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mythicalartistx · 6 months

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KH Japanese Translations Part 6

Part 5

Series where I discuss fantranslations and this time it's on Vanitas

Ever since seeing Vanitas backstory in the novels I became more interested in him, I already loved him as a character but the novels really increased that. So I'm going to look at some of the fantranslated kh3 scenes

Everyone knows how the translations can be off, now translations aren't perfect in general but its kinda odd when there are entirely new meanings or censored in the localization.

I'm glad I looked up translations for his death because it's so much more. It's more about freedom to choose and it's not even about darkness that much.

Sora: That face is—

Vanitas: I am Ventus' missing piece. You made up for the missing part of Ventus' heart. That's why my appearance came from you. I am made from you both, Ventus and Sora. We're brothers who make up for what the other lacks.

Sora: If you think that, why are you fighting us? We should be working together

Vanitas: It's my reason for being born. It is because I am darkness, that you both belong to the light, able to exist there. If that isn't 'working together' I don't know what is.

Sora: But I never—

Ventus: But I never asked for that.

Ventus: There's no need to divide which one is the light and which one is the darkness. I am me and you are you, just live freely the way we want.

Vanitas: Freedom? Ah, I am living freely... like this.

Ventus: Is living trapped in darkness freedom to you?

Vanitas: That's the way I chose to live

Ventus: I see

Sora: Is that really okay? Vanitas!

And it's just great, it's bittersweet. I like it a lot more. It shows that Vanitas decides to be trapped with darkness and is working with them so they could live and exist in the light. And it makes me wonder if he wasn't, would Sora and Ventus be unable to exist or live in the light. That's just something. All three of them affect the others. And these FT explains the appearance better and how they relate to the other.

I spent time looking at fan translations through various websites, people's comments, old posts, YouTube videos comments— and especially content relating to SR because those are the people who tend to care more.

Eng:

Sora: Your face!

Vanitas: I am the piece of Ventus that was taken away. And you're the piece Ventus needed to be whole again. So why shouldn't you and I look exactly the same? You define me Sora, the same way Ventus does. We are brothers who together, make a greater whole.

Sora: Then why don't you stand by our side instead with darkness?

Vanitas: Because I am darkness. And I do stand by your side. I'm the shadow that you cast. How much closer could I be?

Sora: But I didn't —

Ventus: But I didn't ask for this. To be sifted apart nice and neat. We should be free to choose. Not just light, not just darkness. We decide what we are.

Vanitas: But Ventus, I did decide who I am. You see?

Ventus: And what you are is darkness ?

Vanitas: What I am is darkness

Ventus: Okay

Sora: How is that okay? Vanitas?

And there's differences and it's honestly moreso the whole concept about freedom to choose is left out. The official translation focuses on darkness and him being darkness because that's what he is when it's honestly not just that. I feel like he's more than just darkness but that's my take. The JPN also explains how Vanitas appearance is better and the separation between Ven and Vanitas as well was stated better as well.

And I bring it up because I once was talking about how I thought the ships were odd because he calls them his brothers and someone mentioned that it was just an English translation thing, people can ship whatever they want I'm not here to stop that but does that mean the person say something incorrect?

Now I'm going through the monster's inc where Vanitas realizes where Ven is and he says this line.

JPN:

Vanitas: Ventus! So you were hiding in such a place all along, remnant of my heart.

ENG:

Vanitas: Ventus. What a strange place to slither off to... you insignificant speck

Now I want to point out how the phrasing in such a place is said as an insult. It is stated that somewhere like that is worthless as if Sora is worthless. Then he insults him by saying you are little of his heart. Like he isn't worth much. The changes here make sense and it kinda flows better. Like insignificant speck is an insult that clearly from the way the original statement was said.

Final Words:

As much as it would be interesting to have Roxas also there, it wouldn't really fit. The only relation he has to Vanitas is through Sora by looking the same as Ventus. Roxas is a great character but for that scene in particular it made sense that he wasn't present. Now it be cool if we got a reaction to seeing him in another scene.

Sora is the one that helped both Ven and Vanitas. He saved both of their hearts. Vanitas gained his form and appearance by Sora ability to connect with them. Sora saved Ven's heart from being destroyed and Vanitas—a being that was with Ven so long merged with his heart that when he was taken out it affected Ven. This is stated in re: mind, speaking of remind someone said something that I honestly think is interesting:

Post Notes:

I once heard that Vanitas referring to them as brothers was only a localization thing so I wanted to look into that, but I couldn't find anything through all the sources I used. I even listen to jpn audio and he still says kyōdai which means brother. Not sure why someone once said that

And I bring it up because It was about how I thought the ships were odd because he calls them his brothers and someone mentioned that it was just an English translation thing, and they aren't like that in the JPN version people can ship whatever they want I'm not here to stop that but it seems like they still do so why did that person say it?

Unless they're referring the the remind scene when Ven is like we're not brothers we're the same but Vanitas tells him you're naïve for believing that I've been with you for a long time and is another being entirely. But that's all the English version and I didn't really look at any translations for that scene... If anyone does know more about that scene....

Also Vanitas is my second favorite character now 😌

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cloudofash · 2 months

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Kingdom Hearts is Like a Chess Game...And It Explains the Characters' Story Arcs

If you've played the series up until KH3 you should know that the story of Kingdom Hearts and the characters within our current tale are likened to pieces on a chess board an ample amount of times, especially where Eraqus and Xehanort's chess-like game are a literal re-enactment of the events of the KH3 Keyblade Graveyard war between Light and Darkness.

Despite Kingdom Hearts' chess-like game being well...chess-like and and not an exact 1:1 of chess, we know at the very least that there is a "King" piece within the Kingdom Hearts' chess game. With the introduction of Verum Rex (Verum meaning true Rex meaning King) in KH3 as well as one of the secret endings with Yozora in Re:Mind being titled "Falsus Rex" (False King) entertains the idea that our KH chess game maintains the same (or similar) chess pieces that regular chess has. That is, a King piece, Queen piece, 2 Rooks, 2 Knights, 2 Bishops and 8 Pawns.

This being said, I want to explore which Kingdom Hearts character is which chess piece.

We know there is a Verum Rex/True King and a Falsus Rex/False King. Yozora is the True King of his Quadratum Universe. The Kingdom Hearts universe is the unreality-reality mirror to Quadratum, meaning that there must be a True King in the Kingdom Hearts universe as well. The true "King" of the KH Realm is most likely Riku, the Keyblade's original and true chosen and he looks nearly identical to Yozora as opposite Kings on a chessboard would. The False King, in this particular case, would be Sora since he wasn't the Keyblade's true chosen and only obtained the power because Riku fell to darkness and his heart's light passed the Keyblade to Sora making him the replacement/fake. However, I don't believe being a False King is Sora's true role in the Kingdom Hearts game of chess. I believe that if Riku's heart never fell to darkness, Sora would be a completely different chess piece that I will get to later.

The other pieces contain a Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights and 8 Pawns, giving us a 15 pieces (16 total if you include the King). Now in the Kingdom Hearts game of chess there are only 7 (original) Light Guardians, however in the final battle there are actually 10 Total Guardians: King Mickey, Sora, Aqua, Ventus, Axel, Kairi, (and Riku) are the original 7 and then Terra, Roxas and Xion join the fight after being saved. 12 if we count Donald and Goofy and 13 if we count Riku Replica, but it doesn't stop there. Namine made an appearance as well and helped shift the tide by finding Terra's Lingering Will and connecting him to the battle, and Master Yen Sid also joined the fight in the graveyard. The final piece and final character to help in the war is the light from the past, Ephemer.

In other words, we actually have all 16 chess pieces present in the Keyblade War (on both sides if we include Demyx, Vexen and the Xehanort Replicas as the final 3 to the 13 Darknesses). If we match the pieces with the characters I believe it goes something like this based not only on their role within the War but also their importance and contribution to the overall story. Please know that some of these positions can be debated:

Terra - Rook. Terra reconnecting with his Will and Body drastically alter the events of the Graveyard. TerraNort single-handedly defeated all of the Guardians and Terra's intervention stopped them from losing and altered the timeline altogether. Plus, Terra was also carrying the Heart of Master Eraqus who ultimately ended the war by stopping Xehanort. Considering Terra's value to the War, I can't view him as any piece less than a Rook.

Ephemer - Rook. Though he plays a minimal role in the entire Keyblade Graveyard war and no role at all in the entire Xehanort Saga, his small appearance is what saves the wielders from total demise yet again to the Giant Demon Tide. Since he saved Light from expiring at the part in time where they were destined to expire he is a crucial chess piece. And for those who know chess, the Rook piece is required for a "castling" a move that saves the King (or again, the False King) which is exactly, to me, what Ephemer did.

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Namine - Bishop. Her action of calling Terra changed the tide drastically. However, I will place her position as debateable as there may be others who you could count as a Bishop.

Yen Sid - Bishop. He saves the wielders from the Heartless Army, ultimately saving Light from expiring making him a key player in the War. Without him they most likely would have lost the war or would have been severely weakened and incapable of winning the war.

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Mickey - Knight. I give Mickey Knight status due to his Last Stand where he single-handedly pushed back all of the 13 Xehanort Replicas and saved everyone. It may not be timeline altering but it is still a contribution nonetheless.

Aqua - Knight. Debateable position, however Aqua took the lead at several points in the battle and barked battle instructions, almost acting like a military general. Thus I rank her above some of the others.

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Roxas - Pawn. Originally a pawn to Org 13, although he went through an incredibly journey he ended up locked away back into Sora's heart and wasn't able to participate or contribute to the war or storyline until he received a Replica body and Sora's connection.

Xion - Pawn. She was used as the 13th Darkness until Sora connected with her and helped Axel remember her.

Ventus - Pawn. He contributed to the war as an Original of the 7 Lights, but he did not alter the timeline nor save the Lights from expiring, nor did he take any lead during the war thus can only be considered a Pawn piece. Not to mention, he took an enormous backseat as a character after being asleep for 11 years. As such he hasn't had much time to shine since his Union Cross days. That may change in the next Arc, especially since he has ties to the Lost Masters.

Axel/Lea - Pawn. A literal Pawn to Org 13 for most of his story until the end when he final joins the the Guardians of Light. In fact, Xemnas even makes a chess analogy when calling Axel a "pawn" during his fight against Isa and Xion.

Donald - Pawn (extension of Sora)

Goofy - Pawn (extension of Sora)

Riku Replica - Pawn (extension of Riku)

And I know many will not like this, but I place Kairi as a Pawn. The reason isn't to shoot the character down, but I believe within the story she is literally treated like a Pawn. Her entire story begins with Xehanort treating her like a Pawn to get to the Keyblade Wielder. Narratively she is only used to push the stories further, constantly getting kidnapped or harmed. Some of the other characters are debateable but I stand firmly in that Kairi is a Pawn piece and it explains why she feels lackluster. She is meant to be, it's simply her role in the KH Chess Game. This doesn’t mean she'll stay a Pawn, as the Lost Master's Arc is starting a "new" KH chess game and thus the roles of many of the chess pieces (sans Riku and Sora) will change. I believe she'll be a Bishop in the Lost Master's Arc but as of the Xehanort Saga Kairi is only a Pawn.

But if Kairi is not the Queen piece, as I'm sure many of you initially thought, then who is?

I'm sure you noticed I skipped a character. That's right: Sora. Sora is the Queen piece in this game. A Queen piece acting in the place of the King, a false king. If you know chess you know that the Queen piece can move in any direction she wants as many spaces which is exactly what Sora is and what he can do. Sora is ridiculously OP as a character to the point he is often considered the most powerful and it's the Queen piece that is the most powerful, not the King piece as some unfamiliar with chess may believe. Sora can move any which way he pleases, even traverse time, travels worlds through hearts and hearts through worlds and even moves between Realms to save Riku from Dark Aqua as a Queen piece would rush to the save the King piece. All of which is reminiscent of a Queen moving all around a board in any way.

Riku is the King piece which is why the battle in the Keyblade graveyard wasn't considered over until Riku was defeated or checkmate'd. After Riku was defeated by the Demon Tide Storm, Sora was instantly knocked off the board. Also again, he is a mirror of Yozora much like the White and Black Kings in chess mirror each other. And if we think about the King piece in chess, Riku makes the most sense. The King is the most important piece and often times Riku is the most important to the story (especially Dream Drop Distance and now post Re:Mind) hence his character development and getting more development than Sora in many ways. In the Keyblade Graveyard War, he IS the most important as its his sacrifice that changes the timeline altogether and saves Light from Expiring. Without his sacrifice, the 13 Darknesses would have won and Light would have remained expired. It doesn't get any more important than that. In addition, if the Crown Necklace theory is proven true and Sora acquired his crown necklace chain from Riku, that means Riku was the original bearer of the Crown and most likely descends from Ephemer's Royal Line (which is all but confirmed, he literally looks like Ephemer) making him make even more sense as the King Piece.

Sora and Riku are the only two who I believe will keep consistent Chess roles as the King and Queen pieces. That's what their relationship is to one another. The only change I can see is Riku and Sora themselves officially swapping roles, with Sora becoming the True King and Riku relinquishing his role as King to become Queen. Considering the way Riku rushes to save Sora and how he travels to all ends to do so (including traveling to an entirely new universe just to save him once more and traveling between dreams to become a Dream Eater to save Sora), it almost is like he is beginning to move all around the "board" and could very well be showing signs of becoming a Queen piece to protect Sora, who would then become the new King piece.

We will have to wait and see which way this chess game goes in KH4 and beyond to confirm or deny any of this theory.

Anyway, that's all I have I hope you all feel free to share your thoughts. If you have alternate Chess Rankings, please feel free to share!

#kingdom hearts #soriku #kh #kh chess #sora is the queen #riku is the king #kingdom hearts chess

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yzafre · 10 months

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Kairi, Namine, Xion, and using their words

So KH has a lot of characters that are off-shoots of previous ones, and it can be fun to look for the parallels and the difference. While trying to figure out Kairi's "voice", I found it interesting to compare how the three "Kairi variations" used their words when experiencing overwhelming or negative emotions. How they handle these moments are very interesting.

Let's look at three memorable quotes by them, to show what I mean:

"Sora, let's take the raft and go. Just the two of us!"

Everyone talks about this line at some point. Like, what a weird thing for Kairi to say when we're still being introduced to her character! Riku's supposed to be her friend too, right?

Well, let's look at the context - not of everything that's going on around them, but of the conversation. What does she say right before?

"You know, Riku has changed."

Okay, so she's thinking about the ways Riku has been different now - probably in a way that upset or scares her. As other's have noticed, Kairi isn't as interested in leaving the islands (a safe place) as the others - an aversion to uncomfortable things. Riku is her friend, but it's not unbelievable a part of her wants to get away from whatever the change is that scares her.

So she has this mixed feeling about Riku, she tries to bring it up but ends up dancing around it, which Sora does not understand, obviously. Then, instead of explaining what she means, just jumps like, 10 steps ahead.

What this implies to me is that Kairi doesn't want to face this (any?) complex negative emotion head on. Maybe because it's her own fear and resentment? There's an element of avoidance of repression, here.

And then! And then as soon as it's out she immediately backtracks. Immediately laughs it off. "Just kidding!"

That makes it seem to me that her line about the raft was involuntary. She did not think ahead, maybe didn't even mean to say that at all, certainly regretted it as soon as she said it. It is definitely an expression of an honest, maybe a bit ugly, emotion she's experiencing, but is not the full context. It's certainly not the root of the issue. She's still dancing around it.

To summarize: either low levels of understanding of what she's feeling or some kind of repression, and involuntary use of words (meaning just about anything can come out)

"Nobody needs to keep a bunch of memories that aren't real, right?"

Oh, Namine. So we all agree this is a bit passive-aggressive, right? But also, I think, a bit genuine.

She is very aware that she caused this situation, and that she hurt Sora first. She's trying to acknowledge that she understands, but... she just can't help giving it a passive-aggressive edge.

Namine is all about repression (and also self-loathing, but that's not this conversation). She basically spends her entire life in a cage, having to make herself small. If we extrapolate even further, she probably spends a lot of time in her head thinking about her own situation and maybe even her feelings. That awareness could even be seen as a survival skill, in her situation.

She knows she did wrong and she knows she's upset. She tries to prioritize one over the other - but unsuccessfully.

So what we get with Namine is high awareness of her feeling, and an attempt to use her words constructively, but her control slips and some involuntary messaging slips through.

"So, do you hate me for taking your friend away from you?"

Xion uses her works like knives, seriously. There's a hint of this in her "Or what? They'll turn me into a dusk?" line with Axel, but I thought I'd use this quote instead.

I think I maybe mentioned this in another post somewhere, but in conflict Xion has a conversational pattern that goes "soft soft soft GOES FOR YOUR THROAT" that shows up multiple times throughout Days.

So, set-up for this conversation. Xion is suddenly getting a lot of answers and thus processing a lot of information, a lot of which I think confirms her own brand of self-loathing.

But what she turns around and says is not about her feelings (... on the surface, we'll get around to that), it's about provoking the other person.

It would be entirely understandable for Riku to be upset wither her, which would possibly stand as a threat, and she tries to confront that head on to get a reaction out of him.

She has enough awareness to know what she wants, and that she's feeling cornered, but the exact phrasing she used is interesting considering her situation:

Do you hate me for taking your friend away?

Because before she got these answers, what she already knew was that she could end up hurting Roxas. Realistically, this could be a question she'd want to ask Axel:

Will you hate me if I take our friend away.

And I do think she knows that's what she's afraid of, deep down, but she's too scared to actually ask (keeps running away). What I don't think she's aware of is that she's using Riku as a proxy, here. I think she's just trying to control the conversation.

So, with Xion we have: mixed levels of emotional awareness, but high control of her use of words.

Maybe it doesn't mean much, but I find it interesting. They all will say the most insane things under pressure, but it comes out in very different ways, with very different intent.

Kairi, who will avoid till things get too much then blurt things out involuntarily, then try to take it back.

Namine, who will try to control the narrative but can't stop keep the edge of passive-aggressiveness out.

Xion, who would rather go on the attack before you can hurt her first.

#kh #kingdom hearts #kairi #namine #xion #I just think it says interesting things about their conflict resolution style #I don't think Kairi likes the 'uglier' parts of her as she might think of them #when it shows up around other people she seems to frame it in a joking or false light-hearted tone #or she'll try to back-track #mind for Kairi I'm judging a lot of this off KH1 #as that's my preferred Kairi #I suppose KH3 and even KH2 Kairi could be interpreted a bit different #I mean it's not like there's a TON of scenes to go on #I firmly place Xion in the 'looks like a cinnamon roll but will actually kill you' camp #this girl will take you out if she thinks she has to #yza talks about a thing

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nebuvoid · 6 months

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A pro-Kairi rant

This here is why I don't want canon undeniable confirmed no work around Sora/Kairi in future KH in a nutshell. This is my personal ramble I just want to get off my chest on my own blog. This is nothing against people that ship it.

It's not because I'm some ew yucky girl hater. It's the opposite. I've always loved Kairi and any sane fan will tell you she's been treated like crap through the entire series.

The moment she's confirmed to be "safe", she gets left behind. Again and again and again. She just wants to be included. She wants to break out of this role and is beat down every time she tries to.

KH3 does that again. MoM does that AGAIN. Like it's so deliberately disrespectful. Your role is to stay behind and stare longingly at the skyline.

Again and again we're shown that she tries to break out of this and can't. And no KH3 doesn't fix it. She once again has to rely on her Princess powers to be allowed to be relevant, when we're shown she wants to be actively a part of this with her fighting prowess. What does she get for that? Killed to be rescued again. I know some people thought Remind was a some great gotcha moment but really it just confirmed the already existing status quo.

And any moments to give her some development get deliberately pushed aside (Very cool we never see her training) or explained away (you can't learn during your adventure like EVERY other character, you specifically have to stay behind for this).

If the series wants to have this relationship, why go out of their way to cut her out over and over? Just as an example: We see Sora excitedly text Riku, why isn't he also talking about Kairi? No really, I'm asking. Even if she's in the timeless forest (sorry guys we can't show you a fun little level for that too much work ugh)(we just really needed Kairi to write a onesided letter to Sora and to remind Lea of Xion - because even here she's not allowed to have a moment for herself), a simple "Man, I wish I could send Kairi a message but I can't reach her there." line would've done a lot. Why make it so purposefully onesided? Why make it so sad and cruel.

Then you have the whole Winnie Pooh - Kairi parallel in KH3 plus the awkward paopu scene that really hammer home how things have changed, they have changed, expectations aren't working out. There's plenty other posts that dig deep into this.

If Kairi as she is now "gets officially together" with Sora, while she's still not allowed to develop her own identity, actually have her own moments, break out of her role as the pining left behind love interest... well maybe some people don't care but I do. It would feel so rotten. The heteronormative amatonormative mainstream media standard that the girl character doesn't need development, she can just be there to be longed after. You know when you watch a TV show and he was a boy she was a girl syndrome starts and you feel that uncomfortable feeling? It's that.

I thought we'd at least get something out of MoM but even here her moment gets stolen by Sora. I don't care if it's a heart connection or whatever, on screen I am once again Sora. (Just to be clear I love my boy Sora I'm just looking at this from an outside the game perspective.)

Actually there's a great video on that here.

Sora and Riku's relationship has been developed over the course of several games. We know them as people, we know their bond. Why should I care about Sora and Kairi in a romantic setting when the games go out of their way to give me next to nothing beyond "she's the girl 🤪you know". Like she's just a prop.

Kairi deserves better.

Let her develop her own connections. Let her actually find out about her past in RG. Let her finally be an actual equal to Sora and Riku. And then and only then can I be behind canon Sora/Kairi.

I wish I could word this better but I think about this and I'm just filled with indignation and I blank out.

Not because I'm a hater, but because I think Kairi deserves fucking better, do I not want a romantic relationship for her. A girl character is more than just a damn accessory. KH3 didn't do a great job with most characters, but at least in their respective games Aqua, Xion and Namine are allowed to have actual depth, motivation and feelings beyond a rigid role.

In conclusion *big sigh* if a canon romantic relationship for Kairi does take place without any of the above mentioned, I will be severely disappointed.

Now is the last chance to give Kairi the treatment she actually deserves. Considering the track record I don't exactly have high hopes.

P.S. Personally I think KH works best without romantic duos anyway. Platonic bonds can and are just as deep, romanticism just gets placed at the top of the hierarchy - usually - except KH always goes out of its way to show us that that doesn't matter. You don't see people shipping Aqua with Ven and yet no one would question they care deeply about one another. Romance isn't a requirement for love.

P.P.S. Why didn't you give her the damn ribbon Sora, that would've been a really sweet moment.

#this is not a well thought out post this is just a stream of thought rant #kh talk #kairi kh #tentatively tagging

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demispark · 27 days

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Donald Duck Is Among The Strongest Mages in the Final Fantasy Universe (Who Rivals the Divine)

I am, perhaps, the least qualified person for this task, but I love mentioning it and @ancestorlegacy said this should've been an option in my poll for KH topics to explain to my friends who nothing about it, and I just couldn't resist.

I have no idea how long whichever post I'll write when the poll is over will be, so writing this in advance means I'll still be able to post a Kingdom Hearts infodump on April 1st like I wanted to.

(After writing this, it's getting a little long, so if you don't want to read the whole thing, I'll put a TL;DR at the end of the post.)

Donald has a tendency to die quickly, misuse magic by hitting enemies with their elemental affinities (causing them to be healed), and often doesn't heal Sora when most needed.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR - Kingdom Hearts III, Bravely Default, Final Fantasy XVI, as well as some non-story spoilers for Kingdom Hearts I & II

The beginning of this story is immensely funny. Remember how the title of this post says that Donald Duck is an incredibly strong mage? That tends not to be the case for most of the series.

Whether he is or isn't powerful, he is highly unreliable. He has, however, been known to throw a good Flare spell in his time.

Allow me to introduce Flare Force, a Limit in Kingdom Hearts II and a Situation Command in Kingdom Hearts III.

This whole maneuver is called "Flare Force", but Donald's firework-summoning spells themselves are known as "Duck Flare", "Rocket Flare", and "Megaduck Flare", respectively.

With that "Mega-", now seems like a good time to explain the various Flare Spells for context.

In the Final Fantasy franchise, Flare is a high-level magic spell. One of the "ultimate" Black Mage spells, in fact. It's often non-elemental magic, but is also the final form in the line of Fire magic in others.

I'll refrain from discussing all of the different offshoots of Flare, and just discuss the relevant upgraded forms.

Still with me? Great.

Higher forms of Flare tend to be given metric prefixes:

- Nanoflare = one-billionth (10^-9)

- Megaflare = one million (10^6)

- Gigaflare = one billion (10^9)

- Teraflare = one trillion (10^12)

- Exaflare = one quintillion (10^18)

- Zettaflare = one sextillion (10^21)

Now, setting aside the discussion of how these firework Flare spells compare to Flare and Megaflare, we can now get to what you've all been waiting for: Donald Duck vaporizing a final boss-level opponent with some of the highest grade Black Magic in the FF Universe!

youtube

Golly, wasn't that amazing? Now, we can FINALLY get into why this scene makes Donald one of the strongest mages ever.

Recall how I said that Flare is an "ultimate" Black Magic spell. Donald cast a spell equivalent to ONE SEXTILLION of an endgame offensive spell.

I mean, he appears to have either passed out for exertion or straight-up died from the effort of casting it, but that's not important. Why? Because now I can finally explain what the last part of the title of this post means.

While Donald now shares the title of strongest mage with two others to date, there is one difference: he's just a mage.

First up: Airy the Fairy.

She was a companion-turned-major antagonist in Bravely Default. While her master plan involved successfully destroying dimensions, this wasn't a direct result of her own power. Furthermore, she was a servant of the God of Destruction, Ouroboros, and was being powered-up and supported by the god during the fight in which she uses Zettaflare. Therefore, I do not believe that she can be compared to Donald's sheer might.

No, the only true comparison is to the one who is so strongly associated with Megaflare and its associated variations: Bahamut.

In case you hadn't heard, Final Fantasy XIV's original launch was so bad that they destroyed the setting of the game in canon. Bahamut's Teraflare was the cause.

Bahamut obliterated an entire continent with one spell, and Donald's spell was many, many orders of magnitude higher.

Fast forward to Final Fantasy XVI, however, and it seems that the legendary King of Dragons may have finally become a match for our feathered Flare-casting friend!

... Or maybe not. See, I haven't played Final Fantasy XIV. In fact, the only games mentioned in this post that I have played is the main one the post is about, the Kingdom Hearts series.

I'm a little hazy on the details because of that, so forgive me if I have gotten anything wrong, but Bahamut's Zettaflare failed. I mean, Airy's clearly did too since she was defeated by the protagonists of the game she was in, but Bahamut is THE Megaflare guy. Gigaflare, Teraflare, Exaflare, all used by Bahamut or some version of Bahamut.

Outplayed by Donald fucking Duck. Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk.

TL;DR - Despite being typically unreliable, Donald Duck successfully vaporized a major foe with the absurdly high-level Zettaflare spell. Airy (a fairy backed by a God of Destruction) from Bravely Default and Bahamut (A massively powerful and legendary dragon who is a staple of the FF series) from Final Fantasy XVI have also used Zettaflare, but to much less effectiveness compared to the mortal duck mage.

#Kingdom Hearts #I know I talked about other games but theyre just here for potentially out-of-context spoilers so I ain't tagging em #donald duck #kingdom hearts iii #kingdom hearts 3 #Mickey has also casted extremely high-level spells but they didn't work both times so Donald reigns supreme #This took hours but holy shit it was fun to write!!!#I might just have to start doing stuff like this more often :3 #Youtube #Spotify

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kosmic-arts · 5 months

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It is Once Again Time To Complain About Things That Don't Matter

358/2 days is definitely one of the better written kh games, but don't let that fool you. its not like the bar was very high to begin with (i am only partially joking).

i love days, but there is so much wasted time and space in that game. i despise how much characters fainting, falling asleep, having amnesia, and gotdamn brainblasts, are constantly used as plot devices because the writers don't know how to organically move characters along to the next plot point(this goes for all of kh, not even just days). the entire novelty of days is getting to play on the bad guy's side while getting an intimate look at all the cool badass org members, and yet you hardly get to know any of them over the course of the game. barely any time is taken to flesh them out, which is a complete travesty btw, and even axel- who is one of the major supporting characters- ultimately takes a backseat to roxas and xion's emotional angst. its good emotional angst, but theres no reason for it to overwhelm the entire game. and honestly, even roxas himself takes a backseat to xion's even bigger emotional angst! roxas hardly gets to know who or what he is, whats going on, or what for. roxas is a complete passenger, and as time goes on i struggle to see the value in that, even if it does feed into the overall themes of his story and his own emotional angst.

because, look: xion was a passenger as well; she had no choice in her situation, only the illusion of one that riku offered her. and yet, she still was allowed a moment of agency. roxas tried to do the same after xion's death by going to kill the organization(which frankly, he could've killed every last one of them- get real), riku stops him and refuses to explain or reason with roxas to get him to consider another way. riku just proceeds to taunt him. whwhy i find it hilarious that riku took pity on xion because she reminded him of kairi, but the guy who's literally his best friend's nobody whom he is currently fighting to save-... he acts like a bitch to, and refuses to give him any of the same consideration that he gave to the girl. what the fuck is that

what is with the complete and utter disrespect of roxas in his own game- >>specifically<< by the people who should be his allies. remember that bit at the end of days where roxas is about to leave and confronts axel for answers, and practically pours his heart out begging axel to help him?? axel refuses to tell him who sora is and that he’s sora’s nobody, etc. ok.. maybe he’s afraid of getting shot by the organization because it’s classified information. no, fuck that. its a major part of axel’s character is that he puts his own desires and wants before his job or duty. and! he also cares a great deal about his friends, even above his own wellbeing. he helps xion escape the organization when he was on that mission with xigbar. he didn’t even have an excuse to protect himself when xigbar interrogated him for letting xion go- axel could’ve gotten shot then and there for helping the traitor. he straight up put his neck on the chopping block for xion’s sake.

so then, why now with roxas, does he refuse to do anything at all to help him? he’s done shit before like lie to roxas in a vain attempt to make him happy- axel cares about him! he wants to help him, especially when hes sad- and in this final moment, roxas is in complete despair. axel could’ve very easily been like “well i cant tell you,, but maybe some other guy could… uh idk his name starts with an R”. god almighty it would’ve been so easy to just nudge roxas in a direction while still covering for himself if he was still worried about that. but no, completely out of character, axel just abandons roxas to possible execution(of which he would likely be the one to carry out) by the org for rebelling, without even giving roxas the slightest lifeline to find the answers that he deserves.

man i just lost the entire topic going on an whole ass side tangent…. what even was the topic to begin with idk im complaining about days. i'll proceed with a spicy hot take! get ready. when xion died, all memory and evidence of her existence shouldn't have been erased. yes. as depressing of an idea as it is- like, her friends aren't even allowed the luxury of cherishing her memory when she's gone, i think we all know why it was a bad move in the long run. xion getting wiped from existence was a poorly veiled excuse to avoid having to explain why nobody talks about her in other games- while also just straight up being able to get away without really mentioning 99% of what happens in 358/2 days to begin with. even as a kid i knew this was shit and i still think it's shit now, and the fact they had to pull a memory wipe trick like this is even more proof that the writers of kh are absolutely abysmal at tying their stories together or thinking ahead at all. or more like, they shot themselves in the foot daring to implement important plot details into spin-off titles in the first place. chain of memories started this trend, and even that game had to pull the memory wipe trick at the end of the game so as to not stunt players who didn't happen to own both a ps2 and a gba.

its a really asinine trend that has indisputably ruined kh with each installment. like, you can't be serious. in order to understand the main villian's(xehanort) motivations, i have to play 2 games and a casino, to have a full understanding as to why this old fuck wants to blow everyone up. for the longest time, i didn't understand why xehanort was concocting this decade long masterplan to attain kingdom hearts, UNTIL i happened upon the kh wiki. this is so sad you cant make this shit up you can figure out within the space of kh1 why ansem wants kingdom hearts. he's a power hungry mad scientist that went batshit insane in pursuit of knowledge. a classic victor frankenstien-esque character archetype. its so easy! I understood that without issue even as a child. too bad they couldn't just do that again with the next major villian! tbf, even xemnas' goals were extremely simple-...... until they added in the bit where he was lying to the entire org about them not having hearts or the ability to feel and yadayada... what was he trying to accomplish with that stunt again? don't get me started how stupid xemnas lying is. you've gotta be shitting me. like, are you saying that intelligent scientists like zexion and vexen wouldn't figure out such an obvious lie? what about lexaeus? luxord? really?? these aren't stupid people. at least one of them would have figured it out. would've been a good opportunity to give marluxia a reason to have been trying to pull a coup(besides wanting power???) because he figured out xemnas was a manipulative fuck and marluxia decided to take initiative and overthrow him. i love marluxia, but damn, the entire time i was playing com i had no idea what the fuck his motivations were.. why does he want to take over the organization... was that ever mentioned? …huh

but wait wait, i just went on another massive side tangent. i want to go back to talking about xion. i would've much preferred if we got to see moments of roxas and axel struggling to come to terms with losing one of their only friends. like, how would axel handle being completely powerless to save her, and frankly unable to even be there in her final moments? maybe he would've turned on the organization much sooner, because how could he ever continue working for the group that split him apart from the 2 people that really matter to him. that'd be interesting. roxas could eventually cool down, and simmer into a depression AND NOT GET THROWN INTO A SHITTY SIMULATION BECAUSE RIKU SHOULDVE BEEN NICER TO HIM. huh what- and maybe roxas might feel inclined to give up, but meeting with namine could be some reassurance to him because she tells him all that stuff about how he won't disappear and there's hope for nobodies like them!! honestly, just seeing the characters having to grapple with the pain of their past and actually talk about it instead of vaguely wincing about things they feel but can't remember would've been so much better. i get it, it's a mildly entertaining trope- characters suffering emotional wounds they don't remember receiving, or acting in strange ways in deference to old traditions they can no longer recall... yeah i get the appeal, but it doesn't make for a very strong story in the long run, especially with an event as major as xion's sacrifice. why can't characters be allowed to grow from their past and have character development. i like it when a character's history influences them in meaningful ways that isn't entirely superficial.

heck man, idk. you get the point. days is full of amazing ideas and has a fantastic premise, but like all things in kh, it struggles to hold up as soon as you examine it with the barest amount of scrutiny. thanks for coming to my ted talk.

#kingdom hearts #kh #kh 358/2 days #roxas kh #xion kh #axel kh #ramblings #ive decided to supplement my ultra long rambly posts with a line break and some gifs to make the experience of reading less excruciating #hope its better than my other unedited walls of text #it feels good just to rant into the void though #ive had these thoughts for a long time man #i love days but why does it have so much untapped potential #why does every game in the franchise have so much untapped potential this is why i hate it. and why i love it #i hate it

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allykakamatsu · 4 months

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A Father's Advice

Sometimes you're have a really bad time so you just have to hug your Father.

Story for this under cut, cause this is part of the KH X GI AU even if it can be viewed as it's own thing.

"Lyney, a word."

Oh... oh I was really hoping Father wouldn't say that. After everything that's happened the past few days, the last thing I need is trying to explain what happened to her, but, well I'm not getting out of it now I suppose.

"Of course," I agree as we go into a private area of the house, "I'm assuming you want a mission report Father."

"Somewhat," she answers as she closes the door, "the Traveler and her friends got me up to speed on most of what happened, and Lynette filled me in on the rest, but one part of both of their reports stood out, namely your confrontation with the Duke."

Oh... that.... yeah I should've figured this would come up eventually.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"I'm not asking you to apologise," Father clarifies as she cuts me off, "everyone made it very clear the Duke provoked you but, being controlled by Darkness like that isn't normal, unless I missed a case the only other example is that Sora boy. So, I just want you to tell me what happened so I can try figure out what's going on."

After taking a deep breath to compose myself, I nod and begin explaining. "I... a lot of it is a bit fuzzy admittedly but, when Wriothesley was taunting me, egging me on and making it seem like Lynette and Freminet were hurt, I was already seeing red, but when he told me that he was just messing with me for fun and being so nonchalant with their safety just for a sick kick, something snapped. A voice told me to rely on it to get my retribution, and when I agreed everything went black, and by the time I could see again I was being pinned down by everyone before I killed him. It... nothing like it's happened since but, I... I admit I'm worried, what if next time I get one of my siblings or my friends hurt-!" Okay Father is hugging me that's new!

"Calm down," she tells me as I somewhat awkwardly hug back, "I know this is scary but letting the darkness control you is just going to cause more problems, so just take a deep breath, I know you won't hurt anyone." Knowing she's right, I take a few deep breaths to try calm down, and once I've at least stopped shaking Father ends the hug.

"Good," she tells me getting back into seriousness mode, "now, listen to what I say clearly Lyney. I speak from experience when I say Darkness can be a powerful force to protect what you hold dear, but it is also capable of overwhelming a person. You need training, however I'll be back in Snezhnaya for a while and I don't trust any of our 'experts' to not hurt you, so, until I get back I'm giving you permission to stay with the Traveler's group."

"H Huh?" I ask in surprise, I know she said she liked working with Lumine, but technically we're enemies, I didn't expect her to give me official permission to spend time with her.

"After everything that's happened I trust her, plus that group contains a Master of Darkness and the one other person I know of who's in a similar situation to yours, staying with them and learning some things only seems reasonable," Father explains before smirking a little, "besides, I'm sure spending some time with your beloved will help cheer you up."

"F Father!!" I yelp in embarrassment as I try to hide my blushing. Her telling Lumine she'd be okay having her as a daughter in law was awkward enough why is this the one thing I'm consistently getting embarrassed over?!

"Heh, I jest," Father tells me as she opens the door, "now then, let's get going. It's almost dinner and I'd rather enjoy a nice night here before I have to leave and spend at least a week with those lunatics."

Nodding in agreement we both walk out and I can't help but feel at least somewhat relieved. Maybe this will work out after all.

#kh x gi au #genshin impact #art #fanart #writing #drabble #fanfiction #hurt/comfort #Lyney #arlecchino #the knave #arlechhino's a good dad damn it!#Sora mention #Wriothesley mention #implied Lyney x Lumine

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oveliagirlhaditright · 6 months

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Can I be honest?

I really do not care about Missing Link.

I'll admit that the most recent trailer probably made me more interested in it than I ever have been before, but even then I'm just kind of like... ehh.

And this is for a few reasons, I think.

A large one being that it's a mobile game. And I shouldn't have to explain why that's a huge reason as to why that's helping to kill my interest in this game, even though it looks like this game should be a lot better than KHUX and Dark Road, thankfully (but I'm also somewhat reserving judgement on all of that until we get it).

The fact that it's a game like Pokémon Go was also sort of ruining things for me, since I really can't walk well anymore. But according to the trailer and Nomura, it seems like that you don't really have to travel in order to do things in the game. So we'll see how that pans out.

But I guess I'm just getting to the place where some casuals were before, were--in some ways--if it's not about our main cast, I almost feel like I can't be bothered (and I do feel bad about that, in some ways).

I'm somewhat tired, I suppose, of having to play a million different games, in order to understand the next mainline installment. And I know this is just one between III and IV (if you don't count the Re:Mind DLC and Melody of Memory), but it does sort of feel a bit like "same old, same old" to me.

I also just... I don't know. Really feel like we didn't need this part of the timeline filled in? And I would almost prefer if that wasn't happening, so it could be a mystery and we could imagine it for ourselves? I feel like the only reason it's being filled out now is because of the Scala ad Caelum stuff in KHIII. And probably because this next saga is partly going to be saving the people from the KHX saga. But if we didn't get Missing Link, that plot point could have been delivered in another game.

Now we're just going to get more characters introduced, and clutter up the roster even more, and gah!

I know this game is surely to partly tide us over until KHIV, which is definitely nice. But IDK. I, personally, would have rather had one of the plot lines they teased at the end of Re:Mind as a game (Kairi's training with Aqua, Mickey in Scala, the Wayfinder trio in the Realm of Darkness, or Naminé looking for clues about Sora's whereabouts in Roxas and Xion's memories). Or waited a bit more and just gotten KHIV and then the Verum Rex game (both as console games, of course), because you know they have to be making both of these games right now.

I really don't mean to complain. Because I know a lot of time and work has surely gone into this. And it's something. And I'd rather take something over nothing (for the most part. Don't start giving me KH NFTs, Square). But unless something changes, there's nothing about Missing Link so far that's really grabbed me, personally.

And maybe it will. I'm sure it will, eventually. It won't take much to do it. But the fact it's a mobile game will always hurt it. It's weird to say, but I kind of miss the days of the handheld KH games. At least they were better quality. Oy.

Edit: And back to my one point, I feel Missing Link is going to add even more to the KHIV stuff now, when there's already so much it needs to conquer that I have no idea how it's going to do it all. Like, I was thinking that maybe some of the point of Missing Link was to flesh out this new saga... but there's already so much going on here.

Edit 2: However, Missing Link, and all the stuff with the story of Scala ad Caelum, seems to be a story Nomura-san wants to tell. And that is most definitely his right.

#like. i'll be honest. i feel like that my initial reaction when missing link was announced was 'great. another 'tween game' says a lot

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tis-i-bi-oxirito · 8 months

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Ok ok, so I have a (possibly bad) theory that isn’t really a theory but more my brain trying to figure stuff out

So, ever since Kingdom Hearts III, I’ve kinda been wondering, in the back of my messy, messy mind, why Ephemera helped (? I’m guessing he was the one leading the fallen kids, at least) Sora at the Keyblade Graveyard.

I mean, I get why, big heartless storm, xehanort being xehanort, xehanort being Ephemera’s descendent (that was kinda confirmed right? I don’t remember for sure) which kinda makes him his responsibility a bit, yada yada yada.

It’s more like, why didn’t he do it before. Like, it’s not the first confrontation against old man Xehanort chronogically in the series. Why didn’t Ephemera help at the confrontation at the end of BBS? I mean, Ven was his friend, surely he’d want to help him not, you know, die or even just get turned into a weapon of mass destruction? (I gotta mention: Vanitas gets helped by the fallen kids’ keyblades during that confrontation iirc, so was that because of the darkness? Because he used to be part Ventus so he kinda counts as a union leader? Why wasn’t Ven helped by the keyblades then? Did Ephemera try to help Ven but accidentally chose the wrong one (oopsie teehee, oh well, better luck next time)? Anyways that’s weird and has always bothered me ever since I knew whose keyblades those were)

One of the explanations I can see for Ephemera no helping then is that Xigbar was running interference or something. I guess he didn’t interfere in KH III because of the Book of Prophecies or something, idk. Maybe Ephemera also didn’t act because of something in the Book of Prophecies, idk, I’m just trying to find some explanations

(Actual theory under the cut ahah)

But yeah, anyways, my bad theory

It came to me, as I was eating tortellini in the dark at 11:30 PM after taking a longer-than-planned 5 hours nap, what if… Sora was Ephemera’s reincarnation? Ok ok that’s a really shaky theory, I’ll admit it, but I don’t control was goes on in that brain (ahah, Brain) of mine

In any case, back to what I was saying, tortellini, 5 hour nap, Sora is maybe Ephemera’s reincarnation, ok, right, yes, back on track. So, Ephemera totally, very definitely died, right? It’s been like, a couple of centuries most likely, so he is either super dead, some kind of ghost just haunting the Keyblade Graveyard, or he’s the world’s oldest grandpa. From what we’ve seen in khux, when someone dies (or at least a keyblade wielder) for realsies (kingdom hearts death tends to be, ha, ephemeral), they either become a dream eater or they go in the reincarnation cycle or whatever (from what I remember at least, it’s been a minute). So either Ephemera turned into a cute colourful animal that 100% deserves a pet, or he went on to reincarnate, ya know?

(He could have also said ‘fuck you rules of the universe, I never liked you anyways’ and created a third option for himself out of sheer will. If anyone could, it would be him)

But yeah anyways, that could explain why he only shows up, cool red scarf swaying in the wind anime style, to Sora. Like, maybe a small tiny part of his soul (heart?) remained

It could also explain why Sora’s heart healed Ven’s at the beginning of BBS. There’s the reason that Sora’s heart was a newborn one of course, but if he was Ephemera’s reincarnation, then it’s not hard to believe that he would be drawn in by Ven’s presence.

Also, Ephemera has an association with the color red due to his scarf. You know who else is usually associated with red? Sora (and Lea, whose entire existence is red, but this ain’t about him)

(I have also thought of the possibility that Sora is maybe Ephemera’s descendant instead, but that would mean that he’d be related to Xehanort which is wild, but I do think that that theory is even more shaky than the reincarnation one. Tbh, I think that Riku being Ephemera’s descendant could be more likely, which, again, would make him related to old man Xehanort. Omg i just had an idea for an AU where Riku is actually Xehanort’s son/grandson, but that’s a story for another day i guess)

So, yeah, here’s my bad and unlikely theory. This is my first time making a post of this kind and I still don’t know how tumblr works so I’m very sorry if this looks like an incomprehensible mess. Thanks for reading though :)

#kh ephemer #kh sora #kh ventus #ventus #khux #bro i do not know what tags to put here AAAAAAAAA #oxi rambles #might as well create that tag for the future #Oh my goodness this post is LONG

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mythicalartistx · 2 months

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How about Genderbent Destiny Trio

Technically first destiny trio art

Explaination

Riku: I basically shorten the shirt to be more croptop and swimwear. I also wanted to look different from their other gender counterpart. Instead of pants I gave Riku a flowy skirt that is based off the pants, having a similar top. I also shortened the gloves as well as made them fingerless with a bow on the end.

My favorite part was the hair. I shortened the hair since a lot of KH girls have shorter hair. It still has the same look and vibe but a cuter and shorter look. Most KH or SE girls in general have accessories so I took reference to other girls such as Aerith Gainsborough and Skuld by adding bracelets and more. I also added my own spin by having two hair pins.

Sora: For Sora, I wanted the hair to be a bit longer even though girls usually have shorter hair. Since the male counterpart already has short hair I decided to make it longer. I added more so it's messy but longer spiky hair. The accessories are all from various female SE characters in general. I added my own KH spin to them.

Instead of just being red, I decided a pinkish Red would fit better. I still kept some blue but I made it much lighter. The swim jumper is still a jumper it just has a skirt now instead which is heavily inspired by Skuld's own skirt. His shoes are long boots inspired but Elrena's boots, and he of course still have the clown shoes look but it's not shown.

Kairi: Now for Kairi it was more of taking stuff away. I took away all the accessories except for the necklace because it's a vital part of Kari's character. That is how Aqua is able to identify who Kairi is. I made the hair longer since males tend to have a bit more longer hair while still keeping the initial style of Kari's hair.

Kari's shirt is more of a regular tank top. I made the shirt less oval looking. I then added gloves that are similar to male Riku's gloves. I then changed the skirt to shorts instead with the same initial look.

Finally the background I had destiny Islands with the famous tree they always go on.

#kingdom hearts #genderbent #kh1 #sora #riku #kairi #destiny trio #Riku is probably my favorite onr #I liked how I redesigned Riku #I still kept the heights #art #Kingdom hearts art #kh kairi #kh riku #kh sora #no ship art #kingdom hearts fanart #genderswap

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zdbztumble · 4 months

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Yet Another Kingdom Hearts Revisit, Part V

This playthrough has been a blow to my pretensions of having a good memory. I'd completely forgotten that King Triton isn't the only good Disney character from outside Disney Castle who knows something about Keyblades and Keyholes. It makes perfect sense for the Genie to have some insight into them, but I really like that he knows less than Triton does. It's better for pacing reasons that he doesn't, but it also fits his character - I can't imagine that a magical being who spends so much time contemplating mid-20th century American pop culture while stuck in his lamp would keep his ancient legends straight.

Of all the Disney worlds in the series that try to condense their source films into the game, KH I's Agrabah is the most successful IMO. It's really the only level in the game that did so. Olympus Coliseum, Halloweentown, Monstro, and Neverland feature original stories, and Wonderland, Deep Jungle, and Atlantica use only pieces of their films (to greater and lesser degrees) in their stories. Agrabah has almost all the major elements of Aladdin in it: Aladdin's street rat origins, Jasmine's escape from the palace (albeit under entirely different circumstances) and her love affair with Aladdin, Jafar's scheming to take over Agrabah, the quest for the lamp in the Cave of Wonders, Genie's comedy, his freedom, and the three wishes. Even "Prince Ali" gets worked in. The only thing left out from the film is the finale where Aladdin and Jasmine get together.

Why it works here compared to later worlds in the series is that, despite using so much of the film, all of those elements are re-contextualized to fit the time frame that KH I had to work with and, more importantly, were modified to fit the needs of KH I's larger story. There's no room to fit the "Prince Ali" element proper into the plot, and if the attempt had been made, it would've been an abridged version lacking the comedic texture that makes it work in the movie, and it would have distracted from Sora's story and the plot of the League of Disney Villains. It was much better to make that a brief mention and have the three wishes applied to the battle with the Heartless.

And speaking of battling Heartless - Aladdin's in my Top 3 for Disney world battle partners in the entire series. The dude rocks. And Jafar makes for one of the more challenging two-part bosses in the game. Kurt Zisa is, for my money, the most difficult secret boss in the game, Sephiroth very much included. And that's (usually) a good thing! I like having to shift between physical and magical strategies, and I like that he's a boss that let you get good value out of the Summons (sadly, I wasn't able to duplicate my last playthrough, where I beat him with multiple Summons instead of just Tinkerbell and dumb luck at dodging his vertical spin after she bought me a free life).

Part of me wonders if Monstro and Agrabah shouldn't have been reversed in order. On the one hand, Riku nabbing Jasmine makes for a good shock and a sense of foreboding; the player knows how far gone he is at that point, but Sora doesn't. But why does Riku need the quest for the seven princesses explained at the end of Monstro when he's already captured one of them?

And I might as well cover Monstro in this post, as I don't have too much to say about him. This is one world where I agree with the complaints about KH I's platforming. I appreciate that the bowels of a space-whale should be a claustrophobic place, but the chambers are too small and too packed with crap to make the concept work in an enjoyably challenging way. Instead, it's just tedious.

Storywise, however, Monstro is a great turning point for Sora and Riku. Taking a cute Disney character hostage might be an easy way to sell moral decline, but it's so much more effective than three minutes of lore gibber-gabber by one-note pricks in black coats. And whichever executives at Square and Disney are responsible for giving the final OK to these games' plots should have made the staff re-watch this scene ahead of every scripting session since KH I. The first game as a whole works against later characterizations of Responsible Riku being the one to clean up after lazy, do-as-he-pleases Sora, but that scene and this world demonstrate most clearly how big a retcon that change was.

#kingdom hearts #z's crits #commentary #aladdin #disney #monstro #pinocchio

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unpopularopinionbydemand · 2 years

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What BL would you recommend an age range from 8 to 12?

I'm bored and I'm overthinking, so I came across this thought and it had me wondering.

I'll set aside some of my favorites because I wouldn't necessarily deem them kid-watchable (UWMA, ITSAY, SCOY, YMS).

But then you get into so many different categories and you start to think, what is?

Now, this isn't too harsh of a question (OR SO I THOUGHT). Write off the bat, there are some I could recommend for their lightheartedness and pure fluff (Kieta Hatsukoi, Ingredients, Mr. Heart, 2 Moons). For sure KH, I mean, look at these two prudes (prudes as in my sarcasm that's not good through writing and they were my little babies)

I wanted to add Light On Me cause it's nothing but sugar and then I remembered this scene:

Cherry Magic was the first thing to pop into my mind, and then I remember that it is about a 30-year-old virgin, no matter how sweet it may seem.

Kieta Hatsukoi doesn't need much explaining since it was a ball of fluff and as PG as PG can be. Not that I can fully remember the script, but I can't recall any strong language, but mind you, I don't consider damn or hell curse words and I think it's not that big of a deal for children. (but I did just remember the thing with the girl and the coach but let's pretend it didn't exist so I can get my point across... hehehehe), It was cute, happy, fun, and had its blue moments, but the story had a moral by the end, and that's what children's television is all about right?

Ingredients is a football field size fluff machine, with good-looking food, so there's no wrong with this (also just remember that there's drinking so hahahaha...)

Mr. Heart leaves way for pretty much as much fluff as you can bear. (although there is that one scene where he's rubbing vaseline on his nipples which I don't see as being a big thing, but others could?? so what do I know at this point???)

But 2 Moons has to be it, it has to be the fluffiest of thy fluffy (and I strained my neck trying to remember anything non-kid-watchable, but I think this is really our winner!) Again, don't remember if there was any strong language, but it couldn't have been more than Damn or hell.

Soooo, maybe my first go-around wasn't the best, but I think out of any BL, there's going to be something, even if it's just a scene, that's not as kid-friendly as I thought, and maybe it should be deemed more towards PG.

Levels of Content

Language: Again, I think curse words like damn or hell are completely fine, as long as the child is mature enough to know they're not supposed to repeat what they see adults saying. Explicit jokes are fun if they're managed well enough, deeper conversation about sexuality and finding oneself is also okay as long as it doesn't reach a sexual manner.

Intimacy: I'm leaving it to only the very mild kissing, and the other cooing stuff that kids would get giddy about (handholds, hugs, forehead touches, head-on-shoulder, head-in-lap, cuddling, etc..). If anything, the spiciest kiss on my list above would be Ingredients but I still think it's worthy of kid-friendly. Obviously, anything that's more than kissing (like make-outs or sex) is out of the picture, even if it's only slightly implied.

Plot-wise: I don't want to leave out some BLs that are just spot on when it comes to the story, but I will leave out anything that could potentially be triggering or shocking for someone so young to see. For example, explicit deaths (meaning we see them dying or bleeding out or dead on the ground, I think death being implied or part of the story is fine), Suicide, SA, Explicit drinking (like drunk off their ass, making bad decisions drunk, it being the plot device to further a relationship), drugs, sex, nudity, and you get the rest.

Gore - I was the type of kid that LOVED to see blood and guts and gore, but some children can be sensitive to that, so I'll leave it to the very minimal bruises and scratches. Some blood on the face or body I'll keep in mind as long as it isn't overbearing.

Further Thoughts

Okay, so the further I dwell on this debacle, the more I just say f-it and the kids should just close their eyes on the no-no scenes. Also, All children are different, so while there is content one could watch, maybe not another, I know for a fact that 8-12 is a terrible grouping because 12 is leaning more towards becoming mature while 8 is just being able to watch Disney Channel with an adult present, so I'll change it to 8-10 and 11-12.

Safe BLs for Kids 8-10! (with parental guidance of course)

Note: I'm going off of what I can remember. There could've been a scene or phrase I don't recall, but I'm telling you, it's still fuff!

2 Moons: Seriously, I think this a just the show that kids at any age could watch. The plot is easy to follow, the characters are for the most part fun, it's a lighthearted romance with one at-the-end kiss, and their relationship is cute. I could be missing BIG parts, but I watched this a decade ago and I don't feel like trying to pull teeth to remember (also, too lazy to go back and look).

Great Men Academy: This is a series that I'm a huge fan of so I think children could easily enjoy this, especially since it has a unicorn and magic water, as well as a VR game plot. It has some very mild parental jokes, but it's a fun watch for the whole family!

Ingredients: From what I can remember, the worst this series could get is maybe some drinking and a somewhat explicit kiss, but genuinely, this is all I can think of. It's still pretty fluffy and sweet.

Lastly, The Love of Winter: Short and cute, so it gets the stamp of approval from me.

And here's a separate list of things I would let my children (8-10) watch if I any:

Sotus (hazing, strong language, probably drinking too)

Mr. Heart (weird nipple touching thing which could be weird. Mild stalking if I can remember correctly)

My Engineer (drinking, make-outs, maybe strong language)

Keita Hatsukoi (that one weird coach/student thing that's immediately shut down, but still weird)

Safe BLs for Kids 11-12! (some w/ and w/out parental guidance)

Gameboys: We did just get out (still in it, but not as hectic) of a very harsh pandemic, so maybe this isn't the first thing they want to see. I know they talk about (and have) sex in the movie, but I don't remember in the series. I could imagine that there was some dirty teasing talk here and there, so I would say this is a show they can watch with parental guidance (but if they're mature enough, they can watch it themselves).

First Love Again: Highly entertaining but there are deaths (not explicit ones, but still ones that might sting a bit) Maybe some strong language if I can remember right, but this is pretty fluffy mixed with a bit of angst.

Tinted With You: One of the better stories if that child is looking for some complexity in the plot. Honestly, 8-10 could probably watch this too.

Bad Buddy: There's one explicit make-out scene and maybe some strong language, but this is pretty much cute, and if you X-out all of that, this could be a Disney channel series.

No more gifs beyond this point :(

The Best Story: it's really just sad, nothing explicit (they don't even kiss), just idk if children are into sad endings.

Close Friend: FUn and cute mini-stories. This I completely harmless.

What I would let my children (11-12) watch if I had any:

ATOTS (the shooting that takes place could be a bit much for children. Also, a lot of sex jokes)

Light On Me (just that ONE scene with the d***o, but other than that it's super kid-friendly)

Oxygen (if they can handle a very mildly implied sex scene)

The Best Twin (again, if they can handle a very mildly implied sex scene)

OKAY, THIS IS IT. I'm tired and quite frankly, this is all I can come up with. I'm sure they are some that I'm missing, but I think this list can surfice. Are there any others to list? It's hard to please my level of content when there's just that ONE scene that could really ruin it all. Just close your eyes kids! Otherwise, you're going to miss out! ( I don't really speak on kids and watching gay content because we're going to pretend we live in a world where parents are okay with their child watching mlm relationships on television)

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justme-free · 2 years

Text

Hello, Miss @minijenn, So I created this mini kingdom hearts comic sketch/storyboard. It's not done and I'll have a little explanation and +maybe a follow-up sketch? If anyone would like that...

But for the sake of having 20 million KH projects since the "go ahead" and the fear of never posting not even one I thought it would be nice for you to see some of these sketches, especially this comic one I made.

I don't think you understand Ms. Jen how much you inspired and motivated me within the few months.

I have a deep love for your story Keys and in the many years of reading I believe it is not only the best and only best series within the KH fanfiction/archive of our own readings but the best one ever written (Plus art! never forget the awesome art!)

So, I hope you enjoy it!

So... this might be a little confusing... but I can explain!

So for the comic here is a simplified version of it if you don't want to read too much.

Sora becomes the puppet and pawn of Malfeincent and Master X. and gets merged with Vanitas.

He has amnesia and follows their orders.

Kairi and Riku had been looking for his world after world but lost the charms that Kairi made them.

Sora who had been watching them decides to make an appearance by maleficent orders to take them down.

Sora gets a sudden headache at his familiar name as he was renamed The prince of Darkness or 'prince' or 'my prince'

His thrill and craving for violence and fight (on Vanita's part) fight Riku

-o-

And that's it... but if you want a follow-up for this, I'll try and see if I have time. I didn't want to be creepy or anything but ironically enough I had also moved to a new apartment and went on a vacation and now I am bedridden and locked in my room for fear of mosquitos that have literally bitten every inch of my body.

since I can't rant this to many people I'll just say the good and bad news about the move.

The good news is I had moved into a 100+ yr old victorian old apartment.

The bad news is I had moved into a 100+yr old victorian era old apartment...

It's disgusting and I hate it because it needs a lot of heavy repairs and guess who has to clean up a lot of some really disgusting things?

you guessed it! ME!

I am giving a warning to anyone who even thinks of coming to Egypt for a vacation.. this place is a literal hell.

If you want to go to hell come to Egypt.

-o-

Hers's a longer explanation of my thoughts if you would like to read it:

So this has a lot of Keys influence in it as well as other KH lore and my Ideas.

So... what if somewhere along with the plot of keys (and this would be if Maleficent had been still alive) Sora is at his weakest... His darkened heart was just a flick away at completely fragmenting. Vanitas appears in front of the argument about who keeps Sora. Master X. as his vessel or Maleficent as her pet. Vanitas is angry at both choices and more pissed off at Sora for being weak and stabs Sora with his Keyblade.

Now, Vanitas at this moment holds a lot more light than Sora but a great portion of darkness as well and they strangely fit in harmony and they merge. But they don't quite forge the X-Blade... although their bodies had synchronized perfectly their minds definitely were not.

Sora's mind becomes lost, fragmented, and broken. A broken record between now, then, and futurewise.

Vanitas tries to rein in Sora's mind, tries to shake him out of this stupor he was in but to no avail.

Between the screaming, self-pity, anagizing of Soras display Vanitas makes the heavy choice of taking the lead of their bodies.

But because a large majority of control comes from sora Vanitas focuses primarily on suppressing Sora all the way down within their mind and heart, sealing the boy safe and tucked.

Doing so, a large portion of Vanitas's mind gets stuck with that task and hence he has quite a bit of Amnesia but he keeps a lot of his personality but a lot of features of our current sora from keys plus some added features.

Maleficent and Master X. meet at a compromise after finding out that sora/vanitas conveniently has amnesia. Using it to their advantage and other influence Sora/Vanitas become the ultimate Heartless Vessel.

The horns and tail claimed. plus green eyes by maleficent.

The Dark purple skin of darkness and Yellow eyes of Master X.

The small Red part in his eyes represents Vanitas plus a lot of his personality is influenced by Sora's body and actions.

also, Maleficent has so much influence on Sora that he thinks of her as his 'original' mother figure and 'fixes' the cracks of Sora's keyblade with her poisonous vines.

So now, once again... Sora is Maleficent's servant and Master X's puppet... He stands as the face of darkness... A prince if you will... the prince of darkness...and destruction.

#kingdom hearts #sora #art #kh #kairi #my art #riku #digital art #kingdom hearts 20th anniversary #fanfiction #kingdomhearts #fanart #keys to the kingdom #minijen #minijenn

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