resipiscent | mask or menace: canon update

Canon point moving from post-game KH2 to post-game KH3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Personality changes:
Riku's base personality will stay more or less the same. The few changes are more tweaks than true shifts.

Now that he's been brought to this point, Riku is a little more content with himself -- he's faced down his (metaphorical and literal) darkness multiple times over, most recently in the Mark of Mastery exam, in which he was the only one (between him and Sora) to pass. Though he's still uncertain he deserves the honour of becoming a master, having been uncertain whether he deserved to even wield the Keyblade, he has resolved to become certain of it. Taking the Mark of Mastery exam was just a formality in Sora's eyes, but Riku felt he needed to do it, to be sure of his worth; passing is a great relief. Even so, he still feels like it should be Sora, who has always been the more optimistic of the two of them, and who has never strayed from his path.

Riku passed due to his willingness to return to the Realm of Sleep, where the exam took place, to rescue Sora from the trap he'd fallen into. He proved then that he was willing to risk everything to save a loved one, and therefore proved his suitability as a Master. He'll be a little more protective of his friends than he was -- nearly losing Sora in the dream world makes him feel like he needs to try and not take them for granted. In the dream world he was revealed to be something called a Dream Eater -- which, normally, are colourful monsters that join Riku or Sora on their adventure, and are companions who fight off bad dreams. Riku is a special sort of Dream Eater, being that he doesn't originate in the Realm of Sleep at all, but he serves the same purpose, and it's because of this that he ultimately passes the exam.

Whereas before he kind of assumed things in his life were moving into a sort of lull, receiving the invitation to take the Mark of Mastery blew that idea out of the water. Now, after taking it, he's now more determined about things back home, since events in the dream world have snowballed taken a turn toward anticipating a war in the waking world. He's okay with the 'things waiting for you back home' part of being in the game, but he might feel a little impatient to return home and do his part.

Master Xehanort, the leader of the enemy side, is gathering thirteen 'Seekers of Darkness' and seven 'Guardians of Light' to clash in a bid toward fulfilling an ancient prophecy -- his thirteen will go against Riku, Sora, and their friends. Riku wants very much to be worthy of being one of the Guardians of Light. There is always a part of him, smaller now than it was, that doubts that he's made it at all past his old self -- he always doubts that he's changed. He has changed, significantly, from the way he was at fifteen, but sometimes he feels like he's right back where he started. Riku is also questioning what sort of teacher he'll be -- Master Xehanort's challenge prompted Yen Sid, their teacher, to have him go collect his and Sora's friend Kairi, who can also wield a Keyblade, so she can be taught as well. Usually she wouldn't be considered, as a beginner, but they have no choice, due to the shortage of Keybearers. That being said, he's meant to help train her, as a newly-christened Master. Riku is actually an excellent teacher, though he's very oblivious to this fact.

All other personality traits stay unchanged.

Power changes:
"Keyblade wielding" will change to "Keyblade mastery".

In addition to summoning the Keyblade, he can now also use it to 'unlock' the hearts of those who have fallen victim to mind-alteration effects or to release latent power in someone. This modification will be used sparingly if at all, and so if I do anything with it I'll be plotting very closely with the player of any character who has this done to them.

He can also theoretically hand down the potential to wield the Keyblade, though he doesn't know how to do that at this point and will have to figure it out for himself. It can be done by accident, but both he and the recipient have to be holding the Keyblade at the same time, and he can't be fighting them or anything -- he has to want to protect them. Again, this is something that would need to be plotted out carefully, and I'm assuming that if it did happen it'd have the same sort of requirements as Sabriel's charter magic.

As was the case before, the Keyblade is capable of opening any physical lock; digital ones are excluded. This can be subject to change, if the lock in question isn't meant to be opened by player characters, for instance.

"Light and dark magic" changes to "Dream Eater physiology"

While in canon Riku was only a Dream Eater while in the Realm of Sleep, he will be one all the time in MoM. Riku gains a tiny pair of (functional, but too small for flight) bat wings, and the mark of the Spirit-type Dream Eaters (but coloured like the mark belonging to the Nightmares) between them on his back.

His sense of smell remains the same as it was before canon update: powerful enough to detect not only normal scents but things such as magic, imPort powers, emotions, and other things which might not usually be considered to have a 'smell'. I'm considering having a 'permissions' post of a sort for this, where players can tell me how much Riku can figure out about their characters and also what in particular they might smell like.

He can cast magic in the same way he did before -- Cure, Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder spells (and their higher tiers, ex. Cura & Curaga), and also add dark energy to them if he so chooses. Riku only has a certain amount of magical energy, and when he runs out will have to go without until he can regain some through fighting physically or resting. He can channel his magic through the Keyblade as a focusing tool, or use his hands.
Cure can be used to heal wounds and rejuvenate stamina, and it can heal bones, internal injuries, etc. It simply speeds up the recovery rate of the target, though, so if a bone isn't in the right place, for example, it'll heal incorrectly.
Riku can generate a barrier made of dark magic to block projectiles and damage. With enough force it can be overpowered and broken, though it can deflect bullets or weaker explosions/magic projectiles easily enough.

In keeping with the 'Dream Eater' theme, Riku can enter the dreams of other characters, which he'll normally do to banish their nightmares. He has to be sleeping himself to do this, and will essentially 'exit' his body -- until he decides on his own to return to himself, his body will remain unconscious and can be manipulated freely by outside forces. He can be moved or hurt, and if killed will vanish from the dreamscape. When revived he will wake up back in the real world. Entering dreams will require a permission post which I'll have up once the update goes through.

"Corridors of darkness" remains the same.