#and Sora doesnt understand his feelings

[howaboutalittlehelpneos]

I like rockcandy because the thought of Sora explaining his past history as a child soldier to someone like Leo as if it's as mundane as the weather being surprised when he starts crying will always be funny to me, like

Sora: And yeah that's pretty much it. I'm not a soldier anymore but all the combat training I got back then is still pretty useful.

Leo looking at him with tears in his eyes: I'm so sorry... That sounds like it must have been terrible to go through.

Sora: ? I mean it was kinda tough sometimes, but you get used to it.

Leo, full on crying now: No one should ever have to get used to something like that!

Sora: ????? Uh... There there? It's okay? Really I'm fine, you don't have to be sad or anything... (Please stop crying I don't know what to say to make this better I'm begging you to turn the tears off.)

[blacklegsanjiii]

Got hit with the brainrot beam for a new Au fella, so so hear me out

Nefertari Sanji

Back when sanji was still in germa the kingdom would sometimes attend the royal refari (idk how you spell it) and this one time judge brought along all his spawn and Sanji!

Vivi and Sanji became quick friends and Cobra was also enjoying this shy well behaved boy, maybe Sora was actually good friends with the Nefertari family and asked them to keep an eye on Sanji if she wasn't not around anymore.

So basicly on that event they see the way Judge treata Sanji as if he doesnt exist while showing heavy amounts of love and attention to his other kids, and the siblings beating up Sanji ans bullying him, not to mention the bruises on Sanji that show it isnt the first time this is happening.

So either they steal him away at the risk of a war but Judge doesnt care to find out who took him and pronounces him dead or maybe kong Cobra is a little more careful ams decides to deceive Judge by making him give up Sanjk to Alabasta (like maybe sell him or maybe they set it up like a marriage alliance where vivi and sanji will be wed when they both are of age)

But Sanji ends up as a nefertari and Vivi's brother ✨

Amazing. I love this and I love your brain. Good Lord it's a whole Ace and Sabo situation where the will of D is fucking handed to someone not technically born with it. Amazing.

Cobra and his family are friends with Sora and they see each other at every Reverie and they watch the children grow as Sora grows weaker. Sora makes them promise to care for Sanji when she passes and it is held in the highest regard to Cobra and his wife. They see the bruises, they understand what is happening. So when Sora passes before they take Sanji. Cobra expects a fight for the third prince but Judge says have him, he's useless, so Sanji is adopted and inherits the will of D. He is not the crown prince, only because he was adopted after Vivi was born. That's it.

He's allowed more to focus on his hobbies that way but he still has royal duties. Everyone can also see the will of D infiltrate his being. He eats like a D, is stubborn like a D, he puts his mind to things like a D. Thank the gods he wants to be a chef because he is a damn good cook. He's also kind and takes care of his people the best he can.

I've headcanoned that Sir Crocodile was a friend of Cobra and a trusted advisor who basically acted as the kids uncle until the coup. He would watch them train with Cobra who would smile and say that Sanji joining the family was one of the best things to happen to them. Crocodile agrees as he watches them grow. Sanji learns not only his martial arts but swords and guns as he is dead set to protect Vivi with his life, not only as her brother but as a member of the Royal Guard.

Then the coup happens in their parched land. He escapes with Vivi and runs. Sanji has to protect the crown and that crown is on his little sister. They watch Baroque Works take control of their home and hold their father prisoner. Sir Crocodile, Mr. 0, became a warlord and has made everything worse. They make it to Whiskey Peak with Karoo and Igaram. Then they meet the Strawhats. And they go with them to take back Alabasta.

Zoro and Sanji still fight but Sanji takes over cooking duties which makes the crew salivate. Vivi and Nami hit it off and Sanji absolutely sends his little sister knowing looks and teasing remarks that make her flush. He says once this is all settled and she nods. Everything is pretty normal, Sanji laughs so hard he's crying to Vivi and Igaram about Crocodile buying the whole 'Mr. Prince' thing and Vivi chokes with how hard she's laughing. He helps Luffy get Nami to Doctorine. Chopper joins and they get to Alabasta. It's the first time in Sanji and Vivi's life in Alabasta they feel the rain, how it drenches them and their father.

It would also be fucking hilarious if the crew had no idea that Sanji isn't just a soldier like Koza but also a prince. When his bounty comes out he looks at it and shrugs. Nefertari D. Sanji is apparently Black Leg Sanji because they didn't recognize him and he certainly doesn't act like a prince. He curses more than anyone and smokes so many cigarettes. It's actually worrying how easily he takes to be a pirate as he bids farewell to his family and Vivi is part of the Nakama even if she isn't on the ship. He keeps in touch with letters.

Until he's sent to Momoiro by Kuma and Ace dies in Luffy's arms.

When they come back together it's still very funny to him that he's royalty and no one knows that or believes it except for Robin who doesn't mention it at all. Jinbei also doesn't mention it even though Sanji is sure he knows. Law doesn't care enough about them to remember much about them probably.

When Sanji goes to protect the crew for WCI he's looking at Judge with anger and annoyance, even as the cuffs are put on. When his bounty is changed to Vinsmoke after the escape he's even more annoyed. He doesn't bring up his name until after Wano before the crews all separate when Law asks him about Germa because fanboy behavior.

"I'm not a Vinsmoke and haven't been since I was a child." Sanji shrugs in response.

"So you've been a pirate for a long time?" Law asks.

"Oh, no. I joined the crew with my little sister in Whiskey Peak, Vivi. She stayed in Alabasta after we kicked Crocodile's ass since she is set to take over the throne." Sanji answers.

"Wait, you're a prince, like actually a prince?" Law asks with puzzlement.

"Technically. I was adopted by the Nerfertari's as a child. My name Nefertari D. Sanji, not Vinsmoke." Sanji nods.

"What the fuck? What the actual fuck?" Law yells as he walks away.

[harley-style]

What i dont understand about the new organization xiii is how open they were about making sora do their bidding by revealing themselves

Like doesnt xehanort have possessing powers, he totally could have mind controlled or brainwashed a few bystanders and had them feed sora misinformation

Not only is sora a stupidly trusting kid literally NO ONE EVER in kh thinks to double check their sources

Or if they do they still investigate anyway bc they always wanna double check

Like they dont trust the organization point blank duh but the smarter angle would be to hide the fact that youre organization xiii and manipulate everyone from the shadows!!

Actually kh1 had the right idea with riku and maleficent bc maleficent barely showed her hand bc she knew sora and riku were friends but she still revealed herself which might have led to her downfall

Xehanort had no such excuse he did all that prepwork with his past and future self only to SQUANDER IT????? My guy the reason sora wasnt able to become your vessel wasnt because the power of friendship its bc the power of your dumbassery made the guardians of light see through your self-important bullshit enough to make sure sora didnt fall for the wrong information

Hell you dont even need to convince sora to be evil just make him realize the only way to save his friends is to fall to the darkness and hed do that!!! Quite plainly!! But nooooo you had to make them all face you off

Yeah yeah 13 darkness 7 light yeah i KNOW they had to fight but they could do that literally ANY time i feel like. Xehanort really had no excuse to be so stupid.

Although i guess thats why xigbar was behind the scenes...

[tapioca-puddingg]

The Guardians of Light and Content Creation

More headcanons that no one asked for :p

Sora ❤️

plays fornite, minecraft and roblox

plays with Ven and Lea

i think horror games might be too scary for him but he tries anyway

tries to get Riku and Kairi to play with him but they ain't havin it

occasionally enjoys RPGs too

calls Riku when he gets stuck on a hard part

sometimes plays fighting games with Riku. He always loses

Riku 💙

I can't see him doing content, I feel like he'd be more of a private person

although i feel like he might show up in Sora's streams from time to time

he's the person Sora calls when he gets stuck on a hard part

Sora also calls him to get his reaction to certain things. if not in person, then thru discord

also plays fighting games and Mario Kart with Sora and Kairi sometimes. He wins almost every time, Sora accuses him of cheating

Kairi 🌸

as for gaming, i can see her streaming rhythm games, like Project Diva

also plays Terraria

plays Animal Crossing with Xion

sometimes plays Smash and Mario Kart with Sora and Riku. she's gotten a couple wins, but Riku is surprisingly good at the game and wins a lot

very down to earth and is sweet with her chat

Bonus: Namine 🤍

artsy fartsy

does art streams

maybe art tutorial videos

likes drawing the Guardians of Light

she takes requests from the GoL too

i can also see her learning to paint

also plays lofi hip-hop

Roxas🍦

didn't even know what games were until Lea showed him

now he's hooked

likes JRPGs and MMOs

convinced Lea to play FF14 with him

he's a hardcore raider. he gets very intense

stays up til the wee hours of the night until Lea and Isa force him to stop playing and go to bed

joins Lea and Xion for meme reactions

Xion 🐚

​i can see her streaming or doing videos of chill games like Animal Crossing or the Sims

​has lofi hip-hop playing in the background

​joins Lea and Roxas for meme reactions

also likes playing party games with the squad

Lea 🔥

​Horror games and asymmetrical horror games (Dead by Daylight, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, etc)

also ​Lethal Company with Ven, Roxas and Isa

​he tends to scream and freak out. Isa gets frustrated with him in-game

​Everyone else laughs at him (hey what are friends for)

​meme reaction videos occasionally

​plays with funny mods

Bonus: Isa 🌙

Similar to Riku, he doesn't create content, but he does play games sometimes

​also enjoys listening to podcasts and reading

​will tune in to Lea and Ven's streams on occasion

​is amused by Lea's screaming when he's not playing with him

​plays games with Lea and Ven

​does not understand Roxas and Lea's memes

Aqua ❄️

i think it's canon that she likes to bake, so i think she could run a cooking channel or a cooking blog

she'll have terra or eraqus come in at the end to taste test the food

canonically is into arts and crafts, so maybe she'll make videos about jewelry-making and 3D printing

i can also see her making crystal bracelets

maybe she could run her own online shop?

Terra 🤎

defo a gym bro

​does workout tutorials

​does those videos where he shows what he eats in a day

​canonically is into woodworking so he could do content surrounding that too

​and 3D printing

​i just think 3D printing is cool okay

​plays Smash with Ven. Things get pretty heated between them

Ventus 💚

also streams minecraft, roblox and fortnite

also Lethal Company

also likes Sonic

tries to get Terra to play with him, but those type of games just aren't for him

"You kids and your video games"

Aqua doesnt too much understand it either

plays with Sora, Lea, and Isa

tries to play asymmetrical horror games

plays Smash with Terra. that game might singlehandedly tear their friendship apart

Bonus: Vanitas ☠️

plays online games

CoD, Overwatch, etc

Typical toxic gamer. You don't wanna hear him in lobbies

Has been banned from vc multiple times

None of the GoL wanna play with him lmao

Rip

[dxtrsbrainrot]

Wayfinders in the dark

aqua , terra and ven wandering through the Darkness

ven was lost

he couldnt remember where he was , barely remembered who he was , he knew he was looking for people but he didnt know who . or why . surely if these people were so important theyd be looking for him too ?? then why was he still lost

he could feel eyes following him , not the right eyes , hes not sure how he knew but these were the eyes of things watching for mistakes , watching for a chance to strike him down . surely his armour will keep him safe ?? why is he wearing armour ?? is he a soldier ?? how will he fight when he cant even remember his family ??

his family ?? that cant be right , he doesnt have one , ven is barely a person , he cant have a family , shadows dont have bonds so neither does he

he can hear yelling and it sounds worried and frantic , two voices , both panicked but theyre far away and he doesnt know them so he continues the way he was going 

he feels like he should be going toward the voices but his instincts have never been all that good and he chooses to ignore them

aqua cant breathe

thats not entirely correct , she can breathe and terra is trying to help her do so but she shouldnt be able to , shes lost ven and terra has been looking more and more drained . she told riku they could handle this but she can feel that itch going in the back of her mind , waiting for her to open her heart to the darkness once more

she feels exposed , like her armour wont help protect her , wont stand a chance against whats coming for her . after all , how can armour that shes wearing protect her from herself 

she can feel terras hands on her arms , hes desperate for her respond , they were calling for ven a few moments ago when she suddenly stopped , you cant yell when you cant breathe , it all makes sense terra why wont you understand ??

hes scared , she can tell , she knows him better than she knows herself , even after all these years , the way his eyes are so wide , his breath short , his hands tightly holding her , he doesnt know how to help , she doesnt know if he can

her arms are burning through her armour , is that terra ??

this is all terras fault

he thought he was stronger this time , thought he had the darkness held back enough , thought he could protect them 

he cant remember how it happened , his head aches so bad and he cant help but feel even more useless , he finally gets his body back and it starts playing up like this

they were trying to find sora , get him back from the darkness as he saved them , terra doesnt even know if soras here . he hopes hes not

xehanort is gone now , terra has his body back and yet , he feels so useless , like hes watching someone else try and comfort aqua , shed gone quiet a few minutes ago and he still hasnt been able to get even an acknowledgement in her eyes , he doesnt know what to do but hes begging himself to think of something soon , ven needs him , ven needs them both

hes crying , he doesnt know when he started but he doubts hell stop soon , he knows he needs to focus , carry aqua if she cant move herself but everything is so dark , exactly like being locked in a being of pure darkness , maybe hes back , maybe he never got out

he can feel himself losing control of the magic bursting under his skin , he can hear someone behind him getting closer 

he doesnt know which he fears more

[natsmagi]

am i the only one who feels like forcing a nuclear family dynamic onto switch is like seriously infantilizing to sora. he and natsume are literally like one year apart .. and him being as strongly autistic coded makes it more uncomfortable tbh

oh no i totally get that! i do think there are instances where people really water sora down to simply being a "child" which really sucks. im someone whos autistic myself so i also understand the discomfort that comes with this

i will say though i feel the issue is less "viewing switch as a family where sora is their kid" and more "viewing sora AS a kid" because hes approaching 18 years old himself now. itd be gross to continue infantilizing him

i feel like the reason this happens so often though is because in the text itself sora gets coddled alot by natsume and tsumugi. natsume sometimes outright being written like an overbearing parent to sora. but i dont think this is the writers infantilizing him either. rather i think this is the writers trying to create parallels in the story

natsume is someone who hates being coddled and seen as a child and weak, yet after the war he was left with just that. feeling like a weak child who couldnt do anything and was protected by his niisans, but still left all alone by himself. and then the next year starts and he runs into sora again. we dont know how this encounter really went, all we know is sora felt alone and like an outcast and was taken in by natsume and tsumugi. i think when natsume saw sora like this he couldnt help but see himself in him. seeing that weak child he himself was (esp since when natsume was an actual kid he would also speak in third person like sora) and i think this was what triggered him to basically devote himself to protecting sora. not wanting what happened to natsume to happen to him either. but he failed to realize that, while his actions are out of nothing but love, hes doing the very thing he hated when people did to him. sora loves natsume more than anything of course and doesnt seem to mind too much, but even sora has stated numerous times that hes not a kid and doesnt wish to be viewed as one. and iirc didnt tsumugi also once say natsumes "refusal to let sora grow up" was a cruel thing to do to sora or something to that effect?

i feel like people see natsumes (and in turn charas like the oddballs) treatment of sora and view it very surface level. they see him coddle sora and in turn wish to do so too! but in doing so it overlooks WHY natsume is doing this and the complexities of it all, and in turn leads to sora being infantilized

what i wanna say is i dont think theres anything wrong with portraying switch as a family. i dont think theres anything wrong with viewing sora as a cute little guy! but when you start viewing him as an incompetent child who needs guidance and cant do anything on his own without natsume or tsumugi is when it starts getting really gross. i dont think we should shame people for how they find joy in switchs relationship with one another, but i wish we wouldnt reduce them to roles and tropes. theyre complex characters ! hes not a kid hes his own person !!

[vanibear]

Genuine question: do you think people are more likely to paint sora as (emotionally) naive, rather than a more book-dumb kind of way? like being too trusting of people, that kind of thing

ahaha anon So i kind of accidentally wrote an essayish in response, but it ended up moving on from ur question to expanding on thoughts i have abt characterizations of sora, oopsie 

but TLDR: To answer your question anon, i actually think its about equally both, and i think perceiving him with a lack of emotional maturity can bleed into perceiving him with a lack of intelligence; sentiments like friends as your power and leaving no one behind can seem naïve and irrational if one doesnt think that sora comprehends his odds and still chooses to proceed because his heart believes it is right. while sora does have a ways to grow emotionally, especially in regards to his own feelings, i dont think that he lacks knowledge when it comes to relationships and understanding others emotions, which is actually rather his strong suit. i also think that sora is generally very smart, and just dont quite understand why people portray him as not quite being so

~ the aforementioned ramble ~ ooo good question ! hm. i think more often i notice people characterizing him in a book dumb sort of way, but honestly that could be bc it bugs me more. however, we dont know if sora did well in school or not/what level of education he got, so instead of a strictly textbook smart sense, i see it more as a lacking the characteristics of someone who is book smart sense? basically, people painting him as airheaded, oblivious, or not very eloquent; i think especially with jokes or complicated subjects going over his head. but, if you look at his dialogue (and, while this is more subjective, puzzles and challenges he has to overcome in the gameplay), thats usually not the case? hes delivered plenty of introspective and articulate lines; hes witty, sarcastic, and even sometimes rude; hes incredibly adaptive and resourceful considering the situations he’s thrown into, and hes a quick learner, as shown by his keyblade skills.

however, i think some of these perceptions do come from how he is a very emotionally driven person. he follows his heart and is loyal and trusting to a fault, and that can cause him to take actions that seem impulsive, illogical, and naïve. however, i think sora is very knowledgeable of emotions because of how he connects with people. he’s incredibly empathetic and understanding of others and has made friends with nearly everyone he meets because of that; which i believe is an incredibly difficult accomplishment. while his feelings can lead to mistakes, they are also his greatest strength; he will try his best to fix those mistakes. where i believe he really struggles is in processing his own emotions.

and on that, sora is pretty self-deprecating, and laughs off a lot of things, which sometimes can cover up just how talented he is because even he denies it. i think that oftentimes, sora himself believes that he’s dumb, or lesser in comparison to others, which can lead to people taking that at face value if they dont look deeper

however. sora is still a cheerful and silly guy, and thats an important part of his personality too! he is an energetic, optimistic teenage boy who really just wants to have fun with his friends and thinks that everyone should have a happy ending.

sora has a lot of different dimensions to him, but unfortunately characters that have a seemingly cheerful disposition and noble motivations that come off as idealistic can often get sanded down to being stupid because they’re seen as too naïve to understand the gravity of their situation.

to clarify, i dont think that soras never been dumb. keyboard (and keyblade) smashing is probably not the best idea if a computer isnt working. but, in my opinion, i think sometimes we dont give sora enough credit in our depictions of him, and tend to exaggerate certain qualities of his while forgetting others

[birthday-of-music]

that silence… i cant tell if he was trying to guilt tsumugi into staying but the scary part is that he has, whether or not he wanted to. “well always be friends” except that eichis idea of friendship is what he can get out of tsumugi, even if he isnt aware of it, and so tsumugi is left broken by it because neither of them understand how important they are to each other - be it personally or professionally.

i havent read enough stories abt eichi for this but it seems like he would feel guilty for this, because i know leo hasnt forgiven him, because he hurt him in a way thatll never heal, but tsumugi is still the same way he was before, and the only thing stopping him is likely natsume telling him not to, even just because sora can tell natsume isnt just pissed. hes jealous, hes lonely, and because sora can tell, tsumugi knows, and tsumugi wants to make natsume happy because that’s what he thinks his job is, even now. natsume probably, deep down, thinks hes hurting tsumugi while tsumugi knows that natsume is hurting as well because he doesnt understand why he would forgive eichi so easily when he ruined some of the people natsume cares about most.

*slaps roof of war era eimugi* this can fit so much fucked up relationship in it

[thehandwixard]

reverse unpopular opinion: the big kingdom hearts

its hard to narrow it down to any one thing but if i had to its the series's immense understanding of tragedy and catharsis and what makes pain important. its a deeply earnest series but not in a way (at the best of times) where it feels naive, just that it Cares about what its saying. kingdom hearts says it is important to love, even if you can't remember that love, even if you don't really remember what its for, because that love will keep existing. one of the moments of kh that sticks out to me the most (without spoilers lol) is from coded, which makes the argument that pain is good and necessary because by understanding another person's pain, you share it. it doesnt focus on healing the pain, or moving past it, it says "this is important, and you should feel this, and you shouldn't feel this alone." chain of memories says fear is a sign of a strong heart. it says someone will care, someone will miss you, and it is sad what you are going through.

like the fundamental story of kh1 is that sora's entire world is destroyed, and he's thrust into a situation he has no way of conceptualizing, and so hes basically stuck on an extended road trip with two guys bringing him Somewhere and they care about him enough but they dont really know how to talk to kids and like. yeah sora is having fun sometimes, hes feeling ok sometimes, but most of the time its just underpinned by this deep sadness of "everything is gone, and its horrible. and he doesnt get to express that in that game until its too late. smiles serenely.

its just. its a very good tragic series and a very good series about confusion and pain and tragedy and just. hearing someone out. kh2 has my absolute favorite moment related to this but its both spoilers and incredibly difficult to explain without context its just. ill try. what if there was a boy who had to disappear to bring your friend back. and you can do it and your friend will never know this happened and everything can be fine but that boy used to be your friend too. and you care so deeply about your friend you cannot feel any malice towards these people who are sapping his strength and memories, and you save the only existing picture of this boy in a box for your friend to find. to validate his existence in any small way you can, because it mattered that he existed, the things he cared about mattered. your own guilt matters too. what if everything had to turn out this way, but it hurts now, and it might hurt forever, but you can still claw your way to genuine catharsis and peace

LISTEN TO KAIRI's THEME AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE HOPE AND MELENCHOLY AND WISTFUL TRAGEDY YOU WILL HAVE FRIENDS AND YOUR PATHS WILL DIVERGE AND YOU WILL DESTROY YOUR WORLD JUST TO LEAVE IT. you will be jealous, and this is tragic, you will be lonely, and this is tragic, you will lose yourself and the things you love, but the love meant something. what matters to you means something.

[cutegirlmayra]

Kairi game = discovering what princess she is

Plot idea:

Land of Departure -

Aqua, after some months of training, believes Kairi is ready to go out and explore the worlds.

Kairi is unsure the point in all this, since Sora has already restored and connected so many worlds, but Aqua reveals that in her time, there were even more. She tells her to look at the stars, there are many more worlds out there that havent been touched.

Putting a hand on her shoulder, she gives her encouragement, and Kairi agrees willingly, but still feels a bit aimless.

Worlds and lessons:

1. Brother Bear - at first, agrees to find the bear, but after the spirits give her the ability to talk to animals, she realizes the situation and holds off Kenai's brother until the truth is revealed, and saves Kenai's brother from fully turning into a heartless.(A true disney princess can communicate with animals lol but this journey is for her to discover how strong she really has become, being able to do this herself, and learning that love is one way to grow stronger and become an adult.)

2. Dumbo - gets caught in the storm when the tent is coming up, sees dumbo and Timothy drunk flying into a tree. She flies up, and they realize Dumbo can use his ears to fly, but hes scared. The crows give him the feather, and Timothy convinces Kairi to come to Dumbos first show. Kairi goes to save dumbo, and tells him his heart is what makes him fly, helping Timothy to get the feather later but dumbo flies to save her from a circus heartless. After that, he doesnt need the feather, but reveals hes seen Kairi's good luck charm. Kairi says Sora is like her 'Feather', but hes always in her heart, even when hes away. (She begins to miss Sora again but sees her potential as a Keyblade wielder, she no longer doubts her own growing strength) <dumbo doesnt speak, Timothy does for him>

3. Lady and the Tramp - helps Lady escape heartless and Tramp saves her from dogs in deadend. Finds Lady and Tramp later trying to sneak away from the dogcatcher at the zoo, and helps take Lady's muzzle off. She watches them eat together and looks up to the sky with stars in her eyes. (She wishes to share more memorable moments with Sora, hints of romance and pining.) <dogs barely speak to Kairi, it's a short introduction>

4. Pocahontas - meets Grandmother Willow and gains the ability to speak to many and all languages by 'Listen with your heart, you will understand', then is taught the compass of her heart will guide her on her destined path. Kairi is a bit jaded by fate, worried her fate was so changed that it hurt Sora and possibly other worlds. Grandmother Willow encourages her to continue what Sora started, and unlock worlds to save and restore them. Follow the connection of those both to Sora, and make new connections for Sora as well, from the friends she now makes. She helps fight in the war and helps Pocahontas to stop it. (Renewed spirit, a direction and sense of where to go and what to do.)

5. Treasure Planet - is convinced of black and white, villain and hero, before realizing that there is light in all things, and how much Jim sees John Silver as his mentor and friend... it breaks her heart, but she can't save Silver from turning into a heartless, defeating him, helping restore his heart, and watching him sacrifice himself so they can all escape. (Hearts are not pure light or darkness, and one can choose light and darkness. A heart can be redeemed)

7. Moana - her gummi ship transforms by help of the new technology from Chip and Dale, fights Kakamora, then finds Moana grabbing the heart back from the ocean. Helps her restore the heart after fighting the heartless verison of Te Fiti, Te Ka, and is determined to help Sora by returning his own heart... she feels ready now. (Reestablishes that she holds Sora's heart)

8. Finding Nemo - while in the dentist office, being told to take a seat for her appointment and being confused, Kairi overhears the fish talking about their escape plan. She turns around and admits she can help, which scares them at first that she can understand them. Minigames ensue with the fish tank and she helps them escape... hearing about Nemo's father and his unrelenting quest to find his son, she is once again touched and renewed that she will not quit her search for Sora... she believes in Riku, and again, with all her heart, wishes for both their safe returns, hoping he found Sora.

9. Jungle Book - hears Shere Khan's planning and before he reached the 'Man Cub', goes to fight him. He is determined to stop this 'Man Cub' from leaving the jungle... alive. She fights him but he gets away and so she fights the heartless Kaa. She overhears then the conversation between Baloo and Bagheera, and realizes she must return where she belongs... who exactly is she? She knows shes a princess of heart but... she decides to find out more about her past, telling Sora's heart she feels that's right to do, but she wont abandon her main quest.

10. Hollow Bastion - Some recompleted members of the old organization 13 remember Kairi's royal family, descendant of an ancient Keyblade lineage, and lived in the castle here, where the research was also conducted. She learns about the mysterious girl that Lea and Isa had known, and wonders... apparently, they reveal her father was from another world! (Hint that Kairi is possibly a Final Fantasy princess, and not a disney one!)

10. Wrought by the wrong done to her, but also glad she met Sora, she sees a terrible fire on a world and lands there. Meeting Bambi and his friends, she wonders why Bambi can keep fighting the fire and dog heartless while so injured. Hes searching for Faline, who hes twitterpatted for. She helps fight a hunter heartless and sees Bambi reunite with his true love. She decides then that although her destiny was altered, and she was taken from her family, she gained a new life, new friends, and now... a joined destiny with Sora. Bambi also recognizes her wayfinder, and she tells him shes twitterpatted for Sora. First time admitting it outloud, but it makes Bambi happy and prance around. Bad things happen, but love will always be a strong enough reason to continue on.

11. Frozen 2 - finds Christof, who trusts her once she confirms shes friends with Sora, and searches for Anna. Finds her after she loses Olaf, helps her lure the earth golems/giants to destroy the dam, and helps the angered, heartless spirits calm down when Elsa was frozen solid. When she returns, Kairi slowly steps away... she will do the next right thing, and gain her Mark of Mastery... then go to save Sora, or at least... find any way she can. No matter the darkness, she will do the next right thing.

12. Lion King 2 - Learns about love, how it casts no shadows and darkness cant remain in a heart filled with the power of love. Fights to end the lion war, and save Simba. She also tries to help Kiara save Zira... she then learns that some choose darkness, and refuse to be saved. Not that they cant be, but that they wont be... No matter how seeped in darkness one's heart is... light is always a choice, no matter what. Simba tells her he knows Sora, and that she reminds him a lot of Sora'a strength too. It encourages her to believe shes finally ready to take on her Master and be considered a keyblade master as well.

Land of Departure -

Kairi returns, talks about what shes learned and how Dumbo, Bambi, Simba, and Christof all recognized her as Sora's friend. She wonders if Sora's heart was sensed by them... the light it carries, and the connection they share as friends. Aqua shakes her head, saying it may be the case, but it's probably Kairi's own heart that formed those bonds of friendships with them. Shes saved so many worlds, reminded others of Sora's connection to them, and made it even stronger.

Not just that, Kairi has found her own strength and conviction in the process.

Last final boss, Master Aqua.

Kairi becomes a master, goes to the Nameless Star, and is finally ready to help Riku and find Sora, too!

Is she... a secret princess of Quadratum?

[dra-and-sdra2-hot-takes]

IDK IF THIS IS A HOT TAKE BUT; there are certain characters in the series who feel babied by the fandom, despite having done horrible things. It was done with mikado and nikei, for one. And ive seen iroha get the same babying treatment like she didnt try to kill sora and turn her back on yoruko and sora in ch6 when given the chance.

Characters with trauma are babied while characters like kokoro are villainized when, really, linuj just sucks at writing mentally disabled(is thst the term? I rhink it is.*) characters.

The voids' actions are understandable for the most part, but that doesnt mean they didnt do anything wrong, because they still plotted murder.

Anyways i was going to say more but itd end up as a frustrated rant and i type too fast to be understandable anyways. 👍

*i have AuDHD. I think autism, adhd, and things like alexithymia are mental disabilities but please correct me if im wrong.

let's break this into parts:

certain characters' actions are excused or babied by the fandom because of their trauma

this certainly happens. however i think the sympathy for the voids (minus AI!Mikado) is warranted. mikado(s), kokoro, and syobai pulled them around as pawns just as much as the next-generation hopes were. iroha, hajime, and emma believed (as is rational to believe) that the people they were killing (or tried to kill) weren't actually going to die, and nikei was, while arguably much more culpable than the other three, certainly under the pressure of death like the others were. i don't think saying that the four voids are sympathetic is much of a reach.

kokoro is villainized (by LINUJ/the fandom) because she has alexithymia

first of all. hi, i have ADHD and alexithymia. second of all, what the fuck? i like kokoro as a character but she is very fairly villainized for being, you know, a fucking child abuser, and it's not because she has alexithymia?? what the fuck??

LINUJ can't write mentally disabled characters/is ableist in writing

i feel like i need to make a whole post refuting this. but, uh, no, not really, especially compared to say canon danganronpa or many many other fangan writers.

[ID: This blog has no DNI. Please be civil and respectful to everyone under my posts!]

[kazuyummy]

Hi. I am the anon who asked you about basketball 🙏🖤 Also (MG). So I guess i'm not -anon- anymore 🌸😂. I recommend you my favourite sport anime/manga of all the time (Ahiru No Sora). A lot of people did not like it because it's very very slow paced anime and the main MC's team isn't strong or (winning all the time). You get to see how a team with really fragile bonds between its members building friendships (regardless of winning/losing) and how them being -teenagers- is playing a huge role of that. It also talks about real life issues (death, family/parents conflict, unrequited love, the difference between working hard and talent, how female players are perceived or the difference between female and male basketball competition, life changing acsidents/major events etc). It is really amazing how all of these concepts are written with each charachters individually, and how all of these influence their decisions, relationships, and play. Unlike sport animes where characters life is centered around the sport without much of external factors affecting it, this anime explores these factors very well. Very realistic that alot of people don't enjoy it. Still comedy you will laugh, but you will cry alot too. The anime has 50 EPs. People complain its too long but hey, you can see their lives too. Production wise not great (better than slam dunk ofc) but nothing compared to KNB. I recommend reading the manga. A lot of character interactions are not animated (doesnt affect the story, but its nice for deeper understanding of their relationships). And the manga is way a head of the anime. (Its around 650 chapters and still continues- animated only 130ish chapters). Yeah ~~~ i can talk all day about ANS 🤦‍♀️🙊 but if you are up to, you can give it a go 🖤🙏 sorry for talking too much.

HIIIIII omg please never apologize for talking too much i love love LOVE to hear what you have to say and also your passion for this series just 🥰 it inspires me hahah !

i feel like i've heard of it in passing (also had no idea it has 600+ chapters LOOOL) but never ended up watching it. and i really think i wanna read it!

this is so interesting because it almost feels like it's 50/50 sports and slice of life? correct me if i'm wrong but i agree, even in haikyuu or daiya when we get backstories it's often at a moment they're about to execute a crucial, signature play or something and anytime i get that sort of content i soak it up since it's rarer than gameplay. which i don't mind! but ANS sounds like it has a different take.

it's a bit self-indulgent of me but my interest was definitely piqued even more when you mentioned female v. male basketball competition because it def has its differences here as well - i grew up playing on a girls team but started out against boys and now play co-ed as well. so i'd definitely like to see their take on it!

who is your favourite character and what are they like? i'll definitely look out for them and let you know who mine is when i read it, hehehe 💕

honestly, your passion for this series is contagious and feel free to come into my asks or dms anytime to rant about it, i'm all ears!! you got me so excited about it! 😝

now you're not basketball anon - you're my basketball bestie!!! hehehehe

[nobodies-png]

How about "the thing is, suddenly when i picture my future, all i can see is you." With Sora? Or maybe Ventus? You can choose either.

Theres a shitload of Ventus requests, so i’ll go with Sora for this one ! here’s to hoping tumblr doesnt fuck up the format like it always does when i put shit under the cut

for context, reader is native to the destiny islands and a childhood friend of the destiny island trio! they receive a little letter from sora and meet up with him at the island hehehoho

Dear, Y/N …

…I know we all have gummiphones now and I could’ve given you a call or something, but a letter felt more appropiate, you know? It also would’ve been super embarrassing to say all of this in person…

You get out of the boat and onto the pier, the letter clutched tightly in your hands. It has been a long time since you came here by yourself, especially this late at night, but the waters are calm and the sky is clear - moonlight guides your steps as you discard your shoes and make your way to the beach, feeling the sand under your feet. 

The waves crash against your legs, you pause for a moment, taking it all in.

…But don’t worry! It’s nothing bad, I promise! The worlds are still safe, I’m not going anywhere and everyone is finally home, safe and sound. I’ve just been thinking. A lot. About you and me and stuff, I guess…?

In this light, or a lack thereof, you notice that the island isn’t as scary or massive as you remember it to be. The trees aren’t as tall, the waters aren’t as deep, the darkness isn’t as threatening. Travelling around the many worlds, those sparkling stars above, has certainly helped you and your friends grow, it has given you perspective. 

Still, the magic and nostalgia remain, this place holds so many cherished memories of your childhood, all the years you spent playing around with all your friends. It was a sanctuary for all the children of Destiny Islands, a paradise where nothing could ever go wrong. Home, it was home.

You wonder if that’s why Sora asked to meet you here tonight. 

Just thinking about the letter makes your face feel warm again, it’s so like Sora to pour his heart out without stopping to think about it and render you speechless with just clumsy yet heartfelt words.

…Riku and Kairi have always told me that I need to think about what I want to do, the things that make me happy - unrelated to saving the universe, Kairi insisted on that. “You can’t be a hero forever, Sora. Trying to make everyone happy isn’t stable job!”. Blah, blah, blah! Just being with them, with you, with all the people I cherish seemed more than enough for me, but…

You’re all alone for now, but you’ve seen the other boat anchored by the pier - Sora will come to you when he’s ready.

A smile crosses your face when you remember the day he broke one of Kairi’s good luck charms - the one she gave to you. It took him a day to build up the courage, but he eventually confessed and apologized through tears, showing you all of his failed attempts at fixing your poor charm. Back when you all were children and the worst thing that could ever happen was missing dessert or being scolded by your parents.

Then, once you two were older, it took Sora a couple months to realize his crush was reciprocated, along with some help and guidance from your other two best friends. And even so, it took him an extra few days to properly confess and ask you out.

But he always came through for you, didn’t he? Your reliable, impulsive and still super predictable idiot. 

The rustle of shoes dragging across sand pulls you out of your reverie and when you turn around, you immediately get lost in the depth of his eyes. Sora’s gaze when he looks at you is something you never dared to describe, fearing it’ll ruin the magic - it’s overwhelming in the most beautiful of ways.

And now, he looks at you with unwavering determination, the same expression he wore when he promised to bring everyone back home. It’s in moments like this you fully understand why he was chosen to bear the weight of the world. Only Sora could do it, carry the entire world so lovingly on his back and expect nothing in return. 

He smiles, and you swear he could outshine the fucking sun if he wanted to. Hell, Sora could ask you to follow him to the end of the world and you wouldn’t even hesitate. 

…The thing is, suddenly when I picture my future, all I can see is you…

“You made it!”  Sora shifts his weight from one foot to the other, suddenly nervous. “Guess you read my letter, huh.”

“Your handwriting is still pretty hard to decypher, so it took me awhile. Especially that bit at the end. But yeah, I miraculously made it home!” You make a show out folding said letter and putting it somewhere safe in one of your many pockets.

“Yeah, well. At least it’s a little better than Riku’s…” Sora pouts and huffs, pretending to be offended, but in the end, he’s laughing along with you.

A comfortable silence settles down, both of you content with smiling at each other like absolute fools in love. You could simply just leap at him and smother him with kisses, knowing very well that he’d catch you. But when you take a step towards him, Sora steps back, glancing back and forth between you and somewhere behind him. That’s when you realize he’s hiding something.

Of course, you step forward again, hoping to take a quick peek. And, again, Sora moves to keep you out of reach and the mysterious object out of view.There is a tense pause and then, almost in perfect synchronicity, you two make a run for it.

“Y/N, STOP. REALLY, I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE.” 

“I NEVER SAID YOU DID.”

“THEN WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE YOU’RE TRYING TO HUNT ME FOR SPORT!?”

“COME ON SORA, ALL COUPLES CHASE EACH OTHER AT THE BEACH AT SOME POINT!”

The gift - you assume that’s what it must be - is now pressed tightly against Sora’s chest, preventing you from seeing anything. But he’s so close, almost within your reach, so you do the sensible thing and tackle Sora to the ground, pinning him down. Sure, some sand might’ve gotten into your mouth during the process, but it’s a small price you were willing to pay. 

“Fineeeeeeeeee…Y/N 1, Sora 0… But just so you know, I had this very awesome and romantic speech prepared and everything!” Sora whines, not even bothering to struggle and the gift is revealed when he raises his hands, using them to cover his face.

A Paopu fruit.

…Is that weird? I keep dreaming about waking up next to you, sleeping in together, making breakfast and chores together, getting groceries, hanging out with all of our friends, never worrying about darkness this, darkness that…

It shouldn’t even surprise you in the slightest - of course Sora would do something like this in such an earnest way. Of course he would take a silly myth and turn it into a grand gesture of love. When you look down at your mess of a boyfriend, he’s turned impossibly red, peeking at you from between his fingers in silence, waiting for a reaction. So you grab the fruit and straighten up.

“It’s a Paopu fruit.” you point out very eloquently, cringing at the way your voice breaks at the last part. 

Sora has the audacity to snort and giggle at this, sitting up with you secured on his lap. You reach out and brush the sand off his hair, playfully rolling your eyes when Sora manages to sneak a kiss to your wrist, sending a pleasant shiver up your spine. His face is still red, but at least he’s not hiding anymore.

“It’s not as fancy as a ring, but… I really meant all those things I wrote. I want a future with you,” this time, Sora doesn’t shy away from your eyes. But this confidence doesn’t last long, he stammers and trips over his words immediately, “Not that I’m asking you to marry me, pfft. It’s like, waaaay too soon, right? B-but I’d love to! Marry you, that is. In the…near…future? If you… Uh, want to…Maybe? I just thought a Paopu would be nice to share, and uh yeah…! So we can be part of each other’s lives forever!”

“Is that your ‘super awesome and romantic speech’?” You joke, mostly to distract yourself from the butterflies and all sorts of fuzzy, warm feelings blooming and fluttering about, all over your body. Is he doing this on purpose? He has to be, your heart feels like it’s about to burst out of your chest.

With an exaggerated sigh, Sora slumps forward, nuzzling your neck and wrapping his arms around your waist, swaying with you from side to side. He’s warm, so very warm.

“I thought I had it…! Can I get a do-over, pretty please?”

“Nuh-uh, I like it better this way. It was good, really, stop giving me that look!”

By now, you’re immune to his puppy eyes - at least you like to think you are - so you begin to split the Paopu fruit in two, watching Sora’s eyes light up like stars, following your every move. His hand lingers on yours when he wordlessly accepts one of the halves.

There’s so much you want to say to him and, judging by Sora’s lovestruck expression, there’s so much he wants to say to you. But neither of you are in a rush, there’ll be plenty of time to talk about what the future holds.

For now, you both take a bite.

…Maybe it’s a bit selfish, or even childish. But I want that future for us andCRAP. I’MRUNNINGOUTOFSPACE.MEETMEATTHEISLAND.I’LLTELLYOUTEVERYTHINGTHERE.LOVEYOU!!!! -SORA

[codes]

the way tsumugi is not blindly loyal - because he grew up seeing blind trust and how it destroys, so what option did he have but to trust eichi with everything he had? and even now, if he was asked to become a scapegoat for him - really, do you think he'd say no? maybe it's a form of control over the situation, maybe it's some barbed sort of love, in that tsumugi will always choose to be fully aware of whatever he is loyal to, letting the consequences hurt as they will. 💙🐦

yessss okay this is a lil scattered bc ive never written down my thoughts on tsumugi also i am dreadfully lightheaded but thats a problem i see w a lot of tsumugi depictions from newer fans, he is not and was never blindly loyal. tsumugis utilitarian mindset guides all of his actions and even now i think (imo. in my opinion. in my opinion which is what i believe and may not be canon) that if he were confronted by eichi to help him w another scheme the chance that he would say yes is not 0% if it would benefit the majority even at the cost of the happiness of a smaller group of people. helping eichi and becoming his scapegoat may not be doing anything to directly benefit tsumugi but it offers a way to dissociate himself w the harm that hes caused bc his self-image is so incredibly bad that he doesnt see himself as a person. he has major issues w the repression of emotional, social, and physical stimuli.

i feel like someone more eloquent than me can connect his low empathy/detachment w the abuse he suffered in his early home life bc i briefly studied the subject in a class and theres a lot u can talk about there.

tsumugi is definitely doing much better in !! compared to ! and its mostly attributed to natsume and sora who are crucial to understanding his characterization PLS GIVE ATTENTION TO SORA I KNOW NATSUME IS STUPIDLY POPULAR BUT SORAAAAA

he does have his lil moments like in shinsekai but thats a story for another time i need to lay down now

[theophagie]

ngl, for a long time my idea of the destiny trio clouded what was actually in front of me. just what happens when youre very nostalgic about the early games i guess. but its also like nomura himself doesnt really know what to do with riku and kairi. or maybe just not how to show it right. or maybe he constantly changes his mind, i dont fucking know. for me kh3 really drove home that riku and kairi dont have much of a connection left. and its just so odd when kh2 went out of the way to show us they do care. and then you got them being excited about seeing each other in khmom, though that could just be because theres no sora around so its like hey the other guy from my home island! i dont know. i still dont know how to see them

Honestly considering how inconsistent their friendship is I think I half agree with the hypothesis that Nomura isn't sure of what to do with them :/ it just really feels like they have nothing going on anymore on a personal level, not unless Sora is involved (and even then... 😬). I think that the Female Characters Discourse™ is a bit of a thorny subject because historically it has always been a breeding ground for mysoginy, casual and not, but yeah it should be more than fair to say that Kairi has pulled a few dick moves towards Riku lol (re: KH3, had that scene ended with that I wouldn't really raise an eyebrow at it, it's what she does after it that has me ???, because it really comes across as her wanting to distract Sora from thinking about what's up with Riku). But even then this weird behavior wouldn't really be a problem if her character was handled in a better way, in a way that would make you understand where it's all coming from and why, and truthfully most of the weirdness of the Riku-Kairi friendship comes from her side. I don't think that her being a princess of heart is as much of a problem as the repetitiveness of her story is, especially because it's coupled with her being The Girl. Kairi has a role in all three main titles, and in all three main titles she gets kidnapped by a villain and is ultimately saved by Sora, with KH3 absolutely reaching the bottom of the barrel by straight up having her get fridged for... manpain reasons. And then after Sora sacrifices himself for her, in Melody of Memory she once again has to resort to channelling him or whatever to face fake!Xehanort. It's more than fair to look at all this and go "what the hell" !!!!!! The fact that she pulls her weight and uses her powers to save him back is the bare minimum... And on a more personal note, I get that one of the points made is that she needs time to become as strong as the others blah blah blah, but I'm like, genuinely almost repulsed by this kind of narrative when it comes to female characters ansjdkfgk, so really. 😬 (and by contrast I think that this is one of the reasons why, say, Aqua is instead so universally loved but shhh that's just a theory™). And again, it's unfortunate that this is conflated with mysoginy or character bashing because it's literally not about her, it's about the way she's written, and people can't and shouldn't force themselves to shallow down these things just because some people are dickheads about her

Riku definitely needed to calm down (10/10 teenage angst though), but while I do think that ideally all three of them should find a balance, I wouldn't actually mind it if the point if their trio was that relationships change and evolve over time, possibly even for the worse or in sad ways... if only the writing was clear about wanting to do that instead of telling us that they're all besties despite showing us something else, or at least if it was more consistent in showing us how things between them have changed >_>

[animevillainscourge]

yukie lore under the cut... cw for like. religious trauma and mental health stuff i guess?

yukie is very empathetic and emotionally in tune to those around her, but often to a fault. she is easily stressed during arguments, as she empathizes with both parties and doesn't want to hurt any feelings. she also finds herself being the peacemaker in these situations often, and has a hard time voicing her own feelings out of fear of hurting others. as a result she tries her best to avoid conflict, making her a bit of a pushover. her sensitive nature also makes erikas and alfreds arguments even more painful to deal with. she understands that her husband has mental issues that are partially out of his control, but she also understands with erikas frustration with her fathers emotional absence towards her. as of late, yukie has found herself lost in her own world, trying to distract herself from the pain of soras death and alfred and erikas conflict. yukie was (and is) more involved with erika than alfred. she's a lot more mentally stable than  him, and is therefore a lot more emotionally available than her husband, although she can be overbearing and can overwhelm erika when trying to bond with her. however, erika and yukie are still very close and spend a lot of time together. erika admittedly prefers yukie over alfred... although she wishes her mom would tell her dad off more often. however, despite her and alfreds own mental issues, yukie has a good relationship with her husband! alfred can be slow to pick up on others emotional distress (especically recently..) but he is very doting towards yukie and love taking care of his wife, whether it be cooking her meals when shes tired or listening to her talk about her writing. but this doesnt mean theyre without conflict. alfred is quick to shut down when faced with strong emotions, making him hard to talk to at times, and yukie is often frustrated with how stubborn he is when it comes to religion. she knows he uses his faith as a coping mechanism, but its an unhealthy coping mechanism more often than not.

yukie loves alfred and she wants him to be happy. but more than that, she wants him to be around, and the more time he spends obsessing over religion and his supposed sinfulness, the further he drifts away.

its been a hard couple of years, though, and yukie is tired. so she returns to her own world again.

(copy n pasted this from a discord server, with a few additional edits)