History Fanfic / KeysToTheKingdomKingdomHearts

[[caption-width-right:350:How did I live in a kingdom of thieves? [[note]]Left side: [[AmbiguouslyEvil The Master of Masters]], [[TragicHero Terra]], [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Ventus]], [[TeamMom Aqua]], [[HotBlooded Lea]], [[ArtificialHuman Xion]], [[LightEmUp Roxas]], [[CuteWitch Namine]], [[TheLeader Riku]], [[ActionGirl Kairi]], [[TheGoodKing King]] WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse, [[RedMage Donald Duck]], [[DorkKnight Goofy]]. Right side: [[CardCarryingVillain Maleficent]], [[InsufferableGenius Vexen]], [[BrilliantButLazy Demyx]], [[TheGambler Luxord]], [[TheStoic Saix]], [[RealMenWearPink Marluxia]], [[AlphaBitch Larxene]], [[EvilCounterpart Vanitas]], [[TheDragon Xigbar]], [[CloningBlues Dark Riku]], [[RankScalesWithAsskicking Xemnas]], [[EnemyWithout Ansem, Seeker of Darkness]], [[TheAssimilator Young Xehanort]]. In the middle: [[TheHero Sora]] & [[BigBad Master Xehanort]].[[/note]]]]

* AdaptationalKarma: Unlike the original, Master Xehanort gets a well-deserved punished. Sora, now possessed by the Kingdom, forces him to suffer what his victims went through before being obliterated.

* BittersweetEnding: Not ''quite'' as bitter as the game, despite the DarkerAndEdgier tone throughout. [[spoiler:Just like in canon, Xehanort's schemes are stopped and the worlds are saved, with everyone adjusting to a new status quo...where Sora has seemingly [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended to Kingdom Hearts]]. That is, until the end, where he rejects Kingdom Hearts itself and returns to the Destiny Islands to be with Riku and Kairi once again.]] As such, while the story ends on a somber tone, it is certainly more sweet and conclusive than ''III''.

''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13217824/1/Keys-to-the-Kingdom Keys to the Kingdom]]'' is a ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' fanfiction written by Creator/{{MiniJen}} (famous for creating ''Fanfic/UniverseFalls'') primarily based off ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', though it begins to diverge from canon later on.

** In terms of worlds; ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'', ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'', ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves'', ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'', and ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'' are featured alongside worlds that appeared in ''Kingdom Hearts III''. Characters from WesternAnimation/Ducktales2017 will also appear here.

** Master Xehanort is perhaps the crowning achievement; any doubts of him being a WellIntentionedExtremist as KHIII had tried to depict him as fade away in this story. Much more emphasis is placed on how his goals will cause the end of all existence, and his LackOfEmpathy for killing everyone [[spoiler:something which gains emphasis near the climax where the effects of Kingdom Hearts awakening are seen on all of the worlds visited; i.e. mass destruction]] is given greater focus. [[spoiler:And as Sora's grandfather, the abuse he heaps on his grandchild, and the lack of love towards his family, is emphasized greatly.]]

* TraumaCongaLine: ''Hoo boy'', this fic might as well be the poster child for traumatic Kingdom Hearts fanfics given all the hell Sora goes through.

[[caption-width-right:350:How did I live in a kingdom of thieves? [[note]]Left side: [[AmbiguouslyEvil The Master of Masters]], [[TragicHero Terra]], [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Ventus]], [[TeamMom Aqua]], [[HotBlooded Lea]], [[ArtificialHuman Xion]], [[LightEmUp Roxas]], [[CuteWitch Namine]], [[TheLeader Riku]], [[ActionGirl Kairi]], [[TheGoodKing King]] WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse, [[WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck Donald]] [[RedMage Duck]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} Goo]][[DorkKnight fy]]. Right side: [[CardCarryingVillain Maleficent]], [[InsufferableGenius Vexen]], [[BrilliantButLazy Demyx]], [[TheGambler Luxord]], [[TheStoic Saix]], [[RealMenWearPink Marluxia]], [[AlphaBitch Larxene]], [[EvilCounterpart Vanitas]], [[TheDragon Xigbar]], [[CloningBlues Dark Riku]], [[RankScalesWithAsskicking Xemnas]], [[EnemyWithout Ansem, Seeker of Darkness]], [[TheAssimilator Young Xehanort]]. In the middle: [[TheHero Sora]] & [[BigBad Master Xehanort]].[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:How did I live in a kingdom of thieves? [[note]]Left side: [[AmbiguouslyEvil The Master of Masters]], [[TragicHero Terra]], [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Ventus]], [[TeamMom Aqua]], [[HotBlooded Lea]], [[ArtificialHuman Xion]], [[LightEmUp Roxas]], [[CuteWitch Namine]], [[TheLeader Riku]], [[ActionGirl Kairi]], [[TheGoodKing King]] WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse, [[WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck Donald]] [[RedMage Duck]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} Goo]][[DorkKnight fy]]. Right side: [[CardCarryingVillain Maleficent]], [[InsufferableGenius Vexen]], [[BrilliantButLazy Demyx]], [[TheGambler Luxord]], [[TheStoic Saix]], [[RealMenWearPink Marluxia]], [[AlphaBitch Larxene]], [[EvilCounterpart Vanitas]], [[TheDragon Xigbar]], [[CloningBlues Dark Riku]], [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Xemnas]], [[EnemyWithout Ansem, Seeker of Darkness]], [[TheAssimilator Young Xehanort]]. In the middle: [[TheHero Sora]] & [[BigBad Master Xehanort]].[[/note]]]]

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: If you already read Universe Falls,[[invoked]] WordOfGod says there will be just as much angst here. Most notably, Sora will become Xehanort's thirteenth and final vessel. In the story itself so far...

** The fic goes to great lengths to [[{{Deconstruction}}explore his personality as presented in canon]], notably taking notice of his AllLovingHero traits and how throughout the games, he CantRefuseTheCallAnymore and is TheChosenOne. The story showcases how these events serve to boil over; Sora is just a teenager who has been thrown into one dangerous situation after another, each escalating as Master Xehanort's plans continue to come to fruition; while canon brushed off Sora potentially becoming Master Xehanort's vessel, this story showcases how that process actually happening tears Sora's psychology apart and brings these issues to the surface. Sora may be an AllLovingHero...towards other people, we've never seen how he views himself. As it turns out, Sora is full of deep self-loathing partly ''because'' he keeps [[FatalFlaw putting the needs of others before his own]], and having to deal with ever-worsening crisis's did not help, and was why he refused to [[PoorCommunicationKills divulge that Xehanort was taking him over]].
** [[{{Reconstruction}}At the same time]], the fact that Sora is ''very'' capable of caring about other people is also highlighted; the fact that despite his degrading mental state, he still strived to help others in every world, whether they were strangers or people he met in previous adventures, and never truly desired to hurt his friends ([[spoiler:even the maiming of Riku is clearly shown to be an accident]]), compared to the sociopathic Xehanort who actively desires to destroy every world, and is the root cause of much of Sora's current misery. His friends are primarily motivated to help him, and will ''always'' care about him no matter what drama or suffering they undergo.

** Maleficent's more active role in the story also results in her returning to her KHI-levels of villainy and surpassing them. [[VillainTakesAnInterest Focusing on Sora's Rage Form]], she makes several attempts at bringing him under control, using such [[SarcasmMode charming and easily-dealt with methods]] such as poisoning, starvation, and magic-based torture. [[spoiler:While Sora is out on the run once his secret is fully revealed, she also uses his Rage Mode to torment a town in her home world, and after Pete betrays her, hunts down Sora herself in a final stand [[spoiler:that sees her die.]]

** WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} and WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 likewise, are planned to be more expansive as well, though as of this writing, the latter has yet to appear in the story. The former has Sora and co. be more involved in the film's plotline, and it also contributes to the story's MythArc [[spoiler:thanks to Marluxia managing to force out Rage Form from Sora, which causes Donald and Goofy to learn more about the internal secrets Sora has been keeping from them.]]

** Aqua and Ventus properly enter the story at a much earlier point than they do in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', allowing them to participate more in the plot preceding the events at the Keyblade Graveyard

* DeathByAdaptation: Ansem the Wise gets this, being KilledOffscreen after being captured by Organization XIII unlike in canon, for his refusal to help them in their schemes.

* AccidentalMisnaming: Upon encountering Demyx in Paradise Falls, Sora, Donald, and Goofy repeatedly fail to remember his name:
-->'''Sora''': You’re with the Organization! Uh… What’s this guy’s name again?
-->'''Goofy''': Hm… wasn’t it Dimiss, or somethin’ like that?
-->'''Donald''': No, no, it was Doxmas!
-->'''Sora''': Wait, I got it! Dexys.
-->'''Demyx''': It’s ''Demyx''!

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Pete, of all people, gets some development, and is shown to not necessarily be on board with Maleficent's plans for Sora. He even goes as far as [[spoiler: letting Sora free when Maleficent captures him. Unfortunately for them both, this was all part of Maleficent's [[BatmanGambit plan]].]]

* AdaptationalVillainy: Maleficent is much more openly ruthless and malicious in this fic compared to her relatively hands-off approach in Kingdom Hearts III. She even goes as far as [[spoiler: forcing Sora to surrender himself so she can torture and poison him to the point of forcing him into rage form. She then proceeds to take control of him while in that form and forces him to mindlessly attack his friends.]]

* AngerBornOfWorry: Upon finding out about the existence of Rage Form and [[spoiler: Sora's capture at Maleficent's hands, Riku is infuriated to the point that he punishes Sora by essentially refusing to let him travel without him. Riku later recants this punishment, admitting that he was worried about Sora struggling with his inner darkness.]]
* BalefulPolymorph: Any time Sora slips into Rage Form, the process is described as painful and horrific, and is made even worse by him [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody completely losing control]] of his actions to the violent, animalistic instincts of his more monstrous form.
* BigSisterInstinct: Upon her return to the realm of light, Aqua acts as one to Sora, in no small part because he reminds her so much of Ven.
* BigBadEnsemble: Xehanort and Organization XIII are the most prevalent antagonists in the story, but Maleficent is also a prominent reoccurring threat, and so is Vanitas after he breaks away from the Organization to pursue his own ambitions. The Disney Villains in each world also have a larger role.
* BreatherEpisode: Chapter 38, set at Castle of Dreams, features the Guardians of Light taking a much-deserved break from their more intense adventures to enjoy an evening at a ball hosted by Cinderella and Prince Charming.
* BloodierAndGorier: At least compared to the typical Kingdom Hearts fare. Blood is used far more, and weapons such as guns are not censored. The combat is also far more violent.

* {{Cliffhanger}}:
** Chapter 20 ends with [[spoiler: Sora surrendering himself over to Maleficent to save Donald and Goofy, leaving his fate in her hands unknown until the next chapter.]]
** The ending of chapter 23 sees [[spoiler: Sora under a completely out of the blue attack from the Lingering Will, who mistakes him for Xehanort.]]
** At the end of chapter 34, [[spoiler: Sora is pulled down into the End of Sea by Anti-Aqua; as injured as he is in the preceding battle, the most Riku can do is watch it happen right in front of his eyes.]]

* {{Glamour}}: Sora has Donald cast a glamour spell on him in chapter 27 [[spoiler: to hide the physical changes that come along with his body and heart slowly falling into darkness (yellow eyes, white hair, shadows covering his hands, ect.). Unfortunately, chapter 41 sees Doctor Facilier use a hex to negate it, thus revealing how much Sora has been corrupted, with no hope of undoing the curse.]]

* {{MacGuffin}}: The thirteen Keys to the Kingdom. In addition, Sora himself could be considered a LivingMacGuffin, as he's sought after by just about all of the main antagonists to be used for some reason or another (as a Heartless weapon by Maleficent, and as a vessel by Xehanort).
* MindHive: Throughout the story, one of Sora's main drives is to free the hearts of Roxas, Xion, and Ventus from his own. This comes to a head however, in chapter 36, when [[spoiler: he suffers from a full on [[LossOfIdentity identity crisis]] from all of their memories overwhelming him at once.]]
* MirrorMatch: Chapter 35 has Sora fighting a dark, mirror image of himself within the furthest depths of the Realm of Darkness. Throughout their brutal fight, Phantom!Sora utilizes a BreakThemByTalking strategy, one that [[HopeSpot almost works]].
* InternalReveal: It takes until chapter 27 for Donald and Goofy to find out that [[spoiler: Sora is slowly becoming the Organization's thirteenth vessel, a secret he's managed to keep from them from nearly the beginning of the story.]]
* JerkassBall: After Riku is named TheLeader of the guardians of light, Sora becomes increasingly petty and bitter towards him, to the point that he outright ignores his instructions and orders and disrespects him outright on several occasions. Fortunately, he's quick to drop this behavior upon rushing to save Riku in the Realm of Darkness.

* ScarsAreForever: The x-shaped scar Young Xehanort lands on Sora's chest early on into the story cannot be healed through magic.
* ShipperOnDeck: Chapter 38 has all of the other Guardians of Light (Riku, Aqua, Ventus, Axel, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy) conspiring to get Sora and Kairi together. [[spoiler: Their plan [[RelationshipUpgrade works]].]]
* SecretKeeper: Sora spends much of the fic's first half keeping the fact that he's slowly becoming the Organization's thirteenth vessel hidden from everyone, including Donald and Goofy. [[spoiler: At least until he literally can't keep the emerging physical changes in his appearance hidden from them any longer.]]

* StepfordSmiler: Sora is even more of this in Keys than he is in canon, constantly putting on a cheerful or complacent attitude to direct worry away from him and ultimately [[SecretKeeper hide his accumulating trauma and growing problems (such as his fall into darkness) from his friends]].
* TakingALevelInBadass: Kairi gets to be much more of an ActionGirl in Keys compared to in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''; we see more of her training alongside Axel, [[DamselOutOfDistress she chases Vantias out of Disney Castle]], and she even manages to rescue Sora from Maleficent's clutches. She's also shown to have a strong knack for [[HealingHands healing]], as she's able to mend [[spoiler: a severe bullet wound in Sora's shoulder, as well as repair Riku's broken leg.]]
* TitledAfterTheSong: A good number of chapters share titles with songs, either from past Franchise/KingdomHearts games or from the various Disney movies featured within the fic (for example, "How Far I'll Go" and "Know Who You Are" are the titles for the WesternAnimation/{{Moana}} chapters).
* VillainTeamUp: We see a handful of these between Organization members and Disney villains, such as brief team ups between Demyx and Muntz in Paradise Falls, Marluxia and Gothel in Corona, and [[SmallRoleBigImpact most importantly]] Luxord and Doctor Facilier in New Orleans.
* WhatTheHellHero: Riku calls both Sora and Kairi out for lying to him about [[spoiler: Maleficent taking Sora captive and his lengthy stint of recovery afterward.]]

* PresentTenseNarrative: Not at first, but after Chapter 32, the next chapter was uploaded as such and the following chapters edited to fit into this. WordOfGod states that this is because of the format proving to fit the more psychological angle of the story more than the original past tense narrative.

''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13217824/1/Keys-to-the-Kingdom Keys to the Kingdom]]'' is a ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' fanfiction written by [=MiniJen=] (famous for creating ''Fanfic/UniverseFalls'') primarily based off ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', though it begins to diverge from canon later on.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Sora is in ''desperate'' need for therapy, but the one therapist he knows, [[WesternAnimation/BigHero6 Baymax]], didn't do anything to help.

-->'''Riku''': [[spoiler: After what happened back at Beast’s Castle, I thought that… you weren’t ready to drive any sort of darkness, either inside you or out, away on your own. I was… scared that you were in over your head and I wanted to help you, and I still do, if you’ll let me. But I have to admit, you proved me wrong. You’re more ready to face the darkness than I thought; you’re much stronger than I thought, and underestimating you is a mistake I won’t make again.]]

** In terms of worlds; WesternAnimation/{{Up}}, WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}, WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire, WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}, WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}, WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog, WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves, WesternAnimation/GravityFalls and WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch are featured alongside worlds that appeared in Kingdom Hearts III. Characters from WesternAnimation/Ducktales2017 will also appear here.

* HypocriticalHumor: On her Tumblr, Jen complained about Sora erasing himself from existence at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3, telling Nomura to stop torturing him, while she tortures Sora [[spoiler:(through [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX her connection with Xehanort]])]] much worse than Nomura.