#ROXAS!!!! XION!!!! ISA!!!! LITERALLY JUST EVERYONE IS MAKING ME CRY

[clowngirloverlord]

BITCH IM FUCKING CRYING!!!!!

[thefinalkey16]

KH3 Re:Mind spoilers/Reactions

So Xemnas gave the order?? To find the box?? But why??

So did Xigbar actually lose the box? YOU HAD ONE JOB

Oh we’re starting HERE HUH

I forgot how pretty the graphics are

Why is Riku so pretty???

Nomura really went “this DLC is about SOKAI and I’m gonna make sure you KNOW IT.”

Nomura really cares about his ship and I appreciate it so much

LETS GO SAVE OUR GIRL!

Heck yeah REMIND TIME

I love the music in this game so much

YES WE GET MORE MOM

Why does MOM adopt smol children lol

It bothers me that MOM has no actual face behind the hood. It’s like Ansem’s original form

So Xehanort is where Xemnas’s confusion of the heart comes from lol

OH THIS IS PREMASTER XEHANORT

I’m sorry, Xehanort is more powerful than darkness?

I’m sorry MOM is too scared to take off the coat???

MOM is a psychology teacher who gets exasperated by his dumb students

OH THATS JUST RUDE NOMURA

LEMME KNOW HIS NAME

A lost..Master?

Well we know where Xehanort got the hands behind the back walk from

OOO A NEW THEME

OH I LOVE IT

I’m 100% sure that MOM told him his name was “Noneya,” and it took a few decades before he realized what he actually said

DID THEY TELEPORT TO LOOK COOL ON THE ROCKS

I’m sorry they have holograms??

Did they actually call him Riku Replica lol

Wait they were actually nobodies

XEMNAS AND XEHANORT WERE REPLICAS?

“Why we have assembled here,” because Xemnas and Sora destroyed your sick castle

Poor Terra got possessed TWICE?

Demyx! You get Demyx!

I’m sorry 20??

No. I

Oh so they don’t actually remember Xion

Does.. does Xigbar remember Xion?

Wow they got Vexen just to get his daughter in their gang. How rude

Xehanort fell asleep while they chatted I’m cackling

Crazy old man

Now when do I get to save Kairi? :3c

YAY ITS TIME

YAY ITS CHIRITHY TIME

ITS MY SMOL KITTY

“Back so soon?”=you died again?? You’re lame

Chirithy is a mood

Sora you watched your GF get shattered

Oh so that’s why Sora dies

IS SORA SAILOR PLUTO

Oh my god he’s Sailor Pluto

Lose powers? He’s done that so many times 😂

Getting banned from one world? He had a phone and friends with gummi ships lol

ARE WE GONNA SEE EVERONES HEART STATION??

NOOO VEN That still hurts to watch

AWW SORA TRIED TO CATCH HIM

Wow he’s a ghosty ghost

Oh I love Ven’s heart station so much

Wow Vanitas really said that Ven is Baby

YAS GIMME VANITAS

Also wow Vanitas is protecting Ven’s heart and I love that

OH NO NOT THIS GUY

I beat him by using Meow Wow. meow wow is best boy

Oh no oh no it’s this pet

Gotta love Big Bro Lea

I forgot they call him Axel

ITS THE HUG

It’s Donald’s Safrifice ;-;

Donald Really channeled his inner Molly Weasley and said “Not my son you WITCH.”

WASTED

Also aw Sora got to see what Donald did for the first time

AQUA’S STATION IS SO PRETTY

Poor Aqua ;-; this is the moment where everyone hates her for

Also aww she trusts Kairi to protect them

We love Big Sis Aqua

YES WE GET ANTI AQUA FIGHT AGAIN

NAMINEEEEE

I’m literally screaming and I scared my grandma

Oh my god She lost Kairi and she immediately went to Sora cause she knew she’d be safe there ;-;

Namine’s Really here bringing everyone together

Agsisgsjdg I forgot Terra can do the keyblade whip thing lol

AND the cannon

Wow they’re really fighting in the sky

Anyone else getting Star Wars vibes

AWW HE JUST WANTS TO PROTECT HIS FAMILY

I still hate Terra’s pants

Imagine your heart crushing your body. Like really

NO LINGERING WILL

HECK YEAH SORA YOU KICK THEIR BUTT

Wow Sora you’re so cocky

LINGERING WILL NO

OH MY GOD

I forgot that Marluxia is an Ouran Host Club character

Wait, that Mickey finisher was new, wasn’t it?

Okay but I still have no idea what Xemnas did to Luxord

Cards: *Appear*

Sora: PTSD from watching his friends get destroyed from the cards in the manga

Mickey: *is captured*

Sora: PTSD intensifies

I’m really happy that we get to replay all of the Organization battles, they’re so much fun!

I’m so soft for Replinami ;-;

He loves her so much, and all he wants is for her to be safe and happy ;-;

Ven: we aren’t the same. You’re Edgy. I’m Baby

Aqua when Sora appears: TWO Baby’s :0

“If I’m a traitor, then Kairi’s the trump card.” LEA DRINKS RESPECT KAIRI JUICE

Aww Kairi’s so confused. She doesn’t see how she could be a trump card ;-;

HE STRAIGHT UP FLEXED

AWW XION REMEMBERS

Ohhh Isa’s jealous.

YES THW CHAKRAMS

LETS GO

Jealousy mode has been activated in Isa

WHAT WAS THAT RUN

OH MY GOD THAT SCREAM

YES KAIRI GO

PROTEXT YOUR BRO

“Yup” Kairi really just wants this over with so she can go home 😂

The way Kairi’s face lights up at seeing Sora gives me life.

Wow Xemnas was really hurt by Axel’s betrayal. Frankly? I’m shocked.

XION’S HAND IS SMOKING

HER HAND IS BURNING BECAUSE SHES GRABBING THE BLADE

Xemnas does NOT drink Respect Xion juice

ROXAS KEPT XION’S MEMORIES SAFE INSIDE HIM

AND SHE HAS HER FACE BECAUSE HE GAVE THEM BACK TO HER

Lea cares about the small girls he adopted as his little sisters

AWW THE THREE OF THEIR HEARTS ARE CONNECTED

NO XION ISNT ON HIS HEART ANYMORE

YES KAIRI’S HERE TO KICK BUTT

Wow Nomura really got tired of people dissing Kairi so he amped her up with cool stuff

“Oh? Tired of Kairi not doing anything?” Heres her literally overpowering Xemnas and him having to restrain her with a stop spell and magic to stop her

KAIRI IS THE SCARLET WITCH AND XEMNAS IS THANOS

Oh and in case you think she’s weak? Here’s the same thing for Sora too.

God I love Nomura

Oh my god she’s in so much pain because of the darkness

OH MY GOD SHES IN SO MUCH PAIN BECAUSE OF THE DARKENSS

SORA LITERALLY FAINTED AFTER 2 SECONDS BUT KAIRI’S HOLDING ON OH MY GOD THE STRENGTH

OOOOOOOO ROXAS TIME

The MUSIC

THEIR ATTACK IS CALLED “THINKING OF YOU” BECAUSE THEY REMEMBERED XION I CANT

I can not believe i was forced to relive watching Kairi die

SHE WAS CRYSTALLIZED?? SHES NOT DEAD??

I love Donald and Goofy so much ;-;

They aren’t gonna leave their son alone

Also wow Xehanort was just staring there forever

I FORGOT WE GET TO EXPLORE SCALA :D

KAIRI?!?!

Getting KH1 vibes with this

“The heartless that is radiating light” how is that possible??

Okay but this is such a good parallel to the first game, with him saving Kairi ;-;

Except for the fact that HEARTLESS SORA DIDNT GET BEAT UP

Okay so her heart is a thassala shell. Will we have to collect the pieces to make her wayfinder?

Oh my god I see the thing at the top of the screen. We totally are making her wayfinder ;-;

THAT MEANS SHE LITERALLY GAVE HIM HER HEART SO HE COULS RETURN IT TO HER OH MY GOOOOD

Okay so I love the puzzles they have here

XEHANORT?!

I’m sorry you hid her heart? What are you, five?

What do you MEAN almost out of time?!

OH NO KINGDOM HEARTS

Oh no not these guys again

So many keyholes

IM SORRY IS THIS WIZARD OF OZ

Oh my god Lea is so overwhelmed lol

SGAKSSGE ROXAS CAUGHT XION

Okay so for the team ups, I love how all of them were mix and matched from the trio’s

I loved Terra and Riku, the Master and apprentice

I loved Ven, Roxas, and I can’t remember who else was in it. “Thanks Roxas.” “Youre welcome. You’re not too bad yourself.” THAT WAS ADORABLE

Xion, Aqua and Mickey being mages and protecting everyone

Aqua and Lea, him trying to talk and Aqua telling him to shut up and focus

MICKEY’S STRUGGLE TO SAVE HIS FRIENDS BROKE MY HEART

We now present: Kingdom Hearts 3: connect he dots

Connect. Connect the dots. Get it?

KAIRI’S HEART MADE A FLOWER

THE KH2 THING

“SORA :D”

THEIR HUG

HE JUST HOLDS HER CLOSE

TIME FOR PLAYABLE KAIRI BABBYYYYYYY

“I can do this.” YES YOU CAN

I’m sorry you think I want to play as Sora? After waiting my whole life to play Kairi? HA

KAIRI IS THE MOST POWERFUL

Seven wishes saved me in that fight

ONE HEART

THEY HAVE ANGEL WINGS

OKAY YALL HAD YOUR SORIKU ATTACK NOW WE GOT SOKAI :D

Now we just need Rikai and Sorikai and it’ll be complete ^^

AGSKSGSKDGSJS CHIRITHY

“I was trying to give you some privacy” awwww

CHIRITHY IS CRYING

THEYRE GOING ON DATES

Chirithy has my soul and I love it

Every scene with Chirithy adds 7 years to my life

Afsjsgsajg Sora DONT PUSH THE CAT

NAMINE

THEY WERE THERE TO FREE HER HEART

Aaand he’s gone and I’m crying again

LIMITCUT EPISODE TIME BABBYYYY

GAJSGSJDG RIKU AND TERRA ARE TOGETHER

Oh my god Riku and Terra being bro’s are my favorite thing

Wait what are they gonna do

ARE THEY SEALING THE WORLD

OH MY GOD THE ARMOR

HOW DARE THEY NOT SHOW US THE FRONT PARTS

OH they’re going to search for Sora!

IS RIKU IN CHARGE OF THE LAND OF DEPARTURE

ONE YEAR???

Agajsgsjdg MERLINS HOUSE

CLOUD

PRETTY BOY

YUFFFIIEEE

AERIITH

CID

OH MY GOD THE GANGS ALL TOGETHER

THEY WENT TO THE REALM OF DARKNESS WHAT

“The Twilight Town gang” ITS OFFICIAL

OH NO WHAT HAPPENED TO KAIRI

WHY DOES HE LOOK SAD

NO WHATS GOING ON WITH KAIRI

They’re searching her heart?

SHES BEEN ASLEEP FOR A YEAR?!

Riku’s been all ALONE

DATA SORA??

Battalion oh my god lol

I’m mad about Kairi being asleep for a year though

AGSJSGS WE GET TO EXPLORE

Wow. A video game inside of a video game

I spent the rest of the day failing the Data battles and making funny Data Greeting pictures. Hopefully I’ll be better st the battles tomorrow!

[nadziejastar]

It's sad that they're trying to make Lea and Isa's duo into a trio by adding Skuld because Skuld is so underdeveloped that she barely counts as a character. All she does is hang out with Ephemer and neglect her friendship with Player. Maybe if she actually did things I'd be able to muster up some excitement over the idea of her becoming friends with my two favorite characters, but with the current situation she could be replaced with a cardboard cutout and no one would notice any difference.

Yes, thank you! This is a huge reason KH3 was such a letdown for me. I’ve heard people say that fans just got themselves too hyped up and their expectations were unrealistic. Nope, that’s not the case with me nor do I think that was the reason for most of the disappointment within the fandom. I wasn’t even overly hyped. KH3 just didn’t accomplish what it was supposed to. But more than anything, the characters were NOT treated with respect. That was my biggest disappointment.

Before KH3 came out, I was actually excited about KH4 and beyond because of the fact that we now have a pretty large group of main characters and they have so much potential. We wouldn’t have to focus on just Sora, Donald, and Goofy anymore. There are so many characters to develop and they all have solid personalities. We have the Destiny Island trio, the Wayfinder trio, the Disney Castle crew, and Lea and Isa. 

I have an attachment to all of them based on all the previous games and all the years they’ve been developed. I wanted to see them interact with each other once Xehanort was defeated and everyone was rescued. Not get dumped in favor of new characters. Of all the characters Lea and Isa could form a relationship with, Skuld is the WORST choice. There are sooo many more interesting characters to focus on. Lea and Isa could grow close to Sora, Riku, Kairi, Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Donald, Goofy, or Mickey! Yet, they’re getting shoved aside for Union X characters that you need to play a mobile game to be familiar with. Skuld wasn’t even included in the Back Cover movie. Even if you played all the KH remasters, you still won’t know who she is!

I’ve actually seen all the cutscenes for Union X and I agree with you wholeheartedly. The characters were inoffensive, but they all had the personality of a wet paper bag. Nomura said Kingdom Hearts X, as it was originally called, was not supposed to have a heavy focus on story. Nothing I saw gave me the impression that characters like Skuld or Ephemer were meant to be anything more than mobile game characters. They were there for the player’s avatar to interact with, to give him/her a voice, since he/she is silent. But they are ancient history and should have perished during the Keyblade War. 

Ehpemer comes from the world ephemeral, meaning “lasting a very short time”. The three Norns are the Goddesses of fate in Norse mythology and are described as deciding the fates of people. Their names are Urd “What Once Was” (Old Norse “Urðr”), Verdandi “What Is Coming into Being” (Old Norse “Verðandi”) and Skuld “What Shall Be” (Old Norse “Skuld”).

My point is that these characters seem more suited as background characters. They are part of the mythology and history of the Keyblade War. They are not on par with the established characters and are not suitable to be the new protagonists. Now they are being teased as the main focus for the upcoming plot arc. I think this was a big mistake on Nomura’s part. Hardly anyone is going to be excited for them. I’m certainly not. I feel like there is very little to look forward to anymore.

You’re right. Skuld has no personality. And to add insult to injury, since she’s Subject X now, Lea and Isa had everything stripped from them in order to prop her up. Skuld isn’t interesting enough to be introduced on her own, so she has to ride on the coattails of Lea and Isa and the human experimentation subplot. This is such bullshit. New characters should NOT come at the expense of old ones. Lea needed a sad backstory as a test subject, and he needed his friendship with Isa to be properly developed so his fight at the Keyblade Graveyard felt emotionally engaging (which it didn’t).

Isa needed to be Subject X to redeem him. Saïx didn’t have much of a “personality”. This was the whole point. He was never likable the way Axel was. He was rude, condescending, cold, and vicious. According to Axel, he showed no human emotion besides sneers and snide remarks. But he was Norted, for crying out loud! Saïx was not meant to be one of the protagonists. Isa was!! They threw away two amazing characters for this flat underdeveloped Union X one. Very foolish and shortsighted. it’s definitely gonna bite them in the ass.

Lea and Isa were always meant to be a duo. For some fans, it seems like only trios are valid, but that’s not true. SRK are Sky, Land, Sea. TAV are Earth, Water, Wind. Well, Lea and Isa are Sun and Moon—complementary opposites. I’ve heard people say that Skuld would be “Stars”. Well, I think Terra, Aqua, and Ven were meant to be the stars. Skuld is redundant and not needed to “complete” Lea and Isa. 

Even in canon, she is a stranger to them. They spoke to her a few times in the shadows and couldn’t even see her face. She had amnesia. They literally knew nothing about her and weren’t sure if she even existed after a while, yet now their whole backstory revolves around her. She doesn’t complement them at all or make them more interesting. She detracts from them.

On the other hand, Isa definitely complemented Lea and made him a more interesting character. That’s why I liked him. He provided Lea with someone to humanize him and to give him a poignant backstory. He gave Lea a goal while becoming a Keyblade wielder. And Isa’s chemistry with Lea was adorable. Isa was sarcastic and brought out a different side of Lea than Roxas and Xion did. They also had an actual history together. They went to school together, ate ice cream, and also played with a dog. Probably played fetch with the frisbee (aww).

Lea was closer to Isa than anyone else—period. I was much, MUCH more excited to see Lea and Isa’s past and their friendship get developed than the potential relationship they have with Skuld get teased. No, I’m not excited for them to be a trio and I’m not excited for Skuld to get in the way of Lea and Isa’s friendship and make it all about her. She seemed like she fit in better with Ephemer anyways. Also, I think Lea and Isa have waaaaay more personality than Skuld. They are both colorful characters with a lot of charm. She can’t hold a candle to them.

Leo Traits

Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac and has the Sun as its ruling celestial body. Bold, intelligent, warm, and courageous, Leo star sign is a natural leader of the Zodiac. Leo is an adventurer, seeking to balance an intense life of social obligations and travel with plenty of downtime to relax and luxuriate. 

A Leo is a typical outgoing and jovial kind of person. He has a big friend circle and likes to boss around. Appreciation and admiration are the two important things for getting close to a lion’s heart. He likes to be flattered and pampered.

Skuld just doesn’t fit in with Lea and Isa’s theme. They are Sun/Moon opposites. She’s a third wheel. In KH2, Axel didn’t have a lot of development. He was clever and cocky, but we didn’t know a lot about him, especially as a human. When they decided to flesh him out, they definitely decided to make him a typical Sun personality. I thought Lea was surprisingly cheery and positive.

Caring

At their best, the courageous Leo is strong, and has an amazing, protective attitude towards their friends. They care very deeply for those close to them.

He cares very much for his friends.

Optimistic

Leo is an optimist who is able to see the silver lining to life. They are optimists who are always able to find the positive side of any situation, and they prefer to revel in the good than dwell over the bad.

Even though Axel could be quite pessimistic, Lea was a natural optimist.

Kind

They are always willing to help out a loved one in need, and they will go to great lengths to make sure that those they care about most are happy. Leos have a compassionate heart, and they tend to be extremely kind and generous creatures.

He was always willing to help stray puppies.

Loyal

If there’s one thing that you can say about Leo with certainty, it’s that they are some of the most loyal people that you will ever meet. Leo is the bravest sign in the Zodiac, often doing whatever they are required to do despite being scared or in danger.

He is amazingly loyal. He always wanted to bring his friends back, no matter what. Even when he thought Isa tried to kill him.

Straightforwardness

Mincing words is not in the nature of a Leo. They speak their mind and like to express their thoughts clearly. Frankness is therefore, one of the biggest strengths of Leos. It is because of their straightforwardness that they are able to confront opinions and thoughts, they do not approve of, directly. This is also one of the reasons why they get things done fast.

He is very straightforward. He lied a lot to Roxas and kept secrets, but that wasn’t who he really was.

Faithful Partners and Good Friends

Leos are romantic and passionate lovers. They are faithful partners and exhibit extreme sensitivity  while in a relationship. This is also the reason why they are vulnerable to getting hurt. Thus, Leos need to find someone whom they can trust before they shower their love and kindness on that person. 

One of the special traits found in Leos is helping friends in need. Lending emotional support to friends in difficult times is a rare quality found in these people. It enables them to make lifelong friends. Behind all the aggression, ego and other domineering personality traits of a Leo lies a sensitive heart which cares for the dear ones. Leos take pride in protecting their close ones and would do so with all the energy and wit they possess. It is observed that the bossy exterior of Leos often eclipses their sensitive nature.

He is a wonderful friend, but has a deeper side, more sensitive side. All very accurate. 

Arrogance

At times, their dominance and confidence can be seen more like arrogance and conceit. Leo individuals ooze with confidence. They think that if they are the first to arrive at some conclusion, then they are right.

Lea was arrogant in a playful way. Like when he challenged Ventus to a fight. Axel was like that, too.

Inflexibility

They’re inflexible for other people, but they’re also inflexible for themselves. When they’ve made a commitment to something, they’re going to stick with it, regardless of how much they hate it.

Basically, Lea did whatever he wanted. Even Saïx said this about him.

Laziness

Though full of ambition and enthusiasm, Leo has to admit to a lazy streak and, given the opportunity, will take the easy way out, especially when a situation offers little fun or glory.

He likes to have fun.

Pride

This sign is represented by a lion, and as such, Leos are born with all of the pride and glory of the maned creature.

Oh yes, he is very proud.

Domineering

Leos have a hard time learning when to stop ruling and start listening. For this reason, Leos are extremely domineering and tend to overpower those around them.

Lea was the accelerator and Isa was the brake. Lea never listened to Isa, though.

Impatience

Impatience is one of the negative traits exhibited by a Leo. This trait of Leos get reflected in their habit to get things done fast. Impatience may lead to development of anxiety and restlessness in these individuals.

Axel never liked waiting around.

Jealousy

Leos may exhibit a possessive nature. This trait is closely related to the jealousy they exhibit. In fact, they are jealous because of their possessive nature.

Saïx was very jealous. But Lea probably had a side like that as well. He would not like it if Isa alienated him.

Cancer Traits

Cancer, the fourth sun sign of the Zodiac, has water as its element, is feminine, and is ruled by the Moon. This sign is represented by crabs, and similar to their nature, these people can be the sweetest and most sympathetic people at one moment, and turn into the most cranky and irritable ones the next.

Even though Isa was an NPC, he was not just “Lea’s friend”. He was certainly far more deserving of character development than ANY Union X character, that’s for sure. Isa seemed like he was more of a feminine archetype. Therefore, he is unlike any other male character in the series. I thought he was very refreshing and unique. He brought something new to the table. Also, based on the way Saïx acted, Isa was not just a cardboard cutout, either. He had interesting flaws to provide him with depth. Evidence suggests he was a typical Moon personality.

Moody

Cancer individuals are also known to have a moody attitude, especially whenever they are jealous. Normally protective and courageous, Cancer signed people could become very brooding and moody if they feel that their emotional needs are not being met. Cancer is all about needing emotional security and trust in a relationship, like all of us of course. But they take it to another level.

If a Cancer feels as though he can’t trust you or if he’s just an insecure guy in general, then his possessive and jealous side is going to come out in a major way. He’ll make snide comments about what you’re wearing and ask you questions about what you’re doing and who you’re with that can rival the time of being a teenager under your parents’ roof.

Man, dos this sound like Saïx or what? He was insanely jealous. While I think Saïx was a totally different personality from Isa, I still think he reflected much of Isa’s personality in him, due to having his memories and captured heart. In the novel, when Roxas was upset he pushed the wrong button, Axel said he knew what it felt like to have something be wrong and not know the reason. Based on the way Saïx acted, Isa sounded very emotionally needy towards Lea. I definitely think he’d be jealous if Lea didn’t spend enough time with him. He might be passive aggressive about it, too.

Unpredictable

Cancer, being a water sign, is very emotional and sensitive. They are very touchy, and can get hurt at the slightest provocation. It is this sensitivity, which makes them hide in their own shell, away from the world, to protect themselves from getting hurt. When they retreat into this shell, and refuse to talk to anybody, people may find them to be moody and unpredictable.

It doesn’t take much for them to go from friendly and outgoing, to totally introverted as a way of protecting themselves. And it can prove quite confusing and unpredictable to the people in their lives. Cancer needs a strong partner who can deal with his various sides and complexity. You never know what will trigger his moods and his evasiveness and his habit of being indirect makes you question if you ever really knew him.

Saïx could also be surprisingly moody and oversensitive once he began to awaken a heart. Axel had no idea why he suddenly started berating Xion and calling her a failure all the time. He wouls walk on eggshells to avoid upsetting him. It was probably easy to push the wrong buttons with Isa and he might not tell Lea what was bothering him right away. In the novel, Axel tried to get Saïx to open up to him by putting his hand on his shoulder, but Saïx brushed it away. This upset Axel and made him think how different things were between them. This said a lot about their relationship as humans. Lea had to put effort to get Isa to open up, but Isa was receptive to it.

Negative

Cancer people are ruled by the Moon, which is ever-changing, and thus they can have moods that can grow dark and darker. It’s common for people with this zodiac sign to struggle with low self-esteem and hold a lifelong grudge against someone. They are someone who sees the glass as half empty rather than half full.

Another trait being their lack of trust in people, they tend to have a negative outlook of life. They become prone to depression, and are unable to enjoy life. They can get hurt at the drop of a hat, and rarely express their resentment and anger.

I think this was why Isa felt like a burden on Lea and was down on himself a lot. Isa needed Lea to be the upbeat optimist for him. Isa was probably snarky and nitpicky with Lea, but in a more playful way. He was the brake, while Lea was the accelerator. This is also a dynamic unique to Lea and Isa. Axel had to be the mature and responsible mentor figure with Roxas and Xion. But with Isa, he was more playful and mischievous. Isa would scold Lea, but Lea never would listen.

Clingy

Cancer is a sign of fertile imagination and deep emotional needs. Cancer individuals are sometimes over-imaginative, which can get them in trouble. They will obsess over the situation until they have all of their answers.

Cancerians are very possessive about their relationships. They can be very clingy, and try to hold on to relationships, even after they have ended it. In relationships, they give much more and expect very little in return. Being emotional and sensitive, they are very easily influenced by their loved ones.

Yep. This is exactly how I think Isa was with Lea. Isa was very attached and gave his whole heart to Lea.

Suspicious

The empathetic crab is inclined to protect themselves. They only trust when they feel safe within relationships, often resorting to their inner world when they do not feel trustful or safe. He needs his moods and anxieties to be understood and if they’re not then he will retreat to his shell and come back out when he feels safe.

Definitely sounds like Isa. He was shy and couldn’t open up to just anybody.

Cancer Traits

Cancer star sign, the fourth sign of the zodiac is all about home. They are a nurturing and maternal sign. These people love their home and family more than anything else in this world. Cancerians are blessed with strong intuitive and psychic powers that help them judge people well. These people tend to be hard on the outside and soft inside. But they also have a tougher side to their personality.

So, Saïx exhibited all of the typical Cancer flaws. So, it stands to reason that Isa would also exhibit Cancer’s positive attributes, too.

Intuitive

Cancerians are known to be psychic, and can almost guess things before they actually happen. This comes from their highly developed observational powers. They can truly understand human behavior, and rarely forget things. All these make them highly intuitive and psychic.

This is a side of Isa we definitely never saw in Saïx. His scar is on his third eye chakra, which is the center of psychic awareness. It’s why he couldn’t see Xion or understand why Axel acted the way he did. It’s sad actually. A big part of his personality was shut down.

Kind

Emotional strength and intuition will always define Cancer’s top strengths and traits. This is emotional, but kind-hearted and compassionate personality type that makes for an outstanding friend.

I’m sure Isa was very kind and a wonderful friend, which is why Axel was so desperate to have a “best friend” to fill the void.

Emotive

Cancers are known for their traits like loyalty, their emotional depth, and their parenting instincts. Cancer individuals are emotional and intense; they are also extremely intuitive and compassionate. People belonging to this zodiac sign are highly emotional. Just like the crab that represents them, they are hard from outside, but very soft and mushy from within.

Isa scolded Lea a lot, but only because he cared. He was compassionate and selfless, like the Moon Rabbit. If there’s anything KH3 got right about Isa, it’s that he’d try to comfort an imprisoned girl and want to help her.

Faithful

Cancer is the most concerned with a secure and faithful relationship. Cancer individual loves home and family and is not happy unless they have deep emotional ties. Cancer is usually very nurturing and tends to take good care of everyone they care about.

Isa was serious when he said he’d never forget Lea. I definitely think Isa was the one who first gave Lea the WINNER stick, too.

Loving

Cancer individuals are very loving and caring. As the most sensitive sign of the zodiac, a Cancer does everything with love in mind and in the heart. Because of this, they are the most tender lovers.

Yes, I do think Lea and Isa were envisioned as a couple. Isa loved Lea. His Bunnymoon weapon has a rocket being launched by a heart. Lea also loved Isa, and this is why Axel was so depressed whenever he thought about how different Saïx was compared to Isa. Axel desperately missed feeling loved by someone. They had an extraordinarily interesting relationship. I don’t think Skuld adds anything except getting in the way and watering down their bond.

[dramaticviolincrescendo]

KH3 Positivity Post

So, there is an unequal ratio of positive posts to complaints and criticism around here. As such, I’m making a positivity post because I love this game and I hope other people love it too. Here’s what rocked:

Physical comedy that far outshines previous games

Physical intimacy between Sora, Donald, and Goofy (that scene where Flynn died? Oh my gosh, those three holding each other made me cry)

Sora literally dropping into the realm of darkness to save Riku and Mickey (also, Riku’s face when he does)

THE GUMMIPHONE!!! No more wondering if everyone is okay!

Donald and Goofy getting so excited to use the gummiphone to talk to Mickey that they pummel Sora every time

Open-world gummi ship flying (not a huge fan, but it was cool to just wander around and see what’s out there instead of being on rails)

Riku’s hair getting short and everyone just being like *shrug* happens all the time

Speaking of Riku, him being strong for Sora rather than vice versa for a change

The scenes between Kairi and Lea/Axel

Wayfinder and Sea-salt Trio reunions

Wayfinder Trio and Eraqus reunion

Hayner’s “hello, goodbye” Alice in Wonderland moment

Finally getting to see a scared, vulnerable Sora rather than one that hides his nerves behind cockiness (he’s growing up so fast ;~; )

Marluxia voicing all our thoughts that Sora was always a sound sleeper

Roxas’s entrance—his badass entrance

Saix/Isa admitting he was jealous

YMX foregoing a touching defeat to be super petty and curse Sora to oblivion

Kairi metaphorically putting Sora on a backpack leash to rescue the others and then dragging his butt back out with it

Jack Sparrow felling Luxord with bad breath

“I can’t computer.”

Vexen actually being one of the good guys (I still need to process that)

Two words: Demyx Time

Naminé and Xion chilling at the beach

Riku going to pick up Naminé in the gummi ship like a freaking prom date (I don’t ship it—I don’t actively ship anything—but that was adorable)

Ienzo’s reunion with Ansem the Wise

Sora basically being a meme at the end of “Let it Go”

Terra being the Guardian like people thought and tearing that gag off

Donald firin’ his lazer (like dayum, imagine what a cure spell at that intensity would do, not that we’ll ever find out)

“Very well done.”

Hundred-Acre Wood being short

Seeing how small the beach looks now that everyone is grown and there are, y’know, a thousand of them

Mentally picturing Riku diving in to save Sora so he won’t have to go tell his mother that he still won’t be home for dinner (Terra can do that)

There are a million others, but this is what came to mind first. It would be nice to know that other people actually loved this game like I did, so feel free to add the things you enjoyed!

[lordofmydestiny]

Some things I was disappointed with in KH 3 writing wise

Spoilers up ahead, so if you have’t seen the game, or haven’t finished it, don’t read this.

Don’t get me wrong, in the end, I really loved this, but there were some things that were very disappointing that I wanna talk about.

This is mostly concerning the final battle in the keyblade graveyard but I’m gonna start with the one before it.

1. Aqua.

I really loved that idea.

When I saw the trailer I was STOCKED, i was scared for this game pulling emotional strings on me when I saw her.

She honestly turned out to be a disappointment;;;;;

And no, I’m not gonna talk about how I don’t like her VA, or rather how she voice acts.

The execution was actually really really great, don’t get me wrong.

But afterwards;;;;; when you beat her?

That was very disappointing, we get no development for Aqua whatsoever.

We don’t get to see Aqua doubting herself, we don’t get to see Aqua ashamed of herself falling into darkness. (I get that it wasn’t her fault, but still, people blame themselves for a lot of things that weren’t their fault, this should be one of them)

2. Vanitas

Now, I know what your probably thinking.

“What about Vanitas?” 

What about him is a lot of things, he’s HALF of Ventus, his dark half.

Remember how broken Ventus looked when he was split into two?

Remember that face he made when the x-blade was drifting away from him?

That was potential, and I’m not even going into the novels!

His theme was played in “Heroes and Heroines” section in the KH Orchestra, his name is Latin for “Emptiness, worthlessness.” because that’s he is to Xehanort, 

And while I had no expectations for this game cause I knew it would be great, they put that scene with Vanitas where he called Ventus his brother. They put that scene in before he disappears where he says he’s always been on their side, and honestly, no??

And why does he disappear? Why doesn’t he become one with Ventus?

A better character arc for Vanitas is for him to continue wanting to be whole with Ventus, and him realizing that listening to Xehanort and forging the key-blade would not stop his endless cycle of pain. (Whooshes, I tapped into the novel)

3. Xion

What.

What was that with her?

Do you mean to tell me she’s been her the whole time since the moment they made her again???

I have many issues with Xion’s return and here they are.

1. It wasn’t emotional, at all. I was expecting my heart to be torn out into pieces fighting Xion, like we were when we fought her in 358/2 days. But..... it wasn’t, and you can’t call that boss fight with her an actual one because half way through one bar of HP we get her AND Roxas back (which is another problem I have and will say in a bit)

2. They pulled it out the bag. Why did they make her again? How did her heart find her way back here? Why didn’t she have yellow eyes? Why wasn’t she a nort? Isa was a nort and he turned out to be fine in the end. I expected this game to break my heart in a very bad way, but I didn’t even shed a tear. There are so many plot holes with her and another thing that I’ll say later because my number one issue with the writing is this

4. Roxas

1. Just like Xion, it was pulled out the bag.

I don’t mind Roxas coming back, I really don’t, however here’s the problem I have with both Xion and Roxas coming back.

There were no consequences whatsoever.

We are told by Xemnas and Ansem that Sora would have to give into the darkness for Roxas to come back, that were was a price to pay. (Of course, Goofy points out that they both are existing separately, but the difference is they use darkness, Sora doesn’t willingly and Rage Mode doesn’t count)

2. Because they pulled it out the bag, there was no build up to it.

If your going to say a character is going to be a huge secret, your going to have to at least build up to it.

And no, Sora saying he’s going to find Roxas doesn’t count as buildup because in the end, he really didn’t;;;;;;;;;;;

Roxas just came back out of nowhere, and that was a MAJOR problem.

There’s no consequences, and there’s no build up.

I’m glad Roxas is back, he’s my favorite, however, I don’t like how he came back. Especially since the way he came back;;;;;; it ruins the scene in KH 2 and 358/2 days now. Because now we know they got their happy ending.

5. Kairi

She’s something I can forgive, actually, because she got what she deserved.

She kicked ass, she had screen time, and plot importance.

However, there were some major flaws.

She was taken out too soon.

When Sora and Kairi shared that paopu and swore they would protect each other, I was hoping it would be something like Bumblebee (yang x blake) where they’re both actually protecting each other. 

But, in the end, it was mostly Sora protecting her, (granted there was that one scene after Sora saved everyone form the lich, she was there to guide him, and I’m not saying Sora protecting her is a bad thing, I loved the scene where he hugs her instead of pulling out his keyblade to protect her from Terra)

She had a keyblade, she was training, she can protect herself.

Show that off.

And another thing.

They didn’t quite build up enough for Xehanort killing Kairi.

That’s something I can forgive, but here’s something I can’t quite forgive.

Sora was crying and pissed off when he did that, yes, but not for long. 

Why tho? HE LITERALLY JUST KILLED THE PERSON YOU WANT TO SPEND YOU LIFE WITH.

YOU SHOULD BE MAD, NOTHING SHOULD BE ABLE TO CALM SORA DOWN, XEHANORT LITERALLY KILLED SOMEONE YOU SPENT YOUR WHOLE LIFE WITH.

Also why wasn’t Riku pissed at the slightest?! I thought Kairi was his best friend too.

6. Namine

She was on the box art and she only had one scene, I think you all know my problem.

Anyways, thanks for reading my long ass post.

[sollea]

Dolorem et Consolationem Ch17

LeaIsa fic. Characters in chapter: Lea, Isa(, Balsam) Words: 1959 Read the entire fic on AO3

Summary: Dog crimes and emotions.

Moving with access to two other houses to live in during the process could’ve been far more comfortable, but Lea insisted that they should just move in right away. Bring whatever they could in boxes that day and fall asleep on the floor with an excitable and confused dog.

It wasn’t exactly Lea’s most comfortable idea, but sitting on the floor with an open pizza box and fighting to keep the dog away from it while laughing was a gentle kind of comfortable. Lea with his phone out and Isa physically wrestling a pizza slice away from Balsam was a scene that anyone would smile at.

“Get that— No! Balsam, get that out of your mouth. Onions are bad for dogs.”

“Told you we shouldn’t have gotten onions on the pizza!” Lea couldn’t stop laughing, his breathing was ragged and his sides hurt as he watched Isa wrestling an entire pizza slice out of Balsam’s mouth.

“That is absolutely not the problem, Lea. The problem is we don’t have a table in the house yet and we ordered pizza and I wanted onions.”

“It’s the moving experience! C’mon, we’re gonna have coffee out of bowls tomorrow and it’ll be fun.”

“Lea, if Balsam manages to eat this and thinks he can get away with it later, I’m going to kill you.”

Lea snorted and opened the pizza box carefully, watching Balsam move his head towards the sound immediately, dropping the pizza slice so he could lunge for the pizza box just as it closed against his nose. Lea grinned a triumphant grin while Isa picked up the soggy pizza slice, shoving it into a bag they’d brought along for garbage. 

Isa, now without a dog in his arms, smiled. Lea didn’t get to see it for long because Isa immediately grabbed Balsam again and buried his face in the dog’s fur. Muffled laughing could be heard from Isa as Balsam began to whine and wiggle, wanting to be free for more attempts at pizza theft. 

Lea joined in on the laughing, shaking his head. “So, was I right? Is this fun? Having the moving experience is fun?”

“I’m not responding to your question, Lea. I have a dog in my face.”

“The dog has your face on him.”

“I suppose he does.” Isa looked up from the dog and sighed, content smile on his face. “You’re obnoxious.”

“I missed hearing the fondness in those words,” Lea moved over to sit directly next to Isa and Balsam, kissing Isa’s cheek and scratching at Balsam’s head. “I’m only as obnoxious as you are rude to me.”

“I’m only rude to you when you’re being obnoxious. Or when you were obnoxious when it’d be bad to be rude to you, like when we’re in public and trying to make a good impression.”

“Like when?”

“When we were trying to get picked up as apprentices is one time I can think of. Oh, when we were trying to reintroduce me to Kairi, you were being horrible when I was trying to apologize for what I, personally, put her through,” Isa said, shoving gently at Lea’s shoulder then resting against it. “I felt bad, but you wouldn’t let me. It was horrible, you’re a horrible friend.”

“That was one of the first times I got you to smile after I got you back, wasn’t it?”

“I smiled when I saw your face the moment I woke up. How long did you wait for me? I wasn’t told.”

“Oh, you woke up right away. I think it took a few hours at most. Most of the damage you got was from Roxas and his light attacks. I’m not sure any of my attacks towards the end even hit. I don’t think you can get hurt when you’re in the middle of starting that whole thing, can you?”

“Not that I’m aware of, though, I’m not aware of much when I’m in that state. It’s not really me, especially during that last fight. I was further gone than I’d planned on being.” Isa sighed and took his hand away from the dog’s fur, moving it so he could fully snuggle up against Lea. “It was scary a lot of the time. I don’t want to talk about it much, but with power came… great horror. I thought every time that I would finally just lose myself. Then the final battle came about and all of us were more formidable, not through training, but through additional giving ourselves away. Xion was saved from that only because she was able to take from me enough that it wasn’t necessary to have her become a darkness in… other ways.”

Lea sighed and ran his fingers through Isa’s hair. “Hey, we don’t need to talk about things you don’t want to talk about. We’re fine to just… sit here with our dog in our new house. We can be happy for a while. Get ready for rougher things later, yeah? I don’t think checking our old houses for our parents every night’s gonna be easy on us.”

“That’s… Yes, that’s why I…” Isa tightened in on himself more. “Never mind, it’s fine.”

Lea took in a breath. “I’m not saying we can’t talk about it now, just that you don’t have to. It’s like you putting the tears on my face are commanding me to stop crying, it’s just… reminding me that you’re there for me. That I can.”

Isa nodded, moving his hand to grab onto Lea’s shirt instead of leaving it curled against his chest. It took him a few minutes to speak again, letting Balsam slide between him and Lea. Collected into himself again, he took in a deep breath. “I had enough darkness in my heart to be counted among the chosen.”

“Wasn’t that your plan?”

“Yes, but it worked.” 

Lea could feel Isa’s hand shaking as he tried to keep holding onto his shirt. The dejection in his voice stung, hearing Isa’s heart break again was too painful. “You’re not actually full of darkness, Isa. You’re a good person.”

“Only I am. I have more than the man who used to experiment on people, Lea. Yes, that was the plan, it was exactly the plan, but he…” Isa’s voice was breaking in a way Lea hadn’t heard in years. Perhaps ever, perhaps the memory of hearing Isa like this was his mind reassuring Lea that his friend wasn’t broken beyond repair, that surely this had happened before. “I let myself fall. I leaned into it. I leaned so far into it that I’m not sure I’ve come back all the way.”

Lea held his breath as he realized now was a time to not say anything. He just held Isa as he felt the other man’s chest heaving. Gentle touches to let Isa know he was still there would hopefully be enough to help Isa come back. Falling apart was never fun, especially when things were going right. Lea was slowly learning to recognize that being broken wouldn’t always feel permanent, but it… probably was.

Isa cried for so long that Balsam walked away, sitting at the door patiently like he’d been taught to do when he wanted to leave a building. They couldn’t get up, he’d have to wait. Isa clung to Lea’s shirt for so long that the Radiant sun began to set, something Lea had hoped would be exciting to see for the first time in their new house. Isa’s breathing returning to normal took a few minutes more than the sun took to set. When he sounded like he was back in control, he wrapped his arms entirely around Lea. 

“Sorry. It just all hit me again,” Isa mumbled against Lea’s chest. ���It all hit me. That I’m not worthy of all of this. That coming back twice was far more than I deserved.”

“Hey. Hey, no. That’s not true at all and I’m not gonna let you say it.” Lea’s words were firm, his opinion on the matter unbending. “I was gonna just let you cry it out, but I can’t let you think I agree with that. You deserve everything that’s happened since you came back. You risked yourself for everyone, all worlds. Literally everyone that exists. You risked your life again when you organized a coup. I’m never sure what any of those assholes, Xemnas and all the rest of them, would do, but we’ve seen people punished before. Hell, even back in the original Organization, you were sticking out your neck more than anyone. Nothing you did was darkness for evil’s sake. I… caused plenty of your darkness and I’m sorry. We’d been able to talk without words for so long, but you just weren't understanding and I never… bothered to try. I know I’m talking a lot, but I need you to realize that you feel bad about things that you caused and it wasn’t entirely on you. We fell apart for a while.” Lea adjusted his hold on Isa, burying his fingers and face in the other man’s hair. “I would’ve come back to you if I could have, Isa. If I wasn’t kicked out. I still loved you, leaving you alone on purpose was never my play. I didn’t get Roxas, I didn’t get to try again. I was still mad, but I would’ve tried. I wanted to save her as much as you did and I… wanted to save you. Once I realized how… bad it was. I was so fucking selfish as Axel, I’m still selfish, I’m making this about me without meaning to, but…

“But I love you. So much. You’re more light than I’ve ever been. You hide it real well, but… It’s all you.”

Lea’s words were heard, but Isa couldn’t manage a proper response to them. They sat in near-silence, Balsam’s whining and chattering had grown in volume, but there was nothing either of them could really do about it. 

Isa eventually fell asleep against Lea’s chest, leaving Lea to carefully lay the other man on the floor, making sure to not wake him. He was lucky Isa was such a sound sleeper because, despite getting him moved away from his chest and nearly on the floor, his hands slipped and he dropped Isa. All that greeted Lea’s mistake was a noise from Isa and a small adjustment of how he was laying.

Lea got up and put Balsam’s harness on, hushing him as nails hit the floor and excited barks tried to communicate just how badly he had to go outside.

It was a long walk, exercise for Balsam and a way to clear Lea’s head. He stopped briefly to talk to Yuffie, one of the people who made an appearance every time Balsam was taken out for a walk. By the time Lea returned home, it was the dead of night and Isa was still on the floor.

Lea knelt down next to Isa, looking at the visibly uncomfortable sleeping man. Sighing, Lea pushed hair out of Isa’s face. And of course the most gentle and careful motion was what woke Isa up. 

“Sorry, Isa. Go back to sl-” Lea couldn’t finish his sentence before Isa interrupted him as though he hadn’t heard Lea at all.

“Are you ready to find them?” Isa asked, propping himself up on his elbow and rubbing at his eyes with his other hand, yawning immediately after words escaped his lips. He moved to lean on Lea’s legs, closing his eyes. It was almost as if he’d forgotten the breakdown.

“Yeah, I think I am,” Lea said, nodding, confused by the sudden question. “But that’s not what’s important right now. Are you?”

“I will be soon enough. We should start tomorrow.”

[queen-ofsunflowers]

Queen Plays KH3 Pt. 4

FINAL TIME: 32 hrs. 32 minutes. 33 sec.

FINAL LEVEL: 40

DEATH COUNTER: 69

WORLDS COMPLETED:

Olympus

Twilight Town

Toy Box

Kingdom of Corona

Monstropolis

100 Acre Wood

Arendelle

The Caribbean

San Fransokyo

The Final World

The Keyblade Graveyard

Scala Ad Caelum

The rest is under the cut to avoid spoilers. And oh my gosh... just... read at your own risk while I go and speculate what just happened.

AND NOW THE ENDS REALLY BEGINS.

should it really be a surprise that I go to help Riku first?

RIP XIGBAR. Literally this time. Like... damn. It was just.... sad to watch that.

AND REPLIKU (I had to look up who it was) IS DOWN FOR THE COUNT. And they confirmed it was the replica just now. Okay. I got very confused at the beginning.

And now we have a body. That makes two. One for Roxas, and one for Naminé apparently?

FUCK LUXORD. Hate his card game. Glad I got him. And he gave me a card? Okay? Is this gonna be useful later on? Love how Sora's nice to him though as he's dying.

AND THERE GOES LARXENE. AND STOP MAKING ME FEEL SAD FOR YOU. DAMMIT. Stop making me feel sad! SHE LOOKS OVER AT MARLUXIA WHEN ASKED WHY SHE HELPED THE ORGANIZATION. Lord... I need to play some Union X.

AND THERE GOES MARLUXIA. DON'T MAKE ME CRY. HE REMEMBERS. HE REMEMBERS WHO HE USED TO BE BEFORE BECOMING A NOBODY. I CAN'T--

Gonna go save redhead squad.

HE'S JUST... ISA. AXEL DONT DIE.

OH YMG GOD OH MY GOD. IS THAT. IS THAT?! OH MY GOD XION!!!! MY SWEET GIRL!!!

Who... wha...

OH MY GOD. ROXAS!!!!!!!

LET HER GO. NO.

Isa's death scene was too emotional for my liking. And I loved it. THE SEA SALT TRIO IS BACK TOGETHER. NOW FOR THE WAYFINDERS.

And there goes Vanitas. I feel kinda bad for him.

Just... "ow" as I finish off Terranort. Nothing special just... “ow”.

TERRA. SAVE HIM.

NO. DID THE GUSRDIAN JUST?! YES. IS THAT TERRA? IS THAT-- IS THAT TERRA!? ITS TERRA BBY. THE EMOTION I CAN'T

NOW FOR THE XEHANORTS.

YOUNG XEHANORT IS DOWN. ... is Sora gonna die? Please don't let him die.

DIE SOB.

Then there went Xemnas. ALL THESE DEATHS ARE MAKING ME SO SAD.

NOW ONE REMAINS.

NO KAIRI. AHHHH. MY GOD... NO!!!

DONALD! GOOFY! We gonna kick ass and take names. LET'S GO KICK THAT OLD MAN'S ASS.

MY FRIENDS. Love how Ven noticed the resemblance between him and Roxas like that while no one else did.

Roxas clapping his blades together.

TAKE HIM DOWN. FUCK YOU XEHANORT. YOU HAD THIS COMING. YOU ONLY HAD YOURSELF TO BLAME.

Now NOW we take him down. Or at least... start to.

Holy crap this world is BEAUTIFUL. But what is going on???

Oh, this can't be good.

A long battle with many deaths. Seems like this is right.

World name drop. “Scala Ad Caelum” Wonder what it means. (A quick Google Translate later, and I discovered it means “Ladder to Heaven”. Kind of pretty, isn’t it? And a bit cryptic? Or foreshadowy?)

WHATBIS GOING ON!??

Xehanort is a dirty cheater.

GET WRECKED.

NOW I'M GONNA GET WRECKED.

Jokes on him. I've perfected the Rage Form.

YES. FUCK YOU OLD wait what's happening

OH MY GOD. GO SORA GO. MY BOY. HE'S DOING IT. HES DOING IT!!! AND SQUAD COMES FOR THE FINALE. YAS.

I forgot Eraqus's heart was in Terra.

"Checkmate". Just that one scene with the chessboard... you know what's going to happen to them and it hurts. So much.

I love how Xehanort knows that he's beaten, and doesn't try to fight it. He goes down with decorum. Nicely done. He put up a fair fight, and killed me about 30 or 40 times, but it was a fair fight. Its interesting. I didn't expect it to turn about this way.

THEY'RE ALL HUGGING ERAQUS. AHHH MY GOD. It hurts!!!!

WHY ARE THESE DEATH SCENES SO EMOTIONAL?!

And with that, Kingdom Hearts is sealed. Hopefully for good this time... it's kinda beautiful.

Huh? ...such a brave boy...!!!

AND SIMPLE AND CLEAN IS PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND IM CRYING.

EVERYONE IS SAFE AND SOUND. EVERYONE IS BACK TOGETHER. THEY’RE ALL HAPPY. THIS IS EVERYTHING THAT I’VE WANTED OUT OF THIS GAME. JUST... YOU GOTTA SEE IT FOR YOURSELF MAN. I CAN’T DESCRIBE IT... not right now, at least. I mean... I have a fanfic that I’ve been working on for about two years now that I need to finish up. I’ll post it here at a later date.

Um... what was that? WHY DID SORA JUST... WHERE DID SORA GO?!

After credit movie time, and I’m still trying to figure out what happened.

Huh? That voice... WAIT. DOES THAT MEAN. HOLY CRAP. ooooOOOH MY GOSH?

Is that... the white piece... is it... Sora... my heart hopes it is.

Okay, I know there's a secret ending. I didn't get it, but I'm gonna look it up because I wanna watch it.

...Sora? SORA?! WHERE IS HE?! RIKU?!! WHERE ARE THEY?!?!?!

...??? Who are these guys???

Even though the game might be over, the story isn't. Not by a long shot. And I can't wait to see what happens next. There were a lot of question left unanswered, such as with the card that Sora got from Luxord... what happened with that one cutscene between Even and Demyx... WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO SORA. And how Kairi got back. And the secret ending only brings up more questions about what’s going on. But either way...

I can only hope that our boy returns home.

[thenonbinarydetective]

Kingdom Hearts 3-Holy shit I’m Crying

*spoilers*

I honestly am not as disappointed as some people that I’ve seen on here talk about it. It might have something to do with me starting in 2011 with BBS. KH1 came out when I was only two so there’s my excuse. I’ve played them all now. It really did lead me, however, to not feel as though we’ve been waiting as long as 12/13 years for Kingdom Hearts 3. Not to cause drama between anyone but KH3 pretty much would not be possible with all these side games. But whatever Don’t @ me about this lol

Also I know it’s not the end. They/Nomura have already confirmed that Kingdom Hearts 3 isn’t the end. There’s still a future.

Look this series is about hope so maybe a version of what we hoped would happen will still happen. For example, more than a nod of Ven and Roxas interacting. Or Terra and Riku having a special reunion. It may be too late for that but a heart-to-heart between the two of them could make up for it. I got excited hearing Riku mention him in the Realm of Darkness to Mickey(also still keeping there promise a secret between them. He probably could’ve told Mickey though).

Anyway I have hope that it will just get better. This game is phenomenal and possibly hit all the points I expected it to. There could be things that haven’t come right back to me yet. They’ll come back.

This game was a lot and it was emotional. Extremely. And there’s still more which brings a simultaneous better and worse feeling.

I’m probably forgetting things on both sides but here we go

What I Liked/Loved

Xemnas’ and Ansem’s endings: In the end they weren’t evil. Xemnas was alone. Ansem and Riku admitting they’d (almost) miss being apart from each other. They weren’t redeemed but changed.

Jason Dohring apparently saw the reviews that said his voice was flat and boring in BBS. My man went IN on those emotions. seriously amazing

The way Sora went OFF WHEN WILLIAM TURNER GOT STABBED

The fact the Eraqus literally came out of Terra to talk Xehanort down

Also the fact that that worked

Just anything involving Eraqus because I love him so much

Say what you want about Frozen I loved the Let it Go sequence in the game. Honestly it was like watched the movie and then fucking Goofy just appears. Iconic. Love it.

THE UNION CHI SCENE. Those were real names I recognized some of them

the second of Ephemer

and the Starlight Keyblade

Chirithy waiting for Ven

and then finding Ven

Vanitas being the cocky sack of shit that I love dearly

Vanitas getting repeatedly yeeted by Sully

 Terra cradling Ven

Xigbar/Braig being Luxu this whole time and finessing Xehanort to give him what he wanted

Terra chasing around Roxas and Riku in the end

Isa joining Lea, Roxas, and Xion

(almost) Everyone playing on Destiny Islands

Mother Gothel’s and Hans’ Heartless designs, although I don’t see why because they both already were heartless from the start

The fact that Olympus was more than just fighting in the Coliseum. It’s the first time I’ve actually liked going there.

Also seeing Zeus as much as I find him repulsive. It was nice seeing him 

 Hephaestus’ forge being a ‘secret’ location

The Final World 

Terra’s return was everything I wanted it to be. From the arrival of the Lingering Will and it’s clash with Terranort. The Guardian revealed to be Terra all along. Then the Guardian tearing off the bandages and kicking his own body’s ass. With a Sora assist

Terqua is actually canon now

The typically repeated worlds aren’t there

The combat is beautiful

I did not stop running about every wall I could

and then jumping off immediately after

The entire scene of Xemnas, Xion, Lea, and Roxas. Just it’s good.

Especially with Saix/Isa just standing in the background full berserk mode while everyone is having a somewhat casual conversation

Yen sid actually getting off his ass

Two Baymaxes

I know I said I liked the worlds for being different from usual but I liked how well Big Hero 6, Tangled, and Frozen fit in to the story with CGI

How beautiful the Land of Departure looked

and Scala Ad Caelum

The fact that Drake Bell was Eraqus blows me away for some reason

The Kingdom Dance in Corona was adorable

The selfies

The Instagram post

Everyone looked GORGEOUS

The end for the Organization members were meaningful. They were becoming human again. It had emotion and heart and all felt true to character. I can’t wait to play more games with Luxord’s somebody.

Specifically, I liked how they weren’t exactly villains we just need to fight in the end.

The number of worlds matching with our number of friends to save at the end

Defeating Xehanort with the Crystal Snow Keyblade was the greatest decision I made. Beating up this old fucker as Olaf mercilessly watches was an experience that cannot be repeated

What I disliked

The pacing and/or structure of the story was off. We spend forever exploring the worlds. Then five minutes before the final battle we rush off and get Aqua and Ven.

Also Sora apparently had the Power of Waking the whole damn time

and Ven waiting that long to tell him

And Yen Sid can’t see that

But he needed like 9 more life lessons before he realizes he has it

then he abuses the hell out of it(with good reason) after knowing he has it

The Heartless/Unversed/Nobody battle(s) before the battles with the Organization just take too damn long to get through

Like I would prefer just the first H/U/N battle and then the Union Chi one.

They both stood out more. All the monster we face are now brought together

We are also brought into the game with Ephemer

Also Kairi thing was just bull

really don’t have to say more everyone gets it

I don’t have much problem with Xehanort’s end but I do kinda understand that it’s weird how after fighting 2 dramatic battles he kinda just dies...and hands Sora the X-blade

Another thing is that his motivations have always been...experimental extremist I guess. But somehow it came off that he was trying to be....okay. A lot of ellipses yes but that’s emphasizing my confusion. He’s not...okay

Namine was thrown right in the end there wasn’t she?

I wish my beloved gremlin got a better ending. Vanitas could’ve been really interesting character to build up on if a being or abomination of pure darkness tried to gain his own light. Maybe he’s not over. Who knows?

As Kingdom Hearts 3 is the end of a part of the story. I wanted it feel more like the ending of a book rather than the ending of a chapter, right?

It’s conclusion perhaps shouldn’t have left people just waiting for the next one but waiting for the next one with more positive reasons

WHERE WAS MAXIE?? WHY WASN’T HE WAITING FOR GOOFY TO COME HOME????

Some of you shippers need to behave

As much as I loved the Tangled and Frozen worlds Sora was very much disconnected from the story. Mostly, Tangled. More than half the movie progresses without Sora being anywhere near Rapunzel or Flynn. Or that whole bit in the Ice Labyrinth in Frozen. Then far away from the castle as Elsa was arrested and Anna freezing

In other worlds(this game and in others) Sora was apart of the story but these two he showed up and interacted for a bit then left

A lot of the rescuing for the other characters happened off-screen with Riku and Mickey

Which brings me to the point that I kinda wanted everyone to be saved earlier on and maybe join Sora on some adventures

Everyone else just felt oddly unimportant

I get that Sora is the main character but saving the other technically main characters was believed to be a big part of the story just didn’t happen

The part with Terranort was just off. Although it is a bit of a common thing that to stop a death you can be set back in time before it happened to stop it. The second time Sora was aware and changed it. It doesn’t really make sense to why the Lingering Will appeared that other time. Did he appear the first time around but was too late? and did Sora give him the extra second he needed?

Did it even need to happen? who knows?

I still love the game regardless of it’s flaws. Nothing’s perfect and no matter what Square gave us people would’ve complained. I also really don’t think some of you should go as far to say that Square Enix can’t make good things anymore because it wasn’t 100% what you wanted. That’s just rude and kinda lame.

The game gives me hope above all things

[happymeishappylife]

So I finally beat KH3

As many of you know, I’ve spent my time delaying beating the game mainly because I didn’t have tons of time with work and studying for an exam to play, but also after waiting for 17 years to play the game, I didn’t want to rush through it. Especially because I had a fun time doing all the extra/silly quests in the game and exploring the worlds. But once it got very grindy and I learned the secret reports could only be done after beating the story (hate that mechanic), I decided to finally finish the story. And now I want to provide my critique on the game based on my initial experience.

And in case any of you have extended out your playthrough, I’ll leave spoilers below and warn you here. So SPOILERS!

Story:

Everyone whether they have played Kingdom Hearts or not, knew before this game started that the storyline has become complicated and ridiculous, but its part of the charm. I think there was some hesitation to see the storyline finish out, but I’m glad that this game did what it promised and at least closed the Xehanort chapter. However, it was not satisfying to see him “die.”

I mean this dude has been fucking EVERYONE over for decades. And has always been one step ahead, so of course finishing him off was the best thing the game could give you. But then they wanted to go through the whole game picturing him as a little kid, lost in fantasies and theories of light and dark and so at the end as a magical ghost version of Master Eraqus appears and forgives him for literally destroying everything, we’re (the player) supposed to be okay with him turning back into an innocent little kid and just disappearing? I hated it. I don’t have any sympathy for this dude and the fact that they tried to make him sympathetic, made me mad. And that also had to do for the very unsatisfactory battles and “deaths” of the new organization 13 crew because other than Vanitas and Terra-Xehanort, I didn’t care about any of them, though we’ll dive in deeper to the more problematic ones in a second. So to conclude, I’m glad that this chapter is closed.

Okay, so when I say problematic Organization members, let’s talk about the ones who have more history than the game. Not the ones who apparently just love to die over and over again (and yes I’m aware that those battles weren’t deaths, that these people are going to be real again, but that’s even more of a let down to be honest, but that could just be me.) So let’s start with a focus on Young Xehanort. Now that he’s gone back to his time knowing that his ultimate plan is failing, does history just play out? Does he forget everything? That’s the only loose end, I’m cautious about and don’t trust that the game designers will leave alone. Then again when I think of great moments of potentially great storyline the game designers just blink an eye at, so hopefully I’m wrong. Next, Xion. How exactly did she get to be there again? I’m assuming a replica, but all of a sudden she was there again with no pomp and circumstance. Which seems odd because I thought she was part of Sora… Especially since she is connected to Kairi still… But okay, cool she’s back and that magically made Roxas appear? Yay! But how? Replica? Not? I don’t know. He just magically appeared. Let’s move on, like the game designers did.

Now for the main two members I’m interested in. Thanks to completing the secret reports, I’m very intrigued about this storyline of this missing girl, Isa, and Lea. Mainly because this girl means something to them, but supposedly she means nothing to no one, so what’s the story there? I hope that gets explored somewhere. The second is Xigbar/Luxu because why did he have to be the important one. He’s super annoying! But apparently that means there might be more of him in the future… Boo! But of course we need more plot for more games, so lets see what happens. Especially since he ties in to the teased storyline of the black box. I mean I totally forgot about it, Maleficent, or Pete until that ending scene so it will be interesting to see where it goes from there.

Now let’s focus on the main group of characters. Beginning with the trio who to me has had so much potential, so many unanswered questions, and a completely heartfelt, but at the same time lackluster ending. Aqua, Ventus, and Terra are finally reunited and then practically forgotten at the end of the game. It’s so disappointing. I mean Aqua and Terra are some of the strongest and most kickass characters and they get reduced to just orphan children which sucks. I mean I hope they get peace now, but I also hope they come back super strong, if they come back at all.

Alright, unpopular opinion ahead, you’ve been warned…

I’m surprised the game designers decided to “murder” Kairi. I mean technically they did send Sora to the afterworld, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, but beyond my surprise that’s the only emotion I felt. I used to love her, but really… Kairi’s a useless character. She barely fights, she has no other conviction other than she is a princess of light and a constant light to Sora, and her dialogue is so vapid and unimportant when its meant to be sincere. To be honest, I was glad when Xemnas took her. I mean, she made Sora look weak, when he’s not at all, and I was glad she was gone. But then that brings me to the biggest let down of the game and that’s the end.

I don’t get Kairi and Sora’s link anymore. They’ve spent way more time a part then together at this point, how are they still in love? They don’t really act like it either. So I was devastated when Sora goes on this journey to find her and the end scene shows her alive and well and him just disappearing? Fuck that noise! At least the secret ending eluded to the fact he’s not dead and also that he’s reunited with his boyfriend, because I’m sorry, he and Riku are the ones who should be in a relationship. It’s made sense for so long and their relationship has depth. But for some reason the game designers are scared to commit to it, so instead they want you to believe the whole, well if Kairi is with Sora, then Namine must be with Riku even though that’s semi creepy since Namine and Kairi are somewhat the same. It’s like saying both boys are into the same girl, when really they are into each other, duh…

This also is because I adore Sora to death. I’ve always called him my monkey boy, and he’s an idiot most of the time and naïve, but he grew a lot in this game so I’m sad to see him be forced to go pining after Kairi just because this game gave him so much more maturity.

So we’ll see where things go. I hope the secret ending is an illusion to the next game, but if that means Sora’s in the real world, that’s a bizarre thought. At least he learned selfie tricks to help him get by in today’s day and age.

As I mentioned I didn’t like some of the storyline directions. I mean they did a great job of working with the worlds, but then there were weird moments like when we come across Vanitas the first time and Donald, Goofy, and Sora are just like, that’s weird, but he must be crazy. Not the psycho dark side of Ven they’ve been told about. Instead, let’s just forget they ran into him for a bit. Okay… Then when you have Sora on his knees, crying about the death of his friends, how do you make him so cheerful to learn he’s essentially dead as he reached the Final World and wants to come back to visit Chirithy? Okay… It all really comes to a head when you have to have Woody pretty much say what we’re all thinking to Young Xehanort which is essentially “I don’t know where you are going with this, but I don’t care” to sum up the problems with the storyline.

Now beyond this, I love the moments in the worlds and how the true essence of the game was captured as Sora, Donald, and Goofy just stumble into worlds, don’t understand a thing, and yet somehow make friends. Pirates was the best example of this because all the main characters pretended they didn’t exist. It was hilarious. I was just sad there weren’t more worlds. I mean what they did was great, but they could have had more and added more depth.

Also one of the best moments gets a shoutout, because having Yen Sid be awesome at the end was such a thrill!

Gameplay:

Overall, really, really fun! I loved that they brought together all the elements of the games, like forms, focus drive, links, and magic into the game and then added the ridiculous elements of the attraction based attacks, wall running, and parkour moves into this addition. It made for fast paced, action packed, awesome flow during fight scenes with silly consequences thanks to all the keyblade forms. I also loved the uniqueness to all the blades and the overall attention to detail they gave each and everyone of them. Especially how they interacted in other worlds. It was fantastic!

I loved that instead of journal, we got a phone. I loved that you could take pictures and get new selfie poses (though why that’s when most of the game is over, I don’t understand). Heck half the fun was taking pictures of random people just because you could. It was fun! I also loved the Classic Kingdom Games because they were well thought out to play off the old school arcade games. The keyblade you get for collecting all of them is silly but powerful which is great! The only thing I didn’t like, like I mentioned above, was that the secret reports you can’t even collect until after beating the game. I would have rather gotten everything and then beaten it, but it forced my hand. Sigh…

I loved cooking with Remy! That may have been my favorite part! It’s just a sweet way to include Ratatouille and not diminish the whole point of that story and you get to see Sora be a terrible cook, because he is. The keyblade you get for helping Remy is also my favorite one in the game. I want to make it so badly and cosplay with it. Plus there was something satisfying at the end by trying to defeat Xehanort with a frying pan and screaming, “Flambe his Ass!” that added to the mood.

I loved travelling through the worlds, I loved the openness of the maps, even though they still guided you places. I loved the aesthetic and the Unreal Engine made everything gorgeous. It got annoying after a while to hear Goofy and Donald talk about finding nearby ingredients, but helpful when looking for all the damn emblems! I loved their costumes and the way they treated the design for Toy Story and Monsters Inc. I’m in love with Sora’s Pirate’s costume, I want to also make that and cosplay in that! Maybe a mix between the that costume and keyblade? Could be fun!

The gummiship was a nice mix between 1 and 2’s style, though the fights were ridiculous and hurt my hands from trying to beat the missions. I loved the idea of constellations, but why were the designs so random? I also love the ‘Treasure Planets’ though can we have an actual Treasure Planet World? That would be amazing!!

There’s two main things about the gameplay I didn’t like though. First, the boss battles were too easy. I mean except for not protecting my pirate ship, which was bullshit, I never once died. All the cutscenes where Sora’s heavy breathing or on the ground defeated, I was like, this is crap because this was so easy. I want a challenge! So I’ll play again on Proud mode and see if it’s better. I mean not even the secret battles were hard, but admittedly I was battling them around level 70 by that point so that could be why…

And I wish they had done the fights with the Organization members better. I mean it was so jaunting to fight three enemies and kill one just to have a pause in the fight where everyone let so-and-so have their last words. Thoughtful, I guess, but dumb and if you want each death to be meaningful you could have done it so much better. Because I could have felt more for Larxene, if Marluxia wasn’t about to Axe me, ten seconds later. What I thought would have been cool is one-on-one battles and playing as all the different keyblade wielders. I mean, don’t tease me by letting me play as Riku a couple times, and Aqua once, if you won’t let me play with them at the end! That’s so not fair! I mean I love Sora, and he’s powerful, but there would have been so much more sweet justice getting to fight certain members as the other characters. Like Roxas for example. How badass would that have been to come back and beat down on Saix and Xemnas? But they didn’t let me!!!! Sad day…

Overall Rating: 8/10 Because ultimately, I did have fun. I will play it again despite the issues I had, and it still is one of my all time series.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

[nadziejastar]

NO FEAR: IsaLea is still subtly canon (ill take what I’ll get) and Skuld comes and they become a platonic trio. No Isa/Skuld or Lea/Skuld (writers could try to flip it on us). FEAR: Skuld eats up all the attention in the trio. Isa and Lea’s characterization gets reduced to one dimensional fanboys. Skuld paired up with Isa or Lea. We stick in forced pairing hell and there will be ship wars.

NIGHTMARE: The writers make Skuld and either Isa or Lea get married and have a kid. I don’t think push it THAT far. I dunno if they’ll truly go through with a romantic pairing. But I’m gonna lose hope and interest if they do. 

Sora: Kairi, I’ll keep you safe.

Kairi: Let me keep you safe.

Well, if you ask me, Lea and Isa were already reduced to one-dimensional fanboys in KH3. Lea was more of a one-dimensional fanboy for different characters, though. And in future games, he’ll probably continue to be portrayed that way. I’ve already lost interest. The only hope I have left is the sick humor I’ll get watching all the characters get destroyed. Lea and Kairi’s role in the final battle was supposed to be saving Isa from Xehanort’s control. But since that idea was thrown in the trash, they had no real reason to be there anymore. Thus, they became totally irrelevant to the plot. Roxas conveniently arrived just in time to take Lea’s place, while Xion arrived to take Kairi’s place.

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

Kairi: No… Sora’s in danger because of me…

Kairi wanted to prove herself during her training. She wanted to keep Sora and the others safe for a change. And she does! She becomes a real hero instead of a damsel-in-distress. Psyche! She actually regresses to be an even MORE useless damsel than ever before! 

Her new friend Axel doesn’t even react when she’s kidnapped. Kairi, who? Who cares about her? Roxas Stu and Xion Sue are here! Time for a big snuggly hug! But wait. Now there’s more Guardians of Light than necessary. Kairi is superfluous. How can we make her important? Well, I guess she can motivate Sora again? A-hyuk! How does her fight with Saïx go? Exactly like it did before she could wield a Keyblade, of course! She is simply the fire to fuel Sora’s anger…again.

Kairi: I’m training to become a Keyblade wielder like you. That’s right. No more waiting for you to come back from your adventures.

It’s okay. She still has a happy ending! While everyone else celebrates, she gets to imagine Sora is with her while crying to herself. Sure, everyone starts to worry as she’s hallucinating. But it’s okay. Sora will be back. 

Donald: Kairi, you were great!

Kairi: Oh?

Sora: You are different, Kairi, but I’m just glad you’re here!

Kairi: You and Riku never came home, so I came looking for you.

Any minute now. She’ll just wait right here for him to come back.

Lea: Ah, I’ll catch up with ya in no time flat.

Sora: What? You wanna be a Keyblade Master?

Lea: Yeah. I mean, I came here to learn how to wield one.

Lea wanted to prove himself as a Keyblade wielder as well. He put himself at risk using the D.T.D just to find Mickey. All so he could become a wielder and find Isa. He believes that inside people’s memories, he can live forever. He spends the whole game training with Kairi in preparation for the final battle. Yeah…Lea was a pretty cool character. 

Xigbar: Axel!

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

Xigbar: You’re not supposed to be here!

Xigbar was right. Lea, you aren’t supposed to be here.

Axel: You kidding? Do you know how popular I am? I got loads of people rootin’ for me. Sorry, boss. No one axes Axel. Got it memorized?

That’s better.

Sora & Riku: YOU!?

Lea: Hey, thanks for the vote of confidence. You know, I was gonna come swooping in, Keyblade in hand! But I just couldn’t get mine to materialize. Must be in the snap of the wrist or something.

For some reason, Lea stopped caring about Isa, and his sole purpose in life became…Roxas…again. A character who he has…no ability to bring back, actually. Not even with his snazzy new Keyblade. So, what now? How can he still be useful?

Lea: You had your perfect little script, but you kinda forgot to write the sequel. Now, let’s find out what happens!

Few people realize that Lea—excuse me, AXEL— was breaking the fourth wall all the way back in KH3D. He knew exactly what would happen!And instead of braving the darkness, rescuing his friend, and becoming a hero…Axel gets benched. Literally. He gets to watch from the bleacher seats.

Lea: Promises to keep. I’ll always be there to get my friends back. What, bad timing? 

Well, whaddaya know? It turns out that getting his ass handed to him was just the magic spark Roxas Stu needed to magically arrive and save the day. Axel fanboys over Roxas Stu’s sheer awesomeness! Roxas Stu smiles at Axel with a cool expression. Roxas Stu is back, so Axel has served his purpose. He tells Axel that his five minutes are up now. It’s HIS turn.

Xemnas: Ah, ever the rogue pawn. Knocked from the board early in the game. Utterly useless and forgotten.

Whoa, Xemnas can break the fourth wall, too? He sure called it ahead of time. But it’s okay. He is more than happy about it. He compliments Roxas Stu and Xion Sue for their amazing prowess with the Keyblade! Those two are old pros, unlike him, after all! A-hyuck!

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

This picture is a fairly decent representation of KH3′s Isa. He’s on his knees, alone, being looked down on by everyone. Lea is disgusted with him. He’s lost all sense of purpose…in the story, that is. If you think about Isa’s canon story, he and Lea try to rescue a girl that they barely know, and are not sure even exists. They become apprentices just for her, then get turned into Nobodies. They devote their lives to finding information about this girl, and they conspire to make Saïx Xemnas’ right-hand man. Saïx is so obsessed with this random girl, he drifts apart from Axel and becomes…a sociopath. Yep, that’s all folks. You were expecting a tragic backstory? Nope! There’s no intriguing human experiment plot! Just girl drama.

Maleficent: You see? It’s just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, now he values them far more than he does you. You’re better off without that wretched boy. Now, think no more of him and come with me. I’ll help you find what you’re searching for…

Roxas Stu and Xion Sue observe with pity as Axel’s OLD best friend gets put in his place. As his NEW best friends, they are rewarded with brand-new DLC packs…starring them, of course. They were always special after all. The only Keyblade users in Days. But it wasn’t enough for them to simply steal Axel and Kairi’s first and only fight as wielders. Now they need MORE screen time so we can bask in their glory.

Axel: You let them reduce you to this?

Axel does break the fourth wall a lot in KH3. Well, he was actually doing it here, too. He’s not referring to Organization XIII when he asks this—he was talking about Square Enix and Disney. He’s asking Isa how he let himself get turned into such a pathetic character. And the answer is simple: Axel went off and made other friends. More POPULAR friends. So he got left in the dust. From a narrative standpoint, that’s exactly what happened.

Riku: Take care of her.

Somewhere along the way, Saïx became part-Xehanort. The implication in KH3 was that he willingly became a vessel, since he wasn’t being controlled like Terra was, and Lea was disgusted at how he let himself get reduced to his state. So, he basically sacrificed his humanity JUST to find this random girl. Totally believable actions from a complex and multi-dimensional character, right? Then he became obsessed with power…or something? Meanwhile, Axel makes other friends. Saïx gets jealous and becomes a giant asshole, and now he has to redeem himself by getting replicas for Lea’s NEW bestest friends. 

He then quietly fades away in the background, out of shame. It’s an utterly sad and pathetic story, really. One more fitting for a tragic villain than someone on the side of the good guys. I can’t decide which would be worse. Isa and Skuld actually getting together, and rewarding this horrible characterization…or Isa continuing to degrade himself for her while his feelings go unrequited. I remember how much I despised Riku’s character arc in KH1, and how pissed off I was during his ending scene. I was SO grateful that the future games stepped away from shit like this. But now, it’s back, I guess.

Roxas: You’re me, so you can feel what I felt.

Sora: No. Roxas, you’re you. We’re not the same. I wanted to tell you that. That you deserve as much as I do to be your own person.

Personally I doubt that Isa and Skuld will actually become a couple. I think Isa’s fate is to be the same as the Riku Replica. Naminé brainwashed him, and implanted false memories inside of him to make him think he was in love with her. He became obsessed with a phantom girl to the point where he wanted to kill his childhood friend, Sora. He finds out the truth about how their relationship was a fraud and never existed in the first place. Then he dies.

Then comes back! But…he sacrifices his only chance at having his own life. Like Isa, he did it “all for her”. In a narrative sense, he was sacrificed as a pawn in order to bring back Naminé. She needs the replica more (ie. is more popular) than him. And nobody needs him, since the REAL Riku is already around anyways. A faithful replica until the very end. Isa served the same purpose in KH3. His arc was sacrificed in order to concoct an excuse to bring Roxas and Xion back, and also to put the spotlight on Skuld from now on.

Riku Replica: So…it’s over. Hmph. Death doesn’t frighten me. Good riddance to a phony life. My heart was never real. I’m sure even what I’m feeling now is probably all fake.

Riku: What are you feeling?

Riku Replica: What happens when a fake dies—one like me? Where will my heart go? Does it disappear?

Riku: It’ll go somewhere. Maybe to the same place as mine.

Riku Replica: Tsk. A faithful replica until the very end. That’s…okay.

Riku Replica had a MUCH more dignified death in CoM. He rejected the fake memories he had. He resented the fact that he was a fake replica. He didn’t have to go to the Dark Realm or the afterlife. He was always a part of Riku. So ultimately, he went back to him. They had the same heart—they were the same person. I thought that was a fitting end, and his final words were quite compelling actually. KH3 plays up the fact that replicas are totally unique individuals, yet treats Riku Replica as being even more disposable than before. But it’s okay. He’s happy about it. A-hyuk!