The Storyteller's Guide to Neptunia
Chapter 1: Gamindustri
When anyone who does not live within the confines of one of the many versions of Gamindustri, for whatever reason or another, hear the famed name 'Gamindustri' they would immediately speculate and guess that it belongs in some sort of gaming world amidst an industry business, where goddesses take on the forms of consoles and people represent companies that have had a share in it all. In some other alternate reality that could be a possible if a far fetched case, but for us that is far from the case here. Gamindustri is a place where all sorts of things happen that both amazes and terrifies the local residents. In many cases it is known as 'The World Below' that of Celestia.
With all of this happening around us, there are a lot of stories to be told. Exciting, isn't it? But how to get to the bottom of all of the many aspects of this world and discover the stories with it? Well as any great storyteller would say: to get to the heart of the story, you have to go back to the beginning.
The history of Gamindustri is complex and spans across centuries with dozens to hundreds of events, all of which take place in their own universes with their own respective dimensions and separate timelines. Each of them is special in their own way and carries their own diverging lore that would fascinate anybody who happens to know how to travel between universal realms and observe what goes on with an average person's daily life - which is quite rare to see really. From day-to-day affairs, to monster hunting, to delving into dungeons, to signing paperwork, to engaging in political arguments, to waging war against one another, there is always something happening for better or worse.
But how are there so many various versions of Gamindustri that look so vastly different, some of which even having their own unique landscape, factions, people and technology, and which is the 'original' one? Nobody knows the true answer to it, not even yours truly. It remains a topic of debate for those who have had the privilege, or unfortunate knowledge, of knowing how to cross the universal and dimensional barriers that keep each realm separate intact. If there ever had been just one original universe with its own set of separate dimensions then it has been lost to history. And just how many universes and dimensions are there altogether? Hundreds? Maybe even thousands?
There can never be a truly correct answer to any of these questions. Actions have equal and opposite reactions; cause and effect. One action can lead to a multitude of different events, which then play out in a timeline of their own, which in turn creates a new reality, or a possible reality at best. Science at its best, and most confusing. The eggheads in the labs are still bashing noggins together over possible theories.
At a best guess, there are two known dimensions in most universes, although this is open to conjecture by any universe/dimension travellers, long forgotten goddesses and young-looking tome fairies. These two known dimensions are called the Hyperdimension and the Ultradimension, and each as their own unique differences, not only with the landscape but also the people, monsters and factions that dwell within them. These dimensions will always be different, but the only thing that makes them similar is simply Gamindustri itself, no matter how different it might look or who inhabits it. Interactions between these separate dimensions is quite common in some dimensions, although most of the time it only occurs between the goddesses and their alternate selves.
There have been many cases, however, where there have been three to even four dimensions. There is a place called the Superdimension, which is often confused with the Hyperdimension, and is the more than common dimension where Gamindustri is a set of floating islands. Then there is the Zero Dimension and the Heart Dimension, the former having a post-apocalyptic feel to it while the latter has only been described as a labyrinth of dark blue mazes and chambers as anguish and despair roam the place. Only a small few who happen to not be goddesses have had the privilege, or bad luck, of making the trips across the dimensional barriers to see what it is like on the other side, even less for journeys towards the Zero and Heart Dimensions - but that has to be told for another time.
As far as the goddesses, oracles, scientists and travellers can tell, the very being of Gamindustri can be divided into two separate sections: world and continent. In a few universes Gamindustri is a set of large floating islands with smaller islands floating nearby, all of which are being kept in place by some sort of magical force that has something to do with the dimensions they find themselves in. No solid theories have arisen to explain this however, but some say it could very well possibly have something to do with the physics - they could have a different set of rules compared to another that defines how the world is kept afloat. The math is tricky and no one really seems to care all that much, though this could be because barely anyone from another universe or dimension has travelled to worlds such as this before.
As for continents, this is a lot more easy to understand, at least it seems that way to us. It is this form that is most common with the various versions of Gamindustri, especially in the Hyperdimensions and Ultradimensions. It is a large light and dark green landmass with light brown mountains, green trees and shrubbery, white northern snow, round ponds, long rivers, great lakes and many island archipelagos. It is a beautiful world filled with both wonderous and less-than-savoury people. With a world like this at their fingers, a few people do not seem to bother themselves too much with overseas ventures, believing that they inhabit the only continent.
Truth be told, though, there technically are more continents, such as the Hello Continent which is always found off the west coast of an Ultradimenion's Gamindustri. This continent is much, much smaller than its counterpart, looking more like the size of a small Gamindustrian nation. Not many people live on the various versions of this continent however, but judging from overhead surveys and some trading ventures it is apparent that these people are sophisticated with eco-friendly technology when it comes to harnessing power. What makes any Gamindustrian wary of them, however, is that not one native has come out to greet them at all. No theories have appeared to explain this, so basic guesses involving shyness, anxiety or xenophobia is all we can come up with.
Aside from the Hello Continent, there is also the PC Continent. Some dimensions have them, others do not. For those realms that have a PC Continent though, rarely any have undergone the journey to search for it and its residents and come back to say what it is like. Perhaps that is for the best in some cases. In the rare occurrence where a traveller has gone forth to visit this strange continent, nearly all never seem to come back. There have been a few cases, however, where some do return, and even times where a wanderer arrives in Gamindustri from the PC Continent. This is quite rare, though.
But one has to ask, is Gamindustri, aside from the Hello Continent and PC Continent, the only continent on worlds such as this? It is difficult to say, especially when there are possibly thousands of variant versions. It could very well be possible for some, and the opposite for others. No one has ever openly contemplated on expeditions across the sea before, and storytellers such as myself would be excited to accompany such a journey. But for now a trip like that will have to wait for the foreseeable future, unfortunately. Maybe some time in the not too distant future the goddesses and people of some continental Gamindustrian world will come together to finance an expedition across one the sea to find a new world to explore, perhaps maybe even colonize if there are no natives to be found.
Nearly all of these hundreds to thousands of versions of Gamindustri have five things in common: four nations, four to eight goddesses, references to a multitude of things, a variety of monsters, and that there is always a crisis brewing somewhere. They are all interconnected together in some form or another. Without the goddesses there would be no nations, without the monsters there would be no crisis, at least partially in a minor view anyway - a crisis always seems to break out even if there are barely any monsters left and especially when all appears to be peaceful and orderly. The safety of Gamindustri depends on the harmony between the goddesses, the people and the security of their respective nations. Ah, the nations, now they make up the integral part of any version of Gamindustri, their story has to be told no matter what for it is bound up with everything that the goddesses are. But that...
"...is a story for another day." There was a short moment of silence, followed by a deep breath in and out, then a light-hearted chuckle. "Ahh, nothing like a good story to start up the afternoon, don't you say? Hey, um, what? Where did they go?"
The Storyteller glanced around from his sitting position on the comfy red dining chair outside the cafe, noticing that the two chairs across the iliac-coloured table in front of him were empty, devoid of any sort of life. There had been two people, a young couple, sitting there just a few minutes ago. Now they were gone. The Storyteller shook his green combat visor-covered helmet and sighed once more, this time out of disappointment with himself. "Goddess damn it, it happened again. Well, that's what happens when I open my mouth to tell the start of a story I guess," he mumbled to himself.
With a light grunt the Storyteller stood up off his seat and onto the ground, stretched his limbs and neck, flexed his brown gloved fingers, adjusted the green light combat armoured shoulders, re-did the straps that tied his green combat armour shin guards and knee guards, slung the leather strapped laser rifle over his right shoulder, then proceeded to walk down the wooden steps of the veranda and out onto the street. His mere presence made some passersby uncomfortable due to overly military look, especially when he was carrying a never before seen laser rifle and even a combat knife on his utility belt, although he merely shrugged the gazes off. As the Storyteller roamed down the street, looking for the right place to tell a story or two, he began to hum a cheery song that echoed down the street until he was gone, that was until some other fella would come across his path.
"All my memories gather 'round her
Miner's lady, stranger than blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye..."
A/N: Hello there readers, and thank you for reading the first chapter in this new story. Well, I prefer to call this one a series, unlike everything else I've done so far. This is what I've been working on for a while, and I have the second chapter ready to go - just need to make a couple of edits and it's good to be published. This isn't a serious fanfic if you haven't already guessed. Instead on focusing on a singular plot that's driven by certain characters with different arcs, it's going to focus on an amalgamation of different lore points that are set on a certain subject, like this one for instance. Now then, before you all go asking for a schedule, I should make it clear: there isn't one, I'm going to update this whenever I have something written up that I have researched. That brings me to another point. If you think there are any errors with this lore then please feel free to tell me, and if you have any lore regarding anything that canon in the Nep universe then please send it to me - might make my research a little bit easier. So yes, canon stuff first, then we'll see what happens afterwards.
Anyway, I hope you'll stay tuned for next time when the Storyteller tells of Planeptune and it's lore, much to the misery of an innocent woman who just wants to be left alone. Until then, have a good day if you can.
