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

He should know the state of his basic needs, but he doesn't. His mind so muddled with everything and nothing, there's little he can focus on beyond the need to run, the need to find Beauregard and Caleb, that his own needs are not even worth accounting for. He gives a half aborted shake of his head, something that indicates being unsure more than a definitive no.

"I-.. I can move," slowly, but he can. He's not exactly the graceful elf he normally is, he can't even float at the moment, his mind too shaken to reverse his gravity. "But I--... I need to---" his eyes squeeze shut, it was so hard to form a thought, even harder to form words, but eventually they come out, halting, pained, "find them, I need to."

"You need to be safe." Eight commanded, soft and firm. "The entire city is after you, Caleb, Senku, Gen, and Raven."

"I'm on the lookout for them too. All of them. We need to take you to safety. You are in no condition to be looking too." Touch wasn't something Octarians were especially known for, but she learned through their time together how much these sort of gestures can mean to humans. She reaches for the back of his hands as they were gripping his hair.

He doesn't correct her, since he's also worried for the other three, but they aren't at the forefront of his mind. The fact the entire city is hunting them all down... even if Caleb was alive, he might not be alive much longer. What if they figure out Beauregard was associated with them? If she's alive, she-

The touch to the back of his hands knocks him out of his thoughts, flinching, but drawing back more gently this time. He can't help but feel guilty for it, but he's never been big on being touched, even by Elven standards, wholly unused to the act that it's uncomfortable for him. Even more so now that his skin prickles like each touch comes with claws that are digging in, threatening to puncture flesh.

But she has a point... perhaps he was just being a burden, distracting rescue efforts by needing to be rescuing again himself. "Yes- I... you're right."

Eight is surprised by his reaction and pulls her hand away. While her people wasn't big on touch, she did notice when people were uncomfortable. Was this because she was Eight now and not Mimi...? Did their relationship change that much? Perhaps.

"I went to 'Aunt' Beau's house like you suggested. I think she would like it if you went to her first." She wasn't sure how to approach this. While she didn't want to touch him more than she needed to, she would drag his ass if it was deemed necessary.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have it in him to really apologize for pulling away, but she was right, they needed to go. So, Essek begins to move to stand up weakly, trying to pull his hood back over more of his face with shaking hands, but he stills when Eight mentions Beau. To know she had gone to Beau like they wanted, it feels bad that Eight was put in that situation, but to know that she did and that she had seen Beau recently. That Beau might be-

"You--..She, ah... she's okay? Beauregard?" His hoarse voice is a little choked with hope. It feels wrong to hope when he's so full of despair, but he wants to. It was the Nein who taught him such things after all.

Eight is attentive, ready to steady Essek if he needs it. When he's stable, she begins to take a few steps ahead, taking point.

Though still free of the illusion, she couldn't help feeling a little hurt at the hope he expressed when knowing Beauregard was okay. She dismissed the feeling quickly, turning to face forward. "Mmhm. She's looking for you and Caleb. Just your luck that I found you first..."

She turned to face him. "We can go at your pace, but there is a walk ahead of us. And the... lights and D-Force are hunting for you especially. I'll do what I can to get you there safetly."

"Trust me. Or, if you cannot do that, trust Mimi."

Beau was looking for him? Looking for Caleb, sure, but him? He's surprised to hear it, his relationship with her was always contentious until very recently, so this beau should still fall cleanly in her dislike of him... maybe what Caleb said was more true than he expected.

Though, he does frown when she mentioned he should trust Mimi if he can't trust her. He feels as if he's missing something here, it makes his head pound to try and retrace their conversation and interactions. Probably somewhere in there he did something to upset her? Was it him pulling away? Now wasn't the time to try and address what might have gone wrong.

"I--" he grits his teeth and organizes the thought through fog enough to try and get them out cleanly, "I have enough... sense to-- ah, trust my allies hav-... won't lead me to harm."

He takes another breath, "Just-- the closest safe house..." Essek will be fine with that, he wants to see Beau but he's more bothered by Caleb possibly being out there, lost.

Eight nods as she tightens her grip around what looked like a broken fire extinguisher. She kicks up a metal pail and starts walking ahead, only to realize that Essek wasn't really nearly as capable as Caleb was when she found him. Was that going to hinder their mission?

No, Essek was going to need more protection than he is letting on. With a mighty slosh, the bucket fires magenta ink in a trail in front of Essek before turning around and repeating it from behind him. Finally, to connect the two paths, she spins a small circle around Essek before jumping into the air, transforming into an octopus, and diving into the ink.

A pair of eyes bob out of the ink, "Follow the trail of ink. So long as you stand close, I will be nearby. Let me know if you need to rest." Eight had a feeling this was going to be a loooong trip.

So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

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