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!
acapriciousthing: (Default)

[personal profile] acapriciousthing 2021-05-07 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
"It's not all of you getting involved that troubles me." They may well be helping. They seem like nice people, she hopes they are. "But it's a bad idea for me to get involved in mortal affairs."
flatteries: (and lay beside this mess)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-07 05:50 pm (UTC)(link)
"Mortal--"

He repeats the word, obviously startled by it. Not because this is the first time he's meeting someone immortal (she has got to be, right, otherwise she wouldn't put it like that!), but because he just didn't realise.

After all, she looks totally normal to him. Hence why Inigo's jaw drops, rendering him unable to say anything else for another moment until he regains his ability to speak.

"F-Forgive me, but.. that would mean that you are, in fact, not mortal, right..?"
acapriciousthing: (Default)

[personal profile] acapriciousthing 2021-05-08 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm Death." She should maybe start leading with introductions to get that part over with. "Not of this realm, but about as far from mortal as it's possible to be."

Most of the time, anyway. And since she wasn't, she had certain responsiblities.
flatteries: (on the noose around your neck)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-09 09:45 am (UTC)(link)
...

Give him a moment.

It seems that Inigo is thinking about this really hard, at least. His stare may be a bit blank, but there's a lot going on up there in his head. The gears are turning to try and process the concept of Death being a person.

One could practically play the Jeopardy thinking music over this awkward pause here, one that lingers until Inigo can force his mouth to move again, even though his brain still isn't done thinking. This is just way too wild to come to terms with.

"You're.. Death?"
acapriciousthing: (Definitely Death)

[personal profile] acapriciousthing 2021-05-09 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
She gives him that moment. It's a lot to take in, she realizes that. And it's a little less obvious without the usual context clue of having just died.

"The one who divides life from all that comes before and all that comes after, yes." She might be trying to head off the notion of her being a god of death since it's already come up several times today.
flatteries: (not your flaws)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-09 07:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"But how are you.. a person?"

At least Inigo isn't thinking in the slightest in the god direction. After all, all gods where he comes from are dragons, and the woman standing in front of him right now doesn't very much look like a dragon. She doesn't even look like a manakete.

"I mean, I thought death was just.. a thing. A concept. You know?" He looks a little awkward - trying to balance his feelings here between not wanting to offend her, but also being too puzzled to just accept this as it's being presented to him.
acapriciousthing: (Default)

[personal profile] acapriciousthing 2021-05-10 05:53 pm (UTC)(link)
It's an entirely understandable question. Her family doesn't tend to directly impact most people. At least if certain siblings are behaving themselves. She's starting to think she should just prepare an explanatory card. "I am a concept. Just... given humanlike shape, around humans. The official term is anthropomorphic personification, for what it's worth."
flatteries: (i etched a face of a stopwatch)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-10 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Alas. Using fancy words for it may just make the concept even more confusing to Inigo.

This is one of those moments he really wishes he would still have had Laurent around. Laurent would have known what to do with the concept of death as a person. Or with those fancy big words, either or.

"Milady, you will have to.. erm, forgive me. Forgive me for the fact that it's such a difficult concept to grasp, that is.."

He scratches the back of his head.

"I truly don't mean to offend you, but of all concepts to be given a person-like form, death is a little.." His voice trails off. 'Sad', he means to say. Or something like it. But even that word doesn't seem to fully cover the feeling in his chest.
acapriciousthing: (Definitely Death)

[personal profile] acapriciousthing 2021-05-11 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
"Most people rarely have to consider us having shape." No one remembers the first conversation with her. And by the time the other one happens they aren't doubling back to explain.

"My siblings and are the concepts that are fundamental in the fabric of the universe itself. I came into being so there could be the first living thing and I'll be there at the end."

It's a lot of responsibility. It's also just how it is.
flatteries: (i just started to deserve it)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-11 11:07 am (UTC)(link)
Death being something fundamental. It's something Inigo knows is true in theory, but still something he doesn't exactly like to think about too deeply, for obvious reasons.

But he tries to not think about it too much. It's too depressing to him. Maybe he can instead focus on some other angle of all of this, even with it being as weird as it is.

"Isn't it a lot for one person? You know.. being.. death, and all. I don't think I'd know how to handle it, if it were me."
acapriciousthing: (Default)

[personal profile] acapriciousthing 2021-05-12 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm not a person, exactly. I'm everywhere at once." Except right now she feels like she's only here. Cut off from the rest.

The rest has to be out there or there'll be trouble.

As for the rest... "I've been doing this for a long time now." Billions of years but that's not the important thing. "I'm used to it. It's a pretty great job, actually. I get to meet lots of great people."
flatteries: (she said i know what you're scared of)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-13 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
Inigo isn't so sure he'd agree on it being a great job..

After all, he'd be pretty devastated if he had to meet people who died over and over and over. It was already enough to see people die all the time back home. But then again, he supposes that's why she's Death, and why he isn't.

Still, there's one burning question that rises up in her mind at what she's saying, and he can't quite resist asking it - even if it makes his hands nervously fret for a moment.

"Everywhere at once.. Only in your world? Or-- Or are you Death for all worlds out there?"

Has she seen his father? His mother? It makes a strange feeling sit in the pit of Inigo's stomach.
acapriciousthing: (Default)

[personal profile] acapriciousthing 2021-05-14 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
"Yesterday I would have told you everywhere. But today it seems there's more than one universe." It's an enormous revelation, but she does try to take things in stride. It doesn't do for Death to panic. People find it very unsettling.

The nerves aren't lost on her. There's something on his mind. There always is. "I recognize anyone who falls under my domain."
flatteries: (it's empty in the valley of your heart)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-14 08:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"But not when they are from another universe then."

It's a bit of an odd idea to him, since his god back home did know about the existence of multiple universes. But then again, maybe the concept of Death being personified and an actual god are on different levels of knowledge when it comes to that sort of thing..

".. I guess I was just curious if you had met my parents," he honestly admits.

If not just because he feels like it's probably pretty obvious where he was going with it.
acapriciousthing: (Follow you into the dark)

[personal profile] acapriciousthing 2021-05-18 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm sorry." It doesn't take a genius to figure out why he'd wonder that. "My domain is limited to one universe." Many planes of existence, but only one universe.

"I hope whoever met them cared for them as I would."
flatteries: (i was left to my own devices)

[personal profile] flatteries 2021-05-18 12:01 pm (UTC)(link)
.. whoever met them, huh.

Inigo has no idea if anyone ever met them. If there was someone like Death in his universe, an actual personification of the concept, then surely someone would know, right? Naga would have told him, he likes to think.

So while he isn't sure of that at all, he still tries to smile a little bit at her.

"Well.. Thanks, regardless. For sparing such a kind thought for them." It's the least he can say. "I hope you settle in well on this train, even if you may have been taken away from your.. erm, duties."