#com novel

[lieserli]

shut uppppp oh my god i hate them

[blowingoffsteam2]

Just as that went through her mind, something bumped into her. Thinking it must be an organization member, she braced herself—but it was the Replica. “…Naminé!” he shouted, his face stark white. Her shoulders began shaking. “Riku… I mean… Replica…,” she started. But her voice was so small that he didn’t even hear. “You know, I— You said you hated Sora…and you never wanted to see him again… So I thought I’d keep you safe. But…he’s got the same kind of pendant that you gave me… What does it mean? Naminé, what’s going on?!” The Replica was shouting, clawing through his hair in raw confusion. “…I…” She looked down for a moment, but then gazed straight at him. “I’m sorry.” He fiercely grabbed her by the shoulders. “Sorry? Sorry for what?!” “I made up your memories. They’re fake…and so are Sora’s,” Naminé told him, each word slow and deliberate. “I can control people’s memories…I’m a witch.” “My memories…and Sora’s memories are fake?” “I linked together the chains of your memories. I made them both. Your memories are fake, made with links from Riku’s memories… And I instilled them into the puppet that Vexen created.” As what she told him sank in, the strength left him, and he sat down there on the floor. “I’m sorry… I was wrong. So I have to go right now.” “What are you talking about?!” he screamed, clutching at his head. “Naminé, tell me!” “I don’t have time now. I’m sorry…Replica.” She turned away from him and ran. “Naminé! Wait! Please!” She didn’t look back. “Naminé!” No one was there anymore to hear the Replica’s cries.

-Chain of Memories Novel

[smartzelda]

Imma just...

I've been reading the CoM novel and it's hitting me with general and CoM Soriku parallels

[excusemewhileiplaykh]

The most iconic line in the entire series.

[blowingoffsteam2]

Sora just doesn’t remember much from when he was little. That’s normal of course, I hardly remember anything from when I was 5 either. But it’s important context.

[blowingoffsteam2]

Sure is a strange thing to call into question.

[blowingoffsteam2]

Hey, I saw you guys talking about the novels on twitter, and I have a question... I read someone say that in the CoM novel, they make it really clear that Riku has a crush on Kairi, which is why I've been putting off on reading them (and actually being glad that they aren't considered canon). Is that true though? Because there's so much misinformation and lies going around that I might be avoiding a good thing over a lie that someone spread.

Do not let anyone keep you from reading the CoM and KH2 novels, because if you like soriku, they are an absolute must.  It’s not true that the CoM novel makes it “really clear” that Riku had a crush on Kairi.  What it does do is suggest that Riku didn’t understand the root of his own jealousy during kh1, and possibly misplaced it as being jealous over Kairi- while showing him coming to an understanding about how much he cares about Sora.  In fact, during a scene where he is thinking back to the night Destiny Islands fell it’s made pretty explicit how he feels about Sora and who his jealousy was over, even if he didn’t realize the nature of it at the time:

   She stared at me, looking confused. “What about Sora?”     Right.  Because Kairi would only think of Sora.    But I was the same way.  When Sora and I were together, we could go anywhere.  I really believed that.

 “Riku! Wait!”    I ignored her protest and started to run.    To get Sora.  That’s where I was going.    Sora! Sora!  Hey, Sora! We can leave this world right now!    He came worrying about the raft, too.  I found him soon.   “Where’s Kairi?  I thought she was with you!”    The first thing he said to me was about her.   “The door has opened,” I told him.   “Riku?”  He stopped in his tracks.  He was looking at me strangely too.   “The door is open, Sora.  Now we can go to the outside world!”    Sora was only ever thinking about Kairi.  And Kairi was only ever thinking about Sora.  But now that would change.   I reached out my hand for him.    Come on Sora- let’s go!    “…Riku?”  He looked just a little bit nervous as he tried to take my hand.     I had no idea what was happening around me right then.  I never even glanced at it.  All I cared about was that Sora was right there, and I was reaching for him.    Just a little bit more and he would make it. “…Sora…”

And there’s far more where that came from.

The main reason people think the CoM novel “makes it clear” that Riku had a crush on Kairi is because of the Repliku sections.  In these, Repliku experiences “memories” of Riku where it’s shown that Ansem was able to tempt him by saying he would be able to have Kairi to himself, and that was the reason he fell to darkness.  And yet, importantly, this conflicts with the real Riku’s own memories of why he fell to darkness- he wanted to escape the islands so badly that he was willing to leave everything and everyone behind- including Sora and Kairi.  These two things do not fit together, and the CoM novel is actually very clever about subtly showing how Repliku’s memories were manipulated from the real Riku’s (such as Namine consistently putting herself in Sora’s place within these memories…).  But it expects you to pay close attention.  I have a whole CoM novel tag with quotes and discussions that you might want to have a look at sometime (I have one for the kh2 novel as well).  Here’s some more posts about the conflicting messages about Riku’s feelings in the CoM novel too: x, x

[excusemewhileiplaykh]

"Hey Sora what's up? *commits cold-blooded murder* you doing alright?"