one of my most deeply held beliefs about bbs (one of. many.) is that despite being a literal part of heart hotel ven’s closest parallel isn’t sora, but kairi. aqua is the sora parallel here!!

i think it’s important to me to see both ven and kairi as balancing forces - even though ven has no darkness in his heart and kairi is a princess of heart, they’re sort of the middle ground in their trio. while sora and aqua are pulled to unflinchingly follow the light and riku and terra are being manipulated by darkness, they’re the ones who can, in some way, see through that dichotomy to the people they love past it. kairi is the one who sees ansem as riku in kh2!! this is vitally important to me!!! both are also in a lot of ways seen for their utility - ven because he can make the chi blade, kairi esp in 1 (and the melmem flashback) as a princess of heart to make the keyblade of heart. this isn’t unique to those two per se (xion roxas and namine cough cough) but it is a fun parallel.

and aqua and sora are the seekers!! they’re the ones whose goal is to find and bring together their friends again!!! theyre the ones that are the most unflinchingly devoted to the light!! and they also have the same very stubborn devotion to their friends, the way that both of them won't back down that their friends Are good people, that they Wouldn't fall to darkness, that they Will find them. theres a reason that aqua tells sora that it's going to be his job to bring his friends back, the exact thing she is doing at that moment. theres a reason that she (accidentally or not) sends kairi to him. theres a reason sora ends up with master's defender, however briefly. that's the part of the lineage he's a part of.