Replica Riku App for Scorched

[madeinoblivion]

Out of Character Information

Player Name: Puli
Player Journal:whippetpuli
Playing Here: Nope! This is my first!
Where did you find us?: Many friend recommendations!
Are you 16 years of age or older? Yep. I'm an old thing.

In Character Information

Character Name: Replica Riku
(He'll be going by 'Riku' ICly until he comes up with a name of his own, but we'll keep him as Replica Riku on all formal records.)
Canon: Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (PS2 Remake, since that's a bit more accessible than the original GBA release)
Timeline: Right before his final confrontation with Riku in the memory card copy of Twilight Town. He has just finished off Zexion, and has parted ways with Axel.
Character's Age: By way of physical appearance, mental and emotional capacity, 15 years. (But he was only created a matter of days ago, so his emotional intelligence and maturity as it relates to his self-concept is a bit...underdeveloped.)

Powers, Skills, Pets and Equipment:

- His weapon is a replicated copy of Soul Eater, a slashing and piercing blade resembling a dragon's wing that Riku originally wielded before obtaining Way to Dawn, its true keyblade form. This blade, like most keyblades in Kingdom Hearts universe, can be summoned to and dismissed from his hand at will.

- He has an affinity for the darkness, which he has embraced as a powerful aid to his skills in hand-to-hand combat. He is faster on his feet in his Dark Form, and fights with in same style as Riku, but with heavier focus on aggressive offense and powerful attacks. He uses his three special moves at every open opportunity: Dark Aura, Dark Firaga, and Helm Split (Dark Break). Each involve expending his own reserves of darkness energy at an opponent. Opening your heart to the darkness in order to make use of it can be hazardous to your heart, but like his original, the replica has a formidable resilience.

- Unlike Riku, at this time he is not capable of additional elemental Kingdom Hearts magic (Fira/Blizzara/Thunder/Cure/Dark Shield). However, with the right training, he has as much potential as his original to gain these basic arcane abilities. His magical capacity does have limits, and can be replenished by elixirs or additional resting time.

- Similarly, he does not wield a keyblade now, but theoretically could, like Xion, another replica made from the data of a keybearer's memories. (If he ever attains this in-play, I will expand on keybearer abilities further)

- He has just absorbed the remainder of Zexion's life energy, which means he is arriving with a tremendous amount of additional darkness which was not originally his own. Since this was expended in his final, fatal canon battle, we've never seen what the full extent of this additional power is capable of, beyond boosting his existing abilities. I would be open to allowing the game setting, via exposure to the mist, to enhance this into an additional ability.

- *Additional Ability: Mimicry-Based Shapeshifting.* After defeating a monster or humanoid opponent out in the mist, the Replica will be able to mimic them by 'absorbing' their negative energy (Darkness) before the mist dissolves their shape, transforming himself into a copy with an identical ability set.

He retains his own sentience while transformed, and can still be subject to psychological effects of the mist. He will change back into his regular body after leaving the mist, but can regain that shape at will upon re-entry. He can only retain the ability to transform into the last thing he has slain.

With player/mod permission and for plotting purposes, he may also be able to copy Played Characters, including their weapons and magical abilities (until their resurrection or an agreed upon end-plot time) or native Anatole residents that have died before him in the mist. Like the beasts & monsters, he will only be able to remain in that form while in the presence of level 1 mist or higher.


Canon History:
KH Wiki
My write-up of his canon history, written for the SP Wiki.

Personality:

The Replica was created from Riku's "fiery reaction" to an encounter with Vexen. Therefore, the forefront elements of Riku's personality imprinted on him are dynamic and determined, stubborn and hotheaded, a seemingly cooled demeanor that rises to a quick temper when pressed to confront his own insecurities.

He embraces the darkness without fear of consequence and claims it as his own power, scoffing at those who would warn him of it's dangers. While he may put up a confident and calmly collected front, he lacks the self-control to temper his frustrations, and lashes out at whatever challenges his tenuous sense of ego. Since becoming aware that he is a replica, with memories built on lies, his faith in others is tenuous and he may seem wary and aloof, especially since Axel's promises of gaining self hood after consuming Zexion's power were not satisfyingly instantaneous. His solution to alarming uncertainty has been an consistent and instinctive fight or flight. Angry desperation will drive him to violence, and outright murder is not beyond him.

His crayon-made memories, even though they are splintered into confusing pieces and recognized as false, still hold prominent sway over his heart. He does possess true emotions that are separate from his original, and is able to make his own choices, form his own bonds and live by them with a conviction similar to Riku's. Aware that he has been manipulated and used in the past for others' gain, he is fiercely independent and resolved to keep that from happening in the future. He is, however, still a relatively new creation, and highly impressionable, especially in the presence of something that offers him a chance at additional power or something to call his own.

However, to balance out all this combative energy, Namine's influence on his heart gave him a fresh and sentimental view of his false 'childhood memories' on Destiny Islands. Since those were the only limited dosage of heart's memories he has ever held, their value is doubly cherished. His emotional maturity, therefore, is quite less developed than Riku's. He clings to childhood dreams and promises, quietly believes in the sort of things his more jaded original may have cast away by now.

Despite his darkness, Namine's memories have cast a shade of lighter hope on his personality. He is idealistic and protective of the things he cares about, namely her, and has a valorous sense of selflessness when it comes to keeping her safe. He takes his oaths seriously, even those that were given to him as part of a lie. But this too has a darker side- he can be deeply possessive and overly protective, jealous when those that are 'his' rely on others or hold a special place in their heart for them. But he still believes in living by some sense of chivalrous knighthood, when he's not running bratty by his darker impulses.

He harbors a deep affection and devotion to Namine, a reluctant acceptance of Sora and a complicated relationship with his Real Thing, Riku, which could turn into a rivalry once again if confronted with either of them. Towards members of the Organization he wouldn't recognize, he's uncertain and suspicious...to those involved directly with Namine's keeping? Nothing short of loathing.

His manner of speaking is forward and direct, at times painfully unsubtle about his surface feelings. He wears his heart on his sleeve in a brash and declarative, oftentimes abrasive way, and isn't terribly difficult to figure out. He can gently tease those he considers his friends, and mercilessly taunt his enemies, but he isn't bashful about his feelings and things of sentimental value, as much as he might mock others for being tender-hearted.

Finally, the Replica doesn't like the idea of remaining just a copy. He is self-deprecating about this role, fears abandonment for being 'fake', and wants to become his own person- in that, he is an ever evolving character bound for growth and with plenty of room for maturing and learning from his mistakes. In this second chance of a life, the Replica has arrived with just as fragile a sense of self, an aggressive temperament, hostile mistrust and an outwardly boastful demeanor to compensate. He's desperate for an identity; to prove himself real, and to prove himself worthy. In a new place, with open opportunities to develop, the people he interacts with will have a massive role in shaping that identity. He may well become a boastful adolescent absorbing the culture as his own, turning over a new leaf to form meaningful friendships, or take a turn for something even more destructive and monstrous.

Why is Anatole for your character?

Replica Riku is a character that is quick to find whatever rp setting he falls into a formative place to develop opinions about the world and about his own self. In 'homing' him, I look for settings that are thick with options, welcome to supernatural/magical elements, and boast plenty of possibilities to get involved in. Scorched has all of these things, and some of my favorite people from my past cast at Siren's Pull playing here to boot!

A no one from no place, determined not to be a carbon copy of his original, Replica will be quick to consider Anatole his home, and every memory he makes on his own an important one. This makes him ideal for establishing new and meaningful bonds with out-of-cast characters, as well as continuing to struggle with shadows of his past that exist within the Kingdom Hearts cast.

I think I'd really like him to press his luck out in the Mist, as any boastful teenager who faces dangerous or forbidden places might. He's capable of surviving risky business and coming back for more, even though working as a team is something that will be challenging for him. He's not likely to end up inclined to follow rules or listen to authority, unless a lawful character decides to take him under their wing for serious mentoring. I'd like him to be a candidate for bad influences as well as good ones, and wrestle with moral decision-making to spite his origins, hopefully learning that a balance can exist between caution and courage.

Memory loss events and penalties will be something that rattles him to the core, due to his past experiences. I hear you have upcoming events that are perfectly suited for playing with this! Psychological horror elements are definitely things I like to play with just as much as day-to-day struggle for existence as a new settler in a Steampunk city.

I don't have much by way of preliminary plans for where he'll wind up permanently or what his job will be, as most of that will be dependent on who meets him in arrival- I expect he won't be living well until he accepts help, and will take odd temporary work doing things most comfortably situated people would consider high-risk by night- that is, I'd love for him to dip into the undercity's criminal elements, or hunt in the mist for things of value.


Writing Samples:

Network Post Sample:
Opening post from Siren's Pull (The LJ formatting is a giant eyesore, I am SO sorry. Also this is a 3 years old, but the best network sample I have handy for him fresh out of canon.)

Third Person Sample:

'Turn back, Scorched! Don't go looking for trouble, there's more out there than you Outworlders know how to deal with!'

The replica spared a glance over his shoulder at a native woman who had stopped him near the outer fringes of the city, where the slums gave way to rambling old ruins and overgrown wilds. It had seemed like a challenging place to explore, despite all the rumors and warnings, and the fear that kept most residents shut inside at night was something he was determined would never stall his heart.

So he'd backed toward the low crumbling wall with a cocky grin on his face, lopsided, overconfident, daring her to give chase, if she was so concerned. He scaled it easily and landed in the footprint of an older building, pleased with how the leaves crunched beneath his boots. He could hear the old lady mutter something about stupid boys, and resume sweeping dirt into the gutter with a ratty broom. Hnph. That wouldn't be the life for him. He'd seen the electric-lit houses, and funny clunking carriages that ran on steam, the carnival he lacked the ivories to test his skill at...and he imagined what sort of person he'd be rich, if that were any better than begging for crumbs and hauling water in from the fountains.

To be honest, neither were really to his liking. The outside spaces surrounding the city, dangerous and alluringly unknown as they were, cautionary as all the tales were, called to his sense of wilder adventure. The spirt that his Real Thing had given up, out of cowardice. He swore to himself that he'd be someone better than that.

"Tch! Like I'd be afraid of what's hiding in a little bit of fog," He muttered to himself, hoisting the burlap knapsack comfortably on his shoulder and wandering further through the decrepit landscape, wondering what happened to all the people who used to live here. While it was difficult to see far ahead of himself, and landmarks were fading behind him as quick as he climbed past them, the chill in the air and the suspended silence were a bit...lonely, maybe, at the worst. But his heart was strong. He refused to run away from the promise of excitement and fortune.

It was like playing treasure hunter, when he was a child, or-( No... No, that wasn't even real.) But now it could be. And tomorrow he could sail with ghostly pirates, and the day after that explore the tunnels and below-city, full of forbidden things that proper people on the street barely dared to whisper about.

The locals he'd shared his plans with told him he was off to an ambitious start, for some one with a whole lot of no one to mind his back. But that suited him just fine. Some of them looked like they might have been sniggering at his young and reckless enthusiasm. Well, he'd sure have to show them all up.

Something suddenly snarled, eyes glowing through the dim, to his right. Pausing mid-step, the replica snapped out of his private reveries and turned to look, his blade arm reaching out just in the nick of time to form something solid in hand, something to buffer the mass of teeth and fur that launched itself at him.

Well. That wasn't so far before trouble found him at all, was it?

Anything else? A portion of this app, notably my History & Personality sections, have been lifted and expanded on from my original application at sirenspull.