melodiesofeternity | Introduction Log || It's Happening Again (Again!)

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Introduction Log || It's Happening Again (Again!)

Who: All characters (New Arrivals, Previous Arrivals, and Native OCs)
When: June 5th
Where: The Dream Width (Airship), the Curti Center, and the Housing District
What: It is happening again. 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 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. Cid gives a short and to the point 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 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.

Cid also introduces the other ones: his assistant Jessie, a young woman fascinated by the new arrivals, 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.

After Cid finishes (and Claire grumbles at her work never being done), 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 Cid mentioned in his 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. ]

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Not really. There are guards keeping the cities safe from any real threats and smaller monsters are easy enough to handle.

[Noctis had been kind enough to inform Clarus that Iris was present, but hadn't provided him with her location, and of course they'd parted ways. And so the paladin had spent the last few hours searching high and low in the Curti Center. He'd looked in the park before, but they must have missed one another somewhere, and now he was doubling back to places he'd been where he thought she might visit.

And finally his diligence paid off. The graying man stopped several meters back to admire the sight that was his daughter enjoying the sunset. Likening her to her mother would just cheapen the moment. Iris was her own independent, beautiful young lady and Clarus could not be prouder of her.

Hopefully she hears her father, because his voice is quiet and somewhat choked up in his throat.]

Iris... princess... [His eyes might be a bit wet. He'd never thought he'd see his children again, and yet here was his youngest standing before him.]

"I can understand that. Papashan is the opposite. While he gives me my space, I am leery to let him loose with the coin purse, lest he purchase something inordinately expensive once more." said Nanamo with a little impish smile.

[Terra's run into some kids among the newcomers to Vaikuntha, but this girl looks even smaller...and sadder. He squats down on his heels in front of her, trying not to look too intimidating.]

It's okay, little lady. You're safe, I promise.

Those things. We had them, but... these look fancier.

[He shakes his head, then looks at Finn.] You're one of the new arrivals, then?

"A lot of things." Connie pauses. That... didn't explain much. "Okay, maybe it might be better if I showed you. Hold on." Taking a deep breath, Connie dives into Lion's mane, emerging a few moments later dragging a large workdesk out of the nonplussed cat before diving into the breach once more, retrieving tools, spare weapons, large tomes on magitek, and other oddities. "...like I said, a lot of things," Connie says, gesturing to her belongings. "It's like this huge, endless savannah with this big pink tree in the middle."

Demonstration over, she begins shoving her belongings back into Lion.

[The arrival's always kind of the weird part with the Curti Center following next. On the ship, people try to find others they might know, but results vary. As for this kid that looks around his age, Adrien approaches.]

Got any description of them? I can help you look around.

[ Something about the other man being calm about this calms down Finn, too. They're both in the same situation. No reason to freak out until he has more answers. Then he can freak out.

So he lets out a held breath, relaxes his stance a little, and shakes the other's hand. ] Nice to meet you, too, Zero. Sorry. I guess we're all in a bad situation together.

[Hope turned to the old man, Lightning and Snow talking briefly in the background. Yes, this was a memory... this had already happened.]

But I... I don't know how! I'm in crystal stasis, I think. You don't just... wake up from that.

[Fang and Vanille did, once. But that had been someone else's doing. It had to be. Anima or something.]

[ Finn grimaces and rubs the back of his neck. ]

Yeah, I'm sorry. I should have found a way to call ahead or something. I didn't mean to put any of you on the spot or... just barge in like that.

[The look of disappointment made Hope feel a bit small. It's not like he asked for this. He didn't ask for a lot of things to happen to him, but there was no use blaming himself, or anyone else for that matter.]

Um, it's nice to meet you, Okuyasu. [He hoped he said that right.] Does... anyone else live here?

What're you talkin' about, kupo? I got a firm grip on it! Kupo!

[He continued to wave it around until Hope rolled his eyes a little and snatched it from the little tyke, eliciting an indignant 'kupo!' from the Mogki.]

Don't worry, I think it's tougher than it looks anyway. [If not, he could probably learn to fix it. He gave the girl a smile and nodded his head.] I'm Hope, by the way. Um, I'm new here, I guess.

[ He probably shouldn't be telling the whole world, but he can't keep it to himself either. Still, he just... shrugs. ]

Wedge Antilles is a hero in a war fought nearly forty years ago. I've never heard of Biggs, but Antilles is infamous. Except he's still a young man here and- [ He sighs and sits on the couch beside her. ] I'm terrified of contacting him.

[ But enough about Finn! ] So, um. How's the water?

[He turned and looked up at the brunet. He reminded him of Snow, come to think of it, as Hope stared up at him. A quieter Snow. It was probably the hair.]

Are they... in the Dream Width as well, then?

[ Finn watches the strange guy, a bit too terrified to move now that he's inside. Then a nurse approaches him to ask something and Finn yelps again and the moogle gets involved-

It looks like he'll get seen to now, despite the bonus of polite yet shrill waving off of offers to get him looked at.

... Thanks, Okuyasu! Sort of. Finn will remember this. ]

Huh? Um... well. [There was quite a few names to go around.] Well, they're all adults. I guess my dad would be the first. Batholomew. Hes got light brown hair and glasses. Then there's Sazh, he's got a baby chocobo in his afro so I don't think you could miss him. Um, Snow. He's really tall with a long coat and a black bandanna on his head. He's really loud too.

Lightning has pink hair and she looks like a soldier, although that's because she is one. She has a gunblade too. Fang and Vanille are generally always at each others side and dressed in clothes from their tribe, rather than like mine from Cocoon. Black hair and orange hair, respectively. Vanille's a little older than me, but she's only a couple inches taller than me too and her hair is in pigtails. Fang is wearing a lot of blue and has a tattoo on her arm.

[He scratched the back of his head, looking a bit awkward at having described them. He never had before.]

Sorry if that's... a lot.

[ He smiles in thanks to her reassurance. ] There is. The Caveliers. I'm a little worried about riding one into battle, though. [ Worried about them, that is. ]

I've noticed the same thing. If they were involved in bringing us here, it was for a reason. They wouldn't want to let us go so soon. Maybe... we'll have to find our own way out. There has to be more that wants to go home.

[ Finn agrees. They do look fancier than the ones he knows. ]

I am. Have you been here awhile?

Oh! Sorry- [ Finn scrambles away from the display, too polite to mention that she hadn't even been looking at it.

But then he pauses as she stands and actually does seem to have business with him. ] I, uh- Yeah. I'm new here. My name's Finn. Sorry about the- [ He waves vaguely at the display. ]

[Thank goodness this guy gave him descriptions because he's never heard of Cocoon so he has no idea what tribal clothes might even begin to look like from there. Tattoos are also very distinguishing.]

No, it's okay. I'll take the bow, you take the stern?

A: Memory
When the mists give way to this new memory, they reveal a sterile hospital waiting room, filled with soft murmurs, the odor of disinfectant, and a general aura of despair. The doors to the patient wing constantly open and close, but nobody enters or exits, and every person in this twisted dream is faceless save for a massive, grotesque eye... well, perhaps not every person.

The gazes of all the nightmares are focused, unmoving, unblinking, on one child hidden in the corner of the room. No more than twelve years old, their head is hung, shaggy mop of brown hair obscuring their eyes, and their skin is an unnatural shade of bright yellow. Fists clenched, tears roll down Frisk's eyes, dampening their purple and blue striped shirt.

Faint snatches of conversation can be picked out from the general susurrus...

"...what a horrible child..."

"...do such a thing?"

"...will she be able to..."

"...a few months at best..."

"...they deserve to be punished..."

B: Arrival
Frisk groans, their eyes fluttering open as the low murmur of conversation reaches their ears. Must've been one wild trial. Is this what being hungover felt like? More importantly, why did they feel hungover? "Ugh, Papyrus, who are you-" Their eyes widen--not that it helps much--and they take in their new surroundings. "Papyrus!"

Getting to their feet and stumbling through the crowd, wearing a pink shirt proudly declaring "COOL DUDE!" they stumble through the crowd, muttering, "Sorry, excuse me, coming through, looking for a skeleton, has anybody seen a skeleton? Where am I anyways? Who are all you- Woah!" Frisk comes to the window and gawks out at space. It was at times like this that they wished that they hadn't been so stubborn about getting glasses. But still... where was Papyrus?

C: Curti Center
A soft "woah" escapes Frisk's mouth as they disembark the airship, drinking in the sights and sounds of the Curti Center. Now this was cool. Both literally and metaphorically. They'd had enough of being boiled alive in their own sweat in Hotland, thankyouverymuch. Frisk moves with the crowd, a bit distracted as they head to Cid's speech, but standing in rapt attention as the director lets loose with an obligatory exposition dump. Normally, they'd be a lot more hype about getting dropped into a place as awesome as Vaikuntha, but... they purse their lips. Frisk had people to save, and on top of that, they didn't even have their save file anymore. That was gonna be a huge problem. They had to get back, before another human fell and ended up with their SOUL harvested. For the sake of everyone.

Despite all of these things and their memory weighing on their mind, Frisk melds into the crush of people easily, mostly content to gawk at things, annoy tour guides, and look for Papyrus in the chaos, but they may occasionally crash--quite literally--into people, and are more than willing to make casual conversation as the tour continues.

D: A Ball of Fluff Named Moogle
It was supposed to be an easy job. Get into the cafeteria, grab some food, crack a few jokes, then leave. It was supposed to be an easy job. But then again, life always seemed to bend over backwards to make itself difficult for Frisk, so why would that change now? As Frisk saunters into the cafeteria, the hairs on the back of their neck stand up. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

And, before they can so much as process the dawning horror of a one-eyed blue moogle charging at them screaming "NGAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" at the top of her lungs, Mogdyne is upon them. Limbs locked in sheer, raw terror and a hefty dose of repressed rage, Frisk glares up at the odd moogle that lands on their head, the force almost driving them to their knees. "Hello, punk!" she roars in Frisk's ear. Rather than flinching, they just glare harder.

"So you're the puny wimp that they assigned me to babysit, huh?" Mogdyne sneers, showing off a maw full of filed teeth. "If you're expecting me to hold your hand and tell you that everything is just gonna be just fine, well, have I got news for you!"

Frisk opens their mouth to fire back, before before they can do so, Mogdyne continues. "I'm Mogdyne, and there's NO WAY I'm gonna let you stay such a lame, weak noodle as long as I'm with you! Either you moogle up or you break! Now, go eat some meat, punk!"

Looking down at the floor, Frisk mumbles, "This is hell. I died for real and I'm in hell now. I'm in hell."

E: Housing (Closed to B-11)
For a few moments, all is silent in the disaster house. Then, that golden calm is completely shattered when a small, sassy child throws open the door, grinning wildly. "Honey, I'm HOME!" they yell. This is surely an omen of annoying, wacky, flirty antics.

[ Finn and Valli both stop to stare at Hope, who's being all nice and helpful and kind. He's younger than Finn and clearly much calmer, making Finn feel a bit silly all over again. ]

Yeah, I- [ He clears his throat, trying to sound at least half normal. ] I figured that's what the check-ups were for. But, I mean, it's hard to be sure, you know? I'm not even armed. [ No, he knows how dumb that sounds and just. Stops. ]

... I'm Finn.

Cor stiffens for a brief moment, until it sunk in that Clarus is real, and that he's happy to see him again. Slowly, he gives Clarus a brief hug back, and there's a few shaky breaths before he manages to get his emotions back under control.

"...well, the boys managed to take care of themselves after I guided them to the first two tombs," he states evenly, as if giving a report to his commanding officer. There's the ghost of a tiny, proud smile however. "I checked up on them from time to time, though, just to make sure they didn't do something extremely foolish. Iris...she's well and safe, last I saw her."

Tommy spots his fellow moogle first, and waves politely to Clarus' companion. "Hello! Nice to meet you, sir..."

No, no, it's fine. I should've looked up. Besides, you have a key and live here; you're not really barging in when it's your assigned living quarters, too.

[Hope had his own shot, the bright band-aid standing out on his pale skin. He had swung his feet as he waited for the clear that he could go, Mogki laying on his head in boredom.

He also had a lollipop. He turned when he heard Iris talk around hers and he couldn't help but laugh a little.]

I'm sure they'll let you go soon.

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Introduction Log || It's Happening Again (Again!)

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Pretty Sights

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Memory

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Frisk (Inverted Fate) | OTA

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