#rendering gold OOOOO

[t3ch-wizard]

crowns, crowns and more crowns

CANDY GET YOUR CROWNY ASS OUTTA HERE!!

[starrspice]

If you don't mind me asking, what gave you the idea to give moon yellow and blue eyes? I like it! It's cute! But I don't recall Moon ever being shown with anything other than red and black eyes.

Ooooo a very interesting question!!!!

Ok ok ok so

There is actually some logic behind this

So. Most people draw moon with black scalera (eye whites) and red irises

Or one black scalera one white

Sometimes red with white irises. Just for the sake of personal design of Moon's regular eyes

I Like having a bit of asymmetry so I like one eye having black/white scalera and one having a color with a white iris. Idk that part is just personal taste to offset the darkside of his face

But as for the colors this is because of the depictions of Sun and Moon in the game

All based on their in game merch and posters

See. Its not exactly clear whether Sun's eyed were blue, grey/black, or gold originally but we know in game now his eyes are pure white

Moon is almost NEVER shown in posters and merch with his eyes open

EXCEPT for this one plushy render

This shows his regular eye as blue and his darkside eye as red but i feel like thatd be way to scary for children

So my headcanon is that sun and moon's eyes have a range of colors and options and the two just tend to choose whatever they go with

Moon would usually have both yellow eyes (he likes that since sun used to use blue for his eyes) But the eye on his darkside wont turn yellow for some reason. And he doesn't like parts and service so he goes with blue instead of having it repaired or replaced

And since his faceplate is so still he likes using his eyes to express how he feels

[a-crack-in-the-universe]

Endless Darkness

On the day of the Keyblade War, Aqua stands with the light keyblade wielders and faces down Master Xehanort and his Seekers across a sea of desert and stone. The old man is grinning smugly, his gold eyes alight in triumph as he looks back at them. There is no remorse for the pain he has caused them all with his convoluted plan.

Her blood boils just looking at him. This man is the cause of her agony, and that of Terra and Ventus. She longs to destroy him just as he destroyed her. She longs to rip him apart piece by piece and make him feel the agony she has felt over the past ten years because of him. Unfortunately, she is not the one meant to strike him down—Sora is—so she will just have to settle for watching him die. Besides, reaching Terra is a more important priority at this point.

She thinks she can see him, somewhere among the line of Seekers. They all have their hoods up so she cannot say for sure, but she is familiar enough with his shape and posture to take a good guess at which one he is.

When it begins, the sky darkens until it looks like night has fallen. Heartless and other monsters manifest themselves and launch themselves at the keyblade wielders, who begin to fight them.

Aqua ignores them all and makes a beeline toward Terra. Seeing her, he turns and runs, away from the main fight. She follows him. She knows that it is probably a trap, but she does not care at this point. All of her being is roaring, raging, focused on her need to get to him. And besides, she is not alone; she can feel Ventus a few steps behind her, begging her to slow down and think for a moment.

‘Terra!’ she snarls. ‘Stop running from me!’

It does not matter—he keeps running all the same. Muttering under her breath, she conjures up a dark lasso and throws it at him. It catches him around the waist and sends him off his feet. A strong feeling of satisfaction rises within her at his howl of anger. Good. The darkness runs up his body, paralyses him. Not for long, for he too is a darkness-wielder, but long enough. She lunges at him just as he breaks free.

Her tackle sends him sprawling. Enraged, he snarls at her words that make Ventus’s eyes widen; she simply smiles dangerously and grabs at his neck, squeezing until he is gasping for air. She ignores Ventus’ cries of shock and snarls at him, ‘Give us back Terra, or I swear I will crush you.’

His mouth moves to form a resounding ‘no’. She sees red, and her grip on him tightens.

Ventus’ voice cuts through her rage and brings her back to herself. ‘Aqua, wait! Don’t kill him! It’s Terra’s body!’

Of course… She shakes her head at herself. How could she have forgotten? Their main focus is rescuing Terra. They cannot free Terra if she has destroyed his body.

She does not realise that he is rendered unconscious until she loosens her grip and he does not fight back. Curious… She supposes that she must have been choking him for longer than she thought. 

She looks to Ventus, who is gazing at her with new eyes. ‘What now? How can we reach Terra?’

Ventus shrugs helplessly. Neither of them has the Dive to the Heart ability, and Riku and Sora are nowhere to be seen. It seems impossible. Frustrated, she kicks at the sandy ground and turns away.

‘We will have to carry him further away from the battle, at least,’ she decides, and moves to haul him to his feet.  

Suddenly, as she hooks his arm across her neck and shoulder, a set of images assail her mind: Three wayfinders in outstretched hands; her face, gold-eyed and silver-haired; and Ventus’ face. Her eyes widen in surprise.

‘Terra!’ She grabs Ven’s hand and puts it in Terra’s grasp. ‘Look, Ven! He is trying to reach us.’

Ventus’ eyes widen as he sees the images she has seen. Neither of them knows what they mean, but it becomes clearer as they are assailed with more images.

‘He’s… confused,’ Ventus says slowly. 

They look at one another with the same thought in mind. They must help him before Xehanort consumes him. But first, Aqua decides, they must carry him to a place of safety. They cannot be on this world when the X-Blade is forged.

‘No,’ Ventus says when she voices her thought. ‘We can’t abandon them! It wouldn’t be right.’

Right? She almost scoffs at that word. Since when has doing the ‘right’ thing ever helped them in any way? And besides, all three of them could be lost if they remain in the Graveyard any longer. The much wiser course would be to escape now, while they still can.

Still, she reluctantly yields to Ven’s intense glare and settles back down beside Terra-Xehanort’s prone form. ‘All right,’ she says grudgingly. ‘But first we must help Terra.’

‘Yeah.’ Ventus’ eyes blaze with determination. 

The two of them move to sit at Terra’s—Xehanort’s—side. They look at each other and nod, knowing without a doubt what they must do. They close their eyes and concentrate, until they move past the images flashing before their minds and into the muddled thoughts behind them.

Terra… Aqua’s breath hitches as she is flooded by his turbulent feelings. We are here.

Let us help you, Ventus adds.

What… I… Who...?

Listen to us. We will guide you. You are your own person, you are not Xehanort or part of Xehanort.  

Xehanort? No… I am nothing… no one… part of him…

You are you, they tell him in unison. Unique from Xehanort.

But the memories… they are not mine…

They are, they tell him. Your memories are your own. You only have to claim them.

I… I…

He falters. They concentrate harder, giving him what strength they have, until--

ooooo

Blinking and squinting, they find themselves standing on Terra’s heart-station. They see Terra immediately. He lies in the centre of the station, covered in shadows of darkness, groaning faintly as if he is in pain. (The painful echo in Aqua’s heart confirms it.)

‘Terra!’

Aqua falls to her knees beside him. As she does so she sees the chains on his hands and feet. Made of darkness, she thinks. They have a strange luminosity to them.

He does not answer. His eyes are closed; his head lolls slightly as she desperately shakes his shoulders.

‘Terra, can you hear me? Please answer me!’

‘What a sight,’ a familiar voice says mockingly from behind them.

Immediately she knows who it is. How can she not? It has haunted her dreams for months on end now. Slowly she rises and turns to face him.

‘Foolish Master,’ Xehanort says. ‘Still as misguided as ever. You cannot win. He belongs to me—as do you.’

She doesn’t lower her keyblade. ‘I do not belong to you,’ she says flatly. ‘And neither does Terra.’

‘Yeah,’ Ventus says, glaring at him. ‘Terra belongs with us and we’re going to prove it!’

He laughs. ‘Then do,’ he sneers.

They attack him, but again and again he covers himself with a dark shield before they can make contact with him. Each time she hears Terra cry out in pain.

‘You see?’ he says smugly. ‘You cannot defeat me without first putting him down.’

No… Shaking with rage, she swipes at him again, with the same result as before.

‘There is no other way,’ Xehanort says. ‘Put him out of his misery or leave him with me. From the look of him,’ he adds casually, ‘I am sure he would prefer the first option.’

She glares at him, hating that he dared to read her mind. ‘There is always a way! I won’t let you take him from us again!’

Frantically she searches her mind for something, anything, that could help. But all she can think of is Terra. Terra… That’s it!

Terra! We need you!

Xehanort glares at her, astounded. ‘You fool. Terra cannot hear you now!’

‘He can!’ she retorts back. ‘I know it!’ Terra! We can fight him together—the three of us!

She crouches before Terra, not caring about what Xehanort is doing. Ventus follows suit. Our hearts are connected. The three of us can do it! Now break free and help us!

For a long moment she holds her metaphorical breath as she waits. Please… she begs. Just come back to us. I believe in you. Ven believes in you. Just… come… back!

She caresses his cheek, willing him to wake up. Somewhere around her, she feels Ven do the same thing. Together they concentrate. And then they feel it: a glimmer of light, terribly faint, but there.

Terra! The word is shouted in unison.

…

Aqua… Ven… The words are filled with weariness and pain.

We’re here. Let us help you.

Shock, disbelief, and finally hope blossom.

How?... He’s strong…

The three of us are stronger. Now fight back!

I… I…

They feel him steel himself, and immediately bolster his light, showering him with memories. The day they met… the days they trained Ven on the summit… the days and nights they spent together, watching the stars. The night Aqua gave them their wayfinders, and the promise they made to one another.

By the time they are done, she can feel the tears staining his cheek. The chains disappear in a burst of light.

No! Xehanort’s voice echoed around the platform, furious and frustrated.

Aqua kisses Terra on the crown of his head and stands up to face the old Keyblade Master. ‘Leave, now,’ she says coldly. ‘Or pay the price.’

Xehanort’s eyes flash. ‘Then face the powers of hell!’

Before any of them can react, the station shakes violently. Darkness erupts from Xehanort’s figure, and spreads throughout the area, tainting it. With a thrill of horror, Aqua realises that the old keyblade master is about to destroy this heart-station and take them all down with it.

Aqua, Ven, you must go! Terra’s voice sounds in her mind, strained and panicking. This is not worth it!

‘No!’ 

She’s waited too long and lost too much to give up now. He and Ven are the only family she has left, and she will not lose either of them again if she can help it.

Of course, Ven refuses to leave them behind. She keeps a tight hold of both of their hands as the darkness rises higher and higher, spreads until the platform is consumed by it. With a thrill she feels the floor beneath them disappear, leaving them stranded in air.

They fall.

oOoOo

Sometime later, Aqua finds herself drifting back into consciousness on the sandy ground of the Keyblade Graveyard. Opening her eyes, she spies Terra’s still-comatose form. Her heart freezes as she senses the emptiness within him. No… Terra? 

‘Aqua?’

She turns at the sound of a ragged familiar voice, and sees his Ventus’ face on the other side of her. His blue eyes are exhausted; his face is filled with love and concern as he looks at her.  

Ven…

‘You stayed with us,’ she croaks out. 

‘It’s what friends do,’ he responds simply. ‘I would never leave you and Terra when I thought you were in danger.’

‘Thank you,’ she says simply. There is nothing else to say.  

Her eyes stinging with tears, she grabs hold of his hand, and reaches to take Terra’s. Both of them, here with her… it’s a dream come true. Is it truly over at last? She prays that it is. 

[a-crack-in-the-universe]

Endless Light

Weeks pass, and finally Aqua begins to settle into the Mysterious Tower. Although she still does not trust anyone there except Ventus, she has begun to relax and finally accept that she is in a safe place and that these people may not mean her and Ventus any harm. It helps that they are kind to her and Ventus and make it clear that they are not the same as Xehanort’s organization.

Riku and Kairi both offer to help her in their own way. Riku offers to teach her more about her darkness, and Kairi offers to use her light-based Princess of Heart powers to help heal her heart. Aqua listens to them warily, and curtly declines their offers of help. She does not trust them enough yet to know for sure if they will not just try and destroy her for being a being of darkness, and she is not willing to risk finding out. They are not disappointed about her rejection, though, and simply tell her that their offers will always stand.

Two weeks after her breakdown, however, she is finally convinced by Ventus to accept help from Kairi so that her heart can begin to recover from her long ordeal. It is difficult, of course, since she herself does not think that there is anything wrong with her and thus doesn’t see how it will help her, but soon she has to admit that Kairi’s light magic does soothe her frayed nerves and clears her mind and makes her feel lighter in general.    

Not surprisingly, she is extremely wary when Sora and Riku start hanging out with Ventus casually as friends, snarling slightly whenever she sees them get close. It is not that she hates them personally anymore—not like she still detests Mickey and Yen Sid—but she is suspicious of anything that could be a threat to Ventus. It is only when Ventus assures her that he is not in danger with them and that he wants this that she finally backs down. But not before threatening to feed them to the Heartless if they ever put Ventus in unnecessary danger.

In the meantime, she and Ventus also become more re-acquainted with one another. It has been a long time, and they hardly recognize the people they used to be. She learns of what Ventus endured while being held captive by Xehanort, while she reluctantly tells him a tiny bit about what it was like in the Organization with Terra. It pains her, but she owes Ventus that much, after all that he has been through.  

She would’ve avoided speaking of how she gave Ventus over to Master Xehanort—in fact she had hoped that they would not have to speak of it—if it weren’t for Ventus. He forces her to confront her guilt over that event, and assures her that he does not blame her for any of what he went through. She is sceptical about that, but he says firmly, ‘You weren’t in your right mind. I know that. We all do.’

She looks away from him, unable to face him. ‘That is not true,’ she says. ‘I… I did it of my own free will. When he ordered me to do it, I did not even hesitate, or think. I just did it without a second thought.’ It pains her inside to remember it, even now. She’d sworn to protect him, but instead she had betrayed him and handed him over to Xehanort.

‘No,’ he insisted. ‘He was controlling you. It wasn’t your fault. You have to believe that. And even if it was, I forgive you anyway. So, you don’t have to feel guilty about it anymore.’

It touches her that Ventus, who suffered because of what she did, is trying to reassure her and comfort her. Tears spring into her eyes at the thought of it.

‘Thank you, Ventus,’ she says. ‘You are a true friend.’

He grins a teary grin at her. ‘All I’ve wanted is to see you and Terra again,’ he tells her. ‘How could I ever be angry at either of you for anything that might’ve happened? You’re my best friends.’

To stop herself from crying again, she looks away and changes the conversation topic.

oOoOo

One day, Ventus suggests that they go on an outing to another world. She looks at him as if he is crazy, when he makes his proposition. He wants to take time off now, when Terra is still in danger? It is ridiculous. She would say so, but Ventus speaks first.

‘It’ll be good for us,’ he says. ‘We can’t help Terra if we’re not at our best.’

Grudgingly she agrees, and the two of them fly off to Neverland.

It is strange to be back there. The last time she was in Neverland, she led an ‘expatition’ with the Lost Boys and Peter Pan up through Rainbow Falls. She found Ventus’ wooden keyblade abandoned and fought Vanitas in the Indian Camp.

She looks around at the scenery, awe filling her heart. She has not seen such beauty in a very long time—not since she fell into the Realm of Darkness thirteen years ago. Too long a time, she thinks.

She sniffs, and feels a tear roll down her cheek. That is surprising—she had thought that she had run out of tears to cry. But these are tears of joy, not only grief. Ventus take her hand—not possessively or with intimacy, but in a clear show of support and friendship. She turns to see him grinning at her.

‘It’s nice, isn’t it?’ he says. ‘I had the same reaction when I saw it again for the first time.’

She nods, rendered speechless by everything she is seeing. Something baffles her, though. How can he be so nice to her when she has been so horrible to him? She supposes it shows how good he is compared to her. She can’t help it—guilt and remorse give her heart a twinge. She looks away from him, suddenly uncomfortable.

‘Ven, I’m sorry. I have not treated you well.’

Ventus looks away. ‘It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot.’

It touches her to see how selfless he is being—unlike her. She cannot remember a time now (after her corruption) when she had not thought of herself first. Now, for the first time, she considers him. He has been through as much as she has, she realises with a twinge of guilt. He has been held captive by Master Xehanort, has probably endured isolation, fear, worry and pain, and yet he thinks of her first instead of him. It opens her eyes to see it.

‘No,’ she says adamantly. ‘It is not. I haven’t been fair to you at all. I will make it up to you somehow. I promise.’

She does not know how yet, but she will think of something. She has too. She has been self-absorbed for far too long—it is time she focused on someone else for a change, and not just for her own self-interest.

Ventus sees the new light and conviction in her eyes and grins again. She can see his eyes brim with hope as he hugs her tightly. ‘I’ll hold you to that,’ he tells her. ‘Don’t worry.’

oOoOo

That night, she dreams of Terra for the first time in months. Not the brown-haired, blue-eyed man she’d visited before, but a cross between him and the silver-haired, gold-eyed man present in her memories of Xehanort’s Organization.  

‘Terra?’

The name feels strange in her mouth. She reaches out a hand to him, but he just looks at her with those cruel gold eyes and turns away. She can almost sense what he is saying. Go away. I do not want you here. But she keeps reaching for him, calling out his name until her mind’s voice is hoarse with it. No matter how much he objects, she will always be there for him, no matter what.  

She wakes up with a hammering heart and a sweaty forehead, and fear, protectiveness and rage in her heart. Unlike the previous dreams, she remembers this one clearly. She mulls over it in her mind. What is Xehanort doing to Terra? She dreads to think of it.

‘I dreamed of him too,’ Ventus admits over breakfast that morning, when she recounts her dream to him. ‘I was floating in darkness and I could sense him somewhere below me. I tried to reach him but I couldn’t.’

Though Aqua is reluctant, they decide to go to Yen Sid to ask for his advice on the matter. She supposes that since Terra’s life is at stake, they can take the risk just this once. Though, she vows that if the old master betrays them, she will take Ventus and run, no matter what the younger keyblade wielder thinks.

‘Hmm.’ The retired old master fixes them with an intense glare as they tell him about their dreams. ‘This is most interesting.’

‘What does it mean, Master?’ Ventus asks.

‘It means that there is still a chance for him,’ Yen Sid says. ‘I had thought that he would be too darkened by Master Xehanort to be recovered, but if either of you can reach him then perhaps it is not too late.’

Her heart leaps at his words. She bites on her lip to stop herself from gasping in hope.  

‘That is all that I can tell you. The rest you must solve yourselves. Now go.’

‘Wait,’ she snaps as he turns away. ‘Why are you helping us?’

He eyes her grimly. ‘Because I care, Master Aqua. You, Ventus and Terra are like niece and nephews to me. Master Eraqus was also my old friend. I want nothing more than for you three to be happy and safe.’

‘So you say,’ she snaps, glaring daggers at him. Where was he when she and Ventus were in danger, then?

Before she can say anything more, Ventus elbows her and tells the retired master, ‘Thank you, Master Yen Sid. We’ll do as you say.’

As he says? Over her dead body. But Ventus drags them both out of the tower room before she can so much as open her mouth to speak again.

Although she still does not trust Yen Sid, his words have invigorated her, given her more hope than she ever dreamed of. If she becomes more skilled in controlling the darkness, and Ventus finishes his keyblade master training, then perhaps they will be ready to save Terra.