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Terminal Tokyo || Application
Jan. 7th, 2014 09:24 amPlease note: Birth By Sleep's main story is told namely through the game itself, however due to the limited information provided in Vanitas' backstory, the Birth By Sleep novels also influence his characterisation and development. Whilst some aspects of the novels are admittedly wonderful, unfortunately sourcing for a book only released in Japan is somewhat unreliable. I've done my best to provide at least a few sources of this work.
OOC Information
NAME:
Daine
AGE:
21
OTHER CHARACTERS PLAYED: n/a
IC Information
CHARACTER NAME: Vanitas
AGE: Physically 16, timeline of existence, four.
CANON: Kingdom Hearts
CANON POINT: Post battle with Ventus and Aqua
FAMILY TYPES: Dark Area, Metal Empire, Nightmare. With these family classes, I believe they hold qualities which embue Vanitas' own personality traits; Dark Area with their struggles against the darkness in their hearts, Metal Empire for a cold and calculating outlook on others, and Nightmare Soldiers for...the entire description. Each of these classes have a key description to them that makes it either possible for Vanitas to slowly warm to his partner through their likenesses, or allows him to be manipulative at will.
APPEARANCE:
At an unfortunately small height, Vanitas would not appear the danger he was if not for a lean, muscled physique clothed in dark, almost gruesome clothing that replicates the muscular structure beneath the skin. To further influence that dangerous tone, a metal guard across his jawline is structured with sharp curves and jagged edges to take away from the altogether soft curve of his cheeks (which still, amazingly, have some puppy fat to them. Thanks Sora).
Outside of the outfit, Vamitas takes us well into the zone of Uncanny Valley. With a facial structure, from gravity defying hair, to jawline, to the arch of his brows being an exact copy of Sora's, the stark identifiers to Vanitas is his black hair and yellow eyes, indicating the influence of darkness in his heart. When his face is revealed, he never keeps a blank expression-- he's extremely emotive in the way his lips curve into smirks and and purse in disdain. There is an altogether cruel tone to everything about his person.
PERSONALITY:
Vanitas' story begins and ends on a sour note. As the Birth By Sleep novels explain, Ventus is an orphan from an unknown world who is picked up by Master Xehanort; a Keyblade wielder, to be his vessel, which occurs an undisclosed amount of time before Ventus fails to fall under Xehanort's will. Angered by his apparent weakness, Xehanort then cleaves his heart in two, conceiving Vanitas from the darkness in Ventus' heart.
According to the novels, Vanitas' first known emotions are fear and self loathing. From the moment of his creation, the only two well known influences to his personality are Xehanort, who beguiles Vanitas to believing in the ideals of his own personal goal for the boy, and Ventus, whose emotions remain viewable to Vanitas through the connection of their hearts. As it was his original self's weakness that led to his creation, Vanitas immediately casts blame where it's due, going so far as to attack his Other and advise Xehanort that he will kill Ventus if he is not taken from his sight.
Vanitas begins his life alone, and much of his personal development is due to this. The Unversed, monsters created from his own emotions, are a huge key in why he chooses to become the boy he is-- terrified as he is of them, Vanitas cannot simply make them go away. Killing them initially brings him great pain, and the additional terror of gaining the face of someone else is a breaking point-- at this stage, Vanitas is at his most vulnerable.
Master Xehanort proposes to him that the only way for Vanitas to truly be free of his newly found agonies caused from his own existence is to merge together again with Ventus, forging the X-blade-- a blade of untold power and destruction that holds the potential to bring about a Great War. It's a concept that Vanitas desperately latches onto, and uses for his own motivation to become what he is today.
Whilst Vanitas' story within these four years is predominantly blank, what we do know is that he took personal interest in achieving the goal of being whole once more. The radical jump in descriptions from the scared, hapless child in the novels to the chillingly manical villain portrayed in the games gives life to how far Vanitas was willing to go to obtain this; it speaks of how irreparably damaged he has been from the simple understanding that he will not be whole until he is with Ventus again.
By the time he returns to our sights, Vanitas has become much more self confident in what he is. Having grasped a control of the Unversed, he becomes the key component to the main storyline, providing the evil that prompts two out of three main protagonists, Terra and Aqua, to leave their home in search of answers and to battle the darkness. He is also the catalyst that forces our third protagonist, Ventus himself, to leave home, though how he goes about this varies greatly from a physical threat to emotionally manipulative.
"The Terra you know will be gone forever."
It is implied in the Xehanort reports, an unlockable feature of the game that is revealed more the further you progress, that Vanitas is capable of feeling Ven's adoration of Terra. He then uses this to manipulate Ventus into starting his journey, showing a callous disregard for what the boy cares about. this is further exhibited later on, when he advises Ventus that he should come and "watch me choke the life out of Terra and Aqua."
Throughout their exposure to each other, Vanitas exhibits a certain amount of rashness, going as far to attempt to kill Ventus after the boy fails to best him in a fight, taunting him about being worthless as he waves away concerns of ruining current plans. The implication given to us is that Vanitas grew up with the sound understanding of just how happy and well cared for his Other was; an exact opposite of the environment Vanitas had thrust upon him. Because of this, his resentment has grown to the point of incurring at deep level of hatred; causing Ventus to suffer is just as important to him as being whole.
Ventus is by far his greatest influence because of this connection. The deep rooted bitterness that begins as resentment for Ventus' failure to protect himself at the time of Vanitas' creation has grown into full blown hositility, just as strong as Vanitas' other motivation. Nearly every scene involving him includes mention of Ventus, from the implications to Aqua that "It's always good to have a back up" to breaking the wooden training blade that Ventus left behind in Neverland.
Another implication given by the previous example is just how willing Vanitas is to use whatever means necessary to rankle an opponent, prompting aggression from everyone he faces. He takes enjoyment out of other's negative emotions, and is driven to incur them as much as possible.
Vanitas is cocksure and openly emotional, though for much of the game the latter is hidden behind a mask. His facial expressions leave no room to mistake exactly what he is feeling, and this it is easy to see why Vanitas would attempt to hide them until such a time when allowing them to be on full display no longer matters. The revealing of his actual face is a clear declaration that he considers himself the victor prior to his battle with Ventus within their heart, and Aqua in the Keyblade Graveyard.
To draw from his attack style, Vanitas predominantly uses long range magic attacks with ferocious bursts of speed that only put him within range of the enemy for a short time. The implication that can be perceived is that he doesn't like to be touched, easily reinforced by the limited amount of interactions witnessed within the game and novel. Drawing upon all these components, many conclusions can be made to Vanitas as he is at the time of his death.
Every major influence shown in his life, while limited, has been negative. As a being of darkness, Vanitas exhibits from the get go the worst of Ventus, and develops from there into a caustic young man with little consideration for other beings. Everything from his words and actions is controlled to produce aggravation in those he interacts with, though he also loses control when exposed to certain motives and passions that alludes to a large amount of recklessness and overconfidence. Very simply put, one can easily google the characteristics of a four year old and sum Vanitas up from the given notes. He acts out from authority, he seeks attention in any form, particularly negative. He seeks to shock others through action and abrasive wording, and strikes out to claim things as his own.
Passionately single minded when it comes to his goals, we see very little of the Vanitas portrayed in the novels throughout the duration of the game itself. The major connecting feature that allows us to see through this and provides a clear connection to the two is Vanitas' death itself, when he reaches desperately for the incomplete X-blade just past his grasp. Throughout all of his history, Vanitas buries what emotions he originated from in a manner that leaves little doubt to him being irrevocably tainted by his own actions.
And yet he still dies afraid.
HISTORY:
KH Wikia
Translation of chapter Dark Memory, tumblr
KH13 novel summarisation
Goldpanner current translations (incomplete)
SAMPLES
FIRST PERSON:
This world is rotting. [His tone isn't aggressive, or even pointed. It's a casual remark to himself; or maybe to the holder of the feed, image wobbling in and out of focus on the overly relaxed teen slumped against the pavement. Now and again, his hands glitch. Bits and bites flicker across his face. And still he's calm.] It may be justifiable to them, when you continue from their train of thought. 'We don't know what's happening'. 'We have to work together.' To...do what, precisely? To fix? To restore?
[A barely perceptible scoff, vocal chords distorting and turning the sound into something entirely inhuman.]
Your world is bleeding out. Infecting others, stealing away their life. It's on the brink of collapse, and it's frantically trying to compensate. If you ask me, the best option would be to put it down.
[A glance towards the screen causes his eyes to narrow, zeroing in on something behind the lens. Either he doesn't notice the recording, or he simply doesn't care.]
You don't agree?
The Digital World is my home.[A rough voice complains, louder due to proximity to the microphone.] Whether it is broken and in need of repair, or simply extending it's boundaries, you as my partner- need I remind you how long I have waited?- have an obligation of care--
[Laughter, abrupt and untamed. Vanitas grins, all tooth and cruel amusement as he stands and moves towards the Digimon.]
I'd say your judge of character is highly lacking.
[He reaches out, hand blocking the feed, and with a few muffled exclamations, it cuts.]
THIRD PERSON:
He'd watched everything he'd ever worked for- the utter purpose of his existence, fall to dust within inches of his own face. He'd spent nights and days and weeks and years going through every small, insignificant detail in his mind; what he would say, how he would feel. Happiness is an emotion long gone to him, but sadistic enjoyment, pride? They're always accessible, keeping Vanitas company on the loneliest of days.
So he doesn't understand why he chooses to break his isolation and mingle with the crowds of the city, stalking through the streets and artfully dodging around people without a word. Despite a stiff posture and motions that exhibited a certain measure of 'leave me be', his eyes still trailed after them, from time to time.
The teen had been whole for a preciously short amount of time, and now that he knows what he's missing out on, he hates them all even more. Every little thing they take for granted. Every smile, every friend. He doesn't need or want them, disdain making his lip curl as more and more of the crowd parts for him, nervous in the face of his disposition. Can they tell how much he hates them?
Possibly. His mask is missing, and without his powers, he can't recreate it.
He rubs his cheek in a rough manner, scowl deepening.
He hates his face, too.
But there's very little that can be done about that, unfortunately. His face- whoever it belonged to- wouldn't change now. Ventus had ruined it. Whoever he'd attached himself to ruined it. Short of tearing into his features until all that's left is a mangled reflection of what was, he's stuck with that. And he's just about accepted it to.
His face is his face, but the city around him? Winding streets full of people and creatures so optimistic for their future, holding wonders and horrors and everything inbetween that he doesn't know and likely never will....
Who really cared if that burned?
OOC Information
NAME:
Daine
AGE:
21
OTHER CHARACTERS PLAYED: n/a
IC Information
CHARACTER NAME: Vanitas
AGE: Physically 16, timeline of existence, four.
CANON: Kingdom Hearts
CANON POINT: Post battle with Ventus and Aqua
FAMILY TYPES: Dark Area, Metal Empire, Nightmare. With these family classes, I believe they hold qualities which embue Vanitas' own personality traits; Dark Area with their struggles against the darkness in their hearts, Metal Empire for a cold and calculating outlook on others, and Nightmare Soldiers for...the entire description. Each of these classes have a key description to them that makes it either possible for Vanitas to slowly warm to his partner through their likenesses, or allows him to be manipulative at will.
APPEARANCE:
At an unfortunately small height, Vanitas would not appear the danger he was if not for a lean, muscled physique clothed in dark, almost gruesome clothing that replicates the muscular structure beneath the skin. To further influence that dangerous tone, a metal guard across his jawline is structured with sharp curves and jagged edges to take away from the altogether soft curve of his cheeks (which still, amazingly, have some puppy fat to them. Thanks Sora).
Outside of the outfit, Vamitas takes us well into the zone of Uncanny Valley. With a facial structure, from gravity defying hair, to jawline, to the arch of his brows being an exact copy of Sora's, the stark identifiers to Vanitas is his black hair and yellow eyes, indicating the influence of darkness in his heart. When his face is revealed, he never keeps a blank expression-- he's extremely emotive in the way his lips curve into smirks and and purse in disdain. There is an altogether cruel tone to everything about his person.
PERSONALITY:
Vanitas' story begins and ends on a sour note. As the Birth By Sleep novels explain, Ventus is an orphan from an unknown world who is picked up by Master Xehanort; a Keyblade wielder, to be his vessel, which occurs an undisclosed amount of time before Ventus fails to fall under Xehanort's will. Angered by his apparent weakness, Xehanort then cleaves his heart in two, conceiving Vanitas from the darkness in Ventus' heart.
According to the novels, Vanitas' first known emotions are fear and self loathing. From the moment of his creation, the only two well known influences to his personality are Xehanort, who beguiles Vanitas to believing in the ideals of his own personal goal for the boy, and Ventus, whose emotions remain viewable to Vanitas through the connection of their hearts. As it was his original self's weakness that led to his creation, Vanitas immediately casts blame where it's due, going so far as to attack his Other and advise Xehanort that he will kill Ventus if he is not taken from his sight.
Vanitas begins his life alone, and much of his personal development is due to this. The Unversed, monsters created from his own emotions, are a huge key in why he chooses to become the boy he is-- terrified as he is of them, Vanitas cannot simply make them go away. Killing them initially brings him great pain, and the additional terror of gaining the face of someone else is a breaking point-- at this stage, Vanitas is at his most vulnerable.
Master Xehanort proposes to him that the only way for Vanitas to truly be free of his newly found agonies caused from his own existence is to merge together again with Ventus, forging the X-blade-- a blade of untold power and destruction that holds the potential to bring about a Great War. It's a concept that Vanitas desperately latches onto, and uses for his own motivation to become what he is today.
Whilst Vanitas' story within these four years is predominantly blank, what we do know is that he took personal interest in achieving the goal of being whole once more. The radical jump in descriptions from the scared, hapless child in the novels to the chillingly manical villain portrayed in the games gives life to how far Vanitas was willing to go to obtain this; it speaks of how irreparably damaged he has been from the simple understanding that he will not be whole until he is with Ventus again.
By the time he returns to our sights, Vanitas has become much more self confident in what he is. Having grasped a control of the Unversed, he becomes the key component to the main storyline, providing the evil that prompts two out of three main protagonists, Terra and Aqua, to leave their home in search of answers and to battle the darkness. He is also the catalyst that forces our third protagonist, Ventus himself, to leave home, though how he goes about this varies greatly from a physical threat to emotionally manipulative.
"The Terra you know will be gone forever."
It is implied in the Xehanort reports, an unlockable feature of the game that is revealed more the further you progress, that Vanitas is capable of feeling Ven's adoration of Terra. He then uses this to manipulate Ventus into starting his journey, showing a callous disregard for what the boy cares about. this is further exhibited later on, when he advises Ventus that he should come and "watch me choke the life out of Terra and Aqua."
Throughout their exposure to each other, Vanitas exhibits a certain amount of rashness, going as far to attempt to kill Ventus after the boy fails to best him in a fight, taunting him about being worthless as he waves away concerns of ruining current plans. The implication given to us is that Vanitas grew up with the sound understanding of just how happy and well cared for his Other was; an exact opposite of the environment Vanitas had thrust upon him. Because of this, his resentment has grown to the point of incurring at deep level of hatred; causing Ventus to suffer is just as important to him as being whole.
Ventus is by far his greatest influence because of this connection. The deep rooted bitterness that begins as resentment for Ventus' failure to protect himself at the time of Vanitas' creation has grown into full blown hositility, just as strong as Vanitas' other motivation. Nearly every scene involving him includes mention of Ventus, from the implications to Aqua that "It's always good to have a back up" to breaking the wooden training blade that Ventus left behind in Neverland.
Another implication given by the previous example is just how willing Vanitas is to use whatever means necessary to rankle an opponent, prompting aggression from everyone he faces. He takes enjoyment out of other's negative emotions, and is driven to incur them as much as possible.
Vanitas is cocksure and openly emotional, though for much of the game the latter is hidden behind a mask. His facial expressions leave no room to mistake exactly what he is feeling, and this it is easy to see why Vanitas would attempt to hide them until such a time when allowing them to be on full display no longer matters. The revealing of his actual face is a clear declaration that he considers himself the victor prior to his battle with Ventus within their heart, and Aqua in the Keyblade Graveyard.
To draw from his attack style, Vanitas predominantly uses long range magic attacks with ferocious bursts of speed that only put him within range of the enemy for a short time. The implication that can be perceived is that he doesn't like to be touched, easily reinforced by the limited amount of interactions witnessed within the game and novel. Drawing upon all these components, many conclusions can be made to Vanitas as he is at the time of his death.
Every major influence shown in his life, while limited, has been negative. As a being of darkness, Vanitas exhibits from the get go the worst of Ventus, and develops from there into a caustic young man with little consideration for other beings. Everything from his words and actions is controlled to produce aggravation in those he interacts with, though he also loses control when exposed to certain motives and passions that alludes to a large amount of recklessness and overconfidence. Very simply put, one can easily google the characteristics of a four year old and sum Vanitas up from the given notes. He acts out from authority, he seeks attention in any form, particularly negative. He seeks to shock others through action and abrasive wording, and strikes out to claim things as his own.
Passionately single minded when it comes to his goals, we see very little of the Vanitas portrayed in the novels throughout the duration of the game itself. The major connecting feature that allows us to see through this and provides a clear connection to the two is Vanitas' death itself, when he reaches desperately for the incomplete X-blade just past his grasp. Throughout all of his history, Vanitas buries what emotions he originated from in a manner that leaves little doubt to him being irrevocably tainted by his own actions.
And yet he still dies afraid.
HISTORY:
KH Wikia
Translation of chapter Dark Memory, tumblr
KH13 novel summarisation
Goldpanner current translations (incomplete)
SAMPLES
FIRST PERSON:
This world is rotting. [His tone isn't aggressive, or even pointed. It's a casual remark to himself; or maybe to the holder of the feed, image wobbling in and out of focus on the overly relaxed teen slumped against the pavement. Now and again, his hands glitch. Bits and bites flicker across his face. And still he's calm.] It may be justifiable to them, when you continue from their train of thought. 'We don't know what's happening'. 'We have to work together.' To...do what, precisely? To fix? To restore?
[A barely perceptible scoff, vocal chords distorting and turning the sound into something entirely inhuman.]
Your world is bleeding out. Infecting others, stealing away their life. It's on the brink of collapse, and it's frantically trying to compensate. If you ask me, the best option would be to put it down.
[A glance towards the screen causes his eyes to narrow, zeroing in on something behind the lens. Either he doesn't notice the recording, or he simply doesn't care.]
You don't agree?
The Digital World is my home.[A rough voice complains, louder due to proximity to the microphone.] Whether it is broken and in need of repair, or simply extending it's boundaries, you as my partner- need I remind you how long I have waited?- have an obligation of care--
[Laughter, abrupt and untamed. Vanitas grins, all tooth and cruel amusement as he stands and moves towards the Digimon.]
I'd say your judge of character is highly lacking.
[He reaches out, hand blocking the feed, and with a few muffled exclamations, it cuts.]
THIRD PERSON:
He'd watched everything he'd ever worked for- the utter purpose of his existence, fall to dust within inches of his own face. He'd spent nights and days and weeks and years going through every small, insignificant detail in his mind; what he would say, how he would feel. Happiness is an emotion long gone to him, but sadistic enjoyment, pride? They're always accessible, keeping Vanitas company on the loneliest of days.
So he doesn't understand why he chooses to break his isolation and mingle with the crowds of the city, stalking through the streets and artfully dodging around people without a word. Despite a stiff posture and motions that exhibited a certain measure of 'leave me be', his eyes still trailed after them, from time to time.
The teen had been whole for a preciously short amount of time, and now that he knows what he's missing out on, he hates them all even more. Every little thing they take for granted. Every smile, every friend. He doesn't need or want them, disdain making his lip curl as more and more of the crowd parts for him, nervous in the face of his disposition. Can they tell how much he hates them?
Possibly. His mask is missing, and without his powers, he can't recreate it.
He rubs his cheek in a rough manner, scowl deepening.
He hates his face, too.
But there's very little that can be done about that, unfortunately. His face- whoever it belonged to- wouldn't change now. Ventus had ruined it. Whoever he'd attached himself to ruined it. Short of tearing into his features until all that's left is a mangled reflection of what was, he's stuck with that. And he's just about accepted it to.
His face is his face, but the city around him? Winding streets full of people and creatures so optimistic for their future, holding wonders and horrors and everything inbetween that he doesn't know and likely never will....
Who really cared if that burned?
