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

Making Do

Something was very, very wrong.

Kate knew that much, although she still wasn't entirely sure what it was. All she knew was that everything seemed rather suspicious, and she couldn't help feeling that all the panic and blame on the Voidtreckers wasn't right.

Still, she had school and work to deal with, so she continued going about her day, though kept an ear out for any more news about the Voidtreckers. She had a few questions of her own.

Moondust Cafe

Kate understood morse code. She didn't know how she knew morse code, but she realized what the message was saying, which was how she found herself at the cafe, ordering the drink mentioned in the message.

Then she headed downstairs as directed, but couldn't help feeling a little nervous. She wasn't entirely sure what she was even doing there, let alone what would happen if they were caught by people still looking for the Voidtreckers. She knew she could get into a lot of trouble just being there.

Crumbling, Crumbling

Everything was chaos.

There was confusion and panic and everything is a lie and she isn't sure how she's supposed to help.

But she knew she had to do something.

Wildcard
((Feel free to make your own prompt, or plot with me at

usamichan13))

Yondu's just seen the viral 'video' of the cat and the robot, and that it's Chiff is enough for him to realize those noises mean something. But Yondu is not an expert at Morse code, so he's out looking for 'James'. (Poor goddamn bastard has to walk around wearing a name he's not comfortable with.)

It's his search for Soldat that leads him to Kitty, and he might seem a touch more on edge when he runs into her.

"Hey uh... you seen your dad?"

[ooc: You can stick them wherever location-wise.]

She was just a bit distracted by the video as she sat at the food court at the mall (perhaps not the most private place, but she'd just gotten off of work), listening with to the message on repeat with an earbud while writing something down on a piece of paper.

When Yondu comes over, though, she scrambles to keep the sheet and what's written on it hidden as she looks up at him, trying not to look nervous.

"Dad...?" She has to pause a moment, trying to think. "Uh, no...I haven't seen him since this morning.

He sighs at that. Okay, okay. Looks like she's still deep in it. Which could be safer for her, but she's still one of the best people on his team experience wise.

"What about Misty?"

Wait, the real Misty? It finally occurs to him that she might not have just been a figment of Soldat's imagination. She might be the real thing. And she might have a harder time accepting reality without Kitty and J-Soldat there to help her.

He smears his hand down his face. "Alright, alright. You got a li'l' bit we can talk?"

"No, I haven't seen...Mom, either." She isn't sure what to make of the slight skip in her voice, but something about the words seem...strange.

She frowns a bit at the request, but after a moment she nods. "Sure, okay. I don't have to be in to work until later."

He looks around to find a bench, hoping that he can hook into that brief moment of uncertainty he saw. He gestures for her to follow, taking a seat. Even looks around and drums his hands on his knees as he waits for both of them to be settled.

Once they are, he pulls his pendant out of his pocket. It's on a leather cord rather than a necklace, but it is what it is, and he discretely hands it to her to look at.

"You ever seen one of these before?"

Taking a seat beside him on the bench, she watches him retrieve the pendant and frowns a little as she studies it.

"I...I don't think so," she says, though sounds mostly unsure. She doesn't think she has, but...it still somehow seems familiar. "What is it?"

"Try to think of fish flyin' through the sky. Walkin' underwater. Just... think about it."

He taps the pendant.

"...Do you remember me talkin' to a stocky man, once? Big fella. Looked like I really missed 'im, but I had to turn away from 'im. It was real hard. But you were there. You was also there when somethin' spoke to me..."

And he'd agreed with it. That he was doomed to lose everyone and everything.

She frowns, puzzled. And she tries to imagine the things he was saying, which all sound kind of weird and crazy, but...

"It...all kind of sounds familiar, actually," she admits after a long moment. Kind of like a feeling of déjà vu, or a dream that she doesn't entirely remember.

"Good, yeah. So... Do you remember when I got upset... I yelled at the sky. An' the sky flashed colors that were real close to how they look now."

He doesn't know if he adequately expressed her gratitude for just... putting up with him in that moment. In the sheer despair that had bowled him over.

She's quiet for a long moment, looking down at her hands as different thoughts and words swirl together in her mind.

"...you...got upset because it said you would lose everyone..." she says slowly. She's not entirely sure where the words are coming from, but it sounds right. "And you said that it was true...but I said that there would always be people there for you...when you find the right ones."

"Yeah, you said that." And at the time he'd appreciated it. Left to himself- hell, left for a cold-minded adult to work with, he might have slipped into anger or rage. But she'd been gentle-handed and careful, and young enough that he didn't want to argue. That sense of cosmic karma shutting him the hell up.

"Okay, look at your wrist, try real hard to think of somethin' blue that oughta be there."

She frowns a little, doing as he said and looking down at her wrist. "Something that's supposed to be there...?"

Now that he's pointed it out, something does feel like it's missing.

"Yup. Somethin' is supposed to be there."

Then he has to add, "Do you remember your dad James likin' to cook a lot? Or do you ever dream of havin' the skill to phase through walls?"

She glances up at him in surprise. "I...Not dreams about phasing through walls...But I keep having this one dream that I'm flying through the city, and then I start falling."

Which somehow felt familiar for some reason, other than having it repeatedly.

"I do remember Dad liking to cook, though."

"Do you remember any stuff from when you was younger? School? School friends? I mean, really remember. Do you remember-" he stops himself from saying 'Soldat' "-James cookin' for a bunch of people?"

Thinking for another moment, she answers slowly, "Sometimes I have these other dreams...I'm living in this big place with a bunch of other people. But none of the people in those dreams are anyone I recognize from here."

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"Kitty!"

There's the view of a city landscape - at least, there should be. But it's faded under the power that created it, the dim shapes of what might be figures in the false illusion. An illusion, but something solid, a mass that extends as far as the sky, distorting with those bright colours that now burn the eyes.

Tidus finds Kitty with the world like this, his running slowing to a stop near her.

"Hey! Do you recognise me?"

Please, please let this be easy-

She turns at the sound of her name - a version of her name? No, it's still her name - and even with the world seeming to fall apart around them, she can only stand there for a moment as she looks at him.

"I...think so?" she says after a moment. "You...You do seem familiar, anyway..."

He takes a step closer, feeling hopeful. So she's not out of the spell, but she recognises him, she's there on a brink. Tidus nods, wanting to come closer, but he waits.

"That's right. Remember? You go to a school with people with special powers! It's not like this place - only some people have them. And then we got snatched up, but we went to different worlds, helping people. You helped people back home too! You're always helping people."

Always a hero, without needing this world to fake heroics.

"You're Kitty. You love reading books and music and just being - a great pal."

She draws up a little as he speaks, the words settling in her mind. "I - "

She's close to denying it, because it doesn't sound right, but...it doesn't sound wrong either.

"I'm...not sure what you mean," she says after another moment.

"You don't remember me?" It's not hurt, just urging; urging her to think about it, to recall. "Before that time we met-- think! Don't I look a little familiar? What about my name?"

Could she guess it? If she just let herself think about it...!

She frowns, biting her lip. "I mean...you do look familiar. But...didn't you drop by the clothing store at the mall at some point?" That could be why she recognized him.

Still, she does try to think a little, going over different names in her head. "...could you maybe give me a hint?"

"It's Tidus." There's no point keeping it secret, as better as it would have been that she remembered. But maybe hearing it... "Yeah, we met that one time, but- do you remember a time on the beach? You were reading a book, and I made you come out and swim. And the time when those golems were going crazy outside the village? Everyone was sick."

"Tidus..." she repeats slowly, sounding it out in her head. She frowns as he mentions certain events, because they do sound familiar somehow. "...on the beach, you were teasing me because you said I could read any time."

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So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

Kitty Pryde | X-Men: Evolution | Purple Team | Voidtrecker

Making Do

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crumbling, crumbling

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