#KH3 spoilers

[nyctoheart]

this picture's gonna make me piss

[lightandfellowship]

Skein of Severance

[artisanscarecrow]

"You never stopped lighting my way back."

I am gonna keep saying this forever, but if Nomura didn't want me to ship Terra and Aqua he wouldn't have made them so shippable ok

Drawn using Procreate.

[bakemeats]

"I love Roxas and Axel. I'm sure Saix would scoff at that. Call it a trick of my artificial memories. But the time I spent on that clock tower was real." i think she should get to tell them now

[endlessskymaster]

Sharing the Paopu Fruit in-game and manga - Sokai

[thefreshprinceofjunes]

yall ever just

[kiwibrain]

aqua kingdom hearts enjoying her blue and white hair

[theblueprincess590]

The Heart of a Toy-An Analysis of KH3

Ever since finishing Kingdom Hearts 2 Nomura has been insistent on including Toy story in Kingdom hearts 3 even going as far as to say in an interview with Jen Simpkins from GameRader’s Edge Magazine, “After we were done with Kingdom Hearts II and were starting to consider III, we started talks with Disney, I remember saying, ‘If we can’t use Pixar, then we can’t have a third game.’ It’s that important to the game series,” (Nomura). And it’s clear to see why Nomura put so much importance on Toy Story once you realize how much its story connects to and reinforces the themes and mythos of Kingdom Hearts.

Toy Box is a magical world. While it appears to be the same of our own it holds a great secret, Toys are alive. When a child looks away a Toy springs to life revealing a heart of their very own, but that begs the question, how does a toy possess a heart? In Kingdom Hearts 3 we learn the answer. A toy is given a heart by the love of children. When a child looks upon a toy they do not see a cheap piece of plastic but instead they see a friend with a heart of its own to be loved and cherished. And it is that belief which truly gives the toys a heart. This is what Woody means when he says the Toys within Galaxy Toys have yet to figure it out. That they have yet to realize the love of a child and thus are empty shells without a heart of their own.

As Young Xehanort himself points out this draws heavily parallels between the toys and Nobodies, both incomplete creatures searching for their missing Half, but this parallel isn't just there to establish why the heartless can possess the empty toys. The point of this Parallel is to answer a question that has haunted the narrative of Kingdom Hearts since the events of KH2, Why does Roxas have a heart?

Roxas, just like his somebody, is an anomaly in the world of Kingdom Hearts. He is a nobody that bears neither the face nor the memories of his original self. He is more shallow than any other nobody, less a body without a heart and more a broken shell. Yet not only was Roxas the first nobody to grow a heart but said heart was his alone. Throughout the events of Days Roxas grows from a barely living husk of a man to one who definitely proclaims his own existence and personhood. And this is thanks to the bonds forged in his first year. Just like how a Toy is given a heart through the eyes of a child Roxas was given a heart by those that were drawn to him. From those he shared ice cream with under the twilight sky, the trio he befriended ever so slightly on a lazy afternoon, the fairy tale heroes his somebody cherished, and even the forgotten longing of brothership from the King of Nothing Roxas began to be shaped by those around him. His soul is learning the rules of the world, the nature of a heart, the simple joys of friendship, the sting of betrayal, and the heartbreak of goodbyes. As Roxas’s newborn heart grew with every day he too gained the ability to see the hearts of others whether it be in the Flurry of Dancing Flames whose false smile became true or the Puppet who became a Real Girl. But perhaps the final proof of Roxas' heart lies with his own “Andy”. Sora at first refused to see his “Woody”, whether it be or out of ignorance or prejudice Sora denied Roxas existence, refusing to heed the clues of the other half or feel his presence in his heart. That is until Roxas forced Sora to acknowledge him. Within the very core of his heart Sora came face to face with Roxas and was forced to acknowledge their connection through the Keyblades in order to win the fight. With Roxas’s tragedy laid before him Sora is at last ready to accept the truth and later on in the realm of sleep acknowledge not only Roxas’s existence but that he has a heart of his own. Just like how Andy gave woody and Buzz hearts by writing his name on them, Sora gives his Nobody a heart by acknowledging him as his own person.

While Toy Box Provides many answers it also raises a new question. If A toy gets its heart from a child’s love what happens when a toy becomes worlds apart from its kid? This question plaques Buzz throughout the events of Toy Box. With every possessed toy they defeat Buzz sees himself in them more and more. He fears that as he continues to drift away from Andy he too will lose his heart and become just another lifeless puppet . Ironically enough it is this very fear of separation that allows the darkness to grow inside Buzz making him another weapon for the heartless. In contrast to Buzz Woody is able to resist the pull of darkness. Woody has already dealt with the fear of separation first through his anxiety over being replaced by Buzz as Andy's favorite toy and second when he became paranoid over the idea of Andy abandoning if he broke. Both events taught Woody something important that yes his time with Andy is not permanent, that someday they will part but that doesn't mean their bond will ever end. Thanks to the events of Toy story 1 and 2 Woody has the resolve to face the hardships of Young Xehanort’s trials and keep his faith in Andy. And this is why Woody is the one to challenge Young Xehanort.

ToyBox is ultimately an encapsulation of the themes of Kingdom Hearts. This can be seen through the many parallels between The World and KH as a series. We’ve already pointed out the connection between the toys and Nobodies but what about how the world is split in two just like in dream drop Distance. Or how about the toy's separation from Andy mirrors Sora’s separation from Riku and Kairi in KH1 with Woody managing to resist the pull to darkness and put his faith in the light because he knows the true strength of a heart thanks to his connections. And lets not forget Buzz’s possession calling back to Riku and Terra’s fall to darkness. Even Buzz’s salvation continues to draw parallels between him and Riku with how they are both saved from the darkness by their friends never giving up on them. Yes Toy Box is a world built up from the ground to parallel the events of Kingdom Hearts, but why is that? Why out of all the other worlds in KH3 was this one chosen to hold a mirror directly to Sora’s journey? Well that's simple because the story of Toy Story is at its core a story about friendship, about how bonds can last forever even if the time spent together is finite.

There is another purpose however for Why Toy Box is set up this way. Toy Box’s main role in the overall narrative of Kingdom Hearts 3 is to be a test trial for his destined clash with Master Xehanort. The main antagonist of Toy Box is Young Xehanort who split the world in two and took the toys away from Andy in order to conduct an experiment. Said experiment was to see whether or not a toy is not only capable of having a heart but if they can carry darkness. This is all done as part of the True Organization's goal to achieve their final vessel but as the world’s story progresses it becomes Clear that Young Xehanort has his own reasons for doing all this. Young Xehnaort wishes to use this experiment to validate himself. Young Xehanort is the earliest version of Xehanort and thus represents his cynical beliefs at their most immature. He believes that not only is darkness the heart’s true nature but that strength comes from isolation. That it is not bonds and connections that make a heart strong but instead the never ending darkness that is born from fighting alone. It is a fundamentally childish ideal not born from understanding but instead self serving cynicism. And that is why Young Xehnort was chosen to be the villain of this world as his childish ideals serve as the perfect test run for Sora, allowing him to confront a weaker version of Xehnort’s ideals and see just how far his own ideals can stand up against him. Ultimately Sora manages to pass the test but not without some help. In the End Woody is the one to ultimately confront Young Xehanort and Save Buzz. Using his maturity Woody is able to shut down Young Xehanort’s childish worldview and break the darkness imprisoning Buzz. So While Sora is victorious in the end it does beg the question, Is Sora truly ready to confront Master Xehanort?

Source

https://www.kh13.com/news/edge-magazine-interviews-tetsuya-nomura-and-tai-yasue-on-pixar-in-kingdom-hearts-iii-the-switch-to-unreal-engine-4-and-more-r2799/

[a-crack-in-the-universe]

One thing that gets me about the end of KH3 and Terra’s return is how it shows how much Aqua and Ventus love Terra. I mean:

The look of Ventus’ face when he sees Terranort for the first time (and also after Terranort taunts him right before the Aqua & Ven vs Terranort & Vanitas fight.

Aqua’s clear anger at Terranort when he tries using Terra to play games with Ventus, and how she voices her determination to cast Xehanort out of Terra.

Aqua and Ventus immediately running to Terra when Terranort collapses after the fight.

Aqua and Ventus’ only concern being Terra when Terranort has attacked them with corrupted chains and is about to let them fall to their deaths.

Like, they love Terra so much. 😭

[sweetheartsora]

if you said yes to all the things above, then yes my friend, i'm sorry. it appears you are in love.

[ok4ru]

This is from an incorrect quote generator btw.

[nyctoheart]

[lightandfellowship]

One thing I love about KH3 is how it gives Sora the option to do these more mundane, everyday activites, and how this makes his disappearance at the end of the game feel a bit more tragic (to me, anyway).

Sora hasn't really been a normal kid in...well, several years, I suppose. But in KH3 he's doing things like: getting a phone for the first time and figuring out how to use it, taking selfies + pictures of his friends + pictures of new locales he visits like one would when traveling for recreation, sledding down a snowy mountain, learning how to cook, dancing at a festival with strangers, engaging in street performances, playing a video game, etc. These are all optional diversions and minigames of course, but they're slightly less video game-y in the sense that they involve very normal activites that a real person would do, and aren't something like...hanging by a balloon helping a stuffed bear get honey from a tree, as an example.

For once, he's getting the chance to enjoy life's simpler pleasures. But it's almost like he's finally getting the opportunity to do these things again precisely because it's his last chance to. I feel like this is conveyed in a really poignant way when Re:Mind's ending reveals that Sora decides to spend what little time he has left with a good friend he's unintentionally been neglecting, engaging in simple, human activities together like eating ice cream, watching fireworks, and watching the sunset.

And I can't help but imagine that, after he disappears, Kairi and Riku go looking through his phone for clues...only to come across his photo roll, documenting his journey throughout KH3. Silly selfies, photos of the dishes he's made with Little Chef, beautiful vistas, captured moments of joy and whimsy. And it's the last remaining record of the normal life that destiny simply won't let him have.

[justmeinabigolworld]

hehe

this was inspired by that one quote from the SNL Undercover Boss Starkiller Base sketch

[cultureosmosisenjoyer]

Okay so I was watching the kh3 post credit scene of the foretellers (as those starved of kh4 news do) and something occurred to me. As we see, the fore foretellers just appear in present without an explanation. We never see them after our player fights them during the war until this point, so we aren’t sure if they survived the war or worlds destruction or whatever else that’ll retroactively happen in 3 games from now. Regardless, they somehow got to the present and are alive.

They’ll definitely give us the rundown for how this happen when we get back to them, but the answer may of already been given to us by union cross. It may also explain why Ava didn’t show up for the foreteller reunion.

M.o.M provided the means for all 5 of them to time travel.

Now as we know, you need three things to M.o.M method of zero consequence time travel.

1. You need to just be a heart.

2. You need a medium at the destination.

3. You need someone with memories at the destination.

Now let’s start backwards because the last one’s the easiest to answer: Luxu know all of them very well, so we have one requirement met.

But what about the medium? We know it as to be something related to the one time traveling in some way. For M.o.M it’s his blade and for Brain it’s pretty much confirmed to be his hat. So what would it be for the foretellers, and something more glaring is that we don’t see any objects in the scene that could be considered a medium for ANY of the foretellers. So if this is the case, what’s going on?

Well the mediums are there, we just never get to see them because every medium of the foretellers in the box. That’s why Luxu was ordered to hide it, so the foretellers would be able to time travel when the time was right. He’s guarding the method to bring his companions back. It would also explain why Luxu was confused when told what was in it, because an item from each foreteller would seem really random to hide for someone who doesn’t know how time travel works.

But with this idea, we hit a snag: Ava. I doubt the master would just leave or robe or mask or whatever item is actually in the box out, so why didn’t she appear? Well we have a few options, the first starting with the first requirement needed: Being just a heart. With the foretellers being offscreen during the finally keyblade war, we have no idea what actually became of them to meet this requirement. Maybe they’re deaths occurred in such a way where the heart outlasted the body, therefore meeting it. However that’s really lame and Luxu implies in someway he has an idea of what happened to her. Not that she died, but that she had the option to be there, but wasn’t. And the idea I presented doesn’t really do that unless we start really speculating. But the keyblade war is important for this discussion, as it does a certain thing that explains why Luxu had to “keep it hidden” instead of just being told to guard the box it: It’s starts a period of time where once Luxu and the box are together, the foretellers are summoned.

(Now at this point, I’ll be running on an assumption of “Xehanorts version of time travel allows for overlapping selves, while M.o.Ms makes it impossible simply because we have not seen it done with M.o.M method at any point k lets move on.)

When the Foretellers meet there unseen 1st requirement of being a bodiless heart, they now can time travel to any time and place that has the memories and the medium in the same place (for Brain we know Sigurd knew of Brain, and he was carrying his hat. Therefore assuming you appear in the area where both are present seems reasonable. For the Master; since he knows way more than we do I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew a way around that unlike Brain), which would be Luxu and the box. So the moment Luxu dug up wherever he put the box after the keyblade war, the foretellers would appear.

Now this still doesn’t explain Ava. Why wasn’t she present? Well, I think I already have an answer to that: She met the requirements at an earlier point in time. Now how is this possible? Did she have another Medium and person with her memories? No and yes. I believe that the box was the medium again, but who would act as the memories if it wasn’t Luxu? Well who’s the only other person we’ve seen with the box after the keyblade war? Brain. And we’ve been explicitly shown in union cross that him and Ava were friends, they’ve known each other for some time. It would give more reason as to why those two were given an established relationship to begin with, so Brain would be the memory requirements for only herself to time travel.

Speaking of Brain, there are dozens of things that cutscene could imply if this is the case. Maybe the darkness that Luxu fought explained how time travel work that it learned from M.o.M, which let Luxu put the pieces together and that’s why he gave Brain the mission of hiding the box: So he wouldn’t accidentally summon the foretellers to a ruined time.

If this was the case, then Ava appears shortly after Brain takes the box, or it’ll happen when Brain digs up the box in missing link (maybe she survived the war and end of union cross, met up with Luxu, he told her how to time travel, did it and appeared during missing link, and all those “Ava is kairis grandma” theories were right all along). Regardless of when, it would tell us why she isn’t in the present with the other four foretellers.

And those are all my thoughts. If what I said is actually in the box then there’s definitely more in it because it would be a pretty underwhelming reveal with just those. Also another idea that popped into mind is that since most of our known examples of who’s considered the memories part of the requirement are people who know successful time traveler’s on a personal level (fairy’s with maleficent, Luxu with M.o.M), it may be that the actual person who counted as the memories for Brain was actually the player character regaining the memories of their past life or when they washed up and not sigurd just knowing Brain was gonna be there, just food for thought.

Anyway thanks for listening to my kh talk, give me kh4 already Nomura.

[endlessskymaster]

After re-watching the ending cutscenes of Kingdom Hearts III, I can't help but notice how Riku gazes at Sora in this scene.