Memory Tapes

Memory Tapes are crucial objects for assigning Numbers to new passengers.

They are copies of the memories of each passenger on the Infinity Train. They are created by miniature versions of One-One and Porters in the Passenger Preparation Car.

Creation[]

Memory Tapes are created in the Passenger Farm of the Passenger Preparation Car. The film reels for tapes are extracted by miniature versions of One-One out of the passenger head. Once the film is completely extracted from the passenger, a porter will collect all the film and comprise it inside a Memory Tape.

In the event a passenger boards the Infinity Train a second time, a new tape is made upon their arrival but the memories preserved in said tape will only contain the events after boarding and leaving the train the first time.

Design[]

The Memory Tapes bare a resemblance to Cartrivision tapes, however the physical design of the tapes in Infinity Train appear to be based off LTO (Linear Tape-Open) tapes. They possess a glowing green title which corresponds to the designated passengers name which is written on the front side of the tape.

Should a passenger or denizen of the train manage to acquire one, the tape can be put inside a player to be viewed. Whomever is watching a Memory Tape will have their consciousness pulled inside the tape itself. While inside the tape, the viewer is free to explore and observe any memories contained within the tape. The memories contained within the tapes may not be exactly faithful to the reality all the time. The tapes reflect how each memory was stored by its owner. The memory could be distant or could be different to what happened in real life: for Tulip, her memories of her parents' relationship is portrayed optimistically in the tape due to her younger self trying to cope with their inevitable separation in "The Cat's Car", while Grace remembers Hazel angrily blaming her for everything in "The New Apex" due to her guilt over both Hazel and Tuba's fate. If a passenger realizes a memory is wrong, the tape will correct itself.

If One-One is with a viewer of the tape, he can manipulate the tape at will. His control of the tape includes:

Finding a specific memory.
Controlling the speed of the memory.
Repeating a segment of the memory.
Looking in different angles at a memory.
Pausing and playing memories.

In case a memory is tampered by the owner of the tape and the viewer is the tape owner, said memory could trap the viewer inside the tape forever or until the owner realizes that is not a real memory and watches its true form.

Trivia[]

If a passenger has more than one tape (which so far has only occurred with Jesse), the extra tapes will have a number in their title indicating their second or more arrivals on the train.
The Memory Tapes are used to determine the number of each passenger upon their arrival.
Currently, the only known characters that have entered or watched a Memory Tape are Tulip, The Cat, One-One, Amelia, Alan Dracula, Lake, Grace and Simon.
As shown in "The Black Market Car," the memory tapes can be sold at one of the stands by a denizen.
Owen Dennis modeled these tapes after Cartrivision tapes, an obscure videocassette format first introduced in 1972. He knew of these tapes through his dad's work while he was growing up that specialized in magnetic tapes.^[1]
Amelia installed an emergency fail-safe plan in her robotic suit just in case she watches her own tape (as seen in "The Engine").
As shown in "The Canyon of the Golden Winged Snakes Car," the Cat has a portable memory tape player that resembles a small rock. It works by feeding unspooled tape film through a slot, like a film projector.
The original concept for the Memory Tapes appears in the unused treatment "The Bliss Car," where Tulip wakes up on the train surrounded by passengers seemingly trapped watching their own television screens. This was inspired by an experience Owen Dennis had while flying back to America from China in 2010: he woke up in the dark cabin to see the other passengers' faces illuminated by their television screens.^[2]
When Grace ripped the memory tape reel out of her head, it caused her some visible discomfort and the end of the reel was covered in a white, slimy substance.
Sometimes, tapes can hold the memories of more than one passenger, as was the case with Min-Gi and Ryan in the aptly named episode "The Twin Tapes".

Gallery[]

References[]

[1] Design inspiration for the memory tapes.

[2] Animated People: Owen Dennis' 'Infinity Train' Steams Ahead.

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