INDEPENDENT & DEPENDENT PLANTS & THEIR POWERS in trimax
This is a fun little document I slapped together for artists and fanfic writers who wanted a better understanding of Plant powers and how to depict them. Nothing is cited… I am so sorry… but I will make references to what scenes these revelations take place in. My interpretations of more confusing situations will be noted, but otherwise I’m writing it exactly as it’s seen in context. I’ll update this as I read more. BIG FAT SPOILER WARNING OKAY!!!
not a day goes by that i don’t think about roxas’s and xion’s aubade keyblade
for those who don’t know, the aubade keyblade is the name of the weapon you get when you equip the mystery gear onto your panel system. the mystery gear is supposed to “draw forth its wielder’s personality.“ aubade literally means “a song or poem about lovers separating at dawn.”
nomura basically spoiled the ending of days in what’s supposed to be a joke weapon.
reminder that Tomoco Kanemaki, the writer of the kh novels and senario writer for days, was the one who came up with xion’s name and the one responsible for xion’s black hair.
In no particular order. Probably will add on when more stuff makes me cry.
The sterile whiteness of the Castle. The lack of nature. The lack of personality in the whole environment. How it’s likely engineered to prevent heart growth.
The callousness with which the Nobodies generally treat each other. How they view one another as nothing. How they view themselves as nothing. How these views keep them from getting better. How these views were likely conditioned to prevent heart growth. The fact that just living normally would heal them. How they’re kept sick and empty for someone else’s gain.
Seeing the difference between Roxas/Xion/Axel’s interactions at the beginning and the later parts of the game. How they start off wooden and stiff and fake. How their body language and voices loosen and naturalize and become real. Knowing that it’s because their hearts are growing back. Knowing that they don’t realize it.
Nobodies doing illogical things: Roxas and Xion collecting shells for one another. Axel taking Roxas out for ice cream. The idea that faint, struggling, newly formed hearts compel them to do so. The pointlessness of these actions. The instinctiveness of them. The growth they cause.
The level of gaslighting the Organization members endured. How it’s very obvious in Axel in the beginning, when he constantly reminds Roxas and Xion that what they’re feeling is fake. How you get the sense that he was told these things enough that he started to believe them. How he eventually stops doing this, stops shutting down Roxas and Xion’s emotional experiences. The moment he stops shutting down his own emotional experiences (“Are you worried about her, Axel?” “Of course I am.”)
Axel’s initial insistence that the kids’ dreams of living together were silly, that such things just aren’t possible for Nobodies. The ease with which he dismisses any such hopes, as if he’s been conditioned into such beliefs. The fact that he probably was. How he eventually fights for their right to stay together, impossibility be damned. His failure, despite giving it his all.
Axel initially caring mostly about Roxas, then slowly realizing that he can’t let Xion be destroyed, either. Learning that she’s a puppet and realizing that this doesn’t change his feelings towards her. Xion’s identity making Axel rethink his view on replicas, leading him to regret his treatment of Repliku.
Axel talking about the Organization as if he’s part of it in the beginning (“what’s our boss’ name?”) and as if it’s a separate thing in the end (“they’re going to destroy you!”).
Axel trying everything to keep his friends safe: telling the truth; lying; supporting; manipulating; ignoring; pretending; fighting; obeying. Having it all blow up in his face. Having his friends distrust him. Deserving it. Feeling sad and lost and exhausted but being unable to recognize it. Having no one to turn to for guidance. Losing everyone.
Saix’s perspective: watching his supposed friend turn his back on the one purpose keeping them afloat, abandoning everything to go play house with a Nobody and a puppet. Losing that one link to a happier past. Interactions largely limited to the man who saw him only as a tool. Feeling jealousy, but being unable to acknowledge it. Being unable to seek help. Being alone.
Xion baiting Roxas into killing her. The idea that her fight with Axel was possibly a similar suicide attempt (“don’t hold back, Axel. Promise”). The fact that Axel either consciously chose not to kill her or simply wasn’t strong enough to do so. Xion beating Axel badly enough to make him collapse.
How removed from the overarching plot everything is. How Roxas and Xion and Axel never fight the greater evil behind their misfortune. How their entire story really is just about them and their struggles. How their last moments together are full of pain and mistrust. How they love one another regardless. How, despite all their efforts, they ultimately fail.
Who’s your favorite Halloween Townie out of last years designs~? :)
..Who’s MY favorite? After pondering for a minute, it’s probably Riku.
When I made the original draft of the comic, featuring Riku and Kairi, I kind of just quickly put them into something, anything Halloweenish.. ..but when I did the reboot I really started to think about what they would wear if given Halloween Town outfits, or at least what I would want them to wear.
In a lot of fanart I’ve seen Riku portrayed with wolf/werewolf themes and so I decided I wanted to do something fresh and more unusual, less on the nose like a mummy, werewolf, vampire etc. And I wanted the outfit to reference the character in some way, so I took inspiration especially from the Dark Suit and his previous weapons. Also thinking about his ‘in between’ light and dark themes in the series manifesting in his outfit as the partially broken horns, crooked jacket opening etc..
And even now I think I’m still quite pleased how he turned out~ :) The success of designing something I personally liked inspired me to keep going with other characters.
Kingdom heart 358/2 days really was onto something when they made a character that
was
literally percieved in a different way depending on what your relationship with them was, then making it so only those close to them were able to see them for who they really felt they were, while others tried to impose their ideas of what they should be onto them.
Only the people that truly care for you will be willing to see you for who you are and all that jazz.
in almost every other children’s book where the main heroine is swept away to a land of whimsy she’s shown having a lovely time; braving dangers occasionally, trying to find her way home, sure, but ultimately delighting in the magic around her. meanwhile alice spends her entire time in wonderland like
look, here’s the thing: alice in wonderland’s enduring fucking charm is that it perfectly captures the vibe of being a very tired and annoyed child who is nonetheless required to play along with adult nonsense.
alice is dragged from place to place without warning, forced to play stupid games with no good prizes, grilled over her schooling and manners and recitation and dress, scolded, judged, insulted to her face, sent away, given gifts she didn’t ask for and doesn’t like, corrected incorrectly, been subject to shifting and arbitrary rules, and then when she gets snappish with all this bullshit everyone acts like a little girl’s temper is the end of the fucking world.
alice in wonderland isn’t a drug trip or a nightmare or a metaphor, that’s just what being ten years old is LIKE. that’s why kids love it so much. even if they can’t quite articulate how, they recognize themselves in it.
