#sora is alice

[hollowwhisperings]

KH Spec: Princesses of Heart as Stars, part 3/?

Part 1 went into some of the symbolism of Stars in KH, as derived from Paopu Fruit & Wayfinders. Part 2 went in-depth on the Founding Princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora) & how they connect to each other through songs, key themes & the film Pinnochio. Part 3 will be an 'interlude' that is not so-much about the non-character that is 'Alice' but on the purpose of an "Alice-Role" within the KH series & setting. But before ditching Alice-the-Character, let there be a bullet point compilation!

The Key Themes that make a Princess of Heart thus far have been:

Dreams (Wishes your Heart makes)

Dreams Becoming Reality

True Love, the Most Powerful Magic of All (Resurrection/the power of Awakening)

Hearts that Inspire Love in others (Found Family, Fairies, & Anonymous Princes Charming)

having a Magical Setting

thematic resonance with the "Wish Upon A Star" song from 'Pinnochio' (& thus Stars)

Alice: An Exceptional Interlude

Alice is an oddity amongst the Original Disney 6: her "royal" status is non-existent in her Disney film, achieved in her second book. Even then, rather than a becoming a 'princess', Alice crossed a chessboard & was a 'Pawn' promoted to 'Queen'.

Like 'Pinnochio', 'Alice in Wonderland' is a Narrative Lynchpin of the KH series as a whole: where 'Pinnochio' was used to foreshadow the nature of Hearts & thematically connect the earliest works in the Disney Animated Canon (tying together wishes, stars, dreams, true love & miracles), 'Alice in Wonderland' (or, rather, its books) has served to hint at the nature of 'Light' and 'Darkness'. It is also, very probably, a reference to Sora's role in regards to Kingdom Hearts itself.

Alice, the character, barely appears in the KH series at all: this makes sense given her role is largely thematic in purpose and that she is a Literal Child. Not a young teenager like Sora, not an "ambiguously aged & timelooping young girl" like Snow White: Alice is, like, 10. It is also very pertinent to her story that, bizzare adventures ended, Alice 'wakes up' to her home in mundane England.

Alice herself is not 'relevant' to the KH series: her setting is, and, just like Christopher Robin, Alice is less a 'character' and more a 'role' (a role that Sora and, to a lesser extent, Kairi conveniently fulfil without being aware of it).

All that said, going into the Themes of Alice in Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass is something that can never truly be exhausted as Theory Fuel with respect to the KH series. Thusly, I'll do a vague list of bullet points & go take a nap.

The Alice Role

hearts, heartless, & the manipulations thereof

un/reality & "waking up"

blatant lies, truths hidden in plain sight & misdirection

game of cards = CoM

game of chess = KH3

Disney's Queen of Hearts was a combination of said queen from Alice's 1st book & the Red Queen in her 2nd

queen of hearts "painting the roses red" = red queen converting pieces?

the "normal" [youth] put in a magical setting

sora through the looking glass (kh3 is a reflection)

relationship of dreamer & dream

pawn promoted to queen

sora is alice, just as he is christopher robin

wishes & cryptic sorcerers

[avfanatics]

▶︎ Sakakibara Moe 榊原萌 S1

▶︎ Nozaka Hiyori 乃坂ひより S1

▶︎ Izumi Momoka 泉ももか MOODYZ

▶︎ Ishida Karen 石田佳蓮 MUTEKI

▶︎ Asami Shio 朝海汐 DAHLIA

▶︎ Shaku Alice 釈アリス PRESTIGE

▶︎ Furuya Asuka 降矢あすか FALENO

▶︎ Eren Sora 絵恋空 FALENO

AV DEBUT SEPTEMBER 2024

[prepolls]

Precure Fist Fight : FINAL Round

[no-context-kh]

[monorays]

fixed! 05.19.24

[cloudysx]

Return to Wonderland

[small-world-au]

Alice: *Clears throat*

Alice: I’m afraid you dropped your bird :3

Meanwhile Gideon is laughing his ass off

Sora: 😳😳😳

Stone: *CHASES THEM WITH MOLOTOV*

[twewycrim3s]

WIP

Alice in Wonderland Sora

[alangdorf]

Yearly costume roundup!! Sora cosplay year 5 (actually done this time!) + demonstration of last-minute Adeleine costume for my husband (I lent him my sweatshirt and made the beret) + potential Touhou cosplay plans for myself and @just-my-narratives and my husband + coping with not having the resources for making a new full cosplay this year by spending the day planning out a Magolor

[hollowwhisperings]

Kingdom Key & Kingdom Hearts: A SoRiku Theory

The Kingdom Hearts series (& its creators) actively emphasizes the ways that its primary protagonist, Sora, is a "normal, ordinary boy". Yet Sora wields the iconic Kingdom Key, the Ultima Keyblade & even a x-blade (as forged by Xehanort): Sora's Story has been that of a Chosen One, even as he fits the archetype of one "Unchosen".

This theory explores the nature of Choice within the KH series, specifically in the context of "Destiny" and prophecies. It employs the "Riku is The Light" & "Necklace" theories, as well as elements of "Sleeping Realm". It also casts Riku as one of those Strange Women in Ponds who Distribute Swords as a Basis of [Galactic World Order].

Sora's story seemingly begins as a Classic Hero's Journey only for such a reading to fall flat when Expectations such as "Getting The Girl" and "Becoming a Keyblade Master" pointedly do not happen.

The driving force of the KH series has always been Riku: Riku wished to see worlds beyond his home, knowing the truth of the KH Multiverse well before proof literally crashlanded in the form of Kairi (a literal shooting star).

It is Riku's Heart that drew the attention of the Worlds at large to the Destiny Islands: the brightness of his light lead Terra, Aqua & Xehanort to meeting Sora in the first place.

Terra chooses Riku as a future Keyblade Master.

Aqua chooses Sora for the sake of preserving Riku's Light, the events of BBS teaching her that the strongest lights cast the longest shadows.

Xehanort chooses Riku as a Dark Vessel, whispering to him & encouraging him to doubt, to mistrust.

It is assumed, by Sora and by Riku, that Riku was also the person responsible for "opening the door" to the Darkness that felled the Destiny Islands. Yet throughout his childhood, each attempt by Riku to open the mysterious door on the play island failed and, when Darkness Falls, it is Kairi who is found at its source (Kairi, who had been expelled from her home by a version of Xehanort & whose heart harboured yet another fragment of the Seeker of Darkness).

Regardless of whether he truly opened the Destiny Islands to Darkness, Riku believed it & through Darkness did he find "freedom" to explore the Worlds Beyond, just as he had always dreamed... except for one, rather significant detail becoming derailed: Sora's presence by Riku's Side.

The two were separated and Sora was almost lost: even with Darkness swallowing Riku whole, the light within his Heart acted in time to save Sora by entrusting to him 'Kingdom Key'. Riku's Keyblade. A physical manifestation of Riku's Heart.

(notably, the "Kingdom Key-D" found by King Mickey was found not too far from the scene where Kingdom Key manifested: it is plausible that this keyblade was also manifested by Riku's Heart, perhaps alongside its 'Light' counterpart - I'd need to check the timeline to see how such a theory holds up)

Kingdom Key was entrusted to Sora, a subconscious act of Riku's Heart that mirrored an earlier act of protection Riku gave to Sora: on the night where Kairi fell to the Destiny Islands, a young Sora felt frightened and a young Riku swore to protect his dearest friend. This oath was sworn in turn sworn by Sora to Riku. They sealed these oaths with tokens they held close: while Sora's charm gifted to Riku remains unknown, Riku entrusted Sora with a crown charm he had had since infancy.

When Riku was 5, Riku entrusted Sora with his Crown. Both boys swore to protect the other.

When Riku was 15, Riku's Heart entrusted itself to Sora in the form of 'Kingdom Key'.

When Riku was ~16, he subconsciously protected Sora by becoming the latter's Dreamel Eater. Within the same timeframe, Riku sacrificed himself entirely to save Sora at the Keyblade Graveyard (an act of sacrifice, an act of True Love).

At every instance where Riku has been at a crossroads, knowingly or not, his Heart has Chosen Sora's: Riku, presumed descendant of Ephemera and a child of the Destiny Islands, has always & continues to choose Sora.

When the pair were reunited in KH2 and confronted the threat of Xemnas, the two fought as one & passed their keyblades between each other intuitively

When the pair existed in parallel realms of Sleep, separated but connected, their heartbeasts joined to form a Waltzing variation of the melody 'Dearly Belove'. They then fought in sync with a Combined Blade, formed from the keyblades "Mirage Split" and "Nightmare's End", acting again as two halves of a whole.

When Riku was to meet his end in the Realm of Darkness, far within the abyss, Sora appeared to him and they once again wielded their Combined Blade. Beast had once reaponded to a 15 year old Riku's questioning of his impossible arrival to Hollow Bastion, where Beast's Beloved Belle was held hostage, that he had "simply believed": belief brought Sora to Riku in the Realm of Darkness, belief brought Sora to the Final World in the wake of Riku's Ultimate Sacrifice.

The premise of Kingdom Key & its counterpart, Kingdom Key-D, being Manifestations of Riku's Heart & indicative of Riku's being the "Child of Destiny" does run into some Logistical Obstacles.

One, if Riku's Keyblade is being wielded by Sora (& Mickey, assuming the two keys were originally one) then whose keyblade is Riku wielding?

Two, how can Riku's Heart manifest multiple keyblades? Posession by Ansem Seeker of Darkness explains 1 of the "extra" keyblades (the key of "all hearts"). The bequeathing ceremony by Terra could explain another. Kingdom Key-D is definitely connected to Kingdom Key yet never specifically associated with Riku, evem being wielded by King Mickey (a stranger to Riku, at that point).

To the first: if Riku's keyblade is being wielded by Sora (& its counterpart by King Mickey), how can Riku wield another keyblade in KH1 even before getting possessed?

There are several immediate & varyingly plausible explanations: Riku's nature as a "Child of Destiny" allowing his Heart to churn out keyblades on demand like some Fey Lady of Avalon; or the other keyblades were not actually manifested by Riku at all.

While I greatly enjoy the imagery of Riku playing the "Lady of the Lake" to Sora's "Arthur" in KH1, given Sora's opening dream sequence already set Riku as being stuck in a Body Of Water (which is additionally representative of Darkness), it is Stretching Things to assume all other Plot Focused keyblades were ALSO fished out from Riku's Heart.

Perhaps Riku's Heart simply conjured new keyblades in response to Sora's Heart taking in new quests: Riku's Heart supplying keys to the metaphoric doors of Sora's Heart Hotel.

It is more likely, however, that the "new" keyblade wielded by Riku (the one currently known as "Braveheart") is a manifestation of SORA'S Heart: Riku entrusted his crown & his heart to Sora, first on the night of the Meteor Shower & then on the night the Islands Fell; Sora, in turn, entrusted his sword & heart to Riku. It explains how each boy readily wields the keyblade of the other & fits within the theme of their hearts beating in sych.

Riku choosing Sora, Riku's entrusting his Heart (literally & figuratively) with Sora, resulted in Destiny Itself 'choosing' Sora: if Riku represents Kingdom Hearts, the subject of his love would naturally become beloved by the Worlds in turn.

Sora acting as "[the] One Sky, One Destiny" due to Sora having the 'Heart' of Destiny through its child (Riku)'s love.

Sora is not only Riku's Dearly Beloved, Sora is THE "Dearly Beloved": beloved by the Worlds, entrusted with their Hearts & appointed their Savior. And all because, dull and ordinary boy that he may be, it is Sora's naturally normal self that Riku fell in love with. Sora may not be any more innately special than anyone else but Sora is special to RIKU, the love between them (knowingly or not) serving as the driving force of their stories & of Destiny itself.

[whosyourfavevoicedby-polls]

[mushi-shield]

[kchasm]

Ryu Number: Alice (i.e. of Wonderland)

Okay, I know what you're thinking. K.C., are you really churning out a post on Alice's Ryu Number? Sora is in Smash, for goodness' sake. That's Kingdom Hearts, which gets you the Disney version split-lickety.

Yeah, that's true. And it would be perfectly reasonable to shut the book on the matter right there and shout, "Problem solved!" But here's a question: Are Alice of Wonderland and Alice Liddell the same person?

That's a rhetorical question, by the way. If a century of Alicologists aren't going to come to an agreement, an opinion off the end of a tumblr post is unlikely to set off a scholarly paradigm shift. For what it's worth, Lewis Carroll himself seemed to consider Liddell and the literary Alice as separate individuals—the latter as more of an idealization than any real person*—but he's got some investment in the matter, so he's not exactly a reliable source.

(This is a joke. Don't at me.)

*Woolf, J. (2010). The Mystery of Lewis Carroll. St. Martin's Press.

... But we're not here for literary analysis, of course. We're here for the Ryu Numbers. So what's Alice Liddell's?

The most obvious route, of course, would be through American McGee's American McGee's Alice and Alice: Madness Returns video games. The lore of the second game straight out gives Alice the surname Liddell...

... and the opening cutscene of the first game features a photograph in Alice's bedroom of someone who might be Lewis Carroll (which is a bit weird, but whatever), as well as an Alice storybook (meaning Alice exists one narrative layer higher than the literary Alice).

...That said, if American McGee did mean for the game Alice Liddell to be the Alice Liddell, that's something it looks like he walked back in game two (or at least went in with plausible deniability about). Game Alice seems to have had just the one sibling, an older sister named Elizabeth, and her father's name was Arthur—the real Alice, on the other hand, had nine siblings in all (jeez), with her only older sister named Lorina and her father named Henry.

(Also all the Wonderland elements explicitly take place in Alice's head, which means technically we shouldn't be counting Wonderland characters any more than we'd count characters that show up in dreams or hallucinations, but I'll pretend not to notice if you pretend not to notice, alright? Call it the Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. precedent.)

To get to something plausibly Liddeller, I'ma jump back to the Apple II/Commodore 64 era.

Wait, the Laurence Yep? Aunno, maybe! I wrote to him once, because I wanted to know if the Charles Edward Stuart that appears in this game is actually Charles Edward Stuart, or just the White King believing himself to be Charles Edward Stuart, both of which seemed likely enough to me given the setting.

I never got an answer back, probably because I couldn't find any contact info for Laurence Yep and ended up writing to the most recent publisher of his works I could find instead. What I'm saying is that I doubt Mr. Yep ever laid eyes on my letter before it was slam-dunked into the nearest wastebin (Mr. Yep if you are reading this please DM me).

Anyway, shortly before Alice falls into the rabbit hole, gets swept up in the usual Wonderland annoyances, then finally makes her way up and out the same rabbit hole (i.e. no "it was all a dream," it's happening for realsies), Alice runs into a dude on a boat. It's Lewis Carroll, and you know he's Lewis Carroll because he says he's Lewis Carroll.

Add that that he's a teller of stories to this Alice, and and it serves as good implication as any that the player character is the historical Alice Liddell.

[no-context-kh]

[friends-to-lovers-tournament]

Friends to Lovers Tournament: Round 3, Side A, Match 3

propaganda under the cut!

Iruclarazz:

LISTEN THEY ARE THE OT3 TO BEAT ALL OTHER OT3's LIKE THEY HOLD SO MUCH POWER!!!

1. THEY ARE SO FUCKING FLUFFY AND COLOURFUL AND PURE AND ADORABLE AND—*chokes on emotions* anyways they're literally the most wholesome and supportive of all ships like i can't even begin to summarize how much they care for each other

2. THEY CANONLY CALL EACH OTHER SOULMATES and even if clara and azz don't understand what a soulmate is (they're demons) they're just happy to be close to iruma. 

3. whenever one of them is upset or bothered, the other two form a team and they go ALL OUT to lift the third person's mood!!! they try to solve the problem but if that's not possible, they just stay with that person and try to make them feel better so that they can face their problem with a better mood and more strength

4. they're ALWAYS together. and none of them are bothered by it!! and instead of being toxic about the need to stay close, they establish boundaries! like they have their own secrets they can't tell the others and that's totally fine! no pressure at all in their squad

5. listen these three help each other become better people!! like they bring out the best in each other and it's the most wholesome, encouraging, healthy, lovey dovey ship ever!!! like clara becomes more responsible despite her need for chaos bc she wants to make sure azz and iruma can depend on her! azz stops putting up walls and allows people to approach him because he wants to get involved in the other two's lives! and iruma learns how to set boundaries with these two where he could never say no to anyone!! like if that isn't the most awesome and perfect relationship idk what is!!!

6. one tol and two smols that's all.

THERE IS JUST SO MUCH MORE IN CANON THAT SHOWS HOW AWESOME THESE TRIO ARE AS AN OT3 BUT YEAH IT'S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL POLY SHIP I'VE EVER SEEN IN MANGA!!!

Sorikai:

Despite the antagonistic relationship between Riku and Sora during KH 1, these two have been best friends since childhood.  Kairi quickly joined their friend group as a child. Now all three are trying to keep each other safe and pull the other two away from the darkness.  

They all have two hands for holding onto each other. (Not canon but it should be)

[itz-so-me]

my muse.