Hey!

Yeah, you there! Hi, how's it going?

Listen, I gotta be honest with you. If you told me a year ago that someone would be writing a story about my exploits, my duelling career, I would've laughed. Honestly, I would've. But fast forward a year and, well, a lot has happened. It's the past for me now, but it's the future for you, which I guess means you can change it a little bit. Besides, who ever let the truth get in the way of a good story?

When this guy, this kid as unheard of us I was, this Neckee777, came to me and sat me down and said "Listen, I want to write about your story," I couldn't help but feel a little surprised and a little flattered. Also a little confused. So I looked into him a little bit, and found out he's tried his hand at writing a bunch of times but struggles finishing his stuff. That's not to say he doesn't try real hard. I guess sometimes his motivation escapes him. I can't say I know that feeling, because when the cards go down I need to finish the duel, but maybe it's something you can relate to. Something you can forgive him for.

He talked me into it, regardless. He had a killer pitch, too.

Basically, the idea is to power his story using community input. That means that the world and the supporting cast are all crafted and grown from the readers, y'know, this awesome community. He told me he wants people to submit their OCs for what he tells me will be a "classic Yu-Gi-Oh! story", whatever the hell that means...

That was his pitch to me, anyway. My pitch to you is to help him out, because this is an exciting time. New and interesting characters to duel? New friends? New rivals? How can I turn that down!? I don't know what will come of this, but hopefully it'll be something totally kickass, that we can all read and say we had a fun time. So send in those OCs! And I'm sure I speak for Neckee777 as well when I tell you this: Thanks in advance.

- Leo

OC SUBMISSION FORM (to be PM'd)

Name: Your characters name. Woo!

Age: How old is your character?

Appearance: A description of your characters physical traits, from height, weight, eye colour, hair style, the clothes they wear, and other such details.

Personality: A description of your characters personality and how they interact with other people.

Bio: A brief exposition of your characters history.

Deck List: Arguably the most important part of submitting an OC for this project, this section is where you put the cards your character uses when the cards go down. No god cards, sacred beasts, or other equally legendary cards. No pendulums please. Everything else I can handle, but pendulums are just... *shivers* Archetype-specific decks are fine, but creative decks are great! Original cards are accepted! But I obviously need all the information of the card to use it - plus they need to be approved, just for narrative reasons. Shouldn't be too much of a hassle though. Oh! Also, if you could format the list like Monsters, Spells, Traps, Extra Deck, that'd be gold. Thanks heaps.

Battle Strategy: A description of how your character duels. Please note that I'm writing for narrative above gameplay, so if your deck has some convoluted method of pulling out heaps of high level, high power monsters on the first turn then it probably won't happen that way in the story. Sorry fam.

Status: Your characters place in the story! We have Companion (the "best friend" role), Rival (the "recurring character" role), Enemy (the "up-in-your-grill" role), or Misc (the "Let's duel!" role). As it stands, looking for some Companions and maybe a Rival for Leo. For context, Leo is 16, and a school student.

Other: If there's anything else you want me to know about your character, this is the place to put it.

I think that's about it. Wow. You feel that? Feels like anticipation. I'm actually real excited about getting into this story. I have a love of community OCs just because the characters people come up with are phenomenal, and I love the idea of a story where everyone can feel like there's a piece of them there. Of course, the pressure goes on me to do all of your characters justice, and I promise I'll try. If you have any questions about the story context, or any questions about Leo, or any questions at all really please PM me, and I'll do my utmost to answer. Anyway...

Before I dive into the prologue, I just want to say thanks. By sending in OCs you're helping me build a world that's more than me, more than just my idea. And I think there's something pretty cool about that. So please, do me a huge favour: read, review, and most importantly enjoy! Seriously, have an absolute blast. This is supposed to be a fun project, in the vein of the show and the card game that I loved as a kid, and continue to enjoy. I think I've crapped on too long. Let's get into it...

If not for the screen, the room would have been pitch black.

The large LCD display bathed the office in an artificial glow, giving the room an unsettling feeling. At the far end of the office there was a desk, and behind the desk a high-backed chair, facing away from the door and toward the display on the wall.

The screen cycled through images of streets, bustling with people going about their daily business. People worked, shopped, took the commute, spent time with each other, and many, many people were duelling. The holographic monsters were on every other street corner, drawing in crowds of people who would grin and cheer or simply watch and enjoy. This was Duel Monsters. It took the world by storm all those years ago, and continued to captivate the minds of all people to this day. It had become the worlds largest competitive sport, and the worlds richest recreational industry. It truly was the worlds game.

The image on the screen flickered and solidified to a shot of two young men out the front of a school, in the middle of a duel.

"Found you," the man in the chair said to himself. He touched a button on his chair and the video zoomed in.

He eyed one of the boys - a black-haired youth with a lean frame and green eyes. He wore a red hoodie over a black shirt, and the singular red highlight in his hair assured he could be picked out in a crowd. A permanent grin was fixed to his face, and as he made his final play a red-winged creature flew towards his opponent, spear ready for battle. The students assembled threw their arms up in a cheer, and the man knew that the black-haired youth had won.

The man smiled. This was the outcome he expected.

Behind the man, his phone crackled to life. The voice of his assistant echoed throughout the room.

"Mr Raiden," a woman's voice, slightly distorted by the speakerphone rang out. "Alastair is here to see you."

Raiden swivelled on his chair, pressing some buttons on his chair.

"Thank you, Nina. Send him in."

"As you wish, sir."

The LCD screen behind Raiden rose into the roof, revealing the window behind it. From his office, Raiden could look over the skyline of New Domino City, and the view never failed to stun him every morning.

The door to the office opened, and a young man with cyan hair and dark eyes entered.

Alastair Raiden looked a lot like his father. The hair and the eyes were the same, but Alastair's was fractionally shorter, only reaching his mid-back whereas his fathers reached his waist. He had the same lean frame, and the same angular cheekbones. He wore a loose-fitting white shirt under a tanned coat, and black pants with brown loafers.

Raider stood to greet him, hands out wide. "My son."

Alastair nodded in reply. "Dad."

The two sat down on opposite ends of the desk and sat in silence for a brief moment.

"I assume since you're here, your event is finally ready?" Raiden inquired.

Alastair nodded. "Oh yeah. The island has finished construction. I just filmed the commercial. The publicity team will handle coverage and distribution, and our negotiations with the Duellist Broadcasting Network came to a close just the other day. It's an exciting time."

"Indeed," Raiden said. "It's good to see that your childhood dream is finally coming to fruition."

"Tell me about it," Alastair chuckled.

Raiden reached into a draw and withdrew two glasses, followed by a clear bottle filled with what Alastair recognised as whiskey. Raiden poured them both a glass and held his up.

"Let's drink," he started. "To your success."

"Cheers."

They clinked glasses and both men threw back their drink. It took everything for Alastair not to gag at the taste, and he felt the liquid trace its path down his chest.

"Thank you for lending me the money to get this going," Alastair said. "It means a lot."

"Nonsense," Raiden waved the thanks away. "I had the opportunity to help you fulfil an ambition, of course I would do all in my power to help it blossom. Besides," he gestured around the office, "this empire will be yours one day. Just," he hesitated. "Just make sure Leo Akida gets his invite."

"Already sorted," Alastair said, standing from the chair. "He'll be getting it with the first wave of tickets. Now I have to organise some minor administrative details. I'll take my leave." Alastair bowed politely to his father and left the room.

When his son was gone, Raiden let a triumphant smile creep onto his face.

"At last," he said to no one in particular. "The plan is finally underway..."