Fates Chance- KHCD

Something has been stewing in my mind lately and I want to hear you guys thoughts. I was rewatching the cutscenes from ReCom, and Days and I noticed something about Rikus relationships with Repliku, Xion and Roxas. Lets go in order of him meeting them: He first meets the Repliku in Com and treats him like his enemy giving him no sympathy until the very end when Riku kills him in Twilight Town. I mean I don't really blame him, Repliku is constantly attacking him and treats him very hostile. But you really do see a shift in Rikus view of this puppet in its final moments. Even going so far as to maybe pity and show some sympathy- giving Repliku a hope that his existence will go where ever Rikus heart would end up, rather than simply disappearing. I never really thought about this much until I rewatched Days and really critically looked at Rikus relationship with Roxas and another puppet being of course Xion. When ever I saw Riku and Xion interacting, I noticed that their was almost a softness to the way Riku treated her. At first I thought maybe it was just because she looks like Kairi, and Riku having a nostalgic fondness for her appearance. Making him treat her nicer than he might've. But then it hit me when Namine told Riku about Xion and how she and Roxas needs to disappear. He seemed at least to me, to be reluctant to do it. Like he didn't like the thought of it at all but would go along with it because it would wake up Sora. But look at what he does after this. Riku could've just done what he did with Roxas and take her back by force. I mean there is a point where he is holding her unconscious in his arms! He had the perfect opportunity to do it but he chose to talk to her instead. He chose to try and convince her to come back to Sora rather than take her by force. And he even leaves the option open for her to not come back. He lets her go and make her own decision to either come with him or stay with her friends. Although what he would've done if she chose to not come back is a topic for another day... I mean Xion held Soras memories of KAIRI, one of the most important persons to Sora. She holds the key to waking Sora up. You would think knowing all this that Riku would go to any lengths necessary, collateral damage and all, to get those memories back. Compare how he treats Roxas to see what I mean. When I watched the end of Days and their fight, this is what I expected Riku to be like towards Xion. Pretty unsympathetic, goal oriented, distant, and cold. I mean the entire time they are on screen together, Riku doesn't even say Roxas name. He refers to Roxas as 'he', 'thing', and - although jokingly- as Sora. The closest he gets to naming Roxas is to call him "his (soras) Nobody" Do you know what this implies? This is evidence of Riku trying to distance himself from what he is doing. He is trying to depersonalize Roxas so that he (riku) will not feel as bad about what he is doing. It is a mental defense mechanism to help him cope. I mean, he could've gone the route he took with Xion and tried to talk to him instead. I mean there is a great scene in the Manga where he talks to Roxas but doesn't tell him about Sora. I mean, Roxas wants to know who Sora is by the end, why he has the Keyblade, and who he is. Riku could've promised him answers; told him about Sora, and his relation to him (roxas) and how he would be complete going back to him, and how Sora would fulfil Xions and Roxas last wish of freeing Kingdom hearts. But he doesn't, he takes him by force. At the end of the fight in Days, Riku reflects on this saying things could've been different if Roxas knew about Sora. And then, throughout the beginning of KH2, Riku says it is better that Roxas not know, that he receive his fate to return to Sora unwillingly-the COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF HOW HE ACTED TOWARDS XION! I began to think, why is he doing this? Why is he treating them so different? It would've been so much easier to just take Xion and Roxas back by force and have Sora wake up sooner, right? I think Rikus exp with Repliku is the reason he treated Xion so softly. He saw Repliku go to really extreme lengths just to have his own existence and being, going so far as to try to kill him. And I think the memory of having to strike Repliku down is what bred a sympathy for these puppet creatures. They never even had a say in their own creation or destiny. They were created to be tools to use til broken, nothing more. And maybe Riku in a small way can relate to that, having had been used as a tool by Ansem SoD. Maybe he wanted to give this puppet, for once in its life, the choice of what its fate would be. But that didn't explain why he treated Roxas so coldly even from the beginning. I think it is because Riku perhaps felt he had no other choice. That by the time he had to confront Roxas there was no other way to get him to come with him. But again, he knew that both of them had to return to Sora in Days so he could've just TALKED TO ROXAS IN DAYS or HAD XION TALK TO HIM ABOUT IT! But he didn't, which lead to my next theory that, Riku at least at the beginning harbored a bit of hate towards Roxas. I mean, if you recall Ansem the Wise apologized to Roxas, Riku never did, even to say it to Sora hoping Roxas could hear him. I think that perhaps Riku looked at Roxas and saw him just as DiZ saw him: someone who should disappear who had no right to even be. That Roxas was a part of Sora and had no say about where he belonged. Roxas was Sora and his destiny was to go back. Riku maybe saw him as an obstacle to Sora waking, and his destruction as a means to an end, instead of seeing him as the person who he was. Which led to a tragic irony that, in trying to not treat the puppet Xion like a tool, he came to treat Roxas like a tool. Or perhaps he just took on this way of treating him as a mechanism to rationalize what he had to do: end an existence to save another. It really is rather tragic, and really human in a way. He had no right answer in how he treated these two people. He couldn't let them live, and he didn't want to make them die, but he had to make a choice. He chose his friends, the ones he loved. And really, what would so many real people do if faced with that situation? I think we kinda forgot that Days really tells the story of not only Roxas and Xion and Axel, but of Riku too. Of his struggle to make the right choice, and decide the fates of three people. What do you guys think? I think RIkus side of the story in Days is one that really gets ignored in discussions and I would love to hear your thoughts.

Like a fan art contest where we each make fan art of an original keyblade? We come up with a name, a description, maybe even some stats or give it a world of origin? Or maybe we could make up our own that would be our Keyblades if we had one! Like, give it the ideal qualities that represent our play style! Or something like this. I have wanted one of these to happen forever and- at least to my knowledge- theres never been one. So I figured, why not ask? Would anyone out there be interested in participating in something like this?

I think the strings are supposed to be aqua making the wayfinders. At least thats how i saw it.

I was browsing youtube and I found this and it is amazing! I cant believe this isn't more popular, give this guy or gal all the likes you can. They mustve poured their heart and soul into this and it shows. It is just AWESOME! https://youtube.com/watch?v=GZHIf2KUaZY

I would recommend taking a few days off and just having some you time. Go to the store, buy two tubes of your favorite ice cream, get your favorite blanket with some comfy pillows, curl up on the couch, and watch your favorite show or movie, and just chill and relax. Or go to the spa and have a you day there. Get a massage, or something. What ever helps you relax and unwind, take a day and do it.

absolutely lovely ^-^ I will never get tired of that song,

That's the thing I love about the novels and manga: they add so much on top of whats already there, make the world of kh so much wider and tell us so much about the characters we love. I once encountered a fan of kh who said they hated the manga and novels because "they took away from the story' I think what he meant though was that they weren't the same as the game. That they added so much new information and lore and cannon to the story that wasn't there before. But I really like that about them. The manga and novels I think really polish the characters and story even more. I mean theyre all great in the games, don't get me wrong. Its just the novels and manga make it all even better. I mean they can only fit so much in the game, and a lot of stuff goes unsaid or is hinted at but never gets explored the way you wish it could be. For me its so cool to see those things explored even more now. I guess some people just aren't into that. I mean, I just finished the 358/2 days manga and it is my favorite so far of all the kh manga ive read (which is KH1, CoM, and most of KH2). All the things it added to the story, I really got such a better and broader picture of the characters and their relationships between each other. It really made the story even better, at least for me. I can't be the only one right? Anybody??

My bet is on Aqua, but I think it would be interesting for them to find terra first. Or who knows, maybe they find out that Terra is gone for good completely. I mean, while yes it would be so Disney for all those who are hurting to come back, Im very skeptical about that happening. It would seem too perfect, and what would all these characters do afterwards in the series?

I loved that game when I was a kid!! I haven't played it in a while though.

ive just always called this fandom, 'the kh fandom' But if we had to have an official title (im terrible at coming up with names btw so...) how about, "The Guardians of Light"....Eh that's a bit of a mouth full. We could make it very straight forward, 'The KH-ers' How about. 'The Keybearers" Hm...I like it. Yep my official entry is for Keybearers. Its simple (and clean lol!), easy to remember, cant be mistaken for anyone else and it makes sense. We are the kingdom hearts fandom, we carry this fandom with us. In other words, we bear it with us where ever we go. Im a Keybearer. I like it. And to who ever thinks less of a fandom/tv show/cartoon/ any form of entertainment for being childish, dude it doesn't matter. And there are very adult themes in KH sometimes. Did you play COM? So what if its cartoony, so what if its silly or just improbable at times? It has worth, it added something to my life. It led me to insights in my own life and life in general. It has worth, its not mindless fluff or pandering garbage. And remember, treating the word 'Adult' as a term of approval rather than just a descriptive term is a hallmark of childishness and childhood. To dismiss something as not having worth simply because it is childish (especially if you're an adult) is a sign of either adolescence or arrested development. As long as something is smart, well done and adds worth to your life, who cares who it was made for? Im 20 years old now and I love KH!! I will love it when im 30, 40, 50, until the day I die. I don't care if its a bit silly, it added something to my life. And that's enough for me. And it should be enough for anyone who likes this series, young or old.

Wow! everyone has done such great work but Shyera, I think you won. Yours is so detailed, and well done, Im calling it. If you don't win, I will be very surprised.

Im american and for all our problems, which compared to some other countries arent even that bad, i say im happy here. Though i wish i had grown up in a different part of the united states. But if i had to pick, i would pick either England, Australia, or South Korea.

DUDE THAT IS LIKE CRAZY GOOD DID YOU DRAW THAT!!?? WOW just WOW!

don't sell ourself short- it was far from mediocre! It was actually very good, I especially liked the kh music, I thought it fit very well. The animation, while simple, was elegant and beautiful. The snow just took my breath away, and the scene in the cave was just amazingly beautiful. The only problem was the presentation of the story. The story its self is nice, but remember, show don't tell. I know that would be hard for a 6 min video but it can be done. If you are restricted to only the text on the scene though, try very hard to make the narrative flow with the scenes. Like, putting the words over the animation as it is happening. I felt like watching it that the words were meant to line up with the animation- to symbolize that the words were its thoughts or memories. But when the screen faded to black and the words came across the screen, you kinda lose that feeling and it feels at least to me like a bad voice over. Some one telling me how I should feel rather than the animation and music on the screen conveying the story and mood. Don't get me wrong, it was good, I really liked it and you better get an A+ for that. Just work on your story presentation a bit. And again, don't sell yourself short. Be proud of what you accomplished. Even if its not the best, even if it has problems, even if it wasn't all you wanted it to be, be proud! You worked hard, and got It done, and in the end you had something good. It is far, far from mediocre! Keep it up! If you make any more definitely post them here, id love to see more of your work in the future.

Thank you SO much that really helped! I'll definitely keep this in mind when drawing.

Thank u but i just have a quick question about roxas face. I drew him with his face turned to one side slightly so some of his face is out of view. I thought how you drew that was to narrow the face abit and draw part of the face to be sort of cut off to show that its still there just a bit out of view. If that method doesnt look right, what would u recommend i do for this situation if i drew it again? And yeah, i mustve spent at least 2 hours drawing and redrawing namines hair. I couldnt get it to look 3 dimensional so this the best i could do... any helpful hints?

This is my entry for the contest! This is my first time drawing fan art so I would really love and appreciate any and all opinions on it! Thanks It's called: 'The Birth of Namine and Roxas'

http://kh13.com/forum/gallery/image/41229-birth-of-namine-and-roxas/ Here is my entry for the fan art contest! This is my first try making fan art so I would love and appreciate any opinions on it! Good luck to everyone!

im not the best artist but I figured I would give it a shot. Im almost finished with my entry now, its turning out quite well

don't think i'll win, but i'll throw my hat in the ring too. why not?

Your first priority when choosing a college should be the academics. What school has the best program for what you want. Are you looking at a 2 yr or 4 yr degree, or just getting your gen eds out of the way while working? Full time student, part time student which are you looking for? And yes, while friends in college are important don't forget why you're there: to prepare for your future. Especially if you're going on to get even higher education. With that said, if your finances are stable, and you can afford to live on campus, I say do it. It is valuable life exp, and it really could help with your anxiety. I would recommend while your there, join any study groups or maybe a club if they have any. That is an awesome way to make friends in a new place. I would stay away from sororities or frats. And if you don't see a club or group you want, make your own! Its not that hard. Maybe you're big into anime or video games, or books or something. Hang some fliers (check that there isn't anything you have to do with the school) find a place to meet, and boom you have a club. And you're joined by a shared interest so you already will have something to talk about and connect with. But again, remember why you're there. Your studies need to come first before anything else. There'll be plenty of time to party and hang out later. You really only get one chance this semester when it comes to your grades. If you screw up, you'll have to pay for those classes again. Plus, having all your school work squared away, makes the having fun times even better! You have nothing to worry about so you can truly be carefree and have fun! Hope that helped And remember to break out of your shell and try new things. Stay outta trouble, and have fun! Best of luck!

Ok, so was googling pictures of the Wayfinders from BBS for a picture I want to draw. But when I was typing it into google I accidently hit the search button after only typing Wayfider and this popped up: www.wayfinderexperiences.com It is a camp for kids, teens and adults where you participate in live action role playing. You sword fight, you play, you act out stories, it looks really fun. I had heard of LARPing before but I had never heard of it in camp form, and i thought this was just too awesome to not share so, if anyone is into that sort of thing, this may just be the place for you. Enjoy!

All those things you just stated is what makes him complex. It makes him a full human rather than just one dimensional. He thinks of himself as a soldier for God, and yet he is doing terrible things. He sees him self as pure, yet he lusts after a young woman whose race he sees as inferior. He does terrible thing yet he tries to justify it at every turn. And if you listen closely to what he says at the beginning in front of Notre Dame asking how he can preserve his soul and atone for the sin of killing a mother, you do see that fear, that questioning if what he is doing is right. Although, it doesn't last and he goes on to do horrible things. But it really heats up during the 'Hellfire' song. Now, take out what we think of Frollo and think about this song in how he views himself. He sees himself as righteous, pure and a soldier for God. He sees his work as important, essential, and right. But he sees himself spiraling further out of control because of the lust he holds for Esmerelda. He thinks everything he has done up to this point was good but because of his overwhelming lust he is becoming a monster. We all know this to be bull because he already is a terrible person and he is just going deeper into madness. His solution is to either destroy her, or make her his. He struggles with this decision. Even going so far as to ask God for mercy on Esmereldas soul should she not chose him, and mercy on his own soul if he then must destroy her. These things, these traits, these struggles makes him complex. The alternative would be the cliché, 'he is just the embodiment of pure evil' to justify why he does things. That would be a one dimensional, and not complex character. Because people, real people (what you are aiming for when you write a character) are more complex than that. And the book will always have more detail, and be able to do a better job characterizing than a movie. Usual reason, time, budget, mass audience appeal, ect ect. Hope that helped.

I don't know what spock they were thinking of, cause he looks nothing like spock to me. The ears....maybe kinda but that's about it.