:

something that i feel like goes suprisingly underacknowledged in the twewy fandom im regards to the final game between neku and joshua is that, in a sense, neku has to choose between himself, and between joshua. he had to choose between their worlds and existences — not just in regards to what happens to shibuya.

the loser *should* have been erased — the only reason neku wasn’t was because joshua changed his mind. this wasn’t just a battle about who gets the right to do what they want with shibuya, it was a battle for who gets the right to *exist*.

if i’m being honest? in that moment, i highly doubt that neku was thinking of shibuya — how could you, when you have a gun pointed at you by your friend who you had related to more than anyone else, you’re thinking about the fact that you’ve been betrayed and you’re in a life or death situation and fuck am i really supposed to kill him???? i can’t do that. how am i supposed to do that. neku mourned joshua, neku grew from it, neku blamed himself for it (survivor’s guilt × 2. new achievement unlocked!) only to now figure out that he was alive.

that’s the beautiful thing about neku’s character development, however. the neku of w1 would have killed joshua. hell, even the neku of w2 probably would have killed him — and joshua knows this.

the neku at the beginning of the game would have NEVER chosen joshua over himself, he would have never given up his world — his very existence — for someone else — much less someone who annoyed him as much as joshua did. and joshua actively tried to push him further into this sort of mindset during week 2 — encouraging his self actualization loop, because he didn’t think that neku (or himself, really), was capable of change. joshua wasn’t in shibuya during week 3 to see how beat changed neku.

joshua wouldn’t have been able to guess that neku wouldn’t have taken the shot.

that’s the beauty of the writing and of the ending. the player and joshua expect neku to take the shot. we saw what he did to shiki week 1. but he can’t. neku sakuraba went from “fuck the rest, you keep your values, and i’ll keep mine, i don’t need other people”, to willingly letting someone kill him because he valued them too much to kill them.

yes, in the larger sceme of things it’s about the fate of shibuya (which is a whole other topic when you consider how shibuya is essentially a reflection of joshua but i digress), but on a more personal level, it’s about what neku values more in that moment. does he value his friendship with joshua more than he values his own life.

neku by all means should have chosen himself over joshua, but he didn’t.

i think that’s why it touched joshua so much.

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rainbow-nijisaki:

It’s Composer posting hours

sitraxis:

“Sorry but you’re no match for me.”

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shitpostingkats:

Give me a post canon Neku that’s ever so slightly Spooky.

When he moves through the crowds on the street, there is a little bubble of space around him. Unconsciously, people step aside to give him room to pass. You can track him even in a throng of people, just by the small parting of the masses, the one man gap of space that naturally forms around him, as the citizens of Shibuya feel something mighty moving among their midst.

His pockets constantly jingle with pins. Every promotional button, every limited-time swag, he collects almost without thinking, fidgeting with them as he talks. It seems like he carries his entire collection on him at all times, more than it seems can even physically fit in his pockets.

He sees people on the streets that no one else can see. He’ll give them a little nod, a look of sympathy, and, occasionally, toss a pin from his seemingly never-ending collection to them. For just a second, there’s someone visible, like the sheer act of being acknowledged by the Legendary Player raises them a frequency or two, bringing them just a little closer to this plane. Then you blink and they’re gone. Faded back into the hustle and bustle of the city like they were never there at all.

He’s somehow a regular at every shop, every restaurant. Locals recognize him, greet him like an old friend. This isn’t exactly weird, per se, but what is weird is he can’t be more than twenty. How does he even have the time to become a fixture at every hotspot in town? When he walks into a cafe, the staff instantly knows what he’s going to order. But if you ask, the cashier will look puzzled, and tell you, in an almost confused admission, that they don’t think he’s ever been here before today.

He’ll answer questions without you even having to ask them. He’ll respond to unvoiced thoughts, back of the mind though jumbles, know exactly what you’re trying to say even if you can’t fit it into words. Sometimes, he’ll tilt his head, like he’s listening to some distant music, and in that moment you’re not entirely sure he isn’t reading your mind.

lapinparka:

One of the things I really love about Neku is how I feel he’s written as person first and a playable character second.

This is obviously clear in the beginning, where a lot of his actions or thoughts will end up frustrating the player, or outright making them hate him. But I think it comes back at the end too, during the final duel, at the point where his development has made a lot of people forget the kind of person he was at the start.

There’s a lot of cases where people don’t understand why Neku lowers the gun, or complain about him doing it. I’ve actually seen instances of people either mad that he doesn’t shoot, try to rationalise it by believing his final entry fee is the bullets in his gun (despite this contradicting the outcome of the scene), or at one point, in the comments of a YouTube video, claim that the scene should’ve had two choices, which allows the player to pick whether he pulls the trigger or not.

These kind of reactions fundamentally miss the fact that Neku is not the player. He is not a self-insert character. There are points in the game when he is conflicted, where you can choose between two things and he’ll do either - but when he’s truly set on something, there’s nothing you can do to make him stray from that path. He won’t abandon Sota. He won’t join Megumi. And he won’t shoot Joshua. You’re not even given a choice in the last situation, because it was never about you.

Many other games would have the option to shoot, and moreover, would have the choice to lower the gun result in the Bad Ending. This is why people are fine with him aiding Sota or turning down Megumi - because those are the classically “heroic” options. Choosing one boy over a city of people - the same boy who just revealed he caused Neku’s death - is not generically, universally relatable, or feel good, and the scene itself reflects this too. It’s sombre, painful, accompanied by tears. It’s Neku making a choice that he believes will result in Shibuya’s destruction, a choice the average player absolutely would not make, and that’s what causes the confusion or anger. It also really serves to reinforce how Neku understands Joshua in a way both people in Joshua’s own life and people watching him through the screen don’t.

Neku will connect with people you dislike. Neku will make choices you disapprove of. Neku won’t shoot Joshua, ever. The game itself asks you to try and understand why he does this, like Neku himself tries to understand those around him, but some players just won’t make that effort.

Neku is such a good character because you can relate to him, you can try to understand him, but he isn’t and will never be you.

syringaledraws:

kith kith kith

banchagu:

zillychu:

the 12am urge for Rindo in a crop top