The Valkyrie - Comments Section

[Leon]

As I mentioned in my latest blog entry, I'm going to start posting my story here in the Written Media section. I'll post the first eight chapters here and in my blog entries, but once Chapter Nine begins I'll probably stop posting in the blog entries. I'm still undecided on that decision so don't be utterly surprised if I change my mind.

We'll begin with my backstory. It started out as my idea of contributing to a Yu-Gi-Oh forum I used to go to, the Dueling Network forums to be precise. But one day they decided to transfer the forums somewhere else, and while most of their members were able to post at the new location, I couldn't log in. I even e-mailed their Admins about it and no luck. So what was to become of my story? I frequented other places but inactivity struck me when I least expected it. Once I ended up here, I noticed there was another fellow writer here (and the occasional one-shooters) so I was motivated enough to post what I had already written. I was thrilled by the amount of views I have gotten so once I get motivated enough I start writing. Of course, it's not just the views that motivate me but the content I want to put in is another factor as well. It's like I'm thinking "I can't wait to show them this!"

Sadly, I can only come up with decent dialogue and I seem to be unable to write down every single detail. On top of it all, impatience is one of my biggest problems so a lot of the time I'm tempted to just shorten what I had in mind and post that. But I have been advised to be very patient, and while it's not my strong suit I'll do my best and take a crack at it. Besides, writing can be fun! It seems like a big chore when you don't really want to do it, but when the ideas are swirling in your skull you just want to write it down somewhere so it's not forgotten.

Storywise

As you have seen, the main character is selfless yet impulsive to a fault. These days, you have moe, tsundere, and even the unstable yandere types of girls in anime. I tried to make Sarah as normal as I could to give the audience a breath of fresh air. I could have tried the "perfect girl" approach as I did with Riddel later on, but Sarah has been an OC of mine for years and I wanted her personalty to remain the same. Calm, charming, kind, and a sloppy eating etiquette sometimes. Let's not forget impulsive and not entirely fearless. I was kind of creative yet unoriginal with her appearance. We're all familiar with DBZ and Final Fantasy, so basically her appearance is like Princess Garnet with Android 17's clothes, minus the holster, scarf, and Red Ribbon logo. Normal guys in gaming like Sora and Fayt Leingod have annoyed certain audiences, including those that would usually expect dark and depressive main characters, and character-wise, I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that I don't really care what people think of my creations. I plan to keep Sarah the way she is.

Leon is someone I threw in there to be Sarah's loyal companion. Like Barney to Fred. Robin to Batman. Pikachu to Ash. Joey to Yugi. You may think he's based on me, but actually Sarah's the one who is more based on myself (certain qualities, anyway). Leon's kind heart and childlike innocence appear to be enough for Sarah to come to his rescue any time he's in trouble. Stay tuned to watch the poor kid and the way he matures in the story.

As for Cliff Taylor, the name came to me quickly. The main reason he starts out as a lowly thug is because I despise Dark World decks in the TCG ~_~ I admit they are quite good but I never liked them, so I decided to make them the Nordics' rivals throughout the story. Not much I can say about Cliff, but I can talk about his Dueling style. The main engine of the Dark World deck is its discarding effects. Spell effects take care of the discarding, and once a Dark World monster is discarded from the Hand to the card Graveyard, the fun begins. The effect of Grapha, the deck's strongest monsters, can be abused by discarding it in order to destroy an opponent's card. Once that's done, he can be summoned from the Graveyard by sending one of your monsters back to the hand.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to invite you all to the Dueling Network. We can all play there, and I see it as a chance for us to bond as TFF members. In case you're interested, let me know ^^

Lastly, comments regarding the story are appreciated but need to be posted here (if the title didn't imply that already). Anyway, have a nice morning, and I hope you enjoy my work.

[Leon]

Chapter Two is out and so is the conclusion of our first Duel. So many things were seen, corny lines were exchanged, and the Aurora Borealis came a little earlier than expected. I'm here to explain a few things, so let's go!

First and foremost, I introduced Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant. A weak monster with a risky effect. The real spirit of the monster card has been charged in guiding Sarah through the danger that will inevitably come. Her elegant, brave, and polite nature serves to contrast Sarah's impulsive nature, lack of fearlessness, and the occasional rudeness. As for her role in the game, she serves as one of the two Tuners that can summon Odin through a Synchro Summon. And when she is summoned, the player has the option to Banish two Nordic monsters from the hand to summon two Einherjar tokens. The upside is that if the plan goes unhitched, Odin will be summoned with hardly a way to stop it. But the opponent can negate the Valkyrie's effect just as soon as it activates, provided he has the means to do so. And if they do, Valkyrie's effect resolves with nothing happening. Due to Banishing two Nordics being a cost to activate the effect, they will remain in Banished zone, which can place the player at a disadvantage.

Before I go on, I want to tell you something about my stories, for future reference. Originality for me can only go so far. Most of the time, I end up using a "template" as my base and add my own touches from there. In this case, I used the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and TCG. Traces of unoriginality can be spotted by the keen eye but that doesn't mean I entirely rip off other works. Nope. Not gonna fly.

A recurring gag I have planned to use is the fact that the protagonists' hometown will never be mentioned. They will travel to other places but never will we know where they came from.

More on Cliff Taylor. The Duel concludes with a humiliating loss for him, which is one of the main reasons he didn't stick around after the Duel ended. He may be a sour apple with an attitude problem, but this isn't the last you've seen of him. This opens the road to their rivalry, so be on the lookout!

Ah, yes! The boy from the first chapter, Roger! He'll definitely become a main character. He'd never say it out loud, but he feels indebted to the kindness our heroine did for him and as a result he'll be there to help out when the need arises. His Deck may take a while to set up, but once his lock is completed there's hardly any escape from it. Let's also not forget his father, who happens to be the shopkeeper that had his cards stolen. More on him, next chapter!

The character list doesn't end here. Countless more will be introduced. First we have our next Duelist, a braggart at first. A well-intentioned yet womanizing man. He's known as "Angel" due to the fake wings on his back and his Dueling style, all based on a recent relationship that ended badly (we're on good terms now, so no worries. Oh, and she was female btw >.>). Then we have a shy girl named Riddel, obviously based on the girl I loved and shall miss forever. And a villain will be introduced at the very end of our first season. But it will not end there as I have more in mind!

Enjoy the chapter. Comments are always appreciated. I would love to know what the audience thinks. Ta ta for now! ^^

[Leon]

Chapter Three is out, and go right into another Duel! First and foremost in today's post is Angel. He is actually based on my ex, right down to her preference on Fairy cards. Especially the Agent cards, whose effects depend on the presence of the Sanctuary in the Sky card. I'm feeling quite better as well, as I can say I'm feeling better now about the situation between us. The days my eyes would well up just by thinking about her? They're gone now.

Enough of that. Angel's biggest flaw is his womanizing ways. He's the kind of guy that would move on quickly when a woman rejects him. Insult after insult, slap after slap, trip after trip to the hospital....nothing seems to stop this guy from hitting on anyone. And Sarah's the kind of girl who would get flustered by an honest compliment, but irritated if done in Angel's way. I got something in store for both, but it's not what you think. Probably more like a special episode than anything else.

Now we go to the shopkeeper, Mr. Phoenix. He's pretty much the humble old man who will give Leon and Sarah some advice that will help them down the road. There is not much he can do for the protagonists since he has to watch the shop, but there'll be an episode later on that will definitely showcase his Dueling skills. And with a Guardian deck that most people would consider obsolete, I really have to kick it up a notch just to show you how good he is.

And now you know more about the monsters and stuff. Monster spirits will definitely show up, and so far only Sarah can spot them. But something that has crossed my mind several times is the idea of giving each character powers depending on their signature card. It could happen.

Not much more I can say about this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it.

[Leon]

Hope you guys enjoy Chapter Four. The Duel concludes on a surprisingly good note, and Sarah has won a new card. Here's a small spoiler, though. I kinda forgot to add Gachi Gachi Gantetsu on later chapters so he won't make an appearance on the Prelude. However, the second season is still in the making so expect him to make an appearance then.

As you guys have seen, Angel is not the obnoxiously perverted kind of guy as some may assume right away. A personal belief of mine is that there may be some good in every person. Sure, some people choose to be evil but only a handful are truly heartless. Thankfully Angel's worst trait is that he likes to sweep women off their feet. Or grab them from behind. Pretty much make his unwanted presence felt, quite literally most of the time. But if you paid attention to any of my blog entries, things get interesting as a villain is later thrown into the mix. Angel could get his own spot on the main team of protagonists and make himself a valuable ally.

The first four chapters have taken place during the same night, but the next chapter shall take place days later. We fast forward into the future a little and let the next Duelist make an appearance. Until then, enjoy what I have on hand. As always, comments are appreciated ^_______^

[Leon]

Hope you guys didn't mind the little time skip I did there, but I had no choice due to the lack of motivation for the chapters I had already written. But at least I'm moving on. Chapter 9 starts with a trip to Europe.

In this story arc, I'm going to work more on character development, which includes our villain, Hrist. As for this chapter's mini-story, it actually goes that way. Gagagigo desires to be strong and gets into a lot of trouble in his quest. Of course, it's just the lore and anything more would probably be merely an interpretation (as Sarah confessed to saying).

Not my best chapter, but the arc is just beginning. Enjoy!

[Leon]

Hope you guys like Chapter 10. I wasn't motivated until just hours ago to finish the second half of that chapter. I gotta say, I'm still not used to writing in prose form but I suppose practice makes perfect. Games and work have been taking up my time and sometimes I'm too tired from work to do anything so I pass out when I can't stay up. But I'll try to work on the next one a little better.

Speaking of games, it wasn't until I started playing White Knight Chronicles that I had no clue how to display powers for the main characters. There's no turning back now that Roger is about to reveal his. Which is kind of odd because I'm sure you're all wishing to know what Sarah will be able to do. Don't worry, everything will come in due time but for now....

Enjoy the chapter ^^