All I want is freedom
[IC Information]
Character Name: Bakura Ryou
Series: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Species: Human
Appearance: Ryou is a teenage boy of average height with long white hair and large, dark brown eyes. He isn’t exactly frail, but his slender build, fluffy hair, pale skin, and handsome (okay, less handsome and more downright pretty) facial features do little to dispel that image. Faded scars from various misadventures litter his body here and there, most notably a recent one from a stab wound on his upper left arm.
He wears a blue and white striped t-shirt under an open blue Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up, jeans, and sneakers. If you look carefully, you may be able to see the outline of the Millennium Ring hidden beneath his shirt. The Ring is a gold pendant about the size of Ryou’s hand that hangs from a leather cord around his neck. A pyramid marked with the Eye of Horus is in the Ring’s center, and five pointers dangle from the bottom and sides.
Personality: Ryou is a quiet, introverted young man who tends to stay in the background more often than not. This is in part due to a natural shyness, but also a result of him conditioning himself not to get close to people, for their own protection. He greatly cherishes the friends he does have, and is far more grateful for their presence than he could possibly say.
He is almost unerringly polite, with a kind, gentle spirit. Ryou has a very self-sacrificing nature, willing to surrender his safety or happiness for the greater good. He’d rather keep his own problems bottled up rather than trouble someone else with them, and he fears being used to hurt people, especially those he cares about.
On the other side of the coin, Ryou is vulnerable to emotional manipulation. He is a convenient target for a predator willing to work past his defenses and convince him that he doesn’t have to be lonely anymore, so long as he stays with them.
He enjoys playing Duel Monsters and tabletop RPGs, especially one called Monster World. Somewhat surprisingly, he’s also a bit of a horror fan, though he greatly prefers spine-tingling hauntings and inexplicable phenomena to psychopathic serial killers and unmitigated bloodbaths. He is fascinated with the occult, knowing firsthand that there are far greater things in this world than are dreamt of in most philosophies.
One other characteristic of note is his habit of writing letters to his dead sister. He tends to keep this a secret, both because discussing her and his mother’s death is still very painful for him, and because he’s afraid of people misunderstanding his reasons. He accepts the fact that Amane is dead, yet he believes that she can still read his words in Heaven. The letter-writing is more of a way for him to cope with his grief than anything else.
History: Ryou spent his childhood living with his mother, an emigrated English librarian, his father, a renowned archaeologist and the owner of the Domino Museum, and his beloved little sister, Amane. When his father came home from a dig in Egypt one day, he gave the then-8-year-old Ryou a curious souvenir: the Millennium Ring. He explained that the merchant who had sold it to him claimed that despite its ancient age, the Ring had some connection to Duel Monsters, a hugely popular card game that Ryou was interested in. He said that he thought Ryou was destined to have the Ring, but neither of them had any idea how right he was at the time.
From then on, Ryou seemed to have some sort of twisted guardian angel. He somehow survived the car crash that killed his mother and sister when he was 12, and any bullies or teachers that harassed him tended to fall into inexplicable comas shortly afterward. That was worrying enough, but Ryou’s friends started to suffer similar fates as well. Fearing for the safety of his remaining friends and his father (who had been devastated by losing his wife and daughter and had begun to throw himself more and more into his work to cope), Ryou transferred schools and apartments several times, eventually settling down at Domino High School. There, he met Yugi Motou, who had a very similar pendant to the one Ryou wore: an inverted gold pyramid with an Eye of Horus in the center, called the Millennium Puzzle. The Ring reacted strangely to the Puzzle’s presence, and Ryou himself experienced searing chest pains when he touched it.
Back at his apartment that evening, Ryou was horrified when he suddenly heard a voice in his head. But he hadn’t gone crazy-the voice belonged to the spirit of an ancient Egyptian tomb robber that had been sealed inside the Millennium Ring 3,000 years ago. With Ryou as his host body, he could once again interact with the outside world, and he was willing to do anything to keep it that way. Not only had he been responsible for saving Ryou’s life during that car crash, but he had also been the one who had been putting all those people into comas by sealing their souls inside the lead miniatures Ryou used for his Monster World campaigns. That way, Ryou could play with them forever in a twisted perversion of his wish for companionship. But now that he had found another Millennium Item, one of a set of seven artifacts that granted their owners various arcane Shadow powers, the Spirit of the Ring was done with quietly “paying rent” and letting Ryou live his life more or less unaware of his presence. He was going to take the Puzzle for himself, and Ryou was going to help him.
Ryou, naturally, had no intention of going along with the insane plan, but the Spirit of the Ring, who by now had become Ryou’s own darker half, wasn’t about to let that stop him. Although Ryou fought against his other self’s control at every opportunity, the Spirit of the Millennium Ring frequently took over his body, attacking his friends and wreaking havoc on anyone who stood in his way. The only concern he appeared to have for his host was keeping his body unharmed, but even that concession could be forfeited if it suited his needs. Case in point: the Battle City tournament, where the Spirit of the Ring stabbed himself in the arm in order to facilitate a newfound ally named Malik’s gambit to get closer to Yugi and his friends and strike while they were vulnerable.
Ryou continued to suffer throughout the rest of the tournament. Rather than allow his body to recover from its injury, his other self dueled his way into the finals, where he faced off against Yugi. Ryou only became aware of this when he woke up to find himself on top of a blimp, with his arm in agonizing pain and a gigantic dragon god monster ready to strike him down. The Spirit of the Ring had been backed into a corner, and at Malik’s urging had essentially turned Ryou into a hostage in an attempt to force Yugi to surrender. Ultimately, the Spirit of the Ring chose to take the attack himself rather than risk his host body, but the experience took its toll, and Ryou spent the rest of the tournament practically comatose. At the very least, he was mercifully unconscious when his other self lost a Shadow Game against Malik’s psychotic split personality several hours later, leaving them both trapped in the Shadow Realm until Yugi defeated the other Malik in the championship round, thereby setting his victims free.
A short while after the end of Battle City, Ryou was heading toward the game shop that Yugi’s grandfather owned, wanting to assure everyone that he was recovering well from his ordeal. Along the way, he suddenly felt an odd pressure surround him, followed by a numb dizzy spell. Fearing a relapse of his weakness, he leaned against a nearby tree and closed his eyes for a minute to recover. When he opened them, he found himself in an unfamiliar city, propping himself against a metal sculpture of… a giant lima bean?!
His friends probably would have noticed his disappearance, had they not summarily been distracted by the threat presented by Doma, their leader, Dartz, and their goal to summon an ancient Leviathan to wipe out civilization as we know it.
Supernatural Abilities: Ryou is more of a case of having supernatural potential rather than actual ability. This is due to his (largely justified) fear of his other self gaining even more control over him should he try to tap the Shadow Magic he is heir to as the destined owner of the Millennium Ring.
At the very least, Ryou can detect the presence of magic and spirits, especially those affecting another person. He can also feel the Heart of the Cards, the consciousness and will of his Duel Monsters deck, in order to help him during a Duel.
On a related note, he is in tune with the Shadow Realm, a parallel dimension that is home to the spirits found within each and every Monster card (and quite a few Spell and Trap cards as well) in the game. The Spirit of the Ring can call on these creatures and summon them to the “real” world as needed. Given time and practice, Ryou might also be capable of this feat, but certainly not in his present state.
The Shadow Realm also brings the Shadow Games, a type of magic ritual where a game-any kind of game, with any sort of rules-is played. Those who lose or attempt to cheat are subject to a Punishment Game, which usually steals their soul or shatters their sanity. Again, the Spirit of the Ring is fond of these Games, but Ryou would never dream of inflicting one on another person.
With the city’s dampening effect on people’s magic, what little power Ryou had has been greatly diminished. He can still sense the presence of magic or spirits if he is close by, but whatever contact he had with his deck has been almost completely blocked; out of his entire deck, he can now only “hear” the Change of Heart (his favorite card) or Dark Necrofia (his other self’s strongest monster), and only if he is able to focus his concentration almost solely on their voices.
But most importantly, ever since Ryou arrived in Chicago, the Spirit of the Ring has been completely silent, and Ryou hasn’t been able to sense his presence at all.
Natural Abilities: Ryou has a way with words, which makes him a good storyteller, GM, and pen pal. He’s also a fairly clever strategist, able to keep track of even the craziest plans to ever work as they unfold. He’s well versed in various ancient civilizations, especially Egyptian, thanks in part to his father’s teachings. He’s also picked up a few tricks in stealth and evading security due to his other self’s influence, though he isn’t exactly proud of those gifts.
Possessions: Aside from his clothes, wallet, and phone, Ryou has the Millennium Ring, his Duel Monsters deck and, on a far less magical note, a set of polyhedral dice.
The Ring is a conductor for Shadow Magic and can detect the location of other Millennium Items, though its capabilities have been severely weakened as of late (see Supernatural Abilities). Also, the Ring is rather… clingy toward Ryou. If he is separated from it, it will manage to find its way back to him, one way or another. While the time it takes usually varies, it will be at least several days before it returns to him in Chicago. During this time, Ryou’s powers will be practically nonexistent.
His deck’s theme is based around the occult and preventing his opponents from attacking while he sets up the Destiny Board combo for an instant win. Given the lack of other Duelists in the city and Ryou’s general inability to call on his cards’ powers in the real world, however, the deck itself is relatively harmless. Losing his deck will leave him feeling agitated until he recovers it, however, and if any of his cards are destroyed, especially the two he can communicate with, it will cause him a great deal of harm.
Character Name: Bakura Ryou
Series: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Species: Human
Appearance: Ryou is a teenage boy of average height with long white hair and large, dark brown eyes. He isn’t exactly frail, but his slender build, fluffy hair, pale skin, and handsome (okay, less handsome and more downright pretty) facial features do little to dispel that image. Faded scars from various misadventures litter his body here and there, most notably a recent one from a stab wound on his upper left arm.
He wears a blue and white striped t-shirt under an open blue Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up, jeans, and sneakers. If you look carefully, you may be able to see the outline of the Millennium Ring hidden beneath his shirt. The Ring is a gold pendant about the size of Ryou’s hand that hangs from a leather cord around his neck. A pyramid marked with the Eye of Horus is in the Ring’s center, and five pointers dangle from the bottom and sides.
Personality: Ryou is a quiet, introverted young man who tends to stay in the background more often than not. This is in part due to a natural shyness, but also a result of him conditioning himself not to get close to people, for their own protection. He greatly cherishes the friends he does have, and is far more grateful for their presence than he could possibly say.
He is almost unerringly polite, with a kind, gentle spirit. Ryou has a very self-sacrificing nature, willing to surrender his safety or happiness for the greater good. He’d rather keep his own problems bottled up rather than trouble someone else with them, and he fears being used to hurt people, especially those he cares about.
On the other side of the coin, Ryou is vulnerable to emotional manipulation. He is a convenient target for a predator willing to work past his defenses and convince him that he doesn’t have to be lonely anymore, so long as he stays with them.
He enjoys playing Duel Monsters and tabletop RPGs, especially one called Monster World. Somewhat surprisingly, he’s also a bit of a horror fan, though he greatly prefers spine-tingling hauntings and inexplicable phenomena to psychopathic serial killers and unmitigated bloodbaths. He is fascinated with the occult, knowing firsthand that there are far greater things in this world than are dreamt of in most philosophies.
One other characteristic of note is his habit of writing letters to his dead sister. He tends to keep this a secret, both because discussing her and his mother’s death is still very painful for him, and because he’s afraid of people misunderstanding his reasons. He accepts the fact that Amane is dead, yet he believes that she can still read his words in Heaven. The letter-writing is more of a way for him to cope with his grief than anything else.
History: Ryou spent his childhood living with his mother, an emigrated English librarian, his father, a renowned archaeologist and the owner of the Domino Museum, and his beloved little sister, Amane. When his father came home from a dig in Egypt one day, he gave the then-8-year-old Ryou a curious souvenir: the Millennium Ring. He explained that the merchant who had sold it to him claimed that despite its ancient age, the Ring had some connection to Duel Monsters, a hugely popular card game that Ryou was interested in. He said that he thought Ryou was destined to have the Ring, but neither of them had any idea how right he was at the time.
From then on, Ryou seemed to have some sort of twisted guardian angel. He somehow survived the car crash that killed his mother and sister when he was 12, and any bullies or teachers that harassed him tended to fall into inexplicable comas shortly afterward. That was worrying enough, but Ryou’s friends started to suffer similar fates as well. Fearing for the safety of his remaining friends and his father (who had been devastated by losing his wife and daughter and had begun to throw himself more and more into his work to cope), Ryou transferred schools and apartments several times, eventually settling down at Domino High School. There, he met Yugi Motou, who had a very similar pendant to the one Ryou wore: an inverted gold pyramid with an Eye of Horus in the center, called the Millennium Puzzle. The Ring reacted strangely to the Puzzle’s presence, and Ryou himself experienced searing chest pains when he touched it.
Back at his apartment that evening, Ryou was horrified when he suddenly heard a voice in his head. But he hadn’t gone crazy-the voice belonged to the spirit of an ancient Egyptian tomb robber that had been sealed inside the Millennium Ring 3,000 years ago. With Ryou as his host body, he could once again interact with the outside world, and he was willing to do anything to keep it that way. Not only had he been responsible for saving Ryou’s life during that car crash, but he had also been the one who had been putting all those people into comas by sealing their souls inside the lead miniatures Ryou used for his Monster World campaigns. That way, Ryou could play with them forever in a twisted perversion of his wish for companionship. But now that he had found another Millennium Item, one of a set of seven artifacts that granted their owners various arcane Shadow powers, the Spirit of the Ring was done with quietly “paying rent” and letting Ryou live his life more or less unaware of his presence. He was going to take the Puzzle for himself, and Ryou was going to help him.
Ryou, naturally, had no intention of going along with the insane plan, but the Spirit of the Ring, who by now had become Ryou’s own darker half, wasn’t about to let that stop him. Although Ryou fought against his other self’s control at every opportunity, the Spirit of the Millennium Ring frequently took over his body, attacking his friends and wreaking havoc on anyone who stood in his way. The only concern he appeared to have for his host was keeping his body unharmed, but even that concession could be forfeited if it suited his needs. Case in point: the Battle City tournament, where the Spirit of the Ring stabbed himself in the arm in order to facilitate a newfound ally named Malik’s gambit to get closer to Yugi and his friends and strike while they were vulnerable.
Ryou continued to suffer throughout the rest of the tournament. Rather than allow his body to recover from its injury, his other self dueled his way into the finals, where he faced off against Yugi. Ryou only became aware of this when he woke up to find himself on top of a blimp, with his arm in agonizing pain and a gigantic dragon god monster ready to strike him down. The Spirit of the Ring had been backed into a corner, and at Malik’s urging had essentially turned Ryou into a hostage in an attempt to force Yugi to surrender. Ultimately, the Spirit of the Ring chose to take the attack himself rather than risk his host body, but the experience took its toll, and Ryou spent the rest of the tournament practically comatose. At the very least, he was mercifully unconscious when his other self lost a Shadow Game against Malik’s psychotic split personality several hours later, leaving them both trapped in the Shadow Realm until Yugi defeated the other Malik in the championship round, thereby setting his victims free.
A short while after the end of Battle City, Ryou was heading toward the game shop that Yugi’s grandfather owned, wanting to assure everyone that he was recovering well from his ordeal. Along the way, he suddenly felt an odd pressure surround him, followed by a numb dizzy spell. Fearing a relapse of his weakness, he leaned against a nearby tree and closed his eyes for a minute to recover. When he opened them, he found himself in an unfamiliar city, propping himself against a metal sculpture of… a giant lima bean?!
His friends probably would have noticed his disappearance, had they not summarily been distracted by the threat presented by Doma, their leader, Dartz, and their goal to summon an ancient Leviathan to wipe out civilization as we know it.
Supernatural Abilities: Ryou is more of a case of having supernatural potential rather than actual ability. This is due to his (largely justified) fear of his other self gaining even more control over him should he try to tap the Shadow Magic he is heir to as the destined owner of the Millennium Ring.
At the very least, Ryou can detect the presence of magic and spirits, especially those affecting another person. He can also feel the Heart of the Cards, the consciousness and will of his Duel Monsters deck, in order to help him during a Duel.
On a related note, he is in tune with the Shadow Realm, a parallel dimension that is home to the spirits found within each and every Monster card (and quite a few Spell and Trap cards as well) in the game. The Spirit of the Ring can call on these creatures and summon them to the “real” world as needed. Given time and practice, Ryou might also be capable of this feat, but certainly not in his present state.
The Shadow Realm also brings the Shadow Games, a type of magic ritual where a game-any kind of game, with any sort of rules-is played. Those who lose or attempt to cheat are subject to a Punishment Game, which usually steals their soul or shatters their sanity. Again, the Spirit of the Ring is fond of these Games, but Ryou would never dream of inflicting one on another person.
With the city’s dampening effect on people’s magic, what little power Ryou had has been greatly diminished. He can still sense the presence of magic or spirits if he is close by, but whatever contact he had with his deck has been almost completely blocked; out of his entire deck, he can now only “hear” the Change of Heart (his favorite card) or Dark Necrofia (his other self’s strongest monster), and only if he is able to focus his concentration almost solely on their voices.
But most importantly, ever since Ryou arrived in Chicago, the Spirit of the Ring has been completely silent, and Ryou hasn’t been able to sense his presence at all.
Natural Abilities: Ryou has a way with words, which makes him a good storyteller, GM, and pen pal. He’s also a fairly clever strategist, able to keep track of even the craziest plans to ever work as they unfold. He’s well versed in various ancient civilizations, especially Egyptian, thanks in part to his father’s teachings. He’s also picked up a few tricks in stealth and evading security due to his other self’s influence, though he isn’t exactly proud of those gifts.
Possessions: Aside from his clothes, wallet, and phone, Ryou has the Millennium Ring, his Duel Monsters deck and, on a far less magical note, a set of polyhedral dice.
The Ring is a conductor for Shadow Magic and can detect the location of other Millennium Items, though its capabilities have been severely weakened as of late (see Supernatural Abilities). Also, the Ring is rather… clingy toward Ryou. If he is separated from it, it will manage to find its way back to him, one way or another. While the time it takes usually varies, it will be at least several days before it returns to him in Chicago. During this time, Ryou’s powers will be practically nonexistent.
His deck’s theme is based around the occult and preventing his opponents from attacking while he sets up the Destiny Board combo for an instant win. Given the lack of other Duelists in the city and Ryou’s general inability to call on his cards’ powers in the real world, however, the deck itself is relatively harmless. Losing his deck will leave him feeling agitated until he recovers it, however, and if any of his cards are destroyed, especially the two he can communicate with, it will cause him a great deal of harm.