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

[chefbayardee]

The best? I wouldn't go that far... [ He recoils a bit, though he's definitely still laughing. ] But these hands are good with machines too, so they're pretty great!

[ Hunk pauses for a moment, contemplative, before- ] But you know what, I think monkeys are the best at hands. They have hands on their feet, and I just don't think I can beat that.

[twomeals]

[Sshh it was a joke! Not that Yue's saying that out loud. He gets a curious look though, at the handfoot mention.]

...What's a monkey?

[chefbayardee]

[ Hunk's chuckling comes to a sudden halt, mid-laugh even, as Yue asks his question. The halt continues, far longer than Hunk's comedic timing would normally allow- that's how it's clear this gets to him. ]

They're like small, hairy people with tails, and they climb in trees, and apparently some people have eaten their brains, but- [ He does a double take, the bafflement still setting in. ] You seriously don't know what a monkey is?

[twomeals]

[...Why'd the guy freeze up....was the question that strange.....Yue looks increasingly awkward with every second of silence, like maybe he said something wrong?

The description he gets is also pretty weird, he's gotta say.] Um, I've seen bear people, and dog people, and cat people, but. I don't think I've seen one that said they were a monkey, before. [Pause.] Why would you eat their brains?

[chefbayardee]

[ The stare comes back. The wheels turn, and he completely disregards the question... ] Dog people. Cat people. Bear people. And you're a bird person. You seem to know what those animals are but not a monkey, so...

[ The stares and aggressive emphasizing take a different turn, as his face becomes plastered with a goofy grin and an eyebrow so raised it might just jump off his face. ] How... how does your world work?

[twomeals]

How it works? Umm.... [He's honestly--well he could probably explain Ryslig reasonably well, but the more curious Hunk gets about things like this the more unsure he feels. How much can he say? How good is he at actually explaining? Why does this guy look so excited?

Hugging his doll to himself.]

...Well, I mean...there's humans, and there's monsters, and we lived in a city? It worked pretty normally, I think...

[chefbayardee]

[ While Yue's elaboration was solid, a certain word clung to Hunk's perception, and an offended scowl plastered itself across his face. ]

What?! They called you monsters? [ Because Yue definitely doesn't look human since, like, wings. ] Is that a term you're okay with? [ He's pretty sure they're speaking the same language, and the things he would call a monster are pretty different from a bird person capable of thought and conversation.

So Hunk actually pouts a bit, hoping he has this wrong, because- ] Once the surprise wore off, you weren't monstrous at all!

[twomeals]

Ah, thanks, I guess? [He is a monster, though...he doesn't quite understand the negative connotation, having just assumed that's what people back in Ryslig called anybody nonhuman.]

If "monster" isn't good, what did they say where you're from? You could call me an ayakashi instead, if you want.

[chefbayardee]

I, uh... most monsters I ran into were horrifying beasts, kind of like what we can run into outside of the towns. [ They didn't even refer to the Galra as monsters, and they did some monstrous things. It was... an uncomfortable amount of dehumanization for Hunk to see. ] We called most things by their species. Human, Altean, Galra, stuff like that. Like dogs or cats or birds.

[ He pauses, clearly having trouble wrapping his mind around the dissonance between their worlds. ] Why wouldn't they just call you, y'know, a bird person? Or is that what ayakashi means?

[twomeals]

Horrifying.... [This subject is starting to feel more complicated than he can really understand. What counts as a monster or a....not-monster? He's never heard of Galras or anything...the creatures outside do look pretty scary, but so did some of the people in Ryslig, when he first started living there.

Maybe monsters are creatures that can't talk, where Hunk comes from? But dogs and cats and birds apparently aren't monsters..................Yue looks incredibly confused, honestly.]

....Um. Well, there's still different...species? Like, I'm a harpy, and Kaede-chan's an arachne usually, and ayakashi are...sort of like that, only they're better at looking human when they want to, I guess? [An awkward flail of his claws.] Is it that bad? To just use one word to call everybody.

[chefbayardee]

Oh, so you do have names! That's good. [ He smiles, earnest and warm. ] I guess it's not bad, but... [ He looks pensive, choosing his words carefully. ] When I hear "monster" I don't think of things like, uh, harpies. Things like dragons and planet-eating worms and giant angry bugs that live in moons.

[ He thinks again. ] Wait, you said I could call you an ayakashi, but then you said that harpies are different from an ayakashi? I'm confused again.