#like his original name was lea but then it got changed to axel but now its lea again

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1101: XIII V. One Winged Angel (Kingdom Hearts x FF7)

4:23 p.m. at The Lockhart's Bar.........

Sephiroth: (Takes a Sip of his Glass of Red Wine He Was Recently Given While Sitting Behind the Counter) Hm. I must say, this is admittedly decent. (Tales Another Sip of the Drink Before Looking Up at Isa) What's the name of this exactly? Scarlett Red?

Isa: It's actually Risata Moscato Red, one of the most well known wines ever made in Italy.

Barret: (Glaring at Sephiroth the Entire Time) And it'll cost you TWICE as much as the original price.

Lea: Twice as much- (Quickly Count Up the Price With his Fingers Before His Eyes Starta Widening Up) That'llcost him a fortune!

Barret: Exactly.

Sephiroth: (Raised an Eyebrow at His Not Sp Former Enemy) Really, Wallace. Do you always charge extra to every customer you meet?

Barret: (Glare Starts Piercing Harder) I only charge extra to murderous scumbags who has the audacity to waltz in to our establishment after all the convoluted bullcrap you put me and my crew through over the years!

Sephiroth: And I'd be more than glad to do it again if given the proper opportunity.

Barret grits his teeth in pure anger before Lea chimes in at the last second.

Lea: Easy there, big guy. I'm sure he doesn't REALLY mean that. (Let's Out an Awkward Laugh Before Slowly Turning his Head to Sephiroth With a Nervous Look onnhis Face) .....R-Right?

Sephiroth: (Simply Shrugs) Perhaps. But what I DO know is that you have no chance of beating me those time, especially now that you don't have Strife or Lockhart here to hold one of your non mechanical hands.

Barret: (Angrily Slams his Hands Down on the Counter Before Grabbing Sephiroth by the Collar) I don't need any of their help to send your sorry looking ass back to the depths of hell from what you've came!!!

Sephiroth: (Puts on a Small, Evil Smirk on his Face) You're more than welcome to prove it to me. Not like the end results us going to change in any capacity.

Barret: Gladly!

Barret winds his fist up to punch the one winged angel until-

?????/????: DADDY/PI!

The two dads stop what they were doing turns their heads to see Marlene and Pichu pouting at the both of them sitting at a table behind them along with Roxas and Xion.

Marlene: No. Fighting!

Pichu: Pichu!

Barret: (Stares at the Kids For a Brief Second Before Clearing his Throat and Finally Letting Out of Sephiroth's Collar) R-Right.

Sephiroth: (Brushes the Dust Off his Shirt Before Tidying it Up a Bit) Of course.

Barret: Sorry, baby girl....

Lea: (Chuckles Lightly) You two got told off by your own kids!~

Xion: Axel, stop making fun of Mr. Sephiroth and Uncle Barret before Roxas and I come over there!

Roxas: And we'll do it too! Don't test us!

Axel's chuckle deceased immediately as Barret let's out a smug sounding one of his own.

Sephiroth: (Smirks at the Redhead) You were saying?

Lea: ('Sighs in Defeat') I'll shut up now.....

Isa: ('Sigh') Can we all please go back at the topic at hand here? We're wasting more time than I hoped we wouldn't.

Sephiroth: I'm inclined to agree. (Raised an Eyebrow in Curiosity at Isa) So you wanted to know if I'm former with this 'Luxu' person?

Isa: (Simply Nodded) That's correct. Pitto mentioned he instantly recognized you right before he and the Foretellers retreated.

Meanwhile at an Unknown Cave Location........

Ira: And you have yet to tell us anything on the matter in question.

Aced: Among other things.......

Luxu: (Rolls His Eyes While Groaning) Again with this? I told you every important, non-vauge information you needed, what more do you people want for me!?

Invi: Your allegiance towards our cause and union perhaps?

Luxu: I saved you four from being forgotten about completely. That has to count for something at least.

Ira: And we appericate your efforts, truly. But there's still so much we need to know about.

Aced: (Rolls his Mask Covered Eyes) Which I doubt you'll ever tell us considering how you are willing to keep your history between you and this Sephiroth person from us for this long.

Luxu: (Glares at Aced) Hey, I was gonna tell you guys about him eventually! (Crosses his Arms Together While Turning Away) 'Just needed to make sure that the unexpected.....(Face Starts to Waver in Fear) painful....nightmarish memory of him doesn't get to me completely. Or ever......

Gula: The guy must've been a real pain in the neck if he's making you THIS scared of him.

Luxu: ('Sighs Heavily') Ohhh you have no idea.....But if you all MUST know thay badly, it all started back when I was stil in the Organization, our boss at the time, Xemnas, thought it would be a good idea to invite that one winged bastard into our headquarters and ask him to join our cause, knowing damn well that would've defeat the entire purpose of the name and brand! But rather than giving him a series of trials like any sane cult leader would, the boss man figured the better way for him test his worth is to fight-

...................................................................................

Xion: (Eyes Widened) Every organization member at once!? How come we didn't know about any of this?

Roxas: (Grabs his Chin While Thinking) Mm...Call it a hunch, but I think that all might have happened when you, me, and Axel went to that mission together. The one at the Neverland place or whatever.

Lea: (Suddenly Snaps his Fingers While Remembering the Memory) Oh yeah! I remember now! We had to spend like two or three days there just to try and capture our target, whoever that was.

Isa: And I was out inspecting every other worlds that was accounted for at the time.

Sephiroth: It seems Xemnas was too prideful enough to not to tell either of you about the incident. But yes, I was challenged to fight every present organization member at the present. (Causally Twirls his Wine Cup Around with his Hand) To them it was a fight for pride and honor of the name of their little cult. But for me.....(Forms a Small, Smug Smirk on his Face) It was mediocre warm up at best. (Takes Another Sip of his Drink)

.....................................................................................

Luxu: We threw everything we got in our arsenal at him and he managed dodge all of them without breaking a single sweat. Then, when the others tried to get the upper hand, he countered all of their weapons with that long ass sword of his and knocked all of them out with just one swing! ONE SWING! Then, when I tried to sneak attack him from behind, the guy STAB ME and slammed my ass towards the ground in front of him! (Shivers in Fear) It was a miracle I was able to survive after that.......

..............................................................................

Sephiroth: His tactics were too predictable for me to care. But that pitiful look in his eyes tell everything i know about him in one word.

Pichu: Pichu?

Sephiroth: (Simply Nodded) Very good, my son. He is Worthless.

Roxas: Sheesh. Harsh much?

Xion: Don't pity him, Roxas. They're right.

Roxas: (Notices the Dark Look in Xion's Eyes) Hey, what's with the look for all of sudden!?

Sephiroth: Anyways, after all that set and done, I was then challenged to fight against their ringleader, Xemnas. A fairy decent opponent, at least compared to his lackeys.

..................................................................................

Luxu: But even with all his multiple lasers and sabers hands, that silver haired freak still manage to beat him before leaving us to lick our own wounds.

Invi: And you are certain that he is as strong as he was in the past.

Luxu: Listen, I know I have a history of lying a lot, but trust me when I say that's there's a whole lot more to him than just some pretty boy with long hair and sword. So I don't want any of you to go around trying to fight him, got it?

Aced: (Crosses his Arms) You disappoint me greatly, Luxu.

Luxu: (Rolls his Eyes Again) Oh god, here we go.....

Aced: You expect us, the Foretellers, to run and cower in fear from our enemies and everything we stand for!?

Luxu: ('Sigh') Look, man, I'm not trying to discourage anyone from fighting here. All I'm saying that there's some battles you gotta choose wisely, especially when you have someone as menacing as Sephir-

Aced: (Glares at Luxu) I care not of how menacing he is! I am Aced, the Foreteller of the Ursus Union! And I will show this Sephiroth clown the true meaning of power and strength one way or another! (Summons a Black Portal Behind Him Before Walking Towards It)

Ira/Invi: Aced!

Luxu: (Pinches his Nose While Groaning in Frustration) Oh for the love of fucking-PLEEEEASE don't tell me you're actually planning on fighting him on yourself!

Aced: I made my decision clear. (Turns Back to the Group) And none will be foolish enough to interfere!

The portal disappeared with Aced along with it.

Ira: He left.

Gula: (Turns to Luxu) So should we go after him or...

Luxu: (Holds his Hands Up Before Scoffing) Nope. If he wants to go out there and embarrass himself in pain, then that's all on him. (Walks Away) I'm getting too old for this crap.

Meanwhile Back at the Bar

Lea: (Nodding With his Arms Crossed Together) Alright...... So all we need to do find Luxu and his posse, sic Sephiroth on all of them and hope for the best! (Turns to Sephiroth With a Sheepish Smile) I-If...that's alright with you of course.

Sephiroth: Surely you must have more faith in me than that, Lea. (Shrugs) But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to aid you all just this once.

Lea: Sweet. The plan's in motion then.

Xion: But where would we start looking? They can anywhere right now.

Barret: (Hears Suddenly Hears a Muttering Sound as he Turns to See a Bear Masked Figure Standing Outside, Yelling at the Bar's Glass Door) Uh....I might be wrong....(Points at the Door) But isn't that one of them outside right now?

The gang quickly turns to see the figure in question angrily summoning a Keyblade outside.

Roxas: Keyblade in his hand, wearing a robe and mask? Not doubt that he's one of them.

Lea: (Summons his Own Keyblade with a Grin on his Face) Then let's get a move on then, people!

Sephiroth: (Simply Nodded) ('Hmph')

Barret: (Adjusts his Gatling Hand Gun) Gladly. (Turns to His Co-worker Before Walking Put With Lea and Sephiroth) Isa, my mam, you mind watching my baby girl for me?

Sephiroth: As well as my son please?

Isa: (Nodded To the Duo's Request) I will. (Turns to Roxas and Xion) Be careful out there, you two. And make sure Lea doesn't doesn't do anything stupid.

Roxas/Xion: (Salutes to Isa) Yes sir!

Marlene: (Hugs Xion's Sides) We'll root for you from the inside!

Pichu: (Hugs One of Roxas' Leg) Pichuuu.....

Xion: (Gives Both Marlene and Pichu a Reassuring Smile) No need to worry about us, you two. Your dads, uncle, and big sibs Roxas and Xion got everything under control.

Roxas: (Happily Nodded) Definitely.

Lea: Roxas! Xion! You two still coming or what?

Roxas/Xion: We'll be right there! (Quickly Follows the Others Outside)

Outside of the Bar

Aced: Sephiroth! My instincts know that you are in there! Cease your cowering and come out and fave me!!

Barret: (Walks Out of the Bar With the Others Following Behind) What in the hell are you doing yelling outside our establishment!?

Aced: Move aside, disabled simpleton! You are not the one I am looking for!

Barret: (Fuming in Anger) The fuck did you just call me!? (Starts Marching Over to Aced Before the Seasalt Trio Quickly Stops Him From Moving Forward)

Sephiroth: I believe I'm the one you are look for?

Aced: (Examines Sephiroth's Appearance From a Mid Distance) Long silver hair and sword......(Slowly Starts to Grin Evilly) Yes.....You are exactly the person I seek.

Sephiroth: (Prepared his Battle Stance) I do hope you give a decent challenge. So far, I hear you and your Foretellers group are all nothing but talk.

Aced: (Readied his Stance as Well) Oh, I assure you, we are more than what meets the eyes. Allow me show you the taste of our excellence!

The two warriors rushed over to one to another as they deliver the first slash from their respective blades in a samurai like fashion.

With the sound their of blades clashes together before the two combatants reached over to different spots, the area went to silence with nothing but the sound of the wind passing by.....That is until the roaring sound of pain and agony is heard from the Ursus Foreteller as blood flew off from his body before falling down on his knees, much to everyone else's shock.

Everyone: Ah......SHIT!

Sephiroth: (Gets Himself Up With Little to No Setbacks) Hm. Well, what do you know? I was right.

Aced: (Shaking like a Leaf) H-H-How......How are you this strong- (Coughs Up Blood) I-I trained....my whole life....into becoming the best of the best..And now.....it's all for not!?

Sephiroth: I don't know to what you and your associates are truly capable, nor do I wish to find out. Because so far you've been nothing more than a disappointment in every shape and form

Aced: S-S-So....this is, right? W-Will....this....be the end of my journey?.

Sephiroth: (Let's Out an Evil Chuckle as his Dark Wing Finally Begins to Appear on his Back) Please. We're just getting started. (Turns his Back to Aced With a Sinster Smirk on his Face) You were bold enough to come here and ask for a challenge, right? It would be such a waste if we stop now.

Aced: (Eyes Widened in Utter Fear) N-No....Please....I-I yield.....I can't fight anymore.

Sephiroth: Too late. (Immediately Rushes Over to Aced in Battle Stance)

Aced: NoooooOOOOOOO!-

And with that, Sephiroth traps Aced into his barrage flurry slashes as he screams out in more pain with everyone else staring at the brutal slash down with their eyes still widened..

Lea: ............Okay. Starting today, let's all agree to NEVER challenge Sephiroth to a fight. (Turns to the Others Around Him) Sounds good?

Xion: Yep.

Roxas: Uh-huh.

The trio turns to Barret who is still silent, as he gives them their attention.

Barret: What?

Lea: Dude, come on. You gotta agree to this.

Barret: And why would I do that? I'm big and tougj! I've fought him one!.....With Cliud and Tifa, but still!

Roxas: We know you're strong, Uncle Barret. But there's no telling what he has up his sleeves......

Xion: (Hugs Barret) And the last thing we want for him majorly injure you. Please?

Barret: ('Sighs in Defeat') Fiiiine. I won't try and beat him up. But I swear, if he starts disturbing the peace in front of my bar, there WILL be hell to pay!

Thirty Minutes of Humiliation Later, Back at the Foretellers Secret Hideout.........

Aced walks out of the portal with his robe dirtied and tornup and cuts and bruises are visibly shown all over his face, all while everyone else inside stares at him in silence. Everyone except......

Luxu: 'Eyyyyy here, big guy! How was the bout? You won? Lost? ('Scoffs') Who am I kidding? Of course you lost! You look all bruised up.

Aced glared at the apprentice in silence before walking away.

Luxu: Oh you're giving me the silent treatment right now? You were talking all that good shit about how powerful you are minutes ago! And now look at you: you're a dumbass walking in shame. (Quickly Dodges the Keyblade Axed Chucks at Him) Ha! You missed!

Luxu then gets hit on the head with a rock as he falls down.

'Thud'

Luxu: ........Still a dumbass, big guy!

@cyber-wildcat

@albion-93

@ma-lemons

@khtext

@bestpony666

@theweebmaster31

[themattress]

I don’t dislike what the sea-salt trio added to the story, nor do I think it shouldn’t have been created in the first place.

I do! Well, sort of....the manga serves as a solid argument in its favor.

Nomura stated in a recent Q&A that he was very hesitant to revive Roxas and Xion, up until the very end. He originally had come up with a scenario where they did not return. But due to the fans’ opinions being so strong, he felt like he had no choice but to bring them back.

Bullshit. Nomura has ignored and even outright angered fans plenty of times, so if he really wanted to he could have just not revived them. But he knew that reviving them would play very well and he'd get all the adulation for it, so he deliberately chose the worse path.

The real Roxas was the boy in the data Twilight Town, not the boy in the black robe. 

YES. Thank you for this! You got it 100% right.

As soon as the sea-salt trio reunited, everything instantly went back to how it was in 358/2 Days, despite how much all the characters had changed since then. In fact, the Roxas and Xion in KH3 were literally time-travelling from the past. Xion was always a past version of Kairi anyways, so her presence clashed with the real Kairi. Roxas was back in the black coat again, implying that this Roxas was essentially the one from before the prologue of KH2. And Lea went back to being called “Axel”, a name he had left behind in KH3D, specifically in preparation for the reunification of the sea-salt trio. It was hard for me to feel happy because the trio felt like such a relic of the past.

Again, no arguments here.

Xion and Roxas (and Namine for that matter) staying as pieces of Sora and Kairi would be both heart wrenching and unique in how permanent it was. But why should they be the only ones to stay dead? Why should they only people for whom death is a consequence? Especially when their entire existence was spent being used, abused, and discarded when others saw fit?

OK, but here's the thing....Roxas and Namine weren't dead. At least, that wasn't how KH2 wrote their fates. KH2 said them going back to Sora and Kairi is what saved them from dying; that they can still exist as individuals from within their other selves' hearts. Idk what happened to get that retconned, but it really should not have been.

More importantly, how can you end a character arc about people desperately trying to carve out their own existence with depriving them of said existence? After countless sacrifices and machinations that forced them into painful ends.

Again, originally Roxas and Namine did not "cease to exist" like it was suddenly retconned, they were shown to still be alive inside of Sora and Kairi. While as for Xion, that was the opposite of her arc: her arc was that she took her existence for granted only to learn it was a fabricated existence that was causing others hurt, leading her to voluntarily end that existence. It's sad as Hell, yes, but it's also her own choice. And reversing it just cheapens her character, it makes it feel all the more shallow and pointless.

Clearly they implied in kh2 that Roxas and Namine were technically happy as their original selves, but it flies in the face of the assertion that they are unique beings who deserve to exist just as much as their original selves. I will always fight for the idea that Roxas, Xion, and Namine deserved their happy endings as much as any other character.

For the third time, they weren't happy as their original selves, they were happy in their original selves. It's where they came from and where they are meant to be. Given that all the time they had physical bodies was time spent in conflict and misery, this was supposed to be their happy ending. But of course, 358/2 Days fucked that up by going way too hard in painting Roxas' time in the Organization as something he mostly enjoyed, making way too many fans now view his happy ending as just going back to that, so that's what happened.

Why I Wish the Sea-Salt Trio Had Not Been Reformed

“Kingdom Hearts is not too realistic, but I do want my players to grasp a sense of reality from it as well. For example, I’m sure you had friends when you were young, a good group of friends, but as you grow older things change and it doesn’t always stay the same.” — Nomura

I don’t dislike what the sea-salt trio added to the story, nor do I think it shouldn’t have been created in the first place. But I do think that reuniting these three had a detrimental effect on the story. It felt very forced and it also took away a bit of the sense of realism that past KH titles had.

Nomura stated in a recent Q&A that he was very hesitant to revive Roxas and Xion, up until the very end. He originally had come up with a scenario where they did not return. But due to the fans’ opinions being so strong, he felt like he had no choice but to bring them back. Here is why I think he was so hesitant to resurrect them, and why I wish he had gone with his original story route instead.

“Kairi, who was a tomboy in KHI, became a little bit more mature in KHII. She changed a lot outwardly since at that age girls grow a lot faster than boys, but her lively personality didn’t fundamentally change. Enough that ‘with Riku and Sora gone, right now Kairi is the strongest person on Destiny Islands’ is an actual premise. I like the scene in KHI, when she watches the sunset with Sora, and tells him not to change. I thought it showed very well her anxiety and loneliness over how as we get older we find a distance growing between us and our close friends.” — Nomura

Xion was Kairi the way Sora remembered her. In essence, she was the young Kairi from KH1. But that girl doesn’t exist anymore. The real Kairi is different now. She’s matured physically as well as emotionally. With Sora and Riku gone, she became the strongest one in her friend group. She spent the last year waiting, worrying, and being lonely. Kairi gets a new outfit and cuts her hair in KH3, symbolizing that she has changed even more.

Lea has also changed. He may not have a new outfit, but (at first) he has reclaimed his old name. He is no longer “Axel” but fully human, and he is trying to go back to being the person he used to be before joining the Organization. It was interesting to see a more emotional Lea interact with an older Kairi, while still maintaining the same chemistry he had with Xion. Their relationship was the same in some ways, but it was also different. Kairi related to Lea on a more adult level and it felt like their relationship had evolved beyond 358/2 Days. 

“It’s a place of lies Naminé made from his own memories, but, maybe, that’s the real Roxas. Not clad in a black coat, but playing with friends his own age, laughing, eating ice-cream, wandering around—like Sora.”  — Axel

The interesting and realistic conflict between Axel and Roxas from KH2 was also completely swept under the rug and left unaddressed. As Roxas matured, he wanted to know who he was as a human and live his own life. And more than anything else, he wanted to be a normal kid with friends his own age. That was why he left Axel’s side. It was the entire premise behind his summer vacation prologue in KH2. 

The real Roxas was the boy in the data Twilight Town, not the boy in the black robe. And the real Roxas had forgotten about Axel and made other friends. The Roxas that Axel knew was long gone. A lot of fans saw Axel’s obsession with Roxas in KH2 as a display of close friendship or maybe even true love. But I don’t think it was ever Nomura’s intention to depict it that way. I think he viewed Axel as a broken person who was unable to cope with his loneliness. His emotional dependence on Roxas was a character flaw, not something we were meant to romanticize.

“I was afraid of that… Everyone grows up—and grown-ups always forget. First you’ll forget what it feels like to be young, and then you’ll forget about me.” — Peter Pan

In KH3, Lea assumed that Roxas was Ventus, the same person he met way back when he was a kid. In KH3D, he went looking for Isa, not Roxas. While he was training, he never mentioned anything about bringing Roxas back. He had apparently accepted that Roxas, his “best friend” in the black coat, wasn’t coming back. He was looking forward to reuniting with Ventus instead. 

“Way back when I was a kid, I met this other weird kid. Somehow we became fast friends. Never saw him again— nearly forgot about him, too. Then I met Roxas. Couldn’t believe it. The two of ’em were identical. Oh, I didn’t tell Roxas. Didn’t want him to go vanishing on me, too. The kid’s name was Ventus. He’s one of the lost Keyblade wielders we’re looking for. Think he’s still got me memorized?”  — Lea

Their friendship would be different from how it was before. Ventus had his own best friends from his human life. But that was okay. It didn’t mean he’d forget about him or that he’d disappear from his life for good. Lea seemed like he had grown beyond his KH2 self in this scene, like he had faced some of his fears and become stronger and more mature. And that progress was undone later on, once he realized Ventus didn’t remember him and the whole “bring Roxas back” subplot became his sole focus once again.

“Talking to Roxas and Xion always brings back memories of my human life, back when I was a kid. It’s a weird sensation. I ought to be able to share all this with Saïx, but I just don’t feel like it anymore. It’s strange, but I’m content with just missing what’s gone. I’m not the one who changed. You did.”  — Axel

In the next cutscene, Axel acted rather strangely. He made a point of telling Saix that he wanted to bring everyone back, but especially Roxas, even pointing his ice cream at him for additional emphasis. Then Saix mentions his lack of tear marks. Axel looks away, then claims he doesn’t need them anymore. But his response doesn’t sound very convincing. Why did Nomura write the scene this way?

I think it was the most subtle way he could depict it, but his intentions all along were to show that Axel’s obsession with Roxas in KH2 had less to do with how close they were, and more to do with his relationship with Isa. Axel wanted to prove to Saix, and also to himself, that he had a new best friend now and he didn’t need Isa as much as he did when he they were kids. He’s not a crybaby and he’s outgrown those upside-down tears. His behavior was very childish. As if to deliberately signify character regression.

As soon as the sea-salt trio reunited, everything instantly went back to how it was in 358/2 Days, despite how much all the characters had changed since then. In fact, the Roxas and Xion in KH3 were literally time-travelling from the past. Xion was always a past version of Kairi anyways, so her presence clashed with the real Kairi. Roxas was back in the black coat again, implying that this Roxas was essentially the one from before the prologue of KH2. And Lea went back to being called “Axel”, a name he had left behind in KH3D, specifically in preparation for the reunification of the sea-salt trio. It was hard for me to feel happy because the trio felt like such a relic of the past. The resolution felt disingenuous and almost sickeningly sweet.

[mushroom-winners-proof]

names are hard

bonus:

[snowflake-of-destruction]

This isn’t something I normally participate in, but, since I didn’t write much in June and shared hardly anything(something I plan to change in July if I can), I thought I should give some proof of (creative) life if anyone wants it.

Under the cut, a series of tiny excerpts, most more than six sentences, of different Kingdom Hearts pieces to be rescued from the limbo of “half finished chunk of something in a google doc.” Some of them belong to WIPs and some are from various other things started and then interrupted or....we’ll say set to a back burner.

All excerpts headed by a bolded header in the style of 

Title of Piece This Belongs To (Brief description of what kind of fic that is in between parenthesis)

Advantage Rule (Isalea Modern AU. First Chapter Up On AO3. More Info There.)

"You lost or are you the new caulk?" The speaker didn't fit the typical profile of a tech professional, especially one that worked behind the scenes with the coders. Mid-fifties judging by the lines on his face with thinning blond hair so light you could hardly tell where some parts had gone silver combed to stick up as a compensation for where it threatened to recede and leather skin that said he'd worked outside in some decade past, paired with a southern accent that seemed stronger than it was with the effect added by the toothpick precariously balanced in the corner of his mouth. He'd rejected business attire in favor of cargo pants and a dark blue flight jacket that looked like they'd been bought in the last century, and the look in his eye was so fierce without prompting that Axel had to wonder if he was a failsafe for the air conditioning breaking down.

"Am I the what?"

"Caulk." The toothpick switched sides of the man's mouth with a roll of his bottom lip. "Fixing the leaks? The cybersecurity specialist? Axel Lea?" His impatience mounted by the moment. Working on the fourth floor would certainly be interesting.

"Yes, sir. That would be me." Axel tried to smooth the way with deference and the easy smile that rarely steered him wrong. "Does that make you...?"

"Cid Highwind. I'll be showing you the ropes. Now that you've seen fit to grace us with your presence." Cid continued to stare him down and Axel wasn't sure if he was supposed to apologize or bare his teeth and smack his chest like a gorilla to challenge the alpha.

Without False Hope ( First Chapter Up On AO3. More Info There. Akuroku KH/FFX crossover)

Axel was waiting for them, or  it seemed that way at least and Roxas didn’t think himself vain for thinking so, when Roxas spotted the lanky redhead not jogging himself but leaning against a pole until he saw the Crusaders approaching and then falling in next to Roxas just behind Xion as she bellowed, "Young Crusaders gather 'round,"  the beginning of a call and response chant that the rest of them would answer with a promise to knock enemies back and stand their ground or an alternate about beating Sin beneath the ground if they were feeling

Axel finished the line a beat before the Crusaders would have, substituting his own words. "...Eager for Sin to put you in the ground." Roxas's heart, which had soared for a moment when Axel had come up beside him and dared to hope that Axel's first words would be a version of sorry or an invitation out somewhere without other people, took a sharp plummet to his toes then returned to his chest angry at being mocked.

Assorted grumbles and shouts showed many others felt the same way, but Xion seemed to take it in stride, sing-songing her own improvised lines that continued the cadence of the original chant without missing a beat, "Young civilian come to heckle and stare. What would you do if a fiend attacked and we weren't there?"

Axel near stumbled but recovered and let out a short bark that might have been a laugh he wasn't sure he was allowed without inviting training Crusaders to make him pay for it, afterward rumbling in an impressed tone, "You, I like,."

"You should. " Xion shot back and her casual tone alone was enough that everyone else in the formation knew Axel was an acceptable stranger even if he was rude, and that they should ignore the intrusion. "I'm not sure I like you back. Roxas has been mooning and it makes him impossible."

Guardian Force (Akuroku. Axel and Roxas in the next life, living as NPCs in the world of/during the story of FFVIII. Part of my eventual plan to show Axel and Roxas living out every Final Fantasy game. Unpublished/First chapter never completed because I decided on Without False Hope/a FFX crossover instead)

"You often talk to yourself?" an insolent lazy drawl came from somewhere to Axel's left and he turned, eyes narrowing to see a boy in a rumpled Balamb cadet uniform lying across the second highest step, book in hand, vibrant blue eyes, ice eyes like he'd junctioned Shiva right to his vision, trained on him over the spine.

"To my Guardian Force," Axel explained, though that seemed worse. Over six foot of height and lean muscle and the SeeD uniform Axel wore at least enough parts of for it to be vaguely recognizable that he belonged to the elite unit, all usually worked together enough that there was usually no reason to be embarrassed by anything he let slip out.  Nobody would laugh even if Axel welcomed it.

"Thought you didn't like using Guardian Forces," the lounging student's voice was just as nonchalant as it was before, but his gaze was sharp, interested, and he spoke as if he knew Axel.

"Have we met?" Axel knocked the sole of his left boot against the side of his right as if scraping mud off the bottom. It wasn't odd for him to shift constantly even when mostly still, unless he was specifically called to stand at attention. There was an air of discomfort about the present action though, when taken with how jade eyes known for constant analysis on and off the battlefield, seemed attracted to the handrail of the steps rather than searching the face of the boy that had just spoken to him with familiarity.  Axel's normally iron stomach soured immediately at the idea they had met and he'd forgotten, to the point he couldn't even bring himself to try and jog his recollection. All he could do was force out his least favorite question next to 'when did that happen?'

Lollipop (Soriku and Akuroku. College AU/Modern AU. Unpublished. Sora and Roxas in an acapella group because that was the only way I could work out how to get them to sing and do choreo for songs that get stuck in Shaky’s head, which was the Goal of the Day one day before I got distracted)

When Sora said he had a new idea for a piece for the CrescenDudes' next performance, Roxas had been more than happy to volunteer to work on the arrangement with him. Sora was great for ideas, large picture and little flourishes that made a song a show, and he was, hands down, who you wanted doing choreography, even if he tended to get carried away and not realize there weren't many others with the dance and movement background he had in their group, but he wasn't suited for the musical side of sculpting a piece. He'd sing what he was given and he'd stay on pitch doing it, but he had no idea to weave songs together to form a mashup that sounded natural and created the right feeling in a crowd,  and he'd forget to accommodate  for everyone's voices or go the opposite direction and try to highlight everyone and have twenty solos. So it was up to Roxas to take his vision from neat idea to reality, and he jumped at the chance. He'd do anything at this point to distract Sora from dragging him into wedding planning for a few days when that should be Riku’s job as the other groom.  

Hourglass (Unpublished. Self-indulgent BBS Era--at least for this excerpt-- story about KH Squall/Leon and Seifer growing up in Radiant Garden and explaining how they got to be on separate planets and separate ages by the time KH1 rolls around. May be competed and posted to AO3 or just used as a base/record of headcanon for sprinkling backstory references in other pieces.)

Seifer challenged Lea and Isa to break back into the castle and come back with proof this time. He would have just called Lea a liar, but that would lead to Lea trying to fight him, which would lead to Isa trying to fight him, which would lead to Squall getting in the way, thinking Seifer couldn't handle a two on one fight with some chicken wusses. Then Squall would still try to sneak into the castle himself to see Ellone anyway--and she wasn’t in the castle in the first place...probably. Seifer would have to drag Squall’s ass out of there, and, if they got caught by the Royal Guard, then they’d be the next rumored prisoners in the basement.  It was safer to make it be Lea and Isa's challenge.

Lea took the bait. Isa, surprisingly, added they were planning a return trip anyway. Squall shot Seifer a questioning look, which he ignored in favor of taunting Lea and sealing the deal, "I can't wait to see you two hobble in tomorrow after getting your asses beat by the Guard. Try not to hit your thick skulls on the flagstones when you get thrown out."

Drowning (Unfinished/unpublished. Placeholder name. Sorikai. Supposed to be for the Sorikai Summer Event. Prompt: Drowning. Long one shot about eight times one of the Destiny Trio has nearly drowned and then been saved by the others)

Their first prototype of a raft had fallen apart underneath them in open water, the ties that lashed the planks together having not been as securely tied as they could have been--the book on sailor's knots Sora had provided was a lot more obtuse than it had seemed at first, descriptions dense and picture demonstrations too sparse. Kairi and Sora each fared well, each grabbing onto a floating plank to drift a minute and orient themselves after being plunged into the water. Riku was less successful, being fixated on saving as many of the supplies Kairi and Sora had gathered (coconuts, mushrooms, and bottles of water mostly, though there had been a tackle box that Riku's father would kill him for losing if he had to go back and face him, and that was what Riku was primarily focused on) and exhausting his breath on too many dives in a row without recovery in between until he was lightheaded from not taking in enough air in his hasty gulps when he broke the surface and increasingly imprecise in where he chose to come out of the water until he hit his head on the bottom of the plank he was loading the recovered supplies onto and went down without resurfacing.

No Set Recipe (Unfinished/unpublished.  Sorikai. Supposed to be for the Sorikai Summer Event. Prompt: Ice Cream. Kidfic. Sora’s mom is left with the job of explaining polyamory while making homemade ice cream with a group of five and six year olds.)

It was all Selphie's fault to start with, though if she was going to be ascribed the blame for the hurt feelings, she would have to be given credit for all that happened after, which Riku and Sora both agreed she did not deserve, even if Kairi was more magnanimous, so it became habit just to talk of the ice cream and the impact it had on their future. Still, the most accurate account begins with: one day when they were all young-- too young to even be allowed to swim in the water surrounding play island without an adult in the surf with them, if that gives perspective--Selphie, to everyone's surprise, scored the winning goal in the game of land-blitzball the group of them were playing in order to decide what game they would really spend the day playing, and chose, to absolutely nobody's surprise, house.

Everyone accepted their fate and divided into family units with minimal grumbling, phrasing which means that Wakka threw the blitzball into the sea and lost it forever when Jecht--the parent chaperone on play island that day who was five minutes away from falling asleep on the sand and typically didn't care what they did, unlike most parents who at least had restrictions about not hitting each other in the head with wooden swords or throwing sand, and was the favorite of the children for that attitude of freedom to make mistakes being a better teacher than rules--refused to go into the water after it.

Selphie, however, found a problem with Sora, Riku, and Kairi's family. Specifically, she didn't like that the family was Riku, Kairi, and Sora all together parenting a yellow coconut Kairi was trying to rock to sleep while Riku built him a bed out of sand and palm fronds and Sora cooked dinner for the household--a savoury stew of sticks, sand, and mushroom. She stood with pursed lips and hands on hips, and declared that their proud coconut son, Rekka, couldn't have all three of them for parents because that wasn't how things worked.

"Why not?" Sora asked with all the curiosity and innocence of a child.

Riku tried a more practical, solution based approach with, "Can we change the rules?"

Kairi was more direct and firm, her, "It does if I say so," leaving very little room to argue.

[what-demyxs-name]

Organization XIII Genderbent

You know you wanted this.

Xemnas would be curious about his new body. He would experiment with himself, testing out different things such as posture, fighting, what gets in the way or not, and even going so far as to do.... sexual things. He's the one that'd grab his pillows randomly to see how it feels. His back hair is now shorter than shoulder-length (front strands remain long). 

Xigbar is confused and angry. Getting turned into a girl was not on his to-do list, so he's mad. Once it's made temporary, he calms down but only slightly. He's a lot scarier as a girl, but standing upside-down is now a lot harder (he has to take into account his chest, which isn't mega-sized but still bounces). His name is changed to Xiggy (thanks Demyx). 

Xaldin is enraged. He's a buff man, but now he's just... a really packed woman. Gorgeous, but he never cared about looks. However, now he has a really bad appetite so now it's a bit more common to find him in the kitchen. He's elected against changed his name and will stand by it until he dies. 

Vexen is actually quite calm. Of course, with the usual ramblings, but he naturally looks like a woman, so he's adapted to correcting people (now he won't need to!). Pronunciation-wise, his name is the same. But the spelling is changed to Vexenne for the feminization. 

Lexaeus remains completely calm. He has no intention to become angry, and because he knows it will pass, nothing about it fazes him. He remains buff (Xaldin got mad at this fact), but is a little more elegant with his movements. Everyone's elected to call him Lex or Lexa, for the feminization. 

Zexion acts like he isn't fazed but is really mad. He doesn't like being female (he's going through puberty again). The smallest of everyone, his appearance remains the same for the most part. He's now called Zexi (which is a play on the word sexy. Even before this, Demyx sometimes actually calls him sexy intentionally).

Saix is also enraged. He's not used to female bodies, so it's even more awkward with him. He has to wear heels to regain his regular height. He's the type of person that wouldn't notice until he points out his back hurts, and then realizes his chest is heavier. His name is changed to Isa, his Somebody name, and his back hair is also shorter, like Xemnas.

Axel is overjoyed. He always wondered what it's like being a girl and now he can finally experience it! He now experiments with himself a lot, and if anyone asks about anything related to a female body he'll answer it (eventually)! His name is changed to Lea, his Somebody name, and he lets his hair down (some parts behind his ears remain spiked).

Demyx is awkward and curious. Because he has no memories prior to the Organization, he doesn't know how women act when you become good friends with them. He'll do anything anyone asks to figure himself out, even if it's really personal requests. Nothing else really changed.

Luxord is probably the most affected. He's really mad at first, but then realizes this could be a good opportunity to mess with people! He has the most noticeable changes; his goatee is gone, his hair is shoulder length and disheveled at first and he also shrinks somehow. His name is changed to Luxia (he tried keeping it around his original name, but that didn't work, so he changed most of it.)

Marluxia is easily one of the few without a problem. He, like Vexen, is also extremely feminine and can be mistaken for a girl in a heartbeat. He finds no problem with it and continues with his days, the exception being undergarments (he goes to Larxene with that one). He remains mostly the same.

Larxene is also quite calm with her transformation, hilariously enough. Despite not being masculine, she's adapted to how men usually are, and knows how to act. She's, surprisingly, not as violent as before for some odd reason. She remains mostly the same. 

[actress4him]

So, this isn’t DoD related, but some of my readers ( @nevquariel and @coolmegan123 , specifically) were interested in hearing more about the other KH project I have in the works. As I mentioned in the comments of my last post, I started writing it while editing Sorrow’s Promise, and have dabbled with it off and on since then, though not for a while. I’m not sure when it will get finished and posted, I may take a break from KH for a little bit after I finish DoD, but we’ll see.

This story is multi-chap but stand alone, not a series. It’s really unlike anything else I’ve written. I generally stick with at least partially canon-verse in my fanfiction, but this one is definitely an AU, and not just by being canon-divergent or having an original character. Nope, this is set in a completely different world, in my own, made-up era, and only the characters (and a few fun parallels to canon here and there) stay the same. I’ve tried to keep everyone in character as much as possible, though Sora is the most changed just because of his circumstances. We see more of the real Sora in the flashbacks at the beginning of every chapter.

TL;DR, aka the tagline for the story - 

In which Sora is Roxas, Xemnas is a mobster, Kairi is an actual princess, Axel is everyone's slightly unstable big brother, and Riku just wants to fix his mistakes...but what's new about that?

Starring Sora and Riku, with Axel and Naminé in primary support roles, Xion, Kairi, and Saix in secondary support roles, and pretty much every other KH character you can think of as the ensemble.

And now, because I love to spoil you guys, a sneak peek at chapter 1, below the cut. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Chapter 1

Sora stumbled off of the train car and into Central Station, bumping right into Riku's back.  The older boy had halted in his path and was gazing around at the grand building, and Sora followed suite, eyes wide with wonder.  There were so many people everywhere.  They had never encountered a crowd quite like this one back at home.

As they began moving forward again, Sora reached out and clung to Riku's shirt, afraid that they might get separated.  Soon they found themselves being swept out the front door and into the sunshine of Twilight Town.  We made it.  We're actually here.

“Where do we go now?” 

Riku glanced back at Sora, scratching the back of his head.  “Uh...why don't we just walk around for a while, get a feel for the place?”  To anyone else, he would have sounded like he knew exactly what he was talking about. Only Sora had known him for long enough to detect the hint of nervousness in his voice.

“Yeah, okay.”  Sora swallowed, trying not to feel too nervous, himself.  This is what we wanted, remember?  A new town, new people...anything but what we had.   

Riku led the way through the unfamiliar streets, pointing out various shops that they passed along the way, obviously doing his best to make them both feel at ease. Sora tried his best to relax and enjoy the sights, but his rumbling stomach wasn't doing much to help in that area.   

“Can we get something to eat? I'm starving.”

Riku stopped walking and turned to face Sora, a frown on his face.  “Well, we don't have a lot of munny left.”  Digging the pouch out of his pocket, he tugged it open and peered inside.  “The train tickets cost more than I thought they would.  So, we can get food, but only a little, okay? We've still got to figure out where we're gonna sleep tonight, too.”

Sora nodded.  “Yeah, I'm really tired.”  He stretched his arms above his head and yawned as if to prove the point. Laughing, Riku knocked Sora on the head.  “I told you you should've slept on the train.”

They started to head into a nearby cafe, but were interrupted by someone calling out, “Hey, kids!”

Wrinkling his nose, Sora turned to see a couple of older teens, one with bright red hair and one with blue, walking towards them.  “Are you talking to us?” he asked, pointing to his chest.

“We're not kids.”  Riku crossed his arms and glared at the newcomers.

“Right, right.”  The redhead waved his hands apologetically.  “I'm sure you're much older and tougher than you look.”

“I'm Isa, and this is Lea,” the one with the long, blue hair and a strange scar between his eyes spoke up.   

“You can call me Axel,” the redhead countered.

Riku studied them for a moment longer before dropping his arms.  “Riku.  That's Sora.”

“Great.  Look, we couldn't help but overhear a little of your conversation,” Axel commented.  “You guys new to town?”

“Just got here,” Sora piped up.

“Where are you from?” Isa questioned.

Riku shook his head.  “Doesn't matter.  We're never going back there.”

Axel and Isa exchanged a look that Sora couldn't read before Axel spoke again.  “Listen, if you're looking for something to eat and somewhere to stay, we know a place. There's this guy we work for, along with a bunch of others just like you, and he lets us all sleep and eat at his place, too.  It's a pretty good deal...a bit of work for him, in exchange for a bed and free meals.”  He smiled earnestly and looked each of the boys in the eye.  “What do you think, sound good?”

Sora cut his eyes over to Riku.  It sounded great to him, but as the oldest, Riku was always the one to make the decisions.  He could tell his friend was mulling over the offer.  Finally he nodded to Sora, then smiled at the two older boys. “Sounds good.  Lead the way.”

.o.0.O.0.o.

“Hey.  Wake up, sleeping beauty.”   

A hand was pummeling Sora's head down into his pillow.  Instinctively, his fist shot out and made contact with something hard, prompting a stream of curses from the human alarm clock.  Much more awake now, Sora rolled over, shaking his hand and glaring at Axel, who had retreated to his own bunk across the narrow room to whimper and rub his jaw.

“Serves you right,” Sora growled. 

“Hey, I'm just trying to do you a favor and keep you out of trouble.”  Axel gestured towards the rest of the bunks with the hand that wasn't holding his face.  “You're the last one up.  Again.  They're not gonna be serving breakfast for much longer.”

Groaning, Sora pried himself up off the hard mattress and fumbled for his black boots underneath the bed.  A moment later, he was up and shuffling sleepily towards the door.   

“You know, a 'thank you' wouldn't kill you!” Axel called after him.

The thought of food was enough to prod Sora into a jog as he made his way down first one stark white hallway, then another.  When he finally reached the mess hall, the usual din of clanging plates and murmuring voices met his ears.  Axel had been right, everyone else was already here. Hurrying over to the kitchen window, Sora cleared his throat to catch the attention of the server.  The response was a side eye, a snarl, then thankfully, a piece of bread and a spoonful of mush slapped onto a plate and shoved across the counter towards him.  Sora breathed a sigh of relief.  Just in the nick of time.  I really should thank Axel later.   

As Sora turned to look for a place to sit, he found himself face to, well, chest with one of his least favorite people in the world.  He lifted his chin to meet Marluxia's stare with a scowl.  “What do you want?” 

“Heard you had issues in Agrabah yesterday.”  The tall, muscular man shook his pink mane.   

“What's it to you if I did?”   

“Personally, I'm hoping that means you'll get kicked off that mission and I'll get it instead.”  This comment came from Larxene, who had walked up just out of range of Sora's peripheral vision.  He whirled around to glare at her instead.  “I'm getting really tired of Wonderland, after all,” she continued, chewing idly on a piece of bread.   

Sora's eyes narrowed.  Wait, that bread... It only took him a second to make the connection.  “Give it back, Larxene!”  He lunged forward to snatch it out of her mouth, not even caring that she had contaminated it.   

She ran a few steps back, smirking.  “Come and get it!”

He would have done exactly that, had he not felt a pull at the plate in his hand. Marluxia had a hold of it, and though Sora was pretty strong, he was no match for those muscles.  The older man wrenched it out of his grasp in a matter of seconds.  Gritting his teeth, Sora gave up the mush for lost and chose to go after Larxene instead, hoping to salvage whatever bread might be left.  He ran straight into her, tackling her to the floor.   

Before either of them could get in any punches, however, a loud voice rang out across the room.  “No fighting!”   

Eyes going wide, Sora scrambled off of the blonde and stumbled away as fast as he could.  No crust of bread was worth getting punished for fighting. His stomach wasn't exactly sure it agreed, however.  It protested its emptiness harshly enough to make him grimace as he sank down to the floor in an empty corner of the room, watching with clenched fists as Marluxia and Larxene sauntered away to find their next unsuspecting victim.

“Here.”  Sora had been so engrossed in his anger that he hadn't even noticed Axel enter the room and plop down next to him.  “Take this.  It's from last night.  I was saving it for later, but you need it more than I do.”

Sora stared down at the proffered food for a moment, then turned his head away.  “I don't need you to take care of me.”

Axel sighed loudly.  “No, I know you don't.  But you also don't need to go out in the field today not having eaten since yesterday morning.  I'm well aware that you didn't get dinner last night because of whatever went wrong in Agrabah.”

“It's not my fault that some towns actually have decent government in place.” Sora shook his head slightly.  “People see somebody like us skulking around, they tell the authorities.  I'm lucky I saw them coming and got out of there without being questioned or imprisoned.”

“Yeah, you are. I know it's unfair, Rox, you don't have to tell me that.”  Catching sight of the daggers that Sora was shooting from his eyes, Axel put up a hand in apology for the name blunder.  “I mean Sora, sorry. Now would you just take the food?  Neither of us really want to know what the penalty is for passing out and not making it back from a mission.”

Sora snatched the small bundle out of his hand with a grunt.  “Fine.”  The food wasn't much, but it would certainly be better than nothing.  Maybe, if he was lucky, he could pilfer an apple or something while on the job later.  “Thanks,” he mumbled with his mouth full.

“No problem.” Axel ran a hand over his wild red hair, the flattened spikes immediately popping back up into place.  “Try to play it cool with Saix when you see him.  Confident, like you know you're capable of doing the job, but not too cocky.  He'll probably dock you down to something more menial than territory expansion, but you'd better not show him one speck of attitude about it or...”

“Or I'll regret it, I know the drill.”  Sora finished off the food and licked a crumb from his finger.  “You ready?  Might as well get it over with.”

“Yeah.”  Axel pushed himself up to his feet, then held out a mass of black fabric. “Here, I brought these.  You forgot yours in your rush.”

Grunting his thanks, Sora took the cloak and fastened it around his neck.  On the other side of the room, most of the other soldiers, as they were unofficially called, were already lining up to receive their assignments.  When his turn came, Sora stepped in front of Saix, meeting his cold gaze but trying his best to keep his own expression neutral.   

“Roxas.” Saix's eyes flicked down to the clipboard in his hand, then back up to Sora's.  “Debt collection.  Twilight Town, east side.”

Sora blinked, the familiarity of that name sending a jolt through his brain, but forced himself to nod stiffly and pull his hood up over his face.   

“You don't need a portal for Twilight Town,” Saix sneered after a moment of silence.  Sora glanced back up at him, and he pointed to the door. “Go.”

Right. Nodding silently again, Sora stepped out of line and headed back across the room and out the door.  So, this really was more punishment.  Not only was he stuck with his least favorite task of debt collection, but he had also been relegated to the town that was so close by, you could walk to it rather than being sent by portal. A fabulous trek on a nearly empty stomach.

In another half hour, the walls of Twilight Town came into view, with the clock tower in the center of town poking out up above.  That jolt ran through him once again.  Several years ago, when they had first joined The Organization, he and Riku had often worked Twilight Town together.  But that had been a long time ago, back before they had gotten promoted to bigger and better locations.  On occasion after that, each of them would work a shift here, but Sora had not been back in a while.  Not since Riku...

Shaking his head violently, Sora stamped out those thoughts before they could fully materialize.  Stick with the present.  Dwelling on the past never gets you anywhere.  With a sigh, he walked through the gates of the city and surveyed the quiet streets.  Well, this munny isn't going to collect itself.

DO NOT REPOST OR REBLOG WITHOUT CREDIT!

[sorakingdomhearts]

I just finished watching all of the Kingdom Hearts game cutscenes in 16 days! Under the cut, my super-long analysis post.

This was such a bad idea and also the best I’ve ever had. I can no longer tell the events of separate games apart, other than the stuff I added to this post’s draft while watching, but it’s given me so much to do in the quaran-times.

I would say my favorite games at this point are KH3, BBS, and 358/2 Days. I actually played through KH3 to like 90 something percent so I’m most attached to it, but storywise Aqua, Ventus, Roxas, and Axel/Lea have the best plots. If I had to pick a top favorite, other than Sora(because. Well. Sora’s my chosen middle name for a reason) I would say it’s Axel/Lea, and Aqua is the world’s closest second.

My favorite Disney worlds are probably Traverse Town for the music, Nightmare Before Christmas for the costumes(both the wintery ones and the spooky ones), Disney Town for the character appearances and aesthetic/colors, and BH6 for the plot/dialogue. Honorable mention to Hunchback of Notre Dame for being the only one I hadn’t heard about before starting this journey AND being a friend’s current hyperfixation so I got to share hyperfix joy with them for a bit.

I think Aqua has the best voice in the series. Especially with BBS 0.2/KH2.8 there’s quite a few scenes where the only dialogue is her talking to herself and she’s got such an emotional, pretty voice to pair with her heartbreaking journey home.

Axel/Lea’s relationship with his name is the same as a trans person with their deadname and I love that for him. For example, in the end of Dream Drop Distance, he gets frustrated with Riku not knowing it’s changed to Lea again but gives up on correcting him because the rest of what’s going on is more important. I’ve definitely done that with people deadnaming me.

On the other side of that coin, in ReMIND Demyx struggles to remember it’s Ienzo, not Zexion, but he corrects himself over and over. He doesn’t seem to want to deadname Ienzo, he just hasn’t gotten used to it yet. I think that more than anything else is what proved to me personally that Demyx really was trying to do something good.

Also, with Axel/Lea, can he not make bad jokes IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS OWN DEATH? Hello?! I said this on Twitter but hey, buddy, I love you dearly but now isn’t the time.

Xion’s name is pronounced she-on, not zee-on like I thought when I read it. Idk why I thought it was that way when I read it printed but it’s not.

Donald is always cute, all the time, and he’s cutest when he and Sora are squabbling like little kids. I love him. Or maybe that’s the Ducktales fan bias creeping in...

Speaking of HEY, WAS ANYONE GONNA TELL ME HDL AND SCROOGE ARE IN MORE THAN JUST THE KH TRILOGY?!?! What a pleasant surprise to see Scrooge in BBS and to visit Disney Town.

Nobodies make the wobble sound of laminated paper being shaken. I keep thinking about that for no reason.

Does anyone else think Riku saying he can “smell the darkness” on people in ReCOM is weird? Am I just really late to the party, or are we just going to ignore that? Yeah? Okay.

Aqua’s end of Birth by Sleep has some of the sweetest, most poetic dialogue in the series imo. When Aqua and Mickey are talking about Ven, and Sora and Riku talking about hurt within the heart? Yeah. I’ll cry.

Also, another sad scene: Isa and Lea as kids when Lea explains his whole “get it memorized” thing is so he can be remembered and live on, if need be. I cried real tears at that one.

Conversely, some of my favorite sweet scenes are: in the beginning of BBS when Aqua tells Ven and Terra they’d “make the weirdest brothers,” Sora meeting Santa in KH2(I think?) which reminds you hey, these are children, the scene right after they find out Goofy’s not dead and Donald flips out, Lea summoning his Keyblade for the first time(powermove,) and of course the series of reunions in KH3. There’s at least a solid scene or two in each game that really warms my cold sad heart.

Speaking of the KH3 reunions, the best one I think was Xion, Roxas, and Lea’s. At least with Aqua/Terra/Ven they started out with hope, and Aqua and Ven at least had the ability to hold onto that hope to get them through. The ex-Nobody crowd really didn’t have anything. Just the promise that they’d meet again, and maybe not even in this life. I will cry.

Some of the voice casting is surprisingly great. Like, Nala’s voiced by Vanessa Marshall, who did Gamora in the GOTG tv series. Love her. And Hynden Walch who does Starfire is the Alice voice at one point which was such a pleasant surprise.

Also hey, Zachary Levi went so fucking HARD on his voice work. Even Rapunzel has some lines that fall a little flat compared to the tone of the original, like the KH version of the “first time outdoors” sequence. But Flynn Rider has this consistent energy to him that I really love.

In ReCoded I really liked the second-person Mickey narration. Idk why. It just made me super happy.

Hercules is a movie that frequently becomes a level in these games and like every time they continue that trend of Phil’s “I got two words for you” joke like guys, wasn’t the thing in the original that it translated to two words in Greek? Not that he couldn’t count? Anyway that’s the best reoccurring joke. I hate it and love it in equal measure.

One of the frequent things in KH that I love is there’s this sense of ridiculousness to it. Like, it’s a lovely story with excellent worldbuilding and character designs, with a brilliantly complex plot, but like. You get into scenarios like the end of ReMIND, and Sora’s time-travelled to save his dying and sorta already dead friend(Kairi). He’s cradling his other dying friend in his arms and talking about how he found his way to them by tracing the connections between their hearts. Beautiful, poetic, showstopping, right? Except it’s Mickey motherfucking Mouse. You can’t find this anywhere else.

Speaking of ReMIND, the part where Sora connects all the keyhole things? It looks like a starry sky full of constellations? Yeah. Holy fucking SHIT is that pretty. I literally had to pause it twice to absorb the visuals in that scene.

To end off, here’s some of my pride headcanons: Terra and Xion are trans, Ventus and Riku are nonbinary, Saïx/Isa is agender, and Sora is genderfluid. Axel/Lea is pan, Kairi, Riku, and Sora are poly, and Aqua is bi. ((I definitely have more of these but these ones I think are most important.))

[thedeliverygod]

Reasons Why I Really Enjoyed Kingdom Hearts III

The music. Every time I listen to the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World of Tres- soundtrack, it makes me want to play the game. The music is so much attached to the imagery and gameplay that I can’t seem to separate the two. Granted, I’ve always loved the music of the Kingdom Hearts series. But there is something about hearing music from KH3 that makes me go “wow, I really want to go play in the Kingdom Of Corona right now” etc. That’s something I never really experienced before this game; I of course relate the music to the worlds and moments that they played during, but they’ve never gotten me in the mood to immediately go turn on my console and play. Also, full Kingdom Hearts III soundtrack when??? (I suppose the answer is when all the DLC is released and the soundtrack is considered COMPLETE but... I just really want it okay.)

The visuals. Continuing off the last point... Kingdom Hearts III is G O R G E O U S. I had my doubts about the unreal engine and honestly, I had my doubts about KH getting a more detailed look in general. I enjoyed watching the FMV videos at the beginning and ends of the games but the more cartoony in-game graphics always felt like home to me. It took some time and a lot of trailers to gain my approval, but the final product was gorgeous. Granted... I honestly still have some complaints. Mostly about my old boss, our own King Mickey; I feel the new style doesn’t show his emotions very well but hopefully that’ll improve in time? Moving on from the characters... The worlds. Omg, the worlds. The detail that went into them is astounding; not to mention the effects that magic has on your surroundings when using it! And then of course, there’s the battle animations. Flashy, amusing, and destructive? A win, in my opinion, and definitely true to the Disney name.

World Building. The worlds are finally not lifeless dioramas from the movies! It always bugged me when they’d talk about climbing up a mountain or something like that, and in reality we’d pass through 2 or maybe 3 areas with very gradual elevation changes and the characters would be like “phew what a rough journey” and you’d be like “that literally took one minute but okay”. The North Mountain from Arendelle is a REAL MOUNTAIN. Like the Heartless knocked me off after I had been climbing for like 20 minutes and I felt like I had suffered an actual loss. How dare they make my perilous journey even longer by knocking me off the side of the mountain?! Luckily, I found a shortcut so it was fine, but it actually felt like accomplishing something while climbing that mountain which was... amazing. My other favorite experience was gathering together the green blocks to make the cactaur in Toy Box. Being in that play area made me feel like a kid again, I haven’t been in one of those spaces in so long and it was nostalgic and just so fun to crawl through all of those ball pits and tunnels to find those blocks. Lastly, there were finally citizens in the worlds! Mind you, there were kind of like maybe 5 designs at most that got repeated over and over... but still! It was a vast improvement from what we’ve seen in recent years.

Dialogue & Interaction. Let me tell you how excited I was that there was FINALLY DIALOGUE WHILE EXPLORING! It was so fun listening to the trios conversations and funny quips. Of course, “Look, it’s a lucky emblem!” and “This looks like a good spot to find some ingredients!” did get annoying, especially when I couldn’t find where the heck said things were, but I think an update calmed those exclamations down because I heard them a lot less during my 2nd playthrough. Adding the selfie function the gummi phone? BEST. DECISION. EVER. I had so much fun taking selfies with the various Disney characters and seeing what their reactions to the camera were. Of course, characters like Hiro & Honey Lemon knew what a camera and a selfie were, but Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff? They were just like ummm do I smile for this thing? Okay!!! And then there’s Mike and Sulley who make especially funny faces for the camera. It’s just all around a blast. Moving on to cutscenes, I know there’s been some debate about the voice direction but my personal opinion is this game is the best it’s ever been. The conversations and especially jokes (thank god) finally sound natural. In the past, things have been either just really forced or really cheesy and I’ve just sort of been like “Oh, well it’s Kingdom Hearts/it’s Disney, it’s gonna be cheesy.” But like there’s a right way to be cheesy, and the moments I’m thinking of... aren’t it. KH3 did it right. There’s still a few things that were rough around the edges, like Sora’s “unforgettable... like your face~” to Donald lol it was still really funny but it was also just like “oh my god you nerd”. Also all the jokes about Sora not being a Keyblade Master yet came off as just mean spirited to me, but that’s another subject entirely.

Character Moments. KH3 gave us a lot of what we had been waiting for. Aqua’s reunion with Sora and Riku, the boys she met on Destiny Islands so long ago. Her long awaited return to the realm of light. Aqua and Sora waking Ventus up from his long, deep slumber. Terra’s redemption and reunion with his friends. Aqua, Terra, and Ven getting to see Eraqus again and saying goodbye. Kairi and Lea becoming keyblade wielders (officially). Kairi and Xion facing off in battle. Xion and Roxas brought back to life as replicas and their reunion with Axel/Lea. Sora and Kairi sharing a paopu fruit. Sora and Namine finally getting to talk (at least, somewhat). Namine getting a body through a replica. The return of org members who had vanished after CoM & KH2 (Marluxia, Demyx, Larxene, etc). The return of Replica Riku. Others I’m probably forgetting lol.

Reveals & New Info. With the end of a saga, we have some mysteries finally answered. Of course, this game is also setting us up for a new saga, so we’ve also got a lot of lose ends. Luxu is revealed as Braig/Xigbar. The Master of Masters is shown in the secret ending after vanishing for thousands of years, but who are they? Not to mention the foretellers managed to show up after also being absent for a long period of time as well, minus Ava. What’s she up to? Who’s Yozora and why did he show up as a video game character in Toy Box but also in the same world as Riku in the secret ending? Nomura-san says that the Shibuya shown in the secret ending isn’t the same universe as TWEWY, but why bother introducing the characters and Shibuya itself if it’s not going to tie in later? What exactly is happening at the end of KH3? Is the group looking out over the ocean or looking at the tree where Sora and Kairi are? Are both scenes happening at the same time or at separate times? Why exactly does Sora vanish? What are the exact stipulations and reasonings behind all the warnings Young Xehanort gave Sora? There’s so many things I am so eager to learn about and I can’t wait for DLC and/or the next full game.

The Story Is Not Over. We’ve got DLC coming to us, and from the sound of it, a decent amount of it. At least, enough to keep us satisfied until the next game. And please, no “they should have sold us a complete game” comments. They said multiple times they had to cut content in order to release a game that fit on the disc. Also remember, KH2.8′s Birth by Sleep 0.2 -A Fragmentary Passage- was originally supposed to be the INTRO of KH3. If they fit all the content they wanted to fit into KH3... we would probably be looking at a 2, maybe 3 disc game. Anyway, good things come to those who wait, so that’s all I’ve got to say on that. 

[lethe626]

Axel’s Story: I Will Not Forget You

[I know other, better people are translating these, but I got my book today and had to do it myself. I need the practice.]

You will need to follow your memories. Trust what you remember and seek what you forget. Then you will find someone very special. Our most precious memories lie so deep within our hearts that they’re out of reach.

~~~ “This yours?”

I picked up a weird shaped sword. Now I know it was probably a wooden version of a Keyblade, but back then, I had no clue.

“Lea, we don’t have time for this,” Isa said from beside me to hurry me along.

“Lighten up, Isa! It’ll only take a sec.”

He really didn’t know how to lighten up, even back then, did he?

“You still play with toy swords? That’s cute.”

While I was handing the sword over to the blonde haired kid who looked like he owned it, I pulled out my frisbees. Bright red. My favorite color.

“Now this right here—Tada! Whaddaya think?”

“Not a whole lot.”

“You’re just jealous. I’m Lea.” I cut off his comeback and bent down so I was really in his face all of a sudden and tapped the side of my head. “Got it memorized? What’s your name?”

“—Ventus.”

“Okay, Ventus. Let’s fight!”

And that’s how we met.

I guess you could say I lost in the end or whatever. But if you think about it, there’s no way a kid like me could’ve won against somebody using a Keyblade, you know?

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

And then we went our separate ways.

Isa said to me, like it was a pain to put up with, “What is it with you and picking up stray puppies?”

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

Isa gave a sarcastic smile at that. “I know I won’t forget you. Believe me, I try all the time.”

Back then, we had no idea that anything could disappear from anyone’s memory, that memories could be unclear, or that sometimes they could be rewritten altogether.

I never saw Ventus again.

 ~~~

The sunset is red again today. After training, I always come out to the top of the Secret Forest’s cliffs to watch it.

“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.”

“Like I asked! Know-it-all.”

I remember having that conversation with Roxas up on the clocktower on Day 255. I thought there was something else important that happened that day, but I can’t remember. I know there’s something I have to remember, but I don’t have the slightest clue what it could be.

The sunset hurts my eyes. I’ve been kind of a crybaby lately. Wonder if it’s because those upside down teardrops are gone now.

“Hey, Axel!”

A voice calls out from behind me, so I turn around. Kairi’s standing there, all changed into her new clothes.

“Cut your hair, too.”

“Mm-hmm! So, you gonna try yours on?”

“Uhh… I don’t know. Maybe later,” I tell her and go back to watching the sunset.

“But you always wear the same thing.”

Got me there. I’ve been wearing this black coat the whole time.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is how you pick me out of a crowd. I make myself easy to remember.”

“How thoughtful.”

“Nah, not really…”

It’s a little embarrassing to hear that. 

Kairi comes over and takes the seat next to me to watch the sunset.

“Our training’s almost finished.”

“Yeah…”

“Somewhere inside me is Namine. If we can free Roxas, we can free her, too.”

“I guess so.”

After that, we talk about all kinds of things. I tell her about Ventus, how never told anyone about him. How I was scared that if I ever did tell someone, I’d never see them again, either, so I just never did.

“Think he’s still got me memorized?”*

“Oh yeah. Very memorized.”

Kairi jokingly mimics that pose I always do and it makes me laugh.

“Now that we’re going back, I’m worried about everything.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry alone anymore, Axel.”

The sun is going down. Just like it was back then.

 ~~~

* I had to include Axel’s line to make Kairi’s make sense. It was only her line in the original text. In Japanese, what she says means the same thing—that Ventus still has Axel memorized—but it’s a whole sentence on its own and doesn’t need context.

[thirteenthspirit]

Not a Very ‘Organized’ Organization (XIII)

I thought hard about this week’s topic of choice. Brexit was on my mind - I pondered about doing a comparison between parliament’s never-ending struggle with delays and failed agreements, vs Harvest Moon’s unending gameplay, farming and shipping and eventually marrying and digging in the mines and COLLECTING ALL THE DAMN SPRITES in that DS one. But that’s as far as it goes… I didn’t think I’d be able to milk it like those cows (hey!).

Speaking of Hey, I still want to get Space Channel 5 in there somewhere, those Chu’s and Hey’s have been on my mind like crazy…

So I settled on writing about one of my favorite topics – Organization XIII!

Organization XIII was always one of my favorite parts of the Kingdom Hearts series. They are cool and mysterious and (debatably) heartless, ranging everywhere from the mute heavyweight champions (*cough* Lexaeus *cough*) to the twink rockstar wannabes.

So, Organization XII is, like the name implies, a group of 13 nobodies – wait, scratch that – a group of 14 nobodies (eyeroll) who have banded together to… um… depends on who you ask. And in which game. Their primary goal was to be whole, to be granted a heart/soul, even if practically EVERY ONE OF THEM had a different agenda and there was a whole underlying separate reason for the creation of the Organization. NO WORRIES, let’s stick with that, because it’s more fun.

Ok so, breaking down the members, should we go by number? Order of appearance? Relevance? Element of choice? Maybe click (you know, high school clichés)?

Well – first you have the Mains. Roxas (no. XIII), is the counterpart of Sora, the main character in the whole series. So you know he’s gotta be pretty high on the list. The most interesting thing about Roxas is surprisingly NOT that he’s voice by Jesse McCartney, but the duality of elements he controls. Light and Darkness are everywhere with this guy – his outfit has chess squares on it and he wields both Oathkeeper and Oblivion, not to mention having an incredibly sad and traumatic origin story! He’s like, a slightly smarter and moodier Sora. I like Roxas, I’m sad they didn’t give him anything to do in KH3. Dual-wielding keyblades is pretty awesome and his light attacks can hit pretty hard. One of my favorite moments of the series will always be his fight with Riku in the secret ending of KH1, over 10 years ago! Seeing Roxas clash with Riku in mid-air in front of that clock tower (not to be confused with the one from Neverland – I mean England) really made my heart race as a kid. He can also boast to having shared quite a couple of awesome struggles (go Vivi), with Sora in that “Station of Awakening” place where Destati usually plays, and then with both his best friends - while trying not to be kidnapped by his “Flurry of Dancing Flames”, best friend Axel, and when dispatching Xion.

Xion (no. XIV) is a “puppet”, made to take over Roxas’s place and role in the Organization, should anything happen. She is an interesting character, tragedy befalls her and her journey with coming to the realization that she must sacrifice herself for Sora’s behalf (in order for him to become whole again) is a beautiful one to see. Vector to the Heavens plays when you’re fighting Xion for the last time, ending with Roxas effectively killing her and is a beautifully crafted piece. Xion suffers a bit from that ‘unintentional retcon’ where she didn’t really have a place, story-wise, and was created solely for 358/2 Days. So she was effectively written-out of the main storyline until the later games, with every character practically forgetting about her (literally losing their memories of her).

Rounding out the trio is one of everyone’s favorites – bad-guy good-guy Axel (no. VIII). Axel’s portrayal changed throughout the series. In CoM, he is responsible for unmasking a conspiracy and dispatching rogue members of the organization. He is the de-facto assassin. With not a hint of remorse. As his friendship with Xion and Roxas builds, he regains access to some degree of emotion – perhaps it’s caused by the (stick with me on this one) Lea-Ventus-Sora-Roxas-Axel connection, or perhaps he grows a heart, sitting on that clock tower overlooking the (ALWAYS SETTING) sun of Twilight Town and eating sea-salt ice cream. Eventually he turns on the organization, proving his loyalty is to his friends and even joins the main cast as a Keyblade wielder, turning the tides on some occasions (he really makes the end of DDD worth it). It helps that he has a wicked-cool design. His element is Fire and he wields twin Chakrams, boasting two tear tattoos and incredibly spiky hair. His relationship with Kairi is a cute element to the story, I wish (aside from some more combat or like ANY AT ALL) they had more scenes together and overall relevance to the main storyline. My favorite moment, aside from him rescuing Sora from his peers in DDD, has to be when he executes Vexen in Castle Oblivion.

From Axel, the most closely linked member, aside from Roxas and Xion, is SaÏx (no. VII). SaÏx is a warewolf. The moon sends him into a trance and he is often plagued with anger management issues. Berserk is his Nirvana. Him and Axel go way back and there is still a storyline to be uncovered there, judging from the secret reports found in KH3. In the end, his motivations aren’t really clear and fully explored, so his presence is not much more than Axel’s right arm, who happens to have a big “X” scar on his face. Sorry SaÏx – maybe see a therapist. At least you got a happy ending! SaÏx was one of the last Organization members to fall, in KH2. One of the last defenders of the Castle in (one my my all-time favorite KH worlds), The World That Never Was.

Another of the final defenders and members of the Organization to be vanquished at Sora’s had is – *drumroll* arguably MY FAVORITE OF THEM ALL, the incredibly hot and suave Luxord (no. X). Now – this guy is blonde. Has facial hair. Earrings. A British accent (maybe that’s just in my mind) and makes me look up his voice actor just to drool over that sweet sweet voice. He is the “Gambler of Fate” and shows up in the POTC world to basically taunt you and play a few games. Everything’s a game to this guy, even fighting. Which I can’t say he is great at… For someone able to control the element of Time, he’s kind of a pushover. But he’s still got a place in my heart – and maybe we’ll get to see him again, since he was the one who gave Sora that “wild card”… “Parlay!” more like “Let’s play strip poker pls”.

Who next… well let’s round out the oddballs with this guy. Ladies and gents, fans of the underground metal, garage bands and mohawks – I give you… Demyx (no. IX)! The Melodious Nocturne! …although there is nothing ‘nocturnal’ about him. This guy irradiates happiness and excitement and joy. I suppose he is just pretending, since Nobodies can’t really feel, rather they remember what it was like. Dem-dem too is a fan favorite. He is very young and has a different disposition than the rest of the members, he’s just your lazy, average Joe that just wants to spend his days jamming out on his Sitar. He is the first Organization member to fall in KH2, and is considered “not much of a fighter”. I would obviously disagree with this BECAUSE DANCE WATER DANCE MOTHERF***** is hell. Hell! Still, Dem-dem brings some lightheartedness to the game and the entire group, so he is a welcome addition. He is shunned even in KH3 but that’s just a side note of his… personality traits, I suppose. Never forget when he ‘drops the act’ just before turning on Sora, before what would be his final battle. Demyx controls the element of Water.

And since when it rains, it pours; and when it pours, usually it thunders (at least here in Portugal), that seems like a decently-crafted segway to the next member – Larxene (no. XII). Larxene is… a bitch. I don’t say that lightheartedly, I consider myself a feminist and I never forget that quote “when a man is assertive, he’s called a Boss. When a woman is assertive, she’s called a bitch.” But Larxene is just MEAN. She’s the mean girl of the bunch – together with her GBF Marluxia. Larxene poses some of the hardest fights in CoM but sadly, and like most female characters in this series, she’s shunned in favor of other members. This is a critic I have with the entire KH series – Aqua is virtually my favorite character but she’s really the only female character that is given storyline, relevance and overall strength. And like most fans I was DYING to see Kairi kick ass in KH3, but… we all know how that went. Not much to say about Larxene, her lightning-fast attacks and knives give her a pretty sharp demeanor and she’s not afraid to play every trick to her advantage. Standout moment is, unfortunately, her demise in CoM, fading into darkness. Oh and that laugh.

Larxene’s ‘somebody’ appears in KH: Unchained, together with Marluxia’s somebody. Marluxia (no. XI) controls the attribute of Flowers.

Yes.

Flowers.

He also boasts pink hair and – the best part – a huge pink scythe. His nickname is “The Graceful Assassin” but aside from plotting to overthrow the Organization and posing as the main antagonist in CoM, he doesn’t really do a lot of killing. The fights against him in KH2: Final Mix are among my favorites, especially with that countdown as he swings about the field. It seems he has quite a role in the Mobile game, so maybe we’ll get to see more of his backstory in the future. His final parting words were somewhat mysterious. Together with Larxene and a sneaky Axel, Marluxia betrays the Organization and his fellow members in Castle Oblivion, for his own agenda.

The assignment to Castle Oblivion introduces us to 3 other members of the organization – Vexen (no. IV), Lexaeus (no. V) and Zexion (no. VI). And 3 character tropes. The mad scientist, the jock, and the emo kid.

Vexen, aka “The Chilly Academic”, controls my favorite element, Ice. He is, ironically, killed by Axel in a flurry of flames, in a very dramatic moment in CoM. Vexen merely wants to conduct his experiments in peace – he doesn’t care who rules, what happens to the worlds, even who might or not be possessing him. He only cares about his “Replica” program. The Replica program consists on the creation of “puppets”, bodies able to function who are only missing a heart. He plays quite the role in KH3, effectively redeeming himself. Vexen is one of the creepiest characters around – he has long blond hair and green eyes, but really that ‘mad scientist’ vibe is all that transpires. Shout-out to his English voice actor, Derek Stephen Prince, for giving him a creepy vibe. He’s not much of a fighter, with his weapon of choice being an icy shield called “Frozen Pride”.

Zexion is one of the younger members of the Organization – perhaps even younger than Demyx. He is also arguably one of the smartest. Like Vexen, he cares mostly about his research and specific topics of interest *cough* Riku *cough*. However, his young demeanor reflects some innocence – he is the only member you don’t fight against in CoM, ending up murdered at the hands of Axel (with a little help from a Replica…). I really like Zexion, to battle he wields a book (the Lexicon) and would rather dazzle the opponents with some crafted illusions than hit them hard. He is one of the most prominent figures in KH3 and his reunion with his Master, Ansem the Wise, is very touching and reveals once again his innocence. He is often accompanied by Lexaeus, who is essentially a shadow of Zexion, a silent guardian to the smaller member. It is suggested he has been protecting Zexion since the latter was a small child.

Lexaeus fights Riku at one point, effectively forcing Riku to unleash the darkness in his heart just to defeat him. The Organization member is a towering figure and barely ever talks – he is just muscle, but emanates a safe and caring feel outwards, especially in his interactions with Zexion. To battle he wields a huge hammer-like weapon (which totally reminds me of Rikku’s weapons from FFX) called the Skysplitter and commands the element of Earth.

These 3 members are one half of the initial 6 apprentices, who formed the Organization. These founding members all worked together under the tutelage of Ansem the Wise and range from the scientists like Vexen and Zexion to the guardians like Lexaeus and Xaldin.

Xaldin (no. III) is very much… wasted. His virtually only appearance is in KH2, in his vain attempts to turn The Beast into a heartless. His most evident feature is his sideburns. Xaldin’s sideburns are thick, dark and intimidating. He also wields a lot of lances – like, more than 3, which he uses his wind powers to attack you with. He has a really cool attack where he forms a dragon out of wind and blows you to pieces with. Other than another “werewolf” look, that’s pretty much it. Mickey to the rescue!

Then we get to Xigbar (no. II). Xigbar, or Braig, or Luxu, OR ONE-EYED PIRATE, I’m not sure there is much of a difference, became a usual presence throughout the series. Apparently he’s been around for a loooooong time, ever since the forgotten time of the mobile game. He is a cool dude. His “As If” will go down as a pretty cool quote. Xigbar’s nickname is The Sharpshooter and he immediately stands out from the bunch. We are still unaware of his agenda and interests, not knowing to what extent he is controlled or, rather, he is controlling the narrative. He is overall an awesome character, essentially sniping you from afar with his stylish gun-like weapons. He even fakes his own death in KH3! In what is one of the best moments from the final act. His interactions with the rest of the Organization are always funny to watch, especially with his on-and-off younger lover, Demyx. The standout moment against him is undoubtedly that moment during his fight where he corners you and forces you to run around trying to avoid the millions of blue bullets being aimed at you. One of the best members overall.

And then there was I. Mr. Xemnas (no. I) aka “The Superior of the In-Between” (seriously bro, that’s the nickname you’re gonna pick?) aka “MANSEX” among the fans, aka “Xehanort’s nobody”. He is the man behind the Organization, the one really pulling all the strings. I’m gonna skip the part behind his motivations, they’re murky and the writers decide to change them between games, and I’ll get right down to the cool bits – THE SWORDS. Yes, Xemnas wields two red lightsabers. No, he is not Darth Maul, just a fan. He is calm and has a raspy voice, never really getting too flattered (that one’s yours, Axel). The coolest interaction with Xemnas is the final battle against him. Besides his black and white coat, he eventually summons a plethora of red projectiles which surround Sora and Riku, as they (in a very realistic, grounded and believable moment), deflectem with their respective keyblades. Xemnas ends up falling a bit short when compared with Ansem, Seeker of Darkness… He was just never that menacing of a villain, especially with his always calm behavior.

And that’s it. That’s the full list of the organization members. This turned out to be more of an exposé on each of the members, than anything else. I thought about trying to find real-life personalities to match each of the members, but eventually came up short on that. Organization XIII’s struggle to “be whole” and regain the part of their humanity they had lost – their soul, the ability to feel, always struck me as a really interesting motivation. For quite some time, the idea that you could shed the part of you that is able to “feel” struck me as something good, something to be envious of. I was, of course, wrong – even the dark feelings within us are what gives us the ability to connect and empathize with others.

So be sure to deflect those projectiles, and someone PLEASE give my number to Luxord,

                                                                                               -João A. (Pachiren)  

[blackasteriia]

Xion in Re:Mind

So, today I’m going to go through all scenes that are Xion relevant and do some basic analysis. I’ll also talk about her data fight.

Spoilers under cut, obviously.

Keyblade Graveyard-- Counting with Saïx

In this scene, Saïx, Xigbar, and Xehanort, gather together to learn how to count-- AKA they’re filling out the ranks of the Organization. They come-up two short. Xehanort reveals that Terra-Nort is still up his sleeve. I don’t understand, and don’t ask me. Alright, lets get onto Xion:

Vexen creates 20 original puppets. The first twelve were the original set of the Replica Program from CO. It is of these twelve that the Organization is pulling from to put people into. They get-up to Ansem, Xemnas, Vanitas, Repliku, and Young Xehanort, to make five, and then + Xion.

Repliku is referred to as the ‘prototype,’ and then Xion is of course, No. i. 

“The plan for the last replica is to give it a heart that is connected to Sora.”

Cool. Cool. Cool. Why not Roxas? Literally, why not Roxas?

Xion doesn’t have a heart. That is the entire point of Days, if Xion had a heart, then why did she die? How does she have a heart Nomura, you’re skipping right over the question I want answered. 

FURTHERMORE, the only memory that exists of Xion is of the No. i, notes. Xion as in the girl that is in Sora’s heart, is not No. i. They don’t know about Xion because they can’t remember her. So why would Saïx mention ‘someone connected to Sora?’ As far as Vexen is concerned, his creation never attained sentience. Vexen was dead before Sora’s memories were put into Xion. Sora had not lost his memories until the end of Chain of Memories, so it’s just-- very confusing. 

This throws such a gear in the machine because Saïx doesn’t remember Xion. Why would they bother to resurrect a dead replica that was obviously an abject failure, instead of Roxas, the nobody of Sora? How do they know about Xion?

“No. i, an imaginary number, how fitting.” Thank you for the exposition Xigbar.

Then Saïx goes and gets Vexen. 

No one should give a shit about No. i, because No. i was just an empty, insentient replica that followed orders. Xion was the person that formed from No. i. There’s an argument that Vexen would return for Repliku, but as far as he’s aware, No. i was a shell. 

AKA this entire thing threw a wrench in character motivations, raises more questions, failed to answer old questions, and tells me nothing new about Xion. All of the information in this scene is in supplemental material, now it’s just in the main game. 

Cool.

The return of my Salt. 

This is the Seasalt trio reunion with some extra pizz-zazz and playable Roxas. We get a little more exposition on No. i and Xion. Kairi is also here.

Reunion of the old Organization members with Axel, Xemnas, and Saïx + No. i. Axel asks who Xion is. 

“This ‘guest’ of ours has an old score to settle with you.”

Okay, Xemnas, you said you can’t remember Xion. First, of all, you don’t know that Axel and Xion ever fought. You don’t know that they were friends. You don’t know anything about Xion beyond the notes Vexen left of No. i. What are you talking about?

Literally five seconds later: “It is a being of whom we have no memory.”

Still misgendering Xion, nice.

“A true nobody, hailing from the edge of oblivion.”

This means nothing and is just a cool line, but you know I’m going to run with it.

So, if No. i, was recreated from the notes left by Vexen, then it is not Xion. That is not Xion. Xion is still inside Sora. No. i is a completely different thing than Xion. Xion developed a personality, memories, and ‘heart,’ supposedly over time. So Xemnas alluding to ‘it has no memories of what it truly is,’ is bogus and dumb. Never mind that Xemnas wouldn’t know that. 

He can’t even remember why Xion was destroyed in the first place and even why he has no memory of it. 

Saïx is acting like he knows something when it comes to Xion and even encourages her to remember Axel and Roxas-- for no apparent reason. 

Because he doesn’t remember the friendship between Axel, Roxas, and Xion, why would he even think to prompt her on this.

Xion remembers Axel and immediately goes for Lea’s throat-- this is canon and valid. 

Okay then we get the usual scene with Xion getting.... her memory back? More on this in a bit. 

This is also good and valid. 

E N R A G E D  S C R E A M I N G

The only assumption I have is that Xion begins to remember Axel and Roxas. Then that starts to return pieces of memory to Xemnas. This is not at all implied in the text but it’s the only rational explanation for his behavior in this scene. 

I wanna use a few more images for this because it’s all visual through this part. 

Sora’s Station of Awakening peels back to reveal Roxas’. Roxas’ station now has an image of Xion in it. 

Then, these leaflets type thing start to float away and Sora calls them, ‘the memories.’ So, my previous theory that Xemnas was beginning to remember is dashed out of the water because, according to this scenes the memories had not been released yet. After this, Axel remember Xion. 

(This would be a great time to reveal Xion’s station of awakening and cement her as a unique person, even have her interact with Sora-- but no that would be too much to ask from Nomura).

This scene is also really dumb because it basically just stops the original scene, has Sora make an obvious statement to explain what’s going on, and then continues the original scene. Roxas’ returns, with a brief break into the void for exposition, and lets get into the meat of this.

Roxas and Xion fight Xemnas. So on and so forth--

This crap.

What is this.

Where did it come from? Why is it important? Axel says, ‘get what’s ours,’ and they get this. Which is the recusant symbol that is in all of their names. That’s, easy to figure out. It is then implied that this is the... symbol of their connection. AKA, the symbol of their membership in the Organization is also the symbol of their connection. Okay. Except, Xemnas was the character who brainwashed and assaulted Xion; The character that lead to Roxas and Axel’s death. The Organization is why their friendship fell apart in the first place. I could get deep into like, the psychological implications of the symbol it’s just--

Why use it for this reading. In this way. 

Ugh. 

Whatever. Kairi gets kidnapped and the scene continues as usual. Xion has no new dialogue. We learn nothing about her character. She just has the blank, default female character. The sole personality that Nomura can write for women. 

Xion is shown fighting wth the keyblade wielders. Nothing, really, to see here. She’s just in the climax, she doesn’t do anything unique. Heck, Roxas even has to save her at one point. So, lets move onto her data fight. 

Xion’s Data Fight

When I heard Xion was going to get a data fight I was very excited for the potential of that fight. Perusing the internet netted potential fights pulling on her replica abilities or the final forms from 358/2 Days. Imagine fighting a boss that can pull at least one move from all other bosses previously fought. Which was my first hope. My second hope was for the form changes from her previous final battle, different movesets, different abilities and powers. A wide challenge.

My worst fear was that she would be a copy of Roxas’ fight from KH2. 

Well, never underestimate Nomua’s ability to disappoint because that is exactly what we got. I suppose, looking at the previous content of Re:Mind I could have seen this coming. Xion did not receive any new dialogue. We did not learn anything about her character. All we learned was a few chunks of lore information that... we basically already knew. Anything new was confusing, useless, and irrelevant. I knew that Xion’s power mimicked Roxas’, that’s obvious.

 The addition of her using Saïx claymore in the graveyard was interesting because it implied something new about her powers. She could copy someone other than Sora or Roxas. In Re:Mind however, Xion shows-up in the graveyard without ever encountering Sora or Roxas, with the kingdom key. There is no, from a story or lore standpoint, for her to have that. She has had no chance to copy it. The keyblade is not inherent to Xion. So, really, we fight Roxas in Re:Mind, dressed-up as Xion. 

Nomura isn’t creative enough, or cares enough, to take Xion’s character in any new direction. He brings her back in KH3 not because he has a character arc for her, or anything to do for her. But only for fanservice, for Roxas’ and Axel’ character arcs. He won’t give her a unique moveset because he doesn’t consider her a unique enough character to warrant one. Light is Roxas’ element, not Xion’s, she doesn’t have an element. She doesn’t have a keyblade. Her face is Kairi’s face. Her value is rooted in her connection to Sora. 

On the other hand, she has, what I’ve seen and been told, is one of the hardest fights in the game. She will wood chipper Sora if the player is not on their toes. Through her teleportation trick she’s fast and has extended invincibility frames. Unlike Saïx, she is pointed and aggressive, with seconds between assaults. I will gladly keep the headcanon that Xion is an aggressive, hard-hitting, and fast fighter.

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #421: Lovely Date Night (Super Smash Bros Ultimate)

9:05 p.m. at the Crimsonetteé Restaurant....

Tifa: (Looks Around the inside of the Restaurant in Awe) Wow...... I gotta say, you've really picked out a real fancy one for us tonight, huh Cloud?

Cloud: Yeah... I originally thought about taking you out to La Shy Café, but the place feels more like a causal meeting if anything.

Tifa: True. (Smiles Softly) But I still be fine with you taking me anywhere really.

Cloud: I know. I just wanted to treat you to something nice, you know?

Tifa: (Teasingly Smirks at Cloud) Has anyone ever told you how much of a Sweetheart you really are?~

Cloud: (Rolled his Eyes) A lot of people, actually....One of them being you.

Tifa: (Giggles Softly) Well, what can I say?~ It is the honest truth, you know?

Cloud: Yeah....But enough about that for now. How are you liking Smash Town so far?

Tifa: I'm loving it so far. I knew it would be interesting and all, but I had no idea this town be this exciting to be around. Plus, almost everyone in the mansion are so amazing to be around. Daisy and Samus especially.

Cloud: I can tell by the fact that you guys been going to the Gym every chance you get.

Tifa: Exactly. Hey, have I ever told you the time I accidentally punched the Knock-Out Meter Machine so hard that it went flying into a nearby wall?

Cloud: (Starts Snickering) Holy Shit. Really?

Tifa: Yep. (Giggles Lightly while playing with her hair a little) Kind of forgot my own strength there...

Cloud: How could you? You're practically the strongest woman I know. Not to mention gorgeous as well. (Winked at Tifa)

Tifa: (Blushes While Smiling Sheepishly) See? I told you you're became a Sweetheart.

Cloud: Hey. I wouldn't be who I am now if it weren't for you guys being there for me. (Smiles Softly) You mean a lot me, you know?

Tifa: (Heart Begins to Melt) Cloud.....

Waitress: (Arrived at Cloud and Tifa's Table) Good Evening! I'm Bethany and I will be your waitress for the night. (Pulls out the Menu) Here's the Drink Menu....(Place the Menu down on the table) and allow me to start you off with a glass of water. (Stares Directly at Cloud) Sparkling or Still?

Cloud: I'll try out.... Sparkling.

Tifa: I'll try Sparkling as-

Bethany: (Completely Ignored Tifa's Request) Excellent! Now, in the meantime, feel free to check out the appetizers. I for one prefer our latest Chili Cheese Fries. (Walks Away)

Tifa: Chili Cheese Fries.....It's been awhile since I made those back in Hollow Basin.

Cloud: Speaking of which, did you ever heard from anyone there as of late?

Tifa: From Barrett. He's actually looking after our bar pretty good so far. With some help from our new employee, of course.

Cloud: Isa right? Blue haired guy? Dating Lea?

Tifa: (Eyes Widened in Surprise) Those two are dating?!

Cloud: Yeah. They're even raising two teens now. Both are names Roxas and Xion. And from what I heard...(Chuckles Lightly) Lea's practically the "Mom" of the family.

Tifa: (Giggles Softly) Aww~ That's Precious.

Meanwhile in Twilight Town....

Lea: (Sudden Place a Hand on his Forehead)

Xion: (Place a Hand on Lea's Arm a bit Worryingly) You okay, Axel?

Lea: Kind of. Don't know why, But....I could've sworn I felt some sort of disturbance right now. I just don't know what it is....

Roxas: (Changing Channels on the T.V. with a Remote) You're thinking too much, man. Relax.

Xion: Roxas' right. It's okay. We're here.

Lea: (Sighs while Shrugging) If you kiddos say so.....

Back in Smash Town.......

Tifa: Seriously though, I think it's sweet of those two to become parent figures to those kids. Kind of remind me of almost everyone back at the mansion.

Cloud: Tell me about it. They are really taking this whole Parenting role that seriously. Not that I have problem with it, of course.

Tifa: Me neither. They really love those kiddos very much. And I'm starting to love them too.

Cloud: (Chuckles Lightly) Really?

Tifa: Yeah. I mean, sure, some of them can be a handful, but most of them, if not, all of them are so precious and fun to be around.

Cloud: I can see you being a pretty cool mom.

Tifa: Really?

Cloud: Yeah. You were able to look after Marlene whenever Barrett is away, so that's a pretty solid proof there.

Tifa: (Smiles Softly) Thanks, Cloud.

Cloud began to Smile back at Tifa when suddenly....

Bethany: (Arrived back at the Table) Hey there. Has we have the chance to look at the menu?

Tifa: Uh.... Actually, you think we could order a choice the dessert first? (Look Through her Menu) Cause I've heard quite a lot about your famous White Chocolate Soffle, and I honestly wouldn't mind trying one, two, or maybe three of them out. Or Maybe.....(Continues Speaking)

Bethany: (Turns to Cloud) I'm not sure if you know this by now, buuuuut we have quite a lot of specials this evening. A Nice Floating Island, with a dash of Crème Anglaise.....(Place a Folded Piece of Paper Down....All While Giving Cloud a Flirty Smile) And my number~

Tifa: ...........And about those Creamy Pies- (Looks up to see The Waitress Looking at Cloud) Uh.... Cloud, is everything's okay-

Cloud: Just a second. (Looks down at the paper and back up at the Waitress with a Raised Eyebrow) So? You're really seriously about doing this right now?

Bethany: Completely. I get off at Ten....(Flirty Grin Grew a bit Wider) So I can take you out instead~

Tifa: Wait. What is she-

Cloud: (Got up from table) Alright, Bethany or whoever your name is, a Few Things. One: I'm not interested in you and I never will be. Two: In case you're too dense enough to realize this, you could clearly see that my date is sitting right in front of us as speak. And Three and....Most Importantly: We are still waiting for our glasses of Sparkling Water. Now if you really value your job and your dignity....(Gives the Waitress an Annoyed, Intense Glare) You knock it off with your Pointless Flirting, Cut the Bullshit, and Get us our God Damn Water. Got it?

Bethany: ('Groans in Defeat'') Okay, fine.....You could've just said "no". God.... (Walks Away) You don't have to be Huge Emo Jackass about it.....

Tifa: (Slowly Turns to the walking Waitress with a Very Not So Pleased Look on her Face) Excuse you?

Bethany: (Stops and Finally Gives Tifa Her Attention) What do you want?

Tifa: (Got up from her Table) Ma'am. I'm gonna give you five seconds to turn back around and apologize to my boyfriend for what you just said....right now.

Bethany: ('Scoffs') Or what, Tits for Brains? You're gonna try picking a fight with-

*Smash*

Tifa slams a Table Down to the Ground at Ease, which made the Waitress' Eyes Widened in Shock and Fear.

Tifa: Apologize. Now.

Bethany: (Cowers Back in Fear) Alright! Alright! I-I-I'm s-so so sorry! Please don't hurt me!

Tifa: (Walks by the Waitress) Oh and uh....(Gives her a $50 Bill) For the Table. (Walks Away)

Cloud: (Gives the Waitress a Dollar Bill Before Walking away as well) And for your service.

Bethany: Uh....This is only a One Dollar Bill......

Cloud: (From a Distance) Don't care. We're not coming back.

Outside.......

Tifa: (Walking Right Next to Cloud on the Sidewalk) Cloud, I am so sorry for that. Really.

Cloud: (Chuckles Lightly) Don't be. That was the best thing I've seen all day. Plus.....(Rubbing the Back of his Head Back and Forth While Blushing a Little) I honestly thinks really cool of you to stand up for me like that, you know?

Tifa: (Gently Grab Cloud's Hand While Walking with a Sincere Smile on her Face) Hey. I told you I'll always be there for you no matter what. You mean so much me.

Cloud: (Squeezes Tifa's hand a Little While Smiling Back at her) You mean a lot to me too, Tifa. Thank you.

Tifa: (Gives Cloud a Kiss on the Cheek) You're very welcome, handsome~ (Winked at Cloud)

Cloud: (Blushes Even More) Sooooooo.....Uhh..... There's this Burger Place Ren mentioned a few miles from here, pretty cheap. You wanna go eat there instead?

Tifa: ('Sighs Relaxingly') Honestly, I've been wanting a Burger for a long while now..... (Smiles Brightly) I'm in.

Cloud: Cool. Also, uh..... maybe afterwards, we could go back to the Mansion, watch a movie.... maybe cuddling through it as well-

Tifa: ('Gasps') Cloud Strife, are you actually asking me out on a Cuddle Session?~

Cloud: ('Sighs in Defeat') Guess I am.....

Tifa: (Giggles Softly) Welllllllllll~ I, for one, would love that very much. Thanks, Sweetie~

Cloud: ....................Damn you're cute.

Tifa: (Smirks Teasingly and Flirtingly at Cloud) And you're Adorable~ A lot more than I thought you would be actually~

Cloud: You'll let me live it down, will you?

Tifa: Probably not, 'hon~ (Gives Cloud Another Kiss on the Cheek While Walking the Night Away Together)

@keyenuta

@26shann

@cyber-wildcat

@chompycroc

@ink-correctsmashbrosbloo

@albion-93

[nadziejastar]

I have seen a lot of your stuff about Isa being the one that was supposed to be subject X. And I totally agree, I've thought this for a while and thought kh3 would confirm it, and was disappointed when it wasn't. But now the story has changed, do you think they just haven't got to Isa's story yet? Do you think that there's a chance someone hid subject X inside Isa and that's why he has the X now? Or do you think they're just going to throw him away now?

— There are several Organisation members whose original names are still unknown. Will we have a chance to learn them someday, or to find out about the scar on Isa’s face?

If there is a sequel, then that chance may come. But in my heart right now my desire is a blank page.

So, this is what Nomura said after KH3 came out. He seemed dismissive, like he just wanted to start fresh with a new saga and to move on from stuff like Isa’s scar.

And that’s exactly why I don’t think Isa is ever going to get a detailed backstory. Everything about his backstory hinted at him being Xehanort’s lab rat. His outward submissiveness to Xemnas, combined with his disloyalty to him. His contempt for “failed experiments” and “broken dolls”. His lunacy during full moons. The fact that he was Norted, but didn’t even seem to realize it. He was most likely a victim of mind control where he lost his sense of self, and was branded with the Recusant’s Sigil (death) when he was made a vessel. Isa’s WHOLE backstory revolved how he became a Seeker of Darkness. All that would be ONLY relevant to the Dark Seeker Saga.

There is no reason to explore Isa’s backstory anymore in Phase 2, which is all about the return of the Union leaders. The reason the mystery girl is now the lab rat is because she is a major character in the new Phase 2 story arc. Xehanort was interested in her memories because of the ancient Keybalde War. Marluxia, Larxene, Demyx, and Luxord will be important in the new arc because of the ancient Keyblade legacy the slumbers within them. 

But Lea and Isa were changed into...apprentices. I don’t think their connection to Subject X was so they would be important in Phase 2. Personally, I think it was so KH3 could quickly introduce some sequel baiting, and simultaneously give closure to their backstory in a few sentences. The mystery girl scene on the clock tower gave Saix a half-assed excuse for why he turned evil but now is good, explained Axel and Saix’s “plan” in Days. Now Nomura can just retire him and Lea to Twilight Town, and their story could be done and he could just move on from them, like with the rest of the apprentices. 

It really sucks but I just don’t think most of the fan base cared about Lea and Isa’s past. As long as Axel reunited with Roxas and Xion, I think most of the fandom was content to consider Lea’s story complete in KH3. And not too many even cared about Isa. I’m not one of them, but I guess I’m in the minority.

You asked if I think they're just gonna throw Isa away? And my answer is: yeah. I think they already kinda did throw him away, if KH3 is anything to go by. When Kairi wrote her letter to Sora, she said Lea has a best friend he wants to save. I think that was originally supposed to refer to Isa. We were supposed to see Lea actually SAVE him in KH3, the way Aqua and Ven saved Terra. But by the time KH3 actually released, Isa was basically an afterthought to Lea. All he got was a last minute off screen "redemption" by helping to bring back Lea’s new best friends.

[kh-akira]

Opinion on KH3

Before I start, I wanna let you know I'm very easy to please and not much of a critic, so this could look a bit lax to some people. And while I knew the story and characters from all games, I only ever completed KH1 and KH2 by myself. Anyway, let's go!

(This was original posted on Twitter, so that you don’t wonder about the formatting and passages.)

First thing that comes to my mind when thinking about KH3 is, that is was such fun to play and that I never felt so emotional before over a game. There are not many things I would call outright bad, at least not when looking at the previous KH games.

I absolutely loved the combat system and how you could customize it to your own preferences. Like, I didn’t like the Flow-motion abilities, so I completely ignored them and I only skilled the magic I actually wanted. (Fire and Thunder)

When it comes to the Attraction commands, I’m a bit torn. I have my favorites (Tea-Cups and Pirate-ship) and those I hate (Laser-thing and Waterslide) I’m just glad I quickly noticed how you could switch between the commands.

The Keyblade Transformations where so great! I didn’t use all Keyblades, so I don’t know for all, but the ones I had where always such fun and a great help. (I ended up favoring the Monster Inc. one)

People had complained about how floaty the combat is, even after it was balanced out a bit in the final game. I personally love such floaty gameplay and I was in the air most of all fights and designed my combinations after that.

Never ever felt I frustration or a lack of fun during my run. I only had some troubles with the ship in the Caribbean world at first, but I quickly learned it and I absolutely love it now. Cooking Minigame is also fun. (Skipped Pooh Mini-games)

While the Gummi-Ship system really has become so much better than in the previous games, I still dislike it very much, mostly because I’m horrible at piloting such things. I’m also impressed by the customization and what people already built with it.

Absolutely loved the Caribbean world, I was so sad when I explored everything. I want more! Also Tangled world looked so beautiful and Sora and Rapunzel frolicking around together is adorable as heck.

My hate world was Frozen. Not a fan of the movie itself and all that climbing on the mountain three times! Was annoying. Larxene’s ice-labyrinth was pretty, but I get so easily lost in it. Hella annoyed by the Olaf-mini-game.

Other worlds were totally okay. Loved it that most of them played after the movies and had their own stories. Those I always prefer. Was just very sad that Twilight Town was so small and Radiant Garden not available at all.

Pacing of the original story was a bit meh, with only bits here and there in between the worlds and than everything at once in the end, but that is nothing new for KH. But still had the great twists and turns and got me hooked until the end.

The story made me like characters I was unsure about before (Ienzo and Even) and I was so happy to see more of my favorite characters (Luxord, Demyx, Xigbar) Especially for the latter I’m so thrilled he is so important now!

A lot of writing during the Keyblade Graveyard could have been much better and just seems lazy/rushed, but no one can deny how awesome the moment was when the lights of the past came and helped Sora fight the Demon Tide.

The reunions. Ohgod, the reunions destroyed me so much, especially Seasalt Trio. I had wet eyes during all the scenes, when Roxas and Xion came back, when Saix faded, when the tree hugged each other. All I ever wanted.

My big turn-off: How Kairi was handled. But I think that point has been discussed enough by now and we can agree that Nomura has no real interest in developing her character that much. Only more motivation for me to write her good in my story.

While I agree that the decision of Nomura to let Sora vanish/die at the end was not his best one, I personally wasn’t that shocked, more confused. Now I understand it better and well, we know Sora will come back somehow.

Now my main reason why I’m so much invested in Kingdom Hearts like I am: Lea. And yes, I call him Lea instead of Axel, I’m already used to that name more and I personally like to separate them a bit in my mind.

Anyway, I absolutely enjoyed EVERYTHING with him. He looked so utterly beautiful in the pre-rendered cutscenes, those little changes in his expressions when he talks with Kairi are wonderful. AND HIS HAIR AND EYES, AHHH!!! <3

Also the game gave us the best quotes for him. Lea is so damn meta a lot of times and it actually doesn’t feel out of place, it simply fits him and his quirks. He joked a lot, but also was shown to be so emotional, I love it.

Also much kudos on his fighting style. While he was downgraded like most characters, so that Sora’s presence was necessary, I was so happy to see that he uses his Keyblade almost like he did his chakrams, even be able to transform it into them.

Lea got the happy ending I so wished for him. He got literally all his friends back, even Isa and is able to truly smile again and can stop worrying. I absolutely approve of his new clothes, even when we saw them so late.

I’m still warming up to the idea of Girl X, that she was the reason why Lea and Isa went into the castle and in the end became Nobodies. For now it seems like a quick excuse for everything and I will have to see how it plays out.

Anyway, I’m happy how most of the story turned out, since it means I barely have to change anything for my own story in the grand scheme. Already have ideas how to rewrite the Keyblade Graveyard battle, but that will take a while anyway.

In conclusion: Kingdom Hearts 3’s story and combat system balance each other so well, that it has become my favorite KH game, with Days and KH2 sharing second place and BBS being on the third place. For me it was worth the wait and the money.

[namixart]

To start off 2019 with some positivity, I'm going to make a list of things that I absolutely love and make me happy in my favourite shows, movies, books, games etc. Small things, big things, no particular rhyme or reason. It was surprisingly therapeutic. Feel free to reblog and add your own!

Link being left-handed now let him use sign language Nintendo please

The entire Sector 6 Market section in Final Fantasy VII and the Honeybee Inn in particular

Zuko's character arc

The Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack

Final Fantasy X's worldbuilding

Everything about Disney's Mary Poppins it put me in a good mood for three days straight

How Percy absolutely adores his mum and is supportive of her relationship with Paul (after a while)

Edward Elric

(Yes. Just Edward Elric as a character, person, concept, actions...)

Major character design kink: boys with long (ish) blonde hair (see Edward, Link, Zidane, Howl)

Final Fantasy IX's soundtrack

Aerith and Tifa being close friends despite both being in love with Cloud

The Gentleman Bastard Sequence's worldbuilding

The fact that one of the characters in Zootopia speaks with my city's accent in the Italian dub (you never see it in any movie)

Final Fantasy IV's world being just vague enough that it tickles my creative bone to expand on it

Kingdom Hearts I using original storylines for the Disney Worlds

How Yato's eyes are very a very clear indication that he's a supernatural being in Noragami, being unnaturally light and bright

That one panel in the Kingdom Hearts II manga where an almost-naked Pete carries Maleficent bridal style out of the collapsing tower

Sleeping Beauty's art style and instrumental soundtrack

The fact that two super popular shonen manga/anime have leads who are super smart instead of being dumb muscle or the stock happy-go-lucky-not-very-bright protagonist (Fullmetal Alchemist and My Hero Academia)

How some of the Olympians like Hermes and Poseidon are so casual when interacting with mortals

The scene where the Spaceport is revealed in Treasure Planet and the look of the film in general

The first few chapters of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga before card games took over the plot

People in the Gentleman Bastard Sequence being emotionally honest despite being literal con artists

The theatre motif in The Republic of Thieves

Cloud, Aerith and Tifa threatening Don Corneo, but especially Aerith saying that "she'll rip it off" if he doesn't cooperate

Locke and Jean becoming pirates in Red Seas Under Red Skies

The Hunger Games movies being the most accurate film adaptations I have seen in my life

The Kingdom Hearts soundtrack, especially the vocal tracks, Dearly Beloved and The Other Promise

Final Fantasy VI shoving you in what usually is the backstory of a videogame and literally destroying the world

Edward defending Mustang when he had his sight taken from him despite them having spent 90% of their screentime together bickering

Tony Stark and Peter Parker's relationship in the MCU

Sophie throwing a tantrum after she realises she's in love with Howl and creating deadly weedkiller to express those feelings

Darcy being a goddamn social Disaster in every incarnation of Pride and Prejudice

The relationship between Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye

The Once Upon a December sequence from Anastasia

The mere existence of Zamira Drakasha and Ezri Delmastro and everything they represent

Sokka's role as both the strategist and the goofball in the Gaang

Peter Parker sharing a hot dog with Loki when he could have asked for anything because Loki owed him a favour

How the plot of Kingdom Hearts is so ridiculous we don't even question it anymore

Enormous muscly men I can still categorise as "super adorable and sweet" (Major Armstrong, All Might)

Howl being the biggest drama queen in the book

My Hero Academia's fantasy AU ending

Spider-Man (PS4) nailing the Friendly Neighbourhood Spidey aspect of the character and letting him interact with civilians

That moment when I was sure Bakugou was going to join the League of Villains but then he didn't and I've never been happier about being wrong my entire life

Zuko practising before asking the Gaang to join them

SNAP SNAP SPARK SPARK

Harry's wonder at every new thing in the Wizarding World

The fact that Spider-Man's backstory could just as easily be that of a villain but instead he's a hero and he has the biggest heart

Jake and Amy being in an Adult and Communicative relationship while still being themselves and each other's best friend

Winry being just as much of a prodigy as Ed and Al and building Ed's automail at 11 years old

Percy Jackson starting out as a standard straight white kids' series and Riordan adding ALL THE DIVERSITY as soon as it got popular enough that Disney couldn't say no

Charlie Weasley just outright trespassing into Hogwarts to smuggle an illegal dragon out

The soul and essence of Pride and Prejudice being passive-aggressiveness and sarcasm

Apollo's haikus in Trials of Apollo

Every scene using Deep Canvas in Tarzan

Winry and Edward's diametrically opposed reactions to the realisation they're in love ("Oh I guess I've fallen for him alright moving on" vs "Fuckfuckfuckfuck oh shit no why oh god aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh")

Lilo & Stitch's watercolour backgrounds

The fact that Roy Mustang's womanising persona is a facade to hide the fact that he's a) a huge nerd, b) going to overthrow the government and c) in love with his lieutenant

The "makings of greatness" speech in Treasure Planet

Spider-Man (PS4)'s swelling score as you start web swinging

The Battle of 1000 Heartless in Kingdom Hearts II

Sophie proudly describing Howl to Abdullah, him assuming she was listing flaws and her getting angry about it

Edward and Alphonse being atheists despite having literally met their version of God

The fact that Amajiki is one of the top three hero students despite his crippling anxiety

Rubicante recognising Edge as a warrior and apologising for Lugae's horribleness

Edge unlocking new powers out of sheer rage

Sora throwing a tea party at the end of Dream Drop Distance while his best friend was still asleep

The backstory in Skyward Sword about Hylia and the first Link

The "immoral manga" omake in Fullmetal Alchemist

The School Festival arc in My Hero Academia, Eri finally smiling and Deku and Mirio being the best big brothers I've ever seen

Kingdom Hearts III finally coming out this month

McGonagall's cat form resembling her human form

Edward finally breaking down at the end of Fullmetal Alchemist god I love this boy so much he has such a big heart

The Enlarged Suit Scene from Howl's Moving Castle

Most of Howl’s Moving Castle is a delight to be honest

Kairi's reaction at the news that she would be training with Axel in A Fragmentary Passage

The bonfire scene in Cosmo Canyon from Final Fantasy VII

Uraraka deciding not to focus on her crush on Deku in order to grow as a hero

Rydia summoning Titan and raising a mountain at the ripe age of seven in Final Fantasy IV

The friendship between Percy, Annabeth and Grover

Kairi and Lea looking like they're going to be a team in Kingdom Hearts III

Greed (at least the second one) claiming that his goal in life is to have everything when in fact he only ever really wanted friends

The Main Theme of Final Fantasy playing during the scene where the characters not in the final battle pray for the party in Final Fantasy IV

The Overture from Phantom of the Opera

Locke Lamora from the Gentleman Bastard Sequence being named after Locke Cole from Final Fantasy VI

Luna Lovegood never having to change who she is and remaining weird and happy

Terra Branford becoming more human by feeling not romantic love but maternal love for a bunch of orphaned children

The "You're not alone" scene from Final Fantasy IX

Darcy respecting Elizabeth's refusal of his first proposal and working to become a better person after she points out his many flaws

Neku learning to open up to people in The World Ends With You and literally saving Shibuya through character development

Bakugou's slow development into a better person

The sketchy animation during Disney's Dark Age

The official character artwork for Skyward Sword

Harry and Sirius's relationship

Spider-Man being a street-level hero and being super humble even though he can literally lift Thor's hammer

That little high-five between Sora and Remy in the 30 seconds trailer for Kingdom Hearts III

Rosa and Rydia immediately ignoring the boys' order to not come to the Moon and stowing away on the Lunar Whale

Plus Edge's adorable "Y-you're here too!?" in the DS remake

Cloud not being allergic to smiling and joking around in the original Final Fantasy VII ("Let's mosey!")

Thor and Loki starting to mend their relationship in Ragnarok

Into The Spider Verse has a scene where Miles uses Spider-Man comic books to figure out how to use his powers and it's the best and I love it

You know what, Into The Spider Verse as a whole because I saw it a while back and I'm still gushing

[khdiscussions]

Harry Potter AU: Sorting (Part 2)

Part 1: Main Characters

So here’s part two of that sorting meta from the other day. Like with the first part, the meta, I’ll be relying in part the knowledge we’ve received from the various Harry Potter books and in part the post linked in the first part. 

Given there are dozens of characters I could be sorting in this post, I’ll be making more posts for this after this one. This one will be discussing the Organization XIII members uninvolved in the main cast (Roxas, Axel, and Xion are in part one) as well as Hayner, Pence, Olette, and DiZ. Part Three will discuss the Union Leaders and Foretellers and how they would be sorted.

(Given that this is making for a functional AU based on a conversation in a discord if people could let me know if they’d like to see the whole AU information once this is done or simply the sorting that’d be great.)

Xehanort: Ravenclaw

Rather than electing to do all of Xehanort’s varying forms (Xemnas, Ansem, YMX, etc.) I’m lumping them all into one slot since they are largely the same person and would likely share the same sorting. That being said I dare you to find somebody more textbook example of evil Ravenclaw than Xehanort. Everything he does, he does to satisfy his curiosity. He wants the knowledge for knowledge’s sake alone, and shows less interest in following any other pursuit.

Xigbar: Slytherin

Everything about Xigbar shows a desire for advancement of self and power. He wants whatever path is going to give him the best option. While I’d say his loyalty is...rather limited at best, it doesn’t change that his actions are rather strongly fitting of the stereotypical Slytherin way, making the home of the snakes the best house for him.

Xaldin: Hufflepuff

So at this point you’re probably looking at me going “What the fuck” and getting ready to dismiss this whole post as bullshit but allow me to explain. As a somebody, Dilan took it upon himself to become one of the guards of Radiant Garden, a protector’s role. He wanted to protect harm from coming to the citizens of the world, showing immense loyalty to the entire town of Radiant Garden. And this is exactly how a Hufflepuff would function.

As for how he acts as Xaldin now, remember those burned primaries from the linked post that I mentioned in part one? The act of turning into a Nobody messed with Xaldin’s primary considerably, and the result was Xaldin turning his desire to protect others to a desire geared primarily at helping the Organization exclusively. Taking his circle of loyalty down from many, to only the few who remained.

Vexen: Ravenclaw (Hatstall)

Vexen very neatly falls into the Ravenclaw box in nearly every aspect. As a scientist (the only true scientist we see in the game) his curiosity and desire for scientific knowledge hit the Ravenclaw box. In addition, his morality is simple (if it’s in the name of science, it’s an okay thing to do) seeing as how he was willing to experiment and even his actions (constantly working towards that information) are Ravenclaw. So why is Vexen a Hatstall? After becoming a Nobody, it could be argued that all knowledge is directed towards a single minded goal, and as such, it’s very possible to argue that Vexen is a Slytherin.

Lexaeus: Hufflepuff

We get five minutes with Lexaeus and Aeleus combined over two games. What we know of him is that, like Xaldin, he was a guard to Radiant Garden, a protector to all. In addition he has a fierce loyalty towards Zexion. From what little we know of Lexaeus, he’s, most likely, a Hufflepuff.

Zexion: Slytherin

Zexion, like his fellow apprentices, is interested largely in scientific pursuits to gain knowledge of subjects he didn’t previously have. Unlike his fellow scientists, Zexion portrays a unique sense of cunning. As best exemplified in his actions in the original Chain of Memories, Zexion was the main behind the scenes, to the point that Zexion is the single character to not receive a boss fight in the main series. His work and strategizing from the shadows leaves him very firmly in the Slytherin category.

Saïx: Slytherin

Saïx is a Slytherin in that all his goals were based on simply benefiting his position. He wanted to rank high in the Organization to benefit himself and Lea. His loyalties were limited to simply him and his best friend, and he found it very difficult to leave those loyalties behind.

Saïx, however, is unique in that due to being norted by Xehanort, he not only has a burnt primary (in which he no longer puts his faith in anybody as we watch his friendship fall apart) but also a burnt secondary (in that he no longer cares how the job is done, just that it is) and that makes Saïx a lot more interesting.

Demyx: Slytherin

Rounding out our three in a row Slytherin is Demyx. Now this one probably seems just as insane, until we remember that everything about how Demyx shows himself until his boss battle in Kingdom Hearts II was very likely an act. An act to allow him to get ahead while putting forth less work and allowing for him to appear lazy (because he was) and harmless. Furthermore, Demyx very much epitomizes the Slytherin secondary of the post, somebody who puts on a different face for different circumstances.

Luxord: Ravenclaw

I took a lot of thoughts on this one. In the end I decided Luxord was a Ravenclaw simply by process of elimination at first. He lacks the brash nature to be a Gryffindor, the ambitions to reach the top of a Slytherin, and the loyal or protecting nature of a Hufflepuff. But upon more thought, what Luxord does have fits Ravenclaw. Luxord’s passive “let the fate’s decide” personality very much falls in line with a Ravenclaw’s actions, in which they gather all the information possible before acting, and use that knowledge to determine the best course of action.

Marluxia: Slytherin

To point this out, we know Marluxia has very knowingly staged a coup of the Organization, was behind the scenes the entire game planning out everything (and was only thwarted by Vexen telling Sora the truth and Axel letting Namine go) and is potentially an infiltrator to the Dandelions and murdered a girl to gain the book that would allow him to know everything about the group and establish himself as a Union Leader. You could not tell me that somebody who enacts plans like this for his own benefit could be anything but a Slytherin and have me believe you.

Larxene: Gryffindor

It disappoints me that Larxene is the only Gryffindor of the bunch in the Organization, but you wouldn’t be able to get me to change my mind on this fact either. Her rash and quick acting personality, as well as her tendency to do what appears to be a strategy of “Act first, ask later” falls more inline with Gryffindor. Furthermore, her morality system is very clear in Chain of Memories, whatever got the reaction she wanted was fair game, which is why the squeaking clean house of protagonists could definitely hold this antagonist.

Hayner: Gryffindor

Bold, quick to act and defend his friends, and easy to emotionally react Hayner with everything we see in the virtual Twilight Town, and later real one, could really only fall into one category. Hayner is one hundred percent a Gryffindor.

Pence: Ravenclaw (Hatstall)

Pence was actually not easy to sort because my mind immediately said “Hufflepuff” but an analysis of his interest in things like the seven wonders of Twilight Town ring much more easily and accurately with Ravenclaw. The thing about Pence is that while he does want to remain loyal and protect people, I think his personality falls more in line with an interest in knowledge. That being said Pence is one of the few characters I’ve sorted that I think could do so well in either house that he could be a Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, and I could easily see him split 50/50 either or. (I just want Ravenclaw representation.)

Olette: Hufflepuff

Olette places a lot of value on her friends and has a strong desire to help them however she can. Unlike the Gryffindor of Hayner, her support is less strong, and done more in a fashion of working harder than working without thinking, seeing as she’s the first of her friends to try to get them on track for working on their homework assignments. As such, she lines up nicely with the Hufflepuff house.

Ansem the Wise (DiZ): Slytherin

Ansem the Wise is an interesting case where he could easily be taken as a burnt Ravenclaw, given that his desire for knowledge pushed him to the brink and the betrayal of his apprentices drastically changes his morality to the point that he doesn’t have one, however his actions of wishing to stop his studies for the sake of others goes against the idea of “knowledge” which is a very core ideal in Ravenclaws.

Besides, a much more interesting version of Ansem is that of a Slytherin. Once a benevolent leader who worked his best to do what he could for his town and forged in a loyalty towards his apprentices, the betrayal of his six apprentices resulted in him gaining a burnt Slytherin primary, in which not only his morals, but also his loyalty reduced. As DiZ, all prior loyalties didn’t matter, the only thing that did was his loyalty to himself.

Part three will be the Foretellers, Union Leaders, and the KHUx cast.