improvking | IC Inbox (ryslig)

[ The Ring-Spirit has to think about the question, because he's not sure himself at first - he can feel hunger, but is it his or Ryou's? It only takes a moment for some particular instinct to kick in though, and tell him he won't need to feed for a while still. It's only Ryou's hunger he feels right now. ]

Mm, I'm good. If you need someone to finish what's left I could eat - [ or, wait, is that why Ryou's asking? ] - or, if you don't have to kill to feed, I don't have to finish them off either, uh. ...Why?

[ He notices the door too then, and makes for it, feeling a sense of relief that it might offer an out for an oddly awkward moment (really, considering how heavy the rest of this little jaunt out has been, why is being asked if he's hungry what feels awkward,,) ]

It's not important, I just...

[Ryou trails off, glancing down with their shared eyes once the Ring-Spirit stops at the door. It's probably a distracting motion.

Very much like the distraction of their vocal timbre altering with each back-and-forth. The Ring-Spirit, after all, is just in a facsimile of Ryou's body. That's how it'd always been--Ryou's voice, twisted into something colder, often even crueler.

He doesn't think of it in those kinds of terms much anymore, but there's still a part of him deep down that remembers and fears. Buried deep, so no one can feel it but himself.

All of that is, of course, irrelevant to the reason he'd asked in the first place.]

I wanted to make sure that you know...I could share. That's all. Though, I don't have to kill to feed. It's just harder sometimes. I don't always get it right.

[ The sudden glance down, the reminder he's not alone in this body - it's not nearly as distracting for the Ring-Spirit as it could be. It's more reassuring than anything else; for him, body-sharing is his (old, admittedly) normal, it's being separate that's strange and disquieting. If he notices Ryou's deeply rooted fear, he mistakes it for something else.

He smiles crookedly, hoping to share the comfort he's feeling. When he replies, his voice is still a colder version of Ryou's - but there's also a warmth to it. A different warmth from Ryou's own, something new from the last time they'd shared a body. ]

Don't worry. I'll take care of whatever I need to - whether it's leftovers, or talking down someone sorely disappointed that they weren't eaten~. H-heheheh...

[ If the chuckle sounds a tad unhinged, well - he can only change so much.

He steps into Dyster before either of them can dither in the doorway further. ]

[The smile doesn't quite slip off their face...partly because the Ring-Spirit is curbing Ryou's negative feelings somewhat, just by being who he is.

And by sharing some more positive associations. The Ring-Spirit likes this connection...and it translates across to Ryou through their bond. The way he speaks...even with that unsettling laughter that bubbles up in their chest, it can never be the same as things back home.

Hell, Ryou would never have been able to feel this anyway. Unlike Yugi and Atem, he was never left any control. It was all or nothing.

So, he doesn't pull back the smile, because it's different. He lets it linger because the Ring-Spirit is offering to clean up whatever mess Ryou leaves. And...as soon as they're in Dyster, Ryou lets out a sigh of utter relief, reveling in the sensation of his god's domain closing in around him. Their feathers fluff up contentedly, despite Ryou not taking full control from the spirit yet.

For just a moment...he doesn't feel like he's cursed. Sad, perhaps. But...better than knowing he's no good and having to accept it.]

I'll try not to make you work too hard...

[Ryou decides not to be a prim and proper gentleman, and shoves his clawed feet under the kotatsu to take up as much heat as possible. He wants it. He wants to be warm and comforted, even if he's struggling to believe he deserves as much. It comes and goes, despite the fact that he knows very well that what he's done shall pass sooner than later...just like everything else that happens in Ryslig...right? Even Javert had been accepted after what he'd done.

When the Ring-Spirit slides the pad over, and Ryou sees what he wrote...his heart feels as if it skips uncomfortably.]

I wouldn't have wanted you there. Everyone I ran into, I fought them. Even other Fog followers. Humans. Everyone.

...I didn't want to fight you, Spirit.

[ The Ring-Spirit responds instinctively. ]

I 'ouldem 'a pawed ba -

Edited 2023-03-03 22:58 (UTC)

[ - Then the Ring-Spirit pauses, actually thinking about what the two of them are saying to each other; and, reluctantly, with some chagrin, he thinks he sees the problem. He quickly notes

fair enough

on the edge of the page with a wry expression, then turns the writing around to face Ryou. ]

Edited 2023-03-03 23:00 (UTC)

[ He keeps writing after that, however, first crossing out the apology and then continuing with

but know I wouldn't mind. if you ever fight me, no matter the reason, don't feel obligated to regret it. if you do, I get it, but if you don't that's ok. it's always ok.

When he spins the pad around again for Ryou to read, he reaches over for one of Ryou's oversized hands to give it a squeeze. He smiles somewhat helplessly at him; honestly, after everything, he deserves to have Ryou kick his ass, and he'll never quite know what to do with the fact that just doing so would make Ryou feel worse. ]

[ The Ring-Spirit can sense the subtle shift in their feedback loop - he's not sure if it's because of anything he's said, or simply because of the comfort of being within the safety of Dyster, but he's pleased to note the shift regardless of cause.

As for Ryou's comment: ]

H-heh... unnecessary, but appreciated~.

[ He takes a moment to look around, wanting to be certain he's found a human Dysterite and not merely a human-looking monster Fog-follower... Fortunately the Dysterites tend to congregate together near the central bonfire, so they're simple enough to locate.

He interrupts one dancing with a quick tap on the shoulder. ]

...My friend's hungry, you mind?

[Ryou can't help but smile wryly himself, upon reading all of that. But even as he does...his fingers twitch in a modicum of movement under the Ring-Spirit's hold. Acknowledgement, perhaps. He doesn't mind the contact at all.]

You know me well enough, Spirit. You know...I regret a great many things.

[He breathes out a slow, achingly heavy breath.]

I told Atem I wouldn't regret this. For the most part I don't, but...it's hard not to feel as if all I've done is cause pain to people who don't really deserve it. I know that things could have been worse, and that some enjoyed their time as a shade. It's not all bad.

I just can't stop fully being who I am and pretending that it didn't affect me, I suppose. Or...pretend that I enjoyed hurting my friends.

[Or, though he doesn't say it aloud, pretend that death didn't hurt every time it happened.]

First, I'm indebted for your help with Jeannette. We reconciled before she [ pixellated and fell apart in saint-germain's arms offstage, smiling that she got to see her angel again, if only for a little while, and telling her she'll be waiting for angel-sama in heaven ] departed.

But I also had a question regarding a conversation you had on the RSDOS. With Akaba Reira, about [ forget "cringe is dead" - in symphogear, cringe was never even conceived, so she's able to type, with a straight face: ] card games.

[ aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAA,,, ]

card games.

[ Why is this his life. Why the card games. Why must they follow him. He should never have indulged Kaiba or Marik in their obsession.]

glad you two made up at least.

[ He almost types "seemed silly to get so bent out of shape over feeding" but actually manages to think better of it.

Still. Why card games? ]

Edited (html) 2023-06-15 00:54 (UTC)

Thank you.

It seems a certain game had great power in your world. As part of my research into extant energy sources outside Ryslig, I'd like to know more.

[ Is this why Ra's-Manifestations-Are-What-Is-Right-And-True Atem sees the world as a game...? They were of tantamount importance....?! Can the game assist in revolting against oppression...?? ]

ah. yeah, it seems it worked that way.

I'm admittedly not an expert on the card games. those were never my main thing. I know a bit more about the system they were originally inspired by, but...

Anything in particular you wanted to know?

[ Maybe looking at things as "shoptalk" would help... he does enjoy talking magic theory... ]

That history, please. And whether their power was enough to surpass gods.

[ saint-germain wishes to attack the mods directly for 8000 damage ]

[ Oh, their origin is more his speed. Good.

Well, maybe more of a mixed bag. Good, because the subject in general is more fun for him, less good because now he has to dwell on the fact that he definitely lost his last big game, one he'd put so much effort and hopes into... (he reminds himself that's a good thing, if he'd won awful things would have happened to people he cares about). ]

I'll start with the last bit. I can't say I'm 100% certain of it, because it happened after my own memories of home were interrupted by Ryslig; but I have good reason to believe they did. apparently all of reality, including myself, was eventually divided up between four cards as a stop-gap against me. it sounds like I was ultimately stopped for good by being forcibly incarnated as a mortal, which... I admit I don't know how much the card game was involved in that one. but the last thing I remember before coming here, I was playing another game, and admittedly the card games had become the default format for all struggles of magic and will between individuals... unfortunately. I had no idea the entire world was reshaping to revolve around the game like that, but I suppose I should have realized.

Edited (spelling) 2023-06-17 20:58 (UTC)

[ Hm... the origin of the game though. That'll be more fun to talk about. ]

the base system of the game was born back in Kemet, or "ancient Egypt" for you. mortals have two types of life energy within them: the ka and the ba. with enough strong emotion or will, the ka can evolve to become its own spirit; with deeply strong emotions, particularly hatred, this spirit can ascend to godhood itself, all while staying beholden to its mortal originator. if twisted by darkness, this new god risks becoming a demon instead; but a strong will can keep the god true to a more noble form. (truthfully the line between god and demon is how polite you feel like being, but I digress.)

even without ascending to full godhood however, ka can become very powerful. a mortal can expend their ba to summon their ka to the physical plane. some priests discovered they could also summon other people's ka, if they first separated that ka from its host and bound it to a tablet of stone. summoning your own ka opens you up to death should that ka take too much damage - every blow to it translates in some way to your own self, after all. summoning stolen, bound ka however, negated this risk to themselves.

the card game was eventually inspired by this method of pitting stolen ka against each other, using cards to represent the stone slabs; also using cards to represent casting spells and springing traps. I suppose the old magic carried over by way of sympathetic contagion? eventually. the card game was originally quite mundane, but any game could be empowered by playing it with the Shadows as arbiters. the cards simply got very popular with the people who ended up wielding the Items which best invoked the Shadows.

[ This is the second encounter with sympathetic magic she's had recently. Two instances do not guarantee a connection, but the fact that similar forces are at work in Ryslig - how else to explain Mana the Coin Witch's spells? - it's a sliver of possibility. What's more...

It's two recent encounters. But across her whole lifespan? It's three. ]

Microcosm and macrocosm. A tenet of alchemy. Which, in my world, also had its roots in ancient Egypt. Humanity's memory is short.

[ A ritual of self-knowledge and empowerment, turned to a card game....Saint-Germain is also familiar with the concepts of "ba" and "ka", though in her world's history they took slightly different forms. In spite of this, the form and function of the powers at work are easily grasped. ]

In any case, your explanation clarifies and unites the information I've gathered about your world. Thank you. I have reason to presume the capacity for similarly sympathetic magic in Ryslig is worth pursuing.

[ Not necessarily with trading cards, but...

Though. This really does explain so much. Why Ra's-Manifestations-Are-What-Is-Right-And-True Atem had been the proper pharaoh to deal with this danger. Why he thinks of the world in terms of games.

And he's not the only one. She has a memory that isn't her memory, from the Pale Fog. Of a Richard that was not Richard. And a task it was bent on having her complete. ]

Your preferred game requires a custom board, does it not.

indeed! and acting "in character"... I find simulated worlds and personalities much more interesting than card games. roleplaying taps into the well of creativity so much more.

[ ...He's assuming she's talking about Monster World. Not like she could know anything about that other one after all; he only used it for the one game. ]

[ Is he feigning ignorance?

....It doesn't matter. She's gotten an idea, and wishes to pursue it. Regardless of his former ideals, his goal had been nothing less than an altering of the fabric of reality. Saint-Germain shares that level of ambition. Thus... ]

Does that game style aid in sympathetic magic?

[ ...? ]

I suppose it depends on what you're trying to do... I will say there's more room to play around with the effects you want than there is with card games.

Why?

[ Did she find out he used to seal the souls of Ryou's friends into their game figurines. Is he in trouble. ]

Mana the Coin Witch's magic is sympathetic. If Ryslig already has similar systems in place, another might be introduced with minimal notice. We could gather power in the shadows.

It merits experimenting.

[ He stops to really consider that statement - would he consider Mana's magic sympathetic? Hm... the ritual he'd used to recover his family, would he call that 'sympathetic' magic? ...Maybe. It relied on old traditions from Kemet, which... were probably sympathetic in nature themselves, now that he considers them from that angle... ]

I have a lot of experience with improvised sympathetic rituals. I'd like to help.

[ Even if it means he has to explain the second shadow rpg... welp, he might as well look at it from the angle of "when else would he get to explain the system he'd come up with to anyone?" ]

It's appreciated.

[ He's not a comrade. Can't be a comrade, as their ideals differ too strongly. But Saint-Germain believes that Richard's goals and hers align sufficiently for an alliance, and his perspective always provokes thought. They are not comrades. But she respects him. Values his input.

Feels her weight lift slightly to have him by her side. ]

yo brotha if i getchu some red bean paste from the konbini you think you can add it as a flavor fer the taikayi this year?

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<GODKING> 1/?

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<countvoncount> way to make me want an au where ynb is stopped by becoming a thief king modern au

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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, GODKING. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 013.00.020.01 * GODKING has joined 013.00.020.01 <GODKING> for questions about Choose the Fog, contact < Fritvælge > <GODKING> for complaints about Choose the Fog, contact < TRUTH1223 > <GODKING>** otherwise have at it.