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Megavoltage

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Lol, that got me good.
I think I will have seen everything. When I see a Keyblade Glider fly
 

disney233

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Alright so...summons in KH1, when a spirit with a strong heart loses a world, they become a summoning gem. KH2 & so on, it's clear that summons come from those who are connected to Sora's heart. Which explains Stitch, Ariel, Peter Pan, and of course Genie. Ralph & Stitch...I'm assuming are more connections of hearts from the distant past (In Stitch's case, Ven.) But.......even then Ralph's a stretch tbh.

And then there's him.

0a1a90d3bec3217a9626ddeaa78e6c9f.jpg

NOTHING however has been established as to where the hell HE came from and how the hell does HE know Sora? If you're gonna put a character simply for promotional reasons at least MAKE it believable instead of slapping him into the game for the lols and call it a day.
 

MATGSY

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Alright so...summons in KH1, when a spirit with a strong heart loses a world, they become a summoning gem. KH2 & so on, it's clear that summons come from those who are connected to Sora's heart. Which explains Stitch, Ariel, Peter Pan, and of course Genie. Ralph & Stitch...I'm assuming are more connections of hearts from the distant past (In Stitch's case, Ven.) But.......even then Ralph's a stretch tbh.

And then there's him.

0a1a90d3bec3217a9626ddeaa78e6c9f.jpg

NOTHING however has been established as to where the hell HE came from and how the hell does HE know Sora? If you're gonna put a character simply for promotional reasons at least MAKE it believable instead of slapping him into the game for the lols and call it a day.
Clearly, they should've just introduced him as Clara Cluck's nephew.

On the upside, they didn't really do this again in KH3. I mean there was Ralph but at least they actually did have a gameplan with him.
 

Perkilator

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Since it’s 3 days until Halloween, I must ask; where are my Heartless based off the Boogeymen from Lullaby Land?

I mean the ones at 4:35 of this video. I know we got Oogie Boogie, but those are two completely different ones.
 

Any

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My interpretation and I’m open to all interpretations.


Am I the only one who thought it was unfair that Vanitas had to die incomplete while the other villains were reverted back to their human selves + got to be whole again? Foa, wasn’t Vanitas going to absorb Ventus to be whole again since his heart was incomplete? How come it wasn’t never brought up again during Vanitas conversation with Ventus and Sora? If his heart was incomplete then come on, give some closure on that too. I don’t know why it was ignored. I’m just sad that he didn’t get, at least one resolution.
 

Twilight Lumiair

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My interpretation and I’m open to all interpretations.


Am I the only one who thought it was unfair that Vanitas had to die incomplete while the other villains were reverted back to their human selves + got to be whole again? Foa, wasn’t Vanitas going to absorb Ventus to be whole again since his heart was incomplete? How come it wasn’t never brought up again during Vanitas conversation with Ventus and Sora? If his heart was incomplete then come on, give some closure on that too. I don’t know why it was ignored. I’m just sad that he didn’t get, at least one resolution.
It's funny, I was wondering about this recently too. The beginning of BBS set up pretty heavily that both he and Ventus' arc was gonna end with the two reuniting and regaining their original self, so to speak. In fact, purely based on visual cues, one would've thought that Ventus and Vanitas rejoined at the end of Ventus' story since that's what the final cutscene suggest (the Trinity Archives imply this too), but then KH3 seemingly backtracks on that by bringing Vanitas back. Now, that'd be alright if say, he was from the past, or they simply wanted an opportunity to get better closure and development with his character, but Vanitas wasn't really fleshed out anymore than he'd already been, and his "conclusion" with Ventus was vague and confusing at most.


Ideally, what I think should've happened is that over the course of the game, we'd see glimpses of Vanitas' struggle as he is forced to reconstruct his unstable heart alone, while Xehanort neglected him and focused on his master plan. This eventually leads to Vanitas ending up at Monstropolis, but now with the added context that he's only doing what he feels he has to to survive. One well constructed cutscene beforehand would be all you need to accomplish this affect. Then, when he fleas from the LoD later, have one of the Seekers scold Vanitas for being reckless and not informing the other members of his endeavor, which would subtly highlight Vanitas' desperation, and his alignment (acting more for himself than Xehanort).

In the end, when he eventually clashes with Ventus in the Keyblade Graveyard and is bested one last time, his walls finally begin to crumble, and he can no longer hide his pain and suffering from his other half. In a moment of genuine despair, his voice breaks as he bitterly asks why it is that no matter how hard he tries, he can never reclaim his other half, and curses his own pitiful existence. Calling himself an abomination, and questions if he was simply undeserving of the salvation he longed for with every fiber of his being.

Ventus would then pause, his anger softening a bit, and he asks why exactly it was that Vanitas was seeking to rejoin with him in the first place. Was he just after more power? Was he entirely devoted to Xehanort's cause? Ven never actually thought to question it before. Vanitas is silent for a moment, before giving a weak laugh. He then openly proclaims that if he's going to die, he might as well not withhold the truth any longer. He then explains his suffering in full detail. How the nature of his existence caused him to feel nothing but sadness, anger, pain, and jealousy for the happy life Ventus would go onto live. Vanitas hopelessly followed Xehanort in an attempt to create the the X-blade because he believed it was his only chance at ending his long torment. But all he ended up being was a pawn to the man that caused all his pain in the first place, as he desperately chased after a dream he was never strong enough to reach. Maybe it was for the best though. He was nothing but an "abomination" after all, right?

It's then that Ventus finally interjects, and firmly disagrees with the notion that Vanitas has placed on himself. He was more than just some dark creature, he was a person. Ven then settles down his temper and softly admits that he had no idea, before asking why Vanitas had never said anything about what he was going through earlier. In truth, it was because Vanitas was trying to convince himself that he was strong. Or rather, he was afraid of being weak and vulnerable again. It was due to Ventus' weakness and fear that the two were split apart in the first place, so all he could think when he saw Ventus (who wore their original face) was a reflection of that weakness that virtually ruined his life. He resented that weakness, and seeked to suppress, and dominate it no matter what. Only to realize that in the end, he himself was truly the weak one all along, but never wanted to accept it.

After hearing that admission, it all finally becomes clear to Ventus. While he'd been recovering and making friends, Vanitas had been suffering alone, and was lead to think he was undeserving of happiness. But that wasn't true. They should be free to choose what they are, and not let others dictate their purpose and role in life. Our suffering may help shape us, but we shouldn't let it define who we are. Upon saying all of this aloud to Vanitas, Ventus would give his final offer. "It's your choice but, what do you say we start fresh and... give eachother a second chance?" He outstretches his hand to Vanitas and gives him a warm smile.

Vanitas is visibly shocked at the sight, before his face sinks back down to the ground. "How do you know things won't end the exact same way they did before?" His voice is clearly layered with bitterness and doubt.

"Because, I'm not afraid anymore..." Vanitas looks back up to meet Ventus' eyes, but can't find a trace of doubt or hesitation within them. "How can I be, now that I know all I needed was to trust myself?"

Vanitas is silent for second, and tears begin to well up in his eyes. "... I'm sorry, about everything."

"Me too..." (Ventus is apologizing for never recognizing Vanitas' plight sooner, and inadvertently pushing him away rather than trying to see things from his perspective).

Finally, Vanitas takes Ven's hand, and the other pulls him into an embrace. As they both cry silently over eachother's shoulder, a bright light engulfs them, and as it dissapates, we see Ventus is seemingly left standing alone. However, once he opens his eyes, they appear green, rather than blue or yellow. Symbolizing the two's complete unity and newfound balance.
------​

The reason I would find an ending like this better is because it ties up a number of loose ends regarding the characters, and could act as a beautiful representation of self love, recovery, and learning that our abuse shouldn't define who we are (Ventus was, in a sense, an abuse victim of Xehanort on both a physical and emotional level afterall). I know this isn't a perfect writing, but I'm mainly advocating for the general idea of this scenario. It wouldn't have to be one to one.

Anyway, to clarify on what I mean by "loose ends", I mean things like:
  • Vanitas' true motivations and feelings would be properly explained.
  • Vanitas regains his humanity and can now live happily.
  • Ventus finally becomes whole and completes the arc set up for him in the beginning of BBS (reclaiming the part of himself that he lost).
  • The Ventus from before the split has now overcome his fears and gained a newfound faith in himself (this coming from him now being in tune with both his light and darkness), and thus is now "strong enough" in his own eyes.
  • The two's apology and reuniting on mutual, peaceful terms, rather than by force, would show that their conflict has truly come to an end.
  • This isn't technically a plotline, but it'd also add more meaning to the inclusion of Vanitas' theme in the track "Heroes and Heroines"
Idk, maybe it's just me, but I very much would've preferred an ending along these lines from KH3, as I personally think that's where the trajectory set up for Vanitas and Ventus was pointing toward, and ultimately should've headed in.
 
Last edited:

disney233

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It's funny, I was wondering about this recently too. The beginning of BBS set up pretty heavily that both he and Ventus' arc was gonna end with the two reuniting and regaining their original self, so to speak. In fact, purely based on visual cues, one would've thought that Ventus and Vanitas rejoined at the end of Ventus' story since that's what the final cutscene suggest (the Trinity Archives imply this too), but then KH3 seemingly backtracks on that by bringing Vanitas back. Now, that'd if say, he was from the past, or they simply wanted an opportunity to get better closure and development with his character, but Vanitas wasn't really fleshed out anymore than he'd already been, and his "conclusion" with Ventus was vague and confusing at most.


Ideally, what I think should've happened is that over the course of the game, we'd see glimpses of Vanitas' struggle as he is forced to reconstruct his unstable heart alone, while Xehanort neglected him and focused on his master plan. This eventually leads to Vanitas ending up at Monstropolis, but now with the added context that he's only doing what he feels he has to to survive. One well constructed cutscene beforehand would be all you need to accomplish this affect. Then, when he fleas from the LoD later, have one of the Seekers scold Vanitas for being reckless and not informing the other members of his endeavor, which would subtly highlight Vanitas' desperation, and his alignment (acting more for himself than Xehanort).

In the end, when he eventually clashes with Ventus in the Keyblade Graveyard and is bested one last time, his walls finally begin to crumble, and he can no longer hide his pain and suffering from his other half. In a moment of genuine despair, his voice breaks as he bitterly asks why it is that no matter how hard he tries, he can never reclaim his other half, and curses his own pitiful existence. Calling himself an abomination, and questions if he was simply undeserving of the salvation he longed for with every fiber of his being.

Ventus would then pause, his anger softening a bit, and he asks why exactly it was that Vanitas was seeking to rejoin with him in the first place. Was he just after more power? Was he entirely devoted to Xehanort's cause? Ven never actually thought to question it before. Vanitas is silent for a moment, before giving a weak laugh. He then openly proclaims that if he's going to die, he might as well not withhold the truth any longer. He then explains his suffering in full detail. How the nature of his existence caused him to feel nothing but sadness, anger, pain, and jealousy for the happy life Ventus would go onto live. Vanitas hopelessly followed Xehanort in an attempt to create the the X-blade because he believed it was his only chance at ending his long torment. But all he ended up being was a pawn to the man that caused all his pain in the first place, as he desperately chased after a dream he was never strong enough to reach. Maybe it was for the best though. He was nothing but an "abomination" after all, right?

It's then that Ventus finally interjects, and firmly disagrees with the notion that Vanitas has placed on himself. He was more than just some dark creature, he was a person. Ven then settles down his temper and softly admits that he had no idea, before asking why Vanitas had never said anything about what he was going through earlier. In truth, it was because Vanitas was trying to convince himself that he was strong. Or rather, he was afraid of being weak and vulnerable again. It was due to Ventus' weakness and fear that the two were split apart in the first place, so all he could think when he saw Ventus (who wore their original face) was a reflection of that weakness that virtually ruined his life. He resented that weakness, and seemed to suppress, and dominate it no matter what. Only to realize that in the end, he himself was truly the weak one all along, but never wanted to accept it.

After hearing that admission, it all finally becomes clear to Ventus. While he'd been recovering and making friends, Vanitas had been suffering alone, and was lead to think he was undeserving of happiness. But that wasn't true. They should be free to choose what they are, and not let others dictate their purpose and role in life. Our suffering may help shape us, but we shouldn't let it define who we are. Upon saying all of this aloud to Vanitas, Ventus would give his final offer. "It's your choice but, what do you say we start fresh and... give eachother a second chance?" He outstretches his hand to Vanitas and gives him a warm smile.

Vanitas is visibly shocked at the sight, before his face sinks back down to the ground. "How do you know things won't end the exact same way they did before?" His voice is clearly layered with bitterness and doubt.

"Because, I'm not afraid anymore..." Vanitas looks back up to meet Ventus' eyes, but can't find a trace of doubt or hesitation within them. "How can I be, now that I know all I needed was to trust myself?"

Vanitas is silent for second, and tears begin to well up in his eyes. "... I'm sorry, about everything."

"Me too..." (Ventus is apologizing for never recognizing Vanitas' plight sooner, and inadvertently pushing him away rather than trying to see things from his perspective).

Finally, Vanitas takes Ven's hand, and the other pulls him into an embrace. As they both cry silently over eachother's shoulder, a bright light engulfs them, and as it dissapates, we see Ventus is seemingly left standing alone. However, once he opens his eyes, they appear green, rather than blue or yellow. Symbolizing the two's complete unity and newfound balance.
------​

The reason I would find an ending like this better is because it ties up a number of loose ends regarding the characters, and could act as a beautiful representation of self love, recovery, and learning that our abuse shouldn't define who we are (Ventus was, in a sense, an abuse victim of Xehanort on both a physical and emotional level afterall). I know this isn't a perfect writing, but I'm mainly advocating for the general idea of this scenario. It wouldn't have to be one to one.

Anyway, to clarify on what I mean by "loose ends", I mean things like:
  • Vanitas' true motivations and feelings would be properly explained.
  • Vanitas regains his humanity and can now live happily.
  • Ventus finally becomes whole and completes the arc set up for him in the beginning of BBS (reclaiming the part of himself that he lost).
  • The Ventus from before the split has now overcome his fears and gained a newfound faith in himself (this coming from him now being in tune with both his light and darkness), and thus is now "strong enough" in his own eyes.
  • The two's apology and reuniting on mutual, peaceful terms, rather than by force, would show that their conflict has truly come to an end.
  • This isn't technically a plotline, but it'd also add more meaning to the inclusion of Vanitas' theme in the track "Heroes and Heroines"
Idk, maybe it's just me, but I very much would've preferred an ending along these lines from KH3, as I personally think that's where the trajectory set up for Vanitas and Ventus was pointing toward, and ultimately should've headed in.
Sir.....this is beautiful.
 

FudgemintGuardian

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It's funny, I was wondering about this recently too. The beginning of BBS set up pretty heavily that both he and Ventus' arc was gonna end with the two reuniting and regaining their original self, so to speak. In fact, purely based on visual cues, one would've thought that Ventus and Vanitas rejoined at the end of Ventus' story since that's what the final cutscene suggest (the Trinity Archives imply this too), but then KH3 seemingly backtracks on that by bringing Vanitas back. Now, that'd be alright if say, he was from the past, or they simply wanted an opportunity to get better closure and development with his character, but Vanitas wasn't really fleshed out anymore than he'd already been, and his "conclusion" with Ventus was vague and confusing at most.


Ideally, what I think should've happened is that over the course of the game, we'd see glimpses of Vanitas' struggle as he is forced to reconstruct his unstable heart alone, while Xehanort neglected him and focused on his master plan. This eventually leads to Vanitas ending up at Monstropolis, but now with the added context that he's only doing what he feels he has to to survive. One well constructed cutscene beforehand would be all you need to accomplish this affect. Then, when he fleas from the LoD later, have one of the Seekers scold Vanitas for being reckless and not informing the other members of his endeavor, which would subtly highlight Vanitas' desperation, and his alignment (acting more for himself than Xehanort).

In the end, when he eventually clashes with Ventus in the Keyblade Graveyard and is bested one last time, his walls finally begin to crumble, and he can no longer hide his pain and suffering from his other half. In a moment of genuine despair, his voice breaks as he bitterly asks why it is that no matter how hard he tries, he can never reclaim his other half, and curses his own pitiful existence. Calling himself an abomination, and questions if he was simply undeserving of the salvation he longed for with every fiber of his being.

Ventus would then pause, his anger softening a bit, and he asks why exactly it was that Vanitas was seeking to rejoin with him in the first place. Was he just after more power? Was he entirely devoted to Xehanort's cause? Ven never actually thought to question it before. Vanitas is silent for a moment, before giving a weak laugh. He then openly proclaims that if he's going to die, he might as well not withhold the truth any longer. He then explains his suffering in full detail. How the nature of his existence caused him to feel nothing but sadness, anger, pain, and jealousy for the happy life Ventus would go onto live. Vanitas hopelessly followed Xehanort in an attempt to create the the X-blade because he believed it was his only chance at ending his long torment. But all he ended up being was a pawn to the man that caused all his pain in the first place, as he desperately chased after a dream he was never strong enough to reach. Maybe it was for the best though. He was nothing but an "abomination" after all, right?

It's then that Ventus finally interjects, and firmly disagrees with the notion that Vanitas has placed on himself. He was more than just some dark creature, he was a person. Ven then settles down his temper and softly admits that he had no idea, before asking why Vanitas had never said anything about what he was going through earlier. In truth, it was because Vanitas was trying to convince himself that he was strong. Or rather, he was afraid of being weak and vulnerable again. It was due to Ventus' weakness and fear that the two were split apart in the first place, so all he could think when he saw Ventus (who wore their original face) was a reflection of that weakness that virtually ruined his life. He resented that weakness, and seeked to suppress, and dominate it no matter what. Only to realize that in the end, he himself was truly the weak one all along, but never wanted to accept it.

After hearing that admission, it all finally becomes clear to Ventus. While he'd been recovering and making friends, Vanitas had been suffering alone, and was lead to think he was undeserving of happiness. But that wasn't true. They should be free to choose what they are, and not let others dictate their purpose and role in life. Our suffering may help shape us, but we shouldn't let it define who we are. Upon saying all of this aloud to Vanitas, Ventus would give his final offer. "It's your choice but, what do you say we start fresh and... give eachother a second chance?" He outstretches his hand to Vanitas and gives him a warm smile.

Vanitas is visibly shocked at the sight, before his face sinks back down to the ground. "How do you know things won't end the exact same way they did before?" His voice is clearly layered with bitterness and doubt.

"Because, I'm not afraid anymore..." Vanitas looks back up to meet Ventus' eyes, but can't find a trace of doubt or hesitation within them. "How can I be, now that I know all I needed was to trust myself?"

Vanitas is silent for second, and tears begin to well up in his eyes. "... I'm sorry, about everything."

"Me too..." (Ventus is apologizing for never recognizing Vanitas' plight sooner, and inadvertently pushing him away rather than trying to see things from his perspective).

Finally, Vanitas takes Ven's hand, and the other pulls him into an embrace. As they both cry silently over eachother's shoulder, a bright light engulfs them, and as it dissapates, we see Ventus is seemingly left standing alone. However, once he opens his eyes, they appear green, rather than blue or yellow. Symbolizing the two's complete unity and newfound balance.
------​

The reason I would find an ending like this better is because it ties up a number of loose ends regarding the characters, and could act as a beautiful representation of self love, recovery, and learning that our abuse shouldn't define who we are (Ventus was, in a sense, an abuse victim of Xehanort on both a physical and emotional level afterall). I know this isn't a perfect writing, but I'm mainly advocating for the general idea of this scenario. It wouldn't have to be one to one.

Anyway, to clarify on what I mean by "loose ends", I mean things like:
  • Vanitas' true motivations and feelings would be properly explained.
  • Vanitas regains his humanity and can now live happily.
  • Ventus finally becomes whole and completes the arc set up for him in the beginning of BBS (reclaiming the part of himself that he lost).
  • The Ventus from before the split has now overcome his fears and gained a newfound faith in himself (this coming from him now being in tune with both his light and darkness), and thus is now "strong enough" in his own eyes.
  • The two's apology and reuniting on mutual, peaceful terms, rather than by force, would show that their conflict has truly come to an end.
  • This isn't technically a plotline, but it'd also add more meaning to the inclusion of Vanitas' theme in the track "Heroes and Heroines"
Idk, maybe it's just me, but I very much would've preferred an ending along these lines from KH3, as I personally think that's where the trajectory set up for Vanitas and Ventus was pointing toward, and ultimately should've headed in.
If I were to one issue with this amazing post is it's them merging due to how KH is about its characters being their own, separate person. But other than that, this is 100% fantastic.


This brings up another thing. How Sora and Riku are never harmed when asleep. They apparently do just lie wherever they are when they pass out, so they could've easily have been trampled over by DE or attacked by the villainous dream (or data) inhabitants. The norts never take advantage of this either.
 
Last edited:

Any

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It's funny, I was wondering about this recently too. The beginning of BBS set up pretty heavily that both he and Ventus' arc was gonna end with the two reuniting and regaining their original self, so to speak. In fact, purely based on visual cues, one would've thought that Ventus and Vanitas rejoined at the end of Ventus' story since that's what the final cutscene suggest (the Trinity Archives imply this too), but then KH3 seemingly backtracks on that by bringing Vanitas back. Now, that'd be alright if say, he was from the past, or they simply wanted an opportunity to get better closure and development with his character, but Vanitas wasn't really fleshed out anymore than he'd already been, and his "conclusion" with Ventus was vague and confusing at most.


Ideally, what I think should've happened is that over the course of the game, we'd see glimpses of Vanitas' struggle as he is forced to reconstruct his unstable heart alone, while Xehanort neglected him and focused on his master plan. This eventually leads to Vanitas ending up at Monstropolis, but now with the added context that he's only doing what he feels he has to to survive. One well constructed cutscene beforehand would be all you need to accomplish this affect. Then, when he fleas from the LoD later, have one of the Seekers scold Vanitas for being reckless and not informing the other members of his endeavor, which would subtly highlight Vanitas' desperation, and his alignment (acting more for himself than Xehanort).

In the end, when he eventually clashes with Ventus in the Keyblade Graveyard and is bested one last time, his walls finally begin to crumble, and he can no longer hide his pain and suffering from his other half. In a moment of genuine despair, his voice breaks as he bitterly asks why it is that no matter how hard he tries, he can never reclaim his other half, and curses his own pitiful existence. Calling himself an abomination, and questions if he was simply undeserving of the salvation he longed for with every fiber of his being.

Ventus would then pause, his anger softening a bit, and he asks why exactly it was that Vanitas was seeking to rejoin with him in the first place. Was he just after more power? Was he entirely devoted to Xehanort's cause? Ven never actually thought to question it before. Vanitas is silent for a moment, before giving a weak laugh. He then openly proclaims that if he's going to die, he might as well not withhold the truth any longer. He then explains his suffering in full detail. How the nature of his existence caused him to feel nothing but sadness, anger, pain, and jealousy for the happy life Ventus would go onto live. Vanitas hopelessly followed Xehanort in an attempt to create the the X-blade because he believed it was his only chance at ending his long torment. But all he ended up being was a pawn to the man that caused all his pain in the first place, as he desperately chased after a dream he was never strong enough to reach. Maybe it was for the best though. He was nothing but an "abomination" after all, right?

It's then that Ventus finally interjects, and firmly disagrees with the notion that Vanitas has placed on himself. He was more than just some dark creature, he was a person. Ven then settles down his temper and softly admits that he had no idea, before asking why Vanitas had never said anything about what he was going through earlier. In truth, it was because Vanitas was trying to convince himself that he was strong. Or rather, he was afraid of being weak and vulnerable again. It was due to Ventus' weakness and fear that the two were split apart in the first place, so all he could think when he saw Ventus (who wore their original face) was a reflection of that weakness that virtually ruined his life. He resented that weakness, and seeked to suppress, and dominate it no matter what. Only to realize that in the end, he himself was truly the weak one all along, but never wanted to accept it.

After hearing that admission, it all finally becomes clear to Ventus. While he'd been recovering and making friends, Vanitas had been suffering alone, and was lead to think he was undeserving of happiness. But that wasn't true. They should be free to choose what they are, and not let others dictate their purpose and role in life. Our suffering may help shape us, but we shouldn't let it define who we are. Upon saying all of this aloud to Vanitas, Ventus would give his final offer. "It's your choice but, what do you say we start fresh and... give eachother a second chance?" He outstretches his hand to Vanitas and gives him a warm smile.

Vanitas is visibly shocked at the sight, before his face sinks back down to the ground. "How do you know things won't end the exact same way they did before?" His voice is clearly layered with bitterness and doubt.

"Because, I'm not afraid anymore..." Vanitas looks back up to meet Ventus' eyes, but can't find a trace of doubt or hesitation within them. "How can I be, now that I know all I needed was to trust myself?"

Vanitas is silent for second, and tears begin to well up in his eyes. "... I'm sorry, about everything."

"Me too..." (Ventus is apologizing for never recognizing Vanitas' plight sooner, and inadvertently pushing him away rather than trying to see things from his perspective).

Finally, Vanitas takes Ven's hand, and the other pulls him into an embrace. As they both cry silently over eachother's shoulder, a bright light engulfs them, and as it dissapates, we see Ventus is seemingly left standing alone. However, once he opens his eyes, they appear green, rather than blue or yellow. Symbolizing the two's complete unity and newfound balance.
------​

The reason I would find an ending like this better is because it ties up a number of loose ends regarding the characters, and could act as a beautiful representation of self love, recovery, and learning that our abuse shouldn't define who we are (Ventus was, in a sense, an abuse victim of Xehanort on both a physical and emotional level afterall). I know this isn't a perfect writing, but I'm mainly advocating for the general idea of this scenario. It wouldn't have to be one to one.

Anyway, to clarify on what I mean by "loose ends", I mean things like:
  • Vanitas' true motivations and feelings would be properly explained.
  • Vanitas regains his humanity and can now live happily.
  • Ventus finally becomes whole and completes the arc set up for him in the beginning of BBS (reclaiming the part of himself that he lost).
  • The Ventus from before the split has now overcome his fears and gained a newfound faith in himself (this coming from him now being in tune with both his light and darkness), and thus is now "strong enough" in his own eyes.
  • The two's apology and reuniting on mutual, peaceful terms, rather than by force, would show that their conflict has truly come to an end.
  • This isn't technically a plotline, but it'd also add more meaning to the inclusion of Vanitas' theme in the track "Heroes and Heroines"
Idk, maybe it's just me, but I very much would've preferred an ending along these lines from KH3, as I personally think that's where the trajectory set up for Vanitas and Ventus was pointing toward, and ultimately should've headed in.

A second chance 🥺 I love your idea so much.

Though, I would like Vanitas to be his own person. Well he is but his heart is fixed, he’s completed. His heart is balanced with both light and darkness. Headcanon: Instead of the unversed, he creates fluffs from both of his negative & positive emotions
 
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Twilight Lumiair

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Sir.....this is beautiful.
If I were to one issue with this amazing post is it's them merging due to how KH is about its characters being their own, separate person. But other than that, this is 100% fantastic.
A second chance 🥺 I love your idea so much.

Though, I would like Vanitas to be his own person. Well he is but his heart is fixed, he’s completed. His heart is balanced with both light and darkness. Headcannon: Instead of the unversed, he creates fluffs from both of his negative & positive emotions
Thank you all so much for the kind words! Usually when I make post like that they don't get much attention, so this came as a bit of a surprise. 😅

In regards to the merger, I completely understand the desire to see Vanitas become his own person, and it would actually fit with the series' themes of individuality and ability to change. For a long time, I was actually advocating for the same thing, hence why I made this thread a while back. But after going through BBS and analyzing Ventus' arc, it really seemed like the only way for things to truly come full circle was via their reunification. More specifically, remember how I kept bringing up how Ven's arc in BBS was essentially to regain the part of himself that he lost? I was actually reffering to this scene:

In it, after Sora touches Ventus' heart and prevents any further damage, he says that one day Ventus may be able to "win back the part he already lost", indicating that his journey would ultimately be about mending the damage Xehanort did to him, and becoming whole once again. Meanwhile, Vanitas has this same goal, but taken to an extreme. He's based his entire existence around filling the void in his heart and becoming whole once again, and along the way, due to Xehanort's influence, he lost his humanity and sense of individual worth. It just seemed perfectly fitting that the two would eventually rejoin on their own terms, and gain all the things they were looking for in the process.


Now, with that being said, there is definitely a way you can cleanly wrap up these lines and plot beats in a satisfying way while keeping the two separate, and that would be by shifting the framing so that it's more metaphorical than literal.

First, rather than have Vanitas on the verge of death, simply put him on his last legs, where he sees his defeat as inevitable and thus the scene I proposed earlier can still play out in a similar way.

In terms of being consistent with the set up back in BBS, "Winning back the part you already lost" could also translate to winning it back from Xehanort's grasp, which would be represented by Vani joining Ventus' side and turning against Xehanort in the finale. So in a sense, they now both have eachother in their lives again to give them closure, rather than simply rejoining entirely. Their reconciliation and choice of a fresh start would then be what triggers their hearts to grow complete and independent, so neither are pure light or pure darkness anymore, but their own people with their own light and darkness (perhaps this could show that hearts have the power to choose what they are on just as much a physical level as an emotional one). This way, Vanitas could still regain his humanity and Ven could still become whole, which allows them to both complete their arcs without changing the overall trajectory of them.
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In general, though I would personally prefer them merging, since I think it opens the door for a more unique character, having a scenario like this would still be almost just as conclusive and satisfying (the only real lingering thing would be Vanitas' road to redemption, and the soul searching he'd have to go on to better define his new purpose in the world).

I think a merger would only really work better if KH3 was always intended to be the last that we saw of Vanitas, since at least this way he'd live on through a unified being whom shared his experiences, suffering, ect. If it's not, and there's room in the narrative for Vani to persist and go on his own journey, then I think the second idea, with the two staying separate and becoming whole via their new bond, would be more appropriate. Either way, Vanitas definitely deserved a second chance, or at least better closure in some form.
*Edited for grammatical errors*
 
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I got a little nitpick.

What exactly was the point of bringing back the world order in KH3 when it was just discarded in KH2? I mean, Sora literally mentions different worlds to Jack Sparrow without issue in KH2 but in KH3 he can't even talk about Mickey without having Donald and Goofy acting like he's about to reveal Spider-Man's identity.

Like, what was the point? For a running gag? Because it wasn't really funny to me, just like how Donald basically saying that Sora's useless and undependable all because of a dumb test that Sora only did for Riku's sake isn't really funny either.
 

Twilight Lumiair

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What exactly was the point of bringing back the world order in KH3 when it was just discarded in KH2? I mean, Sora literally mentions different worlds to Jack Sparrow without issue in KH2 but in KH3 he can't even talk about Mickey without having Donald and Goofy acting like he's about to reveal Spider-Man's identity.
Not just KH2. KH3 itself disregarded it when they brought Hayner, Pence, and Olette to Destiny Islands at the end of the game. So it's inconsistent and non-committal within the very same game.
 
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Not just KH2. KH3 itself disregarded it when they brought Hayner, Pence, and Olette to Destiny Islands at the end of the game. So it's inconsistent and non-committal within the very same game.
Either no one except Donald and Goofy care about world order, or world order only applies to Disney worlds, which I wouldn't be surprised about in the slightest since Disney was the reason "world order" was created in the first place.

Still don't understand how "Shut up about worlds Sora" and "Haha sora undependable and not a master" is funny tho
 

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Still don't understand how "Shut up about worlds Sora" and "Haha sora undependable and not a master" is funny tho
I think it might've been some half-baked attempt to undermine Sora's competence and knock him down a peg (so he wouldn't seem like an unbeatable saint when the end game came and he was literally solving all the problems himself), but because of the way the story was framed, Sora was the one who ended up doing most of the work anyway, so the message is confused.

The same goes for Aqua, but in the opposite direction. They try and play lip service to her numerous times, but never follow through with any of it. I won't go into all the examples here though, since they've already been discussed on the forum ad nauseam.


On the topic, I remember back when the first KH3 Sora figure was released (where he had the two shoot blasters), Nomura outright said in an early interview that by the time Sora gets most of his fancy abilities like Keyblade Transformations, he's already been named a Master.

The only reason I can think of as to why they cut that part out was in order to play up the whole "dull; ordinary boy" idea originally presented in DDD, but there's really no legitimate reason why Sora wouldn't have been named a Master when he obtained the PoW, and regained a lot of his lost power by the end of KH3. They had a scene at Mysterious Tower just before the protags' went off to fight Xehanort, so why didn't Yen Sid make Sora a Master right there? It was deliberately brisked over so that no one would question it, like so many other things in that game.
*Also, 400th post! Wooo!* 😀
 
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I think it might've been some half-baked attempt to undermine Sora's competence and knock him down a peg (so he wouldn't seem like an unbeatable saint when the end game came and he was literally solving all the problems himself), but because of the way the story was framed, Sora was the one who ended up doing most of the work anyway, so the message is confused.
All it really did was make Donald into a jerk.

Like, Kairi gets freaking shattered, and Xehanort basically wins and gets Kingdom Hearts. Suddenly Donald and Goofy show up out of nowhere and Donald just decides to say "Typical you can't do anything without us". I'm probably supposed to be getting a different feeling from that scene, but all I got was the feeling that it basically threw Riku's "you don't believe that" bit under the bus and reaffirmed Sora's belief that alone, he's worthless, he's just dead weight.

Maybe it's a good thing that in the next game, Sora will basically be all alone. He needs to believe in his own strength now.
 
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