#riku mentioned

[absurdfish77]

wow, cake!

[dotted-clouds]

more twitter side account doodles

[tharkflark1]

Sora’s official wiki page I’m in tears

[the-au-collector]

There is something so intrinsically interesting to me about Eraqus’ relationship with his students. The fact that he raised them, trained them, cared about them, and then he hurt them all the while thinking what he was doing was what’s right.

What’s even more interesting is, how, if he would have lived, the Wayfinders would have taken it. Would they have forgiven him, or refused forgiveness? Would they let him back in, or be hesitant? How would their relationship change?

There’s something very interesting in Eraqus being able to change and the Wayfinders being able to get the closure they want/need and being able to move on to a brighter future for all of them, where Eraqus is more open-minded, and is the adult the others (*cough* Sora, Kairi, Riku, and the Sea Salt Family *cough*) so very much need.

But, there’s also something so interesting in them never being able to get that happy ending. They have to move on, and they will, through blood, sweat, and tears they will. But they have so many questions they can never get the answers to.

What’s also so interesting is Eraqus coming back to a world that’s so different. How would Eraqus react to a new world? To Riku, who reminds him oh so much of Xehanort yet proved every inch of Eraqus’ deep-rooted beliefs wrong? To Sora, who in every way reminds him of himself when he was young? To Roxas and Xion and Namine, three kids who were never meant to exist and who were used the same way Ventus was? To Lea, who goes far beyond lengths of reason to get what he wants and protect who he loves (and who reminds Eraqus so much of himself, dear Kingdom Hearts Eraqus also will go to extreme lengths to protect who he loves, and it led him astray).

GAH I just love this messed up family.

[cerisestarfruit]

-taps the mic- transfem ctommy -the crowd cheers-

[robotsafari]

redrawing my favorite gba chain of memories scenes with my own interpretations part 1(?):

“You’re thinking about me… You’re afraid of the darkness I command.”

[joined-shores-art]

More ref sheets, the citizens of Radiant Garden, of course not all! Like Ienzo is missing oops (Note these are very up to date with Part II Act II, which is about to end with the next chapter. And then Act III starts.)

Brooke is Vi's and Davis' mother and Taro is brought there by y. Xehanort.

+ Nort alts (Xemnas and Xeh ditching the Org. coats hooray! (They also become besties with A2 trust!!!!!))

__

Quick answers/ explainsies! (WK novel spoilers obvs!!!)

Since Sora is a Replica copy here, he actively befriends the Organization Somebodies.

The Evernight Faction is Maleficent's troup, miss ma'am Salem invited her in! Their ship name is witchcottage!! Tyrian is free to third-wheel!!! Lauriam got a strange illness (see his arm, spoiler spoiler Xemnas and Azal have it too) and Elrena, Emil and Luxord switch sides to get him help. Demyx counts himself in because he wants to.

Brooke had to join because Maleficent sniped Vi baaad (if you seen Vi's ref sheet, yeah the shoulder was Mal with that white glove thingy that has this tick Grimm) Xemnas lost his arm seconds after that and that's why they also switch. The Norts are Replicas but Xems can't get into a new one.

Xeh scooped Taro up in San Fransokyo when he was going places with Luxord. He had to drop pupper off at Vi's because Ansem said so. Taro is also the groundwork for Xeh starting to trust Viola.

Braig is with them because Luxu still needs No Name, remember OMX is alive so...

[etrosgate]

i finally went through ds re:coded (i didn't actually play it bc platforming brings me to tears, i just watched a playthrough) and this game really doesn't deserve the terrible reputation it has...

it's especially a shame that ppl only have the cutscene movie cause it's actually really mechanically wacky and creative. like it's an action platformer. then suddenly it's a turnbased rpg? in the final hour it's a adv visual novel?? it's constantly throwing something new at you.

and like, yeah it doesn't have much in the way of major plot progression or lore, but i still find its story fairly interesting and charming. in some ways it feels most like a glimpse at the post-kh3 trajectory of the narrative?

anyways, it's actually something of a sora character study, through the lens of a sora that never went through the interpersonal betrayals the real sora has (primarily kh1). we see a sora that's never been told to repress his sadness, a sora that's never had donald and goofy leave him behind cause he lost the keyblade, a sora that's never had riku become so cruel to him.

and because data-sora didn't experience these things+had good support network throughout the narrative, he's like. a lot psychologically healthier. most noticeable in contrast to the real sora.

and in the final act of the game, data-sora learns how to do something the real sora still hasn't: face his own pain, and accept it.

i would not be surprised if in the future sora's arc involves actually learning how to deal with the shit he's been through and talk to his friends about it

additionally...

kingdom hearts has always had a strong throughline of how people/things being "fake" does not mean they don't matter. from replicas to nobodies and sora's memories of namine.

like data-sora isn't real, he's just a piece of programming. but he develops a real heart, and a real keyblade, through the emotional connections formed between him and data riku and the real mickey donald and goofy.

in this way, i find coded in particular to really feel metatextual, and reminiscent of the relationship you have with a narrative (though specifically video games here). like sora from kingdom hearts isn't real, but does he not inspire real emotion from us? do we not find ourselves invested in his story, even though it's fake?

i really think it's likely that the quadratum unreality stuff will continue to follow that line of thought.

kingdom hearts is just video games, but it's also real. because we love it ❤️

wtf i intended to just write a little bit but i rambled a lot... oh well, anywayyys if you haven't played ds coded, i recommend it 👍

[mythicalartistx]

The Repliku Problem:

There is an issue of Riku Replica's portrayal in Kingdom Hearts and I mean how others see him in the community that goes against everything he stands for.

A part of me hates that he is called Repliku or Riku Replica because it goes back to Riku. But I'm still going to be referring to him as Repliku because there's no better name.

Repliku's story is all about him being someone else from Riku. He learns he actually is his own person and not just a copy. And this can also be applied that his emotions and feelings are different from Riku's. And Riku doesn't feel the same feeling or emotions and Repliku does. They can feel similar but it's obviously different for different people.

But there's a large misconception that whatever Repliku feels so does Riku. Whatever happens to Repliku also applies to Riku. But that's not the case at all??

Repliku doesn't get his own things in the fandom, no he has to share with Riku. Any shipname between Repliku and another is always mixed in in the simple Riku ship rather than using Repliku.

The Riku version is always used more for Repliku even if it doesn't shows Riku at all. For anyone that ships Repliku and Sora specifically, it is still referred to as soriku. It could also be Repliku and Naminé for example, but the Replinami ship is significantly less seen than the Riku and Naminé one. That's also an entirely different ship but it's treated as one and the same.

While it's more in canon that Repliku cares for Naminé people treat it as they both do when this isn't the case at all.

It's not that Riku doesn't it's just that people think he must because of the same reasons Repliku cares for Naminé

Repliku's entire arc is that he is different, as the novel Sora says this to him,

"Fake or not, that doesn't matter anymore! You're here now, and you have a heart that belongs to you and no one else. Your memories belong to you and you only, so treasure them!"

These words help Repliku feel better about himself and realize he can be his own person. He feels glad to hear these words by Sora. He is glad that he met and knows Sora. He treats him as his own person which he is thankful for. And that's good enough for him.

His own arc is that he is his own person separate from Riku. I also want to point out that the other Replica that is in the real organization in kh3 is someone entirely separate as well.

Repliku after everything decides to keep one of the fake memories because it's not something Riku has. He internally struggles after knowing he's a replica. He is jealous of the other Riku who is "the real thing" and was able to manage his own darkness. He was jealous of him because he is his own person and longs to be his own person and be different too. That's why when Axel manipulates him to absorb and kill Zexion he does without a second thought and is able to use something separate from Riku.

It's why he ends up inedibly fading away. Repliku desperately wants to have something Riku doesn't have. He wants to be a person separate from Riku with his individual own thoughts and feelings. Sora reassured his own were unique. Riku isn't controlling him or making him have those feelings, those are his individual ones.

He wants to be his own person so badly and even though Sora and Riku had reassured his was his own, Repliku still doesn't believe he can. He compares himself too much to Riku. He doesn't see how he can live because he believes he was created to be a copy created from Riku to lure Sora further down that path to be controlled. He doesn't know who he is and everything he ever knew turned out to be a lie.

He clings on to the one memory that was fabricated, but it was also a memory Riku doesn't have. He decides to keep the promise to protect Naminé. It's what makes him himself. It's what becomes important to him.

Still Repliku has trouble believing in himself or that he can make it as someone. He still was created by Vexen. Repliku tells Riku, "I'm me, he says. It must be nice being real. A fake like me could never get away saying that." He believes he can't be someone, but his arc was to show that he is actually separate from Riku. However, for him to believe it himself is hard. Sora's words made him feel better because he believes he is his own person.

Repliku fights Riku so he can feel like a real person and be someone that isn't connected to Riku. However, Riku wins not because Repliku isn't his own person but because Riku has gone through his own growth too.

Repliku ends up fading away and we don't see him until KH3.

In the dark world Riku was swallowed by the heartless and he hears the voice of Repliku. That's when he realizes Repliku has been with him the entire time and he even leaves his keyblade for the other him, most likely referring to Repliku in that scene.

Back when everyone has regrouped before the final battle, Repliku has a conversation with Riku. He and Riku both have someone they cherish. He reveals he cherish Naminé and wants to bring her back before he goes completely.

He continues to keep the masqueraded promise because even though it's not real, he chooses to keep it as something unique and special to him.

During the final battle, Repliku has the opportunity to do the one thing he has been wanting to have and be a person. He could finally be a person separate from Riku. Riku tells him to take the body.

However, Repliku shakes his head and that's when Riku realizes he is wanting it for Naminé. Repliku sacrifices his own ability to have a body so she can instead. He sacrificed the one thing that can make him have a body and become real. She is one of the few things that is special and unique to him and it the reason he does it. Riku then finally promised to be there for when she wakes up to make sure she is okay.

That's a favor he does for Repliku because afterwards he moved on and went to look for Sora. However, this causes misconception that they are the same. Sure, Riku could care for her but it's definitely not the same as how Repliku does.

Repliku is his own person. His arc is finding himself which is separate from Riku. He ends up cherishing people separate from Riku. His own thoughts and feelings are his own. Nobody is controlling him. However people somehow got into the idea that Riku = Repliku when that's not the case at all.

Repliku is his own being and person because he cannot replicate Riku he failed to do that because he is someone separate. He deserves more and he deserves better and I hope KH3 isn't the last we ever see of him...

[endlessskymaster]

This panel from the KH3 manga is funny to me.

[daily-rikukingdomhearts]

Riku stays winning

[blowingoffsteam2]

Still sitting here stewing in the fact that the manga skipped Riku’s sacrifice

[dotted-clouds]

more shitpost doodles from twitter side account

[thefreshprinceofjunes]

reading about kh3 gameplay mechanics on the khwiki (cuz i didnt do shit fuck with 99% of them when i played it) and like

the shotlock for oblivion is called ‘dawn eclipse’ in japanese, while oathkeepers is ‘sunset bright’

and i realized

kairi is associated with sunsets, which in kh (and in real life) are symbolic of endings

while riku is associated with dawn/sunrises, which are symbolic of new beginnings

also, dawn eclipse? like the dawn being eclipsed by something?

and sunset meaning the loss of (day)light, while sunrise means the return?

[420over69days]

Doodles I did at work instead of my job~

[chichapalabok]

it was tsukasa's turn to choose their halloween costumes!

bonus izumis