character survey

[curepotion]

PLEASE NOTE:

Q (tumblr user bilvum): i'm wondering if there has ever been a canonical decision about aziraphale wearing glasses? how do you feel about the majority of the fandom assuming he wears them, despite there being no mention of it in the book? A (neil gaiman): I bloody love you lot. It’s your imagination. Imagine. Anything that’s not described is fair game. (Just never demand that anyone else imagine things like you did.)

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?

height | 5'8'' or 172.72 cm
weight | 165 lb or 74.8427 kg

Riku has a lean, muscular built. He amasses most of his muscle mass on his legs and arms, because of sword training and swimming (he still has a muscled stomach and back, however). He has lost his baby fat, although he's a little thicker than Sora. Despite being muscular, he's still a teenager and going through puberty--he is very much all elbows and knees and his weight is not properly distributed. He is regarded as tall by character comparison, as he's the tallest of the Destiny Islands trio, but is shorter than many of the adults.

2. How old is he?

KHII | 16
Blank Points, Dream Drop Distance | 17

He was born on October 31st, Halloween.

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?

Riku has a bit of a slouch, but not too noticeable when he's walking normally--when he fights, it's very noticeable, since he draws his right arm back and slouches forwards a little, chin tilted down.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

As a child, Riku caught illnesses very easily, and was in and out of the hospital. Colds commonly built up to pneumonia, his playing outside caused rashes on his skin, etc--broken bones and sprains, too. As he aged, however, he began to take more care of himself by arming himself with knowledge to avoid poisonous plants or troublesome conditions and surrounding himself with a group of trusted friends. Riku, at age sixteen/seventeen, is very fit and healthy. He has no illnesses or conditions besides still being easily prone to sickness (while being careful enough not to expose himself to it). His left arm holds a lot of stiffness and it is generally hard to move, sustaining injury from when Roxas slashed across it. This is alleviated during Dream Drop Distance.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

Riku moves sharply and rapidly. It seems like he stands still and blocks, and then, out of the blue, strikes lethally. There is a sort of tense, deathly grace there, because Riku isn't prone to hiccups or accidents when it comes to wielding a blade, or just normal walking. He doesn't do klutzy. He's remarkably agile, has parkour skills, and general hand-to-hand combat abilities that have helped him evade capture.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?

To touch base: he's really pretty attractive, physically. He keeps himself groomed and neat--even if his hair is shaggy and long, it's properly cleaned and brushed. He has no hygiene issues. He has a bad fashion taste, however, even if the clothes fit him (and he gears towards baggy clothing). Riku doesn't care what others think of his clothes or his appearance, but he judges his own appearance very harshly. His complexion is very pale for someone who lives on a tropical island, and he doesn't seem to burn (at most, he might freckle), which leads him to wonder why he looks so strange.

Riku doesn't regard himself as attractive. At most he calls himself average, at worst he calls himself a freak for being so pale and not suffering from it. He doesn't believe many compliments geared towards him, and if someone seems malicious enough, he'll outright tell them to stop lying or to stop trying to throw him off. If one is nice, he'll think they either have bad taste (most positive) or are lying for his sake (most negative).

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?

Riku has very fair skin that might have a few freckles here or there on his back. There is a large scar on his left side. It starts from underneath his bottom rib and moves down in a diagonal to his hip, and impossible to miss when his shirt is off. The skin around it seems badly burned. He has a few childhood scars, and has quite a few callouses on his hands and feet, but otherwise, nothing of notice.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.

His hair is long enough to touch the middle of his shoulder blades. As for texture, it's very smooth and silky to the touch, having a natural outwards flare that makes it curve outward at the bottom. No amount of gel can make it stay absolutely flat at the ends. His hair is bright white-silver, with undertones of lilac, sea green, and light blues in certain lights. This same color is on his eyebrows and eyelashes (and yes, the curtains match the drapes). Riku does not put product in his hair other than regular shampoo and conditioner. No gel, no mousse, nothing.

When training, he will put it in a tight ponytail or braid.

9. What color are his eyes?

Riku's eyes are a light shade of seagreen.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

Slouch, hair, eyes, skin--nope!

11. What are his chief tension centers?

Upper arms (deltoids) and ankles (Achilles tendon).

12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit?

Riku wears primary colors, with yellow and blue as his signature colors, black and white accenting those colors. The color's saturation and brightness vary wildly, but he generally sticks to those colors no matter what he wears. He dresses pretty casually and prefers things he can move around easily in.

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?

His clothes are baggy on purpose. He seems comfortable, but he could easily, you know, trip over his stupidly baggy jeans.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?

Riku hasn't gotten the memo that you generally change clothes between work and free time. But then, "free time" and "work" aren't segments in his daily life. What is work and what is free time when you're tailing your best friend to make sure he saves the worlds?

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?

Boxers. Boxers with polka dots on them.

Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

Riku's voice actor is David Gallagher. They sound pretty similar even causally.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?

Riku speaks with purpose--he doesn't speak often, but when he does, it carries weight, emotion, and substance. His way of talking depends on who he talks to--he generally is very easy at being verbose and words do come to him easily... he just decides not to talk as much. He's introspective and will keep his thoughts to himself until they're fully realized, for the most part.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

He has absolutely no accent. No English/American accent or a Japanese accent--to those who speak either language, he obviously has an "accent" (because perceptions shift, of course) but it is unidentifiable.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?

English, and likely a few words of old, indigenous Destiny Island language or dialect.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

Nope.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?

Riku constantly thinks on his words, although it may not always be obvious. He can launch into a sudden speech without needing to, however, if the subject is compelling enough to garner his interest and opinion.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?

He is generally eloquent. Riku's vocabulary isn't necessarily basic, but it isn't advanced--he knows a few words a high-schooler that's older than him would know. The only time he's been shown to not be able to speak correctly and easily is when he's embarrassed. He flusters and stumbles over his words, sometimes even stuttering.

Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?

Both. Riku is very academically smart. His best subjects in school revolve around logic; he's gifted in math and has a strong science base, but is a little lackluster in language and history. At the same time, he's fairly philosophical and embraces abstract ideas and generally knows where the Lines That One Must Not Cross are (if he will or will not cross them, however, is another story).

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?

Riku has a pre-formed plan in mind. He always has a plan in mind. He, however, knows how to change his plan as events unfold before him. He plays a mix of the two.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

As a foil to Sora, Riku is logical and practical to Sora's intuition and idealism. Riku regularly believes things won't work out and has plans to make sure he has an escape or pathway away from the wreckage. If something does work, he revises. His mind works constantly to plot out everything that could happen, but he falls short many times. Riku's thought process is almost airtight--if it weren't for his slight misjudging of others. He's getting better at that. Then again, he has the ability to be a Chessmaster. It may not be a good idea for him to get better at that.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

Riku is 15 when he opens the door, and with headcanon putting those events at the end of summer, he would be entering his sophomore year of high school.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?

At an early age, he showed proficiency in swordsmanship. He's revered as the best fighter on the islands when he's younger, and is still able to fight by Sora's side later on. Riku knows his strategies and tactics and is a skilled fighter, able to use his disadvantages to bolster his growth. Riku is interested in learning more about how to become a worthwhile protector. He wants to be strong enough to protect everyone and anyone that truly matters to him. That is the top priority. ... however, he has a thirst for knowing just about anything. Knowledge in its own right interests Riku.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?

Introvert. He gets tired of crowds and company very easily and spends a lot of time on his own or being "unseen" while checking up on his close friends.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

Riku is even-tempered. It takes pressing buttons and intentionally aggravating him to get him to burst, and even then, it's not guaranteed. For the most part, he's thoughtful with a sad undertone, always thinking of the past and what could have been. At the same time, he's quick to give a kind smile and quick to become incredibly determined with a cause in mind. If anything, it's important to take note that his temperament is mild until something he cares about is threatened, referenced, or challenged--then, all kinds of emotions can fly, from bitterly cold and sneering to flippant and challenging.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

New people are weird. Within the first few minutes of a conversation, Riku can judge someone (justly or unjustly) and walk away if he wants to. He is suspicious and many conversations consist of Riku asking questions about everything he can, because he wants to know all the information they'll give him. He may or may not give information about himself back. He tries not to dominate the conversation. Physically, he shies away from most new people and tries not to be touched or touch others.

9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?

Act. Waiting around to react could spell danger.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight?

Fight. Riku is ridiculously prideful in some aspects, and competition is no joke for him. Competition is king, and he's not going to take no for an answer unless it'll kill him.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

Riku appreciates jokes and humor! ... he just... doesn't always go along with the joke, you see. Sometimes it'll fly right over his head, sometimes he'll purposely get something wrong to fluster someone else--he likes turning jokes on their heads to the person that's telling the joke instead. Riku can and will prank on a whim, and... well, competitions of pranks--you're on.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?

This headcanon is currently under research. I believe Riku could be suffering by some PTSD symptoms. The severity of traumatic events (body possession, Sora and Kairi in trouble, killing the basement crew, constantly coming in contact with Xion and the memory loss as a result, changing from his body to Xehanort's form, forcibly changed back into his own body, body trauma from being struck) one right after the other, could have an effect on his psyche.

Currently, Riku suffers from constant repetitive nightmares, frequent bouts of insomnia, stringent avoidance and strict guidelines regarding Xehanort's Heartless and constant hyper-vigilance, some common PTSD symptoms.

Riku has not been tested or diagnosed with any mental disorders, however, and thus, does not deal with any symptoms or disorders.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?

His home life has defined him, as well as his possession and "rebirth" through Castle Oblivion. Creating the path to dawn is a big turning point in his character currently.

14. What does he fear?

Losing control. Not being able to protect or defend his friends. Giving into the Darkness and losing himself in the process. Failing everyone.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?

Riku's biggest goal is to become a protector. He wants to protect and defend the people who matter to him at any cost. Thus, since he was a child, he's always worked to be stronger than he has been, and shows no signs of stopping.

16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?

He isn't exactly gung-ho to let anyone find out just how much he dislikes himself, or many of his internal feelings about anyone. Riku doesn't like people in his head. It's much better off when he's the only one there. His personal space is his own.

Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.

This section heavily relies on developed headcanon; it is how he is played currently.
Father; named Akira Yamamoto: Riku's father is a Captain in the Destiny Islands Sky Force. He's only able to visit the family every other month or so, and thus, Riku and his father have a distant relationship. Despite it being distant, it's very loving, if incredibly strict. When he is there, they frequently spar, and Riku's father teaches him new ways of swordsmanship combat. He is the reason Riku wanted to protect others and the reason why he knows how to fight with a sword. Riku looks up to him very much and follows a lot of his traditional ideals. Before he was a Keybearer, he wanted to be a soldier like his father, in the military.

Mother; named Hanako Yamamoto, maiden name Ito: Riku's mother was a nurse, and is now an archery instructor. She has always been Riku's constant guide. Ever since he was small, she was always there to take care of him and whip him into shape. While his father taught him how to fight with a sword, his mother taught him how to fire arrows. Riku's aim is impeccable because of this constant practice. When Riku was around five, his mother quit her job as a nurse (the hours were too much) and searched to become an instructor nearby. Riku frequently came to just sit and watch her teach her students, coming from his school to her work and walking home with her. Riku has a very close, complicated, but loving relationship with his mother. Since she is the primary caregiver, she tends to helicopter parent Riku the most and views him as needing to be protected as the youngest, especially since he disappeared in the events of Kingdom Hearts.

Both: It should be said that Riku loves his parents very much. ... however, they're both extremely coddling as time wears on, for many (valid) reasons (his sickliness, his pigheaded confidence, his mean streak, his brother leaving, etc). Riku finds both of them tiring and needs to retreat to recharge constantly around them. They think he's a little bit of a weird case because he spends so much time alone or with his close, close friends. Both impose rigid traditional ideals on him that Riku finds himself struggling to wrap his head around and execute, but doesn't want to let them down; they also tend to insist that he must conquer and prove to be the best and are disappointed when he is less than perfect. These expectations have driven Riku to who he is now, exacerbating his competitive edge and fear of failure.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

Riku has a big brother (Akihiko Yamamoto). His brother is four years older than him; when Riku was 5, he was 9. 10, 14. 17... 21. Along with his parents' coddling, Riku has to put up with his brother babying him, constantly calling him 'baby brother' or implying that Riku can't handle himself. They don't have a strained relationship, per se, but it's not the best. Riku can live with his brother, but they cause many fights and slammed doors and Riku can't stand being "taken care of" by his brother because he "can't do it himself" when he very well can. Aki has always been the one telling Riku to shape up and do this or that, and Riku has always been the one to question the status quo; as a result, Aki can be very easily frustrated when Riku presses and wants to know why when Aki doesn't know or care to know the whys. Riku finds the rigidity and the expectation from his older brother both frustrating and constricting; there's no option to take the middle road, just to conform--he doesn't want to do that.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?

Riku isn't very close to his family besides his close family. He dislikes most of his extended family (most of his mother's side, his father's side is mostly deceased), until he returns. After Kingdom Hearts II, he gets kind of close to his uncle on his father's side because he has guilt issues (albeit more mundane than Riku's).

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?

Sora and Kairi are his best friends, and he considers them his family.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?

See above. ("How they met" will change from canonmate to canonmate.)

6. Does he have other close friends?

While Riku is said to spar with some of the other children, he is not explicitly seen playing with Tidus, Selphie and Wakka. He regards them as friends but not close ones.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?

Riku makes allies and acquaintances very easily; he's generally polite and likes to help. What he sees as an "acquaintance" or an "ally" and what a friend is tends to be muddled, however. Most of the people he gets close to are friends, even if Riku would rather not call them that.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?

Friends, most definitely.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?

N/A.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?

N/A.

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?

Kairi was his first crush; he may have also harbored feelings for Sora along the line, but he holds no crushes now and doesn't regard his best friends as romantic interests.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?

Truth be told, Riku doesn't have a lot of specific traits he needs in a romantic partner. Generally speaking, if a person is nice t him and doesn't look to have horrible ideals that he'd fight against, they could be a possible romantic partner. That said, Riku does not fall in love easily and you really have to have a complex relationship with him. Riku tends to not know others' romantic feelings or his own, and tends to more often than not not have any romantic inclinations.

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?

N/A. Riku's feelings on children are mixed and right now he doesn't plan on having any children under the claim that he wouldn't be a good parent.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?

Riku has an enemy in Master Xehanort/Xehanort's Heartless; he does not see Sora as a rival, but rather as his best friend.

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?

Riku tends to fall squarely into the 'undecided' category. As a teenager who is closed off and antisocial, Riku hasn't truly experimented with his sexuality so he doesn't know which he fits into. He is played as having equal crushes on Sora and Kairi and getting over his feelings for both, so while he'd rate a 3 on the Kinsey scale, he does not hold any feelings currently for anyone.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?

Riku tends to take a traditionalist standpoint on sex; ie you're not supposed to have it before you're married.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?

N/A, not answered here since he's 17 and still below the age limit.

Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?

Riku's (unofficial) birthday is October 31st (Halloween); Riku is a Scorpio as per Western astrology. He fits Scorpio pretty well, and before/during Kingdom Hearts he tended to embody even the negative aspects. Nowadays, Riku's possessiveness has been stamped out, so he does not fit into the mold as easily as he used to.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?

He did subscribe to a monolithic religion before he left the islands. He no longer believes in it, putting his faith in the balance between Darkness and Light. He is spiritual, but no longer religious.

3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?

Riku takes extreme care with his code of morals and ethics. He has codes of honor--never attack an opponent while their back is turned, let fights be fair, step back if asked to, et cetera. His code of morals and ethics are much murkier; Riku will do everything he can to make sure the people that matter to him are safe. If someone he deeply cares about is hurt or injured, he can be driven to fatally injure or outright kill for them. He derives no pleasure from acts like these and tends to be beside himself with guilt over his actions, but he will claim that he would do it again if he had to--if there was another way, he'd gladly take it. Riku does not needlessly hurt others (physically), not without good reason. He tries his best to do no harm, after all the trouble he's caused in the past. Instead, he helps everyone he can with little to no complaint, as a way of atoning. Riku does not operate on black and white, even if he may sometimes see his own actions as such: he is capable and pushes himself to do as much good as he can, but is capable of doing horrible things for a just cause.

4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?

Depends on the beliefs. Riku himself has a different belief system (balance between Darkness and Light) than other people in his world, so it's most likely that he'll regard them with interest and curiosity rather than rejection. If, however, these beliefs revolve around hurting others and causing harm, he will probably be appalled.

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?

Due to his admittedly rocky relationship with adults in the series, Riku tends to regard adults with suspicion and hyper-vigilance; male adults in particular who are taller than him make him jumpy and nervous. Overall, most adults make Riku react like he doesn't quite believe them, that he needs to really see who they are. He asks questions before he just leaps in unless he has a reason for doing so otherwise (his own curiosity, sense of duty, etc.)

Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

On the road, Riku's as dirt poor as they come. He has had to scavenge for food and take small, odd jobs or mow down a horde of enemies for money. At home, Riku's family is old money; he's pretty wealthy and comfortable. While he's used to a certain standard of living, roughing it and being poor isn't something he looks down on. He's held a few jobs as a teenager so he knows the value of money.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?

Socially, Riku's a little bit of an outcast. Both at home and on the road, Riku's taken some dubious choices in his life. At home, he's chosen to believe in the existence of other worlds, which is regarded as little more than a fairytale. This plus his odd coloring and tendency towards hard subjects make him an easy target for bullying and ostracization, even with money. On the road, Riku has chosen to walk a path that is equally divided: Darkness and Light. To note, only the major villain mentioned that you could wield both, and mentioned this only to manipulate another character. Riku's power has been claimed to be a "new" power, so it's most likely that he's something of a pioneer. Innovation isn't welcomed with open arms, nor is the Darkness in this universe...

3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others?

At the end of Kingdom Hearts II, most likely his parents' mansion.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?

Anything he can use to help the people that matter to him. Also, chocolate. Notebooks, pens, woodcrafting tools. Riku isn't particularly materialistic.

5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else?

Saving the world, kind of. Co-saving the world.

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?

Riku's interested in: chess, biology, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, marine biology, chemistry, physics, culture, language, exploration, knowledge for knowledge's sake, woodcrafting, basic cooking, music (vocal), music (instrumental), and sports.

His hobbies are more or less: swordfighting, chess, sports, woodcrafting, singing, saxophone, reading (nonfiction), and cooking.

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

Riku will skip eating the entire day if no one pays close attention. He's simply too focused on other things to pay attention that he's hungry, or worse, he honestly doesn't remember the last time he ate/doesn't remember to eat. He eats very politely and generally speaking doesn't eat much unless it's a dessert. Riku avoids alcohol as he's a minor (and the mun is in the US where the age for alcohol consumption is 21 and is the biggest chocoholic you have ever seen. If you want him to do something for you, offer him a bar of chocolate and watch him agree in half a second.

Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:

1. Color?
Yellow.

2. Smell?
Crackling fire.

3. Time of day?
Right before dawn.

4. Season?
Summer, definitely.

5. Book?
N/A.

6. Music?
N/A.

7. Place?
Play Island.

8. Substance?
N/A.

9. Plant?
Pitcher plant.

10. Animal?
Dog.


END
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