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

it's so nice to play with your Aerith again!

[lordfuckleroy]

In all honesty, I think that it switches.

[ He says as he looks behind him at the floor, though nonetheless he has lifted the flowergirl effortlessly; he most assuredly has worked out much in his princely career be it from training in the usual sports to his morning jogs through Windsor Gardens to keep himself fit. ]

Before we started dancing, there was a minor flood which I fear my shoes shall not recover from. [ He sets Aerith down on the ground and then holds his arm up to twirl her. ] My only advice is to expect the possibility of everything!

[lordfuckleroy]

I shoved you into a cake? Is that the story we are going with?

[ He let out an short huff of a laugh that was filled with chagrin and memory. ] Well Alex Clairmont-Diaz, I would like to remind you that you were inebriated for it, I however was not. [ A small glass of champagne in celebration otherwise he had abstained, it was not quite the thing to appear in public indulging too much.

Strict years of societal expectations draped around his shoulders like a goddamn coronation cape. ] You accosted me in the same way that a golden retriever goes after a thrown frisbee.

[ Right into the cake, and then that too came crashing down. ] I will forgive you your memory though, because I happen to be exceedingly gracious in that way.

[ Alex could feel longing, but that probably wouldn't be the only thing he felt at that quip from Henry's lips. ]

[lordfuckleroy]

Robo!Henry (as the case may be) was at this moment methodically feeding Alex because the computations in his wooden brain was saying that Alex probably needed to eat. He was going off of previous held data that stated that the best thing for a stomach-full of drunk was something to soak it up.

This, however, was not logical in the slightest. Nothing was in this strange topsy-turvy looking-glass realm that they landed themselves within.

"I do not feel hungry, I do not feel anything Alex.." he said as he tried to move his head away from the food. "Hungry is evidentally a feeling." and he had no feelings, no wants, no wishes, nothing. Apathy at it's finest, the ennui that was bone deep.

[agoddessonce]

Sofia. Yes, I remember.

[ Problem was, Ororo is from long after that. Was she going to talk about the Fall? Just like this?

But she hasn't really talked to anyone about the Fall. Not much other than the logistics of things. ... And she certainly won't start that discussion over text. Maybe later, once they were in person. ]

I believe I am a little ahead. Wind Dancer has been accompanying a group with Dazzler at the helm, along with Multiple Man, and Shark Girl. Their current travels take them all over the Earth.

[ She's Alison's current social media manager. ]

[badfengshui]

It doesn't hurt so I think so?

[ It probably will rewind itself as soon as -- uh -- he stares ahead. He isn't sure when this will be over. Huh. Well, that is a problem for future Henry.

He feels a little sorry for future Henry, but present Henry has made the decision to spin the wheel (since it seemed like the safest of the bets to take as someone who just doesn't like to choose violence) and has to live with that decision. Future Henry will understand and accept this decision; he already knows that to be true. ]

[shadowsincryo]

[He nods. There’s no need to hide it. Unlike the more complicated parts of his history. He presses a hand to his chest and bows slightly.] Consider me both a diplomatic instrument of my nation as much as I am part of its peace keepers.

She told me what I asked for. Except the things she couldn’t say but those seem tied to her creator. [Oh hell why not.] She sent us here on this mission specifically because we asked to see a dying world. I can’t determine if it is natural erosion of the passage of time yet or not.

1/2

[banworthy]

Try and convert you!? [ His arms flung out to his sides as he can't cover up the insult that he feels from that inquiry. ] God gave you every means to believe in Her --

[ He snaps his hand up to point to the sky before lowering his arms back down to his sides. Vincent runs his tongue along his teeth, sucking against his canine. Breathing slowly, he rests his hands on his face; his skin feels warm and flushed. His eyebrows scrunch together in irritation before all the tension is released from his body and face. ]

[banworthy]

It's fine.

[ He says abruptly. Getting angry at a tourist is -- it's a pointless endeavor. Yes, he should remain calm instead of lose his head. ]

So long as you're sincerely sorry, it's fine.

Quentin Quire | Marvel 616 | new!

[querulus]

arrival

[Preliminary observations? This planet is, technically speaking, fucked. A quick and dirty psychic scan of the place shows several dozen types of unidentified aliens and miscellaneous humans and human-adjacents, including some psychic signatures Quentin recognizes. That's neat.

Oh, and there's the cameras. Some kind of YA teen dystopian we-have-Mojoworld-at-home kinda deal, then. Complete with "if you die in the game, you die in real life" malarkey. Sure, why not.

Quentin reaches out a hand to telekinetically grab a camera drone and point it towards him.]

What's up, "mysterious viewers," it's me, ya boy. Let's get this over with, shall we?

[He gestures at himself with his thumb.]

Quentin Quire here, Omega level mutant, superhero, all-around iconic. Look at me, I've got pink fingerless gloves color-matched to my hair. [He holds up a hand to demonstrate.] You know this shit was custom. Gotta commit to the bit. Anyway, get used to seeing my name on the leaderboard because I'm going straight to the top and staying there. Me and uh—

[He glances around and points at the most interesting-looking person nearby, regardless of whether or not he knows them.]

This idiot, I guess. That's my cool friend, and we're going to the top together.

[What a team player :) ]

network. un: kidomega

roll call time. what kinda cool x-cats and kittens* are hanging around this dump? i can sense you so i know some of you freaks are here somewhere. hmu.

--QQ

*does not apply to sabertooth, if you are any sabertooth kindly FUCK OFF

casino royale

[Quentin didn't pay the wheel much mind when it landed on 12. Whatever, some kind of challenge or entry fee or something, blah blah blah, who cares. 
When he gets inside, things start going south. The first thing Quentin notices is, well, not a black out of his powers, but maybe a brown out. He can still hear the usual drone of everyone's thoughts muddled together in an unintelligible cacophony, sense the presence of psychic signatures around him, but pinpointing them? Feeling the difference between one mind and the next? Gone. Ix-nayed. Kaput.

What the hell?

What the hell?]

Oof.

[Distracted by whatever the fuck is going on in his head, Quentin runs into a trashcan. And it... doesn't... hurt? Okay, so it's not just his brain senses that are fucked up. Good to know? He steps back and away from the trashcan, lost in thought, and for a moment forgets that his primary sense for knowing where people are is "offline".

And immediately bumps into someone. Perhaps even you!]

Shit. Hey, you wanna watch it?

[Oops. At least he's pretty scrawny.]

wildcard

[Go nuts! Current canon point is end of X-Manhunt fyi]

[shadowsincryo]

[He looks around. The casino is bustling and the dealers are keeping an eye on things. His tail flicks and he taps Henry’s left shoulder with his paw twice. Once they get near a table, he taps the right.

The dealer at this table looks bored. She looks up and blinks at the sight of Henry and his cat. The cat hums and hops off onto the table as light as a feather. He bows, then looks to Henry and gestures for the pad.

He writes,] ‘Deal me in. I’ll start with a five chip investment.’

[The dealer looks at Henry. ‘And you?’]

[dreamsofearth]

It matters to me!

[Maria's voice rose a little. Seeing how those spears crackled. Though she noticed that the other Shadow wasn't beneath them anymore. ]

There are cameras where you two are trapped and me and Blaze can see everything. It randomly came on the tv.

I cannot stand this unprovoked violence towards your other. I swear to you he's no android or hostile entity with your face! He wasn't going to attack you and you were going to to...

No! I won't stand for it!

Don't you see that you both have to work together to get out of there??

[She was trembling but she kept going. ]

Please. I love you. I see how good your heart is deep down. Please I need you to trust me and watch over him, not treat him so horribly! I need you both to come back to me alive.

[limiterrings]

You're forgetting I never wanted to get through this.

[ his points lowering as they do don't scare him, as the ultimate lifeform, he's able to withstand anything that comes his way. the only reason he's here is because the young girl wouldn't leave him alone. even underneath the plate of armor, it doesn't hide his irritation in his voice or conceal his body language either. shadow stands much like someone who is ready to turn their back and leave.

it's childish, there are other things that warrant his attention, and even as he turns away with arms crossed, the hedgehog glances at the crowd before him. from the looks of them, they aren't impressed by his actions, and by his unwillingness he can hear the less-to-be-surprised beeping in his ear about how his points are dropping, but since this is a partner activity.

...fio might also hear her points dropping from the ear piece.

one quick glance to the monitors above that displays the footage of what they're doing, he can see their numbers dropping down at the same pace. annoyed, the tips of his fingers curl into his gauntlet's palm, metal clinking together at the underhanded plays of this world. if only he could kill every single one then he would at the expense of himself, but no one needs to be dragged down with him.

he can't leave now. ]

This is pissing me off. [ the hedgehog turns to look towards the young girl now dressed in something different. with a sigh, shadow closes the distance between him and fio, with a tilt of his head up, the hedgehog stares at the girl through the visor before extending his hand for her to take. ]

I want this over with.

[shadowsincryo]

‘Yes.’ [He has never hidden the terrible things from Lumine. And he never will. He pauses for a moment. Then he writes,] ‘They know things about us that no one should be able to know. I am positive Aurora didn’t tell them.’

[Read: my secrets are being paraded around and I’m upset about it. You might have a similar situation on your hands.]

‘They have been supplementing their entertainment resources with travelers from afar. I can tell this world is dying. I’m sure you noticed there are no children or teenagers. No one going to work or over seeing anything not related to the game.’

[strumpet]

( all inara could really do to his kind words was simply smile politely, her head bowing just a bit in agreement to his words. she was never the kind of woman who expected kindness from others, but when it came it was a bit of a tricky situation. she knew men very well, inside and out and their expectations and desires. nothing ever truly came free with any of them, but henry didn't seem like the sort [especially given his relationship but those things were always tenuous depending on the man].

so, despite her own cautious nature she decided to accept his kind words. his manner of speaking was rather unique, but charming despite it. )

Well Henry, that's awfully kind of you and as a poor woman once said— 'I've always depended on the kindness of strangers.'

( with a bit of laughter from her, she began to continue dancing again, the device in her ear reminding her of her point total. )

And I suppose I'm not, so tell me is dancing a common affair around these parts? Or was I just lucky this time?

[shadowsincryo]

I am. This is my first mission. I was dropped into this situation on the last one. Wizards with a librarian of fascinating books. I can tell you the whole story some time. [He has had a little time to figure Etraya’s system out, but not enough to fully grasp the details. He had to catch himself when the floor shifted.

A familiar little alarm bell in the back of his mind had sounded and he breathes through it as that paranoia fades. For now.] I learned in a grassy field. A good place for a child to learn without seeming confining or too boring. If I worked hard I got to go play for a while.

It was an effective system.

[shoplifter]

[Used to be? That's new.

Maybe she should investigate that later. For now, it looks like Wade is more than happy to prepare for the next combatant. Laura turns toward the opening gates, though she continues the conversion with Deadpool like they're just out watering the lawn.]

They have been good. I have a roommate, and I picked out a birthday.

Also — look. [She holds out a hand to Wade, showing off the blue and pink nails.] I've learned about nail polish. Do you like them?

[shoplifter]

[Laura starts toward the exit in a dress that is very much not suited for the colosseum or life outside of the party in general. Aphaia is not a beautiful place full of well-fed, happy citizens. She always looks particularly out of place when there's no other children to speak of in this world.]

I'm Laura.

You are new, yes? Sent through the portal by Aurora.

[... He certainly would have been more noticeable in Etraya before now, with hair that green.]

its ok we're all a mess all day every day

[shoplifter]

[She licks her ice-cream and stares back, her eyes squinting just slightly.]

You smell strange.

[Have you ever had to deal with a human-adjacent who can smell you, Harry?

But anyway.]

You are a new person Aurora has sent over, aren't you?

[shoplifter]

[... Ah. Her eyebrows shoot up.]

You know the older Laura?

Ororo and Julian told me a little about her.

[Laura has not learned how to shake hands just yet. She's learned pinky promises, and so she just imagines this is something like that. She grabs Sophie's hand, but proceeds to not shake it up and down or let go.]

[laserguy]

It's not like he called all the students to watch me or anything... it's not really a big deal man. [Well, he might've spooked some of the kids with his powers, but they're also afraid of Jean for like no real reason. Okay, she's really powerful and has a problem with control too, but he likes her and that's all that matters to him.

And he honestly hasn't thought much about the Professor and the tree until now, partly because he kind of likes living at the mansion so far with the other mutants and Alex seems to trust Professor Xavier a lot. Not to mention that Hank managed to make him glasses that can allow him to see without killing everyone. The first one that really did anything to help him. So... everything has felt better now since he got there compared to before.]

Well, I didn't hurt anyone. He was probably really confident that I wouldn't. [Even though he probably knows of him destroying the bathroom in his old school. Hm.] But okay, what kind of powers do some of the mutants have?

[sophielicious]

I've been around her, yeah. You'll grow up to be a real cool lady.

(Sophie isn't super close to Laura, to be honest, or to pretty much anyone who doesn't look exactly like her, but she guesses if she had to nominate people she's been most around by herself... Yeah, Laura does make the cut. Twice, even.

... She kind of forgot that she is more feral than she looks, so time to teach.)

When someone gives their hand like that, you go up, down, middle, and release. Not too strong, not too soft, and if you end up with acrylic nails one day, don't rip their hands off. Let's try that again.

[laserguy]

Fuck--!

[He startles, hands swatting hers as he stumbles forward to put some distance between them. When she said that she was going to see him, he figured that she'd come forth at least in a normal manner but guess he was expecting too much!! Why is she like this?!

Yes, he's definitely regretting this already.

Once he's a few feet away from Sophie, he turns to face her with that grumpy look, like none of him is amused by any of this.]

W-what the hell?! A simple 'hi' would've worked!

[laserguy]

[Scott guesses that's fair enough. Mutual not messing with each other would be the best.]

And yeah, sort of? There's enough of us for the government and whatever to consider us our own species, but things have been okay. The number one thing I'm still thinking about is the next James Bond movie to come out. Or maybe even another Star Wars... although I'm not sure if anything could compare to the original movie.

[Oh right, he might be worried a little about school. And his powers, but at least he has glasses now. That's helped with a lot of things, even if he can't control them still. At least he can see.

There's also the whole thing about being stuck here, but. Scott forces himself to focus on Shadow.]

So, wait, you're really from Earth too? That's what I thought earlier, but never met a talking hedgehog before.

[laserguy]

[He feels like the chance of Hope not being a mutant is about zero percent, but he honestly doesn't want to talk about mutant stuff right now. He just wants to feel a little normal right now, even though it's probably an impossible thing, given their circumstance.]

Okay, here's the real question. A true test of character. Episode IV or V?

[Star Wars.... and he's not giving any other option.]

[fireboost]

I see. Then I will make sure to learn how to utilize all three of them.

[ somebody's going to be getting several dozen messages and calls. probably silver. ]

Have you been here long? I find this 'points' system to be a nuisance, but performance is not my strong suit.

[ there's a certain amount of public speaking and image management, as well as a necessity of developing relationships that comes with the territory in being a princess. however, none of it is particularly enjoyable—and blaze had considered herself as being 'on vacation' at her time of arrival. neither does she think that any of the public image maintenance that she's used to has been particularly useful here, where the main priority is entertainment over dignity. ]