snapshot: Riku

Species: Human

Appearance: Silver hair, kind of long. Tall, pretty fit/built for a teenager. Pale skin.

Smell: To the sensitive: Darkness. It's seeped into his skin, practically. At this point, he has no control of it, and is in fact trying to deny he even has any need of it. It's as though it's lurking just beneath the surface, waiting to start trouble.

Aura: Varying shades of gray, depending on canonpoint. Ask for clarification, but you could probably judge for yourself just based on how he's acting.

Abilities of note: He can "smell" darkness, he can damn well fight, and he's not afraid to kick your ass. He's also a brat right now. So... be warned.

Permissions: In-Character Actions = In-Character Consequences. You do whatever you want, I'll roll with it ICly. If you feel like you want to contact me prior to ~something pivotal~, go for it. ♥

His room is 206, and his key is kept in his pocket. Good luck.

Your Name: Maggie
Your Livejournal: sykkea
Email Address: bellachaotica@gmail.com
AIM: TharianDream
Timezone CST (IT CHANGED. ::SOB:: )
Other Characters Played: Melia, Jacob and Riella.

Character Name: Riku
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Canon or Alternate Universe: AU - Steampunk! Canon events happen pretty much by the book (except for some minor differences), but the whole thing takes place in one world, split up into floating landmasses/islands that you can only travel between by airship or magic, due to the crazy, crazy storms that line the skies. Fashions, of course, will be far more excellent different too. I will specify other differences in other sections as needed.

Canon Point: During Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, after Day 23. Also known as the beginning of his part in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.
Species: Human
Age: 16
Appearance: Seriously, just search google images for "Kingdom Hearts Riku". You get all kinds of stuff.

Of course, he'll be dressed differently. And as posts come up, I'll probably be having an absolute ball googling Steampunk fashions... ♥

Background:

History
The Kingdom Hearts Wiki (that's Riku's character page there) is very, very thorough and detailed. And as stated above, canon events happen the same, save a few things:

• Riku's blindfold isn't to keep him from looking like Ansem (in fact, that's getting cut out entirely) - he actually developed a type of day-blindness from messing around with mist magic in his attempts to grow stronger.
  
• Nobodies are actually called "Soulless". They are clones, and are actually people, instead of "shells" or beings that aren't whole like in actual KH canon. This means that Roxas won't just ~disappear~ and become a ~part~ of Sora. Roxas is his own person.
  
• Xion was another clone of Roxas - in essence, a copy of a copy. As such, she was unstable, and in the end, she fell apart.

Personality
Riku is typically the calm, cool and collected type, especially in the beginning. This by no means implies that he's content to just let things be. With an insatiable curiosity and a willingness to push himself beyond his own limits, Riku often gets himself (or in some cases, the whole damn island) in trouble. Combine that with wanderlust, and Riku is not one to stay confined on a pretty little island for very long, no matter how peaceful it may be...

He's also very competitive, especially with Sora, which probably stemmed from his jealousy of him. It takes the entirety of the first game and his being freed from the clutches of Xehanort's Heartless for him to realize his shortcomings and begin to heal. He even goes as far as accepting his darkness and learning to use it/live with it.

That doesn't mean he doesn't still have a guilt complex about a mile wide. If he screws up, he's more than likely to beat himself up about it for way longer than is strictly necessary. In many cases, regret and the desire to make amends can be a driving force for Riku.

Through everything he's had to face, he has matured greatly. He is a very loyal and protective friend, going the extra mile to do whatever is in his power to keep those he loves safe even when he has to do so in secret.


Reality Description: It's pretty stereotypically steampunk, especially as far as technology is concerned. Magic exists, in basic fire/ice/thunder/air ways.

People live on floating landmasses, all of which are cut off from one another due to violent, impassable storms that line the skies and block all passage. It's been this way for hundreds of years - most don't even think of traveling to other lands except as pipe dreams and passing fancies that they know they could never reach. Beneath the landmasses, the surface is covered in a thick mist. It's thought that the ground and the ocean are here, but the truth is... every city that was ever taken by the Heartless sunk beneath this mist. Plenty of nasty creatures and monsters lurk here. No one goes there.

So yes, it is possible to fall off the end of the world here. And more than likely, no one will ever hear from you again.

(More/expanded/reworded info can be found here, courtesy of Saffy.)

Powers/Abilities: Combat-wise, Riku knows his way around a sword/keyblade. He can also manipulate the element of darkness: he has spells like "dark firaga" (a ball of darkness flung at the enemy, essentially) and can create a shield out of dark energy in much the same way.

Combat aside, Riku also possesses the ability detect the "smell" of darkness in people. It's more like a sensory thing, though there's a canon comment he makes about how similar someone smells to another based on the amount of darkness in their hearts. It doesn't mean he'll know what someone's done to gain that scent of darkness on them, but he'll know it's there and they can't hide it. He doesn't often let on that he has this ability, though, and will mostly keep his observations on the matter to himself (which may or may not stem from guilt, silly boy)

RIKU FANMIX <====> WAKING UP THE GHOST
---------------------------------------------------
1. Disappear
2. Disposable Sunshine
3. Sword and Shield
4. New Divide
5. I Will Not Bow
6. Waking Up The Ghost
7. This Is How I Disappear
8. Famous Last Words
9. Through Glass
10. Riku
11. Disappear (Alternative Version)



"Disappear" - Motion City Soundtrack
To the deep end. To the heart line.
Hold this trick together, man. Hold this trick together. If you can.

Riku has found that the best way to do this is to go in head-first. No mercy. Just take the dive and disappear...


"Disposable Sunshine" - Loser
I'm closer to the edge than I've ever been,
and I wanna see the other side.

Destiny Islands is swallowed up by the Heartless, and the world descends into the mist below. The adventure has begins, but not in the way any of them wanted.


"Sword and Shield" - Sister Hazel
I will be there - I will be the smallest piece and everything.
And I would give my life before I break this promise to you.

Sora. Kairi. He will protect them, even if it's from the shadows and completely out of sight.


"New Divide" - Linkin Park
Like a startling sign that fate had finally found me,
And your voice was all I heard - that I get what I deserve.

Riku's struggle to accept that the darkness is a part of him, coupled with the guilt he carries with him... it's enough to make anyone wonder if it's worth it.


"I Will Not Bow" - Breaking Benjamin
Watch the end through dying eyes. Now the dark is taking over.
Show me where forever dies. Take the fall and run to heaven.
All is lost again... but I'm not giving in.
I will not bow. I will not break.

There's no end in sight. He may be fighting forever. He may not see tomorrow. ...So what?


"Waking Up The Ghost" - 10 Years
I'm getting close, closer to the enemy that's inside of me.
Under the skin, the soul of the guilty.

Riku has grand plans. He will face himself, however that happens; accept the truth, whatever that ends up being; and defeat his personal intruder, because he will not be anyone's puppet any longer.
(It is taking a lot of willpower not to quote this whole song. FYI.)


"This Is How I Disappear" - My Chemical Romance
Figured out I'm really not so with you anymore.
... And now you wanna see how far down I can sink? (Let me go...!)

The battle with Ansem. Riku called him out and brought him down. Though a faint shadow of him remains and Riku's fight with him may be neverending, he won't lose control again.


"Famous Last Words" - Zeromancer
You'll never see me make the same mistake twice.
... You'll never see me beg for another shot.

Riku knows what he's doing. ... Maybe. ... Mostly. Even so, he pushes forward. He's already on his second chance. There are no redos anymore.


"Downfall" - Trust Company
No one can see anything on the other side of me.
I walk, I crawl, losing everything and waiting for a downfall.

He'd rather not share his guilt. He'll bury it if he can. But on the Plane, how long can he keep his secrets?


"Through Glass" - Stone Sour
No one ever tells you that forever feels like home,
Sitting all alone inside your head.

Maybe he can go home one day. Until then, he'll watch. Wait. Do whatever he can. No matter how long it takes.


"Riku" - Yoko Shimomura
(Instrumental)

Character song from the Kingdom Hearts II Official Soundtrack


"Disappear (Alternative Version)" - Motion city Soundtrack
... You'll never know how it feels ...