I'm very excited about ML. Anything that adds to the story of KH would make me so. That said I haven't fully formed my thoughts. I am now going to type out my thoughts both to share and to get them out of my head. Sorry if I get off topic. I do think that the rusty Keyblade is interesting. There are very few times we have ever seen rusty keyblades and that is the Keyblade Graveyard. And it seems like they start rusting almost as soon as there wielder dies, because a lot of them are already showing signs of wear in the cutscene where Luxu is overlooking the Graveyard as all the Chi children hearts go up to form Kingdom Hearts. Not enough light to say for sure that the wear is rust but they are all in a really sorry state. It's important to note that the keyblades that Ephemer summons to help Sora in KH3 are not rusted. The only other time of note that we have seen rusty keyblades (still in the graveyard) is the secret ending of KH2. When Aqua, Terra, and Ventus pick up rusty versions of the Kingdom Key, Kingdom Key D, and Way to Dawn. I do find it a bit funny that Terra picks up the Kingdom Key and Ventus picks up the Way to Dawn. it kind of feels like it should be the other way around however Aqua picking up the Kingdom Key D makes sense as she is actually connected to that keyblade. And if the Kingdom Key was originally the keyblade Riku was going to get then maybe it makes sense for Terra to be connected to it. However at this point in time I see no reason to connect Ventus with Way to Dawn. However it is true that we don't know everything about Ventus. I also think that this importance of memories is also interesting. Memories have in fact always been important to the KH story, from the very first game. When Kairi says that she doesn't remember her home world, and Sora then spends a lot of the game with Kairi in his heart allowing her memories to influence him. It's also true that we don't know which part of a person holds the memories. It feels like it should be the heart because Namine says that Sora's memories are scattered around his heart. However Nobodies tend to be the beings that actually remember their past. Yet memories are what a person needs to regrow a heart. In the past I kind of decided that the mind holds the memories that are in use and are remembered, and the heart holds the memories that are forgotten. This is why Roxas has no memories, and why he and Xion needed to return Sora's memories. Because Sora was just a heart with all his forgotten memories and when Namine caused him to start remembering those memories went to his body/mind which Roxas was using. This might also be why Ansem Seeker of Darkness was so intelligent, because Terranort had a lot of forgotten memories. Also it might make sense with the Lingering Will, has Lingering Will never really reacted to Aqua and Ventus. If it only had the memories that where active and in use at the point in separated form every other part of it then it really would only react to Xehanort. All this to say that I think memories are likely their own thing and if anything there are memories in all three parts that make up a person, the Mind the Body, and the Heart. It also seems like memories are deeply connected to Dreams. As in Dreams seem to be made up a memories on repeat at least according to DDD. Sleep tends to be needed to Heal, and dreams by extension seem to be how darkness is connected to healing. Dreams hold our memories, sleep holds are dreams, and darkness holds our sleep, as said in DDD. Distortions seems to be what KH is calling the opposite of dreams. If Dreams are the way people heal memories then Distortions might be the hurting of memories. While Namine was causing hurt to Sora's memories or distorting them Sora is unable to sleep, when she tires to heal his memories he is forced into a sleep. Distortions might be hurts of the past coming into the present or the showing of a scar. And Scala has a reason to have just Distortions. As in UX the Dandelions where put into a healing sleep where they were forced to forget the keyblade war and grow happier memories in the war's place. Any signs of the keyblade war form Chi would at this point be called Distortions because they would be the parts that dreams could not heal. Maybe... Dreams being connected to darkness as darkness is needed to sleep might also mean that Distortions are connected to light, wakefulness, and awareness. If I am right about my thoughts about Distortions then Player who is a person who was actually in the Keyblade War, Luxu who watched it, and Brain who knows about it are likely all Distortions, or at least can cause them. The Keyblade Graveyard itself is also a massive distortion. I have more thoughts but I think I am not ready to share them at this point. Thanks for the video.
I think the main way to connect Ventus to the Way to Dawn is his close tie to darkness due to Vanitas, people may assume it should lie with Terra but like I said in my Character Dive on Terra, he never wanted to use the darkness for bad like Riku, he accepted using it but just to protect. Ventus on the other hand, even against his will thanks to Union Cross' involvement, has always struggled in a battle with lingering darkness whether it be from Darkness himself or Vanitas. A similar road to dawn despite all that I can see for him. I fully agree with you on the importance of memories, and they're for sure bringing it even bigger into this series. I feel it's going to be a big factor for Ventus going forward with Strelitzia's KH4 reveal, and of course with Kairi and Xehanort's Radiant Garden experiments. Even Terranort mentions Lingering Will being only his mind while his body and heart succumbed (though his heart only partially because he was still fighting Xehanort within the whole time). It always felt like to me Roxas had no conscious memories of Sora because of Ventus being in his heart too, so he took Ventus' look and only had bits and pieces of Sora's life but not like they were his own like the other Nobodies. It seems very much like we're diving heavy into the different realities and realms within people and the world. Unreality, Realm of Dreams, maybe there's one of Memories too or at least something similar to it. Even with everything, to me, Terranort is the biggest key factor for all of this. It makes me wonder how even Namine couldn't wake Sora up without his fully memories that were in Roxas and Xion, yet Terranort's experiments on both Kairi AND Subject X (Who I'm still confident is Skuld due to the KH3 Secret Reports and Lea and Isa's further testimonies) were so successful? Kairi lived a life with no memories of Radiant Garden really, and Subject X had none except the phrase May Your Heart Be Your Guiding Key. That's why I feel Xehanort still has something left to give, at least between realms like we got in Melody of Memories. There's just so much to unpack here. But great comment from you as always, love to see them and getting more KH from Square finally lol. My thoughts are scattered but with time, they'll get more cohesive for sure
I'm very excited about ML. Anything that adds to the story of KH would make me so. That said I haven't fully formed my thoughts. I am now going to type out my thoughts both to share and to get them out of my head. Sorry if I get off topic.
I do think that the rusty Keyblade is interesting. There are very few times we have ever seen rusty keyblades and that is the Keyblade Graveyard. And it seems like they start rusting almost as soon as there wielder dies, because a lot of them are already showing signs of wear in the cutscene where Luxu is overlooking the Graveyard as all the Chi children hearts go up to form Kingdom Hearts. Not enough light to say for sure that the wear is rust but they are all in a really sorry state. It's important to note that the keyblades that Ephemer summons to help Sora in KH3 are not rusted.
The only other time of note that we have seen rusty keyblades (still in the graveyard) is the secret ending of KH2. When Aqua, Terra, and Ventus pick up rusty versions of the Kingdom Key, Kingdom Key D, and Way to Dawn. I do find it a bit funny that Terra picks up the Kingdom Key and Ventus picks up the Way to Dawn. it kind of feels like it should be the other way around however Aqua picking up the Kingdom Key D makes sense as she is actually connected to that keyblade. And if the Kingdom Key was originally the keyblade Riku was going to get then maybe it makes sense for Terra to be connected to it. However at this point in time I see no reason to connect Ventus with Way to Dawn. However it is true that we don't know everything about Ventus.
I also think that this importance of memories is also interesting. Memories have in fact always been important to the KH story, from the very first game. When Kairi says that she doesn't remember her home world, and Sora then spends a lot of the game with Kairi in his heart allowing her memories to influence him. It's also true that we don't know which part of a person holds the memories. It feels like it should be the heart because Namine says that Sora's memories are scattered around his heart. However Nobodies tend to be the beings that actually remember their past. Yet memories are what a person needs to regrow a heart.
In the past I kind of decided that the mind holds the memories that are in use and are remembered, and the heart holds the memories that are forgotten. This is why Roxas has no memories, and why he and Xion needed to return Sora's memories. Because Sora was just a heart with all his forgotten memories and when Namine caused him to start remembering those memories went to his body/mind which Roxas was using. This might also be why Ansem Seeker of Darkness was so intelligent, because Terranort had a lot of forgotten memories. Also it might make sense with the Lingering Will, has Lingering Will never really reacted to Aqua and Ventus. If it only had the memories that where active and in use at the point in separated form every other part of it then it really would only react to Xehanort.
All this to say that I think memories are likely their own thing and if anything there are memories in all three parts that make up a person, the Mind the Body, and the Heart.
It also seems like memories are deeply connected to Dreams. As in Dreams seem to be made up a memories on repeat at least according to DDD. Sleep tends to be needed to Heal, and dreams by extension seem to be how darkness is connected to healing. Dreams hold our memories, sleep holds are dreams, and darkness holds our sleep, as said in DDD. Distortions seems to be what KH is calling the opposite of dreams. If Dreams are the way people heal memories then Distortions might be the hurting of memories. While Namine was causing hurt to Sora's memories or distorting them Sora is unable to sleep, when she tires to heal his memories he is forced into a sleep.
Distortions might be hurts of the past coming into the present or the showing of a scar. And Scala has a reason to have just Distortions. As in UX the Dandelions where put into a healing sleep where they were forced to forget the keyblade war and grow happier memories in the war's place. Any signs of the keyblade war form Chi would at this point be called Distortions because they would be the parts that dreams could not heal. Maybe...
Dreams being connected to darkness as darkness is needed to sleep might also mean that Distortions are connected to light, wakefulness, and awareness.
If I am right about my thoughts about Distortions then Player who is a person who was actually in the Keyblade War, Luxu who watched it, and Brain who knows about it are likely all Distortions, or at least can cause them. The Keyblade Graveyard itself is also a massive distortion.
I have more thoughts but I think I am not ready to share them at this point. Thanks for the video.
I think the main way to connect Ventus to the Way to Dawn is his close tie to darkness due to Vanitas, people may assume it should lie with Terra but like I said in my Character Dive on Terra, he never wanted to use the darkness for bad like Riku, he accepted using it but just to protect. Ventus on the other hand, even against his will thanks to Union Cross' involvement, has always struggled in a battle with lingering darkness whether it be from Darkness himself or Vanitas. A similar road to dawn despite all that I can see for him.
I fully agree with you on the importance of memories, and they're for sure bringing it even bigger into this series. I feel it's going to be a big factor for Ventus going forward with Strelitzia's KH4 reveal, and of course with Kairi and Xehanort's Radiant Garden experiments. Even Terranort mentions Lingering Will being only his mind while his body and heart succumbed (though his heart only partially because he was still fighting Xehanort within the whole time). It always felt like to me Roxas had no conscious memories of Sora because of Ventus being in his heart too, so he took Ventus' look and only had bits and pieces of Sora's life but not like they were his own like the other Nobodies.
It seems very much like we're diving heavy into the different realities and realms within people and the world. Unreality, Realm of Dreams, maybe there's one of Memories too or at least something similar to it. Even with everything, to me, Terranort is the biggest key factor for all of this. It makes me wonder how even Namine couldn't wake Sora up without his fully memories that were in Roxas and Xion, yet Terranort's experiments on both Kairi AND Subject X (Who I'm still confident is Skuld due to the KH3 Secret Reports and Lea and Isa's further testimonies) were so successful? Kairi lived a life with no memories of Radiant Garden really, and Subject X had none except the phrase May Your Heart Be Your Guiding Key. That's why I feel Xehanort still has something left to give, at least between realms like we got in Melody of Memories. There's just so much to unpack here. But great comment from you as always, love to see them and getting more KH from Square finally lol. My thoughts are scattered but with time, they'll get more cohesive for sure
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