Application || Il Promenade
PLAYER
✧ NAME: Daine
✧ LJ USERNAME: failderp
✧ CONTACT:
Aim: radianceend
Plurk: eraldaine
✧ CURRENT MUSE LIST: n/a
CHARACTER
failderp/✧ NAME: Ventus
✧ SERIES: Kingdom Hearts
✧ HISTORY:
I promise you that
We’re marching on!
✧ TIMELINE:
At the end of Neverland when the Star shard activates, and just before he learns what’s actually going on between himself and Vanitas, and how he's included in Xehanort's plans.
✧ PERSONALITY:
Typically, it’s easy to denote Ventus as being entirely similar to Sora, and leaving him at that. They’re both young, cheerful with an easy acceptance in helping everyone that crosses their path, with the ability and courage to sacrifice themselves for others in times of need. The quirks cross over even into certain gestures, such as holding their hands behind their head in the same easy going mannerism that’s infamous for the both of them.
Though the similarities don’t end there, there’s much more to Ventus than his connection with Sora. From the night that their two hearts connect, effectively saving Ventus’ life and providing clarity on the similarities of their Others -Vanitas, the darkness of Ventus’ heart personified, and Roxas, Sora’s Nobody- to each other, respectively, Ventus grows and develops quirks and emotional standings that are all of his own, including several flaws to character that are key to his eventual downfall.
Ventus is an extremely empathetic character. He doesn’t like seeing other’s looking downtrodden, and does his best to resolve their issues even when it means putting aside his own. This comes into play throughout practically every world he visits, from rescuing Snow White from the nightmarish trees, to helping Hercules train, even when he can’t be a part of the games himself.
He also isn’t above being sidetracked from the bigger picture. Ven exhibits a great amount of sensitivity to personal issues and worry over the ties he has with friends. Whenever he encounters problems where he finds no resolution or viable way to solve it without others getting hurt, Ventus will show a certain amount of resignation and acceptance--such as with Terra and Aqua, when their feud at Radiant Garden causes the three to separate once more. Instead of asking for help or protection when the revelation of his ties to Vanitas come to light, he instead asks for Terra and Aqua to 'just… put an end to him.' Ven’s passive acceptance of such things shows a lack of confidence in himself, his abilities and his worth to those around him.
Viewing Ven’s story in three arcs- from Land of Departure to Hollow Bastion, Hollow Bastion to Yen Sid’s tower, and from thereon till the ending of the game- we see three stages of Ventus’ development. Throughout the first arc comes in a love for adventure, an eagerness to try new things whilst being shown some, but not all of the darker sides in nature that can occur. Ventus’ naivety shows through most during this time, when everything is a question, a game-- with an underlying surety of catching up to Terra and continuing their journeys together. It’s within the second arc, after witnessing Terra and Aqua fighting in Hollow Bastion, that the difference between Sora and himself really comes into play.
Sora's personality would never allow him to develop any uncertainty about his ties with his friends. Ventus' second arc is namely him questioning his place with Terra and Aqua whilst seeking out new ties in the hope of understanding the old. Though there’s a constant and clear understanding that he will always be tied to the older Keyblade wielders, Ventus seeks clarity in defining this; in establishing just how strong these ties are, and fearing that their bonds may be more breakable than first thought.
By the current point in his timeline in which I’m taking Ventus, he’s yet to uncover the darker facts of his past, but the scene itself follows after one of the very last points in which Ventus shows a clear confidence in himself and what he has in his life. It’s at this point when his maturity has come to a more natural and even level- he regains the surety of his friends he once had without the oblivious nature he held onto prior.
That being said, the ties he does have with Terra and Aqua are consistently important throughout his timeline. In his fear for Terra after speaking with Vanitas-- ’the Terra you know will be gone forever’-- that prompt him into leaving the Land of Departure, giving him a greater purpose beyond merely seeing the sites. It’s indicated in Xehanort’s reports that Terra is Ventus’ weak point; he does seem to hold the elder boy in extremely high regard, constantly denying his faults to the point where he will point out Aqua’s flaws in an argument with no mention of Terra’s own. The two are best friends, close enough to the point where Aqua jokingly refers to them as brothers, and Terra does treat Ventus from the aspect of an elder brother, whilst Ven himself looks up to him greatly.
Aqua is a powerful influence on her own, although it’s greatly her doing which causes Ventus to doubt himself and the ties between the three of them. Aqua can consistently be described as mothering when it comes to Ventus- whilst she doesn’t look down upon him, there are many times where she puts his feelings aside in light of his safety- Ventus is treated at a much younger level than the other two, which causes much of his determination to be as good as them in levels of fighting and indeed, allows him to succeed at this.
Another important aspect to Ventus is his light. As stated above, he’s the type of boy to put things aside for others, help them in any manner he can- he rarely exhibits anger, and never for anything but the most dire of threats and circumstances. But this light has come at the price of having his heart literally torn apart, developing Ventus into one of the two keys which will create the X-blade. Vanitas, the darkness of his heart made physical, is the opposing key, and yet another influence in Ventus’ travels that urges him onwards.
He is the first out of a very small handful of characters to which Ventus clearly exhibits anger, a reaction that remains stark throughout all of their meetings. It’s at Vanitas’ words that Ven leaves the Land of Departure, drawing out a sense of fear within him of losing Terra for good, prompting him to search until he finds him. The second time they meet, Ventus’ confusion peaks from Vanitas’ words-‘consider yourself on probation’. The entirety of Ven’s journey relied on Vanitas to actually make him take the first step- although this step is unknowingly to his own demise.
None of this would have occurred at all without the schemes of Master Xehanort; Ventus’ prior Master, and also the man who separated Ventus and Vanitas from one another, straight from the heart. Though the two have only met the once in Ventus’ perspective, there is a clear onset of intimidation in Ventus’ stature which provides insight into a repressed fear of the man himself. It is also through Xehanort’s actions that Ventus connects with Sora for the first time, leading us in a round robin of just how and what makes Ventus tick.
To bring this down into Ventus as a whole, the ending argument is that you’re plainly looking at a bright and capable teen. He fights for everything he considers right, stepping obliviously towards a horizon that provides painful tragedy- but he isn’t there yet. What we have instead is a teen with enough life experience to provide a comfortable outlook on the more important aspects of his thinking, with many ties to others that have helped develop him in many positive ways. Although Ventus is flawed, at the end of the day it really does come down to putting his friends and others above himself, and in this aspect he clearly flourishes in growth and confidence.
✧ ABILITIES/POWERS:
One of the best points I’ve heard for Ventus’ capabilities in personality is that ‘If Vanitas is the fight, Ventus is the flight’. Whilst he’ll always retain a positivity and helpfulness to those around him, he finds it hard to deal with himself and any negative notions that may crop up- they confuse him to the point where he’ll brush them aside for as long as he can, seeking some sort of levy to compromise or brighten the situation until he’s ready to look at it with a positive outlook. He finds it difficult to deal with negative emotions within himself, and contention between others- the part of his heart that could understand and confront these in turn simply isn’t a part of him anymore.
That being said, in a proper fight Ventus is nothing but keen. As much as he has difficulty with emotions, physical battles are something he takes on with ease, breezing through his opponents’ and consistently working upon becoming stronger. Ventus’ greatest strength is his speed, which he does use to great advantage in landing several hits before darting out of the way. He has the endurance to take several harsh hits, although in comparison to Terra and Aqua he is worn down more easily, and can work in a team with ease.
With that being said, his physical and magical abilities are moderately even- Ventus is well round with only a few key attacks that cause more damage than the norm. These attacks don’t work so well if he’s not fighting alone; he has the potential to cause plentiful harm to the members of his party as he does to the enemy.
✧ TIME OF ARRIVAL: Day.
✧ MASK DESIGN:
In which I exhibit my lack of Photoshop skills. Ventus’ mask was designed with a few key points- the colors themselves have all been taken from his regular clothing, the jaw line is made to replicate Vanitas’, and the heart symbol from the game series logo is half represented in the bridge across his nose.
It also covers only a third of Ventus’ face, leaving his emotions more open to read. I felt this was important for the styling of the mask due to how open Ventus himself is with his emotions- this openness whilst still being masked represents his constant approachability to all.
✧ PLACE OF SOLACE:
For Ventus’ place of solace, I decided to go with the Chamber of Waking. Although from his current canon point Ventus won’t understand the ties to it, the place itself is likely to provide both comfort and morbidity for future plots!
To be more reasonable aside from drama llama, it’s also the place in which his body is put to rest for over ten years. It is a true safe haven, though the solace of the location is likely to be questionable.
SAMPLES
✧ FIRST PERSON:
[When Ventus comes onto the screen he seems somewhat troubled by the current turn of events, though he shares with the viewer a companionable smile from the very start. His mask is on, though the shape of it seems similar, and he can’t quite figure out why-]
I guess I woke up, huh? The name’s Ventus; call me Ven. It’s good to be here…I think.
I just have one question.
[There’s just one thing he’s looking to know. One very important question that really needs an answer.]
They said everything before was just a dream, right? So… does that mean the people I- we knew were dreams, too? Or do you share dreams?
Are your friends still your friends? Or do you just dream them up?
[The idea is distressing, and Ventus’ smile seems a tad more strained as he lets out a soft laugh. Not that…]
Not that I can’t make more friends now, but it’d be really nice if they were here too.
[A shake of his head, and the feed ends.]
And a DM sample to boot!
✧ THIRD PERSON: 300+ words
There were some things that you simply couldn’t replace. He’s been around, now- seen so many worlds, made friends, questioned and answered, learned from experience. Ventus couldn’t even say that he regretted a bit of it; not leaving home, or even… even travelling alone.
His smile was enough of an indication to his peace of mind, newly found and burning with a strong light. Sometimes, it’s the simple answers that really help. The treasure chest stood open in the clearing, full of ‘treasure’- the toys of children, precious in youth. It was in the love Peter and his band of Lost Boys had for every little piece that made them precious, and Ventus couldn’t begin to agree more.
Maybe that’s why he’d wanted to place his own play sword within. The wooden training keyblade had seen better days, run through the hands of two owners, and perhaps it was ready to lie down for a while.
“Are you sure you want to part with something that special?” The question really made him stop and think, about all that had happened. He’d started off this journey trying to find Terra. When he had, things hadn’t changed. He’d still been left behind, told to go home and to wait, always waiting.
It had really turned into a journey to…find himself.
And his practice sword- Terra’s gift, full of nicks and scratches, a little cracked down the middle, he felt like it may just show…everything. All he’d been through, the trials, the hardships, the questions. It as battered, but still so strong, no longer in the condition it had been in when new.
Friendships, they were a little like that too. Always changing.
He’d come a long way to find that out. And so Ventus nods, smile wider, fonder as he looked over the carefully crafted wood, tied together into a symbol of what he was, what he wanted, what he’d accomplished. It was time for this practice blade to retire.
“Yep.” He didn’t really need to hold onto it anymore.
Some things you really couldn’t replace. But his friendship with Terra and Aqua, not matter how nicked and battered-
It would never break.
✧ NAME: Daine
✧ LJ USERNAME: failderp
✧ CONTACT:
Aim: radianceend
Plurk: eraldaine
✧ CURRENT MUSE LIST: n/a
CHARACTER
failderp/✧ NAME: Ventus
✧ SERIES: Kingdom Hearts
✧ HISTORY:
I promise you that
We’re marching on!
✧ TIMELINE:
At the end of Neverland when the Star shard activates, and just before he learns what’s actually going on between himself and Vanitas, and how he's included in Xehanort's plans.
✧ PERSONALITY:
Typically, it’s easy to denote Ventus as being entirely similar to Sora, and leaving him at that. They’re both young, cheerful with an easy acceptance in helping everyone that crosses their path, with the ability and courage to sacrifice themselves for others in times of need. The quirks cross over even into certain gestures, such as holding their hands behind their head in the same easy going mannerism that’s infamous for the both of them.
Though the similarities don’t end there, there’s much more to Ventus than his connection with Sora. From the night that their two hearts connect, effectively saving Ventus’ life and providing clarity on the similarities of their Others -Vanitas, the darkness of Ventus’ heart personified, and Roxas, Sora’s Nobody- to each other, respectively, Ventus grows and develops quirks and emotional standings that are all of his own, including several flaws to character that are key to his eventual downfall.
Ventus is an extremely empathetic character. He doesn’t like seeing other’s looking downtrodden, and does his best to resolve their issues even when it means putting aside his own. This comes into play throughout practically every world he visits, from rescuing Snow White from the nightmarish trees, to helping Hercules train, even when he can’t be a part of the games himself.
He also isn’t above being sidetracked from the bigger picture. Ven exhibits a great amount of sensitivity to personal issues and worry over the ties he has with friends. Whenever he encounters problems where he finds no resolution or viable way to solve it without others getting hurt, Ventus will show a certain amount of resignation and acceptance--such as with Terra and Aqua, when their feud at Radiant Garden causes the three to separate once more. Instead of asking for help or protection when the revelation of his ties to Vanitas come to light, he instead asks for Terra and Aqua to 'just… put an end to him.' Ven’s passive acceptance of such things shows a lack of confidence in himself, his abilities and his worth to those around him.
Viewing Ven’s story in three arcs- from Land of Departure to Hollow Bastion, Hollow Bastion to Yen Sid’s tower, and from thereon till the ending of the game- we see three stages of Ventus’ development. Throughout the first arc comes in a love for adventure, an eagerness to try new things whilst being shown some, but not all of the darker sides in nature that can occur. Ventus’ naivety shows through most during this time, when everything is a question, a game-- with an underlying surety of catching up to Terra and continuing their journeys together. It’s within the second arc, after witnessing Terra and Aqua fighting in Hollow Bastion, that the difference between Sora and himself really comes into play.
Sora's personality would never allow him to develop any uncertainty about his ties with his friends. Ventus' second arc is namely him questioning his place with Terra and Aqua whilst seeking out new ties in the hope of understanding the old. Though there’s a constant and clear understanding that he will always be tied to the older Keyblade wielders, Ventus seeks clarity in defining this; in establishing just how strong these ties are, and fearing that their bonds may be more breakable than first thought.
By the current point in his timeline in which I’m taking Ventus, he’s yet to uncover the darker facts of his past, but the scene itself follows after one of the very last points in which Ventus shows a clear confidence in himself and what he has in his life. It’s at this point when his maturity has come to a more natural and even level- he regains the surety of his friends he once had without the oblivious nature he held onto prior.
That being said, the ties he does have with Terra and Aqua are consistently important throughout his timeline. In his fear for Terra after speaking with Vanitas-- ’the Terra you know will be gone forever’-- that prompt him into leaving the Land of Departure, giving him a greater purpose beyond merely seeing the sites. It’s indicated in Xehanort’s reports that Terra is Ventus’ weak point; he does seem to hold the elder boy in extremely high regard, constantly denying his faults to the point where he will point out Aqua’s flaws in an argument with no mention of Terra’s own. The two are best friends, close enough to the point where Aqua jokingly refers to them as brothers, and Terra does treat Ventus from the aspect of an elder brother, whilst Ven himself looks up to him greatly.
Aqua is a powerful influence on her own, although it’s greatly her doing which causes Ventus to doubt himself and the ties between the three of them. Aqua can consistently be described as mothering when it comes to Ventus- whilst she doesn’t look down upon him, there are many times where she puts his feelings aside in light of his safety- Ventus is treated at a much younger level than the other two, which causes much of his determination to be as good as them in levels of fighting and indeed, allows him to succeed at this.
Another important aspect to Ventus is his light. As stated above, he’s the type of boy to put things aside for others, help them in any manner he can- he rarely exhibits anger, and never for anything but the most dire of threats and circumstances. But this light has come at the price of having his heart literally torn apart, developing Ventus into one of the two keys which will create the X-blade. Vanitas, the darkness of his heart made physical, is the opposing key, and yet another influence in Ventus’ travels that urges him onwards.
He is the first out of a very small handful of characters to which Ventus clearly exhibits anger, a reaction that remains stark throughout all of their meetings. It’s at Vanitas’ words that Ven leaves the Land of Departure, drawing out a sense of fear within him of losing Terra for good, prompting him to search until he finds him. The second time they meet, Ventus’ confusion peaks from Vanitas’ words-‘consider yourself on probation’. The entirety of Ven’s journey relied on Vanitas to actually make him take the first step- although this step is unknowingly to his own demise.
None of this would have occurred at all without the schemes of Master Xehanort; Ventus’ prior Master, and also the man who separated Ventus and Vanitas from one another, straight from the heart. Though the two have only met the once in Ventus’ perspective, there is a clear onset of intimidation in Ventus’ stature which provides insight into a repressed fear of the man himself. It is also through Xehanort’s actions that Ventus connects with Sora for the first time, leading us in a round robin of just how and what makes Ventus tick.
To bring this down into Ventus as a whole, the ending argument is that you’re plainly looking at a bright and capable teen. He fights for everything he considers right, stepping obliviously towards a horizon that provides painful tragedy- but he isn’t there yet. What we have instead is a teen with enough life experience to provide a comfortable outlook on the more important aspects of his thinking, with many ties to others that have helped develop him in many positive ways. Although Ventus is flawed, at the end of the day it really does come down to putting his friends and others above himself, and in this aspect he clearly flourishes in growth and confidence.
✧ ABILITIES/POWERS:
One of the best points I’ve heard for Ventus’ capabilities in personality is that ‘If Vanitas is the fight, Ventus is the flight’. Whilst he’ll always retain a positivity and helpfulness to those around him, he finds it hard to deal with himself and any negative notions that may crop up- they confuse him to the point where he’ll brush them aside for as long as he can, seeking some sort of levy to compromise or brighten the situation until he’s ready to look at it with a positive outlook. He finds it difficult to deal with negative emotions within himself, and contention between others- the part of his heart that could understand and confront these in turn simply isn’t a part of him anymore.
That being said, in a proper fight Ventus is nothing but keen. As much as he has difficulty with emotions, physical battles are something he takes on with ease, breezing through his opponents’ and consistently working upon becoming stronger. Ventus’ greatest strength is his speed, which he does use to great advantage in landing several hits before darting out of the way. He has the endurance to take several harsh hits, although in comparison to Terra and Aqua he is worn down more easily, and can work in a team with ease.
With that being said, his physical and magical abilities are moderately even- Ventus is well round with only a few key attacks that cause more damage than the norm. These attacks don’t work so well if he’s not fighting alone; he has the potential to cause plentiful harm to the members of his party as he does to the enemy.
✧ TIME OF ARRIVAL: Day.
✧ MASK DESIGN:
In which I exhibit my lack of Photoshop skills. Ventus’ mask was designed with a few key points- the colors themselves have all been taken from his regular clothing, the jaw line is made to replicate Vanitas’, and the heart symbol from the game series logo is half represented in the bridge across his nose.
It also covers only a third of Ventus’ face, leaving his emotions more open to read. I felt this was important for the styling of the mask due to how open Ventus himself is with his emotions- this openness whilst still being masked represents his constant approachability to all.
✧ PLACE OF SOLACE:
For Ventus’ place of solace, I decided to go with the Chamber of Waking. Although from his current canon point Ventus won’t understand the ties to it, the place itself is likely to provide both comfort and morbidity for future plots!
To be more reasonable aside from drama llama, it’s also the place in which his body is put to rest for over ten years. It is a true safe haven, though the solace of the location is likely to be questionable.
SAMPLES
✧ FIRST PERSON:
[When Ventus comes onto the screen he seems somewhat troubled by the current turn of events, though he shares with the viewer a companionable smile from the very start. His mask is on, though the shape of it seems similar, and he can’t quite figure out why-]
I guess I woke up, huh? The name’s Ventus; call me Ven. It’s good to be here…I think.
I just have one question.
[There’s just one thing he’s looking to know. One very important question that really needs an answer.]
They said everything before was just a dream, right? So… does that mean the people I- we knew were dreams, too? Or do you share dreams?
Are your friends still your friends? Or do you just dream them up?
[The idea is distressing, and Ventus’ smile seems a tad more strained as he lets out a soft laugh. Not that…]
Not that I can’t make more friends now, but it’d be really nice if they were here too.
[A shake of his head, and the feed ends.]
And a DM sample to boot!
✧ THIRD PERSON: 300+ words
There were some things that you simply couldn’t replace. He’s been around, now- seen so many worlds, made friends, questioned and answered, learned from experience. Ventus couldn’t even say that he regretted a bit of it; not leaving home, or even… even travelling alone.
His smile was enough of an indication to his peace of mind, newly found and burning with a strong light. Sometimes, it’s the simple answers that really help. The treasure chest stood open in the clearing, full of ‘treasure’- the toys of children, precious in youth. It was in the love Peter and his band of Lost Boys had for every little piece that made them precious, and Ventus couldn’t begin to agree more.
Maybe that’s why he’d wanted to place his own play sword within. The wooden training keyblade had seen better days, run through the hands of two owners, and perhaps it was ready to lie down for a while.
“Are you sure you want to part with something that special?” The question really made him stop and think, about all that had happened. He’d started off this journey trying to find Terra. When he had, things hadn’t changed. He’d still been left behind, told to go home and to wait, always waiting.
It had really turned into a journey to…find himself.
And his practice sword- Terra’s gift, full of nicks and scratches, a little cracked down the middle, he felt like it may just show…everything. All he’d been through, the trials, the hardships, the questions. It as battered, but still so strong, no longer in the condition it had been in when new.
Friendships, they were a little like that too. Always changing.
He’d come a long way to find that out. And so Ventus nods, smile wider, fonder as he looked over the carefully crafted wood, tied together into a symbol of what he was, what he wanted, what he’d accomplished. It was time for this practice blade to retire.
“Yep.” He didn’t really need to hold onto it anymore.
Some things you really couldn’t replace. But his friendship with Terra and Aqua, not matter how nicked and battered-
It would never break.