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∎ ETRAYA MODS ∎ ([personal profile] etrayamods) wrote in [community profile] etrayamemes2025-03-28 09:16 am
Entry tags:

TDM 007

content warnings for this TDM include: violence, potential death, body horror, physical transformation, loss of senses, loss of autonomy

⏵ arrival⏴



Arrival does not happen as Aurora usually plans for it. New characters are introduced to the AI, then informed of a mission that they are required to participate in before they can return to their home base of Etraya. A world called Aphaia is falling apart, and while there is nothing they can do to resolve this broken world, they can participate in the Gamerunner's Stratagem.

Their mission is simple: step through the glowing purple portal that Aurora creates once they've had time to listen to her, and survive until a similar portal reopens in front of them, allowing them to return to Etraya. The Gamerunner's Stratagem is something they have been working on building for quite some time. She informs all newcomers that they will not be present on this world that long: their exit will appear to them exactly when it's meant to, allowing them to meet the others who have been recruited to save their worlds. She provides each and every arrival with an earpiece, allowing them to communicate with the other Etrayans. Aurora suggests taking a bag full of supplies along with them, which she will fill with a few generic items as well as any specific items they may need: synthetic blood for vampires, protein bars for those who may burn through calories faster, medication for anyone who requires it.


⏵ aphaia ⏴


Aphaia is a neon-lit, chaotic planet. Cameras are everywhere, every action and inaction is judged by the 'audience'. Towering holograms advertise upcoming events while flashing leader boards track the most "popular" players. Contestants are thrown into challenges, many of which are games of skill, survival, and deception all to keep the viewers entertained. Not participating is an option! However, avoiding playing along and not putting on a show will quickly cause participants' score to go down, and scores that reach zero? Well.

Unfortunately, there are only so many resources left on Aphaia. Their wildlife has died off, their planet is falling apart, and most others in this galaxy were either destroyed from the inside out, or warring planets trying to gain control of remaining resources destroyed them to avoid others getting involved. Their natural resources are depleted, and only those who manage to keep their scores up are given the luxury of having any supplies. As soon as one steps foot on Aphaia, as soon as they breathe, they intake nanotechnology which tracks their oxygen consumption, their food, everything they do or need. As soon as their scores reach zero?

They disappear. There one moment, and completely gone the next. Their communicators go offline, and while everything they were carrying will be left behind, no one will be able to find them. They are simply--gone, erased from existence.

This is a death and counts as a death as outlined in the game FAQ! Please keep this in mind.

"Points" that go towards their total score will be assigned to contestants from the moment they drop down on planet. This will be visible using the HUD on their earpiece, and will be randomized at the beginning. For the sake of the TDM, we ask that no one be assigned Paragon initially, but you're free to use other ranks!

The possible rankings are:

100: PARAGON
99-80: LUMINARY
79-70: CHAMPION
69-50: CONTENDER
49-30: UNDERLING
30-0: SHADE

Ranks may change daily, or even hourly depending on the kind of situation one has found themselves in. Are they having a very public break up in which it comes out that they wronged their ex? They may go from a Champion to a Shade before they can even blink. Did they save a defenseless reporter from the big bad villain of the week? They may find themselves quickly elevated up to Luminary and given all the benefits that comes with being upper class. The world is their oyster, they only need to figure out how they'd like to utilize it!

Aphaia is broken up into four districts.

The Colosseum is a dynamic battle arena where combatants fight for entertainment, with shifting environments controlled by the audience. Victories earn points, while losses depend on performance.

The Symposium is a lavish social hub for top contestants, where alliances and betrayals are made under the audience’s watchful eye.

The Agora is the public center of Aphaia, where contestants engage with the audience through polls, interviews, and challenges to maintain popularity. It also houses the contestants in high-rise apartments.

And Backalleys provide hidden spaces with intentional blind spots for secret dealings, though the Gamerunner is always aware of what happens there.


⏵ st★rlight soirée ⏴


Something special is happening in the Colosseum. Lights flicker as the arena shifts, rearranging itself into a grand, glittering ballroom - if a ballroom had stadium seating, paparazzi drones, and an ever-changing floor plan designed to disorient those within it. Silver chandeliers pulse with artificial starlight, their glow refracted through the crystalline floors. Music swells, but it sounds - unnatural. It thrums through your veins, setting your blood alight with the urge to dance.

Why is the ballroom designed as if intentionally put together to throw off one's balance? Well, it's time for the Panopticon Prom, of course!

The Panopticon Prom isn't just an adventure in dancing and impressing your most recent crush. It's a test of endurance, cunning, grace, and charm. The floor beneath your feet moves as if it has a mind of it's own, shifting to the beat like a living creature all of it's own. It tilts, undulates, even vanishing in sections to keep dancers on edge. After all, it's difficult to keep up one's pace if they're falling through a hole in the floor to the foam pit below.

Drones zip through the air, catching every stumble, every misstep, and every attempt to throw off others on the dance floor. This is a competition, after all; and what fun is a dance battle without having the freedom to thwart someone else on their road to victory?

The rules are simple:
  • You must dance with a partner. This can be an ally, an enemy, or someone you intend on using as a stepping stone to victory. It matters not, as long as you have one hand (or limb) on them at all times.
  • The longer you last, the better your chances. Endurance is the name of the game, meaning one must pace themselves on the dance floor. While epic twirls and impressive moves will garner more attention, it may also hurt your chances in the long run.
  • You may sabotage others by throwing them off balance, but keep in mind: everything is televised, and it won't stay secret for long.
  • The arena adapts to the chaos. Expect sudden obstacles, environmental shifts, and sudden changes in the music's tempo. Gravity may shift, walls may close in, but participants can't let that stop them - they must continue to dance, if they wish to win.
The audience is watching. Who will make the final cut and become Prom King and Queen? Everyone is vying for the titles: it doesn't matter what rank you started at when you joined the Panopticon Prom. Whoever wins becomes a Paragon until their points drop. There aren't many opportunities to sail through the rankings, but this is a sure way to do it. As long as they can keep up.


⏵ casino royale ⏴


Out in the Agora, another popular quarterly event is being set up! The Casino Royale has been destroyed countless times, but it seems as if the Gamerunner just can't let it go - every time it gets knocked down, it gets rebuilt.

There is one rule. One must take a turn at the revolving wheel just inside the door as their entry fee, and whatever the wheel lands on, they must maintain until they exit the building for the night. Sometimes, this is easier: an effect they have no control over and cannot undo even if they wanted to. Sometimes, this is more difficult: an assigned task they must complete. Failure to abide by the wheel once means receiving a penalty. Twice? Certain death if caught by any employee.

The wheel's effects are as follows:

1 You must speak entirely in rhyme. 2 Your body has become unnaturally delicate. The smallest injury hurts like a fatal wound.
3 You must avoid stepping into any sources of light. Doing so causes massive burns to appear on any area of your skin where light has touched. 4 You have been transformed into an animal! You can still think as you had before, but you cannot speak or communicate easily.
5 You have been cursed with supernatural strength, but cannot control it. 6 Time doesn't flow normally for you anymore. Each mistake you make makes you visibly younger, slowly erasing your experiences, skills, or even memories.
7 You can no longer form your own words, but only repeat what others have said to you. 8 You cannot meet another person's gaze.
9 You can no longer turn around, physically or metaphorically. If you try to return where you came from, you'll find that the pathway no longer exists. 10 You are given a specific letter that you must avoid using out loud entirely. "A"? Better hope you know enough words without one.
11 Every time you speak, your words come true - but never in the way you intended. Trying to control this is futile; the monkey's paw curls with every new sentence. 12 Within the casino, you lose the ability to feel anything. No pain, no pleasure, no warmth, and no cold. At first it may feel like a blessing - until you realize you cannot feel hunger, or tell if you're injured.
13 Regardless of if you've drunken anything, you still act inebriated. The effect only gets worse the longer you stay. 14 No one can see you. You are invisible, even if you are still able to reach out and touch or converse with those around you.
15 Any special ability you have is gone. You are reduced down to what an average human being is capable of - regardless of if you are human. 16 Violent impulses become impossible to ignore. You are rage incarnate, and you will be heard.
17 Every time you make a decision - to walk into an area, to start a conversation, anything, a small thread pulls loose from your clothing or your skin. Keep making choices, and you may become entirely undone. 18 You may speak freely, but for every syllable you say, your ability to hear slowly fades. You may want to watch your word count - too many, and you may not be able to hear at all.
19 Perhaps you arrived with a friend, or beside a stranger. It matters not: whoever came in either just before or just after you, you feel a powerful urge to protect them to the point of aggression. 20 Love is in the air - at least it is for you. Every time you meet someone's gaze, you feel the need to try and make them fall in love with you, through whatever means necessary.


The casino is alive with the hum of conversation, the clink of glasses, and the steady whirl of the roulette wheels. Golden chandeliers cast a warm glow over velvet-lined tables, where fortunes are made and lost with the flick of a wrist. But something feels. . . off.

The dealers never blink. The cards never seem random. And the house always wins - always. Maybe it's just paranoia, or maybe this casino is something more than just a den of chance. Tonight, you're not here just to play; you're here on a mission.

You've arrived dressed to kill, blending into the sea of bodies filling the casino's floors. But you're not here to win points or boost your social standing - you're here to win intel. Somewhere in this casino is a single flash drive containing information on just how Aphaia maintains their system. The only problem? The House knows someone is coming for it. After all, they're well-aware of the game: whoever retrieves the flash drive will obtain information on how to flip the script, to change the rules of the game to fit their wants and needs, rather than following the current Gamerunner. After all, this is the Gamerunner's Stratagem that Aurora has sent them out on! Many apply for 'employment' within the Casino Royale in hopes of getting insider information on where the flash drive is hidden and what it looks like. However, it seems that even the employees have no clue where it has been hidden.

⏵ NOTES ⏴


This is an extension of our Aphaia Mission! We have included enough information in this post that catching up to current in game logs isn't necessary to play with it, but you are welcome to use any part of the Aphaia setting in your prompts as you'd like. Current players are also welcome to bring the events from this TDM into their in-game threads.

This mission can happen outside of time as needed! Incoming characters will find themselves introduced to Aphaia as they arrive. Current characters may find Aurora calling on them to visit Aphaia after the current mission for the Gamerunner's Stratagem.

Characters already in game are welcome to post to the TDM, too! Please mark them as current characters in your header. Threads can be kept as game canon as long as both characters get into the game!

Please direct all questions relating to this log to our mod queries comment! All other questions can be directed to our FAQ.

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resurrxion: (000000130)

[personal profile] resurrxion 2025-04-02 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
It's still shitty, though. I'm kinda... busy all the time, y'know? Doing the work. And we get kinda mobbed when we're out and about. But that's not an excuse to not see how you're adjusting. I ask David for updates when he swings by but that's not the same thing.

[ except... wait, two months. something's off. He knows damn well Jay's been on the island with his horde of siblings the last two months, except... cannonball whose somewhere in space. this is some timetravel junk isn't it? he suppresses the urge to groan. ]

Guess you're gonna need to give me some tips.
vexant: (VT6SUao)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-04-02 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
It wasn't his fault.

( obviously.

it was, to an extent. jay was an idiot and walked off to help someone who was up to no good - but how was he supposed to know that? they were all desperate to do something, anything to help, and jay just happened to be the poor sap who stryker got his fingers into. julian gets that, now.

but josh has a point. they were all significantly less forgiving back then. and the argument of jay being a kid would have meant nothing to them, given they were all kids. )


Anyway. He's fine, outside of that. ( say what you will about julian's attitude, but he'd never leave another xkid behind. ) Ms. Grey's been around, cleaning up other areas of the school. Quire showed up recently. Now you and - ( his hand raises, gesturing around them. ) The others who've showed up here.
vexant: (pic#17694950)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-04-02 05:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah

And it's not that bad. It's not like this is any different than back home.


( considering after m-day, they didn't really have a stable place up until krakoa. or at least, julian's class of mutants didn't. everything was always getting fucked up, blown up, or otherwise made inhabitable. )
rudelanguage: (pic#17713218)

[personal profile] rudelanguage 2025-04-02 05:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[Knife deflates a bit, though his expression remains unchanged until mention of points processes. then, their face scrunches a bit.]

Uh.

[they look around, then up.] The numbers are...up somewhere, right?
rudelanguage: (pic#17713221)

[personal profile] rudelanguage 2025-04-02 05:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[Knife's stride lengthens a bit while Kaeya's sighing out intentions, bringing them a bit closer into the man's space. it's the sort of thing Knife actively hates other people doing, therefore it stands to reason it would irritate others in turn were they to do so. perhaps.]

But you can do all the tricking for your own business. Yes?
resurrxion: (000000130)

[personal profile] resurrxion 2025-04-02 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
I know.

[ too well. but they both know that.

he scratches the bridge of his nose with his thumb, dropping his hands back down. ]


And here we are in discount Mojoworld. At least mutant drama makes for good tv.
vexant: (pic#14770568)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-04-02 05:30 pm (UTC)(link)
It could be worse.

( julian's lips twist up into a grin, eyes finally actually looking at josh, although maybe that's not - a good thing. )

All the death battles they've thrown here thus far have been fair, at least. No assholes in the audience to help them cheat. That I've noticed.
resurrxion: (000000000098)

[personal profile] resurrxion 2025-04-02 05:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[ god that sounds unpleasant.

and there's that... protective urge again. at the idea of julian ending up in that arena. ]


Yet. If you get tossed in there I'm gonna be your infinite hp cheat.
vexant: (T0hGlsT)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-04-02 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
So, just after we went back to Westchester.

( meaning before the fight over the phoenix with the avengers. right. at least it's something julian can place. julian takes a step back, pulling hope along with him as he gently pushes against the arm of another dancer, forcing them to turn back the way they came where the hole in the dance floor has shifted to and -

there they go, right into the pit. )


Congrats, you're only the second most behind thus far. Bird-boy doesn't remember anything past M-day.
maximumlegend: (you just can't see)

starlight soirée

[personal profile] maximumlegend 2025-04-02 05:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Fabian has noticed the way Scott is looking, really. It's not even like he's paying particular attention to the other guy in specific here at this party - as far as one can call it that, given the circumstances - but it's hard to not notice the one guy looking really grumpy in a crowd.

So when Scott actually moves over and takes his hand like that, Fabian gives the other a surprised stare. And it has nothing to do with the weird glasses, really - a guy who's wearing a eye patch can't really judge that one. No, it's just that he didn't really expect Scott to go for the dancing, given how he was looking.

So though Fabian isn't complaining, he does raise a curious eyebrow, asking: ]


Are you sure about this?

[ It doesn't sound like he minds! The light surprise is mostly audible in his voice, really. ]
devilblooded: 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞. (pic#17400328)

[personal profile] devilblooded 2025-04-02 05:50 pm (UTC)(link)
( Hm. Shifting his weight to his other foot, he stares the kid over — feels for him in a way. That's when he nods towards him then. )

That why you got the crutch?
hauntedsnowfall: (z acadimi serious 18)

I.

[personal profile] hauntedsnowfall 2025-04-02 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[ This is certainly a peculiar situation Dimitri has found himself in. One moment he is traveling back to the Kingdom to prepare for all out war the next… well, you’re familiar.

He believes he understands the mission they have been dealt, although Dimitri certainly has opinions on it. Not to mention it all seems to be some ridiculous flight of fancy… But he knows this must be real as his dreams have never come close to anything like this.

The barrage of lights and sounds so unfamiliar have Dimitri pulling off the main thoroughfare before long. He’s walking slowly through the backalleys trying to get himself to acclimate to it all as quickly as possible. His spear is strapped to his back and he shakes his hands out in an attempt to dispel his unease.

It is now that Dimitri’s eyes land on his fellow armored otherworldly visitor. ]


Oh, apologies… I did not intend to intrude.

[ Had he not seen the same ear cuff on the other man Dimitri might have immediately taken his leave there. However it seems they’re both in the same troubling situation so he lingers. Perhaps he can find an ally in him. ]
vexant: (VT6SUao)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-04-02 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
( they're always all they have. hell, and part of the time, they barely even have each other. julian still remembers waking up in that hotel room after being skewered, being told by emma that the school was gone, that all of julian's friends were gone, and he'd have to just - figure crap out on his own from there on out. you know, before she telepathically knocked him out and left him. he'd still been a kid, technically too young to be alone, but it hadn't mattered. his parents were gone, the x-men had abandoned him, and he was left to figure it out.

just like what apparently happens with krakoa. the fighters were brought out of the white hot room, and everyone else got to stay with their home. and julian was apparently desperate enough to pretend to work beside empath to try and get something close to home back. he's not surprised.

after all they did for a home, he would have done damn near anything to get it back.

sophie follows after him, and julian helpfully lends small telekinetic platforms for her heels to hit instead of the moving floor, up until they're fully away from the dance floor. she can walk on her own, he's not helping her do that. )


I don't need you to.

( in case she thinks she's following him for julian's sake. )
maximumlegend: (i don't have the)

[personal profile] maximumlegend 2025-04-02 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
At least the bad case of hero complex is nothing new to Fabian. It's just that thing about Izuku - he's so nice, but in that sort of way where it kind of stings with the sort of things he offers you. Especially when Fabian feels like he absolutely does not have to be protected here, thanks!

Not that he's trying to shrug off the other's hold on him. Fabian is pretty sure that sometimes that sort of thing is the only thing standing between Izuku and plummeting down because of the shifting floors.

But even though Fabian is nice enough to let him cling on, he still can't help but remark: "Are you sure I am the one who has to be kept safe here?"

Who is clinging on to who, Izuku!
futuremessiah: (hope15)

[personal profile] futuremessiah 2025-04-02 06:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hope face twists up at the mention of MDay. The great savior of mutants hasn’t done much yet; although, there are five new mutants in the world. She needs to do more once she figures out how to get home again.]

Is he… you called him bird boy, does he still have his mutation?

[So many mutants lost their powers and or lives that day, and in the following.]
vexant: (T0hGlsT)

[personal profile] vexant 2025-04-02 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
( something - shifts.

which is approximately when julian realizes he's failed the simple task of not meeting someone's eyes that he'd given himself after spinning the wheel. unfortunately for julian specifically, that realization hits two seconds too late, because the determination sets in just after the oh shit moment.

the grin sits on his mouth, as julian scoots a little closer to the edge of his chair and hooks his sneaker around the leg of josh's, pulling it closer to his own. )


I won't need it. None of those assholes can get close enough to even touch me.
balanced: (pic#17473855)

[personal profile] balanced 2025-04-02 06:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[ 6 dips his head in a nod, acknowledging his friend.

though he had not expected to meet again so soon, it is not an unwelcome greeting, even if among the modern streets, flashing signs and camera drones surrounding them, he somehow seems more withdrawn into himself. ]


And you. I take it you have been well?

[ he's here, which means he's adapting well enough to this place—better than 6, certainly. but 6 is not one to be concerned over the threat of disappearance that hangs over his head, and so seems more uncomfortable at the bustle of this place than the consequences that threaten him. ]
querulus: (wca - well that doesn't look good)

[personal profile] querulus 2025-04-02 06:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[Uh. Okay.

Quentin can't exactly say he was expecting to hear from Sophie again so soon, but sure? He's not going to complain. For once.

But the uneasiness he senses from her mind and saying she "needs a word" with him, that's... well, it's concerning. Quentin does nothing to shield the worry from his side as he answers.]


/What's up, Sophie?/
limiterrings: (pic#17703070)

[personal profile] limiterrings 2025-04-02 06:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ when he said he'd be there soon, he meant it, his speed allows for him to cut a great amount of time to find them at the supposed meeting spot though, if he hadn't made a small spot maybe he could have come here sooner. not exactly where he thought they'd be, nor are they doing what he thought they'd be doing. he's been here for some time now, crimson eyes staring at a distance, his feelings gently shifting between irritation and contentment.

should he be angry at what he sees, it's not exactly anything he's ever asked for or would. maria's health comes first, he knows not to push her strength too far, or use up what energy she has. he's very much aware what will happen because she's sick so he has to account for every single thing that she does when he is around, but there are times like this where it's out of what he can prevent.

especially when this action makes her so... happy, her movements have just a little grace to them but she seems to go with the motion of what feels right. his gaze turns to the fake by her side, it's this moment that he fully takes in his appearance. other shadow... he wouldn't so much call that copy his name, but the way he gently takes care of maria in their shared dance is almost like he understands how precious that young girl is.

he should be angry, he could kill distance and knock him away from her, tell maria not to trust him due to their previous encounter, but he hasn't done anything that warrants shadow's malice. all he's done are unpolished steps, but they make her smile, she's enjoying everything about it.

that copy even has the audacity to wag his tail briefly?

shadow does very well at keeping his feeling at bay, not wanting to interrupt, he turns to the direction he just came from, figuring he can follow up here later. he doesn't want to leave maria here with him but us it because he's kinder and more open to these things that it'd be best?

fio had said people should treat their lives with care, so this could be one of those things. there's a box in his hand that he gently shakes, he can come back once they've had their fun. though, he doesn't realize their fun is being wrapped up as the applause from inside the colosseum leaks to the outside. ]
levelshift: <user name=patch-robots site=livejournal.com> (shrug)

cw: discussion of gun violence against a child

[personal profile] levelshift 2025-04-02 06:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[Accelerator snorts at that question.]

Nah, they're not related. [For emphasis, he's jabbing a finger at his forehead.] I have this thing because I pissed off a bastard with a gun. He shot me in the head.
fireboost: (Default)

[personal profile] fireboost 2025-04-02 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello! Since resources are thin on Aphaia, is it still possible to find city staples like a libraries for people to study for the quiz segments? Otherwise, is there any other way to get ahold of books?