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

Aqua ☆ Kingdom Hearts (0.2 spoilers)

[keytoblivion]

[ A – Retrieval ]

[It's a little disorienting, the strange smell in the air that reminds Aqua of the Deep Space, the humming sound of machinery when she has been lost in Darkness for so long, when all she remembers is… Terra. Terra talking to her, and then that Dweller of Darkness grabbing her and Ven and pulling them away from him…

(Terra is fighting Xehanort still, she isn't sure where, but of this she is certain.)

Aqua sighs quietly in her cot before she forces her eyes open and turns her head to catch a glimpse of her surroundings… huh. How strange… it doesn't look like the Dark World at all. Then she sits up, her hand immediately reaching for the Wayfinder that she usually keeps in the pocket by her skirts… only that that pocket is empty.

…She must have lost it.

And she can't linger on that, no matter how much that loss hurts her – the Wayfinder is the physical proof of her connection to Terra and Ven after all. Finally she gets up, determination flickering across her face as she pushes to her feet, her hands clenching.

If she hasn't become one with the Darkness, if Terra is fighting Xehanort to protect Ven… then she has no right to give up now, even if she has only ended up in another fallen world (though, strangely enough she doesn't recognize this one…).

Aqua is quiet as she explores the ship, startled by the presence of so many people beside her… and after a moment, she dares to reach out to touch the shoulder of the person next to her... will they disappear if she touches them?]


[ D – Guilds ]

[Aqua has read plenty about the different types of jobs – she has no doubt that she should take care in what she chooses for now… and it hasn't taken long for her to find a job that seems to suit her skills rather well. She prepared well for the trip to Lavode and now that she's done with the papers and gotten her Red Mage asterisk, it's time for basic training!

She can't help a faint smile of nostalgia as she brings up her practice blade, and she can't help but wonder… how many years has it been since those last practice matches with Terra and Ven at the summit of the Land of Departure?]

It's been too long to count, since I practiced my skills like this. But maybe going back to the basics isn't so bad...


[ F – Sidequests ]

[Well, the paper said that the local merchant would like a couple of Wind Crystals, so here Aqua is looking for something called… a cockatrice? Some sort of bird probably?

Well, Aqua has no problem going on this little quest, but the job information says to face them as a pair. Well then, it's time to find herself a partner!]

Excuse me? Can I interest you in helping me with a small quest?

A

[somebodyperfect]

[Lea was... honestly? Not paying attention. A bad habit to get into, but understandable when one's whole worldview has been shifted.

The touch makes him snap back to reality, and he looks down at Aqua.]

I in your way or something?

[keytoblivion]

[Aqua startles, almost jumps back – she hadn't quite expected to be able to actually touch him – then pulls her hand to her chest.]

Ah no! I'm sorry, I hadn't quite expected…

[She drifts off, trying to process the redheads actual presence – suddenly she isn't alone anymore! There is someone to talk to!]

I believe, I have gotten lost so I had hoped you could tell me… where are we?

[somebodyperfect]

I don't think anyone expected this.

[He smiles.]

Well, according to the pamphlets that have all been distributed already, we're in a place called the Dream Width, and we're on our way to Vaikuntha. I think that's how you pronounce it, anyway...

[Honestly, he's not sure about any of this, but he wasn't expecting a... technically third lease on life, so he's a little lost himself.]

And no, no one knows what any of that means.

[keytoblivion]

[Aqua just nods even though she is sure that they are talking about different things… she is probably the only one around here who thought that everyone around her were just phantoms created by the Darkness. In this case, she is very glad to have been proven wrong though.

She presses her lips together for a moment, her fingers tapping up against them as she thinks... she needs more information.]

Do you happen to have one of those pamphlets on you?

[If someone wrote down an explanation of what is going on… even if she won't quite believe it, it won't hurt to read over it at least.]

[somebodyperfect]

Yeah.

[He pulls a few out of his sleeve. How they fit in there is a mystery, the sleeves are... pretty tight.]

Got these earlier. I don't think they expected this many people.

[It's hard to believe for everyone, including the people picking them up, but maybe hardest for those who considered themselves lost...]

A

[conniemaheswaran]

When Aqua finds Connie, the young girl is pacing and mumbling to herself, occasionally rifling through a series of pamphlets as she tries to figure out the logistics of her stay in Vaikuntha. If she was going to be stuck there for the foreseeable future, Connie would need to have some means of securing lodging and education while also searching for a way back to Earth. Which meant, in all likelihood, she would need to find a way to get gil. Considering her experiences with the Prism and her young age, the most logical path for Connie to pursue would be that of the adventurer.

"Alright, Swordmaster's obviously the best primary job for me, but what about secondaries?" she wonders, chewing on one of her many pencils. "Black Mage looks- gah!" Connie whirls around to face Aqua, her papers going flying. "Oh, um, sorry, didn't see you there," she says, blushing. "Um, what can I do for you, miss?"

[keytoblivion]

Aqua pulls her hand away, a little startled, then shakes her head firmly.

"No, the fault lies with me; I shouldn't have presumed–"

–that she is still trapped in the Darkness, that she is all alone. A quick distraction seems best; her eyes fall to the pamphlets.

"You are considering what career to take?"

At least that's what she's understood from the girl's mumbling…

[conniemaheswaran]

Connie laughs nervously. "Um, it's, ah, a bit more complicated than that." She takes a close look at Aqua, then says, "You just woke up, right?"

[keytoblivion]

Aqua tilts her head lightly, she isn't quite sure what makes it more complicated… but surely the girl knows what she is doing.

After a moment she nods though, figuring that it won't hurt to confirm her assumption.

"Yes, I did. Though… it feels almost like I've been sleeping for a long time."

And that after all the time she spent awake in the Darkness… how strange.

[conniemaheswaran]

Connie runs her hand through her hair. "Okay. Geez. Alright. Um, since the staff has their hands full, and I, um, actually know a fair bit because I read waaaay too many pamphlets, I guess it's up to me to give you the whole new person dance. Even though, um, I'm also new and it's also pretty confusing for me."

Taking a deep breath, she continues. "Alright, so, the pilots of this ship found you--and everybody else onboard--in this weird Interdimensional Cloud called the Dream Width, which is named that, because, um, it messes with your head until you can't distinguish memory from reality? I think? Anyways, this is a fairly regular occurrence, and there's an entire organization dedicated to studying the Dream Width and the people that come through it. Not that we're going to be subject to experimentation or anything!" Connie chuckles awkwardly, waving her hands.

"The world that we're currently heading down to is called Vaikuntha, and it's, er, pretty dangerous. It doesn't help that whatever skills you had previously have been completely nixed. Magic, psionics, even just the ability to competently swing a sword around all gone. Which brings me to what I've been stressing about." Connie shows Aqua some of the pamphlets. "Guilds cultivate these special magical... auras? called asterisks that give you some pretty nifty skills when you get them. Downside being you can only keep one asterisk active at a time. God, I just completely overwhelmed you, didn't I? I should know better, I was super confused when I had this all explained to me too, I'm sorry."

F

[wheretheresawill]

[It's raining, and the person she addresses has their hood up and back to her, but they spin on their heel at the sound of her voice.]

Aqua?

[The voice, the stance - they're familiar.]

[keytoblivion]

[Aqua freezes at the sound of his voice, a surprised gasp escaping her – it hasn't been quite so long since she last heard his voice, but… but then he had been a phantom conjured by the deepest desire of her heart.]

…Terra?

[After a second's hesitation she reaches up into his personal space in order to flip back that hood – she has to see his face, has to make sure–]

Is it truly you?

[wheretheresawill]

[His hood flips back easily enough; her hand doesn't pass through it or anything. And under the hood is definitely Terra's face, perfectly normal and smiling broadly.]

It's me. I'm so glad you're here! - Or, no, not that, but I'm glad to see you.

[Being stuck here is bad, right? So he doesn't feel like he should be happy about that.]

[keytoblivion]

[A gasp escapes her when she sees his face, her hands pulling back to her chest as tears gather in the corners of her eyes – he is real, is truly before her eyes…]

You are truly yourself this time, aren't you… and not just an illusion painted by my Heart?

[The ties he had to Xehanort… had he managed to cut them when they had fought before her eyes in the Realm of Darkness?]

[wheretheresawill]

I - yes?

[He doesn't know who else he could be? But Terra quickly sobers.]

Aqua, there's - something I have to tell you. It's about the Master.

[He can't hide what he's done.]

d

[garyoutensei]

-Admittedly, there was something endearing about seeing someone so enthusiastic about practicing a sword, particularly a young woman. It recalled a strange nostalgia that she felt didn't really have any place in her mind. She was never happy in her time training, personally. For Baiken, the blade was a tool for killing, an instrument for a life of bloodshed. But even so...

Well, she was a Swordmaster now, for whatever that was worth. And that plus her own experience, she figured, put her in a good position as any to help this woman out.-

If you need a sparring partner, I don't mind. But I won't apologize if it's too much for you. -Big talk for what appeared to be a one-armed woman, but her words didn't have any hollow arrogance in them. It was so matter of fact it almost seemed like she was talking about the weather...-

[keytoblivion]

Well… to Aqua the blade is a means of protection, the symbol of a peace keeper – that's what she's been trained to do so many years ago after all. Her years training with her friends after the watchful eyes of her Master… they are part of her happiest memories, part of the Light that guided her when she was wandering in the Darkness.

In any case, she smiles faintly and nods at the offer.

"Oh, I would love a round of sparring. This blade is a little lighter than what I'm used to, so it will help to practice a little before I start taking on any quests."

She nods down at the sheathed rapier at her side, her right hand falling against the grip.

"You won't have to worry about me."

Even with her magic sealed and her Experience gone… she has years of training to call on, and those too make her confident.

[garyoutensei]

"I wasn't worried," the woman responded with a small chuckle. "I just don't want to hear any whining."

Baiken settled stepped into the training area, taking a sniff of the air before she paused, slowly sliding her heel back and settling into a low, wide stance, with her hand resting on her sword, still sheathed, and eye locked dead onto Aqua.

[keytoblivion]

"You have nothing to fear in that regard either."

Aqua hasn't raised to be a complainer after all. She follows after the other woman, her hand still resting at the grip of her rapier. Once she's taken her place in front of the other woman she draws her rapier before dropping into her opening stance.

"Ready when you are."

[garyoutensei]

Just barely before that sentence was fully finished, Baiken burst forward with near blistering speed, her sword drawn in a blink and carefully aimed in a cut towards Aqua's arm, as if to rend it off completely in a single blow.

A

[kuposcreed]

[Whoever Aqua was reaching out to touch, there's a sudden white blur as something soft and fluffy flies in and crashes into her palm before flopping down to the floor.

The hood wearing moogle rolls around, paws holding her face as she tries to reorient herself.]

Oooh, kupo~ Watch where you're going! I nearly broke my pom, kupo~

[She sounds a bit more on the worried side of upset than angry. And the crash was very much her own fault given how fast and close she was flying.]

[keytoblivion]

[Aqua blinks, her fingers curling slightly as she stares at them, then down at the ground, her eyes widening a little.]

…A moogle?

[It's hardly her first time encountering one… but the traveling merchants she knows can only be met in the Realm of Light… could it be? Could she truly have made it back… could she somehow have fallen through a crack back into the Realm of Light?

She shakes her head, then smiles faintly.]

My apologies. Though, you should take care too… you are moving quite fast, especially in such an enclosed space.

[kuposcreed]

[Bonnie just sits there on the floor for a moment, rubbing her forehead, her moogle instincts telling her to milk it for as long as she can. But she also well knows that she has to actually engage in conversation. She's not like those cowardly moogles who rely on pity alone.]

Kupoooo, sorry kupo. I'm trying to find my friend Mary. I woke up here and I don't know where she is, kupo.

[keytoblivion]

You are looking for your friend? I can relate to that quite well…

[After all, in a way she is looking for Ven's heart… or at least hoping that it will find its way back home, if only she believes strongly enough like Master Yen Sid had advised… And then there's Terra…

Well, lingering on them won't help Aqua, or this moogle right now. She crouches down, offering her hand to the other.]

My name is Aqua. I've only just woken myself, but… I'll try my best to help you find her.