#kairi is so interesting and i really hope she's handled better in the future. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

acerikus · 1 year

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Kairi

Send Me a Character

And I will tell you my:

First impression

Oh she's so adorable and cool, I like her :]

Impression now

Honey what did they do to you

Favorite moment

Probably the scene where she shields heartless sora in kh1, that was so sweet 😭

Idea for a story

For a while I've kinda wanted to write a kairi centric au (canon divergence starting from the end of kh3) kinda based on wandavision? Mostly revolving around her grief due to losing sora, never really getting to have the relationship and wanted w him and piles of survivor's guilt, that also plays around w the idea of how much power she could hold as a princess of heart and MoM taking interest in that. Probably won't find the time to actually write that though lol

Unpopular opinion

DON'T SHOOT ME BUT LIKE. I actually really loved the ending of khmom. Like, a lot. I'm not including the dumbass decision to turn her into sora for the xehanort fight in that bc I wanted her to at least get to take him on again properly in her own goddamn mind but like. Her deciding to stay and train and let riku go to quadratum alone was good.

Maybe in another universe where she was handled better from the start it'd make more sense for her to go, but they've underutilized kairi for so long in a way that would make her going to quadratum and being good at it feel... Painfully fanservicey and insincere as it is. At most I'd expect her to fight a couple neoshadows before getting kidnapped by like aced or something silly like that, unfortunately.

We've already seen that despite the amount of time she had to train, she didn't have the resources or environment needed for that training to be GOOD, and she's not magically gonna become an ultimate badass all of a sudden (without it feeling terrible at least). Aqua is an amazing wielder and looking to her for training could be fantastic for them both, as well as giving potential for her to learn and grow in a less high stakes scenario, which I think she needs. She trusts Riku to be able to do this, and she wants to fight at both their sides when she's ready - if we get to see some of her learning PROPERLY unlike her training with lea in kh3, this good be good, and could set up for a genuinely good destiny trio party fight in a future game, or even the end of kh4. They fucked up w her in the past, and to fix that they need to do it carefully and meaningfully.

(also like, the whole girlbossification mom-friend-who-holds-the-brain-cell of every female character is unnecessary and getting tiring, and her coming to the conclusion that she doesn't care for fighting but wants to help in another way could be equally satisfying lmao)

Favorite relationship

The one that gets me most is probably her connection to naminé, tbh. Really hope we get more of them in the future, her little speech to lea in kh3 about wanting to save naminé was my favourite scene of hers in the game.

Favorite headcanon

I like to hc that the paopu genuinely did create some kinda deep rooted heart connection between her and sora - it may not have linked then quite in the way that she was going for but it makes them like... A lot more attuned to what the other is feeling even when they're not around each other???? I don't mean in like a shippy way (I don't even ship them lol), but they're able to see what the other feels and help them out when they need it. This also applies to thoughts occasionally and they use it to fuck w each other once things calm down like, waking each other at 3am from completely different places bc kairi got a really annoying song stuck in her head and now she's gotta plague sora with it too, stuff like that lol

#lullaby-snowangel8 #ask #ask game #thanks for this one!!!! hoo boy haven't been full kh fandom in like 2 years but i guess i still have Thoughts #kairi is so interesting and i really hope she's handled better in the future.#genuinely think khmom's ending was the best thing to happen to her development in years no matter how much in the minority i am w that #kairi #kh

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remmammie · 2 years

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May I have a sora x reader where sora feels sad and left out that his keyblade wielder crush that also lives on destiny islands with him Kairi and riku starts spending more time exploring other worlds rather than hanging out with him as often as they used to. So sora tells them one day how he feels about wanting to be closer to them more.

Writing on the college computers is so difficult…I really hope my laptop decides to start working again soon! For now, I’ve written some headcanons because there was no format specified! Enjoy!

Sora x Keyblade Wielder!Crush!Reader HCs

Sora’s never really one to admire from afar because of how excitable and social he is! He’s not afraid to strike up conversations with people he finds interesting and you are no exception. In fact, Sora’s even more interested in you because your a Keyblade wielder. How he came to figure this out is up to you, but I’m sure you were met with Sora’s shining blue eyes, completely enamoured by the Keyblade in your hands (which is recurring, he never tires of seeing your Keyblade.)

Instead of from afar, Sora will ask to train with you to see your movements up close, to have you teach him how to better control magic or hold his Keyblade to be closer to you, to play sports with you on the same team to admire your athleticism or strategic ability. Truly, Sora never tires of you, and he doesn’t think he ever will.

However, then came the news from whoever you decide to apprentice under or if you have passed a Mark of Mastery exam: you are now completely free to travel the worlds and face darkness alone. And Sora gets very excited to be allowed to go new places with you instead of being confined to the world you’ve been training in! Then, disappointedly, you tell him that you want to go alone the first few times to get a sense of independence with your Keyblade. You head off, leaving a deflated Sora in your wake.

And then Riku and Kairi never hear the end of it. “When are they coming back? How are they doing? We should go see how they’re doing! I should have gone with them to protect them from darkness!” Though his two friends adore him a lot, they eventually tire of Sora’s complaining and decided to speak to him with two very different approaches.

Kairi’s pretty direct. She tries to tell Sora to just be patient, reminding him that absence makes the heart grow fonder. She’s very teasing - as Kairi can be - pretty much outright telling Sora that her and Riku know Sora has a crush on their friend. And, at the beginning, Sora denied everything she said, just chalking you up to being a really good friend (mainly because Sora’s pretty clueless about what being “in love” actually means.) Eventually, though, after many lectures from Kairi, Sora does start to call you his crush and starts to link what Kairi says to things he’s been experiencing when he’s around you: the butterflies, the sweating, the non-stop smiling, the admiration, the dreaming, the picturing of your two’s future together, etcetera, etcetera. This concept makes Sora even more hyper and desperate to see you again, though, so Kairi pretty much failed. Bless her, she tried, but Sora’s just too attached.

Riku’s approach is a lot different. He can kind of recognise how attached Sora is to you already and decides that, if he wants to have a perfect relationship with you when you come back, Sora needs to chill out. Riku knows very well that getting too attached to anything is very dangerous and, as politely as he can, tells Sora what he needs to hear - not what he wants. He tells Sora that, by insisting that he should go and help you, he’s assuming you aren’t strong enough to handle yourself and that saying things like that might make you upset. Sora insists that isn’t what he meant and Riku agrees - he knows - but that he needs to be more careful. He advises that Sora just waits for you to get back to tell you anything lest he distract you from your mission. “It’s a sign that you trust them,” he says, “and trust is the most important thing in a relationship.”

So Sora waits. And waits. People note that he’s not as lively until you arrive back on Destiny Islands to see everyone. Of course, everyone happy to see you - and Sora is too! - but he’s the first to pull you aside for a real conversation.

He tells you about pretty much everything: what Riku said, how he felt when you were gone, and, last, what Kairi told him. It takes a lot of confidence for Sora to admit just how much he’s grown attached to you, how vulnerable you make him feel despite how strong his other friends make him feel - that’s really how he knew he was in love with you. Where other people made him feel strong and able to conquer any darkness (and you do too!,) you help him to let his guard down and remind him that, after everything, he’s still just a boy.

The following days are definitely filled with Sora smothering you after you were away for so long until (and if) you tell him to leave you alone. And lots of teasing from Kairi, don’t forget that too.

#kingdom hearts fanfiction #kingdom hearts sora #kh sora #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts headcanons #kingdom hearts fanfic #kingdom hearts x reader #sora x reader

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revengerevisited · 4 years

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Maddie rambles about Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road

Let’s just get this outta the way: Xehanort is my least favorite character in Kingdom Hearts. Now there are certainly more boring and underdeveloped characters but as far as evil deeds go, it doesn’t matter how ‘cute’ or ‘relatable’ Nomura tries to make Xehanort. I will never forget that he tore Ven’s heart in half, tortured Vanitas for four years, killed his own best friend, possessed Terra’s body for a decade, possessed Riku’s body as Ansem, unleashed Heartless on the worlds resulting in countless deaths, manipulated Organization XIII for years, and experimented on Kairi as a child and eventually murdered her in front of her best friends. Any attempt to make me sympathize with him just ain’t gonna work.

Also, I’m not taking any of these ‘Character X is secretly Character Y’ theories too seriously until they actually happen. Yes, it can be fun to speculate that Bragi or Odin is secretly Luxu or the Master of Masters, or that Brain is Eraqus’s ancestor, or that Demyx is the MoM, or that Ava or Vor is Kairi’s grandma, or whatever other theories are out there. But until there’s conclusive evidence that’s all they are, speculations and theories.

On that note, I don’t know why Xehanort is having dreams about the KHUX Player’s adventures but I don’t think it’s because Xehanort is the Player’s Nobody or a reincarnation of the Player. Reincarnation has never been a concept present in the KH series, and honestly it just sounds like bad fanfiction. Plus, if Xehanort does turn out to be the Player, then I feel bad for everyone who spent a lot of time creating their own unique character only to have it be replaced by the generic default Player in KHDR’s opening cutscene and then re-replaced by Xehanort of all people. Perhaps Xehanort simply has a unique, unexplained power to see into the past like Namine’s memory manipulation or Terra’s precognition.

Either way, this past-sight just makes it harder and harder for me to believe that Xehanort wanted to learn about the Keyblade War in BBS, since it seems he already knew all he needs to know. Xemnas knows that Luxord, Marluxia, Demyx, and Larxene are from the past, young Xehanort lives in Scala ad Caelum which was built over the ruins of Daybreak Town complete with a huge machine explaining Daybreak Town’s demise, Eraqus talks about the Book of Prophecies like it’s common knowledge, the list goes on. Also, I don’t like the implication that Xehanort chose Ventus as his vessel and later as material for the X-Blade only because he knows him from the Player’s dreams. Then again, if his dreams of the Keyblade War end before the Player meets Ven and Lauriam, then Xehanort wouldn’t know about them and would instead be more familiar with Skuld and Ephemer.

I will say that one thing I do like is Xehanort comparing himself to a starfish laying on the beach, both for the humorous imagery and also just a bit of that islander backstory flavor. Xehanort being the outsider of his friends group and not telling the whole truth of how he ended up in Scala is also an interesting Kairi parallel, although him being found unconscious in the middle of a city is kinda overused. I do like that the surrounding cities around Scala are all uninhabited, since trying to wrap my mind around these huge mountain-sized cities with potentially millions of people in them was a little too much for my brain to handle.

I do however find it quite bizarre that it’s taken some worlds so long to recover from the Keyblade War. Not only that, but apparently people just appear out of thin air once their world is restored. Like, how? It just feels weird and uncomfortable, almost like these people only exist for the protagonist and audience’s amusement rather than being independent living beings in their own right. I dunno, there’s just something deeply unsettling about those implications. It also makes me wonder how long ago the Keyblade War was, if places like Agrabah still aren’t finished only 75-ish years before KH1. The characters refer to it as a legend, so it must’ve happened a long time ago, right? Some fans think it’s only been 100 years since the Keyblade War, but that would be like the equivalent of calling World War 1 a legend.

The worlds all being on different timescales is also extremely headache-inducing, both as analyst and a fanfic writer trying to keep track of the plot. Couple that with time travel and the whole thing just falls apart. Of course, if each world runs at a different time, then perhaps this is why Xehanort looks so much older than Eraqus, or rather why Eraqus looks so relatively young when he’s supposed to be 80-ish years old. And if that’s the case, then do any of the characters’ ages really matter? I’ve already proven that their ages have been retconned before. Also, this renders timecodes such as ‘75 years later’ and ‘one year later’ from Re:Mind and other parts of the series completely meaningless. The timeline is broken.

Anyway, I’m not sure how much Norse Mythology will play into the story, but all the new characters have Norse names with two that stand out the most. The first is Master Odin, named after a Norse god who sacrificed one of his own eyes for knowledge, which is an interesting parallel to the MoM. The second is Baldr, the as of yet unseen seventh student who has a missing sister, because evidently Nomura likes recycling his previous plots before they’ve even finished. In Norse Mythology, Baldr is the god of light whose death kickstarts the events of Ragnarok. How this’ll be relevant in KHDR remains to be seen, but after seeing those four gravestones in the timeskip/flashforward, I can’t imagine this ending well for anyone not named Eraqus or Xehanort.

Now, as funny as I find it that the new characters have all been killed off this quickly, I’m not entirely convinced that those are Urd, Hermod, Bragi, and Vor’s graves. They could actually be the graves of the missing upperclassmen, if some of them turn up dead. Speaking of the upperclassmen, I would hope that Yen Sid is one of them, but I have a feeling he won’t be allowed to show up simply because of Disney’s stranglehold on its own IP. It’s pretty sad and ironic seeing as this series used to be all about Disney, but I assume that’s why Nomura is straying further and further from the brand.

About the four new student characters, I don’t have any particular attachment to any of them, beyond Vor’s name being hilariously unfortunate. I find it a bit eye-rolling that fans continuously snub Kairi but will instantly latch onto any new characters like Yozora and these four despite barely knowing anything about them. It doesn’t help that, and please correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems that any of the four who you choose to be in your trio will have the exact same dialogue in cutscenes no matter who you pick, meaning that these new characters don’t even get much of a chance to develop their own personalities because all of their dialogue has to be generic and bland enough to fit all four of them.

Young Eraqus is probably the best character so far, simply because he’s the only one with any personality. Granted his supposed cowardice has yet to be seen, but it’s mentioned so often that I assume it’s gonna be an important plot point later. However, I’m finding it hard to relate young Eraqus with his adult counterpart seeing as their personalities are just so different. I’m aware there’s a 65-ish year gap between this Eraqus and older Eraqus, but there better be some major character development to explain this, especially since even standing in front of his presumed classmate’s graves he still seems fairly chipper.

On that note, as humorous as ‘Tardy Fleetfoot’ is, just like with Xehanort, don’t think I’ve forgotten that this guy caused Terra’s insecurity and self-doubt with his overzealous anti-darkness stance, probably heavily influenced Aqua’s black-and-white anti-darkness keyblade-first-ask-questions-later thinking, was also probably the one who told her to lie to Ventus about always living with them, and attempted to straight up kill Ven and Terra. Eraqus’s actions aren’t as bad as Xehanort’s, but they certainly aren’t acceptable in any capacity.

Something odd I noticed is that Eraqus knows what the Heartless are called, and even the difference between Pureblood and Emblem Heartless-- well, part of the difference; I’m assuming he doesn’t know that future Xehanort created them. But anyway, my point is that Aqua doesn’t know what the Heartless are called until Mickey tells her in BBS 0.2. Before that she simply calls them ‘dwellers of darkness’, and even mistakes one for an Unversed. Does this mean Eraqus never taught his students about the Heartless? Why? Perhaps after his classmates died, he decided to shelter his own students from the worlds, hence why their Mark of Mastery was so simple? I’m just guessing at this point. Of course, there’s still no real explanation as for why the Emblem Heartless are here in the past. My best theory is that someone used the Book of Prophecies to summon them... somehow. It really just seems like an excuse to gloss over the corner Nomura wrote himself into with the whole ‘Emblem Heartless were made by Ansem’ thing, but we’ll see.

Honestly this whole series is just one big endless death-spiral of constant retcons and nonsensical plot twists and at this point I’m just exhausted. My view on KH has become one of mild and morbid curiosity, rather than expecting anything truly great. Is that cynical? Yes, but I’ve watched other once-great series (Star Wars, Voltron) worsen over time to the point that they just fizzle out and die, and I’m afraid it’s the same deal with Kingdom Hearts. I don’t think I’ve truly enjoyed a KH game since BBS, and if the series just continues down the path of introducing bland new characters every time Nomura gets bored rather than developing the already established ones, I don’t know how long I can stay interested. The Dark Seeker Saga is over and he really needs to let Xehanort go.

To end this on a positive note, I am tentatively hopeful about Melody of Memory. The gameplay looks cute and fun and the story looks like it will have more development for Kairi and her backstory, which is something I’ve been wanting for a while now. Focusing on the original cast is definitely a step in the right direction, and I hope this series can keep moving forwards rather than backwards.

#khdr

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nonsensical-rants · 5 years

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So, I 100%ed the Kingdom Hearts Franchise.

Alright. This might be a long take, just saying that now. But I know exactly where to start. This franchise. Is not as confusing as the entirety of the internet would like you to believe. It's mostly due to bad writing decisions here and there. I mean, yeah if you wanna have every single detail and definition ingrained into your brain. Then of course it can get complicated, but what franchise lasting as long as Kingdom Hearts isn't annoyingly convoluted? I can't think of one.

So my thoughts about the series is that they're pretty good! Both as a story and as games, with some very big exceptions. I wanna say that you should definitely not try to 100% all of these games in chronological order in rapid succession. It will drain you. I can confirm this beyond a shadow of a doubt. After I beat KH2 it really start to hit me. Chain of Memories was fine, if not a bit tedious to get all the cards and Riku to level 100. But other than that I more than enjoyed my time with the game.

Heartless are born from the darkness in peoples hearts. Nobodies are created from the husk of a body left behind in the creation of a Heartless. While Unversed are born from supreme negative emotions that live inside us all. The stronger these feelings are/the person is, the stronger the heartless/unversed and nobody. Especially strong people can keep their identity when transformed into Nobodies. Thus explaining Organization 13. Only the keyblade can truly defeat these creatures. What's so hard about describing that to someone? It isn't that far fetched in terms of the fantasy genre.

Though personally. I have an enormous hatred from Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance. Despite trying to keep an open mind about any and all forms of media I come across, I cannot ever get behind this title in the series because it is just too much and strays too far from what i consider to be "Kingdom Hearts". The gameplay was not fun for me personally, the story was iffy at best in comparison to the others and it really felt like the biggest amount of padding. If you have to do that to become a Keyblade Master, I think i'd rather stay as a rouge agent like Sora did for 99% of the series.

The dream eater system was probably the biggest factor here as for 100% completion you have to get every single dream eater, and every single skill that they can give you which means leveling a lot of them up to the point where they have points to buy said skills. Which takes forever. And then there's the Dream Eater tournaments, which I would have never gotten past without cheap strategies I found online. Usually I get everybody to max potential in these games and give the best items and accessories all around. But as soon as I got the platinum I ejected the disk and took a break. I felt like I needed it.

Alright, putting that behind us. The difference in fighting styles from game to game can get a bit jarring but in the PS4 re-releases it can usually be adjusted too in about half an hour to an hour's worth of gameplay. Chain of Memories was fun, but tedious like I mentioned. And Birth By Sleep was actually a fresh of breath air (until you get to the secret boss fights that is...) If it wasn't for my need to see that 100% bar next to the game title I would classify these games as something everybody should try out and enjoy. They are fantastic experiences. So lets go in order for a bit.

KH1 is a classic story, going through Disney worlds with a fine mix of Final Fantasy. Meeting the princesses and seeing they are "Princesses of Heart" that have strength beyond muscles. Able to use the power of Light and what not. There's a few hiccups here and there (like Cloud and Sephiroth not acting like how they are in FF7 but everyone's already mentioned that.) But aside from that and the bad platforming, its a genuinely fun game to 100% and I'd highly recommend it. Maybe even try to get cosmic arts for everyone so you can have 16-19 MP bars. It gets silly.

Chain of Memories i've already mentioned a lot so far. So I don't think I need to go that in depth. Fun to go through but wouldn't recommend 100%ing it because it takes far to long. The story is actually pretty decent and isn't that complicated. Sora and the gang lose their memories of KH1 because of the magic witch Namine, while we get our first look at Organization 13.

KH2. The golden child. Still played by many to this day and its obvious to see why. The game play is crisp and fantastic as I remember it from my youth. Traveling to Disney worlds again (and not card versions of them that have no people except for cut scenes, like CoM) and having a constant looming threat over your head while you try to have fun on your journey. Its great. I have yet to do a level 1 critical mode (as that's not required thankfully) but I did thoroughly enjoy my regular Critical play though. Story still isn't that bad yet. Organization 13 comes in full force, trying to get a new version of "Kingdom Hearts" so they can restore their humanity. I'd highly recommend 100%ing this one as well. Would also recommend maxing out your stats and putting on multiple Full Bloom+'s and Shadow Archieve+'s for the fun of it.

Birth By Sleep. Still not that bad honestly. It comes at a weird time though, and the story telling kind of requires you to have some outsider knowledge so that you're not thrown for a loop the entire time. So it feels weird to go back in the past, but also necessary for the story as a whole. Fun game to play minus the hundreds of mini games you need to do for all three main characters. If it wasn't for that I would recommend playing this game to completion. It's hard to reach higher levels though and as everyone's who played the game knows. Terra sucks at End Game compared to Aqua and Ven. I beat the Secret bosses by sheer luck and I would not go back for them. You do get to learn the origins of what makes most of the future events play out though and you even get to see younger versions of Organization 13. Back when they weren't evil!

Nothing eventful happens in Re:Coded.

Dream Drop Distance... Already talked about it. Let's move on before i'm forced to remember dream eaters and their annoyingly high pitched theme song.

Birth By Sleep 0.2: A Fragmentary Passage. Really good demo for KH3 in all honestly. I had a fun time with it and seeing Aqua's pain and journey through the realm of darkness for a whole 10 years was interesting.

And now we're at Kh3. The big game we waited so long for. And its... Alright. Nothing really spectacular. The graphics are certainly splendid and gameplay feels great! If not a bit too floaty. Thats a problem for some people, especially those who were avid fans of KH2. But I had no problem with it. I have yet to play it on critical but i've heard it makes things far more entertaining. As for story, its also alright. Not the grand ending I was expecting but it was really fun all things considered. Just another ride through more modern Disney worlds. But no Final Fantasy! I get that they feel KH can stand on its own legs now but you can't take out half the formula that people fell in love with originally. Then there's no battle arena or replayable boss fights. Doesn't have to be the Real Orginization 13. Just any replayable fights with end game gear would be enough.

As for my real problem with the games. Is the treatement of the third member of the original trio. Kairi. Oh, how this character has divided a good portion of the fan base just by existing. It feels like all the time that she is just a damsel for Sora/Riku to save and rescue. In the first game, thats fine. Whatever. She was unconcious the whole time and had her heart within Sora. Chain of Memories was a game about Sora losing his memories and Riku overcoming his darkness. Thats also fine. But in KH2. Really? She gets a keyblade and can't even handle a group of shadows? The lowest level of heartless? It's embarrassing. She's supposed to be a Princess of Heart. What's that even mean anymore? It doesn't even seem relevant.

KH2 should've been her moment to become a party member just like Riku did. I dont care that it means you could possibly not have Donald or Goofy. KH2 felt the most like the penultimate ending to the series than Kh3 did in my opinon. Having the choice between your KH1 buddies (Sora, Donald and Goofy) or the Island Trio (Sora, Riku and Kairi) would have added excellent variety and much needed development for Kairi as a person rather than leaving her as a one dimensional damsel in distress who has a Nobody with more internal conflict and character motivation. Moving past that... BBS is a prequel so nothing for the original trio except for meeting Aqua/Ven/Terra. And we come back to the dreaded DDD again.

If my vision for Kairi in KH2 couldn't have become a reality. Then why wasn't DDD Kairi's game? The set up was perfect. The heroes of light need to train to overcome almost double the amount of darkness agents. Kairi (and Axel) are practically beginners at wielding a Keyblade. It should've been their time to shine and get some love while occasionally helping Sora and Riku in their Mark of Mastery exam. Why did it have to be something you do alone? Well actually you're not alone you have the stupid Dream Eaters. Regardless it could have been the newbies learning how to get to Kh2 Sora's level while Sora goes beyond his limits.

As for KH3, it's just awful. Kairi's treatment is awful and everyone knows it. She said she was gonna help but hit one whole heartless in the finale. Better than KH2 i suppose. And as for the argument of her being "too weak" to try anything agaisnt Xemans. Really? She couldn't even like. Step on his foot? Pull agaisnt his grip or switch which hand the blade is in? Since the keyblade can teleport to your hands when you need it. I don't expect her to randomly become a Keyblade Master, but. I think we all would've prefer if she just did ANYTHING over what actually happened. It's sad. I hope KH4 will give Kairi the proper treatment and character development she deserves. But for all we know it might be another Sora/Riku dual protagonist game like CoM or DDD. What do you think?

#Kingdom Hearts #KH #KH3 #kh sora #kh kairi #kh riku #NoksNonsense #Nonsensical-Rants #Opinion

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violethowler · 5 years

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My thoughts on Kingdom Hearts III

My initial reaction to the ending of Kingdom Hearts III was equal parts confusion, devastation, and just being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of how much time was spent on the final battle. I had a lot of conflicting opinions about how some things were handled, but unlike when that happened with the final season of Voltron, I feel a lot better about everything after a good night's sleep, because I was up late at night finishing the game. I'll get into the spoilers under the cut.

So, for starters, let me put my reactions on a scale of negative to positive:

Major disappointments that should absolutely be done better in the next saga:

After Kairi was hyped up for so long that she'd have a more important part to play in the story, her role in the final battle was a letdown. I can swallow her not being as amazing a fighter as the others because she's never been in combat before and she's been effectively thrown into the deep end on her first day, but I at least expected her to resist when Xemas grabbed her, instead of passively standing there like a helpless damsel in distress. The only in-universe explanation would be if after stress and panic of the previous fights, she froze up when Xemnas made a more for her. But after seven years of being built up as a Keyblade Wielder, and her relationship with Sora, she could have done so much more. I sincerely hope that Testuya Nomura learns from this and lets her shine in the next saga.

With trailers and interviews hyping up how big the worlds were this time around, having Twilight Town and 100 Acre wood be just one small area each was seriously disappointing. I was really looking forward to seeing more of the 100 Acre Wood. They could have fleshed out the whole "Sora disappearing from the cover mystery" for at least a little bit, maybe let us run around the other characters' houses instead of just Rabbit's. And for Twilight Town, I would have liked to have been able to see how the other districts looked.

Going straight to the endgame after San Fransokyo. I know that the creators decided to focus on quality over quantity when it came to the worlds in this game, but I was hoping for just one surprise Disney world that could give fans one last breather after rescuing Aqua and Ven. If not a Disney world, then I would have at least liked to have been able to explore more of Land of Departure or visit Radiant Garden outside of cut-scenes. I love RG's look from BBS and I would have loved to walk around and see the world restored to its former glory.

Vanitas was frustratingly underused in this game. For all the hype surrounding his return, I expected more from him. Especially because the Kingdom Hearts concerts kept including his theme music with the "heroes and heroines" meddley, tantalizing us with the possibility of him getting a redemption arc. And instead, he just dies all over again, only this time, he's calmly accepting his own demise instead of freaking out like after his final fight in BBS. As someone who loves the idea of him getting redeemed, that was a big disappointment. The only thing I'm hoping for is if he somehow comes back in the next saga, because it was kind of unclear whether he's really dead, if there's a way for him to come back, or if he's just faking it like Xigbar was.

Things I wish had been handled differently but I can ultimately live with and hope are handled better in the next saga:

The lack of focus on or explanation of the X era mysteries we've been pondering for years disappointed me on first playthrough, but now that I've had time to think about it, I realized that X/Unchained X/Back Cover/Union X/Whatever-They-Change-The-Name-To-Next isn't truly a part of the Xehanort Saga, but rather, the connective tissue that sets the stage for what comes after Xehanort. It was supposed to set just enough things up that we'd know who the Foretellers were and what Xigbar being Luxu meant. But because it was released before KH3, the fandom built up our expectations that the mysteries of what happened would ultimately be answered in III, so when they alluded to Marluxia and Larxene's past as Dandelions without following up on it, I was kind of disappointed. But now I realize that it was meant to open the door to them playing larger roles in the Lost Masters Saga.

Maleficent and Pete just lurking in the background despite trailers and previous games hyping up her interest in Luxu's box and the Book of Prophecy. This is something else that was clearly being set up for the sequel, but I wish Maleficent had at least had more to do. A boss fight with Pete followed by a conversation to establish that she's waiting for the dust to settle between the Guardians of Light and Seekers of Darkness before she makes her move would have been nice.

The sudden introduction of this mystery girl. At first, I thought when they kept mentioning this girl, they were talking about Kairi, and that we'd be starting to learn more about her past in Radiant Garden. I soon realized that the implications of Kairi's life pre-Destiny Islands were a red herring, but the more they kept bringing this girl up, the more I was expecting there to be some kind of explanation for who she was in the game itself. I can understand in retrospect why Isa and Ansem SoD would suddenly bring her back now, because both knew they were going to die (Isa at least had the promise of recompletion) and wanted closure on burning questions they hadn't thought about in years. Considering that the epilogue and secret reports imply she's amnesiac Ava, I think this is another case of planting seeds for future installments in a way that I wish had been done better.

After years of Aqua being celebrated as a badass Keyblade Master, her not really getting to do anything in this game is upsetting. Sure, things make sense from an in-universe perspective: she sent her Keyblade to Destiny Islands as a beacon for Sora, Riku, and/or Mickey to find her, which weakened her already worn down defenses when Xehanort’s heartless came for DiZ. With how much warping Terranort does, I figured he’d attacked Ven at speeds so close to superhuman that Aqua didn’t have time to react. And in Land of Departure, Nomura wanted to have Ven’s awakening be a dramatic moment where he swoops in to protect someone he cares about. But having Aqua kick Vanitas’ ass only for her to get taken down by a single Firaga spell feels like a poor way to achieve the desired result.

While having some Disney worlds follow the plots to their respective movies was expected, Sora, Donald, and Goofy's presence their felt a little insubstantial. I mean, I'm not saying they should have just copied the movie shot for shot with SDG there in the background, but it felt like they missed out on large chunks of the movies. It was forgivable in Kingdom of Corona because they were there for the important parts and Marluxia basically told them what they missed re: Rapunzel. With Arendelle it felt weird that they were really only involved with Elsa running away, the Marshmallow fight, and the ending. The rest was pretty much spent with Larxene coming up with elaborate ways to keep them away from the plot of the movie. With Pirates it was just ridiculous. They were really only there for the escape from Davy Jones locker and then just ran around with fake!Jack doing their own thing until it was time for the final fight of the movie. It's hard to not know the plots of Tangled and Frozen due to pop culture at this point, but if you're playing this game with no knowledge of the pirates of the Caribbean movies, you're going to be very confused on what's happening in the maelstrom fight.

Minor quibbles:

An explanation for what happened to Demyx would have been nice, but then, that could just be another mystery to be addressed later.

The whole "rewind time and replay everything before Sora's near-death until things change at the last moment" thing didn't really make a whole lot of sense, but it wasn't too big of a deal, and Xigbar's "we don't need you to make a second blunder" implies that he had something to do with it, which can hopefully be explained properly at a later date.

Little moments that weren’t necessarily big for the story, but I enjoyed anyway for personal reasons:

At first, I was crushed by Even’s return to the Organization because I loved the fanfic Why The Sun Sets Red where he becomes a surrogate parent figure to Xion, and wanted that relationship to be a reality in canon. Then when he saved Ansem, Hayner, Pence, and Olette from Fake Ansem, my head was saying “this is probably a trap”, but my heart screamed #ShittyScienceDadConfirmed. And I was so relieved when my heart turned out to be right. I will probably end up writing a post-III fanfic of Even bonding with his Science Daughter at some point.

I generally stay away from shipping in the KH fandom, but after years of having SoKai as my first OTP, I came to start shipping SoRiKai, and as upset as I am about Sora’s fate (I can’t really complain about that too badly since Nomura already promised that Sora would still be the main character in post-KH3 installments so having this kind of ending should have been expected, if not for 3 than for a future title), I at least take comfort in the fact that there’s enough wiggle room for SoRiKai headcanons set after Sora’s inevitable return.

Everything else that I absolutely loved:

The visuals were absolutely freaking gorgeous. On every single world, they went out of their way to make the graphics as beautiful as possible. The 2D fire effects on Olympus, the different shaders used each world to make Sora, Donald, and Goofy fit with the aesthetic...

The Skein of Severance. While I wish we'd gotten to explore more of the Keyblade Graveyard during the final battle, or that the maze was a little more elaborate, I loved having to fight multiple members of the new Organization simultaneously, and oh dear god the aftermath of every fight: Xion's return, Terra regaining control of his body, Saix's death.... I was sobbing after every boss fight.

Despite how complicated the lore has become, the story itself was actually pretty straightforward. It was pretty refreshing and reminded me of KH1 and BBS, where the heroes have a clear overarching goal and a reason for why they're traveling to other worlds.

As much as I wish that Unchained X had been held until after KH3, there's a stroke of genius to the epilogue: Because of Xehanort's whole "balance between dark and light" obsession and Riku's whole "dark is not necessarily evil" character arc, I've seen a consistent idea within the fandom that the main villain of the next saga after Xehanort should be one of those who fit into the "Light is not good" trope. And by implicitly setting up the "Lost Masters" for that role in the epilogue, they've both ensured a masterful conflict between the Keyblade Wielders of the past and the ones of the present, and ensured that the next saga will be as heartbreaking as possible by ensure that the fandom is already attached to these characters.

Honestly, despite the issues I've had with the game above, I absolutely enjoyed Kingdom Hearts 3. It was worth the wait in my opinion, and I can't wait to see what the future holds. My only hope, given the epilogue and secret ending, that we get an announcement of Kingdom Hearts IV within a year or so. Doesn't need to release next year, but it definitely needs to be announced for development.

#kingdom hearts 3 #kh3 spoilers #kh spoilers #kingdom hearts spoilers #kingdom hearts 3 spoilers #my thoughts #long post #my review

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justanotherprowrestlingblog · 6 years

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WWE Evolution: Review

Sunday 28th October,

from the Nassau Colliseum in Uniondale,NY

Trish Stratus&Lita vs Mickie James and Alexa:[***]

We had no pre-show matches for Evolution (thank god i would say) and this match should have featured Alexa Bliss but the Goddess got injuried in a live event and missed the event so WWE replaced her with Alicia Fox. The match was better than i expected because at the Rumble, Lita looked really bad and wasn’t expecting much from this, but both HOFs did their best and Mickie James shines and honestly i believe she is better then when she was in her prime. Fox was ok even tho had a massive botch. The match itself was the standard heel vs face tag team with Bliss trying to help her friends. With this match going on the first 30 minutes of the show (the ones free on twitter), Lita and Trish win was really predictable (and right) and even more when they announced that Bliss was out of the contest. Crowd was on fire during the match

Winners: Trish Stratus and Lita.

Women’s battle royal for a future title match: [**¾]

It was solid but also the worst match of the night but it didn’t turned out as bad as i thought, even tho i hated some eliminations,like the Iiconic one at the beginning to have a commedy moment, or like the winner of the first ever Women rumble got eliminated like nothing by Ember Moon. Thanks WWE. But at the same time, if your worst match of the event is just solid, it’s not a bad thing at all. The crowd loved everyone and the match and Nia got the win, as she will be an easy challenger for Ronda and it also set a rematch between the two since their match at MITB ended by DQ when Bliss cashed in her briefcase.

Winner: Nia Jax

Mae Young Classic Final: Io Shirai vs Toni Storm:[****]

Let’s start with the negative: why the hell this match only went 10 minutes? So rant mode off, but this match was very very good even tho it last just 10 minutes. It had drama, storytelling, good wrestling and also Storm is the only person in the tournament who didn’t got caught by Io’s moonsault, so in some way, they keep the magic and the effectivness around the move. Storm won and as i said in the reivew, she was my #1 pick to win the tournament and i’m so happy for her, because she deserved it the final last year and she deserved to win this year like shirai should, but for Io i guess they have already some solid plans in NXT, while Storm will be involved more with the UK brand rather then the main NXT one. Storm also defeated to win the tournament Jinny, Matsumoto, Yim and Shirai. Good lord, that’s impressive. This match was a good way to close a great tournament, wish it went longer, but it did justice to the whole tournament (full tournament review out later in the week/s as i need more time for it) PS: Storm entered with her MYC 2017 and NXT UK theme, after the bell they played her MYC 2018 theme. That’s so weird but fun (and geeky for a theme song nerd like me)

Winner of the MYC 2018: Toni Storm

Riott Squad vs Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley:[***¼]

Let’s start with another rand mode time: why the hell this match went longer than the MYC Final? I really really don’t get it, because this match at time felt a bit boring because they went too long and Shirai-Storm felt great but so short, but at least the six woman tag was a good match, topped my expactations and showed us that Liv can actually wrestle, since it was basically her best match so far in WWE. It started too slow but got much better in the final stretch and played out good, giving the babyface a great moment, like Sasha tributing Eddie. I still don’t like the Riott Squad, because probably they would be better by themselves rather than as a team, because they always make them lose as a team while in singles match they can pull it off. If their strenght is in the number, why the hell they can’t win a 3 vs 3?

Winner: Sasha Banks, Bayley and Natalya

NXT Womens Championship: Kairi Sane vs Shayna Baszler:[****]

Another rant mode time: not a fan at all of Kairi’s new theme. Just when i got used to her second theme, they change it. Usual WWE. Theme song rant aside, this match was really good, much better then their previous encounters. They finally nailed the match, even tho i wished we got a clean finish tho. The idea of having the other 2 4HW was great, they will be great in NXT, but this match was going really well and then a non clean finish took something away for me. The title change is fine because it was unexpected and came well, but still the interferences were a bit sloopy and could have been better or even non existent. Now, i guess we might get a team battle even with the ladies and this got me thinking: are we getting a womens war games too at Takeover? It would be interesting for sure. But before i jump to the next match, there is still one thing for me to say: stop thinking Shayna is just Rousey’s best friend: she is a really good wrestler and a great heel, because she is legit someone i would boo at a show even tho i like her and criticising her just because ronda is her best friend, while she worked hard in the indies too to get here, is just wrong.

Winner AND NEW NXT Womens champion: Shayna Baszler

Last Woman Standing for the SD Womens Title: Charlotte vs Becky Lynch:[****½]

No rant mode this time, but let’s say that it was the best match of the night. And i usually don’t even like Last Man/woman Standing match, but with the right booking they can be really good. This one was the one i was hoping for, yes not a perfect match, but really really good with drama, storytelling, it made the crowd involved even tho on commentary tried everything to get people behind Charlotte, but it was the hard fought battle that this feud really needed. A great feud which needed a great ending (for the moment). Even tho i wished the babyface/heel role would switch, this feud has been superb and probably gave us the best Becky Lynch so far in WWE, while charlotte really doesn’t fit well as a babyface cause she is a great heel, but she never fails to look good. Speaking of the match, we had violence, because the tables spots and chair spot were nasty and even Becky jumping from the ladder was risky. It was perfect on this, while not on the way the ref handled it. Becky won with a powerbomb on the table and probably will face Ronda rousey at Survivor Series in a champion vs champion, if they are planning the event as Raw vs SD Live again like last year. MOTY? Maybe not, because i still think NXT delivered it, but these two women had the best match and feud in the main roster so far. Kudos to both of them…and Becky good luck with Ronda.

Winner AND STILL SD Womens Champion: Becky Lynch

Raw Womens Championship: Ronda Rousey vs Nikki Bella:[***]

Some people are trashing the whole show just because of this match. Personally i wouldn’t call them fans but simply stupid, because it’s stupid to trash an event for just a match, which even wasn’t that bad. I didn’t liked it, but it could have been a lot worse. Not a fan of how they are booking Ronda matches at the moment, because if they cant have her squash the whole division, they shouldn’t have her going through a beating for like ¾ of the match and then win. She is a former ufc champions, she should destroy someone like Nikki who doesn’t even wrestle regulary since she got injuried. Ronda won and everyone happy like the happy ending for the event. Speaking of her challenger, i think this Nikki, used like a veteran, could be helpful in the division, only if she gets the get her opponent over and not get another title shot for basically being a Bella

Winner AND STILL Raw Womens Champion: Ronda Rousey

Overall: I wasn’t really expecting Evolution to be this good, i hoped it could be this, i feared it could have been worse but it really surprised me. It had a takeover vibe and it was great because it was really different. Even the crowd felt like a NXT crowd where they are hot for thw whole show and don’t slowly die because the events are too long. Honestly i think an yearly event like this would be awesome. Yes there are still some stuff that wasn’t good, but for once i really enjoyed a WWE main roster PPV from the start to the bottom and that’s what matters the most to me. Kudos to everyone involved and keep proving the people, who trashed this event because it was all womens only, that they are just wrong. [7.75]

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placetobenation · 4 years

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Last week, I called for a bit of reflection and honest from the WWE. And I think they delivered a solid week on the rebound.

I’ll admit, it didn’t start well as the first couple hours of RAW wasn’t exactly must see TV with Nia Jax and some questionable booking messing things up. But, Sasha Banks title win and Dolph Ziggler vs. Drew McIntyre’s Extreme Rules match changed the momentum. Add in The Legend Killer’s new lust for the WWE Championship and they were off in running!

Keith Lee carried the torch over to NXT with a career best promo on Karrion Kross along with a strong presentation in the ring Wednesday night.

And how about SmackDown on Friday! The Fiend unleashed again, FINALLY!

Plus, I’ll say this – the shows “sounded” better with some renewed energy. It’s a good start and no, one week doesn’t make everything ok, but it sure makes everything better than it was 7 days ago.

It’s a positive sign as we head to the year’s next major PPV at SummerSlam. I wonder if the rumors of the WWE trying to hold it outside on a beach or in the NorthEast somewhere in front of a small crowd come true. If nothing else, it would be a visually pleasing change for a night. And what’s with the announcement of a Payback PPV just one week after SummerSlam? Brings back shades of Tuesday in Texas back in the old In Your House Days as The Undertaker took on Hulk Hogan in back-to-back weeks on a PPV.

Star of the Week:

Dominik Mysterio – OK, I’ll admit it’s a bit of a stretch, but damn, that was some nifty kendo stick wielding Monday night. It looks like the kid might be able to handle himself. We’ll see in the upcoming weeks and we’ll have to see if Dear Ol’ Dad sticks around to see it. See what I did there…

RAW

RESULTS

Andrade & Angel Garza defeated The Viking Raiders and Ricochet & Cedric Alexander to win tag team title match at SummerSlam

Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler went to a double count out

Bobby Lashley defeated Mustafa Ali

RAW Women’s Championship Match: Sasha Banks defeated Asuka to win title

Murphy defeated Humberto Carrillo

Non-Title WWE Championship Match – Extreme Rules: Drew McIntyre defeated Dolph Ziggler

Loved it:

Drew vs. Dolph II – While I don’t think we needed a rematch one week later, I give big time props to Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler for putting on another amazing match. This time it was Extreme Rules for everyone and they did not disappoint. Kudos to both for putting themselves through another brutal physical match just one week after their first one at the Horror Show at Extreme Rules PPV. Dolph, even in defeat, helps steal the show.

The champ never saw it coming. RKO OUTTA NOWHERE by @RandyOrton! #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/2XJINy7R1N

— WWE (@WWE) July 28, 2020

Randy vs. Drew – The two hottest stars on the men’s side of Monday Night RAW are now set for a collision course at SummerSlam. Sure, once Randy Orton made his feelings for the WWE Championship known at the start of the show, we all knew an RKO was coming to end the night for McIntyre. Still, out of nowhere, a feud that could be one of the year’s best has begun!

I was able to accomplish so much in the last three years, but it wasn’t because of my ability or my strength. It was because of all of the constant, warm support from the fans. I am so thankful I could meet you all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Kairi Sane

pic.twitter.com/BaH2UBi9wn

— KAIRI SANE (@KairiSaneWWE) July 28, 2020

The Main Event – There’s nothing wrong with Sasha Banks and Bayley holding all the Women’s Gold in the WWE! Sasha has earned it now with a win over Asuka Monday night. The odd part of it is that the WWE used Bayley’s attack on Kairi Sane to make it happen. Of course, this tactic has been used time and again over the course of wrestling history. No shame there. It’s the fact that Sane is now gone from the WWE and they let Sane tweet about it during the show. Very strange indeed to those on both screens at the same time. But, mind you, only 13% (give or take) of Americans are actually on Twitter so take it with a grain of salt. It just shows lack of detail. Great feud somewhat overshadowed by a sidelight. Now, what does Asuka do next?

Hated it:

Nia vs. Shayna – Why on Earth did they waste my time with not one, but two segments that settled nothing. Jax just lacks depth on-air and it’s the same ol’ story. A battle between Baszler and Jax would be fine if they just let them go. But, to give me a short brawl followed later in the night by a useless (and short) count out was pointless. If you want them to fight, let them fight. Don’t waste our time.

Why?:

.@WWERollins & @WWE_Murphy went TOO FAR with @WWEAleister…but @35_Dominik went to the EXTREME!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/3RPkoRte9T

— WWE (@WWE) July 28, 2020

Monday Night Messiah – If Seth Rollins is that influential and The Messiah, why does he only have one minion? You would think after months of saying he’s a cult leader, he would have a bigger following. Plus, what exactly in this continuing obsession with people’s eyes? I was hoping that would be left in the past with Rey Mysterio, but now it’s Aleister Black’s turn as he is on the shelf with arm and eye injuries after this week’s attack by Murphy and Rollins. I guess it’s Dominik Mysterio’s turn to take on the MNM. Let’s hope he continues to bring us to the Extreme with more than kendo sticks. But, it was a nice start for the younger Mysterio.

Intrigue:

Just like THAT, it's official.@Zelina_VegaWWE will lead @AndradeCienWWE & @AngelGarzaWwe into #SummerSlam to challenge @AngeloDawkins & @MontezFordWWE for the #WWERaw #TagTeamTitles! pic.twitter.com/dY1ZilL1IK

— WWE (@WWE) July 28, 2020

Tag Team Titles – I love what The Street Profits bring in and out of the ring and now they have a new challenger in Andrade & Angel Garza. They are so many ways they can go to get to their Tag Team Title Match at SummerSlam too. Maybe we’ll get a Bianca vs. Zelina side story too to make things interesting. Either way, the matches should be fun and if done right, it’s a pairing that could (and should) last on and off for the rest of the year.

Where’s Apollo – C’mon WWE – just be honest and let us know the deal with Apollo Crews. If it was just a neck/disc injury, wouldn’t Crews have done an interview segment at least? Maybe the rumors of Crews having COVID-19 are true and if they are, the WWE would be serving the superstar and its audience better by being honest.

NXT

RESULTS

Io Shirai & Tegan Nox defeated Candice LeRae & Dakota Kai

Johnny Gargano defeated Roderick Strong

Mercedes Martinez defeated Shotzi Blackheart

Non-title NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Imperium defeated Ever-Rise

Isaiah “Swerve” Scott defeated Jake Atlas

Triple Threat Match: Dexter Lumis defeated Timothy Thatcher & Finn Balor to earn spot in North American Title Ladder Match at TakeOver: XXX

Loved it:

"Kross, you have clearly made it a point that you 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 my attention, that you 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 my championship and you've done such extra BULL****!" #NXTChampion @RealKeithLee is PISSED. #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/QinBFDoKDd