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@zombifelinetuba
Everyone really out here working their ass off making these elaborate theories that this sad bastard is a grimwalker or a clone, some ingredient or sacrificial object.
And I am just like.
Ah yes.
A
Fancy
Palisman
THE HEART ATTACK YOU HAVE CAUSED ME, ISTG, @zombifelinetuba
Sorry about that , and yes I was worried through the rest of season 3 after episode 1 considering what happened.
It’s this time of the year again!
This is the only day you can reblog this.
my beloveds,, , ,
So like, were none of us gonna talk about how the inside of a paopu fruit is apparently FUCKING GREEN?
Source: Kingdom Hearts Ultimania the story before kingdom hearts III
Now I imagine it’s got a taste similar to horned melon/kiwano.
Then they would be delicious if they did taste the same
[01.05.22]
Some of my favorite enemies from KH3. ♥ (Art I did a while back for @KHCritterZine)
Ya know when you like, randomly become obsessed with a character, but like, it’s one no one will ever know, or they are so unknown in the fandom only really some ppl know about them?
These two-
THEM-
They are Gay-
The Green haired one is like “I’M GONNA DO IT MYSELF-” and the blonde one is like “NO PLEASE! LISTEN TO MEE!!” and then he’s like “PLAYER! HELP ME SAVE MY FRIEEENNDD!” and your like okay, because you get into EVERYONE’S Business!
In the End the Green one is like “I’m Sorry! We Are Besto Friendos” or something, and the Blonde is like “I’m glad your my friend!” and it’s really cute!
But still-
They have no names-
we should name them-
M!Corrin/Nowi C-S Support
Written by Shauni
Disclaimer: M!Corrin has been summoned after the death of Queen Mikoto and before choosing a path.
C SUPPORT
Nowi: Ha-ha! I’ve finally found him! Now… quietly… very quietly…
Nowi: GOOD MORNING, DRAGON PRINCE!
Corrin: Aah?!
Nowi: *laughing* Got you! Hahaha, you jumped so high! Did you really not hear me coming?
Corrin: W-what was that for?! You’re Nowi, right? Couldn’t you approach me in a more normal fashion?
Nowi: Of course I could. I just thought it wouldn’t be as funny. *pouting* Hey, you didn’t even wish me ‘good morning’ back! That’s not very princely of you. I looked everywhere for you!
Corrin: But you’re the one who– Oh, nevermind. Good morning. That’s as “princely” as I can get right now with my heart beating in my throat.
Nowi: That’s good enough for me!
Corrin: Glad to hear that. So, why were you looking for me?
Nowi: Because I was curious, of course! Ever since I was summoned, I’ve been wanting to see you!
Corrin: Really? I did not know. If I may ask, why are you curious of me?
Nowi: Because you’re a dragon prince, silly! You and I can both turn into dragons!
Corrin: You too? Who told you that I–
Nowi: I got paired up with your little sister for training this morning! As soon as I took my Dragonstone out of my bag, her eyes lit up. “My big brother has a stone that looks just like this one!”, she said. But according to her, our dragon forms don’t look alike at all. So I got even more curious about you, dragon prince!
Corrin: I see… Is that why you keep calling me “dragon prince”?
Nowi: Partly! Dragons are great, but what’s even better than a dragon?
Corrin: Um… two dragons?
Nowi: True, but in this case, the correct answer is “a royal dragon”! And you’re both a dragon and a prince! A dragon prince! Plus you’re the first male Manakete I’ve met in a long, long time!
Corrin: Is that so…
Nowi: Not feeling very talkative, are we? It’s okay! Say, how about we show each other our dragon forms? I want to see just how different we look!
Corrin: Um… Maybe another time, Nowi. I have… something other than that to do. Good day.
[Corrin leaves.]
Nowi: Huh? Hey, wait! Dragon priiince!… And he’s gone. Humpf! Maybe I was too pushy…
[Corrin and Nowi have reached support rank C.]
B SUPPORT
Nowi: Dragon prince, found you! So that’s where you were hiding!
Corrin: Oh, hello, Nowi. How was training?
Nowi: Fun! The Summoner is very happy with me and we finished early! Which is why I was able to watch your training.
Nowi: *pouting* And let me tell you, I was very, very disappointed.
Corrin: Beg pardon? (Y/n) seemed pleased of my swordmanship, if I remember correctly…
Nowi: But the sword! That’s exactly what was disappointing! I was expecting you to–
Corrin: Turn into a dragon.
Nowi: Exactly! So why didn’t you? Fae, Clarine and Ephraim were with you, so don’t tell me it was sword training only. And if your swordmanship is that good, then you don’t need to work so hard on it. I mean, you were good, don’t get me wrong. But could you please drop the sword next time? I really want to see how you look as a dragon! I’ve been dreaming about it and then, when I wake up, I can’t even remember–
Corrin: Nowi, listen. I won’t turn into a dragon. Ever. I’m sorry to disappoint but I just won’t.
Nowi: What? Why?
Corrin: I can’t. As simple as that.
Nowi: What do you mean, you can’t? You have pointy ears and a Dragonstone and your tail appears when you attack! A weird-looking tail, by the way, not like mine at all. You’re definitely a dragon!
Corrin: Well, yes, but… Sorry, let me rephrase it. It’s not that I can’t transform; it’s that I don’t know how to.
Nowi: Huh? You don’t? But… how is that even possible? It’s like riding a horse! You never forget how to do it!
Corrin: It’s… complicated. I never knew I could turn into a dragon before a few weeks ago. I spent my whole life until now thinking I was a regular human being. All my siblings possess abilities only Nohrian and Hoshidan royals do but, as it turned out, I am the only one able to become a dragon. And I’ve only transformed once. By accident. So there’s that too.
Nowi: Oh… I see… That explains everything. But still, you said you managed to transform once. Can’t you, like, recreate the same conditions that made you transform so you can do it again?
Corrin: I… transformed because my mother died.
Nowi: Oh.
Corrin: …
Nowi: …
Corrin: …
Nowi: … Well, this is awkward.
Corrin: Agreed.
Nowi: I’m so sorry! I didn’t think it would be such a touchy topic!
Corrin: It’s okay, Nowi. No offence taken. To be honest, I don’t remember much… Rage and despair washing over me. Need to kill, destroy, crush. A headache. I was so furious I couldn’t hear myself screaming. When I looked at my hands, they were turning into… something else. I just recall thinking “Hands are not supposed to do this”. And I think I heard my bones making noises. Even after I killed all enemies in sight, the anger stayed. When a friend tried to calm me down, I… I hurt her.
Nowi: … So now you’re scared to transform again.
Corrin: … Yes.
Nowi: … Well, you know what? I’m going to teach you how to turn into a dragon and make it a peaceful, happy experience! So you won’t be scared anymore!
Corrin: Um, come again?
Nowi: It’s decided! For now, you’re just a regular prince, but with my help you’ll soon be a real dragon prince! Oh, I’ve never been a teacher before, this is gonna be so much fun!
Corrin: Nowi, please, I don’t think it's–
Nowi: I have to tell Commander Anna and (y/n) about this! I’m sure they will agree! I’ll let you know when everything is ready, dragon prince!
[Nowi leaves.]
Corrin: … My name is Corrin, you know. Gods, what have I gotten myself into?
[Corrin and Nowi have reached support rank B.]
A SUPPORT
Nowi: Alright, Nowi’s Super Special Dragon Training is about to start! Is my student ready?
Corrin: I… guess. To be frank, I’m still unsure about this.
Nowi: Oh, come on! Everything is going to be okay. We’re going to work together on whatever your issues are, then you’re gonna successfully transform, love it, and become my playmate. See? It’s simple!
Corrin: Um… If you say so… How do we do this then?
Nowi: No worries, it’s easy! Hold your Dragonstone firmly in one hand and let’s start by step one: how do you feel?
Corrin: Right now? Rather unsure of where this is going.
Nowi: No, silly! I meant, how do you feel about turning into a dragon?
Corrin: Oh. Anxious.
Nowi: Why?
Corrin: Well, from what I remember, the transformation… hurt a lot.
Nowi: Really? That’s weird. It never hurts for me. Maybe because it was your first time? The circumstances can have various effects, I suppose. Here, let me show you!
[An hour later…]
Corrin: *panting* Nowi… with all due respect… I think we should call it a day…
Nowi: I don’t understand! Why can’t you transform?! You had the head, the horns, the tail and one arm, but every time your body stays human in shape. I’m so sorry, Corrin… Are you okay?
Corrin: Yes, just… tired. My limbs feel numb. Heh. I’m not that much of a “dragon prince”, am I?
Nowi: No, don’t say that! It’s way too early to give up! I’m sure you can do it. All you need is time and training. And lots of encouragement. Which I am more than willing to provide!
Corrin: Are you sure? You seemed so eager to compare our dragon forms, I’d hate to disappoint you…
Nowi: *laughs* No need to worry! I did see your horns, head and one paw, remember? They all looked so cool! Very different from mine, both in colours and shapes! Actually, even your Dragonstone doesn’t quite look like mine.
Corrin: Yes, I noticed. Your transformation looks different as well. It’s so… elegant. You look etheral, Nowi.
Nowi: Wow! Ethereal, really? I don’t think I’ve ever been told this, even in a thousand years! Thank you, Corrin!
Corrin: … Did you just say “a thousand years”?
[Corrin and Nowi have reached support rank A.]
S SUPPORT
Nowi: Corrin, Corrin!
Corrin: Nowi? What are you doing here? You should be at the infirmary!
Nowi: But I’m fine! Look, the healers patched me up, I’m good as new! Besides, I came to thank you. I was careless. I didn’t see this Emblian soldier creeping behind my back. Had you not been here, I could have… So thank you.
Corrin: Please don’t mention it. I’m just glad you’re okay. By the way, did you see it? I did it! I changed into a dragon.
Nowi: Yes, about that… I also wanted to apologize.
Corrin: Huh? What for?
Nowi: Well, you turned into a dragon to save me… I promised to make your next transformation a happy experience, remember? And instead, I just… made it another painful, fear-induced one. I’m sorry, Corrin! This is not how I wanted it to be…
Corrin: Come now, Nowi. This was a wonderful experience.
Nowi: What do you mean?
Corrin: The first time, I transformed because my mother was killed. I felt powerless, miserable and angry. But you were still alive, Nowi. There was still something I could do to protect you. I felt anger… but I also felt able. I-it’s hard to explain… I just… I couldn’t lose you.
Nowi: Corrin…
Corrin: Oh! I said that out loud, didn’t I?
Nowi: Corrin, how long will you live?
Corrin: Huh? I… don’t know? For a good while, I hope.
Nowi: No, I mean, do you have a human lifespan?
Corrin: I… guess? Since I aged normally until now, I suppose I do.
Nowi: Are you sure? Are you positive that you have a human lifespan?
Corrin: Nowi, what is this about?
Nowi: This is about you being the most handsome dragon in existence, the kindest person I’ve met in a long time, and me falling in love with you. So I don’t want you to die on me.
Corrin: You– I– I mean… I was going to say it, you know? I love you too, Nowi. And… that’s why I’m sorry, I can’t say I won’t die one day. But that’s not what matters right now. We’ve just confessed and you’re already thinking about the moment we’ll be separated. There are so many happy memories waiting to be made before that.
Nowi: Now is now and later is later, huh? Right. That’s what my friends in the Shepherds taught me. Thank you for reminding me, Corrin.
Nowi: And now that we’re lovers, let’s play!
Corrin: Right now? Um, don’t you want to go buy rings or something–
Nowi: Hmmm… no! I have a better idea!
Corrin: Oh?
Nowi: Matching Dragonstones! Matching engraved Dragonstones!
Corrin: *chuckle* That’s actually a good idea. Well then, Nowi, what do you want our wedding Dragonstones to say?
Nowi: Oh, I have tons of ideas! What do you think of…
[Corrin and Nowi have reached support rank S.]
This is great and we need more Nowi x M Corrin
Sooo…I was thinking. As much as the Kingdom Hearts fanbase loves Vanitas, he really only gets—let’s say about a half hour of screen time. That’s not right. So I came up with this crazy idea for Vanitas to be the protagonist of his own game. I got off my butt, did some art and even went so far as to come up with a concept:
Kingdom Hearts: Link Two Forgotten
Takes place: After KH:3D, before KHIII
The Synopsis:
Sora, Riku, Mickey, Lea and the others find the ‘True Kingdom Hearts.’ There, all of the hearts that have been connected to Sora’s are released and then given their own specific completion. Meaning Roxas is given his own heart and body and Xion finally exists as a person and is no longer a metaphysical puppet. But incomplete and forgotten, Vanitas remains within the theoretical “prison” of Sora’s heart, locked in a state of dormancy. Until the light of Kingdom Hearts forces him awake…and boy’s voice tells him to “Open the door.”
Alone in his prison, all Vanitas can remember are negative emotions:
The hatred he felt for Master Xehanort, when he treated him like he was expendable…
The anguish he felt when his negativity took shape as the Unversed and were constantly defeated, left to flow back into him while Master Xehanort merely stood by and watched…
The disappointment he felt when he failed to fulfill what he was told was his only purpose, and the X-blade shattered in front of him…
The undisplayed sadness and self-pity when Ventus reminded him just how alone he really was…
He didn’t remember the events themselves, nor how he ended up inside someone else’s heart. All he could recall were the feelings he felt.
He awakes in Sora’s Station of Awakening, and his first task is to find his way out of it. At the end of the Awakening, just after the Keyblade Tredecim, appears in his hand, Vanitas fights off the masked version of himself.
When he defeats the illusion, he wakes up in the ruins of a defunct dominion called “Dark Beauty Castle.” All around are creatures he has never seen before, but they seem vaguely familiar (Heartless). He uses his Keyblade to clear a path and leaves out of the castle to discover he is in a Forgotten World called “Wasteland” (from Epic Mickey).
Forgotten Worlds are the worlds that Sora and the others overlooked because they were so steeped in darkness that they were too dangerous or difficult to travel to. Unlike normal worlds, or ‘Sleeping’ Worlds, the inhabitants of ‘Forgotten’ Worlds can’t be remembered outside of that world unless the Keyhole of that world has been unlocked.
While exploring Wasteland, Vanitas meets Maximilian Goof. Max is determined to leave the Wasteland so that he can get back to his father, Goofy. (The reason Max was never mentioned by Goofy or featured in any of the prior games is because he was stuck in a Forgotten World and nobody, including his own father, could remember that he existed. Similar to how no one remembered Sora while he was asleep in C.O., or Xion during the end of “Days.”)
After finding and repairing the pieces of a broken ‘Cornerstone of Light’ tucked away within the castle, Vanitas and Max set out to leave, but they are attacked by the ‘Mad Doctor and Beetleworx Heartless.’ They defeat them, but then the ‘Shadow Blot’ (from Epic Mickey) appears and sends out a giant Heartless to stop them from leaving. The Heartless he sends is an ink-blot version of Darkside from KH1. Just as it seems they’re about to be defeated, the king of Wasteland, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, appears and offers his help. After defeating Darkside, the Shadow Blot retreats and Vanitas unlocks the Forgotten World’s keyhole. Just as they’re leaving, King Oswald tells them that the Queen of Wasteland, Ortensia, is nowhere to be found and that she might be lost in another world, waiting for him to rescue her.
They leave through the Cornerstone after forming an alliance. Max searches for his father, Oswald reluctantly seeks out his brother Mickey while searching for Ortensia, and Vanitas still doesn’t quite remember who he is…
Throughout the game, Vanitas follows his heart to many worlds that have all been forgotten. He goes about, forming “E-Links” with various characters. “E-Links,” or Emotional Links, are connections that instill Vanitas with different abilities based off Positive Emotions (similar to how D-Links function in “Birth by Sleep”). Every time an E-Link is formed, a memory recovers with it. The more E-Links Vanitas forms, the more “complete” he begins to feel. While working towards unlocking the Forgotten Worlds, Vanitas recovers memories of the events that led to his demise at Ven’s hands. Some of the memories that he recovers belong to Xion, Roxas and Sora. As he starts to learn more about the boy whose heart he was trapped inside and the people connected to him, he begins to change his outlook.
There are 13 E-Links in all, and 13 positive things for Vanitas to experience. Among them are Happiness, Friendship, Courage, Love, Faith, Ambition, Certainty, Honor, Selflessness, Self-Acceptance and Remorse.
By the end of the game, Max finds Goofy, and Oswald rescues Ortensia from Mortimer Mouse (basically this game’s version of Pete) and he overcomes his jealousy toward his successful brother. Mickey promises to save Wasteland from the Shadow Blot. But Vanitas is still missing two E-Links.
The final two links need to be made with both Sora and Ventus. Those E-Links are Redemption and Forgiveness. He sets out to Destiny Islands to form them. The game (possibly) ends after they accept Vanitas and become a team. Hence the name “Link (the) ‘Two’ Forgotten.”
I haven’t really given any thought to what extra worlds I would put in it, but since it’s never going to be a real game that’s brain power I could be using elsewhere lol. Maybe I’ll finish drawing Max and Ozzy later just for giggles.
X
What do you make of Riku's hostility towards Sora in the first Kingdom Hearts game? He did a 180 after that and then made everything about Sora. But I always wondered why he was so antagonistic towards Sora at first.
Aaah this is my kind of question, buckle up! The short answer is, well…I think Riku’s very first line of dialogue in Kingdom Hearts sums it up: “Hey! Aren’t you guys forgetting about me?”. The long answer though…I’ve actually got a meta that’s been sitting in my drafts for about 2 months I still need to figure out how to finish that kind of explores Riku’s breaking point with Sora. And I say breaking point because it was something that was building up in Riku from the very beginning, not something that just came out of nowhere (even though in the game they don’t necessarily make it obvious). I’ll try to summarize a bit of it here.
Keep in mind that even though Riku was antagonistic with Sora throughout the game (going from merely cocky to openly hostile), he still wanted Sora to be with him, to help him save Kairi together all the way up until the end of Monstro (despite Maleficent urging Riku to just forget about Sora); here you fight side-by-side with Riku, and afterwards Riku asks Sora to join him in saving Kairi. Sora then raises his Keyblade against Riku in response. People tend to forget this, but Sora was actually the first one to make a physical threat towards Riku, not the other way around. I’m not saying Sora was right or wrong to do this (He was just trying to protect Pinocchio), but it’s important to understand how this would feel from Riku’s perspective. Riku would take it as confirmation of everything Maleficent had been whispering in his ear to this point- that Sora had abandoned not only him, but Kairi as well, for his new friends and the Keyblade. This is Riku’s breaking point.
But what was bubbling under the surface that got Riku to this point? For that question it helps to look at the other games too- and I’d include the novels because I think they work fairly well as character studies (though I have a couple gripes) that make character motivations clearer than the games. There is one trait of Riku’s that seems to be the main driver of his antagonism towards Sora; his fear of being abandoned- particularly by Sora. This fear is also tied with his need to feel needed; at the beginning of KH, Riku uses his sense of superiority to Sora (which he confesses to Sora at the end of KH2) as a way to insulate himself from really recognizing and facing this fear- in a way, he believes that as long as he is the stronger one, the wiser one, the “leader”, Sora will always need him and he won’t be abandoned. But in Traverse Town when he sees that Sora is the one who was chosen by the Keyblade, that Sora has been able to fight and travel worlds without him, with a couple weird looking strangers no less, Riku sees this as a sign that Sora no longer needs him and his greatest fear comes surging to the surface in the form of resentment and anger. Maleficent recognized Riku’s fear and used it to manipulate him further, manipulating the existing darkness in Riku’s heart. The scene in Traverse Town:
“You see? It’s just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions.” A woman was speaking from behind him- Maleficent. I just stood there, gazing into the window, and I couldn’t move. I could see Sora laughing with his friends. He hadn’t found Kairi yet, but he was smiling all the same. Smiling with other people who weren’t us. I was just so angry…and lonely… and sad… “Evidently, he values them far more than he does you,” murmured Maleficent. Is that true? Maybe it is. Maybe Sora’s already forgotten about me.
So then, instead of dealing with his fear, he turns all his focus and energy to finding and saving Kairi. He thinks Sora might not need him anymore, but Kairi still does (not to mention, when he finds the state she’s in, he blames himself for it).
Chain of Memories in particular sheds a lot of light on why Riku acted the way he did in KH1. In the novel, we get an inside look at Riku’s feelings during the fall of Destiny Islands. He displays jealousy over his belief that Sora only ever thinks of Kairi, and Kairi only ever thinks of Sora (pointing to him feeling like the third wheel). But at this point we also learn that Riku was the same as Kairi, in his own words:
“Right. Because Kairi would only think of Sora. But I was the same way. When Sora and I were together, we could go anywhere. I really believed that.”
Even one of Repliku’s greatest fears is being forgotten by Sora- Repliku being a device that allows us to see Riku’s feelings that couldn’t be expressed so plainly by the real one at that point in time. Through the whole CoM novel, Riku struggles with his loneliness- even when he is helped by King Mickey- and more than anything he wants to see Sora. He recognizes now that Sora never abandoned him. More than anything he wants to overcome the darkness inside him so he can look Sora in the eye and apologize. But when he finally finds Sora, instead of choosing the easy option to sleep and lock the darkness away, and forget everything he did, he decides to face the darkness. This marks the first major growth for Riku in dealing with his fear- not just of the darkness, but the primary root of that darkness- his fear of being abandoned, replaced, forgotten, unneeded. He knows he will have to continue to suffer in loneliness without Sora, but if it means overcoming the darkness he will do it, so he can look Sora in the eyes again. Riku’s very last line in the novel, after he chooses “the road to dawn, the daybreak path”, sums it up:
“Walking the path without you, so that we might remake our forgotten promise. So that I can find you on the road ahead.”
I’ve got more to say on how Riku learns to deal with this primary fear of his through the rest of the series, but I’ll split it off here and put it in the next post:
Riku’s Growth
What do you make of Riku's hostility towards Sora in the first Kingdom Hearts game? He did a 180 after that and then made everything about Sora. But I always wondered why he was so antagonistic towards Sora at first.
Aaah this is my kind of question, buckle up! The short answer is, well…I think Riku’s very first line of dialogue in Kingdom Hearts sums it up: “Hey! Aren’t you guys forgetting about me?”. The long answer though…I’ve actually got a meta that’s been sitting in my drafts for about 2 months I still need to figure out how to finish that kind of explores Riku’s breaking point with Sora. And I say breaking point because it was something that was building up in Riku from the very beginning, not something that just came out of nowhere (even though in the game they don’t necessarily make it obvious). I’ll try to summarize a bit of it here.
Keep in mind that even though Riku was antagonistic with Sora throughout the game (going from merely cocky to openly hostile), he still wanted Sora to be with him, to help him save Kairi together all the way up until the end of Monstro (despite Maleficent urging Riku to just forget about Sora); here you fight side-by-side with Riku, and afterwards Riku asks Sora to join him in saving Kairi. Sora then raises his Keyblade against Riku in response. People tend to forget this, but Sora was actually the first one to make a physical threat towards Riku, not the other way around. I’m not saying Sora was right or wrong to do this (He was just trying to protect Pinocchio), but it’s important to understand how this would feel from Riku’s perspective. Riku would take it as confirmation of everything Maleficent had been whispering in his ear to this point- that Sora had abandoned not only him, but Kairi as well, for his new friends and the Keyblade. This is Riku’s breaking point.
But what was bubbling under the surface that got Riku to this point? For that question it helps to look at the other games too- and I’d include the novels because I think they work fairly well as character studies (though I have a couple gripes) that make character motivations clearer than the games. There is one trait of Riku’s that seems to be the main driver of his antagonism towards Sora; his fear of being abandoned- particularly by Sora. This fear is also tied with his need to feel needed; at the beginning of KH, Riku uses his sense of superiority to Sora (which he confesses to Sora at the end of KH2) as a way to insulate himself from really recognizing and facing this fear- in a way, he believes that as long as he is the stronger one, the wiser one, the “leader”, Sora will always need him and he won’t be abandoned. But in Traverse Town when he sees that Sora is the one who was chosen by the Keyblade, that Sora has been able to fight and travel worlds without him, with a couple weird looking strangers no less, Riku sees this as a sign that Sora no longer needs him and his greatest fear comes surging to the surface in the form of resentment and anger. Maleficent recognized Riku’s fear and used it to manipulate him further, manipulating the existing darkness in Riku’s heart. The scene in Traverse Town:
“You see? It’s just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions.” A woman was speaking from behind him- Maleficent. I just stood there, gazing into the window, and I couldn’t move. I could see Sora laughing with his friends. He hadn’t found Kairi yet, but he was smiling all the same. Smiling with other people who weren’t us. I was just so angry…and lonely… and sad… “Evidently, he values them far more than he does you,” murmured Maleficent. Is that true? Maybe it is. Maybe Sora’s already forgotten about me.
So then, instead of dealing with his fear, he turns all his focus and energy to finding and saving Kairi. He thinks Sora might not need him anymore, but Kairi still does (not to mention, when he finds the state she’s in, he blames himself for it).
Chain of Memories in particular sheds a lot of light on why Riku acted the way he did in KH1. In the novel, we get an inside look at Riku’s feelings during the fall of Destiny Islands. He displays jealousy over his belief that Sora only ever thinks of Kairi, and Kairi only ever thinks of Sora (pointing to him feeling like the third wheel). But at this point we also learn that Riku was the same as Kairi, in his own words:
“Right. Because Kairi would only think of Sora. But I was the same way. When Sora and I were together, we could go anywhere. I really believed that.”
Even one of Repliku’s greatest fears is being forgotten by Sora- Repliku being a device that allows us to see Riku’s feelings that couldn’t be expressed so plainly by the real one at that point in time. Through the whole CoM novel, Riku struggles with his loneliness- even when he is helped by King Mickey- and more than anything he wants to see Sora. He recognizes now that Sora never abandoned him. More than anything he wants to overcome the darkness inside him so he can look Sora in the eye and apologize. But when he finally finds Sora, instead of choosing the easy option to sleep and lock the darkness away, and forget everything he did, he decides to face the darkness. This marks the first major growth for Riku in dealing with his fear- not just of the darkness, but the primary root of that darkness- his fear of being abandoned, replaced, forgotten, unneeded. He knows he will have to continue to suffer in loneliness without Sora, but if it means overcoming the darkness he will do it, so he can look Sora in the eyes again. Riku’s very last line in the novel, after he chooses “the road to dawn, the daybreak path”, sums it up:
“Walking the path without you, so that we might remake our forgotten promise. So that I can find you on the road ahead.”
I’ve got more to say on how Riku learns to deal with this primary fear of his through the rest of the series, but I’ll split it off here and put it in the next post:
Riku’s Growth
How Mickey’s Poor Memory Ties Into KH3: Kingdom Hearts Meta
Right, so I just finished watching the ReCoded HD Cutscene movie and there’s something that stuck out to me.
So we all know that Mickey knew Terra, Aqua, and Ventus over ten years ago according to the KH lore. Yet he never brought them up. This is highlighted in the KH 2.8 Remix trailer when Mickey not so subtly drops that not only did he know them, but he met Aqua once in the Realm of Darkness.
This naturally got a lot of people in the fandom really mad. After the sad events that transpired in Birth By Sleep, the only survivor of the ordeal finds out information but doesn’t say anything for ten years? Yeah, that would be suspicious… but is it possible his actions can be explained?
Let’s step back from that for a minute and go towards KH2. Mickey met Xemnas. The leader of Organization 13. The guy who was purposefully destroying countless worlds so he could create Kingdom Hearts. Yet, even though Mickey clearly met him and understands the danger the worlds are in, he completely forgets ever seeing Xemnas until he sees him again at Hallow Bastion.
Which makes things worse considering Xemnas was the spitting image of Terra. And even though Mickey never met Terra personally, he does know Xemnas’ true identity because of his reaction to it in Dream Drop Distance.
So why would Mickey just casually forget the pain and suffering of his friends? Or forget who Xemnas is?
It’s a mystery unless you analyze the psychology of ReCoded.
Near the end of the game, Data Sora is taken to Castle Oblivion where he begins to walk through the castle and starts forgetting all of his friends. Data Roxas tells him that it’s better to just forget and not connect with people in the first place, because that hurt will destroy him.
Essentially, if Data Sora dwells on the pain, then the darkness will overtake him. Instead of Mickey easily giving sage advice… he instead says something interesting.
The reason why this is interesting is because MICKEY HAS BEEN THERE!
Mickey was the sole survivor of the onslaught that transpired between Aqua, Ventus, and Terra against Master Xehanort. A fight he wasn’t even supposed to be a part of. Yet because of his friendship with those three, he wanted to join in to help in any way he could…
And he couldn’t save them.
Mickey didn’t just forget about Terra, Aqua, and Ven as the years went by… he repressed those memories on purpose because it hurt too much to think about. That guilt built up but he couldn’t face his past because that pain was too much for him. And according to Data Roxas, if you dwell on the pain you fall into darkness. We may not see Mickey get close to darkness per-say, but we do see the effects their losses in his actions.
Why he travels alone during KH1 and 2? Why he has such a strong reaction to Goofy’s “death”? Why he’s so desperate to not let Riku fall into darkness? Why he “forgot” Xemnas?
It’s because he has been hurt by loss in the past and instead of facing that pain head on and accepting it, he ran away and attempted to prevent that pain from happening again by simultaneously trying to repress the memories and trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
That’s why he’s forgotten, but won’t let go. He doesn’t want his friends to go down the same path, but he doesn’t want to go through that pain again.
The King is at a crossroads throughout most of the games because of these conflicting emotions! Also, Mickey has taught himself that all darkness is inherently evil and that no form of darkness should ever exist. Which also includes feelings such as sadness, anger, loss, or regret…
So he can really relate to Data Sora here.
If Mickey let his pain in, would it pull him to the darkness? Would it overtake him?
But the difference between Data Sora and Mickey is that Data Sora is willing to accept that pain is essential to who you are and you must carry it. Data Sora can accept it while Mickey, although he accepts darkness can be used for good, still struggles with accepting his own darkness.
And who conveniently meets up with Data Sora after he learns to accept the fact that you gotta carry your pain with you?
That’s right. Mickey. Yes, he didn’t have the energy to talk to Data Sora during Data Sora’s battle with Roxas, but Mickey had to at least keep track of Data Sora somehow. Otherwise he wouldn’t know where Data Sora would be in the Datescape. It’s possible Mickey could have kept a connection open enough so that he could hear Data Sora. Mickey had to since just after he says he’s glad to catch up with Data Sora, he says:
So Mickey knew what Data Sora was going through. Could it be possible that Mickey took his time because he was realizing that Sora was doing something he couldn’t? That Data Sora could accept pain as natural and carry the weight without it letting the pain overtake him?
If Mickey heard the whole exchange between Data Sora and Data Roxas, Mickey would have been faced with a decision. A decision that he’s been running away from for over ten years.
If Mickey were to help Data Sora find the hidden pieces of the journal, he must learn to accept his own pain too. And even though we do not see how Mickey gets affected on a surface level, we do see how the experience changed him immediately after Mickey returns to the real world.
After the events of this game, Mickey seems more aware of his missing friends. In the secret ending of the game, Mickey immediately starts talking to YenSid about finding Ven’s heart and saving Terra, Ven, and Aqua.
It could be possible that he has been investigating their losses in the past, but it was only after he accepted that he wasn’t good enough to save them that he was able to get emotionally strong enough to face his mistakes and take his pain head on.
Data Sora showed him the way. After being with Data Sora and facing the memories that were too painful to bear according to Naminé, Mickey had to face the loss he ran away from for over ten years.
Sora’s not the only one who needed a hand to hold during this painful re-experience.
Naminé then says this to Mickey specifically:
Because, she’s right. Mickey does know how much they’re hurting. And how long he has been running away from that pain.
But now he needs to face it, accept it, and carry the burden to make it right.
Some say that ReCoded was pointless.
I say it added a lot of depth to Mickey and answered a lot of questions related to his character.
Now Mickey isn’t afraid of his own pain, guilt, and loss anymore. Now he can accept that darkness as a part of himself.
It may be a long time coming, but because of his adventures with Data Sora, Mickey is finally ready to acknowledge his memories, forgive himself, move forward, and finally take the steps to save his friends in Kingdom Hearts 3.
“ Remember, there are no winners–only truths. ”
Things that would fix the internet immediately:
Bring back Club Penguin for the kids
Create a separate Club Penguin for adults which is exactly the same except you're allowed to swear
leftist antisemites are really everywhere on this hellsite making & reblogging their posts like “the Jews have too much power and privilege and actually their very recent genocide was not that bad compared to what my group experiences and antisemitism doesn’t even exist in my country and especially not in liberal spaces”
Goyim should reblog posts like this one instead of always only acknowledging antisemitism when it is about jk rowling’s goblins or easy shit like that.
Challenge the antisemitism that is coming from inside the house. Be a little brave. Because you will lose followers for reblogging a post like this, because there are antisemites following you that think this way, and assume you do too.
#amazing
HAPPY SANS SWEEP QUEEN DEATH DAY
