memesofeternity | TEST DRIVE MEME

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TEST DRIVE MEME

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!

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[E- Let's be Adventurers!]

Rrgh- waitwait, hold on. This wooly lining's givin' me a bad itch...

[Who needs a tank? You've got a tank. Though some wonder where the 'berserker' line ends and 'Kanji' begins, he seemed to be doing alright after the several-hour chocobo ride to the forest to seek a treasure nestled within its core. But as he grasped his jacket and rolled his shoulders, he was having a bit of a wardrobe malfunction with the soft-lined armor granted to him by the guild.

Though he grunted confirmation that he'd fixed the issue- a lie, and he'd need to check the lining later to see if the wool had been treated properly prior to armor crafting- he still looked a tad surly as he shook the very large war hammer from his back. The way he swung it, it was like it weighed nothing at all.]

A'right, good enough. Got that map handy? This place looks huge...

[G- Get a Job (The Other Kind)!]

HrrrrrrRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!

[Never let a berserker clean your house. Never let a berserker clean your house. Because what happens is a man that's down on the floor, roaring at the dust and dirt as he pushes a rag along the hardwood. He raced down the hallways, powered by sheer testosterone... or boredom. This was just like cleaning the textile shop back home.

Ever stop in and see how damn clean the place is? You're welcome.

But the owners of this particular item shop are standing on their chairs, eyes side as saucers as they watch all of this happening. That's when you come in, and are greeted in a rather distracted tone, all while the sounds of some kind of wild beast are going on in the back. If you lean, you see glimpses of some form hunched on the floor racing along.]

[I- Random Encounter!]

[Welp, showtime. Maybe you were in a bit of a jam or accidentally wandered off alone to do a little training. Whatever the case, that's a behemoth, all horns and a lofty shade of purple and a hell of a lot of magic nobody wants to deal with.

But before it can strike back, something clocks it right over the head and sends it reeling. Running after the object was some guy clad in armors of the Berserker's Guild, who gathers up the fallen hammer and falls back into line. As the beast bellows its anger over being struck, he bares a toothy grin right back. Living here was kind of awesome, if a bit... dangerous.]

I gotcha! It's your turn!

[He nodded to you.]

Edited 2018-03-19 15:21 (UTC)

[Al had quite enjoyed the ride over, but he was having the same issue as Kanji with the itchiness of the wool. He stops to scratch himself before digging in the pocket of his messenger bag for the map, idly reaching over the back of his neck to scratch between his shoulder blades. Really, he could fix the issue in seconds with alchemy, but was it worth it?]

Right here. Wow, that's quite a nice hammer.

[It even gave a hearty clank as it rest against his shoulder plate. Yet he shrugged all the same, frowning.]

I guess so. Guild thought usin' my usual arsenal was creative, but until somebody makes a friggin' weaponized folding chair, I gotta stick with an axe, sword or hammer.

Anyway... I guess we find some ruins or whatever. I mean, treasure doesn't just... pop outta nowhere in this kinda place, does it?

A weaponized folding chair sounds pretty awesome, actually. Light and portable, although you seem to be doing fine carrying that hammer.

[Alphonse unfolds the map, peering at the entrance before them as he does so.]

Before we do that, are you itchy at all?

Rgh- a little... I'll live, though. Beats the seaweed I had to use to cover up with when I lost my swimsuit at the beach once. Itched for hours!

[But he rolled his shoulders again and peered at the map.]

Sooner we get this done, sooner I can treat the damn lining.

Seaweed? I bet that felt really gross. [Al raises his eyebrows, but he's interested in the comment about treating the fabric. He starts toward the ruins, offering Kanji the map as he does so, alert for danger.]

Knowing how to work with and treat fabric is a useful skill.

It was seriously gross. All slimy, cold- god, so cold...

[Not good for the nadgers. But he accepted the map and looked at it. Then he turned it right side up. Why are maps kind of a bitch to use?]

Oh, yeah. My parents taught me a whole bunch, but Ma's a pro when it comes to dyes. Her dye work's much more, uh... consistent? So her work's all over the shop.

I can do repairs, treatment and design with my hands tied behind my back.

( there was no way that akira could have anticipated walking into a cleaning warzone, complete with its own battle tank. he's struck silent for a moment, as silent protags are apt to do, mouth slightly agape at the scene. the lighting obscured the view of his eyes, the glare hitting his glasses just right. )

Ah, is this— a bad time?

[One of the two shopkeepers jumps at the sight of a customer, and meekly climbs down.]

N-no! Not at all! Welcome!

LAST SPOT!

[At your 15:00, Chair-kun. That's a human panzer rounding the corner, focused so much on his task that he wasn't aware of a person standing atop a bit of floor that needed polishing.]

( one might argue that playing in traffic might have been the safer activity this afternoon, but here we are. seeing a situation about to turn tragic, just as akira pieces the sequence of events together...

here comes a blond bulldozer to launch him into action. with a quick-step and a— ) Hup! ( a gentleman thief leaps into the scene.

thanks to the quickness of his ninja skillset, with a dashing forward tumble he grabs the shopkeep, pulling them into a front-slip, side-twist, spin-dismount... right on top of the counter.

and with more than enough hang time for kanji to have completed his mission, too. with a deadpan look, and a shop-owner still in his arms... akira gives a thumbs up. )

[The shopkeeper was taken up with a squawk. Despite the surprise, they were neat and tidy in the young man's arms despite having eyes like saucers over what on earth just happened.

They never saw it coming.

Kanji rounded the corner and reached the point where he'd begun dusting. Panting, he skidded to a stop and lowered his back end to the floor. As he ran an upper arm over his forehead, he looked up to see these folks standing on the counter, including some four-eyed dude rocking a princess carry.]

...Huh? Hey, you're makin' the freakin' counters dirty that way! Geddown!

Hey, did I ask for your help, bastard! -Despite Kanji's altruism, the one-armed swordmaster he'd just ostensibly saved went from battle ready to *fucking livid* when he turned to nod to her, staring a fiery rage hole right into his very soul. To further illustrate the point, when she charged, it wasn't at the behemoth, but at *Kanji*.-

Who the hell do you think you are! -Her sword is drawn, and she absolutely seems like she intends on cutting him down! The monster itself looks on at least slightly more confused than it is angry to be attacked...-

[It's an immediate cold sweat on the brow and ice in the belly. He'd suffered a good number of death glares in his life, but this was something that reached in and strangled the soul. His poor soul... but the determination flits away completely to confusion.]

Wh-whuh!? But-

[She turned and hurtled at him, and he raised his weapon defensively. He hadn't thought to tap into that weird magic shield, his mistake for the moment. Confusion bled into a hot flash of anger.]

Whoawhoawhoa- The hell's your problem, lady!?

I don't like little wanna-be hero assholes interfering in my battles! -Yup, she swung at him, with enough power behind it to push back that guard of his. The behemoth was *very* confused now. This didn't usually happen.-

Apologize or you're losing your head, boy!

[A more rational person would explain that folks should ask for help and that doing things like this along was actually kind of stupid and he'd been there before, but Kanji wasn't a rational person. Kanji was currently donned in his berserker gear, and as the swung and resulting shriek of metal and metal coupled with the flash of sparks, the dam broke.

He shook his head despite feeling the burning in his eyes. They turned gold for the moment, but as he shut them tight and retreated a step, they were back to gray. The flash of violence, the thought of taking her remaining arm and knocking some sense into her with it, was receded with a heavy sigh of exasperation, the growl even giving out a plume of steam. Come at him like this months prior and that would be enough to start screaming for a white mage to esuna.]

People... will die... if they work alone. I've already died once back home and it fuckin' hurts!

[Despite it, he still spoke between gritted teeth and labored breaths.]

So stuff your pride for five minutes, ya dumbass! I do this for everybody.

... Tch. -Baiken spat to the side, pulling her blade back and re-sheathing it, which probably seemed a bit silly considering they were still in the middle of a battle, but that seemed to just be her style. But at the very least, it was a sign of retreat from the issue, at least for a moment.-

We'll deal with this later. But for the record, don't get in my way without telling me or I really will cut you down. And don't preach at me, either.

Now let's kill this thing already!

Okay.

[Adrien actually knows that feeling so he doesn't oppose waiting while Kanji sorts the irritation out. Besides, it's not as though Adrien has been making the ride easy. They started out on Chocobos, they ended up with one being led by the other while Adrien stood a distance away to avoid sneezing. In a world with magic, couldn't anyone just get rid of his allergy? Something that needs to be done apparently.]

[Now that they were at their destination, no need to worry about that. Bothersome wool on the other hand... maybe it wasn't treated before being made into armor? He might not be his dad, but he knew some of the process.]

Yeah, I have it... [Nudging aside the swords on his waist, he drew out a folded parchment. They did have Mognet, but who knows how well the signal would work.] Hm, okay, this should be where we are... and the treasure should be in this area...

[He'd be lying if he said it wasn't irritating at first. But the dude can't help allergies, and their trip here had to double on account of going without chocobos for a stretch of it.

He grasped his chest plate and wiggled around in it as he listened. Adrien was better at reading maps, it seemed. He thought they'd have to use a compass or something, but would that even work when this place didn't have those pole thingies like back home?]

Sounds - rgh - good. You in the Job y'want? I might just swap here in a sec.

[He still felt bad for that, and would make it up to Kanji later.]

[Putting the map away, he started to nod, but then paused.]

I... could make some minor adjustments.

[He'd probably keep his main Job, but change up his skills.]

Go for it.

[He widened his stance, and went through what he'd been taught. Focus, grasp, and 'accept'... and in a flash of light, a burst of power, his furs and horns were replaced by a fine set of plate armor and a cloak. The greatsword at his back replaced that hammer. Kanji slammed his fist into an open palm.]

Man, I love doin' that. More defensive than goin' in and breakin' skulls but it comes without that whole weird 'berserk' stuff.

[Nodding, Adrien does similar to Kanji except... there wasn't as much glam. In fact, it was questionable what about him might have changed. Still light armor, still a sword, but that was the thing with Jobs with similar or close tools.]

What's it like being a Berserker anyway?

Ever been so mad ya see red?

Make it so it never stops, and then ya wanna beat the shit outta the doctor that's comin' to make ya better.

What's yours like?

Uh, maybe... once?

Anyway, I'll keep that in mind if you need a heal.

[If he ended up needing to switch to Red Mage during their exploration anyway.]

It's weirdly relaxing? I mean, it's all about focusing really on one monster at a time until they're minced, but I feel like sitting outside and appreciating nature more often, too.

Appreciate nature? Huh... ain't heard of a Job that's gotta do with that. Wait- Geomancer? They throw rocks and dirt and stuff, right?

Yeah, they use Earth-based magic.

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TEST DRIVE MEME

Kanji Tatsumi | Persona 4 Golden

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