#repliku and Naminé is so cute I need more of them

[mythicalartistx]

So I decided to read the KH mangas

A week or two ago I read the kh1 manga, it was cute and love how Amano's art style developed (Since I've seen kh3 manga) and saved some of my favorite panels as I do.

Then two days ago, Tuesday night I decided to read the chain of memories manga. And I have opinions.

First of all I love Repliku, he is so silly and so bothered by Riku. I love all the Repliku moments those were the best. From first meeting Sora was super excited he was there— even blushing but Repliku didn't care 😭😭😭

He looked bored and then annoyed and so bothered. It didn't help that Sora was saying the "Riku is fine he can take care of himself.." scene when Repliku first arrives.

But then I got to this scene after it was revealed Repliku is a replica and Sora already fought Larxene. It was a scene I didn't know existed where Naminé brings Repliku to a hallway in Castle Oblivion and she says," I'm sorry I made you face a painful memory," and she takes the star charm as she says "it's not necessary."

And during this moment she just feels his hair and it's so cute. Like I didn't know his existed until now

But it's basically the last time he's seen in the manga and that's where I have problems with the manga. He's not there defending Naminé with Sora before Marluxia. Sora doesn't tell him he is his own person and he's thankful that Sora's feelings are real.

I wish it had that because it's such a great scene. Also he doesn't die he just leaves. So there a bonus scene basically after com events and he wakes up is confused and wonders where Naminé is, runs into Riku. Then he leaves carrying a bag like he's the sad ant meme 😭

And I was thinking it's sad because that's probably the last time we'll see Repliku. In the kh3 manga, he's cut out. Dark Riku wasn't shown. They skipped Fransankyoto a long a few other words, but that word has Dark Riku.

I was afraid they would cut him out completely even though that's a big plot point.

However THE VERY NEXT DAY, yesterday I find out the next chapter of kh3 manga released and had Repliku, however only certain people can access it and I have not.

Though I heard they skipped the sacrifice scene with Riku and all the guardians falling which is disappointing 😢💔

But I'm so excited when it's there for everyone to see on February 15

[themattress]

The only games with a good story are KH1, CoM, KH2, and BBS

Agreed. And that's why, dumb cutscene movies aside, I.5 + II.5 HD Remix is your friend!

Repliku is more of a plot device than a character and his brainwashed obsession with Naminé was uncomfortable

His problem was more in execution than concept. He was written way too over-the-top.

Saïx was forgiven way too easily

Yes, but sadly so was Axel so they had to stick to that precedent...

The paopu scene felt really awkward and out of nowhere

Good lord, yes. The series ignored SoKai and Kairi herself for well over a decade, then has to gall to act like it's paying something off? Kairi's new blander self doesn't help matters.

Verum Rex was better as a one-off joke/Final Fantasy parody in Toy Box than a real plot-important world. The entire franchise would be better off if KHUX had never existed.

Are these unpopular opinions? I shudder if they indeed are!

KH1 Kairi was the best Kairi and she didn’t need to be ‘badass’ to be great

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!

(Game-wise, anyway. KH2 manga Kairi is the best Kairi overall.)

Axel suddenly being a comic relief character instead of the creepy stalker he was in KH2 feels rushed and he shouldn’t have a keyblade

Lea just sucks in general. He never should have happened.

Atlantica was a fun world in both KH1 and KH2

I'll admit: I do have a soft spot for it, warts and all.

Riku’s arc ended in DDD and he has nowhere left to grow as a character

Exactly, which is why what DDD did with him shouldn't have transpired to begin with.

Sora and Ven’s personalities have far more depth and range than just being ‘baby sunshine boys’

Ideally, they should. The games sadly keep trying to box them into that, though.

Terra isn’t stupid

Not stupid stupid, but he is kind of thick and I actually love that about him.

Kairi and Aqua’s outfits are well-designed and fashionable and don’t need to be ‘practical’ in a world where the main weapons are giant magic keys

Likewise, giant magic keys shouldn't require formal training to wield effectively!

Nomura needs to stop introducing all these bland, boring new characters and just expand upon the already established ones

It's too late. Nomura won't stop. He's too set in his ways.

The Xigbar = Luxu reveal wasn’t as good as everyone thinks it is

As I just got done saying.

Aqua is a highschool-aged teenager, not anyone’s mom

Facts. Ven's around 15, she's around 18, Terra's around 21.

Melody of Memory looks cute and fun

And it was....until the actual story happened.

Yozora is a massive creator’s pet/mary sue and his very existence offends me

If he was just his own character, I'd feel guilty about hating him before much is known about him and try to give him a fair chance, but the fact of the matter is that he isn't his own character! He's Noctis; specifically Versus XIII Noctis because Nomura just can't let that dream go. Which means he just straight-up feels like what he is: the protagonist from an unmade game series invading and (further) destroying an actually existing game series.

Theres too much KH positivity on this site right now, we need some chaos~

UNPOPULAR KH OPNIONS! LIST THEM! LETS GO!

[embraceyourdestiny]

I’m gonna rank m/f ships in kh because I’m bored and don’t think I’ve shared most of my opinions on these

Sora x Kairi - the best but only my very specific fanon interpretation and some of my friends’. They are the worst ship when portrayed as Heterosexual

Kairi x Riku - love. Kairi is the only girl I can I imagine Riku with because he’s gay to me. He can be with Kairi because he’s come to care for her so much and they’ve known each other for so long. They were live and die for each other (and have)

Ephemer x skuld - good. They’re so special to each other and belong together in any capacity. Do not separate.

Kairi x Hayner - I could see it. I think they’d be really flirty and I enjoy that a lot

Pence x olette - cute. Their besties so it’s not a hard jump to make. They’d be really affectionate and it’d be adorable.

Kairi x pence - cute. They’d go on shipping dates and be gross in puppy love. We Stan.

Kairi x Roxas - good. Definitely the superior m/f Roxas ship. They have such a unique understanding of the world and of sora who’d be the biggest part of their bond but outside of him they’d be really good friends and tease each other and that’s important for a relationship to me

Kairi x Vanitas - good. Vibe with the contrast between their affinities and Sora vs Vanitas. Definitely like them farrrr more as friends but I appreciate ships with Complexity and Symbolism

Player (if male) x skuld - good. Not as close as Ephemer and skuld but still very important to each other so I enjoy

Ven x Kairi - cute! We love the princesses of light. I prefer them as friends but I think they’d be adorable as a couple

Roxas x Xion - not bad. Much more prefer them as best friends (not quite siblings because their relationship and identities are complicated) but I won’t turn away good shipping stuff of them

Sora x Naminé - cute. Definitely would need more development for me to really like but it’s not impossible and I think they’d be good for each other in any capacity

Aqua x demyx - there’s potential. Water and ice, slacker vs hard working. Aqua would either not be impressed by demyx as all, think he’s funny, or get enjoyment out of working him into shape lol. Demyx would think she’s pretty but scary.

Roxas x olette - not bad. Again they’d be good friends so points for that and I think they understand each other the most of the quartet but not my most passionate ship

Hayner x olette - eh. I could see them having had some kind of middle school thing from pressure and not understanding feelings but nothing more serious than that for canon compliant. I could see it for an au where they’re older and in current society but they’re just really good friends to me

Kairi x Repliku - is this a ship? I wouldn’t be mad at it but I don’t even know if it exists lol

Strelitzia x player (male) - eh? Strelitzia liked them but. They didn’t even meet. I don’t know if the player would be particularly interested in her.

Aqua x terra - meh. Their relationship feels much more substantial as friends and I just really can’t see them feeling that way about each other

Sora x strelitzia - I’m holding off on them until we have more information but I can see the potential. Definitely prefer a sibling / best friend dynamic but I’m not opposed to them as a couple (not from anyone in the fandom though because I feel like they’d get it Wrong)

Roxas x Naminé - eh. Again I really think there’s more value to their relationship as friends and they never express those kind of feelings for each other (same with aqua and terra). They barely even know each other.

Isa x Aqua - no. Isa is a little too old for aqua for me and while their dynamic intrigues me I don’t know if that necessarily needs to be romantic. Maybe in an au? But I feel like people would be weird with it so no

Axel x aqua - no. Same as above but even less. Couldn’t even happen in an au

Naminé x Repliku - nah. Repliku definitely holds deep feelings for Naminé but it’s not reciprocated and I think there’s too much between them for it to be a good relationship. Maybe in an au.

Naminé x Vanitas - nah. Somethings just a little off to me. I could see the potential but unless someone really knocked it out the part I don’t think I’d find much interest in it. Maybe in an au

Larxene x marluxia - they’re gay Harold and if by some miracle they’d ever kiss they’d gag afterwards bc it’s like kissing their sibling (them being gay is why there aren’t any other m/f ships with them on this list)

Sora x Xion - gross. They are siblings or at the very least almost the same person but distinct enough that it’s just weird

Riku x Naminé - genuinely offensive to me i despise this ship

[oveliagirlhaditright]

What are all your Kingdom Hearts pairings?

I am so sorry I never answered this:( I kept meaning to, but every time I’d get distracted with family being over for the holidays.

I used to have a ton of KH ships, but I’ve kind of cooled down on a lot of them now (for some reason. IDK why I think I’m just not as interested in romance as I used to be. I still love it, of course, but now I value other kinds of relationships in series, too.) So for the most part, I’m really only going to tell you the ones I search for in the tags every day and maybe a few others.

SoKai is my ultimate OTP forever and ever. It always has been and it probably always will be. I don’t really ever see that changing. I should maybe mention that I also like the fandom’s invention (that I helped to create;)) of dark Sora and Kairi. And, yes: that even includes the rare dark Kairi… that I should really finish my fic of.

I love RokuShi a lot, but I’ve even cooled down on them a little. They used to be one of my ultimate OTPs–and to be fair, they still kind of are–and were my second favorite KH pairing (heck, there was a hot second where I even liked them more than SoKai. Weird, I know), but now they’re probably more equal with my other ships and most don’t even come close to reaching SoKai level for me.

Namiku. I love it a lot and mostly always have. RokuShi and Namiku are my ideal pairings when it comes to shipping Roxas, Xion, Riku, and Naminé with people. Though I do love RokuNami now, and have for a while.

Speaking of: RokuNami.

Terqua. But maybe not as much as the above. IDK. I’ve kind of flip-flopped on this one over the years. And KHIII really made me love them again… but at the same time, I’m okay with them being platonic and like siblings… which is apparently what their relationship in canon is, along with their relationships to Ven and vice versa. (According to the KHIII Journal and Ultimania).

Gulava. They’re precious and I love them a lot.

Skulmera.

PlayerStrelitzia.

Epheplayer (I’m also okay with SkuldPlayer, or EphemerSkuldPlayer being OT3d, but I probably prefer PlayerStrelitzia and Epheplayer first… and the latter one is funny, because I think I used to prefer SkuldPlayer over it. But not anymore. I blame all you people who make cute Epheplayer stuff:)

ElrenaStrelitzia.

VentusStrelitzia, because of the fandom. Because of the fandom (also with a side bit of VanitasStrelitzia because of the fandom). But not if Ven in any form is her killer.

IraInvi… just because of that one line in Back Cover about Invi not wanting the others “to get the wrong idea about them”… even though I kind of don’t like Ira that much (yet. Hopefully that’ll change), because he kind of feels like a wet blanket to me so far.

Maybe Aced and Invi, but just because of Terra and Aqua feeling somewhat similar to them, if I ship AcedInvi at all. I don’t know if I do. Also, maybe Ava and Invi. IDK. 

AkuSai.

XehanortEraqus, I guess (even though I hate Xehanort).

Xionami.

The one Sewer Squad girl with the newest girl added to the Sewer Squad?

SoRiKai… Because I can take the things I don’t like about S*Riku if Kairi’s involved, though it’s not my favorite (I’ll always prefer SoKai by itself. But I’ll still happily take SoRiKai posts, since it’s better than the alternative… which is Kairi being left out of everything, that I can’t stand).

RiKai. I ship RiKai a lot. Mainly because my old best friend loved loved loved loved them (and a few other of my RL friends, oddly enough), and she was always trying to pull me over to the RiKai side… And while I still prefer SoKai, she did make me like RiKai a lot. And because this pairing is made up of tropes people usually love, so I don’t get why it’s not more popular. And because their story in KHI (mainly on Riku’s side) breaks my heart in the best way possible.

Roxiri… for some reason. I blame awesome YouTube editors for this one.

Vanaqua (that I actually ship a lot, and also look for in the tags a lot. Even though I don’t love them as much as the first pairings I posted here, but still maybe moreso than some of the other ones I put in the middle here. I don’t know why I put this ship so low).

Vennami (same thing as VanAqua).

Venaqua… or at least I did until the age difference.

Vannami.

Slightly VaniKai now, but just for the good fan art.

Some Kailette…

SoNami in CoM only (and also kind of one-sided on Naminé’s part).

Replinami. But I probably don’t ship it as much as I should, especially if Nomura’s now trying to sell that Naminé’s always had some great love for him (that I don’t really buy, but shh).

Rion… but more because so much of the fandom ships them, and I feel I sort of have to because of that and not so much because I really want to. They’re okay. And I get why people ship them, but they’re kind of meh for me, but maybe getting a bit better. I’ve just… always had some issues with them (mainly that I feel like Riku kind of goaded Xion into committing suicide to save Sora: which is an issue I had with RokuNami for some time, too, and took me many years to get over for them. But now I have and they’re one of my fave pairings). But at the same time, I wouldn’t hate it if it happened.

Riku and Aqua, for some reason (though that darn age difference!). Maybe because I ship Terqua and this ship has stuff in common with it, and Riku’s sort of the version of Terra that passed with flying colors?

RikuShiki.

ZackAqua.

Perhaps Marluxia and Larxene, since I think that’s where the narrative is going. Perhaps.

Haynette. I also don’t mind Pencette. I also like Roxette quite a lot.

I shipped Larxel long ago, but not anymore. And yet I always feel the need to still put it down for some reason…

EphemerAva

Ira and Aced, maybe: they did have a good arc in Back Cover.

Brain and Lauriam, possibly, because of the fandom. I’ve seen some Ephemer ships here too, I think, that could be cute.

I feel like part of me would have shipped Sora and Roxas somewhat, if they weren’t Nobody and Other…

TerraVen a bit… Well, maybe I did a bit before I knew their ages… probably not now (I shipped them a bit back in the day, when I felt like in BbS they cared way more about each other than they ever did Aqua).

Xion and Repliku a bit… maybe. But I’d prefer them more to have a sibling bond.

Sora and Ariel for crack… and a bit of Sora and Rapunzel.

Terra and Cinderella and Aqua and Cinderella (also, Aqua and Philip) for the above reason. Maybe even Ven and Snow White.

Roxas and the Accessory Shop Girl for crack.

A bit of KairiXion.

Yozora and brown-haired Stella! I will go down with this ship, as I’ve been shipping “them” since Versus XIII, essentially. And maybe Yozora with some of his bros, but we’ll see.

There are probably some FF ones, too (though I don’t care about them that much)… usually the canon ones, like CloTi, Zerith, Clerith, TiYuna, Squinoa (because Nomura eluded long ago that she was a part of the fall of Radiant Garden and why Squall changed his name to Leon, in losing her for the time being), and maybe Seifer and Fuu. But I’m also okay with things like Selphie and Tidus, Leon and Yuffie, Leon and Aerith, and even Leon and Tifa because of one amv (where he started liking her in seeing her as a replacement for Rinoa, and then began to fall for her as her).

Oh, and Neku and Shiki… slight JoshNeku, and maybe Joshua and Rhyme (because I’m still somewhat Joshyme trash, gosh darnit) and some BeatJoshua (though this is moreso for TWEWY, of course, than KH. But they seem to be their true TWEWY selves in KH, so…)

All of the canon Disney couples, of course.

Edit: Maybe Ven and Skuld, now that Ven asked her to build a snowman together and all. Their interaction there was cute.

Aqua and Axel for crack.

…I realize I told you I was going to make this list short, and really I pretty much put everything I could think of. I apologize (and a lot of this did not end up in any good order whatsoever), but SoKai, RokuShi, Namiku, RokuNami, Terqua, Gulava, Skulmera, PlayerStrelitzia, and IraInvi (for some reason) are the ones I look for in the tags every day (also, Vanaqua. And sometimes Vennami). Then, it’s probably RiKai and SoRiKai at this point? With some of these others thrown in there? Like the “If Kairi died and sadly stayed dead, maybe Sora and Naminé could be a thing” kind of ones? Even though they don’t come close to the other ones? IDK.

Edit: XioRokuNami is a major one!

[yo-namine]

Last KH3 playthrough post! Endgame spoilers are below the cut.

Just a warning: This post is REALLY long and contains, um… opinions.

I’m glad the final battle trailer scenes happen right off the bat. I had no idea what would come next, and it made the experience that much more interesting.

Why do none of these keyslingers know how to block? First Aqua tries to shield Ven with her own body, then Sora does the same for Kairi. Just hit square, guys.

ZETTAFLARE DONALD ILU SO MUCH

The way Riku and Aqua stepped up to Sora’s side made me think they were going to be party members in another demon tide battle, but nope. Boo.

I’m surprised that Aqua just… let the demon tide take her? What the hell?

Sora loses Kairi, Donald, and Goofy and just… crumbles. He completely gives up and says it’s all over. Riku almost starts to try to soothe him, but instead, he gets up, tells Sora that he knows that’s bullshit, and then faces off against the demon tide (which was polite enough to wait for Sora and Riku to finish their conversation before attacking, by the way). It’s like a moment of tough love, and it’s actually what I was expecting Roxas to do back when I assumed he would be the one to show up in the Graveyard and pull Sora back on his feet. I wasn’t expecting a bunch of reassurances like “no, you’re not worthless, we can still do this, everything will be okay” but rather, “Get up, we’re not finished here.”

So Riku confronts the heartless and Sora just… watches in horror as they take him, too. And he doesn’t even fight back when they turn and come for him. And then the screen cuts to black and shows the final line of the prophecy, and… That was a really effective way to end that scene. Damn.

Yeah, I don’t know how to play chess, but I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to just conjure extra pieces from thin air, Eraqus. That was a nice line from him, though, about light from the past. Like, “The light doesn’t need time travel bullshit to kick your ass because HEARTS.”

Sora fucking died. Sora actually, literally fucking died. He goes to the Final World because he died. Holy shit.

The Final World is beautiful, and the music is lovely, too. The first thing I did after getting control again was take some selfies of dead Sora, ngl.

Sora’s been to the Final World before in his sleep, and Chirithy just let him pass through lmao.

Who is the first star that Sora talks to here? At first I thought it was Xion, but she says a “somebody” sent her to the Final World, so… Strelitzia? Ava? Skuld? lol I like that Sora just sits down next to her like this conversation’s the most normal thing ever. He’s dead and talking to another dead person, and he just rolls with it. I love this kid.

Some of the optional star conversations really got to me. One of them says that their friends replaced them after they died (“That was my seat. That was my place at the table.”). There’s also one that was apparently a child looking for their father, and that one actually made me tear up.

I’m not sure who the one who talked about being “identical” was. I think a third talks about their mentor, and perhaps that was a past keyblade apprentice? Another says that people teased them and a friend about being an item, and they pulled away from the relationship, and the other person never closed the distance. All of their little stories are just… sad. Jesus.

Naminé has a star! I missed her star on my first playthrough, but I replayed this part just for her scene. I wish I’d gotten it the first time, though. She clarifies that Kairi’s the one keeping Sora tethered to the world of the living. And god, Naminé’s words are so sad. She truly doesn’t think anyone really misses her or that she matters at all. But Sora says that he and the others (including “someone else special,” who I think may’ve been Xion?) miss her and want her back. AND she mentions her conversation with Terra from the orchestra! Holy shit, WHY was this conversation optional? That was important story stuff that explained why Lingering Will shows up when we rehash the fight in the Graveyard. Naminé came through for everyone in a pretty major way, and if you don’t talk to her star (which is VERY easy to miss), you’d never know it. Though… I guess that’s kind of fitting in a meta way. Naminé helping people from behind the scenes and not expecting any credit, I mean. Still, I wish I hadn’t missed this on my first playthrough. Anyway, Naminé’s “Let’s just say I’ve got your back?” was really cute. And then Sora thanks her and gets all flustered. “That’s not the official thank-you!”

I’m… still not clear on what exactly the power of waking is or how it differs from restoring someone’s heart the old-fashioned way (i.e. taking a Keblade of Heart to the chest), but okay.

JIMINY SURVIVED ALL OF THAT JFSKLFFJL

I liked going through the different worlds to save all of Sora’s friends. It was a nice callback to KH1, when you visit different worlds in End of the World, and when you get to Realm of Chaos and have to rescue Donald and Goofy from Ansem SoD’s heartless… ship… thing. It was really annoying fighting the same boss over and over again, though. It wasn’t difficult (save for one instance where the lich spammed aeroga and pinned me against the ceiling. I only survived because it triggered rage form.), and I get that it was just a series of symbolic battles, but I dunno, maybe just giving him less HP for me to have to mow down would’ve made it less tedious.

So the power of waking is “traversing hearts to reach worlds.” So I guess that’s what Sora was doing while falling through the different Stations of Awakening and then arriving in different worlds.

“There’s no saving you.” Fuck, okay, after finishing the game, this line in the sleeping San Fransokyo hits a lot harder. You think Kid Xehanort knows that Team Nort is planning to snatch Kairi and use Sora’s desire to save her to ultimately destroy him? Because if so… ugh.

Sora and Kairi’s little spin when they reunite is so cute.

“I feel strong with you, Kairi.” Awww but also UGHHHHHHHH because I know what’s coming. And then Sora has flashbacks to Eugene and Anna sacrificing themselves for someone they love, and I’m not 100% sure why. Is it just foreshadowing his sacrifice for Kairi? Is he afraid that her rescuing him will cost her her own life? Whatever it is, Kairi seems to read Sora’s mind and says that he’s safe with her. And again, that’s really sweet, and I like that her PoH powers are FINALLY being explored in some way, but fuck, knowing how this all ends makes watching this scene so painful the second time around.

I was so confused when Sora was revived and we started replaying that confrontation scene in the Graveyard. The first time I played it, I was very seriously considering skipping the cutscene and reloading my save because I thought I’d gone the wrong way or something, but then Lingering Will showed up and the scene changed. Phew. I guess we went in a little time loop there. But wait, if everyone’s aware that Sora revived them, then they must remember how they were taken in the first place, right? If that’s the case, why the hell did Ven run up to Terra a second time? Why didn’t anyone stop him? Why did Aqua have to look “Terra” in the eye a second time to know it wasn’t him? Am I to assume that if Naminé hadn’t summoned Lingering Will, these dingdongs would’ve all lost their hearts AGAIN?

I’m so over demon tide boss fights, but damn if that battle theme doesn’t kick ass.

EPHEMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY SHIT, OF ALL THE THINGS I NEVER SAW COMING. He helps Sora use the keyblades of all the fallen wielders from the first war to fight off the heartless, and you use the names of all those KHUX users who won that KH3 contest as attacks. Oh my gosh, what a sweet tribute. I like thinking that Larkey’s keyblade helped, too. <3

Oh god, when KH1 Riku showed up and Forze Del Male started playing, my entire life flashed before my eyes. I DID NOT want a rehash of that fight. I was relieved that I didn’t have to, but I was also just a little disappointed because that Xehanort shadow that emerges from him looked like a cool potential boss. I feel like there are actually a lot of scenes that happened in the Graveyard that would’ve worked better as actual battles or gameplay, tbh.

Also, that Forze De Male remix was hot as hell.

R.I.P. to all of fandom’s “Yen Sid is useless” jokes. What a way to go.

“You’re a whole pint by yourself, Sora.” I LOVE THIS DUCK SO MUCH.

I like that the maze tries to force you to choose between helping Riku or Mickey first like it’s some tragic moral dilemma. Like oh gee, let me think: Best written character in the series, or corporate icon Ricky Rat? That said, I actually did go to Mickey first just because I couldn’t get past the moving wall puzzle lmao. I wish this area had had a few more puzzles, though. I felt like I breezed through it way too fast.

Riku is really nerfed as a party member. He was CONSTANTLY KO’d in my fight against the Norts. Like damn dude, even Kairi stayed conscious through her battle (all 5 seconds of it, but still).

Repliku tears himself away from his own vessel and leaves it. For Naminé. Fuck, I didn’t expect that at all. What a great scene, and what a better ending for a character whose story I thought ended in CoM. I loved that.

Didn’t love that Riku and Sora just left Naminé’s vessel facedown in the dirt, though. Like… at least prop it against the wall or something guys, geez.

I like that you get a sort of farewell scene between the heroes and all the main villains of the series. It may’ve been a little fanservicey, but oh well. I’m not so hot on it from a story standpoint. Like I know we’re doing the anime thing where “I defeated you in battle, now we’re cool” but it still felt… odd. But at least it’s not as obnoxious as what comes up later with Master Xehanort.

I liked Larxene’s take on this especially, how she’d rather be destroyed than be a Nort. Why she joined up in the first place is still a mystery… And her answering Sora the way she did implies that the Norts aren’t just possessed mind slaves. They do have agency, though I guess that was clear from Even and Demyx turning against them, now that I remember it.

Building on the agency thing, I liked Vanitas’s scene with Ven. Ven wanted so badly for Vanitas to come to the light, but… It really wasn’t what Vanitas wanted for himself. “We decide who we are.” “I did decide who I am.” It’s tragic, but I like that it showed that not everyone was getting a happy ending from this game, and that there are some people you just can’t save.

COME GUARDIAN WAS TERRA’S HEARTLESS AFTER ALL. FUCK YES. I love that theory and I’m so happy it turned out to be correct!!!!! 

And then we finally get a Wayfinder reunion!!!!!! 

“What final words do you have for your superior?” Okay, I know this game is rated E10, but I half expected Axel to just look up and say “Fuck you.”

Xemnas and Axel’s conversation was so meta. Axel bragging about how popular he was, Xemnas calling Axel’s keyblade a joke. Like… Damn, they really paid attention to fandom over the years, didn’t they? I just wish they’d paid this much attention to all the fans who wanted a good storyline for Kairi. Anywho, Xemnas destroys Axel’s keyblade, so we lose two Lights from this scene. I’m kind of grateful that happened, actually. Having Axel lose his spot made it a little easier to accept Kairi losing hers. But only a little. Kairi getting kidnapped AGAIN was still stupid and contrived.

Unlike the other Norts, Xion’s apparently not acting on her own free will when the fight starts. Sora telling her “You can stop now” seemed to break something within her. And then Xemnas turns to attack her, and Sora’s heart reaches out to someone, and then BOOM. Roxas shows up to sass Xemnas and save the day!!! 

I barely did anything in that Isa fight, lmao. I tried to land a few hits on him, but then I realized Roxas could handle him just fine alone, so I just hung back with Xion and cast cure here and there.

I’m disappointed that there’s almost no interaction between Roxas and Sora beyond a couple of nods, tbh. It’s kind of a weak payoff after all the fuss Sora made about wanting to save Roxas at the start of the game. That was what Sora decided to fight for “with all his heart,” and then once Roxas is back, we just keep blazing ahead with the story without a moment to appreciate the fact that he accomplished his goal (or rather, someone else accomplished it for him).

Aww, Xion looked so left out when she stood of to the side and started crying. It was almost like she was hesitant to join Axel and Roxas after she came so close to almost killing both of them. She didn’t even reach for the other two when Axel pulled them into a group hug, she just kept her hands clasped tight together and sort of curled in on herself. Aw, honey. Anyway, I’m glad these three will get to be together again.

I half expected Riku to snap “ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?” when Sora tells him that Kairi’s been kidnapped.

I liked both Xemnas and Ansem SoD’s sendoffs. Kid Xehanort doesn’t give a shit that he lost, though, he just fucks off back to the past knowing damn well what’s about to happen. And to that, I again say ugh.

And then we get… that scene. What the fuck did Xehanort mean by “You need motivation.”? Motherfucker, we are already out here in the Keyblade Graveyard having this showdown. Kingdom Hearts is looming above us. Sora just got done killing all ninety-seven billion Xehanorts. This fight is happening no matter what you do. This doesn’t make any fucking sense. Having Xehanort kill off Kairi was stupid and unnecessary and pointless and lazy and truly horrible, horrible writing. And see, I can’t even give Nomura the benefit of the doubt here because he actually had Xehanort call Kairi Sora’s “motivation.” That was it. That was the only reason Xehanort killed her. Not because she was a keyblade wielder who was in the way of his goal, not because she was a Princess of Heart whose power could pose a threat. Not because of anything Kairi did or who she was as a person, but because she was a THING that was important to Sora. Fuck that. Fuck that entire scene, fuck everything about it, fuck everyone who gave that writing decision the green light. Fuck it. And knowing how this game ends (with Sora apparently sacrificing himself to save Kairi), Kairi now has more motivation than EVER to fight to get him back, but you know Nomura won’t give a shit when it comes time to write scenarios for KH4. He’s just gonna throw Kairi back on the islands and have Riku be the hero. Riku will find Sora, they’ll have adventures together and apart, they’ll continue to grow as characters, and then they’ll go home to where Kairi’s just sitting pretty, waiting to be the perfect reward for everything Sora’s accomplished. So there you go, that’s Kingdom Hearts IV. I just saved you $50 in the future (not adjusted for inflation).

Just. Jesus Christ, of all the idiotic tone-deaf bullshit… To have so much self-awareness while writing Naminé’s dialogue in the Final World and Axel’s scene with Xemnas in the Graveyard and then NONE OF THAT WHATSOEVER when it came to writing Kairi’s final scenes… That’s unreal. It’s almost unbelievable, but I really shouldn’t be surprised. Nomura’s pulled this shit before, so oop @ me for actually expecting better from him. Lesson fucking learned.

Anyway, after we get past all that stupid sexist bullshit that I actively hated, Sora gets ready to leave for the next area. I like that Donald and Goofy literally pick him up off the ground and help him stand, and that they go with him afterward. I just love the Trinity Trio in this game so much. They feel so much like a family now, and since I’m clearly never ever ever ever getting any decent Destiny Trio development, that’s a nice comfort. The other keyslingers stay behind to keep Kingdom Hearts shut, and Xion tells Sora that she can sense that Kairi will be okay, which… Yeah, alright. I just saw Xehanort slash into her back and shatter her into thousands of pieces, but no, I’m sure she’s fine. flskjdf Okay, sorry, I get what that scene with Xion was trying to do, but it just doesn’t make any sense? Xion is Sora’s replica, not Kairi’s. I could buy that she can sense Sora’s heart, but she has no real connection to Kairi’s at all, so how would she know that Kairi’s okay? Maybe she was just saying that as a way to comfort Sora, like a “she’ll always be in your heart” kind of thing, but even that feels off. Like that’s the kind of thing you say to someone a couple weeks after the funeral, not right there at the crime scene. Oh well. I guess it was sweet that she at least wanted him to hear that.

Then we get to Scala ad Caelum, which was kind of a letdown, really. I was hoping to get to explore the city, but you really just have one large area that’s ultimately just a battlefield. The boss battles weren’t much of a challenge at all, and you don’t even have to defeat them all, which was disappointing, but eh. The only tense moment was when Xehanort triggered Sora’s rage form in the final battle, but Donald and Goofy kept me healed up enough that it wasn’t much of a problem.

Xehanort uses the “one sky, one destiny” line from Kairi’s letter. Like it’s not enough that he killed her, he’s gotta plagiarize her, too. Dick.

Donald and Goofy help Sora ward off Xehanort’s final attack! Like they literally, physically help him push back against it! I love these half-pints. <3

Eraqus! He asks Terra to look after his other apprentices for him, aw.

Xehanort gives Sora the X-blade, and there’s no “sorry I killed your friend” or anything. He just goes on to be at peace with Eraqus. Seriously? This dude abuses Ven, hijacks Terra’s body, throws Aqua into the Realm of Darkness, murders Kairi, and he still gets to pass on peacefully into the next life with his bff? Come the fuck on.

Hearing “Always On My Mind” again was nice. That was always one of my favorite tracks from KH1.

Okay, after rewatching the ending cinematic, it makes a lot more sense to me. Riku suggests that they all go back to Yen Sid’s place to figure out how to save Kairi (which… why are we all acting like this is something that can just be undone? She wasn’t taken into darkness by the heartless like before; Xehanort struck her down. We didn’t see her heart leave her body or anything, she just shattered. To me, that looks like an E10-rated game’s version of death.), but Sora knows what he has to do. It wasn’t until the second time through this ending that I realized he was already planning on waking her heart at the expense of his own life. Knowing that, it’s a little odd that Riku just lets him go with a roundabout way of saying “I believe in you.” Kairi’s supposedly Riku’s friend, too, isn’t she? And he knows how to wake sleeping hearts, too, so why couldn’t he go with Sora to find her? 

I loved seeing the Wayfinder Trio laying flowers at Eraqus’s memorial. I also like that keyblades are apparently used specifically for this when the wielder has passed on. That’s a nice bit of world building. And Chirithy is reunited with Ven after all (who apparently remembers them)! Aww. I still don’t know how the hell Ven exists in this timeline, but still. Aw.

I love Xion’s new outfit, and that she and her boys got to go back to Twilight Town together. I’m not so hot on Isa being there, though, and I’m really put off by how chummy he and Roxas seem. I know these scenes are taking place after a little time has passed, so maybe there was some tension between them at first that we just don’t see because it’s not particularly relevant, but still… Anyway, a shadow passes over them for a moment, and I think it must’ve been the gummi ship arriving to pick them up and take them to a party on Destiny Islands. Nice.

When I got to the scene of Naminé waking up in Radiant Garden… I actually started sobbing. Like that’s embarrassing to admit, but that scene hit me so hard. Just watching her open her eyes, and then seeing Dilan and Aeleus lead her out to the courtyard where the ship lands. Seeing her smile when Riku holds out his hand to her… I started crying while typing this up just remembering it, haha. I loved that moment so, so much. I’m so happy she gets to be her own person, that Ansem helped restore her to finally give her a life of her own after everything he put her through. I love that Riku’s the person to welcome her onto the ship, that he’s doing this for the Replica who gave up the vessel for her, but also because she’s been his friend, too (albeit largely off-screen). And the final shot of her laying her hand so gently in his... Holy god, what a finale shot. That scene ALONE was worth the thirteen year wait for me. I am truly stunned that that was part of the ending, that Naminé—of all characters—was the final person they built up to. That was just so much more than I had ever hoped for for her.

And then the actual final scene. You have all the main characters playing on the beach. Xion and Naminé are finding seashells; Riku, Roxas, and Terra are running around doing… something; the Twilight Town kids and Goofy and Donald are making sand castles; Lea, Ven, and Isa are playing frisbee. And then everyone stops to look at Sora and Kairi on the paopu tree. Sora vanishes, and you see Kairi start to slowly curl in on herself as the scene fades to black. And… upon rewatch, I actually like this ending? I was confused the first time I watched it because I didn’t have Kid Xehanort’s words in San Fransokyo fresh on my mind at the time, but when I went back and watched all the scenes together, I understood that Sora woke up her heart, and him “abusing” that power took its toll. I’m alright with us actually not seeing him do this (or at least, I’m not bothered by that by itself. I’m really bothered that it happened like that after Kairi got fridged the way she did, but on its own, it’s fine.). I’m upset that Sora’s gone, but truthfully, I was sort of expecting it. And like I said in my tirade about Kairi’s writing a few bullet points up, you know he’ll be back. It’s just really upsetting to know that Kairi now has to live with the guilt over the fact that he gave up his life for her, and that—as far as she knows—she’ll never see him again. And you just know that Nomura will absolutely, positively not let her do anything about it come KH4, to which I can only say, again: UGH.

I don’t care about Braig being Luxu, bye.

I think I’m still too raw from the emotional highs (and lows) of this game to really analyze everything as clearly as I’d like. There’s still stuff I want to talk about, but I’ll save that for another time. I can’t deny how much I enjoyed everything that happened before Kairi got fridged, but man, that one point really sours a lot of this game for me.

But yeah, that’s all for now.

[thatwitchrevan]

Kairi/Xion, Vanitas/Repliku, Naminé/Repliku, Lauriam/Elrena

I tried to do the graphic but I couldn’t get it to look good in a textpost and be readable! so you get bullet points and commentary instead.

KaiXi:

not really my thing

would read a fic about it

I think I prefer Kairi and Xion as friends, but I can see how they would be cute as gfs, I guess? There is the argument that Xion is strongly influenced by Sora’s memories of/feelings for Kairi but I feel like that could be taken in a platonic way as well. 

Vanpliku: 

why not/I ship it

would read a fic about it

I’m curious!

I confess that most of my interest in this pair is the fact that they kind of parallel SoRiku which is really cute to me. I think they could relate to each other a lot and take care of each other. I love my boys and I love the idea of them having somebody they really like to be with! 

ReplikuNami: 

dunno

would read a fic about it

brotp

I am invested in them as a friendship, not convinced on the romance front. All I see is that he cares a lot about her and that’s great! Caring about Naminé is very important to me. But I don’t think that necessarily means they have any romantic chemistry. I’m open to being convinced, though.

Lauriam/Elrena: 

I SHIP IT

there needs to be more of it

would read a fic about it and potentially make it canon in my own fics??

Please tell me what the hell their shipname is because I need it. I’m ready to get hyped for this pair in any form tbh. Like Larxene doesn’t care about shit but she does, in one way or another, care about LAURIAM (and Strelitzia) so let’s pleaaaase explore that. Also I just wanna see her being supportive/defensive of him when he’s upset or someone’s fucking with him. And him being the one person who really knows how to deal with her anymore and what she really feels under all that leftover Larxene? Idk, there’s just a lot that could be done with them overall and I want it.

[bluestonewings]

tagged by @rik-u​ !!!! woahhh

“KINGDOM HEARTS” SURVEY

PSA I HAVENT PLAYED ANY KH GAMES EXCEPT OF BBS(i’m WORKING ON IT) and KHX SOOOOO

IT GOT REALLY LONG BUT IT WAS FUN!!!

SECTION ONE

1. Your favorite KH guy? UHHH DEMYX, MY WATER MUSIC MAGIC BOY, WHAT A GOOD BOY, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH (i’ve given him such a sad characterization recently i’m sorry), riku(good boy), repliku(deserves better), Zexion/Ienzo(sneaky nerd boy), Zack(he’s final fantasy but i love him regardless), sora(everyone’s favorite sunlight boy), terra(DESERVES BETTER, YOU GO FIGHT THAT DARKENESS YOU), vexen/even(shitty science man), AnsemSoD(best ansem), ISA (A GOOD BOY)

2. Your favorite KH girl? namine(pure), kairi(GIVE ME MORE), xion(good girl), aqua(QUEEN), olette(I LOVE HER), larxene(MMmmmMMMM) jokes on you i love everyone (@ square what is this shitty gender balance you sexist morons)

3. Your least favorite KH guy? Why? Xaldin’s a dickwad and I hate him for bein a lil shit. Dilans’ cool though. Actually Xemnas goes on this list too, screw you buddy

4. Your least favorite KH girl? Why? screw this question >:0

5. Favorite World? (Includes both KH1 and KH2) radiant garden n daybreak town! pretty home worlds

6. Least Favorite World? agrabah probably?? i’m tired of it.

7. Favorite Weapon? (Includes both KH1 and KH2) like,,, a keyblade design or a weapon or a weapon design? Anyway i like the look of xaldin’s lindworms (DRAGON SPEARS), zexion’s indescribable lore is pretty, saix’s gibbous, mickey’s moon keyblade! Also everyone’s alternate weapons in 358/2 are underrated and everyone should check them out!! (I am willing to pay real money to get a guitar shaped like any of demyx’s alternates just fyi)

8. Least Favorite Weapon? why. does. xemnas. have. lightsabers. (personal headcanon they make the ‘vmmm vsshhhhh’ noises when he moves around)

9. Fave. Summon? (includes both KH1 and KH2) *jazz hands* i’ve never played these games…!!! nico used bambi a lot so I’ll go with that

10. Fave. Form? (aka. Sora’s Forms) wisdom!!! i love it when he just zips around and shoots things

11. Favorite Pairing? (includes yaoi coupling) Why? ummm, not much of a shipper but lexvex! a lot of other things as a joke, probably! I’m a liberal shipper. zemyx but like partially as a joke. literally almost anything flies in my book.

12. Least Fave. Pairing? (includes yaoi couples) Why? *deep inhales* anyways if you ship little kids with not little kids you can mcfuck off

14. Weirdest Pairing(s) You’ve Ever Heard Of? @marlushion​ @rik-u​ vexdem??? what???? i was going to say vexen n saix but what???? what?????????????

15. Any “KH-pet-peeves” you have? i’m….. so bad……….. at the actual………….. games………………………. ;-;

16. Fav. Partner in KH? (includes both KH1 and KH2) you don’t get partners in khx but skuld and ephemera are Good

SECTION TWO

17. Do you believe in the Xemnas/Saix theory? whats this theory? I mean Isa got the short stick when xemnas norted him so I don’t really think there’s too much of a choice going on here. anyways xemnas give me back my BOY

18. Do you believe that Zexion is emo? no he’s just a backhanded sneaky little shit who gets screwed over which isnt exactly fair, but not unfair either. I still like him though

19. Do you believe that Marluxia is gay? well personally, i think- oh hey look a butterfly

20. Do you believe that Kairi is the most annoying character in KH? Have you forgotten about the fact that you couldn’t skip cutscenes I think we can forget about characters

SECTION Three

21. If Roxas had to choose either Naminé or Olette, who would you root for? Why? like as a date??? um, olette. why not. go for it my dude.

22. What’s your theory on “Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep?” ITS THE ONLY ONE I’VE PLAYED…. IT’S GOOD SO FAR… TERRA’S GONNA PUNCH SOME THINGS… YEAH

23. Was Chain of Memories a waste of time? I don’t think so? I feel like the plot was kinda shoehorned in but then that means all of KH2 was also shoehorned in so eh

24. If you had the choice of meeting ONE (and ONLY ONE!) KH character, who would it be? Um Terra because I need to tell him I believe in him also he’s so strong and I desperately need a hug. Also to buy him new pants

25. Which KH character do you relate to the most? Why? it’s weird to say but honestly even/by extension vexen?? Like i’m a social disaster and I like science and i have a large fear of being abandoned/forgotten/dismissed and i really really suck at communicating also I’m apparently team mom for most of my friends and i like doing nerd things alone by myself and i just really feel for what vexen has to deal with when he knows that he’s just there to do a single job and he’s disposable and nobody really cares too much for him as a person even if he does also i’d like to not die by rapid combustion/explosion so we both have that in common too ha ha

26. What’s the most embarrassing moment that ever happened to you that had something to do with KH? IRL PEOPLE FINDING MY INTERNET ACCOUNTS IS DEEPLY LINKED TO THE FEAR THAT THEY WILL REALIZE THAT I AM A GAMER GIRL- THE ACTUAL GAMES

27. Have you ever cosplayed as a KH character? If so, who? If not, who would you like to cosplay as? I WANT TO COSPLAY STUFF SO MUCH!!!!! i don’t really know who i’d do though... maybe xion?? I don’t fit anyone very well lmao (i do want to cosplay the two versions of shiki from TWEWY with a friend if that counts)

28. The Funniest Moment in all of KH would be…? sora getting punched in the face in cutscenes

29. The Hardest Enemy/Boss was…? I haven’t fought too many bosses (see: I havent played) but vanitas is gonna be a doozy probably (unless i’m 20 levels overleveled, like now)

30. What was a good addition in KH2 that made it oh-so-addictive? I don’t know what normal KH2 is like but I like the game a ton

SECTION THREE: Decisions, Decisions…Only One…

31. Hayner or Pence? hayner!!! good boy

32. Zexion or Marluxia? zexion. which is funny bc i’ve done marluxia in a finished art project but never zexion... hm.

33. Riku or Roxas? BOTH OF THEM DESERVED BETTER but if i had to pick one.... riku

34. Roxas or Sora? roxas! sora’s a good boy though

35. Axel or Demyx? DEMYX, THE BEST WATER MUSIC MAGIC BOY!!!! LOVE

36. Kairi or Larxene? mmmmMMMM Larxene bc she honestly has more screentime than kairi also she’s just so fiece and mm!!!

37. AkuRoku or SoRiku? *stares, for a long time, at the first one* soriku

38. Namixas or Namiku? Namiku! I think it’d be cute over the course of the year between CoM/KHII

39. Zemyx or AkuRoku? *stares, for a long time, at the second one* Zemyx

40. SoKai or SoRiku? SoRiKai, screw you

41. Sea Salt Ice Cream or Paopu Fruit? Sea salt ice cream! I feel like paopu fruits are really sugary and I like slightly tarter fruits

42. Cloud or Leon? Mmmmmmm Leon

43. CloTi or Clerith? cloud n tifa or cloud n aerith? clerith then

44. Simple and Clean or Passion? PASSIONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

SECTION FOUR

45. List all the KH characters you’ve fallen for. (This includes Final Fantasy characters as well) like, i’d want a nice date with? demyx (my boyyyyyy), ienzo/zexion, Isa’s cute, terra’s HOT (but a dork), but like lets be honest I’d rather be friends with everyone since i’m a nervous wreck

46. What crossovers would you like to see with KH? give me the princess and the frog... it’ll be such a nice culture....and moana.... looking forward to rapunzel and big hero six.... really like to NOT see frozen..... 

47. Does anyone in KH look like another character? List ‘em all! too bad you cant make npcs in stardew valley date each other *small tear*

are you seeing this shit i refuse to believe this was an accident the creator of stardew valley is a 1000000% confirmed KH fan and probably ships zemyx

It’s actually great bc demyx’s counterpart is a guitar music boy as well as a total dork (i love him... so much......) and zexion’s counterpart is an actual emo kid who plays dnd and codes stuff in his basement and likes cool rocks (also love) also his dad is a scientist and his mom is a carpenter so that’s aeleus and even and his sister is kairi now can i interest you in my AU

48. Which new KH game can you absolutely NOT wait for? 3′s the only one coming out? but I’m looking forward to finishing BBS so I can start watching DDD

49. Do you like KH1 or KH2 better? Why? *jazz hands* i have no idea since i’ve played neither, but KH2 lets you see the emo squad so that probably 50. LAST QUESTION! What makes Kingdom Hearts one of the best games in the world!? not the plot, that’s for sure. Probably the characters and just the concept of the entire world, and the worldbuilding behind it! Like I’d love to be in a world with magic and giant keys and stuff. Definitely the worldbuilding

i dunno who to tag! um, @fang11803​ @zexio-n​ @soramizuhara​ (hi!!! you’re new) and whoever else that follows me that likes KH, since i honestly don’t know