Hey. AuraPen here.

I see ya'll still reading On Cray, The Royal Pranksters and Days in the Castle. I do come in to check traffic stats from time to time! For all of 2019, there was an average of 37 readers for On Cray each month, about 19 for Days in the Castle, and 6 for The Royal Pranksters. Most of the visitors were from Vietnam, so hello, Vietnamese cardfighters!

Let me get to what I made this chapter for. I've been watching the 2019 reboot of Cardfight! Vanguard (and very thankful that the only new addition to the original first series was Imaginary Gift and Grade 4's towards the end, without Stride) and have been reflecting on my fanfiction. I recently read The Royal Pranksters and I found that it was difficult to read, every character was one-sided and shallow, time settings were off, overall a bit of a mess. But I'm thankful people still read it, and gave me the courage to pursue writing as a career.

I wrote those fanfictions when I was aged 12-15, and I've improved greatly on my writing since then. I've been interested in rewriting The Royal Pranksters story, or writing a new sort of adventure, a reboot.

Here are some of my ideas.

1. There are two kinds of beings On Cray; Vanguard Units and the Common Folk. The Common Folk are those without special powers or abilities - they're normal people or animals. Humans in the Royal Paladin kingdom are generally made to do the everyday jobs, whether it be as a retail worker, servant and office worker. There is a slight class divide, but the Royal Paladin kingdom is best at treating both sides fairly.

2a. Behind Blaster Blade's serious facade is a light-hearted Ahmes, who enjoys encouraging morale with fun activities. He struggles with fully leaving behind his prankster self, which allows him to be very "in touch" and amongst the citizens.

2b. I didn't want to fully leave behind this aspect of Blaster Blade, because it is ultimately what drives The Royal Pranksters and gives an interesting contrast to the very serious, disciplined personality we see throughout the CFV anime.

3. Mariah is a disgruntled bartender at the most popular tavern in the Royal Paladin kingdom. She's an alcoholic who is coming to dislike the "goody-good" people in the Royal Paladins and is a Shadow Paladin sympathiser. She still gives advice and supports her friends, Nicole and Katie.

4a. Knight/Servant, let alone Unit/Common Folk relationships are looked down upon. Katie and Gallatin grapple with their feelings, their relationship and society's expectations. Katie also meets a scribe whom she develops an interest in.

4b. Gallatin contemplates if he regrets his power or not. It's something he never uses, and yet as a result, he's unable to independently care for himself. He can't look at his lover, and is a Unit.

5. Katie will no longer have nosebleeds and will also be a more confident person.

6. Gallatin will be a quieter character, who is highly perceptive of moods and emotions. Actions speak louder than words with him.

7. If I rewrote The Royal Pranksters with the same spirit, King Alfred would abuse his powers more to further torment the Ahmes/Nicole/Gallatin/Katie team. He would be an overwhelming presence.

I imagine you might want a sample of my advanced writing with these concepts. Here's some random little scenes.

The Royal Pranksters - New Intro
The Angel's Keep, March 30th, 11:33 pm.

"Are you serious?" The blonde-haired bartender fixed the patron before her with an astounded expression. Mariah put down the pint glass she was wiping dry. "You're going to be holding an April Fool's Day event?"

"Yeah. I think it'll bring some good morale to the Knights and the residents of our Kingdom." The blond man, Ahmes, replied. He swirled his glass of scotch around, watching the perfectly shaped, clear ice cubes clink against the walls of the cup. He was dressed in a blue denim jacket, a white button-up and black jeans. It was hard to believe sometimes that this was the legendary Blaster Blade.

"You didn't just think of that now, right?" Mariah rose a brow, eyeing his drink. It was the third glass this night that she'd seen him have, at least. Ahmes' head swayed gently.

"No no, it'd already been planned, a month in advance." The girl next to him sighed. Nicole was a servant with an almond complexion and dark chocolate hair tied back in a wavy ponytail. The knight and servant were sharing a small bowl of fries, an open box packet of ketchup for dip. She grabbed a fry from the bowl, absentmindedly covering the tip in tomato sauce. "I'd know since he kept going on and on about how excited he was for it.

"Aren't you off-duty?" Mariah asked. "Should you be taking him back to the castle?"

"He told me he'd pay me for the trouble. And I don't mind." Nicole took a sip of her white wine, then nudged her companion. "Blade, eat some more."

"It's Ahmes when I'm like this, Nic."

"Yeah yeah, I know. Just eat." Nicole rolled her eyes. He smiled tiredly, before munching on a small handful of chips. Mariah was called to another part of the bar, and so Nicole kept an eye on her drinking partner. Ahmes was fond of going out for drinks without being constantly recognised, though Nicole wasn't sure she liked him disguising as a Common Folkperson to avoid being noticed. Still, he prided himself on being "in touch" with the people, both from the perspective of his Blaster Blade self and as Ahmes. He would normally use a fake name when undercover, but because only a few people knew his real name, he simply went with it.

Mariah returned when another order was satisfied. "Is Katie home already?" She asked.

"Yeah, she texted me a bit ago. Forgot to tell ya." Nicole nodded. She finished off the last bit of her wine. "Alright Ahmes, finish up. We need to get going."

"Okay." He slurred a little. He was still munching on some chips as he got off the barstool, and Nicole held onto him.

"Easy there." She said. Ahmes straightened up and gave Mariah a wave.

"Thanks for tonight. Have a good night."

"Yeah. See you." Mariah rose a hand.

"See you back at the quarters." Nicole directed her attention back to the knight, walking him out of the bar. Mariah heard them call a carriage before focusing on cleaning up and finishing for the night.

Behind Closed Doors
Gallatin's quarters, 9:45 pm.

"Will that be all for tonight, sire?" The raven-haired girl asked, standing before the knight sitting on the windowsill. Katie began to fidget when her purple-haired superior turned his face in her direction. Despite his blindfold, it felt like he could see right into her soul. He was dressed in a plain linen shirt and pants, enjoying the night breeze before heading off to sleep.

"Yes. Thank you, Katie. I'll see you tomorrow." Gallatin replied, giving her a small smile. He felt her return it in kind. But his was an empty one. She hadn't sensed that. He faced towards the window again, and she took that as her cue to leave. When she had taken a few steps away, he called out her name again.

"Yes, Gallatin?" Katie turned around, to find him staring at her intently. She didn't see his brows furrow from behind his blindfold. The two stayed this way for a few moments before he looked away again.

"...Take care going home."

"T...Thank you, sire." Katie curtsied. "I will." He listened to her walk through his quarters to the wooden door, and out.

But then Gallatin heard a male voice. "Oh hey, Katie. I was wondering…" The door closed, and so Gallatin didn't catch the rest of the sentence. He slunk quickly towards the door, listening to their conversation. He knew exactly who it was. That scribe, Michael, from the library.

"Oh sure, yeah, let's go," Katie said. They began to walk. "How was your day today?"

"Eh, mostly the same. Transcribing a lot of old paper documents onto the Castle's computer network."

"Doesn't it get super boring?"

"A little, but I get to listen to music, and Bors encourages me to get up and walk around for a bit."

So that's why we saw him out and about today, Gallatin mused. He was on a break. He was still standing by the door, even though the two were out of earshot. His hands curled into fists.

What if Michael went specifically looking for Katie during his break?

What must she see in him? He asked, beginning to pace back and forth. He stopped and felt his fists tremble. He lashed out with his right hand. What does he have that I cannot provide?! It made contact with something. A metal, hollow cylinder clattered to the ground. He stepped over to it as he heard it roll and come to a stop on its side. He picked it up, feeling to see what it was. His fingers found the handle and a small spout. Some lines, a design of some kind, were etched into the sides. A water pitcher.

His shoulders dropped. Of course.

He would always be lacking something. Sure, he was a knight, with immense skill in combat; a proud Unit of the Royal Paladin clan; a hero. But he couldn't be with her. He couldn't even fully share his adoration for her. He didn't even know what she looked like. He hadn't had an opportunity to touch her face, her glasses, to piece together how she felt. He hesitated to reach out to her, never wanting to hurt her by accident. He always had to wait for her to come to him, for her to give him his food, his clothes, his sword. Of course, he could do it himself, but it was a lot more convenient when she did. He could keep to his schedule better.

Gallatin recalled what he had overheard her say in the mess hall to her friends.

"I'd love to have a guy that took me out to the movies, and then to dinner, and then walk me home… and well, uhm, kiss at the doorway…"

Michael could, though. That scribe could.

He was going to take his beloved servant away from him. Gallatin thought of a future where she would continue to serve him, yet together with another man at her home…!

Gallatin's hands flew to his head, fingers raking through his hair as he made his way to his bed.

What was wrong with him? This was not the way he should be carrying himself at all, as a knight of the Royal Paladins. He strove for peace of heart, mind, and soul. Silence within himself would make him the strongest knight of all. He shouldn't be getting so worked up about this. He should be happy that such a dear friend might be finding her lifelong happiness. That's what he should want, as someone who loved her.

Gallatin collapsed into bed, feeling the jabs in his heart. It was her that made him feel as passionately as he did. She who filled his mind during every battle he was sent out to. She he longed to be with every moment of the day. He wanted to be at her side, defending her from every trouble that she might face. He wanted to hold her close to his heart, always.

But he wouldn't be able to.

Gallatin put his hands on his face. He realised that yes, he truly did love her. He didn't want to let her go.

...So curse society's expectations of them.

He was going to be with her, no matter what it took.

Well? What did you think? Leave a review, telling me what you think! I know there's a lot of silent readers out there, who don't leave anything. But please. I need to know what you think. Hearing people's support really helps motivate people to continue creating. You make a difference! You can say anything in your review! What changes you like, or dislike. What you might propose.

In any case, thanks for reading. Stay awesome, fellas.

-AuraPen