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

[somebodyperfect]

"I think they might be subject to the same rule. Since they're magic by nature, they might not be able to sustain themselves, or might turn into normal monsters, not magical ones... Then anyone could kill the most common ones, they're pretty weak." He shrugs. "Well. Weaker than a trained combatant, anyway."

[conniemaheswaran]

"Hopefully. I really don't want to deal with special super-powered zombies down there. That sounds like a bad time for everyone involved."

[somebodyperfect]

"They aren't quite zombies... In most cases, some look like ghosts. You got a pencil?" If she finds one, he'll take a pamphlet and sketch a Shadow on the back. If not, he'll describe it in detail.

[conniemaheswaran]

As a studious nerd, Connie always has at least three sharpened pencils, one highlighter, and two pens at all times. She hands one over to Lea, peering over his shoulder as he makes the sketch. "Huh. Those claws are nasty, but otherwise it looks kinda... cute, almost." She waves her hands in front of her face. "N-not that I don't believe you! Some of the Light Constructs were adorable too, and they were pretty lethal! But, um, I have to admit, that wasn't exactly what I was expecting."

[somebodyperfect]

"Now imagine this, but giant, buff, and throwing balls of darkness. That's how some of them look, too." He's never been expected to fight those often, thankfully, but he knows they're dangerous. "Or floating hourglasses with little witch-hats, or tiny soldiers... There are lots of kinds. This," he indicates the paper as he speaks, "... is just the most common and weakest, the ones that come first."

[conniemaheswaran]

"...oh." Connie frowns. "Y'know, compared to these guys, the stuff I've fought doesn't really, um, match up. In terms of threat. I mean, Homeworld's perfectly capable of turning planets into lifeless husks--at least that's what I've heard--but they don't, um. Turn people into more Gems. Or have a bunch of ominous shadowy-darknessy stuff going on with them."

[somebodyperfect]

"Probably a good thing, to be honest. I wouldn't want more lights to go out." He shakes his head. "That'd be bad."

[conniemaheswaran]

"Definitely." Connie cocks her head. "Wait. What do you mean by lights going out? I mean, obviously, there's the light in buildings and stuff, but it sounds like, um, you mean something more."

[somebodyperfect]

He sighs, and thinks. How to explain this... "When a world's heart dies, its light dies with it, and a star in the sky goes out." That seems simple enough, to him. What heliocentric orbits?

[conniemaheswaran]

The first thing out of Connie's mouth when she hears that is, "That isn't how stars work!" She blushes. "Um, well, uh, not where I'm from, at least. Are sure it's actually stars that you're seeing go out? Since, um. I somehow doubt that a single planet dying is enough to completely consume a massive flaming ball of plasma powered by nuclear reactions."

[somebodyperfect]

'I didn't say planet, I said world. The worlds are separate. Each one has its own sun, its own moon. And when they die, their light goes out. Stars, at least where I come from, aren't... balls of plasma. They're the light and life shining from a world's heart, through the darkness that separates the worlds. And the heartless snuff that light out." It's not necessarily common knowledge, but he's well aware of it, having been to many a world in the past.

[conniemaheswaran]

Connie is momentarily dumbstruck as she struggles to reconcile Lea's words with logic. "I... so... each world. Is part of its own dimension. And emits a magical energy that's able to pierce dimensional barriers in the form of lights in the sky. When a world, um, 'Heart,' is destroyed, the rest of the world goes with it, and the light goes out. That, uh, about right?"

[somebodyperfect]

"Not sure on the dimension stuff, but otherwise yeah. They can be reawakened, rekindled, though, I believe." He crosses his arms, a bit concerned. Is it really that weird and complicated?

[conniemaheswaran]

"At least there's some hope where you're from, then." Connie realizes something, and smacks her forehead. "I can't believe I've been badgering you with all this stuff without even introducing myself. I'm Connie, what's your name?"

[somebodyperfect]

"It's... Lea. It's Lea." The second time he says it he sounds more confident in that. "Nice to meet you, Connie."

[conniemaheswaran]

"It's a pleasure." Connie, at a loss for further conversation, stares out into the Dream Width, pondering her current predicament.