Test Drive Meme IV

[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. The other newly-awakened people have no idea how they came to be here, but now's a good time as ever to introduce yourself to the others on the airship and glean what information you can. B. CURTI CENTER The researchers at the Curti Center are not quite so unprepared as last time, but it is still obvious that they are struggling to understand the sudden influx of interdimensional travelers from the Dream Width. "Please step into the lobby for a quick survey. Perhaps there is some common thread we haven't discovered yet..." The staff will do their best to help the off-worlders settle in. They answer the questions they can, write down all proffered information they can about the arrivals' homeworlds, provide maps and pamphlets about Vaikuntha 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, considering they are still housing the previous arrivals here on the island. 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. PUMPKIN SPICE Let us send shivers down your spine. The weather has turned cooler, and with the arrival of autumn comes fall-themed treats, fall fashion, and of course, the beginning of the spookiest holiday season. Even though summer is still newly ended, it is not uncommon to already see people embracing the season in full force. Pumpkins and ghost-moogle decorations begin to appear on porches and in windows, stores offer a pumpkin version of everything, and there is so much orange. It is all good fun in the day time, but there does seem to be a rise of monstrous activity after the sun sets... K. WILD CARD Feeling inspired to create your own prompt? The power is yours!

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Garrus Vakarian || Mass Effect

[dispenserofjustice]

( Up in the Sky )

[ Maybe the trip would be distracting if it didn't feel so slow. While Garrus is perfectly used to being the only Turian around, he hasn't adjusted to the technology available here yet. Maybe that should be lack thereof technology. He wonders for a moment if this is what Javik must have felt like, but immediately pushes that thought aside.If he thinks on it too much he might just start calling everyone "primitives."

Still, this isn't anything Garrus is familiar with. He leans on the railing on the deck. For a guy that practically lives on a ship that sails through the stars, being stuck planet-side for an unknown amount of time just sort of makes Garrus twitchy. He should be more mindful of it, but he isn't about to ignore anyone that sees fit to approach him.

What he wouldn't give to have giant gun to calibrate to take his mind off things. ]


( Guilds )

[ The choice for Garrus happens to be a no brainer. When given the option, he immediately seeks out the Gunslinger Job and takes the asterisk. Of course the weapon he receives isn't anything close to what Garrus usually has on his person. He just mentally makes a note to fix that as best and as soon as he can.

Going to the range is familiar, at least. It takes his mind off of things as he hits his targets. He's a little off, at first. Still getting used to the weight and kickback. Once he does, however, Garrus doesn't miss a mark. ]

Isn't there something more challenging then this? I'm not even getting a real work out here.


( Pumpkin Spice AND Mognet - so pumpkin spiced mognet maybe? )

I know I'm likely missing a very huge piece of cultural information here, but uh... Okay, the ghosts I get but I'm pretty sure I just saw someone dressed kind of like a Vorcha but I'm not sure how the two are connected.

[ Garrus means vampire. Close enough though, right? ]

Not sure I understand what's with the carved gourds either or everyone's obsession with them, but I was going to chalk that up to local superstitions.


( Wildcard )

[ Throw something my way! ]

Up In The Sky

[wind_in_my_ears]

[Klonoa stands up on the deck, enjoying the breeze blowing over his face as the airship soars across the sky. He glances to his side, seeing someone else that looks like they're not from around here.

Klonoa's in a good mood, so he sort of scoots over towards him, glancing up at the stranger.]

"Oh, hey. You're not from this world either, right?"

[dispenserofjustice]

[ Being approached by a small furry kid? Adult? Garrus isn't sure which, but now he can say that is a thing that's happened.

He shifts, just a touch awkwardly and chuckles to offset it. ]

Not really, no. Guess you stick out too, huh?

Mognet

[legalcy]

From what I recall, there exists a holiday on Earth where people carve faces into plant life in order to ward off evil spirits. The term "spooky" is popularly used in reference to this time.

[It pays to do research. And to have human friends.]

I doubt the organics remain as superstitious as when the tradition began, but some cultural set pieces are difficult to erase.

Mognet

[dispenserofjustice]

[ He doesn't want to say that after hearing this, it does sound like a holiday humans would have... But it totally is

Actually Garrus is trying not to get caught up on the term organics. You know what kind of life uses that term? Synthetics. Garrus isn't much care for those. Personal reasons and all. ]

Probably why this "pumpkin" is the popular flavor? Sounds pretty human to go overboard on something like that.

[legalcy]

Perhaps. My taste receptors are unable to tell if the taste is high quality, but all species have a habit of indulging in vices.

[Vices like eating pumpkin spice lattes, apparently.]

What I do not appreciate is all the comments about my wearing a "costume". It's insulting. [And hits a bit too close to home.]

[dispenserofjustice]

...Taste. Why would a synthetic need to taste anything at all?

[ The Geth certainly don't have need for something like that. Pretty sure the Reapers didn't have anything like that either? ]

Really you should just ignore them. You'll get used to the glances and the ogling eventually. The novelty wears off. Trust me.

[legalcy]

Testing of materials, ensuring that we aren't consuming corrosive Energon, and generally having as many receptors primed, to name a few reasons.

[He understands this one's confusion. Many organics would not have a positive outlook on metallic lifeforms and thus have little knowledge of their anatomy.]

I can handle surprised looks, as I am, what you say, a "big deal" among Cybertronians. The locals speak as if I'm not the person they are interacting with.

[dispenserofjustice]

That doesn't seem like a very efficient way to refuel. At least Geth hubs take out the whole "potentially being poisoned" factor out of it.

[ Look, he can't help it. It DOES seem kind of inefficient. Who ever heard of a synth actually needing to consume anything? ]

Can you blame them, though? It's not like you're exactly commonplace.

[legalcy]

The Geth have a different method of gaining energy?

[Interesting. Perhaps they are photosynthetic?]

I suppose I can't, since everyone was shocked at our existence when we first arrived on Earth. But they saw us as Cybertronians rather than vehicles or outfits.

[dispenserofjustice]

The Geth are more than just their, ah, frames. They really don't think of the platform their in as their true selves. Geth are software. When their platforms hook into a hub to recharge, they pop back into the server and share everything with each other.

Or so Legion explained.

[ Something like that anyway. ]

I bet you didn't introduce yourself during a human holiday where everyone dresses up.

[legalcy]

Software-based lifeforms? [Magnus' optics slow a shade brighter, fascinated by this idea.] Their societal mores and governing laws must be unique among all species I have ever encountered.

[The most important things about any society is its rules, and Magnus thrives on learning them.]</small. Er, yes, we were fortunately wise with the timing of our appearance.

[dispenserofjustice]

Some of those are really just starting to form. Before the Reapers, Legion said they'd gather together in their servers and make decisions. As one.

[ It's hard for him to grasp the whole "we" concept. ]

So, again. Can't really blame them for not knowing any better.

pampkins

[beariot]

-Ursula can't help a small chuckle, because for once, she's not the one completely lost and actually has some wisdom to draw on to explain something. It filled her heart with a nostalgic warmth, like being an instructor all over again.-

I can't say for certain the exact origins in this world, but where I come from, we call this celebration of the supernatural "Halloween". The name is sort of a Scotch permutation of the word "Hallowed Evening". It sort of developed as a compromise of sorts between two religious cultures, combining the Pagan holiday of Samhain, one of the four moon cycle celebrations usually signalling the harvest, and the Christian holiday of All Hallows Day, or All Saints Day, which celebrates the martyrs of their faith. -She adjusted her glasses.-

But to be honest, that's the boring part, and probably doesn't even apply here. What matters more is the *spirit*. For a witch like me, this day feels like a celebration of human fascination with magic and mystery, and maybe a bit with whatever might go bump in the night.

pampkins

[dispenserofjustice]

[ Okay so not a whole lot of that is going to translate properly. The majority of it, actually. However Garrus appreciates a little history lesson nonetheless. ]

Maybe not, but it never hurts to learn something new.

[ Which probably is what contributes to him being such a "bad Turian." Can't even properly despise some of some of the races just because he's gotten to know them. ]

By "witch" do you mean with the broom and the pointy hat?

[ Look. He at least looked that one up on the extranet. ]

[beariot]

Nailed it in one! -Ursula giggled.-

Where I come from, witches have a long tradition of being an integral part of our world's magic and mana.

[dispenserofjustice]

[ Now see, he is going to expect to see this person fly on a broom one of these days. Why it's a broom, he doesn't know. Pretty random thing to use, if you ask him. ]

Integral how? You'll probably have to explain "mana" too while you're at it.

[ Because lol. Turian. ]

[beariot]

-The glint in her eyes was pretty blatant. This was her element. *Teaching*.-

Mana is just another word for magical energy. As for a witch's role in all of that, upkeep of the leylines in which mana runs generally falls on our shoulders. It's also our responsibility to pass down magical traditions to new generations through education!

[dispenserofjustice]

[ Has he done a good thing here? Or has he walked into a trap... ]

And these leylines are important? [ WHATEVER THOSE ARE! ] What happens if you don't keep on that?

[beariot]

Well, it's like any natural resource. If you don't take care of it, you lose it.

[dispenserofjustice]

I wonder if it's something unique to your world then. I've never hard of anything like this myself, obviously.

[beariot]

Now now, that's pretty limited thinking, you know!

Just because you haven't seen something personally doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Guilds

[flowrite]

[There's a skinny blond at the range standing a short distance away, not really appearing to be doing anything in particular at the moment. There's a gun similar to Garrus's at his hip but he's not practicing on targets--maybe he's already finished, or hasn't started yet?

What he's actually doing is watching Garrus decimate targets. He looks pretty impressed, as a matter of fact. By the time Garrus stops to comment about the difficulty, or lack thereof, the blond is applauding and... making what's supposed to be a whistling sound. If you squint. Maybe.]

Hyuuu~ That was great, you got them all! You've done this before, haven't you?

sdfasdf i meant to get this the other day

[dispenserofjustice]

Is it really that obvious?

[ Okay, that's just a little bit of sarcasm. Naturally he's done this sort of thing before. Most of the time it had involved moving targets. Usually Reapers. Or Synthetics... And lately? A lot of Cerberus. ]

Did you need to get some practice in? I can get out of the way.

no worries!

[flowrite]

[It's okay, that sarcasm is met with a sly smile in return.]

Hmm, maybe just a little~ I mean, unless you're naturally just a great shot like that! I guess either way this is the perfect job for you, huh?

[He shrugs and shakes his head, still smiling.]

Nope, I'm fine! I don't think there's much hope for me getting to be very good at this, I'd rather watch you if you don't mind?