voidtreckermods: (train)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2022-02-12 07:08 am

No Place Like Home: Outside


NO PLACE LIKE HOME: OUTSIDE


HOME SWEET HOME
You find yourself not on a wide station platform, in the clothes you last remember, holding what you were when you went through the glas door. There's no longer a train behind you, no sound of its whistle, with no other passengers around you in similar style of clothing to your own.

You're somewhere familiar, or just - the last place you remember being before your life became tethered to the Voidtrecker Express. A field, a city, a kingdom, or perhaps even a space station. You should be nowhere, yet you find yourself somewhere, despite all odds.

People - if there are people - don't at first notice you; but attract enough attention to yourself, and that will all change. Friends, family - are they near, a phonecall away? It's either everything you wanted or everything you imagined (for good or worse), and it could seem unbelievably real. But it is real - you're off the train, back somewhere you know.

Finally - the journey is over...



...If only.

You're moving away from where you arrived, for whatever reason. Who wouldn't? You may be far from home, have business elsewhere, or want to go sightseeing. It's time to return to - and live - your life, and that doesn't include sticking to one place.

But you'll find that when you reach a point, the world becomes...foggy. A fog that you hadn't seen in the distance before it appears, and when you walk through it, you'll find yourself in a place some have already found themselves in.

Because for some passengers, there was nowhere for them to return, and so the barriers lead only to fog, and then straight back onto the platform. The Voidtrecker Express may be stationed, or there may be a blanket of fog where it should be; sometimes, it can be caught trying to leave the station, only to come back a few minutes later. The doors are shut tight, and the windows are obscured, showing nothing inside.

Those who came from somewhere can go back, should they go through the turnstiles again. And if they want, they can take people along with them, too...



But sometimes, they go to a world no one knows. They go through the barriers into nothing, a black emptiness. Not space, for those that know space, and it doesn't seem to be the void either. But it is a void, devoid of anything at all. Just a darkness so complete they will not be able to see anything at all, they will only know their companion is there through touch and sound. How they are breathing, how they are living at all, is a mystery; one probably answered only by the SCA on their wrist.

Being there brings an unease deep down inside them. This place is not natural, not somewhere that they should exist in. Not a place that should exist at all. Luckily they are never there for more than a few moments before they return once more to the station, fog covering them like a safety blanket.




A DIFFERENT CORNER: LOCATIONS

In the first couple of days (whatever that means, when time doesn't match up between most places), the only way to move to another's tethered location is by them leading another there. But after that, individuals will show up in other locations when they reach close to the distance limit. Indeed as time goes on everything gets a lot less stable. They may know their five miles perfectly but still one step to another leads them back to the platform. Attempting to return to their world leads them somewhere else entirely.

And there's quite a few places to end up.


SETTLEMENTS
COMMUNITIES
CITIES & KINGDOMS


OOC NOTES
OOC post. Ask questions here.

LOCATION TOPLEVELS: Since it'll be easier for players to engage with settings presented by those offering them, when we see a toplevel for one of the above locations put up, we'll add it to the list! We've also included the OOC comments for settings to the side, so any questions can be left with the player, as well as extra details. Please always speak with the player first if you intend to do anything drastic to the setting!

A REMINDER: Time of log is Poi 22-25, but time within worlds can last up to a maximum of two weeks. Minimum is whatever you want it to be.

During Poi 22 and 23, characters will need to be led to a location to be able to access it. From Poi 24, people will show up in locations regardless of invitation.

The second half of the event will go up during 20th to 25th February (Poi 26-28). But as always, play around in here and do as you like!

If your character's setting isn't above, link us to it in the Questions post, along with your toplevel! We'll add it.
foxyou: (Cool. As. Ice.)

Shen Qingqiu (AU)

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-02-14 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
Platform

[Shen Qingqiu steps without hesitation into the fog, and finds himself standing alone in a small cave. Which is fine! They'd been told they would be sent back to the exact spot from which they'd been taken, so it's not as if he hadn't expected to find himself back here.

It's just....he'd kind of hoped he'd find a familiar face in the area too, despite how long he'd been gone. But the cave was empty, and when he walked out, there was no one among the trees outside, either. Attempting to spread out his senses to locate any nearby lifeforms yielded a few possibilities, but following those leads led him first to the local monsters (which he ran from) and eventually into an uncomfortably familiar fog.

So here he is, standing back on the platform again, looking a conflicted mix between angry and broken-hearted.]


Shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. [This is muttered mostly to himself.]

Wildcard

[Jiu's mostly going to spend his time either moping around on the platform or wandering into other people's worlds for lack of anything better to do, but he does make one or two more forays back into the Abyss, and while nobody's actually invited, you're definitely free to follow him...or just show up by accident. He'll try to make sure you survive, I promise.]
flatteries: (nobody here is perfectly fine)

platform

[personal profile] flatteries 2022-02-14 10:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, this seems typical, doesn't it.

[ Look, at least he isn't all alone on the platform? That's at least something. And that's exactly the thought Inigo has in this very moment too when he sees someone else appearing on the platform, because he sure already exhausted all his options for what he can do here by himself.

Which is why he shakes his head, not lingering on his statement just now, because he wants to do something productive here, if they're stuck in this crappy situation anyway. He might not know the other, but.. ]


Please tell me you have some sort of power that might help pry open the doors of the train.

[ .. oddly enough, the train isn't standing there right now though, so it might let one wonder what Inigo is even going on about.. ]
Edited 2022-02-14 22:55 (UTC)
foxyou: (what.)

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-02-17 02:17 am (UTC)(link)
[Maybe! Maybe he'd rather be alone!!

But no, he's gotten pretty used to being surrounded by people all the time at this point, so there's no real reaction at all to his uninvited company, besides a dissatisfied snort.

He does, however, cast a glance at Inigo that looks kind of like it's questioning his sanity.]


The doors of which train, exactly?
flatteries: (for breakfast in the heartbreak hotel)

[personal profile] flatteries 2022-02-17 10:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Huh? You know, the--

[ Inigo glances over in the direction of the train.. or where the train ought to be, anyway. Because when he looks over, he too is only greeted by an empty rest of the platform with some fog lingering at the end of it.

The guy lets out a frustrated sound, like fate itself is playing a prank on him right now. ]


It tried to leave again, didn't it? It keeps doing this. [ Inigo might have stood there and stared at the train for just.. too long already by now.. ] It keeps trying to go off into the void, and then it just appears here again a few moments later. Over and over.
foxyou: (no hugs thanks)

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-02-21 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
[Jiu snorts at that, folding his arms across his chest as he looks off at the (still-empty) end of the platform.]

It was foolish of us to put any faith in this endeavor to begin with - not only are none of us able to go home as we were promised, but the train is trapped as well.

[He is basically calling the train a useless failure of a possibly-sentient thing, yes.]
flatteries: (everyone's scared someone knows)

[personal profile] flatteries 2022-02-21 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Hey, Jiu?

Inigo is so not going to disagree with you on that one. If his exasperated facial expression - sticking around from a moment ago - isn't enough of a clue to that fact, then it's the way he sighs. It's like his soul is leaving his body, it's that deep of a sigh. ]


I'll do you one better. [ How? Well-- ] I didn't even intend to leave.

[ So Inigo didn't even put any faith in it! It just.. happened! ]

I was on the train one moment, and then I suddenly wasn't anymore. I wasn't even remotely close to trying to leave, and it kicked me off anyway.

[ Dude. Dude!! Why is the train like this? ]
foxyou: (ugh this is dumb)

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-02-24 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
[Have you heard the old saying that a sigh is your happiness escaping your body? Yeah he hasn't heard of it either.]

Isn't that how the train always is? Shoving us off when it feels like it, forcing us to go where it decides? [Was Jiu ever capable of faith to begin with? A valid question.

Regardless, he joins in on the sighing, gazing off in the direction the train supposedly went with a look like he's contemplating walking that direction himself.]


The bigger issue here is whether any of us will ever get to leave this station, if even the train is trapped...
flatteries: (but it never changes anything)

[personal profile] flatteries 2022-02-25 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
It's still better than the train straight up leaving us behind here.

[ Because.. well, what would they do then? They wouldn't have any way to contact the Ministry and tell them about this, so maybe they can fix it. They wouldn't be able to go anywhere. Just being stuck here on this dumb, dumb platform.

It sounds like a miserable existence, and Inigo is so not here for it. ]


.. we should try to draw its attention when it reappears. [ Because it will. It has to. Inigo will at least have faith in that, since it's not the first time it left and then reappeared. ] Do you have any good ways of doing that?

[ Inigo knows better than to just assume what kind of powers someone might have by someone's appearance, after all. For all he knows, Jiu can fire huge laser beams or something. ]
foxyou: (seriously though go away)

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-03-01 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
...Draw the train's attention. By what, jumping in front of it? Setting the station on fire?

[He may be a powerful cultivator, but being great at one-on-one martial arts battles is not quite the same as being a walking light show.

(He's also just an incredibly pessimistic guy.)

Jiu folds his arms, frowning at Inigo.]
Do you have any ideas? I don't suppose you have anything on you we could use?
flatteries: (you won't be going thirsty)

[personal profile] flatteries 2022-03-02 06:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ Oh, don't worry, Jiu. Inigo pauses for a moment, but then a ring on his finger glows. With that same glowing light, two swords appear, one in each of his hands. There's a different kind of glow hopping from Inigo's chest inside of one of the swords, making it glow up with the radiance of the sun.

He moves the sword in his other hand a little, causing it to suddenly get covered up with a bunch of rocks that seem to appear out of nowhere, changing it more into a club-like weapon than necessarily a sword. ]


I have multiple options.

[ As one can see. ]

It depends on whether you'd prefer a more or less violent route here.

[ Inigo himself sounds remarkably neutral on those options. He isn't too fond of the train in the first place, and even less now it's kicked him off involuntarily, and thrown all of them into this dangerous situation. ]
foxyou: (right.)

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-03-05 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[...I mean, sure, he's got a sword of his own, and he could do fireballs and all that. But—well.

He places a hand against his hip, raising an eyebrow.]


If you plan to stop the thing with violence, do you have a second plan for the possibility that it gets damaged too much to leave? If you do, I'm certainly happy to assist with the violent route.
flatteries: (everyone's scared someone knows)

[personal profile] flatteries 2022-03-07 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Inigo huffs. ]

People way stronger than me have fired off stuff at it in the past. [ Granted, that was from the inside, not from the outside.. But Inigo would find it very strange if somehow the train's insides were better protected than the outside. It'd make no sense. ]

I'm pretty sure we couldn't fully damage it if we tried.

[ He pauses - and then glances over at Jiu. ]

Unless you're saying you're one of those people with crazy superhuman strength? [ Look, he's learned to not judge by appearances when it comes to that at this point. People on the train sure have some weird powers sometimes. ]
foxyou: (disdain)

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-03-12 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
[It would be a lie to say he didn't like to brag, but at the same time...he looks at the enemy, thinks a moment, and for once, decides to go for the more reasonable answer.]

There's only one way to find out, isn't there?

[Reasonable! As he summons a beautiful, glowing white sword from thin air.]

(no subject)

[personal profile] flatteries - 2022-03-13 20:57 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] foxyou - 2022-03-22 02:21 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] flatteries - 2022-03-23 07:18 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] foxyou - 2022-03-27 23:09 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] flatteries - 2022-03-28 17:20 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] foxyou - 2022-03-30 00:27 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] flatteries - 2022-03-30 18:11 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] foxyou - 2022-04-03 13:39 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] flatteries - 2022-04-03 18:52 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] foxyou - 2022-04-07 01:46 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] flatteries - 2022-04-10 12:49 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] foxyou - 2022-04-10 21:04 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] flatteries - 2022-04-11 21:10 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] foxyou - 2022-04-13 00:47 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] flatteries - 2022-04-13 19:55 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] foxyou - 2022-04-17 18:22 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] flatteries - 2022-04-18 21:48 (UTC) - Expand
deferences: dns (9)

wildcard; the abyss, because you presented the idea and i can't *not* take it

[personal profile] deferences 2022-02-17 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
[whenever sizhui had stepped off the platform and into another world, this place hadn't been exactly what he'd expected; grotesque plantlife, magma trails, wandering monsters – some more alive than others! – and a temperature almost bone-deep cold that has his teeth chattering within a couple of seconds. thank goodness, he's in his lan robes, so the layers will help against the weather somewhat, but they do make him a pretty distinct target in all white.

also fortunate is that sizhui's able to navigate around monsters for the most part, avoid any fallen flaming boulders (which, hey, he could kind of stand close to for warmth?), and ultimately spot someone on the horizon nearer that terrifying, howling forest.

he can't tell exactly who it is, but they look humanoid and that's better than hanging around where huge beasts could spot him, run him down then proceed to enjoy having an easy meal.
]
foxyou: (eugh.)

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-02-19 03:44 am (UTC)(link)
[The humanoid is, luckily, Jiu!

Is Jiu happy to see him though? It's kind of hard to tell, when he finally turns around - the look on his face is a confusing mix of frustration, disappointment, and a little bit of relief.

At least, for those few seconds before he pulls himself together again.]


What are you doing here? [Still unhappy though! Typical. Also probably natural considering where they are...you can see him stiffen slightly when another weird roar sounds out from the woods.]
deferences: dns (♪ ruffled)

[personal profile] deferences 2022-02-22 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
[oh good, it is someone he knows! how fortunate for him (but perhaps not so much for jiu). while he looks mostly irritated and let down, sizhui's bizarrely curious as to his whereabouts, yet is tinged with just enough apprehension, it has him wide-eyed at the moment.

wherever they are, it's curiosity-inducing, but not so much that he's planning to stray away from jiu anytime soon.

in fact, sizhui is maybe closer than he's ever been to shen qingqiu, though has done the proper thing and kept a respectable arms-length distance between them; this way he's not wholly invading his personal space, but won't end up getting snatched away by some random monster with jiu there. (or so he's hoping, anyway?) sizhui's voice finally comes, soft-spoken,
] I'm not sure? I think I've been mistakenly brought here...

[that stiffening of jiu's posture doesn't go unnoticed and even if he says nothing, he's filing it away, somewhat surprised there's something actually bothering him. he clears his throat, brow furrowed and lips pinched before he asks,] Do you know where we are?
foxyou: (everyone i know is a beast)

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-02-25 03:13 am (UTC)(link)
[Luckily for both of them, this is a relatively safe area, as long as they don't stray too far...it's also very good of Sizhui to keep at least that arm's-length distance from Jiu, because as much as he may crave the comfort of another living being, he's still Jiu, you know.

Either way, the situation prompts him to actually be helpful for once.]
This is the Endless Abyss. It's place that shouldn't exist, from which nothing has ever escaped.

[Helpful!!]
deferences: (♪ indirect)

[personal profile] deferences 2022-02-27 06:49 am (UTC)(link)
[good, good, then they can stay right where they are and perhaps figure out how they can leave this place as soon as possible? because even though sizhui doesn't get discouraged easily, he's feeling pretty on edge at the moment with all this uncomfortable atmosphere.

clearly, one might say the most helpful, by making him extra nervous. (except not really—)

he slowly tilts his head, considering, wondering if jiu's listened to himself when speaking, yet deciding he must know what he's talking about, given he says the name of wherever they are.
] Nothing has ever escaped?
foxyou: (what're YOU lookin' at?)

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-03-04 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
[It's a very uncomfortable atmosphere! They're in one of the most peaceful parts of the abyss and even here the plants look weirdly cold and forbidding in the light of the too-large moon!

Also, Sizhui gets an unamused look from Jiu at that clearly inane question.]


Unless you count getting transported unwillingly from an inhospitable hell to an overcrowded one as an escape?

[On the bright side, looking unamused is a step up from looking bleak?]
deferences: dns (♪ tightened)

[personal profile] deferences 2022-03-07 08:32 am (UTC)(link)
[ordinarily, sizhui's curiosity would get the better of him and he'd go check out those bizarre-looking plants, but . . . despite jiu's prickliness, he much prefers his company to that of foreign flora. who knows what those things might do if he gets too close? at least he's aware that the most dangerous thing shen qingqiu's got up his sleeve is biting him with those pointy fox teeth.

and hey, step up or not, the response earns a look from sizhui, followed by a head-shake then the briefest nervous glance around.
]

Well... I won't lie, the train is better than this in my opinion.
foxyou: (making my report)

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-03-10 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[Jiu has opposable thumbs, you know! He has a sword, and cultivation!! Fox teeth are not his only weapon!!!

.....It's true he won't use them on Sizhui though. At least not at the moment? Also what's that look for, huh!]


Its threats are more covert, true. [Does the train have threats? Of course it does. Jiu pauses a moment before starting to walk in the opposite direction of the woods.] Either way, there's no point just standing here.
deferences: dns (♪ nervy)

[personal profile] deferences 2022-03-12 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[of course he does, but how often has he used those, honestly? let's be real here . . .

never on sizhui, that's for sure, and he'll be doing his absolute best to make certain jiu hasn't got a reason to, either. seems like he's doing alright thus far, so he shall keep up the good work! the look, however, is because he's maybe somewhat incredulous toward jiu's attitude about all this.

threats?’ he wants to ask, despite having considered the same, though knowing full-well the train has also protected them too.
] Ah, [sizhui starts, shaking his head then doing a neat heel-turn and following after shen qingqiu as close as possible, yet still with that respectable space between them.] Where do we go from here?
foxyou: (what has the world come to.....)

i return from the dead

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-03-22 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
Whichever way looks most promising.

[Does that explain anything? Probably not. In a moment of kindness though, he decides to vaguely elaborate:] The forest that way is infested with monsters taller than you are, so unless you think you can handle a few hundred large enemies at once, the opposite direction is probably the better choice.

[He waves a sleeve in each direction as he speaks, glances over at Sizhui, then...well. He didn't actually stop walking while saying this, so.]

If we're lucky, maybe we'll end up back at that train.
deferences: (♪ levelheaded)

as do i!! welcome back to both of us

[personal profile] deferences 2022-03-29 01:38 am (UTC)(link)
[it doesn't whatsoever, but the following remark about monsters taller than he is coming at him in the hundreds explains more than enough, thank you! sizhui swallows hard, still trailing along behind jiu and completely ignoring any motion he makes toward the forest.] Perhaps one or two... maybe three, at the most, but there is no way I could handle a few hundred all at the same time.

[his attention redirects toward the other way shen qingqiu gestured, he shakes his head then tucks both arms around himself, hands clutching his elbows as they carry onward.]

Let's hope, since we don't have much of a choice here. [and the forest definitely isn't an option now that he's aware of what lurks within its depths.] There's surely someway out if I was brought in and you were returned.
foxyou: (the service here sucks)

welcomes by disappearing again

[personal profile] foxyou 2022-04-02 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[In retrospect it's actually more like a few thousand, but hey, who's counting? Not Jiu!

His only response to Sizhui's words is a vague noise of agreement as he continues forward - though he does make sure to keep a pace with him, not wanting to be fully alone now that company has inadvertently arrived.

The wasteland! Is mostly empty! Hopefully they won't accidently come across any 12-foot-tall snakes or anything before they find their way back to the station.]

this is 100% fair

[personal profile] deferences - 2022-04-05 04:41 (UTC) - Expand