Test Drive Meme #1 (cw vehicular crash, moderate injury)

[spoofer]

Test Drive Meme #1

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

You don't need an invite to test
but please remember we're currently invite-only

CRASH LANDING

Exit one dimension, enter the next. It was chaos: pressure against your ears, light bending in an impossible, unimaginable way. The very molecules of your body vibrating against one another. If you have windows, the view outside makes no sense. Even if not, your hands, your face, your feet seem like an uncertain thing. It's the feel of reality itself tearing apart, reshaping, reconnecting, thread by thread.

And suddenly, there's a beach— or ocean, whichever you land in. Smoke. Fire. Salt water churning up, fizzing around.

Maybe you crash, in a ship wrecking into sand. Maybe you merely stumble out of a portal, a ragged wormhole in space. Or maybe you fall off the back of an incredible steed, some creature that carried you into this place. Either way, there's pandemonium around you. Incredibly, severe injuries are far and few between— nobody's screaming about the dead. But you might have to help pull someone free of wreckage, or move quickly to salvage burning belongings from the landing craft. Maybe it's the crafts themselves, that you're trying to salvage.

Likely, you don't know them, these other strangers who arrived here^[1]. Maybe you don't trust them— you just came out of a dying world, after all. But you all have one thing in common: you're here now.

When you get a second to breathe, maybe you'll see it. The brilliant green forest across the sand. Beyond that, the glint of a faraway city.

INTO THE WOODS

Your first night at Xistentia does not feature five-star accommodations, but as the sun begins to set, the forest offers everything you need to survive. By now, you may even have met your daemon, who'll help guide you through this. There is fallen wood to make fires for warmth and cooking, any number of rabbits, deer, and fish if that's what you're into eating. Those very same animals also provide guidance as to what vegetation is edible, including a variety of vine mushrooms, fruits, and flowers. If you're the kind of creature that mostly eats other sentient creatures, well. Technically, there are a lot of those hanging out too^[2]! Now and then, you'll see tiny, winged humanoid creatures the height of a finger dart in and out of view.

A resourceful group, the multiversal refugees have determined ways to create shelters, using wreckage, supplies, and basic survival knowhow. There aren't enough blankets to go around, but the weather is mild and the fires seem to keep out any aggressive creatures.


Things get quiet. This could be a good time to meet the others under less fraught circumstances. Maybe you'll see some familiar faces and reunite with others who fled from your dying world; maybe you'll meet someone new.

Try not to seek out and fight any Rock Trolls. It's still early.

ENTER THE CITY

The city is beautiful, even with the vines covering everything, the streams running down half the streets, the massive white deer leaping off under the highway overpasses. The architecture of the skyscrapers is incredible to look at, modern and sweeping. It's clear that terraced gardens were part of the building design, and some of the greenery that lines the street had been part of the original city plan. This is a city of great potential.

And it knows you're here. As you walk by, beacons like streetlamps begin to emit a gentle glow, registering your presence. No doors are locked, though you might find yourself chasing out nests of silver-winged birds and bug-eyed rabbits.

Here, you can claim empty shops or the clothing and other sales items inside of them. Apartment complexes aren't difficult to find in a range of sizes; nor are standalone homes, brownstones, loft studios. Penthouses may not feel like penthouses when there's a thin layer of dust growing on everything and a flower growing out of the sink, but you know what? Maybe that little bud is gonna be your first roommate.

It's the strangest thing. After a few days, the lights begin to work and the water begins to run, fully operational within the unseen sewer system. At some point, the keys to your house or residence are going to turn up. Your daemon will help you find what you need. F.A.TE.S. welcomes you.

NETWORK

By now you've settled in. You have some time to explore the city, the woods, and your new kit.

Chances are pretty good that your daemon is not a phone or a computer or a wax-sealed piece of parchment or a Howler, nothing with a convenient camera or a keyboard; it probably isn't even a pocket sized. Likelier, it stares at you with eyes that contain the lenses-- or powers-- of a camera, and some part of its body projects a holographic keyboard into the air. For those of us who are not accustomed to manipulating intangible light prisms, it's about as intuitive to type on as shaping a cloud with your fingers.

But here's your network access. Accessible to all your fellow travelers in XISTENTIA.

Misfires, typos, and blurry video footage are likely. Time to feel like a Luddite!

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

hells yeah

Footnotes

1. Some of these can be nameless, plot-device NPCs to facilitate interactions! But even in this case, please avoid gore in describing their current state of being. Anyone dead or catastrophically injured will have disappeared by the time your characters make it to Xistentia. There are no corpses or dying here.
   
   
2. But like OOCly ask permission ofc.

Comments

Warrior of Light (Era Ra) | Final Fantasy XIV

[astralera]

1. Crash Landing

[ Era had visited Hydaelyn's realm many times before without any negative repercussions to show for it and so it only made sense to her that it would have been the same in this instance as well. Unfortunately for her this isn't the case, as her stomach seems quite enraged by the trip and her head quite can't seem to grasp which way it is facing.

She tumbles off of her trusted Chocobo with nary even a squeak of surprise, and though Peki tries to catch her with his beak his neck can't quite bend that far. The ground is slightly more forgiving than it would have been if it were stone, but she still manages to slice her forearm on the razor sharp edge of a shell. Not nearly the worst wound she has ever suffered, nor will it be the last.

Peki bends over and begins nudging her, yet Era would rather take this moment to collect herself as opposed to jump into motion. The Warrior of Light she may be, but that doesn't mean she is immune to the perils of travel sickness. ]

2. Into the Woods

[ There is a Carbuncle that isn't her Carbuncle all but attached to her side. It speaks. It explains things.

It unnerves her.

Era takes its advice wherever it is needed, though her skill as a master botanist and amateur fisher has so far meant the strange thing has kept mercifully quiet. She's tempted to summon her own Carbuncle to see what happens, but at the moment is comforted by the presence of Lily to bother. The healing capabilities of her fairy companion have more use in the current environment anyway.

She finds another worm where she's been digging for them and puts it in her pocket with the rest. There will be fish to be had for dinner tonight. ]

1

[poorlycopingstrategist]

Hey.

[The voice is soft, if a little uncertain, and if Era looks up she'll see a young man bending down to peer at her, hands spread in the universal gesture of "don't freak out I'm not going to hurt you." Better to make his presence known before trying to lend assistance, right?]

My name's Jamie. You need some help, here?

[astralera]

[ The fact that her Chocobo doesn't react to the man's presence is evidence enough to Era that there is no immediate danger. Though Peki still hovers beside her, keeping his Morbol green plumage a protective barrier between her and the salty breeze.

She is accustomed to everyone save for Lalafell and children being taller than her, so Era isn't intimidated by the man (who is very short compared to most all her male companions save for Alphinaud). After making sure to give a look of acknowledgment to Jamie, she examines her newest wound.

It is still bleeding quite freely with grains of sand stuck to the coagulating blood. She isn't a master of the healing arts for nothing though, so it's with a small upward quirk of her lips that she summons her aether to close the wound. It dances around her fingers and forearm in ribbons of light green light that quickly fades away and leaves unblemished skin behind.

With that taken care of, Era forces her tongue to form some of the few words she says aloud often: ]

I am Era Ra.

[poorlycopingstrategist]

[Jamie watches this display with mild curiosity and a twinge of relief; the woman isn't badly hurt and can tend to her own injuries with some sort of magic, which is more than Jamie can do. He offers her a tight-lipped smile and a small nod.]

Nice to meet you. [More or less, given the circumstances.] You hurt anywhere else? Was anybody with you, other than your...bird?

[astralera]

[ While Era knows full well that there are people who have never met a Chocobo before (they aren't indigenous to the Othard continent after all), this is the first time she's met one. At least Jamie hasn't insulted her companion as those from the other continent are known to do.

She shakes her head in answer to both his inquiries and gestures to her Chocobo as she stands. Peki is quick to nudge her hand with his beak, eager for some affection that Era is more than happy to give - it's a win/win in her books, since he keeps her steady as the vertigo fades. ]

Just Peki.

[poorlycopingstrategist]

Well, you can stick with me until we figure out what's going on here. If you want to, anyway. Safety in numbers, right?

[Jamie watches Era with a critical eye as she seems to gradually recover from the effects of the sudden displacement that brought them all here; her clipped responses to his questions strike him as possibly worrisome, but maybe she's just naturally reticent. He leans back, tucking his hands into his pockets, and takes in her interaction with the feathery creature beside her.]

Peki, huh? Nice to meet you, too. [...he says, directly to the bird, on the off-chance that it's actually sentient and he's snubbing it by accident.] Never seen a bird like that before. Where are you guys from?

I had a reply all typed then was an idiot and closed the wrong tab... q_q

[astralera]

[ Era considers Jamie's suggestion for a moment before nodding her acceptance. She has spent her entire life fighting, and while she is a renowned warrior on her own Era knows the benefits traveling in a group can bring. While she may not trust the man (she has learned her lesson not to trust too quickly) it doesn't matter - if danger should arise she is more than capable of keeping herself in one piece.

Her posture shifts from hesitant to something more open - her love and enthusiasm for her Chocobo outweighing her discomfort with verbal conversations. Alphinaud had almost always been the one to speak for them in their travels, and the thought that she won't be able to see her young Elezen companion - her little brother in all but blood - for an indeterminate amount of time is a painful one.

Still, Era does her best not to let her thoughts weigh her down. ]

Peki is a Chocobo. [ The avian beast knows his name when he hears it and gives Jamie a happy wark of acknowledgment. Era gives him another fond, thorough scratch behind his head where it's hardest for him to reach, earning a happy puddle of Chocobo for her efforts. ] We hail from Eorzea.

1

[remarkablymodest]

[ When he was made aware of this new threat to Eorzea's wellbeing, he of course offered his assistance immediately. Too long had he sat on the sidelines whilst the Warrior of Light took on more burden than she rightfully should have. Though it was true Ishgard was in a state of turmoil that he needed to attend to at the time, that isn't the case any longer. So he'd rather be here and actively doing something to help. Lucia had offered, but should anything happen to him someone would need to take over his role as Lord Commander and he couldn't think of anyone more fitting for the title than his second hand.

Of course, he didn't expect his assistance to be required by someone so close to home so soon. He'd recognize those horns, scales, and Chocobo anywhere. It's natural, he realizes, that Era herself would have also taken on the task of ensuring Eorzea's safety. It came with the territory of being a Warrior of Light; he's well aware of this fact. Yet, she has shouldered far too much on her own and now is his time to assist where he could not before.

Though still a touch disoriented from the travel himself, he's at Era's side before she knows it. ] Rough travels, friend? [ It takes a fair amount of willpower to not just scoop her up from where she lay, but he knows Era is far more capable than to be downed for long by some dizziness and a cut. ]

Allow me to tend to your wound as soon as possible. Such fine sand might lend to it becoming infected and it is doubtful either of us would care to see that happen.

[astralera]

[ Era had thought initially that the upcoming conflict in Gyr Abania was to be her most pressing concern in the near future. She hadn't counted on apocalyptic circumstances and another world. She knew of different worlds of course, though never in her wildest flights of fancy would she have imagined she would need reside in one for a time.

She had full well assumed she would bear this burden on her own, much as she had in the past. The Scions had always been supportive, but they had almost always stayed back while she battled at the forefront as was expected from the Warrior of Light. Era would never begrudge them for staying out of the way - they hadn't the Echo to protect them after all - and would sooner cut off her horns than allow Alphinaud and Alisaie to join her at the front lines. Her young Elezen companions (the younger siblings she could never recall having) were growing stronger with each passing day, coming into their own and out of Louisoix's shadow. They were smart, talented, and had a long way to go before Era would allow them to act as soldiers.

Perhaps it was overprotective of her. She trusted them implicitly, but... They were still so young. And the other Scions had their own duties calling to them.

So no, Era had expected to be alone.

To be proven wrong is a most welcome surprise. ]

Aymeric?

[ Even Peki seems pleased that her friend is here, offering an affectionate wark of greeting to the older man. It takes Era a moment to process this sudden change in her plans (such a welcome change it is!). She had been planning to use a simple Physick to heal the wound, but Aymeric is Aymeric. He has never looked at her and seen an indestructible Warrior of Light. There has never been any need to save face in front of her dear friend.

Sheepishly, Era holds out her arm for Aymeric to inspect. Her inventory is filled to the brim with her gear and supplies, including Potions and rolls of linens for bandages should he need any. She doesn't dare try to rise from where she has fallen to retrieve it herself, lest the vertigo return and she do something unsightly such as vomit on the Lord Commander. While they have not had the opportunity to be travel companions before, Era is certain her friend must know that what is hers is his as well. ]

The Mothercrystal is a much better guide between realms.