...er, yeah--
So this is how I'm starting out my rant. *points to subject line* Be warned, this is going to be kind of ... scattered and stuff; I'm trying to sort all my thoughts of how irritated I get with how fandom portrays Sora. This is in-game fic, out-of-game-fic, after-game, etc. I'll try and make it as coherent as possible. Hopefully with sections. Maybe screencaps. XD
The Start
When I first started getting into the KH fandom, I was really really surprised to see Sora as this hyperactive, don't-let-him-near-sugar, childish crybaby. I was bewildered and wondered if I missed some sort of subtext in the game.
I remember someone that had energy, yes--I wish I could bottle the energy that'd allow me to hop from world to world, wield a big friggin' blade and still heal my friends and run around some more. But sugar-happy-high? Now allowing Sora to having sugar because he'll bounce off the walls? o_O
That was just the start of it...I've decided to try and break it down to specific parts.
Sora being weak and/or helpless
This goes into post-game fics as well as pre-game and AU fics.
Last I remember, in the game, Sora could wield the Keyblade. That thing is huge, made of metal, and if I remember correctly, uses the strength of the user. As soon as that thing appears in his hand, he was swiping at Heartless--and Darkside. Weak? I don't think so. He's obviously been 'training' all his life (one wonders what Riku was really preparing Sora for!) with Riku, even as a kid. He may look somewhat undersized, but he's not weak. He can probably kick any fandom brat's rear into next week. Don't underestimate the short people, we're tough.
I remember coming across a fanfiction, that was post KH2 and it had Sora running away from bullies and crying in Riku's arms because people were teasing him. WTF?! I thought my brain was going to leak out of my ears. Sora, the Keyblade Master, running from bullies? Crying to Riku? GAHHHHHHH! He doesn't cry except when he found Riku again, but sheesh, that was after shutting his friend into the Realm of the Dark! and he's fought Ansen and Xemnas and a whole host of nasty characters. I doubt that bullies would be a problem for him.
If they tried to harm him in any way, Sora has some nifty battle-trained reflexes that'd allow him to beat the snot out of some idiotic children first, or to get away so that he wouldn't accidentally kill them or something using whatever skills he learned. If it's an AU, how OOC are you making Sora? Did he at least sword fight with Riku on the island? Train with Wakka and Tidus? Sora isn't helpless.
Sora hates Kairi/Riku/Donald, Goofy, etc//Sora is lazy and too much of a kid.
This one I simply can't get. Sora loves his friends to the point where he'll carve his own heart out to save them. He'll wander around the realm of the dark, exhaust himself and fight through bad memories and all sorts of things, all for his friends. I see this in either total, gung-ho het shippers or yaoi shippers.
Remember this picture?
Look--friends! Holding hands!
They're ALL friends, each connected to each other. Sora is in the middle of them; Sora is what connects them (most likely, who knows with Nomura's symbolism)--he wouldn't abandon one for the other, call Kairi a bitch or try to kill Riku. ¬_¬ Riku betrayed him, their island--tried to kill him and destroyed a few worlds in the process--but Sora forgave him and worked his butt off to find his friend again. Riku will always be his friend, first and foremost.
The reason why he didn't weep so hard over Kairi, or always ask about Kairi, is that he knew where she was (at least until Axel kidnapped her) and so he didn't worry. Riku was the one that was in the realm of the dark, no one was telling him anything. He would not call Kairi a bitch for interfering with him and Riku, nor would he ignore, beat up or otherwise damage Riku for talking to Kairi or anybody else.
While Donald and Goofy were annoying in the first game (I wanted to smack Donald for his 'you can't bring your friend along' spiel)-- they were, and still are, Sora's friends. They were there for him when he needed support, strength and friendship. They cared about him in a way--even if Donald was using him at first (hey, that's the way I saw it--it was the whole 'key' thing) they became good friends.
While on the subject of doing his duty and not going home--which I'm sure he could have turned that gummi ship of his at any TIME to Destiny Islands--he knew that there was danger and that he couldn't go home until he did what he was supposed to do. He had many many friends in different places, and while his island was his home, he wanted to save everyone else first. His heart is the brightest thing alive.
...not to say that he's a sappy, happy-go-lucky goofball all the time. Sora is so very serious about what he does, who he cares about--he'd rather dive into a battle of 1,000 Heartless to save those he cared about in Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden, then find his friends. He'll put everyone ahead of his own needs--because they're more important to him.
Sora isn't stupid and/or gullible.
I don't get this one, either. Sora may be silly (at times) and doesn't realize things right away, but he's not dumb. Maybe it's just me, but fighting =/= block headed moron. He knows strategy (or the person manning the controls does). Just because he couldn't figure out the whole Roxas=Sora thing, that doesn't make him an idiot. There hasn't been a situation where he had to do math or English or science. >_>
I doubt he'd trot along because someone offered him candy or what have you. :( ... which sort of brings me into the next (and possibly final) part of my rant.
(this was stopped midway through and now I have to regain my focus)
Sora =/= slut, uke, whore, etc.
What is it about Sora just being passed around the Organization/letting himself get raped, etc? If Riku or any Organization member/enemy tried it, Sora would defend himself quickly. That kid has a whole arsenal of tricks up his sleeves and he knows how to use them. He wouldn't let himself get molested by Riku or anybody else. What the hell has yaoi fandom done to people? Just because you're small, you'll automatically be dominated and cry and let whoever is on top do whatever to you?
If anything, I can see Sora taking the lead, because he's got such a strong heart, conviction, caring, etc-- and that is if we went by the yaoi rules of "seme/uke"-- which hate to tell you, guys-- real relationships do take turns. :\
*rubs forehead*
To sum it up?
Sora is not a sugar-happy, hyperactive child that needs to be baby-sat, watched over and who runs crying to Riku because bullies beat him up/called him names/tries to rape him. Also, he's not emo, but we already covered that in previous rants (and I don't even see emo-Sora fics, so yeah... XD)