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

[strumpet]

I'll make sure to keep it in mind then.

( at the very least the man before her was proving to be quite the comfort in this questionable time. she was still so new and unsure of what to expect here, but it was a comforting distraction—

until she heard him mention the rest. it seemed like a troubling burden and with a soft sigh she simply smiled at him apologetically. )

I'm sorry to hear that, it must be difficult every time. Would it be better for him to no longer show up? Or to keep showing up, even if he can't remember a thing?

[strumpet]

( if there was anyone who could make inara truly unsure of what to think, it was proving to be henry. he had been incredibly kind to her, even going so far as to comfort her through a brief physical touch and yet—

she couldn't quite pinpoint what exactly was off about him. he seemed almost endearing in his earnest nature and yet he also came across as quite perplexing. despite it all though, she did feel she could trust him and his words had been comforting in their own strange way. )

That's alright, we just met after all you don't have to...share with me anything you don't wish to. I should let you know that my line of work back home often does leave me comforting people on a far more intimate level, a lot of emotional needs are met in these sessions. ( she isn't outright admitting she's a companion but she did want to give him some sense of comfort. ) So should you ever find the need to have a listening ear, I'll be here—

As a friend perhaps?

[fireboost]

Then she did get the introductory spiel. That's good, but it's the next part that makes Blaze sigh as she continues to lead their elegant steps.

"There is no way to discern if Aurora is telling the truth."

Probably the most unfortunate news that she's managed to unearth since arriving.

"However, there seems to be a consensus to go along with her missions, in the event that she is not lying."

[fireboost]

[ at that, it's blaze's turn to shake her head. she doesn't seem like she wants to hear any excuses. ]

This earpiece seems to have a number of important functions. If it's your pride you're worried about, I'm afraid you must swallow it—it is necessary.

[ though it's not like he completely shot her down. she just doesn't like the initial excuse she was given, so after making sure he's heard her first words: ]

But if I do find someone who has the skills necessary to repair it, I'll be sure to tell them about your plight.

[ she seems to be used to giving orders. ]

[limiterrings]

Too quick, what were you two doing? Wagering on my patience?

[ is that a joke or is he calling foul play here that blaze is a bad influence on maria. of course, he's only angry because of what happened and the topic. ]

...Hmph.

[ he pauses. ] It has nothing to do with you. Do you care for that f—

[ as much as he wants to call him a fake, maria wanted him to be better about this. ]

Friend of yours, now?

[overconfidently]

More like I haven't come across them yet but they've come across me.

( Parallel universe is part of it, but. Not enough anymore, he figures, what with the time he's spent on the alternate Earth that will likely become his home now. )

Real they're from my future and I'm from their past sort of stuff.

( Which... still doesn't make it all that easy to deal with at times, but. He deals. He has to, really. )

[sophielicious]

(Okay, maybe damn you Julian Keller just a little bit, because he's being a little bit too charming for her taste that she doesn't even lean into the touch for the cameras.

It's actually because she wants to, resting her head against his chest for a second.)

You better, Keller. You better.

[overconfidently]

( There's still so many things he's coming to see and learn the longer he's here or back on the alternate Earth he'd accidentally found himself on. Everything is so much more brighter, louder, bigger, more alive in ways he never could have imagined. Even now, he still finds himself looking around with bright blue eyes as if he were a kid in a candy shop, taking in every little sight and sound that he can from beneath the jacket there draped over his head.

Blinking those blue eyes of his, he looks back over to her at her insistence that he stay put and he can't help but chuckle a little awkwardly. )

How am I gonna get a fifth-degree burn in a place like this?

( However, he knows better than to push it with a lady and so he raises his hands up then. )

But if you insist, I can stay here. No problem.

[keepitgoing]

[... Ugh.]

If I pay you in snacks, could you just not use anybody as a human shield?

I feel like that's a super uncool thing to do.

cw: casual thoughts of m u r d e r

[fatedfinality]

Apparently so.

[ There is that brief moment where she clutches onto him so that he almost pulls out his dagger, shadow steps to wherever this man is, and stabs him seventy-eight times. Almost, is the keyword there. If he isn't just superficial charm and talk, he doesn't think the reality that he is generally .03 seconds away from throwing a violent tantrum would be more attractive. ]

Well, as a man, I can unfortunately confirm: that is the modus operandi of many a men. And while you may not be surprised, you can still be upset with him.

I will be, too. Best hope he doesn't cross me anytime soon. [ A watered down version of his actual awful considerations, but still! A turn in the dance, the steps feeling natural and fluid. ] Though if he does, I'd be happy to show you an even better time to throw right in his face.

[vexant]

( he's not happy about any of this, but none of them are, so.

quentin pulls out his stupid you're welcome line, and julian - grunts in distaste, but doesn't offer any snide commentary. he could shove quentin off for being a jackass, could pull back and sock him in the face if he really wanted to, but he's - tired. exhausted, after the bullshit with sophie. after jay. finding laura here, even if she's tiny. the mess with the institute, telling jay everything would be fine once they got back home because it was even if he now - knows better. jesus christ. what's he supposed to tell the sad bird boy now? hey, sorry i got your hopes up, actually everything is going to fall apart yet again?

and even worse: here he is holding onto quire for dear life, as crappy as that is.

granted, quire's also probably one of the few julian could break down on. he's not one of the assholes who treat their generation like canon fodder, he was never one of julian's because by the time he'd started figuring out his own crap, quire was dead. he wasn't there for breakdowns two through four and showed back up after julian got fucked so bad he had to relearn how to do even the simplest of crap. and now they're here. he hears quire's voice in his head, once again considers telling him to just fuck off and go to hell, but doesn't.

instead, he just grips onto quentin harder. lets out a shaky breath, and shoves his face into his neck. lets his initial just five seconds drag on a little longer while he tries not to think about everything else. doesn't think about crucible, or all the kids they've lost. how the whole deal with krakoa moving off to the white hot room means losing everyone they'd left behind. doesn't think about how he can't imagine the amount of friends that finally got their lives back only for julian to lose them forever, again. did jay get out, or do they now have the fun job of telling him he's technically alive but somewhere else? he won't break, not like this.

they hadn't had the space to mourn before. a funeral here and there, but with everything constantly falling apart around them, it's not as if they had the time to heal from that. and julian won't have the time to mourn krakoa, either. not here. he has this moment, with fucking quire wrapped around him. had his moment of destruction with sophie, but. )

/I'm not going to freak out, asshole./

( telepaths camping out in their heads is just another part of being a mutant, isn't it. julian takes another moment to just breathe, then offers, )

Did you use Soph's shampoo? You smell like the girls' dorms.

[hexcope]

[Even as she steps back, Jayce notices (only now) that she's a little more shaken by this than she seems to be letting on. The closeness was a silent plea for protection, wasn't it? Maybe he's overthinking it, but she is a young woman, alone, and in a completely new place with high stakes. Of course she'd be frightened.

He returns the handshake, firmly at first but upon realizing his oversized hand makes hers seem even more small and fragile just by comparison, he goes for a gentler touch.]

Jayce Talis. A pleasure to meet you.

And it's not Aurora's fault, by the way. Trust me, I want to blame her too. But she's just the steward to our stay. Our bigger problem when we get back will be Solmara. Don't worry about that right now, though. Just focus on getting through this first. One step at a time.

[vexant]

Look. I didn't make the rules. I didn't choose to be here. And if there was a way out? I'd use it. But there isn't, and I can't, so we're both just going to have to deal.

( well. julian looks over nate, once. raises a brow. )

Unless you've got any bright ideas, hot shot.

[strumpet]

( for a woman who was trained to read people throughly, to analyze their energy and intentions to protect herself and establish a proper clientele list— it doesn’t escape her the kindness of most people she’s encountered here.

jayce was far too gentle with her and it was endearing in a way. it almost made her feel guilty she lured him in for information but her own survival was important in the end. at least she wasn’t a cruel and abusive person. )

The pleasure is all mine Jayce— ( and despite her reservations she doesn’t quite release his hand quickly, instead lingering for a bit. ) I understand, I come from a very modern world myself, far more modern than this place. As for that—

Of course, one step at a time.

[vexant]

( the grin on his lips is all play, and as she leans on him, he does stop in place to let her so it doesn't come off as - well. awkward. )

So? Club, arcade, or do you want to fuck with the locals?

[sophielicious]

'Or'? What stops us from clubbing, hitting the arcade, and fucking with the locals at the same time?

(Not like they have been on a rollercoaster of emotions and activities for the past who knows how long. This is life with her nearby, so she just looks up a little bit, tilting her head a little on the direction of the nearest club.)

[overconfidently]

Give me a bit and I might.

( A lazy shrug, he walks alongside Julian. )

Fine. Let’s play ball to appease the masses. Not like there’s anything else to do, right?

[hexcope]

[He feels the slightest blush dust his cheeks when she doesn't release his hand right away, because as much as he frequently and casually keeps physical contact with people, even those he doesn't know well, a lingering handshake still flags his Victorian-adjacent brain as something closer to flirting. He gives a quiet laugh in embarrassment, and pulls back his hand to lace his fingers together behind his back. Time to make the subject something she can go on about so he doesn't have to talk for a minute.]

Even more modern than here? This is already far beyond what I'm used to. How much more advanced can it get than levitating cameras that can capture moving pictures and play it back on another screen simultaneously?

[strumpet]

( perhaps it’s her nature to just be ever so seductive, even when it isn’t intentional. energies from people draw her to specific clients and jayce was certainly her type.

but she wasn’t aiming for that, no she had been far too vulnerable in showing her fear with him. so when he changed the subject she smiled at him— grateful for the opportunity to discuss something else. )

Humanity on my world has conquered most of space, several planets have inhabitants and we have technology far more advanced.

As for the cameras, they aren’t that common on independent planets but planets ruled by the Alliance are surveilled closely, just not this openly.

👀

[tson]

[ Needless to say, Tseng has already mapped out contingencies, if the guards were to come get him. But when the door opens, his posture tightens for a split second. Something glints in his dark eyes—recognition, naturally, but surprise as well. Tseng doesn't flinch. The microexpression flickers and fades before anyone could even notice. Safe for Rufus himself, of course.

Tseng bows towards him at the waist. No hesitation and sufficiently deferent to alleviate any suspicion, that this is improvised rather than simply anticipated. Enough to make the guards relax, the kind of gesture reserved for established protocols and high expectations. Far enough to mean it, too. ]

My apologies, sir. [ Tseng sounds formal, the words delivered with the weight of habit rather than guilt. Of course, Rufus would appear like this—entirely in control—and Tseng to match. Falling into step behind him is the easiest thing in the world. In any world. He glances over Rufus's shoulder at the guards. Nothing pointed lingers, just polite indifference. Whatever just happened must have been authorized.

The clack of polished shoes against the floor follows Rufus. The elevator doors seal them in. The cabin hums quietly as it climbs. Tseng looks at the reflections in the mirrored interior of his grin. ]

Rufus, [ He is like a homing beacon to his Turks; without much understanding, Tseng came to the right place. Though he knows he arrived alone. ] what is this?

[ The question is imprecise, and Tseng looks at him sidelong, in a way that confirms his otherwise well-masked confusion. A question so transparently bewildered, he hasn't asked it to anyone else. ]

[laserguy]

[What the hell is that question?! It's a totally unfair one, because it feels like no matter what sort of answer he gives, he's fucked.]

If you piss me off. You're approaching that again. [Big talk, honestly. Because Scott will probably end up wandering into her space for one reason or another. He'll just never admit it.]

Bring up the X-Men again? I'm leaving.

[querulus]

You "don't think so"? It's a yes or no—you know what? Whatever. Doesn't matter. 

[He jerks his head in the direction he came from initially.]

You feel the cluster of minds over that way, yeah? Turns out if you shmooze enough you can get pretty much whatever you want. How's your shmoozing?

[querulus]

[You know what's great about this? Quentin doesn't have to do anything. In fact, it's better that he does nothing. What to do or say—that's the part where he struggles. The ability to read someone's mind doesn't tell you what they need to hear to make them feel better. At best it gives you what they want to hear. Or, you know, think they want to hear, which is a separate can of worms. And that's all assuming the person knows what they want to hear, and a lot of times they don't, and it's just a whole thing. Bleh. Point is, telepathy? Not the cheat sheet for dealing with normal people you'd think it would be.

Julian Keller? Not normal. Not at all. Dude's brain is a charcuterie board of trauma and eighteen other kinds of fuckery that's been pent up for who knows how long. All he needs from Quentin is to be available (check), not be a sobbing mess (done), and shut up (iffy). That's easy (except the shutting up part but eh).

He skims Julian's thoughts for the sake of fulfilling his duty as designated sounding board, and also because, well. Because he does actually care about the poor bastard. He'd have to be a monster not to. Sure, there isn't anything Julian's feeling that Quentin didn't expect and/or that Quentin hasn't felt himself, but... cripes, man. He finds himself holding Julian just a smidge closer, a tiny bit more secure, and he realizes belatedly that he should've probably told Julian more about the White Hot Room, that Quentin was there, that everyone had a choice of whether to stay on Krakoa or go back to earth.

... Except then Julian decides to comment about his hair. Quentin resists the impulse to pull back so he can give Julian a suitably "what the fuck" expression, but he sure is giving him the (mostly gentle, only moderately judgemental) telepathic equivalent of a side-eye.]

I don't "smell like the girls' dorm," dude. You know there's other options than smelling like a tree, right?

[Don't think he didn't notice that basic bitch Old Spice shit. Because he did. He wasn't going to say anything because he's nice.]

Anyway, you don't get to judge me when you've got this much dandruff.

[nobraincell]

That's true, holding hands might work better than a rope. [Immediate contact! Also, on one hand, he appreciates this unexpected protectiveness!

On the other hand:] Your grip strength feels stronger than I remember. Have you been training?

[ambitiousblond]

Right now, you're in Agora, and I assume you've been given a fairly low number since you were about to be tossed out of this building, at the very least.

[That hardly begins to answer Tseng's question, but even if they seem alone in the elevator, Rufus keeps his tone light with the expectation that their conversation won't be private here.

The elevator eventually slows and opens at the 26th floor to reveal the double doors of a penthouse, which Rufus pushes open for them.

The penthouse was not close to the luxury of living in the Shinra Building, but it's still comfortable, and in contrast to the conditions of the back alleyways, it's the best that this world has to offer.

As soon as the door closes behind them, Rufus lets out a breath, closing his eyes for a brief moment to switch gears. Being here was like living life before Meteor, how exhausting it was to have an audience watch his every moment, picking apart every gesture, every word.

But the moment is over as he tosses his coat over a chair mindlessly before stepping closer to Tseng, studying him for a moment but he can't tell just yet if like Cloud, Tseng is from some timeline or world.]

Make yourself at home- I don't know how low your number is, but you have to be careful it doesn't get too low.