#really. at the end of the day. it's sokai. forever and always: sokai

[oveliagirlhaditright]

What’re your favorite kh ships?

If I'm being honest... I really only true ship SoKai these days (my forever OTP). Mainly because I feel like that's the only one I can really ever see actually being canon (well, aside from Yozora and Nameless Star, and I also ship them: a lot of that for Versus XIII reasons. My heart won't let go). And, I mean, not that a ship needs to be canon for me to ship them. Not at all. But I'll admit that I've grown out of some of the KH ships a wee bit, as I've found more adult ones in other fandoms to get invested one.

That being said, the KH ships that I do still care about are:

SoKai

RokuShi

Namiku

RokuNami

Terqua (though it seem these days the kids call it Terrqua. Or Terraqua?)

Gulava

Skulmera

Playerlitzia

YozoraNameless Star

Xehaqus

AkuSai

SoRiKai

RiKai

Roxiri (though not in canon. More in fanon. More for crack, kind of, actually. And friendship first and foremost)

I'm warming up to Replinami some these days, because of the tragedy of it all.

I've also started to warm up to Rion a wee bit... that past Shanna thought she'd never see.

SoNami in CoM only.

I could do XionRoxasNaminé. NamiXI, too.

VenAqua slightly, but I'd always choose Terra and Aqua over it (but one thing about the Wayfinder Trio for me, if I'm being truthful, is that I prefer the three of them as friends before any romance with any of them. Part of me even really thinks all three of them are truly just meant to be friends.)

A lot of people ship Ven and Strelitzia for some reason. And I doubt it'll ever happen, tbh. Who knows if they'll ever even really get a chance to meet and be friends. But I do get why they think it'd be cute.

And while I don't know if I truly ship them anymore, a part of me will always have a soft spot for Ventus and Naminé. Because for some reason, I really used to ship this crack pairing, back in the day.

I also don't really know if I ship them... but despite what I said above, I do get the feeling that Nomura might be doing something with Lauriam/Marluxia and Elrena/Larxene.

[guiltyhearts]

SoKai Day 2022: A Wedding Toast

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Pairings: Sora/Kairi (SoKai) 

Characters: Riku, Sora, Kairi, et al

Rating: G

Summary: Sora and Kairi’s best friend has been witness to their love story from the start to the present. He tells it all in a toast on their wedding day.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts and its characters. 

------

Tink-tink-tink

The soft sound of tinkling glass managed to settle down the wedding guests, where they stopped to pay attention to the tall, fit man that stood straight before them. From a table at the center of the reception area, reserved for the newlywed couple and their closest loved ones, the man cleared his throat.

“Thank you. My name is Riku,” the man said. “You may know me as the best friend of the newlyweds.” He gestured with his glass to the couple by his left. Elegant for the occasion and glowing with bliss, Sora and Kairi had managed to turn their attention away from each other long enough to listen to their mutual friend.

“The bride and groom have other best friends, but I knew them first, so I hold seniority. Therefore, I get to sit here,” Riku joked with a gesture to the wedding party’s table. Laughter filled the room at his joke. If anyone had noticed his stilted delivery, they didn’t show it.

“Sora, Kairi, and I have known each other since we were very young. Having known them for so long, I’ve had a front-row seat to their relationship and how it evolved over the years. Practically from day one,” he started. “They hit it off right away. I took a little more time to warm up to you, Kairi, sorry about that. When I was a kid, I thought that Sora was always just that nice and it was easier for him to make friends with new people. But I saw him around you at that time. He wouldn’t nearly jump out of his seat if Tidus was walking into the room, —” The crowd chuckled again. “—And well, I don’t know about you, but Sora’s never smiled like that when he looked at me.” Laughter rippled through the reception hall, as the guests took notice of the groom’s shy smile and his tomato-red face, having been caught looking at his bride.

“But it wasn’t just Sora. When I was about eight years old, one day I thought I would keep count of how many times Kairi would look at Sora and just smile without him ever noticing.” Riku paused for dramatic effect. “To say I lost count by the end of the day would be an understatement.”

“By the time we grew up and they realized how they really felt, it seemed like it would be a given that they were going to be together forever. Nothing and no one would keep them apart. When they told me they were going to get married this year, I was surprised because I thought they had already done that and just chose not to say anything. But then it turned out that wasn’t the case. I think I’m even more surprised that they had waited as long as they did to formally get married and have a wedding. But Sora and Kairi, they found a way to top that. Every day after they announced their wedding, they would both tell me, on separate occasions, that their wedding could not come fast enough. They were really eager to have their ceremony. You all know it was this morning. I’m surprised they didn’t get married right after midnight.”

The audience laughed again, charmed and taken aback at Riku’s humor. Others took note of the bride and groom laughing in good nature, though no one seemed to notice the subtle way in which their eyes widened and their smiles tightened in panic.

Riku looked down at Sora and Kairi and raised his glass to them, acknowledging far more than the crowd knew.

---

A succession of tapping noises at his bedroom window managed to rouse Riku from a deep sleep. Though not fully awake, he could hear noises more clearly.

“Riku! Riku!”

It took a few more calls, but Riku lifted his head to see a spiky head on the other side of his window. At that moment he should have been suspicious. But this was far from the first time Sora climbed through the window for some shenaniganry or to “just hang out some more”, as he put it.

“Riku, wake up!” Sora called out in a hushed voice.

In response, Riku climbed out of bed, strode over to open the window and stepped aside to let Sora enter, as had been routine.

“Come on, let’s go! It can’t wait!” Was he still outside?

“What can’t wait?” Riku asked sleepily.

“Just! Come!” Sora was far too excited and giddy for how late the night was. He said other things but they were lost in the fog of Riku’s sleep-addled brain.

He couldn’t recall how he ended up out of his bedroom half-dressed and in old sandals, but he was now outside and leaving his neighborhood with Sora, who was excited over something that just couldn’t wait and it came to him only a few hours ago. It was late, but he had to share it with just enough people and they should be the people we loved most. “So come on, Riku, Kairi and I are gonna get married right now!”

The next thing Riku remembered was that he stopped walking. “What do you mean you’re getting married right now?”

Sora had the audacity to grin like a morning person. “We’re going to elope!”

–---

The next thing Riku remembered after that was demanding an explanation from Sora. He said that it felt right to him and Kairi and so they were going to marry now. Riku then demanded an explanation that made sense. All he got was that the moment felt right for them both. That Kairi didn’t want to wait any longer than he did, and he wanted her to be happy. And if he could be legally married to her for an extra few hours, then why would he pass up on that?

Then they were on the shore of the main island, from where their play island could be seen in the distance in daylight. By the shore, a group was already waiting for the two young men. Even under the moonlight, he could recognize the silhouettes and features of Naminé, Roxas, Aqua, and…

“Mickey?!” Riku cried out in shock. “What are you doing here?!”

“I was asked to officiate this surprise wedding. As a sovereign ruler, I have the power to bless nuptials. As a friend, I’m honored to have been asked!” Was Mickey’s cheerful answer.

“You’re okay with them getting married right now, at this hour?!”

“If the hour is right, then it’s right.”

He was still in a state of disbelief so he hadn’t noticed Kairi approaching him until her arms held him in a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re here,” Kairi grinned at him. “It wouldn’t have felt right without you.”

Those words did touch his heart, and Riku might have smiled and held on to the sentiment. Still, it nagged him that his friends were about to have a secret wedding and were acting with such urgency. They were living in peaceful times and had not seen the kind of cataclysmic danger that would have torn them apart for many years. No one present was giving him any good explanation, nor did they stand in solidarity with him. They thought the whole thing was romantic!

In a daze, Riku followed the group as they stood in the arrangements they would be in during what should have been the actual wedding ceremony. Before he could join them, he took in the picture before him.

Sora and Kairi stood before each other with their hands clasped and as close as they could stand. Just behind them, the sea stretched on, shimmering with starlight from the sky. There was nothing ahead but the sea and the sky, mirrored in natural harmony. At the foreground, sea and sky were joined by love, refusing to wait for destiny any longer.

Riku had to concede. Whether or not it was the moonlight that made his friends radiant with such joy, it was a romantic sight.

Mickey assumed his position between the eager couple, his hands clasped in front of him as he began the ceremony.

“Dearly beloved…”

—-

In the present, the wedding guests sat under a tent in the daytime and were listening to a man toast to his friends’ marriage. A marriage that had already started mere hours ago. Maybe even years ago.

“Sora and Kairi seem like the perfect example of a couple that were destined to fall in love and become a couple. That’s only partly true. They chose to be together, and they chose each other over and over again,” Riku said sincerely. “Those of us who have witnessed them firsthand know that sometimes the odds were against them. And they would fight destiny if they had to.”.

“I’ve seen this with my own eyes time and again. To know them is to know true love. Sometimes it can come into your life in the most unexpected ways, and it can also be something that is grown and built together. It’s an honor that they’ve given us to share their special day with them.”

Riku raised his glass one more time. “To the happy couple!”

“Cheers!” The guests raised their glasses and toasted to the newlyweds’ joy and bliss.

[phoenix-downer]

In My Heart

~1715 words. Sora/Kairi. Set during KH1. Kairi POV. Romance, Fluff, Pining, Longing. For SoKai Week 2022, Day 2: KH1 or COM.

Summary: As Sora gets to fly for the first time, Kairi shares the experience. She just wishes it could be by his side instead of from inside his heart. 

Sora’s heart was really safe and warm. Kairi wished she wasn’t separated from her body, sure, but seeing life through Sora’s eyes… She understood him in a way she never had before. And they were going on an adventure like they’d always dreamed they would. 

Of course, that all faded away in light of their current predicament. They were on a huge ship with a great hull, vast mast, and a nasty pirate captain and his crew. The Heartless swarmed all over the place, and Sora teetered on the edge of the plank. Oh, and just to really top it all off, a giant crocodile with a long, toothy snout was waiting in the water below them. 

Kairi wished she could tell Sora that she was with him, that even if this was the end—

Sora jumped off the edge, and Kairi would’ve yelped if she had any voice to yelp with. What was he thinking, jumping off like this into that waiting, gaping mouth, was he crazy?! If he died, what would happen to her? Would her heart just go flying out of his body and wander around forever? 

The agonizing seconds ticked by as he fell, each one a painful eternity. This was it, that red mouth was getting bigger and bigger, and then—

He pushed off the crocodile's snout, and now he was—he was flying? Oh my gosh, he was flying! And she was too, her heart gliding along with his. He swooped and soared, his delighted laughter filling the air. Kairi’s heart filled with warmth. They were flying together and she’d never felt anything like it. The wind rushed past his ears and his heart raced to keep up with his body, and all of those sensations pulsed through her heart, too. 

He landed on the deck next to Peter Pan, who set the caged Tinker Bell free. Sora thanked Peter and then together, he, Peter, Donald, and Goofy fought the Heartless. Their foes were disguised as pirates, and once those goons were defeated, Captain Hook flew into a rage and fought Sora and his friends himself. 

Sora used his new flying abilities to swoop down and attack the pirate captain, but it was still a tough fight. Captain Hook kept summoning pirate Heartless that fired canons at Sora, and he had to duck and dodge and fly around to land a hit on them. Kairi tried to steer Sora away from a few close calls, but she wasn’t sure if Sora dodged in time because of her or because of his own reflexes.

At long last the pirate Heartless were defeated, and it was Sora against Hook. Sora’s Keyblade clashed with Hook’s sword. Clack, clack, clack, as Sora reenacted hundreds of sword fight battles from their childhoods, only this time the stakes were much higher. Finally, Sora knocked Hook’s sword out of his hand and landed the final blow on him. Hook fell, fell, fell into the navy depths below, a loud splash sounding out as he hit the water. The last Kairi heard of him was a loud yelp as he swam away from the pursuing crocodile as fast as he could. 

Their enemy defeated, the whole party took a moment to relax. Sora rested his hands on the railing of the ship, and Kairi knew he must be thinking about everything that had happened. It was a lot to take in, and her heart was racing too. She took deep breaths to calm herself, wondering where Riku had made off with her body. 

It was clear her heart was still connected to it somehow, otherwise she wouldn’t be feeling the sensations she was feeling. Her body wouldn’t have reacted to Sora reaching closer to it either if she was completely cut off from it. Then how was her heart supposed to get back to her body?

She heard Goofy say to Donald, “Uh, Kairi couldn’t wake up, so maybe she’s really lost her—”

“Shh!” Donald hurriedly replied.

“Hey, I heard that,” Kairi said, despite knowing they’d never hear her, “and my heart isn’t lost, it’s right here!”

“Sora,” came Peter’s voice, interrupting her voiceless ranting. 

“I still can’t believe it,” Sora said, his eyes and thoughts far away. “I really flew.”  

She smiled at the awe and wonder in his voice. He’d changed so much from the guy he’d been just a few months ago before this adventure began. And yet, despite her fears, the changes weren’t bad, not at all. 

“Wait ‘til I tell Kairi,” he said, and that same warmth from before filled her heart. Even now, he was thinking of her. Wanting to involve her in his adventures. She wished she could tell him she was right here and had been all along.

“I wonder if she’ll believe me,” he added. “Probably not.”

She smiled sadly. The old her might not have believed him and would’ve told him to stop daydreaming. But the new her, the her that had seen inside his heart and been with him along every step of his journey, the her that had seen him change and grow—she would believe him. 

“You can bring her to Neverland sometime,” Peter said, and she was grateful he’d spoken up. “Then she can try it herself.”

Kairi would like that, very much. Getting to be with Sora, not hidden inside his heart but flying by his side—that would be really, really nice.

 Sora looked at Peter. “If you believe, you can do anything, right? I’ll find Kairi. I know I will. There’s so much I want to tell her—about flying, the pirates, and everything else that’s happened.”

Now Kairi really wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to, she’d been with him all along. And yet, a part of her wanted to hear his stories, wanted to know how he remembered everything. Wanted to hear his spin on things and listen to his voice. And the confidence in his tone when he talked about finding her—she knew he wouldn’t give up until he found a way to return her heart to her body. 

Tinker Bell flew around Sora and hovered next to Peter, gold pixie dust shimmering off of her. 

Peter said, “What’s that, Tink? What about the clock tower? You say there’s something there?”

The group flew to the clock tower in question, and as they approached, Kairi couldn’t help but be awed by the scale of it. The clock tower soared above all the buildings below, and its golds and yellows were striking against the deep blue sky and twinkling stars. The full moon hung low in the heavens, so low Kairi wondered if Sora could fly to it. And as the party approached the clock tower, Kairi spotted Wendy sitting on the edge of it. 

Sora landed and chatted with her, but Wendy quickly sensed what was on his mind.

“You’ll find her, Sora. Just don’t give up,” she told him. Sora flew around a little more after that and searched for chests and treasures, but then he returned to see Peter and Wendy sharing a touching moment. Wendy stood with her feet planted firmly on the clock tower as Peter hovered in the air, the only connection between them their held hands. 

What would it be like to hold Sora’s hand? Kairi felt hotter at the thought. Sora couldn’t look away from the happy lovebirds, and neither could she.

Peter promised he and Wendy could see each other anytime so long as Wendy didn’t forget about Neverland. This made Tinker Bell cross her arms and pout, and Donald laughed at her. Incensed, she flew around and around them all until Peter asked Sora to look after her.

“What?” Sora asked, but too late, Tinker Bell had already decided she would stay with him.

Afterwards, Sora went to Wendy again. He really must’ve been moved by what he saw. 

“Um, earlier, that conversation you and Peter were having… Sorry I overheard, but Peter said you and he will be together even when you’re apart? What does that mean exactly?”

“Peter remains with me as long as I remember him,” she gently explained, then smiled. “You will find Kairi if she remains in your heart.”

Kairi gasped. Did Wendy know something Sora didn’t? Or was she just speaking metaphorically—

“If she remains in my heart…” Sora said, resting a hand on his chest. “Right.” 

Kairi wanted to shout, “I’m already here! I’ve been here all along!” But Sora couldn’t hear her. Sill, it was one of the best clues he’d been given, and hopefully he’d piece things together soon. 

It wasn’t enough to see all these amazing sights, meet all these wonderful people, have all these new experiences, from inside his heart. She wanted to go on the journey with him, side-by-side, as they fought and danced and laughed. As they slept and smiled and flew. And he wanted her to experience these things with him, too. 

Did he like her? Kairi didn’t have a whole lot of experience with this kind of thing. Selphie told her that boys were really obvious about their crushes, and Sora kept thinking about her… kept mentioning her… 

Oh wow, maybe he did like her.

And… And… She liked him too. It was the only explanation for the way her heart kept speeding up and how badly she wanted to be around him. How his voice was her favorite sound and how she wanted to see his smile again. 

Gosh, Sora? He was such a huge dork! She never would’ve thought she’d fall for him. And yet… He was her dork. Even before she’d left the islands, she’d known something was different. That something had changed between them. As the months passed, that hunch had grown and grown until she couldn’t deny it anymore. She liked him. She liked him very, very much, and she’d liked him before they’d ever left Destiny Islands. 

Too bad it had taken losing her body and going on all these adventures to realize that. 

But Wendy’s words reassured her, not just Sora. So long as he kept her in his thoughts, he’d find a way to set her heart free, she just knew it. 

As he soared around the great clock, she treasured her memories of him deep inside her heart.

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

A/N: I always wondered how Kairi felt about her journey with Sora in KH1 since she was inside his heart. This story was inspired by some art by slightly-gay-pogohammer from several years ago that showed Kairi’s heart reacting to Sora’s little speech post-flying (among other things). Was fun to finally write a fic about it. 

Also I love how Wendy flat out foreshadows that Kairi is literally inside Sora’s heart with her dialogue, but the first time you play KH1 you’re like oh she’s just speaking metaphorically, right? Right?

Nah, she knew what was up. Good for her. And it makes for a good KH1 replay bonus. The foreshadowing in KH1 was just so excellent, truly. 

Anyway, thanks for reading!

[thedeliverygod]

surprise~ I wrote sokai. actually not a surprise I mentioned writing it after I beat melody of memory, I’ve just been working on it forever since my writing process has been a STRUGGLE lately. my AO3 and fanfiction accounts are linked on my profile if you’d prefer to read there [or just look up thedeliverygod]

Always

Sora blinked his eyes open to see his bedroom, a bright ray of sunlight running through the middle of the floor from where the curtains met. Grunting, he turned over and closed his eyes as he sunk his head down into the pillow again to go back to sleep.

‘Wait… my room?’

The realization clicked and his eyes shot open. As he gazed upon the ship hanging from the ceiling and other odds and ends collected around the room, he knew it had to be his.

“When did I get home?” He sat up and held his head, trying to remember what had happened last.

He had been in Quadratum for some time, but he had eventually met up with Riku and later the rest of their friends. Sora wasn’t used to being the one who had to be saved, but it took everyone’s strength and willpower to bring him back to their reality and the realm of light.

Kairi.

He remembered Kairi comforting him, talking to him softly but he couldn’t remember what she said.

He also remembered being at Yen Sid’s tower and something being mentioned about him needing rest. After that, nothing. Except for waking up here.

He shot upward and immediately felt the muscle aches all over his body as well as a multitude of bruises forming under his skin. Curative spells were amazing, but there was only so much they could do. He sucked in a breath before putting his feet to the floor and forcing himself to stand up despite the pain.

He clung to the banister of the stairs as he made his way down the stairs, but he wasn’t even halfway down before his mom appeared at the foot of them.

“Sora! I’m really glad you’re awake, but do you really think you should be out of bed?” She reached out a hand and took a few steps upward.

“I’m just a little sore, it’s fine.” He waved her off before giving a wide grin, “It’s good to see you, Mom.”

She shook her head but just stared at him with watering eyes as he continued to make his way down the stairs. Once he had reached her, she enveloped him in a tight hug, “I can’t believe how grown up you are.”

“Yeah, me neither.” He answered in a laugh.

“I’ve missed you so much.”

He hugged her tighter, “Me too.”

Hesitantly letting him go, she waved towards the living room, “Let’s go sit down.”

Sora nodded and followed after her, “Okay.” While she took the couch, he took the worn-out arm chair as he always had.

“Kairi filled me on somewhat of all you’ve been through over the past few years. I can’t even begin to imagine…”

“Speaking of Kairi, is she still here?” He asked automatically. After a beat and his cheeks starting to warm, he added, “Or Riku, or anyone else?”

Giving a confused look to his question at first, she realized what he meant and answered, “Oh, you mean on the islands. Yes, Kairi is still here. I believe Riku is still with the others that Kairi mentioned, though I’m not sure where they are.”

He let out a breath and nodded, “Ah, okay.”

His mom looked at him knowingly and smirked, commenting, “Still got it bad for Kairi after all these years, huh?”

Though he made a yelping noise in response to her blunt questioning, he looked away and answered, “Is that surprising?”

“Not at all. And the way she talked about you seemed to be quite different too, so I figured something must have happened. Are you finally dating?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Well, no, not really…” He answered honestly, “It’s hard to really ‘date’ with the life we’ve had.”

“Oh,” She parted her lips and let out a disappointed sigh, “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

“But,” He started again and she looked back up, intrigued, “Do you remember when we came back to the islands before a big fight before?”

She nodded, “Of course. I was so happy to see you then, too.”

“Well, we shared a paopu fruit when we went out to the play island to watch the sunset like we did as kids. Kairi’s idea, of course.” He flushed again, quickly adding, “N-not that I didn’t want to!”

His mom laughed loudly, “Of course.”

“But it was perfect. I think the paopu helped bring us together again despite the almost impossible odds, just like the legend says.” He gave another soft grin.

“Maybe it did help, but I think a lot of it was just… you two just being who you are, you know?” She gave her own smile in return. Sora didn’t really have the chance to respond before she changed the subject, “So, I suppose you asked about Kairi because you want to go see her, right?”

His face quickly reddening again, he admitted, “Well, yeah. But—”

“You can go.” His mom waved towards the front door, “Just be back before dinner.”

He stared breathlessly for a moment before smiling, “Thanks, Mom.”

“You’re welcome.” She answered as he got up from the chair and slowly made his way to the door.

Once he was outside and off the porch steps, he reached into his pocket for his gummi phone. Unsurprisingly, he had several messages from various people asking for him to call once he had woken up and was feeling better. ‘Well, I still kinda feel awful, honestly.’ He thought to himself, both as a truth and as an excuse to wait to call them later.

He moved to Kairi’s name and hit dial. After a few chirps, he heard her voice ring out through the speaker, “Sora?”

“Kairi!” He answered, grinning widely.

She gave a small laugh, “So you’re finally awake, lazy bum.”

“Yeah. Can’t say the same about my arms and legs, though. They kinda feel like jelly.” He tried to stretch his free arm again and found much of the same feeling as he had when he woken up earlier.

“I’m not surprised, I’m pretty sore too.”

“So… where are you? You’re still on the islands, right?” He bit his lip, hoping he hadn’t missed her.

“Of course. Riku wanted to stay too, but I guess there were some last-minute things King Mickey wanted his help with. Oh, and I’m at my house but I’ll come to yours. You really shouldn’t be pushing yourself so soon.”

He rolled his eyes, “I’m not that out of it. How about we meet halfway? Like around the park, I guess.”

Kairi hummed, “Okay, if you say so.”

“Great. See you soon.” He tapped the red button to end the call and set out on his way.

Pushing himself beyond his limits was nothing new with all of the things he had done on his adventures in the past few years, but he was still bent over in pain by the time he made it to the park.

“I would laugh because I knew you would do this, but you look awful.” Kairi commented as she approached him.

Straightening out and standing up straight, he smiled apologetically, “Yeah, you were right.”

“What a surprise.” She lightly grabbed his hand and tugged him towards a picnic table, “Let’s sit down.”

“Thank you.” He let out, unable to hold it in any longer as he sat down and faced her.

She blinked, “For what?”

“For everything.” He answered automatically. After a moment, he clarified, “For saving me.”

Kairi smiled and shook her head, “It’s like I told you years ago. I couldn’t just let you stay that way and forget about you. That’s the same reason you came after me, right?”

“To be honest, I didn’t really think about it. I just acted. But yeah, I guess that’s the best way to put it.” He admitted with a small laugh.

“That’s such a Sora thing to say.” She reached over to intertwine her hand with his.

He quirked an eyebrow, “I hope that’s a compliment.”

“Of course.” She smiled brightly as she nodded.

“So what’s going on with everyone else?” Sora shifted the topic of conversation, curious, “I know you said Riku stayed behind to do a few last-minute things but honestly my memory is kinda fuzzy about what all happened right before coming home.”

Kairi’s expression dampened somewhat, but she still kept a smile, “Just making sure everything is the way it’s supposed to be. And then we’re supposed to be able to take a break for a little while. Just hang out here on the islands; you, me, and Riku.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “That sounds nice.”

“I’m sure. You’ve been through a lot.”

He opened his eyes and looked at her seriously, answering, “So have you, you know.”

Quietly, she nodded and held his hand a little tighter.

And suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

“Kairi.” He called her name and she looked up curiously.

“Yes?”

“This isn’t really how I ever imagined doing it, but I think this feels right.” He slipped down from the bench and knelt on one knee, with Kairi quickly clasping her hands over her mouth in surprise. “I don’t even know how old I was when I started dreaming about wanting to spend my life with you. And for a long time, it always seemed out of reach; both because I didn’t know how you feel and because of all of the things we’ve been through. But I want to make it real now. No matter what happens next, I want to be by your side, always.”

Kairi nodded vigorously, tears starting to overflow from the corners of her eyes, “That’s what I want too.”

Sora reached out and motioned for her hand, only to pull it towards him and kiss her knuckles. “I’m sorry I don’t have a ring yet. But like I said before, this wasn’t exactly planned so…” They both shared a quick laugh before he smiled widely and asked, “Kairi, will you marry me?”

“Yes.” She slid closer to him and pressed a kiss against him eagerly, “Yes, yes, yes.”

He cupped both sides of her face and grinned against her, “So… when do we let everyone else know?”

“Maybe keep it a secret for a few days or else everyone’s hugs may crush what little solid bones you have left in your body right now.” She gave a gentle squeeze of his arm which he had to admit hurt much more than he expected.

“Ow.” He rubbed the spot she had squeezed, “But that’s a very solid point.”

“Do you need me to carry you back to your house?” Kairi teased with a tilt of her head.

He shook his head, “I dunno, I think it’s poor form to have your new fiancée carry you.”

“Fiancée, huh.” She beamed, humming, “I think I like the sound of that.”

“So do I.” He kissed her again.

[absinthemadness]

1. Favorite overall character- Axel. How can he not be my favorite? I’m suffering through making his wig. The humor is I started off not being able to stand him, but by the time KH3 came along he’d somehow beaten out Roxas as a favorite.

2. Favorite male character- Roxas. Gonna put Roxas down here because I spent so much time relating hard to this guy. I’ve still got the cosplay from like... 10 years ago. 

3. Favorite Female character- Uhh... Probably Kairi? If I’m basing my favorites off of people I’ve bothered to put effort into cosplaying. I wanted so much for her from KH3. Or just period.

4. Favorite Organization Member-  Demyx. There’s just something about his personality that’s stuck with me.

5. Favorite Villain- Boat!Ansem. In all seriousness. I haven’t the faintest. 

6. Favorite Trio- Sea Saaaaaalt.

7. Favorite Game To Play- KH2 or maybe CoM (on GBA, there was something about it on PS that drove me nuts) 

8. Favorite Game Story- Days. Days. Days. But admittedly I’m rusty on my kh gameplay. It’s been so long since I’ve played any of them. 

9. Favorite World- Traverse Town: The music. Oh man the music. 

Alternatively: Every KH3 world for sheer prettiness. Like holy crap, I thought that game was pretty. (Also giant block cactuar.)

10. Favorite logo- The red of the Days logo is a forever love. Though the KH3 logo made me cry happy tears (admittedly that might have been because it was so long that I waited for it to be on my screen...)

11. OTP- Akuroku. Has basically always been. Probably lead to my liking of Axel. Will probably always be. I still remember moments of shouting at my screen, “How is this not canon? Fuck it. This is my canon now.” 

12. Favorite Male pairing- Soriku. The amount of times Sora exclaims “Riku!” is forever stuck in my brain. 

13. Favorite WLW- Namixi. Probably. I’ve never really thought too much into it. I don’t get too much into the women in this series for some reason.

14. Favorite WLM pairing- Sokai. Goes right along with Soriku. 

15. Favorite quotes- In no particular order. (I could go on and on and on...)

“One who knows nothing can understand nothing.”

Re: Paopu, “If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each others lives no matter what.”

“Thinking of you, wherever you are. We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend. Now I will step forward to realize this wish. And who knows: Starting a new journey may not be so hard, or maybe it has already begun. There are many worlds, but they share the same sky—one sky, one destiny.”

“Man I miss the old times, Still got it memorized? The day we met when you got your new name, you and I sat right here, just like this, and watched the sun set.”

“I dunno, I can't just look inside. But I figure, if there is something in there, inside of us, we'd feel it, wouldn't we?”

16. Favorite Version of "Dearly Beloved"- YES. Er, I mean. The latest jazzy version is pretty cool. But honestly, I just love this song in any and all arrangements.

[sourcherrybomb]

SoKai Week 2020 - Day 1 - Paopu Surprise!

Synopsis: Sora and Kairi decide to take a breather and share a Paopu Fruit with each other. However, Sora finds himself in for an unwelcome surprise when he finally bites into one... 

Sneak Peek: Sora could only imagine the dumb look on his face. This was not going the way he imagined it. Kairi had seriously beaten him to the punch?

Tags: Romance, Comedy, All Ages, F/M

Prompt for the Day: One Heart / Paopu Fruit

Words: 1.4k

Fanart By: asgardianartist (Fiverr / Instagram)

Native to the Destiny Islands is a particularly peculiar fruit in the shape of a star. Trinkets made in its image are seen as good luck charms and are even known to people who have never stepped foot on the world. But to the residents of the Destiny Islands, the paopu fruit means so much more than just simple ‘good luck’.

If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They’ll remain a part of each other’s lives no matter what.

All that time ago, before their adventures and misadventures, these were the words Riku told Sora. At the time, he got flustered when his friend teased him at the idea of sharing one with Kairi. However, it’s not as though Sora had completely dismissed the idea; the day right after in their secret place, in between the space of a rough drawing of he and Kairi, Sora secretly drew a hand giving her the fruit.

It wasn’t until Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeated Ansem the Seeker of Darkness that Kairi would find out. 

Not long after the Destiny Islands were restored, Kairi found herself in the secret place. Reminiscing while looking at the myriad drawings of various quality, she stumbled upon Sora’s addition to the drawing of them. After letting a tear fall out of her eye, Kairi herself adds to the sketch her own arm extended towards Sora, paopu fruit in hand.

It’s been more than a year since those events first transpired. Sora, Kairi, and Riku are now back home on the islands before their ultimate battle. 

Sora and Kairi, bathed in the twilight of the setting sun, sit on a paopu tree while passing the time away. Riku rests himself directly on the beach below them.

Sora, noticing his friend, asks Kairi, “Hey, why’s Riku all alone?”

“He said he needed time to himself,” she notes. “Let’s let him be.”

As Sora sits distracted by his silver-haired friend staring into the sunset-lit ocean, Kairi silently strengthens her resolve. She was going to share this paopu fruit with Sora, and nothing, not even the looming thought of Riku teasing them without end after the fact. And plus, it’s not as though Sora would be against sharing it with her. There’s that drawing of them, the race he and Riku did, as well as all the things he did for her during their first adventure together. With a battle to the death at their doorstep, now would be the best time to share any thoughts or emotions that have been lingering around…

But what if Sora is just being nice?

No! Kairi thinks to herself. She knows that Sora is basically a paragon of kindness who can be a bit of a dolt sometimes… Okay, many times, but even he should be aware of what repeated acts of kindness and/or heroism do to a person!

Before Kairi goes through an entire internal debate in the span of seconds, her arm subconsciously moves towards a paopu fruit she may have secretly left there when no one was looking. Although now that she thinks about it, Riku did stop by here before heading down to the beach. He did have this smug grin on his face as he passed by the two of them...

As more and more thoughts rush through her mind, Kairi’s hand has already brought the paopu fruit in front of Sora. 

“Here!” she says. 

“Huh?” 

Sora could only imagine the dumb look on his face. This was not going the way he imagined it. Kairi had seriously beaten him to the punch? The whole reason he wanted to bring her here was so he could be the one to hand her the fruit! Now his whole plan has basically gone up into flames and can’t even bring out any words besides a simple “Huh?"

As Sora mentally reprimands himself, Kairi silently chides herself for basically shoving the fruit in his face and not coming up with a smoother way of handing it to him. 

“Tomorrow’s fight will be our toughest yet,” Kairi says as she softly smiles. “I want to be a part of your life no matter what. That’s all.”

Sora, who at this moment currently is still in panic mode due to his botched plan, can only take the paopu fruit in hand.

Wait, Sora thinks as he looks up and smiles at Kairi. I might be able to salvage this.

“Kairi, I’ll keep you safe,” he tells her.

Not to be outdone, Kairi shakes her head. “Let me keep you safe.”

Raising the fruits to each other's mouths, Sora and Kairi each take a bite from the paopu fruits. 

If only this moment could last forever, Kairi thinks as she stares into Sora’s eyes.

Oh my gosh, this tastes horrible, Sora thinks as he does his best to hide his disgust. 

The young man has never tried the fruit before today, but he expected it to taste way better than the overly saccharine mouthful he got. To Sora, it tasted like someone had used a shovel to feed him a mouthful of sugar, or maybe like drowning in Pooh’s coveted honey! As much as he wanted to swallow the fruit and get it over with, the taste was preventing him letting it pass through his mouth.

Just power through it, pretty sure the legend only says I need to take a bit out of it, not eat the whole thing, Sora continues to think to himself. Ohhhh man, I really hope Kairi doesn’t make me eat more of this.

So are we supposed to eat more of this? Kairi thinks to herself. Honestly, the legend is pretty vague. Like, are we supposed to share one or feed each other one… Legends need to be worded better. 

As she goes for another bite of the fruit, Kairi can’t help but notice Sora’s face. Is it… twitching?

“Hey Sora, you okay?” she asks. “Can’t help but notice you haven’t gone for another bite…”

Oh crud.

“Yeah, totally!” Sora says, his mouth muffled by the sickeningly sweet fruit. “Just sav-ughh… Savoring the taste!”

“Hmmm…” Kairi raises an eyebrow. “Sora, would you mind swallowing what’s in your mouth right now?”

A look of terror flashes in Sora’s eyes.

“Sorrystillchewingonthisbite,” he says in a rush. 

Covering her mouth, Kairi mischievously grins. “Oh, is that so? Well, with the way you’re talking, I think I notice room for one… more… BITE!”

Before Sora could even react, Kairi shoves her paopu fruit into his mouth faster than one could say “Sora, Donald, and Goofy.” Sora, disoriented by the vicious sneak attack, falls over and swallows the excess fruit in his mouth alongside the chewed up slop that was being kept in his cheeks. As he writhes around on the ground, not from choking, but rather the fruit’s taste, Kairi begins to laugh harder and harder until she falls from the tree they were sitting on as well.

Down on the beach, Riku and his Replica nod at each other as they silently judge Sora and Kairi making a fool of themselves, casually forgetting the small audience just a couple yards away from them.

As Sora spits out the Paopu Fruit from his mouth, Kairi somehow begins to laugh even harder at the ironically sour face on his mug.

“Oh ha ha, very funny!” Sora complains. “Next thing we know, we wouldn’t have an issue rescuing Roxas since I would’ve bitten the dust anyways!”

“And I suppose me... dying of laughter would have… woulda brought back Namine in the process as well, huh?” Kairi asks in between heavy breaths.

Soon enough, Sora stops pouting, Kairi’s breathing becomes more relaxed, and the two of them start to quietly giggle.

As the fiery sunset fades away into a cool starlit night, Riku quietly leaves the island, leaving Sora and Kairi to their own devices.

The two continued to lie on the ground, staring into the night sky, stargazing like the two would always do when they were younger. Normally, Sora would be telling Kairi stories about the stars and various constellations. However, tonight the only sounds a person could hear would be the ocean waves washing up onto the shore.

Occasionally they would turn their heads and lock eyes with each other. Both had so many things to say to one another, but it was like no amount of words in the world could be used to convey their feelings and emotions.

However, neither person saw this as a problem. Whenever Sora or Kairi had something to say, but didn’t have the words, they would just tighten their grip on the other’s hand.

---

Hello there, the name’s SourCherryBomb and this little oneshot is the start of a return to form for me. I’ve written under a different name years before, but I’ve decided to wipe the slate clean. It’s for many reasons, the main one being that I cringe when I look at my old works. That’s just growth, I guess.

Shoutout to the Sokai: Destined Oath Discord server for introducing me to the SoKai Week 2020 Event and an even louder one to @paintedwithapalette​ for being my Beta Reader! Check her out, you’ll love her fics.

Thanks for Reading!

[maddrmatt]

Waltz of the Destined (SoKai Day 2020)

Greetings readers and fellow SoKai fans!  It is I, the Mad Doctor, here with my contribution to SoKai Day 2020.  Let’s join Sora and Kairi as they celebrate a very special day.  Enjoy!

________________________________________________________________

Beast’s Castle

“Oh ho ho!  Sora, mon ami, you look rather dashing!” exclaimed Lumiere.

“Do you really think so?” asked Sora.

“Absolument!  See for yourself,” said the former candelabra gesturing to a mirror to which the young Keyblade wielder approached and gazed at his reflection.

He was now wearing a formal bluish black coat over a scarlet dress shirt.  In addition, he wore dress pants that matched the color of the coat and shiny black shoes. Around his neck was a pale golden cravat.

‘I guess I do look pretty good in this,’ thought the Hero of the Keyblade.

Then a knock was heard at the door followed by a voice that asked, “Sora, can I come in?”

“Yes, of course, Adam,” said Sora.  ‘After all this time, I still can’t believe that’s the voice of the Beast that I became friends with so long ago.

The door opened and in stepped Prince Adam who gave Sora a smile.  “Sora, you look very handsome in that suit.”

“Doesn’t he, master?” asked Lumiere before gazing up to Sora’s hair which was still in its usual spiky style with a slight frown. “Although Sora, I still wish you would’ve done something with that hair of yours.”

“Take it from me, Lumiere, that any attempt to do so would be a losing battle.  My mom learned that a long time ago.  My hair is just naturally wild and unruly,” said Sora.

“I understand, Sora.  After all, I had hair of the same nature all over for the longest time,” said Adam to which he and Lumiere chuckled.  

“I guess it matters not.  I’m sure your dear mademoiselle Kairi will be quite impressed once she sees you,” said Lumiere.

“I hope so,” said Sora uncertainly as he tugged on his collar while gazing at himself in the mirror.

Adam noticed his friend’s demeanor.  “Sora, what’s the matter?” asked the prince.

“I don’t know.  I guess I’m just feeling a little nervous, that’s all,” said Sora.

Adam gave his young friend a perplexed look.  “Nervous?  I didn’t think the boy who’s saved so many worlds and defeated so many monsters, villains and forces of darkness would be nervous about a dance with the girl he loves.”

“Surely, you’ve danced before with her?” asked Lumiere.

“Sort of.  Whenever we’d have celebrations on the Islands, Kairi, Riku and I would always join in the dances.  Although, Riku would often need a little extra encouragement from us,” said Sora with a chuckle.  

“It was pretty fun.  I’ve also danced before in other worlds and the ones I was dancing with thought I was pretty good too,” he said as he recalled the times he danced with Rapunzel and Ariel.

Then Sora became serious.  “But this is nothing like those times.  This is the first time Kairi and I will be dancing together since we became boyfriend and girlfriend.  And on a day that we’re celebrating something very dear to us.”

“Yes, you told us it was the anniversary of when you and Kairi shared those special fruits from your islands.  What was it they were called again?” asked Lumiere.

“Paopu fruits,” answered Sora.

“That’s right.  Oh, what you told us about the legend behind them sounded so romantic.  I wish I could have a pair to share with mon cher Plumette,” said Lumiere as his eyes lit up with the thought of his own lady love.

“The moment that we shared those fruits was one of the best moments of our lives and that’s why it’s worth celebrating.  Especially this time,” said Sora.

“Because you both didn’t get to celebrate the first anniversary,” said Adam understanding.

Sora nodded sadly as he recalled the reasons why he and Kairi couldn’t. ‘I had to go and get myself trapped in another world and Kairi had to go to sleep for over a year so Ansem the Wise and his team could look for clues in her heart.  Not the best start to a romantic relationship.’

“I just want it to be perfect for both of us. But I can’t help but wonder about everything that could go wrong.  What if either of us forget the steps you and Belle taught us?  What if I step on her foot or her dress?  Anything could happen to ruin the evening,” said Sora who looked like he was about to panic

“Sora, calm down,” said Adam as he turned Sora around to face him and placed his hands on his shoulders.  “Listen to me.  I know what it’s like to be nervous about something like this.  I was the same way at the thought of dancing with Belle.  Do you remember that night?”

“Yes.  And I’m still sorry about that,” said Sora.

“For what?” asked Adam.

“That Donald, Goofy and I interrupted your night and that it didn’t go the way you wanted it to,” said the Keyblade wielder.

Adam shook his head with a smile.  “Don’t be sorry about that.  It was good that the three of you were there that night.  And though it didn’t turn out exactly as planned, it still turned out to be a night to remember.  But I was still pretty nervous before especially since there was a lot riding on it.”

“Yes.  We were counting on that night to put us one step closer to breaking the spell,” chimed in Lumiere.

“Exactly.  But there’s no need for you to pressure yourself, Sora.  I know all this nervousness you’re feeling is due to you wanting to make this night special for Kairi and that’s a great sign of the true love that you feel for her.  But I’m sure Kairi wants the same for you as well.  So just focus on having a good time tonight and you both will enjoy it,” said Adam.

Sora considered Adam’s words and then he smiled. “Heh.  It’s a little funny.  Back then, I had to be the one to boost your spirits.”

Adam chuckled.  “Then consider the favor returned, my friend.”

“Ahem,” said a voice.  All three of them turned in the direction of the voice and saw Cogsworth standing in the doorway.

“Are you ready, Sora?” asked the former clock.

Sora looked at the encouraging looks from Adam and Lumiere before saying, “Yes.  Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Cogsworth smiled and clapped his hands together. “Splendid!  Now the musicians are all ready in the ballroom.  When you are both ready to start your dance, just let them know with some kind of signal.”

“Thanks, Cogsworth.  We will,” said Sora.

“I shall go and inform Kairi you are ready for her as well,” said Cogsworth as he left.

“I’ll be waiting for her,” said Sora before turning to Adam and Lumiere.  “Well, here goes nothing.  Thank you both for all your help.  Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need it at all, Sora,” said Lumiere.

“Just remember to enjoy your time together,” said Adam.

Sora gave a nod of thanks.  With that, he headed out of the room on his way to do what he dreamed of doing with Kairi since he imagined it back in Halloween Town.

After Sora had left, Lumiere chuckled.  “Never thought I’d see the day our brave young hero would be in a state such as this.  And about a dance of all things.”

“Makes me wonder if Kairi’s in a similar state of mind right now,” said Adam.

________________________________________________________________

“Kairi, you look beautiful!” exclaimed Belle.

“Simply lovely, dearie,” said Mrs. Potts.

“Lovely nothing!  She’s positively ravishing!  Ladies, we did great work on this girl!” exclaimed Madame de Garderobe.

As the three other women went on about how she looked, Kairi made her way across the room to a nearby mirror.  She could scarcely believe her eyes when she saw her reflection.

She was dressed in a lovely pale violet ballgown similar to the one Belle had worn.  There were designs of flowers stitched into the fabric near the hem. She wore long elbow length gloves and seeing that she had gained a little height, she was wearing high-heeled shoes under her dress.

Her face had a touch of light makeup that was just enough to bring out her natural beauty.  She was wearing jeweled earrings in addition to her usual necklace.  Much of her red hair had been tied back into an elegant bun with a few curled strands framing her face.  The bun had been decorated with a cluster of violet flowers.

After beholding her appearance for a few minutes, a look of uncertainty came to Kairi’s face.  She rubbed her arm up and down.

Belle and the others took notice.  “Kairi?  Is something wrong?” the former Princess of Heart asked.

“It’s the dress, isn’t it?  I knew we should’ve gone with the pink one since that seems to be your color.  I just thought this one would go with your eyes,” said Madame de Garderobe.

“Oh, no, no!  The dress is lovely, Madame de Garderobe.  There’s nothing wrong with it at all,” said Kairi.

“Then why the long face, dearie?  Aren’t you looking forward to your dance with Sora to celebrate your special day?” asked Mrs. Potts.

“Special doesn’t even begin to describe the day we shared paopu fruits, Mrs. Potts.  And yes, I am looking forward to this dance with Sora.  It’s just…” said Kairi.

“Just what, Kairi?” asked Belle.

“It just feels a little too good to be true,” said Kairi solemnly.

“Because of everything the two of you have been through,” said Belle immediately understanding.

“Yes.  Every day that we’ve spent together since I found him has been wonderful.  And getting to celebrate this day is like a beautiful dream come true.  But I can’t help but wonder how long these times will last and the next time the worlds are in danger, we may end up separated again.  And when that happens, what if it’ll be the time we’re separated forever?” asked Kairi who sounded as if she was close to tears.

The three women looked at Kairi with sympathy.  They gazed at her back knowing that under her dress, was the horrific scar from Xehanort’s horrific deed.  But as bad as that mark was, it was nothing compared to the scars Kairi bore on her mind and on her heart.

“The poor dear.  So young to be so haunted by times past,” said Mrs. Potts with Madame de Garderobe nodding in agreement

Belle approached the younger girl, turned her around and pulled her into a comforting embrace.  “I know how you feel, Kairi.  Even after all this time, I still, on occasion, remember that night I nearly lost Adam forever,” said the former Princess of Heart to the current one.  ‘And I never would’ve forgiven myself if I did.’

“Yes.  Nearly losing the master, especially after he had learned to be so much better, was truly horrific for us all,” said Mrs. Potts.

Belle then tilted Kairi’s head up by the chin so their eyes could meet and gave her a reassuring smile.  “But trust me when I say that in time, it will get better as long as the both of you continue to treasure every moment you have together just like me and Adam do. I know you and Sora have been through so much more than anything any of us here can imagine.  But against all odds, you two have found your way back to each other and I believe that no matter what happens, you’ll continue to do so. Isn’t that what the legend behind your paopu fruit is all about?”

Kairi thought on Belle’s words and slowly, a smile came to her face. ‘Belle’s right.  I shouldn’t be worried about the possibility of losing Sora forever.  Not on this day when we’re celebrating one of the most important memories of ours.  I just have to keep having faith that Sora and I will continue to show that the legend of the paopu fruit is true.’

“Thank you, Belle.  That was exactly what I needed to hear,” said Kairi.

“Anything to help you enjoy your dance with Sora.  It’s a well-deserved reward for the both of you,” said Belle.

Kairi then turned back to the mirror and let out a chuckle.  “I still can’t believe that it’s really me in this dress and everything.”

“I take you’ve never dressed like this before, have you?” asked Madame de Garderobe.

“Well, I have had to dress for formal occasions that my dad has hosted.  He is the Islands’ mayor after all.  But they never called for anything this fancy.  I think this is the first time since I learned about being a Princess of Heart that I actually look the part.  I wonder if Sora’s even going to recognize me in this,” said Kairi.

“He will and you know why?  Because Sora fell in love with the girl before the princess just like I fell in love with the beast before the prince.  Exterior appearances can never outshine the beauty of your heart,” said Belle.

Kairi’s smile got even bigger as she turned to Belle and the others. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for us tonight.  When Sora suggested we celebrate today with a dance, all we wanted was to just use your ballroom.  I never would have guessed that you’d set us up with our own private ball complete with musicians and new clothing.  Not to mention giving us a few dancing lessons.  You all really didn’t need to do so much for us.”

“How could we not, Kairi, after what Sora’s done for us like helping Adam rescue me from Maleficent and stopping Xaldin from causing trouble here.  Not to mention what the two of you and all of your friends have done for the worlds,” said Belle.

“Yeah.  And I bet if any of you had been here when that ruffian Gaston attacked the castle, you would’ve been a big help.  Not that we didn’t handle it ourselves,” said Madame de Gardrobe.  

“After what you told me about what a creep this Gaston was, I definitely would’ve loved to show him a thing or two,” said Kairi pounding her fist into her palm.

A knock was heard on the door.  “Come in!” called Belle.

The door opened revealing Cogsworth.  His eyes opened wide and his mouth broke into a smile when he saw Kairi. “Kairi, I must say that you look quite elegant, my dear.”

“Thank you, Cogsworth,” said Kairi.

“If I daresay, our lad Sora is certainly in for quite a sight,” chuckled Cogsworth.

Kairi gave her sly grin.  “I can’t wait to see his face when he sees me.  Then again, I could probably be dressed in rags and covered in dirt and he’d still think I looked great,” she said eliciting laughter from everyone present.

“I’m sure he would, dearie,” said Mrs. Potts between laughs.

“Yes indeed.  Anyway, I am here to tell you, your young man awaits,” said Cogsworth gesturing down the hall with his hand and letting out a small chuckle.

Kairi took a deep breath and she turned back to Belle and the other women.  “Well, I guess this it.”

“Just remember to have fun, Kairi.  Make this night one to remember,” said Belle.

“I will, Belle.  And thank you as well as Mrs. Potts and Madame de Garderobe again for everything,” said Kairi as she made her way out of the room.  The others smiled as they watched her leave.

‘Time for this Princess of Heart to dance with her knight,’ thought Kairi as she walked down the hall.

________________________________________________________________

In the main hall of the castle, Sora was pacing on the landing between the staircases.  Every so often, he glanced through the open doors and saw the ballroom where soon, he and Kairi would be sharing their first dance.

‘Get it together, Sora.  You’re not going to make it a special night for Kairi if you can’t get over these nerves.’

“Sora?”

Sora turned in the direction of the voice.  He suddenly felt all feelings of nervousness leave him as his jaw dropped.

Gracefully descending the opposite staircase, dressed in the loveliest ballgown he had ever seen, was the girl he loved more than anything in all the worlds.  Kairi, who had only ever been a princess in name only, now looked like one right out of a fairy tale.

When she reached the landing and stood in front of him, Kairi took a look at his gobsmacked expression and giggled. “Well, Sora, how do I look?” she asked with her usual cheeky tone.

“K-Kai, you look…” stammered Sora as he suddenly drew a blank on finding the right words to describe how his girlfriend looked right now.

‘Come on, Sora!  After all this time, it shouldn’t be this hard to say something flattering to her.’

Kairi, in the meantime, was trying her best to refrain from laughing.  She always found it amusing whenever Sora would get flustered.  But it was also something that endeared him to her even more.

Finally, after taking a deep breath, Sora smiled. “Amazing?  Extraordinary?  Magnificent? I don’t think there’s a word to describe what I see justice since I just fell in love with you all over again.”

Kairi blushed.  “Oh Sora.  Such loving words deserve an appropriate reward,” she said as she leaned in toward him.

Sora took the hint and leaned in himself.  Their lips met in a loving kiss.  They stayed in that position for a few moments before they parted with contented smiles on their faces.

“So, how do I look?” asked Sora.

Kairi then looked over her boyfriend as if she was studying him.  “Well, it’s going to be hard to top that glowing review you gave me, Sora,” she said before giving him a gentle smile.  “But I’d say you look like the prince this princess has dreamed of for a long time.”

Sora smiled.  But then all of a sudden, Kairi reached up and tussled his hair.

“But you still couldn’t bring yourself to comb this bird’s nest you call hair?” she said with a laugh.

“Hey!  You know that trying to get my hair out of this style is doomed to failure,” Sora shot back.

“Well, if anything, it’s a look that’s always been so you,” said Kairi.

Sora gave his girlfriend a smile and then offered her his arm.  “Well, my princess, the ballroom awaits.  Shall we?”

Kairi giggled and then looped her arm around Sora’s. Together, they walked into the ballroom.

As they moved toward the center arm-in-arm, Kairi marvelled at every detail of the ballroom from the columns to the chandelier to the heavenly mural on the ceiling.  “I still can’t believe how lovely this place is.”

Sora let out a chuckle.  “Well, it wasn’t so lovely when Donald, Goofy and I first saw it. Xaldin unleashed a Heartless that possessed this room and turned it into something out of a nightmare.”

Kairi scoffed.  “How dare he?” she asked indignantly.

“Now, Kairi, let’s not think too badly of Dilan. It’s true that he did some bad things here.  But remember, he’s done so much in making up for them.  All of the former Organization members who are on our side have,” said Sora.

Finally, they reached the center of the ballroom and began to get into position.  Kairi placed her left hand on Sora’s right shoulder while Sora placed his right hand on her left side.  They extended their free arms to their sides and grasped each other’s free hands.

“You ready?” asked Sora.

Kairi smiled.  “Let’s do this.”

They then turned to a corner of the ballroom where a small band of musicians had been waiting with their instruments. Both of them gave a nod toward them to let them know that it was the time for them to begin.  The musicians nodded back and took up their instruments.

(In-Universe Music: How Does a Moment Last Forever by Celine Dion performed by the musicians and sang by a vocalist.)

As the air of the ballroom filled with music and a vocalist sang a song asking about moments lasting forever, Sora and Kairi each took a deep breath and began to move around the ballroom in a gentle waltz.

As they danced, Sora occasionally glanced at the floor.  He watched his feet carefully to make sure he didn’t tread upon Kairi’s dress by accident.

But it didn’t take long before Sora’s confidence in his dancing began to increase.  His eyes soon focused less on his feet and more on looking into Kairi’s eyes.

“You’re doing wonderfully, Sora,” said Kairi.

Sora gave one of his trademark grins.  “Well, Ariel and Rapunzel certainly thought so.”

Kairi’s eyes narrowed but retained a smile on her lips. “You know, most boyfriends usually don’t bring up other girls they’ve danced with when dancing with their girlfriends,” she said in a teasing tone.

After Sora’s face gave a nervous look, Kairi giggled. “But I’ll let that slide.  After all, they are mutual friends and among our biggest supporters.  Although, I don’t think dancing with Ariel counts since you didn’t have legs then.”

The two of them laughed together.  Soon, the laughter subsided, and they continued to dance while silently gazing at each other with boundless affection.

________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, unseen by anyone in the ballroom, there was a small figure crouched near the right side of entrance.  In his hands, pointed at the dancing couple, was Sora’s Gummi Phone.

‘Okay.  Just remember what Sora told you and wait for a good moment,’ he thought.

“Chip!” exclaimed a voice causing the little boy to nearly jump out of his skin.

Chip turned around and saw not only his mother, but Belle and Adam coming up the stairs behind him.  Mrs. Potts didn’t look pleased.

“What on earth are you doing, Chip?  You might interrupt Sora and Kairi’s special night,” said Mrs. Potts.

“I’m not trying to cause trouble, Mama.  I’m just doing what Sora asked me to do,” said Chip.

“What do you mean, Chip?” asked Adam.

Chip showed the three of them the Gummi Phone. “Sora told me that this doohickey of his can make pictures without even having to paint them.  He showed me how to use it and wanted me to make one of him and Kairi while they danced,” said Chip.

Adam smiled.  “Now that certainly is some amazing magic.”

“Yes.  It is a fascinating device.  I bet Papa would love to take it apart and see how it works,” said Belle.

Mrs. Potts, in the meantime, gave her son a smile. “Well, Chip, it seems you have a pretty important task entrusted to you.  So, best see to it that you carry it out, my dear.”

Chip gave his usual chip-toothed smile and returned to his position near the door with the Gummi Phone.  “They’re going to live happily ever after.  Right, Mama?”

The smiles of the three adults vanished.  “I certainly hope so, Chip,” said Mrs. Potts.

Chip was confused.  “What do you mean?”

“It’s not that we don’t hope for the best for them, Chip.  But remember that Sora and Kairi, as Guardians of Light, have a duty to protect the worlds from the darkness and that involves a great deal of danger and uncertainty. So, achieving a ‘happily ever after’ is going to be hard for them,” said Adam.

Belle then knelt down beside Chip and gave him a reassuring smile.  “But not knowing what lies ahead is precisely why Sora and Kairi treasure every special moment they have together.  And though it may be hard for them, a happy ending is not impossible because they’ll stop at nothing to get there.”

Chip looked back at his mother and Adam who showed looks of agreement with Belle’s statement.  He then looked back into the ballroom and aimed the Gummi Phone at the dancing couple in anticipation of the right moment.

‘They’ll get there.  I know they will.’

________________________________________________________________

As the song continued, Sora and Kairi twirled about on the dance floor.  Then the vocalist sang some lyrics about moments and memories that weren’t so perfect or sweet.  Those lyrics struck a nerve within the Princess of Heart.

‘We’ve certainly had some of those,’ thought Kairi as she recalled the worse times that she, Sora and all their friends had been put through thanks to the machinations of evildoers like Maleficent, Xehanort and the Master of Masters.

“Kai?  Are you okay?” asked Sora.

Kairi realized that she must’ve been wearing her thought on her face leading to Sora’s sudden concern.  But as she gazed at the love of her life, she realized something.

Suddenly, she released Sora’s hand, threw her arms around him and held him tightly.  Surprisingly, their feet continued to move around in their dancing motions.

As she rested her head on his shoulder, she whispered into Sora’s ear, “It’s been worth it.  All of it has been worth it.”

Sora was briefly confused.  Then he understood as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly.  They continued to dance while holding each other close.

After a bit of time had passed, Sora asked, “Hey, Kairi?  Not to spoil this moment, but I just noticed something.”

Kairi pulled away and looked at Sora in confusion. “What is it, Sora?”

With a bit of a mischievous glimmer in his eye, he asked, “Have you gotten a little…taller?”

Kairi gave look of surprise before letting out a laugh.  “What, in all the worlds, would lead you to think that?”

Sora gave a little shrug.  “I must’ve held you so many times, I guess I can tell when something feels a little off.”

Kairi laughed some more before she said, “It must be these dancing shoes I’m wearing.  They have a little more heel than my usual footwear so that’s why I must feel a little taller than normal to you.”

She then let out a small groan.  “They are a little uncomfortable though.  I don’t think I’m going to make a big habit of wearing them.”

“Well, if it helps, I think you move very gracefully in them,” complimented Sora.

Kairi blushed.  “Well, maybe I might consider it for future special occasions.”

Then she realized what Sora had just done.  He had sensed the darkness of the past creeping up on her, so he did what he always did when that happened: shined a light to guide her out of it.

Kairi suddenly gave a determined look.  “And we’re going to have them, Sora.  As our lives go on, we’re going to have so much more special occasions to celebrate together.”

Sora nodded.  “We will, Kai.  As long we each keep being the light that leads to each other through the darkness.”

“I will always be your light, Sora.  I promise.”

“And I promise to always be yours, Kairi.”

With the mood lightened, they continued their dance. By now, their confidence in their dancing had increased so much that they were now performing more daring dance moves.  Sora even grabbed Kairi by her sides and raised her up as she laughed joyously.

Soon, they could tell that the song was coming to an end.  Their dancing began to slow down until they reached a complete stop.

They moved in close and once again, met each other in a tender kiss while Sora held Kairi by her back and Kairi held her arms around his shoulders.  It was the perfect way to finish the dance as the vocalist sang the last lines of the song.

________________________________________________________________

Back by the door, Chip smiled at the picture he had taken with the Gummi Phone.  It now held the image of Sora and Kairi holding each other as they kissed.

“Perfect!  They’re going to love it!” he quietly exclaimed.

The moment captured in the picture was indeed one to remember.  But, in the end, it would pale in comparison to the memory of the moment that was now etched in the hearts of Sora and Kairi that would live on throughout the rest of their lives.

________________________________________________________________

Notes from the Mad Doctor:

Hope you all enjoyed this story.  It certainly wasn’t easy to depict a dance in words not to mention designing formal wear for Sora and Kairi.  But I’d like to think I did a good job.

I’ve always thought that, after Sora, Donald and Goofy left Beast’s Castle after beating Xaldin, the events that lead to the spell being broken, including the incident with Gaston, would play out like the movie. Hence, the Beast being Prince Adam in the end credits of Kingdom Hearts II.

In case you didn’t catch on what inspired the title, it was the track Waltz of the D____d that plays while you’re exploring Beast’s Castle (same track is also the reason why Melody of Memory had it’s rating raised LOL).

I took quite a few things from the live action Beauty and the Beast such as the song and the names of the Wardrobe and the feather duster. Although Plumette is the third name that Lumiere’s girlfriend has gone by in many incarnations and Madame de Gardrobe, while unnamed in the original movie, has a different name in the Broadway show.

Now for some words of thanks:

I give my thanks to whoever reads, comments, likes and/or reblogs this story.

I like to also thank all the artists and writers who have posted on this day.  Your works were a pleasure to see and read.

And an especially big thank you to the moderators of SoKai Day for enabling us to be part of a great collection to celebrate our favorite couple.

Stay tuned for more from the Mad Doctor in the future!

[paintedwithapalette]

An Oath to Return

SoKai Week Day 5 - Tanabata/Star-Crossed Lovers 

Word Count: 1,663

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

He’s late. But by now, Kairi expects as much. 

She sits on the ledge of a fountain, immaculate in its detail and proud in its stature. Nice and snug in her pink yukata with white flower embroidery trailing down the right and the checkered purple obi that binds her waist, she waits patiently as she watches the children attempting to play despite their limited movement, the couples walking hand in hand, and the numerous booths and games on display with prizes for the taking. 

Still no sign of him. Despite the sigh that escapes her, her smile doesn’t waver. Even though it would have been nice if he were a bit more on top of things, Kairi wouldn’t have him any other way. 

Just as her eyes propelled to the sky glittered in stars, she hears a voice. 

“Kairi!” 

Right on cue. She snaps her head in the direction of the sound to find her favorite lazy bum scrambling towards her, his movement stiff due to his dark grey yukata with horizontal light streaks streaming downwards. He nearly bumps into someone carrying a recently won goldfish and apologizes profusely, the distraction doing little to derail his attention from Kairi for too long. She giggles as she clasps her hands together and rises to her feet just in time for him to reach her. 

“Hey! Sorry I’m a little late, something came up a little unexpectedly,” Sora apologizes, rubbing the back of his head. “I hope I didn’t make you wait too long, at least. It was just, uh… kinda urgent.” 

She sends a knowing look accompanied by a smirk. “You took a nap, didn’t you?” 

“Whaaat? Of course not!” he denies. Kairi rests her fists against her hips, dipping down as her eyebrow arches in a way that intensifies her smirk even further. “O-okay, so maybe I napped... a little.” Sora emphasizes this by pinching the air with his index finger and thumb. 

Kairi grins triumphantly. “Should I really have expected any less of you, Sora?” 

“It’s not what you think, though. Naminé wanted to look through my memories to see if there was anything she could find that might help us with, y’know, the current situation,” he nearly trails off before he perks back up, scratching his cheek with a bashful smile. “And, well, I kinda had to be asleep for it. That’s all.” 

Kairi smiles as well, though it’s laced with a tinge of bittersweetness. “Well, in that case, I suppose you’re forgiven.” 

“Thanks! I was real worried that—” 

The sudden warm of her arms wrapped around his torso quickly puts Sora into a trance. For a brief instant, his mind wanders back to the time when they found each other in the original Organization’s stronghold and soon he returns the embrace. 

“As long as you’re here, that’s all that matters to me,” Kairi says, nuzzling into his chest. “Let’s just... make the most of today, okay?”  

Sora nods, his eyes firm before he pulls back and sends an assuring smile in hopes of lifting her spirits. “Just like we always do.” 

They wander the busy festival streets with their fingers laced together under a beautiful starry sky, making sure to check out all the attractions and games at their disposal. As he walks with Kairi with their hands intertwined, being able to hear the soft giggles and witness her kind smile in person, he thinks just how much this feels right. Even the little things she did found a way to make his heart swoon. 

Meanwhile, Kairi adores the way Sora’s eyes light up whenever something catches his attention. The way he pulls and drags her in every which way looking to find adventure in every corner of the festival. 

After they both write and hang their wishes on their tanzaku, both having an inkling of what the other wishes for though neither mentions it, Sora leads Kairi to a hill on the outskirts that gives them a view of the whole festival. From here, they can take in the ornate lights hung in droves, the fluctuating colors uniting together in harmony. 

She rests her head on his shoulder, shutting her eyes as she feels his warmth pressing against her cheek. Watching her almost angelic face is enough to make Sora’s heart flutter. 

“This is the way it should be,” Kairi says. “I wish we could just stay like this. Forever.” 

Forever. 

Suddenly, the air grew tense, as if something taboo had been said. Sora keeps his sights set on the grass while Kairi draws invisible circles on the ground. It’s a reality neither wants to accept, but know they’ll have to face. Sooner, rather than later. 

Sora looks down at his hand and watches as it almost looks like translucent glass. He sighs before putting on a smile. “Kairi, I have something for you.” 

“Huh?” Kairi asks, lifting up from his side as she sends her wide, curious eyes and a slight tilt of her head. Sora chuckles at her reaction. 

“Close your eyes,” he requests.  

Kairi doesn’t hesitate to comply. 

“Hold out your hand.” 

Kairi does as told and feels a paper-like substance enter her palm only a moment later. She rubs her thumb across the paper-like texture and concludes in her head that it’s... shaped like a star? 

“Okay, you can open them,” Sora says.

The first thing Kairi sees is a somewhat spotty-looking star about the same size as the lucky charm she gave him years prior. Indeed, it is a wayfinder made of leaves tied together with less than grace and on the top leaf there is a face with eyelashes and deep blue eyes. She assumes it must be Sora’s attempt at drawing her face the same way she had drawn him years ago. 

“I’m not the best at sewing seashells,” Sora admits, scratching the back of his head. “I know it isn’t the best, but I kind of had to improvise since the seashell thing didn’t really work out.” 

Kairi’s lips part for a brief instant before she closes her eyes and reopens them with a gracious smile. “I love it.” 

“Really?” Sora asks in disbelief. 

Kairi giggles. “Of course. It’s so thoughtful of you.”

“Well, I just figured... I wanted to double our promise.” 

He pulls out his own good luck charm Kairi had given him. 

“Now, one for the both of us,” Sora says. “Who knows? Maybe it’ll be double the good luck!” 

With a sheen of water shimmering over her eyes, Kairi holds it up to the moonlit sky. “It’s beautiful.” 

Sora smiles as well. “I know one person that has it beat by a couple of miles.” 

Kairi feels the heat rise to her cheeks, but the giddiness never leaves the ends of her lips. “Delightfully corny, as usual. But I wouldn’t have you any other way.” 

Sora smiles as they both cuddled together, embracing each other and their final moments. It has been like this for the past few years. Two years and they still hadn’t found a way to bring Sora back to their realm. But for some reason, whether it be fate by whatever deities exist or the universe just having mercy on them, Sora miraculously returned to the Realm of Light on the week of Tanabata. It was a week Sora and Kairi always make sure to make the most of each and every day. 

But the hardest part was saying goodbye. 

And it always happens on the final day of Tanabata. For the past few years, they made a habit out of coming to this very same spot and watching the stars twinkle above them as Sora slowly faded away. 

You’re only everything I’ve ever dreamed... 

Despite their gratefulness for being granted the time that they’ve been given, it never made it any easier. The curse placed upon Sora for his abuse of the power of waking had taken a toll on their longing for each other, but in moments like these, despite the hurt, they still had latent hope that one day this will be over. 

It helps that the sky is mesmerizing. 

Ever dreamed of, ever dreamed of... 

They hold each other’s hands tight, neither letting go as they keep close. The wind quietly whistles as it gently caresses their hair. 

You must be kidding me, did you really think... I could say no...

Sora feels it coming. He turns to her and Kairi hesitates, but finds the willpower to sit up from her position, away from his warmth and into the familiarity of the cold loneliness of her usual day-to-day life. But neither let the other’s hand go. 

I want you for a lifetime, but if you gotta think twice... baby...

“Kairi...” Sora says. “I think it’s time for me to go.” 

Despite how heart aches, Kairi nods understandably. “I know.” 

I don’t wanna know, baby... I don’t wanna know... 

With equally sad smiles, they close the gap between them and press their lips together. Kairi deepens the kiss as a tear streams down her left cheek. How bittersweet. How could something be so bittersweet and tear her apart all at the same time? 

Everything is just right, but if you gotta think twice, baby... I don’t wanna know, baby...  

As they part, Sora grips her hand tighter. “I’ll come back to you. I promise.” 

She grips his hand back just as hard despite the fact she feels herself slowly beginning to grip nothing but air. “I know you will.” 

And just like that, he’s gone. 

It’s just her again. 

But this time, she looks down at the lucky charm he gives her and sees the determined smile he drew of Kairi. She sniffs, wiping away her tears as she looks up to the sky. An act of forbidden love. But she remembers something that Aqua told her once. And with this trinket of hers, she knows it’s an oath to his return. 

“There’s always a way.” 

I don’t wanna know... 

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

And with that, my final piece for SoKai Day! I’m so glad I was able to celebrate these two dorks, they’ve been my OTP since 2006. Check out the full version of this piece by my amazing friend @amyhayanora​! 

[ronitas]

Master of Masters: the truth is what you see with your eyes, not what you hear

What I hear: Sokai is canon, Sora and Kairi are inlove with eachother and have been since the first game, Sora and Kairi want to be together forever, everyone knows how much they like eachother, Soriku makes no sense and are more like brothers, Kairi is a great character and perfect love interest for Sora, Sora and Kairi are made for eachother and destined to be together forever, they shared the paopu fruit so their basically canon, Sokai is undeniable at this point KH3 pretty much set it in stone, its canon whether or not its said they are its canon, they dont need to kiss or do any really lovey dovey stuff to prove that their canon and love eachother.

What I see: Kairi is a pointless waste of a character with no personality or purpose other than to be Sora’s love interest and a dues ex machina to get Sora out of otherwise impossible situations by just blaming it on princess of heart powers. Kairi’s entire existence depends on Sora and without him she serves no purpose, so much so that Sora dies and fades from existence and instead of playing an active role like everyone else in finding a way to get him back she just sleeps for a year to absolutely no avail because again her character depends entirely on Sora and without him shes practically non existent.

Sokai is only semi canon on face value, it has no actual substance or development to back it up, the DLC tried rectifying this by shoving in moments where they didnt belong and playing down Riku to boost Kairi up because that was the only way to try and convince us that Kairi is really THAT important and THAT relevant that Riku had to be completely removed and ignored just for Sora to properly spend time and have moments with her that he didnt have before. Riku was even removed from being part of why his journey started and Sora only gives recognition to Kairi as the reason he started his journey despite Kairi and Riku BOTH disappearing that day but again, the only way to make Sokai even halfway believable is to remove Riku entirely. The DLC shoved so much Sokai down our throats as an attempt to do damage control for the travesty in the main game and all the other games where Sokai was practically non existent. Sokai is a hollow forced relationship with no real subtance or depth to it other than just Sora likes Kairi and Kairi likes Sora too and thats the end of it. We are TOLD how important they are to eachother, how deep their relationship is, how important she is to Sora etc, but we dont SEE anything that backs that up.

Sora and Riku’s bond has far more depth and substance than Sora and Kairis has ever had, even Re:Mind didnt change this fact. Soriku makes far more sense, has way more chemistry, has a way more deeper connection, are comfortable around eachother whereas Sora shows discomfort several times around Kairi including the paopu scene, the bond between Sora and Riku is so strong that Kairis been asleep for a year yet Riku’s dreams are the only thing thats connected to Sora and is implied to be the key to finding Sora in KH4. Whether Sora and Riku become canon or not their relationship will always make the most sense and have the most genuine build up that happened naturally and wasnt forced or fake, but sincere. Soriku’s relationship is the very definition of pure unwavering love, romantic or platonic their relationship is simply pure and will always be the most logical outcome in terms of pairings for Sora. The fact that Riku wasnt shown spending time with Sora for any of his final moments of life was the ultimate spit in the face, despicable and unforgivable. Every other trio is treated far better and shown way more of the bond between all 3 except for the Destiny Trio.

Kairi is lowkey not a great friend either, she jokingly suggested to Sora that she and him just take the raft and leave Riku behind, but joke or not just her having the thought at all is questionable, even if Riku was changing she just abandons him? not cool. They say their friends but Kairi is only ever seen really bonding with Sora and when push came to shove she was ready to abandon Riku rather than trying to help him, meanwhile Riku did everything he could to try and save Kairi, nuff said.

[ravenaveira]

Just wanna clarify a few things after my long review/rant at the end for KH3 Re:Mind

My comments about the Sokai stuff I stand by, but I wanna be clear because I see Sokai shippers claiming antis complained about the lack of Sokai for it to be a believable relationship and now that Sokai has more moments we’re complaining about them shoving Sokai down our throats.

I cant speak for all antis on this, so I’ll be strictly speaking for myself on this issue and anyone else who feels similar to me. Warning it gets long again so be ready.

Yes Im one of those antis who complained about the lack of Sokai which made it underdeveloped and unbelievable, and yes I am also complaining about them now shoving Sokai down our throats.

Why? because Kingdom hearts is not a romance, and throughout every single game so far romance has taken a severe back seat and handled very subtely. For example Sora’s drawing in the cave of him giving Kairi the Paopu fruit, Riku teasing him about wanting to give one to Kairi, Sora saying hes always with her and promising to come back for her, Roxas calling Kairi ‘the girl he likes’ etc

All these moments were very short, subtle, and to the point. It was not a primary focus nor was it blatantly shoved in your face like

I mean in almost EVERY shot they were together Sora was holding her hand, which isnt something he usually does? keep in mind Sora and Kairi’s feelings have been known to eachother since KH2 and Sora still didnt behave the way he is now. He was always very awkward and uncomfortable/shy when it came to romance.

In KH2 Sora didnt hug Kairi, nor did he hold her hand, it was KAIRI who initiated the hug out of relief and happiness to see Sora again and that hes ok. Sora did not show the same sentiment and treated her like he always has, just casually walking up to her and just nonchalantly saying ‘You are different Kairi, but Im just glad your here’ as if she wasnt kidnapped and being held hostage this entire time. He should have showed the same concern for her as he did for Riku and Kairi for him but he did not, he just said that and then turned away and apologized.

But in KH3 Sora/Nomura pull a complete 180, Sora hugs Kairi to shield her from Terranort with his body instead of pulling out his keyblade and blocking his attack. Him hugging Kairi there was not only stupid, but it doesnt even defend her, Terranort will just kill Kairi AND him now. That was just a forced out of place Sokai moment for the sake of shoving a Sokai moment that was completely unnessecary and could of easily had the same impact by having Sora do the common sense thing and BLOCK with his keyblade like he did for Riku when they were in THE EXACT SAME SITUATION.

See the difference? good, then I need say no more.

This is only one of many situations where they would shoehorn in a Sokai moment that was completely out of place, didnt make any sense, or just forced in trying way too hard to convince you how much Sora cares for Kairi and how much they love and want to be together forever etc etc

Another example being when everybody ‘dies’ in the keyblade graveyard being swept away by heartless. Sora only loses his mind and breaks down emotionally after Kairi is the last one swept away, he then says the most inconsiderate line he could have ever said.

He says this while RIKU IS RIGHT THERE BESIDE HIM, even if you were arguing he was just speaking figuratively thats still no excuse, he was NOT alone but at that moment he just completely disregarded Riku as if his presence there was the same as being alone.

Not only that but seconds later he does one of the most out of character things for him.

Sora just WATCHES Riku risk his life holding back the heartless to protect him and Sora just WATCHES him fighting off this huge horde of heartless BY HIMSELF and not ONCE does Sora make ANY attempt to get up and help Riku despite knowing his life is at risk trying to hold them back alone.

Even if you wanna argue Sora was in shock, when has that ever stopped him before!? when have you EVER known Sora to just sit back and watch his friends put their lives in danger and NOT help them?

What makes this worse is thats not even the first time he does it, he sits back and watches AGAIN as Axel gets bodied right infront of him just to have him exhausted next to Kairi because you know, Sora’s never fought strong opponents and gotten right back up to protect his friends before.

Remember Terranort? Sora was overpowered by him and still made the effort to run over and hug Kairi to shield her from his attack, but Axel and Riku? nah just gonna chill and watch. This is BEYOND out of character for Sora.

When Axel told Sora to hurry and save Kairi, who was being held hostage by the organization and was in danger, Sora refused to leave him and stayed behind to help him fight. Sora chose helping Axel over Kairi, he put saving his enemy before his own friend/love interest.

When Neku betrayed him, Sora still helped and protected him when he was in danger

When Riku stole his keyblade and Donald and Goofy followed him and left Sora behind, yes Sora was discouraged but when he saw Beasts determination to save Belle no matter what, it encouraged Sora to do the same for the people he cared about

I could go on but you get my point, Sora saw Riku risking his life, literally dying and he did NOTHING, try to justify that all you want but that was incredibly out of character and was obviously put there to show how losing Kairi broke him.

I know your probably gonna argue it wasnt just Kairi it was everybody, and to that I say this, if it wasnt just about Kairi why didnt Sora snap when Ven and Axel got bodied? he froze for a few seconds but then snapped out of it thanks to Riku. After that everybody gets swept away, but the game made sure to put EXTRA emphasis, slow motion and all, to Kairi and Sora reaching out to eachother and then Kairi being swept away by the tide.

THATS when he snaps, if it truly werent just about Kairi they wouldnt have made sure to put emphasis on her being swept away, EVERYONE would have gotten the same treatment if it were truly their deaths also that made Sora fall apart. Im not saying he wasnt upset or heartbroken over them, Im pointing out how they made sure to single out Kairi as the most DEVASTATING loss out of all of them.

Yet again, he has Riku one of his closest bonds if not the closest right beside him yet he doesnt even acknowledge him? he says hes alone even though Rikus right there? you cannot justify that as anything other than downplaying Riku to boost Kairi up.

You do not see the other trios treated this way, every trio has equal focus for ALL of them and even the romantic hints for some of them [Roxas/Xion, Terra/Aqua, technically Namine/Repliku] have all been treated equally and did not feel forced or out of place but very natural and they still made sure to focus on the friendship bond between them overall.

Axel doesnt get played down in importance to Roxas just to boost Xion up, their friendship and bond with eachother are equally important to one another despite whatever ‘romance’ there might be. Same applies to Terra and Aqua, Ven is not played down in importance to them. As for Namine and Repliku they arent a trio but their romance was still handled well and it didnt overshadow their platonic bond or attempt to play down the real Riku or vice versa to boost the other, Namine was equally important to both of them.

So balancing romance and friendship CAN be done in their trio, but for some reason Nomura insists on pitting one against the other and playing down one over the other, in Sokai’s case thats Riku, which is an insult to his and Sora’s bond. The same way Sokai shippers felt the over-focus on Sorikus bond was a disservice to Sora and Kairi’s bond, its the same issue.

But lets get back to Re:mind because besides a few bad moments, overall KH3 was atleast passable with the Sokai nonsense. Then comes Re:Mind and oh boy...the damage control was strong in this one.

Again as I said earlier the Sokai moments in this game were very forced and out of place and in many ways out of character for Sora.

For starters the excessive hand holding, why? to convince us their a thing? but Sora suggests otherwise

Even after all the excessive hand holding, the hugs, the forced moments etc, in the end Sora still calls Kairi a friend. After aaaaall the forced Sokai bs they shoved down our throats Sora still friendzones her, which is it Nomura? you either want them together or you dont, stop playing games and pick a side already.

Dont get me wrong Im glad he hasnt made it official yet but after all this its like enough is enough, either follow through or cut this shit out and go back to being subtle like before.

Another huge insult was Sora constantly saying how his journey started with Kairi, since when? I remember Sora losing Kairi AND Riku that day not just her. I recall Sora not going back to Destiny Islands with Kairi BECAUSE he wanted to continue his journey to find Riku, but apparently in Re:mind it was just all about Kairi, nothing about his journey involved Riku no it was only Kairi that was his main motivation, gtf outta here man.

You can say something over and over but that doesnt make it true, Sora’s journey started with BOTH of them, lets stop playing down Riku’s importance to once again boost Kairi up.

That hug when Sora finally reunited with Kairi after restoring her was so obviously trying to make up for all the years of people complaining about Sora’s lack of reaction to Kairi in KH2 in comparison to Riku, so having him hold her for several seconds floating in the sky should rectify that right? you believe he cares about her now right? fuck off man. If your gonna do damage control than atleast dont make it so obvious that thats what your doing because then it comes off disingenuous, forced, and fake.

But my biggest issue is the ending where they really shoehorned Sokai where it didnt belong, literally stalking everyone else with the exception of returning Namines heart and Sora helping to reunite Chirithy with Ventus. But in Twilight town, why were Sora and Kairi there? they werent with Roxas but just sitting above them

Why were they at Mickeys castle? again their just in the background sight seeing.

These scenes were completely unnessecary and completely out of place and made the ending WORSE rather than better. Why? because these are Sora’s final hours ALIVE whether you argue only for a day or a couple days, in all of these ending scenes only one thing matters to Sora and thats Kairi.

Before we assumed everything that was shown all happened the same exact day and we didnt see Sora with any of them. But now we have confirmation Sora WAS there yet he only spent his last remaining time with Kairi in the background while quietly stalking everyone else? even if he didnt spend time with anyone else, he should have spent his last remaining time with Kairi AND Riku, after all hes his best friend and would like to spend what little time he may have with Sora too but we dont see any of that. Hell this contradicts Soras own danm words to Chirithy prior to this.

Instead of just shoehorning a bunch of Sokai in the background why not show the three of them FINALLY all together again like the old days? this is wtf Im talking about. We saw ALL the other trios together but the Destiny trio? hell naw fuck Riku lets have Sora spend all his remaining time with Kairi, thats the only one who REALLY matters here. After being separated from eachother constantly, now they finally have the chance to be together again and spend time together as friends and they DONT.

Instead Sora decides to take Kairi around the worlds hes visited, something he said he wanted to do with Riku as well, and just spend all his remaining time with her, even though in the base game before the final battle Sora was concerned why Riku was all alone and not spending time with them together. But here? nah fuck Riku. I remembered how important it is to share moments with friends only applied to Kairi.

So personally idc that theres more Sokai moments, my problem is the execution. It doesnt feel genuine, it feels forced and awkward and just doing damage control to pander to the rabid fanbase thats been screaming for this type of content for years, well congrats, you got it.

My problem is Kingdom Hearts was never about romance, it was always subtle and not shoved in your face, it felt natural and not forced and like there was atleast SOME heart behind it, but this? just felt hollow and forced.

Just stop, Im glad in the end Kairi just sleeps for a whole year and probably still will be sleeping when the next game comes out and the focus will shift to Riku and his search for Sora along with the other keyblade wielders doing their part as well.

So Im thankful it seems like we’re done with this crap and getting back to what ACTUALLY matters and what people really wanna see from this series.

Notice how nothing in either of my posts had to do with Soriku as a couple but about their bond as friends, enough said.

So dont try to twist this into just being about pairings because its not, its about what this series has always been about being forgotten for the sake of a fucking trash ship that nobody cares about besides rabid shippers and Sora’s bonds with his other friends being completely thrown out the fucking window to shorehorn in a bunch of unnessecary Sokai moments as a desperate attempt to convince people that these two love eachother which at this point if you have to try so hard to CONVINCE people of your pairing its obvious your doing a very shitty job at it.

Im done, this is my last long post about this for a while but I really needed to get that all out there since nobody else seems to be calling it out for what it is. My anger and frustration is still very fresh and it shows so I really need to stop talking about it because at this point? Re:Mind just ReMinded me why the Destiny trio is the worst out of them all, it is the most unbalanced and quite frankly feels more like Riku is a third wheel at this point and not even a part of the trio anymore. Before Kairi, it was always Sora and RIku yet hes the one whos being pushed aside and forgotten about in all this. That pisses me off.

So Im done with this topic, I need to cool off for the next couple of years till the next game comes out where hopefully Kairi stays asleep the entire time and NOT ruin another game.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Maybe I Have to Find My Own Inspiration - A SoKai Day 2024 Fic

Summary: In the far future, after all the battles are over, Sora and Kairi share a normal life together where they're both fashion designers on Destiny Islands. Written for SoKai Day 2024. SoKai. Destiny Trio friendship. Oneshot.

"I never thought we'd end up as fashion designers," Kairi mused to Sora, as the two of them looked in their closet for inspiration for some of the designs they were currently having trouble with.

As Kairi spied her favorite purple top and pink skirt, she suddenly thought about a violet shirt with blue jeans and a model rocking intense blue eye shadow… But right before she could bring it up to Sora, he brought her up short with his own thought: "Well… they say you should never do your passion as a job, or you'll end up hating it, so I couldn’t be happier with how things turned out!"

Kairi nodded her head at that, knowing that Sora was talking about writing having been her dream—though she also did enjoy art, but not nearly as much as Naminé did. And then Sora, of course, more than anything loved making people laugh. Also, dancing (…there was also fighting. But since they were mostly retired, they were both really trying to get away from that).

All-in-all, Kairi did think that this was the second-best career choice for both of them, and she was so glad that they'd found it… together.

"So, what do you think of me trying to make orange the look this year?" Sora asked, pulling Kairi out of her reverie.

And she had to smile, as he draped some of his own orange garments over his shoulders—orange was so not his color, just like black had never been, though not that it really mattered—before she sauntered over to him and pecked him on the cheek, "Well, as a certain character would say, ‘you're obviously disturbed’," Kairi joked. "But everyone who loves to make Halloween get here early would jump at the idea. I say go for it, baby."

"Awesome!" Sora exclaimed, jumping up once, and beaming the most beautiful smile Kairi had ever seen from him. How was that even possible? How did he get better every day? "What color do you think I should pair with it? Something normal, like white? Or should I do an ombre with different oranges?"

"Or you could excite people like you've always loved to, and do the opposite of the color wheel with green," Kairi supplied, imagining a nice sunset as she did so—and perhaps even things like when Sora and Riku had been returned to her on the Island after first defeating Xemnas, or when she and Sora had shared paopus with each other.

"Oh, yeah! That's a great idea! What do you think you’ll design for the show this year, Kai?” Sora asked suddenly, surprising Kairi as he Quick Ran and ended up behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist, and his chin resting on her left shoulder. Oh, yeah. She could definitely get used to this.

Smiling, as she reached back and tangled a hair in Sora’s forever unruly locks that she had ever loved, Kairi simply shrugged. “I don’t know. Riku recently opened up to me about how his ballet dreams aren’t entirely over… but he’s somewhat scared to pursue them. Maybe if I designed a really nice leotard, inspired by him, he’d be willing to give it a go. What do you think, Sora?”

Sora chuckled against Kairi’s skin, which definitely tickled and caused gooseflesh to appear upon her shoulder. Kairi swatted Sora on the arm playfully for that, as he stepped away from her. “If anyone could make Riku look at that long-lost dream of his again, it would be you, Kairi… Well, should we get to work?”

Kairi thought that that was a fantastic idea. And once she had fetched some coffee for the two of them (a light brew for Sora, who—surprisingly, even with all his time world traveling, and keeping weird schedules [where one would have thought he would have needed something strong at times to keep him awake]—still was wired when having only the slightest bit of the stuff, and a dark one for the princess), the fashionistas began their “nine to five,” as it were.

And Kairi loved it… she really did. And she knew that Sora did, too. Once upon a time, Kairi had read a book about playwrights that lived together and the method to their madness. Apparently, they would both sit in the same room, across from each other, and work the same amount of hours together… and when they were done, let each other read what the other had written, and then offer advice (and Kairi didn’t doubt that there were hijinks throughout it all, too). It was much the same for her and Sora.

For instance, in the winter when she would bring out the toe socks that she loved so much and wiggle her toes in absent minded thought, Sora would take this as cue to play footsie with her for a little bit. And did Kairi mind? Most definitely not.

On the professional level, sometimes the two of them would get stuck on something in the middle and bounce ideas off of each other or trade work… it was all truly delightful, and Kairi really couldn’t imagine doing anything else as a career anymore.

Sora’s art was truly something to die for now, too. While she’d never say what he’d done on the cave walls had been… terrible, when he’d become serious about this venture with her, he’d taken up a challenge where he’d drawn every day for one hundred days. And just comparing his baseline from day one to day one hundred had had her jaw hitting the floor. With where he was now, Kairi would dare say he was a better artist than her. And maybe even most people on the island, too. But that was just Sora, wasn’t it? When he put his mind to something he really wanted, there was just no stopping him.

“Kairi, why are you staring at my face like that? You look like you did when we recited our wedding vows… Not that I’m complaining. But are you making any progress on the look for Riku?” Sora asked, pulling Kairi out of her thoughts, as he put his sketchbook down and came over to peer at her drawing.

“Hey, that’s cheating!” the princess exclaimed at once, covering her attempt at her present for Riku, because dear God, was this not ready for anyone to see it yet. “This is still in the early stages, and-”

“Kairi… since when do we ever care about that?” Sora chuckled. “I know every step of your process, and you know mine. Are you struggling? Having second thoughts about your project?” Sora inquired far too correctly, as he looked at her with a raised eyebrow now.

The jig being up, Kairi uncovered her drawing with a sigh, and let her hubby take a gander at it. “It looks like Peter Pan! I hate it! Riku would never wear it! I want to try something else now. Maybe akin to what you’re doing? You almost seem to be doing something superhero-y. Maybe I should, too?”

Sora seemed to blanch at Kairi’s words, but she couldn’t imagine why. She thought his drawing was looking great. But thankfully, she didn’t have to guess for too long. Because like always, Sora revealed what was on his heart without too much preamble. “You don’t really think I’m doing something superhero-y, do you? I mean… not that I’m against superheroes, of course! But that wasn’t really the intention here. It was just mainly supposed to be a shirt with shorts?”

Now it was Kairi’s turn to nitpick, because the way Sora had stared at the intense green of what she was creating hadn’t at all escaped her notice, after all (he hadn’t liked it, but was far too kind to say so). Taking a sip of her coffee first, Kairi turned to the love of her life’s creation with a keen eye. “The orange and green might be a hard sell for a superhero… or anyone, really, but it’s one I personally love, as you know. But the outfit you’re working on here definitely looks like it could withstand much: no doubt inspired from your many looks designed from the Three Good Fairies. So it’s not hard to read ‘superhero’ from this.”

At that, Sora looked at Kairi, then back at his project, then back at Kairi once more before scratching his head, resigned. “I guess so. But you know what? You’re right. I’m not complaining. Superhero, it is!

“And Kairi…” Sora suddenly started monologuing, taking Kairi’s sketchbook away from her right when she’d thought that maybe she’d found some inspiration for what Riku desired, after all. Or was that just wishful thinking on her part? She honestly didn’t know at this point. “Why don’t you try your luck at something superhero oriented, after all” Sora offered, looking at Kairi’s art as if he’d found much needed inspiration there himself. “I know you’re still hung-up on how you didn’t get to do much heroing with us until late. Maybe this could be a way to remedy that? And honestly? What you’re working on here has some of the same bones as what I started with, too.”

“Give me that!” Kairi laughed, poking Sora in the ribs. And since he was extremely ticklish there, he didn’t have to be told twice. Once Kairi had her book back, she could see what her spouse was talking about. Now the green of the leotard didn’t so much remind her of Peter Pan, but skin… She could just imagine red hair with it—like Sora was describing in a bit of a self-insert for her—like Mystique… Or maybe someone else. No, the outfit and character she was picturing was way different from Mystique, actually. Hmm…

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Sora laughed, seeming to have rightfully realized the creative bunnies had once again found his love.

But if the way he was running to the computer out of the corner of her eye was any indication, Sora himself might have had an idea, too.

And so it was, that many moons later, Sora and Kairi would become the sole creators of the characters of Aquaman and Miss Martian: something they both very much cherished, because it reminded them of their Keyblade adventures that they did somewhat miss. And it proved, once again, that they were soulmates and often on the same wavelength.

And the characters’ looks were so stylish, if Kairi said so herself.

She also adored that Sora created a character from the sea, and she made one from the sky, so to speak.

After the two of them wrapped up their press junket for the day (talking about the characters), they walked over to Riku who was pirouetting out in the courtyard like the best of them—having finally decided that he didn’t give a damn what anyone thought about him, his family, or friends—and as Kairi and Sora made their way over to him, Kairi knew immediately what the twinkle in his eye met.

“Kairi, did you finish my leotard ye- Oof!”

He was immediately cut off when said princess placed said leotard into his arms.

“Honestly, Kai, I don’t know why you didn’t think of making it turquoise from the get-go. It would have saved a lot of problems.”

“As if you had that idea, lazy bum!” Kairi huffed, but deep down, she was living the dream. Today had been perfect… and she was thrilled that she had finally had the epiphany on how to deliver this gift to Riku.

“Okay, simmer down you two,” Riku snickered. “I swear, you’re worse than my son, Heiwa. But I want to talk to you guys… this trademarking superheroes thing is no joke. Do you think you might try it again?” He smiled at each of his friends in turn, clearly thinking that it was cool and maybe wanting them to do so more. Kairi couldn’t help but to shake her head in laughter at that.

Thankfully, Sora was giving Riku their answer before Kairi had to burst his bubble—as he placed his hands behind his head in his classic Sora pose. “Nah. I think we’re mostly done with hero-ing in every aspect. If inspiration strikes again, then maybe. But let’s let our clothes be championed!”

“Couldn’t have put it better myself,” Kairi smiled a thousand-watt smile, before taking both Sora and Riku’s hands, like she had once done so long ago. “Besides, Riku: don’t you know it’s your turn to be the hero now: the hero of the dance?!” Kairi laughed before starting to run away from her boys, who chased after her.

But not before both boys had said at the same time said, “You’re a doll, Kairi.”

Yeah, life really couldn’t get much better than this, Kairi decided, as her two best friends ran after her trying to catch up with her this time, which eventually they did—tackling her to the ground in laughter as they did.

Life was pure joy now, and she and all of her loved ones were enjoying each and every minute of it together.

Author’s Note: A really random idea I got one night when I was trying to sleep. I usually get my best inspiration and story ideas at night… but also some of my weirdest.

This surely isn’t my best work and I’ll admit that I don’t love it. But I also don’t hate it, and do like parts of it. And the Destiny Trio do deserve domestic bliss and a normal life like this in the future, of course (though it probably won’t be like this). So, yeah. It’s fine, I guess. -shrugs-

Happy SoKai Day!

Edit: The title is a line from Kiki’s Delivery Service:)

[zukos-tsungi-horn]

salty ask 1 2 3 6 8 14 21 26 27

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

I’ve never gotten Azula/Ty Lee, if that’s popular enough to count (it seems like the most popular ship for each of them that I’ve seen, anyway).  I’m sure it’s meant to be after Azula gets a redemption arc, but she’s so manipulative of Ty Lee and Ty Lee is pretty clearly scared of her in a lot of places.  I’ve always preferred Mai/Ty Lee personally.

2. Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?*

If my BroTP you mean any ship but make it platonic, then Kataang.  Love them as friends/family.  Also not sure how many people ship Zukaang romantically but I love them as Forever Bros who end up being like, weird family members to each other

3. Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

I have unfollowed and will continue to unfollow people who constantly post salty material and/or bash ships/characters, regardless of whether or not I agree with the underlying sentiment.

6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*

Fandom has made me consider pairings I haven’t thought about or was indifferent towards, but there aren’t a lot of pairings that I hate in the first place.  I was indifferent to Sokai and Soriku (Kingdom Hearts) for a long time until seeing a bunch of cute art for them.  (Thankfully I’m still enough a multishipper that the ship wars on that front haven’t bothered me, lol).  As far as ATLA goes, @botherkupo made me enjoy Sokka/Mai which I never saw coming haha

8.  Have you received anon hate? What about?*

I got some bashy comments for writing a character as ace in one of my fics before.  I think one or two of those was anonymous.  Nothing on tumblr though, I don’t express enough opinions for people to hate me for most of the time.

14.  Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

People can multiship Zutara, Kataang, and Maiko without the world ending.  Also even if a ship is problematic/not well written in canon doesn’t mean you can’t (or shouldn’t) enjoy fan content for it.

21. What are your thoughts on crack ships?

See Mai/Sokka above lol, I love them!  I used to write a lot more crack ships back in the day, I don’t write much for ATLA just because most of my ATLA content is Zutara.  Probably the wackiest crack ship I ever wrote was Saix/Jasmine from Kingdom Hearts, good times, good times

26. Most shippable character?

Sokka.  Hands down.  Big Shippable Energy.  Can ship him with just about everyone (around his age of course) except Aang and Katara.

27.  Least shippable character?

Aang.  Mainly due to being 12.  Also Azula because she really needs to work on herself and her own redemption first (and because I feel her family relationships would be more interesting and important than romance), though I have seen some decent Azula ships written before.

Thank you for the asks!! I hope that wasn’t too much rambling haha

[phoenix-downer]

Autumn Mending Chapter 3: Firelight Confessions

~1650 words. Romance, Angst, Pining, Mutual Pining, Fluff, Comfort, Healing, Making Up. For SoKai Day 2021.

Sequel to Kisses and Lies because I couldn’t just leave Sora and Kairi hanging, now could I?

Happy SoKai Day!

Summary: Sora and Kairi are still broken up, but with the help of old friends and Twilight Town’s fall festival, the spark between them just might be rekindled.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Sora felt lightheaded from the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside his heart. So much had happened today. Kairi had shown up here on Twilight Town and had apologized for breaking up with him. Was it possible she still loved him? That she still cared? 

The way he kept catching her looking at him sure made it seem like she did. And now this hayride. He didn’t want it to be over. He wanted her to be snuggled up next to him, holding his hand, for the rest of his life. 

But while his heart and body cried out for joy and begged him to be closer to the one he loved, his brain was yelling at him to put on the brakes, to slow down, to be cautious. What about that guy he’d seen her with? What about the past year and a half of anguish and torment? Could all of that really be forgotten in a single day? 

He wanted to forget. He wanted to put it all behind them. He wanted to forgive and move on and mend things with her. Even if it meant risking getting hurt again. The chance of being with her for good was worth it.

So all that kept his mind occupied to the point he was barely listening to the ghost stories. Before he knew it, the hayride was over and it was time to pile out of the wagon. A pang went through him when Kairi had to let go of his hand, and he wondered if she was as starved for his touch as he was for hers.

Hopefully they’d get to talk about it soon. Hayner, Pence, and Olette had rented one of the campfires nearby for the evening, and that was enough to temporarily distract him. Their little group spent the next couple of hours hanging out, cooking hot dogs and roasting apples and making s’mores. Sora loved sitting by the crackling campfire and spending time with his friends, but as the minutes ticked by, his eyes kept wandering to Kairi. She was seated across from him, and she looked really beautiful in the flickering firelight. Their eyes met, and she smiled and looked at him the way she always used to look at him. 

“Oh gosh, I almost forgot!” Olette said, clasping her hands together. “Our pumpkins! We should grab them so we can light the tea candles in them.” She stood and stretched. “Hayner, Pence, come with me so we can grab everyone’s pumpkins and bring them back.” 

Hayner and Pence finally got the hint and followed after Olette, leaving Sora and Kairi alone. He stood under the pretense of roasting another marshmallow, but really, he just wanted an excuse to sit next to her. He loved being close to her, and her natural scent mingled with the campfire’s smell in a way that reminded him of all the times they’d gone camping as kids back home. 

“The embers are best here,” he said to explain his sudden change in position, and she smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Oh are they now.” 

“Yeah.” A few seconds passed, and he added, “Listen, Kairi, about earlier—”

“I’m still in love with you,” she blurted out, and he dropped the marshmallow and stake into the fire. Didn’t even care about them anymore. Something far more important was at stake here. 

“But—I saw you, with that guy—It’s why I left again—”

Kairi shook her head, and her eyes watered. “After our mission, I was hoping you and I could work things out, but I felt like you were avoiding me. I figured you didn’t love me anymore, and I couldn’t blame you. So when that guy asked me out, I thought, why not give it a shot. Why not try to move on and give you your space. But then he tried to kiss me, and I just… I couldn’t.” Her voice broke and she was crying in earnest now. “All I could think about was you,” she sobbed. “How badly you’d be hurt if you knew. How wonderful it feels when you kiss me. And I knew I was still in love with you. I knew my heart would always be yours. I knew it was pointless to try to move on.” 

Sora stared at her, his heart pounding in his chest. Kairi still loved him? Kairi still wanted to be with him? That guy he saw her with was nothing more than a quick fling that made her realize the one she truly wanted to be with was him? 

She wiped her teary eyes. “Say something, please.” 

He gently caught her hand and tugged it away from her face. She searched his eyes, and he smiled and cupped her cheek. 

“I love you too, Kairi,” he said, softly, tenderly, then brought his lips to hers. He kissed her with all the pain and homesickness he’d felt the past year and a half, all the pining and aching and longing, hoping she’d realize just how much he wanted this, how much he wanted her. And she kissed him back, so unguarded and wild and joyful that his pain started to fade away. What had happened couldn’t be undone, but it could be mended and healed, could be turned into something beautiful and good, could become another part of their love story. 

When it was over, he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. She leaned against his heart and gently touched where his scar was hidden under several layers of clothes. She knew it so well that she didn’t even have to look to know where it was. And he didn’t have to look to know where Xehanort had struck her down either; his hands had held the very spot countless times before and remembered exactly how to comfort her.

“I love you,” he said, his voice full of emotion. 

“I love you too.”  

He kissed her head and stroked her hair. “I’m gonna make you a new promise,” he said. “You mean everything to me, and I want to settle down with you, get married, start a family. The past several years, I’ve been saving up munny so we can do just that. Maybe we should go to college first though, that would probably be good. We’ve gotta provide for our family and for each other somehow. And I know it’ll be an adjustment for me. I’m not naive enough to think it won’t be. But you’re more than worth it.”

She sniffled and clutched his hoodie. “I’m sorry for doubting you.” 

“It’s okay. You had a lot of reasons to be concerned. I’ve left you behind too many times before.” 

“But you always come back to me,” she said as she looked up and searched his eyes. 

“That’s right. I made you a promise, to always return.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out her lucky charm. 

She teared up again and curled his fingers around it. “Keep it till we get home. For good, I mean. Then, and only then, will I take it back.” 

“Deal.” 

He tucked it back into his pocket and held her and kissed her and comforted her. He shared his hoodie with her too because even with the campfire nearby, she was getting a little cold. Plus it was just nice to be this close to her. He’d missed her, so much. And something about the fire was cozy and calming and enchanting. He could hold her like this and stare into it forever. 

Well, until Hayner, Pence, and Olette returned with the pumpkins. They had big smiles on their faces, and Olette told them to close their eyes. Sora heard the lighter flicking a couple of times as their friends lit the pumpkins, and then when he and Kairi opened their eyes, he could see why Olette had wanted this to be a big surprise. 

Kairi had carved the same drawing of him that she’d drawn in the Secret Place when they were kids, complete with the paopu fruit she’d added to it years later. It matched perfectly with his pumpkin because he’d carved the drawing he’d made of her with the paopu fruit too. A big smile lit up her face as she saw the two pumpkins side-by-side, and he grinned and kissed her cheek, only for her to kiss him properly on the lips. There was much whooping and hollering from Hayner, Pence, and Olette, much to he and Kairi’s amusement. 

“Operation-get-the-lovebirds-back-together is a success!” Hayner crowed, high-fiving Pence. 

Sora raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you guys planned this?” 

“Maybe,” Olette said with a teasing lilt to her voice, and Hayner and Pence both had triumphant smirks on their faces. 

“I can believe you did,” Sora said to Olette, “but these two interrupted Kairi and I so much tonight I was convinced they were trying to keep us apart,” he finished, jabbing his finger at Hayner and Pence.

“Reverse psychology, it works wonders,” Pence said. “We figured it would get you more desperate to talk to each other.” 

“I guess it worked then,” Sora said wryly. “Because as great as that hayride was, it was not worth all the interruptions.” 

Hayner, Pence, and Olette laughed, and Kairi giggled and nuzzled his cheek. Sora soon joined in with the merriment. He couldn’t hold the scheming against his friends, especially because it had worked. He and Kairi were together again, and while it would take time to mend all the hurt between them and forge a path forward, he knew they would. Tonight was a good start, and he was determined to make this work and so was she. 

When their eyes met, he knew something else, too. He loved her and she loved him, and that was more than enough for them to make their own storybook ending and happily-ever-after.

~~~

A/N: Last year I wrote nine kiss prompts for SoKai based on this list, and I wanted to write one more to hit ten, so, this story fits... 

11. ...in joy, 

30. ...as comfort, and 

50. ...out of love.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

[animexalchemist]

Keyblade Theorising II

So after posting about the Kingdom Key and Riku’s role in giving it to Sora, someone asked me what I made of Kairi’s keyblade. The result? A bloody essay. Read on for more mad theorising!

Note: contains spoilers for KHIII!

So Kairi gets her keyblade in KHII and it happens thusly: she jumps down to save Sora, gets surrounded by heartless, and they immediately bury her. She calls out for Sora to help her as the heartless’ darkness begin to consume her and then there is a bright flash of light. This bright flash of light immediately kills all of the heartless and then Riku is holding out a keyblade for her (and really, this whole thing can be paralleled with how Sora got his keyblade in KHI). Clearly the light that vanquished the darkness is Riku’s. Think about that: Riku’s light despite him taking the form of Ansem, where darkness is currently winning in Riku’s internal dark/light battle.

Riku’s light, eh? Pretty damn strong.

So I have two theories about where her keyblade came from, and I’m not saying one is better than the other. I’m just kinda laying down my thoughts.

1.) This is Aqua’s keyblade

We know in BBS that Kairi accidentally touching Aqua’s keyblade meant that she inherited it. Which… I always thought was complete bullshit and ran counter to everything that had been established about how bequeathing ceremonies worked (Terra actually performed it for Riku, where Kairi just touched Aqua’s blade and that counts??), but supposedly Kairi’s heart was worthy of the blade which is why it’s legit. I don’t think that this keyblade was forged of Kairi’s personal light because none of the other princesses of heart were able to call forth a keyblade, and the manner in which she gained her keyblade suggests that it didn’t come directly from her, but from an external source.

So let’s assume this is Aqua’s keyblade. We know thanks to KHIII that at some point while Aqua was trapped in the RoD, she lost her keyblade. She had it in II.5, which covers the events of KHI, but lost it at some point during KHII. So it could be that Kairi being in danger called forth the keyblade that was ‘bequeathed’ to her by Aqua, and that’s where it came from, thus in effect leaving Aqua keyblade-less. Aqua ‘losing’ her keyblade shouldn’t be a thing, given that keyblades are connected to the wielder, but if Luxu literally lost his ability to keyblade once he passed it on then this would explain why Aqua suddenly lost her ability to keyblade: it passed on to Kairi, leaving Aqua behind.

This once more shows how powerful Riku really is. Aqua is a full on Keyblade Master but once she has lost her keyblade, that’s it. She’s defenceless. She cannot make another. And yet Riku, if my earlier observations hold any weight, has at least two keyblades in the Kingdom Key and Way To Dawn (later Braveheart).

How did Aqua’s keyblade seek Kairi out? Aqua put her own magic in Kairi’s necklace and given the things we have seen in this series so far, it isn’t too much of a stretch to believe the keyblade zoned in on this magic and ended up with Kairi.

But then why was Riku the one holding it? The fact he could hold it at all, when keyblades typically reject anyone but their true wielder, leads to my other idea.

2.) This is yet another keyblade forged from Riku’s light

So, in effect, this is the THIRD keyblade that Riku is sustaining. The bright light happens, Riku’s light, and suddenly he’s holding yet another keyblade that he quite literally hands over to Kairi. When he gave the Kingdom Key to Sora, it was more of his heart choosing to do so. But he just up and hands her this one. And I think it’s likely due to similar reasons as to why he gave one to Sora: Riku wants to keep Kairi safe.

Despite KHIII utterly ruining any relationship these two had, KHI and KHII actually did a decent job of making it seem that Kairi and Riku are friends. Riku in KHI is literally doing everything in his power to get Kairi’s heart back. He even says that he’ll work with Maleficent and embrace the the darkness more if that is what it takes to save Kairi (whether this is truly genuine or only part of the truth, in that he says this as an excuse to get closer to darkness, is up for debate). The last thing he says in KHI? “Take care of her [Kairi]”. And in KHII, when Kairi and Naminé are surrounded by Nobodies and shit looks dire? Riku swoops in to save the day, and subsequently spends a lot of his time protecting Kairi (he literally wraps his arms around her to protect her from Saïax’s berserker mode). So it isn’t wildly out of character for him to try and give her a means to protect herself, as he did for Sora, by giving her a keyblade. The only difference being that, while the Kingdom Key was actually Riku’s keyblade that he’s passed on, this seems to be a keyblade he forged specifically for Kairi.

Extra: I didn’t know this as I initially typed these musings as I haven’t read the manga, but a friend pointed out that in the manga Luxu seems shocked that Kairi had a keyblade and (with a sort of begrudging respect) asks Riku how the hell he managed to make one for her.

Kairi’s Keyblade: What’s In A Name?

So Kairi’s keyblade is called Destiny’s Embrace (in English) or Destiny’s Place (in Japanese). This emphasis on destiny is interesting to me. Sora, essentially a non-wielder who gained the ability to wield thanks to Riku’s heart choosing Sora over himself, was never ‘destined’ to wield the keyblade. Or, at least, not destined to wield the Kingdom Key (destined to wield Kingdom Key D, however… see this link to another theory that I think holds water). Whereas Destiny’s Embrace suggests that Kairi was always destined to become a keyblade wielder, which is… odd, given that her ‘inheriting’ of the keyblade from Aqua was a fluke. But what WASN’T a fluke was Aqua putting a charm on Kairi’s necklace and saying it would take her to someone that would keep her safe. She was destined to be protected, and sure enough, if Riku did make this keyblade for her, then this destiny is fulfilled. Interesting again to note that Riku, not Sora, was the one protecting her in this instance.

Kairi’s Keyblade: The Paopu Keychain

Why is it that Destiny’s Embrace has a paopu keychain? I have a few ideas, some of which are more plausible than others.

1.) Riku wanted to share a paopu with Kairi

Wow, what a rogue idea! Full (and probably obvious) disclosure: I’m a SoRiku shipper and read a lot of the KHI moments of Riku getting jealous and bitchy as him being jealous that Sora didn’t like him, but let me just take my SoRiku goggles off for a hot second and… put my KaiRiku ones on?? It’s not as crazy as it seems.

As mentioned earlier, a huge part of Riku’s motivations in KHI was protecting Kairi and getting her heart back, and he even thanks Kairi for coming to the island and inspiring him to seek a world beyond Destiny Islands. During his race with Sora in KHI, he says that if he wins then he wants to share a paopu with Kairi (again, let’s say that this wasn’t actually Riku just trying to razz Sora and there was a part of him that did genuinely want to share it with her). If Destiny’s Embrace really is a keyblade that Riku forged for Kairi in order to keep her safe, then the paopu keychain is essentially him finally getting to share a paopu with her as per his request in KHI.

Now, of course, paopu fruits don’t necessarily have romantic connotations all the time. It could be that he just wanted to keep the two of them close, like how Kairi gave Sora her way-finder. Regardless of if this is read as romantic or platonic, Kairi’s keychain being a paopu fruit is symbolic of her relationship with Riku— and I would also extend it to Sora as well. If Riku gave both of them keyblades, he’s kind of like some secret guardian watching over those that matter to him and wanting to keep them safe. He is the origin of all of their keyblades, and in this way binds the Destiny Trio together.

‘Ah, but Alchemist!’ I hear you cry. ‘Riku no longer wants to protect the THINGS that matter, as KHIII made it very clear he cares about one person and one person only: Sora.’

Fair point. I think KHIII did Kairi and Riku’s relationship SUPER FUCKING DIRTY, but it’s also true that Riku’s number one priority is and always has been Sora. Giving Kairi a paopu fruit to keep the three of them together does make sense for his character, but when push comes to shove, Riku would probably push Kairi off a cliff if it would save Sora (I mean come on, RIku would throw HIMSELF off a bloody cliff if it would save Sora, and take King Mickey along with him for good measure). So maybe the keychain means something else.

2.) Kairi’s ‘destiny’ is a solitary one

So why does Kairi have a complete paopu fruit all to herself, but the combined halves of Sora’s Nightmare’s End and Riku’s Mirage Split together make a whole paopu fruit?

We know that if two people share a paopu fruit, they will remain part of each other’s lives forever. In effect: their destiny’s become entwined. The Gayblade being formed of two halves to form a whole, and being a keyblade that both Sora and Riku share, is a clear illustration that Sora and Riku’s destiny’s are entwined. By sharing this keyblade with its paopu imagery, they essentially seem to be sharing the same destiny. But Kairi has her own fruit, and it isn’t being shared with anyone. This makes for a rather tragic reading of her character, but one that seems to make sense given the events of KHIII:

If the Gayblade paopu is symbolic of Riku and Sora sharing the same destiny, the paopu of Destiny’s Embrace is symbolic of Kairi’s destiny being a solitary one. Her destiny is one that she will have to face alone, with no one to share it with her.

I’m sure you are all aware of the star-crossed quality that characterises SoKai; Sora even explicitly states this at the end of KHIII when he vents his frustration of always being separated from Kairi just when it looks like they can finally be together. Then there’s the fact that Kairi seems to have been left on her own in some alternate Destiny Islands at the very end of KHIII, so this all points to her destiny being apart from those of her close friends. Her ‘place’ (Destiny’s Place) is separate from them. And this is rather apt, given what her name means: Kairi means ‘ocean’, of course, but it also means ‘separation’.

We can take ‘separation’ in many ways: she tried to separate Sora from Riku in KHI by suggesting they take the raft together, and she seemed to keep them separated again in KHIII with the now infamous paopu scene. But really, the separation is felt most keenly on her end. Sora and Riku were friends long before she washed up on Destiny Islands, and they’re always going off and having adventures without her and leaving her behind. In KHII she very fervently states her desire for the three of them to stay together from now on, and almost immediately after she is separated from them AGAIN. The Destiny Trio is an uneven trio in a lot of ways, and while I could also write about the ways Riku is excluded from it, Kairi is excluded from it just as much if not more so. And that is why a single paopu fruit just to herself is fitting: no one to share it with, a destiny that she will have to face by herself.

3.) Kairi is whole but Sora and Riku are incomplete

And this is the batshit crazy side of this epically long journey through my thoughts, but while I’m here I may as well put it down. What if Kairi, having a whole fruit, is symbolic of her having a full and complete destiny, being a full and complete person? What if the two halves of the Gayblade actually mean that apart, Sora and Riku are ‘incomplete’? Yes this is all cute and romantic in one sense, but what if they are literally incomplete? Admittedly this idea is fuelled purely by Yozora, who seems to be a combination of the two of them. But I don’t really want to get into what the fuck Yozora could possibly be (An ultimate fusion of them both? Their illicit lovechild? Some dude who just really loves cosplaying Riku but made it ‘edgy’?) and so I’ll just end this one right here. I don’t have much stock in this particular reading but eh, thought it worth shoving down anyways while I’m here.

[true-intha-blu]

Thank you for the tag dude! I shall do my best! How many works do you have on AO3? Just 3... on Ao3 alone What’s your total AO3 word count? 93205 words..... as of now and still just on ao3

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? From both FF.net and Ao3: Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, Mega Man and Miraculous Ladybug... and those are just the ones published. What are your top five fics by kudos?

#1 White Dreams: This was probably because it was just near right after Chat Blanc, people were still riding a high from the end of season 3 and I managed to get to the whole Sandboy 2.0 making Chat Blanc into a Nightmare before anyone else did.

#2 Alabaster Promises: As it being a sequel to White Dreams, a large part of the kudos came from the folks who liked that

#3 A Fragment of a Fragment: Sadly despite of having more chapters for this fic, the KH fandom does not have much in way of favor for this particular ship. Oh well. It's a story for myself anyway.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, I think it is fun and I always want to show my appreciation for them taking the time to read my stuff.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

White Dreams: It is written to be mainly horror and menacing so yeah probs the angriest *ending* I have so far. But all my fics do have quite some angst....always.... forever... eternally

Do you write crossovers? If yes, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever written?

No... Unless you count Kingdom Hearts.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

HA HA!... Yes. More than once. Mainly on my fanfiction account. A lot of people poking fun of me for liking a ship, or writing a certain way, or not listening to their ideas.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

But only after larges amount of character development

Have you ever had a fic stolen? I dunno? Hope not.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Not that I know of.

Have you ever cowritten a fic? No.... I would like to one day

What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Sokai (SoraxKairi) been with me the longest and makes me feel happiness. I do love The Love Square from Miraculous Ladybug. I have many more too.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? Too many

What’re your writing strengths? From what I have been told that I am really good at working with shows/world's lore and expanding on it, working on believable developing relationships and character growth. People seem to like how much I think about fleshing out all the worlds and working around what vague clues we as a fandom are given. Also expanding for side characters as well.

What’re your writing weaknesses?

Grammar, spelling, prose. I get that... a lot. A whole freaking lot and I try to fix and improve it but no one really tells me how to fix it. And without an editor, it is just something I have to deal with. Also updating. But yeah, Grammar.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic?

Do it, not to make it a quirk or being the only factor of that character, but showing that more than one culture is a part of them. Things need to be researched and studied thoroughly before attempting and proper respect needs to be given.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for? Pokemon :)

What’s your favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Tough to say. I like A Fragment of a Fragment so far for the potential I can write and it is writing for one of my favorite series and kinda the accumulation of everything I have wanted to ever write about Kingdom Hearts.

Tagging: @vengeverse @phoenix-downer or whomever else

20 Questions Fanfic Writers Edition

thank u so much for the tag @queer-cosette!!

How many works do you have on AO3?

Thirty-six!

What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

138,276 – except for reasons it’s longer than it actually should be, so in reality it’s 110,591. Still Many! Especially considering almost all of those were posted this year!

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Five – Miraculous Ladybug, Salt to the Sea (YA historical novel by Ruta Sepetys – don’t ask why I wrote a fanfic based on it, I was a fucked up 14 year old who had the ability to latch onto any media I consumed and write fanfic for it because I’d never properly been in fandom), Minecraft (that’s a crossover I promise), Six of Crows, and The Grisha Trilogy.

What are your top five fics by kudos?

He Wore No Gloves: This is a Six of Crows fic. Why is it so popular. Don’t read this.

(Preparation for) A Night to Remember: ML fic about Ladybug and Chat Noir going to a fancy gala.

Chat Noir’s Amended Guide for Internet Safety: Marinette finds Chat Noir’s secret AO3 account.

25,913: Post-Wishmaker fic that I genuinely cannot understand why it’s so popular but I’m not upset at all, I was really proud of this fic.

The World Ceased to Exist: Slight canon divergent Chat Blanc fic.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I want to but in many cases I put it off until later so I can gather my thoughts and also because comments make me so happy that in many cases I’m just riding that high. And then by the time I remember it feels like it’s too late. I love and appreciate comments though!!!

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Probably The World Ceased to Exist (linked above). I don’t do sad endings, but like I said, it’s only a minor canon divergence, and I can imagine the alternate-timeline Chat Noir having some real Emotions Soup before he just… ceased to exist, and I really tried to capture that. (Maybe stained glass variation of the truth, too. That one was pretty angsty, but that’s because it wasn’t really an end in terms of closure.)

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

out of my depth at this altitude. I would have told you that I always write happy endings but looking through my fics I write a lot of pretty ambiguous endings. They’re almost all optimistic, but I often lean into the angst of the story pretty hard and end the story only just barely past the upswing. Which, don’t get me wrong, that’s one of my favorite endings, but wow, I didn’t realize that about myself.

Do you write crossovers? If yes, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever written?

I love thinking about crossovers but I don’t write them very often. I’ve written two: one aforementioned Minecraft x ML crossover that you can find on my AO3, and one that is not published (hopefully someday, once I’m past my current project) that’s ML x Last Life SMP. Which is also Minecraft but a specific strain of Minecraft. I have Grian brainrot, okay?

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

The closest I’ve come is – okay, it wasn’t really a fic. If you go on my AO3 and hit the fic I wrote in The Grisha Trilogy, what you’ll actually find is an essay. It’s an essay I’m very proud of! I wrote it before the Shadow and Bone TV show came out, and basically I was analyzing why I think Alina needed to choose Mal over Nikolai and the Darkling, even though I really do not like Mal. It’s a formal essay and I recommend reading it.

Someone cam into the comments of the essay, did not mention the contents of the essay at all, and started going on about how they don’t really like The Grisha Trilogy and they hate Alina but they like that she’s half Shu (again, fic written before the TV show came out – Alina is white, for all intents and purposes, when you read that essay). Overall they were just being super nasty and negative about the books. And I said, “Hey, either talk about the essay or get that salt out of my inbox,” and they basically responded “Well I didn’t think the essay was that good.”

Okay?? Fuck off.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Nope :))

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, and I’d doubt it because I’m not that big of a fic writer in the fandom. Hopefully someday :)))

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Also hopefully someday only this one isn’t sarcastic

Have you ever cowritten a fic?

Not that you’ll find on the internet, but back in my dark ages, I did cowrite a fic with two really lovely writers on Wattpad. We didn’t finish but the worldbuilding was loads of fun, I miss them.

What’s your all-time favourite ship?

I really think it has to be the love square (specifically Ladrien). Just <<<<3 my beloveds.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Death by 1000 Cuts. I loved it while it lasted and there’s so much I can do with it, but I wrote it right after Gang of Secrets came out and there were no scheduled episodes anywhere in sight and I was just so full of Thoughts and now I’m still full of thoughts but they’re mostly about DJWifi.

What’re your writing strengths?

Writing scenes with Big Emotional Conversations. These are my absolute favorite to write, which is why I have a not insignificant number of one-shots centered around this.

What’re your writing weaknesses?

I tend to take characterization for granted. With original fiction, this works, because you’re the one coming up with it, but for fanfic, you need a more deliberate hand and I think I often need to slow down and say, “Okay, would they actually do this or is that just my interpretation/what’s convenient for the plot/me projecting?” Also character voice.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic?

Given that I write in the ML fandom, it’s hard for me to say that you shouldn’t do this. This question may be referring to writing bilingual characters (“Que pasa?” Keith asked. “What?” Lance said. “Sorry, I forget what language I’m speaking in sometimes. What’s up?”) but in general, adding in other languages, when done deliberately, can really enhance the story. You need to ask what the effect on the reader will be, but if it adds a layer of culture, or explains something well that can’t be explained in the story’s language, or is just beautiful in general, I say go for it.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Warriors. I’m not ashamed. (Not anymore, anyway.) I wrote a story about Dustpelt going to StarClan and seeing Ferncloud again. I wish this was a joke.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve ever written?

This is a difficult question, but I think… out of my depth at this altitude, maybe? (linked above) I love all of them for different reasons, they’re my babies.

tagging: @alexseanchai @marrys-dream-world @ultrakart and anyone else who wants to do it!!

[palizinhas]

for ship meme: axel/roxas, roxas/kairi, anakin/padme, riku/kairi, anakin/obi-wan

Thank you so much!!!!!

Axel/Roxas:

1 = NOTP, Disgusting.

Alright, here’s my thing with this ship. It’s creepy in KH2 only, but adding Days and the question of Axel’s age brought in by BBS and it just gets… so much worse? We go from stalking and kidnapping someone due to being hung up on a friendship that the other person had already ended when he stopped being available to you, to one year of gaslighting, to possibly 10/11 years of age difference. It’s… it’s creepy. I do understand why it’s such a popular ship though, and DDD/Kairi’s concert skit go right over Axel’s crimes so much I don’t fully blame the fans for apologizing his actions.

Roxas/Kairi:

4 = I could see why others like it, kinda cute I suppose.

They have like kind of a scene in KH2, but there are weirder ships, I suppose. And it’s kinda interesting to explore, I can see why people would ship it. I do still have to get into my “Roxas is not at all currently ready for a relationship” thing though, it’s kinda what stops me from liking even Roxas/Xion, which is probably the Roxas ship that bothers me the least out of the three main ones.

Anakin/Padmé:

7 = I like it, would read a fanfic with them if it was well written.

I’m not ~that~ into it, but there’s a lot of great fanfic for them, and I do find their relationship to have some cool moments in TCW. The movies not so much, but it’s not a secret that I dislike RotS, and a lot of my problem with Anidala in the movies comes from that one.

Riku/Kairi:

10 = One True Pairing (OTP). I will fight to the death for this ship.

Forever and always, tbh. I’m not as into it as I am into SoRiKai these days, but out of the SoKai/SoRiku/RiKai options, it’s still the one I love the most. I’ve spoken of this ship enough before that I don’t feel the need to rant right now, but it’s… it’s awesome.

anakin/obi-wan:

7 = I like it, would read a fanfic with them if it was well written.

More or less the same thing that with Anidala, really. Their banter is really fun to watch in TCW (and the movies as well, in this case), and they manage to both know everything and nothing about each other, which is kinda where my issues with it come from. There’s also a huge age difference between them, but I don’t see it as an issue by the time RotS rolls around - can’t see it during AotC at all though, especially since Anakin’s still Obi-Wan’s apprentice by then. Late TCW/RotS is when it starts being okay to me.