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

[ He backs up and holds up his hands, honestly not intending to be confrontational right now. ]

I don't mean her any ill will. She was kind, and we could've been better allies if she'd stayed. And she saved my life, I'm not going to forget that.

[ And then he hears the real reason for this Kaiba's anger and growls. But not at Kaiba, for once. ]

What the hell? I'd smash every one of Prompto's cameras if I could. Stark was bullheaded and stubborn, and had a definite troll streak, but if I'd known he'd sink so low...

[ He pinches at his brow, visibly frustrated. ]

I can't exactly negotiate with him from here, and unfortunately I don't have sordid pictures of him and his boyfriend, or all his little tea parties. I'd hand them over if I could. I promise you he was as disgustingly domestic as he accuses me of being---no, worse.

[Shame, because this Kaiba was trying to be and he was itching for a fight. In all truthfulness it was likely more beneficial for one of them to be reasonable]

... That's better.

[It didn't surprise him that Ann had played a pivotal roll here, as was her nature to get into such messes.]

If it's any consolation I don't think he would have stooped to that level if I were more like you. [Not sure why he felt the need to say it] Both Gladio and Tony Stark seem to prefer you to me, but I don't really care.

[Perhaps it was because they had finally struck on something they could both agree on. The blackmail was crossing a line]

[After a snerk]

Tea parties? [That sounded sufficiently lame. It wasn't a lot to go on but he could just envision the other tech mogul in an apron and holding an empty tea cup pretending to sip from it.] I've seen evidence of that already. [Looking disgusted by the idea] Either way, I'll take care of it.

[ Gladio too...huh... actually, the thought of that, and the reminder of that little family gives him an idea. ]

Mm...if there's one thing we can learn from this, it's that a carrot might work better than a stick. But obviously negotiating from a strong position is preferable.

How about this: if he backs off with you...feel free to tell him that his girls, Madoka and Buttercup, are still safe here. They're doing all right. And his son Parker too---he kept the would-be assassin distracted long enough for Ann to save me.

But it might be fun to dangle that knowledge if he doesn't play nice.

..... If you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting...

[.. he'll keep to the stick but to his credit this Kaiba is still listening. He grows silent long enough to hear the scheme.]

Are these biological children.. or...

[.. because last he checked neither of the guys in that relationship was likely capable of going through the necessary processes. Also, the names. The names were peculiar given the "parents".]

It's not much, but it's more than I had and I have no problem lording it over his head that I might have knowledge he would be interested in.

No. He had a mentorship relationship with Parker before they boarded, but people 'adopting' each other out of the alleged goodness of their hearts is a big part of the train's culture. Trauma and close quarters driving us to forge connections out of desperation, I guess.

[ He elects not to mention that he's been adopted by a loving family too, positive that it will not go over well. ]

Dangled correctly, it should work. But before that I still need to get you and the others home. There's a safehouse I'm heading to, and I'm still willing to take you.

There's a lot I could say on that subject, but I'm just not going to bother.

[Since he just considered most of that to be a load. The goodness of their hearts, please. Surely there were some ulterior motives in play. As for the trauma and desperation, he just didn't want to get into it.

It certainly wouldn't have gone over well, despite having essentially adopted a charge of his own recently, though not formerly. The timing had just lined up too precisely for him to have turned down the role. He happened to be passing by one of the temples when a priest happened have been looking for a tour guide for a new, youthful arrival, and Kaiba had just happened to have been feeling guilt over not having seen his own brother in a year when he realized he was going to miss Mokuba's birthday.]

I don't need to be instructed on that, I am still a strategist myself. [Just so you know, other self.] There's no getting around it, is there...? [He relented reluctantly. Like it or not he was likely on someone's most wanted list and he needed to get off this world.] We'll have to be careful not to be spotted, and it might be better if we split up. Can you provide the coordinates? [Then they could meet up there, but prevent being seen together]

Right. I'm on it. I know who I'm looking for, so I might try to cover more ground first.

{ Seto whips out a scrap of paper (the nerd supplies have some use) and jots it down. Better than over the phones, which are definitely being monitored. ]

The others waiting there will fill you in. If anyone mistakes you for me, or starts trouble like Stark did...I'll finish it.

So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

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