Episode 6 and I think we've always known what's in the box. We just missed it.

Going back through my old theories, I stumbled across something in a Kingdom Hearts 3 cutscene that's been sitting in plain sight the whole time. Maleficent, in Thebes, tells us exactly what she thinks is in the black box. And given that our villains in Kingdom Hearts almost never actually lie to us — they obfuscate, they misdirect, they frame things to their advantage, but they rarely outright lie — that matters.

In this episode I dig into what the character files say about Maleficent's full timeline — including the specific moment her time skip begins, which is not when most people assume. I read out her full story entry Dark Deed, which reveals how she first learned about the outside world, how she manipulated Riku, and what she's actually been after this whole time.

I also get into the connection between the Books of Prophecy and Jiminy's Journal, why Yen Sid's tower full of books might not be coincidental, and whether Xehanort himself knew what was in the box — and if so, what that changes.

And I end with the question I genuinely want your thoughts on: how do we feel about a core mystery potentially being resolved in a throwaway line that almost everyone missed?

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Episode 5 and we're going somewhere that's going to make some people uncomfortable.

A comment on the Kairi video got me thinking about something I've wanted to address properly for a while — the question of what counts as canon in Kingdom Hearts, and whether it's ever acceptable to exclude games from the conversation because they're inaccessible.

The short answer is no. But the longer answer is more interesting.

In this episode I dig into why "the mobile games aren't canon because most people haven't played them" is actually a systemic problem with Square Enix's media conservation, not a fan issue. Why excluding Union Cross and Dark Road from the conversation is the same as saying an out of print book stops being a valid source. Why the Ven and Strelitzia retcon between Union Cross and the character files is exactly the kind of discrepancy that matters — and why tracking those discrepancies is a media literacy skill that goes way beyond Kingdom Hearts.

I also revisit my very first theory — that Kingdom Hearts 3 isn't actually canon — and why the intro sequence, the worlds devoid of people, and Ephemer's appearance at the Keyblade Graveyard all point toward something much stranger than a straightforward numbered entry.

And I make the case for why holding space for alternative perspectives — even uncomfortable ones, even ones you disagree with — is the whole point of theory crafting in the first place.

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Episode 4 and we're going deep into the secret reports.

Specifically Secret Reports 12 and 13 from Luxu — because there's a word in there that I can't stop thinking about. And that word is reenact.

Because if the Keyblade War in Kingdom Hearts 3 is a reenactment — a staged event, a play, a depiction of something that already happened — then what we witnessed isn't a real war at all. It's manufactured. It's a performance. And the person at the centre of it has been explicitly called a scapegoat.

Xehanort. The villain of the entire Dark Seeker Saga. A scapegoat.

In this episode I dig into what that actually means — the biblical definition, the symbolism hiding in plain sight in Xehanort's armour and chess piece, and what it implies about the Master of Masters and the lost masters needing someone else to take the blame. Because if you need a scapegoat, that means there's something above you that you're afraid of. Something that would hold you accountable.

Who watches the watchmen?

I also get into Luxu's hubris — specifically the fact that he keeps calling the Gazing Eye his Keyblade when it has never been his. And what "taking the stage to finish his role" actually says about where his head is at.

And I end with the thing that's always bothered me about Xehanort's ending in KH3. He doesn't rage. He doesn't fight to the last. He says "very well done." That's not a villain conceding defeat. That's a teacher watching a student graduate.

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Episode 3 is the one you've been asking for.

Why Kingdom Hearts? Why this franchise, of all things, to dedicate this much time and intellectual energy to?

The honest answer is that I don't know if I chose Kingdom Hearts or if Kingdom Hearts chose me. What I do know is that it found me when I needed it. I started at 2 because I saw an advert, hit two hours in without even reaching the opening credits yet, and that was it. The hooks were in.

In this episode I talk about why Riku's journey specifically was something I needed to see as a teenager — and why that matters. Because Kingdom Hearts is a Disney franchise that has absolutely no business delivering the kind of harsh, honest life lessons that it does. And yet it does. Consistently. Across every game in the series.

I go game by game through what landed for me, what I think each entry is actually trying to teach, and why those lessons need to be accessible to the people who need them most.

And I talk about why Noctis's arc in Final Fantasy 15 is the opposite of Riku's — and why that contrast is exactly what makes it so fascinating. Which is also why it's almost certainly going to be a You Should Play entry on LoreBySpec.

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Episode 2 is here and we're going somewhere a little different this time.

We start with some of my core difficulties with Kingdom Hearts as a series — specifically the cognitive load of games like Chain of Memories and why certain design choices genuinely lock some players out. And from there we end up somewhere broader: a conversation about accessibility and adaptability in games, and why so many developers still haven't got it right.

I talk about the Binding of Isaac as a core example of a game that prioritises its own design philosophy over player experience — and how the console versions have been largely abandoned compared to PC, where active updates and mods keep the game alive and evolving. Meanwhile console players are stuck on base Repentance with no mod support, which ultimately reduces the lifespan of the game on those platforms.

Stardew Valley gets a mention too — because being able to run a no fishing mod on Steam Deck means I can actually complete the Community Centre. I can't do the same on PS5 or Switch. That's not a small thing. That's the difference between finishing a game and not.

And then there's Kingdom Hearts 3, which I'd argue does this better than almost anyone — its Proud and Easy menus let you make the game as infinitely hard or as infinitely easy as you personally want. That's the standard. That's what all games should be moving toward.

The question I keep coming back to is: how much do developers prioritise what they want their game to be versus whether players are actually having fun? Because those two things are not always the same.

Next episode we'll be talking about what actually appeals about Kingdom Hearts itself. See you there.

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Thinking Through the Darkness — Episode 1: The Maleficent Problem

This podcast exists because you asked for it.

You wanted more candid access to how LoreBySpec actually works — and this is it. Thinking Through the Darkness is the pre-production process made public. The part before the script. The part where the threads get pulled and the holes get found and the thinking happens out loud.

A quick note before we dive in: I'm autistic, ADHD, and dyslexic. My theories don't start with me sitting down and writing something out from scratch. They start with me talking — rambling, jumping between ideas, contradicting myself, circling back. Usually into a voice note or with an AI helping me catch the threads I drop. This podcast is that process, unfiltered. It will not be neat. It will not be linear. But if you've ever wondered how a LoreBySpec theory actually gets made, this is your inside look.

This episode: the Maleficent Problem. How does she know what she knows? Why does she keep showing up across the timeline when nothing Xehanort is doing actually serves her? And what does the Road to Timeless River tell us about time travel mechanics that Kingdom Hearts 3 seems to have conveniently forgotten?

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Thinking Through the Darkness is a LoreBySpec production.