A New Platform [Intro Post March]

[voidtreckermods]

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!

Comments

[helborn]

"It's... where I'm from they're like... archetypes on cards used for fortune telling. The last place I was in they were real and competing in a tournament, and they marked us for their teams. My home world... uh. Let's say that there's a big mess with gods and monsters. It's more complicated than that, but probably not worth the headache right now."

[blitzcheer]

"Oh, well... I didn't really get any of that, so it's no big," Tidus admits with a sheepish chuckle.

"I was just gonna say, if you showed us here from somewhere else you just appeared in out of nowhere, we have people here like that too!" he explains, hands gesturing a bit conversationally. "There's another guy on our team, Allen? --Purple team," he clarifies, putting to their hoodies.

"That's what all the colours are about. There's no tournament, but we get shipped off to different places once a month to do a job. That's the basics of what's going on. A train that snatches people to go and do missions for it."

Said, hardly enthused by the circumstances.

[helborn]

“Oh, I’ll look for him. ... And missions? I can do that.” Casper, on the other hand, seems excited at the idea. “What sort of jobs do we do? What sort of missions - wait, once a month? How long are these missions?”

[blitzcheer]

"Not the whole month," he answers, a small tug of a half-smile, as if thinking the guy thought he'd be stuck busy all that time. "They're usually a week! Never had any longer than that since I've been stuck here. Purples... well, there's usually fighting involved, but it's always about protecting people, getting them out of trouble. You two used to that?"

He glances at the raven as he asks, though not particularly asking the creature. Casper did talk about those Arcana guys doing something with a tournament...

[helborn]

Bob squawks and Casper chuckles. “He says yes. But we’ve only been on a weeklong mission... once, I think? We’re used to five or six weeks and some people being shoved into the minds of natives, especially important ones. ... Which I know sounds intense, and the first time it definitely is since you don’t remember yourself, but it’s usually fine.”

Usually.

[blitzcheer]

"Uhhh, okay. There's none of that." Tidus can confirm that right now. His hands come up near the sides of his head. "I mean, we had this weird memory-sharing, bond-connecting craziness after we took a vacation once? But you weren't in anyone's heads! Our missions are just... fight the thing, get the thing. Beat the big boss and go back on the train you go!"

Way simpler than mind...shoving.

[helborn]

“Sorry, I know it’s weird...” He sighs and smiles a bit. “I guess that means it’s going to be a little easier. And I’ll have to test to see which still work, but I have a bunch of skills that might be able to help!” As an example, he reaches into a small rift that opens up and pulls out... a stuffed wolf? He hugs it to his chest with one arm.

[blitzcheer]

"Hey, no need to apologise," he says, holding up his hands slightly, a small smile on his face. "Everyone's got their own story, yeah? And that-" he says with a nod...well, towards the guy, but- "that's uh, putting something in a place you can't see but you can take it back out, right? That trick?"

A.K.A hammerspace, but like Tidus knows an actual name for the process.

[helborn]

"Yeah. We call it 'hammerspace'... like in cartoons where characters can pull a big hammer out of thin air. Mine is... really big. I think the last time I tested it I got to about four hundred pounds?"

He could probably do more, but he has to test what still works. He takes the plush and inserts it back into the rip in space. "It looks like this place took some of my things... eh, I haven't used that phone in like three and a half years anyway."

[blitzcheer]

That gets the lift of Tidus's brows, the quirk of his lips. They name it after some cartoon move? Okay, that's pretty funny. But the look dissolves into something more understanding as Casper goes on.

"Oh, yeah, that happens." He gestures out a hand. "All of stuff gets taken! 'Cept one thing. Clothes, belongings... all that. But," he goes on, an idea springing to mind, "You wanna see if anyone's on the train you already know? We have a passenger list. There'll be names and pictures of them. Good way to get you introduced to how things work here."

[helborn]

"Oh! Yeah, that'd be helpful. Though even if I recognize them, that doesn't mean they'll recognize me..."

He knows how that goes.

[blitzcheer]

Tidus shrugs a little, hands lifting as he does.

"Don't know 'til you meet them," he offers half-heartedly, not sure what else to say. But that seems like well enough, going, "C'mon" as he nods for Casper to follow himself towards the train, to the nearest opened doors leading them into the standard coach.

There's an ICP terminal right by it, and he takes out his ticket. "You'll have one too," he says with a show of it to Casper before inserting it into the slot. The screen switches from the special welcome and reminder screen to a selection of options - the first of which is the passenger roster that Tidus taps into.

He steps aside, gesturing to the screen.

"You know what to do? Just brush your finger against the screen. Have a look!"

[helborn]

He follows Tidus onto the train, stepping up to the ICP and starting to scroll through the names. And down, and down... and -

"Huh. Noctis... I know him vaguely. And... oh. Uh. Hopefully I can get started on a better foot with this Prompto... accidentally had a bad argument with his boyfriend." He pauses at the name 'Peter Parker' but doesn't say anything. Superhero identities are secret, and he respects that. There's a few more names he vaguely recognizes from media, but won't say anything. That's Rude. ... Also he vaguely remembers a Reno but he didn't really interact with the guy. And Q'uila he knows, obviously.

"I -" He stops his finger over the name 'Thanatos'. "... Oh boy. Hopefully that's just an edgy name..." He doesn't want to go back to Helheim...

[blitzcheer]

"Prompto - he's new, he doesn't know anything about other worlds." Or, in this sense, but Tidus figures it's not worth explaining. "Don't know about Noctis, I didn't see him, though..."

It's a 'though' that's quiet, trails off -- another thought Tidus decides isn't worth getting into, falling silent mostly to let Casper go through the list.

Until that last questioned name, one that gets Tidus look at him with a raised brow.

"What's wrong with the name? That mean something to you?"

[helborn]

Casper’s actually sweating slightly. “I’m... uh. So Thanatos is the Greek personification of Death Itself. Gentle death, specifically... anyway, dead things are supposed to stay dead but I... didn’t, for complicated reasons. So I just kind of hope he doesn’t take the fact I ‘cheated death’ badly.”

He didn’t cheat, but he kind of did.

[blitzcheer]

"...I don't think you need to worry about that," Tidus says, after a moment. Awkwardly, but- "That's a few people here. The train's not big on caring on who shows up here or when or...what they were. Know what I mean?"

Complicated reasons or not. Then again, 'a train brought me back to life' sure sounds both simple and complicated. ...or just weird. Probably that.

[helborn]

“Oh. That’s good. I mean, I was alive, sort of. There were ‘conditions’.” And yes, he does in fact do the airquotes. “I think there were people in Liminal like that, too. I know people also came back, though it wasn’t pleasant - is there something like that here, too?”

[blitzcheer]

"Like, coming back alive after something happens on the train?" Look, a distinction that needs to be made. Only in weird Liminal Spaces and Void Trains. Still, Tidus is rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeeeahh. That's uh, happened a few times. You see a heart by a name on there? That means they died once."

Awkward.

[helborn]

"Yeah. ... Ah." Well, he's not going to pry. "I don't plan on doing it or doing it to someone else, it's just kind of... important information to know?"

[blitzcheer]

"Oh, yeah, sure," he hurriedly replies. "I guess some other important stuff then, is uh... Your ticket has a cabin number, and it'll tell you where you're staying? And we have a medbay and some medic-people around, if you need it. After a certain point, everyone is kinda automatically sent to sleep in their rooms... it's weird but, you get used to it? You don't really notice 'til you wake."

And Tidus only realises again how weird it really is, talking about it now, waving a finger some as he speaks. Huh. You get used to these things.

[helborn]

"Medbay... might check in with them just so they know what's up with me. And... aw, come on. I'm an adult now, I can set my own bedtimes. I know I still look like a teenager but that's not my fault."

He pouts. It's adorable.

[blitzcheer]

He gives a small laugh.

"Hey, don't tell me. I don't set the bed times. And it doesn't matter how old you are! We've got people in the thousands here. We got team leads like that too -- one's an elf, if you know 'em? And one guy looks half his age. He might spot ya and say hi later. Roland Crane."

[helborn]

“An elf?!” He clears his throat, blushing slightly as he tries to hide his excitement. “Ahem. I mean... o-oh, that’s neat. ... Sorry, I know I’m living a life that’s weird and fantastical, but I... read a lot of fantasy books growing up.”

[blitzcheer]

"They a big deal where you're from?" Tidus asks, a brow quirked at the apparent enthusiasm. For elves.

"I mean, I think there's two on board... Curufin and Glor? But they're not around right now." He taps the screen of the ICP.

"Sometimes, you disappear and your name goes gold. Glor's...been like that for a while."

[helborn]

“Sorry, I’m just... uh. A nerd.” At least he can own that now. But... oh. Those names sure do sound suspiciously like - eh. Doesn’t matter. He’s never going to tell anyone anyway. And they could be different.

“So you get an indication of that? That’s... good to have. We’d have to find dungeons for our missing people.” ... “I realize how that sounds out loud to someone else, sorry. They were like... mental realms you couldn’t escape from. It also happened if you had enough of a psychological breakdown that you didn’t want to face anyone or anything.”