#You've Always protected me(Riku)

[aurorangen]

Character Asks!

TYSM for tagging me @mdshh @simvanie! Honestly, Renee would be all of them, but these are the sims I think of straight after.

🎬 Which OC is the first at a movie theater opening night for a movie they've been excited for?

RIKUUU!!!! He loves to stay on top of the latest trends, especially movies. If someone asks if he's seen xyz YUP I'VE SEEN IT! Riku would enthuse about the film (and hype it up) and as someone who radiates lots of energy, he'd make you want to see it! Those tickets would be purchased as soon as it's available and ofc he'd buy one for his best bud Oscar. Also being first there is great for him to claim the good seats to get the best experience.

🤔 Which OC is the pickiest?

I know you've hardly seen Nancy, but she is the pickiest. She is a chef, a perfectionist chef, so she'd definitely be picky with food. It's not with being a picky eater but with presentation, execution, and taste. It all has to be done up to the highest standards!

😣 Which OC is the most stubborn?

Actually both Renee and Robbie are stubborn siblings, but let's talk about Robbie! Refuses to listen to others, does what he wants, is not very open-minded at all, and always wants to prove that he's right. Well, this attitude stemmed from his childhood, with his sister overshadowing him, and then feeling like a failure. He finds his own way to stand up for himself and being mean/stubborn acts as a protective shield to hide his insecurities. Robbie is working on communicating better and listening to others tho.

💪 Which OC looks like a pushover, but could actually kick someone's butt?

Now this is definitely Renee. She's only small but she can kick your ass!! Both with words and feet haha!! In my head, there is a time skip from when she graduated to being a detective and during that time she received extensive police training like defence, firearms and combat. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE MY SWEET RENEE!!!!

✨ Which OC is most likely to excitedly talk about hobbies?

This is Oscar! Out of him and Riku, he's the more reserved guy and I see him as an outgoing introvert. When it comes to his hobbies, he does not shy away and talks animatedly about them! From snowboarding to music, rock climbing to traveling, his life is full of adventure and he loves to share everything!

I'm very late to this but I'd love to see your answers @druidberries 💜

[braveheartstoryteller]

I've been thinking a lot about Sora's character development lately. Especially because of this video, which while has some interesting points, doesn't address one key issue: child development. I'm in no way an expert on the topic, having only taken a couple of classes on the subject awhile ago. Still it is something near and dear to my heart, and for me looking at Sora for who he is: a child growing up, is very important to me. You can say he's learned some not so great coping mechanisms, and I wouldn't say you're wrong. In fact after playing most of Re:coded, I find the contrast between Data-Sora and Sora quite striking. Data-Sora, with both the support of Mickey, the lack of betrayal by Riku, and a journey that was a bit more gentle, you find a Sora that is different by the end of his journey than Sora was. Bring in the last chapter of the story, where Data-Sora learns to deal with pain and grief, and you have a better adjusted boy, than the Sora we all know and love. However, you've still got to remember that Sora starts out his journey as a kid. He's not learned how to deal with all that is thrown at him. On one hand, I think Legend of Zelda is by far more harsher on their young protagonists, and KH is kinder. Yet at the same time, Sora's journey is still not easy, and he's left scarred. But, aren't we all? Growing up is hard to do. It's not an easy path. And for someone like Sora, who's heart shines so bright, and so gentle and kind, the world will, and I mean will, try to snuff that out. Those around Sora knew this, and by saying what they did, tried to insulate Sora from all that pain and grief. Of course this is a double-edged sword, it prevented Sora from learning the tools that could have helped him deal with his journey, and ultimately, help him grow. It boils down to this: how much do you protect a kid? I grew up sheltered, too much, I sometimes think. And yet, if I hadn't been, what would my heart be like now? I don't know, and I am not sure I want to know. I can't help but think that Sora's arc has been carefully cultivated to ultimately help him. Unlike Roxas or Ventus, who's stories were often harsh and full of struggles, Sora's was not. It's not that it was easy, it wasn't, but it is this fact that makes him so relatable to me. He's that bright eyed kid, with optimism and hope, always trying to do what is right for another. In the future, I do hope he finally realizes his inherent value, and sees just how much his friends care about him. Not for what he does, but for who he is, and what he means to them. There is a huge difference. That's the story I want. Not for him to "find his strength" though he is strong, and stronger than he knows. But to find his strength in the comfort of knowing he is loved and supported, always.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Living

Summary: Sora and Kairi visit Lilo and Stitch's world shortly after he's rescued from Quadratum... And while there, Sora expresses an out of character moment of sadness about something. This causes Kairi to want to protect him, thinking that he must still be traumatized by everything that's happened to him, but Sora is quick to assure her that what he needs from her is not her protection.

"This world is beautiful," Kairi commented, taking in the beaches that Sora's friend, Stitch, called home.

In many ways, it reminded her of Destiny Islands, yes—that she would always see as her home—but that wasn't why she thought it was moving. Rather, it was so sweet to think that Stitch had found such a loving family here, and it reminded Kairi of her own family.

"You think so?" Sora asked, a smile in his voice, Kairi could hear, as he walked down the shore hand-in-hand with her.

What a wonderful feeling this was: one she promised herself she'd never let be ripped from her again. She was too strong to let such a thing happen now—or for Sora to get hurt on her watch—and Kairi was forever thankful for it.

"I do, too," Sora said, bringing Kairi back to reality. "Though it's sad it's connected to a place that would want to kill Stitch, or tear him away from his family," Sora said sadly.

'And that it's somehow connected to that era of Keyblade wielders that was forgotten until now,' Kairi thought, but didn't say.

"It is, Sora, it really is," the Princess said, squeezing her boyfriend's hand tighter… "But I also know what you're getting at here. And I swear that our friends and I will never let anything take you from the Realm of Light again. I promise."

After Kairi had said those heartfelt words, she thought that she and Sora might have a moment then. That perhaps they’d lace their fingers together ever tighter, or share one of their favored hugs… Perhaps they’d even finally share the kiss she knew the both of them were dreaming of…

More than anything, Kairi had hoped that Sora would be reassured by what she had said. So, she was more than a little shocked when she eventually noticed they seemed to put a damper on his spirits.

"I appreciate it, Kairi. Really, I do," Sora said, smiling at Kairi widely for just a moment… but was she imagining it, or did Sora look a little strained in doing so? "But you… you really don't have to promise me things like that. Or to try so hard, I mean!"

"I don't- I don't understand," the Princess of Heart admitted, as the couple chose that minute to take a seat on a park bench. And just as they did, a cute cat with a blue-ish black coat jumped into Kairi's lap—and he reminded Kairi so much of the afore-mentioned Stitch as she petted him—but she knew now was not the time to mention it.

"It's just that… you guys—my friends—have been… walking on eggshells with me ever since I came back from Quadratum. And I truly understand why, Kairi," Sora said the last in a pleading voice, as he took her free hand once more and looked deeply into her eyes. "And I thank you for it. But... you don't have to do that. I swear I'm- that I'll be fine."

Oh.

While Kairi hadn't gone through nearly as much what Sora had—of course not—she thought she understood where he was coming from. Were they all coddling him too much now?

Riku and the King had been right to let her train with Axel, even after how they had first met (even if she had been a little afraid at first), because now she had a new best friend in her life.

But everyone was so… fearful of what had happened with Sora to lead him to Quadratum—and what had happened to him there—that they wanted to protect him so much. But in doing so, were they overdoing it and not allowing him to grow?

"I'm sorry, Sora… I'm sorry if all of us have been too much for you since you've gotten home," Kairi said, looking deeply into her boyfriend's blue eyes and being so relieved to find that, despite everything, they still looked the same and hardly troubled at all. "Thinking over my actions since seeing you again… well, I can see how I might seem overwhelming. And that's the opposite of what's good."

Sora laughed: either at Kairi's words or the kitty who had just crawled onto his lap, Kairi wasn't sure, but she wished that she could forever remember the sound, for nothing had ever sounded more pure to her. "It's just that I want to live like I did before, y'know? Fighting for the Realm of Light with my friends by my side… and maybe goofing off a lot along the way. But if you guys put me in bubble wrap, I'm never even gonna fit in the gummi ship!"

Now it was Kairi's turn to laugh at Sora's analogy. Yes, she had most definitely missed this. And she was glad to have it back. And Sora was right that he needed to be allowed to bring this normality back.

"You're right, Sora. Whatever was I thinking? I mean, I'm the one who's always called you a lazy bum. I can't have you slacking now!"

Sora rolled his eyes at that, but Kairi could tell it was in good humor and that her reaction had been exactly what he’d been looking for.

“No, we can’t have that, can we?” Sora sighed. “Even when I first appeared in Traverse Town, scared out of my mind in fighting the Heartless for the first time, you had to wake me up by calling me a ‘lazy bum.’”

“It was only right!” Kairi defended herself now, though she was mainly joking, of course. “I had just found myself in your heart—though I really had no idea what was going on at the time—so I needed you to find me… and explain that to me, I guess. There was no time for your long naps.”

Somewhere during their banter, Kairi had found herself falling into Sora’s arms… and their faces were closer than ever as they looked deeply into each other’s eyes.

Yes, this was exactly what they needed, for they were the same, weren’t they? Both beings of light, who didn’t hold grudges… And even when trauma happened to them, they didn’t stay in feelings of darkness long, but rather strived for the light again, both for themselves and those who looked to them. She’d been silly to forget that.

Sora’s lips were on Kairi’s for less than a minute, Kairi thought. Not too long at all. He didn’t want to overdo it with their first kiss: something that was meant to be spontaneous and innocent. Really, it was such a short time, she wondered if she had enough time to properly remember what the joining of their lips together had felt like at all.

But she did.

As Sora pulled away from her while blushing down to his toes, she thought, she knew it was nothing but the purest magic she’d ever encountered. She smiled.

Standing up now, Sora offered Kairi his hand (which she readily took) as he pulled her to her feet with a scheming expression on his face. Curious.

“C’mon, Kairi. Now that we’ve got the heavy taken care of, what do you say we find Stitch on this world? He’s the best companion you could ever ask for, but so mischievous, too! The way light should be.” ‘Not what the Master of Masters is doing,’ Kairi knew Sora was thinking, but didn’t say. “I know you’ll love him!”

Well, he knew her, so she most definitely would, at that. But she had a condition first. “Only if we can take this little dear of a kitty we accidentally displaced while we were kissing with us. He needs a home, don’t you think? And Lilo seems like the kind who would be more than willing to oblige.”

The kitty looked at Kairi’s words questioningly, maybe even incredulously, but Sora didn’t seem to notice: for he swooped the kitty up in one hand before swooping Kairi up in other, while she instantly protested.

“I always wanted to do that,” he said, while she playfully beat on his back, demanding to be put down.

“Well, let’s go, Kairi… and in take in some life while we can. Wee!”

And Sora started running with both her and the cat in his arms before she could protest, though Kairi did think better of the situation and switch the cat—who she was now calling “Veil”—into her hands—and while she wanted to argue this… seeing Sora so free like this, she found she couldn’t.

This was what they were all fighting for, wasn’t it? What they’d fought for before, even, and always would. And it was a lovely sight behold.

Not being able to resist the urge to do this, Kairi very carefully maneuvered herself so she could rise up sightly and kiss Sora’s cheek as he ran.

Yes, they were living indeed.

Author’s Note: For my bestie Liz’s birthday=)

If I’m being honest… I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to write a SoKai fic for you this year. KH has left us in this weird place, where we honestly don’t know enough about Quadratum or KHIV stuff to really write about the next saga and make it believable. But at the same time, it’s kind of hard to write about anything else, since that’s where we’ve left off at, and pretty much every other mystery has been solved. So it’s sort of a pickle.

I’ll admit that I don’t always have fun writing KHIV fics for the former reason, and it isn’t always fun.

But I’m pretty pleased with how this fic turned out. In some ways, it might be one of my better KHIV fics, imo, in just having Sora and Kairi dealing with emotional stuff and the fallout of KHIV (and being back in the Realm of Light): like Sora not wanting to be coddled and everyone needing to understand that. Even if this did get more shipp-y than I intended at the end. Oh well.

Also, this takes place in the Lilo and Stitch world, since people were speculating that that one world in Missing Link might be Moana or that, so I thought it might be fun to put Sora and Kairi there… even if ended up having little to do with Lilo and Stitch in the end. Pfft. =)

@bluerosesburnblue

[nadziejastar]

Absolutely love your akusai analysis stuff its so good omg.

Do you have any more thoughts on them?

Thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it! As for my thoughts on Akusai, well, after beating Fire Emblem Three Houses recently, I do have a few thoughts. I know, I'm late to the party on 3H. (I actually loved 3H and would love to write metas about those ships lol). But anyways, regarding Akusai. It's a bit of a rant and there's minor spoilers for FE3H, so I'll put it under the cut.

Okay, so Sylvix felt like it was everything Akusai was supposed to be. It touched on all the same themes, too. In 3H, you've got a childhood friend trio. The standard two males and a female. On the surface it seems like the girl and the outgoing redhead goofball are a thing. But they treat each other more like bros. He and the quiet blue-haired sword guy had a much more intimate bond with each other, complete with a special promise™ to always be together and redhead being protective of blue. The redhead never wants to grow up and change because he doesn't wanna fulfill the heteronormative life script of getting married and having kids.

He is longing to go back to his childhood days but is sad at how much blue has changed since they were kids and has apparently outgrown their closeness. He hides his angst behind a smile and womanizing. Blue was once a meek clingy crybaby but now he is surly and obsessed with growing stronger. Deep down he is still an uke who secretly longs to be redhead's waifu. But he has a lot of shame related to his sensitivity and gender nonconformity. He distances himself from others, but boy does he get irritated if redhead flirts with anyone else.

I do wish the game would have just come right out and tell you that they're gay for each other (and so does this gaming site). I get why it didn't. Still, it didn't really hide it too much. They have a paired ending where they spend their whole lives playfully teasing each other like just when they were kids, never get married, and die together in each other's arms. It's the most romantic ending in the whole game, if you ask me. And Sylvix is SUPER popular and well received by the fandom. Both in Japan and the West. They have soooo much fan content. There are still some dudes who say they're just friends because ew icky gay. But most people in the fandom are able to tell they're queer-coded and are fine with it. In fact, the fandom was so fine with it that they released an overtly queer dude in the DLC, strictly due to popular demand.

3H is not a slam dunk with gay romance since much of it (particularly MLM) relies on subtext. But it still had more balls than most JRPG series and it definitely was a step in the right direction. We all know that Soriku is the most popular ship. The end of KH2 was total fujoshi fuel. But Soriku never had any chance in hell of being canon. KH is a video game shonen anime. Sora/Riku bromance is "safe". They can capitalize on shipteasing them to their female fans, but they won't alienate their male fans because Kairi is still very obviously the love interest for Sora. I found Akusai to be a lot more compelling because it was legitimately queer-coded.

Axel was queer-coded from the very beginning. His close friendship with Roxas in KH2 made people question his sexuality all the way back in 2006 and Akuroku rivaled Soriku for a time. And I do think that Axel always meant to be queer. Although personally, I did not get the impression that he was in love with Roxas. I got the sense that he probably had a best friend back when he was a human. And it was this dead best friend that he truly yearned for. The sweet and innocent Roxas reminded Axel of his human best friend and he latched onto him to help him forget the memories of days long past. That was my headcanon back in 2006 when KH2 first came out.

So, I was really happy when Days/BBS came out and it basically confirmed my theory that Axel was truly hung up on his human best friend and saw Roxas as a kind of replacement for him. And Isa was also very queer-coded. BBS!Isa has a more distinctly feminine design than any other boy in the series. He had very girlsh eyes and lips, small hands, long hair. And Saix's Mystery Gear is very cutesy-looking. Traditionally, the moon is viewed as a feminine symbol. And Saix's weapons in 358/2 Days were named after moon goddesses. They could have easily picked male moon gods, but they chose female goddesses like Selene and Artemis. It signifies to the player that, "Hey, this character does not follow the conventional gender stereotypes."

When you play 358/2 Days, and you get to the part where Axel is talking about love, you realize he's talking about his most precious memories from his human life, just like with all the other stuff like summer vacation and the red sunset. Akusai was not just superficial fujobait. Even if it was all subtext, it was a genuine depiction of two queer male characters who loved each other romantically. Axel is not straight. That’s a big reason why I was so mad that KH3 pushed their relationship off to the side and treated saving Isa as so much less important compared to saving Roxas. And it was so annoying how Saix had to mention Subject X whenever he might have seemed a little too obsessed with Axel otherwise.

Last year, Nomura said that he intended to show more of Lea and Isa's backstory in the future, so I've just been waiting for more content. I hope that we can get their story without Subject X overshadowing them like she did in KH3. I'm...cautiously optimistic. I expect this subplot to be included in Missing Link, since it is quite literally a missing link of the story. Axel is super popular and a queer-coded backstory with his childhood best friend would be very well received by the modern KH fandom, IMO. People are a LOT more accepting of gay content than they were in 2006. We've come a long way. And personally, I just love the idea that the tough cold asshole Saix's human self was actually a super sweet cutie who was in love with Lea. I really think the KH fandom would love that idea, too, if the writers were ever allowed to actually explore it. And a niche mobile game is probably a safer medium for that type of content than a mainline console game overseen by Disney, I guess. At the very least, if they ever put an Isa figurine into ML, I will whale for it if I have to. 

[karla-the-elemental-dreamer]

Man I have been through so much in the etheric realms in the last few days [/nights]. Wasn't sure whether to share or not; but with 18-Volt all-of-a-sudden seeming to come back, and some nasty energetic truths about Jak's situation, I thought these insights were worth being put up. This stems from Jak missing for days or even weeks, and the episodes getting increasingly worse. They are divided into 2 parts: Part 1 is the conversation that 18-Volt had with me, in which Terra monitored/supervised it at 18-Volt's request. Part 2 is where my teddy group (OCs) called a meeting, and Riku was kind enough to attend as well.

--------------------------------------

PART 1: 18-VOLT'S CONVERSATION (+Terra)

18-Volt (ESFP): "Hey, so on my little scouting sesh, I found out a few things about Jak, and they're not good".

Me: "You're not undermining him, are you?"

18-Volt: "Naw; not at all. See I've become casual buddies with Terra and agreed to let him have me on a leash a bit; that's why he's watchin' me talk to you. How else am I supposed to come back and help if people don't trust me?".

Me: "So then you may have something valuable to offer me about Jak, especially since you were giving me a massive amount of downloads while I was washing stuff earlier today".

18-Volt: "Yeah... You see, Jak might actually be quite sick, and you chasing after him this time is unhealthy, because you're gonna get poisoned yourself".

Me: "I've actually felt that poisoning since yesterday. What's going on?".

18-Volt: "Choice point for timelines is almost up; and you're dead on about Jak taking the lower one".

Me: "Ah shoot".

18-Volt: "My advice? Tack on that 50k cash grab now and ONLY reverse it if he makes a strong comeback. Even a medium one ain't good enough. That ABTD needs to truly show that it's not gonna glitch ya again, otherwise what's the point?".

Me: "You have a point there. The ABTD only started taking me seriously after I tacked on the $45,000 one and gave it the option for reversals".

18-Volt: "Uh huh! But whatever you do, you can't descend in order to clean out messes anymore. Because you've got an energy that behaves like the Wario-bug, that's eating up all the lower timelines. And you don't wanna be in its way".

Me: "Dammit".

18-Volt: "Not all's lost yet, okay? You could have an 18-Volt 2.0 moment where Jak wakes up and rushes back to you. But you can't get your hands dirty anymore; he has to come to you. Just like I said, go slam dunk that cash grab [50k] and work with the fallout of that. But you need to stay on the upper rungs with Terra because that man really loves you to the moon and back".

Me: "Okay, so I've just now applied the $50,000 penalty, as well as an additional $15,000 due to the promise of lassoing the ABTD if two of Jak's friends weren't able to come with him. 50k for him, and 7.5k for them".

18-Volt: "See? You're a champ! You've got a lotta love for everyone you meet. But Jak's gotta see that AND put it into practice. Because at the moment, you're asking daddy [Jak] to go to your school concerts and visit your art fairs, but he couldn't give a shit and just stays home being all miserable, making his daughter cry because he doesn't want tah support her in anything".

Me: "You put it in a harsh, but clear and honest perspective".

18-Volt: "Because also think about it this way. Who's been doing most of your rescue aids? Every time Jak's in trouble, Kingdom Hearts always rushes to your side. But when it's been the opposite, Jak does the bare minimum, if anything. Don't 'cha see that he's the one not wanting to connect with other worlds? Don't let him short-change you anymore. You've gotta leave him be until he chooses to come back or gets the shock of his life. And I know what you're thinking. You were supposed to have three at a time protecting you. I don't wanna steal Jak's thunder, but I'll take up the third slot, and I'll gladly give it back to him if he shows up for it".

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PART 2: MEETING BETWEEN THE TEDDIES (+Riku)

The name 'The Mistress' is used quite a lot in this section, this is what the teddies always called me when I was little, and it's like saying The Princess.

Chloe-Nurse (?): "What's going on!? Why are we all meeting here?"

Selvian (INFJ): Sam saw something that no one has ever seen before".

Chloe-Nurse (?): "And?".

Selvian (INFJ): "She saw Jak crying in his room, which is something he hasn't even done since his father died. And... Uhh...".

Riku (DG - ISFP): "Looks like we're getting an energy interruption. Almost like someone doesn't want him on the higher timeline".

Nadia (ISTJ): "I question that 18-Volt guy ever since he's come back. Why does he have such an interest in Jak? I've heard not too good things about him [18V] in the past".

Riku (DG - ISFP): "With what Terra reported back, it seems like he just gets angry at anyone who tries to hurt Karla, and I've seen him do that before, with other people before, including myself actually. It seems the Warioware group already have knowledge on the situation as Jimmy T., Kat and Ana, and Ashley filled shortly the last time our abilities were compromised. So 18-Volt's just being a bit passionate in flipping his lid at Jak about the whole drama. But Dreamy WB [she] and myself are keeping a close eye on him".

Niki (ENFJ): "I actually think that if it wasn't for 18-Volt, Jak wouldn't even flinch at what's going on. Jak's crying because something must have hit a raw nerve, whether it's 18-Volt, or maybe he [Jak] saw the mistress striking down that $50,000 penalty today".

Mabo (INFP): "The ABTD's trying to stop her [me], but Jak is still seeking help in the background".

Riku (DG - ISFP): "Exactly".

Chloe-Fashion (?): "See? It's 18-Volt that's making Jak fight for his life [in a good way]. But how exactly is he [Jak] getting help?

Selvian (INFJ): "Jak has asked to see Josephine [INFJ] for regular counselling, and their first session I think was two days ago... Or was it yesterday?".

Chloe-Fashion (?): "She's [me] still poisoned though. How is it possible for the mistress to even get back to him, yet alone recover from this?".

Sabrina (ESTJ): "18-Volt actually said that it's still possible, but that it won't be easy".

Selvian (INFJ): "18-Volt's right. This is yet another battle, but this time with some bridges that must never be crossed; which is why the mistress must stay out of this. While Riku and Terra protect her, we need our strongest men and women in Haven City, which means Sabrina and I will be going for a few weeks obviously with Simona and Sam alone having no luck. Josephine takes over admin duties at home while Angela becomes the second tutor".

Samantha/Sam (INFP): "What about Kingdom Hearts?"

Selvian (INFJ): "Kingdom Hearts has shown that they can look after themselves, especially by Riku being here at this meeting. Sierra will stay behind with them, and work with Terra's girls, Nasha and Sibella. But Sabrina and I need to get to the bottom of this evil still lurking in Haven City, and we need to make sure Jak continues to see Joesphine on a regular basis until his problem is sorted out. It is likely that we won't be coming back without Jak".

Sam (INFP): "So you'll be stuck there forever?"

Nasha (ESFP): "What 'chu worrying about anyway, Samantha? You're one of Jak's original girls, so you can go there any time".

Riku (DG - ISFP): "I think she's more worried about Selv and Sabrina's safety and you guys getting to see each other again as a whole group".

Nasha (ESFP): "And why do you have to do this anyhow? Wasn't it over once the mistress shoved that 65 grand fine up the ABTD's ass?".

Selvian (INFJ): "She only did that as a last measure in-case the ABTD is stupid enough to never give him back. The $65,000 is a cap for if worldly events become too stressful and intense that she, or any of us, have no hope of getting him back. But until the very last day, we never ever give up. And until then, there is always a chance for the penalty to be reversed, whether partially or fully. Now no one tell her this, but we're gonna try as hard as we can to get him back for Christmas".

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I've never assigned or known the personality for any of the Chloe's.

For the nurse, I'm thinking ESTP. And for the fashion stylist, I'm thinking ENFP like Sierra.

[rk-ocs]

KH recoded live

"I'm always dragging you into my messes."

"Your my friend. I want to be involved in your messes"

—

Have not read it but a wheelchair au where sora says fuck stairs

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1469156

Made me laugh

---

Hey Eclipse, write a yelp review for this hotel that's bonkers infested with heartless

"0/5

I wish i can give you a worse review than I legally and morally be allowed to. Came here for a good rest after a long conference only to find it infested with these very rude beings that are relentless and lacking in fashion. The hotel did not get help and I relied on a teenager and his two guardians to save us. 0 outta 10 would not recommend."

—

"We've got the whole universe inside of us. Just let that sink in for a second"

DRiku"... Pretty incredible"

"All those worlds inside you and you know what. Your still riku. doesn't matter how many forces come after you, because everything you touch makes you stronger"

Then DRiku proceeds to call Sora a half pint. 

DSora:- hey, I'll remember that when I'm taller then you"

DRiku:- I'll look forward to that.

Dsora brings up his keyblade shattering as a good thing, and how it proved it was going to work out

DRiku goes how?

Dsora:- it proved that whatever you lost you can get back. And that means YOU can get yourself back

And then Driku says something about thats not complimentary but hes envious about Dsora. Dsora takes it as a compliment. Driku says he's envious about what lets DSora decide to take that as a compliment. Dsora thanks him. 

And then they race, where Driku cheats with teleport. 

Time for Dsora to go deep inside Drikus memories to find the source of the bugs. Enough of the hurt being undone has been undone to do that. 

Dsora:- I feel like going through your memories has made me stronger. 

Well I guess he lvled up

Dsora thanks Driku for the guidance.

"Don't hold back

K"

Its KH1 Riku! "No ur not him"

Cue "I'll face myself lol"

"Maybe I've been a little jealous. You've always been surrounded by friends." Driku maybe admitting reasons for his darkness.

"Who trust you and are there to support you-"

"Ok stop right there. First of all,I trust you. Second of all, my friends are your friends, too. Just ask em."

Life advice from Data Sora

"You cant force the darkness on a world that never asked for it" dsora to maleficent

"Thats just giving yourself what you want"

"And whats wrong with that. I have the right and power to see it done as mistress of evil."

"If you won't listen to reason I'll have to stop you by force"

"At last we agree"

I knew it was coming but still feel really sad over Driku telling them he and Dsora will be reset.

Dsora: we should be celebrating. This is how the world is supposed to be

 "Taking all that away isn't right" 

Yes Jimminy. I think yall need to make apologies to some nobodies.

"This world may be gone but never the memories on your end. .."

Hi I'd like to talk to Namanie. 

"Just keep us in your hearts and well be there with you"

Glitch found. 

"We cant just let our enemies be deleted"

No Data sora Don't run

"Sora wait do you have any idea where they are"

"Somewhere"

"Sora arnt you afraid. Were not just talking memories here we could get erased the who world could get erased."

"Sure I'm afraid. Wernt you?

"Hm?"

"You've been in my shoes. Gone up against the impossible alone. Because you knew that was less scary then just sitting around and waiting for the end. I don't know if we can win, but i know we've gotta try"

Ohhh

DSora wasn't the only one leveling up in the datascape. So was his darkness! His shadow

He was turned into a heartless once. The taller the light the longer the shadow. 

And Dsora defeating heartless released their minds... Into Shadow Dsora. 

Dark Data is a thing now. 

"And now just like you its become something greater"

"I have to protect them. And with all the strength they have given me I can"

So round one was done. And now its evolving. Cue pokemon music. 

Micky came back!

"What are you doing here"

"Helping my friend. Didn't I tell ya? You never have to face things alone. When the darkness closes in just look inside. You will always find your light"

Riku didn't help cause he was saving maleficent and pete. 

But then New Data showed up, and Micky asked to once again be sent back into the journal. So micky essentially time travels to Sora in Traverse town,and soras like huh. 

"Its time for the truth"

Dsora:- who what. How where is all this. 

Micky:-im micky from another world. Someone left me and my friends a mysterious message. "Their hurting will be mended when you return to end it" and ur the only one with the power to solve the mystery"

Dsora:- me? Why me?

Summons keyblade

Micky:- good. U lost your memories but not ur powers. Will you help me Sora? I need to know the truth."

I feel less good about this one. 

Dsora:- this is weird. I dont even know you... Do I? Something seems vaugly... Nah.

Does this truth your after have to do with me?

Micky:- I'm not sure. But whatever it is, I get the sense its something you need to know

Dsora: fair enough. Ok lead the way. 

Its castle oblivion. Find the truth that sleeps. 

Hooded data Man:- that card will cause you to see illusions of people. Data from the journal you fixed.

Dsora:I fixed what?

Whose Jiminy

HDM:- oh, my mistake. Did someone press the reset button on your memeory? Just the same you will remember the folks you meet here. 

Dsora: that makes zero sense. So im going to meet these .... Illusions and then...

HDM:- do whatever you want. Theres no script you have to follow. The journal is the closest thing you have. 

But that doesn't mean you will see the things it says. And you know,who really cares?

HDM:- who really cares. Everyone you meet here, everything that happens here is an illusion.

Dsora:- so I can just do whatever.

HDM:- anything you want. But remember- the things you find depend on the actions you take. 

And then he vanishes into thin air. 

And then Dselphie shows up. "Hey selphie what u doing here"

"Sora I live on the islands. 

U mean the castle

... We can pretend its a castle if u want

And then he talks to Wakka and HDM comes back

"Don't let ur memories rule your actions. Not when there are other possibilities to be found- other stories waiting to unfold."

And then he vanishes. 

Hdm: well. Did u have fun hanging with ghosts?

Dsora:- hey don't call them ghosts. Their a bit off but we still friends.

Hdm: u dont say. What were their names again?

Dsora:- oh shit. Thats obvious. So why cant I?

HDM: like I said its all illusions. Ur actions may lead to true endings or paradoxes. And cards! Each outcome will stay with you as cards!

Gotta collect them all. 

HDM:- once the illusion vanishes you will forget. As if ur reunion never happened. 

"Hey no big deal. The fact that you cant even remember them,just means they weren't important to you to begin with. 

Dsora:- thats a lie! Of course my friends are important to me. Ok, so maybe I forgot who they were and what happened... But it will come back to me. Just watch. 

HDM: if you say so"

HDM gives him more cards. 

"Their all places from the journal. But due to the fact ur fresh off the island their no longer ur friends"

Their total strangers. 

"Heres a fun thought. The folks ur about to meet. U can use and abuse them all u like"

"Huh"

"What do you care? Their all strangers, and illusions at that. Just empty bits of data. They cant tell whats real. They will look at this castle and see what they call home. Anyway the truth would be wasted on them. They are only there until their not. See where I'm going with this? You can break the little hearts they don't have, and forget right away. No hurt feelings no baggage. You dont have a heart. Its 100% guilt free. 

Dsora:" no its not"

HDM:- oh?"

Sora:- I could never be mean to someone I just met. If I hurt them I'd regret it. And... Even if I didn't remember what I did, the regret would stay with me. Thats what you mean by hurt feelings right? Why would I want to carry around that kind of hurt?"

HDM- and with that you've arrived at the first question"

And then he vanishes. 

Did not expect so much philosophy. 

So Dsora did the island again but a little differently for a alternate end where he was lazy. Then again but helping and DHM started showing up. Then he fought heartless and then DHM was identified by sora as Driku. 

Driku gives dsora one of his memories… Showed Riku and kairi's body. First time shes shown up all game. 

Sora remembered he was on a journey to find them . 

"Darkness had taken my heart and Kairi had lost hers completely." Says Driku. "But at the end of your journey Sora,you would have saved us"

"Now what did me and Kairi have in common? When u wacthed what did u feel?

"Uh"

"It was hurt.  we both lost ourselves and we were hurting. So what would you have done?

Dsora:- help you of course"

"I would have figured out how to take the hurt away. 

"I thought you would say that. And your right. You would. You will. 

"Whats with the sneak preview?"

"I just wanted you to see that you always make the right choices. On the road ahead more then one truth will come to light. You'll forget things, lose things that you care about, and it wont always make sense. It may hurt so bad you'll feel like you're about to lose yourself. But you wont. Not you. Your like a sponge, no matter how much pain they throw at you, you'll suck it up,squeeze it out, and leave things a little better. Just follow your heart and you can change lives. You don't have to do anything special. Just do what you do. "

And then he disappeared and Dsora forgot

Soras getting sad over people he can't remember meeting

"If I really completely forgot I shouldn't miss anyone. Which means... I do remember some part in it! The memory is gone but the feeling is there. With the right trigger I'm sure it will come back"

"So how was your time with... Who were they again"

"U know I can't remember."

"Decoded it was not worth stressing over "

"No. It hurts. u said it wouldn't hurt. But thats good. The hurt will help me remember

"Right on schedule"

—

"after all you did it. You faced the hurt"

"I did?"

"Some people think pain is something you can just wipe away, and sometimes, maybe you can. But not all pain can be erased. The only way to deal with it is to accept it head on. And if the hurt is too great for you to bare it alone, well, then you turn to a friend close to your heart. "

"Because the hurt will bring us closer together, and make us stronger."

[more-than-a-princess]

Continued from here for @litoredeem!

It was kind of him, Sonia thought, to play along with her whims. Though, beyond protecting her life, that was what Riku was hired for. Except this time, Sonia's whims were entirely focused on his appeal and benefit. Not that she greatly opposed a beach day: it was rather like having a small holiday. Once that would unfortunately end sooner than she'd like, but that made it all too similar to a week or two spent in St. Tropez, or Cannes, or Capri.

Just as well: it wasn't anything like her extravagant beach holidays at home, but it seemed to bring peace to him. For once, he didn't look so stone-faced: he actually looked content, which was close enough to happy for Sonia. "Yes you, of course," She smiled, pushing her hair out of her face in order to keep the wind from blowing it back in. "You are the one between the two of us who had a childhood by the sea. Mine was surrounded by mountains, lakes, rivers, and plenty of green hills. At least when there wasn't snow on them. But no beaches to be found."

It stood to question then, if Riku was asked to accompany her to Novoselic, how much he'd enjoy it there. The climate, for one: not only a lack of beach but summer was only three months out of the year, and it didn't get terribly hot to boot. Nothing like the heat and humidity of a Japanese summer. Breezy weather, rain, and snow were much more prominent: excellent for that multitude of green hills, but not so much ifone preferred the tropics.

"I am not sure about that, I can imagine all sorts of things," Sonia retorted as she, with her sandals in one hand and her tote bag in the other, stepped into the surf in her bare feet. She shivered: she hadn't expected it to be so cold, but it wasn't unpleasantly so. Just a surprise, and a refreshing one at that. "Have you, for example, ever cut a watermelon with a sword whilst blindfolded like they do in the anime?" She asked, wiggling her toes in the water and clumpy, wet sand. It felt nice all the same. "Or built a large fire and told stories deep into the night? Both of those sound like great fun!"

But Riku seemed to have other plans, ones that made Sonia's eyes light up as she stepped out of the water and back onto dry sand, to see where he was pointing. "I have not been in a rowboat!" She exclaimed, far too eager to tell him that they were against the rules with a big smile on her face. "My family always deemed them far too unsafe for me, like motorcycles and roller coasters are. Though I would very much like to experience all of them! There was a park, near my old high school, that in the spring and summer they would have similar boats with oars, or grandiose boats shaped like swans or some such thing that you pedaled, rather like a bicycle. I remember during the cherry blossom season I wanted to try them, but I was determined to row and pedal myself! My friends or lovers at the time, well, they did not have much faith in my abilities to keep the boats afloat and moving along on my own so we never tried them. I wonder, then, if it would be the most awful thing to capsize."

If anything, it was a rowboat, not a ship lost at sea in a violent storm. They'd probably just need towels and a warm drink after. And besides, she doubted Riku would hold the same scruples. At least if she asked nicely, he'd likely let her row for a bit. And she wouldn't take no for an answer this time, or give him a chance to talk his way out of it. "Come on," She said, taking his hand in hers, beginning to lead him towards the boats. "Let us inquire how we may go about renting one! And you could tell me about the places you've rowed to at home. Perhaps Okinawa has caves or lagoons of some sort to explore?" It wasn't the sort of boat one took for travels, but for a day's, or a couple hours at least, excursion? It looked ideal, and far more exciting than going laps around and across a pond.

"I have never used oars, but there shall be a first time for many things!" Would she be taking their lives into her hands? Possibly. But certainly it was worth it, for the smile on her face.

[oathofpromises]

❛   i felt your absence.  ❜  [ for kairi ! ]

Kairi froze for a second, not because she didn't believe Riku's words. She knew the older boy was always honest, especially when it came to Sora or her, but there was a tiny part inside the young girl's heart that felt like maybe he hated her. After all, it was only because of her that Sora ended up fading from this world, who wouldn't blame her...she hated herself for it. Her hands slowly tightened at her skit, as so many thoughts filled her head. 

Ever since the journey had started, the two of them had hardly gotten a chance to talk. Some people probably even wondered if they still cared for each other. Maybe the red-haired girl felt like all of this was her fault. Xehanort had used her to find the keyblade wielder, and thus this whole adventure started with their islands falling to darkness. It didn't seem fair that Riku and Sora both suffered because she was unable to keep them safe. 

"I missed you too, Riku..I know I probably wasn't the best at showing it.." whispered Kairi, as her blue eyes looked sad. She truly cared for both Sora and Riku so much. Those two had shown nothing but kindness to her since landing on the islands. They never once treated her badly, but thinking back on it. Maybe she had hurt Riku. Not that the others would ever out rightly show it. He was too good sometimes at hiding those deeper emotions, but the more she reminisced about their childhood days. It was starting to piece together that perhaps she had made RIku feel unwanted at times. 

"Riku..did you ever hate me?" Her voice seemed to break slightly at the question. It wasn't easy to ask, nor did she ever believe he truly did, but past memories made her feel like maybe she had hurt him. It was something they certainly needed to talk about. To finally have that heart to heart conversation. 

Kairi paused before continuing, " I don't think you did..you're not that type of person, but when we were kids..at first it felt like I was maybe hurting you. You and Sora were so close and when I arrived it felt like maybe I was getting in the way of that. Please be honest with me Riku..I know we haven't had a chance to talk but I missed you just as much as Sora. I don't want you to feel like I hated you or that maybe didn't care as much." 

That wasn't the case at all. The young girl had written Riku plenty of letters too, but she never had a chance to let the others read them. It seemed like something she wanted to let them read but also each letter was written during the time Sora and Riku were away from the islands. The two already had enough to worry about. If anything, the young girl wanted the two to lean on her more. 

"I know that I still have work to do..to catch up to both of you, but I am right here. I just wish you both would understand that it's hard to be the one always left behind...trying so hard to catch up but feeling like no matter how hard I try, the result always turns out the same. I know you've been worried about Sora too, and because of that, we haven't had time to really talk to each other..Riku, I care about you as much as I do Sora. You're both my best friends...that hasn't ever changed and I'm sorry if it ever felt like that wasn't the case. "

Did it hurt to say all those words..a bit but it felt like it was needed. Riku had gone so long trying to handle stuff on his own. Kairi just wanted him to know that she was also here for him. That nothing had ever made her look at him differently. Slowly her hand reached over to touch his, a gentle smile forming across her face. This was hard on both of them and all she wanted was get past whatever they had weighing on their hearts. Even if it took time, she was willing to wait. 

[ololyzo]

All the Kingdom Hearts Openings (In English) Are From Riku's Perspective

Ok so listen, I'm sure a ton of people have done analysis on how all the songs are about Soriku but I don't want to go looking for it and I want to add to the mess. So here are my thoughts and sorry if you've read it all before.

I'm only going to be talking about the English versions of each song because they're the ones I grew up with and Utada Hikaru is fluent in English. There's no way they didn't know what they were doing when they were writing the English lyrics, especially knowing that this was for a project as big as a Square/Disney collab.

Simple and Clean is a song about young love. Baby's first love. And the "I" in this song has always read as Riku to me because they're clearly the more mature/older one in the relationship. There's the "you" (Sora) that the "I" is in love with who is really concerned about proving themself (like being the strongest) and making grand gestures (paopu fruit) and ultimately isn't really listening when the "I" tells them that they just want someone to love them.

There's also the repeated phrase "Hold me. Whatever lies beyond this morning is a little later on." In KH1, Riku hadn't done his whole character arc and walked towards Dawn yet. KH1 is all about him being in the darkness/walking through the night without knowing the future ahead of him and wanting Sora to be with him through it.

And lastly the repeated phrase "Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all. Nothing's like before." Riku's entire introduction to us on Destiny Islands was about him wanting radical change to his life and not being afraid to make the jump to the point of arrogance and recklessness. He even says exactly this before he gets taken by the darkness on the beach: "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

So yes, Simple and Clean is about Riku's perspective on his relationship with Sora during KH1.

Next there's Sanctuary which is a song about finding solace in someone. A person that you feel safe and fulfilled around. The energy of this song always felt to me like an older teen vibe. When you're in those last years of high school and you've had a sweetheart for a while now and they're the entire world to you and everything else just falls away when you're with them.

This song is, again, a reflection of a relationship (with Sora) from Riku's perspective and it shows in the lyrics.

"My sanctuary, my sanctuary, where fears and lies melt away." Riku's entire narrative pre-KH2 revolves around power and fear seducing him to the dark and then ultimately it's acceptance of his own flaws and his ability to accept love and support from others that allows him to fight back. Riku is also a character (much like Terra) that, unlike most other characters in Kingdom Hearts, is directly impacted by lying and is seen lying himself. You see this when Maleficent lies to Riku about basically everything, when Ansem promises power to Riku at the cost of his bodily autonomy, when Riku lies to Sora about Kairi, and lies to himself about his own fears and wants. Oh, and there's that whole nonsense that Riku does with the blindfold in KH2 where "His eyes don't lie" so he has to cover them up. All this to say that Riku has a complicated relationship with honesty and Sora has been shown to be someone that Riku consistently cannot lie to for sustained periods of time. The boy buckles fast when it comes to Sora and when he does, it always seems like Riku feels relief when he can be honest, especially to Sora.

"Music will tie what's left of me. What's left of me?" Dream Drop Distance. Enough said.

"(I need more affection than you know)" Yeah, Riku acts real tough and hides all his emotions under a lot of subterfuge and repression but let's be real.

"I watch you fast asleep. All I fear means nothing." Riku dutifully protects Sora while he sleeps for a year. Let's just acknowledge that for a second. He voluntarily protected Sora and basically put himself in isolation for a year. He took on the power of darkness, the thing that consumed him in the past, and learned how to use it all so that he can protect Sora while he sleeps (and when he's awake too).

“My heart's a battleground” Riku 1v1ing Ansem in his heart.

"You show me how to see that nothing is whole and nothing is broken" This line is more of a stretch and not quite as directly evidenced, but my interpretation of it comes from the fact that Riku is a really serious dude. He takes everything seriously and in the first few games, he exhibits a lot of rigid, all-or-nothing thinking (ie: "We have to completely leave home on a raft even though we're only teenagers in order to have any sense of adventure in our lives." Or "If I see Sora with new friends, then he's completely replaced me." Or even "Sora wants to save Kairi so I have to sacrifice myself in order to help him do so.").

On the complete opposite hand, Sora doesn't think that way, he's very chill and believes that rules are just guidelines rather than set in stone. He has this incredibly stubborn, optimistic belief that reality will bend to his will (and fuck it, it totally does) so that everything will work out if he tries his best. He makes statements like how even if he completely forgets someone, they're still friends, he wants to save everyone rather than just one person, he goes running into a fight with a wooden sword and shouts "My friends are my power!". He has shounen protagonist syndrome. But in being this way, he's able to do things that not everyone can, such as radically accepting Riku for who he is and forgiving him for doing the bad things he did in KH1. He goes with the flow, takes the hits as they come, and then adjusts. He's flexible in a weird way! He doesn't see the world in absolutes, but instead in its potential for connection and change (I know this changes in KH3, but for the purposes of this song, I'm just using his character traits up until KH2). It's only after Sora shows Riku that he doesn't have to follow the rules, that Riku is able to start learning to compromise or break rules for himself like using both Darkness and Light and taking the path towards Dawn.

As a side, there’s also an interview where Nomura confirms that Passion (the Japanese version of Sanctuary) is actually about Sora and Riku’s reunion. So I don’t feel like this song in particular being about Riku isn’t that much of a stretch.

Finally there's Don't Think Twice. We all know that this song is about wanting to marry someone, about the "I" (Riku) encouraging/pleading with the "you" (Sora) to believe in themself and the relationship.

"How did I live in a kingdom of thieves, And people who say things they don't really mean" is a reference to Riku and his time pretending to be Ansem/wearing the Organization coat and again: Riku’s complicated relationship with honesty.

"You're only everything I ever dreamed, Ever dreamed of" Throughout the series, we see a lot of Sora in states of sleep and dreams. We get to see what Sora's dreams are, and they're generally about his friends and parallel what's happened in the story up until that point. However, we don't get to see Riku in states of sleep or dreaming, except for in DDD where Riku literally falls asleep and then Sora wakes up into his dream and vice versa. Also Riku being Sora's Dream Eater to protect him from nightmares… Dreams are thematically the thing that links Riku and Sora.

"You must be kidding me, did you really think I could say no" Riku is a simp and he's wrapped around Sora's finger.

"I want you for a lifetime, So if you're gonna think twice, baby I don't wanna know" Riku identifies Sora as his "most important person" during his childhood and then follows through by loyally protecting him from that point on. And like I mentioned before, Riku actually had a lot of trouble with the idea of Sora making other friends in KH1 and had to deal with a lot of jealousy and insecurity around the relationship not being as important to Sora! Sora's heart is literally shared by multiple people, so this is me interpreting the "I don't wanna knows" as Riku still needing to accept that, while he's always going to be 100% devoted to Sora, Sora is never going to be able to do that for him.

"If you want to take it to an even higher level, All you gotta do is say the word, you know I'll follow" If there's one thing that Kingdom Hearts is consistent about, it’s that Sora and Riku cannot stop chasing after each other. These boys can't be in the same room for longer than a minute before some kind of cataclysmic nonsense tears them apart and they’re off to the races again.

"Don't think twice" (Repeating) The climactic build up as well as the outro to this song is this phrase repeated over and over again. I think that it's indicative of Riku's faith in Sora. Throughout the games, but especially in DDD and KH3, Riku encourages Sora a lot. In moments where Sora feels doubt of his own strength or ability, Riku's there to tell him he believes in him.

There's just something so desperate in the energy of this song. The energy of: 'I've loved you my whole life. I'm still here, I'm not going anywhere, I'm ready. For the Love of God. For once, choose me. Choose us.' And you know what, the song doesn't resolve! You don't actually ever find out from the song whether or not the "you" decides to marry the "I". It's all in this weird limbo... This purgatory... And given the previous lyrics, you know that the "I" is going to continue to wait for/follow the "you" until they can make up their mind. Hm. Like maybe the transition into KH4.

IDK MAN. RIKU WANTS TO MARRY THAT BOY AND THE BOY WON'T SETTLE THE FUCK DOWN.

Final Thoughts: If Utada Hikaru ends up writing the opening song for KH4 and it's not about actually getting married and being with the one you love forever, I bet it's gonna be about how romantic love is dead and what you really need to value is self-love and independence is all I'm saying.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[smartzelda]

(Wow, I wish I could kill tumblr for messing up and making me rewrite this whole thing from scratch)

Hi, bros! I've gotten so much of crit done this week, so there's a LOT to talk about

Let's start out where we left off in Toy Box.

So like, the Riku and Buzz parallels are so good, like, the Buzz being afraid of being taken over and hurting his friends. Buzz being more skeptical of people, but trusting of his friends and just trusting Woody a whole lot. I love how he just trusts Sora, Donald, and Goofy by the end and they're friends and stuff

The Sora and Woody parallels are so good too, like, Woody trusting Sora and friends right away because they seem to be good guys, fighting the enemies (it's such a Sora thing to trust people just cause they seem good) and really trusting Buzz. Woody doing the angry sassy while talking to YMX/the organization

And bro, like...the Soriku parallels...the softness...

This has so many kh2 Soriku vibes

SAME PICTURE DIFFERENT ANGLE. YOU CAN'T TELL ME OTHERWISE.

*clears throat* Ahem, um...anyways... I was thinking about when YMX tosses Sora into the Verum Rex Gigas minigame. 1st off, I beat it a lot faster than I did my first play through the game on proud mode, so that's helpful. I'm glad that having done this before is helping me learn to be at least a little less stupid and do some things easier because of experience. 2nd, YMX's role in kh3 is very interesting. The hole time I get that he knows more than he's letting on. I feel like he, like Sora, can remember everything between the demon tornado, Riku's sacrifice, mass death, and Sora saving everyone's hearts before the timeline being rewritten and turned back to before everyone dies, and assuming the SRT holds up, he even seems to know the events of the first go around of timeline set before the kh3 we play. It's in the SRT too, but like, him saying "Not this time" and being able to dodge Sora's attacks like he already knows. Then there's YMX's line before the boss battle where he's like, "Find the hearts connected to yours." We could take it as him guiding Sora, getting him to find the seven guardians of light. I'm feeling like it might be foreshadowing or like YMX leading Sora to his end because it could be foreshadowing of remind (I mean, I won't know till I can play) or it's referring to the future of Sora saving all the hearts from the lich. Back to him knowing what's going on in the timelines somehow with that whole leading aspect, then there's during the lich segment where YMX is there somehow and tells Sora about how he'll pay the price, then YMX's "death" where he says that Sora's time in the world is over, indicating he knows what Sora's done and has to pay the price for

So, unlike the gigas thing that went surprisingly well, the possessed marionette and the flying saucer did not, and the flying saucer was the worst. I learned that, unlike in my proud run through, I couldn't just try to beat a gigas as just Sora that easily, considering a gigas could oneshot me (I kinda suck, so I honestly couldn't beat em at all without commanding a gigas myself on crit). So, it was very time consuming, considering I couldn't use a gigas to finish it off and shoot it from afar, and I had to evade all like four gigas and the scattered heartless (it was especially bad if I was about to die and needed to heal) while trying to attack it (needless to say, Donald and Goofy did most of the work in the final stretch while I was trying not to die and also attack the enemy that would warp away if you got too close). I did it though

Okay, final boss battle! Ngl, just...I enjoy the angry sassy of Woody when YMX is like, "See, look buzz fell to darkness blah blah" and Woody is like, "I don't care. Put buzz back the way he was." (Y'know, totally not a Sora attitude and totally not a parallel to CoM when Sora's telling Vexen "I don't care! Just put Riku back!") And YMX like talking about hearts and Woody like, "I don't think you've ever been loved before, because you know nothing about hearts and love." The final boss battle was easy compared to the other boss battles in Toy Box.

Also, I just...enjoy Buzz finally being friends with Sora, Donald, and Goofy and caring about and trusting them now

Now ownards to Corona!

So, starting in the forest just before getting to the tower, I opened a treasure chest with an item that gives sneeze protection (I got a shield for Goofy that does the same thing after I finished this world) which...I... Bro, I'm stupid I like didn't get this item my first run through nor did I know it existed, but playing through this world definitely was easier without sneezing Sora, especially the final boss (but we'll get to that later)

Gotta love that Flynn Rider charm.

"So, I've made the decision to trust you."

"A horrible decision, really."

Hi, I'm Flynn I hope you expect me to run away from battles and have Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who are totally my bodyguards, do all the work and make me look good Rider

Rapunzel after getting out of the tower and her enthusiasm is so Sora like, but ngl, I'd say she's a Riku parallel in this segment. Later in this world, they remark that the tower is a prison for Rapunzel. In this moment she has a lot of conflicting feelings.

"I'M SO FREE!"

"I'm such a terrible person..."

"This is so fun!"

"Oh, what would Mother think...? I should go back..."

"I'M NEVER GOING BACK!"

She's being pulled two ways. Part of her is excited to see the whole outside world and ready to live her dream, defying Mother Gothel, while the other part of her urges her to go back to her prison with Gothel where she'll be safe. This is much like in DDD with the Quasimodo and Riku parallel where Riku tells Quasi that it's not because of Frollo's rules or because Frollo said the outside world would harm him, it's because something in his heart holding him back. Most likely, it was from fear. In Riku's case, he said it from experience because he too is struggling with something where it's his heart holding him back, nothing else (probably his feelings for Sora are the thing he won't set free)

I like how kh3 is like, self aware or like, aware of the kh lore like when Donald and Goofy mention Data Sora, or in this case where Sora, Donald, and Goofy don't remember Marluxia because castle oblivion and he's like, "Such a pain. Whatever. It's not like you need to know." Kh3 shows that Nomura remembers the things he set up before.

Also, Goofy: "I think the 'has-been' prefers Marluxia" 😂😂😂

The heartless chariot was just as terrible and time consuming as always because of how much I died.

I did surprisingly well at the dancing section compared to past attempts, so that was cool. Rapunzel and Sora are just so adorable though and Rapunzel with the flowers in her hair is just😔👌

Okay, I like, I love the lantern scene because it's just so beautiful. Like, I just love those shots of all the lanterns and of Flynn and Rapunzel and of Sora, Donald, and Goofy watching them. Also...Flynn lowkey being given the choice between Rapunzel and the crown and basically choosing her

"I should've given it to you before, but I was just scared."

"I'm starting to." And Flynn pushes the satchel away, focusing on Rapunzel, choosing her.

Also, thinking that this part is a parallel to Riku in the RoD because Riku got the strength to protect the one he cherishes most (Sora) and now he's not afraid anymore, even in the RoD. He feels stronger and more confident. For Rapunzel, after spending time with Flynn and traveling, she's not afraid of the world anymore and she becomes more confident. She trusts Flynn and gives him the satchel (which in the movie I believe she originally withheld and hid out of fear of him going back on their promise)

So, then, Flynn and Rapunzel release their lanterns into the sky, and they twirl around each other as they fly up

Seem familiar? It's almost like...

HEARTS IN TUNE BAY BEE

SORIKU PARALLELS

Also, rip Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They just wanted to watch the scenery, but got interrupted by nobodies

Bro, it's really sad, like, I feel so sad for Rapunzel because she really trusted Flynn and Mother Gothel framed Flynn, breaking Rapunzel's heart because she thought it was all genuine, that Flynn really wasn't going to hurt her and meant the things he said. Then, Gothel takes her to the tower

Sora still being able to be awoken from a lick to the face from an animal like in kh1😂

In my first run through of the game, I got to this part with all the heartless and nobodies on the way to the tower and the section between everyone starting off towards the castle and reaching the castle I tried to go through as fast as possible and skipped fighting the heartless and nobodies I could. This time, I managed to clear the whole area after making it my goal for leveling up purposes, so that was cool👍

And now we reach the tower cutscenes and a very niiiiiiice Soriku parallel, which I'll have to put in the next post due to the photo limit

[theheartstreasure]

Well. Your master's method was to test if one had a good control of the darkness inside their heart. But as you've learned, Darkness isn't exactly evil. Riku points that out. So, what do YOU think a Master is? I think it's someone who has the right morals at heart and has a grasp on whatever fighting style they use. Terra focuses more on physical blows than on magic... perhaps you can help him refine his style, maybe even suppliment it with magic lessons.

“The more I think of it, it feels like it was less about the control of the darkness, and simply the fact that we were not supposed to use it, as though admonishing it. I’ve already decided what is right for me... And the path I wish to take. But... That path isn’t the right choice for everyone. To decide what makes one worthy of the title of Master... That’s difficult. Morals aren’t enough either though. A good intent doesn’t always mean things will work out. For example, I had good intentions when I went to help Cinderella, and protect her from her step-mother and step-sisters... But in that act, I nearly committed a grave sin. If I hadn’t been stopped, I fear where my intentions may have lead me. As for fighting style, there’s little I can help Terra with. The only thing I can do for him there, is provide him a sparring partner.”

[smartzelda]

Remind Trailer Analysis Part 1 (Warning Remind Spoilers!)

So, after I watched the new trailer, I found out it got leaked I felt really bad, but I really wanna talk about it cause it's got me screaming

So...here we go

First off, a lot of people are excited with the reveal that Final Fantasy characters such as Aerith, Yuffie, and Leon will be returning. Although I'm probably not as excited as most, I love how beautiful their renders are and can't wait to see how they fit into the story!

Okay, so Riku boi at Radiant Garden trying to figure out what happened to Sora (Riku boy looking for Sora!) I'm personally excited to see how everyone's trying to find Sora, and how everyone is taking Sora's disappearance

So, we get a shot of Sora at Ven's station of awakening, then a shot of Sora experiencing Aqua's hurt at the keyblade graveyard. It's pretty much been foreshadowed since Re:Coded that one day Sora will have to take in everyone's hurt, and even though I never wish hurt upon my boi, the angst is gonna be yes and I'm excited. Also, my guess is that Sora's going to the station of awakening of every guardian of light to feel how they felt and take in their hurt during moments in the keyblade graveyard. I've heard speculation that the reason all those anti-aquas are in the demon hurricane is that she has PTSD over being in the darkness for so long and those anti-aquas are what she saw right before being swept up in the demon hurricane. I support that theory because it's definitely plausible and I know I'd like to see how succumbing to darkness affects Aqua like we got to see how it all affected Riku during his character development.

I don't really know what to say about this. Apparently Terranort can see Sora?? I'd like to know more about the "forbidden path" and why Terranort can see him even though no one else seems to be able to while he's feeling people's hurt. Also, what is the ultimate sacrifice? I feel the sadness coming. It's probably going to be Sora disappearing from the world though

The wielders of light fighting the norts from Scala. This looks to be a cool fight and I'm excited to figure put how it fits into the story, but I don't really have anything to say about it

Seems to be continuation from an earlier Remind trailer

I hope this means we'll get to see what happens to the other characters after Sora defeats the enemies in a section. My guess is that Demyx just came to pick up the replica, so...good to know that the replica body isn't just left there during the final battle. Also, that replica body is probably going to be Naminé's, so maybe we'll get to see them bring her back?

There's a couple ideas for all the showcased battles. Some think they're data battles, but I think you might have to fight them either to enter stations if awakening or after you leave a station of awakening

OKAY THIS. THIS HAD ME SCREAMING AND DYING AND REJOICING.

So first off, that station of awakening is so freaking pretty like oh my gosh

Next, Sora talks about how everyone always told him to follow his heart, then follows it up with, "follow my heart...hearts are all connected". He says this while pointing his keyblade at what's probably (I'll say why in a sec) Riku's heart or maybe what he thinks is Riku's heart.

Okay, so Sora's station of awakening has him from kh1, so it's possible Riku's is too (just an idea), but this station of awakening shows com Riku. Now, when all the seekers of darkness die, they disappear in this darkness pillar. When Repliku and Replitwo die, the pillar is a darkness and light pillar. Based on this, I guess that Repliku might be a guardian of light. So, if you've read the SRT, part of the theory is that Sora brought back all the guardians of light in the original timeline, beginning the timeline we see in kh3. Part of the theory is that Naminé wasn't in Kairi's heart just based on some stuff chirithy says, so Sora didn't bring her back, meaning that she wasn't a guardian of light. I would say she isn't just because she doesn't do anything in the story and can't do anything to make her a guardian of light while in Kairi's heart (or didn't at least). We could say it's because Naminé was in Kairi's heart and Kairi was one of Sora's friends he knew he was bringing back, but this doesn't explain Repliku. Right before and after the first "drop" detailed in the SRT we have evidence that he is in Riku's heart, and this means that he was brought back by Sora at the end of the original timeline, because if he wasn't, he would be in the final world with Naminé, so he must be a guardian of light.

Where am I going with this? So what, Repliku might be a guardian of light, what does that have to do with anything? I'm going back to that station of awakening. It has Com Riku on it, and com is the game Repliku was introduced. So, my theory is...what of that station of awakening is Repliku's?

Now, I've heard a theory that the stained glass has Naminé in addition to Ansem and Mickey rather than Sora and/or Kairi because she, Mickey, and Ansem had an impact on Riku's life that lead to him being able to get the strength to protect Sora (it's no secret that Riku is the one that matters most to Sora). It's a good theory that's plausible.

Here's my theory though. What if Sora believes that station of awakening to be Riku's, but it's Repliku's? If Sora's connecting to the stations of awakening of the guardians of light, and Repliku might be one of them, he might encounter Repliku's. Repliku's fake memories were similar to Riku's, though they had him in love with Naminé, so he would've met Mickey and Ansem in his memories. AND since Repliku has feelings for Naminé due to his fake memories, it would make sense for Naminé to be on his station of awakening since he cares about her.

So...all that aside I'm dying cause Soriku. Also, you notice how the station of awakening is purple right? You know what color makes purple? Blue and Red. Based on trends and the secret ending, Riku is blue and Sora is red (like Yozora's eyes) so...

We're finally going to see how Sora saved Kairi!

Now, some people have pointed out them holding hands, but it doesn't seem like a romantic thing to me. It's pretty evident that they just arrived at the final world, especially considering Kairi's comment on how pretty the final world is. Sora would have to lead Kairi back since she died, and my guess the handholding is to make sure she doesn't get lost. If Sora has to use a keyhole or a portal like the DDD ones to get there, he'd probably (at least I think so) have to hold hands with Kairi so he can take her with him. It's to make sure they don't get separated I think, and I think Sora would be extra afraid of that happening cause he's trying to bring her back and because he cares a lot for all his friends, and, based on the Jap version of the scene where he goes to save her, he doesn't want to her (or any of his friends) to feel and be alone and he wants to bring her back so he can have all his friends alive and well

And....I'll have to continue on another post cause the 10 photo limit...shoot

[oathofpromises]

❝Hey Kairi! Here's some words of encouragement for you. You're more than ready for what the world could throw at you. Any words or people who try to stand in your way, protect your most powerful ally which is yourself — don't be afraid, because the light you hold inside you will win every time. You've been ready, and now nothing is allowed to stand in your way. Don't hold back, I'll be right there cheering you on the whole way. Trust yourself. You can do this.❞

“Aw Sora, I really needed to hear this. So many people seem to doubt me or believe I’m weak but as long as you and Riku believe in me, then that’s all that matters to me. Thank you for always being there for me and giving me encouraging words that always pick me back up.”