#this is specifically referring to the 2 meteors from the other day

[golpfish]

fancy goldfish fandom going crazy over you guessed it, goldfish

[pants-magic-pants]

✧⊹JARETH BALLROOM COAT⊹✧

[This post is part of a series about constructing Jareth's entire masquerade ball costume. Visit the master post here.]

Fabric Selection [Part 1 of 2] The Saga of the Metallic Valvet

Welcome back to another episode of Coat Construction. I want to first say that my decisions about fabric, and many other things, were informed by the amazing reference photos I had from both Aria Couture and Yosa Addiss. This post will make more sense after you've looked through all those glorious images of the actual costumes. I may also sometimes be referencing AC in my commentary. I stand on their shoulders, and cannot be given even half the credit for all the great costume study that's already been done about this coat.

With that, let's get to it!

One thing I have noticed is that screen accurate fabric for this costume is extremely hard to come by, and it seems as if those of us who’ve done this cosplay raked over google enough to happen upon, and choose, the same fabrics?! Or at least consider them? I suspect I’ve seen the same golden damask fabric used for Jareth’s cummerbund amongst me and two other cosplayers. Hahaha More on that in the cummerbund post.

What I really want to talk about is the royal blue/navy colored metallic velvet that makes up the coat. It’s like a majestic night sky, but not midnight – late evening, when the darkness plays with the vivid blue of the day. The decorations on top of it are entire constellations, planets, comets, meteors...

I think the important thing to know about the fabric and to insist upon is that it’s real velvet, and not velour, nor velveteen (even though the Jim Henson exhibit sign says it is. It just AIN’T. Whoever wrote that sign needs a talking-to.)

So, what is the difference between all of these? They’re all woven fabrics made from usually silk or cotton. They each have a pile, which is a raised surface comprised of loops or strands of yarn (think carpet). Velvet has a long pile, and it’s usually very glossy and soft, and it more easily drapes over things. Velveteen has a very short pile and less sheen, and it can be a bit stiff. Velour is what you see more often in stores, because it’s an affordable look-alike to velvet, made with less luxurious cotton or synthetic fibers, and it’s stretchy. People will use the terms “velvet” and “velour” interchangeably, but they’re not the same. True velvet doesn’t stretch.

And that is why it’s the best and really only option for this coat. You’ve seen it. It’s heavy, and has heavy things hanging off of it. To be more specific, every step of the way while creating it I was being harassed by gravity. Gravity was trying to claim this velvet back to the depths… I’ve said it before: turning it into a coat felt highly non-consensual because of the heaviness and slippery nature of the materials. 

That being said, weight puts stress on the seams, and even if your seams are stabilized, a fabric that’s not sturdy enough or yields to any kind of tugging is not going to be good, and it could lead to warped or misshapen areas. There’s also the glue and jewel shenanigans (which my friend calls Crust). They need to be able to cling to something that reliably keeps its shape. The ballroom coat is extremely structured and exudes power – we wouldn’t want it to start looking like a popped souffle, or like it was melting, would we? 

From here I also want to point out that the coat seems to be made from velvet with metallic fibers. This means that it’s classified as a type of lurex - and you can read more about it here. This is different from foiled. Any fabric described as “foiled” if you were to try searching for metallic velvet, is not what you’re looking for. Foiling is the process of adding a metallic sheen to the surface of fabric, usually with heat. It tends to look a lot more solid and shiny, rather than sparkling. The process does not result in soft fabric, either, so it definitely messes with the pile and is much less elegant. Lurex, on the other hand, incorporates metallic fibers in just the same way you’d dot the night sky with stars. ;) 

ANYWAY. Since I spent months and months roaming multiple search engines, and don’t wish for others to have to suffer through it and waste their time, I have some opinions to share about what I found. Some of these fabrics have even been mentioned by Labyrinth cosplayers as possibilities. 

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Mood Fabrics - Ava Navy Metallic Velvet (Link)

I’ve seen this fabric mentioned by a commenter on Aria Couture’s blogs, because it really does seem like a possible match. I bought a swatch of this fabric, thought about it for months, and then finally bought four yards, but returned them. Here’s what I have to say:

The company is reputable. They treat their fabric and customers with care. This fabric is gorgeous and quality, but it didn’t work for me because the shade of blue was too warm and light to match everything else. I only came to this realization after buying four yards of it, because the swatch that they originally sent was (I suspect) from a time when they were using a slightly different dye. What this means for anyone else is that they may not be able to rely on the swatch to make their decision. I had to return it, but they were very understanding. I still very well think that someone could use this to make a beautiful Jareth ballroom coat, if their color scheme is a little warmer. 

Here are comparison photos of the swatch and the actual fabric that was sent, however. Just so you can see what I mean. 

(The swatch is on the bottom, the actual fabric sent is on top.)

・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・☆ ・・・・

Blue Moon Fabrics - D Isis Foiled Stretch Velvet in Black/Royal (Link)

I ordered a swatch of this. I have a friend who also did, and was happy with it, so I feel like kind of a jerk for writing here that I don’t think it works, but I really truly don’t, and I want to save anyone from starting a project with it, only to have it possibly ruined. The reason why this fabric doesn’t work is that it’s very stretchy, and I just know that it couldn’t handle all the stress that would be put on it. In person, it also is an extremely bright, electric blue that will steal the show and will not serve as a good backdrop for all the top decorations. In terms of “what type of sky” it is, it’s more like 7pm on LSD. *covers mouth and laughs* But it’s still cool on its own.

・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・☆ ・・・・

Etsy Seller AlexLAFabrics - Lurex Velvet (Link)

The reason why I’m including this is because it was listed as lurex velvet, appears to be so, and has possibly the right coloring, so it may be easy to find this one and consider it, because I certainly did. Well, I’m here to say do not bother with it unless you’re willing to sacrifice $30 just to find out what this fabric is like in person. The photos aren’t good enough to tell the true shade of blue, there’s no info on how it behaves, and the guy won’t offer you a swatch or get back to your messages.

・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・☆ ・・・・

Zelouf Fabrics – Lurex Velvet in Navy (Link)

The fabric I ended up using. It’s lurex velvet, it’s the perfect shade, but it’s not super quality, definitely not as quality as the Ava Navy velvet from Mood. It was sometimes quite offended by being handled, and didn’t appreciate steam. It seemed a little thin for true velvet, and it puckered so relentlessly that I had to buy a new f*@#%ng sewing machine, and by then there were a couple of seams that had been redone so many times that the edges were… how to put it? Like skin without collagen. There were entire pieces that had to be re-cut, it was so bad. 

The company also kinda sucks. Originally, I bought four yards, and it arrived shoved into a plastic wrapping that had been poked throughout transit and bursted open on my tabletop. The fabric inside had been severely abused, obviously not stored well, wrinkled, poked, torn, and they STAPLED the order details onto it. Come on. I wrote a stern email, and was not met with much professionalism, but they also weren’t out for my money and owned up to the mistake. They refunded me and then sent another four yards which was less abused, but still a little sad. Ended up with eight free yards, and some of the more abused fabric could still be used for parts of the coat that were buried under lace. 

Ultimately, what I would say is… I have a love-hate relationship with it. It’s beautiful when it wants to be, very soft, and I can’t say I’d have picked something else if I did the project again, because for me it was the best option.

・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・☆ ・・・・

Here is one more interesting but sort of outrageous photo, of me holding the Mood Ava Navy fabric together with the Blue Moon D Isis fabric.

You can see all the ways that these two fabrics are different!

Anyway, I hope my bit of foot-work and 2c is valuable to someone, no matter what project they're working on or thinking of working on. The coat took about 14 months to complete, and for at least 5 of those months, I was in a stalemate about velvet. Hoping I can save someone else from that.

There will be another post about the lining fabric. There will also be separate posts about making the cummerbund and the shirt, so those will include information about choosing those fabrics.

Thanks for reading! If you've made it this far and appreciate any of my content, I'm going to be obnoxious and mention that I set up the tip function on this blog. All the posts have a button that looks like this ($) where you can tip me however much you want. This helps me be able to afford further work on this costume, and to go to events where I and fellow Labyrinth cosplayers can create content for you. Yay!

-Jareth--- uh I mean Jenny

[aerinis]

A Demographic Survey of 1200 Chocobo Races

The other week I finished up the achievement for participating in 3000 chocobo races. For the last 1200 of those races, taking place over roughly a month, I took demographic data on the other players I encountered. But first, here’s a timeline of my progress:

The fastest possible race time I was able to achieve with the Super Sprint/Choco Cure III combo was 1:17:xx. This is assuming optimal conditions – zero interference from the other races, and at least one stamina-restoring item used. Assuming I solo queued into a race (which happened approximately 75% of the time), the max queue timer of 30 seconds, combined with the loading screen in and out of the race, and the forced waiting at the start and end of the race, each race lasted approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds. This means the 1200 races took me about 50 hours of pure gameplay. My chocobo was completely maxxed out by the time I had participated in 600 races, so that’s about another 50 hours of gameplay. Those 600 early races would have been much much slower, so I can confidently say that this achievement will be at least a 120+ hour time investment.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Over the course of 22 days and 1200 races, I encountered 89 unique chocobo names. I raced against other players 342 times (this doesn’t mean 342 discrete races – several races would be against 2 or 3 additional players). Of those 89 birds, 24 (27%) were named after their coat color, 3 (3%) were a dirty joke, and 62 (70%) were miscellaneous. Surprisingly, in my 1200 races, I didn’t see a SINGLE JoJo’s Bizare Adventure reference (that I was aware of), which is strange because before I started recording data I saw Star Platinums and Stardust Crusaders constantly.

Of those 24 birds named after their coat colors, red was the most popular color. I kind of wish I had specifically recorded the color of every player’s bird, but unfortunately 1.) there’s approximately 5 billion coat colors that I don’t have memorized and 2.) I use a blue light filter at night that messes with color accuracy

Of the 89 birds, 10 (11%) had alliterative names, and 6 (7%) of them had chocobo-terminology names (i.e. wark, kweh).

Chocobo names are created by picking from hundreds of different pre-selected words from 19 categories. Colors were most popular as a first name, while the land and sky category (which includes words like comet, meteor, and proper nouns like Uranus) were the most popular as a surname. Surprisingly enough, the Eorzean category (which includes location names such as Gridanian, Sharlayan, etc) was not represented in either category.

TRIVIA BREAK

Did you know this guy here is a reference to FFVII? If you pay close attention during R300 races, you can see him riding Teioh, one of the most challenging birds in the bracket. In FFVII, he’s called Joe, and he also rides a black chocobo named Teioh. In that game however, the pair “cheats” in the sense that their racing stats will always be better than the player. While their FFXIV counterpart is quite fast, they thankfully seem to cap out at the player’s max speed. 

MGP Winning first place in the R300 bracket awards you with 1,009 MGP. Assuming we go off of that 2 minutes 30 seconds race time I calculated earlier, this means that chocobo racing gives you an effective MGP of 404 MGP/min or 24,216/hr. During the course of my racing tenure (along with the daily mini Cactpot, weekly Jumbo Cactpot, weekly Fashion Report when I remembered to do it, and the frustratingly rare MGP cards from Khloe), I was able to buy every single registerable item except for the Gold Paper Parasol (200k MGP), Angel Wings (500k), and the Blackjack mount (4mill). Speaking of the mini Cactpot, I started doing it when I started chocobo racing. I’d say I did it near every single day – I have a lot of fun doing it, it’s like a little daily brain teaser – and over the course of the year I’ve gotten very close to finishing the final achievement for it. I’ve gotten 2 10,000 MGP rewards several times, but I’ve never seen a 3 streak.

In my opinion, I think chocobo racing is probably the best way to actively farm MGP if you’ve exhausted your weekly challenge log. If you run the Super Sprint/Choco Cure III build it’s incredibly hands-off and braindead. Just pop Netflix on a second screen and go to town, you don’t even have to hold W!

In conclusion, I was incredibly impressed with how in-depth the chocobo racing system was. I think the only thing I’d change about it is making it so that players could sell their chocobos in some way, either to the Gold Saucer itself or to other players as a sort of endgame. Imagine what sort of emergent gameplay we’d see if you were able to sell chocobo coverings to other players!

[willel]

Hi! I was wondering if you could explain to me (if you know) the difference between a mage and a cleric as El and Will are referred to as them in the show? :)

I am not an expert, but I have looked it up once.

If I remember right, a cleric derives most of their power by making a pact with a deity of some kind.

A mage I think is someone born talented in magic...?

And wizard is someone who studies magic endlessly to become powerful?

And a warlock... dunno.

BUT LET'S LOOK UP WHAT IT ACTUALLY SAYS

CLERIC : Clerics are intermediaries between the mortal world and the distant planes of the gods. As varied as the gods they serve, clerics strive to embody the handiwork of their deities. No ordinary priest, a cleric is imbued with divine magic.

In a round about way, you could think of Will as a cleric in season 2 as he got possessed by the Mind Flayer, did its bidding, and acted as a link between the real world and the Upside Down. But I'm pretty sure clerics are willing servants of the gods, not forced into it like a blood pact.

MAGE : Doesn't appear to exist, but Sorcerer does. Sorcerers carry a magical birthright conferred upon them by an exotic bloodline, some otherworldly influence, or exposure to unknown cosmic forces. One can’t study sorcery as one learns a language, any more than one can learn to live a legendary life. No one chooses sorcery; the power chooses the sorcerer.

I DO see it listed as a monster though? Here is its description : Mages spend their lives in the study and practice of magic. Good-aligned mages offer counsel to nobles and others in power, while evil mages dwell in isolated sites to perform unspeakable experiments without interference.

Somewhat fits El's description for sure, the sorcerer I mean. I think Mike made it up. Either way, the defining trait of a sorcerer seems to be that magic comes "naturally" to them.

WIZARD : Wizards are supreme magic-users, defined and united as a class by the spells they cast. Drawing on the subtle weave of magic that permeates the cosmos, wizards cast spells of explosive fire, arcing lightning, subtle deception, and brute-force mind control. Their magic conjures monsters from other planes of existence, glimpses the future, or turns slain foes into zombies. Their mightiest spells change one substance into another, call meteors down from the sky, or open portals to other worlds.

This is the class of Will the Wise and Vecna. The defining trait of a wizard I think is the fact that they study a LOT. They're like the old guys who live in a high tower and do nothing but read all day.

WARLOCK : Warlocks are seekers of the knowledge that lies hidden in the fabric of the multiverse. Through pacts made with mysterious beings of supernatural power, warlocks unlock magical effects both subtle and spectacular. Drawing on the ancient knowledge of beings such as fey nobles, demons, devils, hags, and alien entities of the Far Realm, warlocks piece together arcane secrets to bolster their own power. A warlock is defined by a pact with an otherworldly being. Sometimes the relationship between warlock and patron is like that of a cleric and a deity, though the beings that serve as patrons for warlocks are not gods.

This fits Will a whole lot now doesn't it? But I don't believe warlocks existed at the time Stranger Things is taking place.

Looking at the available list of classes back then :

Both El and Will the Wise fall under "Magic User" rather than wizard or mage.

In 1989, 2nd edition would come out which included more classes like wizard and mage. I see now that mage was a subclass of wizard apparently.

In this edition, the mage became an all-purpose wizard who could cast any wizardly spell, including many only available to illusionists in the first edition, like color spray and chromatic orb. The wizard spell list was unified, and illusionists became one of many specialist wizard types who focussed on a specific "school" of magic. The other specialists were abjurers, conjurers, diviners, enchanters, invokers, necromancers and transmuters. As a trade-off for various bonuses with magic from their chosen school, specialists became unable to cast spells from one or more "opposition" schools. Aside from school restrictions, all wizards could cast spells from up to 9th level, assuming they had the required intelligence.

So there we have it. The experts can correct me if I got anything wrong. It seems a mage and a wizard are actually the same thing with slight differences. At the time Stranger Things takes place, both Will the Wise and El are technically wizards or "magic users" as is Vecna.

[dragonheadskilax]

iron-cutting-meteor-sword: literally frantically trying to do the same thing you did and consume all Lupin media so I can keep up AGQNRBE I had no idea he had an animated sakura background in one movie that’s so funny. i love the galaxy brain of Goemon being both traditional and also just like. normally experienced with certain modern things. like he can fly a plane and drive a car and operate certain machinery and use a phone bc he’s part of Lupin’s gang, he’s got to know how to do that, he’s just not really one to show off about it like Lupin and Jigen. I DID like the gag they put in Seven Days Rhapsody though were Lupin remarks that of all the people in the world Goemon looks so wrong holding a cellphone (now that I think about it, the “you changed ur phone” comment may have been in reference to the fact that they gave Goemon a flip phone to have since Rhapsody? He had the flip phone in following installments) ANYWAY love ur Goemon posts king

My first 2 weeks was watching Parts 4-6, TWNFM and a few movies. Month 1 watching All movies. Month 2 Parts 1-3. And now, I’ve been rewatching everything again but in order with a bit of reading or peeking at the games and obscure music albums. I don’t recommend the tactic of seeing three movies in a single day, instant brain soup.

And yeah! I love his thing of having a traditional way of style and living but is still up to date with some things for the sake of its convenience. Especially for how he travels a lot so he has to know about flight schedules and using public transportation or using a gas station if he’s traveling by his scooter. He probably isn’t familiar with what’s hip and popular but he doesn’t need to know all that. Like, personally I pretty much understand that since for many years I Only wear or use devices that are antique or at least non-contemporary in appearance. Because, well idk… it’s what I’ve always done. I’d still do other things for the enjoyment of it but would I ever stop my specific thing of being an oldie? Not likely.

So Goemon could comparatively be a similar situation. He isn’t strict about it and often contradicts himself, I remember one time Jigen said the ‘worthless object’ line at him in a special I think and Goemon wanted him to shut. The idea he’s just an old timey japanese samurai is pretty surface level. Heck the idea he’s Just only japanese is pretty surface level too cuz anyone who’d grew up in Japan would consider themselves culturally japanese. Since he visits and is very familiar with other asian countries, In The Last Job he tells how comes to Thailand all the time and was miffed Lupin didn’t already know that fact about him. Family wise, there’s barely any info besides name. In Fuma Conspiracy there were a looot of people at the wedding and they couldn’t all be from Murasaki’s side. But in a way, not having more info would go along with how there’s barely any info on everyone else, too.

( Hope you don’t mind having me answer these tags too ) I’ve mainly been looking at the choice of fabric, patterns, dyeing techniques, belts, and etiquette for the clothing than fully going into timelines of the changes. Aside for the thing of how (umanori) hakama gotten the pants like form when horse riding for samurai became a thing as ando (skirt like) is the other type. But as I was learning about collars and underwear it reminded me of how funny it is Goemon just, looks like that. Sure it’s a cartoon and there’s the thing of simplification for the sake of art/animation but in most promo art where everyone’s dressed in something fancy he could still be wearing the same every time it’s just noticeable now. In part 3 he does look tidier though, since more details were drawn. He doesn’t wear things the typical way in historical/media portrayals of a samurai. His wear is more like for martial arts training if anything since that’s almost all he ever does, or he’s just simply semi-formal. In a way it kinda does lean again on how he isn’t strict about sticking to being totally traditional he’s just doing what’s convenient as all he wants to do is hold sword, be tranquil, and get money cuz he still has to make a living. To Goemon his choices gotta apply to his interest of samurai even if it doesn’t make sense. Like when he was repeating movie lines from a samurai movie he watched. Watching soccer just cuz one player was nicknamed samurai. Like oh yeah, it’s definitely his big interest.

And my deets for Jigen clothes is he does appear to know his stuff when it comes to suits and companies to get them. High end stuff. One time Lupin asked how he’s not hot when in a jungle Jigen replies it’s cuz of the material. Which I agree, material is everything, natural all the way if wanting to be cool. Maybe Lupin gets his suits at halloween stores at The Joker section for his clothes. I’m sure Jigen gets high end hats too as beaver felt is considered the best even after centuries. It’s durable, water resistant, and so soft. You haven’t felt hats ‘til you get fur felt.

[magpiejay1234]

So. Episode 113. A lot of things happen here too.

The episode opens with the changed pre-opening intro, talking about the mystery of Four Dimensions, Yuboys, and their Dragons. Bracelet Girls are not mentioned. Yes, we are teasing for Z-ARC.

So, why is there an Isao Duel? Isao's theming is based off Kabukid (Orlando in dub) from GX Season 2, who is one of the forefathers of Dueltaining in the franchise. He is also Yuya's Ryo analogue, and since Ryo isn't appearing in ARC-V (despite being canonically here), Isao is our consolation prize.

Isao was recruited by Dennis after being basically disowned by Ryozanpaku. So he feels the need to prove himself. All the characters Dennis being involved having purple hair (Ruri, Isao, Yuri) is probably a meta joke about Judai's associates having blue hair (Yubel, Johan, Sho etc.).

Dennis leaves with Kaito chasing after him.

Isao demands to see Dark Rebellion for a rematch, for which Yuya obliges.

Isao has new anti-Xyz cards, we will discuss his theme's post-canon progression later. These do not work as intended, due to Yuya using Xiang Magicians' effects to buff Dark Rebellion.

The cursed card Isao uses, Kaiki the Unity Star, is described to be "fusing the sky". This is a reference to Z-ARC, whose Arc-Ray, and Magician forms have the same "Ten" Kanji. So Isao isn't really going for anti-Dark Rebellion strategy, but rather symbolically a Z-ARC-essence sealing strategy, though you won't get this right away.

The Action Magic: Selection of Miracle has the same blue-red background as Ray's monster forms, again you won't get this during the airing of the show, since those cards weren't a thing back then.

The other Action Magics Isao uses are Assault, and Bi-Attack, previously used by Edo.

Yuya uses Action Magic: Revival, obtained through Allen's shoe-wheels. He doesn't initially get how to use them, but once he gets the hang of them, he runs up to a wall, and gets Evasion. He is a Sonic character now.

Isao fails to get a final Action Card, so uses Evil-Sealing Flash, forcing a draw that will get both of them killed. Yuya rescues both himself, and Isao with Acrobatic Tower, forcing the Duel's end into a card drawing match. Yuya gets the upper hand, as Acrobatic Tower's effect punishes high Level Decks.

Isao doesn't accept Yuya's handshake, but egaos, then leaves... to nowhere since he is stuck in Fusion Dimension.

Through the Duel, the Academia Students who were supposed to fight rest of the quartet are mesmerized by Isao, and Yuya's Duel.

Other tidbits:

Though Yuya, and Yuzu are reunited in the previous episode, and their reunification continues to this episode, the point of this episode is more about Yuya meeting with Dennis.

Before Dennis leaves Gongenzaka asks where Ruri is, for Shun, while Shingo asks about Serena.

Shura is based on an Asura, since Asuras are called Shura in Japanese. He is presumably specifically based off Rahu, given Isao's Meteor Sword.

Isao's Duel 2.0 with Yuya is an obvious reference to Ryo vs. Judai Duel at the end of GX Season 1, in addition to the Kabukid Duel we mentioned. As described by next episode's recap, this episode also showcases Academia students can be reached with egao, making this episode an obvious homage to ATLA's Book 3 episode "The Headband".

This episode also sets up Shingo as the fourth member of the cast, demoting Sora. This won't stick for long, since Yuzu will be recaptured soon, but it is why the Duel Links' initial quarter was this gang. With Sora's addition, you can probably guess the obvious reference to Duelist Kingdom five, but also main five of GX.

Enjoy this while it lasts, while I weep for good old days of original Duelist manga.

This episode has very decent thick line animation, but since OCG loves Kachidoki's Deck, that isn't surprising. As we discussed before, Isao's later post-canon cards will take the "monsters without Levels are Level 0" theme to heart, effectively meaning Isao's Deck is now can not only seal Xyz Monsters, but also Link Monsters, effectively granting him the power to seal both Z-ARC, and Ray. Isao's final new monster, Kaiza the Hidden Star, also has the Shun, and Yuto's blue phantom flame, so he presumably now knows who those are in the post-canon.

Next episode is Dennis vs. Kaito. There is a lot to discuss there, I wonder if my post will suffice.

[seymour---krelborn]

may i inquire about your theory that wiley might be ted?

Okay so I wanna preface this with the fact that this is only half serious and most if not all of it is probably coincidence or jokes, but ANYWAY big ol’ Nightmare Time spoilers under the cut

So we’ll start off with a real reach. In TGWDLM, MacNamara has a line, “We’re great again/No answers to be found”. This could very well be referring to him wanting answers regarding what exactly happened to Cross and, if he’s aware of his current state (Assuming he got Fucked Up in the Black and White in this timeline), how to get him back to normal. The reach is the fact that he sings this not long after killing/infecting Ted. Does that mean anything? Probably not, but let me have this.

Another reach is in Time Bastard, when Kilgore (I think, if I’m remembering correctly?) refers to Ted as “A wiley one”. Which, once again, could mean nothing, or could even just be a joke because Joey plays both characters. Or even a red herring to people like me who read too much into things lmao

BUT, we also have the Time Bastard song. Obviously this is about Ted, no question about that. But there’s the lyric,  "You're a masterful criminal, but the student will be your fall". Sure, Ted does beat the shit out of 2004 Kilgore, but I wouldn’t say that makes him a “masterful criminal”. And as for the student line, there’s not really anything about a student in the story. Maybe Kilgore was in college then, since Ted also was, but he didn’t exactly take Ted down. Unless I’m either missing something or it’s lore we haven’t gotten yet, the only thing I can think of that it could be referring to is the fact that Cross was MacNamara’s mentor. In a song about Ted, from a story where neither Cross nor MacNamara are even mentioned.

(Now we’re going off into Tangent Town a bit so bear with me)

I also noticed that both Ted and Wiley have a watch, and though it’s difficult to tell, they do look to be the same one. Which that could just be re-using costume pieces, or hell it could even just be Joey’s own watch.

But I do wanna talk about the watches in the show more. Specifically in TGWDLM. We all know the iconic “WEAR A WATCH” scene. MacNamara is aware of the paranormal. When he tells Paul about it, he gives Paul the watch. Jeff is not wearing one as either Mr Davidson or Sam (And I don’t think Man In A Hurry, either). I know that he doesn’t need the watch until Act 2, but if I were in his position, I’d figure that it would be easier to just put the watch on while getting in my Act 1 Scene 1 costume. Unless there was a reason I shouldn’t.

 There’s only one other person in the show (Again, unless I’m missing something, which is possible) who wears a watch. And that’s Joey. I’m going to ignore the fact that his Smoke Club Kid is wearing it because he had about one minute to go from Ted to SCK, and quickchanges are hard enough as it is. You can also see the occasional flash of Homeless Ted wearing it in La Dee Da Da Day. But again, that could come down to quickchanges. 

Fast forward, and we’re at the scene where Bill talks about wanting to go save Alice. Ted goes off on his little “Cut off the head” rant, which ends up being foreshadowing to Paul going to blow up the meteor. He also tells Bill, “You’re gonna get there, and she’s gonna be dead, and you’re gonna die, too”. And sure enough, by the time Bill and Paul arrive at the school, Alice is infected, and Bill is killed while they’re there. 

So what I’m getting at with this bit is, what if, whether he realizes it or not, Ted is somehow tied to the Black and White, possibly via the Bastard’s Box, allowing him to be subconsciously aware of different timelines, futures, etc. After all, Homeless Ted is in all these realities, so it’s tied in somehow.

This could also be tied to the fact that in the finale of Black Friday, he looks significantly more scared than the others, and, at some point, almost confused. Like he knows that they’re not going to make it, but he’s not sure why or how he knows it. That being said, Joey is also very expressive onstage, so it could just be him Acting.

(The watch thing gets kinda iffy if you consider Tom’s at the end of Black Friday, but listen it’s fine)

We could also use this to answer the question of why Ted, who wants nothing more than to just survive TGWDLM, makes them pause and have a heart-to-heart when they have a very limited time to get to the helicopter, instead of just waiting until they got to safety. Maybe he knew that this would be the last time they would see each other, he just didn't know the details as to what would cause that. So when Paul gets attacked and Emma goes after him, Ted assumes that they must be dead, not knowing that he's the one about to be converted.

(Updated on Feb. 28th) While watching TGWDLM last night, I paused it to see what was on Mr Davidson’s newspaper and

There’s also the “You opened the box” line in Made In America, but honestly, to claim that’s referring to the Bastard’s Box is the biggest reach in this whole damn post, and that’s saying something

This is way longer than I intended it to be but HERE YOU GO

[akechi-gf]

Analyzing the state of Akechi's health via the color of his pee (among other inferences)

The only canonical instance we have of seeing Akechi pee is in episode 22, where a 7-year old him of the past pees his pants in order to fend off bullies. Another notable mention is in episode 6 of Saiki K Reawakened where he is frightened by his calculations of how quick the meteor is falling not matching the official news report, however the pee is not actually seen. (This shows his distrust in authorities and their choices, which is why he felt the need to start his own calculations in the first place. The fact that his calculations didn't match only furthered his distrust to authority figures, which most likely stemmed from the lack of action of his teachers as a child while being bullied, alongside the divorce of his parents. That aside, let me get back on topic.)

Attached here is the photo of Akechi's pee, as well as the general set-up of their classroom. See also a pee color chart provided by an online healthcare site.

Now, when comparing this to a piss chart, at first glance, you would assume that his pee is at the eighth shade, which, yes, I can see. Upon color-swatching the pee puddle, it's most similar. However, keep in mind that the floor is a deep shade of brown, obscuring the true color of Akechi's pee.

I'm not an artist nor am I a piss-connoisseur, however keeping in mind that the shade of the floor would affect the overall image of the puddle, I would say that his pee is actually a kind mix of shades 4-5. This is slightly less dire of a situation when compared to the earlier assumption of 8, however, still concerning.

We're not actually provided a specific time in which the events take place, only an estimate of the year and everyone's age. So, I took the liberty to research a regular Japanese student's elementary school schedule. I found that the school day normally begins at 8;45 AM (which means Akechi would have arrived to his classroom at around 7-00 AM, considering his studious nature) and ends at 3:15 PM. Now, judging from the students' casual language and the fact that none of them (save for Saiki and a few others) were in their seats, we can infer that this was at around their lunch, recess, or dismissal. It's also notable that their seats aren't aligned, instead in a rather messy sort of disarray. While suspicious, we can assume that this is most likely due to them being rowdy children.

I decided to rewatch this particular scene, and noticed that we don't have a clip of the sun in the sky seen through the window. Due to this, we can conclude that this was earlier in the day, seeing as at 12:00 noon and 3:15 in the afternoon, the sun would be smack dab by the middle of the scene. At 7, however, the sun would be higher in the sky, perhaps covered by a few clouds.

To back this up, the quick arrival of their teacher proves that he was getting ready to enter the classroom regardless. Back to the topic of Akechi's shining puddle of piss, we can assume that he matches the shade 4, rather than 5. How did I arrive at this conclusion? Simple.

If Akechi arrived to school within the timeframe 7-8 AM, that means he woke up at 5:00 to 5:30 AM. Keep in mind that he showers, changes, eats breakfast, and walks to school. (We can assume that Akechi walks to school, because of a scene in episode 22 , where a young Saiki corners Kuriko. After questioning Kuriko, Akechi is seen running after Kusuo, saying something along the lines of "Kusuo-kun, wait for me!" This implies that he and Kusuo regularly walk home together. If Akechi (at this time, Asumi's parents couldn't pick Akechi up from school, it's most likely that they didn't drop him off.) Now, the fact that Akechi's pee is at shade 4 is still a subject that shouldn't be forgotten. Regardless of the fact that he walked to school, the scene of him peeing takes place only moments before class starts. Assuming that Akechi did eat breakfast, the fact that his pee wasn't within the shade range 2-3 implies that he didn't drink enough water for someone of his age, height, and weight.

According to BBC food, it's a general rule of thumb that children aged 4-13 should drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day. Now, one might argue that since only breakfast had passed, Akechi would have only gotten to drink 1-2 glasses. To that, i offer this rebuttal; please keep in mind that the dark shade could mean he hadn't gotten enough water to drink the day prior, either.

Darker piss is not actually ONLY due to dehydration, as it could be a symptom to hepatitis, rhabdomylosis, cirrhosis, glomerulonephritis, biliary obstruction, gallstones, bladder stones, cancer, jaundice, liver disease, malaria, thalassemia, or trauma. However, due to Akechi's over-all healthy appearance as a high school student (and the fact that he neglected to include any mention of that in his introduction in episode 18), it's unlikely that any of these are the case. At the most, it could be a symptom of trauma (Perhaps from the fighting that would have went down with his parents pre-divorce), however dehydration is the likeliest cause.

Not to fret, not all hope is lost. I decided to look into Healthline's article on dark urine backed by urology, and a turbid or cloudier puddle would have meant that Akechi could have had a bacterial infection in his urinary of digestive tract, the cloudiness being caused by an excess production of white blood cells. (Yes, there is a certain science to the study of urine.) Judging from the shinier appearance of the puddle, Akechi avoided any sort of infection. In fact, the shinier puddle shows that Akechi took water soluble vitamins. Shinier and oilier piss isn't something bad, since vitamins that don't completely absorb are emptied into the urine.

Onto my next point: Why does Akechi pee so much? I looked into cases online, and at first, it seemed like a classic case of incontinence in men; an enlarged prostate putting unneeded pressure on one's urethra, forcing one to pee. Perhaps Akechi had that, and couldn't tell. (Overactive bladders and enlarged prostates are normally detected in men as they grow older, younger men aren't often diagnosed, let alone children or high schoolers.) However, I noticed the fact that Akechi never implied that he 'simply couldn't reach the bathroom in time'. As a child, Akechi said that when he lost control of his emotions, more specifically, his anger, he tended to pee.

Now, I tried searching the keywords 'anger leading to pee' and was greeted by a multitude of dog behavioral blogs online. However, my search wasn't fruitless. I continued to search variations of the statement, and eventually, I came to the conclusion that this isn't normal. Psychological stress is related to one's incontinence, yes, but only under intense moments of fear. Akechi was simply peeing on purpose, to push Takashi away. In a way, this behavior is similar to a dog peeing on a rug to anger their owner. This is only solidified by the smug look on Akechi's face as he tells Takashi to "You better let go of me. Look at your shoes."

I would say that this is why we don't see Akechi pee in the episodes where he's featured as a high schooler in PK. (Save for the instance in episode 6 of Reawakened, however, as previously mentioned, psychological stress, specifically fear, can increase chances of incontinence.) He’s matured as a person, and he no longer has anyone bullying him, therefore he no longer feels the need to pee to assert dominance.

 TL; DR

Akechi needs to drink more water (and possibly get a therapist and a prostate checkup, just in case).

 References;

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/urine-colour-chart

https://urologyspecialistnc.com/changes-in-urine

https://healthline.com/health/dark-urine#causes

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stress-incontinence/symptoms-causes/syc-20355727

https://forum.greytalk.com/topic/274807-peeing-in-anger/

https://calmenergydogtraining.com/2012/10/revenge-peeing-fact-or-fiction/

[bgpportfolio]

Tales of Aeora 1.6

🔷  Link

"An Analysis of Medeva’s poem, ‘Phrixus and Helle,’ in Relation to the Formation, and Orbit, of the Early Moons of Aeora”

By Thomas Apollinus, a member of the Society of Alchemists

Published in 622 A.D.

Summary

   "The following article attempts to reconcile the debate over whether or not Medeva had access to information regarding the formation, and evolution, of the early moons of Aeora (Phrixus and Helle). There is a modern-day belief that Medeva had access to secret knowledge through her mother, Luna, and the other gods. We argue, however, that Medeva had access to exclusive records on time-reckoning, through the Society of Alchemists, and that she used complex metaphors to describe relationships that she perceived in the natural world. Unfortunately, Medeva’s advanced metaphors (and perception of the world) led many to believe that she was not entirely mortal."

Article

Contemporary scholars wonder to what extent the ancients knew about the rotation, and formation, of the moons and planets in our solar system. When “Phrixus and Helle” was written by Medeva, sometime Before the Destruction (BD), ancient astronomers relied on three methods of calculating a year – one lunar, one solar, or a hybrid depending on the civilization. The country in which Medeva lived is unknown, but historical evidence indicates that it rested somewhere between the ancient empires of Kemet and Valentia (1). The system of time reckoning for both of these civilizations is beyond the scope of this essay, but it should suffice to say that Kemet relied (primarily) on a lunar calendar while Valentia dated their months according to the sun (2). Claims by Medeva, and her supporters, that the poem was presented to her by the spirits of the two moons – Phrixus and Helle – has prevailed into modern theological discourse. However, it seems far more likely that the poem was written using the knowledge of time calculations of the Kemetian and Valentian empires, as well as Medeva’s own knowledge concerning the formation of the moons based on her study of her former husband’s research.

The structure of the poem indicates that Medeva had some knowledge about the orbit of the moons, but to what extent is still debated. For example, each stanza is introduced by the name of a season associated with the solar year. Scansion of the poem’s form and meter, however, indicates that each stanza is made up of thirty feet of either iambs or trochees (depending on the season) plus a triplet of twenty feet at the end, or 140 feet in the entire poem, which suggests that Medeva refers to a lunar year in her work (which is comprised of 140 months and begins with the total eclipse known, to the ancients, as the Morte Kalendis — described in line 24). Her follower’s assertions that the poem was a revelation sent by Phrixus and Helle are completely unfounded; still, there is clear indication that Medeva was aware of the months in a lunar year and that they were somehow related to the seasons.

During Medeva’s lifetime, there were several groups who devised calendars based on the phases of the sun and the three moons. Many of the early calendars, specifically those in Kemet and Valentia, influenced our own modern systems of time reckoning. In the temples of the Khonsu, in Karnak (where Medeva is rumored to have visited), ancient astronomers began their lunar year at the day of total eclipse (2). Furthermore, the Society of Alchemists started to observe the orbit of the moons and developed our modern system of date-keeping. Jason would have been aware of these developments and might have shared them with his wife, or Medeva might have stolen the information from her husband’s library when she fled the country. The poem could have been written sometime after her flight since the final couplet references a “paper boat” (lines 27-28). Due to the discoveries of her husband, and the Khonsu, Medeva could have been aware of the number of times Luna orbited the earth in one rotation of Phrixus (being 140 or the number of months in a lunar year). Rather than a vision transmitted by the gods, it seems more likely that Medeva wrote poetry inspired by the early scientific discoveries of astronomers such as her husband.

The records Jason kept, translated for generations by the Society of Alchemists, describe Medeva as a sorceress who didn’t reveal her true identity until years into their marriage. On the night that she was sentenced to prison, she fled her country on a boat across the Seventh Sea – stealing several rare and valuable documents from the organization archives before she left (4). Although Jason never wrote about the conclusion with his ex-wife, historical records (see the letters of various pirates off the coast of Elithrea) suggest that she traveled toward the coast of Kemet where she settled with the Khonsu. Scientists speculate that Medeva brought the records of Jason the Astronomer with her, transplanting them on the eastern continent and in the hands of Khonsu priests and priestess (thus adding to their own research concerning the movement of the moons).

There are some documents that make it appear as if Medeva had access to information about how the solar system was formed, however this has been pure speculation. Her assertion that Phrixus “burned as punishment, thick band of ash and sulfur tore apart the sky” (lines 11-12) and that before this a “grey light, reflected, showed” (lines 1-3) demonstrates that Medeva believed that the moon, Phrixus, was not always the swirling red and black that we see today. Modern science has revealed that, before a stellar collision in our moon’s past, Phrixus would have looked like a small Luna or (more likely) a large Helle. It is likely that several large impacts from a period of heavy bombardment pummeled the moon, causing its surface to rupture and spew magma, as well as form lengthy volcano ranges – leaving behind the burning, smoky atmosphere that we witness today (3). However, the Society of Alchemists weren’t even aware of this fact during Jason’s lifetime, and it is not clear how Medeva knew as much as she did about Phrixus’ ancient past. Scientists hypothesize that the asteroids and meteors that caused Phrixus’ crust to shatter occurred before the evolution of life, and is therefore put forward by zealots as evidence that Medeva was in communication with the gods. Such assertions give too much credit to Medeva’s artistic comparison between Phrixus and the moon, Luna. It would not have been a stretch for her to imagine Phrixus, especially if he were as personable as she suggests, having once looked like one of the other moons.

Another problematic piece of evidence — Medeva claims, at first glance in accordance with modern scientific discourse, that after he burned Phrixus “called his twin flame,” Helle (line 13). It is known that Helle and Phrixus were formed together during a probable collision between Aeora and a large stellar body billions of years ago, making them “twins” in a sense. It is likely, however, that Helle received a large portion of ice from Phrixus during the most recent period of heavy bombardment – causing its current, oceanic appearance. Once again, modern philosophers are baffled by how Medeva could have known these facts but the answer is simple: she didn’t know them. The description of Helle being summoned by Phrixus is a reference to their (obviously) dependent relationship in space. If zealots would peer more closely into Medeva’s work, they would note that her poetics are not a revelation but a metaphorical analysis of what she perceived in the night sky coupled with the knowledge she stole from early astronomers. The “mysterious” methods by which she obtained this knowledge was not divine or visionary, but a byproduct of human reflection on the natural world.

The author hopes that this article will dispel the assertions that Medeva was linked to a divine world and reveal, instead, that the ancients were more aware of their natural world than we used to believe. The relics found in Valentia, such as the Antikythra, as well as the records of the Khonsu, indicate that early man was more adept at time calculation than we previously thought. There is no evidence that Medeva was connected to a divine agent, or that she was aware of astronomical patterns and events, before the observations of the Society of Alchemists. Like the “lost cities of Yis and Lyonesse” (lines 9-10) that she describes in her poem, any “evidence” to the contrary is a fantastical and unsupported conclusion derived from the whims of a hopeful, new-age delusion.

Additional Sources

Mythologies of the Anantian People, Polek Helena (598 A.D.)

Ancient Calendars of Kemet, Timot the Builder (474 A.D.)

Modern Thought on the Destruction, Hiratio Derus (603 A.D.)

Analyzing Ancient Mythologies, Stephan Mendac (615 A.D.)

[seafleece]

fleece is making a magic system

(kudos to @for-lonely-giants for letting me scribble this out in his room at 3 am)

basically, i wanted a magic system about creating your own spells, so i’m doing the legwork now to make it part of casting to create your spell as you’re about to cast it, so instead of learning both fireball and delayed-blast fireball, you’d cast a fire spell at a certain level by describing your desired effect and determining with the DM what level that will be.

(i also have made a rudimentary spell type tag list, which is pretty similar to the one on dndbeyond, but the point here is to allow the DM/players to decide if a certain type of spell can even be cast at a low level (i.e. does it make sense for a minor banishment spell to exist?)

to do that, i have a pretty basic list of spell effect tags, with a few categories. the point of these classifications is also that they can be applied to existing d&d spells, and i’ll include some examples. “effect” can also refer to non-damage, and tags like “major” can be discussed as basic damage+other effect, or major effect with increased basic damage radius, etc.

-minor: small change or low damage (maximium 1 damage die)

-basic: basic change or moderate damage (maximum 5 damage dice)

-major: large change or serious damage (maximum 10 damage dice)

-drastic: enormous change or potentially fatal damage (maximum 20 damage dice)

-astronomical: incredible change or fatal damage (no maximum)

-temporary: the effect will end on its own, sub-tag concentration (damage or effect can be repeated without multiple castings)

-permanent: the effect will not end on its own

-undo: the effect undoes another effect

-immediate: the effect occurs immediately

-latent: the effect has duration surpassing concentration or is programmed to occur later

-singular: the effect has one target

-multiple: the effect has multiple targets

with these, i use the question: what can you do with a spell of this level that you could not at a lower level? and developed a more basic idea of what it means to cast a cantrip versus a level 9 spell. this is also not uniformly exact with d&d spells and their levels, but it’s fairly close

a cantrip: has minor effect on one target.

a level 1 spell: has basic singular effect, can have minor singular effect with concentration, or can have minor multiple effect.

a level 2 spell: has basic multiple effect, can have minor multiple effect with concentration, or can undo basic effect.

a level 3 spell: has major singular effect, can have basic multiple effect, or can undo immediate major effect.

a level 4 spell: has singular major effect with concentration or basic multiple effect with concentration.

a level 5 spell: has major multiple effect or can undo latent/permanent major effect.

a level 6 spell: has drastic singular effect or  major multiple effect with concentration

a level 7 spell: has drastic singular effect with concentration or can undo immediate drastic effect

a level 8 spell: has drastic multiple effect

a level 9 spell: can have astronomical effect, has drastic multiple effect with concentration, or can end any effect

there’s some minutia with when tags are applied, and these tags also have malleable potential. a. major effect can be cast at a lower level, for example, if there is sufficient preparation (i.e. something like ritual casting), but here’s me talking through some d&d (attack) spells and their level:

witch bolt: minor damage on one target, but is level one rather than a cantrip because it has concentration and the damage can be repeated

meteor swarm: considered level 9 because the basic idea behind 20d6 fire + 20d6 bludgeoning damage is that unless a character resists it somehow, they will be killed

disintegrate: level 6, the +40 moves it out of major damage range and into drastic, and one target is affected (another good indicator that a spell is drastic is that it indicates in the spell description what will happen if a character dies from it!!)

this system is supposed to be malleable, this system is supposed to allow for loopholes, and “effect” is intentionally vague because i want this to be about discussion between players and DMs about what a caster can do and when. is teleport a singular drastic effect that occurs with concentration, a drastic multiple effect, a major multiple effect that can occur with sufficient preparation, or even a basic effect when applied to one or two people? it’s all of them, and my goal is to change the emphasis of a spell from i know how to do this specific thing on this day to i have this amount of ability in my spellcasting, and i want to see if i can do this effect under these circumstances

damage dice are to be mediated by other effects (saving throw cantrips usually have a higher die because there’s no half damage on success, a major effect can split its “major” tag into some damage and a non-damage effect, in which case d6s might be used rather than d10s or d12s.) this system doesn’t have that name-recognizability of “oh god, blight, that’s 8d8″, but i’m hoping that in play it’s mediated by the synergistic effect of discussing what a spell does as you decide to cast it (which is accidentally what the mcelroys have done in the past by completely ignoring the actual description of a spell (cough planar ally cough).

under this system, d&d spells can be used normally, with as little or as much editing as desired, but you also can make new ones whenever you want. the basic idea is that when you level as a spellcaster, you gain access to spell types rather than spells (banishment, for example, i have in my head as a minimum level 4 spell, as well as shapechanging) and can act within those parameters rather than only with specific spells. i think prepared spells can play out as really funny in d&d (i.e. “i forgot how to cure wounds since yesterday, oops”), but it often doesn’t feel appropriate. i may include a limit on prepared spell types at a time (aka you can’t prep every single elemental spell type without that monopolizing your prep capabilities), or something as a simple as a maximum number of different spells you can cast that you hit as you cast rather than before you fight, similar to deciding equipment as you use it, because i think that also opens the door for small flashback scenes of “why does my character have this today”, and i’ll always take an excuse to create some non-linear storytelling. you can also codify a custom spell the same way you would a d&d spell and consider it a trademark, which could also work as an “always prepared” that wouldn’t add to the limit of prepared spells, but would require lots of prior usage.

(the especially fun thing is that i’m expanding the rules as i’m writing this post)

[granteddrop]

Big disclaimer: In art, the phases of the moon are generally used to convey mood, or for purely aesthetic purposes, rather than as a timekeeping implement. Also, when considering the accuracy of phases of the moon in stories far offset from the modern day, it may be unwise to place specific dates based on the moon, but in Novae, events matched up well enough that I figured I may as well use the moon to help mark time.

Another disclaimer: Specific dates are (generally) arbitrarily chosen by nitpicking the wording characters use so take those with a grain of salt xD The time between the chapters and the general time of year are the parts that I’ve tried to nail down here.

(Last edited: 07/29/2020) 

Explanations to follow >:3

DECEMBER 1672:

Raz is 22 at the start of Novae (character bio), which starts in 1672 (pg 4). 

Novae must start on or after Raziol’s 22nd birthday, specifically December 6, 1672.

During Ch 2, Raziol and Sulvain enjoy a dark, moonless night of stargazing. This puts the phase of the moon sometime between 1st quarter and 3rd quarter, anywhere between the 11th and the 27th of December, 1672. (idk Paris is pretty far north so the moon doesn’t get very high in the sky anyway)

(also for Saturn to be up and Orion mostly upright in December of 1672, that puts the time for night between 10pm and 12am, but that’s nitpicky at best xD)

Raz says he hadn’t changed since last Wednesday (pg 12), so to allow ample time for that and for the phase of the moon to kinda match in Ch 2, we can push the start of Ch1 to the fourth week of December. 

Ch 1 starts at dawn (pgs 1-18) and ends in the late evening/early night of that same day (pgs 19-31). 

Ch 2 starts (pgs 32- 39) in the night of that same day (“The meeting is tonight” from pg 17) goes to midday (idk, the lighting looks midday-ish xD) of the next day (pgs 40-42) to evening (pgs 43-47), and through the night of this second day (pgs 48-66).

Chapters 3 and 4 (pgs 67-142) continue the night of the second day.

So by the end of Chapter 4, Raziol and Sulvain have known each other for less than 48 hours.

Ch 5 pt 1 (pgs 143-164) and Ch 5 pt 2 (pgs 165-1st panel of pg 172) take place a few days after the end of Ch 4 (pg 145) and I’m assuming all in the same day because Raz doesn’t change out of his ink stained shirt. Sulvain asks to borrow Raz for the afternoon (pg 169), and the shadows are pretty long when he leaves the morgue(?) (pg 164) so I’m assuming pt 1 takes place in the morning? Also Jean noticed he was being stalked earlier that morning (pg 148- maybe closer to dawn?). Putting this part close to Christmas but not on Christmas day would explain why the Academy empties out, but why a tailor shop is open in pt 2. (I’m rather hand wavey on this bit but oh well xD)

JANUARY 1673:

Idk maybe they just go on lots of dates and panels 2 and 3 of pg 172 are just one example.

I have a few reasons why I think the last panel on page 172 takes place in February but I’ll get to that.

FEBRUARY 1673:

Raz wears his new overcoat and Sulvain is in an entirely different outfit (last panel of pg 172), so it’s reasonable to assume that a fair amount of time has passed since the tailor took Raziol’s measurements. They spend the day together and we head into the evening (pgs 173 and 174) before Jeans’s death. This is assuming “I’ll see you tomorrow night” (pg 174) refers to the very next night we see Raziol and Sulvain together (pg 175).

“These past couple of weeks” (pg 176) implies they haven’t spent months together yet, so we can’t be much later than February if they met back up at the end of December. The morning that Jean is killed, we can see a waning crescent moon, meaning we’re just a little bit before a new moon. This places Jean’s death in the third week of February 1673.

We see that there is some snowmelt (pgs 172 & 173), but with trees still bare and nights still frigid (Ch 8 & 9), and we also see snowdrops and crocuses blooming together (pg 331), which all together seems to indicate we’re somewhere in early spring, which reinforces my thought that we’re in February. To be fair, from the sources I’ve glanced through, both snowdrops and crocuses can bloom in January, which could bump all of this forward a month, so take that as you will xD

Raziol and Sulvain leave the observatory before dawn after stargazing all night (pg 175 and on) and by the end of Ch 6, the sun has risen (pg 209). 

Ch 5 pt 2 (pgs 175-192) takes place in early pre-dawn hours around mid February 1673.

Ch 6 (pgs 209-219) takes place just after dawn on the same day as pgs 175-192.

The page comments on pg 220 place the start of Ch 7 a few days after the end of Ch 6, likely in the early hours of the morning assuming Raz saw meteors while staying up for Jean’s funeral (pg 266). Over the course of the chapter, the color scheme moves from rosy orange (pgs 224~233) to pale yellow (pgs 235~287, Ève comes in at the start of this) to golden (pg 260~269) as we go from dawn hours to morning.

Ch 7 (pgs 220-269) takes place in the morning, a few days after the end of Ch 6.

Sulvain asks “Tonight?” (pg 264) which indicates that Ch 8 happens the same day as Ch 7

Ch 8 takes place at sundown the same day as Ch 7 (pgs 270-277) until dawn the next morning (pgs 278-313)

Ch 9 takes place on the same day as the end of Ch 8, picking up right around dawn and currently we’re about ~24 hours after the fight with Ève (pgs 314-351)

Ch 10 (thus far) continues the same day of Ch 9 (pgs352-?)

No moon is seen rising or setting, so Ch 7, 8, 9, and 10 might take place on February’s new moon, give or take a day, which fits the waning crescent we see in pg 176.

And there we have it! (so far at least xD)

[nightsky-wonderer]

Observations and Coincidences

In praise of Varian’s Star Part 2

Continuing from my first post. Below are a few more observations and interpretations to coincidences that may/may not come to play.  

The interpretation and theory may not be in line with yet-to-be seen canon material as the story continues, but I hope in the end it would serve as additional content for generating AU Ideas.

1.) The Pentagram - star-shaped symbol with greater meaning

The stars we a major source of wonder and inspiration for cultures around the world through time.  Each one even implemented a star with a few or multiple points to it, each with their specific meaning.  There is one symbol in particular I would like to focus on.  You may remember seeing this symbol within the book from the episode “Curses!”

The upper right corner of the right page displays the moon, a 5-pointed star, and a sun.  This star is known as a Pentagram, a symbol associated with perfect union, balance, and protection.  It may not be a literal star in the sky, but it has a history of being associated with magic, philosophy, religion, and alchemy.

In one way, the pentagram served as a bit foreshadowing to what Lord Demanitus was describing in “Lost and Found”, where combining the Sundrop and the Moonstone is the key to having access to what is known as the “Ultimate Power”.

Looking through some research, the Pentagram was used by many cultures throughout history and was interpreted differently.  Its creation was believed to be from ancient Mesopotamia, tracing the orbital pattern of the planet Venus, the “morning and evening star” throughout the night sky.  When implemented by the Pythagoreans in Ancient Greece, it was a viewed as a symbol of mankind, health, and “marriage of heaven and earth”.  Each point was associated with parts of the human body and the elements that were believed to have made them: air, water, earth, fire, and ‘quintessence’ (can be psyche, spirit, or aether).  The belief combined with its mathematical purity makes this also viewed as a symbol of perfection.  The Chinese and taoists interpreted a similar view when implementing with their medicine, with the element, Wood, replacing the spirit.  

The pentagram made its way to be implemented in alchemy, adopting a view similar to the pythagoreans.  As each point was associated with the elements, seasons, five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and other properties, it can be associated with the makings of the “Alchemical Great Work” that produces a Philosopher’s stone.  

The 5 elements is also used in Wicca Culture’s view of the pentagram.

The symbol was also used to construct a symbol associated with King Solomon, known as Solomon’s pentagram.  Solomon in Jerusalem Culture was known for his great knowledge and wisdom.  It was believed that the pentagram can be perfectly made if used the correct ingredients: Gold and Silver, metals associated with the Sun and the Moon in alchemy.  When placing another symbol, the Seal of Solomon, on the back of the pentagram, this creates a key object of great knowledge, and brings a being closer to cosmic perfection.

From the involvement of the pentagram representing unity and perfection, and its uses in magic and alchemy, this appears to be a star-shaped symbol that can indicate Varian’s involvement and association.

1.1) Zhan Tiri and the Inverse Pentagram

(Based on voice actor confirmation, I will refer to Zhan Tiri as “her”)

Despite the pentagram’s usages for positive purposes, the symbol over time eventually became implemented into a much darker image.  If we were to invert the star, we will have a symbol normally associated with black magic and Satonists.  Sometimes the representation involves a goat’s head within the star.  The normal pentagram has its tip pointing to heaven, while the inverse symbol is pointed to the ground towards hell.  The symbol, therefore, can be seen as both good and bad.

You may recall a post made by @david-yells-about-cartoons​ that talks about the star representing the 5 elements mentioned above and Zhan Tiri.  They identified something physically similar between warlock and her disciples and the symbol.  Zhan Tiri’s torso was shaped like a pentagon, reflecting the center of the pentagram, while the body of her disciple, Sugracha, was more triangular shaped in proportion (most notably her head and hair).  In addition, their theory revisited post notes Tromus (aka Matthews) displaying triangular body portions, and the potential associations with the five elements.  Sugracha was closely related to earth, as her plan was “rigid”, requiring absolute perfection in the paintings in order to be successful.  Tromus’s House Of Yesterday’s Tomorrow was in a shell-shaped house, he had many back-up plans that were in-store and flexible, it happened to be a rainy night when he meets the Rapunzel and friends, and had a plan involving a mirror (reflectivity being a characteristic of water).  

The theory continues with the possibility of her arch enemy, Lord Demanitus being a former disciple, given the triangle-shaped eye patch, representing the element of air.  However, this was later debunked from the airing of “Lost and Found”, revealing a silhouette figure shaped similarly to Mother Gothel.  Looking at Gothel, her triangle can be found in her hair.  

Whether or not there is more to Zhan Tiri and Demanitus’s story is yet to be seen, and if there are two more additional beings/objects connected to her that may be associated with other elements

Other than trees, which Zhan Tiri is heavily associated with, it can be seen as a possibility that the warlock’s magic is connected to nature itself.  In “Queen for a Day,” she was portrayed drawing energy from a mountain to cast her snowstorm spell in Xavier’s legend.  

With Varian’s involvement with alchemy, which in this universe is like combining magic and science, his battle alongside Rapunzel against Zhan Tiri could parallel the warlock’s previous conflict with Lord Demanitus.  The dynamic appears to exist: Adira’s tale in “Rapunzel and the Great Tree” portray Zhan Tiri in the traditional Disney Villian Green, and Demanitus with its complementary (opposite) colour: Red.  @animemoonprincess​ has identified an association of red and pinkish red with Varian throughout the series, being more prominent in season 3.

For the sense of the pentagram observations: Varian could represent the upright Pentagram, and Zhan Tiri, the inverse pentagram.  Might also serve as a small detail for the growing Mom!Tiri theory.

2.) The Star as a guide and navigator

Other than useful symbols, stars were used as nightly tools to help people navigate their way through the night.  The pole star for example was always in the North direction.  In religion, The Star of Bethlehem helped the Wise Men and Shepherds meet the new born Jesus Christ.

As far as symbolism goes, the stars can be seen as destiny signs that allowed people to achieve their dreams, goals, and sometimes find their way. 

Now leads to a puzzle: Varian didn’t literally instruct Rapunzel to touch the black rocks and send her on her journey outside Corona...or...

Rapunzel’s final nightmare in “The Alchemist Returns” portrays Varian appearing behind her with a cryptic message: “Face your destiny, or all you hold in your heart will be in grave danger.”

Flash forward to the Varian conflict, She recalls that moment from her nightmare, which prompted her to finally touch the rocks, defeat the real Varian, and create the path that led her to the dark kingdom.

it is interesting to note that in some dream interpretations, that seeing dull or red stars foreshadows trouble up ahead, or be prepared for sorrows, possibly alluding to the events of “Secret of the Sundrop”.  Rapunzel appears in vibrant colour, while Varian was dull along with his surroundings.

Beyond “Be Very Afraid”, with Varian translating the Graphtic Scroll, Rapunzel and her friends will need his instruction and guidance to finally unify the Sundrop and Moonstone.

3.) “to "Touch a Star" is a metaphor which means that we have realized our Dream, Achieved our ambition, and safely and successfully arrived at the end of our latest adventure.” - Joseph Panek (2009)

There were some portions of this interpretation that appeared poetic, mostly in regards to the ending of “Rapunzel’s Return”.  To break it down to parts in the context of the ending of season 1 and throughout season 2:

Dream (in terms of S1-S2): Experience the world beyond the Corona Walls

Ambition (or Goal): Follow the Black Rocks and realize her destiny (though arguably failed due to Cassandra’s Betrayal)

Dream!Varian tells her to “face her destiny”, leading to events of SOTSD and Rapunzel’s adventure in Season 2.  She returns home to find it overtaken by Saporians.  She then reconciles with Varian, and together, reclaims her kingdom.  Her final task involves her using the Reverse Incantation to finally free Quirin, which she also succeeds.  She embraces Varian, and he gets a happy ending with his Dad.  From there, Rapunzel finally settles in Corona to begin filling in the role of ruler for her amnesic parents.  Her embrace with Varian marks the ‘end’ of her adventure beyond the Corona Walls.

For thought: Something similar but different could play again when Varian is needed again to unify the Sundrop and Moonstone, defeat Zhan Tiri, and ending the adventure of the series.

*4.) Fun: Real-life shooting star coincidences 

From modern science, shooting stars appear in many colours due to their chemical composition.  Varian’s exposure to Green and Pink/red/pinkish light and objects appears similar to spectrum live photos of the famous Perseids meteors.  Starting from pink, then to green towards the tail. The meteors portrayed in the show seem to appear pinkish.

*fun coincidence

Sources:

https://www.originalbotanica.com/blog/pentagram-pentacle-meaning-origin/

http://www.lakeharrietlodge.org/lhl277/MainMenu/Home/MasonicEducation/TheSymbolismofthePentagram/tabid/413/Default.aspx

http://symboldictionary.net/?p=1893

http://www.omega-magick.com/2012/01/pentragam-of-solomon.html

http://www.alchemygothic.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=161:pentagram-reference&catid=48:alchemy-encyclopedia

https://dreamastromeanings.com/spiritual-meaning-of-stars/

http://dreamingfordreams.com/meaning/watching-the-stars/

https://www.whats-your-sign.com/ancient-alchemy-symbols.html

http://opsopaus.com/OM/BA/PP/index.html

http://www.aseekersthoughts.com/2009/05/star-as-symbol.html

Extra:

https://blog.world-mysteries.com/ancient-writings/alchemy-ancient-writings/four-elements-alchemy/

https://sciencestruck.com/list-of-alchemy-symbols-their-meanings

https://thehouseoftwigs.com/2018/09/25/applying-alchemical-symbolism-to-magical-practice/

https://exemplore.com/dreams/Dream-Interpretation-Symbolic-Star-Meaning-1

http://www.aseekersthoughts.com/2009/11/shooting-star-symbol-and-myth.html

[snowtimeisbesttime]

Thoughts and questions on Pesterquest Volumes 1 & 2! Two days late, but better late than never I guess!

Overall:

-[insert all the heart emoji pics ever]

-The title screen's kinda ominous, what with the music and the glitchy logo... Also kinda fitting for what goes down in certain routes of the launch volumes, though. (It should be noted that Friendsim's first volumes were relatively calm compared with later ones as well.)

~VOLUME 1~

-No fucking shit MC would be pissed off, and at Scratch specifically. Thankfully, the Best Guest (Spades Slick)'s here and has them covered while they go off on a new adventure... though if a certain other DS decides to poke around here and fuck shit up, methinks he's going to catch some fucking hands. And i'll be here cheering the MC on.

-MC now has the powers of the house juju (canonically the most powerful thingy in all the narrative, as it can retcon pretty much anything) and therefore the ability to zap anywhere... though it came at the cost of their memories of Friendsim. Obviously this had to happen because they had to forget they read Homestuck in order to properly befriend the cast, but in-universe... did they get “scratched” somehow? (Is that what happened to Fozzer back then?)

-Also, they were trying to go back to their friends in Alternia... we're going to have fun when we get to the Hivebent trolls. (inb4 the “probably vriska” thing comes back here; there's no way the MC isn't recovering their memories at some point)

-Scorist, sign of the Mutineer Mail

-And with the MC's yeeting of John's mail into a sewer, Pesterquest officially becomes a whole ass No SBURB AU. It's a shame the bunny had to be lost too, but there's a possible reason for that: breaking (more) timeloops, both here and in post-scratch Earth (Jake helping Jade build Liv Tyler the bunny)

-I hope they do get to play another, non- world-destroying game all together, though... wait, now that they're not playing Sburb they could play Minecraft, when it releases in about a month from now!!

-Unstoppable force (John wanting to know wtf happened to his mail) meets unmovable object (MC's willingness to keep digging themselves deeper in order to make friends)

-The beta kids are confirmed to be pretty much each other's only friends... :(

-MC looked like a weird alien on Alternia, but here on Earth they're just shaped like a friend, and nothing else.

-Dave's here too!! and he's also understandably concerned about this random Not Mailman that popped out of nowhere, at least at first. Considering we know Volume 4's title (The Loneliest Girl in the World) Volume 3 will probably feature him.

-mc Hass the ghost blanket

-MC says the house juju may belong to Lucifer... which obviously means Lord English, but might also refer to Vriska... (lucifer means “light- bringer”, and iirc vriska did have some overlap with the whole “demon without an eye and an arm” foreshadowing??)

-Considering Rose's volume, John probably finds out about the MC's powers in his good route, while in his bad one they both go on a stroll through time... then again, we don't know if this is like Friendsim, where only the good ends were “canon”...

-Whenever people need to Discuss Important Tactics, John's backyard's the first place anyone thinks about. Good to know there can be multiple people running around with retcon powers though.

-We get to see something of what led up to the Masterpiece, after who knows how long! And John gets to imagining what events will lead to him and his friends getting colorful pajamas, powers and four (4) new friends... not that he knows that *he specifically* won't have that future. John's bad route is... actually very depressing when you think about it...

-the first thing i thought of when john said that he thought Future Him & Co kept saying “english” was that they were telling jake to get off the pogo ride before he like fell off and fucking died or something... and then a while later i was like Wait Fuck They Meant Lord English He Sure As Hell Exists

-even back at the very beginning of homestuck, dad's dadly energies are too powerful

~VOLUME 2~

-This singlehandedly catapulted Rose to my Most Favorite Characters list; not that I didn't love her before, but now im love her even more.

-We know now that all the kids wanted to play SBURB, be it because of Weird Destiny Stuff or to have a good time with their friends, but Rose was the one who wanted to play the most... to talk with Jaspers again. This hasn't been addressed in this volume, but it might be in later ones.

-Good kitty, best cryptid. Also, Mom Lalonde's guide to lab intruders: sic a pumpkin tiger on 'em. Then again if she really thought we were a danger to her or to Rose we'd been sniped before we knew she was there...

-Rose doesn't have a short end; the first choice of her route only decides whether we befriend Cryptid Mc Whiskers (plus get some additional dialogue) or not...* or at least that's what i thought before seeing the image rips orz

-She's the kind of person who has a lot of interests but also has trouble settling down and focusing on one at a time... yall mind if i relate? (also, adhd rose??)

-And now we begin again the timeless MC tradition of “accumulating clothing from friends”. *At least in one route, apparently.

-MC gets into one of those “Screw This I'm Doing (What I Think Is) The Right Thing” moods, though they do mellow out later and Rose didn't take it badly. To be honest after the oatmeal thing I thought they'd head for the kitchen, rather than get rid of the alcohol; now we'll have to see if it has any effect...

-!!!!! Jade & Rose interacting ON SCREEN!!!! (also, Jade seems to still have access to Prospit despite the fact that they're not playing Sburb anymore... is this where “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse” (the paradox space comic) hapens??)

-Bec's acting weird... wonder what's up with him.

-Then again, even in her good route Rose seems vaguely aware that something's different; in her bad route she straight up does Weird Light Shit, while apparently being able to hear MC's narration and probably referencing her Land (her comment about the rain lighting up a little). Looks like you can take the game away from the players, but you can't take the game out of the players... Rose's a Seer of Light whether she plays or not, and same with the others.

-Rose's routes are kind of weird in that the good one looks like it's going to be the bad one (re: MC getting in one of their stubborn moods, see two points above), while the bad one looks like it's the good one until it doesn't. Before getting there I genuinely thought Rose was going to have 2 good ends.

-We get some talk on wizards and witches, and we also get to read some fragments of Complacency of the Learned!!! Which is very much a subversion of typical wizard stuff, as Rose told us; even if she has a genuine interest in wizards she's still putting her own spin on things... kinda like fans interacting with content, maybe.

-Wizards hoard knowledge for themselves, while Rose, as a Seer of Light, explicitly guides others with her knowledge; from the SBURB walkthrough in GameFAQs (which she ripped from Earth's internet to upload it onto a server on the Furthest Ring, so it would help more people) to the book she wrote on the meteor. No wonder she despises them.

[nadziejastar]

I know u like Isa and Lea, but did you enjoy any other of the Nobodies? Their personalities?

Oh yeah. I pretty much liked all the Organization. They just never got developed that much. Heck, even Lea and Isa never got their whole backstory shown and are still underdeveloped as characters. Which is sad. I found the Organization politics so interesting, too. It’s why I became kind of obsessed with the weapons in 358/2 Days. They had such specific names, shapes and colors that I knew they HAD to have some secret deeper meaning. And since BBSV2 was cancelled, I knew that we were most likely NEVER going to learn about what those secrets were. But I wanted to figure it out to learn more about them…all of them.

For instance, Luxord is so cool, yet he’s a total mystery. I like his demeanor and how he was sad when he lost half the poker league in Days. He never truly seemed like a bad guy, either. It’s a shame that we may never get to learn more about him. I’m sure there was stuff to be revealed about him. He was one of Nomura’s favorites, after all. There’s no way I can see him joining the Seekers of Darkness willingly. I think he was always supposed to be in the New Organization, but for a different reason than KH3 gives. Well, KH3 didn’t actually give one, but whatever. I think he wasn’t there willingly, and that’s why he was so happy when Sora defeated him and freed his heart.

I would have loved to learn more about Lexaeus, too. He didn’t seem to be thatbad. He was tending to Even and Dilan after they woke up. And I think he genuinely wanted to help Lea when he was looking for Isa. He seemed like he might have felt guilty about everything that happened. And somewhat concerned when Lea said he was going to go look for them. Ienzo and Lexaeus were rather low-ranking members. Lea seemed tolerate them in a way I doubt he would have with Braig, for instance.

What on earth was happening within the hearts of my six beloved apprentices? While pursuing the mystery of the darkness of the heart, could they themselves have strayed into its depths?

Speaking of Braig…I love Xigbar. He’s such a smug and unapologetic asshole. But he’s so cool at the same time. He always seems like he’s having so much fun. I really hated how it was revealed that he was Luxu because I thought Braig was such an interesting villain. He was just an ordinary guard and apprentice. Probably not a very nice guy, but not actively harming anyone, either. Ansem the Wise cared about all of his apprentices and trusted them. Even Braig. Then Xehanort comes along and offers him power. The Keyblade. And that’s all it takes to turn him into such a monster.

Day 355: Mind

The gears of Xemnas’ plans have begun to spin wild since the loss of half our membership at Castle Oblivion. The results are there, but can this state of affairs fairly be called a success? If Kingdom Hearts can be said to possess a mind of its own, it is surely rejecting Xemnas—no, rejecting Xehanort. Roxas left the Organization today.

He knows full well that Xehanort wants to access Kingdom Hearts and pretty much end the world as we know it. And he doesn’t give a DAMN. This entry is entitled “Mind”. Xigbar talks about Kingdom Hearts having a mind of its own, and rejecting Xehanort. He is aware that what Xemnas is doing is wrong.

And this doesn’t seem to be the first time he has pondered something having a mind of its own, either. The mind of Kingdom Hearts rejects Xehanort. The whole concept is quite similar to the way they tried to get the mind to renounce its sense of self, so that the vessel couldn’t reject Xehanort’s heart. I definitely think this was a subtle reference to the mind control experiments.

Xigbar: Man, does that Xehanort scare me like nobody’s business, the way he can see into minds. And it doesn’t help that no one knows what it is that the old man wants. I wonder if even you know what’s going on inside your own head.

I believed him when he said that Xehanort scared him. He doesn’t know what Xehanort is really after by causing the Apocalypse (we never get to learn either). But he goes along with him for his own selfish reasons. I was very disappointed that Xigbar’s personality was revealed to be Luxu putting on an act the whole time. No, I simply refuse to accept that.

Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

—Revelation 8:6-7

I admit, I couldn’t help but laugh when I read the KHwiki descriptions for some of the characters’ Mystery Gear weapons, which are said to draw forth the wielder’s personality. These were clearly meant to tell you something important about each of them. The wiki description for Xigbar’s Trumpet said that it may be a reference to his tendency to “toot his own horn”.

I think the trumpet had FAR more significance than that. The trumpet is a symbol. It’s the harbinger of the Apocalypse, to be exact. Xigbar and Xemnas are the only ones with Biblical references in their weapons. Even the concept of 7 Lights and 13 Darknesses is mostly Biblical in origin.

Seven is the number of completeness and perfection, both physical and spiritual. It derives much of its meaning from being tied directly to God’s creation of all things. There are 7 days in a week and God’s Sabbath is on the 7th day. The Bible, as a whole, was originally divided into 7 major divisions. The number 13 is symbolic of rebellion and lawlessness. 13 represents all the governments created by men, and inspired by Satan, in outright rebellion against the Eternal.

Ruler of the skies, protector of the stars, the Ultima Weapon will appear and destroy any threat it perceives. It has shot down countless airships, man’s means to reach the heavens. The stars align against us…

Final Weapon is another apocalyptic reference. Its design is based on the Ultima Weapon from FFVII. And we know how fond Nomura is of that game. I am quite fond of it, too. The Ultimate Weapon of Final Fantasy VII is one of the five Weapons created by the planet as a defense mechanism. It was released from its slumber in the North Crater after Sephiroth summons a giant meteor in an attempt to bring about the Apocalypse.

Then there’s Cupid’s Arrow, which is green, possibly as a reference to the Heart chakra. We all know who Cupid is. He shoots people with arrows and they fall in love. However, Cupid also has a devious side. His gold-tipped arrows are what link people in love. However, he can fire lead-tipped arrows, which cause people to feel indifference or hatred. This side of Cupid is not very well-known. As for Xigbar’s weapon, the bullets produce dark sparks on contact with enemies and gold ones on contact with anything else. Hmm.

Recollections

Am I alive? I awoke in a cell, alone until the researchers came with their tests and their prodding to uncover my identity. I had no answer to offer them. Four friends, and a key…that is the sum total of my memory. I could not even recall my name. I was simply called “X” there. My only solace was the time I spent talking with the two boys who would visit from time to time. One day, a man came to take me from the prison. I could not see him for the darkness, save that he wore an eyepatch. Even now, years on, I feel no closer to understanding who or what I am.May my heart be my guiding key.

—Unknown

I make it no secret that I think Isa was originally Subject X. And who is the last person Subject X remembers before their memory cuts off? Braig. Wouldn’t surprise me if Xigbar gave Isa the X-shaped scar. Other than Xemnas, he was the only one in the Organization who was confirmed to know about Xemnas’ desire to turn people into vessels. I think Even probably knew as well, but I just can’t see him giving Isa the scar.

Xemnas disappeared nearly before he heard his order acknowledged.

“Don’t let us down now, kiddo. Shouldn’t be too much trouble without a heart,” Xigbar told Saïx.

Then he was gone, too. Alone in the Round Room, Saïx raised his eyes to the high domed ceiling.

Braig? Definitely. I think he was the main abuser of Isa. I think he used a “lead arrow,” so to speak, and turned Isa’s love into hatred and indifference.

Saïx: Something at Castle Oblivion changed you. Does the past mean nothing to you now?

Since Saïx had Isa’s memories, he no doubt would have told Axel who his main abuser was. Not to mention Braig probably abused Lea as well.

Given the right memories, the Replica could mimic the powers of the original. Which meant that if he were implanted with somebody else’s memories, he would, hypothetically, gain other powers. Somebody’s—or maybe even a Nobody’s. He had one particular Nobody in mind. All the members of the Organization were still influenced by the memories of their human lives.

Personally, I think Axel was talking about Xigbar here in the novel. I definitely think Axel wanted revenge on Xigbar. And I like that Cupid’s Arrow is Ultimate Gear. In that same weapon class is Saïx’s Horoscope, which has the symbols for Venus and Cancer. Venus in Cancer is basically the astrological correspondence of ultimate love and affection. If it shows up in your horoscope, your love life is looking good.

Another one of Xigbar’s weapons is called Crime and Punishment. It refers to an 1866 novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It is about the mental anguish of a destitute man plotting to murder an unscrupulous pawnbroker who ripped him off, and contemplating whether or not going through with the plan will be worth the risks involved.

He grows increasingly his nihilistic, and believes that killing would benefit society, therefore justifying that crime and others. After committing murders, his isolation grows because of his intense guilt and the half-delirium into which his guilt throws him. Over and over again, the man pushes away the people who are trying to help him, and then suffers the consequences. In the end, he finds the total alienation that he has brought upon himself intolerable.

Day 117: Him and Roxas

Roxas is maturing at an impressive rate. His face, the way he handles the Keyblade, it’s all exactly the same. The worlds seem so divided and alone, but there’s always that steady thread there to connect them. And we Nobodies can never escape the things we did as humans. So it goes.

Xigbar does seem to have some guilt about what he did to Roxas/Ventus deep down. He says that Nobodies can never escape what they did as humans. He knows that what he’s doing is wrong. Everything he did was so that he could gain Master Xehanort’s Keyblade.

Q: What happens to Lea hereafter now that he has become a Keyblade wielder?

A: Lea, having returned to his human form, chosen by the Keyblade. Does him getting a Keyblade have anything to do with his best friend Roxas? And is there a possibility that Lea’s become one of the protectors of Light?

Yet Lea was able to wield because of how strong his heart was, and due to his desire to save his friends, including Roxas/Ventus and Isa, two people whose lives he helped destroy. And although this idea is never followed up on, in the KH3D Ultimania, Nomura suggested that Roxas had something to do with Lea’s ability to wield the Keyblade.

I’m really not convinced that Xigbar’s suicide at the end was always supposed to just be a ruse. In the original version of the story, I think he actually did decide to end his life. And I would have preferred that outcome rather than “Well, he was never really Braig, and he was just pretending to be a power-hungry bastard the whole time, lololol!”

Axel: Try not to bungle everything while I’m gone.

Xion: Now, why would we do that?

Axel: Well, considering your track record…

Xion: Hey! Don’t make me come over there!

I also really liked Roxas and Xion when i played Days. For me, Xion was everything that Kairi should have been from the beginning. The way Kairi was written always felt unintentionally sexist to me. I think the female writer for Days, Tomoco Kanemaki, really helped in the writing of that game’s female protagonist. It was a very good idea to bring her on board. Plus she’s an excellent writer, based on the KH novels.

Axel: Well, even if things change, we’ll never be apart–

Xion: As long as we remember each other…right? Don’t worry, Axel–we got your hokey speech memorized.

Axel: Just checking.

Xion jokes and teases Roxas and Axel, but never in a mean-spirited way. She’s very pure-hearted, sweet, and feminine. Which can often come across as annoying for me, if the writers are not careful. Kairi was a Princess of Heart. She’s very pure and filled with light. But we were mainly TOLD this fact about her character, rather than being able to see it through her actions. Which came across as…kind of annoying.

But Xion’s character never felt sexist to me. Her interactions with her friends felt far more charming and personable than Kairi’s interactions with Sora and Riku ever did. She was written with such sincerity.

Roxas: Just feels strange, that’s all. Usually, I do all the worrying over you. I don’t think it’s ever been the other way around before.

Xion: Well, for your information… I worry about you all the time, Roxas.

I liked how she responded to Roxas. She worries about him all the time. Kairi also worried about Sora, but she always felt like a passive participant in the story, instead of an active one.

Kairi: Who are you? And that’s not my name. I’m Kairi.

Roxas: Kairi… I know you. You’re that girl he likes.

For the most part, Kairi existed in relation to Sora, and only Sora.

Kairi: What are you going to do with us?

Saïx: You’re the fire that feeds Sora’s anger.

Kairi didn’t get to actually DO things. Things happened TO Kairi. Xion had a lot more agency as a character. You’re invited to put yourself in her shoes, and understand how she’s feeling in a way you never are with Kairi. She’s a subject instead of an object.

Kairi: I can’t help?

Sora: You’d kind of be in my way.

Kairi: Hehe. Okay. You win.

I also liked that Xion being able to fight was just taken for granted by the story. It’s not treated like it’s a big deal, just because she’s a girl. It’s just normal, like how it was with Aqua. On the other hand, Kairi always got treated by everyone like she was made of glass.

Day 352: What I Must Do

Riku gave me this time. Axel told me to spend it thinking for myself. The Organization is determined to erase either me or Roxas. They’ll never allow us to coexist. I love Roxas and Axel. I’m sure Saïx would scoff at that. Call it a trick of my artificial memories. But the time I spent on that clock tower was real. I wish the three of us could stay together, just like this, forever. But I have to end this. I’ll never forget today’s sunset. Even if Roxas and Axel do, I won’t forget.

Xion said that she loved Roxas and Axel. I found that really touching. Kairi was introduced to the story in KH1 mainly as the girl that Sora and Riku were competing for. She was more of love interest than a protagonist.

Kairi: You know, Riku has changed.

Sora: What do you mean?

Kairi: Sora, let’s take the raft and go—just the two of us!

Sora: Huh?

Kairi: Just kidding.

She never had any chemistry with Riku as part of their trio, and her role in the story diminished as his grew. In KH1, Sora and Riku’s animosity towards each other is fueled largely by Riku’s possessiveness toward Kairi, which I didn’t like.

Riku: Deal? The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi.

Sora: Wha… Wait a minute…

She was treated more like a prize for Sora and Riku to compete over than a valued friend. It just felt sexist to me. And I think it’s why Riku and Kairi barely interacted after KH1. I actually felt very sad when Xion disappeared. I felt an attachment to her, whereas I felt nothing but irritation (at the writers) when Kairi “died”. I connected with Xion in a way I that I was never able to with Kairi, because she was written like a real person instead of love interest.

After playing KH3, my feelings towards Roxas and Xion are…complicated. I know this is kind of an unpopular and controversial opinion in the fandom, but…I didn’t want either Roxas or Xion to come back. Even though I loved them both. Frankly, I don’t think they really “work” as stand-alone characters. Plus I was never fond of all of these identical characters running around simultaneously. Roxas and Sora look and act different enough. But Roxas and Ven? Many people seemed to like the scene where they meet and exchange an awkward glance. But for me it was just…stupid. Plus I think bringing them back ruined the poignancy of their story arcs.

Despite Xion being formed from Sora’s memories of Kairi, she felt very distinct from Kairi, due to the superior dialogue quality in 358/2 Days. This was both a good and bad thing.  

Kairi: Who’s this new Riku and where’s the old one?

Riku: New me?

Kairi: Yeah. You’re more like Sora.

Riku: Should I be flattered? I try too hard to be the role model. It’s more fun to just listen to my heart. Which is Sora-esque.

Kairi: Well, we still like you. Master, I came here because I wanted to help somehow. What can I do?

Honestly, I was just hoping that Kairi would have been written more like Xion going forward. I didn’t actually want to see Xion come back. I think that was always the plan, since Kairi certainly was in need of better characterization. And after Days, Kairi’s personality actually was more like Xion. I found her far more charming in KH2.8 and KH3 than I ever found her to be in any of the other games. They tried to give her more chemistry with Riku, who is supposed to be one of her best friends. I know the damage had been done by this point, but I appreciated scenes like this nonetheless.

Lea: Now that we’re going back, I’m worried about everything.

Kairi: Well, you don’t have to worry alone anymore, Axel.

I found her relationship with Lea so enjoyable, too. She was like his little sister. Kairi’s relationship with Lea felt just like Xion’s relationship with him. Xion promised she’d never forget Axel, after all. Unfortunately, this had the effect of making Xion’s return feel even more unnecessary and redundant to me. I feel the same way about Roxas.

A common opinion I hear is that Roxas is so much “darker” than Ventus, and therefore they cannot possibly be the same person. I agree that Roxas showed a darker side to his personalty than Ventus did. After all, Ventus had his darkness artificially extracted from him. But my response is: that’s what character development is for. What, did everyone think that Ven was going to remain the same naive kid until the very end the story? Even if he regained his memories as Roxas? Even after learning that Xemnas was Terra?

What was the whole point of Vanitas then? He’s Ven’s shadow self. These games are heavily inspired by Jungian philosophy, very much like the Persona series actually. Probably why I love both series so much. They even have the yellow eyes thing in common. The boss fight in KH3 was against Aqua’s shadow self. She was the embodiment of all the repressed, subconscious dark thoughts Aqua would be too ashamed to admit consciously.

Part of her IS angry at Mickey for abandoning her back then. She IS filled with so much despair that she wants others to feel it, too. That’s what made her shadow so interesting. I wish we had gotten to fight Shadow Terra, Shadow Riku, Shadow Isa, etc. I’m sure they’d have plenty of interesting things to say.

Quasimodo: Master Frollo–he made me live inside the bell tower, but the real walls were the ones I built around my heart. You helped me see that, Riku.

Riku: I was…speaking from…personal experience.

Phoebus: I’d say you still keep a lot locked inside.

Esmeralda: We all do that sometimes. There are just some things we need to keep separate from the world at large, at least until we have time to figure them out.

Personally, I never felt like Riku was finished dealing with his pain. His character arc was far from over. I think he needed to confront his feelings of jealousy towards Sora and his shame over getting possessed by Xehanort’s Heartless. What Dark Riku was saying in KH3 had some truth to it. Riku was always so competitive towards Sora because he felt inferior to him. Learning his darkness was part-Terra would definitely help him forgive himself. Of course that never happened.

Xehanort: Master Eraqus, you see, is so afraid of darkness, that he too, hassuccumbed–not to darkness, but to light. It shines so bright, he forgets thatlight begets darkness. And Aqua and Ventus, their lights shine too bright. It is only natural that they cast shadows on your heart.

Part of Terra does believe that Aqua and Ven are too bright for him. He pushed them away because they made him feel ashamed of himself. I’m sure his shadow self would try to push Ventus away while he tried to use the power of waking on him.

That would have been the perfect time to introduce the idea of Saïx’s jealousy. Let’s assume they stuck with the idea that Isa sacrificed himself for Lea. I tweaked his dialogue a tiny bit:

Saïx: “I sacrificed everything for you. You’re the one who went off and made other friends. Left me in the dust. I lost…all sense of purpose.”

Personally, I don’t think Saïx himself was jealous of Lea’s friendships with Roxas and Xion. Shadow Isa would be another story entirely, though. His captured heart was influencing Saïx subconsciously. I think that was why Anti-Saïx was included as a boss in 358/2 Days, along with Anti-Riku. 

Saïx:“Do you know what happens to those who lose their true purpose? Inevitably, they destroy themselves.”

I absolutely think he’d feel abandoned and forgotten by Lea. Axel left the Organization to chase after Roxas, while his heart was still left in Xehanort’s clutches. I think his shadow self would have a lot to say on that matter.

Aqua: A pure heart filled with light… It’s strange, The Master taught medarkness needs to be destroyed. But how, if not with light?

Fairy Godmother: Oh, my dear, you’re too young to know. Experience more things, and you’ll find the answer. Just trust in your dreams.

BBS was trying to send the message that darkness isn’t necessarily bad. OBVIOUSLY Ven was going to have to face his dark side and accept it as part of himself, too. That’s what Jungian psychology is all about. Of course like so many other things, that never happened. Probably because Roxas’ return made it pointless, if he’s supposed to be the “dark” one.

Part of me is surprised (and relieved) they didn’t redeem Vanitas and give HIM his very own replica, too. But yeah. These games are BIG on Jungian philosophy. Well, Xion and Roxas were envisioned as personas of other characters—not unique characters unto themselves. And that’s all they ever felt like to me. I never understood the idea that they deserved to be their “own people”. They already were.

To me, what made Roxas and Xion valuable to the story, was that they were alter egos of two of the main characters: the Guardians of Light, Kairi and Ventus. Even though they disappeared, their character arcs would have continued on. They would have given those two characters SO much additional development if they had been accepted and reintegrated as personas of Ven and Kairi. What does having BOTH Kairi and Xion around offer to the story? What does having BOTH Roxas and Ventus offer?

Naminé: One day, Sora will have to call them to the surface. They’re important memories…but very dangerous ones.

Mickey: Dangerous how?

Naminé: These memories are too painful. Handled the wrong way, they could damage Sora’s heart–even break it. I needed you to find a way to face that kind of hurt. That’s why I left the message.

Sora was supposed to confront the memories in his heart. The people’s whose memories were inside of him needed relief. The memories needed to go back to their rightful place: Kairi and Ventus. And Ansem the Wise’s experiments were all about the heart and its connection to memory. Sora was robbed of meaningful character development because of this, too. He never confronted these painful memories nor did he have the opportunity to grow from it.

I agree with Nomura. I think there ARE “too many” characters. It prevented them from getting properly developed. KH3 had little in the way of meaningful character development. And I doubt Nomura can really give Ven or Kairi much in the way of interesting development now that their alter egos are back. Their relationships with Lea already got sidelined. Ventus’ was even worse than Kairi’s, though.

Ven: Already?

Lea: I’ll see ya when I see ya. After all, we’re friends now. Get it memorized.

Ven: Okay, Lea.

Lea’s comment made Ventus very happy. Immediately afterwards, Lea tells Isa that inside people’s memories, he can live forever. This exchange felt very meaningful. I do believe that Axel took such a liking to Roxas in Days because he recognized him as Ventus. Yet what was the impact of their fateful meeting?

Lea: You remember me?

Ventus: Yeah, ‘course! We’re friends. I can’t believe you became a Keyblade wielder just like me.

Lea: Yeah…

Sora: Axel, you know Ven?

Ventus: Axel? Who’s Axel?

Lea: See, see, see? Major brain-ache.

It was rendered so…pointless thematically. Lea was obviously fine with Ven being Roxas. He was clearly hoping that Ven would remember their time together in the Organization. But ‘twas not to be. It honestly felt to me like much of Axel’s dialogue in KH3 was just Nomura parodying how ridiculous the story has become. Nomura even said in an interview that he has a hard time remembering who’s met who. It’s like he just threw his hands up and didn’t even care anymore. So he’s turning everything into a big joke.

Axel’s whole character arc in KH2 was trying to bring back Roxas, then deciding he had no right to turn Sora back into a Nobody. He sacrificed himself to atone for his actions. Of course, it wouldn’t feel right to simply have Axel form a friendship with Sora to carry on his friendship with Roxas. They were too different. Ventus’ story arc was the perfect way to bring Roxas’ heart back, allowing Lea focus on a new goal this time: bringing back Isa. As I mentioned earlier, Nomura implied that it was Roxas who gave Lea the ability to use the Keyblade.

Roxas: Hey, Axel. You haven’t forgotten? You made us a promise.

Axel: I did?

Roxas: That you’d always be there…to bring us back.

Axel: “Oh yeah…”

Roxas: “Got it memorized?”

Axel: “The promise of two best friends.”

I think that’s why he had a dream of Roxas before he woke up. Roxas’ legacy as a Nobody was to pass on the ability to wield the Keyblade to his best friend Axel. Then Axel would be reborn as Lea and reunite with Roxas, who would be reborn as Ventus. Neither knew each other’s past in Days. Roxas had amnesia and Axel kept everything secret.

Axel: You really think the truth is going to make you feel better? It won’t.

Roxas: What makes you so sure? I have a right to know who I am! How did I  get here? Why am I special? Where did I learn to use the Keyblade? I deserve those answers!

Axel: Roxas…

Roxas: Are you gonna tell me or not? Axel… Who am I?

Axel: You’ve just gotta trust me, Roxas.

Roxas: I don’t.

Axel: Hey, c'mon…

Roxas: If I can’t get answers here, I’ll get them somewhere else. Somebody knows where I came from. That’ll be the person I trust.

Axel said that learning about his past wouldn’t make Roxas feel any better. Maybe that’s true. Maybe not. But the real reason Axel didn’t want Roxas to know about his past because he was afraid that Roxas would leave him. Although his reasons were sympathetic, Axel was wrong to lie to Roxas. And he knew he was wrong. He felt guilty about lying. Roxas did have a right to know the truth. This creates a chasm between them and it is the ultimate cause of their relationship falling apart.

Roxas: I wonder what kind of guy I was before…

In KH3, it felt like the characters were being forced into stasis and not allowed to truly grow or mature. If anything, they were regressing. In Days, Roxas didn’t WANT to be his “own person”. He wanted to learn about his life and identity before becoming a Nobody. He was jealous that Axel had memories of his past before the Organization. So the idea of Roxas coming back and having no real past or life history outside of the one year he spent as an Organization member just didn’t sit right with me.  

And Roxas and Axel will never have to overcome the issues that made their relationship fail in the first place. Axel needed to accept that it was okay for Roxas to remember his past before the Organization. And Roxas needed to trust Axel. If Axel was reborn as Lea and Roxas was reborn as Ventus, they’d finally learn each other’s past and find out that they have so much in common. A loved one from their past is being used as Xehanort’s vessel. Then they’d be able to develop a much more open and healthy relationship and grow a lot closer.

Ventus: You’re here…

Terra: I heard you too, Ven. You found me, just like you promised.

Ven made a promise to Terra that he’d be there when Terra really needed him. And Axel made a promise to Roxas that he’d always be there to bring them back. It was a promise of two best friends. Immediately afterwards, Lea goes and searches for Isa. He still didn’t know at that point that Isa was Xehanort’s vessel. But his friendship with Roxas inspired him to not give up on any of his best friends. In KH3, it could be shown that Axel’s loyalty inspired Ventus to keep his promise to Terra, too. Then their meeting in BBS would have actually been meaningful.

In KH3 we just get a rehash of KH2 where Axel is looking for Roxas. Only this time he makes no progress on that goal, nor does he develop as a person along the way like he did in KH2. He just felt so utterly useless to the story. Literally everyone in real life I know who played KH3 complained about how useless and unimportant Axel was. Even Axel acknowledges how useless he is in KH3. My intention is really not to bash Roxas and Xion. I liked them. But since Lea and Isa are my favorite characters, I admit I do have quite a bit of saltiness towards the preferential treatment Roxas and Xion received from the story in KH3.  

Their return just felt so…contrived. I didn’t even find the trio’s reunion emotional due to how forced it was. Xion just randomly shows up out of nowhere and starts bawling, and Axel brings up ice cream. It felt like the writers were trying way too hard to make the scene emotional. But it had the opposite effect on me. That scene came across as cringe-worthy because it felt so pandering and fanservice-y. And now they need DLC just to properly explain why they are back.

—Was Lea insisting on being called Axel so that when Roxas came back he would recognize him?

Nomura: Yes, but also because when he saw Kairi as Xion, he remembered that there was someone he was supposed to remember, which made him feel that being called “Axel” was important.

I also have mixed feelings about Lea wanting to be called “Axel” and staying in his Organization cloak.

Mickey: But gosh, I didn’t expect you to save us…Axel.

Lea: Axel didn’t. My name is Lea.

In KH3D, he made a big deal about his name being “Lea”, not “Axel”.

Lea: Axel? Please. The name’s Lea. Got it memorized?

I don’t think it was really necessary, but I can see him maybe wanting Kairi to call him Axel if he subconsciously remembers her as Xion. But everyone else?

Riku: Why are you here, Axel?

Lea: No, I told you my name’s– Agh, whatever, Axel, fine. Now let’s get outta here!

It annoyed him when they still called him “Axel”. He only tolerated it begrudgingly. After all, it’s the name Xehanort gave him to symbolize the death of “Lea”. I don’t think he’d be too fond of going by that name at all, especially once he learned the full truth about the Recusant’s Sigil.

Originally, I think he wanted to stay in the black cloak because of Isa. That makes total sense to me. But since that idea was scrapped, it felt more like Square was afraid of having his character go by a different name or look too different from before, since people who haven’t played any of the games since KH2 might be put off by that.

Then, there was the final boss battle with Saïx. Roxas and Xion are back now. And honestly I had no idea how the game wanted me to feel about Isa at that point. It may have sounded like an afterthought, but Lea still said he wanted to bring him home, too. Am I supposed to care about him as a friend of Lea? Or am I supposed to take pleasure in seeing Roxas and Xion “clobber” him, the same way I’m supposed to when Sora defeats Xehanort?

Roxas and Xion are popular characters; I get that. I knew how much fan demand there was to bring them back. And it concerned me because I couldn’t imagine how they could return in a way that actually made any sense. And it was as I suspected. We got the stupid Replica nonsense in KH3 to make it happen. But it was way worse than I feared. They had to throw Isa’s entire character arc by the wayside to make room for Roxas and Xion.

Roxas, Axel, and Xion get a tearful reunion, but poor Isa was just left as a vessel… totally forgotten about. Lea said that he never forgot Isa, but he did. Sometime between KH3D and KH3, to be precise. Roxas and Xion even look at him with pity. I almost got the sense that the scene was meta-commentary. Like Roxas and Xion felt guilty about how badly his character had to be destroyed to allow them a place in the story. And Isa certainly did get left in the dust in order to focus on Lea’s other friends, who had more popularity in the fandom.

In canon Isa suffers from a bad reputation, because of how Saïx treated Roxas and Xion. But it was plain as day to me that Isa in BBS was NOTHING like Saïx! I always assumed that was the whole point of meeting Lea and Isa in BBS. To show how different they were as humans—especially Isa. The audience never knew that Saïx in KH2 was just a vessel for Xehanort, and neither did Axel. If the truth had been revealed, it would have been a pretty cool plot twist actually.

Despite it being both obvious and heavily implied, the story never even clearly stated that Isa was NOT Saïx. That he was possessed by Xehanort. That he was a victim. The Recusant’s Sigil on his face literally means “death”. And since that concept got thrown in the trash, so did Isa’s character arc. We are never even told how he got his scar. And his personality never goes back to the way it was in BBS, either. It’s funny to me that people thought Roxas was so different from Ventus that he deserved to be his own person. If there was any character who had nothing in common with their Nobody and deserved to be their own person, it was Isa, not Roxas. Axel and Saïx both admit how much he’s changed.

Even in that short scene, it was not hard to see what kind of person Isa was. He was introverted and had a dry, sarcastic sense of humor. But when he smiled at Lea playing with Ventus, you could tell that he was kindhearted. He was just reserved, and reluctant to express his feelings openly. He’s shy, but with Lea around, he’s able to come out of his shell and share a laugh with Ventus while they tease him. So yeah, in my opinion Isa is dead. In KH3, we get left with a watered down Saïx taking on the role of “Isa”, even though they were nothing alike.

The moment where Xemnas is going to finish off Lea, is when Saïx should have saved him, proving that Isa’s heart was still in there, and that he never forgot Lea, just like he said all those years ago. That was Isa’s crowning moment. The very moment that would earn his place eating ice cream with everyone in the epilogue.

Roxas and Xion stole the thunder from not only Isa, but Kairi too. During what should have been her crowning moment: her first major battle. She was so useless and forgotten in her own fight. Her only real contribution is getting kidnapped. Then she was killed off! Apparently to justify Namine coming back? I guess? I was so looking forward to Kairi finally becoming a more well-rounded character. Man, was that a let down. My sisters despise Kairi. They were raging during the ending. They think she’s such an insult as a female protagonist, lol. I just think it’s sad. Kairi DID have potential. But unfortunately it was mostly all wasted…

I love most of the KH characters. But I have NEVER seen a character get shafted by a story as badly as Isa. Even Kairi was treated (marginally) better by the narrative. It was the main inspiration for this blog and why a disproportionate amount of my posts are about Isa and/or his relationship to Lea. In KH3, Skuld took his backstory, Roxas took his role as the friend who Lea would need to bring back, and Xion took his crowning moment of redemption. It was so insulting how the story treated him. I’m sure even the creator of Xion, Tomoco Kanemaki, would be disappointed in how Isa got treated. I could tell by the way she writes the novels that she liked Isa, as well as Xion.