voidtreckermods: (train)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2021-07-14 07:28 am

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.
zombiemessiah: (m81)

[personal profile] zombiemessiah 2021-07-15 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
"Yup!" he calls from inside. Because, as strong as he is, he's not 'lift vehicles' strong. He is, however, cunning enough to grab a couple of aerosol cans and a lighter. "Keep the change!" he shouts at the boggled, mildly traumatized teenager.

"But- but you didn't pay?!"

"I guess I didn't!" he says as he comes out to join her, not even stopping to consider it because, c'mon, he's been through this kinda chaos before. And he will absolutely pull the improvised flame thrower move if he has to.

"So when did you get back to yourself?"
sirentologist: (Psycho)

[personal profile] sirentologist 2021-07-18 07:35 am (UTC)(link)
"Now is not the time for small talk." As far as she's concerned, it is never the time for small talk, but that has never stopped anyone before. Apparently she must just look like she wanted to talk. All the time. Especially when she's busy. Wonderful.

"We can discuss it at more length later, our current priority should be escaping the screaming. Oh, and also finding safety, I suppose. Is the train nearby?"
zombiemessiah: (m03)

[personal profile] zombiemessiah 2021-07-18 10:48 am (UTC)(link)
"It's not small talk! It's big talk. When the hell did you get your brain back? Shiiit."

He can already see something big and abhorrent rampaging at the end of the street. So he does what he does best.

He grabs someone and bites them. Right on the back of the neck. They shove him off and lift their hands, energy forming in the palms.

This lasts all of three seconds before he nods down the street and mutters, "Kill it." It's a command that immediately turns the person's aggressive attention away from him and sends them running after the creature.

Murphy wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "Okay let's go the other way."
sirentologist: (Science!)

[personal profile] sirentologist 2021-07-21 04:02 am (UTC)(link)
It absolutely is small talk, and she is going to handily move past the inquiry by flatly ignoring it. Does it actually, in the grand scheme of the chaos around them, matter when she regained her sanity? Well. When she came back to her regular amount of sanity?

She will, however, eagerly observe as Murphy bites a random passerby and then sends them off on their merry way to kill monstrosities. And she has all sorts of questions about that.

"Oooh that is fascinating. Can you do that to anyone? Are there any ill effects? Is it something you learned or inherited? Oh, can you tell them to do anything you'd like or are they still subject to their own will?"
zombiemessiah: (m66)

[personal profile] zombiemessiah 2021-07-21 09:09 am (UTC)(link)
"What was this about small talk?! Answers yes, kinda, and mostly me. Mostly. I get feedback. It's not a one way deal where I feel nothing. I'm connected to them too."

Which means that fucker better live or it's gonna bother him a lot. But, you know, not bother him enough not to bite him.

"Also it comes with exchanging bodily fluids soooo..." He's not really tried with Tannis but her level of psychic might just maintain a connection and nothing more. No control possible. He's figured it doesn't work much on some 'special' humans anyway.
sirentologist: (Science!)

[personal profile] sirentologist 2021-07-28 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
"Scientific curiousity is not small talk." Never mind that their argument is basically amounting the same thing--standing around the street while chaos ensues around them and really it's just a matter of time before the chaos ensues on top of them instead. But really, she is insulted. How dare he conflate an attempt for scientific questioning with small talk.

She's about to ask what body fluid has to do with it and how that works and ooo could that be weaponized there seems to be a lot of opportunity around here for that--until the realization of what he actually means slaps her across the face.

"Oh. Oh. Well I suppose that will have to be an experiment for another day."

She's not even fazed. It actually sounds like fun.
zombiemessiah: (m102)

[personal profile] zombiemessiah 2021-07-28 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"Neither is asking how long you've been in your right mind in an emergency situation? I need a sanity check."

He spreads his hands.

"You know. Fair warning. But yeah, I've used it on a large number of people before. I can only establish connections with a dozen or so at a time or I start running out of juice. And it's hard to control a group. Takes a lot of work."
sirentologist: (Glory)

[personal profile] sirentologist 2021-08-01 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
"If you're looking for sanity, I am afraid you are about to be sorely disappointed." She certainly has no illusions that she is at all sane in any way. Really, he could have worded that better. "I have returned to an...acceptable baseline. Is that good enough for you?"