Xion [AU] (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
whereibelong) wrote2012-05-08 02:14 am
whereibelong) wrote2012-05-08 02:14 am
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PLAYER INFORMATION
Alias: Gorse
Preferred Personal Pronoun: she
Age: 20
Contact Info: AIM - gorsethewarrior, plurk - gorsecloud
Current Characters In-game: n/a
Reserved?: YEP
Reason for Playing: For this character, I'd really like to explore her more. She's an AU, with a couple years of development beyond her canon. Right now I've mostly ballparked how her development would be. I'd like to actually dig into her mindset more, try to figure out how she's been affected and how she's different. And of course, I'd love to see her interacting with other characters and see others reactions to her.
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: Xion
Canon: Kingdom Hearts
Character Type: Alternate - alternate Days ending -> alternate timeline
Age: 2 1/2(ish)
Gender: Female
Species: Replica (human?)
Appearance: Her canon appearance is this. Generally speaking, her appearance hasn't changed too much - she's a little taller, she's filled out a little bit in the hips and chest, and her hair is longer, so she strongly resembles an older Kairi, though there are some elements - such as the way her hair falls around her face - that look more like Namine (though it really is hard to tell, given that Namine is Kairi's Nobody and thus already resembles her).
Generally she is seen wearing her Black Coat as she wears in canon, given that it allows her to safely traverse the darkness corridors. At the same time, she does have her own casual outfit on underneath it. It's still in the process of being designed, but it resembles Serah Farron's FFXIII outfit.
Canon Point: Shortly after she and Roxas and Axel add looking for Aqua in the Realm of Darkness to their world-hopping routine, prior to actually finding her
Background: Okay, the KH wikis articles on her all suck and the archive thing we're working on is still in the beginning stages, so I've got a written version here:
Xion was created, (based on implications from the 358/2 Days Ultimania) around 6 days after Roxas was born, and was introduced to the Organization as the 14th member on Day 7. For a while she is trained separately, and prepared for the purpose the Organization wishes to use her for. Shortly after Axel leaves for Castle Oblivion, Xion is paired with Roxas, this arrangement continues for a few days, until eventually Xion removes her hood, and later reveals herself to be able to use the Keyblade. After that point, Xion and Roxas began meeting up at the Clock Tower after work for sea-salt ice cream.
Shortly afterwards, Roxas collapses during a mission to Agrabah and is comatose for a few weeks. During this time, Xion visits him in his room and leaves shells she's collected by his pillow.
Roxas eventually wakes up, and around the exact same time, Xion loses control of her ability to use the Keyblade while out on a mission to take out a large Heartless, making her unable to complete the mission. She stays out in the field for several days, until Roxas and his friend Axel (who previously was thought to be dead) came and helped her out. Afterwards, with a little bit of prodding, they get her to admit that she can't use the Keyblade anymore, and Axel suggests that she and Roxas pair up on missions, so the Organization can't tell it's only Roxas taking out Heartless with the Keyblade. Axel also agrees to be her friend, in a "Friend of Roxas' is a friend of mine" sort of way.
The next day, Xion and Roxas begin pairing up on missions, and meeting Axel afterwards for sea-salt ice cream. This continues for a few weeks, until Saix begins to suspect that something's off. On their last day of working together, Roxas gives Xion his Keyblade, in the hopes that it will jog her memory of how to summon hers. The plan works, and they return happily to business as usual the day after that.
This pattern continues for a while, until Xion is sent on a mission to eliminate the Organization imposter. She loses the fight and trades words with the imposter afterwards - during which he calls her Keyblade a sham. Between this and an unsettling set of dreams she's beginning to have, Xion becomes upset, and stops visiting Roxas and Axel at the clock Tower.
Xion continues to avoid her friends until she ends up failing a mission a second time and falling into a sleep coma, one that lasts three weeks. During that time, Roxas leaves shells for her on her pillow, the way she did his. She finally wakes up, and attempts to go out on a mission with Roxas and Axel, only to collapse halfway through. Saix mocks her failure, but both Roxas and Axel - Saix's old friend - come to her defense. It's unclear when exactly she comes to, but when she does, it's to hearing that Axel considers both of them his best friends.
As time passes, Xion's dreams become more frequent and intense, and she begins remembering things in her waking moments too. It's enough that she starts questioning herself, who she was, and her place in the Organization. It finally reaches the point where she hacks into the Organization's computer and traces her origins back to Castle Oblivion. She goes there, ignoring and defying orders, to try to find answers. She meets Axel there, and he tells her to go home, but she refuses, instead fleeing further into the Castle.
From there, she finds out the truth about herself - that she is a replica and the memories she's experiencing (those of a boy named Sora) are not hers. Confused and upset, she travels alone for a while. Then, while visiting Destiny Islands, she gets caught up in a tangle of memories of those nearby her and passes out. When she comes to, she realizes that she was saved (somehow) by the Organization Impostor. He reveals himself to be Riku, Sora's friend.
She and Riku talk, and Riku explains that some of Sora's memories are trapped inside her, making Sora unable to wake up. He offers to let her give the memories inside of her back to Sora then and there, but she refuses, saying her friends still needed her. Riku then suggests she take some time to think about it, and the two travel together for a little while.
Eventually, Roxas and Axel spot her in Twilight Town on accident, and Xion wonders if she should go back. The next day, Roxas attacks, thinking she's the Organization impostor - Riku (whom he was sent to eliminate). She reveals herself to him, and Roxas tries to convince her to come back to the Organization, but confused and unsure, she refuses, even to the point of pulling out her Keyblade to force Roxas to back off. At that point, Axel attacks, and Xion is knocked out and taken back to the Organization.
Xion rejoins missions somewhat reluctantly, torn between growing feelings that she doesn't belong, and loyalty to her friends. After a few weeks though, it becomes clear that something is wrong with Roxas, and when she asks Axel about it, he flat out tells her that she's slowly absorbing his powers, and if something doesn't happen, one of them - most likely Roxas - will die.
For the next few weeks, Xion frantically searches for a solution in between missions, but matters finally come to a head when the Organization sends her on a mission to eliminate a powerful Heartless in Halloween Town. She's halfway through the fight when suddenly Axel interrupts the fight, revealing that the mission was a setup, and her true opponent is Roxas. That evening, she shares one last afternoon of sea-salt ice cream with her friends, treasuring the moment.
The next day, Xion is sent on a mission with Axel and Xigbar. Instead of working as per normal, she attacks Xigbar and convinces Axel to let her escape, so that she can do what she needs to do to protect her friends and everything she cares about. And this is where the AU starts.
Alternate Universe Timeline:
In canon, when Roxas confronts Axel about what happened, Axel is evasive and Roxas too worked up to listen. In the AU, Roxas is slightly calmer, and Axel - reluctantly - is a little more straightforward. Roxas finds out a lot of things - he discovers what Xion is, what she's trying to do, and why. He also learns that he is Sora's Nobody. He leaves the room at a run, promising Axel he'll find a way to make everything work out, somehow. He ends of deserting the Organization to go after Xion.
The next day, while Roxas is searching frantically for her, Xion meets up with Riku, and he tells her to go to Twilight Town to see a girl named Namine. Two days later, Xion arrives in Twilight Town and speaks to Namine. Namine explains that because Xion is made of memories, once she returns those memories to Sora, Xion will not only cease to exist, but every memory of her will disappear as well. Xion accepts these conditions.
At about that point, both girls are surprised when Roxas suddenly appears through a darkness corridor. He had found out what was going on, and come to some conclusions of his own, as well (given that he had some of Sora's memories too). He wants to find another option, one that would allow both himself and Xion to survive.
He debates with Xion and Namine until the latter mentions that she could possibly untangle Xion's memory and retrieve Sora's while leaving her intact, but that would involve Sora's awakening being delayed for months, if not years. Meanwhile, the Organization was growing ever closer to completing Kingdom Hearts, a large part of why DiZ kept pushing for Sora's awakening to be sped up. So long as the Organization kept sending them out to collect hearts - or even if they collected hearts independently - Organization XIII might achieve their goal, and without Sora, they would be much, much harder to stop.
Roxas then proposes a plan: he and Xion would go on the run from the Organization, and would use their Keyblades only in dire circumstances. Xion, who had been resigned to return to Sora, takes some convincing, but in the end she agrees. Namine - who had always wanted to give Xion her own choice and knew Sora would react badly if he ever found out two people had been forced to give up their existence just so he could wake up - agrees as well, though she warns they'll need to find a way around DiZ.
At that point, DiZ himself appears to announce the arrival of Axel, as he does in canon, and is shocked to find both obstacles to Sora's awakening right in front of him. He orders Namine to incapacitate one or both (the same way she did the Riku Replica at Castle Oblivion), but when she refuses, Roxas and Xion grab her and they flee the Old Mansion together.
Once outside, they run into Axel. They explain that they have a plan that would allow them both to live, but they needed his help, they needed time, and above all they couldn't go back to the Organization. Roxas tries to ask him to come with them, but Axel cuts him off and essentially implies he'll cover their tracks as long as he can, given that he knows Saix will suspect him almost immediately. Xion then asks him to find anything he can to stop her from absorbing any more of Roxas's powers.
They part ways, and Roxas and Xion go on the run with Namine. After a few days, they manage to find Riku and explain the situation. At first he's reluctant, but after hearing the full plan he agrees with it - he knows that Namine's assessment about Sora not reacting well if Roxas and Xion were forced to die for him is correct, and he believes Xion at least about their part of the plan, even if he's a little skeptical about Roxas at this point.
He takes charge of taking care of Namine, but before the two pairs part ways, Namine uses her powers to put a sort of seal around Xion's memories that should temporarily keep Sora's memories from leaking from Roxas to her (and consequently keeping her from absorbing Roxas's own powers and killing him). She warns that the seal is temporary, though, and that they'll need to find a more permanent solution. After that, Riku and Namine leave to find King Mickey.
Meanwhile, on the remote world of Destiny Islands, a girl named Kairi - struggling to remember a boy she knows she once knew - puts a letter in a bottle and drops it in the ocean, resolving to go find him as soon as she can find a way.
Riku and Namine eventually find King, and explain the situation. They take Namine to Disney Castle, and Mickey agrees to let it sort of become their base of operations. At that point, they part ways again, Mickey to do... whatever it is Mickey does, Riku to try and find Roxas and Xion and explain the current developments.
Axel maintains his role in the Organization for as long as possible to get information that would give Roxas and Xion an advantage, including a week or so side mission to Castle Oblivion where he scours what's left of Vexen's lab to try to find any remaining information about the Replica Project. Unfortunately, there isn't much to find. Eventually, after a month and half, Saix (who already suspects Axel) reveals his double-agent playing, and Axel deserts the Organization, eventually rejoining Roxas and Xion.
The Organization, meanwhile, quickly realizes - even prior to Axel's deserting - that Roxas and Xion aren't using their Keyblades to collect hearts. Particularly once Axel's loyalties are clear, they begin to send Organization members to track down and capture at least one Keyblade wielder, as well as destroy the other and Axel. Initially they target Xion, until enough time passes that it becomes clear that something is stopping her from absorbing Roxas, at which point they become less picky.
Eventually the party runs into Riku, who explains that Disney Castle is now a safe place for them to go, though he warns them to not spend too much time there, since otherwise it might become a target for the Organization, who certainly wouldn't appreciate the Cornerstone of Light's ability to keep away Heartless. They find Namine there, who explains that she has potentially found a more concrete, faster way to allow Roxas and particularly Xion to live: Namine would untangle their memories, and the memories of Kairi that Xion is comprised of would slowly be replaced with those of Namine herself and Castle Oblivion - still memories of Sora's, but not ones he would need to wake up.
Around three-ish months after the events of 358/2 Days would have ended, the Organization finds Kairi's letter to Sora in the Realm of Darkness. The next time an Organization member finds Roxas, Axel, and Xion, they toss them the letter and attempt to use it as proof that they are holding Kairi hostage. They're skeptical (after all, you can find a letter anywhere, even forge it) but take the letter back to Disney Castle, where they run into Riku and explain what happened, and what the Organization claimed. Riku verifies that the letter looks like it was written by Kairi, though he too is skeptical and goes to check Destiny Islands just to be on the safe side.
At the same time, thanks to Namine's efforts, Kairi's memories are starting to clear about Sora, enough that she becomes more determined than ever to go find him and Riku, rather than waiting. The desire is strong enough that she unconciously invokes the same process that Beast did in Kingdom Hearts, and transports herself through strength of will to a world with which she already has close connections: Hollow Bastion. Thus, when Riku arrives at Destiny Islands to check, she isn't there.
He reports back, and a little bit of panic sets in. They're still skeptical about whether or not the Organization actually has Kairi, and it's just as likely that this is a trap. They come up with a plan: Roxas, Axel and Xion would try to quickly see if she was in The World That Never Was, doing their best to anticipate any traps laid for them, and Riku woudl scour the other worlds looking for Kairi. Because of the risky nature of the Days trio's job, they agreed to a rendezvous with Riku afterwards, and he said he would come looking if they were late.
Well, to put a long story short, they were late. No matter how many traps they anticipated, they still ended up facing down at least three other Organization members who were lying in wait for them. Xion was knocked out in the process of fleeing, before they could get to a darkness corridor. However, the most successful ambush came from an entirely unexpected source, after they'd landed at the rendezvous point.
DiZ had been furious that his plan had been essentially brushed aside and derailed in under a day. He refused to hand over the unconscious Sora, Donald, and Goofy (thus slowing and limiting Namine's ability to work on them further), and instead worked to come up with a plan to try to strongarm his revenge back onto the table. Using an invention he'd developed in the months since Namine had fled, he stunned Roxas and Axel, and took the former and Xion back with him, where he threw the two into the Digital Twilight Town. Because he did not have Namine as his ally, they retained their memories and consciousness of what was really going on. However, he did not modify the program to incorporate them, thus leaving Roxas and Xion stuck in the state where none of the people in the program could see, hear, touch, or notice them at all. Additionally, DiZ manipulates the world around them to keep them away from the exit.
Riku, meanwhile, manages to successfully locate Kairi in Hollow Bastion, where she's been hanging out with the Restoration Committee in the hopes of finding a way to either repeat the process that got her there from Destiny Islands, or find some other way of traveling between worlds. In particular, she hoped that Cid might build a Gummi ship she can use - despite Cid's insistence that the worlds were separated now. He takes Kairi back to Disney Castle, then goes to meet the Days trio at the rendezvous.
He arrives, sees that they're late, and goes looking, and comes back just after DiZ's attack. He helps Axel get himself back on his feet and send him in the right direction - since while neither is sure who exactly took Roxas and Xion, they know that the person can use darkness corridors. After that point, both go their separate ways, looking for ways to find and get Roxas and Xion back.
Axel goes back to TWTNW, where he finds out from Demyx that the Organization doesn't have them, and from the computer systems, he finds out they're in Twilight Town. Riku goes back to Disney Castle and explains some of the situation to Kairi and confers with Namine and possibly Mickey as well, if he's there. Namine comes to the same conclusion - that they're in Twilight Town, and realizes what must've happened. At this point Axel heads back to Disney Castle to confer with Riku and come up with the plan they eventually use.
Riku and Kairi distract DiZ as best they can, while Axel ventures into the Digital Twilight Town, finds Roxas and Xion and they attempt to escape. DiZ catches them and attempts to eject Axel from the system, but through the Power of Friendship, the three all get ejected together and with the help of Kairi and Riku escape to Disney Castle where they promptly collapse in an exhausted pile and sleep. Riku and Kairi, meanwhile, stay behind to try to convince DiZ to NEVER TRY SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN. At some point during the distracting/defending/discussion, Kairi awakens to Destiny's Embrace, and Riku awakens to Way to Dawn.
Axel goes back to TWTNW, where he finds out from Demyx that the Organization doesn't have them, and from the computer systems, he finds out they're in Twilight Town. Riku goes back to Disney Castle and explains some of the situation to Kairi and confers with Namine and possibly Mickey as well, if he's there. Namine comes to the same conclusion - that they're in Twilight Town, and realizes what must've happened. Axel meets up with the three of them and forms a plan to get Roxas and Xion out.
Riku and Kairi distract DiZ as best they can, while Axel ventures into the Digital Twilight Town, finds Roxas and Xion and they attempt to escape. DiZ catches them and attempts to eject Axel from the system, but through the Power of Friendship, the three all get ejected together and with the help of Kairi and Riku escape to Disney Castle where they promptly collapse in an exhausted pile and sleep. Riku and Kairi, meanwhile, stay behind to try to convince DiZ to NEVER TRY SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN. At some point during the distracting/defending/discussion, Kairi awakens to Destiny's Embrace, and Riku to Way to Dawn.
After this point, Roxas and Xion in general are very wary and subdued. In order to try and brighten the mood and cheer them up, Kairi and Axel conspire together and - with a little help from the residents of Disney Castle - introduce them - and Namine - to Christmas. During the celebration, Riku takes off his blindfold for the first time that many of them can remember (this marks the beginning of a slow process where he wears it less and less as he gains better control over the darkness in his own heart).
Things begin to calm down. Kairi establishes herself as the person who keeps everyone informed and up-to-date and just overall keeps an eye on everything - meanwhile, she trains with Destiny's Embrace by sparring with Roxas and Xion to keep their skills sharp (since they shouldn't be using their Keyblades much in the actual worlds). Slowly the Days trio, especially Roxas and Xion, begin to befriend Kairi, Mickey and probably the other residents of Disney Castle.
The Organization at this point does begin to shift slightly. They still send members to try to track down and capture/destroy Xion, Roxas and Axel, but they also begin trying to manipulate the worlds, and their villains to increase the Heartless populations in said worlds drastically. The idea is, if the Heartless start causing enough trouble, someone will have to help, or else leave the worlds to be overrun completely. It slowly works - Roxas and Xion start finding themselves in situations where they are forced to use their Keyblades to fight incredibly numerous or incredibly powerful Heartless.
Still, for several months after escaping the Digital Twilight Town, things are a quiet waiting game, waiting for Sora to wake up. They travel, they spend time with their friends. Kairi conspires with Roxas and Xion to celebrate Axel's birhtday, and later that month, Axel and Kairi conspire again and throw Roxas and Xion and Namine their first birthday for the three of them's second birthday.
A little over a year after 358/2 Days would have ended, Xion, Roxas and Axel are still trying to stop trouble that's appearing in the worlds more and more frequently, as the Organization starts pushing heart production further. Meanwhile, DiZ comes to the conclusion that going with a plan he doesn't like is better than not having a hand in Organization XIII's downfall. He contacts King Mickey and agrees to relinquish control of Sora, Donald, and Goofy to him, Riku, and Namine and offers his aid in stopping Organization XIII. He also reveals his identity as Ansem the Wise and explains a his connections to the Organization's founders, in order to try to regain some of the trust he's lost with Riku (who didn't really trust him that much in the first place) and Mickey (who has heard stories from Riku). The four of them (DiZ and Sora, Donald and Goofy) are transplanted to Disney Castle.
Unfortunately, at almost the exact same time, Namine discovers that the seal she put on Xion to keep her from absorbing memories has finally fallen apart, and that something needs to be done or they will essentially be back where they started, and either Xion or Roxas (or even both) will have to die. She explains this to Xion the next time she and Roxas and Axel visit, and Riku suggests they ask DiZ, who - as Xemnas and Vexen's former master - has the most likely chance of being able to successfully reprogram Xion so that she no longer absorbs memories.
When asked, DiZ blatantly refuses to help: while he may have agreed to hand over Sora and help take down Organization XIII, his deep prejudice against nobodies and replicas remains. Xion realizes that, like Saix, he cannot see her face, and blatantly calls him out on his hypocrisy. The Days trio return to scouring the worlds, looking for anything that might be able to help them in between dodging Organization members and stopping trouble in the worlds.
It takes a good three months before DiZ comes around - three months where a lot of people either talk to him or try to convince him: Mickey, Kairi, Riku, at least one conversation near the end with Axel (Radiant Garden residents/references); not to mention him just seeing the Days trio interact when they visit Disney Castle. Between all that, he's slowly forced to re-evaluate his position on their existences; eventually he even sees Xion's face, around when he finally he relents and agrees to reprogram her, shortly after Christmas that year.
A month later, Namine requests to speak with everyone, and once gathered, she brings up that she has been finding memories of another person in Sora's heart - one who looks exactly like Roxas. Between King Mickey and a little bit from Axel, essentials of the Aqua, Terra and Ventus' story come out, as well as questions about the connection between Ven and Sora. While they aren't entirely sure what they can do to fix all that's gone wrong (or even if they can) those who have the ability to use darkness corridors - Riku and the Days Trio - decide to search the Realm of Darkness when they have the chance to see if they can at least find Aqua.
Forays into the Realm of Darkness are added to the Days Trio's routine of world hopping. It takes a few months, however they finally find Aqua. Unfortunately, the Realm of Darkness is a dangerous place, and at that point, the group is attacked by one of its nastier denizens. It's a brutal fight but at last it seems like they've defeated it. They let their guard down for a brief moment, and in that moment, the dark monster gets to its feet again. Axel has just enough time to shove Roxas and Xion out of the way before he's knocked away, and is run through by the monster's tail as he attempts to get back to his feet. By the time the already worn-down Roxas, Xion and Aqua are able to dispatch the creature for good and get over to Axel, it's too late - he's already fading. He tells Roxas and Xion how they made him feel like he had a heart before he disappears.
Roxas and Xion take Aqua back to Disney Castle, where Mickey and Namine help get her caught up on the situation. Meanwhile, Kairi and the other residents of the castle try to comfort Roxas and Xion as best they're able. Riku - who is out at the time - also comes back as quickly as possible when he hears the news.
Aqua does her best to help out after that: she offers what knowledge and wisdom she has, trains and practices with the budding Keybearers, and essentially takes over the role of team mom. Most importantly though, she takes over looking after Roxas and Xion, including travelling with them around the worlds - despite their initial discomfort over the matter.
And this is actually after the point I intend to take AU Xion from, but I wanted to give a little before & after context. I have more of the AU if you need it.
Personality: At the root of it, Xion is the same person she always was. She's young, relatively inexperienced with the world (though much less inexperienced than her canon counterpart), and eager to learn. She has a bit of a talent for picking up new things fairly quickly, in that regard. She might hesitate at times, but overall she can be fairly proactive about learning, practicing, training and the like.
Friends are everything to heras is proper for a good Kingdom Hearts character, to the point where she is willing to give up everything for them. They - particularly Roxas and Axel - are the ones who've laughed with her through her brightest and helped her through her darkest days. Roxas was the one who talked her out of sacrificing herself for his and Sora's sake, and as such she feels a great sense of gratitude to him and all those who've supported her. While this circle of friends is wider than it is in canon, generally speaking Xion is still somewhat reclusive and awkward in social situations. It may take her a little while to properly open up, though once she does, she'll treat those people with the same incredible sense of loyalty she gives her friends in canon.
On the downside, she struggles much more without their support. In the end, while she may be more confident and sure of herself than she is in canon, a lot of the inferiority and guilt complexes haven't really gone away. She still struggles with bouts of worry, wondering if they've made the right choice, and guilt, knowing that the people in the worlds are in trouble because the Organization is trying to get to her and Roxas, that Sora himself is still asleep and will remain asleep a lot longer because of their choices. At times she really honestly does wonder if it wouldn't have been better for her to have gone back to Sora, or better yet, not existed at all. It rarely gets that severe, especially when her friends are there, but when they're absent, it's still a niggling little echo of self-doubt and blame constantly in the back of her mind.
When reacting to extreme amounts of stress and emotional turmoil, Xion has a tendency to withdraw - into herself if not from the company of others. This is shown all throughout Days where she tends to hide or avoid Axel and Roxas when extremely confused and upset. She does have her sore spots though, and if poked the wrong way, she can and will lash out - like how she does in Days when Riku calls her Keyblade a sham. She has a modicum more self-control now, though it will still frustrate her greatly.
Above all though, she cares - her concern has grown in scope now that she's more aware of the true situation in the worlds. She loves life, loves learning new things and will fight to protect others - especially her friends.
Powers: First and foremost is Xion's ability to wield the Keyblade. The Keyblade is a magical weapon that can be summoned or dismissed at will. It is highly effective against foes such as Heartless and Nobodies, though it has been known to attract the Heartless as well. Moreover, the Keyblade has the ability to unlock or lock any door/chest/object/etc. Out of habit though, Xion doesn't call on her Keyblade that much.
She also has a whole myriad of movement/battle abilities, some more or less realistic in nature than others. Abilities (Thanks to Mala for help with some of the descriptions):
In Days - the game Xion is from - though, casts are limited to the number of "panels" one has installed for each spell - with some "subpanels" existing that double, triple or quadruple the number of casts per panel installed if you install the panel within their area, while similar subpanels also increase the strength of said spells. Magic (Again, thanks to Mala for help with some of the descriptions):
Items: She won't have much on her - mainly her Black Coat, her casual outfit underneath, some High Potions and Ethers, and a bag of the shells that Roxas gave her while she was asleep. She has a small rucksack on her that she carries a lot of these in. She also keeps certain of the less fragile gifts she's been given over the years in it - or worn on her person. There is a well-loved starfish pillow, a shell pendant she wears… I'm still working on the specifics but the pillow will be the biggest thing and they'll mostly just be small/sentimental gifts.
Instrument: Seashell Flute
SAMPLES
Bracket Sample
I don't know what kind of world this is supposed to be. It's not like any place I've ever been before, but…
[She looks down, a hand reaching up to push some hair behind her ear]
I keep looking for my friends. It's strange, I used to be… well, probably not okay, but if I had to, then I could be. Now… [shaking her head] I miss them. Not just Roxas and Axel, but Riku, Kairi, Namine, Mickey… Even Minnie and Daisy and Chip and Dale sometimes. [She laughs a little.] Chip and Dale were always funny, arguing over silly things.
[A lot like two other special people in her life]
I don't know if they'll come here. I really kind of want them to, only that seems selfish. I'll… I'll figure out a way, to make things work. But it's hard, and I can't help but worry about them too. Heh… maybe I'm being silly. I'm not sure. I guess I'll find out. I just hope I can find a way back home soon…
[She needs them… and they need her too]
Prose Sample
She'd been taught the one song, which gave her the basics of how to play her instrument, but from what she heard, she needed to eventually learn more. So she sat, thumbs and hands awkwardly placed, blowing gently into her seashell flute, trying to figure out notes and patterns.
It was frustrating, trying to figure out all the notes, or when she'd move a thumb and the sound would cut off, or blow too hard and suddenly the notes would become much higher and more shrill… But slowly, she worked at it, practicing a couple songs, one she heard often during her time off and another one that she heard someone playing on harmonica once, at the clock tower, that always stuck with her. She was having a lot more trouble with that one - it was so much more intricate, and she wanted to get it right. It reminded her of simpler days, happy days of sitting with friends eating sea-salt ice cream.
Memories. They were always such important things to her. Given that in a way she was memories, it wasn't a surprise, she supposed, but… still.
Really, learning to play was a welcome distraction as anything. It was kind of scary, being by herself here. Before… she wasn't okay with being alone, per se, but she didn't shy away from it. Now… it felt like she was constantly looking over her shoulder, expecting or wishing for Roxas and Axel to be there. She missed them, so much. Her friends. Her reason for living - in multiple ways.
She had to find a way back to them. There was still so much time left before Sora woke up, and the Organization… A part of her knew that Roxas and Axel could take care of themselves. It wasn't like they'd ever needed her to bail them out completely, or something like that. But there were first times for everything, and she knew she'd rather not be absent for them, if they were to happen.
Not to mention the others, all the help they still needed. They still wanted to find Aqua, who'd been traveling for years in the Realm of Darkness, alone and unaided.
So many things she wanted and needed to do, put on hold because of this.
She would find a way back. But she had to start with this, learning to play a shell - the irony was not lost on her, and she did love her instrument - so that she could talk to the people she did know. Information was valuable, no matter what line of work you were in.
As she tried again at those first few notes of the tune she'd heard in Twilight Town, she couldn't help but send her thoughts out to two particular people, hoping they'd hear somehow, even if they weren't in this world.
Don't worry guys… I'm coming.
Alias: Gorse
Preferred Personal Pronoun: she
Age: 20
Contact Info: AIM - gorsethewarrior, plurk - gorsecloud
Current Characters In-game: n/a
Reserved?: YEP
Reason for Playing: For this character, I'd really like to explore her more. She's an AU, with a couple years of development beyond her canon. Right now I've mostly ballparked how her development would be. I'd like to actually dig into her mindset more, try to figure out how she's been affected and how she's different. And of course, I'd love to see her interacting with other characters and see others reactions to her.
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: Xion
Canon: Kingdom Hearts
Character Type: Alternate - alternate Days ending -> alternate timeline
Age: 2 1/2(ish)
Gender: Female
Species: Replica (human?)
Appearance: Her canon appearance is this. Generally speaking, her appearance hasn't changed too much - she's a little taller, she's filled out a little bit in the hips and chest, and her hair is longer, so she strongly resembles an older Kairi, though there are some elements - such as the way her hair falls around her face - that look more like Namine (though it really is hard to tell, given that Namine is Kairi's Nobody and thus already resembles her).
Generally she is seen wearing her Black Coat as she wears in canon, given that it allows her to safely traverse the darkness corridors. At the same time, she does have her own casual outfit on underneath it. It's still in the process of being designed, but it resembles Serah Farron's FFXIII outfit.
Canon Point: Shortly after she and Roxas and Axel add looking for Aqua in the Realm of Darkness to their world-hopping routine, prior to actually finding her
Background: Okay, the KH wikis articles on her all suck and the archive thing we're working on is still in the beginning stages, so I've got a written version here:
Xion was created, (based on implications from the 358/2 Days Ultimania) around 6 days after Roxas was born, and was introduced to the Organization as the 14th member on Day 7. For a while she is trained separately, and prepared for the purpose the Organization wishes to use her for. Shortly after Axel leaves for Castle Oblivion, Xion is paired with Roxas, this arrangement continues for a few days, until eventually Xion removes her hood, and later reveals herself to be able to use the Keyblade. After that point, Xion and Roxas began meeting up at the Clock Tower after work for sea-salt ice cream.
Shortly afterwards, Roxas collapses during a mission to Agrabah and is comatose for a few weeks. During this time, Xion visits him in his room and leaves shells she's collected by his pillow.
Roxas eventually wakes up, and around the exact same time, Xion loses control of her ability to use the Keyblade while out on a mission to take out a large Heartless, making her unable to complete the mission. She stays out in the field for several days, until Roxas and his friend Axel (who previously was thought to be dead) came and helped her out. Afterwards, with a little bit of prodding, they get her to admit that she can't use the Keyblade anymore, and Axel suggests that she and Roxas pair up on missions, so the Organization can't tell it's only Roxas taking out Heartless with the Keyblade. Axel also agrees to be her friend, in a "Friend of Roxas' is a friend of mine" sort of way.
The next day, Xion and Roxas begin pairing up on missions, and meeting Axel afterwards for sea-salt ice cream. This continues for a few weeks, until Saix begins to suspect that something's off. On their last day of working together, Roxas gives Xion his Keyblade, in the hopes that it will jog her memory of how to summon hers. The plan works, and they return happily to business as usual the day after that.
This pattern continues for a while, until Xion is sent on a mission to eliminate the Organization imposter. She loses the fight and trades words with the imposter afterwards - during which he calls her Keyblade a sham. Between this and an unsettling set of dreams she's beginning to have, Xion becomes upset, and stops visiting Roxas and Axel at the clock Tower.
Xion continues to avoid her friends until she ends up failing a mission a second time and falling into a sleep coma, one that lasts three weeks. During that time, Roxas leaves shells for her on her pillow, the way she did his. She finally wakes up, and attempts to go out on a mission with Roxas and Axel, only to collapse halfway through. Saix mocks her failure, but both Roxas and Axel - Saix's old friend - come to her defense. It's unclear when exactly she comes to, but when she does, it's to hearing that Axel considers both of them his best friends.
As time passes, Xion's dreams become more frequent and intense, and she begins remembering things in her waking moments too. It's enough that she starts questioning herself, who she was, and her place in the Organization. It finally reaches the point where she hacks into the Organization's computer and traces her origins back to Castle Oblivion. She goes there, ignoring and defying orders, to try to find answers. She meets Axel there, and he tells her to go home, but she refuses, instead fleeing further into the Castle.
From there, she finds out the truth about herself - that she is a replica and the memories she's experiencing (those of a boy named Sora) are not hers. Confused and upset, she travels alone for a while. Then, while visiting Destiny Islands, she gets caught up in a tangle of memories of those nearby her and passes out. When she comes to, she realizes that she was saved (somehow) by the Organization Impostor. He reveals himself to be Riku, Sora's friend.
She and Riku talk, and Riku explains that some of Sora's memories are trapped inside her, making Sora unable to wake up. He offers to let her give the memories inside of her back to Sora then and there, but she refuses, saying her friends still needed her. Riku then suggests she take some time to think about it, and the two travel together for a little while.
Eventually, Roxas and Axel spot her in Twilight Town on accident, and Xion wonders if she should go back. The next day, Roxas attacks, thinking she's the Organization impostor - Riku (whom he was sent to eliminate). She reveals herself to him, and Roxas tries to convince her to come back to the Organization, but confused and unsure, she refuses, even to the point of pulling out her Keyblade to force Roxas to back off. At that point, Axel attacks, and Xion is knocked out and taken back to the Organization.
Xion rejoins missions somewhat reluctantly, torn between growing feelings that she doesn't belong, and loyalty to her friends. After a few weeks though, it becomes clear that something is wrong with Roxas, and when she asks Axel about it, he flat out tells her that she's slowly absorbing his powers, and if something doesn't happen, one of them - most likely Roxas - will die.
For the next few weeks, Xion frantically searches for a solution in between missions, but matters finally come to a head when the Organization sends her on a mission to eliminate a powerful Heartless in Halloween Town. She's halfway through the fight when suddenly Axel interrupts the fight, revealing that the mission was a setup, and her true opponent is Roxas. That evening, she shares one last afternoon of sea-salt ice cream with her friends, treasuring the moment.
The next day, Xion is sent on a mission with Axel and Xigbar. Instead of working as per normal, she attacks Xigbar and convinces Axel to let her escape, so that she can do what she needs to do to protect her friends and everything she cares about. And this is where the AU starts.
Alternate Universe Timeline:
In canon, when Roxas confronts Axel about what happened, Axel is evasive and Roxas too worked up to listen. In the AU, Roxas is slightly calmer, and Axel - reluctantly - is a little more straightforward. Roxas finds out a lot of things - he discovers what Xion is, what she's trying to do, and why. He also learns that he is Sora's Nobody. He leaves the room at a run, promising Axel he'll find a way to make everything work out, somehow. He ends of deserting the Organization to go after Xion.
The next day, while Roxas is searching frantically for her, Xion meets up with Riku, and he tells her to go to Twilight Town to see a girl named Namine. Two days later, Xion arrives in Twilight Town and speaks to Namine. Namine explains that because Xion is made of memories, once she returns those memories to Sora, Xion will not only cease to exist, but every memory of her will disappear as well. Xion accepts these conditions.
At about that point, both girls are surprised when Roxas suddenly appears through a darkness corridor. He had found out what was going on, and come to some conclusions of his own, as well (given that he had some of Sora's memories too). He wants to find another option, one that would allow both himself and Xion to survive.
He debates with Xion and Namine until the latter mentions that she could possibly untangle Xion's memory and retrieve Sora's while leaving her intact, but that would involve Sora's awakening being delayed for months, if not years. Meanwhile, the Organization was growing ever closer to completing Kingdom Hearts, a large part of why DiZ kept pushing for Sora's awakening to be sped up. So long as the Organization kept sending them out to collect hearts - or even if they collected hearts independently - Organization XIII might achieve their goal, and without Sora, they would be much, much harder to stop.
Roxas then proposes a plan: he and Xion would go on the run from the Organization, and would use their Keyblades only in dire circumstances. Xion, who had been resigned to return to Sora, takes some convincing, but in the end she agrees. Namine - who had always wanted to give Xion her own choice and knew Sora would react badly if he ever found out two people had been forced to give up their existence just so he could wake up - agrees as well, though she warns they'll need to find a way around DiZ.
At that point, DiZ himself appears to announce the arrival of Axel, as he does in canon, and is shocked to find both obstacles to Sora's awakening right in front of him. He orders Namine to incapacitate one or both (the same way she did the Riku Replica at Castle Oblivion), but when she refuses, Roxas and Xion grab her and they flee the Old Mansion together.
Once outside, they run into Axel. They explain that they have a plan that would allow them both to live, but they needed his help, they needed time, and above all they couldn't go back to the Organization. Roxas tries to ask him to come with them, but Axel cuts him off and essentially implies he'll cover their tracks as long as he can, given that he knows Saix will suspect him almost immediately. Xion then asks him to find anything he can to stop her from absorbing any more of Roxas's powers.
They part ways, and Roxas and Xion go on the run with Namine. After a few days, they manage to find Riku and explain the situation. At first he's reluctant, but after hearing the full plan he agrees with it - he knows that Namine's assessment about Sora not reacting well if Roxas and Xion were forced to die for him is correct, and he believes Xion at least about their part of the plan, even if he's a little skeptical about Roxas at this point.
He takes charge of taking care of Namine, but before the two pairs part ways, Namine uses her powers to put a sort of seal around Xion's memories that should temporarily keep Sora's memories from leaking from Roxas to her (and consequently keeping her from absorbing Roxas's own powers and killing him). She warns that the seal is temporary, though, and that they'll need to find a more permanent solution. After that, Riku and Namine leave to find King Mickey.
Meanwhile, on the remote world of Destiny Islands, a girl named Kairi - struggling to remember a boy she knows she once knew - puts a letter in a bottle and drops it in the ocean, resolving to go find him as soon as she can find a way.
Riku and Namine eventually find King, and explain the situation. They take Namine to Disney Castle, and Mickey agrees to let it sort of become their base of operations. At that point, they part ways again, Mickey to do... whatever it is Mickey does, Riku to try and find Roxas and Xion and explain the current developments.
Axel maintains his role in the Organization for as long as possible to get information that would give Roxas and Xion an advantage, including a week or so side mission to Castle Oblivion where he scours what's left of Vexen's lab to try to find any remaining information about the Replica Project. Unfortunately, there isn't much to find. Eventually, after a month and half, Saix (who already suspects Axel) reveals his double-agent playing, and Axel deserts the Organization, eventually rejoining Roxas and Xion.
The Organization, meanwhile, quickly realizes - even prior to Axel's deserting - that Roxas and Xion aren't using their Keyblades to collect hearts. Particularly once Axel's loyalties are clear, they begin to send Organization members to track down and capture at least one Keyblade wielder, as well as destroy the other and Axel. Initially they target Xion, until enough time passes that it becomes clear that something is stopping her from absorbing Roxas, at which point they become less picky.
Eventually the party runs into Riku, who explains that Disney Castle is now a safe place for them to go, though he warns them to not spend too much time there, since otherwise it might become a target for the Organization, who certainly wouldn't appreciate the Cornerstone of Light's ability to keep away Heartless. They find Namine there, who explains that she has potentially found a more concrete, faster way to allow Roxas and particularly Xion to live: Namine would untangle their memories, and the memories of Kairi that Xion is comprised of would slowly be replaced with those of Namine herself and Castle Oblivion - still memories of Sora's, but not ones he would need to wake up.
Around three-ish months after the events of 358/2 Days would have ended, the Organization finds Kairi's letter to Sora in the Realm of Darkness. The next time an Organization member finds Roxas, Axel, and Xion, they toss them the letter and attempt to use it as proof that they are holding Kairi hostage. They're skeptical (after all, you can find a letter anywhere, even forge it) but take the letter back to Disney Castle, where they run into Riku and explain what happened, and what the Organization claimed. Riku verifies that the letter looks like it was written by Kairi, though he too is skeptical and goes to check Destiny Islands just to be on the safe side.
At the same time, thanks to Namine's efforts, Kairi's memories are starting to clear about Sora, enough that she becomes more determined than ever to go find him and Riku, rather than waiting. The desire is strong enough that she unconciously invokes the same process that Beast did in Kingdom Hearts, and transports herself through strength of will to a world with which she already has close connections: Hollow Bastion. Thus, when Riku arrives at Destiny Islands to check, she isn't there.
He reports back, and a little bit of panic sets in. They're still skeptical about whether or not the Organization actually has Kairi, and it's just as likely that this is a trap. They come up with a plan: Roxas, Axel and Xion would try to quickly see if she was in The World That Never Was, doing their best to anticipate any traps laid for them, and Riku woudl scour the other worlds looking for Kairi. Because of the risky nature of the Days trio's job, they agreed to a rendezvous with Riku afterwards, and he said he would come looking if they were late.
Well, to put a long story short, they were late. No matter how many traps they anticipated, they still ended up facing down at least three other Organization members who were lying in wait for them. Xion was knocked out in the process of fleeing, before they could get to a darkness corridor. However, the most successful ambush came from an entirely unexpected source, after they'd landed at the rendezvous point.
DiZ had been furious that his plan had been essentially brushed aside and derailed in under a day. He refused to hand over the unconscious Sora, Donald, and Goofy (thus slowing and limiting Namine's ability to work on them further), and instead worked to come up with a plan to try to strongarm his revenge back onto the table. Using an invention he'd developed in the months since Namine had fled, he stunned Roxas and Axel, and took the former and Xion back with him, where he threw the two into the Digital Twilight Town. Because he did not have Namine as his ally, they retained their memories and consciousness of what was really going on. However, he did not modify the program to incorporate them, thus leaving Roxas and Xion stuck in the state where none of the people in the program could see, hear, touch, or notice them at all. Additionally, DiZ manipulates the world around them to keep them away from the exit.
Riku, meanwhile, manages to successfully locate Kairi in Hollow Bastion, where she's been hanging out with the Restoration Committee in the hopes of finding a way to either repeat the process that got her there from Destiny Islands, or find some other way of traveling between worlds. In particular, she hoped that Cid might build a Gummi ship she can use - despite Cid's insistence that the worlds were separated now. He takes Kairi back to Disney Castle, then goes to meet the Days trio at the rendezvous.
He arrives, sees that they're late, and goes looking, and comes back just after DiZ's attack. He helps Axel get himself back on his feet and send him in the right direction - since while neither is sure who exactly took Roxas and Xion, they know that the person can use darkness corridors. After that point, both go their separate ways, looking for ways to find and get Roxas and Xion back.
Axel goes back to TWTNW, where he finds out from Demyx that the Organization doesn't have them, and from the computer systems, he finds out they're in Twilight Town. Riku goes back to Disney Castle and explains some of the situation to Kairi and confers with Namine and possibly Mickey as well, if he's there. Namine comes to the same conclusion - that they're in Twilight Town, and realizes what must've happened. At this point Axel heads back to Disney Castle to confer with Riku and come up with the plan they eventually use.
Riku and Kairi distract DiZ as best they can, while Axel ventures into the Digital Twilight Town, finds Roxas and Xion and they attempt to escape. DiZ catches them and attempts to eject Axel from the system, but through the Power of Friendship, the three all get ejected together and with the help of Kairi and Riku escape to Disney Castle where they promptly collapse in an exhausted pile and sleep. Riku and Kairi, meanwhile, stay behind to try to convince DiZ to NEVER TRY SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN. At some point during the distracting/defending/discussion, Kairi awakens to Destiny's Embrace, and Riku awakens to Way to Dawn.
Axel goes back to TWTNW, where he finds out from Demyx that the Organization doesn't have them, and from the computer systems, he finds out they're in Twilight Town. Riku goes back to Disney Castle and explains some of the situation to Kairi and confers with Namine and possibly Mickey as well, if he's there. Namine comes to the same conclusion - that they're in Twilight Town, and realizes what must've happened. Axel meets up with the three of them and forms a plan to get Roxas and Xion out.
Riku and Kairi distract DiZ as best they can, while Axel ventures into the Digital Twilight Town, finds Roxas and Xion and they attempt to escape. DiZ catches them and attempts to eject Axel from the system, but through the Power of Friendship, the three all get ejected together and with the help of Kairi and Riku escape to Disney Castle where they promptly collapse in an exhausted pile and sleep. Riku and Kairi, meanwhile, stay behind to try to convince DiZ to NEVER TRY SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN. At some point during the distracting/defending/discussion, Kairi awakens to Destiny's Embrace, and Riku to Way to Dawn.
After this point, Roxas and Xion in general are very wary and subdued. In order to try and brighten the mood and cheer them up, Kairi and Axel conspire together and - with a little help from the residents of Disney Castle - introduce them - and Namine - to Christmas. During the celebration, Riku takes off his blindfold for the first time that many of them can remember (this marks the beginning of a slow process where he wears it less and less as he gains better control over the darkness in his own heart).
Things begin to calm down. Kairi establishes herself as the person who keeps everyone informed and up-to-date and just overall keeps an eye on everything - meanwhile, she trains with Destiny's Embrace by sparring with Roxas and Xion to keep their skills sharp (since they shouldn't be using their Keyblades much in the actual worlds). Slowly the Days trio, especially Roxas and Xion, begin to befriend Kairi, Mickey and probably the other residents of Disney Castle.
The Organization at this point does begin to shift slightly. They still send members to try to track down and capture/destroy Xion, Roxas and Axel, but they also begin trying to manipulate the worlds, and their villains to increase the Heartless populations in said worlds drastically. The idea is, if the Heartless start causing enough trouble, someone will have to help, or else leave the worlds to be overrun completely. It slowly works - Roxas and Xion start finding themselves in situations where they are forced to use their Keyblades to fight incredibly numerous or incredibly powerful Heartless.
Still, for several months after escaping the Digital Twilight Town, things are a quiet waiting game, waiting for Sora to wake up. They travel, they spend time with their friends. Kairi conspires with Roxas and Xion to celebrate Axel's birhtday, and later that month, Axel and Kairi conspire again and throw Roxas and Xion and Namine their first birthday for the three of them's second birthday.
A little over a year after 358/2 Days would have ended, Xion, Roxas and Axel are still trying to stop trouble that's appearing in the worlds more and more frequently, as the Organization starts pushing heart production further. Meanwhile, DiZ comes to the conclusion that going with a plan he doesn't like is better than not having a hand in Organization XIII's downfall. He contacts King Mickey and agrees to relinquish control of Sora, Donald, and Goofy to him, Riku, and Namine and offers his aid in stopping Organization XIII. He also reveals his identity as Ansem the Wise and explains a his connections to the Organization's founders, in order to try to regain some of the trust he's lost with Riku (who didn't really trust him that much in the first place) and Mickey (who has heard stories from Riku). The four of them (DiZ and Sora, Donald and Goofy) are transplanted to Disney Castle.
Unfortunately, at almost the exact same time, Namine discovers that the seal she put on Xion to keep her from absorbing memories has finally fallen apart, and that something needs to be done or they will essentially be back where they started, and either Xion or Roxas (or even both) will have to die. She explains this to Xion the next time she and Roxas and Axel visit, and Riku suggests they ask DiZ, who - as Xemnas and Vexen's former master - has the most likely chance of being able to successfully reprogram Xion so that she no longer absorbs memories.
When asked, DiZ blatantly refuses to help: while he may have agreed to hand over Sora and help take down Organization XIII, his deep prejudice against nobodies and replicas remains. Xion realizes that, like Saix, he cannot see her face, and blatantly calls him out on his hypocrisy. The Days trio return to scouring the worlds, looking for anything that might be able to help them in between dodging Organization members and stopping trouble in the worlds.
It takes a good three months before DiZ comes around - three months where a lot of people either talk to him or try to convince him: Mickey, Kairi, Riku, at least one conversation near the end with Axel (Radiant Garden residents/references); not to mention him just seeing the Days trio interact when they visit Disney Castle. Between all that, he's slowly forced to re-evaluate his position on their existences; eventually he even sees Xion's face, around when he finally he relents and agrees to reprogram her, shortly after Christmas that year.
A month later, Namine requests to speak with everyone, and once gathered, she brings up that she has been finding memories of another person in Sora's heart - one who looks exactly like Roxas. Between King Mickey and a little bit from Axel, essentials of the Aqua, Terra and Ventus' story come out, as well as questions about the connection between Ven and Sora. While they aren't entirely sure what they can do to fix all that's gone wrong (or even if they can) those who have the ability to use darkness corridors - Riku and the Days Trio - decide to search the Realm of Darkness when they have the chance to see if they can at least find Aqua.
Forays into the Realm of Darkness are added to the Days Trio's routine of world hopping. It takes a few months, however they finally find Aqua. Unfortunately, the Realm of Darkness is a dangerous place, and at that point, the group is attacked by one of its nastier denizens. It's a brutal fight but at last it seems like they've defeated it. They let their guard down for a brief moment, and in that moment, the dark monster gets to its feet again. Axel has just enough time to shove Roxas and Xion out of the way before he's knocked away, and is run through by the monster's tail as he attempts to get back to his feet. By the time the already worn-down Roxas, Xion and Aqua are able to dispatch the creature for good and get over to Axel, it's too late - he's already fading. He tells Roxas and Xion how they made him feel like he had a heart before he disappears.
Roxas and Xion take Aqua back to Disney Castle, where Mickey and Namine help get her caught up on the situation. Meanwhile, Kairi and the other residents of the castle try to comfort Roxas and Xion as best they're able. Riku - who is out at the time - also comes back as quickly as possible when he hears the news.
Aqua does her best to help out after that: she offers what knowledge and wisdom she has, trains and practices with the budding Keybearers, and essentially takes over the role of team mom. Most importantly though, she takes over looking after Roxas and Xion, including travelling with them around the worlds - despite their initial discomfort over the matter.
And this is actually after the point I intend to take AU Xion from, but I wanted to give a little before & after context. I have more of the AU if you need it.
Personality: At the root of it, Xion is the same person she always was. She's young, relatively inexperienced with the world (though much less inexperienced than her canon counterpart), and eager to learn. She has a bit of a talent for picking up new things fairly quickly, in that regard. She might hesitate at times, but overall she can be fairly proactive about learning, practicing, training and the like.
Friends are everything to her
On the downside, she struggles much more without their support. In the end, while she may be more confident and sure of herself than she is in canon, a lot of the inferiority and guilt complexes haven't really gone away. She still struggles with bouts of worry, wondering if they've made the right choice, and guilt, knowing that the people in the worlds are in trouble because the Organization is trying to get to her and Roxas, that Sora himself is still asleep and will remain asleep a lot longer because of their choices. At times she really honestly does wonder if it wouldn't have been better for her to have gone back to Sora, or better yet, not existed at all. It rarely gets that severe, especially when her friends are there, but when they're absent, it's still a niggling little echo of self-doubt and blame constantly in the back of her mind.
When reacting to extreme amounts of stress and emotional turmoil, Xion has a tendency to withdraw - into herself if not from the company of others. This is shown all throughout Days where she tends to hide or avoid Axel and Roxas when extremely confused and upset. She does have her sore spots though, and if poked the wrong way, she can and will lash out - like how she does in Days when Riku calls her Keyblade a sham. She has a modicum more self-control now, though it will still frustrate her greatly.
Above all though, she cares - her concern has grown in scope now that she's more aware of the true situation in the worlds. She loves life, loves learning new things and will fight to protect others - especially her friends.
Powers: First and foremost is Xion's ability to wield the Keyblade. The Keyblade is a magical weapon that can be summoned or dismissed at will. It is highly effective against foes such as Heartless and Nobodies, though it has been known to attract the Heartless as well. Moreover, the Keyblade has the ability to unlock or lock any door/chest/object/etc. Out of habit though, Xion doesn't call on her Keyblade that much.
She also has a whole myriad of movement/battle abilities, some more or less realistic in nature than others. Abilities (Thanks to Mala for help with some of the descriptions):
- Limit Break - sends her into a frenzy of blows with her Keyblade
- Final Limit - an extension of her Limit Break, has her slamming the ground with said Keyblade and sending four pillars of light shooting outwards in an X formation, damaging all that they touch. She does this twice before her Limit Break finishes
- Dodge Roll - a somersaulting roll used to move more quickly and avoid attacks.
- Aerial Recovery - Allows her to recover from enemy attacks that toss her into the air and stun her
- Block - a basic move where she holds out her Keyblade in front of her to block moves. Can be augmented with more supernatural effects though - blocks that work particularly well against certain elements, or that block all the way around her, or allow her to recover quickly - or even counterattack - after a successful block
- Scan - Allows Xion to look at enemies and gauge how much damage they have left until being defeated
- Glide - Allows her to "glide" across air without any kind of visible support. She will slowly sink unless she is in a location that gives her some kind of "support" (i.e. the fairy dust in Neverland)
- Air Slide - Allows her to accelerate horizontally mid-jump to cover a greater distances. Can be done up to three times in a row.
- Sliding Dash - a move that quickly closes in on an opponent to attack
- High Jump - allows her to jump higher than she would be able to normally
- Auto-Life - restores Xion to full health once when she is defeated/her health runs out/low/etc. It recharges while she sleeps.
In Days - the game Xion is from - though, casts are limited to the number of "panels" one has installed for each spell - with some "subpanels" existing that double, triple or quadruple the number of casts per panel installed if you install the panel within their area, while similar subpanels also increase the strength of said spells. Magic (Again, thanks to Mala for help with some of the descriptions):
- Fire - shoots a basic fireball, which homes in on a target and explodes on contact
- Fira - shoots a slightly larger fireball in a straight line, and goes through enemies
- Firaga - Shoots a much larger fireball at the target that explodes on impact and sometimes leaves the enemy with a burnt status effect
- Blizzard - Sends a small chunk of ice that "homes" in on enemies by moving and pausing. Will move three times before disappearing - can hit enemies multiple times
- Blizzara - Creates a small ice field that explodes on contact, similar to a mine
- Blizzaga - Sends an ice mine that explodes on contact. Will sometimes freeze enemies, causing them to take additional damage.
- Thunder - rains down a series of thunderbolts in a straight line in front of the user
- Thundara - rains down a series of bolts in a circle around the user
- Thundaga - Strikes a foe directly with lightning. Will sometimes Jolt enemies, allowing them to take more damage
- Aero - Shoots a blast of wind that moves along the ground towards enemies. Will toss an enemy up into the air if hits them, making them vulnerable to further attack.
- Aerora - Basically a long-range version of Aero - the gust goes on forever
- Cure - Restores a small to moderate amount of HP
- Cura - Restores a moderate to large amount of HP, but over a longer period of time
- Curaga - Restores a small to moderate amount of HP to everyone in one's party
Items: She won't have much on her - mainly her Black Coat, her casual outfit underneath, some High Potions and Ethers, and a bag of the shells that Roxas gave her while she was asleep. She has a small rucksack on her that she carries a lot of these in. She also keeps certain of the less fragile gifts she's been given over the years in it - or worn on her person. There is a well-loved starfish pillow, a shell pendant she wears… I'm still working on the specifics but the pillow will be the biggest thing and they'll mostly just be small/sentimental gifts.
Instrument: Seashell Flute
SAMPLES
Bracket Sample
I don't know what kind of world this is supposed to be. It's not like any place I've ever been before, but…
[She looks down, a hand reaching up to push some hair behind her ear]
I keep looking for my friends. It's strange, I used to be… well, probably not okay, but if I had to, then I could be. Now… [shaking her head] I miss them. Not just Roxas and Axel, but Riku, Kairi, Namine, Mickey… Even Minnie and Daisy and Chip and Dale sometimes. [She laughs a little.] Chip and Dale were always funny, arguing over silly things.
[A lot like two other special people in her life]
I don't know if they'll come here. I really kind of want them to, only that seems selfish. I'll… I'll figure out a way, to make things work. But it's hard, and I can't help but worry about them too. Heh… maybe I'm being silly. I'm not sure. I guess I'll find out. I just hope I can find a way back home soon…
[She needs them… and they need her too]
Prose Sample
She'd been taught the one song, which gave her the basics of how to play her instrument, but from what she heard, she needed to eventually learn more. So she sat, thumbs and hands awkwardly placed, blowing gently into her seashell flute, trying to figure out notes and patterns.
It was frustrating, trying to figure out all the notes, or when she'd move a thumb and the sound would cut off, or blow too hard and suddenly the notes would become much higher and more shrill… But slowly, she worked at it, practicing a couple songs, one she heard often during her time off and another one that she heard someone playing on harmonica once, at the clock tower, that always stuck with her. She was having a lot more trouble with that one - it was so much more intricate, and she wanted to get it right. It reminded her of simpler days, happy days of sitting with friends eating sea-salt ice cream.
Memories. They were always such important things to her. Given that in a way she was memories, it wasn't a surprise, she supposed, but… still.
Really, learning to play was a welcome distraction as anything. It was kind of scary, being by herself here. Before… she wasn't okay with being alone, per se, but she didn't shy away from it. Now… it felt like she was constantly looking over her shoulder, expecting or wishing for Roxas and Axel to be there. She missed them, so much. Her friends. Her reason for living - in multiple ways.
She had to find a way back to them. There was still so much time left before Sora woke up, and the Organization… A part of her knew that Roxas and Axel could take care of themselves. It wasn't like they'd ever needed her to bail them out completely, or something like that. But there were first times for everything, and she knew she'd rather not be absent for them, if they were to happen.
Not to mention the others, all the help they still needed. They still wanted to find Aqua, who'd been traveling for years in the Realm of Darkness, alone and unaided.
So many things she wanted and needed to do, put on hold because of this.
She would find a way back. But she had to start with this, learning to play a shell - the irony was not lost on her, and she did love her instrument - so that she could talk to the people she did know. Information was valuable, no matter what line of work you were in.
As she tried again at those first few notes of the tune she'd heard in Twilight Town, she couldn't help but send her thoughts out to two particular people, hoping they'd hear somehow, even if they weren't in this world.
Don't worry guys… I'm coming.