#daedalus of the crows

[froggos-are-superior]

Webtoon screenshots

Damn... edition: part 9

[benrobertson2004]

I just Finished reading Deadulas of the crows and everything was pretty great I’ve laughed cried and cheered along with story it’s great art and music and likeable cast and strong story showing a cold depressed isolated person be able to find trust and compassion and help in the loneliest of times even when it felt hopeless is it a pretty standard shonnen anime style plot sure but it was told beyond well and carrions journey will probably stick with me in the broadest strokes at least

[inc0mple]

So like. THEORETICALLY. If I were to start a Webtoon. Which of these would you most like to see?

(poll at bottom of page)

Your options:

🍋

A warm, summer-y Slice of Life about two girlfriends who move down south to start their lives together. Low stakes story with a lot of fluff and humor, depicting these characters as they adjust to their new life, make time for each other, and take in some stray cats. Warm, citrus-y color palette. Fun story but not a lot of opportunity for depth.

Complexity of story: Low stakes, not a very complex story at all (slice of life)

Ease on Inco: Very

Characters: Fun and entertaining, diverse cast

Length: As long as it needs to be, considering it is slice of life

LGBTQ+ romance, fluffy, humorous, cats

🚀

A coming of age story about a teenage boy who has moved to a city with his mother after the death of his dad. He gets a job at an old space-themed diner and comes to know a group of teenagers who also work there, indulging in each of their unique stories until finally he works up the courage to attribute the same amount of care to his own life. A balance of humor and deeper moments with a core idea of friendship and learning to accept yourself.

Complexity of story: Coming of age so it is complex but not a huge adventure per se. Very emotional and evocative

Ease on Inco: Somewhat

Characters: A mix of fun and supportive, and emotional. This story highlights diverse and complex teenage characters

Length: Around 30 episodes

LGBTQ+ romance, coming of age, themes of friendship, poetic story

🪶

A retelling of the Greek myth of Icarus and his father Daedalus, a play in which Daedalus is haunted by the vengeful, winged, crow-like spirit of a boy he once killed---a boy who was his apprentice, until Daedalus became overcome with jealousy. The spirit thinks to kill Daedalus's son in the same way he himself died to make the old man pay... until he falls in love with Icarus.

Complexity of story: Quite; would be a satisfying plot. This story is most like Keys Are People Too in terms of the type of story it is as well as vibes

Ease on Inco: More commitment required

Characters: Need more fleshing out but they would be very deep and have complicated relationships and motivations. Would torture these guys.

Length: Probably around 60 episodes

LGBTQ+ romance, Greek mythology retelling, dramatic plot, both fluff and angst

⚙️

Murder mystery!! In a steampunk, fantasy world, a cast of interesting characters travelling on an airship is faced with a murder. That is what a murder mystery is. Yes. Nod nod.

Complexity of story: Somewhat; could be kept as less of a saga while still being long and full

Ease on Inco: Somewhat

Characters: Rich, with entertaining and interesting dynamics---of all walks of life

Underdog characters, fun and intriguing, inspired by Agatha Christie

🪞

A teenager named Soda Sanders wakes up one day to find that her consciousness has been ripped from her body, rendering her nothing but a phantom observer, unable to make any change in her life or call for help. What’s more, she finds that she has been replaced with a carbon copy of herself, as quickly and as easily as changing a lightbulb. But while it looks like her, this other Soda Sanders is clearly much more sinister. It’s up to Soda to find out what this creature is, what it wants, and what world it belongs to… a world of mirrors and apparitions, once hovering only distantly in her peripheral version or before she fell asleep, now the reality around her.

Complexity of story: Extreme

Ease on Inco: Requires commitment but high payoff

Characters: it's 4am and I'm tired. They're characters, they're fun. I want to go to bed.

Length: Very lengthy although if I committed I could definitely adjust this to be as long as I need it to be

Mystery, supernatural, intriguing with fluff and angst, adventures, LGBTQ+ characters

(also, like I said, it's 4am so some of these synopsises may suck. I'm tired. Good night.)

(also I'm tagging this with kapt because I CAN.)

[kings-highway]

i think part of the reason Iwaoi has the ability to make me so feral has almost nothing to do with any romantic relationship but rather the fact that they are equals in almost every way and yet Iwaizumi must still feel like he is powerless. Like we know Iwa is good at volleyball he's the ace and goes on to be the trainer for the japanese national team. And we know explicitly that Oikawa is not a prodigy, his technical skill has never been what makes him a good player, he is not someone Iwa wouldn't be able to keep up with. So Iwaizumi probably knows Oikawa's limits because he knows his own. And even though the infamous knee injury is technically not canon we know he does sustain an injury, we know he stays up all night preping for games, we know he stays in the gym long after practice is over until Iwa drags him out. Iwa and Oikawa may be equals, but Oikawa is an Icarus. They both have wax wings but only one of them is going to fly too high and come crashing down again. And Iwa knows this. He knows every game, every push forward, every move Oikawa makes is almost inherently destined to end in a firey blaze not because Oikawa isn't good enough but because he's not programmed to feel satisfied. Iwa has to send him off to Argentina. He has to see him at the Olympics, he has to watch him push himself higher and higher and higher and he must just be screaming inside 'can't you see we're wax wings? we're not eagles or crows, we can't go up that high' and yet there's nothing he can do because Icarus doesn't listen. Not in Crete and not in Japan and not in Argentina. All he can really do is learn how to manage sports injuries, learn how to stretch torn muscles, how to recover broken bones and sooth aggravated egos and be ready on the sidelines with burn salve and love. Whether or not you like to consider the relationship as romantic is up to you but I for one cannot fathom a more heartwrenching story than that. Do you think Iwa ever wondered if he were capable of loving his best friend enough to change his nature? Do you think his efforts to do so would be unfair to Daedalus, as if Iwa would be able to love someone more than a father loves his son? Would he try anyway? Do you think Oikawa knows any of this? Or does he just think Iwa's concern comes from thinking Oikawa isn't good enough to compete with the birds? When Oikawa hits the ocean, do you think he'll realize it's not his fault that wax melts in the sun?

[eliaswoodt]

The Name List

Organized from A-Z (yes I will add more names whenever I find more I like, probably in reblogs)

I currently have 1035 names (and that’s only including the first names. I have a list of last names, too.)

Angel, Atticus, Atlas, Apollo, Ares, Athena, Achilles, Artemis, Adonis, Avery, Aubrey, Aubry, Aceline, Ashlynn, Aislinn, Anjanette, Arthur, Archer, Addison, Arrietty, Amity, Autumn, Alastor, Alastair, Alasdair, Alistair, Alison, Arren, Arin, Astra, Aoife, Adalyn, Adeleine, Astoria, Agnes, Angus, Abigail, Ann, Anne, Ambrose, Adeline, Avarsel, Agatha, Ari, Azariah, Aniyah, Armani, Anastasia, Annabelle, Adah, Adelaide, Avis, Amelia, August, Axel, Adelina, Amir, Amin, Ayala, Arne, Averett, Adil, Astro, Ava, Anti, Ailun, Akemi, Asahi, Akari, Asako, Atsuko, Azumi, Aka, Aren, Akko

Blossom, Bambi, Babs, Bo, Bella, Blair, Bea, Bonnabel, Badeea, Betty, Bailey, Boris, Bee, Bugs, Blaise, Benjamin, Bog, Buford, Beatrice, Bryce, Bryan, Bazil, Brutus, Bellamy, Brigitte, Bailee, Bailey, Bao, Belladona, Belladonna, Bell, Bill, Bishop, Bones, Boneothy, Benno, Behemoth, Barry, Bellynn, Bowie, Bunki

Clover, Canyon, Cleo, Cameron, Celestial, Celestino, Ciro, Camilo, Cain, Charlotte, Clara, Corey, Cin, Charlie, Cassidy, Chiara, Callista, Cisco, Cynthia, Casper Clinton, Celestina, Clement, Christopher, Cornelius, Clifford, Claudius, Carey, Carrie, Coatl, Cyrus, Cyril, Cecil, Caisus, Castiel, Calla, Cosmos, Cherry, Cheryl, Crowley, Crow, Cassius, Cliodna, Clíodhna, Cliona, Conan, Cordelia, Calypso, Cas, Cillian, Chiyo, Chiaki, Chihiro, Calcifer

Danny, Darlene, Dex, Dot, Diana, Daphne, Demeter, Daedalus, Daeddel, Darphel, Dawn, Derrick, Derek, Dravan, Dravid, Drae, Dallas, Dimas, Dominic, Damien, Drew, Delilah, Dakota, Darian, Darius, Darwin, Devan, Darla, Dagmar, Daelyn, Dale, Dae, Dacey, Desmond, Dabria, Daniel, Daniela, Danialla, David, Davis, Donnel, Dennis, Demitrius, Delaney, Daiki, Daiyu

Everest, Emery, Ember, Elliott, Elliot, Earlana, Eliseo, Ezequiel, Emie, Evan, Eloise, Eric, Emmet, Elizabeth, Eugene, Ethan, Eret, Ester, Elias, Eos, Ellis, Edwin, Ebony, Elijah, Eliza, Enzo, Elissa, Edward, Eddalyn, Esther, Eda, Edalyn, Edalynn, Edison, Eddison, Estervan, Emma, Eden, Erfan, Eun-hae, Erytheia, Egan, Errol, Eiichi, Eiji, Eriko, Etsu, Etsuko, Eiichiro, Ezume

Flint, Finn, Fae, Fred, Fritz, Fang, Frankie, Frank, Fermin, Freddie, Freddy, Finley, Freya, Fai, Felix, Freda, Faolan, Frey, Feylynn, Faelynn, Failynn, Felipa, Febby, Febbie, Febie, Feby, Flynn, Fuji, Feiyu, Fukiko, Fumitaka, Fumito, Fuyuko

Griffin, Garnet, Gothi, Gertrude, Gabe, Grant, Giovanni, George, Gage, Gregory, Gabriel, Gabrielle, Guy, Gilbert, Guadalupe, Gerry, Grey, Gray, Gia, Grace, Gracian, Gracis, Gracie, Gretel, Gideon, Griffilow, Ghost, Ghazaleh, Gavin, Gryphon, Griffith, Goliath, Grayson, Greyson

Harmony, Hannah, Harlei, Harlie, Haritha, Haris, Harry, Harlan, Harvey, Hadrian, Harley, Hari, Harlow, Howl, Hank, Harper, Herbert, Humphrey, Hestia, Helios, Hephaestus, Hollis, Hunter, Hero, Henry, Helda, Hajar, Hasta, Hadis, Howard, Howie, Hannan, Haoyu, Hisako, Hachi, Hiroto, Hoshiko, Honoka, Hiroshi, Hiro, Haitao, Hamako, Haruhi, Harue, Hayate, Hide, Hideyo, Hidetaka, Hisaye, Hisayo, Heiji, Higari

Ivy, Ivey, Ivo, Ida, Iris, Ilyssa, Illy, Irene, Iren, Isaiah, Ira, Idelle, Ivan, Illaoi, Isabel, Isabell, Isabelle, Isobell, Isabella, Ismelda, Io, Ismael, Isolt, Icarus, izuru, Isamu, Itona, Ichiro, Ichiko, Ichigo, Isoko, Ishiko, Isaye, Inari, Ikuko, Itsuki, Itsuko, Inosuke

Juniper, Jupiter, Jinx, Jamie, Javier, Josiah, Joan, Jake, Julia, Jamil, Jamila, Jesse, Jessie, Jess, Jasper, Janus, Jordan, Joshua, Julian, Juilliard, Julius, Juliana, Jeremiah, Jace, June, Junebug, Jazzy, Jackson, Jackie, Jackalynn, Jodie, Johnnie, Jan, Jaime, Jason, Jorge, Justin, Justice, John, Jay, Janelle, James, Jennifer, Jillion, Jill, Jana, Jonah, Jaycee, Jaxen, Junpei, Jona, Jun, Jin

Kenneth, Kat, Kas, Kris, Keith, Kingston, Kaeton, Kingsley, Kent, Katherine, Kyle, Knox, Kristen, Kristin, Kristeen, Kylie, Kaylee, Kamila, Kehlani, Kendall, Kerry, Kry, Kenny, Kath, Kathleen, Krow, Kix, Kedrick, Kennon, Klaus, Killian, Korallia, Krank, Kaz, Kaede, Kirara, Katsuhiko, Keisuke, Kanako, Kenji, Kaemon, Kamin, Katsu, Kaki, Kazane, Kazuyuki, Kazushige, Kenta, Kei, Kimi, Kin, Kohako, Koichi, Kota, Koji, Koharu, Kosuke, Kuma, Kumi, Kuniko, Kuniyuki, Kideko, Kazuko

Lullaby, Lotte, Lapin, Lorelei, Loralai, Lorelai, Luna, Lily, Lucy, Lee, Liana, Lola, Lethe, Lance, Laurence, Luther, Luca, Lennon, Logan, Lennox, Ilias, Liu, Lui, Luis, Lefu, Liam, Lyall, Lowell, Luella, Leona, Leonie, Leon, Lev, Lincoln, Lin, Link, Laverna, Lazarus, Lewis, Louis, Louise, Levi, Leslie, Lesley, Leilana

Marley, Marlai, Mei, May, Mae, Marceline, Marshall, Marshalee, Millie, Mallorie, Marcela, Melanie, Maddison, Mary, Mirabel, Marsh, Murphy, Montgomery, Mildred, Memphis, Molly, Maverick, Maurice, Muiris, Morgen, Max, Moses, Marion, Merrill, Monroe, Melanthios, Maxwell, Matias, Melissa, Maëlle, Marlene, Meredith, Maybelle, Margaret, Maeve, Moss, Mara, Maria, Myrtle, Mona, Mark, Markus, Michael, Micheal, Michelle, Mahsa, Minoo, Mehdi, Mohammad, Matin, Morpheus, Marlowe, Monica, Marilia, Magnus, Malachi, Malachy, Maggie, Makoto, Megumi, Mio, Maemo, Maemi, Masa, Masaaki, Masashi, Michi, Midori, Michinori, Momo, Motoko

Natasha, Noelle, Noni, Neville, Nixon, Neda, Natalio, Ned, Nausicaä, Noxis, Nova, Nathen, Newt, Noah, Nash, Nox, Nathara, Nathaira, Nathair, Nyoka, Nagisa, Nathan, Nate, Nik, Nick, Naohiro, Naoko, Nara, Natsu, Naoya, Nishi, Nobuko, Nori

Olindo, Ollie, Oliver, Ophelia, Odysseus, Orion, Osono, Oxen, Onyx, Otto, Ottoline, Otitile, Ottavia, Octavio, Olivia-Marie, Oakley, Omar, Olivia, Oscar, Octavian, Octavia, Oz, Octavius, Otta, Oisin, Orson, Orlos, Osiris, Owen, Odalis, Odell, Ozuru

Penelope, Patton, Paddy, Percy, Paulie, Page, Pazu, Phoebe, Phebe, Prairie, Porter, Parlay, Pally, Piper, Parker, Payton, Phil, Paul, Philip, Pyre, Piers, Phylis, Patricia, Payne, Payneton, Pip

Quinn, Quincy, Quil, Quinley, Quinstin, Quinlan, Quillen, Quavon, Quaylon, Quensley, Qing, Qrow, Quilla, Quianna, Quita, Qiao, Quinella, Queenie, Qaylah, Qailah, Qitarah, Quenby, Qadira, Qudsiyah, Quan, Qian, Quinby, Quella

Roseline, Raul, Rahul, Rafael, Roque, Rogelio, Remmy, Rei, Rey, Ray, Robin, Ro, Reika, Rowen, Rowan, Rose, Rosie, Ralsei, Riley, Remus, Rosalyn, Rosalin, Rosaline, Renata, Ron, Rat, Ratt, Reef, Roxy, River, Reed, Rufus, Robbie, Renee, Rivia, Ross, Rex, Ruth, Rosemary, Rosabe, Rosabee, Rosabell, Rosabelle, Rosabel, Rai, Rain, Rosella, Rosalie, Rhody, Robert, Raelinn, Rebane, Ren, Rollin, Ralph, Roxanne, Rox, Roderick, Reginald, Reggie, Rio, Ryu, Ryo, Ryoji, Rinmaru

Sage, Sam, Syd, Selkie, Storig, Sal, Sirius, Summer, Susie, Scott, Sunni, Sosuke, Sophie, Satsuki, Sheeta, San, Sulley, Sully, Savannah, Sappho, Selene, Shaw, Sean, Seán, Shaun, Sawyer, Sabrina, Sebastian, Shane, Stan, Socks, Snom, Stolas, Spencer, Sammie, Stevie, Samus, Sarff, Sullivan, Seth, Susiebell, Susiebelle, Sadreddin, Shellaine, Sverre, Saoirse, Sylvania, Sanae, Silas, Sumi, Shiori, Shinzu, Sile

Toby, Tobias, Teddy, Ted, Tomas, Thomas, Tomothy, Tyche, Taiga, Tundra, Tracy, Timothy, Troy, Tatum, Tommie, Tommy, Theia, Tae, Trix, Trixy, Thanathos, Tod, Todd, Toddy, Tora, Torie, Theodore, Theo, Theophania, Talos, Thanatos, Teddy, Tomohito, Tazu, Tanjirou, Touya

Ulysses, Urijah, Uriyah, Urina, Ukiah, Ulnar, Ursula, Ulric

Virgil, Vanessa, Vito, Venacio, Vylad, Veronica, Valentina, Violet, Velma, Venus, Verna, Veld, Victoria, Victorie, Vinyl, Vincent, Vasuki, Vex, Valor, Valentine, Valerie, Valeria, Valerius, Vitoria, Vic, Victor, Vik, Vikktor, Viktor, Vick, Vicky, Vicke, Vickie, Vidya

Wynn, Willow, Warren, Wilbur, Wylie, Will, Walle, Whisp, Wade, Wendell, Wendy, Willard, Wes, Wallace, Wilber, Wyatt, Wybie, Wynnie, Wennie, Winnie, Wynnston, Wynston, Wynsten, Wiles

Xenophon, Xuan, Xio, Xori, Xanthos, Xander, Xavier

Yen, Yukio, Yae, Yoko, Yume, Yaeko, Yui, Yuzuki

Zane, Zana, Zion, Zachary, Zach, Zachariah, Zander, Ziana, Zoe, Zula, Zenix, Zenith, Zaharia, Zaria, Zack, Zakaeia, Zara, Zakaria, Zev, Zaira, Zanata

[puzzling-reeds]

The Missed Opportunity of Crow vs. Bommer

Crow's introduction (for better or worse) to Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's has been talked to death at this point, and I don't think I'm going to be able to bring anything unique to that topic. Instead, I wanted to do an analysis of how one element of Crow could've been done differently that I think would've gone a long way toward making his presence in the Dark Signers (DS) arc more interesting. Specifically, I want to focus on the build up to—and the fight between—Crow and Bommer | Greiger.

Fair warning: This is a ridiculously long post.

CANON SUMMARY

We first meet Crow in episode 30, four episodes into the DS arc. His introductory fight is with sector security where he's stealing back some cards for the kids of Satellite. This battle establishes two core elements of Crow's character: (1) his plucky antagonism toward the local authorities and (2) his devotion to the kids in his care. Fundamentally, Crow is childlike, pure-hearted, and loyal.

In the next episode, Crow meets up with Yuusei and they fight sector security again. One of the most important conversations vis-à-vis Crow happens afterward, that being the Daedalus Bridge story. As a recap, the story focuses around an unnamed man who tried to build a bridge between Satellite and Neo Domino City. Ultimately, he is unable to complete the bridge, but using the piece of the bridge that was built, the man "flies" from the bridge to Neo Domino using a D-Wheel. It's highlighted that this story is why Crow has added wings to his bike, and befitting Crow's boyish nature, he asserts that the Daedalus Bridge story lives on in him and anyone else who believes in it.

Afterward, Crow is present for Yuusei's duel with Kiryuu | Kalin and takes him to Martha when he wipes out. For the most part, Crow disappears from the plot for a while, only showing up to duel Yeager | Lazar in a low-stakes match. An Earthbound Immortal is summoned nearby, and Crow barely makes it out alive by hiding in a fridge.

Crow learns the kids he's been taking care of were absorbed by the Earthbound Immortals, so he goes to brawl with the first dark signer he can find, which happens to be Bommer after a few episodes of absence.

Bommer, meanwhile, first appeared midway through season 1. His main motivation is his younger siblings and the children of his village, not unlike Crow. Bommer will go to any lengths to make a better life for them, which leads him to work for Godwin in the Fortune Cup arc. During his and Yuusei's duel, Bommer learns that Godwin was the reason his village was destroyed and attempts (unsuccessfully) to kill him. He's summarily arrested, freed, and recruited by the dark signers in season 2.

At this point, we get the same song and dance for Bommer that we got in the previous arc. Bommer wants revenge on Godwin | Goodwin and agrees to become a dark signer to accomplish this. During the duel with Crow, it's revealed that—no, Godwin didn't destroy Bommer's village—it was the dark signers and their Earthbound Immortals all along. So Bommer's been swindled...again.

In the end, Bommer realizes that the spirits of his family are in his Earthbound Immortal, and he's about to make nice with Crow and Yuusei without finishing the duel. Before he can, he gets taken over by dark signer fate magic and is forced to complete the match. Crow wins. Bommer's family is freed. After the duel, Crow is almost killed by a piece of falling rubble until Bommer knocks him out of the way and takes the blow for him, dying shortly after. Thus ends Crow's big dark signer duel.

CANON ANALYSIS

Duels serve multiple purposes in Yu-Gi-Oh. Usually, a character’s first duel is to introduce their deck. We get this with Crow in episode 30 when he escapes Sector Security and—to some degree—in his duel with Yuusei in episode 31 and Yeager in episode 43. (I would argue the Yeager duel was more because the writers needed to have a duel scheduled for those episodes, but anyway). Once we know a character, their duels tend to take on a more philosophical slant. These philosophical duels are critical for Yu-Gi-Oh, as they clarify the worldviews of characters and create emotional tension. Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's is no exception to this: The DS arc was dominated by these types of high-conflict, character-developing matchups. Hence, why I wanted to talk about Crow and his dark signer duel against Bommer.

Unlike with Kiryuu vs. Yuusei or Jack vs. Carly, Crow and Bommer are narrative mirrors—not narrative foils. Crow and Bommer’s connection as characters stems from their mutual devotion to the kids in their lives: Bommer has his siblings and adopted kids which—at the start of the duel—he believes were killed by Godwin; Crow has his own adopted family which were absorbed by the Earthbound Immortals before their duel. In fact, Crow’s loss is what galvanizes him to challenge Bommer in the first place.

In this way, Crow and Bommer are both motivated by avenging children, even at the cost of their own lives. While Crow draws the line at doing damage to others, Bommer doesn’t. That’s the key difference between their philosophies. In a twist of fate, Bommer became the same kind of monster as the ones who took the lives of his family. It’s a nice cautionary tale about hate and revenge. The sad thing is that this doesn’t really relate to Crow much at all beyond the baseline similarity of “avenging my kids.” Bommer doesn't reflect on how he's inflicted the same kind of violence against Crow's family that the dark signers inflicted on him. If anything, Bommer dies happy that his family is safe and is otherwise unaffected by his role in this cycle.

To be entirely fair to Crow here, Bommer wasn't a great opponent from a philosophical stand point: Bommer and Yuusei already had the same betrayal-realization plot point in their duel in season 1. Crow is assigned the unenviable task of doing that same routine with Bommer in season 2. It makes their duel underwhelming and doesn't give Crow's character much to play off of.

Another huge issue with this duel is that Yuusei is there most of the time. In fact, Bommer's last words before he dies are to Yuusei, not Crow. (Bommer asks Yuusei to take down the dark signers for his sake.) The only thing he really says to Crow is to thank him for freeing the souls of his family. Also, it is completely swept under the rug that Bommer willfully became a dark signer to get revenge against Godwin. Prior to Crow and Bommer's duel, Bommer is actively hunting Yuusei in order to duel (and kill!!) him in the name of vengeance against Godwin. The duel doesn't engage with this concept much at all: Bommer in season 1 is a noble person with good intentions, and those intentions are willfully corrupted. Instead, the narrative pulls back and gives Bommer an out. He was merely tricked again into working for bad people, so he is absolved of all his wrongdoings. This idea flies in the face of other messaging in the show, like Aki | Akiza's arc where Aki has to acknowledge her sadistic tendencies despite being manipulated by Divine | Sayer.

Furthermore, compare Bommer's death to the death scenes for Carly with Jack or Kiryuu with Yuusei. The emotional depth could not be more different. Carly changed Jack; Jack changed Carly. Kiryuu changed Yuusei; Yuusei, in the end, changed Kiryuu. Nothing about Crow or Bommer really changed beyond Bommer finally being at peace about his village. Importantly, I think comparing these three dark signer duels is fair here considering that Crow is groomed to be the tritagonist of the whole show behind Yuusei and Jack, respectively. Crow's solo duels must have more philosophical nuance to make Crow's position feel earned to the audience. I believe this is part of why his character fell flat for some viewers.

BRAINSTORMING

As a lot of people have covered before, there are tons of different ways to go about tweaking Crow's character to make him better mesh into season 2. My recommendations are going to be limited to the DS arc exclusively, and I'm going to try to work within the established framework as much as possible—no huge plot alterations or extra fights.

To reiterate, the Bommer match needs a philosophical leg to stand on like the Yuusei and Jack fights do. I'm going to make a case for the following line up, explain how I'd get there, and argue why this type of Crow vs. Bommer fight better fits within the greater moral discussion Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's tries to have in the first two seasons. (We get a similar point about pessimism in the WRPG arc, but stick with me here and you'll see where I'm headed, I promise.)

(Explanation: In canon, Yuusei learns in his duel with Kiryuu that he is too self-sacrificing and that his over-willingness to take the fall for his friends inhibits their growth. In her duel with Jack, Carly learns that her destiny is not dictated for her. She gains the agency to live the way she'd like to, rejecting Misty's perspective in favor of Jack's views on self-determination that he—ironically—learned from Carly.)

There are a few other things I want to try to resolve here. @inkblackorchid made a good point in her post on Crow that the fan reaction to the Daedalus Bridge story was mixed. To some people, it felt like the story was shoehorned in to give Crow a thin connection to Godwin, who is the ultimate baddie of the arc. Obviously, we weren't in the writer's room to know what actually happened there, but if that fan sentiment is common enough, then it means something in the writing felt inorganic.

Another point I'd like to resolve actually deals with Ushio | Trudge's character arc. In between the time we get introduced to Crow (ep 30) and his and Bommer's dark signer fight (ep 51-53), Ushio undergoes a transformation. Ushio meets a Satellite boy, Takuya | Taka, who wants to become a police officer, and after helping Martha around the house, Ushio begins to question his role in the subjugation of these people. Ushio's change isn't met with a counterweight, however. We see Ushio understand the pain he's caused others and how he wants to do better, and everyone else at Martha's is very open to this change. No one struggles with the long-term effects of Ushio's bigotry or acknowledges that work is necessary to rebuild trust. I suggest that Crow fill that role. He's clearly had his fair share of run-ins with the police and has done jail time on multiple occasions. Back-to-back clashes with Sector Security are how we get introduced to Crow, after all!

With all that said, let's get into some changes.

A HYPER-DETAILED REWRITE

Everything until the Daedalus Bridge story goes unchanged. Crow has his intro against Sector Security, and that antagonism is reiterated during Crow and Yuusei's duels the following episode. Most importantly, this needs to establish Crow's personality baseline. He's quippy, easy-going, and fiercely loyal.

When we get to the Daedalus Bridge legend, things change slightly. Crow still insists on telling the story to the kids, and it's still implied that it's something he tells often. When the kids go to bed and the adults continue discussing it, however, Crow admits that he tells the story less because he believes in the legend and more because it provides a rare sense of optimism for kids in Satellite. Essentially, it's a lie he tells them that he himself doesn't fully believe anymore. This nuance becomes important later.

We skip the Yeager duel for now (We'll come back to it), and everything else stays the same from then on until episode 45 when the signers all head to the Satellite together. This is where we see Ushio undergo his character arc while staying with Martha. In canon, Crow is MIA in this episode, but I propose that Crow actually be there for the majority of it instead. Certainly, Ushio would know Crow from his beat cop days. Have Ushio taunt him when they first meet at Martha's with a, "You finally got out, huh?" and have Crow reply snarkily. Just something to highlight the animosity there and maybe explain why Crow was never mentioned in season 1. We then get into Ushio's arc where Martha drafts him to do chores. In the midst of it, have a scene of Crow playing in the yard with the kids (just to remind us that he's normally a happy-go-lucky guy), and he notices Ushio cooking through the window. Take a second to really show Crow's face: He's perplexed by the change but is also deeply aware of the bad blood between him and Sector Security officers in general.

The biggest change in this episode would be the dinner scene. In canon, Ushio makes the dinner for everyone and Yuusei tells the kids that, if they defeat the dark signers, the bridge between Satellite and Neo Domino City will be completed. Ushio thinks to himself that the Satellite boy Takuya could really be a police officer then. The scene is cut by a lightning strike, and a dark signer is waiting in the backyard to duel Yuusei. End dinner.

I suggest that Crow feature heavily in this scene, even if he doesn't say much. Takuya is super excited that Ushio cooked for everyone. Ushio is bashful about it. Show a moment of hesitation with Crow where he debates if he's going to eat any of this food made by a Sector Security officer and ultimately partakes. The gesture's a silent olive branch that goes unnoticed by everyone else at the table, but we as the audience can tell Crow still has something bothering him.

Yuusei proceeds to talk about the bridge like he does in canon. In the dubbed version (not the subbed), Yuusei name drops Godwin as the one who would build the bridge. At this point, Crow stands up from his chair abruptly; we can tell he's upset. Crow immediately remembers that there are kids right next to him and tries to laugh and excuse himself, saying he needs air. Yuusei clocks that something's up and follows him outside. Getting on his bike, Crow insists more honestly that he's fine and that he's going to make himself useful by looking for the dark signers. Before Yuusei heads back inside, though, Crow suddenly and seriously asks Yuusei if he believes in the Daedalus Bridge legend. Pull the standard anime trope of Yuusei just saying Crow's name and Crow shaking his head, brushing off his own question with an uncomfortable laugh. He puts his helmet on and drives off, telling Yuusei to stay safe.

With Crow gone, the kids all go to bed and Ushio has a moment alone to help clean up dinner with Martha. He contemplates how Takuya could be an officer with the bridge completed, the dark signer appears, and the duel progresses in line with canon.

Given this set up with Crow, we can get a much more interesting duel between him and Yeager now. In canon, this match happens before episode 45 at Martha's, but I think we can afford one (1) episode without a duel in order to slide this matchup further back. We can still have the B.A.D. energy explosion and all of that during episode 44 if need be. Just move Crow and Yeager's battle up to episode 47 after the scenes at Martha's and Rudger | Roman's fight with Yuusei. (Also, drop the fridge scene. If Crow is going to be a signer, have him not be affected by the dark signer magic and show him visibly confused by that turn of events. We clarify in Yuusei's duel at Martha's that signers' souls are unaffected by Earthbound Immortals. Give some foreshadowing that Crow will be the next signer so that that event doesn't come out of left field later on.)

So, episode 47. Crow would initially be looking for the dark signers around B.A.D. but recognizes Yeager. He's the second-in-command of Sector Security. I'm sure the plot could allow Crow to know who Yeager is. Crow therefore challenges Yeager not under the pretense of believing Yeager is a dark signer but because he has questions about Godwin and his intentions with the bridge. Crow could make a lot of valid points here. If Godwin was capable of building the bridge, why didn't he do it years ago? What changes after the bridge is built? Do all the struggles of the people of Satellite cease to exist and it's all kumbaya afterward?

Moreover, the Daedalus Bridge legend Crow feeds the kids is based on someone from Satellite building the bridge through blood, sweat, and tears. Godwin building the bridge would be a handout from Neo Domino, which hasn't gone through the effort to change its discriminatory views of the Satellite. In fact, Godwin is the literal head of Sector Security, the very people who've worked to subjugate Crow and his friends. Those would be some very complicated, understandable, and messy feelings for Crow to reckon with. In this way, the Yeager-Crow match would provide a huge pay off to the audience since it's the first time we're allowed into Crow's head about any this.

Therefore, this setup establishes Crow as an natural counterweight to Ushio's arc:

Ultimately, the duel with Yeager ends in a similar way to canon with it being interrupted by a dark signer mark—it could even be the summoning of the spider mark during Yuusei and Rudger's match. Worried, Crow checks on his kids, finds they are missing, and heads out looking for a fight with the dark signers as usual.

Here is where I would add the only entirely new scene to this plot line. At this point in canon, all the signers are heading to different terminals to fight their own personalized dark signer. Yuusei is going to fight Kiryuu, and this is where he runs into Crow and Bommer, acting as a weird third wheel for their fight. Instead, don't involve Yuusei at all in the Crow vs. Bommer match. Leave this battle entirely between Bommer and Crow.

However, while both Yuusei and Crow are driving—Yuusei to fight Kiryuu and Crow to (unknowingly) fight Bommer—have Yuusei call Crow up on his D-Wheel. Or have them run into each other separately if their calls can't go through. Either way, Crow needs to be informed that Martha's dead, that the dark signers are waiting for them, and that Ushio was the one who saved Takuya—much to Crow's surprise. Also, we need closure about Crow and Yuusei's earlier conversation. What does Yuusei think about the Daedalus Bridge legend?

Yuusei presents the following opinion: It doesn't matter if the legend is true or not. Sometimes, you just need something to believe in.

This view for Yuusei is strongly supported by canon. In fact, after Martha's death in episode 47, Yuusei tells her adopted family that beating the dark signers will bring back the souls of those who have been lost. Jack quickly calls Yuusei out on this, as Yuusei admits he actually has no idea if that's the truth. It's simply something Yuusei has to believe is real in order to stay sane.

This kind of conversation would dovetail Crow's arc really nicely, and afterward, he goes into his fight with Bommer with that conceptualization of hope on his mind.

(Just an observation, but after Crow finds the kids missing in canon, he literally goes and stares off the end of the Daedalus Bridge. Great place for that conversation with Yuusei.)

For Bommer, I'd do a complete rewrite of his motivations in this match. In canon, he maintains all of his nobility and only is a dark signer under the false pretense that Godwin killed his family. When that pretense is revealed to be untrue, Bommer completely changes and no longer wants to fight Crow. His rationale for dueling is entirely constructed on lies and doesn't unveil any deeper worldview.

Instead, have it be true that Godwin is the reason his family is dead—don't get the dark signers involved in that at all. Bommer is 100% working to kill Godwin and destroy the signers because Godwin truly is a monster who used his village as his own personal Crimson Dragon playground. This version of Bommer would be jaded by society and its power structures and would want to burn it all down. To him, society is beyond saving, and given that Bommer's initial values of nobility and devotion left him vulnerable to manipulation in season 1, Bommer in season 2 would be satisfied with rejecting those values in order to pursue his own brand of justice, regardless of who he hurts in the process.

We now have the ground work for a super interesting philosophical conflict. Crow becomes the only person who makes sense as an opponent for Bommer. Both have lost their families. Both have been hurt by Godwin. And unlike Yuusei, both Crow and Bommer could be painted as people who struggle with believing flawed systems can be rectified. They remain mirror characters like how they are in canon, only Bommer is more solidly an extension of Crow's internal philosophy. While Crow is skeptical of peace, Bommer is outright antagonistic toward it because he's been so thoroughly screwed over. Give me a man who once was honorable and now is willing to destroy society if it means erasing the power structures that have harmed him. That leaves us with duel philosophies that look like this:

With this set up, there's no resolving Bommer's hurt. His family isn't coming back if he loses, and the damage done to him by those in power is something that can't be remedied by him losing a duel. Instead, Bommer has to lose the duel because he learns that his worldview is wrong. He has become the very villain he once professed to hate. In this way, Bommer's trauma parallels Crow's. Nothing can undo the suffering of the people of Satellite, not even completing the Daedalus Bridge. Their connection over pain could be emphasized by Bommer commenting that Crow couldn't possibly understand the suffering Godwin's inflicted on him and have Crow reply that he has his suffering tattooed on his goddamn face.

Through fighting Bommer, Crow has to come to grips with this parallel. If he's not careful, Bommer is who Crow could become, and that reality shakes him to the core. It catalyzes Crow to embrace Yuusei's philosophy on hope. Like Yuusei said, it doesn't matter if the Daedalus Bridge legend is real or not. Change can be won through grit and determination, and Crow has to believe that in order to not fall victim to the same ideologies that corrupted Bommer. In other words, Crow is someone who struggles to imagine a life where he doesn't need his wings, where he can literally walk across a bridge to the place he wants to go. But by the end of the duel, Crow understands that he has to believe it's possible and urges Bommer to believe the same.

The duel essentially unfolds the same way from here on out: Bommer's motion to end the duel is foiled by dark signer magic, forcing Crow to finish him off, and Bommer sacrifices himself to save Crow. Before he dies, he asks Crow to build that better future, choosing to believe that he and Yuusei can achieve it.

In canon, this duel is followed by Yuusei's battle with Kiryuu. Crow canonically watches this match along side Rua | Leo, Ruka | Luna , and—wouldn't you know it—Ushio. Close out Crow's character arc with a more amenable nod to Ushio and a thanks for saving Takuya. There's a mutual understanding from here on out that he and Ushio see eye-to-eye on the need for Satellite and Neo Domino City to bury the hatchet in order to pursue peace. This character arc could also better explain Crow's motivation to join the police at the end of the series. He is more explicitly determined to change the institution from the inside out whereas this motivation is only loosely implied in canon.

With this change to Crow and Bommer's duel, Crow's connection toward Godwin is also more thoroughly explored. Godwin eventually is revealed to be the man from the Daedalus Bridge story, which Crow canonically takes a huge issue with, decrying Godwin for sullying their legend of hope. With a rewrite, Crow's view of the legend is more nuanced, and his faith in unity is now founded in Crow's own sense of self, not the legend. It gives Crow's argument toward Godwin more weight, as we've seen him grow into his current feelings that hope for the future is a choice we all must make.

CONCLUSION

Obviously, this rewrite isn't perfect, and even beyond the DS arc, Crow's character could be further retooled to give him more interesting things to do. That being said, giving Crow a character arc early on could've gone a long way toward making him a more organic member of the Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's cast. In canon, his most compelling character trait is that he spits in the face of destiny by defeating a dark signer while he is a normal person. That concept is immediately dashed when Crow becomes a signer at the end of the arc. Crow therefore must connect with the themes of Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's in a different way if he is going to be a signer.

So, as I said in the beginning, a trifecta of Yuusei, Jack, and Crow meshes better when the three of them embody a different element of the story's core themes.

Yuusei represents sacrifice and unity. He's no longer willing to be a doormat for his friends after his fight with Kiryuu, but he is willing to let bygones be bygones for the sake of a brighter future. This attitude is necessary in order for Satellite and Neo Domino City to move beyond their differences.

Jack represents free will and self-determination. After being manipulated by Godwin's sweet talk, Jack is determined to define who he is and his place in the world on his own terms. Again, this attitude is necessary for redefining the Neo Domino-Satellite relationship later on.

Lastly, Crow more clearly represents hope. He embraces this motif in the source material with the Daedalus Bridge story, but in this rewrite, it is emphasized that that hope isn't some mythical, innate belief. Hope for the world is an active choice that Crow wrestles with and—eventually—adheres to. That dogged hope is essential in order to bring Satellite and Neo Domino City together against the odds. Crow having this kind of arc therefore aligns with the larger conversation of Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's.

What are your thoughts on Crow and/or Bommer? How would you change their fight? Also, who's your favorite 5Ds character?

Thanks for reading this absolute monster!

[trickstarbrave]

i am not gonna watch his crow video because i like not getting so angry i cough up blood. but i will say i know he is gonna talk about "crow was never intended to be a dark signer that was made up" bullshit bc i see multiple ppl now a days running with it.

i dont think it was "crow's archetype is so popular he was changed to not be a dark signer bc konami demanded it". blackwings were popular and sold well, but that isnt how anime production works and that part was never mentioned in the twitter AMA where we got this information and appears to have been made up as a reason when the eng fandom got a hold of the information. i cannot show the original tweets tho bc ono (director) has deleted almost all of them and the screencaps were posted on livejournal using photobucket.

call me a fucking liar if you want to but that is where the information came from. ppl on livejournal screencapped the tweets and translated them but the livejournal stopped updating around 2012-2013ish, was deleted around 2015, and all the screencaps were on photobucket bc that was what we did back in the day. but then photobucket had their whole "this user has to pay us in order to show off anything they have saved on photobucket we dont allow free embeds" bullshit.

i think the plan was just changed during production because they liked him and thought it would be better if he didn't die. because he was going to die. you cannot give us two guys with manmade wings trying to sail across an ocean back home, one being very blatantly compared to daedalus, and the other being young enough to be his son, and NOT plan to have the younger one Die. like. icarus is famous For Dying. you cannot give us an obvious icarus and then do nothing with it, that makes no sense.

adding to it the big bad of season 2 makes a lot less sense and uses the condor nazca line, and the condor famously has a baby condor. and all of crow's kids get killed. cmon.

but shit happens so they changed it.

[sylviareviar]

🌸 ~ Sylvia and Crow's relationship ~ 🌸

I think I've mentioned before (and if not publicly, then privately to some of my moots) that, for Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, I like to default to shipping Sylvia with Crow. In the context of her story with the Signers, Sylvia is the odd 6th Signer, as we all know. But this wasn't always the case.

Sylvia used to live in Crash Town when she was little. She was raised by Klaus, who took both her and Toru in after both of their parents died in the same Runner crash (or what looked like one, in Mirage's last-ditch attempt to save them). Well, Sylvia grew up hating dueling. However, Toru and West loved dueling. Typically, Sylvia, Nico, West, and Toru spent their time in the hideout or in Klaus's horse pasture. Because yes, he has one.

When learning how to turbo duel, Sylvia and Toru took Klaus's horse-riding lessons and turned them into a game. They strapped Duel Disks to their arms, manually activated the Speed World Field Spell, and counted Speed Counters on their Duel Disks, while regulating their horses' speed. This helped Sylvia learn to love Turbo Dueling, which, to her, was a different kind of duel than a regular one. Regular ones still scared her, because of the gang wars.

Well, fast-forward to Toru being 16, building his own Duel Runner from scratch a la Yusei, and Sylvia (11) and Klaus were on their way to leave Crash Town to go to Satellite. He caught her just before she left and handed her a wad of cash and a list of parts he needed, so she could buy them for him to complete the Runner. We all know this part, right? Identical to the games.

Just like in the games, Sylvia goes to Satellite, still dressed like a cowgirl, and sees a lost little kid calling out for someone named Crow. Sylvia, unaware, asked the kid if they were lost, and they were. So she offered to help. Eleven-year-old Sylvia and this five or six-year-old child wandered through the streets of Satellite, where Sylvia realized, wow this place is like. Really run-down. Somehow more run-down than Crash Town. But finally, by the pier near Daedalus Bridge, she found him: a ginger-haired kid in a brown vest, calling out the name of the child beside her.

Before Sylvia had a chance to say anything, the kid burst into tears and ran to Crow for comfort. For a second, she was relieved, because the poor child must've been so stressed being away from him for so long. But Crow misunderstood why the kid was crying and turned his rage onto Sylvia, challenging her to a duel to make her pay. Naturally, Sylvia didn't want to duel, and attempted to escape. But Crow caught her when she got distracted mid-run, trying to keep her oversized cowboy hat from flying away. He latched onto her with a grapple and had his first-ever Team Satisfaction/Enforcer duel with her.

Sylvia won, in the end, and Crow's Duel Disk nearly went up in smoke. But Sylvia thought quickly and yanked the grapple away... or so Crow thought. In reality, she just ran away crying the first chance she got. Crow got an earful from the little girl later about his poor listening skills.

Later that day, after she was saved by the Enforcers and had her first-ever fun duel with Kalin, Crow caught her just before she left and handed her a card: Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North. He had another copy in his deck, but he felt bad for misunderstanding Sylvia's good intentions.

However, just as Sylvia disappeared into the horizon on horseback with her grandfather, Crow realized he'd forgotten to get the girl's name. So, since she used Cloudians in his duel against her and dressed like a cowgirl, he decided his best bet was to call her Cloud Girl. And, admittedly, for a while, he didn't stop talking about her to the other Enforcers.

Jack got sick of hearing about Cloud Girl. Yusei pretended not to listen, and Kalin... well, I don't think Kalin cared? Either that or he knew who Cloud Girl was but just didn't want to say anything, since he'd dueled her himself and actually did get her name.

It'd be really funny if he kept it a secret from Crow for the memes, because eventually his memory of her would fade away completely as the Enforcers got more and more famous, and he started spiraling faster and faster. What turned into a funny joke would end up eventually lasting years and years, and even as Cloud Girl somewhat faded from Crow's memory, and Crow from Sylvia's, that didn't mean their story stopped there.

Years later, when Sylvia lost her memory, she was found by Yusei. After being found by Yusei, she escaped through the Pipeline with him to New Domino City and witnessed his duel with Jack Atlas. However, while all three turbo duelists were distracted, Sylvia was kidnapped into the Arcadia Movement by Sayer, and Yusei was arrested. We all know this part of the story by now, I think.

Well, after the Fortune Cup, Sylvia's soul wavered. She was chained to the bed in her cell, locked on the top floors of the building, and electrocuted regularly for failing to comply and utilizing her Power of Creation for Sayer's purposes. Eventually, she was zapped so hard, her body returned to its comatose state again, and her soul quite literally got ejected from her body.

By default, Sylvia's soul traveled to the Spirit World. But she didn't have her cards with her, so the Forecast was unavailable. She was instead spat out in Mist Valley, where lots of WIND-Attribute or flying monsters live, such as the Harpies. There, Blizzard the Far North found her and circled over her, then led her through the canyon as a guide.

While wandering the Mist Valley, she was discovered by a Blackwing passing through. Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn recognized her and Blizzard, and swiftly carried her off to safety. She asked where he was taking her. He said she was going to meet their "chief".

That chief was Crow. Sylvia basically astral projected her soul into Crow's body a la Yami Yugi, and stayed there for about a day or two. While there, she admitted her greatest fears. She informed Crow of who she was, where she was. But Crow, at the time, could only hear her voice, not see her. He now knew her name was Sylvia, but didn't make the connection that she was also Cloud Girl. To be fair, Sylvia had no reason to tell him, either; she didn't remember anything from her past.

However, she did mention Yusei, and that perked Crow's ears up. If she was connected to Yusei, then they could probably meet again. She lamented about being trapped in a cult of psychics, that she was constantly tortured for her power, and that Yusei might not be able to save her.

"I think this is the end for me," she said.

But Crow didn't accept that. "Don't say that. You'll get out of there. And when you do, I'll take you flying. That's a promise."

It wasn't originally meant as something romantic, it was just a promise to give her something to look forward to. At the time, Crow knew she was a turbo duelist, but not that her Runner had wings. Still, Sylvia laughed in his ear, her first laugh in ages, and said, "I'd like that."

That night, she returned to the Spirit World, and Blizzard escorted her back to her body. Crow had renewed her spirit, filled her with the determination she needed to push through the pain and regain the will to live.

When the Arcadia Movement Building fell, Sylvia fell with it. Just as she was about to make her escape, assisted by Carly, her friends Liquid and Okita, Sayer's ex-right-hand woman Seria, Officer Trudge, and all of Yusei's friends from prison and the twins, Sylvia noticed Sayer falling from one of the higher floors. Despite everything he'd done, she didn't feel he deserved to die. Plus, she didn't want Akiza to mourn him. So she dove after Sayer, angled her body to fall faster, and attempted to save him with her fake Mark.

The Mark flickered and sputtered. It wouldn't have been enough alone. So Liquid and Okita jumped after her to enforce her shield with their psychic power. The three survived the building falling on top of them, and they succeeded in saving Sayer. But Sylvia was comatose for a couple weeks after that. Her body scrambled to heal her faster, so she could join the fight against the Dark Signers.

When the Signers finally reunited and got the gist from Goodwin-- whom Sylvia suddenly realized she was terrified of, for unexplained reasons (though we all know she was right to be)-- they went to Satellite and met up with Crow again.

That was when Crow saw Sylvia for the first time in person. She looked rather different. Her hair was shorter, no longer braided, and she wore a completely different style of clothes. In fact, he didn't recognize her at first. But she spoke, and he remembered Sylvia from the voice in his head that disappeared a while ago. But the more they talked, the more Crow stared at her, almost mesmerized. Or puzzled.

Then, it hit him. "You're Cloud Girl!" he cried.

And then Yusei and Jack's heads swiveled to face Sylvia. That's when they had to explain all over again, who Cloud Girl was, since Sylvia, Akiza, and Luna had no idea what they were on about.

When he mentioned Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North, Sylvia suddenly remembered being led through the Spirit World by it, and hurriedly grabbed her Duel Disk. By pressing a small latch, she flipped open the top of her Duel Disk to reveal a secret hidden compartment, where a single card stared back up at her: Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North.

It was confirmed, then, that she was, indeed, Cloud Girl. And from then on, Sylvia treasured Blizzard with everything she had. She hates losing track of it, and only ever feels safe when it's watching over her.

And that is what kickstarted her relationship to Crow Hogan. In my headcanons, Crow's childhood crush reared its head again when he saw her for the first time, but in RP, it's okay if that crush faded permanently. I don't mind either way. I just wanted to give context to Sylvia and Crow's relationship a little bit more.

[ezzyrebel413]

My latest assignment in Computer Graphics was a city illustration. We could choose a real city or a fictional one, so I chose New Domino and the Satellite from Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds. The top half is New Domino, represented by Jack's apartment building, Memorial Circuit, the Kaiba Corp building, the Facility, and the crimson dragon. The bottom half, flipped upside down, is the Satellite, represented by the Pipeline, Yusei's hideout, Crow's hideout, the B.A.D. Area, Jack's Theater, and a few industrial buildings. The two sides are separated by the Daedalus Bridge that connects the two in season two.

[hotmenheadcanons]

Kizuna and their relationship with food

I made this whole blog for this one post so take it minor tw for implied ed

Yusei

While not actively starving himself anymore, he still forgets to eat regularly.

He has the advantage of getting distracted by his tinkering easily, so he always took that to forget his hunger and leave more food for the others.

He probably would've been taller if he didn't do that

He also has a very small appetite. More accurately described as "this is the maximum amount that would logically be attributed to me considering my situation and getting more will make me ✨uncomfortable✨ about starving the others".

He's working on increasing that maximum.

Jack

The oddball. Except not really.

He always has been a big eater, whether he liked it or not. If he didn't eat enough he'd feel weird and depressed.

He felt plenty depressed in Satellite

Food was the first luxury he indulged in when he went to the City. Power needs Energy.

Having a nice warm meal filling his stomach has always been his selfish craving, so after leaving his friends he fell into a bit of a bulimia.

It wasn't very clear, but it was like he was eating instead of them. The guilt made him eat more.

Another side of him also thought he deserved it. Yet another thought it was the continuation of his selfishness.

Jack doesn't like food all that much after that.

Which is why he reverts back to cup ramen once he rejoins his friends. He'd never had any as a King, as it was too cheap and reminded him of the past, leaving it untarnished.

As snob as he might be, he cannot stand fancy food anymore, even if he has to cook himself.

Crow

Crow always thought he was short because he wasn't eating enough, and blamed Jack for it.

In hindsight, and after taking care of children, he regrets it immensely.

which is why he indulged in him buying whole boxes of cup ramen despite being on a tight budget

Despite being very protective of his food when he was younger, he learned how to share and years later, much like Yusei, started giving his portion to the others.

He's still more practical about it than the other two, if a bit instinctual, as if he finds himself with food and no one to give it to, he'll inhale it in record time.

He's also mastered the art of scavenging and cooking food in all manners possible. Even more efficient than Martha who called him for help sometimes.

He might have a problem recognizing what food is actually good for consumption though.

Common

None of them ever ever keep leftovers willingly. What Yusei doesn't finish after being pushed ends up in Crow's stomach.

They also have weird tastebuds, as the rest of the group came to realize; they're not that receptive to sweet things, for them it just feels sticky and inconsistent, like cotton candy.

Jack never ate desserts back when he was a King.

(They wouldn't say no to a good Martha pie though.

Since the Daedalus Bridge completed she's been discovering the joys of pâtisserie and they're all getting dragged into it.)

None of them can handle spice all that well, not if it's anything else than spicy cup ramen.

All of them can (and would, if necessary) bite into a raw potato without flinching.

Fruits were also that weird sort of luxury that has them swooning at a single apple.

They'd share the apple equally, then fight over it for good measure, and then part like it hasn't been the highlight of their day.

[nikoisme]

@dootznbootz I TRIED TO ANSWER YOUR ASK BUT IT DISAPPEARED SO HERE WE GO (i'm capturing the essence of the questions here)

(Favorite song/s from Epic?)

JUST A MAN. It ruins me. But I also really love My Goodbye, Remember Them, The Horse And The Infant, Monster, Done For and The Challenge.

(Do I like any other musicals?)

Musical theatre is a big chunk of my music taste so yup! I really like Hadestown, SIX, Starry, Paris the Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, Aristos and The Lightning Thief! (There are more but these are just some)

(Would I consider myself good at singing?)

I CANNOT SING FOR THE LIFE OF ME HAHA. I really like it though!! And I've been practicing by myself and i'm definitely better than I used to be

(Favorite bird?)

CROWS. Love those guys

(Any other greek mythological hero I find interesting?)

Achilles! I don't have to explain this one do i hahah. But does Daedalus count? I think he's really interesting

(Favorite "non video-game" game?)

Alright, i don't know how well known this board game is, but "hey, don't get angry!" was/still is the hottest shit during family nights where I grew up. I don't want to make this too long by explaining the rules, so you can just look it up! But it ruins friendships and family relationships in a way monopoly and other games could only dream of. It's so easy to get angry - thus the title of the game hahaha

[inkblackorchid]

Okay I gotta get that out somewhere and you’re the best person to ask that but I feel like my brain is going wild and reaching but like,,, I wanna see the whole design of Godwin‘s Daedalus times because I feel like Crow‘s WRPG riding jacket looks super similar to the one he wears in the Flashbacks where he jumps from the bridge and 🥹🥹🥹 idk it might just be the color and the details but I think that would be so cute. Literally the Daedalus Legend is one of my fav things about Satellite lore.

Finally, finally I can answer this ask! I'm sorry it took so long but I had to go back and rewatch like three episodes to even find young Rex Goodwin's design because as it turns out, the guy is seen in riding gear in exactly two flashbacks in the entire show and I was incapable of finding an animator's reference for him.

So. Allow me to put on my nerd hat and break down my findings for you.

Exhibit A: Crow's riding suit. (These were the best screenshots I had of it). So, basic colour scheme: Brown, black, orange, and yellow/gold. Simple enough. Note the simple collar that splits off into Crow's usual, high collar and the shape of his jacket closure.

As for Goodwin...

Exhibit B: Young Goodwin's first design, as we see him when Crow tells the story of the legendary duellist. And yes, you read that right: Young Goodwin actually has two designs, and as you'll see, this is going to turn out to be a bit of an inconsistency. (Also, excuse the garbage quality of the images. This guy is hard to get a hold of, for one, and for some reason, my internet did not like rewatching this episode.) Anyway, note the lack of sleeves and shoulder pads. Also, no gloves. You could argue that the detailing around the split collar here is also brown-ish gold, though. All around not very safe motorcycling gear. Not much protection offered. Also, there's a button. I could not figure out what for. Moving on.

Exhibit C: Yoing Goodwin's second design, the one we see in the flashback when Yusei talks to him during the DS arc's final duel. Funnily enough, this one has sleeves! And shoulder pads! (And they're not the same colour as Crow's, but vaguely the same shape.) Also, knee pads again. And heavy-duty boots to go with them this time. What's more, the brown-ish/golden detailing is a lot more obvious here. And Goodwin has gloves here, but unlike Crow's, they disappear under his jacket. The colour scheme isn't far off from Crow's riding suit, though.

Finally...

Exhibit D: Their backs. (It was impossible to get a back shot of young Goodwin #2, I'm sorry) What stands out here is that Crow's outfit is all around more detailed. But then, given that Goodwin's outfit is presumably thrown together with whatever he had, whereas Crow's is a professional riding suit, that's not all that surprising. Both have diagonal thingies here. If they serve a functional purpose, I have not found it.

Verdict: So, here's the thing. I can definitely see some similarities here. The shoulder pads have the same shape, both have yellow/brown/golden detailing around the collar and the front of the jacket, and at least going from Goodwin's second design, both have black gloves, too. And, of course, all three jackets are brown. I don't know if that's enough to say that Crow intentionally took inspiration from the man who built the Daedalus bridge, but you can see some nods here and there, I'd say. (If nothing else, it might be a cheeky add-in by the animators.) As for the inconsistency between Goodwin's two designs, allow me to introduce a silly headcanon: Since the first design is seen in Crow's version of the story of the legendary duellist, this may be how Crow imagined him to look. Even though Goodwin's "real" design is slightly different (and safer lmao).

But yeah, make of this what you will! This was all I could find, haha.

[benrobertson2004]

Look at my little edgy boy

[charliecarter13]

[ Daedalus nods, seemingly agreeing with what you said. ]

[ "Thank you. My family and I work hard to keep it well kept. Oh, speak of the devil!" ]

[ You look at where Daedalus is looking. There appears to be a small, tannish raccoon with a green bandana, a black raven with circle glasses and a silver heart locket, a craven { i dont know if crows and ravens can mate so pretend this is a real corvid type } with square glasses and.. tusks?? Strange. Also, there's a raven, larger than the others, with a black veil, seemingly the mother. ]

[ Daedalus leads you over to the family, Little Caterpillar hiding in your arms as you get introduced. You learn that the ones with glasses are Icarus and Cassandra– twins– Icarus being the raven and Cassandra being the craven. Theseus is the raccoon, and Kristin is the mother raven. ]

[ How do you introduce yourself? ]

[introduction: “hello! My name is Charlie Carter, and this is Little Caterpillar. I hope your day is going well, and i hope we can become good friends.” A gentle smile forms on Charlie’s face]

[4c3s-0f-h34rts]

Intro post!

☆.𓋼𓍊 𖦹 𖦹 𓋼𓍊.☆

Hi! Im Hayden

• any/all, preferably masc!

• Queer

• 16

• kinda inactive but im more active now

• i'm open to chat! Might not always reply (-ω-｡)

• Taken!!

About me / Fun Facts

☆.𓋼𓍊 𖦹 𖦹 𓋼𓍊.☆

• I have a record player and I collect records

• I also collect rocks, dice and soda tabs

• I would consider my style alt but I dont really have a subculture I fit into yet (T^T)

• I love biology, sea creatures, dinosaurs, and cool jewlery!!

• I want to get a degree in genetic science

• I make clay masks, bracelets, and draw / paint when the mood strikes me

Interests!!

☆.𓋼𓍊 𖦹 𖦹 𓋼𓍊.☆

• visual novels

• horror games

• analog horror

• The SCP foundation

• D&D

• Greek mythology

• musicals

• art

• theater (im a theater kid lmao)

• reading (book recs pls!)

Fav Games!

☆.𓋼𓍊 𖦹 𖦹 𓋼𓍊.☆

• Fnaf

• ENA dream bbq

• Sally face

• Dayshift at Freddy's

• Dialtown

• Mouthwashing

• Zenless Zone Zero

• Monster Prom

• most just kinda strange indie games lmao

Fav Books / Webtoons

☆.𓋼𓍊 𖦹 𖦹 𓋼𓍊.☆

• The Song of Achilles

• The Ousiders

• Frankenstein

• Fazbear's Frights series

• The Prince of Southland (Webtoon)

• Daedalus of the Crows (Webtoon)

• Pantheum (Webtoon)

Fav Songs / Artists

☆.𓋼𓍊 𖦹 𖦹 𓋼𓍊.☆

• My Chemical Romance

• Ayesha Erotica

• Jack Stauber

• Glass Animals

• Artic Monkeys

• Linkin Park

• Lemon Demon

• ICP

• Brutus - the Butress

• Intergalactic - Beastie Boys

• FUKOUNA GIRL - STOMACH BOOK

• Wet - Dazey and the Scouts

• Bitchboy - The Oozes

Fav Youtbers / youtube series

☆.𓋼𓍊 𖦹 𖦹 𓋼𓍊.☆

• Danny Gonzalez

• Drew Gooden

• Kurtis Conner

• Markiplier

• Slimecicle

• Ted Nivison

• Jschlatt

• Tommyinnit

• The theory channels

• Funkyfrogbait

• Thomas Sanders (Sanders sides)

• David Firth (Salad Fingers)

• Doctor Nowhere (The boiled one + more)

• Unknowingly (The Man in the Suit)

• Marble Hornets

• Battington (Fnaf tapes)

• The Walten Files

DNI if youre gonna be a creep or a jerk, this is not the place for your negativity

Follow for art, shitty memes, and other stuff U^ェ^U

[jackdawandicarus]

WIP ASK GAME THINGAMAJIG

I was tagged by @the-laws-of-physics-were-harmed ^^

Idk to tag so u tag absolutely nobody/whoever sees this and wants to do this

rules: answer as many (or as few) of the questions about your WIP as you can.

1. What was the first part of your WIP that you created?

Chapter 1 babyyyyy. Idk what else to say here I started at the start with no plan (no money, no prospects-) and winged it. All I knew was that Ophelia and Zopyrus had to be bitten by werewolves. Fun fact! Zopyrus was originally going to die in this chapter, but now he doesn’t!

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the intro song be?

Uhhhhhh, lemme pull out my playlist real quick… Okay, sooooo, I think either Lights Go Down by I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME or Eat Your Young by Hozier could work. ^^

3. Who are your favourite character(s) and why?

Kit because, um, idk I like putting him in situations (mental torture) the most. He’s probably followed by Arabella, because she is mentally unstable and very relatable and incredibly fun to write and- Raymond (formerly “Stevie”) is third because she is just my main chaotic character and has some nice character dynamics going on with the other characters. She is also a mess. All these guys are. I think that says something about myself. Oh, Ophelia is sneaking up on me again because I’m working on planning out her character arc right now.

4. What other pieces of media could share a fan base with your WIP?

The problem with this question is that I know next to nothing about any fandom I’m not part of so all of my possible answers sound self-indulgent as *fuck* to me. Like, I’m going to answer Six of Crows but tell me if that’s stupid (/gen) I honestly can’t tell. 😭✋

5. What has been your biggest struggle while writing your WIP?

🤓🔫 Writing it.

6. Are there any animals in your story?

The first book’s plot is smuggling a dragon across international waters so yeah. Also one of the protagonists (as well as multiple other characters) are werewolves if that counts. There’s also going to be some wolves I think? And some sort of bird motif I haven’t decided on yet. WAIT THERE’S DINOSAURS IN BOOK TWO OH MY GOD I JUST REMEMBERED!!!

7. How do your characters get around?

A variety of ways? On foot, by carriage, Icarus and Daedalus style (wings may or may not actually be real, depending on the character), on horseback, in a boat, on the back of ginormous hulking winged beast, or in a motorcar. The usual ways your average people of varying levels of humanity get around.

8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

Chapter 2! ^^ I am completely stuck. I hate writing character introductions because I am shit at writing character descriptions, I always write *way* too little or wayyyy too much. I also never know which aspects of a character’s appearance to describe.

9. What aspects of your WIP do you think will draw people in?

The ✨gay✨. The ✨werewolves✨. The ✨sheer genius of my inherently superior storytelling✨ /s. The ✨dragon✨. I really need to ✨stop putting sparkles around things✨ in this section. On a more serious note, I don’t know. Tell me what intrigues you most about my WIP, friend and fellow carbon-based lifeform, for I have no motherfucking clue in motherfucking hell.