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.
namethattune: (I hear in my mind all of this music)

[personal profile] namethattune 2021-07-19 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Another yes, if only slightly. Siebren has been here before, or somewhere like it - enough to recognize a mental disconnect. Enough to know that if he himself cannot answer questions while out of touch with reality, then he should not expect Caleb to do so either.

He floats a chair over and sets it down next to the couch. He settles into it and lays his hand on the couch, close enough for Caleb to touch if he wanted, but far enough to leave him his space if preferred. "Rest," he says simply. "You may tap my hand if you require anything; I will be here."

He is a patient man when the occasion calls for it. He can wait.
katzenpfote: (are you ready?)

[personal profile] katzenpfote 2021-07-20 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
The floating gets a hard blink, but he doesn't say anything. Rest... he turns slightly and tries to all asleep. It takes a bit for him to actually do it, but eventually he dozes.

It's only for about an hour, but he jerks awake with a flame suddenly in his hand as he looks around. Where is -

... Right. He extinguishes it and sits up slowly, gathering his knees into his chest.

"... That didn't go as planned."
namethattune: (Lost in my train of thoughts)

[personal profile] namethattune 2021-07-20 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
The hour feels both far longer and far shorter than it actually is, and Siebren finds himself with a notebook and pen, attempting to put thoughts and information in order (for the second time, frustratingly, as the first notebook he'd used to do this had abruptly disappeared. Everything is transient, it seems).

He startles at the sudden flame but does not move. Hopefully - hopefully - Caleb will come to his senses before things become violent.

He does, and Siebren breathes a sigh of relief as Caleb sits up. He seems to be a bit more cogent, at least. "They rarely do, in my experience. How are you feeling?"
katzenpfote: (Default)

[personal profile] katzenpfote 2021-07-20 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
"... Horrible." He winces as he thinks about it. "... They did something... t-to our minds... felt like being torn apart bit by bit... a-and then there was just... a deep well of nothing. Nothing but despair and hopelessness and -"

He freezes, slowly looking up at Siebren. "... Did people actually die? Or was that a trick of the mind, too?"
Edited 2021-07-20 04:00 (UTC)
namethattune: (Endlessly the noise goes on and on)

[personal profile] namethattune 2021-07-20 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
They did something to our minds-

He swallows roughly. Of course. This world is built on illusions - of course the entity in charge of it all would attack the people trying to disrupt it. Siebren had kept up his facade for a multitude of reasons; this only adds another to the list.

And then Caleb freezes, and his subsequent question is not better. He is silent for a few moments, trying to find words, but...there is no good answer, and silence preys on the mind. "I do not know," he finally says. "The footage shown to the city depicts the five of you attacking civilians and lists nearly a hundred fatalities. I had not thought it to be true, but I do not know what actually occurred."
katzenpfote: (fire bright)

[personal profile] katzenpfote 2021-07-20 10:11 pm (UTC)(link)
For an instant he feels like he's gone mad again. He wants to scream, he wants to cry - so many people - but he can't. Not now, and not here. Not with someone who doesn't know his past.

But he breathes, and... no. He's in control of himself. Still, his voice is small and shaky. "We... ah. We attempted to dispel part of the illusion with a combined force. It... there was a tear in reality. It looked almost like what I've been told a planar gate looks like - anyway. There were colors like we saw before. It yelled at us and grabbed us with a massive hand... and... I thought I saw people... burning..."

His eyes go wide and blank, his whole body drooping at the memory. It's not the same as before, but it's clear there was a trigger there.
namethattune: (My own self-fulfilled prophecy)

[personal profile] namethattune 2021-07-20 11:26 pm (UTC)(link)
It is one thing to know the feat of magic that created the city is being held together by spite and the magical equivalent of duct tape; it is quite another to see the effects of said spite and to know its intent. That there is likely more spite than anything else in the construction of this city bodes poorly for everyone here, to say the least.

And attempts to disrupt the unnatural order are met with captivity and torture. Of course. What else were they to expect from the entity that had previously attempted genocide with nary a thought for its victims?

But Caleb continues on, and goes blank in a way that Siebren is all to familiar with. There is nothing to be done for Siebren when he disconnects; he cannot be called back to reality by anything, but will return with enough time. That said, he doubts that Caleb suffers from the same affliction as he does, and he does not know what to do here, how best to help him - or if he even can be helped at the moment.

So he puts his hand over Caleb's again, a gentle pressure that will hopefully help ground him should he need it. "Caleb. Can you hear me?"
katzenpfote: (embarrassed)

[personal profile] katzenpfote 2021-07-20 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
The contact jerks him out of his thoughts, entire body jerking as he snaps back to reality. "... I... people burning is a..." He waves his other hand. He doesn't have the word for it. "... In any case... I... don't advise trying to do that again, though we have to confront whatever it is that's doing this sooner or later."

Hopefully with fewer civilian casualties, but... that may not be possible.
namethattune: (Lost in my train of thoughts)

[personal profile] namethattune 2021-07-21 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
That works, and he will take it. He nods as Caleb stumbles over the word. "Understood." He does not, for the moment, move his hand - not when it seems the contact had helped.

"The city has been deteriorating rapidly in the days since your disappearance and has been under higher surveillance. I feel that we will be confronting it sooner rather than later out of necessity alone." It is not good news, but there is no good news at the moment, and he cannot imagine Caleb would want to be flying blind in this scenario.
katzenpfote: (gazing up)

[personal profile] katzenpfote 2021-07-21 12:13 am (UTC)(link)
"Before more lives are lost. I... understand. I do not want anyone else to have to suffer. Not like I did, and not... like they did."

He's used to 'no good news', but it's frustrating. "How is it deteriorating? I need to... I need to know what it's like out there if we're to formulate a plan on how to defeat this thing. ... Somehow."

He's got no ideas at present.
namethattune: (I was left to my own devices)

[personal profile] namethattune 2021-07-22 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
"It is simply falling apart. Pieces of buildings are no longer flickering out of view - they are disappearing and not being replaced, and the effect is not limited to the architecture." It's not the best explanation if Caleb is hoping for details, but it's all Siebren has. "Were I to hazard a guess, I would say the illusion holding the city together is failing."
katzenpfote: (Default)

[personal profile] katzenpfote 2021-07-22 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
"So then perhaps we did have some effect... or whatever the thing did to us -" His fingers twitch like he wants to hold onto something. "- robbed it of enough energy that it can no longer hold things together. ... I admit, though... I am not sure of what to do now other than 'keep pushing'. We don't exactly have an emergency escape that's viable."
namethattune: (Lost in my train of thoughts)

[personal profile] namethattune 2021-07-28 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
"It could be either, or a combination of both - there is not enough data to say either way. Given the public campaign currently being waged against you, I would imagine spite is also a factor." An entity that introduces itself by screaming stop thwarting me does seem the type to engage in spite at the expense of other aspects of its plans.

The comment about emergency escapes gives him pause. "I would imagine the evacuation protocol on our SCAs is still functional - have you heard otherwise?"
katzenpfote: (taunting)

[personal profile] katzenpfote 2021-07-29 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
"I haven't, but I also have not heard anything through them during this entire mission. I couldn't say how functional they are." He shrugs and looks down at it, and then looks back up at Siebren. "I have far less of an idea of how it works than many people here. We do not have things like this. Watches, yes. Not ones you can interact with."