#I know Riku doesn't get this keyblade yet

[andrewwtca]

a Soriku Endgame, Actually essay on Light and Darkness

Also available to read on Archive of our Own.

Kingdom Hearts, with Sora and Riku in particular, has been on my mind as of late. It’s always been on my mind, to be honest, ever since I first got into the series. It’s grabbed my hand and hasn’t let go, especially with all the new lore. And yet, I’ve been struggling to make peace with myself. 

On one hand, I don't want to get my hopes up, thinking that Sora and Riku would ever become something 'more' or that what I’m seeing is anything other than in-depth speculation. I've had my heart broken before and this series means too much to me for me to foolishly dive in like this. 

On the other hand, I can't ignore what the story is telling me, as a literary analysis enthusiast and as a diehard fan. There have been parallels established, setups finally going through, and Nomura has said before that “this series is not intended to be child-focused, and so the complexity of the story is purposely made prominent.” I can’t keep turning a blind eye, knowing everything I know, thinking everything I think. If I did, I feel like I would be doing a disservice to both my experiences with the series and my experiences as a person. 

So yeah—Soriku Endgame, Actually. Today, I’m arguing its canonicality because of the balance of Light and Darkness (or lack thereof) throughout the series. Please enjoy my messy and impassioned essay!

a sky of falling stars

The Children of Destiny is a new concept introduced to us in the finale of Dark Road. To summarize, they are people with the ability to feel what others feel, connect, and become one with them—empaths with Light. 

It appears that the Children of Destiny are all descendants of Ephemer, characterized by silvery hair. There's Ephemer, there's Baldr, there's Xehanort—and, oh yeah, there's Riku. 

Upon the release of the finale, a lot of people—myself included—quickly jumped to the conclusion that Sora is a Child of Destiny, which isn't all that wrong. If we're going by what the games have given us, Sora is very special. What other character has housed five different hearts inside his own? What other character had an entire arc in Birth by Sleep talking about how he felt the pain in someone else’s heart?

But Nomura has insisted since the beginning that Sora is an ordinary boy, that he wasn't born with anything special, explaining that he “had the premise that a heart like Sora’s exists within all the players. Sora is ‘ordinary’, therefore everyone is ‘ordinary.” (Before anyone argues Nomura is just going through a retcon, I doubt he would go through with one to this extent, given how he has had the ending to the Dark Seeker Saga in mind for years.)

Riku, on the other hand, has not been given this kind of treatment at all. He's always been painted as a golden child, better than Sora at everything, being the original bearer of the Keyblade. For crying out loud, he had a light in Birth By Sleep that was seen from space, not Sora. If you factor in bloodlines, it wouldn't be too far off to theorize that Riku is a descendent of Ephemer's line. Riku isn't who most look at first, but all signs lead to him being a Child of Destiny. 

But that doesn't explain Sora at all. He may not have been born special like Riku, but he's special somehow. After all, Nomura did finish his ‘Sora isn't special’ line with, “I figure even if you’re ‘ordinary’, for something important, everyone can exhibit a special power just like Sora.” Aqua even calls out that Sora is the one who can set things right, the boy who can touch others’ hearts. 

And that is where the necklace theory comes in.

Sora has always been associated with royalty, sitting on a throne in box art or having crowns plastered around him—or on him. From his debut, Sora has had a crown necklace that has never been explained. Despite wearing it in every outfit, it's never been addressed how it came to be.

It’s after Aqua and Terra came, judging by the BBS cutscenes of him and Riku. But it’s before KH1, as that's when his journey began. That’s a huge timeframe, from being a kid to deciding to leave the islands, but it's easy to pinpoint a time when considering something the games still never fully fleshed out: the meteor shower. 

In Chain of Memories, Sora and Riku fight over this memory they supposedly both had of Namine one night during a meteor shower. One of them promised they would keep her safe, and it's all cute until we remember that Namine wasn't actually in these memories. And Namine can't make any new memories—she can only rearrange old ones. 

Sora and Riku both share this memory. And the way they fought over this memory gave it the utmost importance. It becomes obvious at this point that the both of them witnessed a meteor shower, and given what we know about their dynamic (and that's a lot), it would make sense to assume it was Riku promising Sora to keep him safe—almost like a charm.

The necklace theory has been around for years, but it’s only after the Dark Road finale that it was expanded upon (or perhaps it’s just me and maybe three others who think this, but I don’t mind one bit.) It isn't just Riku promising to keep Sora safe. In giving Sora a necklace, a crown, Riku has metaphorically crowned Sora. He has brought Sora up to his status as a Child of Destiny, putting all his love into a charm that he hopes can keep Sora safe. 

There’s a flaw in my logic though, trust me, I know. I just said that this meteor shower didn’t happen until after BBS, and yet it’s during the game that Sora feels the pain of others, it’s during the game that Aqua says that Sora is going to be the one to set things right. But I still stand firm in my belief. Riku has always been painted as the golden child, the Child of Destiny, but his love for Sora runs deeper than his love for anything else. 

Riku’s light is the one that brought Terra and Aqua to Destiny Island but Riku’s light shines for Sora; sort of like step one to Sora’s crowning. Riku’s light rubbed off on Sora, ever since they were kids—after all, a Child of Destiny’s power is to connect hearts. Why not connect his own with another? Why not share his light?

Further, in BBS, Sora can feel Ven’s pain and take care of his heart, but he isn’t fully aware of this nor is he able to really do anything about this. It isn’t until KH1 that Sora ever exhibits a power of truly connecting to another’s heart when Sora entered the darkness swallowing Riku and touched Riku’s heart’s light to obtain his Keyblade, explained by Nomura himself. And it isn’t until KH3 that Sora finds the power to wake up Ven’s heart.

Regardless of whether or not I’m right about this, it means Nomura isn't technically wrong about Sora being normal. Sora, no matter what, doesn’t have some divine birthright, but he still has the makings of someone who can bring peace to the world—all thanks to Riku.

This helps set the tone of their relationship, of the depth of Sora and Riku’s bond. It also moves the storyline forward to how they will be the ones to instigate change—but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s first talk about who once were and who they could’ve been.

in another life

Kingdom Hearts is pretty on the nose on parallels between Xehanort/Eraqus and Riku/Sora. Besides personality, Xehanort and Riku are both Childs of Destiny who give in to the darkness and Eraqus and Sora are endless sources of light. But the parallels don't exist to make us empathize with Xehanort/Eraqus: they're to tell us a cautionary tale of what our protagonists could've been. 

So it begs the question, what actually separated Sora and Riku from becoming like Eraqus and Xehanort? Let’s start with Riku.

To recap, Xehanort was a student in Scala ad Caelum alongside Eraqus, who watched all his classmates die. He learned from Baldr about their roles as Children of Destiny and in his grief, became obsessed with wiping the world clean. He wanted a Keyblade War to create a fresh start, void of Light and Darkness, so that the world could try again. 

Riku seemed to have been walking the same road as Xehanort. He stopped fearing Darkness and started dancing on the line between it and Light. Riku was angry at the world and angry at his friends, and perhaps in another life, he may too have wanted to wipe the world clean. 

But every time I compare him and Xehanort, I can't help but think that a cautionary tale isn't what Xehanort/Eraqus is. Because I can't help but think that it just could never have happened to Riku, and it's for two main reasons: 

1) Hope.

Riku has hope in the world. When we look at all the other Children of Light, they all had a Darkness that took them down (although in Ephemer's case, it was a literal Darkness that killed him). Baldr lost himself in grief. Xehanort lost himself in rage. But not Riku. 

When Xehanort saw that the world couldn't be fixed (to how he believed it should be), Riku did not even see a world that needed fixing. Riku saw the world in all of its complicated glory. For instance, Riku is one of the first characters to acknowledge the feelings of Nobodies; their pain, and their love. He doesn't see them as an extension of Darkness or Light. They simply are. 

Riku believes in redemption. It's been his entire character arc, after all, to redeem himself and walk the Road to Dawn, a term coined way back in CoM. Ever since then, Riku has been closely associated with the sunrise—night turning into day. Darkness becomes Light. Redemption. This symbolism is shown in box art, said in interviews, even his Keyblade is called the Way to Dawn. 

The fact that Riku was even able to think of the Road to Dawn proves that he's nothing like Xehanort. Xehanort believes that there is no redemption because the world needs to be wiped clean. But Riku believes that there is a road he can walk, a road he can take to salvation because the world is not good or bad, but made for people to live and learn. But how? How was he able to walk that road? He has hope, but how was he able to use it? And that's the second reason. 

2) Sora. Riku has Sora. 

It may feel a bit obvious to say, but it's true: the fact that Riku is Riku; Sora is Sora; and their relationship is the way it is, is the key to why they would never have fallen to the same fate. We don't know the full extent of Xehanort and Eraqus's relationship, but it's safe to assume it wasn't as kind or loving as Riku and Sora's ever were. The two would play as kids, promise to keep each other safe, tell secrets—the two became princes of destiny together, destined to fight their way home.

I can't see Xehanort and Eraqus as anything more than students in a fucked up situation. Because when things got bad for Xehanort, he didn't think of Eraqus as his guiding light. He only thought of what he lost. There’s even a line in Dark Road of Xehanort hearing Eraqus crying in the other room, yet he never comforts him, never approaches him. They suffered alone, too afraid or perhaps too blind to reach for one another.

When things got bad for Riku, he saw Sora. He saw how Sora loved Kairi and sacrificed himself for her, and he saw that Sora was forgiving towards him. The reason why Riku and Sora didn't end up like Xehanort and Eraqus is that they simply aren't them. Their bond is deeper and their love is stronger, and Riku’s hope is simply stronger than Xehanort’s ever was.

It’s important to emphasize that this truly is a feat that only Riku (and Sora, one day) could’ve accomplished. It's natural to us that Riku, one of the series' protagonists, was able to do this. It's easy to shrug off the balance he managed to strike between his Light and Darkness, but for so many actually in the series, it's an incomprehensible thought. Mickey even stated in CoM, that Riku introduced Light and Darkness in a way nobody has ever seen before. To understand how this affects Sora and Riku’s relationship, it’s important to understand the way things currently are.

the light we pass down

Light and Darkness are the very core of this series. Light represents the connections you make with others, while Darkness represents the lack thereof—those with Darkness in their hearts are those who walk alone, while those with Light are those with many friends around them. Darkness is selfishness, and Light is selflessness. 

Darkness is usually framed as an inherently evil source in many stories, but it's something that cannot be extinguished. Light needs to be there to balance it. 

But Kingdom Hearts seems to be going down the path less taken—yes, Darkness isn't 'good', and it isn't desirable to isolate yourself from the rest of the world. But the series is asking the question many like to ignore: when does Light become Darkness? 

In nearly every game, you can trace one character fed into the illusion that Light is good, everything else is bad, and the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. MoM to his pupils in Union X; Odin to Baldr in Dark Road; Eraqus to his children in BBS; Yen Sid to Mickey in forbidding him to speak of Aqua; Donald and Goofy to Sora in telling him that their ship runs on happy smiles. It is generational trauma. 

A cycle of hypocrisy has been forced on not only the 'defenders of Light' but 'agents of Darkness.' Xehanort doesn't care who he hurts as long as he can get his own idea of balance in the world, believing his judgment to be supreme to others—despite his initial thoughts in Dark Road, that unless someone's heart is pure Light, how can one know for sure what is right and wrong? To which Eraqus responded that they as Keyblade Wielders held the supreme judgment towards morality. 

Again and again, this cycle of defending what they believe is good and Light repeats, hurting themselves and hurting others, and even Sora is not free of this hypocrisy. While he doesn't go out of his way to hurt others the way Xehanort has, he is capable of hurting others: Riku was hurt by Sora in KH1 when he was silent when Kairi suggested leaving him behind or when he shrugged off Riku going missing in Traverse Town. In CoM, when the idea of him ‘abandoning’ people was presented, he acted out harshly and completely rejected the idea (this is all another parallel to Eraqus!)

He even denies the idea that Riku has hurt others. Despite Riku acting out of his own free will, the reason he feels the need to atone and walk the path to redemption, Sora believes that the Darkness was forced on Riku by others.

Sora has been carved into the same mindset as so many others, the idea heavily tackled in Dark Road, that Darkness is only brought upon by others, and that it needs to be expunged. Sora is a firm believer that the Darkness is something to be eradicated, such as with his encounter with Vanitas in KH3. When Vanitas states that he is simply Darkness, Ven is quick to understand and even accept. Sora, on the other hand, rejects this and insists that it isn’t okay. 

Even our series’ protagonist is unable to shake himself from this self-righteous, black-or-white thinking. Riku is the only character in the series who has formed an actual balance in himself, with all other characters having to pick one side. Lea, Xion, and Roxas leave the Darkness of Organization XIII and become Keyblade Wielders. Terra embraces his Light, Aqua leaves the Realm of Darkness, and Ven is literally separated into a being of Light and Darkness (although not out of his own volition).

The series is not framing any of these things as negative—there’s nothing wrong with embracing Light. However, these characters are falling into the same cycle that the generations before have; they will once again be faced with a Darkness too deep to defeat and ignore. It must be talked to, reckoned with, and faced with open arms. Riku has been the only one able to return the hug and walk away.

We’ve explored what makes Riku’s character arc so significant and what Sora’s flaws are, and it’s time to dive into the murky waters of the future.

when does the sun become the night?

Sora. Oh, Sora. I love you, Sora. Now let me tear you and your smile apart. 

The parallels between Xehanort and Riku are very on the nose and easy to distinguish; meanwhile, Eraqus and Sora are a bit more challenging. 

In BBS, Eraqus is the Master of Aqua, Terra, and Ventus. He forms a bond between them, as one would expect, mentoring and looking out for their well-being. The Light in his heart is strong due to his connections with them, alongside being a Keyblade wielder. Although not perfect (feeding into Terra's insecurities about his Darkness, cough), he does care for them. But when the world falls to Darkness, Eraqus doesn't hesitate to be selfless, to give up his connections, the Light in his heart, to kill them to save a greater good. As long as someone somewhere can benefit from his actions, he isn't harming.

But is that selfless? Is sacrificing for a 'greater good' truly selfless? Is there a line between the needs of the many and the needs of the few? Or is there a certain ‘darkness’ that comes with these acts? Disregarding yourself, disregarding others, selfless yet selfish; it's not the right thing to do, and the series doesn't hesitate to frame it as that. What Eraqus did was wrong. He hurt others, even if he refused to acknowledge it.

And yet, no one seems to make any noise toward Sora. 

Sora is a Guardian of Light. He is the cheerful protagonist who makes everyone smile and feel better. Ever since the first game, when Donald and Goofy (although not with ill intent) told him that the Gummi Ship runs on happy faces, he's been under the precedent that his emotions do not matter in the greater scheme of things. In the long run, what matters is that others are safe, the people he cares about. 

Once again, like how Xehanort and Riku deviated in terms of having hope, this is where Eraqus and Sora begin to deviate from their parallels. While both are selfless to the point of ‘darkness,’ they show it in dramatically different ways. Eraqus is willing to hurt the people he cares about (and by extension, himself) to serve this 'greater good', but Sora is only willing to actively hurt himself. 

I feel the need to remind everyone that this is a teenager we're talking about. If we weren't in a franchise partially owned by Disney, I feel like more people would be willing to call this what it is: suicidal. This is not Light.

We've already seen ways that this harms Sora outside the narrative and the whole getting sent to Quadratum thing in his Rage form. Sora transforms into a drive form that’s oddly reminiscent of his time as a Heartless and can unleash powerful attacks that lower his HP (hmm). Furthermore, this form only appears when his HP is low (double hmm) and stated by Nomura, “based on him going into a rampage state, controlled by feelings of anger (triple hmm).”

Back inside the narrative, the climax of KH3 was Sora believing that he's worthless without his friends, genuinely worthless, and unable to fight at all. This is the very definition of a Light gone too far when remembering that Light is the connections you form with others. With too much Light, Sora lost himself. He couldn't find himself past who he was for others.

In the section prior that broke down generational trauma as it appears in Kingdom Hearts, I mentioned that Sora does not only end up hurting himself but passively hurting others around him, most notably Riku. Sora is unable to understand that Darkness is not the absence of all good but rather the shadow that simply follows you around. Sora cannot understand that Darkness is not something to be shunned, to never talk about. (This could also be tied back to his Rage form—while he does not actively channel his anger to hurt, that is what happens; only to never be acknowledged by him.)

(Off-topic, but I find it funny that Sora, who is so keen on the idea that Darkness is Not Good, was only ever to have a proper conversation with Riku in the Realm of Darkness. It’s very telling to their characters.)

Kingdom Hearts is setting up a narrative that Light and Darkness cannot exist in excess. That Light doesn't exist to balance out the Darkness, to stop it from becoming too strong—you need Darkness to exist as well. 

Sora has gotten this far along the story and still hasn't managed to learn this, because it’s just not something you can learn (or unlearn, rather) on your own. Because this kind of thinking isn’t undone with hours of contemplation; in a fitting Kingdom Hearts fashion, it’s connections that lead to the revelation.

the roads we walk

Xehanort and Eraqus fall out with each other. They stop talking and sever the connection with each other. That was a core reason things got as out of hand as they did for each other; they weren't keeping each other in check. Xehanort's Darkness left him blind and unable to see that there was Light after all, and Eraqus's Light blinded him and left him stumbling with a Keyblade for a 'greater purpose.' Their hearts fell too far to one end of the balance, leaving the scales unbalanced.

Riku and Sora do not have that. They have a connection like nothing seen in this series before—Riku had literally raised Sora to become a Child of Destiny alongside him. The Light of their hearts is just so awe-strikingly bright. 

Sora, however, has lost himself in all his light. He is stuck in the same bright room that Eraqus was, stumbling around with his Keyblade. But where Eraqus was forever lost, Sora can be found: because where Riku had Sora to guide him to the Light, Sora will have Riku to guide him through the Darkness. 

Riku spends the majority of his character simply proving that he is capable of redemption. It takes him the ending of a game to realize the errors in his ways and another game to figure out the solution he must fight for, and these weren't revelations he finds on his own—he found the first with Sora and the second (in CoM) with Mickey and Namine.

For Sora to even have the revelation that he cannot keep shutting out the Darkness in him unless he wants more pain for himself and others, he needs someone to help show him that is an option. And who else but Riku, who is living proof that existence isn’t just black-or-white, Light or Darkness?

Riku is Sora's foil. A foil is a character who either has pronounced differences between themselves and the protagonist or is so alike that a contrast appears. Riku is the ladder, similar enough to Sora that one can begin to make assumptions about where the story is heading. Their similarities aren't hard to find: they both hail from Destiny Islands, they both have a love for adventure, they both were assumed to walk a path of Light for the rest of their lives, and they both care deeply for each other. The contrast begins in KH1 when Riku begins his fall to Darkness while Sora remains firm in his standing.

Riku’s arc ended with acceptance; he needed to accept the Darkness and the Light inside him to find peace. It’s only natural that his foil, struggling with the same imbalance, would go through a similar arc but still different enough to be his own.

It isn't just the story telling us this. Riku has always been associated with imagery of dawn, the breaking of Darkness into Light, and Kairi is always associated with imagery of dusk, the breaking of Light into Darkness (which is a conversation all on its own). Sora, on the other hand, is associated with a large blue sky (his name, after all, does mean sky.) It's not hinting towards a journey of any kind—not a redemption like for Riku.

He is the daylight. He is the Light in everyone's lives. But ‘Sora’ doesn't mean the day sky. It simply means sky. Sky, at day or night—and I don't mind if you call me reaching at this point, but it feels like it's calling out to the fact that Sora needs to accept that he is both Light and Darkness, the way the sky is both day and night. 

Nomura has even stated in an interview before when asked about the two different versions of the Dream Drop Distance illustrations that he “wanted its composition and look to remind [the player] of the title’s catch copy, ‘Darkness becomes light, light falls into darkness.’” The parallel structure of the tagline serves to mirror the parallel structure of Sora and Riku’s paths, Sora’s road to night and Riku’s road to dawn.

But I digress. Exhaustively, it’s very apparent that Sora is heading toward a climax, a Darkness he cannot ignore. His breakdown in KH3 was left unspoken, unresolved, and his disappearance only contributes to the fact that he’s heading toward another breaking point, where the cheerful protagonist can no longer remain cheerful. But like in KH3, something is going to be the same: Riku.

At his lowest point, it was Riku who was next to him, telling Sora that he believed in him. It was Riku who carried on when Sora couldn’t. Riku is going to be key in Sora's journey to night. Riku was able to find his Road to Dawn by remembering Sora. He was able to walk by remembering his love, his passion, his everything, and it was because of Sora that Riku found balance. He found the Light within himself, and he learned to accept that the Darkness would always be a part of him, the way it is for others. 

Sora's arc will be spun into motion because of Riku. The next installments of Kingdom Hearts are setting up that Riku's dreams are the key to finding Sora, implying perhaps that it may be Sora and Riku all alone in a world. Whatever the case, Riku is going to be by Sora's side, as that is where they are at their best, to face Sora’s worst.

And it's fitting. Riku had to go from Darkness, defined as a lack of connections, to a balance with Light, having connections. He went from his isolation, wearing a blindfold and not being able to face anyone, to being the charming Riku we all love, fighting alongside the Keyblade wielders. His journey would have him open up, so he would be joined by memories, ghosts, not by people until he began to embrace others.

Sora will be going from Light to a balance with Darkness. He'd be going from connections to a lack (though not in the same extremes that Riku did), in a sense. Understandably, he can’t do it alone, make such a drastic change; he'd need someone.

This change, this balance, this emphasis on connections, it’s guiding us to what the narrative has been trying to tell us all along.

we can be the darkness, and the light, and the sunsets and sunrises too

When asked about the theme of KH3 and the entire series, Nomura answered, “It’s in the title: hearts. The consistent theme across the whole series is ‘What is a heart?’”

Kingdom Hearts is going to be doing something unprecedented in not only a lot of media but in its world itself. While the idea of Light and Darkness existing within characters is not new, the characters aren't exactly behind that idea. Most of the Keyblade Wielders and Guardians of Light cherish the Light above all else—while all the primary villains worship the Darkness. They fight for a balance but don't fully grasp that within (nearly) all of them lies both entities. 

Riku seems to be more accepted in the world, as he did join the Light in the end. But what Sora would do is... just absolutely bonkers. He will be embracing a Darkness in him, the same kind that Terra and so many others were taught to push out. Sora will be... well, a teenager. Happy and angsty and all the things teens are.

This is where Kingdom Hearts has the chance to seal the deal, to fully welcome this balance of Light and Darkness: a relationship between Riku and Sora. 

For all Guardians of Light, there is a generational trauma hanging over their heads and haunting them, and Sora will need to accept his Darkness to combat it, but the story can't end there. The games have been building up the idea that Sora will be the one to bring change to the world, that Sora will be the one to end this cycle. He won’t just accept his Darkness but lead a new age. He will be the one to show that there's a different way (or really, only one other way) to move forward:

Love. 

Unconditional love. Not love depending on whether they fit the wielders' definitions of Light and Darkness, not love depending on the amount of Light in someone's heart, not love clouded by hypocrisy. Just pure love, forever forgiving and growing.

So who better for Sora’s love than Riku?

Let’s get all the arguments for Kairi out of the way first. Some may say that Kairi could still fulfill this role of spreading love in the next games, but that’s only if her role in the story is completely revamped. She represents friends growing apart as they grow older yet remaining close. While Sora and Riku represent a balance between Light and Darkness, Kairi represents holding a Light close to your heart, even when it's so far away; fitting for her story of being ripped apart from her home.

The games keep pushing the friends' growing apart narrative rather than pulling from it, having Kairi remain with Aqua to train while Riku goes after Sora. There is little space for Kairi to suddenly walk a road to dusk that leads to romance. Especially because it’s Sora and Riku who are the Children of Destiny, they are the ones who will connect to other hearts and bring change, not Kairi. Her lesson would be for herself, not for the world to see. 

A relationship between Kairi and Sora would just be backtracking on this message. Sora needs to accept his Darkness, but joining forces with a Princess of Light does not challenge any norms, it does not provide a new answer. It makes sense because the core of Kingdom Hearts isn’t a Prince and Princess of Light—it’s two boys who saw the night sky fall one day, two boys who grew up together, two boys destined for something greater who write their own paths anyway. It’s Sora and Riku. Nomura himself has stated that “Sora and Riku represent the theme of the Kingdom Hearts series, which is the ‘light and dark sides of the heart,’” the essence of this essay. 

Carrying on, some may stop me here and say that their love doesn't need to be romantic for a point to be made. But I argue that there is no other way.

Romantic love in stories often serves as the culmination of the story’s themes. In Leigh Bardugo's books, her romances serve to show the importance of love and healing. In the Shadow & Bone trilogy, Alina has the options between the Darkling, representing power, Nikolai, representing nationalism, and Mal, representing love. Just love. Not one befitting of a Saint, someone to change the world, but that’s not who Alina wanted to be; she just wanted a happy ending. Shockingly, she picks Mal. In Six of Crows, Kaz and Inej's romance, both traumatized teenagers, serves to show that you can heal and you can love. They're both scared of people, scared of intimacy and yet they still love with all their scars on display.

In Revolutionary Girl Utena, the romance between Utena and Anthy reaches its climax at the end of the show, displaying the vulnerability of both girls and the rawness of their feelings. But most importantly, it drives home the message: that the power to bring revolution is not the power of a prince or a witch. The power to change the world is love. The only way to change the world to be suitable to live in is through love. The power, a revolution, brought by love.

Romance is a revolution. It’s often saved for the last act of stories because of how it acts as a thread between all of the themes. In Kingdom Hearts, the theme needing weaving is balance: balance between yourself and others, balance between selflessness and selfishness, balance between Light and Darkness. Sora and Riku getting together would be Yin and Yang—a boy who had to accept his Darkness and a boy who had to fight for his Light. They complement each other and fill where the other lacks. 

Likewise, a relationship between them stresses the importance of connections. Tai Yasue, co-director of the series, has stated that “the theme of the KH series is ‘connections of the heart,’” and the narrative will take advantage of any opportunity to let that theme shine. Previously, many defenders of Light would sacrifice their connections with others for a greater good. But Sora and Riku choosing to love each other, choosing to love the Light and Darkness in each other instead of trying to chase away their Darkness, is showing that love is their other option. 

Sora getting with Kairi challenges nothing. It tells the others that Light must be with Light, that good must be with good. Even their grand attack in Re:Mind is two giant angel wings where they proclaim, “Light!” Sora and Riku, however, show that Light does not mean good. It shows that people can do bad things, and it doesn't make them bad, because people are not black and white. Like two kingdoms forever at war with each other, finally coming together and realizing that the other side is human and that you can't simply demonize them.

Sora and Kairi say there is nothing wrong with the world. To carry on. Sora and Riku say that there isn’t anything wrong with the world; it’s the people looking the wrong way. There is nothing wrong with what’s around us. Nothing wrong, nothing right. “Nothing is whole, and nothing is broken.” It’s simply being: being Darkness, being Light, being both, being neither.

It has to be Sora and Riku. It's always had to be them. Riku brought Sora up to the status of a Child of Destiny, and their journeys were led by each other, their character development taught by one another, and their acceptance will come from (an eventual) conversation between the two about their pain and hurt and Darkness, it’s all always been leading here. To this moment in time where they show the world all the hurt they hold and how they carry on with.

All of that, and loving each other? 

They are crossing the line, as Hikaru Utada sings in Don't Think Twice. They are going to be crossing every line established in Kingdom Hearts, and this is their power. Their revolution. Their predetermined yet self-made destiny. The payoff for years and years of searching and yearning and pining and chasing is a love that brings revolution, and oh...isn't that just romantic? 

That is the answer to “What is a heart?” The heart is the love you have, despite it all. The heart is the connections you make, despite it all. The heart is your Darkness and your Light and your experiences and your fights, despite it all. The heart is Sora and Riku, despite it all.

grant us the power to bring the world revolution

A lot of this analysis really depends on whether or not you believe Sora and Riku are in love with one another, I realize. You may agree with me that it seems fitting that their coming together as a pair would catalyze all the themes in Kingdom Hearts, but you disagree that it means they'd ever be a pairing. Which, I'd like to thank you for at least hearing me out. 

The queerness of their relationship means there will always be naysayers to them getting together, there will always be people claiming that I'm reaching. I do not care if you see them as brothers or ‘just’ really good friends. I see a love story. I see a love story and a love story saying to love, above all else. Do not judge others for you don't know what is wrong or right, for you are biased, for you are flawed, for you are human. Love others for that is the heart's will. Love.

I see that their getting together would be a testament to that love. To that forgiveness, to those flaws we have. It would be an acceptance of Riku's pain and Darkness that he mysteriously doesn't want to acknowledge, it would be an acceptance of Sora's pain that he's been bottling up ever since the beginning of his journey, and it would be an acceptance to the Light they both share. It would be the balance that so many generations have looked for and couldn't find because they did not practice acceptance, only judgment. 

Sora and Riku getting together is acceptance and it's proof that love is the answer to a generational trauma that has been around ever since the beginning of time. So yeah: Soriku Endgame, Actually. 

Thank you so much for reading! I’m a really big fan of stories about light and darkness and the balance between them, stories about love, and just Kingdom Hearts in general. I didn’t want to keep these thoughts in the back of my head and I’m glad I wrote them all out, even if it’s messy (and a shocking 6k words long...) Kingdom Hearts is a bit messy, after all.

If you're interested in more about Sora and Riku's relationship or just literary analysis of KH in general, please check out Constructing Kingdoms on YouTube, as it helped give me the words to write a lot of this essay. Further, if you're in total denial that there is any queer text in Kingdom Hearts, please check out this amazing video essay on Riku being gay. 

That's all I have. Please feel free to share if you have any disagreements or if any parts really spoke to you, or if you have anything to add, or anything really. These two live rent-free in my mind, and I don't mind talking about them or about how they're just so perfect to change the world.

Thank you. Spread love (and the Soriku agenda.)

#kingdom hearts #sora #riku #sora and riku #soriku #soriku endgame actually #media analysis #literary analysis is my special interest #andrew's essays #meta essay #kh meta

[descendant-of-truth]

The data characters in Coded are endlessly fascinating to me because like... they're so much like the originals. But everything is shifted just enough to the left that they feel different, and a little off if you think about it long enough.

Probably the main thing that stands out is that they all start out with different "base memories" from each other, if you will. The only thing Data Sora knows is that he grew up on the islands with his friends, but Data Riku has an encyclopedic knowledge of everything that happened in KH1. Data Namine knows what happened in CoM, and Data Roxas remembers up to the end of the KH2 prologue.

None of them are caught up to the present. The events of KH2 don't exist to them, because those events are written in a different journal.

But you can't even say that Data Sora is "just" Sora from before he started his journey, because almost as soon as the game starts, there's something wrong with that picture.

It's a little hard to explain, but Sora seems... remarkably unconcerned with his surroundings. He accepts whatever Mickey tells him without a second thought, even if he admits (still much too casually) that he doesn't understand what's going on.

(Not to mention that the giant, eye-catching blocks around him are things he doesn't even acknowledge until prompted by Mickey to "look for anything odd.")

But probably the biggest difference between the two Soras when they're starting out is that the journey isn't personal for Data Sora. He doesn't dwell on the islands being lost, and more importantly, he isn't looking for his friends. He doesn't even think about his friends. The first time Riku's name comes out of his mouth is when he literally shows up in front of him.

The early parts of Coded really make the "data" part of Data Sora apparent, I think. He's kind and brave like Sora, he has his mannerisms down, but he feels a bit hollow. There's nothing that's really important to him yet; he just goes along with things as they happen to him.

And then he loses the Keyblade and Riku at the same time, which is the first event to prompt genuine distress from him that he doesn't quickly bounce back from.

This is when Data Sora goes from a passive protagonist to more of an active one - something that the original Sora was from the start. He finally disobeys a request from Mickey, going to Hollow Bastion by himself in order to save Riku.

It's only there that he finally starts to process what having friends means, though, courtesy of Donald and Goofy's guidance... which the original Sora had ever since Traverse Town, by the way. Mickey wasn't a bad mentor to Data Sora, necessarily, but he was a lot more objective-focused, and thus didn't do a lot to help foster a deeper understanding of certain things in him.

Another thing I find interesting - the original Sora lost his Keyblade before going through Hollow Bastion, too, but the way they each get them back is different. Sora makes a rousing speech about how his friends are his power, and his conviction in that summons it back:

While Data Sora summons his back in a moment of fear, and a desire to protect his friends from being crushed:

He even fights a possessed Riku like Sora did, but the dynamic between them is much different on both ends. Originally, Sora was really fed up with Riku, and didn't know the full extent that he was being manipulated. (Also Riku stole the Keyblade and his friends by extension from him, so he's understandably kind of mad about that)

Meanwhile, Riku's villainous sass was on full display, mocking Sora for having a weak heart and saying he would get destroyed by the darkness. This was probably the worst terms they've been on with each other.

In Coded, there's no bad blood between them, and Data Sora knows exactly how much Riku isn't acting of his own accord. So his tone becomes one of unambiguous concern, while Riku wants so much to not fight Sora that he asks to be destroyed instead.

And because Ansem just... doesn't seem to exist in the datascape, Sora is able to bring Riku back with him much faster than the original could, so the motivation that made CoM and KH2 possible in the first place is gone entirely.

Data Sora's journey leads him to the same places as Sora's, and the story beats are similar, but his experiences are unmistakably different. Which is what makes the way Data Riku talks about things especially fascinating.

He makes a lot of references to the original events of KH1, and talks like he and Data Sora are inextricable from it. "I always seem to give in," "you once turned into a Heartless," "you would have saved us." He never completely separates the events of the datascape from those in the real world, treating Riku's failings as his own, saying that Data Sora lost his heart and doesn't remember it.

Data Roxas and Namine are the same way - it's actually Sora who's the odd one out, who doesn't give his original a second thought most of the time. It's only when other people attribute Sora's experiences to him that he, somewhat mistakenly, adopts that information into his worldview.

(No, Sora, that's not your Heartless. No, you weren't on a journey to find Riku and Kairi. That was a different guy. You don't even know Kairi for some reason. Add him to the list of people that live in Sora's shadow along with Roxas and Xion)

I don't know what the conclusion is here exactly, just that there's something about the way the data characters are so different but similar at the same time to the people they're based on that's really engaging to me.

I mean, one of Sora's biggest fears seems to be turning into someone else, or just being a copy of another person, as we saw in DDD. Data Sora is a Sora who's a copy, and he's kind of just... fine with that. He's content with what he has. Even when his memories are a complete mess by the end of the game, he accepts the situation as it is and keeps moving forward.

Anyway I could keep going but for now I'll leave it at "and that's why the data characters should show up again in future games"

#kingdom hearts #kh coded #kh recoded #data sora #data riku #analysis #meta #This was mostly just an excuse for me to talk about how good Data Sora is again whoops #but honestly he deserves all the appreciation he can get

[cloudofash]

Kingdom Hearts is Like a Chess Game...And It Explains the Characters' Story Arcs

If you've played the series up until KH3 you should know that the story of Kingdom Hearts and the characters within our current tale are likened to pieces on a chess board an ample amount of times, especially where Eraqus and Xehanort's chess-like game are a literal re-enactment of the events of the KH3 Keyblade Graveyard war between Light and Darkness.

Despite Kingdom Hearts' chess-like game being well...chess-like and and not an exact 1:1 of chess, we know at the very least that there is a "King" piece within the Kingdom Hearts' chess game. With the introduction of Verum Rex (Verum meaning true Rex meaning King) in KH3 as well as one of the secret endings with Yozora in Re:Mind being titled "Falsus Rex" (False King) entertains the idea that our KH chess game maintains the same (or similar) chess pieces that regular chess has. That is, a King piece, Queen piece, 2 Rooks, 2 Knights, 2 Bishops and 8 Pawns.

This being said, I want to explore which Kingdom Hearts character is which chess piece.

We know there is a Verum Rex/True King and a Falsus Rex/False King. Yozora is the True King of his Quadratum Universe. The Kingdom Hearts universe is the unreality-reality mirror to Quadratum, meaning that there must be a True King in the Kingdom Hearts universe as well. The true "King" of the KH Realm is most likely Riku, the Keyblade's original and true chosen and he looks nearly identical to Yozora as opposite Kings on a chessboard would. The False King, in this particular case, would be Sora since he wasn't the Keyblade's true chosen and only obtained the power because Riku fell to darkness and his heart's light passed the Keyblade to Sora making him the replacement/fake. However, I don't believe being a False King is Sora's true role in the Kingdom Hearts game of chess. I believe that if Riku's heart never fell to darkness, Sora would be a completely different chess piece that I will get to later.

The other pieces contain a Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights and 8 Pawns, giving us a 15 pieces (16 total if you include the King). Now in the Kingdom Hearts game of chess there are only 7 (original) Light Guardians, however in the final battle there are actually 10 Total Guardians: King Mickey, Sora, Aqua, Ventus, Axel, Kairi, (and Riku) are the original 7 and then Terra, Roxas and Xion join the fight after being saved. 12 if we count Donald and Goofy and 13 if we count Riku Replica, but it doesn't stop there. Namine made an appearance as well and helped shift the tide by finding Terra's Lingering Will and connecting him to the battle, and Master Yen Sid also joined the fight in the graveyard. The final piece and final character to help in the war is the light from the past, Ephemer.

In other words, we actually have all 16 chess pieces present in the Keyblade War (on both sides if we include Demyx, Vexen and the Xehanort Replicas as the final 3 to the 13 Darknesses). If we match the pieces with the characters I believe it goes something like this based not only on their role within the War but also their importance and contribution to the overall story. Please know that some of these positions can be debated:

Terra - Rook. Terra reconnecting with his Will and Body drastically alter the events of the Graveyard. TerraNort single-handedly defeated all of the Guardians and Terra's intervention stopped them from losing and altered the timeline altogether. Plus, Terra was also carrying the Heart of Master Eraqus who ultimately ended the war by stopping Xehanort. Considering Terra's value to the War, I can't view him as any piece less than a Rook.

Ephemer - Rook. Though he plays a minimal role in the entire Keyblade Graveyard war and no role at all in the entire Xehanort Saga, his small appearance is what saves the wielders from total demise yet again to the Giant Demon Tide. Since he saved Light from expiring at the part in time where they were destined to expire he is a crucial chess piece. And for those who know chess, the Rook piece is required for a "castling" a move that saves the King (or again, the False King) which is exactly, to me, what Ephemer did.

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Namine - Bishop. Her action of calling Terra changed the tide drastically. However, I will place her position as debateable as there may be others who you could count as a Bishop.

Yen Sid - Bishop. He saves the wielders from the Heartless Army, ultimately saving Light from expiring making him a key player in the War. Without him they most likely would have lost the war or would have been severely weakened and incapable of winning the war.

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Mickey - Knight. I give Mickey Knight status due to his Last Stand where he single-handedly pushed back all of the 13 Xehanort Replicas and saved everyone. It may not be timeline altering but it is still a contribution nonetheless.

Aqua - Knight. Debateable position, however Aqua took the lead at several points in the battle and barked battle instructions, almost acting like a military general. Thus I rank her above some of the others.

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Roxas - Pawn. Originally a pawn to Org 13, although he went through an incredibly journey he ended up locked away back into Sora's heart and wasn't able to participate or contribute to the war or storyline until he received a Replica body and Sora's connection.

Xion - Pawn. She was used as the 13th Darkness until Sora connected with her and helped Axel remember her.

Ventus - Pawn. He contributed to the war as an Original of the 7 Lights, but he did not alter the timeline nor save the Lights from expiring, nor did he take any lead during the war thus can only be considered a Pawn piece. Not to mention, he took an enormous backseat as a character after being asleep for 11 years. As such he hasn't had much time to shine since his Union Cross days. That may change in the next Arc, especially since he has ties to the Lost Masters.

Axel/Lea - Pawn. A literal Pawn to Org 13 for most of his story until the end when he final joins the the Guardians of Light. In fact, Xemnas even makes a chess analogy when calling Axel a "pawn" during his fight against Isa and Xion.

Donald - Pawn (extension of Sora)

Goofy - Pawn (extension of Sora)

Riku Replica - Pawn (extension of Riku)

And I know many will not like this, but I place Kairi as a Pawn. The reason isn't to shoot the character down, but I believe within the story she is literally treated like a Pawn. Her entire story begins with Xehanort treating her like a Pawn to get to the Keyblade Wielder. Narratively she is only used to push the stories further, constantly getting kidnapped or harmed. Some of the other characters are debateable but I stand firmly in that Kairi is a Pawn piece and it explains why she feels lackluster. She is meant to be, it's simply her role in the KH Chess Game. This doesn’t mean she'll stay a Pawn, as the Lost Master's Arc is starting a "new" KH chess game and thus the roles of many of the chess pieces (sans Riku and Sora) will change. I believe she'll be a Bishop in the Lost Master's Arc but as of the Xehanort Saga Kairi is only a Pawn.

But if Kairi is not the Queen piece, as I'm sure many of you initially thought, then who is?

I'm sure you noticed I skipped a character. That's right: Sora. Sora is the Queen piece in this game. A Queen piece acting in the place of the King, a false king. If you know chess you know that the Queen piece can move in any direction she wants as many spaces which is exactly what Sora is and what he can do. Sora is ridiculously OP as a character to the point he is often considered the most powerful and it's the Queen piece that is the most powerful, not the King piece as some unfamiliar with chess may believe. Sora can move any which way he pleases, even traverse time, travels worlds through hearts and hearts through worlds and even moves between Realms to save Riku from Dark Aqua as a Queen piece would rush to the save the King piece. All of which is reminiscent of a Queen moving all around a board in any way.

Riku is the King piece which is why the battle in the Keyblade graveyard wasn't considered over until Riku was defeated or checkmate'd. After Riku was defeated by the Demon Tide Storm, Sora was instantly knocked off the board. Also again, he is a mirror of Yozora much like the White and Black Kings in chess mirror each other. And if we think about the King piece in chess, Riku makes the most sense. The King is the most important piece and often times Riku is the most important to the story (especially Dream Drop Distance and now post Re:Mind) hence his character development and getting more development than Sora in many ways. In the Keyblade Graveyard War, he IS the most important as its his sacrifice that changes the timeline altogether and saves Light from Expiring. Without his sacrifice, the 13 Darknesses would have won and Light would have remained expired. It doesn't get any more important than that. In addition, if the Crown Necklace theory is proven true and Sora acquired his crown necklace chain from Riku, that means Riku was the original bearer of the Crown and most likely descends from Ephemer's Royal Line (which is all but confirmed, he literally looks like Ephemer) making him make even more sense as the King Piece.

Sora and Riku are the only two who I believe will keep consistent Chess roles as the King and Queen pieces. That's what their relationship is to one another. The only change I can see is Riku and Sora themselves officially swapping roles, with Sora becoming the True King and Riku relinquishing his role as King to become Queen. Considering the way Riku rushes to save Sora and how he travels to all ends to do so (including traveling to an entirely new universe just to save him once more and traveling between dreams to become a Dream Eater to save Sora), it almost is like he is beginning to move all around the "board" and could very well be showing signs of becoming a Queen piece to protect Sora, who would then become the new King piece.

We will have to wait and see which way this chess game goes in KH4 and beyond to confirm or deny any of this theory.

Anyway, that's all I have I hope you all feel free to share your thoughts. If you have alternate Chess Rankings, please feel free to share!

#kingdom hearts #soriku #kh #kh chess #sora is the queen #riku is the king #kingdom hearts chess

[dominicsorel]

Sometimes I forget that Kairi isn't necessarily chosen by the Keyblade but instead chooses to fight like Sora does. It’s so interesting thinking about what it means in the narrative.

Kairi just touched Aqua’s without thinking at a scary moment and gained access to one which is still given to her by Riku for some reason that’s never explained while Sora...also gets his from Riku. Yeah, Terra gave Riku the chance to receive his Braveheart Keyblade when he became the person Terra hoped he'd become but Riku was already chosen by the Kingdom Key before that and gained access to Way to the Dawn by himself.

Summoning the Keyblade without being given it by another person is technically what it means to be chosen. Xigbar says as much when he doesn't consider Sora chosen despite him winning the Kingdom Key from Riku himself because of the strength of his heart. He's used as a direct parallel to Mickey in the Musketeers. The antagonist paved the way for his rise to power but said power "isn't really his" or...at least he doesn't consider it as his. There's likely to be a "confession" scene about who the Kingdom Key was meant for from Sora at a particularly low point in his character journey...and yet Riku already knows it was his and thinks Sora got it fair and square lol. I don't think it's a inherent sin to receive power that wasn't yours, originally.

"A lie? Well...lie or no lie, Musketeers don't ever run from danger!" "But still, she chose to wield a Keyblade and fight with us as one of the guardians of light."

And I happen to LIKE this because it’s nice to see people who weren’t chosen choose to fight anyways. Who cares about chosen and not chosen when the worlds or perhaps a friend is in need of help? If you’ve got the drive and power and choose to help, who's to say you haven't chosen yourself?

You can be great without some grand prophecy hanging over your head.

#didi speaks #text #kingdom hearts #kh sora #kh kairi #sora #kairi #passed pawn duo #kh meta

[allykakamatsu]

Part 2 of my brain being unhinged.

As I said last time, this is the basic lore run down for my KH X GI au because I have a problem.

Basics: Like I said last time, the basic run down is that Sora ended up in Teyvat instead of Quadratum, so now Riku and Kairi are going there to try find him, however the power that sent them there also dragged a good few of the others along for the ride. What I didn't mention last time is that Teyvat is like Quadratum in the sense that is very difficult to get into, so as an 'entry fee' to get in they're not allowed to leave until 'peace has been restored', aka until the plot is over.

Visions: The interesting part, I know the whole group is Descenders and realistically couldn't get a Vision, but it's my au so I'm gonna twist the rules and say for a reason the gang isn't aware of they can get them. Everyone can still use their regular powers though, and a good few characters won't even have a Vision by the time the main team catches up with them. Because of this, Vision's don't have to match the characters associated element and are instead given based on a trait they show when they unlock their ambition, for example Elrena is going to have an Anemo Vision alongside her usual lightning powers. I'm mostly basing my decisions off of this post as it gives a good case for a unifying trait of all the elements.

Keyblades: Every nation is going to be treated as it's own world basically, so after completing the Archon Quest every Keyblade wielder who was present get's a new Keyblade to play around with. Part of this was for rule of cool, the other was because drawing Destiny's Embrace made it very clear I had to get people more options so I don't have to murder my hand drawing some of these things. Also, not gonna say who or when yet, but certain Genshin characters are gonna get Keyblades as well, some intentionally, a lot by accident-

Princesses of Heart: Like I said, every nation is gonna be treated like it's own world, so every nation is gonna have one of Teyvat's Seven Princesses of Heart, though in this case Princess is more of a gender neutral term as a girl, guy or anything in between can be one of the Princesses.

Is the main plot gonna have any changes: Not gonna spoil what specifically is gonna change, but the KH gang being in the plot is gonna spawn a lot of changes, some out of necessity so the KH crew don't steamroll the plot, other things I changed because I think they would be neat, and some changes were purely because the plot desperately needed some ironing out in areas (spoilers but not really, Inazuma is gonna be changed the most-)

Characters: Gonna have some character focused posts later but for now I’ll just go over the basics of where everyone starts out.

Riku and Kairi start in Mondstat, with Ienzo also being along for the ride.

Naminé is assisting Albedo up in Dragonspine

Lea/Axel is working for Beidou so she can get him and Roxas to Inazuma, meanwhile Roxas is more or less just Vibing with the Liyue kids.

Isa is working for Yae at the Shrine to help him and Xion, meanwhile Xion herself is pretending to just be a helpful random girl but is actually with the resistance.

Repliku is vibing in the Saberuz theatre with Nilou cause he as nothing else to do, and Vanitas is making questionable life choices yet again (he’ll get better I swear-)

Sora um… he’s complicated, but let’s just say he isn’t tied to any one nation and he’s having a not great time-

Laurium and Elrena are both members of Spina di Rosula, however the former is also the part time tea party planner to Furina and the latter spends her free time helping the twins with their act.

There’s still more but I wanna leave them a surprise so I’ll get back to them later.

That's about everything I can thing of for now, I'll be posting more art and tidbit's about this au soon, so hope you all enjoy, and here's some concept art just so this post doesn't look too boring.

#genshin impact #gi #kingdom hearts #kh #au #kh x gi au #lore #concept art #Riku #Kairi #Ienzo #Zexion #Naminé #Axel #Lea #Roxas #Isa #Saix #Xion #Repliku #Riku Replica #Vanitas #Sora #Laurium #Marluxia #Elrena #Larxene

[evaundertale]

A post no one asked for but I wanted to share.

So I got inspired off of seeing a couple if Venkai posts so imma post my take on it. Might do the same for Soriku, Kailette and more.

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So Venkai. This is straight up just a post off headcanons and how I view the ship can work I know it's a rarepair and most don't talk about it much.

This mainly will have headcanons and theories on what could possibly grow and how I personally see the ship.

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Okay let's start with Ventus. As we know Ventus was in Union X and probably got sent forward in time.

We also know he is often considered a kid or at least treated like one.

Not only from Aqua and Terra but people that could be around his age like Isa and Lea.

And Kairi may not be treated like a kid by her friends but is more often left behind for her protection. They both are often treated like their fragile.

From Aqua trying to get Ventus to go home instead of following Terra and to both Sora and Riku both leaving Kairi behind on different occasions.

This person made a better comparison on the Riku and Kairi scene with the Ventus and Aqua scene.

Now you may wonder why I brought up Ventus age. It's mainly because I don't think he aged sense he was awake in BBB.

From him going into Sora's heart and been asleep. I think by kh 1 is when Ventus might have started getting his consciousness back.

Maybe due to Kairi's heart joining his in Sora's heart or Ventus sensing Sora in danger due to the islands fall.

I don't think he's fully conscious till like DDD or Kh 3 due to us seeing him being slightly more active.

We know that Roxas already impacted Sora emotionally in Kh 2 so we can't say Ventus didn't or couldn't either especially with these moments.

In DDD Ventus armor protects Sora with in kh 3 Sora doesn't even know what comes over him when he says he'll save Aqua.

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Why do I bring this up? It's because I think Venkai as a ship is in the same area of Katara and Aang from ATLA.

Aang was in the iceberg for 100 years but his body and mind are still 12 he didn't age both mentally or physically.

Long story short Ventus is in a similar situation to Aang with his aging.

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Now back to Venkai okay so we know Aqua put a charm on Kairi as a kid to protect and lead her to those who could protect her.

And most say she went to Sora but I'd argue she went to Riku and Sora both. As you may know related to how much I reblog this I think Riku is the light (not just Sora's) but others as well with Aqua and Terra both stating as such when looking at him as a kid.

But not saying much to Sora. Yes Ventus came to Sora's heart seeking shelter but that's due to him already making a connection to a new heart which is Sora's.

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So if Kairi showed up to the Island not having a connection to Sora or Riku yet. Kairi still was sent to seek both the keyblade when sent out but also to find a safe place because the charm.

She probably appeared because Ventus being in Sora's heart and because Riku's heart to.

With Kairi being a princess of heart she could probably recognize darkness and light in a person's heart.

With Kairi in kh 1 stating Riku had changed but not really giving much context and telling Sora not to change. Maybe she felt both the light of Ventus and Sora's ad comfort sense Riku heart was change.

We know Darkness has a scent sense Riku has recognized it before but don't really know if the princess of heart are able to sense a hearts intention I'd assume based how Kairi reacts sometimes to people. We only get to see that side of the princesses through Kairi.

That being said Kairi could have grown a close connection to Sora through the light in Sora's heart (aka Ventus)

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Finally at least this is what I picked up that could have happened if Ventus started to grow conscious again in kh 1 he already has a connection to Kairi through the time she was in Sora's heart.

Meaning that Kairi and Ventus would have a sense of familiarity with eachother not saying it'd go full on romance but in her time of training with Aqua they could grow to be close.

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Both relating in being treated like their fragile. Or how they both were treated like pawns in Xehannorts plan. Or even how they both have memorie issues.

There is alot to work with especially sense Ventus heart is probably still mainly the light side of it sense Vanitas (his darkness) is no longer able to fit there.)

Now that could be like that cause Ventus heart grew darkness back in its missing place. Or Ventus could have a heart full of pure light similar to Kairi's.

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Now into full on fanon side i know most compare Ava and Gula to Sokai but the possibility of them being a great reference for Venkai is there to.

I just think you could honestly build Kairi and Ventus future interactions based off these two.

Not only in similar body shapes but with how the two interact. We've never really gotten and opportunitie to see Kairi fully protect Sora the same way he does for her and if it's cause she hasn't felt confident enough to or cause they might not be as connected as she thought there's a chance she might fot someone else.

(Yes I know in kh 1 she trys to protect Sora in his heartless form but that was once and yes she held him together in the new world but he also got a second change cause of Riku's sacrifice.)

What I mean by protecting Sora is like how much he does by blocking her from attacks or more we don't see that which sucks. And we already know their bond was weakened to begin with.

There's a chance they might just keep growing apart. And in that absence she might grow with other.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

I'm rambling a bit near the end but yeah that's at least my view on venkai and if it ever develops platonically or romantically or whatever i due think the two have a lot of parallels and more to their connection then most think about.

Next probably gonna be a post about Kailette. Or maybe a post about how I view Riku and Kairi's friendship but yeah.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Extra ramble

There's alot more that could be speculated like this not only being Kairi recognizing this but also Ventus sense he visited it and we know he got memory issues to its a stretch but still interesting to think about.

There's also the case that Ventus fully appears in Sora's heart to ask questions in DDD when Riku is trying to wake Sora up. This is more to the point that Ventus probably wasn't fully aware/conscious until later on in Sora's heart.

My theory is still gonna stick with him beginning to wake up in kh 1.

#venkai #light mention of Sokai #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 3 #Kairi #ventus #kairi x ventus #this heavily talking about Ventus mainly but thats cause no one can ever agree on his age #or when he became conscious from when he went to sleep #so yeah this is heavily about my theories on Ventus

[zdbztumble]

Yet Another Kingdom Hearts Revisit, Part IV

This is the kind of question, that, in a good fantasy, you'd only ask after multiple revisits, but - why exactly does the League of Disney Villains want Riku's help? Most of them are magic, one is a god, and they can all summon the Heartless to their aid. Unless Maleficent somehow knows that Riku was the original chosen wielder of the Keyblade, or the Heartless knew and manipulated her into recruiting him - neither possibility is explicitly stated anywhere in the game - there isn't any given reason for her and her cronies to use him, other than a villain's usual penchant for having others do the dirty work and the thematic necessity that Riku be corrupted while Sora proves his valor. I don't bring this up as a critique; most fantasy stories (most stories of any kind, really) have such elements that work, and work well, without any specific logic to them. It's just something you notice on the fifth or sixth playthrough.

You also notice the quality of the 100 Acre Wood minigames in KH I compared to later entries. I wrote during my KH II revisit that I thought the 100 Acre Wood shouldn't have been brought back, due to its effect on the pacing of the front half of the game and its repetition of KH I's Torn Page gimmick. I softened on that later on, and KH II's story for Winnie the Pooh is still leagues better than KH III's, but KH I still made the best use of the 100 Acre Wood narratively and thematically. In terms of gameplay, however, I think that KH II has the first game beat. The minigames here are fun for a first playthrough tied into the plot, but I don't find them fun enough to try and pull off under a time limit, or to revisit under any circumstances. Whenever I've gone too long without a revisit, I think my mind tends to conflate the Pooh story of KH I with the games of KH II - the best of both worlds - and assumes they were together, which improves the reputation of the first game's take on Pooh and diminishes the second's.

One thing my mind doesn't mix up is Traverse Town and Twilight Town, and there's no question which is the better hub. Twilight Town may have more to do and more lighthearted minigames, but it can't compete with the dramatic heft of a refugee camp. Nor can skateboarding, outdoor movies, or even making dishes with Little Chef compete with minigames that pull on the heartstrings and contribute to the bigger goal of saving the Disney worlds from darkness. What Scrooge is going to turn down the chance to rescue Winnie the Pooh from existential confusion and despair? Why would anyone with a soul not want to make sure all 99 dalmatian puppies make it back home? And what Disney fan worth their salt doesn't want to recover the lone surviving hearts from four Disney worlds and have them available as Summons?

(Though, on the subject of Summons: I do wish Mushu was available a little earlier in the narrative. By the time you find him, there's too good a chance that Sora and company are so powerful on their own that there's no need for Summons except in a few of the secret bosses, so it's easy for Mushu not to get used. Which is a shame, because he's a lot of fun. In a past playthrough, I got good use out of him, Dumbo, and Tink against Kurt Zisa.)

#kingdom hearts #z's crits #commentary #traverse town #mushu #101 dalmatians #winnie the pooh #disney

[oveliagirlhaditright]

So for no reason at all I'm thinking about this:

Sora was not chosen by a Keyblade Master to be a Keyblade wielder, but he becomes a Keyblade wielder before anyone else in the Destiny Trio (yes, I know, Riku's Keyblade--the Kingdom Key--had shown up on the Destiny Islands for Riku, but when Riku chose darkness over light, it opted to go with Sora instead: and there it would ultimately stay and Riku would get a different Keyblade later).

Riku was chosen by a Master to be a Keyblade wielder, and he's the third of the Destiny Trio to get his Keyblade, though still treated so much better than Kairi is, and truly gets to use his Keyblade before her (in having big adventures where he gets to use it, and whatnot): as I'm sure no one is really counting the three Heartless that Kairi killed with hers in KHII.

Kairi was accidentally chosen to be a wielder by a Keyblade Master (Aqua triggered the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony with her by accident, that is), and this actually happens before the scene where Terra chooses Riku. But it's an accidental thing, which definitely stings a bit. And Kairi is the second of the Destiny Trio to get her Keyblade... though in a lot of ways, you wouldn't guess that.

Edit: I'm wrong. Riku gets his Keyblade second, and Kairi gets hers third, as Riku has his Keyblade when he protects Kairi and Naminé from Saïx. I, and another user on her at what point, just got confused because of Riku (if you talk to him as Sora when you beat Luxord) mentioning how he doesn't think Sora needs the power of darkness or his Soul Eater yet, which almost sounds like he still has Soul Eater at the time, when he doesn't. What a weird line just overall. -shrugs-

#and yes: before someone says it i know terra. technically. was not a master when he did the keyblade inheritance ceremony with riku #as he had not passed his mark of mastery exam (that was rigged anyway) and thus hadn't been given the title #but he was at master level--according to nomura--which is how he was still able to do this #i mean the aqua and kairi scene hurts less with how aqua realized that kairi was someone worth protecting (she was realizing she was a #princess of heart). and she also cast that magical spell on her necklace because of it: so that whenever she was in trouble the light withi #her would lead her to someone else in order to keep her safe. so maybe all of that is part of the reason the keyblade inheritance ceremony #kicked in and NOT just because aqua and kairi were both touching aqua's keyblade at the same time. (this is the only way i can live with #this. and i honestly think it makes MORE sense this way). though you do still have to wonder 'why?' why is kairi always shafted in every #single way possible? #maybe they were going for some 'all three of the destiny trio has a different tie with the keyblade and how they were chosen' thing. but as #always kairi's the one who gets the short end of the stick. really #the only thing i even remotely like about it is that it means that both sora and kairi can bond over actually BOTH of them weren't chosen b #a master then

[phoenix-downer]

Howdy. I recently became a fan of Kingdom Hearts despite being familiar with the name for a long time, so I'm still learning about the franchise and awaiting the release of KH4. One thing I wanna know is: Was Yen Sid's determining of Sora' assessment of the Mark of Mastery Exam fair? I've seen a lot of debate on this, with mostly the blame going to Sora for easily letting himself get manipulated by Young Xehanort and his own Darkness, which is true to some extent but still. What do you think?

Oh nice, hope you've been enjoying your KH journey!

You bring up a really interesting question. I've seen a lot of debate about it as well and I kind of wonder if it's because the concept was good but the execution was bungled.

Because Sora failing to pass the exam? And all because of his pride/hubris leading to overconfidence and risky behavior? That's an interesting concept, especially after KH2 where he won, where he succeeded.

And his temptation in DDD was handled very well too--I find it just as compelling for a character to be tempted by good things obtained the wrong way, as it is for a character to be tempted by bad things. It was the way Sora was trying to reach Riku and Kairi that wasn't good, not wanting to reach them that wasn't good. And that is why he was led astray--his heart and love for his friends wound up being his downfall in a way that mirrors Luke's downfall in Empire Strikes Back. Xehanort very cunningly exploited a deep-seated fear Sora has that stems from past trauma thanks to all the times he's been separated from his friends and took advantage of how much he loves them:

Again, really good stuff. I do think the writing could've more strongly established that Sora's arrogance led to his downfall because that part of the execution is a bit weaker (though he does have a brief line at the beginning of the game alluding to this), and I wonder if it's because Nomura and/or Disney didn't want the protagonist going too dark, but I digress.

I think the part of the execution that's really bungled is Yen Sid's explanation for why Sora failed.

First of all, when Sora asks about the results, Yen Sid tells them they both performed admirably. Maybe it's to spare Sora's feelings or whatever, but it's already kind of setting up a discrepancy between his words and what actually happened during Sora's exam:

Then, he talks about how he's glad Sora and Riku are both safe and grateful for Lea's help. He also apologizes for what happened which hey, I'll give him credit for that, but if the test was rigged against Sora, why would you still count it? Your pupil was set up for failure and you're just... gonna... roll with it? He doesn't strike me as a very good teacher lol:

Then he talks about how the test revealed truths about the future clash etc. and says he wants a Keyblade Master who will have a useful power for the future battle. Again, no problem with that, but a good teacher would've revealed the parameters of the test ahead of time and not after the fact. It's just wildly unfair to switch how you're evaluating students after they've taken the test, and I think this is where people started to get irritated with the explanation. Everyone's had a crummy teacher who graded them unfairly on an assignment, and that's how Yen Sid comes across here:

Then, he says this. If Sora had truly failed, Yen Sid should not have said this. It would've been better if Sora didn't deserve to be made a Keyblade Master yet than for Yen Sid to say, "You deserve to be one but because Riku got an A+ and you only got an A, he passes and you fail." Again, I think people got irritated by this because it's just so blatantly unfair and doesn't track with Sora failing:

Again, I think most people would've had no problem with Sora failing and Riku passing if Yen Sin's explanation had been handled well and if either Sora's arrogance had more directly tied to his downfall OR if Yen Sid had clearly spelled out that Sora's greatest strength is his greatest weakness, he needs to temper his heart's urges with the wisdom of experience, and he needs to grapple with his darkness and master it like Riku has.

As it is, we see Sora show a little cocky arrogance at the start of DDD, he's tempted by his good side, and then... he's ambushed, sabotaged, and kidnapped, nearly losing himself and control of his own heart to the villain in the process. And he fails, not because of his own choices which led to his heart getting captured, but because... he got an A and Riku got an A+? It just doesn't make sense, and that's what bothers me about it.

Hope that helps explain where I'm coming from more. Of course, all of this is my own interpretation, but it's definitely why I didn't really buy what happened at the end--the reason Yen Sid gives for Sora failing doesn't track with what we actually saw happen in the game.

Thanks for the ask!

Screenshots are from here.

#kingdom hearts #kh #sora #riku #yen sid #kh analysis #ddd #dream drop distance #khddd #kh ddd #phoenix-downer #long post #division9scientist

[gilly-moon]

[5 Characters & 5 Tags]

Tagged by @harleyshahas (thank you ♡!!!!)

Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts) - KH is the game that got me into video games, and inspired me all the way to getting my current job in game dev, and Riku is at the heart of why I love the games so much. But I had to put Sora too, because one without the other just doesn't work. Without Riku, Sora couldn't have his arc of "I want to be better than Riku" to "I want to be better with Riku". And for Riku, his transition from dark & edgy to chosen keyblade weilder all ties back to how he looked down on Sora, then tried to make up for his mistakes, and finally trusted and loved Sora completely. They complete each other and challenge each other to grow and become better at every turn. Also their reunion in 2 absolutely ruins me every time. Sora crying on his knees will be burned in my brain forever.

Zack Fair (FFVII) - Crisis Core was at one point the only game that would work on my PSP lol. But I didn't need any other games because Zack the puppy was everything to me. Watching him struggle with the morality of being a SOLDIER, all while desperately trying to protect his friends and failing at every turn...that shit hurts, and yet he keeps his smile and honor right up til the end. He is THE sunshine boy of sunshine boys and I could gush about him all day long. His scenes in Advent Children destroy me.

Oikawa Tooru (Haikyuu) - the real blorbo of my heart, the bitch I latched onto and will love to the end of my days. His ability to take even a team of strangers and lead them flawlessly within just a few minutes is so admirable. He knows exactly how to bring out the best in everyone on the court. It hurts me to this day that he never got to wreck Shiratorizawa before he graduated (also that moment where he falls and slips in season 2 uggghhhhh) but jokes on them because he's the one who got an honorable position on an irl team!! I get some people call him an insufferable asshole but thats exactly why I like him! Let characters be insufferable!!!!! Its fun!!!!! And besides, when it comes down to it, he's genuinely a good person who wants everyone on his team to be involved and be their best. Love of my life. No Oikawa haters allowed on my blog.

Pitch Black/Kozmotis Pitchiner (RoTG) - basically since the movie came out I have been ready with a "Pitch did nothing wrong" speech at all times. I feel like I don't even really have to explain this one, I mean....yall get it. You know why we're all still here, loving him and the Guardians to the end of our days. I will say, though - idc if it's book version or movie version, my love for this asshole remains the same.

Nico di Angelo (Percy Jackson) - ah, the original blorbo. The queer awakening for so many people even before he was out in the books. This is another "I love him because he's kinda rude" character. His hatred towards other characters is always warranted tbh, because they ostracize him for?? No good reason at all???? No one wants to or tries to be his friend in heros of olympus for the first four books (except Hazel, who practically has to force others to talk to him) and it pisses me off to no end. Percy spent battle of the labyrinth hunting him down, but would he have been so dedicated if he wasn't getting the iris messages??? Doubt it. Anyway. I adore Nico, he deserved better, and I'm so glad he's got a wonderful bf and his own book now. I will never get tired of him and I really hope the tv series goes well so he can finally come to life in live action ♡

Honorable Mentions: Ronan Lynch, Cloud Strife, Roxas, Hiccup Haddock, Sasuke Uchiha, Portgas D. Ace, Killua Zoldyck, Allen Walker, Vlad Masters

I don't rlly talk to many people on here so...if one of my picks was also yours, consider yourself tagged!

#i could write full essays on all of these characters #including the honorable mentions #thnx again for tagging me!!!!

[royalberryriku]

Stuck on prompt 5 for (a very late and overdue) khoc week; not because I don't know what to do, but because there's so many things I want to do.

Sort of a ramble about this below: 👇

Also some sliiight spoilers for themes (couldn't help myself) with my fic, but it helps explain why I'm struggling to get something out for this specifically.

Each of my main OCs is an embodiment of the complexities of experiences that can't be defined by light or darkness, especially Zorya who literally is a being of darkness that is trying a third way of handling it; not controlling to destroy it (Xehanort and Eraqus' ideals, or rather the "teachings of light") or even embracing it and accepting it (first step that Riku found), but believing in it; seeing your flaws as a wound to heal, a possibility to be realised, just like how you love people and believe in them, she wants to believe in herself and love herself in ways she hasn't been able to. To kit hate your flaws or see them as something to be "fixed" but loved and cared for. I think Kingdom Hearts is leaning into that in the next arc, but it's not quite there yet.

Meanwhile the other two are also examples of this but in different ways. Yoru is more like Riku and delves into that "first step", but like Riku he still hates and fears his own flaws. He hasn't really fully embraced the fact he's just a person and is allowed to have those flaws yet, same as Riku (which is partly why I'm excited for the aspect of him being in Quadratum since I think both he and Sora will realise that while fighting the personification of that fear and hate towards darkness). Yoru still thinks that he's a bad person for being too curious, too scared, too angry, too this or that. But he also wants to embrace it and change. Which is all great and all when it comes to wanting to be a better person, but he's still healing. And pushing a wound that's still open won't heal it, it'll just worsen it. I want to show that, but it can't really be summed up with just light or darkness; it's both.

And Taiyo is probably the most interesting of all when it comes to the question. He believes he's strictly light, he wants to uphold his teachings and be what he was taught to be. He's exactly like Eraqus and any other Keyblade Master before that, but the thing is he doesn't have a Keyblade and he is forced to realise how human he is. He's a lot like Aqua in that regard, forced to face his limits and understand his own humanity and inadequacy when compared to the perfectionism pushed by his teachers and peers. He has to unlearn all of the toxicity and realise a heart is more than just a means of good or evil, it's also an identity; a means of love and happiness, it's also about caring for oneself as a person, not a tool. So he would say light absolutely, but like every other person, he has his flaws. Even if he himself doesn't acknowledge them.

I want to explain this all in a way that isn't just a long monologue, but by instead showing it. Yet, I also don't want to spoil the full character arcs I have planned in my fic itself or its story and every single theme in it.

Also, darkness and light are treated very delicately in my fic and with my OCs, so I tend to put a lot of thought in whenever I want to show their connections to light or darkness, because it's always very much related to mental health and self discovery and self care. It's about realising that light and darkness are subjective; mailable and unclear. But with that, there's so many ways to show it. I get so excited by that too, which in turn has me writing various drafts and having so many different ideas that it's hard to settle on just one to go with.

TLDR: This will probably be the longest and most thoughtfully written out of all the prompts. The reason I stopped with the last one is because I'm so excited to really make something that makes fans of the series think about what light and darkness really are in regards to this universe. I know it's just a little fun prompt and I don't have to. But I want to. It's fascinating and I think it's a great way to introduce people to the themes of my fic and the ideas these characters all embody.

#not exactly a submission but more an update into one lol #a bit of a long explanation and essay into this #im facinated with the idealogical concepts and philosophy in KH so this is gonna be a big one for me #im just way too excited and love the ideas behind light and darkness to NOT make it a big thing

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1048: Morning After Midnight Intruder (Kingdom Hearts x SSBU)

9:25 a.m. Inside the Smash Mansion.......

Pit: (Licks his Seasalt Ice Cream Alongside with Roxas and Xion) ('Mm') I dunno, you guys. (Takes One Bite of his Ice Cream Before Putting on a Satisfied Smile) But the Seasalt Ice Cream from your store doesn't taste half bad to me

Xion: ('Sigh') Yeah, but the taste in quality doesn't nearly stack up in comparison to Smash Town's version....

Roxas: Though, we have yet to taste the worst of the worst. So our day haven't been completely ruined yet.

Pit: You guys are really taking this tasting test that seriously, huh‽

Xion: (Smiles Sheepishly) Sorry. We've been eating these things with Axel for so long that we might have a habit of judging each of them sometimes...... (Points at Her Best Friend Right Beside her) Roxas being the worst of the three of us here.

Roxas: (Places his Hand on his Chest in a Pompous Manner) Hey, don't hate me just cause I have well balanced taste!~

Xion: (Whispers to a Snickering Pit) Definite "Well Balanced".

?????: PIT!!!

The trio turn their heads to see Sora and Kairi quickly making their way to Pit to hug him.

Sora: You're okay!

Pit: (Chuckles Lightly) Aww~ (Hugs The Duo) Good morning, you guys.

Riku: (Walk Towards Roxas and Xion) Isa filled us in on what happened last night?

Kairi: (Pulls Away From the Hug to Get a Quick Look at her Angel Companion) Are you okay? That Xigbar guy didn't try to hurt you or anything, did he?

Pit: Nope. Though, he was kinda of a creepy jerk.

Roxas: (Puts on a Deadpinned Look on his Face) That's putting it lightly.

Xion: (Crosses her Arms While Pouting) I didn't even got the chance to slice him up to ribbons. .

Roxas: All of our chances were diminished that day. Motherfucker came into our house, ate our ice cream, and gave us some cryptic warning about the foretellers being mad at us about something.

Sora: Seriously?

Xion: (Nodded) Yeah. He calls himself Luxu now.

Riku: (Grabs his Chin While Thinking) Luxu.....Luxu......

Kairi: (Turns to her Silver Haired Boyfriend) Something's on your mind, Riku?

Riku: I'm trying to remember where I heard that name from.... (Turns Back to the Seasalt Duo) You said he knows who the foretellers were?

Roxas: Yeah, apparently he's working alongside them now.

Xion: And that only one of them is missing.

Riku: Working alongside each other.....(Suddenly Starts to Snap his Fingers as He Figured Put Something) That's it!

Pit: (Raises an Eyebrow in Confusion) What's it?

Riku: Okay, do you remember the lesson Aqua and Terra gave us about the Master of Masters? How he worked alongside the Foretellers on numerous occasions, especially during the Keyblade War?

Sora: Yeah, remember.....Wasn't he like a mentor to all of them or something?

Riku: For the most. But I know for certain that he also used to had an apprentice by his side too. And... well....Let's just that "Luxu" person might be the one.

Roxas: (Eyes Suddenly Begins to Widened Along With Everyone Else (With the Exception of Pit)) Oh fuck-

Meanwhile at the Certified Moms' Tea Table

Lea: (Groans Loudly While Covering his Head Down on the Table) MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! (Gets his Head Back Up From the Table) You're telling me that One Eyed Snake was that guy's apprentice this whole time!?

Aqua: (Grabs her Chin While Thinking and Sitting Next to Lea on One Side) Well, given his name and the history him and the master shared, the possibility isn't too far fetched I'm afraid.

Lea: (Facepalms Himself While Groaning Once More) Great.....The Foretellers are gonna be after our asses and now THIS!? We are so fucking screwed....

Samus: (Gently Place her Hand onto Lea's Arm on, Sitting Beside Him on the Other Side) Hey, don't stress yourself out over this, alright?

Daisy: Yeah, man. (Flexes her Arm Muscle With a Confident Smirk) Just say the word and we'll be there to help you take those jerks down ever step of the way!

Moms: Yeah!/Uh-huh!/Absolutely!

Aqua: (Frowns Worryingly) You ladies are too kind, but are you sure all of you want to get involved in this?

Lea: Yeah, I heard those guys are no joke.

Peach: (Smiles Reassuringlyat the Two Keyblade Warriors) We know it'll be a challenge, but we have faced through crazier stuff before. ('Sigh') Especially that whole Dharkon and Galeem nonsense......

Lea: (Raises an Eyebrow in Confusion) Who and what now?

Rosalina: Dharkon and Galeem. Two powerful entities of light and darkness, hellbent on taking over the entire universe.

Samus: (Rolls her Eyes) For whatever bullshit reason they had at the time. I don't remember.

Isabelle: (Places her Paw on her Chin) Neither do I now that I think about it.

Palutena: I think both sides wanted to create a cult of some kind?.....Yeah, that has to be it, right?

Bayonetta: (Crosses her Arns at the Past Memory of the Event) Now that you mentioned it, I do remember seeing the look in Dharkon's eyes when I was one of his mindless slave. Brainwashing me and the others to serving his cause.....

Daisy: ('Groans in Digust') Don't remind me. The video De showed of that one eyed bastard torturing Weegie with his mind games still makes me wanna punch him to oblivion...

Aqua: It was that bad, wasn't it?

Peach: It was, in more ways than not. (Smiles Softly Again) But we were still able to pull through in the end and we won't let this Luxu person get the better of us that easily. Right, ladies?

Moms: Right!

Lea: (Turns to Aqua With a Shrug) The more the merrier.

Aqua: (Gave it Some Thought Before Nodding in Agreement) Very well. We'll let you all know if Him and/or one of the Foretellers lurks by in our universe. In the meantime, try to prepare yourselves by then.

Peach: (Simply Nodded) Okay. We'll do our best.

Lea: Hey, Palutena, can I ask you something?

Palutena: (Turns to Lea) Hm?

Lea: So uh.....(Starts Rubbing The Back of his Head Back and Forth While Looking Away) I know this isn't my business and all but....is it true that Pit was....thrown into a....active volcano onc-

An instant, Palutena eyes suddenly begins to widens and tense up as she easily breaks her teacup with the grip of her hand

'GLASS BREAK'

Peach: ('Gasps') PAULIE!

Samus: The hell!?

Tifa: Your hand!!

Rosalina: Not again....

Lea: (Immediately Hides his Face Behind Aqua in Complete Fear) Nevermind! Forget I said anything!!!

Palutena: (Immediately Change her Mood From Anger to Mortified by her Actions) Oh no! I-I'm so sorry, Lea! I didn't mean to scare you like that! I-

Bayonetta: (Gently Places her Hands Onto her Girlfriend's Shoulders and Slowly Rubs Them) Breathe in and out now, darling. You can do this.

Palutena quickly nodded as she breathes in and out to calm herself down.

Bayonetta: That's it. There you go, my dear goddess. Just like that. One more.....

Palutena let out one more exhale.

Bayonetta: And that's that's. ('Sigh') You know we've talked about this multiple times, right?

Palutena: (Places her Hand on her Forehead as the Other Hand She Breaks her Cup With, Heals on it's Own) ('Sigh') I know, it just......REALLY hard not get upset every time it's brought up.....

Lea: (Puts his Finger Up) I take full responsibility for the nerve I struck today!

Palutena: (Frowns Sadly) No, Lea, you don't have to do any of that, okay? If anyone in this table needs to apologize, is me for scaring you.

Lea: (Gets Away From Aqua's Back as He Gives the Goddess a Sheepish Smile) Hey, there's no need for apologies. I totally get where you're coming from in all of this. I'd be pissed too if that were to happen to my kids.

Samus: Ain't that the truth. ('Sigh') But yeah, it's true.... Pit, Kirby, and Ganondorf were all thrown in that volcano two years ago. Not an active one thankfully, but it was still hot enough to be considered lethal.

Aqua: (Eyes Widened in Horror) Who in their right mind would do such a thing?

Palutena: (Angrily Uses her Finger to Directs the Keyblade Duo to the Culprit in the Far Distance) Him. Kazuya Mishima.

Lea: That half naked demon guy with daddy issues?

Tifa: The very same. The boys noticed Ganon was missing that night and started searching for him. Eventually, after they found and saw Kazuya throwing him off the cliff into the volcano, they began to fight. It....wasn't long before that monster did the same to the two one by one.

Palutena: ('Sighs in Deep Relief') But thankfully, they were all able to come back home safe. Didn't stop neither one of us from being absolutely livid that day, but it was still a blessing nonetheless.

Daisy: (Smiles Brightly) Buuuuuut on a brighter note, Peach made the guy scared shitless by breaking a table in half, with her bare hand!

Aqua: ('Gasps') Your majesty, you didn't!~

Lea: (Grins Proudly) Sick!

Peach: ('Sigh') It's true. I never wanted to break that poor table like that. But he WAS testing my patience at the time......

Samus: Honey, he was testing ALL of our patience that day. He'll, if it were me, I'd plasma blast his ass where he stands.

Isabelle: (Smiles Brightly) I would've throw a clipboard at his face.

Tifa: (Puts on a Bit if a Smug Look on her Face) I'd punch him straight into orbit.

Daisy: (Turns to Tifa) Girl, same!~ (High Fives Tifa)

Rosalina: I would simply silence him in an unpoppable bubble.

Bayonetta: I'd let Labolas sick him.

Palutena: I would more than gladly scorch his body from head to toe under the light and do whatever it takes to erase him and his entire bloodline from the face of the Earth!!

Everyone in the table stares at the green Haired goddess in dead silence.

Palutena: ('Sighs Heavily') That incident emotionally drained me.

Bayonetta: And it shows. PIIIIIT! YOUR MOMMY GODDESS NEEDS A HUG!!~

Pit: (Quickly Rushes Over to the Moms' Tea Table) ON MY WAYYYYYYYYY! (Hugs Palutena From Behinf) Mommy!~

Palutena: (Giggles Softly) Hi, sweetie!~ How was your night with and the others went?

Pit: It went great. Still missed you guys like crazy though. (Kiss the Top of Palutena's Head)

Palutena: Aww~ (Happily Held his Embrace Close to Her) We missed you like crazy too, Pit~ (Gives the Top of Pit's Hand a Big Kiss)

Lea: (Watches the Cute Display I'm the Short Distance) Huh. I think I might be need a hug right now. KIDS! YOUR FIRE MOM NEEDS A HUG RIGHT NOW!

Roxas: (From the Other Room) ASK SORA & KAIRI TO HUG YOU!!

Lea: Wha- WHY COULDN'T YOU GUYS DO IT!?

Xion: (From the Other Room as Well) WE'RE EATING MORE ICE CREAM AND DON'T WANT ANY OF IT TO MELT!!

Lea: HOW IN THE HELL ARE YOU- ('Groans in Defeat') Forget it. SORA, KAIRI, I WANNA HUG FROM YOU GUYS!

Sora/Kairi: COMING! (Quick Made Their Way to the Moms' Tea Tae to Give Lea a Group Hug)

Sora: There you go, buddy.

Kairi: Is everything okay?

Lea: ('Sigh') Yeah, just.....worried about the rest of the year.....with the Foretellers.....and Xigbar.....Braig....Luxu, whoever the hell his name is....

Aqua: (Smirks Playfully) Think you need yourself a bigger group hug there, Lea?~

Lea: ('Tch') I dunno. Maybe-

Peach: (Smiles Brightly) Sounds good to me!~ GROUP HUGS EVERYONE!!~

Lea: WaiwaiwaiWAIT- (Immediately Gets Surrounded by Everyone's Loving Embrace Before Letting Out Another Sigh) Okay.

Aqua: I know this is a scary situation we're involved in right now, but as long as we have each other's support and use the prep time to prepare ourselves for whenever that time come, then I'm sure we'll be able to pull through in the end. We just need to have more faith in ourselves, okay?

Lea: (Takes a Deep Breath) Yeah. You're right.(Smiles a Little) We got this. (I hope.)

To Be Continued.......

@keyenuta

@cyber-wildcat

@caleb13frede

@albion-93

@26shann

#super smash ultimate #kingdom hearts #pit #roxas #xion #sora #kairi #riku #lea #aqua #peach #daisy #samus aran #rosalina #bayonetta #palutena #tifa lockhart #Isabelle #takes places after xigar invade the seasalt family's home #certified moms #humor #sweet family moment #luxu & the foretellers arc #edited

[mirror-to-the-past]

Battling Vanitas for the first time as Ventus. Other assorted BBS thoughts below.

Alright, based off the intro sequence with Ventus' messed up heart where Ventus connected his heart with someone else's, the fact that Vanitas is established as an alter-ego of Ventus' (if we can believe Xehanort at all, which, after finishing the Terra route where he manipulates and manslaughters his whole way through, eh), the fact that Sora's VA also voiced Vanitas (I didn't recognize his voice at all! I'm impressed!)- to which I first debated inwardly if it was plot-relevant or coincidental, but now... noticing how Ventus and Vanitas both do the "See ya!" Sora would always do after fire spells... I can't help but think the casting was deliberate in some way. Maybe Ventus connects with Sora's heart in the intro, which would influence older Sora to do his little "See ya!" as well when he does fire spells, and would also explain why on earth Roxas looks like Ventus- something that has been bugging me the entire time. If that happens in the past though... the ramifications of what that would mean on his identity, Sora fusing his "new heart" (that "I'm a new heart line" is particularly one that's stuck with me in regards to this theory) as stated in the intro with Ventus' from such a young age... I don't know, I just find it interesting. How much of Sora would be Sora, and how much of Sora would be Ventus? I definitely see the similarities between them, but hm... if the story decides to go in that direction, I wouldn't be too surprised, given how much it likes exploring messy and enmeshed identity. I'd additionally feel more sad for Roxas as a character, because damn not even your face is yours, bestie.

P.S. I'm very impressed with how Roxas'/Ventus' VA so effectively and immediately demonstrated two very different personalities with the same voice, yet different tones.

P.P.S. I have to get it out of my system: The Destiny Islands section that took me off-guard during Terra's story has been haunting my brain. I figured we might see younger Sora and Riku at some point in the story, given their brief appearance at the end of the intro movie, but I had admittedly kind of forgotten about them until that scene. And WOW, Riku emitted more light than multiple Princesses of Heart?? You're kidding me, right? Was this only not noticable when he was older because he was shrouded in the darkness of teenage angst, has he lost this quality, or some other reason? I was wondering if it was just a childlike innocence thing, but Terra didn't really even seem to care or particularly notice Sora, so alright. The silver-haired kiddo is quickly ascending into Chosen One status, as per the narrative (I'll need to verify with tiny Kairi's heart, to be sure. This is a threat, SE. If I don't see a tiny Kairi happy and healthy in Radiant Garden before its destruction, I'll go bonkers). That was sort of touched upon in KH1 with Riku being the "rightful wielder" of the Keyblade- but I now question how much of that was influenced by Terra sort of anointing him spontaneously, and how much of that was Riku just being some wonder kid from the get-go. It would definitely explain his long-standing desire to go to other worlds and... apparently just a strong intuition at their existence from a very young age, outside of just childlike imagination (and he doesn't seem particularly whimsical as a child, moreso a very solemn one that I could imagine being reluctant to play around other kids at group times- y'know, the articulate but shy types where you have to help them warm up to others. It's really highlighting how unnatural and forced Riku's KH1 tough-guy act was, seeing him as he is in the present, and as a small child. It seems that innately, while doing some competitive talk on occasion, Riku's much more gentle and thoughtful in demeanor than he'd like to let on, sometimes.). I'm also very intrigued by little Riku's knowledge of 'some kid' that left the Islands before. How did he come across that information, I wonder? And the fact that Terra caught a glimpse of Xehanort and older Riku in what seemed like a brief prophetic instinct for some reason in that moment makes me assume that Xehanort was a Destiny Islands' native himself, then, which would, of course, make him that 'kid' that little Riku mentioned. Although it was established in KH1 that Xehanort saw himself in Riku's desire towards freedom, it's really becoming interesting just how linked the two seem to be. Xehanort's unwillingness to fully relinquish his hold upon Riku as a vessel or person of influence might run deeper than simply "muaha, I am evil villain."

And I couldn't help but clutch my heart at the "to protect the things that matter, y'know, like my friends!" On top of him letting Sora win the race across the dock. He really was such a sweetheart to Sora, from the very beginning. It's such a shame that Riku ended up isolating himself so much from him with age; you can clearly see Riku thought the world of him from day one. I don't mean to sound too much like a doting grandmother- but what a sweet kid. He should probably know better than to take Keyblades from strangers, though. (I laughed at how Sora seemed to notice Terra and just go "ooo-kay, moving on." At least some kids know stranger-danger, lol!) I wonder if either of them remember Terra, present day? Probably not, haha.

Okay, that's nearly everything out of my system so far. I've not gotten too invested in the overall story so far, admittedly. I mainly attribute this to most of the dialogue feeling pretty clunky. I know I've poked fun at occasional cheesy lines across the games, but Birth By Sleep especially seems... eh. I'm also spoiled after jumping here directly after finishing 358/2 Days, which had some lovely dialogue, in my honest opinion. Gameplay is awesome, though! I've decided to try to explore different combat styles with each character to really get the full effect. Physical/Earth centric stuff is what I decided for Terra, of course, and I'm trying more status-affecting and Thunder/Wind stuff for Ventus. Hehe, I like theming them. (⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)

Oh, but they're all going to have Break Time, of course. I found that during Terra's run, and I must see what the others do. My new favorite skill, lol.

Anyway... back to getting my butt beaten by Vanitas in all of his mysterious totally-not-linked-to-Sora glory... at least I've got Mickey Mouse now (Oh, and don't get me started how he wields the key Sora used for duel wielding in KH2, as opposed to the one he's had in the other games).

EDIT: HOLD THE FUCKIN PHONE, I *KNOW* I JUST HEARD AN EDGIFIED MOTIF OF SORA'S THEME IN VANITAS' COMBAT THEME JUST NOW.

#kingdom hearts #birth by sleep #birth by sleep first playthrough

[pred1059]

Gordias' Knot Chapter Eleven

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Eight months.

After eight months, Xion thought she knew her friends. At the least, she was certain she knew Roxas. She knew how he had felt towards her.

Even if he hadn’t quite said the words yet.

But Axel? The smart friend she met with after missions? Always had a joke to tell? The one who told them so many stories? Did their best to look after her and Roxas? He wasn’t in front of her anymore. The Axel in front of her and Roxas looked past them to the mansion behind the gate. “You said that Sora’s the connection between you and Roxas, right Xion?” He sported a toothy grin that hunger for blood. “If the connection’s broken, things’ll be fine?”

The bottom of Xion’s stomach dropped as she heard his words, “No…”

“NO!” A scream from behind her. “I can’t lose him! Not after all this time searching!” Kairi stepped forward, frantically shaking her head. “Listen to me! Maybe there’s another way! You don’t have to do this!”

Axel chuckled, barely registering Kairi’s words, "You know, there's a story about a knot, where whoever undid it would rule the world. Made by some guy...Gordian? Gordias?" he shook his head, "Doesn't matter. The point was, it was the most impossible thing you could think of.  Nobody could untie it." Flames gathered into a ball floating above his held chakram, “Until someone decided to cut it apart." Grinning, Axel shouted, "My biggest problem was that I had no clue where to cut till now!" And he hurled the fireball towards the mansion.

She moved without thinking, Xion summoned her keyblade and knocked the flame away. “Axel, stop this!” At this point, Riku and Roxas had called upon their own weapons.

“Oh I will.” Axel began to gather more flames around him, “I’m going to end this once and for all. And I don’t think I’ll be alone in ending it either.” Roxas’ eyes widened as Axel looked directly at him, “I mean...if you really cared about her, you’d be right next to me. We need to keep her from doing something we’ll all regret.”

Silence hung over the air. Everyone’s eyes were on Roxas. He spoke in a forlorn tone, eyes drifting downward, “Maybe...I’ll have regrets no matter what I choose.” But a second later, Roxas gritted his teeth and met Axel’s gaze, “But I won’t make distrusting Xion one of them!”

“You...You idiot!” Axel roared as he incinerated the forest behind him, “If you really cared about your friends, you’d do whatever it takes to keep them safe!” The man dashed forward, chakram at the ready. 

Only to be intercepted by Riku and his dark blade, who strained while responding, “No...Before that...you need to listen to your friends!” He turned to the rest of the group, “All of you! Get inside! I’ll hold him off!” With a shove, Riku forced Axel back on the forest path.

Xion grimaced. So many months she spent resenting him and his words. Now seeing Riku die was the last thing she wanted. She looked at Kairi, clenching her hand in frustration and worry. “Riku…” She ran to a hefty branch that had fallen to the ground. “I’m going to help him!”

“No!” Xion shouted as she held Kairi back. At the incredulous look, she answered, “If I’m going to make it through this I know I’ll need your help too.” 

Kairi pursed her lips and looked to Riku at the forest’s edge. Looking back to meet Xion’s pleading gaze, she sighed then nodded, “Alright, let’s go.” Sparing a backward glance to Riku deflecting Axel’s flams, she ran back into the mansion with Xion and Roxas.

Xion burst into Naminé’s room with Kairi and Roxas. “Listen, we need to hur—” Only to stop as she saw a barrier of darkness block the door they walked in. 

Across from them by the other door which was open, Naminé stood an apologetic look on her face. Next to her was a glaring DiZ holding it open, “All of you. Follow me. Now.” At his harsh tone, everyone winced. 

Xion stepped forward and asked, “What’s going on?”

DiZ rolled his eyes, “What’s going on is that thanks to your idiocy, the organization is at our doorstep! If Sora is to awaken, we must act now to retrieve his memories from Xion.”

Naminé looked at DiZ in shock, “Right now?! But if I go that fast, Xion will be forgotten!”

“Forgotten!?!” Roxas shouted in horror. “No! Wait!”

But DiZ was unmoved, barking out, “Get rid of it NOW Naminé! We cannot afford to concern ourselves with these unnecessary things!”

“I’ll go.” Xion answered as she walked forward towards the door, but as she neared it, she turned back to her friends. Friends who seemed close to tears of sorrow and fury, “Can Kairi and Roxas be with me?”

DiZ rolled his eyes as the two rushed to Xion’s side, “You think the power of a princess of heart will be enough to save you? After only a short day together? If it makes things easier, fine.” He turned to Roxas, “As for that thing, I suppose I can allow for this transien—”

A keyblade pointed at his throat finally silenced DiZ, as Roxas ground out, “Shut. Up.”

Kairi clutched at the shoulder she held, “Xion please! I know things are bad, but you can’t give up!”

Xion lay her hand on Kairi’s and gave a squeeze back, a slight smile on her face, “I’m not giving up.” She looked over to Roxas, “Because I’ve got what I need right here.” 

Roxas turned to Kairi, “Wait...so your power as a princess of heart could help?”

“My power?” Kairi’s eyes widened in realization,“Yes...That’s the power I have.” She placed a hand on her chest, and began to smile. Kairi turned to look at the boy on the other side of her friend, “I think...we might be able to do this.”

“Then he is waiting downstairs,” DiZ ground out through his teeth, as he pointed to the door. 

Xion nodded and walked down the steps, Roxas and Kairi besides her while Naminé and DiZ followed behind. Eventually, after passing a computer, they came to a hallway with a set of pods along the side. Xion gasped in recognition of the people inside, “Donald? And Goofy?”

“They’re recovering along with Sora.” Naminé spoke up as they came to the end of the hallway, opening the door to a white room, “He’s here.”

The chamber seemed almost ethereal. With the exception of green lights along the bottom of the floor, the only feature was a solid white pod. Unlike the ones before, this one obscured its occupant completely. Sora was still hidden from view.

Naminé sighed and looked at Xion as they approached the pod, “I...I wanted to give you more time. Make the process as painless as possible. But...with this little time…”

Roxas took Xion’s hand. “Then I’ll bear some of that pain.”

Kairi put a hand on Xion’s shoulder, and felt something stirring within her, “And I’ll bear the other half.” Already, she could feel something building from the depths of her own heart. Reaching out to Xion. To everything that she was.

Xion swallowed, then turned to Naminé, “Whenever you’re ready.” 

The girl raised her hand towards Xion. Light began to shine from Xion and the pod.

And then Kairi felt pain. 

The same pain that caused her, Xion, and Roxas to scream. 

Pain that made Naminé almost stop what was pulling Xion. Pulling all that was her towards the pod. But a stern look from DiZ caused Naminé to continue. Closing her eyes, she began to resume the rushed extraction of memories.

Riku had barely ran into the forest when he heard a shout.

“BURN, BABY!” 

At that moment, Axel lept from the brush in a blaze. Riku just barely had time to dodge the strike. 

What he couldn’t dodge was the wall of flame washing over the forest floor. Turning grass and shrub into a pit of fire. Trees into blazing bars. Riku grimaced at the constant burning of his body. But he still managed to keep some focus. Focus enough to block Axel swinging his chakrams at him. Spikes clanging against his blade, all Riku could do was wait for an opening.

An opening that Axel wasn’t keen on providing him. Axel ended his attack by leaping back into the burning forest. Riku waited for the inevitable…

Wait, his movement earlier. How he appeared in an instant…

It was that realization that gave Riku the chance to dodge Axel rushing towards him like a blazing bullet. But even after evading, the trail Axel left behind scorched Riku in its wake.

Even so it was enough of an opportunity to hit Axel in the back. Bringing slash after slash of his dark blade on him and knocking him back.

Yet as Axel got to his feet, he hardly seemed to have registered his wounds, “What’s the matter? Can’t take the heat!?” He cackled as the wall of fire burned behind him. The forest becoming kindling for an inferno. 

Riku winced. The fight was an uphill battle. Axel was definitely determined, and it was all that Riku could manage just to stay alive. Let alone even win. The darkness he had

Memories of a shameful offer came to his mind.

“You can become stronger...You showed no fear in stepping through the door to darkness.”

No.

Never again.

Naminé believed in him, gave him the courage to trust in his own strength again.

Kairi believed in him, helped him realize that there was a greater strength in the part of himself that reached out to others. The part of him that wasn’t Ansem

And Sora believed in him.

Because he knew all this to begin with. 

And even after Riku’s mistakes, he still wanted to find him.

And to top it all off Xion and Roxas were probably trying to find a way to survive.

 For their sakes, he couldn’t lose here! 

As Axel leapt into the air, chakram’s ablaze, Riku jumped back. Blade held ready to block the inevitable explosion of flame. As the blast reached him, Riku squinted through the light.

Looking at her face...it began to blur...fading...vanishing. Their face was sad as they murmured, “This life...So much of it was his...was...I...ever there?”

“Don’t say that! You’re…you’re...”

No...was Kairi already forgetting her?!

Kairi tried to fight through the pain. She tried to reach through the heart to find her friend. The one that underneath the maelstrom of memories that was being taken. They were someone who deserved to live…

But...who was she?!

“Xion…!”

That’s right. That was her name.

Kairi turned to Roxas, whose eyes were fixed on...Xion’s face. Tears were falling from his eyes as agony was ripping through all three of them. He spoke haltingly, trying desperately to focus, “Xion...who...will I have ice cream with?”

…

Kairi and Xion looked at Roxas incredulously. Xion barely could get out her response, “..is that...all I am—?”

“NO!” He took a step towards Xion, his voice rising, “Who will I...see worlds with? Meet friends with?!”

As his arm reached Xion’s other shoulder her eyes widened. Roxas continued, crying out, “Who will I share my life with?!?”

He embraced her as tight as he could and shouted, “Xion! You’re the one I love!! So don’t go!!”

Xion shook her head in shock as she began to cry as well, “Roxas...I do too!” She returned her embrace as she wailed, “I love you! I want to be with you!” She brought her face closer to his…

Just a moment before they were in agony. Feeling the torture of having a heart torn apart.

But as Roxas and Xion kissed, Kairi could only see two people at complete and utter peace.

And as they kissed then it was clear for Kairi. The heart that lied within those memories. The heart of a girl who had found friends of her own. Who had found someone she loved. Someone who deserved to live her own life. Kairi reached out with her light and held it tight within the snarled knot of memories that was being pulled apart. And when she did, the untangling seemed to happen faster and faster. As if the anchor to Xion’s heart was what was impeding their return to begin with.

One by one, those misplaced moments began to vanish. Began to return to their rightful place. Until finally the light faded.

Naminé opened her eyes, panting at the clear exertion. She looked at Xion again, tilting her head this way and that at her, though Roxas still held on. Finally, she spoke with a whisper, “It...can’t be...”

Silence hung over the room, then Naminé began to smile. “It worked! Somehow...you’re still you!”

DiZ could only limply stand with his mouth open, “No...no that’s...that’s not possible. It...it can’t be possible.” Backing away, he shook his head, “Did...I truly err so greatly?”

Kairi began to grin. They did it! They really did it! She shook the arm that she had held through it all. “Xion! You’re going to be okay!”

The look on Xion’s face seemed to be torn between tears and joy, “I’m...I’m really just me?”

Eventually, it settled on joy as she began to laugh, “I’m me!” Kairi let go as Xion flung her arm around Roxas, who also was smiling.

Roxas managed to let out a small laugh of his own and began to speak, “Xion...I—,” But he could barely get a word out as Xion kissed him again.

Kairi giggled at the sight. How could anyone look at the two of them and say they had no hearts? Though honestly she really wished that Sora…

Her smile faded…

That’s right...Sora…

He was the one who was with her.

Growing up. 

Going on their journey. 

As she watched him fight from within his heart.

All of Naminé’s stories of their childhood together.

It wasn’t a story anymore. It was real. 

Kairi looked to Naminé, who had an apologetic look on her face.

“Can I see him?”

Naminé smiled at Kairi and nodded.

#kh fanfiction #Kingdom hearts #my fanfiction #Gordias' Knot #fanfiction #fanfic #what if #xion #roxas #kh roxas #roxas x xion #roxas/xion #rokushi #kairi #kh kairi #riku #kh riku #axel #kh axel #namine #sora/kairi #sora x kairi #sokai

[fragmentsofsorrow]

F G and S for the fanfic ask

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

"…what happened, exactly?" Riku asked. Xion flinched as they recalled the memory. "Xemnas only wanted one keyblade wielder. He made me fight Roxas. Took control of me, somehow." Riku seemed to recoil at those last few words, though it was slight enough that Xion wasn't sure if they really saw it or not. "I tried to lose, but…" "But there’s only so much you could do against his control," Riku finished, lowering Soul Eater and relaxing his stance.

this snippet from Chapter 1 of Not Your Sacrifice is one of my favorite things I've written, ever, dialogue or otherwise. (okay yes, most of Not Your Sacrifice is up there for favorite things I've written. that's not the point.)

what I love about this bit in particular is the way it causes the second of this fic's two main divergences from canon; namely, that the confrontation between Xion and Riku never gets to the point it does with Roxas and Riku. in canon, Roxas and Riku escalate matters and eventually end up fighting each other in what ultimately leads to both the end of Roxas's independent existence and to Riku going all tall, dark, and hAnsem. yet here, Xion and Riku manage to deescalate the same conflict and ultimately come to an arrangement of sorts, and this exchange is why that's possible

Riku knows very well what it's like to be in Xion's position. he understands the loss of control, of being forced to watch as his own body is made to fight and try to kill his best friend, of doing everything he can to try to stop that from happening and not knowing if it'll be enough. he's able to empathize with Xion in a way he never could with Roxas, and that makes all the difference

well, almost all the difference, because there is one major discrepancy between Riku's experience and Xion's, and it's that Riku wasn't forced to watch himself kill Sora. so when Xion says this? it doesn't just bring to mind what happened, it also forces him to recognize that his nightmare scenario is Xion's lived experience, and it's hard to see all of this the same way after a revelation like that

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I write scenes out of order. I write chapters out of order, and fics in a series out of order. I write paragraphs out of order sometimes. yesterday I was writing a scene that won't show up until five fics into a series that only has the first chapter of the first fic completed, and that's about normal for me. but even when I'm working on one specific chapter or oneshot, I skip over parts and fill them in later or leave outline notes in brackets (or both)

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

I don't think so. I have my tropes I love, but if a story doesn't call for them I'm not going to try to force them in, nor do I feel the need to

that said, although I wouldn't call it a fandom trope, I do love my narrative and thematic parallels, and those I'll try to use whenever I can

#q&a #alphascorpiixx #sacrifice verse #god I love analyzing my own fic

[princess-of-the-corner]

Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories Recap: 11th Floor: Twilight Town

I forgot to mention that Vexen has both a Mega-Ether and an Elixer in his Deck.

Back to the current floor:

In the Entrance Hall, Jiminy wonders what the World Card does.

Sora notes that it's the only card they have left, so they've got no choice but to use it to progress.

The first room takes the form of an afternoon street.

Goofy asks where they are, but Sora has no clue, even as a tram drives by. He doesn't think he's ever been here before, and neither has Donald.

Jiminy notes that everywhere they've been has come from Sora's memory.

Sora notes that he definitely doesn't remember this, prompting Donald to note that Sora might've forgotten it like he has a bunch of other things since entering the castle.

Jiminy laments the memories they've lost, noting that they're practically all gone.

Sora says they'll be okay, taking out Naminé's lucky charm, and sharing a story from his childhood.

One night, he and Naminé were watching a meteor shower, when the latter started crying.

"What if a shooting star hits the island?" she asked.

Sora took out his wooden sword, and promised that if a shooting star hit the island, he'd whack it right back into outer space.

Naminé smiled and thank him, and then gave him the lucky charm.

"Sora, I'm so sorry," Naminé laments, "All this, because of me..."

Sora promised he'd bring her good luck, but then she vanished from the islands, and he forgot all about her.

Key to Beginnings retrieved!

You cannot yet obtain the Attack Card for Twilight Town.

The Bounty for this world is Warpinator, a magic sleight that removes the nearest enemy from the battle. It's formula is Stop+Gravity+Aero.

The first treasure in the Room of Rewards is Stardust Blitz. It's formula is Donald Duck+Fire.

This sleight consists of Donald lobbing three Fire Spells at Sora, and Sora batting them at the enemy with his Keyblade via quicktime event. Each Fireball becomes a different kind of spreadshot when used here.

This is the last world you can collect green map cards from. Stockpile them, as you will need them to open the later Rooms of Rewards.

The Room of Beginnings takes on the form of the gates to an old mansion.

Sora notes that something seems strange: He's sure he doesn't know this place, but it's starting to feel familiar to him.

Donald notes that Sora MUST have come here before, but Sora insists that he couldn't have.

Goofy suggests that it's like with Naminé, Sora's forgotten lots of other stuff, which is why he remembers it now.

Sora explains the difference: With Naminé, all the memories drifted back to him one at a time, but here, it's just the general idea that he's been here before.

Vexen asks if Sora's feeling nostalgic as he enters through a dark portal.

"Sora... a question, then, for you... Your memories of Naminé, or your feelings here," he opens, "Which two of these is more real, I wonder"

Sora insists his memories of Naminé are more real, calling the weird feelings he gets from this place another of Vexen's tricks.

Vexen notes that the memories wiles can be cruel.

"In it's silence, we forget," he lectures, "In its obsession, it binds our hearts."

Sora tells him to cut the riddles.

Vexen insists the town was created from the other side of his memory, the memory exists on the other side of his heart. His heart remembers this place.

Sora insists that he doesn't know this place.

"If you remain bound by the chain of memories, and refuse to believe what is truly found inside your heart..." Vexen warns, "then throw it away. You are not a Keyblade master- just a slave to twisted memories. Yes... Exactly like my Riku." He summons his shield. "Your existence is worth NOTHING!"

Sora, well and truly pushed to his breaking point, screams at Vexen for changing Riku, and insisting that he'll never throw away his heart as he summons his Keyblade.

"I'm going to take you down and save Riku and Naminé."

Cue boss battle.

Vexen's mostly the same, but now has three more tricks.

He has one new sleight, wherein he elongates his shield into an icy blade and chases down Sora, slashing at him twice.

He also has two new Enemy Cards, one that grants him Item Bracer (keeps you from breaking his Item Cards), and his own Enemy Card, which grants him Auto Life.

If Sora defeats Vexen while he's under the affects of Auto Life, Vexen will automatically revive, albeit with low HP.

If Sora can defeat him, he'll also receive Vexen's Enemy Card, which on top of Auto Life, also makes Sora immune to ice and weak to fire.

After the battle, Vexen notes that Sora has a lot of strength, even at the mercy of his memory.

Sora insists that Vexen put Riku back, which Vexen laughs off.

"The Riku you speak of... has but one fate, to sink into the darkness- and you will share in that fate, Sora! If you continue to seek the girl, Naminé,  the shackles will tighten, you'll lose your heart, and end up becoming Marluxia's pawn!"

Sora asks what Naminé has to do with that, only for a flaming Chakram to embed itself in Vexen's chest.

Axel greets Sora, and asks if he caught them at a bad time.

"Axel... why?" Vexen asks.

"I came to stop you from talking too much," Axel explains, "by eliminating your eixstence."

Vexen begs for mercy.

Axel explains that they're Nobodies with no one to be, but yet still "are".

"But now you can be nothing instead of being a Nobody," Axel continues, "You're off the hook."

"No... Please don't!" Vexen whimpers, "I don't want to-"

"Goodbye!"

With a snap of his fingers, the chakram inside Vexen detonates, incinerating his insides.

The scientist fades out of existence before he even has time to scream.

Sora questions who, no WHAT Axel even is.

"Don't know," he answers, "I wonder about that myself."

And with that, he vanishes into a dark portal.

Back in the meeting room, Larxene congratulates Axel for killing Vexen, bad to finally be rid of him.

Axel notes that Marluxia was using Vexen to test Sora's strength.

Larxene adds that it was also a test for Axel. They needed to make sure he was willing to kill a fellow Organization member. Since he did, she officially welcomes him to their coup, noting that taking over the Organization will be child's play with the three of them.

And that's where Sora comes in.

"Rejoice Naminé," Marluxia declares, "The time is near for you to meet the hero that you've been longing for."

"I'm... Glad," Naminé claims.

Larxene warns her not to do anything to betray Sora's feelings, her tone of voice making it clear she might not live to regret it if she does.

"All you need do is layer Sora's memories," Marluxia explains, "and bring his heart closer to you."

Marluxia and Larxene vanish into dark portals.

"Sora..." Naminé begins, "even if you come for me-what then?"

In the exit hall, Sora and Riku run into each other again.

"You'll hurt Naminé if you go further," he warns.

"You still want to fight?" Sora questions, "But Vexen's gone, so now you're free!"

Riku doesn't care about Vexen, he's protecting Naminé from Sora.

He made a promise to Naminé, a promise to keep her safe.

There was a meteor shower, one night when she and Riku were little, and Naminé was worried that a meteor would hit the island, and so Riku told her he'd whack any meteor that came close back into space, promising to protect her.

Sora notes that he made a promise with a toy sword, prompting Riku to ask how Sora knows about the toy sword.

"Because... That was the promise I made to her that night!" Sora claims.

Riku shouts at Sora for lying, stating that he wasn't there that night.

Sora claims that Riku wasn't there, and he [Sora] adds that was the night she gave her good luck charm to him [again, Sora].

Sora presents his charm as proof.

Riku asks where Sora got it, but then a flash of light blinks over his forehead, and he starts nursing a headache.

"Sora... Good try," Riku remarks, "That must be a fake. I've got the real one right here!"

He presents and exact duplicate of the charm Sora's carrying.

"Fakes should be destroyed!" Riku proclaims.

Cue boss battle!

Riku fights mostly similar to his previous battles, but now has higher stats and more cards.

He no longer has enough 0 cards in his deck for Incrementor to be counterintuitive, so beware of that.

When Sora defeats him, he gains the Mega-Potion Card.

A Mega-Potion will reload all of Sora's Attack Cards, including those that can't usually be reloaded, and resets his Reload Counter to 1.

After the battle, Sora tries to reach out to Riku, only for the other boy to run off again, dropping his charm in the process.

"Isn't that Naminé's good luck charm?" Donald questions.

"It's just like mine," Sora observes as he picks it up, "How'd he get this?"

In a flash of light, in turns into Destiny Islands' world card.

When Sora tries to ascend the stairs, Donald notes that he doesn't understand what's going on.

Sora insists they keep moving, whatever it is doesn't matter.

Donald points out how suspicious it is that Sora and Riku have the same memory. They can't both be right.

"I'm wrong?" Sora questions, "Fine, then don't believe me!"

Goofy points out that's not what Donald meant, they're just kinda worried.

Sora insists that they can ask Naminé when they rescue her, claiming they don't have time to sit around.

"Sora, what happened to ya?" Goofy asks.

When Sora gets defensive, Goofy points out that he always gets real touchy when it comes to anything related to Naminé, when he didn't even remember her name before they came to Castle Oblivion.

Donald points out that now she's all he talks about, with Goofy noting how little sense it makes.

Perhaps they should slow down and think ahead about this before impulsively rushing forwards.

"What is the matter with you guys?" Sora exclaims, "You want me to abandon her?"

Donald insists that's not it.

"Then do whatever you want!" Sora snaps, "You can lay back and take a nap for all I care! I'm going to find Naminé!" He then rushes ahead, leaving Donald and Goofy behind.

For the foreseeable future, Donald and Goofy have been removed from the party.

Back in the meeting room, Axel notes that Naminé is all that Sora has left.

"So then, if you won't stop this no one will."

"But I... it's too late," Naminé laments.

Axel insists she shouldn't give up just yet.

After all, Marluxia doesn't seem to be around.

There's nobody here who'd get in her way.

Naminé dashes out of the room as Axel tells her to make it count.

In the GBA version, Axel says the following:

"Now, Sora, Naminé, Riku, Marluxia, GIVE ME ONE HELL OF A SHOW!"

In the PS2 remake, instead says that Sora should make it interesting for him, as he chuckles, then notices that he's actually enjoying this.

"You guys ARE something else!"

-

Why'd ya have to go and make things so complicated....

Also I prefer the 'one hell of a show' line.

#submission