#Kairi and Riku friendship goals

[mythicalk-archive]

Never shared this, but a tiny doodle I did in December of Kairi and Riku being friends 🌺

[z3rinn]

# #. KINGDOM CALLING !!

Being a Keyblade Wielder you thought you'd have seen everything by now. But you never expected to end up in a world where the villains you defeated were worshipped.

more twst x kh content because i’ve been hyper fixated on it for the past few months T_T speaking of, the reason I've been gone for so long is because I’ve now got a fic in the makings- using this exact concept! it’s posted on my wattpad and quotev, but I’m also debating if I should put it on this site… it’s quite long though! lmk if you guys think I should :]

Twisted Wonderland was weird.

You thought you’d have seen everything by now. Being a Keyblade Wielder, your job was to travel across worlds, defeating the darkness and hate spread by those willing to conquer.

You’d experienced stories and magic you could barely comprehend, standing on the sidelines as you watched fairytales play right before your eyes.

Creatures and supernaturals were considered friends, being far different from the monsters you imagined them to be. Even talking animals were a common thing now, having traveled with Donald Duck and Goofy for a better part of three years now.

You never thought you'd miss them.

Your life back on Destiny Islands was simple. Back there, you had a home; with small rowing boats and hammocks on the tiny island a quick swim away. You had proper food, with star shaped fruits said to bind your soul with your loved ones. Most importantly- you had your best friends; Sora, Riku, and Kairi— all eccentric yet lovable characters that held your heart. You would do anything for them.

The island was a sanctuary, a place for comfort and familiarity. If you had known what you did now, you would've trapped yourself there, basking in the warm sand and cool water brushing across your body. But then, being young and immature, you just wanted to leave.

Three years have passed since then. Years full of mystery and surprise.

You had undergone many things on your journey; battling against Heartless and monsters. Falling down rabbit holes and encountering princesses every which way you turned. Meeting leaders of all kinds of worlds, binding your hearts to create everlasting friendships. You had even sided with villians, willing to set aside your differences to accomplish your goals.

It was odd… working with Maleficent.

At one point you even had your heart stolen. Ripped away from you to create a husk. And that was just the surface.

You thought you had seen everything by now....

But Twisted Wonderland was weird.

Everything happened so suddenly; kicking open an overly fancy coffin ( far different from the ones Jack Skellington used ) only to be met by a creature that looked oddly like Stitch. But before you could ask anything, he gave chase, demanding you give him your robes— how did you even get these on?

Panic stricken, you ran. Running across classrooms, hallways, and courtyards- all while trying to get away from the cat.

Questions and concerns began to gush through your mind. How could you have gotten here? Where was everyone?

And where were you?

The next thing you knew, you were in a regal library, cornered by the monster. Floating books and dancing lanterns surrounded you, all approaching with intrigue. They all seemed to be observing you, like they were anticiping something.

Blue fire brushed across your skin, the flames flickering against your robes. You realized they were waiting for a spell, like they knew you would cast it before the thought could even pop into your mind.

Just as you raised your hand, getting ready to summon your Keyblade, a whip wrapped around the cat.

Both of you jumped, eyes darting to the double doors, finding a crow-looking man standing there. He looked oddly disappointed. Your eyes immediately narrowed, hands tensing.

Just looking at him made you feel on edge.

He was radiating darkness.

His golden eyes seemed to be staring right into your soul, gazing deep and pulling you apart from the seams. They pierced through your own. Entrancing. Like they were studying and discerning your moves. You didn't like them.

They looked like a villians.

You were wary of the man, raising a brow when he introduced himself. Crowley was his name; Descendant of a Hero. An odd name for someone whose heart seemed so full of darkness. He led you to a chamber room, surrounded by floating coffins and magic. Dark energy overfilled the room, whispers and cackles echoing from robed figures as they eyed your form.

You thought back to Organization XIII.

You didn't like robes all that much anymore.

They were traumatizing.

Crowley huffed, pushing you in front of— the magic mirror? Was that the one The Evil Queen used?

The mask in the mirror spoke, blank eyes narrowing at you as if you'd attack it at any second. Of course, it had every right to be afraid. Your friend literally threw a giant key at it once. Hopefully it could get passed that though, and you could ask it how you got here?

It bullshitted something about you not having a soul, ( you had a strange inkling it was being petty but whatever ) but before it could finish, the cat broke free.

He yelled, claiming he was strong enough to be at this school, and that he deserved your spot. You tilted your head at his outburst. Was that all he wanted? You gladly would've given your spot to him. You weren’t meant to be in this world in the first place. Hopefully you’d be out of here soon.

You had Heartless to go fight.

You had to go find Sora.

A quick mishap occurred, with Grim ( you remembered his name ) setting the room on fire. Apparently he was trying to show off his magic; an odd way to do so but you digress. A red haired boy chased after him, along with a boy with glasses.

Their magic was strange, coming out of a jeweled pen of all things.

Wind magic was casted, similar to your own Aero spells. Water attacks were aimed at it, easily dousing the blue flames. It was honestly amazing, watching so much magic come out of a tiny pen.

The redhead stopped in front of the cat, pointing his pen at him with narrowed eyes. Your own widened as he shouted a curse.

Off with your head.

That sounded awfully familiar.

…

Crowley was going to kick you out.

The magic mirror- or rather the dark mirror- explained that you didn't have a home to go to. You guessed it was because Destiny Islands was a whole other world, and simple mirror travel wouldn't be able to reach that far.

No matter, you could simply contact Donald or Riku on your Gummi phone and go home.

But of course, the first time a phone specifically made to communicate between worlds doesn't work is when you need it most.

So you did the only thing you could.

And showed him your Keyblade.

He muttered something to himself, widened eyes never leaving the blade in your hand. His feathers ruffled in surprise and intrigue, the slight curl of them being… strange. 

It was as if they were smiling.

Your eyes flickered to his own- noticing his scary… intense gaze.

You didn’t dare break contact, being far too focused on those piercings eyes. 

Those haunting, golden eyes. 

Eyes that looked just like Xehanorts.

The Headmage led you to a rundown cabin, home to a variety of ghosts and cobwebs. The building reminded you of the ones in Halloween Town; rundown with mischievous creatures inhabiting the spaces. These ghosts just looked like marshmallows.

You let out a low sigh, allowing yourself to fall on the dusted couch in the lounge. Debris flew up under your weight, flying into the air before dissapting. Your gaze was focused on the ceiling above, dazed as rain droplets fell to your cheeks and the wooden floors below.

The building was silent, aside from the rain. Wind blew against cobwebs, flying past your face and sticking to the rotting wood. Splinters and jagged pieces spiked up, parts of the walls ripped apart from age and student endeavors.

It was lonely here.

You didn't have anyone in this world.

Not even Jiminy fucking Cricket.

You hadn’t been alone in a long time.

The door creaked open, "Myah- it's really pouring out there!"

...

Twisted Wonderland.

That's what this place was called.

A world very befitting for its name.

Everything about this world was off— or at least— Night Raven College was.

Students seemed to love and adore the beings you had tried so desperately to keep away. They had dorms dedicated to them, embracing their darkness and allowing themselves to fall under its curse. Darkness that you had to get rid of.

Of course, they didn't actually know about the dangers you faced, finding these villians to be great and kind. They didn't know of the death and tragedy caused- the mistakes you had to fix.

It was strange though. Worlds weren't supposed to know of one another, otherwise chaos could ensue.

So why was Twisted Wonderland a combination of them all?

You suppose that's how this place got its name.

Everything in this world was twisted. Villians were considered heroic; great and all mighty beings that you and Sora definitely didn't beat.

While in the botanical gardens you sometimes laugh, imagining Leona's face if you told him you helped kill Scar. He gives you weird looks, telling you to shut up and go back to sleep. You try. It doesn’t work.

It wasn't until the Riddle incident did you realize why you were sent to this world. Darkness and hatred had been accumulating in the corners of this realm, seeping into the depths of people's hearts.

It was at times like this that made you miss Sora.

You turned over on your bed, eyes focused on the ceiling above. Moonlight seeped in through the wooden cracks, bits of the glowing celestial body peeking in. It was almost speaking to you, luring you towards it with the promise of comfort.

Kingdom Hearts.

Your eyes shut, turning away from the beckoning moon.

Well whatever. You had another long day ahead of you.

…

Thoughts? This was just a quick wip that I made in like an hour lolll. I’m thinking of doing another part tho, where we dive into character interactions and such. Rlly wanna write for Silver and a KH! MC!

[gay-disabled-characters-showdown]

LGBTQ+ Disabled Characters Showdown Round 1, Wave 2, Poll 5

A character being totally canon LGBTQ+ and disabled was not required to be in this competition. Please check qualifications and propaganda before asking why a character is included.

Check out the other polls in this wave and prior here.

Riku-Kingdom Hearts

Qualifications/Propaganda:

So Riku is neither canonically LGBTQ+ nor canonically disabled but there's quite a slew of subtextual evidence. And this subtext is considered basically canon due to the creator's (Tetsuya Nomura) stance on media, which is that he enjoys leaving clues for players to figure out. So while Riku is never explicitly said to be queer or disabled, there's clear evidence on both accounts.

So first: Riku is gay. There's no doubt about it (despite what the dudebros insist...) Riku is gay for Sora, his childhood best friend/former rival. Long story short, Riku was afraid of Sora's friendship with this girl Kairi, didn't realize those feelings were gay jealousy, and he got gaslighted by the Mistress of All Evil, MALEFICENT HERSELF, into believing that Sora didn't care for him anymore. He went Dark Mode, destroyed their home, and antagonized Sora for most of the first game. But then he gets trapped in the Realm of Darkness after Sora kicked his ass for the millionth time and he realized how *sora voice* stUpid he was being and helps Sora stop the apocalypse (saved the world counter: 1) Then Riku goes through a whole arc of "wow i was an idiot. sora will never forgive me and i have Darkness in my heart and i need to protect sora while he's in a year-long medically-induced coma to undo his amnesia" and. idk. theres a Lot of stuff. So much so that someone made a 6-HOUR video essay about it! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll17V9DJr7g)

Riku is also likely suffering from chronic pain. Throughout the year that Sora is in a coma, he fights Sora's Nobody, Roxas, to get Sora's memories back. During the fight, Roxas breaks Riku's wrist, and it never heals correctly. Throughout the finale of Kingdom Hearts 2, the next game chronologically, Riku wears a wrist brace that goes largely unexplained. During the final boss fight, Riku throws himself in the way of Xemnas (the Big Bad) to protect Sora, getting hurt twice in the process; being struck so hard in the shoulder that he's flung halfway across the battlefield, and then hit in the side so badly that it causes him to collapse as soon as the adrenaline from the fight fades. It's likely that none of these injuries healed properly, as even in Kingdom Hearts 3 (which is like 5 games later. dont ask) he has some interesting tells; his walk is incredibly stiff and his battle stance changes, likely because of the strain put on his wrist for the old stance. (https://www.tumblr.com/nobodyriku/706960754548604929 shows this pretty well, though i can't find the other post i had in mind but whatever)

Anything Else?:

soriku endgame actually <3

Darth Maul-Star Wars

Qualifications:

Maul is canonically disabled; he was bisected at the waist by one Obi-Wan Kenobi, but SOMEHOW did not die, and was in fact teleported into a garbage dump, where he proceeded to live as a spider cyborg for the next 12 years, when he was found and rescued by his long-lost brother. He has used prosthetic legs of one kind or another ever since, and in Rebels, he uses a cane. He is also definitely gay. In The Clone Wars cartoon, he is OBSESSED with Obi-Wan, to the point that Obi-Wan is his entire personality and the entirety of his life goals. All he wants is to kill him and cause him suffering in revenge for being cut in half and subsequently abandoned by his master. However, this obsession is. Definitely homoerotic. Dude fights Obi-Wan naked at one point (the animators forgot that people with prosthetic legs still have to wear pants). He literally builds a hate shrine to Obi-Wan's dead ex-girlfriend, who he killed, AFTER he kills her. In Rebels, once he is able to merge the two holocrons and ask any question he wants, he asks where Obi-Wan is. The answer is Tatooine, of course. He goes there, has one final fight with Obi-Wan, and is fatally wounded. HOWEVER. He dies in Obi-Wan's arms. He dies being HELD GENTLY by Obi-Wan. I cannot adequately explain how insane that is. Makes me froth at the mouth. Anyway.

Propaganda:

I love this severely fucked-up dude so much. He dedicated almost 20 years of his life to a single-minded obsession with Obi-Wan Kenobi, an obsession which literally kept him alive when he was chopped in half in a garbage pit, stuck in a hole on Planet Sith, and just generally attempting to live after being raised for nothing but violence as a child. He is missing half his bones, many vital organs, and got his two biggest blood vessels sliced right open, and yet REFUSED to die. He then became a spider cyborg. The first thing he did when coming onboard the Ghost was critique the interior design. He took over an entire planet just to get a guy to notice him. He was kidnapped as a child and tortured nonstop for the first 20 years of his life, resulting in an attachment style where he can only conceptualize relationships as a hierarchy (master/apprentice), so he searches constantly for an apprentice, and even treats his brother as one; despite how he very clearly just wanted a brother, he didn't know how to be in an equal relationship. He does absolutely nothing but cause problems for people-- be they Jedi or Sith. Ahsoka once released him from a magic strait-jacket as a "distraction" and he immediately began tearing panels off of the walls and decapitating people with them. He has a death grip on my brain.

Submitted by @convenient-plot-device

[kairithemang0]

The "Kairi Problem"

Hey guys it's Kairi day I'm gonna go on a long rant about how sad I am that she kinda sucks as a character.

To start I want to say that I absolutely adore Kairi, and that this isn't meant to be me hating on her, because I do really love her as a character (I literally stole her name for heavens sake). I just believe that there are a lot of problems with her character I need to get out of my system.

Ok, let us begin! First off, and the main issue with her for me is her pure reliance on Sora, and how much that really has damaged her character. Kairi is best when she's not around Sora. For instance, her conversations with Lea in KH3 are some of my favorite parts of that game. Their dynamic is so fun, and I wish they had more screentime together because they have the potential to have this sibling relationship that would be so wholesome. Along with her other interactions with characters, she could have such a great friendship with Aqua, seeing as Aqua will be teaching her how to better herself with the keyblade, it would be great to see more of their interactions.

HOWEVER! These are the only 2 meaningful relationships Kairi has outside of Sora. And even then, Sora makes up 80% of her interactions. Not even her and Riku talk much after KH1. They hardly even talk in Melody of Memory, a "Kairi game" where she is hardly playable. Not only that, at the end of that game Riku basically told her that she needs to stay home and let him to do work to find Sora. This to me is a big misstep in the writing for her character.

Kairi has self-confidence issues, one of her battle lines in Re:Mind is literally "please work". She has no faith in her abilities, but so much can be done with that. She can have an arc about believing in yourself and coming into her own and learn to stand beside Sora and Riku, not just letting them protect her.

This is partially due to her lack of screentime. She's never really been the focus of anything, she's just Kairi. The prize. That's really what she is, she's like the princess in another castle. Just "the girl". And that's a terrible thing to do with her character because unlike Peach, the princess in another castle, Kairi doesn't get the chance to rise above that label. In 21 years you'd think she'd be given something, anything really. I think that's why her kicking a heartless in the KH TV show pilot made me, and probably others, so excited. She did something! And it was cool, that's what we needed. Something cool.

So why am I talking about all this? The fandom has made jokes about Kairi being a plank of wood for years, it's no secret to anyone she's been given very little in terms of character. I guess my question is why? Why is Nomura giving this character with an interesting backstory and an interesting set of powers with seeds of a character if you squint such little time? Not only has she been around since the very beginning, but even characters who we know much less about than her are far more fascinating. I like to compare her to Yozora, who is a character we really know nothing about however we know he's powerful, and we know he has a goal. And I can assume he will deliver on both of those things even when we know more about him. Kairi on the other hand has had very few cool moments, has no goal, and just MIGHT be powerful. I mean you'd think having a princess of heart, a topic that has been covered in multiple games and will likely continue to be touched upon, as a main character would be amazing, right? Well, she's hardly ever mentioned to be a princess of heart and all we know about her powers is that she can bring back a heartless Sora in Kingdom Hearts 1. And that's it, that's all we know.

And I haven't even gotten into the whole thing about the Destiny Trio, the main trio in this series made up of 3 very important characters, feels more like 2 duos. It's either Sora and Riku or Sora and Kairi, not "Destiny Trio". And we know Nomura can write good trios, even while having 2 of the characters have moments together. So why can't the Destiny Trio have this? The 3 of them hardly interact without one of them overshadowing the other. For instance, the Riku and Sora KH2 reunion.

Sora is confused on how Riku can be here when he looks like Ansem. Kairi shows Sora that it is in fact Riku, and Sora and Riku have a moment. Then Kairi does nothing for the rest of the scene. In every case, that is a Riku and Sora scene where Kairi is just there. And this happens time and time again, where Riku or Kairi is put to the side so they both can have their moment with Sora.

And now it's time to talk about the scene where Xemnas kidnaps her. This scene is just... GAH I HATE IT!!! Xemnas just snatches her and then somehow, she's just passed out and gets killed. Not only that, but the reactions from other characters are also so lackluster. Sora does his "Kairi!" thing, and if anyone else were to have reacted I would say it should be Riku and Lea. Of course, Lea was dealing with his own troubles during that scene, seeing his best friends again was definitely something that would be more important to him, however he and Kairi spent time together growing a bond and training together, you'd think he'd at least go after her a little more? He does nothing! The only person that reacts to it is Sora, which is so sad since you'd think even Roxas would care a bit, since he and Kairi had that brief moment in KH2 where Roxas and Kairi's minds connect. You'd think any of them would have more of a reaction than they did. And she herself just sits there and struggles a bit. She's got another hand she could use to summon her keyblade again and swipe at him or do anything else that isn't absolutely nothing.

This whole scene would have been better if they had waited longer for Kairi to get taken, maybe she goes into battle with Sora, Riku, and Mickey when they fight the norts, but Xehanort swopes down and stabs her with his keyblade or something. If that happens, we could get more of a reaction from Riku. Really anything that isn't what we got would be better.

Throughout this whole series Kairi has been pushed to the side time and time again, and I highly doubt that'll end any time soon. With a new saga coming and more focus being placed on the Foretellers and what came before, Kairi will likely be once again pushed to the side lines while other more interesting characters take the front lines. It's a very sad fate for a character that has so much potential she'll never live up to due to a lack of interest from the writer.

[abyssal-memories-and-dreams]

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.

[sweeteastart]

🌺Kh Oc Week 2022🌺

@khoc-week

- Day 3 - Sacrifice -

Like you might have understood, I use sporadically prompts from the alphabet and the basic list. I let inspiration hit me when it wants to.

I have to say, this prompt is rather angsty here but i’ll try my best to make it fun to read eheh :D

Bunny

For my first girly, i decided to redraw the player sacrifice at the end of khux with my sweet child Bunny. However, before she was send through the portal by Ephemer, Anis see through his sister lies. In a desperate act, he push her away and is the one that is send through the portal and locked with the darkness.

Bunny has a hard time accepting what happened. She feels guilty that she wasn't able to fool her twin and that he sacrificed himself for her in the end. Thankfully – even if she is left in the ruin of Daybreak Town – Ephemer is here for her.

This unfortunate situation really strengthen their bound. A bound that – after years of strong friendship – because a sincere love for each other.

Mikana

Mikana's drawing is a rather bleak one. Mikana sacrifice everything to save her older sister. Manipulation, lies, deceit and pain don't matter to her as long as long as she can save Sakore.

In her blind attempt at rewriting fate, she sacrifice her own heart and body. The darkness she uses daily to manipulate her friends and further her plans slowly takes over her. Inexorably drawing her closer to her own end. However, life is far more cruel than she anticipate.

There is no cure. No way of saving her sister. In fact, in the past she left, Sakore became a heartless in a matter of weeks after her disappearance. The revelation is like a punch is the guts. All her anguish and suffering were for nought. All along her goals were nothing more than a cloud of smoke. From the start she wasn’t the one manipulating but was manipulated.

But things gets even darker when an old acquaintance recognize her. Yen Sid unveil her tainted actions to her friends. Her betrayal unearthed, she had no chose but flee. Now, without any goal or friends to rely on, Mikana has to reevaluate her life and chose her next moves carefully.

Sika

Sika try to hide away in Twilight Town for a while after crashing there. The teenager can finally live the way she wants to. A life she choose along, without the overbearing judgement of her master. But soon, she hears of Orion actions through her new friends. Orion now completely indulge in darkness and helps Xigbar in his plans.

Back against the wall, Sika has to make a choice : try to stop Orion's rampage or live the free and happy life she always dreamed of. Even if they feel conflicted, the perspective of innocents peoples being hurt by her inaction push her to follow the first option. Using her keyblade again after a while, she saves Kairi in extremis during one of Orion's attack on Twilight Town.

Now playing the role of keyblade master along side Aqua and Riku, Sika takes part in the plans to stop Xigbar and his mysterious plans. But really, Sika has a goal slightly different from the rest. In fact, her and Orion's relationship wasn't only friendship. Guilt ridden and still in love with the girl, they promise themself to take her down no matter what.

And they do. Running out of options in the last battle against the redhead, Sika resign herself to end it at once and run her keybalde through the both of them. Orion is defeated but Sika's own heart is freed in the process.

Pêche

Like said in my last post, Pêche is the result of Daisy's and Poppy's reunification into one. However, this unification was forced by Xehanort in the slim hope it would result in the formation of X-Blade. It , in fact, didn't forge the desired weapon.

The two parts that had grew apart for the last decade were in a delicate place : As their heart tried to fit back together, chunks of it were broken off, cracked or destroyed. They were auto-destructing, both of their heart desperately trying to survive the horrifying ordeal. Poppy quickly caught on that if they both persisted, neither would survive.

In a last act of unconditional love, Poppy consciously stop fighting and let Daisy's ego take over her heart. She was aware this action would make her disappear but it didn't matter as long as the other was alive and well. Ultimately - like it never existed - Poppy's conscience was no more. Though completely heartbroken and anguished by her other part passing, Daisy became one.

One that had some of Poppy's memories and feelings but mostly Daisy. Foggy memories and a deep feel of nothingness was all that was left of the years they were two. All that was left was patchwork of two individuals experiences that now had to live on.

PFIIIIIIIOUUUUUUU And here is the third day of this week for me ! It was pretty lore and angst heavy ahah i hope it wasn't too confusing. English isn't my first language but i really like writing fics in this language. No idea if it's good but anyways i hope my traumatized keykids were to y'all liking !

[themelodicenigma]

Have you ever come across Eli Farmer's Kingdom Hearts Remake series on youtube? I recently discovered it and I think it's really neat. He's not rewriting the series out of annoyance or spite towards the originals. Rather he's rewriting it as a fun experiment to see what it would be like if they remade the games with an alternate canon. He compared it to something like the FF7 Remake.

Oh! I hadn't seen that before. I watched the first game video, and it's pretty interesting—the deviations remind me of something you'd expect from the manga series. Though, different from the KH manga or even the FF7 Remake, those don't usually go out of their way to redefine or change the worldbuilding, which Eli did. It was still very cool nonetheless, I particularly like the focus on Riku's character, as I absolutely feel like we really could've used more of his antagonistic journey as well.

I do somewhat disagree on Donald and Goofy leaving Sora, mostly just because of how it works in tandem with the "why" the three of them were traveling with each other in the first place—Sora's goal to find Riku/Kairi and Donald and Goofy for finding the Keyblade wielder and then Mickey was consistent throughout the game as two different goals. Having the big, important moment where their bond with Sora wins over their initial mission is a MUST—but the conclusion of their bond with Sora + his "I don't need the Keyblade, friends are my power" is more affective at that given moment of when he gets the Keyblade back, proving the strength of his own Heart, and Donald and Goofy proving the power of their friendship. All at once—otherwise it'd probably feel like he should've reached that conclusion even before confronting Riku again.

But either way, anything could be rewritten and still go well, but I rather like that setup for what it does for the characters at Hollow Bastion. Interesting that Eli didn't feel the urge that most people do, which is to change the story to have Kairi journey around with Sora in the first game. lol As much as I love Kairi, her character and effect on the plot is solid in my book. If I was to skip to KH2, the only thing I'd probably change is having a little moment where we fight alongside Kairi once she gets her Keyblade.

[kimium]

For that ask game: Kingdom Hearts💜🥰

(From the ask meme HERE.)

Thank you so much friend!!! I am so excited to jabber on about Kingdom Hearts!

I'm going to set some rules before I answer this. One, I'll focus on KH characters only (so little Disney or Final Fantasy). Also, there will be spoilers for all the games thus far.

1) The character I least understand

This is a little nitpicky, but the character I least understand is Namine. Don't get me wrong, I like her a lot and I understand her function in the story. However, Namine, so far to me, has been more of a plot device character than an actual character. I'd really love to see her more. Perhaps now that she has her own body she can have a little more agency and scenes.

2) Interactions I enjoyed the most

I love:

-Any and all interactions with Xigbar. He's a riot but also my favourite character archetype (smug and more important to the plot than he lets on)

-Sora/Riku/Kairi always have some wholesome but also deep, emotional moments. I love that they have a lot of duality with their moments.

-Sora, Donald, and Goofy have some hilarious moments too

- Axel and Saix have some very deep, emotionally charged moments that I find a delight.

- Vanitas and Ventus also have some wonderful interactions.

- Axel and Kairi's interactions in KH3 were very cute and sweet.

- I also love any moment with Terra, Aqua, Ventus

-In Dream Drop Distance the interactions with Riku and Joshua were so hilarious and my favourite.

3) The character who scares me the most

Honestly... Master Xehanort. The way he planned everything, and played 5D chess... the lengths he went through to try and summon Kingdom Hearts... truly horrific. How many worlds did he let die to darkness for his goals? How many people had he hurt and ruined their lives? There are so many and he did it without a second thought.

4) The character who is mostly like me

I think Xion is most like me. Desperate to find her place in the world and secure who she really is and find her self worth. Feeling pressured by others to be a certain way or act a certain way. I relate to those feelings a lot.

5) Hottest looks character

For females the hottest character by far is Aqua. She's gorgeous and also strong... 👀

For males the hottest character is a toss between Saix and long haired Riku in KH2 (bring back his long hair, Nomura!!)

(Also, I would have said Axel but people would think I'm making a pun and I'd never make a pun.)

6) One thing I dislike about my favourite character

Okay. My favourite character is Xigbar and I cannot think of something I dislike about him. Sorry. I think it's hard to say because I'm not sure where his character arc is going/all of his backstory. Maybe once we know I'll have something.

7) One thing I like about my hated character

(For the record I don't hate anyone in KH. Just like some characters less.)

My least favourite character is Ansem the Wise but one thing I like about him is how simple his motivations are. He was fueled by hatred and betrayal over his research and identity being stolen. Revenge is a great motivator. I also like that he sees the error of his ways and realizes some of the things he did weren't right.

8) A quote or scene that haunts me

I have a lot. Sorry. I'm unable to pick a single favourite so I listed all of them.

- "May your heart be your guiding key" is easily one of my favourite quotes in the series. No, I don't care if it's cheesy or an obvious choice.

- That line from Terra that was something along the lines of "Was my Master, no my father not enough?"

- "GET UP ON THE HYDRA'S BACK" lives absolutely rent free in my brain. I hate it.

- That line from Xigbar when Sora says the keyblade would never choose him and he replies with "Oh, I am worthy".

- "Which one will you choose? Some make believe friendship? Or a real one?" is such a gut puncher when you learn more about Axel and Saix's past and relationship.

- "He said... he said to take two grown ups." The way that line was delivered! Absolutely amazing.

- That scene in KH2 when Sora is finally reunited with Riku and he just... collapses to the floor, clinging to Riku, and crying. Absolutely top tier.

- In 358/2 Days when Xigbar sees Ventus in Xion's stance and has a moment where he laughs.

- When Woody absolutely verbally destroys Young Xehanort. (You know the scene...)

- When Vanitas's helmet fades in KH3 and Sora finally sees his face.

- KH3's post credit scene

9) A death that left me indifferent

I wasn't too moved by a lot of the Organization XIII's "deaths". Mostly because we now know that this means they have a chance to reunite and become whole again.

10) A character I wish died but didn't

No one?

11) My ship that never sailed

Not sure if this means canonically or personally.

Canonically all of my ships haven't sailed because there aren't any "confirmed" ships besides strong hinting. Also, I ship everything Disney would never allow Nomura to make canon (except maybe Terra/Aqua) so no "sailing" or official confirmation of my ships.

If we're talking personally under the assumption "these ships exist but they're not my cup of tea so they'll never sail for me" then I'm not a big fan of Roxas/Namine or Xemnas/Saix.

[nobodies-png]

Hi can I get a uhhhh

Xeonort...being a big bro to Sora and Riku in a happy au where nothing goes wrong...With a side of fries and a diet coke

GRABS YOU AND SQUISHES YOU LIKE A DOG TOY

YOU BROUGHT ME BACK HERE, THIS IS YOUR FAULT !!!

So anyway, hello, hello ! I’ve been thinking about KH again now that union cross is about to end - and also about how fucked up it is that xenahort is from destiny islands like sir couldn’t you just stay THERE

Let’s sit down for a second, ignore the actual timeline along with the canon story and pretend that a young Xenahort just stayed in Destiny Islands and became the cool older brother figure that Sora and Riku just like to follow around. You know what, Kairi isn’t even supposed to be here if Xenahort stays but fuck it, she’s here too. It’s our AU, we make up the rules. This is just like the “Xenahort is everyone’s grandpa and KH is just their D&D game” AU except everyone is baby and with a side of found family trope. 

Xenahort often complains about Destiny Islands being too small for him, ironically enough he spends most of his days awat from the mainland to continue his personal research in the little shack by the smaller island. This is where Sora, Riku and Kairi find him most of the time and they have no problem barging in to keep him company and annoy him with endless questions. Just picture a very moody teenage Xenahort being followed by three absolute rays of sunshine that barely reach his waist. Just do it, imagine it. Okay, good, moving on - 

Kairi was most likely the first one to approach him, since Riku and Sora were too busy daring each other to do it. And Xenahort probably ignored them for days until they finally got on his nerves, but the three just REALLY wanna know what he’s working on ! Kids will be kids, yknow. So he indulges them and explains his theories about the different worlds and his goal to travel between them, lowkey hoping that they get bored and leave him alone but surprisingly, they don’t ! In fact, they want to know even more ! And god fucking knows Xenahort loves to ramble and have long winded monologues, so he’s pretty excited about having his own little students. 

They often talk about what kind of world they’d like to visit and all the endless possibilities - Riku is the one who talks the most during these sessions, often cutting Sora and Kairi to explain that “a world made entirely out of candy would probably rot in a few weeks” or all the rations they’d need to survive the trip, trying to apply logic to everything. Like, aight Riku we get it you’re smart. Sora on the other hand likes to talk about all the different people and creatures they could befriend - and gets really sad whenever Riku reminds him that the language barriers would prevent him from befriending people so easily. Kairi focuses more on the environment - the food, the flora and all the fun trinkets and gifts she can bring home for their other friends. It’s very refreshing for Xenahort, who was so obsessed with making his plans work that he forgot about the fun and exciting part of researching. 

Speaking of other friends, Tidus, Wakka and Selphie sometimes drop by, but only when the Destiny Trio insist - Selphie and Tidus are highkey intimidated by Xenahort because he looks like a mean teen, but Wakka just doesn’t like to think or hear about the universe when he can focus on his homeland. Tidus also likes to tag along whenever homework piles up and they can ask Xenahort for help. Hell, he probably builds their science projects too, but with a surprise to ruin everything at the end so the kids know better than to make him do all the work - like one of those volcanos but it erupts glitter all over the place or some shit.

Still, Xenahort is a teen and like most teens, he’s got his moments of intense angst. He might propose very complex questions to the Destiny Trio out the blue, about leaving everything behind, never to return to the islands, for the sake of research and so on. Riku never answers, since he somewhat feels the same, Kairi and Sora however, insist that he can always come back. But yeah, sometimes the trio also get really angry at Xenahort because he refuses to play with them, on account of being “too old for baby games”.

Xenahort also strikes me as a guy who’d pretend not to know the trio on the main island, if only to save some face around his classmates and other friends - but Sora’s mom totally invites him over for lunch and shit and practically treats him like her own son. Which is super weird because it messes Xenahort’s mysterious and slightly condescending vibe. Yeah this is just that entire “Good Guys adopt Antagonist and Antagonist must deal with casual affection and friendship” TV trope, don’t look at me.

Sora, Riku and Kairi would grow up to be the curious adventurers they’ve always been in canon, but instead of being motivated to leave due to insatisfaction, they’d be thrilled to explore the universe out of pure curiosity for the unknown. And they wouldn’t build a shitty raft with like 3 fucking coconuts, not on Xenahort’s watch. 

For the bonus angst idea, just imagine that one day the Destiny Trio arrive at the island to play with Xenahort, but he’s nowhere to be found. He doesn’t show up the next day either, nor the day after. They can’t even find him on his house. No one knows where he is. Not even his own family.  And weeks pass, as if he had never existed in the first place. Sora, Riku and Kairi wonder if Xenahort actually managed to leave Destiny Islands - but he would never leave without them. Would he?

[drazavonia]

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)

[angel-with-a-pipette]

I think it might be canon that Riku really does think of himself as Sora's older brother, given some of the recent material released. And Sora compares Elsa and Anna to Riku and himself, right? That and a lot of the emotionally intense scenes between the two can be read as the love between brothers. But because most fans who focus on their relationship view it through a romantic lense, I often worry that I'm in denial and that I'm being too heteronormative to see Riku's feelings for Sora.

I'll say you're spot on there. KH3 very much focuses on portraying Sora and Riku's relationship as sibling-like, but this surely isn't restricted to KH3.

There have always been hints and allegations to Riku feeling like he has to protect Sora and his other friends while Sora looks up to him and admires him. Riku has always been (and still is) the taller and stronger boy. Back in BBS, Riku already has the urge to protect his friends and basically puts himself into the big brother role. He's child-like, but not as easily excitable as Sora, giving him a slight air of maturity (as much as a five year old can have). We also know that he's canonically a year older than both Sora and Kairi, he might very well be the oldest out of the bunch of Destiny Islands' kids we have met, this would explain why the others expect Kairi to choose him between him and Sora.

Post KH1 Riku? He seems himself as a failure that needs to repent and figure out things on his own. He's still protective of Sora, but doesn't want him to interfere because he is ashamed. After all, in KH2 he admits he thought he was the better of the boys and Sora readily agrees. Both put Riku on a pedestal, Riku put himself on the protector pedestal while Sora put him on the "I want to be like him" pedestal.

This even continues right into DDD. Riku is fully aware that he failed his own goal of being the protector, but he holds onto it, ultimately saving Sora and being worthy of the title of Keyblade Master.

What both he and Sora have been sleeping on however is that Sora has been catching up to him. Even though both protected each other in KH2, they neglected to see Sora's growth in relation to Riku's. To put it bluntly without intending to be mean, everyone was too preoccupied with Riku and his Darkness and his failures and his redemption to see that he a s Sora are equals now. DDD doesn't help it with Yen Sid's absolutely unfair assessment of their Mastery.

But KH3 comes along and finally, finally we realize that Sora is right where he wants to be. He wants to be as strong as Riku and he is. And more importantly than us, Riku realizes the growth in Sora, realizes that while he might always want to protect his best friend, his little brother, he trusts him to protect himself, to make his own decisions.

This is growing up. Relationships changing, people maturing. This Nomura told us so beautifully.

You know who they remind me of, now that I wrote down their story?

Edward and Alphonse Elric.

Edward is the one who messes up, just like Riku. He is the one who wants to protect his little brother despite him being perfectly able to protect himself. Alphonse adores and admires his big brother, so much that he always refers to him as such. They're forced to go separate ways and only then do they learn that they're both equally capable of making their own decisions and trusting each other.

So, if I think that KH has elements of a beautiful tale of two brothers, then why do people see Sora and Riku through a romantic lens? Is it truly because they're inherently portrayed as romantic or is it because they're two young, attractive men, typical bishonen who just naturally appeal to (a lot) of the fans? There is actually a lot to be said on Japanese men and how they show affection and friendship towards their friends and lovers, but @phoenix-downer has already made an amazing post on that in the past so please check out her post here: https://phoenix-downer.tumblr.com/post/182693523578/light-in-the-darkness-scene-japanese-and-english

But instead of studying the behavior of Japanese boys and men, I could also ask you this: If Sora and Riku were meant to be seen through a romantic lens, why does Sora compare their relationship to two siblings, while remembering Eugene and Rapunzel when it comes to Kairi and her act of true love?

Now I know people will tell me "BuT hE aLsO tHoUghT oF ElSa AnD AnNa?!" which is completely true. It was also an act of true love and Sora dearly cares about Kairi as a friend - it just so happens that he also cares about her as his significant other (and vice versa), so both acts of true love are appropriate to show off. But there's still the fact that the game references one of the romantic pairings for Kairi's act of true love and not only that, it's the romantic pairing that Sora is most acutely aware of, going so far as to tease them about their feelings for each other.

So, the game makes it very, very clear which relationship is supposed to be romantic and which is supposed to be friendship to the point of running deep enough to resemble the bond of two brothers.

Just like, you know, pretty much all the other games as well that feature Kairi in some capacity.

[ultyso]

Please tell us your entire Venso story/timeline. Every piece of info, all the details about them and where they go from here. Their whole story

Been very on and off responding to this cause this feels a bit overwhelming to put together, honestly. Sorry for delay in response.

How I feel for my VenSo timeline:

With player theory:

I go off a lot of the Sora is player theory. So them meeting, becoming friends. Something happens that splits them apart. To keep in good faith with each other, they make a promise to never forget the other and always be there for eachother.

Take then the whole moving to the future. Their memories wiped they don’t remember any of that stuff anymore but their hearts still do.

Maleficent being the key to remembering the union kids, I like to think the memories deep within Ven’s heart could be how “player” Sora was able to come back. How their hearts were able to touch. They both protected each other.

Ven has a love for stars so I like to think that perhaps the star could be related to “player” Sora. Him wanting to find him deep in his heart even though he can’t quite remember why stars are so important to himself.

Cue then to KH3, with Sora leaving, they’re separated now. Ven constantly feeling like something is missing. Missing ache lol and he just wants Sora back. Ven will do whatever he can to help Sora.

So he does. Working as best he can. I figure he’d probably not be able to rest as easy. Not until Sora is safe. He makes it his mission to search for him or find answers as best he can. That is until he starts learning of the other union leaders. Thrown then between wanting to find Sora but also being able to get closure on his past. I’d think even though he cares for Sora, wanting his memories would be more important. He’ll focus on that. Reclaiming what was lost. He’ll change his goal to finding his friends he’s slowly starting to remember. Learning about what happened, probably with Terra and Aqua. And that becomes then his key focus. Sora stuff starts to become a blur in comparison. After all Riku and Kairi’s story will focus on saving him.

But then maybe later on he starts to learn specifically more about the foretellers and the master’s goals. That’ll bring it back to Sora. He’ll relay that info to Riku and Kairi. With Sora being player theory, ofc Ephemer and Skuld would be down to help, or maybe they remember he’s player and only Ven doesn’t.

They help go to Quadtrum in some way and deal with master stuff or whatever nonsense may happen. And then, I like to think almost like a trigger of something that happens, a memory flashes back of like a hey he’s “player” thing and then Sora and Ven unlock some fancy schmancy move or something. Being their ultimate move of friendship or whatever and they beat the baddies or something like that.

Everyone’s good friends again and happy to be together. I highly doubt VenSo would actually get to together honestly. As cute as it’d be it honestly feels really unrealistic and that they’d all just be happy friends again ;;

If things went how I’d like, I’d like it to be where Sora can’t decide his feelings. Because he has his present feelings for Kairi. But then remembers the past with Ven. So he would choose them both. Both being too important for him to choose one over the other.

——

If not based on theory at all:

Ven slowly growing smitten with Sora as he finally meets him face to face. He doesn’t notice it at first. Most likely not until Sora’s gone. Realizing only then how important he is to him and how much he loves him.

I still feel he’d choose getting his old memories first before the Sora stuff. But once he finishes that, he’ll use what he’s learned to help bring back Sora. Since their hearts are very connected, I like to think that Ven’s heart could reach out to Sora’s. That they could talk to each other and help each other out.

Maybe since Ven is this “destined kid” for darkness. And Sora is essentially this “destined kid” for light. I’d like to think it could cause for some dramatic stuff. Like things not being the same as they once were. Ven would shy away from Sora. Blaming himself for the damage he’s done for Sora. Feeling so guilty. He wouldn’t be able to live through it. Sora being conflicted. Kind of like how he was with Naminé. Not happy with how things went, but won’t stop being friends because those feelings are still genuine. Sora being there to comfort Ven, and fix up what was broken, and the two end up stronger together. Ven finally admitting how he feels about Sora probably through tears. How he can’t stand the thought of not being with him and Sora holds him close. Understanding Ven’s feelings but also shy because no one has ever confessed to him before. I think he’d cherish that moment. I’d think that it’d be same in that idk if they’d get together but if they did, Sora wouldn’t be able to give up Kairi either. Feeling a close bond to both he’d ask for them both to accept him and each other.

[i-believe-in-soriku]

Essay Part 2: The Deepest Relationship

Now that I have explained how Riku is a strong character with is OWN development and his OWN personanity, I can talk about his relationship with Sora. Sora is also a developed character, even if his evolution is less spectacular than Riku's. I'm not here to talk about Sora so I'll probably give you links to wonderful analysis I've read.

If I mention that, it's because I want to point at something which is very important in terms of writing. To write a relationship between two characters (or more, but here it's two), the two characters involved must be developed. That's important to understand the dynamics between them, why they like each other, why their relationship exists and why it works. And this rule applies to all kinds of relationships.

Indeed, those conditions are filled with Sora and Riku's relationship.

Actually, the producer himself admits that their relationship is the very heart of the series:

"The fact is that the main focus of the series is Sora and Riku; how their friendship develops, but also how they grow up."

Now, let's see how their relationship works. Because it works. Whether you see it as friendly or romantic doesn't matter, it works the same.

The two of them were childhood friends. It is told in BBS and KH: they used to spend all their time together, inventing stories and dreaming about adventures. They kind of promised to protect each other at the really early age of 4 and 5.

Aqua: Sora, do you like Riku?

Sora: Of course I like him, he's my best friend!

Aqua: Good. So then, if something happens, and Riku is about to get lost--or say, he starts wandering down a dark path alone--you make sure to stay with him and keep him safe. That's your job, Sora, and I'm counting on you to do it, okay?

*Sora nods*

As they grew up, a distance has settled between them. I have already talked about what caused that distance. KH is not the best moment of their friendship but, believe it or not, it is essential to its development. Both guilt and love pushed Riku to seek to make amends with Sora, to protect him:

Sora, on his side, wasn't resentful against Riku at all -all he wanted was to find his friend back and make things the way they were before.

But it soon became clear to them that such a thing was impossible. Too many things had changed due to Riku's actions and the hardships they had to face. They had to stick the pieces back, and tried their best to do so. Sora tried to find back Riku during CoM and KH2.

Sora (beginning of KH2): Well, I'm gonna go look for Riku. Then he and I can go back to the islands together.

Riku tried to help Sora recover his memories and he watched his friend during his sleep.

And it didn't mattered to them that one year has passed, their goal never changed. When Sora woke up, Riku kept on protecting him, Sora kept on searching for him. Both of them wanted to recover something that mattered to them - that is to say, their best friend. Is it forced? No. It follow the events of KH. It is the consequence of what happened before.

When they finally find each other during the events of KH2, the feelings expressed by Sora (happiness, relief) and by Riku (shame, doubt) underline how much they care about each other.

Sora: Why didn't you let me know you were okay?

That's not like Sora's and Kairi's reunions, where all we can see is a promise - something that Sora and Riku also share - and mere relief, joy. I don't say Sora is not happy to be reunited with Kairi and vice-versa. It's just that when they do, the poor development Kairi is given prevents these scenes from being as powerful as Sora's and Riku's reunion(s).

Indeed, when they found each other in KH2, after a rough fight with Xemnas, what is the first thing that happens between them?

A heart-to-heart conversation.

That is sweet, and illustrates that, yes, they share a special bond. But what I like the most with this scene in the Dark Margin, is that it's the undeniable proof of what I've said before.

Those boys are trying to line the scattered pieces of their frienship up - and the way they do it is simple, touching. They are just being honest with each other while talking about their past feelings for each other - and also the one they experience in the present moment:

Riku: What I said back there...about thinking I was better at stuff than you... To tell you the truth, Sora... I was jealous of you.

Sora: What for?

Riku: I wished I could live life the way you do. Just following my heart.

Sora: Yeah, well, I've got my share of problems, too.

Riku: Like what?

Sora: Like...wanting to be like you.

Riku: Well, there is one advantage to being me... Something you could never imitate.

Sora: Really? What's that?

Riku: Having you for a friend.

Sora: Then I guess...I'm okay the way I am. I've got something you could never imitate too.

That is so sincere that I don't get why people keep on saying that their relation is forced.

Their story, however, is not over yet. Dream Drop Distance is the the highlight for the writing of their common story. I have already written a post about their bonds in KH3D, so I'll resume what I said, and add new elements. DDD is pretty smart because it depicts the link between Sora and Riku even though they're separated during almost the whole game.

At the beginning of the game, Riku and Sora are at Master Yen Sid's Tower, and he says that they have to pass the Mark of Mastery Exam. It is really important to Riku, but for Sora, it is quite useless. Still, Sora decides to pass the exam with Riku in order to motivate and support him.

Sora: But that's a formality, right? I already proved myself. Me and the king, and Riku--we can take on anything. Right, Riku?

Riku: I don't know. I think that in my heart, darkness still has a hold. Walking that path changed me. I'm not sure if I'm ready to wield a Keyblade. Maybe I do need to be tested.

Sora: Riku... Then count me in. Put me through the test! Just watch--me and Riku will pass with flying colors!

This element shows that the two of them trust each other. Which is the proof that their conversation on that dark beach has definitely recovered their bonds - their trust in each other, the fact that they can rely on each other no matter what.

That is an evolution, not just a "return to the way it was before". Because the dynamic between them has changed. Sora is the one Riku rely on. Sora is the one "in advance". Sora is the one confident and cool. (at least in Riku's eyes). But Riku is not jealous anymore. That's different.

The game has also a lot of interesting scenes. In Traverse Town, for instance, we """learn""" (in case it wasn't clear until that moment...) that Sora is Riku's most important person.

Beat: I just...wanna protect the one person who matters.

Riku: I know the feeling.

On Sora's side, by his own words, they are always together, even when they are separated:

Sora: Don't worry. He's with me--even when it might seem like he's not.

In La Cité des Cloches, the Quasimodo/Riku parallel shows that Riku his still holding back stuff inside of him.

Quasimodo: Master Frollo--he made me live inside the bell tower, but the real walls were the ones I built around my heart. You helped me see that, Riku.

Riku: I was...speaking from...personal experience.

Given the context, it is clear that it is a reference to Riku's feelings for Sora, especially if we take a look at Quasimodo's feelings for Esmeralda, and Esmeralda's and Phœbus words.

In Monstro, Riku says that Sora is his conscience, and even talks about "his stupid grin", what's.. extremely tender?!

Jiminy: You must have somebody--a friend you can talk to?

Riku: Yeah...actually, I do. That stupid grin he's always wearing--he's the best teacher I could ever have.

The Symphony Of Sorcery is also full of elements, like the fact that Sora considers that Riku is always there for him...

Sora: Don't worry. I've got a friend out there who will help. He's always picking up the slack for me.

...which was actually proved in game:

So yeah, the game does not only say that Riku is here for Sora, it actually shows that. And the fact that they share a "heart song" is purposely here to illustrate how strong their relationship is.

Mickey: It's like each of you is holding on to a little part of the other. Your hearts are always in tune, so they're free to sing.

Mickey even says that, when they're together, their heart are "free to sing". And it is true: they can be their true selves together, they know they can trust each other, they are comfortable with each other.

Riku being Sora's Dream Eater is a major point in his character but ALSO another proof that he cares really much about Sora and that it is instinctive, natural - he doesn't even realize it until someone points out this """detail""".

Another scene that, for me, is important to proove that their relationship is NOT forced is the moment when Riku is named Master. Sora is not upset, he's sincerely happy for Riku:

Sora: I knew you were gonna pass with flying colors. This is just so awesome!

Watching his reactions, it's easy to see that he knew how important it was to Riku:

And finally, KH3 is the consequence of this development. Riku and Sora have achieved a balance together, between trust in each other and independence. In this game, Sora wants to protect Riku, Riku wants to protect Sora - and he actually found the strenght to do it. Riku cheers Sora up, believes in him, the same way Sora did for him before:

In the end, Riku is, once again, the one who's saving Sora. In fact, I would say they constantly save each other - sometimes save and being saved is the same thing.

So, yeah, I don't know if it was clear... but what I meant is that every single KH game where those boys are present - that is to say the large majority of them - shows how they both evolve individualy but also how their relationship evolves to become something better, something greater. The way it is written follows a perfect logic, a dynamic that corresponds to the state of the two characters and the context in which the action takes place.

Once again, regarding the care that is taken to tell their story, it is unfair to say that their relationship is forced. ESPECIALLY if it is compared to Sora's relation to Kairi. It is simply incomparable.

Intro • Part 1

[aliceslantern]

Give/Take, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic, chapter 1

Ienzo has been too busy since the war to be overwhelmed by the past. But with little progress to be made in his work with Kairi, old nightmares start to invade.

Riku is a glorified housesitter. Lonely and faced with no choice but to wait for a way to find his friends, he eagerly accepts when Ienzo asks him to help do repairs around the castle. Before long, the two strike up an unlikely friendship, united by their dark pasts and their attempts to be better people.

But just as they begin to consider something more... Kairi wakes up.

Ienzoku (Ienzo/Riku), post-Melody of Memory, slow burn. Updates Thursdays until it's done.

Read it on FF.net/on AO3

---

Ienzo thought he had gotten over the strangeness of being back here. But it was one thing to work on decrypting Even’s replica data, another to work on examining a girl’s heart.

With company.

The console was a sea of old papers and teacups. One of them had finally caved and dragged in chairs. While Ienzo’s knowledge of the heart had only grown over the years, he could scarcely remember how to actually examine one, especially without hurting its owner. Translating the untranslatable into data and then having to translate that into something conveyable… it was a headache.

A loud, pounding headache. Not helped at all by the fact that Even liked to talk to himself why he worked.

Yes. Ienzo was not used to company anymore.

He looked over his shoulder, if so just to stretch his eyes for a moment. Kairi was sound asleep. He got up and tucked the blanket a little more firmly around her shoulders. She would’ve been more comfortable in one of the pods, but to get to them one had to pass through the basement, and none of them were willing to bring that up. It was lucky most of the papers had been digitized all those years ago; nobody could actually manage to go down there.

He’d thought he’d been prepared. After all, he’d worked up here for weeks--longer. But actually putting in that code and walking down the long, long spiraling ramp, seeing the doors of cells--

Another pulse of pain echoed through his head, and he pressed a hand to his brow. “Alright, Ienzo?” Ansem asked.

He shook his head to clear away the headache. “My eyes are tired,” he said. “That’s all.”

“Why don’t you take a break? Get yourself some coffee? You’ve been in here since early this morning.”

“It’s alright.” When he went to sit back down, his knees were weak; he had to grip the back of the chair.

Ansem smiled sadly. “You cannot do your best work if you’re not rested. Go on, Ienzo.”

“And get some sleep,” Even snapped, not looking up. “You’re too young to look that exhausted.”

“Pot, kettle, black. Minus perhaps the youth.”

He scowled. Ienzo saw Ansem trying not to laugh.

The hallways were dark and cold, despite best efforts to repair the shattered lighting. He walked back in a haze, his headache throbbing worse. He used to never be prone to such things.

He saw Dilan in the distance. Neither he nor Aeleus wanted to join in the research, content enough to split their time on construction and guard duty; though it wasn’t like there was much to guard these days. Ienzo could not blame them. He actually envied them, their ability to just leave behind that chapter of their lives. But Ienzo had been the one to volunteer his knowledge, after all. If so many lives had to be lost for what they learned, best to use it for good.

“Stray’s at the door for you,” he said. Rather than the deep blue guard uniform, he was in paint-spattered overalls.

“I’ve told him he’s welcome to come right on up,” Ienzo said, shaking his head. “I don’t know why he always waits at the door.”

“It’s polite,” Dilan said, rolling his eyes. “Though I don’t recall that one being so polite in the past.”

Ienzo shrugged. He didn’t want to think of that time if he could avoid it. Easier to treat Riku like a blank canvas, a stranger. Ienzo suspected that he might do the same. He gathered himself, loosened his ascot just slightly, and went outside.

“Riku. Hello. I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.”

He looked a bit sheepish. “I know you said you’d call if you found out anything major--”

“Yes. That is true.” He tried for a smile, found it too difficult. “There’s nothing new yet. Nothing that we didn’t already guess, anyway.”

“...Right.” He dropped his eyes. In the past several weeks since they’d been doing all this, his hair had started to grow out of the brisk spikes and hung, ungelled, around his eyes.

“I do hope you didn’t come all this way for this,” Ienzo said.

He shook his head. “The committee was helping me with something.”

“...Oh, Sora’s data?”

“Yes.”

“That actually sounds very interesting.”

He chuckled. “Honestly, it’s more like videogames than anything. It’s all just fight data. No memories.” He sighed.

“...Oh.”

An awkward pause. Ienzo had been trying not to look at Riku directly, focusing instead on his unkempt hair, which seemed more white than silver in this light. But actually seeing the young man’s face made him realize that Riku was exhausted too. “I shouldn’t keep you,” he said. “You seem like a busy person.”

“Will you go home, then?”

This seemed like the wrong thing to say; Riku tensed. “No, not home. Not yet.” He brushed at his bangs, but they just flopped back in his eyes. “I’ve been asked to keep an eye on the Land of Departure. Kind of like housesitting, to be honest.” A nervous smile. “I don’t mind it.”

“Land of Departure? You mean--”

Riku’s smile faded. “You know it as Castle Oblivion.”

A long, tremulous pause. Ienzo saw it without meaning to--the fight on the imaginary Destiny Islands, a brutal slash to the back, a basement corner, Axel, the puppet’s hands closing around his throat--

“...You okay?”

He jerked a little. This Riku was not that Riku. He was older, taller, his voice a bit deeper. But the color of his eyes was the same. “I’m sorry,” he stammered.

“...I know. Lotta bad memories wrapped up in that place. But it’s… it’s not the same.”

“Logically I knew one came from the other, but…” Ienzo shook his head.

Another pause, longer than the last.

“You, and me,” Riku said slowly. “If we’re going to be working closely with her, for her… we can’t… skirt around it much, can we.”

“...I guess not. It doesn’t seem like starting over has been much help, yes?”

“Right. Look, I don’t… hold it against you.”

This surprised him. “You don’t? But--”

A sigh. “Look, I’ve also done things I regret. A lot of things. Holding onto all that… being mad at others, or myself… doesn’t help, and doesn’t make sticking to the new path any easier.” Riku shrugged. “You guys are trying to be better. That’s what matters.”

Riku’s words were evoking something sharp and tight in him. He wasn’t sure what it was. “You don’t have to forgive me.”

“I want to,” he said, and he seemed to mean it. “You don’t have to forgive me, either.”

“You did nothing wrong in that scenario. It’s different--” He felt a flush rising in his face.

Riku shook his head. “Not really.”

Ienzo wasn’t sure what to say. The feeling threatened to strangle him--

“As much as I’d love to philosophize more on the meaning of darkness, I should get going,” he said, with a small smile. “Sorry for dropping by.”

“It’s… fine…” Ienzo said, dropping his eyes. “Safe travels.”

He watched Riku walk off, trying to swallow down the feeling. He didn’t want to think about it anymore. The memories here were bad enough, much less the ones there.

He went inside and decided to try and sleep. Ienzo had never been very good at sleep, not as Zexion, either. Nobodies did not require sleep; it was a much more voluntary process. As was eating and drinking water. The nothingness in their beings could sustain, if willed.

Humanity really felt so intense and so fragile, like he was a piece of glass being flung across the room, waiting for the fall.

Ienzo decided to take a bath, as though the hot water would finally will him into submission. He did miss how clean that castle was, how nothing was broken, how it didn’t take minutes for the water to warm. After the world’s fall, the majority of Radiant Garden--especially the castle--was in abject disrepair. When he was a child, it had taken a full staff to keep the place clean, well-kept, but it had been so--

Memories everywhere he turned. They just felt so--achingly sharp. He didn’t want to think at all.

Ienzo took a deep breath and slid under the water, rendering the off-white tile into ripples.

---

Riku was bored.

No; this was an understatement. The more time he spent here, alone, in the Land of Departure, the more he felt like his mind was turning to mush. The hallways were too wide and too empty, and everything was so quiet. His own footsteps and breath seemed deafening in comparison.

Riku was not used to quiet. If it weren’t for the whispering of Heartless, or the ambient sounds of busy and inhabited worlds, then there were other sounds, like the hush of waves in the distance. He could tell that he was the only person alive here. At first he’d tried to convince himself he liked the peace.

The peace just made him aware of how empty everything was, and how alone he was. At least if he’d been alone on his quests in the past, he had a goal, something to word towards, and in a way that goal hadn’t changed; bringing his friends home safe. Going back to normal. But normal hadn’t been so great either, had it? He’d been so eager to escape it, that so-called prison.

But right now… there wasn’t much for Riku to do to help achieve that goal. All he had to do was wait .

Riku had never been that good at waiting. For several days he roamed the grounds around the castle, looking for Heartless or Nobodies or Dream Eaters or Unversed or something to fight, some small evil to purge or free. But it was clear that there was nothing here, nothing to give him diversion from how utterly useless he felt.

So much for being a Keyblade master. His title felt silly, useless. He was literally just house sitting. For all his supposed power, he couldn’t help Kairi in her sleep or Sora… wherever he was.

If he was at all.

Riku forced the thought from his mind and got up from the bed in the room he’d been sleeping in. Terra had said to make himself comfortable, and there did seem to be a whole lot more unoccupied space for Keybearing students. But still, using someone else’s space made him… uneasy. He even wished he had something to clean , but in one of her many small notes left to him, Aqua had said there were spells that banished grime, and not to worry about it. (It had been kind of funny, though, the first time he spilled some tea; it disappeared into nothing.)

It was clear this place had been a home, some eleven years ago. Riku allowed himself to explore a few rooms a day, aware that, unlike in Castle Oblivion, the space here was finite. It would end. If he wasted it all in one big sweeping day of exploration, then what?

It’d be… just quiet. Just him.

He tried to structure his days. Wake up at a certain time, eat at a certain time, train for a certain amount of time. The spinning rings in the courtyard were useful (and made him question what, exactly, they were made out of), but even they were designed for students.

(Try to ignore the nightmares, of that strange city, of Sora, nightmares that faded into nothing as soon as he tried to understand them--)

He tried to read, to study magic with some of Aqua’s many, many spellbooks, but the theory was hopelessly complicated for his already-foggy mind. He kept thinking of Kairi, lying prone in that small white chair. It had been weeks , how come those scientists didn’t have anything new to say--

Patience. Breathe.

Riku got up and started walking.

If he squinted hard, he could see places where aspects of Castle Oblivion had come from. The moulding here. The planter there. The pattern of the wallpaper in some rooms.

Bringing it up had clearly made Ienzo uncomfortable. That had been a dumb, tactless thing to say. And truthfully… when Riku saw those pieces of that place here… his memories burned too. The darkness had crawled up inside of him, threatening to burrow deep and take over. That burning, aching feeling, its weight, its pressure. The inexorable rush of power when it broke through during those battles.

He looked at his palm. That burn didn’t feel the same anymore. He wasn’t sure it would ever go away , but the temptation had changed, become something he could utilize. Like turning on a faucet versus a crack in a dam.

He wondered if the former Organization members felt the same, or if they’d felt the same pull to darkness to begin with. He realized he could just ask , but then remembering how stricken Ienzo had looked, realized equally he couldn’t . But what about DiZ--Ansem the Wise? Had he felt the same? The old man seemed more approachable, despite the fact that Riku knew the dark side of him too.

Such complicated bedfellows. They did seem to… want to be better people.

He’d heard the stories from Leon about what happened in the basement labs. And he’d seen what they were capable of in Castle Oblivion, and the World that Never Was, and…

What of the things he could’ve done, if he hadn’t fought Ansem--the Heartless one? If it hadn’t been for Sora--

Sora. If not for Sora, and Kairi and Mickey, he could’ve ended up on that wrong path for longer, too.

Riku missed his friends.

[whyarewecalledtheshipname]

Another tweet response/ramble I decided not to bug the op with. This was not discourse of any kind, this was a fellow soriku who’s post simply made me Think Things. The post was just a random little side thought about how riku and kairi’s friendship would fare if Sora really were to choose Riku (romantically speaking).

It made me wonder, does kairi even like sora? Romantically??

I mainly perceive sokai from two angles: One, kairi is mainly attached to Sora in a way that reflects her fear of change.

Kairi wants to keep Sora around because he was her childhood friend, and she doesn’t want that to change not only because she cares about him, but because, again, she doesn’t want to lose her old connections. She wants her and sora to remain friends for the sake of staying friends.

Angle two is that sokai is relevant mostly because at a surface level it seems like it’s supposed to be the intended pairing. And that’s it.

I don’t get the impression that Sora likes kairi, definitely not after kh1, but I also don’t really get that impression from kairi.

The only goal kairi has ever seemed to have is “sora” (it’s been like her only character trait until recently imo). But even then, it doesn’t read as romantic to me.

Even the paopus felt like a desperate attempt to tether Sora to herself, not a legitimate bonding moment between the both of them. And that’s without kairi specifically explaining that she just wanted to share them so they wouldn’t be separated due to the fight against xehanort.

Maybe I’m projecting onto kairi, lol. But fr, this isn’t just a case of “let boys and girls be just friends”. I legit don’t think kairi likes sora romantically. Am I alone in this? I just don’t see it 🤷🏽‍♀️

[snowflake-of-destruction]

Shipping ask game:

SoRiKai

AkuRokuXi

TerAquaVen

Wow, how could I have forgotten about this one?

SoRiKai

Ship it so much

What made you ship it?

The depth of emotion between these three is one of the cores of the story, the degree to which they are entwined is shown multiple times though arguably best/most memorably captured in the small scene of Kairi recognizing Riku in KH2 and then joining Riku and Sora's hands. I would never, could never devalue their friendship but the fact that their feelings are (or at least were confused as) romantic is some of the tension right at the forefront of our very first installment with the many different ways to take the simmering jealousy seen on multiple sides. That the three of them together as a unit is their collective hearts' desire, their goal, and, sometimes, as in the end of KH3 where Riku and Kairi both were needed to bring Sora to a place where he could give them and everyone else a second chance, a necessity is, to me, apparent. I have a storm of emotion and opinion on Sorikai and sometimes forget that not every Soriku or Sokai shipper is going to share these emotions or ship Soriku, Sokai, and Rikai all about the same amount, but all you need to do is gently bring me back to earth if that happens. 

Read more placed for length

What are your favorite things about the ship?

That time and separation makes no difference. Also, the way they look at each other and say one another's names.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

That Riku and Kairi are just as close as Sora and Kairi or Sora and Riku.

AkuRokuXi

1. Why don’t you ship it?

Okay, honesty time

Probably the way that I was introduced to Xion as not even a character but as a function--to "prove" Sora and Roxas don't have feelings for Riku and Axel respectively and that Sokai is the only valid tie, and to give Roxas a female love interest. Now, obviously that is an extremely reductive and downright nonsense take on 358/2 and Xion as a character, and the type of thing I would normally not only argue against but then develop a strong spite reaction where I attach to the character/ship/story harder even with a character less developed than Xion (who actually gets more time spent building her as a character than most KH females) and a story less compelling and with a lot less going on in it than 358/2, but, as I wasn't connected with wider fandom then and thus subject to a much smaller pool of people I knew in real life that played the games, it was sometimes easy to internalize some "bad takes" that you don’t examine for awhile.

With that said, I grew to appreciate Xion a long time ago, and I adore the friendship between the three of them--and every subset, because, even though you see more of Axel and Roxas's bond or Roxas and Xion's connection, you can't tell me Axel doesn't care deeply for Xion, and that the scene of him crying without knowing why in KH3 got me.

I just still get odd feelings and have personal hang-ups about Xion and either or both of these boys romantically, though I have read some cute ones and it's something I can get past.

2.What would have made you like it?

Probably if I had encountered more diverse opinions/interpretations on Xion and her importance other than her being a narrative "no homo." Yes, yes, we think for ourselves too, most definitely, but you do, especially when you are younger, absorb something of popular opinion. It also would have helped if 358/2 already existed when I got into KH so Xion wasn't someone who "appeared out of nowhere after the fact" but an already accepted part of the series, the other great hang-up. 

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

They love each other, they would have the most fun and tease each other the worst all through their negotiation of the rules and boundaries of their relationship (you know I love banter), and they arguably have the closest to a canon vow to be polycule with their resolve to all share an apartment together.

TerAquaVen

1. Why don’t you ship it?

It is such a narrow edge, and sometimes I think I could easily ship this one a lot/do ship it, but, ultimately, I feel like Aqua looks at Ventus as a little brother, emphasis on little, in BBS. She's always the responsible friend/mom friend, but you get more of the sense that Terra is an equal still but Ventus she sees as her charge as much as Eraqus's.

2.What would have made you like it?

Just a slight tweak of a line or two in canon and I probably would have a lot more ot3 feelings alongside the found family feelings.

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

They have the most heart tugging and epic scale love story of all the trios if you see them as a ship.