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Theory: The Magic Mirror reflects Aqua's inner feelings



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Muke

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Everybody knows Grimhilde's all-knowing Magic Mirror.
Aqua sees her reflection in the Mirror. It says:
"Only your heart is hollow enough to be one of the demon's" (something along those lines)

My thesis is that, deep down, Aqua actually thinks of herself as a Demon. She left her friends behind when they needed her the most - she is heartless (pun not intended).
But she also thinks that her heart is strong enough to prevent being corrupted by darkness like Terra's was. (she thinks it was, doesnt she?)

I can't really word it in English ahah

ooor it's just the typical 'mirror illusion tries to confuse the person'
 

VoidGear.

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I think the whole trailer was meant to show us the process of Aqua going completely insane as was already hinted in the BBS Final Episode ending before she says her beloved "there's always a way" line.
The mirror scene is part of that, showing the fears she has of having failed her duty as a master and friend, maybe even though she doesn't actively keep those thoughts in mind, but they are somewhere.
My favorite part of it though is the Venitas/Terranort-scene which I think will be close to endgame before she says she can become one with darkness. I'd actually love a scenario where all of that drives her nuts enough to make her believe that all of that is actually the truth (making her finally accept failure and falling into the darkness) and that she'd never meet her friends again.
 

Ballad of Caius

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I think the whole trailer was meant to show us the process of Aqua going completely insane as was already hinted in the BBS Final Episode ending before she says her beloved "there's always a way" line.
The mirror scene is part of that, showing the fears she has of having failed her duty as a master and friend, maybe even though she doesn't actively keep those thoughts in mind, but they are somewhere.
My favorite part of it though is the Venitas/Terranort-scene which I think will be close to endgame before she says she can become one with darkness. I'd actually love a scenario where all of that drives her nuts enough to make her believe that all of that is actually the truth (making her finally accept failure and falling into the darkness) and that she'd never meet her friends again.

Like a fellow member said in a another thread: we're getting more Aqua related character development. Seems she's going to be the series' most developed character, and she's only appeared in two games, haha.
 

Alpha Baymax

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There's something interesting about the illusions that appear. They replace the role of iconic Disney characters...

Terra = Prince Charming from Cinderella
Ventus = Snow White from Snow White and The Seven Dwarves
Aqua = The Magic Mirror from Snow White and The Seven Dwarves

I wonder what the significance is with that (even if it's nothing more than coincidence). I feel as though that the Realm of Darkness is using Aqua's memories to substitute characters in the respective Disney worlds with those that are close to her.
 

hemmoheikkinen

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Well, I remember folks talking about how even memories are not save from the darkness, and as she sees Terra, Ven and herself when Aqua travels the RoD, it could be the past events going on a loop. Ven visited Dwarf Woodlands so it makes sense that Aqua sees her there, and people pointed out that the place where she meets Terra was also a thing that happened in BBS, so it could be memory looping and repeating itself. Aqua went inside to the mirror in BBS too. But Ven was not in the coffin so it could be that the darkness is twisting these memories, playing tricks with her mind and manifesting physically her inner fears.

The mirror could indeed reflect her inner fears of failing to save and protect her friends and I think that is pretty cool. It would be even more awesome if after the fight Aqua is exhausted and the mirror cracks, and from that broken reflection she sees herself, symbolizing how possibly tired and fractured she is at the moment. A bit like what they did with Korra:

9yBimi3.jpg


And Azula:
tumblr_lnhsflrVk91qlzsato1_500.gif



And then the feeling of just fading away to darkness start crawling back to her mind once again.
 

Muke

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Gnaah, look at hemmo wording and explaining it better than I would ever be able to!
 

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I believe this is exactly what's happening, just wish I could understand everything she's saying before "Only your heart is hollow enough to be a demon's."
 

Michael Mario

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I believe this is exactly what's happening, just wish I could understand everything she's saying before "Only your heart is hollow enough to be a demon's."

Same; I can't quite tell if that was supposed to be unintelligible, or if it's another instance of the trailer's poor audio quality :p.
 

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Same; I can't quite tell if that was supposed to be unintelligible, or if it's another instance of the trailer's poor audio quality :p.

It's not just me right? Her audio is peeking when she yells "My heart is strong, I'll prove it!"
 

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I believe this is exactly what's happening, just wish I could understand everything she's saying before "Only your heart is hollow enough to be a demon's."

Perhaps her reflection is stating this because she's been hurt so much that it'd be easy for darkness to fill inside her. Imagine as if it were a bucket of water. Xehanort and his machinations hurt her so much that spilled the bucket, and now she's susceptible to be filled again, but since she's in the Realm of Darkness and is in the brink of losing her hope and hopping to insanity, she might completely fall to the darkness.
 

kirabook

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Perhaps her reflection is stating this because she's been hurt so much that it'd be easy for darkness to fill inside her. Imagine as if it were a bucket of water. Xehanort and his machinations hurt her so much that spilled the bucket, and now she's susceptible to be filled again, but since she's in the Realm of Darkness and is in the brink of losing her hope and hopping to insanity, she might completely fall to the darkness.

That is also true, I think BbS and [Chi] has been telling us that darkness is not necessarily bad, but it is negative emotion. Sadness, anger, rage, loneliness, jealousy. Aqua is definitely filled with sadness and loneliness, she could easily be snuffed out in such a place. She's already almost given up twice so far from what we've seen.
 

Ballad of Caius

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That is also true, I think BbS and [Chi] has been telling us that darkness is not necessarily bad, but it is negative emotion. Sadness, anger, rage, loneliness, jealousy. Aqua is definitely filled with sadness and loneliness, she could easily be snuffed out in such a place. She's already almost given up twice so far from what we've seen.

Good point. Maybe she'll be over Eraqus' radical teachings of only benefiting the light?
 

kirabook

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Good point. Maybe she'll be over Eraqus' radical teachings of only benefiting the light?

Possibly. This makes me think, maybe she is denying her true feelings. Her loneliness and sadness are boiling under the surface and the mirror is just saying them out loud. Maybe it's her time to accept that she does feel that way, but she can't let it consume her and it's to be expected?

Eraqus definitely set unreal expectations on them. Never be sad, never be angry, never be jealous, it's all darkness and you must hold them down. Maybe in a normal setting you don't just let those feelings loose, but Eraqus wanted them to never have them. Terra ALMOST used darkness for .00000005 seconds and that was enough to convince Eraqus that he shouldn't pass. Not to say that he was wrong, Terra definitely did not have any control over his darker emotions, but goodness grief Eraqus made it 10x worse.

Aqua is no Terra, but... she's definitely not going to end up like Eraqus, holding it down and denying it until the last few seconds of her life.

Maybe. I've been headcanoning Aqua's time in the dark realm for 5-6 years, canon is too mixed with my fanon, but at the same time, 95% of my fanon is literally becoming a reality. Haha
 

hemmoheikkinen

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Gnaah, look at hemmo wording and explaining it better than I would ever be able to!

Oh no there was nothing wrong with your post. I just basically said the same thing but added a few things. :) You`r point came well cross.


I was also wondering what mirror!Aqua says and Oathkeeper replied to me in another thread:
"Only your heart is hallow with inner demons"

So I guess that`s one option too. I think the use of hollow here is interesting since it´s not often that term is used to describe a heart. Usually it`s just said to be full of darkness or the like. Curiously, Riku during CoM is the only other person that I remember at the moment to have been called a hollow. Maybe there is a bit of similarity in Riku´s and Aqua`s case? Both wandered alone without their friends for a while: Aqua for freaking years in a hell like place, and I don´t remember how long Riku had to go but that and the guilt in him was horrible even in a short period of time. Maybe besides loneliness and sadness, Aqua feels quilt since she was not able to rescue her friends. The hallucinations of Ventus and Terra and seeing the destructed worlds is an ever present reminder of that.

I am running on the assumption that the Mickey rescue scene happens somewhere at the end. I like how it seems that even the morale boost at the end of BBS did not magically wipe away all of her negative feelings, and just like others sad maybe they are waiting under the surface to re-surface again. Maybe these trials in the RoD make them come out and that is why we get the "I am gonna be one with darkness" scene.
 

Michael Mario

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Oh no there was nothing wrong with your post. I just basically said the same thing but added a few things. :) You`r point came well cross.


I was also wondering what mirror!Aqua says and Oathkeeper replied to me in another thread:

So I guess that`s one option too. I think the use of hollow here is interesting since it´s not often that term is used to describe a heart. Usually it`s just said to be full of darkness or the like. Curiously, Riku during CoM is the only other person that I remember at the moment to have been called a hollow. Maybe there is a bit of similarity in Riku´s and Aqua`s case? Both wandered alone without their friends for a while: Aqua for freaking years in a hell like place, and I don´t remember how long Riku had to go but that and the guilt in him was horrible even in a short period of time. Maybe besides loneliness and sadness, Aqua feels quilt since she was not able to rescue her friends. The hallucinations of Ventus and Terra and seeing the destructed worlds is an ever present reminder of that.

I am running on the assumption that the Mickey rescue scene happens somewhere at the end. I like how it seems that even the morale boost at the end of BBS did not magically wipe away all of her negative feelings, and just like others sad maybe they are waiting under the surface to re-surface again. Maybe these trials in the RoD make them come out and that is why we get the "I am gonna be one with darkness" scene.

Not just "hollow"- "demon" is another word I don't think we've heard since Chain of Memories. At that point in 0.2, Aqua seems to feel like she belongs in the Realm of Darkness as penance for her failures not unlike how Riku felt that he deserved to be destroyed by light in his battle against Zexion. Aqua's still in the denial phase here given that she argues that her heart is strong, but that fight is probably to brutally crush that assertion.
 

hemmoheikkinen

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Not just "hollow"- "demon" is another word I don't think we've heard since Chain of Memories. At that point in 0.2, Aqua seems to feel like she belongs in the Realm of Darkness as penance for her failures not unlike how Riku felt that he deserved to be destroyed by light in his battle against Zexion. Aqua's still in the denial phase here given that she argues that her heart is strong, but that fight is probably to brutally crush that assertion.


Ooh, right demon of course too! How did I not think about that. Yeah, I got the feeling of guilt/judgement/penance from Aqua`s lines too, but like you say the feels of guilt that Riku and Aqua have come from different things.

I see Aqua as a strong character, but I think too that at some point the RoD might make her re-think the position she is in. Now with Yasue saying that they wanted to make 0.2 terrifying and intense, it makes me think of that even more. Luckily Mickey will be there to remind Aqua that she is not alone and that will probably give her the needed boost to keep going, and finally end up to the beach. Heck, even the new Simple Clean remix is titled Ray of Hope so despite all kinds of dark things happening, I think one of 0.2 themes will be hope. The bits of the opening also point towards this direction.

EDIT:

Also, I am really curious if mirror!Aqua will have some battle dialogue and if she has, I wonder what she is going to say. Probably some nasty stuff to bring our blue haired mom down.
 
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VoidGear.

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I imagine Aqua to first encounter Terra, like we saw, later Ventus and then herself in the mirror. After seeing her friends as illusions of her memories, the mirror throws all those things at her that she wants to deny and after she tears it down, she has a mental breakdown but decides - once again - that she cannot just stop.
Then some time later, she encounters Venitas and Terranort and probably defeats them, too, but afterwards feels nothing but that empty desire to just become one with darkness instead of having to go through that any longer.
 

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The cruel irony in all this is if Aqua had ever stopped fighting, had given up her heart...she would of been reborn in the realm of inbetween as a human Nobody almost certainly. In an instance by giving into the darkness Aqua would of been returned to where light and dark overlap, making it easy to get back to castle oblivion...or heck she might even have appeared IN castle oblivion potentially. She fights the darkness so hard but all she needs to do to escape is give in. But she never do that her will to keep fighting will keep her trapped in the darkness until Sora rescues her.
 

hemmoheikkinen

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The cruel irony in all this is if Aqua had ever stopped fighting, had given up her heart...she would of been reborn in the realm of inbetween as a human Nobody almost certainly. In an instance by giving into the darkness Aqua would of been returned to where light and dark overlap, making it easy to get back to castle oblivion...or heck she might even have appeared IN castle oblivion potentially. She fights the darkness so hard but all she needs to do to escape is give in. But she never do that her will to keep fighting will keep her trapped in the darkness until Sora rescues her.

Hmm, would there have still been the risk of her not being born as a Nobody that would keep a human form and memories from the past?
It would be really interesting to see Xemna´s reaction if Aqua was reformed as a human Nobody in Twilight Town and he would have found her there.
 
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