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etrayamemes2025-03-28 09:16 am
etrayamods) wrote in 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:
 ⏵ 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:
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. 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. |
no subject
Use your damn eyes and see for yourself.
[ somehow he seems unwilling with how he turns his head, it's not quite enough with how he bothers shadow with things that he can easily make sense of on his own. ]
Ignoring your surroundings will lead you to a quick death.
[ is that a good enough answer for where they are? should be. ]
no subject
( there isn't much that could drive james to become too angry or rather to feel anything too deeply and while he wasn't terribly concerned about his well being well...
the game he participated in literally made it difficult for him to meet someone else's gaze. he should probably tell shadow this but somehow he just can't. )
Yeah that's actually good advice, so I take it you've been here a while then?
( painfully, he's changing the subject. )
no subject
as much as he doesn't want to, a hedgehog like himself can only get into so many unauthorized places. with how weird he is, he'll probably fit in with the oddities that work here. ]
Make yourself useful to me instead.
[ he takes a step forward, looking back to see if the other will come along. whether he walks into someone else or stands there awkward, he's going to have to move sooner or later. ]
Play the role of a worker here, you're going to get me into locked rooms.
no subject
yet unlike shadow, he had experience in questionable and downright dangerous situations. casually sticking his hand in strange places, and jumping down deep, endless holes without question. why would it be any different here? and maybe he was curious to see what exactly was being propositioned here.
especially given he didn't care that deeply about saving his world like aurora had talked about. )
Yeah sure...
( he followed along, each step to the sound of his voice and thankfully not bumping into anything. )
Do you think there's something good in there? Maybe supplies or something.
no subject
with the silence heavy between them, it's then that shadow feels as though he can offer his own thoughts. ]
The more you know, the better.
[ he crosses his arms, ears twitching slightly as the casino's lights flash in certain areas, highlighting their games to draw the attention to new players. it isn't enough to take away shadow's focus, instead, he's glancing around at the various workers to try and find what he can take from them that would signify the other part of their group. ]
Remaining ignorant to your surroundings is something only a fool would do.
[ truthfully, that's what the other is starting to sound like. however... ]
They might have useful weapons, or useful "rewards".
no subject
the young woman had warned him about the town, and while his memories are muddled about how it went, at some point in time he had been firm about his reaction. 'it's just....I guess I really don't care if it's dangerous or not.' it was like that now, while the hedgehog before him [he had yet to realize shadow was one] had seemed so fixated on gathering his bearings and learning more about this world, opting to not remain ignorant james could quite frankly....
care less. he didn't care about his safety or getting too deeply wrapped up in the affairs of this place here. it may have come across as him being naive and ignorant, but really.... )
I guess you're right, it's something a fool would do but I guess I don't really care about any of that when I guess....I'm more concerned about finding someone important to me.
( and if somehow getting involved with shadow's schemes helped him come closer to seeing if by some miracle his wife was brought here, he was willing to help. )
Oh right the points thing, sure so are we knocking out a worker? Maybe stealing their uniform and breaking in?
no subject
[ he adds at the end, not even looking at the human to show how unimpressed he is because surely the man can hear it in his voice.
his reasons are backwards, somehow shadow doesn't understand why he would admit such a poor take especially when there's something on the line. it's not something he would do. ]
You should watch your words. [ in a way, he wants to say he should care, but he can't. ] Learn everything that you can. It'll help you protect that important person.
[ why he says this is... a mystery to him. no, it's not, he knows why. because if she were here... if he somehow found his important person, he'd keep in mind every detail around him and her to ensure her safety.
so that he never loses her again.
shadow doesn't have that chance to anymore, all he has are memories and sometimes nightmares. if that important person that james is looking for happens to be someone he split from while here, then he'd better play it smart, considering unknown territory puts them at a disadvantage.
this isn't his battle nor his problem, so he decides to move on, no longer wishing to linger on that subject of important people.
whatever james decides to do is his choice. ]
Are you able to put up a fight or are you weak?
no subject
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.
no subject
[ from the looks of them and their greed, it seems like chips are the only thing that matter to them. it's not something he's willing to go as far as to do, but since the other is so skittish and not using his eyes, he'd make the best pickpocket. all that matters is that supposed flash drive, it goes off script of what he's searching for, but maybe there's something this human wants.
he thinks it over, one hand to his chin while considering the other's words. ]
I won't stop you, but if your stupidity backfires. I won't save you.
[ which is by all means, he's stopping in place to see if the other has it in him to successfully rob from the "rich". what even constitutes as rich in a place like this, but shadow won't stop him. ]
Go.
[ fetch!!! ]
no subject
while he wasn't a criminal by any means....given the sins he had committed in the past well—
he wasn't above thieves or the like anymore at this point. )
Alright let's consider this practice then...for the flash drive.
( he began to tilt his head side to side, hands fidgeting as he focused on a rather large and slow looking woman. he started to move in on her quickly, hands gliding behind her and reaching for a rather loose looking watch on her. he was able to pull it off of her with ease, and he began to move onto the next target.
whatever shadow wanted to do in this time, he was welcomed to, but eventually after hitting up a few people he returned back to the other—
his gaze of course far away from the creature, instead following his voice and snippets of black and red fur he caught in his peripheral. )
no subject
are they all that focused on gambling within this world? maybe the things they have are meaningless to them when they're here. if only he could pick pocket a flash drive off one of them.
truth be told, shadow isn't doing anything but waiting for the other to finish, and it's with a raise of his brow that the hedgehog looks up at him. ]
Hm.
[ how james was able to even fish people for their items with his unnerving gaze that never met anyone's is quite impressive. perhaps this is just how he is, or he really lacks any sort of care for himself and what could happen by going into these things blind. aliens here could have an interest for humans so maybe that's why they didn't mind if he bumped against them either. ]
Anything of interest or were your talents a waste of time?
no subject
he had never quite done something like this before, mostly opting to avoid people all together even before things in his life took a downward turn. he had been described as surly by his late wife, and whether or not his avoidant gaze was a temporary effect— it wasn't that unusual for him, at least not until he got to that town. )
Sorry, no flash drive but uh....it's good practice like I said.
( not that he wants to explain to shadow how that was his first time doing something like that. )
Should we try something else next then? You mentioned something about the storage rooms right?
no subject
[ he corrects, even if the man won't look to him, he knows that he's paying mind to him and responds in kind. truth be told, it isn't about the lack of a flash drive, it's whether there was anything of interest or did he waste his mind. the other doesn't complain, he uses this as a lesson to broaden his knowledge.
then it was something of interest to him, but nothing of interest to shadow. ]
We should find their light source and turn everything off, making it easier for you to search.
[ that means the machines would stop working, maybe even blind some of the employees that's around them. that's probably doable if he gets the other something to wear which shadow finds doable as he looks around to see if someone isn't paying attention. ]
Whose attire do you want?
[ ... ]
no subject
not like anything mattered to him at the very end of the day. )
Sure right, you want to take care of that? As for that, any that'll fit.
( he might have seem a bit more on the taller side but he was rather slim considering his terrible diet as of late. as long as it wasn't a skirt and tube top, he's sure he'll pull it off regardless but— )
Uh how exactly are we getting the attire anyways?
no subject
[ james likes to ask his stupid questions with obvious answers. how else would they get him if not by attacking who comes close to them? eyeballing what alien fits the other's figure is tough with the extra appendages, but the other should be able to make it work. ]
They can be killed.
[ don't ask how he knows this, but he can always go another option, one that isn't as bloody. ]
Knock one unconscious.
[ he'll allow james the choice. ]
james likes to ask his stupid question asfhjkl; lmao yes
( was it truly alright to harm someone like that for the sake of stealing a flash drive or whatever else it was shadow was wanting to do? perhaps now it was finally time to put his foot down on this whole affair. )
I'm not sure if I should be doing that. I mean what are you expecting to get from all this? The flash drive? Jewelry?
Why would your mind go to killing anyways.
( more stupid questions perhaps. )
i love james he is in the right to ask ANY question he wants with a hog talking to him
If you used your eyes and looked around you, [ has the other noticed, or maybe it's that casting away his gaze.
... ] you'd see there's no rules here.
[ as much as participants lose, the house always win, and for someone pickpocketing people around them... he has morals now of all times? ]
Answers.
[ the hedgehog will finally look up to the other human as he states the obvious. ]
If the flash drive has answers.
[ as to why his mind goes to killing, MANY people are wondering this. ]
don't encourage him lol
hadn't he decided earlier that nothing mattered when he went pickpocketing? still, he had to do something to keep his mind and humanity intact. )
That doesn't mean we have to kill for it. Our hosts might not like it.
( echo and aurora, but unbeknownst to him they actually didn't quite care. )
Let's knock them out, get the attire and figure out to shut the lights off. Without killing anyone.
shadow won't but you know he does things that warrants questions
[ there's no "our" considering shadow abides by no one's rules, even this isn't following james rules when he's given him the option on what he wants to do. if he doesn't want to kill then he won't get the outfit by killing, but there's always incapacitating someone to get the outfit too.
it is curious that he shows morals here still. ]
It works. [ he has nothing against it, willing to knock them out and get this over with. ]
Let's get this over with. [ the hedgehog takes a step forward, placing distance between him and the human until he stumbles stands promptly in the way of an alien who's trying to get into a room. annoyingly, the hedgehog says something out of james' hearing range, but the alien seems confused then offended as they thump, thump, thump their way over towards james. ]