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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Elidibus's expression suggests he's familiar with the description of such devastation. Whether he's witnessed a whole world in such a state may still be questioned.

"It's a common motive, for those with the ability to pursue such a goal. But is this the limit of the entity's power or merely a test to see if it would hold?"

Elidibus won't sound particularly horrified. He also sounds distant as if mulling over a number of thoughts.

"I focused on those connected to the train. If some of my earlier efforts happened to awaken natives to Diagad then I am unaware." And apparently unconcerned. Well, not entirely.

"Even if they can be awakened, it may be best to avoid doing so. If their last real memories are of Diagad's final days, it will only compound our troubles."

Edited 2021-07-16 17:22 (UTC)

"Every thing we've seen so far seems to escalated. I'd like to think this is it but... Who knows if this is the height of their power or of they have more..."

She shook her head. "A recreation makes sense though, they are trying to make this their lost home. Filling it with people. You guys get weird.... abilities?"

That's probably the best way to describe it.

"I can only speak for myself, but yeah. I got something." But it's not the power he wants to focus on, the way this conversation was unfolding....

"Why go through all the trouble, though?" He offers Anan, to the group in question. "Let's say that they're recreating Diagad out of their own memory. Let's say they want to bring back the glory days. But what's the point? And more importantly, why are we here along for the ride?" He looks to Masumi, remembers their first encounter with the entity in Kamakan.

"This thing's angry, right? It made a threat - that it'll get us eventually." A paraphrase. "Now, I think it's one step closer to doing just that. Still. Why?" Roland shakes his head, bangs loose against his cap. "It might have even hijacked an existing planet, forced its people to subjugate under the illusion to draw us in. Anan, are all the people in this planet native to it, or are we all kidnapped from elsewhere? Is there a way to find that out...?"

Because between saving everybody and breaking free, why not hit two birds with one stone?

"Well, my thoughts are this. I don't think there's a number because I'm not sure there was a world here." Senku responded. "The fact that Diagad has fallen aside, I don't think anyone here is from Diagad."

He offered a smile at Anan. "Oh, I got a power alright, and it's a good one." It was dangerous, and could be troublesome in the wrong hands.

Senku was entirely the wrong hands in this moment.

"Seems counter-intuitive to give us tools to fight it, unless it's just bored or something. I don't know. The motive really has me perplexed...and I'm not great at discerning that to begin with."

Eight had entered the bar as they were mind conversation, long enough to hear that this was a creation and that there were people that were illusions... but she also knew that Nory... 3 was here, and that she was not a member of the train.

She approaches the group, a soft and timid "Roland, Masumi, Senku," to note who she knew there now. As embarrassing as that was for her to admit. She sat down and listened for a while before speaking up.

"I have a question." She finally speaks out. "Is there any way for us to tel the difference between who is of the train, who is of the illusion, and who is in-between? I know a girl who... she wouldn't be of the train or of the illusion."

"Surely there must be others."

Edited (she doesn't recognize Elidibus as he doesn't look like himself) 2021-07-21 19:34 (UTC)

"Between us voidtravellers and those who are not the only difference would be if they are wearing a SCA." She smiled at Eight as she joined the table.

"It might be that she is from elsewhere... Somehow brought here."

This place was unstable which might help with such things, but it was worrying nonetheless. "There might be other differences, but I am in the dark as the rest of you about that. "I'm not sure if there are any natives to this world. Everyone I've met who has broken from the control speaks of somewhere else."

She smiled at Senku. "That's the strangest. It speaks of a lack of control. That we are here, within the world built by whoever this is and playing by their rules."

"No person here is 'of the illusion'. They are all real. At least, I have yet to see one who isn't. However the same can't be said of the beasts." The woman whose body Elidibus is wearing speaks up. Her voice is female; it would look odd after all to speak in his normal tones.

But 'she' gives a familiar look and nod to Eight as the Octarian joins the table.

"And the abilities you speak of are a trap." This is directed toward Anan. "Use them too often and you will simply be pulled back into the illusion's sway."

Elidibus looks thoughtful momentarily. "You say Diagad is only a husk. Did you travel there with the intent of discovering it, or was it happenstance that you came across its existence?"

I have one too. Seems like everyone got one as far as I know, which is interesting since the books I read said that people on Diagad only gained their powers around puberty and that there were a small number of people who never gained a power...

[She's interrupted from her thoughts as Eight arrives, and gives a smile and nod before returning focus to the conversation.]

Actually, I thought of something. Does anyone else know what happened to Diagad, or at least noticed that it's gone? If there was talk of when to bring them into the void system and books published about the world, then surely someone must have noticed when they were destroyed.

[Anan had seen what was left first hand, but what kind of talk is circulating about it? Surely someone else noticed...]

"I wonder quite a bit about that control around here, considering some of us obviously have managed to fend off the illusion, he can't have that much control." He commented with a little snort.

Senku hummed a little bit. "I wonder where all these people are from then. Another train? Void connected worlds?"

"I went there with the purpose of learning more of the force behind all this. It mentioned Diagad when it had us trapped on Kamakan and so I travelled there..." She looked at Masumi. "I reported it as a destroyed world, I am not sure if it was reported before I did so. It depends if anyone tried to get there. It wasn't quite void active so it didn't have it's own void travellers to realise it was gone."

She nodded at Senku, it was a good line of thinking.

"They could be from other worlds, or something like it." Eight chimes in, thinking about the words of where Nory came from. Though she was muddled in the illusion at the time, she noted at the time that it sounded very similar to the train... or maybe it was another planet? "I've seen several people that I had never seen before, so I agree that it would be better to assume that people are from different places if they aren't a part of the illusion."

She leaned forward, her eyebrows furrowing. "What I want to know is why go through all this trouble? What is it that the... person? AI? God?" She shook her head. "Why go through the effort of giving us us an entirely new life? Because they want us to forget?" One, she'd confess, was one she'd very readily accept as reality.

"How many trains would have to be active to have every person here be a passenger of one?" For a moment 'Olivia' glances toward Anan thoughtfully. "I've met at least one person who mirrors someone once a passenger on our own voyage. Whether they were the same person from a different time or an alternate, it'd trouble me to find multiple trains seek to capture and exploit passengers for their allotted missions. Or to find this 'Void Ministry' willfully ignores the plight of the unwilling."

Elidibus speaks of this matter-of-factly, giving no sign of displeasure. It's simply a statement of the observed behavior of their own Voidtrecker Express.

He looks at Eight. By this point there's probably something in this 'Olivia's'' manner and speech that could invoke familiarity if not the mention of being a passenger on the train itself.

"It is a question that should be asked. But remember the answer may not be to your liking. As this entity seems driven to restore its former world, it would also need a population. If it can't easily recreate those that died, then why not practice imprinting those memories on living vessels as a means to restore things to how they were. It deals in illusions. Powerful ones, but reality is a different type of magic."

Elidibus reaches out for the tea that was placed before his vessel. It is only regarded. "I don't have firsthand knowledge of the illusions you encountered on the last mission. Yet this seems far more potent from all the accounts I managed to overhear. It's possible in time it will be able to replace illusion with reality. And there might be a point where there is no escape nor hope of rescue from that level of transformation."

"If we are dealing with more than one kidnapping train..."

She has a headache just thinking about it but she smiles at the table again. "I think you are right, it is getting more confident, more powerful. Every time. This is bad enough. If we don't stop it here then..."

She doesn't want to even think about it.

"I think we can assume many here are not tethered... But we probably want to assume everyone here is real. People to be saved, not illusions to be destroyed."

They might be wrong, but it's better than the other way round.

"It would be best to do so. I've yet to see someone who is not." Real that is.

Elidibus wants to pursue questions to Anan related to their 'kidnapping train', Voidtreckers in general, the Void Ministry but... these matters have to take a backseat to the more pressing matter of their current confinement.

One kidnapper is definitely more dangerous than the other right now. Still, there is one thing he can possibly question

"Should we expect other passengers from your train? Other trains? I am able to discern who is wearing their SCA device regardless of whether it is hidden. How many different trains should we be alert for?"

"My crew is here." She nodded, "There's five of us, much smaller than yours. I am unsure if there are other voidcraft trapped here."

It might be easier if there were. Getting voidtravellers out of here would be easier than getting those trapped in other ways home.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

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Going again, as it's been a while since anyone responded. Hope this is okay!

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