VoidTrecker Express Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
voidtreckermods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
voidtreckerexpress2022-02-12 07:08 am
voidtreckermods) wrote in voidtreckerexpress2022-02-12 07:08 am
No Place Like Home: On the Train
ANNOUNCEMENT
The female-coded voice of the Voidtrecker Express speaks, as smooth and calm as always.
'Please, may I have your attention. I have been compiling answers for you, and it has been noted that many believe it is wrong that you were brought here at all. This is an opinion you shared with the ministry. You were not asked on this journey. You wish to go home. Some of your worlds are in danger. Some are gone.
The need for heroes is vital, and the Voidtrecker Express must continue saving worlds. You have done countless good. However, it was not the intention of this voidcraft to keep you prisoner.
Those that wish to leave may do so. I shall send you back. You will return to where you last were before you were pulled here. It can only be to that exact place. Be ready. Exiting voidspace in ten, nine, eight...'
The countdown finishes, the only warning as the train shudders as it leaves the void. Outside the train's windows, they see a familiar sight: of a smoke filled platform.
'For those voidtreckers that wish to leave, all you need to do is walk through the barriers. The train will remain for one hour for you to partake in parting rituals.'
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: TRAIN
GOOD BYE...
Those that have been on the train more than the twelve days of this month will be very familiar with the sight before them. A smoke filled platform, polished stone cobbles lining the ground leading to two large stone arches, with glass barrier doors. All that is needed to leave is to press their ticket to the reader next to the doors, and they will open.
Unlike most people who leave each month, blank eyed and silent, the people who choose to leave will be able to say goodbye, They can take whatever they wish of their belongings from the train, or leave them for those that remain behind.
The air is chilly, enough to discourage standing idle outside for too long, but not so uncomfortable, so long as people are bundled up. The sky overhead is cloudy, giving the platform an altogether dull and melancholy air. There are no new people waiting, just an empty station, and the barriers, with all that lies beyond them.
The doors will remain open as promised, so that those who wish to leave, may do so. The barriers let them through and they disappear.
[ Note: A top-level for goodbyes and leaving can be found here. ]
Unlike most people who leave each month, blank eyed and silent, the people who choose to leave will be able to say goodbye, They can take whatever they wish of their belongings from the train, or leave them for those that remain behind.
The air is chilly, enough to discourage standing idle outside for too long, but not so uncomfortable, so long as people are bundled up. The sky overhead is cloudy, giving the platform an altogether dull and melancholy air. There are no new people waiting, just an empty station, and the barriers, with all that lies beyond them.
The doors will remain open as promised, so that those who wish to leave, may do so. The barriers let them through and they disappear.
[ Note: A top-level for goodbyes and leaving can be found here. ]
REMAINERS
The train, good to its word, remains for one hour before the horn toots, a warning to board if they are planning to. And this is where the first inkling of things not being right, when some who try to board the train might find themselves instead pressing their ticket to the barrier, and those who try to remain on the station - or leave through the barriers - may find themselves stood on the train, with the doors closing behind them.
It's a much smaller crew who remain as the train counts down, the usual shudder as the smoke vanishes and the kaleidoscope of the void appears. Only for a second, before the train lurches violently to the side, flinging everyone sideways before righting itself just as violently.
As people regain their feet and their wits, they will realise the obvious - they are stationed back on the platform, mist and smoke swirling around the train.
"Apologies Voidtreckers. Retrying entry to the void in ten, nine..."
Once again they are jerked into the void, and once again they tumble out. Hopefully this time, the passengers thought to brace themselves lest they get thrown across the carriage once more.
STUCK IN TRANSIT.
Phasing back to the void seems unlikely. It's clear something has gone very wrong, but the doors remain shut, and the train remains silent. There are a few attempts over the next few days, always warned for and given a countdown, but always ending in failure.
Outside the windows, the fog swirls around, remaining thick. It seems for now, they are going nowhere; for now, they must wait.
But they needn't sit idle, with the attempts at getting back into the void having made a mess. While anything large is bolted in place, and shelving have rails to protect anything inside at normal levels of turbulence, there's still a lot that has gone flying as the train was lurched around.
It might be wise to secure anything else as well. It's clear they will be trying again to return to the void, and it might be wise to avoid having to clean up all over again.
SHADOWS WHO ONCE WERE.
The platform outside the carriage windows is shrouded in smoke and fog, fluctuating in thickness as it swirls around the train, obscuring the view.
But those looking out of the window may spot a figure. A friend. Someone from the train; they appear, then disappear. Sometimes there are many, sometimes just one alone. Sometimes they leave together. It's not easy to see them, as they drift in and out of the fog, and visibility is bad.
They cannot hear them, or interact at all. They can only watch as more of their fellow Voidtreckers appear, vanish, appear again. The doors will not open, the train remains silent, clearly dealing with whatever problems it has ran into.
It's clear that something has gone very, very wrong.
A SWIRL OF REALITY.
The constant entering and exiting of the void takes its toll eventually. Sleep is harder to come by, there's a general sense of disorientation as the train moves in and out of void space. It is more than just their bodies that are being bashed around, it is their minds as well.
Tempers might peak or emotions might come on stronger than they usually would. Adding in the stress of the situation, and the knowledge that those who left seem to be returning, leaving, and returning again to the platform, and passengers are unable to call out or reach to them, it's a very tense few days.
When they do sleep, their dreams are plagued by weird dreams. Not always bad, but bizarre for sure. Often they dream a dream that is not theirs.
It's a much smaller crew who remain as the train counts down, the usual shudder as the smoke vanishes and the kaleidoscope of the void appears. Only for a second, before the train lurches violently to the side, flinging everyone sideways before righting itself just as violently.
As people regain their feet and their wits, they will realise the obvious - they are stationed back on the platform, mist and smoke swirling around the train.
Once again they are jerked into the void, and once again they tumble out. Hopefully this time, the passengers thought to brace themselves lest they get thrown across the carriage once more.
STUCK IN TRANSIT.
Phasing back to the void seems unlikely. It's clear something has gone very wrong, but the doors remain shut, and the train remains silent. There are a few attempts over the next few days, always warned for and given a countdown, but always ending in failure.Outside the windows, the fog swirls around, remaining thick. It seems for now, they are going nowhere; for now, they must wait.
But they needn't sit idle, with the attempts at getting back into the void having made a mess. While anything large is bolted in place, and shelving have rails to protect anything inside at normal levels of turbulence, there's still a lot that has gone flying as the train was lurched around.
It might be wise to secure anything else as well. It's clear they will be trying again to return to the void, and it might be wise to avoid having to clean up all over again.
SHADOWS WHO ONCE WERE.
The platform outside the carriage windows is shrouded in smoke and fog, fluctuating in thickness as it swirls around the train, obscuring the view.But those looking out of the window may spot a figure. A friend. Someone from the train; they appear, then disappear. Sometimes there are many, sometimes just one alone. Sometimes they leave together. It's not easy to see them, as they drift in and out of the fog, and visibility is bad.
They cannot hear them, or interact at all. They can only watch as more of their fellow Voidtreckers appear, vanish, appear again. The doors will not open, the train remains silent, clearly dealing with whatever problems it has ran into.
It's clear that something has gone very, very wrong.
A SWIRL OF REALITY.
The constant entering and exiting of the void takes its toll eventually. Sleep is harder to come by, there's a general sense of disorientation as the train moves in and out of void space. It is more than just their bodies that are being bashed around, it is their minds as well.Tempers might peak or emotions might come on stronger than they usually would. Adding in the stress of the situation, and the knowledge that those who left seem to be returning, leaving, and returning again to the platform, and passengers are unable to call out or reach to them, it's a very tense few days.
When they do sleep, their dreams are plagued by weird dreams. Not always bad, but bizarre for sure. Often they dream a dream that is not theirs.
OOC NOTES
OOC post. Ask questions here.
This is the first half of February's event. It will last between Poi 22-25 (12th to 19th February). The second half of the event will go up during 20th to 25th February (Poi 26-28) where those left behind will rescue those out world hopping.
Feel free to play out threads for as long as you like, of course! A few details:
This is the first half of February's event. It will last between Poi 22-25 (12th to 19th February). The second half of the event will go up during 20th to 25th February (Poi 26-28) where those left behind will rescue those out world hopping.
Feel free to play out threads for as long as you like, of course! A few details:
- The train will not be responding after its first attempt to leave the station
- No matter what, the doors won't open.
- Though they can see the voidtreckers outside, those outside don't seem to be able to see them through the windows and so communication between the two groups will not be possible.
- Likewise their SCA comms are not working during this event.
no subject
"From the train?" Wow, he can make a list there. His brows lower quizzically, but, thinking about it... "A sunny view, fresh air, a beach; seeing the stuff you buy before you order it, wider everything."
He makes a motion of the narrow design of the carriages being brought out more box-like, offering more space. Yes, please.
no subject
He's only ever seen the one side of the train after all, and the entire concept of travelling in a long noodle, though quirky at first, had definitely grown less interesting as the days passed by. Esteban has a tendency not to even use the TransGates because the movement helps him feel a little less trapped, even if he has to walk up and down the same hallways twenty times in the same day.
"Why a beach?" That one's a bit more quirky. The rest he gets it, but the beach in particular makes the half-elf curious. Esteban would love for a giant tree to be set in the train (another logistical nightmare he wouldn't outright ask for), but that's because trees are so important to his culture. He wonders if Tidus has the same problem as he does.
no subject
So without more than a beat, Tidus explains: "I play a water game professionally, blitzball! I grew up over the sea too. So a beach? That's the best spot to go - hang out and relax. Anything!"
Anything you want to do on a beach, with some waves and all.
"S'better than being stuck on a train all day."
Being stuck on a beach? He'd deal with that.
You have No Idea how long I've been trying to get this detail canonically
That's so cool! The redhead is delighted to hear that detail, tucking it away into the corners of his mind, shifting his understanding of the person before him.
Sunshine had seemed all well and good, but it had been so shallow, so simple, and he'd been missing more; missing details. Now; now Esteban has something more concrete, something more personal, and the glint of sunlight gets captured in a bottle, with sand grains so fine and soft they whisper when shifted, and blue waves that sigh as they feather against the shores.
Tidus.
A more sunny grin he could not find, beaming, relieved to hear about the blond directly for once, rather than the missions, or the items they'd been seeking, this sort of friendly-but-strangers distance Esteban had not particularly cared for. Greedy, he knows, but it's a part of him, and the half-elf has long since learned to roll with it, to embrace this side of him so eager to get to know other people.
"How d'you play it? What're the rules? H'w many players d'you need? We're y' th' one wh' request'd th' pool? Wait-- was it a pool that was requested, 'r a pond? D'you want me t' help y' with th' votes?"
If Esteban's speech pattern is a bit of a mess on a good day it is nothing compared to his overeager torrent of words now; hardly pausing for breath as he utters all the questions that rush at him at once. Better hope Tidus caught even a third of that.
Finally, we are here
"Hey, hey, hey, hey." There's a laugh as Tidus belatedly repeats the word, for a frenzy already at an end. Hands up in an amicable gesture. "One thing at a time, okay? I'll tell you about blitzball - but after everyone's gone. I've got some footage of games back in me and Inigo's room; I'll show you!"
Which he's happy to do, pleased to; it's something to look forward to, a familiarity of a life he can't really enjoy here on the train, or off of it. A grin keeping on his lips, amusement more than it should be, all things considered.
"I can even show you some moves out of water - not as cool as the real thing, but I have a ball!"
And no shame to stop him from showing off.
*finally gets back to this after a week and then some,* orz
"Break it down for me? How d'es it play?" He asks eagerly instead, leaning a bit precariously over his own seat until the angle pinches at his foot and he can feel it fall asleep underneath him. He grimaces a bit when he switches it out, still sitting just as crookedly before a new question gets more of his attention.
"Actually; better one. What d'you love the most 'bout it?" That's making Esteban really curious now, and he wants to know, because everything he can gather about his friends are little bits of treasures to him, kept more preciously than gold or diamonds into his hoard.
no subject
"--I love the thrill of it!" But, the answer's a fairly easy one to come to. "Going up against another team, putting your all in it? It's about skill and teamwork, and being able to read the field!"
He needs so little, and in floods the passion that starts to light Tidus up. A glow about him in his movement, his certainty, the hand he moves in a circular motion along with the flow of his talking.
"You have to be quick in blitzball, and know how everyone's going to move. At least be able to guess it; if you've got the ball, then you know they're coming for you! You can't float around stressin' and overthinking everything."
A grin's wormed itself on his face, bold and confident.
"But when I have the ball? It's time to shoot for the goal!"
no subject
Oh, but that does explain a lot! The way Tidus was this sort of anchor point for everyone when they went on mission; how he constantly kept other people updated with new information and made sure they were well equipped. There was confidence in him, yes, but it had also taught him to watch out for the others in his team as well. Altruistic, but with the training to back it up into proper structure; something Esteban himself lacked. He could learn a few things from him, now that he wasn't wandering alone anymore.
"That sounds like lots of fun!~" 'Dians, here they are, staying still in order to provide people they care about with proper goodbyes, but, darn it, they really aren't helping their case, are they? Esteban wants to move so badly he's jittery, and he unhooks his poi from his belt to toy around with the straps, tangling them around his fingers and then off again.
"Okay; now break it down for me?" He snickers at his own tangent thoughts, constantly tugged between twenty questions that he wants to ask. "How d'es a game play out?"
no subject
"Okaaay, okay." But he'll still make it sound like he's being put upon by Esteban's insistence. Just, nevermind the smile on his face. "Quick version is, you have two teams and one ball! Your team has to get the ball and put it in the goal on the other team's side. Everyone's moving around in the middle trying to get the ball-" and he waves both his hands to mimic the fluster and movement of the players. "-and there's always someone at the goal to protect it, or people in the middle who're gonna try and stop a shot! And don't forget the important part that this is all underwater!"
Because everyone makes a big deal about the water part, so, you know. Emphasis on the underwater.
"You have different ways you can set up your team, who's gonna stick on which side of the field, who's the one you want shooting the ball, but that's for me to show later. But maybe you've heard of a ball game like that! I know the train's got some like it in the sports gym."
no subject
"Under--" Surprise catches his breath from his lungs, and the sheer look manages to convey more shock than Esteban can truly say, this sort of baffled what-the-hell glance that widens his eyes. He has to make sure he understood that correctly.
"All of it? Underwater?" He pauses for the confirmation, blue eyes searching for a trace of a joke in Tidus' smile, or the tilt of his head. But it seems... honest?
Processing. Wrapping his head around this. And of course, the first questions that pops out.
"Do you have gills?" No wait-- "How many lungs d' you have?!?"
A perfectly legitimate question. C'mon Tidus, cut him some slack, this is Clearly Not Normal for him.
no subject
"Eight." A pause. "Eighteen."
Look at this face, a dead stare that's both amused and asking, really?, even if Tidus is used to this by now. But then he scoffs, eyes rolling as he waves a hand in Esteban's direction.
"How many does it look like I have?" Better yet: "How's it surprising to you anyway? You grow wings! And a tail! But I've gotta be hiding twenty gills to be good at holding my breath? It's called practice!"
He's not really offended or affronted, but it always comes back to this. Sure, some waters are harder to hold your breath in than others... but it shouldn't be that hard to imagine!
This is now my favourite conversation between them XD
"Yeah, but fire lungs' 's the one thing I didn't inherit; I used t' eat super spicy foods as a hookling tryin' to get them t' grow." He'd been really disappointed when they just didn't. But, well, people are ingenious, and he found out that anyone could do it, really, with a bit of practice.
"I might've gotten jealous 'f you really had extra lungs," he chuckles, at least free to admit that much. But, practice, hun. People truly are incredibly ingenious. "How long c'n you stay underwater? Without gettin' a new breath?"
lungs talk itt
"Depends. Staying idle? Fighting? What's the water like, is there more pressure?" These things all, surprisingly, mattered. And yes, there are different types of water! "In a blitz pool, where we play the games? Those're made to help you hold your breath easy - you can be in them for a few hours if you wanted. Out in a sea? That's different. But maybe around... an hour, half an hour? Half or less if I'm fighting."
He then shrugs, admitting: "Probably less though, these days. I don't get to practice much! I sit around and hold my breath, but it's not the same as the real training."
no subject
Also, seriously, an hour? Out at Sea? It boggles the mind.
"That's insane!" But he is impressed, watching Tidus with wide, startled eyes, before he goes on. "An' you c'n fight underwater? Isn't that really hard, 'cause of the--" oh, what's the term-- "water's resistance?"
The only creatures he's ever seen fighting in water were the dragons who had taught him how to swim. They'd been water-creatures to begin with, and their teeth had been their main weapons. The drag of a weapon through the water didn't seem useful in a fight against enemies.