PHASE I [ 6 00 ] You wake up, and you're in a camp ground. The graphics aren't bad here, not really, but they're definitely last gen -- not the type of quality expected out of ViViD. On top of that, every once in awhile, the scenery sort of... glitches before going right back to normal as if nothing ever happened. If you're particularly unlucky, your own body parts might glitch out for a moment too, appearing as nothing more than broken code and then back to normal. Pretty weird, right? Oh well, don't worry about it. Totally harmless.
Glitches or not, you're still in a camp ground along with everyone else. There's a fire, there's some tents, some trees. Maybe some s'mores? You got it all. You're also not wearing what you were before. No, now you're wearing some sexy shorts, or maybe you've got a whip at your side, or maybe you've got a really classy fedora. And if you're one of those lucky few who have all three at once? Good for you! Try not to blind everyone with all that sexy.
Or, you know, the game will glitch out again and you'll be stuck wearing something else. That's definitely not as sexy.
PHASE II [ 730 ] If you decide to finally go exploring that crazy jungle, you'll find that you have a wide range of exploring options. Seems ViViD's taking a crack at their very own open world game -- this one modeled after your run of the mill adventure game. There are rivers to swim through (complete with alligators)! There are cliffs to scale (complete with angry birds ready to peck at your face)! There are even ravines to swing across on vines (just like Tarzan)!
Actually, the game is made to allow you to do just that -- those vines are all conveniently lined up for everyone to use them to swing across. Go on, it'll be fun. If you miss, you'll just lose a life, right?
Of course, if you overshoot your goal, you might run into one of the other glitches; the white space that you'll stumble into implies that you flew right off the world map and are now in unprogrammed space. Don't worry, you'll dissolve eventually, slowly but surely, and will reappear on the cliff so you can try again. There's no other way around that ravine either. Still, it's only a little frightening watching your body disappear piece by piece, right?
PHASE III [ 900 ] If you manage to scale one of those cliffs or swing across that ravine or cross that river, you may find yourself a chest. It's a treasure chest, and you don't even need a key to open it! Open it right up, a cute little jingle will play, and… nothing will be there.
Or the item will be there, hovering in the air, something amazing, fantastic, incredible that you've always dreamed of having and wanting, and -- you can't touch it. No matter what you try, it hovers right out of reach, and you can't interact with it at all.
Oh, and the cute little jingle is going to follow you around now, on constant loop.
PHASE IV [ xxxx ] So you died.
No big deal. Perhaps you got eaten by a crocodile. Perhaps you fell off a cliff. Perhaps another player stabbed you (that's rude). Either way, you've only lost one life and you have two more so it's nothing. After all, this is just a video game, right? It's fine.
Except it's really not fine.
You'll find yourself in a graveyard, tombstones all around you (maybe one of them has your name on it -- hope the epitaph doesn't suck). It's nighttime, it's foggy, and you're with the other players who have also lost a life. For a while, nothing will happen. The cold and quiet of the night will start to seep into your bones -- and then a figure appears. It can't be killed, it is silent and grim, and it does not speak.
Instead, it approaches each person there, reaches out and touches them on the forehead. Even you. All you can see for a long moment is corpses around you, the dead faces of everyone who had been with you in the ViViD level, flesh rotting away and faces caught in expressions of horror --
And then you're all dropped back into the camp ground together again. It's sunny and cheery and everything is fine, and you're down to two lives. Just, you know... don't lose the rest, okay?
BONUS [ xxxx ] You have a butler now, congratulations! He's following you around everywhere. He's an NPC, and not a very well-made one; sometimes his face glitches out, and he doesn't so much walk behind you as just… appears right next to you. He's handy though because if you ask him to, he'll pull up the start menu. You can sort out your inventory there and exit the game if you wish (except no matter how many times you press the "quit" button, you... can't).
Sometimes, though, that doesn't work out so well. Not the start menu but the butler himself. He might appear next to you on a narrow cliff face, knocking you right off the edge, or appear right on top of a hornet's nest, making them angry enough to go after, well, you. Maybe he accidentally summons a bear when all you were trying to do was ask him where the next dungeon is. That's unfortunate.
You can't seem to get rid of him either, no matter what you do. How annoying. Hopefully he doesn't cause you too much trouble because that bear... well, that bear's pretty angry.
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no subject
Except, he's still a little concerned about the 'dead' and 'doom' part. That's not good. Death is... pretty bad around here, and he knows from previous experiences that penalties occur. ]
It's not so bad? Huh. Were you afraid? What did you see?
[ He only asks because, well, he's never died before and Iwatooshi does make it sound less negative. ]
no subject
Well, it was kind of shocking to realize you're dying, or dead, for that matter. [he taps a finger against his chin trying to recall all of the details.]
It was a little scary! There was this weird ghost thing, and a lot of other dead people. [he frowns a bit. He could kill lots of people and monsters, but what if his friends were among those?]
Yeah... I guess it was pretty unpleasant, thinking on it now.
But I'm okay now! In here, I heard you get to come back a few times? I'm not gonna' go try dying again, but it's nice to know you'll be okay if it does happen once or twice.
no subject
Ghosts... like spirits? Probably not like us, though. I hope none of us were there.
[ It'd be unlikely that Iwatooshi would encounter another tsukumogami in that weird death world. Apparently, swords that disappear do not appear back in the code. Strong spirits are hard to contain.
But he nods in agreement, still clinging to the naginata. Death is pretty unpleasant. ]
Yes, please don't die again. Finding you just to lose you again would be... it'd be hard to swallow. You're too strong for that, you need to carry us all to victory!
[ That much is true, and Kogi misses being carried around. ]
no subject
No, it definitely wasn't something like us. Luckily, there weren't any other swords there, as far as I could tell. I'm hoping everyone that I did see still had spare lives and made it back okay like I did. [He slips an arm around the fox's shoulders, hugging him almost protectively. They might be in a safe area now, but the conversation was still rather grim.]
I won't! I'll be more careful of which branches can hold me next time, haha!! [he quickly takes to the lighter side of the conversation, though he is a little embarrassed to admit that he had such a clumsy demise upon entering.]
Now, do you mean I need to support everyone, or that I really need to lift everyone up onto my shoulders? [his eyes brighten, sharp teeth grinning proudly.] I can do both!!
no subject
Such weak branches... you're better off trying to find a way to break through something. Maybe if you slam through some walls or trees or...
[ Destruction isn't necessarily a bad thing. He wouldn't mind seeing some of the outside world being messed around by the big, loud, but one of the most friendly weapons he knows. ]
You could do both! [ Wow, those teeth... anyone else, they'd be intimidated. But all he sees is kindness. ] I bet Haru would love it, too!
no subject
Destruction? Breaking things? That's where Iwatooshi excels- whether on purpose, or by accident due to his size still remains to be proven.]
Ahaha! I would enjoy that! I'm sure I could cut down a few trees easily. [he grins, a tad smug, but very genuine.]
I hope Master would enjoy it! And everyone else, too! [Kogi seems to know just what to say to make Iwatooshi overloaded with happiness- really, the naginata can't wait to see everyone and help with whatever he can. He's a sword that needs the structure of a family and a Master, being without one for that short while is probably the reason why he ended up dying so recklessly already.]
no subject
Good! Outside of ViViD, there aren't too many trees, but I'm sure there will be something out there to your liking.
[ His eyes brighten at the idea of the mightiest one being with the rest of the swords in the apartments, in the city itself and he tightens his grip around Iwatooshi's waist. It's been a long time up to this point that he last saw him, so the little fox can't help but be clingy. ]
I know everyone will be so excited to see you! And Haru, too!