AN: I put this on AO3 a while back. So I decided to put it here as well. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Yu-gi-oh. All rights go to its creator and publishers. Please support the official release.
/O\ /O\ /O\ The Colors in Our Lives /O\ /O\ /O\
Satellite didn't have the brightest colors in the world. Unless you counted the colorful personalities, the broken, run down mess of district had the same dull, industrial muck. Muted grays and dark browns painted every building while grease from the endless days in the factories permanently stained their skin.
There were few places of color in Satellite, but even then, they were more grim reminders than anything. The bright scarves decorating rugged gang members. Bright lights flashing blue and red, as Security chased down yet another semi-innocent person. And of course...the markers. The tattoos branded them as something less than perfect, a criminal, would be subhuman if it weren't for the fact they already were considered it. They would always shine brightly, even if their bearers hoped they would one day fade.
However, there were colorful things in Satellite that nearly everyone enjoyed in one way or another.
The most obvious, was their Duel Monsters cards.
Citizens in Neo Domino City mostly saw Duel Monsters as a sport, a simple game played for fun, laughs, and glory before going back to their regular mundane lives. They didn't understand the beauty of the game. To those who lived in that rainbow city obnoxiously gleaming at them every moment of every day, Duel Monsters was just a fun game with the professionals getting big money and living on top of the world.
They just couldn't understand...
….but how could they?
To see a card, was to see hope. While they saw the flashy monsters fighting one another as a nice way to spend a night, Satellite saw them as what they were, creatures of pure imagination of wonder, partners in crime, servants to their masters, and everything you could think of underneath the sun. When a rare monster was summoned, it was no wonder the crowd roared in unison with the monster. As duelist summoned something magical before their eyes, they couldn't help but think...maybe. Maybe this could be better.
True duelists respected their cards. Each one spoke to a person in a different way. Even if it felt silly to some, there was no denying the heart and soul Satellite duels seemed to flourish. Each duel was an experience. A way to tell those who had forgotten them, we're still alive, we're going, and one day, we'll rise like our monsters.
And if these duelists held their decks close to their hearts as they slept. Or passed their cards to their children when they themselves grew too old. Or if they just spent endless days just staring at their hands, hoping for something more...well, who was to blame them?
Cards were a duelist's heart and soul, a way to bring color and hope to their otherwise dreary lives. However, the final goal, the dream was to leave.
And maybe… that's why they always looked to the horizon.
See, the world was always mucked in gray. Even the sky above them didn't escape the grime. Pollution was thick in the air, and it wasn't uncommon to hear coughs from even the smallest of children.
But even smog couldn't block out the sun.
In the evening, sometimes people would gather at the edge of Satellite and watch as the world shifted from dreary grays and browns to a world of orange. As the sun fell deeper below the skyline, of course, it was beautiful. Even Satellite…, but so was Neo Domino City.
Everything was orange.
Although the moment only lasted an instant before Satellite darkened once more, especially in comparison to the sleepless city, they couldn't help but hope. Everything was the same. Everyone and everything, cast in orange. For a moment, it felt like everyone was equal or at least, on the same ground.
While Duel Monsters was a central part of their lives, the hope brought through them wasn't always as tangible. Duelists had to believe in their cards, but they also needed to believe in themselves. Not everyone had that confidence.
Sometimes, hope needed a visual.
So, while Satellite wasn't the most colorful place in the world, sometimes that was for the best. It was a reminder of the despicable conditions they lived in. However, no matter how much they were called trash and were treated worse, it took a lot more than a couple of names and shiny marks to make them feel worthless.
Satellite may not be colorful, but they were alive. And so they continued forward and looked to the sky for another day.
Word Count: 767 words (not including intro, outro, or title)
AN: Critiques are loved! Tell me what you liked! Tell me what you disliked! Tell me anything at all. Thank you for reading, my dudes.
See you next time!
~LunagaleMaster