PLAYER

Name: king
Over 18?: y/y
Contact: scrubdaddy | DM character journal
Current Characters: n/a
Reserve: here

CHARACTER

Name: Vanitas
Journal: evulsed
Age: True: undetermined because he was part of Ventus who is potentially several hundred years old. Appearance: 18ish

Canon: Kingdom Hearts
Canon Point: Post KH3 + CRAU

Character Reference/History:

This is a KH Wiki link for Vanitas. *One note is that the spoilers section at the top references something in the Re:Mind DLC. The framing of this in the KH Wiki is misleading; Vanitas makes this statement in a cutscene and he is something of an unreliable narrator. All other evidence in the game confirms he is, in fact, the other half of Ventus' heart.

In The Night CRAU: - Vanitas arrived here instead of being sent back through time to his original origin point after losing a fight at the end of KH3
- in Beacon he found himself having to learn how to be human and not just an Incarnation of Darkness, including the fact he needs to eat or suffer if he doesn't
- His first bonds are with a doctor called Gene and with Sora, both of whom treat him as a person instead of a monster
- He starts to recognize the ways he and Sora are the same due to a memory sharing event, and that despite Sora's brave face he has as deep loneliness inside of him; their bond deepens
- Gene and Sora both leave the game and Vanitas suffers through what it means to form an attachment on his own and lose it. He learns what it means to be comforted by a motherly figure in the game, the first time he's ever been comforted through his pain
- He forms a bond with Riku and with Bruce Wayne, both of whom encourage Vanitas to exercise his own agency instead of acting only as a weapon of destruction
- He dies during a battle against the spirits protecting Riku. When he comes back from this he is inflicted with a crippling fear of water (lakes, rivers, oceans)
- Bruce loses a significant friend and Vanitas realizes others can feel the same anguish he does. He learns what it means to empathize. He also learns he can make Unversed out of other's negativity, not just his own
- He wants to be somewhere else in the moment he thinks that there is no chance he will see his past, lost significant CR ever again

Personality: Vanitas' personality is still the same as is detailed in his Wikis. The difference his time in Beacon affected in him is his ability to actively empathize with other people, instead of believing he is singular in his despair, and the fact that he now has an illogical but desperate fear of water.

Powers/Abilities: Under the Abilities section.

Vanitas was created when all the darkness was pulled out of Ventus' heart and given a form, so staying true to Squeenix he doesn't really obey the laws of physics. He wields a high level of Dark Magic which includes, but is not limited to: ranged dark fire/lightning attacks, teleportation, creating 'after images' of himself as a diversion, dark energy shockwaves, dark energy beams, etc. At one point, he literally steps inside Ventus to possess his body— though that was a bit of an extreme situation. He has inhuman speed and strength and is extremely proficient in the use of the Keyblade. These skills coupled with his complete lack of sympathy for others makes him incredibly dangerous.

Dark Corridors are something of a relocation spell, where he can create a portal out of darkness and step through it to any other place of his choosing. As an extension of this, Vanitas has also been seen to be able to traverse the darkness between worlds without the need for any external protection, something specifically pointed out to be a necessity by other characters, meaning he could literally go anywhere if he wanted. **These abilities will be nerfed in that Vanitas won't be able to just leave the planet whenever he wants, and his Dark Corridors will have a limited range.

Possibly the most unique thing about him, though, is his ability to create Unversed. These are creatures of darkness that manifest out of the negative emotions Vanitas feels. He can make literal hordes of these things. The catch is that when they're defeated, those negative feelings siphon back into him, meaning he is caught in a constant cycle of agony. He explains this as meaning that he can never be defeated, because even as his Unversed are destroyed he just gets their power back. This suggests that he 'feeds' off of, or is sustained by, negative emotion. In KH3 it's further explained that he's given a physical form when enough of it is gathered in one place, suggesting that despair and misery not only boost his strength but are part of his literal make up.

The other unique thing he has is his Keyblade, a magical weapon that has the ability to open or close any lock or door, and doubles as a really strangely shaped sword. Each Keyblade has it's own shape because they manifest out of the wielder's heart and desires. He can cast his own away into a sort of magical hammerspace. This isn't like a Bag of Holding, because this liminal space literally only holds his Keyblade. This locking/unlocking ability will be nerfed to be less reliable.

Inventory:

• a set of heavy black clothing, designed to withstand a snowy winter including gloves, a scarf, and a hat
  
• Void Gear
  
• a communication tablet that runs on magic and never needs charging
  
• a little blue flower and a piece of parchment that says Dr Maridel Solis in cursive
  
• his Unversed

SAMPLES
Writing Sample #1: a Bakerstreet texting thread
Writing Sample #2: an In The Night log

BACKTAGGING 100%
THREADHOPPING if it's plausible, go for it!
FOURTH WALLING his canon world hops, but please don't tell him he's a video game

PHYSICAL AFFECTION unlikely without a lot of build up
PHYSICAL VIOLENCE always yes
MIND-READING, ETC probably okay, hmu with questions
SENSING EMOTIONS all you're gonna get is pain from this guy
DEATH yes, with caveats. plot with me!

TIMELINE post KH3 unless otherwise noted
SHIPPING he is not nice!! he will not be nice in a ship!! that said i will absolutely explore the mess of trying to get to the shippy bits. that said: ventus, sora, repliku, riku, roxas, naminé and xion are at the top of the list. i'm open to others!
SMUT soft pass unless we have established a rapport, sorry friends

WARNINGS
• vanitas' history involves physical and emotional abuse which can be mentioned in his meta. there may also be references to self-harm. if this kind of material bothers you please let me know if a) you would like any kind of clarification or b) if you would like to opt out of cr with him entirely
• this character is also an antagonist/villain in his series and it's part of his modus operandi to pick at your character's flaws. if you're not interested in this kind of negative cr just let me know!

DARKNESS/UNVERSED MECHANICS
Vanitas is a being made of pure Darkness, and specifically has a special connection to how it manifests as negative emotion and uses it. The Unversed are creatures that manifest out of Vanitas' negative emotions. The more negativity he can generate, the more Unversed he can create, and the stronger his own innate power of darkness becomes. Vanitas can recognize when another character has a bad feeling, and generally will attempt to exacerbate it. He is not a telepath! This works more like empathy.

He can also tell if your character is host to a great deal of Light, or goodness of heart. This isn't something he can flex on, but he will be drawn to characters that have a lot of it, since he has none himself.

If you would like to opt out of any of these mechanics, you can comment on this post. The comments are screened.

<b>Player:</b> <b>Character(s) and Canon:</b> <b>Negative CR?</b> If you say no to this, this is opting out of CR with Vanitas entirely! Unfortunately you can't really unlock a nicer version of Vanitas without going through the mean part first. <b>Sensing emotions?</b> Can Vanitas feel your character's negativity? <b>Sensing Light/Dark?</b> Can Vanitas tell how "good" or "bad" your character is? Can he sense their literal level of Light and Dark (like an angel or a demon?) <b>Sensitive content?</b> These are things that reference Vanitas' past trauma and/or any potential sensitive subjects, like self harm or suicide or child abuse. Just mention what you would like to avoid.