#daybreak dandelions

[espurr-roba]

strelitzia being in kh4 is everything to me, especially considering the true dandelion sitch. like the reasonable assumption is that this is strelly after being slain by darkness, quadratum is like her afterworld, that sorta thing. that on its own is fun bc, hey, more strelitzia! she's stranded in mortal limbo without any of her loved ones and that's something she and sora can relate with, it's already a terrific set up

but imagine if this is data strelitzia, the one in the white cloak that luxu sends off in the lifeboat. we know from melody of memories when apprentice xehanort's sending kairi off that ending up in unreality is assumed to be possible via the pods (see: "However, if you arrive in a world that's neither of light nor darkness, but somewhere on the other side, your task will be far from easy.")

picture you're a copy of the original person, with full knowledge that you're a copy, and between the both of you, you're the one that gets to live on as "you".

[a-crack-in-the-universe]

To think that, Ephemer left behind such a huge legacy that we see it even in the present day.   

He founded a city, Scala ad Caelum, that lasted for over 900 years. The keyblade order he also (probably?) started may be reduced to a handful of wielders now but it’s still alive in the form of the Guardians of Light.                    

Master’s Defender was originally Ephemer’s keyblade that was passed down through the generations of keyblade wielders until it came to Eraqus. It later passed onto Aqua who wielded it temporarily in the Realm of Darkness and during the clash between the Guardians of Light and Seekers of Darkness in KH3. She also used it to lock and unlock the Land of Departure.      

Ephemer is the reason that the keyblade wielders and the light survived after the fall of Daybreak Town.

Everything that we’ve seen is largely because of Ephemer.     

[thequibblingking13]

Darkness through the streets of Daybreak Town.

[corishadowfang]

Any or all! ✨(favorite comments?) 🦋(favorite character to write?) 🎨(fan art you’d like to see) 🤔 (would you write something canon?)

(For this)

✨️ Out of the comments you’ve received on your fics, what are two or three of your favorites?

THERE ARE SO MANY. Seriously, I've been super lucky in that all my readers have been amazingly kind. I want to cheat a little and say that all of the comments on Fallen Stars have currently made me cry a little bit, haha, just because I expected it to like...appeal to myself and like two other people, and then a whole bunch of you appeared. (Uh, I know some of you guys are on tumblr, so you, @blazernot, @kicktwine, @serenedash--you guys have all made me cry happy tears over the last week-ish, haha.)

BUT ALSO--a lot of the comments towards the end of Dandelion Seeds made me super emotional. Some of the final comments I got from you, @hallowed-nebulae, @chibifightfu, @roxasthatisastick, and a whole bunch of other people just made me super emotional, because that fic was such a big labor of love and I was so happy that it resonated with so many of you guys.

...Basically, a lot of you have made me emotional, haha, and I feel like I don't say it enough, but: thank you guys so much, both for the enthusiasm and the kindness. Ya'll are amazing.

🦋 Which character is your favorite to write?

Skuld!! I adore all of the Union Leaders, haha, but I think I've just been in Skuld's head so often (between...three long stories that I've written for her now) that I'm very attached to her.

That said, Luxu is also a ton of fun. He's that kind of manipulative, "you can never really tell what he's thinking" archetype that's really fun to explore. He's unsettling, and there's a lot going on in his head, and it makes it really hard to figure out what's genuine about him and what isn't. It makes him complex, and that's super interesting.

🎨 If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

ANY AND ALL. Haha, seriously, though, I'm excited any time I see fanart for my stuff. If I really had to choose, though, Skuld's confrontation with Luxu from On the Edge of Daybreak comes to mind, just because it was such an intense scene to write (and so much fun to finally get to).

🤔 Would you ever want to write something canon if you got the opportunity?

Oh, man, I have...so many mixed feelings on this one. Because on the one hand, getting to write canon KH content would be AMAZING. But on the other, it'd mean I probably couldn't write/read KH fanfic anymore, since there can be legal complications around that. Plus, I'd also...probably feel a little weird about it? Mostly in the sense that I don't feel like I deserve it more than anyone else, aha. So...it's a strong maybe.

[cinnabeat]

im just really curious about how ephemer like. founded scala and stuff

[jellyfishvibes]

Random theory while i was rewatching khux,

So all the dream eaters are Chirithy's wrapped around the sleeping hearts of the dandelions waiting to be awakened, and we know dream eaters are connected to regular people outside of the realm of sleep, the spirits consume nightmare and the nightmares consume good dreams of people, Riku becomes Sora's dream eater ect, and Chirithys are connected to people aswell, each being given to and assigned to a keykid (? daybreak townie? child soldier-) by Mom/the foretellers, and last but not least Kairi is connected to chirithy in some way, having chirithy ears on her kh3 outfit hood and all

But theres a connection were forgetting, Ventus Of the unique dream eaters we know of, we have Riku: Sora's dream eater, Chirithy: the first dream eaters, the boss nightmares, Nightmare Chirithy: both the purple version and the fused with Darkling version, the Anti Black Coat (i hate that name lmao): the physical manifestation of Sora's nightmare And Armoured Ventus Nightmare Ventus unconsciously wrapped his armour around Sora's sleeping heart to protect it, taking on the darkness and thus a nightmare form in the process, Ventus wraps himself around the sleeping Sora to protect him until he could be awoken, exactly like how the Chirithy's saved the Dandelions If Riku is Sora's Dream Eater then Ventus is his Chirithy Bonus design overanalyzing:

Ventus' colour is green, his wayfinder is green, his armour is green, his heart station is green, his colour on the trio heart station is green

But Ventus himself isn't very green until bbs, specifically the only green on his outfit is the keyblade armour

His colours line up more with Chirithys colour palette, curiously it is majority Spirit Chirithy's but i would say the black undershirt and specifically the red inside of his jacket actually remind me of Nightmare Chirithy's red cape underside, he may be majority light but darkness was lurking beneath him from the very beginning, becoming so intertwined with him that he gave that formless shadow a body and a mind

unfortunately i am now thinking about poking a ventus and vanitas redesign because the world is cruel and never lets me rest

[katkeyboardmastah]

"Long, long ago, all the worlds were still one. One day, this would be called the age of fairy tales. It all began here in Daybreak Town."

Happy 10th anniversary since the launch of Kingdom Hearts χ 🎉🎉🎉🎉

Close ups under the cut!

Oh btw I drew all of these characters from memory with some intentional alterations... except the Keyblade... bcuz I forgot which Starlight upgrade some of the Dandelions used and only realized my mistake once I already coloured it... so have a weird mix of several I guess?

Additionally, I drew my own keykids in the bottom left corner! Wanted to add more stuff but this artwork was already busy as is.

[bestialflare]

marking my claim on every squeenix fandom i’m in by picking one niche pairing and then dying on that hill like i have nothing better to do with my time. anyways. i do think the parallelism with xigbar and demyx goes crazy regardless.

like arguably the two most lackadaisical members in the entire organization are also from some lost age of keyblade wielders. a character file has notes that demyx was looking for friends and just gloamed onto xigbar. who is, after the luxu reveal, probably the categorically “loneliest” character currently known to us. at least enough to be ambivalent towards an apocalypse.

there’s also the fact that dancer and sniper nobodies frequently spawn together in twtnw if you run around after clearing all the fights before xemnas. “the hall of empty melodies” being xigbar’s fight stage isn’t lost on me, either.

demyx hauling the replica bodies around in white shrouds almost directly mirrors luxu carrying the shrouded body of the “true dandelion” in daybreak town. “It’s a long story, but I’m sorta on your side!” versus “I hope you like long stories”. “Silence, traitor.” versus “All I’m telling you, traitor, is that your time is up”. All of the claims about nobodies having hearts, all of the total lack of Sworn Allegience to the organization and xehanort.

and it extends to their elements. demyx’s control of water is connected in the sense that the ocean itself plays a role in most kh symbolism from the jump. there’s the literal sea around destiny islands, the ideal of the beach in twilight town, the water at the edge of the realm of darkness. the “dive” to the heart is a process relating to swimming or water. it’s simulating weightlessness. it’s the capacity to suffocate.

the only other element that emulates this is space. “the ocean between worlds” is space. diving is an act of resisting gravity. it’s the weightlessness, the capacity to suffocate. nowhere is free from “space” in kh, not after the realm of light split up and created new worlds/new stars. there is no life without water, and all life exists throughout space.

of course, there’s also the fact that demyx is at least aware of the “may your heart be your guiding key” quote from someone over the course of multiple implied meetings. he’s an embodiment of the master’s “don’t intervene” order.

regardless of any desire to see these goons next to eachother, it’s at least fun to realize just how echo-y their characters are in relation to one another.

[romy350-romyakari]

Kingdom Hearts OC Week 2024

Day 2: Past

Day two is here and I reserved this section to inform you of her past as much as I can while make it somewhat digestible. Hope you have fun having another glimpse of her life in Daybreak Town from before and after getting here!

Lux actually left her hometown long ago, her mother heard of this particular town run by kids refer to as a good place where they can thrive so being the best option she and her sibling had they accepted their mother's request for them to try and find their own footing there. Their mother gets letters from them both since they arrived to Daybreak Town.

Once on Daybreak Town she found that as long as she put in some work life there was quite sustainable if you got the hang of things. She worked for a long time in a part time job for the the post office and any other odd jobs. Living as a kid in Daybreak Town has benefits and it can be quite nice if you want a place to stay and make your own path, she wanted to earn a bit more to send to her mom if she could so she made her schedule a bit more busy at times back then..

When the power of the keyblade it came with the perks and change of work. The change was not as abrupt for her as one would think, she was kind of lucky she actually made a friend that was a keyblade wielder before she even became one and he show her the ropes and how to get the hang of it.

Lux used to have other style by her second year been a wielder finding more of herself and even if the work is tough she has started to find the balance in her life and routine, the perks if you actually adapt to the life a keyblade wielder. She and Chiri had a matching set and found their way to deal with the work as time went by.

She actually joined a party for quite a while! She had a nice time with them, how it ended is a bit fuzzy in her memories but she does think of them fondly.

Eventually the war approached, she can't remember that actually because of the plan we all know, keep the memories away to avoid the pain. She and her brother were Dandelions, but she was the last one to leave the town out of the two as she send him first and she would catch up with him on the other side. She was chasing for a clue of something she wanted to get at least some closure...

She made friends here and there and make some connections before the war but more on that for tomorrow. I promise it will be fun!

After the Dandelions were transfer to the data and relieving their memories actually she took some turn, like adapt her gear since something in her did felt like she would want a better situation been sent to the desert that is why there is a contrast to her wardrobe on a mission and in her free time.

She still does what she did back then but what are the changes once shit hits the fan? More on to that on Day 7 :D

[youwouldntdownloadapizza]

The Gates of Jackson | Joel Miller x F!Reader | Chapter 4 - Daybreak

masterlist | ao3 | follow @youwouldntdownloadapizza and turn on notifications for updates

You showed up at the gates of Jackson with hands covered in blood and no memory of how you got there. That was two years ago. Since then, you've become Maria's right-hand woman and the person in charge of Jackson's logistical backend. Patrol schedules, inventory—all your purview. When a patrol gone wrong forces you to get to know Joel, memories of your past begin resurfacing—along with their consequences.

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pairing: joel miller x f!reader

rating: 18+, minors DNI

word count: 1.0k

tags: no use of y/n, eventual smut, no beta we die like sarah, jackson era, other additional tags to be added, slow burn, ellie needs a hug, joel lives, good parent joel, reader-insert, reader insert, forced proximity, only one bed trope, nightmares, childbirth, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending, soft joel, cuddling & snuggling, fluff, masturbation, pining, joel falls first, possibly demisexual reader (tbd), ptsd, ptsd flashbacks, panic attacks, amnesia, sexual braiding

chapter warnings: masturbation (m)

Chapter 4 - Daybreak

The first time Joel met you, he imagined you smelled like daisies. He couldn’t be sure, of course. He never got close enough to tell. But in his head, you smelled like them. He was sure of it.

The second time Joel met you, he was even more certain. There was a daisy tucked behind your ear, for Pete’s sake.

The third time he met you, you smelled like hay. That was to be expected, you’d come straight to the dining hall from the stables. But he still reckoned it covered up daisies.

Last night Joel dreamt of different flowers: dandelions. His brain brought him back to a hike he’d gone on with Sarah years ago, up in the mountains where they’d found a huge patch of the yellow sprouts and he’d taught her to make flower crowns. She was better at it than he was, her nimble fingers and natural talent for handicrafts far outpacing his own skills. Still, she wore the crown he made for her like it was a damn tiara. He didn’t have the heart to tell her they were technically weeds.

Joel woke with a smile. He was warm, and cozy, and the haze of sleep soothed his weary soul. His eyes were dry and a little crusty. His mouth tasted vaguely like spaghetti sauce. And the world smelled like daisies.

Daisies.

He opened his eyes with a start, struggling not to make a sudden movement and startle you awake. His nose was buried in your hair, and he wasn’t sure whether the scent of daisies was coming from your shampoo or your laundry detergent or if it was just you , but he didn’t care.

Because he was right. And if Joel Miller loved anything, it was being fucking right.

Despite the vindication, he felt conflicted. Joel wasn’t exactly in the habit of curling up with patrol partners when they’d had a bad dream. This was a dangerous precedent to set.

You rolled over in your sleep, cuddling closer against him. The resulting friction informed him that he was painfully, embarrassingly hard.

Fuck, Joel thought to himself. He had to figure out a way to… deal with this without waking you up. He didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable or objectified. He knew it was just a reflex—he was sleeping, he couldn’t control it. But it made him feel like a stupid, horny teenager all over again.

Careful not to wake you, he slipped out of bed. Tiptoeing to the door, he let himself out quietly.

He snuck around back, leaning up against the woodshed. When he glanced up at the treeline, though, he found Bailey and Chestnut staring him down.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he panted, breath fogging up in the early morning chill.

He ducked around to the other side of the shed and freed himself from his jeans. 

It wasn’t you, he thought to himself. It couldn’t be you. It was just a warm body and a soft bed and the fact that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been that close in that way to anybody at all.

He thumbed over his slit, wiping away the bead of precum that wept from his tip. What would you feel like? He wondered, stroking faster. Probably soft, and warm, and wonderful. He was close just thinking about it.

“Stop it,” he smacked himself across the face, struggling to catch his breath. The motion just reminded him of the sore mark you’d left behind last night. Evidence of your touch, evidence of your skin on his.

He came into the dirt a second later. Kicking some loose soil over it and tucking himself away, he looked up to see the first rays of sunrise peeking over the mountaintops. The rays caught on the water in such a way that it seemed to turn to liquid gold before his eyes. 

“Wake up,” Joel shook your shoulder gently.

“Mmm,” you groaned. “What time is it?”

“Don’t matter,” he dragged you out of bed by the hand, guiding your arms into the sleeves of your puffer jacket. “You need to see this.”

By the time you made it outside, all you saw was gray. Clouds had covered up the sunrise, and Joel felt like a fucking fool.

“What am I looking at, exactly?” you asked with a yawn.

Joel frowned, genuinely disappointed the stunning vista had disappeared so quickly. There was so little beauty left in this world. He hated the idea of anyone missing out on what remained.

“Nothing,” he muttered. “It’s gone.”

Breakfast was a quiet affair that morning, the two of you sat huddled around the fireplace like the night before.

“Do beans count as breakfast?” you asked as he took a bite from a can of the refried stuff.

“It’s a fast. I’m breaking it. I’d say it counts.”

You chewed silently for a few moments. Your peaches would have been fine straight out of the can, but Joel had still heated them in the coals. You were grateful for it; they warmed you from the inside.

“We should head up to the fire lookout,” you said. “It’s the highest point on this ridge. If we can find a path uphill, we’ll reach it eventually. I should be able to plot a return route from there.”

He nodded. “I saw an old trailhead when I was out back earlier. Doubt it’s been maintained since well before the outbreak, but it’s a start.”

You nodded in agreement, sprinkling some granola on your peaches.

“Why were you out back earlier?”

Joel’s eyes went wide for a second before he managed to school his expression. 

“Needed to…grab some wood.”

“There’s plenty of wood in here, Joel.”

“We went through a lot last night,” he said, doing his best to sound authoritative. “It would be rude not to replace it.”

You chuckled at that. “Glad to know even in the apocalypse, chivalry’s not dead.”

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[lightandfellowship]

Going a little more in depth on the Strelitzia + Rapunzel parallel...

Strel is known as a reserved girl who doesn't interact with a lot of people and is easily scared, but she desires connection, strength, and independence. Despite her shyness, the people who know her recognize how bright and passionate she is. She watches Player from a distance atop the rooftops of Daybreak Town, but doesn't get the courage to actually approach them until it's too late.

Rapunzel, meanwhile, has had very little social interaction for most of her life, and Mother Gothel has gotten it into her head that the world outside is dangerous and scary. Despite this, Rapunzel wishes she could leave and experience the greater world. She watches the world from atop her tower through a window, her bright and passionate personality hidden behind walls. In contrast to Strel, she gets the courage to pursue her dream before it's too late, and lives.

And if you can compare Strel and Rapunzel, you can also contrast Lauriam and Mother Gothel. Lauriam genuinely loves his sister and wants what's best for her, even encouraging her to be more independent and experience the world on her own without using him as crutch. Meanwhile, Mother Gothel is merely using Rapunzel for her own selfish ends and doesn't care about what's truly best for her, and she manipulates Rapunzel into being completely dependent on her.

Interestingly, when you shift to a Namine + Rapunzel parallel instead (lonely blonde girl who likes to draw and who is locked away and exploited for her magic powers), Lauriam/Marluxia is no longer contrasted with Mother Gothel, and is instead compared, for as Marluxia he is actually no better than her.

And let's not forget the flower, dandelion, and sun (daybreak?) motifs in the world, too.

Really, I think having Marluxia be the Organization member you meet in the Tangled world was a fantastic choice.

[espurr-roba]

post!subject X skuld as a kickass hobo pokemon trainer. with little memories to call her own, she travels the worlds with her trusty flygon

headcanon and design details under the cut

most dandelions have a Pokemon companion or two during KHUX. there's still keyblade wielders and they gather lux the exact same way as in canon, but they've also got their lil Pokemon buddies with em

in KHUX, skuld has a gallade and golett! gallade helps fight shadows, and golett's just a funky lil guy

gallade seems like a pretty obvious choice for skuld (or rather gardevoir/gallade, but i want ephemer to have a gardevoir so they match), but i think golett fits pretty well as a bridge between the archaic and the futuristic - much like how skuld, a wielder of the past whose namesake means debt or future!

she's gotta leave them both behind when daybreak town falls tho :(

after the events of KHUX and without memories of her past, once luxu frees her from the castle, she spends the years wandering on her own, searching for answers as to who she is

encounters and befriends a trapinch all alone in a desert. it becomes her main - and only - companion over the years, eventually evolving into a flygon

always on the watch for heartless and pokemon alike that may target her. mannerisms adapt to reflect her nomadic lifestyle; she's stealthier, more stoic, but just as driven as ever

either can't summon a keyblade or it's very rare she'll be able to pull strongly enough to do so. whatever the case, she doesn't have starlight anymore

her cloak and side satchel are meant to parallel ephemer's apparel! she loses her star earrings (and/or they're still there but broken and barely resemble a star), but the star motif stays as the clasp for the cloak. i think it's a sweet way to unify both ephemer and skuld, despite the fact she has no conscious awareness of the connection

bandages on the arms to both emulate the position of her KHUX gauntlets and to show that she's a bit scrappier now than before. also i think bandages are just a really fun design choice hehe

she has a chance encounter with a golett - a pokemon who cannot and will not age - and feels a sudden, unfathomable grief

it's okay tho, golett joins her party :)

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

⛓️‍💥 this link is no longer valid

Roadie - A kindhearted Keyblade wielder and survivor of the Keyblade war who was rescued by the Dandelions. She then chose to melt her heart into a new one once Daybreak Town fell. {she/her or they/them}

Via - A passionate curator who works in Scala ad Caelum’s most renown museum. Though secretly, she also has other ventures going on behind the scenes. {she/her or they/them}

Disclaimer: I’m not following prompts, I’m just using this week as an excuse to give my OCs some extra love :)

[goldensunset]

sighs. do you ever think about how like nobody in daybreak town aside from the main cast actually made it out. whether they died in the war or became dream eaters or whatever… like in the end whether they chose to be a dandelion or not. all it did was buy them a bit more time. the illusion of free choice (you’re gonna have a bad time no matter what)

[corishadowfang]

One Song One WIP Tag Game

Tagged by @moonluringfrost--thanks for the tag!

Rules: Share one song that you associate with each of your WIPs, then tag as many people as you like!

So I have like...a whole bunch of half-started WIPs that I’m not going to include here, haha, so this’ll just be like...the two current main ones.

On my Heart: Dear Wormwood by The Oh Hellos

Kintsugi AU: Hollow Moon by The Crane Wives (which is only kind-of sort-of a WIP, but shh)

I’ll tag @wintersstreams, @aquixoticwrites, @flowerprose, and anyone else who wants to do this!  If you’d like to share, then feel free to say I tagged you!

[cinnabeat]

WAIT I UNDERSTAND THE DATA YHING NOW?