Test Drive Meme III

[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. SUMMER SUN [insert Sheryl Crow track here] Vaikuntha offers opportunities for many summer activities. Only some of the beaches hold the risk of being attacked by aquatic monsters, the others are a perfect destination for a day trip on a sunny day. Take a hike up the mountains and relax in some hot springs at the top. Go camping in the woods just not on Friday the 13th. Enjoy a refreshing sea salt ice cream bar. Just because you’re here, it doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to a vacation. K. WILD CARD Feeling inspired to create your own prompt? The power is yours!

Comments

[sassafrisk]

Frisk cups their chin, deep in thought. There were a lot of options, and admittedly they weren't the best-informed about many of them... but they quickly recall Papyrus' trip to Myste Aura and his new Job. Plus, Red's performance at the cabin that one night did make them rather curious.

Snapping their fingers, they continue, saying, "Well, there's the Magitek Knight. In addition to being very sciencey--something about using magical energy to fuel scientific progress, I don't know a lot about the specifics--they're also very versatile. From the start they have access to elemental attacks and are decent at both melee and ranged with their gunblades. Which are exactly what it says on the tin. From there, the Job gets a little bit of everything as you keep using it: sword combos, area of effect attacks, and more concentrated single-target abilities that pack one heck of a punch. They also can heal themselves, have great physical defenses, and once you've mastered the Job, you get this mecha thing called the Magitek Armor which enhances your abilities further.

"The downside is that until you get your Armor, other Jobs will consistently outpace you in terms of sheer damage output. Plus, you're really slow because of all that heavy armor--lowercase a--and you're vulnerable to magical attacks. How does that sound to you?"

[fixed_destiny]

"It sounds worth looking into further." Which would mean finding the recruiters and listening to that spiel, then finding out how hard it is to get a magitek armor, then how hard it is to keep it working..

But it did at least give him a better direction to head in than getting preached at about the nobility of getting hurt so other people don't. "Though I wonder, couldn't you just.. take the armor off, and make use of the elemental attacks and gunblade without it?"

This is not in fact how things work here, but it should because it makes sense to Xehanort.

[sassafrisk]

Frisk raises an eyebrow. Most people tended to just roll with the weirdness of Vaikuntha and not ask questions--them included. After being exposed to enough JRPG cliches, Frisk had learned when to just give logic some time to cry in a corner. "Well, there are two possible answers to that question. One is that the majority of magitek hardware is bulky and hard to miniaturize, meaning that even if you took off the armor you'd still be weighed down. So most Magitek Knights just build their gadgets into their armor to save space.

"The other answer is a bit... weirder. Keep in mind that I'm by no means an expert on this and this is all just conjecture, but... think of each Job asterisk as a completed model of the ideal example of that Job. Each individual component of that Job--abilities, weapon and armor armor proficiencies, speed, physical strength, magical power, and pretty much everything else--makes up a piece that model, a piece that gives you a part of the knowledge and abilities. And when you remove a piece of that model, it compromises its overall structural integrity, and it might fall apart on you. Heavy armor is part of the Magitek Knight 'model'--without it, things may not work correctly." Or at least that's what Frisk thinks Ganeshan said when they asked why a Ninja couldn't use a big, eff-off gun (purely hypothetically, of course) instead of a katana.

[fixed_destiny]

Xehanort has a hard time just letting things be without explanations when it doesn't make any sense according to how he views reality.

The first explanation fits reasonably into his worldview. Perhaps carrying all that technology WOULD require some form of special gear, and in this world just happens to be heavy armor as nothing else would properly conduct and insulate at the same time.

The second would also make sense if he could remember either Terra or Master Xehanort's travels in other worlds. Worlds changed things and demanded conformation to its rules. But without that knowledge it seems.. a little silly. Not Frisk's explanation of it, that's a rather logical way to phrase 'the world forces its norms on you', but the very idea. "When you say 'fall apart on you', do you mean literally or figuratively?"

When armor and so on is involved, it could be EITHER. He's going to have to test this. At length.

[sassafrisk]

"From what I understand--and I've never tested this, since I like having access to my abilities--they may kinda... fizzle out on you. Just not work, or not have a huge effect, or whatever. You need the right kind of gear to use the right kind of skills, apparently," Frisk says, shrugging. "Honestly, I would question it a lot more if I wasn't already conditioned to accept these kind of ridiculous things before I even came here."

[fixed_destiny]

Xehanort almost smiles. It's a very near thing. "I've been conditioned to question everything. Perhaps not always out of skepticism, but a simple desire to know is just as good."

Master Ansem was fond of seeking the answers to questions, and Xehanort pursued a similar line as best as he was able. Here, he had MANY questions, and some of them he might even be able to reasonably test out! "Perhaps I will test it myself once I have selected one of these 'Jobs'. You're welcome to watch and see if it backfires spectacularly or not. Better to know in a situation when it's not dangerous, than try it when enemies are about." It's reasonable to extend the hypothetical invitation, after all she was providing him with a lot of useful information already!

[sassafrisk]

Frisk actually smiles at Xehanort. Despite this guy seeming stiff as a board, it sounded like he could be pretty fun sometimes. "Count me in. Even though Papyrus is pretty good about lab safety, I'm well prepared for the day the house explodes and I'm going to have to drag both of us to the hospital. Or to just slam a bunch of potions and start picking up the pieces. So if something goes horribly wrong I should be able to help out in that capacity, if my brilliant commentary isn't enough."

Realizing something, Frisk extends a hand for Xehanort to shake. "My name's Frisk, by the way."

[fixed_destiny]

Frisk has managed to accomplish something very few people ever have, and in very short order: actually stay on his good side. Whoever they are, wherever they're from, in spite of their obvious youth, they seem both intelligent and with plenty of common sense, a very rare combination.

A good reason to keep an eye on them, and for once not because he's expecting trouble. "I think I might like to meet this friend of yours sometime too. Papyrus was it?" Lab safety implied labs, and he was instantly interested in those. "But sometimes just an external perspective can do wonders to prevent house explosions, you're more than welcome."

For science, of course. And if things do explode, there's something to be learned from that as well! When offered a hand, he's careful when he takes it and shakes it, handshakes aren't usually how the young are greeted is it? "It's good to know you, Frisk. My name is Xehanort."

Kind of.