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royalberryarts · 6 months

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Beta Readers Wanted!

I'd like some help with my Kingdom Hearts fanfic; Dreams of Tomorrow, with any kind of proofreading in general. Also, you don't have to be into Kingdom Hearts to help with proofreading, as I want to make this story accessible to people new in the fandom.

[Further Details Below]

The help I want includes things such as:

sensitivity readers

spelling/ grammar

just to give me an opinion on how it is to read/ how well it flows

any advice on structure

if the length is too much or too little

or you just have some general tips on the story itself!

And it's okay if you aren't comfortable with helping with spelling or grammar, even just general advice and your opinion on the story is welcome!

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What kind of story is it?

It is OC (original character) centric, but it does include many characters from the main series and expands on them some more. It is set pre the first game and sets up its events, so the main lore will be uncovered through the lens of someone as new to it as someone just starting the series. I want it to be for anyone of any age so I want to avoid overly mature content, but there will be some deeper and darker themes explored in a very all-ages sort of way.

As for genre, it is mostly:

Adventure

Mystery

Fantasy

Drama

With hints of:

Minor Levels of Horror

Sci Fi

Political Commentary

Romance

I'd probably define it as mostly Adventure/ Mystery.

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Summary (Spoiler Free):

'While we all know the story of Sora and his friends as the worlds are saved thrice over; little is known of the heroes and villains of those who struggled far away, in distant times and places. Sora encounters a travelling storyteller, whose tales of adventure, friendship, loss and love draw in the young hero. Maybe these fairy tales are merely for entertainment, or perhaps they hold a greater meaning. Sora must listen to the end to understand the truth of the tale; are these simply far off dreams, or a scattered truth to be awakened in time?'

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Synopsis (Not As Spoiler Free):

'Yoru, Zorya and Taiyo embark on a quest to find their respective missing loved ones, only to find each of their own motives overlap between a string of mysteries; missing students of a grand city of historical importance, a missing king whose disappearance seems to tie into the appearance of strange creatures that threaten the realm and the sudden threat from a new organisation that call themselves the 'Sin Seekers'. All the while, during this, the general populace speak of strange dreams and, inexplicably, the stars seem to be disappearing.'

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(I will update in the link itself as I go, but from posting I will go from the first 5-6 chapters and go from there)

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royalberryarts · 6 months

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Introducing: The Other-Side Trio!

Three original characters for my Kingdom Hearts fic. They are first introduced in 'Dreams of Tomorrow', a story of six friends and their long and spectacular adventure half a year before the events of the first game.

Lunaria, Glaucia and Noir are the main characters of a flipped tale that transpires at the same time as and after Yoru, Taiyo and Zorya's story.

Full Introductions Below: 👇

Lunaria:

A young girl who is the childhood friend of Yoru, believe to be missing after their world fell. She is saved by a mysterious book. She had first found the book many years ago, unable to get it open, until now. No other person is able to open it, for it seems to have chosen her and her alone. The book has the mysterious power of reviving hearts thought to have perished and granting them physical power in the form of transparent stained glass spirits.

Celestial Staff, Summoner, Neutral, Regular Chosen One.

Glaucia:

Young princess of Scala ad Caelum's noble bloodlines; a 'blueblood'. She is one of the last of her lineage and has since found herself locked behind guards and rules dictating her entire life. Hearing the news of stars vanishing and one of her dearest friends now falling into the clutches of danger, she runs away from home to protect what matters.

Royal Rapier, Elemental and Physical Attack, Light, Blueblood.

Noir:

A young man of mysterious origins. It is unknown how old he is, but he seems about the same age as Lunaria or Glaucia. He has a firey desire for normalcy, yet always seems to plunge headlong into danger. He claims to work for a detective agency whose goal is to find the truth behind the vanishing stars, but what is his own goal truly?

Twin Daggers, Speed and Evasion, Unknown, Regular?

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royalberryarts · 7 months

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RoyalberryRiku Intro Post

Heya! I'm Noah and while I'm not exactly new here, I thought it'd be a good idea to make a sort of introduction post.

The main fandoms I'm into:

🌼 Kingdom Hearts

🌼 Trigun

🌼 Genshin Impact

🌼 Vanitas no Carte (Case Study of Vanitas)

🌼 Bloodborne

🌼 DrakenNier

🌼 Etc.

And I'm also a writer and artist.

Also, since I'm moving from twitter, could I ask ppl to reblog this to help me find my mutuals and such on here too?

I've found a few on my own but it's gonna be a while before I find everyone again so I'll put out a message like this so that maybe they can find me again!

[Edit:]

My Content:

Art only Tumblr, Ao3, etc listed below the cut:

Art/ Writing Only Side-Tumblr:

Ao3: (all ages)

Ao3: (Only Over 18+ please)

Ko-Fi:

Original stories and essays:

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royalberryarts · 7 months

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The Child of Knowledge

A one-shot of @bluest-planet and my own OCs meeting; Yoruhua, an ancient being of darkness, is on the run from the warriors of light after having helped Vanitas. Upon arriving in Arendelle, they happen upon two children— one of which, they realise, is not so different from them.

Sneek Preview:

The familiar crunch of snow accompanied the white and blue horizon as Yoruhua made her way outside of the cave. It was Vanitas' turn to rest while she scouted ahead. What she didn't anticipate, however, was the scent that wafted amidst the smell of pine and ice.

It was similar to Vanitas', but there was something else. The bitterness was the same, the anger… but there was joy, love and warmth that the boy had lacked. Yet, Yoruhua could tell— Their darkness is strong, potent… and unnaturally prominent.

And that wasn't all. There was something else in the air, a general sensation of something off. Not quite wrong, but it was strange and it certainly wasn't right. It was against nature, all that contradicted his own understanding of the heart, soul, mind and body. This one was… Peculiar, new, weird. She couldn't shake the urge to investigate, and investigate is exactly what she did.

★★★

Zorya pushed herself forward. She had heard tell of a disturbance from the warriors of light and seeing how she was in the area already, she'd may as well search the surrounding worlds for this "dark disturbance".

"Slow down…" Yoru chimed behind her. The boy, curled up layers of warm coats and furs, shivered from the cold. Meanwhile, Zorya was in her element. She didn't feel the chill as much as her friend did, and even when she did, there wasn't much she had to do in order to warm herself.

Without glancing back, Zorya slowed her pace. "Sorry. I was just thinking."

"About what everyone told us?" Yoru asked, tilting his head amidst the pile of clothes that made him look more like a walking pillow.

"Yeah… They said Ventus could feel Vanitas again, even after he had been killed in the Keyblade Graveyard. And then Terra and Riku were attacked by something." Zorya tried to recall what she had heard, but it was only vague. She still didn't know much either besides what Yen Sid had informed the two of— or more specifically, informed Lorena of, who then passed it onto the two of them.

"Does this mean Vanitas is back?" Yoru asked, though he didn't know all that much about this Vanitas fellow to begin with. "Can't we just reason with him? It's not like Xehanort is still here."

Zorya hummed in thought. No, she thought, he's not. But his scars and the fear he instilled likely remain. It's hard to forget how to stop fighting after you've been made to for so long.

The girl shook her head. Speculation was pointless right now, all that mattered was checking the facts and making sure the world wasn't in any danger.

"Who knows. We'll have to find out when we find him, or if we do." Zorya spoke calmly despite the irritation in the back of her mind. She didn't like how Vanitas and Xehanort reminded her of herself and… him; the man who raised her. Perhaps it would be better to not find him at all, or maybe it would be better to find him later, once he's had time to consider his situation and himself.

★★★

Yoruhua recalled stories of that city. It was a place of ancient research and wisdom; Clades Lunae, the city of knowledge. It was there, he recalled, that educated men once sought to understand the light and darkness of the world, yet always fell short. They were simply people who watched, curious, as her own siblings existed beyond their sight and reach. But he had heard stories. And it was those stories that came to mind as they looked down at the two figures that walked through the snow— that girl in particular.

Ginger hair cropped to her shoulders, tied back by a black ribbon. Her clothes weren't fitted for the cold; a sleeveless shirt, long pants and simple boots, though the bandages on her left arm and right shoulder may have deterred some of the chill, though likely not much. Her skin was fair and pale, freckled and scarred; a burn curving down her left cheek from under her eye to her chin. What stood out the most were her eyes; an eerie pale blue that instantly reminded Yoruhua of the moon that bore all life; dark or light. Yet, they thought, a brow furrowing in confusion, their scent is undeniably human. They are not a being of light or dark, a naturally born human, and yet…

[Read the rest on Ao3]

#kh ocs #kingdom hearts original character #kingdom hearts #ocs #creative writing #writing #kh fanfic #fanfic #writeblr #Zorya #Yoru #Yoruhua #Gift work #one shot

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royalberryarts · 8 months

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Another moodboard for funsies:

The Seven Sin Seekers

Another one for my Kingdom Hearts fanfic Dreams of Tomorrow. The above is about a group of seven researchers who study the seven sins that produce darkness in people's hearts and observe the seven lights. They are central characters in the first arc and act as antagonists to the main cast.

[Disclaimer: images are all from pinterest and are not meant for any commercial use on my part, but just purely for creative fun with ocs and concepts.]

More Info: (contains spoilers)

The Seven Sin Seekers: About

Led by a mysterious man who seems interested in researching the darkness of the heart, seven fellow researchers each focus their attention to the root of darkness; the seven sins. They believe that this research will help in understanding why and how darkness was first born from light.

Horst: an easygoing young man who loves good humour and company. He studies the gluttony of the heart; the inability to stop once ahead of oneself, over indulgence and the blunting of one's senses through the excess of material consumption.

Cyril: a shy young man and the youngest of the seekers. He tends to isolate himself and seems to have his own desires away from just his own curiosity. He studies the envy of the heart; insecurity of what one lacks, the emptiness of lacking something, the admiration of those who fulfil what is lacking; the desire of darkness to own what light has.

Vesta: while she is also a quiet soul, this is more due to her own reluctance to put effort into socialising rather than shyness. Believing the world to be too painful to deal with, she prefers to spend her time either working to not think or sleeping to not think. She studies the sloth of the heart; the desire to feel nothing once wounded, the fear of pain that causes one to retreat into sleep and dreams.

Hector: a clever young man who loves to read stories and tell them himself. He weaves his own tales to use as analogies to explain his scientific theories. He studies the pride of the heart; learning about the human ego and the desire to reinforce one's sense of self through forcing ones image onto others; the arrogance born from the fear of losing one's personality and ego.

Thistle: they are a young person who was found at a young age and who found solace studying alongside their peers. They wish to create a world without suffering and dream of a universe uncorrupted and perfect. They study the greed of the heart; the desire to have more than what is possible, the inability to be perfect and the desire to fill a void that can never be truely filled.

Clovis: while he is known as the strongest of the seven, he is also the kindest. His love of others can often be taken as too aggressive, but this too is his own idealism; he believes that by pushing others to reach their potential, they can also defend themselves and become the best versions of themselves. He studies the wrath of the heart; how the heart changes form to protect itself when hurt and how a heart builds barriers to defend itself.

Azyro: a complete mystery and someone who seems the hold the most amount of authority out of the seven. It is unclear what she wants to achieve, but she clearly takes a lot of care of her appearance; being known as the most beautiful of the seven. She studies the lust of the heart; the fear of losing one's sense of power and authority, as well as the desire to take back control of one's agency through taking away the control of others to feel more powerful.

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royalberryarts · 8 months

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Moodboard for Dreams of Tomorrow (part 1 of Book of the Lost series) for funsies :P

(images from Pinterest and created on my phone with InCollage)

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royalberryarts · 8 months

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Kingdom Hearts: Character Analysis — Kairi and Fear

Okay. I think I need to get this off my chest; I actually really deeply love Kairi's entire character and think her lack of strength and action is essential to the themes she embodies (and starting to literally break out of).

While I 100% agree there are some parts of her character that play off of the outdated archetype of "damsel in distress", I genuinely don't think it was the intention for Kairi to embody only this trope, but to embody the opposite of Riku as a character; specifically, his curiosity and lack of fear towards the unknown. To elaborate further, I believe Riku and Kairi are the two extremes that are supposed to contrast to Sora; Kairi's extreme desire for safety and Riku's extreme plunge into danger.

//Note: this will contain spoilers for the entire series, including Melody of Memory, Re:Mind, and every other game that came before it.

The Main Trio

Our initial introduction to Kairi is on dry land, safe from the wave that swallowed Riku and Sora. Sora himself arrives on shore after escaping, while Riku stays within the waves, beyond reach. While this is excellent foreshadowing, I also believe this is symbolic of each character's thematic role when compared to one another. Kairi (meaning ocean) is safely on land, meanwhile Riku (meaning land) is in the waves of the ocean, standing within danger unflinchingly. Sora is tied between the two; between the safety of land (home) and danger (exploration).

In Kingdom Hearts, land is portrayed as "worlds"; the homes of those who live within them, while "ocean" is used to describe the connections between them. From the start, the premise is to build a raft to explore. But the cast all show they have different feelings about this. Namely, Riku and Kairi. Riku is excited, unfazed and unafraid to explore. He's curious, adventurous and confident that they can handle whatever's out there. He believes the ocean beyond and between the undiscovered lands he wishes to explore to have no dangers. Kairi, on the other hand, is his polar opposite; she's unsure if they even should go at all (note: I'm not saying she's against it at all, she wants to go, but she's unsure). Her "laziness" in building the raft, her anxious laugh when Riku says it's because of her he wants to explore what's out there, her telling Sora "I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready!" and, most telling of all, one of her first bits of dialogue in the series: "Well, I'm happy here." While she wants to know where she came from, to see it, she has clear reservations about leaving her home behind; the safe place that holds no danger. She's shown being afraid far more than either Sora or Riku.

Sora is in the middle of the two. He wants to go and doesn't understand Kairi's hesitation, but he's also much more relaxed than Riku. Sora follows the two of them and shows both excitement and nervousness to a degree, but never enough to really sway him in the adventure he wants to have with his friends.

"Sora, don't ever change", when compared to "Riku's changed", really puts even more perspective into why she's a scared. Later, we discover Kairi's past may have led to her understanding of the world's dangers, unlike Sora and Riku who didn't have such experiences to go off. That being said, I think another aspect of this fear (perhaps a subconscious fear born from those experiences) is her desire for things to stay the same.

Strength in Change

Kairi isn't going on this journey to go on a life changing adventure, she's just a little curious and wants to stay with he friends. Of what we see of our interactions with her, as the audience, is that she wants the safety and for things to stay the same. The thing is though, as we see with Riku and Sora, change makes people stronger; it challenges our flaws and makes us face our own thoughts and feelings. Change is needed to grow and Kairi is terrified of the thing needed for that. It's not until Kingdom Hearts 2 that she realises that this way of doing things just isn't helping her or keeping anyone (including herself) safe. She's actually harming herself by trying so hard to not allow change to happen. "This world is too small", but Kairi herself wants it to stay small; discovered, known, safe.

While Kairi isn't weak of a person by any means, in fact she's very strong, she is held back. Not by others, but by her own fears and desire for simplicity. She may be strong to start with, but she's unable to become stronger. She is stuck, left behind, as Riku and Sora embrace change and move forward without her as she stays waiting for simplicity and safety to return.

I think the end of Kingdom Hearts starts to push this realisation a little as well. Whether Kairi likes it or not, change has happened already. She can't go back and undo what's been done, she can only accept it or ignore it. The problem is, she's still used to the habits she herself created; wait, don't rush in, run away, hide. She's used to allowing her fears to lead her back into safety, into light and warmth, while not allowing herself to grow as a person. She's clinging desperately to this desire to stay where it feels happy, safe and warm all the time. But the thing is, that's unrealistic. Bad things happen. Sometimes, you encounter things that challenge you and change your, for better or worse. Kairi's weakness itself stems from her resistance to any change that may actually be good for her because she's so afraid of the bad.

She doesn't want to grow, to be an adult, or acknowledge the scary parts of life that are a part of growing up. It's even more telling how she ends up in Neverland of all places when she's thrown off Destiny Islands. She is the most childish of the three, not because of how she acts, but because of her fear of aging into an adult. She wants things to stay simple and pleasent.

It isn't until Kingdom Hearts 3 that she really realises just how impossible it is to cling to not changing. She realises that she needs to face her own fears of change to grow; to become stronger and catch up to Sora and Riku who embraced what she couldn't until now.

Princesses of Heart

There is also another matter I need to bring up; what is a Princess of Heart? It is consistently noted that these are the purest of hearts, but it isn't really stated that this requires them to have absolutely no darkness in their heart whatsoever. I think it's easy to forget this since Maleficent said "Her heart is filled with light—not the slightest touch of darkness." But considering the implications from the rest of the series and the reinforced notion that light cannot exist without a tiny bit of darkness, I believe this was more of a mistake on Maleficent's part, perhaps born of envy for Aurora? It could also easily be a mistranslation, although I do not know Japanese well enough to know whether or not this is a translation issue. Regardless, it's important to remember that "there is darkness within every heart" is a constant theme pushed in this series. There is no person capable of not having any flaws or fears, not even a princess of a heart.

This also goes for Kairi, who we see has clear fears and flaws. Many of which have directly led to her being unable to obtain the strength she sees Sora and Riku having due to them not being held back by the idea that change is inherently a scary and dangerous thing. It's also another interesting opposite to Riku who represents the light within darkness, while Kairi is a heart of light with a lot of darkness deep down.

The Three Questions

At the beginning of the first Kingdom Hearts game, Sora is asked a question from 3 people within the starting dream, each having 3 answers. While it is true that gameplay wise it's there to effect stats based on what answers you give, I think there's a possibility of some foreshadowing as well. Though that's more just speculation on my part. Here are the questions and answers for those who don't remember what they were exactly:

Tidus: "What are you so afraid of?"

"Getting old."

"Being different."

"Being indecisive."

Wakka: "What do you want outta life?"

"To see rare sights."

"To broaden my horizons."

"To be strong."

Selphie: "What's most important to you?"

"Being number one."

"Friendship."

"My prized possessions."

"Getting old", "to be strong" and "my prized possessions" all remind me of Kairi. Her fear of change, her desire to not be helpless and gain strength and, finally, her using objects to project said fears and self doubts onto.

Memories and Objects

As noted in the above, Kairi often uses objects to cope with her fears. Primarily, her good luck charm made of thalassa shells. Although she does also use other items as well; her necklace (memento of her past in Radiant Garden), poetry, letters, etc. These are all great ways to connect and to keep memories close to her using a physical object for this, but they also could be a sign she's also afraid of losing what she has and feels more at ease making physical reminders of the people, places and things she loves.

It's also possible this stems from forgetting her memories of Reading Garden and, as a result, she may fear forgetting those she loves. This could also explain her development in Kingdom Hearts 2, perhaps "remembering" Sora pushed her past her fears upon realising that staying in her safe place (the Islands) and holding onto reminders didn't protect the memories she wanted to cling to.

The first thing she says after things calm down and she's able to talk to Sora is "this is real". It could be that she was afraid that her own memories weren't real enough and she needed that physical reassurance. It's also why she needed to hug him, to understand that it isn't false and it hadn't been taken away. Despite everything, she hadn't forgotten those important to her again.

Interestingly enough, Ventus also shares the exact same coping mechanism, which makes sense given his similarities to Kairi and his own amnesia. This likely lead to him subconsciously seeking reassurance in the same ways Kairi does. This will likely be a huge part of the two's development, or at least, I very much suspect it will be. Ventus was able to grow past it due to his journey and curiousity, but Kairi is still growing and only recently realised that change is okay. Their friendship will likely be what pushes Kairi to become the strongest version of herself and mature into herself.

Journey of Agency

Kairi's hesitation to take control of her own situation and return to the safety of what she knows has unquestionably left her hindered in her desire to stay by the side of Riku and Sora. However, since her memory of Sora being lost and returned, her realisation in Kingdom Hearts 2 and then at the end of Dream Drop Distance and in Kingdom Hearts 3 with her introduction into the same dangers and change she's actively avoided, Kairi has grown. She's realised that waiting and allowing herself to just be led around because it's what been safe before now doesn't mean it'll work when she's being left behind and others are getting hurt trying to protect that self imposed safety. She has to run into danger herself and learn what it means to be independent if she wants to stand by the side of those she loves.

And finally, at the end of her journey in Melody of Memory and reclaiming her lost memories of Radiant Garden, she finally faces exactly that which scares her most; her memories of "Ansem" or Apprentice Xehanort who used her, forced he to lose everything once before and most importantly caused the fear that began everything for her. She's no longer just taking steps now, she's facing what caused it directly. This is probably the most powerful of any development for Kairi, it's what may define if she is able to break free of that fear or become defined by it.

It's also a stark reminder that she's still not where she wants to be, she's still defined by the weakness of being left behind due to her own fears. That's why, at the very end when she chooses to start training with Aqua, it's shown that Kairi finally chooses to change. She finally wants to become more than what she's limited herself to; she's finally ready to face her own weaknesses and grow.

Kairi's development could very well lead her to being the one to really push the narrative with the coming arc. While Sora and Riku are struggling with their own flaws (which I'll explain in a different post), Kairi will start to move forward. That being said, I think it's only because of the slow development of learning that what she was doing was harming her and ultimately leaving her behind and alone. I think this will also be a vital theme in the current arc where the main villains goal is to destroy darkness; Kairi's realisation that her own pain and fear were part of her growth may very well be the key in stopping him. Though that's just my own suspicions, not what canon has presented us with at this stage.

Conclusion.

Regardless, I for one am excited to see where Kairi's development goes. Her self discovery is fascinating and her arc is very different to the character arcs I've seen. Her entire story is compelling and I think Kairi's depth is something easily overlooked because of its starting atypical themes and structure (running from change and thus being weaker, rather than growing in strength after adversities). I think her journey of how to even start growing stronger when you're stuck frozen in fear is an important and powerful message, it's also just extremely interesting. I love Kairi so much and I hope this helps people look more closely at her characterisation.

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