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Player: Anna
Contact:
Age: 29
Current Characters: N/A
Character: Terra
Age: 20 (in lieu of recent groundbreaking confirmation)
Canon: Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
Canon Point: The moment Xehanort begins to take over his body.
Background: link
Personality:
As the oldest of the Birth by Sleep trio, Terra very naturally takes on the big brother role among his group of friends. He's typically level-headed with a cool style, and Aqua and Ven look up to him for direction.
His friends' well-being and happiness mean a great deal to him, and he strives to ensure their safety at all costs. Unfortunately, this also makes him prone to steam-rolling their independence, and he often fails to listen to their suggestions of help or their attempt at autonomy. While not arrogant, Terra is overly confident in his choice of keeping his friends behind him for protection, believing he is the only one who can keep them from harm. This tunnel vision, though kind in its nature, sometimes causes disagreements and even rifts in their friendship.
Aqua and Ven want to prove their own worth, their own abilities, and Terra simply wants them to be safe. Getting involved means getting hurt, and that's not what Terra ever wants to happen--so he unintentionally tries to get them to take a backseat.
Likewise, Terra has the same protective mentality in most of his other relationships. In the effort to become stronger, to keep those he meets from being hurt, he bullies his way to the frontlines and doesn't stop until threats are gone. He's sort of a "beat now, ask questions later" kind of guy, the true tank of the three.
This isn't to say Terra is a rude boy. In fact, Terra is very kind and considerate, often to a fault, and he is arguably one of the most honest people in the game. A sweetheart who wears his heart on his sleeve, Terra is never modest in saying aloud how he feels or what he's thinking. He strives to give others the benefit of the doubt, and he wants to find the good in everyone. Those he cares for will always receive his undying loyalty, and he definitely goes and does what his heart tells him to do. He prefers when people are clear and straight-forward about what they want and mean as that is how he always approaches things himself.
Just don't make him angry. He's quick to go from zero to sixty in the face of injustice or harm befalling the ones he cares about. Even though he's been told fear, anger, and Darkness go hand-in-hand, Terra is righteously impulsive and has a tough time remaining calm when he's afraid for others' safety.
Unfortunately, Terra's compassions get him into trouble more than anything, making him somewhat gullible. Terra assumes if he's honest, everyone else is likely also honest, and it's easy for Xehanort and the Disney villains, with a good excuse, to convince him to help accomplish their goals. Utilizing Terra's trusting nature, Xehanort is able to get him to question the motives of his master and even his best friends. Playing on his fears and picking apart what he believes is the simplest way to crush Terra's resolve and string him along.
And while Terra seems like the all brawn and no brain type, rarely pausing to consider what doesn't add up, he's actually not completely stupid. There's no difficulty with him admitting his screw ups and short comings, and he even goes to Yen Sid for guidance, saying he believed it best to get advice from someone wiser than himself. He's also always giving cheesy one-liners about the meaning of events; he understands things as easily as anyone else, he's just very slow on the uptake.
Additionally, Terra takes his duty as a keyblade wielder very seriously. His master establishes in him a sense of extreme morality and honor which he follows without question. Because of this, Terra struggles with the balance of "Light" and "Darkness" inside himself, especially after the blow of not passing his Keyblade Mastery exam because he couldn't control the Darkness. Light is good, Darkness is bad, so he's been taught to believe. But with Darkness comes power, and Terra understands he can use this power to protect his friends. However, Terra finds it difficult to settle on a happy medium without disappointing the man he admires.
The fear of failing to harness this balance plagues Terra endlessly throughout the game, and he spends many scenes ruminating over what it means to healthily utilize both the Darkness and Light inside of him.
Even at the end of the game, Terra is still at odds with his over-protectiveness, naivety, and fear. He's left open to being easily bodysnatched by Xehanort when he gives too far into anger and Darkness without understanding how to wield it properly. Regret is one of the last few things on Terra's mind as Xehanort takes control of him. The error of his ways he realizes, but the cost is at it being too late. His last words are, essentially, "Aqua, Ven. One day, I will set this right."
Abilities:
The first noticeable thing about Terra as a keyblade wielder is his access to a knightly-looking suit of armor and his keyblade (with keychain). As of his canon point, Terra has Ends of the Earth, an advanced form of his regular keyblade; he can use it as a weapon, or to unlock chests, the doors to other worlds, or even people's hearts. The keyblade can also turn into his Glider. The armor, activated by hitting the spaulder on his arm, does nothing else except offer a bit of protection.
As Certified Tank™ of BBS, Terra utilizes heavy and hard-hitting, but slow attacks. Agility isn't his strong point; however, if he manages to get you, it's going to hurt. His fighting style seems to take a lot of inspiration from samurai (like his pants), so he does a lot of slashing. His overall movement speed is likewise fairly slow.
Some movement abilities Terra has are: Jump, High Jump, and Air Slide; Block; and two reprisals, Counter Hammer and Payback Fang. In Layman's terms, Terra can double-jump and air slide a few feet plus follow up attacks with a retaliation hit with a fancy name.
Additionally, Terra can access magic. His elemental affiliation is "earth," similar to his name, and this gives him a handful of earth-related spells, like Quake and Meteor. He can also perform a lot of the same spells Aqua and Ven can. Terra can also use spells and attacks related to darkness like Dark Firaga and Chaos Blade.
The Deck Command is the battle system in BBS. When Terra pulls off the right kinds of attacks, the Command Gauge fills and allows him to change fighting styles, or Command Styles. Some Command Styles are shared between the trio, found here. Terra has three "Terra only" Command Styles which are: Critical Impact, Rock Breaker, and Dark Impulse.
Another specialty of BBS is Shotlock. It's a targeting system that allows the trio to ping all enemies and hit them in one go, or hit a single enemy multiple times. Similar to Command Styles, the trio has access to shared Shotlocks, but Terra has three specific to just him: Dark Volley, Sonic Shadow, and Ultimate Cannon.
Last but not least, is Dimension Link, or D-Link. Basically, D-Link is a sort of summoning system for buffs and powers; via the magic wayfinder Aqua made them, the trio can access each others' powers a little even across worlds. The D-Link system also works with other friendships they create along the way. When the D-Link gauge fills, they can use special abilities and finishing commands.
Alignment: Thras. Despite dealing with a lot of other emotions, a big majority of Terra's struggle stems from fear: the fear of not being strong enough to protect his friends, the fear of defeat, the fear of inner Darkness, the fear of losing control. Even so, Terra is still courageous! He would just as soon leap in to help his friends as he would to rally against injustice; however, finding a balance between the two is a battle he fights all the time.
Other:
General Sample: TDM top-level
Emotion Sample: terra condensates, terra causes economic hero damage, terra cracks some branches
Questions: N/A
CANON UPDATE
Character: Terra (Kingdom Hearts)
Current Canon Point: End of Birth By Sleep right as Xehanort is taking his body.
Updated Canon Point: End of Kingdom Hearts 3
Updated Background:
After Xehanort possesses him, Terra struggles to resist Xehanort taking him over completely, activating his "Lingering Will." As the Lingering Will, Terra's mind fights Xehanort (now Terra-Xehanort) and wins, creating a link for Terra between existing and being isolated in his own body. The rift creates another being, the Guardian, which is Terra's Heartless, and it's utilized later by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness for attack and defense.
Spiritually, Xehanort and Terra converse, and Xehanort finds that Eraqus' heart has made a home inside of Terra, waiting for opportunity. Renewed in fortitude and now unafraid of the darkness within him, Terra tells Xehanort he won't give up and reminds Xehanort all of this will end in failure.
In the living world, Xehanort has Terra's body, but an ensuing battle with Aqua and his subsequent defeat causes him to lose all of his memories after trying to unlock his heart. Terra's body begins to descend into darkness, and Aqua follows to save him. She realizes they won't be able to make it back together, and she sacrifices herself to the darkness in order to get Terra's body back to the living world.
It causes a big mess and allows Xehanort to continue on, but anyway... Mom tried her Best.
For ten years, Terra is trapped within himself, in the Lingering Will, and in the Guardian Heartless. Throughout the rest of the games, from first to last, his only real appearance is when the Guardian surfaces to assist Ansem, or when Riku becomes Ansem and uses the Guardian. The only other appearances are a glimpse of Terra and Ven in the Land of Departure where they utter Sora's name, and a phantom of Terra speaking to and defending Aqua in A Fragmentary Passage.
In Kingdom Hearts III, Terra's encounter comes when Sora is assisting Aqua and Ven in stopping Terra-Xehanort and Vanitas. Their initial win seems to leave Terra hurt, but when Aqua and Ven rush to his side, they find he is still struggling to keep Xehanort from having full control. Distraught, Terra-Xehanort binds the three in chains which represent their connective bonds. Terra-Xehanort torments Aqua and Ven by slinging them around, and then he raises them to drop them to their deaths, but the Guardian appears at the last moment to save them.
After freeing them from their chains, the Guardian attacks and grapples Terra-Xehanort. It struggles to break the binds covering its mouth and, when it does, Terra's voice emerges to say, "One day, I will set this right. I will return to this land and protect my friends." This strength activates the beginning of Terra's restoration, and Sora finishes it by hitting Terra-Xehanort with the Kingdom Key, unlocking Terra's heart and freeing it.
Once again, Terra gets control of his body, and he gets a touching but brief reunion with his friends, Aqua and Ven. As Sora leaves to stop Xehanort, he tells Terra to watch over Aqua and Ven while they rest.
Terra and the others meet up with Sora again later when it's time to wrestle Kingdom Hearts back from Xehanort. They arrive to lend their keyblades to portaling Xehanort to his childhood home and to keep Kingdom Hearts shut while Sora battles Xehanort. When the long battle is over, Terra and the others transport to Scala ad Caelum with Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Xehanort.
Here, it's learned Eraqus's heart resides inside Terra. Eraqus' spirit emerges when Terra confronts Xehanort and is free to move on to Kingdom Hearts. Before he goes, he has his own reunion with Aqua, Ven, and Terra, apologizing to each of them.
The epilogue shows Aqua, Ven, and Terra returning to a restored Land of Departure, leaving a memorial to their former master with his keyblade and their wayfinders. Terra is also shown with all of the others on the beach in the finale, racing Riku and Roxas before joining in watching over Kairi as she says goodbye to Sora.
Updated Personality:
Mostly, with Terra, everything is the same personality wise minus a few bigger changes.
Before, Terra had an extremely difficult time with the darkness within him. His journey in Birth By Sleep was one filled with doubt and fear, a longing for understanding on how not only to control but utilize the darkness in his heart.
During his conversation with Xehanort (once he's possessed), Terra says he isn't afraid of the darkness anymore. Whatever it takes to defeat or stop Xehanort, he is ready to pay the price. The fact his mind resisted Xehanort's possession gives him hope he'll be able to do what needs to be done to save his friends. He's willing to use the courage inside of him to fight against what once brought him an immense amount of fear. It may take ten years, but he'll stick through it.
By the end of KHIII, Terra seems to have come to terms with the darkness inside him. He finally overcame it and Xehanort's corruption, even as a Heartless Guardian, restoring himself to his body and saving his friends. He's relieved when he makes it back, complete and normal, and cries and thanks his friends for helping him through it. Their strength became his strength, and he never gave up on that.
Though he may not be able to completely control all of the darkness yet, he has learned not to fear it. Breaking out of Xehanort's hold bolstered his resolve, letting him see nothing is unattainable if he focuses with the strength of his heart. Even after what he's been through, he's more than willing and ready to stand up beside Sora and his friends to help defeat Xehanort and protect Kingdom Hearts.
Additionally, he also receives closure with his master, Eraqus, and learns to forgive himself of his actions as well as understand Eraqus does not hate or blame him. (I'm super mad Eraqus didn't apologize specifically to him like Aqua and Ven, BUT WHATEVER.) Eraqus bestows him with the honor of taking care of Aqua and Ven, and this means a great deal to him.
Updated Abilities: None. They're all the same.
Other: (leaving march 1st and returning march 7th) i'm so sorry mods who have to read this shitshow of a history section and who have to go through a mass exodus of kingdom hearts cast
Questions: