IDreamAboutCats:
First, I don't assume appearance causes *anyone* to be beautiful. Beauty is a personality trait, and *that's all.* From the way you worded it, it sounded like you were saying that the canon is just saying that Cinderella is beautiful because of her *appearance,* and *that* is what I object to.
If you believe that the canon is saying that Cinderella is beautiful due to her personality, and not her appearance at all, I very much agree with that.
You make number of very good points about why the Princesses are different from Ven and the guardians of light, and I agree with most or all of your points about Ven and the guardians, but I'm not arguing against canon. No one but a vengeance-blinded Ansem says that the Princesses and the New Seven Hearts have no darkness. The other sources speak of the Princesses' incredible purity, but none of the other sources than the revenge-blinded Ansem say that the Princesses have no darkness, and that Elsa counts as a pure light is strong evidence that the Princesses do possess darkness.
As are the following pictures of Kairi from KINGDOM HEARTS III and KINGDOM HEARTS III: RE MIND, that clearly show in Kairi's own facial expressions and body language that she's displaying not just regular negative emotion anger, but vengeful anger, hateful anger, hate, despair, and more, and that she's very likely calling on darkness to boost herself when she duels Xemnas as Riku and Terra have called on darkness to boost themselves. I won't Post them with a lot of text this time so you're more comfortable reading them - though they're not 'walls of text;' there's no such thing.
Here are the pictures.
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The first picture is from the scene in the regular KINGDOM HEARTS III where Terra-Xehanort does a number on the group, so you know the context of this one.
Here's evidence that Kairi possesses darkness because she glares at Terra-Xehanort with undiluted hatred. The glare can be clearly seen as undeniable proof on a television screen that is large enough, but it doesn't appear as well in the picture below, so I'm calling this picture 'evidence' and not 'proof.'
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The segment itself can be seen on YouTube in the KINGDOM HEARTS III movie KINGDOM HEARTS 3 - All Cutscenes Full Movie High Definition from 7:53:34 to 7:53:38.
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Here's the Kairi pictures from KINGDOM HEARTS III: RE MIND that are unarguable proof, and arguable evidence, that Kairi possesses darkness.
Kairi reacting to Isa/Saix saying that Lea and the other guardians must have been desperate to apply her, one of the New Seven Hearts, as a guardian of light.
Kairi arguably looks not just angry, but hateful here, too, though perhaps not as much as in a clear television screen shot of Kairi glaring at Terra-Xehanort with undiluted hatred.
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This segment can also be seen in the YouTube KINGDOM HEARTS III: RE MIND movie KINGDOM HEARTS 3 REMIND Downloadable Content - Gameplay Walkthrough Part 1 FULL GAME from 1:32:24 to 1:32:37.
First, I'm not arguing that Kairi just feels regular negative emotion anger. I'm arguing that she additionally feels *vengeful anger* and *hateful anger,* which are darkness.
My first two pictures proving and giving evidence that Kairi possesses darkness will address this.
This is regular negative emotion anger.
Roxas is angry that, after Xemnas has thrown Sora to the ground and Isa/Saix has locked Lea/Axel in a claymore/Keyblade clash, Roxas can't break through Xemnas' single Ethereal Blade block with Roxas' Oblivion.
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This is hateful anger and darkness.
Sora hates Xemnas and is extremely angry with Xemnas for imprisoning Kairi in a sphere of dark thorns.
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Do you see the large difference?
Xemnas blocks Sora with one single Ethereal Blade and throws him away.
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Xemnas blocks Xion's Kingdom Key with one single Ethereal Blade while simultaneously blocking Roxas' Oblivion - not Roxas' Oathkeeper as well, I was wrong about this - with his other Ethereal Blade, then Xemnas boosts his abilities with darkness - he does this now, not afterwards, I was wrong about this as well - and throws Xion and Roxas away.
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Kairi versus Xemnas.
This begins right after Xemnas throws Xion and Roxas away.
Kairi jumps at Xemnas and swings Destiny's Embrace with an angry, perhaps even hateful, glare that is perhaps even a snarl.
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Xemnas blocks Kairi with both Ethereal Blades, but Kairi overpowers Xemnas' block with Destiny's Embrace so effectively she almost his Xemnas when he staggers back.
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Kairi gives Xemnas another angry glare that is almost certainly another glare of undiluted hatred and that is definitely a snarl this time.
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Kairi repeatedly sends Xemnas staggering back at a disadvantage and on the defensive even though Xemnas is attempting to defend himself with both Ethereal Blades.
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In the last picture, it's also very attention-grabbing that Kairi is so letting herself be ruled by emotion that she's briefly closing her eyes while in the middle of a combat situation.
When Xemnas snares Sora in the sphere of thorny darkness, Kairi portrays facial expressions and body language that are *unmistakably* undiluted hatred.
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And this isn't even just Kairi's undiluted hatred for Xemnas and for Kairi herself. Kairi is in *unimaginably incomprehensible despair* at her helplessness and powerlessness to keep Sora from pain and suffering.
The entire Kairi versus Xemnas sequence can be viewed in full on the YouTube video KINGDOM HEARTS 3 REMIND Downloadable Content - Gameplay Walkthrough Part 1 FULL GAME from 1:45:05 to 1:46:33.
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Do you see why Kairi, and thus the other Princesses of Heart, possess darkness now?
Paul
"This heart belongs again to darkness."-Terra-Xehanort
KINGDOM HEARTS: BIRTH BY SLEEP