melodiesofeternity | Introduction Log || Third Time's The Charm

Introduction Log || Third Time's The Charm

Who: All characters (New Arrivals, Previous Arrivals, and Native OCs)
When: August 5th
Where: The Dream Width (Airship), the Curti Center, and the Housing District
What: It is happening for the third time now. More outworlders have arrived in the Dream Width and must be rescued and brought back to their new homes on Vaikuntha
Warnings/Notes: Only new players can put up a toplevel. Previous arrivals and established native characters can respond to new characters' toplevel posts.

MEMORY

[ You've been here before...? No, wait, why would you think that? You're here in the moment, everything is as it should be...(?) The memory you are trapped in has completely enthralled you. You stop questioning and accept, you relive and repeat. Luckily, you are not alone. Others have arrived to help you. The travelers in the airships will enter the nebula formed by your memories and attempt to wake you up and bring you back to the present. The dreamer's mind will shape how these newcomers are perceived and how the NPCs in the memory respond to them. For more details on the mechanics, please refer to this post]

ARRIVAL

[ You wake from your dreams, from your memories, on a narrow cot. There are fleeting impressions- recycled air, humming machinery, movement, strangers waking around you. The room you wake in is lined with cots, with barely enough space between them to walk to the door, though not all of them show signs of having been occupied. The makeshift infirmary seems like it was prepared to hold many more than are here.

Stepping out, there is a lobby space that bears the signs of having once held some furniture, now cleared away to make space. Your footsteps echo in the emptiness.

As the automatic door slides shut on the infirmary, a light flashes on the far side of the room.

A flickering holographic projection of a man’s face and gloved hand appears projected in the space above the arrivals’ heads. He backs up so his upper body is in frame for the recording. An arm, covered in the same orange flightsuit sleeve, hands him a tablet. The man begins to read. A written version of the message scrolls along the bottom of the projection as he speaks. ]

’Welcome travelers’… That’s way too formal. Hey everyone.

Hi!

[ The second man leans into the frame to add his greeting. ]

Don’t panic. You were floating out there, but we pulled you in and rescued you.

Yeah, we’re heroic AND handsome. And also the only ones crazy enough to come out here to get you.

[ A woman’s voice calls from out of frame. ] Can you two be serious for ONE moment and stick to your scripts?

[ The two men give each other a conspiratorial eyeroll. This does not appear to be their first take. ]

Anyways, no need to panic. Seriously, don’t do anything reckless. We got our fill of that with Skywalker.

[A huff is heard offscreen, and the men finally spare the tablet another glance.]

‘Your pilots will be navigating treacherous environs as this message plays…’ Claire, seriously? Nobody talks like this!

[ The tablet is tossed to the side and lands with a thunk offscreen. ]

We’re gonna wing it. Look, everyone, we’re workin’ hard to get you planetside safely, and it’s gonna take some tricky flying to do it. So the door to the cockpit is locked so we can focus on not getting us all killed. Don’t try to open it, unless you want to be stardust.

We promise you’ll get answers about what’s going on once we land. But for now, please trust us. Right now, we’re your only hope.

[ The second man leans forward, close to the recording device, and presses a button. The projection freezes for a moment, and then the message starts on the next recorded message. ]

CURTI CENTER

[ Finally after hours of flight, you arrive at the Curti Center. The other NPCs await you having been notified of your retrieval in the Dream Width. Jessie gives a long and somewhat awkward welcome speech, explaining what the situation is: you were lost in a space called the Dream Width. You are now on a planet called Vaikuntha: for ages, the people of this world have used Airships to rescue people lost in the Dream Width, with one person being found roughly every ten years. No one knows why this happens, but this has been a mutually beneficial exchange, with the people from Vaikutha rescuing people lost in the Dream Width and the rescued ones sharing their wisdom with the people of Vaikuntha. Ten years ago, something unusual happened: two people were found at once, Biggs and Wedge. But that was nothing compared to what happened four months ago... And two months ago. And now, here you are. No one knows why such a large number of people has arriving lately, but the Curti Center is a place dedicated to piercing the Dream Width's secrets.

Jessie also introduces the other ones: Claire, the woman sighing and writing in her schedule book upon being pointed out as the bookkeeper, Kupoto and Mogaruru, their Mognet representatives and finally the Native OCs: those brave and kind souls who have accepted to help you all on a daily basis. She also mentions Cid, the director who is busy preparing for certain dealings later this month.

After Jessie finishes , the employees, including the Native OCs, provide a tour of the facility and help the newcomers navigate their future lives. Now is the time to ask questions and look over pamphlets regarding locations, Jobs, life in Vaikuntha... ]

[ If you want to contact an NPC, you can do so on the NPC Contact Page. ]

A BALL OF FLUFF NAMED MOOGLE

[ It has been a long day, perhaps now you would like to find your way to a place to sleep? Or perhaps you'd like to get some answers, but you can't be bothered to go seek people out?

And lo, just as despair begins settles in, a Moogle slams into you! Or stops by your side if their aim is decent... It's the Moogle Jessie mentioned in her speech earlier! And they'll be informing you that now, they will stick to you like your shadow and help you in anyway they can!

They're also giving you your iMog Slate- Now you can get onto Mognet! Isn't it great? ]

A QUICK CHECK-UP

[ Whether it's your Moogle, Native OCs or NPCs, all will urge you to stop by the hospital wing for a basic check-up. You may disagree, but listen. You've just been thrown into a space between worlds, rescued, and brought to another world. For your own sake, that's a good idea. Should you give in and go (or should you be dragged by your Moogle or a Native OC), you will find yourself in the cold and white space very reminiscent of an hospital. For characters with specific medical conditions necessitating help, this is where they will receive it if asked.

The doctors and nurses are all White Mages or Chemists, with various levels into their Job as well as medical knowledge. Don't mind the confused looks if you look like nothing they've ever seen before... It's hard for a doctor to be unable to give a proper diagnosis to a patient! For everyone else though, they'll be let go with smiles and be given a candy as they leave.

No one likes medical check-ups, but it's a very quick and basic one: testing reflexes, taking your temperature and the likes. On the bright side, while you're grumpily sitting on a bed with a thermometer on your forehead or in your mouth, it might be a good time to socialize with your fellow new arrival who's having lights flashed into their eyes by a doctor. Misery loves company, after all. ]

PRETTY SIGHTS

[ There's plenty of rooms to wander about in, with several points of interest apart from the offices.

The Airship Hangar is where the airships are kept and the first room you entered. Workers keep guard to prevent the outworlders from getting too close to the vehicles. Airships are expensive and they don't want you messing with them, after all.

Venturing into the Research Section, you can walk through public exhibitions on astronomy, airship design, and asterisk studies. A good place to get used to the basic science of this world. The laboratories lie behind a thick locked door with a sign reading "EMPLOYEES ONLY". No going there, for now anyway. Not too far from there are the Employee Quarters - work stations, apartments, and lounge areas. The latter are available to the public, whereas the rest is locked to Native OCs. But if you get them to be friends with you, perhaps they'll let you visit?

Also open to all is a Cafeteria - a standard food court with stalls serving all types of Vaikunthan cuisine. The Chef is a very jovial and absent-minded Hypello. Beware of long lines and crowded tables. Should you prefer open spaces, then the gardens are for you! There are different sections in the gardens around the center. One boasts a wide array of blooming flowers, another more practical with herbs commonly used in Vaikunthan cooking. One had been cultivated for butterflies and hummingbirds to visit. Paths have been laid through so that visitors can safely navigate, and moogles will swoop down and shout at anyone who strays into the flower beds.

Or perhaps, you want to wait till the sunset. Dusk on a new world, but a beginning of a new life... The sea shines bright in the orange light. A good moment for quiet contemplation. ]

HOUSING

[The housing accommodations are the best the Curti staff could provide, given that they are still also sheltering most of the previous arrivals from the Dream Width. The keys have been entrusted to the moogles who will be guiding the new arrivals.

The new arrivals can stop by the Curti Center storage room to collect some essential supplies that have been donated by charity organizations from around the world (there are boxes of toothbrushes and whitening toothpaste sent from the Zora, hair brushes from the Elezen, quick-drying towels from the Hypello, among the various donations of clothes, toiletries, and blankets), before heading to their temporary homes. The people of Vaikuntha have done their best to provide for their new neighbors and help them get on their feet.

Still, things will be a little cramped until the off-worlders can find employment and move into better housing. The staff hopes they can get along with one another until alternate arrangements can be made.

You can survive living with roommates for a few months, right?]

THE JOB FOR YOU

[An important part of life on Vaikuntha is the Job (or Jobs) you choose to take. No, not the way you earn your living. Your Job Class. Most Natives only choose one or two, but you'll have an opportunity to take on more Job Asterisks after you master your first Jobs.

The Curti Center's resident Job Master, Ganeshan, is more than happy to arrange transportation to the various Guilds so that you can claim your first Asterisks. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Memory

[It's the middle of the night as the child roams about the city. It's the only safe time that Chara thinks they can move about. They move at a lean, pressing forward, arms wrapped around them. The night is cold, and all they have for any kind of comfort or warmth is a beaten gray t-shirt and jeans. The shirt had, at one point, been white. Chara isn't sure they could tell you when the color changed, seemed to transform, but it didn't really matter.

They keep their head low, peering to one side and then the other before making a mad dash to the next thing they can hide behind. They've long since lost possession of any shoes, and they're desperate to keep out of sight, even this late at night. They only have a little further to go.

A little further, and they'll be out of the city and away from most humans. They can head to out into the wilderness, and then they can. Well. They don't know where they'll head. Not really. Chara hasn't thought about where to head next. To Mount Ebott, maybe. To somewhere else, possibly. It doesn't really matter. Just as long as they're away from humans, it's better than here.

Chara stops, straightens for a moment. They don't know if they heard something or not, but the kid looks around. Slowly. Before speaking.]

Go. Away.

[Leave them alone. That's all they want. Just leave.]

Curti Center

[Awake and cognizant again, Chara still felt the urge to up and run away anywhere, into any wilderness, come over them as they went through the tour of the center. Chara isn't sure what's actually out there in the world, but it'd beat being this surrounded by people, as if being put into some kind of stranglehold of humanity.

For the most part, Chara's quiet during the tour, putting their hood up as they walk along, sometimes making a noise to assure Jessie that they're listening, but otherwise saying little to nothing. It's not intentionally trying to be rude, but the less they say to a human right now, the better. At least the fact they're here doesn't seem to say anything about their home. Doesn't seem to be the result of a SAVE or a LOAD gone wrong, or any of the other terrible things that could happen. It's still a cheap comfort.

When the tour ends they continue to be anti-social, moving over to the pamphlets and digging their faces into them. Chara's more skimming them then truly reading them. Doing something, anything, just to avoid having to make too much conversation.

But even then, they find at least something that interests them, in the Jobs section.]

Geomancer, huh. Didn't really think that'd be high in demand. Then again, someone will always need a landscaper.

[They're more talking to themselves right now, but at least it's something.]

A Quick Check-Up

[Behold the bearded moogle that is attempting to push the twelve-year old child into the hospital wing. Chara, meanwhile, has dug their heels into the ground, doing all they can to avoid being moved. A hospital visit, with human doctors? No thank you. It doesn't matter how much they like the moogle - it helped to have a partner that wasn't human, at least - but that doesn't mean Chara's going to waltz into a hospital where the doctors could do god knows what to them once they figure out who and what they are.]

My child, it's for your health.

Sure, but see how healthy I am? I'm rosy-cheeked already! But really, my dad's a doctor, so I have a check up pretty frequently.

[Well. Their dad is a scientist, so it isn't a flat out lie to the moogle. And they did SPEAK with them a little recently, so they had a 'check up'.

Chara is kind of surprised by how strong the moogle seems to be for how small they are. They are, slowly but surely, being pushed towards the door.]

You don't know what kind of effects coming here could have had. Please, it will only take a little to make sure you're healthy.

I've still got a pulse, so I'm pretty sure I'm fine.

[This is going to take a while.]

WILDCARD

[If there's something else you can think up and want to bring to me, feel free to!]

[Papyrus isn't entirely sure what's going on, but he's no stranger to stumbling into memories at this point. What does catch his eye is the rather rough state of this human. No shoes. Clothes in such disrepair...

He frowns, approaching despite his better judgment. Sure, this is all likely just a memory, but that doesn't mean he's gonna turn a blind eye to it all!]

WAIT, HUMAN! IT'S ALL RIGHT. I'M NOT HERE TO HURT YOU!

[Chara feels their spine stiffen as a voice calls out to them. Can feel their teeth tighten, their jaw a vice as they look out and see the strange, gangly man just a bit away.

Man?

Of course it's a man. It sounds like a man. And in the darkness...Chara is seeing things. They're wearing some kind of costume. Or make-up. That's why they seem bone white.

Human?

What kind of greeting is that? Does this person know? Are they mocking them?

The sound that Chara makes in their throat is closer to a dog growl then anything, and their hand reaches behind them. To the hilt of the knife they have hidden. To their only real possession aside from their clothes.]

I said to go away.

[Papyrus isn't stupid. The tense posture, even in the dark, is unmistakable. So he hesitates at first, shoulders a bit hunched. He winces, breathing in through clenched teeth.

What to do, what to do...

Well, tense or not, this human is still alone. In the dark. And that's no good! Nobody should be left alone at times like these. Not just for safety purposes but because, in solitude, the mind tends to wander.

So, testing his luck, he inches forward.]

BUT IT'S NOT SAFE OUT HERE! AND I SWEAR THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM A FRIEND! NOT YOUR FOE.

[What are they doing? Chara's body matches Papyrus' own, taking a step forward, bringing the knife out and keeping it in front of them now so this person can see. So they can realize they're prepared to use it.

But this is so odd. No human had tried to trick them like this before - and it has to be a trick, right? They were always so much more forthcoming with their hatred, their disdain for Chara. This type of trick is new.

The voice. They know this voice, and that should only mean its bad business but they can't help but trust it. Just a little.

That doesn't make sense. Why doesn't this make sense?]

I'm fine. I don't need a friend.

I don't need anybody.

[Oh. That's. Not a good sign. That sure is a knife in that kid's hands, and the sight is enough to make him wince, but not enough to deter him. True, he's had bad experiences in the past, but he has to stay strong! He has to at least try to extend the metaphorical olive branch.

So he's not moving an inch. Sorry, Chara, but you've got a stubborn skelebutt on your hands.]

NONSENSE!!! EVERYONE CAN USE A FRIEND. YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT YOU'D TRULY BE HAPPY ALONE.

[Happy.

What does Chara even know of happiness? It's such a far off notion. They've SEEN happiness on others, but it always seemed like it was something not meant for them.

So why does this weird...man? talking about happiness bring up something for them? Memories of someplace...dark, but also warm. Is that what happiness feels like?

For a moment, Chara remembers a door. And they don't know where they'd seen that door - it was far too ornate, too old, to be in the city. But it's too detailed to be something they just imagined. And they know, for some reason, this voice has something to do with this door.

They don't understand. Chara has no idea what's going on. They begin to move closer in a small shuffle, knife still outstretched, but their wrist a little limper now. No urgency in their motions, or intent. Just confusion and fear.]

Who are you? I don't-

Have we met? I don't understand.

Chara Dreamurr | OTA

Memory

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Curti Center

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Curti Center

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A Quick Check-Up

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