VoidTrecker Express Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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middleofsomewhere2021-07-14 07:28 am
voidtreckermods) wrote in middleofsomewhere2021-07-14 07:28 am
Entry tags:
So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing
JUST Ā̸̛͇̹̈́͌͐͛̐̋͝Ǹ̵̠͍̲̘͈̮͈̺͔̤͙̳̓̔͑͌̒̓̃́̄̚͘Ớ̶̻̱̄̓͆͂̈́̄̔͋͌̽̀̕͘T̵͙͍͓̻̩͙̻͙̹͎̫̘͇̱̈́̌̓͝ͅH̶̭̻͇̰͈̯̦̹̦̗͐̒́Ẽ̵̡̡̘̳͉͇͚̼̗̣̩͎̞̏͒̈́̏͂̈͝Ř̴̠͋̐͘ NORMAL DAY
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"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.
- 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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"Ah, but who is behind this? And why? Why steal beings from so many worlds, including gods, and trap them here in a fake world with fake lives? And while the grand illusion may be cracking, it is frustratingly resilient as well. Self-repairing, even."
He turns to the waitress. "We need more information. At the very least find out more about who is in charge. If they are committed to maintaining this lie, they may welcome allies who say they want the same thing. And who better to help them restore the illusions than Loki, master of illusions and lies, who would sell out anyone for power and having his fantasy fulfilled?"
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Which lead her here. "I may have some idea as to who, at least," Leia said. "On our last mission, we faced an entity capable of creating elaborate, large-scale illusions, ones that had enough physical substance to do direct harm even if the person knew it was an illusion and could see through it. It also has the ability to tap into people's minds somewhat, since it was able to generate tailor-made illusions based on our fears and desires. I would bet money that it was behind this somehow."
"As to why, I'm much less certain, but after we put a stop to its plans on that world, it mentioned wanting to find a home. So it's possible that it may have tried to create one, and then populate it. But I have no idea what it's goal beyond that might be. And if that's the case, all evidence is pointing to it not being nearly as successful as it hoped."
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Sunset smiled fondly at Loki, more amused by the bragging then anything. She wonders what a sight it might be with them holding hands.
Though she perks up as Leia speaks, her expression getting more thoughtful. "Direct harm as in it felt people bleeding or was it like psychic damage? They thought they were being hurt, so mentally they were?" She asked. It was a very important distinction.
She looked at Loki. "If they want a home, then they really may welcome allies. Especially someone who can empathize. But more then that...it may be possible to actually reason with them. A home...a person would do a lot for a home. Especially combined with power. If I could get close, I could find out if its possible to save them, end this peacefully."
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"That is quite useful to know. If the being behind this is the same as the one from your previous mission, they may likely recognize individual Treckers. Or one of you might recognize them. It would be- helpful for one of you to join them, if you think the defection will be believed."
He squeezes Solar's hand, thinking of Sidereal. How he had already been rescued and was happy, without having to lose his memories and become a different person.
"If they can be reasoned with... well, I will try to find that out. And I will leave negotiations to those who in a mood for it. But first we must get close to them. And I have my suggestion, which only puts volunteers in danger."
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He knows they can know, but he stresses it now all the same, with this talk of getting through to this person.
"These illusions can hurt- get you killed, mentally, all that! What are you expecting from this guy? Change their mind, go somewhere else? How do you reason with someone like that?"
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She looked at the man and the girl, the only two at the table she didn't recognise. "Am I right in believing you two are not Voidtreckers? Where do you come from? How did you get here?"
This, it seemed, was more complicated than she had first thought when she put that call out. But she has known the voidtreckers for a few months now, nothing is ever simple.
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Leia returned Loki's small smile. "Oh I'm sure it'll recognize us. But unfortunately Tidus is right; I highly doubt there'll be any negotiating with this entity. It's shown absolutely no regard for sentient life and has been willing to kill off whole populations to get what it wants. And if it's previous attacks were also attempts to find a home via some kind of bizarre effort at colonization or terraforming, I don't think we want to be anywhere near what it would consider home."
"However," she said, "while we won't be able to negotiate with the entity directly, that doesn't necessarily mean that we wouldn't be able to talk to those in charge who are still under its control and get some information that way. I happen to have more than a little experience with infiltration, so if you need some backup on yours, I'd be willing to lend you a hand."
Sorry she is like this, but she would be like this ewajiejaoiejw
"A home doesn't seem like such a huge thing until you don't have it. Things like that, simple, obvious things, not having them is....maddening. And when its combined with power, often dangerous. Its easy. To lose sight of what you're doing. What harm you're causing. Not everyone does, not everyone can, but I've also seen it happen a lot, where that lack and power led to harm. And after I was given kindness I didn't deserve, after a beat down I did, its not something I like writing off entirely," she said, voice soft, but also firm.
"But....there were times people didn't want to accept that kindness. Then you destroy what needs to be destroyed to stop the harm," she said, voice still firm, thought Loki may feel the slight tremble in her hand.
"I don't remember how we got here. Last I remember, we were kidnapped by some faeries of the nightmare variety. Before that, we met on another interdimensional train with a greater good mission. And before that, Loki is a god, an expert at illusions and other magics, and pretty good at combat. I'm a magical unicorn turned human when I went to a parallel world who was eventually granted extremely potent empathetic abilities after the life lessons. Also the Magic of Friendship, and that is a lot more serious business then it sounds," she explained. "Equestria just...has everything named like that."
"As for those who was still under control....I can't break the control, but I can see through false memories if I get a good look, which usually means touch. Loki and I are also both very good at lying. Pretending to want power. Or a better life. And....you were thinking of other ways to earn trust, right?" Sunset said, looking at Loki.
Yes, she would. X3
At those words, something in Leia's expression hardened. She didn't interrupt Sunset; she had enough respect for the girl and her sincerity and beliefs to not try to talk over her. But when she did speak again, there was a weight and an edge to her tone that hadn't been there before. "Young lady," she said, "I know very well what it's like to not have a home. It was destroyed when I wasn't much older than you, by a man who gave the order to obliterate a populated world as if he were discussing the weather." She didn't say aloud that he'd forced her to watch, but the fact that she knew how he'd given the order... "And he did it with the full intention of destroying as many other worlds as necessary until his goals were accomplished. He is why I know that there are people you don't negotiate with."
She took a deep breath, and exhaled it in a sigh. When she continued, the edge had left her voice, but not the weight. "I firmly believe that even the worst people are capable of making different choices and changing for the better if they want to. But that's the issue; they have to want to. There has to be an active decision, an effort made on their part, to step out of the dark."
"It would be wonderful if all conflicts could be resolved with kindness or negotiation. Friendship, love, and compassion truly are powerful things, with or without actual magic involved. But there is a point where you have to draw a line. This being is responsible for- among other things- two acts of attempted genocide, and has shown no remorse for any of its actions. What it has shown is that it seems to have every intention of continuing with similar actions if it's not stopped. It has crossed the line. We aren't here to befriend it, or to negotiate with it. We're here to stop it. And to do whatever is needed to make sure it doesn't harm any one else."
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"Whether negotiation or destruction will ultimately be the solution, either way we could very much use someone inside D-Force, who might be able to obtain a direct line to whoever is controlling the city. Now, my previously stellar reputation has been... tarnished, but if I were to rejoin the Heroes with proof of how I could be effective at rooting out the threats and reinforcing the illusion, I could be that someone. I would, of course, need to have something to offer, either valuable information or a wanted fugitive. I would not want to give up the location of this, what appears to be our only safe house, so... would anyone want to be captured?"
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He doesn't have anything to add to the talk of the heavier stuff; Leia's said plenty, and he wants to focus on the mission. Pointing to the table, but in a conversational manner than meaning anything more as he adds:
"The big congressional park here, there's rooms, a bunch of them - if you walk in, it sucks you into a illusion, makes you think you're doing important work, but you're not. Wouldn't our pal do that to anyone it wants working for them? It already is," he says, hands gesturing out.
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She frowned. "If people have come from elsewhere then breaking them out is bringing them into a world they do not know, the knowledge they have been kidnapped and the knowledge that they do not know anyone else. Having someone who they already know to guide them through that."
She looks down a the small droid at her feet.
"I know how important it is to have a friend to guide you."
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As Leia spoke, she could only feel pain for her. She knew what it was like to lose a home permanently in the form of dead parents and a closed portal, but not the destruction of a planet. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know there's nothing that can be said in the face of that, but I wish there was." Because its far too large for that.
"I know not everyone can be reached. Even the Magic of Friendship knows that sometimes people won't accept compassion. And maybe they can't be. I'm not going to risk the safety of innocent people for that, I know that isn't always an option. A choice has to be made in the moment to protect people," she said and glanced at Loki, squeezing his hand again, before looking at Leia again. "But...if I have an opportunity to try, to make them see there is another way because sometimes people just don't see....I want to try. That's all."
She takes a deep breath and let's it out. "But it sounds like we're still vague on where this person might be. So, helping those we can see does sound best." She looked at Raven and nodded. "That would be appreciated, if its subtle. I can teleport....but I have to be a unicorn and it comes with an awful lot of sparkles. Both of which aren't inconspicuous."
She looked at Anan. "I can be a friendly face. Offer understanding to get them out and if that fails, Equestrian ponies are adorable. Cute is pretty effective at calming people. So, if we can find the higher ups, I can try to break through to them. Loki could earn trust through the ranks and hopefully I could make more him allies while we're looking to find the one in the center..."
She paused, looking at Tidus and then at the table, tapping her chin. "We may also want to find the places with the strongest 'role' influence. Like those rooms. There's a lot of illusions, where things are less then we perceive them, but if there's a supposed safe haven for them, it'll probably have a lot of those in proximity."
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He doesn't want this girl getting hurt, and whether or not she picks up on anything from him, he speaks up about the point she makes to him, expression thoughtful. "I don't know how safe they are. It's like they make you think you're doing stuff in them, but you're not? I think the people who checked around might be around here-" he nods his head, meaning the café itself
because let's just pretend multiple people are here at once. "So we can ask. But you-"Tidus looks at Loki now, with his brow dipped in that peering way.
"Didn't you two get caught blowing up a park?" ...actually. He looks back at Sunset. "What was that about?"
The point he wanted to make - about a problem with them being the pair to infiltrate the D-Force - is put aside for that confusion.
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As for picking things up, she is serious about touch. Her empathy is powerful, but its range is limited and her friends aren't here to boost that. Loki was the only one whose emotions she could read at the moment.
"I was a pony by the time anything was going awry. May not fool the entity, but no one else should know its me as a human," she said. Because it was an important detail. "That was when I woke up Loki. And it wasn't an actual explosion."
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"If the entity wants to provide justification for its actions, or expresses remorse, then I'll listen," Leia said. "It may not change my mind. But I'll listen." She couldn't promise any more than that, and thus shifted the subject somewhat to actual planning, turning to Loki.
"Real explosion or not, I'd say your reputation is a bit more than tarnished because of it. I doubt that the local authorities would take you back, even if you did bring a potentially valuable prisoner with you. Though the same basic plan could still work, if you were willing to swap roles. Perhaps, a Leader of the Voidtreckers bringing in a 'dangerous and unstable loose canon who's a threat to both groups' as a sort of peace offering with which to open up negotiations would work better?"
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"I suppose I could be the enemy of both sides. And make it convincing to the entity, as long as I limit my interactions with other interlopers from here on out. But I do have a couple conditions."
He raises a finger. "One, do not forget who came up with the plan. Two, I do not want to actually be captured. Neither imprisonment nor re-brainwashing are appealing and I am certain I can be of more use while free. Third..."
His expression softens a little into genuine concern. "Whoever does take the role of defector, watch yourself and do not get killed. I do not want to be responsible for another's death at the enemy's hands."
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And no one should get killed. Even void-killed. Still bad enough. "But that sounds like something that might work, if you think it's worth reasoning with the entity."
She shrugged, "If nothing else, if this entity is holding this place together we don't want to do anything to make it... less stable, until we have a way off."
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She looked at Loki and grinned a bit. "Considering how much is illusion based, I bet you could put up a convincing show of the raging she-demom. Make it seem all us other train people are crazy. Maybe since she did exist and hopefully I'm a harder read, it might even trick the entity. Then she teleports away when you get captured, enforcing the need to team up for our 'enemies.'"
She looked at Raven and Anan. "....that's a good point." She looked at Raven. "Do you have a place you usually teleport onto the train? Or something on your person that connects to it? Or more teleporters on the train? A friend of mine was able to get an interdimensional portal to always stay open using magically tied books as a trail to follow. I might be able to rework that work if you have anything to tie you to the train," she said, free hand fiddling with her necklace. "It'll take a lot of power, but if we have more people offering up trust and raw energy, I can most likely channel it properly. Make up for a lack in theory."
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But when he sees an opportunity he speaks up.
"If you need inside information on D-Force, I can provide that."
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"Alright, now we're finally talking about what we should've been talking about from the start," she says.
"Look, nice as it'd be to solve this boogeyman's problems and ours at the same time, that's not our objective. Our objective is to get the hell out of here, and the way we get the hell out of here needs to be the first, second, and third things we talk about. If we go with an inside man plan, that inside man's gonna have to coordinate with whoever we have on extraction."
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He looks to Anan then. "We want to get people outta here. Is there a way you think we can do it? Send people back home? We can get back - it's everyone else that's the problem."
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