#kh remind spoilers

[moss-mel]

My piece for the @shatteredestiny-zine !

I wanted my piece to focus on the many characters' tragic fates...

[endlessskymaster]

The foreshadowing of Riku and Sora's fates.

Much later...

We know that Sora eventually finds himself in the nighttime version of the final world. Yozora likely assists him in reaching Quadratum, or perhaps Sora manages to get there by other means via the wild card Luxord gave Sora. Meanwhile, Riku is currently embarking on his own journey to Quadratum.

And from the KH3 secret ending, we do see Yozora staring down at Riku.

[ok4ru]

I think Sora's reality is a game in the quadratum world. It would make sense since Yozora is perceive as a video game in his world.

Then, when they first meet, they already know each other but what find interesting Yozora seems shock by that it’s Sora but I think because mostly of his appearance. In his world video game could look how he originally looks in the KH4 trailer.

I also feel like that draws back to the line of Yozora saying that the form that he was in isn’t what he looks like. Now, I don’t know why people to take this line as being “Oh, Yozora is somebody else.” like no. He just has whole different appearance like kh4 Sora…

[nyctoheart]

I'm torn with khux/khdr/kh3's developments with Ventus and Vanitas because part of me always loved that they are 2 halves of the same coin, and how connected they were. But I also think the idea of Ventus and Vanitas being ancient beings of light or darkness is also sooo coooool

[a-crack-in-the-universe]

Terraqua things I love in KH3:

* Aqua looking sad when she’s hanging out with Ven in the Mysterious Tower world, because she’s (probably) missing Terra. And Ven noticing and cheering her up by taking out his wayfinder and saying that they can share stories when Terra's back.

* Ven mistakes Terranort for Terra in the Keyblade Graveyard, but Aqua knows it’s not him. <3

* Aqua raising her keyblade at Terranort in anger after he tried to play mind games with Ven. “Quit using our friend to play your games!” And then her awesome speech about how she's going to cast Xehanort out of Terra forever.

Aqua reuniting with Terra, and Terra telling her that she never stopped guiding his way back, implying that she is his light. I love how it looks and sounds so much like a love confession. <3

And finally, that moment in Scala in Xehanort's Heart, where Aqua becomes scared of losing Terra again and grabs his arm to stop him from confronting Xehanort. Terra then gives Aqua such a soft, gentle look like he's telling her to trust him and that he'll be okay. It's so sweet! :')

[ashlaf99]

Found this for my Kairi cosplay! It looks a heck of a lot like her heart that Sora puts together in ReMind!

[catboygirljoker]

If Lamia had a boss fight, what would his moves be like?

lamia is a self-destructive depressed bitch who operates on 5 hours of sleep a day max and doesn't have any magic whatsoever. his weapon is a rusty broken keyblade that does base 1 damage. he has been accidentally playing with exp 0 equipped his whole life. he also regularly fights heartless, including large and/or dangerous ones, entirely by himself, and has been doing this for years. if that tells you what a fight against him would be like LOL

hes fast and aggressive and sneaky and hard to hit and hard to predict, but he doesnt hit particularly hard and doesnt take many hits before going down. primarily im imagining a lot of very fast attacks, trying to stagger you, stringing together combos in random orders. but he's restricted entirely to melee attacks. if you can maintain your distance and attack with magic, you can win pretty easily.

[invidiatechdemo]

I know I already mentioned this once in a jokepost, but I do really think that the establishment of the concept of Quadratum and like, 'Fiction/Unreality' in the kingdom hearts setting could and imo SHOULD result in a possible reexamination of what 'Nothingness' is and means in Kingdom Hearts cosmology, too, or at least some sort of discussion about how the concept of a Nobody, a being that doesn't fade from existence through will and whatnot, and how this interacts with the things we Do know about Quadratum.

Like. There... certainly something about how TWTWN is this like, empty cityscape with screens, and the few things we know about the afterworld that is Quadratum is... well, a city, ntm the fact that the Aerial Blades, something associated deeply with 'nothingness' conceptually have a similar red glow to some of Yozora's attacks, etc etc.

... There's also the far funnier consideration that from what little we know about Quadratum's relationship to the KH setting we know, Luxord is possibly traditional isekai protagonist-adjacent in concept, but that's a story for another day, I think.

[greetings-inferiors]

This video is so fucking good man lmao

I agree with almost all of it, Kingdom hearts 3 is my favourite game in the series.

Spoilers for practically all of kingdom hearts 3 btw

also that ending is hysterical

[embraceyourdestiny]

HOLY FUCK (slay the princess spoilers!!)

The Narrator explains that the more you walk away from the cabin the more paths appear that lead to the cabin until its all laid out before you that everywhere you go leads to the cabin its impossible to not get to the cabin (at least as far as you know...) and this visual representation of the meta presence of every possible branching path in slay the princess drawn so clearly is BLOWING MY MIND!!!!

usually with meta it stays purely of the mind in video games its kind of hard to portray the eldritch horror of a consciousness of the "rules" of this universe, everything to do with being 'unchained' in kh, the matrix, the good place does this, cartoons like adventure time do this, a wrinkle in time does this, a game that i can think of that actually does do this is life is strange the ability to time travel and realm jump and if i remember correctly seeing the butterfly itself is showing tangible proof of the butterfly effect and it truly is almost some like deific being exacting these events and forming a connection with max (god that reminds me life is strange is so good i was OBSESSED with it) but with video games its not usually tangible its not a place you can go and see and live in because of modeling and this shows how much being 2d really helps slay the princess in portraying the multiverse the multiselves theuniverse shattering reality bending stuff that is going on and it is SO WELL DONE every piece of art is so beautiful and breathtaking god i love this GAME!!!! (kh has also done this with 2d they established it in khux and worked it out in kh3/the dlc!! 2d rules theres so many anime movies that are "trippy" but its this god i love meta so so much it makes my mind feel good mmm i love stp so much

[endlessskymaster]

Sora spends his final moments with Kairi before he fades away 😢

[silawastaken]

Surely Chuuya will understand that Dazai declining mental health isn’t his fault or Dazais fault or anyone’s fault, really, though certain people definitely have had a bigger part in it than others (looking at mori). Surely Chuuya will understand that Dazai didn’t talk about any of it because he’s mentally ill and genuinely doesn’t believe anyone should care about him, and that lashing out at Dazai isn’t going to help the situation. Surely! Surely! The confrontation between Dazais, now traumatized, younger sister who really only has him and who will now refuse to stop clinging onto him and his older brother figure who just lost the love of his life will be much worse than the confrontation with his soulmate. Surely!!!!!!! SURELY CHUUYA WILL BE UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTIVE!! AND NOTHING VAD WILL EVER HAPPEN EVER AGAN!!!!!!

Also I’ve finally had time to reread chap 21 and really read it you know, and I just wanna say that scene where dazai complains about being hungry and everyone else immediately handing him food? that shit was GOOD! I’m a fan of slowburn and ssk abd all that good shit but it’s nice to see whenever their friends do shit like that. Reminds me of when dazais bag broke right after Oda died. It’s just cute :3

I'VE BEEN SAVING THIS SINCE YOU SENT IT BECAUSE I HAD THOUGHTS™ AND NEEDED TO SHARE WITHOUT SPOILERS. SO, CHAPTER 22 SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT ALREADY.

So, Chuuya in chapter 22 is special to me, and i responded to a comment about it- Because of how he reacts.

Chuuya's first reaction is fear. He's scared, because the person he loves the most had tried to khs, and Chuuya didn't notice. He didn't put it together. His next, as Dazai continues to try and run and hide despite it being obvious Chuuya knew, was anger and frustration because of the fact that he's scared.

He's scared, worried, he's just had something he's been freaking out about for weeks revealed to be the one person he didn't consider, and that one person is extremely mentally ill. Like any sixteen year old- He doesn't necessarily react in the appropriate manner.

Of course, as he calms down and figures things out, his reaction becomes more understandable and appropriate- more focused on getting through the day to a place it's safer to process all that happened, and he doesn't push when Dazai says he doesn't want to talk about it.

He's just worried, and hurt because of how blatantly he's been lied too. There's likely a degree of guilt he feels, and will feel, regardless of how much he's aware that it isn't his fault.

An Elise/Ango confrontation hasn't happened yet, but you're right, the likelihood would be that that confrontation would be worse than the Chuuya one. Because, like you said, Elise walked in on Dazai's half dead body, and Ango just lost the most important person to him, and Dazai is that person's younger brother.

There are so many ways that confrontation could go, and while it wouldn't necessarily be explosive the way the Chuuya one was, it would almost certainly hurt worse imo, given everything else that has happened to his siblings and Ango.

The next chapter is going to be pretty heavy I think, given we've moved past the entire soulmate thing, this is picking up loose ends. And lots of those are centered around Dazai and his abuse.

But yeah. Chuuya was specifically written so that he wouldn't instantly have an understanding reaction, so that he would go through different layers of emotion before his finally got to the understanding stuff, because he's human, and also pretty fucking traumatised from this whole thing, and therefore it's more realistic for him to have a negative reaction first, before beginning to understand and be nicer about it.

And yeah that scene with Dazai having food thrown at him was so nice, I wanted to specifically include a bit that confirmed that after they realised about how bad Dazai actually was with food, they were all looking out for it.

Anyway you probably were NOT looking for this long ass rant but thank you for this ask cause it really had me thinking <33

[brick-van-dyke]

Sort of a tangent, but I was thinking of this while writing stuff for Yoru and how similar he is to Riku's journey of self discovery and acceptance, while also having the issue of self hatred. So! I have some thoughts about the canon KH cast that I wanna write down as well.

// Spoilers for pretty much the whole series below.

Riku learnt to accept himself, but he's moved backwards (imo) since DDD and gone back to that same self rejection. Esmeralda actually called him out on this big time and so did Young Xehanort, which is gonna be a huge thing going forward imo. He's started to learn from the ideology of "light=better and good", "darkness=something to be fixed and changed because it's bad" which is constantly reinforced to him by his own jealously of Sora ("he is better than me for being light and me being dark is bad") and causes him to bottle up his feelings and try to suppress his emotions. I think overall Riku has had amazing character development, but I want to see how this also changes with the next arc and, I suspect, how he'll have to address that self denial and hatred of his own feelings. This will also be a huge thing for Sora as well with his most recent development of feeling like he has to be stronger and not allow others to see his weaknesses and faults. Overall, I'm excited as hell for Quadratum and the idea that Sora and Riku will literally have to fight the walking personification of "darkness is bad and needs to change" by realising they can't hurt darkness without hurting themselves and those they love. This setup has me excited af.

Meanwhile Kairi and Ventus will likely also go on the same but different journey of realising their own fears and repression of darkness has led to them being where they are now; frozen in fear. I'll explain what I mean by that in a moment.

I think Ventus is the closest to realising that, hence his talk with Vanitas and saying they ought to choose for themselves, but he's still holding onto what Eraqus, Xehanort and the Foretellers have all taught him: darkness is evil, light is good. It's something he's started to untangle as he realises Vanitas is also a victim just like himself, but he hasn't figured out why Vanitas is the way he is and is still demanding him to change. I think even fans of the series get this confused and I think this is very purposeful on the writer's part; to view darkness as evil to be fixed, not a wound to be loved and cared for; and going even further than that; why darkness exist to begin with. We, as the audience, are also supposed to feel the same way as the protagonists at this point. We are supposed to be scared and hate the cruelties that people are capable of because of their flaws. We're supposed to think a redemption arc is someone changing from light to dark. Because that's what the protagonists believe right now. But is that really accurate to how said antagonist are supposed to heal? Is that really for the best? Looking at Riku, Sora, Kairi, Ventus and Aqua, I'm inclined to think they're all suffering under the weight of repressing their feelings and trying to be something they aren't able to; perfect instead of human.

This is more my own theory here, so I might be running off a bit beyond canon and more pure interpretation, but imo "darkness exists to protect the light" is very likely it's true purpose, in my own opinion anyway. We've had so many hints of that since Kingdom Hearts 1 and throughout the series, but Ventus himself is an embodiment of that exact thing. Why do you think his heart began to fade but Vanitas' didn't? He didn't have the tools needed to handle the trauma of what he experienced. The pain was too much and he didn't have the darkness to protect the light from fading away from that pain. Vanitas is darkness itself, Ventus' to be exact, so he had those tools. You could even say that him being born from a cocoon/ egg was also a good hint to what darkness is; a shell; protection; a form of coping.

Kairi on the other hand doesn't have any of these. From day one, we've seen that she's afraid of change. "Sora don't ever change", her joke to take the raft for just the two of them, her fear of the unknown and her ending up in Neverland of all places (Peter Pan is literally a story about fearing change and aging). Kairi is terrified of being left behind, but she's even more scared of change and moving behind the safety she's known. By not confronting herself on this, she's constantly ended up as the damsel, the one left behind, the one who always waited. Kingdom Hearts 2 did wonderfully (imo) in showing how Kairi has this fatal flaw of wishing to move and be by the side of Sora and Riku, but never allowing herself to. She realises that "waiting isn't good enough". But it's still never enough, she's still terrified. The entire paopu fruit scene In Kingdom Hearts 3 has me very much convinced she's still scared. She wants everything to stay the way they are; for Sora, Riku and herself to go back to the islands and to stay together, nothing ever happening, nothing changing. It's one of the most fascinating aspects of her character and why she's such a great opposite to Riku; the rejection to curiosity and the fear of the unknown. That's the very thing she's going to have to confront if she wants to ever get stronger; she has to realise to risk and to change is to be human. And I think we're gonna see that moving forward once her and Ventus go through their own arcs alongside Terra and Aqua who also will inevitably have to learn that they aren't weak for being human. They're the two sides of how the idea of "light is superior and darkness is bad" result in harm. And I personally can't wait to see more of how that develops.

TLDR: I genuinely believe that the next arc is setting up for darkness being a form of light/ that the two are just expeirences and not that different, and that it was created from light to protect the heart from pain and trials. Much like how in irl, anger, fear, etc are all ways our brains try to protect us (fight or flight) from pain; darkness is just a coping mechanism for the heart to not break and to slowly heal, I think darkness itself will be shown in the same light (bad pun intended) as light was previously in the series as as more realistic and morally grey. As in, as something good and to be protected, not destroyed like the new villain intends. Because destroying darkness means destroying light (literally, with this setup).

Stuck on prompt 5 for (a very late and overdue) khoc week; not because I don't know what to do, but because there's so many things I want to do.

Sort of a ramble about this below: 👇

Also some sliiight spoilers for themes (couldn't help myself) with my fic, but it helps explain why I'm struggling to get something out for this specifically.

Each of my main OCs is an embodiment of the complexities of experiences that can't be defined by light or darkness, especially Zorya who literally is a being of darkness that is trying a third way of handling it; not controlling to destroy it (Xehanort and Eraqus' ideals, or rather the "teachings of light") or even embracing it and accepting it (first step that Riku found), but believing in it; seeing your flaws as a wound to heal, a possibility to be realised, just like how you love people and believe in them, she wants to believe in herself and love herself in ways she hasn't been able to. To kit hate your flaws or see them as something to be "fixed" but loved and cared for. I think Kingdom Hearts is leaning into that in the next arc, but it's not quite there yet.

Meanwhile the other two are also examples of this but in different ways. Yoru is more like Riku and delves into that "first step", but like Riku he still hates and fears his own flaws. He hasn't really fully embraced the fact he's just a person and is allowed to have those flaws yet, same as Riku (which is partly why I'm excited for the aspect of him being in Quadratum since I think both he and Sora will realise that while fighting the personification of that fear and hate towards darkness). Yoru still thinks that he's a bad person for being too curious, too scared, too angry, too this or that. But he also wants to embrace it and change. Which is all great and all when it comes to wanting to be a better person, but he's still healing. And pushing a wound that's still open won't heal it, it'll just worsen it. I want to show that, but it can't really be summed up with just light or darkness; it's both.

And Taiyo is probably the most interesting of all when it comes to the question. He believes he's strictly light, he wants to uphold his teachings and be what he was taught to be. He's exactly like Eraqus and any other Keyblade Master before that, but the thing is he doesn't have a Keyblade and he is forced to realise how human he is. He's a lot like Aqua in that regard, forced to face his limits and understand his own humanity and inadequacy when compared to the perfectionism pushed by his teachers and peers. He has to unlearn all of the toxicity and realise a heart is more than just a means of good or evil, it's also an identity; a means of love and happiness, it's also about caring for oneself as a person, not a tool. So he would say light absolutely, but like every other person, he has his flaws. Even if he himself doesn't acknowledge them.

I want to explain this all in a way that isn't just a long monologue, but by instead showing it. Yet, I also don't want to spoil the full character arcs I have planned in my fic itself or its story and every single theme in it.

Also, darkness and light are treated very delicately in my fic and with my OCs, so I tend to put a lot of thought in whenever I want to show their connections to light or darkness, because it's always very much related to mental health and self discovery and self care. It's about realising that light and darkness are subjective; mailable and unclear. But with that, there's so many ways to show it. I get so excited by that too, which in turn has me writing various drafts and having so many different ideas that it's hard to settle on just one to go with.

TLDR: This will probably be the longest and most thoughtfully written out of all the prompts. The reason I stopped with the last one is because I'm so excited to really make something that makes fans of the series think about what light and darkness really are in regards to this universe. I know it's just a little fun prompt and I don't have to. But I want to. It's fascinating and I think it's a great way to introduce people to the themes of my fic and the ideas these characters all embody.

[galactic-feelins]

Runaway City AU talk ahead:

Sometimes when experiencing media of all kinds I end up thinking about crossover scenarios CONSTANTLY. The worst of it is when I think about how my own ocs would interact with the world or how characters would interact with those ocs. But enough about original characters, I'm here to share some thoughts I had about the gummi crew!

So for anyone that follows my main blog or knows me personally, you'll know I've been thinking about "Tales Of Symphonia: Dawn Of The New World" again! Obviously I have thought about KH crossovers before and several years ago I tried drawing Emil and Roxas together, however I haven't shared that one because I'm not so proud of how it turned out. When it comes to the Runaway City AU (as I'm tentatively calling it) I keep thinking about what worlds Roxas and co could visit for both thematic narrative purposes and for moving them along on their journeys, be it personal character growth or a step towards finding Sora! Unfortunately, I have a very obvious type when it comes to characters I like, and Emil has a very similar story to what Roxas is going through in this au...

Anyway I want to share a late game idea I had with Emil before I forget, but I can't exactly draw anything for it yet as I haven't shared enough context behind it! Spoilers ahead:

Anyone aware of Dawn would probably know about Ratatosk's Ain Soph Aur, and may or may not know you can use it in regular combat upon using Devil's Hellfire. Well, the idea is that Roxas would've met them on a first visit late enough in Emil's journey to be able to see this for himself, but early enough that the whole truth behind Ratatosk hasn't been revealed yet. After finding Sora, I had the idea that Roxas doesn't immediately remerge with him and instead Sora joins the crew as they try to find a way to allow both Sora and Roxas to live as themselves, hence the heartless Sora designs I'd shared! But, this leaves a chance for Sora to tag along on a second visit >:3

On the second visit, enough time would have passed for Emil to learn the truth about who and what he is, and subsequently seal his other half away in his heart. Emil is dealing with a lot, but so are Sora and Roxas, so they talk and confide in each other and try to give support and condolences. In the base game, Emil cannot use Ain Soph Aur after Ratatosk is sealed away, but he still has Ratatosk's power as he is a part of him. This probably comes up in conversation with Roxas even!

Now for the fun part!

If they'd been talking things through in room at an inn for example, then someone would have to come by to tell Sora an Roxas it's time to go. Danny is the one to fetch them, but while he's there he shows great respect and honor towards Tenebrae who immediately comments upon Danny's formality.

"Of course I'd respect you! Your job is one of the most important of them all. After all, it's only in darkness that stars shine the brightest!"

Now that may not be as nice to Tenebrae as poor Phantom had expected, but it does stick in the minds of Emil, Sora, and Roxas! While Sora is reminded of Riku by the statement, Roxas begins to think deeper. Sora is seen as a beacon of hope to the people that sent him on this quest in the first place, and yet he's so full of darkness that he becomes a shadow when he's feeling too emotional and high-strung. But even Roxas can see just how brilliantly he shines, while Roxas himself has no light or dark or his own. This would be a catalyst to Roxas deciding once and for all that he'll save Sora, even if it means sacrificing himself. Sora wouldn't like that; why would someone so set on living suddenly decide to sacrifice himself, and for HIM specifically? Roxas goes to bed, but Sora leaves the ship to make sure he has no chance of recombining in his sleep, and so he goes to Emil to talk!

Emil has taken the experience to think about his own plans, and from talking to Sora and Roxas he recognizes that there may be another way to go about things. Emil is Emil, but he is also Ratatosk, and while Emil doesn't want to let Ratatosk end all life in Aselia, he may not have to give Ratatosk the chance at all! I don't remember the exact conversation I had imagined, but Sora also comes away with the reassurance that Roxas wants to help him and he should respect his decision and accept the gift he's being given. And since Emil/Ratatosk is a summon spirit, he tells Sora to call him if he ever needs help, granting Sora yet another summon.

This is all to lead up to Emil relearning Ain Soph Aur and making it his own: Sora summons Emil into battle for the first time later to find Emil prepares an attack with "Darkness Empowers, Ain Soph Aur!" Sora is a bit confused about the first part, but internally Roxas is filled with glee and pride for Emil being able to accept himself and his power as his own!

[active-hoper]

The Parallels Between Sleeping Worlds and Trauma - A Brief KINGDOM HEARTS Dream Drop Distance Scene Analysis

Warning(s) for: spoilers.

Establishing Screenshots

Riku, after defeating the Nightmare that was helping to keep their world stuck in perpetual sleep, sees Geppetto and Pinnochio joyously reunite with one another.*

Riku then thinks about his journey thus far aloud and remarks that, like another Sleeping World before this one, this "...world was freed from darkness, but has yet to wake from it."**

He finishes his thoughts by realizing that this world is, "...trapped in a never-ending dream."***

With nothing else left to say, Riku uses his Keyblade to seal this Sleeping World's Keyhole, supporting it and giving it the chance to recover.****

Scene Analysis

This scene from Riku's story in KINGDOM HEARTS Dream Drop Distance draws parallels between the in-game concept of Sleeping Worlds remaining in dream-like states due to succumbing to darkness, never realizing its absence, and persons' traumas' tendency to mask the past as an endless present.

It is only with the support of outside forces that Sleeping Worlds can begin to recover from their partially self-inflicted conditions. In comparison, people can heal from their traumas not through staying near their pains in solitude but with new faces opening up their restrictive minds.

Seeing such lightness in relation to the topic of trauma reinvigorated my commitment to my New Year's Resolution -- to expand my support network. Now, I have a reminder that discussions surrounding said topic have the capacity to be positive and uplifting, which can be revisited in grim times.

Work(s) Cited

*Image source: CGInferno. "Kingdom Hearts 2.8 FCP - KH Dream Drop Distance HD: English - All Cutscenes - Riku." YouTube, release date: 22 Jan. 2017, access date: 22 Sep. 2024, relevant timestamp: ~32:00, https://youtu.be/OfRpOti0Y30?si=ll8qYQmM3wyrUazv .

**Image source: All information is identical, except for: relevant timestamp: ~32:20.

***Image source: All information is identical, except for: relevant timestamp: ~32:24.

****Image source: All information is identical, except for: relevant timestamp: ~32:41.

[nadziejastar]

Absolutely love your akusai analysis stuff its so good omg.

Do you have any more thoughts on them?

Thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it! As for my thoughts on Akusai, well, after beating Fire Emblem Three Houses recently, I do have a few thoughts. I know, I'm late to the party on 3H. (I actually loved 3H and would love to write metas about those ships lol). But anyways, regarding Akusai. It's a bit of a rant and there's minor spoilers for FE3H, so I'll put it under the cut.

Okay, so Sylvix felt like it was everything Akusai was supposed to be. It touched on all the same themes, too. In 3H, you've got a childhood friend trio. The standard two males and a female. On the surface it seems like the girl and the outgoing redhead goofball are a thing. But they treat each other more like bros. He and the quiet blue-haired sword guy had a much more intimate bond with each other, complete with a special promise™ to always be together and redhead being protective of blue. The redhead never wants to grow up and change because he doesn't wanna fulfill the heteronormative life script of getting married and having kids.

He is longing to go back to his childhood days but is sad at how much blue has changed since they were kids and has apparently outgrown their closeness. He hides his angst behind a smile and womanizing. Blue was once a meek clingy crybaby but now he is surly and obsessed with growing stronger. Deep down he is still an uke who secretly longs to be redhead's waifu. But he has a lot of shame related to his sensitivity and gender nonconformity. He distances himself from others, but boy does he get irritated if redhead flirts with anyone else.

I do wish the game would have just come right out and tell you that they're gay for each other (and so does this gaming site). I get why it didn't. Still, it didn't really hide it too much. They have a paired ending where they spend their whole lives playfully teasing each other like just when they were kids, never get married, and die together in each other's arms. It's the most romantic ending in the whole game, if you ask me. And Sylvix is SUPER popular and well received by the fandom. Both in Japan and the West. They have soooo much fan content. There are still some dudes who say they're just friends because ew icky gay. But most people in the fandom are able to tell they're queer-coded and are fine with it. In fact, the fandom was so fine with it that they released an overtly queer dude in the DLC, strictly due to popular demand.

3H is not a slam dunk with gay romance since much of it (particularly MLM) relies on subtext. But it still had more balls than most JRPG series and it definitely was a step in the right direction. We all know that Soriku is the most popular ship. The end of KH2 was total fujoshi fuel. But Soriku never had any chance in hell of being canon. KH is a video game shonen anime. Sora/Riku bromance is "safe". They can capitalize on shipteasing them to their female fans, but they won't alienate their male fans because Kairi is still very obviously the love interest for Sora. I found Akusai to be a lot more compelling because it was legitimately queer-coded.

Axel was queer-coded from the very beginning. His close friendship with Roxas in KH2 made people question his sexuality all the way back in 2006 and Akuroku rivaled Soriku for a time. And I do think that Axel always meant to be queer. Although personally, I did not get the impression that he was in love with Roxas. I got the sense that he probably had a best friend back when he was a human. And it was this dead best friend that he truly yearned for. The sweet and innocent Roxas reminded Axel of his human best friend and he latched onto him to help him forget the memories of days long past. That was my headcanon back in 2006 when KH2 first came out.

So, I was really happy when Days/BBS came out and it basically confirmed my theory that Axel was truly hung up on his human best friend and saw Roxas as a kind of replacement for him. And Isa was also very queer-coded. BBS!Isa has a more distinctly feminine design than any other boy in the series. He had very girlsh eyes and lips, small hands, long hair. And Saix's Mystery Gear is very cutesy-looking. Traditionally, the moon is viewed as a feminine symbol. And Saix's weapons in 358/2 Days were named after moon goddesses. They could have easily picked male moon gods, but they chose female goddesses like Selene and Artemis. It signifies to the player that, "Hey, this character does not follow the conventional gender stereotypes."

When you play 358/2 Days, and you get to the part where Axel is talking about love, you realize he's talking about his most precious memories from his human life, just like with all the other stuff like summer vacation and the red sunset. Akusai was not just superficial fujobait. Even if it was all subtext, it was a genuine depiction of two queer male characters who loved each other romantically. Axel is not straight. That’s a big reason why I was so mad that KH3 pushed their relationship off to the side and treated saving Isa as so much less important compared to saving Roxas. And it was so annoying how Saix had to mention Subject X whenever he might have seemed a little too obsessed with Axel otherwise.

Last year, Nomura said that he intended to show more of Lea and Isa's backstory in the future, so I've just been waiting for more content. I hope that we can get their story without Subject X overshadowing them like she did in KH3. I'm...cautiously optimistic. I expect this subplot to be included in Missing Link, since it is quite literally a missing link of the story. Axel is super popular and a queer-coded backstory with his childhood best friend would be very well received by the modern KH fandom, IMO. People are a LOT more accepting of gay content than they were in 2006. We've come a long way. And personally, I just love the idea that the tough cold asshole Saix's human self was actually a super sweet cutie who was in love with Lea. I really think the KH fandom would love that idea, too, if the writers were ever allowed to actually explore it. And a niche mobile game is probably a safer medium for that type of content than a mainline console game overseen by Disney, I guess. At the very least, if they ever put an Isa figurine into ML, I will whale for it if I have to.