#the Great Keyblade War

[kingdom-hearts-redux]

The Keyblade(s), The Princess of Heart & The Great Keyblade War

To avoid the confusion caused by there being multiple Keyblades/Keyblade wielders, there is now only one big main Keyblade- also known as the Kingdom Key- which can only be wielded by the Princess of Heart, also of which there is only one.

The title of Princess of Heart is passed down from wielder to wielder (not necessarily parent to child) alongside the Kingdom Key to anyone found worthy of its potential, its vague consciousness drawn to those of purest Heart like a compass. This is the title Sora inherited when Kairi fused their hearts and bodies into one to prevent either/both from being overcome by the Darkness seeping in through the dark doorway in the cave in KH1.

The Princess of Heart can restore hearts, heal worlds, etc., but there’s a physical as well as spiritual limit, and an inner strength that must be trained and honed to be able to use any of its magical and amazing powers properly.

And yes, the mantle of Princess of Heart stays the same regardless of who holds the Keyblade.

The other Keyblades are more replicas in its image that act as elemental wands with no vague consciousness that allow their wielders to perform magic of a slightly lower tier than that of the Kingdom Key, but they can still do a lot, and still require their wielder to have a certain degree of inner strength and aptitude to perform magic.

These elemental Keyblades were first created before the Great Keyblade War of waaay back when, and were used to fight for the dark purposes of the worlds’ denizens when they began to look upon the radiance of Kingdom Hearts with greed and malicious intent, as well as the light that defended it and fought for those who could do nothing but watch as the war split very worlds apart.

To prevent any further destruction, the then-Princes of Heart used their power to seal Kingdom Hearts behind a door that would go down in legend and myth, and separate the worlds so they couldn’t cause or be subjected to any further harm.

These days, the elemental Keyblades are much less widely used. Along with the recorded history of the time, the way to forge a Keyblade has been lost except to a very select few who were close to the Princess of Heart who served and protected them and theirs- or anyone else who happened to survive to tell the bloody tale.

After the Great Keyblade War, the Princess of Heart vanished into reclusion, and likely found someone to take up the title, and then again, and again, until today, where Kairi was chosen by her grandmother- the next-most recent Princess of Heart- to be the new Princess of Heart. Nobody was supposed to know abut the coronation, but somehow a whispered word got out and led to a siege upon the castle that led to her escaping with a knight and her best friend to Destiny Isles, where she hoped to live peacefully, almost afraid of the Keyblade as much as she felt attached to it, where hardly anybody would look...

... Except for someone who would do anything to find out.

[hexxter]

“Lol sad player” as if I didn’t self insert too hard on khux and got secondary trauma from the whole game 💁🏻‍♀️

[loregoddess]

so I've been watching the KH Union Cross stuff (in order, thank goodness, this would be so confusing to piece together otherwise), and like, I knew enough about UX that the appearance of the foretellers at the end of KH3 wasn't confusing bc I knew who they all were, but getting the expanded, explained lore and I'm like okay, actually these weirdos in animal masks are pretty cool, glad to know they'll show up (presumably) in future games

also I'm glad that memorizing the Latin names for the seven deadly sins is finally paying off

[keykidpilipili]

I want to fight other keykids in Missing Link so bad, I want to fight fellow keyblade wielders during a keyblade war.

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

y’all. We need to have a talk about the union leaders’ keyblades

okay, so the first thing you have to know is that khx and khux’s keyblades are different. khux introduced new keyblades that weren’t included in khx originally, but! khux also made some changes to the keyblades that were originally in khx. Namely, it removed some of the in-between forms of each keyblade

(credit to this image via @appre-chi-ation)

As seen above, khx’s Starlight originally had these 5 forms in khx. The base form, plus its 4 upgrade forms.

But khux’s Starlight only has these forms, essentially having its upgrade line cut in half, and the addition of a new final form (sorta lol, it just glows)

This is the same for all the khx-khux keyblades. Starlight, Treasure Trove, Lady Luck, Three Wishes, Olympia, Divine Rose, and Moogle O’Glory all have their upgrade lines essentially compressed in khux.

Now, why does this matter? Ephemera, Skuld and Strelitzia wield this Starlight form in particular:

This is Starlight upgrade 3 / 4th form overall. It only exists in khx.

And Lauriam wields this:

Divine Rose upgrade 3 / 4th form overall. It also only exists in khx.

Since we know that the chi saga (and kh in general but chi specifically) is really great at tying gameplay mechanics and lore together, I think I actually understand the potential lore significance of this now.

These four were wielders before the war and were chosen to be union leaders. Putting Strelitzia aside for obvious reasons, Ephemera, Skuld and Lauriam escape to the new world wielding a form of their respective keyblades that actually doesn’t exist there. Now we don’t actually know why these forms don’t exist in this world from a narrative standpoint, but it might have to do with everyone’s memories being overwritten except theirs, or maybe it’s a glitch in the data that wasn’t taken into consideration (or maybe it was placed there on purpose? 👀 but this is just speculation).

Whatever the reason is, the fact that they wield non-existent keyblade forms from a forgotten reality could potentially explain why their keyblades never get upgraded past that, despite them being union leaders. You’d think that they would upgrade to the strongest form, right? Maybe going to the new world/reality stunted their keyblades’ evolution, and they’re just stuck with what they came with because they weren’t able to finish maxing out their keyblades before the war. (This is why you always do your materials quests, kids!)

Now, the reason they don’t just choose to wield a different, stronger keyblade instead is a whole other thing. Amongst the “new” keyblades brought into khux (Stroke of Midnight, Sleeping Lion, Counterpoint, Fenrir, Darkgnaw, Missing Ache, Fairy Stars, and Diamond Dust [Bad Guy Breaker is a special case]), they certainly have a lot to choose from.

My guess is either A. they simply can’t, as in, they’re physically unable to switch their particular keyblades in for a different one because of the circumstances of data Daybreak Town or because of something Ava did, or B. they chose not to, in order to just have a memento of the pre-war world, before their life changed drastically. I’m leaning towards the latter, since Blaine gives Ephemera Master’s Defender while they’re in data Daybreak Town and it wouldn’t make sense if there was even a possibility that Ephemera wouldn’t be able to use it there. This opens up a whole conversation about keyblade lore and how keyblades themselves change overtime and in different circumstances, along with how data worlds might affect keyblades. But that’s a whole other can of worms.

Anyways, here’s the most interesting part about all this…

Ven.

He wields Missing Ache upgrade 2 / 3rd form overall.

Already right from the get-go, you can see that this is different from the “formula” the other leaders are following (except Blaine, who’s the exception here, as he is to many things). Unlike the other leaders, Ven wields a keyblade that wasn’t in khx, but is included in khux as a “new” keyblade. He’s wielding a keyblade that was only put into use in the new world where everyone had their memories wiped in some capacity, including him. His keyblade is an anomaly. It may have very well been a big hint about him being an anomaly amongst the other union leaders!

tl;dr the union leaders were nerfed, the hints about Ven being a fake leader were there all along, and we need more keyblade lore. Thanks for coming to my ted talk ✌️

(an additional P.S.: Eph and Skuld were introduced in khx, so it’s possible that the main reason they were given their particular Starlight form was so they could be relative to Player’s hypothetical strength level at the time they’re introduced. But I still like to believe that there’s this additional significance to it)

[timetomarvel]

Theory time!

I dove head first back into the Kingdom Hearts rabbit hole. And right now, I am convinced Sora is the next life of the Player character from KHUX.

(I am not sure if a post like this exists already but hear me out!)

So first of all: it is canon, that hearts can decide to be reborn. And we know, that the Player at least has a second life.

In the end They become Xehanorts caregiver and die on Destiny Islands of all places.

But that is not all. In one of the (to me) most exciting sequences of KH3, Sora is being saved by the fallen Keyblade wielders from KHUX on the Keyblade Graveyard.

Those "lights from the past" how Ventus puts it later, are lead by Ephemer.

As great and exciting as it is to see Ephemer again.. why is he there? He didn't fall in this war, nor did he become a dream eater (as far as we know). So how is it possible for Sora to have a connection to Ephemer, strong enough to give him a face and a voice in this vision?

But even though Ephemer didn't die that day, like the others that help Sora in this battle, he was still there in the end. Surrounded by a blinding white light, saving Player.

I just love this! Especially since Union Cross is a lot about how the mind might forget but the heart remembers. So Sora's heart reaching back several lifes, tracing the connection to the person who saved him in this exact same place before.. it would be beautiful.

Oh and something else I stumbled across yesterday.

Lauriam asks Player to keep his sister in their heart. But that promise has no point or consequences. The player never meets Strelitzia if I remember correctly.

But guess who finds her in a different reality 👀😄

[lila-chantilly]

Alright some info on Lucian!

You're probably looking at that part about killing his own Chirithy and going "what??" Well, let me explain!

When I first watched Back Cover, I looked at how MoM pit the Foretellers against one another and thought "this Keyblade War is so stupid, why did anyone participate in it? Didn't anyone think something was up and just walk out?"

And then I realized that when we look at stories, we tend to view them from a bird's eye view especially when we, the audience, know what's going on behind the scenes. I learned that when you place yourself in the shoes of the characters, suddenly the world is so big and you don't know anything.

So here's how Back Cover looked from Lucian's perspective:

He was an ordinary Keyblade wielder from Leopardos. He was sociable, athletic, loyal to his Union, and had a healthy competitive streak. He took great pride and enjoyment in being a Keyblade wielder.

During one raid, he met Lila and developed a crush on her, when he tried to talk to her, her friends shooed him away and told him to talk to someone from his own Union. Cus that's just how it was back then, there was no war, but Union rivalries were still a thing.

And then the Master of Masters disappears, leaving the Unicornis leader in charge. And then the Ursus leader is seen in public attacking the Anguis leader. And there's this whole scuffle between the leaders that ends with the Leopardos leader (his leader), going into hiding, likely last seen limping in the streets, likely last rumored to have almost been killed by the Ursus leader.

And you can just imagine the rumors and paranoia that were flying around at that time. "I heard there's a traitor among us" "I heard one of the Unions fell to darkness" "I heard Aced attacked Invi" "I heard Aced tried to kill Gula" "I heard Ava is recruiting from other Unions" "what's Ira doing about all of this?" "Has anyone seen Master Gula yet? Is he even alive?"

Then Gula resurfaces, instructs his Union members to hoard Lux, which prompts the other Unions to do the same. By the time the War takes place, tensions are so high Player has to break apart a fight in the Fountain Square.

Lucian, being very immersed in his Union, fell into much of the paranoia, hostility, and mistrust towards other Unions. You can bet he was one of those guys starting fights, especially when you consider it's likely very personal between the Leopardos and Ursus guys (considering Aced tried to kill Gula, and now Gula was hoarding Lux).

His fear reached a breaking point during the actual War when amidst all the death and violence, he decided to desert. He ran from the other Wielders who chased him and planned to hide out in one of the other Worlds, though his Chirithy tried to stop him.

And here's the thing about Chirithies. They come from the MoM don't they? They can appear anywhere and see anything, can't they? They very clearly know things Wielders don't. So can they be trusted?

Lucian wasn't thinking straight anymore, he wanted to be safe from all the darkness and death, so he slayed his own Chirithy, opened a portal to another world, and fled.

Except the Worlds were very different back then, and only appeared a certain way to the Wielders cus of the Book of Prophecies, and the Keyblade War was tearing it all apart. So Lucian, finding nothing, realized he had been living a lie and had nowhere to run.

At that moment, his Chirithy appeared, now as a Nightmare, having survived the blow. Corrupted with both grief and the darkness in Lucian's heart, his Nightmare Chirithy grabbed him and forcibly fused with him, then dragged him into the Realm of Sleep where he lived in anguish as a Nightmare for years.

Until one day he saw a faint light, one that felt familiar. He tore through the Realm of Sleep to reach it, ending up back in the waking world, in Bounty City, where he would wreak havoc until he was defeated by Lila.

Lucian and his Chirithy (now normal again) unfused and lay fading. Lila listened to their story and realized that there was so much sketchy things going on with the Union Leaders, that all those young Wielders (herself included) paid for. She previously refused to become a Keyblade Wielder again, but Lucian's death became the inciting incident that got her to take up her Keyblade and seek out the Foretellers-- for answers and vengeance.

[zxal]

How ancient is ancient?

Dark Road dropped a lot of specific numbers and quantifying information, which got me thinking about when certain things actually take place. According to Player, Ephemer was Xehanort’s great-great-grandfather. That’s not that many generations ago.

If we assume that:

Ephemer’s lifeboat never launched, meaning he remained in the present

Every ancestor had a child at around ~30 years old

No further time shenanigans occurred (for example, baby Xehanort being sent to the future)

...Then the timeline of events goes:

KHX/KHUX → ~15 years to Ephemer having kids (congrats) → ~30 yrs. to Great-Grandparent → ~30 yrs. to Grandparent → ~30 yrs to Parent → ~30 yrs. to Xehanort → ~80 yrs. to KH3.

That’s 215 years (give or take 10 years or so per generation). About as long ago as the US has been a country. Do we consider that ancient? I guess in some ways we do. But it doesn’t fall that far outside of living memory.

“The ancient Keyblade War.” Man.

[mysterious-shadow-dragon]

I'm not much of a kingdom hearts fan as I'm not too interested or into the games as my lil bro but this character has been floating in my head for a long while, I never could get her design down until I randomly did now and the other three have been around for a while the last one does have a solid design either.

This is Will, she's very much a persistent and go-getter kind of keyblade wielder around the time before great keyblade war but she used the regular ol' but trusty starlight blade and she was in the Vulpeus Union. She has an interest in astral related things and the stars, Will really enjoyed the simple things life has to offer along with being given the opportunity of adventure but unfortunately her life took a turn after the events of the mentioned keyblade war.

Wisp is a mysterious little creature of undetermined origin and no one really knows how she came to be, she is excitable and energetic lil guy who's brimming with wonder and whimsy who has a magician motif (might be one herself even). She's eager to help just about anyone and she's as friendly as can be, a little ray of sunshine ready brighten anyone's day, she probably would be around the events of Kh1. (I haven't seen much or played that one, so I'm not sure how well she would fit or what wisp's role would be)

Hollow is a peculiar heartless that no one really knows or how she came to be either, she's a lonesome and rather down little creature who's very unsure of herself but she has very vague and faded memories of her past but she has a witch motif although she is rather strange even for a heartless as she's docile and not prone to being viscous. She's just like the lone moon that lays in the sky and has the same sense of loneliness as it has, she has secret and anxious fear of being forgotten but she would be around the events of Kh2. (Not sure how she would fit into the story though.)

Willow is probably the most mysterious of both Wisp and Hollow combined, as little is known about her but she is quite peaceful and tranquil and she is quite knowledgeable! She has mage/cleric motif to her, I'm not sure what KH game she would be in nor her story relevance would be.

[ultraericthered]

Kingdom Hearts Divergence, the Hearts In Chaos Chronicle

THE GOOD GUYS

Ephemer - The main protagonist of the saga, debuting as a dual MC next to Sora in KH4 before Sora's Keyblade of Light chooses Ephemer to be its new wielder. Ephemer's background is opposite of Sora's in that he's always known of other worlds, Keyblades, powers of light and darkness from the heart, Kingdom Hearts and all that because he's actually a member of the Dandelion Guild who comes from the distant past, having been thrust forward in time after running afoul of a conspiracy being set in motion by the then-current Guild Masters. Ephemer is a kind-hearted, empathetic and curious youth who wishes to solve the mysteries of the World, such as the Book of Prophecies and what exactly transpired between the Unions of the Dandelion Guild that caused Keyblades and Masters to become scarce. Much hard-hitting and less easygoing than Sora, he can be a bit cocky when he fights but is also known to be hesitant when he is unsure he's up to a big task, particularly true for becoming the next Keyblade Master, but he gradually starts to grow into the role. Ephemer is voiced in the English dub by Michael Johnston.

Skuld - The series' new female lead is quite special, as she's come to the present timeline from a far off future. It's never confirmed outright where she hails from and who her family is, but it is strongly implied that she's the future daughter of Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly, with similiarities in hair, fashion sense, and even the use of a sort of "Gunblade" as her weapon of choice. Skuld, like Riku, has dabbled in the powers of Darkness and can now uses abilities derived from the twilight in-between. Despite being something self-serious, driven, and something of a loner at first, Skuld cares greatly for her friends and doesn't like seeing others fighting and getting hurt, which is why she tries to carry the burdens all by herself. As she befriends Ephemer and begins to loosen up, we see she is every bit as empathetic as him and willing to take great risks to protect others.

Skuld is voiced in the English dub by Cristina Vee.

Brain - A young man living in the present day's Daybreak Town, Brain (pronounced BRYNE) is a cool, laid-back, and studious person by nature. The first person befriended by Ephemer when he lands in this timeline, Brain becomes protective of the boy like a big brother. He is very clever and tactically gifted, good with analytics, deduction, and making plans to be implemented in times of conflict. Brain was also hesitant about becoming an adventuring, world-saving hero, believing himself incapable of fulfilling the role, but resolves to perform his duties to prevent another war from breaking out. It is later revealed that Master Luxu's heart cast itself into Brain's and melded with it (akin to Ventus with Sora), so the Luminous Vanguard seek to recruit him into the Lost Masters, but Brain fights to assert that his heart is his own and he "makes himself" who he truly is. Much like Organization XIII's Zexion, Brain's weapon of choice is a magic book.

Brain is voiced in the English dub by Max Mittelman.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck - In the year between KH2-KH3 and KH4, Donald's triplet nephews underwent a growth spurt and got even more deeply involved with being entrepreneurs under their great uncle Scrooge's mentorship, finally deciding they were ready to take on adventures of their own across the galaxy. As fate would have it, their first such endeavor leads them to Ephemer, and from them on they are inseparable from him. The Nephews act as a constantly rotating unit. In some worlds Ephemer can switch between which Nephew he wants to have fight along with him, but in select worlds, only one nephew will be available. Their specialty is utilizing magic like their uncle, but through high-tech gear rather than staffs.

The Nephews are voiced in the English dub by Danny Pudi (Huey), Ben Schwartz (Dewey), and Bobbi Moynihan (Louie).

Max Goof - The estranged teenage son of Disney Castle's lead guard, Goofy, Max is a squire still in training whose tastes tend to differ from his doofus dad's, including his belief that the best defense is a good offense, which is why he fights with a very shield-like blade. When Goofy and Donald accompany Sora to look into the rise in blight power and the Demi-Deterged, Max steals away on his own to prove himself, running into Donald's Nephews and Ephemer in the process. As one of Ephemer's constant companions, Max fears being as clumsy as his dad or being seen as needing of constant supervision and help, but eases into becoming a knight on his terms.

Max is voiced in the English dub by Jason Marsden.

Timothy Mouse - A mouse who used to be a big name in show biz but has since fallen to the wayside and become homeless. Timothy accompanies Ephemer and his friends on their journeys. The whole joke with him is that as he is a mouse and he's joined up with ducks and a Goof, Timothy believes himself a potential successor to King Mickey himself only to find himself the new Jiminy Cricket instead.

Timothy is voiced in the English dub by Chris Edgerly, who also voices the role of Cid.

King Mickey - We all know who he is by now, and of course he was going to involve himself somehow. Following KH4, he gets seen much less in the plot, making it a big deal whenever he does pop up.

King Mickey is voiced in the English dub by Brett Iwan.

Figaro - A stray cat from Disney Town who tags along with Max and with the main party, being attracted to Ephemer, Skuld, and Brain's monochrome colors they wear that match Figaro's own fur.

Figaro is voiced in the English dub by Frank Welker.

Chirithy - The Chirithy were the ancient predecessors to Moogles in the World, but only one such Chirithy remains in the present day.

Chirithy is voiced in the English dub by Lara Jill Miller.

The Blue Fairy - The very same Blue Fairy who brought Pinocchio to life, it's her magic that draws Ephemer, Brain, and Skuld together, as she fills Yen Sid's old spot as the primary magic-powered mentor.

The Blue Fairy is voiced in the English dub by Rosalin Landor.

Merlin - Speaking of magic-powered mentor, Merlin is still very much around, still working with the Committee, still in possession of the Winnie The Pooh book, and still offering magic training to any who need it. He becomes particularly close with both Brain and Max.

Merlin is voiced in the English dub by Jeff Bennett.

Scrooge McDuck - Donald's uncle and the great uncle of Huey, Dewey, and Louie who mentored them in the ways of big business. Uncle Scrooge is still around the hub worlds, always doing his thing.

Scrooge McDuck is voiced in the English dub by En Reitel.

Wreck-It Ralph & Pals - First obtained as summonable allies by Sora in KH3, Ralph, Vanellope, Felix, and Sgt. Calhoun are allies in their own world in KH4 and become recurring aid to Ephemer's party.

They are voiced in the English dub by John C. Reily, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch.

Kermit The Frog - No one quite understands what Kermit's deal is, but he was displaced from his home world when it got torn up by blight, so now he seeks application with Leon's Committee in KH4. Later reunited with his Muppet friends in KH5, Kermit continues to help out while also serving as the host for entertainment venues and mini-games. He's generally good-natured, but not good at handling frustration, and has next to no combat capabilities besides dodging.

Kermit The Frog is voiced in the English dub by Matt Vogel.

Elrena, Lauriam, & Strelitizia - The resident "Hayner, Pence, and Olette" of Daybreak Town, this trio is unique in that there are two girls and one guy this time! The three of them were in the very last remnant of the old Dandelion Guild and like a family to one another, but Strelitiza tragically lost her heart in an incident a few years ago, with Lauriam and Elrena losing their hearts to the Heartless when they invaded their world. Now fully restored to life, the trio become loyal allies to Ephemer upon learning his ties to the Dandelion Guild.

Elrena, Lauriam, & Strelitzia are voiced in the English dub by Shanelle Workman-Gray, Keith Ferguson, and Madison Davenport.

THE ENEMIES

The Demi-Detergered - A truly bizarre and unexpected evolution has occurred within many of the Heartless that still roam the worlds. Powers of light, light stolen from the hearts of others, have entered their veins and changed them from within. Rather than be attracted to the darkness of people's hearts with the instict to prey upon those hearts, these Heartless seek out darkness and attack it in ways that prove dangerous to hearts and destructive to the fabric of the World. Called the Demi-Deterged, this brand of Heartless and the "blight" they possess is exploited by the Luminous Vanguard in their quest to purge reality of darkness and re-organize it around eternal light.

Neodarkness - An entity made of pure raw darkness who's become ruler of the Dark Realm, ensuring that all dark beings like Darklings, Heartless, Unversed, and Nightmares return to the World. In his previous existence, Neodarkness was Vanitas, the dark half of Ventus who served Master Xehanort. In accepting his nature, his dark soul was able to evolve into something else. Pure evil as he seems, Neodarkness doesn't always disturb the peace and finds himself frequently acting on the defensive against beseiging blight.

Neodarkness is voiced in the English dub by Haley Joel Osment.

Pete & Duke Mortimer - While Maleficent plays the chief antagonist role in KH4 along with Judge Frollo, she's brought down and sapped of all her dark magical power in the end. Unable to act anymore, she tasks Pete with tending to all her tasks and searching for a way to restore her power to her, and knowing that her chief flunkie is hardly reliable on his own, she inducts a new flunkie into her service: Duke Mortimer Mouse, King Mickey's rival from Disney Town who debuted in KH4. Creating a faux Keyblade for his use, Mortimer also comes in handy for slaying Demi-Deterged as he and Pete travel the worlds.

Pete and Duke Mortimer are voiced in the English dub by Jim Cummings and Maurice Lemarche respectively.

The Luminous Vanguard - A clerical society of white mages made from what used to be different unions for the Dandelion Guild. While their seven masters entering stasis in time made the group unable to function for ages, it has finally reactivated and is out to achieve its leader's vision of a reconstructed Kingdom Hearts whose pure light can spread to not just all worlds, but all Worlds, and burn away all darkness so that all hearts will be forced into obedience to the light. Having eliminated the ability for hearts to unite with Keyblades in frequency ages ago, the Vanguard abhors the very existence of the Keyblade, believing such a weapon to not be fit for human hands.

Master Narix - Founder and leader of the Luminous Vanguard. Narix has long believed that the majority of hearts are naturally weak and susceptible to darkness that begets dark powers that defile the World, and that only the strongest and purest of hearts should set the course for the World and its denizens. Envisioning a reality where darkness no longer exists, light conquers all Worlds, and he reigns supreme as the light's oppressive guardian, Narix arrogantly looks to use blight to tear down and reconstruct Kingdom Hearts from within its innermost heart, and will eradicate all that would get in his way. The road to the deepest darkness is paved with good intentions.

Master Narix is voiced in the English dub by Johnny Yong Bosch.

The Lost Masters - The six Masters who accompanied Narix in forming the Luminous Vanguard were Avali, Fura, Gorgeyo, Jelus, Ecaed, and the now deceased Luxu. Aside from Luxu, the only truly prominent Master is the young Avali, whose pure heart and convictions to doing good by others for the cause of light enabled her to become one of the new Princesses of Heart. More than the others she has doubts about the rightness of the Vanguard's course, but tends to quickly dispell those doubts and show why a pure heart of light can be incredibly dangerous if exploited by the wrong crowd.

In the English dub, Avali is voiced by Jenna Ortega, Fura by Travis Willingham, Gorgeyo by Matthew Mercer, Jelus by Katelyn Gault, and Ecaed by Adam McArthur (and Luxu by Hector Elizondo).

Justice Minister Frollo - Having lost his authority in La Cite des Lumieres, Judge Frollo was beckoned out from his world by the Lost Masters, who annointed him as Minister of Justice to lead the test run faction of the Luminous Vanguard, with the leftover Nightmare energy Frollo had attained granting him the power to control and exploit the Demi-Deterged. Gladly compliant with the Vanguard's mission to purge the World of darkness but holding himself in such esteem that he frequently changes the course of plans without the Lost Masters' imput, Frollo's broad defining of what is sinful sees him seeking the destruction of many Disney villains and Disney good guys alike, as all this grows and enhances his own heart’s darkness yet he remains ignorant or in denial of it due to his sense of self-righteousness.

Frollo is voiced in the English dub by Timothy E. Brummud.

Evanesse' - A very different sort of adversary Ephemer finds himself faced with later in his quest. Created as a Hollow Replica by the late Xehanort, he's inadvertedly found and given life by Ephemer, making him a Xehanort replica whose essence is but a pale copy of what came from Ephemer's heart. Calling himself Evanessé, he seeks to find his own aim and to define his place in the World, but plagued by self doubt that he can live up to his own expectations for existing and by the specter of Xehanort, he comes to resent life and decides he just wants everything around him to disappear into nothingness...

Evanesse' is voiced in the English dub by Dylan Sprouse.

[mirror-to-the-past]

Finished my Birth by Sleep playthrough! Here's a long analysis of the game and KH themes as a whole, my feelings on it, and random other things.

I'm gonna preemptively apologize for negative vibes in my little collection of thoughts here, but please be assured of the fact that while I'm much more critical of this game than previous KH entries I've gone through so far, there's definitely been some things I've appreciated about it.

My biggest issue with this game is its story and the wasted potential therein. I can see the vision had for this game and how important it is as a whole, thematically. First and foremost, this game has demonstrated that the events that took place in KH1 regarding the tension between the main trio were not an unfortunate anomaly in this game's universe, and that instead, the battle between light and darkness was always truly an issue of upholding societal views/expectations across generations versus forgoing all that and finding self acceptance, accordingly, escalating enough to literal War because of how serious the perceived conflict between light and dark can become. I find it additionally interesting and solidifying how the societal views versus self acceptance conflict carried over from KH Days, the previous game, in terms of how the Organization conducted itself and fell apart from the inside. Goes to show that this struggle exists within the series prevalently enough even outside of the so-called "light v. dark" situation.

And seeing how this multi-generational phenomenon has operated at the detriment of the BBS trio is there to tell the audience "hey, this is what happens when people are trained to ostracize that which is seen as bad or different," should be compelling. It's a great set-up on paper: You've got Aqua, the new Keyblade Master who feels especially pulled to meet the expectations set for her, prioritizing her duty to such a degree that she alienates her companions. You've got Terra, who feels disgusted by himself and dangerous for being an outlier of those same expectations. He feels like he'll never be good enough, and he feels angry at himself for that, and angry at the others for having what he doesn't. He does all the right things, is respectful towards all the right people, bending over backwards for them, and even then, they only seek to distrust and manipulate him rather than say he's enough.

Then you've got Ventus, the literal embodiment of being pulled in two directions. He watches all of this tension happen around him like he's inside an insulated jar, feeling helpless and confined by the world that seeks to suffocate and isolate him, and knows he has to do something but is unsure what. He strikes out on his own, gets the "you're too immature/young to know better" treatment from the people supposed to back him up, and gets slapped in the face for his attempts to disrupt the system.

On paper it's great!

In execution, it's often not great.

Like I've said before, the dialogue is majorly clunky, the voice direction questionable (I always give VAs benefit of the doubt, and assume the voice direction might have been lackluster before anything else) for me, to a noticeable degree. And with the dialogue, it's weird, because it's not like the whole game was god awful with it. It was more like there was an entirely different team handling the dialogue for the main trio than everyone else. I acknowledge this may be different on the original Japanese script, but I've no way of knowing how exactly. I thought the Disney characters were done very well- their dialogue flowed naturally, bouncing off of other characters, as well as the voice acting just generally being great for them as always. I thought Braig was great again too, more on him later. Vanitas was an edgy brat, and I thought he was fun, so I've got no real issue with him and thought the amount of contrast from the tone of him and Sora was impressive from the same VA. I'm give or take on Xehanort, bordering slightly more on positive, although I will kill him for insisting on saying "key"-blade instead of "kye"-blade when referring to the x-blade. You suck, old man.

But the main trio? Ahh! Half of their conversations felt like different phrases stitched together that were somehow supposed to make sense- ah yes, a person would definitely say that in response to that other thing! The actual execution of the miscommunication between the trio was confusing, if anything, and not believable. An example off the top of my head was in Aqua's route where she seemingly hears only the tail end of Maleficent's spiel, and rushes in with a "Terra would never do that!" Girlie has no idea what Terra did, from my perspective, which continues with the Radiant Garden argument cutscene where she's like "I've seen what you've done." No?? No, you haven't seen anything at that point?? It's only upon reading the journal for that Enchanted Dominion section that I learn apparently Aqua was implied to have heard more of the conversation between Ventus and Maleficent than the audience is shown. Oh, and more on the "argument" between the three of them in Radiant Garden that I watched three times, and all three times it never got better- Goodness gracious, it was like they were told to pretend to be mad at each other, with no natural buildup of a sense of betrayal on Terra's part (once again, I get what they were going for, but it wasn't written believably). Ventus' "You're awful Aqua," just had me with my head in my hands. This game really piled onto using innumerous trailed off sentences for dramatic effect, and it got to the point where most conversations didn't even follow a logical flow because of it.

And why, oh why, did the writers see it fit to really hammer home the parallels between the Disney Worlds and the main characters they were trying to make, and didn't usually even do a good job making? Previous games made plenty of parallels that weren't even necessarily subtle, but the audience could still go on their own "...and that's how that applies to []." This game saw fit to... hand holding isn't the right phrase... catapult you by the wrist head first into What They Were Trying For in each Disney world. This was often to the point of feeling incredibly unnatural for each character's progression. Especially with Aqua and Terra, it was like they would jump from being very cordial with everyone in the Disney worlds, to suddenly being like "You know, 😊 ✨ you can find the drive for everything that you hurt from in your heart, with your friends. And also Here's The Lesson For the Day." Like, this game was MOSTLY the closest thing to me feeling like, yeah, I am playing a Saturday Morning Cartoon game. I think it would've been fine if Terra and Aqua especially didn't learn many lessons, actually, given that their journeys were supposed to sort of be downward spirals fueled by misunderstanding and obfuscation. It feels a bit silly in retrospect.

And before anyone thinks it, no I don't have a gripe with the "I love my friends" stuff by itself. I love plenty of mushy-gushy "power of friendship" shit, and I'm not gonna stop here (you will rip it from my cold, dead hands), the Final Episode with Aqua demonstrated that aspect in a really loving way. What I DO have a problem with is that because of how excessive it was in the other areas, it actively sabotaged the time it could have taken to expand upon the other, just as prevalent themes I discussed earlier. Instead of Terra talking more with Hercules like "You know... sometimes it's like the world works against me, when I try to be a hero. It's like I'll never be good enough to be someone anyone could rely on." Or instead of Aqua being like "The Lost Boys simply following orders from Peter because they were told to, pushing down their own fear out of necessity... how long have I...?" You get: "FRIENDS! :D"

I will now take the rest of this long post to finish off with some bits and pieces of things that I enjoyed throughout my playthrough. Thank you for your patience and attendence. Before any of the smaller bits though, I gotta talk about the Final Episode and Secret Ending.

RAAA HOW DOES THIS SERIES CONTINUE TO MAKE THE BEST ENDINGS?

Like seriously, I want whatever magic they have with that, because endings are so, so hard to conceptualize and execute in what feels like a meaningful way. But the way they wrapped everything up in the Final Episode and set the stage for the KH1 plot and everything else... damn. My complaints on dialogue mainly fixed themselves during the ending, too. The Land of Departure is now Castle Oblivion and where Ventus' body rests, oh shiiit. I wonder if the Organization found him while they occupied it? 🤔 The scene where Aqua carried out Ventus piggyback was so tender, and it was so sweet how Ventus subconsciously wanted to be safe at home, while he rested. And my theory about Ventus was right! Although, I'm still fuzzy on how Vanitas took on Sora's appearance prior to him and Ventus fusing with Sora's heart. It would make sense if he took on that appearance afterwards, though, as well as why he ALSO happened to have traits of Riku: "Giving up already?" (Which he said multiple times, so I doubt it's coincidental) It's thanks to Riku's advice that Ventus/Vanitas' wandering heart was able to be saved, after all, so... I guess Vanitas absorbed traits of the both of them for that reason? But none of that makes sense if Vanitas unmasked before Ventus connected with Sora. Argh. This is the only time in the series I've been confounded by a plot point. I broke my streak. Please, someone kindly explain it to me, if it's not too much trouble. I'm too afraid to look for forums/wiki out of fear of future game spoilers. If this will be explained in a future game, leave me be, then.

Side note, once again, I find it crazy how baby Riku knew so much, instinctually, about the other worlds. His whole surprisingly accurate explanation as to why Sora was feeling drawn to Ventus' wandering heart to the point of non-realized tears was just... woah. "They say every world is connected by one great big sky. So maybe there's somebody up there's in all those worlds who's really hurting, and they're waiting for you to help them. Maybe you just need to open your heart and listen." With Riku's empathy powers and Sora's heart storage compartment powers, they're unstoppable, for real.

Attack idea: Riku reaches into Sora's heart like a Mary Poppins bag- "Random bullshit, go!" and out pops reinforcements a la Xion, Roxas, Ventus, Vanitas, and Sora goes "Oh sick, forgot where I put those, thanks," before promptly absorbing any other sorry soul in the vicinity while Riku swings him in a circle like a broadsword (Sora yelling "wheee"). (This is incredibly funny in my head, you must understand.)

That whole Secret Ending where Aqua has been in the Realm of Darkness for 10 YEARS and so, so unfortunately missed Riku and Sora's Realm of Darkness getaway at the KH2 Ending is so sad. Apparently Ansem's not dead either. Guess his machine just warped him there, because why not. And guys... guys I got close to crying again with the in-between scenes text ("All the pieces lie where they fell, where they wait for him...") the Dearly Beloved Rendition crescendoing, and all of the lost people calling out for help for the one person who's connected to all of them, even if it's just been a passing meeting (Roxas, Xion, and Axel got me, okay)- because Sora, to them, is familiarity, and it's all they can grip to at this point as an anchor of hope. And Sora's "mind is made up" about something regarding the letter from KH2 ending, and I'm going to assume it's a mission to help find Aqua, given the context, or just generally the other worlds because of the "I am who I am because of them," line from Sora. Looks like he'll be leaving Destiny Islands again. I hope the other two will come with, but I get the feeling Kairi doesn't want to leave, considering how her character has been established and because it seems like Sora is apologizing for breaking the promise he (ever so carelessly clearly, you meanie) made her at the KH2 ending regarding everyone staying together all the time at the Islands. That would suck though, given she's got Destiny's Embrace now. :(

And now, for the more scattered, finishing thoughts of things I liked:

This game has my second favorite gameplay, only falling short of KH2! It's so fun, and the different forms were awesome. Aqua's Blade Charge and Ghost Drive form literally made me squeal with delight, she looked so cool. Blade Charge really fit with those princely vibes she had throughout the game, too.

Speaking of princely vibes, one parallel that I did think was executed well was the Ventus/Snow White parallel. I like how he and Aqua exist as a familial/platonic rendition of Snow White and Prince Florian (think that's his name, I just had a convo about the Prince Charmings' actual names recently, coincidentally enough), and that Ventus is mourned over as a pure soul who was tricked into a death-like slumber while he resides in his glass dome (Castle Oblivion/Sora), waiting to be awoken by love (as stated by Yen Sid).

Although I thank Days for setting the foundation for it, I'm so happy that Neverland became a full-fledged world finally, in this game. I felt so ripped off in KH1, so this was awesome. It's one of my favorite worlds in general. I love how Peter Pan continues to be a lovable bitch. Good for him. I was hoping his boss fight would be a little more scary, especially considering the jump of holy fear I felt when I realized I had to fight him, lol.

I really liked the interaction between Ventus and Scrooge, for some reason! I dunno, I just thought it was really cute and very natural. That whole cutscene where Ventus was chasing the Unversed boss and getting distracted along the way was just so... hah. My little attention deficit kiddo. I appreciate him.

Continuing that last note, I admittedly don't feel too personally invested in the BBS trio, although I probably should. Because of how awkwardly executed everything was with them, it's just difficult to. However, if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Ventus. He had just enough small moments for me to find him somewhat endearing.

"Will somebody tell me how I got. so. SMALLLL?!"

Rolling around on balls of yarn in Cinderella's world like wheeee...

Everything with Maleficent. She's my favorite as always, I cheer when she's on screen, for real.

Aqua losing words in anger at the second Vanitas fight on Neverland and just resorting to blurting out "You freak!" was perfect. I always love it when characters just lose it at the antagonists, rather than having a more clever response. It was the "Old hag," of BBS.

The whole scene with Aqua and Kairi... eeee I'm love them. I like how Kairi had the flowers in her hand already, but after Aqua saved her, then, she was like "I picked these for you, 😊" lol, okaaay, Kairi. Whatever you say.

All the Org Members in Radiant Garden before the disaster of '02! It was so good to see them, and I'm curious about what Lea and Isa (I got Isa's name right in my prediction as well as Lea's name, literally throwing a party 🎉 I have more hope for the others, now) were planning on doing at the castle. Even was a shady mf as always, lol, and Ienzo was an orphan? Aw... his little emo bangs and his tiny lab coat were so cute. The fact that Even was his guardian explains so much about how Zexion acts.

Like I've raved before, the Destiny Islands scenes were so good, and once again, makes me wonder if the writers for the BBS trio were separate from the other writers. And if not, what happened, guys? Because the Sora and Riku scenes were so endearing. I forgive Sora for being a less-good cosmically-designated bodyguard for Kairi, because apparently he's also a cosmically-designated bodyguard for Riku as well. Hoo, boy, he's got his work set out for him! And that's kinda a lot of pressure to put on a preschooler Aqua, jeez-louise. She took one look at the two of them and went "frequently bought together," but didn't foresee just how messy that was gonna be for poor Sora.

"In time, the worlds would be saved by these two heroes who stood beneath the same blaze of stars." I love the star/meteor shower motif with these guys, but now it's clearly starting to make me inexplicably emotional. *Watery laugh*

I got a good laugh because of Ventus' VA while he was having his migraine on Destiny Islands. I was on a call with someone while playing, and he started making his... pain... noises... I had the person on the line stop mid sentence and go "what are you watching?" I lol-ed so hard, and explained I was watching a blonde anime boy experience trauma-induced flashbacks. I can only hope they believed me. 😂

Braig was just great all around. I joked where he lost his eye where I was like "he just shoots Xehanort instead of requesting payment for medical bills" and then it cuts to him actually shooting at Xehanort. I love this guy. And assuming Xehanort in Terra's body really did have amnesia, it's likely this mf's fault with all his manipulation and suggestion that we got KH1, damn. Not even surprising. He's just that guy who's been behind the scenes since the very beginning, pulling at the strings- kind of vibe, lol.

I haven't beat him yet, because frankly, I'm pretty garbage at extra bosses in this series, but holy SHIT. Vanitas' Lingering Spirit theme is CRAZY. It's now one of my favorite pieces in this franchise- and I thought Vanitas' base theme was good.

The conversation Ventus had with Sora in the latter's heart was so sweet, guys. "Would you mind if I stayed here with you?" "Sure, if it'll make you feel better." Sora is so sweet, oh my god. I'm wrapping him up in a little blanket and giving him a warm cup o' tea in my mind. I might just put him as my other most favorite along with Roxas and Xion. I cannot decide who I like most between the three of them.

Uh, I don't think there's anything else I really had to put to paper, so I'll finish my little (little, yeah right) entry here. If anyone read this all the way through, your attention span is commendable and you should probably get back to finishing your hard copy volume of the Iliad or whatever people with your attention spans do. Also, thank you for reading!

[cq-studios]

(Hello! Future me here. This has an Ask Blog now and not everything here is still canon to the AU please keep this in mind while reading ^^)

Brain rotting about a KHUX AU I came up with right now

TW: Doomsday Cult, Mass Suicide, Child and Animal Death, Child Abuse (let me know if I'm missing something here and I'll update it)

A know that's a lot but hear me out.

Its the real world, late 30s early 40s. MoM's some rich dude who takes advantage of the influx of orphans to make Daybreak Town, which in this universe is essentially some sort of experimental orphanage. He stages the "War against Darkness" (the Keyblade War equivalent) which is a mass suicide. The Dandelions are to make sure they can defeat darkness again in case it ever came back (since MoM genuinely believes in what he's doing). The NULs are in charge for a while but then the government finds out and relocates all the Dandelions to normal homes. The NULs are mostly separated and need to adjust to normal society... but they're also determined to find each other again.

(My notes are under the cut... still developing everything I'll probably add more later)

Timeline of Events (Pre-relocation):

MoM is very rich and bought a massive property and built Daybreak Town on it

MoM adopted the Foretellers and Luxu, about 13 years before he bought the property, they are orphans from the Great War

Daybreak Town was a self sustaining cult masquerading as an orphanage

A lot of farming and hunting happening

All the ‘keyblade wielders’ are orphans from the Great Depression

MoM and the Foretellers basically convinces the kids KH lore (a la time of Fairytales) is real

Every “Keyblade Wielder” has a “Chirithy” which is just a cat

The “Keyblade War” is a mass suicide designed to destroy darkness

This happens halfway into 1939

They killed most of the Chirithies too

Luxu is the only Lost Master who survives this (and he leaves soon after)

The Dandelions are to “keep the light alive”

Ephemer and Skuld save Player from the “War” by stopping them from drinking the poison

They end up switching their cup with another Dandelion’s

Ven overhears Dandelions talking about surviving and ends up switching his cup with Strelitzia’s in a panic

He realizes afterwards that she was important and filled in out of guilt

He also totally mixes his memories around here and forgets what he did

Elrena is the one who buries Strelitzia and is the one who tells Lauriam she’s dead (only once he asks about her though)

The NULs are in charge for about a year and a half before the government relocates the Dandelions

The NULs were not particularly close before then

Basically the social events of Union X (minus the murder reveal, the relocation stops that before it can happen)

The NULs and Player try their best not to be separated but end up being relocated to households decently far from each other

Ephemer ends up alone

Brain and Player are pretty close together and meet up rather quickly

Skuld, Lauriam, and Ven end up a decently close together but far enough that they don’t know yet

Elrena is placed in the same household as Lauriam

(Post relocation stuff I'm still working on but I do have some ideas)

Additional Notes:

It’s the real world, USA, and the early 40s, whoop

1941 (at the relocation) to be exact

World War 2 is in full swing and the States are involved… I think

MoM (and the NULs afterwards) were totally bribing the people who were checking in on Daybreak Town before the “war” so he could keep it open… either that or there were just too many kids to actually check to see if they were all accounted for

Probably didn’t help that they would use any dead bodies as fertiliser for their garden so there’s no clear graves for anyone

Everyone drank something during the “war” (it’s easier to convince people if they don’t think anyone’s going to survive), the Dandelions just drank from glasses without the poison

Daybreak Town is significantly more accepting of than the greater society

The NULs are completely taken aback by any type of bigotry

Poor Player gets misgendered all the time and is forced to wear masculine clothes even when they want to be more fem

Skuld cannot with gender roles

like she’s actually gonna explode with all this lack of rights business

Everyone (outside of the Dandelions) assumes Ephemer and Skuld are dating

To be clear, they are not

Player and Brain both refused to be separated from their Chirithies

Ven’s Chirithy finds him

Oh my lord these kids don’t know how to be normal

They were essentially brainwashed so they’re all stuck on the KH lore they were taught as truth

They’re all severely traumatized, obviously, but on top of the whole “Keyblade War” thing and you know, other doomsday cult stuff, they had awful healthcare and so kids would die very often and gruesomely

The NULs’ instincts are still a main reason they’re still alive

They brush off death very easily because of this, normal people are alarmed

They’re way behind on education because of their situation

Brain is definitely the most literate out of all of them but he was still limited in what he could read

Brain loves making (and deconstructing) things whether it’s sewing new clothes and plushies (something he did quite often in Daybreak Town) or the new technology, like radios and telephones (something he takes to once he’s relocated)

Brain would make plushies for “wielders” who had nightmares they were often amalgamations of various animals (just like the spirits)

He prefers to learn things through trial and error rather than being shown and he is incredibly stubborn about that

Teachers hate him for this

The new parents of Brain do their damndest to convert him to Christianity but he ends up just becoming an atheist instead

He is not quiet about it either

He probably gets beaten because of it

People find Ephemer kind of off putting

He always has a new theory about something going on with the authority based on his KH lore upbringing

He’s also one of the NULs the deepest in the delusion (Ven is the only one I think is deeper)

He’s starting to pull out of it but it’s a very slow process

He brings up death way to casually, and is always talking about his friends and their weird adventures together

Even with all that though he doesn’t really behave his age since he was forced to grow up so fast in Daybreak Town

[corishadowfang]

Dark Road writing prompt: Xehanort asks Master Odin about Daybreak Town and the age of fairytales?

(For this)

Oooh, man, this is such an interesting one!

--

            It wasn’t that strange, really, to find Xehanort still in the classroom long after the others had left.  It was a little strange to find him there without Eraqus, a textbook open in his lap, chessboard completely absent.  The boy leaned against the window, staring at the slowly darkening world outside, and Odin hesitated, wondering if he should ask or if he should leave him be.  In the end, his concern won out, and he cleared his throat, approaching quietly.  “What are you still doing here, Xehanort?”

            Xehanort barely reacted; his shoulder twitched a little, but for the most part he remained remarkably still.

            “Wouldn’t you prefer to be spending time with your friends?”  Odin peered down at the textbook curiously.  Xehanort had opened the book to a section near the front; his hands and arms were mostly covering the pages, fingers curled tightly, but Odin thought he could make out the faint sketch of a building.

            “Just…thinking,” Xehanort answered finally, voice distant.  “I was reading ahead.”

            “I see,” Odin said, even though he wasn’t really sure he did.  He wasn’t sure what else he was supposed to say, though, and so after a beat of silence he went back to his desk—returning to collect tests, which he was embarrassed to admit he’d forgotten earlier.  “I wouldn’t stay here too much longer; good study habits are important, but so is rest.”

            “Right.”

            The silence was filled for a moment with rustling papers, Odin carefully sticking the tests into his bag, then double-checking to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.  Xehanort broke it after a moment with a tentative question: “Hey.  What do you know about the Age of Fairytales?”

            It was a question Odin got often, so he supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised when Xehanort asked.  Still, it gave him pause, because the boy had asked so quietly, like his mind was somewhere else.

            Xehanort half-glanced back towards him, and his voice was a little more present as he added, “It’s what I was reading about.”

            That didn’t feel like the whole truth—but it didn’t feel like something Odin could really call out as a lie, either.  “The Age of Fairytales was a time before the worlds as we know them existed.  Much of it is shrouded in myth; we know very little factual information about this time, with most of what we’ve obtained passed down as legends.  Scholars have been trying to pick them apart for years, to separate fact from fiction, but the unfortunate truth is there’s very little solid information about that time.”

            “But we know some things, right?”

            Odin moved closer; Xehanort’s arms had shifted enough so that he could finally see the drawing.  “You’re reading about Daybreak Town.”

            Xehanort was quiet.

            Odin hummed quietly, studying the sketch.  “It is true that we’ve been able to put certain ideas together.  Daybreak Town, for instance, is a place we’re sure once existed—we’ve found some of the ruins, underneath Scala ad Caelum itself.  We know that a great Keyblade War occurred, and suspect that it was what split the world, based on remnants we’ve found in other locations.  We know that the first recorded Master is Master Ephemer, the founder of our world—but that there were Masters before him, their names lost to time.  It is a very…tricky thing, to try to unravel, but can also be quite fascinating.  I’m glad you’re taking an interest.”

            “Master Ephemer wasn’t the only one.”

            The statement caught Odin off guard, and he studied Xehanort curiously.  “Have you studied this before?”  He was pretty sure that Xehanort came from off-world—but then again, he’d found his way here on his own.  It wasn’t impossible that a Keyblade wielder had raised him.

            “No.  Not exactly.  But I heard…stories.  From my mentor.”

            Definitely another wielder, then.  “He wasn’t,” Odin agreed quietly, “but he was the only one who made it through the fall.  The others were scattered—to where, we don’t know.”

            Xehanort nodded, but there was something pinched in his expression, a grief there that seemed much older than him.

            “Are you doing alright, Xehanort?”

            Xehanort’s fingers traced across the sketch.  “Yeah,” he whispered, and if Odin listened carefully, he thought his voice sounded strained.  “It just…reminded me of home.”

[keyblade-knights-blog]

A Peculiar Dream

......... It's the same dream night after night.

That same ominous figure in the dark. Those same yellow piercing eyes. That strange staff. A sense of timeless horror, the dreamer powerless to do anything about the creature's presence or anything about what it might be doing. And what does it do?

Why... It takes hearts of course.

From various corners untold in a great space, through it's eyes and it's presence, the viewer see's many different and strange places. From the highest mountain tops where great magical beings reside, to the lowest latitudes where murky swamps can be found... But that's not all this creature has seen. It has seen all kinds of strange lands as it's gone about it's many duties; swamplands inhabited by strange anthropomorphic amphibious creatures, immense woodlands filled with secrets and weirdness alike, a peculiar civilization perched upon the remains of a long since dead and decayed giant, an ancient kingdom straight out of history books depicting ancient Mesopotamia, an immense ocean and more. But where-ever it went, the story was always the same. In these worlds, it would find the hearts of fallen warriors. Warriors that gave it their all against unknown forces of great power and unknown origin, teetering between the realm of the living and the Final World of the deceased. And as their bodies, now invisible to the world around them, float between the physical and astral planes, it comes into the scene, gently taking the hearts from the warriors. This causes the bodies to disappear and for normalcy to continue to be held within the world without accidentally coming across the fallen warrior. And this is what the strange monster did. Traveling from world to world, sometimes from town to town; sometimes it would find hearts to collect, sometimes those hearts would be kept from it by figures unknown, more powerful then itself. Yes, indeed. It was a task that it started as far back as the Keyblade War (Whatever that meant), and continued on even to this day... ... And it likely would STILL be continuing on this task had it not been for that boy... ------------------------------------ The day began like any other. That strange, ominous figure was drawn to a great mountain where a warrior had been sent flying after a mighty battle. The warrior was not unlike everyone else it had come across, yet another poor, foolhardy young man, taken well before his time. Ah, but it wasn't for the figure to judge. Just to do it's job- "RIKU!!!" And that was when the trouble started. As it takes the heart, the figure looked down from where the warrior floated.

Down on the ground level? Another young warrior, one's eyes still brimmed with an unmistakable light and life, and curiously, one with eyes wide open... Eyes wide awake. Strange to be sure, but the figure paid the young man no heed, it just did it's job and then quickly left... But no. "HEY WAIT!" "HOLD STILL!" "ENOUGH!!" "STOP THAT!" "HEY!" "HEY STOP!!" Seven times does that boy give chase. Seven times does he cross his sword with the figure's ominous staff. Seven times does their magical skill clash against each other... And each time the two clashed, the figure would lose the heart it was attempting to take, due to the boy soundly defeating it despite it's every effort to escape. When the seventh clash comes and goes... It's finally just too much. The mysterious figure vanishes into the aether, it's body having taken too much punishment and unable to continue on. And when that figure disappears? The Dreamer feels it again. Hope. Optimism... Opportunity. So the dreamer travels. It travels and travels and travels and travels... Well away from the places he/she/they once knew...

Until, one day, they finally find- "Gabe! Gabriel wake up! Gaaaaabe!" -? Huh-? ------------------------------------------------- Light. Illumination. Blinding... Awakening... "May your Heart be your Guiding Key, my stubborn little student~."

[nadziejastar]

When did Kh go to complete shit in your opinion

The short answer is that the series experienced a gradual decline after the release of BBS. I think it officially went to shit with Union X, particularly the story arc that started after the Keyblade War. The longer answer will be under the cut.

KH2FM/Days/BBS (2007-2010)

Since Birth by Sleep is the first part of the Kingdom Hearts storyline, I'd like if you considered it as Kingdom Hearts, "Episode 0". This title isn't placed as a side story, with its storyline and battle system, it is substantial like that of a numbered title.

During this time, the series was extremely healthy and at its peak of popularity, with a bright future. KH2 was a beloved JRPG classic (and still is). The Final Mix introduced interesting new mysteries surrounding Xemnas and solid gameplay extras like the Lingering Will. Days was a side game, but it gave more development to fan favorites Roxas and Axel. The PSP wasn't the most popular system in the West, but BBS still sold quite well. It was a bit of a downgrade from KH2 due to the lesser hardware, but it was still a true mainline numbered sequel in the spirit of KH2 and was well received by fans. Tbh, I'd consider BBS the last truly great game in the series.

Re:Coded (2010)

After BBS the next new installment was...a filler game in the spirit of CoM. Recycled Disney plots, and an even more nonsense story with the datascape stuff. But it was just a DS port of a Japanese flip-phone game. It was a title that you could completely ignore and not really lose out on anything. Still, it is a low-quality title that didn't need to exist and wasn't doing the reputation of the series any favors.

Birth By Sleep Final Mix+ (2011)

[D]uring that movie there were the words ‘A fragmentary passage’, weren’t there? That means a ‘bits and pieces of something whole’. In short, a story for ‘Volume Two’ exists that ought to be told, but the story cuts off with those scenes. Because of that, I won’t say there is absolutely no chance that we will produce a title to follow KHBBS, but there are no plans as of now.

This game had an interesting playable secret ending and video. Volume 2 was supposed to be a numbered game (KH0.5), a mainline title that would fill in important gaps from across the timeline. But BBSFM didn't sell well in Japan. Which isn't surprising. Final mixes made sense in the PS2 era. But the extra content for BBS could have been released as DLC. Not many people want to buy the same game again for some new content.

Dream, Drop, Distance (2012)

KH3D was put together relatively quickly, I was still concepting the story when I brought it to the table.

This is when the series started going to shit. It started gaining quite a bad reputation and articles like this began to pop up. Re:Coded could easily be dismissed as filler, but 3D was advertised as more of a mainline game. People were eager for KH3, or at least a game with the same quality as BBS. DDD isn't terrible or anything. But you could tell that it didn't have as much thought put into it as BBS.

It was originally just the beginning part of KH3 that got stretched out into a full game and it shows. The Disney worlds don't fit into the normal timeline, there's fewer of them, Disney party members were replaced with animals, and the drop gimmick was controversial. There's weird time travel stuff that is convoluted and not explained very well. This didn't help with the story's reputation.

I originally planned to make that [a mystery KH title] after KHBBS, but we ended up making KH3D and the project was stopped. It’s a shame, but we won’t be starting that project again.

BBSV2 was planned after BBS. Production stopped to make DDD. The secret ending of DDD showed Young Xehanort on the beach of Destiny Islands, which was one of the events shown during "A Fragmentary Passage". There may have still been plans to start production of BBSV2 again after KH3D finished. But Square changed their minds. I suspect the reason for that has to do with Versus XIII.

Versus was being developed by the Tokyo team which made KH2. BBS was made by the Osaka team, which also made DDD. The original plan was for the Tokyo team to finish Versus and then make KH3. But things were a mess with Versus and eventually it was decided that the Osaka team would make KH3. So, if the Osaka team was busy on KH3, then they wouldn't be able to make BBSV2.

X (2013)

To tell the story about the Keyblade War we need the capacity of hi-spec hardware and we need to accumulate all of our knowledge on this hardware. And in telling this story, we will need to tell it in separate episodes, and how specifically to tell it has yet to be figured out.

There is evidence that X was probably intended to be an MMO on high-spec hardware. Square had a lot of trouble with the transition to HD consoles, so it was downgraded to a minor release on browser. It's an okay title. Interesting lore that expands on the fairy tale of Kairi's grandma. But it's got the typical recycled Disney plots and low-budget gameplay. Not exactly lighting the world on fire for the core audience.

If you do know, then you will enjoy the world of KH all the more, make no mistake. However, you don't have to know everything. The protagonist himself, Sora, doesn't know everything. That said, I'd be happiest if you did play it (laughs). If you do give it a try, I think you'll be surprised at what a rich experience you get for free.

But X was not meant to be a title with an emphasis on story. It was a spin-off, totally separate from the main plot thread. It was written alongside KH3 and the two were intimately related. If you played X, it would enhance your enjoyment (Ephemer cameo), but it was not essential.

X was rebranded as Unchained X and rereleased for mobile in 2015. X was also remade into Back Cover, which was included in the 2.8 HD Remaster collection. People would naturally assume that Back Cover told you everything you needed to know about the X story in preparation for KH3. And maybe at one point, that was the plan...

0.2 A Fragmentary Passage (2017)

As far as content goes, we can’t include a full volume of content to play with like the second chapter of KHBbS, so it’s just a “fragment,” and we left that part of the subtitle. 0.5 is one of the letters and numbers that appeared in the secret episode of KHBbS FM, and that meant full volume, so we decided on 0.2 this time, to indicate that there will be more content to come.

IMO, this is the first high-quality release since BBS. But it's still just a 3-hour prologue instead of a complete game. The events with Aqua are interesting, but they are just one "fragment" of the whole 0.5.

Actually, this was what I worried about the most. We showed this for a bit in the secret episode of [KHBbS FM], but the concept for two chapters of [BbS] is something we've had for a while, and because of problems with time, it's become just a morceau.

Releasing it as a full game on consoles would have delayed progress of KH3. And after nearly a decade of nothing but remasters and low-quality spin-offs, that was the last thing Square wanted. Despite how important 0.5 was, fans would be upset if the next mainline game wasn't KH3.

Union X (2017)

As a gacha with a worldwide audience, X was extremely profitable, so its storyline was extended past its natural ending. Even though X was a complete story that was meant to lead directly into KH3, Nomura retconned the ending, allowing the story of Ephemer and friends to continue in a new story arc called Union X which began in 2017. UX was...strange. It took place in the afterlife? Or the datascape? It had tons of filler, very infrequent story updates that barely progressed anything, and weird retcons, like character backstories that felt like they were in the wrong game (Why tf are Ventus and Marluxia here???).

Unlike X, the story of UX felt like it was being made up on the fly. Also, UX did not directly tie in with KH3 anymore. Its run actually continued past KH3. It was as if Nomura knew there were going to be too many plot holes for KH3 to properly resolve. So, he began using UX to set up the plot of KH4. People who only played the remasters were going to be completely blindsided when they played KH3. It wouldn't conclude anything that was set up in Back Cover, like the black box. KH3 would actually just be one big "to be continued" for KH4 with UX acting a band-aid. IMO, this is the point when the series had officially gone to shit.

KH3 (2019)

I had quite a tough time writing the story this time around. So many characters appear in this game, with each of them having their own set of problems and needing to choose their own fate. [...] I believe that KINGDOM HEARTS III is truly completed when the two thoughts - whatever you feel from playing the game, and my thoughts that I’ve secretly placed in the game - match up together. I hope that everyone playing the game will complete the game for us.

The long-awaited big budget mainline title on home console was a decent game, but it just wasn't a complete experience like KH2 was. 0.5 should have properly developed the relationships of Lea/Isa, Ansem the Wise/Ienzo, and Xehanort/Eraqus. Instead, these backstories only get lightly touched on in the Secret Reports and then one cutscene was given to "resolve" their problems. The new original world that was shown off in a private trailer in 2014 dubbed "Cable Town" was completely absent from the final game, except as the final battle stage.

KH3 had beautiful production values, solid gameplay, and vastly improved level design. But it didn't capture people's hearts like KH2 did. More incomprehensible time travel, rushed unsatisfying reunions for the trios, plot holes galore, and a cliffhanger ending only made things worse for the reputation of the series. The story is infamous in the gaming community now. A meme. KH4 doesn't have anywhere near as much hype as KH3 did.

Fans all have different favorite characters, so I thought I should give each of them their own time to shine, but because the amount of things needed to be explained was too large, I had to find a way to have Sora move forward, at the very least. Actually, when the scenarios were being written, the Keyblade Graveyard part was the most difficult. If I focused on each character at a time, the progression of events would be quite slow, and the battles involving Sora were necessary to be shown, so making allowances for everything was difficult. The way I imagined it, all of the characters tied to each other should fight in order and put an end to everything [themselves], but if I did that, the explanations would end up being too long.

Re:Mind was content that should have been in the main game, but was removed due to time constraints. For instance, the Final Fantasy characters from RG. Also, being able to play as the various guardians of light in their respective battles, rather than just Sora. Roxas and Xion weren't even supposed to be revived in the middle of Lea and Kairi's fight, but were included to please fans. The focus of the DLC is on Yozora, a new OC reminiscent of Noctis, showing that KH4 will be an attempt to revive the cancelled Versus XIII. The series is just...a hot mess at this point.

Melody of Memory (2020)

Another budget side game nobody wanted. Only has a tiny bit of story at the very end. Similar to Re:Mind, the plot felt like cut content from KH3. Stuff like Kairi's childhood flashbacks of Apprentice Xehanort, her arrival in the Final World to look for Sora's soul, then having a confrontation with old man Xehanort. All stuff that should have been in KH3. Ya know, when Xehanort was still alive...

Dark Road (2020)

I know what you're probably thinking: the Dark Seeker Saga, which depicted the battle against Xehanort, finished with KINGDOM HEARTS III, didn't it? Well, it's a grey area, but I wouldn't call this title part of the Dark Seeker Saga. Why? Because this isn't about battling against Xehanort—it's about the battles of Xehanort. And maybe you're thinking that's a bit of a reach, but… okay, maybe it's a bit of a reach. However, I had the concept in my head for many years. It got shelved because it never really fitted what our team wanted. But around then, I heard from the Union X team that they'd like to do a parallel title with a new protagonist. And, since it seemed there was an unexpected number of Xehanort fans out there, it all came together like it was destined to be.

This story was no doubt one of the missing "fragments" of 0.5. Unlike many KH games, DR has a very solid premise and an interesting storyline. It's just a story that should have been told in a mainline game before the Xehanort saga ended. Because it was rebranded as part of the X series, there were weird retcons like Xehanort being the reincarnation of the UX Player. However, the main problem was the VERY low budget. The chibi pop-up book graphics fit the childish fairy tale story of X, but don't fit this story. Story updates were slow and gameplay was trash. Didn't even last a year. The scenario was truncated, and we got an abrupt ending that didn't even delve into Master Odin, how Xehanort fell to darkness, or how he and Eraqus grew apart. At this point, the state of the series is just pitiful.

Missing Link (2024)

"Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link" is a work that fills in the blanks between the two arcs and acts as a bridge, so it doesn't belong to either the "Dark Seeker" or "Lost Masters" arcs.

When UX finally ended, the Player, who was already dead, dies again. Only, instead of going to the Final World (X's ending) it's implied that they're reborn. This is because Square wanted to make a new UX with a parallel protagonist. But DR flopped. So, they retconned things yet again. No, no. Xehanort wasn't the reincarnation of Player-kun. Rather, it's this new robed person and Xehanort just absorbed their memories. ML is the REAL mobile follow-up to UX.

Honestly, ML doesn't look too bad. Unlike UX, it will be able to deliver a console-like experience (yay controller support!) and the story seems like it will be closer to a mainline game. I imagine most of the unused "fragments" from 0.5 will be included as "missing links" this time around. Better late than never. But fans are definitely burned out from the vast amount of side games and most just want KH4. Fortunately, mobile games only need a few dedicated whales to stay funded. ML won't delay progress of KH4 and it can dole out its story gradually, and it won't have to be rushed or shortened like KH0.2.

[the-weirdos-mind]

The World of Twisted Wonderland

This is a fan made post, there is no connection between the two games. This is something I made for my OCs

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twisted Wonderland is a world that few know off. When the Keyblade War hit the vast worlds, this one was affected a lot. A lot of civilians were asked to fight and left few behind at home. The villains had come to this world in hopes of ruling but end up helping out. There were seven villains who took the most credit for helping a damaged world rebuild itself;

Mary The Queen of Hearts

Scar the King of Beasts

Ursula the Sea Witch

Jafar the Sorcerer of the Sands

Grimhilde the Fairest Queen

Hades the Lord of the Underworld

Maleficent the Thorn Fairy

These seven came to be known as the Great Seven by the locals. The seven told of their tales and set up the countries that make up of Twisted Wonderland. It was a mutual agreement between them and other villains that had a hand in helping, such as the Righteous Judge, to protect this world. This world is the villain sanctuary, one where they are finally the good guys instead of the opposite. They all worked together to craft a barrier to protect this world, leaving behind figures of themselves from their memories to watch over the people. These figures have faded into spirit like being that can be seen with objects like the Ghost Camera.

The deeds of them rebuilding the world have been stories passed down from generation to generation. From then on, they became advanced with using magic for a variety of purposes.

There are ways to break through the barrier and enter Twisted Wonderland. Normal ways are Gummi Ships and such but some use very powerful magic to access this world. Only one has successfully opened the barrier with powerful magic, and they sent Estella Garcia there. It’s when Selena opened a portal with her Keyblade that she somehow accessed Twisted Wonderland, she became the second person to use magic to access the world.

@adrianasunderworld @mangacupcake @writing-heiress @marrondrawsalot @anxious-twisted-vampire @achy-boo @abyssthing198 @yukii0nna