#Xehanort is really interesting

[mythicalartistx]

You know the writing good when you sympathize with the main villain (dark road spoilers)

I feel bad for Xehanort in dark Road

Dark Road is a game that wasn't needed but it came to be just to show the backstories of Xehanort and Eraqus along with their tragic yaoi romance—

Like he was my favorite character in that game. Also Eraqus is just so silly.

But the story is tragic and heartbreaking

You thought birth by sleep and Days was bad.... You gonna need a drink for this one

And when someone asks you were you crying, NOOOOooo you don't cry over games that's silly.... Right?

First it's the events of the game that make it tragic and what they have to do.

They watch all of their friends and upperclassmen basically get murdered.

Orion is a terrible master probably one of the worse in the series decides when the students go missing to send in the amateur underclassmen— Like that's a good idea?

Maybe go yourself or get some other masters?

And then there is that one student who's sister died and is facing depression and darkness. So what does Orion do— the stupidest thing ever and isolates him from everyone.

Then it turns out that student is faced with darkness and the darkness uses him to kill everyone, until Orion the master decides Xehanort kill this person.

And Xehanort has been thinking how the way of worlds isn't always correct and that some darkness isn't bad, ect.

So doing that and everything is just PTSD

And like all the future flash forwards you get make you feel so sad because of their doomed friendship and they somehow got on opposite sides

And honestly in BBS it makes sense how Eraqus reacted to Terra.

Like he saw him as a son, he watched his previous friends get killed and ruin by the darkness and he doesn't want that to happen.

Like it's understandable where he's coming from now. Was it right, ehh debatable. He shouldn't have used Aqua to find this out. And darkness isn't inherently bad like using it for good reasons— Riku.

Though did he pulled the sympathy card when he dropped off Ven—that it was an accident and he didn't mean to get the darkness out of him, just like he told Terra?

Like we saw previous flash forwards of Xehanort and Eraqus fighting because of the darkness, so why did Eraqus think ah yes my friend who now been a bit corrupted by darkness should be near and watch them take the mark of mastery exam?

Also him doing that easy version of the exam was probably because he saw what it did to his friends that died and he cared for Terra like a son.

And it's just really interesting at the end of dark road we see them head off to their own mark of mastery exam. And it's like that exam affected Xehanort with his encounter with MORE DARKNESS and him talking to the Master of Masters.

There is also that one flash forwards of him leaving and it's like their friendship because doomed and it's sad and you feel for both characters. Though I still want more why exactly did Xehanort decide to use the darkness?

Just random thoughts, as I hope for more KH news Missing Link or KH4 please

#kingdom hearts #young xehanort #Eraqus #young eraqus #dark road #kingdom hearts dark road #kh dark road #tragedy #birth by sleep #terra #rambling #Xehanort is really interesting #His backstory makes him interesting #I felt bad for him and Eraqus #knowing what happens makes it sad #I liked their dynamic and friendship and he replaced that for darkness #He didn't want the old man yaoi experience #Xehaqus #master of masters

[autumn-may]

“You and I, we stand by the light only to cast shadows and beget darkness; you with Eraqus, me with my sister. And when that light disappears, we lose our purpose and are swallowed by the void”

#man I am just insane about that quote #I love the way dark road takes so many concepts that are typically associated with light #(Empathy love+the way baldrs name means light) #And makes them into things of darkness #At this point this child of destiny super-empathy thing has been nothing but a curse to our two empaths #It’s only made them more prone to darkness #Or true darkness at least #I’m really interested to see how this plays out with our third empath sora in kh4 #Y’know because he doesn’t have any of his friends #there’s no ‘being of light’ he can use to unconsciously defend from true darkness #He doesn’t have a hoder/eraqus #Anyway #Xehanort/baldr will kill minimum two people because they lost their comfort person and be like ugh can’t help being an empath 🫤 #Kh #Khdr #Hoder #My art #Kh fanart #Kingdom hearts #Kingdom hearts dark road #Xehanort #Eraqus #baldr #Dark road #Undescribed

[daylighteclipsed]

@dj-of-the-coven Same

That or — in this hypothetical scenario where Xehanort shatters Riku instead of Kairi — Eraqus would’ve popped out of Terra’s heart a little early to stop Sora from killing Xehanort bloody murder style. The Wayfinder kids + Eraqus have those magic chains that can tie up heartless, so I imagine those would come into play here… Assuming Sora could be restrained. Which… well. Rage Form can be incredibly powerful, and Sora has killed for much less.

BUT Rage Form can also kill Sora if he powers up too much without healing. It takes huge chunks of his HP away, and the blood and the broken heart shards…. Plus Xehanort is not an average enemy. And this is not the usual po’d bc Sora’s getting his butt kicked in battle. This is the loss of the person who makes up half of a heartbeat with him (Dearly Beloved). His other half. His biggest supporter and inspiration in this game especially. The strongest person he knows. I wonder if Sora would.... if his wrath/despair would kill him if not get very close to it.

Esp because. It’s obvious Nomura sees Sora and Riku as a yinyang duo. One doesn’t exist without the other. They’re either both alive or both dead. (I joke about Sora being ‘dead’ in Quadratum, but actually. There’s no scenario where one of them is alive and the other is not, and I mean that.) So it makes sense if Riku’s almost dead/been shattered into pieces that Sora would get close to death too.

All around, it would just be. A bad time. But it is fun to consider!

#big fan of imagining unhinged sora ripping xehanort to pieces 👍 #it wouldn’t vibe w kh’s stance on ppl being morally complex/no one like deserving to die #but that’s why it’s interesting to me #cause sora’s never really uh fully subscribed to the idea of shades of gray #so for him as the protag to be breaking/defying the values this universe supports and exemplifies #in a form/state of mind that is also killing him #and have to be like stopped from killing the villain. ​it would be neato burrito #plus it’s just satisfying to imagine xehanort getting his ass brutally kicked #kingdom hearts #soriku

[oveliagirlhaditright]

What’re your favorite kh ships?

If I'm being honest... I really only true ship SoKai these days (my forever OTP). Mainly because I feel like that's the only one I can really ever see actually being canon (well, aside from Yozora and Nameless Star, and I also ship them: a lot of that for Versus XIII reasons. My heart won't let go). And, I mean, not that a ship needs to be canon for me to ship them. Not at all. But I'll admit that I've grown out of some of the KH ships a wee bit, as I've found more adult ones in other fandoms to get invested one.

That being said, the KH ships that I do still care about are:

SoKai

RokuShi

Namiku

RokuNami

Terqua (though it seem these days the kids call it Terrqua. Or Terraqua?)

Gulava

Skulmera

Playerlitzia

YozoraNameless Star

Xehaqus

AkuSai

SoRiKai

RiKai

Roxiri (though not in canon. More in fanon. More for crack, kind of, actually. And friendship first and foremost)

I'm warming up to Replinami some these days, because of the tragedy of it all.

I've also started to warm up to Rion a wee bit... that past Shanna thought she'd never see.

SoNami in CoM only.

I could do XionRoxasNaminé. NamiXI, too.

VenAqua slightly, but I'd always choose Terra and Aqua over it (but one thing about the Wayfinder Trio for me, if I'm being truthful, is that I prefer the three of them as friends before any romance with any of them. Part of me even really thinks all three of them are truly just meant to be friends.)

A lot of people ship Ven and Strelitzia for some reason. And I doubt it'll ever happen, tbh. Who knows if they'll ever even really get a chance to meet and be friends. But I do get why they think it'd be cute.

And while I don't know if I truly ship them anymore, a part of me will always have a soft spot for Ventus and Naminé. Because for some reason, I really used to ship this crack pairing, back in the day.

I also don't really know if I ship them... but despite what I said above, I do get the feeling that Nomura might be doing something with Lauriam/Marluxia and Elrena/Larxene.

#i used to LOVE vanaqua and vannami. and some of my heart probably always will for that reason (mainly the former). but for the most part i #think i'm over it #i also used to ship ephemer and ava a tiny bit. but i'd pick gulava any day #i also used to get into olette pairings. but tbh. i just can't really be bothered anymore #i also used to somewhat ship ira and invi because of that comment in back cover about them having to see each other less now so the others #wouldn't get the wrong idea (because taken out of context it sounds like they're dating). or aced and invi because they reminded me (and #everyone) of terra and aqua. but i was never really serious about those to begin with and have let them go. -shrugs- #really. at the end of the day. it's sokai. forever and always: sokai #asked and answered #and really the main ones for me are sokai rokushi namiku rokunami and terqua #but mostly sokai -i say. sounding like a broken record- #and while we're mentioning everything (because somehow that's what this post turned into) i used to be big on larxel (like khii days) #but not for many--MANY--years #wait. i do like gulava a lot too. and rikai. because riku and kairi--in whatever form they're in--don't get enough love #there's also a tiny bit of me that ot3s eraqusxehanortvor. xehaqus is the otp and they're perfect together: i know and agree with this #and yet they have an interesting dynamic with vor. i feel like before dark road started they were the SLIGHTEST bit of a trio. not truly #because xehanort and eraqus still spent way more time together but it was there a little bit #and it's interesting to me that eraqus. of all people. gets annoyed at vor snooping on them some at the beginning of dark road #before the game came out if you told me something like that would have happened i would have guessed it was xehanort. but nah. it's eraqus #and xehanort moreso telling him to chill and letting vor tag along (and the eraqus thing wasn't really serious. and more in good fun #because he DOES care about her). and then they're both DEVASTATED when she dies. and vor really cared about them #also a slight ot3 with xehanorteraqusurd because despite what i just said about vor it's URD they spend the most time with in dark road and #i like their dynamic with her too. -shrugs- #vanikai a smidge back in the day

[kitkat-the-muffin]

Xehabaldr/Xehaqus but it’s one of those cheesy romcoms and Baldr is the jerky boyfriend who gets dumped halfway through the film when Xehanort falls for Eraqus instead (and so he tries to kill them both •<•)

#loosely based on a Club Penguin Roleplay I watched on YouTube when I was 8 #it was really good until the crazy ex actually succeeded in killing the protagonist and the love interest oof #they fell off a cliff it was kinda funny. they got married in heaven by a floating baby with wings. not a cherub. they were fairy wings #anyway post appropriate tag time #xehaqus #xehabaldr #dark road #kh dark road #khdr #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts dark road #xehanort #eraqus #baldr #kh baldr #baldr kh

[didsomeonesayventus]

on one hand I get no joy from KH fanfic anymore on the other oneshot of Sora finding out Young Xehanort made it to Squareville and pinning him for some questions on what the he*k is going on

#katie rambles #an idea briefly inspired by the sketch nomura made awhile ago for DR stuff I think? the umbrella #because I think someone pointed out that despite the blur it looked somewhat like a known landmark over in japan #and (gestures to xehanort's DR comments about needing another life to observe The After of his plans) #but this would require me knowing what's going on #and there is no god damn way im even going to be close to an answer on what's going on #it would be neat if the lil guy is there in 4 + they have some banter over coffee like Normal People but talking about Very Not Normal Thing #(with maybe just a bit of subtext:tm: if you squint i guess) #(for old time's sake yanno) #but like idk. im burned. im tired. #and im not really interested in whatever meta tripe 4 is gonna introduce #it feels so. not kingdom hearts #i think it's really gotten too wild for its own good now #we're launching out of the heartfelt and digestible ruminations on friendship and how it's a vital source of happiness and support #and how it's basically a human right to have a healthy place of community and belonging #and going into just whack ass multiverse whatever that just. idk it bores me #and idk if they can really do it in a way i care about when everything leading up to 3 got shoved in a fucking trash can #like whats the point of following and theorizing if they're just gonna ignore it just to be contrary! for an unearned surprise!!!!! #like fuck man i want to like this series again but 4 has got miles to go before impressing me #old man yells at cloud in tags yada yada let people enjoy the series + 3 wasn't bad whatever im grumpy

[goldensunset]

maybe since i have a definite date a few days in advance i can make a powerpoint or other visual aid this time…

#honestly a visual aid probably would’ve been most useful when it came to the com/days/kh2 infodump LOL #actually i did provide images of all relevant characters so #but like #you’d really need a visual aid to explain xehanort #not that i was interested enough to really cover that #i for sure did not provide enough names or images while infodumping about khux lol #ooh i’m so excited to talk about khdr and bbs…

[necromancy-enthusiast]

I don't think I'll ever get over how Organization XIII was hyped up as this super nefarious villain group but then you get to their game 358/2 Days and they treat it like a job. A 9-5 soul crushing job. They have their daily menial tasks and then they go home and wash, rinse, repeat with little else occupying their lives. Even their hobbies and pastimes seem so limited, although you can arguably chalk that up to the game just not being interested in developing them like that (which is part of why the manga is great, because it has a tendency of developing them in ways the main writers aren't interested in). From the way they talk about it, they almost sound like they work at an office sometimes. A very bizarre, particularly backstabby office, but still. It's a soul crushing job AND a weird cult all at once and it's treated with this mundanity that's both hilarious in a way I didn't really get when it first came out and oddly humanizing.

I know for some dumb reason they didn't do a remake of Days and it's harder to access because of that, but if you can and it interests you enough to where you've wondered if it was worth playing, I really recommend playing it or watching a playthrough of the actual game instead of just the cutscenes. The story really is partly told through the mechanics and so much is lost when they just gave us the cutscenes pulled from the game in the compilations.

They really reinforce how bleak and mundane Roxas' life is most of the time, how bleak and mundane most of the members' lives are. How much control the Organization has over them. You don't just level up organically like in other kh games, you have to do this weird puzzle thing that limits your growth and abilities. They don't give you munny, they give you heart points that you can only use at the moogle shop in their castle, so they're literally paid in scrip. If you're unfamiliar with it, scrip is a currency you can only use in certain places instead of throughout a whole country or other type of political union like the eu, usually with the store at the company you work at. When you're on missions your path is blocked off, you can only go to certain areas that are directly related to your daily mission. It's suffocating and genius, especially since in most other series entries you get so much freedom comparatively.

With all that context it starts making some of their vices a bit more understandable. Can you really blame Demyx for not wanting to do his work when all he gets out of it is room and board, and the distant, vague promise of maybe someday getting a new heart? Especially since he's probably been with the Organization for years?

Can you really blame Marluxia and Larxene for wanting to mutiny when their boss is useless and all of their colleagues seem indifferent to it? I mean like. The murder isn't great. I'm still a bit sore about that. But I can definitely get behind the 'screw our boss' sentiment. I'm still very fond of my 'instead of going the cloak and dagger route Larxene and Marluxia somehow, possibly with the help of devil magic, manage to get everyone to cooperate so they can unionize and kick Xemnas out' au. An Organization XIII union au, if you will. Imagine Xemnas having to explain that to the other Xehanorts.

Master Xehanort: The people you gathered up for us to use as our vessels. Unionized?

Xemnas, the biggest loser in the entire series: :/

#kingdom hearts #organization xiii #marluxia #larxene #demyx #necro plays kingdom hearts #me making up kh AUs that 14 year old me would've totally failed to find interest in is just par for the course now

[azurajae]

I find it really interesting that as the games go on, Riku becomes more confident and secure with himself while Sora gets more insecure and depressesed.

Riku kinda started at a low point in the beginning by giving into the darkness. He was ridden with guilt and depression over the pain he caused by his mistakes and spent CoM, Days, and KH2 trying to make up for it all. He finally manages to get some closure in KH3D and manages to find a healthy way to move on from his guilt and sadness. While the scars might still be there and might creep up sometimes, Riku has grown into someone strong and dependable. There are always new ways for Riku to grow as a person, but I can't say enough about how proud I am of him of the progress he's made so far.

Meanwhile, on a surface level, Sora has remained stagnant personality-wise for most of the series. He is happy-go-lucky, kind, and selfless, someone you'd appreciate as a friend. However, in small moments throughout the games, he shows shades of his anger, sadness, and darkness, which seem to intensify each game. He has been told 'no frowning, no sad faces' and to 'never change', so while he seems the 'same', Sora's actually repressing himself. He's thoughtful and introspective, smarter than he looks, but acts foolish and silly because that's how he believes his friends expect of him. KH3 was really prevelent with him hiding his true feelings behind humor, both his friends and enemies belittling him, and the stress/pressure causing him to snap in the final battle. When Xehanort strips all his light away in the final battle, what's underneath? Rage.

It's also pretty interesting that Riku and Sora both precieve(d) themselves as worthless. In Riku's case it's stemming from the guilt of his mistakes and feeling he should isolate himself as punishment, while Sora is so incredibly selfless and blessed/cursed with the 'friends are my power' motto, he believes that he is nothing without his friends.

Makes me wonder what's going to be happening with Sora now that we are in Stage 2 of KH and the tonal shift with the realistic graphics. He is all alone in a totally different reality with a (possibly) dwindling hope of ever returning home. He doesn't even have anymore people in his heart apartment, it's empty now. How will this new enviroment and situation affect him? And how much will he change by the time Riku meets up with him (if/when he does)? It feels like Sora's character arc is finally beginning.

"The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes."

We seem to be calling back to some early quotes from the series. Makes me wonder if this statement is now foreshadowing.

#this is both a riku appreciation post and a sora needs a hug post #kingdom hearts #kh #sora #riku #kh4 #kh analysis

[dominicsorel]

Kairi is Xehanort's 14th Darkness

Now before I go into this, I must deeply express I will not put up with any Kairi negativity in the tags. This is not meant to demonize her or put anyone else on a pedestal in her place. Literally everyone in this series has been manipulated by Xehanort to some extent and Kairi is not exempt from that. We need to get past all these preconceived notions of who Kairi is supposed to be and see her for the complex character that she truly is. And this is a part of that.

Now let's get started.

Xehanort's intentions from day one were to reenact the Keyblade War. In Dark Road, it's revealed that he's interested in the Darkness that survived by disguising itself as an ally of light. It's possible that he thinks Vanitas is this since he hid himself inside of Ventus but that's all...in the eyes of the beholder. It could be anyone. But Xehanort would take this information either way and use it in his reenactment.

But you may ask: Why would he have a fourteenth? Didn't he intend to use thirteen? That was very clear throughout the series. Well, you'll need to watch Dark Road if you still think this. He left out a little something in the other games when describing his plan.

He wanted ANOTHER vessel to experience the world afterwards. Yes, he's incredibly extra as always. We are used to this by now, I hope..

But why is that vessel Kairi?

(dude's literally telling her what role she's to play even if it probably wouldn't make any sense to someone her age lmao)

As far back as the first game, something never truly added up. Kairi isn't given the role to hold back the darkness with the other princesses. She's paralleled to Wendy who is very explicitly stated to NOT be one of the princesses. Her "power" is never utilized a single time after KH1 either...nor is it brought up until briefly in KH3.

And you know...remember that little thing about how the X tells Xehanort where you are at all times? X marks the spot, they say!

And Xehanort REALLY loved making the X wearers into his vessels, didn't he? Kairi had been wearing it as early as BBS.

Kairi was the one who finished this drawing.

Red flags...red flags, everywhere!

By the way, wasn't Kairi's meeting with Aqua a little...TOO perfect?

Why...it's almost like...it was staged!

Kairi already had the flowers she supposedly picked for her. But why would Xehanort want Kairi to meet Aqua and have her be fond of Kairi?

Two reasons as far as I can see.

1.) Aqua is well attuned to the fine art of spells.

Sound familiar?

2.) Receiving a Keyblade

When Kairi runs to Aqua, she touches her Keyblade. This has been compared to the passing of power like Terra with Riku. Personally, I have no idea if it's as simple as this without the whole ceremony but I don't think this would be shown without reason.

And with this, her role truly started. Kairi was to become the new darkness disguised as a guardian of light. She would befriend and become close with a Keyblade wielder and they would strive to keep her safe so she would survive for the world after.

But *record scratch* how is she a darkness already by the time of BBS and how is she able to hide? Before that, let's discuss the princess she took the place of in KH1. You know, the elephant in the room.

Ariel.

Part Two

#kingdom hearts #kairinort #kh kairi #kh xehanort #kairi #xehanort #kh meta #kairi is the 14th darkness theory #text

[the-au-collector]

Scalan Names

So something I've noticed about Missing Link is the names. It's very interesting that they're Roman myth names when the rest of the times we've seen Scala, we've only seen Scalans having Norse names. Especially since we have characters like Freya, whose name does come from Norse Myth, walking around with characters like Remus (and Neptune). I doubt Nomura did this on accident, so I'm curious about the implications of the Norse vs Roman names in Missing Link.

So I went back through Dark Road and Union X and gathered up all the characters with mythological names (yes this includes Missing Link beta content and theorizing). It's a long post, but stay tuned for the end where I've thrown all my Remus thoughts:

Skuld

So in Norse Myth, Skuld is a Norn. Specifically, the Norn of the future. The Norns also closely resemble the Fates from Greek myth, which is interesting. I find it really interesting that Skuld is named specifically after the Norn of the future when her game takes place in the distant past. Obviously all the Union Leaders travel to the future--so why is Skuld the only one named after a myth figure that specifically has to do with that? I can't wait to see how this all lines up later, since so far we've only had one game with her in it.

Baldr

He's the important guy, both in Myth and in Dark Road. In myth, he's the son of Odin that's deceived and killed by Loki, however it is Hod who deals the fatal blow. I feel like his name lines up with his myth inspiration very nicely--he's tricked by darkness, which ultimately leads to his death. However, one really interesting thing is that Baldr is said to survive Ragnarok, so does that mean we'll be seeing Baldr again someday?

Bragi

So Bragi is interesting. In myth, he's actually a poet who was diefied as the god of poetry. He's also known for his wisdom. The really interesting thing though is that myth Bragi's wife, Idunn, had a tree with the apples of youth, which keep the gods from aging. Really interesting that Dark Road's Bragi is actually Luxu, a guy who does not die... Clues lying in plain sight, really.

Vor

There really isn't much to find about Norse Myth's Vor, other than Vor was a minor goddess of wisdom. I just think it's cool that Vor's name is based off of a goddess of wisdom, since Vor's whole arc in Dark Road is figuring out who's right and what she wants to do.

Hermod

So in Norse myth, Hermod is the messenger god and a son of Odin. He also uses magic. In one particular myth, Hermod tried to rescue Baldr from the underworld, but ultimately failed. He has other myths where he acts like a messenger too. I don't really have much to say about Hermod's name inspiration and how it ties to Dark Road, but it is interesting how Hermod dies immediately after visiting the Underworld trying to find Baldr.

Urd

I... I have the least to say about her (at least about the main DR cast). In myth, Urd is a fate like Skuld, but she's the fate of the past. It's just weird she's named after the fate of the past and not the present. Or maybe not since this game is technically Xehanort's past...

Odin

Can you tell he was based off of Odin? He has the long beard, he's old, he's got a long coat, and a wide-brimmed hat (those are how Odin is usually represented). In myth, Odin is the god of war and also poets. He's got a horse named Sleipnir and was a magician. I know there are also theories floating around about Yen Sid potentially being Master Odin and honestly? Yen Sid fits the description.

Heimdall

In myth, Heimdall is the protector of the rainbow bridge and the entrance to Asgard. He also had heightened senses and didn't need to sleep. He and Loki actually ended up killing each other in myth as well. I have even less to say about the upperclassmen, honestly, especially ones like Heimdall who are only in a few scenes anyways. It is ironic that Heimdall was killed by darkness, though (and darkness, in my eyes, takes up a very Loki-like roll).

Helgi and Sigrun

I'm merging these two since their myths are very connected. So basically, Helgi was a Norse hero figure that is the son of Sigmund. He fell in love with a woman named Sigrun and ends up getting killed by her brother, Dragr. Sigrun eventually dies of sadness, but both she and Helgi are reborn. Sigrun is reborn into a Valkyrie named Kara whereas Helgi gets to keep his name. It's very interesting that their myths have aspects of reincarnation tied to them, which isn't true for any of the other DR characters. It's also very curious that Sigrun got a new name... and DR Sigrun looks like Strelitzia...

But that's just a theory a--

Vala

So Vala isn't an actual mythological figure, though they do show up in myths a lot. Basically, a vala is a priestess/shaman. In myth, they could use magic, see the future, and influence battles. I don't have much to say about Vala despite her being one of the more interacted with members of the upperclassmen, but she does appear to be the most wise/level-headed of the group.

Vali

I could have sworn Vali was a girl but Vali is, indeed, a guy in Dark Road. Anyways, in myth Vali is the son of Odin who was born to avenge Baldr and killed Hod. Vali does survive Ragnarok as well. It's just interesting how he has a reverse to his myth inspiration, considering be dies to Baldr and Darkness, though he does try to avenge Hod's death.

Hoder

The blind god of the night in Norse myth and son of Odin. Hod was actually tricked into killing Baldr and so was told by the other gods to avenge Baldr's death by fighting Vali. Vali won, Hod died, but when Ragnarok happened, both Hod and Baldr returned and survived Ragnarok. Very interesting implications when it comes to Kingdom Hearts...

Vidar

In myth, he's the son of Odin and was also fated to survive Ragnarok. He killed the wolf Fenrir, who's Loki's son who ate Odin. That's about all that's known about Vidar from myth. I do think it's very ironic that DR Vidar died to a Heartless when his myth inspiration killed Fenrir. Also interesting that his is the name of someone fated to survive Ragnarok despite him dying in DR...

Sigurd

I nearly forgot him but here he is! His name in myth is Siegfried. He's a hero figure who fought a dragon and awakened a valkyrie from sleep. In some stories, he's of noble blood but was an orphan. He's also associated with the ancient Germanic princess, Brunhild, who had Old Norse origins. Basically the story of Brunhild is that she vowed to marry the man who could beat her in strength, and Siegfried was able too, but he won her for another person. Brunhild got vengeful, and Siegfried died. Not every story of Brunhild leads to his death though.

He's a lot more interesting than I thought, especially for a character who shows up for like 2 lines in Union X's secret ending lol. Likelihood is, he's from another Society or the people in charge, and he welcomed Brain in Scala ad Caelum (this we know). Judging from his myth and what we already know about him, he's likely of noble or blue blood and is probably a Keyblade wielder. I wonder if we'll see any grand feats like fighting a dragon or if he'll die in Missing Link, though?

Freya

I can't really say much for Freya either since she's so new and her game isn't even out yet. She is the sister of Freyr in Norse Myth and is the goddess of love, fertility, battle, and death. So just keep in mind that she's an option for the tragic siblings trope.

Now for the really interesting guys!

Nept

I've decided to start with Neptune since Remus is a whole can of worms. So Neptune is the Roman god of the sea, and used to be just the god of freshwater until the Romans identified him with Poseidon. His myths are the same as Poseidon's: get eaten by his dad, get vomited out, draw sticks to see which realm he gets, yada, yada, yada. He was loyal to the Roman Zeus, Jupiter, and married Salacia, though he had many affairs. He also created horses and bulls!

We really don't know much about Nept since he only has a few released scenes so far, but the fact that he's probably named after the Roman god of water is interesting (i've said it before but Aqua's ancestor??? Perhaps???). I'm a little worried about the loyalty aspect though...

Remus

This. This fucking can of worms. Remus do you even know the implications of your own name?

So the myth of Remus and Romulus! Their mother, Rhea Silvia, was the daughter of the king of Alba Longa, Numitor. Numitor got removed from the throne by his brother, Amulius, who forced Rhea to take a vow of chastity by becoming a Vestal Virgin. Well she ended up having the god of war's, Mars', twin children: Remus and Romulus. They were cared for by Mars' sacred animals (she-wolf and woodpecker) and taken in by farmers, Faustulus and Acca Larentia. When the twins grew up, they killed Amulius and restored their grandfather to the throne. The twins then went on to found a city, and after Romulus built some walls around it, he killed Remus, and the city was named Rome after Romulus.

So this myth is interesting for a number of reasons. First and foremost: the siblings thing. Tragic siblings being a staple of the KH mobile games and all leaves Remus and Romulus perfect candidates for being the tragic siblings. This is also why I'm so worried about Remus being late to showing Player the Astral Realm because--is he already dead? His mythological self dies! It's practically written in the Book of Prophecies at this point!

However the second most important thing about the Remus and Romulus myth is how Remus and Romulus are the grandsons of a king who got overthrown. What if, somehow, the Baroque Society is the very last remnant of Ephemer's line/society? Somehow, what if Ephemer's line gets usurped and its last remains of his society dwindles down to at least 4 people (the question is if there's 5 members considering Freya's "another one" line)? After all, the scientists do say the founders' societies. Who are these other founders? Are they even real? What is going on with Scala ad Caelum's governing situation? We already know that it can't be good, but we don't know how bad it is.

Another really interesting thing is that Player specifically, very weirdly, reaches out to Remus when they're by Ephemer's statue. That scene was all shades of odd. Which begs the question--is Remus somehow connected to Ephemer? Is Remus is the descendant of Ephemer, and all these silver-haired characters are just there to throw us off? Did Ephemer's bloodline somehow get usurped? Is Missing Link going to be about reinstating his family line, or watching it all fall to ruin? Is Remus going to get killed by his own brother?

It's just. It's all shades of interesting and worrying at the same time. And I'm not even mentioning Remus' similarities to Lea!

Conclusion

Remus nearly made me forget this post had a point: the differences between Roman and Norse names. I thought maybe there was a connection between the "sons of Odin" thing going on, but no. Baldr and Hermod both are sons of Odin, but Baldr has a gold Master's symbol and Hermod doesn't. Even for the non-sons, Heimdall has a gold Master's symbol but Bragi doesn't.

It's also too early to really tell anything distinct about the new Missing Link characters, since a) we don't see much of them and b) the naming doesn't differentiate them either. Freya is a member of the Baroque Society alongside Remus and Nept. There's no distinction there either. There is no visual disctinction between Freya, Nept, and Remus except for their underclothes, and I'd say those design choices are more geared toward their personalities than anything else. They also don't have Master's symbols (which is another interesting thing. Sigurd doesn't have one either. Do they not exist yet? Are they the symbol of another society?). Even if they did, we still don't really know the difference between silver and gold ones, though one theory is gold = blue blood, silver = non-blue blood.

There is definitely a naming convention going on here, though. It's no coincidence that all of Dark Road's characters have Norse-inspired names, but not all of Dark Road's do. I just really want to crack why there's this distinction. I'm betting it has something to do with these noble houses/blue blood families, though (I'm willing to overlook Xehanort and Eraqus as they existed long before these concepts were even thought up.). For now I'll leave it at that and post this so that we have a bit of a collection of all the name inspirations for our myth-inspired Kingdom Hearts characters in one place.

Also, if anyone knows more about ancient myth than what Google could tell me, please let me know! I absolutely could have missed something!

#kingdom hearts #spoilers #missing link spoilers #khml spoilers #missing link #khml #union x #khux #theories #khml theory #missing link theory #a whole lot of mini theories honestly #kh skuld #kh freya #kh remus #kh helgi #kh heimdall #kh vidar #kh vala #kh vali #kh sigrun #kh hermod #kh vor #kh sigurd #kh bragi #kh nept #naming conventions #this got a little out of hand #thanks remus #nomura please let me into your mind

[mythicalartistx]

Hey look I drew Yozora also analyzing the mysteries around him

This character is so cool and so mysterious and I just love him because he is shroud in so much mystery. He has so much potential of being so interesting especially how he'll interact with some of the others in the future.

Not to mention the whole concept about him asking why Sora appears how he does is just so interesting. Like why does he ask that? Could he know another Sora? Is Nameless Star's true name Sora?

Yozora also points out he doesn't look like that usually. As if he is someone else's form... Could it be that to get his look he takes pieces of other people and that's why he looks like a mix of Riku and Sora?

I can't wait until KH4 to find out these answers and in the meantime I'm going to try to draw more characters I haven't drawn yet

Close up view

”I'll save you"

I've been having these weird thoughts lately... Like, is any of this for real or not?

#kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts fanart #yozora #kh yozora #kingdom Hearts Yozora #kh3 #kh4 #kh thoughts #Yozora is sooo interesting to me #Yozora theory #I really hope these things are answered #Is Nameless Star named Sora #Is there another Sora out there #Is Yozora stealing appearances from others? #Also his driver appears to be Luxord #It makes you wonder what did Xehanort do to get him into the organization or did Luxu found him?

[starlightwayfinder]

I decided to watch some old KH trailers in honor of the anniversary today, and I have to admit, I don’t think I ever rewatched this one after the release of Melody of Memory. When it was first revealed, we were under the assumption that the Master of Masters was the opponent Kairi was facing, but as we now know, it was actually Master Xehanort. While we were aware that the Master of Masters has more plans and tricks up his sleeve, to think of this line in the context of Xehanort is a little different. It brought to mind an old theory of mine, so I decided to go back to KH3, Re:Mind, KHDR, and MoM to compile as much evidence as possible for it.

(As a disclaimer, it slightly undermines the authenticity of his ‘conclusion’ in KH3, so if you’re a big fan of that scene, feel free to skip this one.)

This line in KH3 is a good place to start. From the get go, it was established that Xehanort planned for nearly every possible outcome of the Keyblade War. I also think it’s safe to say that every action he made was an intentional choice based on these plans. So the question is, what is the “final plan” referenced in Melody of Memory’s trailer? I think the game gave us the answer:

It may be easy to jump to the conclusion that this was just a plan for revenge, since Sora is the one who stopped Xehanort to begin with. However, I want to reaffirm that every action he takes is for a reason that serves his goals. It wasn’t just a plan to make Sora disappear, but likely to make him disappear to Quadratum specifically.

This was even foreshadowed in KH3’s Toy Box world. Young Xehanort sends Sora to the world of Verum Rex—though it’s probably closer to a “data” version in this instance:

YX in particular is very confident that Sora’s overuse of the Power of Waking will lead to his disappearance:

And MX has a similar line in Re:Mind:

Except this is where things get interesting. The Sora in Re:Mind is time-traveling from a point in time after he defeated Xehanort.

Xehanort must know this, because he sees the real Sora (from this point in time) about to begin the final battle in the distance. He then acknowledges that the Sora he’s speaking to is from the future. Unless he witnesses the present Sora time travel during their final confrontation, he can conclude that Sora survives their fight to time travel later on—meaning his plan doesn’t come to fruition. Sora unknowingly reveals his hand in Re:Mind this way, and opens the door for Xehanort to plan accordingly—which is kind of mind-breaking to think about…

It gets even better here, during Sora’s fight with Terra-Xehanort:

Sora brags that, like Xehanort, he can also time travel. To which Xehanort responds that Sora will then also need to make the “ultimate sacrifice”, or in other words, “pay the ultimate price”, as MX said. “Also”—as in, Xehanort has made this sacrifice as well by time traveling. As in, Xehanort will also disappear to Quadratum.

We have evidence to believe that as well. I also like the interpretation that he intentionally planned this to survive the world being purged, but that’s kind of a separate theory.

So to recap, Xehanort was probably aware that Sora would survive their final confrontation in order to time travel afterwards. He correctly predicts that the consequence for time traveling would be to disappear… specifically to Quadratum—something that Melody of Memory considers his “final plan”.

So… why? Why would he want Sora to also disappear to Quadratum? Trying to answer that question leads to the most controversial part of this theory:

It’s really nice to believe that Xehanort gave Sora the X-blade as an admission of his defeat, and I’m definitely not against that interpretation. But it is a little strange that before—and after—this scene, in Melody of Memory, he continues to act like making Sora disappear was his big plan. It doesn’t feel right, if he was supposed to be letting Sora “win” here.

I’ll be very curious to see if Xehanort has a role in Quadratum, and why exactly he “paved the way” for Sora to be there as well. Either way, I am holding out for a geniune change of heart from him, especially if what we saw in KH3 was more of a manipulation.

#Sorry to anyone who has heard me ramble about this before #but this time I brought a little more evidence to the table—haha #I’ve tried to type this up before but I always get shy about posting it because I don’t want to “ruin” kh3’s ending for anyone #But in all honesty as a Xehanort fan I would *like* this theory to be true #because I feel like it could ultimately lead to a more satisfying redemption for him

[merizonal]

You guys reminded me about my mermaid AU so lemme try to explain it

-okay okay so Riku, Sora, and the heart hotel are all members of the same mermaid pod. they're all different kinds of dolphins : )

-when they are younger Riku is obsessed with the surface and the idea of getting to see what's beyond the ocean. However at some point two of Sora's older siblings, Ventus and Vanitas are captured by humans. They never return

-Riku ends up becoming super over protective of his best friend Sora after this and grows wary and mistrusting of of both the surface and humans

-eventually Sora starts sneaking off to go to the surface because he befriends a human there, a girl named Kairi. mermaids are able to take on human appearances when they dry out so Kairi is the only person on the surface who knows what Sora is

-Riku finds out about Sora frequently going to the surface and while he chastises him for it and constantly lectures him on the danger of it he doesn't actively stop Sora either. It's more like he tries to stay with Sora more so he doesn't sneak off to the surface. It's only partially effective and Sora still goes to the surface somewhat frequently

-Until one day he doesn't come home

-Determined to find Sora Riku pushes aside his caution and travels to the surface. He soon meets Kairi and when she introduces herself he recognizes her name and aggressively demands to know where Sora is. Kairi tells him she had no idea Sora never returned home and that she hasn't seen him in over a week.

-This leads to Riku staying on Kairi's couch and borrowing her cousin Lea's clothes. At one point Lea drops by Kairi's apartment and asks what happened to that "Sora kid" and Riku flips out demanding to know where Sora is

-Lea doesn't know he just drops by Kairi's sometimes to hang out. He lives in an apartment's across town with his boyfriend Isa and they both work for a pretty large marine based corporation in the city(The Organization). He and Isa share a car and Isa has to drive him around a lot. He also sometimes talks about the two kids who he met at a skatepark one time who show up at his place randomly.

-Lea he finds out that Riku's a mermaid pretty quick into their conversation. He agrees to help with the search for Sora. He also helps Kairi show Riku how to better blend into the human word which Riku has no interest in doing

-At some point they go to a mall to get Riku new clothes and Kairi and Lea keep having to stop him from interrogating poor mall employees and random strangers. He does however seem to like all the clothing with a cartoon mouse on them

-So where has Sora been this whole time?

-At some point someone in the Organization that Lea and Isa work for found out about Sora being a mermaid and he never returned home because he was captured by the Organization. The Organization has been experimenting on him. Lea and Isa both have no idea of this as they don't have high enough clearance to know that mermaids even exist

-However the higher ups in the organization do know. In fact this isn't the first time they got their hands on one. Several years ago they captured two. Sora's siblings Ventus and Vanitas. Vanitas is the only one still at the Organization. In fact he works for them.

-At some point there was an escape attempt. With the help of the the heir to the company Terra, Ventus attempted to escape. They both disappeared soon after never to be seen again. Fearing for his own life Vanitas joined the Organization. He works there but he doesn't really get paid and his food and shelter are provided by the company's CEO Xehanort so he can't really leave.

-He runs into Sora while Sora is there being experimented on and while Sora seems to recognize him Vanitas refuses to help him remembering what happened to Ventus and Terra

-At some point Isa gets promoted and is told about about the whole mermaid thing. He soon reveals this information to Lea who relays it to Kairi and Riku and they hatch a plan to go save Sora

That's about all I have right now for the main plot. There's definitely a lot more going on especially with Vanitas so feel free to ask if you'd like to know more! There's also more about what happened to Ven and Terra and even a running gag with Demyx ; )

#kingdom hearts #soriku #sora #riku #kairi #lea #isa #vanitas #ventus #terra #text #kh mer au #leaisa #akusai

[goldenchocobo]

This took me a little bit to do!

Do they count as flower pieces? I don’t know- they only contain dandelions, and even then- stylised ones.

I’m not sure what triggered this, but I had an urge to draw the Union Leaders like this. I tried to emulate the Art nouveau style- especially with the very thick outlines, and the curvy circular motif. Half way through I realised that it looked like stations of awakenings, but It was too late to change anything, and I still really liked it.

For those interested, I’ve done a lot more flower-related pieces: -Dark Road Students -Xehanort and Eraqus -Master of Masters and Luxu -Foretellers -Lauriam and Strelitzia -Siax -Lost Trio -Wayfinder Trio -Seasalt Trio -Destinty Trio

#Kingdom Hearts #Kingdom Hearts Union X #KH #KHUX #Ephemer #Ventus #Skuld #Brain #Lauriam #Goldenchocobo's Art

[isan0rt]

@lightandfellowship re: your tags on this post (just to kind of bring this out to a different post).

I was thinking about making a separate post to expand on those tags anyway because they were a little off topic to the op, but I was like, you know, it's that Xehanort was worse to the Dandelions than Luxu was, yes. But Luxu was supposed to be that callous to the Dandelions in the first place. He was supposed to think of them as tools and to just let whatever fucked up thing was supposed to happen to them just happen. And with anyone else he can, but he can't put his personal feelings aside enough to 'do what needs to be done' for this set of people alone.

But Xehanort can.

And I think that's really interesting when looking at Xehanort as the 'replacement Luxu.' Xehanort who, as observed by another post I don't have immediately to hand, speaks with MoM twice. Xehanort who is chosen by MoM and manipulated into doing his bidding the same way Luxu was, given the same coat and made the heir to Luxu's keyblade, Xehanort who actually is allowed to take action to bring the Keyblade War about and revive the Lost Masters while Luxu is only allowed to watch.

Actually I started this post with a different thesis ('Xehanort is able to put his personal feelings aside and be ruthless even where Luxu fails to follow his role') but writing that paragraph I've changed my mind actually. Because Luxu has basically no agency in this situation, whereas Xehanort does.

Like, both of them are assigned roles by their mentors but Xehanort isn't really given a road map about how to fulfill his role. He's being manipulated, sure, but he's also making choices himself all along. They're choices that are fucked up but he understands they're fucked up and is choosing them anyway because he strongly feels it's necessary for the greater good.

Luxu has been told these things are necessary for the greater good. He's been told what to do. He's been told to just watch and that he can never take action. He doesn't even have the illusion of agency that Xehanort, who is actively choosing to lean into his feeling that destiny is inevitable, does. What is that like, to live hundreds of years never having any sense of agency? For Luxu, helping the Dandelions is fucking up. It's doing what he knows he's not supposed to, what he's been told is against the Plan, but he has no agency and this is his little way of rebelling, even if this is, to us, the 'right' thing to do. There's a question of what actually is 'right' and 'wrong' here and whether Xehanort is a 'better Luxu' than Luxu for choosing to simply follow The Plan.

Also I'm rambling here but putting things together as I go, sorry to also expand on other tags on posts I reblogged from you lol, but like. Luxu also very clearly has Lucifer stuff going on, the same way Xehanort does, down to the name. Xehanort takes on the Satan imagery over time - but it was Luxu's first. And Luxu is the one who actually tried to rebel against his Creator by deviating from his role (only to watch) and intervening with the Union leaders.

The thing about angels is they are not, in Catholic traditions (I can't speak to other denominations) is that they are not supposed to have free will. Free will is for humans; angels only follow The Plan, with no agency or say in the matter. They're messengers and avatars created only to execute the will of God. The Foretellers seem to play this role, if you will, in relation to Master of Masters. He hands them roles to execute the plan he's already designed. If we're, in this analogy, considering Master of Masters to be in the role of 'god', both Ava and Luxu are ultimately fallen angels - they both question the will of their creator, both rebel - but Luxu rebelling was built into the plan. He is Lucifer, and Lucifer rebels, and so he was still allowed to come back to the fold at the end of kh3, having fulfilled his duty even considering his rebellion. He still had no agency in the end, even having done what he thought was exercising it by saving the Union leaders.

Anyway I'm just rambling on at this point and don't really have a conclusion to this but the whole interplay between Luxu and Xehanort, agency and servitude, angels and devils, light and dark, feels really compelling to me.

#not to be getting theological on main here either but also to do that #I have more than a decade of intense religious education and even though i no longer do organized religion like #it's a topic that kh seems to have a lot of themes kh engages with #Luxu #Xehanort