[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]

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.

[oathkeeper]

[Thanks, dad!]

whoa! forensic science?! so that means you know how to read blood and fingerprints and stuff? that's awesome?! is it hard? do you get to help catch all the bad guys? have you ever talked face to face with a criminal?!

[professorbestie]

I've spoken face to face with many criminals, yes. And there was a time where I assisted in hunting them down. Nowadays, however, I spend most of my time teaching the younger generation. There's been very little 'bad guy catching' this past decade, I'm afraid.

[He is leaving out a lot of story here, ahem. Sora is free to ask more, though, if willing to touch upon Great Ace Attorney spoiler terrain.]

[oathkeeper]

wow all i'm picturing is this hardened grizzled old detective guy sitting at a desk with a cigar and a hat on his head. everything's black and white. and you're going over criminal files for a fresh-faced detective you're teaching the ropes to. that's so cool

[What is this, noir fiction??? He's not even a detective?!]

[professorbestie]

[Goodness, he's not teaching anyone to be a detective. ... Well, in a roundabout way he is. Forensic science is the future of law-enforcement, after all. But that's not quite what Sora is picturing.]

I'm afraid that only the hat is accurate. Even so, I'm flattered you would have such a "cool" image of me.

[He knows what otherworldly slang is, he is hip like that.]

[oathkeeper]

[Sora's imagination gets the best of him sometimes...]

you are really cool!! can you teach me some of that forensics stuff sometime??

[He's keeping this dad, he's decided.]

[professorbestie]

[Good, because Yujin is keeping this new son.]

Of course. I would be happy to. However, it would be mostly theoretical, as a true autopsy experience would require a corpse for us to examine.

[oathkeeper]

whoaaa?! can't we start with like dusting for fingie prints first???

[Don't jump the gun with the crazy stuff yet, dad!!]

[professorbestie]

[Holy miscommunication, New-Son! This is what Yujin gets for joking.]

I apologize. What I meant to say is that we are limited to theoretical lessons regardless of intent.

What are fingie prints?