TEST DRIVE MEME

[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. None of you know how you came to be here or where you are going, and the door to the cockpit is locked as the pilots focus on navigating the treacherous obstacles of the Dream Width. You might as well take this moment to introduce yourself to your fellow travelers. B. CURTI CENTER There’s an almost overwhelming aura of excitement in the tower as researchers rush to document this unprecedented number of interdimensional travelers. Over the commotion, the leaders of the Center struggle to explain, ‘Welcome to Vaikuntha. We don’t know why you’ve been brought here, but this is your new home.’ The staff will do their best to help the off-worlders settle in. They answer the questions they can, provide maps and pamphlets about the world 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 under the circumstances. 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. WILD CARD Feeling inspired to create your own prompt? The power is yours!

Comments

Ramza (Final Fantasy Tactics) | Native AU

[zodiac_brave]

E- Let’s Be Adventurers

[Venturing to Von Oktavia or the surrounding areas? There is an eager new hire from the Curti Center accompanying you as a guide and protector. Ramza gestures at the city entrance, his movements seemingly not hindered by the heavy Paladin’s armor he wears. The armor and the sword at his belt show the signs of use, more than a sixteen-year-old could have possibly put on it.]

My childhood home is north of here, but I have lived in Von Oktavia for nigh two years. Pray tell me what you wish to see here, and I shall escort you there.

[His speech pattern is more archaic than most of the locals of Von Oktavia, but at least his words convey his excitement at this first assignment from the Center.]

I- Random Encounter

[Being attacked by Elementals is not ideal, but at least it is not one of Vaikuntha’s more powerful breed of beasts. Ramza draws his sword and steps in front of his companion protectively.]

Have no fear, I shall Cover you! Geronimo!

[Using his Job skills, he will take the damage aimed at his ally until they can decide whether to fight or flee.]

I

[kuposcreed]

[Bonnie was thoroughly confused. This didn't seem to be the same Ramza she knew back on Crystallis. But he seemed a lot like him...well...maybe he was a bit MORE Heroic now? Not in the same way Ramza was, but more like a character in a book Heroic?

But still, she wasn't going to let this strange OtherRamza fight alone.]

I'm with you, kupo~

[She waits for him to block an oncoming blow from the elemental, and then vaults off of his shoulder to leap out and stroke the creature with her knife.

It doesn't do much damage.]

[zodiac_brave]

[The elemental's attack hits Ramza, although his armor helps ward off the worst of the damage. Better he take these blows than allow them to fall on the little moogle, even if it does sting.]

Your blade will do little good here. Have you any attacks that use magic?

[Ramza swipes at the Elemental with his sword, more to keep it from advancing than to do any real harm to the creature. He still has a little ways to go before he learns any of the Paladin's holy-elemental attacks, so he is focused on defense, not attack.]

[kuposcreed]

Kupooooo, I don't think so, kupo. I've only ever trained with weapons, kupo.

[She starts to get worried now. As Ramza keeps the elemental at bay she finds herself less and less willing to put herself out in front of his cover.]

M-maybe we should run away, kupo~

[zodiac_brave]

[Ramza nods. His cover spell will not last much longer.]

I will distract them. Be ready to fly.

[He raises his sword and channels energy for a Shock Breaker attack. While the attack itself will not do much against their enemy, it should serve to create the opening they need.]

Go, now!

[kuposcreed]

[Flying is easy for Bonnie, even if it's more of a flutter, and moogles are particularly good at doing so in a direction away from an enemy.

However as she flaps her little wings as hard as she can she looks back, worried for Ramza's sake. She prays with her little heart that he's running with her and not playing the hero.]

[zodiac_brave]

[Luckily for Bonnie, Ramza is not reckless to the point of stupidity. Against an enemy he cannot not beat and with nobody left who needs his protection, Ramza slashes again with his sword to drive the nearest Elemental back, then turns to run. He takes another hit from their magic, but his armor and natural defense of his job class lessens the sting.

He's used to moving in his heavy armor, so he's able to make his escape. At a safe distance, he circles around, looking for Bonnie so they can regroup.]

[kuposcreed]

[Bonnie mostly kept ahead of him, but even with his armor his stamina and stride is still more than her own, even at a decent flutter.

But Bonnie is nowhere to be seen, that is until there's a soft whisper and a rustling from in a treebranch above his head. The moogle has camouflaged herself decently well, though the white of her fur does stand out.]

Is it gone, kupo?

[zodiac_brave]

[Ramza looks around, doing a full turn before thinking to look up. He is not used to fighting beside someone who can fly.]

Yes, it should be safe now. You can come down.

[He rubs his hand through his hair, a little sheepish.]

If anything else shows up, we should not need to run. I did not think we would encounter the one type of enemy I was unprepared for.

[kuposcreed]

[Bonnie nods and hops down from her perch, her wings fluttering enough to bring her a halt at usual moogle altitude.]

That's okay, kupo. We're just starting out. As long as we work together we can beat any foe, kupo~

I

[warpstriking]

Just great...

[As if mushy desserts weren't bad enough. What he wouldn't give to be able to simply toss one of his unicast spells at them and test weaknesses that way. As it was, he couldn't. So one at a time, it was.

If they were anything like flans were back home, they had to be weak to at least one element. Figuring out which one shouldn't be difficult. Maybe even color-coded?

So, he first tries Fire.]

[zodiac_brave]

[For a native of Vaikuntha, the knowledge of the elementals' strengths and weaknesses are so ingrained, it does not occur to Ramza that a newcomer would not know. He just sighs with relief that his charge has magic to draw on. Taking down an elemental enemy with a sword would be a tedious endeavor.]

Great. [He echoes back to Noctis, but with a completely earnest tone.] I will keep it distracted. Another blast like that should scare him off, if you can manage it.

[Having not yet studied magic, he is not sure on a fledging mage's stamina, but Ramza resolves to keep Noctis covered as long as it takes. He can withstand a few of the elemental's ice spells before he needs to worry.]

[warpstriking]

[Even if he didn't know - back home, red usually meant they were weak to ice, blue to lightning, and pale blue to fire. It was logic he used many times before, even though with flans... sometimes only light would do.

He does not have light, here - and he feels off about that. But the fact the color-coded elemental weaknesses remain a constant here? That he can deal with. He smirks behind his collar.]

Oh, don't worry. I was a mage back home, too.

[His entire line was. Though the way he used spells was different. could be stored in special-enchanted flasks for later use. This was far more like what his father and his Glaives used.

What he should have been able to use. Needless to say, a recast of Fire isn't withheld or delayed.]

[zodiac_brave]

[Ramza almost turned toward the mage, and only rigorous training kept him from exposing his back to his enemy. He hungered for any mention of the Heroes...er...Interdimensional Travelers' home worlds.]

Really? Is it much the same?

[Probably not the best time for such a discussion, but Ramza wants so badly to know more.

The second spell is enough to burn the Elemental completely, and Ramza kneels to sift through the ash for the coins the creature dropped.]

This gil is yours by right.

[warpstriking]

[It's a good thing he doesn't. And while he doesn't mind combat banter (he loves it), getting distracted in midbattle? Never a good idea.

Only when the Ice Elemental is dead does he answer that question.]

Some of it is. The spell names, for one. My dad and I didn't need a medium to cast with, but I chose to turn mine into grenades so it would be easier for my friends.

>[He'll take some, but not all of it.] Keep some. You kept them off me.

[zodiac_brave]

[Ramza pockets the remaining gil, even though protecting others is his duty, so he really does not need to get paid for it. He won't protest what the really cool Black Mage has declared his share, though.]

A magical grenade? Are you a mage-chemist, then? I did not think those jobs to be so compatible.

[warpstriking]

I guess that's how you guys would see it, huh.

[He rubs the back of his neck with is free hand, pocketing the gil with the other.]

Nah, it's just a way to let others who normally can't use magic to do so.

[He's not going to mention how half his powers were essentially nerfed before coming here and it's just easier to do things that way for himself, too, nope.]

[zodiac_brave]

'Can't do magic'? [Ramza frowns.] Do you mean Freelancers?

[There's pity in his voice. The freelancer's lot in life is not an easy one.]

It is good of you to help them so.

[warpstriking]

Something like that.

[He shrugs. Really, he doesn't pity normal people. Hell, for most of his life, part of him wished he could be on the same level. Not treated as something special.]

It's not a gift given freely. The people I shared my powers with... they were my bodyguards; my brothers.

[He corrects himself quickly.]

E.

[gomu_ningen]

[Even he, an uneducated and headstrong lad as he is, could not deny the the reality before him.

The facts were these:

Selfishly and stubbornly, a long while ago, Luffy had sought to venture out into the unknown of Crystallis. His desire to return home, to see friends reunited and to return to his adventure, had gotten him into all manner of troubles and consequences. Not a day went by where he did not regret his actions, for it made him memories and friendships that time nor distance could ever severe. For all his faults, Luffy was loyal and treated those he cared for well.

He had put a great deal of trust and faith in Ramza, a man who he deemed to be far greater than any he had encountered in his new "home". Time and time again he'd been selfless, brave, honest, and annoyingly true to his own cause. Luffy had wanted to sail with Ramza, but it was not his wish nor was it his place to pull his friend away from duties of the heart.

. . .

When he saw him there, addressing him without the usual sort of remark or greeting, it shook him to his core. Pakku had explained that while many residents of this world seemed alike in their appearance to friends Luffy once knew, they were not.

So much of him wanted to hug his old friend, to dance and celebrate seeing someone who had been close and fierce with him. His voice didn't raise above the crowd, his arms did not flail, and his friend did not recognize him despite the numerous weeks and months they had spent trying to resolve a world in peril.

Luffy simply stood still, heavy feet now burdened with the loss of time and memories, his face bewildered while eyes went wide and stared at the young man as he beckons to the gate towards the city.]

[zodiac_brave]

[Ramza sees one of his charges hesitate at the city's gate, and he pauses. How inconsiderate he has been! Ramza remembers his own first trip to Von Oktavia, how overwhelming the sight of the City of the Future had been to his unaccustomed eyes.]

We are in no hurry. Please, take as much time as you need. [He offers to the stunned man.]

It is a truly remarkable city, but I freely admit it takes some time to get used to. Most visitors require a guide their first time.

[gomu_ningen]

[A hand slowly raises to the top of his head, resting upon the worn straw hat he wears as a faint wind kicks up, threatening to take the treasured accessory from him.]

You said.. You said you've lived here for two years, right? Where did you live before that?

[zodiac_brave]

[Ramza grew up hearing the stories of the rare, extraordinary people brought to his world by the Dream Width. It was surprising, and flattering, that a traveler from another world would take an interest in him.]

I grew up outside of the Sakura Forest. My mother used to gather ingredients for her potions there. I came here after...when I decided to take on my first job. The Paladin's Guild is in this city, so I came to train here.

[gomu_ningen]

[He may have been a dullard most of the time, but there was no forgetting the memories he had shared with the familiar looking soldier. He remembered smiling in admiration at Ramza's confession in donating food to the orphanage, the brief caper they had on the rooftops..

Hearing the history of the person before him was like having his heart torn into pieces.]

Are there any orphanages here?

[zodiac_brave]

In Von Oktavia? Yes, I suppose. All the major cities have organizations to help those in need, although I think they prefer to find foster families for children, rather than living communally.

[Ramza is not sure why the newcomer suddenly changes the conversation, but he shakes off the surge of pain the mention of orphans stirs in the pit of his stomach.]

If you wish to see it, I can take you to the city's help center.