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

g. library

[zanarkandian]

[Oops, guilty. To be fair, he rarely visits libraries, but Tidus has decided that now might be the time. He just...needs to do a little maturing first.]

Geez, sorry! It's just that this part was really funny.

[He holds up the book, about a medieval misadventure and the greedy man repeatedly being bucked by chocobos.]

Want to see?

[rivieran]

Was it now?

[ She lowers herself back onto the ground which, really, doesn't change much. She can still see clearly straight over Tidus' shoulder.

She leans forward to peer at the book, and scans the section... Chocobos? What were--Oh, right, those rideable chickens. Being the stick in the mud she is, she doesn't find it funny. She had fun once, and it was terrible. ]

I'm sorry, I'm afraid there must be a cultural misunderstanding between us as I'm not sure what is so funny. Would you mind explaining?

[zanarkandian]

[Ah, cultural misunderstandings. He's still at the center of those way too often. He explains---softly, of course.]

That guy was a real jerk to the red mage from earlier. Tried to make her clean his house and everything, just 'cause he was some prince! But there she is, riding by with the stable boy she fell in love with. It's just funny to see him whine about getting all that mud out of his robes while the poor girl finally gets to be happy.

[rivieran]

[ She tries to restrain the smile growing on her lips when she notices him lowering his voice. At least he listens! ]

Ah, I see. So the humor lies in the revenge the girl gets on the prince who was rude to her. I suppose I can understand how that might be funny. [ It stings a little, though. Her traveling companions laughing at her for similar things is still fresh in her mind, but she tries not to show it. ] Do you enjoy these kinds of stories? Have you checked out our comic section? [ She has no idea that comics=/=comedy. ]</small

[zanarkandian]

We have comics here? I thought libraries only had real books.

[Predictably, his eyes light up.]

I promise I'll be quiet...er.

[rivieran]

I appreciate it. [ She doesn't hide her smile this time. ]

It's not the Grand library for no reason. Here, I'll show you.

[ She beckons for him to follow, and takes him to a bookcase near the front desk. The comic section takes up half of the bottom shelf, next to a small assortment of puzzle books and outdated magazines. ]

[zanarkandian]

[Tidus smiles widely as he starts browsing the selection, handling each cover with care. He finally picks one and nods.]

Thanks. I think I might really start to like this place.

[rivieran]

Fantastic. [ Still smiling! So it sounded like he was relatively new here, too, and not a native. Ena feels a bit of a connection with him. ]

My name is Ena. I work here. [ She points to the reception desk just over there. ] If you have any questions or want to check a book out, please don't hesitate to call out to me.

[zanarkandian]

[He smiles back, grateful.]

I'm Tidus. I work...well, I'm gonna work at joining a blitzball team. But between that and learning to fight again? Stopping to read doesn't sound so bad.

Maybe I'll see you again?

[rivieran]

Oh, that's that sport, is it? I suppose I may check it out sometime. [ what a nice boy ]

Of course, if you'll be back to check out more books, then I should be here. [ She nods to his book ] Enjoy.