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

Ripped weaving

[ Thanatos is in a strange liminal space. He knows the life he lives isn't what he lived before, isn't real. Baker isn't his last name. Ryo isn't his twin. He's not a law student. He doesn't even have powers over life. The gaps and holes grow too wide to ignore, but... he can't seem to fully break free from the illusion either. He might for a bit. Then he falls back under as if chains pull him in another direction.

It's not that he wants the illusionary life, but he doesn't know who exactly he was before. Everything he recalls comes from different extremes, leaving him confused. And honestly, Thanatos wonders if he even should remember because he has the overwhelming feeling that he's... hated, feared. Not only by others but by himself.

As the city destabilizes and crumbles around him, Thanatos simply tries to stay out of the way. An uncomfortable neutral. He doesn't aid the VoidTreckers. He doesn't stop them. Same goes for the D-Force. He's already hurt enough people by trying and failing.

Currently, he's off on his own, lost. Thanatos stares at a cut on his hand after stumbling to the ground from another painful light induced migraine. In the glimpses of his past, Thanatos sees so much red blood. So much red. But what he sees dribbling down his fingers isn't red. It's gold. ]

I'm not even human....

Unraveling tapestry

[ Finally, Thanatos has regained himself, even if he's still in the shaky state he was in before the mission. His powers of life are gone and thus so is his ability to heal. (Attempting to use those powers pulls him under the illusion too easily.) His powers of death are little help, as usual, on these missions.

So he tries to keep track of areas where the illusion is falling apart the worst. Thanatos can float and shift his location somewhere else. If any entire area disappears suddenly or if a wild beast approaches, he can keep himself safe. ]

Wildcard

[ Hit me up if you want to do something. ]

[Murphy's not been helping all that much, but that's because Murphy cares significantly less than usual. Like the fucks he has to give just tinkle around obnoxiously at the bottom of the jar.]

[But he's out anyway, because now he's got nothing to even pretend to be doing since a lot of the non-essential buildings he'd been working in are disappearing, and all the food he might want to eat tastes like paste, and he's so, so hungry in a way that now he can kind of name but he doesn't want to have to.]

[It's in this cranky state that he comes across Thanatos.]

...Why do you care?! [He throws up his hands, his own headache still drilling into him.] Humans are overrated. They think it's their way or the highway. Best thing I ever did was stop thinking like a human. It made me a better person.

[Well... by millimeters, it made him a better person. Anyway, there's more red coming at him, this time in the form of a lanky zombie man pulling him to his feet.] I hate being someone else's puppet, no matter what I am. [He grunts as he does so.]

[ Thanatos looks to the red man as he's helped to his feet, but his attention soon goes back to the gold liquid from his wound. The wound is healing quickly, but he knows that it's not his doing. Not his power. He doesn't have the power he once thought he did. ]

It's just another thing I thought was and isn't.

[ There's another flash of light, and Thanatos has to look at the ground. If only this light sensitivity wasn't real.... ]

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.

[ What do singing door have anything to do with this? Why are doors even singing in the first place? And why people with horns?

Still, he follows the red man because at least they are moving away from the light. At least there is a little less pain. ]

I don't know what or even who I am. And if what I've seen and felt are real, then I shouldn't even try to be who I was.

[ Thanatos leans against the wall and closes his eyes. ]

[Murphy paces restlessly, looking for something that he can use as a weapon. He starts rifling through a nearby abandoned toolbox, left by some unfortunate fleeing civilian, but pauses when Thanatos says what he says.]

You think this wasn't us, too? It absolutely was us. It's the lives we want to lead. You have no idea how badly I just wanted to be some normal bastard. Living it up. All the casual sex I wanted. People paying attention in the best way. Being a good father. All that stuff at once?

But you know what I am?

[First he waves his hand over his satan-shaded face, and then he untucks his dress shirt and pulls it up. Underneath his torso is covered in scars, human mouthed shaped, miserable and deep. Two ribs shattered beneath thinly healed skin. He then tucks it back in.]

I'm the savior of humanity. I'm the zombie messiah. You're the god of the dead. We wipe the sweat from our brow and then wring every drop of ordinary shlub time out of it we can.

Want a screwdriver? 'Cause I am absolutely taking the hammer.

[ Had Thanatos wanted the life he lived? Had he wanted the power of life, to feel whole, complete instead of broken and missing something vital? His illusion life wanted to help the world and set things right. Mort sits still on his shoulder, no longer that adorable pet but something strange. Not alive but not a toy either. Had Thanatos wished Mort to be something more than what he is?

Whatever life this savior truly had was filled with strife. The evidence is written all over his body, and it gives credit to his claim. However... there's something about what the man says that sits very wrong, more wrong than having a relatively quiet life as a student. ]

No. That's not right. I'm not the God of the Dead. I am not the God of War either, so I need no weapon.

[ But... is he a god if he's not human? His hand twitches as if it wants to grasp the handle of something just out of reach. One of his symbols, perhaps. ]

[Murphy picks up the hammer and twirls it in his hand like Doc would. Odd nostalgia, that. Still not great range but he could nail someone in the head pretty well.]

Oh you're definitely not a god of war. I would hate to see what being a god of war would do to your psyche, Jesus fucking Christ. [He shakes his head. Nope. Bad for Than.] But you are a god of death. Like the shitty crying by a bedside deaths not the bleeding out swearing curses to your killer deaths. You're there to make it a little easier on the person in the bed. I say 'a' god of death because we have more than one running around. Or floating around if you take a notion. [He gestures at Thanatos's feet.] Which you can do.

Look, it's not all bad. You still have your little pet thing. You were able to float. You had a lot of people that constantly went out of their way to say you were good and they publicly love the fuck out of you but you don't believe them.

Which, by the way, stop that. [He outright scolds him.] I got a whole lotta words I could spend on that topic but you're only about thirty percent you right now. And we really need a god.

[ Thanatos fights. He knows he can... somehow, but that's not his role. Death, that heavy word weighs on him in both an oppressive and familiar way. ]

If I'm a god of death, then... that might explain what I sensed earlier. Still, I seem to remember more the words of those who cursed me, spat at me, attacked me, and looked upon me in terror or rage.

[ He flexes his fingers again, and this time a sword appears in his hand. It may not be the terrifying tool of death many associate with him now, but it is his first. ]

And does anyone need someone as hated as me? What can I do for either side of this fight? Why should I get involved?

[ Death must remain neutral, right? Let no one sway him. Not even himself and his own wants. ]

Yes!

[He leans forward, grabs the back of Thanatos's neck with his free hand, completely ignoring that he's man-handling the god of death for fuck's sake, and makes him look at him.]

Yes. Because it doesn't matter how much you're hated. It matters how much you're loved and holy shit do people love you. Don't be someone's pawn. And I know you're capable of caring right back 'cause you're sitting here anguishing over it.

[He gives him a very serious, very earnest look.]

Believe me, I. Am. Hated. And I don't even care about most of these people. But I'll still not let us be someone else's damn dolls in this little playhouse. Every single person you care about here? Care about there? Both sides of you? Getting played with right now.

[He lets go and steps back.] But if you don't wanna you don't wanna and I'll just wander my corpsey ass out onto the street and play carpenter on some freak's head.

[ Is... he really anguishing over staying neutral? He is, isn't he? So maybe he doesn't want to neutral after all, but he still can't act. Thanatos still doesn't know. He also has a feeling he's a pawn no matter what. ]

I don't know which side to fight for. D-Force? VoidTrecker? Some other group?

[ Murphy never said which side was turning the other into puppets, and Thanatos doesn't know enough to make a choice himself.

Then Thanatos sees a flash of green and red in the mix of light, and he stares at it despite how it hurt his eyes. Green and red. Green and red. There's something about it that pulls at him. Powerfully. Like Thanatos had chosen not to be neutral for the sake of those green and red... eyes.

To hell with whatever happens to Thanatos, he knows he needs to fight for that person. ]

Who has one green eye and one red eye? Where can I find him?

VoidTrecker. Duh. You are one.

[But besides the point.] The hot guy with the two different colored eyes? [Oh shit. Oh shit, right! He was the other god, but suddenly Murphy remembers him also as a fan of his podcast that leaves comments occasionally.]

[What the fuck, memory...]

[He pulls back from Than and starts to look up something on his phone, handing Than the hammer in the meantime 'cause he needs both for this. Before he holds up one of Zagreus's social media profiles.] This guy, right?

[ To be honest, Thanatos immediately ignores that Murphy calls him a VoidTrecker because he zeroes in on the picture.

There's a clatter as Thanatos drops his sword. He needs a free hand. Thanatos reaches up and touches the screen, gently and with almost reverence. It's him. That's him. Zagreus. It's the only concrete memory he's solidly felt and which did not leave him questioning its importance after. And that tells him a lot when he had just seen those flashes of light. ]

Where I can find him?

[ His voice gains a bit of strength. No matter what becomes of Thanatos, he knows that Zagreus means everything. He can fight for that. ]

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zombiemessiah - 2021-07-29 08:16 (UTC) - Expand

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controlsthedie - 2021-07-30 01:21 (UTC) - Expand

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zombiemessiah - 2021-07-31 09:25 (UTC) - Expand

just sliding in here like a creeper

dyingpro - 2021-07-31 13:44 (UTC) - Expand

ajldfkjasdf

controlsthedie - 2021-08-01 05:52 (UTC) - Expand

According to what? The concept of humanity is more flexible than many might want to believe.

( If it sounds like he's quoting someone, he is. Sect elders are indeed wise, if not on all things, then on many.

Jingyi has kept his tail and horns suppressed, once he'd come out of the illusion. Recognising familiar faces was useful, albeit not always practical when how in or out anyone is becomes a matter of, well, question.

Still, he leans in, looking at the same hand with its golden blood. )

... Does that darken when it dries?

( Likewise he reaches into his sleeve to tug out a strip of fabric, offering it over as a bandage; it's been a sort of necessity, as things slowly escalate. )

You're not getting overwhelmed by voices again, are you?

( Wait. BE SUBTLE. He's got this.

... Or no, he doesn't, but he's... trying, sort of. )

Being human and humanity are two different things, I think.

[ There just feels to be some distinction to him that he can't explain, but he's afraid of digging deeper. Thanatos has felt, seen things that worry him. ]

Voices? Do you mean the light?

[ There... might have been voices. Might have been something very big that happened recently, but Thanatos isn't entirely sure if he'd call it voices. ]

( Since his offering of cloth is going unheeded, he now holds out his hand, pointedly staring. )

Could be, I'm not sure. Hand, please?

( Which lights, what voices? Is that how it was... oh. Oh. )

Yeah, I think that's what I mean, when it comes to you. Also what do you mean when you say being human? Is this a species thing?

[ Thanatos offers his hand hesitantly. It should be noted that he'll pull away in a panic at the slightest grasp of his wrist. The wrist isn't injured, but Thanatos has a strong reaction to being grabbed there. ]

I don't know. I don't understand myself... just...

[ There was something painful he felt in the core of his being. A lot of somethings happening all at once. Death. There was a lot of death. ]

What are you talking about?

( More by happy accident than purpose, Jingyi manages to only cradle underneath the hand he's intent on bandaging, muttering a 'thanks' once it's offered to him. He's used to wrapping, though he'd prefer water to rinse; not the time, and he wonders if death even gets infected wounds.

Or what it would be like, realising what you are when it's not just something as odd as what he is, but even more abstract and powerful and omnipresent. )

Promise not to freak out if I show you something?

( Promises like that are so empty, and still. )

I can promise no such thing, given everything going on.

[ There is no way of expecting anything, and he honestly doesn't know how he'll react. ]

However, I will keep in mind that whatever you are showing is you.

Geez, there are different levels here..

( which he grumbles, but he was hardly planning to go full dragon right now. instead he finishes bandaging, then settles back, passing a hand slowly over his forehead. )

Now you don't see them...

( Following the pass of his hand, however, two tined horns appear, until they're fully visible. his tail has become present a well, though less obvious for now despite it's larger size. )

... Now you do.

... Am I supposed to be seeing more than just your change in appearance?

[ Shapeshifting doesn't seem that alarming to him. There were a great many types of powers and peoples in Jinnjar City. As such, Thanatos isn't entirely sure what he's supposed to get from this change of Jingyi's. ]

( He snorts, but shakes his head. )

I'm not human, not the way people of this city once were. But anyway, not entirely.

( He pulls back the sleeve of his inner robe, the one that fits tight to his arm, to show... a purple banded device. The kind that the Voidtreckers are supposed to have. )

[ The point Jingyi is trying to make is still unclear to Thanatos until he pulls back his sleeve. Thanatos has seen that device. His hand stills at his wrist, but he eventually pulls it back to reveal a similar device with a red band. For good measure, Thanatos brings out a pendant around his neck. ]

A battle is being fought between VoidTreckers and the D-Force. These, they point to the life I once lived, don't they?

Kinda, but yes.

( Jingyi lets his sleeve fall back down over it, and takes his tucked away crystal pendant out of his front folds on his robes. )

The life you're still living, even now. It's not D-Force fighting the Voidtreckers, not really. It's the entity responsible for forming this world out of nothing. The one who gave us these second lives in our heads, along with everyone else here.

... There's a third power at play?

[ Thanatos knew he wasn't understanding everything, and somehow learning that the battle happening in Jinnjar involves yet another side. ]

I still don't... The life I lived, live doesn't seem to be one worth returning to if the bits and pieces I remember are true.

[ They could be more lies. He can't tell. ]

So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

Thanatos | Hades Game | Voidtrecker - Red Team

Ripped weaving

Unraveling tapestry

Wildcard

Ripped weaving

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just sliding in here like a creeper

ajldfkjasdf

ripped weaving

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Whoops, thought Jingyi was already wrapping his hand

laughs no, my bad, i just didn't want to assume

=Db

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Wind down thread?

sounds perfect!