He hates being reminded of his mistakes. For a long time Riku was the one everybody looked up to, and so every mistake he made threw that position into jeopardy. He’s the sort to deny that he ever made a mistake in the first place-but like so much else, he’s having to rethink that stance. Riku tries to run from his mistakes, but if it becomes apparent that he can’t avoid it, he’ll face it head-on. (That doesn’t stop him from trying to martyr himself, though: “If [I fail], use your powers to destr-” “Of course! I’ll be right there to save ya!” “Huh? No, that’s not it. I want you to destr-” “NO WAY.”) Riku’s used to other people bringing up his various failings in conversations by this point, so it’s begun to have an effect on his personality: he is, at the outset, respectful to nobody. You have to earn his respect, because he’s expecting you to either start slinging comments about how he couldn’t control the darkness within him, or begin trying to order him around. For that reason, he seems to have a pricklier exterior than he did on the islands; his shorter temper is helping him to hide the fact that he feels as though his entire identity is in flux.
Riku’s lived his entire life thus far on trusting his instincts-sometimes it’s led him wrong, but many times it’s apparent that this is due to somebody else playing off his insecurities to sway his thoughts one way or another. For instance, Maleficent was able to convince him that Sora had abandoned him in Traverse Town, but only after Riku had gone to see for himself. In Castle Oblivion, DiZ repeatedly told Riku that his heart was empty, that all he knew how to do was cast away, playing off the fact that Riku was worried that all of Hollow Bastion was abandoned, even though it shouldn’t have been. At first Riku rejects this, but later on he repeats it as fact: “You and your darkness have nothing to offer. All I did was lose myself… empty myself!”
Although Riku may allow himself to be swayed by other people’s words at times, he demonstrates a crazy level of intuitiveness when he remains firm. At five/six years old, Riku was able to tell Sora that somebody else on another world was hurting, and that they were looking for help-and then was able to tell Sora how to help that person (by opening his heart and reaching out). That level of intuitiveness allows him to reach out and help people when they need it, and to know when he is needed elsewhere.
Riku is really growing as a person right now, but overall, he has become much more humble than the Riku of a year ago-while the Riku of a year ago would have scorned the idea of needing help to hold back the darkness from his heart, the current Riku was at one point so glad to see help arrive in the form of an anthropomorphic mouse that he fell on his butt in relief.
Of course, that doesn’t mean he won’t still snark from time to time, if he’s in company where it might be acceptable. He’s growing up, not becoming another person entirely.
7. Previous Game Developments: N/A
8. Appearance: Riku has recently hit his growth spurt! He’s still growing, but currently is about 5’10”, 5’11”. He’s mostly muscle, as he’s been active ever since he was a little kid, fighting with wooden swords and then graduating to blades, and especially following the past year’s events. He has long, choppy silver hair that goes down to his shoulder blades which needs to be cut 3<. For the most part, he will always be wearing a blindfold to hide his blue-green eyes from sight.
Riku is waging a constant war against the final vestiges of Ansem’s spirit in his heart. Should he allow the darkness into him, it will turn his eyes amber-if he accepts enough of it, he’ll take on Ansem’s form entirely: taller, darker-skinned, with amber eyes and longer, sleeker white hair. However, Ansem’s form can be contained by putting his blindfold back on-when he does this, he reverts to his normal form.
Riku’s lived his entire life thus far on trusting his instincts-sometimes it’s led him wrong, but many times it’s apparent that this is due to somebody else playing off his insecurities to sway his thoughts one way or another. For instance, Maleficent was able to convince him that Sora had abandoned him in Traverse Town, but only after Riku had gone to see for himself. In Castle Oblivion, DiZ repeatedly told Riku that his heart was empty, that all he knew how to do was cast away, playing off the fact that Riku was worried that all of Hollow Bastion was abandoned, even though it shouldn’t have been. At first Riku rejects this, but later on he repeats it as fact: “You and your darkness have nothing to offer. All I did was lose myself… empty myself!”
Although Riku may allow himself to be swayed by other people’s words at times, he demonstrates a crazy level of intuitiveness when he remains firm. At five/six years old, Riku was able to tell Sora that somebody else on another world was hurting, and that they were looking for help-and then was able to tell Sora how to help that person (by opening his heart and reaching out). That level of intuitiveness allows him to reach out and help people when they need it, and to know when he is needed elsewhere.
Riku is really growing as a person right now, but overall, he has become much more humble than the Riku of a year ago-while the Riku of a year ago would have scorned the idea of needing help to hold back the darkness from his heart, the current Riku was at one point so glad to see help arrive in the form of an anthropomorphic mouse that he fell on his butt in relief.
Of course, that doesn’t mean he won’t still snark from time to time, if he’s in company where it might be acceptable. He’s growing up, not becoming another person entirely.
7. Previous Game Developments: N/A
8. Appearance: Riku has recently hit his growth spurt! He’s still growing, but currently is about 5’10”, 5’11”. He’s mostly muscle, as he’s been active ever since he was a little kid, fighting with wooden swords and then graduating to blades, and especially following the past year’s events. He has long, choppy silver hair that goes down to his shoulder blades which needs to be cut 3<. For the most part, he will always be wearing a blindfold to hide his blue-green eyes from sight.
Riku is waging a constant war against the final vestiges of Ansem’s spirit in his heart. Should he allow the darkness into him, it will turn his eyes amber-if he accepts enough of it, he’ll take on Ansem’s form entirely: taller, darker-skinned, with amber eyes and longer, sleeker white hair. However, Ansem’s form can be contained by putting his blindfold back on-when he does this, he reverts to his normal form.
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