#Also I have no idea where Ephemer and Skuld are so I'm just going to assume they're in the Unchained Realm until proven otherwise.

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

I'm only saying this anonymously because I don't want my tumblr to be connected to my Ao3, but I plan on writing a kh fic with Union Cross Characters (it's inspired by both "Dandelion Bud" and "For Those Who We Masters Have Wronged" by someone whose username I don't remember how to spell). The only issue is that I know... very little about actual KHUX lore, so I'm just going "f*ck it" and making characters related who aren't probably related (Brain and PC are siblings, and Riku is Ephemer's Great x3 or 4 nephew), and giving them personalities that are probably not canon (PC is a Gen Z before Gen Z existed, and I chose to name her Zee and make her and Brain's last name Gen, because of course I did. PC is also a gremlin of chaos who taught Ven how to swear...) and I also decided to tell you Ven and Van's reactions to seeing PC (Zee) again:

Ven: Oh God, no, Zee

Van: F*CK YEAH! ZEE!

I know even less about Dark Road, so I'm just... ignoring its existence and hoping for the best. This fic is going to be a mess, but hopefully it'll be a lovable mess

(I also have plans for an even more chaotic mess of a kh crossover that is currently running on my inspiration from another fic, my seemingly permanent dp x dc brainrot, and way too many psychology facts I've looked up just to make sure that things that happen are actually plausible things to be done by children of the traumatized kind... WRITING, EVERYONE!)

I decided to tell you this because A. I want to know Ephemer's personality and I don't physically have the patience to watch a playthrough of KHUX or all its cutscenes

And B. I thought that Ven and Van's reaction to Zee is hilarious (She actually used to "babysit" them [although it was just the older, nearly adult, keyblade wielders going "let's let Strizella, Zee, and Ven have their own little group, they're the younger kids" and Strizella having missions], and Ven does care about her [platonically], but he's also terrified of her because she'd recognize his face and she is now the youngest [something that she cheered about not being anymore when he was adopted into Ephemer, Skuld, Laurium, Elrena, Strizella, Brain, and Zee's froend group])

I just hoped that the differing reactions to Zee "I don't want to babysit a ten year old, so I'm going to be the worst influence ever" Gen being back in all her fourteen year old chaotic glory

hey, you know what? I respect this. Not everyone has the time and energy to fully absorb media to the fullest but they still have the right to enjoy certain characters and write about them. The longtime khux fan in me is just happy that people want to write about the characters, period.

I’ve seen countless fics in different fandoms where the characters are so different than how they are in canon that they’re practically ocs, but the plot and concept of the fic are absolutely amazing. In fact, the fic that got me into writing in the first place was exactly one of those. You do you, anon! Learn as much about a character as you want, or don’t. Just write to your heart’s content.

I will say this for Eph though, since you asked. I would describe him as friendly, someone you can trust. He’s inquisitive, full of ideas, and down to go pretty much anywhere if there’s something to be learned or found. And he’s full of spunk. Even if he has some doubts about his own capabilities, he’s someone you can rely on to help you out and he’ll stand by you through thick and thin.

[corishadowfang]

...I can be trusted around cool worldbuilding. (Also partially inspired by @runsonlovepower's tags because the idea of the UX kids as saints is making me go feral.)

--

It'd been a month.

His brother had been so excited to finally get to go off-world for a mission, smiling that infectious gap-toothed smile that could make just about anyone get wrapped up in the same joy. Their teacher had warned that this was a 'short mission' and 'this was just to give them a feel for what off-world travel was like' and 'no wandering off, Romulus,' and his brother had smiled and winked and he'd tried not to be jealous. The last he'd seen of his brother was him walking through the portal, with the expectation that he'd be home by the next day to run it in that he'd gotten to go off-world first.

But. It'd been a month. And here Remus was, standing in the church courtyard, wringing a bundle of dandelions until the stems bled.

There was service today; he could hear music, see the shadows of people through the windows occasionally. He'd felt out of place when he'd gone inside; he'd never been particularly religious, and he'd found himself staring at the stained glass portraits of figures like Skuld and Ventus and Ephemer and felt like he was being judged.

(And he could still remember the priests talking quietly to him and his mom, asking what rites she wanted performed and explaining quietly that they hadn't found a Keyblade to bring home, but that was stupid because they knew where they'd gone and how was he supposed to be put to rest if they hadn't found his Keyblade--)

He hadn't stayed.

He didn't think those big saints would listen to his prayers, anyways; they were for heroes and nobles and important people, not wannabe Keyblade wielders who'd only gotten apprenticed by sheer luck. But--

("What's their name?"

"We don't know; it was lost, a long time ago. We know very little about them, beyond that they were close friends with Master Ephemer. But it's said that they stayed behind, to guide those who were lost back to Scala, and to their friend. They are for the little people--the scared children and the sailors and the shopkeepers--because they were like us, once. They will find the lost, whoever and wherever they are, and bring their hearts to join them and their Dandelions, where they will be safe and loved.")

--there was someone they might be able to ask.

"Hey."

He could still hear music. The wind picked up a little, rattling wind chimes.

"Look, I don't know if you have some...place where I'm supposed to pray to you. I'm not even sure if you're real--but I have to try something."

After a heartbeat he lowered the dandelions--newly ruined now because of his fidgeting, and he didn't know if they'd be angry or not.

"My brother--his name's Romulus. He's a pain in the ass. He likes making dumb jokes and pets every single cat he comes across and cries at plays. He--he was supposed to come home a month ago." His throat tightened, but he forced the words out, anyways. "Please--if you can find him--bring him home."

The courtyard was silent; the music had stopped, and Remus beat a hasty retreat, in case someone saw him and asked what he was doing.

(But a week later, someone brought Romulus's Keyblade home.

Remus started keeping a dandelion with him, hidden carefully inside his jacket.)

Do you think they have Saints in Scala Ad Caelum. I feel like there would be, just off vibes.

[ends-of-the-wayward-storm]

Unchained--Part 1

Summary

In an attempt to help find Sora, Erica tries to reach out to him much like her friend Ephemer once did with her--with the help of Chirithy, of course. One day, however, she reaches out to what she hoped was the first clue to tracking Sora down, only to find herself in a place she's never seen before and come across someone who apparently had been told to save him.

[AO3 version] [Part 2]

[This contains spoilers for KH III and Re:Mind.] 

________

I can remember the first time I talked to my friends Ephemer in Skuld, kind of like it was yesterday. If I hadn’t taken that chance of finding a way to Sora, I probably wouldn’t have found them.

Erica pensively looked out the window in her room, the ever-present sunset gleaming through. “Chirithy, do you remember when I saw Ephemer in that dream?”

“That was a pretty long time ago,” Chirithy replied. “But I remember.”

“I know he was reaching out to me. And when I looked into it, it ended up meaning something.”

The little creature studied their best friend. “What are you trying to say?”

“If I can do what Ephemer did, then maybe I might be able to reach out to Sora. I just have to figure out how he did it.”

Oh. Now they saw what she was getting at. But . . . was she ready? Would it even work the other way?

Erica studied Chirithy. “You know how he did it, don’t you?”

“Well . . . maybe. But I’m not sure it’ll work.”

“Can you tell me?”

Chirithy hesitated. “Are you sure you’re prepared?”

“Yes. This might be a way to find Sora, and I’m willing to try it.”

The dream eater sighed. “He sent you a dream from the Unchained Realm.”

“Unchained Realm? What’s that?”

Chirithy explained to the best of their ability what it was, including how Erica’s war-torn-free adventures took place there. When they were done, Chirithy watched Erica’s eyebrows furrow, and her eyes held many questions as the silence lingered longer than the dream eater would’ve liked.

“So, they wanted to protect me?” Erica finally concluded.

“To put it simply, yes.”

The young wielder fell back into contemplative silence. Having to remember every moment of the Keyblade War was painful, and she could’ve sworn her heart might’ve broken. She wouldn’t blame Ephemer and Skuld for wiping her memory of it and putting her in a place where the war never happened. If she had been in their place, she probably would’ve done the same thing.

“Do you think Ephemer might still be there? And Skuld?” she asked.

“I’m not sure, but if they are, then they might be able to help us find Sora.”

Erica settled under her covers. “Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

Chirithy explained how they might be able to reach the Unchained Realm, and Erica followed their instructions carefully. Sleep soon washed over her, and she found herself at Sunset Hill. Her dreams often started like this, and usually they would lead to her hanging out with her friends. One time she had showed them her home world. If only that could actually happen. . . .

“Are you ready?” Chirithy asked from atop the rail, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Erica nodded.

“Good. Now, remember what I told you.”

“Right.”

The two of them closed their eyes. She felt Chirithy’s heart and their bond, and she held on to that connection. Chirithy’s presence faded away along with everything around her, but she still held fast to the connection to her best friend.

There was a shift in the air, and for a moment or two, nothing else happened. Together, they put all their hearts into it, and sure enough, a breeze brushed by. The light outside her eyelids changed, and she opened her eyes to a place she thought she’d never see again.

“I’m . . . I’m here. . . .”

Everything was exactly how she remembered it—the purple roofs, the chimneys, the flower beds, even the clock tower she had explored long ago. The sky was as beautiful as ever, the soft lavenders, pinks, and peaches picture perfect. She breathed in the scent of the flowers in the area, and her eyes began to prickle.

The familiar sound of water drew her attention to the fountain she’d always come across, every detail exact. But the nostalgia would fizz out occasionally, and oddly enough the distortions seemed familiar. . . .

I . . . I have to find Sora before I run out of time.

Just as she was about to begin her search, footsteps brought her attention to a familiar face entering the square.

But it wasn’t just one.

“Skuld. . . . Ephemer. . . .”

Both of them looked to her, and they each shared a look of surprise.

“Erica?” Skuld said.

Everything fizzed again, but Erica didn’t care. She ran to them without hesitation, wrapping both of them in a hug that the duo’s shock almost didn’t let them register.

This has to be real. . . . Erica thought. It has to be.

“Y-you’re here,” Ephemer said, hugging her tighter despite his burning questions. “I can’t believe it. . . !”

“How did you come back?” Skuld asked.

Erica let go, but she held on to their hands securely. “Chirithy helped me. I. . . .” A few tears slipped out, and she squeezed their hands. “I looked for you guys . . . everywhere. I wanted . . . to-to find you so badly. . . .”

“Well, we’re here now, right?” Ephemer said with a smile.

Their surroundings fizzed again, pulling shocked expressions from him and Skuld.

“You’re fizzing out!” Skuld said.

“I am?” Erica said, looking at herself.

“We might not have much time left.”

The fizzing and blurring gradually became more frequent.

“But you can’t go! Not yet!” Erica pleaded. “I need your help.”

“Something wrong?” Ephemer asked.

“It’s my friend So—”

The fizzing turned into a sort of fog that shrouded everything. It crept in from all sides, and before Erica could pull them away, her friends became engulfed.

“No wait! Come back, please!”

Erica woke with a start, startling Chirithy. She found herself back in her room. She wasn’t in Daybreak Town anymore.

She stared down at her hands, her eyes prickling again. She wasn’t with Ephemer and Skuld.

“Did you find anything?” Chirithy asked.

“. . . They’re there. I saw them. . . .” But I lost them again. . . .

“They are?”

Erica nodded.

“What about Sora?”

“I didn’t get the chance to ask. . . .”

Chirithy’s ears lowered for a few moments. “Well, at least it worked.”

After that, Chirithy and I kept practicing staying in the Unchained Realm for longer and longer. I got the chance to talk to Ephemer and Skuld and finally tell them everything that’s happened. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

“How’s Ven?” Skuld asked one time.

“He’s doing really good,” Erica replied. “He’ll be so excited to hear from you guys! Once he actually answers my calls.”

Eventually I told Riku what I was up to. He had a lot of questions like I did, but once I explained the basics he was all for another way to find Sora. He did tell me to be careful and to let him know if I found anything. And of course I said I would.

Now it’s been a year. I was able to get to the Unchained Realm without Chirithy’s help, but they still pitched in to keep me steady. No one’s really found anything yet, but we’re not giving up. Sora wouldn’t give up on us, so why should we?

“Good night, Chirithy,” Erica said.

“Good night, kiddo,” Chirithy replied. “Here’s to hoping Ephemer and Skuld have found something.”

Erica nodded, and she closed her eyes to reach out to their realm. It took a bit like it usually did, but she felt something that didn’t feel like Skuld or Ephemer. Maybe this was their breakthrough! A clue!

She sifted through the realm and reached out to the new feeling, and soon she found herself in a part of Daybreak Town she knew she hadn’t seen before.

It was completely night, not like the partial nights she’d always known. The buildings didn’t really seem quite right; they were almost advanced, like Hiro’s world. And the fact that no street lamps were on didn’t really help.

“Hello?” she called. “Anyone here?”

Silence.

“Ephemer? Skuld?”

Nothing.

The atmosphere was even different. It wasn’t homey and safe. In fact it was the complete opposite.

Erica looked around. From what she could see, she was in an alleyway. There was some kind of light in the dark street ahead of her, and if she looked up, she could see lights coming off of other nearby buildings.

A flicker of movement brought her attention to someone just walking out of view, but she managed to catch his reflection in the building across the street.

Wait a second. . . . “Riku?”

Erica bolted down the alleyway. How did he get here? Did he figure it out? Maybe he found something.

She stumbled to a stop out on the street and looked to Riku. He was looking to his left with the most serious expression she’d ever seen on him. But when he looked at her, he seemed different. Too different.

“Riku?” Erica asked cautiously.

“No,” he said, his voice clearly emphasizing his answer. “Who are you?”

“Erica.” She couldn’t sense a light in him or a darkness. So maybe they were hidden? Or maybe they were too intertwined for her to distinguish them. “Who’re you?”

He studied her, contemplating his next words. “No one important.”

She wasn’t very satisfied with that answer, but she let it slide this time. “I’m uh, looking for a friend of mine. His name is Sora.”

“You’re looking for Sora, too?”

“Yyyes? Wait, do you know him?”

“I’ve heard of him. I was told to save him.”

“By who?”

“A friend of his.”

That could be anyone. But did they know this guy? Or . . . was this something different? “. . . Have you found him yet?”

He looked to his hand, closing it as he spoke. “Once . . . but I lost him.”

“. . . Is he okay?”

“More or less.”

Phew. “Well, maybe we could work together. We might be able to find him faster.”

He studied her again, and he briefly glanced up at the full moon above her. “I don’t need help.”

“Why not?”

“I can manage on my own.”

“What if you get hurt?”

“Like I said, I can manage on my own. Trust me.”

Erica didn’t look convinced.

She seems persistent. “How did you get here?”

“I’ve had help from another friend of mine. Technically I can come here by myself, but they still want to help out.” She hesitated. “What about you?”

“I accidentally wandered into this place.”

“Oh.” She paused for a bit.

“Are you done?”

“What? No! You said a friend of Sora’s asked you to save him. Well they’re my friend, too. So it’ll be easier for both of us to work together to find Sora. And safer.”

Erica paused again. “All his friends are looking for him, and they’re worried about him. You’re probably our only lead in a long time, and I’m sure whichever one of my friends asked you to help Sora has to know that. So if there’s any way for you to let me help, I’ll do it.”

He studied her more intently. She was desperate. It was clear in her eyes. And it almost made him wonder how far she would really go.

Almost.

“You would really make that choice?” he asked.

“Yes. I would.”

Reckless. “Tell me exactly how you got here.”

Erica took a minute to gather her thoughts. “My friend told me I’m coming here through a dream, so I’m uh, technically sending my consciousness here. But I’ll leave if I wake up.”

He began to walk away. “Then there’s no point in working together.”

“Uh wait! I could try to figure out how to stay longer.”

He stopped. “Would you really want to stay asleep?”

Erica found herself hesitant to answer. If it meant helping Sora, she would. But she’d worry her friends, especially Chirithy. She never wanted to do that. And how would she let the others know what she’s found?

Footsteps pulled her out of her thoughts, and she looked to him walking away. “Wait wait!”

He resisted an eye roll, and he stopped to look over his shoulder.

“What if I meet up with you every time I come here? I’ll just be temporary back up.”

She was really persistent. Or desperate. If he played his cards right he could last until she disappeared. But then there was the chance she’d come back and pester him again—if she came looking for him. Which he suspected she would probably do.

“I’ll think about it.”

Finally she was satisfied. That would give him some time to figure out how to deal with her.

“So um, should we meet back here if you make up your mind?” Erica asked.

“Fine.”

With a nod, she fizzed and faded away.

[Part 2; AO3 version]

________

[So I kinda got inspiration from a headcanon that had to do with Yozora having something to do with the Keyblade War era. Also I have a small headcanon that the place Sora and Yozora fight in is in the Unchained Realm. Even if I also think they're in some form of Shibuya.]

[purplelea]

kingdom hearts for the character thing ^-^

Okay so I'm gonna answer you both here since... it's the same ask haha ^^" @pinelo tagging you so you get the notification

Anyway let's go boysssss

Blorbo

Xion definitely. I love her so much, ever since I discovered her story in days the only thing I wanted was to see her come back. The idea that she didn't even have a face until Roxas saw her as a real person is soooo good. I love this message in kingdom hearts, that anything can be real and have a heart as soon as someone see them as having one. "By ourselves, we're no one. It's when others look at us, and see someone, that's the moment we each start to exist." Thank you Joshua. These words have never been more relevant than for Xion.

Skrunkly

And here I will put... Player :) "But it's not a character, it's supposed to be you!" Nope. Not at all. Player is their own character. You may customize their appearance, but they make their own choices. They have their own personality. Would you, as the one playing KHUX, have chosen to join the dandelions? Probably. But Player did not. Anyway. Player my beloved. The speech they gave for Ephemer is living rent free in my mind. Also the scene when they pretended to be controlled by the Darkness? Ephemera just told them "hey Skuld and I are going to sacrifice ourselves for you" and Player went nope. No no no you are not doing that. They didn't even hesitate. My heart.

Scrimblo Bimbo

I'm going to put the whole twilight gang here (Hayner, Pence and Olette). MY BELOVEDS. I wouldn't say they're so underappreciated honestly but given how much love they deserve it's still not enough. They're so brave and funny and kind. Just a group of friends looking to enjoy their time and make new friends, but their new friends always get wrapped into super weird things. And there's also this friend that was only friend with digital versions of themselves. Oh, doesn't matter. He's their friend now. They're gonna save an old man from an evil man with Hayner's super flying sidekick to find him. They're the best.

Glup Shitto

Well it's not so much of an "obscure character" since the KH4 trailer, but considering only KHUX, then Strelitzia. Do I even have to explain myself? She's so sweet and kind and she absolutely did not deserve this. I don't think she would have been able to change Player's mind though, even if she managed to talk to them. But she was convinced that she should try despite everything, and I admire her for that. I can't wait to see more of her in kh4.

Poor little meow meow

And here is the case where I put... Isa!!! I love him so much. I hated him at first during days and kh2 but the implications of everything he did during DDD and kh3 really made me change my mind. Suggesting the idea of the replicas and suggesting to go fetch Even himself, explaining to the scientist his plan before letting him join the real org, then asking him to have demyx deliver Roxas' replica, then having Xion fight Axel and insisting on Axel and Roxas' names so she would wake up. King.

Horse Plinko

Character I would torture for fun? OH BUT YEN SID OF COURSE. I hate this guy. Relying only on Sora to fix the worlds and then scolding him when he fails? HE'S JUST A KID! Get up from your dumb chair and do something for once! No that one time in kh3 doesn't count. He could've done something sooner. The only thing that prevents me from sending him to superhell is because he isn't responsible for the death of thousands of children. And while we're talking about it...

Eeby Deeby

YOU. *grabs the MoM like a feral cat* YOU ARE GOING TO SUPER HELL. You know I get that he's doing this to destroy the darkness. I get it. It's true. Everything he's ever done has only been with one goal: to get rid of the darkness for good. But if Eraqus was a good example of how light can corrupt people, then MoM is an even better one. Is destroying the Darkness for good really worth all the hurt he caused? It's a question worth asking.

Ask game: give me any fandom!

[goldenwitherphoenix13]

Its time for a probrably wrong union X theory!

Welcome to my first ever attempt at a theory.yall are here to watch ne be wrong. Lmoa.

Union X is coming to an end and its time share with you my big end game theories connecting the dots of kingdom hearts 3 and Re:Mind to Union X. And that is by using some solid evidence from the games and from the light novels. Yes. I'm going there.

This first bit is to do with the idea that Vanitas is the Darkness that possessed Ven in Union X. Now, this could easily be disproven right? Well I think I can actually bring validity to it.

Fist there's the obvious evidence that Vanitas claims that "what I am is Darkness" in Kingdom Hearts 3 and hes been a part of Ven longer than he thinks, he was only extracted is something he mentioned in Re:Mind. This can be written off by him being all the pure darkness in Vens heart, but could be taken as him being the entity darkness.

Ok. So, remember how I said I would talk about the light novels? Well, in said light novels, Vanitas is said to originally have no face/true corporeal form, having the form more like dark Rikus outfit thing, but thanks to Sora touching Vens heart, he gained a more humanish form.

Well.... darkness in Union X...

uhhhh....They have... no form. Just a cloud of purple and black with a figure resemblent of a human form in the center, if you look closely.

And if it were extracted from Vens heart by Xehanort to make Vanitas, that means darkness returns to lay within Ven dormant after the Union leaders defeat it, even when he travels to the time of Birth by Sleep! That or it has left remnents of itself within him to ensure darkness will follow into the future. Either way, it or part of it was in Ven until Xehanort took it away along with the natural darkness of his heart.

But if that's the case, then that would mean Vanitas wasn't technically a part of Ventus, but had resided there so long that that's what he believed. Because memories are stripped when they time travel. Does that effect darkness? Making it thinks its always been Vens darkness and Vens Darkness alone all this time.

Now for things to get a bit wonkey

There's still a big question lurking. What the hell is up with Dark inferno X? (chi pronounced key) its picture is below.

The bio from Re:Mind states "The darkness that erupted out of Ventus's heart and turned into an aggressive heartless. But the voice that was heard at the time intimated that it was "darkness" itself. What did that mean..."

INDEED WHAT! 

Well, let's not forget the basic rule of the Kingdom hearts universe. If your heart is lost or Overcome by darkness it becomes a heartless. 

Xehanorts heartless, Ansem, possessed Riku in Kingdom hearts 1 when it became a weak heart like spirit... who's to say other heartless who are strong enough can't do the same thing? And the design... who is one person with similar attributes like... a scarf, that Ventus at least encountered or knew?

Ephemer.

Quick point I'll refer to later, but remember, we see Ephemer help Sora with the light of the past later on in kingdom hearts 3. The keyblades all come to life with the hearts of the fallen weilders and stuff and Sora surfs them because video game. Now, this bit is a little confusing. What was Ephemer doing in the white void? Was that a ghostly form of his nobody or something? An appiration? Just his ghost? The moment he arrived in the future?

Well, the moment of him arriving can be crossed of I think. Where did he go if that were the case? Ephemer appearing in that moment does throw a spaner in the world, but I might be able to pull it out and fix the theory prediction.

My theory for this part is that the Ephemer we see in KH3... is Ephemers nobody in a ghost like form waiting for his heartless, Dark Inferno X.

His heartless must of found a way to hide or travel through time and went to hide within Ven's heart like Ansem did to Riku, but it has to be after Vanitas was removed. Otherwise, Dark inferno X would of been extracted by Xehanort too. The entity of darkness or its remnents, however, was with Ven when he travelled through time.

I think the best answer is Ephemers nobody died in the travel or after, is now a spirit, and helped the heroes of light. He's just waiting for his heartless to be destroyed so he can return as his somebody. And now that Sora has defeated it... who's to say we won't see him soon.

Oh and I think the secret Dark Inferno X boss in 3 was just a test for the remind one and went through a minor design change. Image comparison below, pictures from Google.

Kh3 Re:Mind

The unversed floods did the same thing between birth by sleep, bbs final mix and 3 after all going blue to purple and back to blue (I like them purple).

I really don't want to believe that it was Strelitzias heartless and that she might be able to return. I'd rather her remain a permanent death like the keyblade wilders of Union X, Master Eraqus and Master Xehanort. Its nice having a concept of death in Kingdom Hearts.

Where was I? Oh yes. I think Dark inferno X is Ephemers Heartless.

Now for one more problem. How Dark inferno X got to Ventus.

From what I see, it has 2 routes.

1: use the Ark and escape into the future. This leaves only a broken pod in the Union X time so Blain can not join the other leaders. Ephemer just has to wait. The only problem here is how Dark inferno X located Ven and got into castle oblivion without a hitch. Though I guess it did have 10 years to look.

2: hide in someone's keyblade. We've seen hearts contained by keyblades so I don't see why it can't happen again. A curse to the masters defender. I think it atratches its heart to the keyblade and thats how it escaped into Ven. When Aqua left him in Castle oblivion, the heartless snook away and hid within him, waiting for Vens heart to arrive so it could hide better and we could get the scene in Remind.

Either way, thats where Ephemers heartless would reside until it was reawakened.

So, to summarise what we've discussed into a timeline.

The Union leaders battle and defeat Darkness. Maybe temporarily, maybe for good. We don't know until its too late. It probably starts talking about some cryptic stuff, quoting things yet to be heard, who knows. This is where I believe Darkness overtakes Ephemer and turns his heart into dark inferno X (hence why it introduced itself to Sora as Darkness in Re:Mind. In a panic, Skuld and Blaine probably carry their unconscious friends out and flee to the ark, the time travel pods, darknesses remnants inside Ventus's heart and stays dormant until they are brought out. After waking the other 2 up and healing them Skuld, Lauriam and Ven go though the Ark pods, possibly joined by Elrena, and Blaine then stays behind and searches for Ephemers nobody. Hoping to reunite and reconnect the dark inferno X to Ephemer. 

Dark inferno X then hides away or travels to the future. I mean, I don't expect it to fit in the ark pods, but it might hide away in there or something. If it does then heres the first scenario.

There is one broken pod left. Blaine does his best to fix it, but its not safe enough so Ephemers nobody dies going through and it ends up as a spirit thing, waiting and searching for its heartless. Oh! And Blaine doesn't figure out how to properly build the things so he decides to remain in this time.

Dark inferno X then searches attaches to Ven to hide away.

The other scenario is it hides away in masters defender and slips by then. Blain sends Ephemer through, but since he's a nobody, things don't go smoothly and Ephemers Nobody probably dies in travel.

The generations pass and everything happens.

Dark inferno X is defeated by Sora.

The end game is coning.

And that's it. That's the whole theory. Here's to hope the Union leaders come out on top in the Union X finale, Sora is saved in the next game and Ven finally gets therapy once he recovers these memories. Actually let's order therapy for everyone! 

Also speaking of Ven, Nomura, if you hurt my boy again, I'm gonna punch you.

Theres a reason I made this cringy meme! (art of Ventus by me its one of my older arts of him)

Phoenix out!

(Ps: reply or reblog with inaccuracies)

[bearpillowmonster]

KHUX SPOILERS ⚠️

Is Player Xehanort?! Or maybe just his heart rested in him? Or did he actually go to sleep and that was just a tease for Dark Road? If so, that's a good explanation for why Dark Road is the way it is, it seemed out place before Right next to Union X but now it has purpose.

Chirithies become dream eaters?! YO!

And Nomura with his: ※ (apparently that's a Japanese footnote, so it was just bleeped out) I see some people saying that the X is an intersection and the dots are the four districts or a square but I think they're thinking too far into it.

LUXU TOOK OVER BRAIN! I wasn't even being serious when I predicted it. I bet that box has something to do with turning the Union Leaders dark. Is Darkness in the box? I heard Nyctophiliac talking about how Brain just hid the box and that's why Braig couldn't find it in KH3 which is plausible but I also think maybe being "controlled" by Xehanort had something to do with his memory, I'm not too sure but Brain does appear to have No-Name so...but I kind of like the idea that Luxu was the only one that lived from Union to present and that the person we see now is just an older version of Brain but who knows?

They can take Dearly Beloved and make it sound like anything, it's gorgeous and stunning every single time.

Does this mean that Ventus disproves the Master's theory of having to kill the host to get rid of darkness? Because essentially we are just now figuring out Xehanort's backstory so when we beat him, it was no big deal, we had more reason to fight him than not to but with the Union leaders, we know what's up and I think if Sora ever found that out, he would try to save them somehow. It kind of falls to that scene where Xehanort finds Vanitas and Ventus and how they split apart.

Also, did Xehanort KNOW the plan, because if he did, is that what he was doing all along or maybe setting Sora up for it? Really, Sora's been through it all too, his best friend betrayed him, he lost Kairi, he died and went to the Final World, failed his Mark of Mastery and fell...really its all kind of made him stronger and made him more likely to be a victim to darkness.

My boy is the founder of Scala! Eraqus has the key now but we don't know whether Ephemer passed it down to someone else or if he had kids but then what about Skuld? I ship those two too hard to say that Ephemer just moved on. I almost don't doubt that we'll see him again though, even if he is dead, I mean, time travel dude! Also, I'm a bit divisive on this but here it goes:

So Aqua might have that keyblade as a sort of "mark" or birthright, passed down from master to master for whoever appears from the Union X days to identify her. At the same time, I like the idea of Aqua having NOTHING to do with it and it just shows the generational gap and everything that Keyblade has been through. (That would make Terra the only one without connections to Union X) Then we have Skuld who I noticed doing a similar gesture as Aqua, I know most of the KH characters do that but Aqua especially because she has her wayfinder and holds it to her heart but I don't know, I'd like to see a scene between the two. But I'm not trying to give characters connections that aren't there.

[echoheart0324]

*deep sigh* So...uh...about the November story update...*deep breath*. Damnitallholyshitwhatthefuckisallofthisinformation. I’ll provide my insight into this topic, along with the traitor talk once more (featuring ‘Darkness’ and their bullshit). I’ve been putting this off for so long, so...RIP I suppose.

Warning: Heavy KHUX spoilers will be discussed, featuring my thoughts and speculation. You have been warned. (Also there’s a lot of stretches and lousy evidence, but I wanted to bring this into light...)

Here’s my general opinion right now:

*yells loudly* I don’t think Lauriam’s on our suspect list!!!

Before y’all get a pitchfork and stab me to death until I bleed out or something (I dunno either), hear me out.

I’ll lend you what I got gathered here. It’s a mess, but it’s something, better than nothing.

()()()

For the KHUX story update that occurred during October, a mysterious figure approached the scenes, going by the name ‘Darkness’ (which is stupid. Who thought that name would be a great addition to the game???).

Although I have no experience with the Japanese language, a few Twitter accounts who I was able to stumble across by, were able to provide valuable information. I won’t be providing names, just in case the info’s false.

Anyways, ’Darkness’ has a specific speech pattern that is apparent, exclusively to the JP version. The figure uses the pronoun of ‘ore’, which Marluxia/Lauriam don’t seem to use, where instead they use ‘boku’? Though I think the other guys use ‘ore’. (So in all honesty, I had Lauriam crossed off my list for a while now, but today let it rest to bed.)

Even though I probably look like a Blaine stan (...I never thought I’d say that out loud...I’m never going to say that again...), I’m going to point the finger of blame, as the traitor and murderer of Strelitzia, at...*looks at smudged hand*...Brain. (Wow, what sort of timeline is this where I use his ‘official name’...oh well one step a time to sever bonds I suppose to spare myself the pain) It’s odd, I know, but hear me out.

()()()

*lifts up glasses* So, this is where I get into the nitty gritty, what-the-fuck are you on Echo, speculation things. This is more of a personal-level thing and I know Nomura’s going to do something to catch us off guard with the element of surprise. That’s why we’re going to think like him for a minute.

In all honesty, it could be Ven as the traitor right? I know a lot of people jumped onto this, as soon as Lauriam brought up the whole ‘sister’ thing (with the translations being all iffy. Maybe in a year we’ll find out, who knows). I can definitely see this happening, but I find it quite odd...

I’m aware of the fact that Ven didn’t seem to know what ‘Shift Pride’ was (and his reaction to it was kinda...unnerving). I’ve also already brought this up in the past, but:

(The Union Leaders all come in order, except for Brain and Ven.)

I don’t understand why they’d have everyone else in order, but huh. Something's off.

However, Ven does bring up meeting Master Ava (and I really hope it isn't him) and he was against 'Shift Pride', so I trust him.

()()()

Next up on our list, we have Lauriam. Since the story update for November introduced Elrena/Erlena (oh gosh it’s the Blaine/Brain situation all over again. I dunno what the official team’s gonna go for, but I have a bad habit of sticking with the ‘l’ names, so fuck y’all), we have...quite a batch here. Since the script was being vague and everything, we don’t know exactly who Strelitzia’s older sibling is.

I mean...if it was his own sibling, then Lauriam has to go to the time-out corner for murdering your own family member (if he did do it). If it was Elrena’s relation to Strelitzia, then that’s a different story.

Based off the subtle interactions we got, Lauriam seems to have some sort of relationship to Strelitzia, going to the extent of interacting with another fellow Keyblade wielder for the sake of it. I know it’s probably a far too gap to reach for, but I want to believe that these two are partners working behind the scenes to crack down who the traitor/murderer is.

()()()

This is where I bring up the official art (y’know, like an idiot who analyzes everything).

Interestingly, Ephemera (if you flip the image, he’s leaning to their direction and his eyes are focused over to their direction so shhh it counts), Skuld, Ven, and Lauriam are all looking the same way to the left! Meanwhile, Brain and the hooded figure (which I assume is Elrena) are facing the opposite direction. (I dunno how Chirithy fits in this honestly...so uh...)

This is the stretch of the century (and I’m 99.99% sure I’m wrong), but notice how the hooded figure is slightly looking downwards, their chin down. We can’t see what their eyes are focusing on too well (and I might as well be blind), but it’s possible that Elrena is looking down upon Brain (damn it. Or onto the flower...eh...). Maybe she knows that Brain has something to do with her/Lauriam’s sister’s ‘disappearance’.

To add onto the above further, it’s possible that the others do learn of a traitor in their midst. However, they’re all blinded by their own doubts and beliefs, making them face the wrong culprit. Meanwhile Brain faces the other direction and smiles widely (...I just noticed he's the only one with his mouth open), knowing they’ll assume it’s someone other than himself. (And then Elrena kicks his ass. I dunno.)

()()()

And just for fun, the other day (sometime back in filler hell) I scrambled up Brain’s name and got ‘Binar’. I was curious so I looked it up to see if it meant anything or if there was anything at least related. Well, *slides in* it’s possible that it could also mean ‘binary’ (just remove the ‘y’, just like Ephemer with the word ‘ephemeral’). ‘What the fuck does binary have to do with anything???’ you may ask. Heh...so it was recently confirmed that the Keykids are all linked to the data world, and y’all know what codes for data? Binary numbers...binary code to be more precise! (Maybe he has some sort of extra knowledge of the data in the worlds??? Or he could just be in complete control???)

I really dunno what else to add here, since it’s odd, but it may as well be a coincidence that I picked up on by mistake. Maybe we’ll bring this up again another day, once we have more information at our disposal.

()()()

Read up on this.

If you already read my little mess of speculation on nobility at the bottom of that post, then we’re good!

Anyways, if we follow the idea that Brain is the traitor, then what were his motives in the first place? For crying out loud, he really doesn't seem like he gives a shit about the meetings (as seen below).

Books, huh? Based off of this phrase alone, it's possible that he's looking for something, something related to information and possibly exclusive to the chambers. He's also seen being impatient and hurries to leave once he believes the case is settled, only to be stopped. (Or he just wants to read and avoid social interaction...mood.)

Maybe he wants something more than that. So what is 'nobility'? By definition it's: "the quality of being noble in character, mind, birth, or rank."

I already went over this in the previous post and I brought up that he could be of noble blood, but something most likely went wrong, horribly. Adding to the fact, that his name also means 'son of the judge' and/or 'high/noble'. So why would he have killed Strelitzia off? What could he have gained from that???

*tips hat* I...I'm not too sure either. There's countless possibilities (and we're dealing with Nomura for crying out loud). Besides information, I really don't see what else he can gain.

So how does 'Darkness' fit into this? I'm also not sure either, since we know barely anything of them in the first place. Maybe some undercover...

(I'm too tired and I keep forgetting where I'm trying to go with this...it's driving me nuts.)

()()()

Feel free to add anything, I was kinda in a rush while writing this, so I'm all over the place!