My Sokeefe Essay: An Analysis on Keefe, Sophie, and Their Relationship (2024)

SPOILER WARNING FOR BOOKS 1-8.5!

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction

• Note
• Personal Biases
• Second Note
• Context

2. Keefe: Background

• Verbal Abuse and Effects of That
• Guilt
• Used and Controlled
• Unwanted
• Powerless

3. Keefe: Personality

• The Jokester
• In Defense of Ro
• Stubbornness
• Loyalty
• Tam Parallel

4. Keefe: Flaws

• Rebellious
• Reckless
• Parallels Between Neverseen and Unlocked (“Keefe has no character development” debunked)
• Obnoxiousness, Jealousy, & Selfishness- Are They Really So Bad?

5. Sokeefe: Feelings

• Keefe’s Feelings
• Sophie’s Feelings
• Head Vs. Heart Theory

6. Sokeefe: Compatibility

• Misconceptions About Compatibility
• Sophie’s Flaws
• Can Keefe Help Sophie?
• Can Keefe and Sophie Help Themselves?
• Can Keefe and Sophie Help Their (Theoretical) Relationship?
• Where Sophie and Fitz Went Wrong (Breakup Analysis)

7. Sokeefe: Relationship

• Relationship Journey (Chart)
• Insta-Trust (“Sophie trusts Keefe instantly” debunked)
• Insta-Forgiveness (“Sophie forgives Keefe instantly” debunked)

8. Conclusion (very short)

INTRODUCTION[]

NOTE: This is not an essay meant to persuade anyone to believe a certain way. However, if you ship something other than Sokeefe, and you see this, feel free to read. I will not attempt to bash any other ship or character within this essay. Also, I will be including my general shipping opinions at the beginning of this essay, simply to show you my potential biases, in case this affects the way you interpret this analysis:

1. I ship Sokeefe roughly 75% and Sophitz 25%.
2. Keefe is my second-favorite character (out of all the characters; my 1st favorite out of the teenagers), because I find his character enjoyable to read about.
3. Fitz is my 6th favorite character (out of the teenagers), because I have mixed feelings on him.

SECOND NOTE: I am an aspiring writer and have done research on writing craft. This does not make me an expert by all means, but it does change my perspective. I will approach certain topics in this essay from a writing standpoint, and others from a reading standpoint. This is not me trying to be inconsistent or confusing.

I read “Sophitz: the Ultimate Argument” two weeks ago, and while this essay is somewhat a response to that, it is not a counterargument. The points I make in this will not be with the intention of convincing anyone why I do not like Sophitz (as a matter of fact, I don’t hate it), but will have the purpose of explaining why I think Sokeefe is a valid ship. Maybe the points I make will help you rebuff a (hopefully friendly) debate for someone who does not ship Sokeefe. Maybe the points I make will validate your love for Sokeefe, if you find yourself in doubt. Maybe you’re not a Sokeefer at all. Regardless, if I do compare Keefe, Sophie, or Sokeefe to any other character/ship, it is with the intention of making something easier to understand and NOT to bash anyone’s opinions or any characters.

To start this essay off, I decided I would talk about Keefe first-- who he is and why he’s that way, as well as analyzing his character in depth. After that, I will talk a little about Sophie, and then I will get into Sokeefe as a ship. (Warning: this will be long, so you can skip to certain sections if you want to. I will label them clearly.)

Keefe: BACKGROUND[]

One of the primary things in understanding Sokeefe as a ship (and Sokeefers as shippers) is to understand Keefe as a character. Shannon Messenger has stated she “strongly believes” that a character's past is what shapes them into who they are (presumably in multiple interviews, but I am specifically referencing her Barnes & Noble event for Unlocked). With this in mind, what better place to start analyzing Keefe’s character than his past?

According to Kathleen C. Basile, Ph.D., Kathryn Jones M.S.W., and Sharon G. Smith, Ph.D., emotional and verbal abuse can make you “feel ashamed or guilty,” “powerless and hopeless,” “unwanted,” and “manipulated, used, and controlled.” Obviously this is “human” research, and elves have different psychology-- but this psychology differs in two major aspects that we will be focusing on: guilt and grief. So imagine whatever humans feel when they’re verbally abused and multiply that by double (there is no evidence the number would be doubled for elves so this is a random guess).

First, let’s establish that Keefe has been verbally abused, for the sake of authenticity: “Cassius glared at his son. ‘Yes, of course. And I need to meet with your Mentors. See how disappointing your scores will be this time’” (Keeper of the Lost Cities, 280).

Also, “‘Silveny’s really stubborn, which makes things a little harder.’

“‘Well, that I can definitely understand.’ He glared at his son.

“Sophie waited for Keefe to snap back with a joke, but he just stared at his feet like he hadn’t heard.

“She kind of hoped he hadn’t” (Exile, 282).

These are examples of the type of verbal abuse that made Keefe ashamed or guilty, as proven by his shock that Lord Cassius might be part of the Neverseen. “‘No,’ Keefe said again, shaking his head so hard it looked painful. ‘My dad’s a jerk--but he’s not that…’” (Everblaze, 453). Keefe was well aware his parents were horrible, but he still had a sliver of hope that maybe they were proud of him. Maybe he had “earned” the Sencen crest-- only for it to be a tracker that led him and people he cared about into the Neverseen’s traps. He felt guilty for this, even though it wasn’t his fault-- and at the time, they thought Cassius was to blame. All of Cassius’ talk about Keefe being “disappointing” and a “failure” made Keefe’s self-confidence drop. Then, when Cassius gave him the crest, he thought he had finally shown his dad that he was worth being part of the family-- only to be crushed once more by the revelation that his parent was part of the Neverseen, and had more than likely been there for Sophie’s kidnapping and subsequent torture.

Lady Gisela has had similar effects on Keefe. Some examples include: “‘I know you blame yourself for what your mom’s done--’

“‘This isn’t about her!’

“But it was.

“Sophie knew him too well” (Lodestar, 23); “‘Save your pep talk, Foster. Grady’s right to be mad. This is my fault. I ran off, thinking I could fix everything myself. I stole your cache-- and then brought you back a fake instead. And my mom sent them there to mess you up. Oh, and let’s not forget that she did it to scare you into cooperating, because she wants you to be useful to me…’” (Flashback, 147); and “It was his fault-- and his mom’s fault” (Unlocked, 595).

The point of those quotes is to prove that Keefe blames himself for things that are his mom’s fault-- and while he did do all those things he listed in the Flashback quote, keep in mind he joined the Neverseen because of his resurfaced memory of his mother taking him to Nightfall. Yes, Keefe didn’t have to join the Neverseen-- that’s certainly not what I’m saying-- but he also never would have if his mother hadn’t manipulated him by doing all the awful things she did.

“Keefe’s father was so deep in conversation with his friends that he didn’t even look at his son. Keefe’s mom said, ‘Sorry, we forgot you’” (Neverseen, 344). This is a prime example of feeling unwanted, which, if you recall, is a sign of verbal abuse.

And lastly, “Sophie glanced at Keefe, wishing he would jump in with one of his easy lies-- but he was too busy staring at the floor like it contained the deepest secrets of the universe” (Everblaze, 25). This is just one sign of him feeling “powerless and hopeless.” Also, “So she killed her, Keefe said. His mental voice was flat. His mind gray, like the storm was taking over” (Lodestar, 533). Keefe feels powerless in these moments, the final sign of abuse I mentioned above.

So, now that we have that out of the way, I don’t think it’s all that debatable that Keefe has been verbally abused. It’s also been stated multiple times throughout the series very clearly, but I chose not to cite those lines but rather to quote actual examples of his parents’ statements and his reactions-- short-term and long-term-- regarding them.

Keefe: PERSONALITY[]

Now that we’ve established Keefe’s backstory, we need to figure out what that means for his character. Keefe is the main source of comic relief in the series (especially in the earlier books), so I don’t think I need to prove one of his personality traits is “funny.” Or, at the very least, he has a sense of humor. Whether that humor is lost on you or not is up to your personal tastes.

And while “the prankster/jokester dude” can easily fall into a cliche, there’s a deeper reason behind his incessant joking and not-taking-things-seriously-enough. The first example that comes to mind is in Exile, when he tells Sophie, “‘I know I crack a lot of jokes, Sophie, but… that’s just because it’s easier, you know? It’s how I deal. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care. I do. A lot’” (493). This is a classic Sokeefe moment-- and line-- and a lot of Sokeefers use it in their arguments for their side. However, there is a rebuttal against this, mainly that Keefe and Sophie “trusted” each other way too quickly, considering they hadn’t spent that much time together. I will discuss this later, at the end of this essay, so for now I will simply use this to analyze Keefe’s character and not as a Sokeefe “moment.”

For one, Keefe’s been verbally abused. This was established before, with clear examples. Hopefully we’re on the same page here. If you can agree that Keefe has been verbally abused, then the next aspect of this is how does Keefe’s character react to that abuse? Well, as I’ve said, he cracks jokes. All. The. Time. Sometimes unnecessarily, as Fitz pointed out in Legacy: “‘I can’t believe you’re joking about this,’ a familiar accented voice snapped behind them…” (487). But considering how much Keefe likes Sophie (if you want proof of this, I’ll quote some examples later, although for the most part, everyone can agree Keefe has a crush on Sophie), he’s not making those jokes because he thinks the whole thing is funny. He’s more than likely (based on the Exile quote) trying to cover up his concern-- because if he didn’t, Sophie would see it and more than likely freak out even more than she already was.

But this isn’t about Sokeefe. This is about Keefe. He’s not a stereotypical class clown. Or even if you still disagree on that, at least he has a reason for being the way he is-- even if it’s because of “Daddy and Mommy issues,” which is another popular trope among fiction.

I do want to add here a little side note, which is that despite Keefe’s tendency to rely on jokes, he does sometimes deflate. Like in Flashback, when he’s blaming himself for everything that’s gone wrong. And in Unlocked, when he’s depressed.

Think of it like this: Keefe’s an Empath, right? But before Unlocked, we don’t truly get to see all of the effects that would have on someone (especially since this series is told from Sophie’s POV). Here’s an example: “And sure, the nausea was partly because he suddenly had proof of how little his parents cared about him-- but it was also because being an Empath is rough sometimes” (Unlocked, 559). Agh, this line! Think of the toxic household Keefe had to grow up in, being an Empath-- and then later feeling guilty that he didn’t detect his mom’s treachery! And he can feel Sophie’s emotions too, which has gotta be rough. He can feel every time she’s mad at him, or disappointed in him, or sad for him-- and while this CAN be a good thing (when she’s feeling what he wants her to feel), being around people you care about and being able to feel their emotions (without even TRYING, as of Unlocked) is intensely overwhelming and sickening. Retreating into his shell isn’t that unreasonable of a response to this sort of stimuli, but I bet his parents’ abuse didn’t help either.

And guilt is especially risky for Empaths-- so Keefe has to hold onto his anger. Anger that makes him do stupid things. But are they really 100% unjustified, given his upbringing and life experiences?

That’s up to you. But I also want to defend another (sometimes) hated-on character: Romhilda, or better known as Ro, Keefe’s ogre bodyguard. I haven’t done the most extensive research on why some people really, really hate her-- or why some think she’s simply “okay”-- but I know a few arguments, all of which I want to address.

The first is this: Ro is annoying. For many reasons, someone might find Ro annoying. Perhaps because she’s nosy, or “forces” Sophie and Keefe to talk, or screams SOKEEFE in everyone’s faces. Hey-- I think it’s kinda funny. But that’s my personal opinion-- and everyone is allowed their own opinion, even if it deems you find Ro aggravating. Some people don’t like Ro because she “Fitz-bashes.” But let me just say this: no one takes Ro seriously-- probably not even Ro herself. It was mentioned in Legacy how Keefe, Fitz, and Sophie all ignored her (in that one annotated chapter in the Barnes & Noble Special Edition; otherwise, Chapter Twelve). So no one takes Ro’s insults to heart-- at least according to Sophie’s perspective. I really don’t think Ro is “Fitz-bashing”-- or at least she’s not meaning to. She’s just the Sokeefe advocate (more on that in a few seconds), which basically obligates her to tease Fitz. And that’s just what it is-- teasing! Ro doesn’t say anything too harmful, and if it was, I’m sure Sophie or Fitz himself-- or Keefe-- would comment on it. So I don’t think Ro is “bashing” anyone. Or if she is, then apparently Fitz can take it, since he hasn’t come across as offended as of yet.

Next, people think Ro’s sole purpose is to shove Sokeefe down everyone’s throats. Here’s where I think you’re wrong-- just hear me out. Yes, Ro is a clear Sokeefe shipper. But think about it-- Sophitz actually happened. Yes, we all know Keefe likes Sophie, and we all theorize Sophie likes Keefe (she’s never said it outright, so it’s still just theorizing), but Fitzphie was confirmed first. And it’s not about “firsts being the best” or whatever-- I’m just saying that Sophitz shippers got it. They got what they’d been waiting for for the entire series! (I’m actually really happy for you guys, because you deserve it-- and I’m not saying that to be sarcastic.) Of course Legacy changed things a little bit, what with the breakup, but at least Fitzphie tried. That’s all that matters, really-- I mean, if Sophie got with Keefe first, she’d always wonder what if since she had had a crush on Fitz for forever. (I would argue that wouldn’t have happened if she got with Fitz first and they never broke up, since Keefe more than likely wouldn’t confess his feelings in order to spare the triangle a mess of awkwardness and/or heartbreak.) So, if you’re a Sophitzer, imagine being in a Sokeefer’s shoes-- or, if this works, imagine that Sophie got with Keefe in Flashback. All theories about “it had to happen so the other ship could happen” aside, just imagine that feeling. I can’t say for sure what that feeling might be, but I know what I felt, as a Sokeefer reading about Sophitz-- a lot of things, really, but definitely disappointment. Some anger. And then a sense of just wanting to quit the series (I’m not even kidding; it was an emotional rollercoaster). Sure, that sounds a bit dramatic, but I got over it. And here’s the point I’m trying to make-- Ro was introduced to the series in Nightfall-- just ONE book before Flashback (even though it feels like she’s been part of the series forever LOL).

What if Shannon wrote Ro into the story because she knew Fitzphie would happen-- or she suspected it, at least? Then Ro could be the Sokeefe advocate, since Sokeefers might have felt like they’d already “lost.” Sure, Fitz and Sophie broke up, but Keefe is gone as of Unlocked, and Ro is still there… so maybe Ro will be there to “chaperone” Sophie and Fitz, and to be the defender of Sokeefe? Then again, she might be so angry at Keefe she’ll sabotage Sokeefe out of spite.

ANYWAY, that’s just a thought. But I’ve got more. I’m not sure how much planning Shannon does into the Keeper series, but I’m assuming it’s a decent amount, what with all the plot threads and characters and crazy reveals that sometimes happen three books after they’re introduced. Maybe not, but let’s give me the benefit of the doubt, and say that she does.

I mean, Keefe’s legacy has been a plot thread since Neverseen, when Gethen mentioned

Lady Gisela had a plan for Keefe. Then Keefe ran away, of course, because of the Nightfall memory, and all of the things ensued, yatta yatta, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, since you’re reading this spoilery essay. So. Shannon had to have known at least A LITTLE about what Keefe’s legacy was-- but us readers didn’t find out until Unlocked. When Keefe’s depressed.

Ro is clearly a source of comic relief within the series, but why would Shannon write TWO characters (Keefe and Ro) for pure comic relief? Maybe because Keefe was going to change, and not be as funny anymore… or not WANT to be as funny. As in, he doesn’t want to speak. As in, his legacy. (Not the not speaking part, but the power that made him not want to speak.) So what if Ro was introduced to become the comic relief, while Keefe’s humor lessened? It’s plausible.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, Ro isn’t POINTLESS. Even if you don’t like her character (which is purely subjective), she has a role in the story, from the perspective of a writer of an MG series, where comic relief is practically a requirement. (Not always, but think of popular MG series; is there a snarky main character or side character, or at least someone or something that’s supposed to make you laugh?)

Moving on from that rabbit trail, Keefe’s next personality trait is stubborness. Like, a lot of stubborness. I didn’t realize he was as stubborn as he is until reading Unlocked. So, naturally, I’ll give you a quote: “So he twisted his lips into what he hopes was a convincing smirk and told Elwin, ‘I appreciate the pep talk, Dr. Worries-Too-Much. But really, I’m fine. I mean, yeah, I’m a little queasy, and I have a slight headache-- but wouldn’t you, if you hadn’t eaten in two days?” (548). And Keefe was saying this even after Elwin reminded him he could see his cells-- and despite the fact that Keefe felt like he was going to puke and nearly pass out from the pain of the not-so-“slight” headache. This is one trait Keefe and Sophie have in common, as some like to point out, but again, I’ll talk about Sokeefe later.

Lastly, I want to mention Keefe’s loyalty. He has many other traits than just these three, but I felt that these had enough supporting evidence that I could make a strong case for them. In Everblaze-- and by extension, Neverseen-- Keefe is ready to go with Sophie to the Black Swan, with barely any questions asked. “But that’s not the same as leaving everything you know behind. If I do this, I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back. Is that really what you want?’

“‘Yes,’ Keefe answered immediately” (Everblaze, 605). One could argue this was an impulsive decision (especially since that’s another one of Keefe’s traits; more on that later), but Fitz, Biana, and Dex all agreed to the same thing. And Keefe had days to think on his mom’s betrayal-- and what he would do about it. So I don’t think it’s impulsive-- or at least as impulsive as some of his other decisions-- and even if it is, it still shows immense loyalty.

To Sophie, you might point out, who he obviously likes. Is it really loyalty when you’re simping after someone? And while “simping” might not be the correct term, whatever word you want to replace it with still has me coming to the same conclusion: yes. Dex also liked Sophie at this point, and I don’t think he decided to join the Black Swan solely based on his crush (he’s also too earnest of a character). Even if Keefe did say yes in part because of his feelings, I still think he ran away because he couldn’t bear the thought of being stuck with his overbearing father while also dealing with the shame he would receive from his mother’s betrayal. Also, he probably didn’t want to be left out-- I mean, imagine yourself in that situation, with all your friends who have decided to do this big thing. All fears aside, would you really say no? (Also note that Keefe is an extrovert and thrives on time spent with friends.)

Additionally, in Nightfall, Keefe is extremely supportive of Sophie. “‘Your choice, Foster,’ Keefe told her, and the red streaming from his hand made it pretty clear how much he was willing to sacrifice” (130). And while this decision led to a mess of things later (with King Dimitar), it’s kind of hard to miss that a lot of Keefe’s loyalty ties in to a lot of his bad decisions.

Take Tam, for example. Ever since Tam and Linh were introduced in Neverseen, it’s been made pretty clear that Tam and Keefe do not like each other. And while one might think this is immature (on both Tam and Keefe’s part), I personally think it makes sense. My mom and I are so alike we used to get in a lot of fights that were kind of stupid. The same thing happens with my dad. So it’s totally plausible-- and realistic-- that this happens to Tam and Keefe.

For reference, these quotes might help: “‘No wonder he and my brother don’t get along,’ Linh said. ‘They’re basically the same person.’

“Practically on cue, Tam shouted from the bathroom above, ‘Dude-- this guy uses more hair products than I do!’” (Lodestar, 115). “She looked so small-- so sad. It almost made Sophie feel sorry for her-- until she remembered the scraggly tents that Tam and Linh had been forced to squat in for years” (Nightfall, 465). Yet another parallel to Keefe and Tam. But my main point here is this quote from Tam: “‘I… think I have to go with her. If I don’t-- and something happens to Linh…” (Flashback, 823). This demonstrates Tam’s undying loyalty to his twin-- and while Sophie and Keefe’s relationship is beyond brother-and-sister, Keefe shows similar loyalty. In both cases, the boys’ loyalty results in them making poor decisions.

I’m not judging anyone who thinks Keefe does everything “for Sophie,” I simply don’t think it’s true. For one, those same people often don’t criticize Tam for doing practically the same thing. For two, all of Keefe’s reckless decisions (running away in Neverseen, returning to the Neverseen in Lodestar, fighting King Dimitar in Nightfall, going to Loamnore in Legacy, and running away again in Unlocked) were done with the knowledge that it would make Sophie angry! The only time it says he’s doing anything “for her” is in Neverseen when he tries to run to Ravagog by himself, and Sophie convinces him to stay. Then he says, “‘Fine, I’ll wait until dawn.’ His eyes found hers as he whispered, ‘For you’” (Neverseen, 575). He runs away at the end of Neverseen because he thinks he can fix everything-- not because he’s trying to impress Sophie. He goes back to the Neverseen in Lodestar with the same intentions, despite knowing Sophie’s trust is unraveling-- remember, he can feel her emotions. He fights King Dimitar in Nightfall to protect Sophie, yes, but he still was aware she would be angry-- he just didn’t expect her to be as angry as she was. In Legacy, his guilt gets the better of him, and he goes to Loamnore anyway because his mother is a master manipulator and he feels like it’s his responsibility to “fix everything.” And in Unlocked he leaves not because of Sophie, but because he never wants to hurt anyone again like he did Dex… and he wants to protect everybody, not just the Mysterious Miss F.

Whew, that was a lot. All I’m trying to say is, Keefe is who he is. And while you’re free to be annoyed by his character, his personality isn’t going to change. So if you find a problem with Keefe’s personality, that’s okay. That may just mean you don’t like him, and therefore you will never like Sokeefe. Maybe you still don’t like him but you like Sokeefe. Whatever the case, you are entitled to your own opinion. These are just my thoughts on Keefe’s character.

Keefe: FLAWS[]

I have two main ones for this category, plus three mini flaws, although I’m sure I could come up with more. I do just want to say, the caveat here is that my personal opinion is that flaws make a character more interesting (from a storytelling aspect).

In real life, humans-- people in general-- are flawed. In writing, characters are flawed. In fact, from what I’ve seen (at least among Booktube and author interviews), to make a character without flaws is a BAD thing. Because that means the character is unrealistic.

So why do Fitz and Keefe both (although this includes the other characters as well) get so much flack because of their “flaws”? It’s like people are trying to argue with each other on which boy has the worst flaw-- but I mean, flaws are flaws! Everyone has them-- you can’t grow out of them all to become some perfect precious angel-- and why can’t people ask “Which boy can Sophie help grow into someone better?” rather than “Which boy has the worst fault?”

What I’m trying to say is, my analysis of Keefe’s flaws are not me being a “fake fan” or me trying to bash Keefe or Fitz or Sophie or anyone. As for my personal opinion, “the more flawed a character is, the better (interest-wise)” is generally my thought process. But think whatever you want-- that’s totally okay.

First, I want to point out that Keefe is rebellious. This seems pretty obvious, especially given that lengthy list of mistakes I mentioned above, but let’s look at this from a different standpoint. Instead of me citing evidence from the series, just read that list and determine for yourself whether you think Keefe is rebellious. If you still don’t believe me, read the series. Or his detention record in Unlocked.

I think Keefe has a problem with obeying adults in general, if I’m being honest. Even Sophie notices this: “He wore a thick gray cloak pinned with the Sencen crest, and dark boots and gloves. He almost looked responsible” (Exile, 487). In Everblaze and Neverseen, Keefe probably thought running away meant little to no supervision-- which was probably half of the reason why he chose to do so (other than because Sophie’s his friend). “‘You’re seriously telling us to go read?’ Keefe asked, pointing to himself and Dex” (Neverseen, 125). Keefe clearly hates doing things he doesn’t want to do-- but I think there’s meaning behind this. Growing up with such strict and abusive parents made him feel the need to rebel. This has also been stated throughout the series, but it all started when Keefe’s dad threw down his drawing and stormed out, and Keefe decided then and there he wasn’t going to make it easy for his horrible parents ever again. (This was a scene in Flashback I think, but maybe not.)

Explaining the reason why he’s this way doesn’t excuse his terrible decisions-- but in the hopes of understanding Keefe’s character a little better than before, I thought this deserved some explanation. I think Keefe could grow out of this, but I don’t think he’ll ever be fully rid of his rebellious streak. It’s kind of like a drug, I imagine-- an unquenchable desire to do what the adults tell him not to do.

Next flaw is the “big one.” And yes, I know you’re probably sighing right now, but here we go: recklessness. This has been an oversaturated Fitzphie AND Sokeefe point in ship debates. One side criticizes (not in a mean way-- not always), and the other defends (again, hopefully not in a mean way, but people say what they want to say). My opinions on it: look at the beginning of this section. I personally think flaws make a character more interesting-- and they open great paths of character development, which I so dearly love.

We see this side of Keefe come out primarily in Neverseen, although he’s always been a little bit impulsive. Obviously the “big thing” happened at the end of Neverseen-- though I’ve already stated Keefe’s logic regarding that decision, flawed as it is.

But I think Keefe doesn’t deserve the flack he gets (I feel the same way for Fitz and his “anger issues,” so I’m not unfairly taking Keefe’s side in this). Imagine being Keefe, with his background and personality, as discussed above. First of all, you’re inherently rebellious and protective of those you care about. Add on the fact that you’ve been verbally abused, as an Empath, who can feel what everyone who hates and adores you is feeling, and then add on the GUILT. See the Lodestar quote above (pg. 23). Keefe blames himself for what his mom has done-- or even if he blames his mom, he still feels like he has to fix her mistakes because of some familial obligation or something. This… is pretty normal. I speak from my experience, and my experience alone, so feel free to disagree, but if my mom or dad said something hurtful to one of my friends, I would feel terrible. I would probably apologize to my friends as an attempt to “fix it.” (This is purely theoretical.) Is it so difficult to imagine that Keefe feels the same way? No, he shouldn’t have run away (in all cases that he did), but he did, for two (main) reasons:

1. Because of the reasons stated above (guilt, background, personality), and
2. Because plot had to happen.

The second one might seem a little ridiculous, but if you’re an author writing a fast-paced, action-packed fantasy MG novel, you’ve got to keep readers on the edge of their toes. How does this happen? By crafting an engaging and emotional plot. Keefe running away practically broke me (emotional), and the wait for Lodestar was pure torture (engaging). Now, authors can’t make everyone happy, so if you don’t like Keefe as a character, you might not have felt the same things I did regarding the end of Neverseen and Unlocked. That’s fine. What I’m saying is, imagine the end of Neverseen if Keefe didn’t run away. Imagine the plot of Lodestar if Keefe didn’t run away. Imagine Sophie and Keefe’s relationship and Sophie and Fitz’s relationship if Keefe didn’t run away.

It wouldn’t have happened, wouldn’t it? Or, at least, it would’ve been very, very different.

But I’m not here to talk to you about the hypotheticals. I’m here to talk about what happened-- and Keefe running away happened. We can’t change that, so let’s take an analytical approach instead. When you look at his background, personality, and his emotions (based on what we saw of him from Sophie’s perspective), him running away (and making reckless decisions in general) makes sense.

I want to address the Dimitar decision in Nightfall just briefly (I’ll discuss it more in detail later). What Keefe did was rebellious and reckless (and generally stupid). He made another mistake-- he gave in to his fatal flaw. But here’s the thing: I don’t think it was entirely a bad idea.

…

I know, I know. I just admitted it was stupid-- and it was. But… we get the story from Sophie’s perspective (at least in Nightfall), therefore we get Sophie’s thoughts and feelings on everything. See, Sophie was mad at Keefe. Sophie “villianized” (for lack of a better term) Keefe. As the reader, you or I might react to certain situations based on how Sophie experiences them. But think about what Keefe was thinking. Probably something along the lines of, This girl I really care about is about to be in danger-- again-- and will probably almost die-- again-- and it’s all because of my mom. Now what can I do to stop this?

It was a stupid decision to be a Mercidir (especially since he didn’t even know entirely what it was or if it would work!), but here comes the guilt-- again. Here comes the effects of the verbal abuse he suffered all his childhood-- again.

This is why I get a little annoyed when people talk down to Keefe like he’s some mindless Sophie-servant that’s only good for risking his life for no reason. I know people aren’t really that harsh, but they do like to say that Sokeefe will be mentally and emotionally taxing on Sophie and Keefe both. (More on this later.)

My point here is that I personally believe Keefe’s decisions weren’t unjustified in the sense that he put absolutely no thought in them, and he just did them because SOPHIE! He thought for a little bit, came to a conclusion (rather impulsively and stupidly, yes, but that’s just how he thinks), and then acted. Consequences later (such as the big Sokeefe argument in Nightfall). I already pointed out how I don’t think he does everything for Sophie, which would debunk the argument that he blindly puts himself and others in danger solely because of his feelings.

I also want to point out something that falls more on the “writer” side of the aisle. So if you don’t care about story craft at all, then you can ignore this section. Otherwise, let me tell you about drawing parallels. According to Merriam-Webster, “drawing parallels” means “to indicate ways in which two distinct things are similar.” This is used a lot in well-crafted, complex stories, whether on the page or onscreen. A lot of it has to do with symbolism or crafting themes about the story as a whole.

Think of a story about a peasant under a dictatorship. Perhaps you could draw parallels to that story and Nazi Germany. Or think about The Hunger Games; a rebellion rises against an oppressive government. You could draw parallels between that story and communism, perhaps. Some of those examples could also fall under the term “allegory,” but that’s not what I’m talking about, so I’ll stop here.

Basically, the type of parallels I’m talking about are between characters (or within character arcs) in literature. A basic example is this: you have two twins, Lyla and Kiel. They live in a world where magic is becoming increasingly more popular than traditional science. Lyla has magical powers, and thinks magic is superior to science. Kiel doesn’t have magic, and he’s obsessed with science. They both seem very different, but in fact, they’re actually similar because they are both so extreme in their beliefs. That’s drawing a parallel.

Now think about another example (within a character arc specifically): There’s a woman named Revira who wants to take over the kingdom. Jason wants revenge on Revira, and in order to do that, he must save the world. Over the course of the story/series, he realizes that his motives are wrong, so he decides instead to save the world because he’s found a reason to care about it. There are some parallels that can be drawn between those two decisions, as well as some symbolism of Jason’s character growth.

Does that remind you of Keefe? Keefe in Neverseen compared to Keefe in Unlocked is a BIG difference. Some people argue Keefe has received no character development in the reckless category, and I know that he’s getting some flack for his decision in Unlocked. There’s two main aspects to this that I see pop up the most often: 1) Keefe hasn’t changed, and 2) Shannon is getting lazy, and the series is repeating itself.

Let’s go over Keefe’s list of big mistakes one more time (or maybe a gazillion more times; I’m coming up with this stuff as I go along, so who knows?): A) He ran away, B) He returned to the Neverseen, C) He fought King Dimitar, D) He went to Loamnore, and E) He ran away. (Note A and E.)

A: I already touched base on this earlier, so I’m not going to go too deep into detail. Basically he made this decision because he was trying to fix everything (guilt) and because of his recovered memory of Nightfall (also guilt).

B: He did this because he (again) thought he could fix everything. (Keep in mind this is only one book later.) He thought there was still a chance he could make it all worth it (see Keefe’s commentary on his memory in Unlocked for reference).

C: He did this because he wanted to make sure Sophie wouldn’t get hurt because of him (guilt). “‘I’m just trying to keep you safe. Is that really such a horrible thing?’” (Nightfall, 350).

D: He did this because of a note his mom sent him, that probably triggered his guilt (it was never stated outright what the note said). “‘That’s why I left him his own message’” (Lady Gisela, Legacy, 723).

E: He did this because he didn’t want to hurt anyone ever again like he did Dex (guilt). “Dex wasn’t okay.

“And it was his fault.

“He had to make sure he never did that to anyone else” (Unlocked, 717).

So obviously there’s a pattern here, and that’s guilt. See how I’m tying this all in? (Just kidding; like I said, I’m coming up with this as I go along.) I talked about guilt earlier, and how it affects elves much more strongly than it does humans. That’s why Keefe makes all of these decisions. Not “for Sophie” (at least not only for Sophie), not to be dumb or get attention or whatever. Because he’s so. Extremely. Guilty.

And that guilt won’t stop until the Neverseen-- until his mom-- is out of the picture. Even then, it will always be with him (“I make myself remember that expression every time I have to be around Fitzphie… Not sure I deserve to be forgiven” [Unlocked, 495]). But he can also feel Sophie’s feelings. And if she forgives him for everything, then he’ll know. There will always be those nagging thoughts, the what if I’m wrongs, but if Sophie helps Keefe know that she forgives him, then he can forgive himself. Thus he will be out of his depression, thus he will feel less guilt, and thus he will (theoretically) change. This theory disproves the argument that Keefe will never change, and it disproves the argument that Sophie cannot help Keefe change. I personally think she could-- but it’s all just theorizing, so keep in mind I have no evidence for this, and anyone who still argues those points above is still valid, since I have no proof.

Also, not looking at the guilt that influenced these decisions, let’s look at mistakes A and E, the ones I mentioned you could draw a parallel between. In A, he wanted to fix everything. He wanted to take control. In his short story in Nightfall, that changed. “But afterward, he had a plan… Not the hero.

“Not the one taking charge of everything” (Day Six).

His decision to go to Loamnore wasn’t to take charge of everything, but to provide a backup plan-- a logical and much-needed idea, even if it did go against his promise-- and his decision in Unlocked was, again, to protect those he cared about. The difference between these two decisions and the one in Nightfall is that instead of protecting (which would allow his friends and Sophie the freedom to make their own decisions, but without the worry of losing the battle), he was forcing things to target him instead of everyone else.

Sophie put it pretty perfectly: “‘There’s protecting and there’s steamrolling, Keefe. You’re preplanning ways to betray me’” (Nightfall, 350).

I recently listened to a podcast called Plucking Up with Liz Bohannon and Soman Chainani (author of the School for Good and Evil series), and Soman said something that really stuck with me. I can’t recall the exact quote, but I’ll sum it up as best I can: There’s power, and then there’s force. Force requires exertion.

Isn’t that just… wow. There’s power and then there’s force. Power comes naturally. But force is when you start making things go your way.

That’s the difference to me between Keefe’s decisions pre-Nightfall-short-story and those post-Nightfall-short-story. And that is character development (even though it may not seem like it at first; after all, it just appears as if Keefe’s making the same mistakes over and over and over… but he’s not-- or, at least, not entirely). Pre-Nightfall-short-story, he was steamrolling-- exerting control over situations that required more delicate handling. Post-Nightfall-short-story, he made decisions without the purpose of taking over everything.

I know that this explanation still doesn’t excuse Keefe’s decisions D and E, but that’s not what I’m trying to do. He still made poor choices, and even though they were for better reasons, they still aren’t good.

So when will Keefe’s development end? When will he stop making reckless decisions? Will he ever get any better?

I think yes. I think his character arc will end when the Neverseen is defeated, which is when the series will end. I think he will be a different person at the end of the final book than who he is now. Why? Well, look at A and E again (just one more time!). They’re identical: He ran away.

I mentioned parallels at the beginning of this, and how you can draw a parallel between Keefe’s decisions A and E, or even between his decisions A, B, and C vs. D and E. But let’s look at the parallel between A and E: he made the same decision. But for different reasons. It is a version of character growth, like I’ve explained, just not a major difference (depending on how you see it). I felt a tone shift at the end of Unlocked; I could tell the series is nearing endgame (whether that means one more book or two [more than two will feel too long to me], that’s up to Shannon). So the end of the series is nearing, and let’s assume that my theory is correct and Keefe’s arc ends when the series does (or when the Neverseen, specifically his mom, is defeated). That means that his decision at the end of Unlocked might be the LAST major bad decision we get to see him make in the series….and that decision is exactly the same as his FIRST majorly bad decision.

SEE HOW CRAZY THIS IS?! This means that Keefe’s arc has gone in a FULL CIRCLE (as in it will be finally complete), which is just so…. Stinking…. SATISFYING!

Okay. I’m good now, just got a little… *cough* passionate *cough*.

But hey, all you peeps that say Keefe has received zero ounces of character development, I just wanna say… I respectfully disagree. For reasons ranted above. (Sorry ’bout that.) Also, I think Shannon’s pretty brilliant with what she’s done with Keefe’s arc-- but again, that’s my opinion, and feel free to disagree.

Moooooooving on, lastly for this section, I want to point out three little flaws that are common among more characters than just Keefe. The point of this is to compare three of Keefe’s traits that get him hate to other, beloved characters, so maybe people will realize that maybe Keefe isn’t the only one who is X-- and maybe that’s not all bad! You don’t have to like Keefe after this essay, but my main goal is for you to see where he (and Sokeefe shippers) is/are coming from.

1. Obnoxiousness. Keefe gets quite a lot of kickback for being nosy/annoying/intolerable, so I decided this would be worth mentioning. Here’s a small list (with examples) of characters who are also obnoxious (with the exceptions of the triplets [they don’t really need an explanation] and Dex, who could be considered obnoxious with his crush in the earlier books, as well as other characters I’m probably failing to think of).

• “‘So you and Sophie looked cozy.’ Biana’s voice had a singsongy quality-- because she always took her job as Annoying Little Sister seriously” (Flashback, Fitz’s short story, pg. 1).
• “‘Maybe we can’t get into any bigger secrets right now, but… we could dig into some of the small stuff we hold back.’ [Fitz]

“‘Like what?’ [Sophie]

“He stared at his hands, twisting the Cognate rings round and round before he transmitted, Like all the stuff you tell Keefe and don’t tell me” (Flashback, 323).

• “Keefe spotted the crush cuffs about ten seconds after he got to Havenfield the next morning-- despite the long-sleeved tunic Sophie had worn to keep them covered. And he dragged out the rest of the story with a relentless bombardment of questions” (Nightfall, 268).

This point doesn’t seem all that relevant to me in “ship wars,” since what you deem obnoxious is up to your individual tolerance, but it’s mentioned so often I thought I should mention it here. Maybe Fitz or Biana don’t seem very obnoxious to you in these quotes-- or maybe they do, but you think Keefe is more obnoxious than they are. I guess I don’t really see why this makes someone a better partner or not, since these characters are all children (except for Ro, who I think a lot of us will agree is obnoxious), and obnoxiousness is kind of a given in childhood. In any case, calling Keefe “obnoxious and therefore a bad partner for Sophie” doesn’t make much sense to me-- not because I think you’re wrong, but because I think that’s an opinion that can be applied to any of the Keeper characters depending on who’s making the claim.

1. Jealousy. This is a natural reaction to certain experiences in life, so I don’t think Fitz or Keefe should get flack for this in a ship war just because they’re involved with the love triangle. Plenty of Keeper characters have this “flaw”-- but keep in mind (again) that they’re teens, and that there’s a lot of complicated feelings going on (always, ammi right?).

• “‘It does! And I’m sure I’m going to regret all of my life choices when Ro figures out her dare, but… sometimes you win, and…’ He [Keefe] shrugged, adding a smirk that felt a little forced. ‘I mean, the thing is-- if you and Fitz are visiting troll-baby hives without me, I am definitely losing at life, you know?’” (Flashback, 671).
• “‘Looks like we missed something,’ Fitz said, his eyes darting between the paintings and where Keefe’s arms were wrapped around Sophie’s waist” (Nightfall, 645).
• “‘Fitz Vacker,’ Marella repeated. ‘You get to spend four hours a week alone with Fitz Vacker?’

“‘Not alone,’ Sophie whispered…

“‘Still.’ Marella’s eyes turned dreamy. ‘You’re the luckiest girl alive.’

“‘Oh, please,’ Dex muttered” (Exile, 159).

• “Jealousy flared in Biana’s eyes as Keefe wrapped an arm around Sophie’s shoulders” (Keeper of the Lost Cities, 239).

1. Lastly I want to mention selfishness. This is also a pretty natural emotion among people, so I don’t see what the big deal’s about, but here I’m just going to give you an example of Keefe and Fitz-- both sides of the triangle-- to show that BOTH boys can be selfish at times (and why they might not be unjustified). You can still argue this point in ship debates, but I generally find them to be weak points.

• “‘Come on, it’s not her you’re mad at,’ Fitz said. ‘I know-- I’ve been there.’ [One of my favorite Fitz lines, by the way. It shows his remorse and sweetness.]

‘Have you? Because I seem to remember you having a bummer few weeks and then everything went back to perfect Vacker-land. So where’s my perfect fix? Why does it just keep spiraling and spiraling?’ [Keefe]” (Neverseen, 505).

• “‘I… don’t think you’ve thought this through. But of course you haven’t. It’s late. You’ve had a long day with lots of huge stuff. So… can we just agree to not make any decisions right now?’

“‘We?’ Sophie repeated.

“‘Uh, yeah. Like I said-- this affects both of us, doesn’t it? Shouldn’t we decide it together?’” (Legacy, 682).

In the first example, Keefe was comparing his life to Fitz’s. It was selfish because he was thinking about himself-- not the emotional turmoil the Vackers had gone through during the Alden fiasco. It was unfair of him to compare his experience to theirs, because both cases were difficult for all the people involved.

In the second, Fitz was being selfish because he didn’t want to be a Bad Match by getting with Sophie, who’s Unmatchable-- even if it was ultimately Sophie’s decision on how to handle that situation.

Keefe, in my opinion (you can disagree), wasn’t justified. BUT he was going through a hard time, with a lot of big emotional reveals that seemed to be too much to handle. Very very technically, this reaction was justified-- the reaction being anger. Keefe had a right to be angry. Sophie and Mr. Forkle had lied to him. However, the words he said under the influence of that anger weren’t justified (IMO).

Again, I think Fitz’s reaction to Sophie’s Unmatchableness was justified. Think about Fitz’s background: he’s been teased as “the golden boy” or “Wonder Boy” or “dreamy Fitz Vacker.” He’s the elite of the elves (at least as elite as you can probably get in his situation). He’s from a prominent family in which appearance is everything. His parents probably raised him, Alvar, and Biana to be “perfect”-- and while Alden and Della might not have said that outright, they presumably expected a lot from their children, which puts a lot of pressure, externally- and self-inflicted, on the Vacker children. Then imagine that family you’ve been raised to be so proud of is under constant scrutiny by the public. Imagine all these dark family secrets coming to light. And then imagine getting with a girl that honestly is one of the root causes of those secrets being revealed, and then all of a sudden she’s Unmatchable in a world where Matches are a BIG DEAL. People talk about Keefe or Fitz being the root cause for Sophie’s stress, but if I’m being open here, I kinda think Sophie was a cause for Fitz’s stress.

She wouldn’t communicate, she confided in another guy before she did you, she clearly wasn’t comfortable talking to you about serious stuff, and here you are, trying to be as supportive as possible, while also dealing with family drama, and at some point you’re going to snap, right?

Fitz’s words weren’t justified, but I believe his action was.

In both cases, both boys should have been more careful with what they said. But what’s done is done, and in Keefe’s case, Sophie apologized (since part of it was her fault in that scenario), and in Fitz’s case, he apologized (since part of it was his fault). Keefe probably should have said sorry for yelling, and maybe he did, and Sophie probably should have said sorry for not being the best girlfriend, and maybe she did, but in any case, it happened, so we have to move on.

To summarize, I think a lot of people look at Keefe and Fitz’s mistakes (and even Sophie’s), and think, Wow, they lost points in my book. Or people argue, Keefe keeps making the same mistakes over and over or Fitz keeps making the same mistakes over and over, therefore they shouldn’t be with Sophie. Neither one deserves her.

But… that’s assuming neither one will change-- or that’s assuming only one of them will change. It’s saying Keefe is doing all of these things for Sophie, but everything he does for her is reckless, therefore Sokeefe happening will not make him change, or it’s saying Fitz has anger issues, which degrades Sophie’s self esteem, therefore Sophitz is toxic.

I said at the beginning of this essay that the point of this whole thing isn’t for me to compare which ship is “better,” but to help you see where Keefe and Sokeefers are coming from. I explained why I think Keefe getting with Sophie will help him change, and I think a similar argument could be made for Fitzphie (Sophie helped calm Fitz down in Flashback when he wanted to go after Alvar, so she can calm him down).

It’s also not one-sided, either. Sophie can help both boys (in my estimation), but it’s really a matter of can both boys help themselves? Sophie can’t do all the work for them. On the flip side, can both boys help her? I think they can-- but which boy’s help does Sophie need the most? Or, better yet, which boy does Sophie like better? We can’t discount Sophie’s feelings just because we think she should get with someone. Even if Sophie would be “better” (or more compatible) with Fitz, or even if she would be “better” (or more compatible) with Keefe, if she doesn’t like one of them, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter which ship is more compatible or not. (I’ll go more in-depth on Sokeefe compatibility later).

Just some food for thought.

SOKEEFE: FEELINGS[]

So why is Sokeefe a ship? Why do people think that these two characters should/can be together? There’s a few reasons, obviously one of them being “because Shannon said so.” But let’s just pretend Sophie and Keefe are real people for the sake of this section (I’m sure we all do it anyway), as I discuss eMoTiOnS.

PART ONE:

Here’s a few quotes for reference:

“Then he [Keefe] was lost to his floaty dreams, most of which focused on the gold-flecked brown eyes he could never get out of his head” (Nightfall, Keefe short story, Day Three).

“From that point on, he [Keefe] only had one goal: to be whatever Sophie needed.

“Not the hero.

“Not the one taking charge of everything.

“Just a guy ready to listen and help and be there for her.

“A friend.

“Until she was ready for more” (Nightfall, Keefe short story, Day Six).

“But I [Keefe] was only half listening because she gets this cute little crinkle between her eyebrows when she’s trying to be serious, and it makes me want to reach up and smooth her forehead with my fingertip…” (Unlocked, 481).

“That was the first time it felt like… maybe I had a tiny shot at making this brave, beautiful, blushing girl like me.

“Hasn’t worked out that way yet. And I have no idea if it ever will.

“But there’s a teeny, tiny chance.

“And that’s enough.

“For now” (Keefe, Unlocked, 488-489).

Are you properly cringing right now? Is the teenage infatuation too much for you? No? Okay, I’ll give you more sappy quotes, since you asked for it.

“And I’m glad Foster took the news okay (though she did tug out a few eyelashes). Forkle had begged me with his final breaths to take care of his moonlark. And I swore I would-- though he didn’t need to ask.

“That’s been my plan for a long time-- and not because I don’t think she can take care of herself.

“Because she shouldn’t have to.

“She’s dealing with enough pressure and responsibility and people trying to kill her. If there’s anything I can do to make things easier for her, I’ll do it. No matter what” (Keefe, Unlocked, 498-499).

“I wanted to retreat into that darkness and never come back. But Sophie called for me. And I came back for her.

“I’ll always…

“Ugh, I’m back to more sappy, pointless rambling” (Keefe, Unlocked, 502).

“‘You are?’ a new voice interrupted.

“A beautiful voice.

“Keefe’s favorite voice-- even when it was all squeaky with worry” (Unlocked, 560).

And finally… “‘How are you feeling?’ Sophie asked, and Keefe’s gaze shifted to where she stood in the doorway, looking wary and worried and…

“Absolutely perfect” (Unlocked, 565).

I’m sure the sappiness is killing you by now, so I’ll stop. The point is, it’s virtually undeniable that Keefe likes Sophie (“love,” on the other hand, is debatable). So what happens when one person likes another? That person becomes a love interest for the character they like-- even if the character they like doesn’t like them back.

This is one baby reason why Sokeefe even exists, but instead of proving why it exists, let’s go even further and prove why it could happen (at least as far as feelings go).

Unrequited love is common, and while some can claim that’s all Sokeefe is, I would make a case that that’s not true. First of all, why would Shannon lead Sokeefers on this far into the series if Sokeefe wasn’t plausible? Every year (as far as I’ve seen, but I’ve never attended), Shannon’s Keeper tour events involve “Team Keefe” and “Team Fitz.” The love triangle is a thing, something confirmed by the author herself, but it’s not technically confirmed that Sophie likes Keefe.

But what’s the point, like I said, in leading Sokeefers on? There really isn’t one, except for being mean-- and Shannon seems like a really nice person (from author interviews and such). Think of Dexphie, or Sodex, or Team Dex (whatever you want to call it). There were definitely Dexphie shippers out there, but then Nightfall happened, and all of a sudden Shannon confirms that Dexphie has officially sunken.

Is this her being mean? No, not to me, but maybe it feels that way to you. I think what she was really trying to get across was the fact that she wasn’t going to lead Dexphie shippers on anymore than she already had. Dexphie was pretty much bound to fail since the first book, it just became canon in Nightfall.

Sokeefe doesn’t feel like Dexphie to me. It doesn’t feel like it’s “bound to fail” necessarily. More like, it could fail, but there’s still a pretty good chance. Ever wonder why Team Dex was so small? Probably because deep down, a lot of people knew it wouldn’t happen.

Why are Teams Keefe and Fitz so big (at least bigger than Team Dex)? Because there’s a solid argument for both sides, and while I do think Fitzphie has a chance to be endgame, I will specifically be citing evidence for Sokeefe (given this is a Sokeefe analysis).

We’ve already established that Keefe likes Sophie, so Sokeefe automatically goes up 50% in plausibility (this means that the ship is valid, not that it has a 50% chance on “winning”; in comparison, Sophitz is at 100% plausibility, since it has been canonically confirmed that they both like each other). But the other 50% requires Sophie to like Keefe. While this hasn’t been confirmed, I’d like to cite a few examples to make a valid case that she just might.

Okay, so I’m going to be citing hackspirit.com for this next part, so if you don’t trust anyone other than a certified professional, then this evidence might not be enough for you. However, I found it had an interesting point that can apply to Sophie and Keefe, so I thought I’d share it:

The Hero Instinct- this is an instinct deeply rooted in male biology that makes a man have the urge to feel needed and wanted. “When a guy falls in love, he becomes naturally protective of his love interest. This is basic male psychology.

“When you’ve had an argument with a friend, he’ll naturally take your side. When you cross the road, he’ll put his body on the side of the traffic.

“He can’t help it.

“Even if he is afraid to admit that he loves you for whatever reason, he won’t be able to

control his actions of wanting to protect you” (Lachlan Brown, The Hero Instinct: How Can You Trigger It In Your Man?).

I talked about this before, but let me mention it again: Keefe gets a lot of flack for constantly endangering himself to protect Sophie. Some people call it “obsessive” and “unnecessary,” or maybe they find it annoying. I said above that I thought a lot of it has to do with his feelings (romantically and as a friend), but I also argued Keefe doesn’t make all of those dangerous decisions because of Sophie-- and if he has in the past, he’s gotten over that. Buuuut Keefe does have a desire to protect Sophie-- you can see it in the quote at the beginning of this section. That’s the hero instinct; it’s natural. And while some might still feel it’s over-the-top, which is understandable, it scientifically makes sense.

So we know the Hero Instinct exists… but what does this have to do with Sophie liking Keefe? Well, Genefe Navilon, in his article Do I Like Him? The 30 Most Important Signs to Know For Sure, says, “...Allowing him to step up to the plate and protect you is an equally strong sign that you like him just as much in return.”

Yes, Sophie says to Keefe “‘I’m not some damsel in distress who needs you to swoop in--’” (Nightfall, 350) after he tells her he’s just trying to keep her safe, but Keefe gets that (see quote at the beginning of this section for reference). His version of protection post-Nightfall-short-story is much different than before, which I’ve already discussed.

The only times Sophie gets angry when Keefe tries to “protect her” is when she’s trying to protect him, and he doesn’t let that happen. This just proves how stubborn they both are-- and it really shows how alike they are, in the sense that they both really care about each other and their friends, and think they can protect everyone around them. But that’s not how the world works-- that’s not how the Lost Cities work. There’s a dangerous group of people that will stop at nothing to take over the Cities, and Sophie can’t do it alone, Keefe can’t do it alone, no one can do it alone. That’s a theme in these books: you don’t have to do the hard things alone. Both Sophie and Keefe need to figure that out.

All flawed stubbornness aside, all I’m trying to say is, Sophie does allow Keefe to protect her-- and he allows her (sometimes) to protect him. In Legacy, Keefe allows Sophie to protect him by making him stay home (even though he disobeys that request, but I’ve already gone over his motives), and in Unlocked, Sophie lets Keefe protect her from his new powers by staying away from him (even though she had a hard time with that). This isn’t exactly the best argument for why Sophie likes Keefe, but it is something to consider, mainly the fact that despite their stubbornness, both Sophie and Keefe protect each other, which is a great sign of teamwork (a vital aspect in any relationship; having a one-sided relationship never turns out well).

Here’s a quote that shows Fitz’s amazing character development AND a strong case of denial from Sophie: “‘Plus, I saw the look on his face after you left, so I’m sure he’d feel better if you talked everything through. He’s probably been waiting for you to reach out, since you guys talk that way a lot.’ [Fitz]

“‘No we don’t,’ Sophie argued, not sure why her voice had gotten so high-pitched. ‘Seriously, we don’t.’

“‘Well, even if that’s true, you guys are… close.’

“‘We’re friends,’ Sophie clarified, cringing when her voice turned squeaky again” (Unlocked, 638).

Can anyone really tell me Sophie isn’t denying her feelings? Think of Legacy, when Fitz found her and Keefe talking. She literally states she feels “caught”-- but how can you be “caught” when you’re simply talking with a friend? Unless that friend isn’t just a friend.

Granted, Sophie probably felt guilty for talking with Fitz’s friend before talking to him, which could also explain why she feels caught-- even if she didn’t like Keefe, she could still feel caught because she might think Fitz will feel jealous. But… it was such a clear choice of words from Shannon that I’m convinced Sophie is denying her feelings for Keefe, or at least denying that Keefe likes her.

PART TWO:

The Head Vs. Heart Theory.

Yes, yes, I know this is probably one of the most (if not the most) common Sokeefe argument. And, naturally, I have thoughts on it.

Let me give you the exact quote for when this theory was introduced into the series, so we’re all on the same page:

“‘Your dad’s a writer?’ Sophie asked.

“‘More like a torturer of innocent readers.’ He [Keefe] held up the cover as proof. The Heart of the Matter by Lord Cassius Sencen. ‘It’s just a long ramble about how he’s the only one smart enough to realize that emotions come from both the heart and the brain, and that Empaths can only read what’s in the mind. Too bad he forgot why anyone cares!’

“Sophie hopes Keefe was far enough away that he couldn’t tell she actually found the idea fascinating. Councillor Bronte had taught her that inflicting pulled emotions from her heart-- and Fitz had seen an emotional center in her mind. So did that mean people could feel different things in different places?’” (Neverseen, 145).

In Lodestar, this theory is mentioned again: “Keefe’s father had published his theory that elves generated emotions in both their minds and their hearts, and believed the heart was where the purer emotions lived” (114).

And again, in Nightfall: “‘I’m just kidding. All you did was prove my dad’s theory.’

“It took Sophie a second to realize he was talking about Lord Cassius’ book-- The Heart of the Matter-- where he’d claimed the heart and the head held two different sets of emotions.

“‘Since when did you start believing that?’

“‘Since Lumenaria, when you enhanced me’” (269).

Keefe, of course, is referencing this moment: “‘So that rush was an even clearer reading of your emotions?’ [Keefe]

“[Sophie] ‘Probably. Why?’

“‘No reason.’ But when she stole a glance from the side of her eye, she could see the glint of a grin in the dim light” (Lodestar, 655).

For one, Shannon reminded us readers of Cassius’ theory toward the beginning of Lodestar-- and then made it relevant at the end of Lodestar, when Keefe is holding Sophie’s hand and can feel her emotions. In Nightfall, it’s confirmed that Keefe felt Sophie’s heart emotions (he says he got a clearer rush of her emotions, which directly aligns with Cassius’ theory).

We all know Keefe likes Sophie-- I proved that with all the sappy quotes. So if Keefe smiled during that moment, then the “rush of emotions” he felt must have been a good sign. It didn’t confirm Sokeefe-- or else Keefe wouldn’t have to worry about Sophitz anymore. But the glimpse he got must have given him hope. So why wouldn’t he tell Sophie this? If she really does like him in her heart, shouldn’t he just tell her so they can be together?

Before you start to think SOPHIE MUST NOT LIKE KEEFE IN HER HEART AFTER ALL, read this Nightfall quote: “‘Uh-- they’re my feelings.’ [Sophie]

“‘Yeah, but once you know about them, it… changes things. That’s the part that’s missing from my dad’s theory. He never explained why the emotions in the heart and the head are different. But I figured it out. It’s because we’re aware of what goes on up here’-- he tapped the side of his head-- ‘so we control those feelings in subtle ways. We’ll encourage any emotions we’re comfortable with, and fight the ones we aren’t. But here’-- he pressed his hands against his chest-- ‘everything is beyond our control. And once you become aware of it…’

“He flicked his hands, like he was holding something that went poof!” (270-271).

This explains why Keefe hasn’t told Sophie about that “rush” he got. Part of it is probably because that “rush” was only a glimpse of the big picture. But another part is because if he tells Sophie what he saw, she’ll know that she might have feelings for Keefe in her heart (if she indeed does), and now that she’s aware of them, she might fight it-- especially since she already had a crush on Fitz at this point, and having to choose in her head between Keefe or Fitz would be too confusing.

But I’m sure a lot of you hardcore Sokeefe fans already know all this stuff. You probably already know what I’m going to say next, too, but for those of your who don’t, here’s what I think:

From a writing aspect, Shannon wouldn’t have mentioned the Head Vs. Heart Theory if it didn’t play at least a mini role in the series. It’s already played its role with Dex and Sophie (Dex liked Sophie in his head, but when they kissed, he realized he didn’t like her in his heart), but we still know that Keefe got a reading of some of Sophie’s heart emotions in Lodestar. I theorize that this will play a role when Keefe confesses his crush to Sophie (which I also think will happen because Shannon’s been building up to it for nearly the entire series, and for it not to happen would be deeply unsatisfying and poor writing; this doesn’t mean that Sokeefe will be endgame, just that Keefe will tell her how he feels. Sophie may reciprocate those feelings or not, and even if she does, she still may decide she likes Fitz more). I think that Keefe will mention what exactly he saw, and Sophie will do with that information as she will.

Some argue that Sophie could like Fitz in her heart, and indeed, Cassius’ theory doesn’t state that your heart vs. head emotions have to always be different (Sophie clearly likes Fitz in her head because she admits on many, many occasions that she has a crush on him). But if Keefe was smiling in Lodestar, this probably means one of either two things: 1) Sophie’s pure feelings have nothing to do with Fitz, or 2) Sophie’s pure feelings were too generic to determine whether she was thinking about Fitz or Keefe, but for whichever boy she was thinking of, she had some strong feelings for.

I personally think it could be either one of these. If it’s the former, then that means that Sophie doesn’t like Fitz in her heart (in a romantic way, which presumably are the feelings Keefe read). If it’s the latter, then Sophie could like either Fitz or Keefe in her heart, and Keefe was just assuming it was him.

This is why I think Sophie’s heart was feeling for Keefe, even if it was a generic reading and not specific to either boy: Think about where she was in that moment. Holding Keefe’s hand, running through a collapsing castle after she had woken up to find Keefe right beside her, ready to help in whatever way-- after he ran away from the Neverseen, of course, which was something Sophie was begging him to do for a while now. Why on Earth would Sophie be thinking about Fitz in that moment? She was probably so happy Keefe was back, and so grateful and relieved he was there to help her. I’m not saying Fitz isn’t worthy of being thought about or anything, and I’m not trying to bash-- I’m just saying that there’s a 95% chance Sophie was thinking about Keefe, and her emotions regarding him (him coming back, being there with her, and-- deep in her heart-- potentially romantic feelings toward him), and about 5% chance she was thinking of Fitz. (This isn't me trying to be mean, just to state my interpretation, which may be different than yours, and that's okay.)

So, in conclusion, we all know Keefe likes Sophie-- and let’s just assume Sophie might have at least an attraction toward Keefe, for the sake of the rest of this essay. This is the first step toward Sokeefe-- they both like each other, yay! But, as I’m sure we all (or at least most of us) know, you’re not guaranteed to date someone just because you like each other. You may not be brave enough to confront the person and tell them your feelings. Maybe you don’t like each other at the same time. Whatever the case, feelings explain part of why Sokeefe as a ship exists, but not why it could be “endgame.” That’s where this next part comes in.

SOKEEFE: COMPATIBILITY[]

First and foremost, I want to say: I think compatibility is overrated.

*gasp* *wheeze* *cry of shock*

Clarification: the misconception of compatibility is overrated.

What is the misconception of compatibility, you may ask? Hey, I’m glad you did, since I clearly love to share my opinions (whether they’re wanted or not)! And here’s a few common misconceptions I want to debunk (according to research I’ve done, not my own opinion):

• First Misconception: Chemistry has everything to do with compatibility and nothing to

do with pure and simple attraction. Here’s another Sophitz and Sokeefe argument I’ve seen for quite some time: Sokeefe/Sophitz has better chemistry.

Actually, chemistry is “the emotional connection between two people,” according to markmanson.net (author unknown). Compatibility is the overall potential, long-term of a couple. Whether a couple has superior chemistry or not doesn’t really matter as much as you might think it does, and it doesn’t mean the same thing as compatibility.

• Second Misconception: Being compatible means you like the same things and share the

same tastes. Actually, there is a saying “opposites attract” for a reason… besides, in most of my relationships, I find talking to someone who has the same interests can actually be more boring than talking to someone with different interests. Really, for me personally, I like a sweet spot, where someone isn’t just like me, but isn’t the complete opposite, either. But that’s just me.

• Third Misconception: Compatibility is something that happens; you have no control over

it.

Compatibility can mean different things to different people, but the way I will be measuring Sophie and Keefe’s compatibility is with the opinion that compatibility isn’t something that’s there, it’s something that’s made.

I’ll quote the smart people here, since they’ll probably explain it better than I can: “Compatibility does not hinge on some personal inventory of traits. Compatibility isn't something you have. It's something you make. It's a process, one that you negotiate as you go along. Again and again. It's a disposition, an attitude, a willingness to work.

“And while we're redefining compatibility, let's banish its more combustible cousin, ‘chemistry,’ that black box of a term too often invoked to denote the magic ingredient of a good relationship. Chemistry is an alluring concept, but much too frequently people use it to absolve themselves of the need to consciously examine their approach to one another” (Hara Estroff Marano and Carlin Flora, The Truth About Compatibility).

The purpose of a healthy, functioning relationship is to work to solve your problems, right? It’s not about how much fun you have together, or how much passion there is-- and while those things are important, having 100% chemistry and 0% desire to work together to better yourselves will end in disaster. Having 0% chemistry and 100% compatibility isn’t good either. The trick is finding a balance, one that works for you.

So I’m not going to sit here and compare/contrast Sophie and Keefe’s personalities and then tell you how “compatible” they are; instead, I’m going to explain whether or not Sophie and Keefe would be willing to change if they theoretically were in a relationship. As for whether or not they have chemistry, I do think they find each other attractive (even if Sophie hasn’t admitted to herself that she likes Keefe, she’s noted his looks multiple times), though they certainly have entertaining conversations that, while being fun to read about, don’t exactly scream “PASSIONATE,” but they’re angsty teenagers, so I don’t really think passion is what matters at this point.

I know I’ve already talked about how being with Sophie romantically could plausibly help Keefe make less bad decisions (seeing as all of his majorly bad decisions were derived from guilt), so let’s talk for a second on whether Keefe could help Sophie overcome her flaws.

Now, we can’t do this without examining Sophie’s flaws first, right? For the most part, I feel like Sophie is a pretty decent human being-- er, elf. She’s forgiving, thoughtful, and brave. But she can also be immature-- like when she got mad at Dex for making the ability restrictor he was ordered to by the Council, and he didn’t even know it would be for Sophie, and when he found out he refused, but then he practically had no choice because the Council threatened his family. She can also be judgy, like how she assumed Stina was a horrible person without really giving her a chance (I am a Stina-lover, though, so I’m probably biased on this one). She can also be self-deprecating (like when she assumes stuff that isn’t her fault is her fault; for instance, Prentice’s situation and Alden’s mind break and leaving her friends behind in Loamnore) and a little rebellious and stubborn (which is both a good and a bad thing).

But I’m going to point out just one flaw here, because all those others either apply to many characters other than Sophie, or they were simply affected by age (basically this means that she’ll grow out of them if she hasn’t already), and that’s selfishness.

Despite all of the things I listed above, Sophie generally is considered a “Special Snowflake” by Keeper critics. They use this term to reference Sophie’s power (she has more abilities than any other elf, and she’s a kid, no less), but they also use it to say that Sophie can do no wrong. I sort of saw where they were coming from, but then Legacy happened, and I think that book revealed Sophie’s selfishness.

Granted, she gets over it pretty quickly-- and I’m not saying Sophie is inherently selfish. But sometimes she can be; that’s all I’m getting at. She even admits it to Keefe:

“Sophie curled her knees into her chest, focusing on the subtle swaying of the swing in the cool ocean breeze. It made it easier for her to say, ‘I guess it’s because I’m being selfish. And I’m supposed to be better than that’” (Legacy, 354).

In this excerpt, Sophie is guilty because she doesn’t want her abilities reset. Not because it’s a super dangerous thing, but because she’s tired of being ordered around. The thing is, having her abilities reset would be a huge asset against the Neverseen. But she’s angry that Mr. Forkle won’t tell her about her biological parents, so she tells him “no.”

Of course she changes her mind later in the book, but that’s not the point. The point is that Sophie turned to Keefe. I’m not going to say “Sophie trusts Keefe more than Fitz,” because there’s two reasons why Sophie went to Keefe first, and none of them have to do with her trusting him more: 1) the first reason is because she’s afraid to tell Fitz all of these things because she doesn’t know how he’ll react and/or she’s procrastinated and now it’s too late to tell him without him being hurt that she didn’t tell him sooner, and 2) She probably wants to impress Fitz, or she’s intimidated by him, so she’s afraid to tell him about this big flaw she has-- and because Keefe, as someone who’s, at this point in the story, made some pretty bad decisions, would understand more.

The first one may sound like Sophie doesn’t trust Fitz because she doesn’t trust he’ll react in a calm way, but… I actually think this reaction is normal. I mean, even with my family, people I trust more than anyone, I’m sometimes afraid to tell them things because I’m not certain how they’ll react. Trust isn’t being 100% certain how someone will react; it’s about telling them anyway, despite their reaction. And Sophie does tell Fitz eventually. But just because she tells Keefe first doesn’t mean she trusts Keefe more. It just means she’s more comfortable sharing a specific piece of information with him.

That’s because Keefe has been known to make bad decisions before, and she’s seeking for no judgment. Here’s a quote: “‘The thing is,’ she said, scooting back as far as she could on the swing, since space felt important in that moment, ‘I made a decision yesterday-- and it probably wasn’t the right decision, or the smart decision, but I made it anyway because… I just had to. And I’m sure I can take it back if I want, but… I don’t want to. And I figured you might understand that better than a lot of other people would’” (Legacy, 352).

Imagine if Sophie had went to Fitz instead (this is NOT Fitz-bashing; rather, it is an analysis on Fitz’s character). I can’t say for sure what would have happened, but Fitz generally stands up for what’s right-- immediately and no matter what. This is not a bad thing; I’m just comparing that type of person to Keefe, who generally prioritizes “protecting other people” over “doing what is ‘right.’”

Fitz probably would have helped comfort Sophie, but he also probably would have told her to do the right thing and that they both know she needs to do the right thing. He’d probably tell her all of the helpful things she could do if her abilities were reset, and she would probably think He’s right, but Sophie in this moment is avoiding doing the “right” thing. So she went to Keefe instead, who didn’t try to convince her to do the right thing, like Fitz probably would have.

I say that Fitz would have not because I’m an expert on his character, but because Shannon is, and if Shannon wrote Sophie (who probably knows Fitz better than almost anyone) to go to Keefe because she knew Keefe would understand that, then one can infer that Fitz would react that way. But it’s just a maybe and not an absolutely, so you can take this part with a grain of salt if that suits you.

In this scene, Keefe comforts Sophie. He gives her a pep talk, makes her laugh and forget about her problems, and he lets her know he’s got her back, no matter what she does. This helped Sophie, and this, in my opinion, is one example that proves that Keefe can help Sophie like she does him. (This could apply to a romantic relationship OR a friendship, however, so I’m not making this point to prove that Sokeefe could be endgame, but to prove that they are compatible in this one sense, which can lead to them dating later on.)

One might argue that Keefe is a bad influence on Sophie; it’s mentioned multiple times throughout the books, after all. “‘Your stubbornness has gotten much stronger since you first arrived in our world,’ Lord Cassius noted. ‘Perhaps this new separation from my son will help you learn better deference and respect’” (Unlocked, 627).

But in general, snarkiness, stubbornness, and rebelliousness-- all traits Sophie developed more thoroughly by being around Keefe-- aren’t the most harmful traits in a person. Besides, Sophie is a much better thinker than Keefe is. Keefe is impulsive, and acts on his thoughts as soon as he gets them. Sophie, however, has a logical thought process, which makes her so trustworthy when it comes to things like decisions.

“‘See?’ Edaline said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. ‘And that is why I trust you. You’ve always been such a smart girl, Sophie’” (Flashback, 666).

Yes, being around Keefe might make Sophie more rebellious or snarky or whatever-- but that isn’t such a bad thing (IMO). I mean, Sophie is so uptight and fidgety and nervous and plan-plan-plan all the time that she kind of needs a little spontaneity in her life. Keefe will help her lighten up-- and she, in turn, will help him think a little more before he makes decisions.

So, we determined that Sophie can help Keefe become better and Keefe can help Sophie become better, but can they help THEMSELVES and their RELATIONSHIP? Independence yet teamwork is vital in every relationship. Some people are natural leaders-- they will probably get along well with a follower, and butt heads with a partner that is also a leader. In the latter case, that couple will probably have to communicate constantly; "You're taking charge too much" or "I'd like to say where we go out to eat next time." In the former case, things might be smoother-- and while there's an independence for both followers and leaders (leaders generally being more independent than followers), they still have to work together to make things work. I said before, and I'll say it again: one-sided relationships don't work. If the leader is doing EVERYTHING for them, if they are making EVERY decision, then the follower might feel like they don't matter-- and vice versa. Teamwork. Is. Essential. Teamwork is compatibility-- part of it, at least.

Independence is the other part. The balance of both those factors determines whether a relationship will work or not.

Of course there are exceptions. One of the biggest reasons married couples divorce is because of money-- and while Sophie and Keefe won't have to worry about this, there are still plenty of things that can come between you and your partner.

This is why compatibility isn't the be-all-end-all. You could be 100% compatible with someone (and also have a decent amount of chemistry), and things still don't work out because sometimes life happens, and it throws curveballs at us. But if we're analyzing compatibility only, then I think Sokeefe has a decent chance.

Sophie and Keefe are both pretty independent. Sophie functioned when Keefe was gone in Lodestar, and Keefe functioned without Sophie. Also, Sophie makes a lot of decisions without Keefe, and vice versa. They aren’t so “in love” that they’re falling all over each other when one of them is gone. They’re not that kind of couple (and Shannon isn’t that kind of writer, at least not with this series).

They can better themselves by themselves. “Sophie’s going to need you.

“He [Keefe] didn’t think she would.

“He knew she would keep right on being her brave, powerful, awesome self and show his mom why the moonlark would always be better and smarter and stronger than anyone else” (Unlocked, 741).

Sophie can continue to grow, and she can continue to be fierce. As I mentioned earlier, I think Keefe will finally stop letting his guilt about his mother hold him back once the Neverseen are defeated-- so when that happens, Keefe can work on himself to become a better person.

How is this arguing in favor of Sokeefe compatibility, you may ask? If Keefe can better himself by himself, and Sophie can too, then that means their relationship is pointless. If they can become better without each other, then how does them being together help them grow?

Well, for one, sometimes two people like each other. Those two people, because of their feelings, might start dating. If they’re not helping each other, they probably won’t work out-- but that doesn’t mean they won’t get together ever. Sophie and Keefe (presumably) like each other, so they can still get together. But feelings won’t sail a ship straight into endgame. Compatibility won’t either (because, like I said, sometimes outside factors influence a relationship), but it helps a lot.

And I never said Sophie and Keefe wouldn’t change at all together. Just because they can better themselves on their own doesn’t mean that they will reach their full potential without each other (whether as friends or partners). I think Sophie and Keefe need each other, and this is part of the reason why: Keefe can’t fully get over his guilt without Sophie proving she’s forgiven him. And Sophie probably won’t fully “forgive herself” for letting Keefe go-- even if it wasn’t her fault.

So just because they’re independent doesn’t mean they can’t be a team. I’ll repeat this, since I think it’s important: they need each other (IMO), but that doesn’t mean they have to be boyfriend/girlfriend. They’ll still be Team Foster-Keefe even as friends. (Although I think the same idea applies to Fitzphie as well; Sokeefe happening won’t break Sophie and Fitz apart, in my opinion, and Fitzphie happening won’t break Sophie and Keefe apart-- at least not completely [Keefe running away doesn’t count, because he didn’t do that because of Fitzphie, he did that because of other factors]).

Now, being a team doesn’t mean you need each other and that’s it. You also have to be able to work through problems together.

I don’t want to go too in-depth into Sokeefe’s arguments, because I will be discussing those more in the next (and final-- yay!) section, but since I’ve already gone over the Nightfall argument, I’ll discuss this a bit here as well.

I quoted a few excerpts from that fight above, so I’ll not repeat myself here. Essentially, Keefe did something bad with good intentions (this sums up his character pretty well, honestly). He manipulated Sophie on the rivercraft by making her think he was super seasick, but instead, he was stealing his mother’s note to give to King Dimitar so he could be in control of the situation in Ravagog. He did it to protect Sophie, but he was “steamrolling,” as Sophie pointed out, not “protecting.” He took control out of guilt (because his mother was involved, as she always is), and because of the Hero Instinct (on steroids).

Then, after Sophie took Keefe to the Healing Center, they had a rather intense shouting match in which Keefe refused to let Sophie go to Nightfall without him, and Sophie refused to let Keefe go with her, and Keefe pointed out she couldn’t get into Nightfall without his blood, and Sophie held up the bloody bandages she had stolen (with Keefe’s blood on them).

Sophie said she “can’t do it again.” She was referencing Keefe running away in Neverseen here-- she couldn’t handle him trying to take over everything again.

This is probably the biggest Sokeefe fight of the entire series-- and I’m just going to say, a lot of those emotions in that moment weren’t purely friendly. I’d be willing to bet there were some romantic feelings buried deep down that had Sophie so worked up-- and those feelings in Keefe were what made him back down and admit Sophie was right.

“Also: There was some serious tension between Sophie and Keefe. As far as I know, they’re just friends-- but it almost seemed like…” (Elwin, Unlocked, 50).

Even Elwin noticed the feelings were a little too passionate for “just friends.”

So imagine Sophie and Keefe get together, and they have another fight like this again. First of all, they’re both independent and stubborn. This automatically is a recipe for a few arguments. But if they got through their biggest argument yet (and they did), then I think that’s a good sign that they can work through their problems if they ever were in a relationship.

I’m going to talk about Fitzphie here, but this isn’t me trying to be ugly or say that Sokeefe has a higher chance of working than Fitzphie. I think they both have a good chance.

But here’s where Fitzphie went wrong the first time: trust.

There are quite a few reasons why Sophitz shippers ship Sophie and Fitz together-- and while I think that a lot of those reasons are 100% valid, I’m only going to mention one here, just so this essay doesn’t veer too off-course from Sokeefe.

That one reason is trust.

Sophie and Fitz’s relationship started when Fitz found Sophie in the human world. He watched her life crumble apart, and he guided her into a new one. This, I think, made Sophie subconsciously trust him from the beginning.

“The distance between them made it extra hard to feel for that point of trust in her [Sophie’s] mind. But he [Fitz] just kept transmitting It’s me over and over, until he felt that familiar tug pull him through” (Flashback, Fitz’s short story, pg. 4).

As we all know, Sophie isn’t aware of what Fitz says to make her mind open up to him-- but it’s simply two words: It’s me. Her subconscious takes those words, registers them as Fitz’s voice, and lets him enter her mind so they can have telepathic conversations.

That level of trust is so extreme, I’d make the argument that it started back when Fitz found Sophie and took her to the Lost Cities.

From that point on, Sophie and Fitz’s relationship has been built so much on trust. In their telepathy sessions together, Tiergan presses this point:

“‘It’s trust,’ Tiergan told them. ‘Trust is what gives us the confidence to step outside the safety of our own headspace and enter the darkness of another… trust is what will bond you together’” (Everblaze, 236).

Then, when they start becoming Cognates, they start doing trust exercises together, because trust is so essential.

“‘Wow, you really know my brother super well, don’t you?’ Biana asked.

“Sophie’s cheeks flushed. ‘Well… we have to do a lot of trust exercises’” (Neverseen, 309).

Finally, in an effort to “confess his crush,” Fitz tells Sophie, “So if you need anything-- I’m here. [Fitz]

“So am I, she [Sophie] promised.

“I know. And… I’m really glad you are, because… you’re the only person I trust” (Flashback, 535).

The ONLY person he trusts. In Fitz’s Flashback short story, Fitz tells Biana he told Sophie his crush, but when Biana asks him what he said, he says he told Sophie she was the only person he trusted.

Besides this being a really pitiful confession (LOL, he makes up for it later), this sums up a lot about what makes Sophitz so awesome. They trust each other more than anyone else. Great. But when you’re going strong for five long books, then your expectations start to get a little high. Your guard goes down. Confessions arise, and you get together.

Here’s what I mean: Fitz and Sophie obviously trust each other, right? I proved that with those quotes. However, nothing beyond Exile (when Fitz lashed out at Sophie) has really challenged that wall of trust they’ve built. In Everblaze, they start their trust exercises. Then they do their telepathy thing on Fintan, yatta yatta, all’s good.

In Neverseen, their trust is building building building. They’re participating in more trust exercises. Everything’s great.

In Lodestar, Fitz is there for Sophie. Their Cognatedom has a little stress put on it (because Sophie won’t confess her crush), but ultimately Fitz allows Sophie to keep her secret. That’s trust in and of itself (trusting that she’ll say what she has to say when she’s ready), so they’re doing great.

In Nightfall, it’s pretty good. No major fights. No trust issues. Their trust is still building.

In Flashback, they hit their peak-- they’ve confessed their crushes on one another, there’s no secrets between them, they trust each other more than anything. Even Fitz’s angry outbursts don’t really affect how much trust they have for each other. Sophie might be a little self-conscious, but Fitz apologizes, and Sophie forgives him.

But what happens when you hit the highest you can go?

You start to fall.

It all started with Sophie finding out she’s Unmatchable. She started hiding things from all her friends-- and her boyfriend-- and then the first people she tells are Keefe and Ro. Fitz’s best friend and bodyguard. (Ro manipulated Sophie into telling her, yes, but Sophie still told them. She even admitted she hesitated to tell Fitz because she thought he would be upset about it, which means that she might have told Keefe before Fitz even if Ro hadn’t persuaded her to.)

Then Fitz finds out, there’s some tension, and then Sophie promises she’ll start telling Fitz stuff.

Except she doesn’t.

She tells Keefe about her decision regarding resetting her abilities. She talks with Keefe about who her biological parents are. She goes with Keefe to find Alvar.

Imagine being Fitz, who, at this point, thought Sophie trusted him more than anyone-- and who confessed he trusted her more than anyone. With each revelation that Sophie’s been holding back, his trust cracks just a little more… until it shatters completely.

Fitz had these expectations going into their relationship. He expected Sophie to tell him who her biological parents were. He expected Sophie to confide in him.

His expectations were so high, based on all the trust him and Sophie had built together, that he let his guard down. He thought they would make it-- until Sophie started to not trust him with her secrets. (Again, I don’t think this means Sophie trusted Keefe more, just that she trusted Keefe more with certain information that she wasn’t certain how Fitz would react to.)

Sophie probably had high expectations, too-- she probably expected Fitz to be supportive and forgiving, like he was in the past, but all of those emotions building up inside him and Sophie accumulated and then finally burst when the whole biological-mother argument happened.

Fitzphie was built so much for so long on trust and expectations, that when they finally got together, they crashed and burned.

(This doesn’t mean that Fitzphie still can’t happen; if they want to try again, they’ll just have to go into their relationship with a lot different and lower expectations.)

I know that seemed like a tangent, and perhaps it was, but my point here is that Fitz and Sophie weren’t compatible in Legacy. Maybe if they would have gotten together in Neverseen or Lodestar, they could have lasted longer.

But there was such an emotional rush during that scene at Havenfield, they broke up, because it was too much. Compatibility would have been working it out together-- and I think they could have, if Sophie wasn’t looking for her biological parents. If their argument was solely based on Sophie avoiding Fitz, that could have been easily resolved.

But because of the circ*mstances (outside forces), they sunk.

In defense of Fitz, he did try: “‘So… can we just agree to not make any decisions right now?’” (Legacy, 682). But to Sophie, the words were all wrong, so she ended things.

In contrast, Sophie and Keefe's relationship has been rebuilt and rebuilt over and over again. Their trust for each other has been put to the test time after time. In a way, they're EXPERTS at making up. Sophitz was only an expert at the "love" stage. But what happens after that? An actual relationship with actual problems and actual arguments.

And that relationship is what we’ll be talking about next and lastly.

SOKEEFE: RELATIONSHIP[]

There’s an argument out there in the world somewhere that Sophitz has gone through more “ups and down.” Now, this is just my opinion, but I don’t think a relationship is necessarily “better” because it’s been through more.

I mean, yeah, going through a lot of things even before you’re a couple proves that you can sort things out. But if Sophitz had twelve “ups and downs” and Sokeefe had fifteen, that wouldn’t make Sokeefe better (IMO). Because both couples have gone through stuff, so both have proven they are compatible (since they can work through things).

Even Sophie and Fitz, who have broken up and are going through a MAJOR complication in their relationship, are slowly becoming friends again. It’ll take time for that trust to rebuild-- they soared so high they crashed even harder-- but the fact that they’re both willing to work on it is so mature and wonderful.

Now, the Keeper series is long. Like, nine books long (and more coming). With a series this big, something people forget is what exactly happened throughout the books, which is why I’m going to make a little chart for you to see about Keefe and Sophie’s relationship throughout the series. I will reference this for the rest of this section:

Sokeefe at the beginning vs. Sokeefe at the end

This is not an exhaustive chart, but I think it gets the general point across, that being that Sophie and Keefe have been through a lot. I didn’t even mention all the details (since this essay is so long), but I could have. (Note: this is not me saying Fitzphie hasn’t been through a lot in comparison.)

I feel like I don’t need to explain much more about Sophie and Keefe’s relationship, since I’ve pretty much explained it all in the beginning of this essay. However, I do want to counter two last misconceptions about Sokeefe:

1. Sophie doesn’t have to work to trust Keefe like she has to work to trust Fitz.

I’m going to refer to this point as “Insta-Trust.”

Here’s why I think Sophie and Keefe aren’t Insta-Trust: for one, Sophie has been in the

Lost Cities for an entire year by the time book two starts. This is an entire year that Sophie has gotten to know Keefe. Even then, I don’t see any proof that Sophie trusted Keefe immediately. I think she trusted Fitz immediately, but that’s because I think her subconscious recognized him as the one who found her, and therefore trusted him.

But there’s no evidence that Sophie trusts Keefe this early on in the series. In fact, there’s evidence for the opposite:

“[Keefe] ‘Who knows the Vackers better than me?’

“He did make a valid point. But… trusting Keefe?” (Exile, 379).

Sure, but what about the Flight, you may ask? That was first time Sophie trusted him-- isn’t that just too rushed?

Well, if it’s rushed or not is up to your own personal tastes, but like I said, Exile didn’t happen until a year after the first book. And even then, Sophie had to spend a lot more time with Keefe before she really trusted him-- and when she did, she was flying on an alicorn across an ocean to reset her abilities so she could save Alden and maybe Prentice. Keefe was right there beside her. Is it so unreasonable to think she trusted him in that moment?

Also, trust was the biggest theme in the second Keeper book. It’s mentioned so many times. For example: “‘We have to trust,’ she [Jolie] told Sophie, her smile fading” (243).

Sophie starting out not trusting Keefe and then trusting him later was more than likely a plot choice Shannon used to enhance the book-- whether it works for you or not is, of course, up to you.

Also, I said above that Sophie and Keefe’s trust has been through the ringer-- and you can see the ups and downs it's gone through in the chart. BECAUSE Sophie's trust for Keefe has been through the ringer, it's made their relationship stronger.

It's been beaten and battered, but it's STILL THERE. And it's stronger than ever. Because each. And. Every. Time. Keefe is there.

When it matters, Keefe is there for her-- he's always there for her. (This is not me saying Fitz isn't, because he is.) I think this fact is what makes Sophie trust Keefe-- what made her trust him in Exile-- and I think deep down Sophie knows Keefe will always come back.

If that's not trust, I don't know what is.

1. The next argument I want to disprove is the idea that Sophie doesn’t have to work to forgive Keefe.

A.K.A. Insta-Forgiveness.

I want to approach this point a different way. Instead of explaining why Sokeefe isn’t an

example of Insta-Forgiveness, I want to explain why I think Sophie is just a forgiving person in general.

Almost all of Sophie’s friends have hurt her in some way, shape, or form. Biana only approached her with a truce to become friends because Alden had told her to. Fitz yelled at Sophie and blamed her for Alden’s mind break. Dex made her ability restrictor. Keefe ran away and joined the Neverseen (not to mention all the other things).

Even Grady and Edaline hurt Sophie by cancelling her adoption.

Essentially, Sophie’s friends and family aren’t perfect. No one is. They all make mistakes-- Sophie included-- and there’s nothing to do but apologize and hope the person they hurt forgives them. In this case, the person they hurt is Sophie-- and does Sophie ever have trouble forgiving anyone?

Let’s look at textual evidence to answer that question, so hang in there-- we’re almost to the end!

As for Biana, Grady, and Edaline, Sophie found out about their “betrayals”-- for lack of a better word-- right before she got kidnapped. The chance for reconciliation came at the end of the book, when Sophie woke up at Everglen and all her friends and family were there.

“Before he could reply, Biana raced into the room, threw her arms around her, and burst into tears. ‘I’m so sorry, Sophie…’

“‘It’s okay,’ Sophie whispered, and she meant it. If Biana cared enough to rescue her-- cared enough to cry-- that was enough” (KotLC, 453-454).

Sophie forgave Biana immediately. She’d been through a rough time (being kidnapped is rough, obviously LOL), and so she probably realized there wasn’t a point in staying angry, especially since Biana clearly cared.

“‘Cancelling your adoption was the worst mistake we ever made… Let us be a tiny part of your life-- even if we don’t deserve it.’

“Sophie nodded, too overwhelmed to say anything other than, ‘Thanks.’ But when Edaline kissed her cheek and Grady stroked her hair, she added, ‘I love you guys too’” (KotLC, 458).

Again, Sophie forgave them almost immediately.

For Fitz, it was much the same: “‘Ugh, how do I apologize for being the hugest jerk ever?’ [Fitz]

“Sophie smiled sadly. ‘You weren’t that big of a jerk.’

“... ‘It’s okay, Fitz. I’m not mad at you. I don’t think I ever was’” (Exile, 541-542).

Forgiving Dex took a lot more effort on Sophie’s part-- the ability restrictor was painful and humiliating, and not just because it gave her a headache; because Dex was supposed to be her best friend, and he had made something that betrayed that. (I think Sophie was being a little immature with all her “I’ll try to forgive you, Dex, but I dunno,” but I do get why she was so upset.) But even then, she couldn’t bring herself to hate Dex. After he threw the circlet in the fire, it’s hardly mentioned again-- and if it is, Sophie never thinks, Wow, I hate Dex. She’s forgiven him for that whole situation.

It’s a similar thing with Keefe. He runs away? She doesn’t forgive him immediately. In Nightfall, she mentions, “Part of Sophie wanted to shove Keefe away, let him shoulder the blame for every terrible thing that had happened. But deep down she knew he wasn’t the only one who’d missed the warning signs” (7-8). That sure doesn’t scream “forgiveness” to me. Complete forgiveness wouldn’t even have Sophie thinking those thoughts-- and eventually she doesn’t. But it takes time. It’s not as immediate as it might seem.

When Keefe takes over in Ravagog, Sophie and him take a week’s time away from each other (him healing and her doing what she always does). That week gave Sophie time to cool off. A week isn’t a short amount of time when you think about it (at least it isn’t for me). Being mad at your friend for a whole week takes a lot of effort (again, for me). If Sophie’s a naturally forgiving person anyway, I think it makes sense why she would forgive Keefe-- and all her friends-- so easily.

When it comes to larger breaches of trust-- like Keefe running away and her and Fitz’s breakup-- it might take more time for them to build back their relationships 100%. So I see why someone could claim that Sophie and Fitz are more realistic because Sophie doesn’t forgive him immediately-- except I think she does. Even after the breakup, one or two days pass before the battle at Loamnore, and after that battle Fitz and Sophie make up.

What’s taking time isn’t forgiveness, but their trust. I explained this before, so I won’t bore you by explaining it again.

To sum it all up, Sokeefe became a valid ship once it was confirmed Keefe likes Sophie and (theorized) that Sophie likes Keefe, and it’s proven that Sokeefe indeed has a chance at being endgame because of their compatibility and strong connection/relationship.

You still might not like Sokeefe (if you went into the essay not liking them), or maybe somehow this essay has made you change your mind about liking Sokeefe (in which case, that’s okay; you’re entitled to your own opinion). Or maybe you already liked Sokeefe and you were just reading this for fun (thank you; I know this was super long).

In CONCLUSION, I hope, no matter what “side” you’re on, you got something out of this. Thank you for reading![]

~The Essay Elf:)