#and realising that riku is just better??

[silverchainbee]

Growing up is revisiting Kingdom Hearts in my 20s and realising that Riku had the better character arc and was a much more complex and detailed character after being a serious Sora girl for years.

[remmammie]

Can I have how sora would react to having a big fight with his crush? It's canon that Sora is a very kind and gentle soul and loves his friends, and even looks for them even when they don't want to be found. So how would he try to make up with them if they get really mad after the fight and refuse to talk to him or even be around him? And how would riku react to seeing sora go through all this and help him out?

Our sweetheart, Sora... Seeing my first KH request after my hiatus has reminded me of the imminent Kingdom Hearts 4 and the mobile game coming out and all that exciting stuff. Can't wait!

Sora making up with his crush after a fight HCs

I can't imagine what someone would want to fight with Sora about just because of how much of a sweetheart he is. The only thing I can see being a point of contention is perhaps his self-sacrifical nature and tendency to throw himself at danger without really...telling people?

And, as someone who presumably likes him back, his crush can't be too happy with seeing him come back from worlds positively battered and bruised without any warning. It's a conflicting situation to be in for sure. This self-sacrifical nature comes from his love for other people which his crush loves, but it makes loving him hard and sort of scary. What if one day he doesn't come back?

His crush had always been there for him to patch his wounds and congratulate him as a wonderful person and a great warrior - hence why he loves them so much - so finding that, one day, they've just decided to avoid him is kind of scary for Sora.

He's unaware of what he's done wrong at first because his duty comes first, to use the power he's been so graciously given to protect people is his number one priority despite his feelings. *They couldn't be mad at that!*

It definitely takes someone giving Sora the same case scenario for him to realise the effect he's had. A lot of Sora's friends experience the same sort of thing since everyone close to them is often in some sort of danger or another. And, of course, Riku is ever the observant one in the trio of islanders...

Riku proposes the same idea to Sora: *How would you feel if the person you loved the most suddenly disappeared without ever telling you?* It takes a moment for Sora to realise the darker implications of Riku's words and the gravity of the situation settles in.

Immediately, Sora takesaction and makes it his mission to find out wherever his crush had been hiding all this time away from him.

It takes some chasing - they are actively avoiding him, after all - and it takes even longer for his crush to finally relent and give in to talk to him. They're trying to protect themself from having their heart broken...but, finally seeing the errors of his ways, Sora argues differently.

Very in touch with the hearts of others, Sora knows that his crush isn't happy being separated from him for so long. While he might not recognise the reason just yet, not thinking he's lucky enough to have his feelings returned, Sora admits his mistake and promises to be a far better friend than he has been. He'll hold their hand and tell them that they get to know everything about what adventures he's going to go on, that this is his duty not just a choice. If he won't do it, who will?

[septnanis]

“Fuck,” Riku swears the minute he drops the full cup of coffee on the ground. The cup shatters, his boots are covered in coffee but it’s the harshness of how he swears and the instant draining of color in his face that has Sora out of his seat in an instant.

“Here, let me,” Sora says and reaches for Riku’s hand, who surprisingly recoils with a hiss.

“Don’t…” and it’s just as harsh as him swearing.

When Sora pulls away Riku seems to realise how harsh he sounds and he sighs. “I’m sorry,” he says.

“Let me help,” Sora says. He’s a little on the defense because he’s not used to Riku being like this but he gentles his tone regardless. “It’s just coffee!”

Riku leans against the counter so he can bend over to clean but Sora stops him with one hand, and waves his other, concentrating the spell as best he can.

The coffee evaporates and the little shards of the cup pull together in a scrape of porcelain like magnets. Sora bends down to pick the cup up and holds it aloft.

“Not bad, huh?” Sora asks and Riku grins.

“You’re getting a lot better at that,” Riku says with a fond tone. “You’re gonna give the brooms at Yen Sid’s tower a run for their money.”

Sora laughs, but his eye is drawn to Riku’s hand. It’s shaking, in a stunted way, like Riku is clenching down to stop it from shaking.

“Cleaning spells are actually pretty easy,” Sora says and reaches out to take Riku’s hand in his own. “It’s kinda funny, they’re a lot like healing spells. You gotta focus on something…” he looks at Riku’s hand and narrows his eyes at the slight tremble despite his grip. “And try and make it whole again.”

The healing magic flows from Sora’s fingers into Riku’s hand, curling around it like gold and green gentle vines, sparkling against their skin.

“You can’t fix everything,” Riku says, looking down at their joined hands and then at Sora’s face.

“Nope,” Sora says. “But I can try!”

A moment of silence drops between them, so thick it feels like even time slows down. There’s only a few inches between them and it takes everything in Sora not to just step forward.

If Riku didn’t want him to, surely he wouldn’t be looking at Sora like that.

Instead, Riku inhales sharply and steps away. Far enough away that even their hands disconnect. It leaves Sora feeling a little bereft and confused.

“I’m sorry,” Riku says again. He apologises too often. “It feels a lot better now. Your magic is something else.” He halts a moment and looks at Sora the way he was before and it makes Sora feel less bereft and more like he’s going crazy. “You’re something else.”

“Riku…” Sora says, trying to close the distance again. “You can… you can ask for help, you know? I’m your friend.”

Riku smiles, a small thing that makes Sora’s head spin a little. “I know,” he says. “Thanks, Sora.”

He turns and leaves the room, Sora almost wants to go after him, tell him something, anything. Instead he lets Riku leave and feels a little silly for feeling so much over such a small interaction.

Sora picks up the cup that had fallen to the floor and runs his finger over the lines that remain despite it being fixed.

He sets it back down and decides he likes it better this way.

(This was written because I saw a post about Riku’s injuries. The idea of Riku having chronic pain due to injuries is both sad and interesting to me because you know he’s gonna treat it like some cross he has to bear.

Sora is always a powerful magic user in my writing and he would definitely use it constantly to help his friends with the most benign issues.

Also, I cannot even begin to explain how much I loathe the widespread fanon that Roxas thinks it’s funny/great that he permanently injured Riku.)

[strayheartless]

The thing about Vanipliku is, I don't hate it. I just don't ship it in the same way I ship Soriku.

The difference (for me) between the two is that while Soriku may not always do the healthy thing when it comes to eachother, They always have the others best interests at heart and its obvious that they are willing to work at a healthy relationship.

Vanipliku by comparison are like Anti-Soriku. not in the sense that they are evil Sora and Riku, but in the sense that they do not have the same intentions towards eachother as the hero's of light have. Repliku, to a certain extent is Riku at his most vulnrable and manipulated, but also at his most angry. He is Riku at his most likely to lash out at Sora. Even if he is no longer the same as Riku, he is still a snapshot in time of an angry child who (if we follow Sorkiu Fanon rather than Canon) is still upset that he is pining over his best friend.

Vanitas isn't Sora, hes not even Ventus. He looks like Sora, he almost sounds like Sora, but he's not Sora. There is no part of him that thinks or acts of cares like Sora does. He was the "piece of Ventus that was taken away" while Sora was the "piece ventus needed to be whole" but they are different pieces of a bigger whole. Vanitas is negativity, he has been manipulated and abused his entire exsistance and if you read the Kingdom hearts character files you find out his exsistance is just pain and bitterness. he is literally the antithisis of light. Does this make his inherently evil? no, but it does make him more prone to self distructive behaviour.

I will be the first to say Vanitas' Villan credentials are of the same ilk as someone like Sephiroths, but like Sephiroth he is a product of what other people make him. He is obsessive and cruel, he loves the same way he hurts and that doesn't breed healthy relationships.

To me Vanipliku is one of those relationships like SephGen or Sephikura or AkuSai. it has great potential to be a toxic yet completely codependent relationship. the kind of relationship that you know you shouldn't be in because its doing you damage but you won't leave because who else loves you in that way that makes you feel powerful, makes your skin crawl with need?

So with that in mind I often read Vanipliku like this:

Repliku is with Vanitas because its the closest thing he can get to Sora. Van looks like Sora, he sounds like Sora, but Van is fucked up enough to go along with the darkest of Repliku's idea's. If Repliku asked, Vanitas would grab his hand and let himself be pulled into the darkness. But Repliku doesn't neccesserally love Vanitas' darkness.

Vanitas wants to be loved. He doesn't care how, and he doesn't care why, he just wants to feel as if he is. He doesn't know what love feels like, so When Repliku is willing to kiss him, willing to hang off of him and be possessive of him, Vanitas accepts that, revels in it even.

The fact that what they are doing is not love its obsession, its toxic codependency, doesn't even register. They both feed of of each others darkness.

Niether of them want to be alone and regardless of the fact that Repliku makes Vanitas feel rage like nothing else when he compares him to the hero of light, or barates him for his own personality, doesn't matter. The fact that Vanitas will torture and emotionally humiliate Repliku in return doesn't matter. because in the end what they have isn't love, but it sure feels like it to them.

The posessivness spills out into letting the other be touched by others. Repliku is extremely jelous and will hurt people and Vantias if he percieves even the slightest chance of betrayal.

Vanitas craves the pain, and the feeling of being owned and wanted. He's less jelous of insignificant others, but he would truely love to torture Sora until Repliku sees how weak the boy is. Until he realises Vanitas is the better option.

I dunno man, if you see them as loving and healthy, I'm not about to say you are wrong. You ship what you ship and I think thats great. this is just how I have always interpreted this paticualr ship!

[allofmytears]

my hero and kingdom hearts crossover au lets gooooo

spoilers

☝️current forms these two are taking. We're in chapter 317 and mid kh2 for the duration of this au

First! the contrivance. How tf do i get these boys in proximity. pulls scrap of paper out of hat. it says quirk nonsense. alright cool.

so while deku is getting mobbed in chapter 317 (literally Just Before katsuki gets there), one of the people activate their quirk, which for our purposes is just opening a corridor to darkness, and Deku falls through it. so he's in the realm of darkness now.

without proper equipment, he basically goes into freefall, with no control over his trajectory. he's spinning helplessly through the void, stretching blackwhip out in all directions, hoping to catch hold of anything solid. When he latches onto something, he pours everything into pulling himself towards it.

Riku, having been minding his own business trekking through the corridors, is understandably put out when a bunch of black tendrils latch onto him and do not let go. When a ragged, dark looking creature emerges from the ground, he does what any sensible person would do in that situation, and attacks it on sight.

commence deku vs riku part 1.

deku, not knowing any better, assumes that because this place is the result of a quirk, the person currently attacking him is the quirk user. he fights back under the impression that if he can subdue this guy, he can get out of this place. he's still struggling to keep any sort of footing there, as corridors of darkness are only navigable by people wearing the proper equipment. think of the corridors as rivers, and the organization cloaks (or SDG's enchanted clothing) as boats. Without a boat, Deku goes under more often than not.

So deku Cannot let go of the tall, suspicious guy in the hood at all or he's dead. And riku is trying his damndest to get this creepy little freak off of him.

The resulting fight draws the attention of the heartless, and soon a crowd starts forming around them. Riku, realising the mounting danger, cuts his losses and opens a door to twilight town, making one last attempt to cut free from the tendrils (unsuccessful) before running out of the corridor. Deku hurls himself after him, not wanting to get stuck there again (it's terrifying in there)

deku vs riku part 2

they tumble into a heap outside of the gates to the mansion, and deku finally retracts blackwhip at the feel of solid ground. riku rolls up to his feet and draws his blade again, ready to finally put this rabid bunny thing down, while deku staggers upright (fucking exhausted). deku is still resolved to subdue this guy, since he's obviously a villain and may be under AFO's influence, so he fights with all he has. Plus Ultra.

Neither of them have said a word to each other.

the fight stretches on far longer and far more viciously than either of them expect, and riku is getting angry while deku is getting desperate. when deku gets too close, Riku strikes hard at his head, shouting for the thing to "Back off!" in ansem's dark, callous voice. Deku's mask tears off like tissue paper, and he falls to the ground, unconscious.

...

Katsuki just saw deku disappear into thin air. Fuck.

With all of the people converging on Deku, it was hard to tell exactly what happened, but when his AP shot dispersed the crowd and deku was nowhere to be seen, it was hard not to draw conclusions. While the rest of 1A brought down the villain Dictator, Katsuki went looking for the guy who opened the corridor.

...

Riku is having emotions at the moment. With the mask gone, it's obvious that this was just a kid. Riku didn't know how he got into the corridors, or why he attacked him, but it was hard to look at him and not see...Roxas. Xion. People Riku had sacrificed.

Whatever the kid's deal was, Riku wasn't going to let another child fall to darkness. He picks him up, and takes him inside the mansion.

...

Izuku wakes up and is not dead! this is very encouraging. Unfortunately the villain is looming over him. Less encouraging.

"Hi," says the villain.

"Um," says the Deku. Goddamn it.

What follows is a long conversation in which Riku feeds Deku some soup and tries his best to clear up the misunderstanding, while Deku mildly freaks out. When Deku finally explains his situation, Riku is uh...concerned. But! willing to help. Riku promises to help Izuku get home, no strings attached, and provides him with a cloak so he can travel the corridors safely. Thus begins the adventures of Riku and Deku, which despite the simplicity of their goal, ends up with them going on wayyyy too many detours. Because reasons.

...

Sora is annoyed. While helping the residents of the current world deal with the heartless, he comes across this missile of a guy stealing his kills with seeming ease, shooting around at the speed of sound yelling about whatever. Sora, being Sora, follows after the guy, much to Donald's frustration. When they finally catch up, they find him trying to take down a powerful heartless. He seems to be having some trouble though. SDG come to the rescue! They defeat the heartless together, and the mystery bomb dude shouts a quick thanks before shooting off again. This happens two more times, bomb dude seeming weaker every time, and it's revealed he has a serious injury in his shoulder. With the heartless dealt with, Donald heals him, and they finally get the chance to ask what this guy's deal is.

Bakugou is trying not to let his pride sting too much at these goofy looking guys taking out the Nomu where he failed. Whatever quirk the duck has was amazing though, and the pain is almost completely gone. He'd never heard of this hero trio before, but they were being helpful at least, and after losing contact with the rest of class 1A after going through that portal, he'd need the support.

A conversation commences! And since they were all trying to find someone, SDG invited Bakugou (we are not calling you that long ass name) onto their gummy ship.

...

So begins a very frustrating game of cat and mouse in which Deku follows his heart through the corridors, and Sora follows his heart on the gummi ship, leading them on a circular path through the worlds as they continuously JUST miss each other.

Because Sora's heart always leads him to Riku, and Deku's heart always leads him to Kacchan.

It's a wild ride.

[inconsistentracoon]

A request story for @inkmoose set between KH2 and DDD, I hope you like it! It was fun writing this little one, thank you for the lovely prompt!

------

Kairi carefully placed the two shells Sora had handed her into the bag. They probably had enough by now. With this many all together, if she wasn't careful they might crack against each other on the trip back to the main island. She didn't feel ready to go home though. She gazed out over the waves as Sora went back to searching the rock pools. The sunsets over the sea were always beautiful. They always seemed even more perfect from the play island though.

"You know…" Sora looked up and found her staring out to sea, the shell search apparently forgotten. "I think this is only the second or third time I've been out here since the islands were restored."

"Really? Why?" Sora asked as he jumped from the rocks back down onto the sand.

"I…" Should she tell him the truth? She'd said it without thinking. She wasn't sure if she wanted to confess the truth to him. But then again, why would she have brought it up if there wasn't a part of her that wanted to tell him? "While you and Riku were away, I forgot you." She dropped her gaze, not wanting to look at either Sora or the sunset anymore. "I knew that someone had been here and was missing, and I knew we used to play here on the island all the time, but I just couldn't remember more than that."

She waited to see if Sora would respond, but there was only the sound of the waves. When she turned to him he was staring out at the sea, expression pensive.

"I only realised after I came out here last year and it just felt… wrong. Like something was missing. So I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't come back here until I remembered everything about you." Sora turned back to her now and grinned, but for some reason that smile made her feel sad. "Sora, I'm sorry."

Sora looked taken aback. "What for?"

"For forgetting you… I hate that I did that." Her eyes suddenly felt wet.

Seeing the tears Sora hurried over and took her hands. "Hey, it's not your fault! Everyone did. Even my family forgot about me!" His bravado was feigned, and she could tell. There was faint pain in his voice, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. She forced herself to look up at him.

"That doesn't make it OK though, I'm so sorry Sora."

He stared back at her for a while, face pensive again. Then he smiled. "Well, for what it's worth, if you did owe me an apology then I'd forgive you. There's nothing to forgive though."

She could tell he was still hurting, and the pain of being forgotten by his friends and family was still raw. But she smiled back at him. She knew he'd meant every word he said.

------

I hope it didn't feel too angsty for you, it was meant to be a happy one! At the end of this Sora definitely feels a little better about all the being forgotten stuff, and is happy because he knows Kairi feels happy being on the play island again :)

[royalberryarts]

The Child of Knowledge

A one-shot of @bluest-planet and my own OCs meeting; Yoruhua, an ancient being of darkness, is on the run from the warriors of light after having helped Vanitas. Upon arriving in Arendelle, they happen upon two children— one of which, they realise, is not so different from them.

Sneek Preview:

The familiar crunch of snow accompanied the white and blue horizon as Yoruhua made her way outside of the cave. It was Vanitas' turn to rest while she scouted ahead. What she didn't anticipate, however, was the scent that wafted amidst the smell of pine and ice.

It was similar to Vanitas', but there was something else. The bitterness was the same, the anger… but there was joy, love and warmth that the boy had lacked. Yet, Yoruhua could tell— Their darkness is strong, potent… and unnaturally prominent.

And that wasn't all. There was something else in the air, a general sensation of something off. Not quite wrong, but it was strange and it certainly wasn't right. It was against nature, all that contradicted his own understanding of the heart, soul, mind and body. This one was… Peculiar, new, weird. She couldn't shake the urge to investigate, and investigate is exactly what she did.

★★★

Zorya pushed herself forward. She had heard tell of a disturbance from the warriors of light and seeing how she was in the area already, she'd may as well search the surrounding worlds for this "dark disturbance".

"Slow down…" Yoru chimed behind her. The boy, curled up layers of warm coats and furs, shivered from the cold. Meanwhile, Zorya was in her element. She didn't feel the chill as much as her friend did, and even when she did, there wasn't much she had to do in order to warm herself.

Without glancing back, Zorya slowed her pace. "Sorry. I was just thinking."

"About what everyone told us?" Yoru asked, tilting his head amidst the pile of clothes that made him look more like a walking pillow.

"Yeah… They said Ventus could feel Vanitas again, even after he had been killed in the Keyblade Graveyard. And then Terra and Riku were attacked by something." Zorya tried to recall what she had heard, but it was only vague. She still didn't know much either besides what Yen Sid had informed the two of— or more specifically, informed Lorena of, who then passed it onto the two of them.

"Does this mean Vanitas is back?" Yoru asked, though he didn't know all that much about this Vanitas fellow to begin with. "Can't we just reason with him? It's not like Xehanort is still here."

Zorya hummed in thought. No, she thought, he's not. But his scars and the fear he instilled likely remain. It's hard to forget how to stop fighting after you've been made to for so long.

The girl shook her head. Speculation was pointless right now, all that mattered was checking the facts and making sure the world wasn't in any danger.

"Who knows. We'll have to find out when we find him, or if we do." Zorya spoke calmly despite the irritation in the back of her mind. She didn't like how Vanitas and Xehanort reminded her of herself and… him; the man who raised her. Perhaps it would be better to not find him at all, or maybe it would be better to find him later, once he's had time to consider his situation and himself.

★★★

Yoruhua recalled stories of that city. It was a place of ancient research and wisdom; Clades Lunae, the city of knowledge. It was there, he recalled, that educated men once sought to understand the light and darkness of the world, yet always fell short. They were simply people who watched, curious, as her own siblings existed beyond their sight and reach. But he had heard stories. And it was those stories that came to mind as they looked down at the two figures that walked through the snow— that girl in particular.

Ginger hair cropped to her shoulders, tied back by a black ribbon. Her clothes weren't fitted for the cold; a sleeveless shirt, long pants and simple boots, though the bandages on her left arm and right shoulder may have deterred some of the chill, though likely not much. Her skin was fair and pale, freckled and scarred; a burn curving down her left cheek from under her eye to her chin. What stood out the most were her eyes; an eerie pale blue that instantly reminded Yoruhua of the moon that bore all life; dark or light. Yet, they thought, a brow furrowing in confusion, their scent is undeniably human. They are not a being of light or dark, a naturally born human, and yet…

[Read the rest on Ao3]

[royalberryriku]

Stuck on prompt 5 for (a very late and overdue) khoc week; not because I don't know what to do, but because there's so many things I want to do.

Sort of a ramble about this below: 👇

Also some sliiight spoilers for themes (couldn't help myself) with my fic, but it helps explain why I'm struggling to get something out for this specifically.

Each of my main OCs is an embodiment of the complexities of experiences that can't be defined by light or darkness, especially Zorya who literally is a being of darkness that is trying a third way of handling it; not controlling to destroy it (Xehanort and Eraqus' ideals, or rather the "teachings of light") or even embracing it and accepting it (first step that Riku found), but believing in it; seeing your flaws as a wound to heal, a possibility to be realised, just like how you love people and believe in them, she wants to believe in herself and love herself in ways she hasn't been able to. To kit hate your flaws or see them as something to be "fixed" but loved and cared for. I think Kingdom Hearts is leaning into that in the next arc, but it's not quite there yet.

Meanwhile the other two are also examples of this but in different ways. Yoru is more like Riku and delves into that "first step", but like Riku he still hates and fears his own flaws. He hasn't really fully embraced the fact he's just a person and is allowed to have those flaws yet, same as Riku (which is partly why I'm excited for the aspect of him being in Quadratum since I think both he and Sora will realise that while fighting the personification of that fear and hate towards darkness). Yoru still thinks that he's a bad person for being too curious, too scared, too angry, too this or that. But he also wants to embrace it and change. Which is all great and all when it comes to wanting to be a better person, but he's still healing. And pushing a wound that's still open won't heal it, it'll just worsen it. I want to show that, but it can't really be summed up with just light or darkness; it's both.

And Taiyo is probably the most interesting of all when it comes to the question. He believes he's strictly light, he wants to uphold his teachings and be what he was taught to be. He's exactly like Eraqus and any other Keyblade Master before that, but the thing is he doesn't have a Keyblade and he is forced to realise how human he is. He's a lot like Aqua in that regard, forced to face his limits and understand his own humanity and inadequacy when compared to the perfectionism pushed by his teachers and peers. He has to unlearn all of the toxicity and realise a heart is more than just a means of good or evil, it's also an identity; a means of love and happiness, it's also about caring for oneself as a person, not a tool. So he would say light absolutely, but like every other person, he has his flaws. Even if he himself doesn't acknowledge them.

I want to explain this all in a way that isn't just a long monologue, but by instead showing it. Yet, I also don't want to spoil the full character arcs I have planned in my fic itself or its story and every single theme in it.

Also, darkness and light are treated very delicately in my fic and with my OCs, so I tend to put a lot of thought in whenever I want to show their connections to light or darkness, because it's always very much related to mental health and self discovery and self care. It's about realising that light and darkness are subjective; mailable and unclear. But with that, there's so many ways to show it. I get so excited by that too, which in turn has me writing various drafts and having so many different ideas that it's hard to settle on just one to go with.

TLDR: This will probably be the longest and most thoughtfully written out of all the prompts. The reason I stopped with the last one is because I'm so excited to really make something that makes fans of the series think about what light and darkness really are in regards to this universe. I know it's just a little fun prompt and I don't have to. But I want to. It's fascinating and I think it's a great way to introduce people to the themes of my fic and the ideas these characters all embody.

[deltastra]

Heeeeeyyyy I’m still alive! Don’t worry, I’m still playing Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as well!

In fact, I finished chapter 6 almost a week ago.

The reason why it takes me so long to finish chapters is because I am enjoying all the side quests. The side quests are just so much fun. The stories are all so engaging and I rarely find myself button mashing the dialogue.

And my favourite aspect in ascension quests is when Kevesi heroes get to meet Agnian heroes, their interactions are very interesting!

To be honest, after I finish the game, I plan to write my thoughts on each hero in xenoblade chronicles 3. But we’ll see…

Now, I’ll be diving into spoiler territory! Keep in mind, it took me a long time to complete this so I may have forgotten some things!

SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 6 AND IT’S ENDING

Not gonna lie, starting off the chapter with Noah in the middle of nowhere with muffled noises is a great way to pull you into his psyche. But man, I was not expecting to get N’s backstory through Noah (I know, I’m dumb).

Unfortunately, I was spoiled over M and N having a baby through a YouTube video’s thumbnail and title that got recommended me while I was watching a thirst edit of one of my favourite anime villains so it wasn’t surprising to me.

What was surprising, however, WAS THAT THOSE TWO USED TO BE LOST NUMBERS??

Man, seeing N try again and again to save M from death was sad. Not to mention that scene with N telling his child that he has to go soon, hinting towards his homecoming.

The idea that he chose to become Moebius because he wanted this “endless” really made me feel for him. Unfortunately, not too much. Because the guy was way too obsessed.

I love that shot of him standing between two paths though…

___________

Ok, now for the plot twist with Mio switching with M. On one hand, I feel cheated. It made me feel like all that build-up was worthless if it was going to be resolved almost immediately. On the other, I do quite like the way they brought her back. It ties in to the fact that M never wanted this. M was happy with N before Moebius. She was suffering so much but she chose to be quiet. N couldn’t see that. It just makes it more sadder because back in that cell, she said “my Noah”. That line was sweet but felt off to me back then cause I didn’t think Noah and Mio’s relationship got to THAT point. Well now it makes sense, it was M…

Rest in Peace M :(

N’s rage was brilliantly done. I love how obsessed and desperate he sounded the moment he realised what happened. But alas, I guess he was too blinded by rage to see why M betrayed him.

Noah finally having the courage to use Lucky Seven was amazing, the blade looks so cool.

___________

Aight I’m just going to say it. WHO IS RIKU??? (Don’t spoil thanks)

I remember reading some comments saying that the nopon in the previous games were annoying rather than cute. I found that hard to believe because I ADORE the nopons in this game. They’re so adorable, especially Riku and Manana <3

It’s very interesting how Riku is this type of “mentor-figure” to Noah. Hope to see more but only one chapter remaining…

___________

Now for the Queen of Agnus scene…

The location where she sleeps looks so beautiful and the theme was heavenly. It really makes you feel the weight of how far you’ve come and what you’re about to do.

And the scene when she finally wakes up… I’ll be honest, I never played xenoblade chronicles 2, just watched clips. But I LOVED Nia there, so seeing her here did make me smile. And the music that played while she was waking up, it sounded familiar to I decided to check. The Drifting Soul motif was brilliant.

AND THEN SHE GOT SHOT AND I WAS PISSED (she lived tho and we got to hear got to hear her be pissed over it till she realised ppl were watching her lol)

___________

I’ll be honest, I was getting kind of annoyed with Joran’s “IM BETTER THAN ALL OF YOU NOW” attitude. He felt like an edgy kid to me despite his first reveal in Colony Lambda being pretty shocking.

But now, that’s all changed. The idea that once you become Moebius, you see all your past lives, must’ve been awful for him. Seeing that he was “useless” in his previous lives as well, makes his change in demeanour more sensible to me now.

Regardless, his friends never gave up on him. They really did know the real Joran. And he finally acknowledged that. I was genuinely proud of him over his decision despite it resulting in his death.

___________

The emotional weight didn’t completely reach me till this scene. In a way, both Joran and Lanz got the closure they needed. I was happy that Joran’s final thoughts before his death was him with Noah, Lanz, and Eunie. All of them together, in their younger years. Not only does his death really make me feel that it’s the end of that era where children were met with expectations to win wars, but also how far those three have come.

It was like Joran saying goodbye to them, to the trio he once knew. They didn’t surpass him, I don’t think that’s the point. They simply changed. And his “maybe next time…” makes me feels like he is ready to as well. That’s just how I like to interpret it.

Overall, his redemption was amazing and was the highlight for this chapter to me.

___________

That’s the end folks! I’ll see y’all in like….I don’t know….another month? I really am playing the game, almost every day actually! I’m just more keen on trying to find EVERY quest.

I do plan on finishing the game before Sonic Frontiers releases. So, definitely going to finish this game by the end of the month or early November.

I plan to write a full review of the game after I finish the main story. It’s been a while since my last proper review (which was omniscient reader).

I hope this was a fun read, feel free to share your thoughts too! I love discussing the game with you guys.

Stay safe!

[karla-the-elemental-dreamer]

KH-OC Week 2022 - Day 7 Package

@khoc-week

This one is a bit of a read :3

I felt much better about KH-OC Week this year as I was much more prepared, and there were no ‘mental blocks’. It has been fun seeing all the OCs of the contributors, as well as reading the thoughts on various works. Just imaging how big and vast the Kingdom Hearts world would be if all the OCs were networked into the same reality.

Day 7 is all about ‘special connections’, and I am going out with a bang. Firstly, on the emphasis on the strong bond that I have with Riku and Terra. For those of you who do not know. Riku started off as the sole dream guide, coming in on 22 MAY 2020. From around mid-2021, Terra started to observe what Riku was doing, and decided to help out a bit. During that time, I asked him if he wanted to be a dream guide, but he got a bit finnicky about it. On October 2, something happened which made Terra actually panic and therefore rush in to finally put his hand up and say yes to being a dream guide. So now, in terms of just looking at Kingdom Hearts, I have two ‘father figures’. And there is an advantage as Riku and Terra already get along well together.

Riku works with more verbal and active teaching, whereas Terra seems to take a gentler approach, and excels more in physical action and affection, as well as teaching me about aspects of love and life through every day experiences.

Even Aqua is aware and fully supports Terra being a second dream guide (and is really happy for him), as for 2021, and the first 5 – 6 months of 2022, she always tried to take over in dreams as Terra still felt weak. Terra has been a dream guide for a while, but once again felt slow. It was only about a month ago that Terra has ‘woken up’ to his role, and in return, Aqua is stepping back and no longer feels like she has to do his work.

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The following is an artwork that was done for me earlier this year via commission from kofiscrib, aka. Yassen Shopov. A really easy person to work with. To make it more affordable, I said, “you do the lines and I’ll do the colour”, so the colouring and the background is all me; as well as inclusion of the dress print :3

And there you have it, a new Kingdom Hearts trio!

Artist's Tumblr: kofiscrib.tumblr.com

Can't put their @ for some reason, so hopefully the link works.

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An instrument all about connection in Kingdom Hearts is a heart station! I drew one of myself.

TBH I didn’t know how to portray my OC (myself) this year as I don’t actually have a default outfit. So I used the Heart Station design:

Trivia: My outfits change (/can change), but Selvian’s and Sierras are concrete (for now anyway).

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

In preparing for KH-OC week, I realised I was working with Riku and Terra a lot as they’re my dream guides. But then I realised; “Oh my gosh! I’m ignoring all the other guardians of light!”. So coincidentally when it got the start of the week (the Monday), I said to them in my book, “alright, you all have a chance to submit a piece. Ask Riku or Terra for instructions”.

So then this happened and all of them decided that they would say something to me. The way they speak is based on what I perceived them saying, and therefore wrote down in my book. The order is based on their submission day/time. I felt Sora (via energy) waiting to go last on purpose, for a reason you will see at the end.

So enjoy what each of the guardians of light have to say about me and/or my world:

“Hey Karla, I’m sorry I don’t know you well, even though you’ve been with us for two years. Thank you for always being there for Riku, especially in reminding us of the light during Sora’s absence. And thank you for taking me through that public event [Kairi Week 2021] last year. I haven’t used my Metallic Wielder keyblade since, but I still have it in my inventory”.

“Heya Karly! Oh… I got your name wrong. Well, Donald and I just wanna say thank you for stickin’ with us [whole KH group] and helpin’ out our good Keyblade Master Riku. Sorry I don’t know too much about that Terra fella. Say, I have a hunch you’ve been visiting Sora with Jak. If you see Sora next time, can ya tell him that Donald and Goofy really miss him?”.

“Hey there girlfriend. Sorry, just got a bit carried away there. But you’re with all the other big boys, being Riku and Terra; so when’s my turn? I’ve got a big sea-salt ice-cream with your name on it, and I’m sure Roxas misses you being down this way too. Don’t keep us waiting sugarplum”.

“Karla… Thank you. Words can’t begin to describe how thankful I am for you being in our life. I’m fighting back tears while writing this. I’ve never come across someone who believes in me so much, and the fact that you’ve given me a seat on your three thrones alongside Riku and Jak. It means so much to me that since October last year, I’ve been able to work alongside Riku and gain perspectives on your life that no one otherwise would. And it also warms my heart how at times you stood up for me in front of Master Eraqus even though you didn’t have to. Keep being that beautiful girl that lights up other peoples’ lives, and bring your bears over to the Land of Departure for a visit”.

“Hey, Karla. Sorry if I’ve ever taken over too much in the past. I was only trying to keep the bond between you and Terra alive in times where he didn’t understand as much. But I’m glad that you two have finally found the happy ending, and seeing your confidence in Terra has opened my eyes up too, that he isn’t just some feckless youth that needs to be watched all the time. And I see Riku has taught you well. I just wish that Ven and I could get to know you better”.

"Goofy said it all".

“Gosh Karla, I don’t know where to start. You and Sora are similar in a lotta ways. I’ve seen Riku become a person he’s never been before, in terms of a light so bright I never imagined. To be honest, I was a bit worried at the start when Riku would get angry with you, but now I see it. You were just trying to push him out of his comfort zone and get him to trust you. I think you’re a swell person, and both Riku and Terra are lucky to have a dreamer like you”.

“Hey Karla, sorry I didn’t get mine in sooner. I just wanted to wait for a time when you wouldn’t be flooded with so much of your projects. And that’s what Terra and I, and all our friends are amazed with. The fact that you can work so hard and be so dedicated to your passions. Guess I didn’t give you enough credit back in 2020 huh. But now that I know you a lot better, it’s a whole different kettle of fish. I know that sometimes you get a little intimidated by the idea of me being a Keyblade Master, and I see you step back sometimes and question where we’re at. I just want to remind you that regardless of my role in Kingdom Hearts, I will always be your dream guide, and I love you. I’ll always be around to keep your steady or be a shoulder to cry on. Thanks for helping us all out, especially with Sora”.

“Hey Karla, it’s Roxas. I guess I’ll start off by asking how you’ve been. The Twilight side doesn’t hear much from you lately, aside from maybe Namine as I know you’ve been to the mansion. Come down and have an ice-cream with us someday. I can introduce you to Hayner, Pence and Olette. Aside from that, I don’t have much else on my mind at the moment”.

“Hey, Karla. I probably know you the least out of all the guardians, but I’ve heard some great stories about you. Apparently you know where Sora is but can’t tell us for reasons to do with the Order. Good luck with your journeys to the other world. I hope we can talk sometime soon”.

“Hey Karla! It’s Ven here. Thanks for being a good friend to Terra, Aqua and myself. Oh… I stand corrected, you’re Terra’s ‘dreamer’, and Riku’s too. I see you’re finally learning how to use the keyblade in full. It’ll be exciting when Terra and Riku teach you enough so we can spar together. Apparently you can also summon Terra’s keyblades? That’s awesome! Terra’s been a lot happier around the castle lately. I think it’s got something to do with your promise of ‘giving him back the ten years he lost’. Remember! I wanna be the first one you spar with outside Terra and Riku!”.

“Hey Karla. It’s Namine. Sorry I’ve written a bit after the deadline. Some of the stuff you do is similar to me. I noticed you and I share the same bonds of Riku and Terra. I helped them when they were in the darkness. You’re helping them after they found their way back to the light. The bonds you share with them are powerful, and I actually think that be being your mentors and dream guides, they’re evolving into a role and place that even Kingdom Hearts cannot comprehend. You’ve been to the mansion a number of times. So I’d like to swap, and spend more time in your world to see what you do and where your magic happens. Let me know when you’re ready”.

As Sora is stuck in Quadratum, he has done an ‘absentee submission’ via my non-kingdom-hearts dream guide Jak:

“Hey! Karla, is it? Sorry, my memory’s a little foggy. I wanna say a lot about you, but I only know so little. You don’t know me, yet you want to be my friend. I enjoy hanging out with you and Jak every time you come to Quadratum. Though I’m confused about why you’re saying I have so many friends when I only know Strelitzia and you guys. That dream I had about a talking dog and a duck knowing me is freaky. It’s obvious you come from somewhere else, and you’re trying to help me remember a life I’ve most likely forgotten. Still, the energy in Quadratum feels lighter when you’re there, so I can’t wait until you come back… Wait… You want me to write a letter to the dog and the duck!!!?”.

My idea with Sora is that no Kingdom Hearts characters are allowed in Quadratum until Nomura (the IRL games) allows them to be. Hence why the ‘compatibility’ rule comes into place. For any dreams where I am in Quadratum, I must be under dream guide protection. So with this condition in-place, as well as the ‘compatibility’ rule, Jak is the only dream guide allowed as he is the only non-kingdom-hearts. If the compatibility rule was in place for Jak, then only Riku or Terra would be allowed to act.

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THE FINALE! – How KH-OC Week 2022 has changed my lore:

Participating in a concrete event has seemed to push my lore in a certain way; whether it’d be via waking life or something that happened in a dream. Here are some of the changes that have spontaneously occurred:

Before: Karla would avoid using a keyblade for fighting; she would only do so as a last resort if she had to. After: Karla uses a keyblade whenever there’s a need to.

Before: Riku and Terra were simply Karla’s dream guides. After: They are now also her keyblade teachers.

Before: Karla could only wield her own keyblades. After: It has been discovered that Karla can wield the keyblades of anyone she’s connected to. In this case; Riku, Terra and the teddies.

Before: The teddies were originally not able to wield keyblades at all. After: Selvian and Sierra are also able to wield keyblades. Their keyblades are a miniature version in order to match the size of their bodies.

Thank you all for putting on this week; and for your very insightful comments on each package :3 💙

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Same content but in WordPress view: https://karlasworld1998.wordpress.com/2022/08/07/kh-oc-week-2022-day-7-package/

[system-of-a-feather]

Like Marc and Steven talking to each other on the mirror, I know that kind of thing isn’t possible, but how they were communicating earlier seemed more accurate to DID, and then I realised: Boi, they’ve got a god in their head too with magic. He’s allowing for the mirror thing to happen because he was so frustrated with the lack of communication getting in the way of Marc’s Moon Knight stuff that he decided to open the floodgates (so-to-speak)!

I haven't watched a minute of Moon Knight (including the trailers) and all I know about it is stuff I glanced the wiki of before it came out to get a guess on if I thought the series would have a chance of doing DID justice or not - and a lot of talk in the DID community and MCU tags that I follow.

My fiance commented from the first episode that it does seem exaggerated and seems to have more psychosis symptoms than we experience, but I do know some people with DID do have psychosis symptoms that interplay with their condition. We, however, do not - so if anyone who follows here that does have psychosis with DID, feel free to reblog with any comments you might feel like adding ^^

Also though, the mirror thing probably has visual stuff for the sake of story telling (I say probably since I haven't seen it and won't until the show is finished and I get a thumbs up from my fiance that it isn't just going to frustrate me and waste my time), but I know for a fact that I have actually talked to my parts in a mirror and a friend of mine has as well. It doesn't happen too often and it is a trip, but usually those things only happen over here in high distress situations. It's not a common or typical way of communication, nor is it really the most affective, but in terms of the concept of "talking to your part in the mirror" without me knowing the scene itself is not too far fetched. (Though again, it would likely have to coincide with an increase in symptomology and usually distress)

And I am saying this ENTIRELY as someone who has not watched it and doesn't know how Moon Knight presents it, but parts that do try to facilitate communication and breach dissociative barriers are a common thing in DID. These parts are usually a lot more "omnipresent" and aware and within the systems sometimes do appear similar to being gods, identifying as a god or a supernatural being, or have a dynamic with the system similar to a Dungeon Master or Overseer of sorts. The formal name for these parts are "gatekeepers" and there are multiple ways a gatekeeper might present, but typically they know more, can handle communication / information flow more, and / or handle switching between parts better than other parts.

In our system (term we use for alters / parts) we have like two main gatekeepers (four total but thats complex shit); one of which does use this blog from time to time when he is out. A lot of his posts in his tag are more of me and XIV talking about him since he typically stays more internal lately, but he's chill enough for me to just throw his tag here.

-Riku (Host)

[remmammie]

Hi there could I get a scenario where Sora takes care of a sick reader

Of course! I love sicky headcanons, they can be super cute! Hope you enjoy!

Sora taking care of a sick!s/o

Now, Sora has (for the majority) lived on a cluster of islands his entire life so illness - viruses, bacterial diseases, whatever - weren’t all that common! And, if they were, they passed through pretty quickly and no one got super ill. Sora always had his mom, Riku, and Kairi to help take care of him so he was always well taken care of! He was always pretty vulnerable to sickness…

However, this means that Sora’s never really been on the giving end of any kind of sick care. So, when he comes to wake you up in the morning, ready and raring for some adventure or another, he’s confused to find you still in bed (but awake!) breathing kinda heavily through your mouth with a blocked nose. Sora finds it funny at first, thinking you sound funny when you try talking with a stuffy nose! He might mimic you a little and hold his own nose and imitate your sleepy voice. Slowly, though, Sora starts to realise that your laughs are pretty muffled behind all that…gross stuff and he starts to get genuinely concerned.

He’s crouched by your bedside, as if begging with those big puppy eyes will make the big bad illness go away and you can both go on that world-hopping adventure he planned. Unfortunately, that’s not the case… You can say you’re sorry and it’s all your fault as much as you want, but Sora can’t help but be a little disappointed yet also extremely determined to make you better as fast as possible. Still, he’s not just aiming to rush you out of bed as soon as possible and he does really want to make you feel better - he hates seeing you like this (as cute as the stuffy voice and flushed cheeks might be.)

Sora’s knowledge of how to take care of sick people all comes from experience of what he’s had done to him. He can’t…really cook so don’t expect anything more than maybe toast or heated up soup from cans or the freezer. At least he’ll make it to your liking? He knows that a wet towel can help but doesn’t understand that the whole “towel” trick only helps fevers, and Sora absolutely does not know how to work or read a thermometer.

Running cold? Sora definitely sleeps with piles upon piles of blankets and stuffed animals and will happily donate them to you! If that doesn’t work, there’s always body heat, right? That is, if Sora knows you’re comfortable with him getting in bed beside you and giving you the good old “cuddle the sickness away” trick his mother used to use with him. You may have to stop him from catching whatever you have by physically pushing his face away from yours because that boy is determined to comfort you with kisses, I swear.

He’s not sure how to deal with you running hot, though. He just kind of thinks of how he used to keep cool on hot days on the island and whips up a quick, make-shift paper fan: he’ll sit there for hours if need be, as long as you’re comfortable and not sweating to death.

Sora knows from experience that you need to drink a lot when you’re sick - his mom used to make him tea and ice-cold water depending on what was wrong all the time! - so he’s always popping in and out of your room with new drinks to make sure you don’t get bored with the taste.

As for medicine…Sora’s…not sure what to get so you’ll have to help him, if you need medicine, that is. If anyone else is around, I’m sure they’ll be able to help him, but, if they aren’t, please tell him what colour the box is or what it says on the packet or he’ll end up coming back with, like, vitamin gummies.

In the end of it all, Sora’s just trying his very best to make sure you get better as soon as possible so 1) you can both go on that adventure you had planned together and 2) so you’re not in pain anymore. The effort he puts in is extremely endearing but it doesn’t always work the most efficiently.

And, yes, he also caught whatever you had because he just couldn’t stay away from you. Bless him, he’ll recover quickly enough out of sheer will power.

[goddessofroyalty]

Prompto and Sora being Cloud's kids, but actually in their own universe's. When they got him pregnant, they had him have more than the remnants, they had at least two others that they sent off to other universe's thinking Sephiroth's kids would fuck them up and take them over.... Instead they get two kids who are some of the sweetest people you'd meet. When Cloud somehow finds out about them and manages to meet them he's relieved that they definitely didn't take after Sephiroth. (They definitely stay in their worlds, but maybe find a way to contact/visit sometimes. Gotta be in contact with their mom and siblings, right?)

Alright this one is just a rapid fire of associated ideas I have:

1- Man they should have considered how much of Sephiroth's "planet destroyer" is probably based on a) grooming from birth, b) Jenova literally fucking with his head. With neither of those things in play is it any surprise that the two ended up not like that(TM).

2- When Cloud first meets Sora I want Riku to be there so Cloud thinks Riku is the grown up him + Sephiroth spawn before being corrected. And then Cloud, who has never met Lucrecia (or probably know that she exists), is just like "where the fuck did the brown hair come from?" Added with Sora's general positivity Cloud is left being like are we absolutely, 100% sure there's no Zack in there?

3- Cloud doesn't know how to deal with the realisation that three that got left on his planet are the three that take after Sephiroth the most. Like again if they wanted planet conquerors they were better off sending the remnants off to fuck shit up and keeping these two literal rays of sunshine here, where Sephiroth can just fuck shit up.

4- Please tell me there was at least two pregnancies because if not sweet gods above Cloud, your poor body, how the fuck did you survive? how the fuck did they all survive with the medical malpractice no doubt going on?

5- Both Sora and Prompto LOVE this whole multi-world family thing. They think the fact that Cloud is their parent is just the coolest (they kind of... pretend Sephiroth isn't a thing most of the time). It's the people around them that are more worried. But, yeah, they're not leaving their lives to go live with him, they just visit and and call and text... a lot.

6- So... uh... Xion and Roxas are made from Sora. Does Cloud get two more kids from that (with hair-colours and personalities that immediately make more sense to him)? Does it make him a technical grandparent? Either way I feel like they're dealing with the identity crisis that would result from the situation somehow worse than Sora is (look they JUST got over the whole "we're technically another person" identity crisis, cut them some slack).

[strayheartless]

Ahem….

I have a fic idea.

And I blame mu devotion to the @liverpepper AU (please come back).

But essentially, I’ve always had the sense that Cloud views Sora in a very similar way to how he Views Denzel. But because Sora kind of hero worships Squall, be don’t see it that much.

So when Cloud comes back to Hollow Bastion and finds out that Sora is gone, he goes into his angsty “I’m going out on my own to find the answers”.

Even though Leon tries to tell him that they’ve already got Riku out there looking for him. Even though CID thinks he’d be more help in HB where they can communicate with him. Even though Aerith and Tifa both tell him to think Rationally about it.

It doesn’t seem to reach him though. Clouds been an Anomaly to all of them since the day they met him.

And so Cloud sets out on his bike, and searches literally everywhere. And in the end he finds Quadratum before the others.

It’s done by mistake and honestly he’s not sure if he can get back again but he’s there.

He finds Sora by accident too, after he pulls up by a comic book store and see’s Sora handing a young girl a paper bag. He looks okay, but clouds had experience looking beyond someone’s face.

There’s a tired pinch at the corners of his eyes, and an anxiety that seems to run deeper than it used to in his gaze. He holds himself in a way that looks foreign to Cloud. It’s not a look Cloud thought Sora could pull off.

It’s resigned defeat.

He’d intended to pull sora out of a frey. Maybe have to find some way to revive him. He hadn’t expected to have to do what he finds himself doing now.

Which is dismounting his bike, stepping into the shop, and making Sora cry when the kid looks up.

Sora jumps the counter and collided with Clouds chest. Grabs onto him and just Sobs.

Cloud doesn’t do comfort. He’s not built for it, not really. But he holds onto Sora and let’s him cry for a while.

After that Cloud meets Strelitzia and Yazora, commits himself to protecting Sora while they are stuck there. And in true cloud fashion that means being a silent presence behind Sora at all times. It means getting between those who Cloud perceives to be even the tiniest threat to Sora.

He’s basically the worlds broodiest helicopter dad.

One night, Sora is sat on the fire escape, staring at the light polluted sky, and Cloud comes out with some food to sit with him.

“The sky here is so depressing.” Sora mumbles, not expecting Cloud to really answer him. He’s used to Clouds lack of verbalisation.

He’s suprised when Cloud answers “you miss the stars.”

It’s a statement rather than a question but Sora’s just happy Clouds willing to have a proper conversation with him.

“Yeah… I guess I never realised how lucky I was. The sky was always so big growing up. I could see everything.”

“On your island?” Clouds not really looking at him, but it’s probably the most he’s ever spoken to Sora so he’ll take it.

“Mhm, and while I was traveling I guess.” He stares up at the sky again, leaning back a little. “Not many people can say they’ve flown past the stars… but then not many people have left their world.”

Cloud puts his own bowl down, food untouched. “Aerith, Squall and I used to sneak into the Royal gardens on dark sky nights… back when it was Radiant gardens.” He leans his elbows on his knees. “Back then Squall wasn’t such a hard ass”

Sora snorts. “That sounds fake but okay.”

“Na,” Cloud actually laughs a little. “He used to actually have a sense of fun. Though I think that has more to do with the amount of fun Zack and Tifa used to make of him.”

“Who’s Zack?”

“A friend…” cloud blinks slowly, and if Sora didn’t know any better he’d say Cloud was concentrating on not crying. “He went travelling just before… we’ll you know. Nobody knows what happened to him…”

Sora holds the silence between them for a Second. “Is he who you were looking for when I first met you?”

Cloud nods. “Among others, yeah”

“I always thought you meant Aerith…”

Cloud hums, seemingly running out of words.

They sit in silence for a while, until Sora starts to list against clouds shoulder, and eventually he’s only just aware of Cloud picking him up and putting him to bed.

[atopearth]

Olympia Soiree Part 2 - Riku Route

Wow, Riku dancing! He looked beautiful! Sending off the dead with a dance is pretty poetic. I wonder how Byakuya will react when she realises that it's him. Seeing Riku all flustered when Byakuya kept praising the Blue dancer and saying she wanted to be his apprentice was so cute haha! Considering how ominous the Shou Falls (waterfall where the Shou crystals of the dead used to be "dumped" before being sacrificed to the Sun etc) sounded when they first mentioned it, I'm happy to know that it's really beautiful and tranquil. I guess you can say, people who died before the change got the "true peace" after death imo. Honestly, I don't blame Kanan for telling Kaina to not write letters to him again about wanting help to come up to the surface to lay down flowers at the grave of Kaina's lover who was executed. He's the leader of the Orange, he has his own responsibilities to his class, and this is definitely a very serious thing. I actually think it's very nice that he's going to lay down flowers on behalf of Kaina. I wonder how many lovers were like Satsuki and thought that dying together would be better than marrying someone you don't love, and then really went through with a double suicide... I think that's just so saddening. It's already so difficult to find someone you love in this world, but now you're being controlled as to who you can and cannot love? I feel so bad for all these people.

Okay wow, Kanan is so much more of a distasteful guy than I thought. His jokes are crude, he talks crap about the idea that Shura (leader of the Blue) is probably sleeping with Riku because he's next in line to become the leader of the Blue (which is surprising tbh! That's probably why he's so harsh and strict with others and himself), and he even touched Byakuya's chin without permission and wants to publish in the newspaper that he's most likely to become her husband? Get lost, Kanan. LMAO at Daifuku running away because Riku's hamburger was so enticing😂😂😂 Anyway, Riku smiling is the cutest thing ever, like excuse me, he looks so gentle and beautiful. I also didn't realise how small Daifuku actually was! He can ride on Riku's shoulder! Wow, people report hazushi (when a primary/secondary colour trait person is in a relationship with an Otsu or the people in Yomi I guess) and get a monetary reward for it. I can't imagine the idea of reporting these people to their deaths and being happy about it, it's crazy. The military can just execute them without Kotowari or any trial too as long as they suspect them! Which is pretty ridiculous. I guess it was to be expected, but knowing that the other colour traits will never have the chance to get to a higher rank in the military or anything really shows that only people like Akaza, Kuroba and the heroine can really help or I guess, start off the fight for their rights😔 How interesting that Shura can't use Batsu, and that's why Riku does the ritual 🤔 WHAT, to preserve his "purity", Riku can't get married until he's 30?! Ridiculous. He's been restricted his whole life! He was chosen to be the next leader from a young age because of his superior Batsu powers and it really seems like he has no say in anything he does, it honestly sounds terrible. I guess this will be the "colour conflict" for Byakuya and Riku. It should have been easier for her and Riku to be together, but in the end because of how "special" Riku is and how much they would want his children to have superior Batsu like him, it's understandable that the clan would want him to find someone in the future with strong Blue traits. I'm curious how they will overcome this!

Awww it's so cute how Daifuku thought Riku would be the perfect husband candidate for Byakuya! I guess feeding people and pets always gets to people's hearts haha! LMAO at Riku thinking Kuroba is really Byakuya's lover😂😂 Anyway, Riku makes assumptions very fast and doesn't always listen but it's kinda cute, and understandable I guess considering his strict upbringing, so he is strict towards others too. I'm so heartbroken for Byakuya though. She started kinda liking him and he calls her shameless because he thinks she's going around with different men😭😭😭 Nooo, he made her cry😭😭😭 I feel so bad for Byakuya. I'm so glad Akaza tried his best to tell her to find Tsukuyomi to comfort her because she didn't want him to chase after her but he was worried. Wow, how sad that Byakuya's father died because he wanted to settle on Tennyo Island but instead incurred the wrath of Lady Amaterasu because she hates men, so he ended up drowning. I guess that's why the Lunar Ferry exists; it has a white mouse leave a white flower at the door of the men they choose and they go to the ferry to go to Tennyo Island. It's kinda romantic in its own way haha. Fusou (the nice old man lol, Fuchsia leader?) was actually the husband of one of the Tennyo Island women!! Oh okay, most of the men can't remember anything after they leave Tennyo Island...that's kinda creepy lol. Fusou only feels like he remembers because he had haku and I guess that somehow nullified something?🤔 It was really sweet how Byakuya told Fusou she would love to have him as her grandfather, I think that would be really nice. Oh okay, Fusou still has his memories of Tennyo Island because his wife was his soulmate.

I love how Riku apologised to Byakuya in such an honest and genuine way. I really couldn't get mad at him anymore seeing how apologetic he was, and how much he hated himself for treating her like that. Aww, it was so cute how Byakuya asked Riku if he wanted to be a husband candidate and he got so flustered hahahha. I'm so happy they've finally had their first proper conversation! It was so much cuter than I thought, especially since Riku seems to be softening up. I'm really glad that after this experience, Riku has reflected on his actions and decided that he will make his own judgement on things instead of just believing in rumours without seeing or hearing things himself. Riku teaching Byakuya the Tamagome dance is just so soothing. The two of them at Byakuya's secret hideout teaching each other things about each other and their lives just really warms my heart. I think it's really sweet that Riku saved her with words she had spoken to others before. Byakuya always praises and thinks that the different colours in Yomi are much more beautiful than they are taught to believe, and tells them that, and now here we have Riku telling her that her colour is so pure and beautiful too. Omg Riku laughing is the cutest thing ever. I'm also surprised that Riku and Akaza seem to be much better friends than I thought.

Kanan is very pushy and annoying tbh. Nagusa is crap too because he's basically manipulating Byakuya into having lunch with him by saying if she doesn't, her search for a husband is fake and she's just going to marry Akaza. Ugh. Glad Himuka helped her get out of it. I feel so sad for Aohito... He finally had the chance to send a letter to his mother up on the surface but she already passed away.. that's just so heartbreaking. These things always make me want to cry. His reason for being in Yomi is so crap!! He hit a soldier after getting enraged when he was appealing for executions to be abolished and got sent here forever? That is absolutely terrible. He doesn't deserve any of this at all. I think what broke my heart the most was when he realised that of course he wouldn't get the news of his mother's death, just because he's a person in Yomi now. Honestly, the "pure colours" really should be scared that Yomi and the other colours will revolt against them since they're starting to have superior numbers now in comparison to the dwindling numbers of the primary colours. They will also deserve every bit of what's coming to them, because this oppression and tyranny is insane! I can't imagine how many people have been treated so unfairly. Wow, Shura is obstinate about preserving the "purity" of colours but at least she seems to like progression in other ways, such as building a school for girls. Byakuya going to school would be so cute! Byakuya and Riku quarrelling was really cute, it was nice to see that Riku felt the same as Byakuya considering how concerned he was to see another man try and propose to her right in front of him. Too bad they both didn't realise the other's feelings, and too bad that they both have burdens to overcome. Riku can't get married until he's 30 and needs to preserve the purity of the Blue in order to ensure the power of Batsu will continue, but Byakuya needs to find a husband in a year. Sigh...

I felt so sorry for Riku when he had to catch that distraught Hazushi... She was screaming for help and didn't want to die, and he had to be the one to catch her right in front of Byakuya too... Seeing him so reluctantly catch her was so saddening. Shura isn't the nicest person, and is definitely resistant to change when it comes to Hazushi, but it's understandable why she is against it. She is the leader of the Blue and it's her duty to preserve the Batsu power that is imperative for the survival of Tenguu Island itself, so unless Byakuya can find a way to keep Batsu as a power or find another way to supply the Sun with what it needs without the Batsu, Shura would probably never listen to her. I didn't think Sakyo (the doctor guy) would be the one to force Riku and Byakuya to face reality that they can't be together. I also didn't realise Byakuya can only bear children of the White, so it's basically impossible for them to be together because just like her Olympia role, Riku has his role as the next Blue leader with one of the highest aptitudes for Batsu, and discarding that would be as if Byakuya discarded her role too. It's kinda funny that I just realised how precious they both are respectively to their colours. I was so scared when Satsuki was going to get captured by the military. It's crazy how they're capturing people with just info and no evidence now, that's ridiculous. But what hurt the most was seeing how perplexed Riku was about all this. He's trying to convince himself that following the rules of this island is what's right and it's hurting him. It's really difficult though. He's been brought up his whole life like this, his whole life has been surrounded and controlled by rules, and honestly when do you even know whether you should be following the rules or whether you should be fighting against them for what you think is right? No one really knows what is "right" after all... It's sad to think that Kaina never really felt like he fit in with the Yellow and actually feels better in Yomi. The only sad thing is that he'll forever have to carry the death of his girlfriend with him for that "freedom" in Yomi.

I didn't realise the power Riku was channelling to hurt the bandits that attacked Byakuya was actually Batsu. I can't believe he's going to be trialled for it because it's something he should never use on the living, and breaking this vow is really serious. Okay, the trial went in a much more different way than I expected lol! Honestly didn't expect Riku to reveal his feelings for Byakuya, and Douma and Jigen are actually all for it because children of the White can use Batsu, so if Riku and her have children, this power would still exist. I actually found it really sweet that Riku was ready to discard everything and go to Yomi. He's been shackled by his duties so much that he couldn't say anything about his true feelings until now, so I'm really happy he could at least voice that. Riku really is cool. He's decided to willingly live in Yomi. Wow, the garden at the bathhouse is so beautiful!! The backgrounds in this game are so pretty. I can understand why Riku wants to pave away all his doubts and become a man who deserves her before they get together. He's a serious guy, and just as love is something new to him, going against all his duties, all the rules and everything in his whole life must be affecting him quite a bit, so needing more time before jumping into a relationship would be good for the both of them. Awww, Riku saying hamburgers are his favourite while blushing is so adorable!! It's so cute how it became his favourite after Akaza treated him to one, it's kinda sad that even his diet was restrictive, but I'm also glad that it helped him bond with Akaza. I find it hilarious how every time Riku says something super sweet, Byakuya always thinks she must be dead and that it's not real😂 I'm absolutely smitten tbh, because Riku holding her hand and saying this is the happiest he's ever been in his life even though he's been suspended from the military, could potentially be executed and is living in Yomi just makes my heart so touched. I loved how he reassured her that she's not bad luck and that he's not ashamed to be with her. It's also really sweet to see how loved Riku is with the Blue! They believe in him and his reasons for using Batsu, and they wish for his happiness.

I'm so happy Riku apologised to Kaina for what he said about them before. It's so sad that Kaina can't sleep because he keeps dreaming about Sanami. Tamasogi is such a cruel "execution" that forcefully extracts a person's living soul with Batsu... How ironic though. Tenguu Island rules condemn those who use Batsu on the living and yet they do such inhumane things to Hazushi. It breaks my heart to think about all the people like Kaina. It's so terrible that people are condemned to death just for falling in love with someone in the "wrong" colour class, it's so heartbreaking. I...did not expect that Riku's confession would be that he is a child of a Hazushi and that he was actually born down here in Yomi. I'm shocked to say the least. The reason why he was so obstinate about colour classes and associating with classes on the same level as yourself was because he wanted to prove and show that he really was of the Blue, and didn't want to shame Rino (Shura's sister), Shura and Sakyo for raising him and caring for him... I was so proud of Riku for being able to be honest about this and finally finding the resolve to want to change this island so that people like Kaina wouldn't have to suffer anymore. It's really nice that Riku started questioning his "role" after talking with Byakuya and hearing her say that aside from fulfilling the role that was given to her at birth, she also wanted to do something for herself no matter how small of a change it could make. It was so adorable how Riku kept blushing about wanting to kiss her but kept telling her to leave so he won't "dirty" her purity hahaha, he's so innocent, I love him. They were so cuteee! I honestly laughed my ass off when Riku started touching under her blouse and then restrained himself and apologised😂 He's so adorable hahaha. Anyway, considering Riku's origins, it's kinda crazy how obstinate Shura is about purity of the colours when it's obvious that at this rate, the Blue will not be able to survive with the high rate of stillbirths they have.

Seeing Riku do the Tamagome dance for someone in Yomi whilst stating that the people on the surface and in Yomi are the same was really satisfying, he's really come to terms with himself. Extracting a living person's soul produces Shou of the highest purity...and someone on this island is conducting experiments using Shou to regenerate body parts...? I didn't think that Sakyo would be researching women of the White to find a cure for Haku. I wonder why he's so desperate and careless enough to try and abduct Byakuya though? Wouldn't it be better to wait for her to give birth to a child and then he can have more specimens? Is he dying? It's kinda ironic and counterintuitive to think that Sakyo was sacrificing healthy people to save "sick" people with haku. It's like, the Primary and Secondary tiers are already having trouble keeping up their numbers and here we are sacrificing both them and the other Otsu and stuff to try and figure out ways to heal haku instead of cherishing those that are still healthy. I'm so glad Riku was able to get through to both Sakyo and Shura. I'm so happy Riku finallyyyyy got to tell Shura that there's no guarantee that he won't have a stillborn if he married another pure Blue, and that he himself is an example of the possibility of having a pure Blue with a strong Batsu even if you "mix" colours. I think it was really cool how he said Hazushi are not unsightly, and are a possibility for their future. Riku is so cool! I love how he so eloquently worded everything in a way that made it clear how much he loved, respected and cherished Shura and the Blue, and it's exactly because of that, that he wants things to change for the better, so I'm really happy Shura has agreed to their marriage and is letting Byakuya go to her school. Riku is so adorable, I'm dying. He's so happy that Shura approved of their marriage and their dream of becoming husband and wife can become a reality now. Omggg it was so brave and cool of Byakuya to be the one to push Riku on to the bed and tell him that she couldn't wait any longer🥺 Riku is so proper, he would never touch her if she didn't do this haha. I love how Byakuya's hair colour changes to the colour of her "soulmate" when they're in love, the blue is so pretty! Man, Riku's voice was pretty sexy during the sex scene haha! I love the CG of Riku combing Byakuya's hair though, it's so cute. Aww it's the end?! I honestly thought we'd get to see them actually bring about the change! It was still good I guess haha.

Oh wow, that bad ending where Riku kills the attempted kidnapper and then becomes an executioner as retribution for killing someone with Batsu was terrible. That's such a sad way to part...especially since it's obvious that he did it because he loved and cared for her.. I think it's even sadder because in the good ending, Riku mentioned that he's seen the Tamasogi ritual before, and hearing the screams of the people executed were really painful and he didn't want people to experience that like his real father probably did. So he's basically chosen the path that he knew would torment him the most as a form of punishment for doing something unforgivable, that's just so heartbreaking. I knew there was something going on between Shura and Sakyo!! Now I wonder if Shura was so stubborn about Riku marrying another Blue because back in the day she also wasn't allowed to be with Sakyo?🤔 And I guess Sakyo always felt close to the Blue and feels like he's a part of it is because of Shura? It's actually pretty saddening that the only real moment we get to see Byakuya and Shura bond is when both their partners are gone and they can share that bond of pain and deteriorating desire to live.

Overall, I liked Riku's route much more than I thought. I honestly cried seeing so many side characters, especially Kaina have to go through such pain just because they fell in love with someone they weren't supposed to fall in love with. I thought Riku and Byakuya were so cute and innocent as they slowly got to know each other better, and I really loved that Riku's reason for being such a stick up his ass (lol) was quite understandable and saddening in its own way. I loved how honest Riku could be about his feelings, and I liked how Byakuya helped influence Riku into thinking for himself more and facing his past. I think Sakyo was quite an underwhelming character as the "villain" for this route even though his reasons are comprehensible, since they kinda just throw it in at the end and resolve it just as quickly lol. But yeah, I still really enjoyed it because seeing Riku deal with his inner turmoil, and finding the courage to go against the rules he’s been brought up with, whilst coming to terms with “who” he actually is really made it a very heartwrenching but satisfying read. Not only did I really come to love Riku as a person as he grew, but I also really loved how he respected Shura as the Blue’s leader, and also as his parental figure, and convinced her to try to change things on this island without being hostile towards it, and without condemning her for being “wrong”. I just really liked seeing how eloquent Riku was, and how you could see how much he cherished the people precious to him that he would find a peaceful way to solve things, but have the conviction to stick to what he believes in, I honestly really loved him.

[inconsistentracoon]

Chapter 18: Guilt

As he is forced to confront the severity of his injuries again, Sora's frustration starts to boil over.

+ sleepy cuddles with Riku :3

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"You say your friends are your power, but you have to know Sora, you're our power too." When he still didn't say anything, Riku shifted forwards again and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "And I could never hate you, you idiot."

Sora let out a small sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh. He put his arm around Riku's waist and clung to the back of his shirt, letting himself cry quietly into his shoulder for a little while.

When they broke apart, Sora's eyes were red, but he'd stopped crying. "Thanks for not giving up on me, Riku."

"Well, you never gave up on me." 

They smiled at each other. It took a moment for Riku to realise just how close their faces now were. Close enough to faintly feel each other's breath on their skin.

Sora felt his heart beat a little faster, suddenly light-headed. He guessed that must mean he'd been up for too long again, and raised a hand to his forehead. "I think I better lie down... getting dizzy."

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Full chapter on AO3