there is so very much to learn...

you understand so little... ven, they/it/he, 28 theories and speculations

[databoyreekoo]

lost masters arc predictions (in no particular order)

!find original post here!

some ideas/predictions for the lost masters arc, i'll update this post whenever i think of anything else ✨

mickey recovers "daybreak town era" data from within scala ad caelum, he finds evidence of different layers/divisions within scala

the appearance of scala can be changed with the same (or similar) trick used with the land of departure/castle oblivion, it depends what guild/faction/person is in control and/or whoever wields master defender

sora connecting with strelitzia will allow namine to establish a link to ava, ava's potential return

lea and isa explore the castle in radiant garden, retracing their steps in order to find more clues about subject x, isa recounts how he got his scar

kairi stays with terra, aqua and ventus in the land of departure while training under aqua, the three of them help build up kairi's confidence and combat skills

kairi's desire and determination to become stronger, not just for herself but for her friends too, feels familiar to ven and resonates with him, chirithy reminds ven of the past which jump-starts a flood of memories returning to ven, he passes out again (lol) and Darkness confronts kairi, aqua and terra

like i speculated before, Darkness may take this opportunity to move to another host (kairi), since that's how darkness spreads

lauriam and elrena reunite and set off to aid the guardians, as well as relearn how to summon their keyblades

sora meets luxord, now human, in quadratum -- the wild card serves as proof that they've met before (it would be really funny if the wild card turned into luxord's business card lmfao)

aegis, magia and strelitzia become sora's party members

yozora and riku meet, but instead of fighting they partner up instead

black box will be opened, revealing what's inside

maleficent dragon form but in ue5, pete gets his "big moment" and/or gets turned into a heartless

luxu and the foretellers travel to quadratum

MoM face reveal 🥰

foretellers' face reveal and/or new outfits

true dandelion and child of destiny reveal

"riku isn't human"

new worlds (not all but i feel like these have a good chance); star wars, treasure planet, atlantis, coco, brave, moana, princess and the frog, soul, the incredibles, turning red, inside out, zootopia, enchanted

returning worlds; hercules, frozen, wreck-it-ralph, cinderella (cinderella 3 would be PERFECT for this)

riku, donald and goofy end up adventuring together for a bit, while mickey ends up with sora

subject x has the same scar isa does, or something similar -- it's revealed that the scar on isa would've originally ended up on subject x's face had isa not stepped in

kairi gives up her princess of heart powers, reflecting her growth as a person and as a keyblade wielder

sora recovers his lost memories and his true memories (perhaps riku does too...), with namine's help ("thank namine")

vanitas...separates himself from the collective Darkness and joins the guardians as well

playable characters (other than sora, obvs); riku, mickey, yozora

other characters may have smaller playable segments, like kairi training with aqua, or the guardians fighting together as a group (like in remind)

at least one more movie (like khx back cover)

khx/khux/khml player character is connected to sora (so like, sora is the reincarnation or descendant of player, something along those lines)

riku is a descendant of ephemera OR related to the master of masters

EDIT (additions)

skuld or strelitzia has ava's heart within them, like a kh1 sora and kairi situation, kairi's restoration in remind was foreshadowing ava's restoration

[databoyreekoo]

Elsa, the Power of Love, the χ-blade and Riku

Finally getting around to re-uploading some of my old posts that got deleted when I nuked my blog a while back. I will not be hiding any text behind a "read more" just in case...

You know, now that I’m thinking about it…

How is Elsa able to be a princess of heart? We know that princesses of heart lack darkness whatsoever, and the whole plot of Arendelle was about Elsa’s struggle between finding her light or accepting her darkness. Even Larxene couldn’t tell what Elsa was going to choose.

“Okay, I’ll admit Elsa is a person of interest to us. Maybe she’s one of the seven pure lights we need — the New Seven Hearts. Gotta make sure though. Fortunately, we’re in the best position to tell. Can’t pick out that ‘special glimmer’ unless you’re standing in the shadows. And maybe…Elsa doesn’t have it. I mean, just look how icy her palace is — made of magic she forced herself to keep hidden until now. What if it’s dark magic?”

[Sora: Elsa would never rely on the darkness!]

“Actually, it’s still too early to call. Depends on how she sees it. If she believes her magic is darkness, that’s what it will become. Accepting her power, whatever it is, is the only way she can set her heart free. So what will Elsa accept? Light or darkness? I know I wanna know!”

[Sora: Well, good for you, but guess what? I won’t let her fall to darkness!]

“It’s her choice to make, not yours. You know, I’m starting to understand why she gave you the cold shoulder.”

[Sora: Larxene!]

“You wanna help her? Then stop trying to be her hero! Let her figure things out her own way!”

Going off of the lore that kh has provided thus far, a princess of heart shouldn’t even have a struggle between light and darkness, since princesses of heart are maidens born with hearts of pure light. Belle, Snow White, Alice, Jasmine, Aurora and Cinderella never had to struggle with their “darkness,” because they have none. Negative emotions are different from darkness, because even though their hearts are pure, they’re still human and experience sadness, frustration and fear.

Both Rapunzel and Anna fit the description of a princess of heart, but Elsa? No, not entirely. She’s the first princess/queen in kh that we’ve seen have this kind of dilemma. Had the OrgXiii stepped in and manipulated her, she more than likely would’ve fallen to darkness. Or, alternatively, had Sora successfully stepped in to try and help her (even with good intentions), that would’ve just pushed her further into isolation and further into the dark.

The phantom pain Sora shared with Anna when she was struck in the heart by Elsa’s ice magic? That very same thing could’ve happened to him in a timeline/worldline beforehand where he was successful in confronting Elsa, only to get injured in the process. Which… would’ve probably sent Elsa into a downward spiral and eventually end in her giving into the darkness of her heart. Darkness that shouldn’t even exist inside her if she’s actually a princess of heart.

I mean, Larxene was surprised that Elsa chose light, and was even more surprised to find out that there were two princesses of heart in one world.

“So, love has filled both their hearts with light.”

[Sora: Larxene!]

“Two in one world… Definitely didn’t see that coming.”

Larxene seems to be suggesting here that “love” (true love in the context of the movie) awakened Elsa and Anna’s light and their powers/status as princesses of heart.

To think… that love in its purest form (true love) has the ability to “awaken” the power of the x-blade (rather, a piece of it really, since each princess of heart holds a piece of the x-blade within her heart). Not only that, but love being able to take what darkness is there inside the heart, and either drive it away or return it to the light…

Ah. There it is. The themes of pure/true love, as well as returning the darkness to light — but this time, there’s the possibly of it being connected to the x-blade; love may be required to unlock the x-blade’s true potential and summon the true Kingdom Hearts from within the darkness.

Love being necessary to wield the x-blade and unlock its true potential actually makes sense if you think in terms of Ventus-Vanitas and Xehanort.

Ventus and Vanitas’s fusion was by force, controlled by Xehanort and his obsession to see the end of the Keyblade War and to unlock Kingdom Hearts. Ventus-Vanitas never experienced a “complete” fusion of their hearts. The x-blade appeared complete on the outside, but within Ventus-Vanitas’s heart, it was incomplete. Xehanort’s corrupt desires return again in kh3. His reasons for forging the x-blade have remained the same since bbs. There never was love behind his actions. What he wanted was control. Power. He wanted a world that could be shaped to his ideals. He wanted to play god. His reasons were selfish and devoid of love (and that’s putting it lightly).

Yet… What happens to Xehanort at the end of kh3?

The love from an old friend was enough to push away the darkness in his heart, making him realize that his time was finally up. That it was the end. No more fighting. He failed. Checkmate. And Xehanort, a seeker of darkness, was content to return to the light.

Some afterthoughts…

Elsa is a special kind of princess of heart, just like Riku is a special kind of Keyblade Master; one who walks between light and darkness and uses his powers for good. They both learned that love was necessary to unlock their heart’s true potential and grew stronger from it. To have a world with a character that’s similar to Riku (and in game parallels to Riku) also reveal that true love is the power behind the ability to “consume the darkness and return it to light,” as well as awakening the light within the x-blade… Not to mention, Riku once wielded a blade that was powered by the darkness it consumed; Soul Eater (which happens to be an ability of the Dark Knight class in Final Fantasy, using souleater sacrifices HP to strengthen attacks… like Sora’s rage form).

There’s a possibility that Riku, who has control over his darkness, who once wielded a sword of darkness, could actually resonate with the darkness half of the x-blade already. I mean… Riku wasn’t the one to touch the x-blade. Had he, there may have been a surprising result. But now that Sora’s wielded it, it’s not too far out of his reach. However, Riku still hasn’t learned how to utilize light… yet. What do you think Braveheart symbolizes? It’s proof of his evolution; Soul Eater turned into Way to the Dawn, which broke to give life to Braveheart. He is still learning and growing. Braveheart isn’t the final form of his Keyblade. I believe it’s temporary. This is the first Keyblade Riku has wielded that was properly forged from his heart. And as the wielder changes, so does their heart, and by extension… their Keyblade.

The keychain of Braveheart is a Mickey head, just like the Kingdom Key Light, Kingdom Key Darkside, and Kingdom Key White (also known as Star Cluster), yet I don’t think anyone has questioned why.

Why would Riku’s keychain change from the heart emblem to a Mickey head of all things? Especially since Riku’s character symbol has been that heart since kh1, (even his chess piece is that symbol). Well… I’ll tell you now that it has nothing to do with Mickey at all. Like I said; Braveheart is the first Keyblade properly forged from Riku’s heart. It’s in its basic form; gray, bulky, awkward and entirely different than most other Keyblades we’ve seen (his is based on a pin tumbler lock key, while most of the other Keyblades are based on lever tumbler lock keys). It’s no wonder the keychain is something as basic as the default Mickey head. Riku’s heart is still growing from each experience. Riku already broke through dawn. His heart is looking for the next path he needs to take in order to grow stronger. For now, he’s in a state of suspension, which is represented by a “blank” keychain.

[databoyreekoo]

The True Dandelion [theory thread]

!Find the original twitter thread HERE!

Theory aside, I think Strel and Ava are both really good potential candidates of the True Dandelion’s identity. But...

From the beginning, Nomura has been setting up a grand reveal regarding Riku and what he truly is. I believe he may be revealed to be the True Dandelion. We know Nomura loves symbolism, and that he’s really inspired by mythology. Riku is a prime example of that.

Riku is symbolically tied to the following;

Dawn

[The] Sun

Halos

Hearts

Yellow (as well as purple and blue)

Dawn represents;

triumph over darkness

rebirth, regeneration, creation

unconscious into consciousness (awakening...destati?)

illumination and enlightenment

the beginning of salvation

Dawn is associated with;

Aries, The Ram

white horses (especially a chariot pulled by winged horses)

Note for later: Dawn is also connected to lightning/thunderbolts, also known as the celestial fire, which is a symbol of Zeus (Jupiter’s bolts symbolize chance, destiny and providence, said to be forces that will mold the future).

The Sun represents;

life, energy, will, earth and heart

the promise of salvation

the direct son and heir of the god of heaven

the guiding light

The Sun is associated with;

Apollo, Helios, Baldr and Jesus (sun/light deities in general)

Sun-heroes (Hercules, Siegfried, Mithras, etc.)

royalty

Pride (capital sin - superbia...y'know, what's written on the black box)

gold and yellow

tripods and discs

Apollo is the Greek god of oracles, truth, prophecy, light and the sun.

Helios is the Greek god of and personification of the sun, he is also the guardian of oaths.

Baldr is the Norse god of light, purity and the sun.

Jesus, a figure of Christianity, believed to be the son of god and the messiah (a savior of a group of people).

Halos, also known as solar crowns, aureoles and nimbi/nimbuses, represent;

glory and virtue

supreme power and divine energy

spiritual light and solar powers

eternal life (for those who "conquer" themselves and remain steadfast under trial)

Another note for later: Halos denote holy or sacred figures, rulers, heroes and demigods. They are attributes of Zeus, Apollo, Helios, Dionysus, Sol, Jesus, the Virgin Mary and angels. In ancient Egypt, the solar crown was depicted as a disc framed by the horns of a ram or cow.

Heart represents;

love, love as the center of illumination, the center of being, will, understanding and truth

the sun

Bonus: Sankofa, an African word and symbol, represents the importance of learning from the past in order to build a better future.

Yellow represents;

dawn, sun, earth, sunlight, illumination

intuition, dissemination and benevolence

jealousy/envy, deceit, betrayal, secrecy, melancholia

Yet another note for later: Yellow is associated with Apollo and Leo, The Lion. It can also denote traitors and heretics.

Purple represents;

royalty, noble birth and sacerdotal power

pride, dignity, justice, truth, sorrow and love

Blue represents;

sanctification, time and space, revelation, eternity, devotion, the unveiling of truth, hope

I brought up the connection between dawn and thunderbolts, as well as Apollo, the sun and tripods. A sacrificial tripod actually appears in Olympus - realm and home of the gods - in kh3, decorated with suns and thunderbolts…it’s where Riku’s heart ends up.

Almost forgot to mention, tripods are a solar symbol associated with heaven. They were sometimes given as prizes… the three legs correspond to sunrise, midday and sunset; future, present and past, respectively.

I also brought up the connection between dawn, the ram (Aries) and Apollo…

The ram represents sacrifice and atonement, the opposite of what a scapegoat represents. End of Pain and No Name reflect this; similar, but in different ways.

The Dandelions were a group of exceptional wielders assembled by Ava, a task granted to her by the Master of Masters. The role of the Dandelions was to maintain the balance by collecting Lux (fragments of light).

With that in mind, the True Dandelion would need to have the same or similar qualities; exceptional abilities, an aversion or resistance to darkness, and a desire to maintain a balance.

Luxu describes the True Dandelion as a “seed of light to be sown into the future.” This light would need to guide the others as a beacon of hope.

Others have pointed out the similarities to when Ventus was wrapped in white cloth and the replica body delivered by Demyx.

However, the scene where Luxu places the True Dandelion in the pod reminded me of how Jesus is depicted as a baby; swaddled in white cloth and placed in a manger.

The Master is looking for wielders with strong hearts, able to trap the darkness without falling to it.

Riku is the only wielder out of the current Guardians that has this ability, which was brought up by YMX in khddd.

This ability of Riku’s was also brought up in coded. He was used as a shield to protect the journal data.

He also became a Dream Eater in order to protect Sora from nightmares.

This ability is framed as natural, instinctive, something second nature to Riku.

So many different symbols that connect to each other. There’s so much set up…both symbolically and throughout the games.

Regardless if he gets revealed to be the True Dandelion or not, Riku definitely isn’t human and is someone incredibly special.

Oh. And there’s a Jesus fish in the Book of Prophecies on the same page as a black crown (Oblivion or Kingdom Key; both connected to Riku).

ICTHUS

Iota - i - “Jesus”

Chi (χ) - ch - “anointed”

Theta - th - “of God”

Upsilon - u - “son”

Sigma - s - “savior”

“Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior”

[databoyreekoo]

Kairi and Darkness [speculation thread]

!Find the original thread HERE on my twitter! (Sorry if any of the images are absolutely fried, they were all moved from twt since I didn't have them saved on my pc anymore lmao)

In BBS, we are introduced to Terra, Aqua and Ventus as parallels to Riku, Kairi and Sora, respectively. However, as the story of Kingdom Hearts continues to evolve, parallels between Aqua and Sora, Aqua and Riku, Terra and Sora, and Ventus and Kairi, are established as well.

I'd like to focus on the parallels between Ventus and Kairi, because it's possible that a terrible accident from the distant past may end up happening again.

Kairi and Ventus were both forced into a comatose state due to unfortunate circumstances, with someone close to them fighting to restore their hearts. Both are also associated with sleeping princesses.

Neither one of them remember their past, and they experience immense pain when they try to remember, or when they have a flashback.

Both were originally from another world until they were plucked and moved to another by Xehanort. Kairi was taken in by the mayor of Destiny Islands, while Ventus was taken in by Eraqus, the master of the Land of Departure. These worlds become their new homes.

Kairi's heart and Ventus' heart were required to complete the Keyblade of Heart and the X-blade, respectively, which both have the ability to summon Kingdom Hearts. (The Keyblade of Heart summons the door to Kingdom Hearts).

Both are pure hearts of light that were crystallized/frozen by Xehanort in order to "motivate" another Guardian to fight so the Keyblade War would reach its climax. (Literally in the same spot too, oof).

Oh, hey, this looks familiar! (Below, a demonstration of their light dispelling darkness through will alone).

They were both experimented on by Xehanort.

Xehanort used Kairi as a backup, which led to Sora's disappearance, just as he used Ventus to manipulate Terra into succumbing to darkness (which led to Aqua getting trapped in the Realm of Darkness).

Ah, and then there was this callback in ReMind, meaning the parallels between Kairi and Ventus are still relevant and important. Be sure to keep an eye out. 👀

Now, what does this have to do with Darkness? Well, in khux Ventus is depicted as a loner with a longing for friendship and a hidden desire for power. His complicated emotions attracted Darkness, which led to his "possession." (He was controlled like a puppet, more like).

After deciding that waiting wasn't good enough, Kairi got herself caught in the middle of another one of Sora's adventures. Kairi resolved to joining the fight, and openly expressed her irritation with being left behind.

She actively tried to help in any way she could, but it ultimately led to her getting used and destroyed by Xehanort and his many incarnations. We see this cycle eventually come to a point in Melody of Memory.

Kairi literally trembles with rage as she tells Xehanort, "because of you, my fate is at your mercy -- Sora and everyone got hurt because I wasn't strong enough!" But...her guilt, frustration, fear and lack of confidence causes her to get overpowered by illusion Xehanort.

Constantly getting left behind, not being strong enough to keep up with Sora and Riku, repeatedly getting used to endanger and hurt those she cares about, getting taken from her home world only to have her fate toyed with...

Kairi may be a Princess of Heart, but that doesn't mean she's resilient to trauma and the darkness that comes with it. Even Cinderella, another Princess of Heart, attracted the Unversed with her sorrow. If the emotions are real...darkness will respond to it, no matter who it is.

Kairi being a heart of pure light already puts her at risk of encountering darkness, because darkness is drawn to light and vice versa. And with her desire to become powerful enough to fight alongside Sora and Riku...it's just adding more bait to the trap.

"I really want to go with you... But, I can't do it now. I'd be a liability. I'm going to keep training to get more powerful so I can fight alongside you and Sora!"

And...with Melody of Memory's cover referencing the album art Nomura drew with the premise of "something that makes people want to know what's going to happen next, something that expands the imagination" where every keyword in the commands has a meaning...

"And, as one waits for Utada to perform again, there is a double meaning in this content. What happens if she starts to move again?"

It's implying Utada, as a performer, only has partial control of themselves. That, in this "game" they're in, they're at the mercy of the audience. After they're done recharging, what will happen next? Will they break free? (Of course, this is all up to interpretation).

I think Nomura wanted those same feelings to come across with Melody of Memory's cover; Kairi surrounded by memories of everyone smiling - even though, in reality, some of them weren't smiling - while sitting in Sora's empty throne, sleeping. What will happen when she wakes up?

It's rhetorical. We know what happens when she wakes up, but what we don't know is how she'll handle the guilt of seeing everyone so tired and worn out from searching endlessly for Sora for an entire year.

Would she think "if I was more powerful, I could fix everything"? Or maybe "once I'm strong enough, I'll fix it all since it's my fault"? And with her going to train under Aqua, her getting close Ventus is inevitable. It's the perfect set up.

"But she's a Princess of Heart and has a pure heart of light! She can't fall to darkness!" Yeah. You're right. I'm not saying she'll fall to darkness, but the probability of her being used like a puppet is high and not impossible.

What did Darkness say in ReMind again?

"He is too pure. It's because he's so pure that he has many gaps."

Pure...as in "untainted by darkness," and because darkness is half of everything - even people - it leaves those with hearts of pure light full of "holes" that darkness can easily hide in.

Which is exactly what happened to Ventus.

[databoyreekoo]

I'm not too sure if something like this was asked, or discussed, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't thinking too much.

So, in Kingdom Hearts, it's established that Light and Darkness is in everyone's heart. Just that some have more than others, creating the Heartless and the Warriors. But, what I noticed was that Riku was kind of jealous of Kairi because Kairi was gaining affection and attention from Sora.

I'm not a Kairi basher in any shape or form, so please, I beg you, bare with me.

Riku is established to have the brightest of lights by Terra and Aqua, so on Destiny Island, Riku is considered the 'Princess of Light' a term that was used to describe the brightest light in the world. Kairi, came from Radiant Garden, the established princess of Light in that world.

In Olympia, I believe Herc to be a 'Princess of Light' leaving Meg to be the 'Prince'. Thus said, it's possible to have a roll reverser. My question to you now is the following:

'Is Riku's descent into darkness the result of conflicting with Kairi's light. There physically can't be two sun's, and Sora legit flocked from one light to the next like a moth... Or am I over thinking this?'

I want to apologize for answering this, what, two years late? I crashed out, nuked my entire blog and then left. But! I'm back for now and I'm really gonna try to keep up with this blog.

Anyway, to answer your question; I don't think you're overthinking this at all, really. Not just with SRK, but with any relationship presented in the game, I think it's important to break it down emotionally, thematically AND with any mechanics/lore established in the series.

Because yes, the more light that is gathered in one place, there will be just as much darkness (if not more) drawn to it. There's an age-old precedent within the series that light = good and dark = bad -- which is NOT the case but believing it to be MAKES it that way FOR YOU -- and this point of view is thrust onto nearly every character...thus, their hearts become weak and filled with all sorts of complex thoughts, ideas and emotions which leads them down a dark path or makes them susceptible to getting taken over by darkness (like Riku, Terra, Aqua, Xehanort, Baldr, etc.).

Reminds me of what the MoM said about love and false light (I want to stick a note here real quick; "false" in the way that it's deceptive, but not always intentionally or maliciously, "false" in the way that it leads you astray, but not always consciously or willingly).

It's been talked about before, but Kairi's light was once a guiding light for Sora, yet the more Xehanort meddled with her fate, the more Kairi's light became like a false light for Sora. Which...this was sorta kinda maybe probably indirectly directly acknowledged and/or confirmed in khmom, so...

I hope this answered your question, anon (even though I kinda went off on a tangent lol)

[databoyreekoo]

after 3? years

hello i've returned and boy do i have some plans lmao

[everydayconman]

Visit Original Link

You are now aware that the introduction song of Kingdom Hearts, “Dearly Beloved,” represents a heartbeat.

[hi-elixir]

[Spoilers for Dream Drop Distance]

The series itself actually acknowledges the fact that Dearly Beloved is a song created from heartbeats synced up together, specifically those of Sora & Riku. In DDD, the sound ideas each boy set free from the Symphony of Sorcery world combined to create Dearly Beloved.

“Riku & Sora. The Sound Ideas you two set free joined together. And when they did, they made a great & powerful harmony.”

“It’s like each of you is holding on to a little part of the other. Your hearts are always in tune, so they’re free to sing.”

[databoyreekoo]

So, I'm in the midst of playing KH1-3, and in Winnie the Pooh, Piglet goes on about how when they was whisked away, he was so lonely. And quiet frankly, it reminded me of the ending of three? Like, Sora had to round up all of Pooh friends who gone and got lost? How at the end, they all watched the sun set and then Sora LEFT? Repetition is a thing in this game, and the fact that Pooh said 'Don't forget...'?

OH that’s a good point! I hadn’t thought about it that way before 🤔

Your question made me hop on khwiki for a quick refresher, and I noticed that stories for 100 Acre Wood in 1, 2, and 3 all share common themes and events

1: Pooh and Co. need help, Sora helps them reunite, Sora leaves with a promise to return

2: Pooh needs help, Sora and Co. helps Pooh “reunite” with his memories, Sora leaves after reassuring Pooh that they’ll always be in each other’s hearts no matter the distance

3: Pooh and Co. need help, Sora reunites with them, Sora leaves after ReMinding (haha) Pooh that their hearts will always be connected no matter what (since both Pooh and Sora could feel that their connection was weak)

Winnie-the-Pooh captures the essence of childhood, and teaches its readers the importance of empathy, acceptance, cooperation, courage, trust and individuality. At its core, it’s about learning to let go of your childhood in order to grow up, no matter how hard it is or how much it hurts

Which…reminds me of somebody with whom these themes have been pretty consistent with 👀

[blowingoffsteam2]

You know exactly what you’re doing when you post those riku/aerith screencaps like that, in that order. Riku looked like that because he was feeling melancholy since kairi up until that point was literally asleep for a whole year and hadn’t woken up yet and so the fifth ss is just irrelevant. There is no tension, they were fine in MoM, stop pushing your weird agenda and forcing tension when there is none.

What exactly about this makes you think I think they hate each other? Yes they were fine in khmom. They were friendly and pleasant and Riku was happy to see Kairi awake. It doesn’t change the fact that they aren’t very close anymore. Weird agenda my ass. God forbid I think actually exploring how people drift apart as they grow up would be interesting and could actually do wonders for Kairi as a character. Not to mention it’s literally a theme Nomura said he was trying to show in kh3 regarding Destiny trio specifically so if you wanna get mad about realistic depictions of how friendships change get mad at him I guess 🤷‍♀️

[databoyreekoo]

The way Nomura handles Sora, Riku and Kairi, not just as a trio but as pairs and individuals, is absolutely deliberate. There’s a distinct contrast between the destiny trio and the other trios (RXA, TAV, SDG, MDG, etc.) when compared to one another. Sora, Riku and Kairi are literally shown to have a complicated friendship from the very beginning, with Sora oblivious to the rising tension between Riku and Kairi (caused by unspoken thoughts and feelings) while being depicted as the glue that holds the trio together at the same time. It was a lack of communication and acknowledgement of hurt that acted as the catalyst for Riku’s fall to darkness and the islands getting destroyed…which was an extremely traumatizing event that we have still yet to see the trio talk through. Together. Like, I don’t remember the last time they even had an emotional talk as a trio. It was kh2, maybe…? Hell, in kh3, during the brief break before the final battle, we see Aqua and Ven stargazing and talking about sharing stories after they save Terra and holding their charms up to the sky like they used to - you can feel the love they have for each other and the strength of their bond despite Terra not even being present - then we see Axel sitting alone on the clock tower with three ice creams - one for him, one for Roxas and…he can hardly remember Xion and yet he felt compelled to get one for her, too - while struggling with the guilt and sadness of having not saved Roxas (and Xion) yet…then what happens with Sora, Riku and Kairi? We get a scene of Riku having an emotional talk with Repliku, helping him find closure while Sora and Kairi watch from afar, only for Kairi to shove a paopu fruit in Sora’s face (despite knowing that he was still worried about Riku) and initiate sharing them - they literally promise to keep each other safe. Just the two of them. Even tho literally anyone could die during the final battle, including their best friend Riku, he just…wasn’t included. At all. It’s just…Very Pointed.

So, of course they look ““fine””on the surface. They’re supposed to. They’re so adjusted to locking away and hiding their unpleasant or “undesirable” emotions and traits, that it just comes naturally to them now. Choosing to ignore what’s clearly already been established and continuing to develop, in favor for a rose-colored version of the destiny trio is only going to set you up for disappointment and leave you angry and bitter.

[blowingoffsteam2]

In honor of the KH Square Enix Cafe event returning

Here is just some of what we were treated to during the KH3 cafe event:

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[symposiumxiv]

The Light Obscured

Call me delusional, but I read the glowing mural as being a stand-in for Riku. I never thought of it before I read the novel section. It's also interesting how Sora compares the waterway with the cave on DI, which I don't recall him doing in the game. It's almost as if the glowing light is like a faint memory... trying to remind Sora of something important.

KH1 Novel:

Shielding Kairi, Sora fought through the Heartless in the Second District, and they ran into the secret waterway. It was deserted and dim, but the murals on the walls gave off a soft glow. “Places like this are always kind of exciting, huh?” said Kairi, looking up at the murals. “It’s like that cave back on our island!” “Yeah… Look at this mural. It’s almost hypnotizing, isn’t it?” The painting of the sun seemed to gaze down on them with a mysterious warmth. As Sora walked closer, the sun began to shine. “Wow…it’s so pretty!” Kairi gazed at it, wide-eyed. A beam of light fell into Sora’s hand, and the sun changed into a crescent moon. The light that fell into his hand was a Gummi block. “Is that a Gummi?” asked Kairi. “Yeah. We’d better hurry up and take it back to Cid.” Kairi looked up again at the moon. “A light deep within the darkness…”

Thanks and credit to this post https://twitter.com/anotherside420/status/1496715502021918725 for finding what I'd consider a bombshell:

CoM Novel:

“Try too hard to remember, and your memory might lie…” But how could memories be lies? Maybe…if a person couldn’t remember something and somebody lied to them about it, then they might believe that was true. Like that time. When Sora had turned into a Heartless…he couldn’t remember it very well. All he really knew was that Kairi had saved him. But…he only believed that because when he got his body back, Kairi had been holding him. What if it had really been someone else who saved him? “That’s all I can say,” the Cheshire Cat told them. “The rest is for you to figure out.”

Sora says "I think that's what saved me." So he's not entirely sure, and Kairi never really confirms that it was her who saved Sora. And, it's almost as if he's clutching his necklace.

By the way, this post isn't an attack on Kairi or Namine. They're playing some kind of mysterious role we don't know about yet, and I believe they genuinely care about Sora and don't intend to do him any harm.

Kairi moves in front of the light, and is not the source it's emanating from. Again she doesn't exactly confirm it was her who saved Sora.

[symposiumxiv]

Possible parallel?

Note the above two shots - they look different, but Riku is the light source in both. I also believe that the "mirroring" going on is symbolically intended, to represent an "alternate reality".

The night of the storm has some visual parallels with the KH1 opening so that's why I've included it. I would've added more but image limit.

Why did they choose this visual parallel?

From https://www.khinsider.com/forums/index.php?threads/kingdom-hearts-3-ultimania-scenario-mysteries-interview-translated.219167/

Riku is there on behalf of Repliku, whose altered memories had lead him to believe that the promise Real Thing exchanged on the night of the meteor shower was with Namine, while in reality it must've been Sora.

The significance of Riku's "presenting" gesture is still a mystery, but my speculation is that it has something to do with the meteor shower promise, probably to take Sora's hand, symbolizing their heart's connection, and also the making of the promise.

It's meaningful that the hands of Riku and Namine actually touch, symbolizing a connection and the fulfillment of a promise, while Sora tries but fails to reach Riku's hand, both on the night of the storm and in the KH1 opening. Riku and Namine's hands are set to a bright sunny day, while Sora and Riku's are set to a stormy night (or underwater in the opening). So the situation between Sora and Riku has yet to be resolved.

---Even though Riku was the rightful owner of the Keyblade, then why did Sora obtain the Keyblade in the beginning?

Nomura: Even though I would like to keep that obscure, there is a scene in Destiny islands where Riku is being swallowed by darkness, a light appears, and Sora first obtains the keyblade. With the setting I created, the darkness that surrounds them is Riku’s heart’s darkness. At that moment, Sora enters the darkness, and the light he sees inside is Riku’s heart’s light. Sora, who was squirming in the darkness to save Riku, touched the light and temporarily obtained the Keyblade from Riku.

From the KH1 Ultimania, https://kh-ultimania.livejournal.com/3508.html

Many times we see memories depicted as light, so I wonder if in this moment, this light in Riku's heart, is actually the memory of the meteor shower promise, and in respecting it, the keyblade is bequeathed to Sora in order to protect him.

Also note that we can see both of Sora and Riku's signature colors, red/gold and blue/silver.

[blowingoffsteam2]

[symposiumxiv]

Symphony of Sorcery Parallels - Riku Side

[databoyreekoo]

so what do you think could be inside the box?

i actually have a twitter thread about this, you can view it here;

[excusemewhileiplaykh]

So I just noticed that Mirage Split and Nightmare’s End don’t exclusively have angel or demon wings.

Nightmare’s End (Sora’s keyblade) has angel wings on the handle and keychain, but above the handle you’ll notice the design is more reminiscent of a demon’s wing.

Mirage Split similarly has demon wings on its handle and keychain, but an angel’s wing above the handle.

(Angel wings circled in blue, demon wings circled in red)

This further suggests how Sora and Riku work in yin yang. One is not completely darkness and the other is not completely light. They balance each other out

[keijitranslates]

My Childhood Friend (Riku character file translation)

My Childhood Friend

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