A new platform [intro post September]

[voidtreckermods]

For those on the train

“Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Bassoon.” The train announces the morning the month changes. It seems the train counts months in days of thirty. Team Points have been updated on the system.

The day continues as most days do, chores, eating, getting ready for another day. But those who suspect that a change of month may bring something else are correct. It is only an hour or two later that there is another announcement.

“Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void imminent.”

By now they should know to hold on as the train jerks and jolts. There is only fog outside the windows but the train soon comes to a stop. The doors hiss open.

As they exit into the fog they may notice Evie exiting from the luggage carriage door. Much like Hibiki the last time they were on a platform. She leaves the train, backpack on her back as she walks through the station. She heads no call, reacts to no words and cannot be stopped as she walks to the ticket barrier and disappears through it.

Strange. But even stranger still is that there on the platform that whole time is Evie. Dressed in purple, backpack on back, with her are others. Waiting for the train.

For new arrivals

At first all they can see if steam. Billowing around them as they come to their senses. They are standing, in clothes that are not their own, styles they might not even recognise. They are carrying a rucksack on your back. For a moment it seems to just be them, alone in the white haze but then the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not very large, but it hold twelve figures all facing the tracks, all wearing similar clothing. The tracks stretch left and right into steam, or perhaps fog. Nothing can be seen to either side. There is a wall around the platform and the only entrance is a ticket barrier. It cannot be open, nor do there seem to be any staff.

What there is, is a train. Jet black and gleaming where it stands on the rails.Voidtrecker Express is emblazoned in the engine in gold. There is a hiss as the doors slide open.

Out step a selection of people, some less human than others, wearing clothes just like those worn by those on the platform.

The Train

The doors hiss open. Those from the train may encourage those on the platform to board. It’s not like there is 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 not be a good thing.

Once on board there is lots to explore. Passengers both old and new will hopefully be delighted to see the boredom of this train journey is somewhat alleviated by the introduction of a game carriage. Plenty of games, both familiar and new to play with your new travelling companions.
Each ICP shows the same message. If Red team go and look they will find a box in the luggage compartment that contains their prize. A dralite themed cake lolly each. There are enough for the new members of Red team too, share in your teams previous success!

The food stores have been topped up with new fresh food. Salmon has taken over as the primary ingredient of choice. Hopefully everyone likes fish!

New passengers will find their tickets allow them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, especially if they want a top bunk!

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 and you will hopefully find a pillow for your bed if it has not been nabbed by a roommate, there are also spare blankets for if it gets cold.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers and the doors slide shut. For those who boarded two weeks ago they will know what is coming next.

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view 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."

Hopefully someone warns you that you really want to heed that warning because a moment later there is 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. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever changing colours.

Welcome to voidspace.

Comments

[hashtagparkerluck]

{ A. There she goes! Down the track! }

Peter really hadn't intended on leaving the train this time, he'd intended on sleeping through it all but Gwen was up and out the door so fast he was a little confused. What happened?

"Gwen?" He hops out of bed in his normal Spider like crouch and then dashes out the door. No shoes, no socks, and still in his pajamas. He shouts out quick apology as he makes his way through the train and leaps over people, careful not to hit his head this time as he dashes out the door and-YIKES! There's Mr Stark.

Doesn't seem like he's been spotted yet. Peter glances down at his NASA shirt and the distinct lack of that sign Tony had made. Maybe he won't notice? He quickly turns away to hide the fact he completely forgot to wear the sign. Now, where'd Gwen go?


{ B. Spider-Shaming... }

Peter's back on the train again, wondering through the train muttering under his breath, now dressed in normal clothes with a purple hoodie and a sign he's wearing draped around his neck.

"Stupid sign, it's not like I'm gonna sleep in this." He grumbles to himself. He hears the call for entry to the void space and moves to lean against the train wall and casually sticks to it.

"Uh hey, you might wanna uh... sit down or hold on or something." He offers to someone he doesn't really recognize.

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony had plenty of things to do and handle today- too much to deal long with his intern's antics. However, when he passes by him on the way to the kitchen to start dinner, he very casually says, "Additional two days."

With a smile playing on his lips, he tires to simply keep going. However, it won't be hard to get his mentor to stop if he tries.

[hashtagparkerluck]

Peter, who has since remembered to put the sign back on, stops in his tracks as Mr Stark's register and he spins around to face him.

"What? When did you see me?" He asks, his voice squeaking just slightly. He was sure that Tony hadn't seen him without the sign out on the platform, he'd turned away from him before he saw and everything!

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony stops and looks back at Peter humored. He'd noticed as the kid went dashing out of the train, but he doesn't say that. That would be far too easy. So he feigns ignorance.

"Oh, I don't know. Why? Were you without your sign?" He asks, an overly innocent look on his face.

[hashtagparkerluck]

Welp, if Tony hadn't seen him before, Peter just kind of game himself away with that question. One day, he's going not immediately give it away when he's done something he wasn't supposed to.

Oh, who is he kidding? That's always going to happen because Parkerluck just loves to screw him over.

"...I mean, I didn't sleep in it then Gwen just kind of shot off like a rocket so I followed and-her friend Miles is here now, btw-and I might have forgotten it but only 'cause I was still in pajamas but I have it now?"

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony laughs and comes back. He pulls him into a quick hug and ruffles his hair. "You're so fun to mess with, kid. Maybe we'll just call that one a warning, hm?" There would undoubtable be more chances for Tony to keep Peter in that ridiculous sign.

"Come on, I'm heading to the kitchen to start food prep. You feel like keeping me company and telling me what you think of the new people you've met?"

spider shaming because... why not

[stealsyourheart]

"Um." Says the teenager staring at the sign.

"Are you aware you're..." GESTURING "... wearing... you know..."

[hashtagparkerluck]

Peter sighs and looks down at the sign written in Mr Stark's hand writing. He'll be so glad when the next two days are up and he can rip this sign to shreds.

"Y-yeah... I kinda uh..." Well, got drunk at a party and puked. He will never be repeating the experience. "Well, anyways, I'm guess you're new here? If you need anything, just ask. I'm Peter Parker."

[stealsyourheart]

"Kaito Kuroba." He offers automatically. "Nice to meet you too - and yeah, I am. You can't... like. Just not wear it when he's not watching?

[hashtagparkerluck]

"...If I thought for one second I could actually get away with that and the multiverse wouldn't just screw me over and make him appear out of nowhere to catch me not wearing it, I would. But I really don't have a great track record with things I'm not supposed to do working out in my favor." Peter says casually with a slight shrug.

"Like, the whole reason I'm wearing the sign-I thought I could hide it from Mr Stark that I tried the ale without asking and then drank of bunch of alcoholic apple cider without realizing and threw up all over the floor next to him. You can probably guess how well that plan went."

B-ish

[faithfulson]

Luke already had his fun head over heels tumble in front of Gwen, and his pride was still trying to recover a bit, even after the odd conversation that followed. Still, his pride could never be as badly damaged as the kid that was walking around with a... rather humiliating sign around his neck.

He really wasn't trying to smile. He really, really wasn't. His mouth was just betraying him, that's all.

"Are you okay now?" he asked before he could stop himself.

[hashtagparkerluck]

It would be on a day they get new passengers that he has to wear the stupid shaming sign. He's about to just roll his eyes in true teenage fashion because haha, so funny. Does he look like he's still drunk?

But he stops, eyes widening sharply as he just stares. Why does this guy look so much like Mark Hamill? But Mark Hamill from back in the seventies. Like Lost Hope age. Oh my god. Is this actually Luke Skywalker? That can't be right? That's crazy.

"Whoa." Is all he can say. "I uh-yeah-hi. um. n-nice to-are you-uh.. hey." How did you ask someone if they were a Jedi Knight from the best movie of all time?

[faithfulson]

Luke paused at that, raising an eyebrow. What was with all these strange reactions people were having toward him.

"Uh... are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

[hashtagparkerluck]

"Yeah. Awesome. Totally. Awesome." He offers a half smile, a feeling a little breathless because god, it's Luke Skywalker. Or at the very least Mark Hamill and it's super cool either way.

"S-so uh.. welcome to the void-Are you Luke Skywalker?"

Spider Shaming

[internetsexsymbol]

Entering voidspace? Maybe he made a mistake boarding the train. Reigen doesn't like how foreboding the announcement feels, so when a kid suggests he sit down, he's going to move to do so.

"Noted. Thanks for the advice, uh...'Dumbass who got drunk and baaaAAAAA--'" Before Reigen could finish reading the sign, the takeoff jolt slams him into the nearest seat by force. He needs a moment to recover from inertia and pain before he turns back to Peter.

"N-no kidding...anyway, starting over. What's with the nametag? Did you lose a bet or something, kid?"

[hashtagparkerluck]

Ugh. Peter rolls his eyes and looks at his sign. He's never drinking again no matter how bored or curious he gets. It's not worth it and also, he doesn't really want his head in a blender. No thanks.

"Uh.. no. I'm uh-not old enough to drink but I did it anyway, and I got caught in like the worst possible way. It sucked and I'm never doing it again."

Pause.

"...You okay? That jolt really caught me off guard the first time."

[internetsexsymbol]

Oh. Yikes. Now that Reigen can fully read the sign, he gets the picture, and he can sympathize with the kid, honestly. His own alcohol tolerance is practically non-existent, and last time he'd gotten drunk...well, calling it miserable was an understatement. He doesn't want to think about that.

"Well, at least you're planning to do better. You learn the hard way sometimes...drinking is overrated, anyway."

He rolls his shoulders back to stretch out where he'd collided with the seat, and gives a small laugh.

"Yeah, I'm fine! I've had way worse! You can't become the Greatest Psychic of the 21st Century without risking some broken bones." After several other quick hand movements (is he stretching or just being dramatic?), Reigen holds out his hand in greeting.

"Arataka Reigen, at your service."

[hashtagparkerluck]

"Yeah, I didn't think I could get drunk? I was way off on that one." He admits with a shake of his head before freezing. Was this guy actually psychic or was he one of those frauds that like made money on people needing closure after losing someone important? Because those guys are awful and he'll have none of it.

"Psychic?" He's raises an eyebrow, still not sure what to think other than he's just not here that hand thing is completely necessary. "Uh, no offense meant or anything but most the people that claim to be psychic actually aren't, and are just trying to make a quick buck off grieving SOs and stuff-oh, uh. I'm Peter. Peter Parker."

Spider-Shaming

[dredefulchilde]

Joss entirely ignores the suggestion in favor of smirking mockingly at the helpful teenager.

"Why are you wearing that stupid thing?"

[hashtagparkerluck]

Exactly how many people have seen him in this stupid thing so far? He resists the urge to sigh deeply and adopts him more good natured tone.

"I uh... did something I wasn't supposed to and now I gotta advertise it to make sure I don't do it again."

[dredefulchilde]

"You got drunk and vomited. You're hardly the first to do it." Joss points out reasonably. A little too reasonably for a ten year old, maybe. "So why are you wearing a sign like a dog that's just shat in its owner's favorite shoes?" The boy waves vaguely. "You know, like the pictures online. Is this some perverse punishment play? I hardly consent to be a part of it."

[hashtagparkerluck]

"Yeah, but I'm not twenty-one and I didn't ask if I could-WHOA. NO!" Peter's statement derails mid sentence.

"Absolutely not. Gross. Mr Stark just said I had to wear it. And don't worry about it, I've been in way more humiliating situations than this. I can handle a little embarrassment."

B. Coming in late on this, hope this is okay

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin boards the train and the people he was talking to all scatter to look for their sleeping berths or to explore. Curufin does the same. When he hears the warning that they are about to enter Voidspace, he starts for a seat but then sees a young man. . . sticking to the wall?

He nods to the friendly admonition and replies, "I'll hold on if I can find a handhold." But he can't help but smile at the sign around Peter's neck. "How'd you get that?" he asks. "Did somebody prank you?"

[hashtagparkerluck]

Don't worry about that, it happens. He seems to just be leaning against it with his arms crossed but if anyone were to try and move him he definitely wouldn't budge.

"Not exactly." He answers, glancing down at the sign. Was part of Mr Stark's dastardly plan to have all these people ask about the sign so he'd have to tell the story over and over again. "I uh... got into the ale and I'm not old enough to drink." He admits, looking away like he's ashamed.

Also though, where's something this guy could hang onto? "Maybe... try sitting one of the benches?"

[so_dark_a_road]

What an interesting ability to have!

"You're too young to drink? How old are you? You look like an adult." He wouldn't be judgmental about underage drinking in any case, though. Elves start drinking young, at family dinners and celebrations.

"Oh, right, I should sit down. Good idea." Curufin slides into one of the seats and holds on. The train bursts into Voidspace. Curufin gives a delighted whoop.