#I wonder if anyone can guess how the reincarnation version of the scenario would work~

[missnekonyan]

Due to a lack of storage space and time in recent days, I've resorted to using Aggie for digital doodles. I've been a casual fan of Oshi no Ko and my mind kept scrambling to make an AU. And finally, I have an idea that could work! This was meant to be a mere sketch, but I ended up getting really invested and added shading and some semblance of a background.

I thought that the 2 versions of Byleth could be the twins with Sitri in Ai's role. I wanted to keep the personalities somewhat similar to what was shown in FE3H and 3 Hopes, but use the general story beats from the anime and manga. I'm only on episode 4 but I like reading spoilers on the wiki, so... I know some things.

[kitsoa]

Dark Road Impressions and theories

I’m actually really excited for the World Building lore. That and the characterization. So! Let’s start from the beginning. 

Opening Scene:

This is pretty straight forward but knowing Xehanort is a ‘Destinate’ is still the coolest thing. He’s lived his life on the same sleepy island going to the same school and playing on the same island as Sora. He ‘lays like a starfish’ and dreams of something greater. That simile is minor but it’s indicative of his islander nature. Another small thing I focus in on is the mention of other surrounding islands. We know the name is plural and we know there’s a ‘main island’ but the one-off line does suggest that there’s some kind of island ecosystem which is comforting for anyone trying to develop a Destiny Islands culture. I would be crazy not to mention the inciting drive of Xehanort’s curiosity. His dreams of the Player and the desire to see his ‘friends from another life’. Well by golly that sounds a lot like reincarnation to me. That’s a very new concept to Kingdom Hearts, but not entirely far off. 

We await the fate of our Player in KHux but we can easily assume it’s an unfortunate one. But what would make the heart linger and the thought of reincarnation really does open a can of worms in terms of heart mythos. Though, it would fit rather well. Consider the Final World and the lingering, persisting hearts that land there after death. I’ve theorize that they are bound to the Final World by the hearts left behind as a sort of heart-ghost phenomenon. And then we ask what happens when hearts actually do pass on past that limbo. Hearts are a powerful thing with a lot of meaning. The idea of death concurring the heart is almost laughable, so a form of heart reincarnation would make perfect sense. Perhaps they pass on to form the ‘spark’ that a newborn heart blooms from-- since we know hearts are grown. And memories are deeply inlaid in the construction of a heart so Xehanort being haunted by these memories is very fitting. 

Scala Scenes:

So I’m guessing Xehanort lied to everyone about knowing where he came from. They simply know he is from the outside world but the fact that Eraqus floats the idea that he’s from the surrounding city to a negative means that Xehanort never confirmed or denied the theories about him. We know he’s not amnesiac bc the opening scene is a flashback. So he’s playing dumb-- why?-- probably out of curiosity after initial befuddlement. It plays into this very interesting dichotomy he’s got going on.  Think, he’s lived his life on this small world, afraid that his dreams were nothing more than that. Xehanort was hungry for something more and suddenly his prayers are answered. When he arrives at Scala-- it turns out that all of his peers are essentially the same as him. All they know is Scala. He’s the mysterious one. He’s their waypoint to a greater reality. It must be a thrilling scenario. It’s got to be fascinating, leaving little room for his own sense of awe. I might be compelled to leave my peers mystified once I gained my bearings.  That being said, a couple world building points. The surrounding spires of Scala are abandoned cities. That... is a very strange and questionable thing. It’s clearly important to the history of the world so we have to ask... why?? I’ve thought in the past that maybe they were different parallel versions of Scala but that started to hurt my brain to think of this world as a singularity but perhaps... they are ‘failed cities’? Like erected and abandoned after not working out. Ohh... what if Scala is a singularity. What if, when Brain created Scala as a final escape from the Data Worlds (and Keyblade War), there was only one scenario where he actually succeeded in carrying the Dandelions with him. What if those other cities really are different timeline’s Scala’s left abandon by the failure of those timeline’s Brain. Ohhh it worksssssssssss

Classroom Scene:

Ok when I heard there was a ‘Baldr’ I immediately though ‘oh dear Nomura grace me with that sweet sweet character design. And then story goes There are seven upperclassmen! And then I’m like GIVE ME COOL CHARACTERSSSS Okay but in all serious, I am pleased to hear that there are some grade levels in this here school. I am curious as to why the upperclassmen went missing and even more curious about the mission that Baldr was sent on. The parallels with the stray apprentice are not lost to me, but the explanation of Baldr’s sister being missing is very heart tugging for me. Ever since Lauriam became the first sibling in the KH series, I’ve been fascinated by there being blood relatives in the KH verse, only because lineage and relation has never been relevant before. You all know that familial bonds is a well of untapped potential and I can sense it coming.  It’s a rescue plot, which is very interesting. Yes, I wonder why a master would send younger students to go after the older ones but I’m gonna guess that Master’s are strapped. I am also encouraged that they make a distinction that they are in teams vs. going solo. Ehhh we’ll see. I like that they address there being multiple ways of travel and it looks like they are using the Lanes Between. With Keyblade Armorrrrrr. God, this stuff is cool. Everyone’s designs are bitchin and it is interesting that the No Heart design still has the Nobody insignia. Now....Release the keyblade vehicle designs Nomura. 

First World Visit:

Okay, this is where things get interesting. They address the conundrum of the Heartless. THANK YOU. But they address it as a mystery. Clearly the Emblem Heartless are like the projections from the BoP which is common knowledge, so we might be learning about that copy floating around. That’s our key to the mystery.  But let’s talk about world maturity!!!!!!! That’s what I’m gonna call it, cause it makes a ton of sense. Like really. I’m cackling. Because isn’t it contrived??? Worlds have this sort of newborn state where the set is there but the people aren’t? We know time moves differently but sometimes the clock doesn’t even start until a predetermined moment??? Time isn’t even flowing for the Disney Worlds until... you guessed it! Until Sora and co-visit or brush with it. Which means only ONE thing. They aren’t worlds at all. If they were Worlds, they’d be living out their backstory in some fashion relative to Xehanort, maybe not at the same pace but still to some degree. No, they exist and are frozen until it’s time for the Disney movie to start. The World isn’t a World. It’s a Story. A set narrative.  You know I talk about this is my Heart of Stories theory. Cause now we have to ask about the original worlds and what story they are playing. How equal they are to their Disney World Peers. Because they too are stories, which means the entire universe is just a story and Kingdom Hearts is literally the heart of that story. Enter the metaverse.---I’m breathing heavy. Keep the Dark Road content coming.