#i love soriku parallels

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Every day I have to contend with how Soriku fandom just spoils me with in depth analysis about the series itself as much as it spoils me with analysis of characters and the ship

Reading stuff like necklace theory, "riku is the light", the sleeping realms theory, and just fan analysis and translations of the original jp version of kh changed my life man

[nosfelixculpa]

I have to bring her home. - I’m sure she knows how much you love her. And I think...maybe that’s why she looked so sad. It’s just like when Riku disappeared. He thought he had to push me away, to protect me. Maybe Elsa’s the same.

[marcirose]

Can you believe we got soriku parallels with all of these Disney couples?

[blowingoffsteam2]

😏

[purplelea]

Guys if your otp:

Involves two gay dumbasses in love where one of them is a pretty emo boy and the other is a literal ball of innocence and enthusiasm

One of them joins the bad guys and fights the other to try to protect a girl

The other fucking dies (multiple times) and goes missing of reality at some point

And includes a scene where they hold hands and one of them says that they looked everywhere for the other

Then it's not only your soriku, it's also beatneku from twewy

[forsakenangel88]

So I'm replaying KH3 and am in Arendelle and found another soriku parallel.

We find Kristoff after he has left Anna at the castle, and he tells Sora she's with her true love.

Sora says he assumed that Kristoff was her true love, and he says no, I just stop her from getting lost.

(We know that he is actually her true love)

....

In BBS, Aqua tells Sora to look after Riku and to stop him from getting lost down a dark path.

[dominicsorel]

Why exactly were BOTW!Zelink and KH3 Soriku so alike?

Ever since I made a gifset pointing out similarities to BOTW!Zelink and KH3 Soriku, I've been hesitating to point out some things I already did, albeit in more detail. But I just can't stop myself anymore.

There's a deeper understanding to be had here.

From Mipha talking about what she thinks about while she's healing and the implication in the narrative that it's love that brought out Zelda's light power to Mickey talking about how sometimes you care so much for someone that other feelings disappear, leaving no room for fear or doubt and Sora finally using the Power of Waking to find his way to Riku in the Dark World because of that same reason.

It is almost downright infuriating to me how obvious some of this is being that BOTW came out TWO YEARS before KH3 did. It's one of those things where you notice and get mad that you didn't notice earlier because a lot clicks together in this case. The entire KH series has taken inspiration from the LOZ series from the very start. It's not that big of a leap to think they'd go, "Hey, this is a good depiction of a more modern romance in gaming. Maybe we should take notes for our slow burn of the century romance between two boys."

AND THEY DID.

Now let's go over just a few BOTW!Zelink and KH3 Soriku parallels. I have to keep it confined to KH3 Soriku because what I want to show are things that I feel were directly inspired by the events in BOTW.

Take a look at the Yiga Chase scene side by side with the scene where Aqua chases an unarmed Riku while his back is turned.

(they even both turn to look back send help)

So here we have a very clear M/F romance (Zelda's canonically in love with Link in BOTW) having an incredibly similar rescue scene to another one which involves the relationship between two boys.

What would be the purpose of this if not to give the player something to reference back to as it's also a popular game? KH does it with Disney films all the time, even Final Fantasy titles.

Why not any of the other series it's directly inspired by?

And it doesn't confine Sora or Riku into a set role as one character much like the other times they're compared to Disney couples. It adds a lot more depth by not restricting them to relating to only one.

We may never actually get LOZ in KH but I think it's fair to say its inspiration is and will continue to be very much so alive in the story from start to finish and that it can't be disregarded as an important influence just because it's not a Disney or FF title.

Even in the case that it supports the reading of a gay romance.

[jarujaruj]

Some Repliku, Riku, and SoRiku thoughts

Was reading through this article again, highly recommend: (8) Blowing Off Some Steam on Tumblr

And I realized I had some further analysis to contribute to this topic. Specifically with regards to how Repliku fits into all this.

I think it's interesting how Riku gives Way to the Dawn to Repliku. People already pointed out that it's like Riku doesn't need it anymore at this stage of his character arc (dawn has broke, he's embraced his right to exist in the Realm of Light), but Repliku still needed it. He still needed to reach his light in the dark. To reach his dawn. To help the person he knew he could never have a real relationship with, despite her meaning so much to him.

I think Riku empathized with that. I don't think it's a coincidence that both Riku and Repliku make very prominent self-sacrifices in this story.

(Notice the light-entwined-with-dark visual parallels here)

I also think it's very interesting how Riku instinctively knows why Repliku was sacrificing himself, and who for. Namine wasn't a topic Repliku and Riku discussed even once in any of their scenes together. That was always a Repliku/Sora discussion point. Yet Riku instinctively knows there's only one context in which he, the real Riku, would sacrifice himself like that, so he connects the dots almost immediately. Hence why Riku has the endgame scene where he picks up Namine. It's him honoring the last will and testament of his fellow hopeless romantic.

Also, and this might be me stretching a bit, but I feel like this final scene between Riku and Repliku can be read a very particular way. Repliku tells Riku someone else needs the vessel more, and that Riku knows what he means. Riku immediately connects the dots using his knowledge of his own heart and the person he cares about most to figure out what Repliku intended.

And finally, we get the last moment of this scene. Both boys are staring at each other, both are thinking about the person they love most and what they'd be willing to sacrifice for them. It's a long moment of silence, as there's nothing to be said. They understand each other completely. And then, as Repliku fades away, he gives one final sentiment.

You could say this is him saying good luck in the battles ahead, which would be valid, but given the context of this scene, and the long stretch of silent understanding that comes just before this line, I'm inclined to think he's talking about Riku's own love story. Repliku's reached the end of his tale and done all he can do for the one he loves, but Riku's story is yet unwritten. Knowing this, Repliku's parting words are to wish his Other good luck in the pursuit of his happily ever after.

That's my two cents on the topic, anyway.

[mythicalartistx]

Updating KH ship lists

Again I don't care if those disagree or like another better as long as no one calling each other delusional

Anyways here are my 11 KH ships + a few honorable mentions

#1 Soriku

This is probably my favorite ever, there's so much to say I don't even know where to start. I shipped them as friends but who also should date. Besides they're just really cute and silly to me.

The dark realm scene in kh2 is so good, they have an understanding of the other and are happy to be there together with the other person.

They both just love each other and do everything for the other (Riku's sacrifices for Sora in days kh2 kh3 and trying to save him in ddd) Sora is always trying to find him because he wants to be with him; and he just misses him. Riku's jealousy and feelings showed his insecurities to bring the island to darkness when he feared Sora's and Kairi's relationship and leaving him/ Sora befriending others with the belief he was being left behind.

The novel also has some added cute scenes where Sora is just bashful around Riku or just happy to be with him. They hug and hold hands more. Also there's a scene in the kh2 manga where Riku gives Shang a papou fruit to give to Sora. And Sora instantly know who gave it to him because "only Riku would do something like that".

The papou scene in kh1 manga Riku gets so close to his face and then Sora is blushing later, thinking about it. In DDD, it's about Riku's feelings for Sora and the darkness right? Some of those things are seemingly parallels.

Finally in kh3 Riku scarifies life for him because he doesn't want him to be sad and with the parallel to Hercules sacrificing someone because all he knew was that he loved someone and didn't think. Sora is just always thinking about Riku and wants to be with him especially with the failing to be a keyblade master.

Also there are no orders to these

#2 RepliNami

Honestly this is the only Riku that I like with her at all and also people end up confusing which Riku did what— they're different people, Sora said so himself. Repliku still has his feelings for Sora but now he decides to keep a promise for Naminé even if it didn't happen because he wants to do something himself.

Not something with memories that belong to Riku. And Naminé also does care for him. There's mainly KH CoM and Kh3 to go by. In COM he fights for Naminé against Sora thinking it was him (though all these things end up fake) but still he choses to embrace these memories for the sake of Naminé.

In kh3 he admits that everyone moved on except for him who was in darkness. When Riku notices his presences they work together and Repliku admits that he has one more thing to do and wants to save Naminé.

Then in his death he finally leaves the world and gives up the chance to have a body all for the sake of her having one so he asks the original Riku to dl him one last favor and making sure she's okay.

#3 Rizoriku / Yozoriku

Rizoriku because lack of RIZZ and it sounds so silly

I recently got into this and yeah I'm probably like one of the few people who are even into this.

They haven't EVEN INTERACTED. Riku felt Yozora in his dream/ secret ending but they never really seen each other. Yozora probably had in the secret ending/ dream. He was looking at him at that matters.

But imagine the possibilities, they are both tied together by Sora. Riku is searching for him and Yozora potentially hurt him, he hates that. They cannot stand the other. They fight the other so much. They're both looking for "Sora" to save. They look similar and Yozora has been stealing other's forms (It's toxic but eventually turn cute.)

Now they have to work together to find Sora / Nameless Star and then they start being cute and caring. I thought there might be at least more of this but no it's so rare I only seen like 4 fanart pictures of this and it's all from the same person

I got so happy when I saw some

#4 AkuSai / LeaIsa

It's so toxic. They've broken up too many times to count. They're divorced. And there's a whole ton of tension. It also have parallels to soriku.

Lea and Isa worked together to save X but she was gone and decided to become apprentices to save her. Then Saïx had to work his way to the top to find out what happened while Axel went off making friends and spent less time with Saïx which caused jealousy.

Their arguments and tension is so thick in 358/2 days, and in kh3 during that clocktower scene. You can tell there is something there. Also during DDD when he faced Saïx when saving Sora.

Then they finally have an understanding and Saïx apologies and admits he was jealous. Lea holds him in his arms, then after Saïx gets recompleted I think they finally will calm down and get back together, let's see how long it lasts.

#5 Kailette

I'm not super into this one because lack of content but I feel like this has potential to be super interesting and fun. Olette being one of the first real people she meets outside of the world and besides from Sora and Riku who kept unintentionally leaving her behind.

They befriend each other and Olette likes listening to the stories Kairi tells her.

I think they're really cute and have potential to go places or even Kairi becoming part of the sea salt + twilight town gangs. I see more fun fan content for this that makes me love it and hopefully we'll see more in the future.

#6 Zemyx

They're so silly together. I honestly love this. I ended up loving this because of fan content. It was just so great to me.

Like Demyx is kinda silly and dumb and Zexion is smart and intelligent they can't help be attracted to the other.

That one manga panel of them played twister though.

Also when they finally meet in kh3 and he realizes is that you? Also props to the manga version of the scene where he calls security on his bf until he realizes he's on their side.

#7 Xehaqus

They're actually so cute. I'm not joking. The fanart is so good and honestly dark road just shows their relationship and how it fell apart.

Eraqus is so silly and just enjoys his time with Xehanort but also believes to do what is right for fear of everyone losing to the darkness (which is why he did what he did in BBS).

I love that they often worked together and whispered just between themselves that the others would often say what are you whispering about?

They're post kh2 Soriku in dark road and then it turns into kh1 Soriku. Eraqus was blinded by love and didn't want to separate from him which is why he kept him around during BBS after he disappeared.

They're chess buddies and there's a deep relationship there and finally at the end of 3 they can be together at last

#8 NamiXi / Namishi

I don't think about this pairing as often but I also like it. Like I see the vision and I'm definitely for it. Naminé is definitely a lesbian + whatever thing she has going on with Repliku. Again I'm a multishipper so 🤷

Naminé helped Xion see who she is and actually honest with her. They're definitely friends too, but then will date. What they have at the end of kh3 is really cute to me where they collect seashells together

Also with them both being aspects of someone else can relate to seeing memories that aren't theirs/ wishing to be another person.

(no picture of them interacting 😢💔)

#9 RepliVani / VaniPliku /NamiVanpliku

I originally liked them as the duo first being friends who are just silly and fight. But now I'm really into them as also a couple. Naminé is definitely there breaking the tension.

I wish they did interact since they're similar both being created from someone else. Vanitas being part of Ventus and Repliku being part of Riku.

As a fan of lost trio I also think the concept of them fighting over Naminé could also be interesting like who better friend/ Vanitas thinks he is going to be left out and pretends he doesn't care. But their interactions I need

#10 MarLar

I don't think about them that much but again I really like them. This is probably my only one that's part of Union x in a way.

Marluxia is the only one Larxene really tolerates and they both have plans to be overthrow the organization together.

They are closer than any of the others and keep finding their ways to each other.

In Union x they were also close and befriended each other and ever since then they stuck together even if they had memories or not.

#11 Roxner

This could also be with the HC of transfem Marluxia

I'm still new to this ship but I recently thought you know I actually like this. Roxas and Hayner's relationship is honestly likable friends that could honestly be something more. Especially in kh2 beginning with how they interact with the other.

I also want to point out kh3 desire for him To want to find Roxas too.

Also in days when Roxas spends the day hanging out with him and the rest of them.

Fandom makes this honestly nice and cute couple through fanart and comics.

Conclusion

Anyway that's the ones I like in no specific order except Soriku is number 1.

Those that aren't here means I am either indifferent/ neutral towards to ship, dislike it, or I think it's weird as in an adult that's 26 being with 14 yo would be.

And most I don't even dislike if seen my other posts about this subject 99% I'm neutral towards except og Riku and any female ship.

However honorable mentions towards Brain and Marluxia I think they have potential to be interesting but not a lot about them, this goes for Brain and Ephemer too.

Cinderella and Aqua, it's honestly the only Disney + original character pairing most people agree one is good.

I like seeing the art about it but that's about it.

Larxene and Aqua as well as Terra and Marluxia as honorable mentions, I've seen some fanart that makes me think otherwise.

[friends-to-lovers-tournament]

Soriku propaganda because i have brainrot <3

Fellas, is it gay to give your bestie your family heirloom when they get scared of a meteor shower as kids and hold up a wooden sword and swear you’ll always protect them? Is it gay to be overcome with feelings of jealousy when said best friend starts hanging out with a girl? Is it gay to joke about sharing a magical fruit with him that means your destinies will be intertwined? Is it gay to open the door to darkness when he draws a picture of himself sharing THAT SAME fruit with the girl you’re jealous of? Is it gay to realize that you fucked up and sacrifice yourself to save your best friend and the girl he likes because you know it’s more important that he’s happy? Is it gay to spend an entire YEAR watching over your comatose best friend while his memories get repaired, and say multiple times “everything is for Sora”? Is it gay to see someone who, for some reason, appears to look like your best friend (xion) and stroke their face? Is it gay to give up your form and take the body of the person who manipulated you into falling to darkness in the first place to help your best friend wake up? Is it gay to avoid him even when he looks for you, saying “there were some things [riku] couldn’t tell sora. it had always been that way” in a VERY closeted-gay manner? Is it gay to have your best friend fall to his knees when he FINALLY finds you and cries “i looked for you! i looked everywhere for you!” after he just shared a very awkward hug with the girl he supposedly likes? Is it gay to throw yourself in the way of a devastating blow, earning yourself a scar and probably chronic pain in the process? Is it gay to sit with your best friend in LITERAL HELL and say you’d be fine there as long as you’re together? Is it gay to UNCONSCIOUSLY CHANGE YOUR ENTIRE SPECIES to protect your best friend in his dreams? Is it gay to have a conversation with Hunchback of Notre Dame characters about “having to keep things from the outside world, at least until you have time to figure them out” (THIS IS A METAPHOR FOR BEING IN THE CLOSET)? Is it gay to have your combined hearts’ song be called “dearly beloved”? Is it gay to think of your best friend as your light? Is it gay to parallel LITERALLY EVERY DISNEY COUPLE UNDER THE SUN? Is it gay to refer to your best friend as your “taisetsu na hito” (roughly translates to “precious/ cherished person” or “person I love most”) and say that your “doubts and fears are gone” and your adoptive father (michael mouse. dont ask) tells you “perhaps it’s because you’ve finally found that special strength to protect the things that matter (the JP line is taisetsu na hito; the english translators made it very no-homo)”? Is it gay to sacrifice yourself again for your best friend? Is it gay to call out your best friend’s name when you’re about to collapse and see him FALLING FROM THE SKY and stare at him with the BIGGEST HEART-EYES EVER? Is it gay to have your souls form a giant rainbow-colored sword with a giant heart at the top? Is it gay to care so much for your best friend that you let him go save the girl (who’s dead now oops) that you still think he likes because you’re too oblivious to realize that HE LOVES YOU BACK IDIOT? (tbf tho neither of them realize it; sora’s goin thru some major comphet)

Is it gay to have SO MUCH gay subtext that someone can make a 6-hour video essay about why you’re homosexual?

just woke up so i don't have the brain power to process all that but i appreciate the effort nonetheless <3

[meiloorun-notthefruit]

More kingdom hearts 3 thoughts while I’m playing it…. So like Sora’s been to several worlds where a true love’s sacrifice has been central to the plot.

Hercules/Mount Olympus: Herc diving down to Underworld to save Meg, though his took place technically in KH2 but KH3 builds upon it.

Tangled/The Kingdom of Corona: both Rapunzel and Eugene sacrifice themselves for each other — Rapunzel telling Mother Gothel she won’t try to run away ever again if she allowed her to heal Eugene, therefore sacrificing both her freedom and the rest of her life, and Eugene when he cuts Rapunzel’s hair instead of allowing her to heal him, freeing her from the power of the flower but ensuring his death.

All three sacrifice themselves for their loved ones, while knowing that they would most likely not get out alive. And it paid off in the end.

The Disney worlds in Kingdom Hearts primarily build up the story tension as foreshadowing or as parallels for what’s going on in the main story. So Kingdom Hearts 3 obviously has a true love’s sacrifice taking place amongst the main cast.

So who is it? Sora and Riku. To be more specific; it’s Riku stepping directly in front of Sora at the Keyblade Graveyard to protect him from the Demon Tide that allows Sora to even reach the Final World. Make of the rest of the game what you will, but Riku’s moment at the Graveyard is exactly that. I will update this list with more worlds and the examples I find as i continue the game.

I will add that Sora himself seems to attempt a sacrifice in this game when he’s trying to save Kairi with “all his heart”, but viewers/players/gamers will know that this attempt can’t really be compared because while it’s the same in name, the outcome turned out differently. Every true love sacrifice I’ve seen in this game so far had both parties come out unscathed in the end, even when death loomed directly over them. Sora literally destroys himself, shatters his heart, to save Kairi. He is dead and in the afterlife for trying. KH4 is about finding him and bringing him back. And Riku is the one to do it.

Damn. Dare i say Soriku

[thefreshprinceofjunes]

that soriku and the little mermaid gifset is killing me bc like

we have parallels between all the disney princess couples in the games and soriku???? i think??????? not just one but ALL?????????

like

snow white: probably weakest, but snow white ‘dead’ (asleep) and the prince saving her with love (ddd)

cinderella: also weaker but uhhhhh at the very least theres fairy godmother sending cinderella off to the ball to fufill her dream (MoM). and prince charming desperately looking for her is kinda?? soras journey in the first few games?????

sleeping beauty: ditto only true loves kiss breaking the spell (ddd) and also, aurora having a connection to prince phillip through her dreams (ddd/re:mind)

the little mermaid: ariel wants to leave the ocean and go explore another world. followed by eric looking for her, but shes been rEPLACED BY SOMEONE ELSE (VANESSA AKA NAMINE) WHOS USING SOMETHING OF HERS TO DISGUISE THEMSELF (ARIELS VOICE AKA THE METEOR SHOWER MEMORY) OH SHIT I JUST REALIZED THIS RIGHT AS IM TYPING THIS OUT WAIT WAIT HHOLD ON oOKAY okay im good im good now.  and then heres the gifset that started this all of course (kh2/re:coded)

beauty and the beast: right here babey! (kh1/kh2/ddd/com) + also this (chi)

aladdin: jasmine rebelling and sneaking out of the palace to go see the world. and this is from tvtropes but, ‘When Sora calls out for Riku after the second battle with the Parasite Cage, the staging of the scene is identical to when Aladdin called out for Jasmine after defeating Jafar in Agrabah: the Hero frantically calling out for their Love Interest as the room collapses around them while their allies drag them to safety.’ theres probably more with them but idk and its 4:30 am as i type this (kh1) ETA: aladdin and jasmine are directly compared to sora and riku in recom!

mulan: here + here >:^) (kh2 novel/ddd)

tangled: rapunzel wanting to leave her tower to see the world (kh3 novel) + this, after eugene is brought back to life with the power of true love (ddd)

and then frozen world doesnt even HAVE a couple BUT it does have anna and elsa! who are DIRECTLY compared to sora and riku!!! using the word love in english!!!! and the word used previously to describe rikus precious person in japanese (taisetsu)!!!!!!  here + here + multiple taisetsu links here

also uh???? anna frozen in ice??? sora frozen if you lose the yozora fight in re:mind???? hello???????????

ETA: okay wait there are some kristoff and anna parellels i forgot about/didnt think about IRT soriku LOL

(thank you @nobodyriku​)

literally the only disney princess couples (from the official disney princess lineup) that arent paralleled with soriku are pocahontas and (blech) john smith, and tiana and naveen. and thats bc those worlds arent in the games.

and HONORABLE MENTION goes to herc and megara. like even besides the taisetsu parallels, in the original movie theres herc diving into the river styx to save megaras soul. 

you know. like sora literally breaking time and space to save his friends, which starts with him following rikus light through the tunnel. where it kind of looks like hes swimming through water?????

and riku is the first one he finds

in. olympus.

like. do you see this. are we all seeing this. because holy moley, when you put it all together, its a lot

[verathena14]

I saw your tags on that spop post and omg SAME. Sora and Adora have v similar struggles, especially when it comes to being TOO selfless/self-sacrificial and basing so much of their worth on what they can give to others. I would love to see the KH games address that. And Riku would be so perfect as the Catra in this scenario, pushing back against this mindset. “But what about you? What do you want?” And Sora trying to sacrifice himself again or something pushing Riku to overcome his doubts and maybe fear of rejection, also like Catra. Because it’s now or never. Not just I believe in you and you won’t give up but I love you. I always have. Ahhhh I think something like that would be so good idk. I’m surprised no one has redrawn the Catradora confession with Soriku tbh.

YEAHHHHHH

i haven't redrawn the catradora confession with soriku but i HAVE made a post that compares the framing of that scene 👀 (and also just has some parallels that i find particularly intriguing)

i just. i knew as soon as i started watching s3 and onward of spop that i'd be comparing catradora to soriku the whole time lskfjlskfjlsj

[blowingoffsteam2]

.

[daylighteclipsed]

My straight (homophobic at that time) older brother watching me play kh II 15(?) or so years ago on the ps2: 'these dudes are gay, wtf' 'why are they holding hands?'

My brother watching me replay the kh games at the start of the pandemic: 'Damn, I remember them being gay, but not this much. Good for them.'

I literally didn't even remember how extremely gay they were, cause I was 10 at the time but fr. If my brother saw it aged 15, I don't get how so many people keep saying it's a reach to ship them.

dshhdhefidhdhsg

See the thing is like. Holding hands is not always romantic, you know? Idk if I even consider Sora dropping to his knees crying and clutching Riku’s hand in KH2 “romantic.” Not on its own, at least.

It’s a very intense reaction. Imo it’s still the most emotionally bare we’ve seen Sora thus far. Because he’s not trying to hold anything back. In KH3, when everyone except Riku dies, I get the sense that Sora’s trying to keep it together but can’t and feels (even more) pathetic because of that. But, in KH2, when Sora finally finds Riku, his heart’s just unashamedly spilling out of him and it’s so raw you can feel it, and Nomura is so insane for writing Sora and Riku’s reunion like this. (It’s going to take a lot to top it, and I’m really excited to see him try.)

But it’s not the kind of gesture you can slap a romantic label on and be done with. Rather, it shows this profound, overwhelming love in general. You could label it a lot of things, but Nomura’s choice to make this Sora’s most vulnerable moment communicates This is the person I feel the most for. This is the person I love the most. (And even if we do consider Sora’s vulnerability here on the same level as the KH3 scene, what does it say that just finding Riku, just seeing him again, is as overwhelming for Sora as witnessing the deaths of almost all of his closest friends? Opposite sides of the emotional spectrum, but the same level of intensity, bringing him to his knees, reducing him to tears. That’s a choice.)

My straight boyfriend played the games along with me and even he picked up on Sora’s love for Riku being stronger than his love for any other character. We commonly associate “the person I love most” with a romantic partner, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. And I’m quite a big fan of stories where it’s not, where the heart of the story — the love story — is between family or friends. So I won’t be hugely disappointed if KH ends with no confirmed ships. (No ships would be preferable to… other things.) That said… when viewed collectively, in the context of the other games, I don’t think it’s a stretch to argue Sora and Riku’s KH2 reunion could be romantic.

Every game makes the love between these two boys more and more pronounced — they are clearly the heart of the story — but the last few installments arguably have slid into more romantic territory. We’re seeing more romantic tropes, dialogue, parallels. We’re at the point where Riku’s feelings for Sora are directly paralleled to Hercules’ romantic feelings for Meg. I mean, that’s pretty in your face gay. Among other things. So while on its own the KH2 reunion is not “romantic” imo, the increasing romantic nature of Sora and Riku’s bond can re-contextualize it as such.

If you didn’t pick up the gay shit CoM was putting down (which is highly probable because the EN dub butchered the JP so much), 15 years ago, was the ship a reach? Eh, maybe. I didn’t consider a romance between Sora and Riku until I hit Coded and DDD. (And there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a noncanon ship, as long as you’re not hurting anybody — which is something a lot of people seem to forget.) Is Soriku a reach nowadays? No way. It’s written as a logical direction their characters could go in. If you don’t see anything between them, not a single romantic undertone, it’s because you don’t want to.

[youareinacomawakeup]

The thing about soriku is that it’s not about the amount of love there is. I mean, that’s sure as hell an aspect of it. They love each other a dizzying amount. But if that was all there was, I’d be fine with them being friends in the end. Like Axel says, there aren’t steps. Riku and Sora could mean the world to each other and it wouldn’t have to be romantic.

But the thing is...it’s been made romantic.

Roxas, trying to find a definition for romantic love, winds up settling on something Riku uses exclusively for Sora again and again and again going forward. “Finding the strength to protect the one who matters most to you.”

Sora is teased, by manifestations of his own memories, about having a crush on someone referred to with a gender-neutral word, which on its own would be eyebrow-raising (even suggesting the possibility that he might have feelings for a non-feminine someone would have been a strange choice in 2004), but it’s the fact that it’s a word used repeatedly, in siginificant moments, to refer to Riku in particular that really makes it hard to ignore.

The parallels to Disney couples happen so often. Even when they’re compared to a pair of sisters, it’s in the world where the entire twist of the associated Disney movie is that familial love can be used interchangeably with romantic love, and it’s saying the word “love” itself (or “taisetsu” in the original Japanese) that triggers the in-your-face confirmation of that parallel.

I’m somewhere on the aro spectrum. I’ve had QPPs. If Riku and Sora were just really close friends, I’d be like, “Yeah, same. I’ve had really close friends, too.” And I have. I’ve had friends that were so close we’d joked about that fact that we’d totally ship ourselves if we saw the way we acted on a TV show. I get close platonic relationships. I love close platonic relationships.

But that’s not the extent of what Sora and Riku are. They’re best friends, yes, but there’s something else there on top of that, mingled through it, sandwiched between it, hidden underneath it. It’s blatant, if you’re paying attention. If you’re capable of saying that if A is B and if B is C then A must also be C.

It hasn’t been said directly just yet--and I doubt it will be for a while--but it’s still been said. They’re in love. And if the series ended without that romantic love being addressed by the characters, it would be a plot thread left hanging. I’d be disappointed about that the same way I’d be disappointed if we never saw the Master of Masters without his hood, or if Lauriam never returned to the series now that Strelitzia’s here, or if we never found out how Xehanort’s friends died after we saw Xehanort leaving flowers at four graves in Dark Road. It’s just there. It feels like a miracle that it’s there because the series began twenty years ago, when such a thing felt impossible, but it’s there.

And I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to see where this plot thread goes.