No Place Like Home: Outside

[voidtreckermods]

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NO PLACE LIKE HOME: OUTSIDE

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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

• Buddhist Temple, China ( Koumyou Sanzo | TL )
  
• Rebel Camp, Lothal ( Hera Syndulla | TL )
  
• Homestead, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA ( Nell Ingram TL )
  
• Capsule Corp ( Trunks | TL )
  
• School Grounds, College ( Idia Shroud | TL )
  
• City Ruins, beach ( Najaran | TL )
  
• Hakkei Palace, Tai ( Taiki | TL )
  
• Gusu Lan, mountain sect (China) ( Lan Jingyi | TL)
  
• Lotus Pier, riverside, China ( Jiang Cheng | TL )
  
• The Endless Abyss, Hell ( Shen Qingqiu | TL )
  
• Hyrule Castle Town ( Zelda | TL )
  
• Haven Palace ( TL )

COMMUNITIES

• Spaceport ( Yondu | TL)
  
• Mobile Station Base ( Kiyoiri )
  
• Arkwood, Town (Ryo | TL )
  
• Techstead, Town ( Devero | TL )
  
• Tatsumi Port Island ( Ken Amada )
  
• Mor Dhona / Town, Mountain, Lakes ( K'zeka Tai | TL )
  
• Hyrule Field & Lon Lon Ranch ( Link | TL )
  
• Ishigami Village, Japan ( Senku Ishigami | TL )
  
• Aether Paradise/Artificial Island/Natural Preserve ( Katsuya Jonouchi )
  
• Nautilus ( Spark/Clef TL Clef | TL Spark )
  
• The Underworld, Hades ( Zagreus and Thanatos | TL )
  
• Sanctuary ( TL )

CITIES & KINGDOMS

• Saillune City ( Zelgadis | TL )
  
• New Mantle, City ( Ruby Rose | TL )
  
• Brooklyn, New York City, USA in 2017 ( Jake Peralta | TL )
  
• Azabu-Juban District, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan ( Usagi Tsukino | TL )
  
• Hau'oli City ( Eva Iden'no | TL )
  
• Gauig City ( Little One/Buttercup | TL )
  
• Kyoto, Japan ( Masumi Sera | TL )
  
• Shinjuku, Japan ( Yosuke Otoha | TL )
  
• Kingdom, Evermore ( Roland Crane )
  
• Garlemad, Kingdom ( Zenos | TL )
  
• Kingdom of Knothole ( Mina Mongoose | TL )
  
• Domino City ( Yugi Muto | TL )
  
• Amnity Park ( Danny Fenton | TL )
  
• Garlemald ( TL )
  
• Lothal ( TL )
  
• Los Angeles ( TL )
  
• The First - Crystarium and Lakeland ( Elidibus | TL )

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.

Comments

[monkeyinthewrench]

Jake smiles a little victorious smile. Oh, is he like Quill? Great, he's another personal hero! (A fair few places down the list from John McClane, but up there.)

"Look, I know you're really tough and could crush me like a bug. But we mostly trust the police to handle things here...yes, I know that doesn't always work and we have major flaws as a force. It all sounds stupid. I know. But if you let me handle it, less chance of too much attention."

[yondu]

Yondu scans Jake from head to toe, thinking of the people that he's seen outside.

He would pay good money to see Jake arrest someone like that. "Alright, well. Let's go find your lady and let her know you ain't been foolin' with her or around on her."

Look, he doesn't know if she would worry about that kind of thing or not. Best to be on the safe side.

[monkeyinthewrench]

Jake grins and nods, except...wait. Where's Amy? She's at work.

Which means he has to take Yondu to the precinct. Ah well. If the squad can put up with Charles's bizarre costumes, this shouldn't be a problem. It's a short walk along busy sidewalks to get there, and he breezes right past the front door without a word. Upstairs, he's surprised when no one reacts---at least until he remembers what he needs to do.

"Attention, squad! I require your services this fine afternoon!" That's Jake's attempt at an elf voice. It's pretty bad.

"Eww, Jake...! I swear that coma destroyed the last few ties binding you to reality. Take your sweaty nerd self somewhere else, please---I'm not getting paid to deal with simps at work."

"Love you too, Gina," Jake blows her a kiss. She gags. "Anyway, you guys seen Amy?"

"Working on a stat report. But I know she'd absolutely prefer a visit from her dashing elf. Maybe you can...use your arrow to pierce her---"

"NO, Charles, absolutely not!" That's Jake rushing over to slap a hand over his mouth. "Do not finish that sentence. Under any circumstances. You owe me this favor."

He waits for Charles to nod, wide-eyed, then lets go. "...fine. Go see her. But I want to know everything later!"

"And you will. With an entirely appropriate amount of detail," Jake promises. He turns to Yondu with a little shrug.

"C'mon."

"...you talking to someone there, Peralta? You know you still need an eval before you can come back to work right?" That's a man with a very large set of muscles bound by suspenders talking.

"Relax, Ter-bear, I know. I know. Taking it real easy," Jake promises. Then he risks talking to Yondu. "See? No problem at all. All you have to do to impress Amy is to nerd out on her. Preferably about binders."

He starts back toward the elevator, but there's time for a little strolling. There's another black-haired woman in leather who hasn't be introduced yet, staring at Jake extremely boldly.

[yondu]

Yondu at first stays utterly quiet, just looking around the office and while he's not too out of place in any sort of law enforcement facility it's not too often he's just a guest. These look like some strange guys. Also what the hell, that one guy is huge. He cana't help blinking between Terry and Jake and wondering about the train's apparent choices.

But Charles's comment does give Yondu an idea. He looks around the desks for something metal before stealing a file holder quietly, moving the papers onto Scully's desk while he's not watching, and holds it up for Jake to see. "Gonna need this." He keeps his voice kind of even, hoping he doesn't get noticed. Because the one thing the real Yondu Udonta can do that anyone in paint and a good costume can't is fly his arrow through metal.

He doesn't have to impress Amy. He has to convince her he's real, after all.

Though he does slow down as Jake's passing the woman in the black leather. You know what? Nice. He approves. "...Who's that one?"

She single? Or currently occupied? He's surely got at least twenty spare minutes, right?

[monkeyinthewrench]

Oh...Oh no. Jake's gaze follows Yondu's, and he tugs on his cloak to fan out his neck. This could get pretty ugly.

"That's Rosa. She's my best friend. Super scary. I think she's probably killed a few people---"

That's enough to get her sharp gaze turned on him. "Hey, that's classified." But she pauses and smiles. "You're taking your friend to a costume contest, aren't you? Smart. Don't know if you can beat the chicks in chainmail bikinis though."

Jake shudders. "...no, actually we're going to find Amy. Right, Yondu?"

...Right?

[yondu]

"And?" Come on, Jake. Like all his friends are murderers. Even if they're self-loathing murderers in some cases, Yondu doesn't hold a bias against the practice. Sometimes you gotta kill a bastard, right?

Wait. "Am I meant to only be convincin' your lady or these people too? What are we doin' here?" He's trying to follow the plot. Now chainmail bikinis have been mentioned, and Jake's dressed like an elf. And he's in a strange place.

"Alright, let's go find her. You're real damn pretty though, Miss Rosa. Goddamn." Look, he's gonna say it, even as he's following Jake to find this girl of his. He still has his metal file folder on him.

[monkeyinthewrench]

"Jake, tell you friend he'd better watch his tongue before I cut it out."

Rosa answers with a suspicious squint and a casual reach behind her for a...oh, okay, just a pen. Jake's gonna hurry them downstairs now.

"No no, Amy's good, she'll update the rest, thanks Rosa bye!"

Right downstairs. Right to Amy's desk, where she's surrounded by neatly organized paperwork. It's freakishly neat. Rainbow labels are on everything, the paper's perfectly collated, it's all filed alphabetically...and the handwriting is precise too.

"Hey Ames, you got a minute?" Jake just takes an empty rolly-chair and slides over.

"I don't know, Peralta, you're pushing your luck..." but she's clearly joking. She's smiling and reaching to squeeze his hand just because she can. But after a good moment of smiling at him, her gaze turns to Yondu and sharpens.

"...Jake, who's this?"

"Not only are you still adorably off on memes, you don't even recognize a Guardian of the Galaxy? Who have I been dating?"

Amy squints. Tip-taps on her work laptop. "Nice try, but I know it's Comic Con weekend. The Lower Manhattan squads are all buzzing about an uptick in drunk Pikachu brawls."

[yondu]

He almost does reach for the lapel of his coat but then Jake is rushing him on, and he just parts with a mean-little shark laugh, all teeth that, right now, look pretty convincing as far as nerd get-ups go. A lot more convincing than Jake's elf ears.

Though he stays quiet for much of the conversation, lingering around the room and just looking at stuff. Doing that thing until he finds the most show-boaty moment to show off. It's when they're going on about Comic Con happening that he he holds up the metal file folder in one hand, opens his coat lapel with the other to expose his holster, and whistles.

Arrow comes out. Arrow zips around him in a way that's not controlled by a wire. Arrow goes through the metal and leaves a clean welded hole, before lingering in the air, still and glowing.

"That do it, or do I need to do somethin' else? 'Cause I only got one other thing that ain't completely Terran lookin' and I don't feel right showin' a good man's wife that."

[monkeyinthewrench]

If Yondu wanted to send a young woman into shock...well, he hit the mark. She's staring at him, wide-eyed and sputtering enough that she almost misses the joke. Almost.

"Uh...no, no, Mr. Udonta, that'll be quite enough, thank you."

This is entirely the wrong time for it, but Jake smiles.

"Ames! You did pay attention! I love you so much that nothing else is even registering right now."

"Well. That's good." Amy's ritualistically re-stacking her papers, still gaping at them. "Please don't tell me you're planning a stunt show."

"Definitely not. The city would be crazy to grant me a permit."

"Oh, absolutely," Amy agrees, satisfied. "Anyway, welcome to town. Don't let Jake talk you into anything too illegal?"

[yondu]

"Don't worry, your man's been babysittin' me since I showed up. About as close to a guided tour as I reckon I'll get." Though Jake keeping him out of trouble? An absolute necessity. He did try to hit on Rosa, after all.

Though then he looks a little flummoxed. He proved that Jake, standing here like an elf, was not crazy. Maybe made her feel like she was but at least now they both look insane and that's what he figures love is, best he can figure. But now what does he do with himself.

"...Y'all got coffee? I ain't had coffee since I left the train."