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[replicates]

Player Information

Name: Ame
Age: 24
Contact Info: suncryst / tomebreaker @ AIM
Other Characters: N/A

Character Information

Name: Replica Riku
Canon: Kingdom Hearts
Age: 15 in appearance, existed for about a year.
Gender: Male
Canon Point: Post death during Riku's side of Chain of Memories
Background Link: Character wiki, Chain of Memories wiki
Inventory: The clothes on his back (not his fashion choice, he swears), and a star shaped charm.

Personality:

"A faithful replica until the very end. That's... okay."

There is no replica without the original, and that's ultimately what he is: a clone, a fake, a copy, and he is more than aware of this. He is everything Riku was - the confident, cocky, competitive boy - and everything he could have been had Riku not accepted the fact that he had fucked up royally at the end of Kingdom Hearts 1. While Riku has guilt and regret, the Replica possesses none of these qualities. He is instead left with the bitterness and jealousy of one that was created as a pawn, a tool to be used and eventually cast aside after the task was done. For all of the Replica's likeness to Riku, he was merely a shade of his original.

One of the biggest differences between Riku and his Replica is that while Riku feared the darkness in his heart, the Replica embraced it and wielded it to its full potential. It was something he constantly mocked Riku about during his stay in Castle Oblivion: taunting him with the fact that even though he was Riku's clone, he was better because he had no fear of the darkness and because of that, he wasn't weak. The Replica did not possess much reservations about being Riku's clone at first, saying that he would prove to be the better of the two in no time. He had the most autonomy at this point, being that he had his own memories, he was still very much his own person despite being a clone. However, when the subject of rewriting his memories to be the same as his original's was brought up, he lashed out, saying that he didn't need his original's memories. Though his efforts were unsuccessful, it's clear that the Replica had no intentions to share anything else with his original aside from his appearance and his abilities.

After having his memories rewritten, the Replica is just as stubborn as his original is and is actually a lot more aggressive. He is fiercely protective over Naminé and this does not change even towards the end of Sora's side of the game, when he comes to terms with the fact that he is truly just a copy. While Riku is more subtle with his affections to those he cares about, the Replica is very open with them and does not hide it away. It's very evident in his interactions with Naminé, as he treats her with a sort of gentle reverence and asserts that he is her protector throughout the game. He also doesn't bother to hide away his feelings of contempt or frustration he has for Sora, Riku, and the other members of the Organization despite the fact that most of them are stronger than he is, not showing respect or deference to any of them at all. And on that note, the Replica does not fear death; operating on a sort of violently reckless, self-destructive drive to become better than his original and gain his true existence. Unsurprising, as he's shoved off to fight Riku not even five minutes into his existence, and violence is really all he's known. Despite having Riku's memories, the Replica lacks any sort of humanity as he honestly doesn't know how to really be human and has never been treated like a human throughout the game, constantly reminded of how he was simply just a toy and a tool. Not to mention, his moral compass is also severely skewed, as demonstrated when he doesn't hesitate to destroy Zexion. The only sort of kindness and warmth he ever got to experience in his short existence is with Sora and Naminé: the former who encourages him to find his true self now that he isn't bound to the orders of the Organization anymore, while the latter remains by his side till the end of Sora's side of the game through pity and remorse.

It's also important to note that while the Replica did not show respect for the Organization, he never failed to follow their orders (you give a weapon trajectory, not autonomy) and the only time he expressed dissent was his initial confrontation with Larxene regarding their plan to replace his memories with Riku. We can infer that the Replica doesn't trust the Organization and once the truth is revealed, he doesn't hesitate to join forces with Sora to protect Naminé. However, despite his distrust he's fairly easy to manipulate, stemming from his inexperience and recklessness.

Perhaps the saddest part of the Replica's life was the fact that he never ceased searching for his existence until the very end. He wanted desperately to be his own person and even when he teamed up with Axel, his biggest goal in destroying Zexion was to obtain a power that would distinguish himself from and ultimately defeat Riku. It is not until the latter defeated him that he truly became a little closer to his original, his arrogance and stubbornness mellowing into resignation and acceptance of his fate.

Flavor Abilities:

Without his abilities, the replica will be rendered about as useful as a regular human. However, because he was created to be a weapon and has known nothing but violence and fighting since the moment he woke up, it's safe to say that he has a good amount of strength and agility and can generally take care of himself fairly well in a fight. Furthermore, before things went to hell, Riku was known as the strongest of the kids on the island: Tidus tells Sora that he, Wakka, and Selphie were defeated despite triple-teaming him. As the replica is a clone of Riku, he would naturally possess this trait as well.

Suitability:

In all honesty, the replica is not suited for the setting at all. First, he's a clone and has only existed for at most a year; he honestly hasn't lived much of a life at all. Second, what survival instincts he has are gleaned from Riku's memories and the fact that Riku himself grew up on an island really doesn't provide him much to go on when he gets to Norfinbury. Finally, the replica is reckless, stubborn, and self-destructive: traits that are not very smart to have in a survival/horror setting.

However, it's his recklessness and stubbornness that may help him in the end. The replica refuses to give up, and being in this kind of setting will merely compel him to not give in. Also, he doesn't have anything to fear anymore: he's accepted his defeat and knows that he'll never be better than Riku and ultimately, that's fine. Since he'll be a Real Boy in Norfinbury, his loss of abilities actually won't bother him too much; those weren't his to begin with, so good riddance. He'll likely be able to make it out on his own and it'll give him more room for growth.

To make a long story short, it will be interesting to explore his growth in game and how he'll cope in the game's setting.

RP Samples: