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

[stfuporom]

[He raises a hand to his temple and shakes his head.]

Stop. Just stop.

Your magic is going to run away from you and catch a cat on fire if you keep going in that many directions. And then you'll feel embarrassed and swear off your magic and then we'll have one less black mage asterisk to hand out to people.

Is that what you want? A charbroiled cat on your conscience?

[conniemaheswaran]

"Right. Right." Connie breathes in and out once more. "If I want to learn properly, I need to focus." After a few more moments, she calms down significantly. "Thanks. I just get worked up about things like this. Probably more than is healthy. Definitely more than is healthy, actually. Um, if you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

[stfuporom]

He fold his arms at the question, noting the girl's change in demeanor. "Palom." The boy stated flatly, not asking the girl hers.

He takes a further moment and leans in a little. She was intriguing, he would admit, but then again so are other kids her age. This required some prodding. "What interest do you have with black magic? Not very many girls are interested in blowing things up. Don't you think healing magic would be more for you?"

[conniemaheswaran]

Connie's eye twitched. "Healing magic won't kill the monsters that make a regular habit of trying to murder me whenever I so much as step outside whatever city or village I'm staying at. Well, granted, it could make a difference against undead-class monsters, but fireballs and steel will also do the job in that case."

[stfuporom]

"You're a weird girl." His grin curls in a wry smile. "Most of you don't figure that out and leave the actual work to us. Good for you." Despite his words he didn't actually mean it. In fact, he knew several girls that would kick his ass seven ways to Sunday if they heard him say that, even to get a rise out of someone.

"Alright, fine. I like a challenge. In recognition that one of your number is learning a little common sense, I'll be willing to share with you a few pointers to get you started."

[conniemaheswaran]

On the one hand, Connie was sorely tempted to introduce to Palom exactly why it was foolhardy to apply broad stereotypes to women, and to act like an arrogant ass to them to boot. On the other hand, he was the only person who had deigned to extend an offer of training to her. Swallowing her pride, Connie nodded, bowing to Palom. "Thank you for your offer. I accept it with the utmost gratitude. My name is Connie, and I will be happy to be your student." If one listened closely, they could hear a vaguely sarcastic twinge in her voice.

[stfuporom]

Oh, he notices. Almost makes him smile, really. This girl very much reminds him of his sister. Or how she used to be when they were younger. That thought was comforting to Palom, but not enough that she was going to let up his condescension any time soon.

"Yes yes, a very pretty name of some deep personal importance." He almost laughed dryly. "I might even remember it if you go a week without being some Imp's dinner or flattened by an ogre. Also I didn't promise to teach you, but I will give you some advice."

Still, when it comes to matters of magic, Palom takes no shortcuts. He motions to a corner of the room where they can talk more quietly. "Oh by the way," he added, "don't worry about your age. I was a master black mage of Mysidia when I was six. I'm sure even a girl can learn the basics at your age." His smug smile softens just ever so slightly at that, but he's still the same arrogant douche as ever.

[conniemaheswaran]

Connie arches an eyebrow. “Six? Truly? I have to admit, that’s impressive.” She takes a deep breath, turning the excess of nervous energy she displayed earlier into an iron focus. Looking at Palom with almost disquieting intensity. “Alright. Where do we start?”

[stfuporom]

"The basics, obviously." He sits bow-legged and invites Connie to do the same. Regardless, he'll continue. "Now, a lot of mages will tell you that the most important thing about being a black mage is being in touch with nature and listen to the spirits or other such malarkey. While it isn't a good idea to completely ignore those whiners, that's not really what's going to get you casting fire and lightning to destroy your enemies."

As a demonstration, he raises a hand and a small orb of fire materializes. "In order to do this, you need to draw on your knowledge of the element and materialize it with your own will. That's why focus is so important. Casting magic as you were would make this go everywhere. Put enough energy into an unfocused desire and you will be nothing more than a ticking time bomb that can destroy anything near you, including yourself."

He looks at his hand and closes it and the ball vanishes. "So a focus is necessary to begin casting something. For example, defiance and stubbornness directed at a jerk who is giving you a hard time because of your sex."

[conniemaheswaran]

At Palom’s invitation, Connie sits down and begins listening intently to Palom, nodding along. It’s obvious that if she had a paper and pencil, she would be taking notes, but considering that her mind was already like a steel trap it wasn’t a huge loss. At Palom’s last sentence, Connie’s eyes light up, and she snickers slightly. “I see. So what you’re saying is that while the Druidic aspects of black magic traditions aren’t entirely without purpose, it’s a better use of your time and energy to focus on the technical and mental aspects so you can actually produce results, primarily through using emotional energy or some other psychic resource,” she breathes in and out, channeling all that frustration Palom had helpfully generated for her and combining it with all the focusing techniques Pearl had taught her to produce a tiny, spluttering ball of flame. She opens her eyes, and the fire momentarily flares with her excitement before she gets it under control again. However, her wide grin remains. “Like so!”

[stfuporom]

Palom's eyes widen at the appearance of the fire. Usually it takes people a while to figure out how to channel their first spell. Connie, was it? Huh. She might be somebody worth keeping an eye on after all.

"Quite." He had to hold his tongue to ask if she really hadn't done this before, but that really wasn't important. "The other elements draw on different knowledge and different wills. Ice, for example, draws on cold reason and grim resolve."

"Be careful with that. It is hot."

[conniemaheswaran]

“Right, right.” Connie dismisses the fire, still looking quite thoughtful. “Which is why I need to master fire before I move on to the other elements, correct? It has to be easier putting emotions in your spells in the heat of battle than to focus on the more stable parts of your psyche.”

[stfuporom]

She surprised him again. "That's right. Fire is also one of the hardest to control for that very reason. Its easy to start, but like the element it draws from it has the potential to be dangerous." He takes a moment, leaning back to consider his next words. "All of the elements do, really. You must remember that the purpose of black magic is to direct energies toward something for the sake of destroying it. Waver in your will or in your intent lessen and you may find yourself back to a beginning stage. And on the other hand--" But rather than finishing that thought, Palom stops, looking to Connie to see if she can continue with what he started.

[conniemaheswaran]

“...if you overcommit, you risk losing control of the spell and potentially killing yourself, or, worse yet, endangering your party members and any other innocent bystanders,” Connor concludes, brow furrowed.

[stfuporom]

He nods, leaning in closely on Connie.

"Are you sure this is for you?" Unlike the first time he asked in flippant antagonism, this question had dire weight. Was she willing to put her self on the line in every spell that she released with the intention to destroy? Was she able to control her emotions when things get dire? Would she take the responsibility to use her power for the protection of others? All of these he posed to this girl: a mere neophyte in the ways of magic and new arrival in a land that she owed nothing to. The question was not fair, but neither were their circumstances. And yet he's asking anyway. Asking with the continence that only the best black mage of Mysidia, the city of mages, could do.

"You can always apply yourself to other jobs." His words held no jabs. No judgements. He was taking on himself to be the first door that she had to open toward the path of being a black mage.

[conniemaheswaran]

Connie opens her mouth to say yes, but she suppresses that instinct to instead truly ruminate on the question. She closes her eyes, turning the problem over in her mind, examining the problem from all angles as she was taught, before finally coming to her answer. “From what you’ve told me, anybody who thinks that they are one hundred percent ready for this power are idiots who are liable to get themselves and everybody around them hurt. So, no, I can’t say without a doubt that this is for me, because that would be an incredibly dumb thing to say, and I am not stupid.” Connie pauses, summoning a tiny flame in her palm. “But the thing is... I believe that with enough hard work, I could learn how to channel black magic in a way that really could protect the people of this world.” She dismisses the fire and looks Palom directly on the eye. “Am I ready for this? Of course not. Nobody is when they start something like this, or even when they’re in the middle of learning it. I know from experience that that just because you know how to use a sword doesn’t mean that you can fight. But I want to learn.”

[stfuporom]

Palom laughs. He reaches over and gives Connie a pat on her head. "Good enough." He returns his hand and the tense moment wanes. "But you really ought to be a bit more confident in yourself, squirt."

Still, this one shows promise. Although she is starting a little later than most students in Mysidia, she would be an interesting one to keep tabs on. "For now, you should begin with the basics of casting Fire. Once you have learned how to cast it outside of battle, your next step would be to cast it in the heat of battle. Only once you know how you handle yourself against an opponent that actually wants to make your insides decorating a floor can you say that you've really developed mastery."

He nods. "I look forward to hearing good things, Connie."

[conniemaheswaran]

Connie smiles at Palom. “Thank you so much for taking the time to teach me this. At the rate I was going back there, well, the instructors would probably either be putting me out or sweeping up my ashes.” She stands up and bows to Palom, this time with genuine respect behind the gesture. “Now for the hard part: putting theory into practice. Hopefully I won’t set the training area more on fire than usual. Be seeing you.” With that, Connie strides into the area now open for target practice, stopping to give Palom one final wave before disappearing into the crowd.