[Ryou shouldn't have been hurt this badly. Atem understood the house-rules, from his encounter with the deer kid -- family doesn't fight!
But, apparently, when there's a chance to cause horror and suffering, those rules don't matter...even when it's another monster, and not a NPC...
...in a situation like that, how does he win? When people like Steve, like Ryou, can't win, always get hurt...
Who wins, in horror? The final girl, right? She wins and gets away. The monster always loses, eventually. But isn't there always a hint that the monster is still there? And, if a player character's the monster, then is there any guatantee the story ends with its defeat?
Is that it? Is that how you win? Do you win by becoming the worst monster on the peninsula, and once you have nowhere else to go, the game ends?
If nothing else, it may help him survive, until Kaiba finds a way to break back in. It might make people think twice, about burning someone under his protection. Although, it might make Atem enemies too, and his friends might end up targets...that's something to consider.
The shadow tendril curls around his hand. It doesn't surprise him! Atem's paying too much attention to what's around him to miss it.
But it brings the radio-static in his brain down a few notches, like turning down the volume. It's enough to get him to listen to what Ryou is saying, and what he isn't.
Ryou's doing this through pain. Through pain that was allowed, because it would hurt, and horrify.
To be effective...you need to be the one inflicting pain, not the one stopping it.]
Don't worry. I'll stay! Even if I already knew who it was and where to hit them, staying with you is more important right now.
[He has just enough presence of mind not to say, I'll have other chances. Though, now that he's thinking ahout it, about the effective monsters hardly anyone challenges, even when they commit egregious offenses in front of everyone...]
One last question, and then I'll drop the subject! Was he gray, with long hair and big wings?
[Sorry, Ryou. You're just as important as Yugi and Jounouchi. This is a hazard of mattering to Atem!]
no subject
But, apparently, when there's a chance to cause horror and suffering, those rules don't matter...even when it's another monster, and not a NPC...
...in a situation like that, how does he win? When people like Steve, like Ryou, can't win, always get hurt...
Who wins, in horror? The final girl, right? She wins and gets away. The monster always loses, eventually. But isn't there always a hint that the monster is still there? And, if a player character's the monster, then is there any guatantee the story ends with its defeat?
Is that it? Is that how you win? Do you win by becoming the worst monster on the peninsula, and once you have nowhere else to go, the game ends?
If nothing else, it may help him survive, until Kaiba finds a way to break back in. It might make people think twice, about burning someone under his protection. Although, it might make Atem enemies too, and his friends might end up targets...that's something to consider.
The shadow tendril curls around his hand. It doesn't surprise him! Atem's paying too much attention to what's around him to miss it.
But it brings the radio-static in his brain down a few notches, like turning down the volume. It's enough to get him to listen to what Ryou is saying, and what he isn't.
Ryou's doing this through pain. Through pain that was allowed, because it would hurt, and horrify.
To be effective...you need to be the one inflicting pain, not the one stopping it.]
Don't worry. I'll stay! Even if I already knew who it was and where to hit them, staying with you is more important right now.
[He has just enough presence of mind not to say, I'll have other chances. Though, now that he's thinking ahout it, about the effective monsters hardly anyone challenges, even when they commit egregious offenses in front of everyone...]
One last question, and then I'll drop the subject! Was he gray, with long hair and big wings?
[Sorry, Ryou. You're just as important as Yugi and Jounouchi. This is a hazard of mattering to Atem!]