#he does this exact same thing after losing to riku too

[firestorm09890]

The still image of Zexion with his head resting on the arm of his chair after losing in multiplayer 358/2 Days was already very funny but it's even funnier knowing that the full animation has him slam his fist down in frustration and only after making sure no one else is watching

[linagram]

[ 𝚔𝚞𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚒 𝚛𝚒𝚔𝚞'𝚜 𝚝𝟸 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊 ] 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛-𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚢𝚌𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗

there's only one prisoner pair left to judge! and riku's case still doesn't feel that easy to me. i have no idea what verdict he's gonna get this time.

speaking of warnings below: riku really does talk more about his murder in this vd and about his mental health problems as well. i was a little scared of writing this one because sometimes i feel like riku's character is too, uh.. edgy, maybe? or just too depressing? however, i also want to show that his relationship with his victim, his family and other people really messed him up to the point of wanting to be in pain himself and wanting others to be in pain as well.

Warnings for Riku's VD: Mentions of self-harm and suicide. Also, Riku, if you're able to get out of here, promise that you will immediately get therapy after that.

Warnings for Riku's MV: Mentions of blood, also one of the characters. Um. Literally gets mauled.

(sounds of footsteps that sound slower than usual and now it seems like there's only one person walking)

(the footsteps stop)

Miki: ...

Miki: *starts crying*

Miki: I-it's not fair..

Miki: Why do I- no, w-why do we have to do this?

Miki: I still want to save everyone, but..

Miki: .. Do I even want to save everyone?

Miki: .. Or do I just want them to like me?

Miki: Maybe I just want them to thank me and praise me for my hard work and..

Miki: T-that actually sounds nice..

Miki: H-hold on, what am I saying?!

Miki: Okay, I'm already losing my sanity.

Miki: I-I can't do this alone.

Miki: Maybe I should just-

Miki: Huh?

(a sound of a screen turning on)

???: Well, if you can't do this alone, that means you could use some help, right?

Miki: ...

???: I'm a little sleepy, but I can help out, if you want. I didn't really want to leave this room, but seeing you like this is.. kind of sad.

???: H-hey, can you hear me? Is this thing even on?

Miki: ...

???: .. It's the mask, isn't it.

???: Don't worry, I'll take if off once we see each other in person. I still have to wear it for now-

Miki: WHO EVEN ARE YOU?!

Miki: WHY ARE YOU- HOW- WHO-

???: P-please, calm down!.. You're so loud, your voice kinda hurts my ears, haha..

???: Also, what if the prisoners hear you?

Miki: .. Right.

Miki: But still.. Who are you?

Miki: Wait.. Your uniform..

???: You really are a smart one.

Miki: .. The third guard? You were the one who made everyone answer those questions?

???: Well, not exactly, I asked my.. uh, I asked someone else to bring those papers to everyone, but yeah, it was my idea.

Miki: .. Why? You know you could just join us and we could interrogate them together, right?

???: It's not as easy as it sounds, Miki-san. 

Miki: YOU KNOW MY NAME??

???: I've been watching you two for some time, so.. Yeah, I know a lot about you and the prisoners.

Miki: .. Where were you when it was the first trial though?

???: I was.. asleep, basically.

???: And then, after I woke up, I watched the recordings of all interrogations from that trial and I already had all the information I needed.

Miki: Asleep?..

???: Listen, I have no idea what happened to me, but it really felt like I was just asleep. But if I'm being honest..

???: I feel like they would've never let me wake up if they saw that they don't need me here.

Miki: W-what does that mean?..

???: I-I don't want to go into details.

???: So, I'm the third guard of the Milgram prison, nice to meet you.

Miki: .. N-nice to meet you too, but what is your name?

Miki: And when will I be able to meet you in person?

Miki: .. And what's with the mask?

???: A-ah, right, right, my name..

???: Um.. I-I can't reveal my real name to you right now, but trust me, I will do so very soon. I'm wearing a mask to hide my face for the exact same reason, but I promise that I will join you soon and you'll be able to see my face, haha.

Miki: But then.. What should I call you?

Miki: "Is it just me or his voice actually sounds very attractive? And what if he takes off this weird mask and it turns out that-"

Miki: "Wait, am I really having thoughts like this right now?"

???: So, uh, what should you call me..

???: Ah, right! Can you call me Hiyuu, please?

Miki: "Hiyuu"? S-sure, but why that name specifically?

???: When my parents were waiting for me to be born, they had a very long list of names for me and had no idea which one to go with. They almost went with Hiyuu.

Miki: I see..  Why did they go for a different name though?

???: No idea. I think it sounds cuter than the name I got in the end.

Miki: "It does sound kind of cute.."

Miki: O-okay! Then, um, again, n-nice to meet you, Hiyuu-san!

Hiyuu: Again, nice to meet you too, Miki-san.

Hiyuu: So, you're going to interrogate the ninth prisoner now, correct?

Miki: Y-yeah..

Hiyuu: I'm really sorry, but you'll have to interrogate him without me. I will join you when it's time for the tenth prisoner to be interrogated.

Miki: But why? Do you have something else to do?

Miki: Ah, I'm sorry for asking so many questions..

Hiyuu: It's okay, it's okay! It's just..

Hiyuu: .. I just woke up from a nap and I'm still feeling sleepy. 

Miki: ...

Hiyuu: .. It was a joke, I swear.

Hiyuu: I-I will join you later, I definitely will! But I know that prisoner's behavior is.. a bit unstable, so please, just know that if you're in danger, I will immediately run to help you, okay? 

Miki: .. Okay. Thank you, Hiyuu-san.

Hiyuu: No problem. And also..

Hiyuu: .. Sorry about what happened to Eiji-san.

Miki: .. I-I just want to believe that he will be okay.

(sounds of Miki's footsteps becoming faster)

(the door opens)

Riku: Ah, here you are, Miki!

Miki: ...

Riku: And where's Eiji-san? Did something happen or-

Miki: *sits down* I'm pretty sure everyone heard everything.

Riku: .. Haha, you're right.

Riku: .. I hope it's not that serious.

Miki: It's a broken arm, which is probably not that serious, it really could be worse, but..

Miki: Considering these conditions and everything..

Riku: .. Right. Right. I'm sorry.

Riku: S-so.. It's my turn to be interrogated, right?

Miki: *nods*

Miki: How are you feeling, Riku-san?

Riku: I'm fine, I'm fine! A little bit nervous, but that's to be expected.

Riku: Also, just wanted to thank you again for forgiving me. Really, I'm so grateful..

Riku: I was.. I was so scared, you know. 

Riku: Like.. Of course, I didn't want this to be real. I wanted this to turn out to be some kind of game. I hoped that I won't get punished for real, that nobody will get punished for real.

Riku: .. But all of this is real.

Riku: And I'm here and I was forgiven! I did have to.. uh, pay a price, but it's fine. 

Miki: .. A price?

Miki: You mean tricking me and making me give you a knife, so that you can hurt yourself later and make me feel so bad that I simply wouldn't be able to do anything other than vote you innocent?

Riku: H-hey, you're kinda making it sounds like I'm the bad guy here-

Miki: You're not a "bad guy". But you did lie to me.

Riku: I did. And I'm sorry. 

Riku: .. But you will still forgive me, right?

Miki: .. What if my forgiveness has its limits?

Riku: What was that?

Miki: N-nothing. 

Miki: *clears throat* Riku-san, before we talk about your crime, I want to talk about the way you've been acting lately.

Riku: What do you mean by that? I've been doing fine-

Miki: Trying to hurt yourself with a fork while everyone is having breakfast is not fine, Riku-san.

Riku: .. Ehehe..

Miki: I just want to help you. You can be honest with me.

Riku: .. I can't be honest with anyone, Miki.

Miki: Why?

Riku: .. Okay. If you're more honest than me, then please be honest with me right now.

Riku: *takes a breath*

Riku: "I simply wouldn't be able to do anything other than vote you innocent".. Does that mean you forgave me only because of what I did to myself?

Miki: ...

Miki: I-I could feel your pain when I watched your video. I really did feel sorry for you. 

Miki: But I don't want to lie and say that what you did wasn't a big part of the reason why I made that decision.

Riku: Haha.. See?

Riku: People like me only when they see me in pain.

Miki: What does that mean, Riku-san?

Riku: *sighs*

Riku: "Riku-kun, can you please go and talk to Yue-kun? He looks so sad.."

Riku: "Sorry, Riku, but your brother is not feeling good today. You can still go to that concert alone though."

Riku: "Hey, Riku, is it just me, or your sadder songs are better than the happier ones? Like, you'll be able to help more people with them."

Riku: I was always surrounded by those who were in pain.

Riku: And I always had to do everything for them. I had to give up so many things for them.

Riku: Of course, I would go and try to comfort my "friend" even if I didn't want anything to do with him. Of course, I would stay home and not go to any concerts, because if I did go, it would look like I don't care about my brother at all. Of course, I would write more sad songs and make myself sad in the process because people like them more.

Riku: I was sick of it. I was so tired of it, I started to hate literally everyone around me. It was so bad that when I saw someone trip and their friend helping them get up, I would get so angry, I would have to leave so that I wouldn't try to beat up those people just for not giving their attention to me.

Riku: And then, one day..

Riku: People finally saw me in pain.

Riku: I finally opened up. I finally told them how I really feel.

Riku: And considering my popularity, they went insane. They were ready to do anything to make me happy.

Riku: I know how to use my pain to make people feel sorry for me. And it looks like it had worked with you and even Eiji-san.

Riku: So please, don't be mad at me for still doing that. 

Riku: I know how to put on a show. And if you two need to see me in pain just so that you can forgive me later, I will make it as bloody as you want.

Riku: .. Miki?

Miki: ... 

Miki: *starts crying* I'm sorry, Riku-san. I'm so sorry.

Riku: .. Heh.

Riku: Works like a charm.

Miki: .. Just another reminder that my forgiveness has limits.

Miki: Also.. 

Miki: "Yue-kun".. Is that your childhood friend?

Riku: Ah, right, I haven't told you his name. Yeah, that's him.

Riku: I was friends with Shiozaki Yue since I was like.. seven years old? Maybe younger.

Miki: .. And he's your victim, isn't he?

Riku: .. Yeah.

Riku: Hey, what did my video tell you exactly? Like, did it show you all the details? Oh, also, did you like my song?

Miki: Your video felt like.. At first, I could see how popular and how loved you are. 

Miki: But then, I saw you texting your friends and after you saw their messages, you started crying. 

Miki: I didn't get the ending of it though. It felt like.. 

Miki: You were on the school rooftop with your friends and then you pushed someone off the roof while telling them to jump.

Riku: !

Riku: Ahaha..

Riku: Wow, that sounds scary.

Riku: Again, was the song good though-

Miki: Now, back to your.. um, behavior.

Miki: .. Why did you tell Miyagawa-san to "go and die"?

Riku: ...

Riku: *laughs* Come on, Miki, did you really have to bring that up?

Riku: I almost forgot about it and you really had to ruin it for me, haha..

Miki: How can you forget about it when you have to look at Miyagawa-san's injury every day?

Riku: I just try to ignore him. That's all.

Riku: If he tries to talk to me even after all of that..

Riku: .. That's his fault. Not mine.

Miki: You knew that he likes you a lot. Why did you..

Miki: Why did you have to be so cruel to him?!

Riku: Because I hate him, Miki.

Riku: This guy likes me only because I remind him of someone. I know that for sure.

Riku: He doesn't like the real me. He would never accept the real me.

Riku: Listen, that's just what us, popular guys, do. We smile, we say hi, we say how good everyone looks today, we say that we'd be glad to hang out with someone, even if we actually wish that person was dead.

Riku: 'Cause that's how reputation works! Say one wrong word and that's it, you're out.

Riku: .. And I can't have that. My family only sees me as someone who has to take care of my siblings, even though I'm not even the oldest. My "best friend" only sees me as a guy he can vent to and project his pain onto.

Riku: My school was the only place where I was loved and accepted by everyone.

Miki: But.. what's the difference between pretending for your family and Shiozaki-san and pretending for your classmates?

Riku: It's simple: my classmates were obsessed with me.

Riku: They wanted to be like me. They wanted to be with me. They wanted to be noticed by me.

Riku: And I continued to play along just because it's nice to feel like somebody's idol.

Miki: .. Is that also the reason why it was so hard for you to stop being friends with Shiozaki-san? He liked you a lot, didn't he?

Riku: .. Well, I can't deny that it is a part of the reason why I couldn't just say "Hey, I think we should go our separate ways".

Miki: And is this also why you couldn't just be honest with Miyagawa-san when you first met him? Because it was nice to feel like you're important to him?

Riku: Yeah, so what? Are you really gonna judge me for just wanting to be liked?

Miki: I'm not gonna judge you for wanting to be liked, but I will judge you for manipulating other people's feelings.

Miki: A-anyway, we don't have much time left.

Miki: So, about your crime..

Miki: What exactly did you do?

Miki: I just don't understand. I know why you did it, but I don't understand how it happened.

Riku: What exactly you don't understand then?

Miki: Uh.. 

Miki: ... Okay, here it goes.

Miki: Did your friend kill himself because of you or did you kill him yourself?

Riku: ...

Riku: Um..

Riku: It's.. actually very hard to explain.

Riku: But before I do that..

Riku: *stands up*

Riku: Promise me that you will forgive me.

Miki: ...

Riku: I will do anything to make you forgive me. Do you want to see me on my knees? Do you want to see all my scars? Do you want me to just stab myself right in front of you?

Riku: One word and I'll do it. I'm okay with dying, honestly.

Miki: .. But if you die, what's the point of me forgiving you then?

Riku: .. I-I don't know.

Riku: Hearing "I forgive you" sounds nice, haha.

Riku: So, do you promise-

Miki: .. You're so stupid, Riku.

Riku: Huh?

(sounds of Miki standing up and pushing Riku against the wall)

Riku: !

Riku: T-that was unexpected..

Riku: .. Are you crying?

Miki: YES, I AM CRYING BECAUSE YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT!

Miki: YOU'RE WILLING TO THROW AWAY YOUR LIFE LIKE THAT JUST BECAUSE "HEARING SOMEBODY FORGIVE YOU SOUNDS NICE"?! ARE YOU THAT DUMB?!

Miki: WHAT'S THE POINT OF ME FORGIVING YOU IF I WON'T BE ABLE TO SAVE YOU?

Miki: .. Actually, maybe forgiveness isn't always the right way to save someone..

Riku: Haha, so punishing someone is a better way of saving them? Sounds kinda messed up..

Miki: ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOUR WAY OF THINKING ISN'T MESSED UP?!

Riku: .. So, you're not gonna forgive me this time?

(the bell rings, machinery sounds)

Miki: .. It depends on what your video is going to show me.

Riku: .. Haha, okay, challenge accepted.

Riku: I am going to put on the best performance you've ever seen and make you love me so much that you won't be able to vote me guilty.

Miki: And if I still do vote you guilty?

Riku: Come on, you're Andou Miki, the whole prison knows you as someone who always forgives everyone no matter what.

Miki: .. Well, if Eiji-san won't be able to punish anyone this time..

Miki: I'll simply have to do his job.

Riku: .. God, both of you are insane.

Riku: Okay, fine. Don't worry, I'll just punish myself before you even announce my verdict.

Miki: .. How are you gonna do it? I didn't give you any weapons this time.

Riku: Are you sure? In my hands pretty much anything can become a weapon.

Miki: .. You won't do anything serious to yourself this time, right?

Riku: Haha, trust me, I'm strong enough to do it. And brave enough too.

Miki: .. I want to hug you and choke you at the same time.

Miki: PRISONER 009, RIKU, SING YOUR SINS AND MAKE SURE IT'S THE BEST SONG I'VE EVER HEARD!  

42% ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░░░░░░░░ 100%

[ MV Description ]

The video starts with Riku sitting in what appears to be a limousine. He looks really nervous and he keeps pulling his sleeves down and taking deep breaths. 

"Breathe in, breathe out.

You've done this before, you can do it again

Breathe in, breathe out

And even if something goes wrong, just do it, embrace the pain"

However, as soon as he steps out of a limousine, he looks fine and he gives everyone a bright smile. He gets greeted by a huge number of fans who all look excited to see him and some of them even push each other to try and get closer to him. 

"I know you all love me and your feelings are mutual

I love you all back, trust me, it's true"

He simply keeps walking as he smiles at everyone and waves at them. When you look closer, you can see that all of his fans are actually wearing collars. It's like.. they're his pets or something. 

"How can I not love you? You listen to my every word, my every command

No matter what I do, you will protect me

Look at me, I'm like a trendsetter, no matter what I do, people will follow my lead"

He suddenly stops walking as he sees a familiar face in that crowd. It's the white-haired boy again and now we can actually see his face and what he looks like. He looks even happier than all of Riku's fans, but Riku is not happy to see him at all. He tries to ignore him. 

"I love all of you, yes, every single one of you, but not you though

Hey, it's okay for celebrities like me to be a little hypocritical!"

Now, we can see Riku on the stage, preparing for his concert with his bandmates. Everything goes fine if we ignore his fans looking more and more insane as the show goes on and it looks like he is actually having fun. The chorus plays. 

"Now, listen, I don't like to do this

I'm not the type to abuse my power

But looks like it's time for you to get what you deserve

So get him, everyone, I'll pat you on the head later"

When the concert ends, we can see him giving autographs to his fans, talking to them and taking photos with them. But then, suddenly, the white-haired boy walks up to him and we can see that he's not wearing a collar. 

"See? You don't belong here

You're not as perfect as them, so why don't you leave?

Maybe act a little bit more obedient next time?

Come on, just do it, just follow my lead"

Riku tries to pretend that everything is fine and it looks like he's asking what the boy needs, but then Yue hugs him tightly, making both of them fall in the process. The song stops playing for a moment.

Riku is shocked and he tries to get up, but the boy doesn't let him. Eventually, Riku gets sick of it and yells at the boy, slaps him and pushes him away. Riku breathes heavily and starts getting more and more anxious as he sees that everyone is staring at him and the boy. 

"Breathe in, breathe out

You've done this before, you can do it again

Breathe in, breathe out

And even if something goes wrong, just do it, embrace the pain"

The setting changes and now it looks like we're at Riku's house, though it looks more cool and fancy this time, he is a famous singer in his video after all. We can see Riku walking into his bedroom and he looks more pale and tired than usual and his hair is more messy. As he tries to wipe the blood under his nose with his hand, he sees his phone screen light up and checks it. He sees that everyone is talking about what happened after the concert between him and Yue and he almost drops his phone because of that.

However, he's still curious and he starts reading what the fans are saying about it and.. 

All of them are trying their best to defend him. 

They keep saying that it's the boy's fault and Riku was in the right. They say how they will support Riku no matter what and they still love him some people are even saying that they would love to take the boy's place for no particular reason at all. 

"Why are you all still fighting for me?

Why are you still trying to protect me?

Why do you still love me?"

At first Riku can't believe that this is happening, but when he understands that all of this is real.. He starts laughing. He actually looks like he has lost his mind, he can't believe that his fans are still with him even after that. 

"Look at me, I'm like a trendsetter, no matter what I do, people will follow my lead

If I say something, you will say it louder

If I hurt someone, you will make it more painful

If I kill someone, you will dance on their grave"

However, he stops laughing as he sees one person make a post saying "Shouldn't he apologize for doing that though?". He starts reading the comments under that post and sees his fans defending him and saying that there's no point in him apologizing. Riku looks relieved and he simply puts his phone back on the table.

Several days pass and it's time for another concert. Riku is seen greeting the fans again and this time he looks genuinely happy, but no, Yue is here again. Riku looks terrified and he can't move because of how scared he is. 

"What is wrong with you? Do you hate me this much?

You don't love me, I know that for sure

Your eyes are different from theirs, the way you move is different

It's like you're free, it's like I can't control you"

The boy just keeps walking up closer and closer to him and Riku sees how all of his fans are this close to killing the boy on spot for his sake. 

Riku gets an idea and as Yue is about to hug him again, he suddenly snaps his fingers and his fans' collars light up. The chorus starts playing again and this time it's louder. Suddenly, all of his fans turn into dogs and attack Yue as Riku keeps casually walking away. 

"But looks like it's time for you to get what you deserve

So get him, everyone, I'll pat you on the head later"

As the white-haired boy is getting mauled (thankfully, it's not that visible), Riku simply gets up on the stage and starts singing, but without his bandmates. His fans turn back into humans again, but even though they look like humans, it's hard to say that they're not just animals that exist only to follow Riku's orders. 

"Look at me, look at me, ignore everyone else's pain

I'm the only one you feel sorry for, I'm the only one you should pity

Don't look at anyone else, I'm the only one you need

I'll make you feel better as you make me feel worse"

They can't take their eyes off him and because of how huge the crowd is, it's hard to see the bloody mess behind them. And as if everything couldn't get worse, as Riku keeps singing, the blood on his body and clothes is becoming more and more noticeable. 

"Look at me, keep your eyes on me

Everything else is a lie, I'm the only part of your world that matters

Do you feel sorry for me yet? Do you want to forgive me?

Am I doing a good job? Does my life even matter?"

It looks like he just got some blood on himself from.. well, that boy, but as the MV continues, it's becoming more and more obvious that it's actually Riku's blood and he keeps bleeding out as he sings and dances. 

"SO JUST PRAISE ME BEFORE I FORGET HOW TO-"

Before he can finish singing, we get a close-up of him putting his hand on his throat and he realizes that he has lost his voice. The MV abruptly ends. 

[p-artsypants]

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My Kingdom for a Heart AO3 | FF.Net - The curse of being one of the Princesses of heart, is that there’s always someone out to get you. As Xemnas looked failure in the face, he reached out in a last ditch effort and destroyed Kairi’s heart. Now her friends must travel the worlds again. Sora, to find a way to recover Kairi’s heart, and Riku, to make amends to those he has wronged. All the while, the darkness grows. [Unfinished, on permanent hiatus]

Miraculous Ladybug

One Shots

*❤️Amalgam- When an young man is rejected for being ‘incompatible’ he turns into the akuma ‘Amalgam’ able to fuse two people together. And later Adrien and Marinette would debate if it was lucky or unlucky that they got hit. (Also Available in Russian)

*Sing We All Noel- After receiving the worst Christmas present ever from his father, Chat Noir finds himself out on the streets with nowhere to go on Christmas Eve. Thankfully, Ladybug finds him and brings him home.

*Speechless- In a world where everyone has a soulmark, the first words their soulmate will say to them, Marinette is born without one. But Adrien Agreste has two. Curious, considering he’s mute.

*❤️Tunnels of Love- The night started out with an accidental kiss from Adrien Agreste, and ended with her bleeding in the Catacombs of Paris. Ladybug, the wielder of the miraculous of good luck. Yeah right. (Some blood)

*The Reveal That Wasn’t- First Parts My ending to kittybug’s Tumblr Prompt

*What A Mess We’re In- Ladybug has a lot on her mind, and when Chat Noir bugs her enough, she tells him she’s going to confess to her Crush, Adrien Agreste. Chat’s reaction is not what she’s expecting.

*Oblivi-oh no! - A retelling of Oblivio, except Ladybug is the only one to lose her memory. How will Chat deal?

*Bad Day (3 chapters) - Marinette was Ladybug! This was Adrien’s luckiest day ever! Except it wasn’t, because all his good luck was used up in one go. Turns out this might be the worst day of his life.

*One Win, So Many Losses- Marinette was forced to break up with Adrien. It had been a low blow from Gabriel, to be sure. But she was Ladybug. She’d find a solution…right? An alternate ending to Chat Blanc, where Adrien doesn’t Cataclysm the akuma.

*❤️Five Minutes- Gabriel has had enough of all these girls fighting over Adrien. He decides it’s high time Adrien picks one, and arranges the perfect opportunity for him to do so. Each candidate has five minutes to present why they’d be a good girlfriend. Marinette decides to take this opportunity to shoot her shot.

~*Panache- Every eligible maiden was invited to the Prince’s ball. That included Marinette, scullery maid in her own household. But her stepsisters destroyed her dress, and she can’t go to the ball in rags. Or can she? (Cinderella!AU)

*Perfect, No Matter What-In which Gabriel sets the bar even lower for himself, a reveal happens because of pain medication, and the new guardian actually goes to Chloé for advice.

*Crushed- Stuck under a collapsed building together, Chat Noir and Marinette have a heart to heart.

*Lovelace- Convinced that he's unlovable, Adrien is quickly thrown for a loop when Marinette confesses her love for him out of the blue. An akumatization and reveal later, he changes his mind about being unlovable.

Long Fics

*❤️Longest Night- (FF.net | Ao3) - The day started out sucky to begin with. Her crush ousted to the class and Adrien. Lila taking pride in exacting her revenge. But by the time patrol was over, a young man was dead, and Ladybug’s identity was at risk. Lila was the least of her concerns. Good thing Adrien was taking it all like a champ. (Rated M for scenes of torture)

*❤️Nine Lives- (FF.net) When Adrien Agreste is scheduled to go to a Military School in Germany, Chat Noir must make a critical decision. Does he give up his Miraculous? Or does he give up his life as Adrien? I’ll save you the trouble of guessing, he gives up being Adrien.

*Tender Words- When Marinette finally gets the guts to confess her feelings for Adrien, some things go so wrong, and other things go so right.

*Integrity- Overwhelmed with her responsibilities, guilt, and drama, Marinette has an emotional breakdown in front of everyone, and even hands over her earrings in a moment of weakness. Only for a few seconds, but the damage was done. Adrien’s pretty quick on the uptake like that.

~Much Obliged- Everyone deals with grief differently. Some take to drinking, others devote themselves to charity. Adrien Agreste? Well, he became a cowboy. Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a witch, one of very few in the world. She knows what it’s like to be doubted, and assumed delusional. Maybe that’s why they got along so well. Or maybe it’s just because they both like big hats. AU where everything is the same, except instead of superheroes, Adrien is a Cowboy and Marinette is a witch. (Unfinished) (Based on a AU by @bugaboo-n-bananoir)

*I’ll Handle This- “I’ll solve all your problems,” Plagg had said. “You just have to agree to it.” A fixed relationship with his father, Lila to stop bothering him, and Ladybug to fall in love with him? Who wouldn’t agree to that? Except Plagg was the God of Destruction and Chaos and had a more…hands-on approach. Adrien just wants his body back. (Body swap fic)

The Ghost of Smokey Joe- Adrien Agreste was acting bizarre. Stilted body language, plastic smile, and he seemed to have forgotten how close they were. Before she can get the truth out of him, Marinette finds herself as the sole heir to the Gabriel brand and the mansion, following the murder-suicide of both Adrien and Gabriel Agreste. The mystery continues as Tikki explains that Adrien was Chat Noir...but if Adrien is six feet under, why is Chat Noir still running around?

How To Train Your Dragon

One Shots

The Vikings Have Their Tea (FF.Net | AO3)

Arranged Marriage- Takes place at the beginning of HTTYD

❤️Breathe- Survival of the fittest

~Childhood Friends- At the Sandbox

❤️Easy Fix- In which Hiccup has a bad day

~Fashion Designer- Astrid needs a fill in

❤️Frozen- In Which Astrid takes a Dip and things get frisky (Rated M)

❤️Headache- In Which Hiccup hits his head….really hard

❤️Heir- In Which Hiccup is Picked (Longer version by FateCharms)

Illness- In Which Stoick is a dad

~Illusionist- Trick gone wrong

~In the Walls- In which there’s a poop ghost

~Knocking On The Wrong Door (2) - A chance encounter

❤️Messages- Astrid is Frustrated with Hiccup’s obliviousness

~To Mirkwood- Hiccup is not a dwarf

~Monster Falls- Hiccup and Astrid take a dip

❤️Mute- In which there’s a quiet stranger

~Music Video (ImgHS)- He didn’t expect it

❤️Operation: Lovebirds- In Which the gang makes a plan, and Hiccup gets Drunk

~Over- Too many nightmares

~Partners in Crime- A normal day at work

~Pirate- Astrid is the greatest treasure

~Prince- He doesn’t want to be a broken King

❤️Sorting Things Out- In Which Astrid gets her ducks in a row

~The Dragon and The Dame- Beauty and the Beast Au

The Pit- In Which Hiccup is rescued

Hide and Seek- Part 1

Lost and Found- Part 2

Long fics:

*❤️Infernal Responsibility- Being the son of the chief takes brains, courage, and a lot of patience. But at his father’s the request for marriage, Hiccup decides he has had enough. When he seeks out a life of ease, he runs into more than what he bargained for.

*❤️Roses and Lilies- “Astrid, you and I both know you’re much tougher than I am. You’re more brave, and a better fighter…but just for a little while…could we pretend that I’m the one protecting you?” “Oh gods yes!” (Also Available in Spanish!)

*~What the Water Gave Me- The sea is a wild and dangerous thing, something that cannot be foretold or predicted. Hiccup discovered this many years ago, in human naiveté. Yet, what was meant as a sacrifice became a new life, one like no one could comprehend. He now finds himself once more in the unknowing hands of those that sentenced him to death. He only prays things will be different this time. Merman!AU

*Parasite- Soulsnatcher Dragons are rare but deadly. But, As Hiccup finds out, it’s the eggs you have to watch out for.

*~320 State Street- Gobber’s Goods. A Hardware Store that was rumored to have everything you needed. She thought she only needed a job. Turns out, she needed a lot more than that. (A Modern AU no one asked for)

*~❤️The North Tower- When Finn Hofferson died, Astrid inherited his castle in Wales…and a whole lot more. Something sinister lurks in the North Tower.

*~❤️Boy Toy- AO3 - At the age of 21, Princess Astrid lawfully has to pick a husband. But when the perfect groom is nowhere to be found, she requests the toymaker to create one for her. It’s safe to say that everyone in the kingdom is a little concerned. (Pinocchio!AU I guess?)

No, You Go First- AO3 - The Chief of Berk was a headstrong viking, stubborn and full of pride, and willing to do whatever it takes to keep his village safe. But for a moment, he puts that aside, and listens to his son. In which Hiccup convinces his dad not to make him go through Dragon Training, and the subsequent changes that follow.

*In Due Time- AO3 - As another illness sweeps through Berk, Gothi needs another ingredient for her medicine…one that doesn’t exist anymore. Fortunately, she kept that old spell book around for such an occasion. Big Hiccup is sent to five years into the past, and his younger self sent to take his place in the future. But it’s only a few days, what could go wrong?

Trollhunters: Tales from Arcadia

❤️Arcadia or Bust- In Which Arcadia welcomes back it’s underground citizens.

Teen Titans

Oneshots:

~Big Brother- Don’t turn out the light (Horror)

Dear Jason- Bruce Writes a letter

Just Drawing- Bruce thinks about Robin

The Prisoner- Starfire is Guilty

Of Mustard and Three Foot Purple Tongues- A collection of Oneshots and Drabbles

Long Fics (*Finished):

*~❤️Carol of the Bells- High in the dark Bell Tower of Notre Dame, there lives a mysterious bell ringer. Legend tells of the angel who fell from the sky, and the curse she bares. There are few who know her true identity though; her master, the priest, and the acrobat that performs on the streets below. Based loosely on ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ RobxStar and slight BBxRae

*No Escape- Three years ago, Starfire escaped an Alien race called the Gordanians, to arrive on Earth. They’re back, and ready to put Starfire back where she belongs, behind reinforced Titanium bars. Robin’s not about to let her go…if only he hadn’t got captured first. How does it feel to be the alien, Robin?

*Now you Know My Pain- When the new Villain, Gender Bender, comes to down, the Titans find themselves in an odd situation. They’ve been turned into the opposite gender against their will! Now in order to change back, they must learn to understand the gender they’ve turned into. Rated T for obvious reasons. A great read if you’ve ever wondered why girls or guys do [blank].

*Paint it Black- Robin disappeared three months ago. Now, Jump City’s crime rate is mysteriously being taken care of by a normal, albeit strange, teenage boy who goes by the name Black. As the Titans befriend this lunatic, they begin to see a relation between him and their missing leader. Will they be able to find Robin, or will Black turn them all insane as himself? Actually, contains NO OC.

*Saving Grace- “When I’m done with you, you won’t be able to walk upright or speak coherent sentences and all you’ll see is my mask and my voice repeating in your head…Weak. Richard Grayson, I am not tough, I am everything that you fear.” Happy Ending! Smudge of RobStar. NO Slash!

Other Fandoms

Final Fantasy XV

❤️Requiem for Pitioss-“O King. The god’s have heard your cries. Know that we weep with you. The Oracle’s calling has not yet been fulfilled. But…Lunafreya as you know her cannot return the way she was.” Noctis looked up, hopeful. “But she can return!” Canon divergence from Chapter 9. Happy ending. Some spoilers.

Final Fantasy X

I Do…I Guess? - “I would…like to ask you something.” “Shoot.” “Well…if it’s not too much…I’d like to ask you…to marry me.” Knowing what’s to come during her pilgrimage, Yuna asks Tidus to marry her, strictly for convenience and having an official next of kin, of course. Starts after Luca and how this decision would affect the rest of the story.

Beauty and the Beast

*❤️Behold the Beast- A Oneshot alternate ending to the Animated Film

Cinderella

*❤️Midnight- “When the clock strikes twelve, the spell will be broken,” the fairy godmother had warned. A retelling of the story, when Cinderella doesn’t escape the ball in time. Oneshot

*So This is Love- What if Jaq and Gus hadn’t made it in time to help Cinderella? A new twist on the ending of the classic Fairytale, and what lies beyond the story. She still gets her happy ending and her Prince, and her step family gets their just deserts.

Sleeping Beauty

*❤️A Love Song Back To Me- Maleficent saw the loophole that stared her in the face. Prince Phillip would break the curse in time, for sure. After all, he was betrothed to Aurora. So in an effort for her evil plan to stay in action, Maleficent takes care of the young prince herself. Phillip never imagined having to live off the land like the birds above. Alternate twist on the classic Disney tale.

Escaflowne

Down Feathers- Hitomi’s depressed. She’s been away from Van too long, he comes back to visit her…but what if something went wrong with the transfer? (Not finished. Never will be finished. Mwahaha) Circa 2012

*Angel’s Wounds- Fanelia’s been victorious in their most recent battle with Basrum. Unfortunately, someone is wounded and just seeks solace in his love that lives so far away. Post Anime.

Momma Look Sharp- With the war between Fanelia and Basrum finally coming to a close, the kingdom is celebrating. The young king, however, is suffering from an experience unlike any he had before. Van finally seeks solace in his wife.

[minijenn]

KH Comm #4

Another Keys related writing comm for @rosie-drawss, who wanted another “what if” scenario for what would happen if the glamor spell had faded following the ball and Cinderella’s Castle. Angst and hurt/comfort ensues as Sora has to fess up to all his many lies early! Enjoy!

***

Kairi is still in a haze of half-slumber when she gets up as quietly as she can so as not to wake Sora or Riku. She tip-toes to fetch a drink of water from the pitcher on the far side of the room before heading back to bed in a similar silent manner, eager to return to the pleasant dreams she’d been having of the enchanted evening they’d just had together. That happiness still hangs over her as she climbs back into her spot under the covers right beside Sora. She smiles drowsily as she takes in the sight of him sleeping peacefully, the ghost of a contented grin on his face, his white hair draped loosely, lazily over his closed eyes-

Wait… white hair?

Her sharp gasp breaks the quiet of the room, a startled cry soon joining it as she rolls backward out of bed, ultimately landing hard on the floor. Riku bolts upright first, calling for Kairi as he glances around the darkened room amidst trying to regather his bearings. But when Sora sits up only seconds later, he’s the first to find Kairi, still sitting on the floor, staring up at him with a look of nothing less than absolute shock. 

��Kairi?” he presses, concerned as he leans over the side of the bed. “Are you ok? What’s wrong?” 

When Kairi finds herself far too bewildered to offer him an answer, Sora turns to Riku next, hoping to get his help. Only to catch the same exact sort of stunned stare from him too. “What?” Sora frowns, glancing between the pair in apt confusion. “Why aren’t you guys saying anything? What’s going on?”

“...I think we ought to be the ones asking you that question…” Riku finally says, his tone and expression both tense. 

“Huh?”

“Sora,” Kairi’s on her feet now, retrieving a hand mirror from the nearby dresser. “W-what… what is this?”

She hands the mirror over to him, and the very second Sora so much as sees his own reflection within it, it slips out of his hand and shatters on the floor. Tears swiftly form in his now-golden eyes, a shadow-streaked hand slipping over his mouth as he tries to make sense of how this might have happened. Of how the awful secret he’s been hiding for them for so long could somehow reveal itself entirely on its own accord.

Kairi carefully steps past the broken glass on the floor to sit back on the bed alongside Sora, placing a gentle hand on his arm as he chokes out a small, frightened sob. “You… know what this is… don’t you?” she asks, gauging his mournful reaction for exactly what it is. 

Sora refuses to offer an answer, all but shutting down as he wraps his arms around himself, shutting his eyes so he doesn’t have to meet their piercing, questioning gazes. Kairi softens when she sees how scared he seems to be, but Riku knows he can’t do the same. Not when this is something that certainly can’t be anything good. 

“Tell us,” he places a hand on Sora’s shoulder, his voice coming out quiet and calm. Or at least as calm as it can be right now. “Please, Sora, if something’s wrong then you need to let us know what-”

“I-I’m the Organization’s thirteenth vessel!” Sora suddenly shouts, distraught and distressed. He’d been half-tempted to lie to them, but he knows it won’t do him any good now; not when they can both so clearly see the truth for themselves. “W-what you guys did to save me during the exam didn’t work and now I… I’m being… Xehanort is-”

“H-he’s taking over your heart…” Riku finishes in a whisper. A grave silence falls over the room as this horrific realization sinks in, a realization that none of them want to face. Kairi clings onto Sora’s arms, joining him in his sorrowful, ceaseless tears. But those tears aren’t something Riku shares. Instead, he continues staring solely at Sora, at the white in his hair, the gold in his eyes. He stares in solemn, saddened silence as he thinks about just how much he’s managed to fail Sora, how he failed to save him, how he failed to notice that something was even this wrong until he could see it laid so plainly before him. He stares and says nothing, shedding not a single tear as he realizes the only thing he can really do right now is to somehow be strong for them both. Even if he doesn’t really want to be. 

“Sora-” he starts, only to nearly lose his composure completely when Sora practically falls into his arms, Kairi following not long after. 

“I’m sorry!” Sora cries, completely despondent by this point. “I’m so sorry for lying and hiding this and trying to fix this on my own even though I knew I can’t! I don’t know how to stop this, and I’m so, so scared that there isn’t any way to stop it-”

“We will stop it,” Kairi speaks up, her tone tight and anxious as she holds Sora even tighter. “W-we’ll find a way, we have to and we will. Won’t we, Riku?”

Riku takes in a long, deep breath, if only to steady himself for the journey on the road ahead of them now. A road that is bound to be long and painful, but one that needs to be taken. Especially if what’s waiting at the end of it is what somehow sets Sora’s already captive heart free. 

“Go wake up the others,” he instructs the pair as he gets out of bed. “Tell them to pack their things. We’re leaving in an hour. We… have a lot to talk about.”

***

Word spreads between the other guardians of light like wildfire. Before they even leave Cinderella’s castle, each and every one of them hears about what’s happening, and very few of them are truly caught off guard when they see Sora’s startling change in appearance. The only three among them that had been in on his lie are surprised, however, to find out that the truth had slipped out so suddenly. Ventus breathes a sigh of relief, glad to know Sora won’t be able to drag this dangerous charade out any longer than he already has. Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy are both baffled by the mysterious failure of the glamour spell, something that the magician chalks up as a side effect of his magic mingling with Fairy Godmother’s. And since Fairy Godmother’s spell had worn off when the clock struck midnight, so too had the spell that had helped Sora hide his secret for so very long. 

The trip back to the tower is a long, quiet one. No one’s really sure what to say or where to start, so they decide to discuss it all in a proper meeting instead. Said meeting kicks off almost as soon as they arrive, and it starts with Sora having no choice but to explain the situation to the other lights in full. He soberly shows them everything: his hair, his eyes, his hands, his scar, his Keyblade, even his powers in steady succession. Telling the full, unbridled truth is strange, in a sense; because even as much as he feared the thought of doing exactly this before, he can’t deny that actually unveiling it all is something of a bizarre relief. Like every secret he’s shedding is a weight finally lifting off his shoulders, weight he should have let someone else share a long time ago. 

One he’s revealed everything he can, Yen Sid asks Sora to sit the rest of the meeting out. While the reasoning for such a request isn’t initially clear, he does so gracefully, waiting just outside the door for the others to emerge. And as he waits, his fretful thoughts wander to just how quickly things have gone wrong over the course of one night alone. Just how fast a night of dreams had turned into his worst nightmare. 

After what feels like ages, Riku and Kairi finally leave the meeting behind. The others hang back, likely to give them a bit of privacy to allow the pair to relay to Sora the verdict they’ve all just reached. 

“Ok, here’s the plan,” Riku begins, wearing the steadfast composure of the leader he was chosen to be. “The others are all heading out tomorrow to look for the rest of the Keys. Kairi and I are-”

“We’re staying here, with you,” Kairi interrupts, taking Sora’s hands and holding them tight. “At least for now. And while we’re here, we’re going to look into every way we can find to free you from… f-from this.”

“B-but… what if we can’t-”

“If we can’t find answers here, then we’ll look somewhere else,” Riku continues, resolved. “But we won’t stop until we find a way to help you, Sora. That’s a promise.”

“But it’s not a promise we can keep unless you promise to meet us halfway with this too,” Kairi insists earnestly. “Which means… no more lying, and no more secrets. You’ve always been able to trust both of us with anything before. That doesn’t have to change now, not even with something like this.”

Sora looks between the pair, caught off guard by the brazen plan he’s hearing. One that he desperately wants to believe will work, just as much as he wants to believe they actually mean what they say. But his anxious, guilt-ridden heart still finds room to foolishly doubt them all the same. “Y-you… you really want to help me?” he asks, his voice small and edged with shame for something he doesn’t feel he truly deserves.

“You know we do,” Riku vows as he gently pulls both Sora and Kairi close. 

“More than anything else,” Kairi adds just as warmly, just as lovingly. 

And… despite everything else, despite all of the fear and despair and remorse he’s still carrying… Sora decides to let that love--their love for him--lighten that load at least a little bit. “Then ok,” he finally smiles for the first time since the glamour faded. For the first time since he opened the door to let his two best friends back into his heart. “I promise.”

Commissions are CLOSED

[phoenix-downer]

Thank you so much for the asks! I think I'm going to write Ashe and Rasler or Noctis and Luna for the "out of necessity" one, if I get a chance. But could you do the "in public" one for SoKai? Or perhaps the "out of lust" one? Because I guess I want to challenge you. Haha. Since both of them are sort of the opposite for SoKai, and I want to see how you'd handle it while probably still making it feel 99.9% canon.

Thank you for the prompt ideas, @oveliagirlhaditright! I decided to combine them both into one fic. Hope you enjoy!

No Return. ~3000 words. Set years in the future. Master of Masters!Sora AU.

“Riku, I still don’t think this is a good idea,” Kairi said one last time as she adjusted the top of her dress. She was amazed it still fit after all these years, but it was one of the more revealing dresses she had in her arsenal, so she’d decided to wear it tonight. The slit traveled most of the way up her leg, and the neckline plunged so low that the fancy necklace around her neck, with its array of rubies connected by silver loops and chains, rested completely on bare skin. The dress didn’t have much of a back, either, and it was the exact shade of red that looked good with her hair color. It had been a gift, but the giver himself hadn’t seen her wear it in years.

That was all about to change. 

“He said he wanted to meet you here,” Riku pointed out, being careful to keep his voice low as people in their evening finest streamed past them and entered the art gallery. “This is the best chance we have of catching him and stopping him.” 

Kairi sighed deeply. She’d never wanted this; never wanted to be used as the bait to catch Sora with, like he was some kind of rabid animal that needed to be stopped and put down. But here she was, outside one of the World’s most beautiful art museums where the gala of the century was being held, all because he’d invited her himself and their friends decided it would be the perfect opportunity to catch him.  

“He’ll hate me, Riku,” she choked out. “He’ll despise me forever for what I’m about to do to him.”

Riku raised an eyebrow as he adjusted his tie. “Hate you? Sora could never hate you.”

“That just makes this so much worse.” 

A part of her wanted him to despise her. That was what she deserved. Of course, they couldn’t just… let him continue on his current path, but surely there was a way to capture him that didn’t involve such cruelty, such lying and deception—

Riku touched the earpiece in his ear, and Kairi’s heart sank as she watched his expression change, as his lips pulled into a taut line. 

“Xion’s spotted him inside,” he said under his breath a moment later, though the words were unnecessary. She fidgeted with her necklace for good luck. There was no going back now. 

“Everyone’s in position?” she said, trying to stall just a little longer. Their friends were all here, too, dressed for the occasion with a little extra help: Donald’s magic to disguise all of them. All except for her. Even Riku looked different than normal; his eyes were the same color, but his hair was strawberry blond, and his face looked different. 

“Yes.” He took her hands in his. “Kairi, listen. I know this is gonna be tough. But stop for a moment and think. The real Sora, the true Sora we all know and love—what would he want us to do? Allow him to continue like this and keep hurting everyone he loves, or put a stop to him?”

“I think this is the real Sora now,” she said sadly as she turned her head to look inside the building. Sure enough, she thought she could make out his figure on the balcony, waiting patiently for her above all the crowds. “Asking questions like that is just pointless.” 

“I understand. But if it helps, think of how he used to be.” 

She sighed deeply. “That’s more painful than thinking about what he’s like now.” 

“We’ll come for you the moment you give the signal,” Riku said as he released her hands. “You can do this, Kairi.” 

She nodded. She could do this. She had to. The Sora she’d fallen love with was long gone, and in his place was a twisted shell of a man. Capturing him would be a mercy. 

She took a deep breath and straightened, then emerged from their hiding place, strolling gracefully towards Sora like a predator stalking its prey. Every movement deliberate, measured; every step drawing closer to the man who had once held her heart. With each foot forward, she put that much more distance between her and Riku. She was inside the building now, and the guards checked to make sure she was on the guest list, then checked to make sure she carried no weapons.

There was no way for them to check for her Keyblade… or for how she intended to get Sora at her mercy.  

She strolled around the main floor for a while, admiring all the beautiful artwork. There was so much of it; endless piece after endless piece. Some pieces depicted sweet, tender affection, others more passionate scenes, but they all fit the theme “Love or Lust” quite well. She was sure Naminé would be examining each piece with a true artist’s eye, wherever she was in the crowd right now. 

She could feel Sora’s eyes on her long before she intended to talk to him. The more she drew this out, the more he would want to see her, and the more desperate he would be. So it was in her best interest to make him wait as long as possible. 

She strolled over to the food and drink tables and nibbled on the finger foods but skipped the alcohol. She needed her full wits to handle what was coming up ahead. As she was about to put another little sandwich into her mouth with ham and provolone cheese and tomato and this delicious sauce she couldn’t quite identify, someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around, and the man who greeted her was strong and bulky and wearing a similar outfit to the guards. Perhaps he was one of Sora’s bodyguards.

“Madame, would you like to see a special painting on the upper floor?”

She smirked and set the little sandwich back on her plate. “I’d love to, but I’d like to finish eating first. Tell your master that I will come to him when I’m ready.”

The man bowed slightly. “Very well, Madame. He eagerly awaits your company.” 

“Oh, I know he does.”

She took her time finishing the little sandwich, then went back for another one. After that she took thorough stock of the desserts and settled on a piece of chocolate cake and a little cup of tapioca pudding. But at last she was full, and she figured she’d made Sora wait long enough. A quick trip to the bathroom ensured her makeup was still impeccably applied, and then she glided towards the stairs and began her slow ascent to Sora. 

When she reached the top of the stairs, an enormous painting caught her eye. It was of two lovers wrapped in each other’s arms, naked except for the wings sprouting from their backs and a single red cloth wrapped between their legs. They floated against a starlit sky, and matching laurels rested on their heads. The man gazed at the woman, and she likewise gazed into his eyes, like they were the only two people in existence. 

No wonder Sora had wanted her to see this. It was truly a magnificent painting.  

“Kairi.”

She took a deep breath. This was it. She turned around, not entirely sure what to expect.  

For once he’d ditched the black robes and wore a suit with a red vest instead. It was well-fitted, and as much as she was reluctant to admit it, he looked good. His hair was still spiky, and he carried himself with the confidence that had drawn her to him in the first place. Her eyes roamed over him like she couldn’t look away. And his one golden eye roamed over her in return, clearly appreciating what he was seeing. The other eye was hidden behind an eyepatch, but even the eyepatch matched the rest of his clothes. 

A smile spread across his face, and for a moment, she almost forgot who she was dealing with here.

“I’m glad you came,” he said. 

She forced a smile. “Of course. I wanted to see you. And this art exhibit is truly incredible. This painting in particular took my breath away.”

That much was true at least. She’d never been good at lying, so it was best to stick to the truth as much as possible. 

“I figured you’d like it,” he said as he stared at it for a few moments, then looked back at her. She was vaguely aware of the people around them moving away as he gestured to the guards without breaking eye contact with her. Even though his remaining eye was yellow, she still found herself getting lost in his gaze. 

“I wanted to see you too,” he finally said, once they were alone.  

“So much that you would risk meeting me?” she asked, her eyebrow raising. “You know the others don’t approve. They’d come after you in an instant if they knew you were here.”

“But they don’t know,” he said with a grin. “And I know you’d never betray me. The others might, but you never could. After all this time, you still care about me.” 

“Is that why you called me here?”

“Is that why you came?”

She fell silent and turned away from him to stare at the painting. “I… I don’t know.” 

She heard him take a step closer to her. “I think you do. You just don’t want to admit it.” 

Why had she agreed to all of this, really? Was it because she wanted to put a stop to Sora, like Riku had said? Or had a part of her deep down longed to see him, no matter what the cost?

“You despise yourself for still loving me, don’t you,” he murmured in her ear as he put his arms around her. Her breath caught at his boldness, but her body responded instantly to his touch. It still remembered what her heart was trying so hard to forget. He brought her flush against him, and never had being so close to him felt so wrong and yet so right the same time. 

“How could I still love you?” she choked out. “You’ve done such terrible things—”

“All to save you. All so we could finally be together. I got tired of losing you. I got sick of being separated from you over and over again.” 

“Doesn’t matter. How could you ever justify what you’ve done?” 

She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, and he finally released her. When she turned to face him, she was surprised by the honesty in his expression. 

“When did I ever say what I’ve done is right or good? I just don’t care anymore, that’s all. The only thing that matters anymore is being with you.”

His words tugged at her heartstrings, appealed to the twisted romantic deep inside her. His words were horrifying, and yet they were also one of the most honest declarations of love he’d ever given her. 

“You can’t cheat death forever, Sora,” she said sadly. “Not yours, and not mine.”

“No one can cheat death forever. But who says death has to stop us?”

He gently cupped her face and stroked her cheek. She hated herself for melting into his touch, for refusing to move away. 

“Do you remember our last date?” he asked softly. 

She nodded. That evening was still vivid in her memory. It was the last happy time they’d spent together before everything had gone wrong. A date back home on Destiny Islands to enjoy the autumn festival that turned into them strolling on the beach alone and then ended with—

“You were wearing the exact same dress you’re wearing now,” he murmured as he stepped behind her and his arms went back around her.

“I was.”

“And you look as beautiful now as you did back then. No, even more beautiful.” He nipped at her ear and teased the sensitive skin of her neck with his mouth, and her hand went over his. 

“You… you look very handsome, too,” she admitted. Even with only one eye that constantly reminded her of his corruption, she couldn’t deny it. 

“Well, the years have been kinder to you than they’ve been to me,” he said with a chuckle. His breath was hot on her cheek, and her heart was pounding in her chest.

“If only they’d been kinder.” 

“No more wallowing in the past,” he said as his lips rested at the corner of her mouth. “What matters is that we’re together again.” 

“Yes,” she said, then turned around and pressed her lips against his. He stiffened at first, then melted against her persistent mouth and allowed her tongue entry. A muffled moan escaped him as she kissed him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her directly against him, one of his hands wandering dangerously low. There was nothing shy or reserved about this kiss; neither of them had the patience for that. They kissed each other with all the pent up desire and passion their years of separation had brought because they both knew there was no guarantee there would even be a next time.

As the kiss grew more passionate, she realized she didn’t want it to end. He was right. She still loved him, after all this time. The foolish heart of a foolish woman beat in her chest, but it didn’t matter. That heart was his. Always had been, always would be. She was as hopelessly in love with him as the woman in the painting was besotted with her lover.

She brought her hands to his face. She had to tell him, tell him everything. How she felt, why she was here, everything. 

“Sora—”

She felt him stiffen. 

“Gotcha,” came a voice that made her blood run cold. Sora was pulled from her arms just like all of those other times he’d been taken from her, and his sharp cry tore at her heart. Axel pulled his arms behind his back as Ven bound him with magic. She spotted Terra and Roxas confronting some guards, and she figured everyone else was also subduing guards as quickly and as quietly as possible. Thanks to Aqua’s magic, hardly anyone noticed anything was amiss.  

“Good work, Kairi,” Riku said as he rested a hand on her shoulder, and never had she felt horrible for receiving praise from someone. 

“Sorry, Sora, but we couldn’t just let you keep doing what you were doing,” Ven said sadly as he cast another spell on top of the first round to make sure Sora couldn’t escape. “This was the only way we could think of to stop you.” 

Sora’s eye met hers, shock and disbelief in his gaze. “Kairi? You were in on this?”

Her lower lip trembled and her eyes watered, but no words would come out of her mouth. 

“You betrayed me,” he said softly, as if he couldn’t believe what he was saying. “And here I thought you never could.” He barked out a laugh. “Guess I was wrong about that. I really can’t trust anyone after all.” 

“I didn’t want to do it!” she cried. “I was going to tell you, I wanted to warn you—”

“Sure you were,” he said, and his eye was cold. Their friends pulled him forward, and his eyepatch slipped down. She gasped and put her hand over her mouth. The sad, empty socket of his other eye was laid bare; the eye itself was completely gone. The skin around it was scarred, and she wanted nothing more than to kiss it, to make up for the awful pain he must’ve endured to lose an eye like that. 

“Sora?” she said as she reached towards the missing eye. 

“That’s the Master of Masters to you,” he said coldly, and she couldn’t help the tears that slid down her cheek. Somehow his words hurt worse than everything else that had come before. 

“Enough of this, Sora,” Riku said as he grabbed his arm. “Kairi’s telling the truth. She didn’t want to do this and only agreed to it on the condition you’d be treated well.” 

“A betrayal by any other name is still a betrayal, Riku,” he said. “You of all people should know that.”

Riku stiffened but didn’t lash out. “Think what you want, but Kairi didn’t betray you. She never gave us the signal to close in. We captured you of our own accord.” 

Sora’s eye met hers once more, and there was a hint of something besides coldness in it.

“Riku’s right,” she said with a sniff. “And you were right, too. You were right about me. About us.”

Comprehension flickered through his eye, and he opened his mouth to say something when Axel interrupted him.

“Enough. We can talk about this back at the Tower. Our activities are getting us some unneeded attention.”

Sure enough, there was a group of people heading their way, even with Aqua’s magic counteracting this very thing. The sooner they left, the better. 

“Please, let me stay with him,” Kairi said. “That’s all I ask. I can’t… I can’t bear any more separations.” 

Riku and Axel and Ven exchanged glances, then nodded, and she let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” she told Riku as they led Sora along. Sora was quiet and didn’t put up a struggle, just walked along with them despite being their captive.

As her eyes met his eye, she thought she saw a spark of blue. Could it really be…?

Well, real or not, she would stay by his side. Capturing him was for the best, and she knew it was foolish to dream he wouldn’t face punishment. After what he’d done, he couldn’t just get off scot-free. But if there was even the hope that the old Sora, the real Sora, would return, she would stay by his side however long it took.

She cast one last glance at the beautiful painting behind them. Hoping that things could ever go back to the way they were before was foolish, but maybe someday, or perhaps in another life even, the vision before her would be more than just a dream. 

——————————————————————————————-

A/N: Thank you again oveliagirlhaditright! I know you like Phantom of the Opera, Versus XIII, and Master of Masters!Sora a lot, so I drew inspiration from them all three of those elements to write this story for you. Hope you enjoyed!

I’m still working on the rest of the kiss prompts (thank you to everyone who sent them in!), but if you’d like to read the previous ones, they include, “A kiss to pretend, “A good morning kiss,” “A kiss on a falling tear,” and “A kiss in secrecy.” Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!

[nadziejastar]

Let's imagine an alternate universe where Isa/Saix is female, but otherwise she's written exactly the same. How do you think audiences would react differently from the male version? Would she be more popular or less?

I think Saix would have been very popular in a similar way to Larxene. People are longing for female characters that aren’t stereotypically nice and feminine. Saix was cold and sociopathic, and I can see a female version being popular in a similar way to Azula from ATLA. If we were just going by KH2 and Days, I think a female Saix would have been more popular.

BBS, now that’s a bit different. Isa was already a very feminine pretty boy in that game. He is described as shy and only comes out of his shell for Lea. There was nothing creepy about him; he was very cute design-wise. He was sarcastic, so he might have been seen as slightly tomboyish if he had been female. Either way, Isa steps outside the gender stereotype box. I think he/she would have been equally popular either way. 

I think really, the main thing Isa needed was a proper backstory and character development to explore his/her friendship with Lea. If he/she received that, then he/she would have been a very popular character. Isa never got that, though. If he had been a girl, I think it would have been FAR more easy for people to see the intended romantic hints between her and Axel/Lea, especially in the novels. I think the only reason people couldn’t see it was because Axel and Saix were both guys. 

One of the creators of The Legend of Korra made a comment about watching with a hetero lens. Well, that’s exactly how I feel about Axel and Saix. They were intended to be a gay couple that would kinda slip under the radar due to it being so subtle. But for some reason, Square changed their minds and became terrified of LeaIsa/AkuSai by the time KH3 came out. I definitely think it was more than just Nomura changing his mind on a whim. It was self-censorship. They needed to focus on a girl so they didn’t seem too gay.

I think if Saix were a girl, people would have been a LOT more critical of her relationship with Lea and what it was reduced to in KH3. Saix’s relationship with Axel/Lea was handled in such a dismissive and hands-off way in KH3. Saix, even after he admitted he was jealous, simply grumbled that Lea wouldn’t get it out of him a second time. That was their heart-warming reconciliation. Without a doubt, it came across as extremely homophobic to me. But homophobia is normal in society, so many people didn’t really see the problem. Saix and Axel were just normal dudes being bros. And bros don’t get all touchy-feely with each other, right? 

If Saix had been female, people would have been extremely confused about why the story was so quick to resolve her relationship with Lea, and why it was so insistent on focusing on Subject X instead. Why would a female Saix be so obsessed with a girl she barely knew and completely destroy her relationship with Axel over it? On top of that, almost ALL the focus went to the Sea-Salt trio’s reunion. Perhaps that was because that trio was less controversial. There was no potential homoerotic undertones with them. They were deemed as “safe” to depict. LeaIsa? Nope. Too risky.

If Saix had been a girl, I think her bond with Axel would have been given waaaaaay more focus. I definitely don’t think the game would have been so terrified to show their closeness and intimacy, like it was in KH3. That was solely the result of them being two men. KH3 went running and screaming in the opposite direction at the idea of two men expressing that type of intimacy.

Kairi

Kairi, who was a tomboy in KHI, became a little bit more mature in KHII. She changed a lot outwardly since at that age girls grow a lot faster than boys, but her lively personality didn’t fundamentally change. Enough that ‘with Riku and Sora gone, right now Kairi is the strongest person on Destiny Islands’ is an actual premise. I like the scene in KHI, when she watches the sunset with Sora, and tells him not to change. I thought it showed very well her anxiety and loneliness over how as we get older we find a distance growing between us and our close friends. –Nomura

If Isa had been a girl, I think a LOT more people would have been able to notice that her story line was unfinished. One of the main recurring themes in KH is the idea that things change as we grow older. We grow apart from our closest friends.

“Kingdom Hearts is not too realistic, but I do want my players to grasp a sense of reality from it as well,” Nomura said. “For example, I’m sure you had friends when you were young, a good group of friends, but as you grow older things change and it doesn’t always stay the same. I think all I can say is please play to the very end and see what happens. But I think Kingdom Hearts 3 does depict how each character feels about each other in this new storyline.”

This idea was carried on even in KH3. For better or worse, it influenced the ending. 

RoxasA lot of thought was put into this character. Based on the premise that he was ‘an expression of the reverse, hidden inside Sora’, I gave him pretty much the exact same face as Sora, just with slightly narrower eyes. And then, I made white the basis for his clothes, in contrast to KHII Sora. The black and white checkered pattern, ‘neither darkness nor light’, was to be a hint. My absolute favourite scene of his has to be the one at the end of the opening of KHII, when he says 'looks like my summer vacation is over’. I put a lot of feeling into creating that, as I intended it to feel, for a moment, like the end.–Nomura

Roxas had the same issue to deal with in KH2. He was growing up and things weren’t going to stay the same between him and his friends. The end of Roxas’s summer vacation was an iconic scene.

This was also one of the main themes of Roxas and Xion’s tragic relationship. When Xion stood up slowly, the shot was extremely similar to the one where Kairi slowly stood up in KH1, with Sora just watching. Then they were watching the sunset and Kairi told him to never change. Xion literally changed—into Sora.

IMO, Roxas and Xion’s romance was a further exploration of Kairi’s relationship with Sora. Only the roles were reversed. Xion was even based on the KH1 tomboyish Kairi. The day Xion disappears is called “Tears” and Roxas cries. Afterwards, that’s when Axel discovers the WINNER stick that Roxas left him.

Talking to Roxas and Xion always brings back memories of my human life, back when I was a kid. It’s a weird sensation. I ought to be able to share all this with Saïx, but I just don’t feel like it anymore. It’s strange, but I’m content with just missing what’s gone. I’m not the one who changed. You did.

Axel was dealing with the exact same thing. After a while, there was a distance growing between him, Roxas, and Xion. Not to mention the fact that Axel wasn’t growing up. He was already grown, which presented a unique hurdle. And at the same time he was growing apart from Roxas and Xion, he was remembering how Isa had changed. This was something that needed to be resolved. Clearly, this was something that caused Axel a tremendous amount of pain. Did his relationship with Roxas and Xion need to be resolved? Of course it did. But I’d argue that his relationship with Isa caused Lea more pain than any other. Yet, it got comparatively little focus.

“Yeah. As long as we remember one another, we’ll never be apart. Got it memorized?” Roxas grinned.

A wish that they could always be together—was longing for the impossible. But at least they could always remember one another.

Saix stood up very slowly in their clock tower scene in KH3, like Kairi and Xion did. He also got a WINNER stick, which I’m sure had a lot to did with the backstory of Axel’s tear marks and him being a “crybaby”. All very deliberate. If Saix had been female, I don’t think anyone would have had trouble seeing that Axel was thinking about Saix all the time in Days. He wasn’t just the friendly “dad” of the sea salt trio. He was NOT happy in Days. He was watching Roxas and Xion grow more intimate, and remembering how he and Isa used to be the same way. He was miserable the entire game.

Axel cared about Roxas and Xion, but he didn’t really want to be a dad to them. At least not from what I could see. He wanted to protect them from experiencing the pain that he felt. And he also wanted to relive his lost innocence through them. I think if Saix had been a girl, people would have cared more about her relationship with Axel getting an actual resolution in KH3. 

I wanted us to stay together. All I wanted was to hold on to our happiness as a trio in the Organization. But I told myself to grow up and stop wishing for the impossible. Well, I’m done with that. That’s not the answer I want.

If Saix had been a girl, people wouldn’t have treated Axel’s relationship with Roxas and Xion as SO much more important than his relationship with Saix. There would have been no mystery about the origin of his tear marks. They were due to Lea wanting to be together forever with Isa, and crying over thinking that would be impossible. Lea couldn’t bear to lose Isa. If Saix had been a girl, Axel would have been able to cry for her without shame, the way a Roxas was able to cry for Xion.

If Saix had been a girl, I don’t think anyone would have been okay with their relationship suddenly revolving around some random new girl that was never mentioned by either of them before. That wouldn’t be something exciting that players are meant to look forward to. People would have been wondering: what happened to their bond with each other? If Saix had been female, I think waaaaay more people would have been confused about why Axel and Saix weren’t a couple at the end of KH3, the way Roxas/Xion or Sora/Kairi were.

[ladydreilgard]

Post Re:Mind Speculation

Its that time kiddos. The time of year to dissect the latest Kingdom Hearts release for answers to any of the many, many, many, many questions that we have. So, I feel like post Re:Mind there’s three big parts to talk about here, so let’s divvy them up under the break.

Sora, Yozora, and the Nameless Star

Where to begin with all this. So after meeting Yozora Sora mentions a girl who mentioned him and that she had a message for him. Based off this we can assume that the Nameless Star is who he is referring to there. So right off the bat we can discern some interesting facts about Yozora from this. The Nameless Star tells us that Yozora has been transformed and that his heart has been replaced with that of another. But of course this is hardly the first time we’ve heard a story like that. Riku and Terra were both victims of this as a result of Xehanort, and Luxu admitted that he’s been hopping from body to body for years and that Braig/Xigbar is just his most current identity. So then is Yozora a victim of the same technique that Xehanort and Luxu have used? Yozora himself seems surprised that Sora was actually able to recognize him as Yozora, as if he expected himself to look like someone else. 

So first, we gotta work through a question here: is the form we see in Re:Mind pre- or post-possession? It seems to me to make the most sense that the Yozora we see in Re:Mind is his true form, and that whoever’s possessed him has caused him to take on a new form. The dialogue wouldn’t line up otherwise. We can match the appearance to the name thanks to Verum Rex. So what does Yozora look like now? How much was he transformed? It could be as minor as hair and eye color change (re:Terra) or as dramatic as a completely different body (re:Riku). 

Why did we see him as Yozora then? As what he’s supposed to look like. Presumably because the battle takes place in a dream. Yozora tells Sora that “this isn’t the real world”. Sora was last seen stuck in the Final World, the realm of death, which we know crosses over to the realm of sleep. And of course, before the battle arena changes to Shibuya, it first changes to Sora’s Station of Awakening. Chirithy mentioned is Sora’s first visit to the Final World that he had accidentally visited it before through the Station of Awakening, confirming that the Stations can be used as a gateway between dreams and the afterlife. It make sense that in his dreams, that when connecting to Yozora’s heart, Yozora just looks like Yozora, like he’s supposed to. 

But all of this dances around the biggest questions here raised by two quotes: "Why are you using Sora’s name?” “I was told to save Sora”. Why attack Sora if he’s supposed to rescue him? Well, what similar situations do we have to work with in the series? Traditional combat is used to “save” someone when they’ve been taken control of by some outside person/force (Riku, Terra, Aqua, Ven, Xion, etc., etc., etc.) Could the same thing have happened to Sora? It would explain the first quote as well. Being taken control of often comes with a change in physical appearance. If Yozora had never seen Sora before the wording would be different in that quote. “Why are you using Sora’s name?” implies that Yozora knows what Sora’s supposed to look like, that this isn’t it. That his first assumption is “You’re not really Sora, you’re lying. Why are you stealing Sora’s name?” 

The other possibility is that there is a second person named Sora and that Yozora is confusing one for the other. That he knows A Sora but not OUR Sora. I find this unlikely though. First, from a meta perspective, I doubt the series would want to introduce a brand new character with the exact same name as the protagonist. Granted, this is Kingdom Hearts, and its no stranger to needlessly complicated plot points, but I feel like even they have to realize the marketing nightmare that that would be. Having two Ansems was bad enough, but two Soras would be a trip and a half. Secondly though, I feel like from a narrative perspective its the less interesting option. Where does that plot go? Well we figured out there’s another Sora and Yozora was confused because he thought the Sora we knew was the Sora he knew. Now there’s a second character name Sora and Yozora goes off to help them instead and maybe Sora helps too. The other though? That suggests that something happened to Sora. That someone took control of him, or possessed him, or perhaps will in the future. Perhaps Yozora was doing the right thing just at the wrong time. Someone trying to beat up Terra at the beginning of Birth by Sleep because they know he gets possessed but don’t realize he hasn’t already? Or perhaps he’s been lead to believe that Sora has been possessed when really he hasn’t. That has a lot more interesting places that can go. It also allows for Yozora to be in opposition to the player while still being a “good guy”. The two Soras theory could be true, but I feel like its much more straightforward, and has much less narrative potential, while also adding a lot of naming confusion to the series. All of that together makes it feel very unlikely to me. 

Another possibility that just occurred to me as well is that perhaps Yozora simply didn’t expect Sora to be able to retain his body. Most people when they travel to the Final World lose their from and appear merely as floating stars. Yet Sora’s managed to retain his body. Perhaps Yozora expected to find Sora in this state and was taken aback to find that had somehow retained his form. The fight is the only part that doesn’t quite fit with this theory. If he thinks Sora has lost his body and then finds out that he has, then why fight him? Why capture/freeze/crystalize him? Those actions make sense if he thinks Sora’s been taken over by someone or something else. But not so much if Sora is merely more alive then he expected him to be. 

But who told him to save Sora in the first place? After the arena changes to Shibuya he mentions having gone through some trials before being told to save Sora. We can surmise from the Secret Movie that the Master of Masters is also in Shibuya. Perhaps he was the one who appointed this task to Yozora? He mentioned “some trials” and we know that he had his body taken away from him. Perhaps Yozora was competing in some variant of the Reaper’s Game (assuming that Nomura is planning on crossing the streams more between Kingdom Hearts and TWEWY) and saving Sora was his final task? I feel like this part is just kinda grasping around. We have nothing solid to go on. 

So to recap what we can say for sure so far 

"He’s been changed beyond recognition-his heart replaced with another” - Nameless Star in reference to Yozora

Yozora is surprised both that Sora knows him and that he is able to recognize him as Yozora

Yozora arrived in Shibuya went through some sort of trials and then was told to save Sora

Yozora doesn’t recognize Sora to the point of doubting that he is who he says he is 

Yozora has likely never met Sora before (“You know me?” “Sure. I’ve heard of you.”) 

The Secret Episode is likely a shared dream between Yozora and Sora, and/or the two of them connecting to each other through their dreams (Sora’s surprise at being in one piece, Yozora being surprised that he looks like himself, the setting changing from The Final World to the Station of Awakening to Shibuya, the episode ending with us seeing Yozora waking up in the back seat of a car, the talk of dreams in the Limit Cut Episode immediately before)

The Secret Movie “Yozora” is a recurring dream that Riku’s been having (although he does not mention the presence of The Master)

How, exactly, all of these pieces fit together is the tricky part. This is all going much longer then I expected so I’m just gonna end this post here though. The other two portions will be shorter so I’ll probably put them together in another post. If you have any thoughts or theories feel free to let me know. I’ve been puzzling over all of this for days now and I’m sure I’ll still be a year from now XP

[ravenaveira]

Just wanna clarify a few things after my long review/rant at the end for KH3 Re:Mind

My comments about the Sokai stuff I stand by, but I wanna be clear because I see Sokai shippers claiming antis complained about the lack of Sokai for it to be a believable relationship and now that Sokai has more moments we’re complaining about them shoving Sokai down our throats.

I cant speak for all antis on this, so I’ll be strictly speaking for myself on this issue and anyone else who feels similar to me. Warning it gets long again so be ready.

Yes Im one of those antis who complained about the lack of Sokai which made it underdeveloped and unbelievable, and yes I am also complaining about them now shoving Sokai down our throats.

Why? because Kingdom hearts is not a romance, and throughout every single game so far romance has taken a severe back seat and handled very subtely. For example Sora’s drawing in the cave of him giving Kairi the Paopu fruit, Riku teasing him about wanting to give one to Kairi, Sora saying hes always with her and promising to come back for her, Roxas calling Kairi ‘the girl he likes’ etc

All these moments were very short, subtle, and to the point. It was not a primary focus nor was it blatantly shoved in your face like

I mean in almost EVERY shot they were together Sora was holding her hand, which isnt something he usually does? keep in mind Sora and Kairi’s feelings have been known to eachother since KH2 and Sora still didnt behave the way he is now. He was always very awkward and uncomfortable/shy when it came to romance.

In KH2 Sora didnt hug Kairi, nor did he hold her hand, it was KAIRI who initiated the hug out of relief and happiness to see Sora again and that hes ok. Sora did not show the same sentiment and treated her like he always has, just casually walking up to her and just nonchalantly saying ‘You are different Kairi, but Im just glad your here’ as if she wasnt kidnapped and being held hostage this entire time. He should have showed the same concern for her as he did for Riku and Kairi for him but he did not, he just said that and then turned away and apologized.

But in KH3 Sora/Nomura pull a complete 180, Sora hugs Kairi to shield her from Terranort with his body instead of pulling out his keyblade and blocking his attack. Him hugging Kairi there was not only stupid, but it doesnt even defend her, Terranort will just kill Kairi AND him now. That was just a forced out of place Sokai moment for the sake of shoving a Sokai moment that was completely unnessecary and could of easily had the same impact by having Sora do the common sense thing and BLOCK with his keyblade like he did for Riku when they were in THE EXACT SAME SITUATION.

See the difference? good, then I need say no more.

This is only one of many situations where they would shoehorn in a Sokai moment that was completely out of place, didnt make any sense, or just forced in trying way too hard to convince you how much Sora cares for Kairi and how much they love and want to be together forever etc etc

Another example being when everybody ‘dies’ in the keyblade graveyard being swept away by heartless. Sora only loses his mind and breaks down emotionally after Kairi is the last one swept away, he then says the most inconsiderate line he could have ever said.

He says this while RIKU IS RIGHT THERE BESIDE HIM, even if you were arguing he was just speaking figuratively thats still no excuse, he was NOT alone but at that moment he just completely disregarded Riku as if his presence there was the same as being alone.

Not only that but seconds later he does one of the most out of character things for him.

Sora just WATCHES Riku risk his life holding back the heartless to protect him and Sora just WATCHES him fighting off this huge horde of heartless BY HIMSELF and not ONCE does Sora make ANY attempt to get up and help Riku despite knowing his life is at risk trying to hold them back alone.

Even if you wanna argue Sora was in shock, when has that ever stopped him before!? when have you EVER known Sora to just sit back and watch his friends put their lives in danger and NOT help them?

What makes this worse is thats not even the first time he does it, he sits back and watches AGAIN as Axel gets bodied right infront of him just to have him exhausted next to Kairi because you know, Sora’s never fought strong opponents and gotten right back up to protect his friends before.

Remember Terranort? Sora was overpowered by him and still made the effort to run over and hug Kairi to shield her from his attack, but Axel and Riku? nah just gonna chill and watch. This is BEYOND out of character for Sora.

When Axel told Sora to hurry and save Kairi, who was being held hostage by the organization and was in danger, Sora refused to leave him and stayed behind to help him fight. Sora chose helping Axel over Kairi, he put saving his enemy before his own friend/love interest.

When Neku betrayed him, Sora still helped and protected him when he was in danger

When Riku stole his keyblade and Donald and Goofy followed him and left Sora behind, yes Sora was discouraged but when he saw Beasts determination to save Belle no matter what, it encouraged Sora to do the same for the people he cared about

I could go on but you get my point, Sora saw Riku risking his life, literally dying and he did NOTHING, try to justify that all you want but that was incredibly out of character and was obviously put there to show how losing Kairi broke him.

I know your probably gonna argue it wasnt just Kairi it was everybody, and to that I say this, if it wasnt just about Kairi why didnt Sora snap when Ven and Axel got bodied? he froze for a few seconds but then snapped out of it thanks to Riku. After that everybody gets swept away, but the game made sure to put EXTRA emphasis, slow motion and all, to Kairi and Sora reaching out to eachother and then Kairi being swept away by the tide.

THATS when he snaps, if it truly werent just about Kairi they wouldnt have made sure to put emphasis on her being swept away, EVERYONE would have gotten the same treatment if it were truly their deaths also that made Sora fall apart. Im not saying he wasnt upset or heartbroken over them, Im pointing out how they made sure to single out Kairi as the most DEVASTATING loss out of all of them.

Yet again, he has Riku one of his closest bonds if not the closest right beside him yet he doesnt even acknowledge him? he says hes alone even though Rikus right there? you cannot justify that as anything other than downplaying Riku to boost Kairi up.

You do not see the other trios treated this way, every trio has equal focus for ALL of them and even the romantic hints for some of them [Roxas/Xion, Terra/Aqua, technically Namine/Repliku] have all been treated equally and did not feel forced or out of place but very natural and they still made sure to focus on the friendship bond between them overall.

Axel doesnt get played down in importance to Roxas just to boost Xion up, their friendship and bond with eachother are equally important to one another despite whatever ‘romance’ there might be. Same applies to Terra and Aqua, Ven is not played down in importance to them. As for Namine and Repliku they arent a trio but their romance was still handled well and it didnt overshadow their platonic bond or attempt to play down the real Riku or vice versa to boost the other, Namine was equally important to both of them.

So balancing romance and friendship CAN be done in their trio, but for some reason Nomura insists on pitting one against the other and playing down one over the other, in Sokai’s case thats Riku, which is an insult to his and Sora’s bond. The same way Sokai shippers felt the over-focus on Sorikus bond was a disservice to Sora and Kairi’s bond, its the same issue.

But lets get back to Re:mind because besides a few bad moments, overall KH3 was atleast passable with the Sokai nonsense. Then comes Re:Mind and oh boy...the damage control was strong in this one.

Again as I said earlier the Sokai moments in this game were very forced and out of place and in many ways out of character for Sora.

For starters the excessive hand holding, why? to convince us their a thing? but Sora suggests otherwise

Even after all the excessive hand holding, the hugs, the forced moments etc, in the end Sora still calls Kairi a friend. After aaaaall the forced Sokai bs they shoved down our throats Sora still friendzones her, which is it Nomura? you either want them together or you dont, stop playing games and pick a side already.

Dont get me wrong Im glad he hasnt made it official yet but after all this its like enough is enough, either follow through or cut this shit out and go back to being subtle like before.

Another huge insult was Sora constantly saying how his journey started with Kairi, since when? I remember Sora losing Kairi AND Riku that day not just her. I recall Sora not going back to Destiny Islands with Kairi BECAUSE he wanted to continue his journey to find Riku, but apparently in Re:mind it was just all about Kairi, nothing about his journey involved Riku no it was only Kairi that was his main motivation, gtf outta here man.

You can say something over and over but that doesnt make it true, Sora’s journey started with BOTH of them, lets stop playing down Riku’s importance to once again boost Kairi up.

That hug when Sora finally reunited with Kairi after restoring her was so obviously trying to make up for all the years of people complaining about Sora’s lack of reaction to Kairi in KH2 in comparison to Riku, so having him hold her for several seconds floating in the sky should rectify that right? you believe he cares about her now right? fuck off man. If your gonna do damage control than atleast dont make it so obvious that thats what your doing because then it comes off disingenuous, forced, and fake.

But my biggest issue is the ending where they really shoehorned Sokai where it didnt belong, literally stalking everyone else with the exception of returning Namines heart and Sora helping to reunite Chirithy with Ventus. But in Twilight town, why were Sora and Kairi there? they werent with Roxas but just sitting above them

Why were they at Mickeys castle? again their just in the background sight seeing.

These scenes were completely unnessecary and completely out of place and made the ending WORSE rather than better. Why? because these are Sora’s final hours ALIVE whether you argue only for a day or a couple days, in all of these ending scenes only one thing matters to Sora and thats Kairi.

Before we assumed everything that was shown all happened the same exact day and we didnt see Sora with any of them. But now we have confirmation Sora WAS there yet he only spent his last remaining time with Kairi in the background while quietly stalking everyone else? even if he didnt spend time with anyone else, he should have spent his last remaining time with Kairi AND Riku, after all hes his best friend and would like to spend what little time he may have with Sora too but we dont see any of that. Hell this contradicts Soras own danm words to Chirithy prior to this.

Instead of just shoehorning a bunch of Sokai in the background why not show the three of them FINALLY all together again like the old days? this is wtf Im talking about. We saw ALL the other trios together but the Destiny trio? hell naw fuck Riku lets have Sora spend all his remaining time with Kairi, thats the only one who REALLY matters here. After being separated from eachother constantly, now they finally have the chance to be together again and spend time together as friends and they DONT.

Instead Sora decides to take Kairi around the worlds hes visited, something he said he wanted to do with Riku as well, and just spend all his remaining time with her, even though in the base game before the final battle Sora was concerned why Riku was all alone and not spending time with them together. But here? nah fuck Riku. I remembered how important it is to share moments with friends only applied to Kairi.

So personally idc that theres more Sokai moments, my problem is the execution. It doesnt feel genuine, it feels forced and awkward and just doing damage control to pander to the rabid fanbase thats been screaming for this type of content for years, well congrats, you got it.

My problem is Kingdom Hearts was never about romance, it was always subtle and not shoved in your face, it felt natural and not forced and like there was atleast SOME heart behind it, but this? just felt hollow and forced.

Just stop, Im glad in the end Kairi just sleeps for a whole year and probably still will be sleeping when the next game comes out and the focus will shift to Riku and his search for Sora along with the other keyblade wielders doing their part as well.

So Im thankful it seems like we’re done with this crap and getting back to what ACTUALLY matters and what people really wanna see from this series.

Notice how nothing in either of my posts had to do with Soriku as a couple but about their bond as friends, enough said.

So dont try to twist this into just being about pairings because its not, its about what this series has always been about being forgotten for the sake of a fucking trash ship that nobody cares about besides rabid shippers and Sora’s bonds with his other friends being completely thrown out the fucking window to shorehorn in a bunch of unnessecary Sokai moments as a desperate attempt to convince people that these two love eachother which at this point if you have to try so hard to CONVINCE people of your pairing its obvious your doing a very shitty job at it.

Im done, this is my last long post about this for a while but I really needed to get that all out there since nobody else seems to be calling it out for what it is. My anger and frustration is still very fresh and it shows so I really need to stop talking about it because at this point? Re:Mind just ReMinded me why the Destiny trio is the worst out of them all, it is the most unbalanced and quite frankly feels more like Riku is a third wheel at this point and not even a part of the trio anymore. Before Kairi, it was always Sora and RIku yet hes the one whos being pushed aside and forgotten about in all this. That pisses me off.

So Im done with this topic, I need to cool off for the next couple of years till the next game comes out where hopefully Kairi stays asleep the entire time and NOT ruin another game.

[yo-namine]

Okay, time to talk to myself about Re:Mind and Limit Cut Episode. 

Spoilers galore under the cut!

I'm just gonna start off by talking about how the DLC handled my biggest gripe with base KH3, which was obviously how Kairi was written in the last few hours of the game. Like I said in my other post, Re:Mind doesn't totally fix those problems, but... Well, here's what we get:

Kairi's "murder" is reframed a bit in the DLC. Base KH3 presents it as Xehanort killing her just to provoke Sora et al. into "clashing" with him to make the final key. In Re:Mind, we learn that Xehanort was actually stowing Kairi away (by "crystallizing" her, which... means she wasn't dead? But Sora still takes all the steps Chirithy gives him that are specifically for restoring a heart from death, and it works, so...?) as a fail-safe of sorts in case he needed another Light. Xemnas foreshadows this a bit when he says that Kingdom Hearts needs the Princesses of Heart in case the whole 13 Clashes of Light and Darkness thing doesn't work out. And for what it's worth, I do think this is a little better for Kairi as a character just because it shows that she was "killed" due to something unique and special about her, rather than what she was to Sora. She's still being used, and she's still sapped of her agency, but presumably no other character could have worked in that role against Xehanort, so... that's something, I suppose.

During the Xemnas/Saix/Xion fight, there's an added scene where all the Lights get to take a shot at Xemnas, and Kairi actually broke that motherfucker's guard and made him stumble when no one else could... And then she got captured, bloop, but at least this time it was because she was actually fighting and simply got bested. I can appreciate that. I liked seeing her shield Axel from Xion's attack, too.

And of course, she does get the chance to take on Xehanort later. She has a nice battle set-up (a sort of warp dash ability similar to Riku's and Roxas's, shotlock, reflect, and a GORGEOUS link attack with Sora), and it's a little cathartic to play as her taking Xehanort down. However, I don't think she ever learns that Xehanort took her as a safety measure for his plan or why she was the one chosen for this in the first place. She doesn't speak to Xehanort at all, which makes her big battle with him at the end feel rather... impersonal? And never mind him "killing" her in KH3; Xehanort's ultimately responsible for her losing her family when she was four years old, as well as the destruction of her home world. I'm not saying Kairi and Xehanort needed to have some long overwrought conversation or anything, but there definitely should've been some dialogue between them.

Kairi's actually involved in Naminé's restoration after all!!!!!!!! I remember the Ultimania's explanation of Naminé's return leaving a bad taste in my mouth because it seemed like they framed Kairi's death as ultimately a good thing, because hey, at least her murder freed Naminé from her heart. But that's not what actually happened; instead, Kairi and Sora go to Radiant Garden at the end of the game, and she lets him use the keyblade to release Naminé's heart from hers. And honestly, that scene right there? That was probably my favorite part of this entire DLC. The fact that Kairi really did play a part in restoring her Nobody is a much better payoff to her earlier lines in the game about wanting Naminé to have her own experiences. She wanted to give Naminé her life back, and rather than that being something wrenched from Kairi against her will, it was something she did for Naminé of her own volition.  I just. 😭

/tl;dr thoughts on kairi

As for everything else in Re:Mind:

I loved the background moments with Sora and Kairi in the ending cinematic. Each one is framed so that you can't see their faces, so they all feel like you're looking in on something secret. The "Behind the Curtain" trophy name is pretty fitting (and just downright cute, lol). And like I said above, I loved the scene where Kairi and Sora restore Naminé's heart. You just see him pull the keyblade away from her chest, and then she cradles Naminé's heart in her hands and fjsldfjskd. I teared up at that. It was just such a sweet and gentle little moment. Sora and Kairi taking Chirithy to Ven (and Sora even giving them a little push, lol) was really sweet, too. I loved their body language while they watched Ven run off, how you see them turn toward each other just slightly.

I also like how Sora and Kairi's relationship evolved from "Even if we're apart, our hearts are always connected" to "Heart connections are nice and all, but I'd much rather actually be with you."

Demyx and Riku interacting was something I never knew I needed. Riku's like "PLEASE be careful with that vessel, it's very important--" and Demyx is just "Bro, I got this," and hoists it over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Sora and Roxas actually talk to each other! I liked the scene where Sora's Station of Awakening starts to peel away to reveal Roxas's, and you get little glimpses of Roxas's memories. And it turns out that Sora actually did release Roxas's heart from his, and it wasn't just Xemnas kicking Xion into his chest that did the trick, lmao. I like that change.

Xemnas mentions that the original Organization doesn't remember Xion, but they do have records of her. That's a nice little tidbit to have for my Day 4 AU. 👀

Saix says the Guardians must be desperate if they're getting a Princess of Heart involved in the war, and Axel's like "Nah, she's our trump card." Aw. I also thought it was interesting how Saix purposefully uses Axel and Roxas's names to try to trigger Xion's memory of them.

I had to watch the recusant's sigil bit like four times before I understood what the hell was happening, lmao. The sigil represents the Sea Salt Trio's actual connection to one another that they had to "reclaim" from Xemnas, which... okay, but why was that needed? The thing I always liked about this trio is that they're the only one that we see develop fully from the beginning to the end of their relationship. They were always the most believable (canon) trio to me because of that, so throwing in this whole "The sigil binds us together!" thing just seems kind of stupid and unnecessary. They're friendship is good enough as-is. You don't have to add in this nonsense to represent their bond; their relationship development itself already did that. But whatever, they still had a really cool combo attack.

Scala ad Caelum is expanded on! I really enjoyed exploring it and solving the little puzzles to put Kairi's heart back together.

I LOVED THE GUARDIANS VS. NORT REPLICAS BATTLE SO MUCH I HAVE TO YELL ABOUT IT. I ACTUALLY DIED THE FIRST TIME BUT I DIDN'T CARE THAT I HAD TO REPLAY IT BECAUSE I WAS HAVING SO MUCH FUN. THE TAG TEAM ATTACKS!!!!! AQUA, XION, AND MICKEY'S COUNTER-ATTACK!!!!!! EVERYONE ACTUALLY WORKING TOGETHER!!!!!!!! IT’S ALL I EVER WANTED!!!!!!!! 

There are so many cute dialogue exchanges during the Guardians vs. replicas sequence, too! Ven and Roxas compliment each other, Aqua scolds Axel for talking too much (twice, I think? Axel fusses at her the second time, lmao), Terra says something to Riku that I couldn't quite catch, and Riku's like "All thanks to you!" It's just so cute and charming, and it really made the Guardians finally feel like a team.

Mickey Mouse straight-up Boromir-ing his way through the Nort replicas was... I think I loved that? Yeah, no, I loved that. I was laughing through half of it because I kept getting knocked back, but it was a great sequence (visually and gameplay-wise).

Connecting all the keyholes was very satisfying, and was just a beautiful visual altogether.

Sora and Kairi's reunion was adorable. And then Sora sees Goatanort enter the scene, and he just looks at Kairi and is like, "You ready, B?" and Kairi's like, "FUCK yeah, I'm taking his trachea through his kneecaps!!!!!" Okay, not really, lmao. Actually, Kairi's surprised when Sora asks her that, like she didn't expect him to let her help, or maybe she felt like she wouldn't even be able to, but she says she's ready anyway. Kairi’s under-confidence in her fighting skills is a little more apparent in the DLC. Like she says "I can do this" right before the final battle, but it comes off as her trying to reassure herself. She even has a counterattack where her battle quote is "Please work!" and I don't remember hearing her say that in the base game. Girl knows how outclassed she is compared to most of the other Guardians (and Xehanort), but she fights like hell anyway. Attagirl. 🎉

And as for Limit Cut:

Aww, I love that Terra calls Riku "a great leader."

Cheers to David Gallagher for saying "Are you sure about this?" with the exact same inflection as the John Cena meme.

Riku's a master now, right? When will he get some spiffy keyblade armor???????

Okay. Riku is having dreams about looking for Sora. Sora is dead (?), and "the edges of sleep and death touch." Kairi has been asleep for the past year so that the Radiant Garden team can study her heart in effort to find Sora. Nomura? Nomura? Nomura. You cannot fuck this up, man. You can do this. You can write the Destiny Trio working together again. You can write a full story in which Kairi has an active role. You can write her and Riku interacting. You can do it. I believe in you.

The data battles are so hardddddd. I wound up just watching all the LC cutscenes on youtube, lmfao. But I do want to try to beat at least some of these bosses. Tragically, Riku is TRAPPED IN MERLIN'S HOUSE, so you can't leave to grind or anything. Boo.

I don't really care about Yozora. I think we got a confirmation from Sora that Nameless Star is Stella (?), and that's cute for her I guess, but I genuinely don't care, lmao. But I definitely understand the compulsion to include beloved characters from old cancelled projects in your newer ones, so I hope Nomura has fun with that. ...That sounded sarcastic, lol, but I meant it. I hope he gets to do something cool and creative with this recycled cast. It just might not be a story I'll end up following, is all.

Data greeting is SO much fun. I sank a couple of hours into that the other night just creating scenes and playing with effects. The controls are really easy to use, and it's even fun to just explore environments like Radiant Garden and Scala ad Caelum without messing with photos at all. I hope we can unlock more character outfits and poses in the future, but I can definitely enjoy it as is for now.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this DLC. True, about half of Re:Mind is a rehash of the Keyblade Graveyard scenes with some extra content here and there, but it's sort of justified story-wise since we're in a timeloop. I enjoyed the extra Kairi scenes and the interactions between the Guardians the most. Limit Cut is mainly just bonus bosses, but like I said, I do want to actually beat those once I can figure out a strategy for them. And I'm obviously having way too much fun with Data Greeting, lmao, so yeah. Not a bad update.

[landprince]

What's wing au and can we get headcanons for that? 👀

send me an au and i’ll give you 5+ headcanons about it

wing au is an au where it’s like the same but wings are there for some reason. the reason is I like them

wings still need to be taken care of just as much as, if not more than, someone’s hair or other parts of the body but due to the base of the wings being really difficult to reach for an individual, social wing grooming is really common 

there are people with wings covered in feathers and some that are more skin (bats) each type of wings has special products and needs

wing sunscreen

those with bat-like wings have heavier bones and those with bird-like wings have lighter bones 

those with more bat-like wings basically have extra pairs of hands due to the bones in them acting as another set of fingers

“can you get me that–” using wings to grab stuff “….nevermind” 

I would cry seeing someone grabbing something with their wings 

giving someone a feather from your wings is an intimate gesture 

many people use discarded feathers as gifts since it does somewhat cause a twinge of pain to rip a feather out but it means more to watch someone take out a feather before giving it over to you

Riku would have bat wings and Sora would have feather covered wings

Sora’s feathers are a deep brown with golden highlights that seem to shimmer in the sun

they were baby chick yellow down when he was a young child

not every person with feather wings has down that will be the same color as their full feathers

feathers also don’t always match a person’s hair color

his feathers started fully coming in around age four

Riku gently teased him about the down that trailed after him whenever Sora went anywhere

when Sora was 14 he gave Riku(15) one of his feathers 

Riku was absolutely flustered when Sora gave him a feather and wished he could give Sora such an intimate gesture as well 

the feather he was given is too big to keep on him at all times but he keeps it close to where he sleeps every night

for weeks afterwards Riku did odd little jobs here and there so he could get Sora something in return 

due to his wing type Riku has much more mobility than Sora does with his wings

the fact he can move them so easily means they’re more useful (or at least he thinks so)

he can wrap them snug enough around his body that it looks like he doesn’t even have wings sometimes but it’s rare for him to do this 

winter is the one time he does this frequently due to trying to keep his wings from getting cold

he likes pulling Sora closer via his wings but Sora does the exact same thing 

if it’s raining and the two of them have forgotten umbrellas and coats Riku stretches out his wings to help keep some of the water off of them

feathers can be awful to dry sometimes if you don’t keep them waterproof 

after they make it home Riku just has to shake off his wings and quickly wipe a towel over them whereas Sora looks like a drenched bird

Sora still uses his wings to do other things, but not in the same way as Riku is able to

Sora likes using his wings as an extra blanket

soft; warm

he fluffs up almost like a chick would before wrapping his wings around himself and sleeping 

he’s also more than willing to wrap a wing around Riku to keep him warm

due to having wings that are more skin and bones, Riku gets colder easier

wing fashion line what would that look like?

Riku not so secretly likes when Sora wraps his wings around him and the two shuffle around until they’re cuddling comfortably against each other

both of them like to hover close, wings up and blocking out everyone and everything around them as they talk in low tones 

Riku looks at Sora’s lips more than he’s looking at Sora’s eyes and he can see the way Sora’s feathers fluff at the attention before he presses a quick kiss to the corner of Riku’s lips before fluttering away and leaving a red faced Riku on the ground staring after him

while it’s not practical to fly everywhere it’s still fun and the both of them race each other all the time to build up their strength and stamina

please imagine Edgy™ Riku referring to his wings as devil wings constantly

is wing dye a thing??? please let him dye his wings black 

I’m literally losing it at the thought

“I can be your angle….. or yuor devil” 

in general just the sappy angel references Riku would make to Sora???? 

angel-face being his most used nickname for Sora

anytime Sora touches him Riku fake chokes up and whispers “I can’t believe I’ve been touched by an angel….” 

Sora always goes so red at these sappy phrases and names but he adores them 

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Turn me to Gold

Summary: Kairi had never liked yellow... and when her time training and in the Keyblade War is surrounded by that color, she thinks that maybe that somehow had something to do with her failures there. But her failures don't have to stay that way, right? Maybe she can finally succeed in finding Sora! Friendships. Kairi-centric. Character story. During Kingdom Hearts III. Leading into KHIV.

Kairi had watched this show once, where a student—in his first wrestling match—had essentially won a tournament by accident... And the person he'd won against had then demanded he go up against him again. And when the winner hadn't accepted the rematch, the loser kept getting up in his face and calling him "yellow": "yellow, yellow, yellow", to be exact. And for the life of her... ever since she'd come to train with Merlin, Kairi couldn't get the memory of this show out of her head.

She was just so concerned that she was going to completely fail in the Keyblade War, and her loved ones would only remember how far she’d fallen when all was said and done. And that was why—as beautiful as this green space Merlin had provided them to train in was—Kairi couldn't help but to blanch, when she saw dandelions all around her and even stepped on a few of them by accident. Gods, did she hope she didn't somehow just suck their yellowness into herself by doing so... And Lea (who Kairi still wasn’t sure how she felt about yet) must have noticed her discomfort when she did this:

Because cocking his head to the side and looking at her rather uncertainly, he asked: "Are you okay, Kairi?" And Kairi was quick to nod and try and reassure her companion that she was. ...But she had her own doubts on the subject. And maybe it was because of that—and not so much being affected by yellow—that Kairi felt that she couldn’t get her body to move the way she wanted it to during training that day.

... The next time Kairi had thoughts about yellow—though this didn't come until much later, because she'd been doing good to banish it from her mind—was when she surprisingly ran into Sora one night at the Mysterious Tower. Kairi was getting ahead of herself, she knew… but she'd come to ask Master Yen Sid if she could take the Mark of Mastery in the near future: perhaps it would give her something to strive for even moreso, and then she could excel at training that way.

And if Sora and Riku had taken it, after having all their skills stripped and having to learn them again in the Dream Worlds, maybe it wasn't too out of the question that the Wizard might want to do the same for her.

Kairi thought to herself that since Merlin’s plans didn’t seem to be working for her, perhaps Master Yen Sid would want to try this sooner rather than later? It was when Kairi was having these ideas, and trying to make her way to the former Keyblade Master's study, that she literally ran into Sora... Who was shockingly rummaging through the Sorcerer’s pantry for cookies? …Once the two friends calmed down from being "attacked by someone" at ten 'o clock in the evening, and then got over how dumbfounded they were to be seeing each other before their meeting in the Keyblade Graveyard (something neither had thought would happen), Sora was quick to explain his side of the story. "Sorry, Kairi. We ran out of food in the gummi ship, if ya can believe it. So, I thought I'd borrow some food from Master Yen Sid here, for Donald, Goofy, and myself. But I didn't know it was so late here! Hehe." Sora said the last bit, as he scratched his head nervously and grinned at her.

And to that, Kairi could only laugh—enamored with Sora as she always was—as she assured him: “It’s fine, Sora. If anyone should apologize, it's me. I actually had some idea of the time... and I was still coming to ask the Great Wizard about me taking the Mark of Mastery exam." And it was when Kairi said that, that she became aware of what sort of cookies Sora was holding in his hands and could only gawk at them.

They were mostly harmless, really—though Kairi had always thought that the frosting on these sugar cookies had almost seemed cemented on—but she couldn't get over the ghastly color of them. ...It wasn't even that she disliked them in particular—she admired these treats greatly… And it was perhaps in having had too many of them before her adventure last year, that she'd been unable to fit through the bars of her prison… Before Kairi’s mini freak-out, Sora had started to ask Kairi something about the Mark of Mastery--she'd heard him begin to utter the words—but he seemed to quickly change his mind when he saw the look she was now giving the dessert. "You never were big on yellow," Sora muttered to himself—now hiding the sugary items behind his back, which Kairi was thankful for. "…Which is maybe a bit weird, since you're a princess of light. But who am I to judge?" Kairi—not wanting to hint at just how much she'd perhaps lost her mind, or to keep Sora from his duties any longer—gave the boy a quick hug, and told him if there was any reason she disliked yellow... it was because they marked the stars she'd always have to lose him and Riku behind... But she'd selflessly do so, anyway. And the two of them bid each other the sad farewell they’d known they’d have to for the time being, but did so with grace.

… Sora was busy talking to Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Ventus, Aqua, and Lea in the back of the gummi ship, so that was why he wasn't piloting it for once. At first, they thought they could just ask Donald to do it… but apparently there was a reason Sora had taken over flying from him. So Riku manning the helm, it was. And Kairi had come to see him, so he wouldn't get lonely. "Question, Riku." the redhead said, as she leaned her arm over his shoulder and peered into her dear friend's face. "…Does the gummi ship look yellow to you?" Riku shrugged, before he turned his attention to manning the controls again. "Ish? But it looks more cream or white to me. Why do you ask, Kairi? …Aside from the fact that you've never liked yellow." The princess thought strongly of saying nothing... she didn't want to decrease morale, after all, or jinx anything… or put bad thoughts into anyone's head. But... "It's just-" she began before she could stop herself, fiddling with her necklace as she did so... "I didn't have as much luck with my training as I would have hoped. And, yeah: paranoid and superstitious or not... I think it has something to do with yellow. That color... doesn't like me, ever since that man with those eyes kidnapped me as a child. And bad things seem to happen whenever I run into it." Except for with people like Naminé, she of course wanted to add. But herhair was more white, anyway. But before Kairi could voice that, Riku was already appraising her. "...Kairi, is this partly because you suddenly thought your charm wouldn't be enough to protect all of us... So, you decided to move up to a paopu for Sora and yourself, but now feel uncertain about that?"

The truth? Kairi hadn’t consciously thought of that. But now that Riku had put it into her head, she couldn’t deny that it was a possibility she did feel this way.

At the moment, she was just about to give Riku the lucky charm that Sora had recently returned to her… but Riku stopped her, with his fingers over her own.

“Kairi… I think you know better than anyone—my now girly-girl friend—why too much thought shouldn’t be put into colors being cursed, or whatever. Surely Kingdom Hearts and the worlds gave them to us for a reason’.”

And she couldn’t argue with that, Kairi acknowledged inwardly with a smile.

So, telling herself to just entertain the bored Riku, like she’d meant to do since coming over here, Kairi couldn’t help asking proudly: “So… what is this I hear about you wanting to save my Other, too?”

…

In the end, things at the Keyblade War did not go well for Kairi… and she knew that that was putting it mildly.

Sora was now dead… because she’d been unable to defend herself, been murdered--and he had paid the ultimate price to bring her back.

And while it was so very foolish to be thinking about this now—because maybe her distracted thoughts during the Keyblade War were what had led to her doing so badly—she couldn’t help thinking it had been yellow’s fault.

And she found herself telling Donald and Goofy that now, as they quietly came to sit beside her—one on either side—on the dock.

“You know… I never understood why Sora didn’t wear bright colors himself,” Kairi explained—making sure to look at the court magician and captain of the royal guard in equal turn, even though she didn’t feel quite up to it at the moment. “…After his first journey, I mean. Sora shone brighter than anyone else did, so why…?! I didn’t get it. “But now I wonder if it’s because he subconsciously knew what had happened with Roxas, even then, and that… that guilt reacted to the Three Good Fairies striking him with their magic, and turned his outfit black. Because how could someone who stole the existence of another for themselves wear white… or something close to it, like yellow?”

“Kairi!” Donald quacked somewhat angrily, Kairi could tell. Perhaps thinking, in her grief, that she was now blaming Sora.

And Goofy frowned, as if thinking the same exact thing.

But Kairi swiftly let them know that that wasn’t the case:

“Don’t misunderstand. I don’t blame Sora for the Roxas situation, or anything like it… It just happened without him knowing it… He had no control over it, it’s true, but when he learned of it… he made certain to set it right.

“And maybe… maybe I’ll be the same way, if you’ll help me: I’ll take a page out of Sora’s book—and wear black myself: the way I should have after what I did to Naminé—but I’m going to look for him the way he always looked for me… and all will be right again.”

Kairi could tell that Donald and Goofy wanted to argue her belief of colors, the way that everyone else had.

But she was glad that they both—so in-tune with each other—breathed a sigh at the same time, and seemed to think better of it.

And both the dog and duck took one of her hands into their own Keyblade-wielding ones.

The new trio—for the time being—watched the gummi ship that the King had gone to get for them coming their way.

And it was when they could hear the sounds of the engines, that Goofy chose to speak: “The color yellow isn’t all bad, Kairi: Why, isn’t that the shade of the pendant Master Aqua enchanted for you, that first brought you to Sora? Push all the other versions of it away now, if ya must… But focus on that and your bond, and you’re sure to find him!”

And as those words reached her, Kairi realized she’d heard something like them before: when she’d been in Sora’s heart.

That special boy had been fretting that he would never find her or the King… and pondering how Donald and Goofy remained so cheerful and didn’t worry.

But then Goofy had promised Sora that they would find what they were looking for, if they just believed in themselves: Something they’d just learned about in Neverland before that, even.

And hearing this was exactly the kind of medicine Kairi needed for her wound.

So Kairi let Goofy and them know this—as they were teleported into the gummi ship together: now headed somewhere with a dark castle.

Kairi’s words sounded warmer—like a just-baked pie—than they had in a long time, and perhaps that was the answer to everything.

“Thank you… Donald… Goofy.”

Together, they looked towards the horizon.

[kiibearer-a]

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

( jokes on me I actually made this in depth ) 

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

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

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

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

[davidmann95]

The Kingdom Hearts III Reaction

First thing’s first: yes, I got the responses to my initial reaction letting me know I could use L2 to cycle through triangle commands, and oh my god that made things so much more manageable, so thank you.

Gameplay wise, I said what I had to say right off the bat earlier: lot of fun, best version of the traditional playstyle. Gorgeous except for when it’s the most gorgeous. Way more game than I could handle on the margins, but it felt like fun available options I could choose whether to pursue or not rather than overwhelming.

Under the cut I’m gonna talk some broad structural stuff; I’ll avoid anything overtly spoilery, but it would certainly be understandable if you’d rather stay away. Under another bolded sign though I’m going to get into MAXIMUM spoiler territory, so those who just want my basic impressions but would prefer to hold off on more than that until they have their own go at it can know where to get off.

So this game does like 90% of everything I ever wanted it to do, plus so much MORE than I ever would have expected, resulting in a finale even more grand and resonant and satisfying than I might have imagined after nearly 13 years of waiting. The problem is that all that stuff is in the last 8 hours, and it is very, very clear that’s the part of the game Nomura and company actually cared about. This wasn’t interested in being Kingdom Hearts III, it wanted to be Kingdom Hearts III Part 3/3: The Finale after Dream Drop Distance and A Fragmentary Passage covered the other biggies, to the point of as mentioned before critically compromising the beginning of the game. It reached the point where Dream Drop Distance went from just baaaaarely pulling ahead of 358/2 Days to dead damn last in my ranking of these, because it not only set the tone for what went wrong here - even if this succeeded in the end in a way that couldn’t - but sponged off vital reveals and the conclusion to Riku’s character arc, both of which 1,000,000% needed to be in here so this could be a complete sequel rather than in an intermediary story where they were weakened by context.

Long story short, Nomura and Square are going to have to think very, very hard about what kind of a role the Disney worlds are going to play in these going forward, because the enthusiasm for them on the part of the writers is visibly dead. Not across the board, passion clearly went into the likes of the Toy Story and Big Hero 6 worlds, but it could not have been plainer that Monsters Inc. and Frozen were checkmarks being crossed off, perfunctory in a way I genuinely don’t feel the Disney worlds were in the past (though that may be in large part because this time around Sora is literally just there for level grinding, rather than an immediate search for friends, stripping away the central underlying emotional urgency of I and II). It would’ve been alright if there had been a major act break of the sort II had to provide a sense of forward momentum, but as is it really is just marking time while characters other than Sora drive the plot in the background, mostly in the form of catching up with what the audience already knows. They’ll always be a part of the franchise, and obviously the iconic Disney figures in Mickey and the rest will always be central, but unless the powers that be find a fresh new angle I think it’s getting to be time to scale the movie settings back in favor of the main story and original worlds, if not to the extent the Final Fantasy elements have received.

So I spent most of the game disappointed, figuring it would pull it all together for the finale and more than satisfy me, but not enough to retroactively redeem the game as a whole. And then it retroactively went and redeemed the game, because when I say it kicks off in the last 8 hours I don’t mean that that’s where things start getting parsed out in time for the finale. I mean it’s 8 solid hours of climax, physical and plot and character, the most intense and overwhelming of the franchise, answers to real-life-decade spanning mysteries and character resolutions and endgame-scale setpieces and catharsis being delivered just one after the other after the other. It’s the entire emotional underpinning of the game in a single titanic endrun, in an experience and at a pitch I’ve never seen before. Even the parts that should have been set up earlier in the game still have the entire rest of the series and years of anticipation leading into them, and while it’s a shame it had to bank on that advantage, it worked, because when I look back on the game in years to come it’s going to be this that I’ll remember, and when I someday a long time from now play through the franchise as a whole, I’ll go through the parts that previously irritated me with a smile on my face because it’ll just be a charming interlude rather than a dead stop. I can’t put this over II’s more well-rounded experience because of those structural issues, but while 0.2 is maybe the purest expression of intent thus far in the series, its brevity, and the fact that as good as it gets its best isn’t as good as this gets, puts III neck-and-neck with it as the franchise runner-up for me.

Okay, BIGGEST SPOILERS IN THE FUCKING WORLD UNDER THE IMAGE

So being a person who exists online in the 21st century, I had some key images of the ending spoiled for me well in advance, which sucked but was also maybe a blessing in disguise, because if I hadn’t been braced when those last three seconds came...that would have been rough. It was startlingly rough as is, which is odd because as much as I’ve always liked Sora as a character and appreciated the odd way his nature as a Disney hero in a Final Fantasy dark epic makes him a perfect lead and counterpoint, I never realized the depths of emotional investment I’d attached to his specific fate until the rug got pulled out. It would be as blatant a “but there’s no body!” moment as any there’s ever been even without the secret ending and the confirmation on Nomura’s part that Sora will remain the main character, it’s an emotional blow and a setback and a mystery for the others to solve rather than a full tragic ending (and one would have to imagine the characters themselves would believe that and will act accordingly given this entire story was itself about bringing back a bunch of Very Definitely Dead Folks), but it’s harsh as hell even if it’s very clearly the next step in a Master Plan rather than purely blueballing players for the cruel joy of it. Still, even if it’s reminiscent of stuff we’ve seen before, a melancholy-at-best ending is fully within the franchise wheelhouse; if I’m right and there’s one full trilogy of main games remaining in the series (I’m guessing without many if any spinoffs, Nomura’s bosses are definitely going to have his nose to the grindstone to get through the remainder of this thing on a sane timescale so as not to have another...well, this), maybe it’ll fully establish a sad-odd-numbered-ending, happy-even-numbered ending pattern, with IV having a gleeful reunion, V ending with all seeming lost, and the grand finale letting the heroes have their happily ever after.*

Before getting into the gushing praise for the rest of it, the reason this is at 90% of everything I wanted rather than complete: Kairi is bizarrely shortchanged here compared to every other central character, especially given her relationship with Sora is the foundation of the very end and she’s the logical main protagonist for IV. Even her ‘death’ isn’t my issue so much - by the end of the game Sora has rescued literally every other main character from beyond the veil of the afterlife or a living hell in fairly rapid succession, she’s just the last and biggest deal to him personally - as that even a few more scenes with her would have shored up so much. Not that her material isn’t good when she is there, I absolutely do think it was, and the emotional buildup from the series up to this point was more than enough in my opinion to carry her stuff through, but it’s the equivalent of, say, Lois Lane appearing out of nowhere at the end of a Justice League story to provide the impetus for Superman: obviously this works and makes sense because we know how much they mean to one another, but in the context of this as a lone narrative it’s a little out of nowhere. Riku gets it pretty bad too, if not as much so, but he has the ‘excuse’ of having his character arc resolved in Dream Drop Distance. Still though, it means the central trio is scarcely a thing in here the way it was in the past, though it looks like the next game is going to be entirely about getting them back together and hopefully they’ll stay as a complete unit from there on out.

Also prior to gushing praise: if Dream Drop Distance hadn’t happened, it would be so easy to restructure this in a way that would make the whole thing satisfying instead of just a perfect chunk of it. Open the game with Sora and Riku going into the Realm of Darkness to save Aqua, have Sora succeed but in the process of THAT lose his powers (making it a noble sacrifice on his part foreshadowing the end rather than a non-fuckup that the player pays for); Aqua has to recuperate, preferably with Kairi and Lea so they can get more screentime, Sora’s off regaining his powers and tracking down clues to the location of Castle Oblivion since it was under Organization control and therefore hidden, and Riku’s off with Mickey having his DDD arc. Stick the reveal of the real Organization XIII midgame, and keep the finale almost exactly as is. That way, plot and character’s doled out throughout, character screentime is rebalanced, and everything that worked stays working and comes to the exact same conclusion.

Gushing praise time: holy fuckin’ cow, this hit me in ways I did not see coming. The reunion of the other two trios was something I looked forward to well enough but not anything I fully expected to outright bowl me over, but by god they pushed those buttons as hard as they could and made them everything anyone could need them to be. But that was expected, to one extent or another; what I don’t think anyone could have seen coming was, in the final gasp of this saga of hilariously, broadly Arch villains, every single one of them turning out to be a real goddamn human being with understandable emotions and motivations and implied history and arcs. Monsters see the light (with the contextually hilarious exception of the one character fandom MOST wanted to see get a face turn with Vanitas, and even he finds understanding and peace) after a whole series of believing there’s one in the darkness when only one or two major characters had made a turnaround, and it doesn’t just make this game richer, it retroactively improves the entire series thematically and emotionally, as well as setting the stage for more of that approach based on what we know of what’s to come. And action-wise, it really does go for trying to beat II’s last Xemnas fight, and while I don’t know that it manages it in sheer cool thanks to that final laser blocking/dual wielding finale, it I think really does come out on top in the fights leading up to it and the spectacle and the emotional power and the beautiful interface screw (after the shit with the tornado earlier!), nevermind the absolute end where Our Nerd Dad Luke Skywalker** shows up to give his blessing to the franchise and usher out the story as it was.

As for the pair of post-credits scenes: in each instance I had something spoiled for me, but also in each instance not the BIG thing. I knew Xigbar would live and summon the Foretellers, which honestly is not that shocking for me. That he IS one of them, that he’s been putting on an act (one clearly in the shape of his teacher) and been a bigger villain than Xehanort THE ENTIRE TIME? I believe that got a literal gasp out of me, and THAT’S before it turned out that after bullheadedly clinging to the idea that she’s still a main villain for all these years, Maleficent might actually end up a main villain again. And the secret movie? I had the title spoiled - and god what a perfect twist, the most gleefully apeshit moment in the game and already probable best moment in gaming of the year coming back around in a completely serious way to define the future of the franchise - but assumed wrongly that it meant Sora would be in some way ‘reincarnated’ amnesiac as Yozora and needing to be returned to himself. But nope, Sora’s for real out there alive as himself in...something like the real world? Or The World Ends With You, which I understand is at least a lot closer? And Riku’s gonna wind up stuck out there too? And because Yozora’s there it means they’re in some kind of fuckin’ Flash of Two Worlds! situation?! Or if it’s in the same physical realm (which I have to doubt or Sora would rush home as soon as he got a ship) it’s the equivalent of that dope two-part Terra Obscura arc in Tom Strong?! Sora and Riku, trapped in a world where Kingdom Hearts is a Dark, Realistic Modern Urban Fantasy (which, if Sora got here by dying, does...does that mean Gritty Realworld! AU Kingdom Hearts fanfic is that universe’s version of hell? Because that would be beautiful) (did “This is a fantasy based on reality” end up carried over as the logline to Final Fantasy XV from Versus XIII? Because if not, absolutely use it here to keep that gag going) and having to fight their way back to their world and friends, hopefully with Kairi going on her own playable adventure on the other end of the cosmos to find them since there’s no way she wouldn’t be leading the search? And with the Master of Masters waiting in the wings, the perfect villain in general because if Sora is the MOST Disney character in this universe he appears to be the LEAST, and especially perfect here now that Sora’s symbolically if not possibly literally on his turf? Waiting I’m guessing another 3-5 years is gonna be hell (I’m guessing IV’ll be announced next year or maaaaaaaybe late this year because thus far Kingdom Hearts has never gone with no announced games on the horizon longer than the end of the next calendar year, and we’ll see how development goes after that; like I said, I imagine the pressure is on for Nomura), but this could not look more like my shit.

So that’s, after all these years, Kingdom Hearts III: an understandable, maybe unavoidable, but still crushing disappointment that undermined itself narratively before it even began production and ran on a burned-out crew that could never meet the impossible expectations surrounding it. Until it suddenly winks, brushes itself off, and lives up to damn near EVERYTHING on its shoulders in the most incredible ways possible while also transcending its previous limitations as a story right in front of you, and then breaking your heart before planting the seed to repair it and charting a path towards an even more exciting future. All said and done, I liked it a whole lot, and it’ll always be special to me.

* At this point, I really could go for the ending of the whole thing literally being Sora and Kairi walking into the sunset together, with the camera panning up into the sky and text (not mysterious narration like in the past, but old-school Disney-cartoon-style outside-the-world of the story cursive text) appearing to declare 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝒾𝓁𝓎 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇. That is the level of closure and myth and satisfaction it’s gotta be building towards after everything thus far and everything to come.

** If you are reading this without having played or watched the game: given I know that’s now in the realm of possibility, no, I don’t literally mean Luke Skywalker showed up.

Yet.

[p-artsypants]

List of All My Fics!

Every once in a while, I’ll update this list and share it. It is always available on my blog! (I’m up to 54 fics for multiple fandoms! 😱)

Find most, if not more, of these fics on:

Fanfiction.net | Archive of Our Own | Wattpad

(~AU’s, *Finished, ❤️Author’s Favorites)

Kingdom Hearts

~❤️Rage Awakened AO3 | FF.net- Ten years ago, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus lost their fellow apprentice, Sora, in Deep Jungle. Now, they are to return with two new students, Riku and Kairi, to lock the heart of the world. All the while, something watches from the trees. Feral!Sora AU

My Kingdom for a Heart AO3 | FF.Net - The curse of being one of the Princesses of heart, is that there’s always someone out to get you. As Xemnas looked failure in the face, he reached out in a last ditch effort and destroyed Kairi’s heart. Now her friends must travel the worlds again. Sora, to find a way to recover Kairi’s heart, and Riku, to make amends to those he has wronged. All the while, the darkness grows.

Miraculous Ladybug

One Shots

*❤️Amalgam- When an young man is rejected for being ‘incompatible’ he turns into the akuma ‘Amalgam’ able to fuse two people together. And later Adrien and Marinette would debate if it was lucky or unlucky that they got hit. (Also Available in Russian)

*Sing We All Noel- After receiving the worst Christmas present ever from his father, Chat Noir finds himself out on the streets with nowhere to go on Christmas Eve. Thankfully, Ladybug finds him and brings him home.

*Speechless- In a world where everyone has a soulmark, the first words their soulmate will say to them, Marinette is born without one. But Adrien Agreste has two. Curious, considering he’s mute.

*❤️Tunnels of Love- The night started out with an accidental kiss from Adrien Agreste, and ended with her bleeding in the Catacombs of Paris. Ladybug, the wielder of the miraculous of good luck. Yeah right. (Some blood)

*The Reveal That Wasn’t- First Parts My ending to kittybug’s Tumblr Prompt

*What A Mess We’re In- Ladybug has a lot on her mind, and when Chat Noir bugs her enough, she tells him she’s going to confess to her Crush, Adrien Agreste. Chat’s reaction is not what she’s expecting.

*Oblivi-oh no! - A retelling of Oblivio, except Ladybug is the only one to lose her memory. How will Chat deal?

*Bad Day (3 chapters) - Marinette was Ladybug! This was Adrien’s luckiest day ever! Except it wasn’t, because all his good luck was used up in one go. Turns out this might be the worst day of his life.

*One Win, So Many Losses- Marinette was forced to break up with Adrien. It had been a low blow from Gabriel, to be sure. But she was Ladybug. She’d find a solution…right? An alternate ending to Chat Blanc, where Adrien doesn’t Cataclysm the akuma.

*Five Minutes- Gabriel has had enough of all these girls fighting over Adrien. He decides it’s high time Adrien picks one, and arranges the perfect opportunity for him to do so. Each candidate has five minutes to present why they’d be a good girlfriend. Marinette decides to take this opportunity to shoot her shot.

~*Panache- Every eligible maiden was invited to the Prince's ball. That included Marinette, scullery maid in her own household. But her stepsisters destroyed her dress, and she can't go to the ball in rags. Or can she? (Cinderella!AU)

*Perfect, No Matter What-In which Gabriel sets the bar even lower for himself, a reveal happens because of pain medication, and the new guardian actually goes to Chloé for advice.

Long Fics

*❤️Longest Night- (FF.net | Ao3) - The day started out sucky to begin with. Her crush ousted to the class and Adrien. Lila taking pride in exacting her revenge. But by the time patrol was over, a young man was dead, and Ladybug’s identity was at risk. Lila was the least of her concerns. Good thing Adrien was taking it all like a champ. (Rated M for scenes of torture)

*❤️Nine Lives- (FF.net) When Adrien Agreste is scheduled to go to a Military School in Germany, Chat Noir must make a critical decision. Does he give up his Miraculous? Or does he give up his life as Adrien? I’ll save you the trouble of guessing, he gives up being Adrien.

*Tender Words- When Marinette finally gets the guts to confess her feelings for Adrien, some things go so wrong, and other things go so right.

*Integrity- Overwhelmed with her responsibilities, guilt, and drama, Marinette has an emotional breakdown in front of everyone, and even hands over her earrings in a moment of weakness. Only for a few seconds, but the damage was done. Adrien’s pretty quick on the uptake like that.

~Much Obliged- Everyone deals with grief differently. Some take to drinking, others devote themselves to charity. Adrien Agreste? Well, he became a cowboy. Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a witch, one of very few in the world. She knows what it's like to be doubted, and assumed delusional. Maybe that's why they got along so well. Or maybe it's just because they both like big hats. AU where everything is the same, except instead of superheroes, Adrien is a Cowboy and Marinette is a witch. (Unfinished) (Based on a AU by @bugaboo-n-bananoir)

I'll Handle This- “I’ll solve all your problems,” Plagg had said. “You just have to agree to it.” A fixed relationship with his father, Lila to stop bothering him, and Ladybug to fall in love with him? Who wouldn’t agree to that? Except Plagg was the God of Destruction and Chaos and had a more…hands-on approach. Adrien just wants his body back. (Body swap fic)

How To Train Your Dragon

One Shots

The Vikings Have Their Tea (FF.Net | AO3)

Arranged Marriage- Takes place at the beginning of HTTYD

❤️Breathe- Survival of the fittest

~Childhood Friends- At the Sandbox

❤️Easy Fix- In which Hiccup has a bad day

~Fashion Designer- Astrid needs a fill in

❤️Frozen- In Which Astrid takes a Dip and things get frisky (Rated M)

❤️Headache- In Which Hiccup hits his head….really hard

❤️Heir- In Which Hiccup is Picked (Longer version by FateCharms)

Illness- In Which Stoick is a dad

~Illusionist- Trick gone wrong

~In the Walls- In which there’s a poop ghost

~Knocking On The Wrong Door (2) - A chance encounter

❤️Messages- Astrid is Frustrated with Hiccup’s obliviousness

~To Mirkwood- Hiccup is not a dwarf

~Monster Falls- Hiccup and Astrid take a dip

❤️Mute- In which there’s a quiet stranger

~Music Video (ImgHS)- He didn’t expect it

❤️Operation: Lovebirds- In Which the gang makes a plan, and Hiccup gets Drunk

~Over- Too many nightmares

~Partners in Crime- A normal day at work

~Pirate- Astrid is the greatest treasure

~Prince- He doesn’t want to be a broken King

❤️Sorting Things Out- In Which Astrid gets her ducks in a row

~The Dragon and The Dame- Beauty and the Beast Au

The Pit- In Which Hiccup is rescued

Hide and Seek- Part 1

Lost and Found- Part 2

Long fics:

*❤️Infernal Responsibility- Being the son of the chief takes brains, courage, and a lot of patience. But at his father’s the request for marriage, Hiccup decides he has had enough. When he seeks out a life of ease, he runs into more than what he bargained for.

*❤️Roses and Lilies- “Astrid, you and I both know you’re much tougher than I am. You’re more brave, and a better fighter…but just for a little while…could we pretend that I’m the one protecting you?” “Oh gods yes!” (Also Available in Spanish!)

*~What the Water Gave Me- The sea is a wild and dangerous thing, something that cannot be foretold or predicted. Hiccup discovered this many years ago, in human naiveté. Yet, what was meant as a sacrifice became a new life, one like no one could comprehend. He now finds himself once more in the unknowing hands of those that sentenced him to death. He only prays things will be different this time. Merman!AU

*Parasite- Soulsnatcher Dragons are rare but deadly. But, As Hiccup finds out, it’s the eggs you have to watch out for.

*~320 State Street- Gobber’s Goods. A Hardware Store that was rumored to have everything you needed. She thought she only needed a job. Turns out, she needed a lot more than that. (A Modern AU no one asked for)

*~❤️The North Tower- When Finn Hofferson died, Astrid inherited his castle in Wales…and a whole lot more. Something sinister lurks in the North Tower.

*~❤️Boy Toy- AO3 - At the age of 21, Princess Astrid lawfully has to pick a husband. But when the perfect groom is nowhere to be found, she requests the toymaker to create one for her. It’s safe to say that everyone in the kingdom is a little concerned. (Pinocchio!AU I guess?)

No, You Go First- AO3 - The Chief of Berk was a headstrong viking, stubborn and full of pride, and willing to do whatever it takes to keep his village safe. But for a moment, he puts that aside, and listens to his son. In which Hiccup convinces his dad not to make him go through Dragon Training, and the subsequent changes that follow.

*In Due Time- AO3 - As another illness sweeps through Berk, Gothi needs another ingredient for her medicine…one that doesn’t exist anymore. Fortunately, she kept that old spell book around for such an occasion. Big Hiccup is sent to five years into the past, and his younger self sent to take his place in the future. But it’s only a few days, what could go wrong?

Trollhunters: Tales from Arcadia

❤️Arcadia or Bust- In Which Arcadia welcomes back it’s underground citizens.

Teen Titans

Oneshots:

~Big Brother- Don’t turn out the light (Horror)

Dear Jason- Bruce Writes a letter

Just Drawing- Bruce thinks about Robin

The Prisoner- Starfire is Guilty

Of Mustard and Three Foot Purple Tongues- A collection of Oneshots and Drabbles

Long Fics (*Finished):

*~❤️Carol of the Bells- High in the dark Bell Tower of Notre Dame, there lives a mysterious bell ringer. Legend tells of the angel who fell from the sky, and the curse she bares. There are few who know her true identity though; her master, the priest, and the acrobat that performs on the streets below. Based loosely on ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ RobxStar and slight BBxRae

*No Escape- Three years ago, Starfire escaped an Alien race called the Gordanians, to arrive on Earth. They’re back, and ready to put Starfire back where she belongs, behind reinforced Titanium bars. Robin’s not about to let her go…if only he hadn’t got captured first. How does it feel to be the alien, Robin?

*Now you Know My Pain- When the new Villain, Gender Bender, comes to down, the Titans find themselves in an odd situation. They’ve been turned into the opposite gender against their will! Now in order to change back, they must learn to understand the gender they’ve turned into. Rated T for obvious reasons. A great read if you’ve ever wondered why girls or guys do [blank].

*Paint it Black- Robin disappeared three months ago. Now, Jump City’s crime rate is mysteriously being taken care of by a normal, albeit strange, teenage boy who goes by the name Black. As the Titans befriend this lunatic, they begin to see a relation between him and their missing leader. Will they be able to find Robin, or will Black turn them all insane as himself? Actually, contains NO OC.

*Saving Grace- “When I’m done with you, you won’t be able to walk upright or speak coherent sentences and all you’ll see is my mask and my voice repeating in your head…Weak. Richard Grayson, I am not tough, I am everything that you fear.” Happy Ending! Smudge of RobStar. NO Slash!

Other Fandoms

Final Fantasy XV

❤️Requiem for Pitioss-“O King. The god’s have heard your cries. Know that we weep with you. The Oracle’s calling has not yet been fulfilled. But…Lunafreya as you know her cannot return the way she was.” Noctis looked up, hopeful. “But she can return!” Canon divergence from Chapter 9. Happy ending. Some spoilers.

Beauty and the Beast

*❤️Behold the Beast- A Oneshot alternate ending to the Animated Film

Cinderella

*❤️Midnight- “When the clock strikes twelve, the spell will be broken,” the fairy godmother had warned. A retelling of the story, when Cinderella doesn’t escape the ball in time. Oneshot

*So This is Love- What if Jaq and Gus hadn’t made it in time to help Cinderella? A new twist on the ending of the classic Fairytale, and what lies beyond the story. She still gets her happy ending and her Prince, and her step family gets their just deserts.

Sleeping Beauty

*❤️A Love Song Back To Me- Maleficent saw the loophole that stared her in the face. Prince Phillip would break the curse in time, for sure. After all, he was betrothed to Aurora. So in an effort for her evil plan to stay in action, Maleficent takes care of the young prince herself. Phillip never imagined having to live off the land like the birds above. Alternate twist on the classic Disney tale.

Escaflowne

Down Feathers- Hitomi’s depressed. She’s been away from Van too long, he comes back to visit her…but what if something went wrong with the transfer? (Not finished. Never will be finished. Mwahaha) Circa 2012

*Angel’s Wounds- Fanelia’s been victorious in their most recent battle with Basrum. Unfortunately, someone is wounded and just seeks solace in his love that lives so far away. Post Anime.

Momma Look Sharp- With the war between Fanelia and Basrum finally coming to a close, the kingdom is celebrating. The young king, however, is suffering from an experience unlike any he had before. Van finally seeks solace in his wife.

[storm-driver]

Lauriam.... yes, I’m finally talking about him

Yada yada, time paradox, yada yada, killed an innocent child, pbbt. Done, in the past. Nothing to care about. 

Theories floating all over Tumblr for the past 2 weeks consisting of mostly insane time traveler Marluxia exfuckflower have definitely caught my attention. Don’t worry, people in my ask box. I’ve been crafting this theory for a while. And it’s fucking pissing me off where I ended up. ‘Cause no, it’s not satisfying. And yes, IT MAKES SENSE. I’m so mad where I ended up after pouring so much time into this. I was expecting something incredible and... to be honest, touching? But, no. Tetsuya Nomura stomped on my heart. Again. 

I’d recommend cranking up some tunes ‘cause this is gonna be a doozy. Might I recommend this? Personal favourite ;)

Let me introduce you with a question... Can just one essay make you feel respect for character development and feel righteous anger with an overwhelming need for justice? Hopefully by the end of this, your answer will be yes.

I know what you’re thinking. Am I talking about how Lauriam ended the existence of a young girl who had an exciting life and lots of adventures ahead of her? ‘Cause you probably already feel some anger and resent the actions he took. But it will only get stronger. 

So, who is Lauriam? 

Lauriam is a “new” character recently introduced in the JP. version of Kingdom Hearts Union Cross. I bet you can already see who else he resembles, and that is, of course, Marluxia.

“WE FINALLY GET STUFF ON THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF ORG. XIII??!?! HECK YEAH!”

YEAH, IT’S COOL. Except, time travel, which isn’t. 

With Lauriam, AKA, pre-Marluxia, being in Union Cross, and now taking on a HUGE role as a Union Leader alongside our cast of The Cool One With The White Hair, Hot Topic, Fedora Boy, and the Cinnamon Roll, this only proceeds to screw with the plot in a manner that fans really don’t appreciate.

As if it was bad enough having Sora and Riku time travel in an official console installment. Now Ventus is located in past, present, future, closet, attic, etc. AND Marluxia is in the past WITH HIM??? Where in the world is Nomura going?

straight into the depths of hell tbh

And here’s where you go, “We already KNOW how ridiculous this is! Prove that it’s all going to be okay, Storm! Please, I’m gonna cry!”

I already did cry, don’t even worry. I got tissues. But you want this to make sense? To be logical? You want me to prove that everything in Marluxia’s character arcs from CoM to 358/2 Days to Union Cross was intentional? That Nomura managed to plan this all out and has been leading us on for how long?

Let’s start right in Chain of Memories. There’s not a whole lot to go off of here, since nothing is hidden behind any pillars. Marluxia straight up tells the viewer what he’s after: the power of the Keyblade.

He commanded Naminé to shackle Sora’s memories so that he may control Sora through his stubborn will to protect Naminé. In a way, it let him gain control over the Keyblade. 

Alright, so we know Marluxia is after the Keyblade itself and will go through VERY harsh means to get one. 

This trend only continues in 358/2 Days.

Forgive the cruddy quality, but of course notice how Marluxia is continuing to pursue the Keyblade. Not only does he want to have someone with one, but he wishes to wield one himself. 

Marluxia goes through any means to obtain a wielder for a Keyblade, but longs for one of his own.

And here’s where things get really interesting... 

We are given quite... shocking information in the newest update of Union Cross: Lauriam, Marluxia’s original human form, was from the Keyblade War era.

Not only that... He’s a UNION LEADER!

Not officially, of course. This is where your heart swells and tears pour from your eyes because the only reason Lauriam is a Union Leader is the misfortunate “death” of our former Strelitzia.

How she died? It’s not exact. But I’ll elaborate as best I can. After analyzing the video and dialogue a few times over, I’ve come to the terms that Strelitzia died in the same terms Eraqus had died: a direct Keyblade strike to the body that in turn, destroyed the body and released the heart. Where her heart went? No definite evidence.

But I’m not here to elaborate on Strelitzia. Let’s get back to the flower boy. 

Evidently, he’s MUCH younger than we see him in future games. So it’s safe to say he won’t be turned into a Nobody for quite some time. He offers the same hair color and style and even talks in a similar way: a very controlled dialect where his sentences are carefully structured so as not to give away a true motive. This is Marluxia, alright.

So this is where things get touchy. How is it that Lauriam is a Keyblade Wielder and Marluxia isn’t? The answer is simple: Marluxia knows he is capable, but doesn’t have the means to summon his Keyblade. 

This is NOT the first time this sort of problem has occurred in the games. When I say that he can’t summon the blade, I really do mean that his heart is incapable of summoning it. First and foremost example is Sora. 

He is not a true Keyblade Wielder. The blade he wields was intended for Riku and was only given to Sora because he was he next closest person to a heart of Light. And it shows. In Hollow Bastion, Sora loses the Keyblade to Riku. Albeit momentarily, it was simple proof that Riku’s heart was stronger than Sora’s. Sora was not able to wield it.

This next one you’ll probably try to counter through use of, “HE’S A NOBODY, HE LITERALLY CAN’T-” But I raise you a Roxas being able to use a Keyblade despite not being Sora at the time.

deal with my bullshit

I’m talking about Xemnas and Ansem. 

For the same reasons as Sora. They both had experience wielding Keyblades in the past, but they both lacked the strength of heart to wield one. Hell, they even called this out in Dream Drop Distance. Riku told Ansem that the reason he lost control of the Keyblade was becaue he gave into Darkness and his heart became weak.

Marluxia knows what he’s capable of and longs for the return of his power, but can only make do with what’s in front of him. His heart is not in the right place and so he has no blade.

He hungers for power. It’s just a part of his character. Hell, he was a traitor to the Organization, threatening to overthrow Xemnas and be the new leader. And it’s what leads to his downfall. 

But not only was he a traitor to the Organization.... He betrayed the Dandelions.

Think about it: lusting for strength, attempting to overthrow the superior, literally tormenting a small child to manipulate another child into becoming a puppet. And don’t even get me started on what would’ve happened with Roxas if Marluxia had gotten to spend more time with him.

Every single one of these details is power-hunger! Marluxia goes through ANY MEANS NECESSARY to get into a position of leadership, or at least gain more strength. It’s not surprising to me that he killed off possibly the most frail of the Union Leaders and took her place.

And it doesn’t stop there. Oh, no. Remember Back Cover?

YEAH, SORRY, I’M BRINGING IT UP. DEAL WITH IT. 

In Back Cover, it’s revealed that a traitor was supposed to spark the end of the world through the use of Darkness. This traitor is completely unknown besides assumption and suspicion. A few people have managed to fit the role, but no one fit quite right. Each of the Union Leaders, that is, Ira, Invi, Aced, Gula and Ava, have tried to stay pure and keep to their Master’s assignments.

Who, of all people, steps HEAVILY out of line to not only MURDER SOMEONE, but simultaneously screw up the fates of hundreds of young wielders because they wanted to get into a position of power?

LAURIAM! Lauriam is the traitor that the Master of Masters wrote about! 

“Uh, Storm. That’s actually not too convincing.”

Alright, kiddo. Let’s get real deep here. I’m bringing up a cutscene from Back Cover.

Remember the one where Ava was taking care of an injured Gula? And he came to her and told her about what was written on the Lost Page? What was it he said again?

“The one who bears the sigil.”

“The one who bears the sigil.”

“The one who bears the sigil.”

“THE ONE WHO BEARS THE SIGIL.”

IT’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! 

NOMURA SPELLED IT OUT FOR US! LAURIAM IS THE TRAITOR!

And you know what?! IT ONLY ADDS UP EVEN MORE! He’s so desperate for power that he becomes a Union Leader by force. BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH. What else is their to conquer?! KINGDOM HEARTS!

What let’s him utilize the access to Kingdom Hearts? THE X-BLADE!

The ancient weapon that, if destroyed, would plunge the World into Darkness! And then there’s the Traitor, WHO PLUNGES THE WORLD INTO DARKNESS!

IN SUMMARY:

Marluxia wants the power of the Keyblade and he wants it for himself.

He once wielded a Keyblade but is unable to because of his weak heart.

Lauriam bears the sigil and betrayed the Dandelions.

Lauriam attempted to conquer Kingdom Hearts through use of the X-Blade, but it was ultimately destroyed and the World was cast into Darkness.

[goldenchocobo]

Since Lea and Isa tend to get kicked out by Aeleus and Dilan, what about Favilla and Rava? How do they get kicked out? Imperdia and Ormr are a bit too small to do it. Extra question: What makes you say that Naminé is neither a 'Somebody' or a 'Nobody'? You know that she's Kairi's Nobody.

Daemons (usually*) age with their humans. So Kid Lea would have a scraggly lion cub Favilla and kid Isa would have an unruly puppy Rava. Or at least they’d be smaller than we see them in other KH games.

My personal thought is that Favilla and Rava had just settled or were beginning to settle when we met them in BBS. My other personal thought is that their Daemons took different forms right up until they settled, with Rava being a feline and Favilla being a canine.

As for Namine, I was going with what DiZ/Ansem had said about her. She technically came from Sora, with Kairi’s Heart leaving him.

(*I say usually because I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen/read about kids with Butterfly Daemons in HDM before)

--

Do Daemons introduced themselves, let their humans introduce them or both when meeting Disney characters?

Daemons introduce themselves to other Daemons. Or they don’t- just like with people they have their own preferences, but from my understanding from reading the books, it’s a bit rude for a Daemon not to introduce themselves and makes that person seem like they have something to hide.

--

If Sora is losing his memories, does that mean Amica will lose her memories too? Also, did Sora abandoned her with Donald and Goofy or did he just let her go with him? Note: Sorry for the slight misunderstanding about the whole 'Nebula waking up to save Aqua when she's in danger' thing. I thought you're referring to A Fragmentary Passage, not Kingdom Hearts 3. I was just confused.

Yes, Amica would also lose her memories of Castle Oblivion.Amica would go with Sora.Despite what I’ve said about Aqua and Undas and Riku and Eos, it can be quite difficult to sever the connection between Daemon and Human. It’s not just saying ‘goodbye’ to a friend, but sending a good chunk of yourself away.Sorry, I’m not the best at explaining it.

--

When Amica entered The Caribbean, did she stay the same or get new pirate attire like Sora, Donald and Goofy? If she does, could you draw a picture of her in pirate clothes?

I did initially type ‘Pirate dog’ in google just to get some ideas and found a costume perfect for her that was being sold at Target at one point, so I drew her in that with some KH flair

-

After I saw Amica and Eos' World Forms, I was wondering if you drew the Daemons' World Forms as well. You know, like Amica's Zero-like Form and Dogfish Form. Did you happen to do drawings of them?

I only drew the Grid/Paranoids form, but I enjoy drawing Daemons

I’m not great at making fish look cartoony, but I did base her off an actual Dog Fish (The Spiny dog Fish to be exact, because the other Dog Fish I found had spots, and I really dislike drawing or trying to draw spots and the Spiny Dog Fish’s tail could easily form in a heart-shape)

--

What will happen to Amica when Sora used the Keyblade to save Kairi and the other Princesses of Heart?

She’d disappear. Sora became a Heartless after all.And she reappears just like Sora did. Possibly in the same way- with Kairi and Vita saving them and restoring their form.

--

Do you mind drawing Nebula-Suma for me? 'cause I wanna see what they looked like when they're merged together.

I can see her looking two ways. Either just as she does, but with Yellow Eyes (like how Ventus’ appearance doesn’t change apart from having Yellow eyes)OR Nebula looking like a Dutch Rabbit (Symbolizing the inner conflict of Light and Darkness)

--

What happened to Eos while she is separated from Riku?

I’m not entirely sure what would happen, but I’m going to guess she went to Destiny Island with Kairi until Riku re-appeared in the Realm of Light, to which she traveled to be back with him.