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gx-gameon · 1 year ago

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As I get back into Yugioh while also watching one piece an idea won’t leave my mind.

What if after Bond Beyond Time, Yusei goes to take Jaden back to his time. They leave Yugi and head to drop Jaden off. But the Crimson Dragon doesn’t stop at Jaden’s time. Instead taking both of them to Yusei’s time.

Yusei feels awful. He was suppose to bring Jaden back to his time, but he messed up. He has no idea how the Crimson Dragon brought him back and forward in time other than it did. It called to him and he listened. He can’t do it on command. It’s not his fault but he feels like it is.

Jaden is a little freaked out. But weirder things have happened to him. So he reassures Yusei that it’s alright. Maybe he was brought here for a reason. Maybe once that reason is done he will be able to go home. He’ll figure it out.

And Yusei stops his over thinking dead in its tracks because, “what do you mean you’ll figure it out? We’re in this together. You’re not alone.” And Jaden, who is so deeply traumatized by the dark world and is still pushing everyone away, is a little overwhelmed.

His friends always leave it up to him to solve the problems. Jesse always helped, as did Jim and Axel, but for the most part Jaden is left to solve everything. Yusei barely knows him and is already offering so much. A place to stay, help getting home, it’s more than Jaden feels he deserves.

Especially when they meet up with the other Signers. Once Yusei introduces them all and explains what happened, they are all instantly on board with helping Jaden find away home. And it’s been a while since Jaden’s been surrounded with this much support.

So he stays with them for a while. After all he is there for a reason….

But he bonds with the Signers.

He helps Akiza with her powers. She already has a strong grasp on how to use them but being around Jaden makes her more comfortable using them. She’s always felt like a monster and being around the other Signers has helped a lot, but being around Jaden, who has such a good grasp on his powers that he can actually teach her things while also making her feel normal is awesome. The two become very close with Jaden taking on an older brother role for her. (At first he was ready for this to be like Cyrus and Hassleberry, but there isn’t the same level of hero worship. Yes Akiza looks up to him but she treats him as an equal. She really values her friends and being seen as normal so she doesn’t treat him like a savior and it’s really nice for Jaden. For both of them)

Luna and Jaden also have a close relationship as he is the first person she’s met who can see spirits as well. Wing Kuriboh and Kuribon are constantly playing. He’s able to teach her how to reach the spirit world safely and be more comfortable with her powers. She not only Aliza’s level of mastery but she has raw power and she’s very lucky Jaden came along when he did to help her master them.

Leo is much the same but also so different. Jaden is really confused when everyone is telling him about being Signers. He understand the idea, he can see the power. But he’s confused why everyone is acting like Leo doesn’t have powers, he can see the kids aura and it’s got the same crimson tint that every other signer has. But Leo is also bursting at the seems with power, he just can’t access it. And he tells them that. Leo is pumped. He’s a Signer to! Are you sure? This is awesome! Jaden is very clear that Leo’s powers are blocked but unblocking them at all at once could hurt the kid so they will have to do it carefully and slowly, with Jaden helping him master his new powers before they unseal anymore. It’s a slow process and exhausting for both. But Leo is pumped. Jaden is his third favorite person ever!! (1st being Luna, and 2nd going to Yusei)

Needless to say the twins adore him and look up to him as an older brother just like they do with the rest of the signers.

Crow and Jack respect him as a duelist and are glad he can help the others with their powers. Crow brings out Jaden’s goofier side as the two joke around. Jack reminds him so much of Zane and Chazz and yet at the same time he’s so different.

Jaden really admires Yusei, Jack, and Crow’s strong bond and brotherhood.

Jaden and Jack to but heads because of Carly. Jaden meets Carly and instantly recognizes her power and talent and tries to help her. At first she hesitates because she doesn’t like her powers. Plus this is Jack’s friend and Jack has been avoiding her and she just doesn’t know why. But slowly she starts coming around. Her and Jaden get along well and she starts helping out team 5D’s with the WRPG.

Jack though thinks that if Carly is around him she might remember her time as a Dark Signer and he doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want her to hurt. He also doesn’t want her in danger and the WRPG has become dangerous. He snaps at Jaden over it, as it’s easier to blame Jaden than talk to Carly about all this. Jaden doesn’t know about Carly being a Dark Signer and the two argue. He thinks Carly is a great addition to their team, and she deserves to learn how to control her powers, Jack just wants her safe.

Eventually Jack and Carly talk and he gets his head out of his butt. He and Jaden talk it out later.

Yusei and Jaden become best friends (you could see it as Starshipping if you want but I’ll probably keep it platonic) Yusei is a calm stable presence that Jaden has needed for a while. He’s a pillar of strength when everything seems to be going crazy. On the reverse Jaden is a sources of strength of Yusei. He’s so out of his depths with all the magic stuff that comes easy to Jaden. It’s nice to have an expert with them. All Yusei wants is to keep his friends safe, but he never has to worry about Jaden, he does anyway, but Jaden always comes through, he’s become a pillar for Yusei as well. Someone to lean on.

I’d probably change the villains of WRPG or maybe this takes place before the WRPG. Because I want Sayer/Divine and the Arcadia Movement to be the main problem. (I read that they were suppose to be the main villains of Yugioh 5D season 2 but because of Carly’s voice actors involvement with a real life cult the story line was scrapped and Carly’s role was reduced. I want to work with the cult so I’m working with the cult)

But anyway. Jaden is starting to feel at home here. He still needs to go back, rainbow dragon is burning in his deck box. He needs to return to his time, needs to return Jesse’s family to him (my spiritshipping heart) but he also loves his new friends.

And this is where one piece comes in because it’s time for Water 7/Enies Lobby.

Jaden is taking the twins out one day. Maybe they got out of school and they are waiting for the rest of the crew to show up. But the twins run an head and as Jaden goes to catch up, someone bumps into him and whispers in his ear. “Welcome Supreme King.”

Jaden freezes.

How could anyone here in this world, in this time, know that name. He turns on his heel and sees the stranger waiting for him. They have a cloak hood pulled over their head so he can’t see who this is. But they beckon him to follow, he’s not going to until they make a threatening gesture towards the twins, who’s excited voices are getting farther and farther from Jaden.

So Jaden follows. If they are going to have it out he doesn’t want the twins in the cross fire. But they’re not fighting. In fact Jaden is ambushed by Sayer/Divine who tells Jaden they know exactly who he is. That he’s going to help them with creating an army of Physic Duelist and help them attach the City. Jaden laughs and is ready to fight, until they threat his new friends. After all “you already murdered one friend group. Do you really want to be responsible for the death of another?”

The reminder of his friend’s deaths in the Dark World rattles Jaden. Enough that he’s willing to make a deal. He’ll help Sayer/Divine. As long as Team 5Ds is untouchable. Sayer/Divine can’t go after them.

It’s a deal.

So Jaden ‘Betrays’ Team 5Ds there are hurt feelings all around. “How could this happen? Why would Jaden betray them? It doesn’t make any sense.

So they start digging, and find out that Sayer/Divine is going to use Jaden’s power as a batter for his Physic duelist when they attack the city. But that still doesn’t explain why Jaden betrayed them.

Maybe Misty shows up and reveals Sayer/Divines plot

Maybe Carly figures it out. Maybe Sayer attacks her because ‘she’s not technically a member of 5Ds and Jaden protected her. She is present for their little back in forth argument. Because Jaden says she’s untouchable because of their deal and Sayer/Divine want to kill Carly because she knows to much now. But he has to fold because he want to keep Jaden under his thumb, so the solution was kidnap her but Jaden resist that to long enough for Jack to show up and get Carly out. (At this point he thinks Jaden is a traitor who is trying to hurt Carly so he attacks Jaden and Sayer/Divine.

Or maybe Jesse shows up in this time period. He went to the Spirit world looking for Jaden and Rainbow dragon and got dragged forward in time. He hears everything and explains Jaden’s history in the Dark world. While he wasn’t there to see it he got all the details from talking to the Gx crew and Jaden/Jaden’s spirits.

I think a combination of idea two and three are best. (I want Jesse to show up.)

Now that they know that Jaden has sacrificed himself to keep them safe, they won’t stop till he’s back safe with them. It’s a race to Jaden now. Can they get to him before Sayer/Divine’s plan is complete and he drains Jaden’s power/life.

Jaden deserves friends who would fight from him. Plus him get his own “I want to live.” Moment like Robin in Enies Lobby is very important to me.

Sorry if this sounds insane. It’s been bouncing around in my head for a week and needed out.

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puzzling-reeds · 2 months ago

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I know this has been talked to death in the Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's community, but....

This is gonna have spoilers for this almost 20-year-old show. You've been warned. This analysis is also long. I would say I'm sorry, but I'm a heathen who doesn't know what word counts are.

Early-days Jack x Carly is legitimately so cute. Perfect? Nah. But pretty dang good as far as Yu-Gi-Oh romances go.

Briefly recapping: After losing (again) to Yuusei, Jack's ego is obliterated, and he starts to question his past choices. He betrayed his closest friends chasing a life that wound up being so transient, and by the time he meets Carly, Jack's regret over those decisions is at its highest.

As a journalist, Carly has her own reasons for entering Jack's orbit, but she comes to realize he's not as self-absorbed as she initially thought he was. Carly herself is a foil to the old Jack. She's driven in her work but describes herself as someone who finds joy in the success of others. She's a lot closer to Yuusei in that way, as she's willing to put aside her own interests (e.g., getting the scoop on Jack being from Satellite) for the sake of other people (e.g., having a moment of human connection with Jack when he's at his lowest).

In the end, she offers him some advice. She doesn't try to appeal to his ego and instead states that Jack is capable of redemption. He should abandon his past conception of what it means to be a king and instead try to be a "real king," someone who "brings joy to everyone."

After this conversation, Jack resolves to be a better person and leaves with more clarity on who he wants to be, symbolized by him leaving behind his fake glasses at the end. Jack and Carly part with mutual respect and a broader perspective of one another. Even later heading into the Dark Signers arc, Jack expresses worry for Carly despite his secretiveness about the signers, telling her to be careful.

And then Carly

Dies.

Her last thought is of Jack and regretting she couldn't be with him again. That regret allows her to be reborn as a dark signer, and she and Jack rocket toward an eventual clash. Her dream of being together with Jack is corrupted to such a degree that she's willing to embrace the apocalypse and rule over the ashes with Jack. Obviously, this dream contradicts Jack's new character, and he knows the real Carly would feel the same.

Their conversation inspired such a fundamental change in Jack that he's only willing to kill her if he dies with her. Moreover, Carly is presented as Jack's better half. While Jack abandoned the glasses of his earlier disguise from the park, he holds onto Carly's glasses that she lost when she died. He clings to his memory of her and--to a greater degree--her values of compassion and vicarious joy.

Before Jack can activate his trap that'll kill them both, though, Carly activates her own trap that kills her alone. In the moments leading up to her death, we get more insight into Carly's worldview.

Carly's dying wish was to be with Jack, and she's now wracked with guilt for having desired her own happiness that wasn't contingent on the happiness of others. This is Carly's internal philosophy: She is only deserving of secondhand happiness. Obviously, this is an incorrect mindset. If seeking your own happiness is wrong, then no one would ever be happy. Jack makes this point in his following comment. Notably, Jack's point doesn't entirely sink in for Carly before she dies. She continues to view her happiness as subservient to others', adopting a bystander/cheerleader role.

Still, before she dies, Carly finally confesses that she loves Jack. They're able to be together briefly like she wanted before she disappears, leaving behind only her glasses that Jack's kept with him this whole time.

Jack also confesses his own love for Carly and later reiterates that love during his duel with Godwin.

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Although they don't have too many conversations together, we get enough insight into Carly and Jack's individual viewpoints on life throughout season 2. Since both Yuusei and Carly are foils to Jack, I think it's worth defining how their positions differ.

Jack and Yuusei are foils regarding their ideas of bonds.

Yuusei, through his duels with Kiryuu in the Dark Signers arc, realizes that he has an extreme view of bonds. He was willing to give himself up to the police for Kiryuu, taking credit for his mistakes, and that backfired on Yuusei tremendously. In short, Yuusei's fatal flaw is that he is too self-sacrificing. It's important to note that Yuusei's flaw is apparent during their Team Satisfaction days--before Jack's betrayal. Jack's actions serve to solidify Yuusei's self-sacrificial view rather than create it.

Jack is on the other extreme. Jack is willing to sacrifice everything to achieve his dreams, but after losing to Yuusei twice, Jack starts to see the fault in that logic. His dreams were shallow without friends to share them with. It's only upon talking with Carly that Jack formally resolves to do right by others from then on. He expresses to Godwin that Carly showed him that bonds are inescapable, and during his earlier duel with Carly, Jack is willing to sacrifice himself to be together with her in death--a choice he never would've made before meeting her.

In these ways, both Yuusei and Jack are on opposing sides of this debate, and other characters motivate them to remedy their flawed positions.

Jack and Carly, however, are foils regarding their ideas of happiness.

From her final conversation with Jack in the Dark Signers arc, we learn that Carly is hesitant to pursue happiness for herself, considering it selfish to do so. She celebrates the happiness and successes of others and must learn that it is OK to seek that same happiness for herself. Jack calls her out on this warped perspective at the end, arguing that everyone would be selfish if her viewpoint were reality.

Jack, on the other hand, is originally dismissive of the happiness of other people. He betrays his closest friends in order to leave the Satellite and openly mocks Yuusei when they finally meet again in episode three and four; he feels no sense of obligation toward the well being of his friends. Carly encourages Jack to be the kind of king that "brings joy to everyone," injecting her own opinion that it is possible to find happiness in the happiness of others.

Another way Jack and Carly impact each other is through how active they are in their own lives. Although Jack is duped by Godwin, he is an active player and wants to view himself as such. He's openly upset at himself for falling for Godwin's appeals to his ego, calling himself a clown for doing so, and strives to take charge of his own destiny.

Carly, conversely, remains an observer in her own life. She is active in her career, yes, but her motivation to become a journalist is grounded in her desire to highlight and celebrate the achievements of others, not due to any personal ambition like Jack. This passiveness is further clarified by Carly and Jack's relationships with destiny. Carly frequently uses her deck as a horoscope, and Misty foretells that Carly will die. Even after Carly becomes a dark signer, Carly proclaims that she and Jack are connected by fate.

During their duel in the Dark Signers arc, Carly's dark signer voice presents itself as an extreme version of this belief: What Carly wants doesn't matter, as she has no autonomy in the face of destiny.

On the other side, Jack is the philosophical opposition. He backs Carly into a corner with his card aptly called "Change Destiny." He says that Carly inspired him to take control of his own life and encourages her to do the same with his "Change Destiny" trap. Carly has to choose whether or not to kill Jack (securing the victory she apparently wants as a dark signer) or benignly restore her own life points. She ultimately chooses the latter, proving Jack's point and his faith in her.

Even when he decides he'd rather die with Carly, Jack frames it to himself as a destiny he's chosen. He wants to go out on his own terms, not as a puppet of fate. In the end, Carly decides the same, saving Jack and encouraging him to save the world.

In these ways, both Carly and Jack's conflicting views push them toward moderating their perspectives. Their contrasting ideas of personal fulfillment and destiny make Carly and Jack's relationship rich for exploration, especially seeing as Carly still has room to grow by the time she dies at the end of the Dark Signers arc. What does her taking control of her own life look like in season two? Does she pursue her own definition of happiness, and what does personal happiness mean to her?

So, what does happen after the Dark Signers arc?

Carly comes back to life but doesn't remember any of the Dark Signers arc. Occasionally, she feeds Jack convenient plot info or helps him out, but mainly, Carly pines comically for Jack, who wants nothing to do with her all the way through the series finale. :/

WHERE WAS THE "I WAS CHANGED BY THE LOVE OF A WOMAN" ENERGY???? WHERE WAS IT???? DID NONE OF IT MATTER????

Maybe the true clowns were the ones we became along the way.

Jokes aside, we all know this was a missed opportunity. But what could the writers have done?

My Clown Fanon Takes

Frankly, I don't think they would've had to have changed too much. Let Carly keep her memories. Let her and Jack be a couple. They can do cute cameos in the background together or a filler episode or two exploring their relationship while Carly follows leads and Jack duels. But most importantly,

Make 👏 Jack 👏 a simp!

And by simp, I don't mean pathetic. I mean have him actually treat Carly right. Jack has a rough-and-tumble nobility about him, so go the chivalrous route. I'm talking "girlfriend's heels are killing her after scoping out a gala for leads so you lend her your big man shoes and hold her stilettos" type chivalry. I don't say this because I think it'd be cute (as much as it would be), but because I think it's a natural extension of the relationship they already had.

Carly struggles to accept happiness for herself. Jack is learning to find joy in the happiness of others. It'd be fitting to have Jack sacrifice in small, healthy ways because it shows that he cares for Carly and that seeing her happy makes him happy by extension. Carly would obviously still show up to Jack's tournaments, cheer him on, and help him when he was hospitalized during the World Racing Grand Prix, keeping a good give-and-take balance in the relationship.

Similarly, the second point of exploration for Carly's character was ambition. In the beginning of season 2, we see that her professional life is in shambles. Her boss sucks. She lives in her car. Keep her as a journalist, but have her pursue a different job. The WRGP is an international tournament, so perhaps expose Carly to global reporting while being at the tournament. Maybe she'd like to work on international projects?

That being considered, how would Carly's revelation impact Jack? By the end of canon, Jack decides to pursue a career in the Ride Ace Dueling league because they send him an invite. Instead, have Carly mention that she'd like to do more global work and give Jack a moment to consider what he'd like from their relationship and what he'd like to do going forward. Ultimately, Jack would be the one to apply for the Ride Ace league so that he can participate in global matches and follow Carly. It'd still be in his wheelhouse (i.e., working his way up from the bottom of a new league to be the king again), but more importantly, it'd be a choice that's in support of Carly rather than Jack's typical moves characterized by his own ambition. Not only would that solidify their devotion by the end of the series, but it would reflect a lot of growth on the part of both Carly and Jack: Carly has taken the reins of her own life and learned to accept joy for herself, and Jack has learned to weigh his own dreams and the dreams of others, finding happiness in supporting the people he cares about without sacrificing his own wants and needs.

Anyway, I fear I've gone on for too long. What are your Jack x Carly thoughts? How would you have carried their relationship into season two?

Thanks for reading!

#carly nagisa #carly carmine #jack atlas #yugioh 5ds #scoopshipping #yusei fudo #image descriptions are provided #could say more about Incan hummingbird symbolism relating to heaven and self-actualization and how it connects to Carly and Jack #but I've already spent all day writing this oops #also please Shin Yoshida learn how to write women for the love of god

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