middleofsomewhere | So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

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So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

JUST Ā̸̛͇̹̈́͌͐͛̐̋͝Ǹ̵̠͍̲̘͈̮͈̺͔̤͙̳̓̔͑͌̒̓̃́̄̚͘Ớ̶̻̱̄̓͆͂̈́̄̔͋͌̽̀̕͘T̵͙͍͓̻̩͙̻͙̹͎̫̘͇̱̈́̌̓͝ͅH̶̭̻͇̰͈̯̦̹̦̗͐̒́Ẽ̵̡̡̘̳͉͇͚̼̗̣̩͎̞̏͒̈́̏͂̈͝Ř̴̠͋̐͘ NORMAL DAY

"Jinnjar citizens. Unfortunately, all train travel will be closed due to issues on the lines. Members of the Voidtrecker Express have been located around the city, and are deploying trickery to agitate and confuse us. We ask any volunteers at this time to help us locate any suspicious objects and people, and to restrain them.

For the f̴̘̯̰̦̺͖̔͌̋̃ũ̴̢̖̦͙̩̼̺̪͚͍̥͈̜̝͋̌̒̊̚ẗ̶̪̺͕̤̯̞̤͓̝́̑̄̎̊̕future of our city!"

A TL;DR notes version of days/prompts: (click to show)

EVENT BASICS:

DAYS 5 & 6:

By now, some people have broken out of their fake lives while some haven't. Tension is rising in the city as people are led to believe this is by the Voidtreckers, which some will believe due to illusions and messing with one's heads is believed to be one of their many tactics.
Some oddities are occurring with travel, and glimpses of how the city is made beginning to show. The streams of colour - the void - are getting brighter. Electronics are not working well. Some monster sightings are seen, but not to a large degree.
The prompts here are light to give characters and players time to ICly coordinate, as Voidtreckers are being more actively hunted. Some faces are known. You know who you are, troublemakers.

DAYS 7 & 8:

The world is really starting to go a bit wild now, with more things disappearing, animals on the loose and more monster sightings.
By the end of day eight most people have realised the truth though those who are very susceptible to mind control or very stubbornly wanting to believe in this world will still be trapped, believing this is the Voidtreckers doing.
There are monsters to fight, people to keep calm and a plan to make.

[ HOME SWEET...HOME? ] By day 5, the people of Jinnjar are in a state of anxiety more than before. There's those who realise they're not a part of this world, never were, while there's those who still cling onto this life. Health services say that the source of confusion comes from the colour trails that are brighter than ever in the sky, while the D-Force/Heroes have it confirmed - internally and publicly - that there are Voidtreckers amongst them.

The media shows pictures of potential suspects, some Voidtreckers, some not; a man with the same face as two others, one who made a show by creating ice in the middle of the street. Your face may be shown, but don't worry - they're asking people not to play vigilante.

That'll surely keep people behaved.

[ TRAVEL REVIEW. ] As if it couldn't get more frustrating, most of the trains are down. Air taxis are still available for short journeys, yet some people have the bizarre occurrence where they end up in the wrong spot, and even remember going in this wrong direction...but never say anything about it. Those using the tele-pads will also find themselves not always arriving where they should, or worse, suffering intense headaches, swirling colours behind their eyes, their thoughts jumbled for as long as ten minutes before it passes.

You might want to walk.

[ MAKING DO. ] Still, with all the chaos, many are trying to live. You have a life here, no matter what some other force is trying to make you believe,

For our HEROES: The cinema has rethought its showings due to the worrying happenings of the last few days. Clearly a boost in morale is needed and so they have pulled out some of the great films of the past. Action films that show heroes beating the bad guys, disaster films where the good guys beat the aliens, stop the natural disaster or thwart the secret agency looking to take down civilisation from the inside, at the last minute. Even the childrens films have taken on a pro-hero and triumphant air.

It's not quite distraction though, how could it be when every film has a warning before and after. REMEMBER TO REPORT ALL SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO DFORCE and WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE SHOW. REMEMBER TO WATCH YOUR SURROUNDINGS AS CAREFULLY AS YOU DID THE SCREEN.
Fun Park: It's for the kids, but one of the largest arcade parks has a special discount on everything to anyone who come visit. It's even advertised across the news: For half the price, get amazing fun and even better food! Kids younger than eight or from the orphanages get free access everywhere!

It's time not to think too hard, and to ignore the trouble! Play laser tag, racing cars or get a high score on the dance mat!
Encroaching Dangers: Something new is beginning to happen, as the city continues to shift. It starts at night, those that stay out past when the streets go quiet might see a shadow, might hear a growl.

Rumours and reports start to spread about monsters on the street.

DAY SIX: HELP FROM INSIDE

[ AID. ] DIAGNET is full of videos but one that has started doing the rounds is of a small droid and a cat. It's not hard to see why it has gone viral, the cat and cleaning droid are chasing each other around an apartment, caught on a home security footage. The cat tries to catch the droid but every time it gets close the droid turns to chase it and the cat runs away. It has been uploaded with stirring orchestral music, which adds to the madness.

But... For those Voidtreckers who have already regained their memories that little droid seems familiar indeed. As do the sounds that punctuate the music.

beep beep beep boop | boop

boop boop beep | boop boop boop

boop boop | boop boop boop | boop boop boop | boop beep | boop beep beep | beep beep boop | beep beep beep | boop

boop beep boop beep | beep boop | beep beep boop beep | beep

boop boop boop | beep boop beep | boop beep beepp | beep | beep boop beep

boop beep | beep beep boop | boop | beep boop beep | beep beep | boop | beep | beep boop

Of course it might not be anything, just weird droid sounds that haven't been fully edited out of the video.

[ MOONDUST CAFÉ. ] It might be that they figured out the message or, it might be that a friend is dragging them to the cafe. But for those that make their way there, they will find the Moondust Cafe is a bustling cafe on the edge of a park, near local transport links.

For those that say the right words, a slightly bored looking teenager manning the counter waves them to a side door. "Best sit downstairs, service will be quicker."

Downstairs has a fair number of tables and booths and is lit by coloured lighting making everything look a little obscure. There's soft music playing, not loud enough to make it impossible to hear each other but enough to make it a little harder for evesdroppers.

Mingle, discuss. This is probably the closest to a safe space there is.

[ LOST & LOST. ] You may have spotted it already - that is, spotted what's missing. There's been the pets, the birds in the sky, a pen or apple or wrench from the garage. But now, with every single bad thing going on, more is starting to disappear. Machines stop working, from air conditioning, freezers, your Jinnjar MP3 player, to TVs and more.

And in some business buildings, even entire rooms are gone, their floors empty of more than the door you opened to find this out. Even the heroes seem worried and they quickly clear any affected areas, chasing away bystanders and sealing off whole wings of office blocks.

None of them have answers though, except that this must be the Voidtreckers doing. After all who else but that group could have power enough to do such damage?

DAY SEVEN & EIGHT: UNRAVELLING

[ OVEREXPOSURE. ] Everything is starting to escalate. The headaches are getting regular the more you're outside, buildings are starting to go missing around the outskirts. People see parts of the city flickering, and when they reach certain sections of the city, they find they can't go beyond it.

Life tries to go on, but as more areas of the city begin to be sealed off and considered dangerous, even those who are most stubborn about pretending everything is normal can see that is is not.

[ LET LOOSE. ] The breaking down of the city has caused a lot of chaos, but one of the biggest problems are that parts of the zoo have vanished. Walls, fences, enclosure roofs. Meaning that the animals inside are no longer confined and are now prowling the city streets. Real birds now fill the sky that the fakes left empty.

And they aren't all that's there. Twisted creatures are becoming more common on the streets of Diagad. Creatures that look almost like animals but warp and twist between them, one moment a bear the next it has horns and then it is a wolf. But no matter how they look those claws and teeth are bad news for everyone.

[ CRUMBLING, CRUMBLING. ] By day eight whole streets are disappearing. homes, houses. people need to be moved in closer around the congress sector. Colours crackle through the sky like lightning and the world shakes often.

It's not just the infrastructure but the memories of those in the city. Dreams have come realities and all but the most stubborn have begun to realise that this world is not their own. They are from another place. What is going on? Why are they in this city? Who are these people who are their 'family'?

Confusion and anger are growing in the streets and it is perhaps time for the Voidtreckers to come out of the shadows.

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"Sorry... it's been years since it was always on." Having the interference of the psychic network has been complicated. "Usually it's only that strong with family."

She does feel familiar. But she doesn't recognize the woman's space. Something doesn't quite add up.

Razzy quirks an eyebrow pointedly at that. "I swear, people get a truck load of energy on standby and they have to go all smashy smashy," she said with a long suffering sigh.

"I know you're strong, Danny, but remember, it was Sam and Tucker who saved us. The only reason I didn't melt that time was because they wanted to watch your back."

"It's pretty hard to break a SCA." She told Lea but then added. "Of course, all of this is not easy." She gestured at the world. "So perhaps..."

She nodded and looked at Naoya. "And the person who woke you, is she a voidtrecker? Like Emporio and Lea here?"

Her voice is gentle enough, this was weird enough for people used to the void, never mind those dragged in.

"If you could." She smiled, "Sleep's probably a good idea. Me and Chiff can take it from there."

She sighed, planning to kidnap her own teammates. Life had truly gotten bizarre these last few months.

"You need to be safe." Eight commanded, soft and firm. "The entire city is after you, Caleb, Senku, Gen, and Raven."

"I'm on the lookout for them too. All of them. We need to take you to safety. You are in no condition to be looking too." Touch wasn't something Octarians were especially known for, but she learned through their time together how much these sort of gestures can mean to humans. She reaches for the back of his hands as they were gripping his hair.

"So I remember." It's memorable, and the most obvious thing to bring up that wasn't as blatant as a train. "You can still have cookies while we figure out the rest."

THis is a big mess and someone is certainly meddling but she's not quite clear on how to get the mortals out of the situation.

Eight was no hero, but she was pragmatic. For a mercy, the powers she was given was one that made her especially difficult to find in the city. Whenever a core light would be nearby, she would find a tight crevice to hide and duck underneath.

She needed it, because the area around Gen was especially well guarded.

As she made her way through the alleys, she was lucky enough to find him tucked in the corner. Well, that is to say "find" was a generous term as he stood out so much it was obvious he was intended for the D-Force to find him quickly. Worked both ways, though, since that also meant someone else could find him first to help.

"There you are." She whispered, giving him a quick look over. "I'm here Gen... I'm here to help..."

"Can you speak?" Whether he could or not would make a big difference in how to get him out of here.

"There are a lot of rabbits at...an apartment nearby." His apartment. Because this place has a strange sense of humor and decided that his roommates would be several white rabbits. He is not complaining...

But mostly he says it to imply that Yondu is welcome to practice on them, or they can try to add to the current animal population in that apartment by taking these there as well.

"I do not know if it is safe." Is there any where in this world that is currently safe from what is happening?

A couple white rabbits decide to investigate the company and hop their way into the room. He glances down at them then back up at Demyx. "Protecting them." It's not a lie. Lan Wangji doesn't lie. He does want them to be safe and if the people around them come to try and harm him or drag him away then the rabbits might also be in danger.

"My identity has been discovered. I have been trying to plan." For what he must do in the very near future so that he doesn't get trapped in whatever illusion jail they have in this place.

Eight knew the feeling... well, not the torture, but the feeling of not knowing how long a series of arduous tasks that appeared intent to test every part of your being while subjecting you to the suffered experiences of those of your own kind. Okay, she knew the feeling.

But the mental scars were going to have to wait. There was no time to linger. "Well... for now, let's get you to safety. I've been looking for you, Essek, Gen, Senku, and Raven. You're the first person I've found so far."

She was relieved to have found him, but would not be content until the rest were recovered.

Soldat's been there. Having to fold up their terror and pain and anger to complete a mission. They understand punishment. They nod solemnly. "I won't ask." Instead, distraction: "You know Misty? The. The wife of the guy I was? You met her a couple times, outings with our daughter. Who, uh, is Kitty. But Misty, she's my. She's from where I came from before. Yondu thinks she's really here, not an illusion. She's remembering now, too."

Edited 2021-07-22 04:37 (UTC)

If he hadn't checked Essek over himself, he would've thought that Essek had a concussion - it's taking him too long to process things. Then again, he had just been tortured for days by whatever malevolent illusionist is holding them all captive - the fact that he's cogent at all is a blessing of the gods. He breathes, and he gives Essek time to work it out in his head. At least nobody's getting too close - his Sense picks up on a mass of humanity, but no one stands out near them. Not yet, at least.

And then Essek speaks up, sounding like he's holding on to hope by his fingernails, and Ryo isn't about to leave him hanging. "Yes," he says, simple and calm. "I'm pretty sure they are." The explanation as to why can come later, when Essek has the space to process.

"Oh, god." Which means. It means she's either not their Misty, the one from Beacon, or she is and that means she's actually alive (well, "alive"), and might be looking for them in some way. Maybe she got their message. Maybe they can find some way to get her to the train and--

They drop their head into their hands, trembling a little and using their fingers in their tangled hair to steady themselves. A few folds in their head, to help. "She's starting to think there's something wrong, you know. I can't sleep in the bed with her anymore. I can hardly let her touch me. And you know what James is like-- he's always touching people."

Before you start boasting, let me remind you that if you had everything under control we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place.

[Was he always this insufferable? ~~It was like getting a taste of his own medicine and one he didn't relish~~]

The rightful king of games?! [The phrase was so utterly ludicrous that it bore repeating at volume. So much for keeping a low profile, not that someone of his stature could.] Have you completely lost your mind?! That title is ours. [There was just the little bit of red tape between himself and reassuming the title in which he needed to beat a midget at a card game first. Taking in a sharp breath he amended:] Mine. [If this version of himself was unwilling to fight for it, then he had no claim] Pegasus- Schmegasus, you're getting away from the point.

[It was unproductive, sure but he'd been waiting to get this out of his system ever since Tony Stark had informed him of this whole mess]

What, you're both losers? [That was the commonality Kaiba was picking up on] I'm surprised you aren't wearing a pocket protector to complete that look. [Sounding notably snide] I didn't need anyone to reach out to me, I was strong enough on my own. [He says that- BUT, there were times he had needed to rely on others himself that he is not admitting to]

He's a better man than you, that I would buy. [Although he was tempted he didn't start lobbing more insults through the air about Yugi. Despite this situation he still felt a modicum of respect for the version he had met previous in Tabula Rasa. A bolder, more confident variety.. who still was no pharaoh in his eyes. Atem. Right. That was his name.. it was beyond this Seto's time. Atem was his rival, not the twerp.] I was right when I told Stark, there was only one Seto Kaiba- because despite having met a convincing lookalike I'm certain that I'm the genuine article.

Oh good, she is herself. And kind of awesome since witches don't bleed, she can deal with that-

She will let go of Mami.

"To be fair, from my view, the strangeness began when I arrived at a world with humans. Closest thing Equestrian has to anything like you guys are monkeys, freakiest thing ending up as a creature I couldn't even begin to guess what it was," Sunset said with a bemused grin. "My life is a rollercoaster of excitement."

Sunset grinned at that. "Hey, don't count me out. I got a friend here and we're both pretty ready for a little payback against yet another guy messing with us." She paused. "Or hit him with a condensed shot of therapy, which is kind of my preferred method, but getting this to stop is priority."

"Yeah, I'd sure as shit notice if someone I gave a shit about up and stopped touchin' me out of nowhere."

He sighs. "They can notice. I explained it to a fella in the park. I think if she's talked to, she'll get it. You just gotta get her to focus on what ain't right an' focus real hard on it. Things you'd remember from before that don't matter from here.

"But maybe you oughta do it sooner than later."

Cause he has real sympathy for anyone stuck feeling unwanted. He had to live with it long enough.

"What did you lose, besides your life?" asks Curufin.

Human does have its downside, Curufin would agree with that. Still, what else can we be? There is also a host of good things about it, as Curufin learned after living a life of making terrible mistakes in his own world.

"Aren't there people on the train that you are connected to? If there are, they won't want you to die."

Edited 2021-07-22 05:16 (UTC)

To Yondu there is nothing strange in that last sentence at all and he will absolutely accept that explanation. Purpleback gorillas, should they turn up here, will be immediately Danny's responsibility.

That decided, he just nods.

"Y'know even if they do attack ya it's just a mistake that's gotta be made. Lets go." A good-sized clawed bird with a bad attitude could ruin a man's life so he's willing to make a bad judgment call to keep his organs intact.

"We've got a whole crew covering for each other at home. Usually the tricky part is that the kids are human, but the school doesn't seem to be worried about that." It's something she always has to keep in mind, even if it hasn't been an issue on any mission yet.

"How'd your parents take it?"

Curufin allows her to take his arm and looks at her with affection. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

He realizes that she's using her empathy; he can feel it. If she can see through his fake memories, she'll see that his brother Maglor is very high on his list of important people, and so is his lost son Celebrimbor. There are others as well, such as his father Fëanor and his mother Nerdanel -- both of whom were on the train for a while but are now gone, to Curufin's sorrow. He has another important person, Glorfindel, an Elf who is not a relative but was a friend and a lover. But he is gone from the train as well.

Edited 2021-07-22 05:23 (UTC)

She jerks a bit when he catches her, but it's better than falling. He can feel the weight--she's no longer levitating. "...give me a minute." Breathing...focus...she could do this. There was still work to do.

Why can't what you are be alright? Why? I'm red. My eyes have spots. You bleed gold. It just means you're strange. A band called The Doors sang about it. Give it a listen sometime.

Now Move. Before something beats your ass 'cause like, thirty horny people will lose their minds and go on revenge missions. Come on!

[He squints though, dragging him towards the nearest building that has decided to firmly stay a building for the time being so that he can get himself sorted out.]

Yeah but hating the light show is legit. I can't blame you for that.

"Nah, they were okay! The little guy seemed confused, that's all." Prompto said with a bright smile.

"Oh, yeah, I'm Prompto."

"Wei Wuxian, for one. Tell him I sent you." Raven managed to respond, albeit her tone was softer than usual because of the head pain. Breathing to herself for a few moments while she listened.

"I am familiar with that story, yes." Looking up from her crouch, purple-blue eyes looking to meet his. "I'm sorry." Genuine sympathy, despite that her head hurt.

Maybe she'd only been treated better, given her destiny, because the monks of Temple Azarath were kind and compassionate for the most part. She'd still grown up aware of whispers about her, furtive looks when she was still learning how to control herself. As if she were something dangerous.

"That's understandable." Maglor agrees. "But I also want you to feel safe here - no matter what they say outside..." He looks at Danny, willing him to believe him.

"I don't care that the relationship was forced and faked. In this house, so long as we are forced into these circumstances together, I will defend you as if you were mine in truth, should the authorities try and force things."

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So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

Re: day 5

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PSA: Sorry my muse is a jerk

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