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

dreamsofearth: (Angered)

[personal profile] dreamsofearth 2025-04-08 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[Maria straightened at the sudden burst of violence on the screen. Then she got up and hurried to the TV and stamped her foot, clenching her fists. ]

Stop it! Stop fighting! Just what is your problem! [She cried, frustrated. Especially knowing they couldn't hear her. Why was her Shadow being like this to the other Shadow??] Ugh! Don't they see they need to work together?
thelightshines: (more than life)

[personal profile] thelightshines 2025-04-08 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[His ears swerve at every sound. From this room, from the other. His hand finds the light switch, it does nothing. There's a light that lingers in the room though, unlike the others that flicker. Intentional? Trying to lead him to approach?

Well the door didn't do anything when he tried it. He circles around the room, trying to get a better look at where the light was coming from. His hand lands on what looked like a turned over drawer, next to a moth eaten couch, coming into view as he moves.]
fireboost: (pic#17773388)

[personal profile] fireboost 2025-04-08 06:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Those idiots...

[ to be honest, blaze was frowning herself, but she didn't expect such an outburst from the girl next to her. watching stunned for a moment, she rises to her own feet and makes her way over so that she can place her hand on maria's. ]

Calm down Maria, there's no use in getting worked up when they can't hear you anyway.

[ though she can't bring herself to be anymore pleased at what the screen is showing them herself... at least the two seem to be separating once more, bringing an end to the violence when the younger kicks the elder hedgehog away like a soccer ball. sure. goal! what matters is that they stand apart now, staring at one another like they're facing off. ]
sawtrap: (Default)

[personal profile] sawtrap 2025-04-08 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ If he's wandering into a couch, he must be headed to the right side of the room. As he moves further in, he'll be able to make out shapes—to the right, a desk, a chair, some kind of shelf against the far wall. To the left side of the door, an armchair, some hanging decorations that he can't make out the identity of, and a side table next to the chair.

In the center of the room, as he travels to the other side, he'll find that the candlelight is coming from a cake, set on a dining table in the center of the room. The candles to indicate the birthday individual's age, quickly melting, write out '611'. When he's across from it, he'll be able to make out the identity of the shape that had been obscuring the candlelight from the doorway—what looks to be some kind of figure slumped back in its seat in front of the cake, a party hat atop its head and a colourful bib around its neck. It doesn't look quite... human, but it's clearly some kind of bipedal being. ]
thelightshines: (But listen carefully)

[personal profile] thelightshines 2025-04-08 07:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[He moves himself around the furniture, not seeing anything that immediately stood out to him. So he continues to move to the center of the room, staring at the cake. Dang that's old. He blinks, seeing the unmoving figure in the the seat, coming into view. A celebration, meant for them?] ... [But why does any of this matter? He glances around the room again, realizing something. Was there only the door to the bathroom and no other visible paths?]
sawtrap: (Default)

[personal profile] sawtrap 2025-04-08 07:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[ There are no other exits that he can see at a glance! Not so much as a window. Only the door that he just came through.

But I did neglect to mention that there are a few sets of balloons floating in each corner of the room, and one set with the string grasped in the slumped over individual's hand. ]
Edited 2025-04-08 19:37 (UTC)
thelightshines: (Because you lit up my world)

[personal profile] thelightshines 2025-04-08 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[No visible exits. The point of investigating any of this it seems. The temptation to just blow out the candles, but he leaves them burning for now, noting the number. He cautiously investigates the figure sitting in front of the cake instead. He sees something is tied to their hand, a string attached to a balloon. Tilting his head, he reaches to tug the balloon down.]
sawtrap: (Default)

[personal profile] sawtrap 2025-04-08 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ As he should. Those aren't his candles to blow out! They are about halfway melted by now.

The figure has their eyes wide open, slumped back against the chair with their legs stretched out under the table. There are no signs of decay, and there's no unpleasant smell either, it's as if they're just disconnected from their body.

He tugs the balloon down. Now he has a balloon. What would he like to do with it? ]
thelightshines: (The sun that spills)

[personal profile] thelightshines 2025-04-08 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[...Nothing at the moment. He was just curious if there was anything written or attached to it. He lets it loose again when he finds nothing. His attention returns to figure once more, how well off they seem despite the supposed age on the candle.

...Still doesn't want to particularly touch and disturb them, so he's going to explore the other half of the room. He lingers near the side table as he spots the decorations hanging above, trying to see if there's anyhing there, written or out of place.]
sawtrap: (Default)

[personal profile] sawtrap 2025-04-08 08:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The wall hangings are mostly photographs of what seem to be a single family. All of the faces are scratched out in black ink, like someone went after them with a thick marker. Here and there, one or two of the faces are cut out completely. Seems there's nothing interesting to see here.

As for the side table, if he glances down he'll see a set of two flashlights. Presumably intended for when the candles finally reach their end. ]
sawtrap: (Default)

[personal profile] sawtrap 2025-04-08 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The light stops flickering. It seems that poor little lightbulb finally stopped trying, and now he's sitting in the dark. ]
hurtling: (pic#17733313)

[personal profile] hurtling 2025-04-08 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
( there were many variables and reasons why james behaved the way he did, why that special person wasn't even worth his efforts given he was being delusional about them being here but above all else—

unlike shadow, he lacked a true and genuine drive to live. perhaps their reasons for going on were different [revenge vs seeking someone] but james decided it was best to just keep his mouth shut and not try and force himself to look at the other. every time he tried to even shift his eyes over, his mind became a blur and he felt trapped in some kind of hold. instead he decided to focus on the last thing shadow said, before rubbing his arms a bit. )


This might surprise you but I can fight, I actually came from a place where all I had to do was fight...

( an endless array of monsters and that being— the red pyramid head thing. the man who was set to punish him. )

I'll see about getting one of the workers uniforms unless you think we could just break in through one of the secured doors. Well actually if you really don't care...

You could always steal from the rich looking people here.
limiterrings: (pic#17753220)

[personal profile] limiterrings 2025-04-08 09:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[ sitting in the dark. ]
hurtling: (pic#17541186)

[personal profile] hurtling 2025-04-08 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Servant?

( that was certainly surprising and while he didn't know the full ins and outs of this particular world they were in, at the very least he knew what an android was. at least what one would be like in the early 2000's.

as she spoke, he kept up a slow pace himself, simply enjoying the moment. it was strange in a way but this was probably the most alive he had felt in a very long time. )


Seems about right, given how strange this place is. Is this the actual world they brought us to? Etraya? Or is that a different place?
oblige: (...)

[personal profile] oblige 2025-04-08 09:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Dion can well imagine that, as resources grow fewer and fewer, the attrition for those who remain will only increase. The less there is to go around, the more people are liable to suffer. He questions the purpose of being brought to such a place to begin with, for Aurora had said nothing of its salvation.

Rather, its doom seemed a foregone conclusion. Considering the state of his world when last he saw it, the notion of simply giving up and closing one's eyes to the inexorable march toward their own doom is unthinkable. Yet here they are. Here all of this is.

He frowns as though he's bitten into something surpassingly bitter. ]


I can scarce imagine what brought them to this point. [ Try as he might. Dion has known war, known battle for so much of his life, but what meaning is there in struggling merely to amuse callous onlookers? ] Perhaps all we can do is aid those who struggle to impress.
hauntedsnowfall: (z acadimi pout 02)

[personal profile] hauntedsnowfall 2025-04-08 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Proof. Others were seeking proof that their worlds could unravel and come to an end. It is such an alarming concept that Dimitri hadn’t thought to question it yet. He supposes it does make sense, what proof did they have that Lady Aurora was acting in honesty? What a troubling thought. Although if she is lying that would mean their worlds are safe and thusly only Dimitri, and everyone else taken, are the ones in danger. He prefers that to the alternative. ]

I see… I hadn’t considered… I suppose that makes me rather foolish, doesn’t it?
[ Dimitri is a man who who wears embarrassed shame well. ]
I’ll be certain to review the Net Work tonight. Thank you— Oh.

[ Propriety shocks Dimitri out of his gloomy behavior and his eyes snap up to the other man. ]

Please accept my apologies. Here you have been so helpful, and I have yet to have the courtesy to ask your name and properly introduce myself.

I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. I assure you it has been a pleasure making your acquaintance.
[ In this insistence he is ver sincere. ]
Pray tell, what is your name?
thelightshines: (Can the child within my heart)

[personal profile] thelightshines 2025-04-08 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[Their faces are marked off, why? Disassociated with the individual in this room? No longer among the living? Eitherway, they're just a little offputting for photos.

His shoe bumps into the side drawer. Looking down, he sees the flashlights. Like everything else in this place so far, do they even work?]
hurtling: (pic#17733279)

lmao yes please

[personal profile] hurtling 2025-04-08 09:20 pm (UTC)(link)
( thankfully for henry there was no sentiment or feeling james had about his behavior. to him, the man seemed normal if anything—

maybe even downright forgettable. at the very least he was being polite enough to grant him his time but as he looked upwards at the other, still avoiding his gaze, he was quick to see that thread start to lift up and unravel from his neck.

given the things he had seen in the otherworld, this isn't too strange but then again— )


Your uh....neck it looks to be unraveling. Are you okay?

( well at least that was one of his questions. )
sawtrap: (Default)

[personal profile] sawtrap 2025-04-08 09:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Anyway the tap and the faucet of the tub suddenly turn on. Water begins pouring into the sink and into the tub. It does not stop. Shadow isn't being very entertaining for the audience, so he needs a little push. ]
sawtrap: (Default)

[personal profile] sawtrap 2025-04-08 09:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ They're the kind of flashlights with the handle on the side so you can wind it up for more power and light, but it only lasts a little while until you have to wind it up again.

Shadow can also hear the sound of water running coming from the now dark bathroom. ]
limiterrings: (pic#17689660)

[personal profile] limiterrings 2025-04-08 09:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ he's standing in the water with hands on his hips looking at the metaphorical camera like he's on the office. ]

What the fuck is this?

[ someone sounds unamused. ]