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

[ 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. ]

[That awkward moment in which someone is touching your phone like they're touching the face of god.]

[Well, it's the face of a god.]

[Something like that?]

[Whatever.]

The location just says Jinnjar. You'll have to email him or something. If he's even answering his phone right now.

[ That awkward moment when he remembers how much of a disaster demi he is.

Still, Murphy won't have to worry about someone touching his phone for much longer as Thanatos pulls away. ]

I don't... I don't know how to do that. What's an email?

[ Also, Thanatos reveals that the screen to his phone is utterly cracked from when he threw it against the wall earlier. ]

Oh my god, you're breaking my heart here! You were something in this world, right? You've gotta have an official email of some sort. They didn't give you one?

[If this horrible illusion being created a man and didn't even give him the capacity to make a streaming service account then truly he did not show him the finer things in life.]

I'll send him a private message if you want me to.

[He types out a quick-] Hot guy with light colored great hair is looking for you. Very serious. Can't miss him. Looks like he could use a hug or a beer or a blow job. Pick one.

[He doesn't say what he types out loud, thankfully for Than. But he does take a picture of Thanatos to send along with it.]

[Zag gets a ping on his phone from someone, and of course he assumes it's due to the absolute shitshow the city has become. Maybe his father, maybe his aunt? Maybe cousin Perse?

But no, instead, it's a private message from holy shit it's Alvin fucking Murphy of the I Ship It podcast. Give him a minute to freak out that his favorite podcast host sent him a message personally. Okay, something witty, something witty...]

only one? lmao. definitely a blowjob then! unless he's dforce in which case tell him I'm dead

[And then Zag opens the picture that came with it. And... it's the cute law student guy from the Diagnet? No. No, it's Thanatos, his friend, his protector, his partner-in-crime. How could he have forgotten? Than. Than must need him right now. How could he have been so stupid to fall for these illusions again?]

where is he right now? can you send me a map pin of your location? I'll come find him right away

The more I realized this wasn't real, the more I didn't know. What is a private message in this context? Or an email?

[ The train doesn't have text based communications for the passengers to use. Or anything lasting. Thanatos has no idea how any of that works. Yes, the world may not have given him the capacity to actually use a streaming service. (There's a reason why he carried a textbook everywhere.)

So... Thanatos is... just going to stand here completely unaware of what Murphy just did. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

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just sliding in here like a creeper

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