#hes already half xehanort

[bitternace]

WHY ARE YOU SO EVIL!!! /POS. ATTACKING YOU.

Xemnas and Xigbar for 37 if that number hasn't been done? If it has, how about 74?

no puedo pedirle lo eterno a un simple mortal // ay, todo lo que he hecho por ti.

[ID: a mostly black and white drawing with a purple overlay of xigbar and xemnas shown from the hip up on the left side of the image. the background is black and has some diagonal lines with a bit of transparency on the right side. the shadows are harsh, with only a bit of light falling on their faces.

they stand before each other turned to the audience. xigbar, holds the handle and the middle of No Name before him, head tilted down as he looks to the audience. xemnas stands a full head taller behind xigbar, his left hand held some distance below the bladed tip of No Name, his left eye is covered by his fringe.

xemnas visible eye is painted ochre with a white pupil, while xigbar's eye is white and gold. The eyes on no name's handle and the gazing eye on the blade are a vibrant cyan. the caption reads the spanish lyrics "i can't ask a simple mortal for a forever" and "oh, everything i've done for you." /End ID.]

close-up under keep reading.

[catboygirljoker]

as an example of my beef with the kh wiki:

"citation needed" well sometimes when you play a video game and you watch a cutscene you can see information with your eyeballs and you can listen to the words characters say and connect them to the things that are being shown on screen and you can think about them in your brain and look at it and think about it and then you can know things about the game youre playing

[slightly-gay-pogohammer]

kingdom hearts but with the right eye colors

[confession-of-the-heart]

In the kh character files, nomura says that he relates to xehanort the most so....

He really is already half xehanort!

~~~

[leastrifedraws]

Radiant Garden Fam headcanons:

- Aeleus was the one who found Ienzo after his parents were killed by Unversed

- Ienzo was closest with Ansem and Even then being his primary caretakers, while he saw Aeleus and Braig as uncles and Dilan too, but Dilan was the most distant of them from Ienzo

- Ansem and Even are in a QPR, Aeleus and Dilan are dating (I do also like Aeleus x Even and might draw them at some point but these are my main ships)

- Braig makes jokes about being the fifth wheel of the group (until Xehanort comes along)

- Braig and Dilan are half-brothers(credit to xiiiwayfinders for that one idk if they got that headcanon from someone else, but I saw it on their blog first)

- Braig (pre-Luxu) became a guard as a late teen after Dilan (already a guard) suggested it when Braig said he didn’t know what to do with his life

- Ienzo has selective mutism (again credit to xiiiwayfinders) and autism

- Ansem and Even tried to find ways for Ienzo to make friends with kids his age, but between loosing his parents and already not being like most kids Ienzo was never able to get along with his peers

- Luxu tends to use vessels of people down on their luck or seeing little to no point in life anymore, Braig was about to cross a point he couldn’t come back from when Luxu stopped him and promised to make all the pain go away

- When Xehanort joined Luxu had never expected Xehanort to be so different from both Terra and the old coot and end up as someone completely new. It made him intrigued to meet this new combination of people he used to know and eventually Luxu found himself in love

- Ienzo was the first to find out about Xehanort’s experiments (not including Braig)

- The reason Xaldin is so bitter about love is because of the distance that grew between him and Lexeaus after loosing their hearts, the two barely talked or did anything together both believing it was what the other wanted which festered resentment between the two that they didn’t resolve until after their hearts were back

- A small part of the reason Vexen agreed to be apart of the real organization was because he was scared to look Ienzo in the eye again after causing him so much hurt

-

[princess-valentineee]

Honestly I dont want to have doubts on skuld being subject x but with normura you never know

But like it makes so much sense and everything else feels like an absolute stretch Like the age fits

The Black hair that was mentioned in the characters files

The fact shes from the age of fairytales

The fact xehanort saw her in the players memories which could also explain why he became a bit obessed with her

The sun moon and Star trio

The fact how it was mentioned in the secret reports that she departed her world with others

The 4 friends and a key thing doesnt make as much sense but with the ending it would be safe to assume she does NOT count the Player as friend anymore

Her literal name means future

The fact how her fate wasnt revealed to us yet

She lost importance in Union cross fairly quickly so this is her chance to get important to the story again. And the whole subject x thing has the potential to make her very important to the Story. We dont even know why luxu freed her. Kindness? Did he have a plan in mind when doing so? She was compared to ava so much is she supposed to act as a replacement? Not knowing anything about Luxus intentions alone leaves room for so much Potential. We dont even know her whereabouts yet. She has the potential to make a total change in character. There is so MUCH potential with this whole subject x mystery and the character as a whole

Of course it could still be ava but that honestly kinda seems like a stretch to me. Why would you specifically mention the hair even tho it was never revealed yet, also I dont see ava being as young 15. 18-19 perhabs but not younger. Also the trio theme wouldnt work then because sun moon and fox doesnt really make sense. I mean yeah her being subject x would still make sense but in that case I feel like all the Clues nomura threw in here were supposed to lead us to the completly wrong path and I usually have nothing against that but here it seems a bit...extreme?

Ava suddenly being subject x seems like a last Minute decision to me if im honest. Like normura seeing how we already figured it out and then going "nope" and changing it

I very much like the theory of ava being the true dandelion but subject x? I really do not see the vibe there

The whole "she looks like xehanorts mom" thing obviously brings doubts in this whole theory too but at this point I hope nomura just threw that in there to drive us crazy or to explain xehanorts "obession" with her more. Because guy never met his mom and now suddenly there is some girl that looks like her that seems to be from a completly diffrent timeline like Fr? I would want to find out everything about how she ended up here too....Not in his way tho

Also i dont have anything against skuld staying with ephemer and building up scala. I really like the aesthetic to be honest but in that case where is her Statue? Why wasnt she shown being there with him? Her staying with ephemer also seems like some last Minute decision to me. Especially with the ending where I kinda had the feeling they were trying to suddenly build up romance between them. I like the ship but I would not at all like how nomura handled it

(And I love the thought of them counting as tragic lovers)

Like honestly at this point I would prefer it if nomura suddenly Pulled out some crazy explaination like "Xehanort and skuld are actually half siblings and her mom is a time traveler!" or "Skuld had a secret sister that got together with ephemer!" or sum

Actually that half sibling stuff would be so fucked up lmao

Maybe his mom is also just verdandi

I mean I wouldnt mind her and xehanorts mom having some Kind of connection to eachother but please without her being thrown into the attic and be forgotten about

Anyways to summarize: I still believe skuld is subject x but nomura is driving me crazy and I will riot if he suddenly says she is not subject x

[rosie-kairi]

With KHDR all but confirming Vanitas is the combination of the original Darkness that possessed Ven and his natural born darkness when Xehanhort ripped his heart in half Vanitas is technically the longest relationship Ven has ever had. Like no wonder this emo fuck is obsessed with him he literally singled him out as a child and has just been there the whole time even during their 4 years of separation he counted the years and days until they could reunite so he could take his rightful place in Ven's heart and mind. It makes his whole claim that they're brothers and that he's darkness in KH III so much more ominous (classic mobile games adding new context in horrifying ways to the mainline games).

Furthermore when Ven inevitably does regain his full union x memories I want him to have kill bill sirens and pummel Vanitas the minute he sees his smug ass again. Just absolutely beat the shit out of him screaming his anger out like, "YOU MOTHERFUCKER YOU RUINED MY LIFE I WAS 10! I WAS FUCKING 10 AND YOU DESTROYED ANY CHANCE OF ME LIVING A NORMAL LIFE! YOU MAIMED MY HEART NOT ONCE NOT TWICE BUT THREE FUCKING TIMES LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY I'M NOT YOUR PUPPET YOU CAN PLAY WITH UNTIL I BREAK AGAIN!"

And Vanitas just does not understand why Ven isn't all for their extremely destructive co-dependent relationship since he essentially gave Ven what he wanted but he also immediately took it away after threatening the union leaders. And Ven is literally all he has. If he doesn't have Ven he has nothing and if Vanitas is around Ven's life will only become worse.

I have to rewatch all the BBS and KH III Ven and Van scenes again with this knowledge because Vanitas' actions make so much more sense that he sees Ven as a thing he owns and can do whatever to since he's had him since he was a child.

I'm far from an expert on Vanitas and his whole deal (because he honestly never really caught my attention that much) but I am really looking forward to how the games will address the events of union x in relation to him.

Like, is he even aware that he also comes from ancient darkness, and not just Ventus? If he does, is it a "I fully remember all of these events happening and I take all responsibility for them" awareness or a more subconscious kind? He feels things and remembers bits and pieces and he's not really sure why.

Going from there, how much of union x in general does he remember? Since he comes from both Ventus and the ancient darkness, would he get memories from both sides? Maybe, he only has memories from Ventus's perspective and because of that has never even stopped to consider that he might -even partially- come from someone else? Of course this is all hypothetical, Vanitas is an enigma of a character.

Old man Xehanort must've just been like "yeah you come from Ventus" and Vanitas was like "ok 👍 why do my memories hurt so much to think about"

On an end note, I hope Ventus does lose it a bit. You don't just... remember events like That (accidentally killing someone, the end of the actual literal world, etc.) and not collapse under the weight of it all.

[firestorm09890]

The combo of Ienzo and Vanitas right next to each other in the bottom left corner of the kh 20th anniversary art is so fucking funny to me. like it’s clear Nomura attempted to group together characters in a way that made sense, but the fact of the matter is that there are so many characters in kh and the web of connections is so complicated, and we already know he was doing this at the last minute, so I think he just gave up and dropped anyone he didn’t know what to do with in that corner

like the top half is for the heroes and the bottom half is for the ✨ Evil Gang ✨, with the right side being members from the og organization who were active in kh3, the middle being Nort club, and the left side being the trio of og org members who came back only to pull some traitor shit. and also Ienzo and Vanitas

yeah you could group Ienzo in with the three traitors except he. isn’t one of those. he was in the organization and then he wasn’t and that was that, he didn’t take part in that sneaky double-crossing (ironically enough lmao). he isn’t close enough to any of the protagonists™️ for it to make sense to put him on the top half, but also his identity in the series as Ienzo is so strong at this point that it wouldn’t make sense to put Zexion in the art, and? everyone else he was associated with in kh3? aren’t even represented in the piece so we’ve got one (1) guy wearing white amongst a sea of edgelords. looks weird, doesn’t it? that’s why he’s off in the very corner

and then poor Vanitas really had nowhere to go at all. his closest connection is to Ventus (which was NOT happening) and then after that is Xehanort, who gets to hang out with his fellow norts, so, fuck. in the corner he goes too

and honestly while I’m here I wanna shout out Saïx, who’s so divorced from Lea that he had to be on the complete opposite edge of the piece; Vexen, who’s super tiny and far away compared to everyone else on the bottom half and doesn’t have anyone to mirror him; and Demyx, who. idk. just completes this I think.

world’s worst friend group

[runsonlovepower]

I can (mouth full) I can see this going two ways. Right. Either vanitas comes back or he doesn’t. And my hypothesis — here’s what I think, I think if he doesn’t come back he’s like a worse tragedy than usual. I don’t want this bc I want to see him but also it’s the best at keeping bbs lore interpretations intact, vanitas isn’t at his core Darkness vanitas is what happened when xehanort tried to pull all the darkness out of ven and since it was already too enmeshed and had Ancient Conscious Goo in it it came out stuck to a piece of vens heart that cracked off from the pressure. Vanitas is ven (partial) supplemented by a lot of darkness and Darkness and since he’s separate he’s his own person now and he hates it he knows he’s empty he wants the rest of him. That’s Him. that’s his he. When ven defeats him he stops existing because his piece returned to someone that isn’t even the og ven anymore despite walking and talking and having all vens pieces. wails alone at a Waffle House and all the servers give me a pitying pat on the head as they pass by me. The second possibility of Vanitas DOES return is dangerous ground but what I think happens is vanitas gets to have an existential crisis Again about how half of him is a dark force that always wanted this, always wanted his body, wants to spread throughout the world with his (?) kin? the rest of him? the darkness? And the other half is a person (was a boy is a new person) with a heart who doesn’t Want to go along with the strange and off putting darknesses. They won’t give him what he wants. The rest of him. To be whole. to be a person. The half of him that gained personhood and the half of him that’s an old cracked heart realize they don’t… He doesn’t want this. and (gestures forcefully causing part of my corndog to fly off) and then he turncoats and becomes our friend antihero dark pit and comes with us and he and ven have to wrestle with capital D darkness togehter

[not-someones-shadow]

Thinking of making a verse where Vanitas was dropped off to train with Eraqus by Braig and taken away from Xehanort.

He'd be well into his training by that point and have already developed the sarcasm, but I also think that he'd be a lot more bark than bite.

He'd have a lot of anxiety around Xehanort and spend most of his time with Ventus. No one would know (besides him, Xehanort, and Braig) that he is half of Ventus, although Ven would get suspicious from time to time and figure it out himself.

Vanitas would warn all of them about Xehanort after some time getting used to them all.

Work in progress idea

[kingdomnerds]

Ok! So, I wrote another one! I think this would fit Day 5 (A wish/want) for the #kh4challenge. I know this most likely will not happen at all. But, this definitely brings me closure and I had a lot of fun writing it. Enjoy!!

TW: Implied/Referenced torture (nothing too graphic), vomiting (nothing too graphic), and implied/referenced murder

Sora sucked in a breath. They had arrived at the abandoned shipyard. Well, more like the warehouse was abandoned. Ships still came and went with cargo. He glanced over at Xehanort. The young man had a sharp glare on his face.

“I don't like this Sora. We should turn back.”

Sora snorted and placed his hands on his hips, a smug smirk on his face as he leaned forward slightly.

“What? Scared already?” He teased.

Xehanort scoffed. “As if I’d be scared. I just…have a bad feeling about this place. Something isn't right.”

“Yeah. That’s why we came here in the first place.”

“Still…”

Sora swung an arm around Xehanort, or at least attempted to, considering Xehanort was taller than him. “Come on! A little adventure never hurt. Besides, we’ll be in and out quickly.”

Xehanort sighed. “Alright, fine. Let’s go.”

Sora unwrapped his arm around the older teen and they both began to walk toward the door. Sora summoned his keyblade and unlocked the door. He opened it. The two of them winced as the door let out a loud whine.

Xehanort scoffed. “Well, if anyone’s here, they’ll know we’ve arrived,” He grumbled.

Sora ignored him. “Come on.”

The inside was dark and damp. The sounds of water dripping reverberated throughout the warehouse. Surprisingly, there was a door at the very end of the wide-open space. Sora and Xehanort approached.

Sora tugged on the door handle. It was unlocked. Sora opened it. They both looked inside. The hallway was pitch black. It was eerie and one could hear the subtle groans from metal pipes that echoed in the hall. Xehanort and Sora continued to stare. Xehanort spoke first.

“Well, we checked it out. There’s nothing here. Let's just head back.”

Sora quickly grabbed Xehanort by the wrist. “Come on! We’ve already come so far!”

“Maybe. But I’d rather not take my chances of getting murdered.”

“Such a spoilsport,” Sora grumbled.

Xehanort rolled his eyes. “Spoilsport, he says. You don't know the half of it, Sora.”

Sora glares at him. “I think I know plenty.”

They’re both silent for a bit before Sora sighs. “Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Let's just keep going.”

Sora summons his keyblade and walks in first. The light from the tip of the blade lights up the hallway. “Right…” Xehanort mumbles before following in Sora’s footsteps and joining him.

They’re both quiet as they walk further and further down the hall. They reach a metal crate. Sora glances at it before sighing. Maybe Xehanort was right. They hadn't run into anything. Sora turned to Xehanort and was about to suggest they leave when a blood-curdling scream pierced through the quiet of the hall. Both of them froze and looked down the hall where the scream had come from.

Sora could feel his heart speed up and thump in his ears. He glanced back at Xehanort. “You heard that too, right?” He whispered, not able to hide the shakiness of his voice.

Xehanort’s face hardened. “Yeah.” He responded lowly.

Xehanort once again looked to Sora. “Sora, we should head back.”

“But what if whoever screamed is in trouble?”

“Well, that's their problem to solve. I only have one life, not thirteen others to preserve myself in and I’d rather not get killed today.” He said, grabbing Sora’s wrist.

Sora wretched his hand out of Xehanort's grip. “No! I'm not just going to leave someone who’s suffering alone! Even if we only have one life, I’d rather use it being selfless than selfish. What about you?” Sora asked.

“There’s no problem with being selfish sometimes, Sora,” Xehanort responded.

“Well, then you can wait outside. I’ll be out in a bit.”

“No. I'm not leaving you.” Xehanort stated firmly.

“Then I guess you’re coming with me then,” Sora said, continuing forward.

Xehanort sighed but followed Sora nonetheless. Another scream pierced through the quiet, causing both of them to flinch. Sora walked faster. The wails of pain and agony only got louder and louder the closer they got to the source.

Then all of a sudden, they stopped. The only sound that could be heard in the hall was Xehanort and Sora’s nervous breathing.

A door handle on the right wall turned. Xehanort saw an open door and quickly grabbed Sora’s wrist. They let their keyblades disappear, bathing the hall in darkness once more.

They heard the sound of a door shut loudly. Xehanort stood still against a wall inside the room they had entered with Sora pressed against him. He quickly placed a hand over his mouth to silence his breathing. He placed his other hand over Sora’s mouth. The brunette placed both of his hands over Xehanort’s.

The sound of boots clicking against the floor seemed so loud in the quiet. They both heard the footsteps stop at the entrance to the room. The figure stepped in and looked around. A bright blue eye could be seen from underneath what looked like a hood. Sora and Xehanort stayed still, hoping the darkness of the room was enough to cover up their presence.

The figure then left. The two keyblade wielders stayed still, waiting for the sound of footsteps to become nonexistent.

Once they were safe, Xehanort pulled his hands away. Sora didn't let go of his hand yet. “T-Thanks…” He murmured, still shaken and terrified.

“Don’t mention it…” Xehanort replied quietly, hiding his fear better than the brunette. Sora let go of Xehanort's hand and they both summoned their keyblades again. The light lit up the room. Xehanort peeked out of the room.

“All clear?” Sora whispered.

“Yeah,” Xehanort replied. They both quietly walked out.

“That’s the room the person walked out of,” Xehanort said, pointing to a door.

“Think that’s where the screaming came from?” Sora asked.

Xehanort shrugged. “Only one way to find out.” Xehanort slowly reached out and opened the door. The two winced. “Ugh, smells like…blood…” Sora murmured, his eyes growing wide in fear. Sora held his keyblade out, lighting up the room.

Sora and Xehanort’s eyes went wide in horror.

“No…” Xehanort murmured. His shaky breathing became even more uneven and shaky. He shook his head.

“No no no no no…”

“A-Are you ok—”

“I think I'm gonna be sick…” Xehanort said before quickly rushing out of the room. He only managed to make it a few feet before he vomited. He had one hand on the wall holding him steady while his other hand was wrapped around his middle.

He spat up bile before letting out a choked sob. Tears rolled down his cheeks as horrible memories resurfaced in his mind.

“Seek answers to the unjust ways of the world. To the darkness.”

“You two will make twelve and lucky number thirteen.”

“Checkmate! I win, you lose!”

Xehanort let out another sob. He didn't realize Sora was by his side until he could hear his voice; soft and worried as he tried to comfort Xehanort.

“That’s it! Deep breaths. In and out.” Xehanort's breathing began to slowly even out. He felt disgusting and no doubt looked like a mess. He looked at Sora with gratitude.

“Thanks…” He said.

Sora nodded. “Of course. Do…do you know who that is?” Sora asked.

Xehanort nodded. “He…he was an old friend. Classmate. Used to be…” He murmured.

Sora offered a hand and Xehanort hesitantly took it. Sora carefully led him back to the room where Baldr sat, chained to a wall with blood and other bodily fluids staining the walls and floor.

“He…we need to cast a healing spell if we want to get him somewhat stable…” Xehanort said.

Sora nodded. “Heal.” The signature soft green and white bells surrounded the unconscious young man. Xehanort summoned his keyblade and unlocked the chains.

Baldr’s wrists fell from where they hung and he couldn't keep himself sitting up as he keeled over sideways. Xehanort quickly caught him before he fell.

Sora came up on Xehanort’s other side and helped the bloody boy up. “Let’s get outta here…” Xehanort said. 

“Don't have to tell me twice,” Sora said and they both ran.

~~~

He slowly blinked his eyes open. Pain shot from every nerve of his body. He groaned in pain. He heard a sharp gasp before someone was at his side. A girl with orange hair tied in loose low ponytails was at his side in an instant.

Baldr quickly shot up in fear. His eyes wandered. Behind the girl was a brunette who looked to be a few years younger than him and beside him was…his eyes widened in fear. Xehanort.

“Hey, can you hear me?” The girl asked softly.

Baldr looked her way and nodded. 

“Good. Can you tell me your name?” She asked. 

He licked his lips before answering. “Baldr.” He saw Xehanort flinch out of the corner of his eye.

“Nice to meet you, Baldr. How are you feeling? Be honest with me.”

He was silent. “Sore. Thirsty.” He began. His stomach let out a low growl. He wrapped his arms around his middle. 

“And uh…hungry…” The girl gave him a soft smile. She turned around. “Xehanort, could you get Baldr some food and water, please?”

Xehanort glanced his way before sighing quietly. “Yeah.”

And he left.

Baldr let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. 

The brunette sat down on a nearby chair and gave him a smile. “I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Strelitzia. The boy over there is Sora. And uh…I'm assuming you already know Xehanort.”

Baldr nodded. Xehanort came back with some leftover pizza and water. Baldr took it. “Thank you.” He mumbled before digging in without another word. He finished quickly, the others watching him quite impressed that he was able to finish so fast.

“Baldr…who did this to you?”

“No one. Nothing you guys need to worry about.” Baldr answered quickly before Strelitzia could continue.

“Wh— Baldr, it's not nothing! You were tortured!” Xehanort retaliated with a glare.

“Why do you care?”

“Why wouldn't I?!”

Baldr let out a humorless laugh. “Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I killed my own sister?! All of her friends and yours?!”

“Baldr—”

“I deserved to be in that man’s grasp. All I brought was pain back home. The darkness in me I-I…” Baldr ran his fingers through his hair and began to loudly hyperventilate.

Sora looked like he wanted to say and do something but Strelitzia quickly put her hand out, stopping him.

“This is something they have to figure out on their own.” She whispered sadly as Xehanort hesitantly approached Baldr.

Sora sighed despondently. She was right. They both stood up and walked to the kitchen to give the two some space.

Xehanort, now at Baldr’s side, hesitantly placed a hand on his back. “Baldr, you need to breathe or you’ll pass out.”

“Why don't you hate me?” Baldr asked in between sharp inhales.

“Because that wasn't you in control. It was darkness.”

“But aren't you mad at me?!”

“Yes! I was!”

Baldr flinches and pauses. “W-Was?” He repeats quietly. Xehanort nods. He sucks in a deep breath before continuing.

“Of course, I was mad at first. I was absolutely terrified when we found you and that anger from years ago resurged. I had just watched you murder keyblade wielders before my very eyes. But, you weren’t in control. The darkness…I heard it say, “You and your weak heart” before you killed your sister a second time. Clearly, you didn't want to.”

Baldr froze and looked away. “But—”

“You were my friend, Baldr.”

“No. I was no one’s friend. I never fit in. I never had a friendship like you and Eraqus or even with the rest of our classmates.” He sucked in a shaky breath, tears swimming in his eyes. 

Xehanort took hold of his hand. Baldr quickly looked down at it before looking back up at Xehanort. Xehanort had begun to silently cry, tears rolling down his face. Baldr swallowed and began to sniffle, tears rolling down his face as he tries with all his power to not cry.

“I…I always felt like an outcast. With the way my heart was and all. I got in trouble often as the emotions of others would bleed into my own. A few people called me crazy. My own parents favored Hoder over me. I was the problem child. She was the perfect daughter.”

Baldr let out a sob. “I can only imagine h-how my parents reacted; knowing I was attacking Scala and killing innocents and keyblade wielders alike.”

Xehanort squeezed his hand tighter. “You and that boy shouldn’t have saved me…” Baldr whispered and tried to wipe away a few tears. But it was futile as they just kept on coming.

“Baldr,” Xehanort whispered gently. The white-haired teen glanced up to meet Xehanort’s eyes. 

“What happened in the past, is in the past. I've done some horrible stuff ever since you were defeated. We can't change it. And it still stings. But…all that matters now is how we choose to live in the present and future.” Baldr slowly looks away. 

Xehanort’s other hand grabs the hand he’s already holding. Desperate tears fall out of pain-filled eyes.

“I’ve lost everyone, Baldr. I don't want to lose you again too.” He begs.

Baldr looks up to meet him. “I-I’m sorry!” He finally sobs. Xehanort pulls him in for a hug. Baldr desperately hugs back, spilling out years' worth of pent-up emotions. 

Sora silently listens from the kitchen, a frown on his face. He glances over at Strelitzia who is pulling down snacks from the pantry. “Do you think Baldr will like these?” She asks, holding up a package of cookies. Sora smiles. “I think he will.” He glances back toward the living room.

Xehanort and Baldr finally pull away from their hug. Strelitzia decides to come in with Sora close behind with a lot of junk food in hand. She dumps it all on the coffee table and offers Baldr a smile. “Crappy food tends to fix a crappy day.”

“Thank you,” Baldr says with a smile. He hesitantly takes some cookies. Sora sends Xehanort a concerned look but he simply waves him off. 

Strelitzia sighs as she glances out the window. “It’s getting late. Baldr you are welcome to crash on our couch. You’re welcome to stay the night as well, Xehanort.”

“I’ll take you up on that offer,” Xehanort replies with a tired smile. 

“Well…goodnight, guys,” Sora says before he and Strelitzia disappear into their bedrooms.

Xehanort gently squeezes Baldr’s hand. “Rest up. We’ll talk more in the morning.” Baldr nods and watches as Xehanort walks over to Sora’s room.

Baldr looks down at the junk food on the coffee table and helps himself to some more snacks.

~~~

Xehanort walked out of the attached bathroom and rubs his hair dry with a towel. Sora lays a sleeping bag down on the floor next to his bed. They’re both dressed in their pajamas. 

“Thanks for letting me use your shower.” Xehanort says in almost a mumble, that Sora almost misses it.

Sora smiles. “Of course.”

Xehanort hangs the towel up before turning off the bathroom lights. He takes the offered pillow from Sora and settles into the sleeping bag. Sora turns off the lamp and gets into bed. It's quiet except for the sounds of shuffling as the two try and get comfortable. And when the shuffling has ended, the room is silent. Xehanort stares up at the ceiling.

The silence is finally broken when Sora speaks. “Xehanort, if you don't mind me asking…”

Xehanort waits for Sora to finish his sentence. But he doesn’t.

“Go on.”

“…How do you know Baldr?”

Xehanort sighs. He can practically see Sora wincing. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” Sora says.

“No, It’s fine. Just…a bit difficult to talk about.”

“We don't have to if you don't want to. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“It's fine. We…we were classmates. He was a bit quiet. Yet kind. My class was small, consisting of seven people. Myself and Baldr included. So we were all friends. But…Baldr had a lot of darkness in him that ended up going unchecked. In Scala, which is a very light-centric society, if he were to ever reveal that to someone…well…he would've disappeared without a trace and nobody would’ve been able to find him.”

Sora shudders and pulls his blankets up higher. “That sounds awful…”

“It is. But…nobody knew any better. I didn't really know any better either. It's what we were taught. So that darkness festered. His sensitive heart only made things worse. He relied on others for light. But…it became too much. His darkness ended up taking over. And…many people ended up losing their lives. Many of my friends included…”

Xehanort swallowed. “I ended up delivering the final blow. I ended Baldr’s life.”

He could hear the small, surprised, and horrified gasp from Sora. 

“It was rough. But…I’m glad Baldr’s here.”

Sora rolled over in bed, looking down at Xehanort in his sleeping bag. “Why’s that?”

A small smile appeared on Xehanort’s face. “It’s like we both get a second chance. Besides, we’re all we have left. And I won't let Baldr go through something like that alone again.”

Sora smiled. “You know, you’re a good friend, Xehanort.”

Xehanort froze before his smile softened. “Thank you…Sora.”

“Of course.”

It was once again silent. Xehanort had thought Sora had fallen asleep before he spoke again. “Do…do you think we may have been friends? You know…before everything? If we had been from the same time period? No light or darkness or conflict involved?” Sora asked.

Xehanort rolled over in his sleeping bag. “I think so. I mean, we’re pretty good friends now.”

Sora smiled before he let out a yawn. “Good. Cause I like being friends with you. The past aside. Baldr is lucky to have you by his side through all of this.”

Xehanort froze at the compliment. He went to say something but Sora was fast asleep. Xehanort shook his head and relaxed in his sleeping bag.

“Thanks, Sora. All of your friends are lucky to have you too. I’m…glad we’re friends.” 

And Xehanort fell asleep shortly after.

Hope you enjoyed! :)

[catboygirljoker]

What were your thoughts about KHearts before you got into it vs Now having been into it? Also late welcome to the community hope you've had fun!

thankyou :D!! i have had fun, sitting in my little crevice and exporting my xigbar images and xigbar posts. im happy that people have connected with it in some way :]

thoughts about KH before i got into it:

for some reason i was under the impression that the games were about a boy who has dreams about disney worlds. and he has regular size feet in the real world and only has big feet in the dream world. i also think he traveled with mickey and not donald or goofy

also for some reason i was under the impression that ventus was sora's dad. it was not until i actually watched the cutscenes in birth by sleep and saw lea and isa that i realized OH. this is NOT as far back on the timeline as i thought it was

images of a spiky red boy and a spiky blond boy and a black haired depressed girl eating ice cream together with lots&lots of people sobbing in the replies. (REALLY emphasized the slow creeping emotional dread of that game for me. like golly i sure hope i dont get emotionally destroyed like all those other people! and then i , was)

when i was in middle/high school i had friends who were super into it, but i was never able to play it because my parents had a policy of No Consoles. we were allowed to have handhelds, though, because my family took frequent road trips, so when i found out that there was a KH game for DS i said to a friend "oh, cool! dyou think id be able to play it without playing the other games?" and she looked at me, and looked at her copy of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, and said "........no"

only ~15 years later do i realize how funny of a question that was

thoughts about KH as i was getting into it:

too numerous to count. i shall attempt to keep it moderately brief

last year my husband listened to a podcast called "lore dump" where people explain the lore of different media to each other, and they did an episode/series on kingdom hearts, and i heard some pretty WaCkY sTuFf (i specifically remember them explaining what the recusant's sigil is, in the context of xigbar explaining that they'd been tracking sora and riku through the story of DDD)

found a vod of one of my favorite streamers streaming 1 and 2 to benefit abortion rights in texas, and i was like, well, here's my chance, heh, im gonna understand all of the WaCkY LoRe

i start up the stream. within the first 15 minutes i Get it. like it feels very dated in a lot of ways but i instantly understood what made people connect so strongly with this series. even as someone who didn't grow up with any attachment to it, and was a little put off of it even by how into it my friends were, to me kh1 is just pure high octane nostalgia. the tone is so specific and warm and bittersweet. i cried multiple times during the ending. it just really got to me! i was hooked!

when i fixate on a media property i like to have a hot person to chew on. i really. really thought it was gonna be axel. he is exactly the kind of character i would've fixated on when i was younger, when i had friends who were into KH. older mentor figure character who takes younger characters under his wing. associated with fire. projects brash confidence. k,ills people. he's a really good character! i love him a lot! every time he appears on screen i get on all fours and start barking! and there's all this fanart and merch and...then i got distracted......

hey blake in early 2023. it's me, blake in late 2024. have you heard of kingdom hearts. yeah. yeah youre gonna get really into it. yeah youre gonna have the longest running blorbo since you mega-fixated on the tenth doctor when you were 14. yeah. yeah um. you know the clip where the guy says "me? i'm already half xehanort!" and sora says "that's..nuts!"? yeah that guy? yeah. yeah. that guy. the half xehanort guy. yeah youre gonna make a fool of yourself online for that guy.

[plateauofmemories]

Anyway after watching like, half of the KHIII cutscenes last Friday I feel even more confident that they prioritized the game making emotional sense over having it make like. Logical sense. At all.

Almost any given scene feels good and true and emotionally resonant in itself, but trying to take any of the together gets nonsensical.

Like, what is the plot - Xehanort is trying to recreate the Ancient Keyblade War to forge the χ-blade and summon Kingdom Hearts. Sure. Cool. How are we going to do that? By gathering 13 Seekers of Darkness and 7 Guardians of Light to clash? Okay, then why is True Org XIII like, actively trying to disrupt Sora + co's attempts to gather their 7? Why is MX so like, triumphant in 3D when he points out two in Mickey's count belong to him? Like, if you need them to have a full team to achieve your goal, don't you... Want them to fill out their ranks? Why drown Aqua in darkness, you need them to get Aqua.

Okay, but maybe you don't want them to get their 7 because you'd rather get the princesses of heart and use them as your 7! And you don't want them raining on your parade. Except everybody is definitely describing that as the backup plan in KHIII. So. Y'know.

But what about the 13 Seekers of Darkness? We're gonna make a bunch of people Xehanort! Which, when done to Terra and almost done to Sora seems to be a process that totally subsumes the host's personality/consciousness (or at least should - Terra still being able to resist is what causes Xehanort all those problems!); the cast for KHIII, however, seems to basically be themselves but with yellow eyes. So maybe we decided we don't need to do all that.

Except when Larxene is dying, she makes some comment like "becoming that old geezer's heart tank? No thanks.". This gives us a look into her feelings/character! But also like, girl, we are in the Keyblade Graveyard barreling towards the endgame at top speed. What the fuck do you mean "becoming"? You're not already?? We are making the goddamn χ-blade right now.

Xigbar actively complains about finding a 13th vessel multiple times. They have two backups on deck.

Like.

More than one iron in the fire and a plan for every eventuality but also no one seems to know which iron is the priority and which eventuality we are supposed to be actively aiming for.

And I'd guess that's probably because each featured draft of the plot worked to showcase some of the characters' finales while cutting out others and they just. Decided to get everybody in, fuck whatever happens to the plot.

[aethergate]

@nortborne asked ; ‘ i’m going to stuff you in the blender, push puree then bake you into a pie and feed it to- ’ from young xehanort , to vanitas !

In all honesty, he doesn't understand what half of that threat even means. He has had pies before though, and has enough common sense to piece it together himself. Even if he didn't, the tone says it all. From atop the high rock pillar he's perched himself upon there's only a cackle in response, glad to cut him off before he can continue his threat.

"You'd have to drag me there first, and I'd beat you before you ever got there! You can barely even keep up with me - too bad this isn't the sandy beaches you're used too, huh?"

At that, he promptly picks up a stray rock and throws it down towards him. He knows this place like the back of his hand; it is home, after all. In his mind, he's already leagues ahead of the other in skill alone, and the added advantage only adds to the smugness practically oozing off of him.

[neurodecadence]

🔥 Kingdome hearts

So I've seen almost every opinion said many a time, except for one. In Dream Drop Distance most people lock onto the time travel or "I'm already half xehanort" as being problems, and I can agree to come extent. The time travel adds some needless complexity to plot points that were otherwise pretty simple and people getting 'norted feels a bit contrived. But no, that's not what I will focus on.

The plot point that sticks out to me is that the straps on sora's outfit have, for the entire series, allowed Xehanort to spy on him. Xehanort is able to see through all instance of "The Recusant's Sigil" which is literally just the letter X.

I can accept the X in the organisation's names allowing him to follow them, as he's directly responsible for them, but Sora got those pants from those fairies. Does this mean they were in his employ the whole time too? Or was it an accident and he would be screwed if they went with a different design?

I have been bothered by this for years and years and am no closer the the truth.

[valravn72]

Count my Xehanorts:

Xehanorts that are DEFINITELY Xehanort (may contain a little Terra): Master Xehanort, Young Xehanort, Terranort, Ansem-Terranort if you count him as a separate guy (I do lol), Ansem Seeker of Darkness, Xemnas, you may count the Young Xehanort in KH III and 3D as separate from the real one who continues the timeline towards Dark Road (again, I do).

~7 (oh god. seven.)

Basic Replicas: No Heart, the TWELVE replica Xehanorts.

~ 13 (FUCK)

Formerly Norted Pre-Final Keyblade War: Aqua (Anti Aqua), Terra (Terranort, I am not counting him again btw this is just for consistency), Axel (barely), Vexen (barely), Demyx (barely), Zexion (barely), Lexeaus (barely), Xaldin (barely but I kind of want to count him for the specific reason that his is on Xehanort’s side in Alba & Ater. Which is a stupid reason), Roxas (barely), Riku (I would say he is more… Ansem-ed? And then original org members are Xemnas-ed… if that makes sense).

~ 2 counting Terranort. 10 counting Terranort if I count everyone else which I really don’t. So really only 1.

Semi? Norted Vessels during the final keyblade war: Saïx, Larxene, Marluxia, Xigbar, Xion, Replica Repliku (calling him that is fun okay), Luxord.

~ 7 (OH MY GOD.)

Wait. I forgot Vanitas. It’s 8. Okay we’re good.

So overall that would be:

- Only including the definitely Xehanorts: 7

- Including the definitely Xehanorts and non-autonomous replicas: 20

- The above but including Anti-Aqua: 21

- The above but not including the replicas because they are not sentient: 8

- The above but including the keyblade war vessels: 16

- The above but adding the replicas back: 29

So if you take Xigbar’s word on being “half Xehanort” (I cannot imagine his grasp on identity is very sound as a Luxu vessel, but I digress), and include non-sentient clones and Aqua, which you probably should if you are counting Ansem Terranort (which I do), then you have 29 Xehanorts! Congrats, you have counted my Xehanorts.

Going to count Soras, Rikus and Luxus for a sec for funsies.

Count My Soras:

Definitely Sora: Sora

~ 1

Clone of Sora (not just physically): Xion, Roxas, Data Sora (I hope he’s doing alright idk where he is is he ok. I hope he got to be gay with insect journal Riku)

~ 3

Sora via retcon (not a story retcon like a spiritual retcon): Ventus, Vanitas

~ 2

Already HALF Sora /ref: Naminé

~ 1

Ventus???: Armored Ventus Nightmare (I just count it as Ventus tbh)

~ 1

Heartless: Tiny little Shadow Sora, Darkside Sora, AntiSora (there are too many of these guys I’m only counting them once because no)

~ 3 (personally I count Shadow Sora as just being Sora and I don’t count AntiSoras because they’re non-sentient. I do count Darkside Sora though idk why)

I feel like if we count Ventus we should kind of count her but no one does: Kairi

~ 1

Counting only sentient Soras and excluding Kairi, Darkside Sora, Shadow Sora and Armored Ventus Nightmare we have. SEVEN SORAS. NO I DID NOT CHERRY PICK THEM IN ORDER TO GET THAT NUMBER I PROMISE. ANYWAY, CONGRATS ON COUNTING MY SORAS. YIPPIE.

Count my Rikus:

Definitely Riku: Riku

Riku clones: Repliku

Clones of Riku clones: Replica Repliku (hehehehe)

Riku having body dysphoria and ptsd because he looks like his abuser and feels like crap about himself because he just sacrificed several children to his boyfriend: Riku-Ansem (this is the same guy. Also why is he called that shouldn’t he be called Ansem-Riku since he is Riku)

Clone of Riku crossbred with the digital manifestation of a journal written by a cricket: Data-Riku

There is one of each of these and I don’t count Riku-Ansem. There are four Rikus. Congrats you have counted my Rikus. They include Riku, clone of Riku and clone of clone of Riku. I think Vexen needs to come up with other ideas for replicas maybe. This is getting kind of weird. Edit: Also gay bug book boy is there. Normal franchise.

Count my Luxus:

Definitely Luxu: Luxu

~1

Eventually Luxu (and then not Luxu again I think, idk I have not been keeping up with Missing Link): Brain

~1

I think this may just be Luxu but in a different body and assuming a different identity: Bragi, Braig, Xigbar (counting Braig and Xigbar separately here because of the category but I count them as the same dude otherwise)

~2

All of them but counting Xiggy and Braig as the same person is three. Three Luxus is too many Luxus imo. Congrats, you have counted my Luxus. What if they made more… Just kidding. As if.

Congrats you have counted the freaks. Have a good day.

"nonbinary people are just confused" YOURE DAMN RIGHT IM CONFUSED. I DONT EVEN KNOW WHATS GOING ON ANYMORE. WHO THE FUCK IS THIS XEHANORT GUY AND WHY ARE THERE FOUR OF HIM