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

[hatejakku]

I'd love to! Thanks.

[ Yay, he has plans! Also, um, his home's version of navigating is sorta like that, sure. Basically. ]

That's really interesting, though. Knowledge about the future, even something vague, must be so useful. [ Didn't the Force kind of work like that? ]

[hatejakku]

[ That first part's really useful, actually. What does that mean for the natives here? Or is she just generalizing like children do?

Then he frowns, way too familiar with that kind of rhetoric. ]

You don't think that you're broken, do you? That's not true. No one ever really is. [ If anything, he knows that truth. ]

[hatejakku]

"Then count me in," he says with a broad smile. "If I ever start making any money, maybe I could help pitch in for the airship, too. I don't know how to fly one, though."

[spaceforged]

I wish I could be more specific. I know how it sounds, but...trust me. You'll notice when something is weirder than the strangeness of being here at all.

[He spreads his hands apart. There's not a lot else he can say on that subject.]

On the bright side, the Curti Center has maps, history, and all manner of books on their world. It's openly available to us if we want to learn.

[nanaimo_bar]

"Then we have accord," said Nanamo with a brilliant smile. "Thank you for your support Finn."

[arosetowar]

[Might have asked about his friends, but the way he looks away seems to answer that question well enough on its own.]

Messages? [Sighs a bit, shrugs.] I barely made it through the first man's speech. I prefer not to get my information from talking heads. How are you finding this Curti Center otherwise? Aside from being ill-equipped.

[doodlebuginette]

Like... the first group, period?

[He really hadn't been here all that long.]

I'm glad to hear it. [From what she'd heard so far, it seemed like an interesting place.] Like Ultimate Mecha Strike 3?! That sounds really cool!

[chocobosnap]

Well you can be a Cavalier. There's hunts, and we are collecting chocobos, that's fun. [He smiles.]

I don't know, it's kind of up to you. I don't have plans either.

[regisrex]

Listen, not even Ravus is born yet, in Regis's time.

"I see, and thank you.

"I take it he is here now?"

[regalblaze]

"Lord Clarus? Yes, he is," Ignis nods.

"We have a house assigned to us by Curti Center. That is why we headed there right now, to see where your house assignment is."

[modelcivilian]

Yeah, like that.

[Not at all.]

I'm sure you'll get along with everyone. [Marinette not getting along with anyone? That's impossible.] Yeah! And they combine to become a bigger robot!

[sassafrisk]

When the two finally catch up with Frisk, they're nose-deep in a clearly very uninteresting technical manual, doing their best to remain inconspicuous. However, Frisk brightens as soon as they see Nanamo and Papashan, cheerily waving them over. "Heh, sorry about that," they say, rubbing the back of their neck. "Today's already been... a lot, and I'm just a bit too done with everything to deal with a bad expy of my archnemesis as my supposed guide."

[sassafrisk]

Frisk, for a few moments, just... stares. Were hallucinations supposed to be able to touch them? And if that was the case, wouldn't their subconscious be a tad meaner? None of this... made... Wincing, Frisk clutches their head as a massive headache comes on, memories beginning to trickle in through the cracks. "I... where...?" they mumble.

[hatejakku]

[ Well, if anything, he is used to learning about new places. ] I'll be sure to check it out. Hopefully, nothing... weirder happens. [ That would suck, Shiro. Now you've jinxed him. ]

[hatejakku]

Collecting Chocobos? That does sound fun.

Is there, like, a ranch or something for them around here? Some sort of nature preserve where they're safe? [ Hi, yes, he wants to see a baby Chocobo. ]

[hatejakku]

"Absolutely. Anything to help." Anything to make this place a little more bearable and get his mind off of home.

[nanaimo_bar]

"Understandable, Mogdyne is a handful to deal with," said Papashan as Nanamo nodded.

"Is there anything you needed help with while she is occupied looking for you?"

[einspine]

"FRISK, IT'S OKAY! IT'S JUST ME. PAPYRUS!" He keeps a hand on their shoulder, just in case. The headache's a foreboding sign, but could it be that he's breaking through? He just needs to be patient. He just has to help them.

Re: D

[saint_sami]

“Huh?” Sasami turned her head to notice Uendo, blinking a bit before shrugging. “Not really. I feel, well... lost...”

[lordshield]

The old knight listened quietly with a slight amused smile ghosting his face as Regis spoke. All thoughts he'd had, once he'd determined that his heart was beating and he was indeed whole, though the prince didn't need to know about that just yet.

"All possible, I suppose." He spread his hands wide and shrugged. "I fear I don't have an answer for you. I've been here a few months and no evidence has surfaced to solidify any one theory. Perhaps we're not viewing the whole picture, or maybe the answer simply isn't available to us at the moment."

A sigh escaped through Clarus' nose, and his gaze shifted to the window of the bedroom, staring out at the world beyond without much intensity. "For my part, I've found it best to keep productive while we search and wait. Finding employment and permanent housing, mostly."

[likewishes]

[ It isn't about what he wants. This is about what he wants and maintains that he can't - or shouldn't have. Even seeing Nunnally is probably too much. This shouldn't be allowed to continue? But it's hard to pull back. To pull away. ]

They could. Euphy is here.

[ Probably important that Nunnally knows that. Not for any reason other than the fact that the sisters do love each other. At least it is one more person for them to love and be around.

Though of course. Lelouch being Lelouch... He can't just enjoy the moment. Can't pretend like there isn't something going on. ]

This. [ Mmm. No. Try again. ] What are we doing, Nunnally?

[chefbayardee]

Well after their talking heads, it's our talking heads. Give 'em a watch later. [ Is he saying that because he knows his pre-recorded message is in there somewhere? Yep. He looks a little smug, in fact. ]

I... [ His volume lowers to a whisper, and he leans in a bit. As he speaks, his eyes shift back and forth looking for people listening in. ]

I don't trust them. They just had houses sitting around, even though people haven't shown up in the Dream Width in a decade. And they still have employee housing, and the employees are... not the nicest. Cid, the guy in charge of the place that researches the Dream Width, told me to hunt down these little blue guys called PuPus instead of giving me info on how it works. So either he doesn't know his own job or he's hiding stuff from the people he says he's helping.

[ But then he pulls out of the conspiratorial whispering, takes a deep breath, and starts to use a bellowing, boisterous voice. ] And that's why you should tune into Food Lion, coming soon to a Mognet near you!

[ Masterful misdirection right there. Yep. ]

[chosehope]

Oh really? Then mind if I ask what can you do here? I'm still new and there is a lot of things to take in.

[. . .]

Although, if you are busy, I hope I'm not taking any of your time.

[chosehope]

I'm afraid I don't know!

[Pause]

But we can ask around! I'm sure it can't be too difficult!

[...Right?]

[chosehope]

I know, I heard from the others that she was here too.

[Although, she doesn't know if that's for the better or for the worst. A part of her wanted to be selfish and let them stay here. But on the other hand...]

I'm not sure but isn't this what you wanted? Didn't you want to hold my hand?

[While she could be blunt, she had to be sensitive. The last thing she wanted was to push him away after so long. If he wanted to take things one step at a time, she was willing to do that]