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blackasteriia · 4 years

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I will say, that I had some conversations last night that were illuminating to me.

For the Organization and all muses associated, there’s this very interesting dynamic at play. I think we can all agree that most of the Organization members are-- not great people. Some are better, some are worse, and they all vary based upon portrayal. Which is great because it adds a lot of good, necessary diversity to the RPC. What I have struggled with, by far with this blog, is Xion’s dynamic with the Organization members.

Because I have read the canon Organization, as it is presented in CoM and Days, as a top-down abusive power structure. There’s some needle threading necessary when writing. I don’t ever want to force a portrayal onto my partners. At the same time I don’t want to ignore the real trauma Xion went through. About 90% of this is solved by talking and plotting, though-- so it’s not too big of a problem. However, that said, my realization last night was that irregardless of specific portrayal, Xion’s overall impression of the Organization remains:

If they won’t kill her, they will get her killed.

In 358/2 Days, on Day 73, Xion says that she can no longer use the keyblade. If she can’t use the keyblade she can’t collect hearts. If she can’t collect hearts she is useless. If she is useless she will be turned into a dusk. Xion understands, at three months old, that obedience in the Organization is a do or die. I imagine this threat is both implicit and explicit-- we see Axel given the same choices in KH2 when told to handle Roxas. Xion isn’t an idiot, she knows that every single member of the Organization is under this same threat. Xemnas has all the power and his word is law. If you step out of line you will be killed. So there’s a constant calculus where selflessness is punished and selfishness is rewarded. This suits Xemnas just fine as it keeps the focus off him and prevents the Organization members from uniting to usurp him.

More than this, Xion by far has the most vulnerable position inside the Organization. Her usefulness is contingent upon Roxas who is the lowest ranked member. She’s not even a member, as Saïx pointed-out, she was never ‘one of them.’ Her sole existence depended on her obedience, compliance, and usefulness. That’s true for all of the members, but Xion is walking a tight rope without a net. Why didn’t Xemnas kill Xion at the end of Days? Especially after months of running away and rebellion? Because she was still useful. He just saw her as a faulty computer program that needed some debugging. When he forced Sora’s memories into her in a painful and invasive process, that was his fix.

Xion would be an idiot to assume that any Organization member save, maybe, Roxas, would refuse to kill her. If Xemnas pointed Xaldin at her and said, ‘get rid of it.’ Her sincere belief is that Xaldin would comply. I mean, why wouldn’t he? He’d be stupid not to in her eyes. Maybe the Xaldin of a specific portrayal wouldn’t, but that is not her assumption. From number I to XII, Xion knew this was the case. This holds true especially after Axel brings her back --against her will-- for the first time. No one is going to look out for her, no one is going to save her, no one cares about her. She refuses to drag Roxas into her problems because that could get him killed with her.

In some cases her trust and disdain is personal-- as it grows with Saïx, Xemnas, Xigbar and Axel. In other cases it’s not personal and just being realistic, as with Demyx, Xaldin, and Luxord. This varies with portrayal. She might actually have decent or even good relationships with any of these characters. That only goes so far though. Tit-for-tat, when it comes down to the wire, who would they save? Themselves or an empty puppet?

TLDR: Xion assumes your muse would sell her for one corn chip.

#✰*✦ This is the idiot speaking ⎧OOC⎫#✰*✦ 358/2 Days⎧VERSE⎫#✰*✦ Oblivion Edge⎧VERSE⎫#✰*✦More than a mannequin on the strings⎧Headcanon⎫#✰*✦The golden twilight mirrors his soul⎧Roxas⎫#✰*✦Burning sunsets in the spectrum of red⎧Axel⎫#✰*✦An empty heart confesses its agony⎧Xemnas⎫#✰*✦Lost hearts don’t come home⎧Xigbar⎫#✰*✦The pale moon in the cold water⎧Saix⎫#✰*✦ Do not go gentle⎧XION⎫

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nadziejastar · 3 years

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This lovely fanart is a panel from one of my favorite LeaIsa works. The full comic can be found here on Twitter by artist Mureh. I really love how in this comic, Isa is the one who originally tells Lea why the sun sets red. It’s the same idea I had after reading the 358/2 Days novel.

When Axel told Roxas why the sunset was red, it was supposed to feel a little random. I see Isa as more of a “know-it-all” than Lea, so it makes sense that Axel was just remembering what Isa told him long ago.

“I could’ve done that blindfolded,” Roxas said with a shy grin.

That was new. A smile spread across Axel’s face, too, and it brought with it a strange sensation he couldn’t remember feeling before.

“Don’t get too full of yourself there. But you did good. And no successful mission is complete without icing on the cake.”

I think the novel even hinted at it. Roxas was a zombie all day, then he randomly acted like a cocky smart aleck all of a sudden. Out of nowhere, Roxas was completely lucid. It brought a “strange sensation” Axel couldn’t remember feeling before, then he gave him ice cream as a reward.

“Yeah. Have to hang on to something, right? It’s not like I have memories from before the Organization. Don’t you remember? I acted like a zombie.”

Axel stared at him as if trying to figure something out and then grinned. “Right, that first week you could barely form a sentence. But come on, you’re still kind of a zombie.”

So then on Day 255, Axel recalls Roxas's first week as a zombie again, where he had no memories and could barely form a sentence.

Then at that moment...I think he remembers why that feeling on Day 7 felt so strange. And out of nowhere, he acts like a smart aleck. You know how Subject X had no memories and conversations were described as “less than lucid”? I think after being experimented on, Isa was probably also acting like a zombie, too. But then he spontaneously became lucid again while watching the sunset on the clock tower with Lea. Out of nowhere, he told Lea why the sun sets red in a smart alecky way. They had a good laugh and Lea was so happy that he treated him to ice cream as a reward.

The more precious the memory is, the further it regresses into your heart, making it hard to remember, you know?

The sunset today is burning red again. We finished our training and watched the sunset from the top of the hill near the Secret Forest.

“Do you know why the sunset is so red? Light is comprised of a variety of different colors, and within that spectrum, the red color permeates the furthest!”

“And how come you’re so versed in this all of a sudden?”

I remember speaking with Roxas about this on the 255th day when we sat on top of the clocktower. Although I know I should have had more precious memories of that time, I couldn’t remember them. I know there’s something that I was supposed to remember, but for some reason I just could not remember it.

I think the red sunset was supposed to be one of his most precious memories that were “out of reach”. Axel had forgotten all about it. And his Character File story hints at that, too.

Xemnas: Rub a few memories together, and you get a spark of emotion, a feeling.

Roxas and Xion helped Axel awaken his sleeping memories of Isa, and that’s why Axel grew a heart.

#leaisa #akusai

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blackasteriia · 5 years

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I recently rewatched the 358/2 Days again and I think it confirmed a few thoughts I’ve had for a while:

One, Axel, Xion, and Roxas were not friends. Xion and Roxas were told by Axel that they were all friends, but his perception of what friendship is was askew. As Roxas pointed-out at the end of the game: friends don’t lie. Axel said and did some shit, in Days (gaslit both kids, lied to both kids, implied Xion was selfish for taking Roxas’ powers, “I’ll drag you back to the Organization even if you don’t want to.” His priorities were always Roxas). You can argue that was for their protection. Xion wouldn’t see it that way. Roxas himself was ignorant of Xion’s feelings and motivations. (”If Xion comes back, everything’ll be okay.” Ignoring why she left in the first place).

Two, the level of abuse and manipulation Xion received from all sides is astounding. Riku calls her a sham and fake, clearly prioritizes Sora over her (Riku can be a twit but he’s not a jerk, and not a jerk in the way he was written). Axel calls her selfish for taking Roxas’ powers. Everything about Saïx. Listen to how Xemnas and co. talk about her. Xaldin was totally okay with killing her. The end of the game was inevitable because Xion’s sense of self-worth and value was so low that suicide was the only option.

Three, Nomura had no idea what he was writing. The level of implicit sexism and endorsement of abuse in this story is absurd. Xion is a girl who is written as having to sacrifice herself for a boy she has never met. Because that boy is inherently more worthy and valuable than her. She is degraded, misgendered, insulted, abused, ignored, rejected by damn near everyone in the story until she is ceremoniously slaughtered for the manpain of male characters. Her murder is then milked for all it’s worth in subsequent games between Axel and Roxas because they’re so sad, even though they’re complicit in her death. Xion was by far one of the most autonomous and nuanced characters of the series, and Nomura systematically stripped that from her until she’s nothing but crying-bait for Roxas and Axel.

Feels bad man.

Four, there is a notable line when Xion starts to get sick of how she’s being treated and it starts when she tells Roxas off at the tower on Day 151. Xion asks Roxas why they’re doing what they’re doing and he spouts the same crap they’ve been for the past five months about hearts, blah, blah, blah. Xion doesn’t buy it and you can tell.

“Well, you and I may both be exceptional, Roxas, but...I don't think we're quite the same.”

A couple days later and Saïx says that Xion has no right to be in the Organization. Xion knew this, she felt it, and was frustrated that Roxas wasn’t seeing it.

Five, Xion never wanted to return to the Organization any of the times Axel returned her. The first time she tries to run but is captured. She later says she’s ‘grateful’ Axel brought her back (Axel just calls it ‘drama,’ like c’mon dude) but lbr that’s just Nomura being an idiot. She never said that and she resented Axel for capturing her. It’s not until later she gets another chance to escape. Xion always knew the stakes and she was always reacting to them. Xion knew Axel could not be trusted and she knew he could and would lie. She knew that he cared about Roxas more than her and that his priorities always lied far beyond her or Roxas. And that’s why she has trust issues.

#✰*✦ This is the idiot speaking ⎧OOC⎫#✰*✦ 358/2 Days⎧VERSE⎫#✰*✦More than a mannequin on the strings⎧Headcanon⎫#✰*✦The golden twilight mirrors his soul⎧Roxas⎫#✰*✦Burning sunsets in the spectrum of red⎧Axel⎫#✰*✦An empty heart confesses its agony⎧Xemnas⎫#✰*✦Sea blue eyes and a heart too big to bear⎧Sora⎫#✰*✦The pale moon in the cold water⎧Saix⎫#✰*✦ Do not go gentle⎧XION⎫#I HAVE SALT

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blackasteriia · 5 years

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Who would you turn to if you were in desperate need of help?

Headcanon Questions || Accepting

This is a very verse dependent answer but in general it’s not long. She has an independence streak a mile wide and a list of reasons not to ask for help from people. Xion has gone a long time where the only person she can trust or rely on is herself, her entire life to be exact.

In the 358/2 Days verse, Xion is initially very hesitant to ask for help. She knows she is held to a high performance standard and failure equal punishment, or even death. She learns to rely on Axel because he has answers to questions she has. Then Axel and Xion have a falling out, and specifically she realizes that he can lie to her.

After that point, Xion is on her own. She can’t tell Roxas the truth and Axel is out of the question. We’re shown her depending on Riku but she understood that there relationship was functional in the direction of Sora. This continues once she leaves the Organization, Xion is completely alone and has no one.

After KH3, Xion begins to learn to trust other people and to rely on them. That’s a slow process and the list is short: Aeleus, Rould, Lea, Isa after a lot of character development, and Roxas. Everyone is else is suspect until proven otherwise.

#holdonescards #✰*✦ This is the idiot speaking ⎧OOC⎫#✰*✦More than a mannequin on the strings⎧Headcanon⎫#✰*✦Burning sunsets in the spectrum of red⎧Axel⎫#✰*✦The golden twilight mirrors his soul⎧Roxas⎫#✰*✦ Do not go gentle⎧XION⎫

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blackasteriia · 5 years

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Xion’s Opinions of Organization 13

I’ve seen a couple people do this so I’d thought I’d do the same. These are based off of general observations from the games, the secret reports, and manga. Several of the members Xion had little to no interaction with, so I extrapolated quite a bit. I included a brief summary as to how their relationship may proceed. These are just general headcanons and can be expanded, changed, or worked with as needed for interactions.

Note: I write Xion as a survivor of extreme, emotional, psychological, and physical abuse. Xion had no power, no rights, and no say in the Organization, she was the bottom rung. Regardless of how the character treated her, they are, in some way, complicit in her abuse. She will treat all organization members with the appropriate fear and rage.

Please don’t reblog.

13. Roxas

Xion adores Roxas, he is her first and closest friend. She would do anything for him and he’d do anything for her. While in the Organization, Xion’s primary concern was not herself but Roxas’ safety. Roxas always comes first. As good as friends as they were, the Organization was toxic for them. Xion was taught that she was inferior to Roxas, he deserved more than she did. Xion stole Roxas’ strength and memories, while she is his idealization of Kairi. Despite how much he cared for her, he remained oblivious to the depth of Xion’s situation until the end. They grow more distant, failing to communicate their complex emotions, and then at the end, they forget each other.

Outside of the Organization, Xion and Roxas have the chance to rebuild their friendship. A relationship that is built on genuine love and understanding of each other. One that is built without secrets. It would be key that they both recognize each other and themselves as unique, valuable individuals to avoid another imbalance.

12. Larxene

Larxene went to Castle Oblivion early in 358/2 Days. In the game she was dismissive and rude to Roxas. She likely was not kinder to Xion. That is if Larxene noticed her at all. Xion likely remembered Larxene as off-putting and cold. Larxene most likely saw Xion as a doll or puppet.

11. Marluxia

Marluxia was polite to Roxas and if they interacted, was likely cordial to Xion. Marluxia was a mysterious man with odd intentions who vanished before she ever knew him. A wild card with unknown abilities, she would treat him with weariness. Marluxia most likely saw Xion as Ventus.

10. Luxord

Luxord has two secret reports in 358/2 Days. The first report, from Day 173, Luxord admits that he envies ‘the children’ referring to Roxas and Xion. He believes that as children they have nothing to lose and can take impossible gambles without fear, unlike adults. He was likely aware that the Organization had some plan for her. He notes that the air has changed after Xion leaves in the Secret Report for Day 257 and then is surprised to find out she was a replica. He admits to frustration at being out of the loop. It’s odd but

9. Demyx

Axel and Roxas used to make fun of Demyx on the clock tower. Given Demyx’ usual lackadaisical attitude and obliviousness, I doubted Xion thought of him as anything more than a joke. She’d likely have a pretty neutral reaction to him. More likely, she’d be uncomfortable.

8. Axel

The secret reports reveal that Axel initially befriended Roxas not out of genuine concern, but for the sake of his mission. It wasn’t until he interacted with Repliku and felt remorse for him, that he reconsidered his friendship with Roxas. He returns, befriends Roxas but does not see Xion as more than a hooded figure. On Day 74, he saw her for the first time and notes she looks like Namine. After that they become closer friends, with him mentoring and helping her.

Axel was aware of the replica program and was wondering about Xion’s nature through-out the game. He learns a little bit before she does but decides that he doesn’t care. However, Xion goes to Castle Oblivion in attempt to learn about her past. She then confronts Axel and he not only lies to her, but gaslights her and grabs her. There is no illusion between them after this point and their relationship turns tense.

Both times Xion ran away, Axel brought her back against her will. Both times they fought. The second time lead to Xemnas’ preforming his experiment on her, which was incredibly painful, difficult, and traumatic for Xion. Ultimately, Axel was stuck between a rock and a hard place: protecting himself and protecting Roxas and Xion. They were all under threat of death for disobedience and he walked a thin line.

However, this shows how much Xion and Roxas affected Axel. He goes from a selfish, manipulative killer to a man willing to sacrifice himself to save Sora. There is great unresolved pain between Xion and Axel, they can make amends.

7. Saix

Saix was in charge of the day-to-day business and management of the organization for Xemnas. This was a position he earned by back-stabbing and behaving to expectation: cruel, callous, and cold, just like Xemnas. Of all the members, Xion interacted with Saix as an authority the most. He abused this authority and not only resented her, but was actively abusive. Saix only ever saw Xion as a puppet, he never saw her as a person and he acted like it. He misgendered her, he called her useless, broken, and threatened to kill her; In the manga Xion notes him as hostile and he calls her trash. At no point did he consider her less than a failure. Xion would be the most resentful, hateful, and furious at Saix over any other character.

Because the blog’s cannon is different, remember that Saix had no part in saving Xion in Kingdom Hearts 3. Other than her friendship with Lea, Xion would have no motivation to forgive Isa. She would be afraid of him and pissed at him. Isa must atone for his behavior, and only then can the work begin for Xion to trust him, forgive him, and maybe, possibly heal.

6. Zexion

As one of the members who went to Castle Oblivion, Xion has little original memory of him. Zexion was polite and patient with Roxas, and was probably decent to Xion, However, when Xion visited Destiny Islands she had a nightmare from Riku and Roxas’ perspectives. In it Zexion taunts Riku as he did in Chain of Memories. This nightmare was disturbing for her, forcing her through several form changes before turning into Sora. Zexion’s key role in it will factor into her thoughts of him.

5. Laxaeus

Laxaeus has no interaction with Xion before going to Castle Oblivion. He is big though so she probably would remember as the large, harsh one.

4. Vexen

Vexen’s relationship with Xion is unique. He is her creator however she did not learn this until after his death. She’d be curious about him, in a way that a child wonder about a missing parent. She wants to understand her origins and Vexen would be included in that curiosity. However, Xion would understand that Vexen created her as a tool and a weapon. She would be curious about him, but also weary.

3. Xaldin

Xion has no direct interaction with Xaldin in the games or the manga. He’s another one of those large guys she’d be nervous about.

2. Xigbar

Xigbar’s relationship to Xion is quite unique. He is more amused by Xion’s rebellion than frustrated, as Saix is. He calls her ‘poppet,’ this is either a condescending term of endearment while also making a jab at her origin. Xigbar admits in the Secret Reports that he sees Xion as Ventus. He was aware of her nature as a replica from the beginning and that she was made in Castle Oblivion. His behavior fits into Luxu’s chaotic nature, he’s more observer than participant.

There is one direct interaction between Xion and Xigbar. While on a mission with Axel, Xion and Xigbar fought. She defeats him and flees. Again, Xigbar at best seems annoyed and takes credit for her getting the jump on him. His enigmatic personality and position combined with her knowing she can beat him, would make a more confident Xion. She would not treat him politely.

1. Xemnas

Xion and Xemnas, actually, did not interact except in passing. Xemnas was hands off with the Organization and remained at a distant, the ever enigmatic superior. However, she recognized him as having the most power and the power he had over her specifically. Xion wanted Xemnas’ approval because she understood that hinged on her survival. She learned of and understood his plan with Kingdom Hearts, and how she played into it. By the end of 358/2 Days, Xion was acting specifically to spite and thwart Xemnas.

What she would remember him most for was his reprogramming. After Axel returns Xion for the last time, he takes her and implants the rest of Sora’s memories in her. This process is painful and torturous for Xion, leading her to having to fight Roxas. In this blog, Xion survives this process but is forgotten. She has reoccurring nightmares about becoming a weapon. Xemnas is next to Saix for the member Xion hates the most in the Organization. However, there is a key difference between Saix and canon. Xion, in her mind, has defeated Xemnas.

She broke his programming and escaped the organization. She overcame him and she survived despite how he attempted to crush her. She didn’t just defeat Xemnas’ physically, by surviving, but emotionally. She overcame him. Xemnas wanted to destroy Xion and create her into Sora. But she survived. Despite how knotted he is in her trauma, Xion will refuse to submit to Xemnas again. She beat him once, and she can, and will, do it again. He is an empty man who failed-- she has no fear of him.

#✰*✦ this is the idiot speaking ⎧ooc⎫#✰*✦more than a mannequin on the strings⎧headcanon⎫#✰*✦ 358/2 Days⎧VERSE⎫#✰*✦ reunion arc⎧verse⎫#✰*✦ do not go gentle⎧xion⎫#✰*✦the pale moon in the cold water⎧saix⎫#✰*✦an empty heart confesses its agony⎧xemnas⎫#✰*✦burning sunsets in the spectrum of red⎧axel⎫#✰*✦the golden twilight mirrors his soul⎧roxas⎫#i'm so sorry about laxaeus and xaldin there is literally nothing

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blackasteriia · 5 years

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Xion in KH3 Rambles

Okay, so for posterity I will state that I have not played a single Kingdom Hearts game in my life. However I did binge watch the entire series’ cutscenes in chronological order like a couple weeks ago and short of me throwing down a lot of money to purchase a playstation or KH coming to switch, that’s the best you’ll get out of me. At the time I made this blog I had not yet watched Kingdom Hearts 3 but I was already attached to Xion, so I just went ahead and made her. So, before I get into this, a few notes:

One, watching Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days, and the first two hours of Kingdom Hearts 2, in quick sequences makes Sora awakening a hard whiplash. Like a complete 180° shift in the tone. Because you have the eery, psychological psuedo-horror of CoM, followed by the tragedy of 358/2 days, and Roxas’ struggle in the opening of KH2.... washed down by Sora waking-up and celebrating happily with Goofy and Donald. And it’s like, boy, do you understand that at least two people just died for you? Mind you, this was not the intended viewing experience, at all, but it lead me to a few questions.

Why have Xion/ Roxas’ plotline at all? I am convinced that if you removed CoM, 358/2, and KH2 opening, it would have little bearing on the overall plot. You would just have to restructure a couple things and shift around a few characters. In Kingdom Hearts 3 you’d have to find find a couple new names for Organization 13. However, then you could run Birth by Sleep, to Kingdom Hearts 1, to Kingdom Hearts 2, to Fragmentary Passage, and finish with Kingdom Hearts 3, and the entire series would be unbelievably simpler, and not that much different in terms of the majority of the player experience. Never mind that the entire plot line occurs to be retconned and provides a difficult, if not uncomfortable Aesop.

What is the thematic story of 358/2 Days? This to me is the most important part of this whole experience. There is an emphasis of friendship and memory, the characters discuss it quite a bit. Xion returning to Sora, disappearing, is treated as tragic by Axel and Roxas-- To them she has essentially died. However Xion insists that this is the best possible way for her, it’s the right thing to do. It is essentially, in the subtext of the story, this: Xion has stolen Roxas powers and Sora’s memories, she must give them back, it is the right thing to do, she must die so others can live. Except, as Axel points out, this stinks, Xion didn’t steal them, she was made and forced to take something she did not want. So ultimately the story is tragic, inevitable and dark. The theme of 358/2 Days is not friendship, but the falling out of friendship.

The ending of Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3 implies that a nobody returning to their origin is a process of completion, they are made whole. Axel becomes Lea, who he originally was when his heart returns to him. Saix becomes Isa, and less of a jerk, etc. Xion, Namine, Roxas, and so on, are inherently different. They aren’t just empty bodies, because Sora and Kairi still have their hearts, no they are pieces of lost memory. Nomura has some complicated relationship with hearts written out, like a heart is made of memory (then why don’t nobodies, who remember things, have hearts???) So what we end-up with in the story is Xion and Roxas are their own unique, individuals who experience an entire character arc but are forced into a self-sacrifice on the basis that they were created. They were, from in-universe and a meta text, created to die.

Which I mean, lmao, even Nomura knew about or at least figured out was family-unfriendly because Roxas, Xion, and Namine all get brought back to life in Kingdom Hearts 3. The plot is functional at least, I’ll rewatch the Sea Salt Trio reunion like, fifty times don’t worry. I also won’t pretend I can change Roxas/ Xion’s storyline without changing the entirety of KH3. So all i’m going to do is work this blogs canon into Kingdom Hearts 3.

So I decided that Xion would survive 358/2 Days for a few reasons. In the game Xion is presented two choices: Go along with Namine and be destroyed to save Sora/ Roxas; Go along with Axel and Organization 13, assemble Kingdom Hearts, and survive at the cost of Roxas. Basically it’s a self-sacrifice versus a selfish choice. However that sacrifice is established as utterly meaningless and stupid. Xion tries to get Roxas to destroy Kingdom Hearts for her, but he fails, and it doesn’t happen until Kingdom Hearts 2. So can we figure out a better, third option that fits thematically with the story, fulfills Xion’s character, and doesn’t require a retcon?

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Okay, so Xion has just met with Namine and been told what she has to do. Axel asks what I consider a crucial question:

“Xion, what are you going to do?”

Xion answers with a self-defeated response, this is what she has to do and it is what she will do because it is the right thing to do. Axel responds that this may be best but it’s not right. Up to this point he’s correct and is making a good point. However forcing her to return is no better than forcing her to self-sacrifice, this is where Xion and Axel have to part ways. I think this conversation can provide a final perspective Xion needs. See, Axel is trying to desperately keep their trio together, hold their friendship up even as it falls in shambles. He is doing this to the point of forcing her to remain. Xion thinks she’s saving them and Roxas is oblivious to the internal strife between her and Axel. Ultimately, they fight, Axel wins to little true victory as in the next scene Xion sacrifices herself.

I propose an alternate sacrifice. While, Roxas, and Axel, cling to their friendship, which could never truly flourish under the pressure of Organization 13, Xion decides to let it go. Xion fights Roxas and forces him to forget her, essentially fakes her death, and leaves. When Namine breaks apart her memories to eradicate the siphon, much of the memory of the past year slips into an unconnected, tangled mess that will take just as long to unravel. In essence, Xion sacrifices her friendship and sense of security while affirming that those things do not define her. It would be, after a game of characters calling Xion: heartless, empty, a puppet, ‘it,’ and a tool to be used; An affirmation of her growth and individuality while maintaining a bittersweet, sense of tragedy. When presented with unsavory choices, she makes her own. In the same way that we grow-up and leave our childhood friendship behinds, Xion must move on.

Finally, in Kingdom Hearts 3, Xion would play a very similar role in the game. However she would not be apart of Organization 13 again. There is little reason for Xion to be apart of Organization 13 in the original game and even less here. Because the entire Sea Salt Trio reunion is just a big deux ex machina with Roxas randomly showing-up. So Xion at some point in that sequence, shows-up saves Axel, helps revive Roxas, we’re back in canon from that plot point on. Nomura can screw with his own ending.

I could write an extended rewrite of Kingdom Hearts 3 where Xion and Roxas’ plots are far more integrated into the plot, instead of screwing around with the data-Twilight Town red herring, but I want to interfere with canon as little as possible.

TLDR: We’re going to duex ex machina Xion into KH3

#✰*✦ This is the idiot speaking ⎧OOC⎫#✰*✦More than a mannequin on the strings⎧Headcanon⎫#✰*✦The golden twilight mirrors his soul⎧Roxas⎫#✰*✦Burning sunsets in the spectrum of red⎧Axel⎫#✰*✦ Do not go gentle⎧XION⎫

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nadziejastar · 4 years

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Is there any evidence, or even hints, that Lea and Isa’s relationship is more than platonic?

Xaldin: Precisely. That is no ordinary rose. The room is in tatters save for one corner—because to him, at least, it is more precious than all the castle’s riches. Our work here is done, Roxas. The beast's weakness is clear.

Roxas: It is?

Xaldin: To hold something dear is to let it hold you. His heart is in thrall to it, don't you see? And that, Roxas, is ample weakness.

Roxas: I'm not sure I follow.

Xaldin: Nor should you. You have no heart to love with. Come. We return.

Yes, there was definitely a lot of hints and evidence that their relationship was more than platonic. Especially in the novels.

Roxas: Well, you were right. He does have something he wants to protect. Something he cares about.

Xion: Really?

Roxas: Yeah, but Xaldin says that's a weakness.

Xion: Why would caring about something be a weakness?

Roxas: I dunno. I didn't get it either.

Xion: I hope Axel comes home soon.

The best evidence, though, is in 358/2 Days. The whole subplot of the Beast’s Castle hinted at Axel having romantic feelings for Isa.

Day 150: Too Precious to Lose

Axel and I talked for a while about the things we can't bear to lose. Axel thinks that for Nobodies, it's our pasts, because that's all we have to remember the pain of losing something.

If Axel’s memories of his past are what’s most precious to him, then what was most precious to Lea as a human? Axel says that his memories are all he has to remember the pain of losing something.

Talking to Roxas and Xion always brings back memories of my human life, back when I was a kid. It's a weird sensation. I ought to be able to share all this with Saïx, but I just don't feel like it anymore. It's strange, but I'm content with just missing what's gone. I'm not the one who changed. You did.

And his memories of his past are all about Isa. And Axel has a lot of pain over missing what’s gone between him and Saïx. The story STRONGLY hints that Isa was so precious to Lea, he couldn’t bear to lose him. There was something very special between them that isn’t there anymore.

Roxas: Love is a power?

Xaldin: None you or I will ever grasp. Nor will they, for long. The love between them will wither and die. Love never lasts.

Roxas: But you don't have a heart. How would you know?

Xaldin: I have eyes, and a brain. We have no further business here. Try not to dawdle.

Roxas: That still doesn't explain what love is... Is love fighting to protect what's most important to you? Where does its power come from?

The main theme of Beast’s Castle is “love”. Having something you can’t bear to lose is what love is. And love is a weakness that the organization exploits. Axel has a tragic backstory that is hinted at constantly. The story hints that his fear of losing Isa was used against him at some point.

Roxas: I found out about love on today's mission--that it's something powerful.

Axel: That's true. It is. But I'll never get to experience it.

Roxas: Nobodies can't love?

Axel: You need a heart, man.

Roxas: Right...

Axel: Love is what happens if there's something really special between two people.

Roxas: You mean, like, if they're best friends? Inseparable?

Axel: Well, you can care about your friends, I guess, but that's not what I'm talking about.

Just look at the way Axel talks about love. He longs for love. Love is even compared to being best friends. But Axel is very specific that it’s a different feeling. He’s always speaking from experience, like when he talked about best friends, summer vacation, etc. He’s speaking from experience here, too. He’s been in love before. That is what is being hinted at. Now, this isn’t the same as Nomura coming out and saying “yes, they’re gay”. But there’s no way they wrote the story like this on accident.

Beast: It's no use. She's so beautiful, and I'm so...well, look at me!

Mrs. Potts: Oh, you must help her to see past all that.

All of this talk of love takes place in the world of Beauty and the Beast. That movie is all about the power of love allowing you to see past the exterior. That’s what the story of 358/2 Days is all about, too. Roxas can see Xion as Kairi because he has a heart. Axel can see her as Kairi after Castle Oblivion, and he grew a heart while he was there.

Riku: The process of putting his memory back together has gone nowhere... They have what's most precious to Sora...his memories of Kairi.

Xion is just a robot, though, and not really Kairi. She doesn’t even have a concrete appearance. It’s Sora’s memories that make it look like Kairi.

Xion’s memories were really Sora’s. But the form she had taken was reminiscent of Kairi. And that was because of Sora’s memories inside Roxas—the memories that knew Kairi as someone precious to him. Like Xion had become someone precious to Roxas.

She was created out of Sora’s most precious memories, which were of Kairi, who he LOVED. Xion is just a reflection of Sora’s LOVE for Kairi. Those most precious memories were the whole basis of the plot of CoM. They were the weakness used to manipulate Sora.

My precious existence is surrounded by memories that have been burned into my heart, as well as important memories that guide me. The more precious the memory is, the further it regresses into your heart, making it hard to remember, you know?

“Why do you always go around picking up stray puppies left and right?”

“I want to leave an impression with a lot of different people. I can live forever if I remain in their memories.”

Isa then laughed at me bitterly.

“Well, at the very least I’m sure you’ll always be in my memories, whether I want you to or not.”

During that time, we had no idea that memories could be erased. Memories are not always clear, and they can even be replaced with something else.

I haven’t seen Ventus since.

The sunset today is burning red again. We finished our training and watched the sunset from the top of the hill near the Secret Forest.

Axel’s journey in Castle Oblivion was all about HIS most precious memories, too. He said he and Sora had a lot in common, which is why he decided to help him. Axel’s memories of Isa were the equivalent of Sora’s memories of Kairi. It’s never explicitly stated, but Sora LOVES Kairi. Axel LOVED Isa. Once Axel started to remember his most precious memories, which were of Isa, he started to grow a heart.

“Do you know why the sunset is so red? Light is comprised of a variety of different colors, and within that spectrum, the red color permeates the furthest!”

“And how come you’re so versed in this all of a sudden?”

You know how Day 255 is such an important day, it was even featured in the opening? It’s never explained why that day was so important. Axel tells Roxas about the red sunset. And just by the way he said it, you could tell that he was recalling a very precious memory from his past. Axel’s Character File story even confirmed it. The red sunset was not a random bit of trivia thrown in for no reason. It was a very precious memory from Axel’s past.

Someone had once told him why sunsets were red… Who was that?

The novel hints that Isa was the one who told Lea about the red sunset. But Axel had forgotten this by the time of 358/2 Days.

“Yeah. Have to hang on to something, right? It’s not like I have memories from before the Organization. Don’t you remember? I acted like a zombie.”

Axel stared at him as if trying to figure something out and then grinned.

Axel was trying to remember a specific precious memory from his past. It was bothering him. And it came back to him on Day 255 when he was talking to Roxas. It’s why he sounded so nostalgic. And it’s why that day was so significant.

Why did Axel remember that precious memory on Day 255? It was called “The Longest Day”. The longest day of the year is called “midsummer”. The entire story was most likely inspired by Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The most famous quote from that play is about how love makes you blind to someone’s flaws. Roxas’s love for Xion blinded him to the fact that she was just a Replica being used to absorb his power and destroy him. Xion was his weakness.

Things base and vile, holding no quantity, Love can transpose to form and dignity. Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind. And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.

― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Day 255 was the day Saix was revealed to be “blind”. He wasn’t seeing what everyone else saw when he looked at Xion. He was like the Beast. He had no love in his heart. He couldn’t see past appearances.

Axel: The Organization made her to duplicate your powers. She's a puppet.

Roxas: Have you gone nuts? Xion's a person, not a puppet.

Axel: She's smoke and mirrors, Roxas.

Xion was a reflection of Sora’s love for Kairi. Smoke and mirrors. An illusion made of precious memories.

Xemnas: About Axel? The poor fool. How long will he keep chasing the illusion of friendship, when he himself lacks emotion? Trying so hard to retrieve what he has lost, when it may never have existed in the first place. He deserves nothing more than our pity.

Saix was ALSO smoke and mirrors. Axel’s relationship with him wasn’t real and never existed in the first place. It was just a reflection of Lea’s most precious memories and his love for Isa. Axel desperately wanted to retrieve what he lost. His love for Isa made him “blind”. His burgeoning replacement heart gave him the power to look past the exterior of Saix to see the person he loved. It blinded him to the fact that Saix was a Nort and no longer the same person anymore. Saix was being used by Xemnas to manipulate Axel. Isa was Lea’s weakness.

Everyone is free to interpret the story as they wish. I know that Axel/Roxas is the more popular Axel ship. But I do believe Lea/Isa was what the writers intended and is the “correct” way to view the story. If you view the story with this idea in mind, Axel’s character arc makes SO much more sense.

#kh akusai #kh leaisa #leaisa #akusai #kh saix #kh axel

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