theory

Xigbar and MoM

So this is what happens when I think about KH after exposing myself to toxic glue fumes.

Spoilers ahead

So I’d seen this theory flying around that Braig and the Master of Masters (MoM) were the same person… And I thought it was bunk.

As if, amirite?

And I got to thinking on how to disprove it, falling down this crazy little rabbit hole of proving it to myself by mistake.

Connection 1: The Cloak
This is shared with the entire Organization, though. And it was first worn by MoM and Luxu, who would be documented by the Foretellers.

It seemed just as likely that choosing the cloak was a remnant of Terra’s studies as a Keybearer being accessible to Xemnas.

It didn’t have to be Braig that connected the cloak to the Organization. The evidence here just wasn’t strong enough to tie them, but it didn’t rule anything out either.

Conclusion: Too many variables with the cloak.

Connection 2: The Eye
One of the supports given for why Xigbar and MoM are the same person is that they both have one eye.

The issue with this one is a bit obvious. MoM had one eye in Back Cover, the other being in the Keyblade for Luxu.

Since he came before Braig chronologically in the canon timeline, how could Braig have two eyes at the start of BBS if he (as MoM) had one prior to that?

Note: I am assuming that MoM was telling the truth about his eye. MoM was deceptive, but he was generally honest in the information he did give. That’s what made his deceptions so effective.

The first way I thought of to make this work was if Braig came first chronologically. In that event, he would later become Master of Masters in the future and travel to that time in Back Cover after the business with Organization XIII.

But then… It’s confirmed in canon that Xigbar recruited Marluxia.

Which means he had to know as Xigbar to go to the world as it fell to darkness and collect Marluxia. How could Braig be alive before MoM, but have the knowledge as Xigbar to time travel to that era for Lauriam/Marluxia once the world fell?

Conclusion: They had to be different people, but somehow Xigbar knew about that world, Lauriam’s presence, and the certainty that it would fall.

Connection 3: Knowledge
So how could Xigbar know about the world’s demise in Back Cover and that Lauriam was there?

This information could only be obtained by someone who was there. A book in Radiant Garden could have mentioned this war that caused that world to fall, but it would be unlikely to mention Lauriam with enough detail for Braig to find him accurately.

And Braig doesn’t really seem like the bookish type

So he had to get this knowledge from a person who knew all about the events in Back Cover, and that could only be MoM or Luxu.

And all we have in canon about Luxu’s role in Back Cover was to watch as events unfold and then “do his thing” – take the crate, his Keyblade, and leave to get an apprentice he could pass that Keyblade on to so MoM could see the future.

But how would Luxu or MoM even meet or directly influence Braig? The one connection between them is Xehanort, who did have Luxu’s Keyblade – so he was an indirect apprentice of Luxu – but he wouldn’t know the details of Back Cover to give to Braig.

Even if he did, why would he tell Braig anything? He was only a guard at Radiant Garden, no one paramount like a Foreteller.

Here’s where the glue fumes kick in

There are two ways in Kingdom Hearts to get access to real memories that technically belong to someone else: be their Nobody or their replica.

And MoM disappeared well before the world fell, so it’s unlikely that he became a Heartless.

He’s way too dedicated to his own goals for that to happen

EPIPHANY: Braig is MoM’s replica.

Stay with me here.

MoM has the ability to create living beings in a lab environment, as seen when he created Chirithy.

It is extremely possible that he would apply this knowledge to the creation of replicas to make one of himself. Especially since Xehanort was present with Luxu’s Keyblade for most of his interactions with Braig and that means MoM saw him in the future…

Going on the canon data that replicas bear at least a small resemblance to the original (such as having the same eyes), MoM would recognize Braig for what he was and make the future happen.

Being MoM’s replica would allow Braig to know when and where to go for Lauriam. He likely didn’t know why or how he knew, only that he did.

It also explains other similarities, such as their mischievous personalities and general mannerisms.

But how did Braig end up on Radiant Garden?
And here’s where the crate comes in. In the case of Luxu, MoM tells him never to open the crate. And when Luxu says he wants to know what’s inside… MoM tells him and the player can’t hear what he says.

All you hear is Luxu’s gasp of surprise and asking why. MoM only responds, “You’ll see.”

If a newly made replica was in that crate, opening it would wake them up into their zombie state – like Xion – and that couldn’t happen too early for MoM’s scheme.

But what scheme would that be?
MoM is enigmatic but thorough. When he manipulated the Foretellers into the events of Back Cover, he knew they would all inevitably push that prophecy onward at exactly the right pace.

So there must be a plan with having a replica brought to the future by Luxu, who of course would open the crate eventually.

Theory: It’s about Kingdom Hearts.

How could it not be? It’s the name of the series, for one, and opening Kingdom Hearts was something the Master of Masters specifically told the Foretellers not to do – meaning he knew at least one of them was bound to try it.

Then Braig turns up as an orphan with amnesia on Radiant Garden, joins the guard because what else on this planet might get him closer to power, and surprise, surprise!

Braig ends up almost front and center in a scheme to complete Kingdom Hearts, losing his eye in the early stages of that scheme.

Conclusion: MoM is using XigBraig and the sight from Luxu’s Keyblade to steer the Organization to complete Kingdom Hearts.

Bonus for Xehanort:
Even better, being a replica made Braig a great candidate to be the first vessel. As a replica, Braig would have to grow his own heart over time. He wouldn’t come with one, so to speak, in a less literal sense than Nobodies.

And because of his personality, Braig never seems to feel anything but fear, disdain, anger, and mostly idle enjoyment of atrocities. He seemed to prefer that. Because Braig started off angry and bitter, I theorize that his ability to feel never fully developed into a complete heart.

There was almost zero risk he’d want that back after being Norted.

And this is the kicker.
If Braig had been able to be less spiteful, to forgive and try to grow as a person rather than in power, he’d probably have a Keyblade of his own just like Data Sora did.

He was a replica of a powerful Keybearer, after all. If he’d put any stock in his heart instead of going straight for power, he’d have it by now.

never said he was smart

And that’s the ramble!
Hope you at least had fun reading this madness.

Demyx: Demisexuality

Greetings to you all!

For this weekly challenge on orientation/gender identity in the Square Enix Amino, the obvious choice for me was Demyx of Kingdom Hearts, who I head canon as demisexual.

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First, what does it mean to be demisexual? According to AVENwiki, “a demisexual is a person who does not experience sexual attraction unless they form a strong emotional connection with someone.” <Source>

So where do I get the impression that Demyx is demisexual? Well, let’s take a look at his general personality and habits… Mostly from the manga, where he got the bulk of his development.

Demyx is lazy.

From the KH manga

He doesn’t want to work at his missions or even just simple tasks assigned to him. He’d rather relax, play music, read comics… Hide in a closet from Saïx…

But the main point of this rather obvious observation is to demonstrate that it is exceedingly difficult to motivate Demyx to action.

What does motivate Demyx?

To be fair, like most people, he’s easily motivated by fear.

That’s likely what keeps him at the Organization and doing the bare minimum required to get by without being turned into a dusk.

But that’s what motivates him against his will. What would it take to willingly motivate Demyx to work?

No surprise here:

Friendship.

* For the sake of your friendship

I needed this page, but the translation was a little off. Whoops!

If he’s given a choice, he’ll work hard for the sake of friends – even friendships he’s not part of! Roxas had a very poor opinion of Demyx and while we can agree exactly whose fault that is (DEMYX), it shouldn’t foster much kindness from Demyx to Roxas.

And yet there he is, willing to go above and beyond his normal zero effort… So Roxas can go to the beach with his friends. Close emotional bonds clearly mean a lot to Demyx on principle since he’s willing to actually do something in the name of it!

But how does this make him demisexual? Plenty of people place high value on emotional ties without being demisexual.

It’s all about heart.

SPOILERS FOR KH: DREAM DROP DISTANCE AND 358/2

Nobodies don’t have hearts, but it’s confirmed by Xemnas (revived Xemnas, mind you) in Dream Drop that a Nobody can re-grow a heart and the ability to feel. To understand how this works, let’s look at Axel at the start of 358/2.

He’s everything that King Mickey describes Nobodies to be: lacking a heart but good at faking emotions well enough to be convincing. But as he gets close to Roxas and Xion, his heart starts to form.

…only to be ripped out by all the sad in that game and KH2.

Anyway! Why did Axel’s heart form? He was prompted by the things that mattered most to Lea: being remembered, particularly by those you hold dear.

That triggered his heart to develop along with the ability to feel genuine emotions. Considering that template, let’s revisit Demyx!

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Nothing seems to strike him as overly pressing or important, as we all know. But he’s far too expressive and emotional to not have a heart and have had one for quite some time.

No one in the Organization took him seriously enough to consider it. And why would he tell them about it? Exposing a conspiracy about Kingdom Hearts not being needed for them to get their hearts is way too much work for him, let’s be real.

But he definitely had a heart throughout the games and books he was in. In the manga, when Saïx explains to Demyx that he has to kill Sora or else he’ll kill the rest of the Organization, Demyx hesitates:

“D-doesn’t that make him one of us?”

To feel hesitant due to kinship, you have to truly feel. Not to mention forming an emotional connection so important to Demyx that he considered Roxas “one of us” after he killed most of the Organization.

In the games, it takes Sora and Donald rejecting his statement that Nobodies do have hearts for Demyx to finally get serious and accuse Sora of being a traitor. Before trying to kill him–

While there are theories that Demyx was dropping a facade in this scene and showing his true heartlessness, I believe this shows his genuine emotional depth (as in the ability to feel so deeply betrayed that he actually wanted to fight).

The manga has a similar scene prior to their fight (for comparison and reference):

This kind of depth could only be achieved by having his heart for a long time without anyone realizing. Now how did he get it?

Because having emotional connections was the most important thing to Myde just as being remembered was the most important thing to Lea. (Note: Demyx’s Somebody doesn’t have a canon name yet, I just like Myde.)

Exposure to what you value most will get your heart back for almost any Nobody that’s retained their human form. For Demyx, this prompt was constantly being near people who were considered just like him and his need to have the emotional capacity to connect with them.

With that in mind, it stands to reason that he would be demisexual due to placing such a high priority on emotional closeness.

There you have it!

Agree, disagree, or feel the need to express a thing? I look forward to your illustrious comments!