Code Realize: Van Helsing Chapters 1-9
Jan. 1st, 2019 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbrMasterlist of Code Realize posts
Me this morning: I'm going to do things today and not just play dating sims!
Me at 3pm: Answered an email, time to smooch the war criminal.
The new stuff during the common route was cute and Van Helsing himself is endearing, but uurgh the path has one of my least favourite tropes :(
Content Note: a mentally ill misogynistic serial killer UUUURGHHHHH
Plus, you know, the hero's a genocidal war criminal, which rationally should bother me more, but hey.
I'm just going to describe stuff that didn't show up in my first playthrough of the Common Route, so I don't reccomend starting here.
I'll use a walkthrough for the common route (Chapters 1-8), still haven't decided if I'll go back to my best judgement after that. I like not getting spoiled, and pondering my choices can be fun, but it makes me ANXIOUS.
Also, before I forget, Cardia's dad Isaac is totally a trans man who cloned himself to make Cardia. (Unless she's made from, like, some tragically dead human daughter or whatever. I GUESS)
I decided to check out Future Blessings (originally a DLC but included in this version for free) and it seems to be weddings for the main 5, and AU stories for Delly, Herlock, and Finis. I'll play that later, but I got to see all the chibis and they're very cute :)
Poor Cardia is so sad at the start :(
Victor <3 <3 Luckily I am super into tsunderes so I expect Van Helsing to win me over.
Interesting, the "correct" choices so far involving other dudes are the nice ones. One of the rude ones leads to an immediate bad end, maybe they're all just for bad ends.
So far I've made exactly the same choices as last time but Van Helsing just showed up in a shower of bullets so hopefully things will get more exciting :)
You know what, Van Helsing is too many letters, I'm following the Japanese lead and calling him Van.
Van: Your first choice as teacher is the man who pointed a gun at you yesterday? You are strange.
Saint-Germain: Everyone under this roof is strange ^_^
Impey: Don't be too tough on her, she's a lady!
Van: I was a Knight. I know how act around ladies and thugs.
Ha the first thing he teaches is the strategic value of running away. Like Victor, he gets a kick out of being called "sensei" (which they translate as "Master" but that's a whole other set of associations), but says he'll be strict.
Van: You can use your poison as a surprise attack in extremis use.
Cardia: Tiramisu?
Van: It's a sort of dessert I've had trouble mak...I said in extremis!
He's generally very impressed at both her physical capabilities and learning ability. Cardia hits all my "AI learns to person" buttons, it's great.
Victor worries that Cardia will get hurt during training and she says pain is a necessary part of it and I'm just...wait...is this going to be one of those paths or am I reading too much into it...
Van: It's fine. I don't recall giving her any serious injuries.
Victor: D:
Van: Today is practical training in fighting an armed opponent. *draws gun* Getting shot counts as a loss.
Cardia: But!
Van: *shoots at her with rock salt*
Every now and then I remember this is the voice of Victor Nikorov and my brain falls over a little.
They have a legitimate fight, and she eventually loses, but he praises her ability to know when she's beaten. And then says he was using less gunpowder than usual so she was never in real danger, aw.
Van: You don't want to rest?
Cardia: Not until I hear you say you give up ^_^
Van: No rest for you, then :D
(yeah I already ship it super hard)
Aw, Cardia is feeling anxious about the train heist so asks Van Helsing if she can help him prepare. She can't, but he invites her in anyway, and talks about how competent they both are.
Cardia: Thank you for reassuring me :)
Van: I wasn't...I was just stating facts >:(
They're both bad at asking for emotional things in different ways, that's cute.
While I wait for the skipping to stop: I looked up the ages. Lupin is 24, Victor is 25, Impey and Van Helsing are 27 and looking up Saint-Germain feels like it would be a spoiler so I didn't. Afaict this means Victor moved to England, trained, proved himself, and was made head of a major English government project all by like 19.
Aw, Delly. I wonder what part he'll play in this route.
Haaa ok, so, first major change asides from just choosing to spend more time with Van Helsing: not trying to stop Victor from trying to turn himself in to save the others. Though Van Helsing himself is against the idea.
I'm reminded what a big part Victoria played in Victor's common route chapter. Which implies Delly being a big part of Van Helsing's path (expected), Nemo of Impey's (it would explain why he has a sprite) and...Finis of Saint-Germain's, maybe? Or Aleister?
"The Bouyant and the Bellicose" (used in the save files) is a cooler chapter name than "Illegal Race" (used on the title screen)
Aww I have to be mean to Impey about his cute story. And this time I SEE THE SECRET AIRSHIP WEAPON. It's what looks like a large canon and a sphere with...a door on it...
Impey tells Cardia to read the manual and run things while he flies the ship.
Van Helsing: What
Saint Germain easily carries the capsule with Van Helsing inside because he is an immortal alien.
Victor and Cardia: Wait, you're going to shoot him out of a cannon? No?
Lupin: Lol.
Impey: It might kill anyone else but since it's Van Helsing it's fine!
Van Helsing: *angry banging from inside capsule*
And while Cardia is hesitating Saint-Germain pushes the button.
Van Helsing is grumpily catapulted into the air above Nemo's ship, and shoots down the cannonballs heading towards him and Impey's ship with his guns, muttering that they'd be lost without him and that Impey is in for a world of pain after this. And then he jumps from ball to ball to get to Nemo's ship and destroy it.
Nemo: I may have lost this round but my soul still burns with a passion for science! You haven't seen the last of me!
Oh look the Elaine flashback TIME TO MAKE DINNER.
Aw had to be kinda mean to Saint Germain too.
Looking for clues in the underground bunker with Van! He thanks Cardia for helping him find this place, and describes them as collaborative partners. He's looking for information on Finis's immortality, and clearly finds reading science papers a lot more boring than Victor did. Cardia wonders what their history is but Van refuses to say, which makes her feel a bit lonely.
The confrontation with Finis in the clone lab goes the same until the point where the LI shows up. But Van Helsing is here to kill Finis, and ignores Cardia.
Cardia: Stop!
Finis: You're all talk. Just do it.
Van Helsing: Before I kill you, tell me why you didn't die before. I blew your head completely off.
Finis: I don't have to tell you anything. And I tire of playing your games.
And then Saint-Germain kills Finis before Van Helsing has the chance.
Van Helsing looks a little sad as he tells Cardia that since his mission is complete, he will soon die at Delacroix's hands, and won't be able to see her quest to the end.
Once again she decides to run away. She thinks of Van Helsing, and wonders if he really has to die. And then...he doesn't show up, and she just leaves!
Chapter 9: Serial Killer
UUURGH I HATE SERIAL KILLERS *opens walkthrough*
We flashback 2 years ago. Delacroix castle is in flames.
Delacroix (the first): Why do you hold back?
Van Helsing: I can't back down. But I will never forget what you did for me.
Delacroix: Save it for after you've defeated me. Let's see how much your human body has mastered the techniques I have granted you.
Van Helsing wakes and thinks "That dream again. I guess it won't fade so easily into the past." But what of his future? Is Finis even really dead? He thinks of Cardia, standing by her brother's corpse. And then he finds out that she's vanished.
Cardia POV. The station attendant tells her the last train to Wales has left, and to watch out for Jack the Ripper...Jack Blackman, who recently escaped from custody. *sets historical accuracy expectations for this plot to zero* Royal Guard Captain Leonhardt is in charge of the search.
Cardia wishes Van Helsing was by her side then scolds herself that she's worthless to him now. Her mission is looking for clues to Isaac. She decides the safest place while she waits for the next train is the busy night markets in Lowtown.
Man: Hey cutie, want to play some naughty games ;)
Cardia: Does he mean gambling? Lupin would have been happy to join in.
I'm still not sure if she knows what sex is, she might just be having trouble with linguistic subtext.
She realises she's being followed, and someone pulls her into a back alley with their gloved hand over her mouth...and it doesn't melt! She smells something sweet and falls unconscious.
She wakes in a sewer, tied up, to the sound of a woman's screams D:
A masked, well dressed man approaches, humming cheerfully and holding scissors. He says the screaming woman (I think a sex worker?) was a purged for being impure, as ordered by God.
Jack: Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. You haven't been tainted yet.
Cardia: That voice...you're the train station employee! Why did you capture me?
Jack: I was ordered to, by someone who saved me from being carted off to prison. They are like an angel sent to show me a beautiful world!
Jack creepily speculates about what she'd be like to murder but resists the temptation. Cardia wonders who would send someone like this after her, and can only think of Finis.
Cardia escapes her ropes, bodyslams Jack, and runs into the sewers. He catches up to her and says she has the smell of someone who has dealt death.
And then Van Helsing shoots him :)
Van Helsing pulls Cardia to his chest (for safety, I'm sure) and asks if she's hurt, then mutters that only she could run away from home and get caught by a serial killer.
Cardia: But why are you here, you don't have any reason to save me.
Which is to say he used Impey's Cardia-poison detection device. Jack, who isn't dead (woe) is the only survivor of the super soldier program "Hidden Strength" from the Vampire War, which made humans stronger but too violent...IS THIS AN EVIL V FROM V FOR VENDETTA?? WHY DO YOU KEEP MAKING CANONICAL ANTI-FASCISTS INTO VILLAINS, GAME.
Cardia feels some fellow feeling with another created being.
Goddd I hate serial killlerrrrs they're so BORING and ANNOYING. Van Helsing why are you using rock salt are you a pacifist now.
Jack: Stop bullying me! You've killed more people than me! It's not fair! ...stop hitting me Mama! I need to kill all the mothers!!
Van Helsing says Jack is living some PTSD nightmare of anger and fear created to keep his powers activated.
YAY MENTALLY ILL MYSOGYNISTIC SERIAL KILLERS MY FAVOURITE SORT
Cardia: Stop! We can take him to the police. You shouldn't have to kill any more.
Van Helsing reloads with deadlier ammo and shoots...the ceiling. And then music starts playing.
Jack: It's that person! Save me!
He runs and they chase him to a room with AZOTH written on the wall in blood??
A recorded, mechanically disguised voice congratulates them for getting past the first obstacle. IS THIS...ANOTHER. FUCKING. SERIAL KILLER??? At the very least it's some serious serial killer aesthetic BLUUUH
Azoth: bluh bluh let's play a game. There will be more incidents until you hand over Cardia. Go back to being a puppet like in the vampire war. You don't want to lose someone precious again.
Van: FINIS D:<
I got so annoyed that I ranted to a long suffering friend for a while and looked up a plot summary. In the process I ended up seeing a bunch of spoilers I have mixed feelings about BUT it looks like there will at least not be too much direct serial killer-y crap for a little while.
Anyway the voice-box explodes destroying all the evidence (and, hopefully, Jack! But probably not)
But Cardia and Van Helsing get out and they're fine.
OK STOPPING THERE FOR THE EVENING BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE PISSES ME OFF.
Me this morning: I'm going to do things today and not just play dating sims!
Me at 3pm: Answered an email, time to smooch the war criminal.
The new stuff during the common route was cute and Van Helsing himself is endearing, but uurgh the path has one of my least favourite tropes :(
Content Note: a mentally ill misogynistic serial killer UUUURGHHHHH
Plus, you know, the hero's a genocidal war criminal, which rationally should bother me more, but hey.
I'm just going to describe stuff that didn't show up in my first playthrough of the Common Route, so I don't reccomend starting here.
I'll use a walkthrough for the common route (Chapters 1-8), still haven't decided if I'll go back to my best judgement after that. I like not getting spoiled, and pondering my choices can be fun, but it makes me ANXIOUS.
Also, before I forget, Cardia's dad Isaac is totally a trans man who cloned himself to make Cardia. (Unless she's made from, like, some tragically dead human daughter or whatever. I GUESS)
I decided to check out Future Blessings (originally a DLC but included in this version for free) and it seems to be weddings for the main 5, and AU stories for Delly, Herlock, and Finis. I'll play that later, but I got to see all the chibis and they're very cute :)
Poor Cardia is so sad at the start :(
Victor <3 <3 Luckily I am super into tsunderes so I expect Van Helsing to win me over.
Interesting, the "correct" choices so far involving other dudes are the nice ones. One of the rude ones leads to an immediate bad end, maybe they're all just for bad ends.
So far I've made exactly the same choices as last time but Van Helsing just showed up in a shower of bullets so hopefully things will get more exciting :)
You know what, Van Helsing is too many letters, I'm following the Japanese lead and calling him Van.
Van: Your first choice as teacher is the man who pointed a gun at you yesterday? You are strange.
Saint-Germain: Everyone under this roof is strange ^_^
Impey: Don't be too tough on her, she's a lady!
Van: I was a Knight. I know how act around ladies and thugs.
Ha the first thing he teaches is the strategic value of running away. Like Victor, he gets a kick out of being called "sensei" (which they translate as "Master" but that's a whole other set of associations), but says he'll be strict.
Van: You can use your poison as a surprise attack in extremis use.
Cardia: Tiramisu?
Van: It's a sort of dessert I've had trouble mak...I said in extremis!
He's generally very impressed at both her physical capabilities and learning ability. Cardia hits all my "AI learns to person" buttons, it's great.
Victor worries that Cardia will get hurt during training and she says pain is a necessary part of it and I'm just...wait...is this going to be one of those paths or am I reading too much into it...
Van: It's fine. I don't recall giving her any serious injuries.
Victor: D:
Van: Today is practical training in fighting an armed opponent. *draws gun* Getting shot counts as a loss.
Cardia: But!
Van: *shoots at her with rock salt*
Every now and then I remember this is the voice of Victor Nikorov and my brain falls over a little.
They have a legitimate fight, and she eventually loses, but he praises her ability to know when she's beaten. And then says he was using less gunpowder than usual so she was never in real danger, aw.
Van: You don't want to rest?
Cardia: Not until I hear you say you give up ^_^
Van: No rest for you, then :D
(yeah I already ship it super hard)
Aw, Cardia is feeling anxious about the train heist so asks Van Helsing if she can help him prepare. She can't, but he invites her in anyway, and talks about how competent they both are.
Cardia: Thank you for reassuring me :)
Van: I wasn't...I was just stating facts >:(
They're both bad at asking for emotional things in different ways, that's cute.
While I wait for the skipping to stop: I looked up the ages. Lupin is 24, Victor is 25, Impey and Van Helsing are 27 and looking up Saint-Germain feels like it would be a spoiler so I didn't. Afaict this means Victor moved to England, trained, proved himself, and was made head of a major English government project all by like 19.
Aw, Delly. I wonder what part he'll play in this route.
Haaa ok, so, first major change asides from just choosing to spend more time with Van Helsing: not trying to stop Victor from trying to turn himself in to save the others. Though Van Helsing himself is against the idea.
I'm reminded what a big part Victoria played in Victor's common route chapter. Which implies Delly being a big part of Van Helsing's path (expected), Nemo of Impey's (it would explain why he has a sprite) and...Finis of Saint-Germain's, maybe? Or Aleister?
"The Bouyant and the Bellicose" (used in the save files) is a cooler chapter name than "Illegal Race" (used on the title screen)
Aww I have to be mean to Impey about his cute story. And this time I SEE THE SECRET AIRSHIP WEAPON. It's what looks like a large canon and a sphere with...a door on it...
Impey tells Cardia to read the manual and run things while he flies the ship.
Van Helsing: What
Saint Germain easily carries the capsule with Van Helsing inside because he is an immortal alien.
Victor and Cardia: Wait, you're going to shoot him out of a cannon? No?
Lupin: Lol.
Impey: It might kill anyone else but since it's Van Helsing it's fine!
Van Helsing: *angry banging from inside capsule*
And while Cardia is hesitating Saint-Germain pushes the button.
Van Helsing is grumpily catapulted into the air above Nemo's ship, and shoots down the cannonballs heading towards him and Impey's ship with his guns, muttering that they'd be lost without him and that Impey is in for a world of pain after this. And then he jumps from ball to ball to get to Nemo's ship and destroy it.
Nemo: I may have lost this round but my soul still burns with a passion for science! You haven't seen the last of me!
Oh look the Elaine flashback TIME TO MAKE DINNER.
Aw had to be kinda mean to Saint Germain too.
Looking for clues in the underground bunker with Van! He thanks Cardia for helping him find this place, and describes them as collaborative partners. He's looking for information on Finis's immortality, and clearly finds reading science papers a lot more boring than Victor did. Cardia wonders what their history is but Van refuses to say, which makes her feel a bit lonely.
The confrontation with Finis in the clone lab goes the same until the point where the LI shows up. But Van Helsing is here to kill Finis, and ignores Cardia.
Cardia: Stop!
Finis: You're all talk. Just do it.
Van Helsing: Before I kill you, tell me why you didn't die before. I blew your head completely off.
Finis: I don't have to tell you anything. And I tire of playing your games.
And then Saint-Germain kills Finis before Van Helsing has the chance.
Van Helsing looks a little sad as he tells Cardia that since his mission is complete, he will soon die at Delacroix's hands, and won't be able to see her quest to the end.
Once again she decides to run away. She thinks of Van Helsing, and wonders if he really has to die. And then...he doesn't show up, and she just leaves!
Chapter 9: Serial Killer
UUURGH I HATE SERIAL KILLERS *opens walkthrough*
We flashback 2 years ago. Delacroix castle is in flames.
Delacroix (the first): Why do you hold back?
Van Helsing: I can't back down. But I will never forget what you did for me.
Delacroix: Save it for after you've defeated me. Let's see how much your human body has mastered the techniques I have granted you.
Van Helsing wakes and thinks "That dream again. I guess it won't fade so easily into the past." But what of his future? Is Finis even really dead? He thinks of Cardia, standing by her brother's corpse. And then he finds out that she's vanished.
Cardia POV. The station attendant tells her the last train to Wales has left, and to watch out for Jack the Ripper...Jack Blackman, who recently escaped from custody. *sets historical accuracy expectations for this plot to zero* Royal Guard Captain Leonhardt is in charge of the search.
Cardia wishes Van Helsing was by her side then scolds herself that she's worthless to him now. Her mission is looking for clues to Isaac. She decides the safest place while she waits for the next train is the busy night markets in Lowtown.
Man: Hey cutie, want to play some naughty games ;)
Cardia: Does he mean gambling? Lupin would have been happy to join in.
I'm still not sure if she knows what sex is, she might just be having trouble with linguistic subtext.
She realises she's being followed, and someone pulls her into a back alley with their gloved hand over her mouth...and it doesn't melt! She smells something sweet and falls unconscious.
She wakes in a sewer, tied up, to the sound of a woman's screams D:
A masked, well dressed man approaches, humming cheerfully and holding scissors. He says the screaming woman (I think a sex worker?) was a purged for being impure, as ordered by God.
Jack: Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. You haven't been tainted yet.
Cardia: That voice...you're the train station employee! Why did you capture me?
Jack: I was ordered to, by someone who saved me from being carted off to prison. They are like an angel sent to show me a beautiful world!
Jack creepily speculates about what she'd be like to murder but resists the temptation. Cardia wonders who would send someone like this after her, and can only think of Finis.
Cardia escapes her ropes, bodyslams Jack, and runs into the sewers. He catches up to her and says she has the smell of someone who has dealt death.
And then Van Helsing shoots him :)
Van Helsing pulls Cardia to his chest (for safety, I'm sure) and asks if she's hurt, then mutters that only she could run away from home and get caught by a serial killer.
Cardia: But why are you here, you don't have any reason to save me.
Which is to say he used Impey's Cardia-poison detection device. Jack, who isn't dead (woe) is the only survivor of the super soldier program "Hidden Strength" from the Vampire War, which made humans stronger but too violent...IS THIS AN EVIL V FROM V FOR VENDETTA?? WHY DO YOU KEEP MAKING CANONICAL ANTI-FASCISTS INTO VILLAINS, GAME.
Cardia feels some fellow feeling with another created being.
Goddd I hate serial killlerrrrs they're so BORING and ANNOYING. Van Helsing why are you using rock salt are you a pacifist now.
Jack: Stop bullying me! You've killed more people than me! It's not fair! ...stop hitting me Mama! I need to kill all the mothers!!
Van Helsing says Jack is living some PTSD nightmare of anger and fear created to keep his powers activated.
YAY MENTALLY ILL MYSOGYNISTIC SERIAL KILLERS MY FAVOURITE SORT
Cardia: Stop! We can take him to the police. You shouldn't have to kill any more.
Van Helsing reloads with deadlier ammo and shoots...the ceiling. And then music starts playing.
Jack: It's that person! Save me!
He runs and they chase him to a room with AZOTH written on the wall in blood??
A recorded, mechanically disguised voice congratulates them for getting past the first obstacle. IS THIS...ANOTHER. FUCKING. SERIAL KILLER??? At the very least it's some serious serial killer aesthetic BLUUUH
Azoth: bluh bluh let's play a game. There will be more incidents until you hand over Cardia. Go back to being a puppet like in the vampire war. You don't want to lose someone precious again.
Van: FINIS D:<
I got so annoyed that I ranted to a long suffering friend for a while and looked up a plot summary. In the process I ended up seeing a bunch of spoilers I have mixed feelings about BUT it looks like there will at least not be too much direct serial killer-y crap for a little while.
Anyway the voice-box explodes destroying all the evidence (and, hopefully, Jack! But probably not)
But Cardia and Van Helsing get out and they're fine.
OK STOPPING THERE FOR THE EVENING BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE PISSES ME OFF.
