TDM 007

[etrayamods]

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⏴

Comments

[catsclaws]

[ Felicia likes to act as if she has nerves of steel, so the movement of his hand isn't given a second thought. Not unless that hand somehow indicates it's going to do her harm or touch her somewhere that's not going to be ignored. ]

It does. Are you suggesting we team up? My own condition doesn't let me go back, but I'm a forward kind of girl. That won't keep me from taking something I need.

[devota]

It's quite a bad sign.

[She says in agreement.]

I thought the "thread" was more... metaphorical.

[She lowers her hand, a little anxiously.]

[futuremessiah]

[What a terrible question. Does he see anyone else with her? Maybe he can't see with those glasses? She's never wondered how Scott sees through his, they're just a part of him.]

My team isn't here, but some others are. My grandmother is somewhere, [Hope makes a face, concentrating really hard to try and reach Jean] but I don't hear her.

[Was it because Jean wasn't around, or was Hope just not sober enough to manage calling to her? Either way, Hope doesn't have any telepathy and the Phoenix Force isn't transferring hosts.]

[vexant]

Yeah, obviously.

( because despite all the infighting, all the wars and battlegrounds they've been through, mutants stick together when it really matters. they always do. what do they have, if they don't have one another to rely on? nothing. despite scott telling them to leave if they had a problem with following him, and then immediately following it up with i'd haul you back here and chew you out for abandoning your own species, then the threats of actually benching julian - it's complicated. but regardless of alternate universes, of mismatched memories, they're a team first and foremost, even when they've splintered off.

scott starts moving, and julian does, too. despite his whole i'm not yours speech, he stays about half a step behind scott, watching his back. )

I just mean, you're not my squad leader, and I'm not going to let you lead Icarus or Laura into a mess.

voice; UN: guthri3

[waxen_wings]

[ All things considered... ]

Yup, it does. I've had worse days, but that doesn't mean this can't be your worst. You all right?

[odinpusrex]

Good.

[He practically breathes the word out as he fully stands once more, clearly unbothered by having the half-orc behind him. He turns his head, though it's questionable whether or not he can actually see Knife over his shoulder, it almost seems a performative action.

It is then that the ground beneath them quakes once more, and there's a split that ruptures between them as their stage shifts, creating a chasm but so too lifting parts to higher elevations. Effectively making platforms. Some more accessible through climbing or jumping than others. Should one look down into the chasm below, there is nothing but darkness.

A seemingly endless pit beneath them.]

Come.

[Despite the distance now placed between them, the word is audible as if Barnabas said it right into Knife's ear. As if his voice is disembodied. He turns to face Knife, standing at a higher point than them, looking down at them, as what suits someone like him. He lifts his free hand palm upward, curling his fingers twice in a beckoning gesture.

The crowd cheers, clearly eating up this dramatic slop.]

[shadowsincryo]

Yes, it is. We were told survive. Not survive together. But I tend to be particular about making sure more than I survive when I’m on a team.

[In short, he’d have helped for free. He shrugs and pushes away from the wall.] Shall we go see what the glamorous death theatre is doing right now?

[thelightshines]

[His whole body tenses when an unfamiliar voice calls out to him with such enthusiasm.] What- [Ah. He is being hugged all of the sudden. It causes him to freeze up, unable to process what to do. Who??? Is this???

He has decided he does not like this and there are sparks coming off his body. It was more of a threat display and not with intention to harm her. He just wanted her off him, right now.] Let go.

[redvisor]

( Family is always complicated. Little does he know, the Grey-Summers family in particular is quite complicated.

He doesn't need to look over his shoulder to know Julian's decided to follow him. Scott's spatial awareness has always been something uncanny about him and has helped him more times than he can count when temporarily blinded or on the field. )

In case you couldn't tell, there's really not much in the way of teams here.

( Or at least, there wasn't last he was here. Then again, it was really just him, Jean, Laura, and Storm... Logan for a hot second, but. )

[heartofthedream]

Six, almost seven, months now.

[ It's still an odd thought process, honestly. Both the length of time and the number of comings and goings. (And, also, the way she navigates the suddenly renewed tug in her chest to reach out to him, to slip into his thoughts—the complication of that, over a year ago, and the reason she waited for a network or a run-in in the first place.)

But also, the way he describes that Too. ]

Did you ever receive extra memories from home while here the first time? A lot of people have described that as a blip. Just waking up with the information after falling asleep. I wonder if it's like that for people who return.

I'll have to ask Laura if it's the same for her.

She reappeared last month, too.

[rudelanguage]

[no one knows how much Knife wants to flip this guy off. that, too, would be too much of a characteristic tell. this secrecy shit is painfully hard.

a drone buzzes too close for comfort and Knife slaps it off-course to the displeasure of viewers looking for a peek under messy bangs. they sneer at the chorus of jeers, rolling their shoulders.]

Only if you lose the armor. [do it, you won't. no balls.]

arrival!

[fireboost]

Oh!

[ blaze is coming out from the back alleys when a girl seems to crash into her head-on, and while she's prepared to offer a scolding remark for the trouble, her own eyes widen as she sees the girl stumble backwards. quickly, she reaches out her hand to take the girl's, using all of her small body's weight to try and pull her forward so that she doesn't fall.

then, letting go as the girl seems to steady, blaze breathes a sigh—half and half relieved and resigned. ]

I apologize. It seems I wasn't looking where I was going.

[redvisor]

( Nine. Wow. Unable to help himself, there's a puff of quiet amusement that leaves him. )

Sounds like a full house.

( It had just been him and Alex growing up. Until he found his way to Xavier's that is. )

You been here long then? On Etraya. Never mind... all of this.

( Aphaia he means. )

[thelightshines]

[Why are they still fighting? He's been pondering over that for a while. Are they not as confused as he is? Is it because he's not the first they've seen like them...? Which would open up other unwanted possibilities, and he isn't ready to think about. He probably should stop thinking about trying to get answers, because the other only seems to want to keep assaulting him.

There are screams from the various casino goers and workers due to the commotion and destruction they were causing. This has gone far pass returning someone or gathering intel now. He watches the other start doing a technique he'd seen Sonic do. It has occurred to him that this spinning move is something that he, a hedgehog, should be able to do. Air skating and teleporting has gotten him where he needed just fine, but maybe he should learn this spin attack now that it's being used against him, again.

And again. He endures it as he notice a rhythm to their strikes. Once he picks it up, his left hand balls up into a fist, sparks coming off. He waits, watches them as they approach and then lands a charged up punch into their next strike at the last possible moment. It causes a powerful shockwave due to the intensity of both their strikes making contact with each other. The lights flicker, decor and windows broken apart, patrons sent flying or falling over. All Shadow hopes for is that it deflected them away, knock them out of their attacks for just a moment.]

[rudelanguage]

Because...going with me will help you? [are they reading this guy's vibe right? cultivate a useful-seeming tool?]

un: jeangrey

[heartofthedream]

It does seem to be that kind of a day.

[ Important things first: ]
Are you somewhere safe?

[odinpusrex]

Very well.

[He has no fear, not really, and if the armor is keeping his opponent from acting to their full potential, then it is pointless to wear. Besides, it is mostly ceremonious, anyway. Wisps of black and red swirl around him, slowly consuming his form until he is nothing but the black mist itself, but then it disperses with a violent suddenness, and Barnabas stands before him in nothing more than his ordinary attire.

A drone comes whirling by, circling him to give a good 360 view for the audience that seems to be going wild with this unexpected turn of events!

Barnabas gazes down at Knife with a muted expression, though there's a twinge of interest in his dark eyes.]

Your move.

[vexant]

You say that now, but there's always teams.

( and there's always dragging everyone else into their wars. julian knows. he's been through it. but he's following regardless, because they're both here, so. may as well figure out what's up with this scott summers. )

And there's always pulling the brats into it. Which we're not doing this time around.

[sophielicious]

Some of us didn't get the fucking pleasure even to run for it. Don't ruin my fun.

(While someone enjoyed prom with her sisters, some of us were dead, JULIAN.

Which, well, it does make this a little interesting in its own, doesn't it? Like a do-over of something she didn't get to do. Sophie take the hand, pulling him towards her...

And she starts her plan to ruin his fun. She's a little mad that he kicked her out of his mind, after all. Just a tad bit.)

arrival;

[heartofthedream]

[ Okay. Jean?

Jean was really not expecting that. Give her a moment.

Just like with Scott, she felt him arrive—another presence too familiarly linked to everything she was, and yet also off, and now to have that happen a second time? In one day?

And to show up, and find that he's .... well. A child.
(Again? Is this an again?
Or a before? Or another other?

She's got this. She'll go over to him in a moment.
Just give her that moment to catch a breath. ) ]

[redvisor]

( Laura left, too, then. The only one who had left Etraya while he'd been here had been Logan — quick as he had appeared, he was gone. But if he, Laura, and Logan had all left, only for two of them to return — and so close to each other — he has to wonder if the old man will make a reappearance himself soon. Would certainly make it three for three if so. )

No. I didn't.

( And he didn't remember his time here when he'd gone back. Supposedly. )

Why bring us back in the first place is what I want to know. Was it a mistake on Echo's part? Didn't think that was possible for them.

( Judging from everything he'd seen and learned when last here. Were the X-Men needed on Etraya? )

[zauneyete]

[ Silco's lips curl into a smile, looking up at them. ]

Did I shock you? Speechlessness becomes nobody.

[ He says again. They seem... confused. Mind, if he were a new arrival and coming into this, then he would as well. He would also be like a feral beast, especially arriving after that feeling of sharp pain, of fading slowly, finally being forced to let go of the life he'd wrested into submission for so long.

His hands are behind his back, and he lifts an eyebrow. One eyebrow. The other remained inert, covered in makeup and a drawn-in brow. The scar can't hide the eye though. It practically bores into them. Hm.

He tipped his head, curious. Ah, he wonders...

He tapped his own ear, pointing at the piece there. Don't tell him his words were wasted on them! ]

[redvisor]

( Her team. Alright. It's a bit of a start. But grandmother gives him something to work with — lets him know that she's not alone around here. )

She come here with you? To the casino, I mean.

( Maybe he can locate her. )

[rudelanguage]

[okay, fine. one ball. eldritch knight-guy has one ball. congratulations.

Knife huffs, irritated despite getting what they asked for. it's the positioning, you know? the actual elevation! this whole...being beneath someone. pisses them off.

whatever. who cares. who cares about their feelings!! nobody here. certainly not sir one-ball up there.

they eye the climb up, wondering how much of that will hold their temporary weight. won't matter if they're fast enough, and they have gear for that.

after idly tapping the heel of their boot to trigger the spell, beginning to slightly vibrate in place before launching forward, zipping up the wall of the raised chunk of earth to where the ex-plate stands expectantly. Knife keeps moving, bringing doubled inertia with him with a means to just bully on through, impact or not.]

[redvisor]

Well now you're just sounding like Logan.

( Referring to the kids as brats and all. )

From my experience here, you don't really get much of a say in whether or not you want to be pulled into anything that happens. Best you can do is look out for one another. Which is all I have so far in terms of a plan if you must know.