#stardasher

October always has me thinking about yugioh. My current favorite species, Stardragons is having a Halloween event, where everyone gets free candies to transform their characters. One of these candies is called 'Gembound lollipops,' which can turn a non stardragon character into a stardragon.

I knew I had to make Ryou.

So, for this design, rather than basing him exclusively off his anime design, I wanted to base him off my favorite fandom characterizations of him. I absolutely adore the interpretation of him being the one to have built his deck over Bakura; that he's super into creepy stuff. Goth Ryou is my favorite.

Moving on, Stardragons have several gems on their bodies that hold their life force. Their eyes always match these gems. I was having a hard time picking a color since his eye color is not consistent, so I chose to go by the species horoscopes to choose.

RED - Associated Flower: Dandelion

These people work hard, and play harder. Everything they do is to the best of their ability (even sleeping). They can be a little impulsive and foolhearty, tending to prefer risk taking to slow and steady. No reward without a little risk. They take life as it comes, and can be very level headed in stressful situations. Their elements are Fire and Earth.

I know this may not be one's initial pick for Ryou, but I felt like his handlings of the ring and his moments where the ring was taken from him are really captured by this description.

As for the gem shape of the one above his head, I chose a d20 for his love of tabletop games. In order for gems to be this shape, they must be carved. This process is extremely dangerous, as the gems hold their life force. I thought this was a fitting way to represent the relationship between him and the millennium ring, since the stardragon version of him would not have it. Maybe in an au where Ryou was born a stardragon and so was Bakura, Bakura would be the one to have carved his gem. #romanceatitsfinest

If you enjoyed this, please let me know! I'd love suggestions for characters to make into Stardragons next.