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AI: The Somnium Files being not especially Zero Escape-y probably is another factor in that.
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Sep 25, 2022 20:06
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| # ? Jun 7, 2024 19:00 |
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 Alright, now we're going to go visit the Vogel twins instead, starting with Nikolas.  [BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe]   I wouldn't mind getting my hands dirty. People call me farmer Jordan where I come from.I leapt up off the bed and headed out to the Farm to do some manual labor. I arrived to find Nikolas kneeling in front of the tomato plants, shears in hand. Hey, Nikolas. Hello, Jordan. Am I the lucky one you've chosen to spend time with? You won the lottery, good sir. Hahaha, we'll see. So, are we having tomatoes for dinner? I do quite like them. They're such a versatile food. They work cold in salads, but also cooked and accompanying other foods. You can't go wrong with tomatoes. Do you like them, Jordan? I'm not 100 percent sure. I don't remember ever having one. Here you go, then.Nikolas tossed me a cherry tomato and I caught it awkwardly. Bon appetit. Thanks. I placed the whole tomato into my mouth and bit down on it. Under the pressure from my teeth, it split and filled my mouth with tomato innards. Well, how is it? Are you team tomato? This is delicious. They're good, right? I think I'm in love. Can I marry a tomato? I already asked, and the consensus was a resounding 'no'. Of course the tomato haters wouldn't want us to be happy. Some people just can't understand true love. Nikolas and I shared a glance and burst out laughing. Seeing as you're here, could you do me a favor and grab us a pumpkin for dinner? You just need to take some shears and cut the stem at the top. Okay, sure.Nikolas reached out and handed me a pair of shears before returning to the tomatoes. I should pick twice as many tomatoes now that we have a new enthusiast. Why not pick three times as many?I made my way over to the pumpkins and started picking one.  I like the way you think, Jordan- Ouch. Are you okay?  Yes, I'm fine. I just slipped a little. Okay.I finished cutting the pumpkin from the stem before returning to Nikolas over by the tomatoes. To my surprise, I found Nikolas standing up with his hand in a bucket. Um, Nikolas? Yes? Why is your hand in that bucket? Oh, that. Well, you see, I cut my hand with the shears and I'm bleeding. WHAT? The bucket is to prevent bleeding onto the floor. There's no floor here, just dirt. We're in the Farm area, remember? Yes, but I'll need to go to the Medical Bay in order to clean this up and assess the damage. The last thing I want to do is make a mess on the floor. THIS ISN'T THE TIME.I started becoming more flustered. Why didn't you tell me you were bleeding? We should've already taken you to the Medical Bay! My wounds are not serious, merely impractical. What's wrong with you? We need to get you to the Medical Bay. Jordan. You need to remain calm. It's not serious, and at this rate you are going to hurt yourself if you get so worked up. Let's go.I grabbed Nikolas' uninjured arm and headed towards the Medical Bay.  As soon as we arrived, Nikolas went over to the sink and started rinsing his hand. What can I do to help? If you could grab some bandages for me, that would be great.Nikolas withdrew his hand from the sink and began applying pressure to the cut. Although it isn't serious, it would be difficult to bandage my injury one-handed. Would you be so kind as to lend me a hand? Of course!I grabbed the bandages from the counter and returned to Nikolas. Thank you, Jordan. It's not a problem, really. I took the bandages and neatly covered his cut, staunching the flow of blood. Seriously, next time just tell me up front instead of waiting for me to finish working. I'll see what I can do. So, I know today didn't go according to plan, but thank you for your help. It was my pleasure. Sorry we didn't manage to get all the vegetables we needed. It's fine, really. Do you mind if I pick your brain for a second? Of course not. How can I be of assistance?I pulled the mysterious watch out of my pocket and handed it over to Nikolas. I found this with some of my parents' work. This is interesting. Nikolas carefully examined the pocket watch, turning it over and raising his eyebrows. According to their research notes, this device should allow us to connect to alternate realities in which this device exists. I think my parents were trying to find resources in alternate realities. Well, you can't fault them for not thinking outside the box. Here.I extended my hand towards Nikolas as he handed me the pocket watch. I showed him the buttons on either side of the clasp. The left one caused the green lights to revolve around the dial for 3 cycles, and the one on the right just made the noise. *bzzzt* So... Starting from the bottom. How do you think I'm supposed to connect to alternate realities? I can help you with cuts and bruises, but physics is definitely out of my wheelhouse. I can't even begin to understand how that pocket watch would somehow connect to alternate realities. If you had to guess? You plug it into something... maybe?Next, the middle one. What do you think the beep means? It sounds like a bad buzz, so perhaps something isn't working correctly? I wonder if it has a good buzz? That's for you to figure out, boy genius. Hahaha.And lastly, the top one. What do you think these green LED lights mean? Hmm. I am not sure, but it kind of reminds me of when something is loading, like on the computer. Really? Like when something is loading and the cursor spins? Oh, yeah, I see what you mean. Sorry, I know I'm not being much help here. No no, you've been plenty of help. A fresh set of eyes is always helpful. You are too kind, Jordan. Alright, well, I'm going to make another attempt at gathering vegetables, would you like to join me? I think I'll go and see if I can make some progress on this pocket watch issue. Of course. I'll see you at dinner. Okay, see you then!I exited the Medical Bay and headed to my quarters, where I had stored most of my parents' papers. And now, we'll go hang out with Beatrix instead.  I made my way to the lab to find Beatrix humming to herself while she worked.  Hmm, hmm, hmm... Ah, Beatrix. Oh, Jordan. It's good to see you. Really? Yep, you are just the person I wanted to see. What... why?I could feel my tone become cynical, but Beatrix didn't seem to care.   Can't a girl just be happy to see someone? Yeah, they can, but you on the other hand... How can you be so cruel? I... I have feelings too, you know. Oh, I... I'm sorry, Beatrix. Good.Beatrix pouted at me for a moment before her entire demeanor changed.  Please, sit here. Huh? So you do need something... I never said I didn't. I only said it was mean of you to assume that I had an ulterior motive.I sat in the seat she'd indicated. But you DID have an ulterior motive. That's not the point, Sailor. Now hold still. Now, are you left handed or right handed? I'm left-handed. Lefty, eh? What? Nothing. Beatrix smirked at me as she tied a tourniquet around my right arm. Um, what's happening? I need some blood. Huh? Why? We routinely have everyone give blood about every three weeks. It's vital that we always have blood on standby in case there's ever an accident or, you know, we all suddenly become vampires.Beatrix smiled at me playfully. Okay, but why every three weeks? That's blood's shelf life. Well, technically we can use blood for up to about six weeks, but past three weeks, the red blood cells start to lose their ability to carry and deliver oxygen as effectively, so we like to draw blood at three week intervals. Alrighty, Jordan, this might pinch for a second. Beatrix inserted the needle into my arm. I looked away, the sight of it making me feel a little queasy. That wasn't so bad, now was it? Now just sit there a little longer while I bleed you dry.Beatrix laughed to herself. Will I need to do this again in three weeks then? If you live long enough, yeah. Here's hoping. That's the spirit.Beatrix removed the needle from my arm and put a bandage over the puncture mark.  There we go, all better. Thanks, Beatrix... I think. Here. Huh?I looked down at Beatrix's hands and saw that she was handing me a cookie. I get a cookie? Of course you do, Sailor. I even made them myself, so you know they're great. Thanks, Beatrix!I started eating the cookie immediately. I hadn't had many cookies in my life, but chocolate chip was definitely my favorite.  So, how go the science experiments? Science experiments? You are a scientist, aren't you? Oh, yeah. Well, I've hit a bit of a brick wall, to be honest.I ran a hand through my hair and regarded Beatrix with a sheepish expression. Reaching inside my pocket, I wrapped my fingers around the familiar shape of the pocket watch. After considering for a moment, I decided to show it to her. I found this while I was going through my parents' research.I pulled the timepiece out of my pocket and handed it to Beatrix.  Ugh, your parents clearly had no taste. I'm pretty sure its not a fashion accessory. So, what is it, then?Beatrix started pressing buttons on it without a shred of hesistation. *bzzt!* Huh, your watch appears to be broken. Why would you say that? The little minute hand on the right isn't moving. Well, this pocket watch is supposed to somehow connect to alternate realities. My parents wanted to use it to solve the resource crisis back on Earth. Huh. I guess robbing alternate versions of ourselves wouldn't be a bad thing. Robbing them? You honestly think alternate versions of us would just welcome us with open arms? Here, take all of our stuff, thanks for visiting? I guess I never even thought about that. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I personally have no moral objections to it. I don't care much for other 'me's and I assume other 'me's don't care much for me. Hahaha, maybe there's a reality out there with a version of you that does care. Ha! If that's the case, I'll enjoy robbing her. Wow, brutal. Starting with the bottom. If you had to take a guess, how do you think this device would connect to an alternate reality? Haha, I have no idea, Sailor. Maybe you're reading too much into this, and you're just supposed to use it like a hypnotist's tool: the hypnotist puts people to sleep and they wake up in another reality. I never thought of anything like that. Of course you didn't, it's a joke. But it's still an idea. A stupid idea is what it is. A great scientist before me once said that science isn't about asking 'why', it's about asking 'why not'. So why couldn't that work? Because, again, it's stupid and it was a joke. Either way, thanks for the suggestion.Next, the middle one. Why would you happily hurt other versions of yourself? It's not so much that I would happily hurt them, on some level they still are me. But... if they are me, then they understand better than anyone that it's survival of the fittest. We would easily hurt each other, with a healthy repsect for one another. So, you're saying that many Beatrixes could partake in a battle royale with life-or-death stakes and still respect the other versions of themselves that they are trying to murder and vice versa. Yes, exactly. If I'm the best Beatrix, then I'll win, but if I'm not the best Beatrix, then I don't deserve to win. But wouldn't that mean you'd be willing to die to another version of yourself? I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be killed by. Hahaha. An absolutely terrifying image popped into my head. I couldn't help but shiver. What's wrong? Is it from the blood loss? Huh? Oh, no, I was just thinking that if you would happily murder yourself, imagine what an army of Beatrixes could do if they worked together. An army of me...Beatrix started looking out into the distance with the largest smile on her face. I didn't even want to imagine the scenes of carnage unfolding in her mind... And, lastly, the top option. What about robbing other versions of Nikolas? Beatrix's face tightened as if I had just threatened Nikolas, which I most certainly hadn't.  You wouldn't dare lay a hand on any Nikolas, our world's or any other's.Beatrix looked at me fiercely. Her piercing gaze was so intense that I had to break eye contact. No, not me. I'm asking if you could rob another world's Nikolas. Oh, sorry. I misunderstood for a second then, hahaha.Beatrix laughed for a moment before returning to her previous intensity. She stared at me unflinchingly, long enough to make me uncomfortable. If she was trying to put me on edge, it was working. I am his older sister, in this world or any other, and I will wear the blood of anyone who tries to wrong my little brother. I... I'm not going to wrong your brother, I promise. Good, because if you even so much as thought about it, I would wear your skin.Beatrix gently lifted my chin with her hand, forcing me to look her dead in the eyes. Well, this escalated quickly.Beatrix's strong demeanor lightened up as she continued. If I must wear your skin, could you at least start moisturising? Hahaha.I forced a nervous laugh. Beatrix really was quite scary when she wanted to be. Haha. Sure, I'll get right on that. That's a good boy. Beatrix pinched my cheeks. Her warm, soft hands demanded respect as they slipped off my face. Well, I should get back to my room and try to work more on this pocket watch. It's been a pleasure, Beatrix. No no, the pleasure was all mine. Come back when you want your blood drained again, 'kay? Hahaha. Remember, only if I live long enough.I winked at Beatrix, and she laughed hysterically. Haha, well, let's at least try to get through this week. Next week's your problem, though. Deal! Alright, see you at dinner. Okay, don't be late! I hate tardy dinner guests. Haha, I won't be. After that delicious breakfast, there's no way I'd miss your cooking. With that, I waved goodbye to Beatrix and headed back to my quarters, where I continued searching for answers to the pocket watch dilemma. The scene after this is the same as we always get, where Ai comes and informs Jordan that the deactivation code can, at that moment, be input into anyone's devices. Therefore, next update, we'll pick up with the events that follow it. 
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Sep 27, 2022 21:21
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Beatrix has no chill, and I love that for her
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Sep 27, 2022 22:49
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Tomatoes really are the best
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Sep 28, 2022 03:31
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Are we sure Beatrix doesn't drink the blood?
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Sep 28, 2022 04:14
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  [BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe]  I slept uneasily that night, keenly aware that I couldn't afford to miss breakfast. After hours of tossing and turning, I rolled over in bed and glanced at the clock on my bedside table. 5am, huh?Although breakfast wouldn't be served until about 7am, I wasn't about to risk going back to sleep. I should get up and go offer Beatrix some help, or maybe Nikolas. Might as well go in order, let's start with Beatrix for this update. I glanced at my tablet to confirm Beatrix's location before making my way to the Rec Room. I found her standing on the small stage, adjusting some kind of monitor. Hey Beatrix, what are you doing? Oh, an audience, perfect timing.Just as she finished speaking, music started playing and she picked up a mic. Beatrix began singing. As she took a bow and made her way off the small stage, I began clapping. So what did you think? I'm blown away, that was amazing. You were amazing, Beatrix! Hahaha. Thanks. Seriously, where did you learn to sing? My mother used to give me singing lessons when I was younger. I'm sorry. No need. She was clearly a great teacher if I'm this good after learning from her for such a short time. You are pretty drat good. Yeah, my father used to say that I sounded just like her, so he'd get me to just sing to him while he was working. I'm so sorry, again. Seriously, it's fine. Your parents are both dead too, so consider us even. I don't think that's how it works. I know, but let's not get all weepy about it. Our parents may have died before their time, but that doesn't have to define who they were, what they meant to us. The best thing we can do right now is move on.Although her words may have seemed harsh, there was nothing casual or flippant about how she said them. A deep reservoir of melancholy was evident behind them. I didn't blame Beatrix for wanting to remember her parents by the pleasant memories she'd shared with them in life; it was a sentiment that I couldn't help but empathize with. Can you sing? Um... I don't know. Do you know any songs? Hmm... Come on, your parents must have taught you something.I creased my brow, wracking my brain for any songs I might have learned as a child. Oh yeah! Okay, sing it for me. *ahem* There's antimony, arsenic, aluminium, selenium... And hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen and rhenium- Okay, stop, STOP. Was I really that bad? You were terrible, and what the heck were you singing? Oh, it's 'The Elements Song'. My parents used to sing it to me as a child. What?? Why? Well, it lists the elements on the periodic table, so it was an easy way to learn them. I see...For a moment Beatrix seemed to be having a hard time believing me. Heaving a heavy sigh, she resigned herself to my dismal prospects as a singer. I was hoping you could sing, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Sorry, it's not really something I practiced going up. I'll just have to come up with another part for you. Part? I can't be in a band with only two people, can I? You're in a band? Well, Nikolas and I play together all the time, but I thought adding a new member would be nice. What does Nikolas play? The piano. Wow, really? He's great at it, too. Your family is just so talented. Yeah, it comes with the Vogel name. Leave it to me, I'll find you a role to play. I'm sorry I'm not more talented. Beatrix favored me with a warm smile. You just have different talents, everyone does. You think everyone on this ship is talented? Of course. Alright...Here we are given a choice to ask about any of the other crew members (still alive, anyway), so I'll just go down the list. -Shizuka What about Shizuka? Shizuka's greatest talent is to fly under the radar. What do you mean? How much work have you seen her do? I... don't know. Shizuka is amazing at keeping her head down and blending in with the scenery. If no one knows she's there, no one knows she's missing. Meanwhile, she's playing video games somewhere else.-Nikolas What about Nikolas? Nikolas? Really? Yeah. Nikolas is talented at everything. Alright then, I'll try approaching it from a different angle. What's Nikolas bad at. Even exceptional people have certain things they're bad at. Beatrix paused to think for a moment before seizing on something. Well, he's a terrible cook. Hahaha, wow, didn't expect that.-Katashi How about Katashi? Although Katashi has many talents, his biggest and greatest strength is his undeniable sense of justice. Justice? He's a stickler when it comes to rationing, even more so than the captain. And that's a talent? Seriously, have you ever seen a man with that level of self-control? It's incredible. I've watched Katashi ration his favorite foods when he thought he was unsupervised. Even when given plenty of opportunities to take just one bite... he never did.  I knew Katashi took rationing seriously, but that seems a little excessive. No kidding. Other than that, though, I'd say Katashi's greatest talent is knowing when to bend the rules. He may play things by the book most of the time, but I've seen him openly break the rules in situations where they'd do more harm than good. Oh really? On occasion, Nikolas and Katashi have gone toe-to-toe over certain things... Like what? Hahaha, usually over something I've done.-Yoshiki What is Yoshiki talented at? As far as engineering goes, Yoshiki's constantly getting electrocuted, or hurting himself in some way, so engineering is out. Wait, really? Hahaha, yes. Apparently it runs in the family, since both his parents died in workplace accidents. I'll say this much, though: Yoshiki always knows how to raise our spirits with a kind word or a well-placed joke, especially the captain's. Really?Beatrix nodded. Take my word for it, if you want to ask the captain for something, be sure to send Yoshiki ahead of you. I guarantee it will improve your chances of obtaining her approval. She's always had a massive soft spot for him. Like, romantically? I don't think so... in many ways, their relationship reminds me of the one Nikolas and I share. So she thinks of Yoshiki as a little brother? Possibly. I've never asked the captain directly. I try not to concern myself with her personal life if I can help it.And, lastly... -Kimiko What is the captain talented at?Beatrix curled her lip in an expression of disgust. For a moment, she looked like she was expriencing physical pain. That captain... Yes? Through gritted teeth, Beatrix finally spoke her mind. Captain Kimiko Yukimori... is a fine captain. What? Repeat that to anyone else, and I will personally ensure you never utter another word. I thought you and the captain were a bit, you know... I don't agree with her most of the time, but she always looks out for everyone on board when she makes her decisions. I don't think anyone else would be able to do the job even half as well as she can. Wow, I wasn't expecting to hear such high praise from you, Beatrix. Neither is anyone else, so keep that trap of yours shut. Alright, that's enough of that. I'm going to go bathe before dinner.I haven't pointed it out at any point until now, but there have been multiple times throughout this LP where the writer forgot what time of day the scene was supposed to be set at; this is one of those times. Or I guess Beatrix and Jordan have just been talking in the Rec Room for literally an entire day. Either option works I guess. What are we having for dinner this evening? Oh! Sorry, Sailor, I must have forgotten to tell you. I'm taking the night off, so please help yourself to whatever's in the fridge. I'll be back on kitchen duty tomorrow morning, so don't panic. Alright, thanks for the heads-up, Beatrix. I'll probably go grab a snack then turn in early for the night. Okay, but be sure you're on time for breakfast! WHAT TIME IS IT THEN You've got it! Thanks for the show today, Beatrix. You're very welcome. See you tomorrow. I made my way out of the Rec Room and headed towards my quarters.
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Sep 30, 2022 19:27
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 Now, we're going to go hang out with Nikolas. [BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe]  I made my way to the Medical Bay. When I entered, I found Nikolas sitting at his desk, staring intently at the screen. Hello, Nikolas. Oh, I wasn't expecting any visitors. Is there anything I can help you with? Did you come down with something? Nothing like that, I just thought I'd stop by to see what you were up to. I'm just checking to see if all of our medical systems are online and fully-functional. Having a computer-operated surgical bay is great, but its maintenance still requires a doctor's watchful eye. That makes sense.Nikolas swiveled in his chair to face me, glasses poised on his lower lip, head cocked slightly to the left. Jordan, have you received any medical training? Me?Nikolas raised a playful eyebrow in my direction. Can't say I have. I can apply bandages to cuts, but that's about it. Nikolas pretended to look impressed. Bandages, huh? That settles it, I'm going to be calling on you next time I need medical attention. For your sake, I hope it's nothing serious. Haha. Agreed. Hahaha. I understand that we have two trained doctors on board, but given Dai's absurd restrictions this round, we're unable to treat half of the crew. Nikolas continued to look at me with intention. Moments passed and the room remained quiet. I'm not sure I understand what you want me to do? Would you like to learn basic first aid? Are you sure I won't be a liability? There's no harm in having more crew members with first aid training. I guess I never even thought to learn how... Well, there's no time like the present.Nikolas' suggestion seemed a sensible one. Alright, count me in!Nikolas' expression brightened at my enthusiastic response.  Great! Let's see, now... you said you know how to apply bandages, so let's start with a scenario involving blood loss. You have my undivided attention, Doctor. That's exactly what I want to hear.Nikolas signaled for me to sit on the bed as he began his explanation. If a patient is bleeding and conscious, the good news is that they are still alive. Hahaha.Nikolas smiled before moving on. Now, your first priority should be to stop the bleeding. Got it, stop the bleeding. If one of the patient's limbs is bleeding profusely, you should apply a tourniquet between the heart and the wound to staunch the flow of blood. For instance, if the cut is on the patient's forearm, you should place the tourniquet on their upper arm. In your case, your tie would work perfectly as a makeshift tourniquet.Nikolas gently removed my tie from around my neck before applying the tourniquet to my arm as an example. Make sure you don't make it too tight. It needs to restrict blood flow, but it shouldn't cut or damage the skin further up the arm. Okay, tourniquet, not too hard. Our next order of business is applying pressure directly to the wound in order to stop the bleeding. Blood clotting isn't instantaneous, so it may take some time to get the bleeding under control.Once again, Nikolas demonstrated on me, placing pressure on my arm using both hands.  Here comes the most important part. Not dying?Nikolas cast a disapproving look in my direction. Focus, Jordan, this part is important. We need to prevent the patient from going into shock. Shock, particularly from blood loss, is called hypovolemic shock. Okay, shock... When it comes to dealing with shock, the most important thing is to keep the patient comfortable. Reassure them that everything is going to be okay. Reassure.Nikolas placed his hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes.  Jordan, everything is going to be okay. There is nothing to worry about, we'll take good care of you here.I fell still. Nikolas' words seemed to lull me into a comforting trance. Everything was going to be alright. Impressive, it seemed the rumors about his impeccable bedside manner hadn't been exaggerations. Now you try. Huh? Try what? Hahaha, reassuring me. Oh, yes, of course.I cleared my throat and took a crack at it. Everything is going to be a-okay. I've got this under control. I'm not quite convinced yet, but I'm sure you'll get better at it over time. Hahaha. I'll be sure to practice. I hope so, I'll be testing you on it.With a gentle smile, Nikolas removed the pressure from my arm and loosened the tourniquet. My arm felt a bit numb after being tied up for so long. Alright, what would you like to learn next? Your choice. How do I check vitals? That is an excellent question.I smiled proudly from my vantage point on the hospital bed.  When we perform routine checkups or administer a new patient, there are four vital signs that we usually check: body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure. Blood pressure isn't as important as the other three, but we usually test it anyway. So far, so good. To check someone's body temperature, you'll need a thermometer. If there isn't one available, you can place your hand on the patient's forehead to see if you feel a temperature difference.Nikolas gently brushed my hair to one side before placing his hand against my forehead. It was warm but firm. You feel normal, so far so good. Pulse rate is determined by placing two fingers- other than your thumb- against the arteries in the patient's wrist. Alternatively, you can cheat and use a stethoscope.Nikolas unfastened the top buttons of my shirt and opened the top. He picked up the end of his stethoscope before exhaling on it.  He slid the stethoscope under the open collar of my shirt, placing it against my chest. Nikolas listened to my heartbeat for a few moments. I tried to remain as still as possible as he went about his work. Hmm. What is it? Is something wrong? Sounds like your heart just skipped a beat.Nikolas smirked at me. Huh? It's a joke. Right, I knew that... Finally, respiration rate is simply how many breaths the patient is taking per minute, which is easy to observe. People should complete about 12 to 16 breaths per minute. Okay, 12 to 16. As I mentioned earlier, blood pressure isn't as important, so we'll leave that for a later time. Okay, pop quiz! Huh? What do you do once you have a patient's blood loss under control? I looked Nikolas dead in the eyes and placed my hand on the side of his face. Don't worry, everything is going to be okay. We'll take good care of you. Hahaha, that was much more believable than last time! Well done! I learned from the best. That you did. I believe Beatrix is taking the night off cooking, so help yourself to some fruit or anything else you can muster up for dinner. She's been working hard to feed us these past few days. Beatrix says she hates it, but I'm pretty sure she enjoys caring for everyone. You think so? Yes, I really do. Well, I'm going to grab some snacks before turning in for the evening. Of course, I'll see you tomorrow morning at breakfast then? Trust me, I don't plan to miss another one of Beatrix's meals. If Beatrix requests my presence at dinner after my execution, I'll be in the Dining Hall that evening, bright-eyed and bushy tailed, even if I have to drag myself out of hell. Hahaha. I'm sure she'd be happy to hear that.I excused myself from the Medical Bay and headed to the Kitchen to stock up on snacks, my mind brimming with new medical knowledge. When I arrived at the Kitchen, I could clearly see that the other crew members had already been through here to grab something to eat. I shouldn't need too much, I'm quite tired and won't be up long.I grabbed myself a banana and a slice of whatever cake was in the fridge and headed back to my quarters.  I sat before my coffee table, banana and cake to my left, papers and tablet opened on the right, displaying the details on the pocket watch I'd compiled thus far. I wolfed down the banana and slice of sponge cake as I worked. I looked over the papers again and again, hoping for some new revelation... Resting my head against the coffee table for a few moments, I finally drifted off to sleep. …  I awoke with my head against a hard surface, extremely sore after a poor night's sleep. Ow, my face...Still hazy, I looked down to find that I had fallen asleep on my tablet. The research papers and dinner plate were still on the coffee table, although they'd been disturbed by my movements as I slept. What time was it? I poked the tablet's screen with my index finger and noted the time- 4:30am. My stomach grumbled loudly; I clearly hadn't eaten enough for dinner the night before. Breakfast wasn't going to be for a few more hours, so I decided to get a snack and go back to sleep for a few more hours before breakfast. I dragged myself off the floor and through the door towards the Kitchen. I barely managed to keep my eyes open as I shuffled down the halls, finding my way there purely by instinct. At long last, I staggered into the Kitchen and stuck my head in the fridge. Hmm, what should I eat?  Shizuka, is that you? Huh?I pulled my head out of the fridge and saw Katashi standing in the doorway. Nah, it's me, I'm just grabbing a snack, I'll be out of your way in a sec.[BGM: Ad Astra Per Aspera]  Katashi just stood there, stunned. All color drained from his face as his features contorted into an expression of sheer panic. A split second later, Dai appeared in the Kitchen with a satisfied smile on her face.  CONSIDER YOURSELVES SPRUNG, YOU TWO! Wait a minute, Dai! It was a mistake, and I was half asleep... We didn't talk about anything game related. It doesn't matter. I thought he was Shizuka. I... Save it, you broke the rules. I will now hand down my punishment.  Hold on, punish me; I'm the one who spoke first. Don't be ridiculous, Katashi. Punish ME, Dai. I'm the one who was careless.Dai's voice broke as she replied.  You, you guys would really sacrifice yourselves to save each other? Of course we would... Even though you're on different teams? We might be on different teams, but he shouldn't have to suffer because of my actions.Dai sniffled as she wiped away a stray tear.   I think... I think that's beautiful...Dai began to sob. Evil mastermind or not, it was an unpleasant sight to see. Against my better judgment, I asked the obvious question. Dai, are you okay?Her response was surprisingly matter-of-fact.  Me? Yeah. Are you okay?Dai's crocodile tears gave way to tears of mirth. Hahahahahahaa, I'm better than okay! You two just broke the rules, and now it's punishment time! Now, are you ready for this?Katashi sighed.   Just get it over with already. Very well!The intercom system crackled to life and Dai's voice filled the ship.  Gooooood morning, sleepyheads. I need you all to report to the Dining Hall within the next 30 minutes. I repeat. Everyone is to report to the Dining Hall within the next 30 minutes. Over and out!Dai cocked her head and smiled at Katashi and me. Now, even though you've already broken the rules, you are not to continue communicating, or else there will be an even more serious punishment, kay? Dai, why are you getting the whole crew involved? This is a team game, isn't it? Now, 30 minutes, no more chit chat. I would go find your teams if I was you.With those words, Dai began to dissipate until there was nothing left but her Cheshire cat smile hanging in midair. The next instant, it was gone. I looked over at Katashi, trying my best to silently communicate my feelings with an apologetic expression. He nodded in mute understanding, hitched his thumb towards the door, and exited the Kitchen. I needed to find my team; it looked like I owed them an apology.
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Oct 5, 2022 19:03
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Welp, looks like I was wrong about who would end up loving it for us.
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Oct 5, 2022 19:44
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I don't quite get the point of having this game happen early every time. Is there going to be a timeline where it doesn't and that changes things? Doesn't seem likely since any major changes seem like they'd have to happen during or after Vampire Children given the game's structure. So why not just make the game start now normally? If anything, it's odd that in this one case Dai's punishment is just "get on with it" whereas basically every other time it's death.
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Oct 6, 2022 14:35
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it's just showing that in the multiverses that the game picks from, the path is contrived regardless of the choices you make
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Oct 6, 2022 14:38
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Yeah to be honest I've been skimming the updates at most, hoping for some interesting revelation or something. This game looks miserable to play straight, to be honest. So much repetition. Edit: So tired I didn't realize I repeated myself with "to be honest" hah :v Dragongem fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Oct 6, 2022 |
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Oct 6, 2022 16:47
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It's far from the worst VN I've played (though probably the worst I've LP'd) but its biggest crime imo is just how dull and locked-into-a-structure it is  At this point its mostly just spite (I don't like leaving things unfinished) and the fact I know we're getting close to the true routes, which DO shake things up a little, that are why I'm still doing the LP lmao
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Oct 6, 2022 17:31
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ZCKaiser posted:I don't quite get the point of having this game happen early every time. Is there going to be a timeline where it doesn't and that changes things? Doesn't seem likely since any major changes seem like they'd have to happen during or after Vampire Children given the game's structure. So why not just make the game start now normally? If anything, it's odd that in this one case Dai's punishment is just "get on with it" whereas basically every other time it's death. It really is weird. I originally expected that there would be different games for the various timelines, too. Seems a bit lazy to just have Dai use the same stuff across all timelines. You could read that as her being programmed to use those exact games, although that does raise several questions in regard to how guilty Dai is with this whole situation and exactly how much of the death game Kimiko's mother programmed in. (Which is an interesting question in general, how strongly to blame is the insane AI and how much of what's going on is her actual programming?) But the part where every single time different people just happen to accidentally break the rules so the game gets moved up? That makes no sense at all.
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Oct 6, 2022 17:50
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it's a problem with the ZE formula (need discrete challenges or puzzles on every route) meeting the dating sim formula (need a bunch of routes).
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Oct 6, 2022 19:11
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To me it's less about the fact that they're the same games as it is the fact that the games don't feel like they actually fit in storywise. We see someone die but that's the only impact of the games - nobody goes "I'll never trust that rear end in a top hat Jordan ever again" or "you saved me and we're going to team up for the next round" or whatever. It also doesn't feel like any of these games really have us making a choice. Zero Escape: VLR may have repeatedly run the Prisoner's Dilemma, but every time, the player you could easily look at the board and visualize the consequences - and NPC's repeatedly hammered home why you should pick Betray or Ally and how that would affect them. Meanwhile here, the answer is either deliberately obfuscated or enough out of our control that it feels kind of whatever.
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Oct 6, 2022 19:28
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 [BGM: Ad Astra Per Aspera]  I made my way to Beatrix and Nikolas' quarters, where I found Yoshiki standing outside the door.  Jordan, do you have any idea what's going on? I screwed up, I'm so sorry. What? What do you mean?The door to Beatrix and Nikolas' quarters slid open and both siblings emerged. What happened? I-I made a mistake. What do you mean you made a mistake?! Nikolas was shifting his weight while cleaning his glasses, clearly still half asleep. Beatrix, you need to calm down. Nikolas, it's 4:30am! All the more reason for you to calm down. We need to fully understand the gravity of the situation.Nikolas calmly placed his glasses on the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath before turning to address me. Jordan, please fill us in on what's happened. Start from the beginning. Long story short, I spoke to someone on the other team and Dai caught us. You were betraying us?!Beatrix approached within a few centimeters of me and looked me right in the eye. Her anger was palpable, radiating from her body in waves.  Beatrix! Let Jordan explain himself.Beatrix reluctantly withdrew, continuing to stare daggers at me from across the hall.  No, he would never do that! Right? Jordan? No, I wasn't betraying anyone! Then what happened? I woke up hungry this morning, so I went to the Kitchen to grab a snack. As I was looking through the fridge, Katashi walked in and spoke to me, mistaking me for Shizuka. So Katashi spoke first? Yes, and I was stupid enough to respond. Before I knew it, Dai appeared in the Kitchen and gave us the third degree for breaking the rules. Apparently we need to be punished, and both our teams have to come along for the ride. Is that everything? Yes, you heard the rest over the intercom. So this is all just one huge mistake, then? Mistake or not, the entire crew stands to suffer for it. It would be one thing if Katashi and I were the only ones being held accountable for our actions, but, from the sound of things, Dai's gone and summoned everyone to the weekly Deletion Game. Jordan, you'd better hope this punishment kills you, or else I will afterwards. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen.. I understand. We'll get through this. Don't worry about Beatrix, she's not a morning person on the best of days. Tsk. Now, let's all head over to the Dining Hall and hear what this punishment is. Don't worry, Jordan. I don't blame you, anyone could have made the same mistake. Thanks, Yoshiki, but I still feel terrible about it. After doing some last-minute preparations, the team headed towards the Dining Hall. Once we arrived, we saw the other team had already gathered and were awaiting our arrival. Dai surveyed the new arrivals from her vantage point near the center of the room. Welcome, welcome. It's about time Team A decided to grace us with their presence. As I'm sure you're already aware, the rule forbidding communication between teams has been broken, which is why you've all been summoned here this morning.Dai looked at each of the crew members in turn, her gaze finally coming to rest on Beatrix. Oh dear me, Trixxy, you're looking a bit rough around the edges this morning.Beatrix glared at Dai before directing her anger in my direction.  I just wish that people would have the courtesy to break the rules at a more sensible hour. Hahahaha, oh, Trixxy, you're such a hoot. Well, I'd say that's more than enough pleasantries for now- on to the punishment. What if you just punish the two of us? I agree. There's no need to involve the rest of the crew. I already told you two that this is a team sport! Now, the punishment for breaking the rules is......that they play the Deletion Game now, we know the deal by now.  Look, I'm gonna be straight with you, this part's easily lost any glimmers of interest it had after the first couple of times, and frankly there's no real reason to drag it out any more. We're getting close to being able to start getting proper endings for the routes we've gone down (and then, eventually, the true routes), so in the interest of speeding this experience up I'm just going to cut to the chase here. We already know how all of this works, and there's not any character development or interesting interactions during this game.I already had the thread vote on which Vogel sibling we wanted to pursue first, and the result was Nikolas, so that's the outcome we're going with. The result of the Deletion Game is that Jordan's team loses- and the person sentenced for execution is Yoshiki. Oh nooooooo.  Also, to save even more time, the execution is another reused one- specifically, his death of electrocution in Update 76! That means we can just skip straight to the morning after his execution.[BGM: The Aftermath of Bravery]  I couldn't help but feel guilty about Yoshiki's death. He was my best friend... and I'd let him down. I attempted to sleep, tossing and turning in my bed, but unfortunately sleep avoided me. I wonder what time it is...I leaned over to the bedside table to grab my tablet- it was 4:26am. Frustrated, I shut my eyes again. Sleep, drat it!I sighed and pulled myself out of bed. I headed to the Eco Lounge- one of Yoshiki's favorite places. Regardless of it being so early in the morning, the Eco Lounge looked as beautiful as it always does- after all, there is no sunrise in space, so nothing had changed.  I sat down on the grassy hill and looked out at the stars. I sighed, deeply, before berating myself. Well, Jordan, not only have you failed to solve the Dai situation, but you let your best friend die on your watch. A job well done.Even though it was my own sarcasm, it cut me deep. Seriously, though, you're such a waste of space on this ship. A waste? I would not go that far- perhaps an unbridled ball of potential instead? Nikolas appeared sitting beside me, smirk on full display. What the hell?! Good morning, Jordan. How long have you been sitting here? Long enough to know that you are being unfair to yourself. Oh, and that I am apparently not your best friend. That hurt, Jordan, that hurt.Nikolas smiled playfully. Sooooo, what are you doing here? After last night's execution, I asked Ai to alert me if anyone was not sleeping well. That's very professional of you, Dr. Vogel. I'll let you in on a little secret...I leaned in closer to hear it. Ai informed me that it was not only you that got out of bed; it was Shizuka also... ...but I only checked up on you. Haha, why is that? I would much rather spend time with you.I cocked my eyebrow. His answer didn't sound one hundred percent honest. Oh? Well, Shizuka is a very difficult patient, and I would rather not deal with her this early in the morning.I looked at Nikolas for a moment before breaking into hysterical laughter. I had no idea you were so fearful of Shizuka! I am NOT fearful! I simply prefer my social interaction to be as free of awkwardness as possible. You are full of surprises, Nikolas.Nikolas smiled at me, but his eyes betrayed his slight embarrassment. Regardless of my fear of particular persons... how are you feeling? ...Devastated. Yoshiki was my best friend. I understand. And even though we had only known each other a few weeks, it felt like I had known him my whole life. Some people simply have special connections. Yeah...I looked up to the starry abyss outside of the Eco Lounge. There is a theory...I turned to face Nikolas in interest. A theory? When I was younger, my mother used to tell me about a doctor named MacDougall, who lived a long time ago.I wasn't sure where Nikolas was going with this, but he appeared engrossed in his own story. He set out to prove that the human soul exists, and that when we die it is released from the body. Are you telling me- a medical scientist- that souls exist?Nikolas shot me a dismissive side glance before continuing. He weighed the bodies of five people- four men and one woman- immediately before and after their deaths. After each of them passed, they lost a small amount of weight: that weight averaged twenty-one grams. I'm unsure why you're telling me this. The human soul may possibly exist, and, if it does, it weighs an average of twenty-one grams. And? Well, if it does exist, then perhaps our last goodbye to Yoshiki was not the last one after all.It was only now that I realized that Nikolas was trying to cheer me up. Nikolas stared at the starry sky, his eyes glinting at the possibility. We know next to nothing about the human soul, but perhaps there is the possibility of once again meeting those we have lost. That's incredibly romantic of you, Nikolas. There is a reason why so much of humanity grasps at religion. Sometimes hope is all we have.[BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe]  I sat silently beside Nikolas as his words sank in. Thank you for coming and checking up on me, Nikolas. I really appreciate it. It was my pleasure, Jordan. Your company is worth the early rise.Even in the face of our dire situation, Nikolas could still turn on the charm. Well, I think I will head back to my quarters and try to get some more sleep. That is a very good idea. Good night, Nikolas. Good morning, Jordan.Nikolas would make a great father one day with those lame dad jokes. I made my way back to my quarters. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out like a light. Speaking with Nikolas was exactly what I needed.
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Oct 7, 2022 17:36
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isn't Yoshiki only your best friend by through being your only friend you can make more friends, jordan
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Oct 7, 2022 18:46
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Mix. posted:
Of course it was later proven that those people merely evacuated their bowels after dying, so this theory may not be entirely correct.
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Oct 7, 2022 19:21
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dervival posted:isn't Yoshiki only your best friend by through being your only friend It occurs to me that the way Jordan is written is sort of weird and a missed chance. As far as we've been told, they've been raised with only their parents around to socialize with. So really, having any friend should be a novel experience, and you could potentially actually sell a goofball like Yoshiki as Jordan's best and maybe only friend, and play up his death, or how that affects Jordan's relationship with Kimiko who also has a kind of emotional dependence on him.
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Oct 7, 2022 20:12
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I think the fact we get very little glimpses of what the gently caress Jordan's entire life up until this point has been is one of the biggest missed opportunities of this game's story, tbh we know it was just them and their parents, we know that their parents spent most of their time 'continuing their research' (research that for some reason never made it onto the escape pod with Jordan), we know that they were self-sustaining in terms of supplies due to it only being the three of them on the smaller ship but we have no idea what that looked like; a much better version of this game could even have jordan flashing back to things their parents told them, which would give their parents some much-needed characterization, too (as well as a look at what life aboard a smaller ship would look like).
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Oct 7, 2022 20:48
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 [BGM: Ad Astra Per Aspera] Hey! HEYYYY! Whaa...? I opened my eyes to see Dai standing next to my bed. Um, earth to Jordan!Dai stopped in her tracks and began talking to herself.  Wait... maybe invoking Earth's name is a bit insensitive, given how the human race destroyed the planet; it might open old wounds. What are my other options, though? Other planets don't sound right... 'Mars to?' 'Jupiter to?' Dai? Yessssss? What's happening? Why are you here? Well, it's nice to see you too! Sheesh. Wha...?Dai gave me a scathing look, highly unimpressed by the reception. I've summoned the crew for the next Game explanation- they're all in the Dining Hall. Am I late? Late is an understatement. You didn't even wake up to my previous announcements over the ship's PA system! Oh, I'm so sorry. I haven't been sleeping well...Dai turned on her best disingenuous voice.  Don't worry, I get it. All your friends are dying, and you probably will too soon... Thanks. That's helping. A piece of advice... Shoot.Dai leaned in close and whispered in my ear. You'll have plenty of time to sleep when you're dead. Until then, Dining Hall, NOW!Dai dissipated. I jumped out of bed and ran quickly to the Dining Hall. I didn't want the crew to be punished for my lateness- clearly, Dai was not impressed.  I made it to the Dining Hall very short of breath. Everyone was sitting around the Dining Hall table awaiting my arrival. I'm... so... sor- Jordan, where are your clothes? What?!I looked down and saw that the captain was right. I was wearing a singlet and my boxer shorts.  Hahahaha, Monkey! You have to wear your clothes! It's the rules! I, I am so sorry, I just ran... Well, now we all get to see what kind of man you really are. Beatrix smirked playfully while nudging Shizuka to her right. Shizuka was sitting with her hands clasped tightly over her eyes- her cheeks were bright red. I'll just go back and ge- I don't think so, mister!Dai appeared in front of me, grinning like a maniac. You're already late! I won't allow you to keep me waiting any longer!I tried to awkwardly cover myself.  Don't be ashamed, Jordan. That's quite an impressive body you have there. Um... thank you? Katashi smiled playfully as I sheepishly took a seat next to Nikolas. We are all adults here. Let us behave as such. I'm not an adult. I'm five. Melody, you are an honorary adut because you are so mature.Melody smiled proudly at Nikolas before turning to the captain for affirmation.  He is right, you are an honorary adult now. This makes me feel sooooo much better. What does? I remember you being adamant that Melody couldn't play my games because she was a child, but now: problem solved! You know very well tha- Melody, want to have your first adult drink with Dai? Can I?! Mel-The captain tried to intervene but Dai spoke straight over her. Can you? Of course! You're an adult now; you don't have to listen to anyone anymore.Melody's face lit up.  Even you?Dai was taken aback momentarily by the response, before nonchalantly addressing the rest of the crew. Hahaha, kids say the darndest things, huh?Dai turned her attention back to Melody, who was sitting awaiting an answer. You don't have to do what I say, ever. You're free to make your own choices. Really?! Yup. And I'm free to murder you when you disobey me. But.... That's not fair! That's life, kiddo- you're free to choose everything but the consequences.Melody sat quietly, pouting in her chair. Excellent, now that I've dished out some life lessons, let's get to the fun part!Insert explanation of Vampire Children, that we are going to skip as usual by now. After the explanation, the game immediately moves to the next day...[BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe] I just couldn't get settled throughout the night. I kept looking at the clock. 1am, 2am, 3am... it was about 4am when I heard the knock at the door of my quarters.  Jordan, are you awake? Well, if I was, I'm not anymore. If that is the case, I had best let myself in.My quarters door opened to reveal a very lively Nikolas. Looking at him, no one could tell that it was about 4am. I sat up as he made his way over to my bed. 4am, eh? And to what do I owe this pleasure? I wish this visit were out of self-interest. In truth, I came to ask you a favor. A favor? At 4am? Oh, Nikolas, I thought you would never ask.I winked at Nikolas, to which he responded awkwardly in kind.  I wine and dine my dates first, thank you very much.I laughed as Nikolas continued. The captain is fretting over the black hole situation. Ah yes, the black hole... so were you unable to console her? I am merely a medical doctor- and an amazing pianist- thus my counsel has minimal impact.I couldn't help but chuckle at Nikolas's faux modesty. You, however, are a scientist, and because of that your comforting words will carry more weight. So, you want me to cheer the captain up in regards to our slow and inevitable death? Precisely. But do try to be as sensitive as possible. The captain, like yourself, was very close to Yoshiki.I stopped for a moment, recalling the last time I had observed the captain. When we saw the captain during the new game explanation, she seemed completely fine... even more so than usual. She tends to hold it together for everyone else's benefit. She always has. Okay, I will be sure to be even more supportive than usual. Thank you, Jordan.A silence fell over the room. Neither of us said a word for almost a minute.  Well, you had better get dressed. Wait, you want me to talk to her now?! Now.I groaned as I pulled myself out of bed and put on enough of my uniform to satisfy the captain's keen eye for detail. Nikolas placed one of his hands on my shoulder. You are a good kid. Thank you?I shrugged Nikolas off as I wound my way down the hallway and towards the bridge, still rubbing my eyes in an attempt to be one hundred percent awake for the captain. [BGM: With Fear: Hope]  I arrived at the bridge and could see the captain, who appeared to be crying while pacing back and forth near the captain's chair in the center of the room. Um, Captain?She froze in her tracks, quickly wiped her face with her sleeve, and regained her composure in the blink of an eye before turning to face me. Oh, Jordan. Good morning. Why are you awake at 4am? When do you sleep? Interesting question. I've never been asked that before. Like my mother before me, I am a polyphasic sleeper. Um, a what? Hahaha, yes, sorry. I sleep multiple times a day for shorter periods. Where you might sleep for seven or eight hours at once, I will sleep multiple times a day- two hours here, three hours there. Um... why? My mother taught me to sleep like this. She would tell me that the captain does not have the luxury to clock off for the entire night. The ship must always have a captain ready at any moment, and a well rested captain is best, be it at 2pm or 2am. Wow, so you sleep like that so you can be ready for anything? Yes. As the captain, it is my responsibility to take care of this ship and its crew twenty-four hours a day, and sleeping like this is the most effective way to manage my time and cognitive capabilities. Isn't that tiring? To always be on the back foot, waiting? I have never known any different, so I have very little to compare it to. So you've never slept for eight hours? Oh yes, of course I have. Did you prefer that? Given that I was sedated by Nikolas, no. What the heck? Why would he sedate you? I was ill and refused to cease working. He said that he had medicine that would allow me to work better through my illness. I believed him. Then I woke up almost ten hours later. … I was enraged. When I came to, I went to confront him, but Vladimir asked me not to. He explained that everyone was worried, and that he only did it to help. So I let it slide, but told him to never do it again. I can't believe you let him live. He had the best intentions. Plus... can I tell you a secret?The captain leaned in and smiled, whispering quietly to me.  I was so ill, I couldn't have killed him if I tried.The captain pulled away and laughed. From here, it's the same conversation about the black hole that every route has. Therefore, next update will pick up at the start of the next day.
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Oct 11, 2022 19:46
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Okay. I'm making a personal decision here and putting this LP on ice for the foreseeable future, mostly because I kind of had a wakeup call today that LPing this game is loving miserable and the vibe I've been getting from you guys that stuck around is that it's not much more fun to read, either. There's no point in beating around the bush, this VN sucks, and not even in a funny or interesting way like other games like Major/Minor or Pokemon Reborn or so on are because at least those games give stuff worth talking about, this game is just so uninterested in actually doing anything with all of the plot threads or character beats it's introduced and I think realizing that I was slated for like 3 more months of this, minimum, with nothing particularly different happening for most of that time just made it sink in how bad this VN experience is. I knew it was bad before I started, I literally said in the LP before I started that I came out of it feeling shellshocked at how badly it failed at what it set out to do, but I think I also didn't realize how monotonous it would be, practically speaking, because when playing a VN yourself you can skip through dialogue a lot faster than actually having to type it all out by hand. I'm not burnt out on LPing in general or anything, I'm having a blast w/ the other one and I literally already have a backlog of stuff I want to LP that I know is going to be a better experience (for both sides), but I think I was literally lying to myself earlier when I said that the only reason I was still going was because 'the true routes will pick up the pace'. Fun fact about that, I literally started working on the first few updates for that to save time for myself later and realized that THAT WAS A loving LIE, the true routes are just as middling and uninterested with itself for half of the time spent on both sides! I don't want to shut the door completely on coming back and finishing this, but I, for a while now, had already been sitting here going 'do I REALLY want to archive this after I finish? Who would even want to read this again', and that should've been a sign that this VN sucks, lmao. All that time spent and I should've probably instead gone to a VN that's actually interested in telling a narrative instead of durdling for hours and then falling over.  I'll probably stick to just Zodiac Trial (thread here if you missed the post last time, wink wink) for a bit and then start something else. Who knows on this one.Sorry if anyone was legitimately still interested, this thread has been my most viewed LP and it kinda sucks that its on the LP I've enjoyed the least tbh
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Oct 17, 2022 20:32
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also half of the LP experience for this one has been sitting here going either 'wow you guys are writing a much more interesting plot in your heads and i don't have the heart to tell you this is not going to pay off in a way that matters' or 'i literally do not remember if this ever comes up again, probably because if it did it pays off in a completely unsatisfactory way so i just forgot it'
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Oct 17, 2022 20:36
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I completely understand if you wish to drop this completely and never come back to it, I'm just like... profoundly bored with these characters as a result of all the repetition, and not even a ZTD-level mindfuck of a finale could probably say this-which you've all but said this doesn't end in.
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Oct 17, 2022 20:45
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Sad to hear that, but understandable and if you're not having fun, you shouldn't continue. I've been following along and would be interested to find out what, if anything, is the payoff, but at the moment there's not much to say about the story at all, it all follows the tired out "death game. execution scene. talking. death game. execution scene. talking. vampire children. input code. dead now." path forever.
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Oct 17, 2022 20:52
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would you be surprised to learn that the endings you get if you put the code in successfully are pretty much copy pasted for literally every one aside from a different character showing up and then one unique scene each, and that's it? (aside from the true endings, anyway)
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Oct 17, 2022 20:55
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Mix. posted:I think I was literally lying to myself earlier when I said that the only reason I was still going was because 'the true routes will pick up the pace'. Fun fact about that, I literally started working on the first few updates for that to save time for myself later and realized that THAT WAS A loving LIE, the true routes are just as middling and uninterested with itself for half of the time spent on both sides! Oof, I was really hoping there'd be some fun crazy twists and stuff once we finally got past the plot locks, but if it stays like this I'll take your word for it. If you do want to come back to it, maybe just do a Cliff's Notes version of the rest instead of actually plodding through the whole thing? Or just post some little highlights of any remaining scenes that are actually funny? I do still think Dai was fun and deserves a better death game to host. Mix. posted:would you be surprised to learn that the endings you get if you put the code in successfully are pretty much copy pasted for literally every one aside from a different character showing up and then one unique scene each, and that's it? Jesus Christ
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Oct 17, 2022 20:57
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Yeah if this isn't fun for you to do then no need to keep spending your valuable time on it! Thanks for taking it this far. Can you at least give us a treat of sharing whether there's any more ridiculous splash images to enjoy on the way out? quote:If you do want to come back to it, maybe just do a Cliff's Notes version of the rest instead of actually plodding through the whole thing? Or just post some little highlights of any remaining scenes that are actually funny? Yeah this is good too!
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Oct 17, 2022 20:59
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Yeah if you wanna make Quantum Suicide Abridged and just go completely ham on the script and characters I wouldn't mind.
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Oct 17, 2022 20:59
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Junpei posted:Yeah if you wanna make Quantum Suicide Abridged and just go completely ham on the script and characters I wouldn't mind. lmao yes Mix. posted:'wow you guys are writing a much more interesting plot in your heads and i don't have the heart to tell you this is not going to pay off in a way that matters' Holy poo poo I get it now, it's actually some uber-meta 4th wall poo poo where the True Quantum Ending is where we escape to an alternate universe where the story is good
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Oct 17, 2022 21:01
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yeah, i can definitely do a summary or something, that wouldn't be too much issue oh also i haven't mentioned it before but this game is also REALLY messily put together, as in 'sprites break sometimes or show the wrong person/expression for the text', or 'i havent had an update where i didn't have to correct multiple typos/punctuation/...just grammar altogether, in months', and the game also has voice acting that is broken in a way i DO find fascinating but can't really show in a screenshot LP- for whatever reason they didn't properly edit the individual voice lines so there will be times when one line has like 3-5 different readings consecutively because they didn't bother to actually isolate the one take they wanted to use. (not even getting into when the actor read a different line from the dialogue, or the fact that kimiko and dai's VAs change between three different women at times....) also some of the VAs are just uncredited, and the ones that are seem to be random people, possibly just friends of the devs, so I can't even give credit for that, either
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Oct 17, 2022 21:07
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I want to say it's a shame, but I was skimming 90% of the updates at this point. Thanks for putting so much effort into this LP, even if the game didn't really deserve it. There's a lot to be said about the problems with this game, and I've said many of them already, but I think one of the biggest is how much it has failed at being a dating sim despite that being one of the selling points for the game. I haven't really felt much chemistry between Jordan and the other characters in most of the routes. It's like they spend most of their time hanging out with occasional (sometimes zero) mild flirting, then declare their undying love out of nowhere just as the route ends. The 'fanservice' has ranged from cringe to creepy (cooked Katashi, anyone?). The fact that you have to basically do everyone's route to get the code and unlock proper endings diminishes the idea of getting Jordan together with your favourite. Maybe I'll have more complaints if/when a summary is posted, but otherwise I'm glad that there are more LP out there. I'm enjoying Zodiac Trial so far!
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Oct 17, 2022 21:25
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Mix. posted:I knew it was bad before I started, I literally said in the LP before I started that I came out of it feeling shellshocked at how badly it failed at what it set out to do, but I think I also didn't realize how monotonous it would be, practically speaking, because when playing a VN yourself you can skip through dialogue a lot faster than actually having to type it all out by hand. I'm not burnt out on LPing in general or anything, I'm having a blast w/ the other one and I literally already have a backlog of stuff I want to LP that I know is going to be a better experience (for both sides), but I think I was literally lying to myself earlier when I said that the only reason I was still going was because 'the true routes will pick up the pace'. Fun fact about that, I literally started working on the first few updates for that to save time for myself later and realized that THAT WAS A loving LIE, the true routes are just as middling and uninterested with itself for half of the time spent on both sides! As one of if not possibly the only other person here who played through prior to the LP, this echoes my feelings on the LP too. I remembered the unique premise and how I enjoyed the concept it was shooting for, and completely forgot about how much dialogue I was skipping past. Not because I'd seen it before, but because it was obvious where the next plot beat would come from, and so why would I spend ten minutes reading a conversation with Yoshiki when it wasn't going to have any relevance? In addition, as I mentioned in my first post in this thread, the game needs you to do both Jordans' routes in order to access the true ending. It does not tell you this. Imagine being a fan of the genre, going "hey, I can play as a female character, great!" and then bashing your head into a wall trying to find what dialogue tree you didn't explore before you give up and look at a guide and find out that, nah, guess what, you gotta be a guy for a time if you want to experience everything. No bad feelings could possibly happen there, right? Right? It was the most angry a visual novel ever made me for quite some time, and still has second place. Note to aspiring game devs: do not do what QS does. Actually, that applies for a lot of things.
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Oct 17, 2022 21:39
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I'll echo everybody else by saying that I really appreciate the effort that you put into the LP, but I kind of started skimming the updates and/or ignoring the thread to speed through multiple updates at once because they got so repetitive. I thought I remembered saying something along these lines before before and I did:MagusofStars posted:Also, it really feels like we're making zero progress here. These sorts of games are always backloaded into an avalanche, but typically you find plenty of revelations along the way - finding out who a character really is or discovering part of the mystery or etc, even if a particular path is doomed to failure...but I don't really feel like we're getting anything from these paths because of the limited character development. For the record: That was post was four months real time / ~15+ updates ago and we are in almost exactly the same spot. Maybe the game speeds up significantly right near the end, but for the past few months, it's felt like we're running in quicksand. I'll read the short written summary though.
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Oct 17, 2022 22:32
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Yeah, it's not surprising. I'd still love to see the writeup, though. To give faint praise, the idea was very ambitious, the art was, for its genre, excellent, and it was nice to see non-het options in a dating sim. As for everything else: shrug
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Oct 17, 2022 22:33
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I was gonna say we could just skim through this 100s of repeated scenes and skip right to the main routes but apparently even those are plagued with the same lmao. I'd stll be interested in a summary or maybe "greatest-hits" updates where we actually get to solve the mysteries, even if the payoff will be worse than our theories.
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Oct 17, 2022 22:40
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Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing the final outline of the underwheming mess, but don't stress yourself out over it, and also, unclipped VA lines what. That is a new level of jank then what I was expecting.
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Oct 17, 2022 22:44
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TBH, the game was boring even with Dai doing her very, very best. I'm curious about the plot outline, though.
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Oct 17, 2022 23:03
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It's been... interesting learning about the way this game messed up, and thinking about what lessons to take from it for future game design, but yeah, my reaction to updates tends to be a quiet sigh followed by a lot of skimming and wondering if anything will ever happen. A summary of the story and showing off any cool images you want is plenty by this point.
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Oct 18, 2022 00:01
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| # ? Jun 7, 2024 19:00 |
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Mix. posted:would you be surprised to learn that the endings you get if you put the code in successfully are pretty much copy pasted for literally every one aside from a different character showing up and then one unique scene each, and that's it? Haha not surprising at all, this game really had "trying to do too much" vibes to it. Totally get quitting - no point in making yourself miserable for no reason. I really appreciated it though,!
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Oct 18, 2022 01:21
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