Test Drive Meme VI

[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, and some helpful Heroes of Light 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 and your rescuers 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. The experienced outworlders who helped pull you from your memories may be able to get you caught up to speed. B. CURTI CENTER The researchers at the Curti Center are pretty used to this right now, though there's still no good explanation for the influx of interdimensional travelers from the Dream Width since earlier this year. "Please step into the lobby for a quick survey. We have just a few routine questions, it's invaluable to our research so we do ask you indulge us..." 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 have offered to permanently house all of the outworlders here. 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 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 productive members of society and helping support the local economy, 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 housing elsewhere in the world. 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. And they say, those that party up will live to party on! J. LOVE IS IN THE AIR All the mistletoe would have come in handy here... As January gives way to February, stores and streets are decked in red, pink, and white. Posters line the Curti Center walls advertising Speed Dating events and offer to send flowers with anonymous or signed letters to outworlders and Curti Center employees - though there is some suspicion that a handful of received were never requested by the sender. Who cares! Some romances need an extra push! For the less adventurous types, the love-o-meters stationed at just about every hallway can predict your romantic (and platonic, if you so wish) future with just 100 gil, or even measure how good a potential match between two people will be. Is there any scientific backing to their calculations? That's not important. K. WILD CARD Feeling inspired to create your own prompt? The power is yours!

Comments

Chara Dreammur | Undertale | Story Shift AU | Reapp

[4got10]

A

[And so, they were here again.

Chara wasn't sure they could even remember having left in the first place. The whole situation is, to put it simply, uncanny. It's a bit much, to seemingly relive the same thing again.

In fact, it almost feels like someone might have SAVED and LOADED the whole thing, to relive this. But that's not possible, of course.

At least, it shouldn't be. Not here.

The child walks the retrieval ship a bit, looking it over again. Growing a bit more comfortable as they observe that it isn't exactly the same as it was before. That it's more likely they had been lost, and now they were found again. It's not the most comforting thought, but it is more comforting than the alternative. Chara still isn't overjoyed to be here, either. They keep their hoodie up as they walk, not tightening it and their jacket yet, but trying to keep inside it as much as they can. To obfuscate themselves. There's yet more people here they don't know. More humans. And that will always put them on guard.

Chara slinks around the ship, trying to keep unseen and succeeding most of the time. Sometimes, they fail though. Let their aimless wandering stop to lean against one of the walls. To look out of one of the windows.

Just wondering where the time, and they, had gone.]

E

[Underground spaces had always treated Chara the best, and it was part of the reason the child had taken so easily to Kiddilion. The underground tangle of mazes and illicit contraband may not be the safest place for a child, and it certainly wasn't similar to the Underground from home, but there was a sense of familiarity with it.

It was comfortable, or at least Chara had thought so, and any chance they got to visit the underground city was something they enjoyed.]

Hey, watch your step. It gets a little slick at this point. There's a little underwater spring this way. I don't think many people know about, but I like it. It's a nice place to think.

Or set up a burger stand. There's plenty of water lettuce there. Though I wouldn't really suggest eating that.

J

[The holidays always seem to be pretty wild around these parts. Valentine's isn't exactly Chara's kind of holiday. It seems like it'll probably be a big hit with Frisk. Frisks. The Frisks? What do you call a pair of Frisks, after all.

Regardless, Chara's gotten into the spirit of the thing, setting up a small stand that read "Kising Booth". Chara knew there was supposed to be two s's in kissing, but they really didn't feel like redoing the whole sign for a gag.

After all. They're not going to be the one giving out kisses. That'll actually be the Garland doll they've sat on the counter of the booth. Chara will just be leaning against it, which might not be the best idea since the booth seems to have been made quickly and pretty rickety.]

Today only, only 1000 Gil!

I guarantee, he's the best of the best at kissing. He'll knock you down with it!

A

[koopacrusher]

“Where am I?!” the child would likely have heard while looking through the window, and were they to turn around they would find that the question was directed toward them. They would also find that the asker was a very large and very spiky anthropomorphic turtle.

[4got10]

[Chara turns around to face the voice of the speaker, and lets their brows raise a bit in surprise. It is, however, a pretty pleased surprised, quite possibly to Bowser's chagrin.]

Well hey there! Hate to tell you this, big guy, but you're pretty far from home.

See, we're on a different world called Vaikunthia. It's...sort of like a video game, if you have those where you're from.

[Chara is relieved to find a non-human here. A monster? Chara's not sure whether to call them that or not, if Bowser would take offense. But talking to non-humans is far easier, and more welcome, than talking to humans.]

[koopacrusher]

Bowser took a moment to think about what the person had said. “Well how do I get back?”

[4got10]

That's what everyone's sort of wondering.

[Chara could say that they were...sent somewhere else, though Chara has no memory of what happened to them or where they went - if anywhere - in the period they've been gone.]

All we know is we're here, and we're on a timer to save the world.

[koopacrusher]

“Save the world? This crummy place is in danger?” Sure, Bowser had no knowledge about this Vaikuntha place, but he couldn’t imagine anywhere that pulled people from their worlds into some new one could be a good one. “And why should I care? My world’s gonna be fine, right?”

[4got10]

Well, we can't swear to that.

[Chara digs their hands into the pockets of their hoodie. Truth be told, they don't care immensely about this world either. They have no malice towards the people here, but they aren't home.

Still.]

The person endangering this place might have a power that could hurt other worlds. It'd be better to stop the problem at its source, then let it just keep going.

[koopacrusher]

This complicated things. If Bowser’s world was at risk, action needed to be taken. It was a decision he had already made, when called upon to stop the Dark Prognosticus from coming to fulfillment. “Well then, who do I have to fight?” Bowser asked, impatient and hoping to get rid of the menace quickly, regardless of what logic might indicate that wouldn’t be possible.

[4got10]

They're called the Summoner, or at least we know that's what they are.

I hate to tell you this, but we don't know much about them. Or at least we didn't when I first left here.

[koopacrusher]

So it was going to be one of those tasks. “Well what DO you know?” After all, he should probably start getting information about this ‘Summoner’ as soon as he could.

“And what do you mean you left? Were you able to escape this lousy place?” The possibility of immediate return to his home world still appealed to Bowser despite the Summoner threat. If the human had knowledge he could use, Bowser thought he ought to get it himself.

J

[einspine]

[Gasp!!! A kissing booth. With a misspelling, but no matter! Papyrus moseys on over, bony brow raised as he glances from Chara to the plushie.]

WOWIE!!! ARE YOU TRYING TO FIND TRUE LOVE FOR YOUR DOLL THERE? THAT'S QUITE BOLD OF YOU!

[4got10]

More like put him to work. Got to make a few gil somehow.

[Chara smiles, and it kind of looks like the stand might sway a little. Chara clearly built this quickly and with the intent of it not lasting long.]

I would do it but I like to think I'm more of the manager type.

[einspine]

WHOA!!!

[Hold on. Let him help prop that sucker up. He's good and sturdy and tall!]

NYEH HEH HEH... ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE NOT JUST SAVING YOUR KISSES FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL?

[That smile is worrisome. Maybe. Is he teasing? Serious? Hard to say.]

[4got10]

[Chara tilts their head up, humming and thinking a moment.]

...Nope!

I’m more of the cool type than the kissy type.

[einspine]

OH?

[He sets a hand on his hip. He'd do both, but, well, gotta keep the stand sturdy!]

WELL, I FIND THAT YOU CAN BE COOL AND KISSY!!! AFTER ALL, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM EXCEPTIONALLY COOL, BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP ME FROM PILING ON THE SMOOCHES WITH MADDIE!!!

[Okay, so maybe he's exaggerating a bit, but still! Love can happen! Eventually.

But he does recall what Monika said, so he won't push too hard. Light teasing is fun, though.]

SO IF YOU DID HAPPEN TO FEEL A CERTAIN... SPARK WITH A CERTAIN FELLOW HUMAN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, OFFER MY FULL SUPPORT!

[4got10]

[Chara smirks a little. Before they got pulled out, Frisk had warned them that Papyrus might try playing matchmaker. Thankfully, Papyrus himself had already provided a diversion.]

You are pretty cool, but I didn’t know you were so good at kissing. Or had someone to kiss.

Who’s Maddie?

[einspine]

[Oh! What's this? A chance to gush? Distraction successful.

Just lookit that big, doofy grin.]

WHY, MADHURI! THE WONDERFUL WOMAN WHO OWNS THE LADY OF BLISS. SHE'S SWEET AND BEAUTIFUL AND OH SO VERY TALENTED. A TRUE INSPIRATION!!!

[4got10]

[Charas smile widens, just a little. You’re a goober, Papyrus. But a good one.

Which is why they have to ask.]

Oh, don’t think I ever met them! Are they a skeleton too?

[They need to know. Know if, somehow, it’s a human and worth looking into since they might take advantage of Papyrus.]

A

[exspeariment]

Undyne had woken up recently, and after unsuccessfully trying to get answers from several people, was hoping to get some answers from the next person she saw as to WHY she was taken away from her goal moments before she was about to finally fulfill her promise.

The next person she saw was a human, angering her even more. They seemed familiar, though, she can't help but feel like she saw that face before-

Wait.

She had seen it before. Less than an hour ago.

They were the person who appeared when Mad Mew Mew split Frisk's soul in half.

Chara.

The human who had torn the Underground apart.

Undyne yelled, "YOU!", and tried to summon a spear, but nothing happened.

Confused, she tried again. Nothing.

Whatever! She still had her fists.

She pulled back a punch, ready to punch them in the face.

[4got10]

[Chara recognizes the voice. Truth be told, they doubt there's a voice from the Underground that they wouldn't know. Even if it had been of someone they hadn't interacted with much, and even in their own world Chara had never interacted with Undyne all that much. Undyne came around quite a bit to check up with Asgore, sure, but Chara tended to make themselves scarce. They were pretty sure the Undyne in their own world wouldn't have hurt them either, even if Asgore wasn't there, but it was better to use discretion.

Chara wasn't frightened or intimidated by Undyne, per se. They just wanted to avoid any potential awkwardness where they could. Because avoidance was a far better option than to FIGHT in the Underground.

They already know this isn't their Undyne. The amount of anger in their voice is enough of a tell - not to say that their own Undyne wasn't angry. This was just an absolute fury they wouldn't have had at them specifically. The fact that this Undyne is also trying to form some kind of magic is another tell.

The attempted punch is the last one, and Chara spins on their heels to dodge it.]

Stop.

I don't want to fight you.

[It's the only thing they can think to say. Why DOES this Undyne want to fight them? Chara already knows about how...they turned out in some other worlds, and the 'legacy' they left. But it had seemed like mostly Frisk knew that. And maybe Papyrus.

Did everyone in other worlds? Was it every other world where they left some kind of swath of devastation, physically and emotionally, aside from their own?

They don't have time to really contemplate this. They probably need to keep on their toes.]

[exspeariment]

Undyne's eye flared as she yelled, "I don't care what you want, you TRAITOR!!!!!!"

She tried to shoot lasers at Chara, but nothing happened.

Whatever!

Undyne tried to grab Chara, for a very unfriendly suplex.

[4got10]

[Again, Chara manages to wiggle out of the way of Undyne's grab, though it is hard. As fast as Chara is, Undyne herself has a great deal of speed. Not to mention strength, which is an incentive to not getting grabbed at the moment.]

I'm not from your timeline.

[Or universe? Chara still isn't sure. Is everything a permutation of one timeline, or are there other factors. They only know a little of even the timeline shenanigans, and maybe they'll never really know.]

I know. What a me did in your universe. Or can guess. Frisk told me about it.

That isn't me.

[They back up, trying to put distance between themselves and Undyne, but never turning their back to the fish woman. Making sure they can see her movements.]

I'll say it again. Stop.

[exspeariment]

At this point, Undyne had completely tuned out Chara's words, ignoring them. All that she cared about was that she was looking at a traitor to the kingdom, and a human. Two things that she very much hated combined into one being. She freakin' DESPISED them. Her eye flared even more.

"NGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!" She yelled as she charged at Chara.

[4got10]

[They didn't want to do this. But they're not having a choice anymore.

Thankfully, despite having been gone, the Asteriks Chara had been training in seemed to stay with them. Having readied Transcience, Chara prepares for the charge and strike and, when it comes, evades the strike and kicks lightly at Undyne's shin, hoping to trip them.

The power lets them have a stronger counter attack, but they didn't want to use it. Didn't want to hurt a monster, especially one that had a legitimate grievance with a them.]

Undyne.

Stop.

I don't want to risk hurting you.

[They look to the side, briefly. Forming an idea of how to run and keep this from truly becoming a fight.]

[exspeariment]

Undyne did trip, but she got up quickly. Her eyes were narrowed, and her mouth was contorted in a snarl.

Still tuning Chara out, she grabbed a nearby empty cot, and tried to lift it. It strangely felt a lot heavier than it looked, but her determination pulled through, and she threw it at Chara. It landed only a few feet away from her, though, not even close to hitting Chara.

'Wait, what?' was a thought that briefly rushed through her head, before returning to rage towards Chara.