I'll Tell You When All This Is Over.

I was pleased when Aqua reached Destiny Islands in Birth by Sleep, because I seemed to recall that she met the young Sora and Riku and it was adorable. I had forgotten that Aqua in fact spent that scene reflecting on how Keyblades have ruined the lives of everyone she loves and are probably going to destroy these kids as well. I'd misremembered that scene as a reprieve from the heartbreak of Birth by Sleep, but there are no reprieves in Kingdom Hearts.


I've never really mentioned Chain of Memories in this journal, even though I did play the original GBA version years ago and, more recently, watched the remade cutscenes from the PS2 version. Overall, it's my least favourite game in the Kingdom Hearts series; I'm not a huge fan of the gameplay or of Castle Oblivion as a setting, and too much of Chain of Memories is spent going over the same ground as the original Kingdom Hearts.

There are, however, some things I like a lot about Chain of Memories. Firstly, it introduces the core themes of memory, identity and what makes a person 'real', which are some of my favourite themes running through the Kingdom Hearts series. Secondly, Sora's interactions with Naminé are awfully cute (in the remake, at least; I don't remember the GBA version very clearly).

And then there's the Riku replica's big gay meltdown.

Now, I've 'shipped Sora/Riku for over a decade, and it's a pairing I still hold a lot of fondness for. I've only just realised, in the course of writing this entry, that it fits perfectly into my 'cynic/idealist who makes the cynic a little less cynical' 'shipping pattern. And it contains one of my favourite character types: the character who makes horrible mistakes and is then deeply ashamed and tries to atone. I was doomed from the start.

Ahem. My point is this: I've loved this pairing since the first game. I read a lot of fanfiction back then (all of which treated Kairi atrociously, unfortunately). And then Chain of Memories came out.

And the Riku replica, who has Riku's memories and believes himself to be the real Riku, has a big gay meltdown in front of Sora.

And I missed it.

The scene in question, in the remake, goes like this:

Sora: C'mon, Riku. Let's quit fighting - let's go help Naminé.
Riku: Together? Right. So like you, Sora - you're always trying to worm your way into my heart!
Sora: Hold on! When did I ever do that?
Riku: Hmph, you forgot that, too? You never cared! It never mattered to you! (runs off)

Perhaps there's a possible interpretation of this that isn't 'I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU MORON', with a possible side of 'and I can't believe you forgot about that one time we made out'. Perhaps. I certainly can't think of one.

I was so confused when I hit this scene in the remake, because I had no recollection of it from the GBA version. How could I have missed this? I would have to investigate. Maybe the translation of the original was slightly less gay?

Sora: C'mon, Riku, let's quit pushing each other around and go help Naminé.
Riku: What, together? That's so like you. You're always trying to worm your way into my heart.
Sora: Whoa, whoa, time out! When did I ever do that?
Riku: Hmph, you probably forgot. It never mattered to you how I felt! (runs off)

In conclusion, I am hopeless at picking up on subtext, even for pairings I already fiercely 'ship.