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∎ 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

sodark: made by me (pic#17443379)

[personal profile] sodark 2025-04-20 11:02 am (UTC)(link)
[Cable's brows are perpetually furrowed, but somehow they further crease as he tries to catch up here. It's not like he hasn't spent the better part of his life wondering what he'd feel like if he were unharnessed, he's never imagined it having consequences on the opposite end of the spectrum.

He opens his mouth to say something, which makes it very apparent he has no idea what to say. He just offers a nod of understanding, hoping Nate gets that he's trying to convey empathy here.]


You planning on sticking around for this? [Cable jerks his thumb behind him as a shorthand for wherever the fuck they are right now.]
sodark: made by me (pic#17443379)

[personal profile] sodark 2025-04-20 11:11 am (UTC)(link)
Nate said he's my brother. [Cable's tone suggests he's not sure if it's true or not and he's generally frustrated about how slow on the uptake he feels here.]

The dick to age ratio is usually pretty proportional. [Cable admits, fully aware that implicates him as a dick.]

Does your Dad let you say dicks? [He sounds a little skeptical, but he's mostly just gently teasing her.]
overconfidently: overconfidently. (pic#15681326)

[personal profile] overconfidently 2025-04-20 12:59 pm (UTC)(link)
( It’s fine. Who wants to get old anyways?

The question has him looking around them — mind gently stretching across the nearby land as a means to try and see if he can locate anything familiar. He doesn’t. This isn’t Earth or some other version of it, but. He does detect a city hub of some sort nearby. )


Don’t think we have much of a choice. ( Unfortunately. ) There’s a city space some ways from here. I can hear its people. Might be our best bet.
sophielicious: (nyx_045)

[personal profile] sophielicious 2025-04-20 01:42 pm (UTC)(link)
(Didn't he just say he wasn't going to ask? Conflicting information, Julian!!

But if she had doubts about whether he knew which dead Cuckoo she was, at least those are cleared now. Yep, that's she. Heroine of Open Day.)


That dumb riot, yeah. That's me.
hauntedsnowfall: source ? (z acadimi smile 03)

[personal profile] hauntedsnowfall 2025-04-20 04:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Rosie, [ even the name is oddly comfortable in his mouth ] it is a pleasure to meet you as well.
[ he is certain he knows no one by that name, yet still it feels familiar ]

Indeed, I arrived a few days ago.

[ It’s odd. Decidedly odd. For some reason she calls to mind manicured lawns and, preposterously, a baby? Dimitri doesn’t let his confusion form on his face though, having years that were cut short of courtly training to keep his demeanor open and pleasant. ]

How long have you been with, ah, Lady Aurora’s company?

[ He knows they’re not exactly supposed to let on they are from another universe… but he hasn’t figured out how to refer to it gracefully yet. After all Dimitri still sometimes expects to wake up back in his home world- on the return march back to the Kingdom to prepare for war. ]
banworthy: (2)

[personal profile] banworthy 2025-04-20 05:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[ This is a novel experience after so long.

He recalls Heather looking just as bewildered at how much Vincent knew about everything. The little bit of joy he got in saying he knew about Dahlia and Harry, but not just about them, he knew about her past. It's a rarity for him to be able to drop little tidbits on someone that he knows them. Gives him a sense of control in a situation where he has very little. ]


Yes, I'm from Silent Hill. Born and raised. [ A faint smile. ] I'm well-aware that you didn't see me. There wasn't any reason for us to meet. [ Obviously. ]
laserguy: (still closing them)

[personal profile] laserguy 2025-04-20 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[Scott does his best to settle on the seat she's picked out for them, although he's still shifting uncomfortably every so often and looking at the other patrons-- at least in the beginning. It's not like he thinks someone will come and bash their heads in, but it's just weird sitting here. His idea of having a good time is going to the mall and having an ICEE, not going to the bar.

Not... that he thought that would happen here. Plus, he's still not fully sure what to make of Sophie, other than he's glad that she's here and he's not utterly alone in this world.]


Fine. I can do that. [Probably?? Scott sits and closes his eyes behind his glasses and maybe none of this is necessary, but it helps him as as Beginner. Not that he meant to, but he can't help remember the day when his powers first awakened-- just sitting in the boy's bathroom and blasting that other teen across it. Then a world of darkness for a while, Alex bringing him to Xavier's Institute, before sharply jumping to a point where he got his glasses and saw Jean Grey for the first time.

Then it was just taking her, Kurt, and Jubliee out to the mall to have fun. Watching Return of the Jedi together before driving home.]
querulus: (wca - don't talk to me)

[personal profile] querulus 2025-04-20 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
/Well, she'll have to go through me, so. Good luck to her./

[Oh, ew, that was very "nice guy" white knight, wasn't it? Gross. Quentin cringes at himself.

Unfortunately now that his face is no longer plastered to the table, he has to look at and be reminded that it's Sophie Cuckoo over there drinking way too much booze with him, and he abruptly realizes that he's now the one getting takeout and champagne with her and not Julian. Does that make this a date? He's guessing that's a big no. For any number of well-established reasons. Then again, it also wasn't with Julian either. Which Quentin knew, he just had to open his big fat brain-mouth. Ugh.]


/Right, yeah, pasta's good. Back home we have Glob making all our food. Hell of a cook, but he's a vegetarian. Been ages since I've had beef or pork./
sophielicious: (nyx_002b)

1/2

[personal profile] sophielicious 2025-04-20 06:01 pm (UTC)(link)
/Wow, my hero./

(She's cringing too, don't worry, he's not alone.)
laserguy: (high school cool guy)

[personal profile] laserguy 2025-04-20 06:05 pm (UTC)(link)
So... that's a yes, basically?

[He's trying his best to follow, but not only alternative universes are involved, but time travel. That's already compounding on the fact that's only been a mutant for about 3 days before being brought on an alien planet. Truly, one thing after another.]

You helped out five of the six mutants. That's um, really good. I know it sucks not being able to control your powers.
laserguy: (who you calling a nerd)

[personal profile] laserguy 2025-04-20 06:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[That reply gets a frustrated sigh from Scott. Why did he bother asking? Maybe confronting the alien and leaving Shadow is preferrable at this point. Sounds like it'd be best for the both of them; they don't have to deal with each other any longer.

But he holds in his temper, at least for a while longer.]


Look, I'll admit that you've survived for this long. So, just say it. Or don't.
abit_ofboth: (contemplative sad)

[personal profile] abit_ofboth 2025-04-20 06:24 pm (UTC)(link)
I don’t know that anyone truly gets used to it, but I suppose it is more familiar territory for me than it is for most. Especially since I seem to survive them as well.

[One could argue that Loki is responsible for Ragnarok. Or at least that his sacred timeline variant was. Or even some of his other variants, if some of the mythology from other timelines he’s heard about is anything to go by.]

My experiences with dying worlds were far from vacationing. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I took a vacation. This certainly isn’t the place I would choose if I was though.

First time off of Earth? Well, I am sorry this is your first stop. I have my issues with Etraya, as I’m sure most of us do, but it is far nicer than here. I hope it doesn’t put you off discovering new worlds when you return home.

[Because they all are going to return home. Loki will see to that.]

No, Earth is not dying. At least not in any immediate way. Though it will last longer in versions where certain things are done differently.
sophielicious: (Default)

2/2

[personal profile] sophielicious 2025-04-20 06:27 pm (UTC)(link)
(She does feel the gears turning in his head, but the less she thinks about it, the better for both of them, she assumes. It's never going to be less fucked up, and maybe just for today, they can not point it out half as a much.

Also, she did go on a date with Keller just after he accused her of being in one, so if anything, that one is on him for opening his big fat brain-mouth, too. It was nice, at least.

ETA for food, 10 minutes.)


/Glob... Herman? You two are still friends? I remember him./
futuremessiah: (hope9)

[personal profile] futuremessiah 2025-04-20 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's hard enough to explain their family tree when she is able to think straight, there is no way she's going to try with the way she's feeling at the moment.

His question, teasing as it is, hurts her more than he could possibly expect. Hope's eyes start to tear up as she looks at Cable.
]

Can't stop me. 'e's dead.
badfengshui: (8)

[personal profile] badfengshui 2025-04-20 06:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Henry doesn't flinch when he reaches out to touch his neck. He did telegraph it well that is what he is going to do. He remains standing and muses over what is said. ]

That could work.

[ Nothing comes undone with his neck. He realizes that he doesn't need to give his opinion that he can just talk how he usually talks, and it seems like it doesn't know if he's making a decision or just responding to what James said.

Henry would like to take a moment to pause and think of what that says about him and the ability to communicate to others, but he thinks that's unhelpful. Again, he's very happy that thinking about what he should or shouldn't do doesn't count as choices. Only choice is what he physically does or says. ]


It doesn't hurt so don't feel bad. [ He was worried that James might be feeling a little anxious about what he's seeing. Henry understands what it's like to see someone suffering and not able to do anything, but thankfully, there's no pain associated with what is happening.

Will I get a scar on my neck? Oh well. Guess that might happen. ]


It's okay. You're doing okay. [ He can't say that he's doing "great" because well, he isn't sure what great looks like right now. But both of them are doing solidly okay, or so he thinks. ]
laserguy: (big ol' visor)

[personal profile] laserguy 2025-04-20 06:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[Now that they're safely away from the main crowd and regulated to an area that has little traffic, the tension in Scott greatly lessens. Probably helps that there aren't any games being played around here, as the place to earn chips remains a good distance away from them-- well it's mostly dealers raking in money from the guests. House always wins, or whatever. But as Cable leans against a wall, Scott hefts himself on a nearby counter, somehow managing not to crack it as he settles in his makeshift seat and looks at his new 'companion.

He's definitely a gruff looking dude. A lot older than him. The metal arm is pretty insane too. But...]


Thanks for helping me. [He says, the gratitude almost sounding awkward, but he genuinely seems to mean it. Maybe it is okay to ask for help sometimes around here??] And I'm Scott. Scott Summers. What's your name?
limiterrings: (pic#17700446)

[personal profile] limiterrings 2025-04-20 06:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Make it afraid of me.

[ the words come smoothly as though it's the obvious answer. those who are afraid make it their mission to stay away.

it doesn't always have to be fear either. ]


If it regrets ever meeting me, then incompetence stays out my way.

[ there's many people this has worked on. ]
sophielicious: (22)

[personal profile] sophielicious 2025-04-20 06:46 pm (UTC)(link)
(It really isn't necessary, but you know, whatever helps him. With glowing pink eyes, she allows him to drive her through his memories, and for this time, she won't look further. Just this one time. One thing that she is going to search for is mother dearest, backgrounds, information he might have heard and doesn't really know about, but she comes out empty-handed. Huh.

Also, awwwww. Look at the little OG team. It's almost cute.

Okay, she's up to date.)


Woah. That's... Actually pretty simple, so far. Two days, a mutant, and now kidnapped. Welcome, Kid Cyclops.
overconfidently: overconfidently. (pic#15681347)

[personal profile] overconfidently 2025-04-20 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
( It’s not so much a bitter taste as it is a sour one at the thought of so many seemingly nonchalant with the destruction of their planet(s) that has him fall quiet with furrowed brows. Whether these people are helpless to or simply no longer care to help themselves, he doesn’t know, but it bothers him when he’s dealt with his own dystopian world falling apart. His own might be gone, but he won’t let anything happen to the Earth he’s fallen into now outside of this place. Won’t let himself become so compliant and nonchalant with it being The End, so to speak. )

I don’t understand how being here on this dying planet and playing their games helps our own from being destroyed.
laserguy: (yeah sure man)

[personal profile] laserguy 2025-04-20 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[At least Scott doesn't try copying Nate this time, keeping his arms where they're currently placed.]

Yeah? ...Well, I guess it's not the worst advice I've heard. Although, every single telepath I've met so far seems to know me in some way.

[The question is a little pointed, his ruby quartz glasses staring straight at Nate as if he's trying to determine if he's one of those said telepaths. There's been Jean and Sophie so far... which isn't a lot, granted, but that's still 2 out of 2. Maybe it will be 3 out of 3.

He wonders if he should be worried that a bunch of telepaths apparently know him?? But Jay knows of him too and he's not a telepath. And Hope. But also. They know him. A version of him at least.

Scott almost sighs, something not really tired, but resigned in its own way.]


Look man, just tell me if you know me or not.
hauntedsnowfall: (z acadimi calm 12)

[personal profile] hauntedsnowfall 2025-04-20 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Dimitri is filled with relief upon learning Blaze doesn’t harbor resentment for the accidental ruse, although the embarrassment he holds for breaking the gift he received upon arrival is still present. ]

Hmm… I wouldn’t want to trouble Lady Aurora for second device; I’d hate to break another one. [ he shakes his head ] But, I do suppose I can see if someone can repair mine… I just know not how I would pay them.

[ Sure, here in Aphaia Dimitri has resources, but when they go to whatever world is in the in-between he will have nothing. It’s something he has been avoiding thinking about; he is trying to get his footing as is. ]
waxen_wings: (006)

[personal profile] waxen_wings 2025-04-20 10:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Guy has a point. ]

Let's start with the apartments.

[ He looks around and then realizes that... he actually has no idea where anything is in relation to everything else from ground level. ]

You can fly, right?

[ He should be able to, telekinetic and all, but it's nice to ask. Jay's taken wing, but doesn't go more than a few feet in the air until he gets a response. ]
querulus: (avengers - fuck off and die)

[personal profile] querulus 2025-04-20 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[Quentin's initial reaction is... annoyance. Disbelief and, yes, disappointment are there as well. But mostly irritation. Indignation. This motherfucker.

Julian pinned Quentin to a wall—very much, and he cannot stress this enough, not in a remotely fun way—didn't give him any goddamn personal space when he asked, and insisted on some stupid trust exercise that Quentin didn't need or want. And now he won't even do a regular-ass hug? Like a normal person? What a freak. Not that Quentin's much of a hugger either. But like... at least he tries to do normal person shit occasionally. Sometimes. Turns out when the whole world is insane a little normalcy can be really fucking nice, and he assumed Julian would understand that, but nooooo.

Quentin slowly lowers his arms with a surly expression, deciding to just address the one comment Julian did make and be done with this fiasco.]


Hey, Cain's not that bad a guy when you get to know him. Sure, a little rough around the edges and dumb as a bag of rocks, but the guy gives a shit like nobody's... business.

[The way Quentin trails off has nothing to do with Cain Marko. He peers at Julian again, and this time he skims Keller's mind briefly. Not deeply enough to get much in the way of details, just a quick "vibe check". Get the big picture, as it were. It's... well, "quagmire" is a word. Which makes sense, all things considering. Not like the guy's head was a prime example of tranquility even before this.

... Eh. Fuck it. Julian won't come get a stupid hug? Fine. Quentin will do it himself. Assuming Keller doesn't hurl him through a building just for trying, Quentin's going to cross the short gap between them, sling one arm around Julian's neck and the other around his ribcage, and give the miserable jerk a stupid goddamn hug.]
querulus: (wca - anime glasses push)

[personal profile] querulus 2025-04-20 11:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[Right, yeah, message received. He winces and looks to the other side of the room, adjusting his glasses uncomfortably. Yikes.

At least she gave him something more pleasant to talk about.]


/Reconnected after Krakoa. We're in Alaska, in an abandoned Sentinel factory. More hospitable than it sounds, mostly thanks to Glob. Summers runs a squad up there now./
sophielicious: (11)

[personal profile] sophielicious 2025-04-21 12:03 am (UTC)(link)
(She's a bit busy joysticking this guy, so she's not really paying attention to the face he made. Instead, she's transferring to him what this guy is experiencing in regards to the food. The warmth from the container, the aroma of beef and tomatoes, the coldness of the champagne... Just so she doesn't suffer on her own. Usually, the exchange of senses and thoughts is all so automatic for her, thanks to the hivemind aspect of her being, that they're just used to experiencing the world together.

It's just second nature for her to share these things, so she doesn't even notice the comfort it brings her.

Lobby. Elevator.)


/The last thing an abandoned Sentinel factory in Alaska sounds like is hospitable, but if you say so. Summers, though? How is that going?/
Edited 2025-04-21 00:04 (UTC)