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

[conniemaheswaran]

Connie opens her mouth to say yes, but she suppresses that instinct to instead truly ruminate on the question. She closes her eyes, turning the problem over in her mind, examining the problem from all angles as she was taught, before finally coming to her answer. “From what you’ve told me, anybody who thinks that they are one hundred percent ready for this power are idiots who are liable to get themselves and everybody around them hurt. So, no, I can’t say without a doubt that this is for me, because that would be an incredibly dumb thing to say, and I am not stupid.” Connie pauses, summoning a tiny flame in her palm. “But the thing is... I believe that with enough hard work, I could learn how to channel black magic in a way that really could protect the people of this world.” She dismisses the fire and looks Palom directly on the eye. “Am I ready for this? Of course not. Nobody is when they start something like this, or even when they’re in the middle of learning it. I know from experience that that just because you know how to use a sword doesn’t mean that you can fight. But I want to learn.”

[stfuporom]

Palom laughs. He reaches over and gives Connie a pat on her head. "Good enough." He returns his hand and the tense moment wanes. "But you really ought to be a bit more confident in yourself, squirt."

Still, this one shows promise. Although she is starting a little later than most students in Mysidia, she would be an interesting one to keep tabs on. "For now, you should begin with the basics of casting Fire. Once you have learned how to cast it outside of battle, your next step would be to cast it in the heat of battle. Only once you know how you handle yourself against an opponent that actually wants to make your insides decorating a floor can you say that you've really developed mastery."

He nods. "I look forward to hearing good things, Connie."

[conniemaheswaran]

Connie smiles at Palom. “Thank you so much for taking the time to teach me this. At the rate I was going back there, well, the instructors would probably either be putting me out or sweeping up my ashes.” She stands up and bows to Palom, this time with genuine respect behind the gesture. “Now for the hard part: putting theory into practice. Hopefully I won’t set the training area more on fire than usual. Be seeing you.” With that, Connie strides into the area now open for target practice, stopping to give Palom one final wave before disappearing into the crowd.