i have mentioned before but my idea for saiou is that hes not a true prophet here. he doesnt actually have visions and he cant make true divinations, but he keeps up a very believable act of it. what he actually does is make somewhat vague but quite correct guesses/predictions based on observable behaviours and knowledge (so while he can never predict if something that has no observable factors is going to happen, he can make a pretty accurate guess on what a person will do if he has the data necessary), thats the purpose of the "crystal ball" - its actually a sort of spherical monitor/device that shows information/stats relevant to what he needs (like duelist data or physiological info). bc of this ability of his and his skills at manipulating/tricking others leo kinda takes him as a strategist n stuff. while my arcv!saiou never came into contact w the light and thus was never possessed, i still decided that keeping a mostly light/white colour scheme was fitting. i also chose to use silver instead of gold not only bc i wanted to recall leos uniform even more (including the purples) but also because gold really doesnt suit him being honest. last bit is that bc he doesnt do divination he uses play tarots instead with french suits fitting right into leos theme
as for ryo hes kinda like hell kaiser in a way. without the shock collars tho leo is smart enough to not put one of his strongest duelist-soldiers into direct danger like that. hes an obelisk but he ranks higher than the standard OTF duelist, placing him probably right under the commander in chief (edo) in the hierarchy but edo probably treated him more like an equal and would ask/consider ryos input. hes not like cruel to the bone but hes very #autism and low empathy so even when he tries to do something that by his standards is nice people just get scared of him. fun design detail is the design on his suit predicts his future aka the fact he dies and gets autopsied (i chose the Y autopsy cut for him bc 1. looks cool 2. i cant have two characters with a straight vertical cut like that lol toshio and ryo are already very similar..)
i also imagine that saiou would be a bit more sheltered from the events of the invasion n all. like he knows due to being a strategist but to him its just numbers and statistics. probably never carded anybody. which is great contrast to edo and ryos direct involvement on the battlefield. especially ryos; edo might have been involved but i think he still was more detached from it than your normal OTF duelist that was actually doing most of the carding. edo probably only ever went after the strong ones or the ones that called his interest in any way. ryo was down there in the trenches carding everybody who came into contact with him, he has the highest carding stat because of how much he did it. which ultimately is why his heart gave out. too much physical stress with little to no proper rest or nutrition and im sure RSV isnt exactly good for your health either. assuming leo and academia pushed him to his limits in other ways, while he doesnt duel with shock collars he was TRAINED with them. not with that same high voltage but for an extended enough period to do damage that combined with everything else got to him
i was thinking about the scars gx ryo would have earlier today. luckily im personally acquainted with the kind of scars that heart surgery can leave you with so! he gets those!
