#and riku doesn’t even know sora likes him back

[snowwpines]

i don’t care actually, 1 paopu fruit means romantic bond 2 paopu fruits means platonic bond

[daylighteclipsed]

While I think Sora would be the one most shaken by this for a number of reasons, Riku would not be unfazed. He’d mostly handle everything except the fact that Kairi is now significantly older than him. Kairi would call Riku “kid” once as a half-joke and he would sit and stare at a wall for 4 hours.

I need to go to bed, but one week in Unreality/Quadratum being one year in Reality is crazy. The fact that Strelitzia hardly looks any different than the day she died/vanished. Absolutely insane implications for Sora and for Riku. They’re gonna make it back and all their friends are gonna be like 30 while they’re still 17/18 years old. Whattheufck

[meiloorun-notthefruit]

Thinking about Sora stocking up on potions and rings and earrings to stay alive in KH1 and not knowing if it’ll be enough to get him through a fight. Multiple fights. Thinking about KH1 Sora literally having a panic button (press triangle) to call for Donald and Goofy for if he needed help/felt overwhelmed. Means they worked out a system- of course they did, cause Goofy taught Sora how to dodge roll and Donald taught him to how to cast fire, before all three of them left Traverse Town for the first time. Thinking about how that option doesn’t exist after KH1, from what I’ve seen. Could be because Sora grew up too fast/grew skilled enough that it wasn’t necessary anymore. He’s got summons. He got keychains. He’s got Strength, Magic, and AP Ups. He’s leveled up. But it could also be because after KH1, Sora has experienced being abandoned, left defenseless and on his own when he wasn’t seen as useful or chosen. He doesn’t think he can really call on them to protect him like that anymore. Maybe he doesn’t even realize that he’s thinking that. Maybe he does. Does Sora ever look at the stock of his supplies, so plentiful, made up of the dropped loot picked up by a desperate boy fighting to live another day. The keyblade and destiny didn’t pick him but he answered the call all the same. He must be tired.

He’s still tired, even after he’s died. He’s all alone again. But this time there might be no possible way back. He has to basically start over. Did he lose his power again… Sora doesn’t know Riku went looking for him; does he expect anybody to come looking for him.

Oh Sora…

[sorikufeels]

i’ve seen people complain about how square keeps making sora more dumb and i get that and agree sometimes because i do think that there are some moments where sora is definitely smarter than depicted. however, i sometimes i think it fits and its not because he is actually dumb but because he’s had his mind messed with a lot. and it was messed with during his formative years. in later games, sora is often forgetful, asking what other characters consider to be dumb questions, and shown being slow on the uptake. these things make sense when you consider that:

a) sora’s had his memories scattered and rearranged

b) had an entire year of his adolescence (an important time for brain development) forfeited to a coma in order to fix said scattered memories

c) has been manipulated and the victim of mind games multiple times

d) incurred heaping amounts of trauma in a very short amount of time

don’t get me wrong, i feel like sora is definitely smart in his own way and deserves to have more moments to shine in that regard, but when there’s moments where he forgets things or isn’t able to connect the dots as quickly as everyone else, it makes sense to me. it feels logical, understandable. when those moments happen and other characters make fun of him, i’m always like this kid’s brain has gone through hell and back, it’s a miracle it’s still functioning at all so give him some slack for fucks sake!

he’s still missing memories and it seems like he’s lost more in kh3 (if we’re assuming he forgot about riku’s sacrifice and the realizations he had regarding riku as the light) and might continue to keep losing them in kh4. his mind has suffered a lot and i wish the other characters would be more understanding. but for me, when i see him acting “dumb,” it doesn’t always feel out of character given what he’s gone through. he’s not dumb, his mind has just endured a lot and it makes sense that there are lasting effects from those events.

i have no idea if this is intentional, though lol if it’s not, then square, stop making him so dumb because he’s way smarter than that and you know it.

but if it is intentional, then i love it because it gives me so much satisfaction when events have tangible lasting effects, especially in ways that aren’t outright stated. it would also be cool if this was intentionally supposed to be a factor in sora’s self worth arc. because of his perceived increase of “dumbness,” other characters make fun of him more, making him feel worthless and wrecking his self esteem even further. it’s not his fault he’s having a hard time but he doesn’t understand why it’s happening and it’s another thing for people to shit on him for and eventually he’s going to snap or break under the pressure from all that shit. if this or something like it is the intended outcome, i think that would sick

[strayheartless]

Vanitas and the Chaotic Good learning curve:

Leaving complete darkness behind isn’t hard exactly. After having Mr. Giddy goofy light bringer (Sora) witter in his ear for a good nine hours about the “benefits of not being evil” Vanitas isn’t willing to say he caved…. But he caved.

Besides if little miss “How can I face everyone” Martyrdom (Riku) can find the balance, how hard could it be right?

Turns out it’s not hard, it’s just… interesting. He’s observed a lot from those light bringers who still have to find a balance with the darkness in their hearts. Here’s what he’s learning:

Dawn (Riku) is not above small acts of violence against Sora. Whacking him with a paperback, flicking his forehead, tripping him when he gets up to do to the bathroom. It’s all fair play apparently.

It is not acceptable to firaga people for annoying you, but that doesn’t mean Kairi hasn’t.

The real-boy (Roxas) can hit HARD and no he won’t apologise for braking something if he thinks you deserve it.

Raggedy-Anne (Xion) has a higher kill rate then Vanitas does… which is only mildly disturbing.

Biting people is bad, but Terra and Aqua always seem to be covered in Bite marks anyway. He has been informed it’s a different kind of biting. He doesn’t wish to explore that further.

His own natural eye colour after possession is red, and ain’t that a kick in the teeth.

Dawns a bitch when he’s grumpy and apparently the way to deal with him is to be a bitch back. Kairi is very good at being a bitch back. Sora just wishes everyone would get along.

The-real-boy and Dawn have serious history and it makes families dinners tense sometimes. Vanitas would not like a repeat performance of helping Ven drag Roxas into another room whilst Terra heals Riku’s fractured cheek. Roxas apologied but Riku still didn’t get out of bed for three days after.

Spikes and fire (Lea/Axel) apparently has the power to kill a man with the snap of his fingers. ApPaReNtLy he has killed someone with the snap of his fingers.

Moon boy (Isa/Sïax) has a limit beaker that could level city blocks. Wild.

Cry baby dislikes Cloud Strife for reasons only Ventus, Aqua and Hercules (apparently) know. Vanitas is pretty sure not even Cloud knows what he did. Van recons it has something to do with the big sword and the… Squats???

“I will not summon Floods until Xion and Sora cry. It is bad and I will apologise for it” … In Vans defence Naminé thought it was hilarious.

Dawn blindfolds himself when he’s upset about… something?

He gets along surprisingly well with Roxas… apparently shared trauma and distaste for stupid people goes a long way. Neat!

Raggedy Anne knows there is a spot on the back of Axels neck that if you dig in hard enough he passes out…. Isa showed her this.

Sora it not above throwing things at Riku and Kairi when he’s overtired and upset. He gets more upset that he threw the thing at them though.

Apparently master water slide (aqua) can still open dark corridors, she just doesn’t.

Dawn knows how to access dark gear. He’s done it exactly once in Vans presence and they didn’t see him for DAYS afterwards… that’s how Vanitas learned about the blindfold.

Naminé can get in your head. She hasn’t but she can. It makes for tense moments between her and Sora when she says something she shouldn’t know.

It is acceptable to throw water at Axel when he gets “fired up” during training. This was a delightful discovery.

Upon being introduced to the restoration committee it is not acceptable to point out that Leon looks like if Simba was a person… but it does make Sora and Aerith laugh so hard they end up crying on the floor.

Cloud strife is apparently more trauma then man and now Terra feels bad for hating him.

It is not acceptable to to tell Winnie the Pooh that forest fires are caused by thinking too hard. Sora and Ventus will slap you in the head and it will hurt

And possibly the most disturbing discovery of them all in Vanitas’ opinion… Sora has a Rage form AND an Anti-form. And they come out to play regularly in training.

Ultimately what Vanitas is learning is that nobody is amine to the darkness. He’s learning that it’s not about being evil or good by nature it’s about deciding who YOU want to be. For all he makes fun of them and calls them soppy lights, it’s…. Good to know that there is hope for him, even if it means he can’t get rid of the darkness. He can still exists in the light.

[yoroshiu]

Sora: Self-Esteem, Or Lack Thereof

I legit got struck with many thoughts when I woke up and decided to write an essay instead of going back to sleep. As in, this one's another long one ToT

Making Kingdom Hearts Stuff Until KH4 Comes Out (Day 13)

This is a topic that has been brought up a lot as of late but I found myself wanting to talk about it after reading some comments from some KH videos I was watching.

Specifically in Sora’s sacrifice scene in KH1 and his breakdown scene in KH3, it was interesting to see people say that they had just realized how low his self-esteem actually is, and I thought to myself, it must be interesting for them to look back and see how far back this feeling goes for him. I had my own thoughts as a result.

Sora grew up in Riku’s shadow. In the words of both of them, they agreed on the belief that Riku was the better one between them. It makes sense that Sora from the get-go had already taken blows to his self-confidence.

This is only added onto when it’s revealed that Sora was “just the delivery boy” for Riku, leading to the loss of the keyblade (which, for one, alongside the title of “Hero of the Keyblade” gave him a lot of confidence/assurance) and Donald and Goofy. This is a moment that stuck with him as shown in 358/2 Days is a memory that makes Roxas cry (in the same way seeing the Twilight Town trio made Sora cry). And while this is mostly supplemented by the manga/light novel adaptations mostly, Xion’s frustration in her encounter with Riku is reflective of that moment for Sora (especially in the manga).

In the perspective of the audience, Sora getting the keyblade back is a show of his own will and strength of heart. But in his eyes, since Donald and Goofy came back just a bit before, this is probably where the idea that his strength coming from his friends gets cemented. For him, the keyblade chooses him because he chooses to support others, which we will see rear its head in 3D.

One of the things that kept grabbing my attention when watching people play through 3D is when they get to the part where Sora says “I know the keyblade didn’t choose me, and I don’t care” because that ends up warranting confusion, and they usually say “but he was chosen though?” This is where that perspective thing shows up.

3D spent a notable amount of times mentioning how Sora isn’t the first choice. How the keyblade moved down the list (Riku to Sora), how the Organization moved down the list (Riku to Roxas to Sora). Xigbar even makes an attempt of mentioning such before Sora says the Thing. In Sora’s view, he wasn’t chosen for being special or having some kind of power but he was chosen because, in his eyes, his purpose is to help “those it [the keyblade] did choose.”

Even at his most confident (as he was on that KH2 victory high), he never viewed himself as “chosen” due to being worthy from his own merit.

And it doesn’t help that after 3D strips him of his power, he gets poked and prodded at for losing it. And that constant loss of power is something he’s aware of (“It’s always like this” line in Japanese). Others have mentioned it in other posts before, but Sora’s mistakes and failures weigh more heavily on his mind than the others who see his strength and victories over all else. Sora knows that he doesn’t understand everything and only does what he feels he can do in the situation for others. It’s kinda like everyone else sees him through these rose-tinted glasses (he gets through everything with a smile, he follows his heart /pos) but for him, he’s clawing through and following his heart /neg.

"It's okay, it's always like this."

This is all the buildup leading to his breakdown. It’s very in line with him, and it’s so fascinating seeing people realize that. Sora’s relationship with his self-esteem, alongside his trauma, are much more subtle arcs compared to other characters. It’s very much due to his style of coping being repression and smiling through everything until he can’t take it anymore.

This isn’t even taking into account other moments of his perspective like how he kinda blames himself for Donald and Goofy leaving him in KH1 (he puts it as “they had to leave” or that “they were separated” (in Japanese), never that they left or abandoned him. He usually doesn’t blame his friends if they’ve hurt him before. There’s even the tangentially connected topic of him being dehumanized.

Sora is both very straightforward and complex in his presentation and writing, just as his series is. His relationships with others are actually pretty complicated and are both the reasons for his strengths and his weaknesses (he and Riku alone are a whole doozy, being each others reasons for improvement but also their downfalls). Sora’s mental health is and will continue to be a topic of interest for me as we go into the next saga.

Someone please get him a nice hot cocoa and proper therapy…

[kingdomhearts-and-soriku-trash]

Watching Larxene’s cutscene and taking in how Sora thinks about Naminé, in this scene and everything before, and I’m putting a Soriku twist on it.

Concept of KH 4 Sora losing his memories and he doesn’t understand what the crown necklace he wears is. He’s constantly wearing it, feeling the need to NEVER let it out of his sight, but he cannot remember why it’s so important or who gave it to him. He tries so hard to recall, but he can’t. Yet when he thinks about taking it off or some people mention it, he argues about it. He says it’s too important and that…he just can’t take it off or lose it.

But sometimes when he thinks really hard, he gets an image in his mind. A man. A man with silver hair looking at him sadly. He wants to wipe that sad look off of his face and make him smile instead, make him look happy. But he doesn’t understand why. Why does he care for this man? He can’t even remember his name! He goes through the KH 4 plot trying to remember the man’s name and others he sees in his mind! But mainly the man. And sometimes in dreams, he sees flashes of memories. The more he digs in his mind, the more he finds.

All but his name and where this necklace came from.

And then Riku finds him, and it’s a lot. Sora feels a pressure in his chest when he sees him and his head feels heavy. He then realizes he looks just like the man in his head! He asks his name, desperate to know, and it’s Riku.

Riku’s here.

And then the whole breakdown happens which throws Sora off. Riku does the “I looked for you. I looked everywhere for you!” and crying like Sora did and such. Sora doesn’t understand and it hurts him because WHY DOESN’T HE REMEMBER??? If this man cares this much for Sora, then they must have a close relationship!! And Sora feels a little bit of it!!! So why!! CANT HE REMEMBER??? I imagine it would basically bother him until he gets his memories back bc he can see the way Riku looks at him, feels emotions towards him but doesn’t know why, and the necklace!!! The necklace is still in his head like WHY???

And maybe, just maybe, Riku would tell him about it and how he gave it to him and talk about the meteor shower and something something that makes his memory come back bc it’s one that’s been pushed down and into the back of his mind but Riku finally fishes it back for him and it’s so important that it brings things back. He helps him find that memory again and get his memory back and yada yada confessions are made and things somehow end okay :).

[confession-of-the-heart]

re: outgrowing AkuRoku, I think the biggest thing is… how to phrase it… it’s not just the obvious age problem in and of itself, but rather that the way fans were reading into their interactions in KH2 (when it first blew up) ended up being completely off base?

That is, to say: AkuRoku is fundamentally completely out of character—for both Axel and Roxas alike. It’s based on a version of the characters that simply doesn’t have any basis in their actual selves, and so there is a major sense of “he would not fucking say that”-type incongruity whenever depictions of it are still encountered—again, age stuff notwithstanding. I’m not trying to make a moral argument here but a character based argument. I would actually also argue that part of this is also wrapped up in XemSai, which is also an outdated take on those respective characters for similar reasons.

There’s a whole web of character interactions and past fandom interpretations which were extremely popular for some time that just don’t have any basis in reality now, so to speak. To elaborate:

Back during the era that KH2 released in, people were going absolutely nuts running with headcanon-heavy interpretations of the characters based on an extremely limited scope of canonical knowledge about them. We knew basically nothing about anyone in the Organization circa KH2. Character ages weren’t necessarily as obvious back then, so a lot of people just sort of went with the popular narrative and assumed Axel was a teenager around Roxas’ age without really giving that idea any critical thought. People with shipping goggles glued to their faces further decided to interpret Axel and Roxas’ emotionally charged interactions in the same manner as they did characters like Sora and Riku.

Meanwhile, it’s not terribly apparent that Axel and Saïx have any connection beyond just working for the same group—and most people see a hot boss interacting with his hot right-hand man, and make a ship out of it.

If the series had stopped with KH2 and we never got any further information about them this would have been all well and good, but, well… then we got more context.

Basically, KH has a shipping meta, and the meta changed—bigtime.

Days comes out, and we get context that tells us Axel is hanging onto his relationship with Roxas and Xion as a way of coping with his deteriorating relationship with Saïx. We get to see what real homoerotic tension in KH looks like between Axel and Saïx; we find out that Saïx has no actual loyalty to or affection for Xemnas, and is in fact overly preoccupied with whatever Axel is doing to the point of being a massive harassing prick to him and his friends over it.

As for Roxas, it’s made strikingly obvious that Axel’s relationship with the kid is one of a mentor—a significant portion of Days is devoted to seeing Axel more-or-less raising Roxas, along with Xion, and explaining basic concepts to them in much the same manner as you would a young child. They’re both less than a year old, after all.

Some liken it more to a family-type relationship and say big-brother while others say dad-like, but no matter which way you shake it it’s very clear by days that the tension in Axel and Roxas’ relationship in KH2 is simply not romantic in any sense of the word. A lot of it actually lies in their relationship with Xion, whose presence had been erased by KH2’s time, but the psychological effect of her presence still lingered.

Add to this the context of BBS up through KH3 giving us a much more intimate and in-depth longstanding history between Axel and Saïx, and there you have it. The character development meta has effectively rendered AkuRoku obsolete as a ship.

So I don’t know if saying one has personally outgrown it is necessarily even “correct” so much as that the series itself thoroughly debunked the entire basis that people had for it in the first place. If you respect where the characters are now, outgrowing it is the natural response. The only people still hanging onto it at this point are by default hanging onto an OOC, even shallow, interpretation of the characters.

Maybe some people hate that things changed. I do often see people talking about how they liked Axel better in CoM, or the Organization better in KH2–but KH has always been a series where the characters develop significantly and show different facets of themselves over time. Personally I’m much more energized by all the new material the series has given us since I first fell in love with it in the 2000s, and the way its characters have surprised me and become so much more fleshed out as people… but some people are more apt to cling to popular fanon and nostalgia until the day they die, I suppose. Well, they can do what they want.

~~~

[septnanis]

places to hide / soriku

“Hey,” Terra says, a tall shadow in the doorway.

Riku looks up at him and smiles. He likes Terra. Not just because they shared a moment so poignant that it shaped Riku’s future, but because Terra is a kind, steady presence in his life.

“You okay?” Terra asks.

But most of all, Riku feels like he can let his guard down. He nods, his throat feeling thick with emotion he can’t quite place.

“Yeah,” Riku says.

“Sora was worried about you,” Terra says. “May I?” He gestures to the overturned crate across from the one Riku is sitting on. “He said this is your favorite hiding spot.”

Riku nods and Terra sits down, the door shutting slowly behind him. Once it closes, only the light from underneath cuts through the darkness. It’s enough that they see each other.

“Are you?” Terra asks.

“Huh?” Riku replies.

“Hiding from something?” Terra moves a bit so he’s more comfortable.

From everything, Riku wants to say. From expectations, from my innate drive to keep going and going, a dozen other things and some he would never dare say out loud.

“I asked Sora why he didn’t look for you,” Terra says. “He seems to think you might be mad at him. Another year wasted on me, he said. Did you and Sora argue?”

Riku shakes his head. “No, I just…” he says. “I may have been avoiding him a little.”

Terra lets the words settle in the room for a while. It floats in the air like dust motes, catching whatever light is left in the room.

“I like sitting in dark places, too,” Terra says. “You’d think after years of being trapped in darkness I’d hate it. But it feels… comforting.” He runs his hands over the top of his legs. “Guess I learned to love my chains.”

“I felt like a monster,” Riku says. “Or a Heartless. But now it just feels nice… kinda quiet and almost peaceful. It makes stepping into the light feel even better.”

“Perfect balance,” Terra says. “You’re a wiser man than anyone who ever tried to teach me anything, Riku.”

Riku shifts and smiles. “Except for Aqua and Ven,” he says.

Terra nods. “They’re always my exception to everything,” he says in a fond tone.

Another silence falls.

When Terra chooses to speak again he does so carefully. “I know how you feel,” he says. “About yourself. And Sora.”

Riku’s demeanor changes, his back slightly straighter.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Terra says. “Or admit anything. I’m not going to push you to do anything. But I know you haven’t stood still for a moment since you left your home. I know despite how strong you are and how brave you’ve been, that you’re tired.”

Terra looks away from him, when Riku puts a hand on his own face. “I know you’re frustrated, and that maybe you think you don’t deserve to want the things you do.”

“I just want you to know that you deserve good things,” he says. “You deserve to be a happy young man in the prime of his life. Don’t give up on that.”

Riku inhales sharply, leans back and nods. “I didn’t waste anything,” he says. “Not for him.”

Terra places his hand on Riku’s shoulder and stands. “Tell him that, when you’re ready,” he says. “I think his answer might surprise you.”

Riku looks up at him and looks every bit the young man he is. When he nods again, Terra puts his hand on the door.

“It’s a good hiding spot,” Terra says. “Mind if I borrow it sometimes?”

Riku laughs, a little emotion stuck in the sound. “Sure,” he says. “I don’t mind.”

—-

“Sorry,” Riku says, weeks later. “If you thought I was avoiding you.”

Sora shrugs against his side. He sat down beside Riku when Riku invited him in without asking. Real light doesn’t ask permission, real darkness never pushes back. Perfect balance.

“That’s okay,” Sora says. “My foot’s in a bucket.”

“Your foot is a bucket,” Riku shoots back. It takes a beat, but they both snigger.

The silence between them is so different than the one between Riku and Terra. It’s lighter, and there’s electricity.

“I know sometimes you need some space,” Sora says. “You’ve always been like that. I don’t mind!”

Riku imagines how he couldn’t have fallen for Sora. It seems so impossible.

“You can tell me,” Sora says. “Even if it’s just a ‘I want to be alone now!’ thing. And if I ever do anything, you can tell me. You don’t owe me anything.”

Riku looks at him. His blue eyes, his spiky hair, his eyebrows, one just a little higher than the other. The way his mouth always looks like it wants to smile.

“And you could never be a waste of time,” Riku says. There’s a moment and then relief seems to wash over Sora’s face.

“It’s a good hiding spot,” Sora says, an echo of Terra that makes Riku smile.

When Sora lays his head just ever so slightly on Riku’s shoulder and lays the back of his hand against Riku’s leg. An open invitation to something he’s wanted for as long as he can remember.

Just because Riku reached out a little.

“It really is,” Riku says, lays his head ever so gently on Sora’s.

He reaches his own hand out, farther than he’s ever dared.

In the darkness, he’s no longer afraid.

[briefobservationdreamer]

Missing Potential About Organisation XIII Members

Some things about Organisation XIII members that I thought was a shame we haven't seen (yet)

The events of Chain of Memories being touched on. Like, how do Lea and Riku interact with Aeleus, Ienzo and Even? What about Saïx’s involvement, how much of it was from Xemnas, Saïx or just Axel's initative? Imagine Sora dealing with Marluxia and Larxene in KH3 with their history remembered. And let's not forget Riku Replica.

Marluxia and Larxene actually share very little one-to-one screentime for two villains who are working together, they only have a single short scene in KH3 before other characters show up. What was their relationship as Nobodies like? How did they come to trust each other enough to try and orchestrate a coup together and be loyal enough to die fighting together twice? We know Marluxia didn’t remember his past, but what about Larxene? Does the history of their Somebodies still factor in, even though they might not even remember?

Seeing the Organisation’s earlier history. How and when did they claim the World That Never Was as their base of operations and start working on completing the artificial Kingdom Hearts? How did they all get their powers and weapons and learn how to use them? How was it run before Saïx became mission control, how did he get that job and what kind of training and missions were they assigned to turn it into the Organisation we see in Chain of Memories, Days and 2? What are the details of Axel and Saïx’s story, how they lost their hearts and plotted their coup, how Axel got his teardrop tattoos and how Saïx got that scar and got possessed. How did Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia and Larxene get recruited (twice)? The original Organisation XIII doesn’t actually get to be an organisation of 13 people for very long, if at all, and there is only a brief period at the beginning of Days where we have a chance to see all members interacting with each other. I know there were at least two coups being plotted but they are never seen acting collectively as a single unit.

Lea still keeps his affinity for fire magic since being recompleted, but what about the other recompleted members of the original Organisation? I’d have to assume that the others still keep their powers post-recompletion too, and if so it’s a shame we don’t get to see the Radiant Garden crew using their powers more. Or Aeleus and Dilan showing off their fighting skills in general (even in a war), they are castle guards after all.

The Radiant Garden crew adjusting back into society after all the human experiments they did, especially if they remain respected authority figures.

Lea losing much of his potential character development in KH3 - exploring what his keyblade and being a wielder means to him, making up for his mistakes and fighting to get his friends back and earning all of those things - in favour of ignoring a lot of the harmful things he did and turning him into comic relief who doesn’t contribute much to the war. He deserved better than that.

The whole possession thing is kind of glossed over in KH3, in that it doesn’t really seem to affect the Real Org members. The way Xigbar described it in DDD makes it sound like some kind of hive mind to me, so I wondered about Xehanort being able to completely control any of them at any time, all of them forced to share the same thoughts and feelings from Xehanort about what he wants them to desire (or even sharing or sensing each other’s thoughts and feelings?), and in the Keyblade Graveyard none of them are themselves at all until their deaths. There was a reason Xehanort did this after all, and it would not only keep the members trapped and make betrayal more difficult, but make it even more impressive that Saïx, Vexen and Demyx were able to pull it off despite this.  

The traitors in the new Org doing more than drop off a replica body at Radiant Garden right when it was needed. Maybe there could have been more communication between the traitors and the guardians to make cooperation easier and give the plan greater chances of success, maybe even pass along information about the organisation's plans and movements (easily done by Demyx if he was always sent on recon missions). This is really more of an idea I had.

Group dynamics in general. So many contrasting personalities and motivations with so much potential for interesting interactions just by putting some of these characters in the same room for a few minutes.

All the former Nobodies adjusting to having a heart again after being recompleted. Even though there would be a lot that's similar for them, I think each of them would experience it in their own way, with their own unique challenges, needs and coping methods about the process.

[tanjiromenon]

if this world were mine.

(sora x reader)

warnings: character death, hurt no comfort, mentions of blood and injury (sorry in advance!), NOT proofread!

i haven’t posted in nearly 2 years, sorry about that. i wrote this at 6am after nearly two days of no sleep so if it’s a mess then… oh well

when he woke up today, sora hadn’t anticipated that it would lead to this.

there you were, on the floor, bleeding out velvet red rivers - a stark contrast to the white silk dress you wore. your hair splayed out on the ground, almost as if it were reaching for help, only to give up halfway.

he didn’t really hear much else going on, he didn’t even know he was moving until he felt the cold ground scrape against his knees - not enough to hurt, no, but enough to make it’s bitter presence known.

“y/n, look at me,” the world moved in slow motion, in the corner of his eyes, donald was casting curaga over your limp body; you weren’t waking up.

“y/n, please-“ it sounded more like a squeak when it came out of his throat, the cold air condensing around him. it was meant to be a celebration - your birthday. nothing bad was supposed to happen, that wasn’t the plan.

this isn’t how it’s supposed to go.

organisation 13 had no business sending their lackeys over here today of all days.

-

the decorations were all set up; and sora couldn’t have been more proud. your name was spelt out in balloons, albeit a few were wonky, but who’s focusing on that?

“sora!” donald shouted from across the room, beckoning his friend over with a wave of his arm. “it’s wonky.” sora grumbled and turned to see his decorations from a new point of view, but this time noticing the uneven letters even more. “what?!” he slapped his forehead and groaned, “it wasn’t that bad from where i was standing before.”

suddenly, goofy walked in holding your wrapped presents, the large slam of the door completely knocking the balloons off the wall altogether. “ah-hyuck- i’ve got the gifts, sora!”. donald just grumbled under his breath, snatching the sellotape out of soras hands and going to do it himself, muttering something along the lines of “i’ll do it right, this time.”.

“goofy!” sora exclaimed, gesturing to the fallen balloons that donald angrily put back up. “that took forever… y/n is gonna be here any minute!” goofy laughed and put the gifts down, patting sora on the shoulder, “gawrsh, y/n will love it, sora! it adds…” he paused, clearing his throat before moving his arm to gesture to the room. “character!”

riku walked in next, chuckling and bringing sora into a side hug, “relax, man, no one’s gonna die.”

sora didn’t feel much better though. it had to be PERFECT. it had to be. he doesn’t know what he’d do if you didn’t like it, probably beg for forgiveness - and cry. maybe. probably.

riku brought him out of his rushing thoughts with a nudge. “hey, you hear me, or is your brain running on ethers?” sora looked up at him, fidgeting with his hands. “i said, no one’s gonna die. y/n would be happy with a box for a present.”

-

“sora?” your voice called out, slowly blinking up at him through your tears. “don’t- don’t move!” sora went to stop you from sitting up, trying not to disturb the large gash on your stomach. aerith and donald were frantically trying to heal your wounds, the chaos increasing by the second. the king chased after the perpetrator after it happened, goofy following shortly after him, kairi and riku were shouting and running to help people - but sora couldn’t care less. he was only focused on you.

“you’re gonna be okay. i promise you y/n. you're okay." he doesn't know if you're gonna be okay, he doesn't know- "what happened?"

he paused. does he tell you? wouldn't that stress you out more? he pulled at his hair in frustration, trying to make the words come out; instead just spluttering out as a jumbled mess.

"you know," you coughed out spots of blood. "you owe me- ah!- another birthday p-party." you tried to force out a laugh, but it only hurt you more.

however, upon realising how sora was not calming down, instead panicking more at the blood on your hand, you slowly raised a hand to his cheek.

“sor-“ you let out a deafening shriek, blood erupting from your mouth as aerith - who was now out of options, poured some elixir from her bag onto your wound. donald grabbed the bottle and shouted at her, before letting out another series of, “curaga! curaga! curaga!”

"s-stop-" you tried to push everyone away, strength weakening by the second. you're scared, you're losing your vision and it's getting darker.

"y/n, i love you, okay?" sora whispered, his words as soft as snow despite the unsteadiness that came out alongside them, bringing your knuckles to his lips to caress them in kisses.

you didn’t have the strength to say it back.

-

“you ever think the world would miss me if i died? you asked sora, leaning back and staring into the night sky, smiling ever so slightly.

“don’t be silly, y/n, you’re what makes the world go round- no, the universe.” he laughed, shaking his head. “if this world were mine… i’d give you anything.” he grinned at you, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

giggling, you turned to him with an even bigger grin, “here you go again with your sappy self, sora…” tucking a stray hair behind your ear, you smiled and watched a shooting star pass you both by.

you thought back to the many nights you’ve spent with sora, wether it’s a sleepless night with nightmares, or a midnight walk on the beach, sora never shyed away from his love and adoration for you. you loved that about him. you love how he loves you.

you loved him.

“i’m being honest, y/n. thank you for being in my life.”

“and you too, sora. you’re so good to me.” you sat up, scooting close until you could feel the warmth of his skin, leaning your head onto his shoulder.

it was your birthday eve, and sora couldn’t be more excited, he had multiple surprises planned, months of planning had all lead to this moment. everyone was sure he was more excited than you at this point; with all the ranting and raving about it. “big day tomorrow, huh?” sora chuckled, glancing down at you. “my birthday’s nothing too special, but with you i’m sure it’ll be fantastic,” you wiggled your feet. “wanna give me a clue for what you have planned?”

“no!” sora rolled his eyes, he’s not falling for that. “you just relax, it’ll be more fun if it’s a secret.”

you yawned, covering your mouth. sora laughed again, nudging you with his hand, “make sure to actually stay awake for it tomorrow, yeah?”

“think i’m gonna nap a while… you know, to prepare for tomorrow and what-not.”

sora brought you into his arms, stroking your face. “i’ll be here when you wake up, take your time, y/n.”

the sounds of the ocean a soft lullaby, you imagined yourself floating on it.

-

you felt as if you were sinking into a deep sleep, the sound of blood rushing in your ears similar to the ocean at night.

“y/n, stay awake, stay with us!” sora pleaded. sobbing into your neck as he held you close. donald and aerith were exhausted by now, but still attempted to stop the bleeding. aerith had ripped off parts of her dress to wrap around the wound, which grew dark with your blood.

‘i’m tired.’ you thought to yourself, finding it hard to even look at sora, opting for imagining him smiling down at you instead.

you felt warm.

you’re not afraid anymore.

‘i love you too, sora.’ you were sure no one would be able to hear, but you said it anyway.

sora watched your hands go completely limp, bringing you to his chest in a flurry of sobs, begging for you to wake up, even though he knew deep down that wasn’t going to happen. “y/n, please don’t do this.”

aerith placed a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off, shouting and spewing things he couldn’t even understand himself. “get up, get up- y/n,” he whispered over and over, like a mantra- a prayer, something.

he clung onto your lifeless body, the blood all poured out. it was soaked into his clothes now, his hands wet with the constant reminder of his failure to protect you.

he failed to protect you.

the world could’ve been yours.

[matenr0u]

there’s so much angst potential in sokai and just sora losing his connection to kairi in general i need it

the way they mirror peter pan and wendy, with kairi staying behind on the islands and going to school, growing up. sora is off adventuring without her but she continues to outclass him in emotional maturity. now they’ve lived such radically different lives they can barely relate to each other anymore

she tries to change, she goes to find him because he doesn’t come home and when she does find sora he looks at her like that because she’s not how he’s been fantasizing her to be like. because he still doesn’t know how to love her like a person. because kairi is a girl, a princess, and boys save princesses. she wasn’t supposed to get her hands dirty, that’s not how this works

he barely gives her a thought in most of ddd/khiii but kairi is writing unsent letters, worrying if he’ll like her new haircut this time, trying so hard to mould herself, to ‘catch up’, only to fail miserably again and again and the poor girl never even liked sword fighting like sora and riku. she never wanted to fight

she finally gets to have a moment with him which riku helps orchestrate despite his own big messy feelings, but sora is busy looking out for his best friend instead of listening to her. Again

it’s too troublesome to articulate her feelings just to be brushed aside like usual, so even though the moment they’ve been waiting for all this time is kinda ruined now she still shares the paopu with him anyway. she needs to know her most precious person, her safety blanket, isn’t gonna leave her behind anymore. she’s tired of clinging so desperately to things that slip through her fingers so she risks it all on a superstition and some fruit.

and like always, one of her best friends disappears, and he takes the other with him, and she’s right back where she started

[daylighteclipsed]

@generatedreflection Hope you don’t mind if I respond to your tags this way, since my og post is already kind of long! So running on the assumption that KH is a video game, or at least fiction/a story, in-universe and the characters are waking up and changing when they’re not “supposed” to…

I guess it depends on when the initial divergence from fate/the narrative/the program happened and how much it affected. Was Riku supposed to be our player character? If so, did Sora and Riku only swap physical places/external roles, or did their writing or programming adjust their personalities to fit their new places in the story/game so as to keep the narrative from diverging too much? Is this the first run through the story, or have there been multiple past loops we’re not privy to and that the characters don’t consciously remember but which still affect their hearts?

I’m thinking of ReCoded specifically, when Data Sora and Data Riku go on this whole adventure that’s similar to KH1 but different enough to shape them into their own people. Even after they’re reset to follow what’s written in the Journal, we know those memories remain in their hearts and in the hearts of their newfound Disney friends from the ‘real’ world, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. So data KH1 will never truly reflect KH1 as we know it.

If ReCoded is spelling the big picture out for us, do Sora and Riku only start awakening during the one run of KH1 that we play… or have they been waking up because of one or more resets before that we haven’t seen? Is fate, destiny, the narrative, the program trying really hard to make this story play out the way it’s “supposed” to, but the boys keep swerving, developing more awareness and free will with every reset? Or is this the first run where things are different because of something the Master of Masters most likely set in motion? Or maybe what he set in motion has taken all these resets to come to fruition?

It’s a lot to think about. And I don’t have any answers. Certainly it’s interesting to consider all the different ways the story could go/is maybe “supposed” to go… If Sora and Riku’s roles are supposed to be flipped, with Riku as the champion of light and Sora as the one who falls to darkness… then it’s kind of ironic that they seem to be circling back to that now. Like rather than completely changing or swapping destinies, they just took a detour. They took the long way around, but the road still leads to the same place. Fate is fighting to correct course.

But I also think, you know, Sora could’ve always been meant to be the Hero and embody that archetype even if the Keyblade was not “supposed” to be his. I don’t think the one who wields Kingdom Key Light is synonymous necessarily with the Hero of the story or even the main protagonist. It’s also possible for Riku to pass on the Keyblade to Sora without falling to darkness.

Either way, the idea of Riku giving his crown/destiny to Sora, rewriting the story and essentially acting as the narrative for Sora in this sense, usurping fate, is interesting. Especially when you compare this to Data Riku’s role in ReCoded. He’s the vessel for the Journals, for the entire digital universe they create, and he protects it. He protects Sora’s story, the one we see in the games, which plays out how it does because Riku gives Sora the Keyblade.

The one thing I feel for sure — a lot of this, the story changing and characters waking up/coming alive, comes back to Riku. From what we see of him as a little kid, Riku’s always been more “awake,” it seems, than his peers. Always questioning things and possessing a wisdom beyond his years. It’s like he almost knows (or remembers) things he shouldn’t. As Sora puts it, Riku says “some weird stuff sometimes.” And I think Riku is the one who starts waking Sora up. He encourages Sora to think about things that it doesn’t seem Sora would think about on his own. To ask questions. To see their world differently. And to consider worlds beyond their own.

I think he’s why Sora’s first line in the series is about awakening. “I’ve been having these weird thoughts lately. Like — Is any of this for real or not?” And I think Riku’s why Sora’s able to connect with and awaken/bring to life so many characters in the story. That might even be canon, actually, if Riku encouraging Sora to open his heart to Ventus when they’re little kids is what teaches Sora how to... By empowering Sora, Riku is the catalyst for a ripple effect of change that defies destiny and universal law. And it culminates in his KH3 sacrifice which allows Sora to rewrite how the Book of Prophecies ends.

I think that’s what Riku has always represented: Awakening. Truth. The outside world — whether that means adulthood, reality, new perspectives, or lands yet untraveled. He makes the darkness conscious by bringing it to light. Especially for Sora. Riku quite literally wakes Sora up after CoM and in DDD, and his light pulls forgotten/repressed memories up from the depths. Riku’s often associated with the sun — the kind of bright, harsh light that hurts to look at. That makes it hard, if not impossible, to fall back asleep.

Riku’s the sudden light in your eyes that has you groaning and rolling away when someone has to get you out of bed in the morning lol He’s the rude awakening. The truth is often not pleasant or easy. It often hurts. But inevitably, it becomes known. Inevitably, the sun rises and illuminates the dark. Dawn breaks, and the day and all its challenges must be faced. No slacking off. Chop, chop. It’s time to wake up, Sora. Destati!

Even Data Riku in ReCoded is the one who lifts the curtain for Data Sora and ‘reveals the matrix’ so to speak. “It’s time for you to learn the truth.” Riku offers the truth, perhaps quite literally sometimes if that’s what his iconic outstretched hand gesture represents — and it definitely seems to given how KH3’s tutorial/awakening parallels Sora’s dream in the KH1 opening. But it’s up to Sora to accept the truth. To face it. To take Riku’s hand and awaken. It’s Sora’s choice.

Anyway. Whether Riku is “supposed” to be the Hero or was always meant to be the Rival, he’s not supposed to love Sora as much as he does, and certainly not in the romantic way the games suggest he does… I understand your hesitation about gay intent in KH�� But it really feels like the “missing”/unspoken piece here that makes so many people scratch their heads over Riku’s character arc. For Sora, it’s less clear (especially in English), but I do think Riku is in love with him. And I truly believe so much of “destiny” changing and characters awakening, Sora awakening, comes back to that.

Destiny in this case would be the typical formula of Disney fairy tales and the expectations of our heteronormative society. And awakening would be developing awareness of these limitations and smashing them… Perhaps reflected through Riku and Sora exposing the flaws in the Light and Dark binary that’s dictated Keyblade society and caused many of the problems their generation has to contend with.

Perhaps the door to the light, to truth, to awakening IS the closet door, then (insert joke here about Riku literally being the gay awakening)… But it’s a lot of other things as well. Awakening is discovering any truth. Every truth. It’s knowledge of the systems that limit and control you, of any unseen force that holds you back. It’s power to see through illusions and lies, distortions and distractions. It’s free will and independent thought. It’s self-actualization and true freedom. After all, you cannot break free of chains you don’t know are there.

That certainly makes the Master of Masters an interesting fellow… It seems like he wants change. He wants the characters to deviate from the script, to awaken, to develop free will… But at the same time, he’s pulling all the strings. He’s the eye always watching them... Does he truly want freedom, or does he want to be the one who decides what freedom looks like?

[andrewwtca]

drum roll please...

hello @kingarmorking! I'm your Secret Santa!!!

I will admit, your prompt had me confused at first glance but once I came to actually look at your account and work, OH was I eating!!! Sora as the Beast??? Riku as the Beauty??? it's been such a hassle not reblogging your art and leaving comments in order to keep anonymity... I'm obsessed with this AU and this is the product of that!

in case you don't remember, you asked for a scene written or something taken straight from Beauty and the Beast, and. I hope you don't mind if I was a little self-indulgent. I took some inspiration from the film but also... angsted it. ahh, I hope you enjoy it!!!

(everyone else, go read SEDI!!!)

secrets never kept, promises never made

Riku wonders which is Sora.

The two portraits hang proudly on the wall, even with time making them fade away and tearing at their corners. They both have dark green backdrops, the subjects facing each other, and Riku props his hand on his hip.

One is of a blond boy and the other is of a brunet. They have matching blue eyes, faces etched into permanent frowns of solemnity (although the brunet looks like there’s a slight whisper of a smile threatening to escape), and hair slicked down. They wear matching royal blue suits, and while only their upper bodies are shown, they seem so well put together.

Which is Sora? Riku can’t figure it out. He's passed this hallway a few times, without the Beast ever knowing, and he keeps trying to figure it out, and to no avail over and over. Was it the blond who seemed so serious, so sad? Or was it the brunet who seemed to try to hide a smile that even the painter picked up on?

Riku figures it’s the blond. Sora doesn’t seem like the smiling type.

But then again—if Riku was trapped in a body for that long, he wonders how much he would change. He isn’t the smiling type or the particularly over-joyous type, but Riku still had some joy in his heart, even if he couldn’t show it. Where would it all go?

Buried deep down somewhere like some sort of coffin.

His metaphor is cut too soon with a sudden gust of wind.

This hallway is abandoned, with cobwebs wrapping themselves around candles like babies to their mothers, with all the blue walls having turned into darkness. Curtains hug the windows and even if it was day, no light would be omitted. For all intents and purposes, this hallway was intended to be left to time.

And yet, the door slams open, and Riku’s cloak flutters behind him. Riku doesn’t feel the fear he expects himself to be overcome by when he turns to see the large keeper of the castle standing there, shadows covering his face and expression.

Instead, Riku only turns. What else is there to do?

You’re not supposed to be here.

“I apologize,” Riku says, in only half honesty. He does feel bad for breaking Sora’s rules, as it seems it’s all he has left—he doesn’t feel bad for wanting to learn more. For wanting to end this eternal darkness plaguing this realm.

It’s why he hesitates and bites back his tongue to ask, 'Which one is you?' Is it important? Does Sora even remember? (Would he even tell Riku?)

Get out. A please is added after a moment, and Sora’s large form takes a step closer as if trying to goad Riku out. The shadows seem like a good place for him like he was made for it, and Riku wonders if that bothers him.

Both of the twins didn’t seem particularly sad. Neither of them seemed like they lingered in the shadows—

And yet, here they are.

Riku glances down and sighs. He can't suppress his curiosity, craving the safety knowing would bring. “Sora,” he calls. “How—”

It was a long shot, Riku knew, but he didn’t expect Sora to let out a mighty roar that shook the whole room. Riku lets out a startled yelp and hardens his gaze as Sora simpers, standing taller in the light, covering as much of it as he could as though he owned the darkness, he was the darkness. I said GET OUT.

It rings in Riku’s ears and he presses a hand to either one. He presses harder because the ringing doesn’t stop, and it echoes into his brain. It makes him nauseous and he—he has to get away from Sora.

I’m sorry, Sora, some part of him calls, stumbling backward. I’m sorry this happened to you.

The ringing, the ringing, the ringing, it drives Riku crazy and he keeps limping until he reaches what he thinks is a balcony. The ringing is going quieter, but it’s still there—is Sora still in that room? Riku hears something behind him—maybe Sora tears down the painting. Riku doesn’t know, doesn’t care, he scales the side of the castle walls the way he and Katsu used to climb houses when they were smaller.

Riku keeps moving forward—why won’t the ringing stop?

Is this Sora, trying to push him away; or trying to pull him back?

It’s getting quieter, though.

Riku keeps moving forward. I’m sorry, he keeps repeating in his mind, as though to swat away all of Sora’s rage. Neither of those twins seemed like they could get too angry. Well—the blond, maybe. So that must be Sora. So angry all the time, but Riku knows he would be too, so he could still be the brunet, and on and on Riku’s thoughts go. I’m sorry, he’ll repeat, and he’s not sure if he’s sorry this happened to Sora and he can’t save him, or sorry that he’s wondering this at all. I’m sorry I made you feel like you’re not enough.

The ringing stops.

Riku drops his hands and suddenly recognizes the cold. Wrapping his arms around himself, Riku shivers and blows out condensing cold air, trying to take note of where he is. Trees—ah, the forest, of course.

There’s still some light. Riku turns around and huffs. This is the last place he’d like to be found in the darkness and the last place he’d like to be found while the world keeps falling to its creatures. In short, this is one of the few places Riku likes and he can’t understand Yuu’s obsession with it. The name sends a jolt of warmth through him, the warmth of joy: Please have made it to the capital alright.

The warmth of joy is washed out with a bucket of shame: he came here to save the realm. And he spent his time wondering what Sora looked like. He spent his time aggravating him instead of freeing the realm. 

And of course, Riku—the shivers rack through him violently, interrupting his thoughts—wonders what exactly is going through Sora’s mind. Telepathy isn’t enough. Riku wonders what Sora feels and what Sora actually wants to do, instead of what he says. Riku wonders so much, but that’s not important.

What’s important is the people he loves who he can’t count on one hand, who grow every single day. When he was small it was his brothers, and then it was Kairi, and then it was the town, and now it’s the realm. (And maybe, now it’s the castle. Maybe, now it’s Sora.) He can’t lose sight of that. The moment he does, that’s when he’ll be in trouble—

Riku lets out a yelp as something latches to his leg. He kicks at it, but his boots are dull and tired, and the something yanks him to the ground. Slamming to the ground without an ounce of gracefulness, Riku grabs a handful of snow and chucks it forward, alongside kicking with his free foot.

The something lets out a warbled hiss and backs off quickly, and—

Shadows.

Riku doesn’t have a weapon.

Riku scrambles to his feet and looks around. Slowly, white snow is overtaken by these creatures of the night and Riku only has a few seconds to think, and oh! Trees! They have sharp branches, don’t they?

Riku rushes out of the opening and grabs a fallen branch, the first one he grabs with no care for sharpness. He maybe should’ve cared. This one is duller than a dying light, but beggars can’t be choosers and Riku can’t be monster food.

The shadows are small enough, but Riku knows that small things can be overwhelming in larger groups. He needs to keep them down to keep an upper hand, and Riku sweeps his stick in a low arching movement, knocking three of the creatures to the ground.

They dissolve into the night and Riku dances with the night. He spins and strikes, and for a moment, there are only two more left, and he can head back to the castle and work—

A shadow claws at Riku’s leg and it tears through his slacks. Letting out a shout, Riku falls forward and quickly turns onto his back. No, no, no, he isn’t going to let these puny monsters be the death of him, not when he has so much to fight for (but how, there are so many, he can’t do this alone!)

Shadows restrain Riku’s wrists and he headbutts forward, trying to knock the closest one off balance, but all he ends up doing is flailing. What do they even want, his soul? Well, they can’t have it! Riku keeps fighting and he feels darkness suffocating him. They can’t have it, they can’t have it, they can’t have it, he needs to protect the ones who he loves, it’s getting darker and darker—

The shadow is tossed off Riku’s body and the weight is lifted from his limbs. Riku’s eyes search, dazed.

In the darkness, Riku finds something even darker; something more light than anything here. “Sora,” Riku groans. The shadows are regrouping, and Riku pushes himself up onto his elbows.

I’m sorry, Sora tells him. It seems like he’s panting; it seems like he’s human. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you like that.

“I shouldn’t have pried,” Riku automatically says, holding his head. He's spinning. No, he's not, he's on the ground. Yet, he's spinning. Maybe he was a dancer in a past light.

No…you’re within your right, Sora begins, before turning. But shall we deal with these first?

“Probably smart,” Riku tells him, pushing himself to unsteady feet. He lurches forward and Sora is there to grab him and to hold out— “My sword!”

I had a feeling, Sora explains, holding his hands out at either side of him, that there would be trouble.

“You have some pretty good feelings,” Riku says.

I hope so. I only have so many.

Riku is about to laugh, thinking it’s a joke, until a shadow jumps at him and he needs to swing his sword down. The arch is true and it feels right, unlike the imitation called a stick. This feels right, this fight, and when the shadow is extinguished, it’s time for the next one.

The cold doesn’t bother Riku. The numbers don’t bother Riku. Nothing bothers Riku are he swings forward, accompanied only by the sound of metal, his grunting, and Sora’s loud footsteps. Sora, Riku thinks, sparing a glance or two or three or four at him.

Sora is a fighter. It’s like he was made for this, mixing between magic and physical combat. Both leave Riku reeling and for a second, Riku imagines someone else.

He imagines the boy with blond hair, back to back with him. “We’re almost there!” Riku tells Sora and Sora lets out a grunt to let him know he heard, and the two kick off each other again. The shadows keep going. But they’re bound to come. The blond is nothing but rage, nothing but—

Riku feels a wave of joy take over him, a joy that isn’t his.

Riku slices and imagines the boy with brown hair, switching spots with him. Sora’s better at large groups and Riku’s better at large shadows. The two nod to each other and they’re fighting again, and there’s almost a hop in Sora’s step, like he hasn’t fought in a while. No, he has fought.

Like he hasn’t fought with someone in a while.

Riku slams his sword down and imagines the boy with brown hair, sticking to his forehead, laughing.

The shadows are gone. Riku turns around—

And sees the Beast looking back at him.

Riku smiles at Sora.

I’m so sorry.

I wish I could save you.

I wish I could love you.

…can I?

I hope you enjoyed that!!! like I said, EXTREMELY self-indulgent. I'm so sorry, your AU just gave me brain rot! I was inspired by the scene above where Belle gets attacked by wolves and the Beast comes to save her, except... well, this is Soriku, they would kick ass together!

happy holidays! thanks for a lovely prompt <3

[ok4ru]

oh wait also I know you have thoughts about Stella and yozora and those guys, I have like zero clue what goes on/is implied about them (I know nothing about versus XIII), so if you’d like to rant about that use this an an opportunity:>

Okay, I read this wrong at first and went into a whole rant about Yin and Yang and they’re connected Yozora and Stella then I reread the question and put down this but now lets to the point.

I have some many feelings towards Yozora and Stella since they seem to be connected to Sora and Riku, not to mention the old Final Fantasy 15 too..

Now let's talk about Stella and Yozora:

My favorite thing is that the two of them are based off the old version of Noctis and Luna which I think is pretty cool cause you can see it in the design choice.

Yozora- Now from what we know about Yozora is not that much but I find him really interesting and hope that he is similar to the OG Noctis. I love his design even though he looks like a deviantart verison of Riku which I FIND SO FUNNY.

I feel like he’s gonna be the evil version of Namine, trying to replace Sora's memory with his and Stella or put Sora in Stella's place while also maybe making a false memory of him and Riku.

I feel like Yozora is gonna make Riku to be like some bad person in his memories and replace the good ones with bad and fake ones instead. 

I don’t trust Yozora but I do love him.

Stella- I love her! She is so pretty!! She looks really similar to Sora which at this point I'm convinced that Quadratum may be an alternative Universe maybe??

I wonder what her and Yozora relationship was like and if it was a close relationship like Sora and Riku.

Now, I'm gonna give you some info about the OG Noctis and Luna. Now it was kinda like Romeo and Juliet but it was mostly a kinda unknown one sided relationship? 

Noctis was the one to pined for Stella and tried to pursue her. Noctis doesn’t know how Stella feels for her and you don't know what Stella feels for Noctis. 

Then that reminded me of Sora and Riku. We know how Riku feels toward but we don’t how Sora feels toward Riku. (I don’t even think Sora know, lmao)

With this information it makes me think ‘OMG, what if Yozora was that deeply in love with her?? WHAT IF?!?!’ Knowing this is a Nomura game has me hoping that Yozora and Stella Relationship is shown like that.

Yozora gets ready to tell his feelings for Stella just for her to rip away from him. (Honestly, Nomura would do that…)

Also In the OG story of FF13 Noctis and Luna's families are against each other. So it's kinda enemies to lovers? But Noctis flopped and fell in with his enemy…BEAUTIFUL!

Fun fact: Noctis and Stella out represent white and black too which love that design choice cuz Light and Darkness elements..

Not to mention, Sora being light to Riku darkness which I think will have the same Yozora and Stella thing going on for the both of them...

Cuz, what if Yozora's heart gets taken by darkness and Stella would use the power of light to get it back?? 

Proving to be her light to his darkness!! But I think unlike the OG Stella and Noctis they’re being enemies to lovers. It's gonna be Friends to lovers then to enemies…

Have a KH1 Soriku thing going on but no lover thing included!

I WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM!!! YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!!!

As for Aegis and Magia, Yozora Goofy and Donald. They’re pretty cool. I hope to see them in KH4 being helped by Sora during some battles!

[strayheartless]

So I don’t know if I’m ever really going to be able to write it coherently because it’s a mess of an idea but I need it out of my brain box. But I have an idea for a fic I’ll probably never write -because as I say ✨coherency✨- and it kinda goes like this:

Cloud is a pretty lonely kid. Even when Tifa tries to include him, he struggles socially and the others don’t really like him. As a way of coping with this Cloud falls back on his imagination and essentially creates the entire universe of kingdom hearts in his head like a maladaptive daydream to cope with his situation.

He has drawings of Sora and the gang all over his room and every note book is filled with complicated plots and backgrounds and ideas for characters. His Ma worries that he spends too much time in his own head. However, she quickly realised that moving his drawings and Writing causes him great distress so she tries to leave them be.

For Cloud Sora is an extension of the outgoing hero he wants to be. The kid who wasn’t necessarily the chosen one but is the best version of himself and is the hero because he’s good.

Riku is his sephiroth type character. He’s the cool kid that everybody wants to be like, and just like us he lives for torturing his blorbo. What Clouds not really aware of as he writes though is that Riku becomes more and more like an extension of himself. There’s an intense loneliness to his character and a repression of something Cloud is really not ready to look at.

Kairi is probably his romanticisation of Tifa and an extension of Clouds own desire to protect the people that matter to him most. Sora wants to protect kairi in the same way Cloud wants to protect Tifa. But like Tifa as the Kairi develops she has a certain strength of her own and a story worth telling.

More characters develop along the way and by the time he joins shinra military he’s got a whole fantasy world (or worlds in this case) planned out in his head that consumes his every waking minute.

Cut to being in the army and Clouds usually got a small field journal with him that he uses like an ideas book that’s full of scribbles and drawings. He’s incredibly territorial about the notebook and has gotten into altercations over it multiple times.

By this point he’s established some other stories. Sora feels really distant to him and he can’t quite reach him. It’s upsetting but around the time he meets Zack Ventus sort of emerges from nowhere.

Ven is quirky, he’s a bit silly and a lot sarcastic. But he’s smiley and friendly and exactly the person Cloud is around a certain second Class soldier…

Hiding his sketches from Zack was never an option. He was never going to get away with carrying his journal around without Zack popping up over his shoulder to ask “whattcha doooin’?”. Once Zack got a little snap shot into Clouds world(s) he wanted to grill Cloud about it every time they hang out. What Zack doesn’t really get though, is that for Cloud it’s not a story… not really.

These are Clouds friends. This is where he feels safest. Being able to talk of them makes them more tangible more real and when the Genesis war starts to get that bit more tense Cloud is stuck in his head As Sora and Riku make a reappearance.

Waking Dreams and nightmares plague Cloud for hours to the point of exhaustion because there’s someone on his island! Someone who shouldn’t be. Zack suddenly gets the feeling that maybe there’s something a little off about Clouds stories. He unfortunately gets his answer when he opens the door to Clouds room in the barracks and finds him crying into his knees and rocking.

“He opened the door, he opened it Zack! He shouldn’t have done that!”

“Who? What door Cloud? Where’s your head at bud?”

“Riku! He opened the door to darkness”

From that point on Zack is very careful about how he approaches Clouds stories. He notices Clouds staring; the times when he will start crying for no reason; nights when Zack will come to get him for dinner and find him scribbling out drawings of dark little shadows and a sword that looks like a key… The night before sephiroth burns down Nibelhiem Zack leaves Cloud scribbling a drawing of Ansem rising up covered by a monster gagged with bandages.

…..

When cloud dreams in the Mako pod it’s confusing. He dreams of Sora Trapped in a white room. He dreams that none of his friends know him and that Riku isn’t what he remembers. He dreams of some of his lesser characters in Black coats and his brain confuses Ventus and Sora to make Roxas.

He dreams that Lea is no longer Lea he’s Axel. He dreams of Kairi with Black hair and Blue eyes but she’s not Kairi she’s- shes…. Xion? He dreams that there’s a girl that’s making Sora forget things, and he’s struggling to remember things himself.

He dreams that Riku won’t show anybody his eyes. What’s wrong with his eyes?! He dreams and dreams and dreams of Sephiroth, in the colosseum, in Radient Garders… no Hollo- hollow bastion… why are you here?!

Get out get out get out get out!

GET OUT!

…..

……..

When Cloud wakes up in the sector seven train station the first thing he registers is that summer vacation is over. No that’s not right. They were going to the beach right? Roxas and Heyner and Pence and Ollette. They were going to the beach, to get pretzels and watermelon and…

Sora?

He blinks and he’s lying on his back in a bed on stargazer hights and When Sora Cries so does he. Why is Sora crying? Where is Roxas?

There’s a tower surrounded by stars, and a wizard who tells Sora that the darkness still exists. He tells him about Nobodies that are the husks of people who have lost their hearts and Cloud wonders if he is a nobody too…

There’s a black feather in the underworld. And one on Mount Olympus when Sora parks the Gummi ship. Cloud thinks someone should be running to meet them with a big smile and questions about Terra… no that’s not right?

There’s a figure in a black coat in hollow ba- radient- hollow bastion. And another one in the underworld. Half way up a mountain in the land of dragons there’s another one, different from the others who won’t fight back.

As Avalanche reach Kalm Cloud makes a beeline for an art supply shop and suddenly there’s flowers in radiant garden again.

When he gets splashed with Mako in Corel he’s sees Riku and Roxas in loveless avenue. No that’s not right. What… what is this place.

“Come on sora, you can do better then that!”

“Oh yeah look which one of us is winning!”

“Stop by once me and him are both hero’s!”

“Oh so never come back!”

… Hello?

This is where I got up to with this idea and I can’t figure out the rest of it, but it’s been bugging me for months. So ✨here✨