INTROS + MONTHLIES

[trainmasters]

Who: newbies + everyone
When: Day 56, late morning
Where: The Aurora and surrounding area

[Yet again this morning, you get an announcement on your Chain:

WELCOME NEW HEROES

Newbies are waking up in their rooms, in pyjamas or in nondescript team-coloured underwear. As usual they get the basic welcome message, as well as a prompt to view the IC guide.

When you're done welcoming them, or while you're at it, you'll notice that while clocks say it's late morning, the sun has still not risen. As it was on the first Star, the sky remains dark and empty and the air somewhat cold. Not cold enough for the frost you see on the windows, though...

From a distance, the frost looks like a typical wintery pattern of ice, beautiful and delicate. But on inspection it's not frost at all -- it's a sugary mold climbing up the sides of the train and, outside the immediate clearing, growing in thick fuzzy patches on the trees and bushes.

Touching or inhaling this mold will cause your skin to start to crystallize painfully into sugar. Physical affection will heal you, but it'll also give you a psychic link to the person you touched. For a few hours you can sense eachothers emotions, and in some cases even share thoughts or memories.

The mold will last for the remainder of the OOC month, but who knows what else tomorrow will bring!]

Comments

[whatsmytalentagain]

[Blinks. Then just types a new message somewhere under the first one.]

Mute, not deaf.

[Which probably means he has no idea what you just signed.]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Signing what he was saying, at least.]

Got it. [But he'll stop signing now.] I'm Dusk.

[whatsmytalentagain]

[He smiles and gives him a small wave. Hello. Nice to meet you. He's gonna type some more, sorry.]

Sign language would be useful, but that's not what I'm asking about.

How long have you been on this train and has anyone died since then?

[schrodingerscockroach]

I know ASL and USL, though I'm definitely better with the former.

[Mostly focused on Rantaro, looking between what he types and comparing it to body language. Because hey, it's good to figure out, and if he could understand Maine with just a few growls, he could get others. Eventually.]

I've been here twenty-one days and no one had died permanently. Have you gotten anything about the trials?

[whatsmytalentagain]

[Likewise, Rantaro tries to compensate for the lack of words as best he can. If anything, at least the text makes up for what gestures cannot get across.

He seems a little relieved... A little. He knows now that multiverse stuff can undo that whole "being dead" thing, but is this guy suggesting...]

What do you mean by "died permanently?"
And yes, I read the whole Hero's Guide, but I need more info from folks who've been here a while.

[schrodingerscockroach]

That helps stream line the explanations.

The trial cover a wide range of things.

Some of those things can kill us. And then we have to get fixed either at the end of the trial runner or get our corpse dragged to the med car to get fixed.

I died a few days ago. It sucked. [Delivered with zero emotion because this is what happens when Dusk talks about distressing things, he murders his emotions.]

[whatsmytalentagain]

[Oof... This conversation took a dark turn... But he had to be sure. Even so... He takes a moment before he actually starts typing again.]

Sorry I had to ask. Just got out of a situation that was nothing BUT people dying... But I've never heard of people being revived so easily.

[schrodingerscockroach]

[He shrugs.] That's fair. I was in the military, so death is nothing new. [Which is why he's so prompt to murder said emotions.]

But the reviving is very weird and disconcerting, but it means people aren't dead, so that's a net positive.

[Looks Rantaro over slowly.] What kind of people dying situation?

[whatsmytalentagain]

[ Military is one thing... He does kind of smile at the fact that people don't stay dead here... Somehow.

But it takes a little while to respond. He frowns, looking at his Chain, then back to Dusk, then back to the Chain... How does he put this...

At last he types something up. ]

I don't want to go into detail on the first day, but let's just say the folks holding us hostage were not too pleasant.

[schrodingerscockroach]

[He is looking Rantaro over. Very slowly.]

....you're not even twenty, are you?

[whatsmytalentagain]

[ ... Shakes his head. Holds up one finger. Holds up eight fingers. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

....you know, it's frustrating that I hear about so many assholes who just need to be shot in the head until I remember traveling between dimensions might actually be a thing back home and then I just wonder if I should follow it through.

What is with assholes targeting teenagers?

[whatsmytalentagain]

[ Frowning while shrugging dramatically. He's sick of it too! ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[HE IS]

[VERY TIRED OF CHILDREN GETTING TORTURED]

[HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHY HE'S SO TIRED OF IT, HE JUST IS]

[It's because he's been through two other games like the train and they were Less Nice and had More Kids.]

[He sighs, rubbing at his face.]

Well, there are sadistic assholes who are trial runners. And there are risky things we have to do to save the planet.

But at least....eighty percent isn't death and dismemberment.

[whatsmytalentagain]

[ He does grimace a bit at that first thing, but 80% less death. He can smile, nod, and thumbs up at that. Better than just death.

He'll just go back to his Chain for a sec to ask something else. ]

So, how do Bonds work?

[schrodingerscockroach]

Well, I can give you an example.

Did you hear about the carrot detective?

[whatsmytalentagain]

[ Raises eyebrow and shakes his head. ]

Bond

[schrodingerscockroach]

He got to the root of every case.

[Badam-tsh.]

And now you should have about a hundred sparks in your Chain. Each team has a specific bond type. Well, two now, that's new. But Clover has making people laugh.

So I tell a terrible joke with intent to bond and there's sparks. Generally people who initiates the bond gets more.

[whatsmytalentagain]

[ ... He can't speak, but he can chuckle. That's something Dusk gets to learn as Rantaro checks his Chain.

... Nod! 100 Sparks, right there. Now he's gonna close out of that... And... Erm, he's having trouble finding the list of Bond activities on his Chain. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

The list of bonds are in the lounge car.

[Closing his eyes and ticking off things.] Comfort someone in distress, give a gift, show physical affection, make a gesture of gratitude, defend someone, verbally or physically.

Team bonds are...Ginger is making promises and giving compliments.

Thyme is teaching and storytelling.

Senna is decoration and bringing warmth.

Jasmine is encouragement and relaxation and self care.

Licorice is strong displays of emotion and occult practice.

And Clover is jokes and encouraging play.

[Opening his eyes.] So you should get sparks from the general bonds, and when people do their team bond with you.