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

[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.

Neku seems more altruistic this time around; he was quite ready to erase Shiki that time, but from the trailer it seems he struck a lesser deal (I trap Sora for you, but he doesn't get hurt etc etc) and panicked when it didn't turn out that way. Perhaps his timer was from the deal he made with Mysterious Cloaked Person, whereas the others are playing a Game in name only. Neku might remember more than Shiki/Rhyme/Beat do, since he does ask Joshua if they'll ever get back to their own world in the trailer...

aksdjg;akjg;kdj that's you? I have most of your TWEWY art favorited on Pixiv, especially that doujinshi; I just love the way you draw the characters - their expressions and body language and I've always loved that last shot of Joshua with Neku's headphones and that single line of dialogue ahhhh ♥♥♥!

[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)

[xtwilightzx]

True! Plus, he could always see the UG so I can imagine him growing up isolated and very fascinated with the UG without ever forming any proper connections beyond Mr. H (and we know how ruthless Hanekoma can be for Shibuya's benefit even if he likes someone a lot) so Joshua's view of humanity is pretty skewed.

That's why I ship Joshua and Neku, because Neku's the first person to open up Joshua's world since he became Composer. And since Neku's a wonder psychs-kid who rivaled the Conductor and calls up Noise without being a Reaper, he might carry a few things over to the RG. I like to think that he'd be able to hear Shibuya as well.

The only reason KH will not end up with an ultimate Bad End is because of Disney. Oh Disney.

[croix_souillees]

This this this. Also, there's nothing as interesting to someone who can't do much to watch than to see the dissonance between the placid, structured, daily life of most people against that of people who fight for their lives, in the same streets that should be safe.

True. Actually, I've been wondering about the wonder psychs-kid. I wonder, though, had he been more refined as he grows older, would he be able to see things as Joshua did, when he was alive?

Yes, actually. I'm grateful for it, lol. Square-Enix can be ruthless.

[xtwilightzx]

I wish we knew more about Joshua's past, although the mystery behind him is part of the reason why I love his character. He really is special from the very beginning; everyone says that Neku has strong imagination and soul and even he couldn't see the UG while alive.

My fanon theory is that the longer Neku associates with Joshua, the more his soul and imagination will strengthen and the closer he'll get to the UG. I get the feeling other reincarnated Players fight so hard to live again that they wouldn't want anything to do with the UG and the connections fade over time. But Neku just calls up the UG's boss and asks him to hang out together XD. No one else knows about Joshua being Composer, but Joshua allows Neku to keep all his memories. Whether it breaks rules or not, he wants that connection, and with both of them wanting it, the UG world looks set to stay in Neku's life in one way or another.