memesofeternity | 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The person he's supposed to be working on the quest with Lea is late, because of course he is. He comes up behind Lea in time to hear him.]

Hmmm...probably.

[He doesn't actually know, and if he catches Lea's attention he'll raise his hand in greeting and smile.]

What's up Ax?

[There's a small amount of tension in Lea's chest whenever Demyx uses that name, but he knows it's easier than explaining his name's change. Other people refer to him as Lea, but Demyx met him as Axel, and it's just... easier to stick with that, especially when he's not sure how he got his heart back himself.]

N'much, Dem. You sure about this? They say there's a lot out there, especially the further you get from town... You scared?

[Lea could explain it, but Demyx wouldn't understand any more than Lea does, nor would he really get it any more than he understands how he lost his own heart. It's better not to dwell on those heavy questions, honestly, because things are as they are. Mostly, he's just used to him being 'Axel'.]

Not really. [He shrugs, but apparently in this place sitting around all day isn't going to be tolerated much more than it usually is, even if he hasn't seen the Superior around. Some vacation. Find a place to live. Get a job. Ugh.]

I'm not scared! [He says for the moment, because 'fear' wouldn't benefit him. Honestly? He likes to travel. He likes to see new places and this is a new place...

But if a big bad monster comes up, he can let Lea handle it. Teamwork.]

[Lea looks over at Demyx. Yep. Same old apathetic, lazy guy. Maybe they should stick to smaller enemies.]

That's good. So, what job did you end up going with? [He's got a hunch, but he'd like it confirmed before he reacts.]

[Not everyone can be a fighter Lea.]

I'm a bard. [He grins slightly.] Seemed like a good fit for me, don't you think?

[Besides, in a fight he won't have to dirty his hands, he'll just be support and play music. It's practically a win/win.]

Yeah, I figured as much. Doesn't that mean we both have awful defense?

[His black mage secondary only slightly raises his magical defense, and gives him his fire shuriken... He's not a tank by any means.]

We should probably stick to near the town.

[He blinks, thinking about that.]

It...does. I think my second job is better at defense than the first. You know, I'm not sure how that works.

[Demyx also took the Dancer secondary, which gives him a modifier of a buff to bardic spells on himself. It seemed to make sense.]

Yeah, okay, but first we need to conquer the bird! [He steps closer to it.]

What do we do with the birds?

I think you ride them.

[He stares at his bird. It stares back, goes "Kwee!" and pecks the ground a bit.]

... Where are our moogles anyway? They should know how this works. I haven't seen Vrissi all day.

[Probably she figured out there'd be fighting... Why would someone so scared of violence sign on to help adventurers?]

Yeah, but I think I could take the bird.

[No, he probably can't, it would peck him in the head.]

Uh, well I think mine was taking a nap.

[He grins and shrugs. Like owner he supposes, but he's not that worried about the moogle.]

Sure you could, Demyx.

[Let's ignore the fact that what few offensive skills you once had were neutralized by the asterisk. Lea pats his chocobo, looks dubiously at the saddle on its back, and lifts his foot to the stirrup before swinging up and landing on. Backwards.]

Yeah I think I got off on the wrong foot in the literal sense here.

[And like a true friend, Demyx laughs hard, doubling over and wrapping his arms around his middle.

Sorry Axel, sometimes he's not all that nice.]

It can't be that hard!

[He grins, like the kitten that caught the canary and he climbs up on the second chocobo, facing the right direction.]

TEST DRIVE MEME

Adventuring

Oh Demyx... never change.

He rarely ever does. Too much effort.

Seems legit.

Path of least resistance

Yup. And that's the path Demyx wal- lounges on.

There's always time for a good cloud viewing. Wanna give it a shot firecracker?

... Yeah sure. Better than trying to fight zombies with their physical defense ratings.

See, there's a silver lining, just like on clouds.

And lo, we have come full circle!

And here, everyone thought Demyx was full of nonsense.