#i think what honestly confuses me is that nomura interview where he said he wasn't sure if he was going to bring them back

[alphascorpiixx]

Please do spill the tea about how certain people are wrong about Xion's sacrifice no longer mattering after she was brought back

(Hi anon I'm so sorry it took me forever to answer this ask! I was trying to find that one interview from Nomura, couldn't find it, and then forgot about this ask 😅)

Thank you anon for giving me the opportunity to talk about Xion my beloved

I don't see what the issue is with Xion (plus Nami and Roxas) returning. I don't think I've ever seen anyone claim that the wayfinders shouldn't have come back, so why can't that extend to RNX? I explained in a previous post why it is so important for them to be considered their own people separate from Sora and Kairi. And this is far from the first time we've had a character sacrifice themself only for them to be brought back later

Goofy died Sora stabbed himself to free Kairi's heart from his but five minutes later he's returned to life because of the power of his dear friend:

Sora: "I was lost in the darkness. I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through the dark, I started forgetting things—my friends, who I was. The darkness almost swallowed me. But then I heard a voice—your voice. You brought me back."

And in KH3:

Sora: "It's all right! You can stop now! It's all right . . ."

Roxas: "Xion."

Both Sora and Xion were lost, but Kairi and Roxas called them back. Sora's sacrifice happened in the very first game. This isn't just fan wish fulfillment giving us beloved characters back. KH1 set the precedent: when we lose ourselves, our bonds with our friends can help us find the way again.

As for the memory loss: why are Xion, Roxas, and Naminé even characters anyway? Because Sora's sacrifice had consequences that were explored for several games. This wasn't just an immediate reversal where Sora dying was never brought up again. And similarly Xion's death isn't the only possible way a sacrifice can be explored, and Xion's return doesn't negate the fact that there were still consequences from her death.

The consequences from Xion's sacrifice have mostly been explored in—guess what—Re:Coded! The game everyone claimed was skippable before KH3 came out! Data Sora may not be regular Sora but we get to see how all these other hearts inside his are influencing the pain he feels. It's not a perfect exploration of Xion's pain and I wish that we could have had Xion actually appear and talk to Data Sora like Data Roxas did. DDD later showed glimpses of Xion and Sora again feeling hers and Roxas's pain. A character being returned to life doesn't just automatically erase the pain of that sacrifice. The parts of Recoded and DDD that show us her pain don't just become irrelevant now that Xion is back. (Just replay the KH2 prologue with the ending scene from Days in mind. Hurts so much more)

I think what some people don't like about Xion's return is that she's remembered, everything's been wrapped up neatly, it's like there are no consequences anymore. Once her name is said and her hood is off, Axel remembers her pretty instantly, and Roxas doesn't seem to have any memory issues when he shows up. Unfortunately KH3 had so many things to cover and not enough time to fully explore everything that Xion's return does feel a bit easy. And for future games, there so many other characters that are more connected to The Larger Plot that Xion's story might be pushed to the side right now. So while yes, the story absolutely could give more focus on the long term effects of being forgotten, there is rightful criticism to say that Xion's return happened too quickly at the very end of KH3 when everyone else also needed to return at the same time, which is just going to make everything feel rushed.

There is so much potential to explore and we've only had a brief bit of MOM and part of Remind that shows us what is happening after KH3. There is still opportunities to show how the consequences are still affecting Xion even after her return. Do Axel and Roxas remember her perfectly now? How does Xion feel about the natural memory loss that just happens with life? I think the reason why people say her sacrifice didn't matter is because so far the games released after KH3 have been prequels/midquels that fill in backstory before BBS and those questions haven't been answered (yet, hopefully)

But to say her sacrifice didn't matter isn't understanding that KH is a story where people get second chances. People who are lost can be found again.

(And its not like every single character ever gets returned to life. Repliku is probably not returning and Vanitas's fate is still up in the air imo (though personally I would not mind if they both returned). DR and UX also have loads of characters who died brutal deaths and probably aren't coming back if you want that angst. I understand that what makes Xion in particular so compelling is how much time is spent developing her character compared to DRUX's dead characters. But its something)

(and to anyone about to say "but that Nomura interview where he said he changed his mind about RNX returning" please link to the interview and I will be happy to discuss it)

(also I recognize kh3's flaws but this is NOT an invitation for anyone to rant on my post about how bad you think the game may be)

[not-so-missing-ache]

You know, I'm still thinking a lot about this interview with the new union leaders like, especially the part where Nomura mentions "The fate of the new Union leaders is sealed, their names have a relevant meaning."

Because first of all, hello? Second of all, their names are really, actually interesting.

I'm gonna start off with Ephemer. It probably derived from the Greek word of "Ephemeros", meaning "lasting only one day" or "short lived". You know what's funny about this, though? Please forgive me if I'm wrong, I don't remember this bit well and can't access KHUx at the moment but... didn't player only know Ephemer for like, a day? When they said they would meet at the fountain the next day, and never showed up... and, unless I'm confusing this for a comic I once saw, wasn't it later presumed by player that Ephemer had died? If so, could that bring into play the "lasting only one day"? Or, too, I believe another meaning for the name Ephemer was "not long was for this world". Which, honestly, who knows what it could mean. I mean, it's pretty blunt but- We see him in the real Daybreak Town for like, what, a day or so? Then in the data world... and then again in KH3, where he may or may not be dead.

I don't have much more to say for Ephemer, besides him not lasting long (could Darkness, or even MoM or the Foretellers, play a part in this?) however, there is still the rest of the union leaders. Another name that strikes out to me amongst the rest of the leaders is Skuld. Now, I'm going to assume her name is taken from that of Norse Mythology, which is, mind you, becoming a more prevalent notion within the Kingdom Hearts universe. First of all, and once again please forgive me if I'm wrong, but in Norse Mythology, there are Nornir/Norns. Amongst these Nornir are three who are above the rest. I believe their names are Verdandi, Urdr, and, you guessed it- Skuld. Essentially, these Nornir are even above the gods, including Odin. They spin the threads of fate for both men and gods alike. As well as this, I believe in a writing called Prose Edda, Skuld was described as the youngest Norn, who is also valkyrie that partakes in choosing who will be slain in battle. Something else, too, is that her name might mean "debt". Now, if these are to be believed- this could lead to some potentially pretty interesting things, no? To be honest, I'm exhausted and my brain is lacking most memories on Skuld's scenes, but I mean of all characters Skuld doesn't seem like she could be all that far off from one who decides the destiny. Especially, too, if there's something upcoming, maybe even Subject X, or wherever she ended up, who knows what it could lead to. You know what, I'm gonna go out on a far limb for a moment here and say, wouldn't it be funny if Skuld and that wild card Luxord gave Sora were somehow connected? Oh, this may seem sudden, though I also wanted to state real quick- I find it interesting how, if Skuld is one to decide fate, and possibly who is one to live and die in battle, if and how that could connect to Scala ad Caelum. We know that Daybreak Town and Scala have a connection, and that, with Dark Road, a lot of Scala, namely the new characters (Bragi, Hermod, Urd, Vor, Baldr, and Odin) have a tie to Norse Mythology. Actually, I'm not quite sure where I was going with that sentence, however if the names mean anything, it could be interesting.

Hm... I'm not sure if have much else to say about Skuld at the moment. Though, I apologize in slight advance, as I didn't find much else for the rest of the Union leader's names. I ah, also didn't look too hard but...

Essentially, just, Brain being brain which should be pretty self explanatory, Ventus being wind, and Lauriam and Strelitzia being plants. I might add to this post later with more explanation if I can find anything for wind or brain or if the planes hold any meaning- so for now I guess have a dump on Ephemer and Skuld haha.

Once again though I'm really sorry if I messed up any information or scenes or anything. I'm just exhausted and thought their names were neat.