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358 Days spoilers. Kingdom Hearts II spoilers.
Also known as The Tragedy of Axel at this point, apparently.
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...Xion isn't completely erased from memory.
Because I would be okay with it happening if the reasoning for it hadn't been complete bunk.
Naminé's all "but no one will remember you" like, Jerk! You could make them??? You and your Memory Magic™? You who created an entire alternate childhood for Sora, gradually changing it, so as it went you slowly edged Kairi out of the picture until it was no longer me and Riku and Kairi used to hang out with this other girl :O and was then I hung out with Naminé and I need to find her because I promised to always protect her. Riku was there I guess. over the course of, what, a month tops? You who somehow caused everyone who knew Sora to forget his existence for a YEAR and then all at once remember him? You who are "a witch, with power over Sora's memories and those around him"? YOU CAN'T EITHER TAKE SORA'S MEMORIES OUT OF XION WITHOUT DESTROYING HER OR LET HER GET HERSELF KILLED WITHOUT MAKING SURE THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON FORGETS HER ENTIRE EXISTENCE?? I don't believe that. It's completely ludicrous and arbitrary and contrived and obviously the only reason it happened was because Xion was retconned in. I mean, I LOVE Xion but she was a retcon if anything was.
But was there really a need to have her be forgotten? In KHII, it starts off with Roxas having been memory-wiped (somehow, which I somehow only just realized must have been done by Naminé. That girl sure is a macguffin isn't she.), so it doesn't matter whether he formerly remembered Xion or not, he wouldn't now. He doesn't remember Axel until Naminé tells him about him, and she only really tells him because Roxas saw a picture of himself standing with the guy who's stalking him and also Axel told Roxas that he was his friend, which Roxas sort of needed answers about.
There's no point after that when Roxas would need to think of Xion, or when that would even be possible, until he meets Sora, and even if I'm right and all his memories come flooding back to him at that point, 1, he's probably too busy thinking about how he's about to die and 2, Xion being remembered could only make that scene more realistic.
Why would Roxas possibly give up so quickly after just, like, fighting seven people, fiercely and mercilessly, about not going back to Sora, I'm my own person, shut up, stop telling me what to do, I'm not gonna let you make me merge with this stranger, I will FIGHT YOU? Maybe because when he saw Sora and his memories came back (maybe the reason I think that is because I never really thought of Naminé causing his memory loss, I thought it was something that happened in the datafying process or something. Maybe even [never actually thought of this until just now] head trauma from his fight with Ansem!Riku or oxygen deprivation when Ansem!Riku's guardian strangles him briefly) when he saw Sora irl, he remembered what Xion was telling him about about Going Back to Sora™, and You're Sora Too™, and This Is Him, This is Sora™. and maybe if he's a Good Nobody then he could see her again cuz she went to Sora too right?
The next time Xion might have the possibility to come up is with Axel (you know that everyone else in the Org really wouldn't care at all if they remembered her after she died).
If Axel remembered Xion, all it would do is double the pain when Roxas doesn't remember him (I already lost her, and now my only other friend doesn't remember me?)(he was already messed up about Roxas consciously deciding to abandon him and possibly get himself killed for treason, but now, even though he's been sent to Bring Roxas Back, Dead or Alive™ and is prepared to Follow Orders, he doesn't remember me?)(he can't just go back to Saïx. Maybe a couple weeks ago he could have, but Saïx gave him an ultimatum and he chose Roxas and Xion.)(probably a bad choice in retrospect...), making him more likely to do what the organization tells him to do, out of depression. That means kidnapping Kairi (who, by the way, no longer looks exactly like a colorswap of Xion in beach clothes) as ..ransom? a hostage? idk the proper terminology, but having her gives the organization Leverage™ (and as we all know: Leverage is a Very Important Thiiiiiing™).
When Axel meets Sora (AFAIR, I don't think they meet before this?) he's giving him a quick rundown of the situation because he's realized that Roxas and Xion were Right All Along and is Very Very Much regretting kidnapping Kairi just 'cause the Organization told him to and is Trying To Make Amends.
Saïx shows up before he's even done with that, there's definitely no time to mention Xion.
The next time I can think of (sorry; I'm not watching the cutscenes while I'm writing this, nor am I mid-play of KHII) is when he's helping Sora in the Betwixt and Between (p sure he shows up to them in there, to help with the nobodies, right, cuz he announces his presence by saying "keep moving" or whatever advice about the nobodies; plus they go there from Alternate Twilight Town, I don't recall if HPO go to Alt Twi Town with you or not but either way it's like 1-2 rooms between being with them and Betwixt and Between, so there's not really a chance for Axel to show up before then, unless he fights Sora in that room where he fought Roxas, but then why would he do that and then show up again and help them?) and they don't really have a chance for a heart-to-heart right now. ? . ? . !
Then Axel's fading. This would be the time to mention Xion if there ever was one. He tells Sora that he Wanted to See Roxas, and He Was the Only One that I Liked {ERRRRHHHNNN*}, and He Made Me Feel... Like I Had A Heart, and It's Funny, You Make Me Feel ... the Same...
If he remembered Xion, why would he only talk about Roxas??? Hmmm?? you say
To that I say, "Pah!!! FOOL!!! You've got a point tho."
Possibilities:
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*Buzzer sound
358 Days spoilers. Kingdom Hearts II spoilers.
Also known as The Tragedy of Axel at this point, apparently.
---
...Xion isn't completely erased from memory.
Because I would be okay with it happening if the reasoning for it hadn't been complete bunk.
Naminé's all "but no one will remember you" like, Jerk! You could make them??? You and your Memory Magic™? You who created an entire alternate childhood for Sora, gradually changing it, so as it went you slowly edged Kairi out of the picture until it was no longer me and Riku and Kairi used to hang out with this other girl :O and was then I hung out with Naminé and I need to find her because I promised to always protect her. Riku was there I guess. over the course of, what, a month tops? You who somehow caused everyone who knew Sora to forget his existence for a YEAR and then all at once remember him? You who are "a witch, with power over Sora's memories and those around him"? YOU CAN'T EITHER TAKE SORA'S MEMORIES OUT OF XION WITHOUT DESTROYING HER OR LET HER GET HERSELF KILLED WITHOUT MAKING SURE THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON FORGETS HER ENTIRE EXISTENCE?? I don't believe that. It's completely ludicrous and arbitrary and contrived and obviously the only reason it happened was because Xion was retconned in. I mean, I LOVE Xion but she was a retcon if anything was.
But was there really a need to have her be forgotten? In KHII, it starts off with Roxas having been memory-wiped (somehow, which I somehow only just realized must have been done by Naminé. That girl sure is a macguffin isn't she.), so it doesn't matter whether he formerly remembered Xion or not, he wouldn't now. He doesn't remember Axel until Naminé tells him about him, and she only really tells him because Roxas saw a picture of himself standing with the guy who's stalking him and also Axel told Roxas that he was his friend, which Roxas sort of needed answers about.
There's no point after that when Roxas would need to think of Xion, or when that would even be possible, until he meets Sora, and even if I'm right and all his memories come flooding back to him at that point, 1, he's probably too busy thinking about how he's about to die and 2, Xion being remembered could only make that scene more realistic.
Why would Roxas possibly give up so quickly after just, like, fighting seven people, fiercely and mercilessly, about not going back to Sora, I'm my own person, shut up, stop telling me what to do, I'm not gonna let you make me merge with this stranger, I will FIGHT YOU? Maybe because when he saw Sora and his memories came back (maybe the reason I think that is because I never really thought of Naminé causing his memory loss, I thought it was something that happened in the datafying process or something. Maybe even [never actually thought of this until just now] head trauma from his fight with Ansem!Riku or oxygen deprivation when Ansem!Riku's guardian strangles him briefly) when he saw Sora irl, he remembered what Xion was telling him about about Going Back to Sora™, and You're Sora Too™, and This Is Him, This is Sora™. and maybe if he's a Good Nobody then he could see her again cuz she went to Sora too right?
The next time Xion might have the possibility to come up is with Axel (you know that everyone else in the Org really wouldn't care at all if they remembered her after she died).
If Axel remembered Xion, all it would do is double the pain when Roxas doesn't remember him (I already lost her, and now my only other friend doesn't remember me?)(he was already messed up about Roxas consciously deciding to abandon him and possibly get himself killed for treason, but now, even though he's been sent to Bring Roxas Back, Dead or Alive™ and is prepared to Follow Orders, he doesn't remember me?)(he can't just go back to Saïx. Maybe a couple weeks ago he could have, but Saïx gave him an ultimatum and he chose Roxas and Xion.)(probably a bad choice in retrospect...), making him more likely to do what the organization tells him to do, out of depression. That means kidnapping Kairi (who, by the way, no longer looks exactly like a colorswap of Xion in beach clothes) as ..ransom? a hostage? idk the proper terminology, but having her gives the organization Leverage™ (and as we all know: Leverage is a Very Important Thiiiiiing™).
When Axel meets Sora (AFAIR, I don't think they meet before this?) he's giving him a quick rundown of the situation because he's realized that Roxas and Xion were Right All Along and is Very Very Much regretting kidnapping Kairi just 'cause the Organization told him to and is Trying To Make Amends.
Saïx shows up before he's even done with that, there's definitely no time to mention Xion.
The next time I can think of (sorry; I'm not watching the cutscenes while I'm writing this, nor am I mid-play of KHII) is when he's helping Sora in the Betwixt and Between (p sure he shows up to them in there, to help with the nobodies, right, cuz he announces his presence by saying "keep moving" or whatever advice about the nobodies; plus they go there from Alternate Twilight Town, I don't recall if HPO go to Alt Twi Town with you or not but either way it's like 1-2 rooms between being with them and Betwixt and Between, so there's not really a chance for Axel to show up before then, unless he fights Sora in that room where he fought Roxas, but then why would he do that and then show up again and help them?) and they don't really have a chance for a heart-to-heart right now. ? . ? . !
Then Axel's fading. This would be the time to mention Xion if there ever was one. He tells Sora that he Wanted to See Roxas, and He Was the Only One that I Liked {ERRRRHHHNNN*}, and He Made Me Feel... Like I Had A Heart, and It's Funny, You Make Me Feel ... the Same...
If he remembered Xion, why would he only talk about Roxas??? Hmmm?? you say
To that I say, "Pah!!! FOOL!!! You've got a point tho."
Possibilities:
- Maybe he didn't want to talk about Xion rn
- For instance, maybe he surmised that sora's Kind of Stupid™ and doesn't wanna explain something while he's dying (his heart wouldn't be in it, you know?)
- (haha get it, cuz that's what he says about going with them? ahahah I'm funny)
- Maybe he just doesn't want to explain Replicas to this (Kind of Stupid™) kid
- Sora was already aware of Roxas (he doesn't know that Roxas is his nobody yet, but everyone's been calling him Roxas--- specifically everyone in the organization. So Axel talking about Roxas but seeming to refer to Sora isn't that strange. Bringing another person into this would be a Bad Plan though.)
- He had already resigned himself to losing Xion, so losing Roxas is more fresh and painful in his mind right now.
- Throughout the middle-to-end of Days, Axel tries desperately to reel Xion in, get her to come home and Stop Running Away.
- At one point he even gets fed up and straight up Attacks Her. Xion why are you trying to run away? we got a good thing going here, please don't mess it up. Xion, please come back home. Roxas and I'll make sure--
- (haha get it cuz that's exactly what Roxas said and then Xion pulled away from him? just that last line? ahahah I'm funny)
- But towards the end, he realizes that That's Not Gonna Happen and refocuses his energy to Making Sure Roxas Doesn't Ditch Him, because gosh dang, eating ice cream with Roxas is the only thing he's got going and Roxas better not disturb the Daily Dessert Date because ice cream's more fun with
people who buy it for youfriends. - That's why he tries to dodge Roxas' questions
- because He Can't Know
- because that might Ruin EVERYTHING
- sidenote Axel is so totally an extrovert. He'd literally die if he didn't spend at least 2 hours with his besties every day. Unfortunately...
- xion Has Other Plans.
- That goody-two-boots is just about to Tell Roxas That She's "Going back to Sora" and ask him to do it too. The NERVE. Thanks a lot, Xion, you just ruined Ice Cream Time 😦
- So then Xion's Gone For Good, and Roxas is messed up about it. So he goes off on a Walkabout** (seriously, Roxas, is Now really the best time for a self-discovery quest?)
- (**Source: "why did the keyblade choose me? I have to know.")
- Oh, and also he's going to Free Kingdom Hearts [because he remembers Xion and she asked him to do that. Although, and it's a slippery slope, but wouldn't he remember thinking of freeing Kingdom Hearts even if he forgot her? I guess he did though, and that's when Riku caught him. btw I read on like tvtropes that they were in cahoots and she told him to do that as a trap. Which, grr.
- Anyway; Axel just wrecked his own life by not being authentic with Roxas and giving him the answers he wanted (you could see how angry he was, idk why Axel decided to be all "that's not it! 😏 you're missing the whole point! 😳" like, duuuuuude.)
- You can tell that he knows he messed up but doesn't know how to/thinks it's to late to fix it when Roxas says "No one would miss me" and he responds quietly with "That's not true! I would..."
- he says it quietly because he thinks roxas is too mad now to believe him if he said it out loud?
- also he's not a sentimental guy
- Roxas says no one would miss him because he is mad at Axel/still upset about him not telling him about Xion even when you both knew?! and truly believes it (maybe not deep down, but right now), or perhaps as a jab at Axel- even though he knows it's not true, he is mad at Axel and wants to hurt him. I mean look at that smug mug.
- So that's the story of Axel having already resigned himself to losing Xion. He tried to do whatever he could to keep Roxas around, since he knew that he couldn't make Xion change her mind, but it didn't work, and he was depressed.
And when Roxas ambushes Sora, there's absolutely no opportunity or reason to mention Xion.
And then after that, he shows up with Naminé to Officially Merge with Sora and all he says is like "look sharp" after he talks to Naminé about You Look To Me the Way I Remember You, and You See Me the Way You Remember Me. So yeah.
There is basically no reason for Xion to be forgotten in the first place?
Did Naminé forget her?
"The memories are still there" right? wouldn't that still apply to memories of Xion? Just like they did to Sora's memories of Castle Oblivion (which btw shouldn't have been forgotten in the first place)? So Naminé has to know about them, right? Is there seriously NO WAY to get at least some semblance of memory of her back????? It's just. . so contrived 😡.
And then after that, he shows up with Naminé to Officially Merge with Sora and all he says is like "look sharp" after he talks to Naminé about You Look To Me the Way I Remember You, and You See Me the Way You Remember Me. So yeah.
There is basically no reason for Xion to be forgotten in the first place?
Did Naminé forget her?
"The memories are still there" right? wouldn't that still apply to memories of Xion? Just like they did to Sora's memories of Castle Oblivion (which btw shouldn't have been forgotten in the first place)? So Naminé has to know about them, right? Is there seriously NO WAY to get at least some semblance of memory of her back????? It's just. . so contrived 😡.
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