Yu-Gi-Oh!/Fanfic Recs

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth putting your HEART IN THE CARDS for here.

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Yu-Gi-Oh fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.

You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. Refrain from posting Conversation in The Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.

For the fanfic recommendations of the other three series, try these links.

Authors and Websites
Iced Blood
 * Recommended by: Golden Dragon 326
 * Iced Blood has written many Yugioh stories, with the main characters almost always being the Kaiba brothers. He focuses on the brotherhood of the two: incest will NEVER come into play.
 * He has a few one-shots peeking into their lives at various time frames, some stories that look at the interactions between Seto and Yugi, some poetry, and numerous actual stories. Noa comes in a few times, though it’s mainly Seto and Mokuba.
 * Iced Blood is a brilliant writer, and any reader can feel the depth of the emotions between the two brothers; they’ve been through a lot together and he manages to show this without going out of character. To any Kaiba-brothers fan, this is the author to check out.
 * I’d suggest starting with Paved with Good Intentions, and its side-story PwGI: Blue Eyes, Violet Eyes. They’re immensely enjoyable, and the original characters are interesting and give flavor. He focuses on the growing maturity of the brothers, as they move on from their card games (‘cause really, its enjoyable to watch the characters play the game on TV, not so much to read it in a story) and their lives move forward. The gang (Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Tea) also show up numerous times.

MyAibou checked out MyAibou's Revival and Identity series as a result of quite a few restrictions on my fandom; no OOC, no Alternate Universe, no Yaoi, and no Ass Pull pulling Yami back to Yugi. At first, I was skeptical with the story, since it's explained that Yugi fluctuates in personality because he still retains some of Yami's character. I gagged at the slight bouts of romance, but it wasn't bad like other fics. That was fair. The bouts of humor with the story lightened the tone as well as pleasing me. I got more skeptical of the fic, though, with Pegasus's announcement of the 'shadow duelists'. These duelists were special because they conveniently participated shadow duels, unknowingly or otherwise. It looked like an author's selection of characters who would solve the plot threads. I continued. The flow of the story was excellent; each chapter had a revelation which Fore Shadowed future plot unfoldings. Continuity Porn was about, especially with the Doma arc. I had a preference for that arc, so I was glad whenever such references appeared. I noted the use of Nominal Importance. The duels progressed very well--it wasn't a dull explanation but a well-described battle. The first of the two series, Revival, was a fairly well fic. But of course, the second fic, Identity, was even better. So, it turns out, Pegasus's 'shadow duelists' had an explanation for being jarringly fit into those rules. I could not tell if it was a Retcon or impressively placed revelation. But with more and more discoveries leading up to the climax, that's when things got really Mind Screw-y. Two parts in particular: Using the Orichalcos for good was the first. The second... I'll let the broken description speak for itself: Joey's dueling against Yugi, but wait, there's two Yugis. And now Yugi's--no, Yami's dueling against Yugi, and--now he's leaving after the Ceremonial Battle and Yugi's asking him to stop. Wait, Yugi was Yugi all along? Then how did Yami--Joey defeats Yugi in the duel, but due to Yugi's last card, Yugi was almost sent to the shadow realm. That was a Mind Screwdriver done right; despite its confusion, it managed to make sense later on when the team fights against the main antagonist. And Now for Something Completely Different; MyAibou made a reference to Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series:
 * Recommended by cypsiman2
 * This author has written some of the best post-canon fic, peachshipping, polarshipping fic ever. Yes, it is by and large based on the dub, but it's incredible regardless. Heck, she even integrated the events of DOMA into it in such a way that the events of that arc became palatable to me, and I hate DOMA! Read all her fic, and you will be treated to an incredible journey of love and redemption, of action and adventure, that fits so well with the canon that you still can't believe it's not canon!
 * Comments:

Kaiba: Screw your Little Kuriboh, Yugi; I have Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Now, by that time, I was in very much awe on how MyAibou juggled the plethora of characters while keeping their personalities intact. MyAibou replicated Kaiba's Deadpan Snarker tenancies perfectly, without wimpifying him. Then again, there was that Big Lipped Alligator Moment earlier on... but I digress. The climax of the story had a very Yu-Gi-Oh-esque flavor to it, mostly because of The Power of Friendship coming into play. In fact, each character (except Duke, oddly), played a part in bringing the story to the climax. Even, who's the Big Damn Heroes! The fic was audacious, with portraying Out Of Character Moments with explanations, having Heterosexual pairings (and one not-so), and Mai Valentine winning multiple duels. MyAibou is an individual who treated a fanfiction with respect. The fic stayed true to this medium's characters and message, all while creating a genuinely possible Continuation of the original series. It brought back faith in my fandoms, and proved that the good 10% of the fandom is definitely worth reading.

Scribbler
 * recommended by cypsiman2, whitesouldragon
 * Words fail. Scribbler is simply one of, if not the absolute best writers in the Yu-Gi-Oh fandom. I aspire to be as good as her, that's how good she is. Her grasp of the characters is out of this world, and her ability to bring to life even the most mundane scenarios and make us laugh and cry... it's incredible. Plus, she writes some of the absolute best Yuugi/Anzu fic out there, and considering how little there is out there compared to the popular ships, Scribbler is an absolute godsend.

SilvorMoon
 * recommended by: The Otaku Ninja
 * Simply put, this author has written many great stories, well-written and original, in a variety of series, not just Yu-Gi-Oh. Her stories are unique, to say the least, and many have a fantasy/sci-fi feel that really draws you into the story when you read it. Unfortunetly, many of them haven't been finished, but what is there is really worth the read.

scrambled-eggs-at-midnight
 * Recommended by: Queen of Dorkness
 * First off, the one poem she's written so far makes gorgeous use of language. Second, the Drabbles: The Life of Yami Marik series if funny. The grammar and spelling are generally better than most teenagers', for what that's worth. I don't watch Yu-Gi-Oh all that much, and these stories make the universe accessible for me while being, except for the drabbles, where Rule of Funny reigns, pretty canon-compliant, at least according to friends of mine who love the series.

General Fics
''Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.''

Gods of the Tabletop, by Twin Enigma
 * Recommended by: raptyr
 * Synopsis: "Ryou Bakura is left to clean up the ruins of the Memory World tabletop game after the Final Duel. Perhaps the game board is worth salvaging, if only for memory's sake."
 * Comments: Short, but intriguing nonetheless. It features perhaps the most in character Ryou Bakura I have ever seen, avoiding the pitfalls that the fandom seems to leap headlong into. Overall, perhaps one of the best pieces of Yugioh fiction out there, and definitely needs more love.

That Which Rises and Falls, by HakureiRyuu
 * Recommended by: whitesouldragon
 * Synopsis: "It is said that power corrupts, but it's actually more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power."
 * Comments: This fic follows the life of one Gozaburo Kaiba from beginning to end. It's astonishingly well-written - every word is deliberate and draws you into the warped mind of a tyrant, making you understand exactly what he is and why he is that way. His interactions with all three of his sons are perfect in their subtlety, many a canon plothole are actually filled in this story, and the end is simultaneously heartbreaking and chilling. I seriously cannot recommend this enough!

Marik and Bakura 333 Ways, by Sailor Blaze
 * Recommended by: Azurengar (Known as Scaevola2 on fanfiction.net)
 * Synopsis from Fanfiction.net: After discovering the 333 ways to get kicked out of Target, Marik drags Bakura into a crazy attempt to embarrass the Pharoah. Abridged Personalities.
 * Comments: I've been PM'ing with the author of this fic on ff.net, and I offered to bring it to TV Tropes. This fic is crazily hilarious. Running Gag within the fic: Bakura getting stuck with My Little Pony merchandise. Over 30 chapters up so far; author is updating rather frequently.

Akh by Le Diz
 * Recommended by Solandra
 * Synopsis:
 * Comments: Le Diz's Akh is an excellent Deconstruction of the "separate bodies for the Egyptian spirits" concept ubiquitous in Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic, with sensible explanations on how spirits could become solid in the first place. Just as good is the characterization with even Anzu and Honda being endearingly themselves (though I had slight issues with Bakura's portrayal) and the relationship between Yugi and the Pharaoh which came off as adorable even to me who's not a real fan of that pairing. (Atemu and Yugi's relationship can be interpreted as gen or slashy, depending on which way you swing.)

I Want The Mad Ones by Amarielle
 * Recommended by Nai Eve
 * Pairing(s): Yami/Tea touched on briefly
 * Synopsis: "Yami assumes the role of Yugi's father after a case of physical abuse and trauma claims the boy's memory. Moral: Love is the pouring out of one's self into the completion of another. Finished."
 * Comments: It's basically what it says it is, but it's very real. It isn't over-dramatic and even the author's notes are touching. It's written beautifully, but it's M for a reason; if you can't handle rape or some other scenes that would provoke a "too much information" if someone tried to tell you about them, then this story isn't for you.

Variation on a Theme by Scribbler (AU, some hints of homosexual feelings, but not enough to even be shounen-ai, as it's not developed and left unrequited.)
 * Recommended by Anonymous Apathy
 * Pairing(s): No main pairings; hints of one-sided Yami Yugi(Atem)/Yugi, ignorable hints of Mai/Valon... nothing else (if present) is memorable.
 * Synopsis: "When Yuugi was ten, he gave away something to cement a friendship: The Millennium Puzzle. But the safety of the world needs the Puzzle solved, right? Well, yes. Yuugi's friend Anzu didn't realise what kind of gift she was accepting." An AU, compressed look at the entire anime series
 * Comments: No Anzu-bashing; all the characterization makes perfect sense in context. Humor is very dry/tongue-in-cheek/sarcastic. A realistic, Step On The Butterfly AU type fic that the author obviously took very seriously. It is completed, and has several follow-ups/spin-offs/sequels posted.

YuGiOh!: The Attack of the Yamis by Noodle-Brained Kitsune
 * Recommended by: The Otaku Ninja
 * Synopsis: *DEAD* Yugi and company watch Star Wars: Episode II! What will happen when they see it? What about after? Am I making sense? Will this fic be sane? Of course not! PG for some.. dialogue. R&R please!
 * Comments: Basically, it's the cast of Yu-Gi-Oh commenting on Star Wars: Episode II ala MST3K, but with no real film spoilers or anything. And it has its fair share of running gags, like Tea whapping the boys with her purse when they get too raunchy, and also a sugar-high Yami. It's pretty funny, but sadly dead.

Shadow Realm: Fifteen by Man Called True
 * Recommended by: The Otaku Ninja
 * Synopsis: Remember what the show told you about where the monsters live? It was all a lie. In the Central Shadow Realm, a crumbling city, a Witty Phantom finds himself the target of some very strange plots... Completed.
 * Comments: Perhaps one of the best Yu-Gi-Oh fics I've ever read, it takes us into the Shadow Realm, a world where the monsters of the cards live, and how an unassuming Witty Phantom gets caught up in an evil plot to take over the Shadow Realm. The author creates a whole world and culture for the monsters, with everything from a ruling government to multiple legends. Filled with action, romance and suspense, as well as nicely-written characters, this is a very good read for fans, even if it doesn't focus on the actual show characters themselves. Now complete, but there are still some good spin-offs by the same author to read.

The New Students By White Angel Chan
 * Recommended by Serpent Tailed Angel
 * Synopsis: Yugi, Bakura, and Marik get admitted into Hogwards (don't judge it yet) where they attempt to learn wizard magic while Voldemort attempts to steal their shadow magic.
 * Comments: Not only the only Harry Potter/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover this troper has ever read without the urge to vomit, but every bit as addicting as a Harry Potter book. Howerver, updates are scarce at best. The story has actually been abandon by Whte Angel Chan and taken up by an annonymous writer who doesn't seem to work on it too often.

Moving Forward by Madam Hydra
 * Recommended by Elenor
 * Synopsis : After Gozaburo's death Seto ties up a few loose ends.
 * Comments : very interesting character study and wonderful OC.

Celebrating Yugi By Shadow Guardian of the Gate
 * Recommended by Mew24ever
 * Synopsis: "He was the inspiration to every duelist in the world. Now it's time to witness the memory of his final moments through Judai and Yusei, plus the tri duel that never ended."
 * Comments: Effortlessly tying together Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh GX and Yu-Gi-Oh 5 Ds, this oneshot is a guaranteed Tear Jerker, both out of joy and misery.

No Strings Attached by Out-Of-Control-Authoress
 * Recommended by Neitherworld
 * Synopsis: "They are not Hogwarts-bound exchange students, nor are they teachers of magical arts. They are purely prisoners of war, thrown into a dangerous new world that they didn't know existed. There are no alliances here. There are no strings attached" Through technically a crossover with Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, it mainly stars Malik, Ryou and Bakura but with constant appearances by Neville, Luna, Snape and Draco, as well as the expected Voldemort. It takes in Hogwarts, while Harry was gone, so he's only mentioned.
 * Comments: It takes things in a Cynical, realistic way about how Everyone interacts with each and other and their environment. There's plenty of jokes, a good amount of them dark humor or jokes on Yaoi pairings to lighten the mood, but it can be suspenseful. It also has a very creative writing style: "People don't fall from five feet up and just walk away un-bruised. Life just didn't work that way." But really nothing this troper can say can do it justice, you'll have to read it yourself.

Decks Fall Everyone Dies by Kalarin Link
 * Recommended by Nomadic Lurker
 * Synopsis: "What happens when a world built on card games falls?" The government of Jamerica (the country it takes place in) was run using card games until Duke overthrew it and implemented a dice-based government. He behaves like a tyrant, so the rest of the cast must put on a pro-card propaganda play to convince people to help them with their card game revolution. It takes place post-canon (the characters are in their mid twenties, and Mokuba is eighteen or so). Technically, a very fleshed-out adaptation of Moulin Rouge to the Yu-Gi-Oh world (with more emphasis on the revolution than the romance). it uses the Abridged characterizations.
 * Pairings: Joey/Tristan, Kaiba/Bandit Keith (both are not the main part of the story)
 * Comments: This isn't just a change-the-names, run-of-the-mill Film Fic. The author seems to be trying to fix the plot errors in Moulin Rouge, while adapting the plot to the Yu-Gi-Oh universe. It focuses more on the political events and the songs than the romance, but there is romance mentioned (it's not soppy, but written in a humorous way). The author has also written his/her own parody songs that further the plot and provide characterization. The characterization seems solid, the dialogue flows well, and some of the other characters get their own subplots and conflicts to deal with, so it isn't all about Joey and Tristan. Any romance mentioned is minimal and not really central to the plot.

The Falsebound Kingdom: Hero's Crusade by Shining Charizard
 * Recommended by Anthurak
 * Synopsis: A novelization of the video game of the same name. Yugi and his friends, after being invited to test a new game system created by an enigmatic new game company, are trapped in a virtual game world where duel monsters are used to fight in real-time battles and wars, instead of simple card games. On the whole, this version follows the game's plot, but doesn't hesitate to deviate into it's own story arcs and make some changes. Also seems to be leading to a Yami/Tea subplot, though this is far from the major focus of the story.
 * Comments: Talk about taking nothing and turning it into something! Alright, that may be overhyping a little, but considering how little story there was in the game, this is still an impressive piece of work. Characterization is pretty much spot-on, with the few changes made feeling natural. In fact, the story revives a lot of the Five Man Band elements from the original series, with everyone getting at least some time in the spotlight instead of Yugi and Joey doing everything. Tristen in particular gets a hell of a character upgrade to more or less a back-up Lancer to Yugi when Joey isn't around. The story does suffer a few glaring plot holes, such as the battle-system randomly switching from turn-based to real-time after the first few chapters for no explained reason, and that Yugi seems to have vanished from existence (he's still referred to by everyone as Yugi, but it's obvious that it's Yami that's been in control since they entered the game). However, they don't take away from the story as a whole. Other than that, no real flaws to speak of, just an overall good story that most fans of the series could enjoy.

Between My Brother And Me by Green Phantom Queen
 * Recommended by Mousou
 * Synopsis: Instead of heading off to the Johto region, May decides to spend some time with her family before leaving. Unfortunately, a dream about Samiya's destruction, a book of spirits, and a game of Duel Monsters changes that. May and Max head off to Domino City to find answers, but end up on a dangerous journey.
 * Comments: Mousou: This is a marvel of a fic though it starts rather weak It Gets Better starting around chapter 6 and starts to show its potential. Though the plot is mostly unchanged at the start the focus on the non-Yu-Gi-Oh cast keeps the story somewhat fresh in particular for not ignoring the other half of the crossover with Pokemon actually appearing in the story and affecting the plot while not minimizing the importance of duels and some end up quite epic. Characterization is pretty spot-on there's also some well-done Character Development for all involved, and some added backstory for May to explain her importance to the plot. Perhaps the best thing about this fic is its actual improvement of canon with the spotlight off Yami the Wangst factor decreases quite nicely and the more outrageous or stupid(Mai) back-stories get a heaping helping of What the Hell Hero / The Reason You Suck Speech with a side of Pull the Thread for good measure.
 * azul120: I beg to differ on that. Mai got the Ron the Death Eater treatment here. She had been Mind Raped by Yami Malik, and subsequently Dartz. What May said was uncalled for, and displayed a lack of insight into the situation. Worse, Joey is also given the Death Eater treatment, while Kaiba is Leather Pantsed.
 * broodruby123: I read this story and have found it to be marvelous. The author shows great detail into the length of the story (the season takes place in the span of a week), researching the characters, personalities and their histories. The author also tends to skip some stuff (many duels and parts of duels were scrapped so the main characters would have time to do so), but the writing is spot on. The biggest change is how she treats the Swordsmen, and how the Pokemon characters react to the world of Duel Monsters. A bit of advice; it gets worse later on.

Son of Apophis by Ferris Ulf
 * Recommended by anonymous
 * Synopsis: An AU fic. Ryou Bakura finds out his cousin (Yami Bakura, renamed Minkah for plot related reasons) who he didn't even know existed is coming to live with him. Unbenounced to him, Minkah is actually an assasin using his family ties for free room and board while killing off whomever his employer, Kaiba, sees fit.
 * Comments: The author takes some liberties with the story, but does a good job of letting you know everything that's changed or stayed the same without making it feel like an info dump. You don't really need to know anything about Yu-Gi-Oh to follow the story because of it. While it's almost a story with characters that just happen to have the same names and faces as those in Yu-Gi-Oh rather than a fanfic, it's nothing short of awesome. It's well planned out, with the characters never straying from the designated personalities, and horribly addicting. You won't even mind that the characters aren't like their original incarnaions. The point of view does shift constantly, which can be a little hard to follow, but actually adds to the overwhelming emotional affect of the story. The only real problem it's near impossible to describe the (planned) sequel, Crimson Ties in Lullabies without ruining something from the first story.

Scar Tissue (Fairly explicit in language and sex scenes, be warned!)
 * Recommended by yoursfeatherly
 * Synopsis: This author loves to play with the mind screw factor of perhaps the most overlooked character in the series: Ryou. What would happen if he had his way post Battle City? Amputations, rape, mass genocide, a new world order, you name it psychologically disturbing, chances are Ryou has done it. Ryou cuts off Marik's left arm, and then has fun toying with him on the end of a string.
 * Comments: You can expect a lot of mind screws, and a lot of very intense emotions. It's also got a little bit of lovely squick that fit in just perfect. It's pretty emotional but written very prettily for something focusing on insanity and hatred. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated for a while. But actually, it kinda ends on the perfect note. It takes place largely after Battle City, and ever since I've read this fic, I have had it on my mind! Warning, though: For the fainthearted or queasy, this is not the fic for you.

On Talking to a Void by Aluminium
 * Recommended by Life In A Box
 * Synopsis: Bakura is going insane except he isn't, Ryou is sanctimonious except he's not and the third resident of this particular mind is a solely implied phenomena.
 * Comments: This is such a wonderful, nuanced study of the relationship between Ryou and Bakura. The writing style has a jagged, crystal sort of clarity, and each line has its own impact. Aluminium is one of the most intelligent writers I have ever stumbled upon.

Dedication Through Light and Darkness by lalunaticscribe
 * Recommended by Reginae Storia
 * Synopsis: Post YGO canon. Crossover between Dresden Files and YGO. Halloween in Chicago at the same time as the World Championships. Yuugi is KIDNAPPED! Monsters throw down in Chicago as the friendly neighbourhood wizard, two other lights and three dark spirits somehow-returned from the spirit world to temporarily possess the three race against time to find Yuugi.
 * Comments: Freakin' hilarious. The author somehow manages to merge very different worlds in a way that makes sense. Very well done for the first of this cross on FF.Net.

The Paths of Destiny by lalunaticscribe
 * Recommended by Reginae Storia
 * Synopsis: After Dedication through Light and Darkness (reading not necessary). Justice League x YGO crossovers. Battle City + Metropolis = Showdown in Hero City. The pun itself proves the fic worth reading.
 * Comments: Still a work in progress, but the author's previous works already proves some form of genius in this.

Evidence Of Shadows by Matt Morwell
 * Recommended by: kirana44
 * Synopsis: CSI crossover fic. Joey is accused of murdering a high ranking Las Vegas businessman, and his alibi can't be confirmed. There's only one thing that can clear his name... the evidence.
 * Comments: I have to start this by saying that I don't normally like crossover fics. Having said that, this is the best crossover fic I have ever read in my whole entire life. As far as any kind of crossover can be, it's perfection - it captures the settings of both CSI and Yu-Gi-Oh brilliantly, with everyone staying in-character and realistic. It feel more like a CSI episode than a Yu-Gi-Oh story, and it nicely highlights just how odd the idea of Card Games being Serious Business really is, while still being respectful and true to the Yu-Gi-Oh series. Surprisingly for a Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic, not only do people actually duel, but it describes the duels down to the finest detail - some people might find this tiring to get through, but it's a brilliant touch. The pacing is great, and it always feels like something important is happening, even when it isn't. And let's be honest - who would ever have though that CSI and Yu-Gi-Oh would go well together? This fic proves that as long as it's well written and well thought out, even the strangest of combos can compliment each other and thrive.

Yu-gi-oh lore By Chroah Cresta


 * Recommended by: Dragonkingofthestars
 * Synopsis: Chroah Cresta goes over the lore of a number of Yu-gi-oh cards. Including six Samurai, Grepher, Goblin of greed and Gagagigo
 * Comments: Chroah Cresta insight in interesting and does has clearly done a research into this extensively showing. The slide show that accompany each cards description by only accents his points by showing his work. He casts a very believable story out with what at first glace seems little content.

Exodus by Dark Heart In The Sky
 * Recommended by User:Keyseeker
 * Synopsis: Pre-canon. Yugi left the only home he ever knew in hope of escaping his tormentors. Joey doesn't know why he feels so guilty about Yugi's leaving, or why he feels compelled to bring him home, but for some reason, he needs to make things right. No Yaoi.
 * Comments This is one of the most emotional fanfics I have ever read. While reading it, there were times when I felt tears spring to my eyes. Yet, for all the heart-break, this fic is not pure Tear Jerker. It has Crowning Moments Of Heartwarming as well. The relationship between Yugi and Joey pre-canon, between victim and bully, isn't explored very often. This fic explores it and gives it depth while, somehow, keeping things non-romantic. This is one of the best fics I have ever read, and it's the one that has affected me most emotionally.

Shipping Fics
Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

Being Dead Ain't Easy by D. Draggy
 * Recommended by Solandra
 * Pairing(s): Seto/Joey(Jounouchi)
 * Synopsis: "Tragedy strikes. Joey Wheeler is gone forever. Or is he?"
 * Comments: Even if you don't like the great abundance of slash in the Yu-Gi-Oh universe, D. Draggy's Dead Ain't Easy is well worth checking out for the humor alone. The author gets Joey's voice and attitude dead-on and nearly every chapter has something new to laugh at, especially with the very much in-character banter between Kaiba and Joey, though there is a nice plot to follow too. There's some mild Seto/Joey but nothing explicit, so you can just ignore the hints if it's not your thing and focus on everything else to like about the fic.

Dragon's Kiss Dragon's Kiss by Jupiter 13
 * Recommended by lordofthechibis
 * Pairing(s): Seto/Joey, Hikari/Yami, Duke/Tristan (english names used)
 * Synopsis: "Joey's leading quite a happy life as a prince, until he gets a little two close to a baby dragon, turns out the baby dragon has an older brother who isn't too found of humans. Jounouchi finds himself prisoner in a cave miles from his baby sister, his mother and his two best friends: the noble knight Tristan and the playboy Duke. But Joey will soon discover a whole new group of friends including Yugi and Ryo, a pair of magicians with some very overprotective familars, Marik, a werewolf ready to reform, and Ishizu, a woman from a strange land with the power to grant Seto one wish."
 * Comments: Au, Hardcore material in some easily skipped chapters (check: is a slash scene with the main pairing possible? Skip next few paragraphs, Anzu bashing but the character becomes quite a well-rounded villain. The story plot may sound iffy at best, but jupiter 13 pulls it off. The story includes more character development than the actual series. The world is enchanting and well detailed and moments of angst are well balance with moments of action and humor, with just a little tweaking this could seriously be a great book.

Sight the King by olesia.love
 * Recommended by Annyui, seconded by Selina_Catz, thirded by Vikki
 * Pairing(s): Yuugi/Yami Yuugi (puzzleshipping)
 * Synopsis: An AU splitting off before Yuugi's even aware of the spirit in the puzzle (and before the card game really became big), where Yuugi is framed for Jounouchi's murder and goes on the run. Eventual slash, though the actual lemony bits have been censored rather humorously on FF.net (by the author).
 * Comments: Though it's mostly serious, there's a lot of unexpected (and hilarious) humor. It manages to work in references from the Abridged Series without sounding out of place, and the names for a lot of things are particularly funny (games called Monsters Kill You Dead and restaurants called Meat Goes in Your Face Deliciously). There are lots of games mentioned, and the card game is only brought up once or twice. The ending is amazingly sweet and awesome. Also unusual in that, aside from the summary, the fan phrase "yami Yuugi" is never used. In-story, the spirit is always referred to as the "other Yuugi," which makes it feel more authentic and true to the canon. Not only all of that, but if you know the myths and various beliefs that surround our protagonists well (and, hopefully, already read Akh) you will be completely astounded by what this author does with them, especially using her abstract but still somehow logical dream sequences, and how she turns them on their heads to balance perfectly.

Can You Have A Romance OC? by Ava-Connie
 * Recommended by Cocoesloco
 * Seconded by Colorsinflight
 * Thirded by Oakalovesyou
 * Fourthed by Eleanor
 * Pairing (s): Kaiba/OC
 * Synopsis: Challenge-fic. Can you have a CanonXOC pairing without it being a ludicrous Mary-Sue? This is what we at 'marysues' LJ community are trying to find out. I decided upon my pet hate. KaibaxOC. Can you have a fic without Mary-Sueness? UPDATES ALOT!
 * Comments: This thing updates alot, like she said in her summary, and she hasn't gone stale yet. AND the romance is realistic because it isn't the: OC sees him, he sees her, they fall in love. The author has accurately portrayed the real AWKWARDNESS that would be around these two characters falling for eachother. I mean, she's 24 chapters in and they're only JUST warming to eachother.
 * The ONLY case of this pairing working in a fic, as the author in question is the Yu-Gi-Oh writer for the Livejournal Community, "Marysues." Though the grammar leaves a little to be desired, the author has posted many messages asking for help and is steadily improving over her last chapters. Though it was supposed to be a serious fic, the author has decided to throw in a healthy dose of humor and the characterisations are, as a reader of this fic for a while now, spot-on. It's told in first-person as a, from what I can gather, "SCREW YOU" to the people who write all their Mary-Sues in First Person POV. Startlingly true to canon and realistically paced, I cannot recommend it enough.
 * I just want to say something before I begin. I HATE Kaiba/OC fics. I HATE Teá Gardner. And I really, really LOATHE the 4Kid's dub. But Ava-Connie has managed to make the Kaiba/OC thing realistic, 33 chapters in so far and MY GOD, it's clear that she's done her research. Ava-Connie somehow is expertly blending the 4Kid's anime, the original Japanese anime AND the mangas together, and it doesn't feel forced.
 * This troper is amazed! Ava-Connie has succeeded doing something this troper never thought possible - a Canon/OC fanfic that does not make her want to puke. The OC is realistic and reacts like a normal person would (as we can see from the caps-lock in chapter 35). Overall, this troper declares her love for this fanfic and eagerly awaits every update.


 * Seto Kaiba is...well, Seto Kaiba. He's just himself, perfectly summed up in one of the OC's thought's, "I almost laughed at his [Kaiba's] transition from "Ice Cold Jerk" to "Pissed Off Older Brother." Reading through the fic from the beginning, it's like watching the wall of ice between Kaiba, Sophie and Mokuba melt a little each time. As for Teá Gardner...just...WOAH. Ava's got her personality cranked up to AWESOME. Seriously, read it, you'll see what I mean. She's more Anzu than Teá. All of the personalities are so perfectly portayed and the dialogue! My Lord, the dialogue! I sing to the heavens that she's doing it all so well, the story progresses brilliantly, the research has clearly been done, her sense of humor comes through all the characters and the interactions between Sophie, (the OC), and Gozaburo are fantastic. They're so believable! Sophie is totally kickass, but in the way a REAL person would be. There is no Mary-Sueness AT ALL in this fic, and she's kept it going way past what she needed to to win the challenge in the first-place. In fact, she's already said that she's going to take this fic through ALL of the story arcs. She even subtly references The Abridged Series. What more could you want?!

Written In The Stars by Technicolor Nina (Slash)
 * Recommended by Jesajew
 * Pairings: Yuugi/Atem
 * Synopsis: Yuugi's never been good at keeping himself out of trouble. When ancient magic gets involved, he'll learn more than a few things about himself as he tries to get home.
 * Comments: Well-written, well-characterized, and well-researched, with an uncommonly realistic portrayal of life in ancient Egypt. Researched with the help of olesia.love (recced above), so it's not a surprise it manages to avoid the usual fandom cliches.

Genius VS Genius by Whitewhite
 * Recommended by Kumiko
 * Pairing (s): Kaiba/OC
 * Synopsis: Amatsuki Yui is a snarky, smart, but incredibly lazy genius who transfers to Domino High. There, she meets Seto Kaiba, who plans on using her genius to Kaiba Corp's advantage. At first, it seems to be a battle of the wits and brains between employee and employer, but what happens when they find themselves falling for each other? And why is Yui so adamant about not loving Kaiba? What deep, dark secret does she have that will stop them from having their own happy ending?
 * Comments: This has to be the best Seto Kaiba/OC, if not Seto Kaiba fanfic this troper has ever read. Amatsuki Yui is an excellent original character, armed with an arsenal of witty tricks/dialogue and complete with a fleshed out background. She's smart, but not Mary Sue--she's shown as always sleepy, not caring about her appearance, with a hobby of playing mind games with those around her. The scenes between Yui and Kaiba range from funny to angsty to sweet; Whitewhite finds the most creative ways to subtly hint the sexual tension growing between the characters. Kaiba is written very much in character, and it's always fun to see Yui tease him, seeing how he lets her get away with things no one else can. It doesn't follow canon; there is an actual plot that's been set up all along but is just beginning to emerge. On fanfiction.net the story only goes up to 20 chapters, but on her blog it's up to chapter 40. The only setback is the grammar, there are a lot of errors, but for some reason this troper could read past the errors to the author's true intent. The grammar mistakes are actually very surprising, because the ideas that Whitewhite are trying to convey is of a level of someone who must be very educated in grammar. The way the she writes the story is a bit different, in the sense that it can be imagined into an anime or manga in your head. This troper must say, "Can You Have a Romance OC" is definitely not the only fanfic out there with a good Seto/OC pairing.

Snowed In by Insight to Insanity
 * Recommended by pikapika 217
 * Pairing(s): Seto/Joey(Jounouchi)
 * Synopsis: A Blizzard trapes Joey & Seto inside Kaiba Corp
 * Comments: This is an oldie but goodie. Joey has to pay off a credit card debt to his father, and when trying to apply at Kaiba Corp, he & Seto get Snowed in. This is one of the best uses of the characters while still remaining true to their original personalities. (I must also give special mention to the 180 she pulls with Joey's father, turning him into a sweet, loving, protective & very devoted father figure without bashing Joey's mother in the process.) Besides the main gang, there are also female background characters at the job that Joey eventually lands that are hilarious not to mention how seamlessly she nails Seto & Joey's voices. Not to mention that by the end of the romance, there has been no drastic changes to their personalities. This was the first fanfiction I ever read and it set the bar pretty high and it, thankfully, still holds up over time. For those who enjoy it, there's also a set of side stories as well as another AU with this pairing that features Joey's father in a more canon light.

Of Elevators and Muses by S.A. Yang
 * Recommended by Shadowfan360
 * Pairing(s): Ryou/Bakura (Tendershipping)
 * Synopsis: Bakura takes an interest in Ryou, his oddly acerbic neighbor. He decides to make it a priority to better Ryou's life, much to the other's initial distaste. As his quirky presence slowly becomes accepted, Bakura realizes that he cannot turn back.
 * Comments: AU fic. One of the best stories that I have ever read in this fandom, and I absolutely HATE Tendershipping. Ryou and Bakura (who is given a different last name) are written very believably, with Bakura being as snarky as ever and determined to make Ryou's life a living hell. There are small little references to the abridged series, but not big enough to deter the plot off it's course. There is a sex scene, nothing graphically described, and the furthest detail that the author goes into are the descriptions of the two kissing. It has 17 chapters and was recently completed, so go and check it out.

"" by Joey Taylor ---
 * Recommended by Light Heart Swan
 * Pairing(s): None to date. Hinted Katsuyax Yugi (Wishshipping)
 * Synopsis: After working on the Puzzle that her Grandfather gave her for eight years, Yugi finally managed to complete it. What she couldn't know was how much trouble one little trinket could cause…
 * Comments: Genderbending fic. A very rare well written genderswap fic that has a female Yugi right off the bat. This fic doesn't shy away from the problems in Season Zero and hasn't changed Yugi's personality drastically because she's a girl. Character interactions are well written and keep in character at all times. Must admit to coming back to this story since I didn't believe it could be as good as it has turned out.