memesofeternity | Test Drive Meme III

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"... Oh, you're both back to square one here."

Great... just great. Amusing, but again, just to be at this spot again knowing the two would waltz around each other. And there weren't any monster instincts to push it forward.

"You're having a panic attack... that's new." Then again, she never had a reason to bind up the minotaur version of himself. She placed her claws on his face, making him meet her actual eyes. "Look at me, Kanji. Deep breaths... inhale and exhale slowly..."

Why? Why did that happen just then? What'd she call it, a panic attack? But he wasn't scared, not of her and not of his situation. He'd already resolved that he would gladly give his life to keep his friends safe. Yet... no. No, this was wrong. He shouldn't feel this way, he was supposed to be the tough guy-

His breaths were high and heaving when she took his face, and his color had actually drained a bit. This was new and actually frightening. Was this what they were like? Fuck, they're terrible-

Kanji grit his teeth and just breathed. Breathed. In. Out. Keep everything level, even as the heart raced. How was a guy supposed to take that sort of information? 'Oh hey by the way you actually had the balls to hook up with Naoto in another world where everyone was turned into monsters'? So what would that mean for him? He was a coward? Yes. Yes, he was. But, god damn it...

Breathe, breathe. Deep breaths.

"F-fuckin'... it feels shitty, y'know? E-everybody won't shut up about it... it ain't like I don't WANT to, but..." Okay, maybe it's her knowledge of some other world version of him or the fact that he was coming down from something terrible, but he seemed unaware of some really regrettable oversharing.

Panicking about his panic attack was the last thing he needed to do right now, but he was beginning to breathe. She had to keep him focused on the moment, but she wasn't about to say she'd been lying either when she'd only been truthful.

"What one version of you does isn't expected of you. Besides, there were more factors leading to that confession occurring than what might be going on here." She pat his head. "Take your time. Do what you need to do in order to prepare yourself."

But what, he had to wonder. Deep down, he was beginning to realize that this was sort of the first time they'd ever really spent time together without everybody ogling them or trying to force anything. Kanji could enjoy his friendship, and she was opening up bit by bit. Still stubborn as hell, but she wouldn't be Naoto if she wasn't.

"Take... my time. R-right. I'm- y'know, I'm... I'm not gonna be a pain in the ass burden. Weird shit's goin' on around here and some soap opera 'guy trouble' shit's not her bag. People are weird about her in school, right? Pains in the ass... I bet she's enjoying the reprieve."

Running his mouth helped. But he noticed something else. He blinked. "...I-I used 'reprieve', like it was nothin'. Wow."

"You did, and correctly too. Oh my..."

Though, the way Naomi said that had a teasing lilt to it again, but it looked like she had disarmed him enough that he wasn't considering attacking her again. Not that she would be untangling him just yet.

She drew her claw away from his now mussed up hair and tapped her chin. "How are you feeling now?"

Nooo, not his 'do... but he wasn't too fussed about it when he was feeling less like his soul was being pulled out of his body and more like a normal human being. He sighed and looked away.

"...Like a bastard in a silk burrito." His eyebrows knit together.

"Textile enthusiasts would piss themselves to be where I'm at, though."

"... They would. I don't mind giving them my silk though. I have to spin it for my health and it does end up crowding my living space..."

Bringing her claws to the burrito, she cut it without issue and similarly unbound him with little damage to it.

"And as I said, it was good for the uncooperative patient that would further endanger themselves. Monsters heal quickly, but it also makes them forget their limits."

She has to spin it, or she'd get all gummed up. He didn't know that's how spiders rolled. With a gasp he sat up, glad for the weight of the silk to be off of his chest, and rolled his shoulders as he willed the blood back into them.

He smoothed back his hair. "Ah, screw it. I can admit I fucked up. I came in all fire n' piss... but y'know, I'm- I run a business."

The shrug was still a bit stiff from the circulation loss. "Bein' on the ship means you're new, yeah? I could... I mean, if ya want, I could buy raw silk from ya."

Balling up the silk in her hands, it didn't stick to her claws. Either thanks to her chitin, or just thanks to the fact she was a spider. He could make a guess as she spun it all together.

"I'm sure there would be an alert were someone of actual danger to arrive on board," she sighed, but nodded her head otherwise, listening. In a moment, her silk was all together again, wrapped up in a ball. "Sure. You can have this once we disembark. It might be a hassle for you to handle right now otherwise."

"Ooooi... Ya gotta see it from my end, damn it! Last time we set out in space, weird things popped up and sucked us into old memories and freaky nightmares. That means the Dream Width ain't exactly out to play fair."

But that was fair enough. The ball was likely super sticky, and there'd be no use for him to have the ball now. Still, she might appreciate a boost of cash to hit the ground running since god knows how much money the Curti Center's got at this point.

"Either way... doesn't matter now. I'm gonna check in with the others, see who else got pulled in from space."

"So... the things that pull you into memories take different forms?" Because that sounded like what he might be implying. And until they landed, were they safe?

With that agreement already reached, Naomi just stuck the spider web onto her back, idly sweeping her claws against her dress once it stuck. A little bit of cash already would help a little. She didn't know what she could eat here for one so shopping was one of the top priority things to manage.

"Alright. I'm going to linger around here. I don't need to startle anyone else."

Test Drive Meme III

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