I hope Missing Link has different designs for keyblade upgrades like chi and UX cause they were always neat.

lol

y’all. We need to have a talk about the union leaders’ keyblades

okay, so the first thing you have to know is that khx and khux’s keyblades are different. khux introduced new keyblades that weren’t included in khx originally, but! khux also made some changes to the keyblades that were originally in khx. Namely, it removed some of the in-between forms of each keyblade

(credit to this image via @appre-chi-ation)

As seen above, khx’s Starlight originally had these 5 forms in khx. The base form, plus its 4 upgrade forms.

But khux’s Starlight only has these forms, essentially having its upgrade line cut in half, and the addition of a new final form (sorta lol, it just glows)

This is the same for all the khx-khux keyblades. Starlight, Treasure Trove, Lady Luck, Three Wishes, Olympia, Divine Rose, and Moogle O’Glory all have their upgrade lines essentially compressed in khux.

Now, why does this matter? Ephemera, Skuld and Strelitzia wield this Starlight form in particular:

This is Starlight upgrade 3 / 4th form overall. It only exists in khx.

And Lauriam wields this:

Divine Rose upgrade 3 / 4th form overall. It also only exists in khx.

Since we know that the chi saga (and kh in general but chi specifically) is really great at tying gameplay mechanics and lore together, I think I actually understand the potential lore significance of this now.

These four were wielders before the war and were chosen to be union leaders. Putting Strelitzia aside for obvious reasons, Ephemera, Skuld and Lauriam escape to the new world wielding a form of their respective keyblades that actually doesn’t exist there. Now we don’t actually know why these forms don’t exist in this world from a narrative standpoint, but it might have to do with everyone’s memories being overwritten except theirs, or maybe it’s a glitch in the data that wasn’t taken into consideration (or maybe it was placed there on purpose? 👀 but this is just speculation).

Whatever the reason is, the fact that they wield non-existent keyblade forms from a forgotten reality could potentially explain why their keyblades never get upgraded past that, despite them being union leaders. You’d think that they would upgrade to the strongest form, right? Maybe going to the new world/reality stunted their keyblades’ evolution, and they’re just stuck with what they came with because they weren’t able to finish maxing out their keyblades before the war. (This is why you always do your materials quests, kids!)

Now, the reason they don’t just choose to wield a different, stronger keyblade instead is a whole other thing. Amongst the “new” keyblades brought into khux (Stroke of Midnight, Sleeping Lion, Counterpoint, Fenrir, Darkgnaw, Missing Ache, Fairy Stars, and Diamond Dust [Bad Guy Breaker is a special case]), they certainly have a lot to choose from.

My guess is either A. they simply can’t, as in, they’re physically unable to switch their particular keyblades in for a different one because of the circumstances of data Daybreak Town or because of something Ava did, or B. they chose not to, in order to just have a memento of the pre-war world, before their life changed drastically. I’m leaning towards the latter, since Blaine gives Ephemera Master’s Defender while they’re in data Daybreak Town and it wouldn’t make sense if there was even a possibility that Ephemera wouldn’t be able to use it there. This opens up a whole conversation about keyblade lore and how keyblades themselves change overtime and in different circumstances, along with how data worlds might affect keyblades. But that’s a whole other can of worms.

Anyways, here’s the most interesting part about all this…

Ven.

He wields Missing Ache upgrade 2 / 3rd form overall.

Already right from the get-go, you can see that this is different from the “formula” the other leaders are following (except Blaine, who’s the exception here, as he is to many things). Unlike the other leaders, Ven wields a keyblade that wasn’t in khx, but is included in khux as a “new” keyblade. He’s wielding a keyblade that was only put into use in the new world where everyone had their memories wiped in some capacity, including him. His keyblade is an anomaly. It may have very well been a big hint about him being an anomaly amongst the other union leaders!

tl;dr the union leaders were nerfed, the hints about Ven being a fake leader were there all along, and we need more keyblade lore. Thanks for coming to my ted talk ✌️

(an additional P.S.: Eph and Skuld were introduced in khx, so it’s possible that the main reason they were given their particular Starlight form was so they could be relative to Player’s hypothetical strength level at the time they’re introduced. But I still like to believe that there’s this additional significance to it)

Tell us about the German translations of keyblades? 🥺

I SHALL. there's a couple things that haunt me

Firstly, basics. A keyblade is called Schlüsselschwert, meaning "key-sword." Quite apt, but I find the german term more pleasing since it's a clear alliteration of the "sch" sound ("sch" is identical to a harsh s sound, like the ch in chapter. not 100%, but you get it yes)

It is possible to make a one to one translation of "Schlüsselklinge" but this lacks the charming alliteration, and the word Klinge itself has.. harsher connotations than Schwert does? Like, a Schwert in an RPG is whatever. But Klinge? you are going to cut a motherfucker

funnily enough, the X-Blade is called the X-Klinge. This is a mystifying choice to me, but the pun is lost in german either way. WAIT since its said as "Ki-Klinge" they named it klinge so that one is also alliterated. i take it back this is genius.

Aaaas i have mentioned before, I'm so confused by DDD. The Kingdom Key is the Königsanhänger, the "King's Keychain." It's snappier than any alternatives that use the word Kingdom, Königreich, and since the name does refer to the keychain itself, it's perfectly logical to boot.

But, dream drop distance. Oh, dream drop distance.... calls it the Kingdom-Schlüssel. The laziest, most obnoxious use of a foreign word when a german name had already existed for a decade.

it's so stupid. why did they do this. hey squeenix localizers. talk to me. look me in the eyes. what were you DOING for ddd.

other keyblades! my thoughts keep running back to Oblivion and Oathkeeper. They're iconic keyblades, but their translations captivate me in different ways.

Let's start with Oathkeeper. It's called Sternentreue, "Star Loyalty." Treue has similar connotations to faith? Sparkly white magic shit forr jrpgs.

It's a simple name that plays on the obvious symbolism of it. Loyalty symbolized by stars. Star Loyalty. And yet, the word oath... It's much more impactful. Treue is what makes an oath, but an oath is like... more. It's quite a bit more romantic, in my opinion! Treue is also an impactful word, don't get me wrong, but just slapping Sterne in front of it cheapens it a bit. I wish it had the same impact, but it just doesn't! Get a little more spicy with it.

Oblivion though. Oh my god. German Oblivion is called Memoire. I'm never getting over that. It's called MEMOIRE. jesus christ. the definition here is the same as for english btw. a reminder, or, an autobiography. the totality of a life, summarized. the opposite of oblivion. and yet

thinking abt the relationships Oblivion symbolizes, Sora and Riku, Roxas and Xion, encapsulated by Memoire makes me bonkers. As though these relationships are everything. All encompassing. In lurid detail. Does Roxas not receive Oblivion at the end of his own memoire? Insane.

It's such a different name for the exact same thing. And somehow it conveys the same thing. Like all the romanticism wasted on Star Loyalty? THIS is where it is. it's called Memorie jesus fucking christ

Soul Eater is called Seelenfänger, Soul Catcher, instead, which is super fun, because down the line, Dream Eaters are called Traumfänger, Dream Catchers, too! It's a parallel I literally never noticed until now! Woo! The rikublade truly. Also because Seelenfresser (like, soul devourer. "Fressen" is eat, but exclusively for animals) just sounds too fucking beastial, and Seelenesser ("Essen" is eat, but for humans!) sounds stupid.

It being the same across two languages is either a neat coincidence, or deliberate. You decide!

The funniest change is Lady Luck though. It's called Herzensbrecher. Heart-breaker, like some kind of bad boy casanova blade. (bcuz the concept of "lady luck" as such doesnt exist in german, unless it's like, Frau Holle, but she's an entirely different thing that could not apply here)

One name I actually just don't get, is Divine Rose? It's called Zentifol, which is a word that doesn't exist as such. Like, if you look this word up, first thing you get is the kh wiki.

wait i googled more. it's probably from the latin name for roses, rosa centifolia, or the Zentifolien family, in german. This is like a WILD reach for the name. I have to wonder if they didn't have anything with more, yknow, symbolism on hand, besides just naming it Rose.

Same thing for Pumpkinhead, oddly enough! It's called Cucurbita, from some latin pumpkin name.

There's a lot of literal translations, too, of course, though that's not really worth talking about, ykno. Löwenherz is Lionheart, Feenharfe is Fairyharp, Diamantenstaub is Diamond Dust. Average.

Mysterious Abyss ended up as Mysterious Ditch though (Mysteriöser Graben, instead of "Abgrund", which both sounds cooler and means Abyss instead of Ditch). Epic win

There's sooo much more I could talk about. How clever calling Two Become One "Zweisamkeit" is that I can't even translate it without an extensive Translator's Note. The closest I can muster is "two-ness" but that's not it! That's not it. It's. Woah that is shmart.

AND HOW DAYS MUCKS THIS UP BY CALLING IT "AUS ZWEI WIRD EINS" IN A ONE-TO-ONE LITERAL LOSER TRANSLATION. kh handheld games, good lord.

i'm looking through a list of keyblades rn and is. is Destiny's Embrace called Schicksalswink. Schicksalswink. Fate's wave. but wave as in, waving. Not the ocean. Literal waving, like as a greeting. Objectively perfect name. God.

fucking props for naming Vanitas' keyblade in actual latin! Clavis Vanitatum. Which is latin forrrrr (drum roll please) Vanitas' Key. Is this Divine Rose all over again?

I'm gonna call it quits here.

TL;DR: there are some literal translations, some very literal names hiding behind a latin veneer, names I think are lame, names I think are decent, and Memoire, which I'm never getting over, ever

It’s so stupid that Lady Luck is a late game keyblade. For some reason wonderland, many people’s first world, just doesn’t have a keyblade until literally every world has been visited??? It’s just really weird to me. Could wonderland not have its own keyblade AND Lady Luck? Weird.

Anyway I’m on deep jungle which is (in my opinion) the worst world in the game BUT still better than lots of other worlds in the series. After this kh1 is only up.

Hello!! Sorry for the ask out of nowhere, I hope that this is okay

I'm the mod of @keykid-questions! I just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing your answers to some of the questions I've been posting there - they've been really neat to see so far, and I'd love to hear more about your keykid if you have any more info about her ^-^

Well, she is a member of Vulpes Clan. She is quiet and shy, and loves to read. She tends to get nervous around other people, though that happens less after she stands up to the disguised Master Ava in the Foretellers' room. She develops a huge crush on Ephemer. She prefers to use Lady Luck and Diamond Dust as her Keyblades. While I haven't decided on if it's canon to her story yet, I have an AU where the Hercules world crossed over with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles instead of Final Fantasy VII and she met my Crystal Chronicles OC. I picked her outfit because I liked the cute design and color scheme, but in-universe, it's because she liked the look, and the salesmoogle convinced her they were just fancy clothes.

Kairi game = discovering what princess she is

Plot idea:

Land of Departure -

Aqua, after some months of training, believes Kairi is ready to go out and explore the worlds.

Kairi is unsure the point in all this, since Sora has already restored and connected so many worlds, but Aqua reveals that in her time, there were even more. She tells her to look at the stars, there are many more worlds out there that havent been touched.

Putting a hand on her shoulder, she gives her encouragement, and Kairi agrees willingly, but still feels a bit aimless.

Worlds and lessons:

1. Brother Bear - at first, agrees to find the bear, but after the spirits give her the ability to talk to animals, she realizes the situation and holds off Kenai's brother until the truth is revealed, and saves Kenai's brother from fully turning into a heartless.(A true disney princess can communicate with animals lol but this journey is for her to discover how strong she really has become, being able to do this herself, and learning that love is one way to grow stronger and become an adult.)

2. Dumbo - gets caught in the storm when the tent is coming up, sees dumbo and Timothy drunk flying into a tree. She flies up, and they realize Dumbo can use his ears to fly, but hes scared. The crows give him the feather, and Timothy convinces Kairi to come to Dumbos first show. Kairi goes to save dumbo, and tells him his heart is what makes him fly, helping Timothy to get the feather later but dumbo flies to save her from a circus heartless. After that, he doesnt need the feather, but reveals hes seen Kairi's good luck charm. Kairi says Sora is like her 'Feather', but hes always in her heart, even when hes away. (She begins to miss Sora again but sees her potential as a Keyblade wielder, she no longer doubts her own growing strength) <dumbo doesnt speak, Timothy does for him>

3. Lady and the Tramp - helps Lady escape heartless and Tramp saves her from dogs in deadend. Finds Lady and Tramp later trying to sneak away from the dogcatcher at the zoo, and helps take Lady's muzzle off. She watches them eat together and looks up to the sky with stars in her eyes. (She wishes to share more memorable moments with Sora, hints of romance and pining.) <dogs barely speak to Kairi, it's a short introduction>

4. Pocahontas - meets Grandmother Willow and gains the ability to speak to many and all languages by 'Listen with your heart, you will understand', then is taught the compass of her heart will guide her on her destined path. Kairi is a bit jaded by fate, worried her fate was so changed that it hurt Sora and possibly other worlds. Grandmother Willow encourages her to continue what Sora started, and unlock worlds to save and restore them. Follow the connection of those both to Sora, and make new connections for Sora as well, from the friends she now makes. She helps fight in the war and helps Pocahontas to stop it. (Renewed spirit, a direction and sense of where to go and what to do.)

5. Treasure Planet - is convinced of black and white, villain and hero, before realizing that there is light in all things, and how much Jim sees John Silver as his mentor and friend... it breaks her heart, but she can't save Silver from turning into a heartless, defeating him, helping restore his heart, and watching him sacrifice himself so they can all escape. (Hearts are not pure light or darkness, and one can choose light and darkness. A heart can be redeemed)

7. Moana - her gummi ship transforms by help of the new technology from Chip and Dale, fights Kakamora, then finds Moana grabbing the heart back from the ocean. Helps her restore the heart after fighting the heartless verison of Te Fiti, Te Ka, and is determined to help Sora by returning his own heart... she feels ready now. (Reestablishes that she holds Sora's heart)

8. Finding Nemo - while in the dentist office, being told to take a seat for her appointment and being confused, Kairi overhears the fish talking about their escape plan. She turns around and admits she can help, which scares them at first that she can understand them. Minigames ensue with the fish tank and she helps them escape... hearing about Nemo's father and his unrelenting quest to find his son, she is once again touched and renewed that she will not quit her search for Sora... she believes in Riku, and again, with all her heart, wishes for both their safe returns, hoping he found Sora.

9. Jungle Book - hears Shere Khan's planning and before he reached the 'Man Cub', goes to fight him. He is determined to stop this 'Man Cub' from leaving the jungle... alive. She fights him but he gets away and so she fights the heartless Kaa. She overhears then the conversation between Baloo and Bagheera, and realizes she must return where she belongs... who exactly is she? She knows shes a princess of heart but... she decides to find out more about her past, telling Sora's heart she feels that's right to do, but she wont abandon her main quest.

10. Hollow Bastion - Some recompleted members of the old organization 13 remember Kairi's royal family, descendant of an ancient Keyblade lineage, and lived in the castle here, where the research was also conducted. She learns about the mysterious girl that Lea and Isa had known, and wonders... apparently, they reveal her father was from another world! (Hint that Kairi is possibly a Final Fantasy princess, and not a disney one!)

10. Wrought by the wrong done to her, but also glad she met Sora, she sees a terrible fire on a world and lands there. Meeting Bambi and his friends, she wonders why Bambi can keep fighting the fire and dog heartless while so injured. Hes searching for Faline, who hes twitterpatted for. She helps fight a hunter heartless and sees Bambi reunite with his true love. She decides then that although her destiny was altered, and she was taken from her family, she gained a new life, new friends, and now... a joined destiny with Sora. Bambi also recognizes her wayfinder, and she tells him shes twitterpatted for Sora. First time admitting it outloud, but it makes Bambi happy and prance around. Bad things happen, but love will always be a strong enough reason to continue on.

11. Frozen 2 - finds Christof, who trusts her once she confirms shes friends with Sora, and searches for Anna. Finds her after she loses Olaf, helps her lure the earth golems/giants to destroy the dam, and helps the angered, heartless spirits calm down when Elsa was frozen solid. When she returns, Kairi slowly steps away... she will do the next right thing, and gain her Mark of Mastery... then go to save Sora, or at least... find any way she can. No matter the darkness, she will do the next right thing.

12. Lion King 2 - Learns about love, how it casts no shadows and darkness cant remain in a heart filled with the power of love. Fights to end the lion war, and save Simba. She also tries to help Kiara save Zira... she then learns that some choose darkness, and refuse to be saved. Not that they cant be, but that they wont be... No matter how seeped in darkness one's heart is... light is always a choice, no matter what. Simba tells her he knows Sora, and that she reminds him a lot of Sora'a strength too. It encourages her to believe shes finally ready to take on her Master and be considered a keyblade master as well.

Land of Departure -

Kairi returns, talks about what shes learned and how Dumbo, Bambi, Simba, and Christof all recognized her as Sora's friend. She wonders if Sora's heart was sensed by them... the light it carries, and the connection they share as friends. Aqua shakes her head, saying it may be the case, but it's probably Kairi's own heart that formed those bonds of friendships with them. Shes saved so many worlds, reminded others of Sora's connection to them, and made it even stronger.

Not just that, Kairi has found her own strength and conviction in the process.

Last final boss, Master Aqua.

Kairi becomes a master, goes to the Nameless Star, and is finally ready to help Riku and find Sora, too!

Is she... a secret princess of Quadratum?

hi charlie do you have a favorite kingdom hearts keyblade :) i personally really like brightcrest because it is soo pretty and also because the magic boost it gives is super nice

OATHKEEPER!!!!!!!! ive always just adored its design and i think its sooo sweet. im not a fan of s0kai anymore honestly but i reallyt do think the idea of it is really sweet :] i also really really loev starlight...

actually ill rank keyblades per game :)

-kh1: lady luck

-kh2: winner's proof or rumbling rose or decisive pumpkin

-kh days: wooden stick umbrella true lights flight

-bbs: honestly i think the default keyblades are good but i also love master's defender and sweetstack :)

-ddd: i think either sweet dreams or skull noise or ferris gear

-kh3: grand chef or ever after or favorite deputy or wheel of fate :) OH and hunny spout

i’ve got such a strong vision for chrysi’s keyblade, but then azure’s is something like divine rose (which is a vv good keyblade, don’t get me wrong) and jacks’s is something like lady luck (aesthetically, amazing, but an entry level keyblade.. though maybe that fits him :||) but hmsfkkdjd… there’s no specifics in mind ://

The Great Keyblade Clash

in which every unique keyblade* from every game will battle it out in a lighthearted duel, beginning with the first Kingdom Hearts. all matchups are randomly generated.

*some terms and conditions may apply

first half of round 1 will post on the evening of tuesday, april 4th.

matchups under cut

Wishing Star vs. Kingdom Key D. winner will face Oathkeeper

Diamond Dust vs. Fairy Harp

Crabclaw vs. Olympia. winner will face Spellbinder

Divine Rose vs. Three Wishes. winner will face Lionheart

Ultima Weapon vs. Oblivion. winner will face Lady Luck

Metal Chocobo vs. Jungle King

Pumpkinhead vs. Keyblade of Heart. winner will face the Kingdom Key

Soul Eater vs. One-Winged Angel

Pyra and Sora for the kid meme, because why not? XD

Name: Kūki (It's japanese for air and air = sky lmao Nico's original xD) Gender: Female (She/Her) Faceclaim: Jessie Raspberry (Final Fantasy 7) Personality: Despite being as equally air-headed, energetic, and oblivious as her dad, Kuki takes up after a LOT of Pyra in being almost the sweetest person on the planet. It doesn't keep her from putting on a brave face and rushing into danger - much to her parent's worry - if she has to. Special Talents: Kuki specialized in wielding Lady Luck everywhere she goes, and the Aegis blade a close second, or sometimes dual-wielding it with her Keyblade. Other than that, she's a great cook, with and/or without Remy's help. Who they like better: Both Who they take after more: Pyra Personal Head canon: Growing up, Riku was the closet she had as a "big brother," Kairi & Mythra as "big sisters," and Donald & Goofy as some of the best friends she ever had (Even if she teases and annoys Donald a lot!)

Ohhhhhhh you’re a kh fan? Name every keyblade ever introduced in the entire series based off memory without cheating. (I genuinely actually can’t believe there are people who can actually do this,((But then again I don’t think anyone’s done it without looking it up)).

Uhhh I know for sure I don’t remember really any of the 358 or DDD ones lmao. I hated how keyblades were done in 358 hahah. Also I have shit ass memory so obviously I’m gonna fail miserably at this from memory

Guess I’m a “fake” fan since I can’t remember majority of their names. 🥴

•Kingdom Key • (I don’t remember the Tarzan one’s name) Hero’s Crest • Sleeping Lion • Lady Luck • Three Wishes • (Don’t remember the name of one you get from Geppeto)• (Don’t remember the name of the one Sora stab’s himself with, key of something I think) • Rumbling Rose • Pumpkinhead • Crab Claw • Fairy Harp • Oathkeeper • Oblivion • Fenrir • Metal Chocobo • (I don’t remember the name of Kairi’s :,) ) • Flame Liberator • (Don’t remember name of the Mulan one) • Decisive Pumpkin • Circle of Life • Bond of Flames(?), Wishing Lamp • Photon Debugger • (Don’t remember name of the Gullwings one) • Two Become One • (Don’t remember the Dwarf Woodlands name) • Wayward Wind • Stroke of Midnight • I don’t remember the name of any other BBS ones. • Sweet Stack • (Man it’s one of my favs and I can’t remember the name it’s the one in DDD with the cup and Meow Wow on it. I think it started with an S. I know it felt similarly named to Sweet Stack. Maybe Sweet Victory (?)) • Ultima • X-Blade • Dive Wing • Soul Eater • Kingdom Key D • Lost Memory (?) • (Can’t even remember the name of Ven’s old one, the green and black one. It’s named similar to Pain of Solitude but I can’t remember at the top of my head why the fuck can I remember the pink one but not Ven’s rn?????) • (Don’t remember Terra’s Earthshaker maybe??) • (Can’t remember Vanitas’ keyblade, one I believe has a name, the other I believe was unnamed) • Pain of Solitude • Rainfell I think is Aqua’s (?) • No Name • I think YMX’s is just called YMX’s keyblade • Master Defender • Starlight • Moogle of Glory (?) • (Don’t remember name of that ice looking one) • (Don’t remember name of Riku’s newest keyblade) • (Honestly can’t remember the names of any of the KH3 ones even my fav one from the Caribbean) and whatever other ones I don’t remember at all must never have been impressionable enough for me to care or remember them or they’re unnamed like “Gula’s keyblade, Ava’s keyblade etc…”

LADYLUCKKEYBLADIC

This gender is when you relate to the Lady Luck keyblade

"I'D say we make a pretty good team." (From saffron)

"You do? That's a first. Normally I don't work well with anyone. But I like to believe I have fate and luck on my side. I assume it's why I call the keyblade I wield Lady Luck."

“I wouldn’t advise that…” percy @ luka!

@xfindingtrouble

"Here's the thing, that I need you to understand."

The doctor grins, cocking his hip and resting a hand on it as he twirls his keyblade, currently shifted into a form more suitable for this world --- a staff with his doctor's pendant dangling from it's top. His grin is wild, showcasing his tendency to challenge not just the world but the gods, and everyone that crosses his path, to walk across the sea, to run across the air and FLY -- S O A R to new heights!

And he

J U M P S

suddenly landing in the middle of the air and running on the surface of the air as if it were solid, laughing hysterically and maniacally, as if this were a normal occurrence.

"Lady Luck, and her son, Fortune, favor the bold! You should learn a thing or two about that, friend!"

Weapon Waifu - Lady Luck!

Taking the Lady Luck Keyblade and turning it into a Waifu!

Heavily inspired by magicians and the Mad Hatter, along with Pandora Hearts' Alice.

I named her Lacie, much like one of the characters from Pandora Hearts!

If you want to vote on the next Character Card and Weapon Waifu, please follow me on twitter @ ClarkDesigner!