#also chirithy is kind of there????

[kitkat-the-muffin]

JUST BEFORE THE END OF MERMAY I RETURN WITH A FINISHED COLLAB!!!!

Sketch, lineart, and character design by @420penisdelirious69

Background, flat colors, and shading by @kitkat-the-muffin (me)

[Click for higher quality]

This is the context for when my friend asked me to color all my favorite characters drowning

He told me this AU has more stuff to it and that it’s a Sorikai Little Mermaid AU where Riku is kind of sort of Ursula but all three of them end up together in the end

Anyway I just think this is SO CUTE and I put a lot of effort into the background and stuff so I hope ya’ll like it too

Alternate versions below the read-more!

He called this the “censored version” lmbo

The following two are the same but without the top layers, so the colors pop out more

Please do NOT repost anywhere. We barely trust Tumblr to not convert our collabs into AI and we do NOT trust any other site at all

[nikutsuneart]

Hello!

So, I have a question, and it might just be me being Stupid, or not remembering right, but I always found it odd that Kairi was one of the three keys to finding Sora, according to the Fairy Godmother at the end of Melody of Memory.

I understand Riku being one: he's got the dream, the Dream Eater Link and the Power of Waking to actually cross the portal.

I understand Nameless Star being one: she's the one from Quadratum and the only one who can create the portal Riku needs.

But I don't understand how Kairi's memories are actually important. Is it simply a matter of understanding what Quadratum is (Unreality) in order for Riku to safely go through?

Maybe I'm missing something crucial, but I feel like Fairy Godmother could have just sent Riku off immediately when she told him about his dream in Radiant Garden. It almost feel like they included Kairi just to exclude her even more.

Anyway, love your stuff! Take care! Bye!

Hey there! No, I don't think you missed anything.

So I think most people would simply chalk it up to them having some kind of special connection, but then miss the rest of what they were showing us. And while I think they could have moved things forward literally any other way and had the same result, (ie fairy godmother just taking riku to nameless star post important dream revelation) I think they were taking this opportunity to make a few things clear;

playing directly into that expectation of a Big Special Connection, they make a point out of the fact that searching her heart resulted in nothing by way of any direct lead to Sora despite being at it for a year. ("You seek clues to Sora's whereabouts by using your memories of him to search through your own heart. But there's nothing for you to find here.")

it's a simple opportunity to glimpse a bit more into her past, what's lurking beneath the surface of her memories and what happened to her. This is what actually gives them a clue.

making it painfully clear that riku is leaving, in fact he's already left, and that he's going alone. (though they definitely could have made up any better reason to shelve her than "training" lol)

Also this isn't to say Sora and Kairi don't have a special connection! Obviously Sora shows up and takes the reigns for a hot minute (whatever that was), I just mean that their connection may not be what's assumed, by kairi (even riku, hence his initial hesitancy and confusion) and the audience, yknow???

Anyway yeah, it just kinda is what it is. Like, these cutscenes in khmom were decided upon suddenly and rather late in the project. Originally it was just going to be chirithy narrating so I think it was genuinely just an opportunity to give Kairi a little bit of somethin' vs the usual nothin'. A little somethin that doesn't really hurt anything aside from maybe people's expectations lol;;

[cosmosnout]

KH OC WEEK 2024

Day 2: Past

Shiro

Though Shiro themselves no longer remembers much about their past, they had quite an adventurous childhood. Shiro’s life has been rough and tumble from the very beginning as a young keybearer and they’re no stranger to finding themselves on an adventure.

The most important memories for Shiro are, of course, those spent with their friends in Twilight Town. Ephemer and Skuld were definitely considered Shiro’s best friends during that time, and the trio would spend countless hours running around trying to chase down the mysteries of the fortellers.

Shiro was also very close with their party members (the little weirdos from KHUX( /lovingly)) and would go on many adventures with them to grow stronger, and mostly to just have fun.

Chirithy and their dream eater companion where also very important people(creatures?)in Shiro’s life.

Shiro met the of the other dandelion leaders later on but didn’t have too much time with them due to the world kinda ending.

Usually during the time of fairytales, when someone discovers they were a keyblade weilder, they’d find themselves wondering into Twilight town one way or another. Shiro, however, was actually born there and doesn’t ever recall having a family or living outside of the town.

But yeah, otherwise, their childhood/pre-teen years were spent following the plot of KHUX, with the exception that they got to spend more time with Ephemer and Skype before being forced to part ways.

As children, Aiko and Viktor had a dream of building a spaceship to explore the stars with. They however, quickly realised that building a spaceship is a lot harder than storybooks made it out to be, so they instead settled on just looking at the stars.

It is still a memory they think fondly of years later. Not necessarily because of the absurdity of two children managing to build a functioning space ship, but because it was something they promised to do together. A promise of staying together.

(They immediately get separated, once they leave their world LMAO)

Viktor and Aiko both grew up pretty secluded from the rest of the world and had very little interactions with others.

Doing pretty much everything together was kind of a given, so having become separated from each other in the future neither of them took it very well.

Codependent idiots (lovingly) but they learn to exist outside of each other once they become older I swear.

I imagine their childhood home being a bit out of town near a beautiful meadow and forest that they’d play in.

(Oh, and they totally build that spaceship in the future once they realise that magic exists. It is extremely awesome, and I’d like to think Ansem’s apprentices will help them out with it once they finally get acquainted somewhere post kh3.)

Similar to Aiko and Viktor Merin and Tähti have been together since quite literally their birth. (Coming into existence together with no idea what you are is quite the bonding experience.)

Their creation happened under quite the confusing circumstances that naturally just had to involve old man Xehanort in it. Having had some unexplained part in their previous person's destruction, Xehanorts took the two under his wing for a short while. However, once he discovers the cause of the extraction failing (having both light and darkness extracted from the heart at the same time), he is quick to leave the two to fend for themselves as he continued on to advance his own goals.

(His goals were to create Vanitas. He just needed to know if extracting darkness from people was possible.) also, I say “unexplained part” in their creation, bc there’s no way that cryptic mummy gave them any sort of clear explanation for anything.

Vanitas was at least born with some sort of purpose and understanding of what he is, while these two were left to figure it out on their own.

You know those videos of otters holding hands while they float on top of water? Yeah, that’s what I think of when I think of Merin and Tähti.

They were pretty much in the same emotional state of ‘head empty’ as Roxas was when he first awakened.

They’ve come a long way from then tho

Also, I think for the two of them, having no idea who their previous person was is kinda like just having a whole piece of their being and self be missing. Just waking up someday to be told that you used to be somebody else, or more precisely, a part of somebody else, and now you need to exist outside of that person while also having no idea who that person was or if you’re really even your own person or just a part of somebody else.

Since I’m definitely more of an artist than a writer, I thought I’d add some other older drawings that I thought would fit the prompt. (TW old art /j)

@khoc-week

[chongoblog]

My favorite thing about Kingdom Hearts theories (specifically related to stuff for the current group of upcoming games) is that they're all equally likely because they're all equally baseless. So yeah Demyx is MoM and so is Sora and Xehanort and Chirithy or whatever also Onion is Yellow Diamond

I mean, kind of a false equivalence because everything you just said is completely true

[corishadowfang]

Do you have any headcanons or story ideas for Skuld and Ventus’ relationship?

I think I've mentioned it before, but I kind of wish I'd gotten to dig more into their relationship in Dandelion Seeds. I could totally imagine Skuld being a mentor figure for him--spending a lot of time with him on missions to try and teach him the ropes.

I could also see her developing a sort of older sibling-esque relationship with Ven. She and Lauriam alternate between working together to keep an eye on him and butting heads, haha. (She does worry about Ven, but she's just as likely to drag him into shenanigans with her and Ephemer as she is to keep him out of trouble. Lauriam has decidedly mixed feelings about this.)

Skuld teaches Ven some pranks he can play on people and Lauriam is much less amused.

(Ven provides her with seashells as compensation.)

I think the two of them probably connect a lot over the idea of struggling to make friends at first; Skuld gets it a lot better than the others, and Ven tends to talk to her a lot about his experiences before being a Union Leader.

They both love the Spirit pets. They have a habit of stealing and hiding them before they're sent out to the Dandelions--mostly because they want the chance to play with them for a bit, haha. Brain has considered making them their own just so they'd stop.

(It'd do nothing; they'd just have extra helpers.)

Ven has made friends with Skuld's Chirithy. He's occasionally seen walking around with both hers and his, to the bafflement and eventual resignation of the rest of the Union Leaders.

Skuld and Ephemer I feel like would get competitive when on missions, and I think eventually Ven gets dragged into the competition, haha. (Somewhere, Brain is laughing and Lauriam is going gray from stress.)

They like to exchange stories; Skuld knows a lot of stories, and Ven's good at making them up, so a lot of the time they'll just sit and toss ideas back and forth.

I'll cut the headcanons off there, haha, but as for story ideas--for a while, I was playing around with an idea of the two of them meeting up in the future, realizing that they both lack memories, and going, "Hey, maybe we can help each other out." And then going on a journey across the worlds to try and find out more. It was eventually dropped, but admittedly, I wouldn't mind if something like this happened in canon, haha.

[starlightwayfinder]

Who are your top 3 favorite Kingdom Hearts characters, and if you want to give thoughts on why, what makes you like them?

- ScalaCaelumX

@scalacaelumx Thank you for the ask!! My current top three favorites are 1. Ventus, 2. Terra, and 3. YX. (Sorry Aqua! I really love her too.)

Ven has been my favorite character since I became a KH fan. (So.. for the last 7 years! 💖) 

I love his “quiet but kind” personality, paired with his eagerness to make friends. Even though Birth by Sleep is a tragedy, there is still a heartwarming side to the story thanks to him. And I love him in UX too! His relationship with the other Union leaders is adorable.

He’s been though a lot so far, and we know there’s more to come, but Terra and Aqua (and Chirithy now!) are there at his side. I’m really looking forward to seeing them again.

Also, it makes me happy that he loves stargazing. (Me too, Ven! ✨)

Terra!! He wasn’t originally one of my favorites, but after rewatching BbS so many times he really grew on me. He’s so protective, and also a bit on the quiet side (most of the time, that is). Plus he’s a very gentle character around his friends, especially in KH3. It’s hard to say who my favorite character is design-wise, but the Lingering Will might take the cake. 

I never would’ve guessed he would make my “top 3”, but… then Dark Road happened! (I kinda blame the secret ending for being the tipping point—seeing tiny Xeha talk about the friends from his dreams!)

Honestly, Xehanort is such an interesting character.  I really love that he turned out to be empath, and the ‘Child of Destiny’ twist was such a surprise. As much as I love bright and cheery characters like Ven, I have a soft spot for somber characters like him too. 💔

He’s also become my go-to character to doodle; I actually have more drawings of him than any other character in my art albums. (So, he’s also a candidate for ‘favorite design’.)

[72degreescold]

Do you have any Ven headcanons you would like to share?

OH BOY DO I!

He def takes Aqua & Terra at their word in pretty much every regard; upon waking, he felt bad and guilty that he missed everything and they went through so much, but they assured him a handful of times that - they may not be okay now, but they will be and the best thing he can do for them now is be happy and safe.

The news  (read: return of memories) will crush him. Right now he’s perfectly comfy with himself. Maybe not thrilled about the whole x-blade and sleeping for a decade thingy, but knows now that he and Vanitas are separate entities; if anything he feels a little better knowing it wasn't his darkness that resulted in such a malicious creature - and he definitely does over think the fact that Vanitas was hiding in him (or  that he was technically possessed-cause to be fair, who hasn't be). He just takes everything at face value… for now.

Also def does not question his ties to Chirithy either. He's a little confused about it, but it just feels right to have it there so he goes with it.

He’s oblivious to the fact that Aqua is a little hesitant about the creature. Terra is similarly oblivious, but also does not overthink it since he doesn't pick up any kind of malicious vibes - which he's gotten better at doing. A little. 

Slightly less but still petulant that Aqua & Terra dont want him going anywhere alone. Still, he recognizes that it's important to them so he feels it’s the least he can do - even if it’s driving him up a wall cause he wants to help out with Sora (assuming it took them a while to leave for their trip to the Realm of Darkness).

He REALLY enjoyed frisbee with Lea & Isa; he’s genuinely shocked as details about Lea/axel’s past trickle out over time (and it will feed into his eventual thoughts when the whole Laurium/Marluxia thing unfolds).

He’s not at all hesitant to hang out with Roxas and, if anything, he’s intrigued and wants to get to know him. Again, kinda oblivious to the fact Roxas might be hesitant to meet up, though he does pick up on the clues pretty quick and tries to be cognizant of making sure he doesn’t make Roxas uncomfy.

He does NOT do well in the Realm of Darkness. It’s (darkness) resonating with something in him (shifty eyes) that gives him those piercing, groan-inducing headaches and makes him all shaky and sweaty, but he wants to help and doesnt want to worry Aqua and Terra so he doesnt say anything until oopsie - surely something of consequence happens.

Using his light in Realm of Darkness is either SUPER OP and leaves him practically catatonic after use or just straight up hurts to use. After all, the deeper the darkness, the brighter the light shines..

[hollowwhisperings]

Thank you for such an in depth response, I feel honored by it and that I was able to inspire you about the concepts and I agree. I had similar thoughts about the theming of Sora’s name and him being the void of space. Even had musings of how in primordial myths the heavens (sky) and the earth are considered the couple that brings about the first forms existence. Gaia and Ouranos and on the Egyptian mythos there was a love story of Geb (earth) and Nut (sky) although interesting enough geb and nut are kept separated by Ra (the sun).

But regardless, I’d say nomura is quite interesting and impressive to consistently yet subtly equate riku to that of deity so easily. Yes, I believe in riku being a dia in some sort. Probably kingdom hearts sending out an avatar to grow, or the king to kh reincarnated, or some other thing I can’t quite grasp right now but overall with the ending of the series hopefully not too much farther in our lifespan. This is why I enjoy reading and interacting with metas and theories especially about sora and riku and soriku because I said in a comment in a YouTube video that discussed the sleeping real theory and I said it feels like we have the right answers but just not forced into the right shape (a key perhaps 🫣) to unlock the final gate.

Riku has always had all those "subtle" visual shorthands used to denote super special celestia mystery powers (etc) but, like the Subtly OP antics of the Disneytowners (e.g. Donald casually casting the Boss-level spell 'Flare', Goofy tanking hits from Literal Deities with 1 shield & no apparent magic of his own), Riku looking "anime" gets brushed off as "standard JRPG aesthetic".

Naturally silver-haired youths in anime tend to be Plot-Relevant, typically having ☆Super Special Bloodlines☆, typically being Secret Royalty &/or related to Angels or Spirits.

(and it WAS suspiciously easy for Riku to just... BECOME Sora's Dream Eater, especially given what we know of the Chirithy spirits, their abilities to act as psychopomps, & whatever the Dream Eater crafting system in DDD may imply about Dream Eaters as a whole)

From what I can recall, the only naturally silver-haired characters original to KH are:

Riku

Ephemer

Xehanort (confirmed descendant of Ephemer)

Xemnas (Terranort)

Ienzo (taken in by the Always Sus Ansem the Wise, origins unknown)

From the Final Fantasy side of the crossovers, we have Setzer (who only appears in the DATA Daybreak Town, not the "real" one) and... Sephiroth.

For being such an "anime" JRPG, Kingdom Hearts is pretty sparing in its use of Anime Hair Colours. Aqua & Isa's blue hair aside, the colour palette is fairly "natural": pale blonds & yellows, oranges & pinks amongst the reds, browns & blacks. There aren't many characters old enough to have "grey" hair but the ones that do are ALSO fairly mysterious: Merlin, Fairy Godmother, Master Yen Sid, Zeus... Kairi's Mysteriously Knowledgable Grandmother (who i am, like, 75% convinced was a retired Princess of Heart). Even the "silver/white" House of Duck are all Very Suspicious: Donald is, canonically, the most powerful Black Mage of the FF franchise; Scrooge & Donald's Nephews casually worldhop for fun & profit as if they were Moogles or something.

So, yeah, even Riku's "anime boy" aesthetic is itself pretty Telling of Riku being Plot-Relevant. He's canonically part-spirit, after DDD, but his ability to do that at all IS unprecedented (just like his ability to Balance Light & Darkness within himself, like his Light being equated with the Sun, like his easy grasp on using Darkness...). Whatever the KH-universe equivalent of an "angel" may be, Ephemer & Riku seem closest to it. That Riku met JOSHUA (himself a kind of Gay Angel) in DDD does not seem at all a coincidence.

oh! there's also that whole [terra] sigil thing! Riku's costume/keyblade designs imcorporate it (i forget how) & THAT sigil is probably the in-universe namesake for Terra, the character. Rather than [earth] or [land], the [terra] sigil seems older & is likely referencing an "[original/first] earth" or mean "[land of origin]".

It makes me wonder whether Riku's parent/s were themselves Aware of Other Worlds? If he's a relative of Xehanort, it's plausible that Xehanort's Skuld-resembling mother learned about Xehanort's ending up at the Destiny Islands & their family possibly moving to the World in hopes of a reunion. Which... would mean they weren't just AWARE of Other Worlds but ALSO capable of traveling between them. This is probably going to Come Up in Missing Link.

[forza-finale]

KH OC Week 2023: Day 1 - Introductions

Here is my post for the first day of this year's @khoc-week - it's an introduction to my OC, Clio!

Clio Arvense is a friendly and outgoing Keyblade wielder from the ancient age of fairytales, who lives and trains in Daybreak Town. She belongs to the Union of Anguis, as part of a high-ranking party called SAPPHIRE❧ (my actual in-game party from back when KHUX was still online!). The Sapphires, as they're called, are known for their dedication to taking down raid bosses - they even managed to gain second place in their Union because of this - but Clio still maintains her kind and light-hearted nature regardless of situation, and she's never afraid to be there for her friends and fellow party members!

Clio is a strong and versatile Keyblade wielder, mostly favouring upright- or speed-based Keyblades due to her agile fighting style; she's most often seen wielding Sleeping Lion as a result. However, she has an array of Keyblades in their fully-upgraded forms, from Starlight to Counterpoint to Bad Guy Breaker to Fenrir - yet after the Keyblade War's end, she's been seen wielding Missing Ache a lot, too.

On the note of the Keyblade War, Clio was lucky enough to be chosen as a Dandelion due to her strong light; her Chirithy and her pet Foxstar, Tea Leaf, were instrumental in helping her through the days that followed, and even now are often at her side. She's also never seen without the trademark crown of clovers that always adorns her hair!

That's about all I can think to say for the moment, but if you have any questions about Clio then please feel free to ask them!! This is my first time participating in an event like this, so hopefully this is alright! Thank you very much for taking the time to read this ^-^

[aro-sora]

As the Daylight Breaks

An aro Strelitzia and aro Ventus fic for Aggressively Arospec Week!

Hearts will find their strength. Strelitzia and Ventus are proud of who they are, but even strength of the heart can't always save them.

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Rating: Gen

Characters: Strelitzia, Ventus

1078 words

No warnings

Read on AO3

@aggressivelyarospec

- Strelitzia reginae -

The decorations for Pride always made Strelitzia’s heart skip with joy. Rainbow streamers decorated the lampposts, and flags hung from the clock tower and waved in the wind. Her favorite part was the flower garlands around fountain square. Strelitiza promised to herself that next year she’d sign up to help set up the flower displays. Maybe then she’d also meet some new friends. 

But first, Strelitzia had a personal mission to fulfill.

She browsed the market displays and moogle shops. Many of her fellow wielders sold handcrafted Pride merch at the stalls, and Stelitzia bought a pair of green and white ribbons for her hair. The green was a dramatic difference from her usual red, but Strelitzia was excited to wear them later as a subtle display of her aro pride. 

But that wasn’t the specific item she was looking for. She stopped at a jewelry stand to inspect the rings. 

“Happy Pride! Anything I can help you find?” the wielder running the shop asked with a smile.

“Um, do you have any white rings?”

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up in knowing delight. “Of course! They’re right over here!” They showed Strelitzia a box of white rings, exactly the kind she was looking for. She tried on a few different sizes until she found the perfect fit. 

“I also do engravings on them if you want a little extra decoration.”

“I’d love that!”

The shopkeeper passed her a page of sample designs. Strelitzia picked out a pattern of the bird of paradise flowers she was named after. The design would be ready tomorrow, and Strelitzia waited out the rest of the day in giddy anticipation. When she returned to pick up the ring, her face hurt from smiling so much. 

“Thank you so much for this,” she told the shopkeeper.

“Hey, it’s Pride, you gotta be loud and proud of who you are,” they said with a wink and showed off a bracelet with beads the colors of the aroflux flag. “It goes great with your dress, too.”

“Thanks.” Her face blushed from the compliment, and she laid her hand over her heart. “May your heart be your guiding key.”

-

The rest of the month passed without much fanfare for Strelitzia. She wasn’t out to anyone and mostly spent the days in the company of Lauriam or Elrena. But she got a few compliments on her aro ring. She cherished those small interactions and considered properly coming out to her brother. 

But her joy vanished the day Master Ava spoke with her. 

A day later, inside the abandoned house, Strelitzia held her Chirithy tight. For once, the ring on her hand provided no comfort. She stumbled toward the door where golden daylight beckoned. She sagged against the doorframe, the last of her strength spent. She should cry for help, but she only had the words for a desperate whisper.

 “I wish . . . I’d had the courage.” 

As her body faded, her heart held two regrets. First, she never spoke to her squish. And second, she never told Lauriam she was aromantic.

And she’d never get another chance at either.

- Union (X) -

Ven had celebrated Pride for a few years now, ever since he figured out his gender troubles and started transitioning. But recently other thoughts had been weighing on his mind. It wasn’t hard to notice romance was a large part queer pride, and for good reason. But nothing ever clicked in Ven’s mind about his lack of romantic attraction, and he focused his attention on untangling his gender identity. 

Becoming a Dandelion leader meant he helped organize the Pride events. It was a wonderful experience to work alongside the other leaders. Ven’s celebrations in the past were always a quiet, personal affair, but now he shared the joy and pride with his friends. Skuld coordinated support groups, Brain helped other trans wielders with paperwork changes, and Lauriam oversaw the decorations and flower arrangements. As for Ephemer, Ven found him in the meeting room one day making various flag pins.

“Hey, Ven!” Ephemer waved him over to the table. Two pins—pan and nonbinary—were already displayed proudly on his jacket. “I have something for you!” As Ven approached, he held up a trans flag pin. 

“For me?” Ven’s heart leapt in gratitude at the thoughtful gift. He smiled shyly as he accepted the pin.

“I’m in the middle of making some for other flags. Are there any you’d like?”

Ven eyed the pile Ephemer already had. Trans was the only queer identity of his, as of now, and he passed over the many orientation flags. But his gaze caught on one he didn’t recognize.

“What’s this one?” Ven asked, picking up a green/white/gray/black striped pin. 

“That one is aromantic, for people who don’t experience romantic attraction.”

Oh. There was a word for that. A sudden giddiness rose in his chest. “Aromantic,” he repeated, testing the word on his tongue. The identity felt right at home in his heart, slotting easily beside the familiar comfort of transness.

“You want to keep that one?” Ephemer asked, a knowing smile on his face.

Ven clutched the pin close to his chest. “Yeah! If . . .  that’s all right.”

Ephemer reached out to clasp his hands over Ven’s. “It’s no problem at all.” He took the pin from Ven and placed it on his shirt, right over his heart. “May your heart be your guiding key.”

-

Each time Ven’s memory failed him, his heart still remembered old bonds. Names and faces escaped him, but his heart always warmed whenever he touched the trans flag pin he always carried with him. He was too shy to wear it around his new friends, but he knew Terra and Aqua would accept him unconditionally. 

Something in the depths of his memory thought there should be another pin as well. Green with white and black. And a friend who’d helped him realize that part of his heart. One day, he promised himself, he’d be reunited with that friend and reconnect the pieces that were missing. 

But this would not be that day. 

Glass shattered. 

So this is it, he thought as he fell into darkness. He’d given his word he’d destroy Vanitas, even at the cost of his own heart. Ven’s eyes closed. His body faded, and his heart rose toward the light. 

I wish I could see Aqua and Terra again. I wanted to tell them . . . 

The glass shards glittered around him—green, white, and black.

[stresslitzia]

What headcanons do you have about Elrena/Larxene? ⚡️

Okay this is a question with a long answer. So I had to wait til I got home.

It is worth noting that This Character Is My Blorbo. I was introduced to the series by way of Days, and became so attached to Larxene that almost 100% of my internet presence became associated with her. The rest of the lore was good, but I was here for one specific character, and it showed. (This infatuation eventually included Marluxia and Namine, and also lead me to actually research the lore, which is why I was part of the day 1 group for KHUX. 5-digit id starting with a 3 babyy)

But you're not here for my tale. You're here for what's below this readmore because I have many thoughts.

So.

One major thing I noticed really early on about Larxene- before Elrena was a character we knew about- was how she reacted to things. Marluxia was a proactive character, turning things his way before they needed to be turned. Larxene was reactive, seeming largely unbothered until someone went out of their way to ruffle her.

This was something I was often called out for, and a few years after I got into the series- a few months before we were introduced to Elrena, actually- I learned that such behavior is usually a defense mechanism of sorts. When things are unpredictable, they tend to be easier to react to than to prevent.

This, paired with her nervous demeanor as Elrena- both before knowing who Lauriam was, and after- leads me to believe that she had some kind of traumatic experience before Daybreak Town. Further, the way she reacted when she realized that the flower siblings were- well, siblings- tells me that she may have had(and lost) a sibling of her own.

But the adamant refusal to refer to a friend as a friend("We weren't what you'd call 'friends'") and the fact that she's typically reluctant to help out anyone without an immediate benefit("Since when do you care about others?" "Shush, you!") reads as a post-trauma defense mechanism. She doesn't want things to go wrong again, so she ignores the people she has bonds with in favor of going it alone. Pretty common situation, and one I've been in, myself.

A further point here is that she seems incredibly nervous around the other Union leaders when she's brought to them. Fear of authority is a common trait among those traumatized by family members.

So my headcanon here is that she had a sibling, likely older, who she lost somehow. Either they disappeared, or they were killed. Her parents were perfectionists, and pushed her to give up on everything she enjoyed on account of their need for perfection. Friends most of all. She likely ran away in the name of self-preservation, joining a Union to be seen as 'useful.' Then worked alone, afraid that any friends she'd make along the way would be endangered should her parents ever find her.

Other, less serious headcanons of mine include..

She was in Leopardos, and was one of the top solo Lux collectors. Not good enough to walk away with special accessories, but often raised Strelitzia's party by a few hundred ranks when she'd pop in for the week.

Her Chirithy had the nickname of 'Honey,' based on an old translation of that one scene. She doesn't like to talk about it.

Despite her affinity for speed, and despite every Larxene medal being Speed-oriented, Elrena's specialty was actually in magic. I like to think she had the Diamond Dust Keyblade nearly fully-upgraded when everything happened.

Though I do believe she lost her memory when she got Nobody'd, I like to believe that she still had a vague recollection of Lauriam. That's why she was so close to Marluxia. Theirs is a connection transcending life, death, and memory. And I love that for them.

And I think that, post-KH3 and post-recompletion, she and Lauriam share a home in Radiant Garden. He chose it because it reminded him of Daybreak Town- she followed because she had nowhere better to go. She was just along for the ride, but the ride is over, and she's left to consider her few remaining options as best she can. Nothing that put her friends in danger is still around, so is it time to start making friends again? Is it time to right her wrongs, to atone for her misdeeds, or is it time to become as much of a memory as Daybreak Town did? I feel like her more meek demeanor returning would leave her with a LOT of regrets.

[missingmywing]

Me: /sees today's yesterday's prompt

Me: /maniacal cackling

Me: YOU FOOL, YOU’VE ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD

aka AUs, Time Travel, and identity shenanigans are my biggest interests in any fandom at all so KH drew me in for a reason. This will be fun. Enjoy or suffer through my rambling about my main AU. I apologize for the length, but there’s a reason I had the immediate reaction I did.

Also sorry it’s a day late, yesterday was thesis presentations and then I was dragged out to drinks and karaoke after by my classmates so I didn’t have time to finish this.

@khoc-week Day 4: Alternate Universes

Hahahaha my first KH au I made when I was 15 and then spiraled WILDLY out of control after KHUX finished and DR happened.

So this au started as one of those “what if someone from our world died and reincarnated as a main character” fics that were so popular in the 2010’s, but over time it changed significantly. The main premise is still the same, girl from our world dies to a Heartless that really shouldn’t have been there and her heart makes a conveniently timed connection with Ven, and then reincarnates as Sora. Except it’s not quite as convenient as it seems because Kingdom Hearts itself is meddling.

Because her heart was actually Etheria’s.

This is my biggest KH au that’s lasted almost ten years now, it’s extremely self-indulgent and I keep making adjustments to it as we get new info, but I think I have it plotted out solidly. It’s also the one that’s technically canon to my keykids.

So, KHUX happens as it does, no real changes beyond Etheria and Ephemera finishing up Game Central Station together and coming back to Daybreak Town in time to trigger the finale. Etheria traps the darknesses in the tunnel, they wound her fatally, she dies holding Chirithy, etc.

The change comes with what’s next. Because Nomura BAITED US and I had an entire year to sit on my plans before the Dark Road finale dropped and ruined them all, and I decided “screw it, I can work around this”. And kind of. Threw out canon to a degree.

Yiskah is reincarnated after the Keyblade War as the Missing Link protag, so whatever reveals we get there will be his story. Etheria reincarnates as Xehanort, because I had PLANS NOMURA. So ML happens, Yiskah takes Xehanort to Destiny Islands, all of this will probably follow canon pretty closely. Dark Road also happens as canon, Xehanort having Etheria’s heart doesn’t really change much because these events “need” to happen. Whether it’s Darkness pulling the strings or KH itself… who knows. But DR happens pretty much as canon, and the post-events are where we get our first major split into AU territory.

When Xehanort goes on his lonesome trip around the worlds, trying to gain perspective, it starts as canon with him meeting MoM. But afterwards, when he returns to the Keyblade Graveyard, it’s not the Master of Masters that’s waiting for him but our single unaccounted for Darkness. His trip through the worlds was supposed to make him fall to darkness, make him decide to recreate the war, but because he has Etheria’s heart he… doesn’t. So Darkness takes matters into its own hands and tries to take him over. Naturally he fights back, refuses to let it, so it decides the more optimal route would be to simply remove that problematically light heart and simply claim his body for itself and pretend to be him.

So that happens. He dies, and it’s Darkness in his body who returns to Scala to take the Mark of Mastery with Eraqus, and kick off the next phase of canon.

Etheria/Xehanort’s heart ends reincarnating as a girl on a sort of… reflection of our world, losing their memories upon reincarnating as is supposed to happen, and growing up to be a fan of a certain video game series until dying to a Heartless who was drawn specifically to their heart because Events Are Happening (Ven just got his heart broken and Kingdom Hearts needs someone to go fix it, and who better than an old friend and its valiant champion? Etheria surviving the Keyblade War and her heart touching KH directly in the process was not a good thing for her, just to point that out.) So her heart comes in contact with Ven, shares part of it to fix his, and in the process kind of breaks the usual reincarnation rules so she keeps her memories of this past life, and the thus the memories of the Kingdom Hearts game series.

So at this point: Alana becomes Sora and knows absolutely nothing about being Etheria or Xehanort, but does remember being from “our world”. The Xehanort of this AU is just Darkeness using his identity to push the plot it read in the Book, because that’s What’s Supposed To Happen. For the sake of ~Drama~ I’m going to say she’s caught up to canon for everything except the Final Update of KHUX. To everyone who remembers that cliffhanger they did between the first half of the finale and the second… yeah. Imagine dying and reincarnating into that universe missing HALF THE FINALE OF KHUX and over half of Dark Road. It is endlessly frustrating to them, Ven, and Vani. 

From here canon… happens similarly, but also different.

KH1 has Riku being possessed much earlier because Sora convinces him to come back, and Maleficent and Ansem SoD don't like that. Kairi and Ven are both awake and helping, so there's that. Kairi is part of the final battle as an active keyblade wielder, even if she gets pulled home after.

CoM happens very differently because Vanitas is awake with Ven gone in Roxas, so he's Solana's companion while Namine can see Alana's memories and knows far more than she should because of it. She finds so many loopholes to allow Alana to keep memories of CoM, even if Sora's have to be broken later.

KH2 has Xion and Roxas awake and joining Ven and Vani, and things get loud. Roxas takes every chance to try to fight the Organization, drive forms are between the Heart Hotel rather than Donald and Goofy, and Kairi joins the party halfway through after kicking Axel through a wall. She joins them for the final fight against Xemnas too, and then opens the portal for them home.

Solana is busy having a guilt-induced breakdown about their parents never coming back from the islands falling to darkness to participate in Re:Coded, but they do meet the apprentices and start making peace between them and the Restoration Committee when they show back up. They and Ienzo get along... really really well, to their surprise.

DDD is a mess, because the dream world gives the Heart Hotels bodies and they are actively participating in the Mark of Mastery along with Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Ienzo was paranoid enough to make a secondary link with Solana before it started, so when Yen Sid lost contact with them Ienzo could make link so they could see everything happening. Canon happens and it SUCKS. Solana has much trauma from YMX.

KH3 is wildly different, because People Know Things, and Death Deities Are Weird Around Solana (aka Hades and Persephone are closer to their myth forms, and make a deal with Solana about nine death avoidances for a favor, so they only use the power of waking once at the end rather than to save everyone), and Aqua and Ven are rescued before Arendelle so they've got half the game to catch their breath before the war.

And because Darkness is Xehanort, the scene with Eraqus is very different because Solana flat out steals the keyblade from Xehanort at the end of their battle - the same way Riku does from Sora in KH1 - and stabs him with it. No soft scene here, just murder. Eraqus does show up, reassuring Aqua and Terra, but Kairi and Ven swapped places in this AU as the sacrificial being of Pure Light, so... it's much rougher on the Wayfinder Trio. Solana gets him back, though, ala canon, but that's the tenth revival after the first nine so they will disappear eventually, it just won't be immediate since they only did it once. Gives them time to hang out, get Ienzo to put some cameras in the Graveyard to catch the Foreteller meetup, do a heart dive to figure out their weird dreams and accidentally get their memories of KHUX and DR both back to the shock and horror of everyone, and then disappear.

I want you to know that this is the short version, because the longer version accidentally turned into a plot outline.

[kokorowoutsu]

Willow was showing to be overwhelmed more and more Ashe had noticed in adapting to modern day. Whether it was a television turning on or a RotomPhone being activated, Ashe had to take her child aside and help calm her senses. A sense of being a terrible parent washed over her, but isn't like parenting had a manual for this kind of thing.

With this in mind one night, Ashe began racking her brain while petting through Lucky's fur in her office, going through the internet on children with sensory issues and what she could do to make Willow more comfortable. In the end, it came down to starting small as she would later wake Leon up and explain to him, the man half-asleep in bed. He was used to Ashe's late night ramblings by now, taking them in stride even when she woke him up again.

For now, they should stick to keeping Willow to the ranch and let her have time to adjust. From there, Ashe would have to plan out times when she could take the girl to Alola and Sinnoh to properly meet her uncles and aunt. As for her grandfather ( great-grandfather included ) and great-aunts and great-uncles, that would be another talk entirely which Ashe was going to breach later with her mother's help.

That being said, she also had asked Merlin to keep in touch with Mewtwo on Donovan's status. She had something she wanted to ask him -- well, both him and Flannery. It had been important to her and Leon on thinking about it those last six years if they ever did get home. That being the case, Ashe soon found herself passing out next to her husband with the man having to sigh with a soft smile as he covered her up and Lucky moving to sleep at the base of the bed, ribbons laying over both of them.

Meanwhile, Willow had snuck out of bed and out of her room, dressed in sunflora pajamas and sunkern slippers as she headed to the kitchen, passing through the quiet room. Always pokemon were about so Willow wasn't bothered when a few looked up and over at her before laying their heads back down. Her problem, however, was she was intimidated by the kitchen and stood before it with wide eyes. She thought to go ask her parents for help, but with that fierce stubborn streak kicking in, she strode in as proudly and unafraid as she could, only to stop and scamper back out.

She'd be met with a gentle voice asking her; "Need something, sunshine?" The girl would turn her head to see her father with a soft look approaching and with a small nod she shyly looks away. Gently laying his hand to her head, he guides her into the kitchen, helping her get a glass of milk and the two find themselves sitting at the table as he watches over her, half-awake but still coherent with Chirithy soon joining them in the same state. "Can't sleep?" The little girl shook her head. "No... I'm sorry." She apologizes, finishing the milk.

"No need to apologize, sunshine. It's a lot, isn't it? It's not like where we were." His daughter looks up at him with a nod. "It is... but it isn't! It's... it's..." "Weird?" Leon supported his face with a hand to which she nodded rapidly. 'In time you'll adjust. You'll learn as you did in the wood.' Chirithy encouraged to which Willow looked over. Turning her head back to her glass, she grips it. "... Is it okay if... if... I stay inside tomorrow... ?" That was unlike Willow, but Leon's gaze softened as he reached a hand over to gently pet her head. "Of course. It's supposed to be another snowfall tomorrow. We can find something to do, i'm sure." With that said, Willow seemed at ease and with that, Chirithy soon took her to bed while Leon cleaned up.

Heading back to bed, the ex-Champion took a moment to sigh. Being a father was much harder then being a trainer or Champion combined... but somehow, maybe he enjoyed it just as much if not more. He'd have to tell Ashe that tomorrow.

[talyns-fanfics]

Slipping Through My Fingers

Dark Road

Happy Father’s Day

Y!Xehanort & parent OC

A very sappy Father’s Day Special.

Based on this alternate universe ( @kingdom-hearts-last ). If you notice any canon divergence, that’s why.

Nara has been trudging through the streets for a good while now. It had been only hours ago that they had been sent here along with Darkness. With the gate locked on both sides, there was no way to get back home. Not that there was much to return to. Their brother had used an ark to escape to the future along with Nara’s significant other, their Union had died out, and their master had perished in the Keyblade War.

After more trudging they sat down near a door leading to the local orphanage. Before they could take a moment of rest, a woman frantically ran up to them. “Please help me. He’s not safe with me.” Nara looks to the bundle in the woman’s arms. It was a baby boy fast asleep.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m not stable enough for a kid.” Nara tries to reason with the woman, only for her to push the bundle into their arms. “Please, kind stranger. He’s better off with you.” She rubs off leaving Nara confused. They look down at the blanket holding the baby. A name was embroidered on the edge.

Xehanort

Nara takes the baby, escaping to a new world. It was new, mostly because of how empty it was. Using their keyblade, they built the new world from the ground up. Beaches full of golden sands and clear water filled the empty void. Fish filled the oceans. It was a beautiful world, one day they would be called the Destiny Islands.

Along with the world, the keyblade also created housing for the wanderers who may appear there in need of shelter. Nara goes to one closer to the beach, heading inside. They go into one of the bedrooms, seeing a bassinet near the wall. They gently place Xehanort in the bassinet before heading back to the living room.

Taking a seat on the couch, Nara allowed themself a moment to take everything in. Having left their homeworld, loosing everyone they loved, a child showing up, and the creation of the islands. Everything took a toll on their mental state, they fall asleep on the couch.

Nara wake up a few hours later. They how dark is was outside. Xehanort had woken up to, screaming at the top of his lungs. Nara quickly rush to Xehanort’s room.

Nara gently picks up Xehanort, gently rocking him. Xehanort calmed down, snuggling closer to Nara. “Aww, you were just lonely? Me too, bud.” Nara whispers. Xehanort falls asleep against Nara, his tears staining Nara’s shirt. Nara takes him to the other bedroom, resting him down on the bed before retrieving the bassinet, bringing it into the room and setting it near the side of the bed. Nara places Xehanort back into the bassinet before taking a seat on the bed.

After a moment of rest, a portal opens up near the wall. A bright red parrot flies out. “Sheesh! Took me forever to find you, kid.” Iago says as the portal closes. Nara shushes him before pointing to Xehanort fast asleep. “So the kid’s got a kid.” Iago says, flying over to Nara and perching himself on their shoulder.

Nara takes a breath. “He’s my responsibility, Iago. I just hope he’s not going to suffer the same fate as I did.” Nara says, wrapping their arms around their knees. “I wish I had Chirithy here. She’d know what to do.”

After a flash, the aforementioned Dream Eater showed up on the bed. “Oi.” Chirithy says, loosing balance, landing on her bum. “I would have been here earlier, but you’ve traveled here through space and time. It takes Chirithy’s while to catch up when you do that.” Nara chuckles, gently scratching the creature’s head. Chirithy nuzzles into Nara’s hand. “Sorry about that, Chirithy. I’m staying here.”

A few years down the line, Xehanort was 4 years old and Nara had grown into parenthood. Xeha was outside playing with Iago in the yard when Chirithy appeared before Nara in the kitchen. “Nara, we need to have that talk.” Chirithy says as she tries climbing up onto the chair. Nara helps her up before sitting down on the chair right of her.

“I know you never wanted this for the kid, but I do sense the legacy of the keyblade in him.” Hearing those words hit like a semi truck. “But that’s impossible. I got rid of Darkness.” Nara starts spiraling. “I could be wrong, Nara. I’m hoping I am.” Nara wasn’t hearing Chirithy as they feel the world closed up around them. “There should be no Darkness. There should be no need for him to have the power of the keyblade.”

As that was happening, something tried forcing it’s way out of Nara, scaring Chirithy. Nara falls to their knees, a shadowy figure crawling out of them. Nara holds their head in their hands, ashamed of themself and what they just released. Chirithy looks up at the new creature.

It was a tall figure. It was covered in shadow with a large heart shaped hole on its chest. It didn’t have legs, but three chains hung from it. In its right hand, it held a staff carved at the top to look like a heart. Around its neck was a copy of Nara’s star necklace. It quickly leaves the scene, leaving a curled up Nara on the floor.

Chiririthy gets off of the chair, crawling into Nara’s lap. Chirithy curls up on Nara’s lap. This was a thing Chirithy had done ever since Nara’s first big adventure and they got overwhelmed. Only, this time was worse. As Chirithy curls up in Nara’s hold, she notices that Nara’s heart had weaken.Nara gently holds Chirithy close. “Thank you, Chirithy.”

Chirithy looks up at Nara. “Your heart-” She gets cut off. “As long as my son is ok, I don’t care about what happens to me.” Chirithy understood what Nara meant, and decided not to press on.

Years afterwards, Xehanort had grown up to teen age and Nara has begun to notice just how strong his heart was. They had already told him about the Keyblade legacy and how he’d have to carry it on. To do so, Nara had decided to let Xehanort go to Scala ad Caelum to study under the supervision of another Keyblade Master rather than teaching him themself.

The two (along with Iago on Nara’s shoulder) were outside of the school. Nara was in a grey coat, covering themself from head to toe. The two share a last hug before Xehanort heads into the building. A bright light replaces Nara’s body from under the cloth, following Xehanort.

Iago, now holding the cloth, flies off into the distance.

[dualdeixis]

u got any kh ships or headcanons? aren't u nob stan? when did u start watching that?what's the fav last thing you've read? do you have any aus or ocs from stuff u watch/read? have u read any fanfiction? which one was most impactful?

my goodness i can always count on my halla to feed me... i love you and hope you're well 😭

don't really have ships that i'm personally too passionate about, but for headcanons... dark chirithy says “isn’t darkness so sweet?” and i take this to mean that vanitas has a sweet tooth. like he’s the type to say white chocolate is his fav kind of chocolate and get sick from eating too much of it at once but it’s worth it to him bc he’s insane (affectionate)

if you mean mob as in mp100 then yes i got into it in summer 2017! a mere half year before the manga ended T_T i plan to reread it soon i miss it

i just recently finished a reread of blue exorcist and well. at one point i had to stop and draw this so i was clearly going through some things

[Image description: Digital doodles. The first one shows a person looking at a laptop with a tired smile. The text, in all caps, reads, "cute baby Rin and Yukio." The person covers their eyes with their hand and the text reads, "I dont want to see." The second doodle is an illustration of the text "taking a break to pace with my hands on my head." End image description.]

but other than that i'm finally getting myself to continue reading omniscient reader's viewpoint and it's also making me go through things

the concept for my oc sylejman actually started as a blue exorcist oc! but i thought the idea of "a human being possessed by their own qarin" was cool enough to expand into its own thing and that's where the others came from

i've linked it before but (i don't need you to) Worry for Me is probably the most impactful fic i've read. it's about vanitas and it's really good but i've only read it once because i feel like i need to wait for the Right Time to reread it (don't know when that's supposed to be but thus saith my brain)

[corishadowfang]

So! The last of the Big Chapters has finally been posted for Fallen Stars, so I can finally post this. I've had the climax in mind for a long time, and have done a lot of foreshadowing for it, so...I thought it'd be fun to kind of go over some of the bigger bits, haha. Just going to throw this under a cut because it's...decently long. It's probably not everything (there are some things I left out because they're just...part of Brain's arc in general, and including all of that would make this really long), but it's the bigger things that I can remember.

In general: If you see stuff calling Brain a ghost/specter/skeletal, or referencing him having red hands? That was all kind of aimed toward these last few chapters.

Chapter 3: Brain tries to call for Chirithy, and they don't come. We later find out that they're missing, with the implication (in chapter 8) that they disappeared because of what Luxu did to send Brain to the future. They are implied to be in The Final World--which, incidentally, is where Brain eventually ends up.

Chapter 5:

Brain and Skuld have this conversation:

“So we either need to get Frigga to open it for us, or we need to get Master’s Defender back.” “You could wield it.”

Brain gives Skuld a Wayfinder and says, "Supposed to guide people home if they get lost." This is later what Skuld uses to guide them back from The Final World.

Chapter 8:

Luxu stabs Brain in the chest to send him to the future, and Brain experiences a pseudo "death" because of it. (Which is also the exact same method Luxu uses to send Skuld after him.)

We see two people calling out for Brain to try and drag him back to the future and keep him from actually dying. While it isn't obvious who those people are yet, it's later revealed that one is Skuld.

Brain is told to find his "waypoint" to guide him back. This is twofold, referencing both the Wayfinder he gives Skuld, and the fact that Skuld is basically acting as his "waypoint."

This line: It’s the story of a dying boy, who was drawn back to a reanimated world, and who had to figure out how he was supposed to move forward when he was still only half alive.

Brain discusses the idea of studying time magic, and Frigga brings up the Unchained state. Skuld reaches through time to bring him "home"--and then, later, "travels through time" to wake Brain up.

Brain mentions using heart magic to track down stray hearts.

Frigga and Brain watch a performance, where Frigga describes the story as this: “Oh, it’s a bit of a later tale—a story about a wielder who made a deal with a world to save her friend.”

Chapter 10: Skuld reads a passage in a book of fairytales in Frigga's office. In particular, it includes this line, from Darkness to Brain: “You have no plans left, little trickster. You are running on fumes from our chase across the world. And now that I have caught you, I will consume you. Go; I will grant you peace, after a lifetime of terror.”

Chapter 13: This line: "He didn’t realize he’d been moving until he came to an abrupt halt, staring at himself, and for a moment, he thought it was another specter. It took a moment to realize it was just his reflection, staring back at him from a broken window. Something dark dripped down the edges and clung to the fractured pieces, hemming his reflection like a picture frame."

Chapter 15: Skuld says, “…Can you include something to help me find you?” in reference to Brain putting a spell on her charm. Brain comments that she'll need to talk to Mimir about that, since they're the ones with heart magic.

Chapter 20: Freya gives Brain this warning: “You are not as free from fate as you’d like to be—and Darkness is always waiting to strike.”

Chapter 23:

Brain considers the idea of sacrificing one of them (like Ven sacrificed himself) to save Mimir.

Much of Sigurd's "mindscape" in Darkness's "game" is described in a way that resembles The Final World, hinting at his eventual role in helping the others figure out that Brain could be revived.

Chapter 24:

Brain's method of defeating his own personal Darkness is to, essentially, let it eat itself alive. Brain eventually lets his own darkness eat him alive, leading to his death.

While confronting his Darkness, Brain has this narration: "(Something sat heavy as a stone in his chest.  In the back of his mind’s eye, he thought he could see shadows clawing at the edges of a stained glass platform.  In his peripherals, the tips of his fingers looked almost red.)"

When Skuld confronts her own personal Darkness, Darkness is bound with threads that show her visions of other timelines. These are alternate worldlines, and represent Skuld's attempts to change fate.

This is the first chapter where we find out that Sigurd made a deal with Luxu to bring his brother back to life.

Darkness "drowns" Brain, and tries to drag him down in a way that's very reminiscent of what happened with his "almost death" at Luxu's hands.

Chapter 25: Brain can see "ghosts" from Master's Defender. Brain eventually becomes a ghost himself.

Chapter 30: "He lifted Luxu’s Keyblade, thumb running along the hilt, fingers still red from where he’d been gripping it." (I'm going to be honest, I remembered this one as being more obvious. But no, this was the only line about red fingers I found in this chapter, despite specifically remembering cackling to myself as I put it in. So I guess the lesson here is, "Yes, Cori will, in fact, use pretty subtle wording to foreshadow stuff, and this will sometimes surprise even her.")

Chapter 33: Luxu and Sigurd have this conversation about Luxu's failure to bring Sigurd's brother back from the dead:

“There are ways to do it, but it’s complicated.  You can’t just pull it out of the afterlife and hope things work out.  You’ve got to hope that the heart’s lingering around somewhere—and even then, you still have to be able to find it.  If you found a way to anchor your heart to theirs, you might be able to pull them back—or you might just get pulled in yourself.” Anchor…  It tugged on something in the back of Sigurd’s brain—a conversation, half-remembered, and he wanted to pursue the thought, but Luxu kept going before he could.

Chapter 34:

"His hands looked almost red from the clay caked around them, and you marveled at the idea that maybe he’d started with them before shifting to the shovel he now held.  Even in the dark, his eyes looked shadows; in the flicker of your light, there was something about him that seemed almost skeletal, like he was just another ghost."

Brain says, “Pretty sure Skuld would track any of us down if we tried to put ourselves in danger."

When Master's Defender's "ghosts" start urging Brain forward, he starts following his own.

Chapter 38: Brain has this thought: "When he looked at his reflection, he couldn’t see anything save himself—eyes too wide, face too thin, eyes hemmed with shadows, everything almost skeletal."

Chapter 39: Skuld describes Brain as looking skeletal, specifically in the section when he's trying to convince her to go along with the plan that will...well, kill him:

He gave her a crooked sort of grin.  “Well, that would spoil the surprise.”  He shot a brief glance toward Darkness.  The barrier cast strange shadows across his face; it made him look almost skeletal.  “Do you trust me?”

And, uh...those are the main things I can remember! There was honestly a lot just stuck in there in the spur of the moment, haha; I do remember a lot of times just grinning and going, "Wait, I can put more foreshadowing here," so, uh...if you're looking at something and going, "Was that foreshadowing...?" the answer is probably, "Yes, but Cori's memory is questionable sometimes and she didn't remember she included that."