Code Realize: Impey Chapters 1-13
Jan. 27th, 2019 07:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I played the start of this before finishing Van Helsing's route, just to make sure it's not about, like, zombies or something (I have trust issues thanks to the unexpected serial killer)
I wasn't expecting to enjoy it that much: Impey's the sort of slightly sleazy and buffoonish but good hearted comic relief character who's perfectly likeable but not really standard romance material. And the romance did not, overall, really click for me, though it had some cute moments and they were endearingly fond of each other.
Also there was, as expected, a lot of Nemo, and he is. SO. ANNOYING.
Some very unfortunate implications were made about genocide and colonisation. But there was a lot of science, and some of it actually made sense.
So....not entirely terrible, overall. But there's a reason I took nine days to finish the damn thing.
I looked for reviews and didn't find anything very illuminating, though at least now I know he doesn't turn out to be a yandere or something. But one spoiler I did get: Impey is a vampire :D I KNEW IT.
Also it looks like Nemo shows up and is a dick uurgh. I'm going to headcanon him as the real Nemo's jerk brother.
I remapped the controls so auto didn't require stretching my finger and it was such a good choice.
I'm curious to see how Impey reacts to Cardia showing interest, he's so flirtatious by default versus everyone else being slow to acknowledge anything romantic because of Reasons. I'm also curious to see how the "Impey says something skeezy and the others intervene, while Cardia is confused" dynamic will play out when they spend time alone...
Time to finally choose to hang out with Impey at the casino, and see how he ends up in the Thames!
Impey: Sorry boys, it wasn't even a competition. I just can't help being a lady magnet ;)
Victor: We were in a contest?
Lupin: He's just acting this way because he's always ignored or mocked.
Cardia: The other two just looked busy...
Impey shows Cardia how to win at slot machines but is put out when she is immediately better at it than him.
Impey: No normal human can do that!
Cardia: By that logic you're not a normal human...
Impey: ANYWAY LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN BEAT THIS EVEN HARDER ONE.
Cardia: I failed. Oh well.
Impey: If I win will you love me?
Cardia: No, but I'll be impressed.
Impey: GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.
And then he PULLS OUT DEVICE THAT LETS HIM CHEAT. He says it's just using his skill to beat a game of skill, but Cardia, me, and the casino security guy standing behind him think differently. SPLASH!
It's interesting seeing Impey unsuccessfully attempt to befriend Van Helsing, now that I know for sure that Impey is a vampire, considering that Van Helsing is best known for murdering vampires (Van Helsing doesn't know Impey's a vampire, he just finds him irritating)
When they're alone Impey tries to impress Cardia and is somewhat flirtatious, but isn't sleazy. He's more of a loud puppy. After his attempts to show off his inventions fails he teaches her to drive and is pretty sweet about it, encouraging her to relax when she gets intense and anxious.
He is, however, quite skeezy in front of the other dudes.
Impey: What should we train for today...Dating tips? Or perhaps something more...stimulating? ;)
Van Helsing: *cocks gun*
He takes her up in his ornithopter...and she only find out when they're high in the air that it's never successfully flown before. But her anxiety evaporates as they enjoy the beauty of the clouds beneath them. Then he hands her the controls, and she enjoys the exhilaration of being in control of such a machine.
His response to compliments from Cardia is either "Yes, I am amazing!" or "So are you falling for me?" which will be interesting when the answer stops being "No." (EDIT: It was not interesting)
Impey: I've never had any formal education, there was just this weird old guy, and he was more of a co-inventor. But I feel like I understand the wonders of science better than anyone else.
INTERESTING: it's the initial meeting and conflict with Delly. Everyone else prefers Cardia to try to persuade him, but Impey prefers her to try to capture him! Cardia tries to bring him down and fails, and Delly counterattacks...only to be blocked by Impey thrusting out his arm.
Impey: Ow! Hey, kid, don't ever attack a lady!
Delly: Why didn't that attack dismember you? Could you be...
Ok this huge, super-powered guy trying to come across as a harmless nerd is pretty cute. If people realise he's a vampire that'll get in the way of him being able to do science!
In the underground clone facility with Impey! He is endearingly excited about all the cool science papers, and Cardia feels like if she's with him, she can handle whatever truth she learns about herself.
She finds a half ripped page about Nemo and a "Nautilus", and Impey cheerfully points out that this may be a lead to learning more about Isaac.
Finis has captured Cardia!
Impey: Princess! Your knight is here!
Finis: I have no idea who you are? Which means you are too insignificant for me to have heard of you.
Impey: I'm Impey Barbicane, and one day I'm going to the moon!
Finis: What you're going to be is dead ;)
Impey: Don't be so sure! I'm pretty strong!
Cardia: No you're not?
Impey: Yes I- just watch! FINIS YOU'RE ABOUT TO PAY A HEAVY PRICE FOR MESSING WITH MY GIRLFRIEND!!
Cardia: I'm not your girlfriend.
Impey: Soon-to-be-girlfriend?
Cardia: No.
Finis: ...
Impey: Someone I care about?
Cardia: Yes, good :)
Finis: Hey >:( I was driving my sister into despair and you ruined it. It's not her true nature to be happy, she is a monster to be cursed and feared!
Impey: Shut up! The only person whose true nature you can understand is your own!
Cardia: Impey...
Impey: Ha! That was pretty deep! Were you moved, Cardia?
Cardia: I was, but you ruined it. Heehee.
Lol, the look on Finis's face at being upstaged by this guy. And then, just as Finis is all "Screw this, I'll just murder you both" he is unexpectedly stabbed by Saint-Germain. IT'S JUST NOT YOUR DAY, FINIS.
I am amused at the parallels between Impey vs Finis and Okita vs Kaoru in Hakuoki (incredibly violent character with the same voice as Impey, similar evil brother)
Impey gets very serious and asks Saint-Germain if he really had to murder Finis.
Saint-Germain: You are a kind soul. But sometimes bloodshed is necessary.
Aww. Cardia doesn't have a problem with murder in principle, but tells Impey that he can be a pacifist, and no power beats his kindness and words. Saint-Germain thinks this is endearingly amusing, and I have to wonder what's going through his head on the other paths considering what I now know of his motivations. Why does he let Cardia live? OR DOES HE JUST KILL HER AFTER THE END OF THE OTHER PATHS??
Cardia is running away. She decides her best lead for finding Isaac is to investigate Nemo. And then Impey shows up and says he's coming too: Nemo has something to do with "the thing he's looking for" (this "thing" keeps being mentioned but I have no idea what it is)
Chapter 9: Steampunk
They meet with a cheerful crimelord who thanks Impey for creating such a spectacle (eg, crash) at the Airship race, and passes on Nemo's details for a bribe. The whole bribe conversation confuses Cardia, especially when the crime boss offers to take Cardia in payment.
Impey: I wouldn't give her away for all the treasure in the world! We're soulmates <3
HMMPH I really want to pick "I'm not property" but have to go for "It made me happy".
Impey: You're happy about being soulmates? YOU'RE PROPOSING?? :D :D
Cardia: No :P Enough joking around, we have work to do.
Impey: Which part of that was a joke...
I honestly don't know how Impey feels about Cardia, surely he didn't ACTUALLY fall in love at first sight?
A distraught Nemo says the sky pirates stole a WORLD CHANGING INVENTION. Impey offers to get it back.
Nemo: You! Are a scientist amongst scientists! My life-long friend and rival!
Impey: I'm an engineer, not a scientist :P
Heh. The science in this game is all ridiculous but congrats to them on getting that bit right.
Cardia and Impey persuade a very shouty Nemo that he will not be an asset on their stealth mission. Impey is very impressed by Nemo's tracking device, it would impress me too if I hadn't seen Impey make a fancier one in the Van Helsing path. ANYWAY.
Aw they both learned infiltration skills from Lupin: Impey distracts the guard while Cardia knocks him out :D Impey is a bit uncomfortable with how good she is at violence. Just as they're sneaking in Nemo shows up with a huge explosion. "Science shall overcome barbarity! My accomplices are in this very room!" And then he THROWS A HANDFUL OF BOMBS
I guess the one good thing about Nemo is that he makes Impey look sensible and reliable by comparison.
Impey runs to cover Cardia, and as he holds her close she's struck by how he really did risk his life to save her like he always said he would. Also by how muscular he is, lol.
Nemo managed to knock himself out so Impey grabs Cardia in one arm and Nemo in the other but they end up surrounded.
Impey: I guess I have to fight :(
Cardia, standing in front of him with a smoke bomb: I'll protect you!
Impey: See, this compassion is why I fell for you <3 But let me try to impress the girl I'm crushing on.
Impey enthusiastically beats the crap out of all the pirates in a matter of seconds using superhuman skill, but as the smoke clears he stops and looks sad.
Cardia: Impey are you...a vampire?
Impey: Ahahaha...uh...yeah >.> A survivor of the pitiful race that almost got wiped out by humanity :( So...are you scared of me now you know I'm a monster?
Cardia: No. You're you. And anyway, you're pretty harmless compared to me :)
Awwwww
He laughs, and then says she's definitely special.
Back at Nemo's cave.
Impey: This is like the inside of a ship...how is something so big stable??
Nemo: You'll see! When I revolutionise the world!
When they ask Nemo about Isaac, he claims to have been Isaac's protege, and his words vaguely remind Cardia of hearing Isaac speak to her.
Nemo: It was too hard to simulate God's ability to create a soul, so he made a soulless monster in the shape of a fake human.
Seeing how upset this makes Cardia, Impey tries to change the subject but Cardia tells Nemo to continue. So Impey just quietly holds her hand.
Nemo: The homonculus is a just a doll, a biocatalyst to create a Philosopher's Stone, since it needed long term mediation with a human life.
Cardia, internally: A soulless doll. A tool :(
Impey: Is it possible to remove the poison?
Nemo: In theory. But no homunculus was ever successfully created.
Impey: Can you, uh, explain anyway?
Nemo: Tomorrow! It's time for rest!
Cardia lies alone in a strange metal room feeling very depressed. Is this pain she's feeling even real? She thinks of the warmth of Impey's hand, and doesn't want the tender emotion she feels to be false. She decides to find him, his voice is the only thing that can silence her doubts.
And then she sees Nemo talking to...a Twilight soldier!!
Nemo: To think the homunculus would come to me of its own accord! We can proceed with the plan!
DAMN YOU NEMO
Cardia: Impey, sorry to barge into your room, but- stop taking off your clothes!
Impey: Just messing with you. Is it about what Nemo said? Nothing will change how I feel about you <3
Cardia: Thank you. But that's not why I'm here!
Impey: Fine. Even if this body melts away, I will live up to your great passion!
Cardia: PLEASE STOP TAKING OFF YOUR CLOTHES. Nemo's with Twilight! We need to-
And then they hear the door lock and Nemo's voice comes on over an intercom...as he releases sleeping gas. Impey holds her close, shouting at Nemo to let them go, and everything goes black.
Chapter 10: Captured
Cardia dreams of darkness, and carrying the weight of someone who died because she loved a monster. She tries to speak but her words are sucked away by the infinitely expanding darkness.
She does not wake in a vacuum, or against Impey's half dissolved body (Does Nemo know how dangerous it is to have Cardia collapse??), so, could be worse?
...but she does wake in chains, alone.
Cardia: Ouch, my boobgem hurts :( *looks down and sees that it's visible, and has had a little bit removed* Oh...that can't be good D: What's going on?!
Nemo: I see you intellectual curiosity has raised a question!
Me: Don't make science communication evil, Nemo >:(
(I'm hoping she's not actually topless, it's just her décolletage showing, but it's not clear)
I find Nemo too irritating to keep track of what he's saying (Impey's apparently fine, though) but then he TAKES OUT A DAGGER AND TRIES TO DIG INTO HER BOOBGEM.
And then the dagger melts lol.
Nemo: It approaches it's final form :D Infinite energy! The creation of souls! Raising the dead :D :D The power to raise humanity to the level of the gods is right in front of my eyes! See the proof: a lifeless doll is speaking to me! Doesn't it fill you with joy?!
Cardia is understandably rather more concerned with what happens to her once the Philosopher's Stone is complete and removed from her body: will she just become the 666th clone corpse? *has Steven Universe flashbacks*
Apparently he proved through "a large scale experiment" that even the tiny part he removed contains massive amounts of energy. He babbles about finishing Isaac's work and just laughs at her questions.
While he's distracted she starts to melt her chains. She is almost overcome by depression about her nature, but thoughts of rescuing Impey keep her going.
Nemo: Now, let me show you the result of my experi-OH NO I FORGOT TO POISON-PROOF THE BINDINGS D:
Cardia: I'm sorry *roundhouse kick*
Haha aww she checks that he's not TOO injured before she runs off. An alarm goes off and the room fills with Twilight soldiers. A burst of pain from her boobgem causes her to fall to the ground, but she manages to escape and make it to Impey, who is overjoyed to see her.
Impey: You put yourself in danger just to save me? I didn't know your love was so strong.
I have the choice of "Yes, it was all for love" and "we're just friends" HMMM LET ME THINK
Impey: Then as a gentleman of love, I shall save you!
Cardia: heehee
I was expecting a little more surprise from him but she seems happy so ok. "I can never tell whether he's joking, but my empty heart feels warmer somehow" Cardia ;_;
Impey: And then when I fix your poison we will make love! I'll have you know I maintain the ladies just as well as machinery ;)
Cardia: Make...love? Uh. Can I take back what I said...
Soldiers approach and alas Nemo DID remember to poison-proof the door. But then Impey and Cardia work together to lure the soldiers in front of the door before he blows it up in their faces! So many good Cardia&LI beat up bad guys as a team scenes in this game and I love every one :D
He explains how he made a makeshift steam gun from his toilet and a spare engine he always carries, then pulls her into a hug.
Impey: Thanks for coming to save me, but especially for being alright. You risked all that danger for love!
Cardia: There wasn't any love, actually...
As they escape some soldiers, Impey says "If you say you love me, I can fly!" and jumps up to knock a steam pipe into their faces.
They come to a thick set of metal doors and try to figure out how to open them. I have a sneaking suspicion that what's on the other side is either the deep ocean or space, so we'll see how that goes...
Nemo: Ha! You tried to harm me but the world wasn't ready to let go of my genius!
Cardia: ...should I tell him I went easy on him...
Impey kicks in the doors, revealing...the sky!
Pfft. Boring. I was expecting SPACE or WHALES or something.
Nemo: THE WORLD WILL BE SHAKEN BY THE GLORY OF SCIENCE WHEN IT BEHOLDS THIS IMMENSE BATTLE AIRSHIP...
Ok, that is kind of cool.
Impey: But the mass of this thing...it doesn't make any sense...unless...
Me: He used a shard of Cardia's boobgem?
Impey: He stole the Gravity Alleviator I've been looking for all this time! I was going to use that to go to the moon!
*mutters about how if everything on the ship has lowered mass they should all be drifting around like paper bags in the breeze*
Nemo: Wait, YOU made it? You're a genius on par with me! (also it was a gift :P) Want to become my right hand man?
Impey: YOU MADE A GIANT WEAPON. WITH A PART STOLEN FROM ME.
Nemo: BUT SCIENCE! WE CAN MAKE A WORLD WHERE SCIENTISTS RULE, FREE FROM PETTY CONCERNS LIKE ETHICS!!
Impey pulls out a pocketwatch-looking thing and frowns in thought. Cardia eventually realises the energy to power all this comes from the shard of her boobgem.
Impey: I built that device to go to the moon, not to hurt anyone! And I REALLY hate guys who thinks it's acceptable to hurt a lady >:( *pulls Cardia close* I'd rather die than cooperate with you!
Then he grips Cardia right and tells her to trust him, before jumping out the door into the sky. They fall, and they're so high up it almost feels like they're floating.
Cardia: Why?? Maybe I'd have died, but you could have been ok!
Impey: So you're saying it would be ok if you died?
Cardia: I was never alive! But you are! You had a future, and dreams!
Impey: You're not allowed to die either. From the moment I saw you I had a feeling I'd fall in love with you. And that's just gotten stronger. When you're sad, I'm ten thousand times sadder. When you smile, I'm ten thousand times happier. I know noone takes me seriously, but I'm serious about this, I swear.
Cardia, internally: This would make me really happy if I wasn't about to die...
Impey: Do you remember? If you say you love me, I can fly.
Cardia: That's impossible.
Impey: One thing is true in both love and science: you never know until you try. Or is it impossible that you love me?
Cardia, for a moment forgetting everything else: I love you, Impey.
And then Lupin shows up in the ornithopter! Haa...Impey put a tracking device on himself and left a note. It was the "pocketwatch" he was looking at before. Aw he even says "I love you" to Lupin (the full aishiteru and everything. Lupin tells him to jump out the door)
But then Cardia's boobgem starts to hurt again, and this time it doesn't stop.
Cardia: I'm...fine...*goes unconscious due to pain*
Chapter 11: Criminal Intent
Cardia lies in bed as Victor explains that the missing chip in her gem has caused its energy to change, and her body can't adapt. The poison in her blood is working against her now and she doesn't have long to live D:
The only cure is to get the piece back (prediction: Impey has to choose between her and his device?) Also her poison is less effective outside her body now.
On hearing this Impey takes off her glove and holds her hand, and the sense of connection makes Cardia cry happy tears.
Victor: That's so dangerous!
Me: Buddy, on your path you KISSED her to test if she was less poisonous.
Lol everyone keeps referring to Nemo as "hentai", which is translated as "whackjob" *snickers*
Cardia: This is a personal problem, you don't have to help.
Lupin: He's planning on taking over the world?
Impey: Hey Cardia, tell them how you got overcome by my studliness when we were alone ;D
Cardia, feeling embarrassed and a bit annoyed: Well...I felt cornered...
Lupin: Ah, he's blackmailing you!
Impey: :(
This is such a weird romance dynamic. I'm not really into it.
And then THE NAUTILUS APPEARS, heading over their house towards London. There's a long description of how huge and overwhelming it is and I kind of feel like the writer's more into the scifi than the romance. I mean, I certainly am...
Nemo, via loudspeaker: SUP LONDON IT'S SCIENCE TIME
Victor and Saint-Germain grimly speculate about what sort of horrors he could achieve with an anti-gravity device.
Nemo: Whoever brings me the girl Cardia within 3 days will receive a high position in my new wold government! If you fail you shall suffer! Like this! *drops bombs*
I think...I preferred...the serial killer...
He's just so ANNOYING and SILLY and yet so AWFUL. I can't take any of this seriously. (I couldn't bear to transcribe the silliness of his dialogue but trust me it is VERY SILLY)
Cardia asks to GO OUTSIDE BY HERSELF FOR A WALK?? WHEN THE WHOLE CITY IS LOOKING FOR HER??? BECAUSE THE SUNSET IS PRETTY???? UUURGH.
Everyone points out that this is KIND OF DUMB and she gets Impey as escort. But it turns out a city full of bombing victims wanting to her hand her over to a terrorist isn't the best place to improve her mood.
She considers turning herself in. COME ON CARDIA. DON'T GIVE INTO HENTAI TERRORISTS. HE WILL JUST DO THIS AGAIN FOR WHATEVER DUMBASS THING HE WANTS NEXT.
She asks Impey and he says basically the same thing, but more gently and with some happy comments on her opening up to him.
When they get back: Sholmes is there! (In case you were wondering, it's pronounced shol-eh-meh) And he's brought Leonhardt and his soldiers, who force everyone to go to the palace! (Except Delly, thanks to Van Helsing pointing out that it's not a great place to bring a (known) vampire. And Sisi, to keep Delly company)
But the Queen says she just wants information on their shared enemy, Nemo. They lie about Cardia's boobgem and Victoria lets it slide.
Nemo: BLAH BLAH BOOM BOOM *shoots down British military airships*
Nemo POV. Yaaaaay :/
Isaac abandoned Nemo after he was expelled from the Royal Academy for ethics violations.
Nemo: Isaac-sensei do you see all this, where-ever you are? Are you impressed? Do you care about me now?
Chapter 12: The Grandest Dream
London has been evacuated, and all the members of Twilight have run off mysteriously. The plan is to have Cardia show up to distract Nemo while Impey etc sneak on board.
Cardia finds Impey going on a late-night walk. He's visiting a bomb-site, and feels responsible for all the violence: it was his invention, and his idea to pursue Nemo. He apologises to the victims, and to Cardia. She says that she, at least, doesn't hold him responsible.
Cardia: You did nothing wrong. And we need to look to the future, not the past.
Impey, stroking her hair, causing Cardia some confusing feelings: Thank you :)
Aw, she tries to persuade him he's allowed to be angry at Nemo. Impey isn't my type of romance lead but he is an interesting character. He says Delly realised he was a vampire ages ago, and asked him to help achieve vengeance against humanity. But Delly's stopped asking for that lately.
Cardia: Why don't you hate humans? They killed all your friends.
Impey: Because there's something I want to do: go to the moon. When I told Delly that, he punched me, haha.
Cardia: Why is it so important to you?
Impey: I'll tell you...if you do one favour for me ;)
Cardia: Ok, whatever you want!
Impey: You need to be more careful. Men are wolves ;)
Cardia: No, you're a vampire :P And I trust you.
And then he starts talking in a gentle, melancholy voice.
He was an unwanted orphan, passed around between relatives, and eventually he built himself a shack outside the village, surviving on charity and the forest. "I don't blame them, I was a pretty gloomy kid." He was so socially isolated he barely knew how to talk. The only thing he liked was the moon, which helped soothe his emotions. Then, one day, he saw the other kids talking about "a monster the humans had built": a train. It lit a fire in his heart. Every day he watched it, trying to figure out how it worked.
There was a weird old man in the village everyone avoided, Impey included. But one day the man saw Impey's attempt to make a model train and said "That'll never work. Want me to show how to make one?"
The old man had been sneaking into human cities to learn about technology, and his dream had been to help vampires develop a scientific foothold on par with humans. But none of the other vampires understood: they considered technology the devil's work.
But he still dreamed of one day making it to the moon, to prove how marvelous science could be. This becomes Impey's dream too, and they start working together to achieve it. For the first time in either of their lives, they had a friend ;_;
(Baby Impey is so cute omg)
Impey: And that's why I'm going to the moon!
Me: Oh no, you skipped the saddest part, didn't you ;_;
Cardia: What's the old man doing now?
Me: Cardia, which bit of all the other vampires died in a tragic genocide went over your head...
The day the old man died, Impey was supposed to be helping with the prototype Gravity Alleviator. His argument that a sufficiently powerful single canon shot would kill someone is valid physics but I am amused that their solution is "a less powerful canon plus anti-gravity" instead of, you know, a rocket.
HUH. So the antigravity involves a mirror version of the Strong Force. They don't call it that, since the Strong Force wasn't postulated or named until the 20th century, but that's clearly what it is. There was definitely a physics nerd involved in writing this game. (Also looking it up introduced me to the alternate name, "Colour Force", as well as "quantum flavordynamics". Physics nerds <3)
Impey takes a moment to try to get Cardia to understand how exciting this all is, I wonder if her eyes were starting to gloss over, haha. I CARE, IMPEY.
Anyway, the day of their first planned antigravity test, Impey excitedly waited at the test site. Then when the old man didn't show up, Impey grumpily walked back to the village, feeling hard done by.
And then he saw the British airship flying over the trees. When he got to the village, everyone was dead, their faces contorted in agony. In his final moments, the old man had written Impey a shaky note: "I'll be waiting for you on the moon. Show them dreams can come true."
;_;
The other survivors blamed human science, and talked about joining King Delacroix in seeking revenge. But Impey didn't feel angry, just sad that science had caused something like this.
And now he wants to show everyone that science shouldn't be used for war, that there's so much more out there, so many more amazing, worthwhile, amazing things.
Cardia thinks about the frustration of seeing the world constantly go down the wrong path and I am having a bunch of ex-scientist feels.
Cardia: You may be the kindest person in the world. I may be just a fake, unworthy of you, but I want to fight by your side.
Impey: What's that about not being worthy? Did you not hear all the times I said I love you?
Cardia: Yes but you also said that to Lupin...
Impey: LOL ARE YOU JEALOUS OF LUPIN OMG. He's a man!
Cardia: If that's important to you, I'm not even a living thing.
*continues to headcanon Cardia as a pansexual who just happens to be surrounded by men*
Impey: Ok I'm going to say something serious, so pay attention. When I found out what you are, I was astounded. Science is what people hope and dream about, and you're a child of science. That makes you 100% pure hopes and dreams. A breathtakingly beautiful miracle.
Aww and then he makes a very sweet and nerdy argument about how nobody understands emotions or the spirit, so for all he knows HE could be a soulless robot. "From an engineer's persective, the results in front of my eyes are everything".
Cardia: But what if Father was right, and I'm a monster...
Impey: People can spend their whole lives trying to understand themselves. Instead, just believe me: I'll accept you, all of you, more than anyone else in the world. I'll love you more than anyone else. By the way, this is me proposing ;) Remember when I asked you for a favour? Will you spend your life with me, loving and being loved by me? We could die tomorrow, so this seemed a good time to ask.
So I checked the walkthrough as more of a nervous tic than anything, and I'm supposed to say no??? The walkthrough says the "yes" response is cute, though, so I'll watch that first.
Aw his overjoyed, surprised reaction is pretty cute. Then he asks her to say "I love you" and gets all blushy and happy.
Now to say no!
Impey: But I won't cheat and I'm a pretty good cook :(
Cardia: It's not that. I just don't want tomorrow to be the end.
Impey: Wow you're manlier than me...but you're right, that was a bad way to propose. Ok, no more words.
And then he gently kisses her.
Impey: New favour: when this is all over, will you travel to the moon with me?
She smiles, and instead of a reply, she gives him a kiss.
Ok, fine, I genuinely ship it now.
Impey: I'm determined to fix all this, but I'm not sure how :/
Cardia: It would be convenient if the Gravity Alleviator would just break down...
Impey: YOU'RE A GENIUS. COME ON, I NEED YOUR HELP.
Chapter 13: Fly Me To The Moon
Cardia wakes up in Impey's workshop. Someone has put a blanket over her shoulders. She was helping Impey work on a mysterious device until dawn. He says it will help attack the Nautilus's hidden Achilles Heel.
Victor expresses worries about Impey's reliability and VAN HELSING defends him (as an engineer and cook and nothing else)
Impey confidently tells Queen Victoria and her generals about his plan, which relies on the fact that the gravity Alleviator is incomplete. He calls Victoria "Vicky" (Victoria-chan) much to Leonhardt's fury. Vicky just laughs and tells him to continue, eyes narrowing with interest as he tries to gloss over "the power source".
Currently the Gravity Alleviator exactly balances gravity. But his device will break the controls and fling the Nautilus into space. (How will they get the gem shard?)
As Victoria frowns in doubt, Cardia steps forward and points out that even if the army can bring down the Nautilus the resulting crash would cause huge destruction.
And since Victoria cares about the fate of London SO MUCH, she agrees. She gives a pretty speech abut how Britain is the most powerful country in the world and has a responsibility to save the rest of the world from Nemo. *mutters about the Victor path*
Victoria: If you can do this, Mr Barbicane, I'll make you a knight.
Impey: No need! I'm already the world's greatest engineer, chairman of the cannon club, and *puts hand on Cardia's shoulder* her knight.
Cardia worries abut Impey sacrificing his dream and friend's final gift when the Gravity Alleviator goes into space and not about how SHE'LL LOSE HER ONE CHANCE TO LIVE.
Impey: I'll just build another one. That old man also gave me the knowledge and heart of an engineer. Those things will live on inside me forever.
And then her boobgem flares with light and pain and she collapses.
Cardia wakes, feeling weak. Victor won't meet her eye. Impey comes in complaining that everyone else stopped him from lying in bed with her.
Victor explains that the boobgem is rapidly losing power, and will become an inert stone within the next day or so D:
Impey: Then it's simple! Come aboard the Nautilus with me and retrieve the shard!
Carida: OK! I was planning on joining you anyway :)
Nemo POV!
He was born as a member of the former royal family of "a country that had been colonized by Britain" (INDIA. YOU CAN SAY INDIA) He moved to Britain, motivated not by a desire for revenge, but by scientific curiosity.
"His mind was already broken when he witnessed Britain's staggering military power and utter destruction. He worshipped the power of science that trampled his subjects and family."
...so they are AWARE of original!Nemo's motivations, they just chose to pervert them :/ I know, I haven't actually read 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, I can't really judge. But afaict they turned someone who was traumatised by colonisation into becoming a sympathetic anti-colonist terrorist and made him someone who was traumatised by colonisation into becoming a villainous coloniser. And that's not great, especially as the only POC in the game.
That said "In the past, Britain trampled over their own people to advance their goals. It should be permissible for him to trample over others to advance science." is pretty good.
And now, after a lifetime of rejection and loss, he feels nothing but a bottomless intoxication born from everlasting omnipotence.
He mutters to himself about an "Asian story" where a lioness forces her cub through an abyssal valley out of love, to make it strong. (If anyone recognises this story I'm curious, google has not helped, even when I tried narrowing it to Japan, India, and China)
Nemo: I understand now, Isaac. You abandoned me because you love me!
Thinking of Nemo as Cardia's weird older brother is...something. Nemo doesn't seem to care about Twilight, Isaac's other focus, but that seems pretty in character.
A put-upon crew-member trepidatiously tells Nemo that the government seem to be accepting Nemo's demands: Cardia has been placed openly in Buckingham palace gardens. The thought that it might be a trap doesn't seem to cross Nemo's mind. But he does think it would be more interesting if they tried to resist.
Victoria POV. She stands next to a handmaid dressed like Cardia. Ooooh. The handmaid is shaking, and Victoria boosts her spirits, then stays in the open to make the soldiers take heart.
Victoria: In war, it is the side whose spirit who breaks first who loses.
POISON GAS ALSO HELPS >:(
The Nautilus stops just above the palace.
Nemo: I am sending down a small ship. Put her inside. And no body doubles, we have a detector!
And so Victoria orders the attack to begin: from guns placed directly beneath the Nautilus. This prevents them from dropping bombs, which could be exploded while still near the ship, causing more harm to the Nautilus than the palace. The power of their own weaponry is working against them.
Victoria laughs...and then so does Nemo, as the Nautilus rises into the air and then shoots the cannons. But Victoria just smiles, knowing that Impey's device has already been shot into the hull. Now it just needs someone to get onboard to activate it.
Cardia POV! She and Impey are preparing to enter a special airship Impey prepared.
Delly: You're both too kind. I doubt you can kill that madman. So I can come and do it for you!
DELLY. YOU ARE TWELVE. (I just checked the wiki, cos they never actually said. And yep! Twelve)
Impey: This isn't about killing Nemo. It's about stopping him.
Delly: You really are nothing like me...but ok. Follow your own path. But don't die. I still have more to tell you and Van Helsing.
The team are running the airship like they did during the race. As they approach the Nautilus they are shot by cannons and Lupin is not happy wth their chances when he's put in charge.
Lupin: Wait, how are we going to retrieve you two?
Me: I had also wondered about that...
Impey: We'll figure something out!
And then Impey picks Cardia up, tells her to hold on tight, and jumps. When they crash into the Nautilus, he dramatically activates his controller...and nothing happens. He tinkers with it for a while but then they have to run from a bunch of Twilight soldiers.
Just as I'm wondering what the hell Twilight's motives are for cooperating with Nemo, Cardia wonders it too.
Note the teeny little blue dot of the gem shard right up the top.
Nemo, with a huge troop of Twilight soldiers: Congratulations! Impey Barbicane, you have joined Victor Frankenstein as the only two I acknowledge as rivals! But you're not as much of a genius as me. I imagine you were hoipng to create a gravity malfunction. But I have installed a magnetic shield :D
Impey: I don't really like fighting, but as your knight I can hardly let the bad guy get away with this.
But Cardia steps forward and takes up a fighting stance.
Cardia:I'll buy us some time. You focus on disabling the Gravity Alleviator. The longer it keeps working, the more casualties there will be.
CARDIA <3
Impey: You're always so willing to protect me. That's what I love about you. But once again, let me show off a little in front of the woman I love.
Nemo: You know, I've looked into your past. Your circumstances are like mine: plagued by inequality, never understood...so why don't you understand me?!
Impey: Because I was never alone!
Wow, ok then :/ Nice moral, Otomate. I stopped hearing Impey as Okita a while ago, but still get reminded of him and his path from time to time and I liked it more :(
Nemo: Yes! A true genius requires solitude!! Your friends make you mediocre!
Impey: Then you're about to lose the work of a mediocre man ;) *presses button on controller*
Noting happens for a moment...and then the whole room shakes as the Nautilus starts to ascend.
Nemo: All my dreams, ruined D: SO BE IT. SHOOT THEM AND THE DEVICE!!
Cardia is too weak to dodge. But Impey jumps to block the bullets, and then falls bleeding to the floor.
...and then he gets up, wiping the fake blood from his bulletproof vest.
Impey: Science isn't for hurting people, it's for making the impossible possible! And not for brats throwing a tantrum for attention! *kicks Nemo in the damn face*
Impey: I'm sorry, Nautilus, the boobgem isn't for you. It's for the miracle of science and people's dreams! And to keep the person I care most about alive!
He climbs to the top of the machine and pushes against a powerful forcefield towards the gem shard, his skin blistering from the poison. He grabs it, then falls to the ground, barely conscious.
Impey: Cardia...I got you a present...
She guides his hand towards her chest. She feels the gem reform, and her strength returns at last.
Nemo POV. He sets off a self destruct device attached to the Gravity Alleviator.
Nemo: Without the Gravity Alleviator this ship will crash right into Buckingham Palace :D
Me: No great loss.
His last thought as a piece of falling debris kills him is "I just wanted someone to-"
Impey: Cardia! Go find an escape pod! I'll try to steer the ship away from the palace, then meet up with you!
Haaa my choices are "Stay with him" and "Have faith in Impey". Apparently both lead to good ends but "Stay with him" is the true end.
Cardia: You promised you would never leave me. Either we both survive, or I die by your side. Those are my only options.
Impey: Then I only have one choice, to survive with the one I love :) Let's aim for the Thames!
It's touch and go, but they land safely. As they stand on the windy deck, watching the dawn, Impey says this is the first time he's ever been in love.
cardia: Me too, so as first-timers we should get along well together :)
And then Impey gives her one last kiss, before her poison comes back.
End credits!
It's a year later. London has rebuilt and the horrors are starting to fade from people's minds.
Once again, the rest of the team has left. Impey had the idea that Van Helsing should swear loyalty as a subject of Delly, so I guess he's an honourary vampire now? Delly is working to create a place the vampires can call their own.
Victor is "looking for something" and is running a clinic in the poor area. And Lupin is looking into Isaac's terrorist plans. GUESS I'LL LEARN ABOUT THAT SOON. She mentions that they still don't know why Nemo and Twilight were working together PLEASE LET NEMO NOT COME BACK.
Ahaha apparently Lupin got sick of not making any progress and teamed up with Sholmes. *ships it a little*
Tonight everyone is coming back for a party. Just as Cardia's wondering where Impey is she hear a loud explosion from his workshop and runs to check on him.
Impey: A beautiful woman emerges from the smoke...I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!
Cardia: No but seriously, why did your workshop explode. Are you alright?
Impey: There's this pain in my chest...
Cardia, rubbing his back in panic: IS IT YOUR LUNGS??
Impey: IT'S MY PASSIONATE LOVE FOR YOU
Cardia grumbles internally at how he hasn't changed since they met but now she can't stay mad.
He's working on a moon...rocket! THE NEXT STAGE AFTER ANTI-GRAVITY, I GUESS.
Impey: Everyone in London will look up and see the power of science!
Me: I feel like...they have had their fill of that...
Cardia and Impey fire it together, and watch as the bright rocket flies towards the moon. And then he asks her to marry him, a tangible promise that he'll never let her go.
Even when they reach the moon, they will find a new dream to chase. And she'll walk towards her dreams with the man she loves.
THE END
And Lupin's route has been unlocked!
Hmm. I mean I liked some of that a lot, and the ending was cute. But I was bored or irritated for an unfortunately large chunk of it. Still, I ended up shipping it and convinced they'd be happy together. The parts I didn't like seem a lot shorter looking back, but I think that's partly because I was too annoyed to summarise them in detail.
I know not everyone likes their love interests to be wracked with self doubt, but *flails vaguely in the direction of explaining why the dynamic felt off*. At least Harada from Hakuoki's certainty that the MC was into him had a solid basis in reality. On the other hand, Impey had a little "cute, misunderstood woobie noone takes seriously" appeal.
I may have to steal "comic relief character with secret superpowers whines humourously about being hurt to distract from the fact that the blow should logically have killed them". It's a little Clark Kent if you didn't know Clark was (a)Superman or (b) the protagonist. And Cardia's "Am I even a person?" angst was A+.
I understand why we don't see Van Helsing and Victor react to finding out that Impey is a vampire but I'd be curious to see it, especially given Victor and Impey's shared unhappiness with their inventions being used for war.
The LI being a pacifist vampire who hates fighting more than Cardia would have been more charming if he hadn't been so paternalistically determined to do all the fighting for her anyway.
Extra Scene! LET'S SEE HOW NAKED THEY GET THIS ONE.
It's a hot day some time after Cardia has been living with Impey. By coincidence, I seemed to have played these in roughly chronological order.
Impey is playing catch with Sisi. This is the result of a long process of Cardia helping Impey become Sisi's friend.
Strategy One: Pretend to be Cardia. Cardia calls Sisi from behind Impey. Result: Sisi ignores Impey and runs around to Cardia.
Strategy Two: Pretend to be a dog, wearing a dog suit?? Result: Sisi bites Impey.
Strategy Three: Smell like Sisi's favourite food. Result: Sisi tries to eat Impey.
But after that they did get closer. Cardia suspects Sisi sees him as a toy now.
Impey: It's so hot! That myth humans believe about vampires hating the sun is true right now! But I have a solution!
He brings out a hose machine...thing?
Impey: Might as well take my clothes off before the water comes out!
Cardia: Should I take off my clothes too?
Impey: o.O :D ...buuut that's probably a bad idea in front of me.
Ok, he's not actually naked, just topless (and covered with water, next to a happy dog, because Otomate knows how to make fanservicey CGs) He cheerfully paints a word picture of how hot Cardia looks soaked with water, and Sisi growls.
Impey: Just kidding, Sisi-Sensei!
And then he sprays water into the air to create a rainbow. Cardia thinks it's like a reflection of his heart, and the most beautiful rainbow she's ever seen.
Here's all his CGs, they're pretty cute and less violent than some of the others.
I played the start of this before finishing Van Helsing's route, just to make sure it's not about, like, zombies or something (I have trust issues thanks to the unexpected serial killer)
I wasn't expecting to enjoy it that much: Impey's the sort of slightly sleazy and buffoonish but good hearted comic relief character who's perfectly likeable but not really standard romance material. And the romance did not, overall, really click for me, though it had some cute moments and they were endearingly fond of each other.
Also there was, as expected, a lot of Nemo, and he is. SO. ANNOYING.
Some very unfortunate implications were made about genocide and colonisation. But there was a lot of science, and some of it actually made sense.
So....not entirely terrible, overall. But there's a reason I took nine days to finish the damn thing.
I looked for reviews and didn't find anything very illuminating, though at least now I know he doesn't turn out to be a yandere or something. But one spoiler I did get: Impey is a vampire :D I KNEW IT.
Also it looks like Nemo shows up and is a dick uurgh. I'm going to headcanon him as the real Nemo's jerk brother.
I remapped the controls so auto didn't require stretching my finger and it was such a good choice.
I'm curious to see how Impey reacts to Cardia showing interest, he's so flirtatious by default versus everyone else being slow to acknowledge anything romantic because of Reasons. I'm also curious to see how the "Impey says something skeezy and the others intervene, while Cardia is confused" dynamic will play out when they spend time alone...
Time to finally choose to hang out with Impey at the casino, and see how he ends up in the Thames!
Impey: Sorry boys, it wasn't even a competition. I just can't help being a lady magnet ;)
Victor: We were in a contest?
Lupin: He's just acting this way because he's always ignored or mocked.
Cardia: The other two just looked busy...
Impey shows Cardia how to win at slot machines but is put out when she is immediately better at it than him.
Impey: No normal human can do that!
Cardia: By that logic you're not a normal human...
Impey: ANYWAY LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN BEAT THIS EVEN HARDER ONE.
Cardia: I failed. Oh well.
Impey: If I win will you love me?
Cardia: No, but I'll be impressed.
Impey: GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.
And then he PULLS OUT DEVICE THAT LETS HIM CHEAT. He says it's just using his skill to beat a game of skill, but Cardia, me, and the casino security guy standing behind him think differently. SPLASH!
It's interesting seeing Impey unsuccessfully attempt to befriend Van Helsing, now that I know for sure that Impey is a vampire, considering that Van Helsing is best known for murdering vampires (Van Helsing doesn't know Impey's a vampire, he just finds him irritating)
When they're alone Impey tries to impress Cardia and is somewhat flirtatious, but isn't sleazy. He's more of a loud puppy. After his attempts to show off his inventions fails he teaches her to drive and is pretty sweet about it, encouraging her to relax when she gets intense and anxious.
He is, however, quite skeezy in front of the other dudes.
Impey: What should we train for today...Dating tips? Or perhaps something more...stimulating? ;)
Van Helsing: *cocks gun*
He takes her up in his ornithopter...and she only find out when they're high in the air that it's never successfully flown before. But her anxiety evaporates as they enjoy the beauty of the clouds beneath them. Then he hands her the controls, and she enjoys the exhilaration of being in control of such a machine.
His response to compliments from Cardia is either "Yes, I am amazing!" or "So are you falling for me?" which will be interesting when the answer stops being "No." (EDIT: It was not interesting)
Impey: I've never had any formal education, there was just this weird old guy, and he was more of a co-inventor. But I feel like I understand the wonders of science better than anyone else.
INTERESTING: it's the initial meeting and conflict with Delly. Everyone else prefers Cardia to try to persuade him, but Impey prefers her to try to capture him! Cardia tries to bring him down and fails, and Delly counterattacks...only to be blocked by Impey thrusting out his arm.
Impey: Ow! Hey, kid, don't ever attack a lady!
Delly: Why didn't that attack dismember you? Could you be...
Ok this huge, super-powered guy trying to come across as a harmless nerd is pretty cute. If people realise he's a vampire that'll get in the way of him being able to do science!
In the underground clone facility with Impey! He is endearingly excited about all the cool science papers, and Cardia feels like if she's with him, she can handle whatever truth she learns about herself.
She finds a half ripped page about Nemo and a "Nautilus", and Impey cheerfully points out that this may be a lead to learning more about Isaac.
Finis has captured Cardia!
Impey: Princess! Your knight is here!
Finis: I have no idea who you are? Which means you are too insignificant for me to have heard of you.
Impey: I'm Impey Barbicane, and one day I'm going to the moon!
Finis: What you're going to be is dead ;)
Impey: Don't be so sure! I'm pretty strong!
Cardia: No you're not?
Impey: Yes I- just watch! FINIS YOU'RE ABOUT TO PAY A HEAVY PRICE FOR MESSING WITH MY GIRLFRIEND!!
Cardia: I'm not your girlfriend.
Impey: Soon-to-be-girlfriend?
Cardia: No.
Finis: ...
Impey: Someone I care about?
Cardia: Yes, good :)
Finis: Hey >:( I was driving my sister into despair and you ruined it. It's not her true nature to be happy, she is a monster to be cursed and feared!
Impey: Shut up! The only person whose true nature you can understand is your own!
Cardia: Impey...
Impey: Ha! That was pretty deep! Were you moved, Cardia?
Cardia: I was, but you ruined it. Heehee.
Lol, the look on Finis's face at being upstaged by this guy. And then, just as Finis is all "Screw this, I'll just murder you both" he is unexpectedly stabbed by Saint-Germain. IT'S JUST NOT YOUR DAY, FINIS.
I am amused at the parallels between Impey vs Finis and Okita vs Kaoru in Hakuoki (incredibly violent character with the same voice as Impey, similar evil brother)
Impey gets very serious and asks Saint-Germain if he really had to murder Finis.
Saint-Germain: You are a kind soul. But sometimes bloodshed is necessary.
Aww. Cardia doesn't have a problem with murder in principle, but tells Impey that he can be a pacifist, and no power beats his kindness and words. Saint-Germain thinks this is endearingly amusing, and I have to wonder what's going through his head on the other paths considering what I now know of his motivations. Why does he let Cardia live? OR DOES HE JUST KILL HER AFTER THE END OF THE OTHER PATHS??
Cardia is running away. She decides her best lead for finding Isaac is to investigate Nemo. And then Impey shows up and says he's coming too: Nemo has something to do with "the thing he's looking for" (this "thing" keeps being mentioned but I have no idea what it is)
Chapter 9: Steampunk
They meet with a cheerful crimelord who thanks Impey for creating such a spectacle (eg, crash) at the Airship race, and passes on Nemo's details for a bribe. The whole bribe conversation confuses Cardia, especially when the crime boss offers to take Cardia in payment.
Impey: I wouldn't give her away for all the treasure in the world! We're soulmates <3
HMMPH I really want to pick "I'm not property" but have to go for "It made me happy".
Impey: You're happy about being soulmates? YOU'RE PROPOSING?? :D :D
Cardia: No :P Enough joking around, we have work to do.
Impey: Which part of that was a joke...
I honestly don't know how Impey feels about Cardia, surely he didn't ACTUALLY fall in love at first sight?
A distraught Nemo says the sky pirates stole a WORLD CHANGING INVENTION. Impey offers to get it back.
Nemo: You! Are a scientist amongst scientists! My life-long friend and rival!
Impey: I'm an engineer, not a scientist :P
Heh. The science in this game is all ridiculous but congrats to them on getting that bit right.
Cardia and Impey persuade a very shouty Nemo that he will not be an asset on their stealth mission. Impey is very impressed by Nemo's tracking device, it would impress me too if I hadn't seen Impey make a fancier one in the Van Helsing path. ANYWAY.
Aw they both learned infiltration skills from Lupin: Impey distracts the guard while Cardia knocks him out :D Impey is a bit uncomfortable with how good she is at violence. Just as they're sneaking in Nemo shows up with a huge explosion. "Science shall overcome barbarity! My accomplices are in this very room!" And then he THROWS A HANDFUL OF BOMBS
I guess the one good thing about Nemo is that he makes Impey look sensible and reliable by comparison.
Impey runs to cover Cardia, and as he holds her close she's struck by how he really did risk his life to save her like he always said he would. Also by how muscular he is, lol.
Nemo managed to knock himself out so Impey grabs Cardia in one arm and Nemo in the other but they end up surrounded.
Impey: I guess I have to fight :(
Cardia, standing in front of him with a smoke bomb: I'll protect you!
Impey: See, this compassion is why I fell for you <3 But let me try to impress the girl I'm crushing on.
Impey enthusiastically beats the crap out of all the pirates in a matter of seconds using superhuman skill, but as the smoke clears he stops and looks sad.
Cardia: Impey are you...a vampire?
Impey: Ahahaha...uh...yeah >.> A survivor of the pitiful race that almost got wiped out by humanity :( So...are you scared of me now you know I'm a monster?
Cardia: No. You're you. And anyway, you're pretty harmless compared to me :)
Awwwww
He laughs, and then says she's definitely special.
Back at Nemo's cave.
Impey: This is like the inside of a ship...how is something so big stable??
Nemo: You'll see! When I revolutionise the world!
When they ask Nemo about Isaac, he claims to have been Isaac's protege, and his words vaguely remind Cardia of hearing Isaac speak to her.
Nemo: It was too hard to simulate God's ability to create a soul, so he made a soulless monster in the shape of a fake human.
Seeing how upset this makes Cardia, Impey tries to change the subject but Cardia tells Nemo to continue. So Impey just quietly holds her hand.
Nemo: The homonculus is a just a doll, a biocatalyst to create a Philosopher's Stone, since it needed long term mediation with a human life.
Cardia, internally: A soulless doll. A tool :(
Impey: Is it possible to remove the poison?
Nemo: In theory. But no homunculus was ever successfully created.
Impey: Can you, uh, explain anyway?
Nemo: Tomorrow! It's time for rest!
Cardia lies alone in a strange metal room feeling very depressed. Is this pain she's feeling even real? She thinks of the warmth of Impey's hand, and doesn't want the tender emotion she feels to be false. She decides to find him, his voice is the only thing that can silence her doubts.
And then she sees Nemo talking to...a Twilight soldier!!
Nemo: To think the homunculus would come to me of its own accord! We can proceed with the plan!
DAMN YOU NEMO
Cardia: Impey, sorry to barge into your room, but- stop taking off your clothes!
Impey: Just messing with you. Is it about what Nemo said? Nothing will change how I feel about you <3
Cardia: Thank you. But that's not why I'm here!
Impey: Fine. Even if this body melts away, I will live up to your great passion!
Cardia: PLEASE STOP TAKING OFF YOUR CLOTHES. Nemo's with Twilight! We need to-
And then they hear the door lock and Nemo's voice comes on over an intercom...as he releases sleeping gas. Impey holds her close, shouting at Nemo to let them go, and everything goes black.
Chapter 10: Captured
Cardia dreams of darkness, and carrying the weight of someone who died because she loved a monster. She tries to speak but her words are sucked away by the infinitely expanding darkness.
She does not wake in a vacuum, or against Impey's half dissolved body (Does Nemo know how dangerous it is to have Cardia collapse??), so, could be worse?
...but she does wake in chains, alone.
Cardia: Ouch, my boobgem hurts :( *looks down and sees that it's visible, and has had a little bit removed* Oh...that can't be good D: What's going on?!
Nemo: I see you intellectual curiosity has raised a question!
Me: Don't make science communication evil, Nemo >:(
(I'm hoping she's not actually topless, it's just her décolletage showing, but it's not clear)
I find Nemo too irritating to keep track of what he's saying (Impey's apparently fine, though) but then he TAKES OUT A DAGGER AND TRIES TO DIG INTO HER BOOBGEM.
And then the dagger melts lol.
Nemo: It approaches it's final form :D Infinite energy! The creation of souls! Raising the dead :D :D The power to raise humanity to the level of the gods is right in front of my eyes! See the proof: a lifeless doll is speaking to me! Doesn't it fill you with joy?!
Cardia is understandably rather more concerned with what happens to her once the Philosopher's Stone is complete and removed from her body: will she just become the 666th clone corpse? *has Steven Universe flashbacks*
Apparently he proved through "a large scale experiment" that even the tiny part he removed contains massive amounts of energy. He babbles about finishing Isaac's work and just laughs at her questions.
While he's distracted she starts to melt her chains. She is almost overcome by depression about her nature, but thoughts of rescuing Impey keep her going.
Nemo: Now, let me show you the result of my experi-OH NO I FORGOT TO POISON-PROOF THE BINDINGS D:
Cardia: I'm sorry *roundhouse kick*
Haha aww she checks that he's not TOO injured before she runs off. An alarm goes off and the room fills with Twilight soldiers. A burst of pain from her boobgem causes her to fall to the ground, but she manages to escape and make it to Impey, who is overjoyed to see her.
Impey: You put yourself in danger just to save me? I didn't know your love was so strong.
I have the choice of "Yes, it was all for love" and "we're just friends" HMMM LET ME THINK
Impey: Then as a gentleman of love, I shall save you!
Cardia: heehee
I was expecting a little more surprise from him but she seems happy so ok. "I can never tell whether he's joking, but my empty heart feels warmer somehow" Cardia ;_;
Impey: And then when I fix your poison we will make love! I'll have you know I maintain the ladies just as well as machinery ;)
Cardia: Make...love? Uh. Can I take back what I said...
Soldiers approach and alas Nemo DID remember to poison-proof the door. But then Impey and Cardia work together to lure the soldiers in front of the door before he blows it up in their faces! So many good Cardia&LI beat up bad guys as a team scenes in this game and I love every one :D
He explains how he made a makeshift steam gun from his toilet and a spare engine he always carries, then pulls her into a hug.
Impey: Thanks for coming to save me, but especially for being alright. You risked all that danger for love!
Cardia: There wasn't any love, actually...
As they escape some soldiers, Impey says "If you say you love me, I can fly!" and jumps up to knock a steam pipe into their faces.
They come to a thick set of metal doors and try to figure out how to open them. I have a sneaking suspicion that what's on the other side is either the deep ocean or space, so we'll see how that goes...
Nemo: Ha! You tried to harm me but the world wasn't ready to let go of my genius!
Cardia: ...should I tell him I went easy on him...
Impey kicks in the doors, revealing...the sky!
Pfft. Boring. I was expecting SPACE or WHALES or something.
Nemo: THE WORLD WILL BE SHAKEN BY THE GLORY OF SCIENCE WHEN IT BEHOLDS THIS IMMENSE BATTLE AIRSHIP...
Ok, that is kind of cool.
Impey: But the mass of this thing...it doesn't make any sense...unless...
Me: He used a shard of Cardia's boobgem?
Impey: He stole the Gravity Alleviator I've been looking for all this time! I was going to use that to go to the moon!
*mutters about how if everything on the ship has lowered mass they should all be drifting around like paper bags in the breeze*
Nemo: Wait, YOU made it? You're a genius on par with me! (also it was a gift :P) Want to become my right hand man?
Impey: YOU MADE A GIANT WEAPON. WITH A PART STOLEN FROM ME.
Nemo: BUT SCIENCE! WE CAN MAKE A WORLD WHERE SCIENTISTS RULE, FREE FROM PETTY CONCERNS LIKE ETHICS!!
Impey pulls out a pocketwatch-looking thing and frowns in thought. Cardia eventually realises the energy to power all this comes from the shard of her boobgem.
Impey: I built that device to go to the moon, not to hurt anyone! And I REALLY hate guys who thinks it's acceptable to hurt a lady >:( *pulls Cardia close* I'd rather die than cooperate with you!
Then he grips Cardia right and tells her to trust him, before jumping out the door into the sky. They fall, and they're so high up it almost feels like they're floating.
Cardia: Why?? Maybe I'd have died, but you could have been ok!
Impey: So you're saying it would be ok if you died?
Cardia: I was never alive! But you are! You had a future, and dreams!
Impey: You're not allowed to die either. From the moment I saw you I had a feeling I'd fall in love with you. And that's just gotten stronger. When you're sad, I'm ten thousand times sadder. When you smile, I'm ten thousand times happier. I know noone takes me seriously, but I'm serious about this, I swear.
Cardia, internally: This would make me really happy if I wasn't about to die...
Impey: Do you remember? If you say you love me, I can fly.
Cardia: That's impossible.
Impey: One thing is true in both love and science: you never know until you try. Or is it impossible that you love me?
Cardia, for a moment forgetting everything else: I love you, Impey.
And then Lupin shows up in the ornithopter! Haa...Impey put a tracking device on himself and left a note. It was the "pocketwatch" he was looking at before. Aw he even says "I love you" to Lupin (the full aishiteru and everything. Lupin tells him to jump out the door)
But then Cardia's boobgem starts to hurt again, and this time it doesn't stop.
Cardia: I'm...fine...*goes unconscious due to pain*
Chapter 11: Criminal Intent
Cardia lies in bed as Victor explains that the missing chip in her gem has caused its energy to change, and her body can't adapt. The poison in her blood is working against her now and she doesn't have long to live D:
The only cure is to get the piece back (prediction: Impey has to choose between her and his device?) Also her poison is less effective outside her body now.
On hearing this Impey takes off her glove and holds her hand, and the sense of connection makes Cardia cry happy tears.
Victor: That's so dangerous!
Me: Buddy, on your path you KISSED her to test if she was less poisonous.
Lol everyone keeps referring to Nemo as "hentai", which is translated as "whackjob" *snickers*
Cardia: This is a personal problem, you don't have to help.
Lupin: He's planning on taking over the world?
Impey: Hey Cardia, tell them how you got overcome by my studliness when we were alone ;D
Cardia, feeling embarrassed and a bit annoyed: Well...I felt cornered...
Lupin: Ah, he's blackmailing you!
Impey: :(
This is such a weird romance dynamic. I'm not really into it.
And then THE NAUTILUS APPEARS, heading over their house towards London. There's a long description of how huge and overwhelming it is and I kind of feel like the writer's more into the scifi than the romance. I mean, I certainly am...
Nemo, via loudspeaker: SUP LONDON IT'S SCIENCE TIME
Victor and Saint-Germain grimly speculate about what sort of horrors he could achieve with an anti-gravity device.
Nemo: Whoever brings me the girl Cardia within 3 days will receive a high position in my new wold government! If you fail you shall suffer! Like this! *drops bombs*
I think...I preferred...the serial killer...
He's just so ANNOYING and SILLY and yet so AWFUL. I can't take any of this seriously. (I couldn't bear to transcribe the silliness of his dialogue but trust me it is VERY SILLY)
Cardia asks to GO OUTSIDE BY HERSELF FOR A WALK?? WHEN THE WHOLE CITY IS LOOKING FOR HER??? BECAUSE THE SUNSET IS PRETTY???? UUURGH.
Everyone points out that this is KIND OF DUMB and she gets Impey as escort. But it turns out a city full of bombing victims wanting to her hand her over to a terrorist isn't the best place to improve her mood.
She considers turning herself in. COME ON CARDIA. DON'T GIVE INTO HENTAI TERRORISTS. HE WILL JUST DO THIS AGAIN FOR WHATEVER DUMBASS THING HE WANTS NEXT.
She asks Impey and he says basically the same thing, but more gently and with some happy comments on her opening up to him.
When they get back: Sholmes is there! (In case you were wondering, it's pronounced shol-eh-meh) And he's brought Leonhardt and his soldiers, who force everyone to go to the palace! (Except Delly, thanks to Van Helsing pointing out that it's not a great place to bring a (known) vampire. And Sisi, to keep Delly company)
But the Queen says she just wants information on their shared enemy, Nemo. They lie about Cardia's boobgem and Victoria lets it slide.
Nemo: BLAH BLAH BOOM BOOM *shoots down British military airships*
Nemo POV. Yaaaaay :/
Isaac abandoned Nemo after he was expelled from the Royal Academy for ethics violations.
Nemo: Isaac-sensei do you see all this, where-ever you are? Are you impressed? Do you care about me now?
Chapter 12: The Grandest Dream
London has been evacuated, and all the members of Twilight have run off mysteriously. The plan is to have Cardia show up to distract Nemo while Impey etc sneak on board.
Cardia finds Impey going on a late-night walk. He's visiting a bomb-site, and feels responsible for all the violence: it was his invention, and his idea to pursue Nemo. He apologises to the victims, and to Cardia. She says that she, at least, doesn't hold him responsible.
Cardia: You did nothing wrong. And we need to look to the future, not the past.
Impey, stroking her hair, causing Cardia some confusing feelings: Thank you :)
Aw, she tries to persuade him he's allowed to be angry at Nemo. Impey isn't my type of romance lead but he is an interesting character. He says Delly realised he was a vampire ages ago, and asked him to help achieve vengeance against humanity. But Delly's stopped asking for that lately.
Cardia: Why don't you hate humans? They killed all your friends.
Impey: Because there's something I want to do: go to the moon. When I told Delly that, he punched me, haha.
Cardia: Why is it so important to you?
Impey: I'll tell you...if you do one favour for me ;)
Cardia: Ok, whatever you want!
Impey: You need to be more careful. Men are wolves ;)
Cardia: No, you're a vampire :P And I trust you.
And then he starts talking in a gentle, melancholy voice.
He was an unwanted orphan, passed around between relatives, and eventually he built himself a shack outside the village, surviving on charity and the forest. "I don't blame them, I was a pretty gloomy kid." He was so socially isolated he barely knew how to talk. The only thing he liked was the moon, which helped soothe his emotions. Then, one day, he saw the other kids talking about "a monster the humans had built": a train. It lit a fire in his heart. Every day he watched it, trying to figure out how it worked.
There was a weird old man in the village everyone avoided, Impey included. But one day the man saw Impey's attempt to make a model train and said "That'll never work. Want me to show how to make one?"
The old man had been sneaking into human cities to learn about technology, and his dream had been to help vampires develop a scientific foothold on par with humans. But none of the other vampires understood: they considered technology the devil's work.
But he still dreamed of one day making it to the moon, to prove how marvelous science could be. This becomes Impey's dream too, and they start working together to achieve it. For the first time in either of their lives, they had a friend ;_;
(Baby Impey is so cute omg)
Impey: And that's why I'm going to the moon!
Me: Oh no, you skipped the saddest part, didn't you ;_;
Cardia: What's the old man doing now?
Me: Cardia, which bit of all the other vampires died in a tragic genocide went over your head...
The day the old man died, Impey was supposed to be helping with the prototype Gravity Alleviator. His argument that a sufficiently powerful single canon shot would kill someone is valid physics but I am amused that their solution is "a less powerful canon plus anti-gravity" instead of, you know, a rocket.
HUH. So the antigravity involves a mirror version of the Strong Force. They don't call it that, since the Strong Force wasn't postulated or named until the 20th century, but that's clearly what it is. There was definitely a physics nerd involved in writing this game. (Also looking it up introduced me to the alternate name, "Colour Force", as well as "quantum flavordynamics". Physics nerds <3)
Impey takes a moment to try to get Cardia to understand how exciting this all is, I wonder if her eyes were starting to gloss over, haha. I CARE, IMPEY.
Anyway, the day of their first planned antigravity test, Impey excitedly waited at the test site. Then when the old man didn't show up, Impey grumpily walked back to the village, feeling hard done by.
And then he saw the British airship flying over the trees. When he got to the village, everyone was dead, their faces contorted in agony. In his final moments, the old man had written Impey a shaky note: "I'll be waiting for you on the moon. Show them dreams can come true."
;_;
The other survivors blamed human science, and talked about joining King Delacroix in seeking revenge. But Impey didn't feel angry, just sad that science had caused something like this.
And now he wants to show everyone that science shouldn't be used for war, that there's so much more out there, so many more amazing, worthwhile, amazing things.
Cardia thinks about the frustration of seeing the world constantly go down the wrong path and I am having a bunch of ex-scientist feels.
Cardia: You may be the kindest person in the world. I may be just a fake, unworthy of you, but I want to fight by your side.
Impey: What's that about not being worthy? Did you not hear all the times I said I love you?
Cardia: Yes but you also said that to Lupin...
Impey: LOL ARE YOU JEALOUS OF LUPIN OMG. He's a man!
Cardia: If that's important to you, I'm not even a living thing.
*continues to headcanon Cardia as a pansexual who just happens to be surrounded by men*
Impey: Ok I'm going to say something serious, so pay attention. When I found out what you are, I was astounded. Science is what people hope and dream about, and you're a child of science. That makes you 100% pure hopes and dreams. A breathtakingly beautiful miracle.
Aww and then he makes a very sweet and nerdy argument about how nobody understands emotions or the spirit, so for all he knows HE could be a soulless robot. "From an engineer's persective, the results in front of my eyes are everything".
Cardia: But what if Father was right, and I'm a monster...
Impey: People can spend their whole lives trying to understand themselves. Instead, just believe me: I'll accept you, all of you, more than anyone else in the world. I'll love you more than anyone else. By the way, this is me proposing ;) Remember when I asked you for a favour? Will you spend your life with me, loving and being loved by me? We could die tomorrow, so this seemed a good time to ask.
So I checked the walkthrough as more of a nervous tic than anything, and I'm supposed to say no??? The walkthrough says the "yes" response is cute, though, so I'll watch that first.
Aw his overjoyed, surprised reaction is pretty cute. Then he asks her to say "I love you" and gets all blushy and happy.
Now to say no!
Impey: But I won't cheat and I'm a pretty good cook :(
Cardia: It's not that. I just don't want tomorrow to be the end.
Impey: Wow you're manlier than me...but you're right, that was a bad way to propose. Ok, no more words.
And then he gently kisses her.
Impey: New favour: when this is all over, will you travel to the moon with me?
She smiles, and instead of a reply, she gives him a kiss.
Ok, fine, I genuinely ship it now.
Impey: I'm determined to fix all this, but I'm not sure how :/
Cardia: It would be convenient if the Gravity Alleviator would just break down...
Impey: YOU'RE A GENIUS. COME ON, I NEED YOUR HELP.
Chapter 13: Fly Me To The Moon
Cardia wakes up in Impey's workshop. Someone has put a blanket over her shoulders. She was helping Impey work on a mysterious device until dawn. He says it will help attack the Nautilus's hidden Achilles Heel.
Victor expresses worries about Impey's reliability and VAN HELSING defends him (as an engineer and cook and nothing else)
Impey confidently tells Queen Victoria and her generals about his plan, which relies on the fact that the gravity Alleviator is incomplete. He calls Victoria "Vicky" (Victoria-chan) much to Leonhardt's fury. Vicky just laughs and tells him to continue, eyes narrowing with interest as he tries to gloss over "the power source".
Currently the Gravity Alleviator exactly balances gravity. But his device will break the controls and fling the Nautilus into space. (How will they get the gem shard?)
As Victoria frowns in doubt, Cardia steps forward and points out that even if the army can bring down the Nautilus the resulting crash would cause huge destruction.
And since Victoria cares about the fate of London SO MUCH, she agrees. She gives a pretty speech abut how Britain is the most powerful country in the world and has a responsibility to save the rest of the world from Nemo. *mutters about the Victor path*
Victoria: If you can do this, Mr Barbicane, I'll make you a knight.
Impey: No need! I'm already the world's greatest engineer, chairman of the cannon club, and *puts hand on Cardia's shoulder* her knight.
Cardia worries abut Impey sacrificing his dream and friend's final gift when the Gravity Alleviator goes into space and not about how SHE'LL LOSE HER ONE CHANCE TO LIVE.
Impey: I'll just build another one. That old man also gave me the knowledge and heart of an engineer. Those things will live on inside me forever.
And then her boobgem flares with light and pain and she collapses.
Cardia wakes, feeling weak. Victor won't meet her eye. Impey comes in complaining that everyone else stopped him from lying in bed with her.
Victor explains that the boobgem is rapidly losing power, and will become an inert stone within the next day or so D:
Impey: Then it's simple! Come aboard the Nautilus with me and retrieve the shard!
Carida: OK! I was planning on joining you anyway :)
Nemo POV!
He was born as a member of the former royal family of "a country that had been colonized by Britain" (INDIA. YOU CAN SAY INDIA) He moved to Britain, motivated not by a desire for revenge, but by scientific curiosity.
"His mind was already broken when he witnessed Britain's staggering military power and utter destruction. He worshipped the power of science that trampled his subjects and family."
...so they are AWARE of original!Nemo's motivations, they just chose to pervert them :/ I know, I haven't actually read 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, I can't really judge. But afaict they turned someone who was traumatised by colonisation into becoming a sympathetic anti-colonist terrorist and made him someone who was traumatised by colonisation into becoming a villainous coloniser. And that's not great, especially as the only POC in the game.
That said "In the past, Britain trampled over their own people to advance their goals. It should be permissible for him to trample over others to advance science." is pretty good.
And now, after a lifetime of rejection and loss, he feels nothing but a bottomless intoxication born from everlasting omnipotence.
He mutters to himself about an "Asian story" where a lioness forces her cub through an abyssal valley out of love, to make it strong. (If anyone recognises this story I'm curious, google has not helped, even when I tried narrowing it to Japan, India, and China)
Nemo: I understand now, Isaac. You abandoned me because you love me!
Thinking of Nemo as Cardia's weird older brother is...something. Nemo doesn't seem to care about Twilight, Isaac's other focus, but that seems pretty in character.
A put-upon crew-member trepidatiously tells Nemo that the government seem to be accepting Nemo's demands: Cardia has been placed openly in Buckingham palace gardens. The thought that it might be a trap doesn't seem to cross Nemo's mind. But he does think it would be more interesting if they tried to resist.
Victoria POV. She stands next to a handmaid dressed like Cardia. Ooooh. The handmaid is shaking, and Victoria boosts her spirits, then stays in the open to make the soldiers take heart.
Victoria: In war, it is the side whose spirit who breaks first who loses.
POISON GAS ALSO HELPS >:(
The Nautilus stops just above the palace.
Nemo: I am sending down a small ship. Put her inside. And no body doubles, we have a detector!
And so Victoria orders the attack to begin: from guns placed directly beneath the Nautilus. This prevents them from dropping bombs, which could be exploded while still near the ship, causing more harm to the Nautilus than the palace. The power of their own weaponry is working against them.
Victoria laughs...and then so does Nemo, as the Nautilus rises into the air and then shoots the cannons. But Victoria just smiles, knowing that Impey's device has already been shot into the hull. Now it just needs someone to get onboard to activate it.
Cardia POV! She and Impey are preparing to enter a special airship Impey prepared.
Delly: You're both too kind. I doubt you can kill that madman. So I can come and do it for you!
DELLY. YOU ARE TWELVE. (I just checked the wiki, cos they never actually said. And yep! Twelve)
Impey: This isn't about killing Nemo. It's about stopping him.
Delly: You really are nothing like me...but ok. Follow your own path. But don't die. I still have more to tell you and Van Helsing.
The team are running the airship like they did during the race. As they approach the Nautilus they are shot by cannons and Lupin is not happy wth their chances when he's put in charge.
Lupin: Wait, how are we going to retrieve you two?
Me: I had also wondered about that...
Impey: We'll figure something out!
And then Impey picks Cardia up, tells her to hold on tight, and jumps. When they crash into the Nautilus, he dramatically activates his controller...and nothing happens. He tinkers with it for a while but then they have to run from a bunch of Twilight soldiers.
Just as I'm wondering what the hell Twilight's motives are for cooperating with Nemo, Cardia wonders it too.
Note the teeny little blue dot of the gem shard right up the top.
Nemo, with a huge troop of Twilight soldiers: Congratulations! Impey Barbicane, you have joined Victor Frankenstein as the only two I acknowledge as rivals! But you're not as much of a genius as me. I imagine you were hoipng to create a gravity malfunction. But I have installed a magnetic shield :D
Impey: I don't really like fighting, but as your knight I can hardly let the bad guy get away with this.
But Cardia steps forward and takes up a fighting stance.
Cardia:I'll buy us some time. You focus on disabling the Gravity Alleviator. The longer it keeps working, the more casualties there will be.
CARDIA <3
Impey: You're always so willing to protect me. That's what I love about you. But once again, let me show off a little in front of the woman I love.
Nemo: You know, I've looked into your past. Your circumstances are like mine: plagued by inequality, never understood...so why don't you understand me?!
Impey: Because I was never alone!
Wow, ok then :/ Nice moral, Otomate. I stopped hearing Impey as Okita a while ago, but still get reminded of him and his path from time to time and I liked it more :(
Nemo: Yes! A true genius requires solitude!! Your friends make you mediocre!
Impey: Then you're about to lose the work of a mediocre man ;) *presses button on controller*
Noting happens for a moment...and then the whole room shakes as the Nautilus starts to ascend.
Nemo: All my dreams, ruined D: SO BE IT. SHOOT THEM AND THE DEVICE!!
Cardia is too weak to dodge. But Impey jumps to block the bullets, and then falls bleeding to the floor.
...and then he gets up, wiping the fake blood from his bulletproof vest.
Impey: Science isn't for hurting people, it's for making the impossible possible! And not for brats throwing a tantrum for attention! *kicks Nemo in the damn face*
Impey: I'm sorry, Nautilus, the boobgem isn't for you. It's for the miracle of science and people's dreams! And to keep the person I care most about alive!
He climbs to the top of the machine and pushes against a powerful forcefield towards the gem shard, his skin blistering from the poison. He grabs it, then falls to the ground, barely conscious.
Impey: Cardia...I got you a present...
She guides his hand towards her chest. She feels the gem reform, and her strength returns at last.
Nemo POV. He sets off a self destruct device attached to the Gravity Alleviator.
Nemo: Without the Gravity Alleviator this ship will crash right into Buckingham Palace :D
Me: No great loss.
His last thought as a piece of falling debris kills him is "I just wanted someone to-"
Impey: Cardia! Go find an escape pod! I'll try to steer the ship away from the palace, then meet up with you!
Haaa my choices are "Stay with him" and "Have faith in Impey". Apparently both lead to good ends but "Stay with him" is the true end.
Cardia: You promised you would never leave me. Either we both survive, or I die by your side. Those are my only options.
Impey: Then I only have one choice, to survive with the one I love :) Let's aim for the Thames!
It's touch and go, but they land safely. As they stand on the windy deck, watching the dawn, Impey says this is the first time he's ever been in love.
cardia: Me too, so as first-timers we should get along well together :)
And then Impey gives her one last kiss, before her poison comes back.
End credits!
It's a year later. London has rebuilt and the horrors are starting to fade from people's minds.
Once again, the rest of the team has left. Impey had the idea that Van Helsing should swear loyalty as a subject of Delly, so I guess he's an honourary vampire now? Delly is working to create a place the vampires can call their own.
Victor is "looking for something" and is running a clinic in the poor area. And Lupin is looking into Isaac's terrorist plans. GUESS I'LL LEARN ABOUT THAT SOON. She mentions that they still don't know why Nemo and Twilight were working together PLEASE LET NEMO NOT COME BACK.
Ahaha apparently Lupin got sick of not making any progress and teamed up with Sholmes. *ships it a little*
Tonight everyone is coming back for a party. Just as Cardia's wondering where Impey is she hear a loud explosion from his workshop and runs to check on him.
Impey: A beautiful woman emerges from the smoke...I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!
Cardia: No but seriously, why did your workshop explode. Are you alright?
Impey: There's this pain in my chest...
Cardia, rubbing his back in panic: IS IT YOUR LUNGS??
Impey: IT'S MY PASSIONATE LOVE FOR YOU
Cardia grumbles internally at how he hasn't changed since they met but now she can't stay mad.
He's working on a moon...rocket! THE NEXT STAGE AFTER ANTI-GRAVITY, I GUESS.
Impey: Everyone in London will look up and see the power of science!
Me: I feel like...they have had their fill of that...
Cardia and Impey fire it together, and watch as the bright rocket flies towards the moon. And then he asks her to marry him, a tangible promise that he'll never let her go.
Even when they reach the moon, they will find a new dream to chase. And she'll walk towards her dreams with the man she loves.
THE END
And Lupin's route has been unlocked!
Hmm. I mean I liked some of that a lot, and the ending was cute. But I was bored or irritated for an unfortunately large chunk of it. Still, I ended up shipping it and convinced they'd be happy together. The parts I didn't like seem a lot shorter looking back, but I think that's partly because I was too annoyed to summarise them in detail.
I know not everyone likes their love interests to be wracked with self doubt, but *flails vaguely in the direction of explaining why the dynamic felt off*. At least Harada from Hakuoki's certainty that the MC was into him had a solid basis in reality. On the other hand, Impey had a little "cute, misunderstood woobie noone takes seriously" appeal.
I may have to steal "comic relief character with secret superpowers whines humourously about being hurt to distract from the fact that the blow should logically have killed them". It's a little Clark Kent if you didn't know Clark was (a)Superman or (b) the protagonist. And Cardia's "Am I even a person?" angst was A+.
I understand why we don't see Van Helsing and Victor react to finding out that Impey is a vampire but I'd be curious to see it, especially given Victor and Impey's shared unhappiness with their inventions being used for war.
The LI being a pacifist vampire who hates fighting more than Cardia would have been more charming if he hadn't been so paternalistically determined to do all the fighting for her anyway.
Extra Scene! LET'S SEE HOW NAKED THEY GET THIS ONE.
It's a hot day some time after Cardia has been living with Impey. By coincidence, I seemed to have played these in roughly chronological order.
Impey is playing catch with Sisi. This is the result of a long process of Cardia helping Impey become Sisi's friend.
Strategy One: Pretend to be Cardia. Cardia calls Sisi from behind Impey. Result: Sisi ignores Impey and runs around to Cardia.
Strategy Two: Pretend to be a dog, wearing a dog suit?? Result: Sisi bites Impey.
Strategy Three: Smell like Sisi's favourite food. Result: Sisi tries to eat Impey.
But after that they did get closer. Cardia suspects Sisi sees him as a toy now.
Impey: It's so hot! That myth humans believe about vampires hating the sun is true right now! But I have a solution!
He brings out a hose machine...thing?
Impey: Might as well take my clothes off before the water comes out!
Cardia: Should I take off my clothes too?
Impey: o.O :D ...buuut that's probably a bad idea in front of me.
Ok, he's not actually naked, just topless (and covered with water, next to a happy dog, because Otomate knows how to make fanservicey CGs) He cheerfully paints a word picture of how hot Cardia looks soaked with water, and Sisi growls.
Impey: Just kidding, Sisi-Sensei!
And then he sprays water into the air to create a rainbow. Cardia thinks it's like a reflection of his heart, and the most beautiful rainbow she's ever seen.
Here's all his CGs, they're pretty cute and less violent than some of the others.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-27 01:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-27 02:39 pm (UTC)I have read the first few books, though I'd forgotten that specific part. Gen's a different sort of "tell the truth in such an over the top way that nobody believes it" character but yeah, there's some similarities.
...and now I'm remembering that I actually wrote a vampire like that myself! It was a setting where regular people didn't know vampires existed, so they would be like "I am an IMMORTAL who did that with SUPERPOWERS :D :D" and everyone rolled their eyes.