#Kairi can be special without the 'pure heart' trope that I despise thank you very much

[fandom-rants]

My Revised List of the Princesses of Light

With the princesses we know now, we could give this part of Kingdom Hearts’ story the overhaul it needed. If we could - say, in a perfect world - these are the ones I would pick.

1) Cinderella

Keep her. They’re right to say she shows a lot of light, and her story was instrumental to both Aqua and Terra. Overhaul the whole “if you have faith, that’s enough” bullsh*t, because in the real world, that’s hogwash. (Though I understand that they were trying to say that having faith in your dreams can keep one from becoming discouraged and depressed, which lead to darkness.) Replace it with her “have faith in your dreams” and the knowledge that her dream was not to go to a d*mn ball, but to one day live a happy life. This would have touched Ven deeply.

2) Snow White

Another to keep solely because she shows a lot of light. Her resilience to everything that happened, and her easy acceptance of her new situation, shows adaptability and an open heart. Emphasize that instead of just having her run around being afraid of everything.

3) Rapunzel

Another easy choice, as she shows nothing but optimism throughout everything. And when she gets angry, she does so righteously. Use her to show that anger is a healthy response to being used and hurt. Use her to show anger isn’t pure darkness, but exists within those of light, as well.

4) Tiana

Another easy choice. She doesn’t let setbacks hold her down, or peoples’ reactions to her, or even the world falling apart. She stands for diligence and responsibility while maintaining her optimism. She and Riku would be close friends, and she and Terra would understand one another intrinsically. A much better suit for Terra, in fact, than Cinderella, though they likely wouldn’t be able to meet in the storyline - which could easily be used later to show that he got unlucky with who he met, and the irony of him missing the heart of light that could have helped guide him on the right path.

5) Pocahontas

Such an easy choice it still bothers me that she wasn’t picked. A heart of guidance and wisdom who could have helped any and all who met her. Sometimes unsure herself, but always striving to do what was right in her heart, even if it went against societal expectations. Perfect for countless Kingdom Hearts situations.

6) Lilo

As much as I would love to choose Nani instead, she’s a bit too cynical and suspicious. Lilo, however, chooses to see the good in everyone, even Stitch, and does nothing but support his decisions. She may get angry, but it’s always a reaction to others hurting her. Shows that even those of pure light can be hurt by others, and those others can damage their light. Also gives Sora a proper chance to meet Stitch, who would still be searching for his trio of friends.

7) Anna

Another easy heart of optimism and light, one who had faith in those she loved without wavering. Could have been used to teach Aqua her lesson a little faster. Could also be used to help guide Sora on his path as Riku fell to darkness. So many options here, it hurts me that she wasn’t a thing when Kingdom Hearts first came out.

You’ll notice that I didn’t keep Kairi in the list. That would be because I hate those kinds of tropes. If you really want her, take off Cinderella. You’d have to give Kairi a personality overhaul, however; at the moment, she has very little but determination and a dedication to her friends. She’s basically Anzu/Tea from Yu-Gi-Oh! And no one likes Anzu/Tea. (She also gave nothing to the plot as a princess save to become a damsel in distress, so there’s that as an issue, as well.)

I also didn’t keep Aurora, because she spends the entire movie either melancholy or asleep, and that shows no ‘light’ worthy of being a Princess of Light.

There you go. For anyone wondering, half of the reason I made this was because, if I ever write a long fanfic for this world, these are likely the ‘princesses’ I would choose in my story. (And I am preparing for KHIII to have such an awful ending that the entire story will need an overhaul.) The other half is to show how the KH world could have been better, because too many people proclaim it perfect as-is.

Runner-ups (in no particular order) (reason why I didn’t make them princesses in parentheses): Merida (angry and reckless) Mary Poppins (strict) Esmerelda (talks trash - funny and awesome, but not a ‘light’ thing) Jenny Foxworth (too small a role with too little personality) Meg (cynical) Kida (a bit too suspicious of others to be ‘pure’ light, though a tough contender) Jasmine (quite frankly, Aladdin’s a better pick) Moana (literally because there was no more room; might easily replace Cinderella or Lilo) Belle (another that had no more room for her) Ariel (oh, look, another without any room)

If you would choose another from my runner-up list, I can easily understand. These were hard picks. Easier, though, than choosing Alice or Kairi or Aurora, who weren’t nearly as good choices as those in the list. If you did knock people off the list, I would understand much easier if Cinderella, Snow White, and/or Lilo were the first someone booted off. The others make far too much sense to me.

I’ll likely make a “Hearts of Light” list someday, too, because this list is sexist, and I hate the trope of only women having pure hearts. If I do make that list, you know d*mn well I’m putting Aladdin at the top.