#a little bit of Ansem by my side

[reversetimelord]

Mambo no. 13 where every name is a different iteration of Xehanort

[firestorm09890]

Kingdom Hearts: Nobody Anatomy, Physiology, Psychology, Ontology??? headcanons

saw people talking about more monstrous Nobodies a bit ago (okay it was a long while ago at this point, this has been in drafts for ages) and that reminded me to share some of my thoughts. it spiraled kind of out of control and now this post is ridiculously long. three parts: the physical side, the less physical side, and other thoughts. most of it’s under the cut. enjoy

The physical side

All of these apply to ALL Nobodies, not just the funny squiggly ones.

Alrighty, here’s my proposal: Nobodies don’t have any internal organs. Even the ones that retain their human form. They may look and act like they’ve got regular human body processes, but I like to think that it’s just a hollow imitation. This is why every single Nobody has an absolutely snatched waist

So they’d lack both their metaphysical hearts and their real hearts!

The Organization was founded by a bunch of researchers who got into this mess via unethical human experimentation so you know they tried to pin down the specifics of Nobody biology early on, but every time they tried to use any medical equipment it would come up empty or just straight up not work. And then none of them were willing to get vivisected for the cause lmao

I think the greater Nobodies (human-shaped ones) are made up of the same weird, rubbery flexible stuff that lesser Nobodies are, but just don’t have that flexibility because hey! They’ve got a human form to maintain! They may seem human, but on a biological level, they’re closer to the squiggly guys than an actual human. This is why it’s possible for Xemnas to turn greater Nobodies into Dusks. We never see him do it, but I doubt it’s an empty threat. I don’t think there were any other greater Nobodies in the Organization in the past, but he’s probably transformed one of the specialized Nobodies, like a Dancer or Dragoon, into one of the lowest-ranked ones, like Dusks or Creepers or something.

All Nobodies have the Nobody sigil somewhere on them. For lesser Nobodies it’s easily visible, but for greater Nobodies, it’s on their backs, and since they’re always wearing those coats, no one ever sees it.

If a Nobody is cut, they don’t bleed- instead, little wisps of darkness leak out of the wound, like what happens in the Org’s death animations but on a smaller scale. They can heal faster than regular humans thanks to ✨something something darkness and nothingness✨.

Though Nobodies are supposedly shunned by both light and darkness, they are more aligned with dark than light. Any Nobody can wield light, not just Roxas (as shown by Zexion in Chain of Memories), but it takes great difficulty. However, they can wield darkness with ease.

Nobodies do need to sleep as regularly as humans, but can last much longer without food or water. Rest? Yes! Nutrience? Unimportant

They have no body heat- that’s a corpse, baby!!! That does bring up some questions about thermoregulation. I don’t feel like thinking about it tbh. There’s lots of questions in this vein: can Nobodies get drunk? I think they probably can’t. In 358/2 Days, Demyx says “Wait, training!? That sounds like work, which means sweating. Which is gross.” and that... complicates things! I could chalk it up to how a lot of people in Organization XIII have a tendency to keep acting like they’re humans and nothing’s changed, even though it has.

Nobodies are “born” in any world in the Realm Between. Roxas first appeared in Twilight Town, but some might have shown up by Castle Oblivion, or even the Mysterious Tower (god bless). Showing up in The World That Never Was is probably the most common.

The less physical side

It’s quite an unlikely coincidence that every apprentice of Ansem the Wise had a standout, super strong heart that allowed them to retain their human forms as Nobodies. I think it had something to do with being stabbed by a keyblade, not just their wills alone. That would also align with 9-12 being tied to a keyblade legacy. A strong will is important, yes, but you only get to be human-looking if there was a keyblade involved.

In a Nobody, the most important part of this will is the will to live. Should that ever wane, they Nobody will begin to destabilize, and eventually, they will return to nothingness.

Nobodies have hearts, and they do not have hearts. They have feelings, and they do not have feelings. It’s like the observer effect in quantum mechanics. Anyone who can sense hearts or feelings or whatever will not be able to sense anything from a Nobody, no matter how far along in development that heart may be, reinforcing the belief that yeah there’s nothing there. But there is... and also there isn’t. Both statements are true. A friend described it as “Schrödinger’s Feelings” and it’s the most accurate “Schrodinger’s ____” joke I’ve ever seen made. Someone else described it as depression which is also accurate (source: i’ve had depression). There are bouts of emotion occasionally, but those emotions are dulled (and usually negative) and most of the time there’s only suffocating apathy.

There is some truth to the statement that Nobodies’ feelings are simply recreations of what they might’ve felt back when they had hearts, but it’s also bogus. Memories are important to the makeup of a Nobody, but that statement is often used as an excuse that covers up the reality that there was a feeling there. It’s very easy to lie to yourself when there’s mostly data supporting your argument and any evidence against is less common and easily disputed by “logic” like this.

The most prominent “feelings” in Nobodies are an intense sense of longing and dissatisfaction. For some, the longing is for a heart, but for others it is aimless. That was the idea behind all the Nobodies having little hobbies like cooking and puzzles and reading magazines in the manga. They’re trying to fill that void with anything they can.

In one of the novels, Demyx, #1 proponent of the idea that Nobodies do have hearts actually, gives us this:

I play and play, but I can’t make a satisfying sound.

In truth, I know I won’t be satisfied in all eternity.

If you don’t have a heart, there’s no such thing as satisfaction.

You don’t even think you want to be satisfied.

And yeah, the novels aren’t canon, but it’s still interesting to see and think about. Nothing you do is good enough to fill that emptiness, but you can barely bring yourself to care about it anyway. Yep, depression!

Nobodies are prone to a high amount of introspection. It’s an inherited trait all Nobodies share- if you manage to survive past humanity in a bizarre fucked up state like this, you’re naturally going to be thinking about it. However, they’re all also incredibly bad at it, and generally do a horrible job at self-reflection. This is just an unfortunate coincidence

A Nobody can regrow a heart if they make connections, and are seen and acknowledged by others. Pretty sure that’s just canon. HOWEVER, Nobodies cannot help each other grow hearts- this is why none of the Organization regrew hearts after 10 years of being around each other, and despite connections within the group. 0+0 is still 0, after all. That’s what makes the policy of going undetected on missions so insidious. They’re never allowed the chance to regrow a heart. I’ve already talked about it somewhere else, but this is why Roxas grows a heart so fast- he ignores that rule, for the most part. Axel’s interactions with Sora are also what kickstarts his heart growth.

Hypothetically, since someone doesn’t have to remember a memory for Castle Oblivion to draw on it, the mechanics with the cards and the rooms could have been used to help Xemnas recall his past- considering how much time he spent talking to Aqua’s armor, I think that’s something he might’ve been interested in. HOWEVER! Since the Twilight Town card came from the memories on the other side of Sora’s heart, I propose that the properties of Castle Oblivion would have no effect on Nobodies. RIP.

Other thoughts

I’m not saying Ansem the Wise and Yensid were right about Nobodies! I do think they’re different from humans on a fundamental level, but demonizing them is Not Cool

On the idea that Nobodies aren’t meant to exist: Well. Just like before it’s total bogus bc the main perpetrators of that idea were either bigoted about it or liars or both but I think it’s a little more complicated than “everyone is flat wrong about this”. Nobodies are essentially naturally-occurring byproducts of Heartless. Most Nobodies (or, at least, the lesser ones, based on that one cutscene in kh2 where hearts rain down on The World That Never Was and we see a bunch of Dusks grasping for them) seem to have a drive to reclaim the heart they’ve lost- if reclaimed, that would mean they wouldn’t be a Nobody anymore. Creatures born in worlds of neither light nor darkness, created only through the destruction of another and only some of the time, who don’t even want to exist like this themselves... that’s what “Nobodies aren’t meant to exist” means to me, I think. BEAR IN MIND “MEANT” IS NOT THE SAME AS “DESERVE”

And then! There’s Nobodies who defy that! Or, uh, Nobody, singular. Roxas goes “bro I don’t care I want to exist as I am” and he does that (Naminé... didn’t really seem to share that opinion, if I’m remembering correctly. Probably because DiZ hammered it into her head that she didn’t deserve to exist). I wish we had seen something like that from one of the regular Nobodies- why should recompletion and/or regaining a heart be the ideal? Why do they have to die again in order to be “right”? It just further perpetuates that idea DiZ and Yensid pushed in kh2: Nobodies are Wrong and shouldn’t be around. Unless you’re special like Roxas or Naminé in which case it’s okay. But for everyone else it’s recomplete or bust... anyway this is a tangent I did not mean to go on with this post-

I think it’s interesting, how they’re made of nothingness and their existence is “nonexistent”. Nothingness is, as an element, something, as opposed to true nothing, which is the absence of anything. Nonexistence implies existence. It’s like how in math, sometimes an answer to a problem will be DNE-- that’s Nobodies, and “nothingness”. “Does not exist”, but in writing the answer, it does exist, as a nonexistent entity. As opposed to just... not having a math problem at all, and therefore not having a place to write a solution. That is true nothingness- all the Nobodies of people whose hearts weren’t strong enough to create Nobodies fall under this category. They don’t exist for real. Nothing as something vs nothing as nothing- ah fuck I just realized this is the second time I’ve used a math analogy for kingdom hearts. shit

in conclusion

that’s all of it. probably. i like nobodies a whole lot. now that i’m thinking about it i should’ve made this multiple posts instead of one huge one. if you read all of this you earn my undying love

[lightwithinthedarknessu]

Bloom From The Depths🪷

Able to share my @kairizine fic where our KH girls get to go on a mini adventure! Thank you so much again for having me! Was a dream come true to write for Kairi again 🥺💖

Summary: Kairi is called by Leon and Co to investigate a locked file addressed to her within the main-hub of the cavern of remembrance. Namine and Aqua join Kairi on her journey to unlock her memories with a little help from some unexpected friends. While facing her fears Kairi is reunited with those she misses most.

A magical journey through the language of flowers and their deep connection to hearts connected by the dearest of memories.

Written for @kairizine2023 featuring gorgeous spot art by @mellekist!

From the depths of Radiant Garden, a blight remained, sprawling with cavernous pathways and crumbling cliffsides teeming with Heartless. Even the Restoration Committee’s valiant efforts were not enough to repair the scars left by the Dark Seeker’s reign. One of these blights, the Cavern of Remembrance, beckoned a new visitor: a Princess of Heart.

Kairi didn’t think she would return to her home world so soon. The past year she spent asleep had been long enough. Now was the time for action—Sora was still missing. The plan was to train hard until she could join Riku on his search. However, a message from Leon changed the tide.

Kairi, it’s been a while. Cid found something: a file addressed to you. It’s attached to a code we can’t crack, not without your help. Ansem says you’ll need to visit this place called the Cavern of Remembrance. It’s still swarming with Heartless, but I know you’ll be fine. 

You up for an adventure?

Excitement flooded her veins. It was the perfect vacation from training. Maybe there was more information locked within the garden’s depths that could help Sora!

Bits and pieces remained of the legend of the Cavern of Remembrance. As a child, someone had told Kairi that it was a place that twisted and formed to suit the purpose of the visitor. Memories, hearts, and wishes worked their magic to weave together a place of reminiscence for the denizens of times past. A part of Kairi felt this place housed more memories and fading emotions than met the eye. There was something there she had to find.

Two companions joined Kairi on this unexpected quest. Aqua had long been itching for some adventure, and Naminé was roped in due to her unique abilities and connection to Kairi’s memories. Breathless and hearts racing, the trio made short work of the darkness that clung to every pipe, cliffside, and waterway. Naminé acted as an excellent guide while Aqua and Kairi cleared the pathway ridden with Heartless in every nook and cranny.

The trio soon found themselves within the depths of the abyss. In between indigo crags of rock and pipes of searing hot steam was a long hallway, reminiscent of The World That Never Was. Kairi stood in the middle of the pure white hall, scattered with the remains of fading Nobodies and the glistening hearts of felled Heartless. A large set of white doors barred their path forward. Her Keyblade shimmered into the air, leaving bright stars in its wake as she walked through them. 

Thirteen doors teetered on the edge of nothing—floating above a circular pathway backed by rushing water. In the middle of the circle was a platform, glistening with the light of electrical wires that led up to a series of computer screens. A technological garden of memory and wonder. Its hollow nature, bereft of heart, sent a chill down Kairi’s spine just as the awe set in.

Kairi placed her hand on the terminal.

“It’s strange how similar it looks to The World That Never Was.” Naminé came to her side with an air of curiosity. A ghost of a memory tugged on Kairi’s heart. Once, she had been trapped in a room just like this one.

“Thanks, Naminé—for breaking me out back then.”

“You broke free all on your own. I just provided the door.” Naminé smiled, then set to work scouring the database. Kairi was delighted to see her thriving in her element.

“You’ve both been through a lot, and have come so far. I’m impressed how quickly you both took out all those Heartless!” Aqua said, bounding up behind Kairi and settling beside her. Her eyes shone as she looked expectantly at the computer screens. “What do we do next?”

Naminé drew in her shoulders. “It needs a connection—a memory from your past in Radiant Garden, Kairi. Then, I can use it to connect you to whatever data is inside that locked message.”

Kairi bit her lip. “I’m sorry. Those days are hazy for me.”

She recalled her connections, wishes, and dreams from childhood as snapshots. Glimpses of moments with her grandmother, a moment in a garden of flowers, and a whisper of a story late at night—that was all.  

“Maybe you could use my memories of when we met to bring them to the surface.” Aqua put a hand on her chest and looked to Naminé for confirmation.

“That could work! Then please, think back on that time!” Naminé gleefully touched the tips of her fingers together. She turned to Kairi. “Kairi, all you need to do is listen to the melody of Aqua’s heart. Find that resonating connection and focus on it. After that, just step through that door over there. I’ll use it to connect you.” Naminé pointed towards the door with a shimmering Kingdom Key on the front.

Kairi furrowed her brow. “Aqua, what about that memory tugs at you the most?”

“The flowers you gave me. One was a pansy, I think? I thought it was really cute.” Aqua stifled a chuckle. A familiar light shone in her eyes—it drew Kairi straight to the connection she sought. With the melody tugging on her heart, the princess stepped through the door and into the unknown.

****

The space rippled and filled with light, numbing her senses until the scent of dew and freshly cut flowers filled the air. Kairi’s eyes fluttered open to the memory of herself as a young girl, no older than four, with a small bouquet of flowers in her hands. Kneeling before her was Aqua, who hadn’t seemed to age a day since then. Her mentor smiled gently at little Kairi, and gingerly took the flowers with a word of thanks.

“Kairi!” A soft, melodious voice tugged at the edges of her heart. Who was it?

Little Kairi turned from Aqua to call out to the faded figure in the distance until Aqua gently coaxed the girl’s attention back to her. Gingerly, she tapped little Kairi’s necklace, leaving a burst of light in her wake.

“One day, when you’re in trouble—the light within you will lead you to the light of another. Someone to keep you safe.”

What a kind and warm memory, one that shone like sea glass on the shore. The chains in her memory relinked, twisting and twirling in joy as they nestled in her heart.

“The light has always found a way to guide me and keep me safe.” Kairi breathlessly clutched her necklace, sensing the lingering whisper of the wish. The world shifted in a veil of light, transporting her to another time, another place—one all too familiar.

****

A labyrinthic library formed. The musty scent of old and dusty tomes overwhelmed Kairi with a rush of nostalgia. It was the place from her memories, one that shone vividly in the depths of her heart.

A book will guide you to what you seek. A voice slipped into her mind like a beloved lullaby. Kairi glanced around, sensing no other presence. Curious, she continued to explore the space from her memories.

A soft glow flickered within a nook nearby, guiding her to a book embossed with a pansy flower. Delicate fingers cracked open the tome to see a lone pressed purple and yellow flower peeking out from its pages.

“A pansy, it means ‘thinking of you…’” Kairi mused.

The space shifted, transporting her again to another memory. This time, Sora and Riku’s young sun-kissed grins greeted her, their arms filled with pansy flowers.

“Back then I was homesick for a place I didn’t remember.”

“And we cheered you up.”

With a sharp intake of breath, she turned. Riku stood before her, looking the same as he did when he’d left. “Are you…real?”

“Just his leftover worries and thoughts. You’ve been worried, haven’t you? About being away from us. But you shouldn’t be. Your memories of us are so important that they keep you going when you’re lost, right? You know you’re never too far away. Our hearts are always connected.”

Kairi held back tears. “You always know what to say. Thank you, Riku.”

Riku’s smile faded into the abyss of the library. In her hands was a new book. Where gold once embossed the front, now only the outline of small flowers remained. Gingerly, Kairi cracked open its pages.

A single flower was neatly nestled between water-stained pages, pure white and so delicate she feared it would break. A diphylleia. Kairi couldn’t remember who taught her the name.

The meaning echoed across the chambers of her heart.

“Happiness.”

Kairi!

A soundless voice gripped her heart as a vast expanse of sea and sky spilled out before her. At her feet, lotus floated to the surface, their petals unfurling as if they were reaching for the sunlight. The visage of the final world shimmered into being, as did the fading form of a boy she dearly missed.

“Sora!”

The vibration of his heart resonated deep within her own. Neither data nor sleep was a barrier to an unbreakable connection. Sora placed something in her hands, smiling as he faded into the never-ending sky. In his wake, he left a reminder, an oath—her charm.

“I’m always with you. Right, Sora?” Kairi held the charm close, sensing her heart’s resonance with those she loved most.

So, you found your light.

Kairi turned, stumbling against the lotus dancing at her feet. Each white blossom radiated the warmth of pure light.

****

Standing in the midst of sea, flowers, and sky was an old woman, her cheeks round with a smile and dusted pink. She wore the same shawl Kairi remembered from days spent listening to her stories in the library. Kairi sought out a vibration, a melody resounding from the woman’s heart—but it was barely a whisper.

Data. A memory recorded long ago and leftover from a strong heart. Kairi stepped forward. “Grandma?”

“In a sense, but you know that.” Grandma beamed.

Kairi ran to envelop the woman in a warm embrace. Tears streamed down her face as memories rose to the surface against the darkness. Memories of loss, guilt, and the distinct fear of never returning “home.”

 “I miss you. I’m sorry that I forgot.” Kairi sniffled.

“But you didn’t forget, dear. Your heart remembers everything your mind forgot. Good memories are hard to find, and pain sometimes covers up what we want to treasure most. Try not to hold so dearly onto the past that it halts your future. Any memories you might have lost have allowed you to continue forward with renewed strength.” Grandma gently rubbed a tear from Kairi’s eye. Stars danced in the woman’s eyes as she admired how far the girl had come. 

“I want to find you! I want to bring you all home .”

“All in due time, my dear. I programmed the data to respond to what your heart needs most. To help you move forward. Now, what has been troubling you?”

A breath shakily escaped Kairi’s chest. “My memories—if I just remembered, then maybe we’d all be able to be together again.”

“Your memories are deep inside you, waiting for the right moment.” Kairi’s grandmother brushed a strand of hair away from the girl’s tear-stained face. The woman pressed her forehead to Kairi’s and closed her eyes to whisper a familiar oath. “Wherever you go, we’re always with you. Never forget, take heart, and move forward.”

Light swallowed the princess whole once again as the warmth of her grandmother faded. When Kairi awoke, two concerned faces greeted her.

“Kairi! I’m so glad you’re awake! You just came back in a daze and nothing I did would get through to you.” Naminé grasped Kairi’s hands and held back tears.

“Thank goodness.” Aqua breathed a sigh of relief as she bent down to help Kairi to her feet. She wore a bewildered expression as she gently plucked a purple flower from behind Kairi’s ear.

“An azalea?” Naminé said.

Kairi took the flower and rubbed its stem between her fingers. “‘Please take care of yourself.’ That’s what the message was. Though my heart may be estranged from those I love, they’re never too far. They’re all right here inside me—urging me to keep moving forward.”

You’ve faced your fate well.

A heart song echoed in her chest. The remnant of a memory tugged on her lingering connection. Kairi reached for it.

Like a lotus, stretch towards the light. Let your heart bloom even in the deepest darkness, beautiful and strong like I know you are.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! It was amazing being a part of Kairi Zine Vol 2 Destiny’s Embrace. Still pinching myself that I actually got to write for it and work with the wonderful @mellekist. You can find her gorgeous spot art for the zine here! And leftover sales are still open as of 10/6 so be sure to snag a digital copy if you’re wanting more Kairi goodness or merch! I hope you enjoyed this little story focusing on Kairi’s feelings about her memories and missing those she loves most. I loved writing it! Some notes about the chosen flowers below! I really had fun picking which flowers to focus on. These are notes I made during the planning phase and really are just fun extra notes on the themes I wanted to explore. Hope you enjoy this inside look! ***** Main themes I chose were estranged love (lotus), cherished memory (please take care of yourself for me/Azalea) connection (pansy/thinking of you), and overcoming guilt associated with Kairi being estranged from those she loves. The lotus while meaning estranged love-also refers to the loss of memory for “rebirth” and becoming stronger. Through multiple “rebirths” darkness is removed and the purest light is formed. Loss of memory, sharing of her heart with Sora and regaining connections (being closer with Naminé and Aqua) has resulted in many “rebiths” for Kairi. As she exits the data she has changed a bit and had another rebirth. She’s no longer feeling estranged from those she loves, she was reminded they’re always with her. For the flowe she sees when being “reunited” with Sora I played with the meaning of Show my true self for Diphylleia. The flower is called a skeleton flower for it becomes translucent in the rain. A nod at Sora’s fading form at the final world. For the last theme, Kairi reiterates that part of what makes her whole is her connections to her friends—her true self has been shaped by her connections and she is grateful to carry them with her always. I wanted to touch on how Kairi is missing those she’s estranged from and having guilt that she’s not with them—through memories or physically. Kairi also feels guilt for not fully remembering her days in Radiant Garden. She feels they must be important memories, there is an imprint on her heart. Kairi’s important connections remind her that she has nothing to feel guilty about. She is with them, always. Although she’s estranged from those she loves most, those cherished memories and connections (regardless of how strong) are what makes her whole, even if she doesn’t fully remember them. She’s become so strong and taken charge of her fate. There are things out of her control (losing Sora, Riku traveling alone, being separated from her grandma, not having access to all her memories) but what she does have control of is how she faces it—and she’s faced it well. Thank you so much for reading!

[royalberryriku]

Okay, finally feeling better so it's OC Week time!

Prompt 1: Introduction.

From left to right: Zorya, Yoru and then Taiyo. These three are some of many characters in my Kingdom Hearts fic (I'll post it all on Ao3 one day I promise), but these three in particular start off this little serious I'm writing and have a vital connection to the overall main plot and themes. Each of these characters are near and deer to my heart, but I also don't want to give tooo much away (also I'm a bit lazy), so let me just to a brief introduction of these main three.

Zorya: A mysterious girl who seems to be after something; wonderful or terrible, that is yet to be seen. She's stubborn, rude and has a temper to match it, yet those who she allows to come close enough may very well find a soft and kind centre to the seemingly rough and rowdy child. Her eyes also seem to shine with a mysterious glow, though none can tell if this is merely a trick of the light or an indicator of something magical or even inhuman.

Yoru: A gentle soul whose dislike of fighting may sometimes make it hard to pick any particular side. At first, he only really wanted to find his loved ones and bring them all back home, yet, the worlds beyond his own stirs his curiosity. Shocked to discover his home had been "swallowed by darkness", Yoru joins forces with two others close to his own age in search of both answers and a way back home. All the while, he is plagued by the strangest of dreams, yet... he can never seem to recall them upon waking.

Taiyo: A researcher from a distant world. While he does pride himself in the teachings of light; a philosophy that deems light as the superior to darkness, he finds himself wishing for more. Taiyo is in search of one thing: Ansem's Reports. As to why he wants these volumes of knowledge, one could only assume it's due to his curiosity as a researcher, yet who could really say?

[forthedancingandthethriving]

Susie Haltmann's Rapid Descent into Programming Hell

Susie: So!

Susie: Program no-one's seen before, in a coding language that doesn't seem to make any sense, and it's actively hostile and slightly psychic. Estimated chances of success are functionally zero and failure isn't an option.

Lag: That does sum it up nicely, yes.

Susie: In that case, we should be done by Tuesday. *deploys her visor and heads over to a console* Alright boys, let's get to work!

Ienzo: ...Is she being motivational, or narcissistic?

Lag: Yes.

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

*A Few Hours Later...*

Susie's console: *loud error noise*

Susie: Darn it! You slippery little fudger!

Susie:

Susie: Frick.

Susie: Shoot. Witch. Heck. Seriously!?

Lea: *shrugs* Disney.

Susie, full of contempt: Disney...

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

*Much, Much Later...*

Abyss blob: *lightly splats against the side of its container*

Ienzo: *looks up* What?

Susie, laser-focused: ah-HAH! Got you now, you little bastard! ...Oh sure, that one still works.

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

*Later Still...*

Susie: Okay, am I the only one who isn't AFK right now?

*sounds of fighting in the background*

Tron: I'm still here, miss Haltmann.

Susie: And I appreciate it, but since you are the computer it'd be a bit hard for you to not be here.

*more violence*

Susie: Seriously, how many people does it take to babysit a booger?

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

*You Know The Drill*

Susie, visibly surviving on nothing but coffee and spite: Okay, seriously, I only have two hands! *grabs a nearby Soldier Heartless by the collar, because the situation she's mostly oblivious to has gotten That Bad* YOU! Do You Remember How To Type?

Soldier: *tries slashing at her*

Susie: *immediately pulls out her blaster and shoots it between the eyes, then points it at three others nearby as the first one dissipates* How about you guys?

Soldiers: *nod shakily, having just rediscovered the ability to feel fear*

Susie: Great! You're my new research assistants! Get to a keyboard and follow the prompts on the screen.

Ansem: *is momentarily distracted from the battle by this display* I'm sorry, is your friend commanding the Heartless?

Lag: Well, she is a capitalist, so I'd say her heart's probably dark enough for it. Just be glad she's using her powers for good.

Ansem: Fair enough.

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

*Yep, Still Going...*

Goofy: *gets launched back into the computer area and decides to check in on things while catching his breath* Hey, miss Susie! How ya doin'?

Susie: *types frantically, then snarls and slams her head into the desk* This doesn't make any sense! There's no reason for this code to be so coordinated, it's Just! RANDOM! FREAKING! GARBAGE!

Goofy: Hmmm...leans over the back of her chair to get a look at the screen...and admittedly doesn't understand any of it* ...Well, I don't claim ta know much about computers, but if what's written ain't the thing doin' the thinkin', maybe it's whatever they wrote it into?

Susie: *sits stalk-straight and blinks*

Susie: That...that has potential. *starts typing again, even faster than before, and yet more focused* Yes, just need to- and over here...move those aside...

Susie: *freezes completely*

Goofy: ...Miss Susie?

Susie: *lifts up her visor* It fits.

Goofy: Huh?

Susie: IT FITS! I know what we're dealing with now! *laughs in relief and excitement, launching out of her chair and grabbing him by the cheeks* Oh you brilliant beautiful mutt I'd kiss you if I had a mouth!

Goofy: Aw, gawrsh, I didn't do much, just thought out loud a bit.

Susie: And your idle thoughts may have just saved everyone ever, especially Abyssal once someone finally finds her! *tuns over to where all the commotion is* LAG! Lag, we figured...out...uh...

*at this point, the blob takes up about half the room, and is covered with various colorful-and deadly- appendages and has a messy, lopsided bastardization of the Heartless Emblem on what could generously be called its forehead. There are also several low-to-mid tier Heartless around the room, including her own Soldier assistants and one particularly unlucky Blue Rhapsody that the Blob is currently absorbing. nobody's dead yet, thank god, but most of them are clearly running on fumes*

Susie: ...How long has that been going on?

Goofy: Well, the blob got out yesterday, but it only started gettin' big and eatin' Heartless this mornin.'

Susie: ...Right. *activates her visor again* Deal with this now, make big reveal that we're essentially up against the computer's pissed-off hard-drive later.

Goofy: The computer's what now?

Susie: You know how nearly every creation myth starts with some variation on "in the beginning, there was nothing?"

Goofy: Yeah...

Susie: *summons her business suit and points at the blob* That's the Nothing. Or, well, only part of it. And it only used to be. It's complicated.

Goofy: I'll take yer word for it! *draws his shield and hops up on the suit's rim* Now, shall we?

Susie: It'd be my pleasure. *revs the suit's engines*

*they charge into the battle, with Goofy of course belting out a hearty "YAAAAH-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOEYYYY!"*

(Goofy Logic for the Win. To be fair, his idea does have some basis in his own lived experience, considering what happened with Jiminy's Journal in Re: Coded. And also to be fair he was absolutely right in this case. What can I say, the dog's got good insight.)

(You can probably imagine the Tom and Jerry-style antics during the hours between the blob escaping and discovering it could use Heartless as a food source.)

I LOVE THIS A LOT. NO WORDS. THIS IS JUST. SO FUNNY AND GREAT AND JUST?? YES. Also the capitalist bit is my favorite lol

[kingeclipsed]

hello tis i , ansem back at it again with another blog but this time it's a canon - div demise from loz : skyward sword . blog is a wip but i have a little bit of info in my pinned & my law can be found at the main blog , @dullweapons , as this is a side blog !!!

like to pet the avocado , reblog to turn him into guacamole .

[legacywritten]

again, having thoughts about sam’s psychic powers ...

first, i want to review all the known special children powers.

visions: sam, ava

telekinesis: sam, max

mind control: andy, ansem, jake

super strength: jake

death touch: scott, lily

power over demons: sam, ava

what’s interesting here is that most of the recurring special children, despite starting with a single apparent power, eventually develop multiple abilities. ava and jake both gain the extra powers only after giving in to azazel - but not sam. he has the visions and telekinesis both before he even knows they’re linked to azazel’s blood. even when he starts drinking demon blood, he doesn’t fall into the same “give in to the dark side” mentality that both ava and jake describe. while he does seem to get a power high off it, his goal for drinking and using his powers is always explicitly to save people: the human hosts who would otherwise be killed by ruby’s knife, the countless people who would die if lilith got her way.

even more interesting, sam arguably demonstrates all the other powers in the special children’s repertoire ( except death by touch ). the list above shows him using three of the six powers in canon, but what about the others ?

super strength: sam uses a coil of barbed wire, with nothing but a bit of cloth to protect his hands, to slice off gordon’s head. while it’s hard to find a reliable answer to the question “how much force does it take to cut off someone’s head ?”, discussions on quora and elsewhere indicate that even a razor-sharp sword, with the force of a full two-handed swing behind it, still takes several strokes to cut through flesh and bone. sam would have ripped open his own palms, and the blood would have caused his hands to slide off the wire, before he could come anywhere close to decapitating a friggin’ vampire. unless he was using super-strength.

mind control: we all agree that sam has a killer puppy-dog face. but consider this - while dean regularly asks sam to use that irresistible charm to get witnesses to open up, sam doesn’t usually do the full-on sad eyes when he does. he just … asks.

now, obviously, he’s not aware that he has these other powers; he isn’t using them consciously or deliberately. but most of the special children have little to no control over their powers, at least at first. neither sam nor ava can control their visions; lily can’t control her touch of death. we don’t know as much about how the other special children’s powers started out, but the ones who do have greater control over their powers are the ones who’ve been actively using them the longest. if sam doesn’t realize he has these additional abilities - if they didn’t start out as strong, or as readily accessible, as his visions or his telekinesis, it stands to reason he’d never use them enough to get conscious control over them.

now consider this: sam still has his powers.

my personal belief is that the special children were natural psychics already, like missouri or pamela, before azazel fed them demon blood. all the blood did was shape the nature of their powers and bind them to azazel so that he could keep track of them and exert some measure of control over them. as ruby herself notes, "you didn't need a feather to fly. you had it in you the whole time, dumbo."

[millenniumproductions]

Hi! This is for Akusai Day. Keep in mind I still believe the theory that Isa is Subject X but instead of being in a cell, she had an actual room in the castle.

Title: Dancing Isn't So Bad After All

____________________________________________

"Come on, Reno! Why do I gotta be here?" Lea asked while holding a glass of sparkling water.

The fourteen year old wore a white dress shirt with the two top buttons undone, a pair of black dress pants, black loafers, and his signature yellow and red plaid fringed scarf around his neck in place of a tie.

Lea had never liked the parties that Ansem the Wise held because he believed it was just a way for Ansem to flaunt his power to the people.

"Cuz you should enjoy the finer things in life once a while," Reno, Lea's older brother by three years, replied while taking a bacon wrapped sausage from a tray held by a passing butler and popped it into his mouth, "Also, I heard from a friend of mine that there was a cute girl living here who I think is your type."

Unlike Lea, who tried to dress semi-formal, Reno went all out. He wore a full-piece black suit with a red tie to match his face tattoos and black combat boots with red laces.

Before Lea could ask who it was, the other guests stopped talking and the orchestra stopped as the man himself appeared alongside his apprentices.

"Hello, everyone. I thank you all for coming tonight. May we continue to maintain the peace of Radiant Garden!" Ansem said as he held his arms out to emphasize his words.

Once he finished his speech, he crossed his arms behind his back and stepped down the stairs, the Apprentices following him and everything resumed.

Lea groaned as he chugged his glass and put it on the table behind him.

"High and mighty asshole..." he muttered as he walked away from Reno while he flirted with a woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and wore a hot pink strapless dress and high heels.

Suddenly, Lea bumped into the backside of a girl who seemed to be the same age as him but was a little bit shorter. She had long blue hair that was put into a bun with a black ribbon.

"Aw, jeez... I-Im sorry. I didn't mean to-" Lea stuttered as he began to apologize.

The girl turned around but didn't look disturbed.

All of a sudden, Lea's words became caught in his throat. The girl was beautiful. She had the same green eyes that he did but her skin was a bit paler than his. She wore a sleeveless, pale blue dress with a translucent layer of fabric over the skirt, held by dark blue ribbon. Going down each side was a black textured pattern, matching that on either side of her chest. She also wore black ballet flats, white silk opera gloves, black teardrop earrings, and a gold thin-chained necklace with a dark blue crescent moon shaped pendant hanging from it.

"You don't need to apologize," the girl simply replied.

Lea coughed and pulled on his scarf out of nervousness. The two of them stood in silence for a few seconds until Lea asked a question.

"So, uh... This your first time?"

"No... I've unfortunately been dragged to these events everytime," the girl answered as she rolled her eyes that were accented with pale blue eyeshadow.

Lea realized this might have been the girl Reno was talking about.

"I'm Lea. Got it memorized?" Lea said as he added his famous line.

The girl giggled a bit as she replied, "Isa."

"Isa... That a nickname?"

"No. That's my name. Or at least, that's what I can remember."

Lea was shocked. Did Isa have amnesia and that was why she was living at the castle?

He immediately felt sad for her as he said, "Sorry."

Isa seemed to glare at him for a moment and said, " Don't be. I've gotten used to it."

The two stood in silence again and merely just watched the other guests. Suddenly, the orchestra began to play a waltz. While some people began to walk to the tables where the food was, others stayed to dance with partners. Lea brightened up and had an idea.

He held his hand out and, as princely as he could, he asked, "Shall we dance, milady?"

Isa hesitated at first, but took his hand and replied, "You may."

The two of them walked hand in hand to the middle of the floor and began to step to the music. While the two of them felt happy in this moment, the other guests began to whisper to one another.

"Isn't that Reno's little brother?"

"You mean the crybaby?"

"Can't believe he's dancing with the amnesiac moon freak."

While Lea tried to ignore the insults that were being thrown at them, Isa glared at them, causing the guests to quiet down from fear. Once the waltz ended, Lea let go of Isa and began to walk away, but she stopped him.

"Are you alright?" Isa asked, who seemed to be honestly concerned for him.

"It's fine. I'm used to it," Lea responded, trying to blink away the tears that started to prick his eyes.

"You're clearly not fine. No one should verbally abuse others like that," Isa stated, once again her honestly showed through.

The two of them walked downstairs to what appeared to be the door to the outside of Ansem the Wise's castle.

"But it's true. I AM a crybaby..."

Isa suddenly started to pet Lea's spiky red hair, as though she was trying to calm down a sad puppy.

"W-What are you doing?" Lea asked while he started to blush.

"I hate seeing you sad. I rather see that stupid smile of yours always," Isa answered while she also began to blush.

In response, Lea smiled.

"Hey Isa! Where are ya!" a male voice yelled.

Isa flinched at the voice and sighed.

"That's Braig. I have to get going," Isa said as she curtsied to Lea and began to walk back upstairs.

"W-Wait!" Lea said as he grabbed Isa's hand.

Isa stopped and looked at Lea.

"What is it?"

"Can we... hang out more? I-I mean if you want! I don't wanna force you or a-anything!" Lea stuttered as he blushed again.

Isa smiled and, without him expecting it, kissed Lea on his right cheek.

"Of course. I look forward to our next meeting," Isa said with a sweet smile.

She waved goodbye as she went back upstairs.

Lea held his cheek with his hand as he sighed with bliss.

"Hey, Lea," Reno said as he walked downstairs.

He noticed Lea's lovesick state and asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah... I think I found the girl I wanna spend the rest of my life with..."

[moved-to-void-kissed]

2, 9, and 15 for Aria? (I'm fairly sure that's the name of your kh self insert? If im wrong, that's who I mean lol sorry)

Don't worry, anon, you're correct! I do technically have three self-inserts for Kingdom Hearts, and technically two of them are named Aria, but.. a) I only call one of them Aria so as not to get everyone confused (the other is the one I call Ves), and b) Aria is definitely my "main" or "primary" self-insert for the series. So, you are right! Thank you very much for sending these questions!~

(question source: "ask game: self-insert lore" by inserthaven)

2. when in canon does your self-insert come in? do you have a scene in mind for your entrance? - In terms of the release order of the games, Aria would first appear at the very very end of Aqua’s route of BBS. I have actually written out the scene where she first appears, since it's the same scene where she and Aqua meet; it's the first piece of selfship writing I ever did, actually! You can read it here, although I am thinking of updating it at some point. To give a summary though, she saves Aqua from the attacks of a massive Heartless swarm called a Demon Tide, as she had been pursuing the Demon Tide to find out what it was chasing (they, like all Heartless, seek out hearts of light). It’s a bit awkward because Aqua then breaks down crying because of everything she had just gone through, but.. we talk through it, and we stick together from then on out. BBS’ ending leads directly into the opening of 0.2, but I tend to put at least a little bit more exploring time in between the two, since the impact that being in the realm of darkness had on Aqua was so great and it therefore felt like a much longer time to her than it was actually portrayed to be to her.

9. who are your self-insert’s closest friends? - Aria is.. not really the type of person to naturally make close friends, in all honesty. However, she does end up becoming close with Terra and Ventus, since they live with her and Aqua and Vanitas in the Land of Departure, and are essentially Aqua’s brothers. They are both quite wary of her at first because of her use of darkness, but they do trust Aqua’s judgment. Aria also proves to them that she can be trusted more directly by helping them both with their own darkness that they do not want (and helping get rid of the remnants of Xehanort and Vanitas possessing them both, especially in Terra’s case).

15. how does your self-insert play a role in the plot of the story? does she help directly defeat the villain, support the heroes, etc.? - Due to essentially missing the entire Xehanort arc of the plot by being stuck in the realm of darkness, Aria doesn’t get a lot of opportunities to help defeat him (other than when she battles Ansem during KH3). However, if she had been rescued at the same time that Aqua was, she definitely would have helped take down the True Organisation. After KH3 ends and Aria is brought out of the realm of darkness, taking down the villains of other worlds by pretending to be on their side only to siphon away their power and “betray” them is her main mode of operation, working in tandem with Aqua (who does the more traditional method of supporting that world’s heroes and forces of light). She may not come across as a protagonist, but she has never been an antagonist.

I hope that all of these answers were alright! Thank you very much again for sending in the questions, anon!

[glitchafton]

Shouldn't William be seeing everything in Ness's life? Or be able to possess he all the time?

Sorry that I'm not going to give the complete answer to this since I don't want to forget and I need to start work for the day but without going into the the slightly more defined idea I've gotten of how Glichtrap works in this AU

Quick version: Silver Parasol gets random bits and pieces from Fazbear Entertainment to scan in to potentially speed up production in some way. One of these is implied to be a certain Springy Boi, or at least the motherboard for him, next thing you know you've downloaded a long dead serial killer

No I'm not cutting Ansem out when I'm reusing my favorite kingdom hearts meme base. Because for one causing children trauma is one of his favorite things. He embedded a data version of himself in a teenage boy's memories. Just in case. Also unlike Silver Parasol, he'd download William intentionally.

So HC Start: The way I chose to handle William as Glitchtrap once he's been released from the VR game he's got two main parts, his actual soul and the virus. Both take up residence in in Vanessa when she was duped into it, with a side of in AU land, honestly, she was still mostly sure the whole thing was just a neat little subplot with the only thing was that she knew Tape Girl/Gabriella but shrugged it off as a way to save costs on hiring another voice actor and it makes for a nice little easter egg for those working on the game (reminder, Silver Parasol sold the nearly completed game to another publisher I named *checks notes, but not a joke for once* Rose Key due to the lack of canon one. Vanessa never worked with Jeremy.)

But after the cell door true ending Vanessa has the whole of Glitchtrap using her as an escape route.

Be also further into pure HC: As mentioned he comes in two parts, and part of why Gabriella lied about the kill switch being the bunny adoption switch is that the soul half can, no remnant required, use another person as something of an anchor. Originally it was Jeremy, then to Gaby who took drastic measures to get him out of her, the game, and be someone else's problem.

Now the virus half, I don't know how he does the jump from Vanessa to Vanessa's computer. I don't care until I do. What matters is, two parts in two places, but they're also completely connected. He also can through Vanessa, and only Vanessa, infect additional computers she uses, and once he's into the Fazbear Entertainment network, he can stay in there. In virus form he can give a bit of the Glitch Bun Virus to others via the virus half. There's some level of limitation on how many, some people are just more resistant to it. Whatever we both know I'm just saying words now.

However as to the actual question, can he always see what Vanessa is doing? Nope! He's still only able to do one thing at a time so if he's busy seeing how far he can push the development of Doctor Scraptrap along and Vanessa's in the break room, watching as Ryan finishes the coffee pot, and like the monster he is, just leaves it empty. He's not also able to watch Ryan's crimes.

He can jump into a Vanessa POV at any moment since she is his main soul jar. She can't feel when he's passively there only if he starts getting a bit chatty. Which still happens, but he's generally chosen to mainly talk to her through the messenger she made for him (Rabbitsnare.exe)

Over time there's also an issue of them developing a level of bleed over of strong emotions and extreme physical experiences the longer he's in there. (IE him feeling any time she's in the inferno room. He especially can feel that one.)

As always, don't tell me that some of that doesn't make sense, I already know. I'm just trying to get some rules down that work for this specific thing

Anyway time for the short answer!

Potentially yes! But only quite late in when they're a lot more intertwined and William's had a power creep in this respect over the few years this takes places over.

Also one of the backup plans very much is, fuck it, I'm Vanessa now. It's at least a physical body.

Though any time he fully possesses her, she is potentially able to fight out of it.

[pred1059]

Just A Chance Chapter Sixteen

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Journal: Day Five

Today was...busy. 

Seeing someone fall to darkness in the Deep Jungle, even if it was a memory…

Could I have changed it?

I know...Nobodies don’t have hearts. But just the idea of one of my friends falling to darkness...

But...even all that was nothing compared to tonight.

Learning about Axel and Zexion’s past. Going into memories. Some powerful heartless called Ansem coming back.

And Naminé wants to learn how to use a keyblade.

She wants to help. 

It’s a lot...but I think I can handle this, if I’ve got my friends by my side. Axel and Zexion have been supporting me so far. And I’m sure Naminé will be great at using a keyblade. They’re helping me, so I’ll do what I can to help them too.

Once again, Roxas walked the recreated streets of Traverse Town. The first time he was too rattled to really see the town beyond the heartless he had to fight.  But now as he looked around, the world seemed comfortable despite the dark. Despite the everlasting night, the lamplight illuminated shops and homes. Signs, colored glass, even a small bit of grass gave the town some otherwise needed color.

What else had he missed in those other worlds while focusing on his training?

“So Roxas, got any ideas of how you’re going to do this without your keyblade?”

Axel’s question got his mind off track. He needed something to defend himself. Even if it was a little simple. A stack of wood in an alley caught his eye. Jogging over, he began to rummage through the loose planks, setting aside most of the larger pieces. Finally, he found what he was looking for.  “Got it!” Grabbing it, Roxas turned back to Naminé, Axel, and Zexion with a hefty enough piece of wood that he brandished with a grin.

 Axel stared for a moment before shaking his head. “Roxas, that’s a stick. If you’re going to improvise, you probably shouldn’t pick up something that I can turn to kindling in a split second.”

Naminé looked down at the keyblade, then looked back to Roxas with a small smile. “Sora was able to use a wooden sword to cast magic. I’m sure Roxas can do it too.”

“I agree. Even the most simple object can act as a focus.” Zexion continued by holding up his lexicon. “When I first started my magical training, I started with a simple book with hardly any enchantments.” 

“Alright already. I get the picture.” Axel shrugged with a grin before rubbing his hands together. “So. I’m pretty sure we need some targets for Naminé to practice with.” He glanced up to the rooftop, grinned, and summoned chakrams to his hands in a flash of flame. “I think these’ll do the trick.” He tossed a fiery disc up to a loose tile on the roof, where a group of shadows scampered down to the street. “We’ll let you and Roxas handle the mission from here. Seeing as how this is mostly Roxas’ lesson.”

The heartless slithered across the floor towards her before reforming into physical bodies. Gripping the keyblade tight, she brought down the weapon on the heartless directly in front of her and knocked it back. Two more shadows leapt at her and she began to flail, swinging the sword from side to side to keep the darkness at bay.

Roxas winced as he saw Naminé begin to panic, but then his eyes widened as he saw a stray shadow start to slither behind her. It began to take form and crouched, ready to pounce. “No you don’t!” He hissed under his breath and held his stick forward, casting a bolt of fire to knock the heartless away.

Naminé glanced backwards to where the lone heartless once stood, seeing Roxas’ fireball soar past her. The distraction gave one of the heartless an opportunity to swipe at her. She yelped at the pain, stepping back. Roxas began to take a step forward, ready to intervene. However, as she got some space, she raised her keyblade and stammered out “F-Freeze!” Aiming the keyblade forward, she shot at the shadows before her again and again. Each iceball knocking down a heartless before another shot caused it to evaporate until she had managed to take down the pack.

With the last shadow gone, Roxas jogged over to Naminé who was gasping for breath. Looking at him, she gingerly nodded. “Sorry, it’s my first time...fighting back against someone trying to hurt me. I...I panicked.”

Zexion rubbed his chin in thought. “Or your self preservation instincts kicked into overdrive in this first encounter.”

Axel scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, it’s...different fighting for real. Catch your breath for a minute.”

Naminé looked down at her keyblade as her breathing slowed. “It feels...heavy now.” She looked back up at Roxas, confused. “When you first gave it to me it was light as a feather.”

He nodded, as looked down to Naminé’s slightly looser grip. “Yeah. That’s how it usually feels when I’m using it too.”

Her shoulders sank a little as she tried to hold the weapon in front of her. “I’m doing my best to follow how you and Sora fight. Just...swinging as hard as I can.” 

Roxas’ train of thought completely derailed at that.

Just swinging? 

He knew that he usually did a lot of the same work with fighting for all of his missions. But putting it like that?

Not to mention, Sora did a lot more than ‘just swinging’ when they fought.

Zexion raised an eyebrow, while Axel snorted in amusement. “I think putting it like that is underselling what Roxas does, don’t you think?”

Naminé shook her head. “I just started so it’s all I can do. I can’t do some of the special moves like he can yet.”

And that’s when he realized what exactly she was talking about. “Maybe it’s not my moves you need.” He put a hand to his chest as he looked Naminé in the eyes. “When I use the keyblade, it’s like fighting with everything I am.”

“You’d probably say fighting with all of your heart if we weren’t...you know.”

“That’s not the point,” Roxas dismissed Axel’s off handed observation before reaching out to her. “I don’t think just copying Sora or Me is going to help. I think...you need to fight the way that’s right for you.”

Naminé listened to his words and looked down at the keyblade still in her grip. Her eyebrows furrowing as she murmured, “What’s right for me?” Then she took her left hand off the keyblade and simply held it in her right. As she did, her posture seemed a bit less hunched with trying to keep the weapon off the ground. Turning to Axel and Zexion she asked, “Let me try again.”

“By all means.” Axel gestured to the door leading to the next area. She and Roxas moved ahead to the plaza, where soldiers and shadows perked up at the creaking door. 

Seeing the keyblade in Naminé’s hands, the soldiers began to amble over towards her. Aiming with her keyblade once again she cast a bolt of ice this time. Each shot thinned the heartless coming closer. That left the shadows that slithered closer on the floor, though this time she had her eye on them. As they began to rise, she only slashed at them once before stepping away to cast a fireball at them.

Roxas watched the way she fought now and relaxed, just a bit. He still needed to keep an eye on any heartless that might try to attack him, but he had a feeling Naminé would be fine now that she found a rhythm. She wasn’t trying to jump straight in the middle of a fight, but instead controlled it. Using magic to keep heartless at bay while she moved and striked when she could.

It was almost like she was dancing.

Naminé’s initial fear when her training started had ebbed away. Physical harm wasn’t unknown to her, Larxene and Marluxia had seen to that. And the Keyblade had a strength she could hardly deny. But danger was always different up close, and fighting face to face hardly helped her nerves. 

But with magic, she didn’t need to fight for long up close. Just long enough to get some distance, or recharge her magic. Making her way through memories of Traverse Town’s heartless helped her focus. She began to see that she could fight the heartless, they weren’t insurmountable to her. By the time she reached the fountain in the third district, she was ready for the large body that appeared, flocked by air soldiers. She glanced back to Roxas, who offered a nod and a supportive smile.

As the flying heartless swooped towards the two of them she stepped to the side, while Roxas rolled away. A swing of her keyblade got one of them in the wing opening it up to a fireball in the back. While Roxas couldn’t quite slice through the air soldier clawing at him as usual, he could still use the stick to knock away its claws before blasting it in the face with Ice. She glanced over to the large body, who’d become hopping mad seeing it’s backup fall.

She knew what was coming, and felt the keyblade’s power help her jump up higher than she would have, Roxas following suit. It was quick enough to avoid the shockwave that the heartless sent out as it crashed to the ground. The remaining two air soldiers had gotten up and began circling around the two of them. As the large body charged forward, she began to move and evade the heartless’ surprisingly fast approach. As it stumbled in the charge she saw her chance. 

With a swipe, she struck the large heartless’ exposed back before peppering it with fireballs. Under the barrage the heartless expired, but as it did the two air soldiers both began to dive towards Roxas. Though he managed to avoid one, the other scored a decent hit on his exposed back. Hissing, he turned to the heartless that had landed a hit and shouted, “Freeze!” In a flash, the snowball struck down the heartless. While the other air soldier reared up for another go, Naminé decided to take a chance, given how it was distracted.

Leaping up, she sliced away at the lone heartless, each hit with the keyblade knocking it down towards the ground. Hitting the pavement, the creature expired and released its heart. Or the heart it would have had if this was not a memory. She rushed over to Roxas as he looked at his scratched arm. He waved meagerly with his good hand. “I’m alright.” She frowned, not quite convinced that he was in the best shape. His facade fell slightly as he looked to his injuries, but then he realized, “Um..this might be a good chance for you to practice healing magic?”

Naminé relaxed at the suggestion. “Of course. Heal.” Pointing the keyblade towards him, a green light and vines flashed for a moment between the two of them. After that, any sign that Roxas was even hurt was gone as he rolled his shoulder.

Axel came up behind the two of them clapping. “Not bad at all, Naminé! Keep this up and we might be picking out a cloak your size!”

“Wait, what?” Naminé faltered as Axel’s statement just killed any sense of accomplishment that she might have had. 

Zexion raised an eyebrow at the hesitation. “You seem surprised. Surely you understand that mastering the power of the keyblade would grant you a place in our Organization.”

“It’s...just a bit much for me to wrap my head around.” A few days ago, Larxene was telling her how there was only one way her story could end. As a pawn pulling the strings of a puppet. For them to just...turn around and offer her a position like this based on power. It just...wasn’t right.

And out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Roxas wasn’t quite in the celebratory mood either.

Did...did he understand what she believed? That there was more to living than just honoring power?

“Are you truly so eager to reward such meager strength?” 

At the unfamiliar voice everyone was startled. Axel ran up besides Roxas and Naminé, summoning his weapons. Zexion scanned the area before pointing up, “There!”

Looking up, Naminé paled as she saw the white haired boy sitting on the ledge. Roxas was bewildered. “Wha...Riku?!”

Axel seemed surprised. “You know about Riku?”

 Roxas sputtered, “I’ll...explain later!” Though right now, Naminé knew that explaining what was happening after Roxas’ missions was the least of their worries. 

‘Riku’ stepped off the ledge, but instead of falling floated. Darkness shrouded him as he spoke in a warped voice, “This vessel once used that name. But it is now meaningless.”

Axel wasted no time summoning his weapons, snarling, “Hey Ansem, haven’t you heard? The heartless are finished!” 

“The door to darkness is sealed, you cannot command the heartless horde as it once was.” Placing a hand to his tome, Zexion called forth a lighting bolt at the gathering dark. The flash of light momentarily dispelled the shadow.

But still an echoing voice spoke, “As long as there are hearts, darkness will lurk in them.” The four of them glanced around to try and find the boy as he continued, “And where there is darkness, there are the heartless.”

From the fountain, darkness began to bubble from the water. It soon overflowed a shadowy tar into the courtyard. The four of them backed away, and Naminé looked down at her keyblade and over to Axel and Zexion. “I...I think I need to switch with Roxas!”

Axel nodded as flame gathered around his chakrams. “Right, there’s jumping into the deep end as a learning experience and then there’s this!” He blasted a gout of flame into the creeping dark, but it did little to slow the advance.

“Right now we need someone experienced to stand against whatever Ansem is conjuring.” Zexion turned and scowled as shadow obscured the doors leading out. “Especially since we have no exit at the moment.” 

She looked to Roxas and held the keyblade out to him.  Looking back at her, he laid his hand over hers on the grip and gave a small squeeze. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this.” Shifting his hand down to hold onto the weapon, Roxas held out the stick in his other hand. Naminé took it with little complaint. Without the keyblade she could only cast meagre magic, but right now they needed all the help they could get.

“Do you think that you can truly find power in facing these memories? These pale imitations and conjurings of what was?” Ansem as Riku rose from the shadow and raised a hand holding a black flame. “Allow me show you true darkness!” And then he plunged it into the dark pooling around the four of them.

Roxas saw four broadswords rise from the shadows Ansem had summoned, each of them about the size of Axel. Floating in the air, darkness from the floor rose into muscular bodies that grabbed the blades as Ansem vanished into shadows. They were a far cry from the ambling imps or other larger heartless that seemed easy enough to manage.

It didn’t matter, Roxas would fight them all the same.

“Invisibles,” Axel scowled as flames gathered on the edges of his weapons, “Guess he’s not cutting us any breaks!” Twisting around he sent both of his blades flying outward in a circle towards the heartless. While one flinched as the burning chakrams hit it for a moment, he soon joined his companions in blocking the blows with their swords. Roxas leapt up to one of the blocking heartless and began to slash away at it, causing it to drop its guard. As the invisible turned to him, Axel flung flaming discs into its back, causing it to expire. Zexion and Naminé cast spell after spell towards one of the heartless, forcing it to block with it’s blade. 

Then the other two invisibles slammed their blades into the ground and vanished. A second later, rings of flame surrounded Naminé and Zexion. Roxas stopped attacking as he saw them in danger, he cried out “Move!”

Naminé tried to jump away from the dark fire that surrounded her, but it only followed her movement. She cried out, “They aren’t going away!”

“Wait for the right moment!” Zexion called out, getting some distance between him and Naminé. Roxas took a step towards them, but was forced to stop as the invisible’s broadsword swung in front of him. Only a moment of surprise kept him out of its path. A second later it swung again, and Roxas was forced to block the next attack. Axel’s flaming chakram in its side only seemed to make the heartless angrier. Roxas tried to keep up with the assault, and could barely see what was happening behind the heartless out of the corner of his eye.

“Now!” Zexion cried out, and Roxas saw him and Naminé dive away from shadowy bursts of fire. They both seemed singed, but otherwise fine. 

“Is that it?” And then Roxas heard Ansem’s voice behind him.“Is that all an imitation of the keybearer can do?”

Roxas slammed his keyblade into the invisible, finally causing it to fade away. The spun towards the voice, holding his keyblade overhead. Only for it to clash against a dark blade in a reappeared Ansem’s hand. Roxas growled as he tried to break the block, “I...am nothing...like Sora!” 

Ansem only chuckled as he pushed Roxas back with ease. “Such ferocity,” Ansem shoved Roxas away and swung at him as he dodged away.  “If you truly have no heart, then where does such savagery come from?”

“What are you talking about?!” Roxas shouted as he gripped the keyblade a little tighter. He saw that by now the two other invisibles had reformed. One had begun to strike at Axel, broadsword ringing against the chakrams deflecting each blow. Zexion and Naminé were able to keep the other at bay with a barrage of ice and lightning that it could barely weather. But the dark around them continued to grow, and Roxas just knew Ansem could call on far worse heartless. 

Ansem smirked as a dark flame gathered in his hand. “A hollow shell has nothing but the void inside.” He cast the dark fireball towards Roxas, who cast another fireball to catch it. But the dark fireball split apart around Roxas’ magic and arced to hit him in the chest, knocking him back. “And darkness can fill that emptiness so easily.”

Roxas grimaced as he got to his feet. There was so much he wanted to say about how Ansem was wrong. He saw how pain echoed in so many nobodies that he knew. And kindness too from Axle, Zexion, and of course Naminé, something more than simple courtesy. But everything he had been taught said that was an illusion, what’s worse, he had no real way to prove it wrong.

 And yet...Roxas did feel something building inside as he fought. Something that the fire he cast had brought to the surface.

A Burning Frenzy within.

“WE...AREN’T...NOTHING!” He shouted as embers floated off his body. Once again, Ansem approached Roxas with a slash. But this time, when Roxas’ keyblade parried the attack it forced Ansem back. Roxas continued on attacking, each slash sending a bolt of flame on the leader of the heartless until finally a ring of fire burst forth from Roxas. The attack caused Ansem to step back staggered, darkness covering his whole being. He wasn’t going to let this chance slip away. He rose into the air, keyblade wound back calling out, “This is it!”

Only for a dark specter to spring forth from the mass of darkness, grabbing Roxas from the air with both hands. It was a colossal heartless, with a grip that held him in place no matter how he struggled. “ROXAS!” Three voices cried out as they saw him try and escape.

The darkness grew and became a man with silver hair in a black trenchcoat. Roxas couldn’t hide his shock at seeing him. The heartless was a spitting image of Xemnas as it studied him with amusement. “Well done. I’ll even go as far as to say I underestimated you.” The guardian’s grip tightened around Roxas and he cried out. “But you don’t know what real power is.” 

“Leave him alone!” Naminé’s voice cried out as she cast blizzard at Ansem’s back.

A spell that Ansem barely even registered, much to her horror, instead he closed his eyes and smiled. “For now, I will allow you to live.” The guardian heartless dropped Roxas to the ground, and darkness surrounded Ansem once again. “So you may understand the truth.” And when the shadows vanished, he was gone.

Roxas propped himself up on his hands, realizing that with Ansem having left the sounds of fighting had ceased. He looked over to his friends, a bit scraped and burned, but still alright. Naminé jogged over to him and cast a much needed healing spell. Roxas gave an appreciative nod as he got to his feet. “Is...everyone okay?”

“Yeah, your little trick kicked in at the right time. Distracted the invisibles long enough for us to clean them out.” Axel groaned as he dusted off his cloak. Stretching out his back, he began to make his way to the door. “Let’s get back to our home floor, heal up, and figure out where we go from here?”

Zexion smiled with relief as he followed Axel. “That sounds wonderful.”

Roxas nodded, catching his breath. “Yeah. sounds great. Anything we’re forgetting?” He looked around at the group, but at seeing Naminé’s nervous expression he paused. Did...something happen?

“I...still can’t call on a keyblade.” 

Oh. His gut sank at her confession, and Zexion and Axel winced as well.She held the stick limply as she shook her head. “I understand the power but...something’s missing.”

Roxas walked over to her and gently put a hand to Naminé’s shoulder. “We’ll...figure out a plan after dinner.” 

There had to be something they could come up with.

[daybreak-academy-fanfic]

Someone to Watch Out for You: Chapter 20

Nothing’s Like Before, But Has it Really Changed?

Summary: In which the worlds return to normal, a certain witch watches as Ven reflects on his home, Sabrina returns to Wasteland, and Minnie fears for what comes next. Word Count: 2,682 First | Previous | Thank you for reading! ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

And so, Sora sealed the keyhole at Hollow Bastion and went on to confront Ansem. The Princesses of Heart, Ventus, and Sabrina waited in fearful anticipation for a sign that the worlds were whole once more. 

It was Sabrina who became that signal. Without warning, in the middle of a discussion with Aurora, Sabrina’s whole body lurched forward. The sudden motion certainly surprised the sleeping beauty and quickly earned the attention of the others.

“Sabrina!” Ven immediately reacted as he went to her side. The other Princesses also huddled around in worry.

Not that they needed to. Despite the faintest trace of a tear rolling down her face, Sabrina’s expression was determined.

“The worlds…” Sabrina told them, “The worlds are returning.”

Not long after her saying this, the Princesses started to be enveloped in a sparkling light. They marveled at this for a moment,- they knew what had to be done now.

“Oh my,” Alice mused first, “How curiously wonderful. I do hope my sister wasn’t too worried about my absence.”

“It would be nice to see all our loved ones again.” Cinderella agreed.

The two Princesses of Heart held their hands over their respective hearts. A moment after and their bodies burst into bright sparkles that disappeared just as quickly. They were followed not long after by Aurora, Jasmine, and Belle. Belle, in particular, smiling up at the Beast as they left together.

“Ventus,” Snow White said, moving close to him despite her inner light being a bit too strong. She was holding it back for a little longer so they could properly part. “Don’t be such a stranger next time, alright? You’re welcome in our world any time. You have my blessing.”

“Thanks.” Ven grinned.

“And…” Snow White then whispered, “Your hearts are at their brightest when you’re together. Having a heart that purposely holds back its light is a strong one indeed, but has much to lose in the process. Do make sure she is able to shine- in her own time, of course.”

Ven gave a small jump in surprise before turning to Sabrina. He looked back at Snow White with a face quite more flushed than before.

“I will.” he promised. “I always will.”

Snow White gave him one last smile before she too returned to her homeworld. That soon left just him and Sabrina alone in the chapel. Every step he took now was in a haunted echo as he went to her side.

“I bet Oswald will be glad to have you back home.” he mused, giving her a little bump with his elbow.

“He won’t be the only one.” she huffed in return. “I can already see at least one parade in our future.”

Ven laughed at the idea. However, not long after his smile soon fell as he thought of a different type of homecoming.

"Can we make a small detour before going home?" he asked. “There’s someplace I want to check first.”

Sabrina raised an eyebrow, but certainly didn't oppose the idea. Her only question was a simple, "Where?"

. . .

He didn't know why he expected the world to change. Maybe even after all this time, he was still as naive as the day he left.

“So this is the world you came from?” Sabrina inquired as she looked over the castle. She wouldn’t dare say much more than that at the moment- she of all people knew what it was like to come from a broken world.

“No." Ven said. He then immediately shook his head to amend with, "Well, yes, but in a different way.”

He didn't have to look to know Sabrina was giving him a rather unimpressed stare.

"My friend changed this world when a series of terrible events put it in jeopardy." Ven explained to her, although he was sure he had told her this before. “I thought -hoped- that, once the worlds were back in order, the Land of Departure would be too. But I guess Aqua is the only one with that power.”

He then gave a rather disheartened laugh.

"Now that you're here with me, I want to show you where we used to train. I want to bring you into my room for once. But I can't. There's nothing to show because it simply isn't here anymore. Every step forward is like a phantom memory into the past. I know where things should be, but they just don’t exist anymore.”

"Which means?" Sabrina asked- meaning to be more curious than rude for once.

“It’s a place I used to call home.”

“And now?”

Ven looked at her. They were still in their Keyblade armor, having not intended to stay around for long to begin with. Moreover, Sabrina's presence seemed to quell the same thoughts he had last time he was here. His heart now understood what it truly wanted.

"I have a new home." he said. "With you, and Minnie, and everyone in our twin worlds. And it's time to return to them. Come on, I'll race you to the Gummi Ship!"

Grinning, Ven gave himself a head start without waiting for Sabrina's response. She would have immediately followed him had it not been for a certain feeling, bringing her attention back to Castle Oblivion. It took a moment more for Ven to realize she wasn't following.

“Sabrina?”

At first, she didn’t respond.

“I thought I could feel…” she murmured to herself. She then shook her head. “Never mind. You’re not the only one who gets phantom memories here, apparently.”

Ven gave her a curious tilt of his head. Before he was able to press further, Sabrina bounded on past him.

"I thought you said this was a race?" she called from over her shoulder. "Hurry up already!"

It took him a moment, but a wide grin soon etched itself onto Ven's lips. He raced on after her without a second thought.

Meanwhile, from her room in Castle Oblivion, a young woman with shoulder length blonde hair and a simple white dress was just finishing her last drawing. It was a rather simple one- the exterior of Castle Oblivion well established as the focal point, and toward the main door were two figures in splendid armor. The figure on the left was colored almost exclusively with copper green and bluish greys. The one on the right had been given pastel blues and desaturated purples.

“It’s okay,” Namine said through a pained smile, “I wouldn’t believe I was here either.”

She held her drawing up so the light caught it a bit better. She continued to smile as a single tear traced down her cheek.

. . .

Sabrina let out a sigh of absolute relief once her feet touched Wasteland soil again. Her whole body relaxing in such a way, Ven thought he'd have to steady her. He let her have this moment of peace. If the Land of Departure had been fixed, he likely would have done the same thing not ten minutes before.

"Glad to be home?" he teased, giving her a little bump with his elbow.

"Shut up." she immediately shot back. "Let me have my peace. This time tomorrow it'll be back to impromptu bunny children dog piles and supervising gremlin experiments. I'm more exhausted thinking about that than the fact we helped bring the worlds back to order. Sorta."

Attempting to hold back a certain tell, Sabrina bit her lower lip before turning to Ven. In a voice that tried to be as neutral as possible, she said to him, "Can you take me back to Dark Beauty?"

"Of course." Ven agreed with a nod. "It would be a knight's honor in escorting the fair princess back to her quarters."

Sabrina immediately scoffed in disgust. All it did was lead Ven into a light laughter at her expense.

The journey to Dark Beauty was spent in silence. Sabrina did not stray far from him, however, and experience had taught Ven that she had far more on her mind than what she wanted to admit. It would come eventually. Every step they took to her bedroom grew smaller in stride the closer they got. Sabrina hesitated as she reached for the door handle.

"Guess I can't convince you to spend the night?" she quietly asked, turning toward him. "Been awhile since we've spent a day alone in a single room..."

"You know I want to. Really." Ven admitted. “But what I have to do next, I have to do alone.”

“And what if you don’t come back?” she finally demanded- almost attempting to hold back the more accusatory tone. “What if this is the last time I'm able to stare you down just to find crude ways to say-”

He didn’t give her the chance to finish. He brought his hand up to her face and pulled them into a gentle, longing kiss. She mumbled a protest at first, out of habit, but soon pulled on his clothes just to bring them closer. The light shared between them almost rivaled that to a Princess of Heart.

. . .

‘A year. I’ll give myself a year.’

Ventus looked around his humble room at Disney Castle and sighed. The kiss with Sabrina still lingered on his lips. It had been a promise. A confirmation. At the same time, it really did feel like he’d never see her again. It felt like he wouldn’t be seeing any of this again. But he had to go. He had to go on this mission. There was no telling what damage could be happening if he waited too long on this.

“Are you leaving again? You’ve only just gotten back.” Minnie’s voice, small but still gentle, inquired from his door. Ven’s heart sank when he realized he was leaving one other person out of the loop on this. “I was going to have the baker make you a cake as a thank you for saving the worlds.”

“Well, I guess he’d be saving those ingredients for later, because I wasn’t the one who even did that.” Ven replied with a light snort. “That was all Sora. If anything, the adventure I went on was a resounding failure. But Sora? He sacrificed himself for a friend, and he’s ready to do it again for the other.”

Ventus looked over at Queen Minnie. Her face was somber and her fingers were tightly knit within each other. She was worried, it wasn’t that hard to figure out. It was then that the knight considered he should have asked for her permission before deciding to take off again. Or, at the very least, warned her before now.

“Queen Minnie,” he then said, using a tone of voice he reserved for the most formal of occasions, “I must embark on a personal journey. Back in Hollow Bastion, in order to free Kairi’s heart, Sora also released Vanitas. I have to find him. I won't let someone disrupt the balance of light when the worlds are starting to return to normal. Especially when that someone was an extension of myself to begin with.”

Minnie stepped a bit closer.

“And you’re sure about this?” she asked.

“I know that I have to go.”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

Ven looked down.

“I have to go alone,” he insisted. “Wasteland needs Sabrina. Disney Castle needs you. Vanitas is the shadow I cast, and it can only be me that goes to confront him.”

Minnie also averted her gaze down. She brought her hands up to her chest in small prayer.

“I see…” she softly agreed. When she looked up at him again, her smile was a little less brighter than usual. “If I can not change your mind, then would you mind if I helped you prepare?”

The request made his heart jolt.

“Of course not!” he said. “I would love to have your guidance! It would be nice to leave home with an actual plan for once. Have the proper material to survive and all that. Can you believe I followed Terra without a munny to my name? I got here and couldn’t buy a single thing! The food smelled so good too…”

Minnie had to laugh a bit. However frustrating it must have been then, it was a good thing that it ended up working out.

“To think,” Minnie mused, “This all started because you helped Huey, Dewey, and Louie with their ice cream machine.”

“No.” Ven lightly disagreed with a shake of his head. “This all started when I decided to stay here. Well, Pluto helped a bit with that, but I still could have left once I got my Wayfinder back.”

Minnie gave a light smile as she went through Ven’s clothes. If he was going away for awhile, he needed to pack the better ones- as to make sure they wouldn’t fall apart a week after departure. Perhaps a few of the slightly oversized clothes as well, just in case. Perhaps she could slip in a potion or two in the pockets? Surely they would organize what rations he should take along too. And ether. The boy didn’t use magic often as his primary attack, but it would never hurt to throw a few bottles of ether in there.

“The castle is going to feel so empty now.” she thought out loud, almost in a saddened sigh. “Donald and Goofy are still with Sora, Mickey in the Realm of Darkness with that poor Riku child. Even the nephews were talking about the next shop they’d open. It will just be me and Daisy- and Pluto if he feels like coming around again.”

The queen didn’t have enough time to realize she was crying. Several small tears dripped onto the shirt she was trying to fold. Ven immediately picked up on this. He placed a hand over hers in comfort.

“Your Majesty, please don’t cry.” Ven tried to soothe. “You know I would stay if I could. Honest.”

“I know, I know…” Minnie agreed as she tried to wipe away her tears. “I’m just… so worried, for all of you. At the same time, I’m so, so proud. I just…”

Ven crouched down so he was at better height with the queen. He then wrapped his arms around her and held on tightly.

“You’ll be in my heart- now and always.” he promised in a soft voice.

Despite weeping harder still, Minnie was able to smile.

. . .

As Ven walked out to the castle greens where the Gummi Ship hangar was secretly hidden, he already knew he’d leave his ship behind. Despite his personal preferences on power sparks, they still lost their juice at some point. He couldn’t take the risk of one giving out during something important. Using solely the Keyblade glider would, admittedly, limit what he could and could not carry on him. 

But at least he knew Queen Minnie would always be there to help him if he needed to come back to the castle. Everyone in Wasteland would too, come to think of it. Even Sabrina wouldn’t get that mad if he didn’t look too beaten and bruised. Miffed that he wouldn’t be staying, sure, but when Vanitas was done for, they could have all the time in the world to see no one but each other for weeks on end.

Ventus could find himself a bit of solace in that. If he was walking into another failure, then at least he knew what people kept watch over him. Even now he could almost believe that Terra and Aqua were still out there, looking for him and cheering him on.

Once he got to the Lanes Between, Ven took one last look at the world he called home for the past decade. He pulled out his Wayfinder and angled it just so the light of the world shone through the glass in the charm. He could hear all his friends encourage him. There was no turning back now.

“You better hope you have someone to watch out for you, Vanitas,” Ventus vowed, “Because I won't let you get away again.”

[gemstonerose]

KH Au. Out of Time Wayfinders

Part 1, Notes, P2 Light Side, P2 Dark Side

Here is the epilogue to Dark side I wanted to write.

Riku and Aqua where in the Realm of Darkness for around 1 ½ months. Once they’re out they both end up sleeping for a total period of 3 weeks.

Aqua’s ankle is still messed up and the final battle with Dark Aqua and Ansem didn’t make it any better. However, she’s discovered how to use the Darkness to float so that at least she isn’t bed bound. Though Ventus still has her sitting back to rest.

She doesn’t mind cause now she gets to see Ven being a Keyblade Master and by god she so proud of him.

Aqua and Riku work on navigating their dark powers with help of the two new additions to their group (Roxas and Xion). Xion is by far the best help. Roxas is great to, but him and Riku butt heads a lot.

Ven had mostly told her about what had happened during Light Side (excluding the possible Vanitas incident) morphing the Lexaeus fight. She’s surprised by the incident, also having a crisis on whether Namine was there the whole time or not but is glad that things turned out in the end.

Thanks to Roxas and Xion they now know a bit more on Organization XIII and Nobodies.

Aqua called up Yen Sid to inform him that Mickey was most likely still trapped in the RoD.

Interaction between Aqua and Ventus sometime after things have calmed:

During the night Ventus finds Aqua seated on a small couch in one of the parlors drinking a cup of tea looking into the lit fireplace. He sits beside her, tired from today’s training but not enough to want sleep. He looks at her elevated ankle asking if it was okay. Aqua assures him that it’s fine and doing much better.

The two sit in a comfortable silence for a while looking at the fire and enjoying each other’s company. Ventus looks to her again. Aqua’s eyes seeming distant, “Everything alright?”

She blinks, “Yes Ven.”

“Then how come you’re here this late?”

Aqua smiles, “Same as you. Not sleepy yet.”

Ventus knows she’s lying. The bags under her eyes have lighten, but only by a little. He wonders what’s preventing her from sleeping. The obvious answer would be nightmares from her entrapment in the Realm of Darkness for a second time. Ventus himself still having night terrors from their first time. Riku speaking little of the time down there. “Did something really bad happen down there?”

Aqua freezes midway when bringing up her tea. She lowers the cup lightly sighing as she keeps her gaze on the dark liquid. Her hair had grown some. Her and Riku had “grown” a bit since they’ve returned. It was as if they were physically catching up with the time they had lost. Ventus isn’t too surprised since he too had a growth spirt a year after their freedom.

Aqua takes a shuttering breath, “Aqua?” Now he’s worried. Aqua rarely cried let alone around him. So something must be very wrong. Ventus moves himself closer to her removing the cup and putting it to the side, replacing it with one of his hands.

After a moment she speaks. “I’m sorry Ven.”

“No, no. It’s okay. Just tell me what’s wrong. How can I help?”

Aqua gives a half laugh half sob. She knows he would do anything to help the people he cares for. With her free hand Aqua wipes away her tears slowly lifting her head to look at her friend. “I��I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

“What do you mean?” The confession confuses and pokes at the blondes’ curiosity.

“There are things I’ve been hiding from you. Saying half truths and making up lies.”

Ventus’ eyes widen, “Didn’t we promise not to hide things from each other anymore? Aqua, half truths and lies are exactly the reason things ended up the way they did.”

“I know. Believe me I know. I…” she takes a breath, “I just wanted to protect you and not have you worry.”

Ventus squeezes her hand, “Aqua, no matter what happens I’m always worried about you. You’re one of my best friends. Heck, you’re my family.”

It takes all her willpower to not cry again, “And you mine Ven. Which is why I didn’t say anything before. But things have changed, and you have grown so much."

“And I’m a Keyblade Master now!” Ventus proudly smirks.

 Aqua chuckles, “Exactly.” She takes in another breath removing her hand from his and folding them in her lap as she stares back at the fire. Her mouth sets in a thin line, “It’s about Terra.”

Ventus’ heart stops at the mention of their missing friend. It’s been too long since he last heard the name. His mind starts to race with the possible answers Aqua might have of their missing piece. “What about Terra?” Ventus asked after a moment. His mouth feels dry as his heart continues to race.

Aqua doesn’t look at him as she recounts her fight with a possessed Terra all those years ago in Radiant Garden. About how she chose to save him as she fell into the Darkness. “So that’s why you didn’t have your Keyblade.” She nods fidgeting with her fingers. After a second, she tells him of the events that took place during their separation in the dark realm.

Ventus is horrified by what he hears. “I had a feeling something was wrong when we met back up. I should have asked, should have pushed on that feeling.”

“Ventus,” he looks at her soft expression and sad eyes. “It is not your fault. I made the decision to not tell you. It’s on me,” she says before turning her gaze back to the fireplace.

The silence blankets them for a time as Ventus registers the new information. “Is there anything else you want to tell me?” He can tell that there is more on her mind.

“Terra saved Riku and I. From both Ansem and the realm.”

“What?” Ventus’ eyes widening in disbelief.

“Excuse me?” The two turn to see Namine at the door. “Um Ven, it’s Sora.”

“Take me,” he tells the young girl as he stands. “I’ll be back in a moment,” Ventus says looking at Aqua before the two blonds leave.

Aqua regains herself while alone. Her chest feels lighter now that Ventus knows the truth. Yet, she’s worried on what he might be thinking about her hiding all this from him. He doesn’t seem upset so far with her from what she can see.

Ventus returns sometime later looking more exhausted than before, “Sorry about that.”

“Is Sora okay?” Ever since her return Aqua had noticed that at times the normally cheerful boy wasn’t fairing too well these days.

Ventus sighs as he rubs a hand down his face, “To an extent. I’ll tell you in a bit, but you had mentioned that Terra had somehow helped you and Riku?”

“Right,” Aqua says. Finally, Ventus is told about the events of what had unfolded in the dark realm. About how Terra’s armor of all things had somehow not only saved them, but also gave them a way out.

Ventus smiles, “He’s still out there.” Relief is evident in his voice as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders. The silence that settles between them is nice. “Thank you for telling me Aqua.”

“Are you mad?”

“No, I understand. Who knows what I would have done if you had told me before.” She hums at his answer relived that he isn’t upset with her. “Besides, there’s something I haven’t told you.”

Aqua raises her eyebrow, “Like what?”

Ventus tells her the true version of their fight with Lexaeus. About the Darkness that had come from Sora. About how he had Void Gear in his hands.

Aqua can’t hide the shock and fear present on her face, “You don’t think?”

“It’s an assumption, but I can’t shake the feeling. And meeting Roxas, seeing his eye, and then finding out that he’s Sora’s Nobody, I can’t help but think that maybe it’s true. I don’t want it to be. I want to be wrong.”

Aqua places a hand on his shoulder, “We’ll figure this out. Together, okay?” Ventus nods before going to hug her. She instantly returns it as the stress finally starts to fade from them. The burdens of their secrets now shared; and even though new fears have risen new hope has blossomed along with it. Hope for the future. Hope that they will find and save Terra.

Unbeknownst to the two Keyblade Masters it seems that a young one had incidentally eavesdropped. Xion didn’t mean to, but the moment she heard Lexaeus’ name she froze. Are her friends responsible for the demise of nearly half their members? Why? For what reason? Are her and Roxas next? What’s the problem with Roxas’ eye? There are too many questions and fearful images running through her mind. She summons a dark corridor. She needs to tell Roxas. She needs to know the truth.

MASTERLIST

[goldenwitherphoenix13]

The return of rare midnight moments with GoldenWitherPhoenix13

Today, I'm going to share a few opinions and head canons I have about kingdom hearts that I feel are unpopular or underutilised.

As a minor disclaimer, all of these things I'm about to list are my opinions. Some of these may be very easy to disagree with and I won't be surprised if some people become a bit defensive so, to be sure, know that I respect your opinions and I just wish you let me have mine.

Ok... here we go.

Terra is not the dumbest character in Kingdom Hearts history. That title belongs to Master Eraqus. Trust me I have a whole dive into his character in my documents. Maybe I'll share it someday.

Ventus is the most tragic character in the series. Do I need to list of his trauma to you guys to explain this? Watch the union x cutscenes again and then look at the scene before the final battles in kh bbs.

Roxas's theme/the other promise is a tad overrated in my opinion. Not that it's a bad piece of music, I still enjoy listening to it and the context and use is brilliant. I just prefer other themes and music pieces from the series.

Ventus has some of the best key blades (design wise mostly). Wayward wing, Lost Memory, frolick flame and missing ache are some of my absolute favourites.

Kairi is not a bland character. She has developed. She's been angry, sad, happy and most of all, she is not perfect. Being a pure heart doesn't mean being a Mary sue.

The Disney worlds a fun.

Demyx is a fun character who is plot relevant and relatable.

Ansem the Wise is the worst character. I'm not elaborating until I create a deep dive document on his character.

Out of the main characters, not including Villains or side characters, Aqua is my least favourite. Not because she's weak or annoying or bland or boring. I just can't connect to her. She doesn't sit right for me and I just don't like her as much as the rest. Not to say she's a bad character. She's just lacking something.

Ephemer is a Unicornis, Skuld is a Vulpes, Ven and Lauriam are both Ursus, Elrena is a Leopardas and Brain and Strelitzia are both Anguis. Everyone assumed Ven was Leopardas, but he chose Ursus because he thought the colour was cooler.

Kingdom hearts union x has the best and darkest story in the series.

Melody of memory was a fun game with little, but very big story.

Ok that's all I can think of for now. Thanks for reading, feel free to tear me apart now.

This has been rare midnight moments with GoldenWitherPhoenix13

[bluerosesburnblue]

I have this dumb little idea that won't leave my mind and it involves characters like Vanitas, Roxas, Namine, Xion, and Repliku, needing birth certificates and having to come up with birthdates that they find fitting for themselves. The fact that they lack birth certificates because they were never born as babies is probably not the sort of thing the games would address (and at least one of those characters is effectively dead) but it is something I find interesting.

On the topic of birth certificates, I've been thinking about character surnames. Particularly how Sora thought Neku Sakuraba's name was a mouthful, even though it doesn't seem especially long by Japanese standards. It makes me wonder if characters from Destiny Islands have short surnames, if any at all, and whether or not Destiny Islands is meant to be similar in culture to Japan.

You know I was wondering when Roxas's birthday would be. Since the end of Day 7 in KH2 was the end of his summer vacation, and this was supposed to be 365 days or a full year after his creation, I figured he was "born" at the end of summer, like you suggested. So I picked August 31st as a random late summer date. Then I decided to do a bit of research and it turns out summer vacation often ends on August 31st in Japan. What a coincidence!

Honestly, the whole “what do we do about the Nobodies and Replicas while trying to integrate them into society” thing is something I think about a LOT

The birth certificates thing is especially complicated because of how the worlds function in KH. Some of the old, more medieval ones probably don’t have that kind of system at all so if they needed to, they could theoretically just go live in Dwarf Woodlands or something and be totally fine. The issue arises from the fact that the majority of the cast live on either Destiny Islands or Twilight Town, both of which would probably be developed enough to have some sort of birth registry system. And it’s not like you could use “being an immigrant” as an excuse, because the worlds are basically separated from each other. There might not be anywhere you could immigrate to or from depending on how big the worlds actually are, which hasn’t really been established

Now I’m just imagining the Twilight Town crew like... convincing Naminé to forge them all legal documentation and then breaking into a government office to file it. Also, like... what about Lea and Isa? Are they staying in Twilight Town despite being from Radiant Garden? How does that work? Would they need legal documents forged, too, or could they hypothetically take any Radiant Garden certifications and use them?

And last names are a very interesting question. Sora’s line does seem to imply that they may not even have last names, especially since Destiny Islands is supposed to be a pretty small community so they really might not need them and it would add to the rustic feel of the world. But that explanation doesn’t necessarily hold true for places like Radiant Garden or Twilight Town, both of which you would assume use last names. Do the Final Fantasy cast keep their last names? Given that Leon is canonically a nickname and his first name is Squall, I think his name may actually just be Squall Leonhart in the KH-verse, too

So, like... that would mean that all of the Radiant Garden and Twilight Town characters have last names that we don’t know about unless they originated from a Final Fantasy game, in which case we do know their last names. So Lea, Isa, Hayner, Pence, Olette, etc. should all have them and we just don’t know them (I wonder if Apprentice Xehanort had to come up with a last name at all considering that if Destiny Islands doesn’t have last names, Xehanort wouldn’t either. Maybe he just used Ansem’s)

This may or may not be supported by the fact that 2/3 of the Destiny Islands Final Fantasy characters come from a game that also doesn’t have last names. Either the KH version of Selphie Tilmitt doesn’t have a last name, or she does. Which could also be part of a larger headcanon where only very prominent families in Destiny Islands use last names and Selphie may belong to one of them

And the math totally checks out for Roxas! Actually, I flop around with him a little because Twilight Town seems a little more Western-inspired than Japanese, but then they also say that summer vacation is “a whole month off” in Days when Western summer vacations are usually about 3-4 months. I used to put his birthday around September 7th so that it still lined up with the end of summer vacation/beginning of the school year timeframe... and also had the number 7 in it because that’s significant in KH, but there’s honestly a good range of dates you could put his “true” birthdate as around the end of August/beginning of September that could theoretically check out. He’s a Virgo no matter how you slice it, and I think the Virgo dates are a pretty decent range to put him in, maybe shaving a week off of either side to make it August 30th - September 15th depending on when you personally feel Twilight Town’s school year starts up

[snowflake-of-destruction]

"Mmmm, what a peculiar sight."

pspspsps risem mayhaps

 Send me a sentence and character/fandom

(I tried, babe. Kingdom Hearts 3 AU)

"Mmmm, what a peculiar sight," Ansem hummed, far too smug, wearing the calm yet predatory stare of a hawk waiting on a branch, debating the best moment to swoop down and dig its talons into some poor little bunny below. 

He often wore that air, but, this time it was quite literal.

Riku's nose twitched, longer whiskers testing the air, though he didn't need them to tell him there was a foul (fowl?) current in the air. His velvet rabbit ears bent, first one, then the other, lying back toward his skull, though still rigid. Riku didn't know rabbit body language all that well, but he knew enough to feel betrayed by his new body adopting a fear response when what he wanted was to portray strength and, perhaps, a little annoyance. Overlarge front teeth were exposed, scraping his bottom lip as he drew back a snarl. "I thought I'd shaken you in the Land of the Dead."

Every planet he went to, there Ansem was, waiting for him--though, seemingly, only that.

 A lot of fuss had been made about the nefarious plots of the Real Organization Thirteen. They had proven aggressive enough in seeking out and looking to collect or corrupt the new Princesses of Heart that Riku and Mickey's mission to retrace Master Aqua's footsteps had been called off, and Lea and Kairi's training moved to on-field training. All Guardians of Light that had been discovered so far were called to search the planets for the princesses themselves and secure them before the Organization could. 

Riku had pointed out with no lack of  mirth that they would already be up a helpless princess that needed protection if Kairi stayed in the forest. His joke had not been appreciated for what it was. He'd floundered for a moment on how to convey his complete faith in Kairi's abilities. It was only because he thought it was self-evident that he wanted nothing more than for him, Kairi, and Sora to fight by each other's side and he thought he was the one that needed to keep striving to gain the honor that he teased each of them like he did. Maybe at one time, he'd been cocksure and thought himself superior. That wasn't the case anymore. He'd let it go in the end though. Another epidemic of the times was that the only one who always understood his intentions these days, even before he spoke, much less after was...

"Ansem," Riku was more resigned now, split second anger and tension bleeding out  of his frame and soaking into the pavement like an emotion-based version of the water cycle, ready to rise to the clouds and rain back down on him again when he least expected it. "How do you always find me?" 

And how was it he always knew the exact moment Mickey split off on his own to cover more ground and was out of sight or earshot?

Why, when every report from Sora or Axel over the gummi phone was a story of the Organization members becoming more deadly and reckless, forgetting what orders they might have once been trying to follow as they became impatient for the clash and revenge they had been promised, did Ansem, who had proven first to have a taste for suffering matched by few, only appear to Riku to talk and then disappear again, leaving both guardian and the world untouched.

Riku had probed him about it, two worlds and two forms ago, on an island much too similar to home where shapeshifting gods roamed. Ansem had said that, if Riku wanted to be touched, he would have to beg. Ansem had left behind a few Nobodies and Heartless that time, as if it were formality and he felt he needed to cover a lapse.

Ansem was a handsome bird of prey. Silver-white feathers except for a patch like a heartless symbol over his breastbone. Wicked beak. Wingspan that near blotted out the sun and ended with fluttering feathers near the tips that looked like dancing fingers, unnaturally dexterous. "We're linked. You draw me in, across time, across space. The reason you could not leave me in the Land of the Dead is that you can never forget me, nor I you." 

"You're still called by my darkness," Riku surmised, light going out of his eyes and ears drooping further, flopping down around his neck. It made Ansem want to dive down and dig his curved talons into Riku's back so he screamed, to tear into the flesh until he felt his heart from behind while he buried his head against soft fur, knowing it would end things quicker if he just bit down with his beak and so resisting, because the struggle was glorious. 

Or that could be just what he told himself so he didn't dwell on the obvious defect in the replica body he'd been placed in that caused him to think about softer ways to work out what he wanted from the island boy.

"No, Riku," Ansem chuckled darkly, pushing out of his mind that even the painted skeleton he'd been in the Land of the Dead now sported an overly large heart trapped in its ribs that started thumping when he found Riku again and again. He cast his voice to sound ominous and achieved an echo of wistful instead. "Not your darkness. Just you."