#like her and Ventus and her and Riku

[mirror-to-the-past]

Hi! Wanna hear me rave about how I really appreciate Kairi as a character, particularly in what she represents?

This was born partly from Kairi swimming around in my head regarding how much I like her (I hope it shows), and partly because of me generally looking at YouTube comments (dangerous, I know) where I was surprised to see people calling Kairi useless, unimportant, etc. I've also seen opinions lamenting about Kairi's minimal usage (which is totally fair- who doesn't want to see more of their favorites?), but it's to the point that some have said it's bad writing or that the writers don't care about her or something.

Every person's reading of a story and their preferences are ultimately their own, and I acknowledge my scope of fan opinions is limited to wherever I end up on the KH internet, but I just thought I'd throw my two cents in about what I think of Kairi's utilization as a character.

And the verdict is... that I'm actually really satisfied with how her character is executed, amount of screen time and everything! Why, you ask?

Before playing Days, I was still very moved by Roxas in just his KH2 opening debut, yet his amount of overall screentime in comparison to all of the characters of the other games prior to that was very limited. But- I still liked him because I thought that with the little he had, it was done so effectively and with stellar atmosphere.

Personally, I think the same of Kairi.

Across the games, practically every scene she *is* in has her stealing the spotlight. At the end of KH1 where she wakes up from her sleep, she really emotes her heart out. When Sora disappears right in front of her, she just yells "I won't let him go!" Which was a pretty poignant and steadfast thing from a disoriented kid. I thought it was touching. She holds herself to that, and actually brings Sora back. It's sweet as all hell. She says the (retrospectively) very tonally setting line of wondering "You think it'll ever be the same again between us?" when referring to her, Sora, and Riku's friendship. In Kairi's first cutscene in KH2, I was over here like:

My heart was being SQUEEZED, man. I already talked a bunch about it, made a fanfic about it and everything, and I still didn't get my wiggles out over that scene, evidently. After all that time, she had to come to grips with the complete MIA state of her friend group, and how she doesn't even recall one of them outside of vague notions of emotion.💥 Misery. But she still holds on, because that's Kairi, for better or for worse. She takes that same steadfast nature when she turns her KH2 kidnapping into an Organization infiltration and beats some antagonistic ass. Her wishes saved Sora and Riku from a slow death in purgatory. 🎊

Off to KH3, she's still holding on, and her motivation to stick her neck out and become a Guardian of Light isn't even necessarily to save the world or do some grandiose mission like her other friends are doing. It's so she can stick to her friends who are so insistent on leaving their homeworld behind for dangerous exploits. So she can finally be there with them in their harrowing moments and not just be stuck in the nerve-racking in between of unknowing.

So, what I'm getting to is this...

I feel like Kairi, for what she represents, is portrayed well. And to me, she represents grounding. In a series that's as metaphysical as KH, it's a wonder to have a character as rooted in stability as Kairi is. People like to tout Sora as the mascot of "friendship is power," and he is in many ways, but while Sora is the feeling, the empathy of seeing someone who needs help and loudly saying they're besties now because he's moved by you, Kairi is the one who holds out for you simply because she should. The one who's left out of the loop that still shows up when you need someone in your corner. She's the reminder of home, and the person who follows through on the promises. She's the person who holds in her mind the images of her childhood friends, and no matter how they change, she still remembers what they were like at their core- when they were small and simple- and will always hold affection for that. She's if a friendship bracelet was turned into a human.

And like a friendship bracelet, she's nostalgic. She's what feels like the most important thing in that first friendship at 7 years old, that you wear proudly and promise to be good to forever and ever. And like a friendship bracelet, she often will end up lost in a cubby hole a few years down the line, or falling apart.

It's why in KH3, when she tries the metaphorical friendship bracelet again with the Paopu Fruit, she's affirming that, even if it seems like Sora's really grown away from his home, she's the reminder of his foundation and where he came from- what he was like before everything spiralled into confusion and everyone got older. It's a soft promise that says "even if you've changed, Sora, there's one person who won't forget the *you* you were. You worry about your future, I've got your past."

And for a coming of age story, I think that's a beautiful and tender execution of that kind of message. Kairi has made me think, which is all I really want from a character at the end of the day, of what things I've unknowingly left behind as I've grown older. And it stings. It hurts, but it's a good hurt. She makes me realize that, when it's not stopping my growth, there's no harm in my remembering the things that have made me, me. I don't want to be stuck in the past, but who says I should lose my core, either?

🎊Kairi🎊

[elizabeth-dicewielder]

Okay but the fact that Sora and Riku were able to defeat Anti-Aqua was just so ridiculous to me… Aqua survived 12 YEARS in the realm of darkness, was repeatedly shown to be more powerful than Ventus and Terra, defeated HERSELF, just got a darkness-fueled power up, and she is the only keyblade master who genuinely trained her entire life. She should not have lost that battle imo

Okay so AU where Sora and Riku can’t beat Aqua, so they flee to the realm of light, but Aqua follows them out. But even as Anti-Aqua, she’s clearly shown to still be in control. Upon returning to the realm of light, she would briefly pause hunting them down to awaken Ventus, and Ventus would be able to talk enough sense into Aqua so she would focus her efforts on taking down Xehanort and beat the shit out of Mickey later. Cue the Keyblade war, Aqua just rips through all of the members of the organization, until she gets to Terranort and there’s an epic fight and she gets Terra back, and upon seeing Terra and Ventus safe again, she lets the darkness go on her own

[dreamsy990]

imagine roxas sora and ventus all being roommates. the shenanigans they'd get up to.......... riku goes to sora's apt one day and is like 'why are they here' and he's just like "??? they live here??????'

do you think they'd count as other people. or would only ventus and sora count. bc roxas is just sora.

sora forgot to put roxas down on the lease and so hes gaslighting the landlord into thinking roxas and ven are the same person

[cinnabeat]

kh is so funny bc its just a bunch of people fighting for their right to exist as their own person lmao

[daylighteclipsed]

I don’t have an explanation either but I feel it in my SOUL 😩😩😩

“The truth isn’t what you hear but what you see” Well I am perceiving the TRUTH. My third eye is wide open. Namine and Riku are too similar and paralleled too often to not be connected. I can’t explain how Riku joined the Sora-Ventus-Kairi mix in Namine’s creation, but he did. I just Know it.

[bluest-planet]

Me writing this BBS fanfic as a prelude to a heart hotel series; I will be pushing my honorary princess of Light Ven Agenda.

By God I am going to write him in a cute dress and tiara and being called a princess and HES GONNA LIKE IT AND HE'S GONNA HAVE GENDERQUEER VIBES.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Ahh! Green Requiem saying something like, "Why do I now feel like notes from Destati--which is Kingdom Hearts' "Darkness" song-- being in the Foretellers' theme was hinting that they were vessels of Darkness? (Because it was.)," is now making me feel and think so much.

[themattress]

Untitled Kairi Post

Y'know what? In a way, Kairi was tragically doomed as a character from the very beginning.

"Oh, because she was a love interest and damsel in distress!"

No. Myths, fairy tales and, well, Disney movies have used those tropes for ages, and if you're doing a story where a huge point is the influence of those things, it's kind of a given that the leading lady be a love interest and damsel in distress. And the writing is smart enough to put a twist on the trope given that Kairi's distress is much less than it appeared to be because she's Sora's love interest and he's her's, and after Sora saves her she saves him right back.

"Oh, because she wasn't a playable character or party member!"

No. It would have been nice to have the playable puzzle solving-based Kairi sequence they initially planned at Hollow Bastion, but I can understand why it was removed given how it would slow down the pace following what is perhaps the signature sequence of the game. And in any case it doesn't have any bearing on how things went for the rest of the series, given that Riku also was not a playable character or party member (he just had a crappy AI when pretending to help you fight Parasite Cage all so that he could kidnap Pinocchio).

"Oh, because she was stuck in a coma the whole game!"

NO! God damn it, how much must the game beat the point into your stupid head!?

And who could forget?

Stop laughing right now.

Kairi. Not just "her heart". KAIRI. Since the heart = the person.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it exposes some serious sexism if one goes with the "Kairi was in a coma" line for KH1 and yet says "Ventus was inside of Sora" post BBS, since it's literally the exact same situation except that Kairi was always awake within Sora's heart as opposed to Ventus only waking up at the end of 3D. It's why Sora felt things regarding Hollow Bastion, why he experienced the memory of Kairi and her grandfather, and why he saw and heard Kairi multiple times. He wasn't hallucinating; that was always really her.

So, enough beating around the bush. What did I actually mean, then?

Well....let's start at the beginning.

Kairi's arc in the original Kingdom Hearts is not just told through the writing. Utilizing a video game as a visual/audible medium, it is also told through animation, voicework and music. During her introductory cutscene, we see Kairi asked by Sora if she remembers the world she was born in before being sent to Destiny Islands. "I told you before. I don't remember." She answers this sincerely. "Nothing at all?" Sora responds. That's when we see this detail.

"Nothing." Kairi is lying. She doesn't remember everything given the trauma caused by being forced out of her old home, but she does remember just enough to understand why it was traumatic. She had a comfortable life there, and a family. She was happy. And then it was all gone in an instant. Now, on Destiny Islands, she is similarly content ("Well, I'm happy here.") and fears risking that same loss. And yet a small part of her still yearns for the past. She loved what she can recall of her past, as she loves her present. She fears only the future.

Riku's fixation on his existential woes and the mysteries of the universe, while also putting her up on some sort of pedestal like she's something special, is not helping at all. Something about it feels wrong to Kairi...wrong and uncomfortably familiar. It's making her very anxious.

But Kairi has someone to lean on and help her keep up an optimistic, cheerful front, perhaps enough to talk herself into believing it: Sora. And during this scene, we hear the track "Kairi I":

This track reflects Kairi's character in this moment. While there is a subtle undercurrent of worry, her heart is strong enough to not let it get to her and look on the bright side as she looks out to the sun setting over the ocean. With Sora's reassurance, she is able to feel as though her home and friends won't change or go away no matter what happens on her, Sora and Riku's planned voyage, which allows her to feel anticipation for it. All finally feels right.

Of course, things were not right, and Kairi ended up in heart form as her body and soul were lost to darkness along with Destiny Islands. From Kairi's POV, she is now in the Station of Awakening (aka Dive to the Heart) and can do little but watch Sora's adventures as she can see them through his eyes, not fully putting it together why she can and where she truly is.

In the scene at Merlin's House, we get to hear "Kairi II".

While it's similar to "Kairi I", there is now a more somber and mysterious feel to it given the present circumstances. While she doesn't know if Sora can hear her, Kairi wistfully waxes nostalgic over how Merlin's House reminds her of the Secret Place on Destiny Islands. And while Kairi feels sad over missing that place, she's also happy that there are places like it elsewhere in the universe. She's clearly learning as much from Sora's journey as Sora is.

Finally, we hear "Kairi III" in the flashback with little Kairi and her grandmother.

And while it starts out reflecting Kairi's childhood innocence, it ends up turning...almost sad. The reason why being one of the most overlooked details of the scene: at the end of the grandmother's story, she disappears, and little Kairi is shown moving her head all around looking for her. This isn't actually part of the memory, but a reflection of Kairi's heart. She knows that she had a grandmother and that her grandmother isn't here anymore, but she can't remember how her grandmother "left". But she at least still exists...within her heart.

Speaking of which, once Kairi's heart returns to her body and Sora loses his heart in the process, Kairi puts her foot down. She may have learned how to better deal with and accept change and loss, but a line still has to be drawn somewhere and Sora is that line for her.

Thus is she able to save him. Later, we see her worry about the future and things changing again when she questions whether anything can be the same between her, Sora and Riku again after the corruption Riku had underwent. Once again, Sora boosts her optimism.

More importantly, he helps her learn, as he does, that even when separated you can take strength in keeping your loved ones (metaphorically) in your heart, and that even if things change and Kairi is cut off from the people and things she loves, they will always exist within her heart, just as with her grandmother and the story she told her about light and darkness.

This is why, in the end, Kairi is able to let Sora go and yet still feel content.

From "Hikari" (JP):

I'll stop doing pointless things like thinking about the future. Today I'll eat delicious things. The future is always before us, Even if I don't know it.

From "Simple and Clean" (EN):

 Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all.  Nothing's like before.

This is a really good, really well done character arc.

It's also a very human character arc.

Yes, there are a lot of fantastical things going on, but when you put all of that aside, what are you left with? A young girl moves away from her old home and everything that she ever knew and loved, which gives her anxiety about the same thing happening with the new home and everything that she's come to know and love from it, which now includes a certain boy. She fears the future; she fears change. In the end, she ends up staying in her new home - but the boy moves away! However, through her time spent with him she's learned to accept this because he'll always be a part of her heart, which is something that won't ever change.

When put that way, it sounds positively mundane, and by and large the KH fandom - and Tetsuya Nomura himself for that matter - don't want or like mundane stuff like that. They want the crazy, the overdramatic, the angsty, the flashy, the anime tropeyness they're familiar with. This is why they were unreceptive to Kairi's arc to the fullest degree, as in many of them are literally unaware it even happened because they were too busy fixating on the archetypal Japanese media-style dick measuring contest between Sora and Riku (which is also far deeper than they tend to give it credit for, btw, but I digress). And if that's the case, then the question gets raised: why bother focusing on or expanding Kairi at all? She doesn't "sell".

THIS is why Kairi was doomed from the start. It's not her fault. But it's sadly the truth.

[dominicsorel]

Kairi is Xehanort's 14th Darkness

Now before I go into this, I must deeply express I will not put up with any Kairi negativity in the tags. This is not meant to demonize her or put anyone else on a pedestal in her place. Literally everyone in this series has been manipulated by Xehanort to some extent and Kairi is not exempt from that. We need to get past all these preconceived notions of who Kairi is supposed to be and see her for the complex character that she truly is. And this is a part of that.

Now let's get started.

Xehanort's intentions from day one were to reenact the Keyblade War. In Dark Road, it's revealed that he's interested in the Darkness that survived by disguising itself as an ally of light. It's possible that he thinks Vanitas is this since he hid himself inside of Ventus but that's all...in the eyes of the beholder. It could be anyone. But Xehanort would take this information either way and use it in his reenactment.

But you may ask: Why would he have a fourteenth? Didn't he intend to use thirteen? That was very clear throughout the series. Well, you'll need to watch Dark Road if you still think this. He left out a little something in the other games when describing his plan.

He wanted ANOTHER vessel to experience the world afterwards. Yes, he's incredibly extra as always. We are used to this by now, I hope..

But why is that vessel Kairi?

(dude's literally telling her what role she's to play even if it probably wouldn't make any sense to someone her age lmao)

As far back as the first game, something never truly added up. Kairi isn't given the role to hold back the darkness with the other princesses. She's paralleled to Wendy who is very explicitly stated to NOT be one of the princesses. Her "power" is never utilized a single time after KH1 either...nor is it brought up until briefly in KH3.

And you know...remember that little thing about how the X tells Xehanort where you are at all times? X marks the spot, they say!

And Xehanort REALLY loved making the X wearers into his vessels, didn't he? Kairi had been wearing it as early as BBS.

Kairi was the one who finished this drawing.

Red flags...red flags, everywhere!

By the way, wasn't Kairi's meeting with Aqua a little...TOO perfect?

Why...it's almost like...it was staged!

Kairi already had the flowers she supposedly picked for her. But why would Xehanort want Kairi to meet Aqua and have her be fond of Kairi?

Two reasons as far as I can see.

1.) Aqua is well attuned to the fine art of spells.

Sound familiar?

2.) Receiving a Keyblade

When Kairi runs to Aqua, she touches her Keyblade. This has been compared to the passing of power like Terra with Riku. Personally, I have no idea if it's as simple as this without the whole ceremony but I don't think this would be shown without reason.

And with this, her role truly started. Kairi was to become the new darkness disguised as a guardian of light. She would befriend and become close with a Keyblade wielder and they would strive to keep her safe so she would survive for the world after.

But *record scratch* how is she a darkness already by the time of BBS and how is she able to hide? Before that, let's discuss the princess she took the place of in KH1. You know, the elephant in the room.

Ariel.

Part Two

[goldenchocobo]

Kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, but I wanted to solidify my eye-colour head-cannons for the Trios (plus Isa, Namine and Vanitas). Plus, I really do like drawing eyes. More words past the Keep reading;

This was mostly inspired my dog, Loki. Normally, he has really kind-of dull brown eyes, but when he’s in the light, they really shine a lovely ochre. 

And I had a neat lil’ thought: “What if Terra’s eyes were like that?” where, they’re kind of a deep earthy-brown, but when the light shines on them, they reveal a yellow colour, to remind himself (and others) that he was tied to the darkness for so long. I did this with every character who has ties to the darkness; Sora, Vanitas, riku, Aqua, Siax, Axel and Xion. all but Vanitas aren’t as extreme as Terra’s, though- just very subtle hints.

Everyone’s eyes- apart from Vanitas, Roxas, Terra and Isa’s have kept mostly to the same colour, although have different kinds of shades to them. Sora’s eyes are mostly the same, although I tried to make them more of a sky blue. Riku has a mixture of his post KH3 and Pre KH3 look, with the duller green being mostly in the shade and the bluer colour being highlighted in the light. Kairi’s got her original kind-of-purple going on, although I kept them more in the blue spectrum. Aqua’s are more purple-y than Kairi, because she looks really nice with them, as well as the shared purple-ness alluding to their master-and-apprentice connection. Isa’s eyes are a little different from OG material- they’re originally a similar shade of blue/green to Lea’s; so I made the difference more extreme, and made Isa’s ice blue, and Lea’s more green-hued. I also gave Isa eye-shine, because he looks neat with it. I’ve always imagined Xion having really deep blue eyes; like, if there’s no light on them, they’d just be black voids. With Namine, I just made her eyes super-blue; like incredibly sapphire blue. Ven and Terra’s new eye colours are fan-interpretations (and ones that I stand by). Vanitas’ is red from the novelisation (again, a colour that I stand by); and Roxas’ is my own personal headcannon- he��s got a teal-blue eyes, because he’s a mix of Ventus and Sora. Ven and Roxas’ hair is also my interpretation; Ven is blond and Roxas is strawberry-blond/ginger.

[tonberry-yoda]

[Kingdom Hearts Request] How about S/O sharing a Paopu fruit with Roxas, Axel, Ventus, Terra, and Riku if you don't mind? I know Riku knows the whole legend with the fruit, but it'd be so cute with the others not really knowing and then finding out

Sharing a Paopu Fruit with Roxas, Axel, Ventus, Terra, and Riku

notes - I LOVE KINGDOM HEARTS! I don't often get KH requests, so to get this was a delight! Like this whole idea is super sweet and I am more than happy to do it for you, especially as a Terra and Axel simp :) thanks so much anon and I hope you enjoy!!! <3

Roxas

when I tell you that this lil guy's jaw was hanging open when you told him

and like, he started getting all stuttery and saying that he isn't worth being all connected to you and stuff

what a doll

and you were just giggling while he was panicking

though he is more than happy to have life shared with you like that

he didn't even think he would find anyone that wants to share a destiny with him especially since he's just a confused lump of a boy, so he is more than happy

Axel

he was SUPER hungry

so you convinced him to share this fruit with you

you were giggling and holding back laughter the whole time, but he really didn't care considering the dude was hungry as hell

once he put that thing away, you finally told him

and let me tell you, he was BAFFLED

at first, he laughed at you, thinking that you were joking

and once you told him that you weren't, he went silent

and then got a little teary

he quickly wiped said tears though and just looked at you, tilting his head and asking, "you really want our hearts to be connected, y/n? even if I don't have one?"

you just told him, "everyone has a heart, Axel. Even you."

and omg he fell in love

Ventus

you wanted to share the fruit with him so bad, but you wanted to tell him the conditions first

when you did, he agreed SO FAST

he wants to be there to protect you and be there for you your whole life, so to have a destiny that goes hand in hand is a dream come true

he wants to go through everything with you and eating that fruit in the sunset was amazing for you two

Terra

you and him have talked about the fruit before, you've explained it to him and the two of you have even joked about sharing one

but once you actually got one and showed Terra, the man was BLUSHING

"you really wanna do this y/n?"

"of course I do, dummy! what? you don't wanna do it or something?"

"n-no! it's not like that I just... are you sure?"

of course you were sure, so you cut that thing in half and handed it to him

he was hesitant, as he didn't want you getting involved in anything dangerous in the future, but you were so sure that you wanted to share this life with him and he was more than grateful <3

Riku

when i tell you that you got this man BLUSHING

he wanted to share the fruit with Kairi YEARS AGO, but it never worked out because it was meant for her and Sora, so when you offered to share it with him after everything that had happened in the events of KH2, he couldn't believe you

of course he agreed though, you two had been through so much and you fought so hard that he knew that it was perfect that you two were to share this fruit

it was also perfect because you were back on Destiny Islands smiling and having the time of your life <3

~~~~~

kingdom hearts masterlist | pinned post

2023 @tonberry-yoda – do not repost or claim ANY of my work as your own! likes, reblogs, and comments are not only welcome, but appreciated

~~~~~

[merizonal]

You guys reminded me about my mermaid AU so lemme try to explain it

-okay okay so Riku, Sora, and the heart hotel are all members of the same mermaid pod. they're all different kinds of dolphins : )

-when they are younger Riku is obsessed with the surface and the idea of getting to see what's beyond the ocean. However at some point two of Sora's older siblings, Ventus and Vanitas are captured by humans. They never return

-Riku ends up becoming super over protective of his best friend Sora after this and grows wary and mistrusting of of both the surface and humans

-eventually Sora starts sneaking off to go to the surface because he befriends a human there, a girl named Kairi. mermaids are able to take on human appearances when they dry out so Kairi is the only person on the surface who knows what Sora is

-Riku finds out about Sora frequently going to the surface and while he chastises him for it and constantly lectures him on the danger of it he doesn't actively stop Sora either. It's more like he tries to stay with Sora more so he doesn't sneak off to the surface. It's only partially effective and Sora still goes to the surface somewhat frequently

-Until one day he doesn't come home

-Determined to find Sora Riku pushes aside his caution and travels to the surface. He soon meets Kairi and when she introduces herself he recognizes her name and aggressively demands to know where Sora is. Kairi tells him she had no idea Sora never returned home and that she hasn't seen him in over a week.

-This leads to Riku staying on Kairi's couch and borrowing her cousin Lea's clothes. At one point Lea drops by Kairi's apartment and asks what happened to that "Sora kid" and Riku flips out demanding to know where Sora is

-Lea doesn't know he just drops by Kairi's sometimes to hang out. He lives in an apartment's across town with his boyfriend Isa and they both work for a pretty large marine based corporation in the city(The Organization). He and Isa share a car and Isa has to drive him around a lot. He also sometimes talks about the two kids who he met at a skatepark one time who show up at his place randomly.

-Lea he finds out that Riku's a mermaid pretty quick into their conversation. He agrees to help with the search for Sora. He also helps Kairi show Riku how to better blend into the human word which Riku has no interest in doing

-At some point they go to a mall to get Riku new clothes and Kairi and Lea keep having to stop him from interrogating poor mall employees and random strangers. He does however seem to like all the clothing with a cartoon mouse on them

-So where has Sora been this whole time?

-At some point someone in the Organization that Lea and Isa work for found out about Sora being a mermaid and he never returned home because he was captured by the Organization. The Organization has been experimenting on him. Lea and Isa both have no idea of this as they don't have high enough clearance to know that mermaids even exist

-However the higher ups in the organization do know. In fact this isn't the first time they got their hands on one. Several years ago they captured two. Sora's siblings Ventus and Vanitas. Vanitas is the only one still at the Organization. In fact he works for them.

-At some point there was an escape attempt. With the help of the the heir to the company Terra, Ventus attempted to escape. They both disappeared soon after never to be seen again. Fearing for his own life Vanitas joined the Organization. He works there but he doesn't really get paid and his food and shelter are provided by the company's CEO Xehanort so he can't really leave.

-He runs into Sora while Sora is there being experimented on and while Sora seems to recognize him Vanitas refuses to help him remembering what happened to Ventus and Terra

-At some point Isa gets promoted and is told about about the whole mermaid thing. He soon reveals this information to Lea who relays it to Kairi and Riku and they hatch a plan to go save Sora

That's about all I have right now for the main plot. There's definitely a lot more going on especially with Vanitas so feel free to ask if you'd like to know more! There's also more about what happened to Ven and Terra and even a running gag with Demyx ; )

[mythicalartistx]

So people blame Terra....

And it's not his fault.

Like essentially he wanted to do good and he wanted to help people.

Maleficent manipulated him like she did with Riku.

Terra and KH1 Riku are actually similar

Xehanort was probably a mentor he looked up to and he didn't know he was bad. Like from the viewer everyone is like he screams bad guy it's Xehanort— but Terra didn't know this.

Xehanort planted the seeds in his head and had him use darkness. Though Darkness isn't inherently evil, Eraqus was only worried.

Because of DR events where the darkness killing all of Eraqus and Xehanort's friends, Eraqus was worried for Terra. Xehanort , however, by experiencing that and seeing that went astray after the fact. Eraqus however knew this about Xehanort.

Maybe he thought he changed with putting Ventus in his care.

But because of DR events, Eraqus was worried and wanted him to be safe (he viewed him like a son) and would rather him just stay at the land of departure.

That's why he tasked Aqua with watching him. But at kh3 Eraqus admits he shouldn't have done what he did.

First seeing BBS you think oh he's a bad teacher when actually he's one of the better ones. He's just worried they will turn out like what happened in his and Xehanort's past. He only knew darkness as bad at this point too, they didn't have anyone like Riku who is in the light but also used Darkness for good

He keeps Ven sheltered, asks Aqua to bring them back and watch over them, and has Terra go out to prove Eraqus is wrong.

But by having them leave, Xehanort takes advantage of it.

Eraqus admits he was a foolish teacher and asked so much of them.

The reasons Terra was different from Riku is that he knew that darkness was bad and didn't want to use it. He then uses darkness to protect Ven something Riku probably would have done and that's when Eraqus realizes what he did was sorta wrong too and that he shouldn't have raised his hand against them.

However, Xehanort, takes that opportunity to attempt and kill him as Eraqus hides in Terra's heart.

Xehanort set the three of them on a path that led to distrust and separation.

It's no one's initial fault. It's bad circumstances.

After the final battle, Aqua saves Terra by sending him and her armor to the world of light.

And before anyone says she shouldn't of done that because he ends up causing his problems with Xehanort obtaining his body, Aqua didn't know that would happen.

Literally none of the characters knew the outcome of things. They didn't know Xehanort was filled with darkness, trying to sway them. Ventus lost his memories from being split from Vanitas.

They trusted their master for some reason let Xehanort around, that's the only thing I honestly really question.

He probably was just wanting to reconnect with their tragic yaoi

I see people hate on Aqua too but it's not her fault. She didn't really let being Master go to her head, she just wanted to do what was right and what she was told. Again because of separation there was distrust.

Anyone it's just Xehanort's plan, no one is at fault.

[cq-studios]

Would you like to share anything from or about your Ventus (& Strelitzia) fic ?

Sure, I’m in the midst of rewriting it right now (doing that technique where you write it again but only the parts you remember) and the original fic was never finished but I can give some snippets.

Untitled “everyone thinks Ventus has a crush on Strelitzia but he actually can’t stop thinking about her because he killed her” WIP below the cut

Sora had finally made it back. After a whole year of searching, Riku was able to guide him back to the Realm of Light. Ven, like the rest of them, was smiling so wide his cheeks hurt.

The thing was, they weren’t alone.

A girl stepped out of the portal behind them. She wore a white dress and red bows in her hair. Something in his heart itched.

She scanned the people surrounding her, giving everyone a glance. Then her eyes landed on Ven. And on Ven her eyes stayed, alight with fear.

Ven’s stomach sank with familiarity. His breathing quickened. The itch turned to a jackhammer, rattling his core.

He took a step back. Then another. Then another.

It’s her.

Who’s her?

He broke eye contact.

“Are you alright?” Xion looked up at him with earnesty.

Through the fading dread, Ven managed a shaky grin and a nod. The girl’s brow furrowed but, thankfully, she didn’t push. He wondered if he and Roxas made similar faces when they lied.

“Come on, introduce yourself,”

“H-hello, I’m Strelitzia”.

Strelitzia.

The name rang in his head like bells. A cacophony just like the end. Like a new beginning.

It’s all my fault.

What is?

“Aren’t you going to say hi, Ven?” Aqua asked, concern not even hidden as she passed by.

Everyone seemed to be introducing themselves now. Strelitzia looked a little overwhelmed by all the attention.

“Uh, maybe… I don’t want to be rude but she, uh… makes me feel” he grappled for a word, “weird”.

“Weird?”

He wasn’t sure that was a good enough word.

“Nervous?”

That didn’t feel right either.

Aqua paused for a moment, Ven could see the gears turning in her head.

“Alright”

———

And then here’s a couple of scenes from the older version

———

(This is a scene that takes place after poor Ven digs himself deeper into a hole lol)

Terra and Aqua shared a knowing look and big amused smiles.

“Wha-? What’s that look for?”

“It's just cute”

“Huh?”

“You like her, don’t you?”

“I-I guess,” why is this important? “She seems nice, bu-” He paused mid sentence when he realized his friends’ smiles were growing even wider, “wait. You mean-” his cheeks were on fire in an instant, hands flying to cover his face, “Ahh! No! Gross guys”.

“You are around that age,” “Past it even”.

“Lalala! Not listening,”

“‘I can’t stop thinking about her’,”

“Guys, seriously, stop. It’s not a crush!” His confidence faltered, “At least… I-I don’t think it is”.

Maybe crushes did feel this way. He wouldn’t know, he’d never had one. But if they were supposed to feel like this he couldn’t imagine why anyone would want the feeling. It was just so... so suffocating.

———

“Kairi?”

“Hm?” The girl turned her head and eyed him expectantly.

Ven’s mouth suddenly felt like a desert. Was he really going to ask this? Was he even close enough with her to ask this? It’s a personal question. Maybe he shouldn’t bother.

No. He- He had to know.

He steeled his nerves and the question fell from his mouth, “do you have a- a crush on someone?”

The other wielder blinked in surprise and awkwardly, almost sympathetically replied, “Uh, yes, I do… why”

Ven felt so incredibly sheepish. In a voice barely louder than a whisper he asked, “What does it feel like?”

“Oh,” Something that resembled relief flashed in her expression, leaving Ven to wonder what she thought he was going to say, “(she’s supposed to describe it here but I don’t know how and I felt too awkward to ask someone lol)”

“So you don’t feel sick?”

“Feel sick?”

“That’s how I feel around Strelitzia…” “Aqua and Terra think I have a crush on her but-”

“But you aren’t sure”.

Ven shook his head

“Well, everyone’s different, but that doesn’t sound like a crush to me”

[thatwitchrevan]

Telling Ven and Roxas apart headcanons:

- Aqua, Terra, Lea, and Sora almost never mix them up. When they do, it's usually when they're distracted and barely paying attention to which one they're talking to. It's just that easy for them to tell from their personalties, manners, how they speak, and the minor differences in their appearances. However, as everyone gets used to having both Roxas and Ventus around, they start accidentally mixing their names up the way parents do with their kids - they're not really thinking that Ventus IS Roxas, they know this is Ventus, but Roxas is the name that came out of their mouth anyway. This eventually happens a lot and Roxas jokes that they should wear name tags. Ventus says that it wouldn't help.

- Isa and Naminé can mostly tell them apart but sometimes they like. Squint at the boys, unsure. Naminé will just be like 'are you Roxas or Ventus' (Ven: It's Ven :)! Roxas: wow Naminé I'd never mix YOU up with Kairi or Xion god). Isa doesn't like to ask but eventually he will if he can't figure it out.

- Riku can't tell them apart at a glance, but after engaging them in conversation he can figure it out pretty quick. Mainly because Ven is really friendly with him and Roxas not as much.

- Kairi is confused at first but then gets really good at telling.

- Vanitas never mixes them up, but he will tease Roxas about 'stealing' his brother's face and is also rude to him a lot.

- Xion can also always tell them apart. It's kind of uncanny: even if one of them comes up to her and she only gets a glimpse of them, without hearing them speak or them do anything distinctive, she knows exactly who it is. Does she just know them both that well, or is it a weird side effect of her mimickery? No one knows.

- Yen Sid and Mickey insist it's 'obvious' which is which. Though Mickey has definitely called Roxas 'Ven' by accident.

- Donald and Goofy are honestly a little lost.

- Most of the Radiant Garden lot are as well, but Aerith can tell them apart. Leon and Cloud usually avoid names just in case.

- Hayner/Pence/Olette find it very trippy that Ventus looks like Roxas, but they take a couple minutes to learn the differences between them and then never mix them up.

[tapioca-puddingg]

The Guardians of Light and Content Creation

More headcanons that no one asked for :p

Sora ❤️

plays fornite, minecraft and roblox

plays with Ven and Lea

i think horror games might be too scary for him but he tries anyway

tries to get Riku and Kairi to play with him but they ain't havin it

occasionally enjoys RPGs too

calls Riku when he gets stuck on a hard part

sometimes plays fighting games with Riku. He always loses

Riku 💙

I can't see him doing content, I feel like he'd be more of a private person

although i feel like he might show up in Sora's streams from time to time

he's the person Sora calls when he gets stuck on a hard part

Sora also calls him to get his reaction to certain things. if not in person, then thru discord

also plays fighting games and Mario Kart with Sora and Kairi sometimes. He wins almost every time, Sora accuses him of cheating

Kairi 🌸

as for gaming, i can see her streaming rhythm games, like Project Diva

also plays Terraria

plays Animal Crossing with Xion

sometimes plays Smash and Mario Kart with Sora and Riku. she's gotten a couple wins, but Riku is surprisingly good at the game and wins a lot

very down to earth and is sweet with her chat

Bonus: Namine 🤍

artsy fartsy

does art streams

maybe art tutorial videos

likes drawing the Guardians of Light

she takes requests from the GoL too

i can also see her learning to paint

also plays lofi hip-hop

Roxas🍦

didn't even know what games were until Lea showed him

now he's hooked

likes JRPGs and MMOs

convinced Lea to play FF14 with him

he's a hardcore raider. he gets very intense

stays up til the wee hours of the night until Lea and Isa force him to stop playing and go to bed

joins Lea and Xion for meme reactions

Xion 🐚

​i can see her streaming or doing videos of chill games like Animal Crossing or the Sims

​has lofi hip-hop playing in the background

​joins Lea and Roxas for meme reactions

also likes playing party games with the squad

Lea 🔥

​Horror games and asymmetrical horror games (Dead by Daylight, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, etc)

also ​Lethal Company with Ven, Roxas and Isa

​he tends to scream and freak out. Isa gets frustrated with him in-game

​Everyone else laughs at him (hey what are friends for)

​meme reaction videos occasionally

​plays with funny mods

Bonus: Isa 🌙

Similar to Riku, he doesn't create content, but he does play games sometimes

​also enjoys listening to podcasts and reading

​will tune in to Lea and Ven's streams on occasion

​is amused by Lea's screaming when he's not playing with him

​plays games with Lea and Ven

​does not understand Roxas and Lea's memes

Aqua ❄️

i think it's canon that she likes to bake, so i think she could run a cooking channel or a cooking blog

she'll have terra or eraqus come in at the end to taste test the food

canonically is into arts and crafts, so maybe she'll make videos about jewelry-making and 3D printing

i can also see her making crystal bracelets

maybe she could run her own online shop?

Terra 🤎

defo a gym bro

​does workout tutorials

​does those videos where he shows what he eats in a day

​canonically is into woodworking so he could do content surrounding that too

​and 3D printing

​i just think 3D printing is cool okay

​plays Smash with Ven. Things get pretty heated between them

Ventus 💚

also streams minecraft, roblox and fortnite

also Lethal Company

also likes Sonic

tries to get Terra to play with him, but those type of games just aren't for him

"You kids and your video games"

Aqua doesnt too much understand it either

plays with Sora, Lea, and Isa

tries to play asymmetrical horror games

plays Smash with Terra. that game might singlehandedly tear their friendship apart

Bonus: Vanitas ☠️

plays online games

CoD, Overwatch, etc

Typical toxic gamer. You don't wanna hear him in lobbies

Has been banned from vc multiple times

None of the GoL wanna play with him lmao

Rip