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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Kondo worked with children as students and had a daughter of his own. Kids aren't exactly up this sword's alley, but he tries to not be condescending toward them or act like they don't know much compared to him. He has a grown brother who is frankly a jerk to him amd treats him lower than dirt, he knows the pain, even if it's a different circumstance. But Chihiro why are you walking closer to his blade, don't do that with other strangers, kiddo. ]
I wouldn't consider myself graceful, and it definitely takes certain swords to appreciate that. But confidence is important, and can even save your life.
[ He nods with affirmation. When he sheaths his vessel, he realizes that the way that the tied strip for his crosses in the back quite nicely. Two birds and one stone, he sticks his vessel behind him under the strips. Likena... Ninja? Or another sword hes acquainted with, but that is the only way that can carry it practically. ]
Not really, the scabbard's something separate after all. But it's also like a coat of sorts against the elements, or maybe a tent. Damage to it wouldn't hurt me, but i would be uneasy staying in it after a while, like a broken tent.
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You have to be confident in what you do. Or act like it. Hesitation doesn't help.
[ Hesitation hasn't saved her important people when it comes down to a moment of do or don't. She has a pretty tunnel vision approach to handling things, but she doesn't hesitate over handling them.
Either way, his explanation soothes something in her mind she hadn't been aware was bothered. Perhaps it's the reassurance of knowing there's a consistency; she won't mention why it was a concern, considering it's not her business to do so. His simile is enough to make sense for her. Coat of armour her mind might sub in; not felt, but worn, and better when well maintained. Protection.
It's what she already thought, but it makes her feel a whole lot better verifying outside of the context where she'd worried. (She also appreciates how he ends up carrying himself. It's what she'd had to do with Kousetsu-san. MORE VALID IF A SWORD DOES THIS FOR THEMSELVES?) ]
Good. As long as it's not the same, that's good.
[ She straightens her shirt, for want of something to occupy her hands, looking away and down the alley. Chihiro shifts gears, thinking about out. ]
Did you want to keep looking for the exit? I don't know how long we're going to be in this level.
[ Not so far away from them is a patch of bedraggled flowers, dandelions reaching for the sun that glitches in and out of existence. Stepping on it will teleport them across the city... not that there's any helpful sign pointing this out. (Or any sensible reason why this would be true.) ]