Opening
Plenoptic
So! From the journal our loyal scribe Akhenaden has been keeping:
Name wise:
Seto is kind of Priest Seto and Seto Kaiba. Like a combo Kaiba. He's attracted to Kisara, but he's Mokuba's older brother. Same basic personality, though.
Ishizu is really more like Priestess Isis, but since I'm also using the goddess Isis the priestess will be referred to as Ishizu to avoid confusion. Ishtar-san is actually very much like Lady Isis, so it's really not that big a deal.
Marik is the good Marik; not the evil freak who tried to kill everyone. He may come in later, but for now it's just Marik Ishtar. He's such a cutie :D
Bakura is the tomb robber, thief king, Yami no Bakura, whatever. Ryou is Ryou Bakura, the good counterpart and Yami no Bakura's host.
Shaadi is the Egyptian stalker who goes into people's souls.
Noah is a Kaiba, Gozaboro Kaiba's biological son. I believe he was from the Battle City arc. I like this kid, I had to use him.
Yugi is kind of like Yugi Mutou and Atemu put together. In the story (I'm giving it away), Yugi's Soul has suffered trauma and thus was split in two, creating Atemu for use in stressful situations like battles.
Hassan is the spirit who helped Atemu in the last season in the battle against Zorc Necrophades.
Kisara I'm hoping no one is confused about. The only difference in her character is that she does not have the dragons and is actually the highest ranked angel. She is attracted to Seto (madly) but can't open up for risk of tilting the Equilibrium.
The Ranks:
In descending order of strength (strongest to weakest), the ranks are as follows:
Demons: Devil (Seto), Depravity (Bakura), Sinner (Marik), Guardian (Mahado), Fate (Shaadi), Spirit (Ishizu), and Demon (Mana).
Angels (the actual ranks of angel according to my dictionary; Seraphim and Cherubim are not used): Throne (Kisara), Domination (Hassan), Virtue (Yugi), Power (Noah), Principality (Mokuba), Archangel (Ryou), and Angel (Shizuka).
The Gods:
The Egyptian gods are the big guns in this series and are portrayed as humans for ease of imagination.
Seth is the Egyptian Lord of Chaos and the youngest brother. He reigns over the seven demons, or Bringers of Darkness.
Hathor is the younger sister, the goddess of all things good in life: music, alcohol, sexuality, fertility, etc (just kidding about the all things good). She is also a mother goddess.
Osiris is basically the King. He is the God of the Afterlife, of death, of rebirth, etc. He is the eldest brother of Seth, Hathor, and Isis. He rules over the angels.
Isis is the eldest sister and is the Mother goddess, especially of kings.
Horus is, for all intents and purposes, just Osiris and Isis's young son in this fic (yes, the Egyptians believed that the gods actually reproduced with their siblings. Go figure, I guess a lot of religions do that). He'll be portrayed as a child and is often referred to as the Prince.
The Equilibrium of Which They Speak:
Rule I: Osiris has seven angels; Seth has seven demons. Together they create an Equilibrium that keeps the human world from becoming too pure or too evil.
Rule II: Each angel has a Soul; each demon has an Abyss. This is what makes them unshakable in their role in the Equilibrium.
Rule III: If an angel fills a demon's Abyss (s/he essentially becomes obsessed with him/her to the point where Seth is no longer her/his priority), then the Equilibrium will shift to the Light and Osiris will release Ka to feed on the souls of sinners in the human world.
Rule IV: If a demons steals an angel's Soul (s/he becomes obsessed with him/her to the point where Osiris is no longer her/his priority), then the Equilibrium will shift to the Dark and Seth will release Ka to wreak havoc in the human world.
Rule V: Two demons are permitted to develop feelings for one another, but because both are empty, they cannot fill one another's Abyss.
Rule VI: Two angels are permitted to develop feelings for one another, but because both are full, they cannot take one another's Soul.
Rule VII: If a demon steals an angel's Soul as the angel fills the demon's Abyss, then a state of Divine Equilibrium will be created and the human world will forever be not completely pure and not completely evil--balanced. The angels and demons will released from their contract with the gods and permitted to go on to the Afterlife.
Where the Relationships Stand:
Seto and Kisara, though attracted to one another, are reluctant to intermingle lest the Equilibrium be unbalanced. They could be planning something…
Seto and Mokuba, though brothers, have a very estranged relationship. Their father was a demon and their mother was an angel, creating a demon and an angel within their two sons. Seto has distanced himself from Mokuba for fear that his Abyss may be filled.
Seto, Noah, and Mokuba are brothers, though it is unclear how Noah is related to them. Seth and Osiris know the truth but haven't let Seto and Mokuba in on it yet.
Bakura and Ryou-- Bakura seems intent upon pursuing Ryou, probably in an attempt to steal his Soul. Doesn't explain the strange attraction Ryou feels for him…
Misc
Demons:
Seto--the Devil. He's close to Bakura and Marik, looks up to Mahado, fights with Mana, and is often scolded by Ishizu. It's safe to say that he gets along pretty well with everyone. He feels his Abyss is threatened by Kisara, Mokuba, Noah, and even Yugi. He became the highest ranked demon not through maliciousness, but through power alone.
Bakura--the Depravity. He seems close to Seto and Marik, but seems to think Mahado is better suited to be an angel. Surprisingly, he actually gets along well with Mana; she may a bit of a little sister to him. He doesn't have any particular relationship with Ishizu, but that may change. Wonder what his attraction is to Ryou…and he hates Yugi.
Marik--the Sinner. He's good friends with Seto and Bakura. Long ago he and Ishizu seemed to be 'involved', and they still feel the aftereffects of their split. He treats Mana like a squirt and argues with Mahado a lot. He doesn't trust Yugi and believes Kisara is an enchantress rather than an angel, and is constantly trying to break Seto's infatuation with her. He once tried to steal Shizuka's Soul.
Mahado--the Guardian. He's closest to Ishizu--there may even be feelings there--and treats Seto and Mana like his younger siblings. The darkness in Bakura's heart alarms him, and often clashes heads with Marik on several ethnic bases. He actually harbors a deep trust for Yugi but has managed to retain his Abyss. In times of relative peace, he's been a victim of Mokuba and Noah's pranks.
Shaadi--the Fate. He has no personal attachment to neither demons nor angels, but somehow doesn't seem completely loyal to either of the gods. He seems to be pulling for Seto and Kisara. It could be that his true goal is simply to move on to the Afterlife, but the Divine Equilibrium must be achieved before he can. His objectives really are mysterious.
Ishizu--the Spirit. She seems close to everyone with the exception of Shaadi, though her relationship with Marik is currently strained. She is a bit of a mother to Mana. She actually gets along well with all of the angels as well, and is seen in battle very infrequently. Seth keeps her due to her powers of foresight.
Mana--the Demon. Probably the most lovable of Seth's bringers. She blatantly looks up to Mahado and secretly looks up to Seto, but her pride won't let her admit it. She could probably become stronger than all of the demons if she put her mind to it, but she seems most preoccupied with enjoying her already empty existence. Yugi and Mokuba may the biggest threats to her Abyss.
The Angels:
Kisara--the Throne. Even she can't explain her attraction to Seto, but feels that he's not as dark as the others. He's become a very real threat to her Soul. She dutifully watches over her fellow angels, though she feels most comfortable confiding in Hassan, who seems to support her relationship with Seto. None of the demons seem to have any particular feelings of resentment towards her. She is well loved by Shizuka, Mokuba, and Noah.
Hassan--the Domination. Possibly the most violent of the angels, and the only one who doesn't have wings. He protects Yugi and supports Kisara. Somehow he is always the victim of Mokuba and Noah's pranks, but because they never seem to faze him the boys get frustrated and only try harder to throw him off. So really Hassan is his own sanity's downfall. A very mysterious character indeed.
Yugi/Atemu--the Virtue. Have you all been waiting for this one? Due to severe trauma earlier in his existence his Soul was split, so his alter ego Atemu emerges in times of stress. Yugi is incredibly compassionate, even for an angel, and wants nothing more than to release everyone to the Afterlife. He isn't close enough to any of the demons to hope to achieve Divine Equilibrium himself, so he's pulling for Seto and Kisara. He knows he poses a threat to Seto's Abyss so doesn't push their relationship out of respect. Atemu, on the other hand, seems determined to force the Equilibrium to the side of Light…and is thus making advances on Seto's Abyss.
Noah--the Power. I've switched his character up a bit from his personality in the anime. He's a bit more Mokuba-like now. He's undoubtedly closest to Mokuba, and looks for a mother in Kisara. It could be that he pranks Hassan because he looks up to him. He knows he's related to Seto and Mokuba but, like them, doesn't know how.
Mokuba--the Principality. Osiris placed him in a position of higher power in hopes of getting to Seto, but so far it hasn't worked, though Mokuba takes his position seriously and has grown stronger as an angel. He desperately wants to form a stronger relationship with his older brother, but doesn't know how to do so without threatening Seto (who seems to have formed a complex over his Abyss or something). He's very close Noah.
Ryou--the Archangel. As such, it is his duty to retrieve lost souls from the human world. He, like Hassan, seems a bit detached from the other angels. He's both terrified and entranced by Bakura, and seems to think himself as the weakest link, so guards his Soul almost obsessively.
Shizuka--the Angel. Sorry, she came out to be a bit of a brat. She looks up to Kisara very much, and is constantly annoyed by Mokuba and Noah. Hassan scares her, and Ryou weirds her out. She's a bit hard to please. Though she'd never tell Kisara, she harbors a crush on Seto, and is constantly struggling with the fact that she may lose her Soul to him. She's good friends with Yugi, and more annoys than angers the demons (Bakura and Marik in particular).