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You are now aware that the introduction song of Kingdom Hearts, “Dearly Beloved,” represents a heartbeat.

[databoyreekoo]

So, I'm in the midst of playing KH1-3, and in Winnie the Pooh, Piglet goes on about how when they was whisked away, he was so lonely. And quiet frankly, it reminded me of the ending of three? Like, Sora had to round up all of Pooh friends who gone and got lost? How at the end, they all watched the sun set and then Sora LEFT? Repetition is a thing in this game, and the fact that Pooh said 'Don't forget...'?

OH that’s a good point! I hadn’t thought about it that way before 🤔

Your question made me hop on khwiki for a quick refresher, and I noticed that stories for 100 Acre Wood in 1, 2, and 3 all share common themes and events

1: Pooh and Co. need help, Sora helps them reunite, Sora leaves with a promise to return

2: Pooh needs help, Sora and Co. helps Pooh “reunite” with his memories, Sora leaves after reassuring Pooh that they’ll always be in each other’s hearts no matter the distance

3: Pooh and Co. need help, Sora reunites with them, Sora leaves after ReMinding (haha) Pooh that their hearts will always be connected no matter what (since both Pooh and Sora could feel that their connection was weak)

Winnie-the-Pooh captures the essence of childhood, and teaches its readers the importance of empathy, acceptance, cooperation, courage, trust and individuality. At its core, it’s about learning to let go of your childhood in order to grow up, no matter how hard it is or how much it hurts

Which…reminds me of somebody with whom these themes have been pretty consistent with 👀

#thanks for the ask! #asks #kh #kh meta

[databoyreekoo]

The way Nomura handles Sora, Riku and Kairi, not just as a trio but as pairs and individuals, is absolutely deliberate. There’s a distinct contrast between the destiny trio and the other trios (RXA, TAV, SDG, MDG, etc.) when compared to one another. Sora, Riku and Kairi are literally shown to have a complicated friendship from the very beginning, with Sora oblivious to the rising tension between Riku and Kairi (caused by unspoken thoughts and feelings) while being depicted as the glue that holds the trio together at the same time. It was a lack of communication and acknowledgement of hurt that acted as the catalyst for Riku’s fall to darkness and the islands getting destroyed…which was an extremely traumatizing event that we have still yet to see the trio talk through. Together. Like, I don’t remember the last time they even had an emotional talk as a trio. It was kh2, maybe…? Hell, in kh3, during the brief break before the final battle, we see Aqua and Ven stargazing and talking about sharing stories after they save Terra and holding their charms up to the sky like they used to - you can feel the love they have for each other and the strength of their bond despite Terra not even being present - then we see Axel sitting alone on the clock tower with three ice creams - one for him, one for Roxas and…he can hardly remember Xion and yet he felt compelled to get one for her, too - while struggling with the guilt and sadness of having not saved Roxas (and Xion) yet…then what happens with Sora, Riku and Kairi? We get a scene of Riku having an emotional talk with Repliku, helping him find closure while Sora and Kairi watch from afar, only for Kairi to shove a paopu fruit in Sora’s face (despite knowing that he was still worried about Riku) and initiate sharing them - they literally promise to keep each other safe. Just the two of them. Even tho literally anyone could die during the final battle, including their best friend Riku, he just…wasn’t included. At all. It’s just…Very Pointed.

So, of course they look ““fine””on the surface. They’re supposed to. They’re so adjusted to locking away and hiding their unpleasant or “undesirable” emotions and traits, that it just comes naturally to them now. Choosing to ignore what’s clearly already been established and continuing to develop, in favor for a rose-colored version of the destiny trio is only going to set you up for disappointment and leave you angry and bitter.

You know exactly what you’re doing when you post those riku/aerith screencaps like that, in that order. Riku looked like that because he was feeling melancholy since kairi up until that point was literally asleep for a whole year and hadn’t woken up yet and so the fifth ss is just irrelevant. There is no tension, they were fine in MoM, stop pushing your weird agenda and forcing tension when there is none.

What exactly about this makes you think I think they hate each other? Yes they were fine in khmom. They were friendly and pleasant and Riku was happy to see Kairi awake. It doesn’t change the fact that they aren’t very close anymore. Weird agenda my ass. God forbid I think actually exploring how people drift apart as they grow up would be interesting and could actually do wonders for Kairi as a character. Not to mention it’s literally a theme Nomura said he was trying to show in kh3 regarding Destiny trio specifically so if you wanna get mad about realistic depictions of how friendships change get mad at him I guess 🤷‍♀️

#this took too long to type for how short it is #LMAO #I was like maybe I shouldn’t stick my toe in the water but then I fell in so here we are #anyway #Steam’s right :) #I could go on and on and on but I’ll spare y’all

[databoyreekoo]

In honor of the KH Square Enix Cafe event returning

Here is just some of what we were treated to during the KH3 cafe event:

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The Light Obscured

Call me delusional, but I read the glowing mural as being a stand-in for Riku. I never thought of it before I read the novel section. It's also interesting how Sora compares the waterway with the cave on DI, which I don't recall him doing in the game. It's almost as if the glowing light is like a faint memory... trying to remind Sora of something important.

KH1 Novel:

Shielding Kairi, Sora fought through the Heartless in the Second District, and they ran into the secret waterway. It was deserted and dim, but the murals on the walls gave off a soft glow. “Places like this are always kind of exciting, huh?” said Kairi, looking up at the murals. “It’s like that cave back on our island!” “Yeah… Look at this mural. It’s almost hypnotizing, isn’t it?” The painting of the sun seemed to gaze down on them with a mysterious warmth. As Sora walked closer, the sun began to shine. “Wow…it’s so pretty!” Kairi gazed at it, wide-eyed. A beam of light fell into Sora’s hand, and the sun changed into a crescent moon. The light that fell into his hand was a Gummi block. “Is that a Gummi?” asked Kairi. “Yeah. We’d better hurry up and take it back to Cid.” Kairi looked up again at the moon. “A light deep within the darkness…”

Thanks and credit to this post https://twitter.com/anotherside420/status/1496715502021918725 for finding what I'd consider a bombshell:

CoM Novel:

“Try too hard to remember, and your memory might lie…” But how could memories be lies? Maybe…if a person couldn’t remember something and somebody lied to them about it, then they might believe that was true. Like that time. When Sora had turned into a Heartless…he couldn’t remember it very well. All he really knew was that Kairi had saved him. But…he only believed that because when he got his body back, Kairi had been holding him. What if it had really been someone else who saved him? “That’s all I can say,” the Cheshire Cat told them. “The rest is for you to figure out.”

Sora says "I think that's what saved me." So he's not entirely sure, and Kairi never really confirms that it was her who saved Sora. And, it's almost as if he's clutching his necklace.

By the way, this post isn't an attack on Kairi or Namine. They're playing some kind of mysterious role we don't know about yet, and I believe they genuinely care about Sora and don't intend to do him any harm.

Kairi moves in front of the light, and is not the source it's emanating from. Again she doesn't exactly confirm it was her who saved Sora.

[databoyreekoo]

Possible parallel?

Note the above two shots - they look different, but Riku is the light source in both. I also believe that the "mirroring" going on is symbolically intended, to represent an "alternate reality".

The night of the storm has some visual parallels with the KH1 opening so that's why I've included it. I would've added more but image limit.

Why did they choose this visual parallel?

From https://www.khinsider.com/forums/index.php?threads/kingdom-hearts-3-ultimania-scenario-mysteries-interview-translated.219167/

Riku is there on behalf of Repliku, whose altered memories had lead him to believe that the promise Real Thing exchanged on the night of the meteor shower was with Namine, while in reality it must've been Sora.

The significance of Riku's "presenting" gesture is still a mystery, but my speculation is that it has something to do with the meteor shower promise, probably to take Sora's hand, symbolizing their heart's connection, and also the making of the promise.

It's meaningful that the hands of Riku and Namine actually touch, symbolizing a connection and the fulfillment of a promise, while Sora tries but fails to reach Riku's hand, both on the night of the storm and in the KH1 opening. Riku and Namine's hands are set to a bright sunny day, while Sora and Riku's are set to a stormy night (or underwater in the opening). So the situation between Sora and Riku has yet to be resolved.

---Even though Riku was the rightful owner of the Keyblade, then why did Sora obtain the Keyblade in the beginning?

Nomura: Even though I would like to keep that obscure, there is a scene in Destiny islands where Riku is being swallowed by darkness, a light appears, and Sora first obtains the keyblade. With the setting I created, the darkness that surrounds them is Riku’s heart’s darkness. At that moment, Sora enters the darkness, and the light he sees inside is Riku’s heart’s light. Sora, who was squirming in the darkness to save Riku, touched the light and temporarily obtained the Keyblade from Riku.

From the KH1 Ultimania, https://kh-ultimania.livejournal.com/3508.html

Many times we see memories depicted as light, so I wonder if in this moment, this light in Riku's heart, is actually the memory of the meteor shower promise, and in respecting it, the keyblade is bequeathed to Sora in order to protect him.

Also note that we can see both of Sora and Riku's signature colors, red/gold and blue/silver.

[databoyreekoo]

[databoyreekoo]

Symphony of Sorcery Parallels - Riku Side

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so what do you think could be inside the box?

i actually have a twitter thread about this, you can view it here;

#asks #anon #kh #theory

[databoyreekoo]

If riku is the light, why does sora literally say that kairi is the light?

i'm not going to entertain you lol

#i thought about it tho #but if you were genuinely curious you would've done your own research

[databoyreekoo]

So I just noticed that Mirage Split and Nightmare’s End don’t exclusively have angel or demon wings.

Nightmare’s End (Sora’s keyblade) has angel wings on the handle and keychain, but above the handle you’ll notice the design is more reminiscent of a demon’s wing.

Mirage Split similarly has demon wings on its handle and keychain, but an angel’s wing above the handle.

(Angel wings circled in blue, demon wings circled in red)

This further suggests how Sora and Riku work in yin yang. One is not completely darkness and the other is not completely light. They balance each other out

[databoyreekoo]

My Childhood Friend (Riku character file translation)

My Childhood Friend

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[databoyreekoo]

Bottom left of the Beat of Lead stage select screen says we’re playing as Yozora with a type “blue” Giga. And look. There we are. In Beat of Lead, playing as Sora…with a type blue Giga.

Funny that Verum Rex: Beat of Lead recognizes Sora as Yozora the moment he was tossed inside by Young Xehanort. You know what’s also funny? Just before this, Sora was confused by the similarities of his and Yozora’s clothes, prompting Donald and Goofy to tease him about Yozora being Riku instead of Sora.

Sora’s kingstagram post mentions he feels a strange connection to Yozora and wonders if it’s because of Riku.

[databoyreekoo]

Elsa, the Power of Love, the χ-blade and Riku

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[databoyreekoo]

frick ok time to repost the shit:

UGH now i have to REwrite the fact that i find sora’s face here hilarious cause like—he’s the one who probs cried that night. ur laughing at urself LMAO

I WANNA add the corresponding repliku screenshots but there’s a fucking image limit no one told me about?? the fuck

also lmao “namines” dry ass reaction:

i don’t remember if i ever put my hercules crack theory here but i like to think the detail about “having the charm since infancy” is intentional and some sort of reference to the hercules movie—bc, you know, hercules had his god medallion thing up in olympus (had it when he got kidnapped, had it when he was turned mortal, had it around his neck when his adoptive mortal parents found him, and his mortal parents gave it to him as proof that he was a demi god)

AND IT DRIVES ME INSANE ig that’s what crack does, anyway—

SAME donald SAME finally we’re on the same frickin wavelength. “WOW” EXACTLY, fuckin—WTF RIKU wHY Aare you so SWEET fUCK

riku 🥺🥺🥺

this is like, in regards to sora forgetting namine, but also like, it matches riku and his fuck up in kh1 😭 thIS GAME

repliku and his dramatic ass incoming

[databoyreekoo]

[KH side story translation] the beginning of Other Diamonds

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[databoyreekoo]

Here's a thought: the stained glass design on the combined keyblade represents the 7th chakra, Sahasrara.

I’m so, SO glad you brought this up, because somehow I had never realized that the stained glass on the combined keyblade IS a lotus flower, despite the lotus pod Sora sleeps in being one of my favorite designs in the series for its symbolism (and having just done an entire painting with the lotus symbol as the focus for Riku).

In Buddhism, the fully opened lotus is generally a symbol for enlightenment and purity, like how the lotus flower grows in mud but rises above it untarnished.

The historical Buddha used the lotus symbolism in his sermons. For example, in the Dona Sutta (Pali Tipitika, Anguttara Nikaya 4.36), the Buddha was asked if he was a god. He replied,

“Just like a red, blue, or white lotus—born in the water, grown in the water, rising up above the water—stands unsmeared by the water, in the same way I—born in the world, grown in the world, having overcome the world—live unsmeared by the world. Remember me, brahman, as ‘awakened.’”

I included this quote because the concept of being “awakened” has actually been a consistent theme of Kingdom Hearts since the beginning- With Destati itself meaning “awaken”, while characters are often shown falling into an unnatural sleep as part of the story.

It seems significant then that Riku, in the game that so strongly shows how he has grown and overcome his past weaknesses, shares a piece of this symbolism. I do think this is probably part of what they were referencing when they used the lotus as part of the design of this keyblade.

As for the idea of it representing the 7th Chakra, I had to do a little research because the extent of my knowledge on chakras comes from Avatar lol.  Here’s some things I found that could have a connection to Kingdom Hearts (beyond the number 7 also always being associated with light in kh):

The Sahasrara or crown chakra is visually represented as a lotus flower:

“The dominating color of the crown chakra symbol is white. Its petals are multicolor, like a rainbow.” (Like the Combined Keyblade)

“Sahasrara is located at the crown of the head. The gift of this chakra is experiencing unity and the selfless realization that everything is connected at a fundamental level.”  (Connection of hearts being a fundamental theme of Kingdom Hearts)

“The crown chakra is associated with the transcendence of our limitations, whether they are personal or bound to space and time. It is where the paradox becomes norm, where seemingly opposites are one.”  (And it is the Combined Keyblade where light and dark halves come together into one)

Now this is the part that really has me interested:

“Some describe this chakra as the gateway to the cosmic self or the divine self, to universal consciousness.”

This bit caught me because of the theory that Sora is something like Kingdom Hearts (or its “king”) incarnate, which is a theory I think definitely has merit… and I also have the idea that if Sora is in some way Kingdom Hearts incarnate, Riku might be the “knight” incarnate that guarded Kingdom Hearts with the x-blade (because of the allusions to Riku being a “knight” in DDD and the seeming plot relevance of Riku’s drive to protect Sora that Nomura felt was necessary to really drive home in the official recap video…).  These could be considered Sora and Riku’s “divine selves” that they will have to awaken to.  And, if Sora and Riku do create the x-blade together, and open the door to Kingdom Hearts with it, remember that Xehanort believes “whoever opens the door to Kingdom Hearts will become more than human”.