#except little Riku :((

[griffin-ktb]

KH Doodle Dump 🫶✨

I will never not be thinking of Soriku

[cloudofash]

I'm so late but I wanted to reply to this theory.

I don't think K*airi is evil or malicious. I still don't know if she has hidden powers or not but I still find it strange that her Nobody just so happens to have the power of memory manipulation. Nobodies tend to take on the power of the original person (much like Axel wields fire the way he did when he was Lea the Human).

K*airi may have hidden powers that affect peoples' memories that simply haven't been revealed yet. Maybe she affects memory subconsciously and isn't even aware of the power.

Perhaps K*airi doesn't have the power at all, and Naminé having memory manipulation is a narrative tool to say "this is the effect K*airi has on Sora, he focuses on her so much that she almost affects his memories".

We'll never know until or unless her power is ever revealed. Maybe training with Aqua will be the way her powers are discovered and finally utilized properly.

Also: Yes some of the characters do kiss but the kisses are placed in the end credit scenes of the games (sans Snow White and Sleeping Beauty). I still think Sora and Riku's way of showing their love would be interlocked fingers because hand holding is kind of their thing and it would be soooo romantic sigh

The Ariel / Riku Parallel and the future of Sora and Riku

This is a parallel I see covered a lot of the time but when it's mentioned the comparison usually involves Naminé in place of Ursula.

The parallel typically follows:

Ariel is Riku. They both wanted to see the outside world.

Sora is Prince Eric.

Naminé is/was Ursula (Vanessa).

Naminé (Ursula) used witch like powers to place Sora (Eric) in a trance and blind him from his true light/the one, Riku (Ariel).

It's a direct parallel that needs little analysis or explanation.

I have also seen fellow Sorikus touch on this parallel with the Final World tunnel scene where Sora notices that the Light is Riku much like Eric notices "the one" who sang to him and saved him in the storm is Ariel.

My theory is that this parallel goes beyond just the tunnel scene. In fact, I believe that Nomura is following the KH2 Atlantica storyline for Sora and Riku's eventual romance later in the games. Walk with me here.

-

The KH2 Atlantica story begins with Ariel saving Eric after a storm. She immediately falls in love, and sings to him. He wakes up just enough to hear her singing, she goes back to Atlantica and her father breaks her statue of him, her heart breaks and Ursula makes her contract with her...you know the tale.

In the KH2 version of this tale however, Ariel falls into a deep depression because she knows she can't be with a human up on land as a mermaid. Not to mention her father's hatred of humans casted fear and doubt into her. When Ariel and Eric defeat Ursula, Ariel reveals to Eric that she is actually a mermaid. However in this scene, Ariel hangs her head in shame and tells him "goodbye" anticipating that he would not accept her as she was. To her surprise, he does accept her.

This scene always struck me because at no point in the original film is Ariel ever ashamed of being a mermaid, she simply knew as a mermaid she couldn't live on land with the one she loved. Why would shame and fear of not being accepted for who you are be added to this tale?

And it doesn't stop there. All throughout the Atlantica storyline, we're told that Ariel and Eric's love is a "forbidden love". A love that shouldn't happen between mermaid and human, sea and land. We're told how a "love struck" mermaid in the sea felt she could only love her human soulmate from afar, that they could never be together despite her wanting them to be.

Who, in the entire Kingdom Hearts cast, does this sound like? Who else, if confirmed that he truly is in love with Sora, would have a forbidden love?

There is no one else other than Riku. Kai*ri, as a cishet female, would not have a forbidden love with Sora. Riku, as a demi/gay male, would have the forbidden love.

Riku has spent a good portion of this series loving and protecting Sora from afar, most often than not, without Sora even being aware.

Who would be more likely to be "ashamed" for loving Sora, and fearful of rejection? Kai*ri, or Riku? In fact, just as Ariel was ashamed that she was originally a mermaid and had to transform into a human, Riku was ashamed that he had to borrow the powers of Ansem and transformed into Ansem.

--

Now why do I say this parallel is going to dictate the future of Sora and Riku's relationship? Because KH3 pretty much follows half of this parallel already.

We already know that Sora discovered that Riku was his true light in the tunnel. He then forgets all of this ever happened and forgets that he ever saved Riku.

And not only that, but Riku's light is blocked out and Sora ends up thinking that the light belongs to another character.

That's right. Sora (Prince Eric) has yet another haze over his eyes. And instead of Naminé, this time Kairi is Ursula.

This is an exact parallel of not only Atlantica, but of what happened in Chain of Memories with Naminé.

Naminé describes herself as a witch who controls the memories of Sora and everyone surrounding him.

Naminé is Ka*iri's Nobody, also described as her "alter ego". Vanessa is in a way Ursula's human alter ego, they're one in the same.

Ka*iri, most likely, has a similar power. She may not use it consciously, but whenever Sora turns his focus on Ka*iri, he forgets all about Riku. This has happened since KH1.

Ursula used her power to make Eric forget about Ariel, the girl who saved him and sang to him. Let's also not forget that Ursula made an appearance in Dream Drop Distance when Sora and Riku were building their dream raft.

We're following the Ariel parallel, just a bit out of order. We're past the point of Ariel's (Riku's) depression. We're past the point of Ariel makes a contract with Ursula to transform into a human / Riku making a contract with Ansem to transform into Ansem. We're at the point where Prince Eric is tricked by Ursula / Sora realized who his light is but forgot and is currently under the false impression that Kai*ri is his true light.

Memory of Melody aside, KH3 is the most recent major title in the series. KH2 happened way back in 2005 and Nomura is STILL referencing it. This tells me this parallel is not concluded nor going away, rather, it's building up. Which means, we will eventually reach the conclusion of this parallel.

Prince Eric finding the one. Sora finding his light.

Every Disney parallel thus far has either reached a conclusion, or is still ongoing (such as the Riku / Hercules and self sacrifice for love). I highly doubt this parallel will be dropped before its conclusion, unless Disney or some Square execs drop the hammer on it and either force Prince Sora to be with Kai*ri instead of Riku or force Sora into some "power of friendship" spiel. Or if Nomura's hands get sweaty and he remembers the pressures of homophobia in society and ends up fearing the anger of the fanbase for pushing an LGBTQ romance. So although I genuinely believe it's Nomura's intention to pair Sora and Riku given the buildup of their relationship over the longevity of this series, and the Disney couple parallels between the two, he may end up cracking and decide against pursuing it.

Given that Riku in the Novels all but confirmed Sora is his light and love and Nomura approved it, I'm hoping that he has the confidence in his tale to propel this love into the mainline titles. Nomura DID say that the series has taken a directional shift, this may be the shift he's referring to all along.

----

So what would a Soriku love look like in future titles? Well let's look at the portion of the Atlantica parallel not explored yet.

Ariel returned Prince Eric's pendant. The Crown Necklace theory and Shooting Star Memory has yet to be addressed. Perhaps at some point in Quadratum Sora loses his crown necklace, Riku finds it and returns it to him triggering the both of them to finally address the Crown Necklace with Sora remembering that Riku is the one who gave it to him in the first place. Sora remembering that Riku was the light in the darkness and not Kai*ri is now a new plot point needing to be addressed. Just as Eric realized Ariel was the one he was looking for all along, he declared his love for her. Sora will eventually realize Riku was the one he's been searching for all his life and will probably apologize for not realizing it sooner.

Not to mention the Hercules parallel of self sacrifice for true love has also yet to be addressed on Sora's end. He's still figuring out what love is and what love means. Both the Ariel-Eric and Hercules-Meg parallels end with a confession of love. That confession may just be how Kingdom Hearts ends.

Additional Note: Do I think there will be a Soriku kiss? No.

Not a single Disney couple has kissed in-game. We know they're all in love because of how they look at each other, the things they say about each other, their warm embraces. If the cishet Disney characters have yet to kiss in game, then it's safe to say we won't get any Soriku kisses either. The only way that changes is if there is a future title and Nomura introduces kissing via Disney, then I think a Soriku kiss will be on the table.

[blue-jisungs]

⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ POPCORN KISSES 🧸ྀི — making out with riku <3 ( wc 960 )

[ extras ] suggestive (making out.)

ੈ✩‧₊˚ note ! i have no comment. i just miss him. SUE me. @slytherinshua plz dont kill me :3

@kstrucknet ♡

riku sighed softly and his sharp, cat-like eyes tracked your moves. you were humming, coming back from kitchen. you put a bowl with popcorn on the coffee table and glanced at your boyfriend, who menacingly laid with his legs on the sofa.

he grinned, tucking one hand behind his head.

“you think you’re sooo funny? covering the whole sofa?” you asked, tilting your head. before you left riku was sitting normally but it seemed he decided to trick you a bit.

before he could answer, you dramatically huffed and played the movie. then, not looking away from his ebony irises, you straddled his lap.

knees on both of his sides and hands resting against his chest. riku’s features dropped, taken aback by your bold move.

“you think you’re sooo funny…” riku mocked you; yet, his voice was barely a whisper. his heart was racing like a formula one car on the track.

you grinned and slowly slid your hands up his torso, the material of his t-shirt soft beneath your fingers.

sure, you kissed and made out before but… this felt different. this time you had the upper hand. riku was trapped beneath you, depending on your mercy.

which, you didn’t have.

riki’s eyes followed your hands, stopping only when he wasn’t able to see them longer. he decided to focus on your necklace that was dangling above his face.

your fingertips danced from his neck up to his cheek, then gently tucking a stray strand of his hair behind his ear. you leaned closer, some of your hair brushing his face.

he reached for your other hand, interlocking fingers with yours before you sent his poor heart into a cardiac arrest. (he also tried to ignore how clammy his hands got).

“do you wanna kiss, ri?” you hummed. and maybe if he wasn’t so whipped, he’d notice the sugary teasing in your voice.

“yes, please” he breathed out and finally broke to look you in the eye.

with a sweet smile you finally close the gap between you two but… not quite how he wanted it. you placed a kiss in the corner of his lips. you heard a faint huff and leaned away slightly, just to land another kiss just below his plush lips.

riku squeezed your hand, an annoyed furrow forming on his brows. you pecked his cupid bow, and then the other corner of his lips. next was his cheek. you trailed gentle kisses along his cheek bone, finally reaching his red ear.

“you’re so cute when you’re shy, ri” you whispered and leaned away to adore his state. flushed face, cheeks adorned with blush.

but before you could fully lean away, riku’s hand that was previously resting under his head, suddenly found itself on the back of your neck.

your eyes widened.

despite riku being a blushing mess, chest rising up and down irregularly, there was a stern determination in his eye.

“is that kissing to you?” he cocked an eyebrow, trying to keep a cool demeanor. but he was out of breath already, frustrated by your soft lips being all over his face – except for where he needed them the most.

“why don’t you show me?” the corner of your lips rose in a challenging offer that your boyfriend would be a fool to turn down.

he leaned closer, pushing you gently towards him – but he met you halfway, rising to rest on his free elbow. your hand that was previously locked with his, escaped and found its new place on his shoulder.

riku hungrily attacked your lips, open mouthed kisses ripping air out of you. you felt like he was pulling you in; closer, and closer. when he was leaning away, you were pulling back in – and the other way around. chasing after each other’s lips, focused on how perfectly they felt against each other. you couldn’t get enough (and him as well, assumed by the neediness in his movements)

your head was spinning - the shy riku was gone. his hand slid to cup your cheek, a little rougher than he intended. small pants escaped your parted lips that riku had no plans of leaving alone.

pulling you even closer, your noses gently bumped into each other. your fingers strayed off to play with the hair on the nape of his neck.

riku leaned away and just smiled triumphantly when you chased after him, kissing his plump lips.

“got the memo, huh?” he hummed softly, vibrations shooting through your body.

not even realizing when, his other hand found its way to your hip, squeezing it gently. your attention was successfully taken away by riku’s tongue dancing with yours, brutally taking the lead. it was hurried, fast-paced with emotion; with urgency. riku truly felt like he could die any moment if his lips weren’t on yours.

and if you didn’t yank his hair gently when you started running out of air, riku would’ve passed out too.

you leaned back, resting on his lap. your boyfriend, however, trailed open mouthed kisses down your jawline to your neck. then, he buried his head against your shoulder blade, hands wrapping around your waist and bringing you even closer (you weren’t sure how it was possible but you didn’t mind the proximity).

you were breathing heavily, fingers coming up to play with his dark locks. you were quite taken aback by this sudden turn yet… yet, you couldn’t say you didn’t enjoy it.

“i think we have to restart the movie” you let out a breathless laugh and riku moved his head to look at the tv. his hair was all over the place, the back of his neck and tips of his ears flaring angry (but adorable) red.

“there was a movie playing?” he asked, eyes wide.

masterlist <3

taglist. @l3visbby ,, @laylasbunbunny ,, @planetkiimchi ,, @mon2sunjinsuver,, @w3bqrl ,,

@eternalgyu ,, @haecien ,, @slytherinshua

[kaiyunsim]

heavy —

pairing : classmate!riku x gn!reader

summary : a sleepy riku catches your eye during class, so you decide to help him catch up.

warning : fluff, VERY sleepy riku, idk he’s just really cute

a/n : something from my drafts as i take my break. ilysm riku pls come back. (he’s my nct ult).

queueing : heavy - the marías

— wc : 1.0k — not proof read —

it starts with riku nodding off again. his head dips lower and lower, dark lashes fluttering against his cheek as he fights a losing battle with sleep. you're sitting two rows behind him, and you can see the way his pen slowly slides out of his grip until it clatters to the desk, startling him awake for a moment. he blinks around in confusion, mumbles something under his breath, and then, just like that, he’s out again.

this isn’t a rare occurrence. maeda riku is known for being the sleepy one in class, always managing to snag a seat by the window so he can rest his head against the cool glass. at first, you’d thought it was just laziness or boredom, but over time, you’ve realized it’s just part of who he is. naturally laid-back, with a tendency to doze off whenever things get too quiet. and honestly, you find it kind of endearing. there’s something almost peaceful about the way he naps, like he’s perfectly content in his own little world.

still, you can’t help but feel a little bad for him when it means he misses parts of the lecture. the teacher’s voice drones on, oblivious to riku’s half-conscious state, and when the class finally ends, riku jerks awake with a sharp inhale, looking around as if trying to piece together where he is. his notebook is mostly blank except for a few messy scribbles at the top of the page.

as everyone files out of the classroom, you linger by your desk, watching him. he’s rubbing his eyes now, yawning so wide it makes your jaw ache in sympathy. before you can talk yourself out of it, you grab your notes and walk over to him.

"hey," you say softly, not wanting to startle him. he looks up, eyes a little glassy from sleep. up close, you notice the faint crease on his cheek where he must’ve leaned against his arm.

"oh, hey," he says, voice scratchy. "did class end already?"

"yeah," you reply, holding out your notes. "i thought you might need these. you seemed pretty tired."

his eyes widen slightly as he looks at the papers in your hand. "oh, uh, thanks. but you don’t have to—"

"i want to," you interrupt, smiling a little. "besides, it’s not a big deal. i’m already caught up, so it’s just copying for you."

riku hesitates, but eventually, he takes the notes from you with a small, grateful smile. "thanks. really. i’ll get them back to you tomorrow."

"no rush," you say, shrugging. "if you need help with anything, just let me know."

and that’s how it starts.

the next day, riku returns your notes, meticulously copied onto his own paper. you’re a little surprised by how neat his handwriting is, given how messy it looked when he tried to write during class. he thanks you again, and you tell him it’s no problem. but when he starts nodding off halfway through the next lecture, you pass him a quick note: want me to explain this later?

he glances back at you, a bit sheepish, and nods before dozing off after an attempt of staying awake. after school, you sit together in the library, going over the parts he missed. riku listens intently, occasionally asking questions or scribbling down notes. he’s quieter than you expected, but there’s something calming about it… like he’s genuinely absorbing everything you’re saying.

"you’re a good teacher," he says at one point, looking up from his notebook with a faint smile.

"and you’re a good student," you reply, grinning. "when you’re not asleep, that is."

his ears turn pink, and he laughs softly. "yeah, sorry about that. i’m just... a sleepy person, i guess."

"it’s fine," you say, shrugging. "it’s actually kind of cute."

his blush deepens, and he looks away, pretending to focus on his notes. "thanks... i think."

from then on, it becomes a routine. whenever riku dozes off in class, you’re there to fill in the gaps. sometimes it’s as simple as handing him your notes; other times, you’ll sit together after school, going over the material until he feels confident enough to handle it on his own. he’s always polite, always grateful, and you can’t help but feel a little proud when you see his grades slowly improving.

but it’s not just about academics. as the weeks go by, you start to learn more about riku. he loves music, often humming under his breath when he thinks no one’s listening. he has a dry sense of humor that catches you off guard, making you laugh at the most unexpected moments. and he’s surprisingly thoughtful. once, he brought you a coffee after noticing you seemed tired, mumbling something about how it’s only fair since you’ve helped him so much.

"you didn’t have to do that," you tell him, touched by the gesture.

"yeah, but i wanted to," he says, echoing your own words from that first day. his smile is small but genuine, and it makes your chest feel warm.

one afternoon, as you’re sitting together in the library, riku glances at you and says, "you know, i’ve never really had someone look out for me like this before."

"what do you mean?" you ask, tilting your head.

he shrugs, fiddling with the corner of his notebook. "i guess i’ve always been the type to just... figure things out on my own. it’s nice, though. having someone to rely on."

you’re not sure what to say to that, so you just smile and reply, "well, you can rely on me anytime."

his eyes soften, and for a moment, you’re both quiet, the sounds of the library fading into the background. it’s a simple moment, but it feels significant… like something unspoken has shifted between you.

from then on, your study sessions start to feel less like a chore and more like an excuse to spend time together. riku still struggles with staying awake in class, but now he’ll catch your eye and give you a small, apologetic smile, as if to say, sorry, i’ll make it up later. and he always does.

one day, as you’re packing up your things, riku clears his throat and says, "hey, do you want to grab some food or something? you’ve been helping me so much, and i feel like i owe you."

"you don’t owe me anything," you say, smiling. "but i’d love to."

he grins, looking both relieved and a little nervous. "cool. there’s this place nearby that has really good ramen."

"sounds perfect," you reply, and for the first time, you see him look truly awake, bright-eyed and excited, like he’s finally found something that energizes him.

as you walk together, talking about everything and nothing, you realize that helping riku wasn’t just about academics. it was about connection, about seeing someone who needed support and offering it without expecting anything in return. and in the process, you’ve found something unexpected. a friendship that feels as natural as breathing, and maybe, just maybe, the beginning of something more.

[goldenchocobo]

This took a little while, but here are the Destiny Trio (plus Namine and Repliku) with their ace Pokémon!

The different ages represent when the Pokémon evolved. I based each pose off of a trainer (or class), see if you can guess who I picked for who! (with the exception of KHI Sora because my brain only remembered what I was supposed to do after I lined his pose)

To read my musings, look under the cut

Sora: I was completely stumped as to what to give Sora. But when I gave Riku his Pokémon, I thought about giving Sora a psudo as well, and landed on Noibat, as they seem to be friendly and carefree dragon/flying types. I'd also like to imagine that Sora found his Noibat on the small island after a storm and nursed them back to health, and they stayed with him afterwards, only getting into a pokeball during the destruction of Destiny Island. I think that Noibat would evolve into Noivern during the final battle between Sora, Riku and Xemnas.

Riku: For some reason I imagine Riku inheriting his Bagon from his parents or relatives. He took care of them and often both him and his Bagon went up against Sora and his Noibat. Over the years, they both had to change and become strong enough to protect what matter to them the most. And yes- I chose Bagon for Riku because of its dex entry- of wanting to fly (wanting to explore other worlds), and eventually being able to after shrouding itself away (like how Riku hid himself from Sora)

Kairi: Originally, Sora had an Eevee, but I change it since I wanted Kairi to have a Sylveon. It all worked out since she has a type advantage over the boys! I see her Eevee evolving into Sylveon during her training with Axel.

Namine: I wanted Namine to have some kind of Pokémon that was lonely. Originally It was a Cubone, but I didn't think that'd fit, and I wanted to hold off on Smergal as well. I read the Pokédex on Galarian Ponyta, and thought it perfect, as they gaze into the heart of people, much like how Namine does the same to Sora.

Repliku: I imagine Repliku was just given a Zubat as a Pokémon by Vexen; just as a 'oh, here you go, kid'. That Zubat being a clone themselves (a la the Mewtwo clones). Repliku being Riku, I can imagine no matter the Pokémon, he'd treat and train them well, and thus they'd evolve into a Crowbat.

[justsalpals]

I STAND BY WHAT I SAID

if there's one thing kingdom hearts taught me, it's that you're either a sora or a xehanort

the two genders

[balimaria]

On a previous post I noted Riku's specific usage of the word "intertwined" with regard to the legend of the paopu fruit and the braided cord present on the combined keyblade (and to some extent the handles as well.)

This type of braid is consistently used for almost all paopu-related items. In order: Kairi's wayfinder, Namine's star charm, and Oathkeeper's keychain (all related items) as well as the keychain of Destiny's Embrace.

The only exception seems to be Terra, Aqua, and Ven's wayfinders which are just tied with brown rope. But there's also one notable addition that I came across.

Soul Eater.

No one's immune to adding a design element just because it's cool, sure. But considering the presence of the braided cord in Kairi's wayfinder introduced at the very start of KH1, it's not impossible that this was intended to be complementary. Whereas Kairi is able to be open about her desire not to be separated from Sora and gives him her wayfinder freely, Riku keeps this same want hidden and is unable to express it. Riku's jealousy and suppression is his darkness... and Soul Eater is a manifestation of Riku's darkness into a weapon.

It's even facing the same upwards direction as the wayfinder (and the star charm and Oathkeeper, by extension) whereas Destiny's Embrace and the Combined Keyblade face downwards.

Of course my next thought was "is it on Way to Dawn as well?"

...Kind of. This zig-zag design is certainly evocative of it. Also very subtly evocative of it is Braveheart's handle, which is actually a little closer to the pattern on the handles of the Combined Keyblade.

I might even say Oblivion's handle is also very subtly evocative (KH2's and KH3's respectively)

...But this is veering far deeper into pure speculation territory. Curious that all of Riku's associated keyblades have some element of this design to them. Does it really mean something? You decide!

Keyblade images all from khwiki <3

[last-flight-of-fancy]

Started thinking about Riku-Kairi parallels and symbolism wrt the ending of kh2 so please hold while i get needlessly verbose about it-

specifically it started with this gif

and ofc adhd is as adhd does and started going down the rabbit hole of connecting the dots.

The act of reaching out a hand/hand holding is a recurring thing in kh, the vast majority of which is chock full of meaning and symbolism, and this is no exception. This is the culmination of The Hero's Journey part of Sora's tale, the return home, and the heartfelt reunion between long-seperated friends. fun fact the heroine's journey follows the hero's journey for the first third or so before continuing on. kinda like how kh continued on long after things seemed to be 'resolved'. weekly plug to look up Howler's Heroine's Journey essays if you haven't yet

The angle from which I am viewing this scene right now is in regards to ofc Riku, and his own iconic pose that we see the first time in the intro to kh1 (and many, many times since)

And this is where my riku-kairi-are-inverted-parallels-to-each-other brain starts barking like a dog because oughghghghggh same pose opposite side completely different body language- AHG.

And this matches their character arcs (as well as their respective combined arcs with sora) to a T as well. Riku's pose is the first we see, way back in kh1, and his hand is as much a taunt as it is an offer. Very befitting his relationship to sora in that game, which was coloured by a forged rivalry and intense jealousy (to quote the ultimania; Complicated Feelings) of/for sora.

(it is also notable that to date this gesture has yet to be resolved. the closest they've gotten is when sora grasped Riku's hand in kh2 on finding him- albeit in Ansem's visage.

Symbolically this is Sora attempting to accept the gesture, but this time it is Riku who fails to meet him halfway, too deep in guilt and regret to feel worthy of it. his hand is turned downwards, limp and unresisting.

And again in DDD when Riku grabs sora's hand/wrist in an attempt to wake him from his nightmares, but this time sora isn't capable of reciprocating. like two ships passing in the night, always reaching but never quite meeting)

(this one isn't quite as strong in the visual symbolism specific to the Riku Pose, but i did think it bore mentioning)

to return to the first gif however, for Kairi her posture is much less stiff, leaning forward with palpable releif at Sora's return. Honestly the fact that she holds out her left hand (which as far as i know is not her dominant hand) marks this as a very deliberate choice to parallel her as opposite to riku. and much like the rest of kh2's ending, it FEELS like a culmination, a completion of their arcs.... and most certainly isnt.

Which i mean to say, it's a mid-point. And the reason I say this is because of one little thing.

The seashell charm.

There's a sort of irony here in that the charm that was meant to reunite them in this moment is also symbolically like a wedge between them. A heartfelt and meaningful gesture, don't get me wrong! i love this scene and the genuine emotions within, but i do love chewing on the way this gains a slightly different meaning in the greater context of later story beats; specifically that of kh3.

With how pointed and direct the parallel is between kairi and riku in these scenes, it did make me pause for a moment thinking about kh3. i know we've all seen a thousand and one analysis' of the paopu scene at this point, but forgive me as i must do so again under this specific lens.

'how does the paopu scene relate to the hand extended gesture at all?' i hear you ask, and on the visual surface not much. it has more to do with sora and kairi's relationship arc through the games and, of course, the lingering loose thread that was the cave drawing.

The paopu scene is a touching recreation of that cave drawing, one enacted by a pair of kids who didn't know if they would live to see another sunset. It's also probably the most symbollically dense thing in all of kh and that is saying something so I'm going to try and keep my observations limited to just what is relevant to this post- and that would be the way that the paopu scene is a direct continuation of Kairi's 'you're home' gesture in kh2.

shooting stars are also a common recurring symbol in kh, and that's the symbol that ties these two scene's together. if kh1 is two disparate stars each trying to reach the other (the cave drawing, the seashell charm, the way their hands are seperated at the end of kh1), and the end of kh2 is that of the stars finally meeting (the single seashell star charm pressed between their palms), then the paopu scene is that of the stars passing each other by and beginning their own journey's anew (two stars held by crossed arms, each now holding a small piece of the other (bitten fruit) to show that their meeting may have been brief but it was meaningful)

it is in this way that kh3 quietly and tenderly closes out sora and kairi's combined arc, as two unlikely friends who then drift apart again, shining brightly for the shared experiance, Remind mostly serves to support that finality, tying up the last couple loose ends between them, and leaving the two far more comfortable with each other than they ever were while that arc was still ongoing (which i read as them no longer being uncertain as to what their relationship is; that of friends, and not whatever so many others around them had pushed and assumed)

(seriously look at how much more comfortable they are with each other the second the pressure to be something they're not is off. the awkwardness is completely gone i love it)

All of this is ofc still in parallel to Riku, who boasts no such star imagery (instead he has the iconic Heart of KH itself), and in fact while he symbollically continues to reach out to sora, physically he has completely refrained from doing so at all- in fact most examples of the Gesture in kh are deliberately invoked by other characters in order to bring riku to mind in some way (and often more for the players benifit than sora's)

axel in CoM,

(i have given up on tumblr gif search)

YMX in DDD,

which then immidiately cuts to riku in kh1 just to make it as blatant as possible that yes the reference is intentional (i guess CoM was too subtle somehow so they had to make sure this time)

and even Riku himself to Namine at the end of kh3, representing Repliku's final wishes in a funny sort of symbolism oroboros.)

and it's not a coincidence that the completion of that connection provides definitive closure to the arcs in question; that of namine to repliku, but also a little bit to riku himself. namine still has a role to play, but that role (i think) is more or less exclusive to her relationship with sora. namine and riku's relationship arc, background as it is, is complete, and now both are connected primarily through their incomplete arcs with sora.

(which makes the way that sora and kairi's example in kh2 is a complete outlier really interesting tbh. smth smth thinking your relationship is one thing and if it was that thing then yes that would have been the end, but it wasn't that thing and thus it wasn't the end smth smth comphet metaphor smth)

which brings us back to how riku himself hasn't really reached out to sora directly since kh1, the act that set off both of their journey's. The reasons for that are many- guilt, fear, a certainty that sora will not reach back and that he doesn't deserve it anyway- but despite that the Gesture is still subtly affirmed as being Riku's over and over again, never quite letting the audience forget it... because eventually this bit of symbolism so consistently portrayed throughout the series will reach its own conclusion, starting how it began with one deuteragonist reaching out to the other, and this time the other reaching back to complete the gesture.

[tiurftsrifeht]

THE VELVET MINI-SERIES

A collection of oneshots intended to be read in the comfort of one’s state of mind, filled with young, fleeting love to forever cherish and chase. Each story is of a different adventure, a different song, inviting room to garner thought and tranquility.

OH SION — Pushin' N Pullin'

Sion knows he has all the chances to make sure his birthday present for you wouldn’t be underwhelming. But caught up in comments from his friends, who don’t know you very well, his judgment is pushed and pulled in all different directions.

Play — Read

MAEDA RIKU — My Dear

The moment you placed heart-shaped sunglasses and a kuromi headband crookedly on Riku, he couldn’t tell if today was more or less than a hangout. But the blush that crept to his ears impaired his ability to decide if he should act more or less than a friend.

Play — Read

TOKUNO YUSHI — Take It Slow

Yushi always makes sure his priorities and hobbies are set straight and balanced, never spending an ounce of time on potential distractions. But when you bring up the smallest, silliest side discussions, you’re still a clear sign to him that talking with you is never a waste of time.

Play — Read

KIM DAEYOUNG — Would U

There is a lingering question between you and Daeyoung—no romantic undertones, only the shared hustle to complete an English assignment. But his stutters, which are alarmingly frequent, somehow guide the discussion— except he is off topic and you’re simply nodding without understanding a thing.

Play — Read

HIROSE RYO — Little Little

The challenge was to buy one item in each other’s favorite color, be it a plushy, a keyring, or anything in sight to exchange as a gift. But challenges are also gambles and Ryo, who has no clue about your favorite color after all of your switch ups, wasn’t going to give up easily.

Play — Read

FUJINAGA SAKUYA — Candy

As much as Sakuya loves bread, he also has a generous soft spot for candy and all things sweet. But not candy making— he realizes he is always going to need your help in sweetening the sourness he makes or rather, causes.

Play — Read

STATUS

START 6/13/25

END ??/??/??

TAGLIST

@/fluermeijisblog, @/peterm4rker, @/isascat

open !

[peterm4rker]

CAN I MAKE IT ANY MORE OBVIOUS? ── a maeda riku smau

twenty. dread (written)

☘︎˖˚ ⋆𐙚 wc. 1.7k w. curse words, that's all ! ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ

you never really thought that sakuya would be your saving grace.

sakuya, the little brother that annoyed you halfway to moving out during your entire childhood. the same kid that had now basically forced you out of whatever annoying little bit you were playing that had you ignoring one of your new best friends.

you was grateful, really. you could go back to talking to riku every day and stop missing him all the time like you had in those stupid three days you spent hauled up in you room watching friends for the tenth time. and yet you still couldn’t seem to rid yourself of the horrendous dread that came with facing him.

not because he had done anything wrong, of course he hadn’t. but you had, and the embarrassment of having acted like a child for long enough for your little brother to have to intervene was way more than what you were prepared to deal with. so that led you to continue being awkward with the idea of interacting with riku too much, and now you weren’t at all.

except things never go as one plans, so you were now condemned to a minimum of five hours sitting with riku collecting money for the ruffle you would then have to announce before being sprung free into an after party where you would have to continue your facade. just great.

you had been mentally preparing yourself the entire day, knowing that the moment when riku sat next to you, you would have to make all those ugly feelings go away and just enjoy the time you had with him to make up for the days you had lost. you weren’t counting on the sight of him showing up with a bouquet of flowers and that shy smile that could melt an iceberg, of course.

“hi there,” riku spoke, soft as always when he walked towards the table you had been preparing for the last few minutes. the sight made yur shoulders drop and your breath hitch in your throat.

“hi,” you muttered, eyes fixed on his instead of the bouquet he carried.

“these are for you, as an apology,” he said, his small smile widening as he stretched the flowers for you to take.

“thank you, you didn’t have to,” you smiled, grabbing the flowers and holding them close to your chest. “i didn’t get you anything.”

“there was no need to,” he shook his head, moving to sit next to you and shifting his chair to face yours. “being here is enough.”

what had you ever done to deserve him?

“i’ll treat you to a drink later?” you asked, tilting your head in question and taking a few seconds to observe how handsome he looked in his button up.

“it’s your mom’s restaurant, you don’t have to pay,” he laughed, and you could swear the entire room had lit up the moment his smile shined.

“well you don’t either, so it still counts,” you answered teasefully before moving to flick his forehead lightly and face the front. you were beginning to think he could see the endearment in your face if you looked at him for too long.

“sure, let’s say that,” he smiled, copying your action and settling back against his chair.

maybe things weren’t too bad.

୨♡୧

“thank you so much, mrs. kim,” riku smiled with a polite bow as the older woman handed him ten tickets worth of money for the ongoing raffle. “you look amazing tonight, enjoy the rest of the evening.” mrs. kim practically giggled as she walked away, evidently a mere victim to riku’s charm when she walked back to her husband.

“hey, you’re flirting with old ladies now?” you teased, bumping his shoulder after finishing arranging the money you had gained.

“shut up, we’re making so much more money because of me,” he chuckled, bumping you back before leaning back on his chair. “i wonder why she needs that blender so bad, though.”

“i think she’s in it for the couple massage,” you grimaced, watching said woman and her husband flirt like teenagers from across the room.

“not an image i wanted in my head, but thank you,” he fake shuddered before looking at you, a smile sneaking itself to his lips in reflex. 

“it’s better than those two getting it,” you said, disgust evident in your voice as you nudged towards where kazuha and her boyfriend were sitting. “i swear they haven’t said a single word to each other this entire time.”

riku didn’t deflate like he used to at the sight, he just shrugged his nose in disgust and tore his eyes away and back to something he enjoyed looking at way more. “they suck, i don’t understand why they’re here.”

“she probably wants to parade around everywhere you are, riku,” you mumbled, looking away from the couple only to find him already looking at you. “she wants you, you know.”

“well, then she should’ve thought of it sooner,” he shrugged, subtracting importance from the matter. he didn’t care about kazuha and her boyfriend. he couldn’t, not when you were next to him, looking like you had come straight out of a movie. “i don’t care anymore.”

and his words had never been truer as you smiled and his heart soared. you really were everything he could bring himself to care about at the moment.

“good, because sakuya and ryo are waiters and i’m sure they did something to her food,” you snorted, trying your best to hide the evident smile and the way the tips of your ears had tinted pink from how he was looking at you. 

“oh, i hope they did,” he chuckled, reaching to brush a strand of your hair away from your face. just when his eyes found yours and he noticed the way they softened, a voice interrupted and got your attention.

“oh, look at the lovebirds,” sion’s mom’s voice rung through the place as she watched the both of your with endearment, yushi’s mom right by her side. 

“you know, i always knew you two would end up together,” she spoke, now looking straight at them. “ever since you were kids, it was like an invisible string had you tied up by the fingers.”

riku didn’t really know if he should panic or melt, because that was the sweetest thing he had ever heard, but he had no idea how you would react.

“you should’ve told us sooner, we would’ve wasted less time,” you said, your hand resting on the table moving to intertwine with riku’s as you gave the older women a bright, genuine smile. “he was busy, though.” you fake grimaced, causing both of them to laugh and riku to feel his heart almost beat out of his chest.

oh, he had missed you so much.

୨♡୧

“i think it was very sweet of mr. kim to have bought the massage from that lady,” you said as you and riku climbed the stairs that led you to the terrace of the patio overlooking the restaurant.

“it was, mrs. kim looked very happy,” he nodded, climbing onto the deck and moving to take a seat on the edge, patting the space next to him for you to sit.

“i feel like that’s something you would do,” you said, sitting next to him before taking a sip out of your drink. from the spot at the deck you could see everyone, all the young people in town who had waited for the event to end for the traditional after party.

“what do you mean?” the boy asked, leaning on the rail and looking at you. you looked majestic under the warm fairy lights that decorated the space, it almost made him breathless.

“i don’t know, you’re just like that,” you shrugged, eyes still fixed on the people bellow. you could see your friends sat by a table and your brother doing some kind of dance interpretation by the other. “you’re warm, you like making people happy.”

riku’s heart was positively trying to escape the confine of his chest and run towards you. “i guess you’re right, it’s nice of you to say that.”

“it’s the truth, really,” you shrugged, finally moving to look at him. your eyes were tinted with something close to regret mixed with adoration. “and i’m really sorry i was a bitch to you, that wasn’t okay.”

“i already told you not to talk about yourself like that,” he reprimanded, never meaning anything more in his life. “and i’ve already forgiven you like you forgave me, everything is fine.”

you let out a small sigh before moving to drop your head on his shoulder, resting contently against him. “i think the most unbelievable part of our fake relationship is that i could ever deserve someone like you.”

“don’t say that,” he said, moving his shoulder just slightly to nudge you. “you deserve far more than me, you know. you’re pretty fucking amazing.” 

“well, thank you,” you chuckled, feeling flustered at his words. he always had that way to say things where you could tell he meant every single word. 

“of course,” he smiled, moving slightly just to get you to look at him. “i will remind you every day if that means you’ll believe it.”

and how could he ever say that without expecting you to fall? 

how could he ever even come up with those words if he wasn’t trying to get your heart to flutter like it just did?

there was nothing you could do but look at him, trying to memorize the flicker of gold that shined against the lights in his eyes. but then his eyes moved down to your lips for a split of a second, and your heart did a summer sault and a half. your eyes followed his before you leaned in just slightly, trying out the waters for something you had wanted for so long but hadn't realized.

and just then, he blinked and moved back.

“shit, i think sion’s calling me,” he said, panic evident in his voice as he quickly stood up. “i better go check what he wants. thank you for the drink and goodnight!”

in a blink of an eye, he had bolted down the stairs. 

oh, the dread was back.

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© peterm4rker, 2025

[mingoooossii]

NCT Wish as OHSHC characters.

warnings: none really except for the pic coordination (my brain was NOT happy), maybe ooc, unedited

a/n: this is hella old and not really accurate i think :/ I'm still watching their content but yes i tried to combine both the worlds as much as possible!!

Oh Sion as Mori Morinozuka

• gentle giant 

• i can't express how much i love him-

• he's not the most extroverted 

• he may come off as a little indifferent at first 

• as he doesn't like bringing attention to himself 

• but helps the others shine more

• he's loyal and has a soft spot for his members, especially for the youngest ♡

• and like i said early, despite being more mature, he's very gentle

• so gentlemanly and so supportive of the other members :(( 

• he's literally perfect and i stand by it 

Maeda Riku as Tamaki Suoh 

• bro thinks he is the main character (he is)

• confidence is OFF CHARTS

• handsome and he knows it too well.

• literally everyone either wants him or wants to be him 🙂‍↕️

• is a little dramatic at times 🧍‍♀️

• but we all love him for that 

• he's also very playful

• loves to tease the other members (affectionately)

• and underneath all that, he's so sweet :((

• has enough love and care for everyone ♡

• considers the club/group members as his family :)

• self proclaimed "father" of the club (though it's actually sion-)

• but don't tell him that 😶

Tokuno Yushi as Kyoya Ootori

• MY MANNNNNNNNNNN sorry 

• our very own shadow king ♡

• the brain of the group 

• he's on the quieter side

• doesn't like to express himself that much

• he prefers to observe first and then act

• he's the closest to riku/tamaki

• like Sion he may come off as cold and indifferent at first 

• but he's very caring 

• definition of subtle love ♡

•  sobs i love him sm :(( 

Kim Daeyoung as Kaoru Hitachiin

• twin no. 1

• literal puppy 

• twins with ryo/Hikaru 

• he likes to be playful though just a little more subtly 

• he prefers to see the chaos unfold-

• though he's very sweet 🥹

• little more observant and tends to be attuned to the others emotions

• he cares so much and tends to prioritise other people more :(( ♡

• fiercely loyal to those who he cares about, the club members 

• and especially to ryo

• secretly has soft spot for cute things (not really a secret)

• he's too precious ♡♡

Hirose Ryo as Hikaru Hitachiin 

• twin no. 2

• chaotic and mischievous 

• extra emphasis on chaotic

• loves teasing and pranking the other members (his love language)

• drives the older members crazy 😭

• but he cares for them just as much (fiercely so)

• very bright and direct 

• he's very intelligent too (class topper for a reason)

• a sassy little menace when he wants to be 

• but like stated earlier, he cares for his members so much!!

• this also automatically makes him protective of them ♡

• he's just so lovable :((

Fujinaga Sakuya as Mitsukuni Haninozuka (Honey)

• boss baby

• no one can say no to him

• he's adorable and he KNOWS it!!

• 100% uses it to his advantage and no one complains

• but don't be fooled by just that

• he 100% knows how to kick ass if needed!!

• everyone adores him (I'm everyone)

• loves bread and sweet things 

• bakery is his favourite place for a reason 

• he also very much adores cute things

• evidenced by his BIG collection of cute keychains 

• but other than that

• he is more mature than he is given credit for

•  he very much adores his members ♡

• literally just a cutie pie ^^

[felikatze]

so robin and i were talking about the psychology of sora kingdom hearts, as you do. coded and how characters treat real sora vs how they treat data sora came up; and i know very very little about coded. and i was told you are the Coded Guy.

here's a free pass: talk to me about how people treat the little computer guy i want to know more about him :D

(crawls out of my cave covered in blood) okay i finally escaped enough hells to actually have the brainpower to infodump once again

the answer is. the answer is. they treat him like a friend.

the main characters who interact with data sora are mickey, donald, goofy, and data riku. and the first three in particular just treat data sora like he is sora. mickey introduces himself as d sora's friend, and d sora believes him. i've made posts waxing more lyrical about it, but-- those three are what made d sora a real person. i love it so much

i am struggling for words a bit rn, but like, the biggest point is, you know like, the point in hollow bastion where riku steals the keyblade so donald and goofy leave sora all alone`? well. well. the game does the exact inverse of this.

data sora's keyblade, this whole entire game, was an imitation of the keyblade created by mickey, because d sora skipped ever getting it. mickey spoke to him and directed his path before the journal, the recording of kh1 and com, got to the part where Sora Gets The Keyblade. So yknow, Mickey cheated one in, because Sora ought to have one!

And we're in hollow bastion here, Sora is being opposed by Maleficent (the real one), and she shatters his keyblade, because it's not real, and thus not unbreakable. It's not the proof of a heart. Data Sora, in this moment, is literally proven to be heartless. Except, well, not really.

THIS IS THE ONLY PART IN THE ENTIRE GAME WHERE YOU HAVE PARTY MEMBERS. Donald and Goofy swoop in to help D Sora out and fight for him, because he's their friend! You spend a whole section only having them for action commands, and relying on them to defeat enemies and activate switches while you are a defensless little boy running around trying to keep alive.

And by the end of it all, when you reach Maleficent again... Data Sora pulls out a keyblade. A real one. One that cannot be destroyed. Because in being treated as a human person, as more than just the program, the recording he is supposed to be, he became real. He gained a heart.

The disney trio treat him Precisely No Different At All from the actual Sora. They just treat him like they pick up right where they left off like they just talked yesterday. One quick introduction of "Yeah, I'm Mickey, and I'm your friend!" and that's all it takes. That's all it takes.

It's a fascinating position because data Sora only exists as a tool, an avatar, a sentient antivirus to figure out what the hell is wrong with the code. They don't need to treat him like a person at all.

In fact, we have our foil here in Data Riku, who is aware of his own purpose as the avatar of Jiminy's Journal. He is keenly aware that he is a visual representation of a complex program. He is this entire world. And when he is failing his purpose, he asks to be destroyed. But it is Data Sora, who has been treated like a real person, who has become a real person, that insists Data Riku can be saved, and then does so, in that typical Sora tenacity.

Data Sora is just Fascinating because none of the bad things ever happened to him. There was no fall of Destiny Island, there was no betrayal from Riku, there was no princesses getting kidnapped, just more episodic adventures as he is guided the entire way and knows he's fighting for a good cause and knows and hears and feels that he is not alone.

None of the bad things ever happened to him. His adventure is comfortable. Friendly. Episodic.

I know Robin sent you a rom of this game, Robot, and I don't even know if I want to talk about everything that happens After Maleficent if you haven't experienced it firsthand, because it is wild.

Because (re)coded doesn't ask "Is any of this for real or not?" it asks, "Does it matter if any of this is real?" and the answer is, no. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if it can all be reset and wiped away with the press of a single button. Because it moved our hearts, it invoked emotion. Even if it cannot be remembered, the impact of it, the afterimage, the way it has shaped us as people, will remain. And the loss will be worth it, because in that loss is where we feel what we had.

Is it better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all? Yes. In the loss, you feel the love. There is no such thing as "reality", only what you perceive it to be.

So yes, the computer program is a real boy, because he's your friend, and you love him, and he learned to love you back.

[holyhaech]

VDAY PROMPT #5 FOR RIKU PLS???? I LOVE YOUR WORKS AAHHHHHH <3

young luv

basketball player!maeda riku x fem!reader (wc 1.2k)

about this fic: fluff, slight angst, childhood friends to lovers, non-idol au, high school au

you two met on the neighboorhood playground. hitting it off in the sandpit immediately, like all 6 year olds do.

you never thought you two would be inseparable. he probably didn’t think so either.

you were always rambunctious, loud, and a tad obnoxious. you don’t know why he wasn’t put off by your antics, as many of the other kids were. not that you minded, he was stuck with you from that moment forward.

to put it simply, the young japanese boy had no idea what was coming when he befriended you.

from all of the shared first days of schools, to moments together at recess, you two were best friends from the start.

you didn’t think it would last as long as it did, presuming he would eventually tire of you.

but he was fascinated by you from a young age.

the way you could light up a room, the way people would run to you for advice.

he could only dream of it.

after the awkward braces, voice cracks, and growth spurts, came high school.

he played a little bit of basketball in middle school, but he’d never dedicated himself to it.

before the start of his freshman season, he practiced all day in preparation for tryouts.

he was aiming to make varsity, for you.

the school year resumes and tryouts take place. you don’t think much of it, of course he’s gonna make the team. this is riku maeda we’re talking about! anything he put his mind to, he could achieve.

when the announcements start listing off the names for varsity, you look at him knowing his name has to be on the list.

“for freshman, we only have one player who passed tryouts for varsity….RIKU MAEDA!”

you’re in homeroom when it happens, so you can’t exactly congratulate him immediately.

once the bell rings, you find him outside your classroom with the biggest smile you’ve ever seen him wear.

before he gets a chance to speak, you smother him in a hug.

“YOU DID IT!!! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!”

he pulls back from your suffocating embrace and plants his eyes on the ground shyly.

“…thanks.” his usual meek demeanor returns, but still retains the wide grin he met you with.

that’s the start of it all. the shy riku you once befriended at the sandpit was on his way up in life. well, in his high school career, at least.

the years pass by and you slowly start spending less and less time with your best friend.

riku gets busy with basketball, you get busy with student council.

he smiles at you from the sidelines. he knew you were made for student council, the way you commanded attention was natural. you deserved everything that came to you.

except a slowly drifting friendship. you never deserved that.

every time he went to talk to you in the hall, some random player from the team would interrupt you two. or worse, a popular girl from another sport.

you always loved riku, that part never changed. the only difference is that now everyone loved riku.

it’s now hit senior year, and you two have gone separate ways.

you still try to support him! going to a home game or two a month, but he’s too wrapped up in everything else to notice you now.

and y’know what, it’s okay. you’re just happy your little riku has grown out of his shell.

it’s weird to still think of him as “your” riku. you two haven’t had a full conversation in almost 4 months. but who’s counting? definitely not you, hahaha.

you go to the home game for this month and sit toward the back like usual. you watch as the girls in the audience ogle him, once again, like usual. you get that same feeling in the pit of your stomach, is it jealousy? it can’t be, you two were always just friends, nothing more. you sit back and watch the game mindlessly

before you know it, the buzzer goes off signifying the fourth quarter has started.

riku’s on fire, as expected since he has the most experience on the team. all is going well until he goes to make a dunk.

he makes the dunk, that’s not the problem. when he comes back down, he lands on his ankle with a crack followed by a painful scream from the young man.

you’re the first one to stand up, rushing to the court.

“RIKU ARE YOU OKAY?” you shout, running down the bleachers.

he can only respond with a frantic shake of his head, tears welling around his eyes.

once you're by his side, the coach lets you sit by him as the paramedics arrive.

he buries his head into your shoulder as you hold him in the hospital bed.

“sorry for crying like a wuss.” he mutters through a sniffle.

“riku you snapped your ankle in half, you’re allowed to cry.” you reassure him.

“sorry for rushing to you, i should’ve asked one of your friends.”

“you are one of my friends. you’re my best friend.”

“i didn’t know you still thought of me.”

“of course i do! i’ sorry for ignoring you all the time, i got caught up in this basketball bullshit and lost sight what matters.”

“riku it’s okay, basketball’s matters ten times more than me.”

he pulls back to look at you with his eyebrows furrowed.

“that’s not true.”

“which one gets you scholarships dude?”

“that doesn’t matter.”

after a beat

“you’re the only thing that matters.”

you look at him with your eyes widened.

“really?!” you ask, shocked.

“yeah, really.” he responds sincerely

“i thought you’d forgotten about me.” you admit

“what? how could i forget you?” he asks geniunely

“i don’t know, we don’t talk and the only time i ever see you is at your games.”

“this is all their fault.” he facepalms.

“who?”

“the underclassmen on the team,” he sighs, “this is going to sound really, really, really, stupid, you’ll have to bare with me.”

you sit there for a moment before nodding your head.

“okay, go ahead and spit it out then.”

“i told the kids on the team that i have a crush on you and i didn’t know what to do about it so i asked for their advice and they told me to act like a nonchalant dreadhead? whatever that is. basically they said if i act nonchalant you’d fall in love with me and..yeah.” he admits, ashamed

“well, you’re right. that is really, really, really stupid. but i have something else that’s even stupider.”

“that’s not a word.”

“do you want me to tell you or not?” you sigh.

“yes.” he shuts up.

“i stopped talking to you as much because i have a crush on you and i was jealous of all the girls who would talk to you.” you admit

“whoa.”

“yeah.”

“sounds like we’re both stupid.” he responds

“sounds like it.” you agree

“so what do we do now?” he asks

“i don't know, don’t people usually date if they like each other?”

“oh yeah, right.”

“so…..”

“OH!” he realizes.

“yn ln, will you go on a date with me?

“yes i will, riku maeda.”

“i don’t know when it’ll be though, my ankle still hurts like a bitch.”

“we’ll figure it out.

my love's so young.

a/n: hi! thank you for all your kind words!! i'm sorry for posting this over a week after valentine's day! i hope you enjoy anon. this was written to young luv by stayc!

[firestorm09890]

summary of kh smell powers but I didn't bother, like, making this post look good or making sure my research was conclusive so just take it

Zexion:

extremely wide range and pinpoint accuracy

could sense the remains of Ansem in Riku's heart, and specifically Ansem, not Xemnas- there is a subtle difference

likewise, could tell the difference between Maleficent and the false memory Maleficent

could tell when Vexen died and that Axel killed him, as well as when Lexaeus died- assuming basement hq is on the lowest floor like above ground hq is the highest, that's 24 floors away from Vexen death scene, and within a memory room too

glaring flaw: did not notice Sora until he was pointed out

also failed to notice Naminé when she showed up to help Riku (if she showed up in person at all, which I'm pretty sure she did)

I wish I could say that it's as easy as him only being able to detect scents when a high concentration of darkness is involved except that because of Sora's actions in Hollow Bastion kh1 + Naminé being a Nobody, they probably have very unique scents... I don't know

I also don't think it makes much sense with the other stuff he can do. You're telling me he can tell the difference between a real and false Maleficent but not smell normal levels of darkness? maybe he's just too swamped in the miasma in this game

sensory overload king

Riku

well he can smell darkness that's for sure

could tell when Marluxia died, implying a high range for him as well (level b3 to level 13, that's 16 floors... probably), but his level of nuance is "wow you guys all reek!" and this

what the hell do you mean "something else". not related to the point of this post

I don't think he can actually smell when someone is a Nobody or not, he can just connect one black coat + scent of darkness to another

"You and Kairi smell the same" in the context of the scene seems to imply that it actually means "You smell the same as the person who appeared to me as Kairi so I knew it was you in disguise" and not that Naminé and the real Kairi smell the same. or maybe they do and Riku just managed a bullseye on the conclusion he jumped to. or maybe they have a slight difference and he just couldn't tell. idk

being able to tell that Marluxia was a "strong darkness" does not actually imply that dark-sensing powers are an inherent powerscaling tool, just that if you have more darkness in you, the scent will be more powerful. Marluxia's attacks are very darkness-based

why oh whyyyyy did they make it "I just can't stand your foul stench" in Re:CoM instead of keeping GBA CoM's "You just really stink"? That's such a funny burn like imagine you're Ansem SoD and you ask Riku why he keeps rejecting you and he calls you a little baby loser and smelly in the same breath

Even?

idk if he can actually smell it or if it's something else but hey

capable of reading both light and darkness within hearts

very short range

Eraqus...

a single line in dark road to remind everyone that they didn't forget about the smelling darkness thing

he can do it

[legitimatesatanspawn]

I'm explaining things to a friend about Kingdom Hearts and why some characters share the same faces and VAs but aren't the same characters (except when they are). I felt the urge to make a visual graph to help. And for easier effort, I did not include Organization XIII's members.

I had to add an extra time spot between CoM and 358 to help keep the paths a little more clear.

But... yeah.

Me to Friends: "Kingdom Hearts is simple and easy to understand."

Kingdom Hearts:

(I know Xion isn't exactly a Replica like Riku Replica but she kind of is given the whole Memory thing and how she was meant to be a Sora Replica by way of Roxas.)

Edit: Fixed Data Sora's placement (forgot to move him down while adding a timeline), moved Xemnas to when he first appeared rather than when he appeared first, and swapped Sora's pic for a more clear one.

[aviivix]

Hey guys its been a while, I'm so sorry I have fallen pretty much completely out of Splatoon, become hyperfixated on Kingdom Hearts, and now have made an AU I am extremely invested in, in which Roxas rejects Sora in the simulated mansion and Sora awakens as a Heartless. Hijinks ensue.

As is I guess in character for me I immediately started thinking about the gameplay of a KH2 with this very strong divergence from canon. Ramble incoming, though this is pretty early days in this fixation so I feel like this will change over time. I just kind of wanted to crystalize it here.

AUDIO VERSION OF THIS RAMBLE (I have ADHD and big blocks of text are hard for me so audio version may be easier to digest)

Disclaimer: I have "played" (read: watched my gf play on stream) KH2 and have both watched the "movie" version of Days and the recent 2 hour breakdown of everything the movie version left out. I know a few events of ReCoM from skimming the wiki but we haven't gotten around to actually watching/playing it and I expect I'll have to tweak this AU to include specific ReCoM details. I also importantly have not seen anything about KH1 which is hilarious and will undoubtedly lead to funnies in this AU. :) Also we haven't touched Dream Drop Distance, Birth by Sleep, Coded, 3, or anything else not mentioned.

So far what I have changed about the initial conditions is that Sora's brief time as a Heartless weakened his heart's connection to his body. Imagine his heart is just scotch taped to his body and it seems totally fine there until it suddenly isn't. The logistics of ReCoM is a little rough without knowing exactly what happens in it, but the main idea is that Sora's physical body is separated from his heart, with the physical body immediately becoming Roxas and the heart experiencing ReCoM and being solely what is put in stasis. Potentially the issue could be less that Roxas is hoarding Sora's memories and moreso that Roxas just straight up has his body and Sora can't wake up without one, but technically I don't think the memories thing needs to change so I'm tentatively leaving it alone. I also don't know how Dumb and Dumber factor into the ReCoM side of things but it's whatever.

In the prologue of KH2, it's almost exactly the same, except for one teeny tiny insignificant little detail - instead of saying, "Sora... you're lucky." Roxas stares Sora in the face, contemplates for a moment, and says, "Sora... I'm sorry. My life belongs to me."

This act of defiance, Roxas's rejection of Sora like a body rejecting an organ transplant, causes DiZ and Riku's whole setup to fall apart, booting Roxas out of the simulation where he now has to break out of the mansion. Rejected by his body and being kept from half his power, Sora's heart is now isolated, and as the pod breaks down, the only thing left for him is the memories of the Heartless, Ansem, the Organization, and the pent up rage at what they did to him and took away from him. This creates a Heartless form around the now-abandoned heart.

As the system shuts down, the pods open, and the heartless Anti Sora emerges from stasis - voiceless and angry. The two Disney idiots awaken from their stasis as well, undoubtedly shocked and wary of Sora's new form. But Sora's rage is very, very targeted. He has no quarrel with Donald and Goofy - but he has a massive quarrel with the Org-hooded Ansem-faced Riku that comes down to try and secure Sora and Roxas before they escape.

I'm still toying with how this jailbreak could go. Riku and DiZ don't really have common goons to fight, and it wouldn't feel right to put Nobodies or Heartless here, so it has to be a Riku fight most likely. Perhaps some explosions from the system freaking out, or hastiness in his actions to justify his weakness. Or, perhaps, just the fact that Roxas and Anti Sora fighting together is roughly equivalent to A Whole Sora (plus the Anti Dramatic Tension Devices aka Donald and Goofy) so they could probably keep him back enough to escape which is what the two of them really want to do. Roxas could probably intuit that Anti Sora is Sora, but there is no chance Sora understands who Roxas is. (Though the Org coat could be an issue for Sora immediately assuming Roxas to be an Org member and targetting him. Sora is rowdy and unpredictable in this form so that's not a complete bad thing but for gameplay I would like a reason to have this be a cool team fight - especially with a RC to switch between playing as Anti Sora and Roxas.)

Outside the intro, there are a few things I definitely want to explore but just haven't yet. But one I have is the idea that, although KH doesn't really do split endings, this would be a great opportunity to run that as I can absolutely see a "Save Roxas or Save Sora" dichotomy. Roxas, of course, can be killed to reunite Sora's heart with his body, allowing him to be whole again - we all cry over Roxas in this house, that's not new. But consider...

Heartless are held together by rage, hate, and darkness. With Sora, that anger is very targeted at the Org and the Heartless. Once the day is saved, though, and Sora's heart is put at peace... there's no hatred or anger left to hold his form together. So, if he doesn't have a body by then, his options are to let the world be broken so he can maintain his rage (obviously not a very Sora thing to do), or save the world and disappear forever.

...so, the Sora and Roxas fight still exists in this AU. But rather than Sora being a very very very passive participant in someone else's story (as beautiful as the scene is and as much as I understand Sora being a brick wall is thematically relevant, it just takes away from it for me. Sora needs a little more agency here imo, as it stands it just makes me root against him and make it feel frustrating that Roxas accepts his fate), Sora here learns in advance about his own fate of disappearing. Probably in the same scene where he learns this, he also learns that the only way to stop that is to find his "Nobody" and take it out so his heart can reinhabit it.

At this point then, Sora may still be unconvinced that his Nobody could even be a person - everyone around him assures him that Nobodies are, well, nobodies. But the fight with Roxas, rather unfortunately for Sora, cements the fact that his Nobody does in fact have capital-d Determination. That Roxas has a will to keep living, a strong one, fighting with the desperation of a cornered animal. He isn't just a meat suit for Sora to put back on, he's a person that Sora has to find it in himself to kill in order to stay alive himself.

If you choose to spare Roxas, then Roxas gets to be an ally and gets his happy ending. But Sora will die in the ending with Riku. But if you choose to kill Roxas, having Sora slash him down with his own claws, then Sora must confront the fact that he is willing to cut Roxas's life short for his own self-preservation. That guilt will stay with him as his body is restored and his friends rejoice at the return of Sora.

Axel absolutely has parts to play here, and in fact the plot itself is probably quite different as Sora kills Heartless without a Keyblade while other characters like Mickey have Keyblades capable of sealing the McGuffin keyholes. And now every important character is scrambling to adjust to Sora being a Heartless and Roxas still being alive. But those come later because my gf is the ultimate Axel fan and I want to do right by her lol

Also the Round Room is canonically a discord call in this AU