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

limiterrings: (pic#17723494)

[personal profile] limiterrings 2025-03-30 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ he doesn't leave the building exactly, instead he returns to where everything started. shadow notes the body isn't on the floor anymore, which means he's unable to ask anymore questions. that's fine, he's not disappointed given what he's found so far in this place. the flash drive doesn't seem any closer, but he is left to his own thoughts on what he had stumbled across.

is it thanks to that wheel or... is this something entirely different?

a hand comes to shadow's chin in thought, ears twitch, swivel around to listen to his surroundings to make sure no one is coming where he is. it feels safe so far, no reason to move anywhere else. besides, why would the culprit return to the location where everything started?

yes, they tend to.

what was that individual. it was nothing as to what he expected, their power was on the weaker side, and their movements sloppy, but it wasn't something he could misstep dealing with or he'd suffer the consequences.

on the billboards, the other may be able to see the rankings of those that he's met so far. there's one that highlights those with the lowest, that individual has a picture with his back turned as though he was unwilling to take a proper picture upon arrival.

his own points have dropped to five. ]
lastofthearmlizards: (3)

[personal profile] lastofthearmlizards 2025-03-30 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
[That sounds quite outlandish. But so is everything that happened ever since Baylene had been brought to Etraya and later Aphaia. Hearing Maria say that her kind is loved warms her heart, even though it doesn’t entirely erase the unease of learning about their extinction.]

I see. I'm glad to hear that my own kind is remembered for many years to come.
Edited 2025-03-30 02:40 (UTC)
vexant: (VSsF62z)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-03-30 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
Do you want an honest answer to that? Or do you want the easier one?

( because this? it is stupidly simple, to take a step back and pull hope along with him, to follow the motions of the other dancers and keep them up on their feet. the floor is moving, but it isn't falling out from under their feet. julian considers it a good thing; things going into overdrive is normal for them, but it doesn't make it right. )
thelightshines: (the ghost of you)

[personal profile] thelightshines 2025-03-30 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
[Again, someone else who claims to know him. Even worse, they're name is what? He takes a few steps back, staring. He doesn't think they're lying, considering a certain encounter he had not too long ago...this is just beyond insane! THe implications if what he's thinking were true. He truly hates this place so much.]

Stop. [Stop acting like her. Stop making him think of her. His expression is grim, unintentionally harsh. His heart aching.] No. I'm not him.
levindicated: (71)

[personal profile] levindicated 2025-03-30 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
Don’t worry, I don’t think it’ll stunt my growth any. [Casual, instant deflection with a charming grin to accompany it.]

But aye, that I am. We’ve all been here for a little while. This place hasn’t got enough to go around. Don’t worry, it’s not the first time I’ve had to tighten my belt. This should all be over in about a week. We just need to last until then.

You, however- [As his gaze lingers keenly over her.]

-Look better than ever. Say, now how’s that fair?
odinpusrex: (255)

[personal profile] odinpusrex 2025-03-30 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
[There isn't much that gets an emotional response from Barnabas, his feelings long since drowned by the aether that brought his heart to a violent stasis just as it did his body, but there is something that almost rubs shoulders with irritating when he cannot meet Dion's gaze. There is only one being that deserves such respect, and He is not currently here.

Still, Barnabas does the next best thing which is to hold his ground. He might not be able to look Dion in the eye, but he can look him in the...chest? Which doesn't make anything better, really, he just kind of looks like some weird pervert, maybe. Not that such a perception bothers him in the slightest.]


Bahamut, you are newly arrived.

[His voice carries to him as if spoken at a closer distance than it is, that odd and distinct quirk of Odin's.]

How fitting that it should be here.

[After all, they are both men of war and violence, and what better than this world for the likes of them?]
floresco: (pic#17084055)

hiiiii

[personal profile] floresco 2025-03-30 02:45 am (UTC)(link)
Cloud! [ Aerith brightens in relief before concern overtakes her expression. After casting a worried look around them for any casino staff who might overhear her forgetting to rhyme things, she looks back to him and frowns. ]

This place is so loud. If we could get out of here, I would have a lot less to fear. [ And she would be able to speak normally, without the threat of some terrible, unknown fate for bungling her second try with the wheel's task. Without thinking about it, Aerith finds herself moving back towards the casino's door, wordlessly trying to steer him and get him to follow, as she'd done more than a few times back home. ]

How is this real? I just saw you... [ The corners of her eyes crease as she looks off to the side, thinking. ] For...real?
vexant: (pic#17694978)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-03-30 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah
We've been making improvements to the security system, given not much of it was left
Cafeteria's stocked now
waxen_wings: (066)

[personal profile] waxen_wings 2025-03-30 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
[ What's too long when you're trapped and sent on crazy missions without explanation? ]

There still ain't much around, unless you like flying in circles in a bell jar.
sophielicious: (nyx_009)

[personal profile] sophielicious 2025-03-30 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
(They probably look so weird, just making faces and gestures to one another without uttering a word, but so is the reality for telepaths. Not that she really minds, resting a hand on his shoulder by the time they reach somewhere to sit.

It's with the upmost elegance that she does, crossing her legs and checking her nails for a moment before she takes in the party before her.

There's the undeniable truth, and there's the manipulation she can achieve with it. She said she was going to try to be better, she did, the willingness to be better is there, but...

This is different.)


/What good does it do if it's just the few of us against the world, if I don't even try a bit? I've been trying. You can check./

(If he does, he'll see exactly what she told him. The break-off from her sisters. The apology she gives Kamala. Julian.

If anything, it can reinforce the idea that she's working on herself.)
oblige: (frown)

[personal profile] oblige 2025-03-30 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ So Odin continues to avoid his gaze, but his posture and speech suggest nothing out of the ordinary. It doesn't take Dion long to consider the wheel's place in this equation. sparing it an almost accusatory glance before his attention settles back on the man staring him in the...chest. Well. He must be doing what he is able.

Dion will do him the courtesy of ignoring it, shouldering his way nearer as he chooses his words. At least he's spared the debate of how to address his old foe when his speech is limited to a rhyme scheme. ]


It is as you've surmised [ He admits what they both know: he is new here, but he only concedes the obvious fact because of the restriction he has been dealt. ] I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

[ Yet there are layers to the absurdity of the situation that call for it just the same. Here he is, speaking with a foe who has assuredly not once considered him an equal, who will not look at his face. Meanwhile, he must force a rhyme into every statement he makes. ]
odinpusrex: (188)

Colosseum!

[personal profile] odinpusrex 2025-03-30 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
Pitiful, are they not?

[Barnabas asks in that neutral tone of his, calm and reserved as he eyes Ororo. He looks a little different than she might remember, only because he is dressed fully in his armor, helm and all. There's an odd...tension in his chest seeing her again, an aborted feeling that doesn't quite fully form beyond that odd pressure. Which he dismisses as he does most things of that nature.]

Shall I lend you mine?

[That almost seems like some kinda euphemism, but it isn't. He does genuinely mean it, but it's up to Ororo to decipher through that dry delivery what he actually means.]
dreamsofearth: (Give Them a Chance)

[personal profile] dreamsofearth 2025-03-30 02:58 am (UTC)(link)
[Maria's eyes flick to the screen nearest her, spotting the shift in Shadow's expression. Then he lowers his head. She was about to call out to him again. To make him look up. But he did it himself. He had more stuff splattered on his fur. She could see if as the drones zoomed in, though remained at a distance. She saw that some of the bodies were moving and were crawling away. Some of them weren't

She wavered, clutched the wall, and continued. Eyes bright as she stared into the lens of the drone. Red spots flared on her pale cheeks. Almost feverish.]


Please...[She implored again, determined to go to him, if he wasn't going to come find her. She didn't realize that some people in the area were stopping to watch, catching wind that these two seemed to have history. Maria hadn't followed how much points she had thus far since it hadn't been long since she arrived. But this kind of drama was just the sort that could raise ratings. Though none of this was on her mind. Her focus was on her best friend. Splattered with lord knows what and standing alone.] This isn't like you. Not like the Shadow I know and love. You are my best friend! Who watched the Earth with me! We were going to explore it together!

[Her voice was breathless and rambling, but it rang with her strength of spirit through the Agora. It was embarrassing that this was all broadcasted, but she just wanted to throw her arms around him right now.] Show me a sign that this is real. That this isn't some bad dream. [With pure Robotnik stubbornness, she pushed away from the wall and started making her way back the way she had come. The drone followed close behind as she started to walk with clenched fists and head held high back towards the Agora square. All of this broadcasted to various screens in the Agora.]
thelightshines: (in the deepest darkness)

Arrival~

[personal profile] thelightshines 2025-03-30 03:01 am (UTC)(link)
[Scott might get the feeling that someone is watching them. A pair of crimson eyes that belong to something not human. A dark hedgehog just peeking out from one of the rooms. Shadow was not specifically looking at them, but what they were doing with the earpiece while they spoke to whomever was on the other side, studying. He wish they weren't so small so he could actually see better what they were doing to make it work.

Anytime Scott checks, he's quick to go back into the room before being caught. Maybe at most, there's a black blur, but it could just be nothing...]
fireboost: (pic#17753540)

[personal profile] fireboost 2025-03-30 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ he flees from the attack, and blaze lands from her place in the air to a guarded position, vigilant for any further attempts from him to reignite the fight. meeting his gaze, she is clearly lacking patience. steady flames envelop her hands. ]

I do not have the patience for games.

[ the only thing that gives her pause is what he says. ]

What do you mean by imposters? Why are you acting like this now?

[ it doesn't make sense, not after their interaction earlier; unpleasant, but largely harmless. ]
floresco: (pic#15373621)

obi-wan voice: HELLO THERE

[personal profile] floresco 2025-03-30 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ Even a world away, she would know that coolly composed voice, and the sound of Rufus Shinra speaking up from behind her makes Aerith's posture stiffen before the fact that he's being helpful sinks in. There had been a moment, back in Junon where she was fairly sure that Rufus wasn't like his father – an unmoveable, merciless knot of greed and avarice, before signals got crossed and attempts on lives got made. She gets that sense again now, but her relief is not without a heavy dose of confusion. ]

Are we good friends? [ There's a fearful voice that speaks up from the back of her mind, that tells her she'll have to tread even more carefully than she already has, but given that he's the most familiar thing she's seen in a worryingly long amount of time, for now Aerith lets herself walk with him, mindful to stay close enough to ensure they stand a better chance of actually looking like good friends. ]

Did something happen to you? [ Aerith looks up at Rufus the whole way to the bar, assessing him as concern keeps the corners of her eyes creasing ever so slightly. She's not generally the sort to reach for a drink, but right now she's not going to stop him from ordering her a glass of wine once they get where they're going. ]

Do you have any idea what's going on here, Rufus? [ For better or for worse, he seemed so composed when he talked her past the bouncer, she can't help but ask. ]
limiterrings: (pic#17725394)

[personal profile] limiterrings 2025-03-30 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
[ he knows. he knows. he's always been bad at this, his anger getting the best of him, his frustration with the world. they were in the way, they were using her against him, it was much like the nightmares he's always had that would stir him awake to destroying his surroundings. all he does is hurt and destroy, there's nothing else he can do.

yet, his ears fall flat against his head, something submissive that made people gasp in shock. is it true that someone as violent as that is capable of anything aside from pain and violence? this is the sort of drama that brings ratings, such acts are forgivable simply because this is probably a scene to die for.

shadow watches the screen, he notes the substance on her body, grateful that it's not her own. it's fine if it's anyone else's, that says physically... no, maria always hurts no matter what. physically, and now mentally because of his actions. the spear in his hand disappears in an instance, and shadow takes a step forward. ]


...

[ he doesn't want this to be real, rather it should be a bad dream. she shouldn't have to see him like this again. he's speechless, but that doesn't matter either as he notes the way she forces herself to return to some place. in the background, he notes familiar bodies that rest upon the ground, not too far from where this all started. ]

M... Maria.

[ his voice is softer, the video feed floating over top of him reflecting this gentleness in another board. shadow doesn't sound irritated or angry, he's more so worried, as if he doesn't want her to do this. ]

You... have to stop. Don't push yourself. M... [ he takes another step forward.

he upset her, he's the reason why she's doing any of this. returning, stepping in whatever substance coats the ground.

and yet, the scene is welcomed. ]


Maria!!

[ despite feeling as though he's stuck in place, his feet move again, air shoes activating to pick up the pace to run directly to her. this isn't a place for her.

he wants it to be a bad dream, but...

shadow recalls all that he's promised her, the chance of being together, exploring earth and watching all the sights. oh how he mourns knowing he's seen so much without her, but he'd do anything to be with her to see it all again.

this place isn't earth, nor is this something he wanted to show her. if anything... he's made a mistake due to this. ]
shadowsincryo: (I'm wide awake)

[personal profile] shadowsincryo 2025-03-30 03:13 am (UTC)(link)
It’s tech not magic. But the garishness is the point. They want flash and starlight not what is coming. [His voice is smoother now, his posture like a lazy king. He scans the list. New names that he hasn’t seen before.] It will switch to great moments in a second.

We can find your number from there.

[The annoucer starts talking, starting with paragons and shows off shots of their most beloved scenes. It goes down to the next rung and at 83, there Kaeya is. Leaping over a wall, ice sword in hand and glancing back at the beast coming up behind him.

‘At the back of our Illuminaries but climbing like the stars his people look to, Kaeya Alberich, scion of his clan and The Lastttttt Hope!’

He can’t kill the wince and clench of his fingers at the title. He laughs it off and gives a two finger salute at the scene.]
Just captain Alberich, thank you. No need for anything fancy.

[He winks. The native people titter with laughter and cheer. But the announcer ignores him as his score ticks up another digit and they go on down the list.]
limiterrings: (pic#17750801)

[personal profile] limiterrings 2025-03-30 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
Hmph.

[ as if he'd explain, but he does pull out that sol emerald that he had taken before. it's color shining underneath the light of where shadow stands.

it all started with this. ]


Sloppy, uncoordinated, a pathetic sight to behold.

[ he tilts his head towards the casino. ]

I didn't trust the face.

[ but shadow doesn't trust anyone. ]
agoddessonce: (right...?)

[personal profile] agoddessonce 2025-03-30 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ It came at a cost, but Ororo keeps it to herself. She just smiles as she feels his eyes travel over her, seeking to deflect it in her own way. ]

We all have our own beauty regimens, maybe.

[ She trails her hands down his neck to rest on his shoulders. He'l feels both familiar, and totally new. ]

A week, you said, then back to the islands... And you've been in this arena all this while, fighting on little to eat?
agoddessonce: (Default)

[personal profile] agoddessonce 2025-03-30 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ look if he's going to roll up to her looking like that, she won't know who he is

Well, until he speaks. Barnabas will then see the belated recognition in her eyes. ]


Ah. Barnabas. [ A dusky flush creeps up her cheeks because... Well, her strongest memory of him was a little explicit. Her hands grip the weapon tight for a moment before she sets it back among others like it. ]

I've not seen yours, I don't think. Not in quite some time.

You will have to let me reacquaint myself?
odinpusrex: (171)

[personal profile] odinpusrex 2025-03-30 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
Indeed.

[This isn't working. There's the specter of irritation that washes over Barnabas as he tries and fails to meet Dion's gaze again, only making it to his lips before he's cannot go any higher. Barnabas' brow furrows, but he tries to press on, steel himself against this forced display of submission to someone who does not deserve it.]

Believe yourself capable to weather this world, and what challenges lay beyond it?

[After all, they are technically a team now, aren't they? Odd to think about, really, but Barnabas supposes they were part of one before, even if the others knew it not. Here, however, such knowledge is more forthright. They are all representing their world, and if one of them fails, that hurts their chances of saving it...

With a blink of his eyes and flick of his gaze, Barnabas is able to settle his stare above Dion. Now that is more acceptable in his mind, even if he'd much rather lock gazes like one might lock blades.]
sophielicious: (nyx_012)

[personal profile] sophielicious 2025-03-30 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
(Now, should she trip him? To be decided. If there's a brain she does not want to currently poke around, that would be his. She'd probably have to do this physically, and it's way more trouble than what it's worth.

Her outfit looks too nice. :( Not worth ruining it.)


Ass. It also isn't my fault I didn't get to wear one out of five crowns.
shadowsincryo: (pic#15815104)

[personal profile] shadowsincryo 2025-03-30 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
I won’t. Relax and move as I do. [He smiles. It warms up the pale blue of his eye. Tonight he is in a formal version of his usual knight attire. The paldron on his shoulder stamped with an a windmill turning in the breeze. His voice stays low and personal,] A waltz is a good start.

Don’t be afraid to watch our feet. Once you get the hang of the sway and motion, it will be easier. [He shifts his hold on her, keeping her steady and ready to draw her out or closer as they need to. His steps are light and easy.] See? Just like music itself.
dreamsofearth: (Overjoyed)

I need better icons lmao

[personal profile] dreamsofearth 2025-03-30 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
[She's too busy concentrating on walking to see him on a screen, but she hears his voice. His voice. The one she knew. He was telling her to not push herself. But he was worth it. He always was worth it. She heard him call her name, just as she reached the edge of the square. There were lots of beings still in the square milling about along the outskirts and in the local establishments, but all had clearly given Shadow a wide berth. All eyes were glued to screens and the spectacle within the square.

She saw Shadow start to skate towards her and he called her name. Throwing caution to the wind, she broke into a run; blue shoes hitting the pavement audibly and her golden blonde hair flying behind her. It was as if the previous carnage didn't exist, her focus was entirely on moving and on him. She tries to call his name, but a choked sob escapes instead as she makes a beeline straight for him; arms outstretched with the intention of throwing herself into him with her entire body and squeeze her arms around him as tightly as she could. If her knees hit the ground during all this (which was likely), she wouldn't even notice.]