#are we saying Ven is Gula?

[stresslitzia]

Hey Chikai! If Elrena and Lauriam are in KH4, what would you like their story to be about? (And along with Strelitzia—should they get new Keyblade designs? What would those look like?)

WELL that is a question.

I think their story should be about trying to find Strelitzia, first and foremost. Like, that should be their first goal now that they have their memories of her back.

A secondary point that I'd like them to touch on would be the Keyblade Legacy thing, but I don't think they should have Keyblades throughout the entire game. I think that should be a reveal towards the end, like the Leablade at the end of Dream Drop Distance.

I do believe all three should have new Keyblade designs! Especially since we don't know what Elrena's Keyblade actually was. However, I'd like for their original weapons- where applicable- to be similar to the new ones.

For example, Lauriam used Divine Rose. I think his new Keyblade should look similar, but should not be identical. A combination of Divine Rose and Starlight, perhaps. The keychain, I feel, should resemble his old scythe- perhaps the cross point and blade in an XI shape?

Strelitzia should retain her upgraded Starlight as a base, but Destiny's Embrace-ify it. Wrap that Keyblade in vining ivy, laurels, and perhaps a craneflower near the handle. Make it an artist's nightmare.

Elrena's where the confusion starts. We don't know what she used before, but let's assume she was a Missing Ache user, like Ven. Let's go ahead and say that her new Keyblade would look a bit like a combination of Missing Ache's third upgrade and Gula's Keyblade, perhaps with a turquoise-and-gold color palette. The keychain should be a dragonfly.

[ultyso]

Was watching Everglow’s foreteller battles cause I can’t beat them aaaaaandddd uhm hello what’s this keyblade spinning we see a certain someone else also does ??????

[fisherrprince]

do you have more thoughts on keyblade fighting that you need to put somewhere, because i have two hands ready to catch Should The Need Arise

anon: hey I heard you mention you’d analysed the combat styles in KH and what you said in the tags was already alluding to really neat stuff, but I for one would love to hear more of what you came up with!! so if you ever wanted to share any of your analysis then the floor is yours

aHAH, MY EXCUSE!!

Okay, so first some words on “standardized wielding styles”. These are styles shared by Terra, Aqua, Vanitas, Riku, and Xehanort and every other scala and daybreak kid. I will make the argument that the red style is the fanciest standard style, while the purple is seen often to make it easier on the little chibi sprites. BUT, I cannot discredit Eraqus, who uses the purple variant in bbs, nor can I discredit half of the Foretellers (Gula and Ava, at least, use this. Invi and Aced use the first type). So, two standard styles. For simplicity, let’s say one for primary offense, one for primary defense. The standard offensive style really wasn’t popular before Scala-era society.

check this difference out, specifically between ava invi and gula:

then between eraqus, hermod, and xehanort, and eraqus and terra.

These two were likely popularized and standardized for education in Scala ad Caelum for their predominant lack of obvious weak spots.

After this, we have unique styles. Those include Sora Kairi and Xion’s (similar to standard defense, but more mobile at the expense of form — Kairi takes after Sora but less confident, she hasn’t been hit that heavily yet), Ven’s (backhand, heavy range and mobility), Roxas’ (modified for two keyblades, but takes after Sora), and Axel’s (taught himself, comfortable with chakrams).

So! Let’s go.

.

Standard (offensive)

All styles have sub-variations, of a sense. Different wielders can choose where their keyblade points, and how they hold it exactly, based on what makes them most comfortable. Terra and Aqua point theirs downward, while Vanitas and Riku hold theirs above their head. What is recognizeable to this style is a hand for the sword, and a hand for guarding/blocking/items/magic.

It’s incredibly efficient. With only one hand on the weapon, you not only free up a hand for other things, but increase your range of movement with said weapon. Test it out yourself! The keyblade hand is always your dominant hand, held behind you for increased power when attacking (since you lose a significant amount of it by choosing not to grip with both hands). This style also decreases the speed of the defense you have, but with that increased mobility and swing power, along with a hand free to brace against the keyblade (defense strength up!), it makes up for it. Many people who use this also have strong barrier spells — both a testament to their preference for coverage and an acknowledgement that any directional block will take a little longer and be weaker if they try it with one hand.

The pointy end, though. What difference does it actually make, the height it’s at?

I think it’s half a matter of attack style preference and half intention. Riku, Vanitas, and Xehanort stab quite a bit. Aqua and Terra slice more. Not that they don’t do both, but it’s the first instinct. Aqua and Terra are also likely taught to hold their keyblade neutrally, in a safe position, until someone starts attacking. It’s polite! Eraqus also holds his one-handed, neutrally, until he gets into position. Riku and Vanitas learned to fight assuming everyone was out to fight them. Invi and Aced may like this style because of range (i hc she’s blind and strikes very very quickly, and he’s already very powerful with just the one arm and wants better motion).

and on character specifics: Terra often switches to two-handed, to copy his dad and add extra power to his hits without always sacrificing the empty hand. Vanitas likely was forced to relearn how to fight, as instead of solely being trained to be better at withstanding, he was constantly being made to better his own attacks. The moves Xehanort uses would best be replicated in the same style. Vanitas is wild for holding the massive spiky x-blade like that.

Now, what‘s good on this style does not correlate to what’s bad in the other. The two standard styles simply have different ways of dealing with each con they create or taking advantage of each pro.

(Here’s an interesting side note — Gula uses standard defensive, but in this instance, swaps. One hand… likely to display confidence! Wrong move, but hey. He got cocky. He’s also doing it wrong, and swaps back to two-handed to take Aced’s attack.)

.

Standard (defensive)

The main detriment of this style is the lack of ease of long range movement. Hold a wrapping paper tube out in front of you with both hands, then run. It goes to the side, or tucks in to your stomach, right? Dodge. Your legs will get in the way unless you know where to move that sword. It requires, interestingly, a little more discipline. You’d think Aqua would like that, but no, she wants movement and practicality, and she loves magic, and remember that you must take a hand off this style to grab a potion. You’d think young Eraqus wouldn’t, but remember that he’s a fancy royal lad.

The main draw, though, is tankiness, readiness, and power. You don’t need to move as much if nothing dares hit you! Ava and Gula might be attracted to this style because they’re not as physically strong, but want protection in close-quarters fighting. Using this style when your muscles aren’t as big but you still want to Hit Things Good, or when you want to be a boy you can’t knock over with a pail of water (horse stance rules), is probably solid advice.

Traditionally, this is a lot less like fencing, and a lot more like a samurai sword or kendo. Your blade is held in front of you, giving you very easy access to blocks and frontal attack/defense. In losing some twirly spinniness, you gain power and minimize your opponent’s ability to parry and block.

you gotta dodge master Eraqus so mcuh

All styles will swap between one and two hands for different moves. Eraqus, notably, swaps to a stance very similar to Xehanort when channeling a metric ton of magic.

Both of these styles require a degree of upper body/core strength, as does all swordfighting. I would be interested to see someone whose keyblade style relies on leg strength.

.

Sora, Xion, and Kairi

please look at the difference between the foretellers’ or eraqus’ two-handed grip and Sora’s. Do this with your shoulders and a top-heavy object.

They’re both in a hard stance, but hon. What are you, a gremlin? Anyways, a traditionally taught master would have… better form, even if it’s harder to learn at first. It’s habitual. Sora nearly crouches, and holds his keyblade back-pointed with two hands, which makes it easier for him to dodge roll, push off his feet quickly, and pull off those spinning combos he loves. It‘s really gonna hurt his muscles, in the future, though, since he’s doing a squat for like…. hours. Pulling on those shoulderblades and neck. Xion, too. Replicas had better have correct muscle dynamics. Kairi is brand new, so… maybe Aqua can teach her how to hold a sword so it doesnt hurt you.

Okay, now look at the grip itself. Held in front versus held to the side-back. They’re really attempting to combine both standard styles subconsciously, giving themselves more attack power while really wanting to keep that hard defensive parry, wanting to prevent all attacks to the front while also wanting mobility. It’s working for them really well, they fight like an anime character, and manage to get the best of both, with a minor sacrifice of length range that they don’t care about. We’re flexible and full of magic, baby! Holding the blade like this makes it pretty easy to let go with one hand without sacrificing that crouched defense position.

Now, Sora, specifically, is very adaptive. He’s had two keyblades, claws, guns, yo-yos, and a giant shield, to name a couple. He retains a bit of that alert crouch no matter where he goes, but Sora knows how he wants to attack and how to balance that with the most effective way to use his current weapon. He’s a smart kid! Sora has the most ridiculous shotlocks, which are also probably due to not always wanting to go standard for it. He also prefers to keep his focus on the enemy, which is evident in his reprisals and lack of very many effective “escape” moves.

Xion is very similar to Sora, but she does have some moves that are all movement. She switches to one handed for strikes a lot — using two for defending, one for smacking. In her data battle I’d swear some of those heavy hits are claymore-like. But anyways, since we’re magic, Xion cares not for the laws of exhaustion, and will ping about as a ball of light everywhere. Short range? Up in your business. Mid-range? In your business with one hand. Long range? Throws a boomerang. Hit her? No you dont. Ball of light. She’s above you and wants to bash your head in. (Vanitas also does this! A lot. It’s an easy way to catch someone off-guard. I’ll argue that the soras are very tough and strong, but not tanky. they want to avoid being hit a lot)

Another interesting note about Kairi. I say “unconfident” not because she doesn’t hit hard, but because her stance is also often tilted back, ready to dodge. It’s two handed, but almost all her moves are one. She does love spinning and throwing the thing! It looks like she’s been taking notes from the wielders she knows. It would be easy to teach her a standard style, I think. See here, she lets go on the strike, and by trying to do both, actually ends up with an advantage (being confusing) and disadvantage (losing both the power of two handed and versatility of one handed).

A counter to Sora and Xion is difficult to pin down. Time? Probably. Lack of heating pads. Something that takes all their attention is about the only way to get a sneak attack in, and then you have to hit hard. A counter to Kairi would be anyone who can knock her off balance. She needs a sturdier stance. .

Roxas

Roxas is interesting. He takes after Sora for the one blade. Wielding two, however, nets him a totally different way of fighting. Roxas’ clavicle muscles n… deltoids and stuff must be Ironclad. Also, two handed means you are very fast and sharp all the time. He has the advantage of standard defense (horse stance), and the advantage of offense (range of one sword, but twice).

Roxas generally attacks in two ways — simultaneous hits, and follow-up hits. Either he hits with both at once, or hits hard with the first one, and adds the second one as a bonus smack. He can attack by hitting in opposite directions with the two, like a drum, but that will be a little awkward and leave him prone to being tangled. That established, the follow-up hit method means he spins a bunch. As do we all.

Roxas gets a little complicated because we are not in the real world. We have magic and turning into light and physics that let you become a circular saw. So, typically, disadvantages would include: being unable to let go of a weapon to grab something or use an item, having just a very big silhouette to attack on, having difficulty with close-range attacks because Oathkeeper and Oblivion are kinda long, and convenience. Roxas gets to dodge #1 (keyblades can be unsummoned) and #4 (keyblades can be unsummoned). Speaking of dodging, he also gets to skirt the difficulty of dodging and rolling with two swords because he turns into a beam of light. But he can’t dodge how difficult it is to use two swords effectively — he needs to concentrate on fighting, and nothing else, or he risks messing up. He has to be very, very coordinated, and undistracted. Luckily he’s pretty good at making his opponents shut up, most of the time. Blocking is another thing — theoretically his blocks could be strong, but Roxas has no real brace: crossing your blades and taking a hefty stab might smack one of them back into your face. He mostly uses reversals and dodges, because of this.

The takeaway to this is Roxas is built for speed and power, and he is very strong. He’s a mid- to far- range fighter who if you’re not careful can snap you in half if you’re too close (be SO careful of that cross blade scissor).

A perfect counter to Roxas would be a tank that can grapple, and also be very distracting. If you can take hits, be talkative, and get close enough to stop his blades, you have a chance.

.

Ventus

This is a bizarre choice, my guy, but I get it.

Backhanded weapons are very impractical for a lot of... attacking, mainly in mid-range combat, and Ven likes to either fight very close or throw the keyblade like a boomerang (and hey, backhand gives it a good whip for throwing). His attacks aren’t meant to one hit KO, but they do come with a bit of power to them, especially on the backslash. Like holding a knife for gouging. It’s for very close defense — pretty good when Wayward Wind and Missing Ache have hooks.

Backhand also, while retaining that empty hand for potions and guarding, gives you an extreme coverage boost. By which I mean Ven’s sword hand now has a nearly 270 degree sweep of “I see you, don’t touch me”, very quickly, based on just flicking his wrist. It sacrifices a ton of strength/sturdiness, but you don’t need that if you’re dodging. You also don’t really need to block, which is slower, but relatively sturdy when Ven does it, as he blocks with mostly the chunky hilt between crossed arms. He sacrifices (again) a bit of strength for coverage — an attack would hurt his arms, not his chest, if he were hit head-on.

His attacks often have him flip the blade around in his hand, too. Quick swaps between standard moves and backhand ones. Basically, Ventus is built for moving, protecting himself, and quick attacks that wear down the enemy, not outclass it. Likely because he’s good at fighting, but everyone he’s fought hits harder than he can! It doesn’t matter how he holds it, getting hit will hurt. So he just. Doesn’t. He’s not a buff little guy — but he is a persistent one. Ven very likely made this up on his own, in Daybreak, and it was too hard to fix his whole style, but it was enough to correct most of his form so he doesn’t hurt himself too much. He is going to have to really stretch that shoulder and wrist (maybe get a brace), though. At least his neck is ok. … not sure about his knees tho dang boy that crouch

A perfect counter to Ven would be someone big and fast, who hits hard mid-range. He’s already been sparring with Terra, though, so when in doubt, try scruffing him?

.

Axel

Theres not a ton to say about him — he‘s not a swordfighter. He uses his keyblade like it’s a frisbee. Because that’s what he’s used to! His neutral is behind his back on his shoulder, which is terrible for readiness, but okay for chucking the thing. It’s good it has a sort of… ripstik like… boomerang quality.

Axel’s fighting style is completely made up, like most of the self-taught wielders’. His strengths lie in some of the benefits of standard offensive style (one-handed), and some of the same coverage stuff as Ven, having a cocked wrist most of the time so no one can sneak up around him without risking getting whacked very quickly, and having an interesting range due to the pointy end being basically on a spinny swivel wherever his hand moves. He’s not going to be good at close-range and he knows it — his attacks are mostly distance. And the guy has ZERO defense, combined with zero coverage when idle, so it’s for the better.

Distance-wise, though, he rocks. Treating the blade like it’s a flaming throwing weapon means his idle is actually great for sudden flick-tossing and attention-guiding for sneakier attacks, and his stance itself (…nonexistent) serves a different purpose: bait. Basically a big "come hit me". Fun, when you have a lot of fire magic and two friends who are beasts and love to take advantage of a distracted enemy — distance on the blade, proximity on the burning.

A perfect counter to Axel would be someone pinging around very close <—> very far and circling him incessantly. Like, data Xion could wreck him, as he has to wait for the boomerang to come back -- he no longer has two spinny wheels. Also someone with water magic.

.

SO! In conclusion! Having a teacher who teaches you correct sword usage rather than instinct may detract from overspecific styles that benefit you most but leave weak spots, but your muscles and your oversights will thank you. Everyone is glad we have the power of the Mouse and anime on our side.

Keep in mind again that I have done cursory research, and have had minimal actual sword instruction, I am not an expert and this is all for fun anyways :]

[goldensunset]

Hi hi! Idk if u remember me but I’m the anon who mentioned the ‘skuld may have time traveled to scala’ thing. Well, one thing has been bothering me since then, and I wanted to share.

So we all know Luxu somehow took Brain’s body in the past and yet the real Brain somehow ends up in Scala. From what i’ve seen, we don’t actually have an explanation for how exactly this is performed! I might be in over my head with this one, but I’ve was thinking…Ava’s whereabouts are shrouded in mystery and even though Skuld = Subject X isn’t confirmed, she is the only keykid who fits the description. So! What if Ava pulled the same stunt as Luxu and is currently hopping bodies in the timeline? And what if she somehow got Skuld’s early on? Could be another explanation to why Xehanort’s mom is related to Skuld besides like… Skuld having a long lost sister or something. This one is kinda weird tho, hope you don’t mind me sharing :>

hi there anon 👋

ok so i AM taking the ‘luxu took brain’s body’ thing with a grain of salt bc the guy claims to have just peacefully given him the keyblade but he might’ve lied a bit. in any case i think it’s safe to say the real brain was sent to the future to live out his own life while some sort of fake version of him stayed in the past

so in other words… you propose that xehanort’s mom is a descendant of ‘skuld’ but it was actually ava who took skuld’s original body bc the real skuld’s heart was sent to the future… ooooh man that’s REALLY messed up lol

but i am absolutely now intrigued by the prospect of ava also having done the whole body-hopping thing too. i love luxu-ava parallels hhhhhhheeeeehhhehhhyeasssssssssssss except luxu did it because he had to even though he absolutely did not want to live such a miserably long life, while i can hardly fathom ava doing this for any reason other than her own personal choice. twisted girlboss

i totally think SOMETHING is up with ava and skuld. because they’ve brought up the fact that skuld is apparently similar to ava too many times for me to ignore it. gula says it, brain says it, skuld acknowledges it’s been said before, then ven agrees that he thought skuld had ‘seemed familiar’, the character files say it again…

my thought on the matter is still ‘ava hopped into skuld’s heart to just camp safely in there for an indefinite amount of time’ and then in radiant garden hopped again into kairi’s heart and influenced naminé’s existence but she never left and that’s why the foretellers are gonna go after kairi in kh4please i know i have no evidence for this but so what would her goal be in doing this? idk, what was ever her end goal? what were any of the foretellers planning to do after the war? did they mean to end up in unreality? or did they just wanna go live their lives in peace? dunno. but i firmly believe ava never crossed over into unreality and that she’s been hiding out and surviving in this world one way or another

[nyctoheart]

I just need to talk this shit out loud to process it... TLDR I feel like some of the 13 Darknesses are not where we assume them to be.

6 Darknesses remained after the war, found themselves in the data world:

#1-4 trapped in WiR chord with Player

#5 Possessed Ven before the war started, remained in him

#6 Escaped data world with Maleficent, fought with Luxu

We assume that means the first 7 possessed the Lost Masters. But we don’t know when, because none are possessed on screen:

#7 The Master may have gotten possessed on the hill after talking to one of them.

#8-12 Invi, Gula, Aced, and Ira may have gotten possessed during/at the end of the big battle, maybe the same with Ava.

#13 Luxu may have gotten possessed after the battle.

There is also the fight between Luxu and #6. Since #5 repossessed Ven after they clashed, #6 may have possessed Luxu when they clashed-- like Vanitas/Ven in BbS. But if that's the case, Luxu may have both #6 AND #13.

BUT, I think there’s a chance the Master and Luxu are not possessed yet since they wear black coats, which protect them from darkness. If so, they may get possessed in a future title. But then we don't know where #7 or #13 are currently-- or what happened to #6 after its fight with Luxu.

AND I say here that it makes no sense for Darkness to disguise as Ava when it’s repeated that Darkness has no form, and that it can hide within humans. So I think it’s possible Ava was possessed by Darkness during Strelitzia’s death (though the amount of control it had is debatable). If so, Ava was possessed days before the other apprentices. If Ava survived the war, she may still be possessed while behind the scenes, and I don't know if that relays to the other Darknesses as a hive-mind.

[nadziejastar]

yo! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQfcAMCH9gE do you jive with this?

The seven fallen angels, known as the Nephilim, are Lucifer (who represents pride), Mammon (greed), Asmodeus (lust), Leviathan (envy), Beelzebub (gluttony), Satan (same as Lucifer but also allotted with the sin of wrath), and Belphegor (sloth and laziness).

Well, my theory is that the Seekers of Darkness were supposed to represent the Seven Deadly Sins. I actually think that the Seven Guardians of Light were probably meant to represent the Seven Heavenly Virtues. So, pure light vs. pure darkness. The X-Blade is shaped like the Roman Catholic Keys of Heaven.

In the Bible, Jesus comes upon a man possessed by a demon, and asks him "what is thy name," according to the King James version. The verses continue, "And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many."

The 13 Darknesses are basically like the Biblical fallen angels. They want to acquire the Keys to the Kingdom. But to do so, they need to possess physical bodies. I think there was probably not enough time to properly incorporate this lore into KH3, so it was moved to Phase 2. But still, it makes a lot more sense as part of the Dark Seeker Saga.

Pride (Superbia)

“The world needs someone to stand up and lead. Someone strong to stop the weak from polluting the world with their endless darkness. Someone to dictate their destiny.”

Pride is the Original Sin, and the source of all the other sins. Once Dark Road comes out, I will know for sure. But right now, my theory is that The Master of Masters is the head honcho Darkness, named Super. He is a “Fallen Angel” and a false light, similar to Lucifer. He tempted Xehanort to start a new Keyblade War. Then he possessed his body (I don’t think the MoM actually had a physical form). Xehanort was just a pawn for Super to acquire the X-Blade.

Lust (Luxuria)

“I need only play the role of a fool desirous of the Keyblade's power.”

Lust is defined as “an intense desire”. Braig was desirous of the Keyblade’s power, so he became the new Luxu.

Envy (Invidia)

"As Lea and Isa started taking digs at each other, Ven watched in envy, missing the days when friendship was so simple to define."

I do agree with that Youtuber that Ventus was meant to be the vessel for Envy/Invi. In KHUX Ventus was envious of Skuld and Ephemer’s friendship. In BBS, he was envious of Lea and Isa. And even Roxas is envious of Hayner, Pence, and Olette. But when Ventus was split into two, I think Vanitas embodied Envy, and Ventus embodied the Heavenly Virtue Kindness.

Gluttony (Gula)

"The boy, though well-intentioned, seeks power single-mindedly. And that kind of hunger is a seedbed for darkness."

Gluttony is a distorted obsession, perverted obsession for food or the object of our pleasure. Ansem Seeker of Darkness was born from Terra's hunger for power. 

Wrath (Ira)

"It infuriated me to see how you just exited our lives. I was jealous."

Wrath is associated with jealousy, which is not quite the same as envy. Jealousy is more associated with anger and possessiveness, like a jealous lover who is furious that his girlfriend is chatting with another man.

[vectortothehairgel]

I got super drunk and tried to explain the plot of Kingdom Hearts: Part 1

I won’t post the whole thing here cause it’s like 7 pages long but here are the highlights of Union X and BBS: 

-Ok so firsth theres this bitch ass punk named the master of masters and hes’ the reason we can’t have nice things 

-He got all his apprentices together and was like “hey here’s this book of prophecies and shit from the future and you’re all gonna die including me BUT! You each have a role to play in the impending doom! Yaaaaayyy! Ira you get to be the leader. Aced you get to be the second leader (don’t usurp the first leader cause that would lead to the keyblade war ;) ). Invi you get to be a SNEK and also do nothing. Gula you get the page nobody else has and to be a ktity cat. And you dance dance dane and you dance dance dance. OK? Ava you have to get a bunch of special sunshine wielders and call them the dandelions and send them to the digital world. That is providing this isn’t the digital world, which I’m not sure of because I am DRUNK. Spoilers.

-And then Ven goes into teh future and also probably Lauriam and Elrena and Maleficent’s there too? Idk why??? Why are we wasting time on the past when nomura could be telling us how Riku makes pancakes for Sora and Kairi every mornig. Idk.

-Ven is now in the future and Master Xehanort (RIP Leonard Nimoy, I love oyu) Is training him but Ven isn’t edgy enough so Xehanort splits him in two with his Keyblade (idk why this never happens to anyone else?)

-ANyways Xehanort stops by Eraqus’s place and is like “Hi i have a comatose child help him please also I won’t pay child support byeeeee”

-LIke a few years later Terra and Aqua are taking their Mark of Mastery exam and Eraqus is like “Hey Xehabro you wanna come see how well my kids are doing?

-So he comes in and FUCKS UP Himbo Terra’s exam so he thinks he’s drenched in the power of Darkness. And then Xehanort goes to Maleficent and is like “hey you know what would be hilarous? Trick Himbo Man into stealing Aurora’s heart! Also this is liket he only time the Disney wolds will be relevant to the canon! Aint that neat?”

-Anyway a lot of stuff happens and they meet up again in Hollow Bastion where we see ittle widdle Ienzo and Even who does not age. And is a good candidate for a vampire. We also see Isa and Lea as a precious lil baby waby. And we meet tiny Kairi! Cute. Anyway the wayfinder trio all runs into eachother there and Himbo’s like “why are you spying on me” and Aqua’s like “cause you fuckin stole some girl’s heart???? Wtf???”And ventus is like “TERRAAAA PLEASE LOVE ME” and then Terra doesn’t for some reason. It would’ve been great they would’ve wandered around the galazy, like broz, like Han and Chewy, it woulda been great but Terra needs to fall to the darkness I guess so he goes off alone.

-And then they go to the destiny islands and Terra decides “Hey you know this purple haired kid I just met? I’m gonna give him my legacy which I may only have one of. Idk it’s not explained.” and then he does it. Sora doesn’t see any of this. Which is fine.

-Ven goes back to his dad and is liek “Hey dad what’s a X-blade also I met an edgy man who says he was my darkness. Hey if you knew about this why didn’t you do anything before.” And Eraqus is like “No more questions time for death!!” And Terra swoops in and is like “HEY NO” and Eraqus is like “OMFG Kylo?”

-Ven goes comatose and is left in the chamber of waking (which is stupid because he spends most of his time in tehre sleepigng, but unfortunately the developers didn’t ask ME.)

-Back at the graveyard, Terra and Xehanort fight and xehanort shoves his heart inside Terra’s body but surprise surprise! Eraqus is in there too and Xehanorr’s all “You sly foxy daddy” and Terra turns into the Lingering Will. Which is like a Nobody but cooler. Also why don’t Sora Riku Kairi Lea Xion and Roxas get armor?! It’d be so cool. Anyway the Lingering Will gets really tired after the fight with Xehanort and is like “I’m gonna take a ten year nap and also make myself a cape! Goodnight”

-Aqua hunts him down and Aqua’s like “im master Aqua and by the power vested in me by everyone whose waifu i am get the hell outta my Himbo” and Himbonort is like “No go sit in the realm of darkness for a while” and then she does

[daybreak-academy-fanfic]

Daybreak Academy: Chapter 55

Empty Words

Summary: In which Brain apologizes and Skuld makes Ven a promise. Word Count: 1,847 First | Previous | Next ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

Ephemer knew a good barrage of curses; many of which he had learned from Gula and Aced. Which one would be better for the situation? One of the s-words? Perchance that delightful f-bomb he's heard so much about? Yes, maybe that one, repeated multiple times with an increasing range of incredible panic.

Never leave Anora, I love you.

Why did he say that? He was lucky that Anora pretended not to notice before heading back to the cabins. Maybe she had taken it as a compliment- but it was the first time Ephemer had ever uttered the words 'I love you' since they met. Hopefully it wasn't that obvious that it was meant romantically. Hopefully. It was still incredibly mortifying either way.

Suffice to say, he did not sleep at all before they were all called to get on the bus. He wasn't the only one that looked rough. Strelitzia looked like she hadn't slept in days- her eyes looked weary and had light bags under them. She refused to look anyone in the eye, and more than once she almost fell asleep on Lauriam's arm while standing up. Brain also looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep; his fedora slightly skewed than usual. Actually, the more Ephemer looked at him, the more it looked like Brain had been in a fist fight with someone.

Anora hung around Invi like a zombie. It had to be Invi in particular because Shelby wouldn't let her get near Ava. Invi didn't seem to make a fuss about it and opted to use Anora to help back everyone's things onto the bus. This worked out in the girl's favor because then she could find a place to sit, toss her stuff so no one could sit with her, and stay there until they were ready to leave. To further her new found spot, Anora curled herself into a ball on the bench seat and threw a blanket over her body; it hid her from the world and for a brief moment could allow her to believe that nothing else existed.

She must have gone to sleep because the next time she was aware of everything, the bus was in motion and someone was gently shaking her.

“Anora? You awake in that cocoon of yours?” Brain's voice asked. It sounded quiet, almost a whisper, as if he was trying not to wake her up if she was sleeping. Carefully, Anora brought her blanket down. It actually made her heart stop to see how close Brain's face was to her own. He was kneeling at the bench seat to be about eye level with her- considering the distance between seats, it looked like a very uncomfortable position.

Brain also looked to be in some amount of shock in seeing Anora's drowsy face. Almost bashful, he placed a finger at the front brim of his fedora to hide a bit of his face from her.

“I, uh… I wanted to say that I was sorry.” he told her. “This summer, I'd thought I do some… let's call them social experiments. The funny thing is, experiments fail if you don't account for every variable. I thought I knew the variables. But I didn't. So… even if it doesn't make sense, I just wanted to tell you that I was sorry.”

Anora's face crinkled into one of small confusion. Seeing it allowed Brain to let out a light laughter.

“Just go back to sleep, Anora-bird. We can talk again later.” And with that, he gently brought her blanket over her head again and left.

Brain refused to look up as he went back to his seat. On the way, he did happen to pass the seat Lauriam and Strelitzia were sitting in and paused for a moment. Strelitzia had gone to sleep with her head against her brother's shoulder.

“I hope you're happy now.” Brain darkly mumbled to Lauriam.

“You still need to talk to Ephemer.” the older of the two replied without even looking at him. Brain let out a gruff sound of acknowledgment before returning to his seat. Like the initial confrontation with Lauriam just hours after the girls' kiss, the meeting with Ephemer was not something Brain looked forward too, nor planned to go his way.

. . .

Anora did eventually come out of her hiding spot after they made the first restroom stop. Once they were moving again, she had a small thought and pulled out her phone. Her email inbox was almost deserted so it took little time to find a particular email. She pressed the 'Reply' button but hesitated to type a new message. After several minutes of struggling to write something, she instead started to reread the thread.

She really needed to meet back up with her cousin. There was just so much that she wanted to tell him- but travel to Daybreak Academy would have been expensive. She almost felt like she'd need him for a lot guidance in the very near future. But she couldn't ask her cousin to constantly go back and forth just for her. Could she? It's not like he wasn't already doing that for his fiance…

The girl quickly shook her head. What a dumb idea. Her cousin had a life outside of her, just like everyone else.

Curious, Anora picked up her head to see what everyone else was doing. Ephemer and Skuld were talking to a very happy Ventus (the boy turned around in his seat so he could face the other two), Strelitzia and Lauriam were occupying their time with a travel version of Reversi, and Brain was minding his own business with something Anora couldn't see. Unlike the drive down, Aced was driving the bus now. Invi was on the phone talking to some teachers still at Daybreak. Gula and Ira were also talking about something Anora couldn't quite pick up. Then there was Ava and Shelby, the Vulpes headmaster once more insisting that Shelby stay on the bus seat instead of roaming freely around.

Anora wondered for a moment if she could sit with Ava. But Ava likely would have wanted to talk- and that was if Shelby let Anora near his 'mother'. Anora wasn't really ready to talk about anything yet. Trying not to think about her inherit loneliness, her gaze finally fell on Brain. Lightly nibbling her lower lip, Anora carefully got up from her seat and started to walk over to where Brain was.

Ephemer happened to notice her out of the corner of his eye. He stared at her with a blank, weary look as she softly asked Brain something. There seemed to be a sense of surprise from the older boy, but he moved over so she could have a seat. The initial jealousy Ephemer had as he watched the display was quickly overridden by fear. Why was he so jealous all of a sudden? Anora was her own person, she could talk to whoever she wanted to. One little accidental love confession (one that she completely glossed over, mind you) wasn't enough to spark that much jealousy in his heart. Was it…?

This summer was the worst.

“This summer was the best!” Ven happily cheered. “Do you think we'll be able to go back next year?!”

Skuld gave him a small smirk of bemusement. “I don't see why not. It's ultimately up to the headmasters though- it's their timeshare, after all.”

Ven grinned from ear to ear. “My family always goes to the beach whenever we can, but it was nice hanging out with you guys. I can't wait to tell my dad that I finally beat someone at volleyball!”

“Headmaster Aced was going easy on you.” Skuld teased. “You've never seen him in a 3 to 1 match with Ephemer, Gula, and Ira. He had them begging for mercy just before the five minute mark. Isn't that right, Ephemer?”

“Huh?” came the absent response as the boy brought his attention to the others. “What did I do now?”

“And you guys say I'm the space cadet.” Ventus lightly giggled. But the boy's initial amusement gave way into a mild concern. “You've been doing that a lot lately, though. Are you okay?”

The disheartened stare Ephemer gave Ventus should have been the only answer the youngest needed. Regardless, Ephemer put on a light smile before telling him, “Don't worry about me, Ven. I'm fine. Might have caught a cold or something, but nothing to be worried about. Honest.”

“Oh...” was Ven's small answer. “O-okay. If you insist.”

Ephemer gave his friend another thin smile before reclining a bit in the bus seat. Both Skuld and Ventus continued to give him a wary glance, as if they were expecting him to confess that he wasn't okay. And maybe he would to Skuld later- but he'd never say it to Ven. They could hold off on having a talk about unrequited love when Ventus was, at least, five years older.

“I can't wait to get back to campus.” Skuld decided to say, hoping to redirect the conversation. “I've got to get into contact with my therapist so we can resume our sessions. This summer was nice, but I don't want to waste that feeling with biting off more than I can chew. Another year, another step closer to finally graduating.”

“Oh!” Ventus suddenly realized. “This is Lauriam's last year at Daybreak, isn't it?”

Skuld gave a small nod of agreement. “Brain and I've got another two, not counting this year. Then Ephemer's got three.”

“And I just started… sorta.” Ven finished. Giving a small, exasperated sigh, he put his head in his hands. “I hope guys all decide to take that internship thingie Headmaster Ava promised us. It's gonna be so lonely without you guys there.”

“You won't be alone.” Skuld told him. “You'll make other friends, and we'll be sure to keep in contact.”

Ven gave a small, rather sullen sigh. “You promise?”

“Promise.” Skuld agreed with a nod. “No matter what we do or where we'll go, we'll always be friends.”

It went unnoticed by the others, but Ephemer let out a small snort. 'Friends.' Didn't he say that he and Anora were just friends not that long ago? It seemed like it had been a lifetime away. Now here he was, practically stewing in jealousy because she chose to sit with someone that wasn't him. Maybe when school started up again, he'd be so preoccupied with schoolwork that he wouldn't think about Anora as often. Maybe he would shrug off that he admitted to loving her too. And he could forget about her kiss with Strelitzia, and how beautiful she was, and how much he just wanted to grab her face and…

Once more tuning out whatever conversation Skuld and Ventus were having now, Ephemer made himself a bit more comfortable in his seat before closing his eyes. Since his dreams got him into this mess, maybe they could shed some light on what he should do next. Because, honestly? He had no clue what he was doing anymore.

[iloveluxu]

So regarding the information gained from the newest cutscene with Ava and Brain, it brings a lot more light into Strelitzia’s murder

For starters: 

We know the current union leaders are Ephemer, Skuld, Brain, Lauriam, and Ventus. We know these people are identified by their books. 

Strelitzia was personally given a book by Ava, but it was stolen from her when she died, meaning whoever was connected with her murder most likely has her book

We've watched Brain and Ephemer been given their own books by Ava herself before the keyblade war started so they wouldn't have a reason to steal her book.

We have not seen Lauriam get a book from Ava, however, Lauriam is Strelitzia's brother so it wouldn't make sense for him to kill her to get the book. If he somehow got Strelitzia's book, then someone else would have had to take it from her to give it to him 

Our character was with Skuld when Strelitzia was killed. Not to mention there wouldn’t be enough time for Skuld to find Strelitzia, know she had a book, and then kill her to get the book. 

The only other character who doesn't have an alibi yet is Ventus

im not saying that Ventus killed her, from what we know about darkness and light and Ven in general, Ventus having an abnormal amount of darkness doesn’t mean anything about him being a murderer. But unless something comes up about Skuld or Lauriam that may incriminate them, Ven definitely has something to do with her death.

(side note: Gula was the only one left in the room after the Player and Skuld left so maybe him? but i don’t know why he’d kill her)

[not-so-missing-ache]

(My friend and I were talking and I can safely say I’m back on my bullshit again) So like, Gula as Darkness theory, but taken a step further to include Sora and a corpse. This is like 99.9% not gonna canonically make sense but eh So Gula as Darkness but he (probably) ends up in Ven’s heart. There’s atleast evidence that Darkness might’ve been stowing away in there... Anyways, Gula/Darkness got into Ven’s heart during khux times, maaaaaaybe after he died in the keyblade war, or something happens to Darkness once inside the data worlds? Maybe it’s how Darkness or even Ven got back out..? Or maybe like, if Darkness has a heart, once they loose said heart it travels it’s way to Ven. Maybe if they had like a connection, say if Darkness did actually posses Ven and killed Strelitzia that way? By the way, Gula’s keyblade technique in the novel is described as “speedy swordplay” which sounds a lot like Ven, maybe Gula taught him that/he got it from Gula/Darkness possessing him? So anyways, Gula is not with Ven, and later on is there for the creation of Vanitas. (Vanitas by the way essentially means paintings that include “symbols of death or change as a reminder of their inevitability” which sounds a lot like the Strel murder if you ask me) Hmm.. do we actually know where Vani’s heart went after he died in BBS? I don’t think so but I could be wrong on that... So like what if it goes on back to Ven? Then you’d have Ven’s heart that’s in Sora’s, but also Vanitas’s heart in Sora’s, too, except it’s actually Gula’s heart in there. Maybe it’s like a two for one sale so no one recognized this. So now there’d be a connection between Gula/Vanitas and Sora, though, even without the heart thing wouldn’t there still be one? “I’m the piece of Ventus that was taken away, and you’re the piece Ventus needed to be whole again. So, why shouldn’t you and I look exactly the same?” So then he comes back and stuff happens and replica(?) Vanitas dies in KH3. BUT YOU KNOW WHO ELSE MIGHT’VE DIED THEN TOO? SORA. On Twitter there’s been this thing like a Sora is a corpse theory, I forgot the people who had stuff on this but HMK (@ HMKilla on Twitter, HMK on YouTube) I think has stuff on this with who brought it up let’s also. So what if, Sora is actually dead. And is, in fact, an animated corpse in the events after remind. Wait did Chirithy ever mention anything about his heart died appearing, or just himself as a whole? Anyways, what if through that connection Gula was able to gain control over Sora’s body? On a side note, in the khux light novel it says that MoM was more interested in where his apprentices hearts lead them, rather than the fate of the world. Whether this is true or not idk, but, what if like he knew that Gula’s heart would lead him here (and then had plans to do something with that?) Like what if Gula could soooomehow sense that MoM was in that place we saw in the secret ending, and the only way to get there was through one of the kids. (Ex. Sora) Sora was an easy access point for hi, if he acted fast enough. Maybe he still really wants to find MoM after all these years and that’s why he did it I dunno. So then, you’re probably wondering about the epilogue Gula, right? What if, what if, it’s actually Ava? Like it’s a known fact she has the ability to become seemingly perfect copies of others, sooooo... Also maybe the reason Gula is the one to bring up caring about where Ava went is because he doesn’t want anyone to know it’s actually Ava but is just, like, bad at keeping cover or something? So it’s just like, yeah, where is Ava, why’d you exclude her Luxu? (Yes I’m aware of how bad that sounded bear with me please) Also, one tiiiiiny thing from the epilogue that means nothing: Luxu looking around at the four other foretellers, before ending on Gula, and seemingly still looking at him for a second before starting to say “hmm. I guess Ava didn’t make it after all.” Also, yes, I overanalyzed that extremely. I’ve been doing it all day and that’s probably where this “theory” or like collection of random words came

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Cherish the Moment - A SoKai Wedding Fic

Rated T. Sora and Kairi get married... Though there's some subverting expectations in here, since it's the only way I could write this--A, because so many others already have and B, because I felt I'd mess it up if I did it any other way--like, there are some moments Kairi's a bit sad that the few feelings she had for Riku will remain a question mark now (and thinks Sora might feel the same way about his feelings for Naminé)... But that really only lasts for five seconds, and can be seen as Kairi wedding jitters, as I swear all of this is really the fluffiest SoKai piece you'll ever read. SoKai, RokuShi, Namiku, Terqua, Gulava, VentusStrelitzia (as well as past PlayerStrelitzia). Slight RiKai and SoNami, but not really, but definitely more of the former, if any. Kind of written by accident when I needed a break from my other stories... and then it snowballed.

Kairi's PoV

As lovely as Kairi’s marriage to Sora was—that she did want more than anything else in that World, and that was a dream come true in so many ways—there was a little part of Kairi, that was sad that the questions she’d once had about Riku and herself would remain exactly that. And she imagined that… even though Sora would never admit it, the side of his heart that still existed in Castle Oblivion felt that about his tangled feelings for Naminé. But it was what it was—since this was real life, and it wasn't perfect, and Kairi wouldn't trade this feeling for the nothingness she’d felt at Sora’s disappearance for the world. Kairi wore something evergreen as her wedding dress—since it was the color she looked best in, and she wanted to look as beautiful as she could for Sora. ….Also, because Kairi had lost her virginity to Sora a long time ago, and she wasn’t going to lie or feel ashamed about it—and in order to match her, her sun was wearing a yellow tuxedo: that reminded Kairi of the bog world she and Sora had recently visited, that made her happy. Of all places they could've gotten married, the couple had chosen Monstropolus' laugh factory, for Kairi had thought if they got married in front of all the running doors, it could make a lovely sight. And it had. The two had also gotten Barbossa to marry them (when King Mickey had said he would be too nervous to do so). That had been Sora's idea… and Kairi got the sense that it was largely because he had been inspired by Will and Elizabeth’s wedding, who he thought they were like. Which was beyond sweet... And seeing the man's humorous reaction to this new world—before Sora and Riku had nearly instantly shoved him back through a Corridor of Light—had been more than funny to Kairi. But he'd actually officiated for them perfectly, in asking Sora if Kairi was the Elizabet to his Will or Calypso to his Davy Jones… But when Barbossa had begun talking about Sora and Kairi’s upcoming wedding night, Sora and Riku had furiously made him vacate the premises… and despite everything, Kairi had laughed. Even while she’d tried to defend the pirate from her husband and big brother (because yes, that was what Riku really was to her) But after that drama—right after they’d been married—Sora and Kairi had rode atop one of the doors together for a while—with both of them kicking their legs to and fro as it moved beneath them, like they’d both rocked on the paopu tree all those years ago. And while both Kairi and Sora felt somewhat bad that they were keeping their joy from everyone else, by having this special and private moment… they contended themselves with the fact that every other married couple would have been getting pictures away from everyone else at this point, anyway. "But maybe we shouldn't be doing this," Sora eventually said with a chuckle. "I mean, your wedding dress is so impractical for writing doors on, Kai. You might fall right off! And the last thing I want, is for my wife to die on our wedding day." But at this point that Sora had said this, the door had already reached its destination—sort of making Sora's words moot—but Kairi couldn't help teasing her love about it, all the same. "It's okay, Sora. Wielding the Keyblade gives us mastery over gravity, remember? That's how I fought in a dress in The Castle That Never Was. So, I’ll be fine if we want to do this again." But right now, they had bigger fish to fry. So Kairi walked towards Boo's door. The spouses had planned to go visit Boo during their wedding—because they'd wanted everyone they loved to be able to attend. And Kairi adored her, now that she’d gotten to meet her a few times. But now that she and Sora were at her door, planning to go through, Kairi found herself second-guessing if this was a good idea at all. They didn’t want to risk spooking the girl’s parents, who still somehow didn’t know about other worlds… "Sora," Kairi started, as she with loving eyes pulled him away from the door he'd just opened. “We can maybe disturb Boo later… But don't you think we should go see the rest of our friends for a little bit before our honeymoon? Sora didn't have to be asked twice; Kairi had sensed that he was missing Riku, after all. When the two of them got back to the Laugh Floor—where their ceremony had taken place—the lovers could see that Riku was trying to see if Naminé would eat the lemon meringue pie, if he got rid of the gooey bits from it, that she didn't like. …Riku and Naminé were wonderful for each other, and Kairi was honestly glad that they had each other... And Naminé ending up accepting Riku's offer was just further proof of that, in her eyes. And what were Sora and Kairi’s other friends doing right now? Most of the ones with responsibilities in other parts of the galaxy had left already. But some were still here. Like right now, Kairi could see that Ariel was thrilled that she could be part human, part mermaid in a monster form here if she wished... Aladdin was trying to stop Abu from stealing things, it appeared (though this was unnecessary, as both Kairi and Sora had told their guests that they were welcome to any of the decorations the two of them had brought here), and Kairi was glad when Xion kept reminding him that it was fine... Hercules was trying to convince Mike and Sully that they might as well have statues of themselves put up here in their world, like he had a few of his own in Olympus. And the Restoration Committee was trying to see if they could use the door system themselves, as some part of the defense mechanism. And a Lightning was wondering why just because a "Tron" (who had thankfully been restored!) had added a data version of her to his system, the real her had been invited to this wedding… Kairi didn’t even know the answer to that herself, but the more the merrier! Right? As for everyone else... Roxas was by Xion’s side in the whole Abu and Aladdin scenario. The former Nobody did seem somewhat sad that Xion was paying all her attention to it, instead of him… But since it was for Xion, it was clear that he was happy to be doing whatever she was. Terra and Aqua were dancing, and it made Kairi ponder whether or not they'd now decided they saw each other as more than siblings, after all. Lauriam and Ven were… comforting Strelitzia over Player's death. And Kairi once again thought about telling the poor dear that she hadn't had to come here—and that she could leave whenever she wanted to—but that she and Sora were both thankful she had come at all... And Lea, and Isa were catching up with Skuld at the punch table... And it looked as though King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Master Yen Sid were working on some amazing fireworks for Sora and herself? "Where do we even begin?" Sora asked nervously, as he scratched his ear. Kairi imagined that Sora probably wanted to go help with the fireworks display, but given his tendency to sometimes make things blow up—like those blasters back at The World That Never Was—Kairi didn’t know if that was the best idea. "Say, Kairi… what do you say we go talk to Ava first? Is it me, or does she seem lonely?" And Ava did seem that way. And Kairi got the sense that while the woman was thrilled, that what she’d done had helped to lead everyone here... that she was beginning to think what the Master of Masters had been after similar things, after all, and that maybe she had been wrong to kill him. And as soon as they approached Ava, she was telling them just that. "It's a beautiful wedding you’re having, Sora, Kairi... but my father should have been here, since he created all of this. But he isn't... and that’s my fault." '…Except that, as great as your father was… I think he did go insane from it all and would have destroyed the world, if you hadn't stopped him,' Kairi wanted to say, but didn’t. And judging by how Sora kept opening his mouth and shutting it again, Kairi thought that her other heart felt much the same way. But instead, she enveloped the girl in her arms--that Sora watched with a proud twinkle in his eye before he’d turned away from them, Kairi had seen. Perhaps he was about to find Gula and tell him to make sure his girlfriend was happy –and told her what was in her heart. "I get where you're coming from, Ava. Really, I do. And joyful times can make you think of all those who you've lost, who you wish could be there for you, too. …But I think you're looking at this in the wrong way. You've got to think about all that you have! Like your dear friends Gula, Invi, Aced, and Ira... and all of the various Key Kids who found their way here; and how you're now friends with us: the new guard when it comes to the Light, and together we've created some beautifulthings." And there was also the answer to Kairi’s own problem, wasn't it? She had been somewhat focusing on the teeny, tiny bit that she and Sora were losing in getting married—since they had had other feelings for others in the past—that she’d missed that, despite everything, she was finally tied with the love of her life in every way she had wanted to... and that meant more than all of the munny in the world ever could. And her words must have had the intended result of getting through to Ava, too, Kairi saw, because the older woman wiped her tears away... smiled at Kairi and Sora, as he joined them with Gula being pulled behind him, and said, "You’re right, Kairi. And in my heart, I’m still a leader to the Dandelion children. So why am I becoming undone, when I should be comforting Strelitzia--who's already lost so much!—about her love? If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go do that right now. Thank you, my King and Queen." Kairi blushed at that title she and Sora had been given after everything they'd done (Riku and Naminé had even been given some, too), but didn't let it show. Instead, she admired how at that exact moment, Gula had chosen to kiss Ava on the cheek—to show her that she was cared for, but not distract her too much from her mission; or so Kairi guessed—while Ven had chosen to kiss Strelitzia full on the mouth, who was responding positively while Lauriam was not. So suddenly feeling very much in love for a few reasons, Kairi leapt into her precious Sora's arms—wrapping her legs around his waist, as he caught her at the last minute after her surprise attack. "Sora, you know what I just realized?” Kairi asked, as she leaned close to Sora and prayed to Kingdom Hearts to give her strength to say these next words, since she was a terrible dancer. “We've been lame! in not giving everyone our first dance yet!" Sora chuckled at this, as he leaned his forehead against Kairi’s own and looked deep into her eyes with loving ones of his own. “Then let’s go give them a show, Mrs.” And everyone around them must have realized what they were finally about to do, because Terra wolf-whistled, and Riku called out with a hand over his mouth, "Dance already, you two! You've already broken tradition by having the other couples do so before you!" Sora stuck his tongue out at Riku for that one. So in wanting to everything wedding the traditional way now, Kairi let Sora lead her onto the dance floor—and he winked at her in a way that made a shiver run down Kairi’s spine in the best way possible—and she prepared to do a nice, slow dance with Sora... only for the song to change to the Cupid Shuffle. And Kairi and Sora cracked up, as they once again leaned their foreheads against each other’s, but also held both of each other’s hands this time while doing so. After dancing to the song by themselves very shortly, Kairi and Sora motioned for everyone to come onto the dance floor with them... which Kairi was glad for—since it would hopefully distract everyone how she always messed up timing or did the wrong thing in this song. But Sora was a godsent when it came to making her look good at dancing, and somehow seemed charmed by her bad movements, so it was a win-win. Fortunately, the Cha-Cha slide came on right after the Cupid Shuffle—that Kairi knew better than any other dance—and she was able to redeem herself some. And seeming to realize she wanted to leave the dance floor on a high note, Sora asked with the kind of kindness he’d had in his eyes when he’d told Chirithy she’d made him remember how good it was to experience things with a friend, "Want to give everyone else the dance floor now?" And Kairi shouted "Yes!" faster than anything she'd ever said in her life, since—as it was—her feet were starting to kill her in these high heels, too. Sora, truly being a psychic, swept Kairi up off her feet before she could even voice the thought. And she leaned her head into his shoulder, like a soldier coming home for the first time in ages. It was at this time that everyone seemed figure out that they were ready to leave. So there were last minute goodbyes (Roxas pretended to cry that his brother was all grown up—and this had gotten a kick out of everyone—nevermind the fact that Sora was older than he was), thank yous, and promises to see each other again soon....As well as Kairi trying to give away some of the lantern decorations that she and Sora had bought for the event... But soon enough, everything was sorted out and Sora and Kairi were leaving in the gummi ship to go somewhere magical for their honeymoon, as all of their friends waved at them... and it was then that Kairi promptly passed out in Sora's arms... all the planning, stress, and exhausting—though perfect day—having finally gotten to her. … When Kairi later awoke, it wasn't to her and Sora's honeymoon location—as nice as that would have been; and Sora was still keeping it a secret where they were even going—but to their room in their gummi ship. And Kairi had to say... even if there was always a part of her that would slightly prefer being home, she could certainly get used to waking up in their bed in the gummi ship together. Sora’s scent was all over the blankets and it was lovely; Kairi had to resist the urge to roll herself back up into them and go to sleep again, even. But Sora must have sensed what she was about to do, because he stole her blankets away from her before she could get too comfortable and Kairi glared at him... before descending into a fit of giggles. "Hey, Kairi!" Sora was laughing himself. "You can't go back to sleep yet! I mean... here I am, somewhat carelessly leaving the ship in autopilot to make sure I was by your side when you first woke up after we were married. And you don't even care? C'mon! Where's the Kairi who jumped through Corridors of Darkness to see me?" Suddenly feeling more awake now, and giddy, and even somewhat like their younger selves, Kairi sat with her knees on the black mattress, and spared Sora a glance and a thought. "You're right... I'm not appreciating this moment enough at all. I should be calling you a 'lazy bum', and slapping you upside the head... Or actually, not doing that, because I'm a sensible girl who knows how to deal with her feelings now, outside of physically hurting the object of my affections. Especially since I need no excuse to touch you now. Eep!" And even before Kairi herself knew it—and she was the one who had done this!—she was flying through the air and then in Sora's arms, as she peppered kiss after kiss on every inch of his face, neck, and shoulders. And when he gently pushed her away from himself—while still smiling stupidly—Kairi could tell that he’d been getting distracted, too. But Sora somehow got himself back under control soon, to which Kairi could only frown. "Kairi… not now. The gummi ship will crash. And we're saving this for our special honeymoon, remember?" Kairi wanted to do anything but let Sora go. But as she recalled how Riku and Naminé's ship had been nearly destroyed by Heartless not so long ago, she thought that being cautious probably was for the best. "…Okay, Sora. Go pilot the gummi ship—and take me to wherever this glorious new world is—and I'll get us breakfast." Kairi, who had been moved by Sora's cooking at the bistro, almost hated that she was going to make stuff for them now... instead of letting the professional chef make food for her. But she also thought it was only fair, since he was apparently going all out for her in another way. And besides, she was quite the cook herself, wasn't she? Hadn't she found many neat ways to cook fruit on the island, that Sora and Riku had adored? Kairi got her answer to that question soon enough, when Sora told her "Yes, please do that, Kairi! And bring out the fruit flavor even more in the orange chicken, as you do!" And then Sora was diving for the control panel, as both he and Kairi saw an asteroid heading their way. And the Keyblade master got the ship to move in just the nick of time. Kairi laughed. As much as, in some ways, she didn't want it to be... this was kind of like old times: like when Sora had been driving the gummi ship after saving her from Hollow Bastion, and Kairi had been left asking Goofy what she could do to help him at all, while the brunet and Donald had fought about who was driving. And as much as Kairi had grown since then and was thrilled by it, because she never wanted to lose her friends again but to rather be their equal... She still liked being cherished by Sora like this—especially the day after their wedding—and if creating non-breakfast food was her part of the bargain to have that feeling, then she'd gladly do it. And she did. And the happy couple ate merrily. When they were done? Sora was pointing out to her the biggest amusement park she could have ever imagined! "Is this where we're going, Sora? It seems so fun! Oh! What's that ride that looks like a skyscraper, and-" Kairi got her answer to that question when she saw the "elevator" within the false building rocket back down to ground level from a horrifying height. "...You know, Kairi, weirdly enough... I must have somehow drawn on the imagery of this place when I developed my Attraction Flow. Or something. Like, I almost wanted to make an attack like that skyscraper—like a guillotine, almost—but I didn't." Huh. That was odd. Kairi really didn’t know what forces governed the multiverse—so maybe all things happened for a reason—but even so, there was at least one thing she didn’t want to talk about in that... "I'm all for us being entertained by roller coasters as part of our honeymoon, Sora... But can we stop talking about beheadings, please? I think I’m going to be sick." And not needing to say anymore to convince him, Sora gently took Kairi’s hand in his own and began leading her through the exit… and the moment Kairi’s feet touched the ground, she was already having so much fun! She ran on the cobblestone to where she could get funny little hats, and then motioned with her eyes that she and Sora should go to the castle towering above them next! Which they did. And as the two of them had always wanted to fly with one another, they went on a ride together of soaring elephants. And it reminded Kairi of that “Dumbo” Sora had summoned on his first journey. She had seen this while being in his heart. And Kairi made sure to point this out to Sora, as she leaned as close to him in the seat as she could—even getting out of her own seatbelt, so she could be within his. Once they exited that attraction, one of the workers seemed annoyed with what Kairi had done... but upon seeing the rings on her and Sora's fingers, shook his head and seemed to imagine it was only expected of newlyweds. Or so Kairi guessed, since he let them walk by without chewing them out in the slightest. Then, Sora was amazed by something called vanilla ice cream—since the two of them had only had seasalt and chocolate before—and in trying it herself, Kairi decided it was every bit as good as Sora said it was. And after that, Sora and Kairi discovered something called "race cars" in a place called “Autopia”, that neither could get enough of. But too soon after that—or perhaps not soon enough—they were back in their hotel room (that had aesthetics they both loved. Kairi partly loved them because there were pictures of Sora here somehow! Maybe the two of them really were somehow connected to this place and the multiverse was trying to show them it). And then Sora and Kairi were worshipping each other's bodies, lazily, as warm air spilled into the room. They'd both been slow and nervous with each other when they’d started, almost like it was their first time again, but then they’d found their way—as they always did with each other—and had just opted to make slow love. "And to think we can start every morning like this, Kairi," Sora said sweetly, as he kissed her lips and the morning sun spilled in. "Mmm. That’s the most perfect thing I can think of," Kairi answered back… “Well, aside from a few other things to make this even better”, Kairi said cheekily, as she sat up and her lips started going down, down, down Sora’s body. And in a world where anything could be torn away from them in any given moment—including each other, as they both knew well—knowing that they could wake up together for a while really was the best feeling in the world. And Kairi cherished it.

[cori-writes-fanfic]

Ven and Kairi team up to save Sora, part two: Foreteller edition.  My thoughts on these guys are kind of scattered, admittedly, so I’ve just kind of…thrown down what I have.

Master of Masters

Not really there physically, but he does appear as an apparition in a couple of cases.

Mostly he’s just referenced, though.

While we still don’t know a lot about this guy’s true motives, I imagine him very much as a ‘you can’t fight fate’ sort of villain—though he wasn’t initially. Essentially, I imagine he attempted to use the Power of Waking to change the future over and over and over again to prevent the great darkness Luxu mentioned in his reports without the Keyblade War, and just…kept failing.  This led to his last-ditch effort to try for a brighter future by manipulating the Foretellers into causing the Keyblade War before the Power of Waking took its toll and he ‘vanished, dimmed, and faded without a trace.’

Basically, he’s still looking towards the future, and broke down enough to just give up and try to guide the world towards its ‘destined’ fate.

Maybe there’s a cycle of destruction involved in order to avoid the Great Darkness??

 Makes him a good contrast to Sora, though.

(Side note: I actually love the idea of him being a final incarnation of Luxu.)

Ira

Really thrown off by this whole ‘thrown into the future’ thing.  Like…they’re all disoriented, to an extent, but Ira’s really trying to grapple with the realities of the fact that they’re no longer in their time anymore and that everything’s so different.

Kairi and Ven meet him in Olympus (Ven takes Kairi there to train, and they kind of get drawn into a tournament where Ira’s a participant.  Whoops.)

He’s actually pretty helpful to the two of them, though??  He emphasizes with the fact that they’ve lost someone—he and the other Foretellers are searching for MoM, after all.  He doesn’t know a lot about the situation (and is kind of taking time to adjust, tbh—something Ven empathizes with), but he does give them an idea of where they can go to find the other Foretellers, in case they could help.

Invi

Most helpful besides Ira!  Actually has some ideas on how the Power of Waking works (though it was really Ava’s specialty).

Probably when they initially meet, there’s some sort of misunderstanding?  So, like, a boss that’s early in the world—but one who becomes a temporary party member afterwards.

Kind of like the idea of her appearing in a world based of Atlantis??

Invi is pretty driven to bring back MoM, and has been researching relentlessly to figure out how—she appreciates Ven and Kairi’s comments because it gives her a potential clue.

While she regrets everything that’s happened, she is determinedly pushing it down in order to move forward—she doesn’t want to think about the implications that much because there’s nothing she can do to change it, but she can help piece together the remainder of their family.

Aced

Unsurprisingly, he’s pretty angry about everything that’s happened.

The worlds were separated?  Luxu brought them to the future and then gives them this ridiculous story and says they need to revive the Master, but doesn’t give them much more than that? It’s very frustrating.

Still goes along with it, though.

Extremely aggressive towards Ven and Kairi, and doesn’t really warm up to them even after being ‘defeated’ (though, at least, he stops attacking them).

Needs to be in a world based on Brave.

Gula

Extremely suspicious of Luxu and this whole deal.  Does not like the fact that Ava is missing and that they weren’t given much of an explanation for it.  So, true to form, he branches out on his own.

He looks for information on MoM, sure, but he’s looking into what happened to Ava just as much, and trying to figure out what exactly Luxu is up to.

Probably the first of the Foretellers to realize maybe MoM isn’t as good a guy as they all thought, but doesn’t know if he really wants to break away from his family again.

Ironically, Ira warned Ven and Kairi that Gula would probably be the most suspicious of them, but it turns out to be the opposite—Gula actually remembers Ven from his Union.*  (This, probably understandably, brings about a lot of questions and concerns.)  That makes him a lot more willing to help, however.

Ends up in a weird mix between anti-hero and anti-villain?  Basically, it’s not really clear whose side he’s on because he’s not sure who’s side he’s on.

Ava

Probably not really present for most of the story (at least, not physically) because…I’m still not entirely sure what happened to her??

Still wondering if maybe she had something to do with Brain’s role as a ‘virus’ after the new screenshots for Union X appeared.

I’ll figure out something for her at some point, I swear.

Luxu

A troll.

Okay, more seriously, he does take a certain amount of joy from trolling Ven and Kairi, but he’s also just so tired, he just wants this all to be done so he can have his family back.

For the record, he’s also not entirely sure what the Master has planned, though he knows more than the others.  He just doesn’t particularly care at this point—his one goal is to bring his family back together, and he will sacrifice pretty much anything for that.

Works as a foil to both Ven and Kairi—both he and the protags are desperately trying to bring back someone they lost.  Unlike Ven and Kairi, Luxu was never able to properly figure out how to deal with his grief and is basically consumed with the idea of bringing his Master back.

(Also I have ideas for Vanitas and Sora, but like…probably for a later post, because apparently I can’t make these short.)

*While I personally headcanon Ven as having been from Leopardus, obviously we have no canon confirmation of his Union.

[ultyso]

Aight, I’m just saying, in the off chance we find out that Gula is big bro to Ven, you heard it here from me first. 🤣

[swankymcgilligan]

Namine and the Nameless Star

I’ve been thinking about the Nameless Star a bit. Most people seem to think she’s Strelitzia, but I really don’t think so. The stuff she says doesn’t really match up imo. For example, she says that the reason her heart was taken away was because it “pines for another”.

Which doesn’t really match up with what happened to Strelitzia. Sure, you could say that she was “pining” for |Player|, but that wasn’t really what lead to her demise. She was killed because Brain wanted to take her position as Union Leader, |Player| didn’t really have anything to do with it. 

I think the Nameless Star is connected to Namine. I don’t think it was just a coincidence that the Nameless Star and Namine were both in the Final World together. There was the reason they were the only two stars with spoken dialog. When I listen to the way the NS talks, it really reminds me of Namine. They’re both soft spoken and gentle-toned, the way the NS giggled even reminds me of Namine’s giggle. And then even a lot of the phrases they use or that are spoken to them are similar: 

1.

Sora and NS in KH3:

Sora and Namine in CoM:

2.

NS about her unnamed friend in KH3:

Namine about Sora in KH2:

3.

NS to Sora in KH3:

Namine to Sora in KH3:

Namine’s origins have always been a bit of a mystery. Even Ansem the Wise was baffled by her existence. Kairi, being a PoH, shouldn’t have really been able to produce a Nobody.  We’ve also never really found out why Namine has blonde hair. We know Roxas got his gold-blonde hair from Ven, but what about her? Where did her platinum-blonde hair come from? There’s also this mysterious file of Vexen’s that Axel found in Days, whose contents still haven’t been revealed:

So I think we’ve had more than enough hints that, rather like how Roxas is part Sora, part Ven, Namine is also not 100% Kairi. Which leads me to suspect that the Nameless Star is in fact the person that Namine got her blonde hair from. So we can rule out Strelitzia and Skuld. And, although we don’t know her hair color, I think we can also rule out Invi, since she appeared in the epilogue. That leaves us with only two possibilities as to her identity:

1. Ava

2. A completely new character

Evidence for NS being Ava:

As others have pointed out, there’s a few similarities between Ava and Namine. They both have a habit of clasping their hands, they both have the power to change their appearance (Namine taking the form of Kairi in CoM, Ava taking the form of another foreteller in KHX), and they both seem to have memory manipulation powers, as I believe Ava was the one who erased the Dandelions’ memories. There’s also the matter of Namine’s almost total exclusion from KH3. She didn’t appear in any of the trailers. She didn’t appear in the opening sequence. She only had a single, optional cutscene where she actually speaks. She doesn’t even appear properly until the end of the game. 

It made me wonder, is this bit of dialog between Xigbar/Luxu and Gula a hint that Ava is the reason that Namine was excluded from KH3?

One final idea I had; NS claims that her name and “everything about her” was taken away. If we assume that Ava is also Subject X, then that would certainly explain why Saix and Axel were never able to find a single trace of her, even after 10+ years. 

Evidence for NS NOT being Ava/ being a new character:

NS says they took away her name, yet Xigbar/Luxu was able to say Ava’s name at the end. Although to be fair, we don’t really know how this whole “name taking” works, so if Xigbar took away Ava’s name, it might stand to reason that he’d be the only one who could still say it. I couldn’t help but notice that none of the foretellers actually try to say her name out loud... Gula simply refers to Ava as “her”. 

[kingdommad300]

Possible Kairi Story Arc

Hear me out!

So lets say we start with Kairi not having much faith in herself. With getting killed by Xehanort and having Sora sarfice himself to bring her back again, she doesn't have much confidence in herself. Despit that, she goes to Yen Sid and insists that she learn the Power of Waking to assist Riku in finding Sora. Only to be denied the request.

So Riku goes to search the sleeping worlds, leaving Kairi left behind once again.

Yen Sid summons Kairi and finds Ventus had been summoned too. Yen Sid instructs the two that he senses strange activity coming from Radiant Garden and want the two of them to check it out as well as to find any alternative plans to find Sora if Riku isn't successful.

So they go to Radiant Garden, Kairi decided to go to her grandmother's house and discovers of her when she was younger. You can say Gula appears, (let's say he thinks she's Ava) and insists her on finding the truth about herself. Kairi leaves the house and sees someone that looks like Sora, so she goes after him. When she gets closer, she realises that it's Vanitas. They fight. Ventus finds both of them and finishes the fight.

Ventus asked if he can sense Sora at all, since he is still bears Sora's face. He explains his connection is not fully there. He then questions Kairi on using her Princess of Heart powers to bring him back, like she did before. She goes 'I'm not strong enough.' And then Vanitas says 'Then get more power.' And disappears.

After checking out the books in the radiant garden library and asking Aerith, she found out that there is a powerful light spell that can bring someone back from the dead but only a few people had been successful in doing it. So Kairi and Ventus decide to head to the worlds with the other Princesses of Hearts to borrow their power.

So they go to the Disney Worlds, learn a thing or two along the way, deal with some Foretellers in the world and collect the power.

During the journey, Riku joins them, explaining that the sleeping realm was a dead end and that he was concerned with what the two of them were doing. With Kairi, he is concerned about the shadow she is creating behind her with the light she is gathering, making her a huge target. But Kairi assures Riku that her greatest strength is her POH powers and it is going to be the key to bring Sora back.

So they have all seven pieces of the POH powers and Luxu (Xigbar) and Gula stop them, asking the three of them to give him the light (lux) they had gathered. Kairi refused and the three of them fight the Foretellers. Thought they could deal with Luxu, Gula managed to take Ventus and Riku out for the moment. Still believing Kairi is Ava (which she's not), insists on giving them the light before the Heartless come to take it. Kairi decides to try the revival spell instead.

But instead of the spell, Kairi was pushed into this light based form (similar to Rage mode) where she started to fight everyone while Heartless startes to rapidly appear due to her light. Gula and Luxu flee and Ventus and Riku deal with Kairi. With Riku managing to knock Kairi out.

They retreat back to Yen Sid and Riku reports what has been happening with both Ventus and Kairi.

While Kairi rests up, she dreams that she is on the islands with Sora by her side. She apologises for not being as strong as he saw her. Sora explains that it isn't her POH powers that make her strong but her determination to help, her willpower to do whatever it takes to get us back home and that her strength is what's allowing him to not give up, to keep going. Kairi says she wants to stay here but Sora says that she can't be the 'lazy bum' here. She has to wake up.

Filled with determination, Kairi readies herself with Riku and Ventus to deal with the Foretellers with the plan they have.

So they do the final world. Kairi fights Gula and defeats him. Gula still thinks that she is Ava but Kairi says that this is all me.

So the realm of light is safe from the Foretellers for the time being. Kairi asks all their friends to appear on the Islands. Once everyone gathers, Kairi explains that she is going to try the spell again so if its successful, we are here for Sora. If not, they are ready to deal with her. Ven tries to object, having become good friends with Kairi, during their journey but Kairi explains she won't be absorbing the power, she will be giving up her own and using the power to create the spell. Saying that she doesn't need her POH power to prove her strength. Her confidence returned.

And then she does the spell and leave it on a cliffhanger.

[fandomoverflow]

Of Their Own Volition: Luxu, the Master, and KH3′s Secret Ending

Shortly I finished playing Kingdom Hearts 3, someone (can’t remember who but if anyone knows/finds the OP for it) suggested on Tumblr that Xehanort “shattering” Kairi was Luxu’s idea. That Sora didn’t require further motivation to fight Master Xehanort, but he did need a reason to keep abusing the Power of Waking until he faded away at the end of the game. 

My initial take on the idea was that Luxu either wanted to remove Sora as an obstacle to the Master of Masters’ plans, or Sora was part of the Master of Masters’ plans and Luxu wanted to isolate him from his friends. But now I think I’ve hit on a different take: Sora was just a means to an end. Getting Riku to the Master’s location was the true goal. 

Let me break it down. 

When Sora chases the Lich to rescue his friends’ hearts, Young Xehanort says 

“Dream by dream you nearly buried yourself in the dark of sleep. And now you’re at it again.” 

And when he departs, YX tells Sora that: 

“You’ve paid the price, and it lies at the bottom of the abyss.” 

Connecting Sora’s fate at the end of KH3 to the eternal slumber the Organization planned for him in DDD indicates that those who misuse the power of waking like Sora did trap themselves in the deepest layers of the Realm of Sleep.

Since the Master of Masters’ talk of fading/vanishing is reminiscent of what happens to Sora at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3, a lot of us have caught on to the indication that the Master’s disappearance in Back Cover is the result of misusing the power of Waking. 

For what purpose we still don’t know yet, but what the puzzle pieces laid out in the games tell us is that the Master of Masters knowingly sealed himself in the deepest abyss of the Realm of Sleep. How he’s able to interact with Young Xehanort in the Re:Mind trailer remains to be seen, but my best guess is that this is a projection of him, while his heart is elsewhere, like Crab Jack and what the Sleeping Realm Theory suggests happened with Kairi. 

Twitter user Scherzo pointed out the parallels in Chain of Memories’ Hollow Bastion storyline between Sora and the Beast as well as Riku and Belle. In their analysis, Maleficent’s role in this plot has paralles to Organization XIII. But in the comments for the post, Scherzo brought up the possibility that this plot parallel (Villain wants to use Character A’s love for Character B for their own nefarious ends) being repeated with the Master of Masters filling the role that Maleficent played in Chain of Memories. 

And that's when I remembered this line from Re: Chain of Memories when Vexen hears that Maleficent was one of the scents Zexion detected in Castle Oblivion’s lowest basement:

“The witch is gone. She cannot return from the Realm of Darkness of her own volition.”

Given the fact that the Realm of Sleep is repeatedly connected to the Realm of Darkness, it would stand to reason that returning from the deepest layer of the Realm of Sleep where Sora and the MoM are works similarly to returning from the Realm of Darkness.

So let’s look at the characters who have ended up in the Realm of Darkness at one point or another and how they were able to escape: 

Case 1 (Riku; COM): Sora enters Castle Obvious with the express goal of finding Riku. In Re:Com, his gut feeling that Riku and Mickey are in the castle is verbalized as “our very best friends. They’re here.” And during the course of Marluxia’s exposition dump, Sora out loud puts Riku into the category of “people I miss”. During or shortly after this time, Riku awakens in the Castle’s lowest basement. Vexen openly states that Riku’s arrival is because “his existence resonates with that of another.” In other words, Riku is able to escape the dark realm because of his connection with Sora.

Case 2 (Maleficent; KH2): After her apparent death in KH1, Maleficent’s heart ends up in the Realm of Darkness, where she manages to time travel back to the Age of Fairy Tales and ends up trapped in a Data Simulation made from the Book of Prophecies. A mysterious figure referred to as “Darkness” helps her return to her own time, back in the Realm of Darkness. In KH2, her raven diablo brings her robes to the Mysterious Tower. The three good fairies attempt to deny her existence, but simply remembering her is enough to reconstruct her body and return her to the realm of light. 

Case 3 (Sora & Riku; KH2): Sora’s heart opens the Door to Light at the end of KH2 after reading a letter that Kairi had written to him at the beginning of the game. 

Case 4 (DiZ; KH3): DiZ was removed from the Realm of Darkness by the Heartless of his former apprentice, who as a Heartless could travel in and out of the Dark World at will. 

Case 5 (Aqua; KH3): Rescued by Sora, who from her perspective she had met not too long ago when she recognized Riku as Terra’s chosen successor and made Sora promise to support Riku the way she knew Terra had needed support from her and Ven. In addition to that, Sora still had Ventus’ heart inside him when she was rescued. 

What all of these cases have in common is that each character is only able to leave the Realm of Darkness because of a strong enough connection with another person. 

Meaning that even if he knowingly consigned himself to the depths of the Realm of Sleep of his own choice, the Master of Masters cannot leave and return to the waking world without the outside assistance of someone he has a strong connection with: 

Riku’s connection to Sora allows him to slip out of the dark realm into Castle Oblivion in COM. 

Sora and Kairi’s connection allows him to open the Door to Light in KH2. 

DiZ was taken out of the dark realm by the Heartless of his former Apprentice. 

Aqua and Sora met once and he has Ven’s heart inside him. 

And although they tried to forget her, the three fairies, her enemies, were enough of a connection to allow Maleficent to come back in KH2. 

This fits incredibly well with Joshua’s line in DDD: 

“By ourselves we’re no one.  It’s when other people look at us and see someone.  That’s the moment we each start to exist.  All they needed was someone to see them, connect with them.”

In summary, escaping from the Realm of Darkness requires someone you know and have a strong connection with to acknowledge your existence.

But despite the similarities the Realm of Sleep is still the Realm of Sleep. The requirements for exiting its deepest layers aren’t going to be the exact same as exiting the Realm of Darkness. So it’s a good bet that the Power of Waking has to be involved 

The only times the Power of Waking was shown being used in DDD and KH3 were situations where the sleeper had a connection with the person waking them. Sora and Riku. Sora and Ventus. Sora and Kairi. 

So we can infer then that releasing someone from the depths of the Realm of Sleep requires 2 things: 

someone you have a connection with on the outside to serve as a beacon home

someone you have a connection with who can use the Power of Waking to release your heart from its prison. 

Which brings me to the end of Kingdom Hearts III and beyond. 

In the epilogue, Luxu summons four of the five Foretellers to the present day after Xehanort’s defeat. They are now the only people left alive who have a connection with the Master of Masters. No one else in the present day knows who he is. The few other X-era characters only knew of him at most and had no real connection to him. So it’s up to Luxu, Ira, Gula, Invi, and Aced to serve as the anchor point. 

As for the second requirement… 

After Kairi was “shattered” Sora used the Power of Waking one last time to restore her at the cost of casting himself into the depths of the Realm of Sleep. As his Dream Eater, Riku followed him. 

The presence of the Gazing Eye on Riku’s Soul Eater and Way to Dawn indicate that there is some connection between Riku and the Master of Masters. 

What that connection is remains to be seen (although I’m a big fan of the Nightmare Family Theory suggesting that the MoM is Riku’s father, with Luxu as his older brother and Nightmare counterpart), but I’m willing to bet that the Master of Masters is fully aware of that connection, whatever it may be. 

Now all he has to do is force Riku to acknowledge that connection and the Master will be freed from his prison to return to the Realm of Light once more. 

TL;DR: The Master of Masters has spent ages sealed in the deepest layers of the Realm of Sleep. The epilogue and secret ending of KH3 represent the beginning of the culmination of Luxu and the MoM’s carefully orchestrated plan to use the bond between Sora and Riku to free the Master from his self-constructed prison.