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

[eternitymods]

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. ]

Comments

[regisrex]

Hm. It would, for that matter. And that's a good thing.

And I just heard about something going on right now nearby that's pretty interesting and I didn't want to miss too much more of it than I already have. [ Blitzball. He's talking about blitzball. ] But I think this takes priority. Come on in!

You all right, Sidra?

I'm fine, kupo. [ And one can hear her eyeroll very clearly. ]

[promiselisting]

I'm prooooobably not the best person to get talking-to-people courage from.

[ Just... Just saying.

... not that she doesn't have experience though. ]

The first time reaching out is the hardest part though. After that it... gets easier.

[promiselisting]

"What, you skipped breakfast?"

Hey she does that all the time! Especially here in Vaikuntha, because she can't make cup ramen. Whoops.

"Well... you... probably already know this area is for housing and such. And that... those are our two. A lot of the area around the Curti Center's a lot like this. Just... houses."

Come to think of it, why did they have... so many vacant houses, when they hadn't known that the people from the Dream Width would be coming????

[promiselisting]

Well... yeah. That... sort of has to do with some of the theories that we have.

A lot of them involve this world seeming to be connected to other worlds, despite not seeming to have any reason to? But there was one thing...

[ She starts tapping through her slate, looking for some of her stored screenshots. ]

It's tech, it glitches, we're pretty sure the Moogles in charge of the Mognet only have half an idea what they're doing anyway- [ there's the sound of someone clearing their throat around her shoulder, and her own moogle, Neo, pops up there. Futaba rolls her eyes ] No offense. But anyway, this was a glitch from last month.

[ It's just one image, but it shows the list of linkshells Futaba has - not very many yet. But for the main open linkshell, instead of Kali Shashidhwaja, it now reads Warriors of Light. ]

[sonoftenebrae]

[The story gets a quiet snort of amusement from Ravus. Hunting down an absentee God and stealing half his power...yes, that appeals to him very much.]

It is a good story. People should rise up against a God who is cruel. [It had not worked on Eos, but perhaps in other worlds, the Gods themselves could be defied. It was better than blindly accepting a malevolent will.]

Perhaps if magic were spread more widely among the people, it would not be so heavy a burden and would not exact such a toll as on the few who wield it.

[spaceforged]

In this airship but we haven’t checked the halls and the lounge. Others have woken up and will be wandering.

[He had gotten the hell out of dodge the moment he’d woken up. He can imagine others will have done the same. This situation is so far out of many people’s depth. He glances around one more time.]

There’s another ship. But we’re all going to the same place. And If I hear anything about your sister I’ll contact you immediately, Ravus.

[He holds out his right mechanical hand as he introduces himself.] I’m Shirogane Takashi. Everyone calls me Shiro. I wish the circumstances were better but, all we can do is move forward and find out just what is going on.

[regisrex]

[ Regis blinked, and the green eyes softened. The teen was clearly miserable, and that was not a good thing, for anyone. ]

All right, then, let's start from the top.

Hi, my name is Regis. I've also just arrived and have a bunch of things to do at home, so I know I should be there, but since I can't figure out a way to go back yet, I'd like to learn more about this place. Maybe with the thought of finding a way to go back.

Any of this sound like it might make sense?

... okay these boys are going to give us heartache forever

[regisrex]

"Hmm." Smiling is good, though the words send Regis's awareness back to the outside of the ship, and his expression goes... much calmer, really.

"I never thought it was possible to be among the actual stars."

Come on. For a Lucis Caelum, appointed protectors of their Star, yet human? That's kind of miracle enough.

They really, really are. ;~;

[warpstriking]

It doesn't last too long, but the smile did briefly exist. He gestures with an empty hand to one of the couches. Most of the other new arrivals and a few who were supposed to be helping them out weren't, well, conscious yet. They essentially have the lounge to themselves for now.

"Honestly? Same here." He had thought the same thing when he first arrived, too... before suddenly hit with how none of the constellations were the same. "Then someone pulled me from my own memories two months ago. Was hell of a lot more cramped in that ship, though."

[sonoftenebrae]

[Yes, that. That was...not his finest moment.]

...you have my gratitude, for preventing...what I might have done in grief.

[He offers no apology or excuse, but he is glad that Ignis intervened.

He recalls what happened beyond the point Ignis remembers.

A knife drawn to the Prince's throat, and the blade he had hurled in defense of Noctis' life. If Ignis did not remember, Ravus would not enlighten him of that moment.

Receiving a blast of Ardyn's perverse magic, and being thrown back. Much of what was said in those next moments had been lost to the shock and pain of that blow.

The ring, taken up finally by someone the Lucii judged worthy to harness it for at least a few minutes.

Ignis, collapsing, still concerned only for his prince even as his strength waned. That had been the first inkling that perhaps Noctis had grown from the sickly boy Ravus had known into someone who merited such devotion.

Acknowledging the roles they all had left to fulfil, walking away as Gladiolus and Prompto rushed to their friends' sides.

You were reckless. Ardyn could not be defeated by normal means, so you took up the Ring of the Lucii and drove him away from your wounded prince. When we parted, you and your prince were unconscious and your loud friends were running to your aid. I made it out of the city, but awoke here the next day.

[sonoftenebrae]

[Ravus would use the word 'inspect' rather than 'meet' a chocobo, but he follows Prompto. Does he 'like' chocobos? He actually is not sure.]

I have not had occasion to ride one since I was very young. [Riding lessons were a part of a traditional noble's education, but Tenebrae was too mountainous for riding to be practical as a means of transportation, and the Empire relied on their airships to ferry their troops about. They are something familiar, and more importantly, they do not talk.]

Very well. I will meet them. Lead on.

[chosennobody]

[If he were a real person Roxas might take insult at being called 'boy', but as it is he doesn't really see it as too much of a slight. So he just shrugs.]

You can ask for a transfer if you don't want to live there. I know other people have done it.

[hatejakku]

That... doesn't sound too awful, I guess.

[ You're more experienced in this than he is, okay. ]

I hope it works out for you guys, at least.

[hatejakku]

[ Finn nods, really grateful for the help. This is all just... a really untimely adjustment. He looks up at Shiro. ]

I know most of us have to want to get home. Everyone has people or a situation or something that they need to get back to. How do you... try not to worry about that? How do you keep calm? I mean, yeah, I'm still technicially there, I guess, but-... I don't know.

[hatejakku]

[ He doesn't know what half of those words mean, but it sounds like she was protecting people. That's a major plus.

But he kinda grimaces at the conversation turn. ]

Sort of. My situation is more complicated. To sum up, we fight to save people.

[ He doesn't mind chatting about the Resistance, really. It's the other thing. And he rathers being vague than lying because he knows he's a bad liar. ]

[hatejakku]

[ Finn smiles and shakes his hand. And he finds that he likes all the bracelets, too. Maybe he can experiment around with fashion a little now that he's here. ]

It's nice to meet you, Prompto. Thanks.

I don't know if I'm thrilled about being here, but the place is peaceful and the people are really nice. [ Like Prompto, here! ]

[hatejakku]

[ I love her. Finn stares blankly and just decides to not even comment on that. He walks down the ramp at her side, wondering if she needs his arm so that they don't somehow end up off course. He doesn't want to underestimate this. ]

It's very nice to meet you, Azusa. Where were you trying to get to?

[hatejakku]

That is a good idea. I didn't really think about it that way but I like it.

[ He shrugs. ] I'm probably not the best source of information, honestly. Still, you can always make up your own look. [ Finn just likes the idea of personalized fashion. He's planning on experimenting at some point for himself. ]

Tactician's good. It sounds really useful.

[remnantofzeboim]

[Emeralda made a little face.]

Know what camera is! [She said pointedly.] Didn't know that was camera. Emeralda not stupid.

[She didn't really stay upset for very long though, and managed a smile when she saw the picture he had taken.]

Emeralda still look same!

[She hadn't been positive, since she couldn't change.]

[remnantofzeboim]

Uhm. People see all the time?

[She was clearly confused now.]

Emeralda never hide change.

[remnantofzeboim]

"Never seen but in head," the benefit of being a computer, apparently. Lots of useless information.

She giggled at the hitting things part, but was focusing on something else. "Spells. Like ether?"

[remnantofzeboim]

"Mm," well, she supposed that was technically true. "Sort of skipped." She decided that was true enough.

She followed along, looking around as Futaba gestured, nodding. "Lots of houses. Haven't gone further away than this from center." She hesitated.

"Not many people for many houses?" She had seen some people around, but not nearly enough...

[regalblaze]

[Ignis gently shakes his head-]

No need for explanations. [At least not to him.] You lost your sister, it was understandable.

[From the moment Ravus decided to join him and lend him a hand to reach Noct, he knew that there was more than it meets the eye when it came to the older man. Despite their differences, he too cared for his closest family in the only way he could. Ignis can't fault him for that.

--]

...What?

[Ignis' face goes visibly pale and shocked at the information Ravus just provided. He knew of his future injuries, he knew that Prompto and Gladio found them but-

He used the Ring of Lucii?! This probably shouldn't be as surprising as it is. And yet- Ignis can feel the chill going through his veins at the thought of this. He sighs heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leans his elbow on the counter.]

...I see. That explains a lot of things.

[He... fought Ardyn. With the Ring. And only managed to drive him away. But, if that kept Noctis safe then he's fine with it.]

[chocobosnap]

[Some of them are really fashionable, so maybe if Finn needs advice, there should be plenty of people to ask.]

Nice to meet you. [He grins brightly, there, not so scary, except he needs to tell his heart that. Sometimes one just has to confront his fears.]

Y-Yeah I don't know about that part, but it is peaceful. So far. It's been good. I um, I have a chocobo and that's the best thing ever!

[Finn, you don't understand, he's chocobo-crazy.]

[chocobosnap]

[He's encouraged that Ravus agreed, and he's not surprised. Who doesn't love chocobos?]

Awesome! [He grins at him and leads the way back behind the house to the stable where there are three chocobos waiting. One that looked disciplined, one black one taking a nap and the third, yellow and enthusiastic, warking at Prompto when he walks back up.]

Easy Sunshine. [He grins.] This is...[He strokes the feathers.] Ravus. He's our friend, maybe, I hope. This is Sunshine and she's mine. That's Lord Amicitia's bird, and the black one belongs to Noctis. Careful, he likes shiny objects.