#roxas just wants to feel included forgive him

[mushroom-winners-proof]

beverage debate

#kh #kh2 #kh 358/2 days #khii #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 2 #kingdom hearts 358/2 days #roxas #xigbar #xaldin #snap sketches #roxas just wants to feel included forgive him #anyway @ everyone that keeps saying i draw xigbar hot: thank you :) #one'a my xigbar posts is gettin notes again so felt legal to mention LMAO

[crispyapplepies]

AkuRoku Defense pt 2

Axel and Roxas’s ship has had one of the most bizarre fandom journey’s i have ever come to witness. It has gone from being one of the most popular ships maybe ever, to being dead cancelled over a supposed age gap and I find that completely unfair, especially when it speaks to so many innocent people who emotionally depend on the ship, (yes innocent includes the spicy people because art literally is not a crime). So its time to defend it.

Brief Review on Nobodies vs Aging

First of all, l already explained in part 1 what the Nobodies Don’t Age thing means but I’ll go over it again briefly, since it can be confusing, though also many people seem to demand their hands be held rather than use their imaginations to understand. Even so, here’s the short version just for a review:

-A person in KH is made of a heart, body, and soul.

-The body reflects the heart in KH. (See: replica bodies taking on the appearance of the heart that’s inside them). 

-A nobody lacks a heart, making them just a body and soul. They’re advanced zombies of sorts.

Nobodies do not age because they have no heart for the body to reflect. This is why they won’t change until they form one. Change includes age

-Ergo, you can imagine any age you like for Axel to be nobodied, cuz he was frozen at that age and did not change for 10 years. Not until he met Roxas. 

We’ll come back to this again later.

Axel Loves Roxas Canonically

Second of all, Axel loves Roxas and you are allowed to interpret that as platonic, familial, or romantic, I don’t care as long as you’re not forcing that idea on others like the ship police. That said, people are allowed to explore how romantic this love potentially is. 

And what you might like to know is that the canon is even open to this. Axel’s love for Roxas is canonically expressed, and if you would like, you can even interpret that love as romantic. See below:

We are going to look at the japanese translation because AS ALWAYS good old SENA is here for the straights and erases the gay, like clockwork. 

In English, Axel says this:

Axel: I wanted to see Roxas. He...was the only one I liked... He made me feel...like I had a heart. It's kind of...funny... You make me feel...the same...

Axel’s line here in Japanese:

Axel: I wanted to see Roxas... I loved him. Being with him... it made me feel like I had a heart. I feel it from you, too... the same kind of....

You may notice that as romantic as the line “he made me feel like I had a heart” sounds, the original can be read as wAY gooier, specifically cuz of this word:

好き: "suki"

Now here’s the thing. Japanese is a pretty vague language which is why context is so important for these things, as well as what you say, and what you don’t say. 

“Suki” is a very key word here because it is often used in romantic confession scenes.

(I have no idea what this panel is from, I apologize lol) 

It CAN mean something casual, like “I love video games”, but considering Axel is saying this with his dying breath, I don’t think we should be treating it as some hyperbole. He is referring to a person and it is meaningful. However. It is still a word with plausible deniability. Japanese has several words for love, “ai” for example being one of the most inarguable means of referring to romantic love. So choosing “suki” still leaves room for the homophobes to disregard it as something not romantic. Which makes it objectively inconclusive. Here is the thing though… they specifically chose that word, suki, a word which IS so often used in a romantic context in many anime and manga. 

They also chose to use that word rather than something objectively platonic. Which means you also cannot conclude Axel did NOT mean it romantically. Given his devotion to Roxas, and the fact that they chose this word of all words for him to say… I’m personally going to assume it’s romantic. You are free not to interpret it that way. But I am because I am considering the fact that they did not choose something strictly platonic. 

(My translator friend actually freaked out when I showed her this, she’s translated and seen enough confession scenes to know what connotations that particular word comes with lol). 

If you’ve read my queer coding doc, you may recall I also go over how this is one of the most important tricks with queer coding. You write something that CAN be viewed as queer but with plausible deniability for straight people to ignore it. It’s a means of protecting oneself and the text from homophobic oppression. It is a legitimate practice. So even though it can be denied as a queer text, it can also very very well be viewed as a definite queer text. We are choosing to queer it here. It is not as explicit as it could be, but it is still very bold, suggestive coding considering the homophobic world we live in, and especially with KH2 being released in 2004. 

“But Age Gap!” (ughhhhh)

We’re back to this cuz I also finally have the Japanese version of that infamous page in the Day’s novel to look at.  

I hope you’ll forgive me if I get a little bit salty but I don’t like to repeat myself lol so I’m gonna try to keep this section short and to the point.

In this interview with Nomura, he expresses that nobodies do not age, and they exist as they were at the time of becoming a nobody. He then suggests Xemnas seems 30 ish.

Now I truly do not care to hold your hand through the process of thinking creatively because you should be using your own imagination, if you have one, to think critically and creatively about what this idea means.

Kingdom Hearts is a FANTASY game. Nobodies are a FANTASY concept. They can break ALL the rules about real life that you want them to. But I will go ahead and explain this for you even though I’ve already done it many times, in this very document even and in other meta posts.

The body reflects the heart. Nobodies are frozen as they are from the moment they are “born”, which is to say the moment they are created. Glorified zombies. They aren’t going to age unless they form a heart. Why does Xemnas look 30? He has a heart! Or he was formed 10 years after TerraNort defected. You tell me. Why did Ienzo age? I dunno, you tell me! Either he formed a heart and didn’t know it, (he’s passionate about his work, he loves Ansem the Wise, any number of things could’ve made him form a new heart), or he was nobodied later in life. Axel is frozen at whatever age he was when he was nobodied, all the while Ienzo could’ve been nobodied 10 years later. It’s a fantasy, and these are fantasy rules. That scenario can happen. YOU decide. Until the canon tells us for sure, your imaginations can run wild with explanations. Even if the canon does tell us, you can still imagine whatever you want for your own headcanons. Freedom is amazing, it’s salty and sweet. 

Now let’s talk about that annoying page in the Days novel people keep shoving in my face.

This one right here. The official english translation is this:

That’s not the worst translation I’ve seen them put out there. But let’s look closer at the Japanese:

 Here, Axel says he thinks Roxas is about 10 years separate from himself, but things like age don't exist for nobodies.

Already that’s making a lot more sense to me for nobodies since we are told nobodies do not age. As such Axel speaking like he is 10 years older would feels almost contradictory when he has no heart and cannot change. 

This wording is important. Recall me saying that Japanese is very vague so all of the context matters. No one is denying that 10 years passed between Birth By Sleep and Axel meeting Roxas. However. Nobodies don’t age.

(please dont make me explain that a third time in this essay alone)

The Japanese and English both express that age does not apply to nobodies, (as discussed above^^^^) and the Japanese furthers this with its wording. They have 10 years of separation between Axel being nobodied, and Roxas existing.  

Axel saying in English that Roxas is simply 10 years younger than himself is rather misleading considering the ambiguity of the original. I can’t fault the translators too much for not understanding this nobody concept so well because it is obviously confusing. However, I do not think Axel was saying Roxas is literally, in real life human somebody terms, 10 literal physical years younger than him. He is expressing that he became a nobody 10 years ago whereas this guy became a nobody very recently, and it shows with how little he can even function right now. A zombie who has been wandering around with no heart for 10 years meets a fresh zombie wandering around with no heart for 1 day. 

I know antis are gonna use it against us no matter what, but at least know that akuroku is not inherently pedophilia nor is it inherently an adult/minor ship.

In many of our headcanons, Axel was frozen at age 18 or 19, with Roxas being 16. Absolutely no one is required to view them with a big age gap because imagination is free and you literally have no right to police it, but also because the canon expresses these nobodies as beings outside of the realm of age. They do not operate under real life rules or somebody rules. Think of Steven Universe where Rose was thousands of years old but only “grew up” as a person when she fell in love with Greg, a human in his 20s-30s who asked her to consider other people’s feelings. Consider the mind of a nobody as a state of Neverland. You aren’t gonna age unless you step out of it and change. Mature. Isn’t it sad that Axel did not feel like he had a heart until Roxas? No wonder people ship it!

Coding is Obvious

Finally I wanna conclude on a simple thought. This interview right here? I’d be curious what the original Japanese actually says lol but the english translation of it says that romantic akuroku was not Nomura’s intent. 

Here’s the thing though. If you know anything about queer coding, you know that using romantic coding between 2 male characters is signaling something. It is not something you should ignore. It would not be there if the characters were meant to be viewed as objectively straight. And for something “unintentional”... there sure is a lot of coding at work here.

From Axel pinning Roxas down and asking him to come home in a very sexually suggestive pose,

to watching the sunset in sheer bliss together just enjoying the peace of reunion,

to watching the sunset together while talking about what LOVE is, specifICALLY romantic love,

To this. And I already told you what this was in Japanese.

I’m not saying Nomura lied…

But I am saying that a whole staff worked together to create these games, and it is very difficult for me to believe that no one thought to say “these characters appear to be romantic, let us change the scene to be more platonic” if the characters were not meant to be romantically suggestive. 

Tl;Dr I wanna live in the timeline where people let you ship akuroku lol

#akuroku #akrk #axel kh #roxas kh #kingdom hearts

[blackasteriia]

A List of Reasons Why I Hate the ‘Sea Salt Family’

AKA It’s Sunday Tuesday and I’m back at it again at Krispie-Kremes

(Abuse tw; violence tw; salt tw; suicide tw)

I have mentioned, in passing, my problems with the prevalence of the Sea Salt Family in fandom and my problems with it. I’ve never written a comprehensive post on it before. It’s Sunday though, I have the salt, so let’s do it. 

The Sea Salt Family is roughly presented, but not explicitly laid-out, in canon. At the end of KH3, Xion, Roxas, Lea, and Isa are shown sharing ice cream on the clock tower together. Since the introduction of Xion and Roxas’ character, ‘sharing ice cream’ has been a declarative statement of friendship and camaraderie. It was the origin of their friendship. Thus, the inclusion of Isa is a signal of his admittance into the reformed friend group. The intention of this scene was to show the reconciliation and unification of these characters. To cement this, it seems that Nomura has bundled Roxas, Xion, Lea, Isa, and the Twilight Trio, into a shared plot. They are mentioned in Re:Mind, by Riku, as searching for Sora through Roxas and Xion’s memories.  

Common fandom interpretation takes this one step farther. The assumption is that Lea and Isa have adopted Xion and Roxas. This puts Lea and Isa in a parental role over the kids. Often times, this is done in a shipping context for Lea and Isa. Sometimes Lea and Isa have a good relationship, with two lovingly adopted children. Other times Xion and Roxas become contention points for the main ship-- Isa’s punishment for being a jerk is taking care of the kids. 

Fandom does take into account that the canon scene itself in KH3 is flawed. Lets overview Lea and Isa’s relationship, with both of the kids. 

Roxas spent the majority of 358/2 Days oblivious to the machinations going on around him. However, he identified a rift between Axel and Xion that developed in the midpoint of the year. He recognized that Axel had done something to estrange her and by the end of the game, blamed him for it. He was also angry at him for attacking Xion the first time. When Xion ran away for the second time, Roxas confronted Axel and forced the truth. Axel had been lying about Xion --sometimes intentionally to assuage Roxas’ concerns-- and then attempted to justify his actions to Roxas.The revelations of Axel’s lies --and outright manipulation, diverting Roxas from finding the truth-- causes Roxas to leave the Organization. Axel later attacks Roxas (twice) when Xemnas orders him to do so. At this point, Axel makes no attempt to find an alternate solution. Axel is enraged at Roxas for leaving and even forgetting him (which is a weird thing for an adult man to feel about a child, I might add). He is mocking of Roxas’ confusion in the data Twilight Town. Axel then attacks Roxas with the implicit intention to kill Roxas. Thus, we see that Axel’s relationship to Roxas is manipulative and built on lies, instead of trust. Axel also shows little regard for Roxas’ autonomy (”You’re coming with me, conscious or not.”). Roxas knows that Axel will lie to him. Roxas knows that Axel will assault him. If Roxas enters the post-KH3 relationship with no reservations then he is an oblivious moron. 

When it comes to Xion I do not give Axel the benefit of the doubt. Axel is introduced to Xion, by Roxas. At the beginning of their friendship he does not see her face. He becomes aware that she is a replica but decides to give her a fair shake, due to his experience with Repliku. Eventually, he does see her face. They seem to get along for the first part of the game. However, when Xion goes to Castle Oblivion to learn the truth about herself-- Axel moves to block her. He gaslights her (’there’s nothing to see here’) and grabs her to stop her (a violation of her physical autonomy btw). She goes on into the castle and Axel does not mention the incident to Roxas (a lack of transparency and honesty in relationships). Xion is missing for almost a month. She returns, speaks with Roxas (who also grabs her and violates her physical autonomy smh), and is then attacked by Axel. Axel kidnaps Xion and returns her to the Organization against her will. Xion did not want to return to the Organization. Roxas requests that she return with him and she moves away from him. Before Axel attacked her she was going to leave. (Later, Nomura attempts to feebly justify Axel’s behavior by saying Xion is glad he did this. We’ll call that Xion attempting to assuage Roxas’ worries). Xion later goes to Axel for advice about what to do. Axel implies that she’s ‘stealing more than her share’ from Roxas. We are, as a reminder, talking about Xion killing herself here. Later, Axel lets her leave, and then still follows Xemnas’ order to attack her and kidnap her again. I do not believe there is any love loss between Axel and Xion. He betrayed her, gaslit her, attacked and assaulted her, kidnapped her (twice), and showed a cruel disregard for her autonomy. There is no reason for her to trust, or even like him. Their ‘friendship’ ended around day 255 in Castle Oblivion, and any attempt for Nomura to convince you otherwise is deliberate attempt to write over the real trauma that Axel caused her. 

Saïx and Roxas have few interactions. However, I read Roxas and Xion as child soldiers. They are slaves, they are working for no payment. Saïx is the man in charge of them. He hands out the missions. We are shown that Saïx primary concern is their efficiency in collecting hearts. Roxas and Saïx interactions include Saïx telling him what his mission is, and how to prepare. Saïx, however, outright pits Roxas and Xion against each other. Even at one point, attempting to have them murder each other. (If you read the manga, and want to consider it for analysis, Saïx even attacks Roxas). Their relationship is cold, hostile, and interlaced with the knowledge of Saïx obvious emotional abuse of Xion. No reason for Roxas to trust, or even like, Saïx. 

Take everything above about Saïx and double it for Xion. The profesional and cold demeanor of Saïx is stripped away to reveal an openly hostile, cruel personality. Saïx insults and degrades Xion (”You were a mistake we never should have made”.) Xion refers to him with fear and wariness, often fearing his retribution for failures. He misgenders her and disregards her personhood. He does this out of a self-stated jealousy. He sees Axel growing close to the kids and then lashes out at the easy targets. Saïx outright abuses Xion, and the threat of harm is as effective as the actual action of doing harm. Saïx wanted Xion dead, and as best as I can tell, she knew it. I have no reason to believe that his opinion of her would change from 358 to KH3. It does not make sense that Saïx after KH2 would attempt to ‘save’ Xion. He doesn’t remember her and he wouldn’t remember her all the way until the Keyblade Graveyard. Vexen’s notes would not include Xion’s personality or any of her relationships, she was, at best, two weeks old when he left for Castle Oblivion. Saïx is not shown interacting with Xion in any manner in KH3. In fact, the ‘Xion’ introduced in the Keyblade Graveyard is not Xion. Xion is in Sora’s heart. So, not only is their relationship confusing in KH3, it’s also not meaningful. Vexen mentioned Saïx wished to ‘atone’ but we never hear Saïx true intentions from the horse’s mouth. Or, if he just did it to make nice with Lea. He still refers to the kids as ‘Lea’s friends.’There is no established development between Xion and Saïx proper. Xion would have no reason to believe that Isa no longer wants to kill her, and Isa would have no reason to no longer want to kill Xion. 

Despite all of this, Nomura wants us to believe that all of these characters are reconciled. The text offers little to believe that this is the case. There is not a single scene where any of Isa and Lea’s past behavior is addressed, or an apology made. Nomura’s reading of his own text fails to recognize the abuse and trauma that he wrote Xion and Roxas’ experiencing. He has a fundamental lack of understanding of the consequences and psychology of his own characters. Furthermore, he believes that the friendship they built in the Organization stands on its own. Even though Axel: gaslit, assaulted, kidnapped, and manipulated both. For example, Nomura reads his threat to Xion (”No matter what, I’ll always bring you back.” = ”I will always return your to your abusers, regardless of your wishes, even if I have to assault you to do so.”) as a promise and declaration of friendship. Why else would Xion tell Roxas that Axel kidnapping her is a good thing? Nomura believes that the Organization -- even though we’re talking about the group of people who abused, enslaved, and murdered them-- is good for Xion and Roxas. Why else would the ‘symbol of their friendship’ be the Recusant Symbol in Re: Mind? Thus, their friendship with Axel is good for them. Why else is it romanticized in KH3? Therefore, there is no reason to confront or discuss previous acts of abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, or assault. 

The story of 358/2 Days is not a story of two children shaking free of the shackles of their abusers and oppressors as they grow into their own, independent, unique personalities. It is a story of two children who are abused and manipulated by the adults in their lives. Who are then murdered and discarded as soon as they hold no use for the plot. Xion’s entire character is written with the intention to motivate Roxas to leave the Organization. That is why 358/2 Days was created as a game. That is why her character was introduced. The systematic stripping of her autonomy and personhood is present in the text itself, and the meta-text. She is fridged, and then that death is milked for man pain of Roxas and Axel. Nomura’s own sexism created and destroyed her character. So, much to the point that when fan consensus demanded she be brought back: he gave her no lines and no personality. He couldn’t even muster the spine to give her an original moveset for her Re:Mind data fight-- she’s just a copy of Roxas. That’s all she is to him and that is all she will ever be to him. 

And the fandom seems, for the most part, to be in concurrence with Nomura. We have asked Xion and Roxas to be in a healthy relationship with the two adults who have overtly abused them. The problem is not the writing of the Sea Salt Family. That trope, on its own, is fine. The true problem is the fandom’s failure to address the abuse in the Kingdom Hearts story. 

 Saïx actions, as poignant as they may or may not be in the rescue of Xion and Roxas, do not absolve him. Saïx used his position of authority and power over them to cause them tangible harm. Emotional abuse hurts as much as physical abuse and the effects are long lasting. Especially, when we know that Xion and Roxas were completely subject to Saïx. As far as Xion was aware, if she disobeyed or failed him-- her life was forfeit. What Saïx did in KH3 was take the first step of reconciliation. He fixed his most obvious mistake which included being complicit in the murder of children. Good for him. Now, he has to make tangible changes in his behavior. He must make apologies that shows he understands what and how he was wrong. This apology should be voluntary and not forced by Lea, or whittled out of him by the kids. He must take responsibility for his actions and preform further restitution. He can’t shove blame on the kids, he can’t say ‘Xemnas made me do it.’ No, Saïx caused them harm, and he has to be responsible. Anything less is in an incomplete, false apology that does not match the severity of his actions. And even if he executes a perfect apology, guess what?

 Xion and Roxas do not have to feel grateful to Saïx. They do not have to forgive him. They do not owe him anything. He was their abuser. If they do not feel ready to forgive, they don’t have to. Furthermore, forgiveness and healing is a process. One and done will not realistically fix the level of trauma that these children have experienced. I have seen the expressed attitude that of course Xion and Roxas would forgive Isa. They’re good kids! To which I ask, would bad kids not forgive their abuser? Xion and Roxas would still be good kids, even if they don’t forgive the man who abused them. That’s not how this works. They are the victims here, they have been done harm, and they deserve the space to heal. If they do not want Isa in that space, then that is their right. Maybe, Roxas and Xion decide to forgive Isa, maybe it takes time, maybe they never do. It depends on how they work through their pain and trauma. Of course, repeat all this with Lea. Because as much as the fandom likes to give him a free pass for his ‘good intentions.’ Those ‘good intentions’ still hurt Roxas and Xion. You could say his actions are justified given his circumstances. That does not change their impact. Xion and Roxas know --based on Axel’s own behavior-- that he will throw them under the bus if it’s convenient. They have not met Lea. They do not know him. They have no reason to trust him. It is Lea who must do the work to fix that. Not Xion, not Roxas, it is Lea who has to prove himself trustworthy again. 

It’s alright to draw Xion, Roxas, Isa, and Lea having ice cream together, or living a happy life. However, it is also necessary to address the problems. How does Xion feel living with Isa, who misgendered and emotionally abused her? Does Roxas feel at all threatened by Lea, knowing that he once attacked him? How did Lea and Isa work to address their mistakes, and reconcile with the kids? How are they addressing the real trauma that Xion and Roxas have experienced, especially the stuff at their own hands? Most depictions of ‘The Sea Salt Family’ skip past all the hard work and jump to the fun part. We’re shown Lea ‘forgiving’ Isa, when it is not Lea’s place to do so. We’re shown Lea bringing Isa, Roxas, and Xion, into his home, with little regard for how this may affect the kids. I feel as though in most depictions, Xion and Roxas are accessories to Isa and Lea’s romantic relationship. Another point of conflict or a source of fluff. This ignores the autonomy of Xion and Roxas, it ignores their struggles and character. Worse yet, it echoes Nomura’s own erasure of their trauma. Don’t write Lea and Isa adopting Xion and Roxas if you’re not prepared to talk about everything that comes with it. 

Also consider that Xion and Roxas are extremely vulnerable. They have between them, total, two whole years of experience. They have never gone to school. They have never had friends outside of the Organization. (The Data Twilight Trio are not their actual ‘friends’ and Nomura makes no sense, I’ll die on that hill). I cannot state how easy it would be for Lea or Isa to continue a pattern of abuse with them. You say, Lea and Isa would never do that! To which I say, they have done that, and we have little canon proof that they wouldn’t do that. 

Are you catching my problem here? 

Do you see why having Roxas and Xion get a happily ever after with their two abusers is not a good idea? Because Nomura did not write a true redemption arc for either Isa or Lea, we do not see any fundamental changes in their character. Axel has been showing willing to commit cold blooded murder. Can you show me how he is now prepared to take care of two extremely vulnerable, traumatized, and abused children? Maybe, in your own writing you don’t think Lea is prepared to take care fo the kids. Okay, that’s fine, there’s some nuance-- but do you still write him taking care of them? Why do you think that is the best situation for Xion and Roxas? Because they have nowhere else to go. How is that acceptable? Knowing that the two children who have been abused have so few resources available to them that they have no choice but to stay with their abusers? Maybe, as a fandom, we need to stop caring so much about Isa and Lea’s feelings, and start caring about their victims. 

I don’t want my reader to leave this essay and think, ‘I can’t write Sea Salt Family.’

You can write Sea Salt Family, but you have to order some nuance. 

Think about the best Redemption Arc in living memory: Zuko. Zuko was shown kidnapping and attacking Katara in Season 1. Yet, I am perfectly fine with Zutara as a ship, why? 

1. Katara is shown capable of standing-up to Zuko, defending herself, and challenging him. In Siege of the North Part 1, she is shown equal to, if not superior to, him in skill and power. Katara can kick Zuko’s ass and he knows it. By the end of Season 1, there is no longer a power imbalance between them. Abuse requires a power imbalance and Katara and Zuko are shown standing on equal footing.

2. Zuko and Katara then have a change in their relationship. Zuko has his change of heart in Ba Sing Se. In the crystal catacombs he shows empathy to Katara that she responds to. He even takes this point to issue his first apology. However, he betrays this budding trust by following Azula in attacking Aang. 

3. Zuko reconciles with Katara and builds a friendship with her. This includes Zuko apologizing for his past actions. But also doing what he can to fix his mistakes. He works to understand and listen to her anger and pain. He helps her find the man who killed her mother, on her request. He allows her to take the space and time she needed to address her trauma. Not just what he did to her, but what the fire nation did to her. He shows a clear change of behavior and remorse for his past actions. Katara and Zuko, by the end of the series are friends who trust each other. I can believe it because of the intentional work and time the show put into the relationship. 

Now look at the above. You tell me where Isa and Lea did all that in canon?  Think about point 1, Katara and Zuko are pretty much the same age, as two years of difference between adolescents is not a significant age gap. Xion and Roxas, are literal toddlers, and Lea and Isa are in their late-twenties. There is a natural power imbalance between these characters caused by age and experience. Which means it’s even more on Lea and Isa to take responsibility. Furthermore, what about point 1 or 2? Xion barely has any lines in KH 3. We do not hear her story, we do not hear her experience, and we do not hear her accepting the apology Lea did not make. Canon is flawed in its execution of the Sea Salt Family. Fandom has a real chance to step-in where Nomura failed and succeeded. Yet, over a year since KH3′s release, I have seen few attempts to do so. 

Abuse in relationships can be addressed. Abusers can take responsibility, apologize, and make amends for their actions. I do believe that Xion and Roxas can forgive Lea and Isa, if and only if, Lea and Isa earn that forgiveness. I believe that in theory the Sea Salt Family could be a wonderful example of found family, forgiveness, love, and healing in media. However, in practice, most examples of it fall short. The challenge there-in, is to write and portray the nuance, complexity, and triumph of a real relationship. Not a superfluous, weak, or shallow one, that looks pretty and is heartwarming, but instead a deep story, that is deserving of the characters it attempts to represents. 

#✰*✦ This is the idiot speaking ⎧OOC⎫ #✰*✦More than a mannequin on the strings⎧Headcanon⎫ #salt tw #abuse tw #violence tw #xion #lea #isa #roxas #yeah i'll tag character names i'm not a coward

[phoenix-downer]

Thanks for Waiting Chapter 1/2

For Rikunami Day 2019. Chapter 1 will be posted today, and chapter 2 will be posted next Monday. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Length: ~3300 words

Summary: Riku and Naminé are an unlikely duo working towards a common goal: helping Sora. But as they spend more and more time together, they start to question if they’re doing the right thing. It’s easier to focus on that than on what might be happening between them. After all, a Nobody doesn’t have feelings of her own, and a human wouldn’t fall for a Nobody… right?

Characters: Naminé, Riku

Relationships: Riku/Naminé

Additional Info: Romance, Friendship, Angst, Mutual Pining, (Mostly) Canon Compliant, Missing Scene(s)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naminé rubbed her eyes, then picked up the pencil and continued her work. This memory was an old one; Sora wore a white shirt with red pants, and there was a light shining in his hands. It was one of those memories he probably didn’t even remember, but it was a part of his heart all the same and needed to get put back together. 

“Naminé? You’re still awake?”

Naminé looked up from her sketchbook. A figure wearing a black coat and a blindfold had entered her little sanctuary, a blank white room with drawings of Sora’s memories attached to the walls. 

“Oh, hello Riku,” she said as she turned her attention back to her drawing. “I take it our hideout is still safe?”

Riku took a seat at the opposite end of the table from her. “For now,” he said with a sigh. His silver hair was getting long, including his bangs. Between that and the blindfold, Naminé wasn’t sure how he could even see anything.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” she asked. 

“I guess. I just… don’t feel like I’m doing anything.”

“Well, there’s not much you can do right now other than stand guard over Sora. And it’s an important job. His life is in our hands.” 

He rested his head in his hands. “That’s just it. After what I did, I don’t know how I’m gonna face him when he wakes up.”

“Well,” Naminé said as she put her pencil down, “if it makes you feel any better, there are plenty of good memories of the two of you together. And Sora forgave me for trying to replace Kairi. He wasn’t happy about it, but he didn’t hold it against me. If he can forgive me, he can forgive you too.”

Riku was silent, and Naminé stole a glance at his face. With his eyes covered, it was harder to get a read on what he was feeling, but not impossible. 

“Riku,” she said softly, and he lifted his head. “I think you’re being harder on yourself than anyone else is.”

“I could say the same about you. How long have you been working on Sora’s memories without a break?”

She pursed her lips. “That’s different. I have to make it up to him. I have to fix my mistakes. With each day that goes by, he’s apart from his friends for that much longer.”

He sat back in his chair. “And how is what you’re doing any different from what I’m doing?”

“It’s not,” Naminé finally admitted.

His lips twitched, ever so slightly, and for a moment Naminé caught a glimpse of the Riku Sora and Kairi must know.

“Listen to us,” he said. “Two people bumbling around, trying to atone for what we’ve done but probably doing more damage in the process. What a pair we make.”

Naminé stilled at that. “I’m not a person the way you are, Riku. I’m not… human. I’m just a Nobody. Kairi’s shadow.”

He said nothing for a long time, and she picked up her pencil again and continued. When he stood, she glanced up at him one last time. 

“Goodnight, Riku.”

“Goodnight, Naminé.”

With that, he stole out of the room as quickly as he’d entered it. The only sound left was the scratching of pencil against paper.

The more Naminé spread her drawings of Sora’s memories across the walls and tables of this lonely room, the emptier Naminé felt inside. Like she was pouring everything into those drawings until there was nothing left. She set her pencil down, the drawing of Sora as a child finally finished, and rested her head in her hands.

His memories mocked her. They were always waiting for her as soon as she closed her eyes. Reminding her of the life she could never have. It didn’t matter that Sora had promised to be her friend. Once he woke up, he wouldn’t even know who she was. She was alone again. 

Riku was trying, he really was. But a human like him couldn’t understand what it felt like to know you were never meant to exist. That you were a mistake, an accident. Naminé could hardly blame him for thinking that way. She and Roxas and Xion were all just fakes, and he and Sora and Kairi were the real ones. The humans. The ones with actual hearts. And even though Roxas and Xion were never meant to exist, either, they still had Axel. Who did she have?

No one. Sora had chosen Kairi over her. Riku wanted his friend back, and so did Kairi, even though she couldn’t remember his name. 

There was one person who had wanted to be with her. The Riku Replica. But he was gone now, and his feelings had been fake. Given to him so Marluxia could manipulate Sora. Given to him so she could toy with him and break him. No one had ever cared for her out of their own free will. 

What she wouldn’t give just to have that, for once. But she could never ask for it, for if she did, she would simply ensure the same thing would happen again. Love without a choice was not love at all. 

When she left the white room for the night, a shudder went down her spine. How could a Nobody like her be haunted by ghosts of memories that weren’t even her own? 

But it didn’t matter. Her time was limited. In the end, she would have to return to her Other, just like every other Nobody did in the end.

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Riku sighed as he sank into his creaky bed that night. The Old Mansion was hardly a nice place to live, but somehow it was still less creepy than living in Maleficent’s lonely old castle with its big empty room back on Hollow Bastion.

Being away from Sora and Kairi was hard. But it wasn’t their fault Riku was currently in this mess, struggling with his darkness as he tried to fix his mistakes. And Sora wouldn’t wake up unless he went to questionable lengths to get his friend back. 

His thoughts wandered to his task at hand. Sure, DiZ kept saying Roxas and Xion and Naminé weren’t real people. But if that was true… why did Xion have a face now? A face that looked like Kairi’s? And why did Roxas seem so much like Sora? Why was Riku reminded so much of his friend when he saw him?

And Naminé. Naminé, with her gentle smile and earnest manner. Naminé, who was just as determined to atone for her mistakes as Riku was for his. How were the two of them any different, really? Why was it that he was human and she was a Nobody? Did it even really matter?

Yes, it did, because if he accepted Naminé had a heart, then he’d have to accept Roxas and Xion did, too, and he couldn’t do that. Couldn’t do that and still bring Sora back.

DiZ was right. Nobodies and Replicas weren’t real people. They were just fakes with fake hearts, and no amount of wishing would ever change that. 

But as Riku fell asleep, Naminé’s face was in his thoughts, and a part of him wished he was wrong.

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When Naminé woke up the next morning, faint smells were coming from the direction of the mansion’s kitchen. 

Curious. Usually she was the one who did the cooking. Riku was in and out too much to be a reliable cook, and DiZ had probably never made anything more complicated than a sandwich in his entire life. 

She had no clothes but her white dress, so she slipped it on now and folded the oversized Twilight Town t-shirt that was her nightgown in a neat pile on her creaky old bed. She’d managed to snatch it when no one was looking, because Diz didn’t think a Nobody like her need worry about things like clothes or even food.

But her body, faint and ethereal as it was, still needed sustenance of some kind. She had made do by scrounging around in the woods near the mansion or snatching scraps from food stalls in town until Riku put a stop to that and started bringing back actual groceries for her to cook with.

Taking the stairs as quietly as possible, she made her way down to the kitchen. The smells drifting to her nose triggered Kairi’s memories of other mornings spent with Riku and Sora, mixing batter and adding in chocolate chips.  

Sure enough, Riku was hunched over the stove with a metal spatula in his hand. The stove had been a little too short for him before, but after his recent growth spurt, it was comically so. 

“Good morning,” she said as she peered over his shoulder. A plate of pancakes was next to the stove, and he scooped the latest one off the skillet and dumped it on top of the pile.

“Morning,” he replied. “Pancakes are about the only thing I know how to make, so I figured I’d take over cooking duty for once. Grab yourself a few and take a seat. Syrup’s already on the table.”

“Thank you.” She found a chipped but clean plate to use, along with a mismatching fork and knife, and took a seat on one of the creaky old chairs. Miracle of miracles, the table didn’t wobble as she set her plate down, and she gave Riku a curious look.

“I tried to stabilize it this morning,” he explained as he brought the remaining pancakes over along with another clean plate and took a seat. She watched as he poured syrup over his stack of pancakes, leaving a few for DiZ. 

So that was what you did with the syrup. She copied him and then tried a bite. The pancakes were warm and fluffy, and the syrup was just the right level of sweetness.

“These are really good, Riku. Thank you.”

“Yeah, well, you can thank Kairi. She’s the one who taught me how to make them.”

But of course. Riku wouldn’t make them for her sake; he was making them because he missed Kairi. 

“I hope I get to meet her soon,” she said. Well, more like she knew she would, she just wanted to talk to Kairi before she merged with her.

“She’d like you,” Riku said. Not a question, a matter-of-fact statement.

“She would? Even after I made Sora forget her?”

“She’s not the kind of person who holds things against other people.”

“Why don’t you go see her then?”

Riku sighed. “I can’t. Not without Sora.”

Naminé didn’t know what to say to him. What she wouldn’t give to have real actual friends of her own. He had friends who cared deeply about him, and yet he wouldn’t even talk to them.

“Well,” she said at last, “I hope the three of you can be together again soon.” 

He coughed and quickly changed the subject. “What will you do, when all of this is over?”

“I suppose the same fate that befalls all Nobodies will befall me eventually. I’ll return to Kairi like I’m supposed to.”

He was silent for a while, then finally replied, “Doesn’t that make you sad?”

She shrugged. “I don’t have a heart, remember? So I can’t really be sad about it.”

But Riku’s head drooped, and she had the curious thought that perhaps he was sad for her.

No, that was impossible. Humans didn’t feel any empathy for Nobodies. How could they, when Nobodies were just empty husks masquerading as people?

She couldn’t let Riku get attached. That would just lead to heartache for him and make it harder to do what had to be done. 

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Naminé sat in the white room, staring blankly out the window at the courtyard below and the woods beyond that. Xion had made her promise to look after Roxas, and… 

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

She glanced at Riku, who must’ve entered the room without her noticing. His eyes were still covered, but she didn’t need to see them to sense something was on his mind, too.

“I don’t know why,” she said, “but something about this feels wrong. I know I’m not supposed to be able to feel, and yet… I can’t help but wonder… are we really doing the right thing, Riku?”

He didn’t answer her for a few moments as her question hung in the air. Was he having a crisis of conscience over what they were doing? Was it possible he felt guilty? Ashamed?

But this was all to help Sora. That was what mattered, right?

“Right or wrong, Xion made up her mind in the end,” he said at last, his voice heavy. “There was no stopping her.”

“You’re sad for her?” 

Riku didn’t reply; he just sat down and stared at the drawings on the wall. As the memories of Xion faded one by one despite her attempts to cling to them, Naminé couldn’t help but wonder. Would anyone remember her after she’d returned to Kairi? Or would she just fade away? Would everyone forget her like Sora had forgotten her, or would someone, anyone, remember her? Would she become a part of Kairi, or would she… 

She shook her head. Roxas. She was supposed to look after Roxas, for some reason. 

Riku stood and walked to the door. 

“Where are you going?” she asked. 

“Xion… I’m supposed to… face Roxas.”

With that, he was gone, and so were the last memories of… 

That was the thing about memories fading. Once they were gone, they were gone for good. Hoping that someone would remember her after she returned to Kairi was pointless. She was doomed to be forgotten in the end, just like every other Nobody. 

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Diz’s secret basement laboratory, with its blue glowing lights and creepy monitors, was usually somewhere Naminé merely passed through when she wanted to visit Sora. But someone had entered the Old Mansion and was in the lab now, and she wanted to know what was going on. Otherwise she’d never find out, as Diz wasn’t going to tell her otherwise. 

She took the steps one by one, clutching her sketchbook to her chest as she peered down. What she saw at the bottom of the stairs made her breath catch. 

A tall figure was there, dragging an unconscious Roxas along with one arm as it favored the other. Her promise to help Roxas rang clear through her head, and she cast her sketchbook aside and addressed the figure.

“Who are you?”

“Naminé, it’s me.”

She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. “Riku?”

Sure enough, the memories were his. His heart was his. But his appearance was not. He… he looked like Ansem now. Like his own worst enemy. He still wore a black coat, but he was taller and bulkier than he should be. His hair wasn’t messy anymore, either; it was perfectly smooth, and he was no longer blindfolded. Instead of the beautiful green eyes she had come to expect, golden ones stared back at her.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, averting his gaze. “But I had to do this to defeat Roxas.”

Naminé’s lower lip trembled as she looked from Riku to Roxas back to Riku. How was this right? How was any of this right? Why had Riku transformed? And why did Roxas have to be sacrificed? Why did bringing Sora back have such a high cost? She didn’t know helping him would… would—

Her eyes rested on the unconscious Roxas once more. Maybe she and Roxas weren’t human, but surely they didn’t deserve to just—

“I see you’ve brought Roxas back,” Diz said, and Naminé stiffened at the sound of his voice. “Place him over there. The digital Twilight Town is ready.”

Riku moved to do as Diz asked, and Diz turned his attention to her.

“Naminé, now that we have Roxas, you must make haste. The Organization will begin searching for us.”

“Of course.” 

She still owed it to Sora to put the rest of his memories back together. She’d promised.

But… she could at least comfort Roxas in his final few days of life. It was the least she could do for him, for the only person left who might understand. 

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“Dispose of Naminé.”

DiZ’s command to Riku rang through his head as he listened to Axel and Naminé speak to each other. And then Axel brought up the elephant in the room, the reason why Riku had come to  Sunset Hill overlooking the real Twilight Town in the first place. 

“DiZ? Wants to get rid of me?” Naminé asked. Her voice wasn’t angry or accusatory, just sad and a little surprised. She stared at the sketchpad in her hands. “Well, I suppose it makes sense. He doesn’t want a Nobody with powers as dangerous as mine around.” She looked up at him, and her eyes were heavy. “I don’t blame you, Riku.”

As he stared at her, he thought of all the days they’d spent together over the past few months. Thought of how she’d treated him kindly, even after he’d taken on Ansem’s form. Thought of how she’d smiled when he’d made pancakes for her. Thought of how she always knew just what to say as well as when to be silent. Thought of how upset she’d been over Roxas’s fate. How she’d defied even DiZ’s orders after she’d cooperated with him for so long. And why? 

That was when it hit Riku. She was lonely. She was trying to bond with the only person she thought might understand her. If she really didn’t have a heart, then why was she trying so hard to connect with someone else?

DiZ was wrong. Riku had made a terrible mistake. Naminé had a heart. Roxas did too. Maybe even Axel as well. And even though it was too late to help Roxas now, he could still do something for Naminé. He could still show mercy on Axel.

“Go,” he told them, and Naminé’s eyes went wide and her lips parted. “I owe you both,” he explained after Axel questioned him. What he didn’t say was that a part of him couldn’t bear to see Naminé dead. Couldn’t bear the thought of her not existing anymore. 

“Thank you,” was all she said after a few moments, but it was all she had to say. He watched as she disappeared inside the portal Axel had opened. Now he was the one defying orders, but he didn’t care. She was gone, but at least this way, she might be safe. 

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As Naminé merged with Kairi, she realized at long last the truth that had been staring her in the face: she did have a heart of her own, a will of her own, a mind of her own. 

While she was glad that she continued to exist at all, a part of her still wished that she could feel the breeze on her skin again, the sunshine beaming down on her face. Wished she could talk to Roxas and Kairi and Sora face to face again. Wished she could see Riku again—

She caught herself. Where had that thought come from? Strange, unbidden, and yet… here to stay. The more she tried not to think about Riku, the more she thought about him. Thought about his wry humor and dry wit and teasing smiles. Why had he spared her? Was it really because of guilt, or could it be something more?

No, it had to be guilt. There was no other explanation. He felt bad about what he’d done to Roxas, and this had been his way of making up for it. 

There was no way he felt anything for her. None at all. And that was how it should be. She might be her own person, but she had no hope of being distinct from Kairi ever again.

Did she?

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A/N: I’ve been wanting to write something that delved into Riku and Naminé’s bond in more detail, as well as what might have happened behind the scenes during those moments the games can’t include because of time and budget restraints. This chapter covered the material leading up to KH3, and next week’s chapter will cover KH3 itself. Hope you enjoyed!

#rikunami #namiku #rikunamiday2019 #namikuday2019 #riku #naminé #kingdom hearts #kh fanfiction #phoenix writes #phoenix-downer #long post #romance #friendship #angst #pining #mutual pining

[nadziejastar]

What are your thoughts on the various types of lesser Nobodies?

The members of the Organization each had their own distinctive weapons that didn’t exactly cooperate if someone else tried to use them, but Keyblades were even more particular. If someone else so much as tried to pick it up, a Keyblade would simply return to its wielder’s hand. Or so Xion had heard.

We should have gotten to learn how the members of the organization got their weapons.

Nobodies derived their personalities and abilities from memories of their human lives. But what exactly were those abilities? What gave rise to them? The answer that came to mind was the presence of memory itself. They were chained by their memory, and in those bonds was power. So it was probably fair to say that Roxas and Xion were bound by the same memory.

And we should have learned how they got their “personalities” and abilities, too. The Nobodies they control are one of those abilities, no doubt. They should be based off of specific memories from when they were human. Which means that the organization members should have gotten a MUCH more flesh out backstory than they got. I’m really disappointed that most of them remained so flat, even including the popular ones like Axel. He may have been very likable, but his backstory in KH3 left him very flat.

Sorcerer

A sorcerer, magician, or “witch” attempts to influence the surrounding world through occult (i.e., hidden, as opposed to open and observable) means.

There should have been a story/lore based reason for each of their fighting styles. There are no lesser Nobodies based on Vexen/Zexion. It probably means that those two did not have any fighting abilities as humans, which makes sense. But the rest of the organization probably did fight as humans, thus they can control Nobodies based off of that fighting style.

Sniper

A sniper is a marksman who operates to shoot people from a concealed position. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision rifles and high-magnification optics, and often feed information back to their units or command headquarters.

Braig was a sniper when he was a castle guard.

Dragoon

Dragoon, in late 16th-century Europe, a mounted soldier who fought as a light cavalryman on attack and as a dismounted infantryman on defense. The terms derived from his weapon, a species of carbine or short musket called the dragoon.

Dilan was a dragoon.

XaldinHe has the image of a medieval Chinese military commander. He is excellent at strategizing, and a powerful soldier. I’m sure the players all know that he is a contender for the first or second strongest in the Organisation. I’m satisfied that I was able to depict that strength in his personality, too. I personally really like this character.–Nomura

But he was also based on a Chinese military commander. We didn’t get to learn much about Dilan. What was his motivation? Why did he side with Xehanort? 

Watching that foolish beast flail about only deepens my disdain for humans and their incessant need to be pinned down by feelings. We became Nobodies precisely to avoid the shackles of emotion. It was only later that we realized the scale of that loss: that some things simply cannot be done without a heart. Nonetheless, I see nary a pleasant thing about it.

Why did he want to get rid of his emotions and why did he consider them a weakness? What was his opinion of Ansem the Wise, and how did he feel when he was banished? Did he want to take over Radiant Garden?

Samurai

The ideal samurai was supposed to be a stoic warrior who followed an unwritten code of conduct, later formalized as Bushidō, which held bravery, honour, and personal loyalty above life itself; ritual suicide by disembowelment (seppuku) was institutionalized as a respected alternative to dishonour or defeat.

Aeleus was a samurai.

LexaeusHe’s a character with strength to rival Xaldin. While Xaldin has power plus technique, I’d say to Lexaeus is more of a samurai, or that he has bushido-style strength. If you listen to his very last line in Re:COM, I think you’ll be able to see his spirit. I wanted to do more with this character.–Nomura

Nomura said his final words showed his spirit.

Lexaeus: You are the Superior’s—Forgive me, Zexion. This was a fight I should not have started.

In Re:CoM, these are his last words. He seems to have some honor and was loyal to Zexion.

Lexaeus gave him a cruel smile. “Hmph…so I must accept my defeat here. But do not make the mistake of underestimating the darkness in me! As I am destroyed, it will leave this ruined vessel and drown you!” 

Then there was a terrible shock wave far greater than what Riku had felt from the darkness that Lexaeus radiated before the battle. 

“Wh…what’s happening?!” A relentless swirl of darkness surrounded him, swallowing him up until he disappeared into it. 

Lexaeus laughed madly. “This is my strength… I, number five in the organization… I who was once his favorite pupil!” Those were Lexaeus’s final words before he vanished into the darkness.

In the novel, there’s an extended final scene with his final words where he apparently commits seppuku and says he was “his” favorite pupil. Who’s favorite pupil? Ansem? Xehanort? We’ll probably never know.

Berserker

Berserker, Norwegian berserk, Old Norse berserkr (“bearskin”), in premedieval and medieval Norse and Germanic history and folklore, a member of unruly warrior gangs that worshipped Odin, the supreme Norse deity, and attached themselves to royal and noble courts as bodyguards and shock troops. The berserkers’ savagery in battle and their animal-skin attire contributed to the development of the werewolf legend in Europe. These Viking berserkers were infamous for fighting in a violent rage, recklessly charging at their enemies without armor or any other protection, and seemingly without concern for their own health.

Saïx is a strange case. Unlike the apprentices, we never saw Isa fighting as a human. He was just a kid. So how did he become a berserker of all things?

Prayers are uttered to Odin, as the object of contemplation. Why Odin and not the wolf, bear, or whatever? The berserk trance is brought about by Odin, he is the inspirer, that which brings something outside the self within the self. This is ond, inspiration, or vital breath. This triggers the wod, or fury and possession, which is where the wolf, bear, or whatever comes in. As a god, Odin is a “larger” concept than the animal, and so the effect he has upon the mind during the ritual will be the greater.

Berserkers worshiped Odin. To go berserk, they needed to meditate on him and receive divine inspiration. In other words, they couldn’t just go berserk at will. The needed to meditate upon a divine purpose to go berserk.

Do you know what happens to those who lose their true purpose? Inevitably, they destroy themselves.

I think Saïx was the same.

It infuriated me how you just exited our lives. I lost…all sense of purpose.

He needed a purpose to go berserk. 

Yes, I thought you didn’t need me anymore. If you didn’t need me, then I no longer held meaning.

For him, it was Lea. 

Saïx hesitated for a second, and Roxas ran at him.

He blocked the Keyblade.

Long ago—I remember, I didn’t hate fighting. Saïx flung his claymore at Roxas.

And so, Saïx remembered things from a long, long time ago.

My theory is that Saïx would need to meditate on his purpose before he could go berserk. Before he went berserk fighting Roxas, he thought back to a time before he hated fighting. Back when he had someone to protect and fighting actually had meaning.

Assassin

A murderer of an important person in a surprise attack for political or religious reasons.

One of the things I disliked about KH3 was its characterization of Axel/Lea and seemingly retconning his role as an assassin. On the clock tower, Axel and Saïx revealed their shared goal of finding Subject X. Saïx wanted to work his way to the top of the organization hierarchy so he could find out what happened to her. Axel said that he couldn’t keep up with Saïx and his willingness to do the icky jobs Xemnas wanted them to do to achieve that rank.

This flies in the face of ALL the hints from the previous games about their shared objective:

In order for Sora—no, for Roxas to live, and also for us to accomplish our own goal, Zexion is in the way. And, if it’s for the sake of our own goal, we already decided what to do, that time.

In the novel, Axel references their shared goal and how they decided to do whatever it took. Zexion was in the way and Axel killed him.

Given the right memories, the Replica could mimic the powers of the original. Which meant that if he were implanted with somebody else’s memories, he would, hypothetically, gain other powers. Somebody’s—or maybe even a Nobody’s. He had one particular Nobody in mind. All the members of the Organization were still influenced by the memories of their human lives.

Here, it references Axel’s memories of his human life as a reason he wants to use the Riku Replica to defeat someone and absorb their powers. Sounds like Axel was, at least partially, motivated by revenge.

Axel let out a breath. “Look, I knew Vexen and Zexion would cause trouble for you. That’s why they’re not around anymore.”

That sounded more like he was justifying it to himself, Axel thought. Their lack of hearts didn’t render their actions meaningless. It wasn’t as if they never thought carefully or acted without objectives in mind. Humans and Nobodies alike would pursue their own purposes.

“The dirty work doesn’t bother me,” Axel went on. “You just make for the top.” There was nothing false in that, and he looked Saïx in the eye as he said it. Saïx stared hard back at him. Right. We have our own agenda.

Again, it demonstrates how Axel was always the one willing to do the dirty work to achieve their goal.

“Everything is back to normal. Of course this is for the best, isn’t it?”

The reason I’m unable to answer Saïx is probably because I depend on him, thought Axel.

“Xemnas has also been irritated at the recent changes in plan. Everything has to go back to normal, for the sake of our goal too… Lea.”

Axel finally looked over at the sound of that nostalgic name. Saïx was looking at him. It made him think of his time as a human, and the memories came surging back.

Here, Saïx is trying to coerce Axel into killing Xion for the sake of their goal. He never even considers doing it himself. It sounds like Axel was always the one who handled the icky jobs like killing, not Saïx. Because, obviously, that was Axel’s job. He was the assassin.

I just did what I thought was the best thing at the time. For Roxas, for Xion, for the Organization—and for Isa. But most of all for me.

Axel was at first willing to kill Xion. And who was he doing it for? Isa. And for himself. Because he needed Isa. He emotionally depended on him. Saïx knew Axel needed him and manipulated him by calling him “Lea”.

Axel didn’t care anymore about what the Organization needed, what Xion or Roxas wanted, or even what was supposed to be good for the worlds. He had been using the Organization for his own ends from the start. The only thing that had changed in the meantime was who it was all for. Maybe Saïx would call that a betrayal. But his world had changed.

It doesn’t sound like Axel’s willingness to kill had anything to do with Subject X or finding information about her. It sounds like Axel was wiling to kill for Saïx. He and Saïx wanted to take over the organization for Saïx’s sake.

What were you really after, Lea? We joined the Organization at the same time, and formulated our plan. At this point, it’s just an idle fantasy. Everything changed. You, and me.

When Axel refused to do what Saïx wanted and left the organization, he apparently didn’t need him anymore. And Saïx couldn’t handle that.

Yes, I thought you didn’t need me anymore. If you didn’t need me, then I no longer held meaning.

Of course, Axel’s motivation was retconned in KH3. Instead of Isa being his reason for staying in the organization, it became Subject X/Skuld. And along with that change, Axel’s role as an assassin was whitewashed. Maybe the idea of the fan-favorite Axel being happily willing to ruthlessly murder people didn’t seem appropriate anymore. Especially if it was no longer not for his best friend, but for a girl who is basically a stranger to him. I dunno. But I think it’s BS.

Dancer

A warrior who dances across the battlefield, garbed in colorful raiments. Tends to have low stats and specializes in support magic.

Demyx was a dancer.

DemyxFrom the beginning he was created as a light-hearted character, but his voice actor really made him stand on his own as a character despite the short appearances he had. He is by no means strong, so I think it’s funny how you don’t see it coming when his abilities make him a formidable opponent. His line before exiting was something I thought of on the spot and had them add in.–Nomura

He is described as not very strong. We never got to see him as a human, but he was probably a performer.

Gambler

(Bakuto, 博徒) were itinerant gamblers in Japan from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of the forerunners of the modern Japanese crime gangs known as yakuza. Bakuto plied their trade in feudal Japan, playing traditional games such as hanafuda and dice. They were mostly social outcasts who lived outside the laws and norms of society.

Luxord has still not received a backstory. I think we can tell a lot about him with this, though.

LuxordIn all honesty he is my absolute favourite Organisation member. I like how he treats everything as a gamble, like Setzer from FFVI of old. I actually wanted to make him stand out more. At least I got him to say some things during the meeting scene added to KH2 FM+… but Luxord should have been able to do so much more…–Nomura

Nomura wanted to do more with him.

The nation of Lucis was said to have worked akin to a mafia crime family since the nation’s ancient beginnings, and despite its peace was said to have engaged in strict rule, including a ban on firearms and a lockdown in the capitol city. Noctis was the crown prince, and Regis the current king. Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto—Noctis’s team members—acted as his entourage akin to a Yakuza kyodai-shatei structure.

Maybe his gambler/bakuto job is the reason why he’s apparently going to have a connection to the Verum Rex world. In Re:Mind, Yozora’s driver sounded like Luxord. And Luxord’s wild card is apparently going to be what helps Sora return.

Reaper

Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper causes the victim’s death by coming to collect that person’s soul. Other beliefs hold that the Spectre of Death is only a psychopomp, serving to sever the last ties between the soul and the body, and to guide the deceased to the afterlife, without having any control over when or how the victim dies.

The Reaper and Ninja Nobodies were introduced in KH3. I think Marluxia’s intentions were supposed to be known by the time KH3 started. He wanted to bring his sister back. That’s why he wanted to control Sora and the Keyblade and take over Castle Oblivion. That’s something that should have been explored in the Dark Seeker Saga, explaining how Marluxia became a vessel. Maybe Xehanort convinced him that if he helped open Kingdom Hearts, he could reunite with his sister.

Ninja

A ninja (忍者) was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included espionage, deception, and surprise attacks. Their covert methods of waging irregular warfare were deemed dishonorable and beneath the honor of the samurai.

Larxene’s backstory is a Keyblade wielder from the age of fairy tales. But why was she a knife wielding ninja archetype character? What was her life like before she became a Nobody and tried to take over Castle Oblivion? How did she get so twisted and when did her hatred of men develop? What is the nature of her feelings for Marluxia? That’s what I wanna know.

#kh #organization xiii

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #351: Someone's Dying Today (Kingdom Hearts)

Vantias: Alright. (Cracking his Knuckles) Which one of you fuckers' ready to die today?

Hayner: Yep. He's definitely pissed.

Roxas: Vantias! (Chuckles Awkwardly) How's it going my friend?

Vantias: Cut the crap, Roxas. I know what you and your little posse did.

Roxas: (Sweating Bullets while Shrugging and playing dumb) Uhhhh..... Whatever do you mean?

Vantias: (Pinching his nose) Is he Seriously......The three videos you bozos sent me earlier today! That Damn Abomination known as Boku no Pico!

Roxas: (Eyes Widened) Oh....I take it...you were able to figure out it was us, huh?

Vantias: What do you think, jackass?! (Pause Himself and Took a Deep Breath before Continuing) Now....I don't know who thought it was a good idea to sent me these, but whoever it was is in desperate need of some Ass-Whooping right now. (Cracking his Knuckles with Darkness in his hands)

Hayner: (Starts Getting Scared Shitless) Oh shit.....Guys, I'm starting to think he's actually serious here...

Pence: (Whispers Loudly) Ya think?!

Roxas: (Whispers back to his friends) Guys, relax. This is Vantias we're talking about here. And besides, as long as we stick together, I'm pretty sure we can take him-

Olette: VANTIAS, WAIT!

Vantias: Hm?

Olette: Look, I know that you're really mad right now....and with a very good reason too, but I just wanna let you know.....(Immediately Points Towards Roxas and Hayner) That it was all those two hooligans' doing!!

Roxas: (Eyes Widened and Jaw Dropped) OLETTE!!!

Hayner: YOU TRAITOR!!!

Olette: (Completely Ignore Roxas' and Hayner's Outburst) I mean, Me and Pence didn't even want to prank anyone into watching the anime. Not even you. You gotta believe me on this.(Gives Vantias Pleading Eyes) Pretty Pleeeeeease?~

Roxas: PLEADING EYES!! REALLY?!

Vantias: (Raises an eyebrow at Olette before turning towards Pence) She's telling the truth here?

Olette: (Bump Pence's Shoulder with hers)

Pence: Oh! Uhhh....(Nodded A bit Rapidly) Yep! it's true.

Roxas: YOU TOO, PENCE?!

Hayner: OH I AM SOOOO GETTING YOU TWO BACK FOR THIS!!!!

Vantias: *Ahem*

Roxas and Hayner slowly turns around to see Vantias surrounded with a Dark Like Aura, while having evil smirk on his face.

Vantias: So.....Do either of you two got any last words right now or what?

Roxas: Uhhhh-

Hayner: So Vantias.........you mind telling us who's your favorite character here is or....

Roxas: (Yells at Hayner while Pulling him Back and Forth) DUDE, WHY YOU WOULD YOU ASK HIM SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!!!!

Hayner: I'M PANICKING HERE, ALRIGHT?!!!

Vantias: ('Sigh') Alright. It's your funeral then-

???: VANTIAS!!!

Vantias: (Turns to see a Disappointed Namine standing behind him) Namine? Where did you come from?

Namine: (Points back to Vantias' Dark Portal a few inches behind here) Your Portal. You forgot to close it once you got here.

Vantias: (Noticed the Portal) Oh yeah. Didn't even notice the thing was still active...

Namine: We can talk about it later. (Crosses Her Arm) Right now I want to know why you're standing here threatening Roxas and the others.

Vantias: Look, in my defense, those bozos was about to have it coming.

Namine: (Sighs as she Gently Grab one of Vantias' hands) I understand why you're upset with them, Vantias, but I told you a million times to not threaten people. Especially our friends.

Vantias: ('Sigh in Defeat') I know....Sorry.

Namine: (Squeezes Vantias' hands a little) I know you are, Vantias. I just don't want you to let your anger get the best of you. You understand, right?

Roxas: Yeah that's right! No threatening your friends, Vantias!!

Hayner: Yeah! Listen to ya sister Namine!

Namine: (Turns to Roxas and Hayner with a Piercing Glare)

Roxas/Hayner: (Huddled Together in fear)

Namine: (Slowly Walks towards the duo with a not so pleased look) Roxas. Hayner. We need to talk.

Roxas: Oh. Uhh yeah. Sure, Namine.

Hayner: What is it you wanna talk about?

Namine: About those three videos you sent to Vantias.

Roxas: Wait how did you- (Eyes Widened after coming with the Shocking Realization) Holy shit......YOU ACTUALLY WATCH BOKU NO PICO?!!!!

Hayner: SERIOUSLY?!!!

Namine: Yes. I have. But only the first Video at Least (Took a Deep Breath) Now, Roxas..... While I do respect others' view point on each and every form of art, I must say.....without a doubt....That what I saw was the most vile and disgusting video of animation I have ever seen in my entire life. And I am VERY Disappointed that you of all people would ever make someone watch something like this. Let alone Vantias!

Vantias: Damn right!!!

Namine: (Turns to Glare at Vantias) Language, Vantias!!

Vantias: (Quickly Shuts up) Sorry.

Roxas: ('Sigh in Guilt') You're right. I'm really sorry, Namine.

Pence: (Feeling Guilty as well) We all are.

Olette: (Elbows Hayner) Isn't that right, Hayner.

Hayner: Yeah, Yeah. I get it already. (Sighs once he turns to Namine) Sorry, Namine.

Namine: ('Sigh') It's okay. I forgive all of you. But I want you four to promise me to never watch or make anyone else watch these ever again. Do I make myself clear?

Everyone (Except Vantias): Yes, ma'am.

Namine: (Smiles Softly) Thank you. I'm so glad we could put this behind us.

Roxas: ('Sigh') Yeah. It's for the best. The whole thing already starting to get out of hand.

Olette: I still kind of blame you guys for starting this in the first place, though.

Vantias: I can agree with that.

Hayner: (Shrugged) Fair.

Roxas: (Rolled his eyes) Whatever.

Pence: Let's just hope all of this over now-

???: *Ahem*

The gang, Namine, and Vantias turns to see a very Disappointed Aqua standing behind all of them, surrounded with a dark blue aura around her.

Roxas/Hayner: (Eyes Widened in Complete fear) Oh shit......

Olette/Pence: Oh no.....

Namine: (Genuinely Surprised) Oh my.....

Vantias: Well what do you know?....(Smirks Evilly) Someone is dying today.

Namine: Vantias!

Vantias: What? It's Somewhat true.

Aqua: Now then......(Crosses Her Arms) What is this I here about you kids making people, including my son, watch Boku no Pico?.....

Mostly Inspired by @khtext

@26shann

@keyenuta

@cyber-wildcat

@chompycroc

#kingdom hearts #vantias #roxas #namine #hayner #owlette #pence #aqua #humor #swearing warning #takes place after vantias watch the three videos the gang (roxas and hayner) sent him #namine is not pleased #aqua is not pleased #seriously don't watch boku #have to edited it again to make it perfect. sorry about that

[mariahmaru]

You Shall Be Bound Heart and Soul

For Day Six of Ansem’s Apprentice Week!

Theme: AU/Restoration

Shipping: King Ansem x Evën

Author’s Note: Sequel to this. And if you’re interested this is what Evën’s suit and ring looks like. This is what Ansem’s suit and ring looks like. And the song Roxas and Ventus sings is Simple Thing (Called Love) by Jesse McCartney because... of obvious reasons. lol.

@apprenticeweek

I hope you enjoy!

The people of Radiant Garden was a bit excited today. There were booths open in town square, flower decorations, and banners saying ‘congratulations’, but for what exactly? For the King of Radiant Garden’s wedding of course. The king was finally going to marry his fiance, Evën. It’s been ten years since King Ansem proposed to his partner and now they’re finally going to get married.

Evën nervously fixed his black tie while looking at the mirror. He wore a baby blue suit with a buttoned coat and a white dress shirt under. His long blond hair was put up in a bun and he still had his reading glasses on. The man started to get really sweaty and kept untying and adjusting his tie, he just didn’t look perfect. Ienzo sighed annoyed, watching his guardian fiddle with his tie, “You look fine Evën. We’re going to start soon.”

The blond flushed, “Okay. Okay. I’m calm. I’m calm…” He then looked at his reflection again, “Maybe I need a different color?”

“NO.” Ienzo stated making the older man flinch, that was rather loud of the teen. He then walked over and straightened Evën’s suit up, “You’re fine.”

“No I am not fine!” Evën mumbled and started to pace around the room, “It’s been merely three months since I was restored to my human form! Ansem and I haven’t seen each other in ten years! Surely his feelings have changed for me! I betrayed him, sure I helped save him from Xehanort’s plan, but that doesn’t heal ten years of hurt! What to do? Is it really too late to call this off? What if we reschedule? Yes! Surely Ansem would understa--” 

He stopped when Ienzo hugged him. Evën relaxed and wrapped his arms around his son. That calmed him down a bit as his muscles loosened up a bit.

“Everything will be okay.” Ienzo reassured and loosened the embrace, “What does your heart say?”

Evën’s eyes looked down to the side, “To… go on with the wedding.”

“Then listen to it. Sometimes your heart knows more than your head and your head talks too much.” Ienzo stated before chuckling.

The groom smiled, “I suppose you’re right… Thank you Ienzo. You’re the best son anyone could ask for.”

They gave each other one last hug before Aeleus knocked on the door and peeked in, “Evën. It’s time.”

The blond flinched from those words and got nervous again.

Ienzo let go of him and patted his back, “You’ll be fine.”

Evën swallowed hard and nodded, walking out. Aeleus and Ienzo followed close behind him till he stopped, seeing Ansem at the door entrance with Dilan by his side waiting for him. Evën’s fiance wore a nice beige suit, coat open to show off the vest from the inside, very different from the usual attire he wore.

The king smiled, “You look beautiful.”

The blond flushed before Aeleus started nudging him towards the king. When they were face to face, Evën was shaking a bit.

“Nervous?” The king asked.

“Nonsense!” Evën stated, with Ienzo nodding his head in the background.

Ansem chuckled and held his arm out, “Do not worry. I am as well.” Evën nodded and nervously wrapped his arm around his fiance. 

Aeleus, Dilan, and Ienzo crept through the door’s entrance and shut it behind them, leaving the two men alone. The scientist’s heart felt like it was beating out of his chest and kept shaking. They were really going through with this.

Oh he didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve him. Of all the bad things he had done to Ansem, the love of his life, it was unforgivable. He couldn’t atone for his sins, he wasn’t worthy of this.

“Evën…” Ansem said, making the other man tear away from his thoughts, “Why are you so nervous?”

The older man looked at the ground, “I… I can’t do this Lord Ansem… I don’t deserve you… Not one bit.”

“Again you say this, but I do not understand why. Evën, do you doubt me when I say that I love you?”

Evën looked at him, “Of course not.”

“Do you doubt me when I said that I have forgiven you?”

“No…”

“Then why is there doubt in your heart?”

“No, not my heart… My head. My heart wants me to walk down this isle with you but my head… My head just tells me bad things.”

Ansem then touched Evën’s cheek with his warm hand. The older man’s emerald eyes locked onto the king’s amber eyes.

“Your head does not have all the answers Evën. Listen to me instead. You are worthy, you are amazing, and I love you very much. I cannot imagine doing this with someone else so please my love, cheer up.” He gave him a small kiss on the lips, “It’s our wedding day.”

Evën blushed as the doors opened and music started playing. The scientist quickly straightened himself to see the aisle leading down the room with all of their friends standing up and looking at them. The two began to walk as Roxas’ band played the music. Ven was playing a guitar, Lea played the bass, Isa played the drums, and Roxas was the lead vocalist.

“Everything's a fight, everyday's a struggle.

Seems like fear is the guide that they want us to use.

Scared to raise our voice.

Afraid to make a choice.

But your powers inside.

No one can take that away from you.”

Ven then joined in the singing, “If you wanna change the world.

You gotta change your world.

It's a simple thing that connects you and me.

Everything's so complicated.

Everyone seems so frustrated.

Can we get back to the basics?

It's a simple thing called, lalalalala love.

A simple thing called, lalalalala love.

We can't keep livin' in confusion.

And we're runnin' out of excuses.

I know it doesn't seem that easy.

But, please, believe me.

All we need is love.”

When the song ended the two grooms were at the end of the aisle, greeted by the all powerful wizard Yen Sid.

The wizard then spoke, “Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today for the union of Ansem the Wise and Evën the Academic, in matrimony. You may exchange your vows.” Ansem nodded before he spoke, “Evën.” He held both of his groom’s hands into his, “I have loved you for many years ever since I was a young boy. You and I have been blessed with children who I adore, Ienzo, Roxas, Xion, and Namine, and I can only hope for more in the future. We might be opposites but we complete each other, making each other whole, and I cannot see myself with anyone else.”

Yen Sid nodded and looked at Evën, “Your vows.”

“Ansem I…” Evën said and cleared his throat, “Ansem I always woke up early in the morning to make sure you’re eating and doing your work. You have been my friend for years, whether I liked it or not. You were alway kind to everyone who approached you and very generous. We fought but…” Tears rolled down his face, “And somehow you always had the heart to forgive me. You always included me to anything you do from eating ice cream to adopting a son. Never in my life--” He sobbed and Ansem touched his cheek, “Never in my life I thought I would be blessed with a family but I’m glad it’s with you. Ansem, I love you with all of my heart and I want to spend the rest of my life with you!”

Ansem took out a handkerchief and helped wipe away Evën’s tears.

Yen Sid nodded and looked at Ienzo, “May you please bring the rings?”

Ienzo nodded and walked up with a silk pillow that held two platinum rings. One with rubies and one with sapphires. Ansem took the sapphire while Evën took the ruby.

“With the exchanging of rings, you shall be bound heart and soul, together forever with many stories to be told.”

Ansem then took Evën’s left hand and slipped on the sapphire ring on his finger, afterwards Evën took Ansem’s left hand and slipped the ruby ring onto his love’s finger.

“With the power vested in me and of the Kingdom of Radiant Garden, I pronounce you wed. You may kiss your partner.”

Ansem gently placed his hands on Evën’s face and pulled him into a kiss. Evën flushed as he touched his now husband’s cheek and kissed back. Everyone in the room applauded as the husbands broke the kiss and hugged each other. Ienzo, Xion, Namine, and Roxas hurried to the newlyweds and joined in the hug. The king laughed happily as his family gathered and kissed Evën again.

Above them in the rafters, a cloaked man sat and clapped, “Way to go Evën… I was worried you were going to be an old maid forever.” He then got up, “Congratulations, I’m happy for the both of you.” He then raised his arm and made a black portal and left.

May your hearts be your guiding key.

#apprenticeweek2020 #apprenticeweek #even #ansem the wise #kingdom hearts #king ansem #yaoi #ansem x vexen #ansem x even #radiant garden #birth by sleep #Kingdom Hearts III #kingdom hearts 3 #ienzo #oneshot #fanfic #mariahmaru

[kairibee]

Kairi positivity despite KH3 being awful to her

The way Kairi’s character was handled in KH3 was a travesty (obviously), however, there were a couple of things that I really liked and am glad they included in the game. And this post is kind of in retaliation to all these “Kairi is awful/doesn’t have any personality” posts I keep seeing.

Kairi as a writer

I’m really glad they kept the letter bit from the KH orchestra in KH3. Even though Kairi is writing letters addressed to Sora, writing is something she says she’s doing for herself (she outright says this). She doesn’t want to send her letters to him; she just wants to get her thoughts out on paper. This is clearly a hobby and a form of self-care for her. It also follows-up on the poem she wrote at the beginning of KH2. Kairi likes to write and get her feelings out, and she’s quite a poetic and eloquent writer at that. It’s neat to actually see this.

Kairi wanting to save Naminé

I am really glad they fleshed out Kairi’s intentions of helping Naminé become her own person. Similar to Sora with Roxas, Kairi wants Naminé to be her own person. She does not feel right while Naminé’s heart is still inside of hers. Kairi reflects on this quite beautifully to Axel:

“Now that she’s a part of me again, I figured all was right. But she can’t look at this forest, feel the wind on her face, none of it. And if she could, it would be different to her. Her time was short, but she lived it, and that makes it hers.”

Here, Kairi honors Naminé’s individualism. This is a beautiful sentiment, especially since Naminé was told her entire existence that she wasn’t supposed to exist and as a result feels as if she’s not important to anyone (she actually says this to Sora when they briefly meet in the Final World). It’s a shame we don’t actually see the two girls interact, once Naminé is restored. However, we see in fact that Kairi does have her own goals and intentions she wants to see through herself.

Kairi and Axel

This is a controversial one but in the end I liked how these two interacted. They both learned to care for each other and become friends, despite a rocky beginning. Axel did a terrible thing to her in KH2 but after apologizing profusely, she ended up getting to like him. They had similar goals - she wanting to save Naminé , and him Roxas. This shows that Kairi is forgiving and understanding. Did Axel deserve this from Kairi? You can debate that all you want, however Kairi managed to find common ground with him and develop a caring friendship. The fact that they both tried to protect each other in the Keyblade Graveyard (her while he was being swarmed by heartless, and him trying to protect her from Terranort) really solidified their bond. Sure, Kairi unknowingly reminded him of Xion but I believe he really did care for Kairi herself by the end of the game. All in all, it was nice to see Kairi develop an actual bond with another character besides Sora. It’s a shame we didn’t see Axel show more concern for what happened to Kairi at the end.

Kairi’s light

While Kairi didn’t quite develop into a strong keyblade wielder like was initially teased (although she definitely made strides), she did showcase confidence and strength while utilizing her PoH/light powers. She was ultimately the reason the guardians of light got a second chance at fighting the thirteen darknesses. As Kairi was able to fight and keep Sora alive, he was able to save the others. When Sora finally finds her after saving the rest of the guardians, she tells him “you’re safe with me”, ultimately keeping her part of the promise they made to each other about keeping the other safe. Her light protected him from death and gave everyone a second chance. We’ve seen her do some incredible things before in KH1 and KH2 but this instance really hit home that Kairi’s light is indeed a powerful and useful weapon.

Of course, even with all this being said, Kairi deserved a lot better from KH3. We all know this. She was used as a plot-device the entire last bit of the game and remained a damsel-in-distress for Sora to save. She also had no interactions with Riku, her supposed best friend. It’s a real shame. And I think it’s such a shame because the moments I’ve listed above really made me feel for her as a character. She had so much potential to shine. I wish the last hour of KH3 could be rewritten because honestly she had such potential at the beginning of the game. I want to take her away from Nomura because clearly he has no idea what he’s doing with her. Sigh.

#im nervous about posting this but w/e #kairi #kairi positivity #kh3 spoilers #kingdom hearts 3 spoilers

[bluerosesburnblue]

Hey, im just trying to read through alot of your debunking stuff, you mentioned in one of them how they completely misrepresnt and get Riku's character wrong. Could you maybe expand on that and why you think they misintepret their own personal Jesus?

I’ve actually already talked about a few of these in other asks!

Here’s where I talk a bit about how I think that they get the evolution of Riku’s promise wrong. It’s not about Riku coming to understand that he has one, true person that he cares about, but about him growing a sense of empathy for people that he barely even knows (also includes parts of his relationship with Kairi that I think they’re wrong about)

I’ve also talked about how, while Riku may be a well-meaning guy, he’s absolutely terrible at expressing himself and has a tendency to accidentally put others down. He’s not suave, he doesn’t have all the answers, and he’s just as prone to mistakes that hurt others as anyone else

I think the biggest problem I have with the theory’s characterization of Riku is that it fails to acknowledge how he was in KH1 (and CoM and Days to an extent) in any capacity. Now, granted, I haven’t read the “Riku is the Light” section yet, which is where I imagine that most of this would be

But Riku was an asshole in KH1. Like, a huge dick. Sora’s shown being buddy-buddy with the other island kids, but Riku keeps to just himself, Sora, and Kairi. He’s ambitious and kinda selfish. He actively flings their entire island into the Darkness just to escape it and only really cares about taking Sora and Kairi with him. He doesn’t really care about his parents or even how his best friends would care about leaving theirs. And when he’s forced to live with the consequences, he hates it. He hates that Kairi lost her heart because he opened the door, he hates that Sora’s the one who got the Keyblade from it, and he hates that Sora made new friends while he was stranded and his jealousy over that leads him to jump deeper and deeper into the Darkness in an effort to get what he wants out of his actions

Because by that point he still hadn’t learned his lesson. He still doesn’t believe that he was wrong; that it was just circumstance that hurt Kairi and Sora who betrayed him. And he keeps being like that until his desperation to be right and do right by himself leads to him allowing Ansem to possess him and then he’s forced to watch in horror as Ansem uses his body to take it too far

From that point on, he does everything in his power to really make it right. And Mickey is the biggest part of that. When Riku gets kicked out of his body it’s Mickey who offers a way to make it up to everyone. It’s Mickey who stays with him until DiZ pulls him out of the Realm of Darkness and it’s Mickey who keeps sending Riku magic projections from the Realm of Darkness to help guide him on the path of redemption while Riku struggles with the remnants of Ansem. It helps no one to ignore how central Mickey is to Riku’s development (and also how much Riku effected Mickey, like his views on Darkness)! Mickey offered Riku support when Riku was at his lowest. There’s absolutely no way that Riku doesn’t deeply love Mickey like an apprentice would their master or like the weird mouse adoptive father he never expected (there’s a reason that it’s Mickey who runs to him at the end of KH2 while Donald and Goofy run at Sora)

His relationship with Mickey also shows how far he’s come from KH1. He was jealous of Sora’s relationship with Donald and Goofy because he thought it was “replacing him.” Now he can respect that you can love your new friends as much as you do your old ones

He also gets very self-sacrificial. Once he meets up with Mickey at the end of KH1 and realizes what he did wrong, he sacrifices himself for both of his best friends. It shows that he’s already come a long way from when he forced them to lose their home and families at the beginning of KH1. Now his actions are bringing them back. This escalates, though, at the end of Days when he forces himself into Ansem’s form just to wake Sora up. And since Sora’s awakening comes at the expense of Roxas and Xion’s lives, it reinforces the self-centered “only the people that I care about are worth saving” thing, though he’s lighter on it now. He ends up letting Xion choose on her own, though he still does his damnedest to convince her to merge with Sora. He expresses regret over what they’re doing to Roxas. But they still aren’t Sora, so he doesn’t choose them

Being forgiven by Sora and Kairi in KH2 is the big turning point for him. It’s the first time they’re all together again since just before Destiny Islands fell. He hasn’t had the chance to see what they really think of him and what he’s done yet and he avoids them because he didn’t feel like he’d made it up to them yet. Hadn’t sacrificed enough to make everything what it was again. And now here they are telling him that he doesn’t have to hurt himself for them. They just want him home with them

And now that they’ve forgiven him, he just has to forgive himself. That’s what his story in DDD is. He’s spent a year struggling to get rid of his darkness, the biggest sign of his failures in KH1. He only regained his real form again on a fluke due to Ansem the Wise’s machine. He hasn’t done anything to prove to himself that he’s been redeemed. And then he does. He saves Sora without having to sacrifice anyone to do it, he’s named a master, and he’s told point-blank that the darkness can’t hurt him anymore by the guy who used it the first time around. He’s finally the best version of himself

And I think that’s why he’s kinda flat in KH3. He’s already gone through this grand, sweeping arc and all that’s left to do is rescue the people who helped him get there, like Aqua and Terra. Aqua’s someone he feels especially indebted to

So overall, Riku went from extremely cocky to self-deprecating to genuinely humble that occasionally lapses into “pulling rank” because he’s still very protective of others and has only just come out of the mindset of “I can’t make it up to them if I don’t sacrifice enough for them.” He’s willing to make those sacrifices if he has to, but now he doesn’t feel like it’s the only way to do right. And he’s come to respect others outside of himself. Hell, you could argue that he didn’t respect Sora at all in KH1 and that there’s a side-arc of him doing so in KH2 and KH3, though he never gets over his protector nature with him. Riku’s expanded the love he’s able to give and come to appreciate who he’s become

He’s not perfect. But he tries. He still gets in his own head too much and ends up hurting others because of it, but he never blames them for it anymore. And that’s just… my thoughts on Riku. He’s a guy that struggled, a guy that still makes mistakes, but a guy who’s come a long way from the self-centered idiot who destroyed his home

#anon asks #liz answers

[yulon]

Ansem the Wise is over-dramatically vilified in the fandom and here’s why

hello. i return to tumblr with this [waves hands mysteriously] apparently HOT TAKE

SO HERE I AM 

First, a brief rundown of misinformation about him going around:

Ansem the Wise didn’t do any of the horrific human experiments [edit***- fixed wording!]. Let me repeat it: Ansem the Wise did NONE of the horrible experiments on people. Not on citizens, and not on X. The only - yes! ONLY! - experiment Ansem the Wise did was on Apprentice Xehanort, who volunteered, and it was just a psychological test. Not “feeding people to Heartless”-esque shit. None of the “kidnapping people and subjecting them to hell on earth”-esque stuff. It was just on homeboy Xeha.

“If I explore Xehanort's heart with psychological tests, I may be able to recall the past locked away within. My apprentice Even has also shown great interest in Xehanort's memories. But is he really the right subject? Xehanort does indeed exhibit extraordinary talents...Too extraordinary... Perhaps they are even superhuman.”

After, he immediately regretted it:

“I have made a grave mistake. My study of the "darkness of the heart" began with a simple psychological test and quickly snowballed.”

“....Unbeknownst to me, my six apprentices then began collecting a large number of subjects on which to perform dangerous experiments into the "darkness of the heart."

As stated in KH3, Ansem the Wise found out they were doing this - WITH X SPECIFICALLY - and stopped Xehanort from continuing the experiments. This is why Ansem SOD sought him out in KH3 - it was because he thought AtW took X away from him to completely stop the testing.

People get confused because Apprentice Xehanort wrote them under Ansem the Wise’s name, something which is quickly explained in Ansem the Wise’s secret reports.  It would not make sense for Ansem, who loved his citizens, to kidnap and experiment on them to the point of insidiousness. It would not make sense for him to see Xehanort and the others doing it and freak out about it if... he himself was also doing it... the logic there doesn’t add up.

So, where we are now:

Ansem the Wise did none of the horrific experiments. Xehanort and the other apprentices did. If you want to hate someone for the awful things done to X/Skuld and the numerous innocent people who were tortured (so much so Xehanort plainly says they “mentally collapsed” and were FED TO HEARTLESS,) direct the rage to Xehanort, the other apprentices, Xemnas, and Ansem. 

Isa, Lea, and Ienzo WOULD HAVE NO REASON TO HATE HIM. HE DID NOT EXPERIMENT ON SKULD/X. HE SAVED HER. [B]LEASE. ENOUGH OF THIS.

But! Ansem the Wise was a huge jackass to Roxas and Namine! I hear you starting to type up your scathing reply! Maybe he didn’t do those awful experiments, but he was abusive and awful!

Yes. You’re absolutely right. After Xehanort and his apprentices banished him to the Realm of Darkness, stripped him of his identity and his research, and destroyed his home, Ansem (somewhat appropriately) grew mad with Darkness and sought revenge. Blinded by it, he sought to destroy all Nobodies, including ones which he had no personal grievances with (like Roxas and Namine,) instead using these as pawns for his personal gains.

DiZ was an abusive, horrible person. Yeah. I’m not an idiot, y’all. He was.

Hey! Y’know who else was? Master Xehanort. You know who else is? Xemnas. You know who else is? Ansem SoD.

Do I see even a QUARTER of the absolute hate this fandom slings toward AtW directed toward those three?

“But what does it matter if other characters are awful? That doesn’t absolve -”

Nope! It doesn’t! Ansem did awful, horrid things. Hate him for those, seriously. But you know what separates them?

Ansem realized his mistakes.

Ansem the Wise realized how terribly he treated Roxas and Namine. He apologizes to Roxas.

Then he sacrifices himself to destroy Kingdom Hearts so Xemnas can’t use it.

“It doesn’t make it okay even if he said sorry!!!” Nope. Maybe not. But even when he came back in KH3, he CONTINUES to try to atone... atonement being a HUGE theme in KH3, if you stan Saix/Isa, Vexen/Even, or whoever else, and hate Ansem the Wise because he doesn’t deserve redemption - bruh. Come on. You realize what you’re saying, right? hewwo??

The fact the only villainous character in the series who turns back to his old and bitter ways and truly and utterly seeks atonement is the one who is hated the most in this fandom is simply .......... buckwild.

Meanwhile, people don’t bat an eye at Xemnas lying and manipulating the entire OXIII, Ansem SoD possessing a literal child, or MX destroying 3 young lives. And if they do, they don’t do it on NEAR the level at they do at what AtW did.

AtW, the only one who tried to do better.

a’ight

Recap!

Yes. As a revenge-blinded DiZ, Ansem the Wise was a truly awful person: a true villain like Xehanort or Xemnas. You’re right.

Unlike Xehanort and his incarnations, however - none who ever showed a LICK of remorse about their awful actions - Ansem realized his mistakes and tried to atone, going so far as to give up his life.

You know what else?

Ansem the Wise put data in Sora to save not only Roxas, but XION AND NAMINE TOO. Yes! That’s fucking right, my man! You couldn’t have your Sea Salt Family back without Ansem the goddamn Wise! He is literally, like, the only reason Roxas and the others are back. Without him, Ienzo would have had NOTHING to go on in KH3 on how to get Roxas back.

AGAIN: Without AtW, Roxas, Xion, and Namine could never be restored. Though he loathed Nobodies as DiZ, he went out of his way to try to atone for his actions by figuring out a way to bring them back.

“But he blamed Ienzo when he reunited with him in Radiant Garden!!! He agreed Ienzo made a mistake even when he was just a kid!!!”

THIS TAKE IS WHAT REALLY GETS ME HEATED!!!!!!! Y’ALL!!!!!!

This is what he ACTUALLY SAYS:

“... I was just a boy. But I should have known better. I am truly, deeply sorry.”

“I think what matters most is you recognize the mistake. Peace, Ienzo. It was I who was consumed by hatred - who failed you in my obligations as your mentor. Forgive me.”

Ansem respects Ienzo and accepts his apology, very gently and kindly. This is the man who was Ienzo’s master: he knows the kid, even though it’s been years.

HE KNOWS IENZO WANTS FORGIVENESS.

Have you ever done something awful that wasn’t really your fault, but you still feel like shit? Did someone ever say “no, it wasn’t your fault, don’t worry about it,” when you just wanted them to say something like: “it was a mistake, but it’s fine now.” You just want to be forgiven for it?

Ansem gave that to him. Look at his face! Fuck!

Then Ansem IMMEDIATELY swings it back to apologize TO IENZO. I’m gonna post it again.

“It was I who was consumed by hatred - who failed you in my obligations as your mentor. Forgive me.”

He accepted Ienzo’s apology as a hand wave then blamed himself for what happened (even if it wasn’t his fucking fault) -

AND IENZO DOES. CLEARLY.

And I still see people saying shit like how AtW shouldn’t be near Ienzo? What about the OTHER apprentices, who Ienzo said LIED TO HIM about what happened to AtW?

“They told me you’d gone mad - that you’d betrayed us!”

So that means you think Even shouldn’t be around Ienzo either, huh? Or Dilan? Or Aeleus? That’s what you mean, right? Because Ienzo literally says they manipulated him into thinking his mentor went crazy.

In conclusion:

Ansem the Wise did none of the horrific experiments. He STOPPED the experiments, which the apprentices later continued behind his back.

AtW as DiZ is no worse than Xehanort in any of his incarnations. He was a villain and terrible. You’re right. But unlike Xehanort, he realized his mistakes and did everything he could (including near-death) to atone. 

Without AtW, Roxas, Namine, and Xion would not be here. Full stop.

If you think AtW doesn’t deserve forgiveness or redemption then apparently you don’t think Saix/Isa, Vexen/Even, Axel/Lea (you guys remember what he did in CoM and KH2, right?), Marluxia/Lauriam, Larxene/Elrena, ETC, FUCKIN ETC, do either. SORRY. THAT’S THE RULES. CAN’T PICK AND CHOOSE because you like one character more or another character was mean to your fave.

You don’t have to like Ansem the Wise. I get it. He was an asshole. But for fuck’s sake, read canon and analyze it logically. Fuck. Goddamn.

The fact one of the only "bad guys” (the only fucking bad guy to have an actual reason to be bad beyond “uhhh idk darkness lmfao”) to try to find redemption is the one hated the most is fucked up. End of story. Bye.

#kingdom hearts 3 spoilers #kingdom hearts 3 #ansem the wise #oh! i'm heated! #kh3 spoilers #spoilers #kh3 #long post #discourse #i guess. fuckin hell man. lord in heaven.

[elyvorg]

KH3 Axel rambles (1 of 4)

Admittedly, Axel changing his name to Lea for the duration of Dream Drop Distance and then switching back to Axel one scene into KH3 kind of reeks of the writers not being sure what they’re doing. As in, they had him be called Lea in DDD because now that he’s whole again that’s supposed to be his name, but then they realised that the fans were way too familiar with him as Axel and were going to keep wanting to call him that anyway, so they switched back. But even if that is the reason this happened, it does also make in-character sense for Axel to change his mind twice like this.

In DDD he wasn’t going by Lea just because that was supposed to be his name now. He actively wanted people to call him Lea and not Axel, and made a point of that three times (even if he kind of let it slide the third time, that was mostly because they were in a fight and it wasn’t the time to argue semantics). And if you think about why he might have an aversion to being called Axel, that makes sense. He’s only just been recompleted, so all the things he did towards the very end of his time as a Nobody would still be fresh in his mind, and basically all of that was awful. He lost Roxas after being the one forced to capture or kill him, or get turned into a Dusk if he refused. A few days before that, the very same thing happened with Xion – even though he doesn’t consciously remember that, the pain from it would still remain. And in his attempt to get Roxas back, all he could think to do was kidnap Kairi, which achieved nothing much except to intimidate some people who didn’t deserve it. “Axel” was a bad guy who hurt his friends and other innocent people and always got stuck with the icky jobs. He’s finally escaped from everything the Organisation forced upon him – which included his name – and has real freedom for the first time in a decade. Of course he wouldn’t want to be Axel any more.

Then he starts training with Kairi, and at first he evidently makes sure she calls him Lea to distance himself from the time he kidnapped her and try and make her more comfortable around him. After a while, though, Kairi was able to forgive him for the kidnapping and come to understand him and tell him, really, it’s fine, stop apologising, you’re not as bad a person as you think, which definitely would have helped him feel better about himself. But it was probably mostly just having some time to let the pain of the bad things he did fade into the past and instead focus on the good times he had with Roxas (and that other person Kairi’s face reminds him of) and how much he wants that back – and Roxas only ever knew him as Axel. Over time, he’d start to realise that maybe “Axel” wasn’t so bad. Maybe he kind of liked being Axel after all, at least during the times that mattered the most – the times he’s got memorised. And besides, he’s changed so much from that cocky kid with the frisbees (that crybaby who bought far too much into Isa’s words about how to stop the tears) from way back when that perhaps “Lea” doesn’t quite fit him any more either, at least when used by everyone except Isa, who actually knew him back then.

Axel’s mannerisms during that first scene with him and Kairi seem almost kind of stiff and stilted, which at first I thought was awkward animation until I realised that it was deliberate. He’s still uncomfortable with himself – uncomfortable around Kairi lest he intimidates her again, and uncomfortable trying to be someone he’s not. Just before he asks her to call him Axel, there’s a noticeable shift back to his usual more casual and relaxed demeanour, as if he finally feels able to be himself again.

I’ve seen a lot of people still continuing to call him Lea when talking about him in KH3, even outside of contexts specifically related to Isa, but come on, guys, call him Axel. It’s not that hard to listen to who he says he wants to be.

#kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 3 #kingdom hearts dream drop distance #axel #lea #kingdom hearts 358/2 days #kingdom hearts 2 #god why is axel's story spread across so many different games #ramble #this series of rambles brought to you by the fact that a friend of mine is finally getting to see kh3 #due to the lp channel she watches it from only starting kh3 after the dlc came out

[square-enix-headcanons]

How would Even, Isa, Lea and Laurium react to their s/o or crush finding out about some of the sketchy stuff they did as nobodies?

The Angst potential in this!!

(Cut under Even for length)

Even

He’d asked the other members of the organization not to tell you - Maybe he’d do it himself one day, but if you were to find out, he wanted to be the one to tell you

That was the plan, at least

Most people in Radiant Garden don’t know how exactly everything went down, but there are a few who do

One day, you and Even are taking a stroll through the city when one of those people sees you and flinches away

“You’re him! One of the black coats!”

Confused, you try to ask Even, but he just tries to postpone it. Which usually means he won’t tell you

So you follow the other person to get answers

Even looks after you for quite a while before he anxiously returns to the castle

He can’t even focus on his research right now - He tries a few times, but then accepts it’s not going to happen right now

You come back late at night; there was a lot to unpack, and you still don’t know any details

Even is sitting on his bed in his room, only looking up when he hears you enter

Honestly, he wasn’t expecting you to come back. He did horrible, horrible things as a Nobody.

And, truth be told, even before that. He still had his Heart during some rather bad things

He wants to say something, anything, but what do you say in such a situation?

He finally settles on “I’m sorry”

You sit down next to him. “Tell me everything.”

He’d really love to get around this, but then what? Sure, he could refuse to answer, but he’s scared you’d just leave

He does downgrade things quite a bit, though. You don’t need to know the grisly details; he settles on the facts that he did experiments and that people got hurt

It’s a long, long night for both of you

Once he’s done, he goes silent and waits for your reaction - he’s fairly sure you’ll leave, but a small part of him hopes you’ll forgive him for the things he can’t forgive himself for yet

Isa

Isa hopes you’ll never find out about his past - It’s nice to have someone who doesn’t know about all he’s done, who couldn’t ask or talk about it

(Truth be told, if it were an option, he’d be very tempted to just forget about it all)

He does sometimes feel a bit worried and guilty, though

Would you still be with him if you knew the truth? Does not telling you mean everything is based on a lie? Don’t you deserve the truth?

Sometimes, you catch him looking at you very thoughtfully, but he refuses to say what he’s been thinking about

Then, one day, you find his old journal - less a diary, more a work planner

And since work planners aren’t usually too personal, you give in to your curiosity and look inside

Inside is a list of missions, with descriptions, names, whether they were successful, and a reference for the full report

While some missions don’t sound too bad, others are very worrisome

Even more so once you spot Roxas’s and Xion’s names; they’re still kids, and judging by those descriptions, they should not be doing missions like that!

You leave for a while to clear your head, leaving the journal behind

Which is when Isa comes back

And sees his journal - dammit he thought he’d gotten rid of it all - and that you’re not there

He’s sure you’ve left for good. After all, you just found out that he’s, you know. A murderer, formerly part of an Organization of murderers, and back then saw no problems using two kids in said Organization

If you were there, he might try to find excuses for you - It was because he had no Heart, because he was controlled by Xemnas, that he had a good reason. But while all those things are technically true, he doesn’t even really believe them himself

Isa ends up punching a wall in frustration. He’s not angry at you; more at himself for not getting rid of the journal, at the world, the general state of things, whatever

Once that’s done, he tries to sort his thoughts - which means tidying up (or rather, reorganizing, it’s already pretty tidy) the room, starting with throwing the journal away

If you come back, he’ll be completely stunned for a moment. He did not expect that.

He’s very hesitant and careful around you for a bit, since he doesn’t know yet how you took the news

However, if you forgive him (or even say that you’ll try), he’ll give you a big hug, and probably cry a little

Lea

Lea genuinely plans on telling you, as soon as he figures out how

Several times, he starts to say something, but then quickly finds a new topic to talk about

The first few times, it wasn’t too noticeable, but at some point it does become kind of obvious

“Lea, come on, what were you really going to tell me?”

He stops whatever he was going to say and hesitates

“Well, it’s kind of a long story…”

Inwardly, he’s wondering if maybe he should never have started

He’s changed, right? So maybe there wouldn’t have been any need for you to know at all

Maybe knowing will just make things harder for you

Maybe you’d wish he’d never told you

But, well, now it’s too late to back out again

Okay, admittedly, he does try to shorten it to “I used to be part of a pretty bad group, but now I’m not anymore”

But you only need to raise your eyebrows, and Lea sighs and starts talking about what that “group” was

He doesn’t look at you while he explains

You’d heard about the black coated people before, but you wouldn’t have guessed Lea was one of them!

Near the end, Lea kinda just trails off, shrugs, and looks at you

Everyone else did forgive him so far, so he’s pretty hopeful you’ll do the same

But at the same time, he’s also kinda scared how you might think of him now

After all, not everyone is like Sora and his group

If you say you still want to be with him, you get a b i g hug and probably get twirled around a bit

If you don’t, Lea will mostly be confused at first; it takes a while to really sink in

He won’t go out of his way to avoid you, but if you two cross paths, he won’t do more than maybe wave at you

His heart breaks a little every time you turn around or hurry away

Lauriam

Lauriam decided to put his past where it belongs - in the past

It’s not that he doesn’t care. He does, and feels horrible about some of the things he did

But he can’t change them anymore now, so he tries his best to accept that those things happened and move on

Which is why he never told you anything. That’s the past, while you’re the present

Now, putting his past behind him doesn’t mean completely getting rid of it; Lauriam still has some things from his time in the Organization, including his coat and an old diary

The latter of which you find. And, sure, it’s not nice to read someone else’s diary, but...

Lauriam comes in while you’re reading, and pretty quickly figures out what’s happening

“So, now you know.”

He sounds amazingly calm, grabs a chair and sits down near the door, much farther away from you than he normally would

Inwardly, he’s scared of your reaction. He doesn’t know how much you read, but honestly, none of it is flattering

So he thinks you’d prefer keeping some distance. He didn’t get the title of “Assassin” for nothing, after all

And while he’d never hurt you - and doesn’t plan on hurting anyone else anytime soon - assassins aren’t the type of person most people want to be near

He gives you some time to say or do something - ask a question, accuse him, run out of the room. All very understandable reactions in such a situation

If you don’t react at all, Lauriam asks whether you’d like him to leave - he would if you did

Mainly he wants any reaction at all. He’d prefer you yelling at him over sitting there in absolute silence

“Please, love, say something.”

He answers any question you might have. Sometimes he glosses over the finer details, but he doesn’t lie to you

He knows all this info would be hard to accept

If you decide you can’t, he’ll send you one last flower bouquet, then try to avoid you as much as possible

If you decide you still want to be with him, he’ll thank you - It sounds way less thrilled than he actually is, but trust me, he’s over the moon

The following days or maybe even weeks, Lauriam tries to be more careful around you. No sudden movements, for example, and he won’t initiate stuff like cuddling or hand holding as often, though he 100% reciprocates if you start

#Kingdom Hearts #Kingdom Hearts Headcanon #Even #KH Isa #KH Lea #Lauriam #sfw #I'll keep this idea in mind it'd make for very nice fics O: #Lauriam is a good boi *pats his head*

[crackinwise]

Was Lea really weaker in KH3 than in KH2, where he obsessed over a 15 year old boy to the point he couldn't live without him and lost to DUSKS?

lol Yes. In KH2 he did not lose to Dusks. That robs him of his entire sacrifice in that scene. Bit miffed that’s how you twisted it, but i can explain it if you want. Sorry for the length.

STORY TIME: The Dusks were too many for SORA, Goofy, Donald and AXEL combined. If you wanna call Sora weak that’s your prerogative. Sora had taken on an entire army of Heartless earlier in the same game and hadn’t given up. Somehow he was gonna DIE with the number of low-rank Nobodies around (because they were in the passage way between worlds in Darkness? i think that was the reason they were powerful? been a while). The only way Axel saw to save Sora, and Roxas by proxy, was to unleash all of his power. It took his existence to wipe out countless Dusks in their own realm. Silly, Axel killed HIMSELF to save everyone. (Can rework that cringey line to say “No one axes Axel except Axel.”)  Sora/Roxas and companions would be alive and still have all their strength left to stop the Org and save Kairi. That’s not “lost to Dusks.”

Also, loving someone that much isn’t a weakness. Idk how edgy you wanna sound. He didn’t lose any 15yo (i find it odd your phrasing makes it sound like his age makes it stupid), he lost his Very. Best. Friend. (via Nomura quote: “the best of friends.”) His friend left him, yes, but then his friend was kidnapped and turned prisoner with all memories wiped by some Bondage asshole, then reabsorbed into another 15yo boy’s heart. Axel was never going to see the one person who made him feel like he had a heart. The one person in all the worlds he could--Axel’s words--care about. If you’re numb for years and someone comes along to make you FEEL again, you naturally want to keep them around. If you had one friend and one friend only, and to you it looked like they’d been kidnapped and tortured, i assume you’d do whatever you could to get them back home. If that person was everything you ever cared about and now you’d never see them again... Axel didn’t have a reason to exist if existing meant being heartless again. No one to talk to, to smile with, to fight next to, to peacefully chill with as he took in sunsets. His life to save ANY PART of Roxas left alive was a worthy trade in his mind. Sora sure appreciated it.

Now i get to spill salt on how KH3 wrote Lea! Look at this mopey damn loser, my guy. He has nothing to do all day except sit (always sitting) sadly, talking like he’s on Valium (i think even Flynn as bored), sighing about what he doesn’t have. I admit it’s a good showing of depression if that’s what they were going for, but this was AXEL. We’d seen Axel sad but then we saw Axel DO something about it. WITHOUT A HEART (or without a full one) he was more dedicated to action than we ever saw Lea in kh3. Even in 3D, Lea woke up and immediately hauled ass to join the cause, having the balls to summon a keyblade first try just thinking about saving his friend. That’s the Axel and therefore i guess the Lea we know. 

In KH3 Nomura had him benched supposedly training without ever showing us training, then when he finally does fight he loses to a stiff wind. Wtf? If a heart makes you strong, you’d imagine he’d be stronger than Axel ever was. Now he’s losing consciousness, getting his weakass keyblade broken, and JUST KNEELING THERE WAITING TO DIE. 

The kneeling is what really got me. He’s wounded? Okay. But in like 2 minutes he’s gonna stand up perfectly fine and only cradle his right arm a bit. So he’s not THAT wounded, but Nomura still has him rooted to the gd ground both when he’s about to die AND WHEN SORA AND XION ARE IN DANGER. What does Nomura have this Dollar Store Axel do? Weakly grab onto one of Xemnas’s boots. Friends are gonna die and all Lea thinks to do is “guess i can sorta inconvenience Xemnas with my han--ah, no, he stepped on my hand now i got nothing.” WEAK AS SHIT. DISGRACEFUL. DISHONOR ON EVERYBODY.

Axel in that same situation would at least use magic. If Axel is inside Lea than by all rules he should have his powerful fire magic. Lea wouldn’t even poof one flame to help? BOI. Make a wall of fire between Xemnas/Saix and the heroes! When he grabs Xem’s boot, light his ass on fire! Try to Vexen him! At least melt his boot to the ground! Summon a chakram and shove the points into his ass! WEAK.

Lea is so weak he rushes to forgive Saix who tried to kill him and his friends moments before. You’ll notice Roxas, Xion and Sora not giving one fuck. Saix only apologizes because his bitch self is dying again and Lea somehow thinks this is a sincere apology. Lea is so weak he lets Saix/Isa hang out with his friends that the crusty smurf tried to kill and made their lives, including Axel’s, hell besides. This monotone Xemnas fanboy who did absolute shit to redeem himself gets to live happily ever after like he’s just one of the guys who got hangry a couple times. NO. WEAK. Axel would burn his wig off and tell him if he suddenly wants friends so badly he can go find some of his Nobody dogs.

There is no comparison and i hope Nomura has nightmares featuring my sternly frowning face. Peace.

#axel #kh axel #kh3 #anti nomura #kingdom hearts #anti saix #i really don't want a lea tag #Anonymous

[shinyglaceonice]

Kingdom hearts 3

So I'm done with the main story of this game, gonna go back for collectibles and the like now, but I wanted to share my opinion. Massive spoilers so only read if you have beaten the game.

I've waited 12 years for this game, have played every game in the series including Union X and when dearly beloved came on I was nearly moved to tears. Visually it's stunning, the sound track is amongst Yokos finest (special shoutout to the enter the darkness remaster) and I have to tip my hat to utada Hikaru and skrillex because face my fears and don't think twice are beautiful songs. The gummi ship is the best it's been, I genuinely really enjoyed San fransokyo and Kingdom Of Corona worlds (Big hero 6 is my fave Disney film so this was such a breath of fresh air), combat is fluid, and whilst I miss drive forms some of the key blade changes are great fun to use (though I stilled mained kingdom key because ars arcanum bby), the remy cooking mini game reminded me of Ignis from FFXV, best character from that game don't @me.

But then there's the story, which IMO just felt really weak. There are scenes that feel badly placed, drawn out too long or rushed in some cases. There aren't that many worlds compared to 1 and 2, with only 8 Disney worlds. A lot of the world's stories felt weak, in particular toy box and arendelle, the former not really having a conclusion and the latter just watching Frozen without really moving the plot forward. The treatment of characters felt weak a lot of the time, especially the girls. Aqua and Xion, who are strong warriors who have survived their share of battles are taken out far too easy, Aqua especially seems to lose every battle she's in, which is a stark difference to her in BBS and 0.2. Roxas and Ventus meet and there's no real interaction, missed a gold mine there for a spider man meme scene. Terras redemption was played out well but also felt kinda rushed. My boy Vanitas did not get as much screen time as he deserved. And then there's Kairi, who after training to be a guardian of light, overcoming her differences with Axel and forgiving what he did, is just used as a cliche plot device and is killed off. Again. Which didn't impact me as a player because its like, "oh hey there goes her potential again". If they killed someone like Riku, who had a great character ark and redemption then it would have more impact. It also feels like she was used as Xion comparison a lot. Then the ending, with Xehanort just ascending to the light despite everything he did over the last 12/13 years, sora just swanning of as sequel bait just felt like a cheap excuse to set up another game. I know Nomura said this wasn't the last KH game but would it have killed him to let our guys know a little bit of happiness?

I really wanted to like Kh3, and about 2/3 I did, but the story let's it down so much that it left a bitter taste in my mouth, much like FFXV did. Which is a shame because KH2, BBS and Days are all great games. Square seem to be losing their touch with making games lately, they create visually stunning pieces that are empty inside, no real story to drive them forward. This will be my last KH game.

Also Scrooge Mcduck isn't voiced by David Tennant 0/10 where's my figgy pud

#kingdom hearts 3 #kingdom hearts #tetsuya nomura #sora #riku #kairi #roxas #xion #lea #axel #aqua #ventus #terra #vanitas #Kingdom hearts 3 spoilers #Spoilers #Kh3 spoilers #Don't know what else to protect you guys with

[oveliagirlhaditright]

...I just want Sora and Kairi to be happy. They’ve earned it. In real life--I mean the time it takes the games to come out in our real lives--they’ve been wanting to be together for seventeen years, and are just never allowed to be. The first saga just ended, and everyone got their happy ending but them.

Just... Just think about this crap! Sora and Kairi have gone through so much! It’s not fair!

Even before all this stuff started--when they were just normal kids, leading normal lives--Sora thought he’d never get Kairi, because everyone was always bound and determined to tell him how he was inferior to Riku and surely Kairi would pick Riku over him.

Then their fucking planet is destroyed, Sora gets taken to another planet... and in the chaos of all of that, Kairi’s heart is removed from her body. Sora goes from world to world looking for her, only to later realize her heart is in his own. Great news, right? Except in freeing her heart and returning her to normal, he frees his own heart and becomes a Heartless that way... and the only thing that brings him back from being this monster with no knowledge, hellbent on stealing other people’s hearts, is Kairi finding some way to change Sora back: just because of her strong feelings for him (as said by the Journal) and her light powers... 

But this is still not a happy ending for them, my friends. Oh, no. (And we’re still only on the first game.) Sora, doing the right thing, has to leave Kairi behind for her safety to try and save their best friend Riku... So they’re literally torn worlds apart from each other, as they continually reach for each other’s hands and promise they’ll see each other again.

And then Chain of Memories happens, and Organization XIII forces Naminé to use her memory manipulation powers to make Sora forget Kairi and think that the girl he grew up with and has feelings for is her. And this almost goes horribly wrong. He’s close to staying like this forever--not only that, but being a slave/puppet to the Organization this way, as all he remembers and cares about is Naminé--but thankfully Naminé does what Sora what he did for her: in the rescuing each other thing... But these dominoes also made everyone in the world forget Sora. And Kairi tries to hold onto the memory of him, and everyone thinks she’s crazy for remembering this boy no one else does and thinks she made it up. Sora goes to sleep, so Naminé can work on piecing his memories of Kairi back together (and in doing this, also restore everyone’s memories of Sora)... and this takes a year. Because of all of this, something that Sora thought would take a short time--finding Riku--takes a long time, and he’s beating himself up for it when he and Kairi later meet again and doesn’t even think he deserves her easy forgiveness, and can’t enjoy her hug. And Kairi, meanwhile, is dutifully waiting on a beach, depressed, not knowing if her best friends are even alive.

More memory chaos ensues: Sora’s memories of Kairi somehow end up in what was intended to be a clone of him... and then moreso transforms that clone into Kairi than Sora, since she’s the person most special to him. And then this poor girl--and Sora and Kairi’s Others, that were created when Sora released his heart to fee Kairi’s, Roxas and Naminé--have to sacrifice themselves, so Sora and Kairi can be whole again. (Others who might also be in love with each other ala Sora and Kairi: Roxas and Xion and/or Roxas and Naminé). There’s just so much tragedy here.

Sora finally wakes up, and again begins his quest to find Riku and go home to Kairi... Except the worlds are in peril again, and need him. Kairi, tired of waiting, decides to branch out and try and look for her best friends herself... but is kidnapped along the way to be leverage against Sora (that Sora blames himself for). And in the manga, Saïx tortured Kairi (and she bravely withstood it, without once giving him what he wanted). And I don’t doubt that game Saïx was about to, and may have even  already done so.

Sora and Kairi finally finally finally reunite, and it’s great, but they’ve still got to stop the threat to Organization XIII. And even in the Castle That Never Was, they get separated and reunited quite a few times... have moments they perhaps think they’re going to die (like when Ansem’s Kingdom Hearts Encoder blows up, and no one knows what will happen and Sora attempts to shield Kairi). And it ends with them being torn away from each other again, when Xemnas lures Sora and Riku into a trap: The two of them end up in the Kingdom Hearts equivalent of Hell by the end of it, and think they’ll be stuck there forever so they might as well fade into darkness. And the only relief they find, is knowing that at least their friends (including Kairi, of course. And Sora starts this train of thought by saying Kairi’s name) are safe. But fortunately... a letter Kairi wrote Sora at the beginning of KHII washes up on the shore there. And in reading it, Sora and Kairi’s hearts almost seem to react to each other and create the Door to Light, that gets Sora and Riku out of there and back home. Sora and Kairi get the perfect reunion they deserved earlier, and everything’s peachy...

Except that everything is not over, and Mickey sends Sora a letter calling him away again. And while Sora nor Kairi want him to leave (since they both have some idea about their feelings for each other here), Kairi selflessly lets him go and Sora unselfishly goes to save all these tortured souls who are connected to him... While away, Sora’s heart is shattered by the enemy and he almost stays in a comatose state forever.

Eventually, Kairi goes to Yen Sid’s and he instructs that she should be trained. Yay! She and Sora should finally be able to stay together like they want--and Kairi should finally be able to help like she wants--and they somewhat finally confess their feelings to each other and get together (moreso later in the “Tunnel of Light” scene), and then they go to the stupid Keyblade War: A horrible thing that had nothing to do with them at all, but that they were forced to be in to try and save the world... And everything goes horribly wrong. 

All of our heroes fucking die... But Kairi uses an act of true love, and her Princess of Heart powers, to keep Sora from fading away completely... And because of this, Sora uses the Power of Waking to save the rest of their friends... and by doing so rewrites history so that their fall never even happened... 

But then later, fucking Xemnas kidnaps Kairi and then Master Xehanort murders her in front of Sora to give him “motivation”... And Sora goes off on a suicide mission at the end (talking about how fate seems to be against them, and how he’s done with that, before he leaves), and ends up saving Kairi, but at the cost of his own life (he’s now in the Reapers’ Game, for a second chance at life... and if he loses, his entire existence fades away completely: a fate even worse than death), because abusing the Power of Waking so much did this to him. 

And it hurts more, in that this ending totally faked you out! Sora is so sure--despite everyone warning him differently--that he can return home with himself and Kairi. And a lot of this was probably lying and bravado, but you didn’t know it at the time! And in the ending, Sora and Kairi are together on the paopu tree holding hands (more intimately than they ever have before). You think Sora won! Kairi cries, but you think it’s tears of joy! And Sora leans into Kairi--and you think they’re finally going to kiss--but psych! Sora disappears in this moment! All that talk before wasn’t for nothing, and he didn’t defy his fate. Kairi hunches in on herself, depressed, and the credits roll. Also, all of this while a super romantic song about marriage is playing in the background (that actually does have a really melancholy undertone, but you don’t get why--and almost ignore it--until this moment). Ahh!

...Give me KHIV already, and let these kids finally be happy together.

#sokai #long post #they're probably close to just two years (though I still say it should be a bit longer) of nothing but pain #and you know this must also hurt them and be so weird because they were used to being best friends who saw each other every day #for a decade before shit hit the fan #and for anyone reading this who might not know kh. they do save Roxas xion and Namine in khiii #and find a way for them to have their own lives. and for everyone to exist simultaneously with no ill effects on anyone #also this series is TOTALLY for kids guys. totally #and they may have even had a crush on each other since they were five... just why can't these kids be happy? #for those reading this who might not know kh: they also find a way to bring their planet back #and I think sora WOULD have kissed her at the end of III--and was maybe trying to? or maybe to whisper a promise in Kairi's ear-- #if he hadn't disappeared that exact moment #and let's also not forget how sora was in pain seeing Kairi's comatose body in khi--having no idea how to help her-- #before he realized her heart was in his #there are probably even other moments I could add to this: like how Kairi was probably scared when she thought Riku/ansem #was about to kill him and that's why she called out to him to warn him from inside his heart: another khi moment

[nadziejastar]

Another possible reason for toning down the darkness of the experiments is that it makes it easier to ignore the sins of the apprentices. If they're tearing apart the minds and souls of numerous people including children in pursuit of research they are monsters. But if they just did vague experiments and only one victim has a name it's much easier for them to atone.

It appears my other five apprentices, believing it was for the sake of research, stared deep into the darkness and were pulled into it. Even, Ienzo, Braig, Dilan, and Aeleus…They have ceased to be human. I, too, have had everything taken away from me, banished to a hollow realm of nothingness. What is Xehanort hoping to gain with my pilfered existence? Will my people cease to smile? If the light of hope has been extinguished, I shall henceforth walk with darkness as a friend. Here, in the realm of nothingness to which I have been relegated. Darkness in the midst of nothing. “Darkness in Zero.” Thus, I shall be known as DiZ. Discarding the stolen name “Ansem”…And going in search of revenge.

Yeah, it really pissed me off how the apprentices just got off the hook with no explanation whatsoever. I mean, what the heck? I was flabbergasted. They kidnapped people and turned them into Heartless. Many died, and were then given to the Heartless to see how they would react. 

Dilan and Aeleus teared up when Ansem came back. Um, hello, aren’t you guys the ones who banished him? They destroyed Ansem’s life. He hated them. He set off for revenge and became DiZ because of them. I can see him forgiving Ienzo quickly since he was a little kid at the time. But the others??? No way.

As a start, I have built a device that artificially creates Heartless. By recreating the conditions that spawn the Heartless naturally, I should be able to produce them artificially. This device is the culmination of all my research thus far. The machine’s test run successfully created a Heartless. This may be a step toward creating a heart from nothing. The artificially and naturally created Heartless showed nearly identical traits. But the two types remain distinct for the purpose of the experiment. So, I will mark the ones that are created artificially.

It was so ridiculous. And then “Ansem” was accusing Ansem the Wise of sacrificing children. What the hell! The way they retconned the experiments like that made me so mad. Learning about the experiments was one of my most anticipated story points.

Xehanort developed a machine that created Heartless. And he is the one who spawned all of them. Why are they even still allowed to be working at the castle? Wouldn’t the citizens riot? They literally destroyed Radiant Garden and turned it into a shithole. And they are responsible for countless people losing their hearts. Leon and Cloud would personally go over there and beat the shit out of the apprentices, LOL. None of these retcons made any sense at all.

The two who stood guard at the gates were researchers themselves, though you wouldn’t think it to see them, massive and barrel-chested as they were.

I highly doubt Lea and Isa entered the castle through the front gate. There are two armed guards blocking the whole entrance. How would they even “slip past” them?

And slipping past that duo was only the first hurdle. It proved one not easily cleared; we were found and tossed out on our ears, time and again.

They probably entered where Sora did. A hidden entrance that led straight to the basement. They wouldn’t have needed to slip past them. It probably was not as noticeable in the past, so it allowed them to slip in undetected. The fact that this was a new dungeon added in KH2FM+ shows just how important these experiments were. I’m so pissed we’ll never get to learn about them. They were intriguing. Skuld’s memory is NOT.

On the day we finally secured our entry, we descended the long spiral stair at the heart of the castle to find a dark space below it, lined with cages.

If they entered through the front, they’d need to use the computer to access the stairs. Even Xemnas needed a password to go there. I’m sure the apprentices made sure their evil lab was secure.

By night, the muffled sounds of human wails emerged. There was talk of dangerous human experimentation. Lea and I couldn’t help but hatch a plot to steal inside and sate our curiosity.

Look at this long ass stairway. It’s a looong way down. This is how the experiments were kept secret from Ansem. The castle is HUGE. And this is also why the idea of Lea and Isa hearing human wails from the outside is unlikely. Also, I doubt they would have tried breaking in if they heard fucking wailing that loud. These are sheltered kids who grew up in a garden paradise.

There wasn’t light enough to see if they were inhabited, and we were in no position to call out to any occupants within. Yet we could feel it. A definite presence, there in the black. Terror washed over us, and we immediately regretted coming. But just as we turned to flee, we heard the faintest of voices. The urge to run was nigh overpowering, but someone or something beckoned us on. There, framed by a tenuous sliver of light, we found her.

This is where they would have been. You can see the cages. They’re locked by codes. Yeah, they’d be terrified. Not in any position to make friends. You can see the Chamber of Repose in the back.

It was too dim to make out her features. We spoke to her in hushed whispers. Who was she? Why was she imprisoned here? She had no answers for us. Had no memories at all. She was an enigma, but I knew I wanted to help her. And so we continued our infiltrations, most of them stopped short at the castle gates. When we did manage our way inside, we spoke with her. That was all the comfort two children like us could offer. But Lea had other ideas. He was determined to free her.

This is what it would have looked like from the inside. I think Kairi was kept there while Xehanort was trying to see if he could turn her into a Heartless. And Lea and Isa just happened upon her that day. But just once. Then they were snatched.

Am I alive? I awoke in a cell, alone until the researchers came with their tests and their prodding to uncover my identity. I had no answer to offer them. Four friends, and a key…that is the sum total of my memory. I could not even recall my name. I was simply called “X” there. My only solace was the time I spent talking with the two boys who would visit from time to time. One day, a man came to take me from the prison. I could not see him for the darkness, save that he wore an eyepatch. Even now, years on, I feel no closer to understanding who or what I am.

I think Isa was put in one of those cells. Lea most likely was as well. Why would they lock Skuld up like that if they simply wanted to restore her memories? It’s such B.S. Makes absolutely NO sense.

Subject exhibits signs of profound amnesia, and displays concern for which world this is. Her words suggest that she departed her home world with others, though she cannot recall the names of her erstwhile companions. All efforts to explore those memories have met with a rejection response.

So, my theory all along has been that Ansem the Wise originally wrote this report, and that it was about Isa. And the erstwhile companions, were actually just one erstwhile companion…Lea. To me, that report always did sound like it was written in more of Ansem’s speaking style than Xehanort’s.

My erstwhile friend the King and his subjects, along with a hero wielding the Keyblade, are battling the Heartless even as a new threat approaches. This new threat…they have given themselves a fitting name, I suppose.These non-beings: “Nobodies.”

And I just noticed this now. In one of Ansem’s reports from KH2, he actually uses the same word. “Erstwhile”. LOL.

We slipped into the castle that day knowing only that we wanted, with all our hearts, to save her. But we did not find her inside on that day or the next, or any of our subsequent visits. Had she been moved? Had we simply imagined her? Lea and I knew there was only one way to be certain. And so we stand before the castle gates today, not as trespassing children but in order to become Ansem the Wise’s newest apprentices.

And this is the chamber that was built after Ansem was banished, and the “graveyard” was sealed. It’s right where all the cages are. 

“Where is Lord Xemnas?”

“Where he usually is,” Zexion answered. Vexen frowned.

“The ‘sleeping room’?” Vexen muttered irritably.

“If it’s urgent business, how about you try going there?”

“Stop kidding around!” Vexen snapped, and turned his back on Zexion. “I can’t go there… can’t be helped. I’ll wait for him to return. Yah no, every second is precious… he only does this when I need him! Call it bad timing or call it…” Vexen, simmering and muttering, walked off.

Vexen says he can’t go to the Chamber of Repose? Interesting. Bad memories there? I can see that. My theory has always been that he wasn’t willingly involved in the experiments.

Zexion started walking again. That moment, the echoes of a voice came from above his head.

“I don’t do well with that place, either. What do you think, kindred spirits, Lord Zexion?”

Looking up on reflex, there was a lone man seated on the beams of the yet unfinished building. A man–Xigbar, had the hood of his black organisation cloak pulled up, and Zexion was unable to see his expression.

And Xigbar doesn’t like it either, huh? I can also see that.

Day 117: Him and Roxas

Roxas is maturing at an impressive rate. His face, the way he handles the Keyblade, it’s all exactly the same. The worlds seem so divided and alone, but there’s always that steady thread there to connect them. And we Nobodies can never escape the things we did as humans. So it goes.

Deep down, I do think he feels guilty about what he’s done, and his suicide was NOT supposed to be just a ruse. As if!

#anti kh3 #kh ansem #kh isa #kh lea #kingdom hearts meta #kh meta