Relix

They're stupid and incapable of teaching. If it wasn't for the documents he put in the course site I've no idea what I'd have done :v

RR Riku <3

I like what I study, most of the time. It's just that my teachers are so-so most of the time so studying is difficult :\
I got it on the 11th. Just didn't get around to playing it.

It's not that I'm not a dedicated studier, just less the type to pull all-nighters. I divide the study loads over time so I never have to so long as I don't slack off. That and I just can't keep concentrated for that long.
Yeah, that's basically what I had spoiled, though only something really specific about the secret ending. I hope it'll be fun, I hear good stuff about it all over the place xD;

Too bad that's the only thing she's good for :v

I'm actually playing some other games and watch anime xD; can't study 24-7, I'll lose my mind and you DO see me around here often, don'tcha? though my pc is at my desk where I study so I look up from time to time.
I just don't wanna get into the groove only to stop all the time, especially when I'm planning another game-journal.
I did spoil for Re:Coded, but aside from some character bits, most of what I knew I already figured out from BBS and Days.
I wanna say I'm glad Re:Coded's good, but... there's so much hype around BBS and I didn't like it all that much so I donno xD; but I suppose it's still good, seeing all the anti the game got since it was released as Coded.

My beef with Kairi being a pathetic excuse for a plot device is detached from my personal vendetta against her bitch-status to me. xD; so it's ok.
And she's good for giving us Namine and Xion, apparently.

I haven't started it yet, truth be told. Test session now. A test each Tuesday with the first one being three days ago. So not much Re:Coded. Hence why I didn't update my playing list.

One can only hope. And unlike with Kairi the PoHs got some attention in BBS as opposed to Nomura saying Kairi becoming a Wielder was an accident and Sora and Riku being named as the two to save the universe xD

Even and Ienzo actually contributed a tiny bit. Ienzo had plot relevance (somewhat) and Even actually interacted with the characters xD; so it wasn't that bad.

Patpat? XD

Minnie is my #1 proof that Light beings don't need no Keyblades to be useful :V therefore, they could be more of a power to be reckoned with. I mean, they supposedly held the Darkness at bay in KH1. They could at least do something like that again if not more.

Lol Terra the babysitter. Though Ven'll get jealous if Terra spent too much time with Riku xD

It felt forced and shoved down my throat. Iono, Ven's entire visit to RG felt a lot more like he was used as an excuse to show redundant Apprentices rather than a world that had solid meaning in it for him.

They even got a credit-roll scene! Well, Dilan did, at least.

They could relate them in retrospective. Like, while Mickey's gone, have Minnie flashback or something.
And I still want more PoH involvement. I still don't buy it that MX went after them in BBS only to fool Terra or something. The Unversed's threat would've sufficed as far as pulling TAV out of LoD went.

(~")~
I actually think he'd be good at it xD; so long as he doesn't get embarrassed. Ironically I get the impression he's kind of good with kids like Terra is xD;

Yeah. It was like "If Braig knew TAV, why wouldn't the other apprentices?" And then we see that some of them did know TAV, they just didn't know Xehanort. And then not to the extent Braig did because of his role as baddie. Which, as I said, means they're at least doing it right - but it still feels off.

Dilan and Aeleus ARE two muscle lumps, so it's not unthinkable xD
And, well. Lea and Isa gave good enough of a reason for them to stand guard, at least xD

That's KH at its best - take the core characters, being SRK and their "spawns" (at least some of them) and tie them along with the Disney characters to the plot. No need to go overboard with Original characters, this isn't FF. Its Disney at its core. Like I keep saying, part of why KH1 worked so well was that despite XH being the true villain, it's the Disney villains and Disney PoHs that were the game's true plot, with Kairi being a plot device to keep Riku and Sora at each other's necks.
I just wish they'd tie more Disney characters to the main plot, like they did with Yen Sid. Even if he is retired, the fact that he was a Master once is really great

I... I'm so happy right now ;w;

That's part of why I'm still unimpressed with Braig. It just feels too random. Sort of like he wasn't supposed to be such a big thing but now that he's so popular, they're trying to worm him into a bigger role. Oh well, at least they're doing it right.
Ya, the mannerisms in Re:CoM were awesome. EYE TWITCH \o/ and iono why but I really like Vexen xD have from the get-go. And I was glad when his Replica program became something bigger.
And it seems like Nomura shares your views about the Org's importance xD;;;

Well, if Aqua met Zack in the Coliseum, it's natural for Terra to meet Aerith, imo xD
You also forget that AtW called them OFF guard duty. So they lost even that purpose.

I know what you mean. Part of why, for years now, I don't read fanfiction; only write them xD; That way I have control over quality and can only blame myself for screw-ups :3
And yes. Much like how Riku could only be saved by Mickey in RR, Sora needs Donald and Goofy. Though it saddens me that unlike Mickey, their plot establishment only runs so deeply so Maleficent's description of them being Sora's lackeys is basically all they have left. Or rather KH2 killed them. They were great interacting with Sora in KH1 and CoM and the trio's relationship played a bit part in both games. But KH2 came and was, well, KH2.

Momma isn't quite dead yet either. Lol Sora gets preggy xDDDDDDDD
D:
I demand such a post in the Xion FC. I don't mind you staying in the CC as well, but I want you in the FC! Go join! Now! I command you! XD

I donno. I personally don't care all that much about Braig OR Xigbar at this point, and I kind of prefer it had they introduced a new element to tie in with E/MX/YS's past than reuse Org's Somebodies. But he's playing his role well now and it's an interesting twist, how he wants to be come a Wielder for power. Kind of reminds me of Jack Sparrow minus the whole "he's just like Sora, gwarsh, ahyuck!" Horror. And Ienzo just feels random. It's like they're trying to cover all the more popular Org members, which leaves Dilan and Aeleus behind. Vexen got a brief moment of glory in BBS but I think that at this point they just can't keep him down, what with being the one behind the Replica program and one of the leading scientists under AtW.
And I wouldn't be surprised about Axel. I do recall something about him being supposed to be offed in Roxas's scenario.

I agree fully <3 We at least know something about the Apprentices' past but nothing about Leon. I'd have liked to see some acts with Gummy-ace Cid or something xD;
I mean, hell. Aerith having a "flower shop" which sold potions would've been alright for me, depending on how old they wanted her to be in KH1.
Fuck this. I want Aerith to have been the girl Aqua saved xD; it also fit better with the flower motif D:<

It's not like it was uncalled for, mind. He and Sora have been best friends since birth, more or less, and even in KH1, Riku's descent into Darkness was fueled by him being hurt by how Sora behaved, showing he cared all that much (I blame Sora's behavior on Kairi's Heart). So after he got over himself and Sora went through so much for him, 1) it made sense they'd be like that. it was their "I'm sorry, I love you" BFF moment 2) he deserved it. They both did.

I agree, but in that sense, I kind of prefer writing fanfiction. xD Also, like I said before, I just disagree with some of the characterizations there. Even the whole Riku-Namine and Axel thing feels far too wish-fulfilling compared to anything ever portrayed in the game and feels heavy with unneeded angst and what not. Such things are good during certain points like the SoRi KH2 ending, but not all the time. It just grates on my tolerance to such things. Especially when KH, overall, isn't "that sort of story". Characters constantly dwelling in their angst just isn't what I wanna see. Part of why I, for one, am glad Sora's the protagonist. Sure he has his angst but Donald and Goofy are there to balance him out and pull him through it.

\o/!!! *glomps*
Forget just Riku, basically no one in the KH universe aside from maybe Disney couples went that far. Even with SoKai's hugs (one being more of a plot thing, mind), that's, like, the most anyone else has gotten (lol, and Sora and Tron <3 now I want Sam/Riku in the next installment and I'm all set *Legacy fangirl*). So we had hugs and hand-holdings, and suddenly, bam. Rion had what in KH terms is sex, lawl (oh c'mon, they eloped for a month, we know what happened there).

I wouldn't mind see more Braig interaction, depending on what they do with him in the rest of this saga. And Ienzo seems to be a plot-device waiting to happen, going by BBS. If they do bother with the Org again though I can sort of see them integrate into the pre-existing HB/RG group (and sadly, most likely pushing Leon and the gang aside >_>; ) while staying on the side-lines - assuming they'll even bother with them. But going by their popularity, they likely will. I mean, Maleficent was brought back in KH2 due to a popularity poll. And I personally would've perferred some Leon-gang insight during BBS, but alas, we got stuck with useless Apprentice fanservice. So that seems to be Nomura's pathetic way to go :\

Yeah, she's more or less little more than a concept now. If Xion's "the girl that got Roxas to leave the Organization", Kairi seems to have been meant to be "the girl with Sora and Riku" who ended up being "Sora's romantic interest". That's not such good a concept.
I only read that bit of the KH1 novels since someone quoted it in the RiKai FC. As for the snow, meh. I kind of do think it fits Riku's personality, just not necesarilly under those circumstances. He WAS quite a horrible sap at the end of KH2 and we know he and Sora can bring the worst out of each other. But, uh... not when they're chasing each other and are out for blood, plz.
And I feel like I did something today <3

Part of why I don't bother. The plot tidbits, however, Nomura confirmed came from him at least in part, and those do add up with the games so that's what I take from there. Though again, only if it doesn't contradict the games.

Organization-School Musical, coming next Spring... is how you made this sound xD;
And it's kind of hard to not see Rion as a couple if you manage to accept their interaction. He cradled her in his arms, caressed her face, then after a short while in which they talked, she buried her face in his chest and he half hugged her. They're ridiculously physically affectionate with each other, especially on KH terms where a hug seems to be this huge, terrifying thing.

The CO cast also had less time to act. CoM-RR officially spanned like 30 days, not even that, while KH2 no doubt took several months if not more if only because of the Gummi travels. So you get constant Org involvement while in KH2, there're months in which we don't see the Org. So that leaves the KH2 Org members as seemingly docile or inactive.
Yeah, that's what the Org are. Filler characters. I mean sure, I can't say Oogie Boogie or Ursula played such prominent plot roles, but they were better than Demyx because they were related naturally to the worlds they appeared at - only with a KH twist. The Org appearances felt kind of mandatory, sort of "we didn't forget our "main" villains, we just have nothing better to do with them, derp".

Thank you, Days <3

I think that when it comes to Kairi, her relationship with Sora is forced quite a bit too. They tell us it's there at the start of KH1 but never really bother doing anything with it beyond have the plot dictate Sora needs to save Kairi. But it's WHY he's even saving her that matters, like with Namine in CoM :V
Poo; Kairi. </3
Overall I don't really care much for the novels, really. I found several places that just feel... OOC compared with the games. Specifically the whole "Riku caressed comatose Kairi's face in KH1". RiKai, wot? What RiKai? KH1 never bothered until Sora got him on his jealous trip :V And then in the KH2 novels, he thinks in the Land of Dragons about how he never saw snow before and he wants to play in the snow with Sora. Ok so Sora was there and Kairi wasn't, but I'd expect him to at least keep her in mind but he didn't. So the novels themselves are pretty erratic as far as characterizations go, imo. But as I said, as far as Xion is concerned, even without the novels, I'm down with that since there's enough material in-game to support his behavior :3~
But yeah. People expect the games to be like the novels when that's impossible by definition. Sure, the games can be better in some aspects, but they'll never be like the novels if only due to plot orientation.

Of course not, Xion is lovely! ;-; even Riku knows that xD;;;
I'm kind of meh-ish about RiNami. I kind of liked it but it just pales in comparison to Rion to me. I much prefer them as BFFs that support each other, knowing what they've been through and keep it at that. There's beauty in that as well.

Inorite? 8D

The Organization as well were conceptual characters. They needed villains so we had a group of villains. It might not have been that bad had it been like in KH1, where each Disney villain had his own world. Sort of like Luxord in Port Royal and Xaldin in Beast's Castle. But there you need to deal with how they're still detached from the worlds as opposed to the Disney villains who existed within their own context, and grew from there instead of needing to "adjust".
Then you have the number of members. It might not have been so bad if we'd have came into KH2 with more members. I can only imagine that was the original intent, and then Nintendo asked Nomura for CoM while KH2 was being worked on so they cut the rooster in half. The problem is that that left far too many worlds in KH2 Org-less, which affected both the game's overall story (less meaningful worlds) as well as the Org's image (they're random and useless). I mean for fuck's sake they brought back Maleficent, Oogie Boogie and Ursula; the Org failed big time.
And I doubt we'll get any sort of background info. About the only relevant members nowadays seem to be Xigbar and Zexion.

To be honest, the CoM Org cast isn't all that impressive on a grander scale. It's just that they were condensed into a relatively short game and had constant importance. The Disney worlds weren't important and could be relatively breezed through (lol just opening doors and getting the cut-scenes) before you got - and you got - the next Org related thing between floors. The flow was a lot better and they interacted between themselves (something the FM+ sought to fix a bit). When you look at them too, though, it makes you wonder. Sure, Vexen had the whole Replica program but with all my love for Repliku and Xion and the mess Xion caused for Sora and Riku, that in itself isn't all that grand. Lexaeus was dead weight and Zexion, as much as Ienzo seems to matter, was there for the lulz and a means for Riku to grow through, less his own device. Larxene was a cool bitch but she falls in line with Lexaeus and Marluxia was kind of random, the big bad guy who wants to take over things. I liked it how they gave him another reason to wanting to take over, being that he seriously disapproved of the Replica program. Ironic he ended up pushing it forward by using Namine on Sora.
My point is that if you wanna go there, the KH2 Org cast were evil in actions and epic scales but got far too little screen time. The CoM cast felt like secondary villains due to their being contained within a "minicosmos" but at least were shown to make up for it. Neither team leaves me satisfied and overly curious in the long run, though.

Tell me about it.

The games and novels both show us enough reasons why Riku'd care for Namine more. Namely, they show SOMETHING. Better than the debatable mutual treatment in KH1 and the mutual disregard post it. :v
I remember something from the mangas that might've came from the novels. I think it relates to Diz telling Riku to off Namine but I'm not sure. Riku replied that for his revenge, Diz'll have to dirty his own hands. He won't be a part of it.

Way I see it, the whole Replica issue is what made him give her a chance. Then, it's all Xion, making Riku stall for even longer with her until they met Roxas and Axel and Xion seems to have made her own decision in THAT regard (and was taken back, of course, but she stayed there until she saw she was hurting Roxas).
Will you join the Rion fc? C:

That seems to be the way things are. Riku's Memories -> Xion -> Sora. And her being tied to the Oblivion shows she's tied to the both of them, much like Namine is related to both Kairi and Sora and is reflected through the Oathkeeper :3
Only the Oblivion is where Xion had left to go while Namine's inside Kairi. Lol if Kairi ever gets her own Keyblade watch Nami become the Keychain xD;;;

Part of the complaints about Xion is that she supposedly stole the spotlight away from everyone. But it's spotlight that was needed to give the game plot.
I mean, seriously. Xion or no Xion, the Org just never really impressed me. They just felt so random...

Neither did I, but that comes from not caring too much about Roxas to begin with. It just felt like they shoved the whole AkuRoku friendship mess to somehow tie Roxas, an otherwise completely detached character, into SOMEONE we know from before.
Lord help me, the more I rant about him the more I hate him for so many things people hate Xion for. Only Xion had a whole game in which the random vibes disappeared and I could buy this crap, rather than with Roxas.

I think that's part of why they bothered with Repliku. Aside from Replicas being an awesome concept, he served two main purposes - 1) give Sora's scenario his Riku without really involving Riku which wouldn't have made sense, 2) forced Riku to "look in the mirror", giving literal meaning to the term "fighting yourself". Even XH referenced Repliku, thus tying him well into Riku's story.
But grah. RiNami BFFness is adorable. Though I kind of don't get why he was that rough with her in KH2 (there's one scene in particular that bugs me).

That's actually one thing I do agree with the novels over, where they wrote how because in a way Xion was a part of Sora, Riku couldn't be that cold to her. Though I still prefer to think there was SOME part of Xion herself that got to him rather than a concept. Because as much as she's a part of Sora, Roxas is too, and neither's good enough to replace the real deal. So even giving her some time to think things over meant he got to be around her.

No, Nomura confirmed well enough that the Oblivion and Oathkeeper are Sora's Memories of Riku and Kairi. But look at it this way -
The Oathkeeper represents a bond between Sora and Kairi, which, in a sense, is exactly what Namine is, too. The Oathkeeper also first came to be soon after Namine was born from Sora, so it makes sense to me both will have similar designs.
The same goes with Xion and the Oblivion. Xion is made up of Sora's Memories, and the Oblivion is too, specifically of his Memories of Riku. Now, for Xion to become the Oblivion rather than the Oathkeeper (further debunking her being based on Sora's Memories of Kairi, imo) it means her relation to Riku is THAT deep, that once the Kairi face was stripped, she was left with Riku relations. So both her and the Oblivion, two things representing a bond between Riku and Sora, are designed in a similar manner.
THAT part about Namine and Xion's design is my own fan interpretation. But you have to admit it ties far too sickeningly well with the universe.

In a sense, Days couldn't have been any other way, seeing how it was basically a fanservice game with Xion thrown in as a plot device to SOMEHOW justify them even making the game (otherwise they might as well have made a dating sim starring Roxas).

I make my set proud ;A;

That's What it looks like to me. Even WITH the novels, that doesn't change how Roxas reacts in cold, hard canon, and Axel always and eternally has the whole "Heart replacement" beef.

Not sure about that. Roxas did ask Axel about a best friend, but Axel never gave a name. So it's likely because he and Saix had a fall-out, possibly even when they were still Isa and Lea, but it certainly isn't Roxas.

I'm not so sure Riku was acting cocky. I mean sure he had the whole "I'll beat you up because you stink" gist, but it just didn't feel so real like it did in KH1. RR as a whole was about Riku dealing with his denial about things, and how he was denying things about himself as well.
And he was still pretty sweet and iono, cute, when he met with Namine.
I agree with you about the conclusion. Riku is, for better or worse, an affectionate person. He just seems like he'd keep people at an arm's length and won't trust THAT easily, like Sora. But that might just be bitter experience speaking rather than him being truly that cold a person.

The thing is that Riku was only talking about Xion's Keyblade as a sham, it's Xion who treated it like he was talking about Xion herself. "This Keyblade, it's a sham. Worthless". Never talked about Xion. At least not in the English version. So yeah. Can't REALLY say they became attached right then but I can't see him as being THAT cold, either. Like, "nothing personal, dude" until he saw her face, whatever he saw, and suddenly - it was.

Nomura did indeed confirm there being a relation between Xion and the Oblivion. He said that going by the name of the Keyblade Roxas threw to Riku (which, in Japanese, is closer to "Memories Past" rather than "Oblivion" - one of the localization's greatest screw-ups if you ask me) you can understand there's a bond between it and Xion (though that still holds for "Oblivion" too seeing how she was forgotten).
To me, that seemed to really point a great deal in the direction of the whole Xion-Riku relation that Snarl of Memories threw at us. It also ties in with her hair color, ironically. Note that Namine and the Oathkeeper are really close in design. So I really won't be surprised if part of why Nomura greed to paint Xion's hair black was Riku relations - Namine's design is close to the Keyblade Sora got from Kairi, and Xion's design (black coat + hair, and blue eyes for "gems") is like the Oblivion's, reflecting her relation to Riku.
So yeah. Even in the scene that followed, without this confirmation, it's pretty obvious Xion's tied to the Oblivion. It's when Riku catches it that he sees flashes of his Memories of Xion, and he even turns to look at the Keyblade then (I made note of all those things in my big Riku-Xion theory). Then, when Roxas tries to recall her name, Riku says "Xion?" And looks at the Oblivion like he's talking about it. So Xion = Oblivion, basically xD;;

I was meh about Demyx too. As in - I do not like him as a person. But he was well fleshed out, and I liked how they portrayed him overall. It's nice to see not everyone went gaga for Roxas and could be selfish in regards to him, while at the same time not for pure plot reasons.
I think the problem wasn't so much the structure as much as the content they chose to put in. SO many WORTHLESS missions, SO MANY worthless ice cream scenes. Hell there were scenes where we just SAW THEM SITTING TOGETHER, NO DIALOGUE. They could've given us more missions with the Org members, at least, if nothing else. Would've at least kept the game from feeling that much longer needlessly. But again, it's not like that was Xion's fault - Nomura himself wanted to put a mission per day. How can the poor game structure be Xion's fault when, like BBS's Mirage Arena eating up space that could've been used for better cutscenes, it's the gameplay's?

And I can argue and debate and defend her honor ;w; ho, Xi-Xi <3

Most likely, seeing how she did try to keep them together.

That's part of why I never bought AkuRoku as friendship yet why I still understood why Axel chased Roxas like he did. Roxas was his Heart replacement. For a Nobody, that's irreplaceable. In a sense, I dare say being hurt by Roxas was better than going on without any form of a Heart at all.
And then there's my theory saying it was Xion who made Axel feel like he had a Heart, but then Roxas took off. Cue Axel forgetting Xion, leaving him to think he felt like he had a Heart because of Roxas xD; Sora'd still make him feel like that because he'd have both Xion and Roxas inside him at that point, and to begin with what they had that made Axel feel that way came from Sora, so.
Durr hurr. AkuRoku completely there for fanservice without any essence at all. And even if it IS still Roxas who made Axel feel that, like I said - it still leaves the "friendship" hollow and void.
Like I said - never once saw what everyone saw in that as far as the canon's concerned.

And tell me about it. I attacked Kairi about a lot of stuff in the past that weren't her fault. But I at least listened when people pointed it out and I changed my views (case in point: blaming Kairi for not returning to Hollow Bastion to help the PoHs when they didn't know what the situation was like in there. Thus, not Kairi's fault as much as a wasted opportunity to make her to be more than Sora's comatose plot-driven-romantic-interest.
This reminds me of a debate a while ago with someone who said Riku was still basically cold and heartless up to KH2, and I was like dude. No. He stopped being that at the end of KH1. Hell, even before that when XH took over and Riku tried to protect Kairi, Donald and Goofy. RR Riku wasn't anything like that, so you want me to believe Days Riku was like that too? even in Deep Dive he only did that because he really had. no. choice. And he beat himself up for doing that afterward! Right after Roxas passed out, Riku regretted how things went! So what the duece? :V
No no, he's OOC because of Xion, yes.
I'm not saying, character development can displease people and make them dislike a character. But that doesn't make them OOC - it just makes them a character you don't like.

Way I see it, he didn't dismiss Xion. He bothered kind of explaining things to her, and even gave her a warning in regards to the Organization. I doubt he'd have went there if he would't have cared, and it's that meeting between them that gave basis to their meeting later on in DI. With all due respect to his issues - there's more than enough basis even before that.

That's not so far from the truth, you're forgetting that. The main if not only difference is why Roxas threw Riku the Oblivion. Hell, there might've been some truth to it regardless since I really doubt Xion had such puppet-master abilities over Roxas.
Otherwise, ya know, why ask Riku to stop Roxas? Why not do it herself? But she couldn't. So to me, it adds up with her simply fueling an already existing desire within Roxas to give Riku the Oblivion.

Oh, I agree. Never once did I say that Days was without flaws. It's just that way I see it, Xion was introduced at least in part to try and overcome some of those flaws - such as the Organization lacking too much substance (KH2 even being there kind of blocked how much could've been done with THEM, too, the fandom forgets), Roxas apparently not being such a prominent character even in Nomura's eyes (I know some people doubt him telling the truth about this, but Nomura did say that "Roxas left the Organization over a girl his age" was there since KH2. If so early on he needed someone to get Roxas to leave the Org, it speaks volumes about how he saw both Roxas as well as the rest of the Organization during that time period.
It's just that Kanemaki, the same person everyone now curse for shaping Xion, gave so many people the illusion the Org had more to offer in the novels, so when push came to shove, they were disappointed. Not because it wasn't good, mind, Luxord and Demyx were two jewels in my book and lawd, Xigbar <3 but it just wasn't what they were expecting. But seeing how even Xion's own plot had holes in it, and even yes, the dreaded main-focus, black-hole Mary Sue could've had her character expanded on more.
Days overall was built kind of badly. But seeing how even Xion's story-line suffered from it, I'll be the last person to blame it on her. She's another victim.

I said kind of the opposite though. I said that regardless of Xion, they fell apart. KH2 showed us that. So people blaming Roxas for turning on Axel because of Xion is redundant - that was how things were to go down from the get go.
But yes. Xion did try her best, the precious little thing <3

Axel didn't want to fight Sora because he knew Sora's strength. Also, it's not until well into Days that Axel seemed to change his mind about how he treated Repliku back in CoM. That's one hell of a stepping stone in his character development that still seemed to have shone through in KH2. Thanks to Xion (as Roxas couldn't have changed his perspective on that particular matter), effect remained despite everyone forgetting her.

The thing is, Riku wasn't really hostile towards Xion to begin with. She attacked, he defended himself. THEN cue empathy when he realized she was a clone, already in Beast's Castle. The physical affection came once he realized the specifics and as a result, started seeing a face. So we have Repliku issues + Riku's own issues in regards to Sora and Kairi (guilt issues, and what he believes she means to Sora, seeing how neither of us believe he cares for Kairi herself too much) = affectionate Riku. Adds up too much.
And that's kind of something that gets me in regards to lots of stuff about KH. People take scenes in stand alone context. I don't. So when I see Riku acting like he did in Days, I keep in mind everything he's been through so I don't rage. And again, I don't think he was hostile in Beast's Castle. It was mostly in self defense, seeing how Xion's mission was to take him down. I don't think you can blame him and really call it 'cold'. Blunt? Yes. But not quite cold as much as bitter, all things considered.

Riku, mayhap. But I still don't see Roxas's part in it. Hell, he could've just ran away to the roof or something, why give Riku a weapon? That part still doesn't add up and never did to me.
Also, see how Days' whole quality changes based on how you treat Xion? So many people walked into Days saying Xion wasn't needed and didn't belong so of course they'll cling to every last thing, even if in the grander scheme of things, they might be wrong. But walk into Days not minding Xion so much or at least willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, and it's not quite so bad.

Simple.
Xion becoming a real girl 8D
And I already have a reserved seat.

See, I never bought it. AkuRoku being friends? Ever. I came from the yaoi fandom where everyone and their mothers were pairing AkuRoku up and I just didn't see it. Roxas abandoned Axel and Axel was in it for his Heart replacement. It might not even have had to be Roxas so much as a similar being, a similar existence. So KH2 already made me doubt their friendship. Part of why I, for one, didn't mind Xion - because I thought she was needed even as far as AkuRoku were concerned, the glue to keep them together. And even in-game she was, reminding Axel he was worried about Roxas and reminding Roxas that Axel was his best friend when Roxas called him a jerk and played favorites. She's kind of Kairi's opposite in that aspect where it kind of feels like Sora and Riku are friends DESPITE her. AkuRoku works, in a great part, because of Xion. And I understand why people who like AkuRoku even as friendship won't like her for that, but... let's face it, if AkuRoku was to work, Xion wouldn't have mattered. But Axel and Roxas "broke up" even before Xion became a true, proper concept in Nomura's mind. She was simply the means to an end.

This I disagree with. Axel in KH2 is NOT like his CoM self. Sure he'd still go places like kidnapping Kairi but he's doing it for different reasons now, and he even apologized to Sora about stuff. CoM Axel might not have bothered.
And Roxas was shaped. From a zombie to an infant to a raging emo teenager. Forgetting Xion changed little, especially seeing how he remembered what mattered - the Org were using him, and Axel, who he thought to be his best friend, was not to be trusted. So despite being forgotten, Xion did leave her mark.
As for outside influence - Xion's gonna make an influence. Re:Coded already showed us some of that and I can only imagine 3D will expand further on the whole "Riku's Memories in Sora" fiasco.

My beef is that it DOES make sense. There's no reason for it to not make sense, and in a way, Xion's own personality doesn't even come into play (though I believe it did, after the Repliku fiasco and Riku having known what Xion was to begin with).
She's a Sora-Replica with Kairi's face. Realizing Roxas was Sora's Nobody got to Riku so badly he had to resort to Darkness because he couldn't fight him; so why, under calmer conditions, shouldn't he treat Xion like he did? It's perfectly IC :v

That's a nice explanation too but to me, as a pro-Xion person, it sits about as well as it did with the original Deep Dive. xD So meh. I just don't see the rage.

Oh. Not that kind of puppet jokes, of course xD;
Though you gave me a fic idea now. Go to hell.

I think both Xion and Namine fall under "girl next door" types. It's just that Namine's the "hermit" variation of it while Xion's livelier.
I think it was pretty forced in CoM too, if only because of the setting. They were all pretty trapped in there with each other. Though about the most forced thing I found in Days was how Roxas was obsessed with Xion. In CoM it made sense since 1) Sora was forgetting anything but her, making him believe he cared that much more, 2) the immediate, present danger. Roxas just... didn't care about anything anymore and just because. So much for trying to establish AkuRoku friendship. But as I keep saying, I'd much sooner blame that on how they wrote Roxas than introducing Xion. I do believe one led to the other, but Xion's not to blame, to me. Rather, I step back and look the Organization over. Sorry, PLOT wise? They fail at being worthy of their own game. Even the novels never introduced actual plot for them to play out as far as I know, being more expansions on things we've already bothered with, character insight or random stuff that don't matter (with all due respect to Axel and Roxas being responsible for Maleficent's ressurection going by the novels... does that even really matter? sure it would've been nicer to have instead of like ten ice cream chats, but it doesn't make a difference.
And tell me about it. What gets me the most is people that say Xion's ugly while they think Kairi and/or Namine are pretty. That's just messed up. Even when I say I don't like KH2 Kairi's looks I can actually blame the haircut rather than her face since I find that attractive.

In most stories, the character WILL be a plot device, though. Sora's kind of an odd case, being relatively a plot-less character. Even in KH1 he was chasing Riku, not so much doing things on his own. Sure he had the Keyblade as a plot device but Riku didn't need the Keyblade to do everything he's done. So Xion and Kairi having PLOT to them makes them a lot mainer than most boys. It's just that Xion's actually developed as a character, making her a true Main compared to Kairi who seems to stay as a mere plot device.
And as for Namine... I dare say that's part of why fans should've raged more. I realize Axel said in KH2 that Roxas was the only one he liked but between this and hate on Xion being introduced there's a way to go, me thinks. Whereas suddenly, there's another girl who was friends with Sora and Riku. And she seems to have been their childhood sweetheart, to boot, and both love her dearly. If that is not the textbook definition of a Mary Sue self insertion, I don't know what is (well, one of the definitions, at least). I think people hate on her less because she's easier to write off, BECAUSE of the fakeness of the Memories and the whole "I replaced Kairi" shiz, even though the strongest SoNami Memory, the Promise Memory, if it's not a completely new Memory it's one she replaced RIKU in. What the fuck, fandom. Whereas with Xion, even if she was forgotten, that doesn't make what she had with Axel and Roxas any less real.
Also, the fandom as a whole seems to like Sora a lot less than he does Roxas. So Namine being introduced next to Sora didn't irk people as much as Xion being introduced next to Axel and Roxas.
What also gets me is that Roxas and Axel didn't really have a past, not as much an established one like Riku and Sora in that sense. Namine was too random and "epic" a story element in what should've been a normal childhood, but Xion being introduced into the Organization? Aside from going by the novels I fail to see why it should be really all that hard to accept. It's been a year; I should hope the Org was doing SOMETHING Worthwhile and hey, guess what - Days being an in-between game is kind of also the reason why the Org COULDN'T. Since doing too epic stuff would contradict KH2 too. So they had to find another way to get around it.
Hi Xion.
tl;dr I still blame a lot of anti-Xion on falsely based expectations. I also blame a lot of this on the novels even existing, though the more novel-bits I read the more of it I see in Days so what the deuce. Ok you say Riku's OOC for caressing Xion's face? Then I guess he was pretty damn OOC in the novels you like so much, too, when he did the same for KAIRI AND NAMINE (KH1 and KH2 novels, respectively). Difference is, like you said - with Xion it's harder to ignore since it's cold, undeniable canon.

I remember the scene, just not its placement. And I still don't see how it contradicts anything, beyond AtW being all remoresful and talking about a time he was a complete bitch at.

That depends. Deciding to bring Roxas in could leave him in a position similar to what he's been with Xion. While a bit more urgent, he could've still tried to reason with Roxas. But Xion showed him why he couldn't.

I pull puppet jokes too from time to time xD; it's just who and what Xion is. No denying it.