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Just the other day I met Sir Featherwait in the professional aviators' lounge, where he instructed me to guess his favorite anime. Unfortunately, it seems that every guess I made went further and further off the mark. In a fit of rage, Sir Featherwait banished me from the lounge, and left me with this cryptic crossword: "Don't even think of coming back if you haven't solved it!"

enter image description here

ACROSS
5. Extreme equalitarian evens out lost capital (5)
6. Pilot Tesla via telematic component (6)
8. Lie in the same place after fracturing head (3)
9. Complex runes leading to chaos (6)
10. Spirit of the cyclist hero prevails at last (5)
13. Alien devours a snake for grub (4)
14. By continuing murmur in conversation (3)
15. Emperor leaves bearing sneakier problem (6)
18. Ruler of a swamp expels nuisance at last (4)
19. Sound chess attack by top Grandmaster (4)
20. Feature recaps broadcast without run-time (6)
23. Essentially concave, and holds a preserve (3)
24. Rocket to orbit around planetary core (4)
26. Bird of emotion loses its head (5)
28. Something that's eaten with a float (6)
29. Earlier outbreak of ailment generated overreactions at first (3)
30. Heatedly strengthen clipped manner with a lousy introduction (6)
31. Perhaps being aggravated about final, undergraduate produced a beastly noise? (5)

DOWN
1. Drunken nude returns an escort (6)
2. City of pagans exiles two leaders (6)
3. Actor finished behind supporting member (6)
4. Acquaintances of Sith leader eliminated after interior breakdown (4)
6. Lincoln finally shot to support wrongdoers (4)
7. Wheel re-assembled into electric weapon (5)
11. Some emperors are cross with disease (5)
12. Remark recursively, about 0.318309886... (5)
16. Tasty concoction that's half decent went missing from producing temptation (5)
17. Bird in tortuous gale approaches the end (5)
19. God accepts each tribute (5)
20. Cool lab mop's messy without scrubbing first (6)
21. Intrusive mass to demote natural leader (6)
22. Central Intelligence Agency infiltrated by rogue bug (6)
25. Expression to abbreviate lists, principally (2,2)
27. Upset eye-roll (4)

 
What is Sir Featherwait's favorite anime?
Credits to Beastly Gerbil for the drawing :)

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    $\begingroup$ Oh cool, a cryptic! Hopefully I haven't started too late. $\endgroup$
    – Deusovi ♦
    Jun 4, 2020 at 2:31

2 Answers 2

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The completed grid:

Completed Grid

ACROSS

5. Extreme equalitarian evens out lost capital (5)

ULTRA = eq(U)a(L)i(T)a(R)i(A)n

6. Pilot Tesla via telematic component (6)

AVIATE = teslAVIATElematic

8. Lie in the same place after fracturing head (3)

FIB = (F)racturing + IB

9. Complex runes leading to chaos (6)

UNREST = RUNES* + (T)o

10. Spirit of the cyclist hero prevails at last (5)

ETHOS = THE* + her(O) prevail(S)

13. Alien devours a snake for grub (4)

EATS = ET + A + (S)nake

14. By continuing murmur in conversation (3)

PER = sounds like PURR

15. Emperor leaves bearing sneakier problem (6)

KAISER = S(-ne)AKIER*

18. Ruler of a swamp expels nuisance at last (4)

AMIR = A MIR(-e)

19. Sound chess attack by top Grandmaster (4)

PING = PIN + (G)randmaster

20. Feature recaps broadcast without run-time (6)

ASPECT = (-r)ECAPS* + (T)ime

23. Essentially concave, and holds a preserve (3)

CAN = con(C)ave + a(N)d + A

24. Rocket to orbit around planetary core (4)

LEAP = LAP + plan(E)tary

26. Bird of emotion loses its head (5)

EGRET = (-r)EGRET

28. Something that's eaten with a float (6)

LAUNCH = LUNCH + A

29. Earlier outbreak of ailment generated overreactions at first (3)

AGO = (A)ilment (G)enerated (O)verreactions

30. Heatedly strengthen clipped manner with a lousy introduction (6)

ANNEAL = m(ANNE)r + A +(L)ousy

31. Perhaps being aggravated about final, undergraduate produced a beastly noise? (5)

MOOED = MOOD + undergraduat(E)

DOWN

1. Drunken nude returns an escort (6)

DUENNA = NUDE* + AN<

2. City of pagans exiles two leaders (6)

ATHENS = (-he)ATHENS

3. Actor finished behind supporting member (6)

RAFTER = acto(R) + AFTER

4. Acquaintances of Sith leader eliminated after interior breakdown (4)

KITH = (-s)ITH + brea(K)down

6. Lincoln finally shot to support wrongdoers (4)

ABE = ABE + sho(T)

7. Wheel re-assembled into electric weapon (5)

TASER = RESAT<

11. Some emperors are cross with disease (5)

TSARS = T + SARS

12. Remark recursively, about 0.318309886... (5)

OPINE = ONE over PI...nice!

16. Tasty concoction that's half decent went missing from producing temptation (5)

ICING = (-ent)ICING

17. Bird in tortuous gale approaches the end (5)

EAGLE = GALE* + th(E)

19. God accepts each tribute (5)

PAEAN = PAN + EA (abbrev for each)

20. Cool lab mop's messy without scrubbing first (6)

APLOMB = LABMOP*

21. Intrusive mass to demote natural leader (6)

PLUTON = PLUTO (mass to demote) + (N)atural

22. Central Intelligence Agency infiltrated by rogue bug (6)

CICADA = CIA + CAD

25. Expression to abbreviate lists, principally (2,2)

ETAL = (E)xpression (T)o (A)bbreviate (L)ists

27. Upset eye-roll (4)

REEL = LEER<

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    $\begingroup$ I think 8 down should be 12 down. $\endgroup$
    – Caltor
    Jun 4, 2020 at 13:55
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    $\begingroup$ Grr...you're right. The editor renumbered everything for me, and I knew Deusovi was on the puzzle so I had limited time .-) Will fix now. $\endgroup$
    – Jeremy Dover
    Jun 4, 2020 at 13:57
  • $\begingroup$ Haha well it takes cryptic to a whole new level :D $\endgroup$
    – Caltor
    Jun 4, 2020 at 21:12
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I haven't been able to figure out a few of the clues, and some of the breakdowns I don't understand. Even for the ones I do have written in, a lot of the indicators don't make sense to me, or don't seem to grammatically apply to their things they modify -- I could be mis-parsing some of the clues.

The grid, as far as I've been able to solve it:

enter image description here

Clue explanations:

enter image description here

And, reading the blue squares gives the setter's favorite anime:

"DARKER THAN BLACK". (Though, since the setter is apparently a bird, perhaps it should be Ducker Than Black? (..."than quack"?))

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    $\begingroup$ Was writing my answers as you solved it :-) Sorry for duplicate. $\endgroup$
    – Jeremy Dover
    Jun 4, 2020 at 3:14
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    $\begingroup$ @JeremyDover No need to apologize - your answer is more complete than mine! +1. $\endgroup$
    – Deusovi ♦
    Jun 4, 2020 at 3:18
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    $\begingroup$ @shoover I've just realised you're using ROT13 to avoid spoilers in comments... nice! I was trying to figure out how ROT13 was part of the clue. Duh! It would be cool if StackExchange built rot13 into the comment feature or another way of hiding spoilers. $\endgroup$
    – Caltor
    Jun 10, 2020 at 17:37
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    $\begingroup$ @Caltor Yeah, sorry, I was being lazy. Ordinarily I will say rot13(urer'f zl fcbvyre). $\endgroup$
    – shoover
    Jun 10, 2020 at 17:41
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    $\begingroup$ @shoover no worries. Although I was aware of rot13, I'm new around these parts and I don't do an awful lot of puzzling so this is probably a common technique on here. $\endgroup$
    – Caltor
    Jun 10, 2020 at 18:02

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