#so like. riku and sora provide what the other needs
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random unprompted ask that you do not have to answer if you don't want to, but: i see that silkali is your favorite ship and i was wondering if you had any headcanons or just general thoughts about them that you'd like to share :o
Hi hi!! Yes, I’d love to share some of my thoughts on silkali, thank you so much for the ask!! ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆
Some headcanons:
adhd x autism power couple
I really don’t think they’d get together while at NRC. Silver is so laser focused on training to become a knight, and Kalim is so preoccupied with learning to be the next head of his family’s business, that I don’t think the stars would align for them to start dating while at school. When Silver realizes he’s fallen in love, he’d hesitate to confess since he knows he wants to stay in Briar Valley and serve the royal family the rest of his life. (I really don’t think anything is going to get Silver out of BV unless he’d be accompanying his father to go live with him elsewhere.) So for that reason (and also because they’re both shy and silly), Silver wouldn’t tell Kalim how he feels before they graduate from NRC. In my mind, they don’t get together until like a good decade post-graduation.
Silver likes that Kalim does most of the talking, and he never feels pressured to speak at length if he doesn’t want to. Kalim in turn likes that Silver is level headed, a good listener, and that he’s one of the few people he can enjoy silence with.
Kalim never gets mad when Silver falls asleep on him mid-conversation and he’ll be happy to sit and wait for however long it’ll take for Silver to wake up.
I think Kalim would be the first of the two to start crushing on the other. He’d get like shoujo manga heroine vision and start seeing sparklies and rainbows and stuff whenever Silver is around dfkgjdf
If they did go out during their time at NRC, Jami would for sure get really worried and trail them on their dates. He’d stake out on top of a nearby building, and he’d watch them from the scope of a sniper rifle. Atop another nearby building, Lilia would also be watching them, but from the scope of one of those really long paparazzi cameras instead.
After they get married, they have a lot of kids (all adopted and of all different species). I’m not sure how many, but at least five. (Kalim wanted a large family because he grew up with one and he adores all his siblings, and Silver feels it’s his duty to provide a loving home to any children in need.) Kalim has tons more experience with kids than Silver does, so Silver would lean on him a lot in the beginning with their first baby, but I think Silver would get the hang of things pretty quickly and he’d be a great dad.
No matter whom you ship Silver with romantically, I think we can all agree Lilia would be his number one wingman and he’d be really annoying lol. He’d def pester Silver a lot for any updates on his courting endeavors and give him the most Awful advice ever. He’d be like, “Silver, I’ll do anything to make sure this ship sails!” and Silver would be like, “Father, what vessel are you referring to…?”
I ship them for a couple different reasons, but I guess the main one is that I love that Silver genuinely appreciates and respects Kalim for who he is, and that Kalim in turn sees past Silver’s stone faced exterior and he can see all the good he has in his heart. A lot of the other characters more or less just put up with Kalim, and they’ll be kind to him just so they can get something from him. And with Silver, most people don’t take the time to understand that just because he’s quiet and doesn’t outwardly express his emotions a lot, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care or that he’s literally emotionless. So I guess I just like that they understand each other beyond the superficial impressions the other students have of them.
They honestly remind me a lot of Soriku – with Kalim mirroring Sora's bright and sunshine-y nature and Silver being more serious and solemn like Riku. Silver said in his dorm uniform vignette that he wishes he could be more open like Kalim, and if we ever get Kalim wishing he could be more like Silver in some way I will melt into a puddle on the spot lol (‘cause it’d mirror sora and riku’s convo on the dark margin at the end of KH2).
I have a couple different songs for them in my silkali playlist, but the one I think encompasses their ship the best is mona lisa by Sam Cooke! (it’s from Kalim’s pov)
#ask#silkali#i have a very nebulous idea of how they'd get together post canon but i need to ruminate on it more
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I think it's funny how close Kingdom Hearts keeps getting to having interesting things to say about gender politics with its character plots but it always renders itself moot bc it thinks the gender roles in question are awesome & real & true actually. Readmore for ppl who dgaf about kingdom heart
KH1 & CoM are both really refreshing takedowns of Sora & Riku(& Repliku)'s toxic masculinity and possessiveness / rivalry over Kairi. KH1 casts Riku as in the wrong for trying at all costs to be Kairi's savior and "beat" Sora for her affection, and admonishes him for selfishness and ego, but then CoM turns around and puts a mirror in front of Sora to go "Hey, asshole, that could so easily be you too." It shows that even if Sora doesn't directly want control over women the way Riku did over Kairi or Ansem wanted over the Princesses of Heart, his attitude towards Kairi / Naminé still strips them of their personhood.
Naminé herself has a great arc in CoM of seeking a form of existence through recognition & affection via Sora / Repliku, but coming herself to the conclusion that this charade is harmful to all of them, and reluctantly letting go of them both, now relying only on herself. She then goes on to lend perspective to Xion, Riku, and Roxas when they needed it most, and becomes kind of a symbol of emotional maturity & doing the right thing even when it's hard (through Reverse/Rebirth, Days, KH2, and Coded she is a major player setting up dominoes behind the scenes for every victory we win up through KH3)
This is of course downplayed by the rest of the series refusing to allow Kairi to do anything but be a damsel in distress (even when she gets a keyblade in KH2 she isn't allowed to use it ??), and minimizing the importance of Naminé's contributions to the plot, then refusing to give her any sort of catharsis like Roxas got (they even revert her arc of self-determination by giving her Riku (guy who was like vaguely coworkers with her under Ansem TW and I guess refused to kill her one time) to provide the masculine hero figure she harmed herself trying to chase in CoM)
Then Terra's reprisal of the connection between toxic masculinity & darkness in BBS is pretty interesting too. He's actually not a particularly egotistical, selfish, or violent guy in the beginning. When he loses mastery to Aqua at the trial, he's understandably crestfallen, but instead of lashing out, he seeks guidance. Unfortunately Xehanort, a male figure of authority, gets under his skin and espouses to him that anger and violence are integral to who he is as a man & individual. Even then, Terra is opposed to this idea, ashamed that he succumbed to urges of anger against Braig in Radiant Garden, but Xehanort continues to isolate him from his family & convince him that they are unable to understand him. He's told / shown over and over that the only way to protect those he loves is through domination & power, and it culminates in his fight against Eraqus (who is similarly short-sighted here) where you unlock the Dark Impulse command style and strike him down. The death of his master drives his anger even further, turning it back on Xehanort, playing into the long-con and getting him bodysnatched. He ultimately fails to save anyone through imposing his power over others.
Aqua has a similar but contrasting arc of being isolated from her family, but in her case she's just getting wildly parentified / diagnosed with Oldest Sister Disorder. She's also taught that Terra's darkness is inherent to who he is, and that it's her responsibility to handle all the emotional burdens singlehandedly without any system of support. She's lead to feel that anything bad that happens / Terra & Ven's decisions she disagrees with are due to her failure as a leader, leaving her unable to see the real external factors causing these events. After getting some clue of what's really going on, she is able to put Terra & Ven in the safest possible positions in the aftermath of the story climax, but only by continuing to sacrifice herself, dropping into the Realm of Darkness, still feeling like their fates are her fault. 0.2 gives us some fun stuff of her dealing with her low self-esteem & guilt, and she ultimately plays another important role in sealing the Door to Darkness in KH1 by saving Mickey and Riku.
Then in KH3 Aqua gets turned Nortmode by a random darkness attack (not any of the legit trauma she had or being in literal hell for 10 years?), saved by Sora without any hand in her own liberation, then continues on to job against Vanitas so she can be saved by her little brother, then get paid dust the rest of the game. Meanwhile Terra gets to do a bunch of cool shit & then Eraqus shows up at the end to be like "Terra you're the man of the house now and in charge" as if the whole point of BBS wasn't that the most important thing was communication & understanding between these 3 instead of offloading responsibility / leadership onto either Terra or Aqua. Sigh
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Sora x Tifa
Part 30
Part 29 below
Two hours later they gathered a little bit of news about the Unversed. They met the man they rescued the night before and two women claiming they saw those strange creatures.
Unfortunately, none of them provided any clues for why these monsters even appeared. They were also asking about a man in red armor but no one spotted anyone alike.
- I may have a theory… - Sora stated.
Tifa and Riku listened closely to what he said.
- Vanitas, he was Ventus’s darkness, right? But he looked like my evil twin. Maybe… - he was afraid to say that out loud. - Maybe he’s back… because of… me.
- It’s not impossible… - Riku touched his chin. - I wonder, maybe we should talk to Ventus?
- Excuse me but, who’s Ventus? - Tifa felt a little lost in the story.
Sora and Riku looked at each other and clearly both of them thought about the same thing.
- It’s a really long story and Sora possibly doesn't remember a lot from it. - Riku said.
- Actually, - Sora interrupted. - maybe it’s not a bad idea. You could tell us everything you know and maybe it could help me remember more.
- Are you sure? I really don’t want to see you in that state again. - Riku looked scared. - And it would surely take several hours.
- If I am to help you and we want to solve this Unversed mystery, I want to know everything. - Tifa decided. - Let’s go to the bar, I’ll provide food and drinks.
Ten minutes later they made themselves comfortable by the table with fresh juice and were ready to listen to Riku’s story.
- It started with Aqua, Terra and Ventus…
He told them about how both Sora and himself got to become Keyblade wielders, about Master Xehanort and creation of Vanitas. He told about what happened to Destiny Island at the beginning of their journey, him falling into darkness, Maleficent and Ansem. Then Organization XIII and its leader Xemnas, Nobodies and their plan to use Sora’s powers to create Kingdom Hearts. After that he mentioned searching for Aqua in the Realm of Darkness, finding Ventus and how it all led to the Keyblade War where finally Sora was able to help him with the story.
A couple of hours later Tifa felt a bit overwhelmed with the amount of information but now she could understand what happened. Sora also had his head full of information and he remembered a few new things from his past.
- So, that is some story but what do we do now? - Tifa asked.
- I can go to meet Ventus and ask him if he knows anything. - Riku offered.
- Hey, I’d like to meet him too. I haven't seen him since the Keyblade War. - Sora said.
- Let’s go together then. - Tifa felt that she didn't want to let Sora go without her. - Is there enough room in your ship for our trio?
- Yeah, no prob. - Riku smiled.
- When do we go then? - Sora literally could not keep his seat.
- We have to tell the gang that we’re off. Then we can go anytime.
- Great, let’s start tomorrow morning. - Riku stood up. - I need to get some rest. Talking is more exhausting than fighting.
He went to the basement and a moment later the pinball machine was back on the floor, covering the entrance.
- We should probably do the same. - Tifa said. - And as we have some free time, we can do something fun tonight.
She smiled playfully with a slight blush on her face. This look made Sora want to go straight home but before doing that, they split up to tell the guys about their journey.
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∆ HEAL ∆ - sender treats a wound on the receiver’s hand - To Riku from Sora
𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑 — 𝐀 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 & 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘'𝐃 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐒𝐎 𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅-𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓. Nostalgic. It was strange to think — jarring almost — how an old dream, one sought for so desperately all those years ago on that Island led to all of this. One that made him wish for a freedom he knew deep down wouldn't be satiated — not to easily, anyways. Big dreams, larger then reality could ever provide, they clouded & stormed, eventually thundering to a chaos that left their little trio separated. Time had passed, trials endured defiantly, followed along, chased through the simple stubborn tether that linked their hearts.
A genuine bond that was cherished close, guiding like a distant star until they found eachother again — things were calm for once. Though still mending, not all things admittedly fixed & settled, that restlessness, the guilt — it began to ebb like the waves on Destiny Island's soothing shores. That was more then enough for him, more then he could have hoped for.
It was the first time in what felt like years where they could finally reconnect, just exist in eachother's company without some other new threat to the worlds rising.
Some new issue in need of a key-blade to fix.
But with the clashing of their blades, each well practiced maneuver feels like an old, well-loved dance they hadn't forgotten as they twist & weave around one another. The scent of the ocean, the sound of the tides & the feel of the wind as it combs through his hair, leaves stray bits of pale to obscure his vision with a quickened whip to the side to counter the cheeky Islander — he can't help it if his own lips quirk skywards. Laughter flits free, draping through the air like familiar melody as they gradually continue their spar, testing new spells little by little in confident trust the other would be fine.
As much as Riku hates to say it, it feels like when they were kids, small hands wielding wooden swords fashioned together out of stray driftwood, tied tight with ropes snagged from fishing boats lining the coastline. Grander visions tinging their sights in dreamy rose as they clashed & clacked blades then in petty battles that feel all too simple with what he knew now.
That slip into his thoughts, it costs him.
Cursing internally, Riku dodges in time, just barely — out of the way of one of the younger's downward slashes. A simple step to the side that costs him as he finds his footing slipping. Too deep in the routine, it's one that's been practiced time & time before, it's hard to stop when confidence guides the hand — Riku acts as fast as he can, calling his key-blade to his other hand, instinctively bracing. He just narrowly avoids getting his face thwacked hard by the kingdom key, but he's not able to avoid injury even with that attempt. He fumbles, stumbling back, hissing loudly with a pained wince as a sharp pain flares through his wrist.
The weak one — it hadn't healed properly . . . figures it'd come back to bite him now. As soon as the other hears the sound, in a bright flourish of light, he calls his blade away, rushing over, hands hovering around Riku, worry creasing tense features as Sora tries to ask if he's okay.
Swallowing, Riku wants to lie & say yes, but that throbbing pain refuses to leave, protective grasp curled tight around his wrist as he moves to steal somewhere to sit for a moment. Sora follows, eyes wide, guilt bleeding from him in heavy waves — Riku casts a glance his way, apologetic, reassuring as he can express, before another wince peeks. Sora settles at his side on the stray log, gently prying his hand from where it rest. His hands are warm, each small movement done with clear care as he studies the wrappings still binding his wrist. There's a huffed sound, disbelief he thinks, prompting a sheepish cough as that same tense silence lingers. But when he feels warmth beginning to pool at the space it hurt the most, followed by the telling light of a spell being cast, Riku turns his attention back, pale brows furrowed, watching as the other tries his best to wordlessly ease the pain.
An explanation was probably expected. Either that or a scolding for trying to fight with an injury without telling him.
He supposes it's only fair . . . So much for a simple spar.
@muses-morii ╲ SORA. . ⋆ ✦ ⋆ . PROMPTED.
#╰┈➤ ┊❛ ANSWERED IC. ❜┊#╰┈➤ ┊❛ INTERACTIONS. ❜┊#musesmorii#MUSE: [ RIKU. ]#➤ *𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐀. ( RIKU ) kh verse#ehhh not quite hand but close c:#Hope this is okay
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[5 comfort characters and 5 tags]
I was tagged in something!!! Holy shit, thank you @heartlessfujoshi !!
So uh... there's been so many characters over the years it's hard to narrow down to just 5! But there are ones that I always find myself coming back to for one reason or another so we'll start with:
Sora (Kingdom Hearts) - My son. My sweet baby boy. My beautiful sunshine boy. This kid makes me cry every single time I play these games, without fail. I know a lot of people latch on to Riku for one reason or another, and I know there was a lot of Sora hate when Two came out, but I have grown up with Sora, and I love his drive, his commitment, his optimism. Hes not afraid to rely on his friends, and he's been able to find the light in the dark every time his circumstances spiral, and there's been so many times in my life where I've needed that, and I just appreciate it so much in him.
Sly Cooper (Sly Cooper/Sly Raccoon) - this one's a little embarrassing, but I can't make this list without him. If there's one game I go back to more than KH, then it's the Sly series. In the words of Kevin Miller, he's cool, he's calm, and he has a sexy voice. It's a game I love to play on a rainy day, and I love watching Sly grow into himself as both a thief and a person, learning to rely on his friends, living up to his family name, and then learning to let it go when the time finally comes. He's wonderful and I adore him.
Yugi Muto (Yu-Gi-Oh) - oh boy. He's sunshine and sweetness and adorable, and I won't hear a bad word about him! YGO was my very first fandom. It introduced me to online spaces like forums, DA, LJ, and ffnet. Once again, here is a character who's not afraid to rely on his friends, who can find light in the dark places, and is incredibly driven (I'm sensing a theme here...). He wants nothing but the best for the people around him and I just love him so, so much.
Eggsy Unwin (Kingsman) - He's just... He's a near perfect character! Kingsman is easily one of my top two favorite movies, and Eggsy is such a big part of why it's a great movie. His family is broken when he's a kid, he grows up in a terrible environment but still recognizes that his mum did the absolute best that she could for him and he loves her regardless. He loves his baby half sister and wants the best for her, but because of his circumstances he can't provide that for her. Even after he's offered a way out, he still has trouble getting over his flaws, with reconciling who he's been and what he wants to become, and he's willing to put forth the effort to make the changes he needs to make to become that better person. He's kind, he's determined, he's a snarky shit, and he's great.
Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas) - if there's one movie I've seen more than Kingsman, more than any other movie I've ever watched, it's TNBC. Jack is someone who is just... tired. He's so tired. He's tired, he's bored, he's done with everything, and everyone around him. He's lost his drive, his spark, his reason for being. He's the embodiment of depression. People like to give this movie a lot of flak, and I get it, but it's a simple movie with a simple story, and it's this one guy trying to validate his reason for being. And along the way, he loses a little bit more of himself. He doesn't even see that it's happening, but the ones closest to him? Zero and Sally, they try to help him see, they try to bring him back, but Jack's so blinded by this new shiny thing that he can't see that he's losing more than just himself. It's not until it's too late, until he's put himself and Zero into harm's way that he finally realizes that he needs to better himself, for himself, for his friends, and for his town. He learns to recognize he's in a depressive spiral and resolves to do better, to be better, and see what he's had all along.
Some runners up include: Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Jim Hawkins, Danny Fenton, Vlad Masters, Pitch Black, Jack Frost, Dipper Pines, Stan Pines, Hiccup Haddock, Seto Kaiba, Garrus Vakarian.
5 tags: @creamsodaprince @gilly-moon @ashgunnywolf @bunnimew @dennyz-backroom
#thank you for tagging me!#i love talking about my blorbos#feel free to play#this was a lot of fun!#harley talks
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The Gift From Beyond (SoKai Week 2022)
Greetings readers and fellow SoKai fans! It is I, the Mad Doctor, finally posting some new material in quite awhile.
To those who have been following Kairi’s Epic Journey and long expecting the next instalment, I am sorry for not updating in over a year. I’ve sort of hit a block in that story and it’s still taking me a very long time to overcome it. But I hope to update that one soon.
But for now, here’s my contribution to this year’s SoKai Week, which I am participating in for the third year running. This one’s another multichapter story that provides a look into the future of Sora and Kairi that is also tied to last year’s A Beautiful Future. Expect plenty of speculation and headcanons on the future of the series in this story. I plan to post a new chapter for every day of this week if all goes according to plan.
So, without further ado, let’s join our favorite couple on what will be one of the best days of their future. Enjoy!
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Chapter 1: The Newest Happiest Day
Radiant Garden
To those who knew them best, it was not surprising to witness Sora and Kairi watching the sunset. Whether if it was with Riku and any of their other friends or if it was just the two of them, it was definitely their favorite way to end the day.
Of course, after the upgrade in their relationship, they now tended to enjoy the sunset more when it was just the two of them. This was on account of them getting the opportunity to be a little more openly romantic.
So, on one particular evening, this familiar sight was once again taking place. However, there were a couple of differences for this specific moment.
For one thing, they were not on their usual spots on the paopu tree on the Destiny Islands watching the sun disappear over the horizon where the sky and sea met. Rather, they were sitting on a bench in a garden outside of Ansem the Wise’s castle in Radiant Garden watching the sun go down behind the hills outside of the town.
And judging by the handsome white suit that Sora was wearing as well as the beautiful white gown worn by Kairi, they were not watching as simply best friends or even just as lovers.
For the first time, they were watching the sunset as husband and wife.
With his left hand gently intertwined with Kairi’s right one, Sora tried to keep his eyes on the sunset. But it was a futile effort because something else kept catching his eye.
He couldn’t help himself. The sight of his heart’s favorite view in her wedding attire, from the white dress with the elaborate golden design of a heart on the chest to the tiara with seven glistening heart-shaped jewels, combined with the light of the setting sun was a sight far more beautiful to him.
‘My Dearly Beloved. I can’t believe she’s my wife now,’ he thought.
Then Kairi turned toward him. But instead of teasing him, which she usually did whenever she caught him glancing at her in a lovestruck way, she simply smiled. A lone tear leaked out of her right eye and trickled down her cheek.
Sora was suddenly snapped out of his reverie by one of his most painful memories. The look on Kairi’s face was nearly identical to the one she gave him right before he vanished to Quadratum.
‘That was one of the worst days of our lives. I’ll never regret what I had to do to save her. But I will never forgive myself for the pain I put her through.’
Then Sora banished the thought from his mind. ‘No. Today is nothing like that day at all. Nothing is taking me away from her so I’m not going to let my mind go there. This day is too important for both of us to let a few bad memories ruin any part of it.’
But, as was his nature, Kairi’s wellbeing came first, and he still felt the need to check. “Kai, are you feeling all right?” he asked concernedly.
Kairi finally took notice of the tear. With an embarrassed chuckle, she wiped it away. But no sooner then she had done so that another one leaked out of her other eye.
“I-I’m fine, Sora. I really am. It’s just that I’m feeling so, so happy,” she said.
Kairi then raised her hand to show the gold band around her ring finger. “We actually did it, Sora. We got married!”
With a smile, Sora scootched closer to his wife and placed his arm around her. Kairi happily leaned against her husband’s shoulder.
“I know. I can hardly believe it myself,” said Sora.
“Feels like the most wonderful dream ever, doesn’t it?” asked Kairi.
“Sure does. But if it is that, then I never ever want to wake up from it,” said Sora.
“Well, you know, there is one way to make sure it isn’t,” said Kairi as she pulled away and gave her signature sly smile.
“How?” asked Sora causing Kairi to give her husband a look that she often reserved for moments when he acted a little dense.
But it didn’t last for long as her smile returned. She gently grabbed the sides of Sora’s face and pulled him in closer to her own. She then gently pressed her lips to his.
Sora was slightly taken aback by the sudden kiss. But he soon started to kiss her back with just as much love as she was putting into hers.
After about a minute, the kiss came to an end. The newlyweds kept their foreheads pressed together and gazed at each other with looks of pure bliss.
“Well?” asked Kairi.
Sora smiled. “This is real. Most definitely real.”
The Princess of Heart chuckled. “I knew that would convince you.”
Indeed, since becoming a couple, Sora and Kairi had shared many kisses in their dreams. They considered it to be the best part of their dreams and it was always infuriating to them when they woke up just before a kiss or in the midst of one.
But, as good as they were, they both agreed that kissing in their dreams paled in comparison to kissing in real life. And now that they were married, it felt even better.
“So, do you think they’re wondering where we’ve gone by now?” asked Kairi.
“Maybe. It might be a little unusual for a bride and a groom to step out from their wedding reception even for just a short time. But I don’t think it’ll be a problem. After all, Riku and those closest to us know how much we love to watch the sunset,” responded Sora.
“And we could not miss watching it on our wedding day,” said Kairi.
“Nope. We definitely could not do that. Besides, with us out of the spotlight for a bit, it’ll give all our guests a little more time to get acquainted,” said Sora as he turned away from his wife and in the direction of the castle with a smile on his face.
Kairi followed her husband’s gaze and together, they looked to a large room surrounded by walls made of glass which was the castle’s ballroom where the reception was still going on. Through the walls, they could see the silhouettes of the immense multitude of guests talking and laughing. It warmed their hearts to know that a multitude of new friendships and connections were being forged.
“It’s so wonderful that all of our friends could be here today. And it’s even greater to see all of them getting along so well,” said Kairi.
“A whole new world order and it begins on our wedding day,” said Sora.
“That’s not too hard to believe, is it, Sora? You are, after all, the Key that Connects Everything. You helped bring happy endings to so many people and their worlds. I think it’s only fitting that they be there at the start of our own,” said Kairi.
“Well, I never could’ve done anything for them if I didn’t have my friends by my side,” said Sora.
He then turned to Kairi. “And especially, my light in the darkness.”
Kairi blushed. “Oh, Sora.”
Sora reached over and took Kairi’s hands into his own. “I meant it then and I still mean it now, Kai. I’ve always felt I’m strongest when I’m with you.”
Kairi giggled. “After all these years, you still can’t resist using those old cheesy lines, can you?”
“You know you still love them.”
“Do I?” Kairi asked as she tapped her chin while pretending to think.
Then she smiled. “Why yes. I believe I do.”
The two of them laughed together before each putting an arm around the other’s shoulder and returning their attention to the sunset. There was only a small bit of sunlight peeking over the horizon as the stars began to dot the sky.
They sat in silence for awhile before Sora piped up and asked, “So, what do you think? Definitely the newest happiest day of our lives?”
Kairi smiled. “Most definitely. Though it doesn’t mean we treasure the previous holder of that title any less.”
“Couldn’t agree more, Kairi. But you’ve got to admit that only our wedding day could dethrone the previous holder. It was a tough one to beat.”
Kairi sighed happily. “Yes. Who could forget that day?”
“I doubt either of us will. It may have been so long ago, but I remember as if it was yesterday. I was still stuck in Quadratum and Yozora was making another attempt to ‘save’ me. I thought I could beat him again, especially since I had Riku and Strelitzia helping me then. But he was a lot more powerful this time around and it looked like he would’ve won,” Sora said with a hint of fear in his voice as he recalled the close call. ‘In that moment, it looked like I wouldn’t be able to come back to you.’
Sora then turned to face Kairi and smiled at her. “Then, in a beam of light from the sky, you arrived. Like an angel descending from the heavens. And you had gotten so much stronger that together, we managed to send Yozora packing.”
“It felt pretty good to actually turn the tide of a battle, Sora. My training with Aqua certainly paid off and I had even learned how to harness the power of the Pure Light within my heart,” said Kairi. ‘It certainly was about time it was used for something good unlike like what Maleficent and Xehanort planned for it and the other six.’
“Riku and I were so proud of you that day,” said Sora.
“Yes. But the best part came after the battle was over. Once we were sure Yozora was gone for the time being, it was time for us to have a proper reunion. I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing,” said Kairi.
“Neither could I. I opened up my arms and, in what seemed to be less than a second, you rushed right into them. I don’t think I’d ever been hugged tighter,” said Sora chuckling at the memory.
Kairi laughed along with her husband. “And then you picked me up off my feet and you twirled me around and around. I hadn’t laughed that hard in the longest time.”
“Then we stopped. We parted slightly, gazed into each other’s eyes and then…”
“Our Love’s First Kiss,” said Kairi dreamily.
“Yes. All our friends say there’s something magical about it and after that day, I never believed them more,” said Sora.
“And you didn’t even care that both Riku and Strelitzia were watching the whole thing,” said Kairi.
“It didn’t matter that we had an audience. It had been far too long, and I just wanted to show you just how much you truly meant to me.”
Kairi cupped Sora’s cheek. “Well, I certainly appreciated it that day, Sora. But you should know, after everything that’s happened, there was nothing you ever needed to prove to me,” she said causing him to smile.
The two of them gazed at each other lovingly for a moment. Then they looked and saw that day had fully given way to night.
“Sunset’s over. Guess it’s time we headed back to the reception,” said Sora as he stood up off the bench and offered a hand to Kairi to help her rise to her feet.
“Yep. Back we go into the spotlight. But before we go…” said Kairi as she reached around Sora and cupped the back of his neck.
“Care to give your bride one more Sora Smooch for the road?” she asked with a mischievous smile.
Sora chuckled. “Well, I can never say no to that. Especially since I always get a Kairi Kiss in exchange.”
Kairi laughed as well. “Well, it’s lucky for you that this Princess of Heart has plenty of those to give for a lifetime.”
Then the bride smiled lovingly at her groom. “And that’s how much I want you for, Sora. A lifetime. And a lifetime and beyond is how long I’ll love you for.”
Sora sniffed and a tear rolled down his left cheek. After wiping it away, he let out a small laugh.
“Now who’s the one using the cheesy lines?” he asked.
“Well, I did learn from the best.”
“And I taught you so well. Come here, my bride,” he said as he pulled Kairi closer so their lips could meet once again in yet another kiss.
Throughout their wedding day, Sora and Kairi had shared many kisses. It started with the one after King Mickey had officially married them. Then, there were the many they had at the reception at the behest of their guests and their clinking glasses (though, in all honesty, they found that wedding tradition to be a little annoying). And both of them knew that the latest one they were currently sharing would likely not be the last one for them that day and they would not have it any other way.
After a few moments had passed, Kairi parted from Sora and her eyes widened in surprise. She noticed that Sora did not have his usual content expression that he often showed after sharing a kiss with her. Rather, he looked troubled.
“Sora, what is it?”
“Kairi, do you hear that?”
“Huh?” Kairi asked in confusion before listening around. “What do you mean? I don’t hear anything.”
“That’s exactly what I mean. It suddenly got too quiet.”
Kairi then realized Sora was right. The world around them had gone completely silent. She could no longer hear the sounds of the reception nor any of the regular nighttime ambience of Radiant Garden.
She then looked in the direction of the ballroom and let out a gasp of shock. “Sora, look!”
Sora looked and let out a gasp of his own. Through the windows, they could see into the ballroom and saw that all their friends were now frozen as if a Stop spell had been cast.
“What’s happened to them? And why hasn’t it happened to us?” asked Sora.
“Sora, I’m getting worried,” said Kairi.
Sora let out a sigh of exasperation. “Just our luck. I guess it was too much to hope that none of our enemies who were still out there would be stupid enough to attack our wedding.”
“Especially since we have so many heroes from around the worlds attending. Then again, I can’t think of any of our enemies who could do something like this,” said Kairi.
A determined look came over Sora’s face. “Well, whoever’s behind this, whether it’s one of our old enemies or a new one, they messed with the wrong couple’s wedding day,” he said as he summoned Kingdom Key to his hands.
Then he turned to Kairi. “Kai, you with me?”
Kairi gave a smirk and summoned Destiny’s Embrace. “When am I ever not? Were you not paying attention to my wedding vow? I’m by your side in everything now and forever. And especially when defending our most special day.”
Sora smiled at his wife and then turned toward the garden. “Whoever you are, I don’t know what you’re trying to pull by freezing everything. But if you think you’re ruining this day, you’ve got another thing coming,” he shouted to their unseen adversary.
“Yeah! So, show yourself and we’ll show you a thing or two about messing with these newly wed Keyblade Masters!” Kairi added.
Then, out of nowhere and unseen by either of them, a male voice piped up. “Oh, must you two always assume the worst?”
Sora’s eyes suddenly widened in realization. ‘Wait. I know that voice.’
“Where are you? Show yourself!” Kairi demanded.
“Well, I shouldn’t turn down a request from a bride on her wedding day,” responded the voice.
Sora and Kairi clutched their Keyblades and waited for the voice’s owner to reveal himself. But after a few moments passed, he had yet to do so. The bride and the groom gazed around in confusion.
“Why don’t you both try looking behind you?” piped up the voice.
Sora and Kairi turned around. Their jaws dropped in surprise as they finally beheld their visitor.
Standing before them, casually leaning against a wall, was a teenage boy. He had messy blonde hair and was dressed in a grey shirt and dark grey pants with white shoes. He had his arms folded across his chest and his face wore a smile that was a mix of amusement and smugness.
Joshua, the Composer of Shibuya.
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Notes from the Mad Doctor:
So, the enigmatic Joshua from The World Ends With You shows up! What exactly does he want? You’ll just have to keep reading to find out.
I’m so glad when I got a Nintendo Switch last year (had to when I found out Sora was coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate), I was finally able to play The World Ends With You since I missed out on the Nintendo DS version and the mobile version on iOS didn’t work completely. I was finally able to learn about Neku, Joshua and the other TWEWY characters that showed up in Dream Drop Distance in their original setting.
Anyway, my readers, I have a question for you (if you actually read these author’s notes that is).
Would any of you be interested in reading a full-length story of the Quadratum reunion that Sora and Kairi were talking about? I know some of the main details have been spoiled. But it is an idea I’ve been considering so if you wish, please let me know what you think.
I give my thanks to whoever reads this chapter.
Comments, likes and reblogs are much appreciated! Stay tuned for we’ll find out the reason behind Joshua’s sudden appearance next chapter!
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Onto the next chapter!
#kingdom hearts#kh fanfiction#sokai#sokai married#sokai kiss#sokaiweek#sokaiweek2022#sora#kairi#joshua#maddrmatt
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Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories: 9th Floor: Atlantica
I forgot to mention the limits on Captain Hook's Enemy Card, so let me correct that: It saves you 3 times, and that's it.
Now for the recap:
Sora's spirits are kinda low, not sure why he and Riku are fighting when they both only want to protect Naminé.
Goofy suggests that this current feud might only be so bad because they care about what happens to each other, but Sora isn't so sure that Riku cares anymore.
Donald brings up that he can't give up, because their friends, the three of them tied together:
"Sora, Riku, and... and..." Donald's voice trails off, "What was her name?"
Jiminy notes that their memories are fading fast, meaning they have to get Riku and Naminé out of this castle yesterday.
He suggests that Riku will come around if they just talk to him.
"You're right," Sora replies, "We three were never apart. Me 'n Riku.... and Naminé."
In the first room, Sora, Donald, and Goofy are surprised that they can breath underwater, and move through it like it's air, when suddenly Ariel swims by, hiding a trident behind her back.
She makes them understand that they did not see her before swimming along, confusing the heck out of our heroes.
Note: Unlike with Halloween Town, Sora, Donald, and Goofy do not get new forms while visiting Atlantica in this game, so you don't have to worry about underwater combat. It seems that the castle can handle altering appearances just fine, but their more drastic Atlantica forms are beyond it's ability.
Key of Beginnings retrieved!
First order of business, the Attack Card: Crabclaw. Based off the Keychain Ariel gave Sora after he locked the Keyhole, this Attack Card is easy to handle and recovers quickly after Card Breaks.
Unlike literally EVERY other world in the game, Atlantica has two Bounties Sora will need to collect, so remember to use two Bounty Map Cards (Any combination of Calm Bounty, Guarded Trove, and/or False Bounty will do the trick).
First is Homing Blizzara, a magic sleight where Sora casts a Blizzara with homing properties. It's formula is Blizzard+Aero+Magic.
Second is Shock Impact, a magic sleight where Sora releases a shockwave that inflicts a 4 second Stop on everything it hits. It's formula is Simba+Attack+Attack.
The first treasure from the Room of Rewards is Quake, a Magic Sleight that triggers a violent tremor that damages all ground enemies. It's formula is Gravity+Simba+Magic.
The Room of Beginnings takes the form of King Triton's Throne Room, where Sebastian is pannicking about both Triton's Trident AND Ariel going missing.
Goofy realizes that they saw Ariel earlier, and that she had the trident.
Our trio decide NOT to mention this to Sebastian, realizing the poor crab is already on the verge of a heart attack, and decide to try and find Ariel to figure out what's going on.
Key to Guidance retrieved!
The Room of Guidance takes on the form of Ariel's Grotto, where Ursula and Ariel are having a little chat.
Ariel's not to keen on giving the trident to Ursula, but Ursula lays on the guilt trip reminding her that Flounder's gone missing in the "human world" and is probably dodging fish hooks as they speak.
She does agree to give Ariel more time to think it over, but warns her that every second she spends "thinking it over" is another second Flounder's life is on the line.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy overheard this, and confront Ariel on it in a nonhostile way, offering their help, while also pointing out how sketchy Ursula is being.
Ariel agrees with this, and asks if they can come with her to Ursula's lair in case Ursula tries anything.
Key to Truth retrieved!
ARIEL HAS JOINED THE PARTY!
Ariel's ability is Spiral Wave. She swims across the field and strikes multiple enemies. Stocking multiple adds more strikes.
The Room of Truth takes the form of Ursula's Lair.
Our heroes confront Ursula, and Ariel demands that Ursula provide proof that she can rescue Flounder before she hands the Trident over.
Ursula then reveals that she's actually the one who abducted Flounder, and decides to drop the pretense and makes it clear what the deal is: hand over the trident, or the fish gets it!
Ariel gives up the trident, and Ursula lets Flounder go, but then brings up that she just remembered how Ariel always wanted to see other worlds, and so offers to send her to the great beyond.
CUE BOSSFIGHT!
Sora is now on a pedastal in the middle of Ursula's lair, while Ursula herself is hanging in the back, with four giant tentacles propped up on the battleground proper.
In order to attack Ursula, you must damage these tentacles.
Ursula can attack by spitting out bubbles, sweeping/stomping the arena with her tentacles, raining lightning down on the arena, or breathing a lightning beam out of her mouth.
She attacks using numbered versions of her Enemy Card, and as such can't use sleights and has an unlimited deck.
In addition to this, the Gimmick Card can be used in this fight.
It sucks the water out of her lungs and causes her to pass out, resulting in her slouching over so her head is on the platform.
As her head is her weakpoint, this is good for Sora.
When she's defeated, Sora gains her Enemy Card, which grants Shell: halves damage taken from the enemy's magic attacks for 5 hits.
After the battle, Sora offers to cover for Ariel, who instead decides to be honest with her father about what she did.
Jiminy Cricket scolds Sora for his attempted dishonesty.
In the exit hall, Riku's nowhere to be seen. Sora's confused, but Goofy suggests that he might've gotten tired of fighting Sora.
In the meeting room, Larxene grills Vexen.
"Your Riku was supposed to counter Sora," she reminds him, "What's he waiting for? Where is he?"
Axel sarcastically remarks that he must be hiding deeper in the castle to lure Sora in, with Larxene mockingly playing along until Vexen snaps.
Larxene states that men without hearts are boring, and Vexen points out that she doesn't have a heart either.
The man from the crossroads intervenes to stop a fight from breaking out, and lures his hood, revealing long pink locks, blue eyes, and a flourish of pink flower petals.
This is Marluxia.
"Vexen, the simple fact is that your project was a failure," he claims, "You'd best not disappoint us again."
Vexen hits his breaking point.
"In this Organization, you're number 11!" he snaps, "I'm number 4, and I will not have you-"
He's interrupted by Marluxia shoving his scythe in his face and reminding Vexen that "Number 11" was placed in charge of Castle Oblivion and Naminé, and thus, disobeying his orders will be seen as treason against the Organization.
Larxene and Axel point out that they kill traitors.
Marluxia adds that Vexen can't win against Sora, but Vexen replies that they're underestimating his true might.
Marluxia dissolves his scythe into petals, and tells Vexen to prove it.
Vexen leaves to face Sora.
Axel points out that he might actually KILL Sora with a challenge like that, and Marluxia remarks, with a grin on his face:
"That would be an unfortunate denoument."
He then walks over to Naminé, and places his hand on her shoulder.
"What to do?" he opens, "Your hero is about to be wiped from existance. But I believe there is a certain promise that he made you. Isn't that right, Naminé?"
"Yes," Naminé replies, before going back to moping.
-
And just like every self insert mary sue, she has replaced herself in the girl's role between the two cute guys.
Seriously though. YIKES .
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I’ve provided some of my personal takes on Kairi’s parentage and upbringing before over on my Kairi blog; I think it’s only fair I now provide the same for Sora and his family—
this got a bit long so I’m putting it under a readmore;
to put it bluntly: I headcanon that when Sora was six, his father Akio was killed in a diving accident.
his parents were childhood sweethearts who married in their early twenties. after the loss of her husband and the father of her child, his mother Yuka never found love again, and therefore never remarried. as a result of this, unfortunately, Sora grew up an only child without a dad.
it wasn’t with a lack of care on Yuka’s part, though; after Akio’s death she did her best to raise Sora on her own. she was always supportive and loving towards her son, and tried to be there for him in the best ways she could.
she sang lullabies to him at night while he was growing up, and read him stories both at bedtime and during the day as well. she’d fix him his school lunches every morning, and after school would help him with his homework. on weekends they’d do puzzles together, or paint, or play video games, or she’d take him down to the beach where they’d walk and collect seashells.
outside of the stories she’d read to him from his books at bedtime, Yuka would also share with Sora tales of her own — ones about herself and her childhood; ones about his father and what he was like before his passing; ones about her and Akio’s own adventures growing up together so Sora could know what his parents were like as children.
whenever Sora would feel scared or anxious or overwhelmed or sad or lonely or any kind of negative emotion at all, he would go to his mother and Yuka would go out of her way to make him his favorite iced tea and put on his favorite music from the record collection his father owned (she never once considered getting rid of Akio’s records or his record player, as she had the fondest memories of her and him slow dancing to songs together while she was pregnant with Sora).
outside of caring for her son, Yuka was a very active woman throughout Sora’s childhood; at one point she was both a kickboxer and a dancer at the same time, and her other hobbies included primarily hands-on activities: wood burning, calligraphy, pottery, and painting. behind their house on the Islands, there’s a large shed she uses as both a workspace and a spot in which to display her creations.
she was always there for Sora to see his lowest lows and his highest highs, and in her raising him she never stopped loving her boy for who he was and is.
I headcanon that after the events of II, Sora sat his mother down and explained to her everything that happened so far — the destruction of the Islands, his having lost Riku and Kairi before finding them again, the true existence of other worlds, his year-long sleep, his journey and his absence overall, etc. — even despite feeling anxious regarding how she might potentially react to the news. all Yuka could do was tell her son that she loves him, and will never stop loving him even if he ever has to leave again. however — she made Sora promise her he would always come home to her in the end. because even though she’s accepted that she can’t stop him from being needed or wanted elsewhere outside of the Islands, or stop him from doing what he feels is right in being a savior of all those other worlds...
at the end of the day, Sora is all that Yuka has left and she just wants him to be safe.
A SIDENOTE;
in physical appearance, Sora very much resembles his mother in facial features while having the same shade of brown hair as his father.
in personality, he inherited Akio’s friendly energy, optimism, and impulsiveness, and Yuka’s stubbornness, compassion, humor, and loyalty.
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Sora really ‘don’t worry babe, I’ve got this’d Riku
Can we also talk about how Riku agrees here zero hesitation? Everybody else doubts what Sora’s capable of on his own. That’s a reoccurring theme throughout the games, but since the start of this one none of the adults have believed Sora could handle the RoD specifically. Even Donald and Goofy a few moments ago were reluctant to let Sora go to the RoD alone. But not Riku. Riku has complete faith in Sora, and he has shown that consistently throughout KH3. He knows Sora’s more capable than everyone gives him credit for. Riku expected Sora to come to the rescue, and that’s exactly what Sora did. Sora is amazing, and he is going to save Aqua.
#not to dump all my feelings abt this scene in one night but that’s what I’m doing#kingdom hearts#soriku#and then it’s kind of the opposite with riku#everyone more or less assumes riku is fine/will be fine#it’s p telling in ddd when donald and goofy are like sora will be fine as long as riku’s with him#like everyone is p chill abt riku’s wellbeing and just assumes he can handle stuff — except sora#in kh3 sora consistently worries for riku when no one else really does#not that sora doesn’t have faith in riku — on the contrary he has more faith than anyone#but he recognizes that riku’s only human#he’s learned that even ppl like riku who are really strong and skilled and stuff need somebody to watch out for them#to worry abt them and have their back emotionally#so like. riku and sora provide what the other needs
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Headcanons! - KH Protagonists in TWST Dorms
Hi, Luvs!
I hope you've been doing good. In light of both the 2nd Anniversary of Twisted Wonderland and the 20th Anniversary of Kingdom Hearts being just yesterday by the time that I write this, I wanted to do a little fun headcannon and place the KH protagonists into TWST dorms. This is only going to be with all the trios, but let me know if you want me to do more characters! With that said, I do hope that you enjoy!
Warning: This will go into slight spoiler territory for Kingdom Hearts, so if you want try go and catch up with the story, feel free to skip this. Otherwise, enjoy!
Destiny Islands Trio!
Sora (Savanaclaw)
Sora has an unrelenting hold on the friendships that he has with nearly everyone in the franchise. His morals never differ away from his goals in a way that he’s able to stay consistent in his efforts. No matter what situation he’s in, Sora will always try and find a way to make things right.
Riku (Diasomnia)
Yes, I am indeed aware of the irony behind putting Riku in Diasomnia, but please here me out. I believe that Riku’s maturity, combined with the fact that he’s the only one of the original trio to successfully become a keyblade master, makes him a very eligible candidate for NRC’s strongest leading dorm, especially considering how much he learns to use his strengths to his advantage.
Kairi (Pomefiore)
Despite being a rather conflicted character for the fandom, I think that Pomefiore would reflect a lot of what she has for her goals. Even if they don’t reflect well in KH’s main story, Kairi cares a lot about her friends and is willing to be more active in order to help them. Despite her attempts not going as planned, she never gives up on her goals, always thinking about what she can do to help.
Sea Salt Trio!
Roxas (Heartslabyul)
Roxas was probably the hardest character to sort into, but after some thinking, I believe that Heartlyabyul would be the best choice. Given that he would rather takes things into his own hands than to let situations occur around him, I believe that combined with his sometimes short-tempered nature he could be a nice reflection to that of the Queen of Hearts' stern nature.
Axel (Scarabia)
Despite being a wiser older brother figure to both Roxas and Xion, Axel can be coniving and deliberate in his actions. Since this is someone who has brutally betrayed multiple people in his own organization to help his friends, Axel is good at getting the situation to work in his favor, even if he has to make hard decisions.
Xion (Ignihyde)
Compared to all of the other characters, Xion is most known for how much she gets treated like a puppet, even more so than Roxas. Nonetheless, I still put her into Ignihyde due to her more timid nature making her more compatible with other dorm members. At least when considering the beginning of her story, she really only opens up more to people that she’s close to, which is something that’s reminiscent of Idia specifically.
Wayfinder Trio!
Ventus (Octavinelle)
While Ventus shares a lot of common traits between both Sora and Roxas, I don’t think Ven would fit with either Heartslabyul or Savanaclaw. I’m putting him into Octavinelle because I think about all, his desire to help his friends is something that would be beneficial as a student for that dorm. Like Aqua, I’d be able to see him providing help for students when they need him the most.
Aqua (Octavinelle)
With Aqua, her generosity and kindness makes it easy for those to approach her. In the case of Twisted Wonderland, it’d be easy to get people to trust her and for her to help them out if she’s able to. And no matter what, I feel like she’d always make sure that whoever comes to her for help always gets something positive out of her actions.
Terra (Savanaclaw)
Terra’s history is not a pleasant one, but above all else, he does remain loyal to his closest friends and allies. Even as he’s been swayed to the dark side, he still holds his friendships with Aqua and Ventus on a pedastal, something that I believe holds value as a Savanaclaw student.
#kingdom hearts#twisted wonderland#leona kingscholar#twst#disney twisted wonderland#twst headcanons#kingdome hearts headcanons#kingdom hearts request#twisted wonderland headcanons#savanaclaw#heartslabyul#scarabia#octavinelle#diasomnia#pomfiore#ignihyde#sora kingdom hearts#riku kingdom hearts#kairi kingdom hearts#roxas kingdom hearts#roxas kh#axel kingdom hearts#axel kh#xion kingdom hearts#xion kh#ventus kingdom hearts#ventus kh#aqua kingdom hearts#aqua kh#terra kh
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Talking about the KH Novels again
One more thing I really like about the KH Novels is that it makes it clear the whole dynamic DiZ Riku and Namine actually had
Because Riku never felt like the type of person to just apathetically look the other way when someone is being hurt and not care
Days showed even when he was depressed he felt bad for Roxas and Xion, tried to give Xion a choice in her fate, gave her time for a decision, just saw no other way to fix things in the end
So why would it seem like he's not caring for Namine? Someone he arguably has much more investment with, even if you only think he cares about her because Sora's important
The games keep it too ambiguous for why he puts up with DiZ's actions at all, either towards ordering Riku around or being apparently indifferent to Namine, they simply don't show enough context
Because in the games Riku appears very confident and strong, as if he were on equal footing with DiZ
But in actually it's DiZ who is the powerful one and the one providing them all with shelter and protection, Sora, Namine and Riku all
Without DiZ protecting the mansion, all three are in danger from the organization, the novels make this super clear when DiZ leaves them at one point, only for Nobodies to start attacking the mansion, Riku and Namine are freaking out trying to have last minute before-we-die conversations while trying to escape with each other, because at this point the only org members left are ones too strong for Riku to take, and then Xemnas literally portals into the white room right in front of Namine and Riku, and they're trapped.
Literally all Riku does at this point is shove Namine behind him and hopes him going down swinging at Xemnas will be enough to let her escape and it's not looking good for them
and then boom DiZ is back, calmly gives Xemnas the middle finger, and Xemnas is gone
DiZ has all the power in this situation and he knows it
He wants revenge on the nobodies and hates them all
So he'll help Sora awaken only because its his plan all along to use Sora to kill the organization
He tolerates Namine because she's the one making Sora functional (and then wants to kill her as soon as she's outlived her usefulness because "it's long past time that she disappeared already")
And he tolerates Riku being around so long as he's a good little errand/delivery boy who shuts his mouth and does what he wants and everything he says with no argument because DiZ has zero use for Riku and no desire or need to keep him around to bother him in his work, he doesn't give a rat's ass that Riku is Sora's friend
So if Riku wants to stay in the mansion to help Sora and Namine and not abandon either, he's kind of forced to put his head down and not directly challenge DiZ on anything, and instead sneak around him and avoid him as much as possible, helping Namine out behind his back and trying to do what he can to help Sora. So if DiZ is being an ass to Namine in front of him, he can’t directly challenge DiZ and force him to stop, or he just gets kicked out of the loop entirely for annoying/going against DiZ, he just kinda has to bear it in the moment and then help and be with Namine afterwards
The appearance of Ansem's body that he has in KH2 I think also makes it harder to see that Riku was under DiZ's thumb as much as Namine was during Days/KH2
But during both Days and KH2 Riku finds DiZ's presence just overall unpleasant and avoids him by being near Namine as much as he can, because DiZ also hates being around her, Riku comforts Namine when she cries, talks to her when she's upset or worried, and she comforts him about stuff in return, they hug and hold each other and hold hands and everything and all that
He's never actually apathetic towards her, his thoughts in the novel make it clear that regardless of whether she's a nobody or not, he believes she doesn't deserve this kind of treatment, he's just unable to challenge DiZ to his face while all of their safety remains a factor, as bitter as a pill it is to swallow, BOTH Namine and Riku tolerate DiZ's awful behavior for their own sakes, for each other's sakes and for Sora's
Ansem the Wise doesn't even the excuse of being a Nobody or a Heartless, he's literally just a bag of dicks who hates everyone and is obsessed with revenge, I never understood why he suddenly has a heel face turn and drops the revenge thing, he has no reason to change his feelings, except that he suddenly started feeling bad for Roxas and Namine, but that doesnt work if he never stops seeing them as just worthless Nobodies
Even the Novels don't go into what exactly makes him change his mind, just that sometime near the end ish of KH2, long after Sora is awoken, he comes back the mansion, shows Namine/Riku/Axel the password to his infinite fridge full of sea salt ice cream, says some sort of apology for his behavior and then skedaddles off like thanks for lifetime supply of ice cream?? I guess?? Sure does fix the emotional and physical abuse also the threats of death that still happened lol
But yeah, DiZ was actually kind of abusive to them both, or at least made for a very abusive environment to be in, and he clearly outpowers Riku if Xemnas alone made Riku fear for their lives but DiZ boots him from the mansion like he was nothing
I guess similar to Riku, he also gave in fully to strong festering darkness powers, but unlike Riku he became just a super terrible person for it all
If they ever remake Days properly again and not just as a cutscene movie they really should add some more DiZ Namine and Riku scenes for the context of it all
I mean, think about it, does it seem in character AT ALL for Riku to just, ignore someone thats being hurt? Especially someone he knows? Right in front of his salad? It doesn't, Riku's just not that kind of asshole. So you have to think of why it looks that way and whats preventing him from acting more in character instead. Because the indifferent Riku in KH2 and the surprisingly compassionate Riku in Days are the same character at the end of the day.
Plus, there's more to show that Riku was pushing back when he could in his own small ways.
When DiZ orders to Riku to kill Namine when Sora is nearly complete, Riku just brushes him off, DiZ actually has to ask him a couple of times over and over with Riku just basically saying calm down it'll happen eventually it doesn't need to be right now
Then, When Roxas is breaking into the lab, and when DiZ is angrily yelling at Namine’s interference, Riku and Namine both distract DiZ together, long enough to make Sora's awakening imminent when Roxas gets close, because newsflash both of them care about Sora, not DiZ, and when DiZ tries again to order Riku around, Riku just shrugs at him and asks "Aren't you planning to use Sora anymore? Once Sora wakes up this little arrangement is over and neither of us have to listen to you anymore, so better hurry, he's almost awake."
Which makes DiZ go into a seething rage about how of course it's Ansem who betrays him once again, but like, clearly Riku never intended to listen to anything DiZ said when it came to hurting Namine, or about taking orders from him at all once Sora's waking was assured
As far as Riku's concerned, both him and Namine are free of DiZ at that point, since they no longer need DiZ's protection to keep Sora safe in this location
Then KH2 final mix adds the scene where Riku lets Namine and Axel go, and Namine follows Axel through the portal to go see Kairi because she's the one person that Namine is curious to see....
but they leave out Saix overhearing Axel and Namine say where Kairi is in the darkness portal long walk, Saix fighting Axel and wearing him down and Namine immediately running back to Riku for help so lol
Riku Namine Axel all stay together and group up for safety after that during the events of KH2 but the games make it seem like this is where Riku and Namine say their goodbyes it's messed up lol
Like they literally become their own lil temporary trio, and if you look at the games we already have hints that this is the case. The extra scenes from final mix being scenes from this sidestory added to the canon, Saix in Days talking to Axel about how Axel cares about Namine the same way he cares about Xion, calling them both two of his favorite people and using information about them as incentive for Axel to listen to him, Riku and Namine in KH2 being familiar with each other after leaving DiZ and always sppearing in the same places when needed
They really just, needed to make more of their offscreen shenanigans onscreen shenanigans and they should have used Re:Coded to do it instead of rehashing kh1 disney worlds again
Too much of this was offscreen, more scenes should have been added in the remix versions to make it clearer, so the nuance of it doesn't get lost and you don't end up with most people thinking they didn't interact or care about each other, like Riku and Axel and Namine, when canonically they absolutely do care about eachother.
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We really need to spend more time talking about how fandom uses localization as a scapegoat for THEIR problems, and how this even goes beyond localization and even affects, or is done to, the original sources. We need to change the way WE perceive things within fandom culture, as opposed to demanding that all other sources change to our liking. A problematic thing content-wise should be evaluated on that level without being a projection of our own issues and subjective feelings. It should just be, if it is, but often times, it isn’t.
If I’m REALLY looking for the heart of a problem, then we need to address where it really is coming from more than anything else.
I recognized this first in the KH fandom. I didn't turn to the Devs and think they should've considered Soriku vs Sokai fans when having Olette say "What a romantic story" vs "What a wonderful story" after hearing Kairi talk about her journey of finding Sora, in a game where Sora daydreams about Kairi and having a character who never met her says "You're that girl he likes", or when Kairi says "Well, we still like you" vs "Riku is [still] Riku" in 0.2 when talking about how Riku has changed, or when Sora says "I feel strong with you" vs "You are strong" in the Light tunnel in KH3 after the kid JUST talking about how amazing her feats were, and I watch as Soriku fans AND Sokai fans perceive it as a problem of the content, instead of themselves and their fandom petri-dish of how they think of said content. How subjective impressions are pushed as fact and then placed on the writing itself. This goes beyond even proclaimed shippers. It happens everywhere because having an efficient and objective perspective in fandom isn’t something that is pushed within. The Devs shouldn’t have to and reasonably can’t take that into account without it blowing up in their face.
Fang and Vanille is probably THE most pivotal example I can think of when it comes to the devs tailoring something based on them trying to intercept the perception of the audience, but it being a classic thing of them being completely unaware of the extremity of romanticism in the thoughts of shippers and non-shippers in general. You can’t stop people from thinking these things. And how misinformation can spread and tailor their OWN perspectives on viewing material and such, which isn’t inherent to what’s actually written. Or even just people treating their personal feelings as a “fact” that other people, including the creators, should perceive as so. Should these fans become a basis for change in the content itself? Absolutely not. Why?
Because the content ITSELF is completely fine, and if people don’t get it when it’s this way, that IS on them. Compromises should be made from a fan perspective, too, and that comes from actually putting in effort to understand all versions of a product and see both differences AND similarities objectively. To honor those things even if personally you don’t like it for YOUR own reasons, you can still understand it and make informed conclusions about it. To have conversation ABOUT the content, but most people that I’ve seen project issues about localization don’t actually do this—which happens to be the same type of people who will have strikingly bad perspective on the material itself even in its source material.
Is it a problem of the content, or the people perceiving it a certain way?
There might be times it’s both, but I find more often people are just the problem—I think about this for the OG, too. As inefficient as the ENG localization was, acknowledged by both fandom and developers (not even just ENG, but even FR acknowledged their own), I definitely don’t agree that it’s the cause of the LTD. Absolutely not in the truest sense of the heart of the issue from the LTD nonsense over the years and how people have acted from it—there’s no stock in even saying it “started it”. Trying to pin it on the localization is bypassing what should be talked about instead and that’s fandom behavior and perception. It REALLY starts there.
The ENG localization didn’t create the car, even if it provided more fuel for those drooling at the opportunity to use it as such. When we’re talking about LTD, we can’t just talk about the localization—this isn’t like with Digimon all those years ago. The ENG didn’t create the game mechanics of the typical affection points for the Gold Saucer, it didn’t make Tifa’s Highwind scene variable and put into question Cloud’s relationship with Tifa if you favored Aerith through the game, it didn’t create Aerith falling in love with Cloud and seeing her first love through him, it didn’t create Cloud NOT saying his piece on his feelings towards Aerith, it didn’t create Aerith showing up to Cloud after Sephiroth’s defeat and talking about meeting her in the Promised Land, and even beyond the OG, it didn’t choose to NOT have Cloud and Tifa straightforwardly say “we’re in a relationship and love each other”—ALL things that are really the foundation of the main topics of the LTD for 20+ years that people find their own issues with that don’t exist as real issues—people just use localization differences as a tool to siphon their convictions through, which are still sourced at the things previously mentioned, BUT, even if the differences weren’t there, we already KNOW people in fandom will create their own fuel regardless—a “I’ll do it myself” attitude—because they want to drive that car anyway.
And top it off with the fact people do this without knowing ANYTHING about how SE does their localization?
People want to debate and be angry and feel vindicated in their beliefs, you don’t do this for 20+ years if it was sourced by the localization alone, as if it’s MAKING you, and if it’s MAKING you ignore what should/could also be understood from the JPN as well. People in JRPG circles should have seen this countless of times, and this is definitely not limited to that type of content. It’s one of many precedents in fandom—if we so commonly have people acting absolutely horribly to each other in ways that isn’t at all predicated in the source, we know the localization being used as fuel doesn’t matter. Like life, they find a way—THIS is the persistent problem in our fandom culture and I would rather pay attention to this fact than that of turning away from it for the sake of criticizing the localization, cause what we’re really talking about goes beyond the development team’s actions.
For the content, it’s ultimately inconsequential in itself and makes all this very silly to pin it on the localization when the active parties here doing things for 20+ years is that of the people in fandom, not the devs: and to be clear, this is only for those in fandom who encompass the predictably petty, unreliable, and very personal perspectives and toxic behaviors—they just do what they do despite what a story says or what’s intended. Maybe the majority don’t, which I think is really true, but those who participate in a certain way in fandom circles most certainly do and reading their perspectives is the equivalent of running fingernails on a blackboard.
We are the ones that need to change for the most part.
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She will no longer "Embrace Destiny"
Destiny is more often that not a goal or fate one's life is chained to. If destiny is a force of the universe, no one can "control" destiny so to speak. However someone of a higher power, domain or "providence" can change the destiny of one with lesser power, control and/or knowledge (of their own destiny).
Kairi was only four years old when Apprentice Xehanort took her, experimented on her and shipped her off of her world for two purposes apparently:
1) For her "Heart of Pure Light" to resonate with the "key bearer" and lead Xehanort to them.
2) As of Melody of Memory, apparently Apprentice Xehanort also wanted Kairi to arrive in a world of neither light or darkness which could possibly be The Final World. Ironically, this would mean he was successful on both accounts by the end of this game.
However, it's clear up above Kairi is upset and that line of "You're the one who keeps messing with my fate" implies much like how Aqua finally figured out in Kh3/Remind that Xehanort possessed Terra, Kairi will finally find out how and why she was ripped away from her grandma and home of Radiant Garden. Not only that, but it shows us she never really had a choice in how her fate was twisted and manipulated to whichever way the Xehanorts needed at the time:
- Apprentice Xehanort shipping Kairi off to Sora and Riku
- Ansem SOD/Riku sacrificing Destiny Islands causing Kairi's heart to take refuge in Sora's heart.
-Xemnas and Xehanort taking Kairi to crystalize her heart to use as a final gambit to open Kingdom Hearts.
The next lines "If it weren't for you Sora and everyone would be safe...I won't let you walk away" indicate for Sora, her friends and herself, she will no longer allow anyone control over her destiny. She has the strength and determination now to make her own destiny and fight against anyone who messes with her fate again.
This is the reason I can see Kairi getting a new keyblade.
A lot of the main characters' keyblades are symbolic of their hearts and roles within the series, as well as how they've grown and evolved over the course of their journeys.
The most obvious case being Riku.
Riku
Kingdom Key> Soul Eater
The Kingdom Key was originally meant for Riku, as he was the keyblade's chosen. But when he chose to give in to the darkness the keyblade went to Sora instead, and of course Soul Eater was a weapon of darkness given to him by Maleficent to signify his alignment with her.
Soul Eater> Way to Dawn
It's in the name.
But seriously Way to Dawn is a perfect symbol of Riku's journey of acceptance of his darkness and redemption from kh1 to kh2. The keychain is the dark heart on his "Dark Riku" form which signified his complete fall to darkness. But from the keychain upwards we see the "Gazing Eye" encircled by an angel wing and demon wing, symbolizing Riku's decision against alignment with light or darkness. Afterwards majority of the blade is the demon wing from Soul Eater largely because Riku's role within kh2 is him working from the shadows undercover as Ansem and doing his best to distance himself from his friends who walk the path of light. However at the very end, an angel wing meets the large demon wing which is symbolic of us teaming up with Riku finally, as he showcases his mastery of light and darkness alongside Sora and friends.
Way to Dawn> Braveheart
In DDD, Riku materializes Soul Eater and questions his worthiness as a keyblade wielder. He still has doubts but still continues to hold on to his true motivations being to protect Sora. Riku accepts that he can use the power of darkness while standing firmly on the side of light to protect his friends. He no longer needs to find or follow the way to dawn, because by the end of DDD came the Dawn of Riku, a Keyblade Master and Guardian of Light.
And "Braveheart" is pretty simple. Riku found the strength to protect what matters, and it's perfectly symbolized by Riku's sacrifice for Sora.
"I'm ready now, I'm in control now."
Terra and Aqua (technically Ven as well) have never left home by the beginning of BBS and throughout the game they experience trials and tribulations that challenge their friendship and we see by their Keyblades at the end the results of these trials.
Terra
Earthshaker> Ends of the Earth
Strong and powerful, after hearing Riku's motivation for strength being his friends he bestowed upon him the keyblade which reignited his devotion to his friends. This is also symbolized with Lingering Will, as that's the keyblade he's left with. He'll go to the ends of the earth to save his friends and right his wrongs.
Ends of the Earth> Chaos Ripper
Terra's devotion to protect his friends turns into rage against Xehanort for killing Eraqus, taking his home and manipulating him. Allowing darkness to further consume his heart.
Aqua
Rainfell> Stormfall
Aqua's journey mostly consist with things happening around her and to her friends. Aqua being the only master of the three and worried for their safety, Aqua does her best to assume responsibility and watch over them. Much like rain, it was a light and simple task. But Xehanort's manipulations and temptations with both Terra and Ven, increased Aqua's worry and need to have control over her friends to keep them out of danger. Unfortunately certain seeds had already been planted amongst them, causing Aqua's worry and concern to come off as patronizing and distrustful of her friends. This weakened the trust in the bonds they share making her job to protect them even more difficult and adding to the weight of responsibility she carries.
Stormfall> Brightcrest
Terra and Ventus have both lost their hearts to darkness. With Venuts sleeping in Castle Oblivion and Terra taken over by Xehanort, Aqua was their only chance of ever coming back. She was the only one who knew how to find Ventus and the only one left to defeat Xehanort once and for all. She stood tall and was willing to risk it all for her friends, she was their "light in the darkness".
Ventus
Wayward Wind + Lost Memory
Ventus' keyblade is the only one that doesn't evolve or change throughout the game. Instead Lost Memory is gained when Vanitas forces Ventus to remember how he came to be. Ventus gains a newfound acceptance for his fate with this knowledge and only cares if his friends are safe.
Axel/Lea (Dark Rescue)
Flame Liberator
Axel betrayed the organization. Axel did everything he could to keep Roxas and Xion unaware of the truth so they could live in blissful ignorance (or be happy). He saved Sora at the last minute in DDD and made it his mission in KH3 to get Roxas back. He even declared to Saix that he would bring him home as well. His keyblade represents his determination to save and free his friends from a cruel fate.
Destiny's Embrace also tells a story for Kairi, but much like how she got it, the symbolism isn't representative of her personal journey.
- The keychain of Destiny's Embrace is funny enough, a popular fruit. When two people share paopu fruits, their destinies become intertwined.
- The chain, unlike many others is a red thread in knots, most likely representative of the Red String of Destiny. The "Destiny Knot" (pokemon references ftw) is what ties two people together romantically or what ties two destinies together.
- The hilt of the keyblade is the King chess piece. The king in this case referring to Sora (Crown, Throne, Holds his keyblade like King Arthur in artwork). To me this is symbolic of how Kairi has literally held Sora's fate or destiny in her hands at certain points in the series.
• In kh1, Kairi reverts Sora back from a heartless/the darkness after sacrificing himself to restore her heart.
• In khcom, in order for Sora to regain his memories, he has to focus on his "light in the darkness".
• In kh2, it's not until after reading Kairi's letter to him that the Door to Light opens the way for Sora and Riku to return to Destiny Islands in the realm of light.
• In kh3, it's Kairi's light that keeps Sora from fading away within the demon tide and holds him together so he can save the other guardians.
- Surrounding the grip is a heart with half of it having a sea/ocean/wave aesthetic. It could be representative of Kairi's heart and the heart of her nobody counterpart Namine, whose name means wave.
- Half of the heart with the vine extending down the blade is identical to the keychains of Sora's Ultima Weapons in kh1,2,DDD,3.
The crown connects to the heart which belongs to both Kairi and Namine which makes sense because Sora and Kairi together created Namine.
- I'm not sure what the blade symbolizes aside from maybe fire because of her entanglement with Axel (doubt) or more likely the fires of Kairi's determination to improve, so she can stand by Sora and Riku.
- The flowers at the end with "logo" heart of course represents Radiant Garden. I think Nomura always planned to explore Kairi's past at some point especially with how connected it is to Union X, and that Kairi as well her grandma would be the bridge connecting the past and the present.
However, because of kh3 and most likely M.O.M, I think Kairi will quite literally be freed from "Destiny's Embrace", both Xehanort and the keyblade.
Like I said before, a lot of the symbolism for Destiny's Embrace is externally based. Mostly because Kairi never gets the chance to shine nor do we get to see what's going on inside of her head. Some of this is also because of Kairi's reluctance to bring up her past trauma when asked about it.
• Sora is gone, no need to be a plot device/motivation for him. Instead it's the other way around.
• Namine is her own person now.
• Melody of Memory will finally tackle and resolve Kairi's past.
Everything Destiny's Embrace represents will be resolved by the end of Melody of Memory. So just like how Riku completed his Darkness character arc by the end of DDD and got Way to Dawn replaced by Braveheart as a symbol of his newfound growth, either by the end of M.O.M or in KH4 Kairi will be rid off all of the things holding her character back from truly growing on a narrative and meta level and the keyblade that symbolizes all of those things:
Destiny's Embrace
*This is the other part of the Melody of Memory sticker post.
(Credit to Hartmann-lionhart for their Destiny's Embrace/Ultima Weapon Analysis)
#kingdom hearts#kingdom hearts 3#kingdom hearts 3 remind#kh kairi#kh3 kairi#kairi kingdom hearts#kairi#sora#sora kh#namine#namine kh#riku#terra#aqua#axel#lea#ventus
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Keys Comm #6
Finally! The last baby of the bunch! This is another one for @rosie-drawss, who wanted a third part to the sort of ongoing series I've been writing for her in which Sora is brought back to the lights early in Keys. So if you wanna catch up to what the heck is going on here, I suggest you read:
Part 1
Part 2
Before reading this one! And with that, enjoy some family feels!
***
Sora sleeps far longer than Riku and Kairi do--understandably so for someone who’s gone without sleep for as long as he has. They lay in bed alongside him for a long time after they awaken, soaking in the peaceful silence as they both watch Sora peacefully sleep in between them. In many ways, it's almost too good to be true, like a dream they’ve both been having for such a long time now, finally coming true before their eyes. But this isn’t a dream; this is real. Sora is really here, really back in the space between them, back in their reach after so many months away. And even if it isn’t perfect, even if there’s still so much that needs to be done to truly save him, they still savor this moment for all its worth. They still savor being with him, even more now than they did before.
The quiet calm of their morning is soon interrupted by a soft knock on the door. It’s enough to finally wake Sora up at least to some degree as he lets out a tired groan, rolling over as he shoves his head under his pillow, muttering “five more minutes’, much to Riku and Kairi’s shared amusement. In the end, however, Riku is the one to encourage whoever’s at the door to enter, eliciting another loud moan of protest from Sora.
“Sorry,” Aqua whispers with a small smile as she pokes her head in. “We wanted to wait as long as we could to let you three get all the rest you need. But…” she smiles as she fully enters, toting a tray laden with pancakes, eggs, fruit, and hot drinks. “I did bring breakfast, if that makes up for it.”
Before either Riku or Kairi can thank her, Sora suddenly sits up, still clearly half asleep as he takes in a whiff of the appetizing meal Aqua brought in. “Did somebody say breakfast…?” he asks with a drowsy, hungry smile.
The others all get a good laugh out of this as Aqua sets the tray up for the trio, allowing them to eat it in bed as she prepares to leave to let them enjoy it in private. “Take your time, but as soon as you’re done, head on up to Master Yen Sid’s study,” she instructs. “He’s called a special meeting so we can talk about… e-everything.”
The trio’s mood quickly shifts at this, all three of them tensing up as they exchange apprehensive glances. Sora’s is by far the most anxious as he looks between Riku and Kairi, his fear palpable enough that they can both practically feel it themselves. Which is why they both rush to quell that fear as quickly as they can. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Riku assures.
“Yeah, we can always tell them you wanted to get more sleep,” Kairi adds just as supportively.
“...Well, that’s not really a lie,” Sora manages a smile, though it's soon broken as he lets out a long, loud yawn. “I… kind of have a lot of that I need to catch up on…”
“I’ll let the others know then,” Aqua says with an understanding smile. “Also, Sora, your mother wanted to know if you were up to a visit later on. She said she could be up right after she finishes cleaning the kitchen from making breakfast.”
“I figured these pancakes were hers,” Sora notes with a small smile. “Yeah, you can send her up. But I can’t promise I won’t be asleep by the time she gets here.”
“You can sleep after you eat,” Kairi grabs him by the arm before he can ease himself back under the covers. “And we’re not leaving until you’ve finished every last bite.”
“Alright, ‘Mom’,” Sora jokes as he takes the plate she’s offering him.
“Better curb that sass,” Riku says just as playfully. “Or we’ll tell your real mom.”
“Aw, come on, you guys,” Sora grins between bites of breakfast. “We’re not little kids anymore.”
“Then stop acting like one and eat your breakfast already!” Kairi shoots back as Sora sticks his tongue out at her.
Aqua leaves the room as their “argument” continues, laughing quietly to herself as she closes the door behind her. “I have a feeling that no matter what happens next,” she says to herself, hope filling her heart where there was little the night before. “Those three will be just fine now that they’re together again…”
***
Most of the meeting is largely a blur for Riku and Kairi. They stand toward the back of the study, solemnly listening to the guidance Yen Sid has to offer for their most pertinent plight. Occasionally, one of them will pitch in, largely for the sake of updating the others on Sora’s status based on what they’d seen this morning and last night. But other than that, they say nothing, allowing the others to debate on what they need to do and where they need to go next. Eventually though, they have no choice but to weigh in on the conversation, especially when the inevitable question finally arises.
“So… is there any way we can stop what’s happening to Sora?” Naminé is the one to ask it when she senses that Riku and Kairi are both far too anxious to.
Yen Sid is silent for a long time and the others all largely hold their breath as they wait to hear his verdict. In the end, however, it isn’t exactly one any of them were hoping for. “I’m sorry to say that there is no method to setting Sora’s heart free that I have been able to find in my extensive studies,” he informs them, his eyes shut and his tone pensive. “But that does not mean there is no hope in saving him. It simply means that we must resort to cutting down the darkness invading his heart at its very source.”
“Then it looks like our mission hasn’t changed,” Riku speaks up gravely. He pauses for a moment when he senses another nightmare about to befall Sora, one that he swiftly chases away so that he can continue sleeping in peace. But the mere audacity of that nightmare’s attempt at getting to him at all is enough to sharpen what Riku has to say next even more. “We have to defeat Xehanort, no matter what it takes. Even if there’s even just a chance that taking him out will set Sora’s heart free, it's a chance we need to take.”
“But… what about the rest of the Keys?” Mickey asks. “There’s still several more we need to find before the Organization does, and now that we have Sora back, they’re bound to try and take him away from us too.”
“If they’re dumb enough to to try that, then they better be ready to deal with every last one of us,” Roxas hisses, more than resolved to keep his other safe.
“That’s right,” Aqua readily agrees. “We’ll protect Sora and we’ll find those last few Keys. Even if we have to go our separate ways to do it.”
“No,” Riku counters, shaking his head. “Splitting up has never worked well for us before. That’s how we lost Sora in the first place. We need to stay together from here on out. We need to be a team.”
“So… what? Are we all just gonna cram together onto that tiny ship every time we need to go somewhere?” Axel asks, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “I like all of you guys well enough, but I don’t know about getting that close into everyone else’s personal space.”
“We don’t have to use the Gummi Ship,” Kairi suggests. “I can summon light gates we can travel through. They might be an even faster way of getting around, which is a good thing if we want to find those Keys as soon as we can.”
“The sooner we get them, the sooner we can confront Xehanort and hopefully put a stop to all of this,” Terra points out.
“But is it really safe for us to take Sora with all of us?” Ventus asks, worried.
“Even if we’re all together, then the Organization could just as easily come together to attack all of us to try and take him away,” Xion adds just as fretfully. “And if we can’t protect him from them, then-”
“Aw, phooey!” Donald suddenly snaps. “If they wanna get their hands on Sora, then they’ve gotta go through us first!”
“Yup!” Goofy boldly chimes in. “We’re not about to let anyone else, not Maleficent, not the Organization, not even Xehanort himself, take him away from us ever again!”
“No, we won’t,” Riku nods, resolute. “And not only are we going to keep Sora safe, we’re going to make him feel safe too. When I found him last night, he was so… terrified. I’ve never seen him like that before, and to be honest, I don’t want to see him like that again. He’s not just scared of what’s happening to him. He’s scared of the possibility that he might accidentally hurt any one of us too. That’s why we have to make sure he knows that won’t happen. He’s safe here, with us, and it's up to each and every one of us to help him really believe that.”
The others all immediately agree to do exactly that, to help Sora ease his way back into the fold of family and friends he’s spent such a long time running from. To help him feel like he’s finally back to where he truly belongs. As the others begin brainstorming ways to help provide him with that comfort, Riku and Kairi exchange a small smile, glad that they have such reliable friends who are all every bit as dedicated to Sora as they are. Glad that they aren’t alone in wanting to not only set his heart free, but helping it heal as well, no matter how long that healing might take.
“Do you want to fill Sora in on the game plan or should I?” Kairi whispers, aside.
Riku shakes his head, his steady smile widening as he takes in the air of warm earnesty spread by his fellow lights. “We’ll all tell him,” he says simply. “Together, just like how we’re going to be from here on out.”
***
Himari is nothing if not an incredibly patient woman. She’s waited for her son to return to her before, waited to hear any sort of word on where he is or how he’s doing, waited for Riku to bring him back as soon as she arrived at the tower last night. And now, she waits for her son to awaken from his slumber, a soft, if not somewhat sad smile resting on her face as she hums the lullaby his father used to sing to him, stroking a gentle hand through his mostly white hair.
“Oh Sora…” she whispers, more to herself than to him. “I know you said I have nothing to be sorry about, but… I can’t stop thinking about how different things would be if I had just kept you home… If I never let you leave then… m-maybe… maybe you wouldn’t be…” She cuts herself off as she fringes on a sob that she only narrowly suppresses. “What kind of mother am I?” she shakes her head, forlorn. “I can’t even do a single thing to help my son when he needs it most… If only you were here, Ki…” Tears finally slip down her cheeks as her fingertips ever so softly skim the crown charm resting around Sora’s neck, a necklace that used to belong to her husband before him. “You’d know what to do about this. And even if you didn’t… at least you’d know what to say to make me feel better about it…”
Himari starts, a surprised gasp slipping out of her when Sora suddenly lets out a small laugh. “C’mon, Mom, Dad was never the one who knew what to say,” he remarks as he opens his eyes, smiling as he sits up in bed. “He always used to say you had ‘a way with words’ or something like that. I never got what he meant back then but I-” He stops himself, his casual manner falling to pieces when he meets his mother’s tearful gaze. She forces back those tears as best she can, a hand held over her mouth as she struggles to be strong for him… and fails miserably at it all the same. “P-please, Mom,” Sora implores her as steadily as he can. “Don’t cry. I don’t want to… I-I’ve already cried so much by now a-and if you cry then I know I will--even if I try to stop myself, I can never stop myself anymore--and I just-”
Himari cuts him off abruptly when she throws her arms around him, pulling him into yet another tight, yet comforting hug. “I’m not crying about that,” she tells him in a whisper. “I… it’s just… it’s been such a long time since I last saw you. You’ve grown so much in just a year… I’ve missed out on so much…”
Sora sighs, his guilt growing to the point that he soon finds he can contain it no longer. It pours out of him the same way his tears do, rapid and remorseful as he struggles to say everything he knows he needs to, everything he knows he owes her after how long he’s been gone. “Mom, I… I’m so sorry… When all of this started to become… t-too much for me, I wanted to come home, just like you told me to, but I was so scared that you wouldn’t want me if you saw me like… like this, so I ran and I-”
“Oh, Sora, sweetie, no,” Himari cuts him off, her voice soft and kind. “Even if you do look different, even if you have changed… you’re still you… You’re still my son, a-and I still love you so, so much, Sora… Please,” she pulls away, still holding his face in her hands as she offers him a tearful smile that’s as bright and warm as the sun itself. “Don’t ever forget that…”
“I-I… I won’t…” Sora says, despite his amazement, despite his awe that she could still love him after he’s strayed so far from home, so far away from her. But she loves him all the same, every bit as much as he loves her, and for as safe and secure as that love makes him feel here and now, that’s something he has no intentions of letting go of again anytime soon.
It isn’t long after this that a knock sounds at the door. Sora and Himari compose themselves quickly before Riku and Kairi enter first, though the other lights soon file in after them. The bedroom is a rather small one, but they all cram in to make space, each of them wearing hopeful smiles as they prepare to share their newfound plan with Sora. A plan that they have the utmost faith in, despite how uncertain everything else surrounding it might seem.
“So we’ve decided that we’re all going to look for the last few Keys together,” Kairi begins brightly. “And that you’re coming with us, Sora.”
“If you want to, that is,” Riku quickly cuts in, knowing the last thing he wants is to force Sora to do something he’s not comfortable with. Not now when he’s still clearly struggling to trust them all again. “If you don’t, that’s fine. We can always take you and Himari back to the islands, and a few of us can stay behind to make sure the Organization doesn’t-”
“No,” Sora interrupts. He stops briefly, offering his mother an apologetic glance. “I’m sorry, Mom…” he whispers to her. “But… I have to go again. They won’t be able to find those Keys without me, they need my help, I-”
“I know,” Himari says with a sad, tired sigh, far more used to this than she knows she should be. “Just… come home to me quickly this time, ok?”
He smiles when she skims the side of his face again, her gentle, loving touch a comfort he can’t help but cherish after having gone without it for so long. “I will. As soon as we have that last Key, I’ll be home on the islands with you again. I promise.”
Himari nods, accepting that promise as she offers a hand to help him stand. “I’m going with you,” he tells the other lights, his tone as determined as it can be. “I-I want to go with you,” he corrects himself, not wanting to sound like he’s doing it out of obligation. Even if he is. “I’m sorry I ran away before, but… I want to be a part of the team again, i-if you’ll have me, after… everything.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Axel speaks up with a small, incredulous laugh. “We weren’t much of a team at all without you around.”
“You were our missing piece, Sora,” Ventus adds, smiling kindly. “You’re the one who helped bring us all together to begin with. We wouldn’t have stopped until we brought you back too.”
“So quit feeling sorry for yourself already,” Roxas teases, crossing his arms. “And just accept the fact that we all missed you way more than you thought, ok?”
“And that we’re all so glad you’re finally back safe and sound,” Naminé chimes in warmly.
“And that we’re gonna stick right by your side,” Goofy concurs.
“No matter what the Organization might do to stop us!” Donald pipes up resiliently.
Sora can’t help but let out a small, practically elated chuckle at their shared enthusiasm. As he realizes just how wrong everything his master had told him had been. As he realizes just how much his friends really do care after all if they’re willing to go to such great lengths solely for him. “So,” he says, looking to Riku and Kairi as he takes the hands they’re both extending out toward him. “I guess we’re doing this together then?”
“Yeah,” Kairi smiles as Sora slips his hand into hers, more than ready to embark on whatever journey awaits them next.
Riku does the same when he takes Sora’s other hand, determined to do everything in his power, to give anything he has to just to make sure he’ll never have to let him go ever again. “Together.”
Commissions are Closed!
#jen writes#keys to the kingdom#kingdom hearts#drabble prompts#commissions#sora#riku#kairi#sorikai#himari#donald#goofy#namine#roxas#xion#aqua#terra#ventus#mickey#axel#yen sid#disney#square enix
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Melody of Memory Theory (SPOILERS)
Why Kairi May be More Powerful than We Think:
At the end of Melody of Memory, Xeanort explains that he was testing Kairi's power as a princess of heart by seeing if she would "resonate" with a keyblade wielder's heart. Because Xeanort is using this quality as criteria to test if she was a princess of heart, we can infer that part of a POH's ability is to have deep connections with keyblade wielders. Looking at every POH (Alice, Jazmine, Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, and Kairi) ALL of them have had a meaningful interaction with a keyblade wielder at some point. Sora tries to free Alice in Wonderland, Sora tries to save Jazmine in Agrabah, Sora helps Belle with the Beast in kh2, Terra tries to take Auroras heart in bbs, Ventus tries to help with Cinderella's dress, and Aqua helps the Prince wake up Snow White. Not to mention the player, a keyblade wielder, encounters most of these princesses in the mobile game to help them in some way. Even the new seven hearts (Rapunzel, Elsa, etc.) are immediately introduced to Sora, who, at that point, was choosing where to go based on what felt right in his heart. This would have to mean that keyblade wielders are perpetually linked to POHs to help them (besides Terra and Riku ofc bc they went through angsty phases with the darkness.)
Now, let's look at Kairi based on this connection. She succeeds in finding not one, but two keyblade wielders as a child (Sora and Riku) to help her by providing her with a safe home and to get her away from Xeanort, *subconsciously, not even trying.* Then, as a pre-treen, she ends up inside Sora's, a keyblade wielder's heart, to keep her safe. (Yes, I'm aware this is from Aqua's spell, I'm getting to that). This only happens because of her "chance" encounter with Aqua and Mickey years before, who, upon meeting her, are determined they must protect her for no other reason than the "strong light" she has. The benefits of their meeting takes a decade to show up, but its just another example of the heart connection POHs have with keyblade wielders. Nobody has a clear explanation to *why* they want to help Kairi, they just *know* they have to help her and intervene. Meeting Mickey and Aqua was no accident. Meeting Riku and Sora was no accident. It's her *power* as a POH. Kairi getting the keyblade, under this theory, can fall under the "help" that she gets from keyblade wielders, since Aqua didn't mean to bequeath her. Yet, Kairi gets bequeathed, enabling her to better defend herself in the future from Xeanort. I personally think Kairi getting the keyblade is because of her connection with keyblade wielders and her ability as a POH to always receive help from them. What better way to help a POH than giving her a keyblade of her own to protect herself from high profile enemies?
And for Kairi, this connection goes BOTH WAYS. She helps out keyblade wielders as well (resurrecting Sora in kh1, getting Sora and Riku out of the Realm of Darkness in kh2, helping defeat Xeanort in kh3, and getting a lead on Sora's whereabouts in MoM.) It's a symbiotic relationship for her. A you help me, I'll help you kind of thing.
With all of this being said, MoM is the icing on the cake. The reason I think Kairi is incredibly powerful is the final boss in MoM. When Kairi is in trouble, and her own keyblade is failing her, not only does she wield Sora's, she *becomes* Sora. NOTHING like this has ever been done in the series before. Sure, D-links in bbs allows one character to use a small amount of another's abilities. Sure, summons allow a character to bring a helper in from another world and have them join the party. Sure, Mickey saves Sora from time to time in kh2. BUT NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS BEEN DONE. Her heart quite literally reaches out to Sora and borrows him, all because of the deep connection she has with keyblade wielders as a POH to get help from them and get help *for them*, as winning this battle gives Kairi the information she needs to allow Riku to visit the world he's allegedly in. The implications of this are incredible, because Kairi doesn't meerly summon a memory of Sora, because if she did, he would be able to talk, but like Xeanort says, he cannot speak because of the world he is currently in, meaning that the Sora she summons exists in REAL TIME! She is able to temporarily summon Sora (or piece of him - maybe his heart-)*across realms*, wield his keyblade, become him, and have control of *all* of his powers. I-... Imagine if Nomura built on this mechanic for her, like if she were at critical health, she can momentarily embody Sora or any other keyblade wielder. I guess it would sort of work as a drive form. Anyway, I'm getting carried away.
It is also my theory that the desire to help and protect Kairi existing in every keyblade wielder's heart, bc she is a POH, is why she has been benched so often. They can't bring themselves to let her go out on her own if they can avoid it, because of their determination to help and protect her. It's why Riku reacts so harshly for her wanting to go with him at the end of MoM, *but he can't form a single sentence to explain why* until Kairi relents and supplies the reason, her training, for him.
All of this being said, I really hope Kairi training under Aqua gives the others confidence in her, and that she can finally have an adventure of her own, hopefully exploring her powers as a POH. I really hope the unique link she had with Sora at the end of MoM comes into play again, because I personally believe it was Kairi in his body/borrowing his power, and I'd love to see that develop overtime.
Anyway, this is just my personal theory. It probably has holes but its how I'm coping with the ending for now 🤠
#melody of memory spoilers#mom spoilers#spoiler#spoilers#kingdom hearts theory#kairi#sora#melody of memory#riku#mickey#aqua#terra#ventus#theory#kh1#kh2#kh3#kh3 remind#kh melody of memory
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Hi, i've been following you for a while now and i would like to ask you your thoughts on the recent updates involving khux and what you think on how it will apply to later installments involving our group and their destiny?
I've read a good chunk of your essay analysis on sora and his heroine's journey and i found it very compelling and enlightening to the overall structure of the series and that it provides a bit more stable clarity into the direction.
First of all, I’m so glad you enjoyed my essays on Sora and the Heroine’s Journey. It was extremely satisfying to write about all the different ways that Kingdom Hearts ties back to this narrative template, and it's just as satisfying to know people are getting something out of it.
I’m assuming when you say “our group”, you’re referring to Sora and company in the present day and what they’re all up to, rather than the Dandelions and the Union X leaders. Because as far as the latter go, I’m still trying to make sense of what happened with Brain and Ephemer and all that there, and I don't have anything solid for Ven, Skuld, Lauriam, and Elrena beyond "The VLE trio get their memories back and reunite" and "Skuld is Subject X".
But as far as the main present day cast is concerned, I do have a few ideas as far as how the final UX updates will apply to later games.
First, I think that the introduction of Darkness and how it decided to kill Strelitzia because of Ven’s desire to be stronger has a lot of interesting potential for Kairi’s character development (which I briefly touched on a few months ago in another meta). The introduction of the “New Seven Hearts” in Kingdom Hearts III presents the idea that a Princess of Heart can pass on their powers, meaning that if someone like Kairi were to pass on that power, it would leave her vulnerable to darkness in a way that she never was before. Given the parallels between her and Ventus, Darkness the entity jumping from Ven’s heart to Kairi’s after she passes on her Princess of Heart status and trying to use her desire to get stronger to achieve destructive results would go tremendously with the series’ themes of balance between light and darkness. While Riku has overcome his struggle with the darkness in his own heart and Sora’s is just about to truly begin, Kairi has not had to wrestle with darkness and her negative emotions the way that the other two have/will. So with Sora being set up to undergo that struggle in the next stage of the series, it would make sense for Kairi to be forced to have that same conflict herself before the series is over.
Second, the Master of Master’s conversation with Luxu in the khux finale about how his goal is to destroy Darkness forever and his demonstrated willingness to set his apprentices up as sacrifices to achieve that goal ties into some of my other essays regarding Kingdom Hearts and the Heroine’s Journey. As Nomura said in an interview for DDD about why the game had Sora and Riku as dual characters, balance between light and darkness is a major theme for the series. Ever since Chain of Memories, we’ve been presented with the idea that darkness and light are fundamental forces in the universe that cannot exist without each other. Xehanort has always been focused on how light has been dominant over dark and uses darkness to correct that imbalance. With the Master of Masters, we now have an antagonist who wants to outright destroy darkness altogether. And his willingness to use his own apprentices and set them up as hosts to contain and destroy the Darkness entities solidly buts him as the ultimate example of “Light is Not Good” in this series. Given that the next phase of the Heroine’s Journey is set up to involve Sora confronting and accepting the darkness in his own heart, the latest khux updates are setting up our heroes to have to fight to protect darkness from light instead of the other way around.
That scene between Luxu and the Master also adds a lot of evidence towards a theory I’ve had about Kingdom Hearts 3 since I finished the game that I’d almost forgotten about. With the reveal that Luxu as Xigbar had been steering the course of Xehanort’s plans all along, I speculated that the whole “shatter Kairi to motivate Sora” was Xigbar’s idea, that he knew what Sora would do to save her and the consequences it would have. Based on a few other theories, I speculated that the Master of Masters wanted Riku for some as yet unclear reason and used the link between him and Sora to get to him. With the reveal that the Master intends himself and his Foretellers to serve as vessels for the Dark entities, I think I have a clearer idea.
MoM tells Luxu he needs the Foretellers to have such strong hearts that Darkness cannot control them, specifically talking about Darkness being locked inside the hearts of himself, Luxu, the Foretellers, and the five Dandelion Leaders. In DDD, Young Xehanort specifically says that Riku has found a way to trap darkness inside his heart in a way that YMX cannot understand. In other words, Riku’s mastery over his own darkness makes him exactly the kind of person that MoM is looking for to use as a host for Darkness.
#khux finale spoilers#khux spoilers#khux finale#kingdom hearts meta#kingdom hearts theory#kh speculation
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