voidtreckermods: (sparkly train)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] voidtreckerexpress2021-05-01 07:50 am

A New Platform [Intro Post May]

On the Train

Like clockwork, the Voidtreckers are awoken by a familiar message this morning.

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day one of the month of Llama. Points have been updated on the system."

With points updated, everyone can spend the morning shopping. Most people will 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 air is sticky and warm, the windows almost immediately dewing over with the humidity outside.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Azula, Prisoner, Amery Vallet, Dyme Graydon, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Yoite, Piccolo, Bulla Brief, Xie Lian, Kurosaki Ichigo, Hua Cheng, Renee Corbin, and Ran Mouri; all pass through the platform, not looking back before they disappear through the barriers and into the fog beyond.

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 find themselves on a platform, rich wood and pale stone forming a natural, tree-like structure overhead. Behind them is a set of barriers, and in front of them is a single set of tracks extending both ways into thick fog. The air is rainforest-hot, and the sound of frogsong can be faintly heard over the drip of the artificial canopy.

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 fog begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform isn't large, and seems smaller with twenty-eight figures scattered around, all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. Then there is 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 pours a strange assortment of people, over a hundred at least. 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.

Behind them, the doors close, and the train is cloaked in the same fog that hides the world beyond the platform.

The Train

After a short time, the fog clears and 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'). The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, including several crates of nori, the ingredient of the month of Llama, as well as all sundries.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags. For each member of Purple Team, a small silver box with their name on it contains a glittery cupcake.

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, but at least they won't be alone in their confusion - since the sleeper carriages are now double-decker, and experience isn't going to avail the passengers in finding their rooms.

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.

The new double carriage's transfer ICP is active, allowing people to move to a double room should they meet the requirements with another person, though they'll have to move their belongings themselves.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers taking advantage of the fresh air, and 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!
10billionpercent: (Avoiding Emotions)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-02 09:40 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's right. Put mine on, I put yours on and then put your arm on the table here near this jar. That's the whole experiment."

Senku was already moving to remove his SCA, he couldn't imagine Inigo saying no at that point.
flatteries: (but the red on the rest of)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-03 01:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Time to scream no--

Of course he's not going to say no. There shouldn't be any harm in removing your SCA here, so he just watches as he sees Senku pull his off, before moving up his sleeve to take off his own SCA, holding it out to Senku.

"Did you already try this with someone else too?" He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Senku is definitely the type to not be satisfied with just one result. He'd probably want to try it with multiple different SCAs. "Did it feel odd in any way?"
10billionpercent: (I Sense A Plot)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-03 05:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"I did and it feels very weird." Senku said as he switched. He snapped Inigo's into place and there it was. That sense that something wasn't right.

"Fortunately it only takes a few minutes. Reproduction is the way you check a result in science." Senku explained.

"I just need you to put your arm here on the able near the bottle."
flatteries: (nobody here is perfectly fine)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-04 08:43 am (UTC)(link)
"Alright, hold on."

He needs a moment to put Senku's SCA on, after all. And while there is some faint hesitation when Senku says that it feels very weird, Inigo is hoping that it won't be too terrible. As long as it's just something he can bear for a few moments..

But then the feeling hits him, and he realises the other's description was entirely spot on. It does feel weird. Not terrible, but it's faintly unpleasant. It's an odd enough feeling to make him frown, but then he moves his arm, putting it down near the bottle.

".. Like this?"
10billionpercent: (Default)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-04 11:54 am (UTC)(link)
"Like that." Senku confirmed. He then opened the jar and placed his hand by Inigo's.

Like before, the first thing that would happen would be the beeping and red alarm would start on Inigo's wrist. The SCA on Senku's wrist began a moment later. Another beat or two and the one on Inigo's wrist would stop.

Senku found again that once the beeping was alone on his wrist, some of that discomfort was alleviated, but it still didn't feel right.
flatteries: (on the noose around your neck)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-05 10:06 pm (UTC)(link)
...

Inigo stares at it. Their two hands, the SCAs. The alarm.

It's a little weird to see the one he's wearing going off - especially since it does bring a hint of instinctive panic to him. It's nothing rational, since Inigo knows that nothing can really hurt him in this situation, but there's something about the beeping of the SCAs that just doesn't feel good.

And when the one on his wrist stops beeping, it still doesn't feel great. It's a little weird. Mostly confusing.

He stares from the devices on their arms over to Senku.

"What does that mean?"

Please explain it for the less intelligent ones among us here!
10billionpercent: (I Sense A Plot)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-06 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
"The best I can figure, which means this is my hypothesis." Senku explained.

"We know the SCAs are attuned to us, and that this is something that would set off my alarm." He closed the container again, to stop that infernal beeping.

"So what it means is that if you needed someone else's SCA in an emergency, given a few minutes it would attune to you and your needs. It still feels weird, but less weird I think. I don't know if that gets better."
flatteries: (somebody said that life isn't fair)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-06 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Thankfully that's an explanation Inigo can understand. It helps that there's no weird scientific words necessary for it. As long as something is based on logic, Inigo can still follow it.

.. usually, anyway. But in this case, he definitely can, and he slowly nods as he takes in the information while staring at the SCAs once more.

It does feel weird, he thinks, turning his wrist a little.

"If it doesn't get better, it's a little strange, right? It means that while they can attune to someone else, it's still as if they are.. connected to a specific other person. All at the same time."
Edited 2021-05-06 18:13 (UTC)
10billionpercent: (This...is exhilarating)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-07 07:47 am (UTC)(link)
"Correct." Senku said, and from him it is and sounds like a compliment. "It's attuned to both of us most likely. What that means and if it would eventually stop feeling strange and just change, I don't know yet." Senku hummed.

"But it knows enough that there's strange feelings with other people's and we can change the attunement. Fascinating results, really."
flatteries: (on the noose around your neck)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-07 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
A-A compliment from Senku? For making the right conclusion in the face of all of this?! Stop, he might just blush at this rate!

Though Inigo's brain is still too caught up in thinky thoughts for once to already get flustered over getting a semi-compliment. Mostly since he thinks it's pretty fascinating too, if not just for the implications.. Does the train know them well enough to know how to attune these things to them?

"Are you going to experiment with it more? You know, something like.. swapping it for longer." Inigo frowns a little. "Though I can't imagine that being a very pleasant experiment."

Imagine feeling all weird and off for that long, yuck. Inigo already had enough of his own bad vibes to deal with to even contemplate having to deal with that on top of it.
10billionpercent: (I Sense A Plot)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-07 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Senku let out a small sigh because he understood. That feeling would drive him nuts very slowly, he felt, and he wasn't sure how long he could put up with it. He hated being uncomfortable.

"That would be the next logical step however." He agreed. "Obviously I would want to do it on board, not during a mission, in case I can't put up with it any longer. I'll have to see who I can rope into doing that."

Gen. It would probably be Gen.
flatteries: (and call it consequence)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-07 09:19 pm (UTC)(link)
"Sheesh, that's going to be a real pain for you.." Look, he knows that Senku already came to this conclusion too. It's obvious, after all. There's no way the other hasn't thought it too, especially with that sigh he released.

But it's such a pain that it deserves to be mentioned out loud, Inigo thinks.

"Even though I know it's going to be safe since it's on the train.. Still be careful, you know? Don't push yourself too far."

Maybe that weird feeling could get annoying enough after a while that it could really drive someone nuts.
10billionpercent: (Huh?)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-08 09:59 am (UTC)(link)
"I'll try not to, but I can be real determined if I try." Senku commented with a bit of a hum.

"It's usually a good thing, really." It made him stubborn but it helped him accomplish things.
flatteries: (i've memorized that phrase by heart)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-09 09:39 am (UTC)(link)
Inigo almost questions him if it's really such a good thing if it leave Senku in an at least half-stupor for most of a mission.

But that feels too cruel, even if it's not meant in any real malicious way, more cautionary and teasing than anything else. So he keeps it to himself, the thought still vivid in the back of his mind as he speaks up with something else instead.

"Just don't forget that the people around you would worry if anything happened to you."
10billionpercent: (Sentimental)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-09 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
He was used to not sleeping too much and working himself to the bone, so he didn't worry too much about being spacey.

"Yes, I'm aware, it's been made plain to me." Senku chuckled softly. "I'll try and be careful, but no promises." He smiled at Inigo and offered a half shrug.