middleofsomewhere | So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

Entry tags:

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

The plan-

Had been to awaken Wayzz first, if Nino proved at all difficult. Wayzz was a great deal older, used to strange magics, and had very close friends for all his time existing. It seemed like a little reminder of that would do well to get through to him. And with a kwami, probably easier to convince Nino of the truth too.

He hadn't accounted for Wayzz to freak out this much. He supposed not everyone can handle a break in reality as well as Plagg did.

"Nino!" Chat shouted, and rushed forward.

Plagg left the ring, which had certainly been a Thing to find out about during these little patrols, but he had his own friend. "Wayzz! Come on, I'm the one whose supposed to cause catastrophe. Its okay," he called through the shield.

Chat, still very much Chat even with Plagg outside of the ring, dives forward to catch Nino before he goes slamming into anything, sliding across the ground on his knees. "Nino, are you okay?!"

Edited 2021-07-19 01:42 (UTC)

Well part of it is because of the false memories that was planted into him, and that would freak anyone out. Even kwamis.

"It's not okay! This...This place made me think Fu abused me. How could I think my dear old friend could...could..."

Sorry Plagg, but now your friend is in tears. Too bad Tikki or Ladybug isn't here for this.

Nino had braced for the ground when he got caught by Chat. He makes a deep breath to calm himself. "Yeah, I think so, dude. Never thought Wayzz would do that again, and I think the shield is even bigger this time."

He looks over to Wayzz with a frown and messes with the top hot he's wearing with his steampunk clothes.

"Poor Wayzz. This place is too cruel for him."

Plagg grimaced at that. But. Its not as if he was unused to sadness. Adrien may not cry a lot, but sadness? That was common. And things are weird and he understands. Just how important Fu was.

He's sure its how important Adrien is to him.

So Plagg flies over and he pulls Wayzz into a hug. "If you tell anyone, I'll say you breathed in way too many magic fumes," he said, though there was no real threat in his tone. "At least this place didn't take your food from you. Chat Noir had me on a diet!"

Chat blinked at that. "Again? When did that happen? Wayzz out of everyone should know how dangerous it is for Kwamis to use their power without a user," he said, looking concerned.

And then looking over Nino. "Iiiii take it by the costume change, brute force was the way to wake you up? Man, maybe its good he did that, that was like my last option."

Edited 2021-07-19 02:05 (UTC)

Good thing Plagg could go through the shield like that, otherwise he would have had to break it. Wayzz does hug back though and merely nods.

"Back in Empatheias during the last Selenium. I'm fairly I told you or Ladybug told you about what happened, but it's been a while."

Nino doesn't realize he's not the same Chat from Empath. He does however blink in confusion at the last bit. "Costume? It's the clothes I was wearing in Empatheias. And yeah I'm kinda glad too because I forgot Alya..."

And then horror sets in as he realizes something.

"Oh crap! Our girlfriends are going to kill us!"

Edited 2021-07-19 02:18 (UTC)

Phasing is a wonderful thing like that. ~~And I forgot about shields, but it could also be true, all things considered.~~ Plagg will continue purring and hugging duty. It helps Adrien, why not others?

Chat stared at that. "Ooookay, I think you lost me. You might be from farther along in the timeline then I am. I'm like a few weeks after Heart Hunter and Miracle Queen happened."

Though this probably means it isn't his Nino. A shame, that.

"Nino, Alya will understand. If she can forgive people trying to kill her under brainwashing, she can forgive this. And despite what the tabloids say, Ladybug and I are, unfortunately....fortunately...not together." He frowned at that. "I mean, I do have a girlfriend, but its not Ladybug."

~~We'll just say Kwamis are the exception to the rule~~. It does manage to make Wayzz calm down and eventually stop crying.

"Heart Hunter? Miracle Queen? I don't know those akumas. Last time I was home, we were fighting Party Crasher and Viperion just got absorbed and I was about to before I woke up in Empathaeis."

Seems this isn't his Adrien. Well that sucks.

"It was another world that was basically steampunk with emotion magic. You, me, Ladybug and Chloe still had our miraculouses but they were weaker in power. It did suck having to deal with victorian era tech, but I managed and with Chloe's help, get a job at a radio station."

He raises an eyebrow at that last bit. "You're not dating Marinette? That's different since the you and the Marinette there dated. And I mean you outside the suit, dude."

Yes he knows.

~~Plus Wayzz may have wanted the comfort.~~ Plagg is relieved for that. He can only take sadness so long."

"....seriously?" Chat asked. "That was a while ago."

Wait.

What.

"Wait, Chloe helped you? Chloe? And you guys were in another world too and-"

Oh.

He blushes. "I was dating Marinette? I-I mean, I thought about it, but-no-wait. Outside of the suit?"

"Multiverse theory, you nerd!" Plagg called out.

Chat groaned, putting his face in his hands. "Wait." He said through hands. Breathed in. Let it out. Lowered them, putting them together. "Okay. Okay. We're working on two different timelines. I was in a place called Nautilus. Which worked on willpower. You were there, Alya and Marinette were there for a time, and...a relative of mine."

"But it sounds like you were in another world with Marinette, Ladybug, me, and...Chloe." There is a pause. "Who helped you. Was she okay?" Things had certainly been in a way with Chloe lately, and he can't help worrying. "And....you....know me?"

Wayzz eventually does talk again. "I think I'm okay now, but I don't know how to drop the shield on my own."

Which means unless Cataclysm is involved, Nino might have to transform into Carapace again.

"Yeah outside the suit. I know it's you, dude. You disappear a lot, smell like cheese, that you supposely taking a shower while an akuma was attacking, and you clearly faking being a kissing zombie. Your eyes weren't pink.

Also there was kind of a team reveal thing near the end of my time in Empath."

Nino listens to his explanation and nods. "What was it like? Was it modern tech or did you have to struggle like me? I'm guessing you found out about me being Carapace there?"

Since he doesn't seem shocked.

"Yeah she was fine. Being in Empathaeis did a lot of good for her. Sure she's not Rose nice, but she actively worked to be a superhero and do good. Seems not having her dad's money around made her change for the better."

He has no idea of what would happen to Chloe with Heart Hunter and Miracle Queen.

Edited 2021-07-19 02:50 (UTC)

"Chat Noir will get us out. He's learned a few tricks. I practically don't even need to help him anymore. I can just take it easy and eat cheese," Plagg said, but he does let go of Wayzz. He doesn't stray far though.

"Wait, a reveal? So you know who Ladybug-" He puts his hand over his mouth and then shakes his head violently. "No! No, don't answer that. If I don't know, I can't be tempted. We worked way too hard in Nautilus to protect our identities for me to ask a third party." Even if he's getting frustrated with how things are currently. "But I am going to need a name here. You know. Purrclawtions."

"But...yes, that's where I found out. Admittedly, Nino did find out who I was, it was a whole thing," he said, waving a hand in the air. "And there was some modern. It was a mix of things, but there was always food and a way to get lights. If you were good at Bending, you didn't want for anything."

But he had personally struggled.

"....oh," he said, an uncertain look on his face. But then it slowly morphed into a sad kind of smile. "I'm glad. That she's doing better. I've been kind of wanting to throttle myself because she's clearly going through something, but I'm still too passive without Nautilus. But at least somewhere, she's doing better."

It was something.

"That's amazing. There's still much Nino has to learn and there's only so much I can do as his Kwami. At least this time, Nino won't have to transform."

Since Chat wasn't there.

Nino was gonna say yes but doesn't answer like asked. It's better he doesn't confirm it anyway. "I thought you didn't want to be tempted. Besides, wouldn't it be better to find out from her anyway?"

He couldn't help but smile at that. "Other me must be smarter than I am. Man this Nautilus place sounds a total paradise. Bending? Like some martial arts move?"

Nino sees that and things turn in his head. Something bad happened. "...Something happened to her during both Heart Hunter and Miracle Queen incidents, didn't it?"

"Are you sure you want to know Nino?"

"Well telling Chloe about Party Crasher was fine."

"Even still...."

"Well, he IS one of the best users I've ever had," Plagg bragged. "Even if he got a jumpstart by a few years."

"I mean my name, DJ," Chat said. "At the very least, I need to know the connection has been made in your mind," he added, tapping his templ.

"That's the optimistic view. That much power that anyone can harness? Things could get out of control. And there is the downside you can never truly return home....for me to see what happens next, 'I' have to become a rider in 'his' mind. So I can see all the mistakes he's making from a fresh, new perspective...and see how its going wrong. But I can't change it," he said, looking to the side.

He's silent for several moments. He looks over at Wayzz, then at the ground. Then at Nino. "Though...if that isn't the case for you..."

"Time travel is a dangerous bet," Plagg commented.

"Are you telling me no?"

Plagg laughed. "Never, but I want you to KNOW. If you want to destroy, who am I to say no?"

"Heart Hunter was her parents. And considering the weirdness that happened with Miraculer, I have a feeling Chloe was being targeted. She was made into Miracle Queen....after Ladybug was followed to the Master," Chat said and he looked at Wayzz. He moved over, the dark bubbles coming up along his fingers, and he tapped the shield to break it.

"We won, no one died, but a sacrifice was made. And honestly....I don't know if how things are going are in our favor."

"Ah my bad. You're Adrien Agreste, my best friend and Chat Noir." Pretty simple.

Nino does frown at the explanation. "Yeah that makes more sense. Sucks that you're more or less a ghost when you're at home. I hope that doesn't happen with me when I finally get home."

He patiently waits for Chat's response. He wouldn't have protested if he refused since it is risky. But when he does hear the story, both his and Wayzz's eyes widen at this. Wayzz paying no mind to the shield breaking.

"Oh man..."

Wayzz flies over to them. "You said no one died, but what was the sacrifice?" And then it clicks in Wayzz's head. "Oh no... please let it not be that."

Nino looks at Wayzz. "What do you mean Wayzz?"

"When a guardian is ready to retire from his or her duties and have someone else be the new guardian in their place, there's a spell that is cast, but doing so takes away the guardian's memories of everything in order to protect the identities of other miraculous users."

Nino's heart hurt. Does that mean Wayzz lost Fu?

"There we are. At least one other me has sense."

"It is very frustrating. I know better than the 'me' left behind so when I see him making mistakes, its...well, frustrating," he said with a sigh. "I wouldn't recommend it."

Chat raised his hand under Wayzz to support him gently. "Hawk Moth and Mayura were there and Chloe was in the midst of having a terrible break down in possession of the Box. He had to make a call. I'm sorry."

"He is with Marianna though. And he's doing well from what I hear. And Ladybug is doing her best. We recently convinced one of the revived monks we were trustworthy....after a fight, they're not a very open minded bunch."

"Geez."

Wayzz gets very sad again. "And no doubt future me couldn't say goodbye to him. I know he was training her to be the next Guardian, but I never thought it would be this soon. I...I..."

The kwami starts to shake and Nino panics. Not wanting a repeat of what just happened.

"Wayzz, Shell On!"

The kwami disappears into the miraculous and in a green flash of light, Nino is replaced by Carapace.

"Whew, that was close. I am so gonna have to make him a huge fish dinner tonight to cheer him up."

Granted, he hasn't quite gotten making sushi down still.

Chat jumps as Wayzz was suddenly gone again and he blinked. He looked over at Nino and-

He looks actually upset at his best friend.

"Ni-Carapace! How could you do that?" He demanded.

Carapace was not expecting that and he blinks in confusion again. "What? He was about to use his power again and I had to do some--"

And then Carapace nearly jumps when Wayzz comes out of the miraculous while still keeping Carapace transformed. The turtle kwami is crossing his arms in annoyance.

"You owe me lots of sushi. Make it fatty tuna too."

Carapace sighs. "Sorry, sorry. I panicked at that moment. I didn't know you could do that."

"Neither did I. It seems both Plagg and I don't need to be in the miraculous anymore."

It's certainly something.

"Really? Was that another trick of the world you were in? Chat said it was because of this Bending thing he can do," Plagg said with some interest.

Chat, however, still look displeased, crossing his arms. "He was UPSET, Nino. And if Wayzz is setting off his powers when upset and not in danger, which I assume is what you were doing before," Chat said, looking at Wayzz. "Because if that's your upset response, I think you need therapy since you should know how dangerous it is out of all the kwami."

Then he focuses on Nino. "And I can take a shelter to the face, the bigger problem is you're not letting him feel! That's important, Nino! You know how bad it is to bottle things up, don't you?"

"No, this is the first time it's ever happened. My best guess would be something to do with the magic from Empatheias got into the miraculous somehow."

Sure they could go back to ask, but then they wouldn't be able to return to this place.

Wayzz drops his arms. "...Look, I've had a long few days, alright? There's only so much even a Kwami can me can handle. It's not like it happens all the time."

Carapace cringes and looks away with guilt. "Yeah, you're right. I'm gonna make it up to Wayzz tonight, even if I break the bank doing so."

Thank goodness for DJing gigs paying well. Though now he wonders just what he's gonna do since he might become a fugitive now.

Chat tilted his head and he sighed. "Which means you need to take your emotional health more seriously," he said and gave them both a pointed look. "Both of you. Especially if Carapace can access his power solo. I've broken plates before because I gotten into an argument. Health. Not repression. "

He looked around and he moves a hand to Plagg. "We should move from here. Someone might have heard something."

"I did used to have that problem of sometimes accidentally causing windows to crack, or the lights dimming or brightening depending on how I was feeling. Never learned how to control it since I was only there for a few months."

At least it doesn't seem to be a problem here.

"That is a fair point."

At the last part, Carapace moves a hand to Wayzz. "Yeah we should before trouble comes around."

Since again, they might be fugitives now.

"Well, we'll have to work on that. I'd suggest mediation as a first step. It does wonders," Chat said.

"This way. I'm pretty good at finding hidey holes," he said, gesturing for Carapace to follow, Plagg flying into the ring as Chat heads for the rooftops.

"Ah true. Master Fu tends to do a lot of that whenever he wasn't taking care of us kwamis." At least Wayzz seems calm enough to talk about his owner who will soon be former owner.

Carapace merely nods and follows Chat as Wayzz flies back into the bracelet as well.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject