#exploring scala

[goldensunset]

what kingdom hearts needs to do is to rip off skyward sword with the timeshift stone mechanic where you wander through the ruins of some place, but within a limited radius of these magic stones/devices (some of which are portable), the area itself gets sent back in time to an ancient era where everything is alive/functional/etc. like the edges of two different timezones if you will are touching. so you can see into the long-dead past right in front of you

[pangeen]

" Scala dei Turchi " //© Sebastien Nagy

[starlightwayfinder]

hi. sliding in. is there anything u have been compelled by recently. maybe music or a book or the way light fell on smth (idk how to ask stuff like a normal person but feel free to gush about anything you want, if you'd like to :3 (no pressure of course!))

Thank you!

Speaking of the way light fell on something… I’ve actually been waiting for an excuse to gush about some of Scala ad Caelum’s art and ornamentation. I have a few headcanons and inspirations of my own, too. (I can’t take my own screenshots at the moment, so I’ll just see what I can find online.)

First—there’s a lot of cool things themed (appropriately) around light and color.

This stained glass platform is one of my favorites in the game. Stained glass is nothing new in the series, but this one is especially iridescent, which makes it extra cool in my mind. I also think it’s neat that stained glass was chosen to represent hearts, as if the light of their hearts is shining through/illuminating it.

Here’s some real life examples with a similar effect!

Similar to the stained glass are the mosaics:

You can really see the influence of Daybreak Town with these! The fountain is probably my favorite—it looks almost like a sun from above.

More real life examples—to me the swirls are reminiscent of wind and waves. For a headcanon of mine, I imagine there was someone in Scala who made kaleidoscopes kind of like these.

In addition to matching the aesthetic of the game, they also tie nicely into the theme of light.

There’s a fair share of things that relate to the sky and wind, which ties into the theme of “the heavens” as well. The pinwheels are like tiny versions of the windmills, which I think is super cute. I couldn’t find a picture, but there’s also a lot of dandelions. (In addition to drawing another connection to Daybreak Town, I like that they fit the theme of wind too.)

Okay so street lamps are kind of a given for a city, regardless of symbolism—but I think they’re the epitome of beautiful design so I have to gush about them, haha.

Just… look at these!! They are light and darkness,,, and you can even put flowers on them? I think the globe ones resemble the moon also. They’re so beautiful. I couldn’t find a good picture, but the ones in KH3 have banners hanging from them as well.

Last but not least is the printed/painted artwork. The Daybreak to Scala mural is my favorite—I love how it’s layered and moves to tell the story.

For headcanons, I like the idea of there being more of these mechanized storytelling displays. Maybe ones that depict fairytales of the other worlds. These puppet theaters aren’t exactly what I mean, but they’re the right idea:

And finally, I know Scala has some amazing libraries. I want to read all of these books!

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

I love putting myself waist deep in writer problems that aren’t really a huge deal in the grand scheme of things but still bug me to no end [disclaimer: this post consists of fic planning rambles that can be construed as genuine questions for canon too]

Currently I’ve given myself a headache trying to figure out whether or not there’d be Heartless in Scala if Ephy (or anyone really) seals its Keyhole

Because what does locking a world’s Keyhole do exactly? Does it prevent Heartless from destroying the world? (they still appear, but just can’t destroy everything on a huge catastrophic scale) Or does it stop Heartless from appearing entirely, meaning there’s no need to worry about Heartless at all anymore?

My current working solution (for my own project, not necessarily for canon) is that Scala is a special case. As the hub for keyblade wielders, Heartless appear regardless of whether or not its keyhole is locked simply because they’re attracted to the keyblade and the numerous wielders that live there.

[avale-reves]

The waves of Scala ad Caelum crashed at Ephemer’s feet. A nightly breeze rustled through his white curls and kissed his skin cold at the shore. He closed his eyes at the sensation washing over him, and prayed the wind would lift him free from the land and carry him far off and away. But when his eyes opened, the same still churning dark sea greeted him and little more. Behind him the town center loomed as it climbed in step-like tiers reaching toward the stars. He awoke alone into a blank and empty world, but in time more and more hearts gathered there. Life was passed down time and time again until the land was filled with a thriving people. Societies grew and branched through the city, each a congregation fighting for its own sake and future. Now Scala bustled with life, with culture, with progress… And yet he never stopped feeling alone. His heart ached even now, just as it had the moment the lifeboat pod hissed opened and he found himself in an endless dead sea—everything washed away. All that loss and ruin, all those broken worlds… Try as he might to move on, to build something new, an irreparable change tore through him— He could never unlearn just how fragile it all was.

CONTINUE READING ON AO3

Wrote a little something in celebration of the Missing-Link beta! Bit of a theoryfic of sorts, exploring the setting and some themes i think/hope will be touched on in the game. Please consider sharing/commenting/kudos etc as I try to keep momentum in writing kh fics.

[firestorm09890]

I don’t want Ienzo to be from a line of keyblade wielders because he’s already got so much other interesting shit about him to explore but I DO want him to have a connection to missing link era Scala mostly because I think it’d be really funny

[infinitelilith]

Alright no more fucking around. What if we get Aqua and Terra backstories in Missing Link

It might sound a little far-fetched but both UX and DR were in some ways about the rest of the BBS crew (Ventus, Vanitas, Xehanort and Eraqus) so Missing Link might pick up the pieces. Also, Terra and Aqua are basically the only main characters who don't have any backstories about what they were doing before the events of the game they were introduced in, even though they're some of the oldest and there'd be a lot of room to explore their childhoods.

So here's what I'm thinking: obviously they're not going to show up in Scala and turn out to be time travelers or reincarnations or whatever, but we might see something of their ancestors. Maybe Terra's and Aqua's greatgreatgreatgreat-grandparents were friends with people of Eraqus' bloodline and that's why Eraqus later takes on Terra and Aqua as students. Maybe we find out that Terra comes from a family of people susceptible to darkness, or that Aqua comes from a family of magic-casters. Maybe none of this is made that obvious in Missing Link itself but we'll get a flashback in KH4 where Aqua talks about living with her grandmother before moving to LoD and that's when they reveal that Aqua was the granddaughter of [Missing Link character] all along and all of us will be like "OH MY GOD AQUA WAS RAISED IN THAT FAMILY? THAT ADDS SO MUCH TO HER CHARACTER" and it'll be fucking insane

Or you know, maybe none of that will happen and Aqua and Terra will just be two teens who spawned in Eraqus' living room one day. I mostly just want to see Terra and Aqua again because I miss them lol

[apricotopera]

there’s an interesting trend in kh of worlds and the way they change mirroring characters and the way they change that i really love - destiny islands which tends to be in and out of danger depending on how sora, riku, and kairi are doing, hollow bastion’s revival happening as riku gets away from ansem’s influence and starts slowly doing better, castle oblivion being a blank slate until aqua comes home (which there’s a mechanical reason for, sure, but the land of departure returning alongside the wayfinder trio also has a real thematic resonance), aquas exploration of the castle of dreams in 0.2 mirroring her view of the things that just happened to her, daybreak town not destroyed when its group is scattered but instead becoming the invisible scaffolding that the future is built on…etc etc! there’s a lot of cool examples of this! and the thing i’ve been thinking of all morning is that it makes the vision of scala in kh3 kind of devastatingly sad.

it’s…unclear at best if the scala we visit in kh3 is the real city, or some sort of dream or memory projection from xehanort (being literally inside the generally-not-well-understood kingdom hearts makes it a bit complicated) but it’s so strikingly empty and quiet. again this is partially mechanical - it’s a boss arena - but still. all the little details of life in the environment design, the little market you visit in remind, the chairs and cafes and posters make it feel lived in, but there’s no one there. it’s just xehanort. this final, terrible reflection of his childhood home, preserved perfectly, and he is the solitary person in it. it’s so fucking sad!

i think the end of kh3 does a decent job of humanizing xehanort even before we know him in dark road and even while he’s at his most villainous, and i think scala is a big part of that. like that intro cutscene of him just walking slowly through the streets…..gah. peepaw :(

[lightandfellowship]

KHDR Re:Write - Giving Urd A More Prominent Character Arc

Hermod's rewrite can be found here.

The tl;dr:

Urd’s initial motivation: To explore the outside worlds and learn more about them.

Urd’s struggle: She realizes that when their mission ends, she will go back to her boring, normal life in Scala, once again forbidden to leave. This in conjunction with feelings of loneliness make her consider running away after their mission is complete.

Urd’s conclusion: The freedom to explore the worlds is still a motivating factor, but she realizes that protecting the worlds and sharing her experiences with her friends is her true desire, compelling her to stay in Scala and continue her training. Her loneliness can not be cured so easily, but her friends will help her work through it.

Below the read more is a rough outline of how I would implement this character arc into the story. Be forewarned that it's a fairly long and text-heavy post.

Four notes before we begin:

Rather than this being a full-fledged rewrite where I get to go ham and do whatever I want, instead my goal is to try and demonstrate how the game in its PRE-EXISTING state could have given Urd a more clear and satisfying character arc via fairly minor changes to the dialog, characters, and story. I want to see if this could have been possible without having to expend too much extra time and resources, since it seems like a lack of time/resources/budget is why her story got cut in the first place. So I won’t be doing anything drastic like creating entirely new episodes or anything like that. Same worlds. Same number of episodes. Same sequence of events. Same overarching plot.

Ideally, I would have liked to convey certain details about these characters and their story via secret reports/diary entries. Specifically, the sorts of details that would slow the pace down or feel a little too direct/clunky if addressed within the story itself. However, because of the self-imposed restriction I talked about in point 1 (i.e. no drastic alterations to the game or additions that would require extensive effort to implement), I won't be utilizing such a format, and so I will sometimes have the characters speak a bit more openly/directly about their feelings/thoughts than I otherwise would've liked.

Because I have a lot to say, I won't be providing summaries of the episodes I'm discussing as I explain my story changes. A fairly solid recollection of the game's events is...perhaps not required, but certainly helpful for understanding what I'm talking about and how I arrived at my choices.

I don't claim to know better than the writers or even be an experienced writer myself, this is just how I personally would approach giving Urd a more prominent character arc, because I think we can all at least agree that Urd didn't get enough focus in this game. If Urd's story hadn't been cut (presumably), I have no doubt that Tomoco Kanemaki would have come up with something better than what I'm proposing here.

But anyway, without further ado:

Urd's Motivation and Personality

During the flashback where the underclassmen explain their reasons for wanting to become Keyblade Masters, Urd says that it’s because she wants to explore the outside worlds and learn more about them. However, I feel that KHDR could do a better job of depicting this motivation throughout the game. Were it not for Urd directly stating her motivation in this scene, I don't think you could have ever reasonably guessed that this was her motivation based solely on her dialog and actions throughout the rest of the game.

She says her dream is to see the outside worlds for herself, and yet she rarely ever shows any particular interest in the Disney worlds that she does visit, or at least she’s no more interested than the rest of her friends are, which is to say: barely. It's a common gag/occurence throughout the game that the underclassmen are either disinterested or unsettled by the worlds and their inhabitants, and for whatever reason Urd is included in that. Sure, she’s on an important mission, but where’s the curiosity? Where’s the desire to learn more about the worlds? Shouldn’t that motivation bleed into her actions and dialog even a little bit? Even if she’s trying to reign herself back for the sake of the mission?

I think having Urd be just as indifferent/detached from the worlds as her friends is a misstep, personally. So in this rewrite, I am adjusting her personality a bit, in contrast to Hermod who doesn't really require any personality changes in order to have his arc make sense (to be discussed in his rewrite post). In short: I want her to be more excited and inquisitive in each world. I want her to be enamored by all the strange sights and sounds. I want her to get lost in thought as she analyzes some new find, her friends having to snap her back to reality and remind her of their mission. When the rest of the characters are awkwardly trying to ignore some oddity that's demanding their attention, I want Urd to be one of the few who actually shows genuine interest.

Like I mentioned, I know the characters are on an important mission and aren’t supposed to get sidetracked from their primary goal, but like, Vor and Eraqus were allowed to be curious and easily distracted by stuff, so I don't see why Urd couldn't as well, at least a little bit. I also think this personality change will provide more variety among the underclassmen, specifically in how they interact with the outside worlds.

Anyway, for the sake of not making this post any longer than it needs to be, I’m not going to list every dialog tweak that needs to occur in order to accomodate this personality change, just the most notable ones I can think of.

One last thing: it’s under-explored, but the game seems to suggest that Urd might be lonely. When remarking on how close Eraqus and Xehanort are, she says that she wishes she had a relationship like that herself. The implication seemingly being that she doesn’t feel like she has any best friends to share a special bond with. I think this desire for a friendship like Xehanort and Eraqus' may be further evidenced by the fact that she tends to tease Eraqus the most and is pretty friendly with him in a way that she isn't with the others, which makes me think that she's indeed jealous (in a nice way) of the relationship Xehanort has with Eraqus, and thus attempts to mimic their dynamic with Eraqus.

To me, Urd being lonely is too interesting of an emotional angle not to expand upon, even if the writers didn’t intend for her one-off comment to mean anything deeper. And I think her struggling with feelings of loneliness will synergize well with what I have in mind for her story.

Episodes 1-4: Establishing Urd's Character

The first dialog tweak: when Odin informs the class that they’re being sent on a mission to the outside worlds, in addition to Eraqus and Bragi expressing excitement at the news, I want Urd to be excited, too. She can still have her “Don’t sound so excited about it.” line, but maybe after she says that she makes her :3c face because she can’t hide her true feelings. Eraqus can reply with something like “Speak for yourself, Urd! Getting to see the outside worlds is a dream come true for you!”. Hermod and Eraqus can then have their usual lines of H: “Hey, this is serious! People are missing, you know!” and E: “Right. Sorry.”

As cool as the party member specific dialogs in Episode 3 can be, I’m dropping the mechanic where Episodes 1-3 let you choose your party member for the cutscenes. IMO, it's just bad for the story, because you can never focus on just one particular character and properly illustrate their unique personality; everyone's dialog has to be juuust generic enough to be easily swappable. Instead, in my rewrite, Urd is your assigned party member for Episode 1; perhaps she's even the one who requested to team up with Xehanort and Eraqus.

Not much happens in Episode 1 admittedly (it's mostly an exposition dump and premise setup), but in the very least it needs to establish and emphasize her love for exploration and learning. I think this can be easily achieved with the pre-existing Agrabah scenes. For example: when the party arrives to the outskirts of Agrabah and is attacked by Heartless, have Urd be disappointed that their first trip to the outside world was soured by their presence. When the party enters the abandoned city proper, have Urd express further disappointment that there’s no residents to interact with. Things like that. But obviously still have her be serious about their mission and the missing upperclassmen; she shouldn't seem selfish in her interests.

So Episode 1 is just kinda whatever, but It’s in Episode 2 that I definitely want her desire to learn and explore be in full force (she’s your primary party member for this episode as well. Which also synergizes with my Hermod rewrite—stay tuned for that, eventually). Everything in Wonderland is so strange and different and fascinating to her. The other characters find the world confusing and off-putting, but Urd finds it charming and unique. This does admittedly require Episode 2 to have some extra cutscenes/events since in the base game the only thing that really happens in this episode is the trial, and I think it’s still essential for Vor to be the party member in Episode 3 (where most of the Wonderland hijinks happen) since Vor doesn’t get much screentime in the second half of the game.

Two changes I would suggest: rather than the party waiting around indefinitely for the other underclassmen to show up to their meeting spot, and having the Cheshire Cat and Card Soldiers come to them, instead they get worried and decide to leave to go look for their friends, while running into these characters along the way. Then, take the tea party scene from Episode 3 and put it in Episode 2 instead, before the trial happens. You could even use this scene to foreshadow the trial by making it so that the White Rabbit fretting over his broken watch is because he doesn’t know what time it is and he fears that he’s going to be late for the trial. This will require some dialog tweaks in Episode 3 because the characters have an important discussion there that involves the Mad Hatter and March Hare, but it's nothing too hard to work around; maybe they just visit the tea party a second time, maybe they just bring up their interaction with them from Episode 2, or maybe they only talk about the Tweedles instead. There are multiple routes you could take to accomodate this change.

And rather than the Cheshire Cat directly telling the party that their friends are locked up, and the Card Soldiers mentioning the trial, instead I want the whereabouts of the other underclassmen to be more of a mystery that the party has to solve, with Urd being the one picking up on most of the clues just by being her inquisitive and observant self. Eraqus says it himself in some optional dialog that Urd has "always been good at figuring things out".

So ultimately, it’s Urd who realizes that the “trial” mentioned by the White Rabbit (because in this rewrite its the rabbit who mentions it instead of the soldiers), and the other “trespassers” mentioned by the Card Soldiers, are both in reference to their missing friends. (And maybe the Cheshire Cat gives the party a legit riddle too that they solve together, rather than being fairly straightforward in his hint like he is in the base game). Thus Urd paying attention and finding inherent worth in the strange and nonsensical world of Wonderland is what saves the day, her natural curiosity and collected knowledge about the world and its residents coming in clutch. This way, her motivations and personality can also be directly integrated into the plot rather than just being a character side story, and she gets the opportunity to shine, too.

And to tie in to the loneliness angle, I think some of the other underclassmen should be a little confused by Urd’s enthusiasm for the worlds they visit. Not in a mean or insulting or putting her down kind of way (they are friends!), but just a little at a loss for how to react when she expects them to understand her feelings and her point of view. The plot doesn’t need to highlight this too directly, just have Urd’s classmates being confused/unsure of something Urd says or shows them and then have Urd looking a little let down at their lukewarm reactions. Much like the underclassmen unintentionally leaving Vor out of stuff and underestimating her, I want this to be kinda subtle and under-the-radar. This would be mostly meant as set up for her arc later.

All that being said, I imagine Urd's loneliness isn't just because her friends don't always Get Her on a deeper level, it's also because she's not really open about her true feelings a lot of the time. Her official bio states that she's relied upon by the others, so perhaps she's too scared of burdening her friends with her own issues. However, relationships are a two-way street, and she's partially preventing herself from forming that close bond she desires because she isn't really letting herself lean on her friends when she needs them.

Episode 5: The Problem/Conclusion

So, to summarize, Episodes 1-2 need to establish her love for exploration and learning (and also give some brief glimpses at her loneliness) since she’s not present much in Episodes 3-4. Episode 5 is when her side story needs to officially complete. A rather quick arc, admittedly, but I think that’s what would work best in the framework of what the game gives us; the base game seems to suggest that her arc was supposed to end in this episode, anyway.

Events start to unfold when Urd realizes that once their mission is over, things will go back to normal and she will no longer be able to explore the outside worlds until she becomes a Keyblade Master. Something that might not occur for YEARS; heck, something that might not occur AT ALL if she fails her exam or if Scala's rules change. Thus, she starts to question whether she even wants to return home to Scala. What if, after their mission was over, she ran away? What if she got to explore to her heart’s content? She can’t imagine returning to her boring, normal life now that she’s gotten a taste of freedom. And maybe she can discover a way to cure her loneliness by finding fulfillment elsewhere? Perhaps it was Vor leaving in the previous episode that makes Urd realize that leaving is even an option.

Thus, in this rewrite, in Episode 5 when Lumiere offers Urd an invitation to stay in the castle, she actually seriously considers it. Of course Hermod and Xehanort are not happy to hear this, especially after what happened with Vor, and thus try to convince her to reconsider, but Urd is conflicted and doesn’t know what to do. She explains her concerns about being stuck in Scala forever, but is understandably reluctant to talk about how Eraqus and Xehanort’s strong bond has only reminded her of the closeness she desires and yet lacks. She loves her friends, but she doesn’t feel like she has a best friend who understands her on a deeper level, and she’s too scared of potentially hurting her friends’ feelings to admit this, so she keeps it to herself.

Xehanort doesn’t say it out loud, but he understands exactly the feeling of being stuck somewhere against your will and desiring connection and fulfillment in the outside worlds. He tells Urd that she should follow her heart on this. Hermod is taken aback and anguished at the situation, but doesn’t know what he can say to make Urd change her mind. They decide to just shelf the conversation for later so that they can focus on their mission of finding the culprits who stole the rose.

Vala witnesses this argument and decides to use what she's learned about Urd to her advantage (much like how Vidar witnessed Vor's conversation with the Mirror and then used that to his advantage). So when Vala finally approaches Urd, rather than trying to order Urd around (which didn’t make much sense as a tactic to begin with; that approach would have worked far better on Hermod, if you ask me) instead Vala tries to convince Urd that she can have the freedom she wants if she joins Vidar’s crew. She can explore to her heart’s content, with the benefit of having comrades at her side to keep her safe on her journey rather than having to run away and travel alone.

Vala, perhaps through her ambigious "vision" abilities, also correctly guesses about Urd's loneliness and tries to appeal to Urd’s desire to be understood by claiming that she and Urd are very much the same. They are both level-headed, analytical individuals who crave knowledge, and sometimes people are just too blind in their pre-existing beliefs to understand their (Urd + Vala's) "vision" of the world. However, Urd is unsure. She still doesn’t understand what Vidar is trying to accomplish, and as much as she wants to run away and find meaning elsewhere, if securing her freedom means having to harm the worlds alongside the upperclassmen, then she doesn’t want to do it. Plus, the thought of traveling the worlds with the upperclassmen rather than with her friends doesn’t sit right with her, despite everything.

Much like in the base game, Xehanort eavesdrops on this conversation, but this time Hermod has tagged along as well. In the base game, Xehanort alone eavesdropping on Urd and Vala doesn't really lead to much in the story as far as I can tell, because Urd reveals her conversation with Vala in the very next episode. I think this might be a dropped plot thread where Xehanort was supposed to sit on this secret information for a while longer before acting on it somehow, but in any case, it's no longer necessary for my rewrite, thus Hermod is now here as well. Perhaps Hermod initially tries to approach Urd right away, but Xehanort pulls him back and convinces him to stay in the shadows in the hopes that Vala will reveal something important about Vidar's plans.

As they eavesdrop on the conversation, they finally learn of Urd’s secret loneliness, and see that Vala might successfully persuade Urd to leave them just like Vidar did with Vor. Hermod simply can't let this happen, and so against Xehanort's wishes he bursts into the room, interrupting Urd and Vala’s conversation to grab Urd’s hands and tell her how much she means to him and their friends. He doesn’t invalidate her feelings, but apologies for making her feel so lonely. He never meant to make her feel like she was different or weird for her interests; he may not always understand her, but he thinks she’s amazing and brilliant. And he’s willing to help her in any way he can and support her in whatever she decides to do. Perhaps he and Xehanort even bring up how her interest in the worlds was essential to saving their friends in Episode 2, to show her that she's valuable and appreciated.

Hermod's impassioned and sincere speech along with her own misgivings about Vala's offer help Urd realize two important things. One, that she enjoys exploring the worlds so much precisely because she gets to share that experience with her friends; it wouldn’t be the same without them. Yes, maybe there’s still this feeling of loneliness inside of her, and maybe she still wishes that her friends and her were more on the same page about certain things, but sharing a laugh, fighting by their side, and just getting to spend time with them are still precious experiences for her, and not to mention, her loneliness would be so much worse if she didn’t have her friends by her side at all. It’s not perfect, but she still loves them dearly, and she knows they love her back. And who knows, maybe they’ll be able to help her work through her feelings now that the cat's out the bag.

The second thing she realizes, is that exploring and learning about the worlds and its people, though a big part of her motivation, is ultimately secondary to wanting to protect the worlds and its people. Which is what being a Keyblade Master is all about, really; a goal that can only be achieved by staying in Scala and continuing her training. And a goal that would certainly be jeopardized by assisting the upperclassmen.

I imagine Urd directly talking about at least some of her thought process here when she refuses Vala's offer and explains to her why, but the rest should probably just be implied. In any case, these two realizations make her change her mind about running away. As she says to Lumiere later:

Her home is with her friends in Scala, and she has the important responsibility of protecting the worlds she holds so dear.

And when Urd says “[The Beast’s] wish will come true, I know it.” she’s implicitly including herself in this statement. She knows she’ll gain her freedom one day and form the bonds she's looking for, she just has to be patient and believe in herself. Additionally, I want this line to now invite comparisons between the Beast and Urd: the Beast, lonely, trapped inside his castle, wishing for a genuine connection, ignorant of how he is surrounded by servants who love him unconditionally; and Urd, stuck in her little world of Scala, wanting to find fulfillment in the worlds outside, feeling distant from her friends despite them loving her deeply. Oh, and, perhaps Urd telling the servants to help keep the Beast's spirits up could parallel how Urd is now going to allow herself to rely on her friends for emotional support.

Finally, to make her untimely demise a bit more of a gut punch, I think it’d be fitting if Urd got to have some dying words. Maybe something like “But I never...got to...” Got to what? Become a Keyblade Master? See all her friends one last time? Explore all the worlds? Who knows, she doesn’t get to finish. That’s for your imagination to decide.

And yeah, that's my pitch. Thanks for reading this far. If you have any feedback, ideas, or criticisms, feel free to add on.

[corishadowfang]

19 and/or 32?

(For this)

19. What headcanon do you always include in your stories?

Answered that one here, haha, but for another one: poor Ephemer seems to be doomed to be a lethal chef in everything I write.

32. Which fic would you most like to write a sequel to?

Fallen Stars--though not in a "full-on sequel" sort of way. There's just a lot to explore after the story's over, from how the crew (and Scala) recovers, to how they rescue the Dandelions, to the ripple effects everything that happened had on canon, that it feels like something that'd be fun to explore--but because of HOW MUCH time there is to cover, it would probably work better as a bunch of one-shots or short series.

[goldensunset]

i’m truly diseased this came up on the explore page and my immediate reaction was GOTH SCALA???? NEW IMAGES FROM KHML ARE OUT??? oh that’s a real life photo

[synergysilhouette]

Making a tracklist for a Kingdom Hearts musical

If you haven't seen my previous post about pitching a Kingdom Hearts musical film made by Walt Disney Animation, please check it out; you'll probably be confused if you don't, as I've changed some things. As the title suggests, this post is an idea for the songs that would go with this musical. I haven't really established if in my mind there's a different voice cast for this movie, or if it's the same speaking voices but mostly different voice actors doing the singing. NGL, this was difficult to make since I only had the concept; now I gotta iron out the plot! I may edit this later.

"Scaela Ad Caelum" By Xehanort, Eraqus, the Foretellers, and chorus--I like the idea that this is an epic opening track in a similar vein to "The Emperor's Dream," an alternate musical opening to 1998's "Mulan," as well as "Prologue" from Raya and the Last Dragon. I'd like it to explore how the kingdom was created by the foretellers--though in my mind, the design is widely different to incorporate The Land of Departure, Radiant Garden, and Destiny Islands, with SAC would as the capital. It'd be a long song, since it would cover Xehanort's childhood and friendship with Eraqus, as well as how he descended into darkness.

2. "Destiny" By Kairi, Sora, and Riku--This song would mainly concern their dreams of traveling, visiting Scala Ad Caelum, as well as concerns of drifting apart as they have different dreams. Kairi wants to visit her hometown where she lived with her grandmother, Riku wants to find adventure, and Sora, despite wanting to visit different places himself, tries to find a compromise so that they don't have to separate, at least not yet. As such, Kairi gives them a paopu fruit to share, telling them that her grandmother used to say that the people who share it will always be a part of each other's lives. (I'm also fine if they sing a revised version of Hikaru Utada's "Sanctuary.")

3. "Something Greater" by Riku, Ansem the Wise, and Xehanort--Following a fallout with his parents about traveling, an insecure Riku is invited by Xehanort (in his younger form to appear more inviting; essentially Ansem, seeker of Darkness) to come to Scala Ad Caelum and allow him to learn under Ansem the Wise and learn magic (since Ansem the Wise is conflated with Yen Sid here and is thus a mage or mage-like scientist). Riku reveals that he's afraid of losing his friends as well, and while Ansem consoles him, Xehanort privately stokes his fears, telling him to forget them because they'll forget about him as they travel. This starts his own descent into darkness as Xehanort begins to manipulate him. When he's not there, Xehanort convinces Ansem the Wise to appoint Terra (one of his assistants) to supervise Riku and monitor the darkness taking over his heart.

4. "Chasing the Sunset" By Kairi, Sora, and Chorus--Believing that Riku has left them, Sora encourages Kairi's dream of returning to her childhood home and goes with her. They enjoy their time traveling, but both of them worry about Riku; Sora is worried that he abandoned them, while Kairi is concerned that something much darker occurred. Their romance also grows at this point, while Xehanort shows this to Riku to convince him that they don't care about him. Xehanort also uses his powers of shapeshifting (again, read my previous post) to pose as Riku and make Kairi and Sora believe that he is annoyed at them leaving him behind and abandoning their friendship, making the two feel guilty over giving up on looking for him so soon.

5. "The Master" By Ansem the Wise, Sora, and Kairi--Eventually the duo makes their way to Scala Ad Caelum, where their appearence makes Ansem suspicious of Xehanort, and sees the kindness in Sora and Kairi's hearts. Posing as DiZ, he teaches them limited magic, where Sora manages to summon a key-shaped weapon. Kairi, inspired by him, summons one as well, which Ansem dubs "Keyblades." He tasks them with using them to get rid of Vanitas' unversed that lurk around the city and spy on the citizens, and promises to help them find Riku, not revealing that Xehanort has corrupted him. He also keeps his assistants in the dark, worried about what Xehanort may do if he found out they knew.

5. "Nobody" By O10 (excluding Xehanort, Terra, and Vanitas) and Kairi--By this point, Kairi has been kidnapped by Axel because of her pure heart that Xehanort intends to exploit in order to bring balance to the world and bring it into a golden age and rid the world of its impurities. (Saix is the only one who knows that this means she'll likely die, but Luxord has his suspicions). Kairi manages to befriend Axel and Demyx, as well as somewhat amusing Luxord, but Saix, Xigbar, Larxene, and Marluxia are all about business. It's explained to Kairi that by using her light, she will be restoring their hearts, as they are creatures called Nobodies. The backstories of Axel, Saix, Marluxia, and Larxene are explained here, while the rest are left enigmatic.

6. "Wayfinder" by Vanitas (featuring the Wayfinder Trio, Eraqus, and Sora)--While Sora attempts to find Ventus and restore his heart, he is intercepted by Vanitas, who wants to kidnap Ventus once he awakens and returns him to Xehanort. In this particular universe, I imagine Vanitas has a soaring, amazing voice, and he's essentially telling Sora the story of how the Wayfinder Trio and Eraqus stood against Xehanort, only to be defeated. Terra was one of them, and believed that his friends died against Xehanort, so it was easy for Xehanort to break him and recruit him into their ranks. One of them--Vanitas' "brother" Ventus--so strongly resisted Xehanort's attempts to control his light that his heart fled to Sora's, resulting in Vanitas looking like Sora. Sora attempts to appeal to Vanitas and tells him that he could be his own person. Vanitas says that he doesn't know who he is without Ventus (and now Sora), and tells Sora that he needs to abide by his "older brother." During this, Xehanort summons Aqua from the depths of the Realm of Darkness, tricking Aqua into battling him Spoiler: He does indeed defeat Sora and capture a restored Ventus.

7. "Don't Think Twice" by Axel, Saix, Vanitas, Xehanort (featuring Riku, Ventus, Terra, and Kairi)--This is an emotional song where Axel and Vanitas attempt to convince the Kairi and Ventus that trying to fight Xehanort and the organization is futile. At this point, Axel's allegiance is failing, at which point Saix is telling him not to think twice, and to think about their childhood friendship instead of his new friendships with Kairi and Ventus. Meanwhile, Xehanort attempts to continue to have Terra and Riku embrace their darkness while Aqua and Sora appeal to them.

8. "One Sky" by Ensemble--This song is a bit of a two-parter, with some during the battle and then a reprise at the end (elements of "Face My Fears" could be thrown in there). As Sora, Riku, Terra, Axel and Aqua battle against the organization, they show Xehanort that they represent light and darkness, while he and his group simply embody darkness, having casted a pall on Ventus and Kairi's light. As such, he realizes that his goal of harmony was achieved--just not by himself. As he is defeated, Ventus and Vanitas become one person, while Sora ventures to rescue Kairi and disappears, and he gives his life to restore hers after Xehanort seemingly shatters her body (but her heart was intact). In the end, the people of the kingdom marvel at the concept of light and darkness, and that selfish deeds eventually led to peace. The nobodies are restored to their original bodies, and Elrena and Laurium tell Riku and Kairi that Sora is out there somewhere: "Sora didn't die. He just went somewhere else. Wherever he is, he's watching the same sky we are." Maybe tie it into the wishing star Disney motif by having Kairi wish on it, and the star begins to fall...

In the end, we'd hear that iconic KH1 quote.

Lemme know what you think! I may add or change a song based on how I feel later; I'm still on the fence about having removed Namine.

[scala-ask-caelum]

Hi Xehanort! I know you just got here, but have you had a chance to explore Scala yet?

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

Thinking about Ephelayer and Brainplayer, and it's like when you imagine your life with someone else, but then you end up with someone different. Like, Ephemer is that first love but Brain is who you probably grow as a person with

yes!!!! I absolutely love this interpretation

Ephemer and Player always gave me first love/high school crush vibes. I don’t think they would’ve really been on the same level of emotional maturity for a potential romantic relationship to last long. But what they had was real and powerful, and it still mattered to both of them, even if it didn’t pan out the way they wanted it to.

I have all sorts of feelings about a multiverse that can explore other interpretations of the two of them. Like in my mind, there are some universes in which they get to have the chance to sort things out and grow up together as romantic partners (wrote a whole fic about that haha), or other universes where I can 100% see them being in a queerplatonic relationship and growing that way. And so on and so forth. Basically, at some point in every place and time, they loved each other in some way, and that’s what matters :)

Now with Brain, I agree with what you said: Him and Player growing together. We assume/desire the two of them to bond over the past and their complicated feelings towards being in Scala, and man, what if they did? Wouldn’t that be beautiful? To have someone who understands you on such a profound level, and cares about who you are presently rather than who you were before? Player has changed. I’m sure Brain has too. Their future would be uncertain, but at least if they have each other, they wouldn’t have to walk the path alone.

[jemtokall]

Hi! Can I ask about Eph/Rep I'm super curious if you wanna ramble lol

HELLO!!

Reph is a ship that me and my boyfriend came across while rping post kh3. I'll try to keep my rambling coherent :)

There's a lot of conflict and comfort to find with these two. For example-

Memories— Ephemera was against the Dandelions losing their memories of before the war, but after seeing the pain that Player was in, he decided that it was best to erase their memories. Not all memories need to be kept. This contrasts with how I hc Repliku. Rep believes that all memories are important (even his fake ones Namine gave him), and doesn't believe that there's any reason to forget a thing. So this is a fun conversation for them to have since they're both passionate about their stance and give each other new perspective. (In me n my boyfriends au Ephemera had amnesia for a time, but Repliku argues that it's not the same as having your memories tampered with)

Dark vs Light— Repliku leans on the side of darkness, while Eph leans towards the light. And after what happened to Player in khux, Eph's distaste for darkness is stronger than ever. So when Repliku fights with darkness or encourages it, Eph is fairly unsettled (Player flashbacks.) It's another fun conversation for them :)

Explorer vs Hermit— Ephemera is a curios spirit and now that he lives in the present time, he loves exploring all the worlds! He's always out there, a new adventure a day. And the way I play Repliku is that he's not used to leaving the castle, so he stays at Hollow Bastion and rarely goes into town. A bit of agoraphobia (fear of going outside). So Ephemera will come home at the end of each day to tell Repliku a stories about the day, which eventually inspires Repliku to leave the world and see it all for himself.

World simulations— Repliku was born in Castle Oblivion, world simulation galore. He never experienced a real world until kh3, so the majority of his world experience is simulations. The same could be said for Ephemera! In Daybreak Town the worlds they visit are all simulated projections from the Book of Prophecies.

Broken Heart— Ephemera had a painful goodbye with Player, someone he was very close to. And he had to say goodbye to them forever while thinking that their feelings were never genuine. We like to hc that Eph had romantic feelings for Player. And with Repliku, his heart was literally broken by Namine when she told him to stop fighting Sora. So while canon could be totally different for Namine, we like to hc that she avoids Repliku out of guilt for her actions and thinks his feelings for her are not genuine because she planted those memories in him that made him care for her. So Repliku and Ephemera can relate to the feelings of a broken heart.

-It's not how they met in our rp, but I like to imagine that they met in the Keyblade Graveyard since they were the only two ghosts there. I wrote the first chapter on ao3

-Repliku has ptsd from white walls in C.O, so when Eph tries to introduce him to Scala it usually leads to hurt/comfort

-Speaking of, their fun mutual friend Lauriam/Marluxia :) also leads to fun conversations

-Eph and Blaine are like brothers in this au, so Blaine always acts as the protective older brother to Eph and antagonizes Repliku which is a fun side dynamic.

Ok I've rambled enough LMAO thank you for taking an interest <33 it was fun to write this all down!

[uthra-krish]

Exploring Data Science Tools: My Adventures with Python, R, and More

Welcome to my data science journey! In this blog post, I'm excited to take you on a captivating adventure through the world of data science tools. We'll explore the significance of choosing the right tools and how they've shaped my path in this thrilling field.

Choosing the right tools in data science is akin to a chef selecting the finest ingredients for a culinary masterpiece. Each tool has its unique flavor and purpose, and understanding their nuances is key to becoming a proficient data scientist.

I. The Quest for the Right Tool

My journey began with confusion and curiosity. The world of data science tools was vast and intimidating. I questioned which programming language would be my trusted companion on this expedition. The importance of selecting the right tool soon became evident.

I embarked on a research quest, delving deep into the features and capabilities of various tools. Python and R emerged as the frontrunners, each with its strengths and applications. These two contenders became the focus of my data science adventures.

II. Python: The Swiss Army Knife of Data Science

Python, often hailed as the Swiss Army Knife of data science, stood out for its versatility and widespread popularity. Its extensive library ecosystem, including NumPy for numerical computing, pandas for data manipulation, and Matplotlib for data visualization, made it a compelling choice.

My first experiences with Python were both thrilling and challenging. I dove into coding, faced syntax errors, and wrestled with data structures. But with each obstacle, I discovered new capabilities and expanded my skill set.

III. R: The Statistical Powerhouse

In the world of statistics, R shines as a powerhouse. Its statistical packages like dplyr for data manipulation and ggplot2 for data visualization are renowned for their efficacy. As I ventured into R, I found myself immersed in a world of statistical analysis and data exploration.

My journey with R included memorable encounters with data sets, where I unearthed hidden insights and crafted beautiful visualizations. The statistical prowess of R truly left an indelible mark on my data science adventure.

IV. Beyond Python and R: Exploring Specialized Tools

While Python and R were my primary companions, I couldn't resist exploring specialized tools and programming languages that catered to specific niches in data science. These tools offered unique features and advantages that added depth to my skill set.

For instance, tools like SQL allowed me to delve into database management and querying, while Scala opened doors to big data analytics. Each tool found its place in my toolkit, serving as a valuable asset in different scenarios.

V. The Learning Curve: Challenges and Rewards

The path I took wasn't without its share of difficulties. Learning Python, R, and specialized tools presented a steep learning curve. Debugging code, grasping complex algorithms, and troubleshooting errors were all part of the process.

However, these challenges brought about incredible rewards. With persistence and dedication, I overcame obstacles, gained a profound understanding of data science, and felt a growing sense of achievement and empowerment.

VI. Leveraging Python and R Together

One of the most exciting revelations in my journey was discovering the synergy between Python and R. These two languages, once considered competitors, complemented each other beautifully.

I began integrating Python and R seamlessly into my data science workflow. Python's data manipulation capabilities combined with R's statistical prowess proved to be a winning combination. Together, they enabled me to tackle diverse data science tasks effectively.

VII. Tips for Beginners

For fellow data science enthusiasts beginning their own journeys, I offer some valuable tips:

Embrace curiosity and stay open to learning.

Work on practical projects while engaging in frequent coding practice.

Explore data science courses and resources to enhance your skills.

Seek guidance from mentors and engage with the data science community.

Remember that the journey is continuous—there's always more to learn and discover.

My adventures with Python, R, and various data science tools have been transformative. I've learned that choosing the right tool for the job is crucial, but versatility and adaptability are equally important traits for a data scientist.

As I summarize my expedition, I emphasize the significance of selecting tools that align with your project requirements and objectives. Each tool has a unique role to play, and mastering them unlocks endless possibilities in the world of data science.

I encourage you to embark on your own tool exploration journey in data science. Embrace the challenges, relish the rewards, and remember that the adventure is ongoing. May your path in data science be as exhilarating and fulfilling as mine has been.

Happy data exploring!