❥ character information
➣canon
game ; canon ; character
canon point; After sealing the Land of Departure as Castle Oblivion, before encountering the possessed Terra at Radiant Garden.
♛personality
♡ the forever friend
In the trio of friendship that is Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, Aqua is and always will be the concerned nurturer. She does sort of exude the vibe of being the "girl" of the group in the midst of their everyday banter, lightly teasing the youngest, Ventus, affectionately poking fun at his exceedingly close friendship with the eldest, Terra, whom she quietly admires. It's all quite typical of a boy-girl-boy friendship like theirs, but hers is an important fragment to their three-piece puzzle.
When one looks past the outermost layer of her behavior, it quickly becomes obvious that she is the staple that keeps them together. She is constantly promoting the togetherness of the group, going as far as researching charms from other worlds to lightheartedly replicate to make friendship tokens. She is the peacemaker; The personal shadow of Ventus through his recovery upon his arrival at the Land of Departure, the personal training partner of her fellow student, Terra. Even when the three of them were separated by their unfortunate circumstances, her role as the absolute mainstay shone through. Her personal mission, first and foremost, was to see to the safety of her two wayward friends and prove Terra's capability in the eyes of their Master.
♡ the solemn warrior
One shouldn't mistake her gentle disposition for weakness. Beyond the soft-spoken caretaker lies a devastatingly powerful Master and as soon as she's taken out of that friendly, playful atmosphere, she's all business. She and Terra seem to have a mutual understanding in the way of their pursuit of Keyblade Mastery: Neither of them should hold back; Neither of them should hold it against one another. In the end, only Aqua came out on top with the Mark of Mastery. That being said, there was a great deal of sadness behind her success…
Throughout her journey in pursuit of Terra and Ven from world, to world, to world, the obstacles she encountered were both many and difficult… Aqua faced them all with virtual fearlessness. Extensive training dictates that she act decisively and within the boundaries of battle etiquette. Whether she knows you or not, if you're in trouble, she has an obligation and responsibility to defend you. And she'll fulfill that responsibility.
♡ the defender of light
Aqua is probably the most difficult person in the World to dupe. Her acute sensitivity to deviance in the hearts of those around her has implemented a permeating sense of right and wrong in her own heart -- a sort of sixth sense, yes, and she has the recurring tendency to rely on this moral compass much more often than she relies on logic. And her heart does not fail her, either -- Time and time again, she is gently steered in the right direction by her strong desire to do good for her friends and the rest of the World.
There is a very prominent downside to being blessed so generously by the Light. Aqua holds a similar frame of mind to her equally well-intentioned Master. One begins to lose objectivity; Things that are perceived to her as 'Darkness' tend to be shunned and many come to view this trait as a holier-than-thou sort of attitude. In reality, the girl truly means for the best, but it's all so black and white. Hers is a world of absolutes. Light will beget happiness and peace, Darkness will beget rage and suffering. And that is that.
It is also worth mentioning that she has a deeply ingrained respect for authoritative figures. She has great faith in royalty especially, and follows the orders of her Master unquestioningly.
♡ the reticent lady
When you're skipping about the corners of the fragmented World, frantically trying to piece back together what has been so effortlessly ripped apart, it doesn't leave much time to devote to… girly things. Aqua spends all of her free time around boys but has virtually no idea how to react to … boys. Does that make sense? No one knows what happened to Aqua's family of origin, leaving one to infer that she never really had the kind of role model that a young woman absolutely needs. She buries romantic curiosity with the responsibility of the Keyblade, leading to a few issues with … repressed feelings.
But one ought not fall under the misconception that she's tomboyish. Her gestures, mannerisms, speech patterns, and movements are all surprisingly graceful and feminine. The only boyish aspect about her is a little bit of resistance in expressing herself… a peculiar quirk for a lady who follows her heart so adamantly.
❥ ❥ STRENGTHS
¸.´¯`✭´¯`.¸ responsible ⇗ independent one
This is the upside to Aqua's solitary nature. Spending so much time doing and accomplishing things by herself has proven to be something of a talent of hers. Obviously, there is a great deal of responsibility that comes with the authority of her weapon and title, and she carries the burden quite elegantly... when she isn't tacking on a bunch of unnecessary guilt and whatnot.
¸.´¯`✭´¯`.¸ faithful ⇗ unyielding loyalty
There is one feature that Aqua possesses that will never, ever change... and that is the quality of her unquestioning, unconditional loyalty to those she calls friends. She is a priceless ally both on and off the battlefield, a wonderful listener, a wise adviser, and a tireless protector. The sheer willpower of this girl will literally move mountains when a loved one is endangered by a perceived threat. Loyalty is a non-negotiable virtue, absolutely.
❥ ❥ WEAKNESSES
✭´¯`·.¸¸. burdensome ⇘ crosses carried
The main contributing factor to her solitariness is her notorious habit of holding herself accountable for everything. Ever. As a newly appointed Master, bearing the brunt of her friends' mistakes is only the beginning of the weight that she shoulders. Pair this with that streak of loneliness, and you've got a bit of a recipe for disaster.
Of course, it should be said that her tendency to self-isolate does not stem from self-loathing. She just... genuinely believes that it is her job to do what she does and if she doesn't do it, she would be letting the whole World down.
✭´¯`·.¸¸. bound ⇘ eternal ties
She has the superhero complex every villain knows how to exploit. Put her in a position where her friends are at risk, and you'll absolutely have her over a barrel. Aqua will do anything -- anything to keep her boys safe and sound. Keeping their friendship intact is her number one priority, placed over her duty as a Master, placed over everything else. She doesn't consider this a weakness, of course, but in the end, it cost her everything.
✭´¯`·.¸¸. solitary ⇘ lonely warrior
A large portion of Aqua's various trials and tribulations are spent alone. Showing weakness isn't something she's very keen on, and (for the most part) she doesn't mind doing things on her own. But there is a noteworthy amount of pain and loneliness that is internalized; She locks those negative feelings away in her heart and lets them be -- lest they impede her judgment or distract her from the task at hand. Unfortunately, we all know that emotions have a way of manifesting in ways that we are not so quick to notice. Aqua's sadness, though visibly understated, echoes loud and clear within her when there are no evil-minded beasts left to slay.
✭´¯`·.¸¸. inflexible ⇘ stubborn girl
Not speaking about the physical aspect of the term, either. Aqua's most evident and crippling personality flaw. As described in her Personality section, Aqua's view on the way the universe works is very black and white. Very black and white. A person is either good or bad; A creature of absolutes, just like her Master. It should be noted that this streak of stubbornness within Eraqus ultimately led to his own destruction. Her inability to see the gray area between what is ultimately good and what is ultimately evil has the tendency to complicate relationships and interactions...
↬powers
´¯`·.¸¸.✭ blade [technique]
Aqua wields a weapon called the Keyblade; the weapon on its own holds a separate set of unique capabilities and assets. It is the centerpiece of her prowess. Without it, she can't access her Glider or her armor. Aside from being a useful tool of war, the Keyblade also holds the capability to open or close any sort of lock or door, including the ability to lock or unlock the door that leads to the heart of a given world. It's a weapon that's both feared and admired by many, depending on what your source is… and that's just scratching the surface. There are several different types of Keyblades; Without going into too much detail, the type that Aqua wields is affiliated with Light.
´¯`·.¸¸.✭ magic [spells]
This is her greatest asset. While she is surprisingly nimble and acrobatic, her physical strength is somewhat lacking in comparison to her piers. But what she lacks in raw muscle she more than makes up for in magical might. The girl is gifted, there's no doubt about that. You name the element, she's probably manipulated it in some way to her advantage… except for the forces of Darkness, of course. Fire, electricity, wind, earth, water, Light… even gravity and restoration. Her specialty seems to be creating various types of barriers that are able to deflect an array of attacks… even from long distances. Her magic is bound to her Keyblade, and her Keyblade is bound to her heart… And the strength of her heart has manifested in magic most predominantly.
´¯`·.¸¸.✭ focus [shotlock]
In addition to her normal repertoire of spells, there is an additional position of attack that she may or may not choose to take in the heat of battle. In order to activate 'Focus', Aqua must pause and cease all movement, focusing, as the name suggests, on locking her eyes on the target (or targets) for as long as she can (no longer than approximately five seconds) before unleashing an array of elemental magic. The specific element of the magic released depends on which skill she chooses. While she is focusing on those targets, she's vulnerable to attacks so it can be a bit of a risky move, but if she selects her position and timing carefully, the effects can be devastating; In the window of time while she is unleashing that magic, she's impervious to both magic and physical attacks, so it can definitely be worth toughing it out.
´¯`·.¸¸.✭ charms [blessing]
An innate ability of Aqua's is to place long-term charms on other people; In some circumstances, places and things can be affected by these charms as well. Granted, they are all heavily based on her strong affiliation with Light, so they are all positive charms. They work slowly and situationally. A canon example: Upon meeting a young Princess of Heart, Kairi, in a world called Radiant Garden, she was taken aback by the sheer force of the Light in the little girl's heart. Sensing the forces of destiny were at work, she placed a parting charm on the girl, explaining that someday, when she was in dire straits, the spell would lead her to someone who would protect her at all costs. Sometime within the same year, Kairi's world fell into Darkness and was destroyed. Aqua's charm saved Kairi from being cast into Darkness as well, somehow transporting the child to the Destiny Islands -- where she met Sora and Riku.
´¯`·.¸¸.✭ awareness [sensory]
A capability unique to Aqua as a character in BBS is an almost prophetic ability to sense unseen aspects and intentions in the people around her. Or, more specifically, aspects and intentions of their hearts. While it isn't unusual for characters on the more powerful spectrum of the Kingdom Hearts series to sense strong evil presences, she appears to have honed that technique down to recognizing specific negativities within individuals; She seems extremely sensitive to the Darkness, emotions, and traits that tend to go along with it: rage, jealousy, resentment, greed, and the like. This makes her a startlingly good judge of character.
❥ ❥ STRENGTHS
¸.´¯`✭´¯`.¸ decisive ⇗ tenacious mage
Years of training and focus have given her the gift of keeping cool under pressure. Seriously, you have to kinda know what you're doing if you want to push Aqua's buttons. She's certainly not the indecisive, self-doubting type under normal circumstances -- though she'd definitely blame herself if something bad ever happened to one of the boys in their trio. She's pretty good about thinking before she speaks, but she thinks on her feet and there is never an ounce of doubt or regret prior to or following the decisions she makes... because she follows her heart. And whoever made a bad decision when they were following their heart in the Disney universe? Yup.
¸.´¯`✭´¯`.¸ unerring ⇗ strength of heart
One defining factor of Aqua's true strength is not exposed until very late in her journey. A testament to just how much resilience resides within her heart... As she wanders through the depths of Darkness and naught -- an environment in which even the likes of Nobodies, who are comprised of Darkness, must wear a protective coat to prevent being consumed -- she is completely without any type of protective clothing. Even Master Eraqus warned his pupils about the dire consequences traversing the Lanes Between without the barrier of their armor... The armor that Aqua no longer possessed at that time.
¸.´¯`✭´¯`.¸ deft ⇗ balletic caster
Aqua is more than an adept mage. Much of her evasive and attack movements in battle are quite acrobatic. She may not have the full advantage of bewildering speed (that would be Ven's forte) or mountain-moving physical strength (looking at you, Terra), but her fluidity and litheness translate beautifully on and off the battlefield... when she's focused.
❥ ❥ WEAKNESSES
✭´¯`·.¸¸. slight ⇘ sword forsaken
Because Aqua's greatest strength is in her magic and her second greatest attribute is her speed, the physical attack power of her Keyblade takes the short end of the stick -- by the standards of a Keyblade Master, anyway. She's still surprisingly strong for a girl of her build and has adapted her technique to evenly lock weapons with Terra (the resident heavy-hitter), but the 'oomph' is just... missing. She rarely lands critical hits naturally, struggles with overpowering stout obstacles without magic, doing what she can to overcompensate physical weakness with anticipating weakness and landing precise blows. With her perception impaired, she'll have very little to fall back on.
✭´¯`·.¸¸. fragile ⇘ tenuous symmetry
One unfortunate downside to her gift in the magical arts... is her questionable endurance. It's pretty easy to knock her unconscious if you manage to get in a solid hit -- especially from behind. From an 'in-game' stand point, her natural amount of available health is on the low side, and it's surprisingly easy to get her locked in a melee barrage. Even while protected by her armor, a well-placed slash with the right kind of weapon can take her down. That being said, she tends to bounce back pretty well after she's had ample time to recuperate, but when she's down and tired, she's extremely vulnerable to attacks like those.
✧inventory
2 Keyblades [see Abilities section for a brief explanation; more in-depth description can be found here];
✰ Stormfall, the keychain unique to Aqua, and Brightcrest, obtained after creating Castle Oblivion;
✰ Master Keeper, inherited from Master Eraqus. (Utilized to seal Land of Departure; Not typically used in battle. Note: the Stormfall and Brightcrest keychains will not be used on her Master's Keyblade. The Master Keeper keychain is not to be interchanged.)
1 Wayfinder;
Recipes;
✰ Giga Attack Recipes
✰ Giga Magic Recipes
✰ Action Recipe
✰ Block Recipe
Maps;
various maps of certain areas of different visited worlds
✰ Castle of Dreams
✰ Disney Town
✰ Deep Space
✰ Destiny Islands
✰ Dwarf Woodlands
✰ Enchanted Dominion
✰ Keyblade Graveyard
✰ Land of Departure
✰ Mysterious Tower
✰ Neverland
✰ Olympus Coliseum
✰ Radiant Garden
[ note : maps & recipes are generally hand-waved. realistically, this is a lot of paperwork to carry around, but it's included in her canon inventory as key items. ]