#//MAJOR KH3 SPOILERS

[bestgameostcrownduel]

Round 1, Side A: Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers (2019) vs Kingdom Hearts 3 (2019)

FFXIV | Kingdom Hearts

Campaigns under the cut!

Campaign for FFXIV:

oh my god where do I start. Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV) is an MMORPG that's been going on 2013, or 2010 if you count the trainwreck that the current FFXIV replaced (the 2010 version's music was composed mainly by Uematsu, 2013 onwards is mostly Soken). Thus its OST is FUCKING HUGE and spans a whole lot of genres. If you like any kind of music at all you can probably find at least one track that speaks to you in this game. FFXIV has a category of incredibly difficult fights called Ultimate, comprised of multiple short phases that each have their own music. Because of the nature of how Ultimates are structured, they're the only fights in FFXIV where the music can actually be timed to the mechanics. If you're not afraid of story spoilers, look up any ultimate's BGM and you can see how cool this effect is. (I can't listen to Under the Weight without also hearing the sound of every mechanic and tankbuster.) (My personal favorite ultimate, music-wise, is The Epic of Alexander. Back when I was progging the fight I used to fall asleep listening to the BGM.) To The Edge is so so special to everyone who loves FFXIV. It's the theme of a boss in Shadowbringers; I can't give details without also giving major spoilers, but I will say that the story and this song deal with the themes of death and loss. If you look up the lyrics, which aren't too spoilery without context, you'll get what I mean. What makes this extra emotional is that FFXIV's main composer, Soken, was in the hospital fighting cancer when he composed this song. (To be clear: he kept working because it provided him with a desperately needed sense of normalcy, not because he needed to.) No one on the dev team knew aside from Yoshi P, FFXIV's producer + director as well as Soken's personal friend; the rest of the team found out the same time the fans did, months after the fact when Soken was in full remission, at the 2021 FFXIV Fan Festival (FanFest). To The Edge was already widely beloved prior to this because it's an incredible banger tied to an incredible story moment, but knowing what was going on behind the scenes during its composition, in addition to the story and song's own themes surrounding death, turns it into a piece that no one can listen to without getting wildly emotional about it. At the same FanFest, before Soken announced that he fought cancer and won, he performed this live: https://youtu.be/aBt4zT_PBmw?si=SgzTV9BvINfA0b-U Absolute king shit. With Hearts Aligned is also so so so special to me because it's the song that plays in the 'victory lap' second phase against the final boss that caps off a nine year long story arc. It features a leitmotif from The Maker's Ruin, a song from 2013, that represents the player and is often used when we overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. There are no words that can describe the sheer fucking emotion of fighting the final boss of a nine year long story arc while listening to the leitmotif that represents YOU, a leitmotif that you first heard however many weeks or months or years ago when you first started playing this game. The ultimate triumph, and the ultimate song of hope. Also if you like leitmotifs, FFXIV has /so many leitmotifs/. Have a spreadsheet of them: https://x.com/EENlX/status/1686043012353396736?s=20 Also also, Alex Moukala on youtube does more in-depth analysis of some of the best tracks in FFXIV! Great videos, I highly recommend checking them out.

I would put the entire game's soundtrack if I could but there's a LOT. The album I listed is for the "postgame" of Shadowbringers. Of particular note is the song "To The Edge" which was written while the composer, Masayoshi Soken, was battling with cancer.

Campaign for KH3:

yoko shimomura, the GODDESS, the LEGEND, her composing skills never fail to amaze! kh music is so so goodddddd

I’m not good with propagandizing but the OST for this series is so good. For KH3, I love so much of the soundtrack. The Disney worlds have some great tracks, but the endgame and dlc has almost nothing but bangers.

[lightandfellowship]

(Major KHDR and KH3 spoilers)

I love how Dark Road clarified that Eraqus being weirdly forgiving of his best friend who did terrible, irredeemable things to both him and his loved ones is like, not just a bit of confusing, illogical writing but rather an intentional character trait of his that persists throughout his life. Eraqus tells Xehanort that he can’t lose Baldr after Baldr has already killed a bunch of people (two of whom were Eraqus’ CLOSE FRIENDS) and Xehanort’s like “Even knowing what he’s done?” and Eraqus is like “YEAH????”

This guy can’t stand to lose his friends even if they’ve done horrible things to other people he cares about and since he never learned how to properly move on from old relationships he just...has this chronic tendency of letting his evil best friend back into his life like nothing happened. He’d rather believe that the heart’s natural state is to be full of light and that his friends can always be redeemed rather than face the painful truth that Xehanort isn’t trustworthy anymore, a selfish, delusional act which results in Terra, Aqua, and Ven falling victim to Xehanort’s schemes.

Of course, under the specific circumstance of the universe being threatened, old man Eraqus will absolutely Kill A Loved One Without Question, but otherwise he’s quite willing to let bad deeds slide if it means maintaining a relationship he doesn’t want to lose (see: KH3′s ending).

[semi-imaginary-place]

ffxvi, xv, kh discord rambling

Wow ffxiv's ffxvi event has major spoilers. It's the big reveal of the first arc? 2nd arc? I mean ffxvi isnt very good and not worth playing idk how much people care. Just comparing it to the ffxv event.

16's main problem is that it frontloads the game but doesn't set up the narrative for the rest. So the prologue feels amazing and the first half feels good but because it doesn't invest in the story and build up eventually the hype runs out and the story crumbles in the later half. A story doesn't need to be perfect it just needs to be convincing and with 16 the writing flaws eventually become so glaring that the game can't out run them with flashy distractions.

I like 15 better. 16 is very flashy and a hype beast but it has very little substance. All the surface level details are there like cool boss fights and good voice acting and music but the writing falls flat. The character arcs go no where or backtrack. The game cant decide if jill is important or not and the writers forget about her at multiple points.

15 is a hot mess between the different visions of the two directors but it manages to have heart. Like do you want world ending plot or fun road trip because a better road trip plot would be one where the goal is exploring or collecting the plot items scattered across the land. 15 also desperately needed royal's expanded last arc. With royal it's actually pretty good.

Do you remember that insane dev cycle for ff15? It was like 7? 10?? Years and started out as versus 13. I dont remember the actual timeline. But yeah versus xiii started out this urban fantasy with like battles between skyscrapers.

And then it just kept not coming out and dragging on and ob and i think there was something going on internally with the company because the game swapped titles and then directors.

Yeah they kept changing their minds about what they wanted the game to be and so the end result doesnt quite have that unified vision. I really respect the second director for taking this absolute disaster and making something pretty good out of it.

And nomura (first director) is SOOO SALTY about all this. I dont know if you're familiar with kingdom hearts but nomura poured all his versus xiii ideas into it. I mean noctis lucis caelum is night light sky and the kh3 character is yozora which means night sky. The cutscenes match one to one with the old versis 13 trailers. Urban fantasy with boss battles in the city. Sooooo salty.

he definitely wanted to use these ideas. And then he got booted off the ff15 project. Hmm let me find that comparison video.

Its not a perfect 1 to 1 match sync but this is VERY deliberate. Like the fictional game (just roll with it) yozora is from is called verum rex because nomura loves fake latin. And in the fictional trailer there ignis and luna 2.0 and yozora is the same pose as nostis was in advertisements.

[twewycrim3s]

Absolutely Terra, also just lay down all the info you can give me

Well here's a copy paste of the story I wrote up for it

The battle of 7 Lights and 13 Darknesses approaches. The battle to keep Kingdom Hearts safe and sound or overcome by darkness. The journey at the current time seems to flow with the path of Light. However, one hero of Light decided to risk their lives for another's. This light being Sora. All to protect Kairi from being kidnapped instead, the boy still risking his all to keep his friends safe.

Sora didn't want time to repeat. He didn't want his friends to die, not again. So if he just altered everything, instead of letting things play the same. Then just maybe the fates will truly alter, even though he knows of his own consequence. He'd never be able to speak about what he saw in passing before this action. So he shoved Kairi before she could be grabbed in that barbed cage and disappeared himself.

The sacrifice gave Xehanort another guardian to tinker with, similar to Ventus. The trial to see if the boy could form the X-blade with his heart. However, that trial proved nothing to Xehanort. So once again he took the choice to force the pure dark and light from none other than Sora.

Yet with much regret Sora's heart didn't belong to only him at the time. Causing his heart to fracture while remaining in his body. The end result left Sora in a strange mental state and left a nasty mark on his chest.

These trials went on for 2 years before he found his escape, the one day his restraints were loose he took advantage of it. He didn't even care he had no top on and his scar showed. He ran no destination in mind, only ran to where he thought the exit was and hoped his friends would feel his calling heart. When he felt outside's warmth on his exposed torso, even if night he felt such relief. Quickly making his way further away from where he was held captive.

He kept running and running til his body collapsed from exhaustion. Then weakly moved to hide in a small cave like structure and only sit and wait. Things will be ok could hear water and saw bushes with fruit as he got here. Just wait…

After a few days of being a free man, dazed and confused he heard the sound of Riku and Kairi. Their voices echoing in his ears as he fought to wake up and go to them. They grew closer and closer…then soon he heard their startled sounds, unable to see their faces as he turned to look at them, vision blurry. He couldn't talk to them, but he wished to. Yet, truly before he even could say anything he was wrapped in a blanket and scooped up into Riku's arms. Truly rescued and back home once and for all. Back with his friends, but due to his condition begged to not be near his mom. Not yet. And Riku decided to let him stay at his place.

The guardian of light wasn't the same bubbly happy go lucky self. He seemed more drained and grumpy. His keyblade was broken and worn down. It seemed his very self was broken and in need of major repair. Is it truly possible to repair something so fractured?

Roxas and Ventus went back to where they needed to go, but who would help patch Sora? Only time will tell.

Extra Info:

Sora is too weak to summon his keyblade back if he loses it, he has massive nightmares and is being tracked by Xehanort while he sleeps if too stressed. This server is Dark theme filled due to Sora's damaged heart do keep that in mind. There is SoRiku so if against the ship it is not advised either. In KH3 Sora spoke to a chirithy and got sent back in time to try and fix what he lost. however, in this AU it uses the same concept but makes it worse. He begs to go back in time to save where it truly all seemed to be an issue. Be able to truly intervene and not be a figment ghost. So the CHirithy agrees, but gives Sora a major consequence if he tells anybody what he's done. Else SPOILER FOR SERVER CANT SAY!! So he keeps a major secret with him while he decides to protect Kairi from being snagged by Xemnas. For himself to be snagged himself and held captive for 2 years before he was found via his dreams with Riku.

[nyctoheart]

Do you think there was a significance to Brain saying “They (the BOP and the master’s defender) were meant for you” to Ephemer? It implies that Ava was the one who gave the keyblade to him as well, I really hope this means Ava will have a major active role in the future. It makes the master’s defender parallel no name even more. Now that we know no name was passed down so that MoM could timetravel and write the BOP, I wonder if the Master’s Defender will serve a purpose akin to that for Ava’s plan.

Oh yeah very interesting thought! If Ava indeed gave it to Brain (which, I agree with you that really seems to be the case), it's very interesting that Ava was able to obtain this Keyblade at all to begin with-- especially if it's a Keyblade older than the foretellers' Keyblades. Part of me wonders if the MoM gave Ava this keyblade to her when assigning her role, but was never shown on screen because it would practically confirm that Ava and Brain had a secret second meeting, something hinted at (like you said) but not confirmed.

The reason I wonder if it was when the MoM gave Ava her role is because the MoM implies her role with the Dandelions is involved with the final passage of the Book of Prophecies (IOW the Tear in Time, since it happens immediately after, leading to the Light of the Past scene). And there's a series of points that I have a "conspiracy red string" connecting them all:

Ava's role possibly being responsible for KH3's Light of the Past scene.

Brain ending up in gothic Scala ad Caelum.

Eraqus (who's tied to Brain) knowing about both the Tear in Time and Light of the Past.

the Master Defender being a focus in Ephemer's statue in gothic Scala ad Caelum.

Ephemer appearing during the Light of the Past

DR's tease about Missing Link (spoilers)

So if the Master Defender is tied to all these, we have some mysteries:

Did Ava recieve it from the MoM to pass down to Ephemer?

Why did she keep it until her second meeting with Brain?

If it's older than the foretellers' Keyblades, why did the MoM have it, and what are its origins?

There is a theory its a Keyblade of Darkness, since chip and dale say a Keyblade of Darkness can open the way to the Realm of Darkness, and Sora used the Master Defender to open a door to the RoD. KH3's glossary (The Three Realms) states Sora used the Power of Waking-- which explains why Aqua didn't just let herself out since she had the Master Defender while in the RoD, but the Power of Waking is usually involved with the Station of Awakening (1, 2, 3), so... idk I just am suspicious/open minded for that being the sole reason Sora was able to enter the RoD. But even if it is Keyblade of Darkness, I don't exactly know how that would tie into its role with Ephemer and the Light of the Past.

Either way I just hope to god that Ava comes back in ML. Like, there are SOOO MANNYYYY theories surrounding her, Brain, Ephemer, the Tear in Time/Light of the Past that... if we don't get answers in ML... I really don't know how else Nomura plans to connect all them together...

[houseofsannae]

So I finished playing Dark Road last weekend

Meaning I finally caught up to where everyone else had been a few weeks previously when the concluding update actually released. I have thoughts, but without spoilers (spoilers below the cut), I will say:

Dark Road might actually be one of my favourite Kingdom Hearts games

Bold claim! Why is that?

It’s almost 3AM and while I wanted to write an essay, this is probably going to be a lot more rambly and topic-jumping than any of my uni profs would have accepted. I’ll start by saying: this should have been a full Playstation title. With the traditional KH control scheme (By which I mean the command deck system, AKA the one we had for three games seriously why did they bring back KH2′s shitty magic system for KH3 BUT I DIGRESS). Dark Road should have been a “full” game, and it should have been made before KH3. I recall reading somewhere that Nomura had wanted to tell this story before KH3, but had decided not to since people had already waited so long for KH3. Not sure if that’s true, so don’t quote me on it. Frankly, Dark Road makes a lot of bizarre choices from KH3′s ending... make sense.

There’s a common, repeated theme for the “main” Kingdom Hearts villains (Ansem and Xemnas, meaning). Both of them had their plans fail because they made a mistaken assumption. Ansem assumed that the mass of dark power he could feel behind the Door to Darkness was Kingdom Hearts (because obviously darkness is stronger than light, and therefore Kingdom Hearts (which is strong) must be made of darkness). He was wrong; the Door to Darkness led to the Realm of Darkness. Xemnas believed that Nobodies could not regain their hearts save by accessing Kingdom Hearts, and built his own to accomplish that. While 3D is cited to claim that he lied about not knowing Nobodies could grow hearts of their own, there is no evidence to show that he knew that in KH2. Both Ansem and Xemnas based their plans on something they were fundamentally wrong about. So it would make sense for Xehanort to have done the same thing... but KH3 doesn’t indicate that’s the case, going so far as to have Sora say that what he’s doing (xenocide) must be done... just not by Xehanort. But that’s a different rant.

Dark Road gives us “what Xehanort believed and was wrong about”. Xehanort has apparently believed all his life that he was some special “Child of Destiny” destined to save the worlds from Darkness. And, as we all know, he’s not.

Riku is.

A bunch of you auto-filled “Sora is”, didn’t you? I’ll remind you that the premise of KH1 is that Riku was supposed to be the “chosen one”, but refused the call so hard Sora had to do it instead. Sora’s not the chosen one, he’s not a “Child of Destiny” or what have you; he’s the guy that stood up and said “I’ll do it” when the actual chosen one said “no”. If this “Child of Destiny” nonsense is going to continue going forwards, which given how no one in KH3 could affect the plot aside from Sora, it probably will, I will take heart in the fact that Square Enix adores the “Screw Destiny” trope so much that averting it was one of the major factors in making FFXV such a tragedy.

Speaking of things I don’t like but am living with, confirmation (sort of) that they’re definitely sticking with Vanitas not originally being part of Ventus. I still don’t like it but I’m not mad about it anymore. Let’s see where Nomura’s Wild Ride takes us.

I also want to talk about the presentation of the story (the segue will make sense in a minute I promise). If Dark Road had been released all in one go, we could have avoided all of the “What do you mean the KHUx Player reincarnated into Xehanort” backlash. Because surprise! The Player didn’t reincarnate into Xehanort, they reincarnated into the elderly person who raised Babynort. (That’s right, folks, we are now one of the parents who fucked up a perfectly good child and gave them anxiety!) My objection isn’t to either of these twists, it’s to the fact that all the hairpulling could have been avoided if the game hadn’t been released in segments.

Relatedly I have to say something on a more somber note. What we did get was a remarkably solid game (once the gacha elements were removed), but... I get the distinct impression there was supposed to be more. That the other worlds that are visited during the story missions were supposed to have their own grinding modes, not just Wonderland and Agrabah. That, plus the fact that so much of it was released in one go... It’s sad to me that there was obviously a longer plan here to do more, that was (I assume) curtailed by COVID. I feel bad for everyone who worked on the game not getting to fulfill the full extent of what they’d planned. At the same time, though, I’m glad they did manage to at least complete the story. Yes, there could have been more to the game, but what is there was done well.

I’m also happy that the cardboard cutouts ceased to be cardboard cutouts! (I’m referring to the other students, who seemed to have nothing to them other than character designs in the initial release, which was all I had played). I love every single one of them, and even though their deaths were foregone conclusions, what happened still hit for me. I will say I’m pissed that the people who were saying “Well obviously Bragi is Luxu, since (actual name of a Norse god) Bragi is an anagram of Braig!” were right. It feels like we were supposed to assume that was too obvious to be anything other than a red herring, and thereby be blindsided by the reveal... but people called it from the character reveal on that stupid basis alone. Contrarilywise, I am elated that Vor is not Kairi’s grandmother, which was the other thing that everyone was trumpeting from the character reveals. I have absolutely no idea why anyone thinks Kairi’s grandmother holds any narrative importance whatsoever. Further, I am immensely frustrated by the obsession with trying to figure out “Who of these new characters are actually someone we already know in disguise!” Just let a new character be a new character. Fuck’s sake, I did this with the Star Wars sequels and had my victory from TLJ yanked out from under me by RoS. Just let me live.

So yeah, I adore all the new dead kids, and someday I might even memorize their names. I wish we could see more of them, but given that they’re dead... well, if there is some bullshit and we see them again, I won’t be complaining.

I feel like I had more to say but it’s now almost 4AM and my brain is shutting down. If you have any questions or want me to comment on specific points that I didn’t cover here, the ask box is always open - though I reserve the right to disagree with your opinions, naturally.

All in all I enjoyed my time with Dark Road and I’m excited about Kingdom Hearts again (well, moreso than the baseline excited, that never goes away. You know what I mean)

[kiibearer-a]

AND NOW FOR MY IN DEPTH REACTION POST TO KH3 IN ITS ENTIRETY:

( jokes on me I actually made this in depth ) 

What the absolute fuck was that.  It’s not even meant in hostility, I just don’t at all get what any of that ending meant or what it was supposed to represent or support. I’ve spent all day thinking WORST CASE on what was possibly going to come of that ending. Was Sora going to die? Was Sora some how in relation with the Master of Masters, was Sora going to be Norted and made to fight everyone and it was their turn to fight against him—like all of these possible scenarios that could have been REMARKABLY worse than what we got.  And frankly, I don’t even know what we got. I have no idea how to break that down and make anything from it, because this ENTIRE GAME just completely negated all the years of Sora’s journey in the span of two hours.  There was just...so much unnecessary digging at all these holes that had been already been too deep that looking at this as a whole is just so exhausting because I don’t even know where to start. I can start by saying, none of this will probably change my interpretation of Sora or his motivations or his drive? It didn’t matter. The story absolutely did nothing to absolve a lot of the overarching and LOOMING impressions that it was giving, so, it just...doesn’t change Sora. WHICH HERES THE SCOOP ON SOMETHING I LITERALLY WAS PLANNING ON DOING THIS WEEK 

( because I have no way to reorganize this, here begins the list of frustrations I guess :  ) 

01. Sora’s resolution—So a big thing that really bothered me this game was this intense reminder that “Sora is nothing without everyone else”. Throughout the series as a whole, more specifically KH1, CoM and DDD, there are a lot of themes of this SCRUTINIZING “teasing” to Sora’s character that he is useless and incapable without the aide of others. Honestly, it’s more fair to say that Sora being the main character is whole heartedly an accident. It’s fair to call him dull, ordinary, unimpressive and unremarkable. But what captures so much of his character and WHY he is the main character is because he is all those things and that’s what makes him remarkably amazing to those around him. He exceeds every and all expectation because people think him incapable when he is profoundly capable, even by the thinnest of margins. His confidence only grows with others beside him. Sora is extraordinary because in every instance he faces, he overcomes the odds because he believes in how capable he is to solve it. He will do anything to fix a problem, he won’t stop until others are helped. And all of these things are also FLAWS. His flaws are his strengths because he’s learning how to grow from his mistakes and his failures. And from the previous settings of hearing people tell him how incapable he is because he’s not as good, not as tough or as smart—he grows because he’s trying to CHANGE to be better. And the same thing I have heard throughout the majority of this series is people telling him “Don’t ever change.” Sora has changed. He’s grown self-conscious, he’s anxious and hesitant. More reliant on others than himself. Because he’s been so stunted by this need to remain who he is, but unable to change and evolve from all the hurt and suffering he has endured and taken for others. And never got the chance to evolve from that AT ALL, this game. I was half expection with worlds like Tangled, and San Fransokyo, and the small hope of Moana that characters like Rapunzel, Hiro and Moana could show Sora that in these moments of weakness and incapability, just because you are alone or abandoned or scared and hurt, these things do not define who you are and who you are TO OTHERS. They test you to grow and change and believe in the way that you can make differences and learn from those mistakes and put downs.  And Sora didn’t get that at all.  02. Kairi— First and foremost, I personally would want to apologize to every Kairi player there is because what Nomura did to her was awful. What has happened to Kairi this entire SEIRES, was awful and shameless and I’m just...really frustrated that I don’t have more sympathy to care for her the way I want to. She has been a bone for Sora to follow the whole time, she has been a fridge, she has been a set piece, a plot device, a plot foundation—all while never being able to control her own agency in the process. Every decision is made for her, and every decision she makes does not feel like her own. Her relationship with Sora feels so...stagnant despite all this pressure between their bond and their intertwined destinies. There is no foundation because we don’t know who the hell Kairi is. We don’t know what she likes, where she came from, what she wants because anything scripted will tell you “Sora”. And from her, Sora is her personality in these games. And it’s absolutely UNFAIR. The entire ending I sat there thinking, “Neat everyone is just...catching up like old friends, after you know, Sora seeing the one person he’s fought so hard to protect and keep safe just shatter in front of his eyes....AND NO ONE IS THE LEAST BIT CONCERNED, MUCH LESS SORA HIMSELF?” I felt Naminé had more people that cared about her than Kairi did, because in this strange pocket of tethers Kairi ONLY had Sora. She hardly interacted with Riku, or gave him the time of day, despite him also being a part of their friendship. She didn’t deserve ANY of that. She did not deserve to die to be Sora’s motivation for saving the world from darkness, and Sora shouldn’t have “died” at the expense of saving her. They have done enough for each other to prove their bonds and their ties that they didn’t need this self sacrifice to solidified what they meant to one another. Whatever the relationship between them, be it romantically inclined or not, they genuinely failed her. They failed to give Kairi the resolution she needed : which what to not be DEFINED by who Sora was to her. 

03. Xenhanort— At this point I’ve fought them so much I don’t even care. I can genuinely say with @dawnbreaks as my witness, I did not die a SINGLE death this entire playthrough. Not once. There felt like little challenge, the stakes didn’t feel as severe as they maybe should have been and for all the work and effort anyone has put in to trying to understand what happened, and why we were fighting; there was no result satisfying that felt good enough to explain that. Why at the very end, did the organization members get agency and then were killed? Why at the last minute did Xehanort, a man HENOUS ENOUGH to spilt a boy apart and leave him for dead, kidnapper of several people who he in turn forced himself into vessels, a man PREPARED TO PURGE THE WORLD ANEW, suddenly changes at the presences of fwens and just STOPS. I get that “Oh this is a Disney title and we can’t have him going murder spree on everything”—LIKE ITS A TAD LATE, but wHY would you reform him. His actions are WHAT DEFINED HIM AS THE VILLAIN. He was cruel and uncaring, and intending to let everyone UNDERSTAND THE CASUALTY OF HIS SACRIFICE BEING NECESSARY. ...I hate when villains are shafted in their own cruelty because of a good triumphing evil. We know the difference and I’m sure the villain knows the difference in context. What makes a good villain is when their context can justify the reasoning behind what they do, it shows their motivations and their strive towards their goal ; often parallel to the hero. And most good villains don’t simply CHANGE because someone asks them not to. Otherwise why be a villain at all.  04. Sora’s Death ?— I love Sora. With all my heart and soul, I GENUINELY love him a lot. He has been a character who has been there for me through a lot of hard times, he’s been someone I aspire to be like and a character I have treasured DEARLY. At this point, I would have rather Sora stayed dead. At the first point in time when he ended up in the Final World, I would have rather that’s where he stayed. Aside from the fact that his story is becoming a dead horse beaten, sometimes death in stories happen. They are sad and upsetting and all around unfavourable, but his “death” was so...unnecessary. Much like Kairi’s. There was absolutely no reason for it to have happened to either of them, much less at the expense of EACH OTHER. It’s not romantic, it strengthens no bond and there was no WEIGHT behind either sacrifice. It was just to kill time.  A brilliant example of a death made fair was Noctis.  Noctis is another character who I truly love, who I enjoyed every step of his journey and in the end was absolutely devastated to lose. But his death MEANT something. Because I played an entire goddamn game that showed what he gave toward that sacrifice and how he went from a self-preserving child to a KING, who knew the sacrifice that was meant for not just HIS people but THE PEOPLE to survive.  It was a death that was beautiful and tragic because it FUCKING MEANT SOMETHING TO ME, as a player, and watching Sora die for Kairi meant NOTHING. And that sounds so cruel and unfair, but its because she too died for nothing. She was not stopping Xehanort from anything. She was not a means to his end. She was not a driving force that could contain or deny his success. She was a girl who has and ONLY has been define by her relationship to Sora, and was used a pawn to motivate him, when he didn’t need it.  And for Sora to do the exact same thing, after people who have fought themselves back from the brink for and with him, to let him just WALK away to retrieve her, and then just blink away, not only denies everything I did in this game. But it denies everything that Sora has done for her and that he’s meant to do for her.  IN FACT, I plan on making a verse with the intention that Sora is dead.  Because the idea of Sora even trading himself to restore her once sealing Kindgom Hearts is a far better outcome than just TRADING life tokens and waking up in a FFVX ripoff.  I don’t understand what this game was trying to explain, narratively.  Combat was fun.  Seeing old characters rendered in the new engine was nice.  Watching how more animated Sora was and over all his look and mannerisms and just following his journey again was comforting.  But what did I do? And why. There was no point to anything that I just did in games prior, because all of it is gone in this one. And that’s really disappointing after waiting 13 years, to beat a game in five days. 

[katana-clone]

It's so much more fun to flex my kh knowledge than my Homestuck knowledge

Like if I tell someone a homestuck thing they would be like *insert Farquad meme* You Are A Homestuck, but if pull out my red string corkboard theory titled "Here's how Demyx can still be MoM" and then explain how Birth By Sleep is in fact just Star Wars the Prequel Trilogy starring Terra, Aqua, and Ventus as Anakin, Obi Wan Kenobi, and Ashoka respectively, people will have such a variety of reactions which include both fear and awe

[dusky-dancing]

Kairi’s Death Scene in Re:Mind

I mentioned in my “Thoughts from ReMind” post that the additions to TKG scenes really enhanced them, but I want to talk specifically about the scene where Xehanort strikes down Kairi. Also, I know Mickey tells Sora that Xehanort just “crystallized” her, but I’m going to continue to call it her “death scene” because the emotional effect on Sora is still just as heavy.

As soon as Xehanort brings her forward, the perspective cuts back to Sora within his heart. It doesn’t do this often during TKG, only to show how future Sora is working behind the scenes to help everyone. But now there’s no “behind the scenes” work. It’s just a reaction.

It’s showing Sora’s pain when he realizes he has to watch her die a second time, and there’s nothing he can do to stop it.

We hear a loud heartbeat as the camera focuses on Sora’s chest, making it clear that we’re hearing his heartbeat throughout all of this.

Cut back to the scene going on outside. We continue to hear his heartbeat, getting louder and faster with each second. And the moment Xehanort strikes her, it stops.

There’s new music as well, and I apologize for my musical illiteracy here. Instead of a sorrowful “Missing You” in the original scene, we get a much louder, swelling rendition of “Destati”. My theory is that the change in music is supposed to reflect Sora’s change in emotion. Witnessing the scene a second time, Sora isn’t just sad and heartbroken anymore. He’s angry, and he’s determined to get her back.

After all the pain he had to experience, from both traversing through the other Guardians’ hearts and having to relive the loss of Kairi, the immense relief on his face when he finally does get her back makes complete sense.

Of course he’s going to wait until he sees her with his own eyes to know for sure. Of course he’s going to go to her as quickly as he can. And of course he’s going to hold her tight, but gently, as long as he can.

[goldsword1093]

Kingdom hearts 3 trailer:

Kh fans before the trailer, full of optimism:

Kh fans after the trailer:

[phoenix-downer]

Orpheus and Eurydice

Orpheus and Eurydice. Of all the stories Sora had heard, he hadn’t thought this would be the one his life would become.

It had all started out innocently enough. He and Donald and Goofy had dropped back by Thebes to check on a few things as a favor to the Moogles so they could get better weapons.

“Hey, Herc, anything we can do to help?” he asked as he found his friend helping clear debris.

Hercules set a broken pillar down and wiped his forehead. “Um, sure. See those vases and bowls over where Meg is? I think that merchant needs help moving them.”

Rebuilding an entire city wasn’t easy, but the people of Thebes had already made a lot of progress since they’d last visited. Sora trotted over to Meg with Donald and Goofy close behind. She gave them her usual half smile when she saw them before telling them where to move everything.

As Donald and Goofy carried a bunch of bowls and plates to the merchant, Sora’s hand rested on a vase. Unlike the other ones, which were all pictures of Herc, this one was different. There was a guy holding some sort of harp-looking thing, and behind him was a woman who kinda looked like a ghost.

“Orpheus and Eurydice,” came Meg’s voice. “Ever heard the tale?”

“No, I haven’t, actually,” Sora said as he dug his Gummiphone out of his pocket so he could take a picture. “What’s it about?”

“Once upon a time, there was a guy named Orpheus who was a killer musician. Son of Apollo. Comes with the territory.”

Sora took a closer look at the drawing. “Oh, is that what the harp’s for?”

Meg gave him an amused smile. “It’s a lyre, but yes. He fell in love with Eurydice, who was supposed to be a real looker.”

Sora grinned. Hearing about people falling in love was the best. Looking at Herc and Meg, hearing about this Orpheus guy and Eurydice—  it was something he wished he could have someday, too.

He snapped a quick photo and tucked his phone back in his pocket. “So they were in love— then what happened?”

“The usual. They got married, were as happy as clams, and then—”

“They lived happily ever after?”

“She died.”

Sora’s heart sank. “Oh.” That sure wasn’t how he’d wanted the story to go.

“But the story doesn’t end there. Orpheus, he wasn’t about to let little inconveniences like death keep them apart. So, he went to the Underworld to save her.”

Oh, good. “Sounds like someone else I know,” Sora said with a teasing grin as he glanced in Herc’s direction. “What happened next?”

“He led her spirit out of the Underworld. If he could make it back without turning around, she’d be human again. Right as rain. As real as I am. But he couldn’t hear her behind him. She was still just a shade. No way to talk, no way to touch him, no way to make so much as a peep until they got out of the Underworld. He thought the gods had tricked him. At the last possible moment… he turned and looked around.”

Sora gasped. “Oh no! What happened after that?”

“He could see that she was really there, but her soul went back to the Underworld. He had no way of saving her.”

“Oh no! Did he—”

“He died afterwards, too.”

“Oh.” Sora stared at the vase in his hands. So that was why Eurydice looked like a ghost. And just when Orpheus had almost saved her, too.

“Depressing, isn’t it? I don’t know why all our stories are such Greek tragedies.”

“Yeah, it really is too bad.”

Sora liked stories, but… he really didn’t like the ones with sad endings. It was why he wanted to save Roxas. It wasn’t fair that he couldn’t live his own life. It just wasn’t.

Meg put her hand on his shoulder. “Hey, chin up, slugger. Not all stories have sad endings.”

Sora nodded. “Yeah. You and Herc are proof of that.”

“So are you. You’ll get your lost strength back, I know you will.”

“Thanks, Meg.”

As he followed after her carrying the vase, he couldn’t help but hope she was right.

He did get his strength back. He got it back and then some. But all the strength in the world hadn’t been enough to keep Kairi from dying.

All that power and for nothing. He was still as helpless to protect her as he’d always been. His promise meant nothing. She had kept him safe, kept him from dying, stopped his heart from getting stuck in the Final World, just like she’d said she would.

She was his light in the darkness, just like she’d always been. It really had been her all along. And her act of true love had saved him. He was standing here right now because of her.

And in return, he couldn’t stop Xemnas from kidnapping her. Couldn’t even keep Xehanort from killing her. She’d been scared and in pain and—

He understood now. Understood what would drive Orpheus to go to the Underworld. The kind of grief and sorrow that would drive him to cross over into the realm of the dead for the chance to save his beloved.

“Not for one more second.”

He ignored Mickey’s warning and put Xehanort’s taunts out of his head. He knew what this was gonna cost him, and he was ready to pay the price. He’d made Kairi a promise, after all. He’d vowed to keep her safe, and he was determined to follow through with that.

If that meant searching the universe till he found her, he would. If it meant chasing the lich into the abyss to save her heart, he would. And if it meant crossing over into the Final World to rescue what was left of her body and soul, he would.

Anything. Anything for her. He’d put everything and everyone else above her for way too long. Now it was time he put her first for once.

Xion was right. Kairi wasn’t gone for good. Maybe it was because of the paopu fruit they’d shared, but he could still sense her heart tethered to his. It was faint and it was fading, but it was still there.

He didn’t hesitate. Once the sky was open, he jumped through the entrance his Keyblade had just unlocked, leaving his friends behind. Before, he’d said goodbye to Kairi to save them. Now, it was time to say goodbye to them to save her.

There wasn’t time to think, just act. World after world sprawled out before him as he fell, no, rushed through the darkness towards her, towards her faint light guiding him to her side.

“Kairi, hang in there!” he called as he dove into the first world. “I’m coming!”

“Where… am I?”

Kairi blinked. Not that it made much of a difference. Wherever she was was almost completely dark. Only a faint glow shone from her—

She yelped. Her arm was completely see-through. “What happened to my—”

Her hand flew to her heart. It ached, like someone had—

It all came flooding back. The piercing pain that had shattered her heart and body into a million pieces. How she’d been unable to do a single thing about it, enchanted as she’d been by Xehanort’s sleep spell.

All that training and for nothing. She was just as useless, just as helpless as always. It didn’t matter what she did, how hard she worked to improve. She’d always be a target, a liability. Nothing more.

Why had she even bothered joining the fight? Sora would’ve been better off if she’d stayed at home, or stayed with Merlin, or otherwise stayed far away from him.

Being with her brought him nothing but pain. Their enemies were always going to use her against him, use her to make him suffer. A few stolen moments together was hardly worth a lifetime of anguish.

“I should be dead,” she said out loud, though no one was here with her.

That was the ironic thing about being a Princess of Heart, really. She could save other people from dying, but she couldn’t save herself.

“Then why… why am I still alive?”

She froze. Something had just tugged at her heart. A faint connection, growing stronger by the moment.

It couldn’t be.

“Sora?” she choked out, barely above a whisper.

Had he done the same thing for her that she’d done for him? Used their connection to keep her tethered to this world?

But he didn’t have her powers. He didn’t have her light, he didn’t have anything shielding him from the darkness. If he went through with this, he would—

She struggled to her feet. “Don’t, please!”

But before she could try to stop him, something else caught her attention.

She wasn’t alone.

Something else was down here with her in the abyss.

Her Keyblade appeared in her hand. She might be nothing more than a heart, but at least she could still fight.

“Fire!” she called, trying to light up the area around her. But her magic was weak. She was weak. Barely hanging on to life. The Fire spell barely lit up anything at all.

Her enemy was a Heartless, that much she could gather. There was a heart-shaped hole in its chest, and its yellow eyes glowed in the dim light.

But something about this one was different. Something about this one made her stomach churn and her heart fill with dread.

Maybe it was the way it towered over her. Maybe it was the way the wand in its hand radiated an eerie blue light. Or maybe it was the way it kept staring at her with its soulless eyes.

Whatever happened, she couldn’t let it get too close.

She cast Fire magic at it, and it staggered backwards and disappeared. Whirling around, she cursed the darkness, cursed it for making it nearly impossible to see—

A cold, clammy hand rested on her shoulder, and she screamed and blasted it away with light.

But her light was weak, just like her magic was. Fading away. She wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer.

Fire magic more powerful than hers came rushing towards her, and she barely rolled out of the way in time. She retaliated with a splash of water magic, only for a blast of water to douse her and send her sprawling.

Without her body, without her strength, she didn’t stand a chance. It would be easier to just give up. Let herself die for good.

But something inside her was screaming at her not to.

Staggering to her feet, she closed her eyes and focused, focused on the darkness. Her vision didn’t do her much good down here, anyway. Maybe, if she tried fighting a different way—

There. She lifted her Keyblade to charge when something wrapped its cold tendrils around her leg and yanked her to the ground. She cried out as the darkness snaked its way up her body and trapped her there.

She called on her light, but it was so weak now, so faint. It pushed back the darkness and briefly formed a barrier around her, but then it was gone, and with it, the rest of her energy.

The Heartless loomed above her now. She could make out its face, make out the skull without a mouth, see the elaborate headdress it wore.

A lich. It was a lich. One of those magicians seeking eternal life, seeking magic at any cost, seeking hearts to fuel its undead existence—

She was tired, so tired. Its staff was mesmerizing. She stared at it, at the heart glowing bright blue…

Yes, that was it. All she had to do was rest. Sleep. There was no point in continuing on. She was dead by rights. What Xehanort had done should’ve killed her. Her time in this world was through.

Her heart floated into the air, and it was like she was floating on the softest bed she’d ever slept on. Sleep and death weren’t so different, anyway. Two sides of the same coin, really. Her soul deserved to rest, deserved to be at peace after everything it had been through.

Maybe… maybe she could see her grandmother again. Her birth parents. In her heart of hearts, she’d never truly believed they were gone for good.

Guess it was time to find out. No one in the living realm would really miss her, anyway. She was a liability, a danger. They were all better off without her.

Especially… especially…

“Kairi!”

Her eyes flew open. “Sora?”

It was him. It was really him. He was flying towards her, and even though he was scared and worried, even though she hadn’t wanted him to come, even though she didn’t deserve this, didn’t deserve to be rescued like this…

She was glad he was here.

“You can’t have her!” he shouted at the lich in a way that made Kairi feel like living again. “I won’t let you take her from me!”

The lich let out an inhuman shriek as Sora struck it with the full force of his Keyblade. There was an explosion of light so bright it lit up the abyss and obliterated Heartless after Heartless lurking in the shadows.

The lich staggered backwards and released her, and with one last howl of rage, it was gone. Its magic no longer holding her heart, she nearly crashed to the ground before Sora caught her in his arms.

He gently lowered them both to the ground, still holding her, and pure relief flooded his face and tears filled his eyes as he gazed into hers.

“I made it in time,” he said, and his voice broke as he brought a trembling hand to her face. “I actually made it in time—”

He pulled her close and hugged her tightly, so tightly that she could sense how hard he was shaking.

“I thought I wasn’t gonna make it in time,” he choked out.

She put her arms around him and hugged him back. He was real, his touch breathing life back into her dying heart. But she couldn’t feel his warmth, couldn’t feel the texture of his shirt or his arms around her. Couldn’t feel much of anything at all without a body.

Still, body or not, just being with him was more than enough.

“You did,” she said, her own voice choked with emotion. “You found me. You kept your promise, Sora. The paopu fruit really worked.”

He was crying now, and she would have been, too, had she had her body.

“You died,” he said with a sob. “I watched you die—”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m so useless.”

He leaned back to look at her, and his cheeks were streaked with tears. She wished she could wipe them away. It was wrong to see him cry. She wanted to see his smile again. Wanted to hear his laughter once more.

“Why are you apologizing?” he said. “It’s my fault, I should’ve protected you, I promised I’d keep you safe—”

She shook her head. “No. It’s my fault. I was weak, and Xehanort used me to make you suffer.”

All the color drained from his face. “You’re blaming yourself for your death? Kairi, why? Who told you—”

His eyes snapped to something behind them, and his grip around her tightened. “I have to get you out of here. This place isn’t good for anyone’s heart. Not even yours can hold out against the darkness down here forever.”

“But Sora… I’m just a heart. I’m see-through. How can I live without my body and soul?”

He carefully readjusted her weight in his arms and stood. “We’re gonna get them. I know where they are. I just had to come for your heart first.”

“Where are—”

He hissed and winced, and his body briefly flickered as he gripped her tighter.

She froze. “Sora, what’s happening to you?”

He smiled, even as his eyebrows were still knotted together and his teeth were gritted in pain. “I’ll be fine. But we gotta hurry.”

She frowned at that. Would he really be okay after diving into the abyss like this?

Chewing her lip, she placed her hand over his heart and—

“Kairi, no,” he said, shaking his head. “You’ve gotta save your strength.”

“For what?”

“You’ll see. Hang on. I’m gonna get you out of here, I promise.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her face on his shoulder. The way he was looking at her right now, she almost forgot where they were and what had happened to them.

Then they were flying up, up, up, and out of this place. Away from the darkness and into the light. With each passing moment Kairi felt her heart get lighter and her strength return, bit by bit.

She lifted her head to look at Sora again. Sweat dotted his brow and upper lip, and a shudder ran through his body that made him wince.

“Sora?”

He just smiled and squeezed her side. “Hang in there, Kairi.”

Then the light enveloped them both, and it was too bright to see clearly anymore. When Kairi finally could see again, they were in… heaven?

It sure looked like heaven, anyway. Blue sky with lots of clouds floating all around them and nothing beneath them but more sky. Scattered as far as the eye could see were colorless floating stars.

Were those… people? She could sense hearts here, lots and lots of hearts. Was this where her body and soul were? It was true, she could feel them more strongly than before, but—

“You know, for most people one near-death experience is more than enough to last them a lifetime,” came a high-pitched voice from somewhere below them. “And yet you’re back here again already. You are one strange guy.”

Kairi craned her neck to see who was speaking. A small cat-like creature wearing a cape and a pink pouch around its neck was looking up at them, a quizzical look on its face.

“Chirithy, please!” Sora said, his voice pitching higher. “Kairi’s body and soul are in pieces, and we need help finding them!”

Chirithy looked between her and Sora for a few moments before making what she could’ve sworn was a pout.

“Oh, fine. But I don’t do this for just anyone, you know.”

Sora’s grip on her tightened. “Kairi’s a Princess of Heart, the worlds are depending on her to—”

“Oh, I know,” Chirithy said, waving its paw in the air as it took off with Sora following after it. “The worlds would’ve collapsed into darkness if she had fully died before passing on her power to another, you know. Phew, that was a close call. You kept her tethered to life, didn’t you?”

Sora nodded. “I couldn’t just let her go. I promised. I promised she wouldn’t be alone anymore. Not for one more second.”

Something about his words made her feel like crying and smiling at the same time. She reached a weak, see-through hand to his face, wanting to touch him, wanting to feel his warm skin under hers, but she couldn’t feel much of anything. Not without her body.

“Sora—”

Another flicker went through him that made him wince, and—

“There!” he cried before she could say anything else. It was a flickering image of her strolling past. She reached out and touched it, and a spark of warmth shot up her arm as a little bit of her energy returned.

Sora smiled at that. “See? You’ll be as good as new in no time.”

With Chirithy’s help they tracked down dozens of Kairis, walking and running and giggling and charging and dancing and jumping. Flickers of memory, fragments of her body and soul spread out across this strange world where sky met sea. Up pillars of clouds and down again to find the missing pieces of her.

When she had enough of her body back to feel Sora holding her, to experience his warmth and sense his heartbeat, she knew she was ready.

“Sora, I think I’m feeling strong enough now. You can set me down,” she said. Partly because she was, and partly because his footsteps were dragging and his face was pale and covered in sweat. The stronger she got, the weaker he became.

“Okay,” he said, carefully setting her on the ground. He didn’t let go of her hand, and she didn’t let go of his. Her body was mostly visible now; her legs were all that was missing. He was all visible, and yet he kept flickering.

She knew now. He couldn’t hide it any longer. The closer she came back from the edge of death, the closer he got to it. And yet he stayed with her, a big smile on his face like they were just going on a new adventure. Like he wasn’t nearing the end of his life because he’d chosen to save hers.

“I know the circumstances aren’t really the best,” he said after she returned a particularly difficult-to-reach Kairi to her heart, “but this is what I always wanted.”

“Us… together?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I always wanted to see other worlds with you.”

Hot tears stung at her eyes and a lump built in her throat. “I did too.”

He just wrapped his arms around her and brought her close. “Kairi, no time for tears now. If you cry, I’m gonna cry. And I don’t want the rest of our time together to be sad, you know?”

“Yeah.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. Sora wanted her to be brave for him. So she would. She would be brave for his sake.

He leaned back, and his smile was gentle as he gave her hand a squeeze. “Thank you.”

All she could do was nod. She didn’t trust herself not to cry if she spoke.

He glanced out at the world sprawling out below them, at the clouds and sky and sea all blending into one. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

She nodded again. “Beautiful and… sad.”

Those stars… she knew what they were now. The lingering hearts of the dead, clinging to bonds to those still in the land of the living—

“I guess,” Sora said, “but… for me… knowing the people here haven’t let go of the people they love, even in death… it gives me hope.”

His smile was sad, and her promise not to cry just got a whole lot harder.

“Kairi… do you think I’ll still remember? Once I’m…”

Kairi had no good answer to that. She couldn’t give Sora any empty platitudes; that wouldn’t help. Comforting a dying person by saying he would be okay when she had no idea, no way of knowing for sure, if he really would be…

But she could tell him something else. Something she knew was true.

“Even if you don’t, Sora, I’ll still remember you. We all will.”

He nodded at that, tears shining in his eyes now. “Yeah.”

They had to look away from each other, or they were both going to cry. They walked silently, hand-in-hand, because there was nothing else that needed to be said. Kairi almost didn’t want to find the rest of herself now, because that would mean Sora’s time in this world truly would be over. But he led her along until he couldn’t anymore, till she was the one leading him along as he leaned against her for support.

There. The final Kairi was up ahead. A Kairi writing a letter, a letter to the boy she couldn’t remember. A faint smile appeared on Sora’s face at that.

“It all began with a letter, didn’t it?” he said.

Kairi just stared at herself as the memory Kairi’s pen flew across her piece of paper. Writing to the boy everyone had told her didn’t exist. Writing to the boy she knew she’d forgotten. Creating a way for him to come home to her against all odds. Making the impossible possible.

“But it won’t end like this,” Kairi said, her voice low. “I’ll find you, Sora, I swear. This might be goodbye for now, but it’s not goodbye forever.”

“Kairi—”

“Death couldn’t take you from me before, and it sure isn’t going to now. I’ll find a way to get you back. Our friends will help, I know they will.”

Sora just stared at her for a moment.

“What? You don’t believe me?” she asked. If Sora really thought that she was going to let him go now, after all this time—

He shook his head and let out a soft chuckle. “No, I do. It’s just that… I thought I was Orpheus and you were Eurydice. But maybe it’s the other way around.”

“Huh?”

He just shook his head again, his spikes going this way and that. “Ask my friends Herc and Meg about it sometime.” He squeezed her hand, his eyes softening. “I’m ready when you are, Kairi.”

She nodded at that. The letter-writing Kairi glanced up, and a knowing smile spreading across her face as she reconnected with Kairi. At long last, Kairi was whole again, her strength returned, her body and heart and soul reunited once more.

Sora’s smile was radiant, the look on his face like that of a conquering hero, of a victor who had just won it all.

“We did it,” he said, his voice weak but his spirit strong. But still he remained; he didn’t fade away into nothingness; he clung to life.

“We did,” she said with a nod. For now, at least, they were both alive.

Chirithy scuttled up to them, its little purse bobbing up and down and its cape floating out behind it in a way that made Kairi want to scoop it up into a tight hug. The little creature’s dignity probably wouldn’t suffer such an insult, however, so she resisted.

“Huh, so you did,” it said. “Congratulations.”

Sora raised his eyebrow. “What, did you think we wouldn’t pull it off?”

Chirithy just waved its paw. “That’s neither here nor there. It’s time for you two to go home now.”

Kairi looked at Sora. “Home. Together. Just like you promised.”

He nodded before turning back to Chirithy. Kairi helped lower him to the ground so that he was much closer to Chirithy’s eye level.

“Chirithy, you really should find that friend of yours if you can,” he said. “I bet they miss you, and…” his eyes briefly flickered downwards before glancing back up to meet Chirithy’s again. “I won’t be able to come back to visit you. Not for a while, anyway.”

Chirithy scratched behind its ear. “I guess I could try to find him, even if he doesn’t remember…”

Sora nodded. “That’s the spirit. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you. The mind may forget, but the heart never does.” He looked into Kairi’s eyes and smiled. “Because that’s the heart’s true nature— to never, ever let go.”

She nodded and helped him stand as he wrapped his arm around her and leaned against her for support. His body flickered again as they said goodbye to Chirithy, and then it was time for them to go, too.

“Where to?” she said softly.

“Where else? The place we swore an oath to each other,” he said as he summoned his Keyblade. “Our friends are all waiting. They know we’re coming back.”

He held his Keyblade up to the sky, opening the portal home. Light burst forth from it, enveloping them in its soft glow, and then they were falling home, no, flying home, hand in hand.

And Sora didn’t let go of her hand, not for one second. He held it fast as they sat together on the paopu tree watching the sunset, gave it one last squeeze as he gazed into her eyes once more.

He didn’t say anything because he didn’t have to. The way he was looking at her, the way he was smiling at her – she knew what was on his mind anyway.

It was worth it to him. She was worth it to him.

She couldn’t help the tear that slid down her cheek. It was one thing to be brave in the face of sorrow; it was another thing else entirely to be stoic in the face of love.

And then he flickered again, but this time it wasn’t just a flicker, no, he kept fading, faded like the sun setting over the horizon, the warmth of his hand in hers giving way to the coldness of night and nothingness and emptiness. The wind picked up and she slumped forward, no longer brave, allowed to grieve for him now that he was gone. Her smile gave way to tears as everything hit her all at once.

Sora was dead, and it was all because of her. She knew he would never blame her, but she couldn’t help but blame herself.

As their friends rushed to check on her, to ask what had happened, to see what was going on, to make sure she was she okay… their grief and shock and confusion as they realized what had happened, as they realized what Sora had done, as they realized he was gone, hit her all over again and made her cry that much harder.

No one said anything as Riku hopped up on the tree next to her. Kairi just buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed, and he put his arms around her and brought her close. He didn’t seem to care that she was getting snot and tears all over his shirt, just did his best to comfort her over something that could never be comforted.

When she was about cried out, she felt a hand on her shoulder. The look of empathy Aqua gave her nearly drove her to tears again, and when she saw Naminé – Naminé was here, Naminé was safe! – and Xion there, too, saw the tears in their eyes for her, for Sora, it was too much. It was all too much.

Donald and Goofy were crying, too, and seeing them cry like that, like they’d lost a son… Kairi felt guilty for even existing. And Mickey’s face was forlorn, the tears in his eyes clearly visible when his met hers. Lea and Isa were here, too, and Isa even looked sad about what had happened.

“Kairi, I’m so sorry,” Lea said, the first to break the silence.

“No, I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry I’m here and not him.”

To her surprise, it was Terra who spoke up. “No. It’s not your fault. He made his choice. He wouldn’t want you to blame yourself. He’d just be happy you’re safe.”

Aqua gave him a look at that, and Kairi thought she understood why.

“Kairi, where do you think he—” Roxas asked, his voice low, his eyes meeting hers. So much like Sora’s, and yet so clearly not his.

“I don’t know,” she said, sniffing and wiping her eyes, “but I’ll find him. I promised.”

She felt Riku’s hand on her shoulder. “And I’m going with you.”

She turned to Riku and placed her hand over his, the hand that moments before had been entwined with Sora’s. “I know you will.” She looked at all of them. “I told him you’d all help me get him back.”

“We will,” Ventus said, his voice low as he wiped his nose but his eyes blazing with determination. “It’s the least we can do, after all he’s done for us.”

They all nodded at that and promised to help her find him, whatever it took. And looking at them, knowing she wasn’t alone in her grief, knowing she wasn’t alone in her efforts to find him, Kairi could hope again.

Sora was right. That was the heart’s true nature— to never, ever let go.

She wouldn’t let go, not now, not ever. And until the day they were reunited again, she wouldn’t rest until she’d found him.

“Man, Sora, those friends of yours seem to care about you a lot. It’d be a shame for you to be gone for good, and I guess I do still owe you a favor…”

Joshua stood and allowed himself a slight smirk. It wouldn’t be too hard to pull this off, not at all.

“Hope you enjoy Shibuya.”

Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed my first (completed) fic since I’ve finished playing KH3. 

Some of the more recent news that’s come out since this idea first came to me (as well as clarifications about lore) almost certainly contradicts elements of the story, but I liked the concept too much to abandon it. 

Writing it was really cathartic, actually... really helped me sort through my feelings about the game’s ending. Gave me some closure for the stuff we didn’t see on screen (yet?) either. 

As I was finishing parts of it up, Pavane for a Dead Princess by Ravel came on on Spotify, and... I think it fits the story quite well, so give it a listen if you’d like.

Reading @rapis-razuri​’s fic "The Usual Street" inspired me to finish this one, and she helped me come up with the summary for AO3 and FFN. A big thank you for that!

And as always, thank you for reading!

[theangelofangst]

“If they really had no hearts, then why does the truth hurt this much?” — Kingdom Hearts, Memory Archive; Twilight

BONUS

“But I believe there’s hope for them, don’t you?”

[lightandfellowship]

(Major KHDR/KH3 spoilers)

Eraqus and Hoder express the same belief in the inherent goodness of people, but it's interesting to see how their actions diverge by the end of the game, despite having these similar beliefs.

Eraqus never stops believing in the light in people's hearts. He even tells the Queen of Hearts that he doesn't buy that her heart is rooted in darkness, instead choosing to believe that her actions are the result of an entity controlling her. But, more importantly, he never stops believing that Baldr can be saved. At every opportunity he tries to avoid killing him, and never loses hope that the darkness can be banished from his heart, even after Baldr has killed all of his friends. When Xehanort finally does kill Baldr, Eraqus is shocked and heartbroken.

Hoder, however, eventually stops believing in the light in people's hearts, but only because she has to in order to do what needs to be done. It's worth noting, however, that initially she thought Baldr could be saved. When Heimdall and the others find her fading away in Maleficent's castle, she says "...Needs...help." Rather than warn them of the danger, she tried to inform her friends that her brother needed help, even while knowing that something was wrong with him, that darkness had taken hold and was "controlling" him. She believes in the light in people's hearts, and perhaps she also believed that there was enough light in Baldr's heart for him to be saved. But when her attempts at talking Baldr down fail at the end of the game, she is quick to adapt, finding the resolve necessary to strike her brother down (or at least try).

Hoder was willing to make the difficult choice that Eraqus was stubbornly running from: the choice to turn on a loved one, to give up on them. To give up on the notion that everyone and anyone has the capacity to return to the light regardless of their circumstances. A choice that Eraqus could not make in this moment, but will be able to make in the future. In a way, Hoder is a glimpse at what Eraqus will eventually become. And yet, to some degree, Eraqus still held on to his belief that anyone could be redeemed, finally seeing the fruits of that belief at the end of KH3 when he reconciles with Xehanort.

[sakurai-keiwa]

A TWEWY-KH connection

(mainly just wanna get my thoughts down on this, I had a LOT of time to think to myself during my couple days back to work lol)

So I know that Nomura said that the Shibuya at the end of the Kingdom Hearts III DLC wasn’t the real Shibuya and/or wasn’t the Shibuya that Neku came from or whatever,

but that is because it isn’t. It’s in a dream.

Like always, yadayada, we’ve been here, I know.

But it got me thinking to the strong symbolism in a New Day and then DDD... I know I’ve also mentioned this before in a much shorter post, but stay with me.

So firstly,

in TWEWY’s A New Day, Neku and Beat are brought back to the UG. Everything is scrambled up and out of place, and we find out at the end that that’s the case because it was all inside of a Noise created by Coco that took on the shape of Shibuya. And the Noise itself was very likely based on those dream elephant things that I’ve also recognized in Pokemon twice: Drowzee and Musharna. (Called baku, they’re supernatural beings said to devour nightmares. They’re mainly depicted with an elephant’s head and a tiger’s paws, or a tapir.)

Additionally, during the boss fight against it, the track “Wake Up” is playing in the background. 

So in a sense, they were likely in a sleeping world of Shibuya. But the real Shibuya was fine, as we know once they defeat the final Noise.

Which--for those who’ve played it--can also connect right away to Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. The TWEWY gang appear in Traverse Town, a world where people are thrown into once their worlds disappear. (I know what you may be thinking. I’ll get to that.) Joshua also mentions that he dreamt up that world in order to give them refuge. This could simply be something Nomura made up in order to connect their story inside of Kingdom Hearts. But it could also be....something else new.

In the DLC for Kingdom Hearts III, the very last boss fight is against Yozora in what looks like the top of the 104 building in (TWEWY’s) Shibuya. Though it isn’t the real Shibuya. We do know this from what Nomura has said provided in the Ultimania, but it could be interpreted as it simply being not the real Shibuya. 

What I mean is, the city could still very much exist in this universe, and the TWEWY characters with it, but this particular one isn’t real. It becomes obvious when you think back to before the fight when Yozora and Sora are talking in the Final World and then it morphs into the cityscape. However, before it transformed into the city, on the ground beneath them appeared the stain glass of Sora in his Dive to the Heart. And we know that the Dive to the Heart is “framed as a world within a dream.” (And if you’re familiar with the Sleeping Realm Theory, you’d remember that yes, the majority of KH3 is very much likely inside of a dream. And it probably still is.)

So. The content of what we know, within the subjects that I’ve mentioned in this post, that we’ve more or less accepted as some reality where these characters are dead....they could have instead been inside some kind of a dream this whole time. 

“But...” yeah, I hear you. The thing I said I’d get to before is that Shibuya is perfectly fine in TWEWY, but it’s supposedly disappeared in DDD. What I think, is that by the time the latter game started, something might’ve happened in TWEWY’s storyline. We heard from Hanekoma and Joshua that Shinjuku had up and poofed from existence somehow, most likely with the help of Coco, and Shibuya was deathly close to the same fate. But then she’d cooked up a plan, determined to not give up. So what if she succeeded?

tl;dr In summary, it’s likely that the Kingdom Hearts series (or at the very least Dream Drop Distance) takes place after TWEWY and the events of A New Day. Someone wanted Shibuya to disappear, they likely succeeded, and the city became a sleeping world, only appearing as much as a simulation in Kingdom Hearts III. And that’s what Nomura was getting at. And don’t get me started on my Yozora-TWEWY-connection either, that I suddenly thought up at 4am one night lmao

[i-love-my-exhoes]

Xigbar/Braig/Luxu: I hope you're ready for a long story

Me: only if you actually tell it

Epilogue: ends

Me: fuck

[restingknight]

Double goat

(I made this mistake a while ago and decided to share)