voidtreckermods: (voidtrain)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] voidtreckerexpress2022-04-01 05:56 am

A New Platform [Intro Post April]


PLATFORM STOP: 16 QUICKSAND



BEFORE ARRIVAL

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day Sixteen of the month of Quicksand. Points have been updated on the system and a new shop option is now available."

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 sunny and warm. 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's quite a fancy sight, stone pillars stretching up to an arched ceiling, ivy growing up the stone. The pillars give some shade from the sun at least.

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 three 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 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. Alistair Theirin, Aziraphale, Crowley, Dennis Severs, Gen Asagiri, Hunk, Jin Ling, Kyoko Sakura, Malekith the Accursed, Mito Uzumaki, Patricia Tannis, Raven, Rich Goranski, Selenay, Soldat, T'Challa, Tobirama Senju, Wei Wuxian, Willow Amarina, Yondu 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, about 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.

a. 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.

b. 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. Everyone will find a new carriage has been added, stables and kennels over two floors, a space for the large animals that they are now able to buy in the shop.

c. 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.

d. 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. 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.

DEPARTURE


Spend your time exploring, if you will. But people will have half an hour 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.


SPRING GARDEN


Once again- for those that remember the Snow Day- the Rock Garden carriage has been transformed. This time, the theme is Spring.

Walking into the carriage is like walking outside on a beautiful spring day. The transparent windows far overhead are almost hidden by blue skies and something very much like a sun. But peering closely anyone would notice there's still the windows and the streaming kaleidoscope of voidspace streaking past. So no matter how lovely the sky, it's best not to stare too long at the clouds drifting by.

The air smells fresh; imagine the sunny day after heavy rains... though the ground isn't damp. A steady breeze blows and keeps the sunny day from becoming overly warm. But it isn't chilly either. Along with the freshness comes the scent of new grass, flowering fruit trees and various wildflowers. The transparent walls of the carriage have holographic projections suggesting a continued vista of the garden to match weather and nature of what's really there.

Signs are taped on the doors leading into the carriage, bringing up that the dressing carriage will be open with some provisions for the three-day event. In addition, the kitchen has serving size portions of 'picnic type food' for people to grab their meals and have them in the garden. Water, tea (cold and supplies for hot), and juice will be available in the Games carriage next to the Garden. It's also mentioned on the sign that Esteban will be teaching dances and games with veil poi.

[There will be accessories such as bunny costumes and chick onesies, bunny ears, flower crowns made of artificial flowers. There are even flower based bunny ears and some spring bonnets: Some sweet and simple. Others are more colourful and busy.

Food will be along the lines of potato salad, sandwiches, finger desserts and fruits and similar foods that can be easily eaten out of doors on a nice day. There will be vegetarian/vegan options too. These were also prepared separate from normal kitchen chores rotation, in a sense giving some time off.

There are on-hand supplies for painting, blankets to spread on the ground, containers to collect flower petals in and a covered table of books selected from the library. Non-fiction and fiction will be present and it's a surprising amount; probably arranged with the train so people don't have to go back and forth.]


Further setting details here. (Drop Down)
There are trees and wildflowers and freshly grown grass. Other than key landmarks which have in turn been safely move to maximize room, the staples of the garden have been transformed. The streams (with their lotuses), bridges and fountain remain-, adding the sounds of splashing, running water to the background. The rock garden is not completely 'gone' as there are a few raked sand and rock arrangements dotting the landscape. But there is now proper soil rolling in soft waves amidst a stone path leading from one door to the other. Benches have been spotted around, but the 'hills' have grass and bamboo, and four trees are dotted around the carriage and carefully grown. Over the next three days, they will go from flowering to- at least three- bearing fruit. Plums, peaches and oranges will be on display then. The last is an ornamental flowering sakura with pink petals. Those aware of the flow of harmonious energy may notice there's been care to achieve that with the setting. Though it's probably not perfect, there are definitely a few very tranquil spots.

Primroses, daffodils, tulips and other spring flowers dot the landscape along with anything else that was contributed. The fountain's base has been wrapped with hemp netting and decorated with items crafted by several in the days leading up to the event. Not one person's art is more prominent than others. Amateur or professional, everything is balanced equally.

There are other places where decorations have been placed on display, including hand-painted eggshells. Poles that have more netting strung between them line the stone path. There are makeshift surfaces around the poles, adorned with crafts that can't be easily placed in the netting and potted flowers which were put on display by the train's occupants. Many, thanks to Inigo, are flowers that come from the various worlds the Voidtrecker Express has visited. There's even a potted begonia nestled calmly amongst the array. They are protected with magic wards that will prevent damage to pot or plant.

Higgledies and Najaran's Woodfolk amble about, adding touches of spring with their magic and maintaining the condition of the ground so it doesn't suffer from the traffic the carriage sees over the three days. Some may not see either of the creatures- the former usually visible only to those with purity of heart and the latter mostly shy of anyone with human appearance. But the effects of their work are visible and sometimes there might even be a shower of petals in the air or a rustle of grass and flower to hint at where some treat might be hidden.


[OOC: A huge thanks for everyone who chipped in with ideas and small scenes. I hope everyone enjoys this prompt. I'm really sorry if I missed touching on your contribution. If you visit this post you will find a list of the ideas that can still be used for your own prompts. I couldn't squeeze it in because as you can see it got really long. Plans for summer will start in early June for a July player-event post! Well, depending on how events are playing out at the time. -Elidibus ([personal profile] wewillwewill)]



NAVIGATION ~ GAMEPLAY ~ SETTING ~ CHARACTER INITIATIVES ~ QUESTIONS
mynameisallen: (Chibi ★ Crowned Clown)

I

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2022-04-02 05:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Allen couldn't help but watch for the time being all the while the Pokemon he had out of it's ball Audino seemed to be really interested. Timcampy though was just resting on Allen's head just chillin.

Audino soon wanted to at least give it a try, but didn't seem to know what exactly to do.

"Seems like my friend wants to give it a shot."

crowneddragon: (Round_eyes)

let me know if the narrative is annoying? I'm trying something out.

[personal profile] crowneddragon 2022-04-03 02:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"Sure! There's a--" Esteban was beaming, grinning as he turned to face Allen, the cloth swirling about him-- and coming up short.

Alright, who went around and gave a cloud some legs?

He has no idea what the... critter? being? is supposed to be. It looks comfy though; like someone took a plush toy and gave it sentience. Esteban is half tempted to pat its (their?) head, but figures if he managed not to do it for Cait Sith, he won't do it for the walking cream puff. Even though it's tempting.

"Hiya!~ Nice to meetcha, new friend!" he greets instead, beaming. It's the first time he's seen Allen with any type of critter, and he's a little surprised to meet them, having no idea his friend had any. The little ball with wings also gets his attention, but he doesn't have the mind to split it between both.

He drops down to one knee to be more level with it, looking over the strange little creature. It's... short. And kinda stubby, which means that the poi won't flow nearly as well around it. It might even be too heavy for the small monster.

But! Never fear! Esteban is not about to let that fall flat!

"Wouldja like one of your own?" He asks instead, because the little Audino is definitely going to need its personalized poi. Esteban-- Esteban has a thorn up shirt he can make the rope and loop out of. They'll be missing a weight for the poi, and the veil will have to be shorter than the human-sized ones, but fabric is readily available in the arts carriage, and that he can work with.

"Think y' can help me with that?" he tosses out at Allen, ready to fetch and spin together whatever he can to get the little Audino its-- wait!

"Oh! Unless y' know someone wh' could make it smaller?" Both are an option! If Allen knows someone like that-- either a mage or something, then they'll be able to make a prettier poi than something tossed together at the last minute. Esteban doesn't know anyone like that, but it's worth a shot!
mynameisallen: (109)

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2022-04-05 06:42 am (UTC)(link)
"I can help with that." Allen soon went down to Audino's level with a smile. He figured they wanted to do something fun. Plus the idea seemed like a good one as well.

"hat sounds good, right Audino?" he asked as Audino looked over and seemed rather happy. Once he said what he needed to he moved to stand up again.

"I don't know anyone who can do that, unfortunately." Then again Allen didn't exactly know everyone on the train either. "Though how do you make one anyway?"
crowneddragon: (Sunflower)

moving them to the art carriage after gathering what they can?

[personal profile] crowneddragon 2022-04-05 10:13 am (UTC)(link)
"It's just a rope an' a weight," Esteban assured, standing up as well. The grin he shared could have brightened storm clouds as he removed the poi from his own hand, looping it over a tree branch and next to its twin, so that people could still grab them while he was away.

"I don't know what t' use as weight for--" Him? Her? It?-- "their poi, 'cause it's gotta be pretty compact but heavy, but I got some strips of purple cotton-- an' the veil's just taken from the art carriage." It's free for use, right? So Esteban has no qualms stealing a bit more of the white fabric to make a pretty veil for Audino. Actually, if they have time, he should cut it in a softer pattern for the little critter.

"Sand's always the best, 'cause it's heavy enough, but soft enough that it won't hurt badly unless you intend t' make it hurt." He's not sure where to get any though. Maybe Allen knows? "Do we have any here?"
mynameisallen: (Nerd ★ Do you like my glasses?)

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2022-04-08 09:17 am (UTC)(link)
"Ah, Audino is his name. I never actually gave them his own name beyond what he says." Much as if one were to look you might think they were in fact female. He is very much a he as far as Allen knew anyway.

Audino themselves just seemed to be looking at ALlen for a moment. Considering they can't speak he is hoping Allen is able to do so for him.

"I admit I don't actually know if we have sand. Or what we have for weight. Maybe rice if anything."
crowneddragon: (Sunshine_Grin)

We can skim over making the poi?

[personal profile] crowneddragon 2022-04-09 11:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Rice? Rice?

Esteban's eyes widen at the suggestion, surprised, but--

"Smart!" He remarks, already planning to raid a handful of rice from the stores. At worse, they could break the grains down to a rough flour to make it denser, and the weight should manage to make something decent! And the rest was just a matter of needle, some fabric-- courtesy of the arts carriage; Esteban even had some leftovers from making his own veils that should do nicely!-- and a bit of time.

The delicate stuff, he wasn't so sure of; he hadn't dared touch his own poi, having asked a friend to modify them for him, and the veils were still roughly shaped, if one looked closely. Movement disguised the ugly stitches well enough, but for Audino...

"D'you have any skill with a needle an' thread?" Worth asking Allen, at the very least. Esteban would do it himself if worse came to worse-- he wasn't good, but he could try his hand.
mynameisallen: (178)

Might be a good idea

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2022-04-12 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Allen shook his head slightly. "Very basic stuff, so it wouldn't be good." It was cost efficient, but still very, very basic and not great. Allen did a lot to try and save money.

"So if you want really bad quality I can help."
Edited 2022-04-12 17:00 (UTC)
crowneddragon: (>=3c)

[personal profile] crowneddragon 2022-04-14 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, yeah. The 'I can sort of manage because performers have to cobble things at the drop of a hat, but don't look too close' kind of skills. Yep, Esteban and Allen were similar on that front!~ It makes him snicker brightly, but they'll manage something!

Even if it's not the prettiest right from the get-go!

*~*~* [Skipping the making-of] *~*~*

It really is not the prettiest.

But it's a poi, with a white veil trimmed like a wing, short enough that Audino will not trip or become too horribly tangled in it. Esteban grins, wide and bright and proud at their tiny accomplishment, as he shows the pokemon how to spin it about. The purple and white poi also suit the small critter pretty well, fluttering about him in vivid splashes against its creamy fur. It only takes him a few minutes to show the very basics, twisting the poi about himself as he glances out to Allen's side.

"C'mon an' join us!" he invites again, bright and cheery and pointing out at the extra poi yet again. "It's fun!"
mynameisallen: (allenicon295)

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2022-04-15 12:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"It's never is about how pretty it is, it's the movements that people watch... I assume right?" He saw how performances work so he got at least the basic idea. So Allen stood back for the most part as he watched, smiling as he did. It was cute after all.

But as soon as he asked to join he was surprised.

"Ah.. I'm not sure..."
crowneddragon: (Round_eyes)

[personal profile] crowneddragon 2022-04-17 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
Not sure? Esteban glances at his friend again, eyes sparkling with mischief as he adds a bit of a dare to his teasing.

"It's not gonna bite, y'know." There's a short pause, a break in his words, before he thinks them over.

"Unless you wanna set them on fire." 'Dians and all four moons, he misses dancing with fire. He might be teasing, but it does give him a pang of nostalgia for the crackle of a flame, for the swish of heat, so close to his skin he can taste it.

Eventually. Eventually, he'll get his tools back, and then he'll spin and dance and soar, with fire and ashes drifting in the air about him, the smell of home clinging to his clothes. One day soon. And he presses that thought away, folding it aside since he can't quite reach for it just yet.
mynameisallen: (138)

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2022-04-19 01:09 pm (UTC)(link)
"As much as I am a risk taker, I think with fire is a no right now." He said going to rub the back of his head briefly. But he never was going to say never to trying that out sometime, but he knew right now his focus was more on his friend more than anything.

"Also don't want to deal with a fire is Audino tried." Because he was sure she would try.
crowneddragon: (Ayaaa)

[personal profile] crowneddragon 2022-04-19 08:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"Killjoy." Not that Esteban has what he needs anyways, and if the word was meant to be a tease, there isn't even a bite to it, as the half-elf's nose scrunches in mischief, and his grin never changes. Then again. "We'd have to be careful with her fur, for sure. Maybe get her clothes?"

Then again, Esteban's not sure what to do with clothes on top of fur. It might just make the problem worse. On people, it wasn't so bad, because the fires of sparks would go out before they reached the skin, but on a furry critter...

Maybe if her fur was a little damp it would work? It made sense at least, and she wouldn't be under as much danger.

"Damp fur. An' bein' really careful. She should be fine, if she still wanna try." And Esteban would be right next to her to sweep in, just in case. "When I get my tools though. She should try a fire-fan, actually." It would grant her extra length between her and the fire, and she wouldn't be in as much danger as, say, a rope dart or a poi.
mynameisallen: (Well ★ Guess your right)

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2022-04-24 07:24 am (UTC)(link)
He smiled slightly. Allen hadn't been sure with what to do if the curious Pokemon ever wanted to try. Sure, she is a tough cookie, but considering it's not a Pokemon's fire he didn't know if it would be any different.

There was still a lot he didn't know about his Pokemon friends.

"Being careful would have been a definite anyway," he said kneeling down to check on his friend who seemed to be having a good time.

"But we will come to it if that ever happens."
crowneddragon: (Sunflower)

Do you want to fade-to-black here? We could keep going if you'd rather.

[personal profile] crowneddragon 2022-04-24 06:36 pm (UTC)(link)
"Sounds like a plan!" A mental note, another added little gift. It wasn't much, but it would be something, and if Esteban had to build it himself, he would.

"Alright. Ready to try an' make some moves?" he asked the fluffy pokemon, grinning wide as he prepared to show off his techniques, so that Audino could pick them up. And if Allen joined them, well, all the better!