#besides like. roxas yelling at saix for calling xion 'it' lol

[thefreshprinceofjunes]

bold of the days manga to just confirm xion trans like that

[nadziejastar]

*spoilers* (Sorry if this has already been asked) Do you think Isa/Saix deserved to be forgiven so quickly in kh3, considering how he treated Xion and Roxas? (Got mixed feelings myself)

Well, this is how I see it. In order to judge a character, they have to remain consistent. Their actions should be reasonably understandable and believable for their circumstances. They have to feel authentic in order for me to judge them in the same way I would judge a real person. As far as I’m concerned, Axel is the same character as Lea. I can judge his character as a whole, in its entirety, because he was consistent. He felt like a real person. I can unequivocally say he deserved to be forgiven by Kairi, Sora, etc.

But I simply cannot view Saïx/Isa that way. In KH3 we are TOLD that Isa and Saïx are the same person. But everything I SAW said otherwise. Actions speak louder than words. Does Isa/Saïx deserve to be forgiven? Depends on which Isa/Saïx you are referring to, lol. Everything I saw prior to KH3 indicated that Saïx and Isa are two completely separate characters.

Who Axel Was Doing It All For

Really? Axel wondered to himself.

Did that self in my memories really have a strong heart? Don’t really know. And then, Nobodies without hearts wish for only one thing. A heart.

If I was asked if I wanted a heart, I guess I’d answer that I did. But, do I really want a heart? Can a heart really fill this hollowness I’ve carried since I fell into existence as a Nobody?

This is from the KH2 Short Stories novel. It’s before Roxas joined the Organization. I think Axel wanted revenge on the Organization as much Saïx did. He truly despised them all and felt nothing but satisfaction when Vexen and Zexion were killed. But beyond that, he wasn’t really sure what he wanted.

He definitely didn’t have faith in Xemnas. He had serious doubts that they’d really get their hearts back by following his orders. And he wasn’t sure if getting his heart back would really heal the emptiness he felt inside, anyways. He encouraged Roxas to keep believing in Kingdom Hearts. And it always felt like it was just as much an attempt to convince himself that it would solve everything.

Saïx gave him a cruel grin. “You will lose everything!” And then the Claymore pierced Axel’s chest.

I don’t want to disappear. I can’t disappear now. I shouldn’t have to disappear at all. Why am I doing all this? Who is it for? For Roxas… For Riku, for Naminé… And for myself. There are still things I should do. Things I have to do.

More than for himself, he needed to believe he had someone who it was all for. After leaving the Organization and getting attacked by Saïx, he was dying. He needed to feel like he was doing it for Roxas, Riku, and Naminé in order to make all the pain worth it—to truly be doing it for himself.

There were other things besides Xion that he wanted to discuss. Well, to be more precise, there were plenty of other things he needed to bring up. They hadn’t been speaking much.

It’s messed up, Axel thought. Why am I trying to put Saïx in charge of the Organization…?

When Axel began to grow a heart, his relationship with Saïx changed. He started questioning why he was trying to get him to the top. They both wanted to overthrow Xemnas, but Axel’s motivation was now wavering.

“We don’t need them both. Just one. And pretending won’t change it. Think about that.”

Axel realized how great the rift was between how he remembered their past and what he saw now.

Why am I even here? I don’t know anymore. What am I trying to do?

Axel thought the person he knew in the past was gone. It’s why he clung to his memories so much. Saïx is nothing like who he remembered Isa to be. He has changed far too much for Axel to recognize him, and it made him question why he was even there anymore.

“You both think you can do whatever you want!” He summoned his flame-wreathed chakrams to his hands. “I’m sick of it. Go on, you just keep running. But I’ll always be there to bring you back!”

It was a plea, a cry, a bitter lament, and a vow.

No matter how many times you leave, I’ll bring you back. Every time. Both of you. For my sake and for yours.

When he fought Xion the second time, he said he would always bring both of them back. It was for their sake, and his. But mostly for his. He didn’t care what either of them wanted. He needed them back.

He’d been overthinking the do’s and don’ts so much that he lost sight of what he wanted. And he couldn’t gather the courage to follow Roxas. Was he afraid of rebelling against the Organization? No—it was just that he wanted things to stay the way they were, even more than Xion or Roxas did.

After Roxas deserts, Axel can’t bring himself to follow him, though. He admits it wasn’t because he was afraid of rebelling against the Organization. He rebelled against them before. 

“Traitor,” Saïx had called him. But his betrayal of Organization XIII wasn’t exactly a recent development, Axel thought with a bitter laugh. It had begun back in Castle Oblivion. When Marluxia and Larxene conspired to steal Sora’s memories, trying to take possession of him. 

Axel had only acted to keep Sora alive—to keep Roxas alive. But thinking back on it now, maybe all he’d done was to play right into Xemnas’s hands.

Like in Castle Oblivion. Axel was willing to go against the Organization if he had a good enough reason. He chose to stay in the Organization for his own reasons. 

Axel didn’t care anymore about what the Organization needed, what Xion or Roxas wanted, or even what was supposed to be good for the worlds. He had been using the Organization for his own ends from the start. The only thing that had changed in the meantime was who it was all for. Maybe Saïx would call that a betrayal. But his world had changed.

I wanted us to stay together. All I wanted was to hold on to our happiness as a trio in the Organization. But I told myself to grow up and stop wishing for the impossible. Well, I’m done with that. That’s not the answer I want.

He admits that who he’s been doing it all for has changed, and that Saïx would consider it a betrayal. His thoughts suggest that until that point, he was doing everything for HIM.

I just did what I thought was the best thing at the time. For Roxas, for Xion, for the Organization—and for Isa. But most of all for me.

After he fought Xion and brought her back the first time, Roxas was angry with him. These are his thoughts. He was the one Axel was originally doing it all for. Not Saïx, though. He was doing it all for Isa. But above all, he was doing it for himself. Doing it for Isa was doing it for himself. It was all so he could bring back the person he lost. It was a plea, a cry, a bitter lament, and a vow.Just like it was with Roxas and Xion.

What if…? What if he’d been able to stop Roxas back then? If he had told Roxas all the things they kept secret, maybe it wouldn’t have come to this. But he’d been unable to betray the organization.

No—he had definitely betrayed them. The one who killed everyone in that castle, who led Riku to Naminé—that was him.

And yet it wasn’t a total betrayal. Doubts still swirled inside him. Why am I here? What do I want? How can I become whole again?

Even now, he wasn’t sure. What should I have done? What should I do? Roxas…

Even after he betrays Saïx in his mind, he still cannot bring himself to completely betray the Organization through action. Not even for Roxas. He’s still uncertain.  

Other than being told today’s mission, I didn’t really do anything yesterday. Maybe in reality it’d even be okay to have called it a day off. A holiday…

“Didn’t get to go in the end,” muttered Axel, and he got up.

Today I have to destroy Roxas. I cannot betray the organisation.

From the little shelf at his bedside, Axel took a white envelope, and looked at it vaguely for a while. Putting it in his pocket, Axel got up off the bed and left the room.

He even decides that he has no choice but to destroy Roxas, because he can’t bring himself to betray the Organization.

Axel summoned the chakrams. “But, it’s too late!” Axel yelled, and radiated one big gush of power. Axel’s power was that of fire.

Encircle myself with Roxas, inside the flames. Am I able to destroy Roxas? Probably not. I knew I couldn’t. I reckon Xemnas, and Saïx, knew it too.

But–Maybe we can disappear together from here, and go somewhere.

But…he can’t actually destroy Roxas.

“Axel…” The hostility had vanished from Roxas’ eyes.

I can’t find the spirit to fight this Roxas anymore. Here–there’s nothing but to fade away.

“Let’s meet again in the next life.” At those words spoken with just a hint of a smile, Roxas nodded quietly.

“Yeah. I’ll be waiting.” There was something funny about Roxas’ serious answer, and Axel laughed.

“Silly… you’d have a next life, but…” Axel said to Roxas–and his figure disappeared in the darkness of a portal he’d opened behind him.

He can’t turn his back on Saïx, but he can’t destroy Roxas. He knew all along he couldn’t. He makes it clear that he doesn’t want to disappear. But disappearing isn’t the worst fate for him, either. It’s hurting his friends.

He wasn’t sure what to do yet. He would already be branded a traitor. He hadn’t exactly disobeyed orders…but he had failed to carry them out. The other members were already suspicious of him as the lone survivor from Castle Oblivion. He couldn’t imagine that it was safe for him to return to the organization.

“Oh man, what do I do…?” He stretched carefully and got up again, his eyes narrowed against the setting sun. It turned the sea red, and the sky. The waves lapped at his feet, getting them wet.

After Roxas returned to Sora, Axel was unsure of what to do. He pondered the question while watching the red sunset.

“If I return with you in tow, I get to live without being branded as a traitor,” he said with a wry grin.

“Maybe. Axel, what do you want to do?”

“Avoid being eliminated ideally.”

“So you’re offering me up to the organization?”

“…Well, you see any other options?” His expression was frozen in a forced smile. He had no ideas. He didn’t know what to do. And he had no heart and thus no emotions to guide him, either.

He was considering offering up Naminé to the Organization. He knew this was wrong. But that’s how desperate he was to have things go back to the way they were. It wasn’t until Saïx showed up to eliminate him that he officially became a traitor to the Organization.

Vile traitor!” The great Claymore took shape at Saïx’s back. Axel didn’t waste a second grabbing his chakrams. But his body was reluctant somehow.

I don’t want to disappear… But still, it wouldn’t be so bad if I did. Not here.

He finally turns on the Organization for good, and fights Saïx. And then he feels like fading away again. Just like he did with Roxas.

“What were you trying to do?” Sora asked.

For a moment, Axel didn’t reply. He kept staring into space as he did.

“…I wanted to see Roxas.” That’s it. That’s all it is.

“He…was the only one I liked.” I liked him, that’s all.

“When I was with him…he made me feel…like I had a heart…” Axel closed his eyes. Somehow, he had the feeling that Roxas was close.

Axel said Roxas was the only one in the Organization he liked. The one who made him feel like he had a heart. Yet he couldn’t betray the Organization, even for him. He did NOT like Saïx. But he could not find it in himself to give up on him—on the chance that Isa could come back if Kingdom Hearts was completed. Not until Saïx tried to kill him.

All of his actions suggested that Axel did NOT think Isa was the same person as Saïx. And when I played BBS, I felt the exact same way. The Isa I saw was nothing like Saïx. So I just took it for granted that they were different. I STILL cannot accept that they are the same. Saïx’s relationship to Isa was the equivalent of Xemnas’ relationship to Terra. Xehanort was using Terra’s body. But personality-wise, Terra and Xemnas were nothing alike.

This is a pretty overwhelming disadvantage, Axel thought. Well, I knew that before we started fighting. I can’t win against Saïx with my own strength.

Still, he refused to hesitate. He had to force this path open. He wanted…to find hope—the hope that Sora and Riku had.

Saïx gave him a cruel grin. “You will lose everything!” And then the Claymore pierced Axel’s chest.

Saïx was a cold, sociopathic, and robotic Xehanort clone who literally did not have the capacity for empathy, friendship, or love. He could not “see” Xion. He had an unsettling presence about him. Xion said he gave off an aura like Xehanort’s Heartless inside of Riku. He really creeped Demyx out. There was something seriously wrong with him. He was NOT normal. He was meant to be freakish and disturbing. Demyx unaffectionately calls him “X-face”.

He was absolutely tormented by his lack of a heart. But he could not grow one, no matter how hard he wished he could. Xemnas and Xigbar were amused by this. I truly felt sorry for him because he was such a wretched and miserable being. He was a very complex, very tragic, and very interesting character. But he was unequivocally a villain. He had no warmth, no compassion, and no empathy. He was totally heartless, in a series that revolves around the power of the heart. He never smiled, except when he was being cruel and sadistic. He felt like a Frankenstein experiment gone wrong. He could never, EVER be a “good guy”. He was a Xehanort alter ego, after all.

I cannot picture Roxas or Xion ever wanting to be friends with this Saïx. And I saw no evidence that this Saïx was even capable of feeling remorse or having a redemption arc. He had no capacity to see anything wrong with his way of thinking, and thus no desire to change. In order to justify a character like this being included as one of the good guys, you need something DRASTIC to happen. A miracle, really. The only saving grace Saïx had was that he was a mind-controlled and possessed version of Isa. That’s it. Nothing else could redeem such a character. And all the evidence pointed to this, so I never even questioned it.

I literally could not wrap my mind around it when I first heard Lea and Isa’s canon backstory. I didn’t understand how the game could possibly expect me to believe it, either. God, there’s no way to explain how pissed I was when Saïx said SHE was the lab rat. It made no sense to me how the writers could put in mountains of evidence suggesting that HE was the lab rat, then turn around and tell us it was actually another girl—who was never mentioned before!! Mind control and possession was BY FAR the most sensible explanation to account for the enormous difference between the Isa we saw in BBS, and the Saïx we saw in KH2 and Days.

Saïx: The marks under your eyes. They’re gone.

Lea: Yeah. Don’t need ‘em.

Saïx: Always told you they’d stop you from crying. The upside-down tears.

Then we have New Saïx, who has a completely different personality from both Isa AND the Saïx we saw in the previous games. I practically died laughing when he showed up out of nowhere and said “you can’t eat all that.” That line and its delivery, still kills me. Every time. It’s so hilarious because it was SO out-of-character. This Saïx might as well have been a new character, as far as I’m concerned. There was no logical consistency between Old Saïx and New Saïx that would properly account for his sudden personality change.

KH3 revealed that this Saïx was NOT possessed. He was just like any other Nobody, apparently. He was devoted to a mystery girl the whole time, so he was capable of caring about other people, unlike Old Saïx. I guess he had a “burgeoning replacement” heart, like the other members? Evidently, he chose to be cold and cruel, not only to his loyal and devoted best friend Axel…but the two innocent children he befriended. Due to his coldness and cruelty, his best friend became so lonely that he left the Organization. And unlike Axel, he never feels bad for kidnapping Kairi, or attacking Sora.

Saïx: I started to wonder if we’d imagined her. Maybe she never existed. And then, in time, I awakened to a new purpose. I realized I could be stronger.

New Saïx is nothing like Old Saïx. New Saïx was not a very interesting character. He was a crass, arrogant guy with a toxic macho attitude. This caused him to become abusive to innocent people and look down of any displays of emotion. He followed Xemnas’ orders without complaint on the off-chance Xemnas might know where some random girl is. And the off-chance Xemnas might tell him if he became his right-hand man. Why is he so hellbent on finding her? Who knows. He barely knew her and became unsure if she even existed. He happily followed Xemnas for ten years because apparently his new purpose became getting stronger. Why did he want to get stronger? Who knows. He’s not written like a realistic person with believable motives or actions, anyways.

Saïx: I sacrificed everything to try and track her down. You’re the one who went off and made other friends. Left me and her both in the dust. It infuriated me how you just exited our lives. I lost…all sense of purpose.

Instead of telling Lea that he was trying to get replicas, he taunted him that Roxas was “gone forever” and made fun of his tear mark tattoos. Lea was so annoyed by him, he wanted to “clobber him”.

Instead of apologizing to his friend for trying to kill him and his other friends, he blames him for making new friends. He says he was jealous, but he’ll never admit it a second time. He never actually apologizes directly for any of his actions in the Organization.

After Axel left, he lost his purpose. Which one? Getting stronger? The girl you thought you imagined? It’s not clear. They almost make it seem like Axel’s departure caused Saïx to be so fucked up. But anyone who played Days could see he was fucked up long before the game even started. So that’s no excuse.

Nomura: Saïx rejoined the Organization to atone for what he did in the past. He drifted away from Axel and put Roxas through a lot because of his jealousy and displeasure, but vowed to do good for the sake of both Axel and Roxas.

Basically, he was a douchebag. He wasn’t a victim of human experimentation to justify his terrible personality. KH3 didn’t even bother trying to make you feel sorry for him. He just “drifted away” from Axel due to jealousy and displeasure and is trying to “atone”. He admitted he was infuriated due to the jealousy he felt. Jealousy over Axel spending time with…two children who eased his loneliness? Loneliness he only felt because Saïx was so indifferent to him?

Day 51: Measures Must Be Taken

The Replica Program continues apace, but something has gone wrong at Castle Oblivion. The Dusks returned with word that none of those we dispatched survived—but the news came in fragments. I still know too little to extract the truth. I doubt Axel would be among those lost, but I must plan for the worst. First, I must locate the Keyblade master.

That’s the most sympathetic they could make him, apparently. New Saïx could have rekindled his friendship with Axel any time he wanted. Axel would have been more than happy to spend time with him like the old days. He desperately longed for that. But New Saïx chose not to for unspecified reasons. He treated his friend like a disposable tool. Then he tried to murder Axel after he left. He had no hesitation about this, either.

“He was involved in the incident at Castle Oblivion… I warned you he had a hand in the demise of Marluxia and the others, and yet someone failed to eliminate him.” Saïx, number 7, glared at Xigbar from under his hood with a sharp glint in his eyes.

“Hey, he’s the only one who’s had direct contact with the Keyblade wielder,” Xigbar replied, unruffled.

He chided Xigbar for not eliminating Axel earlier.

Axel looked up to see someone else he knew.

He hadn’t even sensed him coming!

“Saïx…!” he snarled, and the other man slowly lowered his hood, smiling serenely. Long blue hair escaped from the hood, but it didn’t hide the scar on his forehead.

“Naminé, run!”

He smiled serenely after he located Axel, and prepared to kill him.

Saïx couldn’t fathom what Xemnas’s true objective might be.

“Sora or Xion—it matters not. But we need one of them under our control. Bear that in mind.” Saïx nodded, and a serene smile came to Xemnas’s face. If that smile meant anything, it was beyond him.

Just like Xemans smiled serenely at him when he had no clue what he was thinking.

Axel let out a deep breath and leaped into the air as flames erupted around them.

“…Pathetic!” The Claymore moved to block Axel’s strike, while Saïx himself didn’t even twitch.

Axel felt like disappearing when he fought his former friend. But Old and New Saïx didn’t even twitch as he tried to strike him down. He just called him pathetic.

“Did you take care of Axel?” Xigbar asked.

“Most likely,” Saïx replied. Technically, he hadn’t seen Axel’s end. But it was hard to imagine that he had survived.

And this was his reaction to thinking Axel had perished. He wasn’t sure he did… but he hoped he did. LOL. The message I got from KH3 was that Roxas and Xion are Axel’s REAL friends.You’re going to wanna spend $19.99 on the DLC to learn why they came back, right? RIGHT?They’re the only ones anybody cares about. Saïx atoned by giving them back to Axel as a present, so now he can go back to being irrelevant. 

Isa’s personal relationship with Lea was not considered valuable enough to get any attention. New Saïx had absolutely no business being included with the good guys. The writers didn’t give a shit about him. He had an off-screen redemption, which still didn’t make up for his horrible personality. He is simply not likable, compared to all the other characters. He feels out of place in the ending. Him smiling and having fun felt out-of-character. Axel was always likable. Yet he STILL required a redemption arc spanning multiple games.

I cannot imagine that New Saïx would be the type of person Lea would have been close friends with in the past. There’s no way in hell Lea would EVER become inseparable from a guy who belittles others for crying. That is not the type of person he would choose to spend time with. He was very choosy with who he spent his time with. I cannot picture Roxas or Xion wanting to be friends with him, either.

We slipped into the castle that day knowing only that we wanted, with all our hearts, to save her.

Then there’s the third character in this debacle. Isa, who had a single appearance in BBS, and that was it. He was a nice kid. He had a sarcastic and dry sense of humor, but he was happy when Lea made friends with Ventus. They all laughed together while teasing him in a lighthearted manner. He was sincere when he said he would never forget Lea. Unlike Old or New Saïx, he closed his eyes when he smiled. He seemed reluctant to show his emotions, but not in the same way New Saïx was.

Rabbit Meanings and Symbolism

The rabbit has a diverse nature and can symbolize many things, including:

Fear, shyness and anxiety

Fertility

Abundance and wealth

Cleverness and creativity

Spontaneity

The rabbit spirit animal carries many complex meanings. It is associated with fear because of the rabbit’s timid nature, but also with fertility and creativity. The rabbit totem is a symbol of luck in many cultures, and is also a symbol of abundance. People who feel connected to the rabbit spirit animal are clever and creative, but may be working to overcome fear and anxiety.

Rabbit as a Symbol of Fear

Everyone has seen a rabbit freeze and then suddenly bolt away as a person walks by. Rabbits are small and gentle, without many defenses. They treat everything as a potential threat, yet are still able to relax as they eat grass or sleep in their safe burrows. People who identify with the rabbit spirit animal may have a similar timid and fearful response. They may be shy in social situations and suffer from anxiety. The rabbit totem teaches us to overcome irrational fears while still protecting ourselves from harm.

He just seemed shy. Timid, but very warm and caring inside.

Let me face, let me faceLet me face my fearsOh, let me face, let me faceLet me face my fearsWon’t be long, won’t be longI’m almost hereWatch me cry all my tears

And THIS is the type of person I can see Lea becoming inseparable from. THIS character I can see wanting to rescue a complete stranger with all his heart, putting himself in danger to do so. THIS character I can understand having a Moon Rabbit represent his personality. THIS is a character I can understand Axel not wanting to leave in a Frankenstein-like condition. THIS is a character I can see Axel doing it all for, desperately hoping to see him again. THIS is a character I can see Axel never wanting to forget, even when he changed into a monster. THIS is a character I can see Lea using the power of waking on, and helping to face his fears. “Won’t be long, I’m almost here.”

KH3 was ridiculous and impossible for me to take seriously in so many ways. Saïx was the last character that would fit in with all the good guys. KH3 did nothing to fix that. They could have chosen any character to be Lea’s best friend. And they chose a complete sociopath? Highly doubtful. Nobody in their right mind would plan a character arc like Saïx’s, if they were planned to be in the epilogue happily eating ice cream with all of their victims. The sad truth is that New Saïx took Isa’s place in the story.

Isa deserved to be there. It was heavily implied that he was made into a vessel against his will, like Terra was. Isa has no reason to apologize to anyone. He needs forgiveness from no one. He was an innocent victim. He deserved to be rescued, but unfortunately he was not. He is dead. He was unable to reunite with his best friend, and sadly he never will. Instead, his Xehanort-possessed self took his place among the good guys during the victory celebration. I can’t see either Roxas or Xion being friends with Old or New Saïx. I could easily see them being close friends with Isa, though. Sadly, they never will.