Test Drive Meme II

[eternitymods]

A. RETRIEVAL Dreams fade slowly, and awareness returns in increments. The hum of machinery, the smell of recycled air, the murmurs of others waking up around you. The interior of the ship has been outfitted with cots for those Biggs and Wedge retrieve from the Dream Width. Outside of the makeshift infirmary, windows set into the walls of the worn lounge area offer a view of space. It’s time to meet your fellow new arrivals who have been brought together on Biggs and Wedge’s airship. The other newly-awakened people have no idea how they came to be here, but now's a good time as ever to introduce yourself to the others on the airship and glean what information you can. B. CURTI CENTER The researchers at the Curti Center are not quite so unprepared as last time, but it is still obvious that they are struggling to understand the sudden influx of interdimensional travelers from the Dream Width. "Please step into the lobby for a quick survey. Perhaps there is some common thread we haven't discovered yet..." The staff will do their best to help the off-worlders settle in. They answer the questions they can, write down all proffered information they can about the arrivals' homeworlds, provide maps and pamphlets about Vaikuntha and the destinations within it, and even guide the arrivals to a neighborhood where housing has been provided for you. Yes, due to the strange influx of arrivals, you’ll be expected to share, but the Curti staff are doing the best they can, considering they are still housing the previous arrivals here on the island. Experiences like these bring people together. Perhaps you are the only one here from your world, but at least you are not alone in this experience. Others are right beside you, learning the same information, planning trips to visit the same new cities, checking out these Job things, and settling in to their new (temporary) homes. C. UP IN THE SKY There’s a whole new world to explore. It’s almost enough to distract from the fact that there’s one place you can’t go- home. You are on an Airship, the main mode of transportation between the major cities of Vaikuntha. While the majority are owned by airlines, perhaps you hitched a ride with a friend that has their own. You can go anywhere in a matter of hours — One can only hope you don’t have motion sickness. D. GUILDS Proud representatives of the Guild are lined up, ready to demonstrate their skills for the new initiates. Make sure to stay behind the designated line, this might get dangerous. So you want a new Job? You'll have to first travel to the Guilds, sign the papers, go through the orientation and introductory lectures, and get basic training. Afterwards, you can freely chat and practice with your fellow members, celebrating your new powers, and checking out your new wardrobe. E. LET'S BE ADVENTURERS Separated from all of your material possessions, connections, and everything you know, and really, what you’re left with is time. Better try to make the most of it. Enough expository banter. It's explorin' time. Maybe instead of spending every day in your room, you'd rather spend it living it up in the city of Lavode, or betting on Chocobo Races in Sparks Goldsaucia. Or maybe you'd rather go and explore the caves and ruins near Arito. With Airships and Chocobos at your disposal, you can go nearly anywhere! F. SIDEQUESTS Maybe you’re telling yourself, ‘I didn’t sign up for this.’ But wait, you did. At least it pays. It all started when you checked the Quest Board.  All you wanted was a few gil to spend, and here you are in the wild, hunting for a Malboro Vine. Or maybe you are in some ancient and decrepit ruins looking for an artifact. Or you could be asked to be janitor for a week. Consider yourself lucky though, at least you don't have to do that alone. G. GET A JOB (THE OTHER KIND) You’ve got a Job, but Claire keeps sighing and muttering about layabout space-people not earning their keep, so it might be time to seek out Employment as well. There are plenty of opportunities to earn some gil in Vaikuntha, no matter where you choose to settle down. Your iMog slate includes listing for employment opportunities. Hopefully you can find something you can live with so that you can start saving up for an airship or the security payment for your permanent housing. H. MOGNET *Ding!* You’ve got Mog-Mail! Thankfully, you can instantaneously chat with your friends around the world thanks to you iMog Slate. And unlike old-fashioned Moogle Letters, you can even send messages to everyone in a blink of an eye! However, despite the change in technology, the old tradition of Mognet Strikes have never gone away. Nobody knows any more whether the Moogles have legitimate reasons to go on strike or if they are just lazy. But today, Mognet is down, and to get information you have no choice but going to the public boards or risk message corruption and mishandling. I. RANDOM ENCOUNTER The ground trembles, and out of nowhere, something hostile appears! Is that battle music playing? You were minding your own business walking around, and suddenly monsters attacked you! Time to put to use the skills you've learned with your Jobs! Will you try to fight on your own or seek help? And remember, you die in random battle, you die FOR REAL. There’s no shame from running from enemies that are a higher level than you! J. CHOCOBO MADNESS You look at the giant chicken, and the giant chicken looks back at you. Could this be the beginning of a beautiful relationship? The kind folks at the Chocobo Farm have provided you with the tools of the chocobo-catching trade: greens, a bridle, and more advice than you can remember. Time to go find your new steed. Or perhaps you have already captured a chocobo, and your friend has captured a chocobo, and now you'd like to bring some chicks into the equation. Chocobo breeding may be the minigame for you! K. WILD CARD Feeling inspired to create your own prompt? The power is yours!

Comments

[maximum_mighty]

"Ah, well, finding your housing sounds like a good idea. Did they give you a key for your home yet and an address?" asked Emu curiously.

"There's also a few good pamphlets here and here," he added, offering them to her. "I'm Emu. Dr. Emu Hojo."

[bloodinbloom]

"Yes! Wait... maybe?" Checking everything she had been given, maybe she hadn't? Where had she put... but did she get a key? She panicked slightly. "... Where do I get that information?"

Fortunately, she wasn't too panicked to not manage smile and accepted the new pamphlets. She would happily accept all the information. "I'm Rosalia, but you can call me Rose or Rosie. Nice to meet you, Dr. Hojo!"

[maximum_mighty]

"Check with the front desk of the Curti Center. They should have a key for your temporary housing for six months." said Emu, holding up his own key.

"Ah, call me Emu. Dr. Hojo just makes me feel like I haven't quite settled into the title yet."

[bloodinbloom]

"Six months? Wow..." That was a long time. Not super long, but still long. "And I'll have roommates..."

Roommates that she would like to get along with.

"Huh? So just Emu? I can do that."

[maximum_mighty]

"Just Emu. I've only been a fully fledged doctor for 3 years now." said Emu.

Thinking for a moment, he pulled out a video game console, the small white rectangle showing off a clear screen. "Do you like games?"

[bloodinbloom]

"Oooh, so you want more experience first. Okay, I get it!"

Though, she wondered if it was scary being called a doctor so early in experience. Eyebrows rising at the small rectangle, she tilted her head. "I like board games. What's that?"

[maximum_mighty]

"Yeah it's easier relating to younger patients but at the very least I've learned a lot."

He grinned and held it up. "It's a video game. This is Genm Corp's Mighty Handheld and it's got a game here called Mighty Action X. Want to give it a try?"

[bloodinbloom]

"Hehe, yeah!"

There was an eager twinkle in her eye. A video game? She's heard of them, but never had the chance. "Can I? How do you play?"

[maximum_mighty]

"It's really easy."

Booting up the game, he showed how to play it. "Mighty gets stronger the more he consumes, so you have to run around and defeat the enemies with hammer strikes and jumps, while picking up items."

[bloodinbloom]

Watching, she looked at the screen to how he moved his hands and which buttons he pushed. "Hmmm, I think I get it."

But then again, watching things was always easier than actually putting them to practice.

[maximum_mighty]

"Yeah it's pretty simple. With the right button presses you can jump, spin-dash downwards and all sorts of things." said Emu, playing the game. It was a small comfort to have it here, in his pocket rather than having to get it elsewhere.

[bloodinbloom]

"Right button... spin-dash..." These terms were going to fly over her head for now, but it did look like fun... kind of.

[maximum_mighty]

"Ah, well, it's a lot of fun to be honest." said Emu with a smile. "There's a easy learning curve in Mighty. I think you'd like it."

[bloodinbloom]

"It looks like fun. You're really good at it." She wondered how often he played. "I can wait until you're done playing."

[maximum_mighty]

"Ah, well I've been a gamer for a long time now." Emu tapped the buttons, clearing the stage with ease as he defeated Salty with a few well placed jumps.

"My job actually requires me to play games, even in the medical field."

[bloodinbloom]

"You get to play video games while being a doctor? I haven't heard of that!"

That was incredible... even if she didn't know video games, she just knew being a doctor was so intense.

[maximum_mighty]

"Yes, well... in my field of work, in my world actually there's a new plague going around. We've managed to make treatment for it, but it would manifest as Video Game enemies."

Emu shrugged. "I know it sounds strange, but it's true."

[bloodinbloom]

"Huh... the disease appears as video game enemies? Or for the process of the treatment they do?"

Either way, that sounded so wild.

[maximum_mighty]

"They're a new disease, a virus called the Bugster Virus, who takes on characteristics from video games," explained Emu. "We're hoping to treat those who were lost to the Virus since they were all recently resurrected as Bugsters."

[bloodinbloom]

"So, it's made like a game... and people who lose the game become Bugsters too...?" That's what he's saying. So they become 'bad guys' in like story terms?

[maximum_mighty]

"That's right. The infection makes the host vanish, and their memories are inside the Bugster as a new viral life is born." said Emu. "We're trying to curb the infection right now."

[bloodinbloom]

"Huh..." That still sounded really confusing, but she thinks she understood just enough of it. "... Well, you will! You and the other doctors!"

[maximum_mighty]

"Thanks! We should be doing well. After all, there's plenty of options now back home, and regenerative medicine is the future of our profession."

[bloodinbloom]

"That's great!" Then his world was going to be just fine. "Oh, but that means we need to help you get home!"

[maximum_mighty]

"Yeah, I think so. But for now, I'll see about helping out here, just in case they need more doctors." said Emu.