#like i’m not that far into it but kairi is the only tolerable person and that’s barely a compliment

[brainrothawks]

i’m watching peach girl for the first time and everyone is so infuriating lmfao

[snowflake-of-destruction]

vanikai!!

1. How do much do I ship it?: Never heard of it/ Notp / Dislike / used to ship / maybe / ship it / aww / otp / IS IT CANON YET

Fun fact: I started out as maybe and moved to the ship category while writing 

2. What non sexual activities do they like to do together?

Grass is Greener Verse: 

Theater, as shocking as it is that they can fixate on something where the eyes aren't on either of them. Well, there is the pre-show ritual of Kairi talking about how well she would have done as a stage actress. Vanitas more often takes a supportive rather than sarcastic response to this, and tells her she should go to some open auditions. It's far from too late. She's young, hot, and talented (He presumes the last one, but he'd never bet the opposite...and after he sees the one movie she did and some of the commercials...he'll just keep his mouth shut on talented). Sometimes, she'll beam, call him right, and make plans she doesn't follow through on. Sometimes she's noncommittal. Sometimes she'll glare at him, deciding he's just trying to end conversation or mock that she is all talk. Post-show there's also talk--this time from both of them--about how they could have done better in certain roles, which is a couples bonding activity all on its own. HOWEVER, these types of fantasies are not why they love plays. They think is an engrossing form of storytelling, that make worlds come to life and put you in them more than movies or tv. Also, they are simply dramatic nerds at heart.

They also play tennis. Primarily doubles, though you would be foolish to play against them, but they enjoy competing with each other too.

Rock climbing, but at an indoor rock gym. Anyone who asks them if they are training for something/ever planning a trip receives incredibly incredulous looks and scoffing. Not because of the potential danger, because of the very idea of them out in the wilderness...though sometimes Kairi will counter this by mentioning that one summer she worked for her father's, now Axel's, landscaping business. That was getting dirty in nature. Vanitas's response to this is not for this headcanon space

A more canon-verse approach (what do you mean Vanitas not joining the guardians of light post-kh3 is not canon?): There is a lot of sparring. Vanitas helps Kairi advance her keyblade training and just plain get out some of the anger in the grief of losing Sora. Van doesn't go easy and Kairi likes that. Kairi helps Vanitas with any gaps in education without talking down, pitying or even mentioning his strange upbringing, or, the worst, comparing him to Roxas or Xion (because he has identity issues too). I'm not even talking traditional education, though that too if he wants, but education on social situations...which he's not a complete idiot about. He's actually really good at reading people. He just needs a little guidance on what way to use the info, because he only has like five moves and not every situation calls for "taunt" or "threaten loved one". Kairi makes him a much better manipulator. Thanks Kairi. There's also a lot of snuggling, because I say so, that's why. I just see them both as a bit yearning for physical reassurance in their lonely spells, and also the least likely to say it for their own different reasons, so they read it in each other and  just give each other what they need but won't ask for.

Read More before this gets too long

3. Who does chores around the house?

Grass is Greener: Neither, as much as it can be helped. It's a stand off about most of the regular chores, and periodically they have a cleaning service come through that is more thorough than either of them are. More often than not, Kairi is the one that "breaks" over keeping the kitchen clean, and Vanitas about cleaning bathrooms and straightening living areas. Vanitas is very neat as a habit, and Kairi likes her surroundings to show a little bit of how she likes chaos--she just is grossed out by dirty dishes, grease stains, and food crumbs. Cooking is a bit of a fifty-fifty with both preferring quickly assembled meals. Laundry is taken down to nothing-to-wear levels, and then it's whoever needs something first. Though sometimes this all goes out the windows, and Kairi goes through "Look, I'm a fifties housewife" sprints where suddenly everything's spotless and she's cooked a three course dinner and did it all in a cocktail dress because she didn't realize you're supposed to change into the dress after. 

Kinda-canon: Vanitas. He has a lot of pent up emotions and sometimes you have got to stress clean or cook. Kairi would help, but the arrangement of Vanitas doing the lion's share and it seeming to help him definitely works for the self-described lazy bum.

4. Who’s the better cook?

Grass is Greener: Vanitas. Kairi is a bit careless following recipes and doesn't have the innate "cooking sense" in regard to estimating amounts, flavors, heat, or time to freestyle. Vanitas, when he does cook, tends to get really serious about it even though he prefers the simple to assemble, like I said in the last answer.

Kinda Canon: Kairi. Vanitas is slow to adjust from the “food is only fuel not pleasure” mindset and Kairi starts out with a base of her adoptive parents having taught her some things. Vanitas has a sharp learning curve though, bullying Little Chef into helping him (because he's not going to lose) and not realizing that the bullying is what makes Little Chef more reluctant and ensures Remy doesn't teach him all the secrets he does to others.  Anyone can cook, but if you're mean you are taught to cook less well. Once Kairi gets Little Chef tutelage, it's all over.

5. Who’s the funniest drunk?

Grass is Greener: Both and neither in a way. They both have a very high tolerance. They tend to act out more on purpose out of the excuse than act out because of a truly altered state. Alcohol isn't magic. It just lowers inhibitions and neither has those to begin with. If I had to choose though, Kairi is a funnier drunk, because Vanitas's mean streak becomes more developed the drunker he is, whereas Kairi's mean streak, when she chooses to have one, is more practiced and purposeful cultivation instead of a natural harshness.

Kinda Canon: Vanitas. He is not prepared, and once he loses his filter everything spills out, and it's a lot less ugly than some people expected. Kairi just gets giggly and slightly louder, but otherwise doesn't change.

6. Do they have kids?

Grass is Greener: :) :D  Listen. Listen. If Shaky was the one who carelessly put "I don't think it fits me the way it used to" on the Vanikai picture she drew. SUPPOSEDLY this was done for cleavage and for the "help you take it off" joke but I know a dangled plotline when I see it. 

Kinda Canon: That partially depends on the state of the worlds and how many other keybearers there are when they are older. Even in a stable universe, I don't see them having kids young and it being a long discussion of whether they want kids at all, not the least because of the implications of Vanitas's powers and whether they are only his or would be passed down--what could happen to an infant that could summon Unversed and not know how to retract them even if they were loyal especially if it would be hurt by them being vanquished. I see them adopting orphans from other worlds and saying fuck world order more than having kids naturally. 

7. Do they have any traditions?

Grass is Greener: Annual trip to Vegas to recreate the way they met under new created identities.

Kinda Canon:  Vanitas calls every tradition he's introduced to stupid without fail. Vanitas also gets VERY into every holiday, and Kairi is all too happy to indulge. Then, he starts nudging her about teaching him more dumb holidays. Their tradition becomes ALL THE TRADITIONS. They celebrate holidays from every world and from every religion if there's a way to do it respectfully--and if it's not appropriate to participate, then they just learn about it as much as they are permitted--and then they look up and celebrate obscure or "made up" things like Leave a Zucchini on a Neighbor's Porch Day.

8. What do they fight about?

Grass is Greener:  What you would expect. 

Housework. 

Why do you take criticism like a personal attack?

What do you do all day? versus Why are you never home? 

Were you flirting with the waiter? 

Did you even want the baby? Was it a relief when I lost it?

Kind of Canon: Imagine Kairi saying in the same tone as Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast "Well you should learn to control your temper!"

No, really, it's mainly about Vanitas being "mean" to people...and then sometimes it's about Kairi doing the same and then blaming him as a bad influence.

9. What would they do if they found their paring tag on tumblr? (If they have one)

Grass is Greener: The flippant answer is that they are really confused about this whole Disney crossover with weird swords thing, and why they are teenagers in so many of these pictures. Don't even get them started on the skirt over the muscle suit paired with the motorcycle helmet Vanitas sees himself put in. When he wears a skirt he has a lot better style, especially if Kairi helps put together the outfit.

But let's take this in a different way. That one bad movie Kairi did is actually gaining a small cult following now years after its release. Someone does a "What Happened to Kairi Emberson? The Answer Will Shock You!" clickbait. The answer...is not shocking but enough people see a photo of Kairi, fine as ever, now Kairi White and looking so happy with Vanitas, and the pair get an objectively creepy because the next few pictures are pulled from social media they don't lock, but well intentioned few people finding and posting more cute pictures of the,  and they become a sparse tag and one that is half joking, but a RPS all the same. Kairi pretends to hate this, but is not so secretly really flattered. Vanitas genuinely hates it.

Kinda-canon:  Kairi loves it. Vanitas is fascinated despite himself. Everyone else is disappointed because they expected flustered denials or anger at those that portray them wrong, but Van and Kairi both just think it's cool.

10. Who cried at the end of Marley and me?

Grass is Greener: Neither. They roasted it for filth. They cried about it much later. Vanitas in the shower, and Kairi the next day when she was over at Xion's, saw her dog Elmo, and it all busted loose.

Kinda Canon: Vanitas. Cue a discussion about how movies work, how they are not real, and Vanitas snapping that he knows that until there are now multiple types of Unversed to take care of. Kairi gently cuddles both her man and the Unversed until equilibrium returns.

11. Who always wins at Mario kart?

Kairi in all universes. Vanitas doesn't care in GiG, but in canon there is a shout of "Rematch and this time it counts!" despite it being the 100th rematch

12. One thing I like about this ship?

That they have potential to understand each other more than people who technically know them better, or at least the concept of being seen a certain way and having a different "certain way" that everyone thinks it would be better if they grew toward instead of just being allowed to be. Princess of Heart and Agent of Darkness aren't really so different after all.

13. One thing I don’t like about the ship?

When it's clear that it's a fill in for people who want Soriku but can't think of anyone but Sora for Kairi, and so pick "other Sora." There's not anything wrong with that outright, and this isn't me annoyed with pair the spares (though that can rub wrong if it is handled wrong or I'm in a mood to make a point about how not everyone needs a romantic relationship), but annoyed with the reduction of Vanitas to "edgy Sora"

14. The song I would say fits them?

Grass is Greener:

Sibella, and I'll quote a verse and a half because clearly this isn't already long enough.

"You are vain and you are heartless and yet

I can feel in you a shade of sadness

That's barely detectable

That I still want you at all

I may live to regret

You're deceitful

You're delectable

You see the fate of a man

Who has had the misfortune

To spend his life caught in your sway

I see Sibella

My Sibella

And I like her that way"

It works both ways. Change whatever pronouns you want.

Kind of Canon: I...don't know. I can't think off the top of my head. 

15. Another headcanon about the paring? (Free space)

Grass is Greener: Even though they think they met in Vegas, they had crossed paths before and probably more than once. I don't have specific headcanons (yet), but this may be something if I ever write the other 20 bazillion Grass is Greener scenes for various characters and relationships that I want to do first.

Kind of Canon:  Kairi makes her own version of the suit and borrows Vanitas's helmet sometimes to do things she would never "get away with" as herself. Vanitas blesses this, helps her with the suit, and hands over the helmet after kissing the visor for luck. He also exposes her as a fake Vanitas by showing up at the worst time on purpose.

[aliceslantern]

Serendipity, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic, chapter 5

ser·en·dip·i·ty | n -- the occurrence of an unplanned fortunate discovery.

It's all fun and games until someone gets pregnant.

Modern AU, Zemyx, Ienzo is trans and AFAB.

Chapter summary:  Ienzo moves into the third trimester. Life changes forever.

Read it on FF.net/on AO3

---

The third trimester was not nearly as pleasant as the second. Ienzo felt heavy, unwieldy, his thought processes muddy and murky. At least the weather was no longer so unbearably hot. He was again exhausted, and it was very difficult to find pregnancy clothing that wasn’t feminine. Naminé thankfully came to the rescue and sewed some things for him.

How odd, to think they had family. Not just the blood or adopted relatives, but the friends, too. Riku was continually surprised to see him. “I keep forgetting,” he said honestly. His partners, Sora and Kairi, were almost more excited about the baby than he was. “Here you are. Going domestic.”

“I’ll certainly have no shortage of babysitters,” Ienzo said drolly. “Sora, if you post that selfie you won’t have a phone anymore. Thank you.”

He was finding it difficult to work normally. Getting up and down off of his high stool at the research desk was something of a chore. Considering how frequently he needed to move around, it was an issue. While he still did love feeling the baby move, especially as the further the pregnancy went the more he could distinctly feel each little limb, he no longer was quite so enamored with this state of being.

One afternoon he was feeling more tired and sluggish than normal. He was trying to fix some kind of issue with his personal computer, one that, were he not pregnant, he could solve within five minutes, but he couldn’t think straight. The frustration actually brought tears to his eyes, and he wasn’t able to blink them back this time. And once the tears started… they didn’t stop.

Demyx found him with his head in his hands on the couch. “Babe?” he asked. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I feel so slow. So stupid.”

“It’s just the hormones,” he said. “You’re--”

“I know. I know it’s the fucking hormones.” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m exhausted.”

“I know.” Demyx handed him a tissue. “Why don’t you lay down? I’ll make some dinner.”

He did… and he drifted. When he woke up he felt nauseous and feverish and there was an awful ache in his back that wouldn’t rub away. He sat up slowly, with the intent of searching these symptoms, only for the nausea to immediately escalate. He barely was able to grab the living room wastebasket in time. It couldn’t be morning sickness--it was far too late for that.

Something was wrong.

Demyx poked his head out of the bathroom. “Ienzo? What’s--oh. Oh, baby.”

The tears were back. Demyx rested a hand on his forehead. “You’re really warm.”

“I don’t feel right.”

“I know.”

Dizzily, he flicked his eyes back to the clock. It was late, too late to see a doctor.

“Could it be a stomach bug?”

“Maybe--” He sniffled. Demyx took the sick from him and handed him a wet paper towel.

“Why don’t you lay back down? We can get you to the doctor in the morning.”

Maybe it was because he was so weak, but he didn’t resist, and dipped in and out of consciousness.

“...thanks for coming. I wasn’t sure who else to call.”

“Of course. It’s been a long time since I practiced medicine, but I think I can manage.”

“He was crying. Ienzo never cries. I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“We’ll figure it out.” A cold hand on his face. “Ienzo? Love?”

He blinked. “Dad? What are you--”

“Demyx was worried about you. I am too.”

He tried to sit up, but Even eased him down. He was cold now, trembling. A thermometer was eased into his mouth.

“You’ve got quite a fever,” he said. “What else do you feel? Other than the nausea and vomiting?”

“Something just doesn’t feel right,” he said thickly. “My back… hurts pretty badly.”

Even felt at his back, probing gently near the ribs. Ienzo winced. “Is that where it hurts?”

“Yes.”

“Hm. Well.” It was still pretty dark in here; all Ienzo could see was the curtain of his father’s hair. “Those are your kidneys. Seems a pretty straightforward infection to me.”

“...Kidney infection?” He blinked wearily. “How--”

“Perhaps you confused the frequent urination for mere pregnancy pressure. A normal mistake. Not to mention your immune system currently has a lot to keep up with.”

“But the baby--”

“I’m sure the baby will be fine. I would like to get you to a hospital, though, to be safe.”

In a haze, Ienzo went with them. He was sweating like crazy, foggy and miserable. Even’s diagnosis was correct. They started him on IV antibiotics just to be cautious, and decided to observe him overnight due to the pregnancy. He had trouble getting into a comfortable position to sleep on the small hard bed. The baby seemed to sense his distress, kicking gently. Their heart rate seemed to be normal, judging by the monitors. The on-call OB had told him as much, and they would likely be fine.

He felt guilty. The thing he had the most control over--his body--had failed him. How could he possibly expect to be a good parent if he couldn’t even tell when he was sick ? Again, he felt the tears and covered his mouth.

Demyx, half asleep in the uncomfortable plastic chair, stirred. “Ienzo? Are you in pain?”

“No,” he said. “I just--I didn’t know. How didn’t I know?”

“It’s not your fault.” He came over to the bed.

“How can I possibly protect them when I can’t even protect them from my own body?”

“Babe, you’re spiraling,” he said. “You couldn’t have done anything differently. And you know what? You’re going to be a good dad.”

“How can you know that?”

His gaze was fervent. “Because of how much you care,” he said. “This whole time--even before you thought you were going to stay pregnant, you’ve been on top of it. The way you eat. The way you talk about them. And if it helps? I’m scared too.”

He wiped at his eyes. “You raised your sister.”

“That’s not starting from scratch, though. You and me? I think we can do it.” He kissed Ienzo’s sweaty forehead. “We can’t save them from everything. We just have to do our best.”

He hiccupped. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll try.”

---

The more time passed, the harder it was to go about his daily life. Simple chores like laundry or cleaning took much longer, and he was often short of breath from the baby compressing his lungs. As much as Demyx tried to help, he also knew that Ienzo saw help as patronizing. September and October passed dizzily. Ienzo found himself often unable to sleep; if he were not getting up for the bathroom, he couldn’t get comfortable, or the baby would be moving too much to let him sleep. His nipples, despite there being very little breast tissue after the top surgery, ached, and he learned in his research he could still produce small amounts of milk.

He spent a lot of these hours organizing and reorganizing things in the nursery. Logically, he knew it was nesting, an instinctive process, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. He would sit in an old rocking chair--a relic from his childhood--with a pair of earphones around his stomach. As soon as Demyx learned the baby was starting to hear, he created dozens of playlists for them in utero. Truthfully, Ienzo did not mind. Some of these nights Demyx would come get him, coax him back into bed, and rub his back until he finally fell into a hesitant sleep.

Dr. Gainsborough told him he would likely need a C-section; the baby was getting too large to pass through his hips. Privately, Ienzo was relieved. He could deal with surgery. The ordeal of natural birth seemed humiliating. They scheduled this birth for November ninth.

“That’s my lucky number,” Demyx said. “A good sign.”

He had to stop working earlier than he would have liked. Getting through the days was just too exhausting. He settled for doing what he could from home.

A few days before Halloween, he felt it, a thick, heady cramp that made him gasp out loud. But it passed quickly, just being a Braxton-Hicks. It happened a few more times, sporadically. “It’s not as if my body knows the baby is being born surgically,” Ienzo assured a frantic Demyx. “It’s just practice. Lucky me.”

On the holiday itself, however, he woke up with one of those cramps, deeper than before. They must be getting stronger the farther I get, he thought, wincing. Demyx was in class, and was due to work a Halloween concert in the evening. Ienzo had planned on spending the day with a few of his favorite gothic novels, and sleeping when he could.

This all changed when he stood up. He felt it happen, a slight pinch between his legs before the wetness ran down them, releasing a pressure he hadn’t been fully conscious was there. Janice the cat padded over and sniffed at it curiously.

“Oh, no,” Ienzo said. “No, no. You’re early.” It didn’t surprise him; Demyx was notoriously an early riser. “No, kitty, you don’t want to drink that.” As he struggled to clean up both himself and the mess, he was weirdly calm--almost numb.

I’m in labor, he thought, as if thinking it would make him internalize the truth. I’m in labor and I can’t give birth.

He called his doctor first.

“This happens all the time,” she said. “Just get to the hospital when you can. Have someone drive you. You’re in no shape. It’s going to be okay, Ienzo.”

The contractions remained sporadic. The pain was… bracing, but he’d always had a high tolerance and dealt accordingly. As soon as he knew Demyx’s class was out, he called.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Yes and no,” Ienzo said. “I’m afraid I’m in labor. They’re going to move the c-section up to today. Can you come get me?”

“Can I come--” Ienzo heard him take a shaky breath. “Of course. Of course. Just relax. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He sat on the couch with the small bag he’d packed a few weeks ago. Janice kneaded his stomach gently, purring. “I suppose you know,” he said to the cat. He called his parents and told them as well.

“You were early too,” Even told him. “Your mother--bless her--tried to keep working. She said you liked being kept busy. I thought she was going to give birth right on that lab floor.”

“I’d hoped to--not have to feel this nonsense,” he said, through his teeth.

“Are you sure you want to wait for Demyx? I can take you now.”

“The contractions are still pretty far apart. I want him to be there. He needs to be there.”

He waited.

How odd, it was to be in this state. In several hours this person would be out of him. It would be through with--save the next eighteen years. He contracted. He breathed. He felt the baby’s feet acutely as they moved, steadily, down.

Demyx all but threw the door open. “How are you doing?”

“Believe it or not, I’ve had worse pain,” he said.

Demyx helped him up gently. “When? How?”

“When I was in the fourth grade--” A contraction gripped him, and he needed to wait until it was over to finish the sentence. “I was riding bikes with friends. We were heading down a big hill. I lost control. Cracked my femur. That was far more awful.”

“We should go,” Demyx said. “Careful. Take your time.”

Ienzo was acutely aware that this was the last time it would only be the two of them in the apartment, and he felt an almost thick fear.

It all seemed to be going slowly and quickly at the same time. He was admitted, Even came and worried over him anxiously, the hospital staff prepared the OR in maternity. Before he’d even fully accepted that he was about to give birth, he was being given the spinal block for the procedure and eased down onto the table. “Where are you?” Ienzo asked.

“I’m right here.” He felt Demyx take his hand. The light in here was blinding. A nurse set up the draping that would hide the reality of the surgery from him. “I’ve never been in an operating room before.”

“A good thing,” Dr. Gainsborough said. “Ienzo? You doing okay?”

“Quite--it’s just very bright.”

“Ah--sorry.” She moved a lamp. “Do you want me to tell you what I’m doing?”

“Demyx is squeamish,” he said wearily.

“But you’re the one giving birth,” Demyx said. “Birth. Holy fuck.”

“No,” he said. “No, it’s alright.”

They prepped him gently, chatting happily around him, about the fact that it was a Halloween baby. He felt oddly meditative, very calm. He wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with the anesthetic.

“You might feel some pressure,” Dr. Gainsborough said. “But that’s all you should feel.”

Surely enough, he could feel some tugging. She’s taking them out of me , he thought dazedly.

“There we go,” she said, a smile in her voice. “You’ve got a little girl.”

And then Ienzo heard her cry. It was this that startled him back fully into the present, a surge of endorphins forcing tears to his eyes.

“Everything looks great,” she said.

After a moment--far too short and far too long in the same breath--a wrapped bundle was being brought to his face. Ienzo had to fight the urge to grab her, conscious of the fact that he was quite literally still being operated on. He placed a hand on her, straining to get a good look.

Demyx brought her a little closer. He was crying freely. “Look at her,” she said.

“I see. I see.” His voice was unsteady. “Hi, love. Oh.”

He planted a kiss onto his forehead. “You did it. Thank you.”

[nadziejastar]

Can you think of other characters besides Riku, Terra and Isa who might have a 'Shadow self' and 'supressed feelings'?

“Master Eraqus, you see, is so afraid of darkness that he, too, has succumbed—not to darkness, but to light. It shines so brightly, he forgets that light begets darkness.”

It’s sad how underdeveloped a lot of the characters are. Fortunately, we’re gonna get Dark Road pretty soon, which will flesh out Xehanort and Eraqus a lot. I think Eraqus had a very strong Shadow Self and a lot of suppressed feelings. He was so afraid of darkness, it caused him to turn on his own pupils and miss vital warning signs that Terra needed support.

*Sigh*, it was so much better when I had no heart. When I didn’t have to worry about things like liking someone.

Becoming fond of something is painful. That’s why those feelings were taken advantage of.

Larxene definitely had a strong Shadow Self. Unfortunately, she didn’t get much backstory during the Xehanort Saga. But obviously, her issue had to do with love. Larxene wanted love, but she was suppressing that desire. She pushed people away and acted cold to protect herself, like Elsa. She had been hurt in the past.

Namine was originally thought of as Kairi’s Shadow Self. I think Namine was supposed to be the manifestation of Kairi’s suppressed feelings. Kairi was left alone at the end of KH1 while Sora went on other adventures. She felt useless and forgotten about by everyone. Her two childhood friends were gone. She was lonely. Of course, since Kairi is a Princess of Heart, even her Shadow Self is still really pure-hearted and bright.  

Are you really worthy of being a Keyblade Master?

Obviously Aqua developed a strong Shadow Self after being in the Realm of Darkness.

Is there any point in continuing this fight?

Her Shadow Self voiced all her fears.

You'll never see the Realm of Light again.

And all her doubts.

Just let go of everything and fade into the darkness.

She felt hopelessness and despair.

No one can save you. And no one wants to.

She didn’t even think anyone wanted to save her.

Your bonds of friendship only tie you down.

My favorite of Shadow Aqua’s lines has to be this one. All of her other ones are pretty much what you’d expect. But this one sounds so out-of-character for her. She’d never EVER say that out loud. It was definitely a suppressed feeling.

Only your heart is hollow enough to be a demon's.

But part of here DID feel like her bonds only brought her down. And she felt guilty for feeling that way.

Ansem the Wise had a strong Shadow Self. DiZ was nothing but a persona to hide his shame. He convinced himself that he was acting as a servant of the world when deep down, he knew he wasn’t. Of course, Ansem the Wise didn’t get fully developed, either. I’m sure there was a story there in KH0.5 where it would show his whole backstory, how he got banished, how he became DiZ, and how he came to be remorseful enough to put his data inside of Sora’s heart while he was asleep.

Sora is...complicated. Too complicated, which is probably why it didn’t really go anywhere.

The figure at the center of the room glanced up at him, and Roxas flinched at being caught staring. But though the hood kept the wearer’s eyes hidden, Roxas could see a smile. Something was so familiar about it, but he couldn’t think of where he would have seen it before. There were so many things he couldn’t remember about these last seven days. It hadn’t scared him before—but now it did a little.

When Xion was born she looked up at Roxas with a creepy smile. I think Xion was born of Sora’s Replica/Shadow Self, who also had a creepy smile. Xion wasn’t a unique character any more than Riku Replica was. She was a Sora Replica. Riku Replica is Riku’s Shadow Self. Xion is Sora’s Shadow Self. Xion can even wield a Keyblade from the Dark Realm (Two Keys).

Roxas was also the bright one, while Xion was the more “dark” and pessimistic one. Roxas was optimistic and didn’t worry or think too deeply about stuff. He always thought Xion could come back to the organization and everything would be fine. He was pretty simple, like Sora. Xion was the moody angsty one who questioned her existence all the time. She felt like a burden on Axel and especially Roxas. Roxas always helped her out. And at the end, she was sucking his power from him. She felt like she didn’t deserve to exist.

Once Roxas absorbed Xion, that’s when he became the angsty person everyone remembers from KH2. Before that, he was pure and bright, like Ventus. It was only after Xion disappeared that he became so “dark” and angry.

Like Namine, Roxas was originally meant to just be Sora’s Shadow Self, nothing more. But he evolved into his own unique character with his own heart (Ventus). I think Nomura originally wanted to use the connection between Sora and Ventus to develop both Ven’s and Sora’s darker sides, but he never really got the chance. KH3′s story was a mess and Xion and Vanitas really didn’t amount to much other than being needlessly convoluted. Vanitas didn’t have any depth at all. But he was supposed to be Ven’s darkness as well as the shadow that Sora cast.

Ventus is Sora’s darkness. Sora’s powerful light was the reason why his heart was a prison to him.

Roxas: I hate you so much...

DiZ: You should share some of that hatred with Sora. He's far too nice for his own good.

Roxas: No! My heart belongs to me!

His heart couldn’t wake up because Sora’s light was casting too large of a shadow on him. Sora’s light only fueled his anger and pain and pushed him further into the darkness.

Sora was supposed to do something to awaken the darkness in him in order to wake Roxas/Ventus up, but of course that subplot went absolutely nowhere.

“But why would you advise me not to fight darkness with light?”

The Fairy Godmother replied, gentle but admonishing. “Strong rays of sun create dark shadows. Sadly, Lady Tremaine and both her daughters are jealous of Cinderella’s charm and beauty, qualities that appear to you as ‘light.’ Jealousy is darkness. Light and dark go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.”

I think the idea was that when someone is in a lot of pain, you can’t truly connect with their heart just by being “light”. You need to be able to meet them where they are---in the darkness. 

Riku didn’t preach to Dark Aqua about letting go of her misery and despair. He could empathize with how she felt because he had his own darkness. And I think THAT’S what Sora needed in order to be the real hero. His light wasn’t enough. He needed to enhance his darkness in order to really be empathetic and wake Ventus up. But that never really happened.

Perhaps it’s why Nomura said he cannot empathize with Sora and he relates more to dark characters like Xehanort. Sora was too bright for him in the end. It’s why he wouldn’t have made a good Seeker of Darkness.

Nomura probably relates to Riku more. The closer Riku got to Sora’s light, the greater his shadow became.

“You’re talking like I’m some kind of creature of the darkness.”

But it was true that he’d turned away from the light.

No—not from the light exactly. From Sora.

Because Sora shone too brightly… And then, he became the hero of light, and I gave myself over to the darkness.

Like Roxas/Ventus, Riku couldn’t tolerate Sora’s strong light because it fueled the darkness inside him. Being around someone so overwhelmingly bright and positive made him feel bad about himself and he became jealous.

“And Aqua and Ventus, their lights shine too bright. It is only natural that they cast shadows on your heart.”

Master Xehanort pointed at Terra’s chest.

The light within Aqua and Ven—created the darkness in me…?

Xehanort probably felt that way about Eraqus, too. I’m sure he had a very strong Shadow Self and was projecting that onto Terra. Ventus and Aqua were too bright and they only fueled Terra’s shadow. Of course, Aqua and Ventus had their own darkness. Aqua threw herself into darkness for Terra. And I think Ventus’s time as Roxas (Sora’s Shadow) was supposed to give him enough development and darkness to truly understand Terra’s pain, so he could be able to properly connect with him and bring him back to the light using the power of waking.

It seemed like you didn't need me either. Yes, I thought that I didn't need you with me anymore. That's why I sacrificed myself to that man. If you didn't need me, then I no longer held meaning.

The greater the light, the darker the shadow. Riku and Terra felt like they were overshadowed by their friends. I think they had a similar idea for Lea and Isa, only a bit different. Riku was jealous of Sora in an envious way. I think Isa was jealous of Lea in a possessive way. And this is why I don’t think Lea would have made a good Seeker of Darkness. He was meant to be the bright one, like Sora. It was part of his character. He did gain a lot of darkness over the course of the story, to make him empathetic enough to reach Isa. But he was a Guardian of Light at his core. 

I think Isa felt the same way Xion did. He felt like he was nothing without Lea and had nothing to offer him. He was just a drain on him. Lea was the light, the Sun. Isa was the Moon, the darkness. The Moon can’t create its own light. It is dependent on the Sun and simply reflects its light. And I think that’s how Isa felt about Lea. Lea was the source of his light. He was so happy, positive, outgoing, and cheerful. But Isa felt like he had nothing to offer him. And that’s why Saix became so irrationally jealous when Axel became close to Roxas and Xion.

[lightmywaytodawn]

KH3 and Kairi

This is a topic that’s been covered a lot, and while I don’t think I have any new insight on the matter, it’s something that’s still egging me on enough to write about.

I don’t dislike Kairi but I’m really neutral to her existence, mostly for the fact that she’s just... kind of there.

Kairi has always existed in a sort of vacuum--she exists only when the plot calls for it, and has otherwise been fairly irrelevant. She’s used to give Sora motivation, and never got a chance to grow into her own. Even for a Nomura heroine, she’s by far the most detached, and least developed as a person that he’s written.

Despite this though, her roles in KH1 and 2 were tolerable. In KH1 she was just the waiting girl, in KH2 she at least tried--albeit failed--to do something about her situation. At the very least I appreciate that small bit of character we got from her in KH2.

Then KH3 comes along and blows any chance of her getting a proper character arc into oblivion. She’s training to use a Keyblade, though very inexperienced. So while she wouldn’t be able to stand her ground against Xehanort, it could have been beneficial to at least have her help out now and then on the journey. We have her as an NPC in one battle only, and in the cutscenes during that battle, she lacks any kind of role, except for getting kidnapped. Again. She’s again sort of just there, like she has been the whole game. We get glimpses of her training scenes, and she’s there when everyone regroups at Yen Sid’s Tower--and that’s about it.

I can’t say I expected her to actually be well written at this point, especially with my experiences of other games Nomura has worked on. But the fact is that quite a lot of people did expect something greater for her. She was hyped up to finally amount to something--only to get fridged again. Only to be used as a cheap plot device to make Sora sad. Again.

And this is the thing that I have most contention with. While it was fairly obvious from KH1 that Sora and Kairi would eventually be endgame, it’s still on my list of top 5 worst written relationships I’ve ever seen. Nomura made no effort whatsoever to develop their relationship past that what we’re told. We know they’re childhood friends, that they care a lot about each other. We see it in some scenes--but what we never actually get to see is a solid foundation for their relationship, or get to see it naturally develop, because Kairi is off screen for 95% of the series. They don’t even talk to each at Yen Sid’s Tower. Their only interactions in all of KH3 was near end game, when the writers seemed to suddenly remember “right, they like each other.” After this many games and so little connection, it was hard to watch. The scenes themselves were actually fairly decent, and would have been touching had they actually had proper buildup and if their relationship had any context. Kairi had more natural chemistry with her few interactions with Axel/Lea than anything. I kind of wanted to root for this.

At one point I had hoped that Nomura might drop the romance subplot, and go for a purely friendship trio, a la Wayfinder Trio or Sea-Salt Trio. Based on what we were given, I can believe that everyone in those trios equally care for one another. But the Destiny Islands trio is bogged down by bad writing. Sora and Kairi care for each other, Sora and Riku care for each other, and while we’re told that Riku and Kairi care for one another, when do we ever get to see them interact? I’m honestly trying to remember if those two ever had a private conversation in the course of the series. While both Riku and Kairi are connected to Sora, I still cannot feel any connection between Riku and Kairi. 

Kairi has again and again been the weakest link in the series, and KH3 was the epitome of it. I have no reason to hope or believe at this point that Nomura will actually do anything substantial with her. I’m just disappointed at how long this act has gone on.

Nomura writing a heroine solely to be a love interest and with no real depth is nothing new, and it’s such a common trope in Japan that it’s not something that will change anytime soon. But this is the only instance in Nomura’s games specifically that it has infuriated me.

Unfortunately in KH3 it didn’t just stop at Kairi. Aqua was nerfed, constantly needing to be saved after she stood her ground ferociously in BBS. Namine’s only voiced lines are in a missable cutscene. Xion exists with no explanation (albeit this one is hinted to be explained soon).

I wish she was better written, and that I actually could care for her. But canon has given me no reason for it. On this point I’m actually quite amazed by her fans--I can’t imagine going so far for a character this badly butchered. It would be nice if your thoughts could reach Nomura someday.

[queen-ofsunflowers]

I Liked You Better

I wanted to write something for KH3, but spoilers are a thing and I wanted to waited until that time passed. So, for now, have a quick, little BNHA AU I came up with. Something that has just as much angst as the game.

Summary: The day Sora found his Quirk was one of the best and the worst days of his life.

For years, everyone thought that the older twin was Quirkless until one day when he was fourteen, everything began to change. It had been by accident, if Sora had to say something about it. That weather-based villain had come out of nowhere. It wasn’t his fault that he, Riku and Kairi were out later than they should have been.

... alright, it was partially his fault, he was the one who wanted to watch the meteor shower on the beach. It was him who convinced them that their parents wouldn’t notice that they were gone. Well, they would when the whole story came out on the news, and when Sora’s parents -- Pro-Heroes in their own rights -- had come on the scene, but that wasn’t the point. All Sora cared about was being able to watch the spectacle with his friends. 

That was until that storm was created. A villain had botched a job, what Sora had later heard was an attempt to destroy half a city block. He was trying to run. It was just by horrible luck that he ran to the same beach that Sora and his friends were at. It was horrible luck that they ran into him.

Without any heroes, the kids were left with no choice. And Sora felt a pit form in his stomach when his friends told him to hide, to protect himself since he had no power to do so. He had to watch as Kairi’s shields kept breaking as if they were glass, as Riku’s shadows were simply smacked away like they were flies.

Something stirred inside of his chest. Sora’s body moved on its own. He ran out from his hiding spot, rushing towards the villain. The villain swung at him. Sora grabbed his wrist and shut his eyes.

And threw the man across the beach, breaking both the villain’s wrist and his own arm in the process. Sora hadn’t realized what he did until he heard the sound of the police sirens and his parents’ voices.

It took a little research to figure out what happened. Sora’s strength was next to none when he was younger. Maybe that’s why they thought he was Quirkless. But as he got older... the more friends he made, the more people his heart connected to... the stronger he became. And that’s what his Quirk was. He could draw strength from the people his heart became intertwined with.

His Quirk was a powerful one when matched with his personality. That’s what everyone said. He made friends so easily. There was barely anyone who hated the kid. That was only proven to Sora when he returned home from the hospital, his arm safely encompassed in a cast. It had only been a few hours, and the thing was pack with signatures already.

But still... there was one person that didn’t seem happy about his return, or his brother discovering his Quirk. When he caught Roxas fleeing the party and retreating upstairs, Sora diligently followed after him. He caught him at the top of the stairs.

“Are you okay, Roxas?” Roxas stopped in the middle of the hall, his back towards Sora and his hands stuffed deep into his pockets.

“I’m fine,” he replied, his tone flat and near monotone.

“No, you’re not. I know you, and I know you’re not.” They had been together for fourteen years, and Roxas still thought he could hide his emotions from him.

“You don’t know me.”

“Sure I do,” Sora said with a shrug. “You’re my brother, I know everything about you.”

“Then you must know what its like then.” Sora blinked, staring at Roxas with an eyebrow raised.

“What are you talking about?”

“Are you really that stupid? Or you just that blind?” Roxas was becoming more and more rigid as he went on, practically speaking through his teeth at this point. His eyes were narrowed.

“Roxas?”

“You don’t know.” He shut his eyes. His body was shaking. “You’ll never know.”

“Roxas, you can tell me anything.” That’s always been Sora’s policy between the two. There were no secrets. “What’s wrong?” Those words alone made the situation worse.

"Do you know what it's like?!” Roxas snapped, swivelling around to fully face his brother. “To constantly be outshined by the one person who's supposed to be there for you your entire life?!”

“What?” What was he talking about? Had he really been thinking about this the whole time? How did he hide it for so long? “Roxas, I-I didn’t...”

“Of course you didn’t. You never would have caught on if I didn’t tell you.” Roxas snapped a finger, a small ball of light hovering above the tip of his finger. “My Quirk was the only thing that made me special.” He wrapped his hand around the ball, extinguishing it and filling the hall with darkness once again.

“No, it didn’t--”

“Yes, it did!” Why was he saying that? That wasn’t true, Sora knew it. “It was the only reason anyone paid any attention to me! And now, out of nowhere, you have this amazing power, and everyone's eyes are all on you.”

“Well, I mean... yeah.” That was the point of the night. “We just found out I have a Quirk, so...” Roxas loudly groaned, cutting Sora off.

“Do you hear yourself?! Don’t you get it?! You’re doing it right now!” Sora blinked.

“Doing what?” Roxas was shaking again.

“Do you wanna know what everyone talk about? You.” His voice was growing louder as he went on, and ever word was like a punch in the gut. “All I ever hear about is you! Do you know that's the only reason people are friends with me? Why they tolerate me?! IT’S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU THAT ANYONE EVEN CARES ABOUT ME!"

Roxas’s voice left a heavy silence in the hall and Sora stunned. He did nothing but stare, his mouth agape. He couldn’t find the right words to say. What was he supposed to say? He never knew... He never realized that Roxas... that his own twin brother had ever felt this way.

"Roxas--" Sora began. He held out a hand, only to have Roxas smack it away.

"Just forget it.” Roxas turned, heading for the door at the end of the hall. All the while, Sora stood there. Roxas pressed a hand against the door. He glanced back at his twin, a hateful glint in his eye.

“I think I liked you better when you didn't have a Quirk..." he said, his voice filled with malice and hate. Something tugged at Sora’s chest and was making it hard to breathe.

"Roxas, you don't mean that, do you?" Sora asked, biting back the pain in his tone. Roxas opened the door to the twins’ shared room.

"I do.” Those words stung worse than a blow to the face or even the bone break he had suffered. Roxas had been suffering in silence this whole time, and Sora was far too blinded by bliss to realize that he was. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.

“Roxas! Roxas!” The door to their bedroom slammed shut. And Sora could feel a bit of the power in his heart diminish.

[omness-yamarik]

Yakuza 13 AU Epilogue 2: Ava and Ira

Summary: Approximately 16 years after Xehanort’s death, Zexion and Aqua’s children don’t always get along.

Word Count: 1945

   Ava and Ira were the kind of siblings who got along by not getting along. They constantly squabbled, complained about each other regularly to their individual friends, frequently told each other they hated each other, and if they got wind of anyone talking smack about the other, they would hunt said person down and use certain skills their mom hadn’t approved of them learning from their aunts and uncles. After all, they had to live with each other. Based on that, they had earned the right to not get along. Anyone else who intruded on that needed to be taught a lesson.

    Aqua sometimes worried about how often their kids fought, but in one of the few moments where Zexion actually mentioned his childhood, he said he too had found his sister insufferable. Some siblings just didn’t get along. Ira and Ava were like that.

    But at times, the two kids, teenagers now, took things a bit far. Like the time when Ava brought an air horn to Ira’s orchestra concert. Or when Ira retaliated by getting his uncle Vanitas to teach him to make slime so he could cover Ava’s bed with it. Or any time their parents ended up getting involved. One of the few things Ava and Ira could agree on was that their parents were formidable. Particularly their mom. She didn’t get mad very often, but when she did, even their dad felt it best to lay low for a while. Plus her cooking was pretty deadly.

    Still, their family was a happy one. Mostly.

    Ira stabbed at his mashed potatoes. Ava was doing that thing again. That one where she reported his every single shortcoming to their parents. If he got an A- on a test rather than A+, Ava would be quick to tell on him. If he tripped and fell during PE, who would rush home to tell dad right away? Ava. And when cousin Invi let him try out her slingshot at school and he accidentally hit the principal’s sports car with a grape, tattling on him to their parents would be the highlight of Ava’s day. It certainly seemed to be the case now.

    “Well I’m sure your brother didn’t mean to,” Aqua said.

    “Maybe not, but since the window was open it ended up on the inside of the car. And it spattered all over!” Ava said. The infuriating part of this all, for Ira at least, was that he had no way to retaliate in kind. Ava was practically perfect. Polite to all teachers, perfect grades, graceful, never failed at anything she tried, never made mistakes; the only way Ira ever had anything to report on Ava was if he engineered it himself, and there was no way he wouldn’t get caught. He’d tried. Her only fault was her rotten personality, and even that was only towards him. Talk about unfair.

    “Ira, are you going to eat your potatoes, or are you just planning to maim them?” Zexion asked. Grumpily, Ira took a bite of his potatoes.

    “Plus, yesterday Ira forgot his music for orchestra. And he always talks about being a big-time musician someday.” Ava laughed.

    “I had it all memorized, so it was fine,” Ira snapped back. And then it occurred to him. The one thing that would get her to shut up. “But anyway, Ava, when are you planning on introducing your boyfriend to mom and dad?”

    If Ava had turned any paler, she would have become see-through. Got her.

    The thudding sound was Ira’s first clue that maybe he had gone a little too far. The slapping sound of his mother face-palming was the next. After that, he didn’t need any clues, because he’d looked over at his dad and started to sweat because he had just done something terrible. Zexion’s eyes were ablaze and one hand still clenched the dinner knife he’d stabbed the table with. Ira knew without checking under the table that Zexion’s other hand was at its habitual place at his pocket, where back in the day he’d kept razor-edged wires that he used in fights.

    “What’s this about a boyfriend?” Zexion asked, his voice deadly calm.

    “Dad, I, uh-” Ava stammered.

    “I-i-it was a joke. Just a j-joke. L-l-like Ava has a b-b-boyf-friend. Haha,” Ira squeaked, knowing that he was going to get hell for this unless he straightened things out.

    “Was it?” Zexion asked, his attention turning on Ira, who qualmed.

    “Uhhhhhh.”

    “Dear, Ava’s already 15 years old. It’s normal for her to start thinking about dating,” Aqua said mildly.

    “Thinking, yes. Not doing.”

    “Zexion,” Aqua sighed.

    “You didn’t start dating until you were 20.”

    “So, what, you’re going to make us the basis for when our children can date? Does that mean Ira’s going to have to wait until he’s 35?”

    “No, I just meant-”

    “You’re being overprotective again. Stop it.” Aqua’s word was final.

    While the conversation was over, Ira didn’t relax. He wasn’t out of the woods yet. Sure enough, his dad finished first and left the table, and his mom picked the topic back up again.

    “So, you have a boyfriend, Ava?” Aqua asked. Ava instantly turned on her brother.

    “Ira you little gremlin, you’re-”

    “That would be a yes then. Is it who I think it is?” Aqua continued her line of questioning.

    “Um, well, that is, uh-”

    “Oh come on. It’s not like we didn’t all see this coming,” Ira interrupted in spite of himself. “The two of you have practically been conjoined since elementary school.”

    “By that argument, you and Invi should be dating since the two of you are thick as thieves. Emphasis on the thieves, since you’re a couple of little troublemakers!” Ava snapped back.

    “Invi likes girls, and you know it! Pardon me if I haven’t succumbed to any raging hormones yet!”

    “Both of you, please stop before your father comes back in here to complain about the noise. You know he hates it when people start shouting,” Aqua said. She was completely unphased. “Ira, in the future I would advise you to think a bit more before speaking, as your father is quite excitable. Ava, I’ve told you before that your brother doesn’t need you to tell us his every move.”

    “But mo-om-” Ava whined.

    “No buts. If he really did something wrong or was in trouble he can tell us himself. Furthermore, if you have a boyfriend, you really ought to tell us. Better for us to find out right at the beginning than for it to be revealed suddenly in a way that is rather inconvenient for you. I mean, imagine if your Uncle Demyx saw you with your boyfriend and called everyone over to spectate. Or- or something like that. Point is, be careful what secrets you choose to keep, okay?” Aqua blushed a little as she gave her suspiciously detailed example.

    “Yes, mom,” Ava grumbled.

    “As for your father, I’ll talk to him. So go ahead and invite your boyfriend to dinner on Friday.”

    “But mom, Dad will kill him before he even gets through the front door!” Ira protested. If anything happened to his sister’s boyfriend, Ava would take it out on him in spades.

    “No he won’t. Like I said, I’ll talk to him. Now, try not to fight too much as you finish your dinners,” Aqua said as she stood up and cleared her place at the table. She paused to sigh over the new scar in the table from the dinner knife, but then she was gone, leaving just an irate Ava and an apologetic Ira.

    “Look, Ava, sorry, I-”

    “Save it,” Ava snapped. She shoveled the rest of her food down, still managing to look as dainty as always, and then she too was gone, leaving Ira to wonder if maybe he could get one of his uncles to help him move to Antarctica. Or maybe another planet, just to be safe.

    Friday night came and an air of unease fell over the house. Ira wouldn’t come out of his room, he was that scared. Ava was by the door, pacing and trying to keep a lookout for her boyfriend while also trying to keep an eye on her dad. Zexion might have appeared to be reading, except that he was scowling at the book in his hand as if trying to urge it to combust, and had not turned a page since he’d picked the book up almost half an hour previously. The only person who seemed unaffected by it all was Aqua, who hadn’t had work and had spent the day cleaning the house and humming along to the music playing through her earbuds.

    And then the doorbell rang.

    Ava sprang for the door. Zexion slammed the book shut, a behavior he never tolerated, and got to his feet with a glint in his eye that spelled trouble. He’d spent the previous evening talking to Eraqus about speeches one gave to one’s daughter’s boyfriend, and was well-prepared. Back in his room, Ira cowered underneath a blanket.

    “Gula! Hey!” Ava greeted slightly breathlessly.

    Zexion froze, uncertain.

    “Oh, is he here already?” Aqua asked. “Come on in, Gula. I was really glad to hear you two are finally dating. I was worried the you and Ava were going to be like your parents. I don’t think any of us ever understood why it took Sora and Kairi so long to get together.”

    “Mom! Stop that! It’s embarrassing!” Ava cried.

    Zexion was still frozen.

    “Well according to my dad, he kept getting interrupted whenever he tried to ask her out, but according to my mom, he was just super dense about it and then he chickened out too easily so she had to ask him,” Gula responded, shrugging.

    “Both sound pretty likely,” Aqua laughed.

    “Uh, mom,” Ava whispered, and jerked her head at Zexion, who still was in a state of suspended animation.

    “Dear, did I forget to mention that Ava’s boyfriend is Gula?” Aqua asked a little too innocently. Zexion finally moved, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

    “You think this is funny, don’t you?” he asked sourly.

    “Uh-huh,” Aqua said.

    “Hmph.”

    “Don’t be like that,”Aqua chided. “Here, I’ll help you make dinner to apologize.”

    “Why don’t you get Ira to come out of his room and help me instead,” Zexion sighed. “We want the results to be edible, right?”

    As both parents left the room, Gula swallowed nervously.

    “Uh, what just happened?” he asked.

    “My mom has a twisted sense of humor sometimes,” Ava replied.

    “Oh, okay,” Gula said, accepting that he wasn’t going to get any more explanation than that. But really, didn’t he deserve to know why his life had flashed before his eyes when he’d entered the room?

    But it wasn’t like Ava really could explain what had just happened. She didn’t quite understand that, as Sora’s son, Gula held a special place in the hearts of the Yakuza 13, and as such, was one of the few people who would ever be able to actually be considered an acceptable match for Ava in her father’s eyes. She also was still trying to process the way her mom had just gotten away with trolling her dad so supremely. She knew they were in love, but to think it was to that extent was unbelievable to the girl, and to pretty much everyone, really.

    All Ava knew for sure was that she supposed she would forgive Ira for this one. Mostly, anyway. She was still going to sprinkle a little salt on his toothbrush later, just for good measure. After all, she couldn’t let the pranks uncle Vanitas had taught her go to waste, now could she?

[curlytale]

Radiant Hearts: KHxStormlight Archive

Okay, so I’ve been trying to get more into cosmere stuff again, but my feels from the ending of KH3 are STILL lingering. So now I feel caught between the two, and instead of just leaning out of one into the other, my mind is going crazy and trying to combine them! So now I have far too many ideas for a Kingdom Hearts x Stormlight Archive crossover AU.

So may I present, from the madness of my mind, the Radiant Hearts AU:

Disclaimer: I don’t have perfect knowledge of the cosmere, nor do I have time to explain all the terms from the Stormlight Archive that I’m going to be throwing around. This is mostly just for fun after all, so keep that in mind.

Sora and Riku were born in northern Alethkar near the coast. They are lighteyes from lower dahns, so they tended to have good relationships with darkeyes. When they were still little they attracted the attention of an Honorspren and a Lightspren. Though nothing much came of it at the time.

Enter Kairi! Waking up on the beach with no memory. She is likely from Jah Keved (Red Hair and Violet-ish eyes), but stays in Alethkar and grows up with Sora and Riku, though she struggles with the safehand rule a bit, she’s not too fond of sleeves and usually opts for gloves instead. She too unwittingly gains the attention of a spren, a Cultivationspren, though like Riku and Sora, nothing comes of it at the time.

The three of then have a plan to explore all of Roshar, so they attempt to build a raft boat to first explore the Reshi Isles. It seemed like a good idea and actually worked out for a bit, until they got hit with a highstorm. They literally get flung apart from each other, each ending up in a different place. Honestly, they should have all died, but they were on the verge of forming bonds, so stormlight kept them alive basically.

They survived, but things were not well. Kairi, though alive, seems to be in a coma. Riku, gets found by a woman named Maleficent (who totally isn’t going to try to manipulate him.) Sora ends up pretty much alone at first.

Determined to find his friends, Sora sets off in search of them. Luckily, he soon gains a companion. Ventus, a lightspren, starts following Sora around. Ven had formed a bond during the Last Desolation, but his radiant passed away, breaking his mind and causing him to “sleep” for a very long time (Think of Syl’s situation.) Ven is a bit slow in regaining himself and he doesn’t remember much, but he supports Sora as much as he can as they go looking for Riku and Kairi. As their journey continues, Sora swears the ideals and becomes a Willshaper. (This is going off the little we know of that order, as they are known for a love of adventure and novelty. I may change this once we learn more ideals.) Sora has uses the Transportation surge to visit Shadesmar in similar fashion to a “Dive to the heart.”

Riku, teamed up with Maleficent, looks for his lost friends and does some errands (Usually involving fighting) for her to repay her for her help. He doesn’t much trust her, but tolerates her enough. The only person he actually confides anything in is a spren, Terra, an Honorspren. Riku had known Terra for a long time, but had always kept him a secret, never mentioning him to Sora or Kairi. Now Riku speaks more often to Terra, who encourages him to progress in hopes that he will find the strength he seeks, to protect the things that matter. Riku is doubtful, however, and Maleficent’s manipulations don’t help.

Soon enough, Kairi is located by Maleficent, still in a coma like state. Riku rushes to rescue her and runs into Sora! At first he’s relieved to see his friend again, but that soon turns to jealousy as Riku sees that Sora has made new friends AND has sworn enough ideals to summon a shardblade. Riku feels like a failure; he was supposed to be the one who protected his friends, yet he was weaker than Sora? This jealousy combined with the manipulation from Maleficent leads Riku to abandon Sora, essentially betraying his Oaths. This isn’t enough to break Riku’s bond with Terra, but Terra refuses to speak to Riku anymore. Now Riku was really alone.

Things then turn to a conflict between Sora and Riku over protecting Kairi. Riku gets a shardblade from Maleficent, and (Ignoring the screaming from the blade), precedes in his quest to wake Kairi, taking her to the Nightwatcher. Sora follows him, determined to save Kairi, and there he fights Riku. Sora, a Knight Radiant at this point, should have easily won, but he expended all of his stormlight protecting Kairi and was about to fall to Riku. And then... Kairi awakens. 

The Nightwatcher had blessed Kairi so that she might be able to awaken, but her curse was not yet known. Kairi quickly takes to stopping the fight between the boys, she succeeds for the most part, but Riku flees, his heart still overcome with jealousy.

Reunited, Sora finds a group to take Kairi home. She begs to come with him, but he insists that he wants her safe. She relents and journeys home, just in time for her curse to start taking effect! Her awakening allowed her to reunite with Sora, but her curse starts to slowly erase her memories of Sora! She realizes this is happening and desperately clings to every scrap of memory of him she can. 

Meanwhile, Sora finds himself in his search for Riku at a strange castle-like place. There he meets Naminé, who lies and does some slightly traumatic things to Sora in the name of her Brightlord, resulting in him falling in a coma (which seems to happen a lot in KH). Riku, who is being lead back towards the path of honor by a friend he made, Mickey, finds and kills said Brightlord to try and save Sora. Naminé, regretting what she had been forced to do, works with Riku to try and find a way to awaken Sora. Her seeking redemption and her previous affinity for lies attracts a Cryptic, who becomes her spren and she becomes a Lightweaver. Her spren took a liking to impersonating Riku, thus Naminé calls her spren Repliku (Replica Riku).

Meanwhile, a boy named Roxas is seeking the truth about himself. He’s done some pretty shady work in the past (possibly directly or indirectly for the Diagram) as part of an Organization. He made friends with a man named Axel, whom he worked with a lot. Roxas didn’t remember his past, but sought out the truth about himself and about other things. His seeking lead to him attracting a spren, Xion, appearing like light reflected off of a mirror. Roxas and Xion bonded as friends fairly easily, both didn’t remember much and wanted to learn more. Roxas kept their bond a secret, only telling Axel, whom Xion had taken a liking to. Roxas eventually became a Truthwatcher.

Yet things weren’t meant to be. The more Xion remembered, the more she began to feel that bonding Roxas had been a mistake. Yet there wasn’t much she could do. Breaking a bond wasn’t easy and would likely result in one or both of them being hurt/killed. She thought it was the right thing to do though, and sought a way to free Roxas of her. In the end, both of them disappeared. Axel, saddened at loosing his friends, sought a way that he might bring them back.

As Axel searched, Kairi remembered. Her curse had stripped away from her mind much about Sora, including his name, but she still remembered him. After waiting around, she decided to try and go find the boy she remembered. The spren that had been watching her all this time, Aqua, a Cultivationspren, began to act. Soon, Kairi spoke this ideal: “I will remember those who have been forgotten,” vowing to remember Sora and becoming an Edgedancer.

With Naminé‘s help, Sora awoke and set off once again to find Riku. He dealt with the shady people Roxas had been working for, an Organization that worked for the Diagram, in the meantime. Riku, seeking his own redemption, helps Sora from the shadows with Mickey. Slowly, Terra returns to Riku’s side and he swears an Ideal to protect the things that matter, making him a Windrunner. Good thing too, as Kairi, gung-ho about rescuing her boys, gets herself trapped. Riku helps her escape and they return to Sora’s side to finish off the organization and return home.

Axel, having escaped the organization’s destruction, had witnessed the power of the Knights Radiant. Figuring that Roxas must have been one, Axel decided that the best way to save a Radiant was to be a Radiant. So he finds a Radiant to become a squire to, a Dustbringer specifically.

Now, before this all had happened, Terra, Aqua, and Ven had been friends in Shadesmar. The unlikely trio of an Honorspren, Cultivationspren, and Lightspren had loved to spend time together. Aqua would grow good-luck charms for them. Terra was the first of them to move into the physical realm to bond with Riku. Ven soon followed after. Aqua, chasing after her boys, hadn’t hesitated to follow. At first, Aqua had considered bonding to Sora, but decided against it and later bonded to Kairi. When Sora, Riku,and Kairi reunited, Ven, Terra, and Aqua reunited.

Well, I guess that’s all I’ve got for this AU for now, aha. I wrote quite a lot. I guess I do have more I could say on why I chose certain orders for certain people, but I decided against doing that here in favor of a more story based organization. Still, we have more to learn about the Knights Radiant, so I may change this in the future, for now, thanks for reading!

[nadziejastar]

I'm thoroughly enjoying the LeaIsa discourse, especially Isa possibly having been subject X in perhaps another canon. Isa's symbolism's also seem intentionally feminine in nature. I've head-cannoned that the current subject X in game could have somehow had her heart spirited away into Isa's (mirroring Sora and Kairi's situation, except the heart being far more buried in the depth's of Isa's). An unlikely scenario is that Isa was AFAB as a child and even Lea doesn't know about it or remember.

Lea: The Wounded Healer

Thank you! Yeah, everything about Isa’s symbolism is feminine in nature. And very intentionally so, LOL. He’s the Yin to Lea’s Yang; the Moon to his Sun. I love the whole concept, and I wish it wasn’t so taboo to step outside of gender boxes. The mythology is that Twin Flames separate and go through many lifetimes apart, never meeting in person. Over the reincarnation cycle, the two lovers balance their masculine and feminine sides so that they are both perfectly balanced. And I do think Lea is a very balanced character in that regard. I’m sure Isa was, too. During their final lifetime in the reincarnation cycle, Twin Flames finally reunite and change the world with their divine spiritual love. 

I cannot imagine there’s any other explanation than Isa originally being Subject X. It simply makes way too much sense, and all the pieces fit perfectly. Your head canon is interesting. I prefer that over canon where Isa and Lea are apprentices and had NO connection to the experiments on the darkness of the heart. That just makes no sense at all. They could have had another girl involved without taking away from Lea and Isa’s tragic backstory. Another reason I like Isa being Subject X is that he would need healing, and Lea would need to give him a “birth by sleep”. KH3 kinda forgot about that whole concept. But there’s a lot of evidence that it was supposed to be a HUGE aspect of Lea’s character arc. Would have been a lot more rewarding to see than what he did in canon.

Stuff like this is exactly why Lea and Isa are my favorite characters. I can tell the writers had a hard on for them, too. Nomura really loved Axel, after all. Axel has a weapon called Prometheus which incorporates the Sagittarius symbol, and so do the vast majority of Saïx’s weapons. Moreover, the arrow is mainly prominent in Saïx’s Berserk form, which is where I think his captured heart resides. Now, why is this symbol so important? Because Sagittarius is Chiron, the Wounded Healer! He gave up his immortality for Prometheus, and was rewarded with immortality in the stars!

More About Sagittarius

Yen Sid: “I must warn you again–the road will not be easy.”

Lea: “Fine. Let’s jump right in.”

Ruled by Jupiter, the planet of growth and opportunity, the sign of the Archer is an eternal student, looking for enlightenment through new ideas, people, and places. Sagittarius is on the hunt for the biggest, best experiences life has to offer. They have a positive and outgoing personality that makes them the life of any party. With a love of adventure and all things exotic, the worldly Archer just wants to soak it all in. Sagittarius is driven by a constant need to explore and expand its mind, heart, and awareness to the fullest extent. Fiery and free, Sagittarius knows that the only limits are the ones we create ourselves.

Chiron: The Wounded Healer

Naminé: “And if the hurt is too great for you to bear it alone–well, then you turn to a friend close to your heart.”

Wounded healer is a term created by psychologist Carl Jung. The idea states that an analyst is compelled to treat patients because the analyst himself is “wounded”. For Jung, “it is his own hurt that gives a measure of his power to heal. This, and nothing else, is the meaning of the Greek myth of the wounded physician.”

Chiron was in outstanding pain and anguish; there was no medication that would ease the infliction. The fact was, even the gifted physician Chiron couldn’t heal himself. The next problem was that Chiron was in torment but, immortal. Chiron was not able to obtain freedom from the pain with the onset of death. In such a scenario, Chiron volunteered himself as a replacement for Prometheus, who had been penalized by the gods for giving fire to humankind; His punishment was to be enchained to a giant stone. Day-after-day an aquila descended and polished off his liver, which grew once more as it got dark …only to be consumed by the eagle once again.

So in essence, Chiron forfeited his eternal life so man could have use of fire. Hercules had been appealing to Zeus (Jupiter) for help, and Hercules agreed to supply an appropriate replacement for Prometheus, thereby setting him free. Thus, Chiron replaced Prometheus, gave up eternity, and went to Tartarus (the Underworld) in Prometheus’ stead. Zeus witnessed everything that happened and he knew how deplorable his son Hercules felt. Zeus afforded the dear Centaur a resting place in the heavens, as the constellation Sagittarius the Archer, in recognition of his benevolence and perpetuity.

Chiron and Artemis

Axel: “Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?”

Saïx has a weapon called Artemis, after the moon goddess. Artemis has a relationship to Chiron. Centaurs were notorious for being wild, lusty, overly indulgent drinkers and carousers, violent when intoxicated, and generally uncultured delinquents. Chiron, by contrast, was intelligent, civilized and kind, because he was not related directly to the other centaurs due to his parentage. Soon after giving birth to Chiron, his mother abandoned him out of shame and disgust. Chiron, effectively orphaned, was later found by the god Apollo, who decided to take him in as his son.

Apollo taught to him the art of music, lyre, archery, medicine and prophecy. Apollo’s twin sister, Artemis taught him more about archery and hunting. Chiron’s uniquely peaceful character, kindness and intelligence is attributed to Apollo and Artemis. Artemis only loved one man, Orion. She killed him by accident after being tricked into thinking the he was a villain who had attacked one of her priestesses. Orion, whilst swimming to escape a giant scorpion, is killed by Artemis’ arrows after the goddess could only see his distant bobbing head and failed to recognize the hunter. Artemis tried to bring Orion back to life, but was unable. It was Artemis’ regret at the loss of her hunting companion which allowed him to become a constellation and gain immortality amongst the stars.

Sagittarius Mythology also figures in the tale of Orion. One Greek mythology tale tells of how Sagittarius the Archer was directed to shoot down Scorpio the Scorpion, which had been sent off to murder Orion. This story gives the reason why the Archer’s arrow is aimed toward the ‘heart of the scorpion’.

Friendship

Ven: “Already?”

Lea: “I’ll see ya when I see ya. After all, we’re friends now. Get it memorized.”

Ven: “Okay, Lea.”

Sagittarius make excellent friends because of their encouraging, positive nature and their kind heart that will do anything to make sure the friend is happy. They do not expect favors in return; their kindness is selfless. They do not interfere with other people’s plans and they are never possessive or jealous. They treat others the way they want to be treated and live life based on a ‘live and let live’ policy, making them very agreeable. They are excellent conversationalists with a good sense of humor. Sometimes their humor is the raw truth, but these people speak their mind and don’t hold anything back. What they say is what they mean. They do not like mind games; they like straightforwardness and expect it in return.

Axel: “C'mon, let’s get some ice cream.”

Roxas: “Why?”

Axel: “Whaddaya mean, why? Because we’re friends.”

Roxas: “So…friends are people who have ice cream together?”

Axel: “Sort of… That, or laugh at stupid stuff that doesn’t make any sense. Like those kids we just saw–they were friends. C'mon, I’ll show you how it works.”

Sagittarius are known for saying the ‘painful truth’. On the other hand, people know that they can trust what they say because they always say what is real. They never hide anything and are very likable people. The only people that might not get along with them are people that live by a daily agenda with a highly structured, organized life. They are likely to always be running late and miss a date, but this is only because they are so forward thinking that they forget about the present. Tolerance is required. They do not do these things on purpose; this is just who they are. If you understand this and accept this, having a Sagittarius in your life will make the sun shine a lot brighter.

Axel: “Best friends are willing to deal with complications.”

Wise and understanding Sagittarius is connected to the Temperance Tarot card. The gentle process of tempering is about finding a perfect middle state, and combining the best of all things to forge something that is stronger than the sum of its parts. By bringing the power of the philosophical world into their physical world, Sagittarius makes itself a source of ultimate truth and awareness.

Both Sagittarius and the Temperance card are constantly striving for a more enlightened state of being. The angel in the Tarot card here demonstrates this by slowly pouring the liquid from one golden cup into another – a process called “tempering” (a slow process of integration that leads to the perfect middle state). Similarly, Sagittarius accomplishes this by exploring the far reaches of both the physical and philosophical world to expand on or “temper” what is already known. The symbols of Temperance mean the following:

Angel: Interacting with the material world while maintaining a sense of spirituality and higher purpose.

Triangle: Interplay of masculine and feminine or spirituality and materiality.

Cups: The fountain of energy between your opposite tendencies, which is flowing and spontaneous yet also balanced and coherent.

Path: Taking your time through life’s twists and turns; being content in the moment or throughout unexpected obstacles.

Water: Groundedness and refreshment through spiritual thinking.

Mountains: The distant journeys awaiting you that will bring you to spiritual fulfillment.

Sun: The sun, also appearing as the angel’s third eye, represents the merging of personal aims with the universe’s plans for you.

Fire Wings: Muscles and strength necessary to maintain composure and reach a higher being state.

The Angel

Axel: “As long as we remember each other, we’ll never be apart. Got it memorized?”

The Angel’s beautiful, red wings represent blood or life, while the triangle on her dress means spirit – also the elemental symbol for fire. And, similar to adventurous Sagittarius, the angel’s feet are also symbolic of the eternal pilgrimage or spiritual journey. By showing one foot in the water and the other on the shore we are reminded that our greatest wisdom lies in the art of balancing. And lastly, the iris flowers are indicative of the Goddess Iris who provides the link between God and humanity. Like Sagittarius, she travels from one end of the world to another – building upon something that is bigger and brighter than herself.

In a general context, the Temperance Tarot card represents coolness in the face of shifting emotional tides. Temperance is the ability to control one’s temper or temperament. In Thailand there is a concept called “cool heart.” In this phrase, cool does not mean cruel and unemotional. Rather, to act with a “cool heart” means that one is not easily stirred or provoked to go off the handle; one does not quickly come to a raging boil but maintains a steady temperature despite shifting external circumstances. Similarly, Temperance stands with one foot in a cool stream and pours water from one cup into another. Temperance knows how to direct the water in a way that maintains homeostasis.

The 7 of Swords

Lea: “And if the darkness gets ya, I promise I’ll bail you out. “Dark Rescue” is my middle name.”

Axel’s weapon “Prometheus” is Lift Gear. This is the same gear that the Temperance Arcana in Luxord’s deck is listed under. Coincidence? I think not. Luxord’s card has the shape of the Minor Arcana, The 7 of Swords. In general, this card is said to be about betrayal and deception. It is sometimes called the ‘Thief’ card. In a general context, it represents deception, lies, trickery, cheating and lack of conscience. This card also signifies mental manipulation, tactics, scheming, cunning, enemies who masquerade as friends and spies in your camp. It represents escaping detection and getting away with something.

On a more positive note, the 7 of Swords points out that you need to be strategic in what you do. It can also represent flexibility, adaptability, sharp wit, and resourcefulness. You know you cannot do everything at once – nor should you. Instead, you must prioritize what’s important to you and direct your focus and attention on the few tasks that will move you closer to your goals. When this card is seen in a reading, the deception is usually short lived. Nobody is able to carry away 7 swords and get away with it. So although the party may feel smug about it at the time, it’s about to blow up in their face.

Sagittarius’ Ruling Planet: Jupiter

Lea: “I want everybody I meet to remember me. Inside people’s memories, I can live forever.”

Isa: “I know I won’t forget you. Believe me, I try all the time.”

Lea: “See, I’m immortal!”

Larger-than-life Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of luck and expansion. In Roman mythology, Jupiter was the king of the gods, the biggest and the best. In Astrology Jupiter is known as the “benefic” planet, meaning it is the luckiest, most opportunistic planet of all. This positive energy influences Sagittarius’ optimistic, enlightening, and outgoing nature that shines and spreads through anyone they come into contact with. As the largest planet in our cosmos, Jupiter’s vastness encourages Sagittarius to stretch its mind and heart as far as it can.

Sagittarius’ Symbol: The Archer

Xigbar: “You’re not supposed to be here!”

Lea: “Promises to keep. I’ll always be there to get my friends back. What, bad timing? You had your perfect little script, but you kinda forgot to write the sequel. Now, let’s find out what happens!”

The zodiac sign Sagittarius is associated with the Archer, and its glyph represents an arrow. Always eager to explore new horizons, the Archer sets its sights on a faraway target, then shoots toward it with precision. This focus on learning more, doing more, and seeing more is what Sagittarius is all about.

Ruled by expansive Jupiter, Sagittarius is big-hearted, open, and always looking beyond a checklist. A Sagittarius rarely has a “type.” They are always intrigued by the individual, and don’t make any assumptions about people until they’ve truly met and spoken with them. Sagittarius loves witty back and forth banter. A Sagittarius in love is a sight to behold. Aggressively fun, this sign usually moves full speed ahead once they have their love target ‘locked’.

Selene

Ventus: “I remember dreaming a lot. Of you and Terra. Of Sora and his friends too, I think. And there were some more people I didn’t recognize. Oh, and I saw these weird animal creatures! It’s like…I’ve been part of some big adventure.”

Saïx has a weapon named Selene, after the chaste Greek Moon goddess. It’s shaped like a torch. Selene’s torch has an interesting role in art and history. Selene was taken with Endymion, a beautiful youth who tended his flocks on Mount Latmos. She accompanied Cupid and used the light of the torch to gaze upon the mortal she fell in love with while he slept.  

Girodet’s “The Sleep of Endymion” shows the moment that Cupid parts the trees so the Moon may shine her light down upon her sleeping lover’s face. Only at night when he is asleep does she quietly creep down to him, accompanied by Cupid, whose torch symbolizes burning love.

In a Roman floor mosaic from the third century CE, the scene focuses on the moment when Selene falls in love with the young mortal shepherd. Cupid, in the upper right corner, points down at Endymion as if guiding Selene’s gaze towards him. Selene steps out of her bull-drawn biga that she uses to pull the moon across the sky each night, and raises a lit torch that illuminates Endymion’s face in the darkness. She peers down at him longingly. Endymion is fast asleep and unaware of her presence. She was so in love that she asked Zeus to give Endymion immortal life.

Sagittarius’ Ruling House: 9th House of Expansion

Roxas: “I found out about love on today’s mission–that it’s something powerful.”

Axel: “That’s true. It is. But I’ll never get to experience it.”

As the 9th sign in the zodiac, Sagittarius rules over the 9th House of Expansion. This house reveals how open our minds are, and how much we expand ourselves through education, exploration, and life lessons. From philosophical conversations to book research to world travel, the 9th house encourages you to go further than you’ve ever gone before. Sagittarius’ drive for adventure, growth, and awareness is strongly represented here.

When Venus is in Sagittarius

Axel: “Love is what happens if there’s something really special between two people.”

Saïx’s weapon Horoscope incorporates the Venus and Sagittarius symbols while in its Berserk form. So, the astrological correspondence is Venus in Sagittarius. Venus is the planet of love, self-worth, and all things beautiful. Her style is sweet, cooperative, and peaceful. But when this graceful planet’s energy mixes with the free-spirited sign of Sagittarius, her joyful side comes out to play. Hearts come out of hiding while Venus moves through Sagittarius. The happy and free energy of Sagittarius turns Venus up a few notches, encouraging us to live life to the fullest. This is a time to socialize, to try new things, and to look for love in different places.

Sagittarius is the sign of the adventurer, so when Venus is traveling through this sign, we find ourselves drawn to exotic people, places, and experiences. Old routines and worn-out relationships are at risk of being traded in for something bigger, brighter, and better while Venus is in Sagittarius. We want to expand beyond our usual boundaries, and may give up some of our comfortable patterns of the past to try out new experiences. Love needs to grow during this transit – it will not stand still.

Sagittarius’ Element: Fire

No. VIII AXEL—An assassin who puts his own agenda first, and everything else on the back burner. Wields fire.

The zodiac sign Sagittarius is a Fire sign that lights up our lives with profound questions and exciting ideas. Just like an uncontrollable wildfire, this sign will happily go where the wind takes them to seek new experiences. Sagittarius uses its Fire energy on its lifelong journey of exploration, always ready to jump at the next adventure. The element of Fire continues to fuel Sagittarius’ never ending supply of optimism and inspiration.

The Goddess Hestia: The Keeper of the Flame

Axel: “Well, I think you can be inseparable, even if you’re apart. It’s like, if you feel really close to each other. Like best friends.”

Saïx’s weapons Moonrise and Moonset are shaped like ⚶ the astrological symbol for the asteroid Vesta, also known as Hestia in Greek mythology. Her name means “the essence”, the true nature of things. Hestia was the Greek Goddess of the sacred fire. She was the most influential and widely revered of the goddesses. She was was one of the three ‘virgin’ goddesses, next to Athena and Artemis. Hestia was depicted as a beautiful and bashful woman, usually seated. The living flame of Hestia was tended constantly and never allowed to die out, for it represented the energy of all life.

Hestia was a kind goddess and had a discrete character. She never left her residence, the sacred mountain of Olympus. She never involved herself in the fights and machinations of the other gods and goddesses, somehow managing to stay above the fray. Non-judgmental and forgiving, her unconditional love and calm acceptance inspired the love and trust of others in return. Dependable and caring, she was always there for them and helped them to manage their lives, which were certainly more exciting than her own. These virtues define the goddess Hestia: mild, gentle, forgiving, peaceful, serene, dignified, calm, secure, stable, welcoming, and, above all else, well-centered.

Sagittarius’ Color: Purple

Axel: “You know, I’ve been thinking about something Naminé said. Roxas…are you really sure that you don’t have a heart? Is it possible that we all have one? You, me, her… Or is that just wishful thinking?”

Rich and luscious purple is the color of Sagittarius. Purple is a color of abundance, which encourages Sagittarius’ natural luck and its drive to expand its mind and world. The color purple is also associated with spirituality and enlightenment, empowering Sagittarius’ philosophical explorations and lifelong quest for knowledge.

The Sun

Axel: “Hey, Roxas. Bet you don’t know why the sun sets red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.”

Roxas: “Like I asked! Know-it-all.”

Saïx’s weapons Orbit and Lunar Phase incorporate the Sagittarius symbol with the combined stars of Ishtar and Shamash. There’s also a Recusant’s sigil visible over the Sun symbol. The Sun, the giver of life, represents our conscious mind in astrology. It represents our will to live and our creative life force. Just as the planets revolve around the Sun in our solar system, we derive our life purpose from the Sun in our natal charts. The Sun is our ego. It is the part of us that reasons things out, and makes final decisions. The Sun is our basic identity, and represents self-realization. The Sun also represents our overall vitality. The happiest people on this earth are those who identify with the Sun’s expression.

Sagittarius’ Quality: Mutable

Axel: “Let’s meet again in the next life.”

Roxas: “Yeah. I’ll be waiting.”

As the last sign of autumn, Sagittarius helps us celebrate one last hoorah as fall comes to a close and the season of hibernation begins. Sagittarius, with a love for variety and change, uses its Mutable energy to shake the fiery radiance off the leaves and allow them to fall. As winter approaches, this Fire sign keeps us going by fueling our desire for adventure and fun, and helps us remain optimistic that light and warmth will return again.