middleofsomewhere | 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

"But you cared." Raven said, turning up to him. "You tried to protect him."

Not that the monks hadn't protected her... Trigon hadn't been able to get to her on Azarath. Or perhaps he'd only been waiting, since he'd destroyed it later. After she left.

"It ain't me feelin' bad about it. No worries. Just me wishin' maybe he had someone more capable to help 'im earlier."

But it says something that they hadn't gotten to Raven. That she'd been protected instead of someone coming after her to kill her or something.

"What was the Priestess like? An' the temple?"

"Kind. Which isn't always the same as nice. I was never unaware of how important it was that I learn the lessons well." Not that Raven hadn't been somewhat supported too--but she was all too aware she was feared. It was why the head priestess was the one to train her. "The temple itself was quiet. It was a refuge for those who'd suffered at Trigon's hands. We were pacifists, although we practiced self-defense. Violence was never meant to be the first option, or the best option."

"With Peter, violence had to be the first option. Then distraction. But he wasn't fightin' a force of evil inside 'im. Ego was just a big ol' prick the size of a planet."

He supposes that the necessity for peace against a being of hate would make it all the more important to maintain the mood of peace. And why extreme feelings from Raven could be some kind of gateway.

"I'd been hopin' I could talk Madoka into learnin' some kind of self-defense but she couldn't stand to be mean to nobody. Even if it was dodgin' real good."

"She has a lot of magic in her. She's powerful, she just...lacks so much confidence." A sigh, and Raven let herself relax more into the one-armed hug. "She was also my first real friend on the train, Yondu." Clear that Raven cared about Madoka a lot.

"I know, an' I know she's real important to ya." He'd seen it, back in that cave. How often that Raven reached out to her. That said something, not just how Raven felt about her friends, but how much Madoka was a comfort to her.

"We'll get to her or someone'll get to her. We need to check up on her soon." With things going bad especially.

"I let Tidus know I'm worried for her." Raven replied, before sliding her arms around Yondu in a rare hug. A full one. "Thank you. For being my 'father' in the illusion. And my friend."

He almost says that's good, that he knows the kid'd be worried, but suddenly there's Raven reaching for a hug. A real hug.

"You alright?" Just every time he receives an outpouring of emotion anymore, he has concerns. "You know, you ain't a bad daughter. I'da kept ya if ya let me."

Raven looked up and blinked, eyes widening a bit. Then she just hugged him more. "I think I'm keeping you, but father or friend is up to you, Yondu." Said very softly, voice very calm as she was keeping a tight rein on her emotions.

"Yeah, I'd like that. You sure you're alright though?" He puts his hand at the back of her head and tucks it into his shoulder.

Or has she never had to have a conversation like this? Hell, every time he's had one it's been when the world was falling apart around him. Maybe it's that it's just kind of fine right now that makes it odd. An artificial kind of fine, and it's just a dad hugging his daughter in public. There's no real traumatic desperation in it.

It's just a moment, and somehow a moment is odd.

"I'm alright. Just...never had this kind of conversation before." No premonitions or anything. Just the usual distress at the situation they were in. "No one's bothered, and I haven't really sought it out either." But the hug was very nice, and very needed.

"Yeah, I guess somebody shoulda stepped up for ya a long time ago, shouldn't they?" Though they kind of had. He knows people give a damn about her. He saw it. She's got a ton of folks willing to go to bat for her.

But maybe just no one had put a name to it.

"I ain't gotta try hard to beat 'im but I'd be a better daddy than what your father."

That brought soft laughter, and the hug tightening before she pulled away. "You don't have plans to use me to destroy the world, do you?" Her deadpan voice made it unclear if she was serious or not. But there was amusement in her eyes.

"Nah, I kinda generally like there bein' worlds around."

He makes a so-so motion with his hand. He hadn't ever been attached to one over the other, so the statement is oddly genuine. They're good to have, nice to visit, no he doesn't want to have no one destroy one for him.

"I might make an exception for some parasite-ridden hellhole but I'd ask ya first." A 'Nuke it from orbit' situation.

"I'm generally non-violent. Pacifist, remember?" Was she teasing him? Maybe. But she was indeed a pacifist most of the time.

"Oh, right. Well, I'll just push the button then. I'm sure there are enough explosives to do some kinda job. You seen Orange team? Properly motivate 'em I'm sure they could blow anythin' up."

He chuckles at his own idiot joke before leading her down the street. "C'mon, shit might get real soon so let's play it cool an' try to do the family bonding routine."

Except, you know, stick a little family bonding in there.

"Sounds good to me." Raven said with a small laugh in her chest. Falling into step beside him. Family bonding, even if it was an illusion, did sound nice.

So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

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