#vanitas in the novels is sad

[mythicalartistx]

Vanitas in the novels is not what I expected....

I saw someone BBS sections online and it was just the Vanitas sections and it was worse than I thought.

I knew everytime you hurt or kill Unversed, Vanitas feels pain. That I knew and was sad. I knew the novels had more added extra details about that, BUT I DIDN'T EXPECT HIM TO BE SO SAD AND JUST WANTED TO STOP FEELING PAIN

That's why he looked so sad when Ventus defeated him. He only wanted to feel whole again so he wouldn't feel hurt or pain.

He was so miserable. He questioned his existence. He felt pain because he was separated. He hated looking at Ven, but when MX brought him to Eraqus he then started to missed him.

All the pain, sadness, nervous, and basically any emotions would create unversed. And he hated the sight of the Unversed as they also made him feel weak. When he destroyed them and it caused him to feel intense and physical pain. But it also made Vanitas feel slightly better because the Unversed being alive made him miserable. However the pain was so intense and it often made him create more Unversed because of it in an endless cycle.

He hated Ventus cause he got to live happily without feeling anything. He also reminded him of how weak he was because when they were one person he used to be weak and timid, but when separated Ven grew stronger due to Eraqus, Aqua, and Terra's influence. When Vanitas saw his other half, after Sora's heart touched both of theirs, he despised him and wanted to hurt him.

Vanitas actually didn't really want anything to do with MX but only helped him so it makes the pain go away. MX often told him the pain and hurting will make him stronger and to use those feelings. Vanitas only really went with him and wanted to forge the χ-blade and connect so he will stop hurting.

He just wanted to feel better and it's like really sad.

And MX often laughed at his pain or just watched , not doing a single thing.

Also sometimes MX would hurt and fight Vanitas to make him stronger and then disappear. And Vanitas would just be in the keyblade graveyard alone and hurt. Because of how alone he was and how much pain and all the sad feelings he got, he turned cold and a bit twisted. He didn't know nice things for himself, he only saw other people having this and it was never him.

It's just all so sad.

The parts that were just about his creation is just so 😔😔🥹💔

Like he still did all those things but it's understandable where he's coming from now. You feel bad for him now and NOW MORE THAN EVER he should get redeemed.

I already thought he should be redeemed because of how he was in his KH3 battle and he can stay as darkness if he wants but still be friends with them and maybe feel better.

GIVE HIM A HUG PLEASE he deserves it even if he bites

He's a silly little chaotic guy that deserves to be loved

[aitsuheart]

Chapter 2 - Don't Think Twice One Shots

He Disappeared, But his Feelings won't

Blurb:

[shuuru]

On Vanitas and Xehanort's relationship.

I find it really hard to write Xehanort and Vanitas's interactions, especially when writing Vanitas's feelings about his Master.

I love Vanitas in the BBS Novel, especially because most of his scenes don't contradict the games. "Secondary canon" as the kids say.

My struggle comes because Xehanort is so obviously evil and a manipulate bastard to the viewer (he set up his own kidnapping ffs. Eraqus is either blind or too in love to really see it despite The Incident™) and still, the short conversations he has with Vanitas are... very normal in the beginning.

“Vanitas, are you prepared?” The young man he called Vanitas stood next to the elder, also watching the shooting star. His jet-black hair matched the darkness of the night. “We leave early tomorrow. Be sure to rest.” The old man patted Vanitas on the shoulder, and the light of recognition appeared in Vanitas’s eyes. “I can go a day or two without sleep. No problem.” Vanitas smirked. The old man—Master Xehanort—returned the smile. “Our tale begins now, Vanitas.” “A tale? Is that all it is?” Vanitas put on the mask he held at his side and looked up at the sky once more. At that, the old man convulsed with deep, throaty laughter.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep The Novel - "Something Strange" Page 11

When Xehanort asks for his opinion on Ventus, Vanitas answers very casually in both Japanese and English. (He doesn't even use the polite です and just goes with the casual だ) There's no respect and Xehanort doesn't demand it.

“He ain’t gonna cut it."

Xehanort does speak badly of Vanitas to Terra, calling him a demon of his own creation, but how much is twisting the truth and how much is his own feelings towards him?

Xehanort lied as naturally as he breathed.

As Master Xehanort made his exit, Maleficent turned her attention to another in the corner of the room. “And you? Are you a friend of this man?” A lone boy appeared from the shadow of a curtain—Vanitas. “A friend…? What do you mean by that? What about you? Are you a ‘friend’ of his?” Vanitas countered Maleficent’s query with his own. “Yes, I suppose I could call him an ally with a common goal.” “Then sure. I guess I’m the same.” Vanitas smirked. “Have fun with those three,” he told her before leaving the room.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep The Novel - "Something Strange" Page 59

An ally with a common goal, that seems to be the extent of their relationship despite Vanitas being his Apprentice.

The flashbacks of Vanitas's time in the badlands and training are exclusive to the Novel version and Kanemaki hit us all with a suplex because none of this is in the game. Kanemaki looked at the little darkness gremlin and said "You. I like you. Have character development."

“If I must…I will extract the darkness from within you myself.” A translucent ball of light rose from Ventus’s chest up into the air, until something pitch-black began to manifest around it. The substance took on a spherical shape, almost like a large egg, and all at once, a boy clad in a black bodysuit and mask appeared within, clutching his legs to him in a fetal position. The light left Ventus’s eyes. The boy uncurled his arms and legs, then landed lightly on the ground and looked at Xehanort. He had no idea who this guy was. Didn’t know who the guy laid out over there was, either. I’m just kinda…sad. Why am I sad? “Empty creature from Ventus riven…to you, the name Vanitas shall be given.” “Yes, Master,” replied the masked boy, Vanitas.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep The Novel - "Dak Memory" Page 334

“Don’t excite him, Vanitas.” Xehanort shot Vanitas a glare as he strode over to Ventus and helped him up. His golden eyes glinted sharply. “Excite him? Why shouldn’t I? He’s me. And didn’t you just say you liked the Unversed? What happened to putting this loser to rest?” “The situation has changed. Ventus’s heart is not so weak.” “Whatever,” Vanitas spat. So Xehanort didn’t know what really happened to Ventus. Someone somewhere had completed the boy’s heart, but Xehanort had reached the conclusion that Ventus’s own resilience was the cause. And that offended Vanitas, too. He’s undeniably a part of me, so why do I hate the kid so much? “Get out of the way. I’ll get rid of him myself.” Vanitas summoned his Keyblade into his hand. “Wait. We don’t know what will happen to you if he meets his end.” “So now what? If I have to be around him, I know I’m gonna end up snuffing him out.” His Keyblade still at the ready, Vanitas looked at Ventus, whose face remained twisted with pain. “Then I know just the place for him.” “You’re gonna lug him off somewhere else, then? Man, glad he means so much to you.” Vanitas laughed. “Both you and Ventus are necessary to my plan.” “Your plan, huh?” Without giving his opinion one way or the other, Vanitas dismissed his Keyblade and looked at Xehanort. He didn’t have any intention of being used in this man’s schemes. While the remnants of Ventus’s memories told him that Ventus had a certain amount of respect for Xehanort as his master, things were different with Vanitas himself. “Have it your way, Master,” Vanitas shot out, then turned his back on the other two and walked away. “Where are you going?” “Relax, I’ll stay on this world.” Behind Vanitas, the Unversed followed after like his attendants. What would it take to get rid of this anger? Why was I ever born? Vanitas gritted his teeth and scowled. Will my doubts ever go away someday?

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep The Novel - "Dak Memory" Page 338-339

Again, barely any respect for Xehanort and explicitly says he wants nothing to do with his schemes but then something changes. Vanitas begins questioning his existence.

Vanitas felt a stirring in Ventus’s heart, and then it stopped all at once. The incessant winds whipping across the earth had fallen still at the same time. He looked up at the sky. The situation had changed again—Xehanort must have done something. Meanwhile, the “plan” Xehanort had mentioned was bothering him. Why was I born? Why was I made? Where did Ventus go? And what do I do now? I’m nervous.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep The Novel - "Dak Memory" Page 343

He can feel Ventus and all the emotions Vanitas himself can feel are negative. And what's worse, even when he knows the pain he's feeling will give him strenght, he doesn't want to feel like this anymore. He wants to be together again.

Vanitas summoned his Keyblade to his hand and took it to the Unversed scrabbling around him. Pain tore through his body as he brought it down. This was the second time he had defeated one of the creatures himself. Vanitas lashed out at the other Unversed. I don’t want to go away. Spare me. It hurts so much. I hate him. So many emotions poured into him along with the pain. The influx of feelings brought with it more pain, which in turn spawned more Unversed. Defeating them will make me stronger. It means the more I hurt these pieces of myself, the tougher I’ll become—and my Unversed with me. Pain and hate and suffering will be my power. The dark heart he’d been left with was so miserable. Why am I the only one who has to suffer? He pushed all his misery off on me, and now he’s off doing what? Sleeping? I’m jealous. […] Wish I could be numb like that, too. We used to be one, so why did we have to get separated? I’d probably feel a little better, at least, if we were together again. It’s Xehanort’s fault for tearing us apart, but he’s the only one who gets to feel good. He doesn’t have to deal with all this pain. I envy him. Vanitas despised Ventus—loathed him. The stream of Unversed emerging from him also upset him. What would it take for me to escape all of this?

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep The Novel - "Dak Memory" Page 344-345

(I love that Darkness in Ux says that what Ventus wished for was power and Vanitas is obsessed with strenght even when the χ-Blade is still not on his radar. A residual, perhaps?)

And then we reach the most important part. We have the offer of salvation. The "Deal with the Devil"

“You must suffer more and more,” the old man said, turning to leave. Vanitas slowly got to his feet behind Xehanort. “…No.” Xehanort turned back toward the muttering at his back. “No. Why am I the only one who has to go through this?” The old man exploded into laughter at Vanitas’s question. “What’s so funny?” He thought of how much the inside of his chest ached and ached and ached, and tears poured down his cheeks. I can’t take this anymore. “I’ll tell you how to end your torment—become the χ-Blade.” “…χ-Blade?” Vanitas asked desperately. “If you and your counterpart cultivate your strengths and then do battle, the χ-Blade will be forged. The χ-Blade shall free you from your pain—free the entire world.” Vanitas couldn’t care less about the world, as long as he was delivered from this agony. “To this end, Vanitas, you must hone both body and mind.” With those parting words, Xehanort turned away from Vanitas. If I become the χ-Blade one day, I’ll be free of this torment. It was a goal—a purpose. A single ray of light shining in the darkness.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep The Novel - "Dak Memory" Page 346-347

Vanitas now has one single hope: the χ-Blade. And he only has Xehanort's word for it. He doesn't know if it will work, he only knows Xehanort offered it and he will do it if it stops his torment.

Xehanort then begins the process of "tempering" Vanitas as he calls it so he makes him tape into his anger. And here we also have the first description of what Vanitas's life was in the Badlands. Spoilers: Not pretty.

Xehanort loomed over Vanitas, his Keyblade in hand. “Come at me, boy. Your tempering has only begun.” As Vanitas got to his feet with a groan, Xehanort lunged toward him in a flash and kicked him in the jaw. Vanitas went crashing to the ground again. During Xehanort’s occasional returns to this ancient battleground, he would beat Vanitas with his Keyblade and then leave. The solitude cultivated his loathing and made him stronger. That was why Vanitas had been abandoned here. But it still wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough, and that in turn was why the Master needed to return at times for training. While Vanitas did sometimes cry out and weep, this time he merely gritted his teeth and got to his feet again. It was impossible to deny that a dark heart could become full to bursting with sadness and loneliness. Still, that was far from strength. Such feelings could be left to the Unversed. What Vanitas needed to acquire was overwhelming power. And that called for isolation and hatred. True darkness lay beyond his dried tears. “Now, Vanitas, let your hatred grow. Turn it loose upon everything in this world.” Unversed emerged from the boy kneeling on the ground. Xehanort chuckled as he watched.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep The Novel - "Contrast" Page 359

Oh, boy. Where do I begin? Vanitas cries when he's alone but bears it when he's with Xehanort. He lets the Unversed become all the feelings he doesn't consider strenght. Xehanort abandons him for who know how long, returns, beats him and then leaves again.

I know a popular interpretation of their relationship is that Vanitas is afraid of Xehanort. He hates the man but fear? I don't see it. (edit: this take will be my downfall in like five sentences)

And as I see it, all this abuse has purpose. His suffering will grant him salvation in the end. There's an end goal to this and Vanitas will endure for it. The torment doesn't matter, the pain doesn't matter, the solitude doesn't matter. Everything will stop when he becomes the χ-Blade.

But enough about BBS, let's get into the real spice. Dark Road.

Dark Road came into my house, punched me in the face and left me with the knowledge that Vanitas may possibly be one of the 13 Darknesses.

This scene happens right after Xehanort leaves Ventus with Eraqus. My jaw was on the floor because Vanitas and Xehanort's dynamic is So Different here.

I was so fucking naive like five sentences ago because this? This is fear.

Fucking hand-on-shoulder-in-the-first-scene-of-the-novel-Xehanort just threatened Vanitas with violence if he didn't hold his tongue. Live on camera.

"I did this for him. Not you." Bitch, you are the one that stabbed Ventus with the Keyblade?!??!

I digress.

Xehanort then does what he does best and monologues about the events of Ux and after explaining about the 13 Darknesses he asks Vanitas what he thinks and Vanitas's response is:

Xehanort: Press χ to Doubt

Vanitas? What do you mean dot, dot, dot? Vanitas, are you deflecting? Vanitas? VANITAS?

This scene destroyed me for so many reasons but I'm gonna focus on two.

Xehanort knows Vanitas is Darkness™, or he at least suspects it. He's being Very Confident and Vanitas is being Very Quiet which is making me Very Nervous. Vanitas is hiding something. Is that because of his own survival or does he want to hide his status as Darkness™?

Vanitas claims he's "his own being" and honestly? I believe him. I believe Lauriam is right in assuming Ventus and Darkness™ fused. This is like chocolate powder and milk, people. There's no going back. When Ventus said he'll give Darkness™ a form they can defeat, I'm convinced he was referring to himself.

"Guys, Darkness™ now lives inside my Heart. Kill me and destroy it forever." (MoM definitely is laughing in the distance). He doesn't get to say any of that because he's unconscious the whole until arriving to the future.

We're not talking about what happens after this, this is not about you Lauriam.

I 90% believe when Ventus took Darkness™ in his Heart and Xehanort stabbed him with No Name, Darkness™ became "the entity formerly known as one of the 13 Darknesses" Vanitas. He's still half a Heart of pure darkness but he isn't "pure Darkness™". He has been tainted by Ventus's darkness or worse, Ventus's light.

(I have no source for this but I've been told you need Light to wield a Keyblade and isn't that interesting, Mister I-summoned-a-Keyblade-first-thing-after-being-born?)

Isn't it nice how Xehanort says light and Vanitas immediately thinks of Ventus? His light?

This two lines of dialogue have ruined my life because my biggest fear is that they retcon Vanitas and Ventus's relationship to not make them two halves of a whole. Fortunately, the Characters Files give me hope.

"And I'm both you, and not you."

Thank you, Vanitas Kingdomhearts. This sparks joy.

Also, the sentence before that one is a more accurate translation from this scene in KHIII

"I'm the darkness, and that's why you can all exist as light."

I believe the reason the vibes are so different between BBS and Dark Road is that now we know Xehanort's friends died because of darkness and I'm very sure Xehanort holds a grudge because of that. He's with the embodiment of the thing that took everything away from him, or at least he thinks that.

Vanitas was afraid of Xehanort but only in the beginning. The second he decides to become the χ-Blade that fear was delegated to the Unversed. Anything that didn't feed his strenght was useless. After everything, the only feeling that remains regarding Xehanort is hatred.

I actually don't know where I was going with this because I've been writing for almost 11 hours total. I was writing my fic and then Vanitas thought about Xehanort for a second and I stopped and asked myself "What does Vanitas think about Xehanort?" I basically distracted myself into not writing my fic.

Haha.

If I were to write the scene now after all this rambling I would say Vanitas hates Xehanort. If he sees him again, he's going for the kill because he won't let anyone use him again without assurance it will bring him what he wants. Vanitas was his ally but Xehanort never had his loyalty. Even if he did fear him, he has been trained to convert that into rage. He won't be paralyzed by fear, he will draw strength from it.

As Xehanort told Ventus once, change fear into rage which in turn becomes strength, and that leads to darkness.

Thank you for coming to my "anything to not write my fic" talk.

[voidedgear]

HC: Emotional Dysregulation

Vanitas is an extremely emotional person. He’s literally made from the negativity and darkness that used to occupy Ventus’s heart. The Unversed are literally Vanitas’s emotions come to life and there are a WHOLE LOT OF THEM populating the worlds at the time of Birth by Sleep. He can’t control their creation, it’s something that happens spontaneously as he feels something.

And when he does try to prevent his Unversed from spawning, they find other ways to escape from him…

The moment he entered the darkness between, Vanitas dropped to his knees and clutched his chest. It hurts. Ugh, I feel awful. I’m gonna throw up. Vanitas tore off his mask and cast it aside. Beneath the mask was a raven-haired boy, his face twisted in agony as sweat beaded on his brow. Unable to bear it any longer, Vanitas vomited on the spot and spat out a black mass. The mass twitched, and a red eye rose up on it, glinting. It was trying to become one of them. Vanitas smashed it with a fist, and the inky lump splattered and dispersed like mist.

— (Birth by Sleep Novel, Chapter 9)

Feeling deeply is not a bad thing, especially within the context of Kingdom Hearts. Sora is able to save others precisely because he feels so deeply and openly for other people. But therein lays the difference between Sora and Vanitas. Sora feels for other people and Vanitas’s emotions are all self-centered. Sora will take on the burden of pain for others and Vanitas will stop at nothing to ensure that his own pain stops at the expense of harming other people.

Not that wishing for an end to one’s own pain makes someone a monster. It’s the fact that Vanitas does not often care what he does to other people.

Vanitas also struggles with impulse control. That’s the whole reason for that first fight he has against Ventus in BBS, and why he shows up in the Land of Departure. Despite the fact that he and Xehanort had planned to wait for Ventus to grow stronger in BBS, despite the fact that Xehanort wanted to use Ventus as one of the Lights in KH3… Vanitas saw an opportunity to get what he wanted and he took it. Xehanort even scolds him about it in the novel.

[Master Xehanort] noticed a disturbance in the air behind him and the masked boy, Vanitas, appeared. Without turning around, Master Xehanort reprimanded him. “That wasn’t part of the plan.”

— (Birth by Sleep Novel, Chapter 3)

Vanitas struggles with controlling his impulsivity, controlling his emotions, and controlling his circumstances. In fact, Vanitas spends a significant amount of time feeling as if he has no control over any part of himself. The negativity that creates Unversed is cyclical. The more Vanitas feels, the more Unversed he creates, and the less he feels in control. This lead to him lashing out at the Unversed early on, killing them as they were born.

But all this did was cause him to feel whatever pain he had inflicted on them, which caused him to feel worse and create more Unversed—and so the cycle continued. By the end of BBS, however, Vanitas has come to accept his Unversed as part of him.

Hate, sadness, fear, jealousy, panic, suffering, envy, anxiety, pain, despair. I embrace them all. Y’know, I may not have friends the way Ventus does, but I forgot about all of you. You were always with me, from the moment I was born.

— (Birth By Sleep Novel, Chapter 12)

Vanitas achieves a kind of self-acceptance with his Unversed. He no longer destroys them and accepts them for what they are.

However, just because Vanitas has accepted his Unversed and his emotions does not mean he is… regulating them very well. Vanitas’s mood swings are often powerful and he has virtually no control of them in the moment. They leave him feeling exhausted and irritable. Vanitas struggles to calm himself down and can be destructive toward objects and others when his anger is stoked.

He has trouble defining what he wants and separating it from how he feels. This comes up most consistently with Ventus, Terra, and Aqua. Vanitas is angry at Ventus for denying him the chance to become whole, he hates him, but he also feels lonely without him.

Wish I could be numb like [Ventus], too. We used to be one, so why did we have to get separated? I’d probably feel a little better, at least, if we were together again.

— (Birth by Sleep Novel, Chapter 10)

He hates Terra and Aqua for what they mean to Ventus because a part of him desires that they care about him, too. After all, he spent a very long time watching them all through Ventus’s eyes. He was bound to grow at least a little attached. A little jealous of the way Terra gave him that Keyblade, the way Aqua would bake them treats…

Vanitas also tends to oscillate between extreme self-aggrandizement and severe devaluation of himself (Vanitas’s feelings toward Ventus tend to follow this pattern as well). Vanitas is both the hottest thing since sliced bread and the most miserable creature to crawl out of the dusty cracks of the Keyblade Graveyard.

Of course I should hate my existence. You've hated yourself too, haven't you? I hated you, Ventus. I tried to merge with you, and for a moment I faded away. Did I really hate you? Or was that hatred really directed at myself? It doesn't matter anymore.

— KH Character Files (Vanitas)

In conclusion, Vanitas is…

A Mess.

Basically.

[tklpilled]

media you should get into (bc i need more tk content)

the case study of vanitas: anime/manga about a vampire named noè who befriends (and falls in love with) a human named vanitas. very entertaining, a great balance of humour and angst, wonderful storyline and characters, and beautiful art style

heaven official's blessing: novel about a fallen god and his one and only worshipper, a ghost king, who has been devoted to him for centuries. very cute and will also rip your heart out. wonderful characters including side characters, incredible storytelling, and some of the most beautiful writing you'll ever see. it has an unfinished animated adaptation, but the novel is complete.

hunter x hunter: anime about a boy named gon who decides he wants to follow the most dangerous profession in the world, and his best friend who ran away from his abusive family. has some of the most heart-wrenching scenes ever, amazing writing for all characters including the antagonists, and very deep themes.

attack on titan: anime about a boy named eren who trains to be a soldier so he can live in a free world. genuinely the best storytelling you'll ever see, absolutely incredible characters and plot and will definitely make you cry your eyes out.

trigun: anime about a wanted criminal named vash, who is trying to blindly save humanity. got a reboot in 2023, both are very good. very funny but also has a sad overarching story. will definitely hit you right in the heart.

dead plate: video game about a man named rody, who works at a restaurant to try and win his girlfriend back. very fun game but features many dark themes, has an interesting storyline and beautiful art.

chainsaw man: anime/manga about a boy named denji, who makes a contract with his pet devil in order to live, and ends up being used for his powers. super well-written and features lots of themes of non-sexual intimacy and platonic love, as well as grief.

the raven cycle: book series about a friend group who are trying to find an ancient corpse. features characters who are all a little in love with each other and is beautifully written.

fruits basket: anime about a girl named tohru who moves in with the popular boy at school and helps to break his clan's curse. romance on the surface but actually about overcoming your traumas and learning how to grow as a person. very cute character designs too.

[starryalpacasstuff]

Tagged by @lurkingshan thank you, bestie!! Our responses are so similar I might as well as have copied yours and called it a day, lol

(Edit: tagging @telomeke since you tagged me for the game later, thank you for always going out of your way to make sure everyone feels involved!!)

hardcover or paperback (I don't really have a preference)// bookstore or library // bookmark or receipt (neither I either turn the book upside down while open, turn the page corners down or rememberthe page number)// standalone or series (depends on my mood and how much I like it) // nonfiction or fiction// thriller or fantasy // under 300 pages or over 300 pages (once again, depends on my mood. I've read an 800 hundred page book in one day before, but I can also enjoy taking my time with a 150 pager)// children's or ya // friends to lovers or enemies to lovers // read in bed or read on the couch (I've read while sitting on top of a table once because my bed got boring. Do not underestimate me.)// read at night or read in the morning (who cares! Read all day) // keep pristine or markup // cracked spine or dog ear

Currently Reading-

Memory of Light by Ruth Vanita, as a part of my project to try to interact with more indian queer media. It's an indian wlw novel set in the British Raj period in the early 1800's. It tells of a romance between the poet Nafis and the courtesan Chapla from Nafis' point of view, jumping back and forth in time. I'm not going to lie, I'm struggling with this book and I'm extremely sad about it. It has a very elegant premise and some of it is really very beautiful, but it's a little difficult to read. You're introduced to several characters right off the bat, and you're only introduced to more as the book progresses, meaning that even halfway through the book I only have a vague idea of who about half the characters are. Additionally, the book gives little to no warning about jumps in the setting time-wise. Reading the book feels a little bit like stumbling around in the darkness, constantly blindsided by new information. The writing is also...not to my taste, bordering on purple prose at times. However, I'm only halfway through, and the book does seem to be improving as it progresses, so I'm somewhat hopeful. The relationship between the two is quite adorable, and I'm rather intrigued to see where it'll go past it's baby stages. I am also enjoying the setting and the way their community is built up, it's possibly the most entertaining part of the book so far.

Tagging- @anixknowsnothin @dimplesandfierceeyes @greenteadumplings @waitmyturtles @bengiyo

[acespade1232]

Dream of the red chamber reading chapter 1:

<- introduction | Chapter 2 ->

Overview:

So the goddess Nüwa, she makes a bunch if stones to rebuild the sky but one is left over and was magic, a taoist (Mysterioso) and a Buddhist (Impervioso) find him and mark him as special.

A bunch of time passes and another taoist (Vanitas) finds him and learned of the stones entire life as a human (after being brought to the realm of the mortals by Mysterioso and Impervioso) and that it wanted it's life to be published. Vanitas responds that the stone forgot put the date and that there isn't a moral so it's getting an F on it's writing homework.

The stone then proceeds to go off about how romance novels suck because they are very stereotypical and samey, and that they ruin the reputations of the deceased and that it's was better because it showed real people and all their flaws and that it hopes that people find an escape from the real world and Vanitas was owned so hard that he changed his name Brother Amor/the passionate monk and started to publish to book.

[This all happened in 8 1/2 pages btw]

So cutting away from all of that to something unrelated in Carnel lane is the couple Zhen Shi-yin and Feng-shi and their daughter Ling-Yian and everyone loved them.

Then Shi-yin dreams himself into the spirit world and he hears Mysterioso and Impervioso talking about how they are gonna put the magic stone with a batch of lovesick souls and they also mentioned the stone meeting the fairy Disenchantment and in her realm it also met the Crimson pearl flower and the rock watered the flower which caused her to become a girl and she became sad about not being able to water it back unless she became a human and cried on it throughout her whole life.

Then Disenchantment brought together a bunch of souls (including the Crimson pearl flower) and sent them to be humans and thats where the stone is being brought by the Taiost and Buddhist. They decided to go down to the realm of humans too to help people.

Then Shi-yin [bet you forgot he was here] and asked the pair about how karma works so he doesn't go to hell and thry respond that he just needs to remember them and he'll be fine and they also showed him the magic jade. Then they approach the archway to "the land of illusion."

Then Shi-yin woke up a Taoist and a Buddhist approached him and were like "your daughter will ruin your life and your wife's" then the two priests split up and then Jia Yucun came to the door asking if he was ok and Shi-yin invited him inside to hang out. They barely talk before Shi-yin has business he needs to take care of and leaves. While he is gone Yu-cun sees a woman outside and thinks she has a crush on him and then he left.

Then it was festival time and Yu-cun was making poems when Shi-yin hears and complements his poetry and invites him over and they got drunk and Jia kept doing more poems and Shi-yin gives him cash, silver, and clothes to go to the capital to get a high ranking position.

Ying Lian went out with the maid named calamity to see the lights when she got kidnapped. When calamity couldn't find her he ran away. The parents fell ill after not being able to find her, then the monk in the temple next to their house accidently set the entire town on fire.

The couple said "fuck this shit I'm out" and went to the countryside to become farmers but they sucked at it and became broke. They then went to live with her parents with only 2 maids. They gave the money they got from selling the land to the FIL when he stole half of it and gave them a shitty cottage in the middle of nowhere. Shi-yin met a taoist and he left his family to go wander eith him.

Mrs. Zhen tried to find him but couldn't so she embroidered with the two maids to make some money. Then an offical of the government came and she thought she recognized him but decided to go to bed when she overheard people talking about someone being wanted at a government office. This concludes chapter 1.

Thoughts:

I forgot how much shit happens every chapter. It felt like it just went on and on. I'm sure it's all gonna be relevant at some point or another, but it doesn't stop it from being a slog to get through. Some quotes I believe are gonna be important are: "Truth becomes fiction when the fiction’s true; Real becomes not-real where the unieal’s real." (This was written in the archway labeled land of illusion) and "Vanitas, starting off in the Void (which is Truth) came to the contemplation of Form (which is Illusion); and from Form engendered Passion; and by communicating Passion, entered again into Form; and from Form awoke to the Void (which is Truth)." Both of these feel like they are gonna be important themes or ideas later in the book.

Limbus thoughts:

So if you know limbus, then you probably remember hong lu's E.G.O being called "land of illusion" and hey would you look at that we get an archway in the spirit world with that written on it. Since it's literally the name of the E.G.O he starts with its safe to assume this will become important in his canto, I guarantee the land of illusion or some equivalent will show up, if it's gonna the spirit world like in the book it's hard to say but it will be important. I think it's also possible that hong lu either A. distort/manifest E.G.O (not just ego attacks like full-on ego like the red mist has) or B. he, in some way, is not human. We already know of non-human sentient creatures existing, the abnormalities being the most prevalent, of course, but we also know of giants and gnomes from Miracle in District 20.

Which characters I think will show up:

Mysterioso and Impervioso: 4/5 they are who bring the stone into the real world and are from the spirit world so it would make sense for them to show up but they aren't all that important to the Jia family so they may not

Crimson pearl flower 3.5/5: owes a debt of tears to the stone but until she gets more screentime this is all I can give her

Jia yu-cun 3/5: part of the Jia family, he's not super important in this chapter so there isn't much to go off of, he is part of the Jia family so that helps his odds.

Fairy Disenchantment 2.5/5: is in charge of the group that sends Crimson pearl flower and the stone to earth as humans but doesn't do much outside of that.

Vanitas 1.5/5: Also from the spirit world, he publishes the book of the stone, but that happens way after the events of the book so I doubt it

The Zhen couple 1/5: they only really impact Jia yu-cun, at least in this chapter, so unlikely

Ying-ling: 0.1/5: she barely exists until she gets kidnapped so she could easily be left out.

[evaundertale]

My kingdom hearts ships really just have become yes.

I straight up made this list because at somepoint imma draw these ships whether it's aus or not.

I like Sornami this I don't know why but I always felt Sora have more chemistry with Namine even if it's based off fake memories for the first half. But also I'm still slightly prefer them with others as well.

Love soriku there's no question their I reblog it like alot the ship has stuck with me sense kh2. And hasn't ever left. But other than that I'm a sucker for friends to lovers troop and this was the first friends to rivals to enemies to friends to loves. I'm not one who normally like rivals to lovers or enemies to lovers but this ship opened that up for me especially with how Riku tries so hard to redeem himself for Sora when he doesn't even have to.

Sorkai in kh 1 is great but shaky about it later on especially with reading the novels and looking at the translation of kh 3 also cause I think Kairi deserves better than how Sora treats her sometimes. It's like she's an after thought sometimes and it sucks.

Now Kairi with anyone else is higher then sorkai like roxiri, vankai, venkai, namikai, xion x kairi and sometimes and this is really just sometimes Odette x Kairi. I love all the ships and how their concepts could be.

I love namixi, rokunami, rokunamixi (ot3 like I think it'd be wholesome if they all were together and caring for eachother), rokushi these just are wholesome regardless of how you look at them.

Repliku and Namine I don't really ship Riku in Namine because I think Nomura shot that down instantly by changing the cutscene but also I liked the idea of Riku treating Namine, Kairi and Xion all similar sense he tends to interact slightly similar with each of them. But Repliku and Namine is both sad and wholesome it's probably due to the biased I have for liking the fan made trio with her the lost trio.

Vanami and Vankai so I got a reason for liking these two ships one the concept of Vanitas probably seeing Kairi as weak (in his eyes) or something but growing and interested in her for standing up and facing him despite that. Maybe they'd start off at odds not liking eachother or Vanitas being interesting while Kairi just sees him as a threat. The difference with Namine is I think he'd slightly mellow out not to much but find the fact she can manipulate memories fascinating. Maybe she reaches out wanting to help him even if he's full on darkness she probably would want to help like with Repliku but this time she feels she can is in more control to.

Okay okay the ships Namikai so I liked the aspect of how when they connected they have a light connection not to say that means anything but when Kairi needed someone Namine came in kh 2 and understood her like no one else even if she is technically a form of her Namine develops into her own person outside of Kairi and I just think it's wholesome which ever way you see it platonic or romantic.

Xion and Kairi I think in Xions case this ship is interesting to say the least not that it's bad just sense Xion in that weird grey area, she's Kairi, Sora and Riku at the sametime she develops on her own but still was the memories of Sora of Kairi and possibly Riku as well (cause why else did she experience a memorie only Riku has) so I guess she could have feelings for Kairi off Sora's memories of her but then again as she developed and Kairi slowly grow feelings over her seeing Xion becoming stronger despite her struggles.

I weirdly like Kairi and Strelitzia as a concept it's cute and I feel like wholesome from most comics or people who've talked about it. They tend to have wholesome ideas.

Venkai okay this one is just yes for me while her time away from Sora and training with Aqua she could get to learn not only combat but that she doesn't have to mimic others. From Kairi in Melody of memories in the Japanese translation she seems to blame herself slightly about Sora's death but not only that but from her combat in kh 3 it mimics mainly Sora's but with some of Riku. With Kairi's character constantly trying to catch up to both I feel like with time she lost a bit of herself due to that. From not finding her own way to train or fight that's why I think not only with the training from Aqua could she have time to reflect and think but get advice as well. In that time whether romantic or platonic I think Kairi and Ven would interact alot getting to know eachother and it being healthy to see the Wayfinder trios interactions. It might make her miss her friends but also might make her resolve to grow stronger that much firm. Now to the way I see Venkai sense Ventus is treated as the kid within the Wayfinder trio having someone around his age or also treated could lead to interesting bonding or Ventus mentioning how after all they been through Aqua and Terra still treat him like a kid. Kairi who probably doesn't really mind bring treated like she's younger much but might open up a bit more. Maybe over time they both talk about their worries or the events that happen to find some sort of closure. I think even if Ventus and her I think would he cute I also know full well it can be platonic as well.

Roxiri I will die on this rarepair ship. Okay actual reason I just love the concept the struggle with Roxas not knowing if she likes him for technically being a part of him or if his feelings are his own or Sora's (yes Xion probably go through that struggle to) while Kairi might end up hanging around him for see that he feels left behind to. I know Nomura doesn't address it much but from days and both Xion and him wanting to see where Alex went to when Xion forced a fight on him I do think Roxas should have a bit more struggle with those two events especially with them coming back not saying they wouldn't be friends again I just think they should talk about it maybe there's a stiffness in the air till they interact and in this time Kairi who also feels left behind alot probably talk about it growing a slow bond. From Kairi giving suggestions like Roxas talking it out especially sense thats how her and Axel worked it out. And Roxas letting her know that she doesn't have to face things along or feel left behind and to go at her pace. Maybe they could start having small bit training like he did with Xion in-between her training with Aqua. I feel like Roxas though would probably start off a little bit distant when she approaches probably dealing with the fact now that he's out only to find out Ventus is there and he looks like him exactly. Roxas struggles didn't really get addressed much but I do think if they were Kairi might help him out a bit even if it's just advice. The concept just intrigues me and I love it so dear.

Lastly RokuNamiXi I like Xion and Roxas I personally prefer rokunami a bit more but I also love the concept that they would just date together from me shipping all three pairs of Namine and Xion, Roxas and Xion and Roxas and Namine. I didn't wanna just let any of them be a third wheel. I think it'd be wholesome and sweet to see them all dating eachother from having feelings for eachother.

[rhythmmortis]

imstill thinking. i want to know so much. Which is ur favorite trio. Ur favorite kh game. Favorite kh world. Whats ur favorite kh headcanon. Thoughts on axel

fave trio: this one is hard but im gonna have to go with wayfinder trio because aqua and terra my beloveds....... the autism duo........ (and also ventus is there and he's cool but i am more focused on aqua and terra because i have so many fucking thoughts about them. where did they come from. how long have they been training and how much do they know about keyblades and history since they were presumably studying. what specifically made them be chosen. i am so excited for their future in the series because AOUGHHH). since i think the series might be headed towards a shift in the 'light good darkness bad' mindset where light might serve as a slightly antagonistic role (what with the whole keykids fighting over light and whatever the fuck is up with MoM, also i think it would just be cool), i think aqua and terra and ven are kinda the perfect trio to explore that with. there's also them ACTUALLY dealing with the aftermath of bbs (since we never really got that!! and i wanna see how their dynamic actually is, how do they deal with the fallout of those events like terra killing eraqus, aqua not trusting ven, ven still technically being pure of heart?) and how aqua is gonna handle basically being the successor the eraqus (especially since aqua BECOMING a master and not terra was part of why shit fell apart. theres drama to be had (even though in bbs xehanort does call terra 'master terra', its just to trick him into trusting him more yes BUT xehanort is still a master. to our knowledge all it takes to name a master is another master seeing them pass some sort of arbitrary test and saying they are. yes xehanort is evil but he is still a master. making terra technically one too. and i wonder how he would feel about that title still, as its everything he wanted but thats how he got it)). i have so many thoughts on them all but it's very chaotic and disorganised so i will move on fkhfdkjh

fave kh game: bbs i love you so so so so much my beloved wonderful game!!! ive talked about this a bit before but bbs is very accessible for me to play since you can choose your own moves and commands so you have a good degree of customisation with how you play, you can choose if your finishers have QTEs (since my hands are kinda shit, i cant really do QTEs or input heavy things, so being able to choose if i want to or not is amazing), command board is actually quite fun and a fun way to level up commands without having to go into combat so you can take a break but still enjoy it, i enjoy the movement options and how varied they are between characters, and its easy to move between commands on the command deck (im looking at you ddd. why do i have to use the goddamn D-PAD). aside from actual gameplay, while the story is a bit clunky at times and theres DEFINITELY room for improvement, i still find it quite endearing and theres some REALLY fucking good moments in there i still think about so often. the fact that terra's final fight is a fight we as the player know he cant win but he fights regardless. and then sprouts a stupid little cape like its from a tissue dispenser for the sake of continuity. terra's voice genuinely cracking slightly when he's crying after he kills eraqus. aqua calling vanitas a freak. the extra chapters in the bbs novel that add so much depth to vanitas and ventus (which isnt in the game but its still so good regardless). the entirety of the secret chapter in aquas route. the vanitas remnant fight (you find what's left of this sad kid, beat him up, and steal his keyblade). good fucking game

fave kh world: for some goddamn reason this is also bbs worlds. what the fuck is wrong with me. it's either land of departure (which we literally know basically NOTHING about and i am so curious about it) or the realm of darkness SPECIFICALLY in the secret chapter.

(^one of many insane ramblings i sent to my friend after playing bbs again and again) when you first start the secret chapter, you're put in a place right after that scene on the bridge thing in the realm of darkness where aqua gets surrounded by the darksides. if you turn around, you can still see it slightly but you physically cannot go back. you can never go back. and being able to see it gives me this really weird feeling like im being watched or followed, and who's to say that she isn't!! the darkness is always lurking!! after that message i also mentioned that while enemies can drop potions and stuff, its never a guarantee and you are constantly fighting for even the smallest chance of surviving, if that can even be called surviving. your most valuable item that you have (if you have any left) are the ice creams that can trigger command style changes. disney world, the place you get them, is one of the brightest, happiest worlds, and once youre in the realm of darkness, you cannot get any more. you're essentially trading fleeting memories of a happier time as a desperate attempt to stay afloat (you can tell im a kh fan because im essentially thinking about A SECOND TRAGIC ICE CREAM). its a futile and tragic experience which, while 0.2 also has the realm of darkness, the secret episode has such a specific feeling to it i cannot stop thinking about

fave kh headcanon: this one is actually pretty hard because there's so many and i have been losing my mind over other things recently BUT. theres so many headcanons about physical appearance that i love (brown eyes for ALL please put those blue things away, freckles for sora, namine, terra, and a few others, XEMNAS WITH CURLY/WAVY HAIR which is from one panel in the days manga where he's just slightly distorted by water but like. its a good fucking idea, giving characters their normal skin tone back. im looking at you ssbu sora v kh1 sora. they took my boy's melanin (which isnt really a headcanon and more of a genuine anger at the whitewashing), scar headcanons for kairi and sora from where they died, etc). current favourite headcanon is either: aqua using more strategic fighting styles (with teleporation being a BIG part of her bbs moveset, like her unique teleport dodge, her ultimate finisher being teleport spike, and a unique command style being ghost drive) and that either playing into either her feeling detached from everything like a ghost (ghost drive) after being stuck in the realm of darkness for a decade or since these moves leave after images, maybe her developing a fear of isolation (or HERSELF especially given mirror aqua in 0.2), kairi also training with terra because i want her to fight like a fucking TANK instead of being more magic focused. i want her to kill (and if we get a rikai teamup, i think mage riku and tank kairi is such a fun idea), OR the current headcanon/connection of xion to the cavern of rememberance (i talked about it in the tags in this post), but i know theres so many ive had over the years that i genuinely cannot think of right now fkhfdkjh

thoughts on axel: the organisation's assassain. they chose HIM to be the babysitter. and then those kids said 'i could make him feel emotions after a decade of feeling detached from everything' and they did!! they gave him a heart!! but i LOVE thinking about axel during com and i think its the closest we'll probably see of his actual job as an assassain. he AIR FRIED A MAN (and i think in the manga he used his chakrams to physically attack instead). he 'betrayed' larxene and marluxia so easily. he wasn't afraid to go through namine to fight marluxia (that scene where marluxia uses her as a human shield, you can actually visibly see namine shaking in fear and rewatching some com scenes to get gif footage REALLY made me remember that its literally just Kingdom Hearts: Namine's No Good Very Bad Day) but he had NO hesitation. he ordered repliku to STRANGLE zexion. needless to say, this is all treated very casually for him that it makes me think what he mustve done during his time in the organisation to get the status as an assassain. he treats murder as an 'icky job', but on the flipside, when we see him actually care about something, it's just that same drive and motivation but used for his own personal goals (tracking down xion, following roxas in the kh2 prologue which is terrifying without context), but MAN. seeing him from a detached perspective without context is like 'holy shit this guy is scary' and then you play days or read the manga and anything else with him and you realise he's so sillies. wonderful guy 10/10

[grassbreads]

@cinammonelles thank you for the tag bestie! The original chain for this was getting long, so I'll start a new one here :).

Last Song

Thunder and Lightning by Brown Bird!

Salt for Salt (the album this song is from) is a fantastic album, and I cannot recommend it enough if you like folk at all. I may have been listening to it in the shower this morning.

Currently Watching

Genuinely like nothing? I do not think I've watched a single full episode of TV in at least a couple weeks lmao.

However, for the sake of not skipping the question, I'll give you the podcasts I've been listening to instead :). I don't often mention it on tumblr, but I am a regular weekly listener of Behind the Bastards, and recently I've also been revisiting My Brother My Brother and Me.

Currently Reading

Book: Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich.

Love Medicine is a collection of stories that jumps and sprawls across several generations of deeply interconnected Ojibwe families and their various troubles and affairs. This one took a while to fully hook me, but god. When it's good, it's really good.

Web novel: Mo Du/Silent Reading by Priest.

Y'all might have seen me liveblogging this one. Silent Reading is about a police captain who finds himself involved in a series of uncommonly dramatic cases. Leads keep coming out of nowhere, and each case bears a strange resemblance to the current novel being read on a certain audiobook radio show. It's also a romance between him and a mysterious rich boy who keeps going out of his way to involve himself in the cases.

This series is genuinely quite compelling, but I hesitate to recommend it for copaganda reasons.

Manga: D.Gray-man by Katsura Hoshino (rereading).

As a lot of my followers probably know, D.Gray-man is about a group of exorcists in the fantasy 1890s trying to prevent the end of the world by fighting a holy war against demons powered by the souls of the dead. This series owned my entire brain from ages like 13-19, and I'm slowly rereading it for the first time in years.

Current Obsessions

The Case Study of Vanitas/Vanitas no Carte by Jun Mochizuki. This should surprise nobody, as VnC has inherited D.Gray-man's old position as the manga that owns my entire brain. I wrote a 2k word meta post about it yesterday lmao. Sad vampires good.

Tai Sui by Priest. This is the only thing that can currently give VnC a run for its money in terms of brain real estate. It is the web novel of all time and everyone in the world should read it.

D.Gray-man by Katsura Hoshino. Like I said, I'm re-reading! I saw a post last week that made me think about the 14th's song for the first time in years, and it fucking reawakened something in me.

The Mountain Goats (the band). I've loved them for years, but I saw them live for the first time recently, so of course I have been fixating a bit.

If any of y'all want to join in, I'll tag @brushbugs, @halloweentual, @reloaderror, @torterrachampion, @ayakashibackstreet, and anyone else that wants an excuse to join in :)

[the-forgottenone]

(vanitas’s story in the bbs novel was so sad, made me like him 200% more)

(“That’s great. Uh, Roxas? Did you just hear something, or was that me?”)

(Time For Plot™️)

(He blinked a little awake, looking around quickly.)

No-I didn't...?

( @thirteenth-melody )

[mythicalartistx]

I know now without a doubt Kingdom Hearts is L—

No actually I think Kingdom Hearts is honestly purposely censored.

I used to be like well I don't think it's inherently the translators faults, Japanese is a tough language for people to know what it's referring to and likes to Americanized certain things like adding heteronormativity and romanizing things. People like romanticizing thingz so I can't exactly blame them it's part of westerners.

Like when you think of relationships most think of straight relationships so that probably what they thought of it's probably about even though the relationship doesn't really develop that much.

A lot of Action movies have the same problem when there is a male main character, there is always a forced romance with some side girl character when it's not a developed or good relationship it's just there to mark of the love interest category.

But now realizing how much Kingdom Hearts censors things, maybe they had an idea.

Some lines are WAY off from the original made to romanticized so much when the original wasn't even anything remotely like that or about a character in that way. And some scenes take out movements and edit it.

They change the entire meaning to censor things for American Audiences.

Nobody knows why.

And all I can think of is to make it have things that American Audiences would rather enjoy having romance in places unnecessarily or censoring things to be "safe"

I made a post about the Dream Drop Distance scene which gotten a crazy amount of attention only on the first few days it's at 300+notes, but the post was essentially about how when Sora was sleeping he tells Donald and Goofy it's his job to keep him on his toes and he puts his arm down in a fist. Then Riku moved his arm slightly to the left and put it in a fist again?

But the scene actually had Riku telling Donald and Goofy how he slapped Sora awake whenever he fell asleep on the beach and it shows Riku moving his hand in a slapping motion, not whatever that awkward motion was.

The thing is DDD was one of the side games and I thought they didn't pay much attention to the censoring in those. And given how gay DDD is and it wasn't as censoring their dynamic.

However, it got censored and it's like why? Did they think Audiences couldn't handle it?

Like it just seems like a silly thing he would do. It's kinda like how some people would pour water on someone to wake them up.

Like a teasing thing which he does A LOT and it probably wasn't that hard.

And other times I heard about how the language had some swearing or words that could be translated that way but of course since it's Disney the western version had to censor that.

The novels and manga actually still have more language in it.

And I think the main problem is Disney. They censor things a lot now.

They used to be more open to this kind of thing, but now they are soft and never take risks. I also heard how their team would edit things that would be in their original movie to tone it down for KH players.

It's kinda sad because there is definitely a lot of meaning to KH that is lost in translation. The battle with Vanitas is one in particular I had realized it's meaning is a bit more than the western version. The western version also simplifies things and tries to condense aspects as well. Xehanort's reason for everything is also worded very differently in the western version.

One of the reasons I look at fan translations is because it gives more meaning to certain events, not only because of dynamics and possible ships that are lost, but also explanations that are no longer there.

I'm so grateful for everyone who tries to retranslate things accurately and sometimes I use a site for certain things I'm curious but by no means do I speak their language and I get translation is hard, I really hope their future installments don't do this especially with KH4 and ML coming up in the next several years.

[aitsuheart]

I'm really thinking about a Magical "girl" KH Au fanfic

Girl is in quotations cause the ones who are magical girls are both males and females

The MG are known as Light/Warriors of Light for now I haven't come up with a better name. They are just light

Transformation Part

The keyblades are how they fight/use magic. The outfits are fancy robes probably with zippers, belts, and buttons but with colors that fit them. Riku old outfit was yellow but his new one is silver/grey cause it's like he's in between dark and light

Sora is Red. Xion is purple. Ven is green. Strelitzia is orange. Ienzo is blue. Kairi is pink.

The girls have more dress like look than the males.

Everyone has an item that has to do with the transformation. Everyone has this. Riku is a heartless charm. Kairi's is her charm. Sora's is his necklace. Ven is his Wayfinder. Xion is Seashell. Ienzo is his book/lexicon. Strelitzia is her necklace.

Character files I figured out undercut

Riku part

Riku is the first light and he had the ability since he was very young and he fights the darkness and keeps his precious Sora safe

Oh yeah it's Soriku

But it's too much since he is all alone and is constantly targeted so he gives this object that relates to him being light to Sora (it's the necklace)

He thinks they won't target him anymore and it works...... Kinda?

That all happened when they were younger in junior high

Riku at 15 goes to HS away from Sora, Sora is sad. He is too. He tries to cheer him up with ice cream; mini date.

Finally present day Riku is 16 and has been feeling darkness in his heart. The Bad group has been using him. And turns out he's still Targeted and can transform still except his keyblade is different it's not the kingdom key ever since he gave the necklace to Sora.

He works for the bad group and kinda blackmailed they will hurt Sora.

He can control darkness and some heartless like he uses the heartless to save Sora once

Lauriam's Part

Marluxia/Lauriam is in a similar situation where his sister is being threatened if he doesn't help them.

Lauriam and Riku are friends. Lauriam goes by Marluxia when with bad group, Lauriam is his civilian name. Lauriam and Elrena teases Riku about liking Sora at one point after he places Sora in his dorm while he fights off darkness that tries to hurt him.

Sora Part

Sora is normal and had these dreams where darkness takes over light of the worlds. A voice keeps telling awaken some key all the time. Naminé is the voice.

Now at 15 transfers to a high school to be closer with Riku, Ven (his cousin), Kairi and Xion (Kairi's friend)

He surprises Riku, but Riku is more worried that he's there since everything happening on Riku's end.

When Sora gets the ability he transforms using the Kingdom Key also Riku's old form which questions Riku.

Strelitzia Part

She is Lauriam's sister. But also the only one fighting light at first. She often crosses with Riku and tries to stop him (since he is forced to do things for the bad group). She knows Riku does it and he is aware of her identity. Lauriam doesn't know of her involvement.

Elrena's Part

Same with Marluxia, her civilian name is Elrena and her bad group name is Larxene. She thinks the group is stupid and is with Marluxia a lot. She wants to take it over for herself because that would really make the main villain mad.

All the lights in the order they awaken

¹Riku, ²Strelitzia, ³Sora, ⁴Kairi, ⁵Ienzo, ⁶Ventus, and ⁷Xion

I was originally going to include Vanitas instead of Ienzo but decided to make him on the bad side but similar to some of the others where it's not his choice. His involvement will be similar to the novel/game where he is in constant pain and is promised to feel better if he helps

It would be interesting for someone that likes to research/science to be on the Light Party even though he technically doesn't have an official keyblade.

These are majority of the character files I figured out.

Calling this au Magical Kingdom Key Sora for nos

[peachalie]

I was literally just on twitter gushing about how much I love Vanitas and my love for his character is activated like a sleeper agent in my brain when he's talked about.

And then someone writes an essay about how sad his story is in the BBS novels in the tags of that music post and the sleeper agent in my brain has activated twice over.

[voidedgear]

HC: Parasitic Empathy

Vanitas is, more or less, able to passively sense the emotions of people around him. The second KH3 novel included a small section from his POV,

This black mass of hatred isn’t just mine. I can create Unversed from other people’s emotions now, too. I’m not just wallowing in my own pain anymore; I’m not the kid I used to be. 

If Vanitas can create Unversed from other people, he has to be able to have some sense of what these people are feeling. For my personal interpretation, I like to imagine that Vanitas can easily become overstimulated by the emotions of other people. He will avoid crowds of people if he can help it.

He feels negative emotions much more strongly than positive ones. In fact, the only person he can CLEARLY feel positivity from is Ventus.

This is also why he tends to get... a little crazy in battle. Feeling the emotions of his opponent can sometimes create a little feedback loop in his brain. The more his opponent feels excited at the prospect of kicking his ass, the more excited Vanitas will feel in turn.

The game itself has dialogue where Vanitas says,

Vanitas: My heart is made of just one thing. And the Unversed collected enough screams and sadness from those children to reconstruct it.

So, not only can Vanitas create Unversed from other people, he's able to use them to "reconstruct his heart". Though, obviously he isn't able to fully do that since he still makes comments about needing Ventus as far into the game as his final boss fight.

As far as my blog is concerned, Vanitas is able to use this to heal himself when he takes damage. Of course, this relies on his target feeling strong negative emotions as well as holding still for him to siphon the emotions out of them.

In order to do this, Vanitas needs to get close to them.

When Vanitas feeds off someone, he will feel their negativity as if it is his own. He will feel what they feel. His target's emotions will lessen in intensity until they (if Vanitas doesn't stop himself) disappear. This is actually somewhat traumatizing for the hearts of his victims.

Vanitas has never actually fed off a living person (only the canisters of fear in Monstropolis), but as he is a being of emotions, he sort of instinctively knows this. If he cares AT ALL about his target, he will refrain from taking the emotion away completely.

However, due to the fact that he ends up feeling whatever his target feels, he tries not to do this in the first place if he can help it. It really isn't very enjoyable for him.

[hezuart]

I love this meme so much I had to make a second one  Okay but why is Vanitas so BUFF sldkjgldkfjg