#how much stake i put on kh

[storm-driver]

i was trying to describe kingdom hearts to a friend who doesnt like the square enix catalogue that much. and it was a calm discussion, we were chill. but they asked me a question that really made me like... think about my adoration for kh.

they asked me "is it the game you love or the potential of it all?"

i think the obvious answer is a mixture of both. i enjoy kingdom hearts for what it is, flaws and all. the funny gameplay moments of BBS to the wild af lines that they say in DDD.

kh has a glimmer that few games in the current market can give to their active playerbase. nothing in the titles feel soulless or half-baked. these games go ALL OUT with their premise and they deliver 9/10 times. there's moments that make me sigh and shrug, but they're few and far between. the stuff that encapsulated me is still here and it's strung across the christmas tree in a blindingly beautiful glare.

but that being said, how much of my love for kh actually stems from what i wish it could become? i can't argue that the games are flawless and have given me exactly what i wanted. in denial of the blatant only paints you as ignorant. and sometimes, these games fall right back into bad habits. with either gameplay or story, there's rightful criticisms to be spoken of every title.

so, it's only natural for me to think of the potential it all has, yes? to see what was perhaps poor writing choices eventually meet a satisfying end? or maybe a character who i didn't think much about is given new story to play with? perhaps there's a system from previous games that gets refined and optimized for newer consoles.

maybe there's routes the story could take and drives of motivation that im sychronous with and would love to see written out. there's a story unveiling and i have my own theories about it. i wanna see if the writers go down these roads and what kind of choices they make.

then my friend asked.

"is that potential, or are those your expectations?"

and i had to sit there for a moment. and just...think.

[kosmic-arts]

KH Anguish Posting

as much as i like to complain and nitpick, im not even that bothered by all the shit in kingdom hearts. characters getting ressurrected, haphazardly slapping on new lore, adding and expanding characters despite it very obviously not having been planned, retcons, whatever. that stuff is natural, and part of the fun of writing a story; and even though kh is a multimillion dollar franchise that i expect to be quality and worth the $60+ theyre asking for-- im willing to let all its missteps slide, because im way too forgiving and i like seeing artists have fun with their work. but.

what really grinds my gears is just the blatant lack of basic writing skills constantly on display in nearly every single one of these games. if you're really going to insist on resurrecting characters, not every dipshit should be allowed that privilege, and you need to make sure they'll actually serve a purpose in the plot once they're alive again- and it has to be a difficult process to get the dead to come back to life, otherwise it'll completely obliterate any sense of narrative stakes. the kh writers never seem to think ahead about what the mechanics of their own characters and concepts are, so naturally they get themselves stuck into narrative corners of their own making. so if they ever start to feel like idk.. fleshing out the org13 who served only as obstacles for sora to kill, they have to eviscerate their own continuity just to get back characters they should've developed ages ago. or worse yet, come up with insane shit like nobodies being able to regain their humanity if they and their heartless die; therefore, the answer to all their problems is effectively to commit seppuku. if organization 13 had all decided to die, they would've returned to being human again much sooner without all the trouble and anguish of attaining kingdom hearts. dare i even explain why thats insane. its so amateur. and no matter how many games are written, they never get any better. its only getting worse and more complicated with each installment. someone should never have to read/listen to hour long essays just to understand whats going on in kh3 because they only logically played kh1&2 and didn't think the developers were insane enough to actually put crucial plot development in spinoff titles. a fan should never feel pressured to play a casino just to get all the lore surrounding their favorite series. i don't even think i need to get into how nasty and manipulative that is. i will never find peace

[thedarling]

Bitter.

9:33 a.m. Have to head out for family visits but, before I go, I have to tell you how boring FF XVI is. Like I am genuinely bummed by how seriously this game took itself, and how hard it suffers because of it. First, this world is hwhiter than hwhite; practically every character aside from Ninetails looks and feels caucasian. There are seriously no people of color which is baffling (being tan doesn't count either).

Also, this world just sucks. There are no bright spots in this realm and everyone is a sad boi or girl. I need *some* comic relief, like please, give me something to keep my hopes up because otherwise, I hate this fucking clubhouse and want to leave. They really should NOT have added this game to the FF series roster because, to me, the best parts about FF was the party system and having party members. Every time I think I have a new person in my group they fucking die. They should have put a big asterisk next to the game title with 'Not Your Mama's FF' because what the fuck is this story? I honestly think they looked at FromSoftware, took some edgy pills, and said 'LET'S DO THIS' because a lot of sequences and dialogue are so needless. After a while, it feels like the game just makes fun of itself, no different from a soap opera, which is not what I wanted or thought it would be. I honestly thought the demo/first chapter was an amazing starting point: it welcomed you in, showed you around, didn't let you know how fucked up everything was just yet, and presented the stakes (great). But then everything after that felt clunky, boring, and monotonous - like, hey, did you like playing that first sad-ass chapter? Great! Want to do that twenty more times? I thought the initial presentation was to break us down before they build us back up - but no, they just keep breaking you. That's it, that's the game.

Last thing I'll say, because it bothers me so much: the way this series writes women sometimes is so stupid, gross, and awful. They presented Jill exactly like they presented Neon (Stranger of Paradise) and Kairi (KH): empty fucking vessels and Mary Sues. I HATE this trope. Jill's primary attraction is she has no defining qualities whatsoever (fuck personality, fuck flaws, ya' girl's perfect and she rarely ever speaks). Even when Jill does speak, I fall the fuck asleep. Everything she says is so empty. "I'm sad," GIRL, ME TOO. And then there was Benedikta... I CANNOT stress how disappointed I am with this character. If Jill is Eve, then Benedikta is Lilith because we are instantly trained to hate her. Bene continuously sleeps around, cries about it, needlessly kills everyone, and then straight up dies. The shittiest character arc I have ever seen and again, I hate this trope (chaotic manic pixie). I thought she was going to join my party after we beat her and THE WHOLE TIME I told myself, "she's really mean but shows a lot of remorse, this will be nice to unwind when she's finally in my group", DIES. I fucking killed her. Um... WHY? All I can think of is 'because she was evil' (again, all of her flashbacks are her sleeping with men of influence, i.e. 'she's a whore' and she's Satan) therefore she has to die. Great Bible verse, guys, sucks, thanks, I hate it.

I don't know, man. This shit sucks and I don't think I'll finish it. I really gave it a chance, at least twenty hours of my time and I just don't want to continue. I'm going back to Bandai Namco for more favorable story-telling. When they let me down, I'll be fucked.

10:55 p.m. This little asshole!

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Ribbon of Light - A RokuNami Drabble

@twilightpromises

Summary: One year in the month of April, Roxas tries to destroy a mountain that once caused Kairi and Sora and his family problems--and that Roxas worries might cause him and Naminé issues, if such a thing ever arrises again since they were born from them--and it takes Naminé to convince him to believe in the light in positive outcomes. Oneshot. Drabble. Fluff. Canon/AU. Somewhat crack-y.

Author’s Note: For the maypole prompt about RokuNami on Tumblr. Semi-AU, or perhaps a “future fic”, since I’m plagiarizing something from one of my old stories, that certainly hasn’t happened in KH.

Naminé’s PoV

Roxas was doing something... strange, in trying to destroy a mountain on Destiny Islands with poles for some reason (poles that had ribbons attached to them, no less)… and for the life of her, Naminé couldn’t explain why. "Roxas?" she asked the blond, as she came up behind her boyfriend and put a gentle hand on his shoulder—that thankfully seemed to halt his movements for a moment—"What are you doing?" And as soon as he seemed to notice her, Roxas turned around and looked at Naminé with a sheepish grin on his face. "...Would you believe I was trying to make the mountain look like a walrus just for fun?" the Keyblade wielder asked as he drummed his fingers on his leg.

And there was only one thing she could say to that, wasn’t there? And Naminé swiftly told him “no”, as she shook her head in the negative and laughed. “No. I can’t say I do, Roxas. So why-”

Then, as if he was gifting Naminé some great gift, he filled her in. Probably because he hated seeing her confused, because she’d been kept in the dark just for her enemies to harm her far too many times. "Okay, Okay, Okay, I'll tell you the truth," Roxas somewhat chortled himself, as he held his hands palms-forward. Naminé shifted her weight from one foot to the other—and even put her feet in the turf before her—as she waited for him to continue. "Do you remember how—when they were kids, apparently—Kairi fell off this cliff and Sora got hurt in saving her?"

Ahh. Naminé thought she understood where Roxas was coming from with this now, but she was still going to let him finish telling her the rest of the story. But if she had to prompt him first, she would. And she did."…And that somehow led to Sora's mom—and his sister—hating Kairi for a while... and trying to find a way to kill her later on? Go on."

"Well, I'm just thinking that if I destroy this mountain... there’s a chance that nothing like that will ever happen for Sora and Kairi again, and we also won’t get dragged into it.”

There was the answer Naminé had been expecting. And while it was definitely meaningful—like when Roxas had wanted to destroy Xemnas so he wouldn’t hurt his friends anymore—and even cute, for someone who was still pretty new to how the world worked, Naminé still couldn’t help feeling that Roxas’ logic was flawed and that she needed to inform him of that.

Above the couple, the sky went from being a deep blue to a rich pink—as if to say there really was no threat here, but Roxas was just being overbearing because he wanted to protect the ones he loved. And Naminé used this as inspiration, for when she held Roxas’ face in her hand and gently forced him to see her—reality and now. "Roxas, that happened years ago. And since then… Sora's family and Kairi have been perfect with each other, you know? And there’s really been no hint that that will change… So I think you should let this one go, silly.” And she kissed him on the cheek to try and distract Roxas from her doubting him, and was rewarded with a blush from him that she felt wonderful about.

"But-" he protested. But Naminé wasn't having it. There was a large part of her that wanted to ask him to leave the mountain alone, because the artist in her saw it as a lovely sight and wanted to draw it. But there was something much bigger at stake here, and so she told him. "We're at the end of April now, Roxas! And that means that April showers will soon bring May flowers. Maybe you should focus on that, the positivity... and realize nothing will ever threaten Sora and Kairi... or us again, if we believe in the light. And that's coming from timid old me." And she must have made the light bulb turn on in his head then, because Roxas' only answer to Naminé's words, was to wrap her up in the ribbons that had been on the poles—as if he meant to marry her, as didn’t lovers put ribbons over each other in many marriage ceremonies? At least over their wrists?—and to kiss her peacefully.

[nadziejastar]

Imo Kingdom Hearts could have been a lot different if Disney was never involved or if it was it's entire own francise with no crossover with FF or Disney, imo that would have been great. Since KH1, the Disney-worlds had barely to no connection or revelance to the main-plot anymore, Sora just travels to the worlds because he can, in KH1 there was more at stake in those worlds too, now they just feel like filler, as much as SE has tried up untill KH3.

Well, “Quadratum” means “Square”. It’s possible that Nomura wants to move away from Disney worlds and focus more on Square worlds. Although I like the Disney worlds, and think they help give the series a unique identity, I can understand that Disney is a is large, powerful, greedy corporation. And Nomura’s relationship with them has changed over time.

It’s telling that instead of coming up with a new plot that gives us a good reason to travel to the Disney worlds again (the real ones, not data worlds, memory worlds, dream worlds, etc.) he’s sending Sora and Riku off to a new alternate dimension based on Versus XIII—a Square property. It may indicate that he’s tired of Disney worlds and they will be getting less focus from now on.

KH1

As the series has gone on, the implementation of the Disney worlds has become worse and worse as Nomura has struggled to come up with reasons to travel to them. I think you’re right that KH1 did the best with incorporating the worlds into the plot. Sora was trying to seal all the Keyholes, giving him a good reason to be in each one. He was looking for Riku and Kairi, which was a more personal goal. And then you had the seven princesses and the villain alliance. And each world contributed to the overall theme of the story.

KH CoM

Pinocchio: Gee, Riku, don’t you have a Jiminy like I do? He’s my conscience. He’s taught me all kinds of important stuff. Maybe you just need somebody to show you what’s right and wrong.

Jiminy: Sure. You can’t shoulder all your problems alone, ya know. You must have somebody–a friend you can talk to?

In CoM, the Disney worlds were pure filler. Only existed for gameplay. On Sora’s side, the story within them was almost the exact same as it was in KH1. Even on Riku’s side, the Disney worlds were pointless. For instance, the whole Monstro level in KH3D could have happened in Re:CoM, since it’s basically reliving Riku’s memories from KH1, but having him make a different choice that time.

KH2

Iago: I wanna be a good friend, like Genie, but I can't do anything to help you. What kind of a friend is that?

Sora: Oh, no---it's not like that, Iago. Friends don't have to "do" stuff. As long as you have fun hanging out together, that's all that matters.

In KH2, the worlds are a mix of new and old. But they’re not really important to the plot. Sora’s just looking for Riku and the King, they’re not there, you participate in the movie’s plot, then move onto the next one. All the actual story happens in Twilight Town, Hollow Bastion, or TWTNW. Each world usually has a theme and a moral lesson, but it doesn’t always relate to Sora that much, so they feel filler-ish. In the second half, the organization appears in the worlds, which makes them a little more relevant to the story. But not much. They were still fun levels, though.

358/2 Days

Roxas had a good reason to go to the worlds, to collect hearts for the organization. I don’t mind if the Disney worlds aren’t directly plot-related, as long as there’s character development in them. I like that they took certain worlds from KH2 that felt like filler and expanded on the main theme of them, contributing to character development, particularly for Axel. For instance, in KH2′s Agrabah, the moral lesson was: best friends don’t have to be “useful”. This idea doesn’t have much to do with Sora, though, so it felt kinda pointless to his quest.

If you didn’t need me, then I no longer held meaning. However, reality is different. It wasn’t about whether I was needed or not. If I could just connect to others’ hearts, that would be enough.

But it was implied that this idea was very relevant to Axel’s memories of his past and his best friend. 

“Because they copied my powers, the Keyblade’s power, and then they didn’t need me anymore— is that it?” Roxas spat. 

He couldn’t bring himself to confirm it. 

“I guess you felt the same way, huh, Axel?” 

At those words, something wrenched in his chest, and he could hardly breathe. No, not me. I wasn’t thinking like that. I would never. “That’s not true. You—you’re my best friend.” The words spilled out of him.

The story of Days was all about how Roxas and Xion help Axel remember his past and what it felt like to have a best friend (an idea that connects to CoM). And the Disney worlds at least contributed to that idea in a meaningful way.

“Set in a circus and playing off the story of Pinocchio, a puppet with a heart, and the Nobodies who possess no heart, we planned for a sad episode with Roxas and Xion looking for hope for themselves”.

I would have preferred Prankster’s Paradise as a world, though, instead of, say, Halloween Town. It sounds like Roxas and Xion would have developed more in that world and it would have been more relevant to the story. Plus, it would have been new. But I think Days did a decent enough job with the Disney worlds. At least Roxas learned something new when he went to them, spurring on interesting discussions with Axel about friendship, love, the heart, etc.

KHBBS

Bagheera: It was bound to happen. Mowgli is where he belongs now.

Three new characters. In each world, the character learned something new and developed slightly. The worlds were mostly new, too. I don’t have a problem with BBS’s Disney worlds. I do wish they would have kept the Jungle Book worlds in, though.

“Riku… Do you think Nobodies have a home? Somewhere we belong?” Naminé wondered.

Having a home, somewhere to belong, was one of the main themes of the Xehanort Saga.

Master Xehanort: Darkness that you channeled.

Terra: No, I succumbed to it. Just like when I stole Princess Aurora’s heart of light. I can never return home now. I’m a failure.

Terra felt like a failure, and that he could never return home. And Aqua was tasked with bringing Ven home. This world could have been really good in BBS.

Coded

Mickey: Yen Sid… I think we’re finally close to figuring out where Ven’s heart is.

Here’s where things start going off the rails. In Coded, Disney worlds are yet again retreads of KH1, only this time they’re data instead of memories. The whole purpose of the plot was to explain why Mickey sent Sora, Riku, and Kairi that letter at the end of KH2. But you didn’t really need a whole game of travelling through virtual Disney worlds for that, especially involving convoluted ideas like data Namine implanting bug blocks in the journal or Jiminy’s Journal embodying itself as Riku (WTF?). You could have just added a scene into KH2FM+ like the above one from the manga. When Mickey saw the photo of Roxas, he recognized him as Ventus. Then he tells Master Yen Sid about it later, leading to Coded’s ending and him writing the letter. 

KHUX

Ephemer: The worlds we visit—the worlds of fairy tales—are nothing more than holograms. You know, projections. The light we collect there is actually this world’s light. To put it simply: There are lots of worlds, right? And they’re all connected by land. But it’s impossible to go around all of them. That’s why there’s a mechanism that projects those worlds here and allows us to collect Lux from faraway lands. I’m gathering information, trying to figure out how the whole thing works. My hunch is that the Book of Prophecies held by the Foretellers is what’s creating these holograms.

The Disney worlds were extremely boring to play through. More than any other KH game, they have scenes that are just copy/pasted straight from the movies. Your main character, since they are mute, has little involvement. They do not grow, change, or develop, after any of these worlds. They have nothing interesting to say and they can barely interact with anyone (Chirithy does it for you). 

And all, except for Wreck-It-Ralph, are just retreads of plots that we already experienced in other games. The worlds are digital holograms of the future generated from the Book of Prophecies. It’s all a VERY convoluted excuse to have you play through the same old plots from the Disney worlds. AGAIN. Only with a FAR less interesting main character. Since this was supposed to be just a F2P gacha with little story, it could have been excused. But since KHUX has become so important to the main story, it is inexcusable how poor of a game it is.

KH3D

Sora: I get it now. After this, Pinocchio and Jiminy’s world gets dragged into darkness, and they end up cast into the sea between worlds, along with Monstro. And then…they end up in Traverse Town, and the belly of the whale. That’s when we meet for real. It’s like Master Yen Sid said–I’m in the dream Pinocchio’s world is dreaming. And that world will never be right again until it wakes from sleep.

I don’t have any real issue with a game focusing on the mark of mastery exam, where Sora and Riku travel through Disney worlds. Riku develops along the way in a satisfying way. It’s the first time you actually go to new worlds as him. The test was for Sora and Riku to acquire the power of waking, so they had to go to dream worlds. Fantasia was perfect for this idea.

But the concept of Sleeping Worlds is convoluted and confusing. They’re dream versions of the worlds? Who is dreaming them? The Dandelions? They’re stuck in a time loop of the past? But visiting the Sleeping Worlds doesn’t rewrite the present. So, are they connected to the datascape? Again, it’s so convoluted, because there really is no reason that Sora and Riku would have to go on another adventure in the REAL world. Again, I would have preferred Prankster’s Paradise in Days. Pinocchio would be a human, it’d be set in the present timeline so no awkward dialogue, and Honest John and Gideon would be involved, giving it more of a plot.

KH3

The game’s worlds could have been okay if Sora wasn’t just wandering about aimlessly. And if they had developed the power of waking better. The power of waking is essentially the power to wake a sleeping heart by connecting with it. It’s the power of love, basically. Most of the Disney worlds are about love. And also, a member of the organization appears in each one.

Dark Road

In BBS, it’s revealed that Xehanort wants to open KH to create a new world. But in KH3, he wants to reset the world. How is this different?

Nomura: The most essential part is that he thinks the current world is a failure, and wants to remake it.

I’m interested to know why Xehanort came to think that way (that the world should be remade).

Nomura: Initially, I wanted to dive deeper into the naive, untainted Xehanort who we see playing chess in the next installment (before KH3 was made), but if I did that, the dark seeker arc wouldn’t have ended (lol), so I decided to shelve it for now.

Wonderland is the only Disney world that has had a plot so far. But this was still the most interesting usage of Wonderland in the series, IMO.

Envy (Latin, invidia): Invi Gluttony (Latin, gula): Gula Lust (Latin, luxuria): Luxu. Anger, or Wrath (Latin, ira): Ira Greed, or Avarice (Latin, avaritia): Ava Sloth, or Laziness (Latin, acedia): Aced

The Foretellers are named after the seven deadly sins.

Nomura: As I was writing the scenario for Kingdom Hearts Back Cover, I was careful so as to make each character look neither like a hero nor a villain, however in the end it seems that only Ava was received as a good girl (laughs). At any rate, if you think of the story progression as a gun, where Ava is the only one with the capacity to pull that gun’s trigger, I’m not so sure about how devoid of sin she really is…

I think there were a lot of parallels between the age of fairytales and the Book of Genesis.

Pride (Latin: superbia) is considered, on almost every list, the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins. Out of the seven, it is the most angelical, or demonic. It is also thought to be the source of the other capital sins.

The MoM is probably really Darkness, the original sin, Superbia. And Xehanort has his Keyblade, becoming his successor. Pride was his deadly sin. He could never admit that he lost to Eraqus at chess because of his pride. In the Bible, the source of sin was the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. After acquiring knowledge of good and evil, he developed a god complex. Pride is the ultimate sin, where all the other sins originate from.

I need only play the role of a fool desirous of the Keyblade’s power.

Luxu is lust and Braig lusted for Xehanort’s power (as Luxu probably did with the MoM). The story in Dark Road is actually interesting. Xehanort is a FAR more interesting protagonist that the Avatar in Union X. As a wielder in training, he actually has a good reason to travel the worlds, and develops as a character along the way. I think Dark Road deserved to be its own real KH game, released on the Vita or 3DS a long time ago. It’s a shame it’s only a mobile game.

Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath.

Pride is excessive belief in one’s own abilities, that interferes with the individual’s recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.

Envy is the desire for others’ traits, status, abilities, or situation.

Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.

Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.

Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.

Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

The story of Dark Road will likely be Xehanort encountering the seven deadly sins as manifested in Disney villains and coming to the conclusion that the world is too corrupt and needs to be reset. That is actually a decent enough plot and good justification for travelling through the Disney worlds. It’d be cool if they added new worlds. Maybe like Pocahontas, and Governor Radcliffe could be Greed, etc.

[miumiu-chan]

Miyase Go STORY 1 Chapter 1-3

Subbed video: STORY-1 1-3

-Kujo House / Front gate-

-In the car-

[REI]: “It’s that person! The servant, Miyase-san.”

[AOYAMA]: “He’s alone……? Where is he going this early in the morning?”

[REI]: “Should we follow him?”

[AOYAMA]: “No, let’s wait.”

[AOYAMA]: “Since for now, we’re looking for Kujo Soma in the mansion.”

…——However, in the end that day, Kujo Soma never showed up.

The next day——.

-In the car-

[IMAOJI]: “Ah, someone came out.”

I was taking some nutritional supplements, and at Imaoji-san’s words, I hastily leaned over.

[REI]: (It’s Miyase-san again……)

[REI]: “That person is the Kujo Family’s servant that I made contact with.”

[IMAOJI]: “I see.”

[IMAOJI]: “Just like yesterday, is he going out alone today as well?”

[REI]: “Yesterday, he came back in about 20 minutes, so as I reported, I think it was just a walk.”

[REI]: “He went out on his own as well, it seemed like he was grocery shopping.”

[IMAOJI]: “Got it.”

[IMAOJI]: “Then Rei-san, please go for a walk with him today.”

[REI]: “Eh……?”

[IMAOJI]: “Although unlikely, he may be contacting someone after receiving orders from Kujo Soma.”

[IMAOJI]: “And also, if the lack of exercise is resolved by walking in the morning, those dark circles could get a little better.”

[REI]: (W-With such a refreshing smile, is he saying my dark circles are terrible……?)

[IMAOJI]: “Please leave the lookout of the mansion to me.”

[IMAOJI]: “I’ll entrust the matter with the servant to you.”

[REI]: “……Okay. I’m going.”

-Mountain trail-

Miyase-san headed in the opposite direction from the residential area, walking silently without any suspicious movement.

[REI]: (As I thought, maybe he just came out for a walk.)

[MIYASE]: “——Wa”

[REI]: (Ah, he’s falli——!)

[MIYASE]: “Woahh——oh”

[REI]: (Safe……)

[MIYASE]: “Wawa”

[REI]: (Or not, is it an out—?!)

[MIYASE]: “Ouch…..”

[REI]: (I-I wonder if he’s okay……)

Come to think of it, when I met him in the Kujo mansion’s garden, I had the impression that he was a person with a very relaxed feeling.

[MIYASE]: “Haa……”

[REI]: (That got me anxious……)

[REI]: (So you don’t fall again, make sure to walk while looking at your feet, Miyase-san……)

[REI]: (Ahh! Over there! There’s a slightly larger stone!)

[MIYASE]: “……!”

[REI]: (Miyase-saaaaan!?)

[MIYASE]: “……Fuu”

[REI]: (This person is no good if he walks on such a mountain trail alone!)

[REI]: (Oh, he stopped…….?)

I watched him put his smartphone to his ear, but regrettably I couldn’t hear his voice.

I approached slowly, taking care not to make any sound from stepping on branches and leaves.

——Then, at that moment.

[???]: “Heey you, are you going on a lonely walk alone?”

[REI]: (Eh……?)

[MIYASE]: “May I ask who you are? This is the private property of the Kujo Family.”

[REI]: (It is!?)

[???]: “A~ha. That’s why I went in.”

[???]: “The annoying people of the Kujo Family, I was going to thoroughly do them in.”

[MIYASE]: “So you are that kind of person. ……This is a problem.”

[???]: “I’m pretty sure you’re a servant of the Kujo Family, right? I remember that beautiful face well.”

[MIYASE]: “I believe it is my first time meeting you, though……”

[???]: “As expected of the Kujo Family. So cold—”

[???]: “If I take you hostage, I wonder if the head of the family will pay me?”

[REI]: (!?)

The man narrowed the distance to Miyase-san in an instant and landed a nasty kick on his side.

[MIYASE]: “Ku……!”

[???]: “Next, I’m going for the stomach~!”

A second kick was quickly delivered.

——However, Miyase-san quickly bent down to avoid the attack, and pulled out his fist from a low position.

The efficient counterattack dug into the man’s stomach.

[REI]: (Wow……!)

[???]: “Kh……Huh, you hit me?”

[MIYASE]: “It is a rule of the Kujo Family to not show mercy to the enemy.”

[???]: “Oh yeah? Are you a desperate loyal dog trying to protect your master?”

[???]: “But……around this time, the Kujo mansion should be going boom!! you know?”

[MIYASE]: “Eh……”

[REI]: (Explosion!?)

The moment the agitation crossed his face, a light laugh resounded from the man.

[???]: “There’s an opening~”

As he jumped, he caught Miyase-san by the neck and pushed him down to the ground.

[MIYASE]: “Gu……”

[???]: “If you don’t want to be killed, why don’t you try calling out while crying cutely?”

[REI]:  (This is bad, if it goes on like this……)

Choices:

Jump out to help

(What should I do!?)

(......I have to help him!) (♡)

[REI]: (I’m staking out……but I have to help him!)

[REI]: “Stop it! I’ve called the police!”

As I shouted and jumped out, both Miyase-san and the man looked at me with astonishment.

[MIYASE]: “You are……”

[???]: “Oh my. There was someone else here. That’s too ba~ad.”

[REI]: “Ah, wait……!”

I stepped forward to follow the man who turned his back but————I was stopped.

Because my arm was grabbed. By Miyase-san who had gotten up.

[MIYASE]: “It’s dangerous. Stay here please.”

[REI]: “But……”

By that time it was already useless, as even the sound of the man’s footsteps had completely disappeared.

[REI]: (What great speed to escape on foot……)

[MIYASE]: “Thank you for helping me.”

[REI]: “……It was nothing. Are you hurt?”

[MIYASE]: “No. Thanks to you.”

I checked Miyase-san’s neck, and felt relieved.

No strangle marks remained.

[MIYASE]: “Um, about calling the police……”

[REI]: “Ah, sorry. That was just a bluff.”

[MIYASE]: “Oh, I see.”

[MIYASE]: “……That’s good, then.”

[REI]: “Eh? Why?”

[MIYASE]: “Things like what happened just now are common.”

[REI]: “Common……”

[MIYASE]: “Because the vast assets of the Kujo Family are often targeted by such people.”

[MIYASE]: “The Kujo Family will handle this matter secretly, so I ask you as well to please forget about it.”

[MIYASE]: “‘Because if report of it gets out, it may end up causing you trouble.”

In other words, it could be handled without resorting to state power……

The Kujo Family may be much larger and more profound than I could imagine.

[REI]: “I understand……”

[MIYASE]: “Really, thank you very much for helping me.”

[MIYASE]: “But, why are you here?”

[MIYASE]: “Did you follow the cat again?”

[REI]: (Oh right, I need to think of a reason……)

[REI]: “A-Actually, this is pretty close to my house, so today I was looking for a new path to take a walk on.”

[MIYASE]: “Aa, so that was it.”

[REI]: “Yes. I didn’t know this path is privately owned by the Kujo Family, I’m sorry.”

[MIYASE]: “Oh, it’s alright.”

[MIYASE]: “Even though it is private land, because it is left as it is, people often come in.”

[REI]: (This person…… Even though he was just about to be killed earlier, he can somehow still keep his composure.)

To calmly say that it was “common,” it might not have been a lie.

Feeling the smell of darkness that couldn’t be overlooked as a DCD agent, my heart grew heavy.

[MIYASE]: “I was also taking a walk.”

[MIYASE]: “It’s a daily routine I have every morning.”

[REI]: “Ah……After all, it’s good for your health.”

[MIYASE]: “Yes. And if I keep going at it every day, something good could happen.”

[MIYASE]: “I was thinking that I wanted to meet you again, and like this I really was able to see you again.”

[MIYASE]: “……Izumi Rei-san?”

[REI]: “Eh……How did you, my name?”

[memaha19]

Things I Want(ed) From KH3 That Re:Mind is Probably Not Going to Fix

 AKA, a brief interlude from Frozen 2 posting because Kingdom Hearts was on my mind this morning.

AKA, I’m excited for Re:Mind but still...

AKA, KH3 disappointed me and I’m still salty about it almost a year later.

AKA,  there are many “my problems with KH3″ posts/discussions floating out there on the internet and many are probably worded better than mine but, as I said, the game was on my mind this morning.

Just...the worlds. The Disney worlds in KH3 bothered me. There were so few of them but they were so so LONG. Some of them were painfully long. Toy Box felt like the longest experience of my life. Every time I thought that level was coming to an end, BAM, another trek to another area. And Arendelle...though I love Frozen, there’s only so many times I can trek up the mountain only to get thrown off and have to climb back up again. There were so few worlds, only seven, I believe, (because we’re not counting Twilight Town or the 100 Acre Woods, more on those later), that I think they could’ve given us a few more worlds and made the levels a little...shorter? A little more detailed and charming? The levels were huge but empty and devoid of the character that previous Disney worlds had in other games. The previous main games had about 10 or 11 worlds, not including the throwaways (like Atlantica in KH2) or the final worlds (TWTNW and End of the World), so there could’ve been some more! Birth By Sleep had numerous shorter worlds and I vastly prefer that to slogging through the same world for hours. Even the way that KH2 had us revisit each world would’ve been nice.  What’s more, they could’ve taken some of the massive time and space devoted to the empty, excruciatingly long Disney worlds and given us more time in Twilight Town or the Keyblade Graveyard, or put a playable Radiant Garden in the game. Those non-Disney worlds always served as nice interludes in the other games and it’s sorely lacking in this one. (And yes, I have heard that Re:Mind is going to let Scala be a playable world, so I’m excited for that!)

Related, I also wanted some worlds from older Disney films. I know the other games have had worlds from older films, but almost all of KH3′s worlds were so jarringly...current. I would’ve liked to see some of the older Disney film worlds rendered in the beautiful graphics of KH3, but, instead, the oldest film represented was Hercules (1997). Three of the worlds (maybe four, actually, with the Pirates world) were from movies from this decade (Corona, Arendelle, and San Fransokyo).

Related, they did the 100 Acre Woods so dirty. It was disappointing and short. It used to be a fun little interlude between the big worlds in previous games, a time to chill and play a mini-game and not have to fight a big boss fight. This was like “hello, here’s one mini game, goodbye.”

Related: all that Twilight Town exploration we got in the other games and this one gives us the forest and the town square area and that’s it?! We can’t even go to the clock tower or inside the mansion? When we first got to Twilight Town I was like “wow this is gorgeous!” and then quickly disappointed when I realized we couldn’t go anywhere.

Related, I’ve seen others say this and I agree: the Disney worlds seem like they’re just there, oftentimes, to get in your way. They feel like obstacles to the actual plot because they didn’t bother to place much/any relevance to the plot into any of the Disney worlds. Sometimes we get little snippets of the big story, like Marluxia and Larxene hanging around in Corona and Arendelle just to say cryptic things without ever being a real threat (that in itself is weird too, I spent ALL of the Corona level bracing myself for a fight with Marluxia only to fight...Mother Gothel’s heartless?) but it feels like two different games: The KH that wants to still be about Disney worlds and the KH that has gotten so deep in its own world building that it doesn’t have time for anything else.

Related, again: KH3 has an abundance of Disney worlds where Sora being there doesn’t make any difference to the plot. The most fun Disney worlds have always been the ones that have an original story that we’re actually involved in. Corona is just the plot of Tangled with Sora and co. tagging along. Their presence or lack thereof make no difference to the story. Arendelle is the same way.

The boss battles in the worlds were...lame. I understand that it maybe doesn’t make sense to fight someone like Mother Gothel, who never shows any physical fighting power in Tangled, but we can’t fight Zurg? We’re in a literal toy store and we can’t fight Zurg as the boss? We have to fight a weird doll and 800 robots? We have to fight Hans’ heartless? Not Hans? We fight Mother Gothel’s heartless? Not Marluxia, who’s been harassing us all level long? I understand that they held the KH characters back because of the whole “assembling 13 pieces of darkness for a big final battle” thing, but we had to fight Xemnas like ten times in previous games, they could let us fight Marluxia twice.  I feel like the other games were a lot better at having us face a combo of heartless/nobodies/unversed AND Disney bosses. But, as the game has really zero interest in making the Disney worlds a part of the plot, they throw these cheap (and endless) unversed/heartless bosses at us and they’re all so EASY. They could have, and probably should have, let us fight the Organization at the end of each world and then let us fight them again in the Keyblade Graveyard, similar to the way Chain of Memories had us fight each Organization member a couple times.   

When you finally do get through the Disney worlds, the ending is like “here’s all these characters that have been missing from the rest of the game” and the Keyblade Graveyard flings boss battle after boss battle at your face without much rhyme or reason. And while some of them are fun, some of them feel like “let’s just pair these characters together and make you fight them at the same time so we can save some time because we didn’t bother to put any of these fights into an earlier part of the game”. I’m looking at the Luxord/Marluxia/Larxene fight in particular. I would’ve understood pairing the last two together, but then Luxord is also there like they didn’t have any other place to put him.

This game is too easy. I’m not great at video games. I’m good-ish. I’m into stories more than anything so I hate when a game’s difficulty keeps me from completing it and keeps me from seeing more of the story. But I still like a little challenge. I have not-so-fond memories of yelling at the TV as I died time and time again fighting Ansem/Riku at Hollow Bastion in KH1, but I also have fond memories of finally beating him and what a rush it was! I didn’t get any of that in KH3. I’m not sure I died more than once or twice, if that.

The way they just let the Organization members hang out in the worlds and do nothing has always seemed weird to me. They’re big parts of the overall plot but now they just stand around and verbally harass Sora? As I said above, I spent all of Corona thinking I was going to have to face Marluxia at the end. Instead, they stand around in the worlds and then they stand around in the Keyblade Graveyard in the cutscenes and just talk. Also, okay, maybe I get the reasoning behind why Luxord was in the pirates world and why Vanitas was in Monstropolis, but Marluxia seemed like he was shoehorned into Corona solely because of the connection between the magic flower and his powers, which was stupid. And Larxene had zero connection to anything going on in Arendelle.

All the characters we’ve been waiting for (Ventus, Aqua, etc.) don’t appear until the very very end, which is a problem with the story pacing. They tease us, very early, with Riku and Mickey trying to find Aqua and then immediately drop that plot point to give us some empty Disney worlds. (Side note: this 100% tricked me into thinking we’d be switching back and forth between what Sora was up to and what Riku was up to and I was sorely disappointed as I played and realized it wasn’t true.) They dither in this “Sora needs the power of waking” to avoid giving us Ventus until the very end.

Just...the story pacing in general, which kind of ties into everything else.  This game has a beginning, because it had to, and something they wanted to end with but they weren’t really sure how to fill the space in the middle. You spend most of the game just chilling in the Disney worlds with very low stakes. This big battle waiting at the end is always there in the background but, partially because the Disney worlds feel like distractions that don’t add to the story, the middle of the game never really feels like it’s building toward the ending, or anything. And then, when you do get through the Disney worlds, about 75% of the plot is thrown at you in the last hour or two of the game. It reminds me (a lot of this game reminds me, actually) of FFXV. I love FFXV dearly, I’ve poured A TON of hours into gathering ingredients and taking photos and doing side quests, but it has the same plot issue. The majority of FFXV is a light-hearted journey about four bros on a roadtrip, only for everything to take a VERY dramatic tonal shift about 3/4 of the way through the game and then stay very very SAD for the rest of the game. KH3 does something similar, with the way we spend most of the game traveling through Disney worlds and cooking food with Remy, only for the game to suddenly remember at the 11th hour that it’s supposed to be wrapping up this big 10+ year long story and thrust you into battle after battle and plot-heavy cutscene after plot-heavy cutscene.

To the pacing point: yes, I’m aware these games have always had slightly funny/back-loaded pacing. However, a main thing the other games had that KH3 lacks is that Radiant Garden/Twilight Town/Traverse Town interlude world that helps push the plot along. Without that in KH3, we get a ton of long Disney worlds where we’re like “when is the story going to happen?” and then the Keyblade Graveyard where suddenly ALL of the story is happening. Previous games have let us experience the Disney worlds for awhile before bringing us to an interlude world which furthers the plot, a la the big Radiant Garden section in KH2 that happens midway through the game.

Anyway, I think Kingdom Hearts 3 was a gorgeous game, graphics-wise, and I’ll still be shelling out money for Re:Mind come January, but after waiting for 14 years for a continuation of the main story line, this game just feels like, after everything, Nomura still wasn’t sure how to end it? It feels rushed and underwhelming and incomplete as hell. 

TL;DR: I have all these thoughts about KH3 that I’ve waited 11 months to express.

[khtrinityftw]

Part 2: Rucksack the Zombie

There is a lot to dislike about 358/2 Days.

The fact that the main supporting cast are villains and thus not sympathetic or likable, the fact that the gameplay is horribly clunky, the fact that Disney is underutilized and the only Final Fantasy character is a Moogle, the fact that all the locations are recycled from past games, the fact that the story is stereotypical shonen fare that is full of repetitive scenes of characters sitting on the damn clock tower eating that damn ice cream, the fact that the ending is a foregone conclusion, and - again - the fact that the title is composed of goddamn math!

But I think the biggest issue ultimately comes down to the main trio of characters: Roxas, Xion and Axel. The story does its damnedest to make you feel for them, and it honestly does a good job at it: it's really easy to get sucked into doing exactly that. But when you actually stop and take a deeper look at them, especially when considering the context of the KH Trinity, you realize that they are badly portrayed to an insulting degree.

Roxas was a character that Nomura put a lot of thought into while designing for Kingdom Hearts II, but it was all in the service of that game's story. Roxas was the main character for the prologue that also served as the tutorial, to help newcomers adjust to the setting of the series if they hadn't played either of the earlier two games, and then beyond that he was the main representative of one of the story's biggest themes: the question of self and of one's own existence and how it can be defined. 

As far as Roxas himself went, his personality was a computer-based fabrication, since he didn't really have much of one as a Nobody beyond apparently angry and brooding, and he was primarily there just to serve the purpose of getting shoved back up Sora's ass so that Sora could be complete and wake up to go on a new adventure. It's both simple and deep, as the whole tragedy of his character is that he wasn't allowed a choice in this role, it was forced upon him when it really didn't have to be, as he could have come to the same decision on his own if he was just allowed.  Since as he comes to find out, existing within Sora doesn't mean he stops existing: it means he exists on a greater and more fulfilling level than he had before: Sora was as much a missing piece for him as he was for Sora. From everything ever shown or said of Roxas' time in the Organization, you never got the impression that he liked it.

But Days jettisons almost all of that, whether in the game itself or as a result of it later on in the "Dark Seeker Saga".  Now Roxas, while starting out as a drowsy, confused zombie, grows into having the exact same personality he was supposed to be given digitally. He's not angry and brooding at all until the very end of the game; otherwise he's perfectly happy and content as a Nobody working in Organization XIII, and he only betrays them because of events sparked by Xion (more on her in a moment). He doesn’t even fight and defeat Riku prior to their confrontation at Memory’s Skyscraper, unless that one mission where he’s chasing Riku and whacking at him with his Keyblade was supposed to be the time he “defeated” him. And being the main character of a whole game rather than just a tutorial of one, Roxas is elevated to a position almost on par with Sora within the series, as someone who could and ultimately does stand on his own without Sora, which completely goes against the original idea behind his character.

Worse still, these changes mean that the genuinely deep, thoughtful and emotionally resonant way his character concluded back in KH2 no longer flies for many people. If his life was so good before being put in a computer simulation and forced to merge with Sora, then it's hard to swallow that his life after that, a life merged with Sora's, would be good for him. After this game, the rallying cry from many fans became "Roxas deserves better! He deserves to be his own physical existence again and to eat ice cream with his best friends forever!" Again, completely off the mark from what was originally being conveyed with the character. 

As such, Roxas became an even bigger zombie than he was when first starting out with the Organization. Because he just wouldn't die. Instead of occasional spiritual cameos in his white Twilight Town duds as the Atem to Sora's Yugi Moto, it’s Roxas in his black Organization coat that keeps popping up in roles that call back to Days, and the notion that he had to be "saved" and given his own physical existence started getting pushed. Something that was actually complex ended up traded away for something both convoluted (his heart now exists in data and can be put in a replica body...whut!?) and insultingly simple: a Happily Ever After fairy tale ending for him that doesn't advance his character toward something greater or challenge the player in any meaningful way.

But worst of all, this didn't even end up confined to just him. If he could come back and get the fairy tale ending, then so could his friends, and if they could, then so could literally everyone in the series who got met with anything less than such an ending. Not even most Disney stories end Happily Ever After for absolutely everyone; there's usually some kind of accommodation made. But the Kingdom Hearts series decided that it didn't want to have any sort of stakes, any sort of consequences, any sort of prices paid (except from your wallet if you're dumb enough to keep buying the games, like I was.) 

And Roxas was the key to make this happen; him being turned into a much more important character whose backstory got completely revamped. He was just supposed to be Sora's Nobody who got shoved back up Sora's ass! Now he's the poster child for the entire series' decline! Way to ruin a perfectly good character, Nomura, and it won't be for the last time either!

[peppermintbee]

15 easy changes that would have made Kairi a more compelling character

Ever since finishing KH3 I’ve been completely preoccupied with what a disservice the writing does for Kairi. This isn’t an unpopular opinion; the KH3 tag is full of complaints regarding Kairi’s treatment. I think what’s really disappointing is that fixing her portrayal wouldn’t require that much work. So, if I was Nomura’s co-writer for KH3, here are the changes I would have suggested.

1. Don’t put her in the time chamber to train

Not only does the pocket dimension cause plot holes (Why can’t Sora train there? Why didn’t Kairi and Lea become high level in there?) it’s only narrative purpose was to keep Kairi and Lea out of the story while Sora was visiting Disney worlds. Having her literally anywhere else, where Sora can see and talk with her, would have been better than that.

2. Let her train and travel with Sora

Conveniently, the game is set up perfectly for having Kairi as a team member. Sora starts the game at LV. 1 and Kairi is a beginner keyblade wielder. They could visit the Disney worlds and git gud together. We know team mechanics were programmed for Kairi, since she briefly fights alongside Sora at the end. In the Disney worlds you can have up to 4 team members, so it doesn’t seem like a stretch that at least one of them could be Kairi (and/or Lea). With that, the opportunities for character building are endless: team banter, selfies, special team attacks, commenting on the Disney stories, etc. 

3. Or, give Kairi her own missions

Riku and Mickey are off screen because they are trying to find Aqua. Even though we don’t see much of them, this makes them active participants to the plot. Therefore, if she can’t be a team member, have Kairi be on her own  important story mission. A really easy one would be involving her in the Twilight Town investigation to find Roxas’ data and/or rescue Ansem the Wise. Maybe one of the turncoat Org 13 members works with Kairi. At some point, Sora and Kairi’s paths would cross, and they’d work together just like Sora and Riku did.

4. Have Sora mention Kairi every once in a while

Honestly, this is such a low bar it’s sad the game didn’t clear it. Sora frequently mentions Riku in the Disney worlds when something reminds him of him, he tries to call him, and he even talks about Riku in the social media loading screens. Kairi doesn’t get the same amount of attention. (Riku also doesn’t talk about Kairi.) It makes it feel like Kairi is not a priority to the characters, which makes it hard to be invested in her while playing.

5. Have Sora and Kairi greet each other when they finally meet

The first time Sora and Kairi are in a room together is after Ventus gets saved and everyone is talking in Yen Sid’s room. During this scene, most of the time Kairi is OFF SCREEN and has almost no lines. When she finally talks, she apologizes to Aqua and says something about saving Namine. Sora and Kairi stand about 5 feet away from each other and he only looks at her when she’s talking. This is dumb, especially considering Kairi and Sora haven’t seen each other in person since KH2 (!!!), a game that she also had very little presence in, and now that she’s finally here, she may as well be a part of the wallpaper. While Sora and Riku are reunited in the most badass way possible (a dimension crossing rescue and summoning of the great rainbow keyblade), Sora and Kairi aren’t even given so much as a chance to say “hi.” Simply include few lines of them being excited to see one another. A hug, a compliment, an “I missed you,” ANYTHING.

6. Just rewrite the entire paopu scene

This scene has such wasted potential. It’s the first time Kairi and Sora really talk to each other, which already starves the scene of emotional impact because their relationship feels underdeveloped and unearned. If this scene had even a little bit of foundation setting (see the above list) it wouldn’t have felt so forced. I’d argue the only foundation their relationship has is from KH1, which not only is over a decade old for players, but the characters themselves have changed a lot since then. 

Secondly, it is almost funny that a scene that’s supposed to be about Kairi and Sora starts with Sora talking about Riku. Would it have been so hard to put a scene change between the Riku/Repliku talk and this one and not awkwardly segue from Sora worrying about Riku to Kairi proposing to Sora.

Third, Sora shows almost no excitement about sharing a paopu fruit with Kairi until the very end, which only makes it feel more forced. He expresses shock, confusion, and even insinuates they don’t need to share a fruit since they are together in spirit. He says he’ll protect Kairi, which is kind of a lame promise since Sora protects all of his friends. Instead, Sora should have looked genuinely touched and excited about the paopu thing, and they should have made a promise that went beyond protecting each other, since that’s a given. (I do really like that Kairi vows to protect Sora, but considering what happens later it feels pretty hollow.)

8. Sora should protect Kairi with his keyblade, not a hug

Honestly, this was so dumb I don’t even know where to start. If there’s gonna be a Kairi hug, it should have been when they were reunited, or the paopu scene, or like... any other time. I get that it’s supposed to be a parallel to KH1, but that defense-hug made sense because Kairi was unarmed and untrained. (Plus, Kairi could actually shield heartless-Sora with her body. In this scene, Kairi and Sora are about the same size so it just looks like a normal hug, not protection). Just hours ago, Sora protected Riku from Aqua with his keyblade and it was badass. At the end of this scene, Riku protects Sora with his keyblade, and it’s badass. The hug isn’t badass, it’s stupid and it makes both Sora AND Kairi look incompetent, which it frustrating to witness.

9. Let Kairi literally protect Sora

As much as I like the scene where Riku protects Sora from the heartless cyclone, that would have been a perfect opportunity for Kairi to make good on her promise and protect Sora. We already know Riku will defend Sora, he did that in all the other KH games. Kairi shedding her damsel persona to defend Sora would have been amazing.

10. Play as Kairi in The Final World

If Kairi’s “light” is the reason Sora can persist in the final world, just abandon the whole deus-ex-kairi and let us play as Kairi. Kairi should collect the Sora fragments (or her own fragments), and save at least Sora and Riku’s heart. I think we should have been able to play as Kairi at some point anyway, but this seemed like an especially good time for it. That would elevate her role in saving Sora into something really believable, instead of Chirithy and Kairi just telling us she saved him when it feels like Sora just saved himself and everyone else (as usual).

11. Give Kairi a cool team attack

We only get to fight alongside Kairi for like, 10 minutes. At least give her a cool team attack. I’m not asking for a lot here.

12. Kairi doesn’t get kidnapped (and if she does, she goes down fighting)

Literally anyone else. I don’t care who. In fact, I think Riku would be a good candidate for kidnapping: not only does it subvert the damsel thing, but it would make the bad guys look pretty formidable if they were able to pull it off, and, Riku is important enough to Sora to “motivate” him to rescue him.

I’d rather she not get damseled at all, but if she really has to get kidnapped, it should at least be because she compromised her safety to save Sora or Lea. Then, when she’s grabbed, she should go down kicking and screaming, maybe taking out an Org member on the way out. Instead, the way it’s framed makes it looks like she got kidnapped because she sucks at fighting.

13. Give Kairi’s death/disappearance some real weight

I still stand by the fact that Riku is the one who should have been kidnapped but I digress. When Kairi explodes, Sora gets upset briefly before talking about closing Kingdom Hearts and receiving encouragement from his other friends. Xion reassures Sora that Kairi is fine, likely to justify why Sora gets over losing Kairi so fast. With a smile, Sora goes into the next battle and doesn’t mention Kairi until long after Xehanort is defeated. This makes her death feel like a cheap way to add superficial stakes and write Kairi out of the story (again). This can be fixed by having Sora react like a normal person, such as falling into complete despair or wracked with grief and vengeance, and having the other characters react appropriately too. 

At the end of the story, Sora and the gang are weirdly understanding of Xehanort when he gives his sob story, even though he exploded Kairi just a little while ago, and they don’t even demand to know how to save her. It really makes it feel like they forgot about her.

14. Don’t gloss over Sora’s end-game rescue of Kairi

We’re shown that Sora saved her somehow and now he’s gone. That’s all the script thinks we need to know because the next game is about Sora and Riku just like most of the KH games. Not that I really want another game about Sora rescuing Kairi, but the fact that this is barely graced with explanation really makes it clear that Kairi is little more than a plot device to set up the next game. I don’t really know how to fix this other than not fridging Kairi, or bringing Kairi back right after Xehanort is defeated, or making the next game about Kairi saving Sora. Which brings us to my last fix...

15. Send Kairi after Sora, not Riku

Kairi explicitly said she was going to protect Sora. Therefore, she should be the one implied to search for Sora at the end of the game. Having her cry on the beach while Riku went after him was lazy and cheap and everyone knows it. But, I suppose it’s fitting end for a character that Nomura clearly didn’t care enough about to write decent character development for.

And there we have it, 15 ways to make Kairi more compelling. If the game included even a few of these, Kairi would have felt like a more meaningful person and not a watered down version of KH1 Kairi. I can only hope that the next game has some strong female characters that we can all root for, but honestly, I’m not getting my hopes up.

Let me know if you have any other suggestions, I want to hear them!

[kitsoa]

Thoughts on the Meta-Narrative of Kingdom Hearts X and UX

I’ve got this theory and stuff that Worlds are just ‘Stories’. And that KH is all about how we make real the things in our imagination. They have value and are as legitimate as real things that touch us. As stories, worlds follow this realm of rules. They have to have a beginning. They have to have an end. Someone has to create them. They are products of the mind regardless of what they are based on. So applying that to the visceral experience of worlds our characters go through makes for some interesting conflict. The subject of fate comes up a lot and it got me thinking about how the Dandelion’s are focused on avoiding fate. They are, in some terms trying to break from their medium by destroying the author and escaping the ending. 

So I’m gonna go on about how everything is an experiment, everything is canon, and nothing is real. 

An Experiment of Fate

So we have setting where MoM is simply putting the survivors of a fated catastrophe in a box, removing their memories, granting new leadership, and seeing if the war happens again. It reads like an experiment over the nature of fate. Things that are fated to happen cannot be avoided; replicate the scenario to see if it can. 

Multiple Trials

But it’s not wise to just try it one time over again. An experiment to crack the inevitable cycle of fate needs multiple trials. In the credits for KHX, we see various Disney scenarios that the Player has experienced. Cutscenes unique to the story of that world but instead of seeing the Player we see Ephemer and Skuld. In a single worldline these events can only really happen once so its perplexing to know that every Dandelion’s had the same experience on their travels. Grant it, we know that within the original world, the Disney Worlds were conjured illusions from the book, experiences that had to be accessed and not slave to a singular location. We can accept the multiple iterations of the same Disney Events occurred because it was insulated.

But within the new worldline I have a harder time seeing this as so. The worlds aren’t illusions now but actual worlds of data with a pre-programmed end. I would think like any data-world, they would function as a singular location with a linear timeline. It’s the reason why Maleficent could be trapped in the khux data world. It’s a place regardless of nature. Since we don’t have a credit scene for khux to tell us that these events are being shared among the entire Dandelion population, I am forced to address the meta-narrative.

Every single user in the game is The Player, experiencing the same scenario as Ephemer’s friend and bystander to the new Union Leader drama. Within a single worldline this isn’t possible, but among hypothetically countless iterations of Daybreak Town worldlines this is very much a narrative pathway. So like the credits of KHX see it, we have a the Player serving as a sort of focal point in every worldline experiment. The Player is the variable changed in the experiment. 

Canon Scenarios

Basically every Player character in khux is canon in some form. 

Of course we have to ask about the original worldline. Are we seeing all the Dandelion’s simply hijack the memories and role of a single true Player? Possibly. But that would be retconning the meta-narrative that the original worldline really existed and the characters created in that browser MMO KHX were legitimate to their own worldline. Despite being discontinued, I think the KHX Players were canon to the universe as well. Meaning these worldlines extend beyond the experiment of the khux era. They begin a little earlier than that... we could be looking at multiple layers of stories. 

So I am reminded of a theory I read on a forum that claims that KHX is also a ‘fabricated worldline’ as it derives from a book or written story about the war. This is mainly due to the opening setting of a book opening to set the stage of the browser game. It’s not the actual events but the world created from the telling of the actual events. It’s the origin of the tale Kairi’s Grandma tells her.

Ultimately it’s a commentary on the nature of story telling and how unique the experience of a world is to the eyes of the beholder. Everyone is a main character. Everyone ends up seeing it through the filter of the author. Everyone ends up in the same spot in the end. 

So while KHX the book ‘ends’ with the war, the characters escape and live in a different medium playing through the same book scenarios and attempting to avoid the same conclusion. We then have to wonder... if there’s something more original than the KHX scenario. The iteration of events that happened universally. The history before the history book before the tv adaptation of the history book.

Canon vs Real

And that’s where I think we get a little... nebulous. Who is to say, the KHX ‘book’ is telling the story of something that actually happened? What if the Keyblade War is just a made up story. It’s not real. 

‘But we know it’s real because we’ve seen the graveyard, it exists.’

Well no one said the games we were playing were real. 

So I’m getting meta-catastrophe on everyone (of course) but basically this multi-layered story within a story has to stop somewhere. There’s an author. A real-life scribe who funnels their vision out into the world for the masses to interpret into their own worldlines.  Now whether that person exists within or outside the franchise as a whole is worth a little consideration. 

According to lore, MoM is simple writing down the future as he sees it. He is still the author of the Book of Prophecies and the worlds and stories and characters within that penned book are unique to him. Give that book to a reader and they will read and interpret that in their own way. Pretty soon you have a million entirely duplicated ‘worlds’ in the hearts and imaginations of the readers. Identical in content but different in the nuance and experience. 

Now take that tale told and change the medium,  the manner the story is experienced changes. Make it a computer simulation with data and scenarios. A cutscene movie playing out before you. or a matter of choices given to a specific role. It’s still an experience of the same thing, but maybe the impact is different. Maybe instead of the Disney worlds thriving in the illusions our minds cast, maybe the visual engagement reaches the reader. 

Turn it into a game with stakes and goals. The story is the same, the experience is different. Maybe you die against Demyx a million times or have to listen to the cutscene against your best friend to memorization. It happened. It’s canon because that worldline was created by your heart. 

Everything is fiction. But everything is a fact. 

[crosbyce]

KH3 DLC Trailer and Thoughts

Still can’t believe they put out the same DLC trailer for E3. These guys are getting REAL lazy with KH3 probably because they’re occupied with FF7. Now I really gotta wait for Orchestra. Anyway, here are some of my thoughts on DLC trailer.

Goods/Satisfactions:

1. Higher Stakes: With Young Xehanort’s heavier responsibilities/needs and Luxord’s tension with Xigbar/Luxu, it made the game a lot interesting. I can see how Luxord’s wildcard wasn’t some BS.

2. More playable characters: Finally, we get to play with Roxas. Also more Riku and Aqua time means they can make up for the lack of combat appearances in the main game.

3. Oathkeeper: New Keyblades are always exciting, but this is the real deal. Personally, I prefer that over Oblivion, albeit having both of them would not harm me at all.

4. More stories: There were many empty gaps, in fact TOO many, in the main game. The content for DLC seems promising.

Bads/Concerns:

1. STILL NO KAIRI: I don’t know if this is an incoming surprise or just a lack of caring for her. If there is no proper content about Sora and Kairi, I’ll just assume Kairi is off the grid for Square Enix, one of the main reason I might quit KH after all I did in this account.

2. Cutscene: Not even a half-hour cutscene?! That really doesn’t sound good. I expected more since there is a lot of gaps to fill.

3. Winter release: This is me being impatient but I’m sure y’all feel the same way. Waiting just isn’t good enough. I’d like to see the DLC released sooner.

That’s about it. I’m not being very critical because there is much to be revealed. Only time will show us what Square Enix has in store. What are your thoughts? Comment below and hit that heart button if you feel me. Also, make sure to follow me if you want some Sokai dialogues.

[zdbztumble]

“Kingdom Hearts II revisited” Part III

I had meant to cover the first pass on all the Disney worlds in one post, but this game is just too long, and I have too many notes. For now we’ll just go over everything up to and including Disney Castle/Timeless River. Maybe the second pass can fit into one post.

Going back to KH II after KH III, you notice certain things that would probably have been taken for granted before. One example is how little talk there is about the “world order.” That’s something that’s existed as a concept since the first game, but it isn’t a big deal in the early part of the series. Outside of King Triton knowing about the Keyblade, our heroes never breech it, and there isn’t an excessive amount of pressure to maintain it - unique looks for certain worlds, and line or two is about all the first game spends on the subject. That pattern holds true for the second game. Granted, most of the worlds in KH II are worlds either used or alluded to in KH I, involving numerous characters who are well aware by now about other worlds. But as of this writing, I’ve played through the first pass on Port Royal, which has no such ties, and the closest thing to a mention of the world order is Sora and friends remarking how different the world looks to the others when they first show up. That’s it. If anything, they’re too blase about it in Port Royal, but I’ll come back to that another day.

The point is - the “world order” just wasn’t a major issue in the early games of this series, nor did it need to be. It certainly didn’t need to turn into a one-note running gag of Donald berating Sora for disregarding the world order, especially when Sora - in the limited time given to the subject in these early games - is fairly mindful of it.

And that’s another thing that changed in the time between KH II and III - who’s the butt of the jokes made about the mission. KH III is loaded with characters chastising, critiquing, demeaning, mocking, and castigating Sora, and having been thoroughly retconned into a shonen doofus, Sora unfortunately gives them some justifiable cause (though I would argue it’s still excessive.) But in this game, the butt of the jokes is Donald. And while there is some teasing involved, most of it is without commentary, and comes from Donald doing the same shtick he’s known for in the mainline Disney canon - being hot-tempered, greedy, impulsive, boastful until challenged, or desperate to avoid trouble with Daisy. This works so much better as a source of comic relief. Donald is a character specifically designed to end up with egg on his face, and since he’s not the protagonist, using him as a go-to for comedy doesn’t undermine the credibility of the hero.

Now, onto the Disney worlds themselves...

KH II has been criticized for the way it handles the Disney worlds. It’s been charged that they’re nothing but filler, that this is where the trend of stiff re-tellings of the movie plots began, that Sora is irrelevant in them. At least for these first four, I can’t say I agree on any of those points.

To start with the “filler” charge - look again at Yen Sid’s briefing. He gives Sora a pretty straightforward assessment: the Heartless are back, and there’s also Organization XIII. Looking at the first three Disney worlds, we have one where the Heartless ally with the resident Disney villain, one where a member of Organization XIII is up to something, and one where both the Heartless (in service to Pete, and by extension Maleficent) and Organization XIII are active, demonstrating that they’re at odds, along with the local villain. That flows pretty organically from what Yen Sid tells Sora. It’s such a smooth move from that talk to the Disney worlds, in fact, that it only reinforces my feeling from last time that Hollow Bastion should have been saved for later. You don’t have the interstitial cutscenes of villain plotting that gave KH I a sense of a continuous story; things are more episodic here. But that’s not a bad thing, and it doesn’t mean that any of these worlds are “just” filler - they do logically follow from preceding set-up.

The idea that the worlds do noting but recap the movies is a charge only relevant to one of these first four worlds, the Land of Dragons. And I will admit that, compared to the few KH I levels that did adapt the movie plots rather than create their own, the story content here is closer to the film. But that, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing, provided it’s done correctly. And I would argue that it is done correctly in this game, at least for the Land of Dragons. While the plot holds true to the back half of Mulan, it’s abridged, with appropriate adjustments made to the remaining material to make major character turns and stake escalations work - and to allow the movie material to be in service to the larger KH story. Mushu having been a Summon in KH I gives a great springboard into the action, moments for interplay between the KH characters and the movie characters are well-chosen (Donald picking a fight with the three soldiers comes to mind, though I question Sora’s involvement; similar scenes in later worlds show him being more sensible), and most importantly - the changes mean that Sora is relevant. 

To keep using the Land of Dragons as an example: in that world, it’s now Sora who suggests the way for “Ping” to prove “himself” in the army. He and Mulan make several key decisions together. And the final boss battle has Sora fighting alongside Mulan against the actual villain of the world, not some random Heartless conjured out of nowhere to keep Sora busy while plot keeps rolling without him. The same pattern holds for the Beast’s Castle and Olympus. That the protagonist should matter to the story, and be involved at the point of action in each world of a video game, should be a no-brainer, but this is another example of KH II wonderfully executing a basic idea that later games somehow managed to completely botch.

I have no issues with the pacing of the story material in these worlds either. I have a huge problem with the pacing of something in between these worlds - but we’ll get back to that. If any of them get a little rocky, it’s Olympus - with the three sets of villains running around, things get a little scattershot, which results in things like Auron’s reveal being rather rushed. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing - multiple villains jockeying for their own agendas would leave things rather scattershot. Giving Sora another hint towards Roxas’s identity is a good touch in that world too. I must say, though - Demyx is dumb. Like, really dumb. If you take Organization XIII to be more effective as a unit than as individuals, as I do, then Demyx as the first unmasked boss makes his level of cartoonish idiocy more palatable, and I suppose it fits the tone of the Hercules movie. But he is just so dumb.

Some great little gags and character quirks litter the first four Disney worlds. There’s the re-write of how Mulan gets exposed via Mushu’s big mouth, the fake-out with the wardrobe refusing to tell the Beast’s backstory, Donald being astounded by the talking objects (whereas Sora takes it in stride - remember that the next time you see him getting so worked up over a talking snowman in KH III), Queen Minnie being an absolute badass, and Shang saving the emperor in a way that I think is more impressive than the actual film. And I love that the joint action commands make it easier to finish boss fights while working together with Disney characters.

But if I can start to critique the gameplay now, I would say that things being too easy is a problem with KH II. The “hallway” complaint about the world design is an apt one, making the maps rather bland to navigate despite being pretty to look at. There’s also the problem of special tasks not offering the variety and challenge one might like from them. Lighting the lanterns in Beast’s Castle is a great example. That’s a puzzle, with a literal ticking clock. It could have been a fun bit of gameplay, very different from the usual Heartless battles...if the lanterns were in any way difficult to find, or spaced out to really push the clock to the limit. Instead, it’s such an easy exercise that I have to wonder why they even bothered putting it in. (I will say, though, that Beast’s Castle’s first pass offers up a wonderfully creative boss that does present a decent challenge - moreso in its first stage than its second, but still a fun fight.)

On the other hand, I think the AI for battle partners took a step back with this game. Now, my experience with the KH AI has never matched up to common opinion, so I’m not claiming this as an objective problem with the game. All I can tell you is that, customized properly, Donald in KH I has always been a reliable battle partner for me, while Donald in KH II spams spells and wastes items no matter how I work his settings.

And there are few things about the gameplay that just irk me. The lack of logic behind why some party members drop out at given points is one (really, why would “Ping” not help you fight the swarm on the mountain?) and the changes to magic are another. I love to use magic in these games, but something about it here just isn’t as satisfying. Fire as a close-range defensive spell is just wrong.

But those are, if not exactly nitpicks, relatively minor complaints. The game is still fun to play, after all. There are larger issues - story issues - within these first few Disney worlds.

To start with the smallest one - my problems with Sora’s character remain. He is, for the most part, attentive to duty and a competent, charismatic presence for the other characters to follow, as he was in KH I and CoM. But every now and again, the signs of what’s to come crop up. I mentioned him joining Donald in the brawl in the Land of Dragons already, but it’s more a problem of attitude - just how lighthearted and casual he can be toward his latest adventure. I grant you that, at this point in the game, nothing except possibly Maleficent’s infiltration of Disney Castle would indicate to Sora that the stakes are anywhere near as high as they were last time. And his greatest lapses into this attitude happen in Olympus and Disney Castle, two worlds based around comic Disney titles. But with hindsight, it’s hard not to watch those moments and cringe, because of what they led to. Sora in this game is oddly split, with one-and-a-half feet still back with who he was initially, and half a foot over the line to shonen doofus, and the dichotomy is very strange to see play out.

The big pacing issue I mentioned before is caused by our old friend Winnie the Pooh. The first game may have compelled you to at least start on his storybook, but in nowhere as obtrusive a manner as is done here. To be forcibly yanked from the world traveling, just as a nice flow is going, is maddening. Chances are good that many players (me among them) would have happily played the storybook minigames even if they were optional, so there was no need for this. KH II having the Heartless attempting to steal the book gives a better motivation to jump into it than KH III’s effort, but that isn’t saying much. And it doesn’t help that, at the end of the day, collecting the torn pages is a retread of the first game’s plot for Pooh. There is a clear variation on the theme, with the goal being to restore Pooh’s memory. I’ll even give them some credit for, perhaps inadvertently, giving Pooh a thematic connection to what Sora went through in CoM. But the end result is the same - find pages, find the characters within the pages, play the minigame. Given that repetitive nature to the book’s set-up, and its intrusive drag on the greater plot, I have to say that I think Pooh should have been retired after the first game - something I don’t say with any great fondness, as I love Pooh’s world in KH I.

I also love the way Belle and the Beast are used in KH I, and still question their presence in this game. That is based on one very basic problem, one that has plagued Disney in every attempt they’ve made to do something with the animated Beauty and the Beast since the original film: it’s not a story meant for prequels, sequels, or midquels.

It’s the midquel that Disney has tried multiple times, and by its nature, Beauty and the Beast just can’t support them. The Beast can only generate conflict with Belle by remaining beastly for so long in that setting before it undermines the believability of his shift, and romantic tension can’t exist between him and Belle any earlier than it does in the original film without undermining the ticking clock of the rose. The midquels Disney made ignore both these issues, and turn Belle into a much more gentle and passive character than she was in the original movie - someone more like a counselor or social worker for the Beast than a prisoner-turned-friend, and someone actively trying to “fix” him, an unpleasant spectacle in more ways than one.

Pretty much the only way to effectively tell another story with Belle and the Beast is what KH I did - take those two characters out of their own story, with all its internal logic and constraints, and use them in someone else’s. Fans of Beauty and the Beast can bring their attachment to those characters to KH I without the baggage of the plot, and no more is done with those characters except what is needed for Sora’s story. It let two of the best Disney heroes be a part of this fantastic crossover experiment, and it didn’t betray anything that fans loved about their personalities or the integrity of their film’s story.

KH II is a different story. I can appreciate that, with Kingdom Hearts creating alternate versions of every Disney world brought into its orbit, I can’t hold the story material in Beast’s Castle to the same standard as I would those horrendous midquels. We aren’t told that Belle is any kind of prisoner, for one thing, and the timeline may be very different. But the enchanted objects are all here. The ballroom and the west wing are all present. The backstory of the Beast is the same. And the rose - and its rules - are the same. The level of romantic tension shown between Belle and the Beast by the end of the first pass on their world just doesn’t jive with that ticking clock.

I was prepared to say a lot about the Beast’s behavior in this world too, but playing through it again - I do get what they were going for. His demonstration of cleverness, taking preemptive action to protect his friends in case Xaldin proved as devious as he seemed and corrupted the Beast, is well laid-out. The wording of the dialogue undermines the content of his scenes. But...that dialogue is really bad out of context. And Belle, as she is in all those midquels, is much too passive here compared to the film.

However, the biggest problem I had with any of these first four worlds on a story level was the Timeless River.

Not Disney Castle proper - that’s all amazing stuff. If one could have guessed that there would be Heartless battles there when it finally became a world, I don’t think it was as easy to guess that it would be an immediate issue, or that Maleficent herself would strike at the center of the world. It’s a wonderful bit of story and world-building, all of that.

But the Timeless River is another instance where I can see a trend getting worse, and in this case it’s the trend of pointless mystery. There is absolutely no in-world reason for Merlin not to tell Sora that he’ll be going into the past. Not telling him only leads to misunderstandings and wasted time once Sora gets there. The only reason Merlin doesn’t say anything is because, if he did, the gimmick of finding out that they’re in the past via those windows into Pete’s mind wouldn’t work. But it’s so obvious that they’re in the past, so early in the stage, that it strains credulity that Sora and the others can’t figure it out. If Sora remaining ignorant of his ties to Roxas is an example of denying a protagonist knowledge the player has done right, this is an example of that concept done very, very wrong. This series’ love affair with pointless “mystery” without any internal logic only strengthened with time, but it’s more painfully felt here for me, because the Timeless River is a wonderful idea for a stage and is loaded with charm. I couldn’t give a shit about a lot of the cryptic mumbo-jumbo surrounding Organization XIII’s members in this or future titles, but to saddle a beautiful Disney world with this kind of crap really gets under my skin.

One mystery that I would like an answer to, though: why is the Gummi route leading to Olympus the one themed after a ghost pirate ship?

[nadziejastar]

Boyy , Sora’s personality in KH3. Really grated on my nerves.

Nomura: One of the concepts behind the KH series is that the main character Sora isn’t special, he’s just a normal boy. Yes he does have connections with Ventus’ heart, among others, but he hasn’t inherited anything from them. He’s just a normal boy you could find anywhere. I wanted to make Sora a character that the player could take onto themselves and feel that you don’t have to be special. But connect to many people and you will realize your secret potential. With BbS I want to make fans excited to see Sora’s return. The secret event is a symbol of that, so I hope everyone will get to see it and wait for Sora’s next adventure.

He really, REALLY got on my nerves, too. When I played KH3 I finally understood why Nomura said he didn’t like Sora anymore. He was very annoying, and I didn’t feel that way in any of the past games. I think the biggest reason I found him so obnoxious was that it didn’t feel like he was taking his quest very seriously, despite the stakes being higher than ever.

Nomura: The data that Ansem has hidden within Sora is the secret to that revival. When Ansem had become DiZ, and studied the heart and emotions, the results he found he hid within Sora. There are a lot of people who thought that Coded was about finding those results, but that’s not true. The ending of Coded was about finding out that DiZ had done something to Sora, as Namine said, finding out about the data that Ansem hid. What that data is will be revealed in the next game. Two more games aside from KHIII are in the works.

He was hyped up as “the key”. Xemnas called him “the connection.” Everyone said his name out loud in Blank Points. They were all counting on him. Yet, he wasn’t trying very hard to learn the power of waking. Donald and Goofy had to constantly remind him to “stay motivated”. He felt like a Saturday morning cartoon character. Sora always was kinda ditzy, but he felt a LOT more airheaded in KH3. I found him sweet and endearing in past games. But in KH3, I just wanted him to shut up most of the time. I sympathized with Donald who also got fed up with his shit. I think Nomura was probably venting his feelings through Donald.

Lea ended up playing an unexpected role. I was wondering what was running through your mind when you thought to make him a Keyblade wielder.Nomura: I figured since he had returned to being human, he wouldn’t have much luck bringing back the people he wanted without some sort of power. Throwing his chakrams doesn’t really count. (Laughs)

Sadly, I think Sora’s character was a victim of the botched story, just like Lea was. Lea got a Keyblade because he was supposed to need it to bring back what he lost with the power of waking. Ansem the Wise said he left his data inside of Sora due to his immense love for other people. It was Sora’s job to figure out what that data was all about, so he could save everyone. He wasn’t supposed to be wandering around aimlessly for the whole game. He was supposed to actually have a goal in those Disney worlds. He was supposed to be looking for clues about the power of waking, a.k.a the Key to Return Hearts.

Nomura: Namine added data to the Jiminy Journal in order to convey that the “pain” of those connected to Sora must be healed, but at the point in time Ansem hid the research results inside Sora, he didn’t know that. Accordingly, Ansem’s research results will become the key to healing the “pain” in the future of the story.

All that stuff about him losing his “strength” after he failed his Mark of Mastery exam was such a load of nonsense. Sora certainly didn’t feel underpowered to me. He could summon a gigantic choo choo train pretty much from the start! He needed to ask Hercules about how he got his strength back because that’s pretty much when he used the power of waking. Sora and friends were trying to figure out how to rescue Aqua from the Realm of Darkness.

Nomura: There are two possible meanings of the “key.” One of which is the “hardware” key, which opens doors - this is what keys are in general (laughs), and the other is the “light” key, that opens something else. In this case, it is currently unknown as to which type of key Sora must find. This is the main storyline of KINGDOM HEARTS III - Sora must go on an adventure to find the “key” without knowing what or where it is. But as you know, we can’t really say anything else on the subject (laughs).

So, since Hercules saved Meg from the Underworld, he would be a good person to ask for advice, right? That’s obviously why he went to Olympus first. But since the power of waking was rendered irrelevant to the story, Sora was asking about how Hercules got his “strength” back, as if he wanted to get stronger in battle. No, no, no, you idiot. You’re supposed to be looking for the power to restore hearts. Instead of taking his mission seriously, we got scenes of Sora going around flexing his muscles and acting like a complete moron. It felt like he was not accomplishing anything, nor did he seem to care. He acted like a 5-year-old.

Nomura: In that scene the ones who are calling for “Sora” are the ones who have already disappeared from the world. But in the world of KH there is no concept of death, that for example they are just sleeping within Sora’s heart. If you can just wake them up, they’ll be able to return to the world, they would be “born from sleep”. That there would be a possibility of this, is what Ansem the Wise is saying. Even Aqua, who isn’t in the realm of light, would be born from sleep.

It didn’t even feel like Sora was trying to find a a way to bring Ventus back. I don’t know why nobody really talked about him, when in Re:Coded Mickey apparently knew where he was. The fact is that Xehanort was planning to bring about the end of the world. They needed to find the 7 Guardians of Light to prevent that. That was their most important goal. Mickey knew he, Sora, and Riku and were Guardians of Light. He knew the Wayfinder Trio were, too. That’s six. But since Terra was Norted, he couldn’t fulfill his role and was being used as a Darkness instead. So, Kairi took his spot and Lea was the final one. Those are the key players. 

Nomura: The power of waking is essentially “the power to put sleeping hearts back the way they were.” But the impact of forcing his friends’ fading hearts back the way they were rewrote reality, and created a singularity. The rewrite caused the chronology in which they were destroyed to have “never happened.”

That’s what Sora should have been focusing on. I couldn’t wrap my mind around why Sora was blowing off his mission to worry about Roxas and finding a Replica for him, but not making the connection that Roxas looks exactly like Ventus. Ya know, that missing Guardian of Light you’re supposed to be looking for? Did nobody bother to tell him? And why was Sora “looking for” Roxas in Twilight Town when he knew that Roxas went back inside of him? Didn’t Ienzo just tell him that? Sora didn’t even really bring Roxas (or anyone else) back, anyways. They just conveniently poofed back into existence. The power of waking wasn’t even needed. Sora did nothing to heal anyone's pain.

Nomura: I actually don’t sympathize or empathize with Sora at all. I think I’m closer to those characters (Ansem and Xehanort), so Sora is like my enemy. How I always think of him is I would unleash my attacks on him, and then I draw him in a way that I think he will be able to make a comeback at me. In that sense, I really think that Sora is just like an opposite personality character to who I am.

Despite Nomura hyping up Sora’s triumphant return as the protagonist, he spent the whole journey goofing off and learning nothing. That’s bad enough. But then he got forcefully inserted into everyone else’s moments when he didn’t belong. Aqua was supposed to use the power of waking on Ventus. She wasn’t supposed to get knocked unconscious in battle. She was supposed to go into a trance to enter Ven’s heart. SHE was supposed to wake him up, not Sora. And Ventus was supposed to use the power of waking on Terra. Not Sora flicking his Keyblade and magically restoring him. He never even met Terra. Sora never lost his power of waking, but it still didn’t feel like he earned it. KH3 was supposed to be about Sora learning this power in order to wake the lost Guardians of Light from their slumber. Not black boxes, not time travel, and not fucking Replicas.

[ambris]

MAJOR KH3 SPOILERS BELOW

Now that I beat the game I wanna give my biggest thoughts on it. But fair warning, it’s a rather negative review.

Sorry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Honest to god I’m a bit disappointed. What I’m not sure of is, was this how KH always was, and I’m just more cynical? Maybe. I’d have to replay at least KH2 to be sure--but I really don’t think that’s the case.

My experience with KH3 went from excitement and optimism, to general acceptance, to sheer disappointment over the course of the game.

KH3 had the veneer of the epic sprawling non-sense that I love about the series, but none of the sincerity behind it. The finale involved a rapid-fire series of resolutions for every hanging plot point, and a generally instant reversal of events that were heartbreaking and tragic in previous games--without the hardship and narrative buildup to EARN that payoff.

In a word, it was cheap.

Xion’s tragic sacrifice? Eh, she’s back now--that was easy. Terra’s loss to corruption, nah he got better. Oh yeah, whatever happened to Namine? She doesn’t even get the 3 minute COMPLETE RESOLUTION that the others get--just a short clip in credits sequence.

Aqua’s rescue arguably had the best build up, but for the sheer amount of drama the trailer created about her being corrupted, in the actual game saving her was just a simple bossfight.

I expected KH3 to be at least as epic as KH2--that’s all I really wanted. But ironically, KH2, with relatively smaller scope and stakes still felt like a bigger richer experience and a climax that moved me.

KH3 feels like Tetsuya Nomura decided that he was done with the series, and just wanted to wrap everything up in one go, dramatic pacing be damned. Considering the teasers at the end of KH3, that may not be true, but it sure felt like it.

The visual direction and the voice acting are flawless in convey the high emotion I expect from this series, but in the writing there’s nothing to build it up. I know what you might be thinking: “Lol, criticizing Kingdom’s writing”, but KH3 isn’t even following it’s own pattern. Yes, I know the series has non-sense logic and wild mystic babble--but I don’t care. It’s lack of consistency is internally consistent. But what really drives KH’s story is the melodrama. None of the characters are deep or complex, but man they sure do feel big feels. And that’s always been the case. Seeing these characters act out their big feelings and literally changing the world around them by FEELING SO MUCH was always the most emotionally moving part of KH.

But KH3 seems to have forgotten that, and merely goes through the same paces without understanding it’s own method that’s worked in the past. You can’t have ultimate tragic finale wherein characters sacrifice themselves to set right the world (like Xion and Roxas) only for them to conveniently be okay, with pretty much zero effort on the characters.

All the drama associated with these characters in previous games, whole climaxes dedicated to them--just to have all the adverse affects resolved in about 30 minutes of KH3 (and they have to share). It’s narrative equivalent of slow-cooking a quality roast for a day, only to put it on white bread with mayo and ketchup.

And it’s damn disappointing.

A major separate but related criticism is just the sheer neglect Kairi’s character gets. She spends all of KH1 in the fridge, and the rest of the franchise sitting on a beach doing nothing but soulfully thinking of Sora (meanwhile he’s off having adventure and only sometimes thinking about her). Kinda typical sexist dynamic, but whatever, the early 2000s was a different time.

KH2 ends with us knowing that Kairi can summon keyblade now and COOL. SHE’S GONNA BE RELEVANT NOW. Then she spends the entirety of KH3 training, none of which we actually get to see, so she’s effectively fridged again; all we see her do is sit on a rock and soulfully think of Sora--or be emotional support to another male character, Lea.

The whole hyperbolic time-chamber training for her is silly, but I’m willing to accept it if it allows her to get in the conflicts and be relevant. But when the time comes SHE DOES NOTHING but get captured and once again be someone Sora has to rescue.

The process of teasing her to be relevant, only to go right back to the same dynamic is worse than if they had just committed to keeping her a goal post.

I have so much more to say, but this has gone on long enough and I figure this review will negatively received by most anyway, so I’ll just leave it at that.

However, I feel utterly dissatisfied by KH3. It had so much potential, and it flubbed it all.

[phoenix-downer]

Aqua’s TGS Scene Analysis Part 2

Time to gush, because every moment of this short scene was downright gorgeous. KH3 is looking incredibly cinematic with its choice of camera angles, so let’s look into that more below.

First, the scene opens on Aqua, or more accurately, Aqua’s feet. 

Immediately this shot tells us several things: first, that Aqua is who we’re looking at here (her shoes are very distinctive), second, that she’s in the realm of darkness on the Dark Margin, a location familiar by now to KH fans, and third, she appears to be standing on water.

Right off the bat, the scene has a mystical, ethereal feel. Sure, it might be shallow water, but I’d like to think she is actually standing on water of a decent depth here. The normal laws of physics don’t apply - either this place is otherworldly or Aqua is no longer human herself. Perhaps both.

The choice to focus on her feet first instead of her face is likely intentional. More on that later.

Note also that this place holds special significance for her. This is where she met Ansem the Wise in Blank Points. 0.2 aside, this is where she first heard about Sora and learned about all he had done for the worlds. This is the place she found hope again and said Sora’s name in an almost reverent manner.

And this is where she finally meets him face-to-face. The boy she’d heard so much about. The boy she’d put her hope in. He’s finally here with her in the realm of darkness, after all this time. 

The location they chose was entirely intentional and holds deep significance. Sora came to her in the depths of her misery and anguish, all so he can pull her out of it.

I’m already getting emotional.

Anyway, continuing.

There’s a quick camera pan up her legs and back, showcasing just how much she’s been through and what she has become. Her clothes are tattered, her skin is turning black, and her hair is a whiteish silver. She’s in a pitiful state, and the quick movement of the camera is meant to emphasize the shock and tragedy of her condition.

Then, she whirls around and we finally see her face and eyes. They are golden, indicating her fall to darkness, and her face is filled with fury. She has Mickey’s Keyblade in her hand (which she likely stole), and the camera zooms out to show most of her body. The angle is low, which makes her tower over the viewer in an intimidating manner. Notice she is still wielding her Keyblade in her usual graceful, elegant movements.

Now, I can’t help but wonder if this moment is from a different scene from the next part, but it’s hard to say. Her dialogue, analyzed here, is the same as the snippet we saw in the longer TGS Big Hero 6 trailer. The important takeaways are that she’s incredibly angry and that she’s using the plural pronoun for you, indicating that she is most likely addressing more than one person here. Maybe Riku and Mickey?

Indeed, previous promotional material would lead us to believe this was the case. 

The next shot is of her torso and upper body. The camera lingers on her for several moments, showing off her red-tipped fingers and tainted skin and clothes.

Other people have theorized she’s turning into a Darkling...

...and that may very well be the case. Note the red fingertips, the tattered clothes, the yellow eyes. The camera certainly draws attention to her hands, poised as they are for battle. 

The camera also lingers on her to build tension, to make the viewer anticipate who will be her opponent(s). Riku and Mickey, right?

Wrong. Imagine our shock when we were greeted with this shot instead:

Sora? Sora is the one fighting her? But what happened to Riku and Mickey? The camera anticipates our shock; it lingers on Sora and Aqua; it frames them on opposite ends of the screen with a wide shot and the Dark Margin spreading out behind them. We know they are important, but the sheer scale of the scenery behind them paints their struggle in broad, epic strokes.

Much like Aqua, Sora is also standing on top of the water. We’ve seen him perform such a feat before, at The End of the World in the first game. It likewise had an ethereal, otherworldly appearance befitting its mystical nature.

Why does this battle take place on top of water? Well, likely for a number of reasons. First, Aqua’s name means water, so there’s the obvious connection between her name and the stage of the battlefield. 

Second, walking on top of water is associated with the miraculous, with making the impossible possible. Sora is going to try to do just that by going up against her, not to destroy her, but to save her. If Aqua is indeed becoming a Darkling, note that the only other person turned Heartless anyone has ever tried to save (to our knowledge) is Sora. Kairi rescued him by turning him human again, and now Sora is going to try to save Aqua by reversing whatever has happened to her.

It could also symbolize how powerful they have both become, powerful enough to walk on water as they fight against each other.

Lastly, water symbolizes cleansing and purifying, and her heart needs both of those things to be free of the darkness and grief she is trapped in.

Looking at this part again, note how tense Sora is. He’s leaning forward, his arms extended and knees bent. Aqua has her weapon but he does not have his. His stance is almost defensive, whereas she stands tall. The tension builds and builds as he just faces her down, almost like he doesn’t really want to do this.

Then the camera changes to a closer view of him.

Note we’re looking down from him at a slight angle here. His face and the position of his body are visible. He almost looks as if he has just landed and is steadying himself.

Which begs the question, did he jump down from somewhere? Did he dodge an earlier attack from her? What happened before this moment? Edit to add: Could this battle be taking place inside of Aqua’s heart? Does Sora’s position and body language potentially indicate he just dove into her heart right before this? (Credit to @a-crack-in-the-universe for bringing this up). It would also explain how he and Aqua are able to stand on water.

Plus, as @a-crack-in-the-universe mentioned, Aqua has spent so much time in the realm of darkness that it’s possible her heart has changed to reflect that. If this is the case, it’s interesting to note that the Dark Margin is what her heart looks like now, implying that this is where she thinks she belongs - in the darkness, alone. It’s a huge contrast to the innermost depths of Sora’s heart, which reflects a bright, beautiful day on Destiny Islands.

And the Dark Margin is also significant because, again, it’s where she heard about Sora. Perhaps Sora’s very presence is enough to influence how her heart’s landscape chooses to manifest itself, if this is indeed taking place inside of her heart.

Anyway, going back to Sora.

He hesitates for a moment, further building the tension as the viewer wonders what he will do. There is no dialogue between him and Aqua during this part; there is nothing more to say. In fact, he is noticeably silent throughout this entire part, even though she had a line at the beginning (that is possibly from another scene altogether). Either he will act or he won’t, and further dialogue would take away from the moment.

Then he moves his arms into a battle stance and summons his weapon at last. Sora will do whatever it takes to save her, and if that means fighting her, then so be it. Note the determined look on his face as he steels himself for the fight. 

Last, the camera goes back to Aqua and zooms out as the two prepare to fight each other. 

Once again, the epic scale of their battle is reflected in the quick camera zoom to a wide shot that shows just how small they are compared to the sheer size of the Dark Margin. The choral music playing in the background is likewise effective in conveying the stakes of this battle.

Note there is no battle loading screen; the game just transitions smoothly into the battle from here.

Hopefully the moment below (from the TGS long trailer) is from after the battle. 

Perhaps Aqua falls beneath the water and Sora reaches down and pulls her up, going back to that idea that water = cleansing and purification.

Or this could all just be symbolic, but hey, who knows?

Gifs created from this video.

Part 1 is here.

[airyravenmaid]

Eye Contact

Back at it again at Krispy Kreme with more FF Versus XV bullshit. This one’s kinda wonky and really bizarre since the AU overall ties in with a KH crossover I helped make up along with personal headcanons, but can also standalone for a FFXV AU in itself. I’m just clearing that up since there is a part mentioned towards the end that nods to a world the Chocobros went to as one of their many “world detours” en route to the one they needed to go to in order to establish diplomatic relations with a potential sister kingdom also of light. ...Oh, and there are implications of another headcanon regarding a certain Immortal Marshal, but that’s a popular HC in itself, so that goes without saying. So, yeah, sorry for that; just warning y’all so you don’t get confused and want me burned at the stake.

Alright, alright, that’s enough idiotic justification rambling from me; I’m already buzzed as is and can hardly think right anyways lol. Just enjoy the crazy piece I wrote so I can try and work on the next tone. This one’s not Lightis and is more platonic bc Light’s making fray-ends with these dumb boys :3c. Maybe I can write more of her befriending the others, but we’ll see. ‘Til then, here’s this one and happy reading for those who see this! 💘

Staring back at Prompto from the caravan bathroom mirror was himself, but more clouded. He only blamed it on having just gotten up and dressed for the day not too long ago, figuring he’d taken care of everything he needed to per his morning routine. The very sight of his dull, everyday mirror reflection made him sigh a tad forlornly, but realizing the time to go was imminent only had him slap two hands to his cheeks once. Putting on his more traditional smile, Prompto gave the mirror two thumbs up as enough motivation to start the day right. No prob! He could do this, he could do this!

Upon going to exit the vicinity for the fresher outside world, Prompto rubbed whatever lingering weariness stuck by away from his eyes to clear his vision. When things still looked slightly blurry as before, he gulped. Fumbling through his smallest bag, he dug for what he thought was taken care of already. Pulling out two connected circles he knew to be his contact lenses case, Prompto opened it to find it empty, to his panic.

“Maybe I’ve still got my spares…?” Prompto hoped, rummaging through the bag to try and find more disposable lenses. He found the source box, but opening it only gave him an empty container and an expectation for a very rough day ahead. “You’ve gotta be kidding me! I’m out already?!”

“Prompto, what’s the hold up in there?” Gladio called from outside. “We gotta move!”

“Be right out! Just— making sure I didn’t forget anything is all!”

“Then do one last good check and hurry. We haven’t got all day either!”

Prompto in response called out a playfully affirmative “Aye, aye, Big Guy!” before going to search what he could of something to counteract his flawed eyesight. There was a definite solution on him, he knew, but the glasses case buried somewhere on his possession was considered a dead last resort. Otherwise, those days of having them as his sole option were over and done with. His investigation was thorough, but unfortunately, his results came up fruitless with no lenses available.

Giving up, he exited the caravan to catch up with the other four and hurry into the vacant passenger’s seat in the Regalia before it finally drove off along the world around it. His only hope now was for supplies to be low enough for warranting a pit stop at the nearest store of some sorts, or at least somewhere he can pick up some new spares. Luckily in recent days, he’d been thoroughly reminded to digitally order replacements by a certain team strategist, but there was no telling when the chance to claim them would come. A gunsman’s aim-precise eyes certainly depended on excellent vision, and in a way, so did the entire team.

“So! Ignis, where’s our next destination?” Prompto asked next to him, knowing subtlety was key in his strategy to get his lens replacements. “Anything we gotta do first?”

“Actually, our first order of business is none too far from the Disc of Cauthess,” Ignis noted. “Seems we’ve run low on a few things, and waiting to get them is out of the question.”

“I couldn’t agree more! The sooner, the better; the more supplies, the merrier! So, no need to wait on it.”

“What’s your hurry for?” Lightning inquired, suspicious. “It’s just a run-of-the-mill supply run. We’ve done them hundreds of times.”

“Oh, I know that, it’s just, umm… you never know what you’ll find there that’s useful. And I’m just curious on what’s ‘in store’ for us.”

Lightning rolled her eyes at the quip and slouched back a bit further in her seat. “I guess. Whatever floats your boat, Prompto.”

Prompto knew the excuse was flimsier than wet paper, but if it got Lightning to not interrogate him any further thanks to her lack of concern, then he wasn’t gonna complain anytime soon. His secret plot was to rightfully claim his contact lenses in the proper place, find a place to hide and put them in, and the others would remain none the wiser without being slowed down in the slightest. Until then, however, he’d be stuck in the car unable to so much as fully enjoy the moving sights around him. And what photographer could be truly happy at being unable to see the full, beautiful world that made their digital easel? So much as thinking about it made him more antsy than usual, Prompto exerting it in the form of impatiently bouncing his leg due to only so much space in the Regalia.

He was too distracted by his hasty need for his contacts that he didn’t notice the sky blue eyes of Lightning staring a hole in his skull from the seat behind him. The only feeling compelling her to stare was her good old friend skepticism. Though definitely none of her direct concern, Prompto seemed up to something. But, what was it? That answer she didn’t quite know just yet.

Ignis pulled the car up next to one of the gas tanks, his suggestion to Noctis and Gladio on filling it up for the road taken without much question from either. Lightning got up to stretch her legs and see if anything was of necessary interest in the Mini-Mart, while Prompto went a little further a distance to see if his guess was correct. To his relief, he found what he’d expected to be in the area’s vicinity. It didn’t let him stray so far from the others that the Regalia was out of sight, but it was still a bit of a walk away on its own.

Okay, en-bee-dee, Prompto kept reassuring himself. Just a little trip to the nearest little pharmacy; in and out, then nothing happened from the others’ perspective. Walking in was a lot easier when only strangers he didn’t feel as self-conscious around were also minding their own business like he was non-existent. They were oblivious to who he was as a person and everything; the perfect getaway, he could say! In and out, then he’s run about!

“Hello, Sir, how may I help you?” the optical center clerk greeted. “Are you here to pick up something?”

“Yeah. I’ve got my prescription,” Prompto told them, surrendering the proof that he was medically approved to be there. “I’m here for my spares.”

The clerk looked it over carefully, nodding once the written prescription was validated and approved. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be right back out with the brand. It’s the monthly ones, right?”

“Yup! I know they say ‘daily is healthy’, but… turns out it depends on the person.” Prompto let out a laugh under his breath. That was certainly not an agonizing road he wanted to go back down again. Better safe than sorry!

The clerk took about as long as they’d promised. In “Prompto Time”, however, it felt as though every second passed was a minute wasted. He nervously clung to the hope of the others not having gotten done sooner and were presently waiting on their energetic youngest member. Just when it felt like forever had almost gone by him, back came the solution to his trouble of the day. Prompto mutely sighed in relief, thanking them while taking his new supply of contact lenses and handling what he needed to in regards to officially purchasing them.

So as not to risk hitting the road blind as a bat, Prompto hurried into the nearest bathroom to put them in his eyes. In accordance with his process, Prompto removed no more than his fingerless gloves and washed the hands underneath. His studded wristbands got a bit damp from the watery suds, but he couldn’t have cared less. Under the warm gusts of the hand dryer his palms went, rubbing each other all over to eliminate every layer of water.

And now… the harder part he dreaded so much. Two tiny dome-shaped, colorless terrors waiting to torture Prompto until he was to manage in getting them over the two most sensitive organs in his head. Nonetheless, he opened the box and took out the first pair, peeling off their wrapping and concentrating on his reflection. One wrong move, and it’d be over for him and his vision. Spreading his first pair of lids apart with his thumb and pointer finger, Prompto used the other index one to use as an applicator.

“Just a little further…” Prompto gulped, shakily pressing the contact more towards the rim surrounding the stressed lavender-blue of his eye. When it got too close, he wound up giving into fear and setting his finger down to let him blink for relief. “Wait, okay, time out! I need a second…”

“You did remember to wash your hands first, right?” the sudden voice of Ignis asked from behind, startling Prompto into nearly poking his eye out with the younger’s shriek.

“Ignis! Dude, don’t do that! But, yes, I washed my hands, I promise. What— are you doing here, by the way?”

“Tracking down my AWOL friend, who I knew to be running a bit low on his own supplies. Did you find what you needed?”

“Yep! Should be good for a long while!” Prompto looked behind Ignis, even near spots most wouldn’t detect so easily. “Nobody… followed you, did they? Like say…”

“If it’s Light you’re worried about seeing you, then no, she’s waiting in the car. Even if she had followed me, I believe you’d be more than safe in the men’s bathroom.”

“Right, right! Just making sure is all! You never know, you know…?”

“I ‘know’ that there’s also no harm in her finding out about your poor eyesight. I doubt she’d care too much if she knew, anyways.”

“Well, sure, but… let’s just say some things are just better off totally left behind without the reminder. And besides, there’s no harm in not telling her, either! For now, ignorance is bliss.”

“At least, until she gets too suspicious and finds out one way or another. You aren’t exactly among the best at ‘acting natural’, Prompto. Especially when you’re nervous.”

Prompto dismissed the notion, working on getting the first lens into his eye. “I’ll be fine, Iggy. What Light will never know won’t hurt her~.”

“One way or another, something’s bound to happen. But, on the subject. These lenses? They are not meant to be worn to sleep.”

In response, Prompto first let out a mock-buzzer noise while crossing his arms into an X-shape. “Wrong, Iggy! I was sure to get the monthly ones that are a little safer. Besides, that was like one time I did that!” Seeing the raised brow on Ignis’ forehead made Prompto backtrack, knowing he’d been seen right through like glass. “...Plus— okay, maybe two others, but I know that now! Thanks… anyways, though. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

“I’ve enough faith in you to uphold that, but also give your eyes time to ‘breathe’ to be at your safest. And, do know that there’s no harm in a certain someone learning something new.”

Ignis left Prompto to finish putting his contacts in peacefully, having no need to tell him where to go afterwards. One down, the other to go. His fingers were shaky, but gripped the lens for dear life to do everything in his power not to drop it. At a snail’s pace, towards the other eye it went until its rim made a perfect contact around the iris. Winking a few times to get the plastic to stick, Prompto moved both eyes back and forth behind his lids, settling on a good enough feel for the new contacts in place.

“Ah, that’s better,” Prompto sighed, happy to see everything clearer than before. “Thank the Six for ‘boneless glasses’ to make my life just a little easier!”

Cleaning out his contact lens case with enough disinfecting solution and putting them in the Armiger’s storage system for ultimate safety, Prompto looked both ways and around on the outside of the men’s room. When the coast was clear, he shuffled out of the store uttering the appropriate “stealth music” as if a spy on a deathly mission. He ducked around some of the aisle shelves to hide himself occasionally, holding a long note once at the entrance before springing out of the building.

“Haha! Completely nailed it!” Prompto boasted, hurrying his way back to the Coernix Station - Cauthess while looking back at the pharmacy he’d escaped from. “And just in time to hit the— ROAD!”

“There you are,” Lightning said, knuckles on her hips and slightly hunched forward to show more of her disapproval at the spooked boy. “Missed you at the shop. Where’d you decide to wander off to?”

“N— Oh, nowhere, Light! The shop just didn’t have what I needed to pick up, so I found someplace else!” Prompto grew even more anxious at the well-known glare being as strong as ever thrown right at him. “I’m telling the truth! I didn’t go too far!”

“You’re up to something, Argentum.”

“Yeah, I am. I’d say about… five-foot-eight? Not as tall as Gladio or Ignis, but you’ve got a little catching up to do—”

“—You know what I mean, don’t be wise. What are you hiding?”

“Me? I’d never hide a thing, ma’am! I’m Prompto ‘Open Book’ Argentum, that’s me!”

“If you’re such an open book, then you’ve got no reason to be so scared of telling me the truth. What is it, already? Spill it.”

Just then, the savior in the form of the Regalia pulled up and honked the horn, courtesy of Noctis driving up front. “You two having fun over there? Whatever you’re talking about can be said in the car, too.”

“Can it, Prince,” Lightning hissed coldly, getting in one of the two remaining seats. “This conversation isn’t over, Prompto. I’m letting you know that now.”

Gulping, Prompto sat himself down in the car, giving Noctis wordless permission to drive onwards again. Thankfully, he was separated from Lightning in the back thanks to Gladio sitting between them. A bit of a tight fit considering how large the man was, but nothing close to “excruciatingly unbearable”. Even with a living barrier between them, Prompto got chills tingling his spine in the worst way possible whenever he was faced the brunt of Lightning’s infamous staredown. Six, if looks could kill, then he’d have been vaporized by now for gazing directly at such a goddess in woman form that had as much beauty as she did perseverance. All he had to do for the time being was work his way around her suspicion until she forgot about it enough, and he’d be home free! After all, how hard could that be to try and get away with…?

The next time they stopped for a while to camp out later on in the day, Prompto sought the opportunity to celebrate his new contact lenses. He did so in the form of, what else, taking advantage of the exquisite outdoor scenery. Letting everyone else know he’d return in due time, Prompto set off to a remote area of the woods with his camera in hand, on the hunt for whatever might catch his eye and become a future memory of the past. Such a moment would be even better with someone else there to also experience the magic with him, but— as much as he’d rather stay far away from the nastier parts of it— nature was bound to have something to tickle his fancy within it.

Prompto took in everything about his surroundings to see what he could do for his little “indie photo op”, as he’d put it before stepping away from camp. Tripod, check. Camera, obvious. Light source? “On fleek”! Angling? Top-notch! Alright, everything was in place and nothing nearby that he could see to mess it up. Selecting his first snapshot spot, Prompto positioned his beloved camera in its standing hold, setting the timer for when it’d go off. Counting down the seconds; three, two…!

“There you are,” Lightning interrupted, scaring Prompto into stumbling into his tripod and accidentally taking a blurred photo of the ground instead of the nice view.

“And there goes my shot,” Prompto sighed, filling his lungs with his breath and exhaling to calm himself enough. “Light, at least warn me first before sneaking up on me like a serial killer!”

“If you’re mad about your dinky little photo, just take it again. This place isn’t going anywhere, but neither am I until you tell me the truth.”

“Oi-vey, there’s just no dropping that, is there? Why do you wanna know so badly, anyways?”

“Because if it wasn’t something worth hiding, you wouldn’t be dodging the question so much. Now, fess up, Argentum. I’d hate to resort to ‘less pleasant’ ways of getting you to talk.”

Prompto found himself sweating in the brow and backing away, one step in reverse synchronized with Lightning’s forward. “There’s nothing to say, already! I’m not hiding a thing!”

“I don’t buy it. Either tell me and let me leave you alone, or don’t tell me and only make this harder on yourself. Make the right choice.”

He’d run out of options, and inner shame prevented him from potentially making for an awkward confession. So, between fighting it or flight, Prompto chose the impulsive option of the latter with his beloved camera in hand. He could always come back for the tripod later once he didn’t have a rosy-haired warrior out for his past. Although it was common sense to know Lightning was chasing after him, Prompto gave into looking back at her anyways and running faster before turning his head around again. When he did, all he received was a faceful of tree bark smacking him right against the face, his camera falling to the soft ground unharmed when his hands went to cover achingly where he got hit.

“Looks like you’re out of options, Argen—” Lightning started to say until she realized Prompto sank to the ground covering his face. Her irritation cooled into an odd sense of concern, now going over to inspect the man more carefully. “Wait, are you hurt?”

“Mmm-mmm,” Prompto got out, something crystalline falling from his left eye and sticking to his upper cheek. When he felt it, he gasped. “Don’t come any closer, okay?”

Lightning grew more worried, especially at the sight of what seemed to be a tear. Did she go too far in pressuring him into injuring himself? That was quite a run into the tree he just did… “I have to make sure nothing’s broken. Are you bleeding?”

“No! Stay back! I’m fine!”

Lightning disobeyed and removed Prompto’s hands from his face. To her relief, he didn’t seem to be bleeding or bruised, but strangely, neither eye seemed damp with any tears. How that could be was unknown to her, but then she looked closer at what was really stuck on a freckle. Against Prompto’s further protest, Lightning picked it up and squeezed it between two gloved fingers while examining it a little better. After a few seconds, she recognized what it’d been if not a salted tear of pain like she initially believed.

“...It’s a contact lens,” Lightning pointed out, still looking at it until Prompto snatched it back from her. “Why do you have a contact lens on you?”

“N— Not important,” Prompto mumbled, trying to slip the lens back into his eye, but to no avail without the proper concentration.

“Sounds so to me. Look.” Lightning knelt down in front of Prompto, getting him to look at the new gentleness her eyes now held for him, not a trace of force to be seen on her. “If this was what everything was all about, you can tell me. Unless you really are somehow secretly conspiring against the others, then I have no reason to get that much on your case over a little contact lens.”

“You thought I was—? No! Never!” Prompto sounded almost offended that she’d think that of him, but in all fairness, he was acting a little off his loop from trying to hide his secret from her. “...I dunno if I can tell you, though. I wanted to make a good impression on— well, someone who’s never met me before this.”

“You’d have better luck by being honest. Trust me, I’ve had my share of bad news, so since you’re not putting anyone’s life in danger, whatever you have in you, I can take.”

Before he could think of any other objection, Lightning sat down next to him against the tree, picking up his camera and brushing off the dirt it’d acquired from the fall. She checked it over to see if it’d gotten cracked or anything of the sort, but was pleased to hand it back to Prompto when it looked as intact as ever. Prompto frowned; there was no way out of this, was there? And it’d be rude to leave a lady unanswered when she’d so sincerely asked, so… time to face the music, it seemed. Astrals, this was gonna suck.

“Well, as you could probably guess, my vision’s not the best in the world,” Prompto confessed, a sheepish laugh leaving his throat. “That’s why I gotta wear contact lenses to— ya know, fix that. Can’t be a photographer or gunsman that can’t see, can you?”

“Then how come you don’t just get glasses?” Lightning wondered as Prompto used his phone reflection to fight the lens back over his vision hole. “It seems harder to put those things in, doesn’t it? One wrong move, and you’d never see again.”

“It’s not so tough once you get used to it and take care of them the right way. And I am never going back to wearing glasses again when I don’t have to! They look fine on Iggy, but count me out!”

“So, you did used to wear them? Why’d you stop?”

“That’s kinda where the whole ‘I’d rather not talk about this’ part comes in. When I was a kid, I didn’t just wear glasses. Believe it or not, I also actually used to be pretty chunky and more of a turtle. Always in my shell and whatnot, you know?”

Lightning didn’t say it aloud, but the revelation did surprise her. Trying to picture a younger, slightly more plump Prompto that couldn’t so much as speak his mind sounded completely foreign to her. But, he also sounded… different in telling his tale. There wasn’t the usual buoyancy to really be heard, or too much of the wise-cracking nature she was more familiar with. No, all Lightning could hear was more of a sadder little boy wearing a sunnier mask to hide a past he wasn’t proud of. She logically kept her full judgement in line, wanting to hear more to see what else there was to it.

“You don’t say?” Lightning commented. “First, on you needing glasses back then, why was that? I’d have figured a noble from Lucis would be able to afford something ridiculous like laser eye surgery, or—”

“—Eh? ‘Noble’, who? If you’re talking about me, I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong guy there, Pink,” Prompto laughed uneasily. “I could never be able to pay for that.”

“You’re not a noble? How could that be; you’re travelling with a prince of all kinds of people!”

“I know. I’m as surprised as you are, trust me. But, alack, I am but a commoner in a group of rich men! Even so, I honest to the Six doubt Pop would have been able to afford getting eye correction surgery for me. Shit’s expensive, lady!”

“Fair enough. Then, how did you get into the Crownsguard if you’re just normal?”

Prompto’s face grew even more sullen, looking at the camera between his fingers without a hint of his usual smile. “That’s what I’d like to know. It’d be super nice to think ‘wow, all my hard work paid off, so I got to be worthy of joining’, but… I just can’t believe it’s anywhere close to the truth. Sure, I got in; lost the weight, did the work, yadda-yadda. But really, even with Pop training me to get here today, I just don’t know if I’d have done so well on my own anyways.”

“It… sounds really important to you. Then, why go through so much if you feel this way?”

“To be honest with myself? A big reason’s all because I wanted to be worth something to Noct. Oh, and that’s besides him being a prince dealing with a commoner and stuff, too. My bestie’s kinda my ‘firstie’ too, if you know what I’m saying.”

Lightning scoffed, rolling her eyes more at the mention of Noctis than Prompto’s friendship with him. “Leave it to the little snob of a prince to hold such expectations on you. He’s got two others that aren’t broken, so why rope you into it?”

“What? Oh! No, no, Pink, you’ve got it all wrong!” Prompto’s tone grew more frantic, realizing he’d planted an accidental misconception in the ex-soldier’s head. “Look, I get you and Noct would rather not wanna deal with each other, but believe me. I’ve known the guy since at least high school; he’s a total sweetheart once you see enough underneath the surface! A little crabby, sure, but he’s really not anywhere as bad as you’re making him out to be.”

“More power to you, then, because I’m not seeing it. Whatever, this is about you, not him.”

“In a way, it’s kinda both. If it weren’t for how my friendship with Noct started, then I dunno where I’d be now. Me wanting to both protect him and be a good enough friend to him is what got me started on the road to changing who I was into someone much better. I’m not sure if I’ve totally succeeded yet, but if I’ve been with him this long, maybe I’m doing something okay for once? Maybe you don’t understand what I’m saying, but to put it all simply, Noct’s done nothing but help me all these years. And all I wanna do is do it back and keep doing it for as long as possible.”

...Wow. At that moment, that was the only word Lightning could form in her mind. She may not have understood why Prompto was going to such lengths for someone like Noctis, but if there was something she did get, it was the gunsman’s process. And though Gladio and Ignis she was beyond fine with as people once she’d gotten to know enough of them, something with Prompto resonated with her in a way those two hadn’t quite achieved (at least, not yet to her knowledge). Maybe it was on the fact at not being the only common person after all Now that he’d said that to her, but whatever it was, Lightning was curious enough to know more.

“Let’s just say I wouldn’t go and say I don’t understand where you’re coming from,” Lightning admitted. “To want to change so badly to make someone you care about the most happy… you’re not as off base as you think.”

“Really, now? Anyone back home make you feel that way?” Prompto wondered. “Like a best friend you’ve got yourself?”

“Yes, and no. Just know I’d do anything to see them have a good life. I can only hope I did enough to make that happen, considering every horrible mistake I’ve made.”

“Assuming they’re still around, if they seem to be doing okay because of you, then… well, lo hiciste, you did it!”

“Sh— they’re thankfully alive and breathing, but I can’t help but worry if I ever did enough or not. And even if I did, what now? Will they still need me anymore?”

‘This would be a little easier if I knew how close she was to the person she’s talking about.’ Prompto worded what he wanted to carefully. It wasn’t every day Lightning have off such a vulnerable aura, so the last thing he wanted to do was make her more upset. “If you ask me, just being able to stand by them and know you could help them go far in life sounds like reward enough. Sure, maybe you can’t be together forever and ever, but knowing you made an impact comes just as close.”

“And how would I know if my impact even mattered? For all I can tell, they could be fine without me. Better, even.”

“One way of seeing it? They may be able to live their own life just fine, but it’s hard to forget how they got to that life in the first place. If you impact enough, they’ll be sure to never take that for granted.”

Hardly even realizing it immediately, Lightning felt her heart mellow out a tad melancholically the more she thought about her most cherished protectorate. All the foolish mistakes she’d made along the way she may not have been ready to forgive herself entirely for, but in where everyone from Cocoon and Gran Pulse now were, she’d do anything to keep it how it’d become in the end. Now, of all the people to find that appeared to understand her in that way, it’s Prompto who claims such a spot.

“Those are some wise words coming from you of anyone,” Lightning told him. “Never imagined it’d be from the same person who’s compared gloves to being ‘hand condoms’, either.”

“Light, that’s only the beginning of my endless wisdom,” Prompto said proudly before simmering back down in his tone again. “But, frankly? I’m more surprised you were so willing to listen that easily. I’ve only really said all that to Noct.”

“It’d be ‘pot calling the kettle black’ if I gave you such a rough time about this. But, if you ask me, it really looks like you’re on the right track, even if you think you aren’t.”

“Can’t stop you if you wanna think that, but all I can do is keep trying and see if I can succeed. Until then, there’s no saying for sure.”

“Well, considering you’re already pulling more weight out here than any nobody could hope to, I’d say you’re making the progress you need. Hell, you’d give Sazh a run for his money if he saw how well you work a pistol. And he uses two!”

“Right! Now, for my next question; who the heck is Sazh?” Prompto in asking it sounded closer to his more chipper side, but was just as unfamiliar with the comparison.

“A friend back home. I think you’d like him just fine.” Lightning started counting off a few fingers, fishing out the similarities. “You’re both top-notch gunsmen, wise-cracking even in the tightest of situations, have a fondness for chocobos—”

“—Wait, wait, hold up! This friend of yours also sees the true glory of Eos’ finest creatures?! Do tell, Miss Farron! Don’t keep a guy waiting!”

Lightning couldn’t help but softly laugh at Prompto’s enthusiasm for once. That certainly got his attention. “It’s more his son, Dajh, that’s crazy about them. But, if keeping a chocobo chick in his hair amounts to anything, I’d say he’s a huge fan of them, too.”

“He keeps a chocobo chick in—! Get out! I’ve— that clinches it! I gotta meet this man someday! I just gotta, Pink! I’ve gotta learn his ways! How could I have been so blind?!”

Lightning pat Prompto a few times on the head, appearing to quell his innumerable excitement levels. “Easy does it, Sunspot. I’m sure he’d forgive you for taking a while to do that. But, while we’re on it, how did you get so good at firing a gun?”

“Well, I hate to keep bringing my pop into this, but back when I was still in training, he found my aim wasn’t just top-notch in taking a few snaps. Turns out projectiles are just my calling, too.”

“And I may as well ask this, too, but who is your dad? He sounds a little more than just another commoner. Is he a veteran?”

“You could say that, but you’ve met him already! He’s the same guy who sent you to travel with us in the first place!”

“What? But that was—” Lightning stopped, eyes widening when she realized who Prompto was talking about. She looked at his sunny, almost cutesy-looking mug, then comparing it to the complete 180 of his apparent parentage. “...No way. The Marshal?! Cor Leonis is your dad of all people?!”

“Yes… and no. Obviously, we’re not blood related, but he sorta adopted me as a baby. Then, eventually, he had to give me up to my… other parents. So, I guess I grew up the rest of the way with them.”

“He had to give you up? Why?”

“Guess it had to do with him being leader of the Crownsguard and all. Someone like that can’t balance such a huge responsibility and a kid, so he didn’t have a choice on it at all.”

“Then, how come you still call him your dad if he’s technically not anymore?”

“I try not to when I need to be formal or in front of other Guard members, but honestly, I still pretty much consider him my father even though I had to go somewhere else.” Prompto’s mouth flattened into another frown, this one as wistful as the ones before it. “Hard to admit, but he’s the only older adult figure in my life there enough to earn that title. My… folks weren’t exactly home too much, so I mostly had to look after myself all the time.”

“They left their kid on his own just like that?! Some ‘parents’ ya got there. Actually, I don’t think I should use that word. If they were really your mom and dad, then they shouldn’t leave their kid behind when it’s still in their control. If it wasn’t? Different story. But, that’s not the case here, is it?”

“Well, I— look, Pink, bad mouthing them isn’t the answer. Can’t change how I was brought up, so… what, huh?”

“I don’t care in the slightest. Prompto, you don’t deserve to be practically ignored by the two people meant to be there for you the most. I’m not accepting it, and neither should you, Mister.”

“It’s not like I ‘accept’ it, exactly. It’s— I just wish… you know…”

The words faded on Prompto’s tongue, but were replaced by a quiet gasp at what happened next. Of all the things to get from Lightning for any reason, her arms wrapped around his body in a strangely maternal embrace was definitely not one he expected. But, for once, it simmered his heart into steady, rather sad thumps. He didn’t find it appropriate to hug back, but it appeared Lightning wasn’t going to let go of him just yet. Although it was his primary thought, it didn’t seem to be a hug of empty pity; even at her rare warmest, the woman to him never appeared as the type to go and show something so pointless for another person. Rather, the display felt as comforting to Prompto as it did secretly unearned.

“You’re doing just fine. You just have to not quit while you’re ahead,” Lightning reassured him. “I haven’t been here as long as you four, but I’m sure they’d have said something by now if you weren’t at least close to good enough. Real friends stick by you from start to finish, but also know when you’re falling behind on what’s really crucial.”

“That sounds true and all, but…” Prompto silenced himself, shaking his head without the desire to say too much more. “Nevermind. You’re right; I shouldn’t overreact or turn into a real ‘Debbie Downer’ here.”

“I never said you were. Feeling low’s gonna happen against your control; it’s what you do with it is what makes the difference. I’m nobody to tell anyone else how to feel, but I can at least encourage you not to throw your hopes out the window just yet. Think you’d be able to do that?”

“Hmm, dunno. I’ve already got bad eyesight, so it’s not like I’ve got better ‘future sight’, either. But, man! Would if I could, Light. Would if I could.”

Lightning could feel a delicate little smile tug at her mouth corners hearing Prompto regain the laugh in his voice. “Careful what you wish for. Being able to see into the future might not be as nice as you think.”

“What makes you say that? Having that as a superpower would rock! Unless— yeah, maybe some things are just not meant to be seen before they happen. Is that why?”

“Among… other reasons people wouldn’t like it. Bottom line, I’d rather you waited and saw, and not saw and waited. You got that?”

“I gotcha! Won’t see any ESP from me, lay-dee! But, you mind if we get going? I did say I was only gonna be gone for a little bit. Don’t want everyone thinking I almost became bear chow again.”

“It is a good time to— wait, ‘again’? What do you mean ‘again’?”

“Nothing that’s not best left in the past! It was before you came along, and we’re all fine now! Don’t you worry your pretty pink little head there.”

Having done enough of interrogating Prompto for one day, Lightning left it at that and got herself off the ground. She was about to turn the other way hoping to be followed, when Prompto let out a loud, energetic gasp after looking at his camera again. Without explaining himself, he grabbed Lightning by the wrist and ran in the direction of where she’d originally chased him from. Besides not wanting to leave his poor tripod all by its lonesome, having another person with him in such a great spot was a photo opportunity just begging on its knees for him to take it.

And just who was he to up and refuse it so rudely?

“Really, Prom, we’ve gotta go,” Lightning insisted as Prompto set her up in front of the tripod and camera like a living prop. “Can’t this wait until later?”

“Not a chance!” Prompto chirped, making sure everything on his camera was all set and in position. “Why pass up the chance of a lifetime in getting a nice snap with my favorite photogenic newcomer?”

“If you wanted a selfie, then you don’t need my help with that,” Lightning quipped, hiding her smirk behind a few fingers at the consequent stunned blush on Prompto’s face born from the comment.

“Oh, fair maiden, how you flatter a clown. But, nope! You’ve gotta be in the shot; no way out until this memory’s made!” Prompto set the timer up, running to where Lightning was and readying himself for the shoot. “Smile for the camera, Pink! It loves ya!”

Lightning never really considered herself a “camera person”, but with how little time she had to think about it before the camera went off and captured her appearance in the moment, she did what first came to her mind. Giving off the most modest of her smiles, the shutter went off and immortalized the exact moment and pose the two were in. Prompto went to go look at his new photograph, rather pleased with the almost punkish way he had his tongue stuck out and the peace sign fingers on the hand belonging to the arm he’d wrapped around Lightning’s shoulders without actually making physical contact. As for his female companion in the snapshot, hers didn’t seem like anything to write home about, but nothing of it wiped even a bit away of the smile on his face.

“Another shot gotten! And this one’s the first to be blessed full-on by such a gracious presence!” Prompto beamed, making loops around the moon from how happy he was to have gotten a photo with Lightning. “Hey, why don’t you see how it came out, too? No need to let you miss out on it.”

“Why don’t you show me while we’re heading back to camp?” Lightning suggested, hauling the tripod under her arm and allowing Prompto to follow in her steps. “Nothing against you doing what you like, but we were supposed to head back a while ago.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course! And since we’re doing it now, take a quick look!” Prompto put the camera in front of Lightning’s eyes, the screen still on its most recent picture.

“Easy with— ...oh.” Lightning saw how the photo came out, rather impressed by the expert-level accuracy and the fact that even her more mild expression didn’t lower any of the quality either. “Gotta say, for someone that needs contacts, you’ve really got an eye for the camera.”

“I’ve had two for as long as I can remember. This journey’s not gonna last forever, so I might as well make a way to capture it for as long— WHOA!”

Lightning immediately ducked and caught Prompto by hugging her arms around to his torso, pulling him back up onto his feet hiding her suppressed urge to laugh. “Maybe tell me more on the way back. While looking where you’re going, of course.”

“That can be arranged. See, it all started when…”

Ignis was in the middle of getting the last few minor touches on camp set up, at the same time Gladio and Noctis were preoccupying themselves a distance from him with a harmless sparring match. Their combat reminded him personally to take a good look at his recently acquired Mythril Knives to ensure they were ready for use next time the team was to be under attack by the forces of evil or wilderness. His ears picked up on faint chatter past the sound of swords clashing and a prince rapidly warping, further investigation informing him that the culprits were the previously absent Prompto and Lightning. The ecstatic storytelling from his blond friend was nothing new, but the interested placid smile on his pink-haired one certainly provided some questions on what happened between them in the woods.

“—Then, I got attacked by a horde of angry baboons! As if that wasn’t bad enough, this leopard comes along and tried to take a bite of me in the worst way possible!” Prompto recited to a fascinated Lightning, Ignis recalling exactly the moment in question on one of the detours taken before they’d even officially set out on their current mission. “All because I wanted to snap a pic of this cute little baby monkey I saw, too! Was that so wrong?”

“You might have just scared the thing with your camera,” Lightning guessed. “What’s harmless to people might not be so to a wild animal. It probably mistook you for a hunter.”

“Still no excuse to try and get me killed! The little…” Prompto grumbled, trailing off and ending the bitter sentence in his head. “Any jungles where you’re from, Pink?”

“Not where I’m living now, no. But, where I was born, the closest I can think of is the Sunleth Waterscape. Never been myself; my sister and a few of our friends passed through it, though.”

“Bummer. Was that awesome ‘Sazh’ guy you were talking about one of those people?”

Lightning nodded. “Him and Vanille went at the same time. Speaking of which, you act a lot like her, too. I think you almost have her beat in the ‘perky youth’ department. And… some other more personal things you’ve got in common, too.”

“I won’t make you say things you don’t wanna, but my ‘Light’s friends I just gotta meet’ list is growing!”

“Maybe when I go back home, you can find time to visit. I’m sure they’d get a kick out of you.” Lightning’s voice had a noticeable lightheartedness to it, imagining the sheer chaos of Prompto meeting her loved ones back home.

“It sounds like you two had a good time out?” Ignis inquired, finally getting the two’s attention on him. His glasses-covered eyes were particularly on Prompto asking it, who knew the reason why.

“Definitely nothing I was expecting, that’s for sure. Anything could end a lot worse, but I’m happy this didn’t.”

“That makes two of us, sister!” Prompto agreed, bringing up the new photo of him and Lightning on his camera. “And guess who also finally got the ultimate selfie today? This guy, that’s who!”

“You finally partook in one of Prompto’s photos, Light? I always thought you to be the camera-shy type,” Ignis said, scanning the camera screen with intrigue.

“I’m not much for taking them, but it came out really well,” Lightning admitted. “As long as Prom doesn’t ask me to take too many of them, I don’t mind getting another in for him.”

“Do you really mean that?!” Prompto squeaked, beyond joyous.

“I just might. I don’t have ‘future sight’ either, though. We’ll just see where things go after this.”

Lightning only left it at that after, flashing Prompto another kind glance before going over to request a sparring match of her own with Gladio after Noctis concluded his with him. It hadn’t gone past Prompto’s cleared up eyes at all, the ecstatic shutterbug still feeling his innards doing giddy flips and turns about the events that’d transpired overall. He found himself smiling with his sunny aura after Lightning, freezing when he’d caught the look on Ignis’ face, too.

“Seems you’ve made a friend in her,” Ignis pointed out. “I’d have to be halfway blind to think she isn’t starting to warm up to you.”

“You really think so?” Prompto breathed, scratching one cheek with his pointer finger.

“I’ve more than a feeling. Not as scary as you thought her finding about your contact lenses was going to be, was it?”

“Pish-pish, lucky guess. Turns out, a lot of things that’s bothered me, she’s been on the same ride just as bad.”

“And yet a lot remains a mystery about our newest comrade. However, enough has certainly come to ‘Light’ with her since she joined us.”

Prompto laughed, quickly catching onto the discreet humor. “Can’t know everything about everybody, of course. Especially since there’s some things we just don’t know the answer to.” At the same time he said that, he fixed the black bands covering his right wrist so they wouldn’t reveal anything the mystery mark underneath.

“Which is perfectly fine. Everyone has their skeletons in the closet, big or small. It’s only a matter of how people take them is what makes the difference.”

Prompto couldn’t argue with that, being unable to avoid looking at not just Noctis toying around on a favored game on his smartphone, but also Lightning performing an impressive deflecting of Gladio’s strike. He still couldn’t fully believe what happened today did, nevermind actually reaching this point in his life. And yet, somehow, here he was; still among the Crownsguard of all things, and making a new friend that turned out to be sailing in the same boat as him in a way.

Another person— Lightning, no less, was more than willing to encourage him from her own honest faith alone. She’d joined Noctis in rooting for him, so Prompto had to be a fool to do so much as consider letting her own too because he couldn’t live up to the simplest of expectations. Whether or not he was sure he’d succeed in the end aside from his personal lack of true confidence, nothing was an excuse to stop after every step taken in the first place.

Prompto tapped one closed eyelid each gingerly, making sure what stuck to his eyes behind them were both secure. He laughed once to himself. Of all the ways possible he could have shared such a deep moment in the woods with someone, it had to be over a measly pair of contact lenses. Small world, he thought. Small world, indeed.