#post palace arc riku :]

[princekirijo]

1 and 9 for riku? :3

What memory would your OC rather just forget?

Hm I think there’s definitely a lot of memories Riku would rather forget, most of them stemming from his time with Hatanaka. While I’m still kinda work-shopping Hatanaka as a character, something that hasn’t changed (yet) is how she uses Riku for her schemes. She’s manipulated him into doing some things that he isn’t proud of and he’d definitely like to pretend never happened (which is hard considering the scars he has).

9. Do you have a specific lyric or quote which you associate with your OC?

YES I have so many (I have several playlists for him LMAO) but I’ll just pick one for this ask.

I’m cheating a little here because this is a whole section of the chorus but technically it’s one sentence so:

“Oh captain let’s make a deal, where we both say the things that we both really feel, I feel scared and I’m starting to sink, and I only sink deeper the deeper I think”

This is from a song called Ship in a Bottle by fin which is a song that I think fits Riku but also his story arc perfectly (so much so I’m half tempted to use the title as the AU name lmao). The captain part is a bit on the nose but I think this lyric really captures how Riku is feeling - he feels really helpless and powerless in his current situation and in this case I think that “captain” is actually Joker. Kinda like Riku is speaking to him saying “hey I need to be honest I am straight up not having a good time”.

TY for the ask eheh :3

[morimakesfanart]

If u were to make any crossover happen with magi what would it be and how would it play out?

Okay so I know you said what would a crossover with magi be like, but all I heard was "How would magi translate as a world in Kingdom Hearts?" So I ended up spending the past year replaying some KH and going through all of my guides to make basically a guide of a Magi world in a few of the games. I realized a month ago that it's been a year and that I might have been putting too much into this.

But uh... here is what I have so far;;;

KHI- World Level: ***** (A late game world. Becomes available leaving Neverland) Balbadd -Sora meets Aladdin, Morg and Sin, and agrees to help Aladdin & Morg find Alibaba while he also keeps his eyes out for Riku and Kairi in Balbadd. Each encounter with the Fog Troop causes heartless to spawn and act as a battle encounter. Morgiana is the optional friend to have in your party because the other 2 each have a point when they wouldn't be available. The battle with Judar is a mini boss that ends in a loss even if you win. Alibaba training with Sinbad could be a magic practice mini game with Sora. When Aladdin's Rukh is called to Ugo, it is portrayed as his Heart leaving and later returning. When Alibaba storms the palace, Morg, Sora, Donald and Goofy join him to help. The 4 have a mass heartless swarm to handle while Alibaba runs on. After the abdication of Balbadd's royalty, Cassim attacks again and causes another heartless fight. Alibaba is in the fight, but he does not count as a party member. When that is won he transforms with the dark metal vessel and becomes the final boss of the world. The battle ends when Aladdin shows up. Sora and Co help Sinbad get to his metal vessels in a running mini game or defeat heartless in an escort type mission. Ja'far & Masrur would be scripted mid and long range back up when you get to check points since the only party member would be Morg. Either way it would be laggy and probably be so unfun most people forget about it -like some of the other post boss missions are- until they remember the cut scene of Sinbad taking out Ithnan.

Heartless: Shadow, Bandit, Fat Bandit, Pot Spider, Barrel Spider, Power Ball, Gargoyle, Red Nocturne, Blue Rhapsody, Yellow Opera, Green Requiem

Keyblade Gained: First Wish (Str +5, Mag +4, Crit 20%; Defeat Dark Djinn Cassim)

((I didn't draw for the other ones, but this is something I doodled while work on this back in May))

--- Chain- Sora side: Room of Beginnings -Meets Aladdin & Morg and agrees to look for friends together Room of Guidance -Finds Alibaba. Might include a mini boss fight with a bunch of heartless and Alibaba & Cassim as a tag team Room of Truth -Boss fight with dark Djinn Cassim

Heartless: Shadow, Bandit, Fat Bandit, Pot Spider, Barrel Spider, Power Ball, Gargoyle, Red Nocturne, Blue Rhapsody, Yellow Opera, Green Requiem

Keyblade Gained: First Wish (Element: Physical, Str: C, Thr: B+, Cr: C, Br: B, Cp: B; Available in the Key of Rewards Room in Balbadd)

Riku side: Room of Truth -Boss fight with dark Djinn Cassim

Heartless: Shadow, Bandit, Fat Bandit, Pot Spider, Barrel Spider, Power Ball, Red Nocturne, Blue Rhapsody, Yellow Opera, Green Requiem

--- KHII-World Level: ****/***** (A world in the 2nd loop) Sindria & Zagon's Dungeon- The events will follow a mix of the manga, anime, and original. Sora & co arrive in Sindria during a Maharagan festival. While exploring the festival they run into Alibaba, Aladdin and Morg. They are lead to where Sinbad is and introduced to the Generals. Hakuryuu and Kougyoku are already in Sindria as this is a festival taking place during the training arc. A,A&M introduce the Kou siblings to Sora & Co. While talking about how much they've all grown since they last saw each other (Sora & Alibaba get dunked on by the others) Sinbad suggests they go capture Zagon's as a test of their improved skills. Hakuryuu asks to join for his own mission, and Sora asks to join because it sounds fun etc.

In Zagon's Dungeon Donald & Goof end up on Haku & Morg's team. Donald doesn't have enough MP to take everything out and would die immediately even if he did because he never heals his teammates so it doesn't matter. Sora fights along side Aladdin and Alibaba who are both able to be party members.

Vs Al Thamen- Organization XIII is working with Al Thamen Sora will help with both boss fights against Princess Dunnya & Issac. Switching between both fights is handled with quick time events every time Dunya's health bars goes down 1/4, and Issac's goes down 1/2. Issac is finished off first so that Dunya is the final boss. Her first transformation is at the 50% when Issac dies, and she goes Dark Djinn equip when she is down to her last 25%.

Return to the world- There was a strange seven seas creature attacking but even after defeating it, it comes back. It's actually a special Heartless boss like the other return to world missions

Heartless: Shadow, Dark Ball, Creeper Plant, Bookmaster, minute bomb, Red Nocturne, Blue Rhapsody, Yellow Opera, Green Requiem Nobodies: Sorcerer, Creeper

Keyblade Gained: Royal Flame (Str +3, Mg +1, Can deal damage even to defending enemies, Restore magic when hit with fire magic; Lock the Keyhole in Sindria)

--- BBS-World Level: *** (First loop) Terra- Baal's Dungeon- Terra shows up outside the Dungeon with all of the soldiers. After Sinbad yells about going in first, Drakon has his forces enter and Terra is assumed to be a new recruit and that's why his armor is different. Terra, of course, survives until the end. Sometimes Terra mediates between the two, and sometimes he just watches and feels bad for himself as he starts to question his own conviction. He forfeits his potential claim to becoming a King's candidate and watches Sin & Drakon fight. Terra is unsure how he feels about Sinbad winning since he is more like Drakon in growing up being taught to dedicate his life to continuing a legacy. He can't help but think about how he lost to Aqua and didn't become a Keyblade Master. After leaving the Dungeon, Terra follows Sinbad to help him escape and also watch him more. He comments that Sinbad is a lot like Ven too. While at sea a storm hits and Terra has to leave for safety. Unversed: Keyblade Gained: Will of the Rukh

Ventus- Valefor's Dungeon- Ven arrives in Immuchak and overhears Drakon talking to Ja'far & co. He mentions it being a shame that Terra didn't stay around for another mission, so Ven demands he join their party hoping that he might run into Terra or learn a clue about where he went or how he's been. Ven tells them that he trained under the same Master as Terra so he should be able to be of help. The group enters the dungeon. Ven is a big help in fighting off dungeons monsters and Unversed. When they finally cross paths with Hinahoho, Ven realizes that he's on the wrong side, and decided to help Hina instead along side Sinbad. In the Djinn's treasure room, Ven also tries to become King by catching Minifor, but is tricked by Sinbad like the others. When dark Djinn is defeated it becomes a Verse that encompasses Ja'far which is the final boss of the world. Knowing that Terra sided with the people that lead to that giant Versed makes him very worried about the decisions Terra has been making, but Ven wants to believe in his friend(brother/dad lol). As the group parts ways, Ven also leaves to see if he can catch up to Terra. (Ven has the smallest access to the world) Unversed: Keyblade Gained: Will of the Rukh

Both Dungeons would have the same base rooms but maybe in a different configuration. The color of things would be different and different Unversed would spawn. This would make things easier for the asset team. The only truly new spaces would be the areas right outside the Dungeon.

Aqua- Immuchal, Boat & Reim coliseum with Ja'far- Aqua appears in Immuchak. She fights of Unversed around and in the village. She is accepted by the villagers, and meets the crew when they are returning for new products. Someone mentions that her key looks like the ones Terra and Ven had, so she asks to join them in hopes of meeting either of her friends again. She helps fights off sea creatures & heartless so they can have a safe voyage back to Reim. The boss is helping Ja'far protect Kikiriku. Seeing the two together reminds her of the brotherly bond of the boys she's looking for and why she's so worried about them both. Since neither is in Reim, she leaves to continue her search. Unversed: Keyblade Gained: Will of the Rukh

(please pretend I made shorter and longer versions for Ven and Terra)

((Also, I got stumped on how to design the Keyblades for the last few games, so sorry this is the last art. I realized I wasn't going to magically figure out the other worlds and Keyblades without spending another several months replaying through the games which is why I decided to just post what I have.... please enjoy the rest of my notes))

--- 358/2 Days- the island of Toran villagers where the dungeon is. Roxas and Xion do not enter the dungeon, but they do have to fight off the growing numbers of plant heartless that show up around it. Heartless: Shadow, Dark Ball, Creeper Plant, , minute bomb, Red Nocturne, Blue Rhapsody, Yellow Opera, Green Requiem Nobodies: Dusk, Sorcerer, Creeper --- Re:Coded

Heartless: Keyblade gained: First Wish (A Keyblade that restores your MP when you block. Its power increase when you need it most. Defeat Cassim in Balbadd. Overlock abilities _________) --- DDD -Alma Torran Riku side- Sheba growing up and learning to be a better person

Sora side-battle against David where he wipes out the people left back home

UnchainedXCHI -it's like one of the main line games, or BBS but without Sora/Ven/Terra/Aqua's over arcing motivation since the player character is just being sent on missions and helping whoever they come across. Heartless: Keyblade Gained:

--- KHIII- World Level: Magnostadt war?

Heartless: Nobodies: Mickey Emblem: Keyblade Gained:

((So anyway.... I'll expand on the last few games if anyone is interest. Or expand what I have into the full guide book with maps and stuff like I originally planned which in hindsight was a very big ask of myself, but uh Kingdom Hearts has been a major special interest of mine since I was 11. Working on this also inspired me to maybe remake my old KH fanfic, but this time in the format I use now (and with significantly better writing and art)))

[tragicclownwrites]

Ciri & Riku: A Comparison

Hello, all!

If you've seen my Reigisa x SquidBob masterpost, you'll realize I am no stranger to comparing characters from totally different franchises. (Yes, I am mentioning that post yet again thank you very much!)

And as the title suggests, that is exactly what I intend to do right here, right now!

I mean, how could I not compare these two? They've each got four letters in their names, for one. Hello!? 😝

No, but in all seriousness, I simply had no choice but to make this post because I would probably go insane otherwise. You may find this insightful, or you may find that I'm living up to my URL. Either way, give it a read below the cut. 🤡⬇️

⚠️WARNING: There will be spoilers in this post

Physical Appearance

While they wouldn't be mistaken as twins or anything, you may have already noticed some physical similarities between Ciri and Riku just from the banner.

Swords drawn, stony expressions, battle stances ready. But most of all... a rather unique hair color. 👩‍🦳

Often a mark of the character having mystical origins, I immediately found it interesting that - despite being somewhat different shades - the ashen/silver hair was a trait that these two characters happened to share.

God they are so pretty

In addition to the hair, they both just happen to have distinctly green eyes. Like their eyes could literally be any other color, but nooo. They both have eye colors that fall within the green spectrum.

Interesting... 🤔

Personality and Defining Characteristics

While I've clowned a bit about their similar physical appearances, the similarities do run much deeper than that. Otherwise, I doubt I'd have much to say in this post - and I do have quite a bit to say.

So, let's start from the beginning, shall we?

Even as children, both Ciri and Riku are shown to have a desire to break free from circumstance and not be restrained. Growing up, their situations seem pretty great. However, neither of them see it that way.

For Ciri, she is actually a princess (which she isn't thrilled about), so she grew up in a royal palace before crossing paths with Geralt. However, traveling along the path like a witcher is what she sees as her ticket to freedom. That's precisely why the Witcher Ciri ending is seen as the "Good" or "Best" ending in the game - and I agree! It truly is. 😊

As for Riku, he grew up on what seems like an island paradise. Yet, he feels trapped and wants to see what else is out there. Namely, he wants to leave the islands and explore other worlds (coincidentally something he and Ciri have done during their respective adventures), which drives his whole narrative arc throughout the Kingdom Hearts series.

Something both Ciri and Riku are known for is their resilience and courage, which is often shown by them risking their lives for those they love and care about. Finding the strength to protect what matters, if you will.

"This is my story, not yours. You must let me finish telling it." (Ciri to Geralt, right before confronting the White Frost)

All in all, they can be fiercely independent and protective, having no issue taking matters into their own hands and doing things alone if it means everyone else will be safe from harm.

Both of them must ultimately face the foe that has haunted them throughout the game(s) - for Ciri, that comes in the form of the White Frost, while Riku must consistently face the Darkness.

Although, while this is primarily an outside threat in Ciri's case, the battle is equally external as it as internal for Riku.

(Riku facing the Demon Tide, moments before sacrificing himself for Sora)

While these two can undoubtedly buckle down and get serious when the time calls for it, Ciri and Riku do have playful and even sassy sides to their personalities - which are often shown by them bantering with and affectionately teasing Geralt and Sora, respectively. Examples here and here.

Side note: Having the option for Ciri to come to Corvo Bianco almost makes me not want to romance Yennifer (sorry Triss x Geralt fans, I'm a Yen x Geralt believer). I just adore their father/daughter banter 🤗

Gameplay

As you can see, Ciri and Riku are both incredibly important characters within their respective games despite not being the main character.

So, while you will spend most of your time playing as Geralt or Sora, there are brief intervals where you actually do get to play as Ciri and Riku.

In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, there are various opportunities to play as Ciri. These often come in the form of the "Ciri's Story" main quests which detail her adventures as Geralt searches for her.

Meanwhile, you primarily play as Sora throughout the Kingdom Hearts numbered titles and spin-offs (with a few exceptions like 358/2 Days). Ironically enough, it's Kingdom Hearts 3 that enables you to play as Riku during certain story sequences in a similar fashion as Ciri.

Sure, there are other games like Dream Drop Distance and Chain of Memories where you can play as Riku much more extensively. However, the KH3 inclusion is notable as a main game and - technically - also being the third game, like Witcher 3.

He's also temporarily playable at one point during the battle with Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts 2, which kind of reminds me of the character-switching during Witcher 3's "Battle of Kaer Morhen" quest.

And if that wasn't curious enough, even some of their combat moves are similar. For example:

Riku's "Dark Aura" move is very similar to Ciri's "Blink" attack as they both use a teleportation mechanic to attack multiple enemies at once very quickly.

Ciri's "Charge" ability is similar to Riku's "Dark Roll," which allows them to dash out of harm's way in a flash.

As you can see, they both use a combination of magic and swordfighting techniques (or Keyblade, in Riku's case), making it fairly easy to draw comparisons between their fighting styles.

Role in the Story

As I mentioned above, Ciri and Riku aren't the main characters of their games, but they are still very important - both to the actual protagonist and the plot itself.

Essentially, they both have similarities that are woven deep within the story.

Let's dive a little deeper.

Relationship to Protagonist

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives... no matter what." (Riku telling Sora about the paopu fruit legend in Kingdom Hearts)

Upon looking at the text, it's clear that Ciri and Riku's destinies are intertwined with those of Geralt and Sora.

While Riku and Sora haven't explicitly shared a paopu fruit, as Riku's quote suggests (unless you count the Gayblade), that doesn't seem to matter as their stories consistently collide as the series progresses.

There have been sooo many analysis posts and videos on the implications of Sora and Riku's relationship - all of which are great!

But as an example, in Melody of Memory, it is Riku's dreams that are destined to lead him to Sora in Quadratum, where he went missing after abusing the Power of Waking.

In Dream Drop Distance, Yen Sid makes it explicitly clear that Riku "stands the better chance" of saving Sora from the darkness. Not Mickey, not Kairi, not anyone else - it has to be Riku.

In Kingdom Hearts, Riku's Keyblade comes to Sora's aid - which seems to be fairly unique to them as far as sharing Keyblades goes (i.e., no other character has done it).

Geralt and Ciri are also brought together by destiny.

Before Ciri's birth, Emhyr (known as "Duny" at the time) was under a curse. Geralt managed to cure him of his curse and when Duny asked what he wanted in return, Geralt invoked The Law of Surprise, which essentially states that he must give him "that which you possess, but do not yet know." Turns out, Pavetta was pregnant with Ciri and, thus, Ciri became Geralt's "Child of Surprise," binding their fates together.

"... Geralt and Ciri, however, are bound by something else. Something stronger than fate itself.” (excerpt from the Witcher series' second book, Sword of Destiny)

What makes this connection that much stronger is that while fate may have brought these characters together, it is ultimately their choice to continue down its path. Their respective love for each other and the bond they share transcends destiny by a long shot. And that is just beautiful. 🩵

I noted before that both Ciri and Riku can be headstrong and willing to face any danger for their friends' (particularly Geralt and Sora) sakes. But of course, they can't do this without their respective protagonists giving them the encouragement they need to persevere in the face of their hardships.

In fact, for Ciri, Geralt's actions towards her actually play a huge role in determining her fate at the end of the game. If Geralt is a bad dad, she can literally die as a result.

Riku's primarily goal throughout the series is to protect Sora - even at the latter's insistence that he doesn't have to do everything on his own. To Riku, "everything is for Sora."

Obviously, the relationships between Riku & Sora and Ciri & Geralt are vastly different in nature.

Ciri and Geralt have a relationship that closely resembles that of a daughter and father, and they sometimes even refer to each other as such and accept that as their relationship.

On the other hand, Riku and Sora are best friends. Oftentimes, their relationship borders on not-so-platonic, with the two of them not even feeling comfortable with defining their bond as brotherly, per the character files.

Despite these differences, it's evident that Ciri and Riku both consider Geralt and Sora to be the person who is most precious to them.

With that said, I do want to segue from our deuteragonists to focus on our main heroes for a sec.

While it would be somewhat humorous to try and compare Geralt and Sora, they do have a common goal: finding Ciri and Riku.

Geralt's primarily quest for much of Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is finding Ciri and protecting her from the dark forces that are after her (will talk about more in the next sub-section).

In Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 2, Sora is dead-set on finding and rescuing Riku.

Not to throw Kairi under the bus (I swear, I'm a Kairi supporter), but even when she gets captured, Sora doesn't really seem to waver on his goal to find Riku. Yes, he now wants to find both of his friends, but his priorities don't shift away from Riku, despite Kairi being in imminent danger.

And then, when the lost is finally found, there's the emotional reunion. 🥹

I'm just going to put the clips here because they speak for themselves.

I literally tear up every time I watch the scene between Ciri and Geralt here. The momentary despair turned into relief, the flashbacks, the music. Honestly, the buildup to this moment couldn't have been better, in my opinion. 👏

And the reunion between Sora and Riku (and Kairi) is probably the very scene that led me - and many others - to start seeing their relationship romantically. Even if Riku doesn't quite look like himself here, Sora can still see him for who he really is.

Therefore, these reunions are pivotal!

Speaking of which, something else I noticed was the presence of light or how Ciri/Riku are acting as Geralt/Sora's guiding light in the darkness.

I will just link the "Riku is the Light" masterpost by @blowingoffsteam2 for some additional reading, but this essentially details how, throughout the series, Riku has been just as much of a light for Sora as Sora has been for him.

How does this relate to Ciri and Geralt, you may ask?

Leading up to the scene I linked above, Geralt travels to the Isle of Mists to find Ciri, which is not a smooth journey by any means. It's foggy, dark, and generally impossible to navigate on one's own.

Except, Geralt is not alone.

Accompanying him to the Isle of Mists is a tiny ball of light. 🌟

As you may have noticed from the clip above, this ball of light turns out to be part of Ciri herself. Or, in Kingdom Hearts terms, this ball of light could be from her heart.

In Kingdom Hearts, it's heavily implied that Sora was given the Keyblade in the first place when he touched the light of Riku's heart before his fall to darkness.

We've seen very similar imagery of hearts rejoining with the body in Kingdom Hearts, waking the person and making them whole again.

Naturally, in the first game, it's the Disney Princesses getting their hearts back.

Ciri is technically a princess in her own right, but she is also being directly paralleled with Snow White - a Disney Princess and a "Princess of Heart" in KH. Like Snow White, she is trapped in a death slumber while being protected by 7 dwarves, only to be awakened by the power of true (fatherly) love.

(Cry with me 🥹😭)

With the Princess of Heart connection, I suppose this instance could be both a Riku and Kairi parallel. I'm open to that interpretation, but the fact that the light guided Geralt to Ciri (a.k.a. the person most precious to him) makes me primarily connect this with Riku's light guiding Sora, like in the KH3 example below.

(Not to mention the ample Disney Princess parallels between them as well)

Anyways, I hope Riku and Sora get an emotional reunion in Kingdom Hearts 4 that has me absolutely weeping. 🙏

Terra and Geralt

I've mentioned how the relationships between Ciri/Geralt and Riku/Sora differ in nature.

Geralt's connection with Ciri made it possible for her to learn the ways of a witcher and become one herself (sans mutations). Ciri sees Geralt as more of a father than her actual one.

But as it turns out, Riku has also had an older figure in his life that made it possible for him to learn the way of the Keyblade.

Enter Terra!

Terra, unfortunately, hasn't played nearly as big a role in Riku's journey as Geralt has for Ciri. Although, Terra being guided to Destiny Islands by Riku's light and bestowing him with the Keyblade plays a massive role in Riku's story from this point forward.

Now, I sincerely hope you didn't expect to go through this post without some clownery because I am here to deliver! 🤡

One of the reasons Terra didn't have a huge role in training Riku with the Keyblade was because he was overtaken by darkness, specifically Master Xehanort's darkness.

When Terra becomes possessed by Xehanort's heart, turning him into "Terranort," he undergoes a rather interesting transformation.

Yes, that's right. White hair and yellow eyes.

In Kingdom Hearts, these characteristics tend to be attributed to those who have been "Norted" or possessing fragments of Xehanort.

Coincidentally enough, it also seems to describe the appearance of a certain Geralt of Rivia, a witcher who has undergone advanced mutations that also gave him those traits.

*SCREAMING*

I warned you about the clownery here, but... are you kidding me with this!?

I mean, c'mon!

Target of Dark Forces

I've talked a bit about how Ciri and Riku are fighting against the White Frost and the Darkness, respectively, at the climax of their narratives.

However, there are other dark forces in hot pursuit, hoping to use them for their own purposes.

For the majority of Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ciri is on the run from the titular villains - a group of hostile Aen Elle elves known as the "Wild Hunt" or Dearg Ruadhri (Red Riders). This group is led by Eredin, King of the Wild Hunt.

I will discuss this more in-depth later, but Ciri's abilities come from a gene she possesses known as Elder Blood, which originated with the Aen Elle. Being part of this race, the Wild Hunt want to capture Ciri in order to reintroduce the gene back into their bloodline.

The Wild Hunt are frequently compared to phantoms and shadows, said to be omens of war. Also, they murder unicorns, so they're total dicks.

Sounds kind of like darkness, huh?

In the books, Ciri - albeit reluctantly - does concede and do what they want, before making her escape when it doesn't go according to plan.

During the events of Kingdom Hearts, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, plays a similar role in trying to compel Riku to the darkness with the goal of using him for his own means. He even goes as far as to take control over Riku's body towards the end of the game.

Unlike Ciri, Riku gives into Ansem's plans more willingly and acts more as an antagonist in this game as a result - a decision he later spends the rest of the series trying to atone for.

But it isn't just Eredin/the Wild Hunt and Ansem trying to get a piece of the Ciri and Riku pie. 🍰

Along Ciri's journey, she encounters a trio of creepy witch sisters known as The Crones. Or the Ladies of the Wood, if you're a naïve villager.

The Crones are... how do I put this?

Grotesque. Morbid. Evil.

(And yes, they eat people. Children, specifically.)

When they come across a weakened Ciri during her journey, they recognize that she possesses Elder Blood. They debate whether to turn her over to Eredin or eat her themselves.

While Ciri manages to escape them before they can turn her into stew (and kills them later on), they are highly calculating and manipulative, preying on the whims and desires of anyone who crosses their path.

"Manipulative," "calculating," and "preying" are words that could also be used to describe another evil witch who intends to use our gifted child for ill will.

Of course I'm referring to Maleficent. The Mistress of Evil, herself.

Throughout the first game, Maleficent preys on Riku's insecurities and the darkness forming in his heart.

Interestingly enough, both Maleficent and The Crones attempt to establish a sense of familiarity with Riku and Ciri. Maleficent uses terms like "dear child" and even refers to Riku as being "like a son" to her. During their encounter with Geralt, the Crones outright claim they cared for Ciri as if she were their own daughter.

As you've likely guessed, all four of these wicked witches have ulterior motives when it comes to our ashen/silver-haired heroes.

Their use of the affectionate "son" and "daughter" terminology is less meant to convey genuine concern over their well-being, but more so used as a guise of their true manipulative and predatory nature.

Both Maleficent and the Crones see Riku and Ciri as pawns to gaining ultimate power and control, and their "protection" of them is purely conditional and twisted.

Just Another INSANE Coincidence (to me)

Now this next comparison is going to be brief but absolutely mind-blowing. I literally could not believe this when I first realized it, it was just that crazy.

So, remember how I mentioned that Ciri is a princess? Her biological mother, Pavetta, was the princess of the kingdom of Cintra and her bio father, Emhyr var Emreis, is the emperor of Nilfgaard - an extremely powerful empire in the Continent.

As you can imagine, Emhyr is pretty set on having his reign continue and tasks Geralt with bringing Ciri back to him to be his successor (of course, if you're like me, you decide "fuck that" and let Ciri be happy).

This isn't shown in the game itself but at some point, Emhyr takes in and marries ew an orphaned girl and passes her off as Ciri. The girl looks similar to Ciri and even takes her name and titles, but she is ultimately still False Ciri.

So, we have a girl bearing a striking resemblance to Ciri, who is believed by everyone to be the real deal despite actually being a "fake."

Hmm. Very interesting.

Ciri has a lookalike.

Almost like... a replica?

I just --🤯

(This quote combined with the wack camera angle never gets old 😂)

The Child of Destiny

If you've made it to this point in the post, congrats!

Before I start headcanoning/theorizing, I want to talk a little bit more about Ciri, her powers, and what makes her generally special.

As I mentioned before, Ciri possesses a magical gift - Elder Blood or Hen Ichaer. This power is also known as the "Lara gene" as it originates with the Aen Elle, specifically their princess - Lara Dorren.

Lara Dorren was a powerful elven sorceress and sage who fell in love with a human mage known as Cregennan of Lod. Tragically, their love was star-crossed, and they both died, leaving their daughter, Riannon, orphaned. Adopted by the Queen and King of Cintra, Riannon then introduced the Elder Blood to the humans, where it eventually reached Ciri.

Therefore, the Elder Blood is very unique, and not many people possess the gene.

As such, Ciri is part of a prophecy, which states that the "Child of the Elder Blood" will save the world from being destroyed by the White Frost.

After Kingdom Hearts Dark Road came out, along with all the theories surrounding it, the prophecy and "Child of the Elder Blood" got me thinking.

Kingdom Hearts X and Kingdom Hearts Union X introduces the Book of Prophecies, which enables Player (because you can have your own character) to harness powers from the future.

With this in mind, it's clear to me now that the Player is paralleling Ithlinne here, who was the prophetess who first spoke of Ciri's prophecy.

The reason I say that is because the Player later takes the form of the "Blue-Cloaked Figure" in Kingdom Hearts Dark Road.

In this game, the Player/Blue-Cloaked Figure arrives on Destiny Islands, where they encounter a little Xehanort. The figure is overjoyed upon finding - who they believe is - the "Child of Destiny."

With this proclamation, the Player fortells of a prophecy in which the "Child of Destiny" (or a child reigning from Destiny Islands) would save the world from being overcome by darkness using the power of light.

The Player also reveals Xehanort as a supposed descendent of Ephemer, which introduces the concept of a special bloodline.

The reason I use the word "supposed" is because, unlike Ithlinne, I think the Player/Blue-Cloaked Figure was completely wrong about Xehanort here.

Obviously, Xehanort does not grow up to save the world from darkness. Rather, he is the villain using the Darkness for his own gain. Therefore, I've seen people say he was the "failed" Child of Destiny or that he somehow lost his destiny when he was tempted by the Darkness.

As for me, I seriously have my doubts that he was ever the Child of Destiny to begin with, and I question if he's even a descendent of Ephemer at all. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Like many people, I - unsurprisingly - believe that Riku (and Sora) is the true Child of Destiny. I don't think I need to repeat what others have said, but this idea certainly makes all the Xehanort and Riku parallels that much more telling.

And honestly? I can't really say I blame the Player for making this mistake.

Xehanort does become a Keyblade Master, he posesses great potential in his heart, and he just so happened to be a kid on Destiny Islands (at the time). He also has white hair, which may not have much to do with the prophecy itself, but could link him to Ephemer, who coincidentally also had silver/white hair.

@violethowler has a great video series breaking down this and other theories, particularly as it pertains to Riku and Sora - here's season one! @andrewwtca also explores this in their essay (on Tumblr and AO3). Also reco reading the Necklace Theory as well, just for funsies.

Like others have said as well, I also don't think it's far-fetched to believe that Riku is actually the one descended from Ephemer. I mean, you certainly don't have to squint as hard to see the physical resemblance. (Not to mention Avallac'h's sketches of Lara, whom Geralt immediately assumed was Ciri.)

TL;DR

The Player/Blue-Cloaked Figure made an oopsie when it came to who the prophecy was about

Xehanort is not the true Child of Destiny and is likely not a descendant of Ephemer either

Riku is most likely the real Child of Destiny and descendant of Ephemer

Sora is also a Child of Destiny due to his strong connection to others, particularly Riku.

And while the exact phrasing of "Child of Destiny" may not always appear in regard to Ciri, the implication is definitely there as well.

Conclusion

Whew, we made it! This post is already super long, so I'll cut to the chase.

Ciri and Riku may not be carbon copies of each other - nor was that my expectation going into the games and creating this post - but they do share very distinct similarities that make for some really thought-provoking parallels between them.

I definitely went ham on the photos/gifs haha it got to the point where Tumblr was all, "okay, you need to stop," and wouldn't let me add more.

Also, sorry to make yet another Riku post but *shakes fist* he's just so damn interesting! I love all of these characters so much!

That all being said, I hope you enjoyed reading my ramblings.

♥️ Tragic🤡

[elijah-terry]

Dude I just wanted to say that I'm glad you enjoy Riku!!! It really means a lot to me :']

And also I would LOVE to hear about your persona ocs if you have anything to share about them!

i love riku!! he's so cool, you did a great job with his character!! and it's a big part of what inspired me to get back into making persona ocs bc i used to forever ago (i had a couple for persona 4 specifically) and seeing you talk about riku made me want to make one for persona 5 :'))

and thank you!!!!! i saw you reblogging my yuuha posts 🥺 it means a lot to me

yuuha is so! i love him he's so! he had to quit dance bc of his dance teacher (that man is his introduction arc; he has a palace & yuuha gets involved/dragged into it) & he was childhood friends with hifumi before both of their moms became obsessed with fame

i have some info compiled in a doc about him, i need to put them into some posts 🤔

thank u so much for being interested 🥺!!

[animeride-blog]

Top 7 Most Beautiful Island In One Piece https://animeride.com/featured/4887/top-7-most-beautiful-island-in-one-piece/

New Post has been published on https://animeride.com/featured/4887/top-7-most-beautiful-island-in-one-piece/

Top 7 Most Beautiful Island In One Piece

There are so many beautiful places to visit and live in the One Piece World. Some are very memorable because of it’s beauty. Some are memorable because of the arc as a whole. & Some because of the people living in these places. Whether you want to visit or live there, you can’t deny that the One Piece World has at least one place in which you found absolutely beautiful for one reason or another. By the end of this blog I hope you were able to find a place you would love to live or visit if you were in the One Piece World.

SO WITHOUT ANY FURTHER ADO LET’S GET ONTO THE LIST

7) Gran Tesoro

I couldn’t resist adding this one. Since it has one of the most beautiful scenery’s. I won’t go into detail as to why i love this place. But, For the same reason as every other place, this place is absolutely beautiful. I wish it was canon. But to me everything that has the Straw Hats in it is canon.

It is acknowledged as an independent state by the World Government due to Tesoro’s wealth, and they also classify it as a demilitarized zone. It is referred to as the “moving country of dreams.”

A large portion of the Gran Tesoro is composed of gold, and its bow resembles a cruise ship, only much more massive in scale. The entire ship is ten kilometers long and a city is built inside it, with no roof covering it.

6) Zou

An island located on the back of a massive Elephant? That’s all i really need to say to make this island, sound appealing and unique. Aside from Wholecake, this island is super unique. Just with it’s location alone. I think Zunisha is one of the most insane, beautiful, Unique places/animal’s throughout One Piece.

I love that Zunisha is constantly moving. I am also obsessed with the Ruins and historic look that it brings. I feel like this place was really cool for Robin’s character since she is an archaeologist. The Trees and Minks and buildings everything in this Island was a factor to my choice. I loved every single thing in this island, there is absolutely nothing i would change. I would love to live with the Minks. I think their a powerful group with a lot of love to give.

There loyalty is beyond anything anyone could even think it would be. I love that the kids are able to defend themselves as well, i think that’s very important. This is something that should be a factor in some of these places. People should know how to defend themselves, because of the world they live in. It’s too unpredictable and it’s filled with pirates and just people trying to take over. So i loved that the Minks were a powerful group. They weren’t afraid to fight. I think the people alongside the beauty that the island holds makes the place even better and livable. Overall this Tarzan island look was amazing.

5) Dressrosa

This place caught my eye the moment i saw the scenery. This island is so gorgeous and vibrant and just full of life. To the flowers, the people, the food, the fairies and the Colosseum. What is not to like about this place. Dressrosa has some of the best scenery I have seen in the one piece world. The romantic feel that it brings and passion. Before Doflamingo took the place over, it seems like most of the people did a lot of farming to keep the place alive. This place was appealing to me because just like Water 7 the people are so bonded and connected. I loved that unity. Before and after Doflamingo took over.

Before he took over it felt very peaceful, and just a beautiful life to live out. Especially because of the king itself, it seem like he wanted them to have that kind of life. He wanted Dressrosa to be peaceful and happy. So he did everything to secure that peace. Even if they weren’t as rich as some of the other places throughout the world. He wanted the community to still shine and bloom in poverty.

However as dark as Doflamingo made this place, he also created something unique. He gave Dressrosa some style that it didn’t have before. It became materialistic, but i found it very appealing. As cruel as this sounds i thought the toy idea was so cool and different. If Sugar were to use that power in a friendly way. I think it could have added an extra flare to this island. Overall whether it’s King Riku or Doflamingo ruling over this place, it still holds a beauty that’s unique to the islands, in which i can’t forget.

4) Amazon Lily

Many people always seem to bypass this Island for some reason. But, to me i can never forget this Island. Although restricted, I find it to be very safe for women. Living in that world, where pirates and strong people conquer and destroy. I think it’s amazing that Hancock was able to secure such a beautiful place for strong women to live in. Especially since it’s dangerous. and has such an intense environment. It’s filled with strong and dangerous animals. But, just as it’s filled with dangerous animals, it’s filled with dangerous women as well.

I think that if one is strong, they would be able to live and survive in this island. I think Hancock did a great job in making them feel safe. One of the thing’s that attracted me to this place is the fact that it reminded me of Wonder Women. Since i am a women i find this place appealing. I would be amongst women, i wouldn’t have to worry about much For Example: Appearance or men except becoming strong and the responsibility’s i would have.

The only downfall is that I think the women in this place are Naive. They only have one way of thinking and that’s the way Hancock has taught them. I would want my freedom to talk to men no matter what Hancock orders. But aside from this. The island itself is beautiful and it doesn’t seem like such a bad place to live the rest of my life in. According to The Fandom Wiki because of the island’s location there is no wind or storm ever on Amazon Lily. Overall, it seems very peaceful, if your strong.

3) Water 7

Water 7 may not be as beautiful as Wholecake or Fishman Island. But i choose this island because when i first saw this place, the only thing i could think of is “I want to live there”. I choose it because of it’s people and the environment. Water 7 feels so warm, since it’s kind of small compared to some of the other places we have seen, it has an appeal to it that some of the other islands lack. Since it’s small, the people are able to connect and bond faster. It feels like a whole community instead of all these spaces and lack of unity.

The unity is what got me the most. I have always wanted to live in a place like this, where people talk to each other and help each other. For a person who is often lonely this is heaven. Now don’t get me wrong, i still find Water 7 to be beautiful. But, i think that the beauty comes from the people. Which to me that’s what make a place worth living in. Aside from it’s danger from Agua Laguna, i feel comfort in knowing that they have top notch builders as well. Coming from a person who loves to build and create, i find that appealing.

2) Wholecake Island

This island blew my mind. I knew when we first heard or saw the word Wholecake Island, that it would pertain to food or sweets. This island exceeded my expectations for what we would see. It definitely reminded me of Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. But, the thing with this island, is that it has a mixture of Alice in Wonderland and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs with Disney and Candyland combined. That’s what i find the most interesting.

  To take it further, i also want to add that it’s such a cheerful place, everything looks so alive and vivid. But yet Oda was able to make this place feel dark as well. It’s amazing that Oda was able to create an island that looks and feels so mixed but yet make it look so beautiful. Normally one would think that a mix would look like a mess. But, everything fit’s so perfectly together. I loved his use of sweets. The houses and Restaurants were so beautiful. To me it felt like a place i would want to visit in christmas. Mainly because the houses had this Gingerbread look to it.

1) Fishman Island

This island was special to me. Mainly because i wanted to see this island since the moment i even saw a Fishman. I knew their had to be a place where the Fishman came from.

It was highly enthused during the Water 7 arc. When i finally saw this Island it was one of the most beautiful Island’s in the one Piece World. From the magical looking Mermaids to the Way the apartments looked underwater. To the way Oda used the underwater creatures. For Example: The fishes were used as Taxi’s for the Fishman they were another form of transportation aside from the bubble tube in the air. I thought that was the most unique way of using underwater creatures.

King Neptune’s Ryugu Palace was one of the most beautiful Mansions i have ever seen. That section had a beauty of it’s own. What i also loved about the Ryugu palace is that it had this asian look to it and it still fit with the atmosphere of Fishman Island. Overall the Corals and the different colors that were used in this arc, fit perfectly with what i invisioned for Fishman Island. I absolutely love the pastel colors, it gave it a different feel to the usual One Piece color’s were used to. The Fishman breeding was also very interesting. I love the food that they ate, i think i would be eating every single day from everywhere in this island. Their food had a lot to do with sweets and seafood. Which i loved because i am a huge seafood fan. This place didn’t let me down in terms of beauty. Whether your fan of this Arc as a whole or not, you cannot deny the beauty that was Fishman Island.

THAT’S IT FOLKS

HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THE BLOG

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[princekirijo]

This is the first time I've rlly heard about Riku since I followed you, what's his deal? :0 would you mind telling me a little bit about him?

HELLO THERE YES ABSOLUTELY I WILL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT MY BOY!!!!

Ok so this is the first ask I ever answered about him and it is a semi good summary of his plot but a lot has happened since then (it was over a year ago) so I'll go over it again here for convenience. This predictably got long af so it's under a read more.

Also if you want any more random bits of info you can find it by searching for "riku kirijo" on my blog (or on Tumblr itself he has his own tag 💀)! I make random little fact posts about him so there's more info in those. You'll also probably find my older art for him for his previous design, but the last art piece I did is his design as of now and probably won't be changed cause I'm super happy with it. Also if you look under "oc tag" or "au tag" I tag some random posts with those if I think they fit the au (it's usually silly jokes and stuff).

Basically Riku is my Persona 5 OC and he's the eldest (and only) son of Yukari and Mitsuru from P3 (I'm sure you know by now I'm a massive Yukamitsu fan but if not now you do 💀). Now obvs there's not enough of a time gap in canon for this to be possible so the gap in this AU is about 30 years, I haven't worked that part out yet. He also has one sister (Yuna).

Riku's story starts really about two years before the events of P5 (btw I mean Royal but I'm just gonna refer to it as P5 cause I'm lazy). Basically he was feeling very lonely, had a hard time making friends and felt he needed to step out of his moms shadows. So he decides to move to Tokyo to get a chance to live out on his own and have a change of scenery. Because he's only 14/15 at the time he can't live on his own and for reasons I'll go into another time, his moms can't come with him. So enter Chiyoko Hatanaka, one of Mitsuru's high ranking staff who offers to become Riku's guardian of sorts while he's in Tokyo. Mitsuru agrees and Riku moves to Tokyo with her enrolling in Kosei High (he's in the same class as Yusuke and Hifumi).

However a few months after they moved, Hatanaka starts to drop her nice act and reveals her true colors and starts abusing Riku (both physically and mentally). I won't reveal the reason why as that's a huge spoiler and I plan on doing something with this story eventually. Riku doesn't tell anyone ofc because he's too scared (Hatanaka has some serious dirt on the Kirijo Group which she uses to blackmail him). So Mitsuru and Yukari have no idea this is happening but have noticed weird changes in his behavior whenever he comes home to visit.

Fast forward to just after Madarame's Palace and Yusuke mentions to the thieves that there's someone he'd like to look into - Hatanaka. He and Riku had this kind of mutual understanding of what was happening to them but never really acknowledged it (they didn't know how - I planning on going into more detail another time). The thieves agree after they see her name on the Phansite (anonymous request from Riku himself). At the TV station the shujin trio actually meet Riku (he's there because Yukari or Mitsuru are giving an interview idk yet). He introduces himself after telling some creep hitting on Ann to fuck off and he's very chatty and kind UNTIL Hatanaka shows up when he becomes super quiet. The thieves are like huh that's weird we should look into this chick for sure. So they do and ofc she has a Palace.

They start investigating and they find out her palace is at her and Riku's apartment (more of a penthouse) and the keyword is Studio. The palace is called "The Studio of Arrogance" and is modeled after a TV station. Riku accidentally gets dragged in and captured by Hatanaka's goons. The thieves find Hatanaka interrogating a chained up Riku where she reveals a few things (again spoilers) and torments him. He has enough, breaks free of his chains and then BOOM Persona time.

His persona is Pimpernel, the titular character in the book The Scarlet Pimpernel. He specializes in Physical and Aqua (Water element from P2) attacks and his best stat is speed (easily the fastest thief).

Riku and the thieves fight off against her goons, and escape to a safe room where they tell Riku everything. Riku also wants to change Hatanaka's heart so he teams up with the thieves with his code name being "Noble". I have a WIP of his phantom thief outfit and Pimpernel so I won't say much about the design for now (purple Flynn rider that's the best mini description I can give 💀)

After they've beaten Hatanaka's palace and changed her heart successfully the rest of the story is pretty much the same but with Riku in it. Mitsuru, Yukari and Yuna also play big roles because the three of them move to Tokyo to stay with Riku after they find out about the abuse. They each have their own background arc too but aside from Mitsuru I don't really have any ideas for them yet (even Mitsuru's is a concept idea).

And that's pretty much his story for now at least! If there's anything specific you want to know please ask because I will literally sit here for hours and rant about him <3