voidtreckermods: (voidtrain)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] voidtreckerexpress2021-03-01 05:44 am

A New Platform [Intro Post March]

On the Train

Once again passengers are awoken by the morning announcement.

"Good morning passengers, it is day One of the month of Kazoo. Points have been updated on the system."

They have indeed, and everyone can spend the morning shopping. Those who have been on the train for a while will also be expecting the second announcement that comes a few hours later.

"Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." A lurch and a jolt and the windows fill with the fog that means they are at a platform. The fog is thick, the air is warm and humid and there are rumbles of thunder, the air heavy with the promise of rain.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers: Alfredo Martini, Daia, Enna Alchiba, Lord El-Melloi II, Natsuno Yuuki, Nita Callahan, Saku Gyousou, Sakura, V and Wen Qing

But on the platform itself there are new faces. Wearing hoodies in all four colours, in various states of confusion.

For New Passengers

At first all they can see is steam, billowing around them as they come to their senses. As their eyes adjust, they will see they are on a platform, glass and dark stone rising in sturdy arches around them. Behind them is a set of barriers, and in front of them is a single track extending both ways into thick fog.

They are standing, in clothes that are not their own and a style they might not even recognise. They are carrying a rucksack on their back. For a moment it seems to just be them, alone in the white haze; then the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not large, and seems smaller with twenty-seven figures scattered around. All facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. To both the left and right, tracks disappear into the mist.

A roaring sound, and out of the fog arrives a train. Jet black with gold writing on the side. The Voidtrecker Express. There is a hiss as the doors slide open and out step a strange assortment of people. Some are human, some are less so. Most are wearing the same hoodie in one of the four colours, red, orange, blue and purple, though some are sporting different clothes in a variety of styles.

The Train

After a short time, the doors hiss open again. Those from the train may encourage those on the platform to board. It’s not like there's anywhere else to go and even if there was, you feel a pull. A need to board, a feeling that staying on the platform would lead to something terrible. If that is not enough, there are plenty of people on the platform now, to encourage them onto the train.

Each ICP shows the same message and next to the screens there are stacks of leaflets written by those on the train, with further information (see
'Publications'). Those not new to the train will note the addition of an eighth sleeper carriage. The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, it seems the month of Kazoo is defined by the tomato and there are plenty of them.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags.

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, especially if they want a top bunk!

Room is tight but there are storage cubbies at the head of each bed, beds fold up and the bottom bunks double as benches for the small table. There is storage under those benches full of spare blankets and pillows.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers as thunder rumbles further and the storm threatens to break. The doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, but they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view again as it picks up speed.

"Welcome aboard, passengers of the Voidtrecker Express." A female-coded artificial sounding voice echoes throughout the train. "Please take the time to read the passenger information displayed on the Information and Communication points and familiarise yourself with the layout and emergency exits."

The train begins to tilt, leaving the ground and rising up into the fog-filled sky.

"Entrance into Voidspace imminent. New passengers are advised to remain seated. Entry into Voidspace in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

A shudder, a jolt, a lurch to the left. A flash of light, colourful and blinding. As quick as it happens it is done. The train seems to steady itself. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colours.

Welcome to the Void!
sos_pilot: by <user name=noimpulsecontrol> (Default)

[personal profile] sos_pilot 2021-03-03 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Friendly and cordial as ever, Della headed over to offer a hand to shake. "Name's Della Duck. Nice to meet you! So, how much have you learned so far?"
enthunder: (glare ☇ fuck the police)

[personal profile] enthunder 2021-03-03 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
It was something she'd told others over and over, but hearing it turned back on her made her teeth grind. But even then, she wasn't about to go through Edge; the impulse, flash-hot, was fading already as their eyes met.

She glared a moment longer, and then dropped her stance with a curse.

"You're right, and I know there's more to it, but..." It was just so hatefully unfair.
death_from_above: (Spark Mock impressed)

[personal profile] death_from_above 2021-03-03 06:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, no, he can't help himself. He gave a feline grin, a lick to the face and then, grinning once more, he said cheerfully, "I'm even nicer when you feed me fish."

How did Donovan do that for DECADES? Talking was far more fun.
enthunder: (ugh ☇ FML)

she's in let's go

[personal profile] enthunder 2021-03-03 06:55 pm (UTC)(link)
The silence stretching out, coupled with his presence, slowly calms the tumult. Settles it back beneath the surface, to break and rage again when she isn't in public.

So, never, then. She breathes in, then out in a harsh exhale, and rests her forehead against the train a foot above where she'd struck. Where her fingers still rest, half-curled and aching.

"I'm so tired of this, Tidus. Every time I think we're getting somewhere."
saveas: (consideration)

[personal profile] saveas 2021-03-03 06:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Asriel hesitates a little over his answer. He doesn't want to sound mean; honestly, he only really had the one bad experience with a bunch of humans. It was just...you know. Pretty bad.

"My best friend was human," he says finally. "And I have another human friend, too. But other humans don't usually like monsters. They, um." He teases the end of one ear between his fingers. "They've killed a lot of us before, so." There's probably good and bad humans up there, he guesses. But the last time he was surrounded by humans, they sure did kill him a whole bunch.
enthunder: (snark ☇ I hate you so much)

[personal profile] enthunder 2021-03-03 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The sentence is so strange that it snaps Lightning out of the blank anger that she'd almost sunk into, though she doesn't quite meet Bulma's eyes when she says, ]

One day it might.
saveas: (grin)

[personal profile] saveas 2021-03-03 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"Um. Okay?" Asriel, at this point, just fully has no idea what's going on. You'd think that'd be a fun novelty, when he spent so long looking for new stuff, but mostly it's just kind of freaky and confusing. "What's a Cepter?"
enthunder: (glare ☇ fuck the police)

[personal profile] enthunder 2021-03-03 07:11 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm not angry at you," she mutters, but stops in her tracks even so. Fighting would help, get her focused, but if she ended up injuring someone...

She eyed him for a long moment, then clicked her tongue. "Fine. Now?"
saveas: (frustration)

[personal profile] saveas 2021-03-03 07:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Asriel startles, and he startles pretty hard! There's no attempt at violence towards Spark, really, but he still may end up getting jostled out of Asriel's lap.

"Geez! What the heck?" He might sound mad, but mostly he's embarrassed. He wouldn't just be sitting here petting and talking at someone if he'd know they were a person and not an animal!
blitzcheer: (forlorninglyest)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2021-03-03 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Getting somewhere? He should agree that they are, and yet it sits uncomfortably in his ears.

"We need something--bigger," he settles on, not knowing a better word. Bigger, better. More than they have. "Some way for someone to help us, or some way to help ourselves. If we don't get either--this is gonna keep happening. We're going to lose everyone."

It's like a time constantly on the brink of running out, every time this happens. More and more people coming and going, those that they care about.
saveas: (shadowed)

[personal profile] saveas 2021-03-03 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)
...alright, so this is happening now!

If nothing else, Asriel is definitely that one friend that can set aside his own anxiety entirely if someone else in the group is too scared to ask for extra ketchup or something. Plus, even if she looks like a human to him, she isn't screaming or anything that could get him attacked. "Do you need help?" he asks after a moment, carefully pushing himself back to his feet. "Not that - ha, I can't really help you. I don't know what's going on either."
najaran: (Eh heh heh... you noticed?)

[personal profile] najaran 2021-03-03 07:24 pm (UTC)(link)
He said okay so Cait Sith is leading him back. "Someone who can use the Cards, meow," he said.

Cait Sith was heading for a rather... odd grouping. There was a human looking girl sitting on the shoulder of a giant suit of armor where she was arguing with a man headed cane. Nearby was a creature even larger than the armor that was daintily trying to eat with a human sized spoon holding a large container of stew that looked small in that huge hand. It was alternating between feeding itself and feeding the face on the large stone wall it was sitting against, which towered over it.

A small monster was running around with a bowl of stew over its head, being chased by another small creature, though they seemed to be playing. What looked like a metal creature with a drill for a lower half was calling after them, waving its arms. And what looked like an anorexic dragon/dinosaur thing was trying to steal bites from the soup container whenever it passed.

Seeing Cait Sith approaching Najaran stopped arguing and slid down the arm of the suit of armor. "There you are," she said with a smile. "Find someone to throw spells at you?" she asked, then blinked, seeing the new arrival. "Oh! Sorry, hello," she rubbed the back of her head. Was he a Card? Wow, usually she got new Cards from the luggage room place, here. And back home they were gifts from other Cepters that she'd fought - she never took the traditional ante card. And she certainly never claimed whole Books when she won, but somehow her Book was still brimming with the dreams of so many Cepters.
enthunder: (consider ☇ danger)

on the train.

[personal profile] enthunder 2021-03-03 07:33 pm (UTC)(link)
As he passes through standard and its rows of seating, a slight woman with pale hair sits upright as she notices him.

"A-Ning--" Lightning's isn't a familiar face, but she calls him with an intonation learned entirely from Wen Qing. And then all at once realises that he has no reason to know her, even if she's written out his name every other day for a month and a half, she and his sister asking the train over and over for a chance to see their siblings again.

Wen Qing is supposed to be here instead. It's awkward, but she grits her teeth and tries again.

"Uh, Wen Qionglin, that is. Can we talk?"
consider8: (Recre8)

[personal profile] consider8 2021-03-03 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Eight gladly lets Ken on board and pushes the thought that he knew her out of mind entirely. She brings him on board and provides a run down of the place, taking keen attention to things that he would find most important -- the kitchen, dining car, the music car, the gardens, the spa, and, of course, the sleeping cabins. While she did not have a good grasp of Ken's daily routine, she suspected those would be the places he'd find the most interesting.

While they are going she motions to an ICP panel. "...and these, you found particularly interesting. This is the comm interface to the rest of the train. Except for the quiet cars, you will find that anyone can be reached anywhere using this system."

"And before you ask, no, they will not connect you to the Digital World."
yondu: (0 0 5)

[personal profile] yondu 2021-03-03 07:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Whaaat? Tough guy with a name like Asriel? Sure you can handle this.

[He gives him a wry laugh, baring his teeth in their jagged smile. See? You totally got this.]

You want I should show you where the cabins are? Get you outa here from all these people? Now, you're gonna have roommates, but only a few of 'em. I got 'em too.
consider8: (Deb8)

[personal profile] consider8 2021-03-03 07:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Unfortunately she made a recent purchase, so that may be a while out, but she can make a mental note of it. As for the exchange...

...

A wry smile comes to her face. "Music. From your world."
consider8: (Computing)

[personal profile] consider8 2021-03-03 07:44 pm (UTC)(link)
She was glad, still worried that she may have found her work inadequate when put under the pressure of recent events. Still, she makes a quick note of her movements with it and nods with some satisfaction that it was still functional.

"I'm... fine." She was not fine. "I needed to clear my head for a while, so excused myself from standard operating procedures and activities. There is no cause for alarm." Above all else, Eight was still not used to people worrying for her.
10billionpercent: (This Is So Exciting)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-03-03 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"Music..." He stared at her a little blankly. "Um."

He had to think. "Apart from Lillian, can't think of anything. I wasn't much of a music guy, but I can ask the Mentalist. I know we can order things from the past, so I can do that. The only music we have in the present is a glass record my old man made with Lillian singing one of her songs."
consider8: (Assess)

[personal profile] consider8 2021-03-03 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"Glass record?" That was new... and seemed quite delicate.
10billionpercent: (This...is exhilarating)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-03-03 07:55 pm (UTC)(link)
"They used, probably a diamond, to leave behind a record in the base of an old glass bottle, wrapped it in foil and encased it in concrete." Senku explained.

"Then I built a record player to play it."
soldier_blade: (30-not buying it/unhappy)

Re: Sure!

[personal profile] soldier_blade 2021-03-03 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
She noted that he was fixing the other bed as well, and hoped this was the actual arrangement, and not just something they decided on their own. Otherwise, she didn't think it would go very well for either party.

"I hope so, too." They all had more important things to worry about than two dudes being married; her own sleeping habits for once.

"More like I'll try not to bother you." She set her cleaning stuff down. "I tend to have really bad insomnia, and sometimes I get up at weird hours. Also, if you hear a struggled scream or gasping during lights out, it's nightmares-nothing serious."

She'd grown so used to sleeping in a half empty bunk, it didn't occur to her she'd have to explain her lack of sleep hygiene.
storms_eye: (ugly)

[personal profile] storms_eye 2021-03-03 08:08 pm (UTC)(link)
I mean they would help for pollination.. [.. but she was unsure of having a stingy insect in such an enclosed space. Silvia knew there was a need for insects but she wasn't super keen on them..] Some of them are pretty cute. [The fuzzy ones]

Really? I kinda.. try to stay out of trouble whenever possible. [Realizing this probably made her sound boring.. she sighed.] .. not that I'm always successful. [She also wasn't trying to say that her way was any better. People who liked to get involved seemed freer somehow] That's uh... that sounds like it would be absolutely miserable. [If you could survive it] I haven't..?

[Taking the hand she gave it a shake]

Pleased to meet you too Doctor. It's just the doctor? [No surname?]
magicurls: (questions)

[personal profile] magicurls 2021-03-03 08:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Mami catches onto that, of course...]

Eh? Madoka made it sound like you hadn't been on good terms with Miki-san...but if what you say about how you feel differently now is true, I suppose it makes sense.
redmeguca: (B-baka...)

[personal profile] redmeguca 2021-03-03 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Erm. W-well, by the end, it was mostly that she wasn't on good terms with me. I found out a few things that made me reconsider my choices and... yeah. A-anyway, how's the train been treating you? Ahaha...ha.
storms_eye: (they)

Least that makes them memorable!

[personal profile] storms_eye 2021-03-03 08:19 pm (UTC)(link)
After all that rambling, Silvia managed to shyly look back up at the other girl trying to gauge how her words were being received. If she could have started the whole encounter over she would have, but it was definitely too late for that and now she would have to deal with any consequences. Surprisingly, it wasn't all that bad- or at least as bad as it could have been.

"Oh! That's all it was?" Taking in an uneasy breath. "I shouldn't have assumed..." Genuinely feeling relieved that she didn't have to continue to try to convince the blond that this wasn't some ill end.

"In that case.. you seem to be taking all of this pretty well." There was an unspoken question encapsulated in that observation.