PHASE I [ ?? ?? ] It's impossible to tell time in this place, and everything looks the same, but it won't be long before you're probably sick of the tower. Time to get down -- unless you have magical powers or can fly or something, it'll probably be pretty tough, too. You could try to climb down, but the walls look pretty slick, and -- oh god, your arm just went through the wall, what the hell.
Whatever you do, don't fall.
If you fall, you'll be stuck falling forever. And ever. And ever. Looks like they didn't put a failsafe into ViViD for falling, so now you're stuck. You might see some other people stuck in the same glitch, falling forever a la Alice in Wonderland, but honestly? You're stuck that way until your game resets itself.
PHASE II [ ???? ] Either way, you've made it to the ground (somehow). The ground looks like... a half-finished city, really. There are streets, and houses... but some of the houses are unfinished, just four walls and no roof, or only three walls, or nothing inside, and a lot of the NPCs are completely faceless, or only have one line they repeat over and over again.
It's honestly pretty unnerving, especially since there's no soundtrack at all. You can just traverse this creepy hellscape in complete and utter silence.
And then the cars start to fly away.
That's definitely normal (is there anything about this game that isn't faulty?).
PHASE III [ ???? ] It's not safe.
You could be anywhere in this level, wandering, searching -- and then suddenly, it's there. As it appears, a battle theme starts, but it's distorted, eerie and off-pitch. There's something very wrong about this enemy, that's for sure. It can't be defeated, either. Attacks can harm it, and it can be tossed aside or fought, but it just gets right back up, bloodied and beaten, as if unstopped by anything it's feeling.
Over and over and over again.
Just don't let it touch you.
Because it will start to absorb you, code bit by code bit, until there's nothing left of you. It's a cannibalistic distorted monster, wonderful.
PHASE IV [ ???? ] If it wasn't apparent already, physics is a little weird here. One second you're walking along, and the next there's basically no gravity; you could jump wherever you want, clearing buildings in a single bound like the superman you were always meant to be. One second you're your normal amount of strength, and the next you could life cars (if you so chose), for no apparent good reason.
Sometimes the world just tilts, making the ceiling the floor very suddenly, and sometimes the floor drops out from under you entirely.
Anything that could go wrong with the physics here does go wrong.
Just try not to get caught halfway through a now-solid floor. That sounds really, really uncomfortable.
BONUS [ ???? ] Of course, it wouldn't be glitch central without something weird happening to you. And it could be anything -- one second you're fine, and the next your arm is twice as long as it should be, and totally noodly. Suddenly you have a mermaid tail or animal ears, or your head has rotated upside down (how is that even happening?). You're suddenly able to walk through walls, or drag objects to you by pointing at them.
If this was a video game (it is), it would be the faultiest game to ever exist, that's for sure.
(Still, teleporting from one side of the world to the other by jumping on a single spot on a flowerbed is kind of entertaining, if nothing else.)
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[Ichigo quickens his pace towards the other as well, much relieved to see a familiar face. Then he quickly tries to reassure his fellow tachi when he notices Tsuru checking him for injuries.]
Ah! I'm fine, Tsurumaru-dono! I didn't get hurt from the fall.
[He isn't sure how he’d managed to survive it but he feels fine and doesn't want anyone to worry about him...
ViViD? Game? Ichigo considers all that for a moment.]
Did Master send us here?
[Though it wouldn't be like Master to send him off to some sort of training so abruptly, surely? He hadn't even had a chance to have his own breakfast as he was too busy making sure his brothers finished theirs. His stomach chooses that moment to speak up to remind him of that...]
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Maybe, maybe not.
[ it's rare, true, but not all of the swords think of their citadel master so fondly — and it shows in how abruptly tsurumaru moves on. ]
Anyway— you're hungry, aren't you? I only have candy on me, though, so I hope that's fine.
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He notices the change in Tsuru's demeanor and can't understand it. He wants to ask Tsurumaru what's wrong but is then distracted and very much embarrassed by his growling stomach.]
Ah! I... well, I... You see, I was just about to have breakfast but then Midare wanted me to help him brush his hair, and then one of Gokotai's tiger cubs was trying to steal his fish so... well, the truth is I haven't had a chance to eat anything yet this morning.
[And it wouldn't be the first time. Not that he's going to tell anyone how often it happens! Anyway, he falls silent for a moment, even more embarrassed by his own rambling.]
Candy would be fine.
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instead, he rummages through his pockets for a piece of strawberry candy, wrapped in translucent paper, and holds it out. ]
Here you go — this flavor fits you.
[ never let the ichigo strawberry pun die... ]
It's good to eat sweet things when you've been overworking yourself. And knowing your brothers, I'm sure you have.
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Ah, thank you, Tsuru...
[He trails off when he sees the flavour, then he looks back up at Tsuru. Seriously, Tsurumaru? After knowing you for like 300 years now, you're still going for the strawberry ichigo pun? You seriously need new material. He is about to say something but then decides against it. Not going to dignify your idea of a joke with a response. For if there's anyone who is kind of immune to your pranks, it would be him. He lets out a little sigh and eats the candy because he's so very hungry...]
I haven't been overworking myself...
[He totally has been. Plus his escalating nightmares haven't been much help. It just makes him work even harder in the vain hope that he'll be able to just black out and not have any dreams at all...]
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But it's just like you to say that. If you're not watching over this Toushirou, you're running after that Toushirou.
[ how does he manage so many brothers? then again, as the equivalent of an only child, tsurumaru would never understand. ]
If you need help, you should ask Nakigitsune. I think he should be somewhere around here — I mean, not here as in... here, but here, as in outside.
[ as in outside of ViViD... if that makes sense (it probably doesn't). ]
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[And ignoring your lame jokes is the best way to discourage you from making more lame jokes in future, Tsuru! At least it works with his brothers...]
But they are my brothers. I have to watch over my family and keep them safe. [Don't remind him of how many there are and how they keep multiplying! But again this isn't something he's going to complain to anyone about. They are his brothers and he will do his best to love them all, no matter how many there end up being.]
Uncle is here? [And now you aren't making any sense at all, Tsuru!] What exactly are you trying to say, Tsurumaru-dono?
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[ unlike ichigo, tsurumaru doesn't put too much emphasis on being addressed properly — so it's fine, really! and listen, it's because his brothers keep multiplying that the swords keep having to go back to osaka castle. surely, the pain of having to dig up toushirou #249824924 outweighs tsurumaru's lame jokes?!
but at ichigo's confused reaction, he tilts his head to the side — since, what does he find so confusing? ] What do you mean? I'm saying that Nakigitsune is here.
Just the other day, we were running from police robots, and his fox fell into a pool of chocolate ice cream.
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He looks over at Tsuru, still not quite certain if it's really alright. Tsurumaru might act like
an idiota moronchild most of the time but he's still the elder sword and Ichigo feels the need to be respectful or as respectful as he can when dealing with someone like Tsuru.And don't you dare make it sound like his brothers are a burden! They will never be! Never if it causes him severe mental pain to have to revisit the site of his nightmares time and again, he will never abandon his younger brothers. They need him and he... needs them. They are all he has after losing most of his memories. They are his reason for living.]
Yes, but you said he is here yet not here here but here outside...? I don't understand what you mean by 'here outside'... [Are you high or something, Tsuru?]
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[ no, he's not high... but he also doesn't know what the quest is; nor is one explicitly specified, really, so all they have to do is just wander around in circles... survive... maybe fight some monsters?? and he'll pass this level eventually. though, for now, speaking of nakigitsune... ]
Kogi is also here, and so is Mikazuki — and so are Kashuu and a few others. [ naming all of them is a little tedious, but ichigo probably gets the gist. ]
You showed up at a good time, though. Kogi and Mikazuki got engaged a few weeks ago, and they'll be getting married this month. You'll attend, won't you?
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But how do I know what my quest is?
[He nods as Tsuru lists all those names. Then his eyes widen at the mention of the engagement and... marriage??] ... marriage...? Mikazuki-dono... [Somehow that stirs some memory inside him but he can't quite grasp it.] But surely this place isn't safe enough to hold the cere-
[And now his head starts to hurt and he brings a hand up to it. What's doing on? Why should the mention of Mikazuki and marriage...? He doesn't even really know Mikazuki, does he? His head hurts so badly now that he falls to knees, holding his head.] ... Left me... to the flames...
[Good job on getting his trigger words, Tsurumaru.]