Author's Note: What's up, everyone? This is my first venture into making a Neptunia fanfic, and I'm really excited to be doing this! I've had the idea floating in my mind for a while, and ultimately decided to throw my hat in the ring thanks to Zdood and Piteous! Go check out Hyperdimensional Adventures and The Ultimate Destiny of Representative Chet, they are awesome!
I hope you all enjoy this story, everyone!
Disclaimer: Hyperdimension Neptunia is the property of Compile Heart and Idea Factory. I do not claim ownership over anything pertaining to the Neptunia series or any related properties. This is a nonprofit fan work.
Picture Credit: MSPaint Neptune N with Plus by yours truly.
Rated T for: Language, suggestive themes, and fanservice if you're the imaginative type.
Original Post Date: 5/13/14
The world of Gamindustri is a nexus of creativity and imagination, where different ideas and perspectives on life can be embodied in four convenient landmasses.
"Hello? Is this thing on? Helloooooo...!"
Lastation, Lowee, Leanbox, and Planeptune...
Four landmasses, four Console Patron Units to govern them.
"Can you see me now? Is it on the fritz again, Histy?"
The CPUs are the ones who drive and motivate the people to grow, to expand, to compete, and to become something more...
"I'm thinking it would super-coolio to put my name up in lights wherever I walk! Tell me that isn't the bee's knees!"
... and sometimes they come up with the strangest schemes ever...
"Neptune, just what do you think you are you doing?"
Over at Planeptune's Basilicom, Lastation's CPU Black Heart, Noire, had just walked in on Neptune practically swinging around what looked to be a... TV camera all over the place.
"Ah! There you are, Noire~!" Neptune sang in a falsetto, casually flinging the equipment she was carrying right over her shoulder.
Meet Neptune, the ever-so-cheerful and fun-loving CPU of Planeptune, decked out in her white parka used as a onesie dress! Whenever she isn't playing video games, she likes to pester her friends for something to do, and no one can out-munchie her at the dinner table! ... She doesn't really do the work she's supposed to, but that issue is a little touchy... By night, she turns into the voluptuous Magical Girl Purple Heart, wielding power befitting that of a Goddess herse— Wait, that magical girl part is wrong. No, she has a transformation sequence, but... eh, more on that later.
"C-Careful with that camera, Neptune! (ﾟДﾟ；)" yelled a mature, yet startled voice, with accompanying... emoticon?
A smaller, winged girl came frantically flying right in front of Neptune's face, part angry in her expression and part worried in her voice. Smaller as in maybe a foot shorter, not tiny.
"You mustn't fool around with the equipment like that, Neptune! Remember, the whole reason we are even going through with this is to gather more shares as well as more funds for the Basilicom! ( °A°)/" the girl sternly reproached.
This was Histoire, Planeptune's Oracle and second-in-command to Planeptune's CPU, despite often treating the Goddess more like a charge for good reason. Her harsh words and reprimands belie a great respect and care for her Goddess, who oftentimes wasn't the greatest in long-term thinking. As well as short-term... It sometimes pained Histoire to know that Neptune was her Goddess in charge. She's also some sort of celestial fairy-like thing! She suffixes her sentences with cute emoticons!
"Chill, Histy," replied Neptune, "I got it all under control, just ask the technician!" With a flourish of her arm and a twirl of her body, Neptune held her hands around her mouth as she yelled, "HEY, NEPSIS! Ya done with all the wiring and whatnot? We've got something in need of a quick fixer-upper here!"
From behind the set, a lavender-haired girl popped out with large goggles over her eyes and gave Neptune a quizzical look, before realizing that Neptune now held one of the cameras in her hand bent at a 45° angle.
"Wh-What the goodness?! Neptune, please don't play rough with the equipment again, you know I don't like having to fix it a fourth time..." said the girl, removing her goggles and looking at the busted camera wistfully.
This somewhat awkward girl was Nepgear, Neptune's little sister, though at first glance it could be easy to assume it was the other way around. She is a much more attentive and worrying person than her older sister (most of the time...), but tell that to half the fans who sent her popularity into a downward spiral after the events of the second game. As her sister, Gear was the CPU Candidate for Planeptune, and in the event that Neptune was unable to attend to her duties, Nepgear would assume the helm. In fact, due to the ASIC incident, Nepgear IS the girl in charge of Planeptune! S-Somewhat... Due to the shenanigans that made up the encounter with the Ultradimension Gamindustri, things became muddled. Don't ask...
"Oh, but you love it, sis! Don't deny it~" said Neptune with a tinge of honey in her voice. Nepgear inched toward the camera like it was a light, and her a moth. With one swoop of Neptune's arm, however, the camera ended up being close enough for Gear to touch, as evidenced by a shaky hand reaching out for it. "Here you go, sis, now do that thing you do and fix it up real good!"
Why was Nepgear fidgety towards the equipment? Because underneath her sweet demeanor and pleasing looks lies a bit of a technical enthusiast, and it just so happens that these cameras were the latest model from R&D, complete with AI who learn to film on their own without need of a cameraman. Additional editing not included.
"Neptune, quit bullying the poor girl and let her have it, so you can tell just what is it I'm doing here in the first place?" It was Noire who was cross with Neptune, having traveled all the way from Lastation only to be ignored for a few paragraphs. Her time was precious to her, as she was undoubtedly the hardest-working among the CPUs, having a hand in many projects that Lastation spearheaded in the technology and gaming sectors. She's also quite the self-induced workaholic. Underneath her seemingly dismissive, yet confident exterior, lies a dorky girl who likes to cosplay...
"Who's bullying," sputtered Neptune, before launching into an rousing tone of voice, "I'll have you know that Nep Jr and I are like two peas in a hotpod, ready to be snacked upon by the adoring masses as our new channel will launch their hearts into space!" Unbeknownst to her, Nepgear grabbed the camera in her hands and scampered off. Neptune was too absorbed in her delusions of grandeur to notice...
Noire held her arms crossed underneath her amply-sized bust, a wary eye on her technically friend/rival/not a love interest at all, stupid! "And just what is this channel you speak of, Neptune? Hmm?" The slight lilting of her voice as she capped off her sentence showed how much she questioned Neptune's schemes. The last time she reluctantly went along with Neptune's plans, she ended up cosplaying in way too public a venue as she sang to the rhythm of a love song undoubtedly about her and Neptune's characters as shrine maidens representing the moon and the sun, respectively. "Destinies of the Shrine Maidens, my ass! And what is it with the way 'reluctantly' was highlighted? I did not go there because I wanted to sing with Neptune or anything! Agh!"
"Uh, Noire?"
"Ah!" Noire jumped a little, startled a bit when she realized that Neptune closed in on her and was mere centimeters away from her face. If this scene were like one of those CGs in the games, one could easily alter it to have Nep-Nep a little closer than that, complete with some "Boing" on Noire's part. "Wh-Wh-What is it, Neptune," she stuttered, her heart beating against her chest thanks to Neptune, "can't you see I don't want to waste any more time than I already am...?"
Neptune just stared at her friend, gazing at her with wide, violet saucers..., almost as if she were pondering something to the tune of the wavelengths of the universe.
Noire kept fidgeting under Neptune's stare, uncomfortable with how close they were at that moment. "N-Neptune, I—"
"Noire, you are acknowledging the fourth wall. Are you feeling lonely again?"
"Wh-Wh-What?!" Noire was aghast; she was being agitated by Neptune again, not that this was a difficult thing to do. I mean, there's a word out there for people like her! What was it again? "I am not lonely, Neptune! Explain yourself!" Tsundere! That was it.
Neppermint immediately backed off, much to Noire's relief... and disappointme—
"STOP SAYING THOSE THINGS! What do you take me for, some kind of Neptune maniac?!"
"See? You're talking to yourself, Lonely Heart!" Neptune dramatically pointed at Noire, like that lawyer from one of Lowee's franchises: Felix Rite, Ace Attorney. "You're also talking about how cah-raaazyyy you are about me~"
Histoire held a dainty hand over her forehead, tired of this typical banter between the two CPUs. "Oh dear, this is getting out of hand... (-.- ;)"
"Hm? Whatcha say, Histy?"
"Don't look away when I'm speaking to you, Neptune!" yelled Noire.
Neptune sighed, silently agreeing that maybe she overplayed her stint with Noire. So she decided to clinch a victory for her. "Noire, look at me."
The Lastation CPU raised a brow. "I already am looking at you, Neptune."
"Oh. Anyway, serious face time." Neptune indeed put on her serious face for what she was about to say next. "Noire, babe, listen. You've used my name in about every time you have spoken so far! If you aren't careful, you might end up raising our Social Link up, and I may take your words the wrong way! Or... is it the right way in this case, you saucy girl!" Neptune's eyes fluttered, just to get the message straight.
Noire was now stuttering and burning red in the face, Neptune's statement blindsiding her. "I-I-I don't s-say your name a-all the time, Nep—" She stopped herself before saying Neptune's name again. With an exasperated clenching of her fists, Noire angrily scoffed and stormed off to the other side of the room, planting herself on the opposite wall with her arms crossed.
The Oracle floated by Neptune and gave her a flick to the head.
"Ow! What was that for...?"
"This venture needs us to be accommodating to the visiting CPUs, Neptune. Don't go overboard again! ( T o T )b" scolded the fairy.
"Ooh, fine... I'll play nicer..." Neptune pouted as she crossed her arms.
Histoire then floated up to Noire, who was surprised that she would also get spoken to. "... and you, stop perceiving the fourth wall! Quit responding in turn with the narration! \ ( T o T )/"
"Rrgh, it's not like I wanted to! Seriously!" This time, Noire wasn't being tsundere. "Fine..., I'll dial it back." With a nod, Histoire was satisfied and she flew back to Neptune's side.
Some minutes passed with the three girls waiting silently, until a few rushes of air could be heard from outside. Neptune perked up as the two other guests entered the room.
"Neptune, just what is the meaning of this visit...?"
"I don't mind coming over, but I could be spending this time power-leveling right about now..."
Meet the respective CPUs of Lowee and Leanbox, Blanc and Vert!
Blanc is an introverted book-lover, whose quiet and reserved outside does not do a good job of hiding her infamous temper! Especially since her younger sisters have been recently driving her up the wall! She is just as likely to call you a shithead as much as she is to embed you into the floor! Regardless, her populace loves her all the same, which might have to do with her body type for some of them..., or they like angry and violent girls, but then again that is par for the course in Gamindustri. Then again, if you don't piss her off, Blanc is very personable and kind. It's just that it's so easy... This is Lady White Heart; a family-friendly type of girl.
The chesty beauty beside her is a stark contrast to Blanc in... just about everything! Vert is a much more pleasurable sort, not likely to turn someone away who would seek her out. What makes this difficult, however, is that she is a notorious gamer. You see it, she has already preordered it and Platinumed/Max Gamerscored/Nintendo equivalented it! Rather competitive, is she not? She is also likely to close herself off, not for books, but for MMOs! Not to mention she is much more a geek than the rest of her fellow CPUs. Do you like male-on-male romance? Her personal room is about 42% covered in such memorabilia. Lady Green Heart, everybody.
"Everyone is here, Neptune," stated Histoire, "Do you want to explain, or shall I? ( I o I)-c"
"The floor is all yours, Histy! Take it like a Polaroid picture!"
"That... doesn't make sense, but yes, I will now explain the current state of Gamindustri and how it ties in with the idea that Neptune has. ( T . T)b"
Every CPU kept quiet as Histoire pressed a small button on her tome, and the lights dimmed low as a bunch of floating images materialized around the Oracle, providing 360° coverage for what she needed to say. Images from Lastation's skyline and jiggling Dogoo screensavers to line graphs detailing the amount of shares the nations were pulling in were prominent. The graphs themselves had their lines drooping downwards...
"Ever since the portal to the other Gamindustri had been stabilized and synchronized to our world, interest in traveling there had increased almost exponentially overnight! The steady rate of travelers we allowed to cross it have had plenty of new experiences to choose from, from visiting the different selections of CPUs and their lands, to exploration of a much more natural world. Unfortunately, the inverse hasn't been happening, and shares have been dropping alarmingly fast as they're migrating over with little return to this world."
The Goddesses all shared looks of shock and worry at the Oracle's assessment.
Neptune, whom despite knowing enough to have come up with an idea to solve this in the first place, went on like she heard this the first time, though unconvincingly so. "Wooow..., no emoticon, Histy? This must be serious..."
Noire ran her hands through those long twintails of hers, her face frozen in despair. "N-No wonder my latest blog post about productivity only received 74,000 views, and not 98,000 as projected! This is crazy!"
"Can the hardworking shtick, Noire," reproached Blanc, irate, "You and I both know this will cut into the joint project we had planned, remember?"
"D-D-Don't talk about that so casually!" panicked Noire as she turned toward the petite Goddess and threw her arms in a frenzy. "They don't need to know about it, okay?!"
"Oh? How could you, Noire?" This time Vert was the one to speak, putting a dainty hand in front of her face as if in disbelief. Her voice was feigning hurt as she melodramatically proclaimed, "And here I thought we had something special with our cross-promotion; you would cosplay for my gaming convention, just like you would for Blanc's book series! How can I trust you anymore?"
The others were even further in shock, with the exception of Histoire, who looked to be nursing an oncoming headache.
"It's nothing serious...," Blanc angrily muttered, her teeth gritting and her fists balled up, "I needed a model for the covers, because... sales of my books have been very low as of late..., and further back than that..." Her low tone was a sign that the issue shouldn't be pushed any further.
Noire was having a fit; steam could be seen billowing from her ears, and her eyes were those illogical spirals. "S-Stop it! Nothing's going on, stop it!"
Meanwhile, Neptune had her arms crossed and she was looking quite miffed, grumbling, "Mmm, I had subtext with Noire before it was cool! It's all because she got her own game coming up..."
"EVERYONE CALM DOWN! o(-`д´- ｡)"
Everyone who had been squabbling were directed to a very displeased Histoire, who despite her three-foot stature was furious enough to cow the haughtiest of beings.
"Now, before any of you go off on another tangent, I would like to continue. Is that fair? ( `• o •´ )"
The CPUs all glanced over at each other before nodding to Histoire in agreement.
"Very well." The previous imagery then blinked out of view and in their place was a photo of the other Planeptune's Basilicom, along with its CPU, Plutia. "Now, before any of you get angry, allow me to patch us through to the other Basilicom, where their CPU and Oracle should be there to speak with us." Everyone stared into the portrait of the other CPU as nostalgic DSL noises sounded through Histoire's tome. "Sorry. Due to the share situation, it might take about three minutes to go through. Also, no video feed... ( -.-;)"
And so, she began to focus...
Allow me to explain something while Histoire gets a connection. The world of Neptunia can be described in two words: Dimensional Clusterf— er, fudge. Almost every single thread of game, manga, or animation has had a different procession of events leading up to things like... idol singing taking over, or having a magical island that censors things for the kiddies. Sound confusing? It gets crazier, don't you worry.
In this world, after the world-shaking events that involved the evil syndicate ASIC had passed, some weird wormhole was conjured up and even more things happened...
What? That explanation's not good enough for you? It has spoilers right in the beginning!
...
The point is..., there's a Hyperdimension and an Ultradimension now, the former being where the main continuity is currently placed in. The Ultradimension is a strange place, where time was wonky until the events of Victory have come and gone, providing such differences like an antagonistic Vert and a completely different Planeptune CPU!
...
You know what, this would be a nice spot to introduce the incoming recipient of this call! Plutia is a—
"Look, Histy is ringing!"
Well, I tried. Perhaps another time.
When the telltale sounds of a phone being picked up were heard, everyone huddled around Histoire in anticipation. A drawn-out yawn was the first thing to come from the other side.
"Aaaa-aahh...! Good morning, everybody...!" yawned Plutia.
"Morning? It's three in the afternoon! That's our Plutie for ya!" chirped Neptune. The others had to resist rolling their eyes.
Plutia went on as if she didn't hear the other Planeptune CPU. "So, what is it that I'm supposed to say to Neppy and the others, Histy?"
"Well, you are supposed to explain about the situation on our end, and then we would listen to Neptune's suggestion, Plutia. ( ° ^ ° )" The one she referred to as "Histy" was indeed another Histoire, and her voice came in much younger-sounding than the Histy that the girls here were familiar with.
"Ohh...! That sounds like a good plan!" Plutia then cleared her throat. "So, listen Neppy, it's not my fault that this happened or anything...," her tone unconvincing, "in fact with all these shares, more and more people want me and my friends to do stuff, we're getting pretty tired and mad here...!" Plutia's voice now couldn't sound any more distressed if she tried, which is weird because she almost always sounded carefree. "It's not even the good kind of tired! I just want to take my after-afternoon nap without someone waking me up!"
Vert couldn't help chuckling a bit when she heard Plutia's plea. "Oh my~, she sounded adorable just now!" A wide and slightly deluded smile then spread on the buxom CPU's face, sweetly stating, "I wonder if she, or any sisters she may have, would like to be my little sister?" She punctuated the end of her sentence with a dreamy sigh.
"In your dreams, Thunder Tits!" It was obviously Blanc who then spoke out with that affectionate nickname... "In case you didn't remember, and that's easy with those bloaters taking up all the oxygen in your brain, but that girl becomes... that thing when she transforms! No one wants that! Rom and Ram haven't been so afraid in their lives!"
Vert's hopeful smile quickly fell. "You're right, how clumsy of me..." she said, ignoring that quip towards her large breasts.
A collective silence once again gripped the CPUs; when Plutia transforms into Iris Heart, things become plenty awkward for all parties involved. See, this is the kind of thing where an explanation would have come in handy! You know what, when Plutia actually makes her debut, then I'll talk about her. How about that, sound okay? Okay!
"Hello? Neppy? Is anybody there? I can't hear you! Wait, didn't I see that guy walking out from Blanny's Basilicom before? No, he went more like SCHWING at all the guards..."
While the Hyperdimension's Blanc listened on with a confused expression, Neptune scrambled for the receiver, which involved picking up a focused Histoire and holding her up to her face. "N-Nothing's wrong, Plutie! Everything's hunky-dory here! Say, how's about I let everyone in on my grand master plan to save everybody, huh?"
"Oh. Aaaaaa-aahhh! Okay, Neppy...! I'll try to stay awake just a little longer..." yawned Plutia, starting to succumb to her sleepiness.
As Neptune let out a sigh of relief, Noire walked up to her and said, "All right, now can you tell us what this is all about? We have shares to reclaim!"
Neptune smiled broadly at her and the others present. "Sure, but rather than just tell you...," By her word, the lights turned back on in the room, startling the other CPUs while their eyes tried to acclimate to the sudden brightness. When their eyes readjusted to the light, what they saw effectively made them speechless in awe.
The set that had been migrated from the other Planeptune's Nepstation had been transformed; a bunch of professional-grade instruments, microphones, and electronics were set up around a green screen, and an elegant, purple-tinted counter with four color-coded seats surrounding it was placed in the back corner. A bunch of other set pieces were laying in large boxes alongside the cameras and their tracks. Nepgear could be seen directly in front of it all, wearing a satisfied smile while she was twirling a wrench around her finger.
"I love this part." she readily said.
Once the three surprised CPUs were done gawking at the fancy new set, they all held openmouthed stares at Neptune as she slyly grinned and said, "...I'd rather show you!"
A/N: Do I have to explain the "hear you" joke? It's Strider, as in Strider Hiryu. 1989, Nintendo. It was terrible, I know.
I uploaded this for my one-year anniversary of making a name on this site, on May 14, but it seems that due to time zones, this story is listed like it was a day before... Oh well, no biggie!
So..., there's more! Stay tuned soon for how this turns out! Later!