voidtreckermods: (voidtrain)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] voidtreckerexpress2022-03-01 05:33 am

A New Platform [Intro Post March]


PLATFORM STOP: MONTH 17
(QUICKSAND)



BEFORE ARRIVAL

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day 1 of the month of Quicksand. Points have been updated on the system."

The voice of the Voidtrecker Express welcomes passengers at the same time as always, sometime after breakfast. With points updated, everyone can spend the morning shopping. Most people will be expecting the second announcement that comes a few hours later, as the colours of the void outside the windows blur more and more.

"Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. The weather is cold and damp. 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.

ON THE PLATFORM


1. THE ARRIVAL

At first, all your character can see is steam billowing around them as they come to their senses. But as their eyes adjust, they find themselves on a platform.
It is cold, a slush of ice and rain on the ground underneath their feet. It's not currently raining though. The platform is made of black cobbles, slippy under their feet, dark stone gates serving as barriers giving the impression of a severe and grim place.

They stand in clothes not their own, in a style they might not even recognise. They're carrying a rucksack on their person, and for a moment it seems to just be them, alone on this platform. Before the fog starts to subside, and they'll see they're one of eleven figures: all facing the tracks, and all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies, the latter in one of four colours. Purple, red, blue or orange.

But then there's a roaring sound to get their attention, and out from the fog arrives a train. A sleek black, it it reads The Voidtrecker Express in gold lettering on the side. Every one of the doors hiss as they open automatically, and out pours a strange assortment of people, over a hundred at least. Some are human, some less so, with a majority wearing the same hoodie of four colours as they do, though some sport outfits in a variety of styles.

The train doors close behind them, and the vehicle is cloaked in the same fog that hides the world beyond the platform. A group of people head towards the gates of the platform, their expressions blank and unaffected by their surroundings. Ansem, Connor, Curufin, Elle Days, Freddy Fazbear, Margulis, Murderbot, Potato, Vexen, Will Stanton and Yota They disappear through the barriers, but no one else can - all people can do is wait until the train re-emerges, finishing whatever changes it's making.


2. BOARDING THE TRAIN

After a short time, perhaps ten minutes or so, the fog clears and the doors hiss open again. Everyone will feel a pull when they do, a need to board, and those from the train may encourage new arrivals to board. This feeling grows into one of apprehension and turns worse the longer they stay off-board.

For those that do board, they may find themselves in a few different carriages, but most likely the standard coach. A row of seats sit available, with a few tables between each. More likely than not, some cookies have been set out with jugs of drink, and cups available for pouring.

For those that don't, however, they're likely to attract attention if they're spotted. And if that fails... an unfortunate end will await them.


3. DEPARTURE

Do a little exploring, if you will. But people will have half an hour total from the train's arrival before a second horn sounds, encouraging any stragglers taking advantage of the fresh air to board. After five minutes from this, the doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, but they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train begins to rumble with activity, and the platform starts to disappear into a fog as the voidcraft moves. A female-coded artificial voice echoes throughout the train.

"Welcome aboard, passengers of the Voidtrecker Express. 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.


ON THE TRAIN


1. EXPLORING

With nowhere to go but through the train's carriages, this is a good time for newcomers to explore. For veterans, it's back to your everyday life aboard the Voidtrecker Express.

¤ New arrivals will notice a screen and console in every carriage sharing the same message, and a stack of leaflets in holders by them offering further information to the curious (see 'Publications'). There are lavatories available on each carriage on one end, with another console with a deposit box under it at the other. This is the train shop.

¤ It'll take some time for newbies to figure out the layout, even if there's only two directions to go in. Go one end, and you'll find the food stores and washing utilities. This month's key ingredient is pineapple, and you're sure to bump into others curious about what's in the stock.

¤ Go to the other end, and you'll find the sleeper cabins. Plaques sit on the wall by each door with the names of their occupants, and one of these will be yours - hopefully, they'll figure out that swiping their ticket against the doorpad will open it up to them. 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.

¤ At the farthest end in this direction is the luggage carriage, where passengers who have bought items from the train shop will find their purchases. There are also medical kits for every one, each labelled with their full roster name. These are scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags, but there's also a small fridge and kettle here with bottled water, for those who want a quiet drink.

For those of Purple team who go looking for their reward they will find simple boxes of cupcakes to share out. There's a cupcake for all of purple team, even the new arrivals, share in your new team's success!


2. ACTIVITIES

But of course, there's also everything in-between those two directions, and the people in them.

¤ Areas of note will be the training gym, where there's always regulars training to pass the time. There's a training board offering services, but maybe you'll find someone who catches your eye in here. Or even its gear?

¤ Is your character used to the appliances to be found in the kitchen? Depending on when your character wanders in, they may find someone testing out a recipe, preparing for lunch, or even dinner time.

¤ The library offers a quiet place, with a fair selection of books from fiction to non-fiction. Is your character interested in learning more about the void? Picking up an action or adventure book? Wow, there sure are a few magazines.

¤ There's also media to consume, from the games car, the cinema, to the arts carriage. Ever played a virtual reality game? Wanted to learn how to fly? Have you seen a screen of moving pictures? There's now documentaries to be found in the cinema's catalogues, from How To programming, Void-related topics, and sports.


3. REST AND SLEEP

¤ Time is difficult to track in the void, even with the few clocks around showing a 21 hour time. But the windows allowing a view of the kalediscope void will shift to a pitch black once the time reaches 12, and keep for the rest of the day.

¤ Breakfast, lunch, and dinner time is usually announced by whoever's cooking that day, and when. Sometimes it's decided by the team chores; other times, it's decided by who wants to be cooking.

¤ But sleep eventually comes to all, even if they don't want it to. When 21 hours have finally passed on the train, all passengers, whether they need sleep or not, will see black - only to start a new day in their cabin beds, with the sound of the train's automated voice greeting them with a 'Good morning' message.


NAVIGATION ~ GAMEPLAY ~ SETTING ~ CHARACTER INITIATIVES ~ QUESTIONS
dragoonrouge: (Q'uila Shrug)

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2022-03-06 12:14 am (UTC)(link)
"Some of us have found those we know here, but I suppose most of us are strangers to each other thanks to the multiple universes at play."

Q'uila shifts to the side slightly so that she can maintain eye contact as she continues to move through her warm-up routine, "Well I certainly wish you luck in avoiding Zenos and I shall be jealous of any length of time in which you manage to do so. Whichever thing is responsible for the cabin allocations decided to have a great deal of sadistic fun on my behalf."

"Anyroad, my name is Q'uila Sunrise, and in between missions feel free to call on me for any blacksmithing or enchantment that you might require. Or sparring."
apokroteo: (pic#15330923)

[personal profile] apokroteo 2022-03-06 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
"We do not know one another, but I do know you." The sense of her soul, at least, or the familiarity of it. It is most certainly a reminder of things long lost, and there's an edge of bitterness there, to see so many fragments and not be able to make sense of the true source.

It is something of a comfort, to realise that it is simply many Warriors, even if he loathes the idea to his core. After all that had happened... Well, he has reason to mislike the lot of them working in tandem.

"How, exactly, is it that you blacksmith on a train?"
dragoonrouge: (Q'uila Joy)

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2022-03-06 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
Q'uila nods in understanding and halts her stretching, this was something Q'uila needed to say without distraction.

"Aye, I figured that was the case. I hope you do not hold a moment of selfishness against me but I would like to give you my thanks. I do not know if I will ever be able to say as such to the Emet Selch of my world for saving me and my family, and I intend to do all I can to live up to the legacy that I have been entrusted with. Thank you, Hades."

The words, even though the Hades of her universe isn't the one in front of her, manage to loosen some of the knots in her chest that had tightened during her time on the First and all of the unanswered questions about the eternal enigma in the wake of being given Azem's crystal. Another small step closer to closure.

Q'uila wiggles her ears and her tail curls. Special Interest Conversation Unlocked! Brace yourself, Emet.

"Oh! Well it took a bit of creative thinking, but! With the right application of magic, shields, dragon fire, and a clear concept in mind as I work, I can make almost anything as long as I have the right materials!"
apokroteo: (pic#15330890)

[personal profile] apokroteo 2022-03-06 11:06 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, please, do not. I've no stomach for your gratitude." Emet-Selch wonders, absently, how much she is aware of, what her thoughts and memories are - did the Emet-Selch of her realm, the mirror of himself, remember all of what happened? Or are they only speaking of things in the past, before all his memories were returned to him?

Either way, he doesn't particularly want to think about it. It isn't necessarily that the gratitude stings - he was summoned to aid her and thus he did so, because it was something he wished to do with what little power remained, because he respected the journey the Warrior had taken and the path they walked, burdened with the echo of grief and friendship - but that he feels as though he does not deserve it.

He does not know her, after all, even if she knows him.

Perhaps there will be time for such questions later, but for now all he does is raise an eyebrow, watching.

"And you have dragon fire here, do you?"
dragoonrouge: (Q'uila Pumped Up)

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2022-03-06 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
"Very well," Q'uila's ears wiggle once more as she teases Emet Selch to lighten the mood, "Then I can promise that that shall be the last words of gratitude you shall have to suffer from me!"

As for the dragon fire... She inhales; the amber of Q'uila's eyes bleeds scarlet and the slits of her pupils narrow from something feline to something more reptilian, and as Q'uila then exhales bright blue flames flick and curl from her mouth into the space between them. When the flames die off its Q'uila is completely unharmed and her eyes have returned to their normal feline amber.

"As long as there is air in my lungs there shall be a supply of dragon fire. Property and temperature wise 'tis identical to any of the Great Wyrms!"
apokroteo: ICONS CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR ENDWALER. (Default)

[personal profile] apokroteo 2022-03-06 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
"And we are all quite thankful for that."

The rest, though, makes him step back, something altogether discomforted settling on his features as he watches her quite literally breathe fire. That is not something he had expected, nor is it something he had ever seen the Warrior of Light able to do, and thus he is, for the first time in some time, suitably shocked.

"And how, exactly, is it that you came to possess such a feat?"
dragoonrouge: (Q'uila Melancholy)

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2022-03-06 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ah," She shuffles her feet and her tail curls about her leg, "I was not brought to this place directly from Eorzea. One moment."

Q'uila's outfit flashes back to her standard purple train hoodie as she unequips her Job Stone, she then turns around and, in a move Emet Selch would probably not have expected, completely hikes the back of the hoodie all the way up to give him a clear view of her back. The various scars from all manner of things would be expected; burns, cuts, bullets, stab wounds, bites, etc. What is completely foreign is the image on her back that seems unimpeded by all of this; a shining sword that stretches the length of her spinal column with a round pommel in the form of a red, draconic eye resting just below her neck, and to top it all off, two serpentine dragons, one red, one blue, twinning and moving around the blade in constant and bizarre motion.

"A brand of sorts, though the irony might tickle you that the mark forced on me was that of the 'Sword of Justice'." There is a hint of faux levity there, like someone trying to sound distinctly unbothered by something.
apokroteo: (pic#15515504)

[personal profile] apokroteo 2022-03-07 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
If he's surprised by her sudden bare skin he doesn't show it; in his years of life he's seen more than enough bare bodies, so it doesn't embarrass him any more than it seems to embarrass her. Instead, he leans forward and examines the marking, frowning.

This was certainly not done in their own world; he cannot think of anyone nor anything that might have the ability to do such a thing, but her explanation feels nonsensical. Still - the Warrior of Light had been stolen to the Source once before. Why might she not be stolen elsewhere?

"Tickle? Hardly. My sense of humour is not quite so vile." He leans back, giving her space. "And thus you can breathe fire. Your fellows would be quite surprised."
dragoonrouge: (Q'uila Grin)

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2022-03-12 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Q'uila drops her shirt, "I feel like breathing Dragonfire would be the least surprising skill to bring back, but I have to say that at the very least all of this has given me to opportunity to see worlds I never could have imagined."

And thinking back to that does bring a big smile to her face," And until I can return to the Scions I shall continue to enjoy my travails. But what of you, Emet Selch? What would you like to do on this journey?"
apokroteo: (pic#15492345)

[personal profile] apokroteo 2022-03-13 11:57 am (UTC)(link)
"I suppose, all things considered," Emet-Selch is, at least, thoughtful about it, "it would not be the strangest thing to come to the Warrior of Light." Given all that had happened over the years, knowing what he has seen and what he had been a part of, Emet-Selch can hardly find fault in her words.

Shaking his head, he waves a hand, absently. As if he doesn't care.

"Oh, I don't know. I didn't imagine that I would have a real chance to journey again."