~*~ The Sora/Kairi EXTREME Critic-Club ~*~

[Smile]

Their friendship being quite forced and unexplored is one of the biggest issues I have with this ship, truth be told. Would be a lot easier to believe Kairi is the girl Sora cares the most for if in KH1 they portrayed her as something all that unique and amazing.
For instance, part of why CloTi works compared to CloAe is that both relationships are developed, but CloAe has Zack holding it back and quite a strong 'mother' motif to it, breaking the romance, but it's not like you're left with a 'default'. CloTi is based and established in its own right with a childhood promise and them both doing their very best for each other.
SoKai on the other hand you barely get their friendship expanded upon in KH1. Hell it's more or less shot down by Tidus, Selphie and Wakka when they praise the very ground Riku walks on and are already planning RiKai's freaking wedding. Sora's never really good enough and the one who seems interested at all, even if for teasing manners, is Riku.
I'll give you the Paopu drawing bit in the Secret Place but seeing the non-romantic meaning the Paopu can also have and how the whole thing became a home-symbol for Sora, I'd sooner relate it to his insecurities about the journey than SoKai, friendship or not.
And then what? She vanishes and he has to save her. WONDERFUL basis for romance right there, wot? And I'm supposed to believe that after I spent most of my time on DI play-fighting TSW, that if any of them were to vanish that Sora wouldn't have gone after THEM?!
Oh and of course her Heart being in his vessel biz. Contact between Hearts is what got Sora to be basically Ven and for Riku to become Rikunort. While on a lesser scale, excuse me if I doubt that Kairi's Heart coming into contact with Sora's had NO impact on the kid :V Especially with how glorious the coincidental circumstances were, how as soon as Kairi's Heart was out of Sora's body it was "oh derp, Kairi, you'd get in my way, stay here and then on DI while I go chase Riku".
And then more than one bit where it's implied Sora's a freaking RIKAI SHIPPER. Excuse me if I don't think he'd go after Riku's girl.

*cough*
Welcome xD;

[WinterNobody]

Their friendship being quite forced and unexplored is one of the biggest issues I have with this ship, truth be told. Would be a lot easier to believe Kairi is the girl Sora cares the most for if in KH1 they portrayed her as something all that unique and amazing.

This is very true, since most of their relationship is actually implied by mainly fans, rather than solid canon evidence like most other popular ships hold.

For instance, part of why CloTi works compared to CloAe is that both relationships are developed, but CloAe has Zack holding it back and quite a strong 'mother' motif to it, breaking the romance, but it's not like you're left with a 'default'. CloTi is based and established in its own right with a childhood promise and them both doing their very best for each other.

I absolutely love you for bringing this up. ;_; Part of the reason why I can't really see SoKai in a romantic light (apart from their lack of development in the relationship) is because it seems so sibling like, in a lot of ways, like how Kairi talked to and treated Sora. It was like a sister teasing and messing with her brother, from my point of view. It's like how I saw that how Aerith treated Cloud was like how a mother treated her son (It's like Yuki x Tohru from Fruits Basket, in that way), while with Tifa there was something else. And, just because Kairi is Sora's supposed "most important person" and his "light", that doesn't mean that he loves her as anything more than a sister. A person's most important person (redundant) doesn't need to be a lover, it can very well just be someone who holds a significant place in their heart --- in a platonic way.

SoKai on the other hand you barely get their friendship expanded upon in KH1. Hell it's more or less shot down by Tidus, Selphie and Wakka when they praise the very ground Riku walks on and are already planning RiKai's freaking wedding. Sora's never really good enough and the one who seems interested at all, even if for teasing manners, is Riku.

They were very strong RiKai supporters, weren't they? I hadn't realized that until you typed that down, and it is pretty true. Part of the reason why pairings are so supported by fans comes from outsider's support, like teasing, straight out telling the pair they should get together, choosing favorites in some ways... SoKai doesn't really get that at all, do they?

I'll give you the Paopu drawing bit in the Secret Place but seeing the non-romantic meaning the Paopu can also have and how the whole thing became a home-symbol for Sora, I'd sooner relate it to his insecurities about the journey than SoKai, friendship or not.
And then what? She vanishes and he has to save her. WONDERFUL basis for romance right there, wot? And I'm supposed to believe that after I spent most of my time on DI play-fighting TSW, that if any of them were to vanish that Sora wouldn't have gone after THEM?!

True, true, true. I've brought this up before, but Sora didn't leave to find just Kairi. It was for Riku, too. And vice versa. It's just Sora-like to try to save his friends that are the close to him, it's not him needing to save the girl he loves with all of his heart or whatever.

Oh and of course her Heart being in his vessel biz. Contact between Hearts is what got Sora to be basically Ven and for Riku to become Rikunort. While on a lesser scale, excuse me if I doubt that Kairi's Heart coming into contact with Sora's had NO impact on the kid :V Especially with how glorious the coincidental circumstances were, how as soon as Kairi's Heart was out of Sora's body it was "oh derp, Kairi, you'd get in my way, stay here and then on DI while I go chase Riku".

I actually kind of laughed when I read this - in a good way. The only evidence that Kairi's Heart coming into contact with Sora's did anything to him was him hallucinating/hearing Kairi herself. That's... just about it, while the other two examples had significant impacts on Riku and Sora.

And then more than one bit where it's implied Sora's a freaking RIKAI SHIPPER. Excuse me if I don't think he'd go after Riku's girl.

No problem with thinking that, since it's probably true. This is Sora, after all.

*cough*
Welcome xD;

Thanks xD

[Smile]

SoKai doesn't really get that at all, do they?

SoKai DO get that, in spades. Namine implied as much (albeit, as you said, not in a necessarily romantic manner), Riku had a slip of the tongue during Days (which can easily be tied to his jeaously issues and Namine's issues) and Donald and Goofy trolled it hard in KH2. But the last two also teased Sora about Namine in CoM so it's more them being teaseful xD;
TSW's words however hold a lot more weight to me in that regards, since with all due respect to everyone, they're the ones who've been by SRK's side all their lives D: they'd know what was up.

No problem with thinking that, since it's probably true. This is Sora, after all.

"Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!"
Using her as an incentive to get Repliku to come back home.
Basically promising Kairi at the end of KH1 to bring Riku back to her rathern than come back on his own.
There're enough implications.

[rokudamia2]

Compared to squallXrinoa and RokuNami sokai isn't that bad, but it could be better.

[Sign]

Compared to squallXrinoa and RokuNami sokai isn't that bad, but it could be better.

Ugh, don't remind me about Squall/Rinoa. I think that's my most hated pairing of all time.

[blackberi]

Ugh, don't remind me about Squall/Rinoa. I think that's my most hated pairing of all time.

THIIIS. If you think SoKai is forced, play FF8.
Rinoa reminds me a lot of Kairi too - pushy and annoying and overall useless.

[rokudamia2]

I love ff8 but the plot went down hill disk 3.

I think rinoa castrated squall off screen.

Zidane and garnet as well as tidus and yuna had better developed relationships.

[Sign]

I love ff8 but the plot went down hill disk 3.

Ditto. Though imo, the best parts of the game were the Laguna parts and Garden VS Garden <3

I think rinoa castrated squall off screen.

God, I hate her so much >.< It pains me to see Leon get that letter at the end of KH2, because I just know Rinoa's going to show up some way or another.

Zidane and garnet as well as tidus and yuna had better developed relationships.

This. This SOOO much.

[rokudamia2]

The worst thing about squall and rinoa is that the game forces you to accept that they love each other. With sora and kairi you can pretend their just friends.

[Smile]

Compared to squallXrinoa and RokuNami sokai isn't that bad, but it could be better.

Can't say much about Squall and Rinoa since I've yet to play FF8, but it's not that hard to be better than Roxas and Namine as a couple. The two barely had any true interaction and even most fans ship them because they're Sora and Kairi's Nobodies :V

Zidane and garnet as well as tidus and yuna had better developed relationships.

Hey, hey. Zidane/Garnet was actually a rather enjoyable relationship. At least that's what I recall from when I played FF9 all those years ago. I felt like they both actually care, and most of Garnet's plot was how she developed as a result of meeting Zidane. And Zidane on his part came to care for people with Garnet as a catalyst.

God, I hate her so much >.< It pains me to see Leon get that letter at the end of KH2, because I just know Rinoa's going to show up some way or another.

Take comfort in the fact that Leon's the Squall Nomura always wanted and that the FF cast in KH are hardly their FF selves?

The worst thing about squall and rinoa is that the game forces you to accept that they love each other. With sora and kairi you can pretend their just friends.

I don't know, I think I might've preferred it if I hadn't had the choice of denying their relationship. Then I wouldn't have had SUCH a reason to rage at the this they throw at me starting CoM. I mean KH1? Sure, there was Riku-Kairi balance. But then it was all thrown to hell. I mean canonizing it would, at large, contradict a lot of plot points but iono. :V

[8298906]

I don't even think Kairi like Sora like that, just flock to him because she thinks he's a safer choice than Riku.

[Smile]

I'm pretty sure she's fairly obsessed with the kid, but I will give you that Sora's side isn't the only unexplored aspect of this relationship/friendship/whatever.
At this point though I'm fairly ready to declare that she's only interested in him because Ven's Heart is inside him and depending on what happened to Vanitas, Ven might still be a PoH so there's a natural attraction. Will explain not only why she seems detached from Riku, but also never really gets much interaction with other people around her, like Selphie.

[8298906]

I'm pretty sure she's fairly obsessed with the kid, but I will give you that Sora's side isn't the only unexplored aspect of this relationship/friendship/whatever.

We know this now but I was talking about post-KH2.If Kairi dose have a good reason to think that because-
A. Riku use her as fetish fuel for his obsession for leaving the islands
B. Riku use her as a trophy for his and Sora's rivalry.-The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi
C. She seen what Riku did in KH1 and probably think he's a psychopath.

At this point though I'm fairly ready to declare that she's only interested in him because Ven's Heart is inside him and depending on what happened to Vanitas, Ven might still be a PoH so there's a natural attraction. Will explain not only why she seems detached from Riku, but also never really gets much interaction with other people around her, like Selphie.

probable...

[Smile]

A. Riku use her as fetish fuel for his obsession for leaving the islands

That's true, and even the novels say as much. xD;;;

B. Riku use her as a trophy for his and Sora's rivalry.-[I]The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi

I actually don't see why she should hold this against him. If anything it actually pushes Sora more at her.

C. She seen what Riku did in KH1 and probably think he's a psychopath.

Then she's a bad friend and close minded. Granted Riku did bad but he paid the price and people who've been wronged more by him showed forgiveness.

[8298906]

That's true, and even the novels say as much. xD;;;

It's very creepy D:

I actually don't see why she should hold this against him. If anything it actually pushes Sora more at her.

"I am not a prize to be won!"-Jasmine From Aladdin
Kairi may be closed mined but isn't shallow enough to enjoy two boys fighting over her.

Then she's a bad friend and close minded. Granted Riku did bad but he paid the price and people who've been wronged more by him showed forgiveness.

How is she a bad friend for how she feel. Her and Riku never really had much of a redemption scene between each other anyway, and the holding XH back thing isn't good enough plead for his multiple accounts of kidnap and attempted murder.