Kingdom Hearts- The Gifted

Not sure if I'm finished with it so I'm posting basically for some critique. Download to see this in it's full-sized glory.

Anyways....

'Cover Art' kinda for my Kingdom Hearts fan-fiction "The Gifted"

Which can be read here: [link]

"Even in the deepest darkness,
There will always be a light.
Those who cling falsely to power,
Will fall at the blade of the god's chosen son.
The fates bond boy to sword.
Blessed by goddess' gifts times four,
And a second heart guides him on.
As eyes unseeing prepare the path.
Bathed in heaven's glow he rides forth,
To raise the hopes of those suppressed.
With sacred blade brandished high,
The heart of the false monarch he will take,
To satisfy both god and man alike.
Corllinn Thalon will be his name,
Praised both from land and sky!"

Two peoples- and a gift that is shunned by one and embraced by another. Two ideologies and much misunderstanding.

One evil lurking in the shadows.

Five children- one prophecy to unite them all and bring forth an ancient power capable of saving the world.

The Keeper- Sora A child born into the unluckiest circumstances who's kind heart leads him to rescue a complete stranger.

The Prophet- Riku Said stranger- a blind boy whose exotic looks come from a distant land, and whose power to perceive future events might hold the key to everything- if only he could remember who he was.

The Host- Roxas A desert orphan whose been told that he is nothing more than the cornerstone to something greater and who longs for freedom.

The Maiden- Kairi A young princess who lost a battle with darkness- yet her heart still lives on to guide.

The Witch- Naminé A girl who is forced to erase the memories of the boy she loved in order to save his life, and now tasked to sit and watch the pieces fall into place.

About the image-

Sora and Riku are in the foreground because they are the most important pieces in the puzzle and the story focuses on them. Riku is posed effeminatly to convey a sense of helplessness on his part. The dog collar is a rather cruel device issued by the authorities in a world where magic is taboo to hold back an individual's power. Sora grasps Riku's shoulders firmly in a gesture of reassurance and suport.

The odd-eyed cat is a servant of the moon god (my character Lunniea) who is setting the events in motion. A crescent moon encircles the portraits. Lilies are the moon flower and the white color represents the purity in moonlight.

The circular design was made to look like the stained glass windows used through out the game. I originally made the portraits in color but I felt their brightness drowned out the pale tone used for Riku's skin. Colored version (without Sora and Riku in front): [link]

Riku is represented in the image twice. His appearance in the window is that of his role as prophet. I tried my hardest to resist putting flowers in Roxas's hair (figured he wouldn't appreciate) but they are appropriate for Riku because of his connection to the moon god.

Technically wise: done in Photoshop CS (and bit in CS4 during my computer class). Drawn from an original sketch in my notebook. References were used for the flowers and headpieces as well as some reference to the original KH promo art to get the faces right (sadly I can only draw Sora and Riku from memory.) The cat was drawn from a photo of my cat Sushi. last time for a while that I want to CG that kind of drapery. I understand the mechanics of drapery in real paint better.....

I had a good laugh because my teacher who doesn't know about the Anime male androgyny thing called Riku a she.... didn't feel like correcting him and laughed my head off in silence...

Enjoy!