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

He smiled back. "That same illusion-creating entity that scolded us at the end of that mission, saying we hadn't seen the last of it? I wonder if it could have anything to do with what is happening here?"

He nodded. "That makes sense, that you fell into the illusion as soon as you arrived. I did, too. But now I remember who I really am. My brother Maglor came here somehow, and he helped me remember. It's good that you had Chiff to help you. Chiff didn't fall into the illusion and have to find some way to escape it? I guess a droid might not be subject to being fooled by an illusion. Maybe that only works with humans. So, Anan, what do you think of this world? What is going on?"

"Yes, though even Chiff was put in a role here, even if they remembered things quickly." She frowned. "I think you are right, we are dealing with the same entity as before. It seems this might be a recreation of it's old world. Diagad, the real Diagad is gone. I don't know what happened but I can make some guesses."

She looked at him, "Your fellows were telling me about shapes in the sky? Ate worlds?"

"I guess this world -- or rather, this illusion -- has droids, so I guess Chiff could have been given a role."

He raised his eyebrows a little, not in skepticism but in acknowledgment of Anan's thoughts. "You think this illusion might be an image of that entity's world? You said the real Diagad is gone, and you know this because you went to look, and Diagad had somehow been destoyed? What's your guess about what happened?"

He nodded. "We Voidtreckers went on one mission that turned out to be an utter disaster. Suddenly there were huge shadowy shapes in the sky, and they descended and devoured that world. The train pulled us out of there just in time, but any inhabitants must have died along with their world -- unless some of them had the abilty to escape. So, do you think that might be what happened to that illusion-creating entity's world? The world-eating shadows ate it? And so now the entity is trying to recreate what it lost?"

"It's the best theory I've got. Unless there's more than one phenonemon that utterly destroys worlds... And I really hope not."

One is bad enough. "How it survived, how it escaped. I don't have those answers. But Diagad is gone, this place seems to be... A recreation. Except the people. They are all real and I have yet to find a native of this system."

"I think it's important to form theories, even when we don't have all the facts. So, I applaud your theory. And I, too, hope there aren't other phenomena that completely destroy worlds! If there are, we Voidtreckers are bound to encounter them sooner or later, and I'm not looking forward to that."

One is bad enough! "Mabye we'll find out how that entity survived and how it got the hell out of Dodge -- or rather, Diagad -- before the entity, too, could be destroyed. Yes, the people here seem to be real, and even though they all have roles to play, I think it's just theatre. How did you determine that none of them are natives of this system? If this system is even real at all. What if it is not even real, what if it is part of the illusion?"

He's probably right. If anyone was going to run into world eating phenomena it would be the voidtreckers. It was their sort of luck.

"If it got out into the void- and that's the best guess I have from how it can jump system to system... That it's mind is intact at all is some sort of..."

Miracle seems the wrong word, given the circumstances.

"Everyone I've spoken to who has shaken off the illusion speaks of being from a different world. Different worlds, all different. It might be I just haven't found any from this one, or whatever this place was is vastly different to how we perceive it now..."

It was enough to give anyone a headache.

Selene was getting a headache from just eavesdropping, trying to stay as still and quiet in her seat so she can catch the rest of the conversation from the next table over. Because, really? Voidtreckers and missions? Entities that eat worlds? The real Diagad, gone?

But most importantly: illusions, and people from different worlds. She's still very much denying the fact that this isn't her life, that this isn't her world. She hadn't cared much about the why and how, despite the fact that she trades in information around these parts. She's curious, yes, but not curious enough to want to step away from this world of make-believe.

Because here, at least, she has family.

As luck would have it, however, there's a sudden movement from somewhere behind her and she flinches, accidentally knocking over her glass of wine. So much for staying in the shadows and listening in.

He replies to Anan, "I think it's highly possible that the illusion-creating entity can travel through the Void. I myself can do that, provided I revert to spirit form. The entity may have some other way of doing it. And maybe its way does not protect it from the perils of the Void, so maybe it's a little crazy."

He nods. "I've had the same experience. Everyone I've spoken to who has shed the illusion of being a citizen of this world has a different story to tell, about their own world."

When Selene flinches and knocks over her glass of wine, he hears the glass hitting the table and turns to her. "Are you all right?" he asks. "Have you been listening to what Anan and I were saying?"

"You can travel the void? With your mind intact?" She sounded incredulous but nodded at the theory, it was likely that this entity had travelled through the void, and had suffered the toil of it.

She turned to the girl, smiling kindly. "You can join us if you wish."

He replied to Anan, "Yes, I can travel the Void and I don't go crazy. I guess that's because I'm of the Elven race, and we percieve things differently than mortals do, especially when we're in spirit form. When I'm in the Void, to me it seems quiet and peaceful, and the darkness is occasionally broken by flashes of rainbow light. I presume that those flashes are gates to the universes. Anyway, I was traveling in that pleasant, contemplative darkness when the Voidtrecker Express picked me up. That was fine with me, as I was hitchhiking at that point in my journey."

When Anan spoke to Selene and spoke to her, Curufin added, "I extend my invitation as well. Join us, if you wish!"

Edited 2021-07-26 05:10 (UTC)

"I didn't mean to—" Selene started to say, the lie ready and easy on her tongue, but she didn't have to go any further than that because they were both inviting her to join them. She blinked, surprised that she was being included at all, but she didn't think twice about accepting, moving over to join them on the table.

"Thank you." She squinted at both of them, though. "You're Voidtreckers?"

Curufin guessed Selene was about to say she hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he didn't care if she had meant to. He himself was in the habit of listening to any conversation that was within listening range of him.

He smiled at her when she joined them at the table. "I'm a Voidtrecker. My name is Curufin. This is Anan, and she is from some other Voidcraft." He knew very little about Anan, so he would leave it up to her to mention any details she wanted known.

Voidtreckers and Voidcrafts. Selene's head was starting to hurt again.

"Which of it is true, then?" she cut in before Anan could add to that, her curiosity winning out. "There's something out there that's destroying our world, and you're here to save us?" Our world, us. Oh, she already remember the key details of her real life, but she couldn't help clinging to the illusion of the family she'd found on Diagad a little longer.

Curufin answered, "It's all true, what Anan and I have said. And we are here to save you from that entity that is casting illusions everywhere." Curufin, too, had found an illusion that he had no objection to, that of a family on this false Diagad. He would miss that illusion when it was completely broken, even though he knew now that it was an illusion.

"And what is in it for you?" Selene asked, suspicious. Could there really be people just doing this out of the goodness of their hearts, saving the world and people they didn't know? Or was this just another war, only so much grander in scale, between two massive kingdoms fighting over a territory, or perhaps power?

Because an entity that could cast illusions everywhere... sounded like a demon. That made her shiver.

He tried to explain. "We Voidtreckers, if we stay on the train long, become used to the train's habit of going to worlds that are in trouble and dispatching us to deal with the problems, and we find something in this that satisfies us. Many of us are people who were already deeply concerned with helping others. I am one such. We don't get rewards for helping, except for the reward of knowing that there are worlds that are better off for our having been there."

"I'm a voidscout so helping people throughout the void is my job. The voidtreckers... Had less choice than most but they have saved countless lives before, I have seen it."

She smiled gently at Selene. "We have both been tracking this entity for a while, though it took a while for us to realise exactly what it was capable of."

"That's a noble cause," Selene had to admit. Dangerous, but noble. And it made her think of Caesarion, her dear older half-brother. He would've taken up this cause, if the opportunity was provided to him. He was good and kind, and everything she believed a man and a leader should be.

She could at least try to be like him.

"How can I help?" She's not a fighter. Her only power had been the Shard, but she didn't seem to have it with her; clearly the entity controlling this world didn't want anyone having something that could be used against it.

"I, too, think it is a noble cause," said Curufin. "And I have great respect for anyone who has come here and is trying to help, Voidtreckers or Voidscouts or any others."

He nodded to Anan to show that respect, and then to Selene. "I'm not sure exactly what you could do to help. Do you have any special powers or abilities?"

Edited 2021-08-07 05:36 (UTC)

"Just being here you are helping. You are giving information." She smiled at her and at Curufin. She has never thought of her job as noble before, not really.

It's not like she's some hero from a story tale. "The biggest help might be in convincing others that this is not a real place."

Curufin smiled back at Anan and then at Selene. He said to Selene, "I must agree with Anan. Anybody who can work at convincing others that this is not a real place would be helping."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

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threadjacking, hope this is okay!

Yeah, it's okay!

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ty! i reapped her, so she'll remember him :)

Yay!

omg they're both eavesdroppers, this is going to be fun hahaha

ROTFL that

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