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

[boomchucka]

[Selphie falls into a thoughtful silence before responding. It's her first time coming across someone who thought that magic from her world should be shared equally. Maybe it would have lead the less wars and the woman who had had a good hand in raising her from becoming ensnared in the thrall of another.

There was para-magic but that came with its own cost. There were a lot of things that having access to actual magic on her world would probably solve. At the end of the day though, Selphie believes in one things only about magic or para-magic:]

Maybe you're right about that but there would still be wars about it. Cruel Gods or not, there will always be people who will want more of it for their own use instead of for the greater good.

[boomchucka]

Selphie hands the pouch to Tommy before bobbing her head along at the ramble of directions that she's going to forget later. If the iMog had a voice function, maybe she would pull it out to record the bubbling words from the moogle before she gives Cor an apologetic look.

"Knowing Jaelyn, that's my moogle," Selphie continues on. "She wouldn't go for the dye but maybe a nice costume would work. But anyway," the girl turns her sights back on Cor as she holds her hand out in front of her for a handshake. "I'm Selphie."

[promiselisting]

Well I mean, I know where they live, so that shouldn't be too much a problem either.

[ Since she and Makoto are rooming, and she pretty much has a timeshare over at Ren's house. Speaking of Ren's house though- ]

Hm...

[ Now that she thinks about it. There's... something Morgana should know? But it's not something for everybody's ears. So she just... does what she did when she needed to tell Ren something with Sojiro standing right in front of them, back before Sojiro found out. She pulls out her own tablet, and within a minute or so, Morgana will get a private message. ]

There are other Persona users here. From about five years before our time (so 2011-2012ish?)

Ren's living with them right now.

[hatejakku]

[ Finn nods at her pep talk. He knows he can't give up and he never will, but it's just rough. ]

... I have no idea what I'm going to do next. No one knows a way to get home, so- I don't know? [ But that's just downer talk. ] I might travel or take time to find myself.

[ He's going to be looking for a way out, anyway. It's the only thing that sounds productive. ]

[hatejakku]

Your home sounds really nice.

[ And he means the compliment unironically. No magic or weapons needed? Sounds lovely. ]

That's good to know. Everyone I've talked to so far was really kind and helpful.

[hatejakku]

"That sounds great. Your home already sounds interesting." Finn smiles at the offer, then nods. "I've run into a lot of people who arrived two months ago. Makes you wonder what's going to happen a couple of months from now..."

[nanaimo_bar]

"Then I will answer questions about Ul'dah and it's people." said Nanamo with a wide smile.

"Indeed," she added. "If it takes two weeks to organize a dive into the Dream Width, then perhaps then we can expect regular arrivals from now on."

[spaceforged]

Even if they aren't, we can work at it until they are. [He checks the tea and coffee makers, idly. They're doing their job. In a minute, he'll be able to snag a mug.]

...one thing. The center will want you to take a physical. They don't let you skip on that.

[chefbayardee]

We have absolutely no idea. [ And then he laughs at the thought of his own world, because the thought's been on his mind more than he'd like to admit. ] On both fronts: time in our worlds and whether or not we're actually from the same Earths.

And since we can't leave yet, we won't be able to know. [ Large emphasis on yet, because he's not giving up on that. Ever. But then he shrugs, because if he could do something about it, he would've. ]

Is there anything else you want to know? Y'know, other than spacetime.

IV

[lordshield]

Someone had finally told Clarus that Regis was present, once he'd finished his frantic search for Iris. After the situation had been explained to the shield, he'd taken a bit to collect himself before heading over to the other house to meet things head on. He'd never been one to dally or hide anyhow. Decisive action had always been favored, though sometimes that action had been retreat.

Not this time.

Regis would hear a gentle knock on his bedroom door, and Clarus stood waiting beyond, hands clasped behind his back and his best effort at a non-threatening expression put forth. He was already drastically different than the Clarus this Regis knew, he didn't want to scare him as well.

[arosetowar]

I see...

[Is there even a point to typing "she frowns" anymore...]

Is it dangerous there? On Vaikuntha?

[chefbayardee]

[ He scoffs at the question, and just tries to restrain a laugh. ]

Oh yeah, really dangerous. [ But he's not being sarcastic at all. In fact, he takes a moment to push a few buttons on his iMog Slate, and turns the screen to face her. It's a picture of a monster. ]

So I've had to deal with a Chocobo Eater in the desert and a Giant Octopus on a beach up north. [ He swipes through photos of both and, notably, photos of both of their corpses from a distance. And a photo of Hunk, taking a selfie while dragging a Chocobo Eater's arm through the desert. ]

But it's not all bad, they have these weird crystal things that give us magic and all sorts of other crazy powers. [ And then he starts to smile eagerly, because. ] I have a sword that can shoot energy bullets! [ He obviously thinks it's pretty great. ]

[sonoftenebrae]

[Ravus is getting the sense that most people just go along with Prompto's boundless friendliness, rather than expending the energy to fight it.

He extends his hand slowly to Sunshine again -resolving to only refer to her as 'Argentum's chocobo' in conversation, because 'Sunshine' is a ridiculous name- giving her the opportunity to shy away from him if she desires. If not, he'll give her neck a scratch.]

I was leaving Altissia. We... may have passed one another. [He runs the mental calculations of how much time it would take for Noctis and his retinue to reach the keep, with the guards and the transportation available to them.]

...was Ignis badly injured? [Ravus has no desire to know about the future as a whole, not in a world where the Oracle has fallen, but that is one aspect that matters to him. He'd trusted Lunafreya's healing to see the prince out of danger, but Ignis... ]

[arosetowar]

[Studies the photos of both monsters for as long as she's able to, then fixes Hunk with a look that very clearly suggests that she's not quite believing what she's seeing -- a look that becomes somewhat more damning as he begins to talk about the crystals.]

What manner of magic and... crazy powers do you mean?

[Because forget monsters. Humans with magic and crazy powers are the real danger, in her experience.]

II.

[masqueraid]

Light Vanilla? Hmm... ( it sounded like it could have been a latte, honestly. which is where ren's mind goes after he hears it, at least for a moment or two. you'll have to forgive him, he has coffee on the brain ever since that fleeting flash of leblanc...

but, back to the matter at hand, he seems to rouse himself from the thought with a— ) Ah? You're awake... how are you feeling?

checkin' in so we can check out

[masqueraid]

( as the exclamation of not a costume! reaches his ears, ren perks up in the direction that it had come from with an interested— ) Hmm?

( leaning his head just slightly into the examination room, he lights up at the sight of morgana inside. feeling a spark that he hadn't felt for awhile, he crouches down, and seeing that the staff's backs were all turned...

he whispers— )

Psst... Mona. ( codenames because this was obviously a covert operation! and he motions with his hand for his friend to make a break for the door. ) This way, quick.

[chefbayardee]

Well...

[ This is a much happier subject than wars or spacetime or their homes. If only because this stuff is right out of some kind of video game or comic book. ]

One of my friends can jump really high, like a jumping spider except he's a normal human. Some people can control the elements and throw fireballs and lightning bolts and ice and water and control the winds and earth and heal wounds. [ And then he stops for a moment, taking a deep breath. ] Some people can control animals like puppets, and some can summon magical beasts, and some can do stuff like steal your souls, or command the powers of light and darkness. [ And then he takes another deep breath, before... ]

And some are just really good at hitting things. [ Hunk looks incredibly proud of himself for remembering all of that information. In fact, he's just beaming. ] Oh, and one of them rides giant yellow fluffy ostriches.

[arosetowar]

[Just. Goes back to balking. She has concerns over so many of the things Hunk mentioned that she falls straight back into incredulous questioning mode.]

Are you being serious?

[stillsmiling]

[At first, Shi looks terrified! Don't seal your own soul, stranger! That's so sad...!!!

But then everything turns out okay.

Suddenly, Shi is super curious again.]

... Is that a special kind of camera? A safe kind?

[stillsmiling]

Wa... Really?

I um... Okay! I'll do my best... I-I mean. I always do my best. I don't want to hurt anyone.

[chefbayardee]

Totally serious. [ He laughs, because it is absolutely absurd. Or at least it was, until he was here for a while. ] It's kind of a lot to take in, isn't it? [ Easier for him, considering the amount of weird magic stuff he's seen out in the cosmos. ]

So... what's the worst of it? Is it the fireballs? [ He's having fun with this and it shows. Better she hear this stuff from him, now, than from some goof at the Curti Center who just saw all this as normal. ]

[lordshield]

"Uh-huh." Yarrow seemed to have no further interest in the other moogle and was instead watching the pair of humans interact.

"Of course he would. He's proud of his shield." As they all were. Although Clarus would have never condoned Gladiolus going on the trial, but if they were home a grand celebration would have been thrown in the Amicitia manor for his triumph. Maybe they still would, considering.

"You were where you were ordered to be," Clarus cut in sternly. "Your king gave you an order and you followed it. There's no shame in that. We... We made our choices, Cor. One of us had to survive. You were the only one who could."

[sonoftenebrae]

No, I probably should not. [Ravus will concede the point to Ignis, since there is no denying it.]

If I were to stay here [Ravus is not prepared to commit himself beyond 'if', even though the coffee Ignis makes is divine], your continued presence is required. I'll not risk the destruction they'd reap in your kitchen.

[doodlebuginette]

[That answer wasn't terribly surprising, so she's just shrugging and giving his hand a little squeeze.]

Here's hoping that someone will figure it out soon.

[Sure, it wasn't something she absolutely needed to know. But it might be nice to know for curiosity's sake.]

Do you like it here?

[regisrex]

Regis had already managed to find himself reading materials, so he was a little lost to the world, so Clarus may have had to knock a second time. But when he did hear, Regis bounced off to the door, opening it with a smile to face the mountain of an aging man.

He blinked.

"Hi, may help--" Then it hit him. It was... of all things, it was possibly the smell. Or, possibly, something in the way those blue eyes looked at him.

He trailed off, just looking at the other man, unselfconsciously shifting, straightening up, even smiling a little differently.

"Clarus?"