Castle Oblivion (Chapters 94-101)

The Castle Oblivion arc was a rough one in a couple of ways.  Namine's head is always a fun place to be is one of them.  The fact that Castle Oblivion is just an awful place is another.  Granted, my CO has changed a lot since its original in-game incarnation, things are still rough there.  Also, during the stuff at CO, I've also got the Sephiroth battle going on alongside of that.  So, fun times.

Of course, I didn't even start us in CO during this sequence.  I have us in Port Royal with the Wayfinder Trio.  I liked discussing that perhaps Port Royal had forgotten about its magic.  Because Pirates of the Caribbean is a much more realistic movie than the other included Disney movies.  While yes, there are curses and some magic, it's not anywhere near the level that we see in say Cinderella, Aladdin, or Frozen.  So, the "dried up magic/people forgetting about it" was an interesting thing to kind of allude to.  And Aqua would think about those sorts of things, being so much of a heavy magic user.

But, of course, the tranquil ponderings can't last forever.  Let me just dump a Remnant on them.  And then they can fight for a bit, and then Kuin, whose glider is taking her all over the place, can show up and she can help them for a bit.  Perhaps I made you think for a second that he was going to get Ven.  Probably not.  I've made it pretty clear that Ven's about as untouchable as Kairi.  But that doesn't mean the Remnant still can't hurt Ven.

Then we've got Sephiroth showing up.  Well, not quite at the beginning of the chapter, but it's alluded to.  Cid can tell.  Barret's POV is fun to be in though.  Because he's never run into Sephiroth before, so he has no idea what's coming.  Because, when Cid announces it, he really has no idea what to expect.  And whatever he does expect, is not what he gets.

Oh, for the record, that teleportation block? That was Cloud doing things when I wasn't looking again.  That's why Leon had no idea what it was but Rinoa did.

Let the battle with Sephiroth begin.  Of course Cloud and Zack would be in the middle of it all.  Tifa won't stay back forever.  And neither will Leon.  He just gets too itchy about not fighting.  Man though, that battle was hard writing, trying to keep track of everyone.  Because literally, everyone was there.  Except Denzel, Marlene, and Merlin.

And then I've got Namine's feelings about something bad going to happen.  The reason why she's not seeing any images, for the record, is because she couldn't see an image of Xehanort getting into her head.  That's why her mind's drawing a blank.  Fun times.  I think it's completely legit, it also meant that none of you knew that he was going to go for her.  Or maybe you did.  I really just loved Namine's thoughts about talking to Leon about what he experienced inside of his head.  Because, honestly, the two of them would have had the most similar experiences.  (Them and Marluxia.)  Riku and Terra had different experiences because it wasn't a Remnant who originally went after them.  Terra had full-on Master Xehanort and Riku dealt with Ansem.  Also, Namine banishing Xehanort from her heart with a combination of memory prowess and light=beautiful.  I love Namine.

Ah, yes, Cloud regaining light attacks.  Okay, more just like his limits again.  I think that first one he used was Braver.  And he's all like "Aerith, was that you?" and she's just like *shakes head* Because she knows that Cloud is regaining his power again and growing strong.  Because, as far as my canon goes, Cloud had the ability to do light attacks and stuff.  He just slowly lost them as Sephiroth drained on him.  Of course, then the battle gets hairier as Sephiroth literally starts causing despair and Aerith is out of Megalixirs so she has a harder time combating darkness.  (Which causes her to swear.  Yup.)  And then Zackgets skewered.  And Aerith is having none of that.  Absolutely none.  I love the image of her jabbing her staff at Sephiroth.  It's beautiful.  So is Cloud beating Sephiroth into nothingness.

Then back to Castle Oblivion.  Where everyone else realizes that Namine's in trouble and they end up relying on Riku's sense of smell to find him.  I love poking at Riku's sense of smell and Xehanort's stench.  Riku making up swears that Axel doesn't recognize is also a beautiful thing.  Because while I hardly ever use actual swear words in my KH fics to keep ratings down, I can leave that up to your imagination.  Riku and Axel are my biggest swearers.  Namine fighting the Remnant in that form is also gorgeous.

Side note... while I initially wrote that chapter before Monty Oum's passing, it is certainly my tribute to him.  I loved the concept of Namine with all those Keyblades and I loved Dead Fantasy and I'm sad to see that the story will not continue.  RIP Monty Oum.

Now for some timey-whimey stuff.  The Remnant in Port Royal could very well be the same Remnant that showed up in Castle Oblivion.  Could be.  It could also not be, depending on how many Remnants you believe are walking around at the same time.  Kuin, of course, went straight from Port Royal to Castle Oblivion, where she gets momentarily stopped by Axel (really got attached to that lol) and then can't fight the Remnant until Namine gives the go-ahead.

Then we get to do clean-up in Hollow Bastion.  Aerith and her massive need to heal everyone.  Cloud of course, has got it the worst, having just killed his own shadow.  Though, Zack is also not in too great of shape.  Aerith expelling darkness with Rinoa, Tifa, and Yuffie's help was definitely a thing that was fun to write.  Just, the concept of what rar and I figured darkness can and cannot do and it's reactions to different healing magic.  Yup.  And then it's raining, because it's always raining.  But then Cloud wakes up and he's feeling lighter and happier, which is good.  Very, very good.

Then we've got a transitioning chapter out of Castle Oblivion.  This was my chapter 100.  My fluff chapter.  My chapter of: everything's fine at Castle Oblivion, we're all gonna go back to the islands now.  Namine has a chance to recoup from what she just went through, everyone else gets a chance to splash around at the beach, which was just fun and cute to write.  Writing SoRiKai derping around in the water because they're all such Island brats was also great.  *nods*

Then closing off with more of the Wayfinder Trio.  This time, instead of running into a Remnant though, they're on a beach and they run into Xigbar.  Well, not before they have some fun playing with the beach ball.  I had a lot of fun writing Xigbar's dialogue though, because he really just wants to live, but he's slowly coming to the realization that a world with him in it also means a world with Xehanort.  And he's got too much pride to ask the Keyblade Wielders if they can destroy just a part of his heart.  (There's also a good portion of him that thinks his heart is too far gone to Xehanort for that to even be an option.)  Sure, he'll taunt them about it, but he'll do it while he's shooting at them, not during a pleasant conversation.

I remember having a hard time deciding how to wrap this scene up, so I wrote in the two boys with the beach ball (and then also the boomerang) interrupting and Xigbar being like "Nope, not gonna fight a couple of actual kids" and then he leaves.   The kids, btw, are like unofficially my universe's Joseph and Toby.  

That's all for now.

Halloweentown (Chapters 89-93)

So this whole section starts with Axel sitting in the Gummi ship as they're all on their way to Halloween Town.  Yes, they're totally on their way to Halloween Town to go to Christmas Town so that Sora can prove to Riku that Santa exists.  That whole thing started as something that I honestly think was suggested in a review in AtP and I literally did not get around to it until now.  (Yet again a thing that was supposed to go in Betwixt and Between but didn't.)

The arc obviously expanded out after that.  It got placed this far into the fic because it wasn't a huge major plot point that needed to happen any specific time, and especially after I decided that this was where Marlynort was going down, that influenced my decision to put it here.

So, Axel on the gummi ship.  I think one of the most interesting things that came out of this chapter was Axel contemplating what time had done to him versus Leon.  Leon's still on everyone's minds after almost getting Norted in Traverse Town.  This gets the wheels in Axel's brain turning a lot because he's had several close calls with Xehanort as it is already.  Plus, he knew Leon from when they were kids on Radiant Garden.  So that's gotta be trippy.

Giving everyone new outfits for Halloween Town was interesting.  I wish I could draw better to do those... but it literally takes too much effort for me to do that right now.  Sad day.  If only I had more time.  If you want to do that though, feel free.

Anyway, then the HB gang talking about going and getting kids for the school.  Denzel is adorable.  Just saying.  Also, sticking Yuffie on a team with Leon is just amusing.  Because Rinoa's obviously not going to go because her arm hasn't quite healed yet.  Plus, Yuffie deserves to go places, I've been writing this whole thing so long where she always gets told no.  Denzel knows she gets told no a lot.  But here we go, Yuffie getting told yes.  Yay!

And then, Aerith and Zack discussing wedding plans.  And Yuffie just quietly listening in, kind of grossed out by the whole thing but at the same time rooting so hard for them it's not even funny.  And Denzel's just so surprised at how many Worlds there are.  And I actually think Yuffie does go and travel the Worlds a bit after Hollow Bastion is restored.  Not that I'm going to write that far.... (I say that now... and then we'll see where I am in two years.)

And then MINNIE AND MICKEY FLUFF which is honestly what I live for sometimes oh my gosh.

And then we've got Terra, Aqua, and Ven getting a nice break and a vacation.  With Ven all like "This isn't quite the life that I dreamed of... but this is basically the life I dreamed of."  Beautiful.  I love giving them a break because they've had such a hard time.  My babby's oh goodness.

And then we're in Christmas Town.  With new outfits again (though these one's you've probably seen examples of all over the interwebs.)  And then, they don't see Santa for long when Marlynort shows up.  And then things get real.  The line "Well, Santa, either we destroy your entire office, or we break a window" is probably one of my favorite lines.  And Santa's just like "Oh break the window."

Cue fight sequence.  It surprisingly wasn't a long one.  I could have probably made it longer, but I always struggle with whether or not it's good to write long battles with loads of detail, or shorter ones with a comparable amount of detail.  I don't want you guys to be reading battle forever.  So, I settled on a shorter one with a few Combo name drops and the whole focus being on whether or not Namine was going to be able to Shatter Marlynort.

But she was.

A++++++++ to Namine.  Overcome girl!

Then, switch gears to Cid and Shera talking about rebuilding his workshop.  Bringing back loads of things.  Woot.  Tifa and Aerith talking some more about the wedding because that's what happens when there's a wedding on the horizon.

Ah yes, then Kuin running into a Remnant.  That obviously wasn't going to be a big huge deal because the Remnant knows he can't get Kuin because of who she is--flexor, perfect balance of light and darkness--so he doesn't try.  He honestly just wants to stay clear of her because he knows she wants him dead.  But they have a little battle and then he disappears.  I wasn't super clear on whether or not she killed him--but you can assume she didn't.  Because the Remnant's a jerk.  Not that it'd matter, because he'd just respawn.

And then Marlene's first day of school and running into the Moogle Girl! I couldn't resist!

Then we have aftermath of Namine shattering Marlynort.  And I tried to do a good job showing what it would have been like for her... but honestly... *I* don't know what that would have been like.  It's not like I have those powers or anything.  So I (like every other writer) made my best guess.  Based on what I've described Namine's powers as... it did require her to be picking and prying through the memories enough to have a good grasp to shatter.

I decided that Namine shattering him was an appropriate way for him to go.  After their history in Castle Oblivion and what Marluxia has become and who Namine has grown into.  It was fitting.  So hey, Marlynort is gone.

And I know I'm halfway through a chapter here... but the next bit goes straight into Castle Oblivion.  Which is the next arc and thus next blog post.  So I'll see you for the next blog.

Traverse Town AKA Mark of Mastery (Chapters 79-88)

This sequence started out more as a concept than anything else.  I wanted there to be another Mark of Mastery (ever since Betwixt and Between).  But I never got around to writing it because of how epically Betwixt and Between failed in so many ways.

But I still wanted to do the Mark of Mastery exam.  Traverse Town seemed to be as good of a setting as any, so I went with it.  The biggest question for me I suppose then was when I was going to put it.  The sequence as a whole got moved around several times for various reasons.  I didn't want to have it too early, to give the characters more reasonable time to be prepping for the exam (even if they didn't know it.)  But I also didn't want it to be the last thing because, for me, it didn't really seem like an end-game sort of plot arc.  So I wanted it in the middle.  I do know it got pushed back a little because when rar and I cemented the Larxene sequence of events, it was happening right in the middle, and I couldn't have half my cast go gallivanting off while they were supposed to be taking their Marks of Mastery.  So it got pushed back in that regard.

But overall, I'm fairly happy where it takes place.

I struggled a bit with pacing and POV.  I wanted to keep things interesting and do a mixture of POVs from the scenes, but I also didn't want anything to come off as repetitive.  There were a couple of near-entire chapter rewrites I think.  But you all seem to like it, which is good!

The first stage of the exam was very much like Aqua and Terra's first stage.  Yay element balls.  And since that was overall self-explanitory and not much more interesting than comments on particular fighting styles, I was able to have Riku, Sora, and Namine catch everyone else up with what else had been going on.

Then, to break up the narrative, I stuck in the scenes with Mickey and Xigbar, and Marlene in Hollow Bastion.  I wanted Mickey to run into Xigbar ever since the whole Xigbar arc got put in place.  And I'm really happy with how that turned out.

The bit with Marlene was more because I wanted to include something from Marlene's POV than anything else.  Because her and Denzel are such cuties.

 But back to the exam... The second part was Master against student.  Kind of like how Aqua and Terra fought each other, but at the same time, not really.  I paired who I paired very intentionally, trying (obviously) not to pair couples or close friends.

Aqua versus Kairi was very much me experimenting with different fighting styles.  I know I somewhat fell into the "Kairi as magic user" trope, and I should have had her do more power-house moves.  And I kind of regret that.  I don't regret Kairi just unleashing light when she feels like it though.  It really was an exercise in fighting styles.

Riku versus Ven was also fun.  Even more so because I told the whole thing from Aqua's POV.  Riku's tank versus Ven's lightweight almost Airbender attitude.

Then came Marlynort bothering Hollow Bastion.  That scene pretty much speaks for itself.  Things I'm super in love with is Denzel and Marlene's attitudes toward everything, Pi standing up to Marlynort, and Barret calling Zack impulsive.

So Terra versus Sora.  I wanted these two to spar because Sora brings out the best of everyone.  And Terra could use that.  (Sure, he's already gotten rid of some pretty nasty parts of his heart, but a little extra boost can't hurt.)  Sora's thought process through that entire thing was great to write as well.  Sometimes, Sora's hard to write for because he's so dang nice.  Sometimes, he's super easy to write for--because he's so dang nice.

Then we got Ven and Kairi's thoughts thinking back on the exams, because I wanted to get more rounded scenarios.  (I think these were some of the parts I had to rewrite, but maybe not.  I honestly can't remember.)  Through Kairi's POV we also get to see Aqua sparring with Xion and Kairi feeling a little like she's not all that great.  But then Sora reminds her that she is fantastic and he's such a cutie.

Then Riku versus Roxas.  And I couldn't resist a "Roxas-breaking-Riku's-hand" reference.  Because I just love that whole exchange at the end of Days.

Ah yes, then the Leon chapter.  This was one that I definitely rewrote a lot of to prevent being repetitive.  The first part not so much because it was stuff before the exam even took place.  Because the HB gang was at one point a Traverse Town gang and them wandering around seemed necessary.  But then I refined and condensed things from the exam that Leon could gloss over because you all had already read it.

And then comes the final portion of the exam.  I took inspiration from KH3D and had a little bit of a "dream-drop" sort of thing where they all fight something inside of their hearts.  Sora and Riku pretty much take it in stride but then Aerith gets super antsy.  So Namine starts delving to check.  And then... well... Xehanort.

Because when else would he show up.

Ah yes.  Then it was the chapter of Cloud doing things that I didn't plan on.  Which is fine... I just... didn't plan them.  Like the whole thing with the Hero's Medallion taken from Zack.  I didn't plan that.  Cloud went and did that on his own.  Like I wasn't watching or something.  But yeah, Cloud's done dealing with Hades.  Did Herc help him? Yeah.  But half of Cloud's character development right now is Cloud accepting that he can't do everything on his own.

 Then comes Rinoa during the Xehanort fight.  One of my favorite lines is "Was that a pattern they were in? How many times had they done this?" Because, Sora and Riku have done this.  A lot.

Mmmmm.  Ah.  Yes.  Leon almost getting Norted.  That one surprised everyone.  Including I think rar.  Because it's just so unexpected.  I wanted there to be one that came out of nowhere.  Because Nort going after Cloud almost makes sense.  In my notes, the Remnant tried to go after Rinoa first, but she's got so much power and even levels of light and darkness that he decided it wasn't worth it.  So then he goes after Leon instead.  And he gets close.

Then Rinoa is forced to fight Leon possessed by Xehanort much like Squall had to fight Rinoa possessed by Adel... and Ultimecia...

Then I switched gears and went backwards a bit into Namine's POV.  Namine drawing stuff going on in everyone's hearts.  And then Namine and Aerith coming to the same conclusion at the same time.  Aerith needed to be in Traverse Town.  And Aerith standing up to Yen Sid is a beautiful thing.  Because Yen Sid's such this aloof character that nearly everyone in all of Disney reveres and Aerith's just like "not taking your BS, send me where I need to go"

But then Namine is just like "take my star shard, it'll be fine."

Okay, granted, I was jumping around all over the place as far as time is concerned... but Leon and Rinoa proposing to each other.  Because Leon's been thinking about doing it for some time now, but he doesn't even get the chance to get all of the words out and Rinoa actually proposes first.  It's great.  And Aerith knows what's going on, but she just quietly gives them space.

Then we've got some wrap-up on Hollow Bastion's end.  But that's pretty much it.