Application for ilpromenade
PLAYER
✧ NAME: Rox
✧ LJ USERNAME: rox_chan
✧ CONTACT (EMAIL, AIM, MSN, PLURK, ETC.): notroxas@gmail.com/xLadyRoxanne@AIM/xLadyRoxanne@Plurk
✧ CURRENT MUSE LIST: None!
CHARACTER
✧ NAME: Vanitas
✧ SERIES: Kingdom Hearts
✧ HISTORY:
Once, in a fractured world protected by wielders of a special weapon - a "Keyblade" that could unlock anything - there was a man named Xehanort. His curiosity drove him to pursue both the creation of a terrible weapon and the procurement of a new body, so that he could once again be young enough to see his numerous plans carried out. In order to obtain these goals, he took on a young apprentice named Ventus, and tried to teach him to embrace the darkness. But the boy was unable to do as his master asked. There was simply too much light in his heart. So Xehanort took a more direct approach and extracted the darkness from his heart directly. Thus, a new being was born - a boy named Vanitas.
But his creation came at a cost. Vanitas took so much of Ventus’s being for his own that the boy couldn’t sustain life - what was left of his heart was slowly pouring out. Xehanort left Vanitas in the dusty, barren world where he was born to take the boy to a small world called Destiny Islands, where he could die peacefully. Here, Vanitas waited alone, adapting to his new existence. He discovered his own Keyblade, and wrestled with the dark emotions that formed his heart, all the while still vaguely aware of Ventus. He discovered that with each new emotion he felt, a creature called an "Unversed" was born from his body. He couldn't control this...and still more were born when he took off the mask that he was 'born' with, and realized that his own skin was the same black as the creatures that kept appearing, and his face had no distinguishing features save for red eyes.
But soon, Vanitas felt a change. He heard a distant voice and the sound of waves, and saw a warm light in the distance when he closed his eyes. But the feeling wasn't pleasant. Vanitas was overcome with the awareness that something had changed Ventus - no, that someone had saved Ventus. Someone on a distant world. He was soon aware that he now had a face, but to who it belonged he didn't know.
Not much later, Xehanort returned to the wasteland - the Keyblade Graveyard - with Ventus, who was near unresponsive, and who passed out when he came close enough to Vanitas. Vanitas found himself irrationally angry at the other boy, trying to hurt him and going so far as to ask Xehanort if he could kill him there and then. But Xehanort refused, saying that he didn't know what would happen to Vanitas if Ventus was destroyed. But Vanitas still presented an ultimatum - if Ventus remained there for too long, he would be killed. So Xehanort took Ventus away and finds another home for him, where he could be trained to use the light by one who believed it's power was absolute.
So Vanitas is left in the Keyblade Graveyard, wrestling with both his hatred toward Ventus and the Unversed, who he viewed as signs of his own weakness. Day after day he continued fighting Unversed to make himself stronger, though destroying these pieces of himself caused him considerable pain. Xehanort only stood idly by, watching the boy hurt himself.
But, one day, he finally told Vanitas what his purpose was. There was no more preferable situation for Xehanort than the one which had presented itself - a heart of pure darkness, and a heart of pure light, both of which could be raised to their full potential. If their powers were great enough, and they clashed beneath the heart of all worlds itself - Kingdom Hearts - then they could forge the χ-Blade, a powerful weapon that would unlock all of the barriers that separated the vast number of smaller worlds that made up the larger World. With that protection gone, all with hearts strong enough to wield a Keyblade would fight, either to protect Kingdom Hearts or claim it’s power for themselves, destroying each other and covering all worlds in darkness, just as they had been after the first Keyblade War. Xehanort had his reasons for bringing this about, of course - he wanted to see the results of such destruction, to understand. If the worlds had been saved by a glimmer of light once before, would they be found worthy of such light once more? Would a new beginning pave the way for a better future?
Vanitas couldn’t care less about those answers. He just wanted a reason for his existence. He would walk the path that would lead to becoming the χ-Blade, and so would Ventus. That was their purpose - to bring about the destruction of everything. He embraced this goal and made it his focus.
It was four years before the day for putting their plans into action arrived. Xehanort received a letter from the Keyblade Master Eraqus, who had been responsible for training and taking care of Ventus since his ‘accident’. He said that two of his students, Terra and Aqua, would be taking the Mark of Mastery exam to prove that they were ready to be considered full-fledged Keyblade Masters, and invited Xehanort to attend, an invitation which he accepted gladly. He had two reasons for his eagerness. One was Eraqus' student Terra, a boy with enough darkness in his heart that Xehanort was considering using him as his new vessel. Xehanort needed to visit him to put his plan in motion. Another, and the reason Vanitas was tagging along, was that they needed to give Ventus incentive to leave home and become strong enough to fulfill his part of the plan.
Vanitas had to lay low until the end of the exam, after which he confronted Ventus for the first time in years. He played on the concern he could sense that his other half had for his friends, telling Ven that Terra was going to leave and that, by the time he caught up, he would be a different person. This was enough to make Ventus worry, and follow his friend.
Now Vanitas was left to the task of ensuring the spread of Unversed across the worlds, a duty which he fulfilled rapidly and successfully. After that, it was little but a game of waiting and watching - or, rather, would have been, had he followed Xehanort’s orders to the letter. Instead, he chose to do a bit of ‘scouting’ on his own. After all, he had to ensure the Ventus would be ready to create the χ-Blade when the time came - and the part of him that still instinctively resented Ventus didn't really think he was up to snuff.
He leads his other half to the isolated world where he trained, ignoring his questions and fighting him to test his strength. Vanitas is disappointed; Ventus barely holds his own in the battle.
Even though Xehanort ordered Vanitas not to harm Ventus, Vanitas decides there and then that the boy isn’t worth wasting time on. He summons a surge of powerful dark energy, intending to annihilate him for good…but another Keyblade wielder, King Mickey, interferes and rescues Ventus. Still confident that the pair will be weak in comparison to his power, Vanitas doesn’t hesitate to fight both of them. Together, they are much stronger than he had expected. He cuts off the fight, reluctantly deciding to give Ventus more time.
He still decides to leave his options open, however, and so turns to Eraqus’ other student of light - Aqua, the only one to pass the Mark of Mastery exam. He confronts her in Radiant Garden, the city of light, and challenges her. Slightly more impressed with her skill than he was with Ven’s, he decides let her stick around instead of finishing her off.
This is where his interference ends - Vanitas only waits for a little while, until he intercepts King Mickey in a world called Neverland, capturing him and taking him to the Keyblade Graveyard as bait to lure Ventus into a confrontation with Xehanort. Meanwhile, he and Xehanort both agree, at this point, that Aqua has become an unnecessary element; Ventus has become powerful enough to fill his part of their plan, so Vanitas has no use for her, and Xehanort only sees her as an obstacle anyway. So Vanitas returns to Neverland, taunting Aqua with a wooden Keyblade - a special keepsake - that Ven left behind, revealing his intention to destroy her for real this time.
The battle is difficult for both. Though the fight is long, Vanitas eventually - though reluctantly - realizes that Aqua has gotten too powerful for him to defeat alone. If he was destroyed, the χ-Blade would never be forged. Knowing this, Vanitas collapses, letting Aqua believe she has won. When the woman passes out, he returns to Xehanort, far from being in the best of moods.
Thankfully, it isn’t a long wait before Ventus discovers the location of Mickey and arrives. Vanitas isn’t involved in the encounter, though he knows that Ven is finally being told of his role. The boy’s reaction is, of course, predictable. When Vanitas speaks to him on Destiny Islands, Ven refuses to fight. That doesn’t deter him, however - Vanitas still has plenty of leverage.
"Fine. Then I’ll give you a reason to fight. Come and fine me at the one and only place to spawn the χ-Blade; the Keyblade Graveyard. There, you’re gonna see me choke the life out of Terra and Aqua. Then we’ll see how long you play the pacifist."
And so Ventus does come, as do Terra and Aqua - all rushing toward their ends, believing that they will save their friends from a horrible fate. Xehanort and Vanitas are there, waiting for them, prepared to see the results of all they had worked for. Together they attack the three, fighting until each is in the position most suited to their plans. Once they’ve managed that, Vanitas’ first task is to fight Terra, allowing Xehanort to taunt him by ordering Vanitas to kill Aqua and form the χ-Blade with Ven in front of him.
Once that was done, Vanitas planned his first strike carefully. He jumped from the cliff where Xehanort was fighting Terra, aiming for and successfully striking Aqua. She was knocked out, but not killed. Slowly, Vanitas aimed for her heart, intending more to taunt the nearby Ventus than to deal a finishing blow - though, had Ven not acted fast enough, he would have been more than happy to finish her off for good. But he did, and the necessary battle finally took place…with Ven as the victor.
"You’ve done it, Ventus. Now that my body is about to perish, you and I will have to join together!"
Vanitas’ mask melted away, and darkness seeped out of his body - he was dying. Not that it mattered to him; his physical form, after all, trapped the power that was necessary to forge the χ-Blade. Once that power was released, their hearts rejoined. In that great release of light and darkness, the χ-Blade was forged.
To the outside world, all appeared successful. Aqua awoke, and when she went to check on her friend, his armor fell away, revealing Vanitas’ clothing. Holding the completed χ-Blade and proudly mocking the woman, he was the picture of gleeful victory.
But while he was using Ventus’ body to fight Aqua and King Mickey, another battle was raging within Ven’s heart. Their union wasn’t complete; something had interfered. Perhaps Ventus' will was much stronger then he had anticipated. Because of this, the χ-Blade was incomplete. But Ventus refused to come quietly, and Vanitas knew that he had to finish him off and suppress his will for good, or the weapon would never be whole.
Two fights raged; one within the heart, the other in the Keyblade Graveyard.
Vanitas lost both.
Ventus’ light proved to be stronger than his darkness; his will, perhaps thanks to help from Aqua's final crushing blow against the χ-Blade, was snuffed out. Vanitas ceased to exist, returning to Ventus' exhausted, shattered heart. Or, rather, he should have.
Instead, he found himself in Promenade.
As a side note, a lot of the information at the beginning of his history comes from this recently translated chapter of the Birth by Sleep novels, not from the game itself.
✧ TIMELINE: At the end of Birth by Sleep, after his death.
✧ PERSONALITY:
That Vanitas is a being made entirely of negativity is reflected quite well in his manner. A typical jerk, he is not the sort who would attract a lot of company or friends, nor does he have any interest in doing so. He is, in fact, quite the sadist when it comes to the feelings of others. He enjoys spreading doubt and pain, jealousy and discord, and needs no motivation beyond his own amusement to do so.
As a matter of fact, he has very little motivation of his own. Under Master Xehanort’s care, he learned to strive for only one thing - the creation of the X-blade. Naturally, he relished the thought of bringing about the destruction and chaos of a Keyblade War, and was more than happy to do his part. Because of his interest, and because he had known no other way of life since his ‘birth’, he was a loyal student. But his loyalty is fueled only by self-interest. Vantias does not care about the goals or aspirations of those he’s working with, nor would he go out of his way to work toward their achievement if the task is not to his benefit. Indeed, he would have willingly gone against Xehanort’s orders to ensure the creation of the X-blade and, in fact, nearly did so more than once.
When talking to others, Vanitas is brief, callous, and to the point, the grand exception being when he’s trying to manipulate and exploit doubt. As mentioned before, he does this quite often - destroying the confidence of the weak, encouraging pessimism, and turning ally against ally are fun ways for him to kill time. He enjoys control, manipulation, and power…and his love of power, naturally, extends to his abilities in combat.
However, it isn’t a stretch to say that Vanitas is overconfident. He is fully aware of his strength, but tends to overestimate it’s limits. Only his final defeat at the hands of Ventus and Aqua have come anywhere close to tempering his pride; none of his other fights hurt his self-image at all, despite his often being on the losing side. On that same token, he tends to underestimate the abilities of others.
Vanitas also does not enjoy working or fighting alongside others, even to make up for his own weaknesses. He was trained to be able to take on even the most formidable opponents alone, and believes himself more then capable of always being able to do so. ‘Friendship’ and ‘trust’ are worthless to him, anyway. He doesn’t have to believe in anyone - people are simply tools, useful as nothing more than a means to an end.
Most importantly, one must remember that Vanitas' heart really is filled with nothing but darkness, and negativity colors all of his emotions. He isn't capable of changing this. Vanitas is a mess of all the worst parts within a person, with none of the good to relieve them. Without some sort of goal, he is incredibly unstable and destructive, and doesn't always know what to do with himself. In short, Vanitas is a very dangerous being - one who should not be ignored.
✧ ABILITIES/POWERS:
Vanitas is a being with vast powers of darkness - which, in the Kingdom Hearts universe, is essentially compressed negative energy that can hurt you. A lot. Access to this power gives him several special abilities.
Dark Portals/Darkness Teleportation - Vanitas can open portals of swirling darkness that can teleport him from place to place via otherwise inaccessible paths. He can also use a much more limited form of teleportation that allows him to completely vanish and move within an area of a few feet, typically utilized to trick his opponents in battle.
Darkness Attacks - During a fight, Vanitas can use attacks augmented by darkness to do extensive damage, in such forms as a crescent or multiple balls of energy.
In addition to his darkness related abilities, Vanitas knows some form of Blizzard and Fire spells, which he uses in combination with his darkness attacks.
His weapon is a Keyblade; essentially, a large key-like sword that can unlock anything, from a simple door to the heart of a world. Known as Void Gear, this blade can be summoned at will, and increases his already existing powers greatly.
However, his most powerful ability is independent of all of this. Thanks to his overwhelming negativity, Vanitas has the power to spawn creatures called Unversed - monsters reflective of darker emotions, born from his own body. They can be spawned by the hundreds, possibly even thousands, and exist in many forms, shaped from his own negativity and that of the people they are exposed to in various places. If they are destroyed, their power will always return to him. However, each time one is destroyed, he does feel physical pain. He also cannot control their creation - they come into existence in response to his emotions. In game, Vanitas used these creatures to spread chaos across the worlds and create an opponent that would force Ventus to get stronger.
Lastly, Vanitas feels a limited sort of connection to Ventus - if something major happens to the other boy, Vanitas will be at least vaguely aware of it (to what extent, or if I even bring this up at all, would be left completely up to Ven's mun - canon does not give us firm boundaries for this ability, or even explain how much of a factor it is.)
✧ TIME OF ARRIVAL: Night
✧ MASK DESIGN: Vanitas already wears a mask in canon. It is a black helmet, which can be seen in this picture.
✧ PLACE OF SOLACE: The Keyblade Graveyard
SAMPLES
✧ FIRST PERSON: Museboxing right over here.
✧ THIRD PERSON:
Vanitas had only ever seen a Heartless once for himself. It was years ago, when Xehanort had summoned a whole group of them. He remembered the event in detail - it was an exercise in control. Vanitas had ordered a group of Unversed to attack. Whether or not there was more to it then practice, the old man had never said. But the calculating look in his eyes as he had absorbed the scene of the fight, watching both creatures slash away at each other's numbers, made Vanitas think that he had been making some sort of comparison. Trying to decide which would be more useful, maybe.
Normally, Vanitas didn't care about those things. But when his thoughts wandered, and he stared at the spot where it had taken place, he found that he couldn't help but keep his own count of the similarities and differences.
When that first Heartless had appeared, and the shadowy creature had stared at him with those empty golden eyes, he thought that they weren't really so different. Both were castaways, fragments of something that was broken. Monsters.
But there were differences. The Heartless moved with fluidity and grace, in strange contrast to the Unversed's jumpy, erratic, or just out of place motions. There was a certain focus behind their actions, an innate, instinctual purpose that the Unversed lacked. After all, the Unversed were just the product of his own emotions. Incomplete, undirected feelings.
Both of them were pathetic, in his opinion.
He hated the Heartless almost as much as he hated the Unversed. Both were signs of weakness. Heartless only existed because of idiots who couldn’t protect their hearts, and the Unversed only existed because he wasn’t as strong as he could be.
But, unlike the Heartless, the Unversed had a true purpose, one more valuable than a blind search for hearts. They had their role to play.
Just as he and Ventus did.