Multiplicity [The World Ends With You/(Kingdom Hearts); Joshua/Neku, Hanekoma]

[xtwilightzx]

I bet some KH3D footage is going to come along and debunk parts of this fic. Still, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, so here it is.

Title: Multiplicity
Fandom: The World Ends With You (main); Kingdom Hearts (referenced)
Character/Pairings: Joshua, Hanekoma, Neku, one (not so) innocuous Heartless drawing, and visions of another world.

Comments

[croix_souillees]

I was a bit worried about the mention of KH3D, but I'm glad that I picked this up for a read.

That was beautiful and poignant, and while it doesn't seem to connect to KH3D too much in terms of plot, it introduces KH elements seamlessly without overwhelming the TWEWYness.

Thank you for the beautiful read!

[xtwilightzx]

I suspected mentioning KH at all would throw some people off, so I'm glad you gave this fic a chance :)

As much as I adore the idea of TWEWY characters in the KH-verse, I'll always love the original game cast best - their histories and experiences together - so I really wanted to keep the worlds separate, but with the events of one verse spilling over to affect the other.

Thank you so much for your lovely comment ♥

[croix_souillees]

I agree with you wholeheartedly about the point of preference for the original plot. I have this great, sad feeling that despite the inclusion of so many SBSK characters, KH is going to retcon it to the basics. (Which, for another discussion, is only alright for a crossover; why spoil SBSK to those who haven't played it when they can just enjoy the separate game in full.)

Also, I've just realized that I haven't read the rest of your fics (which is terribly fail of me), but I've caught up and I think your pieces are beautiful. ♥♥

[xtwilightzx]

I know what you mean -- but from the trailers and the few Traverse Town scenes I've seen from KH3D, it does seem like the TWEWY characters get a bit more backstory than the way KH usually treats its FF characters. Joshua, at least, gets his moments. Mostly I just want them to expand more on his and Neku's relationship, because this Joshua seems so much more serious and this Neku less "I hate the world"; I feel they could really get somewhere with these two.

Wahhh, thank you! ♥ TWEWY really came in and hijacked my muses; I don't think I've written fanfic for a fandom so quickly after being introduced to it. This game is just that amazing.

[croix_souillees]

They do, they do. I think they're exposition group, kind of like how the Restoration Committee's function in KH1. I think that it helps, actually, that SBSK's plotline and history actually matches the idea and concept of the World of Sleep/setting of 3D. I have a TL;DR version written up about this and I've been thinking about it lots so sorry for the random ramble!

I don't think they'll expound much on the relationship so much as their issues (lol). Since Neku there seems to be post week1? Actually, the different characters seem to be taken from different points in time.

I drew a comic and a wrote a fic or so for it, so I'm really awed by this series. I'm actually unlikely to produce anything for my fandoms, so TWEWY reached a milestone...

[xtwilightzx]

Oh no, I love discussing both the KH and TWEWY worlds because they're so complex and intriguing, so please feel free to ramble~ And I agree with you; while writing this fic I was drawing up parallels between the two 'verses and it's quite amazing how well they match up I've had thoughts on Composers and Princesses of Heart - controlling their worlds in different ways. I do wonder who runs the Game in Traverse Town, and what the end goal of it is. Unlike the Reaper's game where they can choose reincarnation, I don't think they get to choose to "wake up" if they win, or else there wouldn't be a need for Sora/Riku...

And certainly Joshua is tagged to be the explanation person in KH3D. I'm having a hard time nailing down Neku. He seems to be post-game but with lingering resignation/bitterness, idk. Joshua is what I think he would be like if he didn't have to act like a 15 year-old and if Neku wasn't so easy to rile up, haha.

Comic? =DDD Would you mind linking me to it?

[croix_souillees]

/// yay. I'm glad. I hope that no one who doesn't want to be spoiled is reading this.

Regarding the Game, I don't think that the Game in the KH'verse is actually a functional game, or not a very legit one. The other players who aren't Neku haven't displayed their palms so I can't confirm, so different timelines? lol. /punted. And Neku's got a different plan, which is probably why he gave up Sora (speculahhhh from the trailer), since it seems a lot like the Shiki-and-Uzuki thing.

Joshua seems very down, though, which is probably because it's not Shibuya. Which is always a point of awesome, all things considered. They've been forgotten, because they're in the UG, and follows a trend in the Worlds of Sleep. Joshua, I think, is the only one in the cast who is aware of what's going on, but is likely to be Cryptic and Annoying.

http://subarashiki-ds.livejournal.com/673026.html here you are! This is old, though.

[xtwilightzx]

That's what the long list of spoiler warnings in the fic info is for XD

Ohh, I've never thought about it that way, that the cast might have forgotten and been forgotten when they got dragged to Traverse Town, but it definitely fits. I've always got the feeling that whatever version of the Game they're playing does not involve (or was caused) by Joshua, and that he's actually here to help Neku and co. this time around, but can't interfere directly. He gives up an awful lot of information to Sora and Riku manipulating them, no doubt but the end goal is that if they succeed, his group of people gets rescued as well

[croix_souillees]

I'm not too sure if they'd consider the comments to be spoilerrific, though. XP

Joshuaaaaaa looks so sad. Which is why I totally cracked up when he met Sora (lol). Eternal optimism trumps (or steamrolls) over pessimistic realism, but Joshua will still try to be as cryptic as possible because being direct isn't as fun.

And yes, that does seem the case for Neku, isn't it? He's a lot nicer now, actually, which I didn't notice so much until you mentioned it. (Thank you.) He should stop making deals with Mysterious Cloaked Persons Repliku anyone?. It's not really healthy for anyone, really... I think Shiki knows more, actually, since she doesn't seem to be too alarmed to be without a partner, though she seems wary of being watched.

Haha /// yes, that's me. Thank you very much for favoriting my art. <3

[xtwilightzx]

He does! There was a screenshot of Joshua in a magazine scan a while back with a caption along the lines of "why does Joshua give his thanks with such a lonely smile?" What if Joshua had to give up something (his entry fee) to come to Traverse Town? The others seem to have somewhat legit reasons to be there, at least going by the way they are all paired up.

Better Repliku than young Xehanort/other ominous Organization members D: Neku seems more desperate than the others, with the deal and the questions he asks Joshua when they meet. I wonder who Shiki is wary of. She's quite fine talking to Riku. On the scale of how worried people are and how much they seem to know, it seems to be Joshua > Neku > Shiki > Beat/Rhyme, who just seem concerned with finding each other.

[croix_souillees]

Actually, that might be because he's homesick? When technically, he is both home and not home. And I think he feels lonely since he's also like, obligated to care for the Players simply because he is the Composer of Shibuya, and these are his Players. Also, homesick.

Repliku? Terranort? Oh, so many choices. D: Neku might be more aware of what's going on, I think, and he overthinks and worries about stuff on his own a lot. He's the type to do things on his own too, if he wasn't obligated to stick to at least one person (his partner.)

Maybe Shiki is just wary of being watched? Well, we won't know for sure. *sigh*

Rhyme is so cute I don't even ;A; Beat seems to be... very Beat though. lol.

[xtwilightzx]

TWEWY!Joshua didn't particularly care (not consciously, anyway) for his Players until the very last scene though, so I think this may be genuine concern on his part. If he was only concerned about Players in general and not Neku and co. specifically, he'd find ways to take them back, possibly at the expense of their RG lives or the stability of their Souls. I do love the idea of homesick!Joshua, though, since I think he ultimately cares for Shibuya no matter how great his impulse to destroy it gets.

We're missing a Hanekoma to drum in the "trust your partner(s)" message into this Neku's head.

Beat didn't change when he became a Reaper; I doubt a different town would make a difference XD. I'm glad Rhyme is up and about, though! Hanekoma considers her one of the elements that saved Shibuya so she may have that same effect here.

[croix_souillees]

Lol, sorry. I might have used "players" rather differently in this case. I meant Neku and co. specifically, since they seem to be the only players in KH. The lack of Reapers supports this theory, at least.

Lololol. Actually, I think Joshua loves Shibuya the most. He cares for it so much that he would destroy it before it consumed itself. It's like, letting your loved one go sort of thing, even if its to its detriment, which is also a contrast to how Kitaniji was content to brainwash everyone else just to keep it Shibuya.

Willing to bet that Hanekoma's not around and/or in another "world", spreading his word there.

Haha. This is true. Beat's like a solid rock. ... a rock that moves and smashes through things. Hm. I think Rhyme is like... Aerith. KH1 Aerith. There to provide calm and soothing things that make you feel better.

[xtwilightzx]

Joshua was quite a responsible Composer from the few glimpses we got that persona, since he wanted to destroy the Shibuya UG before it poisoned the other grounds (I'm not sure how a big hole in the middle of Tokyo helps, but I'm not Composer lol). In that sense, he sees a bigger picture whereas Kitaniji as Conductor only saw Shibuya. The question then is if there was actually anything wrong with Shibuya or if it was mostly in Joshua's head.

I totally ship Joshua/Shibuya. Shibuya's always there in the background whenever I write Joshua-centric or Joshua/Neku fics because Joshua and his district come as a package.

I hope so. Since Squeenix kept Aerith safe in KH, hopefully Rhyme follows that pattern and won't have to pull off a sacrifice to save someone.

[croix_souillees]

Is it in Joshua's head, or is the direct cause actually Joshua? He was pretty young when he died (ish, estimate, who knows), and being married to a city was somewhat lonely. Could imagine that part of Shibuya's problems stemmed from Joshua himself.

This this this. Must be sad for Neku, or just totally euphoric. Neku loves the city a lot too, especially after the game, so it's like two people finding each other amidst due to it. Something. The metaphor failed somewhere, I think.

Considering that Aerith died in FF7, I think KH is a vacation for the two of them (lol)