unfortunately for everyone, this is not a stash for cats. this is a stash for my special interests.
- info -
they/them, aroace, AuDHD
here to spread the Kairi Appreciation Agenda 😤 Soriku are my sons and I love them
alrighty so. I already have two posts where I shared my KH fic series, but I wanted to make a new, more polished one, so here we are.
the strength of our hearts
Sometimes, all it takes to cut through the darkness is a connection.
A rewrite of the Kingdom Hearts series after KH2.
general fic info:
main playlist (yes I know it's insanely long at the moment, I'm going to condense it into a much shorter playlist sometime soon so it works better for the entire series.)
the word "rewrite" implies that I dislike KH as it is, which is very much not true. I just had a cool idea and wanted to rewrite the entire series to tell a new version of the story with my idea in mind.
there will be a total of 3 main fics in the series, with maybe one or two shorter ones to fill in the gaps. the first two main fics are already posted and I'm working on them at the same time to maintain continuity, as they are parallel stories and will eventually converge at the end of the first fic. these fics cover the entire story from the end of KH2 to just before the beginning of KH3, while the third fic will focus on KH3 and ReMind.
this story is heavily Soriku & Destiny Trio focused. not to say that the other characters and relationships aren't important, it's just that Sora, Riku, and Kairi are the heart of my story.
Soriku is a veeeeery slow burn in this series. but! it's for a good reason! I'm not going to leave you all hanging when it comes to their relationship and how it develops. it's going to be good, trust me!!
Kairi is aromantic. this is very important for her side of the story. of course, it's not all of who she is. but it affects every part of her life, and her being in the closet makes that much more difficult... and that's exactly what I want to explore in this series. :)
if I list a relationship in the tags, it will be explored in the fic. I won't tag relationships that aren't important to anyone's characterization or development at some point in the story. if I don't tag a major trio or friendship or something, that relationship is still present, it's just not given as much attention as the tagged relationships.
most of the KH3 arc of the story is inspired by Sleeping Realm theory and the posts I've made about that theory. many of the changes I've made for my fic serve the purpose of supporting the topics and themes the Sleeping Realm theory presents. thus, my series puts a lot of emphasis on love (in all of its forms), sacrifice, and the importance of memories.
the strongest theme in my story is that of finding yourself through connection. this is the core of every single character arc in the entire series. I didn't plan for this btw, it just sorta happened. but I really like this direction for KH's story, so it stuck. :)
there are content warnings in the chapter notes & on this post, but the series isn't nearly as upsetting as it sounds. the warnings are only there to tell you what to expect. I promise it isn't too bad, there's just a lot of heavy stuff in the subtext.
when KH4 releases, I'm going to continue this series with a fourth main fic. but I want to finish writing what I have planned so far before I start working on post-ReMind stuff.
WARNING: from this point on, this post contains a bunch of spoilers for future chapters of these fics. tread carefully! if you don't want too many spoilers, but you still want to know what my fic is about, just go directly to the series using the link above and read the tags there. when each fic is completed, I will update their tags to match the descriptions in this post.
pt. 1: mend the chains (undo the hurt)
current chapter count: 3/14
current word count: 15,911
A letter from a dear friend finds its way to Sora and Riku in the realm of darkness. But when the door appears and the two walk through it, it’s not the Islands they see on the other side.
At the end of KH2, the door of light takes the boys to Castle Oblivion instead of Destiny Islands.
relationships & dynamics:
Soriku (best friends to lovers)
implied Namixi (eventual QPR)
background Destiny Trio (close, lifelong friendship) (I only label it as background here because Kairi isn't with Sora and Riku for most of this fic. the focus is primarily on Sora and Riku, just with a lot of mentions of Kairi throughout the fic.)
Sora & Riku & Naminé (developing friendship)
Naminé & Castle Oblivion (old friends but also developing friendship)
Naminé & Chirithy (developing friendship)
Naminé & Roxas & Ven (siblings)
Repliku & Xion (siblings)
Sora & all of his heart roommates (I don't think any single word can properly encapsulate this group's dynamic in my fic lol)
Vanitas vs. literally everyone else (he has one goal and he will fight every single person he runs into just to reach it)
content warnings:
panic attacks & meltdowns (esp. in the first few chapters; they become less prominent as the story goes on for reasons I can't explain yet without spoiling a lot.)
implied child neglect (very easy to miss as it's not a major plot point)
dysphoria & dysmorphia (some of it is very transgender, some of it is from prior possession/unwanted transformation)
self esteem issues & self hatred
implied transphobia and/or dehumanization (can be read as either)
the members of Organization XIII are their own content warning
general information:
post-game: KH2 (starts right at the end of the game)
references to the manga & light novels
the language of flowers is very important to Naminé's side of the story & general lore for my version of the KH universe (I will make a longer post about how I use flowers in my story another time!)
POV alternating (it's entirely based on vibes, idk what to tell you.)
lots of talking about Things™️
very introspective
memory loss/recovery
canon-typical memory issues
fluff & angst
lots of emotional hurt/comfort
everyone needs a hug BADLY (and I do mean everyone lol)
Kairi appreciation :)
Riku is embarrassingly gay for Sora (and vice versa, but this fic's focus is on Riku's queerness for the most part)
the plot of Dream Drop Distance happens in this fic but the Mark of Mastery exam & all of the Xehanort shenanigans are absent. I can't say anything else rn sadly because I'd be spoiling my favorite chapters in the fic, and I really want those to be a surprise...
Castle Oblivion is a character for plot reasons (it wanted to be a character and. well. here we are)
Xehanort doesn't exist until I say so
Xion and Repliku are trans girls. Xion is already out of the closet by the time she returns in this fic (obviously), but Repliku has a long way to go before her egg gets cracked. but dw, it'll happen in this fic.
Naminé is very autistic coded in this fic. I projected too hard, my bad
Castle Oblivion has a lot of lore. most of it is my explanation for the castle's weirdness. some of it I literally just made up because I thought it was interesting & that the plot would benefit from it. (more on this in another post. the lore is not really focused on in my story so I have to yap about it on here instead.)
the core idea for this fic was heavily inspired by Re:Coded. I'm sure you can see how lol.
playlists:
main
Soriku
Sora
Riku
Naminé
Repliku/Rikomi
[more TBA soon]
pt. 2: another side (another destiny)
current chapter count: 1/7
current word count: 10,945
The dark corridor closed too soon, and Kairi finds herself separated from her best friends all over again. But she's not going to wait another year for them to come home. There's no room for fear or doubt; Sora and Riku are out there somewhere, and Kairi won't rest until the three of them are together again.
Post-KH2 canon divergence fic; in which the door of light doesn't take Sora and Riku to Destiny Islands, and Kairi is left to pick up the pieces on her own.
relationships & dynamics:
Destiny Trio (close, lifelong friendship; they are not normal about each other at all ever) (also Sora and Riku aren't present, but I won't let that stop me from making this a Destiny Trio relationship study fic!)
one-sided Sokai (kind of; Kairi thinks she loves Sora romantically, but she doesn't.)
background Soriku (childhood friends to rivals to kind of enemies to best friends to lovers; at least that's how Kairi sees their relationship)
Kairi & Mickey & Donald & Goofy (developing friendship, mentors & mentee, or the Disney Dads and their newly adopted daughter; all three are valid interpretations)
Kairi & a bunch of Disney characters (she makes many new friends on her adventures!!)
Kairi & Lea (enemies to allies & good friends)
Kairi & Terra (developing friendship; technically master & apprentice but Terra only ever treats Kairi as an equal.)
background Wayfinder Trio (adopted family, lifelong friendship) (same as Destiny Trio; they don't have to be together for me to make this fic about their relationship!)
content warnings:
somewhat excessive self-blame, low self-esteem
deep loneliness & isolation (especially in chapter 1)
implied suicidal ideation (but it's only once at the end of chapter 1)
implied internalized aphobia
canon-typical death/fading from existence (only in one chapter though)
canon-typical possession
parental trauma (Eraqus was trying, but he was not a good father. the Wayfinder Trio are not okay.)
Xehanort and the Nort Court are their own content warning
general information:
end of game: KH2 (starts right when Kairi gets separated from Sora and Riku before the final battle with Xemnas)
references to the manga & light novels
language of flowers (not as much as part 1 though)
very introspective
emotional hurt/comfort
Kairi is dealing with a lot of compulsory heterosexuality
POV Kairi (but switches sometimes to other characters)
Kairi goes on adventures!!!
spite-fuelled defiance of destiny (the only destiny she's going to embrace is with the two dorks she calls her best friends!!!)
mostly inspired by KH3 (the worlds Kairi visits are all ones Sora visited in KH3)
Mickey Mouse and his canon-typical concerned dad energy
includes many headcanons about the history & culture of Destiny Islands
Kairi's foster parents are Raine Whispers and Eda Clawthorne from The Owl House (yes there is lore here, not sure if I want to do anything big with it yet though)
Kairi's Radiant Garden origins go almost completely unmentioned in this fic
the Datascape from Re:Coded makes an appearance in this fic as one of the worlds Kairi visits! no spoilers though :)
Lea and Terra don't show up immediately; Kairi meets each of them later on in the fic
playlists:
main
Kairi
[more TBA soon]
additional links
character design infodump #1
flower lore introduction post!
heart-flowers #1
excerpt from part 3: elegy of memory
part 3 scene playlists
final notes
this is all I've got for now! I'm really excited about this fic series and I wanted to share it in a way that was less vague and hopefully easier to read. I'll make another post like this when I start working on part 3. I'll also probably update this one a few times as I update the fics. hope you enjoyed reading my ideas, please feel free to tell me what you think :)
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What are Jax's true thoughts on Gangle? Like i know she likes to bully Gangle in particular but we see moments where it seems like she actually thinks that they're friends almost (like when she says "what? She likes it when i'm mean to her") and ofc the scene with her in Jax's mind
I think Jax takes his complex feelings on his mother out on Gangle, but tries to justify it to himself through delusions that it's not ACTUALLY abuse, even though it is. Most abusers don't ever think of themselves as abusers, and tend to make up a reality in which their abuse is either not that big a deal or it's somehow warranted.
And from Gangle's perspective, she was at a very vulnerable place when she joined, and Jax took control of their relationship. She formed a bit of a codependent bond with him even though it just mostly caused her pain. Losing a friend who frequently hurts you can fill you with complex feelings that are really hard to make sense out of.
I will forever stand by my headcanons that Kairi prefers to hit things head-on, Riku leans towards ranged combat and/or support, and Sora just does whatever works in the moment. if they played D&D Kairi would always choose to be a fighter or a barbarian, Riku would be a wizard or a paladin, and Sora would be a rogue.
knowing that Ribbit was ex-Mormon, used she/they pronouns, and knew enough to see through Jax’s eggshell with just a few hints. knowing Jax was desperate for connection, desperate for safety, unable to become herself.
i don’t know, the possibilities of this relationship, the way they could have built each other up and helped each other find peace. Ribbit’s nonbinary perspective letting them empathize with closeted transfem Jax, Jax’s humor-as-coping never failing to make Ribbit laugh.
i like to think that after it all, in the aquarium, they find each other. and in their brokenness, they might still dance.
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I do genuinely believe that Riku and Sora were meant to be gay.
Like the whole mistranslation in Re:COM being a big example of this. I’ve watched all the video essays and narrative analysis but one big thing that I never see is how people insert Kairi into the dynamic.
Some people claim Sora has Comphet which I can agree with. Sora’s fixation on the kh1 version of Kairi over who she actually is in kh2, etc.
I think Nomuras failure to write Kairi properly is a big reason why it sort of feels like she doesn’t? Fit? For lack of a better word.
As of KH3, it feels like Kairi has more of a solid dynamic with Axel, of all people, than Riku or Sora. She doesn’t deserve that. She doesn’t deserve to be a third wheel or an afterthought, and even in the video essays about soriku she’s barely spoken of. All of the moments that *could* be read as romantic with Sora are either not talked about or passed off.
If I had to interpret it, honestly, I think Sora could have a crush on Kairi but his view of her is so scewed, as is her view of herself, that the dynamic wouldn’t be healthy. Also, genuinely, I don’t read Kairi as having a crush on either Sora or Riku. Her feelings seem more like she just wants to go back to when their friendship was better than anything romantic. She’s more focused on wanting to just have either of them around AT ALL than specifically romance.
Then there’s the fact she’s fixated on “I’ll save you this time” not so much as a romantic thing but more, to me, that she’s sick of being a damsel in distress. As showcased by her fighting style being more aggressive than like, anyone else in the game lmao.
Please note I’m not dissing anybody for seeing Kairi as an afterthought themselves, especially in regards to soriku, because it’s Nomuras damn fault in the first place lmao. I’ll always be a “read the novels” truther. Because the writing there for everyone is so much more in depth and consistent.
Anyway. Soriku is canon, but also Kairi needs to pass the bechdel test at least ONCE ffs.
Thought you could hide your good takes in the tags?? Preposterous @catdownthestreet (lmk if you want me to delete this reblog tho I have only positive intentions 😭)
I probably don't have that much to say about Soriku that someone already hasn't, but I feel like the fact that KH never made the 2000s type gay jokes ; even during the first three games when those jokes were so heavy handed in media at the time already says a bit about that.
Rewatching shows and anime from that times it's so interesting that there's so many jokes like that (Naruto has a little of that but bringing those two goobs is a whole can of worms on that matter)
But Sora is very open about how important people are to him and back in a time when even stuff like crying was seen as being "too gay"
Also, Riku is just Riku, a silly little guy who loves to hide his feelings.
And the games never make it seem like it's a bad thing Sora wants to save Riku(sure Donald and Goofy are concerned about it but it's more for the fact that they didn't really know the Riku that Sora did, also Riku was sneaking around in a coat so all they could do was trust Sora's word;by 3 they start teasing Sora about Riku specifically) but it's nice to see how important they are too each other.
And you could just chalk it up to the "Disney power of friend" shtick, but I take it this is just Nomura's galaxy brain at play.
while I'm talking about the true Kingdom Hearts, I would like to share an idea I had for it in my fic series to go along with my flower lore posts...
Kingdom Hearts is a world tree in my version of the KH universe. I mean that quite literally. I haven't decided what species yet, that requires more research (and besides, I could always make up a new species so it's extra special) but I am absolutely certain that this is what I'll be going for when Kingdom Hearts shows up in part 3. it IS still the heart-moon in the sky, but its true form (as perceived by any heart that would observe it) is that of an unfathomably massive tree. yes, the true Kingdom Hearts will be important later on. no spoilers though :)
btw I was replaying Ori and the Will of the Wisps when this idea came to me. if you've played it too and felt just as unwell about the ending as I did, I apologize in advance for what I'm going to do with this inspiration in my fic. it's Ori embracing the light all over again. you have been warned!
okay so my dear moot @transcaptainleviathan tagged a certain theory in a reblog and??? it's so obvious I can't believe I didn't put it together sooner, and now I need to yap about it.
so! let's talk about Soriku being Kingdom Hearts (or at least, deeply connected to it). I have a lot to say, so buckle up lol
for a long time I've been theorizing that the combined Keyblade could be a type of X-blade that is formed from harmony (the power of love if you will) rather than conflict. my first clue for this was that the general aesthetics of the combined Keyblade match up with Xehanort's X-blade (the same multicolored, intricate, criss-crossing shapes appear on both Keyblades). also the imagery of two Kingdom Keys crossing and forming a large, unwieldy, messily-constructed Keyblade is the exact opposite of the combined Keyblade, which is made of two parts that slot together perfectly and can function as two separate Keyblades. so visually speaking, the X-blade and the combined Keyblade are polar opposites. but at the same time they're so similar that it has to mean something, right? just look at them side by side!
then there's the stained glass motif on the combined Keyblade, something that is notably absent on Xehanort's X-blade. we have only seen stained glass in two other important places in the series: the Stations of Awakening, and the door to Kingdom Hearts. this is fascinating to me because Xehanort's X-blade is supposedly a recreation of the original key to the true Kingdom Hearts. if his X-blade is meant to be the key to Kingdom Hearts, how come we never see the same stained glass on either of his attempts at creating an X-blade? not only that, but we never see the X-blade used on the actual door to Kingdom Hearts, only the heart-moon in the sky. they don't even show up in the same games. KH1 and KH2 both have the door, but there's no X-blade in sight.
however... there is one thing. in Dream Drop Distance, the first time we see the combined Keyblade, we also learn of Xehanort's plans to create a true X-blade using seven lights and thirteen darknesses.
really quick, I want to talk about Ven and Vanitas. in BBS, they are two halves of a whole that were forcefully separated and seem to struggle without one another. Ven is missing his memories and Vanitas is... a disaster, to say the least. they are a messy, codependent duo that are shown over and over again to be toxic and unstable all the way up until the end of the game (and it's entirely Vanitas's fault, but I digress). so when Xehanort has them merge to create the X-blade, this supposedly ultimate Keyblade shatters the moment Ven tears his heart away from Vanitas's. a blade forged in conflict is brittle, after all. meanwhile, Dream Drop Distance shows us that even worlds apart, Sora and Riku have an unbreakable bond (BBS reference heh) that protects both of them equally. as Mickey put it, their hearts are in tune, so they're free to sing. and what do we get right after Symphony of Sorcery? The World That Never Was, and the combined Keyblade.
I bring all of this up to say that Ven and Vanitas are the exact opposite of Sora and Riku, just as the X-blade and combined Keyblade are the exact opposite of each other.
also, the X-blade that Xehanort created being two Kingdom Keys crossed and welded together is... telling, to say the least. the Kingdom Key was originally Riku's, and now it belongs to Sora. so... why is the false X-blade made of two Kingdom Keys? could it be that the wielders of the Kingdom Key hold some intrinsic connection to Kingdom Hearts, and could theoretically be the "key" to summoning a true X-blade? then maybe the two Kingdom Keys being in conflict with one another (shown by them being crossed rather than side-by-side) is what caused Xehanort's X-blade to fail. he always thought that Kingdom Hearts was something he could control- be it darkness, conflict, or something else- but each time, he was proven wrong by none other than Sora, the wielder of the Kingdom Key. further proving my point about the Kingdom Key's wielders being very deeply connected to the true Kingdom Hearts, as well as all of its smaller forms.
one last thing: the crown symbol. not only is it part of the Kingdom Key's design, it also appears when Sora seals certain Keyholes or even Kingdom Hearts itself. it's also on Sora's necklace, the decorative chain on his hip in KH1, and the keychain for Oblivion/Passing Memories/the Riku Keyblade. and most importantly, it shows up on the combined Keyblade, when both halves are connected to form a heart at the top. so many things connecting Sora and Riku to this symbol, and this symbol to Kingdom Hearts...
the way I see it, this is an intentional web of connections created to tell us something very important about Sora and Riku. whatever it is that binds them together, it's powerful enough to connect them even across separate realities, and it allows them to save the worlds over and over again. and this idea was set up all the way back in KH1, when Riku and Sora closed the door to Kingdom Hearts together.
perhaps the real key to Kingdom Hearts has always been two hearts in tune, free to sing. :)
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Thinking about how Riku's Ai in KH2 heals you like 3x as much as Donald's and if Sora gets hit once Riku's reaction is to insta-heal him auaghjshsjsnsbsosmssn
The way Sora opens keyholes in KH2 keeps popping up in my mind. This might have already been said, or everyone might know this already, but alas! my little blog beckons me again.
What a very specific symbol!
The gateways/keyholes are hidden, and before the keyhole appears, the crown makes itself known! Perhaps its The Necklace making the gateways clear, guiding Sora to his next world.
Riku's necklace guiding Sora, hmmm? 🧿
TLDR: yaoi.
I do genuinely believe that Riku and Sora were meant to be gay.
Like the whole mistranslation in Re:COM being a big example of this. I’ve watched all the video essays and narrative analysis but one big thing that I never see is how people insert Kairi into the dynamic.
Some people claim Sora has Comphet which I can agree with. Sora’s fixation on the kh1 version of Kairi over who she actually is in kh2, etc.
I think Nomuras failure to write Kairi properly is a big reason why it sort of feels like she doesn’t? Fit? For lack of a better word.
As of KH3, it feels like Kairi has more of a solid dynamic with Axel, of all people, than Riku or Sora. She doesn’t deserve that. She doesn’t deserve to be a third wheel or an afterthought, and even in the video essays about soriku she’s barely spoken of. All of the moments that *could* be read as romantic with Sora are either not talked about or passed off.
If I had to interpret it, honestly, I think Sora could have a crush on Kairi but his view of her is so scewed, as is her view of herself, that the dynamic wouldn’t be healthy. Also, genuinely, I don’t read Kairi as having a crush on either Sora or Riku. Her feelings seem more like she just wants to go back to when their friendship was better than anything romantic. She’s more focused on wanting to just have either of them around AT ALL than specifically romance.
Then there’s the fact she’s fixated on “I’ll save you this time” not so much as a romantic thing but more, to me, that she’s sick of being a damsel in distress. As showcased by her fighting style being more aggressive than like, anyone else in the game lmao.
Please note I’m not dissing anybody for seeing Kairi as an afterthought themselves, especially in regards to soriku, because it’s Nomuras damn fault in the first place lmao. I’ll always be a “read the novels” truther. Because the writing there for everyone is so much more in depth and consistent.
Anyway. Soriku is canon, but also Kairi needs to pass the bechdel test at least ONCE ffs.
This hand gesture/movement kind of reminded me of the one that Tidus and Yuna made in FFX 💙💛 not quite the same, but it's very similar. Such a sweet, gentle hand motion 🥺
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Riku parallels various Disney World Characters while being Ansem
Riku in kh2 appears as Ansem which can be seen as monstrous and doesn't want those he cares for to see him in that state because he views himself as a monster and is in a forceful disguise where most do not recognize him.
Beast is seen as monster and doesn't believe anyone can love him like that: a monster
Mulan who is seen as different by society disguises as a boy: Ping.
Ariel who treasures human things and loves Eric becomes someone different to be able to be with him: a human
Note: to other mermaids a human can be seen as a monster so she becomes a human "monster" for him and it's also like how Riku had to become this monster to overcome Roxas.
Simba hides away while ashamed to face the people he once cared about; Riku hides away ashamed to face Sora after how he looks/ what he has done.
In Port Royal, the pirates are cursed as a different form unable to feel or eat as Riku is in a different form that isn't his original body.
Hercules loses his strength differently to how he usually is with full strength and makes him "not himself" just like how Riku is as Ansem. He also feels guilt from not being able to stop the hydra just like Riku's guilt from his past actions.
But despite everything to Sora it doesn't matter and he is still Riku to him and is able to love him despite how he looks. Riku eventually overcomes his guilt and is able to still be accepted even if it's more expanded on in future games.
Belle can still love Beast, Eric doesn't care that she is a mermaid, Mulan is able to be accepted as herself, Simba overcomes his shame and is able to face who he cares for, Hercules regains his strength and overcomes his guilt.
listening to Sanctuary again and exploding Riku with my mind because oh my god. Riku please. I am begging you to just confess to him already. this is embarrassing
