Mykaila Shakespeare

- 10 years ago, before the events of Kingdom Hearts 1, we follow three young warriors: Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. All follow their teachings of their mentor, Master Eraqus (pronounced AIR-UH-KISS) to become Keyblade Masters. Terra and Aqua take on the Mark of Mastery judged by Eraqus, as well as Master Xehanort (ZAY-UH-NORT). Suddenly, Eraqus learns that Master Xehanort disappears and was informed [by Master Yen Sid] of the rising manifestations of negativity called Unversed. Terra and Aqua were sent on a mission to investigate the mysteries of the Unversed and Master Xehanort's disappearance. Meanwhile, Ven is informed by a mysterious masked boy about Terra's upcoming fate and Ven goes after him before it's too late. All lead to a fate that effects the future events of this series. -- Here we have Ven....who is the personification of a pure cinnamon roll who needs lots of hugs. I LOVE his character! Out of all the characters, his ark is far more fascinating. His ark, had the most affect on the future events of the series. Terra was the same and there was a plot twist that was pretty straight forward. Ven, however, had one of the most shocking twists. I will leave it at that and let you all discover that yourselves. His character in general, I mentioned he is just a precious cinnamon roll. He is just a sweet sweet boy. What he went through, the trial and challenges, I feel like routing for him all the way in hopes he achieves his goals. He wants to make friends and help them in any way he can. In a way, he is somewhat similar to Sora. Speaking of Sora.... As for gameplay, if any of you are more comfortable playing as Sora and trying to expand in different characters, Ventus is a good start. He plays a lot like Sora in a way but is still his own style. Unlike Terra, Ventus is lighter and faster. I feel, out of the three, he is the most balanced. When you are reasonably leveled enough, there is an amazing boss battle that is so over the top and somewhat difficult, it is one of my absolute favorites battles in the series. With that, I can't really think of anything else to say about this ark. Ven is such a good boy, there are some fascinating story elements, and the gameplay is just easier to handle. [ARTIST NOTES] As I mentioned before in my Terra post, I gave some common elements to each of the posters. This one was no different. I will give you a small notice on something interesting. The sunsets are colored with their own color pallet. For a better explanation, Terra's sunsets was more red and orange and Ventus is green and yellow. I also want to add something, a small secret: there was one thing I messed up on....but I will not say what it is LOL I couldn't currently fix under some technical circumstances LOL Ventus from Kingdom Hearts © Square Enix

---- 10 years ago, before the events of Kingdom Hearts 1, we follow three young warriors: Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. All follow their teachings of their mentor, Eraqus (pronounced AIR-UH-KISS) to become Keyblade Masters. Terra and Aqua take on the Mark of Mastery judged by Eraqus, as well as Master Xehanort. Suddenly, Eraqus learns that Master Xehanort disappears and was informed [by Master Yen Sid] of the rising manifestations of negativity called Unversed. Terra and Aqua were sent on a mission to investigate the mysteries of the Unversed and Master Xehanort's disappearance. Meanwhile, Ven is informed by a mysterious masked boy about Terra's upcoming fate and Ven goes after him before it's too late. All lead to a fate that effects the future events of this series. ---- Before I begin, I will dedicate a drawing on each character. The order I go is Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. From them, will only be judged by character and gameplay. There will be 4 posters of Birth by Sleep. The last one will contain my overall thoughts on the entire game, extra content included. ---- Starting with Terra. He, out of all the characters, is the most controversial, at least with his character. If anything, I hear a lot of people really hate Terra for his....um....naiveness and gullibleness (and his...arrogance? Ignorance? Stubbornness?) to put it lightly. The best example I could think of why people hate is through HMK. Please understand, I do not hate HMK. Heck, I respect his reasons why he doesn't like Terra (not calling you out my dude just don't know anyone else that hates him more than you LOL So I hope you do not mind me using you as a reference). However, personally, I am more midground with him (Terra). While he did make stupid decisions and he was quite a dunce, but he was still a good person through any circumstances. Dare I say, he has a good heart. I will restrain from that to avoid spoilers. ****People compare him to Anakin Skywalker. Both let their heart talk instead of using their head. They have people they truly care for and are willing to fight for them. However, there was one thing Terra had that Anakin didn't: the will to stay a good person and is internally fighting back simply because someone forced upon an unfortunate fate that affects the future events of the entire series. Anakin, on the other hand, made a choice to follow his darkest desires. At a cost, lost his loved ones and his morality.**** Then there is the gameplay. Now THAT I am not a fan of. He was heavy and slow, especially from his "dodging" which are mostly dash sliding. I one time had to go through his gameplay style when fighting some secret bosses. I will tell you right now, if you want a challenge, he is right here. I had to redo SO MANY battles to get it finished. Aqua and Ventus are better candidates for secret bosses because they are faster and their dodges are broken (easily invincible from rapid attacks, which I'll get more into when I finish them). The damage he inflicts on enemies and bosses are somewhat impressive, but it lacks speed and is low on magic. That is just a type of gameplay I am never a fan of. In terms of order in story, I am glad Terra was first. Getting the worst out of the way to get to the best. So, in short, I'm actually tolerant with this character, despite his obvious flaws. I do not hate him as much as HMK, but I can understand why people like HMK do. The gameplay, however, was not that pleasant....at least through bosses honestly. So, for those who want to do a platinum trophy for BbS, good luck. [ARTIST NOTE] I was actually REALLY excited making this, as well as the others coming up this month. I want you all to keep an eye out on each of the characters posters. Each share some elements in common. It will mostly apply on Terra, Ventus, and Aqua's solo posters. I will be making 4 posters on just BbS (there is a fifth, but will be for 0.2 BbS and that will have to wait till January). Until then, keep an eye out! As for this particular poster, like I said, this makes me excited for other posters because of the backgrounds. Seriously y'all, I never thought I would have fun with backgrounds, mostly elemental. Turns out I love the sky. I love sunsets so much guys. I think they are just beautiful and colorful. Doing Terra was kinda easy, but the armor on his arm was tricky (trying to put it in the right position). I didn't plan on adding his Keybalde simply because I feel the wayfinder he's holding feels more relevant and important from the narrative (that and I just wanna get these done LOL). I mentioned there are some elements in common. I won't beat around the bush when I say this. Terra, in Latin, means "Earth". So, simply, I surrounded him with his element. The other will have their own elements. However, there is more to it than that. Keep an eye out with the other posters ^^ [also, apparently as of this post, today is director Tetsuya Nomura's birthday] ??

We shift our perspective to a newly born member of organization XIII, Roxas. A Nobody -born from Sora [who separated his own heart from his body to save Kairi]- who is learning about the life of being a member and his importance in his role. He is befriended by fellow member VIII, Axel, who showed him the works of organization XIII and eventually befriends Roxas. Along the way, they befriend another mysterious new member: number XIV, Xion (Shion). After finishing missions, they would hang out at the clock tower and have ice cream together like the closest friends they are, despite them having no hearts. However, events unfold where their fate may leave them shooting between their friendship and their existence. -- -- -- Here is a question for us dedicated KH fans: which of the DS games is more tolerable? I ask this because many of us actually dislike the DS games (for now, not including 3DS since I think it is an entirely different setting). However, in terms of what we tolerate is subjective. This review will include both the game and the cinematic movie. I will, in fact, start with the actual game itself simply so I can compare and contrast. The game itself is what most fans don't like compare to it's movie counterpart. The big one is the gameplay which is what keeps people from playing the game. On that end, I completely understand. Going to these certain missions and being repetitive is not often fun gameplay for most people. The leveling system is also not entirely fun since it requires new slots. Instead of gaining experience, you earn 1 slot per mission. I'll be honest, it is not a fun leveling system. That and the bosses can be INCREDIBLY tedious to fight. The combat is somewhat pretty repetitive. There is not much strategy to it, as far as I know since I is my second time playing it. There is also the struggle of extra content. It is harder for me to even try challenges simply because of the tedious combat and mission set up, leveling up included. KH2 succeeds I guess simply because they are story relevant and are unique. This game, however, just feels like looking at a pile of dishes you don't want to clean only it is optional. So, simply put, the gameplay is not that great and kinda boring. Despite all that, I have reasons to come back to the game. Yes, the story is decent, but really it is the characters themselves. You play as Roxas again, only KH this time it is in perspective of the organization and it's the whole game and not just s prologue. It is a Roxas a Fan's dream come true. Learning about the eyes of the organization I think is interesting. It's like an inside job if you wanna consider working for O13. I also want to add that, in case you don't know, Axel, is my favorite my fav O13 member....let alone, my all time favorite KH character. Having more appearances of him is what draws me back to the game. These characters like Roxas and Axel go through such good development I think. Salem goes for the new character, Xion. TH secrets she discovers of herself makes her grow as a character and you feel for her throughout....at least for me. I even enjoyed some of the in depth dialogue throughout each world you visit in the game, despite the tedious missions. I am willing to go through bad bosses and tiring missions just to see more cutscenes and interactions with the characters. Now I'd like to talk about the movie version in the HD collection. It is not a port of the game, but simply just HD work of the cutscenes.....at least some. They are incredibly good and well performed from the voice actors. However, I have to compare this like movie with a book. Tedious the game may be, but at least the cutscenes give more insight in their conversation as well as, surprisingly, major moments that affect the entire series. Point is, in the movie, a lot of scenes were displayed as just screenshots with story text added to it. I understand that most of the Disney cutscenes were not well displayed to be within time. But, other cutscenes that are purely just Kingdom Hearts, were taken out. For example, a good majority of action sequences were taken out or just shortened. Luckily, there was one incredibly important action scene that was not in the original PS3 remaster and was finally added to the PS4 version, so there was not much to complain about for that end. The rest, it may feel not picky, where I feel could still have the potential to be cutscenes of their own. One was a hint of events in a prequel (which honestly I am surprised was taken out due to it's importance). There is also the mystery surrounding a character that connects to Axel. That I feel is the most mysterious and has yet to be unfolded with the history of those characters and their goals. I wish they could explore more of it because I find it quite interesting (here's hoping KH3 covers that or just gonna stick with headcanons). Funny enough, the manga seems to touch upon that a lot better. It's not particular history of the characters, but the more of some in depth emotions. I forgot to mention that there is a manga series for this title. As much as I enjoy the game, I think the manga is far more meaningful and well written; some comedic and a lot were emotional. If anything, I actually recommend reading the manga over the game. Since it does have action sequences, a lot of decent humor, and overall emotional throughout. In conclusion, I actually enjoy this title in general. Will be giving scores for each medium of the title: Game: 6/10 - for the tedious missions and not-so-fun bosses, but the interaction wi the characters are interesting (dialogue is 50/50) Movie: 7.5/10 - The HD treatment was beautiful and the voice acting is pretty spot on. However, they had to sacrifice a good chunk of important scenes (the character I mentioned and a moment that references a prequel game). This would've gotten a 6.5 if they left out an incredibly important action sequence in the PS4 version. Otherwise, many action sequences were left out and I wish they displayed more of that in the movie. Manga: 9.5/10 - I honestly feel this is the best source of the title. It has decent humor, neat action sequences, as well as some good emotional moments. Even the dialogue was well put together. Not to mention, the artwork is amazing. If I were to ask you to choose one to understand the name generating title, this is the one. Overall, the title itself has a good 7.5 in general simply and mostly because I love the interactions and the development of the characters. I thought this title had a good story. ....but I mostly love this title more probably because Axel enslaved me with his flaming charm or something. I love Axel ? P.S. This game also featured one of my absolute favorite songs. The next DS eventually will be Re:Coded. But that will be covered in November after Birth By Sleep in October. I'll just flat out say that 358/2 Days is what I prefer over Re:Coded. Why? Stay tuned for the next couple of months to find out! [ARTIST NOTE] I was incredibly excited to do this piece. Maybe because I love Axel that drove me to draw this LOL But seriously, this is pretty simple to do. In case you guys don't know, I LOVE sunsets, especially with clouds. They are just colorful and beautiful. Maybe that's why I am drawn to the aesthetics of Twilight Town simply because I love the setting and laid back atmosphere. So, all the more reason I was excited to draw the background. As for drawing the characters, was great. I also noticed that because I do not draw Roxas as much, I accidentally made his head too small during the process. Luckily, I was able to adjust it. So far, the O13 outfits were the easiest to draw in terms of clothing (I love Nomura's art, but DANG his clothing design can be kinda messy because there is so much LOL). Honestly, between the three, ironically Axel was pretty difficult. If you are an artist and is a fan of the series and Axel, you know what I'm talking about. The hair and the angle for the face were difficult to pull off. But, I managed to catch it and I am happy that it is all worth it (since, again, I love Axel LOL) Xion, Roxas, and Axel from Kingdom Hearts © Square Enix and Disney

Here comes the big meal! This title is not only my favorite Kingdom Hearts game, it is my favorite game of all time. To all the fans, it is surprising nobody that I am one of the "KH2 is best game surprising nobody" squad LOL Then again, I haven't heard anyone tell me they hated KH2 yet (please comment below whoever you are that hates KH2). There is a good reason this game is praised. Before I settle why, I got some story to tell you. I mentioned in my KH1 post that the first of the series is luckily how I was introduced to the series. It held some major nostalgia for me in many ways. Then we have KH2. I remember the first time seeing the game advertised in my local Walmart. I was so excited that there was a sequel to a game I loved (keep in mind, I did not know Chain of Memories existed at the time), I had to look up online when YouTube was being born. I don't remember how long it took for my mother to finally buy the game, but she managed to get it for us. I remember me and my sister argued on who will play it first....guess who played first? LOL Throughout it all, like KH1, I remembered fondly of the play through for the first time. The prologue was certainly interesting. This prologue was/is controversial. You play as a different character, named Roxas, for at least 2-3 hours simply not because it is a tutorial. It was also small story on it's own. I'll be quite honest, I don't remember my thoughts about it back in the day. I know I was obviously confused and wondered when I would play as Sora. Throughout the years I've played the game, however, I have been too used to this prologue. Heck, I personally loved the prologue. In those 2-3 hours, you learn about Roxas and his struggles of his fate before playing as Sora. If you didn't play this, I recommend you see for yourselves. I'll just leave at that. Then there was finally playing as Sora again. Playing throughout the game was certainly a journey. The feeling of flying through the gummi ships again, was truly a more upgraded and incredibly fun ride. Visiting new and returning world's was also incredible. Fighting heartless and nobodies was also fun enemies to fight. However, like KH1, the biggest moments I remembered were fighting through all the big bosses in the game (not final mix). They were the hardest to get through and when I was able to pass them, it was sweet sweet victory for my childhood. To this day, I continue to play this game over and over again. I feel like out of all the games I played in general, this was my crowning achievement of being able to fight difficult bosses on my own. I am not perfect at them, but I continue to do better whenever I come back. The music of this game also amazing. A lot of my favorite songs are from KH2: the other promise, lazy afternoon, 13th struggle, sacred moon, fight to the death, darkness of the unknown, cavern of remembrance, and KH2's take on dearly beloved. Even the music for each world I visit are unique and works in their own way. I can easily identify what world is and they don't play songs from their original film counterparts (exception of nightmare before christmas and a bit of atlantica). Throughout the time I kept playing kh2, so far, I was never tired of it. There is the fact that it is simply fun. But, I always found something new whenever I come back. That actually goes for the entire series for that matter. If there was anything that I feel is flawed in the game (yes, even this game has flaws), it's the stories for the Disney worlds. In terms of what messages provided in the game, the plots of the Disney worlds worked. However, a majority of them had nothing to do with the game's narrative, at least during the first visit for each world. It felt like I was watching a fanfic with an OC added to it. I mean, you could say the same for the other installments. But I think KH1 does a lot better with all the world's plot. Their plots were mildly similar to their film counterparts and still inserting Nomura's OC. However, it was still part of the story's narrative for a majority of worlds served an importance in the game's overall plot. Which is why I am incredibly excited for KH3 because the world's announced, so far, each had a member of the organization which is telling me each world is important to the story. So, KH2 Disney world plots are kinda meh for me. Not terrible, since I think it is more nit picky for me LOL (there is one world that is painfully ripped from the film, the acting was blegh and Sora contributed to nothing other than fighting the final boss with your Disney party member) That aside, having a chance to play final mix in the remix collections for the first time (on my PS3 back in 2016), I was finally able to experience some new content. Example, I actually went ahead and got into critical the first time I played it since I've always played proud mode in the original. The extra bosses, new cutscenes, new keyblades, upgraded soundtracks to make them sound orchestrated, etc. Let me tell you y'all, it's harder to get back to the original after this. During my time playing final mix, I felt like I was playing it for the first time again but with better content and upgraded music. Overall, I love this game with all my heart. I come back to this game because it is fun mostly. The story is a conundrum, but the characters are whom we connect with the most. The journey the characters go through, struggles and all, we wanted them to succeed. Everything the game has is what I love, despite the few problems it had. Although most of us can agree that it is the best game in the series. For me, it is a complete 10/10 for me (or 9.5/10 to make you all feel better LOL)