Abilities/Powers: Keyblade - One important aspect of the series and it's staple. Although not an ability itself, not everyone can wield a Keyblade. In a way they are bonded to their masters, and if a wielder gives their Keyblade to someone who does not usually wield one, it will return to the original master. The only official way that a person can wield one freely is if an inheritance ceremony would be performed, where the chosen successor can successfully hold onto the Keyblade. The main requirement that is needed for someone to hold onto the Keyblade is that they have strong and powerful heart, although it can be inherited through an equally strong connection with a chosen already.
Despite not being a specific ability on its own, a user can gain a number of abilities while wielding a Keyblade. The main function of the weapon is that it can lock and unlock virtually anything, including large scale instances, such as barriers in between worlds, to small scaled items, like locked doors to a room. Other functions of the Keyblade include the ability to be an effective weapon against dark creatures called Heartless, although it can also act as a beacon to attract these dark creatures. It is also extraordinarily malleable, able to change form by simply changing the Keychain at the bottom of the hilt. These changes allow the Keyblade to take on different properties and powers, such as enhancing magical powers or physical strength, as well as a different form.
Finally, the Keyblade is not always carried around on the wielder’s person. Instead, it is summoned from some hamper space, usually with an effect that represents the user’s personality. Riku's current Keyblade is Way to the Dawn, and when summoned, appears in a plume of darkness.
Magic - Riku is by no means a magical powerhouse like Aqua or have access to almost every kind of magic like Sora. What he does have utilizes his darkness as a weapon. Later on in the game, he does have the ability to have a healing technique although it's not known or shown to have access to that ability in his current form.
Dark Firaga - Offensive; Allows Riku to fire a volley of dark spheres.
Cure Potion - Restorative; Allows Riku to heal both himself and others surrounding him to full health.
Sensing - Many characters in the Kingdom Hearts universe have this ability. Although it's never really explained how it happens or what the feeling is like, the majority of Keybearers (people wielding Keyblades) can detect the amount of light or darkness in a particular character. For example, when Aqua met Kairi, she could tell that the other girl had a strong amount of light within her heart. Riku's sensing ability has developed in the form of an actual smell. Being so submersed in darkness allows him to detect it and actually use it as a way to identify people as well. He can tell the presence of a person or the strength of their heart if he is familiar with their scent.
In addition to his Darkness sensing and due to his own training and utilization of his Darkness, Riku can actually see through the dark as well! It's not perfect, but considering that he spent a whole game with a blindfold over his eyes and didn't trip on anything or walk into walls, it's something to be noted upon.
Swordsmanship - Not necessarily an ability per se, but Riku has had almost years of training with a sword, although his skills with real ones might be slightly lacking. Ever since Riku and Sora were young kids, they would normally spar with each other with wooden toy swords. This training has made Riku something of a natural swordsman, and his skill has only increased since obtaining a Keyblade. He is not professionally or properly trained though.
Corridors of Darkness - AKA 'Instant transportation for lazy, heartless people with no other form of transportation.'
...Or at least that's the mechanics of it in the game. Corridors of Darkness are a method used to travel to different worlds. However, using them isn't exactly easy or accessible to just anyone. They're spaces that one can summon in dark plumes and walking through them allows a person to go from point A to point B, the distance not effecting or notwithstanding it. However, not everyone can use these corridors or even summon them. Nobodies, persons without Hearts, can summon them with ease, as can Heartless and other beings born from Darkness. Riku has access and the ability to summon them thanks to Ansem's influence and by using the powerful darkness in his own heart.
Should a person with a heart or without a super strong affinity to either Light or Darkness enter one, it's highly likely that they won't survive the trip. Black Coats like the ones Riku and members of Organization XIII wear do offer some protection against the deterioration of the space though.
Invasion of the Heart & Body Snatcher - Not an ability by any means, but because of actions Riku took upon trying to subdue and capture Roxas, Riku is now permanently stuck in the form of his former possessor. He has full control of his body and his thought processes are all Riku's, but there's no known way to turn him back into his sixteen year old form.
Guardian - An original ability of Ansem's, Riku has only ever used it once before and that was when he first transformed into Ansem in order to know Roxas unconscious. The Guardian is a dark, almost symbiotic entity, but not considered to be a Heartless despite it's design similarities. It doesn't exist without a host, and usually that host can only be associated with Ansem or Xehanort (the big bad bald guy of the series). It's a protector and attacker, and can basically do whatever the host wills it to do. Riku has only ever used the Guardian once before, so he may not particularly like to use such a terrible thing or considers it to be a last ditch effort.
Items/Weapons: The clothes on this back (Black Coat, blindfold, and his normal 'Riku' clothes which would be underneath his coat should he return to his normal form) and Way to the Dawn Keyblade.
Sample Entry: The samples below are of Riku from a different canon point. Should someone talk to him as Riku and not as Ansem (the man he'll be masquerading), he'll have this sort of tone and voice.
Sample Entry Two: It wasn't too often that Riku made his way to the Islands. The fear of being caught, the worry over what kind of state it was it. Riku's heart felt like solid lead whenever he would visit. It necessary in a way; with Sora off on his journey someone needed to try and keep a good eye on Kairi to ensure her safety. He never got close, never enough to say anything to her, and seeing her was a fleeting thing. It was mostly when she would walk home with Selphie from school. The girls would keep on the main paths, and Riku would merely observe from the shadows.
And that's all he's been doing. Keeping to the shadows in one world or another, keeping an eye on people and how they're fairing. Usually just a few steps ahead of Sora, sometimes spending days at a time in one place more than another. Here though, here at home, his visits never stayed long. Most times he'd just wait to see Kairi and then leave without a trace, before anyone else would see him or he'd see someone else. Today though, felt a little different. The girls had stayed longer at school than normal, causing Riku to shift around his position to other locations. It was almost sunset by the time the girls made their way, and seeing them unharmed and okay made him breath a silent sigh of relief. Looks like he didn't need to worry, not that things regularly attacked or happened on Destiny Islands.
Which really, is how things should be. With all the excitement over the past year, peace and quiet for any of them would be a blessing. Sora just had to come home and then both him and Kairi could be happy.
Duty done, Riku turns to the sky, admiring the colours of the sunset. It wouldn't a bad idea to stay a little longer, now would it? Whenever he's come, it's always been to the mainland, but now he feels a little curious about another landmark. Their play island, the place where everything happened and everything went wrong.
'The sunset looks just like that one. On that day...'
Opening a portal, Riku steps through the Corridor, surroundings instantly turning from close buildings to an open beach. This place... it looked exactly like ow it's supposed to be. The beach shack was still there, treehouse, everything, and seeing it all brought both a slight smile to his face and pain in his chest. It's just how it's supposed to be except for just a few things; Sora and Kairi namely.
Riku's stride is careful, calm and slow as he walks across the beach and toward the docks. No boats where waiting there, which meant he was completely alone. Another slight relief, he wouldn't want to be found here just as much as he wouldn't want to be found anywhere on this world, not like this. But it wouldn't hurt to maybe see that sunset once again, and hope that something better comes out of his efforts than last time.
no subject
Keyblade - One important aspect of the series and it's staple. Although not an ability itself, not everyone can wield a Keyblade. In a way they are bonded to their masters, and if a wielder gives their Keyblade to someone who does not usually wield one, it will return to the original master. The only official way that a person can wield one freely is if an inheritance ceremony would be performed, where the chosen successor can successfully hold onto the Keyblade. The main requirement that is needed for someone to hold onto the Keyblade is that they have strong and powerful heart, although it can be inherited through an equally strong connection with a chosen already.
Despite not being a specific ability on its own, a user can gain a number of abilities while wielding a Keyblade. The main function of the weapon is that it can lock and unlock virtually anything, including large scale instances, such as barriers in between worlds, to small scaled items, like locked doors to a room. Other functions of the Keyblade include the ability to be an effective weapon against dark creatures called Heartless, although it can also act as a beacon to attract these dark creatures. It is also extraordinarily malleable, able to change form by simply changing the Keychain at the bottom of the hilt. These changes allow the Keyblade to take on different properties and powers, such as enhancing magical powers or physical strength, as well as a different form.
Finally, the Keyblade is not always carried around on the wielder’s person. Instead, it is summoned from some hamper space, usually with an effect that represents the user’s personality. Riku's current Keyblade is Way to the Dawn, and when summoned, appears in a plume of darkness.
Magic - Riku is by no means a magical powerhouse like Aqua or have access to almost every kind of magic like Sora. What he does have utilizes his darkness as a weapon. Later on in the game, he does have the ability to have a healing technique although it's not known or shown to have access to that ability in his current form.
Sensing - Many characters in the Kingdom Hearts universe have this ability. Although it's never really explained how it happens or what the feeling is like, the majority of Keybearers (people wielding Keyblades) can detect the amount of light or darkness in a particular character. For example, when Aqua met Kairi, she could tell that the other girl had a strong amount of light within her heart. Riku's sensing ability has developed in the form of an actual smell. Being so submersed in darkness allows him to detect it and actually use it as a way to identify people as well. He can tell the presence of a person or the strength of their heart if he is familiar with their scent.
In addition to his Darkness sensing and due to his own training and utilization of his Darkness, Riku can actually see through the dark as well! It's not perfect, but considering that he spent a whole game with a blindfold over his eyes and didn't trip on anything or walk into walls, it's something to be noted upon.
Swordsmanship - Not necessarily an ability per se, but Riku has had almost years of training with a sword, although his skills with real ones might be slightly lacking. Ever since Riku and Sora were young kids, they would normally spar with each other with wooden toy swords. This training has made Riku something of a natural swordsman, and his skill has only increased since obtaining a Keyblade. He is not professionally or properly trained though.
Corridors of Darkness - AKA 'Instant transportation for lazy, heartless people with no other form of transportation.'
...Or at least that's the mechanics of it in the game. Corridors of Darkness are a method used to travel to different worlds. However, using them isn't exactly easy or accessible to just anyone. They're spaces that one can summon in dark plumes and walking through them allows a person to go from point A to point B, the distance not effecting or notwithstanding it. However, not everyone can use these corridors or even summon them. Nobodies, persons without Hearts, can summon them with ease, as can Heartless and other beings born from Darkness. Riku has access and the ability to summon them thanks to Ansem's influence and by using the powerful darkness in his own heart.
Should a person with a heart or without a super strong affinity to either Light or Darkness enter one, it's highly likely that they won't survive the trip. Black Coats like the ones Riku and members of Organization XIII wear do offer some protection against the deterioration of the space though.
Invasion of the Heart & Body Snatcher - Not an ability by any means, but because of actions Riku took upon trying to subdue and capture Roxas, Riku is now permanently stuck in the form of his former possessor. He has full control of his body and his thought processes are all Riku's, but there's no known way to turn him back into his sixteen year old form.
Guardian - An original ability of Ansem's, Riku has only ever used it once before and that was when he first transformed into Ansem in order to know Roxas unconscious. The Guardian is a dark, almost symbiotic entity, but not considered to be a Heartless despite it's design similarities. It doesn't exist without a host, and usually that host can only be associated with Ansem or Xehanort (the big bad bald guy of the series). It's a protector and attacker, and can basically do whatever the host wills it to do. Riku has only ever used the Guardian once before, so he may not particularly like to use such a terrible thing or considers it to be a last ditch effort.
Items/Weapons: The clothes on this back (Black Coat, blindfold, and his normal 'Riku' clothes which would be underneath his coat should he return to his normal form) and Way to the Dawn Keyblade.
Sample Entry:
The samples below are of Riku from a different canon point. Should someone talk to him as Riku and not as Ansem (the man he'll be masquerading), he'll have this sort of tone and voice.
One - Two
Sample Entry Two:
It wasn't too often that Riku made his way to the Islands. The fear of being caught, the worry over what kind of state it was it. Riku's heart felt like solid lead whenever he would visit. It necessary in a way; with Sora off on his journey someone needed to try and keep a good eye on Kairi to ensure her safety. He never got close, never enough to say anything to her, and seeing her was a fleeting thing. It was mostly when she would walk home with Selphie from school. The girls would keep on the main paths, and Riku would merely observe from the shadows.
And that's all he's been doing. Keeping to the shadows in one world or another, keeping an eye on people and how they're fairing. Usually just a few steps ahead of Sora, sometimes spending days at a time in one place more than another. Here though, here at home, his visits never stayed long. Most times he'd just wait to see Kairi and then leave without a trace, before anyone else would see him or he'd see someone else. Today though, felt a little different. The girls had stayed longer at school than normal, causing Riku to shift around his position to other locations. It was almost sunset by the time the girls made their way, and seeing them unharmed and okay made him breath a silent sigh of relief. Looks like he didn't need to worry, not that things regularly attacked or happened on Destiny Islands.
Which really, is how things should be. With all the excitement over the past year, peace and quiet for any of them would be a blessing. Sora just had to come home and then both him and Kairi could be happy.
Duty done, Riku turns to the sky, admiring the colours of the sunset. It wouldn't a bad idea to stay a little longer, now would it? Whenever he's come, it's always been to the mainland, but now he feels a little curious about another landmark. Their play island, the place where everything happened and everything went wrong.
'The sunset looks just like that one. On that day...'
Opening a portal, Riku steps through the Corridor, surroundings instantly turning from close buildings to an open beach. This place... it looked exactly like ow it's supposed to be. The beach shack was still there, treehouse, everything, and seeing it all brought both a slight smile to his face and pain in his chest. It's just how it's supposed to be except for just a few things; Sora and Kairi namely.
Riku's stride is careful, calm and slow as he walks across the beach and toward the docks. No boats where waiting there, which meant he was completely alone. Another slight relief, he wouldn't want to be found here just as much as he wouldn't want to be found anywhere on this world, not like this. But it wouldn't hurt to maybe see that sunset once again, and hope that something better comes out of his efforts than last time.