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

[einspine]

"S-SPACE?!" Oh god. Now he's UP CLOSE to the window. His face is practically glued to it. What a dweeb. "ACTUAL, REAL SPACE?!?!" Give him a moment while he geeks out and tries to soak in every little detail because holy moly ravioli.

He may be shaking slightly in his excitement.

[sassafrisk]

Frisk relaxes and steps back, letting Papyrus enjoy the moment. After everything that had happened in Hotland, it was nice to see him so upbeat again. Not that he wasn't always a happy, energetic doof, but all of their clashes with Undyne had definitely taken a toll.

Part of Frisk wished that they could stay here, and have new adventures with Papyrus, free of all the strife in the Underground. But Papyrus had people back there, and Frisk still had a duty as resident superhero to save the Underground. So, taking a deep breath, Frisk loads.

Or at least they try to.

Their eyes snap wide open. "Oh crap." Cap? You there?

...Cap?

Frisk just stands there for a few moments, completely shocked. This was bad. Unbelievably bad. Bad on a level that they were previously incapable of comprehending. They stumble against the wall, sliding down the wood and clutching their forehead. Okay. Maybe if they tried one more time? Flukes happen.

...nope. Still nothing. Frisk is, at this point, quite visibly panicking, eyes darting all around the cabin as they call on every trick in the manga for achieving meditative focus. Zilch. Nada. No dice.

They were screwed.

[einspine]

At first, Papyrus is too fixated on the view outside to realize what's going on. It's so new. So refreshing. Everything he'd dreamed of and more! But stunning view or not, that thud as Frisk hits the wall is difficult to miss, and he pries his eye sockets away from the window...

Only to find Frisk clutching their head. Shaking? Panicking? And Papyrus doesn't even hesitate before he crouches down, setting a hand on their shoulder.

"Frisk? Frisk, what's wrong?" This is... strange. So sudden. What could have happened?

[sassafrisk]

It wasn't technically lying if they just left out parts of the truth, right? "I... I just realized. Flowey's all alone in Hotland. If Undyne catches him..." they bluff. They were absolutely worried about Flowey, but that took a backseat to the blinding panic that came with the sudden removal of quite possibly the cushiest of safety nets in existence. There was no going back now. "And, and, without us, he won't be able to get the SOULs and free everyone! I don't think they'll just let some random flower take them just because he asked nicely."

[einspine]

"Oh."

Oh dear. That's... a very good point. So good, in fact, that he winces a little. How could he have forgotten?! After all, Flowey's his friend too! And more than that, his responsibility. Oh dear. Oh goodness. He gulps, even though he has no throat, so it's not a gulp in the traditional sense. Just some vague facsimile, really.

"...W-well! Flowey is a very crafty fellow. I'm sure he'll think of something in our absence. Perhaps he'll lay low for the time being?"

[sassafrisk]

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Frisk nods, struggling to put a smile back on their face. "But we need to get focused on getting back ASAP! I mean, I'm sure we can get through this together. If we beat Undyne's devious Vomit-O-Tron, then there's no challenge we can't overcome together!"

[einspine]

"Of course! The rest of the Underground is counting on us, after all. We do have a responsibility to uphold. A barrier to break! Challenges to overcome! Friends to make! Hopefully." He lets out a slightly nervous laugh. Undyne... is going to be tough, but there must be a way!

In the mean time, he'll place a hand on Frisk's shoulder for support. "But in the mean time, I don't see why we can't enjoy ourselves! Multitasking is one of my many strong points!" Usually.

[sassafrisk]

Frisk puts a hand to their chest. "I, for one, look forward to epic fantasy adventures with an improbably high density of people with impossibly spiky hair."

[einspine]

"I actually met someone with spiky hair already. Red, spiky hair! A truly stunning combination!" He claps a hand over his chest. So beautiful. So inspiring! "Of course, his coolness isn't quite on par with mine, but I can still admire his style all the same!"

[sassafrisk]

"Having two people with your level of coolness in the universe would probably cause a cool singularity. I'm not even sure what that is, but it's probably both awesome and terrifying to even be in the same dimension as such a high level of cool. Maybe you should clone yourself to document its effects?" Frisk says, smirking slightly.

[einspine]

"Frisk, Frisk, Frisk. We've gone over this already! It's still my dream to achieve the ultimate Papyrus party. Papyruses across the multiverse, gathered in one single place to partake in cooking! Puzzles! All sorts of incredible and cool spectacles." He puffs up his chest and lifts his chin. "I think the slight risk of a coolness singularity is worth it for such a noble cause!"

[sassafrisk]

Frisk shakes their head. "I dunno, Papyrus. I'm pretty sure it'd be irresponsible to leave all the other Papyruses' Frisks on their own. I dread to think of the kind of trouble I'd stir up if you left me to my own shenanigans. Imagine that kind of havoc, but on a multiversal scale! No monster in the Underground would be safe from our brilliant pick-up lines!" They cackle evilly, which quickly devolves into a bout of giggling.

[einspine]

"Why not invite all the Frisks, then? That would avoid any Frisks feeling left out! Alone. Tragically lost in their respective Undergrounds!" He pauses, squinting slightly. "...But then, could a single room contain so much unfiltered flirting? Would that create another kind of singularity altogether?!"

[sassafrisk]

Frisk could almost forget the dire circumstances with the big, skeletal doof around them to cheer them up. They didn't know what they'd do without- okay, they knew exactly what they would do, and it probably wouldn't be pretty. It would likely involve an extended, embarrassing freakout.

They furrow their brow in an exaggerated manner. "This line of questioning merits experimentation! For science! And totally not because I'm secretly plotting the smoothpocalypse and minions, I mean other Frisks, would help me further my plans for world domination."