Do you ever have a moment where you look at your inbox and go âI swore I answered thatâ and then you⌠never did?? If not, this is my life and my incredibly poor choices :â) I AM SO SORRY BUT HERE WE GO:
5) Top 3 Romantic Relationships Between Characters
Sora/Kairi, Kingdom Hearts. There arenât many ships Iâve been ride or die for - either my multishipping habits get the best of me, or Iâm simply not That Invested in their story. Sora/Kairi (or SoKai) hold a very special place in my heart for being the first real fandom ship Iâve ever had. They hit so many of my narrative benchmarks - friends to lovers, âmaking each other better, reminding each other that theyâre whole, keeping each other safe without realizing it,â etc - that bitty me was invested from the very first time I saw them on screen. I donât want to think about how much fanfic Iâve written for them either âŚ
Damon Salvatore / Bonnie Bennett (âBamonâ), The Vampire Diaries. I could write a whole thesis on why their entire relationship is wasted potential and how their entire fandom was baited into thinking it could actually happen (see: my otp tag), but the short version is that Damon is a better person in Bonnieâs presence, and not because anyoneâs forcing him to. He wants to be better for himself. If thatâs not a compelling story, Iâm not sure what would be.
Dick Grayson/Kori Anders, DC Comics. While Iâm not as hardcore about them as I was in high school, they receive a spot because they balanced each other out so well - and I was far more intrigued by them than any of Dickâs other romantic interests.
Honorable mention: Stefan Salvatore/Elena Gilbert, the Vampire Diaries, but only because their entire dynamic is grown-up Sora/Kairi. Iâm⌠not actually kidding, @seventhdoctor is the Worst for pointing out that TVD is âKingdom Hearts but with vampires.â
30) Top 3 Tearjerking Moments in Fiction
Zelosâ betrayal (Tales of Symphonia): I thought it was pretty bad when Kratos abandoned you right before the Tower of Salvation? Nah, the fight against Zelos was worse. If you wanted to get Kratos back in your party, you had to fight Zelos to the death - and that still strikes a chord with me in a way that much else doesnât now. And to think, saying you donât trust Zelos is what triggers the entire âbad endâ for him.
Hikaru/Umi/Fuu learning the truth about Cephiroâs Pillar (Magic Knight Rayearth): I donât want to spoil this moment for you or anyone who hasnât read MKR, but the last few chapters of the manga blindsided me. I didnât see it coming, and even now, Iâm impressed at how masterfully it had been foreshadowed.
Sora sacrificing his heart for Kairi (Kingdom Hearts I): this scene still gets me every time. In Kingdom Hearts, your heart is like your essence - you sacrifice your heart, and you become a Heartless, lost to the darkness. When Sora heard that the only way to get Kairiâs heart back was to unlock his own, and essentially give himself up, he didnât hesitate. He went and did it, and how many people could say theyâd do that at 14??
31) Top 3 Heartwarming Moments in Fiction
Alan Matthews beating up a cult leader for Shawn Hunterâs sake (Boy Meets World): Alan Matthews served as a second father to Coryâs best friend, and this instance highlighted that bond best - Alan was willing to maim and potentially kill for Shawnâs sake, just because he knew what family was, and he knew that he + the entire Matthews family had unofficially taken Shawn into the fold.
âOhana means family, and family means no one gets left behind.â (Lilo and Stitch). The entire movie is one big moment of heartwarming for me - but that quote sums it up, and is something I subconsciously quote to this day.
Eleanor, Chidi, Jason, and Tahini affirming that they made each other better (The Good Place). Saying any more about this moment would make this a true spoiler, but itâs so telling that their friendship - meant to bring out the worst in each other - actually did the opposite, and they found strength in each other instead. Iâm excited to see how s2 will continue this theme because their friendship was downright my favorite part of this show.
33) Top 3 Awesome Moments in Fiction
Phoenix Wright cross-interrogating the parrot AND THEN LATER A WHALE (Phoenix Wright: Justice for All, I think?): basically, whenever Nickâs interrogating an animal, you know youâre in for a treat. Neither of these disappointed.
Hikaru dismantling the Pillar system in Cephiro (Magic Knight Rayearth): look, I donât talk often about how formative Magic Knight Rayearth was for me, but it was SUPER FORMATIVE. Hikaru deciding that nah, she didnât want to be a pillar, and nah, Cephiro would never have one again??? That was huge. Also downright badass.
Zukoâs entire redemption arc (Avatar: The Last Airbender). I canât narrow this down at *all*, but it was so incredible to watch a serious antagonist grow and learn from his mistakes - and to become someone that Aang trusted with his entire being. I donât talk a lot about my love for this show, but dang - when it was on point, it was seriously on point.
