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: (daily life)

[personal profile] laserguy 2025-04-18 08:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[You know what? He almost respects the sass back. Maybe flying telepath guy isn't so bad.

...Of course, he has to go point out that he thinks loudly and he might just take that thought back. Well, LOOK. At least he's thinking!! Right. His face scrunches, a small huff leaving the teenager, one hand by his side folding against his hip as he comes up with a totally super clever response to that.]


Maybe you're not used to people actually thinking. [Wow, sure got him there, Summers.] And you're already calling yourself my friend?

[Eyebrow arch. However, Scott might've actually listened to Nate's advice, he just doesn't really show it. It is pretty alarming to think that someone who isn't as 'friendly' roaming through his thoughts. No thanks. He doesn't need some weirdo creeping around in there.]
badfengshui: (Default)

[personal profile] badfengshui 2025-04-18 08:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Henry makes a soft noise of agreement. That makes sense. If it helps people not end up in bad situations, he supposes that would be very useful to learn from.

Romantically speaking, he is just in his fake relationship and it's the only relationship he has ever been in. His one goal is to ensure that Maria isn't bothered or troubled by anything that he does; he would like to ensure that she lives a peaceful time while fake dating him. How much he's succeeding remains to be seen.

But he sets that aside.

The dance ends. He's made his promise to make sure that Inara will be all right. Letting go of her hand, he lifts his own up like he might rest it on her shoulder. His fingers twitch and he drops his hand back down to his side.

He blinks. ]


I -- [ His head tilts. He pauses to look up and see the people around them. Tilting his head back, he looks up toward the ceiling. It's a setting for a dance; it's supposed to be a rare bit of fun without violence or something invasive.

He blinks and drops his head back down to look at her. ]
-- yeah. It's -- [ Another slow blink, thoughtful. ] -- there isn't anything that can be done.

[ His lips press together into a thin line before he relaxes his expression. ] Sorry. I'm trying to pull myself together. It's going -- it's a work in progress.
vexant: (XBsq6eA)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-04-18 09:39 pm (UTC)(link)
( it's showing off, but intentional, playful showing off. his arm rests gently around her waist, pulling her in close as a drone flies by and this? almost feels close to normal. or at least, the kind of normal that julian would expect from - when they're not getting fucked to hell and back. it feels closer to their stupid, high school bullshit he and his friends used to get up to - you know, when there was a high school.

considering sophie's deal, it's probably the same shit she's just wholly missed out on. well. she can have it now at least. )


You ever try picking pockets with TK? Quire's got pockets stacked full of snacks and hair care crap.
sodark: made by me (pic#17443354)

[personal profile] sodark 2025-04-18 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[Cable pulls a face when Nate introduces himself. Either they're terribly uncreative with names (likely) or they're closer genetically than he initially thought (probably more likely).

It's why he doesn't feel immediately defensive at the observation, though it always feels a little like rubbing salt in the wound to talk about it.]


I am different. [As far as he can tell anyway.]

I do. You don't. [A beat.] You don't have it.
sophielicious: (36)

[personal profile] sophielicious 2025-04-18 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
(It does feel like she's sucked back into a time she didn't get to enjoy too much. Some things are oddly familiar: being annoyed at Quentin, ranking the guys she's into (formerly They), enjoying simple things, eyes on her as her God-given right.

Her powers are not nearly as stable as they were before their crisis, but she does hear someone's thought of getting 'the latest X-Men romance' on camera behind her, which means they might need to switch positioning real quick. She won't talk into his brain, God forbid her powers regressing, but she does a quick look to the side that she hopes he'll get what she means, even if it was probably a little too quick.

Sophie's isn't used to having to signal things secretly, okay, so she is here, having a moment of like, if he doesn't get it, do eyebrows gotta raise? How do people communicate non-verbally? Does she whisper — wait, nevermind, this is much more interesting. She'll just kiss Julian when the flash starts to flicker, but most importantly,)


Nope, never had to.

(She just... Telepaths it out.)

Okay, I'm pretty much won. Extra points if he doesn't notice?
limiterrings: (pic#17750846)

[personal profile] limiterrings 2025-04-18 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[ wwsd. people are always asking this. at first, it's like he's ignoring scott to keep his thoughts clean of idiocy. he has something to look for, even as he pulls out various drawers and drag his hand underneath different locations to see if there's a button of some sort.

there never is one. ]


Are my words to be wasted on you?

[ harsh, judgmental, but is he going to give advice to see it go through one ear and out the other? he might as well kick him while he's down. ]
futuremessiah: (108)

[personal profile] futuremessiah 2025-04-18 10:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[It always sounds like the weirdest shit when she thinks about it, and no trying to explain it…]

It’s more that since I’ve returned to now, six other mutants have gone active. They weren’t stable, but I was able to fix that.

[She goes not completely quiet.]

For five of them.
overconfidently: overconfidently. (pic#15702944)

[personal profile] overconfidently 2025-04-18 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
( At that, he looks over, smile faint on his lips. )

Yeah? I sang for a band for a bit. ( Looking ahead, his expression turns wistful almost. ) Was about one of the most normal things I've ever done I think.
restingstitchface: (Interested)

[personal profile] restingstitchface 2025-04-18 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
In some respects. Your manner suggested familarity with working with a range of "clients", which together with your manners was indicative of a diplomatic posting.

[Clients is not the word a man in his profession would choose. But his lips twist into a pleasant smile as though he approves. Did she fleece her clients? Make them feel valued and appreciated? He can respect the intelligence that makes that possible.]

Whether you enjoy being limited to one position is another question.

[Position. Posting. Both words can mean the same yet also be something entirely different.]
waxen_wings: (063)

[personal profile] waxen_wings 2025-04-18 11:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ This conversation is swerving off the rails so hard, Jay's not even sure there are brakes anymore. Just... casually being Mr. Sinister's... what would that even be? ]

I know you're only trying to be nice, but I'm okay. I've heard sympathies with just about every word choice people can come up with, and you don't need to figure out a new version. Speaking of word choice.

[ He risks a glance over at him, but Jay's been trying to avoid eye contact when talking about hard stuff. Makes it easier. ]

Who do you want me to think of as your folks?

[ Because somehow Mr. Sinister is in the mix now, and Jay doesn't want to start theorizing or mis-stepping more than he has. ]

... and do you want my helping avoid her?
overconfidently: overconfidently. (pic#15681366)

[personal profile] overconfidently 2025-04-18 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
( In all honesty, he doesn't really know how to respond to that because... they're not friends, no. They're... not even family, even though they are, it's just. Complicated. All of this is. For a myriad of reasons he doesn't even want to think about right now.

Glancing off to the side for a moment, his arms come to fold in front of his chest again and he stands there, looking back to the other mutant. )


Just offering some friendly advice.

( Because he knows what it's like to have unwanted visitors in ones mind. )
overconfidently: overconfidently. (pic#15681397)

[personal profile] overconfidently 2025-04-18 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't, no.

( But he knows Cable struggles with it. Knows he has to hold back, in a sense, because of the virus. The thought has him grow quiet for a moment — gaze dropping. He may not have a virus, but he's on borrowed time because of his powers being unchecked as they are. )

I'm just... not meant to last.
overconfidently: overconfidently. (pic#15681366)

[personal profile] overconfidently 2025-04-18 11:36 pm (UTC)(link)
I didn't give him much of a chance to explain. But I know he's afraid of me. Of what I'm capable of. I felt it.

( From both him and Moira when he'd gone to see her. )

I'm not interested in being anyone's weapon or to fight in their battles, but that's all anyone seems to want me for.
vexant: (Ku8m36H)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-04-18 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
( if anything, julian only looks more confused when sophie looks off to the side like that means something. his eyes follow hers for a moment, brow quicking up in question but it clearly doesn't matter much because she's leaning in and yep, that's a kiss. julian keeps it chaste and quick if only because he's relatively certain this is just part of the show and like, girls have yanked him in closer for kissing to piss off other people before, being used for something isn't all that odd.

the playful grin doesn't fade any, either. julian keeps his arm wrapped around her, but raises it up so it's around her shoulders rather than her waist, so they can keep walking on. )


Hell yeah. Whoever gets the most crap out of him wins, but they have to do it without him noticing.
vexant: (pic#14770574)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-04-18 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Now all we need is Dazzler, and we've got a show.

( with a snort that's almost a laugh, but, )

There's the Symposium. We'll head that way and probably find something.
thelightshines: (a wish for me)

[personal profile] thelightshines 2025-04-18 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[She be right to think that. The two they were fighting are already getting back on their feet, undeterred by the attacks that had been inflicted onto them. Not quite as flimsy as GUN robots it seems. His ears swerve as he picks up a new sound coming from the opened gate. The next moment, he's suddenly locking hands with a new Shadow android that's joined the fray.

A fourth appears from above, Shadow having to dodge out of way, taking the third android with him as they try to land a punch. The force of the punch caushing cracks to appear where they hit the ground. Should Amy try to assist, she'll find the first two androids are now coming for her.]
overconfidently: overconfidently. (pic#15681368)

[personal profile] overconfidently 2025-04-18 11:50 pm (UTC)(link)
If you're trying to ask if I think of Sinister as my father, I don't. He's a madman who killed Forge and my friends back in my world.

( Something he'll never forgive him for, regardless of the things he's told him concerning his existence. )

I'm still trying to figure everything out. I haven't had the chance to because everything just keeps happening one after another for me.

( Really, all he wants is some semblance of normal for once in his life, but. Apparently, it's too much of a thing for something like Nate Grey to ask for. )
overconfidently: overconfidently. (pic#15728269)

[personal profile] overconfidently 2025-04-18 11:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Find something?

( Either way, he follows because, well. What else is there for him to do right now? )
waxen_wings: (017)

[personal profile] waxen_wings 2025-04-19 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well, that's a relief. A small one. It still makes him flinch, because he's gone and made it worse, but what was he supposed to do when everything Nate says seems to take his world down five notches in Jay's opinion? ]

Sorry. I didn't know, and you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, okay? I'm still going to stick with you for awhile 'cause... yeah, things keep happening one thing after another for me too. And for Julian. And - really, if you're a mutant, everything happens to you. I keep hoping there's some other choice...
overconfidently: overconfidently. (pic#15681320)

[personal profile] overconfidently 2025-04-19 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
( Relief comes to Jay but confusion gently comes to Nate as he looks over to the other mutant and it's written there all over his face. )

Why? ( A beat. ) What do you want to stick with someone like me for?
levelshift: <user name=karmasicons site=tumblr.com> (going to shove this crutch SO FAR UP YOU)

[personal profile] levelshift 2025-04-19 12:26 am (UTC)(link)
[Accelerator is happy to stay in the back with the camera, looming behind Blaze and continuing to glare at the employee with a threatening gaze. They've got a system down, apparently, because the staff member is warily glancing between the two of them before answering.

His name is Bill Henderson, and he monitors the casino floor for security purposes. In a world that encourages people to be as flashy as possible, he's somehow pretty mundane.]
fourthwalled: (pichew!)

[personal profile] fourthwalled 2025-04-19 01:27 am (UTC)(link)
[See, the thing is, Wade doesn't care if he gets dropped. Not really. He might complain about it, but the prospect of splatting like a bloody pancake on the ground is meaningless to him.]

Because, I'm a shill for the Disney Corporation. Gotta make sure those check clear! [Good luck understanding what the hell Wade's talking about now, Nate.] But also, they are good. Great music and great messages for the kids. Like the importance of facing your fears, embracing yourself even when others don't, British people are usually always evil, and... last but not least, it's totally cool to hold someone captive until they give into their Stockholm Syndrome!
overconfidently: overconfidently. (pic#15681320)

[personal profile] overconfidently 2025-04-19 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
( Just... this look right here because, despite his being a telepath, he really has no idea what Wade is going on about. )

I'm beginning to think you purposefully don't try and make any sense, you know.
vexant: (pic#14770535)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-04-19 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
To get people's attention.

( positive attention, hopefully. but they'll figure that out when they get there - hopefully. )

For the points and crap.
overconfidently: overconfidently. (pic#15703050)

[personal profile] overconfidently 2025-04-19 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
( There's a huff that leaves him as he follows alongside Julian, a glance thrown around. )

I can feel how broken this planet is and all anyone cares about is the entertainment brought here.

( Them, he means. )

Don't they care it's all falling apart?