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cryo-knight · 2 years

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Sometimes I think about the fact that a Wasteland/Epic Mickey world would be so absolutely perfect for Kingdom Hearts, with the themes of heart and memory, and even arguably light and darkness between both, but knowing that Disney is highly unlikely to use Oswald in any significant way at any point in the future is actually super disheartening, especially for Epic Mickey fans like myself.

I've always had this headcanon that, say if Oswald were to appear in Kingdom Hearts, what his role would be. I always think back to the connection between Sora and Mickey (or even Ventus and Mickey) who were always sort of a parallel to each other. They both care deeply about their friends, and help guide others to the light. Sora's KH1 design was even based on Mickey, and both wield a version of the Kingdom Key.

When it comes to dark parallels, an immediate comparison to Sora would be Vanitas. You could also argue Roxas, however, from a directly visual standpoint, it's Vanitas who looks like the dark version of Sora, and Roxas is now actively one of the guardians of light.

And who do we know of that works as a dark counterpart to Mickey, other than Oswald himself. It's established in Epic Mickey 1 that Oswald doesn't like Mickey, resents him in fact (though this changes towards the end of the game), which sounds a lot like how Vanitas resents Sora and Ven. Unlike Mickey, Oswald was forced to sit there, watching as he and the people he cared about become forgotten, and couldn't do much of anything to prevent Wasteland from being mostly destroyed by thinner and the Blot, losing the one person he cared about most in the process. It would be easy to imagine someone going through all that, and ending up falling to darkness. Even the people living in Wasteland don't hide the fact that they're genuinely sad about not being remembered, though Oswald actively tries to make things better for them given the circumstances.

Interestingly, as a bit of a side note, Horace Horsecollar was actually living in Wasteland during the events of Epic Mickey, but was later added as a character residing in Disney Town in BBS.

Both Oswald and Mickey are kings. In Epic Mickey, Oswald is the king of Wasteland, and in Kingdom Hearts, Mickey is the king of Disney Castle. With Disney Castle being found in the Realm of Light, I've always thought it would fitting if instead of being in Yen Sid's tower, Wasteland was found somewhere in the Realm of Darkness. This then leads to Vanitas, as after he was destroyed in KH3, if he were to be rebuilt again like he was in Monstropolis, I'd be fitting for him to end up in Wasteland with Oswald, a world literally made for those who were forgotten, losing their hearts. And when Vanitas was first separated from Ven prior to BBS, he had already lost half of his heart, which could arguably be connected to Oswald losing Ortensia during the Blot's attack, albeit with very different circumstances.

This gets shaky when taking into account that Vanitas' real heart might actually still be inside of Ven's from when they fought at the end of BBS, and the version of him we see in KH3 is a time traveled version, however, as I already mentioned, this is just a headcanon I've had since around 0.2.

I know the story for KH4 is mostly going to center around the world of Unreality, and presumably Riku getting Sora back, as well as potentially dipping into the coming battle between the Master of Masters, the Foretellers, and the guardians of light, however, we know that when searching for any sign of Sora, the BBS trio actively started making trips into the Realm of Darkness. And wouldn't it be interesting if they wound up stumbling across a world of forgotten people, and Ven somehow ran into his other half once again.

#kingdom hearts #disney #oswald the lucky rabbit #epic mickey #kingdom hearts theory #kingdom hearts headcanon #Vanitas #Highly unlikely theory of mine that I've been thinking about since 0.2

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secret-reports · 2 years

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Hey, I’m really confused about what they meant when they said Master Xehanort is a portal and that they could use that to trap him. I’ve seen your portals video as well but I’m afraid I still don’t see the correlation :(

Don't worry, in my DDDiscuss intro video, I also state that none of my research on DDD's portals helped me understand that LOL.

Looking back now, I don't know why they implied such a link between "Xehanort being a portal" and "using that to trap him" because they seem like two different phenomenon, but I'll explain why at the end.

In short, I think they tried to trap Xehanort's consciousness within his own dream/heart.

To best understand this, let's look at Sora in DDD. Yes Sora was in the real world, unconscious. But a "heart version" of him was also inside a dream/memory version of Destiny Islands conjured up by his heart. We never saw this "heart version" of Sora simply because he left/disappeared before Riku arrived.

So it seems to me the Guardians of Light attempted a similar thing against Xehanort. They opened a familiar pink portal into Xehanort's heart, which lead them to a dream/memory Scala conjured up by Xehanort's heart. Within, a "heart version" of Xehanort exists. I think they wanted to defeat this "heart version" to incapacitate the real Xehanort outside, just like unconscious Sora in DDD.

The real Xehanort's body DOES disappear by the time the Guardians of Light fight the 13 vessels, so it might be somehow Xehanort's body also got trapped within his own heart as well. While that DOES differ from Sora in DDD, it isn't the only time that happens, as Riku's body disappeared when entering Sora's heart, and Sora disappeared completely when fighting Roxas in the Station of Awakening. So I think it's possible your entire body can enter the realm of sleep/dreams.

As for Riku calling Xehanort a portal in the first place, I think that line derived from a 10 year old Nomura interview statement, where he calls Young Xehanort a "portal" due to time traveling abilities gained from robed Ansem SoD. The thing is, Dark Road approaches the scene Nomura is referring to very differently. Ansem and YX don't have that transference of power, and instead Ansem brings up "waypoints".

Therefore, I personally think the word "portal" is no longer related to why Xehanort can transcend time and space, and instead Nomura is developing other terms and reasons for why that is (and I could go into that as well, but I'll stop for now LOL).

#kh3 #xehanort #master xehanort #portal #portals #ddd #this is DR spoiler free BTW

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h-worksrambles · 1 year

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Dream Drop Distance And Why it Frustrates Me

Recently I’ve been thinking about Kingdom Hearts more and god….

Dream Drop Distance was such wasted potential.

And no, I’m not saying that because ‘time travel bad’, ‘Drop system bad’ but because the core concept is such a fascinating idea. Sora and Riku exploring dream worlds. The two are literally wandering through their own (and each other’s) dreams. That’s such an interesting way to let you explore these characters’ headspace’s, their thoughts, their feelings, their fears, their subconscious. This was Kingdom Hearts’ chance to go full Psychonauts. It also adds a lot of potential to the Disney worlds too. Instead of just repeating the movie plots, you can afford to go for much weirder, surreal interpretations of these locales. These worlds are literally dreaming. The laws of reality no longer apply in these spaces. The Sleeping Worlds could have been both fascinating abstract places to explore, and a way to explore these characters on a deeper level…

It’s just too bad that DDD does neither of these. For one thing, given the premise, it’s shockingly lacking in character development. Much has been said of how DDD actively hurts Sora‘s character. His naivety and childish streak are turned up to 11 and any edge or fire to his personality is scrubbed away. He’s led along by the plot with no skepticism of the events around him until he’s damselled in the finale. There is potential in the premise of ‘Sora’s naivety and love for his friends puts him in danger’…until you remember the series has done this before and done it better. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories had Sora climbing further and further up Castle Oblivion out of the determination to save his friends, while the villains messed with his mind. But that game did a better job at keeping Sora in character and giving him more agency. When he does act out of character, being unnaturally aggressive, possessive and mean spirited, even to Donald and Goofy, it’s because that’s the point. Naminé interfering with his memories has actively made him a different person. It served the game’s message that your experiences are what make you who you are, and that hypothetically, if someone were to change or replace those formative moments, you would not be the same. Sora’s campaign in DDD isn’t done in the interest of exploring a theme, or doing something new with his character. It is a plot convenience that needs to happen so that Riku can save Sora at the end.

And perhaps this is a controversial take given that this is effectively his game, but Riku’s character arc is not much better. The setup is promising. Riku thinks that ‘darkness still has a hold’ on his heart and he wants to know if he’s still worthy of the Keyblade. When you take out the ‘light/darkness’ jargon, what Riku is looking for is redemption. He’s been forgiven by his friends for the wrongs he’s done, but he hasn’t forgiven himself. With that in mind, having him go through Disney worlds is a good idea. The last time Riku went world hopping in KH1, he was Maleficent’s puppet and was actively making things worse there. He kidnapped Jasmine, he nearly killed Pinocchio, he attacked Beast. This time, he can go through the worlds helping people like Sora has, proving that he’s grown and changed (in part becoming more like Sora)…

And then Ansem shows up. And any potential for Riku’s story is sucked out by one of DDD’s biggest flaws: its insistence on dredging up the past rather than doing anything new. Now any new exploration of Riku forgiving himself, or showing us what his ‘use both light and darkness’ approach actually looks like in practice, is thrown out for a repeat of his Chain of Memories arc. We’re right back to ‘use the darkness’, ‘No’. Riku has already shaken off Ansem, he’s made his peace with his place in the balance of light and darkness. He didn’t need to go through this again.

DDD is often praised for its exploration of Sora and Riku’s relationship (sometimes joking called ‘the Soriku game’). And yes, this is probably the one thing I think really works about the game’s story. The moments where Sora and Riku reflect on how much they trust each other, or where Riku compares how Sora has helped him grow to Pinocchio and Jiminy, are good. Riku ending the game by saving Sora from falling into darkness like Sora once did for him, is an excellent point to close out the game. But it would have been even better if DDD had committed to exploring these characters on a deeper level, really showing how they’ve grown both separately and together. Instead, they both regress so the plot can have then redo characters arcs they both have done before, but worse. What is supposed to be a game about how much they’ve grown together ends up doing the exact opposite. I think their bond is incredibly wholesome but it could have been showcased so much better.

And it’s maddening because there are moments when DDD comes so close to getting this right. When Sora wanders The World That Never Was, we see him meet all the people he’s connected to and how he feels about them. He sees Naminé and wants to finally thank her for all she’s done. He sees Xion but doesn’t remember her. He meets Roxas and tries to apologise for everything that happened. He talks about how it’s not fair that Roxas had to go away for Sora to go on living, and how he wants Roxas to have the chance to be his own person. This is probably the best scene in the game. Because it’s the one moment the game actually does what it should have been doing all this time: use the premise that Sora and Riku are dreaming to show us what they’ve been thinking and feeling on the inside but never actually said. Sora had never commented on the tragedy of Roxas’ story before now, and this desire to save him goes on to be a huge motivator for him in Kingdom Hearts 3. It’s a moment that showcases Sora’s empathy but also his growing maturity, that he understands the Nobodies’ plight now in a way he didn’t entirely back in Kingdom Hearts 2. But this is really all we get in terms of new character work for Sora. And because his character has been so dumbed down throughout the rest of the game, it actually feels a little out of nowhere.

Imagine if this was a fixture of the entire game. If Sora and Riku were confronting dreams that reflected these inner thoughts throughout the whole game. If Riku really is Sora’s Dream Eater, why not let him see Sora’s dreams? Allow him to see what’s going on behind the cheerful grin and get more insight into his best friend’s hidden insecurities? If Riku wants to be more like Sora, give him a sight what it’s like to BE Sora. It would lead even better into the depiction of Sora’s doubts in Kingdom Hearts 3.

But, like many Kingdom Hearts games, we spend more time hopping through Disney World retellings that don’t meaningfully enhance the plot or characters (the closest is Sora’s encounter with Tron in The Grid and it doesn’t go anywhere near far enough). And remember what I was saying about how if the worlds are dreaming we have a chance to get really weird and abstract with how these worlds play out? Yeah, we only get scraps of that. Traverse Town being split in two is interesting and a fun way to homage the combat of The World Ends With You. Prankster’s Paradise repeating the same point in time on loop is a neat concept. But that’s the most the game ever does with this idea. It’s a shame because I think using oddball world choices was the right move for this setup and I’m thrilled to finally get a Fantasia world. It’s yet another part of the game that feels like unrealised potential. Of the game wasting time when it could be developing its characters.

I have a lot of nostalgia for Dream Drop Distance. It was the first Kingdom Hearts game I got to play on release after getting caught up with the series. It was a fun game to play on the go as a kid. But the more time goes by, the more problems I have with it. I didn’t even touch on the gameplay aspect (and I could say a lot about my problems with Dream Drop Distance’s gameplay). But even aside from the more shark jumping aspects, the story frustrates me because it could have been great. But ultimately I think DDD suffered because it tried to be too many things. It wanted to be a nostalgic trip down memory lane for the 10th anniversary that ruminates on Sora and Riku’s growth and relationship, while pitting them against classic villains for extra nostalgia. It also wanted to be the next chapter in the series’ ongoing story. But it couldn’t wrap that up as it also needed to be the warmup for the long awaited Kingdom Hearts 3. So we get a game whose attempts to do something new are hobbled by a need to revisit things it didn’t need to. Instead of establishing a new threat, it brought back characters well past their expiration date. Instead of doing anything new with the characters, it wallows in ideas and characters arcs they’ve already gone through, without quite getting why they worked the first time to begin with. And while I don’t want to get into the controversy over Kingdom Hearts 3, I feel a lot of that would have been avoided if this game had done a better job leading into it.

Dream Drop Distance really could have been something. But all it ended up doing was doing these two characters dirty.

#these thoughts have been rolling around in my head for a few days #and i want to put them down now while they’re somewhat concrete in my head #tldr i wish this game could have been better #i don’t want to be that guy who says ‘the series got bad after 2’#in part because i did actually really like 3 #but i’m definitely a lot more critical of the later games #and ddd especially #sora #riku #kingdom hearts dream drop distance #kingdom hearts

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devilsurvivor-2-recordbreaker · 1 year

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There will never be a game such as kingdom hearts 2 ever again.

Like really never.

The original development team that made KH1 and 2 for playstation 2 was disbanded long ago. Now the tram that was revived, specifically by Nomura if I remember correctly, was not put to the task of making all future installments.

Which likely was the reason why the next four or five games were prequels or side-quels, and why Xehanort became the central plot point of the series for so long as I like to think. As well why many of these games were put on handhelds, likely to not strain the team since they were so new. It may also explain the combat systems that were nothing like kh 1 or 2 but in bad ways most of the time. I have the suspicion that it's as well why the following games kept reusing kh1 and kh2 designs either in the style of combat or straight up replaying the games but with new scenarios or in others cases: the chain of memories exscue. Where a game happened to occur in all the same worlds and have all the same characters and all the same music.

Now with KH 3 this team was finally put to the actual task of making a actual ACTUAL kingdom hearts game to... mimicking results. 3 gameplay wise feels like a bad attempt to copy the homework the original kingdom hearts duology had done atleast a decade and more prior and with how many times the new team had been cheating it resulted in a somewhat bad tasting result. Like look at that base game air combo and tell me that it doesn't make you sick.

Story wise both overall and with the individual worlds I would say only Toy Story does it right. Like it sets the bar, it feels like a classic kingdom hearts Story Arc with the whole gang. It's compelling and emotional and woody has a moment where he's a actual threat to the villian wholes been making a mock of us the entire time. It great.

Then there are the two back to back movie montages with Sora, Donald, and Goofy in the background.

San fran Tokyo is a total joke. It's this massive one room world that you never explore because the entire plot line of the world is a repeat of do a mission, go to the save room, go do a thing, go to the save room, repeat until it's over. And then it just hard cuts to the final world like there should have been like two bosses before we reached the Keyblade Graveyard.

Every world after Toy Story feels horrible. Except The Caribbean for most of it. It's also a fun one room worlds you get to travel and the ship gimmic is pretty fun. It even has its own leveling system.

Most of the story feels like jelly and jam and they once again don't allow you play as Riku in a legitimate way but instead as a hollowed put sora with very little move set. And they gave him a stupid hair cut and snapped his keybalde in half in exchange for a car key which I'm still mad about. Fight in the parking lot over it.

So much of the final world feels like the biggest slog. I appreciate the little moments we have with all the villians as we say our final goodbyes as rivals and as enemies. Especially near the end when you fight the Xehanorts. That hurt different.

The original team is dead and in their wake a nobody has been created, as well a shadow. Neither exactly what they originated from. Both in a way a terrible resemblance of what they once were. The shadow has been vanquished as the light has faded and now only the hollow nobody remains. I have no expectations nor actual bars set for four. I just hope the new team gets better at what they do.

As there will never be such a game like kingdom hearts 2 ever again.

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wait-still-rendering · 1 year

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here is the original outline of The Strange Case of Kairi Uchida (which probably needs another title at this point). It is unfinished, but I wager it would have been like 50+ chapters long if I did finish writing it out lol. :) Enjoy what may never be.

@kessielrg @coffeetime88

Terminus

OUTLINE

The Strange Case of Kairi Uchida

1: Autumn - Strange occurrences are happening to Kairi so she goes off in search of answers and is now missing.

2: Downpour - Sora attempts to gather as many clues as possible that are related to Kairi’s disappearance.

3: Wayfaring Streets - With the help of Riku and Selphie, Sora heads for Radiant Garden to look for Kairi.

4: Catacombs of the Mind - Kairi attempts to piece together what is happening to her. The girl from the mirror guides her to Hollow Bastion’s castle which leads to a shocking discovery.

5: Terminus - Kairi has a choice to make and it isn’t an easy one. Sora and co find Kairi, but both parties are torn away from each other at the last moment. The shadowy monsters from before appear within the castle which triggers a lost memory for Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

6: The Mirrors of Time: As Sora and co explore the castle and its various traps, they come across a room full of mirrors and learn about an urban legend—the Heartless.

7: Astray - Kairi and Xion attempt to find a way back to Sora and co, but instead stumble upon a library that Kairi distinctly remembers visiting. The only problem is Radiant Garden and Hollow Bastion were separated before Kairi’s birth. They find a new ally in Roxas.

8: Murky Waters - Stuck in the room of mirrors, Sora, Riku, and Selphie must find a pathway through the mirrors.

9: Torch - It's a race against time to find the exit before the castle is overridden by Heartless. Kairi attempts to find a way to communicate this sentiment to her friends on the other side (Sora, Riku, Selphie.)

10: Bindings of the Undercity - Both groups fight their way out of the castle, but with no way back to Hollow Bastion’s entrance. They soon stumble upon a ghost train. The party is split on whether or not to get on or try to find a way back to Radiant Garden. In the end, Kairi boards the train leading to the rest of the other members to also get on. The train leads them to what they soon learn is the Underworld.

11: Tidal Waves - As they have no choice but to move forward, tensions rise. Kairi finally learns why strange things have been happening to her.

12: Storm - A fight breaks out within the group which leads to an accidental teleportation.

13: Clockwork - The gang finds themselves out at sea in an unfamiliar airship. It isn't until they land that they find out they have traveled into a foreign reality.

14: Shards - The flickering starts up again for Kairi who now knows the flickerings are memories of different lifetimes.

15: Childhood Pathways - The gang comes across a photo album filled with memories from different lifetimes. Endings. They have a choice to make.

16: The Door to Oblivion - Heartless appear once more. Kairi sees flashes of the Keyblade Graveyard.

17: Celestial Affairs - They land in Scala ad Caelum, a bustling city full of spirits from all times. Five houses rule over them—Bear, Snake, Unicorn, Fox, Leopard.

18: Walls of the Silver Palace - The group splits up in order to investigate the five houses. When they uncover a new discovery, they must either prepare for war or find another reality to jump to.

19: Paradigm Madness - Fearing the uprising, everyone flees Scala ad Caelum and finds themselves in unfamiliar territory once again. It isn’t until they gather their barings that they realize they are centuries back in another reality in a place called Gaia. Selphie remembers scraps of another lifetime in Balamb Garden.

20: Breaching Threads - As the gang travels through Gaia (FF9), they attempt to find their footing. They soon come across a familiar face. Roxas grapples with the unhappy memories he has of his past life.

Characters

Kairi Uchida

Selphie Tilmitt

Riku Miyano

Sora Irino

Xion Hikari

Roxas Uchiyama

Don't trust blindly.

Sora was never one to wake up early. His thin blankets lay on the ground as they always did no matter how many times he attempted to wrap himself up in them at night. Destiny Islands was hotter than the blazing sun on its worst days and mildly chilly on its best days.

It should have been indicative to him that something was not quite right when he looked at the time and saw the red numbers spread out.

5:02 in the morning.

Tangles of clothes were strewn across Sora’s bedroom floor. When he awoke at exactly 5:02 that morning, he let out a string of curses as he stumbled over the combined mess of dirty laundry and a half-read book aptly placed near his bedside.

Most days Sora wouldn't dream of getting out of bed at such an ungodly hour, but it was as if an unknown entity forced him out of his slumber.

He looked toward the calendar. November 3rd. Kairi would be home soon. A smile found its way to his lips.

Perhaps Sora should have realized there was something horribly, horribly wrong, but Sora did not have that epiphany because he had no reason to believe anything was wrong. The quiet of early morning almost made Sora crawl back into bed, but when he caught sight of a streak of white, his weariness dissipated. It was snowing.

It was snowing on Destiny Islands.

He snapped a quick picture before sending it into the group chat so Riku and Kairi could see.

Hours from now, Sora would be on a train heading for Radiant Garden with Riku and Selphie in tow.

Kairi’s hands trailed alongside the smooth spine of one of the more ornate books within the castle’s library.

#fanfic #fanfiction #kingdom hearts #no this is not bc its kingdom heart's anniversary #that was a happy accident lmao #i hope u all enjoy the unfinished outline

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localcryptideli · 1 year

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Omg what crack theory about them you got that’s really sad? 😭😭😭 For me, I think MOM is Riku’s parent basically and Riku either lied about his name to protect himself or he lost his name and doesn’t know what he truly is cause MOM hasn’t revealed a face after so long so after Xehanort referring to KH as an unseen land I went “0: Oh my god you’re Riku’s mom dad”

Okay very short and cheesy and probably bad phrased summary because it's midnight and I thought of this like, six months ago so my memories are jumbled BUT -

It was less of a theory and more of an au based on a crack theory, in which, in an alternate reality to the canon one, Sora, overwhelmed by trauma, succumbs to darkness completely in a fresh new way, and consequently gets a bit dangerous ("a bit"), while Riku loses himself from the combo of his connected person succumbing to darkness + despair to save Sora and becomes the Master of Masters, mainly because despite his immunity, with Sora getting corrupted, he gets corrupted by proxy. He's a bit between our Riku and the nightmare version we saw in ddd. He is not quite fallen to Darkness, but not fully in the light either.

And because time travel is now a thing I imagined, again this all in crack theory fun, that he went back in time to try and find a way to save Sora (hence yozora being tasked with saving sora, and MoM calling Darkness "Old Friend"), and is currently trying to prevent Sora in our timeline to succumb to darkness, so that none of what happened will happen (hence encasing him to save him - can't succumb to darkness if he is frozen in a coma).

And he probably took an eye out when he clashed with his version of Sora in some previous instance, so he could track him around across eras, as you do, you know. Best friends matching outfit. The romantic friends to lovers to enemies longing for each other kinda deal with a swor-er, keyblade, pointed against him because you love him and you need to do this exactly because you love him, even though you know it's going to kill what little was left of the old you and make you a bit funkier in the head afterwards. Just another Tuesday here.

So you have our Riku, probably getting strung to work with him, not knowing he's an alternate version of himself, and then eventually going against him because he realizes his plan is, essentially "I tracked my old self down because while Sora was still Sora I was immune to darkness so I need you to find him and destroy him, and either this goes well or I will make sure we'll all be destroyed so darkness can have an end" and no, he's not doing that, he's not hurting Sora in any version, end of the story. He spent too long making it up for the one time he hurt him and he is not going to live through that guilt again.

And then because I am always a slut for cheesy romantic hurt/comfort stuff I thought our Riku would dive into Sora's heart again and get him to face his trauma so he wouldn't fall to darkness, see a Sora stuck in a reality where things are fine (you know the trope), get him to realize what is happening, get him to face his trauma, kiss him as dream reality collapses around them, and save him and the world. The end.

Note: it was a crack theory. My actual theory on what might be happening is quite different but the gifset reminded me so much of this one. But ironically from the khux ending and khdr I do think the solution to the war will ultimately be finding a way to live with Darkness as opposed to annihilating it so I guess at least I am coherent with my theories, crack or not. Although I also get a sense those two might pull a Fang/Vanille way of saving the world. Cause, you know, parallels.

#i need to find a tag for personal updates

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palizinhas · 2 years

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8 for Kaixi for the kiss prompt?

8. …in secrecy.

Xion didn't mean to.

Destiny Islands felt like home, sometimes, and sometimes it was completely alien. The bright sunlight, the heat, the sand, the sea, the sound of the waves, they were completely different from the bland World That Never was or even the warmth she associated with Twilight Town.

Riku had given her time to think, and Axel had tried to get her to go back to the Organization.

But she'd seen Roxas's face when he saw them fight, knew things would be weird if she went back to the Organization with the expiration date of her life hanging over her.

And being near Roxas would simply make it worse.

And so, she went to the main island and hid there.

The locals seemed to be used to weirdness and no one commented on her heavy coat.

Xion also met Kairi.

Kairi was familiar but not, too. She dreamt about her multiple times, had known her as the girl she - Sora - had a crush on. And Kairi was everything she saw in those memories.

She was also so much more than that.

"Riku still hasn't come here," Kairi said, the two of them sitting at the top of the school roof (people shouldn't use Dark Corridors without the coat, but Kairi was pure light, so Xion assumed she would be fine if she didn't stay in them too long).

"Yeah," Xion said. He wouldn't. Hadn't gotten close to the main island when they were traveling together. Hiding from him was one of the reasons she'd chosen to go there. "Do you miss them?"

"Riku and..." Kairi trailed off. Xion had said Sora's name - hadn't lied to her - but Kairi never seemed to be able to remember. "I do."

Xion had already made her choice - she couldn't let Kairi miss her boys. But she still had some time before it was fully necessary, and... if she was going to cease exisiting, she wanted to live a bit more.

"I'm hiding from Riku," Xion said. "But I wish he didn't hide from you."

"Riku is Riku," Kairi said, looking at her with a light in her eyes that XIon couldn't look away from. "If he's being stupid, at least I can help you hide from him in the process. You're my little secret."

That was all she would ever be.

But Xion leaned in and kissed Kairi anyway - soon that would mean nothing to her. But in this spot no one could see them, where Kairi's light hid her from the Organization and Kairi's existence hid her from Riku...

Just one little thing that Xion could have before it all went away.

#kingdom hearts #kaixi #:(

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oveliagirlhaditright · 2 years

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I Don’t Think Life is Quite That Simple

Summary: While Kairi waits for Sora and Riku a third time, she finds herself thinking that some things don't change at all… but some definitely do. Kairi-centric. Introspective. Kairi character development. SoKai. Riku and Kairi friendship. Post-Melody of Memory. Canon compliant.

I Don’t Think Life is Quite That Simple

In a lot of ways, Kairi found that waiting for Sora—even after he’d faded away—was similar to when she’d had had to hope for his returns before.

For instance, three times now had Kairi found herself standing on some sort of balcony—she was the Juliet in this tale for sure, it would seem.

The first time had been in the Organization's lair of Castle That Never Was, after they'd kidnapped her, and she'd looked down and seen Sora for the first time in a year.

Then during Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery, when she'd gone over to Riku's parents to give them some moral support by telling them of all of Riku’s triumphs that she knew about (for even though Sora and Riku's parents understood the choices their boys had made, they'd still missed them something fierce after they’d gone to try and save those connected to them), she’d for just a moment found herself creeping out onto Riku's balcony, and wondering in that moment where her best friends were and if they were safe.

And now the Princess was standing on an embankment jutting out of The Land of Departure's castle—staring at the lovely mountains and waterfalls that she could see from this spot—as she pondered if Sora would ever truly be safe in her arms again.

Yes, some things never really changed, Kairi thought with a deep sigh now—as she fell down onto her bottom, and tried to figure out why she hadn't argued the point more, when both Riku and the Fairy Godmother had recently insisted she stay behind again.

But then again... maybe they did, Kairi allowed, with resolving alighting in her eyes now. Perhaps slowly but surely things changed, but alterations were still made.

Because her training was coming along very thoroughly; the Princess of Heart was stronger than she ever had been before, and she knew that nothing would ever trip her up again. She wouldn't allow anything to.

Even more than that, however, was that... "Sora, I may have a theory to save you," Kairi spoke now, placing a hand over her heart. And she hoped that her boyfriend could somehow feel this gesture: that some part of him had somehow remained with her, when he'd recently possessed her body in order to save her life from that awful Master Xehanort.

Now walking away from the balcony(ies) that had held her fate for so long now, Kairi continued to voice her thoughts aloud—all the while that she imagined that Sora was beside her, listening to her thoughts here as she said them. She could just picture what his reactions to them would be, too, and it almost brought a smile to her face. Almost. "The X-Blade is often pronounced 'kye,' right? Well... even though the words are spelled differently, that's the same pronunciation as the first part of my name. I wonder if I have more of a connection to the X-Blade than we initially thought...

"As one of the Seven New Hearts or a Guardian of Light, I'd always be one chosen to help create the X-Blade. ...And in the Keyblade Graveyard, I was the last Key that was used to make the darn thing."

Kairi angrily snapped her fingers at the last thought, as she stopped walking. And she supposed it was her Princess of Heart status that kept her from doing more, like trying to punch through a wall.

She wanted to do more. She wanted to rage about the horrible things that had happened to her there. And it was because of all of that, that Sora had had to disappear. How Kairi wished that she could time travel, or something, to right all of those wrongs.

But knowing those were the kind of thoughts that had led to Sora breaking a nature taboo, so that he then vanished and left his friends here hurting in the process (thought Kairi would never blame Sora for what he'd done for her. Not ever), she nipped that thought in the bud, and instead decided to return to the matter at hand.

After all, she liked to believe that Sora was here waiting for her to finish her point, and that his head was cocked to the side in the cutest, puppy dog-like way. "And Sora... Riku told me that he thinks... Xehanort bequeathed the X-Blade to you before he died. If that's the case, maybe we both have a connection to it and therefore Kingdom Hearts that way. And I'm thinking I can use that connection to get to you in Quadratum, without having the Power of Waking. And I'm going to do it.

"I'm through waiting, dangit! With Riku… I just know he's been gone too long now. And I'm not losing him, too. I’m not! And I just know that I'm ready for this! When Aqua began training me, and saw how much I already knew, she actually wondered why I wanted a teacher at all. So, this time... this time I'll win. I'll win everything for you guys’ sake."

And even though Sora had seen Kairi defeat Xehanort alongside him... she thought that if he was here with here now, he'd be looking at her somewhat dubiously at her last proclamation.

Not in a way to hint that he didn't believe in her strength at all, or that he wanted her to stay behind again, but he would be somewhat doubtful, it was true.

But Kairi was done having her skills questioned, when she finally believed in herself. She would do what no one else could—what she had once believed she'd never be capable of—and bring Sora and Riku both back from this world of Unreality. And when she did, everyone would finally see why it was so important to always be true to one's heart.

"I'm coming to save you two," Kairi promised herself.

And the redhead summoned her Keyblade to hand via a shock of glitter. That, perhaps, with the setting sun lighting up this room in the Land of Departure with the last of its rays, made her blade look a certain shade of green.

Author's Note: The last part can be interpreted as the “sun sets flash of green” thing from Pirates of the Caribbean 3, that—with how much SoKai paralleled Willabeth from that movie—could be hinting that Sora is going to show up right at the ending of this fic, like Will would one day every ten years. Or that Kairi’s Keyblade is turning green like the X-Blade is green, proving her one theory right, or both.

Also, Riku has a balcony outside his room(?), that overlooks the ocean in the KH1 manga, and that helped to inspire this whole thing. Because one night when I was trying to sleep, I thought if I had an excuse to get Kairi to stand there when she was waiting for Sora at one point, then she’s been on three balconies, perhaps, the three times she’s waited for the boys. Because there was the time in the Castle That Never Was, of course and Riku’s, and Land of Departure’s castle has some balconies, too.

Anyway, I decided to write this because I miss SoKai, Kairi, and really just all things Kingdom Hearts--and maybe I'm starting to realize I AM going through a bit of a withdrawal--so here you guys go. LOL

I also thought about introducing my idea for a new Kairi Keyblade "Freedom's Champion" here, but I didn't know if it was the best spot for it, so I didn't. Maybe in another story...

#kairi #sokai #riku and kairi #kh #kingdom hearts #fanfiction #oneshot #canon #canon compliant #introspective #character study #character development #post-melody of memory

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corderis · 2 months

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( my heart to you is given, oh do give yours to me! ( a little late! ) | @tidecrux )

" hey... " he starts , and it's as if his sentence wanders off when he speaks and he's forced to reign it in from its travels , " i know . it's boring . " protecting himself again , but he knows she'd never harm him , " but i got you something . " and he pulls seashell necklace , strung together with a makeshift string , from his pants pocket , and dangles it before her . he thinks of lacing it around her neck and then watching as she plays with each shell he hand picked from the beach , and a certain coyness thrums in his chest , " i could put it on you . if you want . "

she was excited, though she tried to keep it internal. the last thing she wanted to do was give off too much energy & risk scaring him away ( her heart told her the risk was small, but doubt still crept into her mind, so she kept herself as still as she could–––– her wringing hands the only obvious outward sign of her lack of composure ). she wanted to jump at the sight of him, to plead with him not to keep her in suspense, to tease & poke & prod. but, instead, all she gave was a bright smile & a cheery, ❛ hey! ❜ in return.

there was something about the moment–––– standing just across from him on the beach, their home, with the sun casting the sky in a series of beautiful sunset colors & the sound of the waves in her ear as her heart thrummed a song in her chest–––– that she so desperately wanted to commit to memory. she never wanted to forget any detail & did her best to take it all in, to reminisce a daydream about long after they had retreated home & the sun had dipped below the horizon.

his comment didn't go unnoticed, & kairi paused him in his presentation to ensure that she said what she needed. ❛ it's not boring. ❜ she wished she could take his hands, but he was already reaching into his pocket, & she wouldn't impede him more. she settled for keeping her eyes on him & she hoped that he could see her sincerity ( her hope, her love ) reflected back at him. ❛ you could give me a handful of sand from this very beach & i'd treasure it! ❜ although, perhaps, with how often they left home with so little keepsakes, that was a terrible example of a bad gift.

any thoughts of bad gifts were wiped from her mind in an instant. the breath left her in a gasp as he finally revealed what he'd gotten her. she recognized the handmade details immediately. her eyes moved over the string of shells, woven with time & patience, of that she had no doubt. her hand rose to hover by it, but she didn't touch it, as if she was afraid she might ruin it if she wasn't gentle enough.

❛ oh, riku... ❜ & for a moment, that was all she could say. she couldn't quite find the words to explain how the gift had touched her heart. how was she meant to find the words to explain that she was honored he had thought of her at all, let alone went through all the effort of such a gift? what words were supposed to tell him how happy she was? ❛ it's beautiful! ❜ it wasn't enough, but it was all that she could muster.

she leapt at his offer without hesitation, nodding her head before he had the chance to rethink it. ❛ yes, please! ❜ & to further her response, she turned without prompting, gathering up her hair to free the space around her neck. she knew, without asking that he didn't expect her to remove the other one. their designs were different enough to keep out of each other's way, & she would wear both with pride.

& then riku–––– riku, who she knew could command a battlefield & bring the fiercest of foes to their knees–––– began tying up the necklace with a gentleness that filled her heart with joy, knowing it was rserved for special moments like these. away from this island, somewhere out among the stars, kairi knew people had said amazing things about her: call her a princess, talk about her heart of light, her role as a guardian, her position in connection of people's hearts. she'd heard it all. but there, right then, was one of the few occasions she felt truly royal. like a princess–––– she had to be something special enough to be worthy of his affection.

❛ thank you. ❜

her tone was sincere & grateful, if a bit quiet, & she knew he'd heard her even without looking. finally, the task was done, & she turned to look at him, smile bright & unimpeded.

❛ well? how does it look! ❜

#tidecrux #[ THE VALENTINE'S DAY AAAAASK!!!#almost a month late LMAO ]#[ V ] ── * AWAKE ( return to your friends‚ your home‚ your family )#[ ❀ ] ── ` ASKS ( message in a bottle )#[ ❀ ] ── ` KAIRI ANSWERS ( the princess' response )

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drazavonia · 3 years

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Beyond the Memory

Nobodies, Replicas, Toys and Fictional Characters

A Nobody is all that's leftover after the person's heart is consumed by it's darkness and transformed into a Heartless.

A vessel filled with memories.

Memories & A Mind of Their Own

Memories are the entirety of a person's character. Memories are the concepts of someone's life. You can't touch or necessarily manifest memories without a conduit such as writing, drawing, talking and action.

However, in certain realms that allow the conceptual to become real, memories only need the vessel as the conduit to be actualized.

In other words, Nobodies and Replicas who are just vessels with memories that shouldn't exist but somehow do outside the natural harmony of the realm of light are no different than humans except they can actualize their memories into powers and abilities.

Dreams take form in Sleeping Worlds

Nonexistence takes form in between that which governs the worlds, Light and Darkness.

Data takes form in the Datascape.

Memories encapsulate all of the above. So the concepts of memories are given form from all over, with the appropriate conduit.

Seeing is Believing

Memories and experiences, or just living ignites the birth or rebirth of hearts in Nobodies.

In the case of toys, replicas and figments within the dream, acknowledging their existence, grants them existence. The toys move on their own thanks to Andy's imagination, Xion gains a face and heart thanks to Roxas and Axel, as well as the TWEWY characters being made whole by Joshua, Sora and Riku.

Re:Birth of Another

Xemnas & Org XIII

Using Kingdom Hearts made of the hearts of those fallen to darkness, to replace the regrown hearts of the Organization members. (Replace them with a piece of Xehanort/Ansem's heart)

M.O.M & The Light of the Past

While Time-Traveling, the Master traversed to the Final World to find the hearts of those still holding on (Ephemer and Brain) and rebirth them through the Fictional characters inhabiting Quadratum (Yozora and Magia).

(Ephemer and Brain might have been the first two of the Seven Crowns?)

The Foretellers, Strelitzia and Ventus were supposed to be a part of those reborn through Fictional characters, but I believe Luxu and Sora intercepted their future rebirth. I think the True Dandelion was Strelitzia's heart Luxu retrieved from the Final World combined with her data from Daybreak Town, sent to the future to take Ava's place in case she actually died unlike the other Foretellers. Luxu most likely did the same thing with the Foretellers (in the final secret report, Luxu states the Lost Masters will awaken).

Sora vs Yozora

The True King/Savior

The Master wants to save everyone within the Realm of Light and the sacrifices/those lost to the darkness.

Yozora was told to save Sora.

Sora saved the Realm of Light three times and saved all of the guardians of light.

Through his Gazing Eye, the Master saw Sora was going to disappear and possibly end up in Unreality.

The Master had Yozora go to save Sora.

Because of how Yozora "saves" people, this would wind up in a battle between Sora and Yozora.

The Master of Masters orchestrated the meeting between Sora and Yozora to decide who was going to be his Savior or the VERUM REX (True King).

By that proxy, this leads me to believe the ending where Sora is victorious is the true ending. Sora will be the Savior who helps the Master save all of those lost to darkness. I think this is backed up in the KH3 opening.

If the KH3 opening is anything to go off, Sora is somehow going to summon Kingdom Hearts (he did inherit the X-blade). However, he opens it in the Final World. The color is also the same as that of Xemnas' artificial Kingdom Hearts. I think the Master is going to somehow work with Sora to construct an artificial Kingdom Hearts using the hearts of those in the Final World. This is why the Master makes a Kingdom Hearts shape within the moon and also why Sora is shown summoning Kingdom Hearts in the Final World. It will act as both an aggregate for hearts and a gateway for Sora, his friends and The Master to traverse between the two sides of Reality.

#kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 3 #kingdom hearts 3 remind #kingdom hearts union x #sora #yozora #master of masters #melody of memory #kairi #riku #roxas #xion #axel #xemnas #Ephemer #khux #brain khux #luxu #Foretellers

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embraceyourdestiny · 3 years

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a new theory has popped up in my head so of course i have to share.

has anyone else considered the likelihood that riku so desperately wanting to leave home was because of the keyblade? because of it’s omnipotent powers, there was a pull within him that he couldn’t sate until he listened to it?

we’re all aware by this point that the keyblades have minds of their own. they can choose their masters, jump between people as the see fit, act without their wielders controlling them, travel distances on their own. there’s some unexplained power within them that cannot be controlled but instead is meant to be used in tandem with their wielder’s power, heart, and strength.

but that is something only a master can really handle, that kind of bond of power between themselves and their keyblade. a child like riku with no experience or knowledge of the keyblade who wouldn’t even know what that feeling was or where it came from? it’s entirely possible that the keyblade’s power and will was beyond his handle and pushed him down whatever road it could for him to abide by it’s wants, that is, to protect kingdom hearts.

because the thing about the keyblade is, it doesn’t “choose” light or darkness. in fact, keyblades are probably the most neutral thing in kingdom hearts. they can be used for good or bad, darkness and light, there’s no restriction on the use of a keyblade. all the keyblade knows is to protect kingdom hearts and there is an infinite amount of ways that could be done.

if the master of masters, a most likely human keyblade wielder, and xehanort were able to mess with the laws of the universe and foresee the future, and travel between time in specific, then I could only expect the keyblade has powers beyond the normal scope of things like that too, like knowing the fate of their wielder from the second the keyblade touches their heart.

riku’s keyblade could’ve very easily known the path that lay before riku, how he’d fall to darkness, how it wasn’t really his keyblade since it would eventually belong to sora, how if he came into contact with xehanort he would leave the island and be that much closer to protecting kingdom hearts since he was no longer stuck on the islands.

it’s entirely possible that it wasn’t riku who wanted to leave the islands, but actually the keyblade. of course, being the omnipresent creature it is, im sure it would’ve played off riku’s emotions to get him to act in a certain way, similar to how xehanort manipulated riku with his insecurity to make him open the islands’ door, but you could take any emotion and make it negative if you twist it enough.

riku didn’t have a bad life from what we know, which admittedly isn’t much. he had friends and had fun on the islands, he laughed and played games with them and remembers those moments fondly like in chain of memories. of course we don’t know what his home or school life was but it’s probably safe to say that it was, at the most, very normal, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

but ansem-riku? he talks about his life like he hated it, like it was a truly awful existence. even right before the islands fall riku doesn’t talk about them like they’re dreadful, just that he longs for more. it’s almost like how repliku talked about sora and being a copy. it wasn’t something that was natural to riku, it came because of deep, troubled feelings that didn’t originate from him. like darkness, or like his keyblade trying to push him towards his fate.

it was honestly probably both, xehanort and the darkness latching to the small bits of insecurity he had and the keyblade amplifying that to make him act more directly and leave the islands to go on and protect kingdom hearts. it really wouldn’t be surprising to me to learn that had riku not had a keyblade, a lot of things would’ve never happened. it’s power beyond anything a child can handle, and it’s power in a lot of different ways. not just the fact that keyblades can be used to protect people and fight things and lock doors and use magic and stuff, but what the keyblade’s role is within the universe. it’s much bigger than that of the life on an island in the middle of the ocean and just like where the keyblade goes good things follow, it can also bring destruction because of it’s power.

i don’t normally like xehanort and riku parallels but i cant deny they exists, so it’s similar to how xehanort also longed to leave the islands, because he knew there was more to life than the one he was living. that wasn’t because he knew, the broken lanes made it impossible for the average person to know that other worlds existed, but because something within him told him there was more than what he knew. the keyblade told him.

had riku not had the power of more from the keyblade thrumming in him for years, he might’ve never even thought of a world outside destiny islands. honestly, it’s extremely likely that he wouldn’t have. even kairi, who knew other worlds existed, wasn’t that desperate to leave the islands because there wasn’t something calling her like there was riku. not sora either, who didn’t really care about leaving or staying either way. the keyblade wasn’t within them, so there was nothing making them feel like they had to leave. without the keyblade, the three of them could’ve lived their lives out on destiny islands together, a quiet and peaceful one, none the wiser to an entirely different world just beyond their ocean.

#kingdom hearts #kh #og #sora kh #kairi kh #kingdom hearts theories #riku kh #character analysis #does this make sense idk if I explained it properly #feel free to add your own thoughts or correct me and whatnot I wanna hear what ppl think

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amyhayanora · 3 years

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@khoc-week Day 6 - What are some special connections your character has?

A very special connection the twins have is Merlin. and they don’t even know it. I’ve expanded The Sword in The Stone’s world, which is their original world, with some Arthurian cycle’s lore inspirations and so they were basically raised by Ambrosius (one of the old names of Merlin) and Nimue (Viviana/Lady of the Lake and in some versions mixed with Morgan). Ambrosius and Nimue taugh them writing, reading and magic on the island of Avalon, and according to both legends and disney movie, he has prophetic powers and is a time traveler: that’s how, even if his powers were not so accurate yet, he predicted the betrayal of Nimue and settled a plan B to save their kids, sending them to Daybreak Town and applying on them a spell to help reversing their transformation in Dream Eaters after khux. The twins have no idea Merlin is ambrosius, they can’t imagine he’s still alive after all that time, and even if Merlin recognized them immediately, he doesn’t want to tell them the truth about Nimue and the end of Avalon, and ruin the memories of the woman who basically was their only mother figure. I’d say Merlin has his share of fun playing dumb with the twins, noticing they still keep their hair pink after a funny accident happened during a potions lesson as children, an still using the names he and Nimue gave them...

Chirithy: once in Daybreak Town, they were alone, the two of them. living alone in a small apartment, sharing the same room and paying the rent with money gained killing monsters. Chirithys are always the ones who give them wise advice, and kinda acting like life coach. Tia’s chirithy kicks her out of the bed when she’s late, and scold her when Touma isn’t there. they are friends, but they are mostly a family.

speaking of friendship, out of the circle of their friends/party in union X, someone who they both can address as friend is Kairi. They train and live together with her and Lea for most of their KH3 storyline. Tia is just happy to have a girl so close to share love torments, treats and jokes. she shows her all the pictures Sora sends them from different worlds. with Touma wasn’t so easy, but they are the firsts to wake up and Touma usually cooks for everyone in the morning, so they started to share time in the kitchen. Sometimes they sleep together if Tia isn’t around, because the twins suffer insomnia and nightmares when alone.

Touma has also a strong particular friendship with Ienzo, so particular that if riku didn't make up his mind in time, it could have defeloped in a romantic relationship. Ienzo anctually has a crush on Touma, and when I have Tou interacting in Friends’ AUs where their ocs are already paired with Riku, Touma is usually dating Ienzo. Riku is with Hinata in the picture below, lovely @hinataoc ‘s OC.

Otherwise, they are usually paired with Riku and Axel. tia and Axel are partners in crime for pranks, betting and challenging each other for every stupid thing. She calls him ‘her sidekick’ . They aren’t a couple yet, Tia just thinks isn’t fair confess her feelings now that Axel isn’t still used to human emotions.

Touma developed his crush for Riku during DDD, confessed at he start of KH3 and rejected. Riku simply never had so much time to focus on his own sexual preferences, or if he can date a boy or not. in that moment sounded weird and anyway he saw Touma only as friend, so no, except for slowly changing his mind later. They are both the ‘big brothers’, the responsible ones, so it’s easy showing weakness to someone who understands the same burden.

#khoc week #khocweek2021 #day6 #connections #talia #touma #keykids #axel #riku #chirithy #kairi #ambrosius #khocweek

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ayuuria · 3 years

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Yashahime Translation: Animage Magazine May 2021 Issue

Please do not repost this translation without my consent! This includes screenshots of any type and amount. If you wish to share this translation, simply link to this post.

For more information regarding the use of my translations, click here.

The Yashahimes’ Future

The three Yashahimes who carry both demon and human blood: Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha. The three of them have varying personalities, environments in which they were raised in, and goals for their actions. However, through the shared task of demon slaying, they slowly begin to accept one another. Though they are not a perfect “Close, in sync team”, trust has certainly budded between the girls who, together, have overcome any difficult situation. Even Kirinmaru’s attack that killed Setsuna in one stroke could not sever the bond that connects the three. Towa especially, who received a broken Tenseiga from Sesshōmaru, appears to have not yet given up on Setsuna’s life. Although it looks like the girls will still continue to face hardships in the future, we want them to clear the way to a happy future with their own hands.

“Hanyō no Yashahime” entered a short break, leaving behind many points of interest such as Setsuna’s shocking death, the broken Tenseiga entrusted to Towa, and the continued separation of Moroha and her parents. Let’s consolidate the existing mysteries and wait for the second chapter (season)!

Higurashi Towa

Faced with the death of her beloved little sister, Setsuna, her demonic blood awakens for the first time. Until now, she had been using the demon sword, Kikujūmonji, as her weapon but what is this blade… …? (referring to the promo picture for season 2)

Series Composition: Katsuyuki Sumisawa Q&A

The Yashahimes’ story with continuous ups and downs. In addition to reviewing everything up until now, please tell us about the backstory and hints to the second chapter (season)!

Q. Where do Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha normally spend the night?

A. Towa freeloads at Kaede’s house. Setsuna stays at the demon slayer’s headquarters. It’s just that she can’t sleep so she probably keeps watch outside at night. Moroha lives at the corpse shop.

Q. How far apart is Kaede’s village and the corpse shop?

A. Kaede’s village is in the land of Musashi so in terms of modern geography, imagine around Tokyo’s Nakano and Suginami ward. Compared to that, the corpse shop is in the harbor so around Shinagawa ward or maybe even Yokohama. It seems the three of them frequently met up but there’s actually quite a distance. Each of them had different goals behind their actions too.

Q. When Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha first met, how was Moroha able to figure out that the two of them were Sesshōmaru’s daughters?

A. Probably through “smell”. Sesshōmaru is well known among demons and Moroha knows that Sesshōmaru is her father’s older brother. However, Moroha still doesn’t know that Sesshōmaru is the one who trapped her parents within the black pearl.

Q. Does Moroha know her parents’ names?

A. She does. When Inuyasha and Kagome were approached by Kirinmaru and Sesshōmaru, Awa no Hachiemon (aka Hachi), the racoon dog, took Moroha to the wolf demon tribe where she was raised. That being said, Kōga probably told her.

Q. Doesn’t Moroha want to meet her parents?

A. She thinks her parents are dead. That’s why her thoughts are “There’s no point obsessing over someone who’s dead”. Hachiemon the racoon dog, didn’t watch the details of the incident to the end and assumed that “If Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru were their opponents, they’re probably not alive now.” That’s what Moroha was told through Kōga.

Q. Why is the instrument that Setsuna plays the violin?

A. When creating the scenario, I wanted some sort of “gift” from the modern era as “something to connect the modern and feudal eras”. Therefore, I decided to give Moroha the giant backpack as Kagome’s daughter and Setsuna an instrument. In addition, an instrument that absolutely didn’t exist in the feudal era was better, so I chose the violin. There of course won’t be violins in Japan and even in the West, it had a different shape than it does now. Plus, before the current story was solidified, I had thought of a plot where the modern era was the setting so it’s a remnant of that.

Q. Did Mama Moe teach Setsuna the song she always plays on her violin?

A. While she learned how to play the violin from Mama Moe, the song was not something she learned (from her). Rather Setsuna is playing a song she once heard based off her memory. Where she heard it… please wait for the second chapter (season)!

Q. With Kanemitsu no Tomoe as a medium for Setsuna and the rouge being suggested for Moroha, each of them has had their demonic blood sealed. What about the seal for Towa’s demonic blood?

A. Towa’s is not sealed. Moreover, her demonic blood had not yet awakened. That’s where in episode 24, her demonic blood awakened for the first time with Setsuna’s death being the trigger. However, that was in an out-of-control state. Going forward, how “Sesshōmaru’s blood” flowing within her will manifest itself will be something worth noting.

Q. Why does everyone call Towa and the others “Yashahime”?

A. Ever since the spirit of the Tree of Ages called them as such in episode 4, everyone started calling them that, no matter who they spoke to. At first, even Towa and the others were like “We’re not Yashahime” or “Are you referring to us?” but as they got addressed that repeatedly, they gradually accepted the name.

Q. Kohaku’s* older sister, Kin’u, is a nun but what does his other older sister, Gyokuto, do?

*Translator’s Note: I think the publisher made a mistake and meant to say Hisui

A. She shoulders the responsibility of helping Sango create the weapons for demon slaying, delivering those weapons to the other slayers, accepting demon slaying requests around the area, and collecting information on demon sightings.

Q. Is Kirinmaru a demon of Japan?

A. No. I think talking like this will be easier to understand. Kirinmaru is one of the few greater demons who is aware that the earth is round. In that era, the only ones who have a sense of this are probably just Kagome, Towa, and Kirinmaru. Having circled the globe many times, Kirinmaru, who had traveled around the world, met the Dog General at the very end in the land at the farthest end (of the earth), Japan. Ever since then, he has remained in Japan so it could be said that he’s a demon of Japan, but his existence is on a bigger scale than that. Kirinmaru frequently reads Western books and he orders those from various places around the world. The one who buys them is Riku. Naturally, I’m sure that not only does Riku secretly read the Western books in the library, but Kirinmaru wouldn’t reproach him for such a small thing either. In episode 7, Riku called the apple a “Forbidden Fruit” but of course, I’m sure Kirinmaru has read the bible before. That’s most likely because he’s been alive since the era of myth so he may have seen Buddha or Jesus Christ in the flesh. There’s probably no way he saw Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit though… … (laughs).

Q. Point blank, what is the relationship between Kirinmaru and Riku? In a reflection of the past (200 years ago), it seemed Riku didn’t have any emotions. What exactly was that?

A. This will be revealed in the second chapter (season) as well but to give you a little hint, Riku started taking care of Zero after the Dog General died and as he healed her, he gradually began to have emotions. That’s why Riku’s way of thinking was influenced by Zero, such as “You have to destroy those that you love”.

Q. Zero lost her demonic powers when she created the Rainbow Pearls. Then what was the power she was using when she fought?

A. Zero was using the power of hexes. In this world, there is not only demonic power but all sorts of powers such as spiritual power and Buddhist power and each of them is separate. What she used was a power similar to charms and Inyougogyō**.

** Translator’s Note: Yin and Yang and the five Chinese elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Q. Why did someone like Kirinmaru, who values reason, have the Four Perils, who had sleazy personalities, as subordinates?

A. Kirinmaru’s mind is preoccupied with a “certain matter” that’s important so he doesn’t really care about anything else. Hence, he doesn’t remember every single demon that has challenged or served under him and he doesn’t care what kind of person they were.

Q. In episode 21, it was surprising when Towa said “I like you (Riku)!”. To put it frankly, what do Towa and Riku think of each other?

A. Towa thinks Riku is “Riku”. She doesn’t perceive him as being part of Kirinmaru’s group. On the other hand, Riku thinks Towa is “The lady Yashahime that will slay Kirinmaru”. That’s why he addresses her as “Lady Towa”. Currently, there are no romantic feelings between the two of them. Just that, there’s probably “affection” from Riku to Towa.

Q. Why does Riku think “I only kill those I love”?

A. Because “Those who are loved vanish beautifully”. That is what Zero said in episode 23. To Zero, death is sad but to Riku, there’s no difference between dying and living and that they’re the same. Based on that, Riku came to think “You have to destroy those that you love” and he chooses to “kill” as an expression of love. That might be quite difficult to understand.

Q. Why is Sesshōmaru so cold to his daughters?

A. Just as a lion drops its cubs into a bottomless ravine, a demon’s feeling is that they only raise the child that gains strength from hardship. That is the “Rite of Courage and Cowardice”. It’s a little different from the feeling we humans have. That’s why hating his daughters or purposely tormenting them is certainly not the case.

Q. Although, isn’t separating the babies from their mother immediately after birth or having them fight the strongest beast king of the eastern land, Kirinmaru, a little too much?

A. If you watch the kabuki play “Renjishi” I think you will get it immediately. Anime is fine, but I would like to recommend the traditional arts that have ceaselessly been passed down since ancient Japanese times. Even if going to see them is difficult, researching on the internet is easy. Even the phrase “Rite of Courage and Cowardice” will show up in there. It seems that in this world, there’s no people who love their children more than Japanese people. Perhaps that’s why it can’t be helped that the way Sesshōmaru is raising his children feels very cold. However, those who watched the “Inuyasha” series I think will know but Sesshōmaru’s hearing and smell are exceedingly exceptional. He has the ability to immediately rush in, no matter how far the distance.

Q. Lastly, please tell us how production for the second chapter (season) is going?

A. Currently, we’re writing the second half of the script for the second chapter (season). The whole staff are eagerly working under this difficult Corona crisis. In the second chapter (season), we would like to create a script that is particular on the details as much as possible. In the previous series, there were many self-contained demon slaying stories but for the second chapter (season), we’ve changed the structure of the story so that it progresses with the feelings of the various characters intertwining together, just like in “Inuyasha The Final Act”. Hence, I think the impression of the story will change quite a bit. Please wait until the broadcast to see what kind of story it will be!

#Yashahime #hanyou no yashahime #yashahime: princess half demon #translation #there's actually a lot of key information in this so I recommend reading it #I had fun translating this

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gemstonerose · 2 years

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Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memories but Riku explains to Kairi that the real reason she can't go with him is because he all ready lost Sora and he's not about to risk losing her too. Their friends and to have Kairi stay where she is will keep his mind at ease cause at least one of best friends is safe. He can't stand the thought of losing her for the 3rd time. It might destroy him if he does cause Sora and her are his world. He doesn't want to be in a world without either of them.

And Kairi then tells him back that she understands, but she doesn't want to lose him too. She's tired of being left behind as he and Sora continue to be out there risking their lives and leaving her to wonder if she'll ever see them again. Riku isn't just traveling off world he's going to a whole different reality. A place that none of them have even heard about till a few hours ago. If something happens then there will be no one there to save him and that scares her. No one will be able to reach Riku where he's going and that's only if Sora is there. She wants Sora back just as badly as Riku, but she doesn't want that to come at the cost of Riku himself. And she knows that it will continue the cycle of the boys going after eachother. Kairi wants to break that cycle and she believes it starts with her going with Riku and giving backup. Riku has done so much all by himself and Kairi is sick of him having to do things alone.

She tells him that she knows that he feels guilty for Sora's disappearance. She knows at least apart of him regrets letting Sora go off alone. But in the end it was Kairi's doing. It's her fault that Sora is gone and hers alone all cause she was too weak. Riku tries to tell her otherwise but she's already convinced herself.

Riku still doesn't want to her to go. So Kairi pulls out her Keyblade and goes for him. She's to racked with the overwhelming guilt that's been festering inside her for over a year and now anger on top of it. The two clash and Kairi is able to slash Riku's Keyblade away and knock him down and points her Keyblade at him. Riku looks up at her and Kairi comes down from her emotional high realizing what she's doing and falls to her knees. She breaks down and Riku is right there to hold and comfort her his own tears building and falling.

They stay like that as Kairi is apologizing and spilling everything in her heart out to Riku. He listens and does the same. This is the first time that they've told the other what is truly happening in their minds and hearts. They both calm after a while and sit in silence. Kairi apologizes again and Riku tells her not to. Neither have been ok since Sora vanished and both are just terrified of losing the other. After another moment Riku asks her if she's sure that she wants to go with him and after a few seconds Kairi says yes. It's a silent understanding and Riku says ok and they both head to Quadradum to find Sora together. 😭😭😭😭😭

#kh riku #kingdom hearts #kh #sora #riku #kairi #kh melody of memory #long post #destiny trio #i got feelings again #help #😢😢😢😢😢😢#not me getting emotional again

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chaos-in-the-making · 2 years

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APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAY HERE IS YOUR EPISODE BREAKDOWN

Ok so first off, I loved the episode! A friend described it as "delightfully absurd" and I couldn't agree more. Giant meteor? Check. Hordes of demons? Check. A space cocoon? Check and check. This is on par with the doctor who episode of "the moon is an egg", which was also as absurd as you can get.

For the record, I ADORE Kirin Sensei. Not only is he fully supportive and trusting of the girls, he even CRIED at their self sacrifice. He has a lot more humanity in him than Kirinmaru, and he explains it was by traveling the world that he came to love the human race. I would love a whole backstory character arc from his perspective.

Then the girls mentioned Rion, and there was a definite shift in Kirin Sensei's attitude. Before, he just wanted to save humanity. After hearing that Rion had died, his goal changed to killing Kirinmaru. There was a silent rage there that I am here for. He takes the Kyokyon sword from Towa, saying that he will be the one to use it.

On that note, I am shocked that Towa survived using that sword AGAIN. Akuru wasn't there to revive her kon, so I have no idea how. Maybe she is figuring it out? Also, she redirected the demon energy BACK at the comet, instead of absorbing it into her body, so maybe that made the difference. I DON'T KNOW BUT SETSUNA HUGGING HER SISTER IN RELIEF WAS GIVING ME LIFE!!!!

I'm gonna need someone to explain the "millet dumpling" reference to me, cuz I'm not Japanese. Kirin Sensei taking an entire comet through time is just ahodbfjfkfhfifkv amazing. Who thought of this. Congrats, it is everything ridiculous that I love about anime. And Kirin Sensei meeting Kirinmaru with the absolute BEST poker face. "Here, dude, I brought you what you asked for. You asked for a glorious death, right? What's that? Too bad, you're getting on anyway." There's just something so furious about Kirin Sensei's calm demeanor. And he even brought back MEMORIES for Rion!! 😭😭 it's like Kirin Sensei understands what being a parent is like due to his time in the future.

But this whole apple kyokyon thing? I have... no idea what it's about. Literally. There's no lead up or explanation. I thought the kyokyon was the sword. And now it's the mountain? And now there's an apple? Super confused, man. I have no idea what Rion is going to do, but I have a hunch that she is going to team up with Kirin Sensei. And Riku helping her out while being mortally wounded? Yeah that is going to suck eventually.

The girls did AMAZING this episode! All their attacks working together was beautiful to watch. We haven't seen Setsuna's blood bladd in a while so I don't know what happened to that. Towa being an absolute BOSS with her twin azure dragons was AMAZING. And then Kirin Sensei pushing the comet away from them?? WE STAN A KING. And shouting his attack in English was very Sailor Moon of him. FIGHTING EVIL BY MOONLIGHT, TEACHING SCHOOL BY DAYLIGHT.

And then we get to see everyone fighting back in the past, and the Mirsan family members fighting was AMAZING. Sango? A QUEEN. Miroku? FUCKING BADASS MONK. The kiddos? MAKING THEIR PARENTS PROUD. The only thing I wish the animators had done was continue to make Miroku look older. The lines on his face are gone, and Sango also look perfect. I know it's a tiny detail but... come on. It's important to me. I am jealous of their immortal looks, ok?

Moving on. Kagome and Inuyasha are back and I love the first thing Inuyasha does is heckle Kaede. There is still a lack of emotion in any of these reunions, but they did have more important things to worry about. Still, Kaede is very attached to Kagome and I expected more tears and relief. I NEED A FULL ON HUG FOR KAGOME AND SANGO AND IF I DONT GET IT I WILL RIOT.

All in all, it was a great episode. The girls being relieved that the comet is gone and then IMMEDIATELY CONCERNED FOR THEIR PARENTS WAS JUST GREAT. "Ah good, he is going to destroy the demons. HEY WAIT A MINUTE." perfection.

And the crushing realization at the end that they can't get back. DONT WORRU GIRLS YOURE GONNA GO BUT I HAVE A FEELING ITS FOR THE LAST TIME AND THATS WHY PAPA SOTA IS SAYING GOODBYE. my heart is going to hurt next week, I know it.

Those are my thoughts on the episode! I can't wait to see Kirinmaru getting absolutely WRECKED by the people he failed!

#yashahime spoilers

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