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

Part of Essek wanted to wake up Mimi from the illusion, but he also didn't know her. Would it be cruel? Would it be good for her? He didn't even know her to recognize the signs that she woke from it. So, he stayed at work late most days, looking for others from the train, trying to actively find a way out of the illusion for everyone.

He was sitting by Caleb, going over some notes he's taken on their situation, trying to parse some action he could take, getting Caleb's input quietly. Yet, his attention was immediately on Mimi from her tone, closing his notebook slowly and giving her his full focus.

"Yes, of course, come sit," he's concerned, unsure where this is about to go. "What's wrong?"

Mimi leaned back, her arms wrapped around her waist in a defensive position. Were it not for the conversations that they had over the past few days, she would have asked them straight out 'Who are you? Are you really my dad?' But with everything they went through, she deserved to give them the benefit of the doubt.

But even now she could feel the illusion straining to contain her. To tell her that the octopus transformation was a new manifestation of her powers, but she wasn't buying it. She was too stubborn to ignore the inconsistencies, and the fact she could catch the memories trying to slip in only made her more ill at ease. Until she was sure. Really sure, she wanted to take this conversation with cautious optimism.

"The past four days have been strange. Things have been happening that haven't made sense." She pulled out her cell phone -- an outdated piece of tech for the world, and though they may not be able to recognize the ICP installed within it, their magic intuition could see that it was fighting against the illusion. "My phone has been acting up worse than ever, and a technopath took a look at it."

Her head lowers as though scrutinizing the evidence before her. "But there's more. When I went to swim with Tidus, I was scared to jump into the pool. Even though I can breathe underwater. There have also been people having dreams, thinking about visions and memories that are almost more real than not. I helped a kid with their dreams, and people have been falling over all over and upset over them. I've... also been having my own dreams, and when I wake up I'm covered in a slime the same color as my tentacles." She flushes a bit and addresses Essek directly. "I'm sorry that you've been drying so many sheets. I've been trying to finish the load before you noticed." Even now, she still wanted to be a dutiful daughter.

But then there was the strangest event of them all. The thing that necessitated this conversation. "...and last night I was trying to apprehend a Voidtrekker. We got into a fight, and she flung me into a wall." Ah. "I wasn't hurt. I'm fine, but that's not the strangest thing. I... transformed into an octopus." She shook her head at the sheer audacity of what she just said but the experience was still fresh in her memory. "But it wasn't weird. I mean, it was weird, but it didn't feel weird."

There was only one thing that was holding on to the illusion. The one truth that she wanted above all else: despite everything, she wanted this world and her family to be real. This... all of it... made her truly happy. Yet the look in her eyes were serious, boldly stepping on a path that could change all this forever. But she had to know. She needed to know. "Do you know... what is happening?"

"Mimi, I -" He pauses and sighs deeply, looking between the two of them. Lying isn't going to get them anywhere. Only telling the truth will get them through this.

"It's because you're one of them. ... One of us. You don't belong to this world. None of us here do. It doesn't feel weird because it's natural for you, I suppose." He's not sure - he's only seen her in passing on the train. "We were sent here on a mission, but were caught in an illusion. ... But that doesn't mean that you have to leave or - or something. You can still use this place as a home as long as we are here."

Essek waves his hand to let her know he doesn't mind, her apology wasn't needed. And he hadn't minded, she still believed she was their daughter, he wanted to make that nice for her until they could figure out how to free her from the illusion. How to free everyone from it. So, it's a little difficult to see her like this when she's possibly on the verge of breaking the illusion.

"We were all caught in the illusion, this... none of this is real. Why it felt natural is likely because it is," he pauses before continuing. "That day when I was sick, in actuality I was having the dreams, memories of my real life breaking through the illusion. That's what they are, the dreams you are having, it's your mind trying to shake the illusion."

There's another pause, before he adds, "But Caleb is right, come what may, this is your home for as long as we are here." Until the mission is over.

Mimi's face is passive throughout the explanation, but within she is a raging storm. Though she wasn't sure what their answer was going to be she realized that wasn't what she wanted to hear. She's angry and hurt but without any outlet the only ones that she can direct the storm to are the ones she least does that do. In a tense moment of anger she blurts, "...what does home even mean, then?"

Her eyes closes painfully. No. They were still Caleb and Essek. They were still kind... but now her fury was making her wonder if perhaps that kindness was a part of the illusion too. She... she needed something more. Something complete. "...is there any other way you can prove we are Voidtrekkers?"

"I can prove for myself, ja. I believe Essek can as well." He holds his hand out and concentrates for a brief moment before a flame springs into existence in his hand. "I don't believe that was part of my skillset before, was it?"

"As for 'home'... maybe the wrong word. A base of operations. Someplace you can rest without being hunted."

Essek actively flinches at her snapping at them, he definitely feels he deserves that. It was a completely fair reaction, though it still hurts. Like it has whenever someone he's come to even slightly care for lashes back at him for the wrongs he's committed against them. Perhaps-...

No, he instead focuses on the barely aware thought to take form, reversing his gravitational pull and starts to comfortably float half a foot from the seat he's on, moving to cross his legs. This was not at all part of his former abilities.

"Either of us can further demonstrate if needed, but I also have this," he pushes up his sleeve, his SCA now visible.

"And.. yes, if you do not wish to call his home anymore, then.. no matter what this is a safe please for you. That-- that with us you are safe."

Her breathing sharpens and the corners of her lips droop. If there was a worse thing to hear, it was that. She's so conflicted. She wants to lash out and explode at the deception. How they gave her the one thing that she was looking for since leaving the underground. She wanted to trust them and was beginning to feel safe.

She turns her face away, her fathers fading into a once-pleasant dream. Magenta tears streak down her face for a moment before the illusion "corrects" them to appear normal. "This truth... is bitter ashes in my mouth..."

She returns to Essek and Caleb once again, troubled how closely the illusion continued to make her feel for them... when, in truth, it is more accurate to say it was the memory of a fiction holding out hope that this was the illusion and the past week was a reality. "...but who needed that reality, anyway."

She did. She wanted it. Her heart was shattered and only the mission remained.

"In many cases the truth is... more difficult but more important than the lie."

He watches her. He watches her posture change, her whole body seem to fill with some kind of sadness. He knows how fighting the illusion hurts. Why would he abandon a place where he had a loving husband and a wonderful child?

But they can't stay here. They don't belong here. He extinguishes the flame and gives her a few moments before speaking.

"... Just because it wasn't real doesn't mean I'm... doesn't mean we're going to abandon you. We're not your fathers, but we can be... allies." 'Friends' is a strong word, and he's not sure whether he should go or that. Allies is... fine.

For a long moment, he's silent, letting Caleb speak for both of them, unsure what to say. Feeling once again on a boat, a drift, as all the lies come out. He doesn't care for Mimi the way he did his friends that day, but there's enough bleed over from the illusion that Essek still feels some level of hurt, some level of guilt.

But that day his lies had to come out so that a real friendship could form, something based on truth and actual trust.

"It was a pleasant lie while it lasted, but that is what it was, a falsehood that took all of us under it's influence," he pauses, before continuing, trying not to speak harshly words that can be taken as such. "It would be reasonable if you choose not be allies with us, we are strangers after all. Though you have the chance to change that, to get to know us and allow us to know you, but that choice is yours to make."

Taking a breath, "And even if you choose not to, you're welcome to seek safety with us until this is over."

Her eyes move between the two of them, her features stern and placid. She feels hurt -- betrayed -- and mourning a loss that didn't even exist.

Her gaze turned down, like the moment when she confessed the fear of separation they other parents had reacted on the revelation that she was interested in dating a girl. Ironic how the scenario had flipped like this. "Why... are you two so nice. It would be easier if I could just hate you both."

"And... " No. That wasn't right. "But... I want to know... what parts... if any... were more than just a dream."

"Hatred is easy. Hatred is the first thing people leap to when they find something that's different. Acceptance and care? That's much harder. ... But it's worth it."

But what to tell her, when he's still not totally sure himself? "... If you dated a girl I would support you, the same as a boy or any other gender identity. I did not know you before this, and I do not know your story. ... But the offer of a steady presence is still there. I cannot say that I care about you like a daughter because... you are not one to me. But I think... there is a connection there that is open to you if you so choose to use it."

"Fundamentally, much of what I said concerning my morals and values were things that I am in keeping with, regardless of the illusion, but any affection you received from me..." there's a shake to his head, because he's... not capable of that, nor should she want that from someone like himself. There is little he has to offer anyone's life, too many stains on his hands, too many misdeeds.

"But... Caleb is a good man, should you want for an ally and earn him as one, few others would be as stalwart as him," there's complete sincerity in his words. He knows no one better than Caleb, the Nein, should she want good people she need not look further.

That made sense. If she could still hold that the sentiments were true within a false reality, then perhaps she could hold onto a little sliver of hope tho the true nature of Caleb and Essek. Though their relationship with each other may have been a lie, who they were did not appear to be fake.

"One more question." Just one more? Well... perhaps, perhaps not, but she wanted to hold herself to that for now.

"Who are you to each other, really?"

... Of all questions, he was not expecting that one. He pauses and looks at Essek before looking back at Eight, a slight edge of panic on his features.

"I... w-well. We are... part of the same group. We are - it's a very complicated answer. Friends and allies, who came from opposite sides of a conflict. We are both... eh. It's... what I said that night was largely true. We are both people who fucked up everything badly and are trying to be better than we were."

That's not an answer, and he knows it's not. "... To be perfectly honest, I think we are both still figuring out exactly what we are besides 'friends'."

Essek has to actively fight the urge to hide his face, but the more Caleb talks, the more he can't fight that urge anymore and finds himself burying his face in his hands. He... feels like Caleb exposed him a little, but even more than that he cannot even start to comprehend the final statement the man makes. After all, he can't put himself into a position of hoping for something he-... He's not good enough, too many wrongs, too much blood. It all runs too deep, nothing he will ever do is safe.

Shaking his head, he removes his hands from his face.

"I--... That sounds more convoluted than it is. We're from the same home world, we're allies and... friends. Though, aspects are complicated between Caleb and his group in regards to myself... there's much we are still navigating and figuring out," Essek keeps composed, unable to look at the other man knowing it will crack it.

That was not what she was expecting at all. What she was expecting was for them to be known to one another and to be collaborating behind her back to maintain the ruse. But, no, they weren't... quite there yet, were they? Oh, they certainly knew each other, and if there was any indication they had strong feelings for one another but...

Just like my feelings for Nory...

She raises her hand to stifle a giggle... and... mostly succeeded. Did she... needed to see that? A little moment of vulnerability that was indisputably not part of the simulation? Perhaps, perhaps not... either way, her expression softens. "...so... you know of each other and... didn't mind this." Her eyes swirl around the house. How foreign and strange it seemed thinking that something so familiar had no real connection to her. "And... I am of no real relation to either of you. A stranger..." That hurt the most, but each time she said it the sorrow hurt a little less. "...but you didn't mind me..." Ah, no, that was already too much to say. Forget she said anything.

"... That's correct. You're welcome to be here, to be safe." He looks at Essek and then back at her. "None of us are kicking the others out. We have as much right to be here as any of the others."

There's really no other way to say it - there's no reason for any of them to leave.

Essek nods when Caleb looks at him and pointedly ignores the stifled giggle from Mimi. He didn't want to know what she thought of all that, but regardless he agrees with Caleb. She was of course welcome and no one had to leave.

"We don't mind you at all, this house is as much yours as it is ours," his eyes flit over her, trying to determine if she's still in the illusion. Still, he doesn't know her well enough to know if she is actually free of it or not. "If you still feel yourself in the grasp of the illusion, I.. well, I have magic capabilities that might weaken it enough for you to break from it completely."

Mimi nodded, though she was hoping for some confirmation that they didn't mind that she was their daughter. Or, perhaps that was a sign of the illusion? She'd... have to tread carefully...

"I don't know..." She shook her head. "It is hard for me to say... I don't know what is real and what isn't. To... to me..." She closed her eyes. "...I still feel like you are my dads. I... want to trust you."

She had gotten this far on that alone, but perhaps that trust was a part of the illusion as well? Where did the fiction end and reality begin?

"... Take the time that you need. Just know that we are here to help you should you want it." He smiles a little awkwardly at her. "We are not your parents, but we... we will not abandon a teammate. And the entire train is a team, like it or not."

"Both of us are capable of magic that may help you break the illusion, should you want it, the choice is yours so you need only ask," Essek smiles at her, something polite and patient.

"But he's right, you have an ally in us if you want it," they couldn't be her parents. Perhaps Caleb had the capacity, Essek wasn't sure, but he knew himself well enough to know he did not.

Mimi nodded. She trusted them, and that disquieted her.

"I... trust you both..." She frowned. "But I don't know if I trust you for real."

She gave them a knowing, considerate stare. She worried that... she wouldn't feel the same way after the illusion was gone, but it had to be done.

"I want to trust you for real."

"... Trust is difficult. We... both know that. And it seems like you also know that. But... we can work together to build that trust."

He can't force it, and he doesn't want to force it. That way only leads to broken trust.

"I would like to trust you, too."

"Trust may come, with time and effort, on all our parts," and Essek knows, trust is incredibly difficult, especially when there is so many falsehoods afoot.

But he hears what she's saying, what she means and decides that doing this close up, instead would be less frightening than from afar, less impersonal. So, he dropped his float as he stepped from where he was seated and approached Mimi, his movements slow and unerring in their grace, even more so than they were in the illusion. He drops to a knee before her, giving her the higher vantage so she feels safe.

"It was a nice illusion, while it lasted, Ne'enuvar," he says it quietly enough that Caleb might not hear it, but then holds his hand out for her. "It won't hurt, it will be a faint brush of a warm wind that should remove what fog remains."

He holds out his hand for her to take. She can still back out, there's no expectation on his face, this is still her choice, but if she takes his hand, he will perform the spell.

Edited 2021-07-21 13:29 (UTC)

So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

Arrives 15 minutes late with Starbucks

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A wizard is never late, he arrives precisely when he is meant to.

Says the wizard who always knows exactly what time it is

/sips on starbucks

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