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

They hesitate, then seem to wilt a little. How can they tell her? How can they tell her they're worried she's an illusion meant to trap them here out of love for her? She might well call the D-FORCE, and think it would be completely justified. Within the world, it would be.

They drop their head into their hands. "I know. I know, Misty, I'm sorry."

The contextless confirmation somehow stings worse than she'd prepared for. Crossing her arms around her midsection she studies him, sighs as she finds nothing off. Knowing, with visceral unease, that she can't comfort him.

The silence hangs. Long.

"Are you real?" She finally ventures, voice breaking. "Is this real?"

They look up quickly, and wilt a little further at the expression on her face. "Misty. I." They can't lie. That's been the problem all this time: they can't lie to her, but they can't tell the truth, either.

They shudder out a sigh, and pat the couch next to them. "C'mere. If you promise not to call the cops on me, I'll. I'll try to explain."

"That's not comforting," she murmurs, voice tight. Scoots into the indicated seat despite herself. He still sounds so safe, somehow. Even when she could kick herself for thinking it - when he thinks he could warrant a police presence.

"What is it?"

"I'm not very good at comforting," they allow. "Though you've always disagreed. I. God, how do I even start." In a way that doesn't make her immediately think they're the enemy.

Okay. "There's this. Entity. We don't know who or what it is, aside from it's the last survivor of a dead world." Which might or might not sound familiar to her, honestly. They have no idea what she's been remembering. If anything. "But it. It creates illusions. Stories. Makes you think they're real. We've been. We've been tracking it, and when we tracked it hear, it-- sucked us into its illusions. So. This place? Maybe not real, I don't now yet. You? Me? Real. Only. Not who we think we were these past couple days."

They chew on their cheek and ask, "Does the name Soldat mean anything to you?"

A dead world has a certain horrific, harrowing ring to it. She listens silently, biting her lip. Soldat doesn't summon anything so intense, but she mulls.

"Vaguely?" She offers, with a likely unencouraging lack of certainty. "I've heard it before, I'm sure, but--"

More pressing: "Who is 'we'?"

That's very unencouraging. They shut their eyes tight a moment against the very unhelpful threat of tears. Either she's not their Misty, or she's still too deep in to recognize them properly. They don't know which they'd rather this be.

They swallow hard, force the emotion back, and continue unhappily. "That's why I wanted the promise not to call the cops. Those. Voidtreckers? The D-Force is all up in arms about? That's us. Except the D-Force don't exist. And we're trying to save people, not attack them. The entity behind all this. Tried to destroy three worlds before this one, at least. Maybe trying to recreate theirs."

A hand goes to his shoulder, automatic. The reactions, the surface responses, are all rooted in this current life. What may be lurking beneath those hasn't - at least yet - found a way to manifest.

"I'm not-- I'm not some recreation, James, I'm not- you're not making sense. Where's the proof? Of any of this?"

They hold very still, torn between flinching away and leaning. God, they've missed her, but they're so on edge, too. They look sidelong at her, bring the flesh hand up to cover hers. That's something, right? "No. You're real. Just you're not from here. You're. The story the entity gave you. It's got holes in it, doesn't it? You asked me if you this real. It might not be. But you're real. You're a person." They think. They're pretty sure. Christ, they don't know if they want it to be true or not. "Just-- not the person who lives here. The entity stole you. Just like they stole me and Yondu and Kitty from where we're from."

They shake their head a little. "The proof is that we're all starting to remember. The world is starting to break. Things going missing. Transportation breaking down. Because it's too much for the entity to manage, all of us trying to remember."

Edited (consistency with previous tags oops) 2021-07-26 23:15 (UTC)

It's something.

She chews it over, disbelieving, but pulled - on this surface level, and something more lasting, the core beneath - to follow him. To trust, and trust always. To her own surprise she shudders, a quick, head to waist movement.

"What happens? After? If this is true."

"We get you home, Misty," Soldat promises, forcing themselves to look earnestly at her face, at the shudder. To close their hand more warmly over hers. "Or you come with us, until we can figure out how to do that. We've. We've got some help coming, who will hopefully know what to do, to get you where. Where you belong." They've seen the message from Anan, and they know Yondu went to talk to her. They have to believe help is coming.

They have to hope that Misty has somewhere to go home to. Whether it's Beacon or the world she came from. The thought of just keeping her with them is painfully tempting, but they're not sure it's even possible. She's not tethered to the train.

"I don't know what home is, if not here."

If it sounds miserable, it's because it is. She has home, she has people, she has a life here.

"How do you know me? If you even...know me. If it isn't all fake."

"Misty." It's heartbreaking to think of sending her away. But she's not tethered to the train. Even if she's real, the train might not be able to protect her. They can't risk her being hurt, either.

They shift on the couch, turning to face her, taking both her hands in theirs, now. "In another world. A place called Beacon. You're my favorite person. You're still my favorite person. You helped me so much, and. And I love you, no matter what, okay? I love you then and I love you now and even if you never really remember me, I'll still love you."

Beacon. Something in her stomach churns, familiar. No image attached, but feelings - apprehension, resignation, frustration, understanding - flicker across her face. She blinks, and realizes to her own shock how close she is to tears.

To hear something so common as to near mundane in the nearer life she remembers sound so solemn aches. Gathering resolve, she nods.

"You're saying it like a goodbye. Am I headed...back, someplace? There?"

They sigh. Intel is just so scarce still. "I don't know. Not yet, anyway, there's still a few days at least. Help is coming, but. I don't know how you got here. I don't know if it's safe for you to stay." They badly want to let her go and find some paper and fold it into something tiny and fiddly. "I only remembered yesterday. We're still piecing together what happened and how to get out. Get everybody out."

"Is it...everyone? That I know? Or are some of them fake?"

There's urgency. Why specifically, she can't quite articulate. But this fear is deep, and familiar, and any future actions may hinge on the answer.

"Pretty sure everyone here is a real person. Even if their. Their lives here aren't real," Soldat says, and hopes to hell they're right. "Don't know how the entity managed to steal you all, the amount of power it must've took-- but we're not the only ones remembering. Yondu ran into a little girl trying to convince her father this wasn't their home yesterday."

Not only do they hope they're right, but they hope it helps. They know this is hard to take. But they're not sure they could take it is Misty rejected them, if they had to go on the run from her of all people.

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