#kh kairi and namine

[luxmoogle]

While working on my piece for the @twosidesfanzine , I also had the great delight of collaborating with @phoenix-downer for the illustration of their story "Be Our Guest" ~! I'm grateful to have had the chance to work together and am left with warm feelings~

Leftover sales are still open for the zine, catch one while you still can ! : https://twosideszine.bigcartel.com/

[hollypollly]

Kairi and Namine in Radiant Garden 💐⛲

[evaundertale]

I agree with some points except the fact Kairi having a keyblade isn't really a shoehorn in plot.

From concept Kairi, Riku and Sora were all original gonna have their own keyblade. Do I think Nomura doesn't really put much thought into yes but I think that stems from the fact her role changed from how she was in concept. From her being a after thought in alot of the games. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have plans for her. Especially with taking into account the interviews. One interview he stated there's more to explain with Destiny Embrace and more.

This is coming from a soriku shipper (who personally think Soriku has a chance of being endgame) but Kairi as character despite representing the childhood friend that you slowly drift apart from does have a role. After all she does end up causing events whether she ment to or not.

Her showing up on the islands being one of those. Or the fact she and Riku together are the only reason Sora was able to walk around the final world the way he does.

My personally theory is Kairi is there to but a guiding light to follow in the light sorta like Master Ava. While Riku is the light within the dark. Kairi clearly does have alot we don't know about her and I do think Nomura does plan to address it at somepoint but just she isn't the main focus of the series like Sora and Riku doesn't really make her character progression inconsistent. I generally just think people try to say she's a main character when she's more likely than not in a position that Ventus, Terra, Xion and for argument sake Aqua is in where she's a character that will get developed but doesn't have to be in the fore front.

But that might just be my opinion. Also the fact that we still don't know alot about Namine (who is able to create dark corridors, many memories and is referred to as a witch) Kairi some how and some form gonna be developing or related to that based of Namine being her nobody.

Especially if you interact with the little ponds in kh2 they say they've been used but who were they used for before Sora Donald and Goofy and why was Namine able to have access to them.

Namine and Kairi both are stuck in mystery. Like for some weird reason. The fact Riku gives Kairi her keyblade who's to say Namine didn't summon it first kh2 we don't get to see her after Riku let's her and Axel escape there's also the fact in kh2 Kairi is reference to escape Axel twice before getting caught by Axel. (Not saying she spawned her Keyblade) but the fact we don't know alot about both characters seems like Nomura just planing to either use them later.

There's also other things in interviews that Nomura has stated about Kairi if I find them I can send them but I don't think she's gonna just always be stuck representing the childhood friend. (I personally hope we get a side game cause I liked her combat where she's learn self worth cause she compares herself to both Riku and Sora to much wanting to catch up.)

Also want to make this clear I don't mean this to come off as attacking you. Just wanted to point out somethings that you might not have considered.

heres the thing abt kairi. i don't think she's poorly written, i think she's poorly executed. like there's a conflict/lack of cohesive vision for her and they're trying to shoehorn her into a role she does not fit.

nomura, from kh1, has clearly always wanted kairi to remain a link to the past/manifestation of fond memories of childhood/like a bittersweet hometown that isn't quite the same when you come back as an adult. that's the role he has consistently, persistently assigned to her. and there's nothing wrong with that. not every character ever has to take an active role and be a hero and do Things. sometimes characters exist to embody an allegory, or symbolism, or an idea. that was kairi, initially. embodiment of home, safety, comfort, childhood. for that matter, riku was the future, the unknown, growing up and letting childhood go. sora, of course, a boy coming of age and being torn between the two.

so consequently i've never understand the choice to make her a keyblade wielder when she's already a princess of heart twice over. like it or not the princesses of heart have an established role in the story and it's not fighting on the front lines. she could have been a leader and taken an active role in her own way if they really wanted, without ever needing to hold a keyblade and be a Chosen One, Also!(tm). in this way she also would have maintained a cohesive narrative role in the story. her path would still be diverging from sora's, and it would be as bittersweet and nostalgic as it was in kh1 without the clownery than her involvement in endgame kh2 onward has been mired in.

what clownery, you ask? kairi literally cannot grow as a person while in sora's orbit. we've seen it happen again and again, any growth she gets is away from sora and any time she's near him she regresses as a character. this is because, again, she is absolutely cemented in the minds of the writers as The Nostalgic Past that sora is holding onto. in the context of the kh narrative, she can literally be nothing else to him. there's no more growth to be had between them. hence, every time their relationship ends up the focus in a scene you can't help but feel the rapidly growing distance between where they once were vs where they now are as individuals. this relationship can, imo, ONLY be regressive to both of them in the context of kh's overarching narrative where kairi is constantly (and overtly) being framed as Sora's Idealized Childhood. or, as a prize he 'wins' when the story ends. the two are fairly connected in kh.

back on track, having kairi remain a princess of heart and not a keyblade wielder also would've solved the problem of the writing team having to shelve/fridge her every time they want riku+sora to go on another romantic getawa - uhhh adventure together. like she was asleep for a year post kh3? and now she's going to train with aqua while riku goes to rescue the love of his l - i mean bestest best boy friend again? you're joking.

it just stinks of trying to girlbossify a character so she can 'keep up' with her male counterparts in the eyes of media illiterate consumers who associate a lack of a weapon with a lack of power. dawg we're past that. female characters can be relevant, important, interesting and powerful without following in the exact footsteps of their male counterparts. and this is to say nothing of kairi's keyblade bequeathing being a relative accident and how it creates a pretty glaring plot hole because somehow xion and roxas, sora's nobodies, can wield keyblades at will but namine can't? okay. yes, perhaps we just haven't been 'shown' her wielding a keyblade. maybe. but i think it seriously indicates that they had no intention of making kairi a keyblade wielder in the first place.

and don't get me wrong, if they intended on changing/overhauling her role going forward i would understand making her not just a wielder but a guardian of light. problem is, they have already established she's not going to be fighting/active in the next game. she is, yet again, the home they are returning to and not the future they're moving towards. this, consequently, will continue causing some major tonal dissonance among those who either consciously or unconsciously recognize that kairi is not meant to be where she is currently placed in the narrative. she's SHOWN to be just a regular girl who still to this day does not particularly want to go adventuring, and yet we're TOLD again and again that she's a warrior now, riding on sora and riku's coattails regrettably. it's just so tonally off.

[softbewitcher]

Day 1 of my 30 day art challenge

i present to you…..the girls

p/s : if this looks different than what i usually draw,it’s because im trying to expand/change my style a bit so i’m experimenting and looking for inspirations from other artists a lot shbsnsja

[cosmosnout]

Girliesss

[haunted-xander]

Chibibibibibi

[strelaiza]

I drew the kh girlies~ now the question is if im gonna do charms or stickers with these designs (or both??)

[yesidoodles]

Another doodle at work

Also thank yall in the tags for saying the Sora doodle I did looks like Namine's style like bruh that's so sweet and kind!!!🥹

[xenvita]

Kairi & Namine but I'm drawing them like they're in 2008.

[riddlerosehearts]

and the universe said, i love you because you are love

[baihu27-blog]

Commission for someone on Twitter. This was a very fun idea to draw.

[luxmoogle]

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*Kingdom Hearts Nutcracker AU, part 13! *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Beginning // Previous // to be continued…

[separatethingy]

Girl's Day Out!

This was absolutely a dare

[autumn-may]

Really big fan of Riku’s fishing wader half-pants from kh1 it’s like the funniest hobby he could have

[softbewitcher]

sometimes grief hits you on a random sunny day.

but having someone to share that grief with would certainly help.

[somnimagus]

My page for @kairizine. It was such a huge honor to be part of this wonderful book with everyone, I had so much fun!

[id in alt!]