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!

Comments

[ladytakamaki]

[ ann enters the room, immediately searching for shiro, and it certainly doesn't take her long to find who she's looking for. at least, she's pretty sure the man who's slashing at the dummy is shiro, anyway. and the way he moves makes him seem powerful. not that she was expecting anything less, but none of the phantom thieves punch and move like he does. it's impressive.

she's grinning when he says hello, and ann waves back at him. ]

Hey! Shiro, right? I'm Ann. And yeah, I do. Keith told me that you were the one who disappeared and came back, so it made me pretty curious about the whole...time thing.

[ that's when her smile starts to falter. she feels a lot better than she did before thanks to keith telling her about it, but she wants to hear it from someone who experienced it first hand. ]

I...got pulled here at a really bad time. It sounded like you guys did, too. And...I guess I just want to know what disappearing was like, if that's okay.

[spaceforged]

Well, I went outside for a moment and woke up in my own memory. There was no gap between. But my head was full of new memories...and I knew they'd really happened. [He reaches up and tugs at his white hair with a small smile. His lack of scars had been another clue but that's...a private thing. The hair is enough.]

I had physical changes to go with it. My hair used to be mostly black. Keith confirmed he remembered those changes too. [His smile slides off his face and leaves him looking thoughtful.]

There were other signs we possibly went back home. Our signals vanished entirely. Until a week and some days later. If we didn't go home...something happened to us that's yet unclear. But Keith came here with memories I was missing. Because they hadn't happened to me yet.

[ladytakamaki]

[ she has questions about how his hair went from black to gray...but she's not one to intrude on someone's private matters like that unless it's necessary. ]

In other words, Keith came from the future, and somehow, you got caught up with him. You got all the memories you were missing, and nobody in those memories realized that you were brought here.

[ this is all very confusing, but ann's trying her best to understand. she can't quite wrap her head around everything he's saying. ]

Is that right?

[spaceforged]

[Shiro crosses his arms over his chest and nods. That sums it all up.] That's right.

I think we're taken from our place in our timelines, and thrust back into that point. Whether this means there are many timelines or just one...it's difficult to say. But we do know whatever happens in our future will eventually catch up with us here. ...it's a theory but it's been proven at least three times.

It sounds confusing...that's the best way I know how to put it.

[ladytakamaki]

[ this is straight out of a sci-fi movie. timeline shenanigans are confusing, and ann's going to get a headache at this rate. ]

Yeah, I get what you mean. Actually...I've already been told about what apparently happens in my future. My friend, Futaba, caught me up on a bunch of stuff that hasn't happened yet in my...timeline.

So I believe you. [ she nods at him before she runs her fingers through her hair, letting out a disgruntled sigh. ] I just...man, this is a lot to take in...