#dear beloved soriku

[kiolilo]

大切な人を守る力〜♪( ´θ｀)ノ

[kingdomhearts-and-soriku-trash]

Hi!! I'm finally writing another Soriku fic and this is for everyone and @whyarewecalledtheshipname I hope you enjoy this sleeping beauty sort of fic! A lot of effort went into the ending, and it's probably not too good, but I hope you like it! I love your blog, so I thought you would like this so yeah! Enjoy!

Author notes are at the end and kinda long but yeah. And I'd like feedback since I like getting it to improve my writing or know what you thought about it at least!

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"Momma, will you read this one?" Sora asks.

He and Riku were both laying in their own pillow fort. They were laying on their stomachs next to each other, both in their pajamas, and looking towards Sora's mother. She was laying outside the entrance to their pillow fort with a smile. She was on her stomach, propped up by her forearms, and had a book between them.

"Do you know if Riku likes it? Will he even like to hear it again." She tilts her head and looks over at Riku.

Riku's eyes widen slightly before he nods with a small smile. "Yeah, I like Sleeping Beauty. It's a nice story," he says shyly.

Sora's mother sighs fondly. "Alright, then I'll read it." She picks up the book and shows the front to the boys. "Well, I guess we're reading Sleeping Beauty again!" She opens the book and begins to read. "In a far away land long ago lived a King and his fair Queen. Many years had they longed for a child and finally their wish was granted." She turns the book around to show the boys the picture.

"It's so beautiful," Sora whispers. No matter how many times he sees the pictures or reads the story, he finds it amazing each time.

She smiles and turns the book back to her and flips the page. "A daughter was born. They called her Aurora. Yes they named her after the dawn for she filled their lives with sunshine."

"So, Aurora means dawn? Do other names have meaning?" Riku asks with curiosity.

Sora's mother looks up at him and smiles. "Why yes it does. Isn't it beautiful? And some names do have meaning, but that meaning doesn't make you." She turns the book around so they could see the story being told in pictures.

"They look so happy!" Sora says with a big smile.

"Of course they would be. They just had their first kid!" Riku says with excitement. He wouldn't admit it, but he loves this story.

"Then, a great holiday was proclaimed throughout the kingdom so that all of high or low estate might pay homage to the infant princess. And our story begins on that most joyful day." She turns the book around for the boys to see again.

"That's a lot of people," Sora says with awe.

Sora's mother turns the book back to her and continues to read. "All sorts of people attended, including another king and his son, Prince Phillip. Celebrating Aurora's birth wasn't the only thing being done that day, it was also announced that Phillip was betrothed to the princess."

"He was going to get married to her, right?" Sora asks.

"Yes, he was. It was a common thing for many kingdoms to do."

"It's still weird," Riku says quietly. He's young and doesn't understand love, but he still finds it weird how people were forced to marry someone and didn't have a say in it.

She smiles and continues. "After the prince set eyes on his future bride, horns once again rang throughout the room as three fairies floated down to the king and queen. They, too, wanted to celebrate the princess's birth. They all floated over to her in a rush, crowding each other as they looked down at her crib. However, they weren't there just to see her, they were there to bless her. The first fairy, Flora, gave her the gift of beauty. The second fairy, Fauna, gave her the gift of song. And just as the third fairy, Merryweather, was about to give her gift, thunder rumbled through the room, causing panic as a glowing figure began to appear. It was green, but it slowly formed into another fairy, but a dark fairy." She emphasized "dark" with a scary look.

Sora gasped softly. "Oh no!"

"The evil fairy, named Maleficent, appeared in the middle of the room with her cane and raven. She walked to the King and Queen with a smile as she mentioned every person in the room. She stroked her bird as she told them her woes about not being invited. Merryweather, being the blunt fairy she was, told her how she wasn't invited, which stirred the evil fairy up. She in return decided to give the princess her own gift."

Sora and Riku both had looks of excitement mixed with curiosity. They both knew what it was, yet found it enjoyable to hear again and again.

"The fairies did their best to protect Aurora, but they failed. The evil fairy cast a curse on dear Aurora. "Before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel and die," is what she told the whole room. The evil fairy laughed cruelly as she saw the panic around the room. The King ordered for the guards to apprehend her, but she disappeared before they could even touch her."

"But then someone comes and saves her!" Riku says.

"No saving is done yet, dears. However, they could help the poor princess. Flora saw the panic on the King's and Queen's face and reassured them that they could help her. Merryweather didn't give her gift yet and still had a chance to make things better. She went over to the crib and said, "Sweet princess, if through this wicked witches trick, a spindle should your finger prick, a ray of hope there still may be in this. The gift I give to thee, not in death but just in sleep, and from this slumber you shall wake when true loves kiss the spell shall break."

"But what if she doesn't find her true love?" Riku asks with a curious and concerned voice. It was a fake person, but he still feels worry.

"But she will! It's just how fate works!" Sora tells him with a smile. He grabs Riku's hand and squeezes it. "We all find each other through fate, so she would find her true love through fate as well!"

Riku looks over at Sora and smiles back at him.

The rest of the night is spent with Sora's mother telling them how the story went, but the most important part was the ending. When she was done reading and was getting ready to go to bed, Sora asks her an important question.

Sora yawns as he talks. "So, she would've been asleep forever if Phillip didn't make it?"

His mother ruffles his and Riku's hair. "Sadly, yes, she would have. But her prince's heart was stronger than Maleficent and he defeated her to save Aurora."

"Oh, then that's good," he says as he yawns once again. His mother kisses his cheek and leaves to go to bed.

He lays his cheek against the floor as he looks beside him. He sees Riku already asleep, still holding his hand. He smiles and squeezes it. "I'd fight a dragon for you, Riku," he whispers out. "Our hearts are already strong, aren't they," he says slowly. Only a few moments later, he falls into a blissful sleep.

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Riku looked up at Sora's face through the clear glass of his sleeping pod. He could barely see him, but he could still see a smile on his face. It was small, but it was there.

This had been his third time checking up on Sora since he was put to sleep, and he always looked for a smile. It managed to put him at ease, but never erase the true pain he felt.

"I wonder what you're dreaming about. Is it good things?" He knew he wouldn't respond, but he still talked to him. "Are you thinking of the things I did?" He shouldn't have been thinking like that, but he still did. He was inexcusably rude to his best friend, someone he loves with all his heart, and someone who is precious.

He placed his hand against the pod. "I hope your dreams are good and that you can forgive me. Especially for the things I have to do." He knew what he had to do and it was things he didn't want to do, but he had to. He wouldn't be able to be without Sora, so he'd do whatever it took to save him...even if it means hurting someone else.

"I'm sorry."

He turned around and left the room, once again asking Namine to watch over him. He wished he could stay longer, but Sora wouldn't wake up unless he left, so he knew what he had to do. Even if he wished he didn't have to.

He never wanted to be away from Sora, even if his past actions didn't agree. This time felt painful, but when he had to watch Sora from afar? And look like Ansem at the same time? It was even more painful, but it was only the beginning.

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Riku's legs felt like jelly as he continued to run. His dreams led him to an unknown world, and the only thing he knew was that it would lead him to Sora.

His beloved that had been missing for a whole year. It broke his heart to think about the time again, so he pushed it away as he continued to run and run and run. Every now and then he stopped so he could look around to make sure he didn't miss Sora, but he never saw him.

"I have to keep going," he said through panting breaths as he sat at a bench. He held his head in his hands as he thought. "Our hearts are connected together, but every time I think I'm getting closer, the connection goes away. It disappears all over again." He looks up as he finally realizes what he should do. "But if I just listen...maybe I can sense him better."

He quickly stood up, ignoring the pain his legs felt, and closed his eyes. He felt the connection to Sora, he could feel their hearts calling to each other, but he couldn't feel a direction. It should've annoyed him, but he stayed calm and cool. He only listened.

After a few moments, he felt a tug. A tug that's stronger than any other he's felt. He opened his eyes and looked at the road ahead of him. He felt the tug pulling him that way, so he goes. He ran, but not as fast as before since he didn't want to miss Sora. He looked around as he passed by buildings and shops. He kept going straight past many traffic lights.

However, once he got to another four way, he felt the tug go somewhere else. He felt it coming from a building. He runs over but then the tug comes from above. He backed up and looked up to see something on the roof.

He gasped and stared at the climbing he had to do. "I'm not as good as you are, Sora. But I'll do my best." He began to run up the side of the building, doing his best to not slip off.

He gets to the edge of the top and jumps so he can finally be on the roof, and what he saw makes him gasp with fear. He saw an array of spikes of ice surrounding each other, like a spell of blizzard gone wrong. He looked in the middle and his heart dropped.

Sora was frozen solid and laying in the middle. His eyes were closed and he looked like he was in peace, but Riku felt fear and terror.

He ran over to the spikes, which resembled a flower now that he was closer, and saw a little break through the array of spikes. He walked through the path and got on his knees beside Sora. As soon as he touched Sora, the spikes around him cracked and turned into silver flakes, disappearing into the wind. Sora's crystal form did the same thing as well. It made a cracking noise before falling off in flakes and going in the wind.

"Sora..." he said as he touched his cheek gently. It felt freezing and it made Riku feel even more upset.

He picked Sora up and held him bridal style and signaled to Fairy Godmother. He, within seconds, disappeared in a flash and reappeared in front of Yen Sid's tower. He was greeted by Mickey, Aqua, Terra, and Kairi. They all had a look of surprise mixed with relief, but when they saw Riku's face they were confused.

Riku walked towards them and kept his words brief. "I found him, but he's still not awake. He needs help."

Everyone nodded and all hurried to get Sora his own room. The room was at the top of the tower, far away enough from everyone else. They needed room to figure out what was wrong. They would tell everyone the news later.

Riku sat Sora down in the bed, Kairi started a fire in the fireplace to make the room warmer, and Terra got an extra blanket for him. They all stood in the room and waited for Fairy Godmother to appear. She was there within a matter of seconds and instantly looked at Sora.

She walked over to him and knelt down to be closer. She placed her hand against his chest and went silent for a moment before looking back at everyone. "His heart beat is very distant and his breathing is very slow. I can't tell what's wrong yet," she said with disappointment. She wanted to help him just like everyone else, but she needed time to do so.

Everyone felt disappointment and fear, but pushed it aside as they thought of what to do.

"So, should we leave him to rest? And see how he's doing in the morning?" Aqua suggested.

"But he shouldn't be alone, right?" Terra said with worry.

"Yes, he shouldn't be. I need time to research and see what's wrong, but he may get worse. I need someone to watch over him," Fairy Godmother said with firmness.

"I'll do it," Riku said immediately. He protected Sora ever since Sora saved him. He couldn't abandon him now. He knew Sora would never blame him for taking a break, but he couldn't. He couldn't bare the thought of having him here and not being able to see him in the morning if something went wrong. He trusted the others, but he had to do this.

"Riku, you haven't slept in so long. You need a break," Kairi said with worry. She stepped closer to him and grabbed his hand, gently.

He looked down at her and shook his head. "I just...can't leave him, alright? I need to make sure he's alright. Please," he asked the group.

"How about we do shifts?" Mickey suggested with a smile. He knew everyone cared about Sora, he did, too. However, he knew almost no one could care for Sora like Riku did. Mickey spent time with him in the Realm of Darkness and watched him find his strength with Sora. He understood the fear that Riku was feeling.

Fairy Godmother thought for a moment before she nodded with a smile. "I believe that's a good idea. How about we all go tell Yen Sid, just real quick, alright? Then you can come right back here and watch him," she said as she looked at Riku. She gave him a bright smile, doing her best to put him at ease.

Everyone turned around to leave, but Riku kept looking at Sora. He thought it was creepy, but he couldn't stop focusing on the way his breath was so shallow. He almost couldn't see it. However, he broke out of his trance when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Aqua with a frown.

"You can take a minute. It's okay." She squeezed his shoulder before leaving the room and closing the door gently behind her.

He smiled slightly at her concern and understanding. It made him breath easier. Once she left and didn't hear any more footsteps, he turned around and walked over to Sora. He got knelt down on one knee and looked at him.

"You look like you're in peace, but are you really?" He asked, knowing he would get no reply. "We're going to do our best to save you, I promise. We will save you. I know we can. You've saved us plenty of times, it's our turn to save you." He moved his hand slowly to push aside his bangs.

He remembered doing this when he was a kid on the Destiny Islands. Sora would take a nap and let the wind mess with his hair. Whenever he let his hair grow out, his bangs would get in his face and cover his eyes. Riku would move them away, which always would wake Sora. He would look at him with a smile and thank him for moving his bangs. It would always embarrass Riku, but he'd continue to do it. He liked seeing those blue eyes look up at him, and now he'd love if they could.

He got up and looked out the window. The sun was rising and it was beautiful. He wished Sora was awake to see it since he loved to see the sunrise. He looked back down at Sora and smiled as he leaned in and kissed him right above his temple.

He pulled away and made sure the blanket was covering him, the fire was still lit, and began to leave. He walked to the door and had his hand on the doorknob, ready to open, but stopped when he heard a voice.

"Riku?" Sora said quietly with his voice sounding rough.

Riku turned around quickly and saw Sora rubbing his eyes. He looked around the room confused, but once they landed on him he smiled.

"Riku...you're here." He looked to his side to see the sunlight reaching the tower. "It looks so beautiful. I hadn't seen one like this in so long," he said quietly.

"Sora!" Riku shouted as he ran over to his side of the bed. He got on his knees and grabbed his hand. "You're awake!" He let his forehead rest against Sora's hand and he closed his eyes. "You're awake..." he said again.

Sora sat up and laughed. "You saved me," he said gently.

Riku looked up at him to see those blue eyes. They looked at him with such love and he felt like he couldn't breathe. He couldn't find the words to say, so he only acted. He wrapped his arms around Sora and buried his face in the crook of his neck. It took a moment, but Sora wrapped his arms around him too.

"I'm here, Riku. You don't need to fear anymore."

Riku pulled back enough to look at him, but didn't let go. He cupped his cheek with a shaky hand and smiled when Sora leaned into it. "How are you here? How are you awake?"

"You woke me up." He poked right above his heart. "I heard your heart calling out to me. Those spikes and the crystal was protecting me, but they broke when you came because I trust you. You," Sora paused for a moment and struggled to find the words. "You mean the world to me, so they fell away. And I fought my way to wake up, but I couldn't do it. But when you kissed me, it made me stronger," he said with a small blush.

"The kiss helped you?" Riku asked with confusion and slight disbelief.

Sora nodded. "Yeah. You helped me break through. I guess it's like Sleeping Beauty," he said with a giggle.

Riku smiled and gathered up his courage. "Then, can I kiss you again?" He blushed and felt like looking away, but he didn't. He held his ground and waited.

"It better be a proper one this time," Sora said with a laugh.

Riku laughed in return before he leaned closer and gently kissed him. It wasn't perfect, but it didn't matter. It was them. It was their kiss. When they pulled away, they didn't hesitate. They went back in for another kiss, and another, and another, until they had to stop to catch their breath.

They pulled slightly away and laid their foreheads against the others. It was peaceful and everything was beautiful. The sun was shining, Sora was awake, and they both finally confessed.

Well, halfway, but they did it.

"When are the others coming?" Sora asked.

"Oh!" Riku said as he remembered the others. "They should be telling Yen Sid about everything. I was meant to join them! Do you want to go with me or do you want me to stay?"

"Stay. Stay with me, please," Sora said with vulnerability. "I don't want to be alone, and I'm still a little cold." Sora slid over and motioned for Riku to join him.

He smiled and joined him on the bed. He laid on his side and wrapped his arms around Sora when he scooted closer and buried his face in the crook of his neck.

"I love you, Riku."

Riku's heart pounded with joy and he smiled as he rested his chin on top of Sora's head. "I love you, too, Sora."

And they laid together before the others came and got them. At first, they believed Riku was clinging to him, only to hear Sora wake up when they called out to Riku.

They all helped him up so he could hug everyone and make them believe he was really there and awake. However, they let Sora rest back in the bed when he began to feel weak again since he had been sleeping for awhile. But it didn't bother them. They were just so excited and happy that Sora was finally home.

But no one was as happy as Riku. No one.

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OKAY SO! This was a little difficult to write. The opening was good and I kinda liked that part. That's actually where this idea started, since I just imagined Sora's mother reading him and Riku a story and then I saw your posts and was like, "oh...SLEEPING BEAUTY!!!" And then this popped out. These are some author notes.

Okay so like this took so long to come out because I wrote it but then I had so many different ideas. I wanted him to kiss him on the lips but I kinda thought that Riku wouldn't exactly do that since he didn't want to I guess do that to Sora?? Since he was asleep and couldn't say anything?? So he just kissed him on his temple and it woke him up. AND THAT WASN'T JUST MY IDEA!! I got it from the movie Maleficent that came out in 2014. In the end of that movie, Maleficent was the one to wake up Aurora. She kissed her on her forehead and she woke up!! I was like, "oh yeah that's perfect for Riku."

I wanted to include the times Sora was asleep, but I didn't see how that would help anything or contribute to the plot, so I didn't. I only included the time where Sora was asleep to get his memories back, so I could show that Riku suffered during that (Even if we already knew that) and say how it was going to get worse >:).

Thus took so many rewrites because like...the ending of where Sora is found in crystal was so difficult to write. At first, I had him finding him in the position he was in the Remind ending, but I couldn't write it good, so I just switched it to him laying down in crystal form :). Let's just say that I wrote this multiple times and finally got on this version! And??? We like?? Don’t know what caused the crystal (I believe), so I just said that it was meant to protect him and fell away when Riku came bc now he would protect him :).

Putting in the sunlight on the tower part was a little difficult since I couldn't write it properly but!! I hope you enjoyed this!! I love your posts and I hope you love this! It may not be the best, but I love it.

AND!! That beginning of the story is actually from the movie. All of it is from the movie until the, "On that joyous day," part. Like the part of describing the event is my own writing and such. But the quote of Maleficent cursing Aurora and the gift that Merryweather gave Aurora is actually from the movie and word for word so I hope you like that part :).

There is some proofreading, but I could've missed something, so sorry if I did miss something!

[khdiscussions]

KH and Disney: What Disney Does Not Do To Your Ships

Hello all, I’m supposed to be on hiatus but I want to try to address my biggest fear for the fandom before we get there with a meta a little different than my normal flavor.

So hey anybody remember 2010. The time when AkuRoku was still a major force in fandom and purity culture didn’t drive them off the map. I do too. You remember how if you met an AkuRoku shipper in that time period there was a 25% chance that they argued that “Disney banned Nomura from putting AkuRoku in the games because they’re a homophobic company and he wanted AkuRoku in all along and they forced him to put in Xion to the games just to break up AkuRoku” and then cited some interview without linking it because the interview didn’t exist?

Because hey, that’s what we’re talking about today!

As we all know Chikai/Oath/Don’t Think Twice is a song with a lot of romantic connotations. The focal point of these connotations has fallen back in line with the SoKai/SoRiku communities and I do think they’re right. One of these two Sora ships is going to become canon by the end of the game, be it through strong implications or a canon kiss? Well, who knows besides those lovely individuals who bought stolen copies of the game and wait the month like the rest of us are. That’s not what we’re here to discuss though.

We’re here to discuss an old fandom trend that I’m very worried could make a return depending on what direction the ships go in, and where not to place your blame.

(But first: I would like to redirect attention to my standing earlier. Who the ever living fuck should give a shit about canon ships? Fandom is fandom and have fun with your ships and if you don’t like the canon one ignore it. It isn’t that hard. Actually it’s really easy. I’m still in denial about Voltron s8 and am just pretending it didn’t happen because I’m unhappy with it. A ship being canon does not make it superior, nor does it mean you have to like it.)

So let’s talk about how if SoKai becomes canon (or just alternatively - SoRiku doesn’t) it doesn’t mean there was executive meddling from overseas at Disney because Disney is actually a very surprisingly pro-gay company.

(What no this definitely isn’t an excuse for me to talk about how far Disney has come with handling all things LGBT+ on my KH blog what would make you say that???)

While many people will cite the earlier films Walt had a hand in as the first signs of the LGBT community getting a voice in Disney, that actually isn’t the case. I could go on and on about linguistics, but to say it in a nutshell, the first time the LGBT community ever found a true voice with the Disney company was in 1991, in my hometown of Orlando at a place near and dear to my heart.

In 1991, a small event was organized in which visiting gay tourists were encouraged to don a red shirt and attend the Magic Kingdom, showing that they weren’t afraid to be who they were. The event was met with your usual disgruntled homophobic protestors, but they did manage to successfully enter the gates, thus leading to one of the biggest events today for gay individuals everywhere. While Gay Days is not officially hosted by Disney (the event was not started by Disney and they didn’t pick it up), Disney is proud to support it. I’ve been to the parks around the days of Gay Days, and while year round we see things like gay Mickey ears and the like, they go all out. A special rainbow embroidery comes out for the ears, they release special treats, and even make shirts just for people who are here for the event. They even had a small section in World of Disney for the gay stuff along with some general rainbow merchandise. (It’s by one of the doors, I only noticed it for the first time Saturday, I wanna say it’s in the rooms next to the mugs.)

Disney also has a history of hiring LGBT individuals as well. George Kalogridis, the head of the Walt Disney World resort, is gay, which I should note he came to us from being head of the Disneyland resort first. And who can forget one of Disney’s iconic songwriters, Howard Ashman, was a gay man who died of AIDS back in the early 90s. He was so beloved that at the end of the final project he worked on, Beauty and the Beast, he has a special tribute. (”To our friend Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul.”)

But what about the film company. Well, I mentioned the early Disney history earlier and while there are things like linguistics to account does that mean they’re entirely barren? Wellll...no. Several characters in Disney history (among which include the Three Caballeros and Timon and Pumbaa being among the most famous, but several villains are as well) are coded and can easily be read as gay by anybody perceptive enough to pick it up, and Ursula’s design was based on a real life drag queen. While I don’t personally believe in giving credit for making these characters gay (Unless they retcon today), they are worth noting if we’re touching upon a comprehensive history of Disney and LGBT+. What I would truthfully consider the first time we see any sign of Disney supporting gay anything in their films would be 1998, with Mulan’s very own General Shang. Pretty sure most people have heard the argument for bi Shang, but if you haven’t, the gist of it is Shang falls for Mulan before he learns she’s a girl, and so since he loves her regardless of her gender, he’d be bi rather than straight. Unfortunately, I don’t think Disney has spoken up on this and since he ultimately ends up with Mulan as she is, there isn’t much to confirm it.

We then return back to more coding (Jumba and Pleakley, Kuzco, etc.) as we leave the 90s firmly behind us and head into the 2000s. Not a lot really happened here beyond that for a really long time either. Until we arrive in the 2010s. 

When it came to LGBT rep in the 2010, the first real notice of it would be in 2013, where we got double the attention. In 2013, Disney announced that their Disney Channel Show, Good Luck Charlie, would feature a gay couple, though the episode didn’t air until 2014, and was the second to last of the series. Meanwhile coming out at the end of 2013 was Frozen, in which we see Oaken and his husband in the scene where Anna and Kristoff first meet. The trend continues three years later, where it turns out Judy’s neighbors are also gay.

Then finally, in 2017, we stop getting just small hints here and there. For all the movie’s faults, Disney’s live action Beauty and the Beast introduced the first confirmed gay character with Le Fou, followed by in late 2017 a Disney channel show known as Andi Mack had an entire arc dedicated to a character understanding his sexuality and coming out.  Then in 2018, Disney confirmed that a character in the Jungle Cruise movie coming out next year, a main character in the movie I should add, will be gay. We, unfortunately, don’t have all the information at this time because the movie is still in development, buuuuuuuut hopefully this ends up going somewhere, especially since it is a movie based off of one of Disney’s biggest original attractions.

So where does that leave us in regards to KH3? Well hopefully I’ve made my case well enough to show that Disney, especially in the past five years that KH3 has been in development, has made enormous strides in their showing of gay content and hopefully will continue to grow as time goes on (Hey Walt Disney Animation Studios, you guys have like...nothing right now). But more importantly to the point of the meta, I want to prove that if SoRiku, or any other gay ship in the series, doesn’t become canon, it isn’t Disney’s fault. Disney is a supporter of the gay community as a whole and has already included representation in the past and has plans to in the future, and to argue that they aren’t shows a lack of understanding of the history of just how far the company has come.

Let’s leave the “Disney banned Nomura from putting x paring in the games” arguments in the past where they belong, shall we?