[open] a starfruit along the way

[oathkeeper]

Sender: Sora
To: Everyone
Subject: Journal Text


hey guys! i'm sora! i've been hanging out in this world for about five months now!

i wanted to asked everyone something that might help me figure out what i'm looking for. i wanted to ask what you think a heart is made out of.

and i don't mean your heart that makes your body work. i mean your heart. the thing inside of you that makes you who you are. that makes you happy or feel great. that makes you angry or cry. the heart inside of you that makes you part of everything around you or makes you see the light or darkness in your world.

i guess some people would call those souls? but i've always known them as hearts!

i wanna know what you think makes you, you. what your heart says about you! and how you think it got there.

let me know!

Comments

[professorbestie]

[He agrees very much with the first paragraph, but everything that comes after causes him to frown.]

Where I come from, everyone knows about the concept of kokoro. It's very much entwined into my culture. However, it is just that: a concept. It is not quite seen as something we have inside us. It's more of a [......] philosophical construct, I suppose one might call it.

[oathkeeper]

uhhhh you mean it's only an idea?

in my world having that sort of thing inside you is part of what makes you. without it we could fade away or break into separate parts.

i guess it's different in every world, huh...

[professorbestie]

You mean to say that it is an actual, physical component inside one's body? Something to view or even to hold?

[oathkeeper]

i mean yeah! i've had people inside my heart a bunch of times and i've had my heart pulled out of my body and put back in and stuff like that

[professorbestie]

[In any other instance, he'd assume this is a prank, but... Stranger things have happened in this world, so instead he'll have to grapple with the notion that this is real.]

Are you all right? That sort of thing doesn't cause any lasting damage, does it?

[oathkeeper]

[Welcome to Kingdom Hearts, old man!]

uhhh! i don't know! i seem fine! it's probably fine!

[DOES IT CAUSE LASTING DAMAGE...??]

[professorbestie]

[HE DOESN'T GET THE KINGDOM HEARTS LORE, PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO HIM. Also: uhoh.]

Is there any way to check on this other heart? In the same way that a doctor might assess the heart which pumps blood through your body, perhaps?

[oathkeeper]

[He'll need a gigantic blackboard to write it all out!? And probably several days to get through everything.]

i've had a friend check on me before if that counts! not a real doctor, though. everything seems pretty okay to me? at least i'm not falling on my face and passing out or anything, you know!

[professorbestie]

Should you ever start feeling faint, please feel free to consult me. I may not be specialized in hearts, but I have a doctorate and quite a bit of practical expertise.

[He also has concerns. Many concerns.]

[oathkeeper]

[Aww. He's really touched, though!]

wow! thanks, i'll do that! it's been a while now since my heart was returned to me so i really think i'm doing okay! there was some damage but i've been able to keep it together since then. i think it helps that i've got a really strong heart or at least that's what people say

[professorbestie]

["There was some damage" is not the sort of sentence he likes to read, especially in this context.]

If you don't mind my asking, what exactly defines the strength of a heart such as this one?

[If it's similar to the concept of kokoro, he can wager a few guesses. Great empathy, perhaps. Or resolve. But he doesn't like to assume.]

[oathkeeper]

[Sora reads the message and gets a small smile on his face.]

i guess a strong heart is someone who can help other hearts or can relate to how they're feeling.

[Empathy is a big part of it. But it's also abstract!]

or one that won't break when it hurts, one that can handle darkenss and light

[professorbestie]

I see. Then, when you say darkness and light, you're referring to positive and negative emotions?

[oathkeeper]

yeah, basically. darkness and light can be seen as positive things and negative things.

and every heart has those things in it, how we handle things when we're mad, sad, angry. it's stuff like that.

[professorbestie]

That's very fascinating. It does sound an awful lot like kokoro granted more of a physical form. If I may ask, why was it ever pulled out of your body in the first place?

[oathkeeper]

erm

well the first time it happened i did it myself

i had to do it to save a friend.

[professorbestie]

[???????]

I'm afraid I don't understand.

[oathkeeper]

[Welp- here we go!]

i had a friend that was hiding in my heart to stay safe. but if i kept her there it would have been bad news too. so to save her and my friends i used my weapon to get her out.

[That sounds exactly like it does. He ... stabbed himself!!]

[professorbestie]

[It takes a moment for him to reply this time, and when he does, his writing is a bit shakier than usual.]

You used a weapon to get her out?

[oathkeeper]

uh huh! just used my keyblade to release her heart from my chest so it could return to her body! just like that!

[A blade!!]

[professorbestie]

[CHILD, WHERE ARE YOUR PARENTS?]

That sounds rather intense. Were you all right after an ordeal like that?

[oathkeeper]

[What are parents?? He left his at dinner like YEARS ago...]

uh well i did turn into a heartless for a little while

but like i said! once i got my heart back everything was fine! i'm stronger than ever! promise!

[Sora tends to brush this off...]

[professorbestie]

[Looks like Yujin has found another teen to adopt...]

I'm glad to hear it. However, please don't hesitate to reach out if you ever do start feeling sick. It's better to be safe than sorry, don't you agree?

[oathkeeper]

[Please adopt him he needs a parental figure SO BADLY.]

yeah. i guess you're right. i'll try to do that.

thanks, you're really nice! and smart too, you're a doctor?

[professorbestie]

[His door is always open!]

Thank you for those sentiments. Indeed, I am a doctor, as well as a university professor in forensic science. I have quite a few years of experience in both of those professions.