Vanitas, Namine, Repliku

bugs on my windshield

1) Sora is observing and learning what love “looks like” in each world- Hercules and Meg (romantic), Flynn and Rapunzel (romantic), Woody and Buzz and their love for their friends (platonic), Big Hero Six (platonic), Pirates of the Caribbean (romantic), Frozen (platonic), Monsters Inc (platonic).

2) the build up to Sora’s breakdown in the graveyard with emphasis on him being mocked for being weak by enemies (and lowkey even his friends). He grows more and more insecure and frustrated throughout the game.

And all I can think about is how these specific two themes are at odds in how they culminate in Sora’s sacrifice for Kairi.

Sora spends a majority of the game learning that, often, love means sacrifice. It means caring so much about someone, that you’re willing to put their life above your own- Most of the relationships he witnesses throughout each world involve sacrifice: Flynn cutting Rapunzels hair even though he can’t be healed, Meg pushing Hercules out of the way and getting crushed, will sacrificing himself for his dads freedom, Anna sacrificing her chance to save herself to save her sister, etc.

He is shown repeatedly that love is valuing someone more than yourself- prioritizing their safety over yours.

However, this is only true if you value yourself at all in the first place.

With Sora’s lack of self worth growing more evident to the point of him actually saying “without them, I’m worthless”, the plot actively devalues Sora’s sacrifice for Kairi. In fact, it goes out of its way to show that Sora would hurt himself for any of his friends when he actively risks himself to save their hearts after he ends up in the Final World.

Why would the story go out of its way to do this? Did Sora sacrifice himself because he loves Kairi so much more than everyone else? Or is it that he values everyone else, including Kairi, above himself? Did he feel compelled to believe that was the right thing to do *because* he has seen the script play out multiple times in the game and he thought this was his part to play?

Not only does the narrative actively devalue Sora sacrificing himself for Kairi- it actually provides a direct contrast, not only in the sacrifices in the other worlds, but in Riku defending Sora when they were the only two left.

Riku wasn’t trying to die to save Sora, he was risking his life to save him. There’s a difference. Even to his last living moment in that timeline, he was holding out for a chance for both of them to live.

But Sora? He went after Kairi knowing what it meant and didn’t look for a way out. He didn’t ask his friends for help or search for another solution. He was ready to die. Ready to be useful.

Riku let Sora go after Kairi thinking that Sora would fight for both of their survival. He didn’t realize the depths of Soras self-neglect. He said it himself when Sora crashed out - “you don’t believe that Sora. I know you don’t”. But Sora DOES. He absolutely believes he’s worthless without the others. Riku is so caught up in his own perception of Sora, that he can’t imagine his best friend (and love of his life) could be ignorant of his own worth.

Everyone has always believed that Sora is a fighter, someone who never gives up- but all of their evidence has always involved Sora saving others. No one ever imagined that Sora would actively give up on himself.

Which is kind of incredibly telling for how much Sora masks his true feelings. The kid actually killed himself by stabbing through his own heart in the first game. The writing has been on the wall this entire time, but everyone was so distracted by Sora’s blinding smiles that they never had the chance to read it.

Destiny trio

Alt vers + original under cut