "The Next in Line", a Ray Bradbury short story
  • Chapter 4: "This is Acting"
  • Chapter 5: "The Garden of Forking Paths", another short story
• Moment Killer:
  • Just as Shooti gives what is basically a Love Confession to Bel in the guise of Yami Yugi, Korni appears and laughs at the site of them holding hands.
  • After watching Yusei be resurrected and he and Kiryu making out, Shooti's cellphone rings.
• Mood Whiplash: Chapter 2, Part 3 (Died in Your Arms Tonight) starts with Shooti in horror of seeing Yusei and Kiryu having a round of lovemaking, then it goes to Kiryu close to killing Yusei before deciding not to, before Yusei decides to kill himself and become revived and Kiryu and Yusei embrace. Then, Shooti's cellphone starts ringing.
• Morton's Fork: Shooti's thoughts in the 4th chapter note that whether or not he does tell Crow that Kiryu and Yusei are planning to kill both Crow and Jack is going to end up badly. Doesn't tell? Let Crow die. Tells? Either have Crow look like he's crazy or if Crow actually believes Shooti, then Kiryu and Yusei will just move their plan earlier.
• Posthumous Narration: How the story is presented, with Shooti even mentioning that it's something out of Sunset Boulevard.
• Power Perversion Potential: Shooti's thoughts about Yusei's new "April Witch" powers (to enter the mind of other people, demonstrated by Kiryu's...orgasmic reaction to it) is that it is absolutely terrifying.
• Running Gag:
  • A rather dark one: Shooti's narrations usually state how he made a mistake over something minor, whether it was brushing a comment aside, not saying anything, being too curious, etc.
  • Shooti's reactions to seeing Kiryu and Yusei having sex or anything else regarding those two.
• Saw "Star Wars" Twenty-Seven Times: Shooti has watched Blade Runner three times prior to the story's start.
• Ship Tease: With Shooti and Bel over the course of the first chapter.
• Shout-Out: Coming from someone who's into movies and literature, this shows up a lot. The most prominent sho-tout is when Shooti asks Bel if Yusei and Kiryu were playing paddycake and asking if she knew the reference. To which she replies that she understood that reference.
• Starts with a Suicide: The plot kickstarts in the first chapter when 25 school students jump in front of a train, with Jun, Shooti's friend, one of them.
• Tarot Troubles: In the third chapter, Shooti gets his fortune read by Haruka using Prophecy Monsters. Haruka reveals Fool of Prophecy, Amores (Lovers) of Prophecy and Reaper (Death) of Prophecy, stating that he has gone on a journey, is currently going through choices involving relationships (in regards to Bel) and a big chance is to happen in his future, which is the Foregone Conclusion that he will die at the end of the story.
• Tempting Fate:
  • The end of the prologue has Shooti narrate that he's probably never going to see Bel ever again. Cue the next scene as Bel is a new student at school.
  • The story makes mention of a lot of times that Shooti does this and his narration notes this as a "mistake".
• Wham Line:
  • From the prologue:
  Bel: Because Kiryu, you are already dead.
  • Two from the first chapter:
  Carly: And you won't believe who I saw jump [onto an oncoming train]! Jun was there...he killed himself alongside 24 students!
  Bel: Jun has been dead since July. He has been resurrected by us, and is now reborn as a Dark Signer Acolyte.
• Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?:
  Shooti: What kind of a name Zilpha Keatley Snyder is that for an author, or anyone, to have? How old is he?
  Bel: She died at age 87, October 7th, 2014. And that is her real name.
  Shooti:...Oh.
• Would Hit a Girl: Shooti has no qualms on punching Korni in the face upon meeting her, seeing as Korni was the one who made Jun jump in front of a moving train (it turns out it wasn't her, but rather Wataru).

Tropes found in Alea Iacta Est

• 13 Is Unlucky: "A Little Princess" takes place on Haruka's 13th birthday and has Millefeui dueling someone who made a contract with a youkai.
• Added Alliterative Appeal: Marilyn, Rebecca and Casey indulge in this in "Marionettes, Inc.", the former making her look cute, and the latter two to mock the former.
• Alice Allusion: Rebecca, Raphael, Varon, Amelda and Miruko dress up as characters from Wonderland in "Marionettes, Inc.".
• Birthday Episode: "A Little Princess" takes place on Haruka's 13th birthday.
• Call-Forward:
  • In '"Nightmare Troubadour", the references to the Alice in Wonderland play and Hikari having the role of Alice means this takes place weeks before In Somnis Veritas, meaning that Hikari is going to be sick prior to opening night and Mokuba takes her place. "So Weird", which takes place two weeks after "Nightmare Troubadour", also mentions the strange coma incidents.
  • "Marionettes, Inc." has Freddy note about Rebecca moving to Japan, which is what happens in Ab Antiquo.
• Camera Fiend: Hikari carries a video camera to record Serena dueling Marcus in "Nightmare Troubadour".
• Crash-Into Hello:
  • How Serena encounters Marcus in "Nightmare Troubadour".
  • Millefeui and Kanata meet Aura this way in "A Little Princess".
  • Haruka bumps into Yugo's like this in "Before the Storm".
• Double-Meaning Title: "Marionettes, Inc." can references that the Fazbear animatronics came from a party company or how the ghosts in the marionettes work in a company to help souls pass on.
• Everyone Has Standards: In "Night at the Museum," The Dark Scorpions are ruthless thieves, but even they are disgusted at Barbara's insults and attitude towards Molly.
• Halloween Episode: "Marionettes, Inc." takes place during a Halloween Party based off of Five Nights at Freddy's.
• Homage: "Before the Storm" references a lot to the game its title is a Shout-Out to: two people meet together and have an entire day of having fun and falling in love with one another, with one of them in the end breaking down in angry tears while lighting up a tree with fire.
• Hypocrite: Rebecca calls Marilyn one in regards to Marilyn using a deck that violates her "Rules of Cuteness" (Monsters must be either Normal or Effect monsters, be Level 4 or lower and have less than 1500 ATK) when she sees Freddy play a Fluffal Dog (1700 ATK) as his first move.
• Literary Allusion Title:
  • Nightmare Troubaduor to the video game.
  • Marionettes, Inc. to the Ray Bradbury short story.
  • A Little Princess to the book with the same name.
  • Before the Storm takes cues from the video game.
  • So Weird to the Disney series.
  • Night at the Museum to the film with the same name
• Meet Cute: Haruka and Yugo in "Before the Storm" when Haruka crashes into him, which develops into her falling in love with him throughout the story, believing that the two are soulmates after Team Satisfaction states that she's supposed to have a interaction with him. Unfortunately, it turns out that Yuri is to be with Yugo, not her.
• Pass the Popcorn: In "Marionettes, Inc.", while the audience looks in horror at Rebecca dueling Freddy Fazbear, Varon is calmly eating pizza.
• Prequel: "Before the Storm" is one for Nobis Vivus Manes.
• Reference Overdosed: The first chapter contains various references that the author has a Drinking Game for it and "So Weird" has an entire section (called "I Understood That Reference!") dedicated to the multitude of references displayed.
• Shout-Out:
  • In "Marionettes, Inc." after Rebecca plays five cards facedown, she shouts, "Do your worst! Bring out your spooks! Shoot the works! I will not flinch!"
• Tarot Motifs: "A Little Princess" has the Café in Wonderland decorated with scenes from Tarot cards and all the party-goers are dressed up like members of the Major Arcana (Barring The Tower, Judgment and The World).
• Tarot Troubles: Haruka does a fortune reading for Yugo in "Before the Storm", with his most prominent card being The Chariot.
• To the Tune of...: In response to Rebecca's Shout-Out, Freddy sings his own verse of "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch" but with Rebecca instead (which she finds to be Actually Pretty Funny).
• Wham Shot: The end of "Before the Storm" has Haruka singing "It only takes a moment" as she approaches Yugo's door. But as she opens it, she finds out that Yuri is inside, hypnotizing Yugo and kissing him.

Tropes found in Nobis Vivus Manes

• Ambiguously Evil: Yuto. He does save Yuya from the Horrors, and a flashback reveals that they do have a past, but then he hypnotizes Yuya and causes Yuya to go mad...
• A Birthday, Not a Break: The first chapter starts with our protagonists celebrating Mieru's 13th birthday. Then, Yusei tells everyone that they have to stop Yuya from setting fire to the rain.
• Bloodier and Gorier: The prologue has Yuya gleefully killing Horrors as blood splatters all over him.
• The Cameo: An unnamed N watches Yuya leave his house at the end of the prologue.
• Character Narrator: Mieru is the narrator for the beginning and end of each chapter.
• Die Laughing: Yuya in the Prologue's flashback just as a burning circus tent collapses around him and Yuto.
• For Want Of A Nail: Mieru's narration states that the entire story started with a kiss, with the prologue explaining two important questions: "Who were kissing" and "Why were they kissing". As she states at the end of the prologue:
  "By now, you're probably wondering, "What happens now?" The answer... Everything happens now."
• Titled After the Song: Chapters are named after songs with the Prologue and first chapter named after songs by Skillet
• Shout-Out:
  • Serena calls Yuto "Danny Phantom" in the first chapter.
• Together in Death: Yuya and Yuto in the past with Yuto accidentally stabbed by a deranged Yuya, and Yuya killing himself with the same knife once Yuto releases Yuya from whatever caused the jester to go mad.
• Wham Line: Kanata delivers one when Haruka mentions the pendulum Yuri wore.
  Kanata: When did you [Yusei] sense that Yuri was in Domino Below?
  Yusei: And why would you of all people want to know this?
  Kanata: Because that pendulum that Yuri used? That used to be mine six years ago!

Tropes found in Do Ut Des

• Big "NO!": Rui shouts this in the second chapter just as Wes has taken a hit from Starving Venom Fusion Dragon.
• Corrupt the Cutie: This trope is discussed in Rui's narration for the second chapter:
  "And while the princess's [Rui] heart was pure and her thoughts unclouded, there was one question that lingered in the back of her mind...how long could the princess stay good?"
• Darker and Edgier: The story starts with the death of Wes and Rui, we have Academia involved in the struggle and Mikuri's Wham Line tells you that this isn't gonna be your normal story.
• Fairytale Motifs: Plenty.
  • Rui's narrations in each chapter play out like she is reading a fairy tale, she's usually nicknamed as a princess and she is shown to have a love for Hansel and Gretel. At the same time, Wes is described as a knight, just like in the game.
  • The first chapter has references to the "Georgy Porgy" nursery rhyme due to Wes insistently calling 11811 "Georgy" and teasing the latter with how he's not so brave when fighting against Wes.
• How We Got Here: The prologue begins with Wes and Rui resurrected as Dark Signer Acolytes before Wes describes what happened that made them dead in the first place.
• In-Series Nickname: The Academia soldier 11811 is constantly called "Georgy".
• Mythology Gag: The beginning of the first chapter is based on the opening of Pokémon Colosseum: Wes blows up the Team Snagem base and then battles someone who has stuffed Rui in a bag.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown:
  • Rui vs Yuri has Rui unleash the effects of Earthbound Disciple Geo Cherubim to half Yuri's lifepoints down seven times, to the point that Wes looks horrified at how the sweet girl is close to killing him.
  • In the next chapter, Wes unleashes his two monsters against Security, particularly Earthbound Disciple Geo Mermaid who bites them but does not kill them (because he promised Rui in the previous chapter that he wouldn't).
• Once Upon a Time: The lines that start off the story and Rui's narration in the prologue and first two chapters.
• Shout-Out:
  • The Academia soldier who kidnapped Rui is known as 11811. Wes (and Yuri) call him "Georgy" to cement the reference.
  • In chapter 3, Rui questions if people are born wicked or have wickedness thrust upon them. And Wes ends his duel with Security by stating "So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, good night!"
• Simultaneous Arcs: The story takes place in the same time-frame as Lux ex Tenebris which is confirmed in chapter four of Lux when Shooti briefly sees eye-to-eye with an unnamed Wes and Rui.
• Titled After the Song: The titles are named after songs by Muse with each of the parts named after their albums. For example: Part 1 is titled "Absolution" and its chapters are titled from songs on the album.
• Wham Episode: Connected to the Wham Line below but the third chapter reveals that Wes is a part of Zarc and he wants to reunite with Yuri and Yugo. That is not a good thing.
• Wham Line: Mikuri namedropping Zarc and Ray in the second chapter in regards to Wes and Rui will make any Yu-Gi-Oh fan cringe.