#sora may very well be the one person who knows that isn't true.

[derekscorner]

Kingdom Hearts: Gods & Angels

Just as the name implies this is a bit of a random shower-type of thought. It's not me complaining or trying to rewrite KH either, what I'm about to describe isn't even a problem objectively.

The thing I'm about to explain is a very much "me problem" that extends to any story I invest in but if you're bored like I am let's indulge a bit.

Kingdom Hearts: Angels & Gods

You see, I have the type of brain that tries to understand the lore of something. I do not need every answer given since a story should always retain mystery but there will always be some aspect of a world I can't help but hyper-focus on.

In KH's case it's the way life & death work. Initially it was easy to assume that Hades was the de-facto end point since the Disney version of the Olympians are very much godly.

Even in their source film the gods are depicted as immortal and omnipotent over their domain. Even Hades is, in actuality, a very powerful threat both in the movie and KH series.

(you see Hades display super strength in the movie a few times in fact)

Sora always wins with the power of friendship and Hercules has literal god-tier strength so Hades isn't that threatening but to the average living being he's basically a force of nature.

Even with his keyblade and otherworldly magic Sora can't actually kill Hades. He's legitimately immortal, there is no death for him.

Then later I assumed that each world essentially had it's own afterlife. Which may still be true to some extent at the time of me writing this. The presence of Joshua in DDD solidified this idea for me for a while.

I do keep in mind (as should you) that any Square character that cameos in KH is not the same one you see in the game they appear in. Squal isn't Squal, he's Leon. Cloud isn't Cloud, he's emo Cloud in Vincent Valentines outfit. Their backstories and personalities are rewritten entirely.

Even Zack who appeared in BBS was from the world of Hercules rather than having a history shared with Cloud. The closest being we seen to having a backstory hinted to be similar to their source material was Auron but the very fact he was in Hades underworld means some obvious variation has happened there as well.

This is very important because that means the same level of alteration exists for Joshua, his reapers, and the Shibuya that Neku calls home. We know the reapers game exists, we know that a Composer exists, but the actual accuracy to TWEWY's lore isn't guaranteed.

If anything, you should assume that the Shibuya that Neku calls home in KH is basically its own thing entirely. Especially now that Verum Rex exists with a Shibuya of it's own. (it was confirmed that the two shibuya's are indeed different)

The Final Headache World

But this all changes with KH3's Final World- hell, it all changes with Dark Road from the mobile titles.

In KH3 we're shown the "Final World" the place you supposedly go when you are done. There is no tricks, there is no miracles, you are as dead as you can be.

Sora literally broke time twice to save the day and still wound up here...or you're supposed too? See thanks to Dark Road or KH4's premise it's confusing.

We know you go to this Final World if you die both in heart, body, and soul. A total demise, KH3 tells us this in-game.

We also know that "Unreality" functions as a type of afterlife for people like Sora too since Strelitzia tells us as such in the KH4 trailer.

So...where do Joshua and Hades fit into that?

According to Hades here, according to what we've actually seen, the Underworld is your death. A Kh wielder or two die (okay more) in KHDR and they do go here.

The protagonists make a deal with Hades to speak to the spirit of one such dead key kid. Soooo that just makes my brain question "why?".

What dictates these differences. On a surface level you can assume Sora and Strelitzia are in Unreality because they were kicked out of "reality". We know this is true for Sora at the very least, the world at large didn't kill him it flat out removed him from reality as he knows it for breaking time.

But the first time Sora died he went to the Final World not the Underworld. The excuse that Kairi was keeping his heart connected to life is also a stretch because Sora still went to the Final World.

She offered a way back but she did not stop his death leading him to this world.

So where does the Underworld fit into that? How does Joshua's reaper game fit into this set up? Is there even a common denominator at all?

It's possible that every afterlife is connected to the Final World but that's conjecture on my part not a fact. I only offer it because Hades is shown fully capable of summoning dead people (like Auron or the Key Kid) and Joshua has shown that he's fully capable of retrieving dead people and moving them to worlds not within his domain.

He took Neku's group to the Realm of Sleep, he left his world behind to help reconstruct them. We don't know why he did but the point is that he could.

Hades and Joshua are literally two beings that you witness working on a cosmic scale. They clearly have power over death even in worlds they don't physically live in.

Kingdom Hearts: Gods & Angels???

And you want to know the real kicker? This bothers me personally not just for these questions about death but because my brain jumps the shark to the divine.

Death is always governed by something in any religion and what I have just described is an angel based on monotheistic religion and a pagan god working on a cosmic scale.

(technically composers are more like super-reapers or lower ranked angels than true angels but Joshua has the wings so semantics)

What is bothering me is that I do not comprehend how the cosmic landscape works. I know Hades is the god of death for everyone thanks to Dark Road, even Xigbar pokes fun at Hercules for having help in "high places". The Olympians in KH effect the universe as a whole.

But...Joshua exists and so does he. Do the gods just pick worlds to personally run? Do they make them? Between Joshua and the church in Notre Dome how do pagan gods like the Olympians or even Callisto from Pirates of the Caribbean fit in?

It's these kind of questions that my mind wanders too in KH and any story. I want to know, it bothers me that there's no concrete law.

Hell, I bet you even forgot that Davy Jones Locker was in KH3, it's an after life as well! Calisto is barely shown in KH3 but she's there, she's a sea goddess.

I didn't forget but I don't know where they all fit.

There is no answer for any of this and honestly it would be wiser from a writers standpoint to not try and do so. I just needed to rant about it for a bit.

I hope you enjoyed this trip through my insanity, I hope that I cured your boredom and never forget; this is a very me problem.

[ms-aliennya]

this may sound extremely odd, but can I have headcannons of the "murderous" sdra2 characters +nikei and Yuki as the fun gang from deltarune?? (mikado as kris, yuki as noelle, kanade as ralsei, syobai as susie and nikei as berdly)

Right, your order and an order!

Sdra2 assassin characters!

Sora: Sora an exemplary girl, wait... M-killing??? well I don't think anyone would suspect a poor girl with amnesia who is always helping others, right? so that would be a perfect alibi to prove she was never the author of these cruel crimes! a great mind for solving trials being their motive? that's super cool!

Yuki maeda- ok, ok, I don't think anyone would suspect yuki!! His face is a Muggle, and unimaginable people have discovered that he is a murderer, since neither utsuro nor void isn't doing his job right, let the boy be nice, he your silly little ones will help in that too, like he knows everyone, just spending 2 minutes with setsuka he has already made a concrete opinion about her, and he manages to blend in well with the rest

Hajime makonouchi- well hajime would be great at that, as he's always running and training and exercising he could watch the people around him meanwhile seeing every loophole to murder, like just one punch from him faints kasai one punch from him should kill me or at least a head trauma, right? And it would be pretty easy to murder people who join him in training like kasai and maeda, since he knows both their schedules (dude, hajime's attack and S )

Yuri kagarin- Of course he only kills men! Like he would never touch a woman's finger, imagine killing?!? Well the victims' deaths would be pretty cruel since he doesn't consider human men anyway, so he won't let anyone find out, because if a woman finds out it's gone, he's given up, :) ,and fuck, the yuri is so fucking smart it shouldn't be hard to make anyone find out it was him

Emma magorobi- oops, this is getting interesting, emma is an actress so it will be easy for her to talk to others that she and one of the scared innocents (only if kokoro isn't there, right lol) she's very skillful she can get it all the trust of other colleagues

Kokoro mitsume- a woman with no feelings and smart, like kokoro and very smart (she is one of the smartest) So she plans a plan for the whole crime and does it perfectly, she can read her victim's every move because of her studies

Hibiki otonokoji and kanade otonokoji-

ok, ok the hibiki only and a Minion she only obeys the kanade so the True Killer and the kanade, kanade plans everything perfectly and explains the plan with all the possible details even how the victim will bleed she makes plans A ,B,C and until H

Setsuka chiebukuro- As setsuka is a playful and friendly person, many people wouldn't even think that the person who helps everyone and supports them in difficult times, nor would I doubt it, so setsuka would not be in the eyes of others as a killer, but I believe that setsuka would not would like to kill someone with her own hands so she could hire someone to commit these crimes making it harder for people to doubt her

Yoruko kabuya- yoruko someone who is always with everyone, but as I said in setsuka's, I don't think it would be possible for her to kill someone alone, but if everything goes wrong, do it yourself! so she'll pack her little knife, and invite her vitama to drink wine and then commit the crime, without anyone knowing :)

Shinji kasai- fuck, I don't need to say anything right? His hand is the size of my face, he's kind and shy, but he also has a strong personality, with his strength and just a few punches and fixes someone would die, but I think he would like to kill people quickly so they don't feel pain

Nikei yomiuri- as Nikei is not very good at fighting or fighting one-on-one, he would have to devise a strategy that can make the victim die quickly without being able to react, and the most used ways to kill the victims were poisoning or shooting, and then of a well-planned murder writing a story for the newspaper about the murder

Teruya otori-

As well as otori has a gun i wonder if he has more but let's say yes, he could use all the items obtained by the kisaragi foundation to murder someone (cheating and fuck even hahaha) even though otori can be kind of suspicious to others ,but he gets the trust of some in other chapters, and as he has knowledge about some like yuki he could incriminate or even kill him

Iroha nijue- well I don't think iroha would do well as a killer but she could try, our little cry baby has already managed to make allies and could tell them she would never do that, she could also ask for emma or hajime (if both were alive) to help kill or be an alibi

if they try to frame her

shoubai hashimoto-

As well as he is a killer he would be great at it, he already has experience in crimes, but so that no one suspects him he could try to make a crime not so successful so don't rumor that it was him since he is very good at this job , and he could be The Person I mentioned they would hire to kill

mikado sannoji-

Mikado like him and the big boss of this parade, he has access to all weapons and items, he wouldn't be dumb to kill someone cabornized for everyone to know it was him, because he's the only one with firepower huh?

So he could walk into any room, get anything, do anything, even walk into someone's room at night? I do not know I do not know :)

Fanart

I love deltarune, it's been a long time since I saw

[wattpadscapcons]

WARNING! HEAVY SPOILERS!

Alright.....well I finished Sdra2.

MY GOD WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?

It was a great game I can surely tell you that at least. In the end I felt more sympathetic towards Mikado, the REAL Mikado. I honestly doubt that the real Mikado was actually planning for a killing game to happen really. If he was, then well guess that sucks for me because I like the dead guy better than his alter ego.

My feelings on Sora are different now, she was a very interesting protagonist, and I can't say that I hate her anymore due to what she gave up in order to save Yuki and the others. She gave up her body, Akane's body, just so he could have a life and fulfill at least half of her promise to them. That was what I would call true devotion.

Also Nikei pissed me off due to his sheer lack of empathy shown during the Void Theater.

=====

In Depth Analysis of the Real Mikado Sannoji vs. his AI

=====

Why do I just want someone to write a fanfic about the hacker non-despair Mikado right now? Like I don't even care if it's short at this point, in hindsight what he and created with Kokoro was truly a form of real evil but I know there was a difference between him and his alter ego. It was Kokoro's fault that his alter ego became that monster, and it was his alter ego that hired Syobai to kidnap those poor people in the first place. He said so himself during the last class trial didn't he?

They had different reasons for bringing them back as well, and the alter ego's reason was much more selfish. The real Mikado was dead before the killing game even took place, so isn't that one more reason to believe that even if he was alive that he would've come up with another plan to resurrect Utsuro without hurting anyone? I know he didn't exactly have any emotions at the beginning but his interactions with Kokoro in the flashback would say otherwise. That man was meek, rather a pushover compared to his alter ego, which branched off him and became something truly more terrifying.

He may have been a hacker and he may have been a criminal, but I truly believe that if his alter ego hadn't gone to kill him, that the killing school trip would have never happened the way it did. Of course, he may have never been able to resurrect Utsuro either. All of the information he stole was put into the research of studying and creating AI with primitive emotions, not trapping people to use as human sacrifices. He only wanted to meet him once more, even if it wasn't really the real Utsuro.

He wasn't the one who gathered up Void, he wasn't the one who kidnapped the next generation of hope, he was just another victim to his own creation! I believe that he would have developed morals against that kind of thing. Even if I'm wrong, I'm still going to stand by this analysis....

Say what you want, the real Mikado wouldn't have done all of that, his alter ego even said that they changed his plan because it was too weak and had low chances of success. I believe that plan was to create an Utsuro alter ego with the knowledge gained from his and Kokoro's work. Had he been an Ultimate he probably could have created his savior without the need to go about bringing his and many other's deaths. It was never his intention in the first place.

What we saw in the game was simply a power-mad AI with a warped version of his personality. If you want someone to be mad at, be mad at Kokoro for not stopping it. Not Mikado Sannoji.

Who's to say that his alter ego wasn't lying to us about his backstory anyways. The only real evidence is what Mikado included during the flashback with Kokoro. He was an orphan, and didn't know what happened to his parents, and he was saved by Utsuro.

Mikado was many things, a hacker, a criminal, and an orphan with an obsession over his savior, but I don't believe he would have done the same things as his alter ego.

Sorry if this tangent rant didn't make any sense especially after I told you all last time that I hated him, but I didn't have all of the facts. I can say that I like the REAL him, and despise his alter ego.

=======

As for how I feel for the other characters....

I feel rather sorry for/ loved: Sora, Teruya, Emma, Yuki, Hibiki, Setsuka, Yuruko, Yuri, Shinji, the real Mikado, Kokoro (high school), Nikei

I don't hate them but I certainly can't vibe with them: Iroha, Hajime, Rei

Love-hate relationship: Syobai

Strong Dislike: Kinjo

I really, really, really, ultimately, don't like you: Kokoro (adult)

I despised with every fiber of my being and would shove off a bridge/cliff if given the opportunity: AI Mikado, Kanade

======

Characters I would like to start writing for:

- Hacker Sannoji

- Yuki (with or without Sora's body) (Basically high school kid or traumatized adult with the power of devine luck)

- Yuri

- Hibiki

- Sora (I would attempt it, can't say that I'll keep her)

- Syobai

- Yuruko

- Nikei

- Utsuro

[sylviareviar]

I've been watching PlayFrame's Kingdom Hearts Story Mode Playthrough...

Fellas, is it weird if Goofy is my favorite Kingdom Hearts character? Unironically, I mean? Like, sure, Goofy belongs to Disney, but like... the Trinity Trio is my favorite, first of all, and second of all, the way he and Donald are handled in terms of taking care of Sora as he grows from 12 to like... what, 16, 17 years old?

I read somewhere here on Tumblr that the Trinity Trio has three brain cells among them, and Goofy has two of them at all times. And just... that's so true, isn't it? And all I can think of when I see Goofy acting so serious and smart and actually taking everyone else seriously despite his silly voice and lanky design and silly little shield, is that... This is what Serious Goofy looks like. This is Goofy in a life-or-death situation. His personality doesn't change completely, that's besides the point. But he displays these amazing capabilities we never see in the silly animated Disney stuff he's officially featured in, and I think that's crazy and good. It makes me think Goofy isn't just his name, it's an affectionate nickname given by his friends because, out of the friend group, he's always the one carrying the backbone of their high spirits. He's the one who keeps a smile on his face, does silly things, and acts stupid, his own reputation be damned. Mickey stresses out a lot--I've seen it in lots of scattered animated clips online. Donald is constantly angry. Out of the three of them, Goofy is always the happiest. Sometimes, he may even fuck with his friends just to make a jab at how the things they're stressing about aren't actually that big of a deal--or if they are, that they're overthinking things and should just slow down.

I guess the two clips I think about the most when thinking about this feature of Goofy's personality is this one meme clip I found of Mickey arguing with Goofy about how "Nobody's here," and Goofy leads him around in this big convoluted circle of "Aren't we somebody? So then somebody is here! So then help us!" And Mickey would be like "No--WE'RE stuck! ALL THREE of us!" "Well, Mick, I hate to tell ya, but somebody told me that there's nobody here." Mickey went off on a string of confused noises and eventually gave up. Then there was the other one where Goofy had this like, infinite ring of keys, of which the joke was that he had a "key to the heart," therefore GASP KINGDOM HEARTS REFERENCE BY OFFICIAL DISNEY?????? Actually, in all honesty, I haven't seen THAT many clips of Donald, Mickey, and Goofy. But even so, I can't help feeling like this really is his personality.

Like somehow, if he was allowed to, Goofy would totally goof off and find ways to make his friends smile and laugh or even frustrate them if he could while they traveled to other worlds--from Donald's general demeanor towards him, at least in the beginning of Kingdom Hearts I, it's clear he's done that before already. But with Sora, not only is the kid impressionable, but if Goofy truly decided to live up to his name, the only "responsible" adult in the group would be Donald, and for all that Goofy loves Donald, everyone knows he has anger issues and isn't very mature at all. So he steps up. When they genuinely need to figure something out--which is most of the time, since the entire franchise plays off of vast abstracts that no one can keep track of anymore because at this point everything is a fever dream--Goofy offers what he genuinely knows, rather than fumbling with words for the sake of appearing stupid for the bit. (Granted, he still fumbles words sometimes, but it's also possible that with such an unusual mouth shape, he genuinely struggles with speaking sometimes, which is also valid of him.)

I never in my life thought I'd make an entire essay overanalyzing a literal cartoon character and how much I love him in comparison to like, the rest of Kingdom Hearts. Granted, the main reason I'm a KH fan is, to be frank, the crossover appeal. I'm a sucker for crossovers and I love Kingdom Hearts for it. Most of the original characters (besides Sora, Riku, Kairi, and because I'm biased, Axel) are okay, I guess... Like, they're not bad--in fact, they're great, and they're engaging and I can see the appeal, but... For me, the appeal of Kingdom Hearts is the crossovers. I love hearing King Mickey talk about objectively Dark things. Man might as well tell Sora, in his high-pitched Mickey Mouse voice, that "Ya gotta be prepared to kill if ya wanna survive, Sora," because that'd be the most cursed, funniest shit I'd ever heard. But unironically, the Trinity Trio is my absolute favorite and maybe I'm weird, but I'm totally a fan of the Cartoon Character Angst we get in this franchise.

So fellas, I ask again. Is it weird that Goofy, unironically, is my top-favorite character in Kingdom Hearts, with Sora and then Mickey as my second and third? (Donald as a close fourth--no hate on Donald, but you literally can't top Mickey Mouse saying "Fellas, did someone mention the Door To Darkness?")

[whaleofatjme1920]

Guess I'm sliding into send in foundation squad ask

Each of the other three (Tjme, Sora and Quill) and how they would preen Agent Icarus' wings. Clearly that on its own is a lot of trust so I'm curious thoughts on how they would go about it

Preening Agent Icarus' Wings

[Including: Quill, Sora and Tjme. Respectively, @lynxlycan@hereggssuitcasefish. Icarus is already here as the requester.]

[Warnings: Like, none??]

[AN: Sometimes with older birds, they need help preening or getting new feathers in! While Dawson isn't that old yet, when they reach a certain age, they may need the scritches!]

Quill

The most inexperienced with both Icarus and birds in general tbh.

The first time that Icarus lets her do so she's really uncertain, constantly asking questions to make sure she's not hurting them and generally, very cautious.

She's not exactly scared but even she recognizes that this is a super personal thing! So of course, her touches are soft and gentle. She follows whatever Icarus tells her to a T. Quill is a very curious person by nature and wants to soak in whatever Icarus tells her as well.

Finds out through some of the other avian humanoids in the site there are certain combs and stuff due to the feathers being huge and uses that knowledge to her advantage so the next time she does so, it's a lot smoother and she doesn't seem as hesitant.

Recognizes it as a huge honor. The first few goes are all about questions on being an angelic being and later is tapers off into normal conversation. Quill is just a sweetie at handling it and becomes pretty good.

Sora

Familiar with birds but at the same time is like ??? You want me to do that for you???? They're almost surprised at the offer because I think these two have minimal interaction at first.

Surprisingly, preening comes really natural to them! They kinda sit down, put their hair up and get to work. It's almost methodical, a little clinical but always leaves Icarus feeling lighter at the end.

They're weirdly familiar with avian habits and use that to their advantage. It surprises Icarus tbh. But, Sora generally enjoys it because they see it as a big friendship thing.

They have a tried and true method that they use for Icarus' wings. It's kinda like a checkup at the doctor's but more friendly and personal. It puts both of them at east and Sora kinda fixates on it which brings them a different type of zen.

It's honestly something they both kinda look forward to after a while. Sora finds it relaxing and Icarus doesn't mind having someone preen their wings in the places they can't always reach! It's nice having their feathers look the best they can by someone who oddly knows what they're doing.

Tjme

Grew up around birds this isn't new behavior to her. Despite being a fish, feathers aren't out of her ordinary.

Just kinda sits down and starts to preen Icarus' wings with one of her fine tooth combs, and hums while doing so. Eventually, the soft singing and humming dies down to legitimate conversation but that's always how it starts.

It's honestly kinda drawn out because the two just get stuck talking to each other. It's calming for both of them, really.

Even then, Tjme is very honored that Icarus would trust her with such a task. Some of the most vulnerable parts of a bird are their wings, and angels are no different.

Like Sora, it becomes a pretty regular thing. Only, Tjme is no where near as methodical. It's much more the experience than it is the overall attention to detail. That isn't to say Tjme lacks in quality though.

[smartzelda]

Okay *Demyx voice* Arendelle time!

Poor Sora😂

That gust of snow just moves in and he's like "Coat! Please! I'm an islander!"

Donald just shrugs it off like "That's not how it works. Go and freeze."

This is where I bring up the "kh3 is self aware thing" again because now we actually have Sora dying from the snowy area, and then when Sora just like completely forgets about it, Donald and Goofy are like, "Islander my butt. He's not even feeling it anymore, is he?"

Sora getting the first puzzle piece to the situation when Elsa runs away, a sad look on her face. Y'know, the beginning of that Riku to Elsa and Sora to Anna parallel, Elsa running away because Anna and the whole Kingdom are better off without her

Elsa: *uses magic*

Sora, Donald, and Goofy: *surprised pikachu face and slightly fearing for their lives*

If I'm remembering correctly, there's a section right here where you basically fight a bunch of enemies in the huge area

I distinctly remember running around, (and Xion could vouch for this) fighting the enemies, and very monotonely voicing that I was about to die

So...ice maze.

In my proud runthrough I really had to get to a save point so I zoomed through the ice maze as fast as possible. This time I took the time to explore every room and beat all the enemies. I still hate light rails with a passion.

So, the avalanche gets started at the top once we reach the palace, pushing Sora, Donald, and Goofy off

I... The ice dragon thing was so bad. I spent forever, dying and dying and dying to their stupid laser beams. It happened so many times that I had to go to bed and try it again the next day. I would get to the part where all three flew in the air and shot beams, and it felt so unpredictable and stupid and impossible because I would dodge beams from two, and the third's would appear right under where I was landing, which was impossible to judge. It was here I learned a lesson: Use the Kupo Coin when you need it

Bless the kupo coin for saving my stupid butt

The sled part after that stressed me out cause it wasn't hard, but I had a bad habit of bumping into things, so...😂

I pretty much just abused shotlocks, ultimate form, light form/double form okp, and thunder or thundara or whichever I had at the time and I finished those dragons off

Spiky brown grass 😂😂😂😂

Poor Sora is so frustrated that he didn't get a color like green or blue like Donald and Goofy

The part where Anna talks to Sora about Elsa and he finally puts some pieces together and relates it to him and Riku really gets me every time because their situation is a big Soriku parallel. I know this is one of the scenes that's probably been soriku analyzed to death, but like

Elsa and Anna used to play all the time when they were really little like best friends

Baby Sora and Riku, best friends, used to play together all the time

One day, Elsa shuts Anna out because she doesn't want to hurt her

Kairi enters the scene, Sora starts paying a little more attention to her, Sora and Riku's duo relationship isn't terrible, it just does a little decrease. The literal shutting out in which Riku and Sora close the Door to Darkness. Then, the shutting out when Sora wakes up in kh2 and Riku alienates himself because of his guilt over what he did, and what leads into the next part of the parallel

Elsa accidentally uses her ice magic and flees the kingdom to the north mountain. She alienates herself so she can't hurt anyone (especially Anna) and because she thinks the kingdom and Anna are better off without her

Riku feels like he can't win without using the power of darkness and is weak. He is ashsmed that he relied on darkness and it showed in his appearance as Ansem. He alienates himself from Sora and everyone because he feels like he can't show his face as Ansem and because he thinks Sora is better off without him.

Sora, of course, puts these pieces together with Anna's story and makes the parallel connection between him and Anna, then Elsa and Riku in his head. I like how he says, "If anyone can help her, it's you," because I feel like that's him remembering his situation with Riku when he wanted to find him and that because of the reason for Riku's actions, only he could help.

And I think it's interesting that it's first Anna saying "I have to bring her home" and then Sora saying "I'm sure she knows now much you love her" for him to make these parallels. I think that implies that Sora gets that Elsa and Anna are siblings that love each other and he's thinking over what Riku means to him and even what he means to Riku.

Also Sora (in jap ver dialogue) realizing that maybe Riku pushed him away because he's someone precious to Riku is like...

My heart bro...

Ngl, so many times here I moved up the mountain fighting enemies and died that I'd go halfway up the mountain, then backtrack all the way back to the save so I wouldn't have to keep completely starting over every time I got oneshotted by an armored body. I did that multiple times for this area.

So, we get to the point where Sora finally reaches the top of the mountain again. For whatever reason I couldn't remember if it was like that before, but the Elsa freezing Anna's heart scene and it flashing between that and Sora, and then Sora holding a hand to his heart in pain right after we see the shot of Elsa putting ice into Anna's heart.

I think it's a parallel and Nomura's tryna tell us/foreshadow something

Okay, so big oof on the Marshmallow fight. I think on my proud run I got a bunch of times to use the team attack with the tree. I swear I only got to use it twice counted up from all my attempts on this run

The suckiest part was armored mode. I did a lot of trying to let Donald and Goofy do the work here cause I didn't wanna get oneshotted, but that didn't always quite work out... I eventually did it though, snd of course Sora, Donald, and Goofy are knocked off the mountain again

Idk how mant times I'm gonna keep saying this, but poor Sora. He's just so done and frustrated. "I could do this a hundred times."

And then Donald and Goofy both take him seriously 😂

"Please don't."

"Yeah, we should do it again!"

Awwww, Marshmallow. He just wanted to protect Elsa. I know that's what he was created to do, but that's still sweet

Sweet Sora boy making friends with anything that moves and we love him for it

Marshmallow made my life with enemies a little easier ngl

At the save point right before seeing Kristoff, I did some meteorite farming in gummi space and took a trip to the bistro. By this point I had excellents on all but 3 dishes because I didn't have the ingredients yet.

Also, by this point I was blessed with adorable remmy and Sora getting presents. Remmy got his own tiny present!

And I'm sure you know this already, but like...I have a soriku obsession right now, so I enjoy making things into little personal Soriku references

Exhibit A: My gummi and Teeny Ships

They are both named after Yozora and contain the colors for Sora, Riku, and Yozora

Okay, so back in Arendelle, Sora, Donald, and Goofy temporarily leave Marshmallow behind, and we come upon Kristoff and another Soriku parallel

Kristoff: "No, Sven! We're not going back. She's with her true love."

Riku: "You mean Kairi. To Sora, she's someone very special."

Sora: "Where'd Anna go?"

Kristoff: "She's back at home."

Sora: "Something happen?"

Kristoff: "Anna was struck in the heart by Elsa's ice magic. If the ice isn't removed, she'll freeze forever. Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart. So I took her back to Arendelle and to her true love, Hans."

Xion: "Do you know where Sora is now?"

Riku: "That secret stays with me."

Xion: "Why's that?"

Riku: "Xion...your memories...they really belong to Sora."

Xion: "So you mean...I'm like a part of him?"

Riku: "When his memories were scattered, some of them...found their way inside you. Now, Sora has been put to sleep so that we can piece together his memory."

Sora: "But...what about you?"

Kristoff: "What about me?"

Sora: "Uh, I sorta assumed you guys were..."

Kristoff: "Nooo! I just keep her from getting lost."

Xion: "So, do you hate me for taking your friend away from you?"

Riku: "Nah, I guess...I'm just sad.

Sora: "Really? Oh, but you seem so..."

Goofy: "Perfect together!"

Donald: "Yeah, like me and Daisy!"

So let's talk this over.

Point one, both assumptions on who the person in question's (Sora and Anna) true love/most important person is. This may have to do in part with some surface level stuff and Kristoff/Riku's anxiety that the person in question (Anna and Sora) probably doesn't like them like that.

Point two, the person in question has had something bad happen to them such as their memories being "erased" or their heart being frozen, needing some sort of action to save that person.

Point three, neither Riku nor Kristoff factor their feelings into the situation, Kristoff because he just feels the duty to save Anna and doesn't believe he is her true love, and Riku because he feels the duty to save Sora snd similarly does not believe himself to be Sora's special person (which didn't exactly factor in in Riku's case, but it's true he too pushed his feelings aside in all areas except saving Sora).

Point four, "I just keep [him] from getting lost" is totally something Riku or Sora would say about the other.

Point five, I added the last part because despite the insistence that Hans is Anna's true love, Sora, Donald, and Goofy agree that it seems Anna and Kristoff are perfect together, and it especially helps to know that on their side, they've seen that Anna and Kristoff work well together. They haven't seen her with Hans, and even in the movie, she and Hans don't get much screentime development. This is a parallel more to the soriku experience. On our side, we see Sora and Riku get a lot of screentime and development together, and it's clear that they care for each other. So when someone, even in game, insists that Kairi is most important to Sora, it feels like, "Oh, but Sora and Riku seem perfect together" and "But Kairi and Sora don't really get development like that or really much screentime together."

So, resuming the story (and the parallel), there's a gust of wind amd Kristoff looks towards Arendelle. He obviously feels something is wrong and says Anna's name before rushing off. I'm being completely honest, we've seen Riku too rush off, feeling that Sora's in danger. Prime example I remember though would be in the keyblade graveyard when Riku just gets a feeling and runs over to Sora, giving him a pep talk sorta just before everyone else gets swept up.

So, Marshmallow too, just like Kristoff, feels something is wrong, and gestures in the direction of Arendelle, saying Elsa's name, and the group is off to save Elsa and Anna.

And then, another parallel! Yes, Arendelle is Soriku parallel city over here!

Before Hans' sword reaches Elsa

Before the demon tide reaches Sora and Riku

Anna stands between the sword and Elsa

Riku stands between the demon tornado and Sora

Anna puts her right hand out to block the blow

Riku thrusts the keyblade in his right hand forward, directing the darkness around him and Sora into a tunnel

Anna completely turns to ice and saves Elsa, an act of true love

Riku attempts to save Sora at the expense of his own life, an act of true love, and is swallowed by the darkness

Anna gives one clear final breath

Riku gives one clear final breath

Elsa, alive due to her sister's act of true love, realizes the power of love and is able to save/unfreeze Anna

Sora's heart and body persist, arriving in the final world, his heart likely persisting due to Riku's act of true love, and his body due to Kairi, and he believes in himself and is able to go save Riku's heart

Just...ya know...food for thought...

And now, boss battle time! I believe I didn't have too much trouble on it when I dodged correctly. I beat it fine. One of my favorite shots I saw though was Sora using subzero impact with Ultima, but his clothes were the formchange color because I had just hit Ultima form right before. It was literally so epic!!

No, Marshmallow! You can't die this way! I need you to battle things for me-! Uh, I mean, you need to be alive because we care about you!

Just kidding Marshmallow! I love you and you're actually a nice snow giant with a big heart!

Cue Sora getting the example of the power of true love when Anna unfreezes.

THE PRETTY ANIMATION

Pretty animation Sora, I looooove you

Poor boy caring so much about everyone. He just wants to keep everyone safe.

And after Elsa gives another demonstration of the power of love, Arendelle is over.

[nadziejastar]

Isn't it weird that RNX had to come back as their own people, but Riku Replica chose not to come back because there only needs to be one Riku? I'm not fond of bringing back redundant characters, but if they were going to do it why not go all the way?

—In the Final World, Sora tells Naminé, "Someone else special I know won't let you down." (*T/N: Literally, "the person you miss/want to see the most will come get you.") Did he mean Riku?

Nomura: He meant that the person Naminé wants to see the most would come get her, as a way of cheering her up. It is actually Riku, in the form of the one who has been entrusted with the Riku Replica's feelings, who does go and get her. Naminé does feel a special connection to Riku (the Riku Replica.)

Exactly. It was especially confusing because Riku Replica and Naminé’s feelings for each other seemed to be transferred to the real Riku. So why can’t Roxas’s feelings get transferred to Ven, or Xion and Naminé’s feelings get transferred to Kairi? It seemed like they got special treatment only due to their popularity, so they didn’t have to follow the same rules as the Riku Replica. I found that annoying. 

I’m just not a fan of the way the Riku/Naminé subplot was handled. We know that Naminé ended up in the Final World due to her unfulfilled longing to see someone. This was foreshadowed all the way back in KH2FM+. There was no foreshadowing that Riku or Riku Replica was the person she wanted to see, though. Her picture showed only Sora and Roxas.

Riku Replica: I thought by finding some new strength, I could finally be someone---someone who is not at all you! But...nothing changes... I'm still just empty! Everything about me is borrowed. As long as you're around, I'll never be more than a shadow!

And when I played Re:CoM, it seemed like the Riku Replica’s main unresolved issue was not his feelings for Naminé. It was his desire to not be a fake that really bothered him. This would be resolved during his fight at the Keyblade Graveyard. Naminé has nothing to do with his arc anymore.

Naminé: I always though Nobodies were doomed to fade back into darkness...

Roxas: Yeah, but you and I didn't. We got to meet our original selves.

Naminé: So, we can be together again!

Roxas: Right. Anytime Sora and Kairi are together.

Kairi: We'll be together every day. Right, Sora?

Sora: Uh...yeah!

And Riku had nothing to do with her arc, either. The ending of KH2 made it seem like she got a happy ending because she would get to be with Roxas. But if Roxas came back as Ventus, then Naminé would have been left all alone with no one truly wanting to see her. 

Naminé: Don't worry. You might forget about me...but with our promise, I can come back.

Sora: A promise is a promise.

Naminé: Yes. One day the light---it will be ours, and it will bring us together. Til then---I'll be in your heart.

Sora: Right. Forgotten---but not lost.

She thought that everyone wanted to see Roxas again, but nobody was longing to see her. And...it was true. She was a lot like Axel. They both were desperately longing to see Roxas again in KH2FM+. But Roxas wasn’t really longing to see either of them as strongly as they longed to see him. That’s what they had in common. That’s why they were both hurting. That’s why they had that scene together on Sunset Hill. Roxas was really longing to see Hayner, Pence, and Olette more than anyone. Not them. Fortunately, the person Axel really wanted to see again was Isa, not Roxas.

Sora: Our promise... Your promise to the me I don't know. You kept it, right?

Naminé: I may be gone, but my promises to him are forever.

I think with Naminé, they had a similar idea. The person she really wanted to see was Sora and she was just using Roxas to fill the void. That’s why she needed some closure in KH3. Sora is who she made her promise to. Sora is the one she never got closure with. Sora is the one involved in all her foreshadowing. And as Kairi’s shadow it only makes sense that she’d have feelings for Sora more than anyone.

Nomura: I like the scene in KHI, when she watches the sunset with Sora, and tells him not to change. I thought it showed very well her anxiety and loneliness over how as we get older we find a distance growing between us and our close friends.��

KH3 was all about facing your fears. Shadows are the repressed part of your psyche. In a way, Naminé was the embodiment of the fear in Kairi’s heart. And what was Kairi so afraid of? That there would be a distance between her and her friends and that Sora would change.

Naminé: No matter how much I change his memory, Sora will never forget Kairi. Memories of me--- More false memories of me will just make his feelings for Kairi even stronger than before. Because...I'm the shadow of Kairi.

Sora’s memories of Naminé only make his feelings for Kairi stronger. So, once Sora thanked her, she’d go back to Kairi and Sora’s connection with Kairi would truly become unbreakable; Kairi’s fear would be completely gone. Naminé wasn’t supposed to come back. Once Nomura decided to bring her back, there wasn’t much to do with her. Sora already has Kairi. Roxas has Xion. The only one left to have a strong connection with her was Riku/Riku Replica. This was never planned in advance, so it was handled very awkwardly, which is why it felt shoehorned in.

[danganronpa87]

Chapter 1 - Class Trial Part 2

"...the culprit is... Shinto..." I looked away.

"....pardon?" Shinto raised an eyebrow.

"Shinto didn't do anything-!"

"...we already proved Neru and Kune's alibis, and you're the only one with blue hair that both doesn't have an alibi and fits Oakley's description." I explained.

"Besides. Kitsuya has been very quick to defend you, seeing as how he reacts when we bring up the blue hair. You were also one of the only ones not in the kitchen this morning, the other being me." Siandi sighed. "The storage room door was locked when I found it early morning. When I went to check it, it was unlocked, and you came out of the bathroom. It would make sense you waited for everyone to pass by before unlocking it, and then go hide in the bathroom so you wouldn't seem suspicious."

"...But I was with him last night. He couldn't have done it." Kitsuya frowned.

"...that's a lie." Casia huffed.

"Exactly, Shinto said nobody could prove his alibi."

"I... do think we've found the culprit... I just want to check something first. Siandi, may I see your monopad-"

She handed it to me.

I pulled up the photo of the hair, and compared it to Shinto's hair.

"...Zekou? Could you come here?"

Zekou walked over.

"I need you to see if these match."

He looked at the photo, and then Shinto's hair, and then nodded. "Near perfect match-"

"And Shinto... you're about 6'3, correct?" I asked.

"....Yes."

"Then we have our culprit. Shinto killed Akemi."

Shinto just sighed, crossing his arms.

Kitsuya went silent.

"....so that's it, then? The trial is over?"

"Everyone, please select who you vote as the culprit. Then, pull the lever to seal your vote."

A voting screen appeared on my podium. I tapped Shinto's icon, and gave the lever a tug.

The results were revealed on the large screen behind Monoshima.

16 people voted for Shinto, 1 person voted for Neru.

"Looks like you were correct. Akemi Saito's killer was indeed Shinto Kobayashi!"

Shinto sighed, and looked away.

"But why-? Why would you kill someone?" Shou frowned.

"....For my sister. The... motive video got to me."

Kitsuya stayed silent.

"...she can't survive on her own, I know she can't... I need to make sure... she was safe..."

"....Shinto..." Honoma looked sad.

"....so I talked to Akemi. After Zekou and Neru left. Since she seemed nice enough. And... she told me if I wanted to escape... I could kill her."

"...she... let you kill her-?" Siandi frowned.

"....mhm. So I did. I grabbed a fork from the kitchen, and stabbed her to death with the nails. I used some of the blood to make the fork look like the murder weapon." He sighed. "....I... just wanted to see Aria. I'm sorry, Kitsuya."

"S-Shinto-! You can't just... kill someone and not tell me-! I would've gladly helped you-!"

"....jeez... don't get emotional over me."

"I'm... sorry, Shinto..." I looked at the ground. "I... I hope it doesn't hurt much..."

"...What, execution? I'm not scared. Not in the slightest. Death isn't that bad. No matter what they do to me... I'll take it." He smiled slightly, adjusting his glasses, before taking off his tie. "Here, Kitsuya. Escape for me. Take care of Aria. She's going to be devastated... but I tried my best."

"....no, no, don't leave..."

"...Goodbye, everyone. I apologize."

With that... he walked over to Monoshima. "I'm ready."

"Alright. One punishment coming up for Shinto Kobayashi, the Ultimate Acting Prodigy!"

Monoshima walked off, and Shinto followed.

×××

Execution start.

That's A Wrap - Shinto Kobayashi, Ultimate Acting Prodigy

Status: Executed

Shinto is attached to metal clamps, that are wrapped around his joints, like a marionette.

He smiles, despite being faced with death.

Then, he notices a locket, dangling in front of his face. It's open, and he can see a picture of his sister inside.

He tries to grab it, the metal clamps reacting by harshly tightening around his arm and yanking it away. He winces in pain.

Circular saws turn on, filling the air with loud buzzing. Looking around, he notices the saws get closer to the center of the stage, where he is standing.

Suddenly, the clamps force him to move. He follows the movements, since if he attempts to disobey, the clamps tighten around his joints.

As the saws get closer, he is forced to keep moving, even when the shackles make him move into the saws.

Despite the pain, he still attempts to grab the locket, which results in many joints being broken.

He is harshly moved into the saws, which hit a lethal spot, and he begins to succumb to the multiple wounds across his body.

As he takes his dying breath, the locket falls from the hook it was hanging on, and the glass inside shatters on the wooden stage.

End execution.

×××

Seeing... Shinto's lifeless body... I couldn't help but feel sick... He didn't deserve... to go out that brutally...

I felt tears already coming to my eyes. Throughout the whole execution... it looked so, so painful... but I just couldn't look away...

After the initial shock went away... I could hear the sound of sobs fill the air.

Zekou, who was terrified... and Kitsuya... grieving the loss of his friend... shouting names at Monoshima...

So... that was what... execution was like...

My hands were still shaking, the image of Akemi and Shinto's bodies still burnt into my mind.

Two of our friends... were dead.

We heard the elevator doors click, and taking apprehensive glances at each other... we left.

I still felt... so, so bad for Akemi... for Shinto... for Kitsuya...

It was horrible they had to go through all this... Whoever was behind this... was completely despicable...

I let my tears stream down my face as I stood in the elevator in complete silence. The only noise was the humming of the elevator and Kitsuya's pained sobs.

At least... the class trial was over...

Once we got back into the day room, we all immediately dispersed into the hallway, going to our rooms. Looking at the clocks on the wall, it was already past 10.

Then we were called back into the day room.

Heading back, we saw Monoshima there, grinning as usual.

"I forgot an important part! The secret reveal!"

Secret reveal...?

"After a trial, I'll reveal a secret of both the victim and the culprit. First, Akemi's. You know how she wears that eyepatch? She lost her eye exploring a construction site when she was 15!"

"That's... not that bad..." Siandi seemed confused.

"...well did you know... Shinto used to be a serial killer? He'd go around and murder anyone that crossed him. His sister didn't even know! That's why he used to be known as the Ultimate Melee Weaponist. Could kill anyone easily with any short range weapon! Those scars on his nose were from one of his victims trying to fight back! He was the Ultimate Acting Prodigy simply because he was good at covering up his past and acting like a completely different person."

"...he... what...?" I... I couldn't believe what I was hearing... this was true-?!

"...no way..." Shou looked like she was going to be sick.

"...I knew we shouldn't have trusted him..." Sora grumbled to herself.

"Well... that is all. Good night!"

Monoshima disappeared.

We went back to our rooms apprehensively... I still couldn't believe this was true... first the death, and execution... now we learned our friend used to be a serial killer-?!

Despite the thoughts racing through my head, I managed to drift off to disturbed sleep...

End of Chapter 1.