#data-namine

KH2

In the intro of KH2, we play through the Data-Twilight Town, a computer copy of Twilight Town to keep Roxas occupied, sift out all of his memories of the Organization and reintegrate him into Sora. Well, in a sleep-deprived moment of epiphany, I realized how oddly similar it seems to Unchained/UnionX; namely the Unchained Realm.  https://youtu.be/xm3wtQHq_3g?t=33

Of course Blaine the “Let me give you an existential crisis“ guy gave as much of an explaination as he could without thoroughly geeking out. But let me give you a simplified version...

Book of Prophecies <----> Unchained Realm <----> New world It’s important to note how Keykids are free to travel to and from the UR, but there’s not real way to travel from a random world to the Book of Prophecies, there has to be some kind of passageway to get inside the book itself... Like, you know...a computer system?

While the simulated Twilight Town isn’t like the BoP, it’s similar in execution. You just stick a person into the machine, translate it to code, and boom!, you got yourself a digital prisoner! And when it comes to data, everything in Twilight Town is copied and pasted to a T, that even the copies of people are alike in every way.  In a general sense, DiZ possessed the exact copy of world in the palm in his hand, and he didn’t have the time and effort to make an entire freaking beach...But since he’s doing everything he can to keep Roxas inside the system, he kind of works like the Master of Masters; keeping everyone hunky-dorey until the end of the world comes.

Want to know why I brought up MoM? Well...in the sense of parallels, Namine is the Virus of the system. 1. She purposefully infiltrates DTT to help Roxas avoid his fate. 2. Possesses extraordinary knowledge of the situation (and much more, of course) 3. She’s the chaotic-good that throws her enemies off (DiZ and Riku) and gain the trust of the victim (Roxas).

While it seems like a far shot, Blaine might have known beforehand that the UR is a simulation, and he’s trying to find a way to break the program from the inside-out.

But what about ReCoded? Isn’t it just like the Book of Prophecies? In every way, that is true; but in a whirlwind of an adventure, if translated to a digital environment, glitches or not, it’s poorly coded. Outside influences can easily interfere with the digital world, vice versa, the “exit” is unethical, and even Data-Sora’s Keyblade is a far cry from the original, something the BoP perfects in tapping into the powers of the future. And just like KH2, the virus in the system, surprisingly enough, is Data-Roxas. Much like Data-Namine in 2, he tries to change the victim’s fate, but in a more antagonistic manner. Instead of escaping the simulation, DR wants Sora to drown in it, throw away his idea of being a hero and realize that it hurts, make him realize there’s no escaping a written fate...(I mean, I know it was a test, but he was still pretty pissed about it)

I suppose...since I got you roped into the idea, let me circle back to KH2, namely, the one thing that is somehow “unchained” from reality...The Twilight Thorn in the KH2 intro.

Out of every Nobody in the series (including the Specter), it’s one of the two Lesser Nobodies that isn’t particularly mentioned in the series (or lore for what I know so far). It just seems to be there, serving as a basic antagonist for our Key-toting Hero of Light.  For extra credit, here’s the battle for reference, and try to think about some possible differences compared to a regular Nobody battle (or boss battle for that matter).

https://youtu.be/FCXFmipr6t4

Finished? Good, because it’s going to be a bit of a doozy.

First of all, the way it appears. Out of every enemy faced in the Station of Waking, it’s the only enemy that actively moves outside of the Station. And for some mild KH3 spoilers, the SoW is the physical boundary between life and death, so seeing this heaping mass of nothingness drifting to and fro the boundary, the gaping void, and even shifting its gravity is a terrifying threat in of itself. 

Second, its battle strategy. Despite its size, it’s a lot more fluid than other Nobodies. Based on its motion, it’s not initially hostile, shooting thorns and summoning Creepers to try and do some quick work to Roxas. But only when it’s actively harmed, it changes to offensive, pining Roxas’ limbs, tossing him around like a ragdoll, then literally turning the tables with the SoW and a giant ball of fire. 

Third, its weak point, the head. While every Nobody is an empty shell of their original form, it’s strange to know that the Twilight Thorn is immune to all attacks except the head (as opposed to the Darkside, the Heartless paralleled from KH1). Isn’t it also strange to see how, after destroying the giant ball it flings at Roxas, it falls to the ground with the sound of its broken neck? Nobodies shouldn’t have bones, given their inhuman elasticity, so it’s a pretty disturbing detail to realize.

Well, since I’m beating this dead horse, why does the Twilight Thorn look oddly similar to Ephemer?

The scarf? The white hair? Practically identical, right? So why in the world is his Nobody in the Station of Waking and in the digital world? Simple, his Nobody is battling between life and death, between the Unchained Realm and the real world. Maybe that’s why it was spurred into action when Roxas unknowingly invaded its territory, hoping to gain control of the Station and get a second chance at life, to somehow return to his Somebody. While it’s not explicitly stated the circumstances on how a Somebody returns, but it is stated (in the KH3 Ultimania) that when a Nobody dies, the Somebody recieves the mortal wounds and/or injuries that resulted in the Nobody’s death.

Long story short: Roxas inadvertedly gave Ephemer the ‘just kill me already’ equivalence of a major concussion.

Oohhh...Well, good luck getting that idea out of your head.