My Somewhat Unpopular Opinion Is That "famous Story Retold From Female Character's Pov" Is A Good Concept,

Is anyone reaching out to her?

The 3 Keys Theory

@nikutsuneart made a post about Kairi’s involvement in Melody of Memory to find Sora. In isolation, this part of the story also made me scratch my head. However, looking back at this with the context of Dream Drop Distance, it all clicked for me.

In Melody of Memory, the Fairy Godmother says,

“To find Sora, we need three keys… With Riku's dreams and Kairi's memories, you two have already done your part.”

Key and three is used very specifically, she says it multiple times in the conversation. The third Key is the Nameless Star. However, we are not told specifically what the Nameless Star’s key is (as specific as dreams and memory are).

Luckily, Ansem has our answer:

“The three realms of our world--light, darkness, and between--these are all places we can travel to because they are on "our side." This also includes the worlds of memories, data, and dreams.”

Memory, Data, and Dreams, then, must be the three keys.

But my mind began to wander. What if it’s the same ritual from Dream Drop Distance?

You see, at the end of Dream Drop Distance, Ansem also tells Riku about a key:

“You were questioned by three young people. That was the final key to awaken him. Sora is awake.”

The way “key” is used, the audience initially thinks, oh this is just a matter of phrasing. But what if Roxas, Ventus and Xion also represent the same 3 keys?

To talk about this, I think we need to look at that DDD scene a little differently. Is it really Roxas, Ventus, and Xion during that scene? They’re sort of apparitions, not reacting to Riku’s surprise; appearing and disappearing suddenly.

What if, like Ansem the Wise, they’re also forms of data? The knowledge that there are people in Sora’s heart that need to return to the real world: analogous to Sora in that moment needing to return to the real world, as well.

Essentially, the trio are supposed to represent something, here. Given that, who represents what? I think Roxas is Memory, Ventus is Dreams, and Xion is Data.

The Three Keys

First, Roxas as Memory. During Sora’s descent into darkness, Roxas provides Sora with all of his memories and experiences. Ergo, Sora’s heart chooses to represent that component, Memory, with Roxas’ data.

Next, Ventus as Dream. Of course Sora’s heart would use him to represent Dream. He’s been asleep, dreaming alongside Sora, during his whole adventure.

Finally, Xion as Data. Xion has ceased to exist in memories or dreams, yet her data and hurt still remains. It is through others believing and wishing for her to return that she may find her way back to her friends.

I think this works best because it follows the same order as Melody of Memory, ending on Data. However, I do see the argument to switch Roxas and Xion. Afterall, Data Roxas was a major player in Re:Coded.

Furthermore, isn’t this what the power of waking is? “For traversing hearts to reach worlds”? Each of these components, Memory, Dreams, and Data— Riku is using these 3 hearts to guide Sora back to his world.

To Sum It Up

I believe Melody of Memory makes more sense if we understand it as the same ritual. In DDD, although Riku freed Sora from the nightmare, he was still lost. Riku was presented with 3 keys held by 3 people. Each of these people once existed in the real world and represented the desire to return to it. By answering the questions, Riku was able to use the power of waking to pull Sora away from Quadratum—out of his Memories, Dreams, and Data—and into his reality.

Then, Melody of Memory is Riku doing it again. 3 people 3 keys, Riku dreams, Kairi’s memories and the Nameless Star’s heart filled with data of Unreality. Riku is instead traveling away from reality and in the opposite direction: into Quadratum.

If only I could, I’d make a deal with god…

- Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) by Kate Bush

Talk no Jutsu should’ve affected Naruto as well—each encounter with an antagonist should have forced Naruto to alter his conception of what becoming hokage will mean in terms of the problems he will be working to solve, continuously building on a growing conflict between Naruto’s desire to be adored by the village and serve as its leader and his growing understanding of the many ways it has hurt the people he encounters. Naruto’s empathy should’ve been a starting point to these questions and conflicts rather than their supposed solution. His alliance with Kurama should have required him to actually accept his own anger rather than suppress it, since consciously accepting that anger and working with it rather than pushing it to the depths of his unconscious mind (as symbolized by the cage that Kurama was kept in) would parallel his ability to work with Kurama rather than constantly fighting to hold him back.

In the final fight, these conflicts should’ve reached a final resolution. Naruto’s relationship with Sasuke, which has always pushed him to grow and improve, has repeatedly led him into conflict with the village’s rules, and is what he swore to restore before becoming hokage, should’ve led him to reject his dream of becoming hokage altogether and with it the system it represents, instead seeking to change the shinobi world into something not built on violence and exploitation with Sasuke’s help. Sasuke’s ideas about needing to change the shinobi world and his steadfast dedication to achieving it should have complemented Naruto’s lack of a solid ideology and tendency to be swayed by praise and propaganda, while Naruto’s emphasis on friendship and human connection should have taught Sasuke that it’s okay to care for himself and to accept love and friendship, and that revolutions can’t be achieved alone.

Instead of this, however, Kishimoto sacrifices the intregrity of both Naruto and Sasuke’s storylines and the narrative as a whole in favor of cheap wish fulfillment by painting Naruto as the flawless savior who does not need to change, self-reflect, or sacrifice anything, while Sasuke bears the burden of being evil and wrong and having to change almost everything about himself and simply submit to the village and system that caused him so much suffering.

What would your gravestone say? x

this post by @writing-is-a-martial-art x revolutionary girl utena

quick mermay drawing before the month ends!

some would say the priest being the sole survivor of the shipwreck is an act of god but maybe its others who have taken a liking in him

some people are so used to mostly consuming media where the women and people of color are static set dressing in stories about white men that they can't wrap their heads around the concept that female characters and characters of color can have arcs of their own. they'll see a character who's not a white man display a personality flaw that is clearly being set up to be overcome and they see it not as the setup of what promises to be an enticing character journey, but as an essential defining trait of their being, and proceed to demonize such characters for it. white men get to be dynamic and complex, women and people of color get essentialism and a pressure for likeability over good storytelling.

I am going to be the one who will free Himemiya from you!

“everyone interprets characters differently” unfortunately so true! thankfully I was blessed with an intense preternatural insight into their core beings (watched and paid attention) and I don’t have to worry