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[usernamesarecool]

[ The Doctor's clearly in the Medic car, as he promised he's spending a good amount of time there-helping to get things a little more organized and keeping any potential patients happy and generally healthy. ]

Hullo everyone! [ He smiles brightly and goes to fix his bowtie but stops as he remembers... ]

Erm... Anyways, I'm the Doctor-yes the one that was recently appointed a member of our lovely train's council. I'm not here to debate the legitimacy of the council so if your intent is to complain about that well-frankly, I don't want to hear it. I could go on for hours-possibly even weeks about why a systematic government with this many people onboard is, in fact, necessary, but I'd really rather not. Although, I suppose, if you must-come talk to me in person and I'll see if I can't ease your doubts.

There is something I'd like you all to think about-The Train. What do we all think? Because based on what just happened a few days ago I'd have to say, and my friend Nita agrees, we might have got it a bit wrong.

So I invite you all to consider this: the Train is alive.

If you don't believe me-answer me this, why haven't we been in contact with driver or conductor? Why are cars added so quickly? It also explains why we can only communicate with the train through the ICPs.

I've been mulling it around for a bit as I do have a ship that's also alive-she might even be on the other side of the wall and keeping the Train company for all I know.

I bring it up now because I think it's important that we recognize that during that last mission our dear Train got scared. It ran away-and fast from I could feel.

Comments

Voice

[mtsilver_conquor]

So the engine care would be like it's brain, then?

[Someone doesn't even sound shocked at the idea of a sentient train.

Then again, there's far, far, far weirder on her world.]

Voice

[usernamesarecool]

Well, yes. Sort of. A bit.

Given how the TARDIS is-I'd say it's more of a matrix.

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[enthunder]

Sure. Train's always acted like a fal'Cie.

[usernamesarecool]

I'm sorry, Fal'Cie?

[dredefulchilde]

How can a train be alive?

[usernamesarecool]

Ah, well, that's a complicated question-always best answered with another question: How can anything be alive? And are you quite sure it is a train or does it just look like one?

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[blueberryprincess]

That makes an almost irritating amount of sense.

audio:

[usernamesarecool]

Why irritating? I think it's fascinating! [ Of course he does. ]

[Video]

[unfavorableinstigation]

[Given it's her fault that the Doctor's bringing this up, Nita doesn't - at first - make to add anything more, simply taking note of the responses as they come in.

But she does have something to add, eventually.]

And the weird thing is, it's normally all closed-off. Not just because it only talks to us through the announcements; when Xander and I tried to meditate and reach it that way, we could feel it retreating.

[Especially when Bobo joined the mental conference call, but she's not going to mention that right now.]

It was curious, but not enough to engage. When it was afraid, though, I could feel it right up close when I reached out.

[usernamesarecool]

[ He nods thoughtfully as she mentions it, his mind already making connections. ]

We'll just have to keep reaching out to it, then.

Have you tried to contact it again recently? After all that?

[Text]

[iamnotgod]

I was rather under the impression that there was some measure of artificial intelligence incorporated into the train's functioning.

[The idea that it is not just an intelligence but a mind, like him, thus holds no true surprise.

Not on top of being in this whole 'voidtrain traveling between worlds' thing to begin with, anyway.]

Is it not discussing the matter - or indeed any other matter concerning our being here - with us further because it feels scared, then? Because it does not think it is safe for it if we think of it as alive?

[Webmind thought it was rather worth the risk, himself - but then, his own coming out had not been typical in the slightest.]

[usernamesarecool]

[ A text?? How did-he scans the ICP with the screw driver to see if he can trace anything. ]

Er... maybe. It does seem to act a bit like a wild animal when approached, I've heard.

[sweetnessandfight]

I am not certain I find that anything but troubling, my good Doctor. [Sarai looks more solemn than usual, but that might be because of where her mind is going...]

I do not find it impossible that the train is alive, far from! But most things that are so in my world, they end up being...troublesome. I do hope this isn't the case. But they usually end up being primals, which necessitates fighting them...

[She shakes her head, then. She really doesn't want to consider having to fight the train at all.] I hope I am only having an overabundance of concern! After all, we are not on my world, so perhaps my fears will not come to fruition. I desperately hope this is the case!

[usernamesarecool]

Sounds like it. My ship is alive and never once has she tried to hurt anyone-and she's even older than I am. I actually stole her from a museum. She did lock Clara out that one time though... didn't much like being called a Snog Box, I suppose.

This sort of thing though-with what I know of the TARDIS-I'd say it runs quite a bit similar. Which leads me to believe that since there's not much in the way of food out in the void-it's likely the train runs on void energy.

[laurefindil]

Inanimate objects with a life and personality of their own? Sounds reasonable. As long as it is not evil.

[But oh, he's getting flashback to when Everyone was after the Silmarils....]

[usernamesarecool]

Doubtful.

I've not seen reason to think it's evil thus far. In fact, I'd say it's quite level tempered aside from the one incident.

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[littlefury]

[is it really a doctor who episode until he meets an english teenager]

I kind of suspected that was a given at this point. Were we really assuming otherwise?

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[usernamesarecool]

Some were, yes.

Sometimes-probably most of the time-it's quite and outlandish claim for people.

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[sacrament_of_blood]

That... is a most peculiar hypothesis, but I suppose reasonable enough in those unlikely circumstances. It would not be the only strange thing about this situation.

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[usernamesarecool]

No, it really wouldn't. And, as I said-my ship's alive so it's not even something I haven't seen before.

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[sonoflucis]

Awesome. I'll be able to sleep now. Totally.

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[usernamesarecool]

Great!

Happy I could help!

[ What is Sarcasm? ]

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[redarrowqueen]

Still feels like a giant trap.

[Yup blame the island.]

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[usernamesarecool]

Sorry you feel that way, Thea.

If you need to talk, you can always come by the medic car-I seem to find myself here most days.

Video

[internetsexsymbol]

So...is it like some space alien that takes the form of a train, or like...a ghost possessing a train? How alive are we talking here?

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[usernamesarecool]

Not a ghost, I don't think. That rate at which it can generate rooms has me thinking more along the lines of a living matrix-much like the TARDIS. You met her, sort of-in that dream.

[video]

[chronosexual]

Congratulations on the appointment, Doctor. Glad to know our lives are in your hands.

[ He taps his chin in thought. ]

The train is... weird. I thought by now everyone would have torn each other apart with claustrophobia or cabin fever or something, but... everyone seems to keep themselves well entertained.

Though maybe you have a point. Didn't it just.. grow a little while ago or something? Added another car? How do you do that with no one noticing? And what makes you think the train itself was the one who decided to run? I'm not saying you're wrong, I just wanna know what the thought process was.

[video]

[usernamesarecool]

Thank you, I will do my best. [ As he does ]

Well, with the TARDIS you just sort of program in a new room-or she decides to add one. Might be the same concept. [ He shrugs. ]

As for that, I've tried to talk to it-sorta. Tried to establish a link or what have you but I could only feel it retreating. I didn't push too far-don't want to upset it. Building trust-it it is alive-is going to be key, I think.

voice

[mimidaeia]

Alive? I have a question- can you use “alive” for inorganic things?

[The voice sounds synthetic, similar to the train- though not quite. It's kind of like different laptop brands? Same product, but different.]

I’m concerned you might be... what’s the word... “anthropomorphising”.