#critical mode

[david-de-bergerac]

I did it

[klonoadreams]

Since I’m out for Spring Break now, here’s the plan of what I want to do:

Since I’ve been FINALLY uploading my first initial KH3 playthrough on my YouTube (also klonoadreams), and with KHUX like less than two months away from ending its service...

I’m gonna do a Critical Mode run of KH3.

Meaning a lot of screaming out of frustration, but also me FORCING myself to do hard boss fights, because at the time I played KH3, only Proud Mode existed and even now, I STILL haven’t played Re Mind.

SO...

if anyone wants to join me on my suffering, y’all can find me streaming it here:

https://www.twitch.tv/klonoadreams

idk when I’ll start, but I DEFINITELY plan to start by tomorrow. Just want to finish making my videos first.

So...hope to see ya there!!! :D

(i’ll make a post when I actually DO start streaming)

[nitokii]

In celebration of critical mode!! 

[keybladeempire]

WAIT A SEC-

[smartzelda]

Okay, first off, I know I said we would start where I left off in Corona, but I need to take a second to recognize something I forgot in Toy Box when rewriting the last post. Yozora.

Sora's "I never looked this good"

And Donald and Goofy like, "He looks kinda like Riku. Must be him."

And the Kingstagram post: "Yozora looks so much like Riku! I have GOT to play this game someday!"

Soriku bro😔👌

Okay, now back to Corona😂

So, where we left off, Gothel took Rapunzel back to the tower, and I'm skipping to Gothel's Rapunzel trap working on Flynn, and Flynn slowly dying

So, starting with Rapunzel, she starts off pretty confident, talking about how she'll run and run and run from Gothel forever, but in one moment, she becomes more submissive

If only she could just use her hair to save him.

Though obviously these are two different feelings going on, we're gonna start with this loose parallel of Rapunzel to Sora, who also in a single moment or from a single event, goes from confident to crying on his knees

If only Sora had his friends to give him the power to drive back the demon hurricane.

And of course, neither Flynn nor Riku will let it be this way. Flynn can't let her give up her dreams and her freedom to save him, and Riku just can't let Sora give up and believe he can't do anything.

["Sora, I believe in you. You won't give up."]

So, what do they do?

Flynn cuts off Rapunzel's hair, condemning himself to death, but saving Rapunzel's life (or at least, right to truly live)

Riku takes a shot at the demon tide, sacrificing himself in hopes of saving Sora's life.

In other words, they do a true love's sacrifice/act of true love

Quick intermission since here is where Gothel becomes the heartless and final boss. I still suck at this boss. It took me an hour or two to beat her. However, this is also when I started abusing shotlocks for the first time, so there's that. Abuse ultima shotlocks, cast magic, time your dodges, and hope whenever you attack you don't get attacked 😂

So, by the time Sora, Donald, and Goofy get up to the tower, I think we're supposed to presume Eugene is nearly dead, but Rapunzel is holding on, not wanting him to die

And of course, Sora desperately reaches for the light, calling for Riku. I guess you could say he's holding onto Riku.

["Riku! Riku, answer me!"]

Rapunzel sings her healing song that talks about reversing time, bringing back "what once was mine", changing "the fates' design, ect, and then her tear drops onto Eugene's face. And so, after both of them risked their own lives in acts of true love, both of them cheat the different deaths which would have been thrust upon them, changing fate's design

In similar fashion, due to what I believe to have been Kairi holding Sora's form together and Riku's act of true love saving Sora's heart, Sora too has cheated death (at least for now), and after reaching for the light, calling for Riku, and flying into it, he goes for Riku's heart first, saves all of his friends (minus Kairi till the light tunnel, though Sora doesn't save her) and not only reverses, but rewrites the destined events to happen in the timeline. I'd say it parallels Rapunzel's healing song, and even though he does save everyone and not just one person, there definitely is something to the fact that he specifically goes for Riku, specifically calls his name, and ends up wresting him from his fate first.

(Don't worry, bro, his heart'll be okay now)

Also, side note: During Rapunzel singing her healing song, she and Eugene confess that the other was their new dream and that just my heart

Bro, Eugene like, "Did I ever tell you... I've got a thing for brunettes?"

He really be the Riku parallel in this scene, don't he😏

Now of course, being me, I can't pass up the next parallel in this world

Sora: Well, if he comes back and tries to bother Rapunzel again, then Flynn will keep her safe.

Donald: Come on. Rapunzel's the tough one, if you ask me.

Flynn: True. But nevertheless, I won't let her out of my sight.

I mean, maybe it's just me, but it seems this parallels Riku wanting to have the strength to protect Sora, attaining that strength, but also being aware that Sora can take care of himself and has his own strength

And of course, this world is ended with a funny sex joke and Flynn getting stared down by Maximus and wet willied by pascal

Since here we're done with the worlds in the first area of gummi space and launched into the next, I'm gonna add that after every world I spend forever in gummi space farming meteorites and occasionally fighting the heartless and some boss battles, and every time I get launched into the next area of gummi space, I get all the treasure planets and the warp zone things too (apparently actual words evade me for both those things today). Legit though, farming meteorites is so helpful in getting synthesis materials you can use for upgrading your keyblades

So next was on to Monstropolis. I don't have much to talk about here.

Sora, Donald, and Goody freaking out over each other's monster forms? Hilarious.

Monster Sora? He will never not be adorable. Same with Boo

The big blue turtletoad unversed are annoying, and ngl, I had to dodge around a lot and play safe so I wouldn't die in like 2 hits.

Both the keyblade forms for Oathkeeper amd the form for Ultima on monster Sora are just so epic!!!

I still hate light rails with a passion.

Poor Sora so tired of dealing with computers thst when Goofy suggests smashing it, he's completely ready

Monstropolis: Randal nearly becomes leather wear before Vanitas saves him

The fact that Sora, Donald, and Goofy talked about Sora's weird kh1 smile and afterwards actually came up with a name for it. "Do the silly face special!" Also, when Monster Sora does it, it's definitely cute compared to the kh1 scene

The final boss unversed still sucked and took me plenty of tries, but I think I did better than my proud run.

YEETUS VANITAS

Ngl, I chanted YEETUS VANITAS cause I knew when it was coming

Poor Vanitas. He just need some love. From what I can tell in kh3, he's probably not hurting like he was in bbs and is less angry, and because there was a hole in his heart, he believed he had to join with Ventus to fill it even though their hearts have grown apart. Vanitas probably needs love to fill that hole

Poor Sora hurting and falling to the ground while Vanitas tells him that Ventus is in his heart

And last but definitely not least! Sora's Kingstagram post on the Vanitas scene where he learns that Ven is in his heart. And at the end of it, after talking about how apparently Ven is in his heart and stuff (I think) he's just like, "Would Riku know?" And the fact that Sora's included Riku in the Kingstagram posts means he was probably thinking about him and the fact he thinks Riku might know these things just... aaaaaaaa brooooo

And now onto Arendelle, home of many a Soriku parallel and where I did a lot of backtracking to save points

[oliveroliverart]

I frikin did it. I some how managed to beat kingdoms hearts 2 on critical mode. I am never suffering through that again.

[pi-the-theme-park-guy]

Meme a Day 7/2

[blowingoffsteam2]

Proof of Promises is a reference to Oathkeeper (the charm and angel wings)  It’s awarded at the start of a new game + for finding all the lucky emblems in the previous playthrough.

Proof of Times Past is a reference to Oblivion (the crown keychain and demon wings- Oblivion is also called “Passing Memories in the jpn version)  Others have pointed out that the demon wings also resemble the wings of Reapers in twewy.

It’s odd that they reference them here, when they weren’t brought up at all in the game (especially strange that Sora’s wayfinder charm was never shown or mentioned)