#since brain seems alright when he gets to scala

[trashedork]

KH OC Week 2023 - Day 7

*Rubs hands evilly* I've been waiting for this prompt. It's focused on Eileen because she's the Keykid that actually gets a happy ending. There was a different version of this oneshot, but I liked this one way better. It's been really amazing to see everyone's OCs. I can't wait for next year.

@khoc-week

Day 7: Happily Ever After

Three years had passed since the destruction of Daybreak Town. Eileen wounded up at what once used to be her home. Miraculously, Ephemer had as well. She hoped that their companions had too, but they hadn't. Gathering pieces of Daybreak Town, she and Ephemer reformed it into what was now called Scala ad Caelum. The silent and lonely streets gradually filled with more residents.

The painful moments of the past lingered but Ephemer and Eileen found solace in each other. Often times, Eileen would catch Ephemer staring off into the distance with a melancholy expression. Whenever she asked him if he was alright, he would smile and act like nothing was wrong but Eileen knew that something was bothering him. 

"Are you okay, Eileen?"

Ephemer's question caused the brunette to blink and tear her gaze away from the sky, turning towards him. They were standing near the ocean, the breeze ruffling their hair. As Eileen stared at Ephemer, she noted how his appearance had changed over the years. He had grown a few feet taller and his hair was still messy as ever. He no longer had the round and chubby cheeks of a young boy. Instead, his face was chiseled and sharp as stone. As for Eileen herself, she had grown taller as well and let her hair grow out to her waist. 

Smiling, Eileen nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay. Just thinking."

"Of what?" Ephemer asked curiously.

"Of how long we've been here. It's been three years."

"It really has been that long, huh?"

Eileen saw a flash of emotion in Ephemer’s eyes. Sorrow. Once more, she gazed up at the sky. Her mind drifted to a memory from the past: A memory that had brought them to their current fate. 

Eileen was taking a stroll around Daybreak Town when she saw a rift of static energy manifest above the Clock Tower. She decided to investigate, bumping into Ephemer and Ophelia in the process. It seemed that they were doing the same thing she was as well. The trio went to the Clock Tower, meeting the other Union leaders there. After a discussion of what to do regarding the strange occurrence that were glitches, Ephemer and Ophelia traveled to a world within the database while the others remained in the computer room.

After minutes of awaiting the news, Ephemer returned. Trouble arose then. Lauriam argued with everyone about the whereabouts of his sister, Strelitzia. He attacked Ventus when the younger boy said that it was him who had killed Strelitzia, prompting everyone to stop Laurium from attacking him. Suddenly, a shadowy figure emerged from Ventus and explained that it was Darkness and the reason for Strelitzia's death. This started a fight, but the Union leaders and Eileen couldn't defeat it. It was too powerful. However, Ophelia arrived to provide assistance. 

The group split up for some time, eventually regrouping along with a girl named Elrena. Returning to the computer room, they saw the destruction of the real Daybreak Town. There were eight of them but only five lifeboats were available. Brain, Lauriam, Ventus, and Elrena went back while the other four stayed behind. 

"You should've gone back too, Eileen." Ophelia said. 

In response, the brunette shook her head. "No. I'm a Dandelion, but I'm your friend first so I'm staying."

"Do you think they made it back safely?" asked Skuld. 

"Of course. Brain's with them." Ephemer replied.

"Yeah. He's always got a plan unlike someone I know." Ophelia chimed in.

Ephemer was offended by that statement, his eyes blown wide as he glanced at the blonde from over his shoulder. "Hey!"

Bursts of laughter then filled the room. Eileen hadn't felt like this in forever. She couldn't remember the last time she had fun. Like every other Keyblade wielder, she was going on missions and collecting Lux so they didn't have much opportunities to do anything else.

A few minutes of silence passed before Skuld spoke up. "I can't believe the world is ending."

Ephemer nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It's so quiet." 

Eyes widening, Ophelia quickly turned around. "Guys." She summoned Starlight in her hand. "Guys!" 

Four Darknesses had surrounded the group. One asked them to open a gate, but Ephemer refused. He and the other Keyblade wielders were going to engage in battle when Ophelia suddenly attacked Ephemer. Their Keyblades clashed as the silver-haired boy quickly defended himself.

“Ophelia! What’s wrong?!” 

Skuld’s Keyblade vanished and she rushed over to Ophelia, putting her hands on her shoulders. “Stop!” 

Ophelia elbowed the girl hard enough to send her crashing to the ground. Eileen watched in confusion and terror. It didn’t make sense. She was fine just moments ago. What had made her behave this way?

“What happened to you, Ophelia?!” 

“Ophelia’s heart has been lost to darkness.” Ophelia declared, her usual delicate voice becoming monotone. 

Skuld raised her head, despair wavering in her eyes. “No…”

Ephemer couldn’t believe it. There was no way that his friend would fall to darkness that easily. “Ophelia!” 

“She cannot hear you.”

“Wait. Are you—?”

“I am formless. You cannot destroy me.” 

Rising to her feet, Skuld turned to face Ophelia. “I thought we’d dealt with you…”

“Ophelia…” Without warning, Ephemer was struck by the blonde and collided with the floor. 

Ophelia walked towards him, her expression holding nothing but emptiness. “Open a gate and she will be returned.” 

Ephemer weakly stood up, brows furrowed. “No.” 

Skuld and Eileen joined him to fight Ophelia, but it was futile. She had bested them. All three Keyblade wielders laid on the ground, breathing heavily from the intense battle. Ophelia walked behind an unconscious Skuld and stared down at her. 

“If only you’d gotten in the lifeboat.”

Using his arms to sit himself up, Ephemer pleaded. “Stop… Ophelia…”

"Snap out of it…" whimpered Eileen.

“Let your hatred grow.” Ophelia mused, raising her Keyblade over her head. “It fuels us.”

Realizing what she was going to do, Ephemer let out a scream. “No!!!” 

A beam of white light formed from the tip of his Keyblade which pierced Ophelia’s heart as she prepared to slay Skuld. Suddenly, a portal appeared behind her and the four Darknesses. 

It was like everything had happened in slow motion. As Ophelia and the Darknesses were being drawn into the portal, Eileen could’ve sworn that Ophelia was looking at her and mouthing something. Then, she and the enemy vanished. 

Ephemer blinked, his expression morphing into horror upon what he had just done to his dear friend. “I’m sorry.” He shut his eyes, lips pursed as he attempted to keep the tears at bay. “I’m so sorry…”

“... leen? Eileen? Hey. What’s wrong?”

The brunette lifted her head from staring at the ground, her eyes widened slightly as she gazed at a concerned Ephemer. “Huh?”

“You’re crying…”

Placing a hand onto her cheek, Eileen felt something wet. A sniffle escaped her and she soon broke down. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. It was too much. 

A look of surprise appeared on Ephemer’s face before he smiled and brought Eileen into a hug. He allowed her to cry into his chest, his arms around her body tightening. “It's okay. Let it all out."

They had both suffered a great deal. They lost their previous home and allies they once knew. Things would never return to how they used to be. 

Ephemer lightly patted Eileen on the back. "I'm glad you're here, Eileen."

Eileen's cries and whimpers increased by the minute, her tears staining Ephemer's jacket. Ephemer didn't mind one bit as he rubbed circles onto her back, trying to comfort her as best he could. Eventually, Eileen calmed down and took a step back, rubbing her eyes.

“You should go."

“Right. Do you want to come with me?"

“Sure.”

“Okay. Let’s go, then.”

Ephemer held his hand out to Eileen who took it without a second thought. Then, they started to head to their location. As they walked, Eileen smiled as she looked down at their intertwined hands. Even though they had been through so much anguish, she was happy right now.

They soon entered a building with a massive room and a group of adolescents sprinted towards them with bright smiles.

“Master Ephemer! Eileen!”

“What are you going to teach us today, Master Ephemer?!”

Ephemer laughed at their enthusiasm. “Calm down. We’ll be starting soon.”

“Eileen,” One of the students, a girl, began. "Are you and Master Ephemer going to get married?”

Eileen almost choked. “W-What?”

"It's just that the two of you are very close. Master Ephemer treats you like a lady.”

“Yeah!” A male student agreed.

“Um… Well…” Eileen felt heat rise to her cheeks and she scrambled to find the right words to say. She and Ephemer were just friends. Nothing more, nothing less. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. “It’s true that Ephemer and I are close, but we're just friends."

“What? Really?”

A female student slumped forward, disappointed by Eileen's reply. "Aw. I think you'd make a good couple."

“All right, all right. That’s enough.” Ephemer chuckled. “Let’s start training, shall we?”

Eileen waved a hand in farewell to the apprentices, then faced Ephemer, her lips curled slightly. "I'll see you later, Ephemer."

The young man returned the smile and nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you later."

Turning on her heel, Eileen left the training grounds and made her way home. Her gaze flitted to the cobblestone road as the words of the apprentices rang in her ears.

She and Ephemer were both at that age where marriage was possible. Their relationship was close-knitted to the point where one could call them lovers. Deep in her heart, Eileen wanted them to be. Yet, she feared being rejected and ruining what they had now.

“Hey, Eileen. Where are you heading off to?”

She froze and glanced over her shoulder, noticing a young man with mid-length turquoise hair. A small section of it was tied into a short ponytail. His eyes were orange. If Eileen remembered correctly, his name was Gavin. He was arrogant and never cared for anyone else but himself so Eileen avoided interacting with him. However, she forced on a smile. "Hi, Gavin. I'm going home. Why?"

Gavin shrugged his shoulders. "Just wondering. Wanna hang out with me for a bit?"

"No, thanks. I'm tired."

"Sheesh. You're such a killjoy. Come on. Just this once. I'm so bored."

"Fine..." Eileen sighed defeatedly.

A grin broke out onto Gavin's face. "Great! Follow me!"

Eileen reluctantly followed him, spending the rest of her day in the city. Gavin dragged her around like luggage to his favorite spots, talking her ear off while doing so. Before long, the sky was tinged orange from the evening sun. Eileen and Gavin were seated on a bench that overlooked the ocean, gazing at the sunset as it disappeared into the line of the horizon.

"I've been wondering about this for a while." Gavin said, breaking the silence. "How long have you liked Ephemer?"

Eileen whipped her head towards him, astonished. "Huh?"

Gavin looked at the young woman with narrowed eyes. "Don't play dumb. I've seen the way you look at him."

For a few minutes, Eileen was silent. She furrowed her brows, a slight blush on her cheeks. "I've liked him ever since we were kids."

"You should tell him that."

"I probably won't." Eileen said, averting her gaze to the ground.

"How come?"

"You're really annoying."

Gavin smirked. "Yeah. I get that a lot." He placed one of his hands behind his head, humming quietly. "Seriously, though. Why aren't you gonna tell Ephemer?"

"Because he would never like someone like me. He never will." Eileen let out a sigh before continuing on. "I had a friend named Ophelia. She liked Ephemer too. I was jealous of her. But compared to her, I... I'm just..."

Before she knew it, tears pooled at the corner of her eyes. She let out a shaky breath, trying to not let them fall. However, it was no use. The tears built up until they couldn’t be contained anymore and rolled down her cheeks. Eileen sniffled, wiping her face with the back of her hand. 

Gavin sat in silence, not knowing how to ease her worries. All of a sudden, a voice from behind him and Eileen caught their attention.

"Eileen?" Ephemer stood a few inches away from the bench, concerned.

Rising to his feet, Gavin maintained eye contact with Eileen. "Well, I guess that's my cue to leave. Bye, Eileen. Good luck."

Eileen watched as his figure disappeared from view. She tensed as Ephemer replaced him, turning her head the opposite way so that he wouldn't see her tears. Ephemer frowned and cupped her face with both hands, making her gaze into his eyes.

"I've been looking all over for you. What's wrong? Did he make you cry?" The silver-haired man declared, brushing her tears away.

"No..."

"What happened?"

Eileen went quiet, considering whether or not to tell him. A deep sigh then left her mouth. “I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve to be with you. Ophelia should be here. Not me.”

Ephemer was bewildered. "What? Don't say that, Eileen. Ophelia has a special place in my heart, but I like having you here." He smiled, gently grasping her hands in his. "You've kept me company and reassured me when I needed it. I wouldn't know what to do without you. So, thank you. Thank you for staying with me." 

Pursing her lips, Eileen pondered yet again if she should voice out her thoughts. “I... I love you. I’ve always had. You're so nice. You gave me courage to fight and hope for a better future. But there's no way you would like me. I wasn’t like Ophelia. I’m boring, stupid, and useless.”

For a couple of minutes, Ephemer was silent. He had a serious expression on his face which made Eileen nervous. Why was he staring at her like that?

"That's not true." The young man announced.

"Huh?"

"You're the complete opposite of what you said.” 

With a smile, Ephemer caressed Eileen's knuckles with the pads of his thumbs. “You’re the nicest and strongest girl that I know. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I’m glad that you’re here, Eileen. When I'm too focused on other things instead of myself, you're always looking after me. I'm grateful. To be honest, it should be me that doesn't deserve you. I've caused you, Ophelia, and so many others a lot of trouble." A shade of pink engulfed his cheeks. "Remember that question about us getting married earlier? I… I wouldn't mind if that happened." 

"What?"

"I'm serious. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Eileen could've pinched herself at that very moment. This wasn't a dream, was it? "Really?" 

"Really." 

"You’re not joking, right?"

Ephemer swept a loose strand of Eileen’s hair away from her face, resting his hand on her cheek once more. "No, I'm not. I want to be with you as more than a friend. If you'll let me." 

Eileen was at a loss for words. This had to be a dream. However, she didn't want to wake up. After a few moments, she spoke. “Is it really okay for me to be with you?" 

"Of course it is. Can I… kiss you?"

Blushing, Eileen nodded and replied in a quiet voice. “Yeah.”

Closing the distance between them, Ephemer pressed his lips onto hers gently. The hand that was on the brunette's cheek trailed down to rest on the small of her back and tug her closer. Eileen placed her free hand on his shoulder, wondering if he could hear the rapid thumping of her heart. 

Soon, Ephemer pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers, giving her a sweet smile. "I hope that was okay." 

"Yeah. I liked it." Eileen giggled.

Ephemer chuckled, eyes crinkling in pure glee. "No matter what happens, I'll still be by your side. I don't know what else is waiting for us, but we'll face it together." 

In the warmth and safety of each other's embrace, the newfound lovers shared another kiss. Everything would be alright. They had each other. As long as that remained, they could overcome any obstacles.

[alphascorpiixx]

There

are

seven

hearts

to

save . . .

[dahniwitchoflight]

KHUX - Where’d they all go?

Alright so, first!

Who and what and where did everyone end up?

Maleficient: Took a pod to a specific point in the future, achieved this by also using her pet crow to force memories of her present self by having it fly her cloak to the great fairies and make them remember her

Ephemer: Brain from outside manages to send two pods back into the data Daybreak Town to rescue Ephemer and Skuld, (with the last Pod still in the Data meant for the Player, so all three could escape) Pops out of the pod to see the destroyed real Daybreak Town, goes back in with Skuld to escape the dying worldline along with the others, Gets flung forward in time just a tad from his own perspective to become the Founder of Scala Ad Caelum from the ruins of the destroyed Daybreak Town (Still doesn’t answer how or why he popped out in KH3 to help, but eh, guess that’s a question for Dark Road?)

Lauriam: Hops into one of three Pods in the real Daybreak Town to escape, Gets flung to present KH Times in a flower field from Snow White’s world, most likely proceeds to become a nobody some time later

Elrena: Hops into one of three Pods in the real Daybreak Town to escape, Gets flung to roughly the same time and place as Lauriam, but on the stormy mountain from the Witch’s area of Snow White’s world,  most likely proceeds to become a nobody some time later

Ventus: Hops into one of three Pods in the real Daybreak Town to escape, Ends up in the keyblade graveyard, roughly a few years before BBS and is found by Old Xehanort starting that story

Player: Tricks Ephemer into sealing them and the 4 darknesses into a piece of the Data Daybreak Town by pretending to have fallen to darkness, ends up dying from the 4 Darknesses, sacrificing themselves to save Ephemer and Skuld. In the realm between Death and Sleep, their dying heart then reincarnates eventually into a new young Heart (as they sometimes do), into that of newborn Young Xehanort, who is from Scala Ad Caelum in the time of Dark Road-ish, gets sent to Destiny Island’s by a mysterious old man who then dies, and then Young Xehanort begins his journey in Dark Road

Strelitzia: Her apparent Nobody gets sent to the future into the real world by Luxu, but it’s unknown where or when she ends up, last seen walking off in a white version of the Nobody Coat  (I suppose this is another question Dark Road will likely answer?)

Skuld: Brain from outside manages to send two pods back into the data daybreak town to rescue Emphemer and Skuld, Pops out of the pod to see the destroyed real Daybreak Town, goes back in with Ephemer to escape the dying worldline along with the others, We don’t find out her whereabouts, but the remaining theory is that she is Subject X from BBS, Lea and Isa’s friend with amnesia (I suppose this is another question Dark Road will likely answer?)

Rest of the Sleeping Dandelions/Fallen Keyblade Wielders: As their hearts fall asleep, the Chirithy that is bound to their hearts also takes on a sleeping form and become Dream Eaters, Spirit shaped by their wielders Dreams in order to protect them

Luxu: Last seen dragging along the box, holding the keyblade, and lifting up his hood to reveal that he looks exactly like Brain just without the hat

Brain: Gets flung forward roughly to the time of Dark Road-ish, last seen in Scala Ad Caelum that has been rebuilt for a while now by Ephemer the founder from a long time ago, just without his signature hat, and due to his conversation with a figure named Sigurd (who gives him his hat back), has likely fallen roughly into the times of KH Dark Road, and is perhaps a closer ancestor to Eraqus than first thought! maybe even a grandpa or great-grandpa

now the fun thing about Luxu and Brain and why they might look the same, cuz there’s a few options:

Is that before their final scenes, the 2nd last scene Luxu and Brain had was with eachother, right after Brain sent everyone on their merry way, Luxu pops up and says hey watcha doing, and Brain says he wants to stay behind to help free all the sleeping keyblade wielders, even if it takes him the rest of his life, and Luxu comments at him that it’d be a shame for him to waste his life like that or something to the effect before a fade to black

and the thing is, we don’t get to see their individual arrangements for how Both Luxu and Brain escape to the worldline along with the others. We just know that for sure he doesn’t stay and wake up the wielders, because all of their chirithy’s turn into the dream eaters. (And also that apparently he left his hat behind before he left as he picks it up in Scala when Sigurd gives it back to him)

And since there’s only one seemingly possible pod left to take, the one from the data world left for the Player (who never took it and instead dies), theres seem to be only one spot left on the ride out, and with Luxu’s body snatching tendencies, it seems to suggest that Luxu overtook Brain’s Heart and Body, grabbed the last pod from the data and adios’d

BUT the key here is in their apparent attitudes that we know this is likely not the case, and also the Hat, not only does it make it obviously clear who is who, the logistics of the Hat make it clear as well

In both cases, the boy who ends up in the graveyard with the box and the key, and the boy who appears in Scala, neither of them have Brain’s hat

But Brain IS last seen with his hat

If Luxu had overtaken Brain, there would be no reason for him to discard the hat, since the entire point of the body snatching is to be that person

Then, when Brain wakes up in Scala, Sigurd comes along and presents the hat saying “We’ve been waiting for you.” and Brain takes it back

Brain would neither remove his hat, nor would Luxu remove it if he had overtaken Brain

Instead, the likelier option is that Luxu forcibly put Brain into a pod and sent him to the future, saying it would be a shame if Brain were to die while Daybreak Town fell to darkness, because that’s what would’ve happened if Brain tried to stay behind

Where does that Leave Luxu though? How does he get back?

Well back in the data daybreak town, there are actually two Pods left, one meant for the Player who never used it, which Brain likely ended up taking, and a Destroyed Pod that got written off since who would know how to fix it?

Oh, Luxu would! And we know he does, because he specifically taunts Brain with that knowledge, asking him if he even knows how their supposed to work, And wouldn’t ya know, it’s in the Data Daybreak Town, meaning Luxu wouldn’t have even need to physically fix it, he could have easily reprogrammed it to be fixed from the computer side

So, two people, two pods, Luxu sends Brain on his merry way, in the scuffle because Brain would have resisted, the hat might’ve been removed, and Luxu could have easily set it up so that the hat could be preserved and in the future they would know to look and wait for Brain to appear

The only mystery remains then is why does Luxu looks like Brain?

appearances are tricky things in the KH series as well all know, and Luxu’s face has been hidden all this time, likely because his face would have been a spoiler or potentially confusing had it been shown from the beginning of KHX, not KHUX even

The one hint we have, is that in the Back Cover cinematic, which takes places during KHX, If you look closely, apparently you can see a shaggy lock of hair under his hood that matches Brain’s

which means Luxu has probably looked liked Brain all along from the start!

And before getting into the crazier reasons of why someone would look like someone else in the KH series (look at you Ventus/Roxas, Sora/Vanitas, Kairi/Namine/Xion) 

the one that makes the most sense to me personally, consideriong this fact, is that Luxu is a Replica of some sort, of Brain, made by the Master of Masters to fulfill a specific purpose for him, and considering Luxu’s purpose was easily the most important of MoM’s plans, and with how in his early appearances Luxu appears very withdrawn, shy, or dependant on MoM but also separate in some way from the rest of the 5 and with how we know that MoM has no qualms creating living things to do his bidding like the Chirithy’s, we know he’s aware of the replica technology at the very least since the pod system appears to be a workaround for this very issue of needing a medium for the flesh at the appropriate time and place

I think him being a replica with Brain’s appearance makes the most sense, Brain was certainly already on MoM’s radar as a special keyblade wielder, since he was one of the ones MoM chose to be a new union leader, and the way that Luxu’s appearance has always been hidden, how he always wore the black coat which in KH3 seems to be confirmed as what a “default” Replica body appears in when not in use, as we see when Riku Replica shunts out evil Repliku to have the body for Namine, it appears as a doll covered in the black coat

To me, I think it’s fitting, and I think that Luxu being comfortable with shunting from body to body and switching between forms is also part of that, his original form is a replica made to mimic another person, so why wouldn’t he continue that trend? Moving his heart from vessel to vessel, never getting attached to the flesh or identity itself? 

So yeah, I believe that Luxu taking over Brain is a red herring that KHUX ending presents, but I believe it will ultimately not be the case, and the rest of Dark Road/Verum Rex will go further into the reason why that is, with Luxu being a Replica of Brain from the very start coming out on top as the most likely series of events

[bluerosesburnblue]

Alright, finished up the Re:Mind scenario and started Limit Cut (but been spoiled on the secret boss stuff, so there’s, like, no plot things I don’t know about now), so just... some assorted thoughts

Okay, seriously, I’m glad we’re getting a Xehanort side game because what the absolute FUCK is his timeline? Like, actually what the fuck is happening there? When Xehanort meets the Master of Masters, he has silver eyes. Which implies that this is pre-YMX time-travel Nort because Baby Nort in Scala also had silver eyes and YMX has gold. So you’d assume that this scene is between those points. But then Xehanort goes on about his memories and doing things that feel “familiar” and like he has to do them, which would make this post-YMX time-travel shenanigans. So what’s the deal? Were the gold eyes because YMX held a piece of Old Nort’s heart? But if that’s the case, when did Old Nort get gold eyes and why was Xehanort retconned into having naturally silver eyes? Why does he keep flipping eye colors???

I can see why the Luxord and Xigbar scene got cut because oh boy would that have been way too obvious to any KHUx player/Back Cover watcher what they were getting at

I’m so glad that they let Christopher Lloyd ham it up as Xehanort. No idea if Rutger Hauer’s performance was based on his own understanding of the character or a director’s decision, but it just wasn’t Xehanort. I’m sure he gave it his best, I really do, but he embodied a very different tone than every other Xehanort incarnation. Whatever the reason, I think Christopher Lloyd could be very good if Xehanort ever came back, though he was a bit soft for me. Add a little more force to his delivery and I think he’s set

Also on the voice acting, I’m SO GLAD that Haley fixed Vanitas. Holy shit. Not to knock anyone who liked KH3 vanilla’s Vanitas voice, but he sounded like... well, exactly that. A voice. I couldn’t take him seriously because he sounded like someone doing a very distracting, obviously fake voice. The new lines in Re:Mind are a perfect blend of the BBS Vanitas with just a tiny, tiny bit of gruffness and it’s the best he’s sounded yet. So much so that it was jarring when the original scene came in after the fight, but hey. Glad old Vani is back

The two points above lead me to believe that there was a voice direction issue in KH3 and either Re:Mind had a new director or they took feedback, which I appreciate

Did Lingering Will always have those dirt smears on him and I never noticed? I like them. Also liked the effect on the armor shattering. It was just cool to see

I picked the new playable characters every time they were offered just to try them out and... uh... wow it’s a trip to flip between a Level 99 Sora wielding the Ultima Weapon and literally everyone else. And also having different shortcuts. I only died as Kairi and I have no idea if that’s because Xehanort was just a tough fight or I’m very bad as her. She has a great playstyle though! I like how she closes distance, though her dodges are pretty stilted

I’ve seen people saying that Darkness being in Ven confirms the “Ven is Strelitzia’s killer” thing. It doesn’t. It could be a hint, but it’s not confirmation. Especially since Darkness is wandering free outside of Ven as of KHUx’s current updates. Nothing disproving that they’ve been swapping hosts and went from Strelitzia’s killer to wandering around helping Maleficent and then into Ven in what would be a future KHUx update

(I still think the fact that Brain wanted to bring up the Union Leader thing with Ephemer, specifically, seems to point to Skuld since she and Ephemer have a history that Brain knows about and if you found out that a friend’s friend was possibly a traitor, you’d warn them first. Not to mention that Player should not have been with the Dandelions and yet Skuld was the first person on site to save them, which possibly was a point of divergence in the “planned” timeline)

From Vanitas’s new lines, he may be Darkness. And yet, his old lines still indicate that he’s Ven’s darkness. Which got me thinking something wild. No real evidence for this yet, but for some reason I find myself wondering if these “monsters” of Darkness that the Master of Masters mentioned could be a hive mind of sorts. And perhaps they reproduce by planting seeds of Darkness in the hearts of others that “feed off” of the darkness that’s already in there. That would reconcile how Vanitas could be Ven’s “brother” crafted of his darkness, and yet also a separate consciousness

The Sea Salt Trio “reclaiming the Recuscant’s Sigil” was... really dumb. Really, Roxas? Being brought back to life wasn’t good enough? You need to take a magic X, too? You may have been bound to the Organization, but the symbol of your friendship was always the ice cream

Roxas having Reversal was a cute touch. Loved that

The fucking Daybreak Town history mural in Scala ad Caelum reached out and slapped me across the face as someone who’s played KHUx since release day. The way the “BREAK” lingers in the slides was like... ouch. Now make the final Keyblade War missions PLAYABLE so we can see the break!

I think it says something about me that my first thought when looking at the empty fountain was “cast Waterga” instead of “hit giant conspicuous objects surrounding fountain that you can lock onto”

There was so much good Riku+Mickey and Riku+Terra content and I’m just so glad that they remembered the other people Riku loves. The way he gets protective over the Replica body because it has “important memories” in it, which I can only imagine were Repliku’s memories of Namine... boy...

Repliku should’ve just taken the goddamn replica. I’m sorry, but the fact that he doesn’t is silly. They have Even! Even, who made them in the first place. You’re telling me that he couldn’t just make another? Or that no other Organization member dropped a replica body when they were defeated??? No less than six members had replica bodies. Obviously Xion kept hers, but that still leaves five that should’ve been there. None of them could be used for Namine? And if Repliku had taken the body that was already pre-programmed to house his heart, they could’ve had an extra fighter for the side of light. Like there’s just no good reason for Repliku to ditch the replica body for Namine unless they really needed to kill him off for RikuNami content

Riku deserved to have a new little brother as much as Sora and Kairi deserved their new siblings. At the very least, Repliku deserved to survive if they were going to bring him back into the plot for KH3

Bless the Guardians all fighting together, even if I would’ve liked Mickey, Aqua, and Xion to contribute a bit more than Reflect. Still, Lea and Aqua team attack with banter? Xion/Ven/Roxas team attack??? Terra/Riku team attack! Very good, this is exactly what the whole ending sequence should’ve been. All of the heroes engaging in weird team-ups with banter

I swear I felt like I was doing something wrong the entire Mickey sequence. He felt like he was making no progress! Why that mouse gotta be so slow!?

The detail of Sora and Kairi’s memories making up the feathers of their team attack! An attack called One Heart! That hug where they cradle each others’ heads! The fact that Sora was so on the ball healing me as Kairi because I sucked! Their hearts intertwining and them coming into being in each others’ arms in the Final World! That’s deep love, baby. Ain’t no drifting apart there

When Chirithy cries I cry. I’d die for that little guy. Even if that’s Ven’s Chirithy and my character from KHUx’s that I’m actually attached to is probably dead

We really got nothing extra about those KHUx ties, which is wild but also I guess understandable since the game’s still updating and we need to keep people playing it. More people would play it if the gameplay system was overhauled and I have a list of ways they could do it, but we all know that’s not gonna happen

Limit Cut definitely feels like it’s just an explanation for the Data Fights + Sequel Bait. So far I’ve beaten Repliku and tested out Luxord, which feels beatable once I get the pattern down enough to do it quickly and also don’t use Ultima Weapon because it just hits cards it isn’t supposed to. I... don’t think my strategy of “spam Rage Form and Ultimate Form to abuse i-frames until the magic bar recharges to heal” was the intended way to do that, but it worked

Also Invi’s robes are normal-colored in the Journal entry so I dunno WHAT’S up with the magenta color in the Secret Video! I also found it funny that the Journal describes all four of the Foretellers it lists as “wearing white robes” even though literally only Ira’s robe is white, Invi’s and Aced’s only have whitish-sections but are predominantly another color, and Gula’s has zero white at all. Goooooood job