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

"That's not true," Steve says, quietly, still holding on. He's going to hold on for as long as the man in his arms can stand it, really. It... might not be entirely for James' sake. There is a part of Steve that not only misses Bucky, but also misses James.

And maybe he's about to start talking out of his ass right now, but what he's going to stay is still something he truly: "All we have are memories, right? So if you remember things - if I remember things - then they really happened. And I remember."

See, Sarge knew Steve needed one, too.

James has no certainty that Steve would remember, after all this. (I'll remember. No matter what. I keep notebooks full of memories, and I'll write everything down. You, him, Misty, Kitty. Steve's right. You'll always exist.)

He clings for another moment, trying not to take comfort from the guy who hijacked his brain. Or whose brain he hijacked. Whichever. But it does help. "I'm not sure I want you remembering this," he says out loud, a little bitterly. "Soldat's right. You got your own. Your. Bucky, right?"

Steve doesn't think he could possibly forget - not without some kind of intervention, which, granted, he can't rule out. But otherwise? No. He won't forget.

Even if he frowns at the idea that they don't want him remembering, because, "Yeah," he says, a little unsure, lips tugging into a frown as he pulls back just enough to actually have a reasonable conversation, face to face. That doesn't necessarily mean pulling entirely out of arms' reach. "I guess I do, yeah. But what, you think I can't care about more than one a'you at a time? There's not a limit, pal."

James isn't sure what to say to that, and for a moment, he looks it. Then he gives a wry, wan little smile. "You always wanna save everybody. Jesus, you're exactly the same." He gives Steve's shoulder a little punch, light enough not to hurt, then pulls back. He can't take any more of this feeling, he thinks, knowing that he's gonna lose the guy all over again.

(Come on back inside. WILL IT HELP? ... not really. But at least you won't have to handle expression.)

That seems to be good enough, because without even needing Sarge's help, James melts back away from everything. It leave Soldat again, a little softer and a little vaguer, but also clearly apologetic. "I know this is hard, Steve. It's. But you can't let your Bucky down. He's gonna need you." Probably more than Soldat will, as awful as that feels to think.

"I feel like that's a compliment," Steve admits softly, knowing that smile is probably mostly a front, but hey. He'll take whatever he can get.

It's not like he's happy knowing that if he takes a hike or gets sent away or whatever, he'll never see this man - these men? - again, either.

It is still a little weird, watching the transition. Maybe it would've been easier with someone he knew less well, but - well. This is a face he's always known better than his own. Or, at least, he had.

"I won't," he says, soft but firm, because he won't. Goddammit, he's let his own Bucky down enough. Too many times. Once is too many times. He won't pretend there's not a roiling, twisting ball of guilt and self-loathing in place of his gut, every time he thinks about it. "But I'm here now. So let me do what I can here now, for you. Before it's too late."

He doesn't even know how to leave, if he wanted to. And he doesn't want to. Not yet, at the very least. "I guess we probably should call off work." If there's still work to call off of. "No reason we can't patrol instead, right?"

It's kind of a relief, having Steve know. Having Steve capable of making informed decisions. And making decisions they're actually pretty okay with.

And he hasn't gotten that uncomfortable, unhappy look on his face or turned away. Or stammered. Or... done anything all that bad, really. He knows everything, now, and he's still here. That's even more of a relief.

So they nod, and dredge up a slightly better smile. More real. "Okay. Yeah, let's do that. I can point out people I know are from the train while we're out. And I'm definitely not going to the training gym today."

Steve huffs out a little laugh, because, "Yeah, maybe skip training at the gym, too. But it would be helpful, if you point out the people you know." Because they're going to need allies, Steve figures. This is going to be a big operation, but if there is a whole train's worth of people... then they definitely might stand a chance.

He still doesn't know how long he's going to be here, but he plans to use every minute of it for something worthwhile.

So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

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