#and I’m pretty sure that’s what Riku said?? I didn’t play Re:mind so my bad but uhhhh yeah they love each other and that’s THAT

[kingdomhearts-and-soriku-trash]

I was thinking when I saw @starkeeper-art from this post and

Imagining,,,Sora seeing Riku shirtless for the first time in awhile and seeing his scars. It’s not like him seeing it because he’s getting naked for anything NSFW, but maybe he’s getting ready for training and he’s wearing something specific and Sora sees his scars on his wrist and on his side AND the dream eater symbol. And Sora remembers why he has them. He has them because of Sora.

And it hits him at once.

He believes that he hurt Riku. Not directly, but he was the cause, and it hurts his heart.

Riku sees Sora spacing out and comes over to him and asks what’s wrong, but Sora can’t explain it. How do you tell the most important person in your life that you’re sorry for being their most important person??? Despite all his attempts not to, tears well up in Soras eyes and Riku sees it. He always sees what’s wrong with Sora, even if he still doesn’t know why. With no hesitation, he pulls Sora into a hug and he noticed how Riku winced a bit.

The scars still hurt a bit and Sora feels even more guilt rise in his heart. And because of their connection, I like to think Riku feels it too. His own heart is heavy and he knows it’s from Sora. He runs his hand through his hair to show him that he’s here. He’s here for anything. Sora eventually does speak.

“Your scars. They’re because of me. I did this to you.” They come out in a monotone yet sad voice. Those words cause Riku to become a little confused, and Sora continued. “Your wrist was broke because you fought Roxas for my sake. Your side has a huge scar on it because you protected me from a slash that would’ve killed me. I still remember it exactly how it happened. My heart basically stopped when it happened. I feel grateful, but also ashamed.”

Sora rambled everything out and he took in a huge breath as the tears finally fall. His chest should’ve been lighter from finally saying his words, but it was only heavier. He told Riku his anxieties, and he doesn’t know how he’ll react. Riku is stuck in a moment, not knowing how to react, but he eventually pulls away and kisses Soras forehead. They’re not together yet so it confuses Sora and makes him blush. Riku wipes Soras tears off his face and looks just as sad as Sora does. “Sora, it’s not your fault. None of these are your fault. I would take these scars any day or a hundred times over if it meant to be able to hold you right now. None of it is your fault. And I take the symbol with happiness because it means I can protect you even more.”

Sora looks Riku in his eyes and sees love in his eyes. Plus, he knows he wouldn’t lie to him about this. He almost never lies to Sora, and Sora the same. Because of his answer, Sora was stuck in his head.

“He would really go through it all again for me? Is he just saying that?”

As if Riku could see the gears turning in his head, he just pulls him back into a hug and runs his hand through his hair. Sora’s sobs have stopped but Riku knows he’s still emotional. He always knows. So he just holds him in his arms, comforting him in the way he knows best, the way Sora needs comfort, the way they used to comfort each other, and the way they will from now on.

And it’s just so sad to imagine that because what if Sora in the next game/future games finally realizes what Riku has done for him. He’s known it all along, but it finally hits him. How many nights he’s stayed up looking for him, the pain in his side hurting him everytime he takes a step, his wrist hurting when he makes a certain move, his back burning when Sora is in pain, HOW HE DIED FOR HIM AND HOW HE HIMSELF (as in Riku) DOESN’T REMEMBER IT BUT HE STILL DID IT, and everything ties back to Sora. Imagine him remembering that and it bringing a lot of strain and sadness to his mind?? And it causes nightmares and Riku is once again in pain because of him.

I just think Sora and Riku both need to hug each other and comfort each other bc GOD has Riku done so much and he deserves to tell Sora why and how much he means to him and how much he truly does care for him. How he’d do anything for him and how he doesn’t regret anything at all. How he’d do it all again if it meant he could hear his laugh and see his light to this day. And make Sora realize how he feels towards Riku because sometimes it seems like he’s pushing it away or even ignoring it because he has to or because he feels like he needs to. Sora needs for someone to ask him how he’s doing and to comfort him. And Riku would be that person. HE WILL BE.

Go give this art a lot of love because it’s BEAUTIFUL!!

And don’t get me started on how Riku’s first words after Sora touched him with his light was, “Sora...” because he knew it was Sora. He didn’t even have his EYES OPEN. He knew it was his warmth and it was Sora. It’s always Sora. And it will always be Sora. His childhood best friend. You just know he loves Sora. In this essay I will-

#soriku #Sora x Riku #Riku x Sora #my writing #I love them SO much. And I believe Riku hurt his wrist because he fought Roxas for Sora??? If not then my bad- #and I’m pretty sure that’s what Riku said?? I didn’t play Re:mind so my bad but uhhhh yeah they love each other and that’s THAT #if there’s any errors then my bad it’s late and I’m tired #btw if you’re not okay with me like making a post from your Art then tell me and I’ll take it down! #I don’t want to offend anyone or anything so if it’s not okay tell me and I’ll take it down ;)). I really hope not tho bc I really love this #idea but I always wanna give credit where credit is due because I didn’t think of this out of nowhere. #Just from seeing that art (which is so beautiful sis) and hope this is okay :’)))

[jcmorrigan]

I have attempted to keep my contempt for Kingdom Hearts III to a minimum. However, it has come to my attention that there are several jokes being passed around about how mean and ineffectual Yen Sid is as a teacher. I’m not demanding everyone change their tune right now and like Yen Sid. He’s not for everyone. But I went through a journey over the course of this series going from disliking him to flat-out loving him, and it really dismays me that I can pinpoint why everyone thought he was so bad in III and it, to use a phrase that has almost lost meaning, “doesn’t exist in a vacuum.”

Historically, Yen Sid has been a punching bag for this fandom. I know. I was there. Doing some of the punching. The problem was we were given Organization XIII and weren’t really sure what to do with them. For one, if you didn’t play CoM in between 1 and II (and not having SEEN Marluxia trying to chess-game everyone to their deaths), which was my story, you got Naminé saying “Good or bad, I cannot say” followed almost immediately by Yen Sid saying that though the Organization would pretend to have emotions , it was a ruse. I can’t pinpoint exactly why the Organization XIII fandom happened (I’m not sure it was so simple as “They’re hot”), but if it was anything like my case, I think it stems deep down from seeing these cool character designs and quirks on a bunch of VILLAINS and feeling the pull of the good/bad binary that suggests you can’t enjoy them as villains and must make them redeemable enough to make fan content of. This is starting to veer into a whole other essay, so I’ll cut it off here - I’ll just say if you know me, you know I figured out that “fun team for fan content” and “moral role models” are not necessarily symbiotic. ANYWAY. ABOUT YEN SID. The other thing I think we have to remember is that at the time, the only people who understood how Nobodies felt were the Nobodies. Ansem the Wise also thought they were emotionless evil. We found out in DDD, whether or not that was planned in advance, that Xemnas basically conditioned them to think of themselves that way. 358/2 Days is so poignant in its depiction of the Sea Salt Trio because you see how the rest have been groomed to be divided and not care about friendship or emotions. So in a way, the Organization defense squad was right, and I think that ended up being kind of the point - Yen Sid was telling us all we knew about this “mysterious entity” that didn’t interact with humanity, and that arc was concluded through Ansem realizing he should’ve treated Roxas like a human person. So that clears away KHII Yen Sid.

BBS Yen Sid was where I really grew to love him as a character. He understands that Terra and Ven need to follow their hearts, and in their individual visits, he basically tells them “Eraqus would not like this, but I know it’s important to you and I trust you, so I’m going to look the other way.” When Aqua visits him, you see a completely new side of him. It always hurts me so much when he has to tell Aqua that Xehanort and Terra have murdered Eraqus. Because he pauses a bit before saying Xehanort’s name. That man was his friend, and all this time, he was hoping there was redeemability in him. (Perhaps contributing to him being later jaded toward Xemnas’ associates, hmm?) But he pauses even longer before saying Terra’s name, and I sincerely believe this is because he recognizes the pain he feels at knowing Xehanort isn’t the person he thought he was...and even more than not wanting to feel it, he doesn’t want Aqua to feel that way about Terra. Yet he knows in the end she deserves the truth. Also, BBS kind of acts “fix fic” toward Fantasia itself, of all things. When I took my stance on KHII Yen Sid, this made me retroactively look at Fantasia and go “What a jerk in how he treats Mickey.” Which really isn’t the case at all - he’s tough but fair, and Mickey kinda BROUGHT THE WATERY APOCALYPSE DOWN UPON HIS LABORATORY. But the end credits scene of Yen Sid and Mickey deliberately subverts Fantasia. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice has Yen Sid strip Mickey of the hat, which Mickey doesn’t want to give up. BBS ends on the note of Mickey feeling that, since he couldn’t save his friends, he didn’t deserve the Keyblade (which is the same pattern as Yen Sid’s hat) anymore, and he tried to give it up. Yen Sid instead hands it BACK to him encouragingly, and this is likely where he awarded Mickey mastery. It takes a scene where we’re used to him punishing the naughty trickster and flips it on its head - when Mickey himself thinks he’s finally gone too far and nothing but a failure, Yen Sid wants him to keep dreaming, keep growing, keep learning.

DDD! Yen Sid tests Riku and Sora for Mastery, and ultimately encourages Riku to self-actualize! He assures Riku it’s okay to mix Light and Dark, which is almost UNHEARD of in this universe! He reaches out to Kairi, he allows Lea a second chance - he’s on top of it all!

So let’s get into KHIII. People have said Yen Sid berates Sora too much. And I’m not saying that’s not true. People have said it’s stupid that Yen Sid doesn’t actually act like a “teacher” or introduce a lot of the mechanics from BBS he would’ve known about, like armor or skimmers. And it kind of is. But I think it’s the old KHII sourness that’s bleeding into this interpretation, because honestly...this is not a Yen Sid problem.

This problem affects the characterization of pretty much every main cast member in KHIII.

Sora is now more focused on his own failings than trying to help others (please compare his reaction to Rapunzel to his reaction to Quasimodo back in DDD to see how selfish he’s become). Riku has almost nothing to say or do. Kairi has been watered down - no sense of humor or sass or initiative, to say nothing of the great offensive death scene. Aqua’s time in the Realm of Darkness seems to have had no noticeable effect on her until Re:Mind retroactively patched it in, and her solitude wasn’t explored. Ventus gets barely anything to do or say beyond being a yes-man. The conflict between the Wayfinder Trio? Swept under the rug. Same with Sea Salt, though at least Axel, Roxas, and Xion all feel like themselves, at least. Vexen, whose primary character trait was “grump who hates everyone,” decides midgame that he is no longer grumpy and does not hate everyone. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness? Don’t even get me started; there is no similarity between this ominous harbinger of Master Xehanort’s will and the mad scientist nihilist from KH1. Master Xehanort himself? Has magically gone from “I must explore the Darkness to see what answers of the universe will be revealed when Kingdom Hearts comes, despite the Light acting as a policing force I find unfair” (BBS) to “I hate that everyone acts like a good person but it’s so fake. I want to remake the world and rule over it to make it better” (KHIII). Meanwhile, Eraqus, whose arc centered around fanaticism taken to an extreme that led him to attack his own adoptive child, is now the voice of forgiveness, acting as forgiveness for Xehanort when it was Eraqus’ lack of forgiveness for any slight that kicked off the problem in the first place. I personally love Ienzo as he is, probably because he’s more sincerely happy now and the seeds were planted in DDD for this characterization, but if you add it up, he’s very jarringly different than the Zexion we were used to.

Yen Sid is a victim of the same character assassination that hit pretty much EVERYONE else in this game. Why is he a bad teacher? Because the guy in charge of writing his dialogue didn’t bother to line it up with BBS or DDD for consistency. Why didn’t he show the characters how to do anything worth anything? Because, again, the designers of III decided to switch the BBS mechanics for Attraction Flows and Formchanges without taking lore and continuity into consideration (and for the record, I love Attraction Flows and Formchanges, but we couldn’t have everything, and we need to be aware of the fact that game design dictates a lot of the story; the reason Sora is missing so much power in the first place is because we need to justify starting the game at level 1). At the very least, they allowed Yen Sid to actually travel to the Keyblade Graveyard to rescue his charges when everyone had a betting pool on him “Sitting in his chair doing nothing” during the end times. And that probably involved a lot of haggling over licensing of Fantasia. They at least wanted to show him caring about the others to that degree.

Like I said, Yen Sid isn’t for everyone. If you don’t like him because you just don’t like him, fine. I didn’t come here to try and change everyone’s mind. But I just think it’s a little bit unfair to harp on how much of a “bad teacher” he is in III when this lines up with none of his prior characterization, but lines up perfectly with how much the rest of the cast is bad everything-else.

#yen sid #kingdom hearts critical #kh critical

[yo-namine]

Okay, time to talk to myself about Re:Mind and Limit Cut Episode. 

Spoilers galore under the cut!

I'm just gonna start off by talking about how the DLC handled my biggest gripe with base KH3, which was obviously how Kairi was written in the last few hours of the game. Like I said in my other post, Re:Mind doesn't totally fix those problems, but... Well, here's what we get:

Kairi's "murder" is reframed a bit in the DLC. Base KH3 presents it as Xehanort killing her just to provoke Sora et al. into "clashing" with him to make the final key. In Re:Mind, we learn that Xehanort was actually stowing Kairi away (by "crystallizing" her, which... means she wasn't dead? But Sora still takes all the steps Chirithy gives him that are specifically for restoring a heart from death, and it works, so...?) as a fail-safe of sorts in case he needed another Light. Xemnas foreshadows this a bit when he says that Kingdom Hearts needs the Princesses of Heart in case the whole 13 Clashes of Light and Darkness thing doesn't work out. And for what it's worth, I do think this is a little better for Kairi as a character just because it shows that she was "killed" due to something unique and special about her, rather than what she was to Sora. She's still being used, and she's still sapped of her agency, but presumably no other character could have worked in that role against Xehanort, so... that's something, I suppose.

During the Xemnas/Saix/Xion fight, there's an added scene where all the Lights get to take a shot at Xemnas, and Kairi actually broke that motherfucker's guard and made him stumble when no one else could... And then she got captured, bloop, but at least this time it was because she was actually fighting and simply got bested. I can appreciate that. I liked seeing her shield Axel from Xion's attack, too.

And of course, she does get the chance to take on Xehanort later. She has a nice battle set-up (a sort of warp dash ability similar to Riku's and Roxas's, shotlock, reflect, and a GORGEOUS link attack with Sora), and it's a little cathartic to play as her taking Xehanort down. However, I don't think she ever learns that Xehanort took her as a safety measure for his plan or why she was the one chosen for this in the first place. She doesn't speak to Xehanort at all, which makes her big battle with him at the end feel rather... impersonal? And never mind him "killing" her in KH3; Xehanort's ultimately responsible for her losing her family when she was four years old, as well as the destruction of her home world. I'm not saying Kairi and Xehanort needed to have some long overwrought conversation or anything, but there definitely should've been some dialogue between them.

Kairi's actually involved in Naminé's restoration after all!!!!!!!! I remember the Ultimania's explanation of Naminé's return leaving a bad taste in my mouth because it seemed like they framed Kairi's death as ultimately a good thing, because hey, at least her murder freed Naminé from her heart. But that's not what actually happened; instead, Kairi and Sora go to Radiant Garden at the end of the game, and she lets him use the keyblade to release Naminé's heart from hers. And honestly, that scene right there? That was probably my favorite part of this entire DLC. The fact that Kairi really did play a part in restoring her Nobody is a much better payoff to her earlier lines in the game about wanting Naminé to have her own experiences. She wanted to give Naminé her life back, and rather than that being something wrenched from Kairi against her will, it was something she did for Naminé of her own volition.  I just. 😭

/tl;dr thoughts on kairi

As for everything else in Re:Mind:

I loved the background moments with Sora and Kairi in the ending cinematic. Each one is framed so that you can't see their faces, so they all feel like you're looking in on something secret. The "Behind the Curtain" trophy name is pretty fitting (and just downright cute, lol). And like I said above, I loved the scene where Kairi and Sora restore Naminé's heart. You just see him pull the keyblade away from her chest, and then she cradles Naminé's heart in her hands and fjsldfjskd. I teared up at that. It was just such a sweet and gentle little moment. Sora and Kairi taking Chirithy to Ven (and Sora even giving them a little push, lol) was really sweet, too. I loved their body language while they watched Ven run off, how you see them turn toward each other just slightly.

I also like how Sora and Kairi's relationship evolved from "Even if we're apart, our hearts are always connected" to "Heart connections are nice and all, but I'd much rather actually be with you."

Demyx and Riku interacting was something I never knew I needed. Riku's like "PLEASE be careful with that vessel, it's very important--" and Demyx is just "Bro, I got this," and hoists it over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Sora and Roxas actually talk to each other! I liked the scene where Sora's Station of Awakening starts to peel away to reveal Roxas's, and you get little glimpses of Roxas's memories. And it turns out that Sora actually did release Roxas's heart from his, and it wasn't just Xemnas kicking Xion into his chest that did the trick, lmao. I like that change.

Xemnas mentions that the original Organization doesn't remember Xion, but they do have records of her. That's a nice little tidbit to have for my Day 4 AU. 👀

Saix says the Guardians must be desperate if they're getting a Princess of Heart involved in the war, and Axel's like "Nah, she's our trump card." Aw. I also thought it was interesting how Saix purposefully uses Axel and Roxas's names to try to trigger Xion's memory of them.

I had to watch the recusant's sigil bit like four times before I understood what the hell was happening, lmao. The sigil represents the Sea Salt Trio's actual connection to one another that they had to "reclaim" from Xemnas, which... okay, but why was that needed? The thing I always liked about this trio is that they're the only one that we see develop fully from the beginning to the end of their relationship. They were always the most believable (canon) trio to me because of that, so throwing in this whole "The sigil binds us together!" thing just seems kind of stupid and unnecessary. They're friendship is good enough as-is. You don't have to add in this nonsense to represent their bond; their relationship development itself already did that. But whatever, they still had a really cool combo attack.

Scala ad Caelum is expanded on! I really enjoyed exploring it and solving the little puzzles to put Kairi's heart back together.

I LOVED THE GUARDIANS VS. NORT REPLICAS BATTLE SO MUCH I HAVE TO YELL ABOUT IT. I ACTUALLY DIED THE FIRST TIME BUT I DIDN'T CARE THAT I HAD TO REPLAY IT BECAUSE I WAS HAVING SO MUCH FUN. THE TAG TEAM ATTACKS!!!!! AQUA, XION, AND MICKEY'S COUNTER-ATTACK!!!!!! EVERYONE ACTUALLY WORKING TOGETHER!!!!!!!! IT’S ALL I EVER WANTED!!!!!!!! 

There are so many cute dialogue exchanges during the Guardians vs. replicas sequence, too! Ven and Roxas compliment each other, Aqua scolds Axel for talking too much (twice, I think? Axel fusses at her the second time, lmao), Terra says something to Riku that I couldn't quite catch, and Riku's like "All thanks to you!" It's just so cute and charming, and it really made the Guardians finally feel like a team.

Mickey Mouse straight-up Boromir-ing his way through the Nort replicas was... I think I loved that? Yeah, no, I loved that. I was laughing through half of it because I kept getting knocked back, but it was a great sequence (visually and gameplay-wise).

Connecting all the keyholes was very satisfying, and was just a beautiful visual altogether.

Sora and Kairi's reunion was adorable. And then Sora sees Goatanort enter the scene, and he just looks at Kairi and is like, "You ready, B?" and Kairi's like, "FUCK yeah, I'm taking his trachea through his kneecaps!!!!!" Okay, not really, lmao. Actually, Kairi's surprised when Sora asks her that, like she didn't expect him to let her help, or maybe she felt like she wouldn't even be able to, but she says she's ready anyway. Kairi’s under-confidence in her fighting skills is a little more apparent in the DLC. Like she says "I can do this" right before the final battle, but it comes off as her trying to reassure herself. She even has a counterattack where her battle quote is "Please work!" and I don't remember hearing her say that in the base game. Girl knows how outclassed she is compared to most of the other Guardians (and Xehanort), but she fights like hell anyway. Attagirl. 🎉

And as for Limit Cut:

Aww, I love that Terra calls Riku "a great leader."

Cheers to David Gallagher for saying "Are you sure about this?" with the exact same inflection as the John Cena meme.

Riku's a master now, right? When will he get some spiffy keyblade armor???????

Okay. Riku is having dreams about looking for Sora. Sora is dead (?), and "the edges of sleep and death touch." Kairi has been asleep for the past year so that the Radiant Garden team can study her heart in effort to find Sora. Nomura? Nomura? Nomura. You cannot fuck this up, man. You can do this. You can write the Destiny Trio working together again. You can write a full story in which Kairi has an active role. You can write her and Riku interacting. You can do it. I believe in you.

The data battles are so hardddddd. I wound up just watching all the LC cutscenes on youtube, lmfao. But I do want to try to beat at least some of these bosses. Tragically, Riku is TRAPPED IN MERLIN'S HOUSE, so you can't leave to grind or anything. Boo.

I don't really care about Yozora. I think we got a confirmation from Sora that Nameless Star is Stella (?), and that's cute for her I guess, but I genuinely don't care, lmao. But I definitely understand the compulsion to include beloved characters from old cancelled projects in your newer ones, so I hope Nomura has fun with that. ...That sounded sarcastic, lol, but I meant it. I hope he gets to do something cool and creative with this recycled cast. It just might not be a story I'll end up following, is all.

Data greeting is SO much fun. I sank a couple of hours into that the other night just creating scenes and playing with effects. The controls are really easy to use, and it's even fun to just explore environments like Radiant Garden and Scala ad Caelum without messing with photos at all. I hope we can unlock more character outfits and poses in the future, but I can definitely enjoy it as is for now.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this DLC. True, about half of Re:Mind is a rehash of the Keyblade Graveyard scenes with some extra content here and there, but it's sort of justified story-wise since we're in a timeloop. I enjoyed the extra Kairi scenes and the interactions between the Guardians the most. Limit Cut is mainly just bonus bosses, but like I said, I do want to actually beat those once I can figure out a strategy for them. And I'm obviously having way too much fun with Data Greeting, lmao, so yeah. Not a bad update.

#my posts #kh3 bloggin #dlc spoilers

[darkzeruda1214]

Kairi deserved better.

Oh, boy this is going to spark up some debates.

Now I want to CLARIFY before I start.

I DO NOT. Under any circumstance hate. Or dislike Kairi. Personally I think she was one of the few characters that actually have an interesting background and has a lot of potential as a character. And I really do like Kairi, but I think the rest of the fandom can agree with me.

She. Was. Done. Dirty.

Seriously. Does anyone in the development team even like or want her in the series?!

This girl deserves better. As well as give her some spotlight and some much needed personality!

*Canon Kairi is just really... unjust. The fandom does a much a better job portraying her character! (TAKE NOTES NOMURA Dangit! You could learn a few things from the fans!)

Anyways...

Time to get to the topic, (also thanks for my cousin for allowing me to use their exact words for this argument).

(SPOILERS FOR KH3)

So after finishing KH3 I was left unsatisfied and just plainly angry at the ending. And after what happened to Kairi, there’s nothing more than I want is for her to get some redemption because what happened to her is utter bullshit. One of the things that really pissed me off was how they handled her.

And yes, I’m talking about the final battle, but one thing I think many people tend to overlook is her treatment in the trailers.

Now I know some of you are confused by what I mean. But the trailers really deceived fans about what Kairi was going to offer. A lot of fans speculated, argued and theorized that Kairi was FINALLY bulk up and be ready to fight. She was finally going to be useful.

Now to be fair she isn’t and act totally useless. I mean she did save Sora during the Final World arc. (But you know, Square totally missed an opportunity that could have given Kairi more substance, but that’s for a totally separate debate for another time).

The trailers made it seem that Kairi was going to be part of the final battle. Now that part wasn’t a lie, but they clearly only gave her the spotlight for a couple of scenes, she’s a party member for the first part of the battle and then that’s it. We don’t even have her throughout the ENTIRE battle. She’s just cast away, because PLOT!

Utter. Bull.  

But another thing that really degraded her character as a whole is the lack of personality.

Kairi used to be a snarky and sarcastic character in KH1. And I really enjoyed what kind of character she used to be during my second play through.

(Though I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t have any attachments to any of the character -not including Disney exclusive characters- in my first playthrough until later on in the story. Riku was the only one I was more intrigued about).

Back to Kairi, even with the few seconds she was in, she had something that made her feel like fleshed out character. Not by much, but there was something. And all of that was nearly taken away in KH2, now some of you are probably ready to argue that KH2 was her best version. I’m incline to disagree, now while Kairi was mostly asleep in KH1, she had more personality in the first game compared to the second. Because in the second game, she becomes less sarcastic and more bold when it came around action.

This is where I feel Kairi started to fall as a character and more as a plot device. Because as we all know it, she get’s captured. At least in the first game she had purpose and a reason to be there.

In KH2 she had absolutely no reason to be there.

As much as I hate to say this. Her character direction fails in the second installment, because the only time she’s relevant (not including Naminé) is the Roxas telepathy conversation and the bottle scene. After that, the only way to keep her in there is by having. Her. Get. Captured. 

She’s ‘the fire’ that keeps Sora going. And at that point she’s only there as a plot device for Sora. Who he himself wouldn’t be relevant either had it not been for the Keyblade and for Roxas. But since he’s the playable character he’s obviously important. But… the same can’t be said for our Princess of Heart. While they managed to keep something in for Kairi in the second game, it was completely tossed out entirely in KH3. Honestly, the only thing I got from her is that she's heavily infatuated/in love with Sora (which isn't a bad thing, it's just that’s ALL her character had to offer in the third installment). And just in general I think her development went in the wrong way.

So we finally get to the title of the rant.

I know a lot of people are going to disagree with me and that's fine. Since we all have the right to our opinion, and to disagree and agree.

But I think she didn't need to have a Keyblade.

Or at least in the way how the writers decided to give it to her.

Reason I say that? She didn't even EARN her Keyblade. Yeah, I said it. 

She didn’t earn it, Riku gave it to her like a gift card. Like: here, it's yours. (It’s pink. So I don’t want it. It matches your clothes though).

That’s it.

They just handed her a Keyblade. That it. She didn’t even have to WORK FOR IT. (Not even a joke since the franchise is handing those things like lollipops) Now. If they had allowed her to manifest it. I dunno, actually EARN it, like how Sora and Roxas did. (Heck, even Riku got it, off screen, but he still got his). And addressing the Wayfinder’s Keyblades, it’s pretty obvious since they were training to be masters at the time. And don’t even get me started on Union X and Ven.

But Kairi was just given the damn thing like a kid given candy. Not through some rigorous trial of heart, mind or soul. Not through battling. No. Just handed one. 

I mean yeah sure you could argue her coming to another world could work for her favor, after all she traveled from one world to another. Being brave to help out Sora despite being in danger herself. But again, she’s just given the Keyblade by Riku. Not by her own power. She’s just gifted THE DAMN THING!!!!

I’m sorry. But I don’t think that’s how KEYBLADES WORK!

Look at Axel/Lea! He manifested the Keyblade in his hand! Sora’s appeared to him at first, but then he earned it after showing that his heart is strong and his power is through friendship. 

Roxas earned Kingdom Key through Sora, but later he earned his own Keyblades after his strong promises and from battling. One from defeating Xion and the other from the sworn promises.

And it’s no doubt Riku got his from all the hard work of fighting the darkness and helping Sora in his journey. 

But Kairi. Didn’t.  This pisses me off.

Honestly... at this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised that the writers (actually I think I want to blame Nomura for this) don’t like Kairi. If they don’t even bother to put any effort in making Kairi a fighter. Why on earth did they have to give her a Keyblade?  

Again. If they allowed her to manifest it, or let her go through a small trial of some sort like everyone else, or test the power of her heart then I wouldn’t be arguing this topic.

I’m not saying it’s intently bad that they gave her a key. I’m saying the way how they did is simply lazy writing and makes Kairi look useless.

Because of her Keyblade, I think that’s the reason why a lot of people wanted her to fight. And honestly, I feel that was the wrong direction to grow her character.

I can name a good number of cartoon, game and anime characters who don't have ANY fighting experience but are still amazing characters.

And I think that’s a problem in pop culture in general. What most fans of any series don't realize, is that well-written female characters aren't just those who kick butt and shoot stuff.

They don't have to be a badass to be a good character!

And I think that's what really screwed Kairi over in the end. (That and what Nomura did to her). But the moment they decided to give her a Keyblade to fight, it really tipped her off badly.

So going back to the trailers, since I clearly forgot to remind myself, the trailers really made it look like Kairi was finally going to be able to help in physical part of the battle.

They emphasizing so much on her training, that it made it seem like Kairi was going to be a stronger character "physically.” But… once the game was released, there wasn't anything to back it up all that “training.” In fact we didn‘t even get to see her and Axel train at all.

And to me that was a shallow move. The only thing the trailers served was a cheap extension to encourage people to buy the game. I think they tried really hard to sell the game by releasing too many trailers too early in the year that not only spoiled the story, but made fans wait even longer for a game that didn't even feel complete.

All that’s left is the Re:Mind trailer. (Edit ReMind fixed her character. About DAMN TIME!)

But that's just my opinion, if you don't agree with me, that's fine I respect your opinion. I don't mind at all Kairi having a Keyblade or learning how to fight. But I don't think that's what she needed in order to be a good character. She really needs a fleshed out personality and some interests/hobbies outside of simply being in love with Sora.

No hate to Sokai ship. It's a good couple, just... was poorly executed in cannon. Fandom works have better stories and delve into the relationship and characters (better than Nomura ever could write) I'm sorry. But I'm still bitter to what he thought would be a good thing to add in KH3 especially after how many years fans waited the game's release.

*I know there are other reasons as to why Kairi looks and is treated as a bad character. But her poor development discussion has been overdone so many times that it’s practically common knowledge for any Kingdom Hearts fan.   But again that's me.

I really needed to get that out of my system.

#kingdom hearts #KH3 #Kairi #Kairi was done DIRTY!!! #lack of character development #she deserves better #keyblade #discussion #personal confessions #confess series #kairi deserved better

[nadziejastar]

First, a vessel for each heart must be readied. Then, a spark of some sort is required to induce its waking. 

…all their hearts require to be awakened is that “spark"—people they cared for and who cared for them, who can show them the way home.

I also did not like the scene in Re:Mind with the Recusant’s Sigil. I’m pretty sure that when Roxas said that he needed a “connection,” he meant it in this sense. Not the letter “X”, lol.

I also don’t like the idea of them “reclaiming” the Sigil. In KH3D, Axel did not want to reclaim that. That’s why, after he was recompleted, he started going by his real name again: LEA! No “X” in it. I hate how, because KH3 had to put him back with the Sea-Salt Trio, he has to go by Axel again.

I agree that Isa’s redemption was shoehorned in. Of course, that’s not because I didn’t want Isa to be a good guy in the end. Of course he should be a good guy. It’s because Isa didn’t need a redemption. He needed to be saved.

I’ve heard a lot of Sea-Salt Trio fans say they want a scene where Isa begs Roxas and Xion for forgiveness. As if that would make things all better with Isa. Oh wouldn’t that be so nice and cute? No. Not to me. I would honestly throw up if that happened.

But I guess I just saw the Sea-Salt Trio very differently than most people. And this ties into my larger criticism of it. I really, REALLY didn’t want the type of reunion we saw in KH3. I just don’t think the Sea-Salt Trio (RAX) works outside of Days. I don’t like the idea of the “Sea-Salt Family” where RAX are these cuddly pals and Isa is just portrayed as this extra bonus. No, no, no. A million times no.

Roxas: I hope we always have each other.

Xion: Yeah…

Axel: What’s gotten into you?

Roxas: I just…want these days to last forever. Hanging out, the ice cream, the sunsets…

When Roxas said this, he had only been in the organization a few months. Hell, he had only been born for a few months. He knew no other life than the one he had in the organization. Roxas was 100% content with the life he had at this point because he didn’t know anything else. He was very much an innocent little kid, in the beginning. 

Axel: Nothing lasts forever, man. Least of all for a bunch of Nobodies. But you know, we’ll still have each other…even if things change and we can’t do this anymore.

Roxas: Yeah?

Axel: As long as we remember each other, we’ll never be apart. Got it memorized?

Roxas: Ha ha, wow, Axel. That sounded ridiculous.

Axel: What? I thought it was pretty deep.

Axel was not as optimistic about things staying the same between them, because he’s already been burned by that type of thinking before. He’s not as idealistic as Roxas and Xion. He’s independent and aloof. However, over the course of the story, Axel grows increasingly dependent on Roxas and Xion. 

And this is important—it’s because he was trying to cope with his own misery over his loss of innocence and happiness. He does care about Roxas and Xion. But they are a crutch for him. 

Would Axel have still acted so clingy with Roxas and Xion if Isa wasn’t Norted? Would he still have wanted to be part of the so-called “Sea-Salt Family” if Isa had been his normal self? In my opinion, no. He would have enjoyed a much more casual friendly relationship with them.

He wouldn’t have been “playing house” as Saix said in the manga. Would Lea wanna “play house” once Isa was back in his life? Again, no. I don’t think so. I think he’d be happy for Roxas and Xion to spread their wings and go off on their own without him.

On the sofa opposite him, Naminé spoke up instead. “Sora and Riku are best friends.” 

Axel’s eyes crinkled as he remembered his own best friend—the only friend he’d ever had, in fact. 

“If your best friend goes away, you’re sad, and if you get to be with them, you’re happy,” Naminé added. “Isn’t that how it is, Axel?” 

“…That’s about the size of it.” Axel nodded and sat down on the remaining empty sofa, staring at the sea-salt ice cream he held. 

“So you are capable of sincerity,” said Riku. Axel only shrugged at the jab and finished his ice cream pop.

By the time KH2 starts, Axel is extremely needy and obsessive over his “best friend” Roxas. Roxas, however…didn’t feel the same way as Axel. In Roxas’s mind, Hayner was his best friend. Axel’s relationship with Roxas in KH2 is NOT healthy. It is NOT cute.

The thing with Roxas is that he was growing up over the year 358/2 Days took place. He doesn’t stay that same naive little kid he was on Day 96. He meets Hayner, Pence, and Olette and wants to get out more with kids his own age. He wants to be a normal kid. He wants to be told the truth about Sora.

I adore Axel. Of course I wanted him to be happy. But Roxas would NOT have been happy to be in the organization with just Axel as his only best friend. A lot of people disliked Xion’s addition to the story because originally Roxas and Axel were a duo. However, Roxas and Axel were not portrayed as super close, even in vanilla KH2. I actually think Xion being there made things more realistic, from Roxas’s end. If she had not been in the organization, Roxas would have left looooooong before Day 355. Xion was the reason he stayed for so long. Not Axel.

He’d been overthinking the do’s and don’ts so much that he lost sight of what he wanted. And he couldn’t gather the courage to follow Roxas. Was he afraid of rebelling against the Organization? No —it was just that he wanted things to stay the way they were, even more than Xion or Roxas did.

Axel didn’t care anymore about what the Organzation needed, what Xion or Roxas wanted, or even what was supposed to be good for the worlds. He had been using the Organization for his own ends from the start. The only thing that had changed in the meantime was who it was all for. Maybe Saïx would call that a betrayal. But his world had changed. 

Axel, due to the trauma over losing Isa, didn’t want Roxas to grow up. That’s the long and short of it. He wanted him to stay a perpetual naive child with no independent life, to soothe his wounds. He was afraid he’d leave him if he told him the truth. The end of the story is a total reversal from before.

Before, Axel told them that things don’t last forever, and you cant expect them to. Roxas and Xion got sad, but gradually accepted this. Xion wanted to learn more about herself and ultimately made the decision to go back to where she belonged, since that was best for everyone. Then Roxas chose to leave, too, to figure himself out. Axel was the one that didn’t want this. He, more than anyone, wanted things to stay the same as it was on Day 96.

“Hayner…”

I don’t know that name he muttered. It’s probably–those kids–Roxas’s friend’s name.

“Pence… Olette…”

This Roxas’s most important friends’ names.

This Roxas wouldn’t call my name like that.

“Hayner! Pence! Olette!” Roxas cried, Axel sprang–into a dark space.

I don’t think Xion leaving the organization and choosing to go back to Sora was a bad thing. I don’t think Roxas growing up and leaving the organization was a bad thing, either. I think it was a good thing. And I think it was supposed to be seen as a good thing in the story as well.

I don’t think the Sea-Salt Trio needed to be reunited and go back to being exactly the same as when Xion and Roxas were “kids” with no independent life outside the organization. Even Axel admitted that the “real” Roxas was the kid playing with Hayner and friends. Not the one in the black robe. It’s okay for Axel and Roxas’s relationship to drastically change. Axel needed to learn that he has to let go of Roxas in order to respect his independence. He can’t stay a little kid forever.

Of course, I still think Roxas needed reconcile things with Axel. I still think they needed to be close friends at the end of the story. But the Sea-Salt Trio? The close cuddly group who hangs out every day? Naw, man. That’s over. That was a stepping stone in these characters’ lives. It was not an end-game trio. Forcing it to be end-game just ruins it.

I like the idea of Lea rescuing Isa, healing his childhood wounds, and having someone (who is his peer) to be with forever. That’s what Axel always wanted. I like the idea of Lea reestablishing a new dynamic with Xion (Kairi) and Roxas (Ventus) that is more realistic and age-appropriate. One where they don’t have to be together every day, like in Days.

I like the idea of Lea being very close to Ventus and Kairi and relating to them more as independent young adults, instead of naive little children. One where they have other friendships that are important to them and their whole life doesn’t revolve around ice cream. They have their own trios, the Destiny Island Trio, and the Wayfinder Trio. 

Lea has his own duo with Isa. Maybe they would still choose to settle down in Twilight Town to live together. I do think they have a history there. But live together with Roxas and Xion? No. That’s weird. KH3′s version of the “Sea-Salt Family?” I’m sorry, but, yuck.

#anti-kh3 #submission