voidtreckermods: (voidtrain)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] voidtreckerexpress2021-09-01 05:54 am

A New Platform [Intro Post September]

On the Train

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day one of the month of Nebula. 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 doors open. As usual, those who leave first notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. A-Qing, Atem, Beauregard Lionett, Casper LeBlanc Jr, Donatello Versus, Frankie Bacon, Ichiban Kasuga, Kumoko, Lena Sabrewing, Mami Tomoe, Mono, Peter Parker, Reno, Shi Qingxuan, Tobari, Wen Ning; all pass across the platform, not looking back. And then they're gone, disappeared 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. The platform is open to a bright blue sky, speckled with a couple of clouds. It's very warm, enough that they will not want to stay in those hoodies for long. Behind them through the fogs is a set of barriers, set in a brick wall and in front of them is a single set of tracks extending both ways into that same 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 on the foggy, blistering hot platform; then the fog begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform isn't large, but it is enough to hold the 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, perhaps ten minutes or so, 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'). They will also find a bunch of posters around the train and might notice the new clock in the standard coach.

The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, the ingredient this month is a strange meat, yaddon tail.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags. There is a box labelled for purple team containing a stick of rock for each member of purple team, including those who are new. Join in your teams success!

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. In most rooms, the occupied beds are obvious, leaving the spotless, empty spaces for the newcomers. 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 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!
knifewithnoname: (yes okay)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-09-06 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
"Yes." She nodded and tilted her head. Hot summers sounded good, though humid, that wasn't great either. Still swimming was useful, she hadn't learned until getting on the train, despite Gauig being a coastal city.

"We did be having big storms in Gauig sometimes. They did be being cool as long as you could be being inside."
weifinder: (ask | from the cold)

cw: he's thinking about dogs fighting for scraps with him on the streets

[personal profile] weifinder 2021-09-06 06:29 am (UTC)(link)
"Inside's the best place to be for any storms, I've found. The ones we'd have would leave you soaked after a moment, and the river could overflow, or the creeks down from the mountains come rushing through in flash floods. Not to mention the winds...! Tearing down tree limbs and trees and roof tiles in the bad storms, what a mess for the cleaning the next morning."

None of it really bothered him, compared to the years on the streets, and it's funny on some level that storms have never bothered him; not even cold. Just the blasted dogs, and the heat of their breath at his back when their teeth tore at him, fighting for scraps.
knifewithnoname: (serious)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-09-06 04:33 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yes storms do be being messy." She sighed, thinking of the big storms and how high the waves could get.

But thinking of home always aches, a dull hurt that she can't make go away. And she's trying to think of things that don't hurt today, when half the friends she even had just walked away.

She sighed sadly.
weifinder: (smile | are dishonest men)

[personal profile] weifinder 2021-09-11 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"Life, storms, people, they all seem to share that truth."

Storms that raged, and nature that responded as nature did, breaking and bowing and reforming and people and animals swept up in the roar of it all.

He grinned, then patted at his pouch on his hoodie, fanangling around before pulling out a small package of green frog gummies, handling them over to her.

"Ever seen anything like these? I can't decide what they taste like. Think you can figure it out?"
knifewithnoname: (yes okay)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-09-12 08:20 am (UTC)(link)
That was true. Life was very messy. She tilted her head a the packet of gummies and wrinkled her nose.

"They do be making so many sweets to be looking like animals. Did you be noticing that. Bears, worms, now frogs."

Weird. Why this? It was just unnerving.
weifinder: (smile | my war is over)

[personal profile] weifinder 2021-09-12 09:47 am (UTC)(link)
"You know, now that you mention it, this does seem to be a trend..."

He taps his chin, thinking on it. "Back home we only had sugar sculptures to look like shapes, but that was the fun of them. You could get rabbits, or moons, or people-shaped ones, depending on how good the artist was. Melted sugar that firmed up again on a stick."

Similar to, but distinctly different from, a lolly.
knifewithnoname: (yes okay)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-09-12 11:38 am (UTC)(link)
"Melted sugar on sticks?" That sounded pretty cool, she wanted to taste one. "We did be having lots of honey, so you could be having nuts covered in honey, or honey cakes or baklava or..." She sighed.

"We did no be having animal shaped gummies or sugar sticks."
weifinder: (ask | weighing on your mind)

[personal profile] weifinder 2021-09-13 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
"Not even honey hardened into bee shapes?"

But he grins, humming to himself. "We might be able to try the melted sugar sticks... I can ask the others who know worlds like mine, see if they know how to make them. The art isn't a problem, I just think I'd burn the sugar."

His eyes dip down to look at his offerings of scallion pancakes. He has reason enough to believe that patience in cooking is not his strong point.
knifewithnoname: (much thinking)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-09-13 04:28 am (UTC)(link)
"Burnt sugar would be being stupid." Waste of sugar. So they best get someone who knew what they were doing.

She took another bite of pancake. "I would be liking that, to be making sugar sticks."

Even if it made her feel a bit weird, reminded her that Wei Qing was gone. Because she would have liked it too.
weifinder: (jade | i'm taking the pain)

[personal profile] weifinder 2021-09-14 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
"Then we'll figure it out. In time for next platform, or the one after that!"

He offered her a firm nod of his head, a promise to the point of what they'd be able to manage: not that anyone knows how long they remain here. But that wasn't the point.

If they al stopped planning for futures, whatever convoluted form they took, then where would they be, really?
knifewithnoname: (yes okay)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-09-14 05:10 pm (UTC)(link)
It might be too late by the next platform or the one after. But it might not be. Nothing is certain on the train. Except uncertainty. That was a constant.

"Yes, we can be eating sugar animals next platform. It do be being a deal."