#cartoon characters enter the in game world

[wafel1160]

In this episode of smiling critters- the gang find a mystical mirror in the forest and are sent to a world unlike any they have ever seen before! Welcome to the factory little critters. There’s much for you to see.

1/? My writing partner!! @portalling101

Welcome to the Hour of critters!

UPDATE!

I now have a blog dedicated to the comic!! Yay!!

Here➡️

[bendyredrawn]

Can we have some lore for Twisted Bendy?

Sure 🖋️

Twisted bendy is the most powerful and feared being in the studio, you can think of him sort of like Joey’s punishment for going against god and giving life to something that shouldn’t have it

Upon his creation, twisted bendy was kept away in the toon dimension through a curse, which only henry has the ability to break

Twisted bendy can change his form whenever and to whatever, as he doesn’t have a true form to take, being the failed attempt at recreating the original bendy

Some forms I have art for are; ‘perfect’/ toon bendy, regular-ish appearance, the blotch

In the earlier chapters, twisted bendy takes the form of toon bendy and seems to be helping henry, but really he is slowly misleading him into helping him break the curse and enter the real world

Even with the curse, twisted bendy could still enter the real world, but was confined to a 2d form: for example he was responsible for corrupting cartoon episodes and employee reports of some of the bendy drawings moving

In fact, henry first encounters bendy by noticing him move around on the posters and whispering his name

Twisted bendy becomes a threat after Henry falls through the floorboards in chapter 1, as instead of just falling down a floor like in the og game, he falls through a portal to the toon dimension

Twisted bendy can watch henry through the bendy cutouts, to prevent being watched, you can put blindfolds on the cutouts (yes I stole this idea from that one fangame shh)

Twisted bendy can also come out of a cutout if they aren’t blindfolded (poorly illustrated but you can get the idea)

Twisted bendy acts like a cartoon character, pulling cartoon gags and tricks in attempts to kill henry (imo what I think the original ink demon should’ve been like) like trying to drop a piano on him or changing his arm into an axe

Twisted bendy also has the ability to mimic voices, such of those of past employees, in attempts to lure his victims in

There is no way to really kill bendy, he can only be kept at bay through the curse.

[otaku-dragon-lover]

I shouldn't be posting on this so much but fuck it.

I've seen some post asking why tf it's another "people from our world enter the game" plot, and while I completely understand this sentiment, I've got a bigger bone to pick with this atrocity.

Why isn't it an animated movie?!

The only reason I can think of for why WB isn't making this an animated movie is simple: the FNAF movie's success.

Now, I'm not blaming the FNAF movie for anything here. It seems like (I haven't seen the damn thing but I have seen the fandom's reaction to it) a genuine love letter to the games and the community that helped build it up, the Matpat cameo is a prime example of that. It's also probably the best thing to come from the series as of late, buuuut that's just my opinion.

Anyway, the FNAF movie used mostly practical effects to depict it's antagonists (something I will forever love them for), with the film itself being live action. But! This makes sense to do because FNAF is (or at least was until it jumped the shark) supposed to be set in the real world, just with haunted animatronics. This isn't the case with Minecraft, it's a world with magic. Skeletons, zombies, giant spiders, walking penis monsters that explode, fucking dragons! At no point would anyone look at this world and think, "yeah, making this a live action movie makes sense". At least, no one with half a brain anyway.

The art style of the two games helps with this too; one has a very realistic style to their characters, while the other is very cartoon-y.

So, what am I getting at here? Why am I even bringing this up at all?

To be honest, I'm just tired of these massive companies clout chasing, because that's what this is. Creative ideas are dying in the writing room for this… utterly boring and overused trite.

This is coming from someone who loves the isekai genre btw.

Animation is getting more and more overlooked by the day, and this is what gets greenlit? Fucking hell.

[wannaeatramyeon]

Young!Samuel Seo with Young!Reader: Leave him be

G/N. Dinner Guest. Sorta expansion on Food.

Your mom and dad have forbidden you from wandering on your own.

It's too dangerous, you might get run over, you might get snatched. You're too young. When you're older. Blah blah blah.

Everything needs to wait until you're older. Ugh.

So how come he (and you stare accusingly at the oblivious kid) gets to wander around on his own? Entering your family's store without an adult. He even looks younger than you!

You scrunch up your face at the unfairness of it all.

.

.

Shaking, nervous fingers swipe a candy bar from a shelf before being hastily shoved into a pocket.

He glances around, peering left and right. Shifty and obvious as hell.

You open your mouth, about to yell, when you feel your father's firm grip on your arm. His lips, usually smiling and joyful, are pulled into a thin line. He shakes his head no.

"Leave him be," he murmurs.

The boy scurries out and you think life is more unfair than ever.

.

.

"Leave him be," is repeated at you each time as the adults hold you back.

What is it about the strange boy, with the unkempt hair and dirty shoes that lets him get away with so much?

The unkempt hair and dirty shoes-

And grubby oversized clothes. Same shorts and t-shirt everyday.

And coat worn thin at the elbows. Too thin for this weather, and you think about your own that your mom fusses over and wraps you in everyday.

And hands fisted by his stomach. Trying to mute his own hunger pang and rumbles.

And, today, a bruise and swelling on his right cheek. Finger prints marked into his wrist when he reaches out for the candy bar and his coat sleeve rides up.

Even as a child yourself, you finally get it - what the adults mean when they tell you to 'leave him be'.

.

.

He lingers.

Used to scurry away like an unwanted pest, not meeting your eyes on the way in or out.

Now the minutes stretch on. Elongates into double digits. Is it because the weather has turned bitter and harsh? Has your family convenience store, with tight aisles full of colourful snacks, food packaged in plastic and cartoon characters, now become a safe space?

You're playing by the back shelves, full of household odd items that never seem to shift and feel a pair of eyes watching you.

You turn and he's there. Staring.

"What are you doing?" The boy asks. It's the first time you've heard him speak.

"Playing," You shrug, and his eyebrows knit at the concept. "Wanna play? I can be the customer and you can be the owner."

He shuffles, shifts his weight from one foot to the other and back again, and you think he might bolt and that's the end of that. You'll never see him again.

But-

He looks at you with his big brown eyes, more calculating and shrewd than bears thinking about for a child his age, the bruise on his cheek now mottled green and purple and says-

"Ok."

.

.

It's a small and quiet 'ok' but he doesn't bolt. Your dad brings back drinks and snacks. All your favourites and more, and you think it's something to do with the presence of this boy-

"Samuel," he tells you, then eyes widening as if he let a secret slip.

"Y/N," you respond, not registering his reaction and only focusing on the game at hand.

"Y/N," he says quietly to himself. Trying out the sounds and syllables in his mouth.

You both play until the street lights flicker, turning on and covering the world in a warm orange hue.

"What time is it?" his head whips around nervously, reality crashing down on both your make-believe world.

"Six," your dad calls out, taking a break from stocking the ramen, "Did you want to stay for dinner?"

“Six!” Samuel exclaims, and you wonder if that is his curfew or something. Your eyes are drawn to his bruise again. "I have to go," 

He rushes towards the exit, nearly tripping over clumsy feet in his haste to leave. Trying to tug on his coat and button it, a small resistance against the unforgiving and cutting wind chill.

"Come play next time!" you shout at his retreating back.

Samuel's hand stills on the door. He turns, smiling, yearning and wistful before the cold, dark street claims him.

"Next time." 

[ponett]

with the fallout of bandai namco's idiotic "it's up to interpretation" bs, do you think that it's possible to enjoy queer media made in a corporate environment in addition to independent works? is it even worthwhile to attempt making queer media in a corporate environment? i find it special how well the g-witch production team managed to tell the story they wanted even with the challenges and pressures they faced, but i have to admit that independent works like slarpg are always going to more completely tell queer stories. as someone who has resonated with both slarpg and g-witch, i was curious to know your perspective.

i'm probably less cynical about this than a lot of my peers are - not that i can blame anyone for feeling cynical about queer rep from corporate-owned media. (we've been through so many First Ever Gay Disney Characters at this point, and lord knows blizzard loves to tease that another overwatch character might be gay every year or so as a PR move.) unfortunately it's just extremely hard to get something like a full season of an animated series funded and produced independently, so the artists looking to enter these fields and pour their hearts and souls into meaningful queer stories as a full-time job don't have many options

going indie gives you theoretically endless creative freedom to tell your stories without corporate censorship, but it's also a massive gamble. only an extreme minority of indie creatives in any medium are actually able to make a living. the fact that i came out the other side of slarpg's development with enough money that i can keep being a full-time indie instead of being in massive debt makes me one of the lucky ones. and even with my modest success, i sure as hell don't have the money to hire a whole team, which limits the scope of what i can make. so i can't turn my nose up at the queer people writing disney channel cartoons where they can't say the word "gay" out loud. they have health insurance, i don't. for most people, what i do is simply not an option

with the corporate-produced Queer Stories i enjoy, i'm often able to squint and see what the creatives were trying to do, wishing that they could have done more while understanding that they probably had to fight tooth and nail for what's there

in the realm of children's animation in particular, i'm thankful that the people working at these studios ARE fighting for more, because it means that kids today have so many more positive queer stories to relate with. i didn't have a single gay character i felt i could relate to until i read scott pilgrim at age 16 and saw wallace wells. before that, i felt so alone in the world. i denied who i was for years because it felt like there would be no place for me. i didn't know anyone openly gay in real life, growing up in the south, and in fiction gay people either existed as the butt of a joke or not at all. the fact that queer kids are now able to see people like themselves in so many shows means something, even if we still have a long way to go and the big studios continue to be a major obstacle

on the subject of g-witch, i'm honestly unfazed by the statement from bandai-namco. i guess i wish they could've let suletta and miorine kiss, but like... the text of the show is extremely blunt about them being a couple by the end. it's not up for debate. and it's not like a gundam series having a meaningful story in spite of the wishes of the toy-producing overlords is anything new, this is just our latest example

all that being said, i do think people should branch out more and explore more weird indie shit if they want more wholeheartedly, openly queer stories. people gotta suck it up and embrace more outsider art instead of only valuing things with studio-level production values. start looking at ren'py visual novels, rpg maker games, obscure webcomics, zines drawn in sharpie, artists on bandcamp who aren't signed to a label, all that jazz. maybe part of the reason why i'm not more fazed by the state of affairs with corporate-funded fiction is that i'm constantly surrounded by furry artists who are telling their own little gay stories

[angelofthepage]

Renegade Rose: Return to the Cycle

I got hit with a brilliant idea for a potential Bendy fan game that focuses on characters from the books. Most notably, I'm focusing on the cast of Fade to Black, so if you're still spoiler dodging for that entry, here's your content warning. Disclaimer, I am not a game developer and have no idea how one would feasibly create this, this is all just for fun as a hypothetical. (That said, if any fan devs are interested in this concept, my DMs are open, would love to chat with you.) Now, let's get on with the show!

Let's set the stage:

It's been a few years (maybe 1956 since that's when the VCR was invented?) since Rose and Ollie Sorenson’s daring escape from Joey Drew's twisted cartoon world, the Cycle. Ollie is well on his way to becoming a teenager, and Rose has been trying to move forward with her life. But no matter where she goes, the hallucination of Bendy follows her, and the guilt of losing Evan and Archie still eats at her soul. 

By some miraculous chance, Rose ends up with a VHS tape with a recording of the Joey Drew Show on it (maybe she recorded a rerun, or maybe she found it in someone else's junk/the library discards). The special TV has been unplugged for years, and her 3D glasses are snapped in half. But she wonders if maybe, just maybe, there's a way to go back and save them. So she tapes the glasses together and pops in the tape to see if her access point is still there. And sure enough, she's got a way in! 

With the help of Ollie and Dot, Rose makes it her mission to rescue Evan and Archie from their inky fates. Will she be successful, or will she find the ink pulling her under?

Gameplay:

I imagine this would work well as a first person action adventure experience that's mission based. (That said, upon consulting friends, I've had the suggestion for a Nancy Drew visual novel styled game, and that feels like it would be fun and maybe more achievable if I tried to make it real.) It has elements in common with BATDR, but the world isn't quite as open. Taking some inspiration from FNAF Security Breach Ruin and FNAF Help Wanted 2, Rose puts on her 3D glasses to dive into the cycle, which is our primary environment for exploration. In the cycle, she travels through a variety of areas to look for Evan and Archie, encountering a cast of quirky characters, some known fan favorites, and some new. On her quest to find them, Rose finds several items to help her solve puzzles and leave notes for her friends/mark her path. 

Rose’s central hub is in the living room of her real world house. Here, she can consult Ollie and Dot, look through notes of things she's seen on her adventure, and equip items to take with her into the cycle. That said, some of the horror would come from having something in the real world that shouldn't be there. The farther Rose goes, the more her hallucinated Bendy shows up. Sometimes he's there to tease her, and sometimes he has helpful hints about how to traverse the cycle. (Keep this in mind for later, this will be story relevant.)

While having the VHS tape means Rose can enter the cycle whenever she wants, there is a limitation. She can only stay in the cycle for as long as the tape runs for. This means she has to get in, complete her objective, and get out. Given this game would have some puzzle elements, I would feel bad putting someone in a time constraint to solve them. So rather than taking a Hades or Splatoon 3 Side Order approach, I'd rather let the levels themselves take however long they need to. The time limit wouldn't be imposed until Rose has completed her objective, where it's a mad dash to get back to a designated safety area (like Joey's office) so she can take off the glasses and get out. Think of it kind of like Pizza Tower. It could also lend itself well to some close encounters running away from monsters at the end of a mission. It would be interesting to use the Little Miracle Stations as a potential safe area to pause and exit the cycle mid-mission, given the ad for them that exists in BATIM Chapter 5. (This is the thing I wouldn't know how to translate if this was tackled as a visual novel instead.)

I’m tempted to throw something in here with closing your eyes as a mechanic, given the scene in FTB where Ollie walks back up to the entrance by imagining he’s walking on clouds. Letting Rose have one moment to do something impossible by focusing and using her imagination would be great. It would take a lot out of her, having it as a once-a-mission kind of deal might make sense. 

Another mechanic is the tape player. Per the Fade to Black moment of Joey talking to Rose ala the tape player, Rose being able to communicate with Dot or Ollie would be useful. It could work as a hint system, but it also works for plot elements. Using the tapes as a walkie talkie of sorts would also be interesting for having some interference from our antagonist, or for keeping in touch with allies we meet along the way. 

Characters: 

Rose Sorenson: Our ever optimistic protagonist. Rose looks on the bright side, but more importantly, she’s driven. While other Bendy protagonists have endurance and magical powers to help them along, Rose has her wits and a strong imagination.

Ollie Sorenson: Rose’s little brother who has been through a lot. Ollie is a good kid, he means well, but he’s getting to an age where his whole world is changing. As his sister embarks on this heroic quest, he’s feeling like he’s brave and strong enough to take on the cycle and lend a hand too. This may get him into more trouble than he bargained for. 

Dot Lastname: Former writer at Joey Drew Studios, Dot is a curious soul who lost everything. Having never been able to find her friend, Buddy Lewek, she’s harbored so much guilt. Making sure Joey can never hurt anyone again would leave her satisfied, and being able to locate her lost friend would be even better. She agrees to help Rose one more time, in the hope that maybe, just maybe, Buddy is still alive. 

Buddy Boris: Since getting dragged down by the hands of the ink demon, Buddy has found himself trapped in the body of Boris the Wolf, struggling to maintain control. Upon encountering studio newcomer Rose, his memories are hazy. But the more she tells him stories of the past, the more he starts to remember. Buddy can’t speak verbally, but he can communicate through drawings and writing on the wall. (Need to have a moment where he hears Dot through the tape recorder and recognizes her, gotta have it be a little heartbreaking).

Evan: A former employee of Joey Drew’s and Gent, Evan is a big grump with big dreams of innovating the world. He’s a foil to Rose’s endless positivity with an air of irritation, but he means well. Except for trying to dismantle and steal the ink machine, that was a bit foolish and morally gray. Evan met his fateful death at the hands of the ink demon in Fade to Black, but as other characters have shown us, those who die in reality can end up reborn in the cycle. Where is Evan, and what has he become? Is there a way to bring him back home? 

Archie Carter: A mysterious Englishman who ended up as a lab rat for Gent, Archie is desperate to put an end to their reign of terror. Having gone from being suspiciously not human to a faceless ink creature, Archie sacrificed himself for Rose not once, but twice. He’s already encountered so many horrors in the studio. What kind of state will he be in if Rose finds him again?

The Projectionist: The monster that was once Norman Polk has caused a fair share of problems within the cycle, but perhaps he’s not as monstrous as he seems. After all, he’s only defending what’s rightfully his: a pile of ink hearts. (It could be fun to have him as a monster, then have Evan help repair his speaker so he can communicate with the group, showing he’s more confused than he is hostile.)

There are others I'd like to include of course. There's people like Jacob from DCTL that would make a fun ally, might be indulgent and put my “Abby Lambert is a perfect Alice” theory to good use. Depending on how far along Joey is, maybe there's an early attempt at Audrey somewhere in here. Maybe there's Wilson! There is a very small chance of Wilson, it's not likely, but I'm considering it. Twisted Alice showing up? Definitely considering it given the timeline would be fun to play with.

That's all I've got in my notes so far. Whether this ends up as a real fan game or stays as a concept for a fic/au, it's been really fun to brainstorm, and I want to keep playing with it. I feel like we're onto something here.

[artbyfinnbrown]

Screenshots of my favourite moments from Re:Zero Arc 7 (Part 2):

This raises questions. Actually just one: Why does Al’s authority not work as a child, and Subaru’s does?

Stargazers were much more horrific than I originally imagined. When they’re first described its phrased as “The Stars give them knowledge about the future”. When in reality its “The Stars highjack their brains and rewrite their reason for existing, forcing them to devote your existence to a singular goal at the expense of everything else”. They’re basically cosmic horror antagonists.

Between “The world hasn’t been destroyed” and “Only Natsuki Subaru can do that”, I think it’s safe to conclude that Al has at least some idea of Subaru’s ability. But that just raises more questions WHY DOES HE KNOW???

That’s an interesting thing to say, Al. Why would you say something like that?

SHE CREATED A HEINKEL-SHAPED IMPRINT IN THE WALL LIKE A FRIGGIN CARTOON CHARACTER THAT’S SO FUNNY

Every time before this when Subaru thinks back to people important to him, he thinks about the Emilia camp. Then when he becomes Natchuki Subawu, he’s only able to think about the people he’s met since he entered Vollachia. It’s a small detail, but it still manages to be unsettling. He’s still thinking about people who are important to him, but it shows how Child Subaru’s brain is adjusting what Subaru considers to be important.

It really says something about the Gladiator Island loops that Subaru having to go back further in time is framed as a triumphant moment.

AAAA she worries for him she cares about him she wants to be there for him AAAAAA

Damn, Abel really said “I have no friends” like it was a positive thing.

Rather than try to add my own commentary on this hilarious exchange, I will instead make use of the words of tumblr user Sufferu:

She really just out and stated that that Vincent’s probably gay. What an icon. Also as a bonus, she acknowledges that the fact Vincent’s probably gay has no bearing on whether of not he wants kids. Serena is like the #1 ally in all of Re:Zero. Also “I didn’t ask if you were serious, I asked if you where sane” is a hilarious line.

Alright, let’s do this

(Deep breath)

Fellas, is it gay to help a man get his cart unstuck, have that man ask you if you would die for him, have that man hire you when you said you wouldn’t, help that man become the next ruler of the country, become his right hand man, closest confidant and body double, discover that the man has had is death is prophesied as the first event that will lead to the destruction of the country, (and has planned for this, arranging things to ensure the country has the best chance of surviving after his death), and then decide to usurp that man’s position on the throne in order to take over his identity so you can die in his place in order to deny fate?

Wow, fore shadows. I wonder if this could mean anything’s for future arcs of Re:Zero. Nah, I’m probably just imagining things.

Man imagine only being able to kill Al 6 times. Those are weak numbers. You need to step up your game Todd.

[baenyth]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Season: Shift

I love it when the animation artstyle and medium shifts so much. It's always a delight to see. So I thought: "Hm, why not combine it with my current hyperfixation? I don't like the animation, after all." and decided to design a whole season of Miraculous based around just that. If you're wondering where in the timeline it is, I made it up and so it's ambiguously after season 5 but some details are off. Either way, the plot is that a new group of villains that want to summon an eldritch god to Miraculous Paris in hopes that said god will create a utopia. They do this by warping reality, thereby causing the art/medium shift (or Shift, as it's just called), in hopes that the god will be able to enter, and if that doesn't work one of the members will just take some of the energy used to distort reality in the first place to become a powerful villain of the week and yoink the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses to make a wish to allow the god in. The two heroes are bound to pop up after the shift happens. Here's the episode list:

1. Introduction & setup

2. Ladybug and Chat Noir meet and fight the villains for the first time

3. Shift: Prototype (Less of a true shift and more of a modification to Miraculous' CG)

4. Shift: Scrumptious (Chowder)

5. Shift: Pixelated (The SNES, specifically!)

6. Shift: Abstract (Flash-animated)

7. Shift: Anthropo (Everyone's a furry!)

8. Shift: Fantasy (Animation based off of CDI games and weird Soviet cartoons)

9. Shift: Puppet (Mostly muppets, but there are some outliers. Juleka is the sole human as according to muppet law.)

10 & 11. Shift: Cartoony

12. Shift: Playful (Everyone is turned into toys and the world becomes arts and crafts)

13. Shift: Hyperrealistic (Live-action, most of the voice actors portray their characters)

14. Shift: Polygonal (Miraculous 64!)

15. Shift: Paper (Not like Paper Mario. It's... interesting.)

16. Shift: Western (2D animesque, albeit more Trigger than PV)

17. Shift: Swap (What's organic is mechanical and what's mechanical is organic)

18. Shift: Crude (Also contains Shift: Crude 2)

19. Shift: Mystery (Based off of 2000s action cartoons)

20 & 21. Shift: Clay

22 & 23. Shift: Celestial (Steven Universe with some Kirby aspects)

24. Shift: Flashback (Based off of the 2D flash-animated webisodes)

25 & 26. End of the World (Contains previous shifts and even some bonus extra shifts!)

[tmntkiseki]

Actually, going back to yesterday's topic of TMNT 2003 and it's lack of romantic subplots with the turtles themselves, I think this is the part where I mention that TMNT 2003 actually came into my life at just the perfect time?

So a little over a year ago, I ended my first serious relationship as an adult. I don't like talking about my ex too much even now, but we were together for over five years and after the break up, the next several months were spent stewing in a boiling pot of rage, sadness, and regret. I wanna say all my negative feelings towards my ex and our relationship peaked during May - July 2023 and didn't simmer down until around autumn, which coincidentally was about when I started watching TMNT 2003. (I'm also convinced that a lot of the stress from the breakup led to some of the minor-yet-concerning health problems I've been dealing with over the last several months, but I have no way of proving that.)

One of the big problems is that, at the time I broke up with my ex, I tended to watch/play a lot of romance-focused media. Under normal circumstances, I'd still be able to regularly engage with a lot of the shows and video games I normally do without being becoming a bitter ball of anguish. Unfortunately, within a couple of months of breaking up with ex, games I used to love like Rune Factory 4 Special or shows like Snow White with the Red Hair became absolutely unbearable play/watch because of all the negative feelings I had towards my ex. If a love interest wasn't reminding me of my ex with certain...behaviors, I was looking at a relationship onscreen and thinking to myself "Why couldn't we be like that?" It was a nightmare.

Fast forward (lmao) to... god, when did I start watching TMNT 2003? I wanna say I started watching it either late August or early September? The pipeline of how I ended up watching TMNT 2003 is a weird one, but there were a couple of things that stuck out to me when I first started watching it. For starters, even though it was a Western cartoon, there were certain quirks about it that reminded me of the anime I usually watch (namely the fight choreography and being so heavily plot-focused rather than episodic in its storytelling) and I found myself gravitating towards it because of that alone. And I just love the characters. The turtles themselves are incredibly well-rounded with their own strengths and flaws, and the supporting cast and antagonists make the world feel very alive and lived-in. (I personally can't get over how half the time the turtles aren't even attempting to get into trouble; they usually just end up walking into the plot of the week purely by accident.)

But besides that, as I mentioned in my other post, even though there are a couple of romantic subplots in the show, most notably the April/Casey one that spans pretty much the entire series, the turtles themselves never end up entering a serious relationship with anyone. The closest we ever get to romance with one of the turtles is Don's one-sided crush on April, which was never going to go anywhere on account of her being an adult and ending up with Casey, and I wanna say the crush is almost entirely dropped by midway through Season 3. Beyond that, the turtles are never shown becoming physically attracted to anyone and all their important relationships--Splinter, April, Casey, Klunk, Leatherhead, Honeycutt, Sydney, Angel, the Professor, the Justice Force, Traximus, the Daimyo, Usagi, Gen, Renet, the Ancient One, the Acolytes, Cody, Serling, and Starlee--are all strictly platonic. And you know what? That's okay by my book.

It is a fact that society regularly insists that the key to happiness is finding your One True Love and places more emphasis on romantic relationships than platonic ones. I personally don't want to die alone, but at this point in my life, I don't need a romantic relationship to be happy--in fact, I think being in a relationship would just complicate things when I'm still getting my shit together as is. When you look at Leo, Raph, Don, and Mikey within the context 2003, I cannot recall a single moment where one of them complains about how their status as a one-of-a-kind mutant turtle means they'll probably never land a partner and as far as I can tell, they seem perfectly happy as is. They have each other, they have Splinter, April and Casey are there too, Klunk, all their other friends--really, what would giving one of the boys a love interest do for them? The answer; not all that much, honestly. In fact, I feel like the risk of giving any of the 2003 turtles a love interest far outweighs the reward.

Now, mind you, I don't think it's impossible to give one of the 2003 turtles a serious love interest--in fact, I have a lot of thoughts about how it could be done right--and that it actually would be something worth exploring in a reboot/sequel series that'll likely never happen, but again, I don't think that TMNT 2003 suffers for the lack of turtle romances and is perfectly fine as is. 2003!Leo, Raph, Don, and Mikey are very lovable characters and are able to have fulfilling relationships without any of them being romantic in nature and I think that's a good message to send to people, whether you're a young kid or a grown adult. Romance is great, but so is a crushing bear hug from your three brothers, your rat dad, and the two humans you adopted.

[notnights]

Can they grow up in the digital circus? For example: if a child enters the circus, can they grow up and become a teenager or adult, or do they not age?

For physical aging, I'm not sure. Because depending on the avatar and the logic of the game there probably couldn't be much to change. (How do you make a glass mask and ribbon look older in a video game with limited adaptability? taller I guess?)

But I often wonder if the characters remember/know their age. I imagine it's the age they entered in, because there aren't any day or night cycles, they don't get hungry, they don't get tired, there's no way to tell time, they couldn't tell if a year has past or not. The ADC doesn't seem like it can give much opportunity to mentally grow either. Something something the age of stagnation.

Jax is an asshole 22 year old forever because even if he wanted to he couldn't because, the chance to grow both physically and mentally was taken from him when he got locked inside a cartoon world.

[teh-kittykat]

Tron: The Animated Series (1986-1989)

What do you mean you haven't seen Tron: The Animated Series? It was my favorite cartoon when I was a kid!

So this all started as an exercise in how to explain why Sam inexplicably had merch for a 2010 movie in his 1989 house. In-universe there would have probably been toys using the 1982 aesthetic since that was what the video game used (and Sam DOES have an 82 Tron figure in his house!) but why the Grid stuff?

Enter THE CARTOON.

It was the 1980s everybody who was everybody made cartoons to sell toys. Encom made home gaming consoles by this point, and they would have had peripherals like Nintendo did. They had licensed characters like Nintendo did. You see where I am going.

Encom wants to sell Encom Gaming Power Gauntlets. Kevin wants to introduce kids to the ideas about the Digital Frontier since he's a futurist and knows kids will be mentally flexible enough to digest the new zeitgeist if it's fun and animated!

Production of the cartoon ran from Kevin's official retirement as CEO until his disappearance. Three official seasons with a fourth in production. Season three's airing was cut short due to the furor surrounding Kevin's going missing, but the "lost" final episodes of S3 were restored when the DVDs were eventually released for an anniversary collection.

The cartoon was also successful in syndication through the 1990s and early 2000s since it successfully anticipated the Educational/Informative movement-- Tron: The Animated Series actually does teach kids some of the basics of computer science around the silly adventure stuff. Think Captain Planet meets Captain N the Game Master for the overall tone of the series. It's not realistic, but you get the general concepts and issues.

The cartoon's popularity among millennials keeps Tron alive in pop culture to the present day. The IP remains a perennial revenue stream for Encom, and every so often they'll throw the fanbase something to keep the money going. (This is an ordeal to the program himself, since he has to deal with hackers sent by groups named after him on the reg.)

What's it about?

Young video game enthusiast Jethro "Jet" Keene lands himself the after school internship of a lifetime getting to work at Encom in a special new program for teenagers with attitude run by Kevin Flynn (voiced by himself).

However, it's not all fun and video game testing with the sweet new Encom Power Gauntlet. Thanks to some cartoon physics hijinks, Jet finds himself transported into the Grid, the Boss's new experimental computer system!

Jet gets to work with Clu (they hired a voice-alike for him) and Tron (ditto) to find a way back home to the real world, solving problems and learning how to code along the way... and that was the pilot episode.

Because this is a cartoon for children, Jet is naturally the regular User of the Grid instead of Flynn, though Flynn makes occasional appearances to dispense Yoda-like wisdom and is revered by all the programs inside the system as the Creator.

There are also no lasers or anything like that-- Jet does a silly toku-like thing with the power gauntlet to commute into the system.

Clu is more likable than in real life. He's mostly benevolent, trying to make a more perfect system but the show's writers actually picked up on the idea that making a perfect system is kind of an impossible lift and made it central to his character development. He's a little obsessed with copying the User world, and there's an arc in S3 where a lot of the conflict revolves around why can't programs be programs about it.

Tron's not a mayhem goblin, which is a crime. He's portrayed as a little bit Optimus Prime, since Jet's the primary mayhem source, and Fighting for the Users is otherwise his defining personality trait. He gets a surprisingly deep fate/free will arc in S2, since naturally several episodes revolve around attempts to reprogram him since he's the Champion and all. Afterward, he's a bit more chill.

Jet's storyline parallel's Kevin's real-life one a little bit-- a lot of the episodes focused on him as a character revolve around him trying to balance his double life.The cartoon also does not mention the time dilation jetlag. Jet, unlike Kevin, does learn how to ask for help, especially as S3 decides to diversify a little more and adds a girl intern, Paige.

S3 in general has a lot of emphasis on diversity and tolerance of others and their differences. The ISO-Basic tensions were running high in the real Grid. It was on Kevin's mind a lot. He was also starting to make thinks on introducing the ISOs to the rest of the world at the time.

Like Reboot in the 1990s, Tron has a lot of episodes devoted to video games and playing games on the Game Grid is a frequent trope. (Hardcore Tron partisans accuse Reboot of stealing this.) Unlike in Reboot, there's no derezzing the losers if the User wins. Games are sometimes the entire plot and sometimes an obstacle or diversion from solving an episode's actual problem.

Since the Grid is open in Tron, there is a recurring cast of villains in the form of viruses and hackers from other systems in addition to technical problems that have to be solved through coding and computer science know-how.

The fourth season didn't get much past a few animatics for the S4 pilot, but what was there got a release for the fancy anniversary collections as special features. Design docs indicate that some new characters were about to be introduced-- Jalen and Radia. Kevin Flynn disappeared while voice actors were being cast for these roles.

NGL I am extremely mad this wasn't a real cartoon.

[sweet-honey-tears]

🪦Apocalypse 🔪

Bnha boys x GN Reader

Characters: kirishima,Bakugou,Dabi,Sero

Hi everyone! I’m back and this ‘story’ its extremely different from my others. It much more violent and metions some very sensitive and disturbing topics. So please read the warnings! I am very happy with how this came out but that being said it is still graphic. This totally wasint inspired by the Last Of Us becoming so popular and some other reading choices- yeah no….

As always request are welcomed!!

This story is a mix of head cannons and story’s!

WARNING: Blood,knifes,weapons, guns, Depiction of wounds, scars, Fight Rings, physical fighting,swearing

○ Kirishima ○

Kirishima first sees you working in the kitchen- or more so the makeshift one that’s used to feed the camp(compound).

You’re just humming, cutting carrots with this smile on your face. One of the little girls from the camp is sitting on the counter across from you. She’s both singing and talking to you- about some game she and the other girls were playing outside.

He’s just staring at you with these stars in his eyes as you hum with her. It for some reason makes the whole room feel cozy. Like the world hadnt just decided to throw a deadly curve ball. And instead, you’re working in a actual home and not a cement room.

He watches you, his eyes taking in the smooth motion of the knife. You’re good with it- like really good with it. You’re looking back at the girl, talk to her before looking back ahead, catching Kirishimas eye.

Kirishima is just standing in the doorway, his red (mostly black now! hair pushed up from his bandana. His gray shirt having small moth holes with the words RIOT chipping off. His dark blue jeans were stained at the knees and bottom leg. His lift arm had bandages from a wire cut.

He’s never met you before- you must be from another camp. Meaning you joined this one recently.

“Hey, Crimson Riot, you okay?”

Kirishima smiles, his chest bubbles and his cheeks get warm. His tanned skin hinted a light orange-pink.“You know those comic books?”

Kiri watches you pause mid-carrot cut, he can see the excitement in your face.

“Hell yeah, that was my childhood!”

“Bad words aren't good!” The little girl huff, breaking Kiri from the trance he just entered. Your so… bubbly.

“Shh let’s not tell Mama, k?” Kiri watches you pick her off the counter and place her on the ground. She pinkie promises you, whispering something about wanting a strawberry. And he watched in utter amusement as you hand her one from the counter. Her giggles echoing in the hall as she runs away with her treasure.

Kirishima and you remain, talking about comic books while he’s helping you cut vegetables and make the stew for tonight.

Slowly he keeps coming in and ends up singing songs with the little girl who always seems to be with you in the kitchen.

He finds out you’re from the compound in the south. It had been overrun by the undead due to the attack that had happened earlier that day. An attack by a gang. You had been by the river doing laundry when it happened. The gunfire and explosions- the undead weren’t the problems so much anymore, it was more so people. The undead second.

Kirishima held you the night you told him that, his arms wrapped tightly around your waist as you push your head into his chest. You both lay in his bed, a late night cleaning dishes brought you here. You’re in between his leg, leaning against his chest as you whisper out your venture here.

Kiri listens intently, his face barrier in your hair. When you go silent, he squeezes you tightly, whispering out comforts. 

○ Katsuki Bakugou ○

Bakugou comes across you in the middle of a supply run with Mina

You’re alone- they can tell- and your huffing air. Your baggy pants hang on your waist and Katsuki can see glimpses of a striped tank top under your zip-up All Might sweatshirt from that old cartoon. Damn, you must be around his age considering the old branding on it.

They both stare at you as you swing your bat down on some poor fool. Pure anger and strength run through your body as you kick the man hard in the chest. Your breath comes out in puffs as you reach down, grabbing the man’s small handgun and disassembling it in an instant.

Bakugou watches in utter amazement from behind some bushes and trees. Mina at his side eyes the both of you. Bakugou remembers the feeling of his mouth going dry “I ant gonna join your shitty cult ya fuckin creep.” You spit at the man. Kat watches, seeing if you’ll go possibly to the final stage of your anger. Are you in control of your rage?

His heart twists as you stare down for a second more. “Now SCRAM. And tell that damn Erny I am not joining.” The man, who’s now sitting up slightly staring at you starts backing away- before full-on sprinting.

“Y’all want something?”

He remembered the look Mina gives him, her fading pink curls bouncing off her dark skin. The sly grin. Fuck.

Bakugous heart flutters a bit when he watches you teach the little kids about proper punching form- self-defense of course.

His cheeks dust prink when you coo at him, dragging your fingers across the back of his shoulder blades as you stroll past him.

God you drive him crazy, but he loves it.

○ Dabi ○

Dabi finds you in an abandoned building. You’re a patchwork of a person if he’s ever seen one. And that coming from him. His face and body were covered in burns from a fire that happened during the chaos of the outbreak. But you- you’re wrapped in bandages, bandaids, and a Cotton pads. You’re eyes are sunk in and you're pale. You’re bruised, and Dabi can see it peeking from your stained shirt collar.

Dabi watched you pathetically lift a handgun, your shaped lips parting to speak out

“I’m not fucking going back”

“No one’s gonna make your doll.” Dabi raises his hand when he hears togas feathery footsteps pad up to the room. A silent signal to say ‘stop’

“I don’t wanna go back.” you’re sniffling and Dabi feels a bit awkward watching it, believing your about to cry till he watches drips of blood fall from your nose.

He lowers himself to the ground and just slowly stalks towards you before he’s wrapping his tattered coat around your shaking form and picking you up.

You’re… different. For someone scared shittless when he found you, you’re incredibly snarky. You throw comebacks like candy and roll your eyes with annoyance at a certain comment.

He watched in utter amazement as you told Shigarki to shut up and later danced in the middle of the kitchen with Toga and Twice. It’s like you’re a different person.

Dabi doesn’t mind the days you switch tho. When you plop yourself next to him on the worn-out couch, shoving yourself into his side shaking slightly

He’ll sigh as tho he’s annoyed but open his coat for you. You'll shuffle closer, laid against him, his coat and arm around you. Those are the days you don’t do much.

You came from a Fight Ring. One where humans went against the undead for entertainment. Or even human against human.

Toga told him you fight like what she imagined a Viking would. Ruthless. He’s unsure if believed Toga when she says you’ve ripped the head off the rotten remains of a walker (a zombie) - expertly avoiding being bit.

That being said. You have bites on your arms. “They’re not infected.” That is all you say and Dabi just nods. He understands all to well. He’s seen those rings.

You where shaking when you told him, rage or fear he didn’t know. But you found your wrapped in Dabi coat, huddled into his side. His low hum the only indicator he’s listening as his palm fins your back.

○ Sero ○

Sero knew you before it all went to hell. You were both neighbors, grew up together as children and hung out when you were teens. You slept over a lot too. It started when you were middle schoolers, watching cartoons. High school had you smoking- that was hard to hide when his parents got home . And college had you both staying up late and studying. And now, you two sometimes sit together a little to be considered friends and talk in hushed tones. As if speaking to loud would break the fragile barrier you had.

Sero rememberers how you yelled for him, causing him to stubble down the stairs of his home and to the door to find you. Your in a pajama shirt and blue jeans. The remains of your other neighbor now is on your face. Blood splattered on your cheeks and chest from the heavy blast. A shotgun resting in your shaky hands. You look both scared and calm, but your breathing is sharp.

Sero currently watches you talk to Denki. Something about a new compound that may need scouting. You've grown so much in just a year or two. In ways, Sero sometimes can't comprehend.

“Mi Amor(my love)” Sero called and you turned. His smiles widens at your own bright one. Denki sees him too, waving his eyebrows before saying goodbye to you and walking off.

You and Sero are dating, and have been since 3ish months after it all started. During one of the scariest movements in your life, you had let out your confession. You, Bakugou, Sero, Denki, and Kiri had been patrolling for food but had come across some twisted people. Something happened, and in the end you’re group had been split up. It was you, Denki, and Sero trapped in a building. Denki had been knocked out, by a rifle butt. You stood at a window, rocking a rather deep slash on your arm. Between you and Sero, there was no real firepower.

“If we make it out of this, we’re going on a date.”

“What?”

“I think I still have some instant ramen in my pack.”

“I wonder if that old ramen shop will still have your favorite kind.”

“You mean the one we got kicked out of?”

“Yeah, that one.” Sero hummed looking towards you. “You wanna go there? I wonder if they still have those seasoning packets.” Sero, Smirked. Remembering the time you snorted the power of one by accident.

“Yeah.” You smiled at him warmly.

“Well, now we gotta get out of here.”

Sero and you danced in the middle of your kitchen. There wasn’t any music, just Sero humming to a song that wouldn’t ever end.

[lore-of-the-mushroom-kingdom]

2 Paper Marios Hypothesis

So Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam introduced a Paper Mario from another world that came from a book. This has lead many people to conclude that the Paper Games are not canon to the Canon of Mario Tales. However, I disagree with this and believe there is an alternative answer to this.

So I believe there are 2 Paper Marios, once from the Paper Jam Book, and the other is the Main Mario from all the games taking on a Paper form. So what do I mean by Paper form? Well on the back of the box of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door it says "Time passes, the pages turn...and a new chapter unfolds in an unfamiliar land! Get ready for a two-dimensional role-playing adventure for the ages as Mario returns to paper form to discover a mystery that sleeps behind an ancient, legendary portal called the Thousand-Year Door." This text alongside things like dev interviews has lead me and some others to believe the Main Mario is able to take on a Paper Form. This would be similar to the Pixel Form we know he can take on through various means.

So as for the Paper Jam Paper Mario. Something that goes overlooked or is seen as a continuity error in Paper Jam is the Sticker Crown Pokey showing up, when the Crown should only be around if some messed with the Sticker Comet. However, I think this is telling us that the events of Paper Mario: Sticker Star hasn't fully happened to this Paper Mario. This would also explain why there is no Paper Starlow running around. This Paper Mario has yet to go through the events of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.

Now someone might point to Mario folding himself into an airplane in PMTTYD, the sentient Scissors, or the Paint and other craft themes of the Paper games and say Mario can't do that. But first off as established before, Mario more than likely can take on a Paper Form, but let's say he can't. This is a high fantasy world with man eating plants, alongside sentient talking trees and sunflowers, hexapod dragons, still living non-avian dinosaurs, reanimated skeletons, turtles that can remove their shells, straight up magic, clouds you can physically ride on, the ability to enter dreams, zippers on terrain you can unzip, swim through the air like a cartoon, be roll yourself up into a wall and use your body as an attack, be flattened like a pancake, or have your body turned into a pinball etc. So Mario being able change his body into an airplane is not too farfetched. Also, sentient scissors is not too different from Exor and Kleever. That and if I am correct the scissors were brought too life by the Fold of Life technique aka magic. Meanwhile paint and vim are a thing in the Mario world.

Now while someone might agree with all this, they may still contend that Sticker Star and Beyond is canon, and may insist it's part of the Paper Jam Continuity. Now as established before the Paper Jam Paper Mario is yet to go through the events of PMSS, there is something else here. We all know the original 3 Paper games referenced the events of the previous games several times. Parakarry shows up in PMTTYD, Kolorado is referenced by the presence of his father's skeleton, and there is a picture of the Paper Mario 64 characters. Meanwhile in Super Paper Mario Francis' Room has references to the previous games. Well turns out PMSS and Paper Mario: The Origami King do the same thing.

In PMSS in the Shy Guy Jungle's Trash Are you can find letters from Parakarry and Goombella which says the following. "Thank you for your letter. Sorry I'm not here to receive it, but I will get back to you shortly. Thanks." Parakarry "Observations on the Ancient Civilization of the Chomp Ruins." University of Goom Goombella And in PMTOK we see photos of Peach from every single Paper Mario Games.

So there are 2 Paper Marios, and this also explains all the information in the main games and Paper games that point to them being canon. Star Spirits Whackas Mario Golf Advance Tour Koopatrol Mystery Egg Hammer Bros. Gear Dry Dry Ruins K64 Bowser's Castle King Goomboss Luigi's Diary Luigi's Kart In PMTOK Bowser referencing Mario Kart The Blocks Of Nostalgia

[mar64ds]

All my OC stories have names now. Here is all of them + a small synopsis of each.

-Friendship Test

"A friendprogram (a robot built to be a good friend) must travel a dangerous lab that tests if you are a good friend or not, meeting other programs along the way."

-BreakTime

"The regular everyday lives outside of work of the minions working for a supervillain."

-How does it end?

"An overpowered being that considers themself a god meets a kind man that finds happiness in the smallest things life."

-The Big Bad Bird

"A powerful scary wolf that has all the forest creatures living in fear is one day defied by a strange bird creature that doesn't take him seriously, starting an everyday rivarly. But maybe with time they realize that rivarly is all they both have."

-One Dimensional Plane

"A one dimensional character has one last chance of proving himself to be interesting or he will be removed from the story forever, which also means being eaten by a monster, who is the person he needs to impress."

-Feline Demons

"A cat brought back to life thanks to science and demons is adopted by a little mouse. It will do whatever it takes to never try to eat its dad, even making deals with said demons."

-Laughing at Fear

"Two rejected cartoon characters try to get hired again by entering the worlds of popular haunted cartoons, old cartoons that have become scary versions of themselves."

-Unlikely unlikable us

"A villain that has lost the final battle and an annoying comic relief character are stuck all alone in a mysterious place together."

-Absolute Friends

"A videogame featuring friendly and likable characters has one extremely flawed and difficult character that reminds the player of themself. The player decides to delete the character, but that's not something the game normally let's you do."

-A Loving House

"An old educational children program is somehow still running even if the two puppet protagonists have grown up into adulthood. The twins would like to leave, but it's not easy when your mom loves you a lot and won't let you go."

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Shadows Heir

by Ash_Asto In a gripping tale of loyalty and betrayal, Tim Drake’s world is shattered when he is abducted as a child by the enigmatic Ra's al Ghul. Taken to the heart of the League of Assassins, Tim is molded into a formidable warrior under Ra’s intense mentorship. Yet, as Tim's skills grow, so does his internal struggle, torn between his loyalty to his captor and his haunting memories of the Batfamily. The stakes rise when Cassandra Cain, a fierce fighter who escaped the League's clutches, joins Tim in a high-stakes game of survival and skill. Their intense training and growing bond offer a glimpse into Tim’s internal conflict and hint at a larger, unseen battle. Enter Jason Todd, the Red Hooded Ninja, whose return stirs old conflicts and secrets. As Jason’s memory returns, he uncovers the dark truths of the League, setting off a chain of events that could shatter everything Tim has ever known. Caught in a whirlwind of treachery and hidden agendas, Tim must navigate a perilous path where every decision could lead to his undoing or redemption. With alliances tested and loyalties on the line, the thrilling race against time reveals the true cost of loyalty and the shadows that lurk within. Words: 1192, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 1 of The Obsidian Empire Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Batman: The Animated Series, Batman and Robin (Comics), Batman: Wayne Family Adventures (Webcomic), Red Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics), Robin: Son of Batman (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types, Young Justice (Comics), DCU, DCU (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Ra's al Ghul, Tim Drake (DCU), Talia al Ghul, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne, Janet Drake, Jack Drake Relationships: Tim Drake & Ra's al Ghul, Tim Drake & Talia al Ghul, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Talia al Ghul & Damian Wayne, Talia al Ghul & Jason Todd, Ra's al Ghul & Talia al Ghul, Talia al Ghul/Bruce Wayne, Janet Drake & Tim Drake, Jack Drake & Tim Drake, Jack Drake/Janet Drake Additional Tags: The League of Assassins (DCU), Tim Drake Angst, Tim Drake is Not Robin, Stalker Tim Drake, Young Tim Drake, Tim Drake and Damian Wayne are Siblings, Tim Drake is Not Red Robin, Tim Drake is Not a Batfamily Member, League of Assassins Tim Drake, League of Assassins Damian Wayne, League of Assassins Jason Todd, Jason Todd and Damian Wayne Meet in the League of Assassins, Tim Drake and Damian Wayne meet in the League of Assassins, Angst, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Timelines, Kidnapping, Kidnapped Tim Drake, Tim Drake-centric (DCU), Stockholm Syndrome, Tim Drake is Ra's al Ghul's Heir, Second Heir Damian Wayne, Damian Wayne Has a Heart, Tim Drake Has Issues, Jason Todd is the Red Hooded Ninja (Young Justice), Jason Todd is Not Red Hood, Damian Wayne is Not Robin, Bad Person Ra's al Ghul, Dead Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul is Jason Todd's Parent, Talia al Ghul is Not a Rapist, Talia al Ghul Tries to Be a Good Parent, Talia al Ghul Adopts Jason Todd, Talia al Ghul Adopts Tim Drake, Talia al Ghul is Tim Drake's Parent, Fluff and Angst, Tim Drake is Not a Teen Titan, Tim Drake Is Not a Young Justice, Kid Tim Drake, Good Kid Tim Drake via https://ift.tt/y6IiW1a

[theblueprincess590]

Roxas’s Prologue at the Beginning of KH2 is the perfect introduction for KH2 Because it firmly establishes the 3 core themes of the Game through Roxas’s character. The First theme Roxas’s Story talks about is the idea of duality. Roxas is Sora’s Nobody, his Other, an integral part of Sora’s being that he needs back in order to become a complete person again and wake up. To put it in another way Roxas is the Prince Charming to Sora’s Snow White. But Roxas of course rejects his role in the fairy tale, he has become his own person after all why would he ever want to go back to Sora. Roxas fights his fate all the way until the very end when he finally meets Sora and understands everything. Roxas knows that things could be the other way around, that he could if he wanted to leave Sora to his eternal sleep and take his place in the universe but he won't because in this moment he truly gazes upon the sanctuary that is Sora’s heart and realizes that it is beautiful. Roxas knows that it has to be Sora, that only his heart has the power and kindness to understand the hearts of others and connect to all. So Roxas does what he was meant to do and returns to the sky he was born from. He restores Sora and brings about duality, right? The tragic ending of Roxas’s story hints that perhaps true duality has not actually been achieved, after all can it even be called duality when one has to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the other? Maybe just maybe true duality could be achieved if Sora and Roxas existed together side by side rather than as one being, but answering that question is no longer Roxas’s responsibility, it’s Sora’s now.

The Second theme relates back to KH1. In Kingdom Hearts 1 the game asks what is the true nature of the heart and answers with light so in KH2 the biggest question is “What does it mean to have a heart?” This Question is raised right from the beginning with the reveal that Roxas is a nobody. As stated in the 13th Ansem Report from KH1 the Nobody is the shell that is left behind after a heart becomes heartless, A body that still goes on despite its lack of a heart. And by the logic of KH Roxas should be an emotionless husk devoid of any real purpose but he isn’t any of that. Roxas by all accounts behaves like a normal teenager with emotions as real and passionate as Sora’s. Heck one could even argue he’s more like a real teenager tha his somebody. Sora is at his core a cartoon fairy tale character, his behavior and action exaggerated for dramatic and comedic effect, he yearns to see what lies beyond him in the great wide somewhere, and most importantly of all his beliefs are rooted in a sense of pure whimsical idealism. And Roxas isn’t really like that at all, he is far more grounded than Sora with his emotions being much more reserved often times giving in to melancholy rather than fairy tale wonder and only entering emotion as extreme as Sora’s when he’s forced into situations of intense stress by forces beyond his control, his desires are nothing more than a simple wish to spend his summer days on the beach playing with his friends, And he’s not at all concerned with grand ideals or beliefs just focusing on his small personal life. Perhaps the biggest piece of symbolism for Roxas being a normal teenager at his core would be his home, Twilight Town. Twilight Town is unique in the series for being the only normal world. It’s not a Gothic fairy tale castle like Hollow bastion nor a Child’s paradise like destiny Islands, rather it is just a simply quiet suburban town where the most exciting things to do are go to the beach or play Struggle. It’s the type of video game level that makes you feel at home with its music theme being the pure embodiment of summer melancholy. There is the Old Mansion of course which radiates haunted house energy but it’s important to note that the mansion is very much cut off from the rest of the town with the only people living there being outsiders rather than the actual citizens of Twilight Town. Now one could claim that Roxas only acts like a real person because of the false memories forced on him once he was trapped in the digital Twilight Town but it’s important to note that Roxas doesn’t lose any of his emotions or personality after he regains his real memories, in fact his emotions become even more passionate, like a star going supernova. So when Roxas definitely declares he has a Heart of his own to DiZ we can’t help but believe him despite everything else in the series telling us otherwise. With the entire nature of the series put into question it must be asked, What does it mean to have a heart if a being who is defined by his lack of a heart and emotions not only claims to have heart but shows the most humanity out of everyone else in the cast? Is a Nobody like Roxas truly capable of having a heart separate from Sora’s? All these Questions and more now Sora’s responsibility to answer as Roxas’s Other.

And Now we have the final theme of KH2 which is without a doubt the most important theme in the entire series, “Separation is inevitable.” In Kh1 the game explored the idea of People’s hearts staying connected even when they’re world’s apart through The Destiny Islands Trio and Sora’s faith that he will find them again even after the ending. KH2 further expands on this idea by confronting the truth that separation is inevitable, everything must someday end whether we want it to or not at that includes the time we spend with our loved ones. This is ultimately why Roxas' time in the digital world takes place during the end of Summer Vacation, to teach Roxas and the audience this fact. Every kid knows that summer vacation is going to end, that their time in the sun isn’t eternal so the days they dread the most are those final days of summer. By placing the story in this time frame it allows the kids playing the game to understand how Roxas feels, to let them experience and empathize with his growing sense of dread as every day counts down so that when Roxas’s finally says “Looks Like My Summer Vacation is Over” they all feel it. The digital Twilight Town existes to teach Roxas that separation is inevitable and that is because Roxas was rejecting this truth. When Roxas left Organization XIII he refused to say Goodbye to Axel, rejecting their friendship outright simply because it was easier to pretend they were never friends than to accept the pain of losing him. So the narrative punishes Roxas by giving him a normal happy life full of friends and then ripping it all away from him. And we see Roxas beginning to understand this Truth as he attempts to give Axel a real goodbye even if it was more for his own sake rather than Axel’s. However the take away from this theme and Roxas’s Story is much more than “we just have to accept the pain of separation”, rather it is something far far more beautiful.

“We can’t be together forever so we better make the time we do have together something to remember.”

That is everything Kingdom Hearts is about summed up in one sentence. Everything ends including the time we spend with our loved one but instead of wallowing in that heartbreaking truth we must embrace it and enjoy every second we have with our friends so that we will always be connected to them even when they’re gone. Or to simplify it, “Don’t be sad that Summer is almost over instead savor those last few days with your friends so you never forget them”