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

[bookofpowers]

(This is why he has such an interest in Six. Nothing shatters him, nothing even moves him. To steal some emotion out of him, reach and yank... There are better treasures than objects, sometimes. There's a chuckle once his eyes look down, before they dart up.)

I appreciate it.

(He actually does, even if he thinks Six is just reproducing what he knows. He hasn't heard it yet.)

The name is correct, but I am not an academic. I'm the leader of the Phantom Troupe, A-class bounties and terroristic thieves. That is why I read as an irrational number. I do apologize for lying to you.

[lordfuckleroy]

The good thing about Henry in this moment is that he was great to lean against, it is like all of his feelings and emotions had turned to lead and was right now making it so that he was an excellent person to lean against. It was because his brain was fuzzy and while it was the only thing that was working, his feelings receptors had a big 'out of office' attached to wherever their neurocenters were located.

"Define 'something' Alex?" not understanding that he was probably asking too much of 'barely had a sip but still smashed' Alex. "I do not feel much of anything, there is nothing.. so I suppose that would be weird, if I had the capability of feeling weird."

Feeling weird meant you had to 'feel' to begin with.

Arrival

[lordfuckleroy]

[ Prince Henry looks toward the girl in question, a strange girl garbed in white and carrying a sword. She was very petite, and much shorter than him and she had a resolute look on her face. He took one look at her and realized that they were both in roughly the same position.

He clears his throat and follows after her to see if he can provide any assistance at all. ] My apologies if I did not answer immediately, I too am attempting to take this in, it all seems a bit wonky if you ask me. But you should find a device in your pocket, it is like a cellphone-- it should help you communicate and get around this city.

[ Hoping to be helpful to someone even if he only got here but a scant few hours ago ]

[limiterrings]

[ then that's it.

all mapped and planned out, they just need to follow it. he extends one hand out, placing it over top of the box so that maria's unable to open it any further. ]

It's not a matter of what I'm expecting, it's that you will. Only for now, [ he turns to look at maria knowing that his words aren't the best, not anything someone wants to hear considering... ] I will return us home, Maria. I just need more time.

[ this can be saved until they get there, it'd work better there than here where there's no opportunity to use it. the fact that the other hedgehog can acquire a room, or both of them can is enough to move on.

it's this desire to not be kept in one place out in the open where drones hover the vicinity that he's ready to take leave. even as one propels nearby them, scanning the area, and for a brief moment looking their direction that shadow glares at the feed that's on them.

it doesn't take much for the video camera to carry on. ]

I'm going back to the casino to try again.

[ that's as much as he's willing to give that makes sense.

should he go back with them, probably, maybe, but there's this nagging feeling as to why he's even suggesting that this other... him even go in the first place, because his skillset is too sloppy.

a novice.

he stares a little longer at the other for some time too long before closing his eyes. trusting maria's intuition on her saying he's not inferior is the only reason he's willing to allow this to pass. ]

If there are any complaints, I don't want to hear them.

[venatoris]

"Well, thank you ma'am."

There surely will be a glitch, nothing here is simple. There's nothing about his life that's simple, regardless of where he happens to be, what universe he's in. It's always going to be complicated, and there's always going to be something. He's sort of come to terms with that by now, otherwise what do you do? Languish? It ain't the Winchester way.

"Wonder when they're gonna throw a twist in. Think they'll make us do the Charleston?"

[venatoris]

Cool, I'll make you a feast.

[ Please...God let him cook for someone. Please. ]

It is. All ages come in though, so that's cool. [ His favorite kid is gone though, and so is Cas, and he's trying very hard not to think about that. ] And really anyone who wants something to do is more than welcome.

[lordfuckleroy]

[ It was indeed true that Henry had found himself wondering if Alex had gotten back safely, then came the official text from the liaison between the two countries saying that Alex had; but it had come unbidden especially after their strange camaderie in the kitchen while they ate ice cream at 3 AM, where Henry had confided that he slept like crap most of the time.

They were indeed operating on two different timelines here which was rather mean all things told.

But there was hope, and Alex was the one who had seen it first hand-- there was hope because of the friendship that they had fostered that Alex was the one to remember, to hold a torch for. ] You are absolutely cocked, Alex. The Return of the Jedi is the culmination of the movies before it, and it is perfect thematic ending that hits across that good prevails, that is when you get the payoff for The Empire Strikes Back.

[venatoris]

[ Yeah, Dean's gonna end up with a public indecency charge at any moment here. Not great, but he can't seem to do a damn thing about it. Threads are falling even as he talks to the man!cat. ]

You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?

[ Not that the cat can answer at the moment, but Dean's thinking if he picked that goddamn wheel up and chucked it, there's a good chance all this will stop.

There's also a good chance he'll end up dead, so it's kind of a conundrum. ]

[venatoris]

What would happen if a character tried to break the curse wheel?

[lordfuckleroy]

Would you like to team up? I can carry you around on my shoulder and you could get a view of the place?

[ Henry would actually like to know why he feels like a combination of wood and lead, why his entire being feels like he left everything that was 'important' at the coat check. If they both were inexplicably changed by this, perhaps it is best to do a bit of detective work to pin down the issue at it's source. ]

[shadowsincryo]

[He looks at his notepad and ink. He could team up, but communication would degrade. A little bit. Nodding to himself, he pushes the notepad closer to the table edge and writes one more time.]

'That would work. We'll need to establish a communication system. But we can work that out.' [He cleans his paw on the edge and then looks up, pupil rounding as he focuses entirely on Henry. He looks around him, considers his path and leaps up onto the edge of a chair. He balances there, waiting for the go-ahead to climb on.]

[thelightshines]

No, save the points you have. [To keep Maria from disappearing, to use on herself if she really needs to. He isn't concern about where his points land, he knows he can get more.

Return home...that is the correct decision. But would it also mean the girl sitting beside him, isn't her time already up? But staying in this dangerous place, having to do what Aurora asks of her, that isn't the right call either, is it? He feels conflicted, even when there should be none. Their choice shouldn't matter to him, they are together, and he is different. Yet he has these feelings, the small bit of connection he's already made with this Maria.

He leans against her without thinking, while her hands were occupied examining the box. This shouldn't have happened. They never should have ran into each other. It'll only make the parting hurt more. Having to see Maria off, again. His expression must have looked troubled when he felt a set of eyes on him.

He looks up to the other who had been staring at him. His expression went from puzzled to glaring. What is it now? He keeps eye contact with them, for not doing so is just asking to get ridicule again. They didn't really answer his question, but they might as well have, about keeping his complaints to himself.] Just don't keep her waiting.

casino

[venatoris]

Dean's used to putting on a flashy suit at this point; he'd say a solid 99% of the time when he's working on a job, he's gotta pretend to be a fed. It's old hat by now, though this time it's bespoke and the fabric a whole lot nicer than he's used to. He feels like friggin' James Bond, 007 himself - martini and all. It's not really his go to drink, he much prefers whiskey, but when you're basically in the Monte-Carlo and playing a part in Casino Royale, you gotta act the part.

'Til someone stumbles into you, anyway.

Dean barely has time to process the sudden splash of something cold and sticky soaking into the front of his suit before a blur of frantic apologies and warm hands reaches toward his chest.

“…Well,” Dean says, dragging his free hand hand down his face, “at least buy me dinner first, sweetheart. You alright?”

Colosseum

[lastofthearmlizards]

[Even though they’re supposed to be partners, Baylene couldn’t help but feel wary of Wade as he swung that ax around. Even though she’s so much bigger in comparison, the brachiosaur feels somewhat unnerved by the man's blood-soaked costume.]

I'm not too sure what exactly you mean by the 'Hulk', but you seem rather eager to be smashed by a potential opponent.

[limiterrings]

Do you always exploit your weaknesses so easily?

[ "i haven't did this" or "i can't do that". he can't do a bit of anything, can he? useless individual that shadow feels the need to leave behind.

jumping down, the hedgehog follows right beside with scott with ease knowing that the alien is behind them with how slow the other runs. though, shadow doesn't expect anyone to keep up with an ultimate lifeform like himself in general. ]

Or do you lack a brain?

[ it should be simple, the hedgehog notices that they're are tons of opportunities to make a quick turn left or right. a flat wall coming up that'll be a dead-end if scott doesn't think quick. above, there's a round chandelier hanging above just wide enough to encase the monster if it fell.

buuuut to the left are a group of aliens passing by with many casino chips in hand, almost struggling to not drop them with how slow they come out from one path into the center of where they need to split.

...easily. ]

Someone else's skills.

[ that's all he has to offer, indicating the other should run right through the crowd. ]

[querulus]

/I'm not bringing you take out and champagne for your date with Julian Keller after you told him our fucking cult island exploded!/

[... Shit.

Fuck.

He did not mean to say that, the frustration just bubbled out of him (ironically not unlike a bottle of champagne) oh man she's going to be so pissed]

[lastofthearmlizards]

It’s rather strange to hear all that.

[As much as Baylene appreciates the admiration and awe from the humans, she had mixed feelings upon hearing that dinosaur fossils were put up for display in what Maria calls 'museums'. But for now, she chose to keep those thoughts to herself out of politeness.]

Where I'm from, I was the only member of my kind remaining. Even then, I still find it hard to believe that every other kind of dinosaur had gone extinct.

[strumpet]

( being insulted and spoken down to was nothing new for inara— in fact given her line of work back home and her rather demeaning captain, she was more than used to being called all sorts of things and having to defend herself.

his comment about her wanting an excuse to dress up simply drew a soft smile from her, her eyes rolling up as their fingers touched. he was certainly an interesting person and while she wasn't usually this nosey—

given the circumstances? she needed information. )

Oh you know us women, any excuse to look beautiful. What about you though? What sort of institution did you work in? Before arriving here of course.

[strumpet]

A year?

( whatever controlled composure she had soon dipped from her, a rather concerned look taking over. she still continued dancing but her eyes gently slipped from his gaze, shifting side to side to look around. )

Wait what are you saying? I just arrived here, you're telling me they do this all the time? The dances, the colosseum?

[strumpet]

( there's a softness that filled her eyes as she heard him speak, a warm fluttering feeling affecting her own heart. although she was unaware he was pretending, lying about this little 'affair', she could sense there was something kind about him. being trained for so many years on how to read people and situations made her aptly aware of who to trust.

of course there was always projection— she wished the man she loved back home would speak about her like this to a complete stranger. before she could ruminate on that for long, her focus was turned towards the sudden moisture between their hands, his words, and that roll of the eye. )

Well my goodness that's very kind of you, of you both really. You don't have to do that just because I'm your dance partner you know?

( don't mind her as she casually broke away from their touching to wipe her hands on her shawl, very discreetly. )

I might take you up on that given that I'm rather new and alone here.

[strumpet]

She remained silent briefly as she looked over Nami, taking in her details and posture and how she absolutely could not look at Inara, she was left speechless. She wasn't quite sure what was causing this infliction upon the other and frankly not knowing the answer put her in a difficult position. She always knew the answer to most things and this place was far out of her element.

"Are you feeling any kind of discomfort?", she asked, unaware of the full extent of afflictions caused by the roulette. She was slightly aware there was something influencing her own behavior but when she tried to think on it or remember, she began to struggle.

"Try and turn your head in my direction, let's see what happens."

[strumpet]

Well that is....

( that was certainly something and while she wasn't one to question the situations others have been through, she couldn't help but be a bit skeptical. she had yet to see the full extent of things here but the man seemed nice—

maybe even naive. )

I heard rumors that this world isn't the one everyone is from originally, that all of you came from a place called 'Etraya'. Is that true?

[sophielicious]

(Oh, she is pissed. Super, duper, mega pissed, to the point her blood boils a little in her veins.)

/You can't be fucking serious, Quintavius. A date? Seriously? Is that seriously what you're thinking? Is that really what you think of me? Not that I'm upset, grieving, mourning, alone, scared, but that I'm—

On a date? Just because you jump to the next best thing at the first opportunity, that doesn't mean I do.

But you know what, if you can't think of a single nice way to comfort someone, then that's not on me, I don't know what to tell you. Don't even know why I even gave you that chance./

(Is this about the Julian situation anymore? Probably not.)

[strumpet]

( with the warmth of his hand still radiating on her, she pulled away from him and simply smiled at his words. she wouldn't insist he call her by her first name or anything less than formal between the two, but she couldn't help but find herself comfortable in his presence. she knew very well the art of reading people and picking up on subtilties—

and frankly, in her mind, this older gentleman wasn't raising any red flags. at least not yet. )

Is this a common thing here then? Bringing in new people all the time? I'm afraid this is the first time I'm hearing about 'Etraya' but good to hear it's a little more tame.

( the disdain wasn't missed but it was difficult to judge it. she was more than certain someone of his carriage would find it difficult to be here all things considered. despite that, with a polite bow of her head she held out her arm to him so that they could go inside together. )

That sounds like a plan Mr. Finch, let me lead the way?

[internationalrelations]

I've heard what the nice hologram person told me. ...which is an odd sentence to say and actually mean. Huh.

[Alex is, by his own estimation, entirely too normal for all of this. This should all be fully within the realm of things that only happen in video games and/or fantasy novels and yet here he is.]

And a lot of what was kind of traumatizing, so I'm not sure I've wrapped my head around everything. A few hours ago I was worried about second semester starting up and how I was going to get Henry to stop avoiding me and now I'm here.