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

[sunderings]

When I was young, I enlisted in the military academy of my country to better serve my people.

[ For as much as he can appreciate his companion's brevity, Sion cannot help but wonder at its nature—has the other man always been given to economy in this, and perhaps in all things? Or is it a learned manner, borne of necessity? And if the latter should be the case, what had that 'necessity' been? His white mage's robes trailing after him in quiet susurration, the King finds himself given to pensive thought, golden eyes fixed upon some point in the aether, high over head before he speaks again: ]

What I learned, there, has kept both myself and others alive in the most critical of times, so...

[ Ah? That's quite the theatrical pause, isn't it? ]

...do not worry, I will definitely protect you. ☆

[ But for however light of heart the sentiment may be, breezy as the wind which cuts through the tall grasses of the field they traverse through, so too is it resonant with all the solemn weight of a vow. Strange, right? Strange, but also disarming, in a fashion. ]

[judicatus]

[ disarming, sure. it's disarming enough to give gabranth pause, pause enough to turn at look directly at his companion with a raised eyebrow. ]

Much as I appreciate your candor, I do believe I shall be the one handling your protection.

[ he is the one with a paladin asterisk, after all. even though he is somewhat less accustomed to bearing a shield than a sword, he has no small amount of confidence in his own ability to do just that. still... ]

Still, your academic training certainly won't go amiss.

[sunderings]

[ That loft of brow is met and matched with an inquisitive cant of head; a smile which surfaces in response to both the paladin's bemused pause and the words (dutifully chosen and equally thoughtful) which follow in its wake. Has Gabranth ever received such a declaration before? Unlikely, given the man's austere bearing; his propensity for assuming the role of guardian, and yet... there is something in his acknowledgement of Sion (amiss, Gabranth had said) which is a departure from militant gravitas and a hair's breadth closer to something by far more gentle.

Ah. ]

I should hope not. [ —he hums in idle agreement, golden eyes falling downcast to survey the terrain before them, looking for signs of trails and of runs; indicators that coeurl may be near. ] Though I am certain I could not rival you in field experience...

[ And there it is: a worn pathway in the grass, likely leading to watering or bedding area, the size of it accommodating for a large feline. ]

...in a way, we have been equalized, now holding the status of novices even in once familiar professions.

[ Following the hollow of the trail, fingertips just brushing against the blades of grass, Sion gestures forward!: ]

This way! [ And look! There he goes, darting ahead, stave removed from its place at his back in anticipation of what they might find. ]