[ open: roxas catchall post! ]

[enhearted]

☉ step one: choose your flavour of roxas one: early-mid Days aka "i am baby and understand nothing, but ice cream and friends are pretty rad ig??" two: mid-late Days aka "i still understand nothing, and i WILL die mad about it" three: digital Twilight Town aka "i'm?? definitely normal?? and i understand NOTHING, least of all why red sonic is following me" four: nebulous post-KH2-prologue timepoint aka "you are 99.9% likely to be using telepathy/lucid dreaming/diving around in people's heart stations to be picking this option" five: post-KH3 aka Here There Be Spoilers and also limitless possibilities six: WILDCARD aka if you're wanting some kind of AU, this is the option you wanna pick. canon divergence and crossover AUs are all fair game here! heck i'll even bring back DDD!roxas on request if you want ☉ step two: choose your scenario one: the obligatory ice cream prompt; look if you're friends with Roxas you are gonna be subjected to ice cream at least ONCE it is tradition and i do not make the rules two: in ur world, tryna be sneaky; for some reason the organisation has Business on your character's world and Roxas isn't as good at sneaking around as he thinks he is (alternatively depending on ur preferred roxas flavour: he's there for some other reason and isn't as good at pretending he's not from another world as he thinks he is) three: leeeeeeeeet's STRUGGLE; idk why you're in Twilight Town but congratulations you've shown up in time for the annual Struggle tournament!! now what? four: alriiiiiight, fight fight fight; what are we fighting?? heartless?? something else?? look either way he has 2 keyblades and he's not afraid to kick butt with them five: soft hanahaki; it's me of course there's gonna be a soft hanahaki prompt. grappling with the existential problems of being a Nobody, now with added magical realism flower petals that you apparently shouldn't even be capable of coughing up! (more about what soft hanahaki is here) six: interdimensional social media; whether you're following each other on kingdom hearts insta or there's something else going on here, congratulations, you're internet friends now seven: we live in a jamjar; obligatory insta-jamjar simulation prompt for all your "let's pretend we're in a jamjar game" needs eight: WILDCARD; hit me with whatever else your heart desires!! ☉ step three: comment and profit??? (format ur tags however u want! informal/formal/bracketspam/prose/comment spam/texting/social media/whatever tickles your fancy, i will match ur style accordingly!)

Comments

[enhearted]

[ sorry, Ven, but you're not getting away with not explaining that one!! Roxas is literally like 2 years old and with only the barest grasp on what a family is and how it works!!! ]

Wha-- hey, don't just brush over it like that! What's with calling me little brother?

[awakenedheart]

[Ven slowly slides his arm around the back of his head, almost embarrassed at having to explain. But he does. Still grinning because he loves have a brother.]

Well, aren't we brothers? We look the same and I'm older than you. So you're my little brother. We're all connected through Sora anyway.

[enhearted]

Huh?

[ there's a few moments of stunned silence on Roxas's part, during which you can see the gears inside his head spin, spin, spinning as he turns all of that over. yeah, they do look the same. it's impossible not to notice that. the defensive part of Roxas that will be forever tired of being a shadow wants to rear up stung at that, but--

for Ven to take that and say they're brothers, rather than that Roxas is a copy? that's...

Ven and Sora really are the same sort of person, huh. ]

... I never thought of it like that before.

[awakenedheart]

[Ven waited as Roxas seemed to process what he'd said. He'd never thought it wouldn't be obvious to everyone else. Their looks were, after all. Either way, it didn't seem like Roxas was offended by it so it was all good, right?]

Huh. I've never not thought about it like that. I guess I thought it was obvious and didn't really need to explain it. We're all one big family really. Connected by Sora in our hearts forever.

[enhearted]

[ Roxas lets out a huff, shaking his head. ]

Obvious for you, maybe. Make sure the rest of us get the memo.

[ he reaches over to prod Ven's arm playfully. one big family, though. that makes him feel warm inside. once upon a time he would have resented the idea of being connected to Sora, by Sora, but... things are different now. ]

... I think I like the sound of it, though.

[awakenedheart]

I'll make sure to explain it more thoroughly to Xion then.

[He prods Roxas back before jumping backwards out of range, remembering when he and Terra played like this. It was good memory and he was glad to be making more.]

Good. Because I wasn't going to stop.

[enhearted]

[ he swats at Ven just to make a point, even though he knows he won't actually hit him. can't be the first one to give up, after all. ]

Right. [ honestly, Ven... ] But just so you know, I'm not changing the name of the group chat.

[ "Heartsquad" is good and to the point! ]

[awakenedheart]

I knew it was a mistake to give you a Gummiphone and I told Ienzo as much.

[Secretly, Ven agrees but now's not the time to tell Roxas that.]

Now the smoke's subsided from your ears...Fruitball?

[enhearted]

Hey!

[ is the "hey" for the smoke comment or the gummiphone comment? it could be both! there's a laugh in his voice as he says it, though. ] At least I knew how to use it from the start.

[ unlike some people he could name. ]

Anyway, I think I heard you mention ice cream earlier?

[ Ven. Ventus. please. it's like you don't even know him. ]

[awakenedheart]

[Ven decided not to refute that first statement and continue on laughing at the ice cream mention. Because of course Roxas would go straight for the ice cream.]

I wondered if you'd picked up on that. The ice cream's this way.

[And he led Roxas away from the Raceway to the Main Plaza where three little ducks were clearly the owners of the store.]

More than just Seasalt here. What you having...little brother?

[enhearted]

We're checking this place out for everyone else, right? Which means, I gotta scope out the important stuff for Axel and Xion.

[ he's not even offended at Ven laughing. ice cream is their thing, okay. even if the group that takes part in their little clock tower ritual has gotten bigger, it'll always be their thing.

and so, he sets to studying the menu intently, with the air of a true connoisseur. ]

For the record, you can't beat a classic. But you're the one who's been here before. What's the best one?

[ he spares a glance for the three ducks as he talks, because - huh. didn't he see those three on Tram Common running a gummi block shop? ]

[awakenedheart]

[Ven continues to chuckle, even shaking his head slightly. But he wouldn't want it any other way. Why else did he pick Roxas for the scouting mission? He suspects most people would have expected Axel since he'd known him as Lea, but a lot has happened since then as despite still being friends, he wanted to share this moment with Roxas. As brothers.]

Depends who you ask. I've always loved the Double Crunch. But they're all really tasty!

[A small voice from behind them speaks up.]

I'll take a Spark Lemon.

[Ven spins around, knowing that voice anywhere!]

Chirithy!

[enhearted]

"A mixed ice cream so full of fruit, you might go a little bananas." [ he reads it off the menu thoughtfully. huh. he wouldn't have pegged Ven for a fruit lover. ] I dunno... when does it become more fruit than ice cream?

[ and then Chirithy shows up. Roxas turns as well, offering the Spirit a small smile. he still doesn't really know where Chirithy fits into everything (this is another thing Axel would call a "major plot twisting brainache", he guesses), but. well. spend enough time with Sora, who befriends anything that says "hi", and this becomes something you just wonder about privately in your own time. ]

Hey, Chirithy. [ abruptly, as he spots something else on the menu board: ] Hey, does that one look like Goofy to you?

[ Sora would lose. his. mind. if they brought him here. ]

[awakenedheart]

[But Ven wasn't paying attention to Roxas for the moment. He was too busy getting a hug from his spirit and hearing what she had been up to while he'd had to basically force Roxas to join him. She'd been around the Raceway for the most part it seemed, but had taken note of the Fruitball and, of course, the ice cream. It took Ven a moment to realise he'd been asked a question by his twin.]

Huh? ...I mean, maybe a little?

[Having only met Goofy just before the final battle, and not known him long, he wouldn't want to poke fun at the guy. Sora spoke so highly of him too, and Donald, so he just shrugged politely.]

Have you picked your own choice yet? We can stay a while and try them all if you want?

[enhearted]

No, look, it definitely looks like him. It's even got the ears right.

[ come on, Ven, it's not poking fun!! what could be cooler than having someone create an ice cream that looks like you?

... oh hey, that's a thought to set aside for another time. Roxas carefully tucks that one away in the back of his mind. ]

--can we? [ can two Keyblade wielders really fit that much ice cream into their stomachs between them??? Roxas looks dubious, but also... very, very much seriously considering this option. ] I dunno if I could even eat that much.

[awakenedheart]

The way I look at it, we have two options. We either taste them all now. Or we look around then leave and come back with the others to taste them all.

[Ven sat down with Chirithy and waited to see what Roxas would say. And if he would notice the third option Ven hadn't suggested. The third one was probably better but he wanted to see if his little brother would even consider it or if his brain was too focused on ice cream to think straight.]

I guess it depends if you want to give our friends informed information or if you'd like to experience them all for the first time with them.

[enhearted]

Hmmmmm...

[ if it sounds like Roxas is giving this serious thought, that would be because he is. after a moment, he nods to himself, apparently having come to a decision. ]

Well, we are doing recon, but... the second option sounds a lot more fun.

[ experiencing something for the first time together? like trying a whole bunch of new ice cream flavours? that definitely sounds like something he wants to do. ]

For now, I'm getting that sundae that looks like Goofy. I gotta send a photo of it to Sora.

[awakenedheart]

[Ven grinned. Partly because Roxas chose the option of the two he expected, and partly because he didn't think of the third option, which he expected. Jumping up, he punched the air.]

Sounds like a plan! So that's one Double Crunch, one Spark Lemon and one...Goofy Parfait?

[enhearted]

[ on hearing the name of the ice cream, Roxas blinks. then a look of surprised triumph lights up his face. ]

See! I told you! [ does Goofy know he has his own ice cream? he's from this world, so surely he's gotta know. right? ] --But yeah, sounds right.

[ Roxas starts digging in his pockets for munny. ] How much do I need?

[awakenedheart]

Don't worry, I'll get this. You can pay when we bring the others.

[Ven grinned, already handing over the money and handing back the ice creams to their devourers. Chirithy took her away and ate it slowly and Ven sat with her, making sure not to eat his too fast or he'd get brain freeze. But he kept an eye on Roxas, wanting to see if he really took a picture and sent it to Sora or not .]

[enhearted]

[ Roxas freezes mid-pocket-dive, before laughing. ] Hey! How is that fair?

[ at least Ven is just joking... he thinks. oh well. maybe it might actually be nice to treat everyone to something. especially the ones he owes a lot to. ... man, that would mean he'd have to work his butt off doing so many part-time jobs between now and then, though.

Roxas takes his bowl of parfait with undisguised wonder. he's not as naive as he used to be, but the idea of ice cream in a bowl, with multiple flavours, is still an awesome one to him. the first time Hayner, Pence, and Olette had taken him and Xion to an ice cream parlour on the Sunset Terrace side of town, he'd pretty much been in seventh heaven the entire time.

all of this to say: Ven, what do you take him for. Roxas is nothing but a man of his word. so in between marvelling over what he's got in his hands, he is absolutely, 100% setting it carefully down on the table and taking his Gummiphone out to carefully snap a picture of it, making sure to get all of the Goofy-esque features in there. ]

[awakenedheart]

[Ven just shrugs, his mouth full of ice cream. He never said it was fair, but that's what's Roxas gets for having to be dragged out here in the first place. He watches as his brother admires his confectionery first, takes a picture second and only thirdly dives into it. He and Chirithy had almost finished theirs. Delicious as always but certainly filling. They should walk it off exploring the Rec Room then play some Fruitball.]

Lemme know what Sora says to that, won't you?

[enhearted]

Yeah, 'course.

[ he'd dropped it into Sora's DMs with a "did Goofy ever tell you he has an ice cream shaped like him?" and a surprised emoji before digging in. he's still only halfway through the bowl by the time Ven and Chirithy are getting to the end of theirs, but in his defence, there was a lot of parfait in that bowl. that, and he's taking the time to appreciate the flavour. ]

It's rich... but also kinda bitter? [ HMMMMM ] The chocolate flavour's okay, but I think sea-salt's still my favourite.

[ maybe Ienzo might like this one. he drinks a lot of coffee, right? ]

[awakenedheart]

[Ven resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course sea-salt would still be his favourite. He doubted that would ever change.]

We can come back and have another snack before we leave if you like. But I know I can't stomach a second one right away so when you're done, I'll show you the Rec Room and then we can get ourselves nice and hungry for more ice cream with a game of a Fruitball. Make sure we win when we play doubles against Axel and Xion.

[enhearted]

[ you can't beat that salty-but-sweet goodness! the rich, dark, bittersweet coffee-chocolate situation going on in the parfait simply cannot compare. ]

How do you play Fruitball, anyway?