[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

[masqueraid]

I don't know about that, sometimes it's easy to catch a glimpse. Some people can't wait to show you what's in their hearts. Others— I guess that's just one of the things that make us all different.

Even if that's true that we're born with them, hearts can change— though some are easier than others, I bet.

What's your take, Sora?

[oathkeeper]

i guess that's what you would call it someone wears their heart on their sleeve! or someone who wants to keep things to themselves. hearts are like that sometimes.

i think hearts are always changing too. i think a heart really depends on how we think or feel about the things and people around us. i feel like we sort of start with a heart that's ready to grow with us as we grow up and that's when it changes.

you know you're the first person who hasn't thought the idea of "heart" was a little weird. heh it's almost like you know what i'm talking about!

[masqueraid]

A heart that's ready to grow with us...
You know, it sounds kind of nice when you put it like that.

Some people have thought it's kind of weird, huh? Before this year, I might have been a little more like them, too. Back home, the concept of a heart has gotten pretty popular thanks to the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Ever heard of them?

[oathkeeper]

Phantom Thieves of Hearts? no! who are they? it sounds like a ragtag group of thieves like robin hood or something! haha!

[masqueraid]

Which isn't too far from the truth, when you think about it.
They're... sort of like vigilantes, you could say. Punishing the corrupt where the law often fails. Delivering their own kind of justice.

But what's interesting is that they claim to be able to steal the hearts of their targets. Almost like the landscape of someone's heart was a tangible thing. Pretty interesting stuff, really.

[oathkeeper]

wow i can't believe i guessed a part of that right! i have a friend who can also do something like that, he can go into hearts and explore what he calls "spiria links" so yeah hearts do have their own landscapes

uh but what happens when these guys steal a heart? isn't that bad? don't they collapse or something?

[masqueraid]

Spiral links, huh? That sounds interesting, too.

( a similar sort of power? hmm.
ren will just tuck that away for later. )

It definitely seems like a strange power, it probably wouldn't be good if just about anyone was able to steal a heart.
Maybe it's more of a change of heart? Their targets certainly seemed remorseful, in the end.

( you know, except that one time...... )

[oathkeeper]

[That would be Kor Meteor- the lost Phantom Thief.]

oh, so it's not really stealing hearts? it's like stealing away bad stuff out of it?

[masqueraid]

( find the lost phantom thief: mission start— )

Seems to be something like that, yeah.

( look even he just blurs a lot of the finer details, sometimes... )

Ideals that became warped like greed or vanity— those things can really affect a person more than they probably realize.

[oathkeeper]

yeah i think i understand that for sure. it's almost like the light and darkness in our hearts

it's not always bad to have one or the other it's when they get to be too much or warped that it becomes bad news.

but after that stuff is stolen away? they change?

[masqueraid]

That's right. Seems like we're riding the same wavelength for this one. Or maybe— thanks to your friend it was a bit easier to digest from the start? Heh.

I already mentioned remorse but, some showed a desire for reform, too. Confessing misdeeds and claiming they wanted to do better. Almost like a kind of... rehabilitation for the heart.

[oathkeeper]

wow... i've never heard of it working like that before. it must be nice that those people can get a second chance to fix what the did or how they felt.

hearts are so important but they're so hard to understand too. it's kinda nice to talk to someone about them like this!

[masqueraid]

It's not easy to try and make a fresh start without a clean slate, but. It's hard to fault anyone who genuinely gives it a try, either.

I feel like I should be thanking you for listening. I know you asked a sort of open-ended question to begin with, but hopefully I didn't write your ears off about it or anything, heh.

[oathkeeper]

yeah. anyone who wants to try and fix a mistake they did or try to be a better person, i think they should at least have a chance for it. sometimes it's really hard but hearts have a way of surprising anyone.

you didn't talk my ear off though! it's really nice hearing what everyone has to say. thanks for that! it means a lot to me.

i think it would be so cool to meet those phantom thieves you talked about! i can dream, right?

just giving this a quick wrap-up !! v cute btw /chefs kiss

[masqueraid]

Heh— if there's any place that would make it possible, a world of dreams does sound like a great start, right? I wouldn't mind meeting a few of them here, myself.

Let's talk again soon, Sora. I'd be interested to hear more about your experiences with hearts, too.

🎀 wrapped! thank you i loved it!

[oathkeeper]

ahha! yeah! thanks again, ren! it was nice talking with you! i mean it. see you again sometime!