YMMV / Keys to the Kingdom (Kingdom Hearts)

• Accidental Aesop: Just like in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Poor Communication Kills appears as one (the main reason Sora got Norted is the fact that he didn't bother to tell his friends about his problems, especially that Xehanort was pumping darkness into him).
• Base-Breaking Character: Sora. Good sweet God, Sora! There are those who like how the fic tries to explore his mind in a world where he ends up as one of Xehanort's Seekers. Others just view this fic's characterization as a massive insult to his character, with his near-perpetual angst easily flying past Canon Defilement for some, to the point he might as well have been a completely new character altogether.
• Catharsis Factor: After being abused and traumatized by Master Xehanort throughout the story, Sora obtaining the X-Blade from him in Chapter 72 by way of it actually belonging to him and finally putting a proper wrench in the old man's plan, is nothing short of cathartic.
  • Doubly so in chapter 74 where the fully empowered Sora delivers an epic Break Them by Talking to the old bastard before killing him.
• Fridge Brilliance: The Dark Road finale gives Jen a point in making Sora related to Xehanort. Xehanort's caretaker believes Xehanort is the Child of Destiny because Xehanort is related to Ephemer. So in Jen's eyes, being related to Xehanort, and by extension to Ephemer, makes being the Child of Destiny make more sense.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Minijen admits that she recycled multiple plot points from Universe Falls into Keys, such as a glamor spell, Bill Cipher-caused Demonic Possession, Sora and Elsa's relationship seems to be inspired from Dipper and Lapis's... Even an Anastasia-inspired AU that Jen came up with seems to give Vanitas the Stonemason treatment.
  • The Luke, I Am Your Father reveal that Xehanort is Sora's grandfather, which was likely planned by Jen since the beginning if some of her AUs are to be believed, is this with the Dark Road finale, which reveals Xehanort is a descendant of Ephemer. And in Chapter 71, Sora not only accidentally time travels to the age of fairytales, but also meets Ephemer himself, although he never figures out that Ephemer is related to Xehanort.
• One True Threesome: Sora/Riku/Kairi, an already common threesome in the Kingdom Hearts fanbase. This one has the Approval of God, as Minijen questions in a SoRiKai post how come Sora has both a boyfriend and a girlfriend.
• Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: With all the near perpetual angst Sora goes through and the consistent ineffectiveness of the heroes to stop any of the Organization's schemes, the story can cross the line from tragic to simply exhausting.
  • For some, it becomes full-on ridiculous when the penultimate chapter has Sora still get abused (this time by the Master of Masters and Kingdom Hearts itself) even though Xehanort is dead and the story should be wrapping up. Although Sora manages to escape and return home, their threat still remains to be resolved in the planned sequel.
• Unexpected Character: The Lingering Will showing up in Atlantis and going after Sora for housing a fragment of Xehanort's heart.
• The Woobie: Sora. He's wanted by the main villains and gets tortured by several world villains in some way (Maleficent wants him to be her near-literal attack dog (referring to him as a 'pet'), Xehanort wants him as a vessel, Gaston shoots him, Dr. Facilier puts a hex on him, Bill Cipher tricks him and hijacks his body, the Organization kicks him every chance they get, and Vanitas wants nothing more than to kill him), and the fact he tells his friends nothing only makes his Heroic Fatigue worse. Dude is in serious need for therapy. Even his status as the "King" of Kingdom Hearts itself doesn't help, as Kingdom Hearts has no interest in anything but keeping Sora imprisoned in the realm of Kingdom Hearts and abuses him to try and keep him there.