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

Johnny D'Amico | OC | CRAU

[charming_jerk]

[One]

[A strange-looking man has gathered a small audience around him as he plays a guitar, the case open in front of him to encourage donations to be dropped. The crowd has mixed reactions to him as he tunes and warms up, ranging from curiosity to fear. They've never seen a Bard like this before. Finally, he's ready to go, and addresses those gathered.]

Hey, uh. So, this is a song called "Black Sabbath". Band's called that too. Um.

[Johnny's no public speaker, so he moves right into the song. A faster version of it, anyway, and the best one can do on an acoustic guitar. He's actually a very good player and a decent singer, but the sing is landing flat with the audience. Mostly they grumble and shuffle off, and only a few donations get tossed into the case. When the song is over, Johnny looks at the money with a frown.]

Great. Another planet of lamewads.


[Two]

[A random monster encounter? No problem! Johnny's got the strength and know-how to fight... back on Earth or Crystallis. Not so much here. As a Bard, he's a little hamstrung. He confidentially rushes up to punch the creature, and ends up only hurting his arm. Johnny looks more perplex and annoyed than injured for the moment, but maybe someone could jump in to help him just in case.]

One

[mythmaker]

My, my...this is American 'heavy metal', isn't it? How wonderful~.

[There's a beautiful woman with her hand cradling her face only a few feet away. Her smile is calm but not overstated, and her voice carries an air of melody and lightness to it. From the looks of her clothes and weapon she's carrying, it's clear she's accepted a job as a Dancer.

Despite the small crowd and questionable music, Azusa kneels and deposits some of her dancing wages into the guitar case.]

Will you play another song for me, Mr. Guitar Player?

[charming_jerk]

[That certainly helps turn Johnny's mood around. It's been a long time since anyone's come close to recognizing what he's playing. He gives her a grin.]

Close - Black Sabbath's British. But yeah. Pretty damn wonderful in my opinion too.

[He means Black Sabbath's wonderful, not himself. He also gives her a thanks for the donation.]

Sure thing. Any particular requests?

[mythmaker]

Ah, so close~! I don't suppose there's a consolation prize?

[Even as she's corrected, Azusa is still smiling. After all, she's an idol; she loves music in all of its shapes and forms. It helps that she's a bit too distracted by the new world to realize this musician has horns, too, but even then.]

Hmm...how about something that reminds you of someone you care about? Do they have any metal songs like that?

[charming_jerk]

Well, I'm an American, for whatever it's worth. Ain't often I find anyone who knows what that is anymore. Where're you from?

[He picks idly at the strings as he thinks about what he could play next. Although he practices a lot, many of the songs he learned back on Earth are starting to fade from memory. Johnny's done his best to catalog what he could remember in notebooks, but of course, those are all back on Crystallis now. He sighs at this thought. All that hard work...]

How about... one of the first full songs I taught myself. I played it for my uncle, who damn near died when I did. He was the one who taught me how to play guitar in the first place, and he told me he was jealous that I got way better than him. [He grins to himself as he starts quiet tune that slowly builds. It's a good song to show off Johnny's deep voice as well, and while the song is unfamiliar to this planet's residents, a few more people stop to listen again now. He's surprised when he notices all of them, and gives the slightest bow when he finishes. This has gained him a few more donations, at least.]

Heh. I guess I know what I need to stick playing around here.

[mythmaker]

I had a feeling you might be. [What is that supposed to mean?? He has white skin and horns. But she's not bothered by it at all. Truly, after meeting Zora and Moogles, some sort of demon is even more normal by comparison.] My name is Azusa Miura, and I'm from Tokyo.

[She listens intently, hands folded in front of her. The entire time Johnny sings, she has a peaceful smile on her face—but if he can't tell already, that's how she usually feels. She claps when the song is over, and a few members of the audience join in before depositing some coin.]

How wonderful! That's a powerful song, isn't it? My, my...it makes me feel like the people I care about are smiling right next to me, too.

[charming_jerk]

Glad ya like it. Seems to have gone over a bit better than the last one. Then again, it's kinda hard to do Black Sabbath any justice without an electric guitar.

[Hey, there's a thought.]

Maybe this planet'll have them. Man, I sure hope so. [Living here might be worthwhile leaving everything behind again for the fourth time in his life!]

One

[theendiswherewestartfrom]

There was another Bard near the back of the crowd who was instead, quite impressed. He was trying to harmonize with it, but couldn't quite catch the tune. He walks up after the other people have dispersed, and drops some of his cash into Johnny's guitar case.

"A little bit out of my range, but I bet I could pick it up."

That familiar face, with that oh-so-familiar flirtatious smirk on it, as Jack Harkness eyes Johnny over. But there's no spark of recognition in his eyes, he doesn't think he's seen Johnny before. He's in similar Bard gear, but it's more worn than Johnny's; he's been here for a while.

[charming_jerk]

Johnny's answer gets caught in his throat for the moment when he sees who asks it. He can't believe his eyes. In the back of his mind, he knows all about the reincarnations and alternate universes, but right now it's like there's a ghost in front of him. His answer to Jack comes out very distractedly.

"Yeah, I, uh... Ozzy's a lot high than me too, really."

Today's already been a little overwhelming. Johnny's wondering if maybe he's seeing things.

One

[unyieldingspirit]

[she waits until the audience has largely drifted away before coming over.]

Someday we'll find a planet where they love your music. There must be one out there, right?

[charming_jerk]

[He chuckles at that.]

Yeah, it was called Earth. Well... [He thinks about that for a second, being that Johnny's a metalhead from 2011.] It ain't as popular as it once was. Rock music, that is. It's all my uncle's fault I like that shit in the first place.

[unyieldingspirit]

[she grins back, pleased.]

Your own, right? [she shakes her head.] That's a shame. But family give you a lot of things, I think, right?

[charming_jerk]

[He indicates his well-worn and well-traveled guitar.]

Yep. Like this. My uncle gave me this, too. He was the one who taught me how to play. He'd be shocked that I still have it, after everything.

[Johnny's a little surprised himself, and very glad. It's all he has left of his family.]

[unyieldingspirit]

It looks loved. [she gives him a little smile.] Maybe- I hope he'd be pleased, too

[charming_jerk]

Loved 'n well travelled. Like me, it's now on its third planet. It's a miracle I still got it.

You manage to bring anything from home along?

One; short tag is short but i want to poke you

[shinra_dog]

Should I start dippin' inta' pockets?

[Reno smirked, kidding -- mostly.]

<3

[charming_jerk]

[Johnny wants to say no. He knows he should say no.]

... We might haveta. Serves 'em right, stingy bastards.

[shinra_dog]

[Reno chuckled and bent to kiss one of Johnny's horns.]

I'll see what I can do. I ain't a Hero anymore, right?

[That seemed entirely undone by some other world-smashing force. Sigh. He was getting tired of moving at this point. But at least this time, his love came with him.]

Try playin' somethin' a little... romantic? Sappy people love love. Maybe that'll do it.

i can't listen to this damn song without crying yet lmao damnit

[charming_jerk]

[He huffs at that suggestion in a way that means he knows Reno is right.]

Romantic? C'mon, this is me we're talkin' about here.

[He plucks a few random notes while he tries to think of something. Back on Crystallis, Johnny had several notebooks full of songs he could remember. He tried writing out the notes and tabs so he wouldn't forget them. It's been so long since the last time he heard all his favorite music.]

... How 'bout this.

[Maybe it's not romantic, but it's a lovely song that's a little more than relevant to him. This definitely works the passersby better than Black Sabbath does, and more stop to listen this time. It gets him a smattering of applause and a few more donations, too.]

[shinra_dog]

[Reno listened with his eyes closed, just appreciating the sound of Johnny's voice. There were a lot of things he liked about Johnny, but his music had really won over the Turk. It really was a shame about the notebooks.]

Just like that.

[He opened his eyes and smiled to see the increase in donations.]

I know it ain't your favorite, but you're pretty good at that too, y'know.

One!

[chefbayardee]

[ The faintest bit of recollection tugs at Hunk's memories, and he finds himself drawn to the performer. As the show ends and the crowd starts to disperse, he starts to think that yeah, he has heard that song before.

So he walks up and tosses a few coins into the case as well, seeing that there's not much of a haul yet. ]

Sorry man, I guess they just don't have a taste for the oldies? I'm surprised I recognized it!

[charming_jerk]

[Johnny's glad to see anyone who recognizes what he's playing. Maybe more people from Earth have been pulled along this time. Johnny thanks him for the donation.]

I'm really glad ya did. I guess it can be filed under "oldies" at this point, where I'm from. What I've learned from travellin' around, though, is that people just wanna hear what they know. But since I just got here, it's gonna be awhile til I learn the local stuff.

[chefbayardee]

Yeah, that's a good point...

[ He's tempted to ask "do you have any other skills to survive in the meantime" but that seems rude. But then a lightbulb goes off. ]

You could try performing where people aren't actually listening to you! [ The wide grin on his face is earnest, even though it defeats the purpose of a performance. ] Y'know, like a crowded restaurant where everyone's talking too loud! Then you can get paid just to learn the songs.

[charming_jerk]

[Johnny nods knowingly at that suggestion.]

Yeah man, you got it. I've done that before, mostly in bars. People don't care what it is ya play when they're drinking, they just want somethin' to fit the atmosphere.

I mean, I'll figure it out, I guess. I just got here, I gotta take some time to see what this place is like, y'know?

[chefbayardee]

Well, what are you used to?

[ Hunk laughs, but he's serious. And while he won't be so direct as to ask "what are you" he will opt for... ]

I've seen a lot of weird stuff, and whatever those are... [ He makes his fingers into a peace sign, using each extended digit to point to his horns. ] ...they're not the sort of thing I've ever seen on a human.

Unless you're... not? [ He catches himself, jumps a bit, and looks nervous. ] Which would be fine!