etrayamods: (Default)
∎ ETRAYA MODS ∎ ([personal profile] etrayamods) wrote in [community profile] etrayamemes2025-03-28 09:16 am
Entry tags:

TDM 007

content warnings for this TDM include: violence, potential death, body horror, physical transformation, loss of senses, loss of autonomy

⏵ arrival⏴



Arrival does not happen as Aurora usually plans for it. New characters are introduced to the AI, then informed of a mission that they are required to participate in before they can return to their home base of Etraya. A world called Aphaia is falling apart, and while there is nothing they can do to resolve this broken world, they can participate in the Gamerunner's Stratagem.

Their mission is simple: step through the glowing purple portal that Aurora creates once they've had time to listen to her, and survive until a similar portal reopens in front of them, allowing them to return to Etraya. The Gamerunner's Stratagem is something they have been working on building for quite some time. She informs all newcomers that they will not be present on this world that long: their exit will appear to them exactly when it's meant to, allowing them to meet the others who have been recruited to save their worlds. She provides each and every arrival with an earpiece, allowing them to communicate with the other Etrayans. Aurora suggests taking a bag full of supplies along with them, which she will fill with a few generic items as well as any specific items they may need: synthetic blood for vampires, protein bars for those who may burn through calories faster, medication for anyone who requires it.


⏵ aphaia ⏴


Aphaia is a neon-lit, chaotic planet. Cameras are everywhere, every action and inaction is judged by the 'audience'. Towering holograms advertise upcoming events while flashing leader boards track the most "popular" players. Contestants are thrown into challenges, many of which are games of skill, survival, and deception all to keep the viewers entertained. Not participating is an option! However, avoiding playing along and not putting on a show will quickly cause participants' score to go down, and scores that reach zero? Well.

Unfortunately, there are only so many resources left on Aphaia. Their wildlife has died off, their planet is falling apart, and most others in this galaxy were either destroyed from the inside out, or warring planets trying to gain control of remaining resources destroyed them to avoid others getting involved. Their natural resources are depleted, and only those who manage to keep their scores up are given the luxury of having any supplies. As soon as one steps foot on Aphaia, as soon as they breathe, they intake nanotechnology which tracks their oxygen consumption, their food, everything they do or need. As soon as their scores reach zero?

They disappear. There one moment, and completely gone the next. Their communicators go offline, and while everything they were carrying will be left behind, no one will be able to find them. They are simply--gone, erased from existence.

This is a death and counts as a death as outlined in the game FAQ! Please keep this in mind.

"Points" that go towards their total score will be assigned to contestants from the moment they drop down on planet. This will be visible using the HUD on their earpiece, and will be randomized at the beginning. For the sake of the TDM, we ask that no one be assigned Paragon initially, but you're free to use other ranks!

The possible rankings are:

100: PARAGON
99-80: LUMINARY
79-70: CHAMPION
69-50: CONTENDER
49-30: UNDERLING
30-0: SHADE

Ranks may change daily, or even hourly depending on the kind of situation one has found themselves in. Are they having a very public break up in which it comes out that they wronged their ex? They may go from a Champion to a Shade before they can even blink. Did they save a defenseless reporter from the big bad villain of the week? They may find themselves quickly elevated up to Luminary and given all the benefits that comes with being upper class. The world is their oyster, they only need to figure out how they'd like to utilize it!

Aphaia is broken up into four districts.

The Colosseum is a dynamic battle arena where combatants fight for entertainment, with shifting environments controlled by the audience. Victories earn points, while losses depend on performance.

The Symposium is a lavish social hub for top contestants, where alliances and betrayals are made under the audience’s watchful eye.

The Agora is the public center of Aphaia, where contestants engage with the audience through polls, interviews, and challenges to maintain popularity. It also houses the contestants in high-rise apartments.

And Backalleys provide hidden spaces with intentional blind spots for secret dealings, though the Gamerunner is always aware of what happens there.


⏵ st★rlight soirée ⏴


Something special is happening in the Colosseum. Lights flicker as the arena shifts, rearranging itself into a grand, glittering ballroom - if a ballroom had stadium seating, paparazzi drones, and an ever-changing floor plan designed to disorient those within it. Silver chandeliers pulse with artificial starlight, their glow refracted through the crystalline floors. Music swells, but it sounds - unnatural. It thrums through your veins, setting your blood alight with the urge to dance.

Why is the ballroom designed as if intentionally put together to throw off one's balance? Well, it's time for the Panopticon Prom, of course!

The Panopticon Prom isn't just an adventure in dancing and impressing your most recent crush. It's a test of endurance, cunning, grace, and charm. The floor beneath your feet moves as if it has a mind of it's own, shifting to the beat like a living creature all of it's own. It tilts, undulates, even vanishing in sections to keep dancers on edge. After all, it's difficult to keep up one's pace if they're falling through a hole in the floor to the foam pit below.

Drones zip through the air, catching every stumble, every misstep, and every attempt to throw off others on the dance floor. This is a competition, after all; and what fun is a dance battle without having the freedom to thwart someone else on their road to victory?

The rules are simple:
  • You must dance with a partner. This can be an ally, an enemy, or someone you intend on using as a stepping stone to victory. It matters not, as long as you have one hand (or limb) on them at all times.
  • The longer you last, the better your chances. Endurance is the name of the game, meaning one must pace themselves on the dance floor. While epic twirls and impressive moves will garner more attention, it may also hurt your chances in the long run.
  • You may sabotage others by throwing them off balance, but keep in mind: everything is televised, and it won't stay secret for long.
  • The arena adapts to the chaos. Expect sudden obstacles, environmental shifts, and sudden changes in the music's tempo. Gravity may shift, walls may close in, but participants can't let that stop them - they must continue to dance, if they wish to win.
The audience is watching. Who will make the final cut and become Prom King and Queen? Everyone is vying for the titles: it doesn't matter what rank you started at when you joined the Panopticon Prom. Whoever wins becomes a Paragon until their points drop. There aren't many opportunities to sail through the rankings, but this is a sure way to do it. As long as they can keep up.


⏵ casino royale ⏴


Out in the Agora, another popular quarterly event is being set up! The Casino Royale has been destroyed countless times, but it seems as if the Gamerunner just can't let it go - every time it gets knocked down, it gets rebuilt.

There is one rule. One must take a turn at the revolving wheel just inside the door as their entry fee, and whatever the wheel lands on, they must maintain until they exit the building for the night. Sometimes, this is easier: an effect they have no control over and cannot undo even if they wanted to. Sometimes, this is more difficult: an assigned task they must complete. Failure to abide by the wheel once means receiving a penalty. Twice? Certain death if caught by any employee.

The wheel's effects are as follows:

1 You must speak entirely in rhyme. 2 Your body has become unnaturally delicate. The smallest injury hurts like a fatal wound.
3 You must avoid stepping into any sources of light. Doing so causes massive burns to appear on any area of your skin where light has touched. 4 You have been transformed into an animal! You can still think as you had before, but you cannot speak or communicate easily.
5 You have been cursed with supernatural strength, but cannot control it. 6 Time doesn't flow normally for you anymore. Each mistake you make makes you visibly younger, slowly erasing your experiences, skills, or even memories.
7 You can no longer form your own words, but only repeat what others have said to you. 8 You cannot meet another person's gaze.
9 You can no longer turn around, physically or metaphorically. If you try to return where you came from, you'll find that the pathway no longer exists. 10 You are given a specific letter that you must avoid using out loud entirely. "A"? Better hope you know enough words without one.
11 Every time you speak, your words come true - but never in the way you intended. Trying to control this is futile; the monkey's paw curls with every new sentence. 12 Within the casino, you lose the ability to feel anything. No pain, no pleasure, no warmth, and no cold. At first it may feel like a blessing - until you realize you cannot feel hunger, or tell if you're injured.
13 Regardless of if you've drunken anything, you still act inebriated. The effect only gets worse the longer you stay. 14 No one can see you. You are invisible, even if you are still able to reach out and touch or converse with those around you.
15 Any special ability you have is gone. You are reduced down to what an average human being is capable of - regardless of if you are human. 16 Violent impulses become impossible to ignore. You are rage incarnate, and you will be heard.
17 Every time you make a decision - to walk into an area, to start a conversation, anything, a small thread pulls loose from your clothing or your skin. Keep making choices, and you may become entirely undone. 18 You may speak freely, but for every syllable you say, your ability to hear slowly fades. You may want to watch your word count - too many, and you may not be able to hear at all.
19 Perhaps you arrived with a friend, or beside a stranger. It matters not: whoever came in either just before or just after you, you feel a powerful urge to protect them to the point of aggression. 20 Love is in the air - at least it is for you. Every time you meet someone's gaze, you feel the need to try and make them fall in love with you, through whatever means necessary.


The casino is alive with the hum of conversation, the clink of glasses, and the steady whirl of the roulette wheels. Golden chandeliers cast a warm glow over velvet-lined tables, where fortunes are made and lost with the flick of a wrist. But something feels. . . off.

The dealers never blink. The cards never seem random. And the house always wins - always. Maybe it's just paranoia, or maybe this casino is something more than just a den of chance. Tonight, you're not here just to play; you're here on a mission.

You've arrived dressed to kill, blending into the sea of bodies filling the casino's floors. But you're not here to win points or boost your social standing - you're here to win intel. Somewhere in this casino is a single flash drive containing information on just how Aphaia maintains their system. The only problem? The House knows someone is coming for it. After all, they're well-aware of the game: whoever retrieves the flash drive will obtain information on how to flip the script, to change the rules of the game to fit their wants and needs, rather than following the current Gamerunner. After all, this is the Gamerunner's Stratagem that Aurora has sent them out on! Many apply for 'employment' within the Casino Royale in hopes of getting insider information on where the flash drive is hidden and what it looks like. However, it seems that even the employees have no clue where it has been hidden.

⏵ NOTES ⏴


This is an extension of our Aphaia Mission! We have included enough information in this post that catching up to current in game logs isn't necessary to play with it, but you are welcome to use any part of the Aphaia setting in your prompts as you'd like. Current players are also welcome to bring the events from this TDM into their in-game threads.

This mission can happen outside of time as needed! Incoming characters will find themselves introduced to Aphaia as they arrive. Current characters may find Aurora calling on them to visit Aphaia after the current mission for the Gamerunner's Stratagem.

Characters already in game are welcome to post to the TDM, too! Please mark them as current characters in your header. Threads can be kept as game canon as long as both characters get into the game!

Please direct all questions relating to this log to our mod queries comment! All other questions can be directed to our FAQ.

FULL NAVIGATION

laserguy: (new day)

[personal profile] laserguy 2025-04-16 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
Right, we've been going in the same direction this entire time. [...] Aren't you able to run really fast?

[Mostly just basing that knowledge on the fact that the other hedgehog-- Shadow, was able to zip past him. Hell, didn't he watch this one do that too? Well, whatever. He feels like it's not really worth it to think much about all this, especially since he can feel the stomping of that alien getting stronger with each passing second.

Although, Shadow is already breaking into a room and he's not going to play guard out here, he's going to join him inside and close the door after. Yeah, hiding, but maybe it will work.]


So what are you doing then? Trying to find that... 'flash drive?'

[He doesn't know what that is.]
nobraincell: (blushu...)

[personal profile] nobraincell 2025-04-16 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
[Gasp, holding hands! Still great!! He happily takes Ouyang Duyu's hand, following obediently along with him, and absolutely not considering how the roulette had said he's delicate now...it's hard to imagine, okay?]

I don't intend to, but you never know what might happen. [Like him wandering off...]
fourthwalled: (pic#15467909)

[personal profile] fourthwalled 2025-04-16 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
[For as much as Wade might have tried to be an X-men, it had never been for him. He couldn't be one of them, no matter how hard he'd tried to be. No amount of dinner prep and Velcro Tupperware labels could make up for his other tendencies.]

Grey? [He knows who you are, but also doesn't. It's a complicated fourth wall dance, baby Nate.] As in Jean Grey?

[Being called Nate is interesting too. But he'll get to that. Although all thoughts on that quickly dissolve.]

WHAT'S A DISNEY PRINCESS! Fuck. Stop the presses, I don't give a fuck about your last name. We need to address this first! Have you NEVER seen a Disney movie?!
laserguy: (can i join mcu)

[personal profile] laserguy 2025-04-16 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
[What did he just get himself into?? But it feels too late to back out now. Should he just rely on her to do all the work? But that doesn't feel good either. No, he... he has to do his best in this upcoming fight in the colosseum. If he doesn't even try, she might get hurt and that would also be awful. Her confidence helps a little, it seems that she has control over her abilities. Whatever they may be.

He probably should mention that....]


Yeah, okay. Look for the cool guy with the red sunglasses.

[Wow. But okay, he'll start making his way to the place that he's been avoiding this entire time.]
tensibility: (so much to do in one lifetime)

lucky Zoro, Luffy suffers from terminal face-blindness

[personal profile] tensibility 2025-04-16 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
[It really isn't so much a matter of luck that saves Zoro's pride. Luffy has never been good at two core principles of socialization: remembering faces and remembering names (or at the very least how to pronounce them). Sp of the cat he's currently petting looks like his first mate? He might comment on the similarity but 2+2 will never equal 4 here.]

So grumpy--you'd get on great with Zoro. [He laughs, scratching behind one of the cats ears.] You can even match his scar. So cool.

[He's too caught up on the idea of kidnapping this cat back home, of he ever figured out how to make that work.] You know your way around here, cat? I'm supposed to be finding something.
fireboost: (pic#17745810)

[personal profile] fireboost 2025-04-16 02:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ oh, okay. blaze will let him get to his feet with no comment on the hands and knees bit, nor about the personal grooming ritual he feels the need to enact before moving on to more important things. blaze doesn't know what needs checking about those rings, (more grooming?) but more importantly, she knows what the hell that was. ]

I suppose that the needle wasn't the answer then.

[ she doesn't imagine that it would be, with how difficult of a time shadow had of it, and not to mention the efficacy of the wheel even without it. she's sure that's why this had happened to him, after all. ]
fireboost: (pic#17745818)

[personal profile] fireboost 2025-04-16 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
A ballroom dance is her area of expertise—even if she has to adjust her stride when the floor rolls underneath them like a wave.

"Hmm? Was it not explained to you?"

Well, it's no matter. Blaze learned a little more since her arrival anyway, and it's information that she's happy to share with her friend.

"We've been asked by her to prove our worlds are worthy of being saved. However, she hasn't explained just what threatens them, nor have those here confirmed that her words are the truth. Apparently, this place is a part of the missions that will allow us to show our worth."
fireboost: (pic#17745805)

[personal profile] fireboost 2025-04-16 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
[ dimitri seems just as lost in thought as she is for a moment, and the understanding that comes with his admission only makes it clear why.

someone in the same position as her—a person who felt a duty to protect the world that they came from, and though she couldn't guess what might have brought him to carry such a responsibility, she has a great respect for it all the same. ]


I see. It isn't a bad thing though, and I appreciate your insight.

[ she doesn't feel tricked or betrayed; it was just a simple misunderstanding. still, as she understands it, that earpiece has some rather important funtions. ]

Do you think it can be repaired? Perhaps you can ask Aurora for a new one on our return.
limiterrings: (pic#17689659)

[personal profile] limiterrings 2025-04-16 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
Feh.

[ that's all he has in response to it. his eyes glance over to the broken needle that he yanked off, and is probably still in the building from when he dropped it upon collision. what he knows is that he wants nothing to do with it. ]

That girl should look for it herself, knowing she sits comfortable at the expense of others.

[ someone sounds a little annoyed at aurora, but he isn't saying he'll kill her.

yet anyway. ]


Any other ideas?
limiterrings: (pic#17723493)

[personal profile] limiterrings 2025-04-16 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
You ask too many questions.

[ as they enter the room, there's nothing valuable inside, it's only another room with various pool tables unattended to. if he had to guess, this is probably where they were going to bring their chips and wager depending on the amount of wins someone could gain.

or if they can win at all considering the circumstances. ]


Is there a reason why you're still following me?

[ does scott remember when he said the same thing to shadow? hopefully. ]
limiterrings: (pic#17779898)

he hates them all.... but he never leaves..... i wonder why!!

[personal profile] limiterrings 2025-04-16 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
[ his ears twitch at the sound of steps behind him, nothing like the odd patterns of the aliens around, but a normal one two at a decent pace. it might be horrible for him to do, but he keeps the same initial speed knowing that she'll follow unless fio falls to the ground.

that doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon, but the direction that shadow seems to be going is towards symposium. a place that allows certain individuals entry depending on how high their points are. it's not a location that shadow has went to alone, and this would be his second time even venturing there.

in their silence, he does keep an ear out for whether she lags behind or for anything odd happening around them. ]
cantilevers: (43)

[personal profile] cantilevers 2025-04-16 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
[It was just a dance, and it wasn't as if they actually qualified for prizes or working their way through whatever competition was happening. Maria had been his original partner, but Vander was not above having a good time regardless. He suspected he might have saved the man from a worse fate having to stare down Maria's ire, as it seemed she had been about to unleash it raw and unfiltered upon James.

Besides, he wasn't a bad dancer. He would contend he was a rather good man knowing where his feet were and James was just tugged along without much in the way of resistance. Maybe the man was more of a wet noodle?

He snorted in amusement as he twirled them on the dance floor.]
Is asking how a bloke's day going usually a threat where you're from? And don't worry, if I was threatening you, there would be no misconception about it. No, I actually am asking how you're doing.
fireboost: (pic#17677810)

[personal profile] fireboost 2025-04-16 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
Cool guy with the red sunglasses. I'll keep it in mind.

[ why does this kind of remind her of someone?

when he does arrive, of course there's a plethora of aliens and humanoids alike, but among them, there's also a three foot tall purple cat. the cat in particular is walking through the crowd like she's on a mission, disappearing into the people who are crowding around—either to sign up, or to spectate. give her a minute, and she'll loop back around before looking in scott's direction.

...

and start marching directly towards him, speaking up once she approaches. ]


Shades...?
laserguy: (we're seeing him again)

OwO

[personal profile] laserguy 2025-04-16 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
[Scott will visibly startle from where he's standing, the mutant sharply turning around to find the source of the voice but not thinking to really look up yet to see Nate. Instead, after a few more turn arounds with no real success, Scott huffs and folds his arms across his chest like he's dealing with a nuisance. Yeah, there's clear annoyance on the teen's face, rather than any confusion, like he's sort of gotten used to people talking in his mind. It doesn't feel like an untrue statement.

Just how many telepaths are there in the mutant world?? And much does he want to bet that they know him??

Scott's mind is rather open, one might call it vulnerable, it's not like he's had any real training yet to block telepathy. One could easily describe him as grumpy right now.]


Shit, really? You do realize that I've just sent that message out through the earpiece. You could've, I don't know, used that.

[Wait, this guy can hotwire?? ...Kind of cool.]
ascendingstar: (pic#17779655)

[personal profile] ascendingstar 2025-04-16 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
That sounds great. It'll be nice to talk again.

[It really was nice to see him again. Sure, she made trips back to see everyone, but it was different than actually staying in Mondstadt like she did years ago before traveling to Liyue. When saving Dvalin was their biggest worry.]

What's the train like?
vexant: (pic#14770572)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-04-16 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
It's not this crowded, or this loud. And it lacks the whole, show off or die element.

( well. there's still the show off or your world dies one, but that's slightly different. she'll get it. and walking? walking is good. walking is low effort yet time consuming; it'll take them a while to get places, but it also means that they can take that time to just - cope with everything else. quietly. )
vexant: (nc6LWsZ)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-04-16 05:21 am (UTC)(link)
Not a lot, but it's not like I give a shit about listening to everyone's gossip anyway.

( because he's had a lot of his own bullcrap going on, thanks. he listens enough to know the basics, pays attention more if it feels relevant. but this guy? )

You're an Omega level psionic and a reality warper, right?
shadowsincryo: (hush now)

[personal profile] shadowsincryo 2025-04-16 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
‘It’s boxy. It runs on a rail that goes around the entire city. But, it doesn’t make stops. You have to catch it. It only goes one way.’

[He has yet to make the effort to catch it. But he will. He can’t leave any lead unchecked. He closes his eye and writes more.]

‘It’s a bit of a learning curve to deal with all the strange tech there. Well, for me. It might not be so difficult for you.’
manifesthope: (Big Smile)

[personal profile] manifesthope 2025-04-16 05:25 am (UTC)(link)
Passionate about adventuring? I can understand that...[Silver found himself smirking a little in amusement despite the seriousness of the situation. He sobered quickly enough though, eyes keeping their focus on the group and the task at hand.

He does shift his gaze to Blaze though, seeing the shifts in her expressions and sees something in the smile. He finds himself smiling once again as his expression gentled. This friend Marine was a good one then. Maybe someday they'd get to meet for real.]


She sounds kind of like me when I was younger. [This time he did chuckle a little.] Trust me, I got in enough trouble. She sounds like a good friend.
manifesthope: (Confused)

[personal profile] manifesthope 2025-04-16 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
What..you wanna be stuck here instead? [Silver asked in surprise. Who would want to stay here on this planet? It was supposedly doomed right? He huffed a sigh. Shadow could totally be hard to read sometimes.]

Ugh yeah. The time traveling thing seems random, but in the end it turns out it happens at the right time its needed after all. Crazy, but true. But yeah...it would have definitely come in handy if I could control it.

As for the rest, my psychokinesis seems unchanged. I have full control over that at least. [So at least he wasn't useless. He hated just sitting around doing nothing.]
manifesthope: (No Way!)

[personal profile] manifesthope 2025-04-16 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
[Silver, satisfied that any onlookers had fled the immediate area, turned back towards the burning hulk of the vehicle. Movement caught his eye from the bench, and he saw a small dark figure by the larger alien on the ground. He floated closer in shimmering cyan energies, eyes widening as he peered through the smoke. He recognized the silhouette immediately. The figure crushed a weapon in his hand and tossed it aside.]

Wha...Shadow?? What's going on? Were these guys after you? [Considering the hedgehog's violent nature, it was no wonder if they were but...he totally didn't say that out loud.]

manifesthope: (Taken Aback)

[personal profile] manifesthope 2025-04-16 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
[Woah. Silver slowly chewed on the protein bar he was nibbling on as he suddenly became aware of the ground trembling at intervals. Like something huge was walking this way. Aliens started moving quickly down the street past him as a large shadow appeared on the side of a building. Then the creature came into view and a huge foot planted no more than 6 meters away from where he was sitting.

Silver's mouth fell open in pure surprise as his gaze roamed upward. He'd never seen anything like it in his life! The creature was immense in size and walked on four pillar like legs. It also had a very long neck. He folded up the wrapper around what was left of the bar he was holding and packed it carefully in his backpack before shouldering it. Then glowing cyan energies appeared and shimmered around his body as he lifted up into the air. He wasn't afraid that he was going to get stepped on necessarily, but out of all the aliens he had seen walking around this place, this one was definitely the biggest. Of course he'd be curious! He floated up high enough to be level with the creature's head and waved.]


Hey there!
lastofthearmlizards: (8)

[personal profile] lastofthearmlizards 2025-04-16 06:18 am (UTC)(link)
[Baylene couldn’t help but blink her eyes as Silver floated high enough into her line of sight. She'd seen many different creatures of different shapes and sizes, but she'd never seen one like him. Especially one who could somehow float in the air in spite of the absence of wings.]

Oh greetings, little one. How are you flying up here?
overconfidently: overconfidently. (pic#15681366)

[personal profile] overconfidently 2025-04-16 11:29 am (UTC)(link)
( Reality warper. Not a term he’s heard to describe himself before, but. Maybe. The way he had created things from his dreams… from his nightmares… is that what that’s called? Warping reality? A glance down, he looks back over to Julian. )

Something like that, yeah.

( Sounds better than saying he’s a weapon Sinister created from Jean and Scott’s DNA to fight and defeat Apocalypse. )

I appreciate it. ( A beat. ) The not listening to what everyone else says part.
unaliveyourself: (pic#17481342)

[personal profile] unaliveyourself 2025-04-16 12:32 pm (UTC)(link)
i wasn't questioning whether people would want to know, but one would assume the availability of such information would be sparse
it's really a matter of basic data security, honestly
i imagine you sorts are often high-value assassination targets, after all