replicates | in the night app

PLAYER INFO

Player Name: Ame
Player Contact: journal PM or discord @ nyaaaaaargh#9612
Character(s) In-Game: N/A

CHARACTER INFO

Character Name: Riku Replica
Age: It's not specifically stated, but since the replica is a clone of Riku during his time in Kingdom Hearts 1, it's safe to say he's physically around 14 to 15 years old.
Canon: Kingdom Hearts

World Description: Game wiki page.

History: Character wiki page.

CRAU: N/A

Death: After pulling out Dark Riku's heart, he leaves the empty vessel behind for Riku to take in order to bring Naminé back, thus sacrificing himself and his chance at humanity.

What are your plans for this character in-game? At the canon point I've taken him from, the replica essentially has a clean slate upon arriving in Beacon. He has fulfilled his main objective, to protect Naminé as he'd promised, and in the process of doing so, has achieved his own existence separate from Riku. Despite these points, he's still very much a young soul that has only known violence: many of the replica's experiences thus far have been painful and traumatic, what good memories he does have are Riku's instead of his own. There are many things he has yet to learn, and in order for him to continue the growth he'd started in canon, it's important for him to experience things himself and develop his own conclusions to them that aren't simply gleaned from Riku's memories. By interacting with other characters in and outside of his canon, I'd like to explore how those relationships will impact his perspective and thus help him develop further as his own person rather than remaining in Riku's shadow.

What aspects of this game and/or its setting are you most interested in having this character engage with? I think the idea of having characters face their deaths isn't something that I've been able to interact with in a game. There's always the sense of urgency to return home and explore the game's settings with that goal in mind, but that sort of urgency doesn't take precedence in this game and I feel there's more opportunities for them to interact and grow with others as a result. The theme of darkness is also a main point of interest, being that the replica is born from a kind of darkness himself, I'm eager to explore how he'll be able to (or won't be able to) interact with the darkness in Beacon.

How does your character generally get along with other people? The replica doesn't get along with people, in the sense that he has never had the opportunity to interact with others aside from those who used and manipulated him in the past. Many of his relationships in the game were negative ones and a lot of his internal struggles regarding his existence and self-worth effectively inhibited any sort of desire to get to know others — there's no point, when he knows in the end they'll simply prefer Riku over him anyway. This doesn't mean that the replica isn't lonely, or that he doesn't long for interactions with others; it's a sort of learning process he'll have to go through, one that will also require him to fully embrace the fact that he's his own person now and that not everyone will be comparing him to Riku here.

A lot of his initial social interactions with others will be strange and awkward, and most of his social cues he'll have picked up from Riku's memories. The application of them won't exactly be flawless, and there will be times when he will withdraw into himself as a result of his inexperience with being around so many people in general.

What is your character's mental state upon entering the game? The replica's mental state has never been great from the beginning, but throughout the course of Kingdom Hearts III, it's obvious that he's done a lot of self-reflection and has grown considerably as a result of that. He's no longer driven by anger or jealousy in trying to become stronger than Riku — his entire goal shifts from that to protecting the person he feels is most important to him, and when he's finally able to achieve it, he looks completely at peace with his decision to sacrifice himself. The replica has no regrets, and given the opportunity to go back, he'd likely end up doing the same thing again. There's a sense of relief in doing so, in terms of how he was finally able to do something he felt was worthwhile despite being what he is, and the sense of accomplishment from that is something important to note.

Skills/Abilities:
Due to his status as Riku's replica, he shares many of Riku's abilities, most notably his athleticism and self-taught style of fighting. It's noted that the replica is particularly vicious and aggressive in combat — he's fast and strikes with purpose, often with the intent to kill. Any of Riku's talents he's developed while growing up (i.e.: swimming, building a raft, his observation skills and ability to improvise) have been passed on to the replica as well, however his mastery of them may not be as consistent, as he has never actually practiced them himself. A lot of the replica's knowledge is gleaned from Riku's memories and experiences; while he's able to get by just by applying what he knows, he still has a lot to learn in terms of coming up with his own responses in certain situations that aren't based off of what Riku's would be.

In terms of magic ability, the replica has access to darkness/dark magic which he uses to power his attacks for both long range and melee combat. As he was intended to be a manifestation of what the original Riku would be had he completely given into the darkness in Kingdom Hearts I, the replica has complete control over this power source and magic. Outside of combat, the replica shares Riku's sensitivity to darkness in people or places — in other words, he can "smell" their malicious intent or their negative emotions. During his stay in Castle Oblivion, there are multiple occasions where he notes he can smell the "stench" of darkness and also compares Naminé's scent to Kairi's. The background of this ability isn't really explained, but it's likely born from his darkness.

Flaws/Weaknesses:
One of the replica's biggest flaws is his inexperience in everything outside of fighting. He hasn't had the chance to live a life of his own where he has room to grow and develop into someone he wanted to be, rather than someone others have compared him to. Since his creation, the idea that Riku is the ideal has been ingrained into his mind and this was only solidified after he'd gotten his memories rewritten. It is also because of his inexperience that he didn't realize that truly becoming Riku would be impossible, and that it's okay if he can't. The replica shares many of Riku's flaws when he was younger, most notably his stubbornness and arrogance; however, it's important to note that after the events of Kingdom Hearts III, he's begun to grow out of these traits as he was able to accept and admit his shortcomings to Riku, and also find ways to move on from them and ultimately achieve what he set out to do. This doesn't mean he won't revert back to these habits on occasion; he's still learning, after all, and in trying to figure out how to interact with others, he will make mistakes.

A lot of the replica's flaws and weaknesses stem from his personal insecurities of what he is. He has accepted the fact that he's a replica by now, but those insecurities still linger especially when he interacts with others. It will take time for him to truly feel comfortable in social situations and in himself in general, putting down the idea that he will never be good enough compared to Riku. This is also exacerbated by his recklessness — as he knows that he doesn't have anything left to return to compared to the others, he likely won't hesitate to sacrifice himself again for Riku and his friends' sakes, and thus his lack of caution and self-preservation as a result of his lack of self-worth may potentially cause him problems in the future.

Personality:
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 made many terrible decisions at the end of Kingdom Hearts I. 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.

Despite having Riku's memories, the replica lacks any sort of humanity as he doesn't know how to really be human and has never been treated like a human throughout the game, constantly reminded by members of the Organization of how he was simply just a toy and a tool. His moral compass is severely skewed, as demonstrated when he doesn't hesitate to destroy Zexion as a means of gaining a new power that the original Riku wouldn't have. 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's. Despite his distrust, he's fairly easy to manipulate (when Axel meets up with him towards the end of the game, he effortlessly persuades the replica to destroy Zexion by telling him he can "be something more than just a copy"), which stems 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 stopped at nothing to obtain a power that would distinguish himself from and ultimately defeat Riku. In Kingdom Hearts III, he admits to Riku that he didn't make much of himself as a replica, that he was a failure and was ready to give in to the darkness when he was defeated until he encountered Riku again much later. Despite his acceptance of the things he's done, the replica still remembers his devotion and promise to Naminé; even with no physical form to protect her with, he decides to sacrifice his chance at humanity and tells Riku to give the empty vessel to her instead, saying that the world has him now and doesn't need two of them. This drive to protect someone he cares about and making his control over darkness adapt to his own purposes beyond destruction is likely the biggest similarity he has to Riku, one that transcends their similar appearance and abilities. The replica did everything he could to fulfill his promise, even if it was one that was fabricated by Naminé, it was still something that belonged to him — it was still a promise that he himself chose to fulfill without being ordered to or influenced. It's with this acceptance and growth that rounds out his journey in finally obtaining his own existence, one where he has the freedom to make his own decisions without being manipulated from the shadows.

Items: His clothes and keyblade.

SAMPLES
Log Sample: here and here.
Network Sample: here.