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nadziejastar · 5 years

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Saïx’s Jealousy

“Something you find amusing?”

“Oh, the things you hear from a guy with no heart,” Xigbar said through his hilarity.

None of us have hearts, Saïx was about to remind him, when Xemnas spoke again.

Totally 100% agree. KH3′s “resolution” to Axel and Saïx’s broken down friendship totally baffled me, since it didn’t even try to build off of everything we saw in all the previous games. It just tried to deflect your attention to a new mystery girl. Someone I talked to online wondered why Saïx was never truly humanized the way Axel was in Days. They said he should have been, if he and Axel were supposed to be such close and important friends, and if Isa was going to be there in the epilogue, totally welcomed by everyone.

Of course, it’s obvious if you think about it. They had to make Saïx as ruthless and irredeemable as possible to explain why Axel would betray the organization in KH2, leave his best friend behind, and spend the whole game chasing after Roxas, constantly calling him his best friend. Axel needed to experience betrayal and heartbreak from Saïx on a such massive level in order for him to side with Sora, and for him to say that Roxas was the only organization member he liked and wanted to see again, when he was dying. Without Saïx being that awful, Axel doesn’t seem like a very good friend, let alone best friend.

“Understood.”

Xemnas disappeared nearly before he heard his order acknowledged.

“Don’t let us down now, kiddo. Shouldn’t be too much trouble without a heart,” Xigbar told Saïx.

KH3 made it seem like Saïx wasn’t even Norted and that he wasn’t constantly being monitored by the Recusant’s Sigil. If his possession had no influence on his personality or behavior, how could their friendship even be repaired? How do you repair the relationship between two best friends, where one tries to kill the other, with a smile on his face...all because he was jealous that he started spending more time with two kids? Saïx even said Axel deserved what he got when he died. He said Axel got nothing and was nothing. That’s a pretty damn cold thing to say about your best friend. You need a very good excuse for that.

And Saïx did have a good excuse, in my opinion. Being possessed, the solution is very simple. Once Isa’s heart is freed from Xehanort’s clutches, Lea can instantly forgive him, since he was not in control of himself. But in KH3, Saïx and Isa are the same person. And even worse, Saïx was the same as any other Nobody and had the ability to nurture a heart the whole time---that was the biggest problem, IMO. That is reeeeeally hard to fix. KH3 had absolutely no way of doing that. They were in waaaaay over their heads and they knew it. Nothing they could have written would ever have been enough to realistically patch things up by the end of KH3. So, they didn’t even bother trying. Not even with an actual apology. They just instantly made Saïx act “normal” and he and Lea were automatically cool again because...he brought Roxas back, I guess. Ugh.

Saïx heaved an exaggerated sigh. In a way, Saïx put more effort than any of them into pretending he had a heart, Axel thought. And yet, he was more lacking than any of them.

You’re right that they both had good reasons to be hurt and upset. Axel’s is obvious. He didn’t choose to spend all of his time with Roxas and Xion because he lost interest in his relationship with Saïx. Not at all. He chose to spend so much time with them because Saïx emotionally rejected HIM. Axel desperately longed to get back the closeness they had as humans. He tried over and over to connect with Saïx, but he just never had the same capacity for human emotion that Axel did.

It was unfathomable to me that Saïx’s twisted personality was entirely attributed to simple jealousy in KH3. Was Saïx jealous? Oh yes, absolutely. I have no doubt that he was. But...it still was not really that simple. He was messed up long before he became jealous of Roxas and Xion. There was a LOT more wrong with him than just that. They never explained why he was so jealous, either. He was free to rekindle his friendship with Axel any time he wanted to, right?

Well, no. Saïx wasn’t just jealous that Axel was spending time with Roxas and Xion more than him. He didn’t seem to care that Axel befriended them or was close with either of them in the beginning. If anything, he thought it might make it easier for him to spy on Xion. It was convenient for Axel to be close to Roxas, too. Saïx wasn’t jealous...at first. But that all changed at a certain point. This was the huge secret that was supposed to make Isa redeemable. Not Subject X.

He’d never deluded himself that tracking down Riku would be easy, and neither had Saïx. It was just that if he went back and reported that he couldn’t find anything, he would have to deal with those attempts at “personality”—the sneers, the snide remarks, the only trappings of human emotion that Saïx ever showed. Not that Saïx was even capable of annoyance or disappointment, of course, what with the lack of a heart and all.

Saïx was a very complicated character and KH3 did him no justice at all. He had his own reasons for how he acted, even if his behavior was obviously not justified. This is what Axel was thinking just before he showed up on the clock tower and told Roxas about pushing the wrong buttons. Axel was always thinking about how human Roxas and Xion seemed and how inhuman Saïx always seemed compared to other Nobodies.

“You’re calling her defective just because she couldn’t beat Riku? Seems a little harsh.”

“…Is it?” Saïx retorted.

“Well, why are you—?”

Saïx promptly cut off Axel’s question. “Go to whichever world you want to try first. Just track him down, find out what he’s doing. That may give us some clues leading to the hero of light.”

Guess I won’t get any more answers today, Axel thought. But seriously, what is your problem with Xion?

Xion was hurt by Saïx calling her a failure, and wondered why it upset her so much, when she supposedly had no heart. She ran away when Roxas said they were both “special”. Xion did have a heart, which is why she got so upset. Roxas got so upset because he had a heart, too. And right around this time, Saïx also started showing more human emotion. Axel seemed confused that he was not just cold and indifferent towards Xion. No, he truly hated her.

“So, Saïx, what am I doing to—? Oh, boy. Awfully early for such a bad mood, don’t you think?” Saïx had whirled to face him with a rather pronounced scowl.

“…Nobodies do not have ‘moods’ to be ruined,” he said at length.

“Well, sure, technically…”

Of course, with no hearts, they couldn’t have moods or fits of temper. If something went frustratingly awry, their faces might reveal shadows of remembered emotion, no more. Still, for a remembered shadow, that was a mean glower on Saïx’s face.

Saïx wasn’t capable of feeling things like hatred or jealousy until that time. He was in a really bad mood when Xion failed her mission. The whole point of “The Wrong Button” was to show how special Roxas and Xion were.

Day 152: Like a Real Person

Author: Axel

Roxas and Xion must have had it out over something. Knowing them, it's something dumb, but still. Watching them, it's like they're human. It's messing with my head. I kind of wonder if Roxas understood all that about the wrong buttons. I get the sense a lot of it went right over his head.

Roxas was just like a human, worrying over hurting a girl’s feelings and getting his own feelings hurt. Axel thought they were having a typical lovers’ spat and laughed it off.

Something must have happened that Roxas didn’t understand the reason for either, thought Axel. An emotion somewhere in my memories.

“Girls are complicated, aren’t they,” muttered Axel, and Roxas looked up at him, surprised.

“How did you know I was thinking about Xion?”

“Cause you’re simple, Roxas…Well, all us Nobodies are simple, though.”

“Are humans complicated?”

He’s just like a human. Axel found this funny, and he laughed out loud.

And around this exact time, Saïx started acting jealous of Axel spending so much time with Roxas and Xion, but not him. But he still rejected all Axel’s attempts to connect with him. If Saïx had shown the tiniest bit of openness to friendship, Axel would have come running back to him with open arms.

“Well, this is a rare occasion.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you hardly ever come looking for me these days.”

“So? I’ve got something to discuss with you, for a change.”

“Is it about the failure?”

Axel shrugged. “Mind reader, are we?”

“It’s because you’re simple, see… That hasn’t changed.”

“Simple—you’re a rude bugger,” Axel replied, sitting down on a shelf right opposite Saïx.

The way the story is written in canon makes no sense. Why didn’t Saïx just spend more time with Axel? It’s not like it wasn’t obvious that Axel wanted nothing more than that. Axel was always totally open to Saïx, even when he behaved deplorably. If Saïx was so hungry for Axel’s affections, he should have been the easiest Nobody to awaken a new heart. But instead, he was the most difficult. In canon, there was no good explanation for this, so they created the stupid Subject X obsession as his motivation. The original Saïx was so much more interesting, though.

“You’re ready now—ready to take on Castle Oblivion. You will need to follow your memories. Trust what you remember and seek what you forget. Then you’ll find someone very special.”

I think he knew full well that Axel was using Roxas and Xion as a replacement for him. Saïx always wanted to feel friendship, but he rejected it because he truly was incapable of feeling it. He didn’t actually believe that Axel was capable of feeling it, either, and didn’t want to even bother pretending. Axel didn’t seem particularly bothered by this in the beginning. They were Nobodies, after all.

“But be forewarned… When your sleeping memories awaken, you may no longer be who you are now.”

He started thinking about friendship after he met Roxas and he started growing a heart after coming back from Castle Oblivion, around Day 72, appropriately named “Change”.

Those two had lobbed so many questions at him as they grew as Nobodies. Was it just their curiosity that had him thinking so much? But it hadn’t started when they joined the Organization. It was after he’d gotten to know Xion, after Castle Oblivion.

Whatever the catalyst, he had to acknowledge that something in him was different. The old Axel wouldn’t have wondered about all that. He was changing. But why? His train of thought rambled on until suddenly he felt someone else with him. Irritated, he sat up. “Ever heard of knocking? You should try it sometime.”

Saïx was standing there beside his bed. Axel decided not to look at him and focused on a random point on the wall. But Saïx made no sign of caring one way or the other. His voice was as dispassionate as ever. “Tell me what Xion has been doing.”

He encountered someone very special there: Sora, and even more importantly, the Isa from his memories. He started remembering things from his childhood and began feeling things he hadn’t felt since becoming a Nobody. From then on, he began to change and he found it a lot more difficult to be around Saïx. When he got back the second time, he had a totally new perspective on his memories of the past. Before, he said they were baggage. Then, he said they were too precious to lose.

The heart probably had secrets unknown even to DiZ. The Heartless were an embodiment of the darkness in the heart. When a Heartless was born, it created a Nobody, too—an empty physical form.

Then…a Nobody is……

Sora had to be the one who held the key. By coming into contact with him, the heart would awaken.

The fact that Nobodies like Axel were able to awaken a heart was a very big deal. The secret of the heart was absolutely crucial to the Xehanort Saga. Nobodies did have hearts.

“I think DiZ—I mean, Ansem the Wise—has some kind of plan.”

“Hey, Naminé… Is there something you haven’t told me—well, haven’t told us?” She looked at the floor.

“…I’m not sure of it yet. The secrets of the heart…aren’t something I can talk about, not yet,” she told him in a tiny voice and took another bite of ice cream.

Naminé constantly mentioned the secrets of the heart.

“This is the only time we have to talk,” she argued. “Do you think Nobodies really don’t have hearts? Who told Axel he doesn’t have one? The heart—there are secrets that—”

“Naminé!” Riku had to interrupt. Nobodies were crawling out of the corners, and one sprang straight at her.

Saïx was a special Nobody. And he also nurtured a heart, but it happened later and it was different than what happened to Axel, no doubt because Isa’s heart was captured at the time.

“I feel bad for you, too,” she told him.

“What are you talking about?” Saïx towered over Naminé.

“You haven’t even noticed yet…that you have a heart.” Several Nobodies emerged from a rift out of the corridors.

“A heart? I have a heart? No one wants your nonsense!” Saïx raised his sword over Naminé—but Riku was there with Soul Eater to intercept the blow.

“Hmph. I don’t have time for these games.” Darkness welled from a rift behind Saïx. “Run along and help your dear hero.” With that, he disappeared.

“Are you all right?” Riku helped Naminé to her feet.

“Now I understand…,” she murmured.

“Naminé…? You understand what?”

She was silent for a moment and quietly shook her head as she stood. “It’s nothing. We have to find Kairi.”

Naminé also sensed that something was unusual about Saïx’s heart.

The shards of what stays with us, those fragments of memory—they won’t disappear. Even if the chains linking them together are broken, the memories don’t die.

I knew that I had the power to line them back up, the pieces of memories scattered in the depths of the heart, so how… How could I have forgotten something so important?

I understood that. I just couldn’t remember. It’s because I didn’t want to remember. I didn’t want to discover the secrets of the heart. I didn’t want…to unravel the mysteries of what a Nobody is.

“I always thought…that Nobodies were doomed to fade back into darkness,” Naminé murmured as her gaze dropped.

The secret of the heart was connected to Ansem the Wise’s research results that he put inside of Sora and also the heart’s connection to memory. Key memories never disappear, and they are able to awaken one’s heart.

“Naminé, Roxas, and Xemnas… The Nobodies of those with strong hearts are peculiar beings. My—that is, our theories proved fruitless. Coming into contact with a strong heart transforms a world. And not just worlds, but people themselves—and even Nobodies.”

Naminé, head lowered and hand extended with the ice cream for Riku, perked up upon hearing those words.

That’s it… Yes. The mystery of the heart. When we encounter someone special…the world changes. Our hearts change. Everything changes.

As a memory witch, Naminé was able to understand this secret better than anyone else. Saïx’s heart began to stir starting around Day 117, appropriately named “Secrets”. It was all about special Nobodies, who remember their past. They were born of people with strong hearts, just like Ansem said.

The way she moves, you wouldn’t even think she’d ever forgotten how to use that thing for even a moment. She’s almost as—no, she’d probably be even stronger than Roxas.

In any case, I don’t really get why I had to go on a mission with her right at this time. There are certainly a fair few Heartless, but with the force Xion has now, I think she could fight just fine without my help.

“These Heartless here are the last, I think.”

“Xion, fight fight fight~” Axel clapped, as she turned around.

“What are you doing?”

“What am I doing… I’m praising you, you know.”

“You’re weird,” said Xion, laughing. Just then, Axel suddenly felt like Xion’s face had blurred, and he rubbed his eyes.

“Is something wrong, Axel?”

“Nah…” For a second, the Xion I saw there had the face of… Naminé.

During the mission that day, Axel was praising Xion playfully, then suddenly he saw her as Naminé. I think the organization could monitor the memories that Xion absorbed. And they knew Naminé was involved with Xion. When Xion ran away, Xemnas asked Saïx where Naminé was and he was confused. That’s when Xigbar realized he couldn’t see Xion. She probably looked like Naminé to Xigbar and Xemnas at one point.

The Replica’s memories were being rewritten, just like Sora’s. Watching the puppet asleep in the flower-bud pod, Axel murmured to the girl beside him. “That’s an incredible power you have, Naminé.”

“But…the only thing I can really do is string together bits of memory in different ways,” she said. “I can’t put in pieces that were never there to start with.”

“Doesn’t that mean that as long as you’ve got the data, you can pull it off?” Axel wondered. The Organization already had the technology to convert memories to data.

“But I need something to hold it,” said Naminé. “Like a container.”

“A container, huh…?” So in this case, Axel thought, the Replica was the container.

“And besides,” she went on, “Nobodies like you are at the mercy of their memories. It might awaken something similar in the Replica.”

“What do you mean?”

“A heart—” Naminé began to say something more, but at that moment, Vexen burst into the room.

Naminé almost told Axel the secret of the heart in Castle Oblivion. That might be why he saw Naminé when he looked at Xion that day.

Xigbar, standing and watching their exchange with his arms folded, opened his mouth. “You’ve been working really well lately haven’t you, Poppet.”

“…Thank you,” Xion replied in a small voice.

“Thank you? Why do you have to say thanks?

“Well, you were praising me, weren’t you? Was I wrong?”

“Haha… Yeah, I guess you could see it like that.” He pressed his hand to his mouth and snickered.

“Did I say something funny?”

“No, no. You’re fine.”

Xion looked up at Xigbar, anxiously. Beside them, Saïx didn’t show any notable reaction. He just watched.

In the game, Saïx started hating Xion after she failed her mission to capture Riku on Day 149. But in the novel, we see it actually started earlier than that. He started hating her after Xigbar started teasing him on Day 119. This scene implies that Xigbar was able to observe the memory that Xion absorbed from Axel while fighting alongside him.

“Did I miss something?” Axel wondered.

“Xion has collapsed again.”

Now Axel frowned. He sure had missed something. “Did she get hurt or what?”

“No,” Saïx replied, any hint of expression vanishing from his face. “It’s just that the failure was functioning better than expected until recently.”

“‘The failure’? Is that what we’re calling her now?”

It was apparently a very special memory to Axel and it started to have an effect on Isa’s heart as well. This is probably why Saïx seemed to hate Xion way more than Roxas. Of course, he hated Roxas later, in KH2. But in Days, he hated Xion more because Axel remembered a special moment between Lea and Isa while fighting with her. In the past, Lea must have praised Isa, who was fighting better than expected. I think it was before Isa tried to give Lea a day off to relax and sleep. Isa was confident, but he failed. Saïx rubbed Xion’s failure in her face so badly because he was jealous of Axel praising her. That was something special between him and Lea. He hated Xion being included.

Roxas: But I've heard him say he wasn't cut out for combat. I guess everybody in the Organization is good at different things.

Axel: That's right. Everybody's unique.

Xion: Even Nobodies? Don't you need a heart to be unique?

Axel: Oh, I think we have other things that set us apart. Like our pasts.

Xion: What past?

Roxas: You remember stuff from before?

Axel: That's one of the things that makes the Organization members special. Unlike lesser Nobodies, we remember who we were.

He might have also been upset that Xion was “working really well” lately and being specifically praised for her ability to fight. Maybe he thought Axel valued her more as a friend because she was more “useful” than Isa was. That was probably a huge insecurity Isa had. So, Saïx took extra special pleasure in berating her for her failure. It wasn’t right for him to act like this, but I can totally understand why he did. Especially since he knew Xion wasn’t human.

Xaldin: Trust no one. Feed your anger! Only anger will keep you strong.

Beast: I've had enough of strength. There's only one thing I want---

Xaldin: What? To love, and be loved in return? Who could ever love a beast?

Day 119 was also the day Xaldin went with Roxas to find the Beast’s weakness, which would make his heart a captive. Eventually Xaldin used the Beast’s love for Belle as his weakness. He convinced the Beast that he couldn’t trust her and that no one would ever love him. He’d isolate himself and fall to darkness. And I think he and Xigbar did the same thing to Saïx. They exploited his insecurities and probably convinced him that Axel was trying to replace him, since he did the “fight fight fight” thing with Xion. So, he felt very jealous and it caused him to push Axel away.

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

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

Roxas: Nobodies can't love?

Axel: You need a heart, man.

It wasn’t true or anything. Axel still did care a lot about Isa and had no idea what was going on. He did similar things with Roxas and Xion that he did with Isa because he was so lonely. He felt like Saïx didn’t care about him. But he always had Isa in the back of his mind. That’s why he started to nurture a heart in the first place.

“Axel this, Axel that… Sounds like you’re thick as thieves.” Xigbar restlessly jiggled his crossed legs. “Makes me wonder what you two are up to.”

“I might wonder the same about you,” Saïx retorted, and the tension was so thick it was hard to breathe.

“We have but one objective,” said Xemnas. “Be sure to keep that in mind.”

Saïx looked up at him.

There’s also the fact that Xigbar and Xaldin appeared to be manipulating Saïx to think that Axel was plotting behind his back. That’s a big reason their friendship fell apart so badly. Saïx was cold and dispassionate, but he still felt very loyal to Axel and trusted him. Xigbar and Xaldin tried to destroy that trust.

“Did you take care of Axel?” Xigbar asked.

“Most likely,” Saïx replied. Technically, he hadn’t seen Axel’s end. But it was hard to imagine that he had survived.

“Are you certain he’s gone?” Xaldin demanded. “He’ll be back to cause more trouble if you didn’t eliminate him.”

Xemnas put a stop to the interrogation. “Leave Axel for the time being.”

Saïx was reluctant to eliminate Axel. He really didn’t want to do it. But he was convinced that Axel betrayed him, and he was furious and jealous and hurt.

Xigbar turned to the other remaining member. “What’s happening with Axel?”

“I can’t find him,” Saïx replied, his scarred brow darkening with a frown.

“Were you looking?”

Once Axel started nurturing a new heart into existence, I think Xigbar was afraid that the same thing might happen to Saïx. He was probably jealous himself, too. He was uncomfortable with how close Saïx and Axel were and concocted a scheme with Xaldin to drive them apart. This is also a reason why I think Xemnas finally decided it was best to eliminate Axel in KH2. Now that he had a heart---a very strong one, at that---he had the potential to awaken Isa’s heart. That’s not good for a vessel. He was no longer working in the organization’s best interests.

Roxas closed his eyes for a moment, as if he had to say something terribly important, and took a breath that he let out in a sigh. “Saïx called her ‘defective.’”

Axel sighed, too. He had his doubts that Saïx realized just how special Roxas and Xion were. How they seemed to process things with an emotional quality that none of the other Nobodies had. Speak in those cold, dispassionate terms to one of them, and it would provoke the opposite reaction—just as if they had hearts.

But whether they were unknowingly reliving emotions from when they were human, or whether it was something unique to them, Axel couldn’t have said. Roxas was the Nobody of the hero of light, while Xion (he suspected) had something to do with the same person. Maybe that made them more special than even he knew.

Saïx didn’t understand that. Despite the lack of a heart, he could imagine what it was like to have emotional responses based on what he remembered from his human life. And he must be able to remember how much trouble it was.

Lea made the promise to Isa to always bring him back. That’s why it was always so important to Axel that Saïx trusted him. That promise meant a lot to Lea. Saïx was genuinely hurt when he thought Axel chose Roxas over him and abandoned him in the organization. Axel really did try his hardest to eliminate Roxas for Saïx’s sake, but he just couldn’t do it.

It was wrong and not what the real Isa would have wanted. Saïx thought Axel simply ditched him in favor of his new best friend. It confirmed what he already believed. That he’d never be able to experience genuine friendship or love ever again. He hated Axel and wanted him dead for that. It wasn’t for betraying the organization or Subject X. It was for leaving him after promising him that he’d always be there to bring him back.

All of it disgusted him. Saïx looked up at the skyscrapers, tracking Axel’s presence. He wanted a heart more than anything. But what could he do to get one? Here he was, yearning for a heart so badly, while Axel had managed to gain one without doing anything at all.

The blue-haired man had been the very first to join the organization after the founding members. He should have been special. The way number 13—Roxas, wielder of the Keyblade—was special. Axel was not. And yet…

He remembered what the witch Naminé had said. Axel seemed lonely. The man himself had denied it, but she was absolutely right. Axel was lonely. He’d lost Roxas. Lonely. Didn’t that mean he had a heart?

How had he gained one? Why only him? Was it an effect of his contact with the boy, or was there something else at work? He had no idea…

What made Saïx truly enraged was when he overheard Naminé say that Axel was lonely. He grew a heart, then discarded him for Roxas. He thought that he was unworthy of Axel’s friendship since Roxas had a heart and he didn’t. Roxas was more special than he was. And that was the root of his jealousy. He wanted to be special to Axel, but thought that he wasn’t anymore and never could be again.

“Love is what happens when there’s something really special between people.”

“More special than friends? Like…if they’re best friends? Inseparable?”

“Well, you can care about your friends, but that’s not exactly it…” Axel paused, groping for words that might make sense to Roxas.

When Axel left, it devastated him and that’s why hated Roxas and wanted to kill Axel. But unlike characters like Xigbar or Xaldin, Saïx always wanted to feel friendship and love, and Axel knew that. Saïx was definitely not in his right mind at any point in KH2. Axel wasn’t, either. He kidnapped Kairi because he was so unstable. Both of them wanted nothing more than to be loved by the other. This is no doubt why Lea had such an easy time going after Isa in KH3D and forgiving him. I was very put off by how KH3 made Saïx seem so casual and “normal”. IMO, it was easier to forgive him when he was acting deranged.

Vanitas: The X-blade is made of your heart, too, idiot. If you destroy it, your heart will vanish forever.

Ven: Whatever it takes. Anything to save Terra and Aqua.

Vanitas: Hmph, it's always about your friends, isn't it?

Ven: At least I have some! I've become a part of their heart, just as they've become a part of mine. My friends are my power...and I'm theirs!

Sora did feel sadness when he was saying goodbye to Hayner, Pence, and Olette. He was sad when Axel died, too. But Ventus’s heart still did not awaken at either of those times. He needed to relive the moment Aqua was about to be killed in the Keyblade Graveyard by Vanitas. That was when he was willing to sacrifice himself. He said his friends were his power. This was the event that led Ven to willingly shatter his own heart in BBS. It was his most selfless act, when his heart was at its most powerful, filled with love for his friends. That was the only event to cause powerful enough tremors to wake Ventus up.

Luxord: Perhaps he was ready for it. Perhaps he put his existence on the line and won what he'd been longing for.

Saïx: That's absurd. He won nothing and is nothing. He couldn't stand the emptiness of being without a heart, and that led to his demise. He was foolish and weak.

Xemnas: But...Weakness has the power to awaken that which is dormant. It is clear that through his actions, however foolish they may have been, Axel has touched Sora's heart. Perhaps HE will soon awaken.

Isa’s heart was asleep just as much as Ventus’s was. Because of that, Saïx felt stirrings of emotion like rage and jealousy. But his heart still was not truly awake, either. I think Isa’s heart would have been stirred into action to rescue Lea from Xemnas during his final battle. But I don’t think his heart would be fully awakened until Lea used the power of waking on him. I didn’t like how KH3 made it seem like Saïx was a typical Nobody who made a choice to reject his friendship with Axel. No, it was much more complicated than that.

#kh saix #kh isa #kh axel #kh lea #leaisa #akusai #kh3 ending #kh3 #kingdom hearts

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ravenaveira · 4 years

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Just wanna clarify a few things after my long review/rant at the end for KH3 Re:Mind

My comments about the Sokai stuff I stand by, but I wanna be clear because I see Sokai shippers claiming antis complained about the lack of Sokai for it to be a believable relationship and now that Sokai has more moments we’re complaining about them shoving Sokai down our throats.

I cant speak for all antis on this, so I’ll be strictly speaking for myself on this issue and anyone else who feels similar to me. Warning it gets long again so be ready.

Yes Im one of those antis who complained about the lack of Sokai which made it underdeveloped and unbelievable, and yes I am also complaining about them now shoving Sokai down our throats.

Why? because Kingdom hearts is not a romance, and throughout every single game so far romance has taken a severe back seat and handled very subtely. For example Sora’s drawing in the cave of him giving Kairi the Paopu fruit, Riku teasing him about wanting to give one to Kairi, Sora saying hes always with her and promising to come back for her, Roxas calling Kairi ‘the girl he likes’ etc

All these moments were very short, subtle, and to the point. It was not a primary focus nor was it blatantly shoved in your face like

youtube

I mean in almost EVERY shot they were together Sora was holding her hand, which isnt something he usually does? keep in mind Sora and Kairi’s feelings have been known to eachother since KH2 and Sora still didnt behave the way he is now. He was always very awkward and uncomfortable/shy when it came to romance.

In KH2 Sora didnt hug Kairi, nor did he hold her hand, it was KAIRI who initiated the hug out of relief and happiness to see Sora again and that hes ok. Sora did not show the same sentiment and treated her like he always has, just casually walking up to her and just nonchalantly saying ‘You are different Kairi, but Im just glad your here’ as if she wasnt kidnapped and being held hostage this entire time. He should have showed the same concern for her as he did for Riku and Kairi for him but he did not, he just said that and then turned away and apologized.

But in KH3 Sora/Nomura pull a complete 180, Sora hugs Kairi to shield her from Terranort with his body instead of pulling out his keyblade and blocking his attack. Him hugging Kairi there was not only stupid, but it doesnt even defend her, Terranort will just kill Kairi AND him now. That was just a forced out of place Sokai moment for the sake of shoving a Sokai moment that was completely unnessecary and could of easily had the same impact by having Sora do the common sense thing and BLOCK with his keyblade like he did for Riku when they were in THE EXACT SAME SITUATION.

See the difference? good, then I need say no more.

This is only one of many situations where they would shoehorn in a Sokai moment that was completely out of place, didnt make any sense, or just forced in trying way too hard to convince you how much Sora cares for Kairi and how much they love and want to be together forever etc etc

Another example being when everybody ‘dies’ in the keyblade graveyard being swept away by heartless. Sora only loses his mind and breaks down emotionally after Kairi is the last one swept away, he then says the most inconsiderate line he could have ever said.

He says this while RIKU IS RIGHT THERE BESIDE HIM, even if you were arguing he was just speaking figuratively thats still no excuse, he was NOT alone but at that moment he just completely disregarded Riku as if his presence there was the same as being alone.

Not only that but seconds later he does one of the most out of character things for him.

Sora just WATCHES Riku risk his life holding back the heartless to protect him and Sora just WATCHES him fighting off this huge horde of heartless BY HIMSELF and not ONCE does Sora make ANY attempt to get up and help Riku despite knowing his life is at risk trying to hold them back alone.

Even if you wanna argue Sora was in shock, when has that ever stopped him before!? when have you EVER known Sora to just sit back and watch his friends put their lives in danger and NOT help them?

What makes this worse is thats not even the first time he does it, he sits back and watches AGAIN as Axel gets bodied right infront of him just to have him exhausted next to Kairi because you know, Sora’s never fought strong opponents and gotten right back up to protect his friends before.

Remember Terranort? Sora was overpowered by him and still made the effort to run over and hug Kairi to shield her from his attack, but Axel and Riku? nah just gonna chill and watch. This is BEYOND out of character for Sora.

When Axel told Sora to hurry and save Kairi, who was being held hostage by the organization and was in danger, Sora refused to leave him and stayed behind to help him fight. Sora chose helping Axel over Kairi, he put saving his enemy before his own friend/love interest.

When Neku betrayed him, Sora still helped and protected him when he was in danger

When Riku stole his keyblade and Donald and Goofy followed him and left Sora behind, yes Sora was discouraged but when he saw Beasts determination to save Belle no matter what, it encouraged Sora to do the same for the people he cared about

I could go on but you get my point, Sora saw Riku risking his life, literally dying and he did NOTHING, try to justify that all you want but that was incredibly out of character and was obviously put there to show how losing Kairi broke him.

I know your probably gonna argue it wasnt just Kairi it was everybody, and to that I say this, if it wasnt just about Kairi why didnt Sora snap when Ven and Axel got bodied? he froze for a few seconds but then snapped out of it thanks to Riku. After that everybody gets swept away, but the game made sure to put EXTRA emphasis, slow motion and all, to Kairi and Sora reaching out to eachother and then Kairi being swept away by the tide.

THATS when he snaps, if it truly werent just about Kairi they wouldnt have made sure to put emphasis on her being swept away, EVERYONE would have gotten the same treatment if it were truly their deaths also that made Sora fall apart. Im not saying he wasnt upset or heartbroken over them, Im pointing out how they made sure to single out Kairi as the most DEVASTATING loss out of all of them.

Yet again, he has Riku one of his closest bonds if not the closest right beside him yet he doesnt even acknowledge him? he says hes alone even though Rikus right there? you cannot justify that as anything other than downplaying Riku to boost Kairi up.

You do not see the other trios treated this way, every trio has equal focus for ALL of them and even the romantic hints for some of them [Roxas/Xion, Terra/Aqua, technically Namine/Repliku] have all been treated equally and did not feel forced or out of place but very natural and they still made sure to focus on the friendship bond between them overall.

Axel doesnt get played down in importance to Roxas just to boost Xion up, their friendship and bond with eachother are equally important to one another despite whatever ‘romance’ there might be. Same applies to Terra and Aqua, Ven is not played down in importance to them. As for Namine and Repliku they arent a trio but their romance was still handled well and it didnt overshadow their platonic bond or attempt to play down the real Riku or vice versa to boost the other, Namine was equally important to both of them.

So balancing romance and friendship CAN be done in their trio, but for some reason Nomura insists on pitting one against the other and playing down one over the other, in Sokai’s case thats Riku, which is an insult to his and Sora’s bond. The same way Sokai shippers felt the over-focus on Sorikus bond was a disservice to Sora and Kairi’s bond, its the same issue.

But lets get back to Re:mind because besides a few bad moments, overall KH3 was atleast passable with the Sokai nonsense. Then comes Re:Mind and oh boy...the damage control was strong in this one.

Again as I said earlier the Sokai moments in this game were very forced and out of place and in many ways out of character for Sora.

For starters the excessive hand holding, why? to convince us their a thing? but Sora suggests otherwise

Even after all the excessive hand holding, the hugs, the forced moments etc, in the end Sora still calls Kairi a friend. After aaaaall the forced Sokai bs they shoved down our throats Sora still friendzones her, which is it Nomura? you either want them together or you dont, stop playing games and pick a side already.

Dont get me wrong Im glad he hasnt made it official yet but after all this its like enough is enough, either follow through or cut this shit out and go back to being subtle like before.

Another huge insult was Sora constantly saying how his journey started with Kairi, since when? I remember Sora losing Kairi AND Riku that day not just her. I recall Sora not going back to Destiny Islands with Kairi BECAUSE he wanted to continue his journey to find Riku, but apparently in Re:mind it was just all about Kairi, nothing about his journey involved Riku no it was only Kairi that was his main motivation, gtf outta here man.

You can say something over and over but that doesnt make it true, Sora’s journey started with BOTH of them, lets stop playing down Riku’s importance to once again boost Kairi up.

That hug when Sora finally reunited with Kairi after restoring her was so obviously trying to make up for all the years of people complaining about Sora’s lack of reaction to Kairi in KH2 in comparison to Riku, so having him hold her for several seconds floating in the sky should rectify that right? you believe he cares about her now right? fuck off man. If your gonna do damage control than atleast dont make it so obvious that thats what your doing because then it comes off disingenuous, forced, and fake.

But my biggest issue is the ending where they really shoehorned Sokai where it didnt belong, literally stalking everyone else with the exception of returning Namines heart and Sora helping to reunite Chirithy with Ventus. But in Twilight town, why were Sora and Kairi there? they werent with Roxas but just sitting above them

Why were they at Mickeys castle? again their just in the background sight seeing.

These scenes were completely unnessecary and completely out of place and made the ending WORSE rather than better. Why? because these are Sora’s final hours ALIVE whether you argue only for a day or a couple days, in all of these ending scenes only one thing matters to Sora and thats Kairi.

Before we assumed everything that was shown all happened the same exact day and we didnt see Sora with any of them. But now we have confirmation Sora WAS there yet he only spent his last remaining time with Kairi in the background while quietly stalking everyone else? even if he didnt spend time with anyone else, he should have spent his last remaining time with Kairi AND Riku, after all hes his best friend and would like to spend what little time he may have with Sora too but we dont see any of that. Hell this contradicts Soras own danm words to Chirithy prior to this.

Instead of just shoehorning a bunch of Sokai in the background why not show the three of them FINALLY all together again like the old days? this is wtf Im talking about. We saw ALL the other trios together but the Destiny trio? hell naw fuck Riku lets have Sora spend all his remaining time with Kairi, thats the only one who REALLY matters here. After being separated from eachother constantly, now they finally have the chance to be together again and spend time together as friends and they DONT.

Instead Sora decides to take Kairi around the worlds hes visited, something he said he wanted to do with Riku as well, and just spend all his remaining time with her, even though in the base game before the final battle Sora was concerned why Riku was all alone and not spending time with them together. But here? nah fuck Riku. I remembered how important it is to share moments with friends only applied to Kairi.

So personally idc that theres more Sokai moments, my problem is the execution. It doesnt feel genuine, it feels forced and awkward and just doing damage control to pander to the rabid fanbase thats been screaming for this type of content for years, well congrats, you got it.

My problem is Kingdom Hearts was never about romance, it was always subtle and not shoved in your face, it felt natural and not forced and like there was atleast SOME heart behind it, but this? just felt hollow and forced.

Just stop, Im glad in the end Kairi just sleeps for a whole year and probably still will be sleeping when the next game comes out and the focus will shift to Riku and his search for Sora along with the other keyblade wielders doing their part as well.

So Im thankful it seems like we’re done with this crap and getting back to what ACTUALLY matters and what people really wanna see from this series.

Notice how nothing in either of my posts had to do with Soriku as a couple but about their bond as friends, enough said.

So dont try to twist this into just being about pairings because its not, its about what this series has always been about being forgotten for the sake of a fucking trash ship that nobody cares about besides rabid shippers and Sora’s bonds with his other friends being completely thrown out the fucking window to shorehorn in a bunch of unnessecary Sokai moments as a desperate attempt to convince people that these two love eachother which at this point if you have to try so hard to CONVINCE people of your pairing its obvious your doing a very shitty job at it.

Im done, this is my last long post about this for a while but I really needed to get that all out there since nobody else seems to be calling it out for what it is. My anger and frustration is still very fresh and it shows so I really need to stop talking about it because at this point? Re:Mind just ReMinded me why the Destiny trio is the worst out of them all, it is the most unbalanced and quite frankly feels more like Riku is a third wheel at this point and not even a part of the trio anymore. Before Kairi, it was always Sora and RIku yet hes the one whos being pushed aside and forgotten about in all this. That pisses me off.

So Im done with this topic, I need to cool off for the next couple of years till the next game comes out where hopefully Kairi stays asleep the entire time and NOT ruin another game.

#kh3 remind spoilers #kh3 #kingdom hearts 3 #anti-sokai #anti-kairi #FDB-kairi

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bluerosesburnblue · 5 years

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As frustrating as Sora's treatment can be by Yensid and the others (except Kairi, Donald and Goofy. And Namine too I think). I also kind of like that part of Sora's character journey (so long as it keeps getting payoff). A lot of fans always talks about Roxas or Riku are the most relatable. But for me personally I find Sora to be incredibly human and relatable. I remember talking to someone about how sad I was for Sora in the KH3 ending. But they insisted it had to be done because Sora was the -

only main character who’s never suffered so he had to get a bad end. I disagreed but didn’t pursue it since that seems to be a common view of his character. He’s not tragic enough therefore not as good. I’m not claiming Sora is the most tragic (though who knows the future. Nomura is sadistic) character. But he knows sadness. He lost his home and friends. He’s been abandoned by those he counted on most. He’s been betrayed and had to fight his best friend. Called worthless and belittled by most-

lost and scared in new places. Facing dark evil to the point he’s sad he’s not as innocent as he used to be. Resented for things he has no control over. Torn apart. Ect I’m not even counting everything. I remember playing KH1 when I was little and going through stressful times at school. Sora wasn’t the smartest or strongest like Riku. But the 2 of us tried to stay positive and focus on what really mattered to get us through the hard times because it needed to be done. I think we’ve all-

know what it’s like to be overlooked in favor of someone who everyone thinks is better then you. To be taken for granted. To have people ignore you just because you dare be yourself (different). Sora has gone through a lot of trials he hardly gets credit for from both fans and characters (it kind of bugged me when Mickey decided to fight Xehanort he only called Aqua and Riku to help. I guess its Masters only). Lots of people know Sora is special and are grateful for his caring empathetic -

presence in their lives. But it’s a lot of them are inconsistent how valuable they see Sora’s ultimate strengths and the accomplished they achieved alone. I see that. I see a lot of Sora s who are happy kind people who struggle through things and don’t let themselves change for the worst. That’s why I don’t see Sora as some Mary Sue figure he gets labelled as. Sora uses the pain he’s endured to reach out and struggle together WITH others until they’re better. I love to Sora get recognized-

and every time he does and wait for the day he gets the acknowledgement of how awesome he is. Sora doesn’t succeed because he’s perfect. He succeeds because he surrounds himself w/friends who help him and he follows his heart over any kind of ego based title or old master. That’s why I hope future installments take advantage of Sora’s dissapearence. Have the characters try to find the right way w/Sora gone when things get dark (or too bright. Foretellers are light based fanatics).

Hey, up until KH3, I was one of those fans who preferred Roxas and Riku (you can probably blame that on being an introvert and having Days as my first game). But KH3′s given me a new perspective on Sora and I really appreciate him now. He’s a good kid who always tries his best and that’s really what we should all strive for

I’m honestly surprised that there’s this idea that Sora’s never had to deal with self-doubt on the same level as Riku and Roxas. He has; he’s just better at hiding it behind a smile. Riku’s was self-doubt born of his own great fall after cockiness, Roxas’s was due to being a manipulated pawn for the vast majority of his life while conscripted into a gang that lied constantly, Sora’s is born from the overwhelming pressure and expectations others put on him in part due to the fact that for the longest time he was the only one who could fulfill them

Sora’s “never suffered?” Sora’s suffered a lot and I always recognized that. Sora had the unique role of being “the only active Keyblade Wielder, who’s also never had formal training and is running on hearsay and willpower.” He’s had to pave the road in the present without even being able to see the road behind him. That suuuuuuuuuucks. And to do it all while your two closest friends are missing? Yeah, he had Donald and Goofy but they barely knew what the hell was going on and Donald didn’t even care about helping him at first!

Literally all this boy wants to do is go home with his friends. He is never allowed that simple pleasure because he just happened to get a giant key by accident

And, like you said, suddenly as more and more Keyblade Wielders are added to the mix, many of which are part of the old tradition, the more Sora is put down. Him managing to do everything he’s done with minimal guidance is incredible, but it wasn’t “right” so no one in the old order cares. He’s like that kid who got every answer right on a math test but because he didn’t do his work the “normal” way, then he gets half credit for everything (this is from experience because I have a friend who did that in high school)

It’s a situation where if you haven’t been in it before, you will at some point. Desperately trying to get recognition, being overlooked for whatever reason despite doing great things and knowing you are. Ironically enough, his earlier struggles have gotten more relatable and also respectable for me as I’ve gotten older. And now that I can see his arc in full, I agree that Sora has some of the most universally relatable struggles among the cast. Maybe that was intentional. Maybe it’s just my changing life experiences. Who knows. We should all try to be a little more like Sora, regardless. Continue to strive for good things even if all of the adults are being massive idiots and telling you you can’t possibly succeed

#anon asks #liz answers

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disneydreamlights · 5 years

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Oath

FFN | AO3

Summary: Nobody's seen Sora since the battle against Xehanort. A cloaked figure who approaches Kairi may have the answer.

A/N: Written for the Two Sides Fanzine ( @twosidesfanzine) The project was a lot of fun and I’m glad I got to be one of the contributors! Thanks so much for having me guys! [Ignores KH3]

Kairi frowned as she pulled out her Gummi Phone from her pocket. Five missed calls from Riku could’ve meant big news, and she’d missed it all for the sake of searching Arendelle over again. Then again, she had been a bit more focused on her search than normal. But the fact that they had checked almost every world and still no signs was starting to get to her.

“Good, you’re alright.” Riku’s voice from the phone was a welcome sound. “When you didn't pick up I was starting to get worried.”

“Hey Riku.” Kairi gave him a smile, though it was clear to both her and him that it was a hollow one. “I just finished giving Elsa’s ice castle another look. Any luck in Olympus?”

Riku shook his head. “Herc hasn’t heard anything from Sora in months, and Roxas didn't have any better luck in Twilight Town.” Kairi hadn’t expected anything less. After Sora sacrificed himself in the Keyblade Graveyard to save Roxas, nobody had heard from him. It was true, that Xehanort and his thirteen darknesses had fallen silent at the same time, but the absence of the normally cheerful boy was uncomfortable. She missed him. “Kairi, what if we don’t find Sora--”

“We will find Sora.” She put her hand on her heart. Even with him gone, she could still feel that he was around, somewhere. “He’s not gone, you just have to trust me, and believe in him”

“I do trust you, Kairi, and I don’t want to believe Sora’s gone anymore than you do. We’re just running out of places to look.” Riku had a point, but Kairi refused to believe it. Sora never stopped looking for them on his adventures, and she would never stop looking for him either. “I’ll check back after I visit Halloweentown. Roxas called about the Heartless being especially worse than normal there, and he and Naminé are having issues.”

“I’ll be in Radiant Garden.” Kairi hung up the Gummi Phone and threw it back in her pocket. While she considered Destiny Islands to be her home, a visit with Leon and the rest of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee never failed to cheer her up. She pressed the button on the hood of her dress, summoning her Keyblade Armor, and it wasn’t long before she traveled through the Lanes Between, watching the inky blackness of space fly by as she arrived in the bright world of Radiant Garden.

Landing in the center of town, Kairi left her armor and stretched, looking around. If she was remembering correctly, Cid’s house wasn’t far from here, and he could easily let the others know she was here. She started in the right direction, but after a few moments, she stopped. Something felt...wrong here. Admittedly, her ability to sense darkness wasn’t the best it could’ve been, her Princess of Heart powers did precious little in helping her find it, but when it was this strong, even she could tell that something was up. She summoned her Keyblade to her hand, looking for anything out of the ordinary in the area.

“About time you showed up princess, I was getting tired of waiting.” Kairi jumped at the sound of the voice behind her and turned around, ready to slash at whoever it was that stood there. Unsurprisingly, the voice belonged to a black cloaked figure. After months of being quiet, it appeared that Xehanort had finally started to resume his plan.

“You aren’t welcome here.” Kairi crouched down, gripping the Keyblade tightly as she emulated Sora’s fighting stance. “Go tell Xehanort that whatever he’s planning, he won’t take this world again.”

“Actually, I’m not here for this world.” The figure waved his hand, and something about his voice brought about a vague sense of familiarity. “I’m here for one reason alone, you.”

“I’m not coming with you.” Kairi kept calm. This was what her days training with Lea and Merlin had led up to. She wasn’t going to panic at the first time there was truly a test of her training.

The figure laughed. It was humorless and cold, and sent shivers crawling down her spine, but she stood her ground. “That’s funny, and here I thought I was doing you a favor. Are you saying you don’t want to know what happened to Sora?”

At the mention of Sora’s name, after waiting for so long, Kairi’s blood ran cold. “What do you know about Sora? You know where he is?”

“Come with me, and you’ll find out.” The figure extended his hand to her. She knew it was a stupid risk, an unnecessary risk. But after searching for so long, the risk was worth taking. She was so desperate for answers, and here this boy was providing her with them. She tentatively reached out for his hand. The moment she touched his, he gripped her hand, almost too tightly, and with his free hand summoned a corridor of darkness. “This way.”

He ran through the corridor, and she half stumbled after him, attempting to keep up. The darkness in the corridor was overwhelming and consuming, but Kairi kept moving forward. Wherever they were going, it was important. Up until she saw the destination.

Kairi felt her heart rate increase as she realized exactly where he was leading them, the dry, deserted battlefield what was the Keyblade Graveyard. “Hey, stop! I didn't agree to come here.” She attempted to yank her hand free, but his grip remained tight.

“Sorry princess, but you agreed to come with me.” The cloaked figure’s voice held some amusement within, as though he found the fact that she so easily let herself be taken amusing. “Although, I suppose since I did promise you you’d learn about your boyfriend’s fate, it’s only fair I tell you.” While he still didn't let go of her hand, he used his free hand to push back on his hood, and Kairi could only stare as she saw spiky brown hair paired with glowing gold eyes. “What’s the matter, Kairi? Not happy to see me? I thought you were looking all over for me.” Of all the outcomes she had imagined for Sora’s fate, this had been the one furthest from her mind. The one she had refused to think about. She’d imagined countless scenarios where they’d reunite, and she’d see his blue eyes, and they’d laugh and smile, maybe even kiss. But everytime she even considered this a possibility, she’d refused to acknowledge it.

“This can’t be! You’re not Sora, you’re one of Xehanort’s replicas.” That had to be it. Like the dark Riku she had fought forever ago in San Fransokyo wasn’t Riku, this wasn’t Sora. There was no way it was.

The boy in front of her shook his head, almost as though he were disappointed in her denial. “Of course you wouldn’t believe me, but like it or not Kairi, the truth is like everyone else, I’m half Xehanort.”

Deep in her heart, she could feel that his words were true, even if he she didn't want to acknowledge them. Her heart was connected to Sora’s even now, and she could feel it reaching out to him, even with his light buried under dark shackles. “If you’re half Xehanort, then that means you’re half Sora too. I know you’re in there.” Ceasing her attempts to pull away, Kairi took the hand he didn't hold to reach into her pocket. Though Sora had disappeared, he had left one thing behind in the Keyblade Graveyard, her lucky charm. She held the small star in her hand, watching him. “Remember this?”

She felt the grip on her wrist loosen slightly, but she made no move to get away. If the sight of the charm had broken through the darkness even just a bit, she didn't want to jeopardize that by running away. “It’s your lucky charm?” Though Sora’s voice mostly held confusion, as though he didn't quite understand what she was doing, Kairi thought she caught a hint of care in there, exactly what she was looking for.

“Not my lucky charm. Yours.” She pulled her hand away, but grabbed his moments later, placing the charm in them like she had in Traverse Town all those years ago. “Please Sora, come back to me.” Not being around him when he was saving the world was bad enough, but she’d known he was safe. These past few months without him had been a living nightmare, one she didn't want to live again.

For a moment, Sora didn't react. He seemed to simply stand there, his eyes closed as he seemed to take in what she said, and Kairi felt tears prick in her eyes. Unlike Riku, she didn't have the power of waking. If this didn't break through to him, then nothing she did would. But after another moment, she felt a hand wipe her eyes. “Hey, Kairi, it’s okay. Don’t cry.” And she looked up and smiled.

Sora’s eyes were now blue.

#Kingdom Hearts #Sora #Kairi #SoKai #twosidesfanzine #Yes I purposefully waited until I knew for sure some copies had made it before I published nobody judge #Heather Writes

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asiryn · 5 years

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alright.........i finished kh3. so here’s some Thoughts. still gonna put behind a cut, and obvs there will be spoilers there.

so, to try to maintain some coherency, i’m gonna split this up into Good and Bad sections. we’ll start with the Bad, so i can let the salt out, and this post can end on a positive note. XD

The Bad:

some of these are more minor things, and some are.....much bigger, and are actually weakening the strength of the game and the conclusion, imo. so i’m gonna work my way up, from least to most Bothersome.

- the fact that eraqus apologized to ven and aqua, but not terra..........like wooooow, fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you know, i was actually considering forgiving you a little bit for a second, but lolololol noooooope!!!!!!!!!!! not anymore!!!!!!!!!!! you fucked up terra even worse than the other two (which yes, damn right you should apologize to them, particularly ven), and really, you are the root cause of him falling into xehanort’s clutches in the first damn place, and you don’t apologize to him?????????? FUCK YOU ERAQUS, YOU PIECE OF UTTER SHIT---

- the resolution with xehanort........like......it’s not bad, per se.........but like.........it’s the tiniest bit of a stretch to me. like..........oh okay, dude, you are totes fine with MURDERING ERAQUS, but now that he asks you to stand down, you do??? when the fuck did you grow a heart and start caring about eraqus??? YOU FUCKING MURDERED HIM THE LAST TIME YOU WERE TOGETHER!!!!! LIKE, IF I CAN BRING MYSELF TO IGNORE THAT DETAIL, THEN THE SCENES WITH THEM WERE TOUCHING, BUT LIKE..........YOU. MURDERED. HIM. THE LAST TIME YOU SAW HIM!!!!!!!! BUT NAHHHH, LET’S JUST CONVENIENTLY IGNORE THAT DETAIL, IT’S FIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE ://///

- namine should have had more screen time, damn it :////// also, i can’t help but feel that aqua got shafted, and wasn’t nearly as powerful a fighter as she should have been ://

- i’m.......not really satisfied with what they did with vanitas? which was basically nothing, really. there wasn’t really any kind of resolution at all. :////

- that moment when everyone was consumed by the demon tide, leaving only sora and riku left, and sora falls to his knees, and is crying and screaming about how he’s all alone, his friends are his power, without them he’s nothing...........oh man, i was RAGING.

SORA. RIKU IS RIGHT THE FUCK THERE, SO NO, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LIKE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, YOUR BOYFRIEND BEST FRIEND IS STILL HERE, SO WHAT THE FUCKING HELL ARE YOU ON ABOUT???????? LIKE, I WAS ACTUALLY SEETHING AT THIS, IT FELT SO FORCED AND CONTRIVED, AND HONESTLY OUT OF CHARACTER, BECAUSE SINCE WHEN DOES SORA GIVE UP??? ESPECIALLY WHEN HE STILL HAS RIKU??????????? AND LIKE..........EVERYTHING LEADING UP TO THIS MOMENT FELT FORCED AND CONTRIVED, OH SURE, LET’S HAVE THE MAJORITY OF US JUST.....FUCKING STAND AROUND DOING NOTHING, THAT’S COOL.

but yeah.......sora saying that he was alone? wow, i was Screaming at him so much for that one, what the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck writers. 😡😡😡

- so, onto the big one: absolutely everything to do with kairi

going into this game, she was in the top 3 of the characters i was most worried for, because i was worried that she wouldn’t be given the proper development that she’s deserved and been shafted away from for far too long. and boy was i right to be worried, bc this game, like pretty much every game that came before it, did her dirty. OH WOW LOOK, KAIRI’S A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS AGAIN! OH LOOK, SHE GETS FUCKING KILLED OFF TWICE FOR SORA’S MANPAIN!!!! AND SHE DOESN’T EVEN TRY TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST XEMNAS OR XEHANORT, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THIS WAS THE WHOLE GODDAMN POINT OF GIVING HER A KEYBLADE IN THE FIRST DAMN PLACE, AND WHY SHE GOT PUT INTO A POCKET DIMENSION WITH AXEL WHERE TIME DOESN’T EXIST SO THAT THEY COULD HAVE AS MUCH TIME AS THEY NEEDED TO BE PROPERLY TRAINED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LIKE..........FUCKING REALLY??????????????????????????????

also, sora going off alone to save her at the end..........what the actual fuck. again, they keep trying to force sokai as being soooo important, but guess what? it’s forced and awkward and inorganic, and after the game series i’ve played? i do not fucking believe that she is the person that sora loves above all others. even though the writers had their chances, over and over and over again, to develop their relationship, to make it grow and deepen it, they never fucking did, not even in this game!!!!!! and sora has way more believable romantic chemistry with riku and namine than he’s ever had with kairi, especially riku. you know, the relationship that you ACTUALLY took the time to develop over the entire series? the relationship that you CANONICALLY had “dearly beloved”, the main theme of the entire series, become the song of their hearts? let me tell you, there’s a real cognitive dissonance, looking at the title screen art of sora with the paopu fruit from kairi, while listening to the CANONICAL soriku love song.

so this ending, where sora’s willing to leave RIKU of all ppl behind? wow, that sounds fake, but okay. also, why in the hell is riku letting sora go alone??????? why can’t they both go together? (also: eternally salty that we STILL have not ever really gotten a scene of the destiny trio having any kind of genuine friendly interaction. the closest we ever got was in twtnw in kh2, when kairi helped sora to see riku in asod’s body. yeah, you’re really selling the MAIN trio as friends, here. ://////////)

and like.................THIS is the conclusion i’ve waited ten years for??? sora abandoning all the people he loves and all the friends that he’s actually had meaningful interactions with, for the person he barely remembers as existing half the time? fucking really??

and again, this wouldn’t be so bad, if they had JUST ACTUALLY TAKEN THE TIME TO DEVELOP SOKAI AND KAIRI AS A CHARACTER!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU HAD AN ENTIRE SERIES!!!!!!!!!!! YOU HAD THIS ENTIRE GAME!!!!!!!!!!!! SORA AND KAIRI COULD HAVE BEEN TALKING ON THE PHONE AT THE VERY GODDAMN LEAST FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU COULD HAVE DONE IT, AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE WITH THIS RELATIONSHIP AND THE ENDING, BUT YOU FUCKING DIDN’T NOMURA, AND I LEGIT DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU KEEP ACTING LIKE THE FOUNDATION IS ALREADY THERE, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST SAY “THEY’RE IN LOVE” AND HAVE IT BE BELIEVABLE, BUT YOU FUCKING DIDN’T BUILD THAT FOUNDATION AT ALL, SO INSTEAD IT JUST FALLS FLAT, AND FEELS UNBELIEVABLY FORCED, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU JUST TOSS ASIDE THE RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU ACTUALLY TOOK THE TIME TO DEVELOP LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- no i lied, the actual worst part of this game: SORA DIDN’T FUCKING THANK NAMINE FOR REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY ACTUALLY HAD AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE PROMISE, AND SORA TOLD HER THAT HE WANTED TO DO IT RIGHT, BUT THEN HE DIDN’T GET THE CHANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOMURA, YOU ARE THE WORST PERSON, YOU PROMISED US AN EMOTIONAL PAYOFF FROM THE SECOND FUCKING GAME, AND YOU STILL DIDN’T DELIVER!!!!!!!!!!!! AND EVEN IF YOU CONSIDER THE THANKING HER PART OF IT FULFILLED, THE FULL PROMISE WAS THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE FRIENDS FOR REAL, AND THAT DEFINITELY HASN’T REALLY HAPPENED, AND I. AM. SO. FUCKING. FURIOUS. IF I EVER MEET YOU IN PERSON, I AM GOING TO BREATHE FIRE ON YOU. WHATEVER KINGDOM HEARTS GAME YOU MAKE NEXT, OR WHATEVER NEXT ARC THE SERIES HAS OR WHAT FUCKING EVER, IF SORA DOESN’T EVER GET THE CHANCE TO FULFILL HIS PROMISE TO NAMINE, I’M GOING TO MURDER YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS. 😡😡😡🔪🔪🔪🔪

okay. okay. i’m calming down from my rage. i’m breathing. onto the good! bc there was a lot of it!

The Good:

also known as, the part where i drowned in my own tears:

- the akurokushi reunion was absolutely everything i’d ever wanted it to be, it was beautiful and everything hurt 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

- the tervenaqua reunion was just as good 😭😭😭

(everyone was crying, and i was crying along with them 😭)

- so what i’m getting from the finale arc, is that namine is, once again, the true mvp of this goddamn team, and literally everyone would be lost without her. when they wound up back in time, facing terranort again, she’s the one who summoned the lingering will there to save them, AND I FUCKING LOVE HER, AND SHE DESERVED SO MUCH MORE SCREEN TIME THAN SHE GOT :/

- also, when the lingering will showed up, i was cheering so hard. lol, terra beating the shit out of his own possessed body, round two XDD

- it was a nice moment, when all the keyblades from the wielders of the past war, ending up helping out

- everything about repliku ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

- wow, luxord’s last moment hit me right in the feels, and is a perfect example of why i love him so much. fair and honorable to the end, and him saying that he’d like to meet up with sora and basically be friends as just people? pls just keep stabbing me in the heart, thanks

- marly thanking sora??? THANKS SATAN

(fuck, the majority of the true org didn’t even want to be there, and honestly, that just makes everything even sadder :////)

- larxene!!!!!!!!! man, i love her. complaining about losing to sora, but then saying that it’s not the worst that could happen, bc being a container for “that old geezer? pass.” LOVE. and then saying that she was just there for someone else, but told sora that it was her secret to keep on who it is......TELL ME, LARXENE!!!!

- XION WAS A MEMBER OF THE TRUE ORG????????? HOW FUCKING DARE YOU

- BUT HER PROTECTING AXEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALSO, AXEL’S SASS AT XEMNAS WAS LIFE-AFFIRMING

- ROXAS SWOOPING IN TO SAVE HIS FRIENDS, BASICALLY EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THIS TRIO, WOW WHY WAS I GIVEN EMOTIONSSSSSSSS

- ALSO, GETTING TO TEAM UP WITH ROXAS AND XION, LOVING THIS SONG 👌👌👌

- THAT SCENE WITH AXEL AND SAIX!!!!!!!!!!! AXEL HOLDING SAIX IN HIS ARMS (WOW, THERE’S A LOT OF GAY GOING AROUND HERE), SAIX SAYING THAT HE WAS JEALOUS OF ROXAS AND XION, PROMISING TO SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN, AHHHHHHH

- WELL, I FINALLY GOT MY EXPLANATION FOR WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO TERRA’S HEART. SO, XEHANORT DID SUCCEED IN TAKING TERRA’S HEART OUT OF HIS BODY IN THAT FINAL BATTLE WITH AQUA, AND THAT DARK GUARDIAN HE HAD WAS TERRA’S HEARTLESS ALL ALONG, AND HE SAVED AQUA AND VEN AS A HEARTLESS AND CONFRONTED TERRANORT, AND SORA HELPED HIM REGAIN HIS BODY AGAIN, YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS EVERYTHING IS GOOD

- i.....actually really like the conclusion they had for ansem seeker of darkness? he was actually kinda proud of riku, and i just ended up feeling sad for him.

- i fucking loved that sora called xehanort out, and told him that restarting the world wasn’t his decision to make

- ISA’S BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND HE AND AKUROKUSHI AND HAYNER, PENCE, AND OLETTE ALL GOT TO HAVE ICE CREAM TOGETHER ON THE CLOCK TOWER!!!!!!!! AND THEY ALL GOT PICKED UP TO HANG OUT IN DESTINY ISLANDS!!!!!!!!!!

- NAMINE’S RETURN, YESSSSSSSSSS BBYYYYYYYYYY (also, i do ship namiku a tiny bit, so i like the moment that they had)

- XION AND NAMINE HANGING OUT IN DESTINY ISLANDS TOGETHER!!!!

- ALSO, XION, AXEL, ISA, AND ALL THE NEW CLOTHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- well.......idk what’s up with whatever the secret ending is teasing us for, but at least sora and riku are in proximity to each other, and will be together again, i guess. the gays will prevail

okay, i think that’s it for now. i might make more posts as more thoughts come to me, but i think this is quite long enough already XDD

#kh3 spoilers #kiryn's adventures in gaming #kiryn plays kingdom hearts #kh3 #anti sokai #kh #kingdom hearts #there's quite a bit of salt #just as a warning #i'm not entirely pleased with what they did :///

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heaartsavior · 5 years

Text

Boop boop This is very long and I’m sorry if I left anything out or it doesn’t make any sense. Spoilers for the game under the cut!

WOW WHO’S SURPRISED THAT I DID THIS AFTER THIS SHIT THEY PULLED ON MY BABY GIRL??? I’m not. Here’s my fixer upper for whatever the fuck they did to Kairi.

♡ The battles, the stories, losses and all the glories

Kairi travels to Radiant Garden with Lea to train under Merlin, who puts them in a pocket dimension so that they may safely (and thoroughly) learn how to properly wield their keyblades. During this time, Kairi learns the fundamentals of what it means to hold this title and how she can eventually take on the task of taking the Mark of Mastery exam. She learns the history of what is told of the first Keyblade War, remembering the stories that her grandmother used to tell her when she was very young.

It is also during this time that Merlin teaches her how to harness her powers as a Princess of Heart, should the Power of Waking fail, they would have another alternative to turn to. Through the research that Ansem the Wise, Even and Ienzo send to her about their research, she is able to inevitably learn how to use her powers of light to turn the tide of battle as a fail safe.

Kairi and Lea are given gummiphones almost immediately after Sora, Riku, and Mickey receive theirs. With the new technology (well not new to her, she’s had a phone before), she is able to talk to Sora and Riku as much as she likes. Though she does keep her letters a secret, still writing them almost like they are her diary. During Sora’s travels, Kairi sends him updates on what progress her and Lea have made, as well as sending pictures in a group chat that they had created for the three of them. She becomes a social media fiend, posting pictures on their little guardian network, as well as commenting on the boys’ pictures that they post. Having this type of communication gives her relief that they can still all talk without being so isolated from each other. She has far too much fun taking pictures of her and Lea during their down time too, there will be other times when she specifically makes videos just so that she could show Namine later on.

Speaking of Namine, after her talk with Lea, Kairi is determined to find a way to get Namine back so that she can enjoy all of these little instances with her. Both her and Lea often discuss the things that they want to show Roxas and Namine once they return, along with calling up Ienzo every now and again to ask about updates on the Replica research. Her hopes are that they can get the both of them back in time for battle, and that they will be able to tip the scales with their greater numbers.

As her training continues, a year passes in the pocket dimension, and they have gotten word that the final battle is upon them. The two of them are retrieved, meeting up with the rest of them in Yen Sid’s tower. Kairi notices Aqua out of the corner of her eye, and can’t stop thinking about how familiar she looks and sounds. Once the two finally talk, the memories come rushing back of the scene from BBS. Kairi begins to cry and hug Aqua, because she has finally met the woman who she was striving to be, the role model she never knew. She’s so happy to have finally been able to meet her, even if they were under extenuating circumstances.

With the final battle just on the crest of the horizon, Kairi returns to Destiny Islands with Sora and Riku. While Riku is off having his alone time, Kairi begins to talk to Sora about how she’s so happy to be able to be apart of something great. She reminisces about her time alone during the year Sora and Riku were missing, looking at how far she has come up to this point. How both Sora and Riku were the reasons why she kept training so hard with Merlin and never giving up, even when she thought she couldn’t go any further. They are her strength and she could only hope that she can be the same for them when they all go into battle together. She then brings out three paopu fruit, one for each of them and waits for Riku to join them as they watch the sunset one last time as a trio.

During the battle, Kairi becomes a slaughter god, taking down as many heartless as she can with sweeps of her keyblade (her fighting style is similar to Terra, so are her hits). She backs up the boys when she can see them in the giant horde, but she loses sight of them not long after. Just after fighting off the horde, the storm comes through and everyone is swallowed by darkness. Kairi immediately reacts by using her powers of light to keep Sora from disappearing so that he could go find the others. After she guides Sora back and the whole scene with Terra happens again, she is about ready to throw hands at this giant mountain man before the Lingering Will shows up to kick ass.

In the labyrinth sequence, Kairi backs Lea up in their battle against Isa, Xemnas and the hooded figure. She fights alongside Sora and Lea, doing team attacks with the both of them and clocking Isa in the face a few times with her Keyblade for keeping her prisoner back in the World That Never Was. Xemnas gains the upper hand against her, thus causing her capture, (but she absolutely kicks him in the balls before all of that fuck you Xemnas). The entire time she’s captured, she yells a slew of insults at Xehanort, struggling to get free the entire time and swearing that she’s going end his geriatric self before the others even get to him.

Upon her, well, fucking death, Kairi shatters and is sent to the Fallen World, where she meets Chirithy. She screams, yells, and cries as the little creature sits there with her and offers her an opportunity. If she can put herself back together and help one of the lost stars, she will return to her world. Her light is not only strong and it reminds Chirithy of a time before Darkness could touch lights such as hers. She brings the pieces of herself back together again, like Sora did, and talks to all of the stars, including Namine. The girls have a heart to heart and Namine says that she will be happy just to see Kairi returned to where she belongs and is impressed at how strong she has gotten over a short period of time. After talking to all of the stars, she goes back to talk to Chirithy, having along the lines the same conversation that Sora did with them. With some debilitation, Kairi decides that she wants to help Chirithy find their friend, though there becomes a debate of whether or not she could really do that. Though the little creature gives in, jumping into Kairi’s arms to return her home just in time to help close Kingdom Hearts for good.

I refuse to acknowledge the ending of KH3. It is dead to me. I’ll be writing up verse info for that later. This is going to correlate with @kiibearer and @dreamdevcur ‘s au for the ending, Radiance, but yeah no. I’m officially canon divergent fuck you Nomura.

#kh3 spoilers #kingdom hearts 3 spoilers #♡ the losses and all the glories . verse 06 #this was two fucking pages #but yeah #here we are a new verse drop!

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